2 Don’t You Forget About Me (Klema Part 1)

Mr. Coffee: And here we have part one of a two-part Klema drabble (be warned of SOJ spoilers!) which is dedicated to a really nice gal, Sylviidae.
p.s. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Either way, I suggest you wear protection in case of flying Snackoos…

May 21, 2028

As an esteemed member of the LAPD, the normally headstrong but levelheaded Ema Skye was not typically the jumpy sort.

However, seeing as she’d thought she was all alone in the Criminal Affairs Department, given that it was very well past midnight, the sudden thunderous roar from her doorway caused the former homicide detective to freeze in the act of cleaning out her desk drawers and nearly jump out of her skin.

“Exactly wann zur Hölle were you planning on letting me know you were leaving the country, Fräulein Detective?”

“Gah!”

A startled shriek escaped the recently promoted forensic investigator at the sound of the unforeseen visitor looming at the entrance of her office, while the files and papers she’d been organizing into neat piles slid listlessly from her fingertips and scattered to the floor.

Even more unexpected than his impromptu appearance was the palpable aura of aggravated disapproval marring the normally cheery disposition of her very soon-to-be former boss, Klavier Gavin.

“Good evening, Prosecutor Gavin.” Ema struggled to keep her voice level and uncomfortably turned away from those accusing azure orbs. “You startled me. I figured you would’ve long since gone home for the evening. I – I certainly didn’t expect to see you at this ungodly hour.”

Despite her outward calm, a feeling of mounting dread washed over her as she saw the cloudy expression on his normally sunny mien darkening even further as he strode over to her.

“I demand an explanation, Detective Skye!” The German man slammed a heavy fist down on the bureau. “Why was I not notified about this?”

Detective Skye. Crap-baskets! He rarely ever called her anything but Fräulein Detective –proof that he was more infuriated about being kept in the dark regarding her pending departure than she had initially anticipated.

The dark scowl on his handsome face was now being accompanied by a baleful glare that could’ve put holes through a brick wall. Yikes! Ema hadn’t seen him look this worked up since the time she’d busted his chops for using women’s shampoo as the secret behind his such lustrous, satiny locks!

Cheese and rice, what we have here is the exact reason I’ve been dreading this inevitable moment! Heck, I even hoped I could forgo it entirely!

Although she no longer openly loathed the man she’d once held responsible for getting her dear friend Phoenix Wright disbarred, it didn’t mean she was a huge fan of his either! Up until the defense attorney had gotten his name cleared of the false forgery charges, the prosecutor and policewoman had had an acrimonious relationship very similar to oil and water – with a side of venom.

Admittedly, they’d reached a cordial, almost friendly, working relationship ever since the blue attorney had regained his badge,  although were hardly best friends. Sure, the fop was a decent prosecutor and generally affable human being, but he was also a smarmy, condescending Casanova who was also way too pulchritudinous for his own good!

While these less than desirable supervisor qualities weren’t what Ema thought she’d ever hate enough to abdicate her position, she’d fundamentally decided she could very well do without them nevertheless. This was exactly why she’d agreed to accept the overseas assignment in The Kingdom of Khura’in working alongside Nahyuta Sadmahdi!

While “Prosecutor Flutter” was a trifle overly self-righteous, preachy, and hard to read, (she figured that was par for the course, what with being a monk!), the soft-spoken and ever-polite attorney seemed to sincerely respect her work ethics, as well as appreciate her talents as a forensic investigator.

This was a far cry from Klavier, who’d never ceased to make her feel like he deemed her little more than just a pretty face, or worse, his source of personal amusement! The idea of being in a working environment with a man who didn’t make her teeth grind or her blood boil (or her temperature rise, but that was a likely side effect of suffering extended periods in the incorrigibly flirtatious fop’s presence!) had seemed like a dream come true!

Plus, she was good friends with Apollo, so the chance to help him and the Royal Regent rebuild the Asian country’s legal system had seemed like the opportunity of a lifetime.

That being said, Ema supposed she could apprehend why the quondam rock star might be a tad miffed his underling hadn’t seen fit to let him know she’d no longer be working under him – because she’d chosen to leave the country for an imponderable period!

