The persistent ringing of the phone woke Noll up. All he wanted to do was hide under his pillow but he knew who would be calling him on the land-line this early, and unfortunately it wasn't the brunette he was just dreaming about. He got up add padded to the living room only clad in his pajama bottoms. "Hello mother."

"Noll! You took forever to answer! What were you..."

"Mother, it's 4 in the morning here. You didn't bother to check the time difference again." Noll sighed in exasperation. He was so not going back to bed anytime soon.

"Oh, oh dear. I am so sorry about that." The momentary lack of enthusiasm in her voice had Noll feeling apologetic.

"It's not a big deal, mother. Now, let's get to why it is you are calling today."

"Oh, I just wanted to talk to my sons and see how they are getting on. There is no crime in that now is there?"

"We are fine, mother." Noll began by saying but suddenly the receiver was snatched from his hand.

"Mum! I got so much to share with you!" Gene the ever excited one squeaked like a teenage girl. Noll watched as his brother began talking about the previous case. Then he talked for a solid twenty minutes just about Atsuko. But it was when he tried to turn the conversation to Mai that Noll snatched the receiver back. He hadn't heard what he said as he had started tuning Gene out but he knew if he told his mother about Mai there would be trouble.

"Mother, how are things going on there?"

But of course his mother was not to be derailed from the subject at hand. Luella could tell from the note of his voice that her more serious son was hiding something. "Who's Mai, Noll?"

"What does it matter, mother?" He groaned in annoyance.

"It matters because, while you are great at being evasive, it has never been regarding a girl before. So I ask again. Who's Mai? Is she the true reason you wanted to go back to Japan, Noll? I mean I saw the case and it wasn't all that different from the previous ones you had turned down in the past."

Noll sighed. She would find out sooner or later. He just in all honesty had hoped it would be later. "Mai was my assistant when we were here last. She now runs her own company. I hired her company as consultants on this previous case, and I paid for their assistance out of my own bank account so before you ask, that is why there is no receipt to go with that particular transaction." That was really a lot to share before he took another breath of air.

"Is it her company you have recommended to all the other cases you have turned away? Perhaps, I should make an impromptu trip to Japan to see my sons."

Noll panicked and felt his eyeballs try to bulge out of his head. He took a calming breath before saying,"No, I wouldn't recommend that course of action."

"Of course you wouldn't. That's because you are hiding something about this Mai girl. I want to know who she is to you really, Noll. I figure if you won't supply me with the answers then I just have to find them out for myself." Noll could almost see how gleeful his mother's face was in this moment in his mind.

He heard on the other line a huge male sigh. His voice was muffled but he still heard his father clearly. "Luella, you know you shouldn't call the boys at this time of day. It's five in the morning there now. How long have you been on the phone with them?"

"What? I forgot about the time, Martin. You know my issue with the time difference. But, yeah, uh we've been on the phone for about an hour." She squeaked out the last sentence.

"You woke the boys up at four in the morning!? It's a wonder they answered at all. Luckily, I have something I have to discuss with them. Hand me the receiver.

"Noll, can you put me on speaker? This concerns Gene too."

"Gene, he wants to talk to the both of us." He switched the phone to speaker.

"Another case came through to our office for Japan today. I figured since you handled the last case so well I would send it your way. Expect a courier there later today with the details."

"Oh, but Martin. Didn't you know? He didn't handle the case on his own. He hired another agency as consultants." Yeah his mother really liked to cause trouble.

"Is this true, Noll? Did you hire an outside company? Also, where are these bank statements? I need to take care of the proper paperwork."

"Oh, he paid for their help out of his own pocket. It sounds awfully fishy to me. Perhaps we should go to Japan to check out the situation there. I mean your younger son never really went through a rebellious teen faze. Maybe this is as close as he will get to one. Spending money all willy nilly without making a sound investment."

Gene chuckled. "Yes, well that's a funny statement. But I believe that PRI is a sound investment. Their researchers are top notch. Feel free to do a background check on them. I am sure you will find the details about the company and the members quite interesting."

Noll mentally shot daggers at his brother through the look in his eyes. Now he had to worry about what his father would find out. He would definitely find out details on the previous cases that PRI had done. He might discover their abilities. But probably most importantly Luella would discover more about who Mai was. Because she definitely honed in on her name and she wouldn't let this topic of conversation go.

"Martin, we could always do one better. We could go to Japan and work on this case too." Noll sucked his breath through his teeth. The sound was jarring almost like a snake hissing.

"We don't have the time, Luella. We have a case to deal with ourselves." His father paused before addressing his sons again. "I do apologize about your mother's timing. I am sure you are not going to get back to sleep at this point. Get yourselves some breakfast. The courier should arrive at the apartment sometime between ten and eleven. The fax company I sent the documents to was one of those 24 hour shops but the courier system was not. Take care the both of you."

