(-- --)

Rose Colored Glasses

Klavier Gavin always wondered why Fräulein Detective Skye had those rose colored glasses. There were times when he saw them perched on her head. Other times she wore them. He really didn't get it. What was so special about them? Did they help her find clues at crime scenes? Did they help with her scientific tests? Were they sunglasses? There were times when he'd pass by her desk and she would be wearing those silly glasses inside.

She was starting to wear them more frequently now. He still wondered why. He should have just asked her instead of contemplating the very thought.

He found his opportunity when he was leaving his office for the night. The room was completely empty except for Ema who was sitting at her desk wearing her rose colored glasses. Her arm held up her head. She was swaying slightly. Upon closer inspection, her eyes were closed and she was drumming a pencil on her desk while humming a song. There was a trace of a smile on her face.

The song she was humming sounded like something he had heard before. It was quite melodious. It sounded like an old song though judging from the tone.

Klavier walked off and returned with a cup of coffee.

"Fräulein Skye?" he called softly.

When she didn't answer, he lightly touched her shoulder. She jerked awake. She turned her head in both directions before spotting Klavier sitting on the edge of her desk. She took off the glasses and blinked several times.

"Did I fall asleep?" she mumbled.

"You did." He chuckled.

"Oh." She looked down at her desk to see her unfinished report. "Oh." With a sigh, she picked up her pencil again. He watched her blink adorably to stay awake.

"Here." He laid the cup of coffee the desk. "Careful. It's hot."

She took a sip of it, the hot liquid burning her throat. The bitterness lingered on her tongue. She felt a jolt of energy and shook her head. Awake now, she resumed working on the report. "Thanks," she muttered.

He smiled as he watched her. She was super cute the way she frowned or when her hand ran through her hair in frustration. She had started humming that same song again. Her frown seemed to lessen. She smiled softly as she chewed on the end of her pencil. She suddenly stopped, realizing that he was watching her. She looked up to see him grinning at her.

"W-what?!"

"Can I ask you a couple of questions?" he asked.

"No."

He ignored her answer. "What's with the rose colored glasses?"

Ema gave him a cool stare. He could tell she was debating between ignoring or humoring him. He wasn't going to leave her alone with either choice.

"…they make me feel happy," she said slowly.

"Happy?" he repeated.

A dreamy smile appeared over her lips. She sighed. "Je vois la vie en rose…"

Klavier raised an eyebrow. He never knew Ema could speak French. Sure, she lived in Europe for a time, but he had assumed that she was in England and not France. But it really didn't matter. He thought her French was irresistibly sexy.

Ema caught his appraising eye. "That means 'I see life in pink.' I heard that phrase in a song when I was younger so I bought these glasses. Whenever I'm feeling down, I put them on. Then I feel like everything will be okay."

"I don't get it."

The smile disappeared from her face. She scoffed. "No surprise. Your brain is about as small as a pigeon's," she snapped.

"Fräulein Detective! You wound me!" He gazed at her with mock hurt.

She rolled her eyes. "Doubtful. I bet that was barely a scratch on your ego."

He grinned, his sapphire eyes flashing with amusement. "Liebling, enlighten me, please. What does the phrase mean?"

She glared at him and sighed. "It generally means that life is wonderful. You feel fine or optimistic. Everything is okay. You can forget about all worries and depression."

"Ich verstehe!"

He didn't know much about her. He only knew that she was had previously studied in Europe. He knew that she absolutely loved Snackoos. He knew that she was at her happiest when she was using fingerprinting powder or a bottle of luminol at a crime scene. Forensic science was her forte. Other than that, he didn't know anything else. She avoided him when she could. She rejected his advances and insulted him. Learning about the secret of her rose colored glasses was like gold. He was a step closer to getting to know her now. He wanted to ask more questions, but it seemed like they would fall on deaf ears.

"What is that song you're humming?" he asked. She didn't answer. She continued to write on her report. "How about singing it for me?"

Ema slammed her pencil on her desk. "We're done here," she snapped. She picked up her bag and began stuffing papers inside. When done, she zipped her bag up and kicked her chair under her desk.

"Hey, wait Fräulein!" called out Klavier. He followed after her outside into the chilly night. She hugged her lab coat closer to her as she looked down the streets for a taxi. It was so late, there were barely any cars passing by.