Hence the semi-murderous expression she was now being subjected to!

“I left the prosecutor’s office hours ago.” Klavier was straining to keep his voice from quaking with anger. “I’d decided to accept Fräulein Wright’s invitation to see her latest magical act this evening. This was the grand premiere of Fräulein Cykes debuting as her assistant since Herr Forehead decided to stay back halfway across the world.”

“Ah yes, Trucy’s new magic show.” The science enthusiast forced a smile, eager for the chance to change the subject. “I’m not sure how Athena feels about being her new onstage sidekick, but with Apollo gone, I can’t see how she has much of a choice! Maybe this will be the distraction she needs from the heartache of having him take leave from the Wright Anything Agency.”

The man Princess Rayfa had dubbed ‘Drill Head’ seemed utterly mystified by her reference to the ‘Putrid Yolk’, so Ema felt inclined to elaborate.

“Come on! How could you miss the undeniable sparks between the yellow and red attorney? It’s so obvious Athena has the hugest crush on Apollo! You should have seen the green-eyed monster surfacing with that ginger when she met me. She very hopefully inquired – right in front of me! – if Apollo and I were cousins! I could practically hear the girl holding her breath while praying he’d answer affirmatively to the query!”

Her eyes twinkled with mirth.

“Anyway, my JusticeCykes shipping aside, how was Trucy’s performance?”

“I was at the same table as Herr Wright, which meant front row seats to witness all the excitement.” A slight smile tugged at his lips at the memory. “Therefore, I had a prime view to the on-stage spectacle! I do believe the poor titian-haired sidekick was authentically fearful for her life when she backflipped through that ring of fire while holding a candle in her mouth! If that was feigned terror, then she has the makings of a great stage actress!”

“Those crazy kids!” Ema snickered, this time with authentic merriment. “Whatever will the little magician think of next? Probably shoot Big Red out as a human cannonball or some sort of guillotine stunt, I bet!”

She’d honestly expected him to laugh and make some sort of witty quip, but a glance at the hard glint in his eye indicated that in spite of her efforts, Klavier wasn’t about to be sidetracked this time.

“Aside from the legendary defense attorney, whose statue has him immortalized alongside my own at Themis Academy, I also had the pleasure of sitting next to Herr Wright’s hübsche Freundin.”

“Pretty girlfriend – you mean Maya?”

“I see you immediately know of whom I speak! Ja, I meant Fräulein Fey! Those two are so obviously swains, they don’t even bother denying it anymore!”

“Whatever tipped you off they’re more than just friends?” She teased. “Did you try hitting on Maya like you do everyone else, and have Mr. Wright do the whole possessive arm around her shoulder routine while giving you a warning death glare?”

“Ja to both!” Klavier grinned impishly and gave a mock shudder. “Achtung baby! The mild-mannered lawyer can be downright scary when it comes to his Frau! If looks could kill, I swear I’d be shark bait!”

“I wish I’d been there to see Mr. Wright successfully threatening you into behaving yourself without having to say a word!” Ema tittered. “I wonder how his glower compares to Mr. Edgeworth’s infamously directed icy shards!”

“Speaking of Herr Bangs…” The blond man’s jesting mood sharply faded as he eyed her pointedly. “He was also present this evening. And sitting with us, as well.”

She felt a knot forming in her gut upon hearing this revelation.

“I see you’ve caught on!” Klavier drawled insolently. “Indeed, the Chief Prosecutor was quite surprised he and I hadn’t yet discussed who my new replacement Detective partner would be… considering your flight to Khura’in is tomorrow morning!”

Ema dropped her eyes, trying not to cringe at the accusatory tone now being directed at her.

“It is now May 21.” His narrowed eyes bored relentlessly into hers. “You, Herr Wright, and company all flew back from Asia three nights ago. I have crossed your path multiple times since your return, Fräulein Detective – yet you still didn’t see fit to have mentioned this trifling detail to me whatsoever? Instead, I had to hear about this from Herr Edgeworth?”

“I only came back to LA to collect my things, and have been busily preparing for my pending transfer, which presently stands to be for an undetermined time.” The brunette nervously licked her lips. “I’m sorry if you’re upset by the revelation of my departure.”

