Love is Like Atroquinine: Slow Acting, But Powerful

Chapter 30

'Turnabout Flashbacks'

Disclaimer: I own none of the characters or cases from Ace Attorney. All credits go to Capcom, they own the rights to everything. This storyline here, however, is completely original and was created by me.

Second Disclaimer: Though it's just a mention, Deston, Raoul, and Seren belong to the lovely Stormy. She's the genius behind them, I just write for them lol. Thanks so much for letting me work with them in this story, I hope I can do it agin in the future ^_^

Third Disclaimer: Again just a mention, but Valerie, Milly, and Gregory belong to the awesome Lunaroxi. I'm so honored she wanted me to have her characters make their literary debut in Love is Like Atroquinine, and I think they made a wonderful addition to the story. Many thanks to her too!

*I had so much fun rereading the entire story as I was writing this chapter. So many little details and dialogue lines I'd forgotten about, they really cracked me up.

Ema couldn't believe that just a few months ago, she was having a raging internal debate, thinking she was harboring more-than-friends feelings for Apollo. She spent time pacing her apartment, arguing with herself about what she should do, then she went to ask Trucy and Phoenix for advice. Until she went to talk to Apollo himself, and learned of his then-new and growing affections for Aria. Ema didn't know what could have happened had she taken an extra minute during the drive or at the Wright Anything Agency. She might not have seen Aria and confessed her thoughts to Apollo, and who knows what could have happened. Once Ema learned the truth, she'd been what she thought was disappointed, but in reality, what had happened was for the best.

Then that blasted dream she had. Scientifically, it plagued her mind for over a week before it finally left her alone (until she looked around in Germany and realized just how real that 'dream' had been).

Everyone had seemed to know that Ema had feelings for Klavier long before she herself even knew it. Everyone had loved to hint that they knew the truth, but Ema at the time had been too stubborn to admit they were right. Lana, Phoenix, Apollo, and Klavier himself. Ema hadn't been safe from the teasing wrath of anyone.

The first kiss had marked the beginning of everything between them that would build from there. Ema wouldn't have been more shocked at the moment of their first kiss than if Lana had walked through the door and announced she was a penguin. Ema's denial began to crumble after that day, but stubborn as she was, she would hold on to that for as long as she could.

Klavier's jealously scheme was probably the stupidest thing Ema thought he would ever do. When she walked into his office and saw Ava perched on his lap, all smiles and giggles, Ema learned what real jealousy felt like. The shot of several emotions at that very moment was unlike nothing she'd ever felt in her life before. The way she felt the days to follow that, she definitely didn't want to deal with again.

The decision to re-take her forensics exam certainly helped Ema take her attention away from Klavier and Ava's charade. For a little while anyway. But when Ema realized, much to her dismay, she'd more than likely be turning to Klavier for help with her forensics exam, it forced her to see him in a slightly different light. As someone who could be genuinely useful rather than someone who was always a nuisance.

Until Ava and Klavier stepped up the ante in their acting. When Ema saw them kissing in his office, her heart dropped to her feet and regret instantly crossed her mind. Regret that she hadn't done something to prevent it. The twenty minutes that she spent in the bathroom making rash decisions nearly made her life take a dramatic turn. Thankfully, Ema then proceeded to hear Ava and Klavier talking about Ema's reaction from moments ago. The relief, combined with self-loathing and stupidity, made Ema scientifically feel like an absolute idiot that she was so dense about the whole situation. Only until after she interrogated Ava about everything did she feel relief that this was all done to give Klavier answers. Even if the entire thing was stupid and immature, in Ema's opinion.

Ema interrogating Ava, and Ava hitting the nail on the head when she said she knew Ema had feelings beyond friendship, and beyond the boss/employee relationship, made Ema finally admit, not just to herself, but to someone else that they were right.

After the two women parted ways, Ema was furious at Klavier and was ready to give him a new meaning to the phrase 'verbal lashing'.

Until she had her one moment of fangirlism and talked to Miles for the first time in over a year. Having the brilliant idea to have Edgeworth help her with her studies was the one thing that got Ema back on track with her forensics exam and got her away from her previous decision to scrap the plans and just stick with detective work.

Then she used her carefully chosen words on Klavier, and faced him about the debacle with Ava. Then asking him for help gave her pride a serious bruising. But when Klavier agreed to help out with whatever, she felt a million times better, and felt a truce, or something more, on the horizon.

