If I was Maya I would kick Phil too!

“Um… Miss Scarlet, in the billiard room, with the candlestick!” Maya guessed. Phoenix showed her the Miss Scarlet card.

“Nick, that’s not fair! You already showed me that card three times! I wanna know whether you’ve got the candlestick!” said Maya.

Phoenix rolled his eyes. “Don’t ask about Miss Scarlet again, then! This game is all about logic, Maya!”

They had found a game of Cluedo in the spare bedroom cupboard, and had been playing all afternoon; about three hours had passed since the fateful Christmas dinner. Phoenix assumed that the dinner had continued without them, as nobody had come to their room to check up on them.

“Okay, my turn!” Phoenix picked up the dice, and rolled a six.

Maya frowned. “Nick, you always manage to roll a six! You must be cheating!”

“How could I be cheating? It’s a dice!”

“Well… you’re rolling it funny, so you get a six every time!”

There was a knock on the door. “Phoenix, Maya? It’s Robyn. Can I come in?”

Phoenix looked at Maya; she nodded. “Come in, Mum!” he called.

The door opened and Robyn came and sat on the bed. “I’m really sorry about your father’s behaviour this lunchtime. But he’s calmed down a bit now, and he’s sorry for insulting you like that, Maya.”

“Really? He’s… sorry?” Maya sounded doubtful.

“Well, he won’t admit it, but he does feel some remorse, I think,” said Robyn, “Although he’s pretty angry about when you, er, kicked him in the face.”

“Oh, yeah,” said Maya, “Well, I guess it was a bit harsh of me. Can you tell him I’m sorry about that?”

“Yes, of course.” Robyn got up and left.

Maya had her head to one side, thinking. “Nick… do you think your Dad is actually sorry for what he said?”

“I honestly don’t know, Maya,” said Phoenix, “He’s too proud to apologise for things usually, but maybe he realises that he’s crossed the line.”

Robyn returned. “Phil says he’ll drive you home.”

“Now!?”

“Erm… yes, I think so.” Robyn started folding up the mess of clothes which Phoenix and Maya had dumped on the floor, and tucking them neatly away into the suitcase.

“I guess we’ve outstayed our welcome, then…” said Maya.

“Oh, no, it’s not like that!” said Robyn, “It’s just that… well, Phil is sorry, in his own way. He wants to drive you home to make up for what he said, so you don’t have to get the train. But he doesn’t think that you’d really want to stay here anymore… since you’re not exactly the best of friends.”

“Hm. Well, I suppose not… I’m sorry I’ve ruined your Christmas, Robyn,” said Maya sadly.

“Don’t apologise, dear,” said Robyn, “Phil’s to blame for behaving so rudely. No wonder you reacted like that, with all those hormones you must have right now!”

Maya grinned. “Yeah, I love being able to blame my hormones for everything! Isn’t that right, Nick?” She prodded Phoenix in the back, who was trying to pack away their toothbrushes.

Robyn laughed. “Well, could I come down and visit you once the little ones have been born? I’d love to see them, even if…”

“Even if Dad won’t,” Phoenix completed her sentence.


Finally the packing was finished; the process was made much quicker with Robyn’s help. They waited in the hallway for Phil to arrive. He stomped out of the living room; his nose looked slightly purple.

“Mr Wright… I’m really sorry about kicking you like that. It was really childish of me,” said Maya quietly. Phil grunted in response.

They all went out to the car; Phoenix opened the door for Maya and helped her in. Phil started up the engine, still silent.

“So… um… what happened to Judy and Lily?” asked Phoenix, trying to break the silence as they pulled out of the Wrights’ driveway.

“They went home soon after dessert,” said Robyn, “They… er… felt it would be awkward to stay too long.”

“Oh. Right.” They dropped back into a stony silence, which continued for the next hour or so, only interrupted by Phoenix occasionally asking how far was left to go.

When they were about twenty minutes away from home, Maya suddenly gasped and clutched her stomach.

“Maya!? Are you alright?” Phoenix exclaimed.

She grimaced in pain. “Fine… I just… ah!” She was almost bent double, holding her bump.

Phoenix grabbed her hand. “Dad! I think we need to get to a hospital, now!”

Phil turned round, looking alarmed. “Oh, please don’t tell me she’s having twins in the back of my car!”

“I don’t know what’s happening!” said Phoenix. He put a hand on Maya’s forehead; she was burning up. “Just drive us to the nearest hospital!”

Phil revved up the engine, instructing Robyn to look out for a sign saying where they could find a hospital. “Ah! This way! Turn left!” she gasped, panicking. “Maya, dear, it’s going to be alright! We’ll get you there in no time!”

Maya just groaned in agony. “It really hurts, Nick! What if something’s wrong with the twins?”

“Nothing will happen to them! I won’t let it!” Phoenix said determinedly. He held Maya protectively in his arms as her face crumpled up in pain.

She gasped. “Oh no… I’m bleeding!” Phoenix looked down; there was blood on the car seat between Maya’s legs.

“Oh God, not on my new car seats!” Phil groaned.

“Never mind that!” said Robyn, “We need medical attention, fast!” The tyres screeched as Phil pulled into the hospital car park. Phoenix flung open the door and got out, rushing around to the other side to help Maya.

“Nick…” she gasped as he opened the car door and put his arms around her, “What if… what if I’m going to die!?”

“Y-you’re not! You can’t!” He looked her in the eyes, “I won’t let you, Maya, I promise!” Finding a burst of inhuman strength, he heaved her up into his arms; there was blood on the sleeve of his favourite jacket, but he couldn’t care less. He just had to save Maya and the twins, before it was too late.

“Are you alright, dear? Can you manage her?” Robyn asked, hurrying after him towards the doors of Accident & Emergency.

“It’s fine, I’ve got her!” Phoenix shoved the doors open and pushed his way to the desk. “You need to help me! My girlfriend… something’s wrong!” People in green overalls came running with a trolley; Maya was prised out of his arms and laid down on it.

Phoenix chased them up the corridor as she was wheeled away, his heart pounding like crazy. Maya was deathly pale and her eyes kept rolling backwards into her head. “Maya! Please, just hold on!”

They stopped in a white, sterile room; the smell of disinfectant and chemicals surrounded Phoenix, making him feel sick. He stood by Maya’s head, clutching the side of the trolley to support his weak legs, while the doctors examined her.

“Nick… what’s happening?” Her voice was faint and weak, fading fast.

“I don’t know. But whatever happens, Maya, I…” He clutched her trembling hand, not sure what to say. But then their eyes met and he found the words. “I love you, Maya!”

A doctor knocked him out of the way, and their hands parted. “We’re going to have to perform an emergency caesarean!” somebody shouted, “Get the anaesthetic in, now!”

Maya shuddered as a needle was pressed into her arm. She could barely keep her eyes open over the throbbing pain in her abdomen, but she tried to focus and search out Nick’s face in the crowd of others. “Nick…” she gasped, “I… I love you too…!”

She briefly saw him smile before everything went black.

Maya’s eyes flickered open to see Phil standing in front of her, cooing over a small bundle in his arms.

“Who’s a pretty baby, then?” he said, “Who’s being a good girl for Grandpa?”

Maya would’ve laughed if she didn’t feel so drowsy. “I’m dreaming, right?” she slurred, still regaining control of her senses.

A nurse appeared by her side. “Oh, you’re awake! Don’t you worry now, everything is going to be OK! Both twins are fine, thank goodness, although it was a close call!”

Maya blinked a few times in disbelief at Phil before glancing around the room. Robyn was leaning over a plastic crib, surrounded by a few familiar faces…

“E-Edgeworth?” Maya asked, her voice a little raspy, “Larry? Gumshoe? Maggey? What are you doing here?”


“Congratulations, pal!” said Gumshoe, “I’m really proud of you! I feel like I really helped you get to this point in your life… know what I’m saying?”

“Um… no?”

Larry grinned. “Aw, my lil Maya! You look so cute when you’re unconscious, y’know! And your daughter… she’s gonna be a real hottie when she grows up!”

Phil fixed him with an icy glare for a few seconds; Larry practically shrivelled up under his intense gaze. “I mean… uh… not that I’ll be dating her, or anything!” Larry quickly said.

Phil’s eyebrows shot up and he glared a little more before turning to Maya. “I’m… er… glad you’re alright, Maya,” he said, “I… suppose you’ll want to see the babies?”

“Huh?” Maya was puzzled for a second, “Oh yeah! Sorry, my head feels kinda funny…”

Robyn got up, smiling kindly. “The anaesthetic is still wearing off my dear. Anyway, you ought to meet your children!”

“But where’s Nick?” Maya asked, “He should be here!” She blushed hotly as she remember confessing her love to him, just before she was out cold. It would be awkward looking him in the eye after that… but still, he should be by her side right now, as she was first meeting their children.

“He went to get a drink,” Robyn explained, “He was rather in shock after everything that’s happened, I think. Having your girlfriend and kids almost die is no big deal…”

“Wait, wait… almost die? What do you mean?” Maya said, horrified. Just what had happened while she was unconscious?

Robyn patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t worry yourself, Maya. There was a bit of an emergency… you and the twins were rapidly losing blood, but the doctors managed to sort everything out. You’ll have to stay in hospital for a week or so, just to make sure everything’s fine. But it’ll be OK, I promise. Phil and I will be here by your side the whole time.”

