A/N: So, this chapter here is a double-sized chapter, the second to be published this week. Why is it so big? Because I'm delving into a bit of backstory today. It's time for femslash!

Chapter 7: Meet the parents: Juniper's side.

December 22 2030. 7:30 a.m.

Train station, city outskirts.

Juniper disembarked the train once it reached her stop. After that she hailed a cab to take her back home.

On the way there, however, she realized that she was close to the place where her Grandma was currently living and decided go visit her first.

She was going to meet up with Robin soon to celebrate their third year anniversary. But that was in the afternoon, so in the meantime she wanted to visit everyone that had done something for the two of them at some point in their lives.

My Grandma has done more for me than anyone else. I want her to be a part of this really important day of my life.

Fittingly enough, the last time she had a discussion like this with her Grandma was when she first had to break the news that she was dating Robin. Of course, that particular memory was plagued by the Shadow that haunted the time period surrounding that day….

February 2028.

The February of that year was really, really, chaotic for her starting with the first note from the Shadow. As she had told Robin over the phone, she had no intention of letting their anonymous enemy do as they pleased, and as Student Council President she had to set the example for everyone else to lead.

Her first course of action was to meet with Robin and Myriam so that Myriam could interview the two of them over their relationship and the Shadow's actions. Juniper took this chance to give an encouraging speech to the student body.

"I know how scary it can be when someone tries to intimidate you. When someone tries to hurt you. But I've face these kinds of people before, and I can tell you they can't have any kind of power over you if you don't let them. Just remember to have faith in yourself, and in the people that love you."

All throughout that interview she had been holding hands with Robin, and after speaking that final line Robin gave it a gentle squeeze.

Myriam herself was on Cloud Nine, feverishly taking notes on every word her two friends spoke. After the interview ended she bustled off towards the Newspaper club, but not before reassuring her friends that she would make sure the story got printed exactly as it should, without any of the extra "additions" Myriam was infamous for adding.

The following Monday Juniper, Robin, and Hugh picked up the Special Edition of the Themis Herald. As it turned out, Myriam saw fit to devote the entire issue to the interview, with the interview itself on the front page and the rest of the paper devoted to giving the backstory on how Juniper and Robin had gotten together, including a small individual piece on each girl and their time attending Themis Legal Academy.

Curiously enough, there didn't seem to be a mention of the Shadow beyond the part of the interview where Robin talked about the note that had been left in her locker, and even then Robin hadn't called the Shadow by name. But on the very last page there was short blurb from Myriam.

Kahk-Kahk. It was a pleasure interviewing these two, and as always I'm following the latest scoop. Unfortunately, this also means I can't waste time on things like whoever it was that tried to bait the fine Ms. Newman. But I'm sure the Junior Members can take care of that!

Special Edition Themis Herald data jotted down in Organizer.

Needless to say, the school was in a complete uproar. But after a couple days it didn't seem like the Shadow was going to respond, so Juniper moved on to the next step: telling her Grandma the news. But that particular day began and ended rather poorly….

February 9th, 2028. 9:45 a.m.

Themis Legal Academy, Robin's locker.

"There's another note in my locker!"

"What? Another one?"

Everyone met up at Robin's locker and sure enough, sitting smack dab in the middle of the locker was a second note.

The note read as follows:

Are. You. Serious? I give you a fair warning, I tell you that where you're wrong. And your answer is to broadcast your invalid relationship to the entire school?

I warned you, Newman. Never before have I faced someone so needlessly stubborn. I'm not going to lie, it pains me that I will have to deliver retribution onto you.

But it seems as though our paths are irreconcilable. Mark my words, Newman: Within three days you will leave Themis Legal Academy, and never return.

"It seems as though Myriam's shock tactics were only able to do so much." Hugh said. "Has the article at least given us any new leads to the Shadow's identity?"

Myriam shook her box-clad head. "No good, sss sss sss. There have been people who've tried to turn themselves in for the attention, but a quick session with Apollo and Athena weeds them out."

"What about the Newspaper Club?" Robin asked. "Have they been of much help? Or..." Robin grew nervous. "Could any of them have been the culprit?"

"Not on your life!" Myriam immediately snapped. "I had each new member questioned extensively by Athena after we found the first note. I will personally vouch for them."

"Let's not get so angry at each other," Juniper calmly suggested. "We're all on the same side, so if we just take a step back and look at over what's happened we might be able to get some new information."

"G-o-o-d call right there, Juniper!" Robin said. "I'm sorry I suspected your club, Myriam." She added.

"You just asked questions," Myriam said. She tapped the foot on which she wore her friendship band. "As a journalist I think I can forgive this."