Ema's scheduling mistake with Miles and Klavier was not one of Ema's moments of crowning glory for scheduling. She was having a wonderful time seeing her old friend, and studying her beloved forensics, until she listened to her messages and realized her big mistake. She'd never intentionally hurt Klavier, but there was a first time for everything. The entire time she was rushing over to his apartment to apologize for her forgetfulness, that was all she could concentrate on.

When Ema admitted that she was sorry to Klavier, and he forgave her, another dimension to their relationship was added. It was respect for each other, along with affection and desire. Their second kiss was when Ema allowed herself to pull her emotional barriers down and let someone in for the first time in years.

A few days later when Klavier accidentally slept in, due to a hangover from some emotional drinking, and when Ema tracked him down to his apartment and spoke with him, it showed her yet another dimension of the man she used to think she hated. When she realized just how much pain he was still in over Kristoph's and Daryan's arrest, she felt herself not only sympathizing, but empathizing with him.

When Klavier opened up about everything that had been plaguing him, and Ema gave him the listening ear he desperately needed, a bond was forged between them.

Daryan's trial was one of the most taxing experiences on Klavier emotionally, only second to the trial where Kristoph's crimes and true nature was revealed for the entire world to see. Ema was thoroughly surprised by the amount of maturity both men exhibited when they came in contact for the first time since Daryan was incarcerated.

Christmas was truly a wonderful time for Ema. She got to spend the holidays with her friends and family, and nothing could have made Ema truly happier. There was so much that happened during the Christmas holidays, it was difficult for Ema to remember all the exact details.

First she had the fun night with all her friends at the Wright Anything Agency. Watching everyone exchange gifts and joke around with each other was really heartwarming. Then spending her first holiday with Klavier was also very nice. At that point, they had become an exclusive couple and were serious about making the relationship successful.

Although the only dark cloud over the Christmas party with her friends was the embarrassment she felt over getting caught thoroughly enjoying her music present by Lana. That was one of the most embarrassing things that had ever happened to her so far.

The precinct's holiday party on the other hand, wasn't quite as enjoyable as the previous days during the season. Ema wasn't much of a party out in public kind of person, but going with Klavier had made the night bearable. Until Rachel had stepped in and tried to ruin the night for her and Klavier. Ema's first catfight hadn't gone so well, and she was lucky Klavier had stepped in to stop them from getting physical.

But the anger hadn't lasted long, as right after the party, Klavier and Ema rushed back to his apartment to finally have their night of passion together. There was no one to interrupt them, and no where for them to be. The night that Klavier became Ema's first was a night she'd never forget.

The day after their first night was also very important in solidifying their relationship. Neither of them had an idea that their childhoods were so similar. They got to talking about their pasts, and discovered important details about the other. Both lost their parents young, both raised by their older siblings. Both deeply involved with the law from a young age as well.

But as wonderful as the relationship was turning out to be, one dark cloud that hovered over it was Ema's desire to keep it a secret at the precinct. The constant secrecy made it difficult at the office. Even with Lana's knowing about it. Lana being the smart woman that she was, accidentally overheard a conversation of theirs and deduced the double meanings behind their words.

Ema was someone that was of infinite help to Klavier, both professionally and personally. With Kristoph's execution rapidly approaching, Klavier's emotional state was in turmoil and Ema was the only person who could really comfort him. Klavier's worry about whether or not his brother would ever open up and tell him anything was something that made even Ema worry. She didn't know how Klavier would be if Kristoph remained silent, even facing death.

But thankfully, or not so much, Kristoph told his younger brother everything about why he did everything that he did over the past seven years. But what the older Gavin brother said would never have been what they thought in a million years. The information that Kristoph revealed would drive Klavier to a very deep and dark emotional place that caused him to make some poor decisions that would scare Ema out of her wits.

Ema was hesitant to leave Klavier by himself, but would do whatever he wanted. That decision would be a big mistake and give Ema the biggest scare of her life.

There are no words to describe the anguish and worry Ema felt when she saw the news that Klavier was in a bad car accident over the top of the hour news report. To see his silver Jaguar crushed like that and having all those paramedics around the lone car, Ema immediately feared the worst. Even when she rushed to the hospital and finally saw him safe and sound, she still felt wracked with guilt. Ema seemed to think that the accident was her fault, despite Klavier's insistence that is was his fault, and his alone.