Another mystery popped into Maya’s head. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Erm… Robyn… about Phil… Why is he being so, um, nice?”

Robyn laughed. “Well, although he may not seem it, Phil can be a real softie. The moment he saw those babies, they had him wrapped around their little fingers… especially the baby girl.”

Maya looked at him, gazing adoringly at his granddaughter’s tiny face. “Huh. I never would’ve seen that coming!” She turned back to Robyn. “So… when will Nick be back? I want him to be here, when I hold the babies for the first time.”

Gumshoe laughed loudly. “Boy, is he gonna be surprised when he sees us lot here!”

“You mean… Nick doesn’t know you’re here?”

“Nope! He called Mr Edgeworth while you were in the operating theatre, telling him what was going on. Anyway, I was at the prosecutors’ office, eavesdropping on the conversation! So I thought it would be a nice surprise if we all showed up to offer our support, pal!”

“Yeah, we’ve only been here a couple minutes… I can’t wait to see the look on Nick’s face!” Larry chuckled.

At that moment, Nick himself entered the room. “Maya, you’re awake…. Larry? What the heck are you doing here?” he cried in disbelief. “Why are you all gate crashing the birth of my first kids!?”

“Surprise!” said Maggey happily, “We’re friends, right? We thought we’d come and support you!”

Phoenix sighed. “Look, can you guys go and annoy someone else in the hospital cafeteria or something? I kind of want to be alone with my family and Maya right now…”

“Fine, fine…” Larry grumbled, “So I guess you don’t value our friendship…” The four intruders got up and walked out.

“I assure you, Wright, this wasn’t my idea,” said Edgeworth, “I just thought I should accompany them, to avoid a mishap…”

“Whatever, just leave, ok?” said Phoenix. The door closed behind them. “Honestly! I can’t believe they just wandered on in here at a private time like this!” He moved to Maya’s bedside. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright, a little tired… can I hold the twins now?”

Phil and Robyn passed the two tiny babies into Maya’s waiting arms. She was surprised by how warm and small they were. Their little eyes were closed, their faces pink and crumpled up with sleep. “They’re… perfect,” Maya breathed.

“I know,” Phoenix agreed, his blue eyes shining with pride.

“I’ll give you two some alone time, alright?” said Robyn, practically dragging Phil out of the door.

Maya sighed happily. “I can’t believe they’re finally here…”

“I know. And I’m so relieved that you’re all OK,” said Phoenix.

“Hmmm… what should we name them? Maybe something rhyming… like Mike and Spike?” Maya suggested.

“Maya, one is a girl. Plus I am not having a kid called Spike!”

“Ok… well… I’m fresh out of ideas, then. You got anything, Nick?”

Phoenix thought for a moment. “Well… actually, I was thinking about ‘Mia’ for a girl. I mean… she was your sister and my mentor, so she meant a lot to both of us. What do you think?”

Maya smiled. “Yeah, good idea! Plus, it’s cool to name your kid after your dead relatives. Everyone does it in books and movies! Like in Harry Potter, when-”

Phoenix interrupted her, rolling his eyes. “Ok, ok, so Mia it is. Anyway… what about the boy?”

“Well… I’ve actually been tossing some boy’s names around in my head, and I found something I kind of like…” Maya looked embarrassed.

“What is it?”

“Promise you won’t laugh?”

“Of course not!”

Maya bit her lip, hesitating. “Um… how about Donatello?”

Phoenix burst into laughter. “Donatello? Ha! You mean like the artist?”

“No… like the teenage mutant ninja turtle!” Maya said, offended.

Phoenix laughed even more, so hard he was almost crying.

Maya frowned. “I guess you don’t like it then?”

He chuckled some more. “No. Not really.”

“Okay… well, I also thought of a back up plan. What about David?”

“David?” Phoenix considered that for a moment. “Hmm… well, I suppose it’s not weird. And it’s not too common, either. Nice and traditional… just a nice, ordinary name… I like it!”

They smiled at each other. “Alright… David and Mia!” said Maya, “Do you like those names, you two?” She jiggled the babies up and down a little bit; both of them woke up and started wailing. “Uh oh! Nick, what do I do?”

Fortunately, Robyn and Phil came rushing in to the rescue and managed to get the twins to calm down.

“Mia and David… I suppose I approve of those names,” said Phil, gently rocking Mia in his arms.

“Dad! You were listening in on our conversation?” Phoenix said.

“The walls here are thin,” Phil replied with a shrug.

Suddenly, the door was swung violently open. “Don’t worry, Mystic Maya! Auntie Pearl is here!” Pearl gasped, panting and pink in the face, “I’m sorry I took a while to get here, Mister Nick! I ran here all the way from Kurain!”

“Pearly! You really shouldn’t do that!” Maya scolded, “You might pull a muscle!”

“I’m sorry, Mystic Maya!” Pearl said, “But as soon as Mister Nick called me and said that you were in trouble at the hospital, I couldn’t stop myself!”

“It’s alright, Pearls,” said Phoenix, “Next time get a train though, alright? Anyway, I guess you’ll want to meet your niece and nephew…”

Pearl sat down on the end of Maya’s bed, and Robyn let her hold David, who had stopped crying and was now sniffling quietly.

“This is David,” said Robyn, “You must be Pearl. I’m Phoenix – er, Mister Nick’s mother.”

“It’s lovely to meet you!” said Pearl, “And the baby… she’s so pretty! Mystic David has strong spirit powers, I can feel it!”

“Er… Pearly, David is a boy,” said Maya.

“Oh! Sorry!” Pearl said, “I haven’t really met many boys, you see. So I didn’t know whether David was a name for a boy or a girl!”

“The other twin is a girl, though,” said Maya, “Her name is Mia… you know, like Mystic Mia.”

“Oh! That’s so perfect!” said Pearl. She would’ve been jumping up and down in excitement if it weren’t for the baby boy on her lap, “So, Mystic Maya, are you and Mister Nick getting married soon? You’ve got babies now, so you must love each other lots and lots!”

Maya blushed and glanced at Nick; he looked flushed and awkward too. It seemed that neither of them were ready yet to talk about the words they’d exchanged earlier.




“Oh, Maya… thank you so much!” Mia was practically crying after Maya had told her about the baby girl’s name. “They’re both so beautiful… I’m really proud of you, sis. I honestly didn’t think you could go through with this, but I guess you’re stronger than I thought!”

“Well, I had Nick to help me of course!” Maya said, smiling at Phoenix. “Oh, Gumshoe? Could you and Maggey pop down to burger king and get me three more burgers and a packet of fries?”

“Sure thing, pal!”

“Coming right up, Maya!” The couple headed out to the nearest fast-food restaurant for the third time that evening,

Phoenix sighed. “Maya, you really shouldn’t make Maggey and Gumshoe keep running errands for you. It’s kind of mean.”

“But I’m hungry!” she moaned, “I don’t care if it’s against hospital rules, I WILL smuggle in greasy burgers!”

Larry laughed. “Don’t go getting yourself fat, Maya! Although maybe if you put on a little weight, you could end up with jugs like your sister’s…” He winked at Mia.

She ground her teeth together. “I swear, if I wasn’t holding this baby I would slap your nauseating face…”

“Wow, you’re so hot when you get feisty! You can slap me all you like, gorgeous!”

Mia freed her arm from beneath baby Mia’s legs and whacked him in the face.

“Ow! Oh man, I’ve got a nosebleed! Why does this always happen to me?” Larry whined.

Edgeworth sighed in exasperation and led Larry outside to calm down. “That’s why you shouldn’t try hitting on dead people, Butz…”

“Sexist idiot,” said Mia, “Sometimes I wish Pearl’s clothes weren’t so ridiculously revealing…”

Phoenix suddenly looked embarrassed as a though occurred to him. “Um… speaking of, uh, breasts…”

Mia glared at him. “Nobody was speaking of breasts, Phoenix.”

“Yeah, well, anyway… um, Maya, are you gonna try breastfeeding sometime soon?”

Robyn nodded in agreement. “That’s right, dear, the babies will be getting hungry!”

Phil looked ill. “Urgh… I think I’ll wait outside for a little while, if you’ll excuse me…”

Maya bit her lip nervously. “Um… well, I don’t exactly know how to. I knew we should’ve gone to baby classes, Nick!”

“Sorry, sorry! They just seemed like such a rip off!” Phoenix defended himself, “Anyway, my Mum can help you! And Mia!”

“Why me?” Mia asked, “I’ve never had kids! Why would I know anything about breastfeeding?”

Phoenix went tomato-coloured. “Well, I just figured you might know something, since you have… um… er… big, um…”

“Phoenix! I ought to slap you too, you know!” said Mia angrily, “Honestly! Men!”

“But, you know sis, you could always pull your robes up a bit around your boobs,” said Maya, “Then maybe people would stop talking about them?”

“Maya!” said Mia, “Can everyone please stop talking about my boobs?”

Larry’s head popped around the door. “Boobs? Where!?”

“Larry, go away!” Maya, Mia and Phoenix said at once.

Robyn patted Maya’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry, dear. I’ll help you as much as I can.”

“Thanks, Robyn… Nick, are you going to wait outside?” Maya asked awkwardly.

“Okay, I guess that would be best…” Phoenix agreed.

