Welcome to Part I of the Nightfall Trilogy: Ascending Darkness.

I own nothing except future OCs, the original plot and poems.

Further Details:

T for violence, swearing and somewhat adult situations - nothing explicit.

Genre: Romance / Angst / Mystery/ Supernatural / Drama

This story was formerly known as Turnabout Serenade Indeed but I changed it after it became a trilogy in order to keep it more in line with the dark theme of Nightfall. This story starts off at Turnabout Serenade and begins to branch off into my own plot which is subtly entwined with the plot of AJ. I hope you like it and will let me know what you think.

Of course, you may have guessed that this is also a Klavier/Ema story. There will be some other couples but I think only one other pairing will be recognisable to most fans as the rest will usually be my OCs (namely, the other Gavinners). Please don't let that put you off as I have no intention of writing Mary Sues. Eventually I intend to come back and revise this but for now, try to enjoy and please... leave me a review!

I hope you can enjoy the ride.

Ema was releasing all her pent up frustration on her poor underlings because chomping on Snackoos wasn't doing the trick. She was snapping orders at everyone, trying to get security perfect for a concert she didn't want to be at. For one, it was all too noisy with all the roof-raising rock music and the screaming girls. For another…

"Ah, Fräulein!"

She groaned inwardly as she turned to face the baby blue-eyed and ridiculously-haired nuisance. He flashed a smile at her and she glared in response as he sauntered up to her, a thumb hitched in his pants.

"Here you are."

"Scientifically speaking, yes I am." Ema scowled. "Psychologically speaking, I'm somewhere else."

"Achtung! You are in a fouler mood than usual. Might I enquire as to the occasion?"

Ema simply popped a Snackoo in her mouth and glowered at him. Klavier, however, chuckled in amusement and her munching speed increased as she fought to control the urge to Snackoo him. Glimmerous fop or not, he was still her boss. Sometimes though, the desire to give him a good Snackoo thrashing was too strong and the fact that she couldn't do it only served to infuriate her further. She tried to look on the bright side – if she had been allowed to attack him, she would probably never eat another Snackoo again. However, the thought of the ground around his humongous feet littered with her precious snacks did little to alleviate her temper.

"Fräulein?" Her eyes narrowed at the amusement glittering in his eyes.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"I would like to see a smile on your face, mein liebe."

"Can't do it," Ema said shortly, frowning instead. Then a devilish thought occurred to her and the corner of her mouth twitched. "In compensation, I can call you a cab at the end of your concert."

Klavier's smile vanished instantly as a small frown creased his forehead at the memory of his morning. Ema had caught him trying to sneak out of a cab when she arrived at the stadium. He had flushed slightly when he'd seen her smirking at him and when she casually asked after his 'hog' he'd defended himself vehemently, claiming he couldn't find his keys and insisting she not mention it to anyone else. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't mention it to him.

"The security in the backstage hallway is inadequate," he said abruptly, all business-like all of a sudden. "There are too many fans finding their way in there."

"Fine," Ema snapped stuffing her Snackoos in her bag before marching off without looking back. Thankfully, it seemed like that last comment had the fop on his best behaviour… for now at least.

Ema shook her head to clear her head. Talking with him always made her feel like spiders had invaded her mind and spun a thousand webs; her every thought seemed to get caught up in another until nothing made sense. Obviously it was because he was so irritating that her blood pressure hit the sky and therefore made it impossible for her to concentrate on anything but the annoyance. Not only was he immature and glimmerous, he was also condescending and bossy. If she were a forensics expert, he wouldn't talk to her the way he did. She cursed her luck – not only did she fail the stupid exam but, as a result, was stuck with him for a boss. Ridiculous. Whoever heard of a prosecutor who was rock star? It was absurd. To top it off, he had that ridiculous hairdo and all those rings and that stupid chain he wore around his neck… He was more rock star than prosecutor and he had the cheek to claim the latter was his real passion.

Ema snorted. Prosecutor Gavin. What a silly title. He should stick to singing and leave prosecuting to the likes of Mr Edgeworth, Ema thought, practically swooning at the thought of the dashing prosecutor. Now there was a man she could get on board with! That chiselled face, those intense eyes and that silver hair… a small shiver ran down her spine. Of course, looks aside, Mr Edgeworth was a genius – he was smart, cool (in a way Klavier could never be) and he emanated power. When she had decided to join law enforcement, she had comforted herself with the thought that she would be seeing Mr Edgeworth practically every day. Until she came face to face with Gavin… or rather, face to chain. Ema scowled as she remembered her first day at work and her subsequent encounter with Klavier; of course, with her luck, she had ended up colliding with him as the stupid chain around his neck bumped painfully against her forehead and he had asked her if she was alright (while barely containing his amused smile). Ever since then, all she wanted to do was take that damn 'pendant' and strangle him with it. Someday, she would. She knew she would get arrested but as long as he wasn't around to be at the Prosecution's bench…

"Ohmigod, look he's coming this way!"