The thoughts that she had lost him for good gave Ema the wake up call that she was truly in love with Klavier, and it was time for her to tell him so. That was one of the biggest milestones in their relationship, admitting their feelings were deepened to that point.

Ema tried to alleviate some of the guilt by staying with him for several days while he recovered, and it worked to a degree, but she knew she wouldn't feel better until he was fully recovered.

The New Year's party with the gang was another huge event. They had all their friends over to ring in the new year, and it was the first official outing for Klavier and Ema as a couple. Having Raoul, Deston, and Seren over made for a fun party, despite Ema's previous reservations about spending long chunks of time with them. Little did Klavier and Ema know that their after-party activities would lead to a huge shocker for them down the road...

A big shock that Ema found out the morning after New Years was when Lana gave her a call. Lana was out and about, and saw that Ema's well guarded secret was out. The whole world now knew of her dating status with Klavier. Some reporter had been sniffing around the bandmember's activities and focused on Ema when it looked like she had a connection to the blonde Gavinner. Ema was upset for a bit, because it wasn't how she'd wanted to handle making the relationship public, but what's done had been done, so there was no point in being angry.

An equally big shocker for Ema was when Lana and Klavier broke the surprise to her that they were taking an impromptu month-long vacation to Germany to celebrate Ema's re-taking of her forensics exam. It would be a much needed trip for everyone, with all the stress and whirlwind of events that happened lately.

When they arrived in Berlin, Ema was like a child, wide-eyed, taking in all the sites. For as much time as she spent in Europe as a teenager, Germany was one of the places she'd yet to go to. Ema had been excited about the prospect of living with Klavier for the entire month, as it gave them a feel for what it would be like if and when they did it back home.

When Ema's eyes fell upon the grocery store aisle that was adorned with nothing but bags of Snackoos, she never imagined she'd be meeting a future friend in a few moment. Alison and Ema would forge a quick, but strong friendship.

Alison would make her own little niche in the L.A. group, quickly making friends with everyone, Ema especially. They found out they had much in common and a lot to talk about.

They group started off having an amazing time on their trip. They all got do exciting things, together and by themselves.

But unfortunately for Ema, a bout against a supposed stomach bug put a damper on the vacation for several days and Ema was scientifically stumped as to what could be wrong with her. Until she looked at her phone and realized what the date was. Then the frantic mental math began, and Ema realized that it wasn't a stomach bug or the like.

She was pregnant.

To say Ema had been shocked was an understatement. Ema had always prided herself on being a careful and well-organized woman, so when she got the news of the biggest slip up she could possibly do, the only emotion that ran through her was fear. And not just for the obvious reasons.

She was scared because she had no idea how to react to the news. How Klavier would react to the news. What he would want her to do regarding the news. How they would go about handling the situation months down the road. How she would handle being a mother. And how she would come to a compromise regarding her dreams of becoming a forensic scientist. Ema had yet to even taste that dream, as she was still waiting on her test results to come in.

Klavier, being the honorable man that he was, gave Ema his word that he would stick by her no matter what, and that nothing would separate them. He knew that this was their responsibility, something they had to face together.

But no matter how much she tried to hide it, the truth in fact was still there, and reality had set in. Ema decided to keep the pregnancy a secret until they all returned home to Los Angeles, just to allow herself some time to wrap her mind around the idea that she was going to be a mom.

Klavier himself needed some time to come to terms, in a good way, with the situation. He was just as surprised as Ema, and needed someone to tell the news to, even if Ema had sworn him to secrecy. Thankfully, his bandmates and best friends were there to lend an ear and Klavier told them everything.

Little did they know that a pair of German paparazzi's had been listening in on their entire conversation, waiting and hoping for a good scoop on one of the world's biggest bands.

Right as they were walking out of the restaurant after Klavier told them the news, Raoul spotted a pretty woman on the street and immediately went to chat her up. Little did Ema know, he'd come across the one person she hadn't wanted him to meet...

Ema did a good job of putting on her poker face and keeping the pregnancy a secret from everyone every time she saw them, including her own sister. One night when they were all together, and it would have been a good time for them to make the announcement, Ema was instead shocked to realize that Alison developed some feelings for the Italian Gavinner, possibly beyond just a friendship.