"We will," the twins replied in unison before disconnecting the call.

"So? Who's making breakfast?" Gene asked in a way too happy voice for the time of day it was.

"You." He padded back down the hallway.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to take a shower." Noll merely stated.

"Geez, Idiot Scientist, you could at least start the coffee before you go!" Gene grumbled at his brother's retreating form.

Noll held the manilla folder in his hands lightly as if it had scorched his fingertips. The details written inside were ghastly. The site in question was a warehouse. Several visitors of the location had noted hearing manic cackles reverberating off the metal walls of the building. A handful of women disappeared. The women that were found all had turned up dead with a body part missing. The pictures that went along with the file to collaborate the accounts were gruesome at best.

He knew what he would do before he even pulled out his cell phone. But instead of calling the company line he called her directly. He didn't want to hear the business tone to her voice. He wanted to hear her natural tone, even if it was a bit cold towards him at the moment. He was just hoping that he could defrost her cold demeanor in the near future.

"Uh, yes, Oliver?" She tried to hide it but he still heard the tremble to her voice.

"I was sent a file on a new case. I would like to go over it with you if you don't mind?" Noll listened to the way she sighed in relief over the phone. He worried over that but didn't ponder it long before she was back on the line.

"Sure, we can do that. Honestly, the office is pretty dead today if you just want to stop by now. I'm sure I can get most of the team together."

"Sounds like a plan. What would you like for lunch?" Noll surprised her by asking.

"Lunch?"

"Mai, it's nearly noon. If we are going to be meeting momentarily it is only right that I supply food for everyone. I wouldn't want you to pass out from low blood sugar because of an oversight I made."

"Low blood sugar! I've never had that problem before, Naru!"

And there it was. The nickname he so longed to hear coming from her lips. "Never stop calling me that, Mai. I honestly missed it."

She gasped for a second but it quickly turned back into a growl. "Monk calls you that all the time!"

"Oh come now, Mai. You have to admit that it's not the same. You are the one that gave me that nickname after all." He left her dangling for mere moments before he added. "But if I were to be completely truthful...I just happen to like how you say my nickname. I like how the two syllables fall from your lips. When you call me Oliver I feel as if our past doesn't exist, and I think I know it's your way of keeping your emotional distance. That's the last thing I want."

He gave her a moment because he was one hundred percent sure she was completely stunned by his declaration. Granted, it wasn't the one he was sure he would end up giving her in the future. But it was definitely time to start paving his way toward that potential future. He couldn't keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different response. That is the definition of insanity, and one thing he was not was insane.

"Noll, are you flirting over the phone with Mai? Geez don't you know it's much better to do it in person?!"

"He does have a point, Oliver. Why are you saying these things over the phone? If I can't see your face I don't know how sincere you are being. I...you are right of course. I mean I know you are smart and I was sure you would figure it out. Yes, I am calling you by the name your English parents gave you to distance myself emotional. You can't just give me this big long speech over the phone that is decorated with these emotions that I can't quite grasp. So let's move onward with the discussion. You asked what I wanted for lunch. Well it's honestly easier just to have you come over now, and we then order what I have in mind for delivery. Their menu is vast and getting everyone's orders would take me way too long on the phone." Noll heard the business line ring on her end. "Plus I need to answer that anyways."

Once he hung up Gene glared at his little brother. "Who are you and what have you done with, Noll?"

Noll sighed before making any attempt at replying. "Whatever do you mean?"

"You know what I mean, Noll. I have seen how you have adored Mai in these quiet moments you think that no one is looking at you. But you have never ever truly voiced your feelings. Not once. Not to anyone. But suddenly you are flirting over the phone with, Mai."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess seeing you with, Atsuko, put some things in perspective. I now have proof that you can't feel for, Mai, the way that I have always feared. However, I also see how happy the two of you are, and you haven't even been on a first date yet. Is it always that easy?" Not understanding something was making Noll feel like the world was tilting on a different axis for him alone. Perhaps he should just research dating and the psychological effects of the act.

"Hell no! I know it is definitely not going to be that easy for you. Not only because you are an, Idiot Scientist, who has finally seemed to have gotten your head out of your ass. But also because of your past and the day she admitted her feelings to you. I know without her having to tell me, that you unintentionally broke her heart that day. Perhaps, I shouldn't have told you that. But honestly, I want you two together. You belong together and once you iron out the shared hostility between you two I think your love story will be epic."

"Gah, you sound like a Hallmark greeting card commercial."

"Nah, just a hopeful romantic."