“How else did you think I was going to react?” He demanded. “Did you envision me clicking my heels together with glee upon the discovery that I was losing my steady Detective partner of the last two years?” ”

“It’s not like I thought you’d throw a celebration at the news, Prosecutor Gavin! Although, to be honest, I – I didn’t think my decision would affect you much at all! You and I – we’re hardly close.”

“That’s been all your doing – not mine! Every effort I’ve made to extend an olive branch against your previous contempt for me and bridge the gap of formality between us has been never reciprocated but brutally rebuffed!”

“That’s not true!”

“Really? I tried to give you imported flavor Snackoos for Valentine’s Day, and you used them for target practice on me! And this was still after the time you sent an enormous cactus to my office for my birthday – since, despite my best efforts, you obviously see me as nothing more than a gigantic prick!”

The resentment drained from him then, and Klavier suddenly looked vulnerable and dejected, like a lost little boy who was losing his best friend.

“Even more devastating than learning the news from my boss was hearing Herr Wright’s lover blurt out that you deem Prosecutor Elsa as the lesser of two evils, and how eager you were to finally ‘get away from that grating, bling-loving Europhile’!”

Ema felt a lump forming in her throat and a burning sensation forming behind her lids, never before feeling so divided.

One half of her wanted to shove a sock into Phoenix Wright’s ginormous mouth for relaying what she’d assumed was a confidential outburst to his equally loose-lipped girlfriend! The other half was barely fighting the inexplicable urge to burst into tears at how genuinely wounded Klavier was. Tears of guilt, regret – and something else she just couldn’t admit right now. To herself or him.

Truth be told, if she was finally ready, to be honest with herself – this – right here, was the true reason she hadn’t wanted to let him know she was leaving. She hadn’t wanted to say goodbye – hell, she still didn’t!

But her flight was in eight hours. She didn’t have a choice anymore. It was time for the cowardly copout – yet mostly true admission.

“Since I had already gotten clearance for my transfer from Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth, I figured he would’ve informed you about the news sooner. I’m sorry that wasn’t the case.”

“After all these years of you mocking me for being overly flashy, vain, and epicene – coupled with asinine allegations of getting eyelash tints and pedicures, it nonetheless wasn’t the final insult! Nein, what’s most preposterous is in the end, someone even more effeminate and man-pretty than me was what made you choose to take off like a thief in the night!”

Klavier didn’t even try to mask the bitterness in his tone.

“I know you always thought me as nothing more than a shallow skirt-chaser who’d hit on anything with two legs and spewed non-stop false flattery, but my perceived flirtations were always intended to be innocuous. I meant no harm by it, least of all with you. I never knew things had gotten so awful between us that it’d be enough to send you running across the world to get away from me.”

Ema’s guilt was now gnawing away so steadily in her gut that it was nearly painful. This far surpassed her worst nightmares. She’d expected Klavier to maybe nurse a broken ego for not being first in the loop to know about his subordinate’s decisions. She would never have ever fathomed he would be downright heartbroken. There was no other way to describe his reaction.

“How can this man who barely knows you, be so taken by your skills he’s to the point where he wants you to emigrate?” He demanded harshly, his breathing now ragged as he loomed over her, so they now stood barely a foot apart. “You do realize Khura’in Galadriel is making this request under the guise of admiring your work? That his true ulterior motive for whisking you away across the globe is because he has designs on you, don’t you, Fräulein?”

Ema’s remorse died instantly, replaced by blinding fury in its stead.

“Grrr! Your presumptuousness is unbelievable, you glimmerous fop!”

Klavier drew back, startled by her sudden wrath as sparks were now flying out of the petite spitfire’s green eyes.

“You insufferable, chauvinistic man-whore!” A flying Snackoo ricocheted off his forehead. “Do you honestly fail to see how insulting it is to hear you think the only reason any man would ever want me around is that he wants me in his bed?”

She stood up on her tiptoes so the two were practically nose to nose while she continued to address him with scornful indignation.