“Why not stay?” asked Robyn, “You are her boyfriend, after all, Phoenix! I’m sure it’s no big deal!”

Phoenix rubbed the back of his spikes sheepishly. “Actually, Mum, I guess I should tell you. Maya and I… were not even dating. We’re just friends. All this,” he gestured towards the twins, “Was a drunken accident.”

“Oh, Phoenix!” said Robyn, “I didn’t bring you up to be that kind of a boy. Oh well, I suppose I can forgive you, since you’re willing to stand by Maya in all this…” She looked a little upset.

“I’m sorry, Mum…” Phoenix hugged her before going to wait outside.

Phil looked at him sternly as he arrived in the corridor outside Maya’s hospital room.

“I guess you heard that?” said Phoenix. Phil nodded. “I’m sorry, Dad… I don’t want to be a disappointment to you or Mum. It was an accident, I swear…”

“Ha. I already knew from the beginning,” said Phil.

“You did? How?”

“Male intuition.”

“…Huh? I thought it was women who had that intu-what’s-it thing?” said Phoenix.

“Men can have it too. Only the intelligent ones, though,” said Phil, “Clearly, you don’t. But it’s alright, son. Nobody’s perfect.” He slapped Phoenix on the back.

“Um… thanks, Dad.” Phoenix smiled a little; this seemed to be his father’s own unique way of forgiving him for having illegitimate children with Maya.



Maya was pretty pleased with herself; she’d been feeding David for nearly a full minute now, and everything was going fine.

“Well done, Maya! You’re really getting the hang of it!” Robyn congratulated her.

“Yeah! It feels pretty weird, though… I guess I’ll just have to get used to it!”

“Do you want me to feed baby Mystic Mia? I think she’s hungry!” said Pearl; the older Mia had already departed back to the spirit world.

“Um, Pearly, I don’t think…”

“But it’s alright, Mystic Maya! I’ve got nipples too! I can manage!” Pearl started undoing her acolyte robes.

Maya suddenly remembered that although she’d decided to give Pearl the ‘talk’ sometime, she still hadn’t got around to it. Darn. “Listen, Pearly… um… you’re a little young, alright? Only big girls can do that. And only ones who have had a baby.”

“Oh. Ok!” Pearl said, seeming to understand, “So I’d need to have ‘special nipples’ like you, right Mystic Maya?”

“Er… ‘special nipples’? Do I even want to know what that is!?” Maya asked.

“It’s ok, Mister Detective Dick told me all about it!”

“Oh no, not Gumshoe’s sex education lessons again…” Maya groaned, “I REALLY need to have a word with him! We’ll talk about this later, OK Pearly?”

“Yay!” said Pearl, “I love learning new things!”

Baby Mia started sniffling, then moved on to full-blown crying. “I think she’s hungry,” said Robyn, “Maybe we should switch over.”

Luckily David seemed ready to stop drinking, and Maya eased him in to Robyn’s arms. She was surprised at how un-awkward it was being topless in front of Phoenix’s Mum; she supposed that in a way, Robyn was acting like the mother she didn’t have. It was kind of sweet really, but sad too.

She was OK with Robyn seeing her half-naked, and Pearl too, since they were like sisters. But it would be so embarrassing if someone else walked in-

“Burgers!” shouted Detective Gumshoe; the door flew open, revealing Maya’s boobs to everyone stood outside in the corridor.

Three days later, the babies were doing great; thankfully, they were both strong and healthy. The doctors said that Maya would only have to stay in hospital for a couple more days before she could take Mia and David home.

The two newborns seemed to be constantly visited and fussed; Phoenix’s parents were staying at his flat, while Phoenix mostly slept on the sofa at the hospital. Plus their friends kept popping in to see how things were going.

But for what seemed like the first time since David and Mia were born, Maya and Phoenix were now alone in the room together. The babies were fast asleep, and they were free of visitors and medical staff.

“Nick… we need to talk,” Maya said firmly.

“A-about what?” he asked. It seemed the like the dreaded topic of the “I love you”s they had exchanged three days previously was about to surface.

She sighed. “Don’t you remember, Nick? Just before the twins were born, you said some… um… things. And I said some things in return. You know?”

Phoenix tried to hide his embarrassment. “Um, er, what things? You’ve lost me there, Maya…”

“Nick! You know exactly what I mean!” said Maya, “We need to stop avoiding it, okay? What I want to know is… did you mean what you said?”

Phoenix thought for a moment in silence. “Well… the truth is…” he began, “I don’t really know. I kind of said it on the spur of the moment, without thinking about it beforehand. So maybe I didn’t mean it. But maybe… maybe I did. I just don’t know yet!”

“Hmm. Me neither,” Maya agreed, “I think it was kind of a spur of the moment thing for me too. So I’m not sure, either.”

There was a heavy silence. Finally Phoenix spoke up. “But, you know, I think that maybe I do… feel something for you. So I reckon we should wait a bit until we’ve got the hang of this parenting thing, and then perhaps we could see how things go from there?”

“Yeah, you’re right. The twins should come first right now. I’m way too exhausted lately to even consider dating or anything like that!” said Maya, “But, uh… what about ‘her’?”

“Who is ‘her’?” Phoenix asked.

“You know… Franziska. Do you… have feelings for her?” Maya asked nervously.

Phoenix’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, I totally forgot about her! You’re right, I need to do something about that!”

“Maybe you should just break it off with her?”

“Yeah, I think that would be the best option. I mean, I never really had serious feelings for her anyway.”

“You didn’t?” Maya seemed surprised, “Well, you seemed keen enough a few weeks ago!”

“I guess she just made me feel ‘wanted’, you know? I don’t really get much female attention these days,” Phoenix admitted sadly, “But I never loved her or anything. The only problem is, from her body language, I think she really likes me! I think I might break her heart if I dump her!”

“Oh dear,” said Maya, “I guess you’ll just have to sort things out as soon as possible, then – that’s much kinder than leading her on for a while and then ending it, right?”

“Hmm, very wise,” said Phoenix, “Yeah. I’ll go and do it right now!” He got up and shoved his mobile into his jeans pocket. “I’ll see you later, ok? Call me if there’s a problem!”

“Okay, good luck!” Maya waved goodbye as he left. “I should be able to handle the babies on my own for a little while,” she thought to herself, “I mean, how hard can it be to look after a couple of newborn twins?”



“Now, where would Franziska von Karma be on a Monday afternoon?” Phoenix wondered to himself, “The prosecutors’ office, I guess…” He grinned at his luck as the right bus pulled in to the bus stop where he was waiting.

After paying the driver and collecting a ticket, he sat down by a window and considered what he would say to her. All the phrases he could come up with sounded kind of mean; he really didn’t want to make it more upsetting than it had to be. The poor girl seemed to really care about him.

“Penny for your thoughts, Trite?” said a familiar voice, a little mockingly. Phoenix almost jumped out of his skin as prosecutor Godot sat down next to him.

“Ah! Er, what are you doing here?”

“Heading to the prosecutors’ office, same as you,” the prosecutor said with a smirk.

“Wait a second… shouldn’t you be in prison?”

“Ha..!” Godot laughed and took a sip of his coffee.

There was a pause. “Is that… all you have to say?” Phoenix asked incredulously.

“What else is there to say? The world works in mysterious ways, Trite.” Godot grinned, shaking his head, before gulping down some more coffee. “So, what is a man like you so deep in thought about? Perhaps, you are pondering how to ask the kitten you like out on a date?”

“Actually, kind of the opposite,” Phoenix confessed, “I’m trying to figure out how to dump my girlfriend.”

Godot did a double take. “You have a girlfriend? Now I’ve heard it all.”

“Thanks,” Phoenix said sarcastically, “So, since you’re so ‘wise’… how do I get rid of her without upsetting her?”

The coffee-drinking prosecutor shrugged. “Just start seeing someone else. I’m sure she’ll notice soon enough and realise that it’s over. Then you just avoid her so she can’t get angry with you – a simple breakup, avoiding direct confrontation.”

“What? That’s horrible!” said Phoenix, “I can’t just start dating another girl and hope she takes the hint! I thought you’d have some helpful proverb or something.”

“What would be the point? You never understand them anyway,” said Godot, “And that’s how a ladies man like me would get rid of an annoying girlfriend.”

“Huh. Just seems like the cowardly way out, if you ask me,” said Phoenix.

Godot smirked and changed the subject. “So who is this ‘girlfriend’ of yours? My guess is it’s either a blow-up doll, or Maya Fey.”

“Hey! I am NOT dating a blow-up doll! And it’s not Maya either, for your information!”

“Ah, so you’re a bit of a player then, I see,” Godot laughed, “Getting Maya pregnant whilst seeing another girl. I wouldn’t have thought you were the type, Trite.”

“It’s not like that!”

“Isn’t it?”

“No!” said Phoenix, “Well… I suppose it is a little bit like that, yeah. But I’m not some kind of womanizer!”

“Ha…! You may not be a player, but you’ve still been spreading the seed, haven’t you? Speaking of which… has your offspring left the comforts of the womb yet?”

“Yeah, a few days ago, actually,” said Phoenix, “We had twins. Mia and David.” His proud fatherly instincts took over and he showed Godot a photo of the babies on his phone.