Ema snapped out of her fantasies to see that she had reached the backstage hallway and it was crowded with several teenage girls outside the Gavinners dressing room, all of whom were now staring over her shoulder.

"What are you all doing here?" Ema demanded stopping before them but they ignored her, growing more and more excited, pointing past her. She clutched her bag tight to stop herself from throwing something at them. Instead, she raised her voice, "I said–"

"Ladies, please do not ignore the good Fräulein here. It is detrimental to her health." His smooth voice cut across hers and the girls went wild as he stopped by her side playing with a lock of his hair. "The show begins in a half hour. You do not want all the best spots to be taken, ja?"

The girls all spluttered over one another in their hurry to agree and stumbled out of the hallway. Klavier watched them with a smirk on his face before he turned to Ema who had taken out her bag of favourite snacks and was chomping on them fiercely once more. He reached out for one but she snatched it away staring at him, shocked.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I wish to try one, Fräulein," Klavier said casually, reaching out again and this time Ema smacked his hand away, fire blazing in her eyes.

"Get your own!"

Klavier chuckled. "Come, Fräulein Skye. Do not be so ungracious."

"Ungrac– " Ema put her hands on her hips and glared into his face. "I am providing security for this awful concert– "

"For which you are getting paid," he interrupted.

"Oh heavens!" she exclaimed in mock shock, slapping a hand to her face. "You mean that generous offer you made earlier? 10% extra to my wage this month? I'm practically drooling." She looked away moodily, pouting.

"Fräulein, I had no idea you were so money-orientated," Klavier said leaning forward.

Ema jumped back while flushing and spluttering. "What do you – that's not what I – it's because you said I should be graci – OH!"

Ka-tonk!

Ema stared in something akin to horror as Klavier plucked out the Snackoo now lodged in his lapel and held it up for his inspection before turning his, now serious, gaze on her.

"Fräulein Detective…" he said in a calm voice. "I do believe…"

"Er… Hmph." Ema tried to maintain some dignity in her horror. She had just Snackoo'ed her boss! Why? Why did she… Wait, wait, why was that Snackoo heading for his mouth!

"… You gave me a Snack-ooooof!"

Ema had snatched at the snack in his hand and as a result thrown him off balance; he was pushed backwards against a wall and she was clinging onto his arms in a bid to stop herself from falling. She cursed at the floor. The little bite of heaven she had been trying to retrieve had fallen to the ground. She raised her gaze to pierce him with her killer look. He was a fop – no, he was a glimmerous fop. Now was a good time to grab that chain and choke the life out of him. He was a…

At that moment, her eyes met his and she lost her train of thought. It was as though her every sense was heightened. His hands were on her arms steadying her, strong but gentle and even through the fabric she could feel the heat. His breath was warm against her face, disturbing her fringe, causing her hair to tickle her forehead. Up close, she could see that his skin was really as flawless and golden as it appeared from afar and the shadows on his cheek bones enhanced his already chiselled features and his eyes… she felt like she was sinking into the ocean, the pressure pushing her down, taking away any hope of her resurfacing again…

"If you wished for an intimate interlude, this Snackoo farce was quite unnecessary, Fräulein. All you had to do was ask," Klavier murmured sweeping her face with his eyes.

And just like that, the madness ended.

Her eyes widened in shock as she pulled herself free and stepped away from him, speechless. She felt the heat rise to her face and her temper with it.

"You arrogant fop," she snapped. "You talk to much."

He straightened up, chuckling while dusting himself off and the sight of him brushing his clothes as though he'd gotten dirt on them infuriated Ema. She turned to march off, to get away from him... she needed to put as much distance between them as she could.

"Ein moment, Fräulein."

She stopped but didn't turn around. She didn't think she could face him again. Just hearing him approach her was making her heart race. What was wrong with her?

"I wish to a– "

What he wished, Ema never got to find out; another voice interrupted him.

"Mr Gavin," the voice was soft and melodic and Ema glanced over her shoulder to see Lamiroir stepping out into the hallway tentatively. "Is everything alright? I heard raised voices."

"Everything is in order, Lamiroir," he replied, inclining his head. "There were some fans."

"I see." Ema was watching Lamiroir now and she was annoyed to see that the woman was staring at Klavier intensely. Ema was even more annoyed at the fact that this annoyed her. "Well Mr Gavin, I wish you luck with your performance."

"I never accept luck from anyone as I have no need of it but from the Siren of the Ballad, I shall graciously accept. I look forward to our performance tonight."

Klavier flashed a smile at the elder woman and, taking her hand, lifted it to his lips. Ema scowled at his blatant flattery.Player, Ema thought. Lamiroir nodded and, without once acknowledging Ema, retreated to her dressing room and closed the door. Klavier turned his gaze on Ema who rolled her eyes and he chuckled.

"There is something you wish to say, ja?"

"Break a leg." Ema sniffed turning away. "And I don't mean that in a nice way," she added before stomping off.