“Moreover, how dare you believe every man out there is a lascivious wolf in sheep’s clothing just like you? Where do you get the audacity to slander the name of a man you’ve never even met, who up until now, unlike a certain someone, has been nothing but a complete gentleman?”

“You’re fooling only yourself if you fail to see a gentleman is naught more than a patient wolf!”

“Argh!”

Without thinking, Ema balled up her hand into a tiny fist and pummeled it against his granite pec.

“For your kind information, I don’t have what it takes to make Prosecutor Sadmadhi’s butterflies flutter! He’s got some sort of poorly veiled, clandestine romance going on with Prosecutor Blackquill!”

“What?!” Klavier’s jaw dropped.

“You heard me! He’s already booked a ticket for Simey to come to see him over in Asia! FYI, the Twisted Samurai is the one who came up with the pet name Prosecutor Sad Monk. In turn, he refers to Simon as Reverse Panda. It’s lusty legal foreplay at its finest!”

She scowled darkly.

“Trust me, if the monk ever threatens Blackquill with a sermon, his session of crying out to The Holy Mother will be very different capacity than the tediously sanctimonious, eight-hour one I was subjected to! So take that!”

Klavier caught her other infuriated fist before it made contact with his other pectoral. Given their vast size difference, the unexpected blow from the tiny policewoman should’ve been the equivalent of a fly against an elephant. However, the feisty Detective had been trained in combat, and he had no desire to have her continuously hitting on him in this context!

“I – I apologize, Fräulein,” he said humbly. “I never meant to insult you with my admittedly jealous speculations about intentions. I can’t help it if I think every man who laid eyes on you sees you the way I do.”

“Someone, to play unwitting court jester whenever you need a laugh in court and withhold evidence, leaving me to testify with egg on my face?” She raged, her eyes now the color of a stormy sea. “Or worse – another potential conquest to add to your immeasurable bedpost notches because if sex were fast food, you’d have a golden arch over your head! I’m sure you’ll get over the loss of your partner by getting under some die-hard Gavinners groupie faster than you can say ‘I’m lovin’ it’! “

“Now it’s your turn to be jealous, ja?” He derided, thinking how adorable Ema was she got riled up, despite the seriousness of the situation. “You’ve drawn the worst conclusions about me, simply because I enjoy showering attention on the ladies? I don’t even always try to flirt. I just talk. It’s not my fault everything that comes out of my mouth is smoother than the cream cheese spread on your bagel!”

“Of all the nerve!” Ema was seeing red now. “Just shut up, fop!”

“Come to think of it,” he went on smugly, undaunted by her ire, “you always did complain about my fangirls clamoring about and destroying your crime scenes! Was it because you were vying for my distracted attention as well?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, you arrogant, narcissistic … fop! I have never seen you as anything more than a despicable, womanizing Arschloch!” She was in full-blown shouting mode now, her chest heaving with rage. “Screw you, Klavier Gavin! I’d take a Pious Priest over a Playboy Prosecutor any damn day of the week! I can’t wait to get the hell away from you!”

Klavier had reached the end of his rope at this point, and could only think of one way to stop her from hurling another painful slur or pummel.

He tightened his hold on Ema’s pinned wrists, pulling her towards him so abruptly that her breasts collided with his chest. The air whooshed out of her lungs at the stunning feel of hard, male musculature and her mouth dropped in an O of astonishment at the unprepared moment of contact.

That was when he swiftly captured those angry, unprepared lips in a fierce, demanding kiss.

Although she stubbornly refused to initially respond, he felt the rigidity leaving her; and as soon as it did, he showed her just how badly he wanted it. His arms went around her, crushing her to him, his mouth moving against hers with hungry urgency, his hands shifting possessively over her spine and hips, fitting and molding her against him.

Her mouth was smooth and sweet, like the tender inside of a freshly peeled fruit. He should have guessed that her tough exterior and acidic tongue would harbor such gentleness. Nothing with Ema Skye was as it initially appeared.

His heated embrace made her knees weaken, tripled her pulse rate, and robbed her of all thought. By the time he finally raised his head to catch his breath, she was too shaken to do anything except stare up dazedly at him.

“Why did you do that?” Her cadence was so low that it was almost a whisper.