“Ah. Named after my kitten. That’s a good choice, Trite.” Godot fell silent then, all of his mocking tone gone. Phoenix wondered if maybe he was thinking about Mia, and the child they never had; Maya explained to Phoenix about Mia’s abortion a few months ago.

He was brought out of his reverie as the bus clanged to a halt outside the prosecutors’ offices. He stood up and got off of the bus, ready to go and find Franziska.

“It was interesting speaking to you, Mr Wright,” said Godot, “Maybe we’ll meet again sometime, maybe not. Depends where fate takes us.”

“Well we probably will, since we’re both lawyers…” said Phoenix.

“Ha…! That was merely a façade,” said Godot, “I no longer work in the prosecuting profession. They tend to look down on you once you’ve committed murder.”

“Then… what were you doing on the bus?”

“There’s a good coffee shop near here, you know. That’s where I’m headed.”

“Oh, right,” said Phoenix, “Well… yeah, maybe I’ll see you around.” Phoenix supposed Godot wasn’t so bad; after all, he was the guy who risked his life to rescue Maya. “You could come and visit the twins one day… if you wanted.”

“You know, I’d like that,” said Godot, “Maybe I’ll take you up on your offer. Oh, and good luck with that girl trouble of yours.” He turned the corner and disappeared out of sight, still clutching a coffee mug in one hand.





“Nick, where are you!?” Maya wailed, “Please hurry back!”

She felt like crying. She had a throbbing headache, and David had started screaming pretty much as soon as Phoenix had left. That was over an hour ago, and since then, Mia had woken up and joined in the ear-splitting crying session.

“Come on, you guys…. I just want to get some sleep!” Maya was trying to breastfeed Mia, but David was getting impatient now, his face bright red and his tiny fists thrashing around. Maya tried to remove Mia from her nipple, but she wasn’t done feeding yet and began bawling at the top of her lungs again.

Maya laid Mia down on the bed and picked up David, rocking him frantically in a desperate effort to calm him down. He reached out his fingers and gripped onto her hair, yanking it hard as he writhed about in her arms.

“Ouch! David, don’t pull Mommy’s hair –!” Maya suddenly noticed Mia, who she’d put down by the edge of the bed; the tiny baby was wriggling around as she cried, and was about to topple right off of the side and onto the floor. Panicking, Maya practically threw David out of her arms and grabbed Mia before she could come to any harm. David seemed to turn up the volume even higher, his face going purple with the strain of non-stop crying.

Maya’s head pounded even harder. All she could hear was the grating sound of babies crying. Now Mia was tugging on her hair, making the headache even worse. “I… I can’t deal with this any more!” Maya cried, her voice cracking as she burst into tears.

Sobbing, she put both babies back into their plastic cots, prising Mia’s fingers from her hair a little too forcefully. Then she got back into bed, pulling the pillow over her ears to try and drown out the babies screaming, and just lay there and cried.




Phoenix was in luck; he didn’t have to go hunting down Franziska after all. He bumped into her right outside the prosecutors’ office.

“Ah, Phoenix Wright! Long time no see,” she said, “I hear that congratulations are in order…?”

“Um, yeah…” said Phoenix, “Listen, can we talk?”

“Well, I was just on my way to the courthouse. I have a trial to prepare for, you see. So please make it quick.”

“Oh, uh, it’s kind of serious, so maybe I shouldn’t rush it…”

“Just spit it out, alright? I haven’t got all day!” she snapped, “I mean, er… why don’t you just tell me now, Feenie?”

“Um… well, I, er, think that maybe we should, um, end our relationship,” he stuttered nervously.

“Oh, is that it? Alright,” said Franziska, relieved that it wasn’t something more serious. Besides, she was getting sick of acting like she fancied him anyway – it was kind of repulsive. Hopefully she’d kept her act up long enough to make Edgeworth jealous. It was convenient that Phoenix was ending it before she had to. “So, I suppose I’ll see you around.” She brushed past Phoenix, about to cross the road.

He scratched his head, confused. Why was she acting so casual? Ah – she must be trying to hide how hurt she was feeling. “Franziska – wait!” he called, “I’m really sorry about this! Do you want to talk about it after your trial?”

“No, really, it’s fine,” she said, a little irritated, “I need to go now! Honestly, I’m fine about it!” She glanced in both directions before stepping out into the road.

Phoenix quickly considered what she’d said. He knew how confusing girls could be, and he was pretty sure that when a girl said she was ‘fine’, it meant that she really wasn’t. He just couldn’t let things end that way between them.

“Franziska, please!” he cried, “Just wait a second, let me explain! Franziska!”

She stopped and turned around, still in the middle of the road. “What!? Can’t you see I’m trying to get somewhere?”

“But… I’m so sorry! I think you’re a really great person, and I’m just really sorry that it had to end this way!”

“Well, guess what?” she said with a smirk, “I never liked you anyway. I only did this to make Edgeworth jealous – to be honest, I find you slightly sickening. So you can take your stupid apology and shove it up your big, fat, hairy- aaaaargh!” Franziska let out a high-pitched, blood-curdling scream as a big yellow school bus smacked into her.

“Franziska! No!” Phoenix yelled; she’d been thrown about five feet across the ground and was lying in a crumpled heap on the tarmac, a little blood trickling onto the road.

“Oh, man! Did that really just happen?” asked Gumshoe, suddenly running up behind Phoenix; he’d been nearby and had just witnessed the whole thing, “You know, I’ve fantasised about that happening ever since that horrible time when she planted a tracking device on me… but somehow it doesn’t seem so cool when it’s real, pal.”

“Gumshoe!” Phoenix cried, “Don’t just stand there talking! We need to get help!”

The bus had stopped and the driver rushed over to them, followed by an excited crowd of school kids. “Oh, man! I’m such a lousy human being!” the driver wailed, “Nick, you and Edgey were right all along! I’m the cause of every bad thing that every happens!”

“Larry!?” Phoenix exclaimed, “You just ran over Franziska!”

“Hey, Larry Butt!” said Gumshoe, “Pal, I’m arresting you for manslaughter!” He grabbed Larry and handcuffed him.

“No! She’s not dead yet!” Phoenix said desperately, “She can’t be! And why hasn’t anyone called an ambulance?”

A pained voice came from behind him: “I called them, they’re on their way…!” Phoenix turned around; it was Edgeworth. He rushed over to Franziska and knelt by her side, grabbed her wrist and feeling for a pulse. “She’s still alive, Wright… but perhaps only just.”

Phoenix hurried over, dropping down onto his knees. He tried to reach over and pick Franziska up off the road, but Edgeworth slapped his hands away. “Don’t touch her! She may have spinal injuries.”

His throat dry with panic, Phoenix moved away; Edgeworth gently held Franziska’s fragile wrist. “Stay with me, Franny,” he said desperately, “Please… stay with me…”

Phoenix sat on the road, feeling completely useless and pathetic. To be honest, he felt like curling up on the ground and crying. Just a second ago he’d been worrying about how to break up with Franziska; the next she was dying in the middle of the road. It was too much to take in.

He heard the sound of sirens screeching in the distance. Would they reach Franziska in time… or would it be too late…?

“Maya! Something terrible’s happ- what’s going on?” Phoenix had burst into Maya’s hospital room to be greeted by the scene of Maya weeping on the bed and the twins screaming in the corner.

“I’m… so s-sorry, N-Nick…” she sobbed, “I just c-couldn’t take it any more!”

He reached over and scooped up David into his arms, then popped a dummy into Mia’s mouth. “It’s okay, Daddy’s here…” he whispered soothingly, swaying from side to side. David’s crying softened into little whimpers. “I think they’re hungry, that’s all,” he told Maya.

“I know!” she said, “But it was too much! I’m tired, my head hurts… they just wouldn’t stop crying! I couldn’t deal with it!” Fresh tears sprung from Maya’s eyes.

“Oh, Maya…” he said softly, “It’s alright. It’s stressful looking after two babies at once.”

“No, it’s not alright! I’m a terrible mother!” Maya wailed, burying her face in her hands.

Phoenix sat down next to her. “Listen, can you hold David for a minute? I’ll call my mother, and then I’ll find the nurse and see if she’s got any spare milk we can give them. It’ll be alright.”

Maya nodded, too distraught to speak, and held David. Phoenix got up, dialling his mother’s number quickly on his mobile. “Could you come to the hospital? …Yeah, you don’t mind do you? … She’s a little stressed, that’s all…” he was saying.

She sighed. A little stressed… Phoenix really didn’t seemed to understand just how hopeless she’d felt before he’d turned up.

“Right, I’ll go and find the nurse,” Phoenix said, putting away his phone. “Will you be ok alone while I look for her?”

“Y-yeah… I think so…” Phoenix left, and Maya was stuck feeling useless once again. She held David tightly, looking into her baby’s wide blue eyes. “I’m sorry, David… sorry you had to get stuck with a crap mum like me. You deserve more than this.”

Maya shed a few more tears before Phoenix returned, with the midwife following behind him.

“Don’t worry, now,” she said, taking David from Maya, “I’ve got some spare baby milk here and I’ve just warmed it up, so we can get these two fed.” She handed one bottle to Phoenix, who picked up Mia and started feeding her the milk. The twins looked much happier at once.

After a couple of minutes, Maya’s tears had dried and she’d calmed down considerably. “Um, Nick…”

“Yes, Maya?”

“What were you saying earlier? Something about ‘you won’t believe what just happened’?”