With everyone calm again the group studied the locker. It was exactly the same as last time: Nothing in the locker itself had been touched, but in the middle the note was sitting face up. Once again the lock was undamaged.

"It looks like our culprit at least appears to have fallen into our trap." Myriam said, looking rather pleased with herself.

What trap?" Juniper asked. Looking around revealed Hugh was just as confused but Robin seemed to know what Myriam was talking about.

"Right, you passed out and then you had to go home with Hugh. Before we explain what we did, do you remember how our school lockers work?"

How they work? Juniper looked at the row of lockers before her. They were the standard square lockers with three vertical slats. Color-wise, they were a pale lime-green. Befitting a school as prestigious and rich as Themis, the lockers still looked brand new, and each locker was fitted with an electronic lock that responded to the assigned student's ID card. In the event that the electronic lock broke or at the end of at the semester when they were emptied and cleaned, the lockers could be opened with a simple key that went into a lock that was fitted below the electronic lock. Juniper had no idea who held those particular keys, though.

Locker Mechanisms data jotted down in Organizer.

Juniper voiced all these thoughts out loud, and everyone else nodded.

"When they were investigating the first note, things ground to a halt because anyone could have just slipped the note in the slats," Robin explained. "So I made a l-i-t-t-l-e alteration after that."

She pointed at the inside of her locker door. Juniper and Hugh looked to see what she was pointing at and saw what appeared to be a small piece of paper taped over the slats. The paper was the same shade of green as the locker and blended in rather well.

Immediately, Juniper could see the brilliance of what Robin did. "When did you do this?" She asked.

Myriam proudly handed Juniper a photo. The photo showed a picture of the inside of the locker door with Robin's alteration. On the bottom of the photo was a time-stamp: 01-29-28, 1:30 p.m.

"I already cleared it the principal," Robin said proudly. "He said as long as I didn't damage the locker I could do what I wanted. With this we might finally have a lead!"

The paper over the inside of the slats did a simple thing: make it impossible for someone to slip a note through them from the outside. But that a note had found a way inside anyway immediately narrowed the culprit down to two possibilities: either they had access to Robin's ID card, or they had access to the keys to the lock that overrode the electronic lock. Either way...

Robin's Locker info jotted down in the organizer.

Shadow's notes updated.

"Okay, now that that's taken care of, now what?" Robin asked cheerfully.

"Well, Myriam will take photos of everything like last time," Hugh said. "And of course we need to report the second note. Should we report on the results of Robin's trap as well?"

"I think we should," Juniper said. "We don't know who might have access to the keys, and maybe with a little extra help we'll be able to catch the Shadow."

Everyone seemed to be in agreement, so Hugh stayed behind with Myriam to take pictures of the locker while Robin and Juniper went off to report the second note.

While they were at the principal's office Robin reported on what she had done to her locker and the results they had garnered while Juniper asked who might have access to the locker keys.

The principal answered that access to those keys were highly restricted, and he couldn't imagine how a student could get their hands on them. However, he would get someone to look up on who did have access to the keys in case that was how the culprit was able to access the locker.

The evidence didn't lie. Robin had made it impossible to slip anything through the slats of her locker, and yet a note had found a way inside her locker anyway. It seemed the Shadow was potentially a lot more powerful than they had initially thought.

February 9th, 2028.

1st floor hallway.

The rest of that the school day passed in a blur as Juniper wracked her head for anything else she could do to aid the search for the Shadow. Nothing occurred to her however, so she left her last class of the day feeling frustrated.

As a result she didn't see the man standing outside the door and collided with him.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" Juniper apologized profusely as she helped the man back up. He had jet-black hair that was slicked back, dark eyes that shone behind thick round glasses, and an open and friendly aura around him.

"No, that's okay. I should be so lucky to run into a pretty lady like you every day," the man said. He held out a hand. "Name's Logan Sullivan."

"Nice to meet you, Logan." Juniper said, smiling gently at him as she shook his hand.

Logan abruptly began staring at the floor. "You looked quite troubled. Mind if I lend you an ear?"

Juniper shook her head. "Thank you for offering, but I need to meet up with-"

"Your girlfriend?" Logan said in a quiet tone. "I guess that means it's this Shadow business that's got you all wound up? "

"It is," Juniper said, surprised that Logan was able to glean so much from so little. "Well, that's not all but it's kind of personal."

Logan looked back up, grinning. "Fair enough. You may not know it, but I'm the top student of the Prosecutor course. So at least let me offer you a piece of advice on catching your prey."

"If the culprit can be anyone, then don't cross the people you know off the suspect list," Logan said. "This Shadow clearly knows a lot about the you, so they might be a lot closer than you think."

Juniper's stomach went cold. "Are you saying one of my friends might be the Shadow?"