Speaking of friendships, seeing the Edgeworth family in its entirety was another treat for Ema and the group. They all hadn't seen Valerie, Milly, and Gregory in years, and a visit was much overdue. Getting reacquainted with the Edgeworth's was fun, seeing how much Miles' children took after their parents.

Little did Klavier know that Valerie would be giving him some important relationship advice, as well as giving him her womanly approval on something he bought for Ema.

While Klavier was off at the Edgeworth's talking to Valerie about his future with Ema, Ema was having a girls day with Alison on the other side of town shopping. Ema had stayed the previous night at her apartment. Ema decided to break her vow of silence and tell Alison about the pregnancy. Ema figured that since she would be telling everyone else once they returned to the States, with Alison thousands of miles away, now was as good a time as any to tell her the news. Alison was fully supportive of her friend, which made Ema happy.

The morning of shopping was fun for Ema until they got stopped after lunch but a couple of curious fangirls. It had been a month since the news that Klavier and her were a couple had been pulled out of the woodwork, so Ema was confused. Why would they be approaching her now?

The fangirls slyly asked Ema is the rumors are true, and Ema immediately assumed they were talking about her dating Klavier. When they declined and said that wasn't what they were talking about, Ema's heart dropped when she realized they had to be talking about her well-guarded secret. The pregnancy.

Ema's feelings of shock, anger, and wonder overwhelmed her at that moment and found herself inconsolable for a moment. Alison did what she could, then had Ema message Klavier, then at the Edgeworth's talking to Valerie. There wasn't much Ema could have done at that point.

On the drive back to the hotel, Alison and Ema were getting into singing a Gavinner's song together, and Ema once again had a 'singing into the microphone' solo. Alison was keeping her eyes on the road just fine, but nothing she could have done to avoid the sudden collision with the car in front of them that suddenly hit the brakes hard. Ema never saw the accident happen in front of her eyes.

Klavier was talking to Valerie and watching the news with Milly and Gregory when he saw the news flash that discussed the car accident in which Alison and Ema were involved. When he called the hospital and asked for the names of the women who were in the accident, and was told that Alison and Ema were two of them, Klavier feared the worst. He immediately rushed to the hospital and waited anxiously until he could be reunited with Ema.

Klavier was filled with relief when he saw Ema and saw that she was alright. Lana came almost immediately afterward, also thankful her sister was okay, but angry that she found out about her little sister's big secret by reading a magazine cover. Lana was shocked that Ema was pregnant, and that she'd kept it a secret. The doctor came in right afterward to give them a complete update on her condition, and sadly it wasn't all good news.

The trauma from the accident had caused Ema to miscarry and lose the baby. Ema's mind went blank and her vision whited out as she heard those dreadful words and grasped at her stomach, realizing there was nothing there anymore. To say Ema was devastated was the understatement of the century. She knew she'd never consider giving up the child or getting rid of it, but she didn't realize just how much she'd wanted her child until it was lost forever. Ema asked to be alone for an hour, and just stared blankly at the wall, thinking the same desolate thoughts over and over.

While Ema was alone in the hospital room, Klavier did some reflecting of his own. Like Ema, he was heartbroken that she'd lost the baby so soon after they even found out about it.

He thought about a lot of things, such as his disappointment about the miscarriage, his thwarted plans to propose to Ema, and his desire to go visit his parent's grave while he was in the country.

Going to see his parents was exactly what Klavier needed. Just filling them in on everything that had happened the past couple months, and talking about it calmly, helped him feel better. But nothing made him feel more at peace than the moment when his mother's spirit spoke to him, telling Klavier she was proud of him and that she loved him.

When Klavier went back the next day to the hospital, Alison was with Ema. They all talked for a little bit, then the two women were released and free to go. By then, they only had a day left to enjoy their vacation, and they would be leaving in two days time.

Ema's last days in Germany were made infinitely better when she talked to Gumshoe and heard the wonderful news that she passed her forensics certification exam. Knowing the fact that all her hard work paid off gave Ema plenty of happiness, despite just finding out about the miscarriage the previous day.

Klavier also proposed the idea of Ema moving in with him when they returned home, and Ema immediately agreed to it.