He attempted a casual shrug, now striving to appear less combative and more nonchalant to mask the wild beating of his still pounding heart. “Because I wanted to.”

Ema just gaped at him for a moment, unable to believe that he could have such a simple answer to what was, for all its simple phrasing, such a complicated question. Finally, she blurted out, “But you can’t have.”

A wicked grin. “But I did.”

“But you don’t even like me!”

“So you’ve convinced yourself,” he allowed, biting back a smirk.

“And I don’t like you!”

“So you’ve been demonstrating for the past two years,” he replied smoothly, arching a brow. “I’ll have to take your word for it since it wasn’t particularly apparent a few seconds ago.”

“You – completely blindsided me.” She placed a trembling hand against her heart, which was thudding inside her chest. “One minute, I was yelling at you, and the next you stole the air from my lungs – literally taking my breath away.”

“I don’t just want to take your breath away, Fräulein Detective.” He cupped her delicate chin in his palm while he traced a finger over her cheekbone, and her eyes involuntarily closed at the splendor of his surprisingly gentle touch. “I want to rip it from your mouth and keep it locked away between my teeth. You can only have it back if you kiss me again.”

Wordlessly, as if having a mind of their own, her fingertips grasped tightly onto his strong forearms, whether to push him away or draw him closer was unclear. She appeared to be swaying slightly, although he couldn’t tell if it was from his words or their propinquity.

Klavier drew her closer, and Ema’s caressing hands slid up his arms as she pressed herself deeper into him. His mouth hovered above hers again, and she felt herself being helplessly drawn into his magnetic spell, her lips parting in invitation.

She let out a moan as he bent his head and took her soft lips again, this time in a slow, compelling kiss, sensually molding and shaping her lips to his. She curled her arms around his waist, hooking her leg over his calf. She did not cling, nor devour, but met him head-on, an equal exchange of ardor and energy.

It was a kiss unlike any other. With a woman unlike any other.

Another moan, only this one came from him.

She had the most perfect lips Klavier had ever tasted in his entire life.

Stunned at the display of emotion she wrung from him, he dragged his mouth from hers, drawing an uneven breath and trying to clear his head, just as, with the last of her senses, Ema struggled to free herself from him.

“Don’t!” She was completely uncaring about the two teardrops of uncertainty rolling down her cheeks. “Please! I – I can’t let you do this to me!”

“Do what to you?” His hold loosened a tad, yet he was reluctant to release her from his embrace just yet. “Why can’t you just admit you want me as much as I’ve always wanted you, and simply enjoy the consequences?”

“All right,” she said wretchedly, “You win. I want you … I admit it!” She saw the brief victorious gleam in his eyes, and her chin lifted. “When I was eight years old, I also wanted to learn to ride a hoverboard to prove I could defy the odds of gravity.”

The triumphant gleam faded.

“And?” The prosecutor sighed exasperatedly, letting go of her at last.

“And unfortunately I couldn’t because clearly, I needed to get my inner ears and brains checked!” Ema wailed plaintively. “As my sole caregiver after we lost our parents, Lana spoiled me somewhat. She felt so remiss she couldn’t spend more time with her baby sister that she convinced herself to indulge me my every whim and bought me what was admittedly an idiot contraption that was never safe for anyone, let alone a clumsy child, and I fell off it the first time, headfirst on the sidewalk, and I had to have twelve stitches in my forehead. The scars are still there – it’s why I always have to wear this stupid fringe even though bangs make me look like I’m twelve!”

“You’re still berating yourself for impractical fancies you had as a child?” Klavier was torn between laughter and frustration. “But what the hell does that have to do with us?”

“Everything!” She cried, wrenching free from the cage of his arms. “It’s proof that ultimately, I don’t know anything! About people, or life, or what’s good for me or bad for me, in the long run!”

“So you think I’m bad for you,” he stated flatly, trying to squelch the pang her words had caused him. “Is that it?”

She turned and slowly walked towards the door, purposely keeping her back to him so he wouldn’t see the impatient wiping away of tears on the sleeve of her lab coat before she turned to face him from the doorway.