Logan shook his head, a serious expression on his face. "Not necessarily. But as a Prosecutor, I can't deny the possibility and neither should you."

It was at this point that Juniper remembered what had occurred this morning and felt immensely relieved, and a bit guilty she had even entertained the scenario.

"I don't think it's them."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Robin set a trap for the Shadow in her locker," Juniper said, deciding to leave a few details vague as a security measure. "It's already worked once, and I think we might get a new lead out of it. But I want to think of a way to add to the trap in order to bust the Shadow for good."

"Impressive," Logan said, his grin from earlier returning. "Well, if anyone can catch this culprit it's you. I guess I'll head home, then."

With that, Logan strode towards the school exit. After making sure she hadn't dropped anything, Juniper herself left.

February 9th, 2028. 7:30 p.m.

After Juniper met up with Robin the two took a bus to Juniper's house. Robin had earlier told her parents that she would be going to Juniper's house, and that she (Robin) had something important to tell them the next day.

There was no denying it. Juniper was scared, more scared than she ever remembered being. But the feeling of Robin's hand in her own helped keep her tethered. She knew her Grandma. She knew that there was no reason to worry, even as her gut said otherwise.

Like this, Juniper managed to make it through the bus trip, and in no time at all she was at the front door of her house.

February 9th, 2028. 8:00 p.m.

Wood's Residence, living room.

Juniper sipped the herbal tea her Grandma had served her as she and Robin sat on a couch while waiting for her Grandma to return.

After answering the door her Grandma had bustled them inside and served them both tea. Then, she went into the kitchen to retrieve food for them.

Juniper noticed Robin fidgeting out of the corner of her eye. It made sense that her girlfriend would be as nervous as she was. But when Robin caught her looking she immediately gave Juniper a huge reassuring smile.

"It's so nice to see your girls getting along so well."

The two turned towards the to see her in the kitchen doorway: Virginia Woods, the mother of Juniper's father and the woman who raised Juniper most of the young girl's life.

Despite her advanced age Mrs. Woods still stood tall, carrying a plate of bread that she had gone to fetch. Her wrinkled face belied the bright spark in her deep brown eyes. She wore her white hair in a bun, and much like Juniper wore a light dress with a shawl.

Mrs. Woods set the plate down on a table and sat down in a sofa, facing both girls.

"You wanted to tell me something, Juniper?" Her Grandma asked.

This was it. After almost two months of going out with Robin she was finally going to tell her Grandma about it.

"I didn't want to keep this from you," Juniper began. "I h-hated every second of it. *cough* cough* But I just didn't know w-here to begin with this. *cough* *cough* cough*"

Robin and Mrs. Woods immediately went to help Juniper, but she used her medicinal inhaler and gave a sign that she was fine.

"I'm fine. *cough*" Juniper said. "I can do this." Her two loved ones, while hesitant, decided to trust in her strength.

Juniper slowly got a handle on herself. As she did so she saw her Grandma looking over the two of them: sitting only a few feet from each other, holding hands, and really nervous.

Grandmother and granddaughter locked eyes, and at that moment Juniper realized exactly what to say.

"Robin and I have been going out for the past two months. I'm sorry I haven't told you in all this time."

Mrs. Woods gently set down her teacup and smiled sadly at her granddaughter.

"My sweet Juniper. I knew this day would come," she said. "All these years watching you grow up, I knew that one day you would fall in love with someone and bring them home. I just wish my son was here to see this."

Juniper looked at the various pictures hanging on the wall. One particular picture was of her parents and her back when she was a child. They had died when she was five, so this picture was the only thing she had to remember them by.

Next to her, Robin had become somber. "I wish I could have met them too." she muttered.

Mrs. Woods turned her attention to Robin. "You know, my granddaughter was quite taken with a young man for quite a while. But then she slowly she stopped talking about him and started talking about you."

Juniper twiddled her fingers together. Well, it wasn't so much that she stopped talking about Apollo as she started to refer him as just a good friend. Around that same time, she began to think of Robin as more than just a friend.

"Yes, she started to talk about how kind you are, how happy and full of life. About how your smile would always be what got her through the day."

The two girls felt themselves grow hot, and they knew they had started blushing.

"Well, Juniper's my girlfriend." Robin said, going on a charm offensive. "Of course I want her days to be filled with c-h-e-e-r!"

"Did I really say all that?" Juniper wondered aloud.

"Maybe not with words," Mrs. Woods said knowingly. "But I could see it regardless."

"So, it doesn't bother you that I'm a girl?" Robin asked tentatively.

Mrs. Woods shook her head. "I'm not as old-fashioned as I look. And my granddaughter has as always been a romantic person. Always searching for someone kind and wonderful to be by her side."