The last night the group had in Germany was spent talking about everything that they had done in the past month. Trucy had spent a lot of time with her mother, Apollo and Aria had decided they were going to expand the practice, and Lana had fun doing all kinds of sightseeing.

The flight back to the States was spent discussing the upcoming days with Ema moving her things over to Klavier's apartment. Ema was thoroughly looking forward to staying with Klavier all the time now, and she was very hyped up with anticipation.

Getting back into the old grind of detective work was difficult for Ema, and it proved to be much harder since she was confined to desk work while her fractured ankle recovered. Unfortunately for Ema, no job offers came in for her new status as a certified scientist, so it looked like Ema would still be stuck with being a detective for an undetermined period of time.

But moving all her things over to Klavier's apartment helped keep Ema temporarily distracted from that disappointment. Klavier ended up surprising her with an empty room that was hers to do any scientific experiments that she desired. Ema was very excited to get that room organized.

A month after they returned from Germany, and Ema was completely settled in to Klavier's apartment, she received a call from Apollo, asking her to come down to his office. It turned out that he wanted to hire her to be the forensic investigator for the Justice & Co Law Offices. Ema immediately accepted the position and got ready to move over as soon as possible. Klavier was happy that Ema found a job as a scientist finally, but he was going to miss her at the precinct, and he was less than thrilled that she'd be going to work for his courtroom rival. Only time would tell how much of a difference she made working for the other side now.

The first two weeks were wonderful for Ema, getting used to doing science all the time, and working with her friends. But her new job was beginning to create a bit of tension between Klavier and herself, mostly because she was out the door so early, working until the evening, and working for his rival. Klavier knew she was in her glory, doing science day in and day out, but he still had a bit of regret and resentment in his mind. Ema's long hours at the office were beginning to have an obvious effect on her, which only furthered the tension between her and Klavier. Her being exhausted all the time, always wanting to sleep, was not helping the situation.

Until Ema realized that the cause behind her fatigue was not in fact from long hours as Apollo's forensic investigator. It was because she was pregnant a second time. Ema was ecstatic at the news, and excited for the months to come to pass.

In the present...

As Ema's mind drifted towards sleep after the long bought of flashbacks, many thoughts ran through her mind. She moved her hand to her stomach for the twentieth time since getting the good news that afternoon, and a wide smile crossed her sleepy face. Right before she went under, a single thought resounded in her mind.

So much has happened, and yet so much more is to come.

Author's Notes: I can say now that Love is Like Atroquinine is officially over. There is a sadness in my heart because it seems like just last week I was sitting at the normal lunchroom table, sitting next to my best friend Carley, doing out homework, and thinking about the idea that I should write a story for Klavier and Ema. To think that the story would be where it is today, and that the sequel will be making it's debut sometime next week, is truly amazing to me. I am so honored that all of you have been so engrossed with my writing and have been so supportive of me to continue in the timely manner that I have. Once again, I thank you all.

But as a parting note for the final chapter of Love is Like Atroquinine, I'd like to ask something of you guys that have read the whole story and have seen it evolve. I know you have been so great about leaving me feedback about anything and everything with the story, but I'd love for it to be a bit more detailed than usual, so I really have critiques to read, and opinions to take away as I write out the next two stories in the queue. A couple things I'd love for you all to touch on are:

-One thing you saw myself improve on as a writer and why.

-One thing you think I still can improve upon as a writer and why.

-A favorite moment of yours in the story and why.

-A least favorite moment in the story and why.

-Were you happy with the OC's that were included in the story (Raoul, Deston, Seren, {Stormy's 3 characters} Alison, Ava, {My 2 characters} Valerie, Milly, and Gregory {Lunaroxi's 3 characters})

-Where you think I'm going to go with The Next Verse in the Science of Life, story-wise.

-Where you hope I go with The Next Verse in the Science of Life, story-wise.

Just a simple yes or no question...

-If I chose later on to make a third installment of Love is Like Atroquinine, would you guys have interest in reading it.

And finally,

-Anything else you feel is worth mentioning.

Dont' be afraid to criticize me as well. I know for the most part I haven't gotten negative feedback, but negative as well as positive opinions helps a writer know where they need to improve and why.

If you guys could take a few extra minutes and answer those questions for me, I'd be eternally grateful. I myself know I have grown by leaps and bounds, but one can never truly be perfect in the art of writing, so hearing back from the readers is invaluable to an author such as myself.