“I don’t know. How could I when I have absolutely nothing to compare you to? I’ve lived my whole life with my nose buried in books, then in a European science lab, and then, once I graduated, I’ve been chained to this precinct! Why do you think a part of me was so eager to leap at this chance to expand my horizons? It’s the same part of me that won’t let me cancel that plane ticket, even though my heart is screaming at me to do just that!”

“You mean, you’re still going to leave?” He asked numbly, not wanting to believe this was happening. “But what about us?”

“I have to.” Ema’s eyes were pleading for him to understand. “Maybe there’s a universe where I’m the right person for you. Where I adore every nice thing you did for me without ever resenting you. A universe where you end up with someone who appreciates you. Where no one lives in fear of becoming a doormat.”

She pressed her lips together to stop them from trembling. She would not break down and cry – not in front of this blasted man who’d somehow gotten this far past her defenses already!

“Where both of us can shed our baggage and curiosity and issues. A universe where we’re happy without wondering if that happiness is some messed-up building-block game ready to topple at the slightest quiver. A universe where we’re comfortable and sure. Where I don’t second guess everything and I’m not afraid of commitment and the future and love. Maybe there’s a universe without all the noise in my head and the pride that makes me so fiercely independent and the coldness in my heart that I can turn on and off like a security fence.”

Dismal emerald orbs met lachrymose cerulean ones.

“Riddle me this, Klavier: how can I ever know anything about life, about this world, unless I go out and see more of it, and find out who I really am? Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you should be?”

“You win, Ema. No more objections from me.”

He moved over to where her downcast form remained in the doorway, arms wrapped around her waist in a protective gesture, and wordlessly wrapped an arm around her in a comforting hug. Then, with his free hand, he gently wiped away the lone stray tear trickling down her face with his thumb. Ema didn’t pull away but kept one palm braced against his chest, to prevent herself from melting into his arms once more.

“I discovered who I was meant to be upon revisiting Europe last year to become an international prosecutor. That was when I realized the legal world, not music, held my true passions. Unlike you, I was able to find myself, since I’ve been fortunate enough to have traveled the globe and experienced life and all it has to offer. That’s why I won’t stand in your way, and also why I can say this to you, with my whole heart.”

Lifting his head, he gazed down at her lovely face, noting the telltale flush on her cheeks, the soft confusion in her searching teal orbs, and the delicate hand she’d forgotten was resting against his chest. Keeping his hand splayed against her lower back, he tortured himself by holding her pressed against him for as long as she would allow, all the while trying to commit the warmth of her curves against his form to memory.

“You go wherever you need to go and do whatever you need to do. Just know that whenever you’re ready to come back, I’ll be here. I may have been a Mann Hure, as you claimed, but having been there, done that consequently means that I know what’s out there.”

He tenderly slid his knuckles against her cheek.

“I’m well aware of exactly what kind of people are worth having around, along with the ones who are worth pining for. All I ask in return is that if you ever find a moment … spare a thought for me.”

Klavier’s eyes were misty as he tenderly brushed his lips against hers in one last bittersweet kiss.

“That’s why I am able to vow this to you, Ema Skye: you’re the kind of experience most men wait lifetimes for.”

September 30, 2028

Like all the guests present for the wedding reception of newlyweds Sorin Sprocket and Ellen Wyatt, Ema certainly felt as if she was walking on a cloud. That soaring airship seriously made the phrase “match made in heaven” seem almost literal!

The science lover was having a grand time as she and her friends joined the new bride and groom for another round of boogying.

Presently, she was enjoying being twirled by the ever graceful Miles Edgeworth. Who’d have thought the stern, austere lawyer could tear up the dance floor like there was no tomorrow?

As Ema shimmied to “Dancing on the Ceiling,” she barely stifled a giggle as the two spun past their table and overheard the phone conversation of the yellow attorney, who was giving her worn-out dancing feet a break.

“That jerk-face totally swiped the bride’s flowers right from under our noses, Apollo!” Athena was presently griping to her ‘no he’s so not my long-distance boyfriend!’ via webchat. “Boy, is that culo grande lucky he had a running head start, because if I’d gotten my hands on him…”

“Indeed, it was quite benevolent of you girls not to throttle the floral usurper!” Edgeworth remarked as he led Ema into a flourishing finale dip. “I had no idea the Butz could sprint at an Olympic gold level when push came to shove!”