She opened her bag and fumbled around to find her cell phone. Finally finding it, she quickly dialed the phone number to a taxi company. "Hello?...Yes, I'd like a taxi to be sent to the front of the Criminal Affairs Department…Yes…Ema Skye…Okay…Thank you."

Klavier gently touched her arm. "Fräulein, did I say something to offend you?"

She shrugged his hand away from her. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it…"

He approached her again, slowly this time. He wrapped his arms around her shivering body. He was quite pleased that she didn't push him away.

"Sing me a song. Sing me that song you were humming before," he whispered in her ear.

"No…"

"If you don't sing, I'll sing one of my songs."

Ema frowned. He smiled pleasantly. He knew that she really didn't like his band's songs. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to start singing.

"Des yeux qui font baisser les miens,
Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche
Voila le portrait, sans retouche, de l'homme auquel j'appartiens.
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose
Il me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tous les jours
Et ca me fait quelque chose
Il est entre dans mon coeur, une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause
C'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui dans la vie
Il me l'a dit l'a juré pour la vie.
Et dès que je l'aperçois
Alors je sens en moi mon coeur qui bat."

Ema had a gorgeous voice. Her voice was soft and sweet. The foreign words rolled off her tongue naturally. The song was a ballad, so it had to be an old song. A light blush spread across her face.

"Des nuits d'amour à plus finir
Un grand bonheur qui prend sa place
Des ennuis, des chagrins s'effacent
Heureux, heureux à en mourir
Quand il me prend dans ses bras
Il me parle tout bas
Je vois la vie en rose
Il me dit des mots d'amour
Des mots de tous les jours
Et ca me fait quelque chose
Il est entre dans mon coeur, une part de bonheur
Dont je connais la cause
C'est lui pour moi, moi pour lui dans la vie
Il me l'a dit l'a juré pour la vie.
Et dès que je l'aperçois
Alors je sens en moi mon coeur qui bat."

Her cab pulled up just as the last note faded away. He reluctantly unwrapped his arms from her small body. He wanted to know more about that song. It was beautiful, just like her. He didn't know any French, and he wanted to know its meaning.

"Auf Wiedersehen, Liebling," he bid.

She dropped her bag inside the cab. She turned back to him.

"Au revoir."

(-- --)

Weeks passed and the subject of Ema's song and her rose colored glasses were not brought up again.

At least not until the 197th anniversary of the establishment of the Police Department. That anniversary was a very big deal, and all of the departments held a huge party complete with drinks, food, and a band to play. Of course, this year, it was no surprise that the Gavinners were playing for the whole precinct.

Well into the party, Klavier spotted Ema in the back of the room, loitering near the food at the side table. He grabbed one of his guitars and settled on a stool with a microphone in front of him. His band members quickly caught the message and went off stage to enjoy a short break.

"I would like to dedicate this next song to Fräulein Detective Ema Skye."

Her head snapped up at the sound of her name. Most eyes were on him and her now. He winked at her and strummed the cords. The moment she heard the melody of the guitar, blood rushed to her face. Her eyes grew wide.

"Hold me close and hold me fast,
The magic spell you cast,
This is "la vie en rose."
When you kiss me, heaven sighs,
And though I close my eyes,
I see "la vie en rose."
When you press me to your heart,
I'm in a world apart,
A world where roses bloom,
And when you speak, angels sing from above.
Everyday words seem to turn into love songs."

It took him a while to try and find the name of the song she had sung for him. After extensive research, he had found it. La Vie en Rose by Edith Piaf. He could not learn the French lyrics in time for the party, but he was content with learning the English lyrics. He wanted to see her smile. He wanted to make her happy.

"Give your heart and soul to me,
And life will always be "la vie en rose."
I thought that love was just a word,
They sang about in songs I heard.
It took your kisses to reveal,
That I was wrong and love is real."

But as he stared at her, there was no trace of a smile. She was frowning. She bit her lip. She almost looked like she was ready to dash out the door.

"Hold me close and hold me fast,
The magic spell you cast,
This is "la vie en rose."
When you kiss me, heaven sighs,
And though I close my eyes,
I see "la vie en rose."
When you press me to your heart,
I'm in a world apart,
A world where roses bloom,
And when you speak, angels sing from above.
Everyday words seem to turn into love songs."