“Oh… Franziska got hit by a bus,” he replied gravely.

“Are you serious!?”

“Deadly serious,” said Phoenix, before instantly regretting his bad choice of words.

“Is she alright?” Maya said, still in shock.

“She’s in intensive care right now,” Phoenix explained, “Only Edgeworth’s with her, so I don’t know what condition she’s in right now. Oh, and they arrested Larry.”

“Larry? Why?”

“Well… remember how he told us a little while ago that he’d got a new job as a bus driver?”

Maya thought for a second. “Um, yeah, I think I remember him saying something like that…. Wait, you don’t mean!?”

“Yep. Larry’s the unfortunate guy who hit her.”

“Oh no! That’s awful!”

“That’s the Butz… after all, when something smells…” Phoenix sighed, “But the worst part is, I feel like it’s all my fault!”

“What? Of course it’s not your fault, Nick! If anyone is to blame it’s Larry, or Franziska for not looking where she was going!” Maya said, trying to reassure him.

Phoenix shook his head. “But I distracted her when she was crossing the road, Maya. I was stupid, and I thought she was upset, so I kept trying to apologise… then she turned round and told me that she only dated me to make Edgeworth jealous.”

“Really? That’s terrible!”

“Yeah… but that’s when she got hit by that bus. So… I feel like it’s my fault. She was just trying to cross the road, but I kept on persisting… if I hadn’t been such an idiot, maybe none of this would have happened.”

Maya frowned. “Wow. I didn’t realise Franziska would be such a bitch. Leading you on like that… and she’s been really mean to everyone lately. She hasn’t spoken to Maggey since the wedding, even though she did nothing wrong!”

“What!?” Phoenix gasped, “Maya, are you saying that Franziska deserved to be hit by a bus?”

“No, no!” Maya quickly replied, “I just mean that Franziska’s not completely innocent, ok? So don’t go blaming yourself for it, Nick.”

Phoenix said nothing; it was impossible to persuade himself that it wasn’t his fault. He just hoped so much that Franziska would pull through…



“Aww, come on, we’re friends! Let me outta here!” Larry pleaded.

“No way, pal,” said Gumshoe, “If she dies, you’re in serious trouble. I can’t let a killer like you loose on the streets!”

“But Franzy’s still alive, right? So I haven’t even done anything wrong!”

“You still hit a somewhat innocent young woman with a car!” said Gumshoe, “As a detective, it’s my civil duty to lock you up!” He slammed the cell door shut and locked it. “I’ll be back later to sort you out when we’ve heard news from the hospital. Until then… you’d better say your prayers, pal.”




Franziska groaned and sat up. Her head was pounding and her whole body felt weak and broken. She pretty much felt like she’d been hit by a bus.

Slowly, the memories came back to her. She remembered the mocking tone of her voice as she spoke to that fool, Phoenix Wright. Then she remembered the sudden impact of something yellow and heavy, smacking into her side. She had a brief recollection of flying through the air, her head landing on the pavement, her cheek being grazed against the rough tarmac. After that, all she could remember was the strong, metallic taste of blood, and then nothing.

But where was she? It was pitch black, so dark she couldn’t even see her hands, and totally silent. She squinted, looking around, and noticed something. She’d been wrong; it wasn’t completely dark. There was a tiny pinprick of light, somewhere in the distance. It was small, but intensely bright.

She heaved her wrecked body up off the ground and got shakily to her feet. The only logical conclusion would be to go towards the light, right? She started walking, stumbling a little and bumping her hand on a smooth, curved surface on her left hand side. She reached for the other side – there was a kind of curved wall there too. And another one above her head. Franziska could only conclude that she was in some kind of tunnel.

She sighed, removing her hand from the wall, and kept walking. What other option did she have but to keep on moving towards the light at the end of this mysterious tunnel? There was nowhere else to go.

As she walked, she remembered something. A silly American metaphor, where it was believed that when you died, you went through a tunnel towards the light. And if you wanted to survive, you had to stay away from the light. Something foolish like that, anyway…

With a gasp, Franziska stopped in her tracks, heart pounding furiously. She could be… dead, could she? Could it be that the large object that hit her had killed her, and that’s why she was in this tunnel, walking towards the light?

She shook her head fiercely. Of course not. That was simply foolish. She – the great Franziska von Karma – could not die at the mere age of twenty! She firmly decided that she had to stay away from the light at all costs. She was not ready to go yet!

But strangely, the light kept coming closer. She looked down; in the dim glow cast out by the prick of light, she saw that her legs were moving of their own accord, carrying her towards the light, towards her certain death.

“Ah! Stop!” she screamed, trying to force her legs to stay still; but they had a mind of their own. She shrieked and grabbed at them with her hands, but her legs were too strong.

It seemed that her fate was already decided.

As the light grew steadily brighter and closer, Franziska thought of all she would be leaving behind. Phoenix Wright… she remembered his agonized face as she so cruelly revealed the way she’d been treating him. He was a good person inside – a little foolish maybe, but her still had a good heart. She realised now how unfair of her it had been to use him like that, and then throw him away like he was disposable. It had been so childish of her. If only she could’ve apologised…

She thought of the other foolish people who had once called themselves her friends. Maggey Byrde had been a loyal and trustworthy companion, someone she could even have a little fun with… but Franziska had just pushed her away, not even giving a good reason for ending their friendship.

Detective Gumshoe had always tried to be friendly towards her… she remembered the many times he’d called her ‘pal’. A friendly enough gesture, but Franziska had brutally whipped him for it. In fact, she’d treated Gumshoe pretty badly ever since she’d met him. He didn’t deserve any of the harsh punishments she gave him, really.

And then there was Maya Fey… she’d done something terrible of course, by making up rumours about Franziska. But she’d apologised over and over, and like a stubborn fool, Franziska had refused to forgive her. It seemed a shame now that they’d never got a chance to make up.

And then there was that idiot, Larry Butz… he’d admired her, even wanted to make a book based on her, but she’d just been mean to him.

If only she could’ve had one last chance to make it up to these people, the ones who’d been so kind to her.

The light was coming closer. She still couldn’t stop herself; even if she wanted to repay those people for her kindness, it wasn’t enough for her to stay alive.

But there was one other person. The man she loved, Miles Edgeworth. She’d let him fall for her, and then driven him away. And after that, instead of just saying sorry, she’d messed things up even more by trying to make him jealous. What a complete and utter fool she’d been.

Franziska had always insisted on keeping their relationship a secret, but she realised now that it hadn’t been because of her father at all. The truth was, she hadn’t wanted people to know that Miles Edgeworth was her one weakness; she hadn’t wanted to reveal to the world that she depended on another person. It was her own foolish pride that had ruined her one chance to be truly happy.

Then, all of a sudden, his voice pierced through the dark silence.

“Franziska, stay with me! Please, Franny… don’t leave me!”

“Miles…. Edgeworth…” she gasped. Her throat felt sore and dry. She willed her legs to stop, wanting so badly to step away from the light and back into the real world, with him.

“You can pull through this, Franziska… please…!” he begged. She could feel his fingers on her arm, trying to pull her back to reality.

“I’m trying!” she replied. Her voice echoed away, not yet strong enough for him to hear her.

Something soft brushed against her cheek; his lips, no doubt. She felt his warm breath by her ear. “I love you, Franziska von Karma. Please, wake up!”

With a strangled cry, Franziska forced her legs to stop walking. The light was so close but she was no longer being pulled towards it. The ground seemed to collapse out form beneath her feet, as if she was falling… suddenly she found herself lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. She was very much alive, and very much in pain.

Edgeworth’s hand snapped up, his eyes wide. “Franziska…? Are you alright?”

She tried turning her head to look at him, but found herself restricted by a neck brace. Her face stung as the grazed area touched the side of brace.

“…Ow,” she mumbled, “Everything hurts…” It even hurt to talk; her throat felt as though she’d swallowed a large, jagged rock.

“Oh, Franny, I thought you’d… you’d…” he murmured, gently stroking her hair, “Thank goodness you’re alright. The doctors were beginning to think you wouldn’t wake up.”

“How long have I been unconscious for…?”

“Three days.”

“Three!?” she gasped, “I… I missed the trial yesterday!” She tried to sit up, but was stopped by a pain in her back. She now noticed that one of her legs was in a large cast, as well as one arm. “Oh… I broke my whipping arm again.”

Edgeworth let out a quiet laugh. “I thought you’d be annoyed at that.”

There was something she still didn’t understand. “W-why are you here? Don’t you hate me?” she asked.

He frowned. “Hate you? Of course not! How could I ever hate you? I love you, you know that.”

“But I treated you so badly…”

“It doesn’t matter now, Franny. What matters is that you’re alright,” he said, patting her good arm.

She sighed. “I’ve been so horrible to everyone, Miles. All the people who were our friends… I’ve pushed them away and upset them. And I’m so glad I’ve been given this second chance to make it up to them. Especially to you.”

Edgeworth looked shocked. “Are you sure you’re feeling ok? You didn’t bump your head when you got hit by that bus, did you?”

“H-hit by a bus? I got hit by a bus!?” she exclaimed, “So that’s what the large yellow thing was!”

“Yes, a school bus, I think it was. You’re rather lucky that you didn’t break more bones.”