“I’d have loved to shove his butt right off this airborne blimp!” Grumbled Maya, who’d been shaking her moneymaker beside the Detective and Chief Prosecutor with the awkwardly shuffling Phoenix. “What a gyp!”

“Actually, I was kinda surprised you lined up to catch the bouquet, Ema,” the blue attorney remarked. “After all these years, I had no idea you were such a die-hard romantic sort!”

“I guess it’s a case of wedding fever on my part, Mr. Wright.” The brunette shrugged with deliberate insouciance in response and purposely averted her view away from the live band on stage. “All the other girls were going for the toss… I just figured, when in Rome, you know?”

As soon as the cover to the Lionel Richie 80’s hit ended, Maya announced Edgeworth would be her partner for the next number, citing that she needed to give her poor, abused toes a minibreak from her boyfriend’s two left feet!

Phoenix chuckled good-naturedly as he reached out to take his friend’s hand in preparation for the next set.

“Maya has her moments of morphing from burger queen to drama queen at the drop of a hat! I swear, I’ve only stepped on one of her toes a maximum of two times all night! I am objecting to baseless testimony that if she keeps dancing with me all night, I will have smashed all the bones in her foot in the manner of Godzilla conquering Tokyo!”

Noting the band still hadn’t resumed their playing, Maya had opted to temporarily busy herself at the snack table, while Edgeworth chatted with Athena back at their table, so the Ace Attorney and Lady Gumshoe stood off to the side of the dance floor and kept chatting.

“Nevertheless, I hope you don’t mind giving me the next dance – whenever the music recommences, Ema. While I can’t promise to bust a move like Fred Astaire reincarnated did, I can swear that your feet will be in less danger of being squashed than Maya’s, since you’re not wearing open-toed shoes!”

“It’s no problem, Mr. Wright,” Ema responded absently, trying not to visibly crane her neck to see if the band had returned to the stage just yet. It appeared the wedding singer was taking quite the extended break since the last song! “I’m just happy to be distracted – er, I mean, dancing.”

“When in Rome, you said?” The spiky-haired man followed her stare towards the conspicuously empty lead microphone and shot her a knowing look. “I don’t suppose your moment of wedding fever had anything at all to do with the stage talent for this festive event?”

“Tonight’s theme song should have been “It’s a Small World After All“ since my formerly retired rock star ex-boss coincidentally decided he’s going to occasionally still perform as a solo artist! Not just limited to special events hosted by his alma mater, but at the occasional rich celebrity nuptials!”

Ema sighed ruefully.

“I guess it’s only fitting his ex-subordinate found out about Herr Gavin’s solo singing career because she happened to be at the wedding where he was playing tonight! He probably thinks I deserve to be kept out of the loop since he missed the memo that I’d be returning to Khura’in back in the spring!”

“Well, they do say what’s good for the goose is good for the gander, so no point in being a hypocrite! So, have you spoken to Klavier at all since you arrived here in LA?”

She shook her head, flushing guiltily at the reproving look he gave her.

“Why not?” Phoenix pressed. “It’s been almost two weeks that you’ve been back now, Ema. Why wouldn’t you let him know?”

“Thanks to the terrific job Mr. Edgeworth did of taking out the trash amongst the previously corrupt lot in the DA office, the Prosecutor’s Office is a pretty small skeleton staff by now, so word travels fast. I’m positive word got back to Prosecutor Gavin about my return.”

“Had you been waiting for him to be the first to contact you?”

“Not really. I figured I would get around to it eventually, but I was really busy helping you and Mr. Edgeworth investigate the whole wedding/time traveler murder scene, remember? It would have been foolish for me to expect Prosecutor Gavin to contact me when the social convention would dictate since I’m the one who left– and almost without even saying goodbye – I also should’ve been the one to let him know I was back.”

“Yet you didn’t.” Phoenix peered searchingly into her downcast visage. “Ema, the case we all worked on was wrapped up on the 23rd! You’ve had a week since then to go see Prosecutor Gavin – who, based on what you told me from your last encounter, you would have gotten the privilege of now addressing as Klavier! What’s holding you back?”