This statement resonated deep in Juniper's being. It was true. Growing up, she had been one of those girls that dreamed of a Prince Charming to love and care for her.

Her entire life, she had people she could lean on, people she could trust. Her Grandma made sure she never wanted for anything, and as she became less shy she made friends like Thena, or her group from Themis.

As she grew older, she outgrew this fantasy, focusing instead on making friends and pursuing her dream of being a Judge. Being a Judge to her meant becoming someone strong, someone that could resolve conflict.

Then she met Apollo, who seemed to be everything she ever dreamed. A wonderful knight with a heart filled bravery.

She had truly loved him, once. There was no denying it. But after months of never being able to catch his attention in that way, the feelings simply cooled into friendship.

Even as this happened she began to get to know the real Robin Newman. And in her, Juniper found warmth. She found kindness. She saw a bravery not unlike Apollo's, but unique to Robin, such as when she defended Thena from Aristotle Means.

But that wasn't all. She saw Robin at her worst, saw her sadness over her fractured bonds with her parents. She learned about her attempt to cheat at the mock trial, which Juniper did give her a lecture about later.

With each passing day that Juniper spent with Robin, she found herself falling for her more and more.

"Because I don't want a Prince Charming," Juniper finished aloud. "I want someone I can love completely, guy or girl."

"Is that me, then?" Robin asked.

Juniper pecked her on the lips in response.

"My only question is why it took so long to tell me," Mrs. Woods added to remind the girls she was still there.

Juniper and Robin took turns explaining the past two months, from the initial awkwardness to the current crisis with the Shadow. As this happened Mrs. Woods closed her eyes, deep in thought.

"To think that someone would do such things," she said when the explanation finished. "Ms. Newman, I trust you have done well in protecting Juniper?"

Robin snapped to attention. "I've been pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into bringing this person to justice!" She shouted. "In fact, I plan to go to school early tomorrow so I can continue investigating!"

"Very well." Mrs. Woods opened her eyes and pinned them both with a stern glare. "Since you two are finally coming clean about this, I expect more honesty about what you two are doing from now on. And be mindful while under this roof, especially if you're both in Juniper's room."

Robin swooned into a limp state while Juniper made a scandalized noise, feeling herself grow incredibly hot.

February 9th, 2028. 8:30 p.m.

On that note, Mrs. Woods continued to give the expected lecture to Robin on treating Juniper properly despite Juniper's occasional protests. But the protests themselves were more out of embarrassment than anything. Beyond that, Juniper felt incredibly grateful to her Grandmother. The food and drinks, the questions, the lectures: in years past when Juniper had a crush on a guy, Apollo included, her Grandma would prepare much this same procedure.

That Robin received this same treatment meant that in her Grandma's eyes, Robin was as valid a romantic partner as anyone else. Before she went to help her Grandma with cleaning the mess left from the food and tea Juniper told Robin this, and her girlfriend had a definite spring in her step afterwards.

Inevitably, Robin's phone rang, signifying that her parents were here to pick her up. Juniper saw her off with a kiss on the cheek before Robin left. But halfway out the door Robin stopped and turned with a mile-wide grin.

"I'm going to catch the Shadow, maaaaannnnn!" She declared at the top of her lungs.

With that, she dashed off to where her parents were waiting at the bottom of the driveway.

Looks like Robin's time with Thena's really paying off. Juniper mused.

After a dinner where she and her Grandma continued to talk about past two months, Juniper retired to her bed. As she drifted off, she considered everything she'd done today.

In years past she would have been too shy to even think about doing a school interview about her relationship. Too meek to try and defy someone like the Shadow.

Her Grandma, her friends, her girlfriend Robin-it was because of their support that she could stand tall today.

February 10th, 2028. 7:00 a.m.

During breakfast that morning Juniper's own cell phone rang, and she picked it up to find Hugh on the other side of the line.

"When was the last time you saw Robin?" he asked.

"Um...l-last night," she answered. "Her parents picked her up to take her home. Why do you ask?"

"And she told you that she would continue investigating the Shadow, correct?"

Juniper started feeling scared. "She did. Why? What happened?"

"Robin's been arrested."

December 22 2030.

Even to this day, Juniper could still remember the raw, unfiltered panic she felt upon hearing those words. They had underestimated their enemy.

That call had been but a prelude to what would be the second-most harrowing, emotionally draining day of her life.

A/N: Surprise cliffhanger! That's right, Robin is the defendant of the approaching case. Next chapter, we find out what she's being accused of and explore her backstory. Hoo boy...Robin's backstory. Until then, this has been Orion Fowl, and thank you for visiting my corner of Romance.