“I don’t believe this! Franziska von Karma does NOT get hit by school buses! When I find the fool who did this to me, I shall whip them until they beg for mercy, then I will sue them for every penny they own, and then make sure they are locked up in a small cell and then I shall personally throw away the key!”

“That’s more like it!” said Edgeworth, “So you’re still the same ruthless Franziska von Karma I know and love.”

She glared at him. “I do not have brain damage or anything like that, Miles. I merely think that I ought to apologise to all the people I may have upset recently. Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, Maggey Byrde, Detective Gumshoe, Larry Butz…”

“Larry Butz?” he interrupted her, an amused look on his face, “So are you going to apologise to him before or after locking him up and throwing away the key?”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

Edgeworth laughed. “He’s the bus driver who ran you over, Franny.”

The look on her face was priceless. “Hmph. Well, I…” She fell silent, unsure of what to do.

“He is sincerely sorry, mind you,” said Edgeworth, “He really doesn’t want to go to jail. He’s a good guy really, even if he’s a bit… well, careless.”

“Well, how about this for a compromise?” said Franziska, “I shall not press charges against him for hitting me with the bus. After all, I was foolishly stood in the road, so I must accept some responsibility. However, I shall use to my whip to exact my punishment upon him. And I will not be modelling for his foolish book anytime soon!”

“Alright. I’ll have to give Gumshoe a call late and ask him to let Larry go,” said Edgeworth.

“Thank you, Miles,” she said, “Oh, and thank you for being here by my side. I doubt I would have woken up if you weren’t here.”

His face softened. “You would have woken up regardless, I’m sure of it. You’re stronger than you look, Franziska.”

She smiled back at him, unable to keep a faint blush from spreading across her cheeks. “You’re just trying to flatter me, Miles.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Miles? Not calling by my full name anymore, Franziska von Karma?”

She shrugged, then winced in pain; she hadn’t realised that her shoulder blade was broken too. “I think we are on first name terms now, Miles.”

He smiled. “I’m glad you finally think so, Franny.” He squeezed her hand, then leant over and kissed her forehead. “So… about our relationship, Franziska. When you recover, do you think we could… well… start again?”

She pretended to consider this for a moment. “Or we could just pick up where we left off, before things went wrong. I am truly sorry for all the pressure I put on you, Miles. This time, nothing has to be kept secret.”

“I forgive you,” he said with a smile, before kissing her on the lips.

As their mouths melted together, Franziska thought to herself: if it weren’t for the several broken bones, extreme discomfort, and excruciating pain, this would be paradise.

“Thanks, Nick!” Maya squealed, as Phoenix handed her a tray full of pancakes, “But you forgot the maple syrup!”

He groaned. “Can’t you just be grateful that I made you breakfast in bed?”

“But it’s a big day, Nick! I can’t waste time fetching things from the kitchen when I could be getting ready!”

“Alright, alright… I’ll get you the syrup!” He put the tray down on her bed and walked off.

Maya chewed on a mouthful of pancake as she opened her wardrobe to take another look at her new robe; the robe belonging to the master of Kurain. In only a few short ours she would be wearing it as she was officially declared to be the master.

A month had passed since the birth of the twins, and the elders had decided that they could not wait any longer; Kurain needed a master. And today was the day they had set for the ceremony.

She ran her fingers along the intricately embroidered purple silk, hardly able to believe that the day had finally come.

The door to her room opened, revealing a person holding a bottle of syrup; but to Maya’s surprise, it wasn’t Nick.

“Robyn!” Maya said happily, “When did you get here?”

“Just now, Maya dear! I offered to bring this to you, since we need to catch up!” She handed Maya the bottle, and Maya started eagerly pouring it all over the pancakes.

“Mmm, thanks!” she replied, shovelling in some more pancake.

“So how have you been, Maya?” Robyn asked, “Is everything alright with the twins?”

Maya chewed a little more, then swallowed before answering. “Yeah, pretty much… it’s still difficult though. I’m always so tired!” Maya yawned, as if to demonstrate the point.

Robyn nodded. “Yes, it was tough enough for me with just Phoenix as a baby… two in one go must be a nightmare!”

“Well, it gets easier,” said Maya, “We’re getting used to things now. If it hadn’t been for you and Phil in the first couple of weeks I’d probably have had a mental breakdown or something! And it’s brilliant that Nick lives here in Kurain at the moment so he can help me!”

“Yes, he seems to be really happy here,” Robyn said, “Erm… I don’t mean to be rude, but have you and Phoenix considered… well, dating?”

Maya blushed. “Um… we’ve talked about it a little,” she admitted, “And… we think that maybe one day, in the future…”

Robyn was practically grinning from ear to ear. “Oh, that would be wonderful! You could even get ma-” She stopped herself, “I mean, er, I don’t want you to feel pressured! These things take time!” She patted Maya’s shoulder, still looking incredibly pleased.

There was a knock on the door. “Mystic Maya? Can I come in?”

“Sure, Pearly!”

Pearl entered the room, cradling David in her arms. “He’s a bit hungry!” She handed him to Maya.

“Oh, I’d better feed him before I get dressed!” Maya undid the top buttons of her pyjamas and started to breastfeed David; she’d gotten so used to this in the last month, it was no trouble to her at all.

“I think Mia is a bit hungry too, but Mr Phil wouldn’t let me have her!” Pearl said, looking a little angry.

“Oh dear, he adores her a bit too much, I think,” said Robyn, “I’ll try and rescue the poor little thing!” She went off to go and find Phil.

Pearl sat down on Maya’s bed and began stroking David’s soft, fluff hair as he drank his milk. “Are you excited to become the master, Mystic Maya?”

“I guess so,” she replied, “It’s going to be so weird though, being in charge of a whole village!”

“Well, you’ll be great!” said Pearl, “There is no one who could make a better master than you!”

Not in your mother’s opinion, Maya thought to herself. But she kept her mouth closed so as not to upset Pearl, who still didn’t understand Morgan’s evil schemes.

After finishing her pancakes, Maya decided it was time to put on the sacred robe. Pearl helped her into it, then one of the other spirit mediums from the village came to do Maya’s hair, curling it into an intricately styled bun. She added a little makeup before smiling at the results and leaving to help the elders prepare.

“Look in the mirror, Mystic Maya!” Pearl said excited.

“Alright, alright…” Maya turned to stare in awe at her reflection. She looked like a truly different person; much older and wiser than usual. She really looked like the master of a village of spirit mediums. “Wow!”

“I know!” said Pearl, “You are so pretty!”

“We’d better start greeting the guests, they’ll be here soon,” Maya said, tearing her eyes away from the beautiful reflection that she could hardly believe was her.

Pearl picked up David, who had been lying on the bed. They walked out of Maya’s room, down the corridor, and into Fey Manor’s airy hallway. The training hall was sealed off; this was being prepared for the ceremony by the village elders.

“Hey, Nick!” said Maya.

He turned round, then suddenly his mouth dropped open. “Maya…? Is that you?”

“Yeah, of course it is, silly!”

“Wow! You look… just… wow…!”

She blushed a little; Phoenix couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

“You look wonderful, darling!” Robyn gushed, “Here, let me hold David, Pearl dear!”

Pearl handed over the baby to his grandmother. They noticed Phil in the corner, feeding Mia a bottle of warm milk. He seemed too distracted by the baby to even notice that Maya had entered the room.

Robyn cleared her throat loudly, and Phil finally looked round. He seemed surprised at Maya’s appearance.

“Oh, er, Maya!” he said, “You look…. Nice.” He briefly glanced at her outfit before quickly turning his attentions back to baby Mia.

“Nice…? Is that the best he could do?” said Phoenix, rolling his eyes, “Well I suppose it’s a pretty good compliment, coming from Dad.”

The conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Pearl hurried forwards to slide back the front door, letting in Gumshoe and Maggey.

“Hey, pal!” Gumshoe cried, “Oh, wow, you look like a real gypsy, Maya! Well done!”

“Er… I’m a spirit medium…” she corrected him.

“You look so great!” said Maggey. She rushed forwards for a hug, then hesitated. “Oops, better not ruin your hair!”

“Haha, probably not. It took quite a while to do!” said Maya.

“Hey, we’ve got some news!” said Gumshoe loudly, “Maggey’s-”

Maggey shushed him quickly. “Not now, Dick! This is Maya’s day! We’ll tell her the news tomorrow.”

“Aw, okay. But I was so excited! Our own baby-”

“Shhh!” she said, nudging his elbow, “Let’s not steal the limelight from Maya!”

“Um… let me guess, Maggey’s pregnant?” said Maya.

“Darn it! How did you figure that out, pal?” asked Gumshoe.

Maya just rolled her eyes at him. “Congratulations, Maggey! Hey, it could be friends with Mia and David!”

“Yay!” said Maggey, “Oh, I’m so excited! But I’m not getting my hopes up too much. After all, everything usually goes wrong for me…” She looked a little sad.

Maya patted her shoulder. “Hey, it’ll be fine! After all, you and Gumshoe got married, right? That was lucky! And both of you are doing fine! Maybe you’re starting to get lucky for once!”

“I sure hope so!”

There was a second ringing sound; Pearl rushed to answer the door once again. “Oh! Mister Laurice!” she said, “Hello!”

“Hey, Pearl, my lil cutie!” said Larry, “What’s up, guys?”