What was he doing wrong? Were the notes to the song not right? He thought she would really enjoy the song. So why did it look like she was absolutely miserable and about to cry?

"Give your heart and soul to me,
And life will always be "la vie en rose.""

With the final note, everyone broke into a round of applause. Ema turned around, rushing out of the room. Klavier set down his guitar. He quickly jumped off the stage. No one asked questions. It was assumed that he wanted to take a break. Someone had turned on a stereo now.

Outside, he looked both ways down the street. Where was she now? She couldn't have gotten far. If she did, then she was really fast. Something clicked in Klavier's head. If she was upset, then she would want to be alone, somewhere quiet. There was a park nearby. He took the left path, weaving in between the people on the street.

As he entered the park, it didn't take long to find Ema. She was seated on a bench, her face hidden in her hands. Her shoulders were trembling. That was when he realized that she was crying. A knot of guilt tightened in his stomach. If there was something he learned, it was to never make a girl cry, especially if it was a girl you really, really liked.

He kneeled down in front of her and tugged her hands away from her face. He looked into her puffy emerald eyes. "Tears don't suit you, Ema…" he said softly. She let out a small wail and hid her face again. He tugged her hands away again. "Ema…" He withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket and began wiping her tears away. "Es tut mir lied. I'm sorry for making you cry. I thought you would've been happy to listen to the song."

Ema swallowed the lump in her throat. "I should've been happy to hear it," she said quietly. "But I feel more betrayed than anything."

"Ich verstehe das nicht. What are you talking about?"

"Because." Ema averted her eyes down to her lap. Her hands clutched a fistful of her lab coat. Her voice fell lower than a whisper, but he heard every word. "It felt like my feelings were being put on display without my consent…"

Suddenly, Klavier understood everything. She heard La Vie en Rose play when she was younger. Inspired by a single line and its meaning, she bought a pair of rose colored glasses to cheer herself up. But the song later had a greater meaning. They had become her feelings…

"For me?" he asked.

She nodded. "For you."

He had exposed her without knowing it. He ran his fingers across her cheeks. He pressed his lips on her forehead. She shyly raised her eyes to meet his. He pressed his lips to both cheeks, and finally her lips. He could taste the salt of her tears and a faint sweetness of chocolate. When he pulled away, Ema smiled softly.

"Je t'aime," she whispered.

He grinned. "I hope that means what I think it means."

"It does…"

"Well then, Ich liebe dich."

He kissed her again, more fervently this time.

"Did you know," said Ema, "the translation of the French lyrics is different from the version you sang to me?"

"I didn't." Klavier kissed her on the forehead again. "But why don't you sing it to me again, and translate as you go along?"

Another Klavier x Ema story for the record! I can't stop writing these. I'm in such a creative mood right now!

This was actually supposed to be really short, but somehow, it ended up longer than expected. I'm worried that I made Klavier a little OOC. Eep... On another note, I did have fun writing this. Ema did study in Europe although, I doubt she was in France. Her French here makes as a nice touch in addition to Klavier's German. What inspired me to write this was because I always wondered about the purpose of Ema's glasses. They're cute, but what actual purpose do they serve?

La Vie en Rose is a song by Edith Piaf. It is true that the translation of the French lyrics and the English version are different. While I love both, I have to say that the French version is much more romantic, especially with its meaning. I recommend looking both up. They're gorgeous songs. The one that Ema sings is the French version. The one that Klavier sings is the English cover.

The 197th anniversary of the Police Department is based off of when the London Metropolitan Police was formed, and that was in 1829.

German Translations

Fräulein - Miss

Liebling - Darling

Ich verstehe - I understand.

Auf Wiedersehen - Goodbye.

Es tut mir lied - I'm sorry.

Ich verstehe das nicht. - I don't understand.

Ich liebe dich. - I love you.

French Translations

Je vois la vie en rose - I see life in pink.

Au revoir - Goodbye.

Je t'aime. - I love you.

(I really hope these phrases are correct. Translator engines aren't exactly 100% reliable.)

Thank you for reading, by the way!