“It’s been a long time since I last saw him.” Ema chose her words carefully. “I know I’d confided in you about the situation between us when I left, but I have no idea where he and I stand anymore.”

“It was merely four months ago Klavier pretty much promised he’d wait for you if you wanted to spread your wings and fly,” Phoenix reminded her quietly. “Maya and I hadn’t seen each other for two years when she was training in Asia, and we still managed to keep our love alive, and look at her now! A quarter year back into our relationship, that crazy woman’s trying to catch wedding bouquets! No pressure on me whatsoever, right?”

“It’s not the same. You were not only together during the seven years you were disbarred, but also kept in touch while Maya was away in Khura’in. Klavier and I – we didn’t do that.”

“At all?” Phoenix gawked at her in disbelief. “I don’t understand… you said you hadn’t met anyone else while overseas, so why the radio silence? You don’t strike me as someone who’d purposely play games and ignore the person she cared about most, attempting to milk that whole ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ bit in hopes he’d allegedly miss her more!”

“Nothing like that.” Ema shook her head. “I didn’t try to stay in touch while I was away in Asia because our situation was nothing like yours. At least you and Maya, had some sort of foundation before you were separated, whereas I spent a year convincing myself I hated Prosec – I mean, Klavier – and thinking he felt nothing for me other than amusement! Then it was a case of too little, too late because by the time we realized there’d been something simmering below the antagonistic surface, it was time for me to go spread those wings of mine and jet away halfway across the globe.”

“If two people are meant to be together, distance doesn’t matter, Ema,” Phoenix insisted staunchly. “It worked out for me and Maya, and although they’re fooling nobody with their relationship denial, I think it will for Apollo and Athena too. Even with some hardships, it’ll all be worth it in the end. Can you not allow yourself to have just a little bit of faith in you and Klavier?”

“It’s nice to see your undying belief in the positive side of things isn’t just limited to your clients, Mr. Wright.” Ema smiled fondly at him. “I guess I’m more cynical than you are. Four months is a very long time in rock star years – it’s like dog years in equivalency! Translation – a very long time to be left hanging, unsure if there’s a point in remaining faithful and loyal to someone you have a dubious chance of a future with since you don’t know if they’re ever coming back.”

“Are you back for the long haul?” He asked hopefully. “Or am I going to lose you to Khura’in like I did Apollo? I’ve kind of gotten used to having my old friend back again.”

“I don’t know.” Ema’s gaze was downcast. “I want to be back for good. I – I guess I just want a good reason to stay. In the end, it’s just cowardice, Mr. Wright. I’ve been so afraid that if I talk to Klavier, I’ll find out he’s moved on and that there’s no longer anything to come back to.”

Saddened emerald eyes met sympathetic sapphire ones.

“I don’t know if I could handle it if my qualms were spot-on, and that out of sight meant out of mind for Klavier. Because for me … that was never the case. He doesn’t know that when I went off to Khura’in, I left my heart here, with him.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am back and ready to rock!”

Klavier had now returned to the stage.

“This last song of the night goes out to the happy bride and groom. They say ‘the course of true love never did run smooth.’ Ellen and Sorin most definitely, have had their share of rocky roads, and at some points, I’m sure they questioned what the future held for them! But all they did know in the end was that they never stopped loving each other.”

The blond Adonis was flashing his million-dollar smile at the expectant guests.

“This one’s a duet, so I’m going to need a vocalist to join me up here! Will the gorgeous Fräulein in the turquoise dress, who’s wearing her trademark pink sunglasses on top of her head please come and join me up at the microphone?”

Out of nowhere, a spotlight shone directly down on the flabbergasted forensic investigator, who remained cemented into place, momentarily blinded to literally everything else surrounding her… except for the shit-eating grin of the musician now beckoning her to the stage.

Is this some petty act of revenge for keeping him in the dark for the second time?! She silently screamed, her eyes widening in panic. What in Albert Einstein’s name is going through his overly moussed brain?! Doesn’t that idiot fop know I’m a scientist, not a singer?!