“Hi Larry!” said Maya, “Wow, it’s been a while since we last saw you!”

“Yeah, and I missed you loads, Maya babe!” he said, with a grin, “Wow, you look like a million dollars! Not that you’re not always cute, Maya!”

“What are you babbling about now, Larry?” Phoenix groaned.

“Hey, nice to see you too, dude!” Larry walked towards Phoenix and gave him a slightly painful pat on the back, “So, Maya’s looking fine today! Are you gonna take this chance or not, Nick? Cos if you don’t, I might have to!”

“I… don’t know what you’re talking about,” said Phoenix. His slight blush gave him away. Maya found herself meeting his eye and blushing too.

Larry coughed, breaking the silence. “So how’s my little Larina and Larry Junior?” he asked.

“You mean Mia and David?” said Phoenix.

“Whatever. But you know, Larry Jr would’ve been a rockin’ name!” Larry winked, giving everyone a thumbs up. Pearl looked confused.

“I don’t really understand what you’re talking about, Mister Laurice…”

“Don’t worry about it, Pearl,” Phoenix reassured her, “Larry just spouts a load of rubbish most of the time.”

She bit her thumbnail. “I still don’t get it… I don’t see any rubbish…”

“Never mind,” said Maya, “Hmm, when’s Edgeworth gonna get here? I did send him an invitation, right?”

As if to answer her question, the doorbell chimed again. “Ah, this should be him now!” said Phoenix, opening the sliding door. Edgeworth smiled, shook his hand, and walked in; but he wasn’t alone. Hobbling along behind him was Franziska von Karma, leaning heavily on a crutch with her one good arm; the other arm was in a sling.

Everyone stood in stunned silence as Edgeworth helped Franziska through the door.

Larry, insensitive as ever, broke the silence. “Hey, Franzy! Thanks for bailing me out of jail after I hit you with that bus! Er… you look great! I’m really diggin’ the ‘injured chick’ look!”

Franziska fixed him with a murderous glare. “I must warn you that after weeks of intensive practice, I am now an ambidextrous whipper. I may have broken my whipping arm, but I can whip you just as forcefully with my good arm!”

“I thought you were going to be nice?” Edgeworth whispered.

“Not to him, he hit me with a bus!” she hissed. Edgeworth chuckled.

Phoenix coughed. “So… er… hello, Franziska. Glad to see you’re out of hospital.”

“She got discharged yesterday,” said Edgeworth, “I’m sorry for bringing her without an invitation. Franziska has some things to say to you all.”

Gumshoe nudged Phoenix. “I bet you fifty cents they’re bad things, pal.”

“Fifty cents?” Phoenix replied in a whisper, “You’re obviously not very confident then.”

“Seriously, pal, that’s all the money I’ve got with me.”

Phoenix sighed, then nodded and they shook hands.

“If you fools would shut up, I would like to say a few words,” said Franziska. Everyone fell silent.

Franziska limped closer to Maya. “Maya Fey. I am sorry that I held a grudge against you for so long. I understand that you were in a difficult situation, which is why you panicked and made up rumours; you did not intend to be malicious to me. For that, I forgive you. I am also sorry for gossiping with Maggey about your pregnancy. That was very shallow and unkind of me. Thirdly, I apologise for when I tried to get you convicted of murder although you were clearly not the killer. I hope you can forgive me for my faults.”

Maya stared at her, wide eyed, for a little while. “Um…, Franziska. Yeah, I forgive you. But it’s ok about the murder trial thing, you were only doing your job.”

Franziska shook her head. “I was only doing it for selfish reasons, not for the greater good.”

“Um… alright…”

Next, Franziska moved on to Gumshoe. “Scruffy. I am sorry for whipping you and causing you numerous injuries when you often did not deserve such a violent punishment. I apologise for decreasing your pay when you were clearly already living in extreme poverty. I am also sorry for placing a tracking device on your person, and for any other misery or discomfort I caused you without good reason. And I am sorry for calling you scruffy.”

Gumshoe wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “Thanks pal. It means a lot to me!”

Franziska’s whipping hand twitched a little when he called her ‘pal’, but she managed to control herself.

“Now, Maggey Byrde. I am ever so sorry for taking out my anger on you and refusing to speak to your for a considerable period of time. You were a good friend to me, and I hope that one day we can call each other friends again.”

“Oh, Franziska! It’s ok, we’re still friends!” said Maggey. She leaned forwards to give Franziska a hug, then stopped when she remembered that hugging would probably cause Franziska a lot of pain.

Franziska smiled, letting her guard down for once. Maggey grinned back, before Franziska tuned to Phoenix.

“Phoenix Wright. I am sorry for using you to get revenge on Miles Edgeworth. That wasn’t fair of me. You are a good person and did not deserve that.”

“I’m sorry too,” he said, “It’s kind of my fault that you got hit by a bus, cos I distracted you when you were crossing the road…”

“Not at all. That was my own foolish fault, not yours,” said Franziska.

“Hey… so do I get an apology now?” Larry said, grinning.

“Certainly not! You hit me with a bus! You’re lucky I didn’t have you sued and locked up for life!” said Franziska.

“Oh… ok,” said Larry, “Well, um, thanks for not pressing charges or anything.”

“You are welcome,” Franziska said, attempting a smile.

Phil cleared his throat and spoke up for the first time. “If this little love fest is over, could someone make me a decent cup of tea?”

“Oh, I’ll do that!” Pearl said politely, “Right this way, sir!”

Phil handed Mia to Phoenix. “Take good care of her while I’m gone, son.”

Phoenix snorted. “She’s my daughter, not yours! Of course I’ll take good care of her!” Phil glared at him and followed Pearl to the kitchen.

“Well, shall we go into the training hall? The ceremony will start soon,” said Maya. They were all about to leave when the doorbell rang. Again.

“I’ll get that,” said Phoenix, “Oh! Prosecutor Godot!”

“Morning, Wright,” said the prosecutor, “You don’t mind my intrusion, do you? I heard that there was something going down at Fey Manor and thought I’d see for myself.”

“Yeah, I’m getting initiated as master of Kurain!” said Maya, “Hey, do you wanna stick around and watch, Mr Godot?”

“If that’s alright with you,” said Godot.

Phoenix suddenly remembered something. “Oh yeah, did you want to see the babies?” he asked, “This is Mia.”

He passed the baby girl over to Godot, who held her surprising tenderly. “She’s certainly as beautiful as her namesake,” he said approvingly.

“Well, come on! We need to get into the training hall!” said Maya. She led the way, her guests trailing behind her. They all gasped as they entered the hall; it had been completely transformed. The whole room was filled with Japanese decorations, oriental plants and lanterns, giving it a magical aura. A pathway lined with candles led to the channelling chamber, where the actual ceremony would take place.

“Wow! This place looks totally different,” said Phoenix, “Oh, hey Pearls!” He waved to Pearl and Phil, who had just returned from the kitchen. Phil eyed Godot suspiciously; he didn’t like it when strangers held his precious granddaughter.

“Oh, Mystic Maya, there you are!” said one of the elders, “The ceremony is almost ready to start. But firstly, there are some people who would like to speak with you.”

“Really? Who?” asked Maya.

“Right this way,” said the medium, “Your friend can stay here.” She beckoned for Maya to follow, and let her to one of Fey Manor’s smaller training rooms. Inside, two women were sat on a low couch. The elder smiled and ushered Maya inside. “I’ll give you three some time to talk,” she said, leaving and gently closing the door behind her.

Maya grinned, rushing forwards to the two women; her mother and her sister. Of course, it wasn’t really them, but all the same their spirits were there.

“Maya!” said Misty, “Come and sit with us.”

“Mother!” Maya cried. She leapt forwards into her mothers arms.

Misty laughed. “There, now, don’t mess up your robes!” Maya’s mother smoothed down the crumples in the silk.

“You look amazing, Maya!” Mia complimented her, “Are you excited?”

“Yeah, I think so… I’m a bit nervous as well, though.”

“That’s understandable,” said Misty comfortingly, “I was so frightened before my own initiation ceremony, I was shaking so much I could hardly read the Spirit Oath!”

“But I’m sure you’ll do just fine, Maya,” said Mia, “You’re strong. You’ll be a great master.”

“You think so?” asked Maya, biting her lip, “I feel like I’m too young for this!”

“You’ve had two children,” said Misty, “This will be a breeze compared to that. And you’ll be a wonderful master… after all, it’s your destiny!”

Maya looked at Mia. “I feel a bit bad, though, sis. This should have been you! You’re the eldest, after all!”

Mia laughed and shook her head. “Oh, don’t go worrying about me, Maya. I willingly gave up the chance to be master when I left to become a lawyer. This role always belonged to you.” She reached out her arms and gave her sister a hug. “It’s nearly time, ok? We’ll have to go soon.”

“Alright. I think I’m ready.”

Misty smiled proudly at her daughter. “Good luck, Maya,” she said, “Remember that whatever happens, I am always very proud of you.”

“Thanks, Mother,” Maya said, trying to swallow the lump in her throat and stop herself from crying.

“Yeah, good luck sis, although you won’t really need it,” said Mia, “And you’d better channel me soon, ok? I miss the twins already!”

Misty tutted at her. “You really shouldn’t get into the habit of channelling your dead relatives. It’s abusing the power of the Kurain technique!”

“But Maya will be the master,” said Mia, “So she can channel whoever she wants… particularly her lovely big sis who really wants to see her cute little niece and nephew!”

Their mother sighed. “Yes, I suppose she can…”

Maya heard her name being called from the training hall. “I’d better get going!” she said, “The elders are calling me!”

Misty and Mia hugged her one last time.

“Bye, Mother! Bye, sis!” Maya waved as she left the room and hurried back to the hall.


“Mmm, this is some delicious soup, pal!” said Gumshoe, slurping down his fifth bowl of Kurain’s Secret recipe Soup.

“I wouldn’t touch the strawberry dessert, though,” said Maya, “My Aunt Morgan sent it over from jail, so it’s probably poisoned or something…”

“Yummy, strawberry dessert!” they heard Larry saying, walking past with a plateful of pink goo.

“Larry, no….!” Maya cried, trying and failing to stop him from shoving a large spoonful into his mouth. He swallowed, looking puzzled.

“What? Is there something wrong with this dessert? It tastes great! A bit sickly though…”

“Um… no, I’m sure it’s fine…” said Maya, a bit doubtfully. She decided to go and remove the dessert from the buffet table in case it really was poisoned and somebody else ate it.

She picked up the jaw-droppingly large tray of mushy pudding and headed for the incinerator, smiling as she passed all of her friends. The ceremony had been a success; in the end, reciting the spirit oath and vowing to devote her life to Kurain had been surprisingly easy, just as her mother had said.

Maya looked down at the red and yellow talisman around her neck, the one she’d be wearing for the rest of her life, until little Mia hopefully inherited it. She’d already swapped the photo inside for one of Nick, Pearly and the twins; after all, the talisman was supposed to contain the things most precious to you, and those four people were Maya’s priorities right now. The previous photo was in a frame in Maya’s room. Those memories of herself and Mia as kids were precious, of course… but now it was time to move on.

Maya stepped out into the cool air of the garden, heading for the old incinerator. It brought back memories of Nick; apparently there’d been some important clue in there once, although she’d been in prison at the time, so she didn’t know much about it. She emptied the tray of dessert inside, on top of all the other old rubbish in there. Good riddance, since Morgan had probably concealed something nasty in there. Hopefully Larry would be alright…

“Hey, Maya! What are you doing?” It was Nick, walking towards her across the quaint Japanese-style garden.

“Oh, just getting rid of some bad food,” she said, “What are you doing out here?”

“I wondered where you’d got to,” he said, “I haven’t really congratulated you yet, Maya. You did great!”

“Thanks!”

“And you look really nice today too.”

“Um… thanks, Nick!”

He stood around awkwardly, as if he had something else to say.

“Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“Er… is there something else you wanted?” she asked curiously. Phoenix looked nervous, shifting from one foot to the other.

“Yeah, kind of…” he looked at her weirdly, “Actually…” Phoenix stepped forwards and put his hands on Maya’s face. He bent his head down and their lips met. At first Maya was a bit taken by surprise, but kissing Nick felt good, and she kissed him back. After a couple of minutes they broke apart, breathless. Phoenix’s hands were still warm around her waist.

“Shall we go back inside?” Maya suggested, “It’s my party, after all. Everyone will wonder where I’ve got to.”

“Yeah, of course,” said Phoenix, “After all, we’ve got plenty of time for kissing… and stuff…”

She grinned at him, and he took her hand. Together, they walked back in to Fey Manor.


It was way past midnight, but the party was nowhere near over. After all, as Gumshoe had said, “You only become a master-spirit-thingamajig once, pal! Might as well celebrate in style!”

The elders had long since gone to bed in disapproval, but the younger mediums were enjoying themselves as Maya and her friends showed them how to have a good time. The poor girls didn’t usually get much fun at Kurain, but now that Maya was master, things were sure to change for the better.

“Larry! Back from the toilet, I see?” Phoenix laughed as Larry walked into the hall, clutching his stomach.

“Yeah, but I think I’ll have to dash back there soon… ugh…” Larry stumbled over to a chair and sat down. The poor guy was the only one not enjoying the evening; it seemed that Morgan had put laxatives into the pudding. Nothing deadly, but still pretty unpleasant for the poor idiot who’d eaten it.

“Hey Nick! Come and dance with me again!” said Maya, grabbing Phoenix’s arm.

“Alright! But are you sure we shouldn’t turn the music down? Those poor grannies in the village won’t be able to sleep!”

“Screw the grannies, this is my village now!” Maya laughed.

“Oh dear… looks like Kurain is doomed!” Phoenix joked.

Maya punched his arm. “Hey, Kurain is lucky to have me in charge! I’m just what this boring place needs!”

Phoenix laughed and put his arms around her, planting a kiss on her forehead. He noticed Pearl watching them joyfully; she gave him a big thumbs-up when she saw him looking.

He grinned back at her and kissed Maya on the lips; might as well make Pearl happy.

The two of them were dancing together when someone turned down the music.

“Hey! Turn that back up, pal!” yelled Gumshoe, “Me and Maggey are trying to dance here!”

Edgeworth got up on to the raised platform at the end of the room and cleared his throat. “Actually, I’d like to say something, if I could have everybody silent.”

Everyone was quiet after a couple of seconds, all eyes on Edgeworth. Franziska narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, unsure of what he was planning to say.

“Well, as you all know, there’s a young woman in this room who is very special to me,” he began, “Franziska von Karma, I love you!”

Phoenix face-palmed. “Oh no, I think Edgeworth’s had a bit too much to drink! I knew we shouldn’t have let Larry bring that cheap beer!”

“Anyway,” Edgeworth continued, “I’d like to ask her something! Franziska von Karma… will you do me the honour of being my bride?”

Franziska was outraged. “Miles! You’re embarrassing yourself. You’re drunk!”

He shook his head. “I’ve only had half a can of beer. I’m not drunk on alcohol, Franny. But perhaps I am drunk on love!”

Maya raised her eyebrows. “Wow, Edgeworth must really love her! He’s behaving so… un-Edgeworth-like!”

“So, what do you say, Franny? Will you give me your hand in marriage?”

She glared at him, her face pink with anger. Eventually her eyes softened. “Oh all right, you big fool.”

Edgeworth smiled triumphantly, jumping down from the stage and kissing Franziska passionately on the lips. She shoved him away, but she was still smiling.

“You could’ve just proposed in private, Miles,” she said disapprovingly.

“Why do it in private when I want the whole world to know that I’m in love with you?”

She rolled her eyes. “You are such a fool, Miles. Now kiss me again!”

Over in the corner, Maya was now sat with Phoenix, the babies sleeping on their laps. “Oh look, Edgeworth and Franziska are making out. I think she’s forgiven him for embarrassing her!”

“Good for them!” said Phoenix, “I’m sure we’ll be invited to the wedding… hopefully no collapsing tapestries this time, though.”

Robyn walked over and sat with them. “Hello, you two! Oh, don’t you look like a sweet couple!” she said, gazing at the little family, “Well, that proposal was nice, wasn’t it? Got me thinking about weddings. Maybe there will be more wedding bells sometime soon… after all, Judy said she’d bake the cake for free, and I saw this lovely hat while I was out shopping other day which would be splendid for a formal occasion, and I’ve found a perfect skirt to match it…” She glanced hopefully at Maya and Phoenix.

“Mum! You’re embarrassing me!” Phoenix complained.

“Alright, alright, sorry! But I can always wish, can’t I…?” She patted them both on the head and left them in peace.

Phoenix glanced at Maya; she was looking at him weirdly. “What?” he asked, “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Well…” she said, “The master kind of DOES need a husband…”

“No way!” said Phoenix.

She looked offended.

“Hey, look, it’s not that I wouldn’t want to marry you! It’s just that I’m pretty broke right now, what with the twins and all. I just can’t afford a wedding!”

“Oh, alright…” she said, a sad look on her face, “You could always take out a loan, but I guess I don’t mean that much to you…”

Suddenly, Pearl popped up next to them. “A loan for what? A wedding?” she said excitedly, “Yay! I can’t wait for your wedding, Mystic Maya! Can I be the bridesmaid?”

“Sure you can, Pearly!” said Maya, perking up a bit, “And Maggey too!”

“Yippee! Bridesmaid!” said Maggey, who seemed to have been eavesdropping, “I’ll try not to trip or break any tapestries or anything!”

“I’ll keep an eye on you, pal!” said Gumshoe, “Make sure you don’t mess up Maya’s big day!”

“Thanks, Gumshoe!” said Maya, “I’m sure it’ll all run smoothly, once Nick raises the money for it!”

The whole room seemed to be listening now. “Wonderful, wonderful!” said Robyn, “We could donate a little money, of course, but as a lawyer, I’m sure Phoenix should be able to cover most of the costs! Isn’t that right, dear?”

“And I’ll be your best man, right?” said Larry eagerly, “Urp! Gotta dash to the loo again!”

Phil looked pleased. “Ah, you two are finally going to be married? About time, too! Now, I’ll start adding up the costs…” He pulled a calculator out of his bag. “Let’s see… well, there’s the suits, the wedding dress, bridesmaid’s dresses, catering, the venue, paying the registrar, the florist…”

“So what do you say, Nick…?” Maya asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“I’ve only got one thing to say to that…” Phoenix said, taking a deep breath, “OBJECTION!”