Author's Notes:
A few things I should say before I start:
This is my first time writing a fan-fic (I know, I'm such a newb ) It's also been a while since I've written something, so I might be a little rusty...
I tried to keep Klavier and Ema in character as much as I could but since I put them in a rather (overly?)dramatic situation, I don't know if I succeeded...
It's a lot of fluff, and I'm sorry if it seems a bit rushed, but I lose my momentum when I start dragging my writing
I know Fraulein basically means "Miss", but I thought it sounded more like an endearing term
I'm sorry if the chapter cuts are weird, but I wrote the whole thing as one big block, and chopped the chapters after (so my "cliffhanger" moments might suck )

So please comment, critisize and review! And if there are any mistakes, please help point them out to me!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



“ I am now ready to hand down a verdict. The court finds the defendant, Narcissus Cyndrum… NOT GUILTY.”
The pounding of the gavel was still ringing in Klavier’s ears when he left the courtroom. His fist clenched. The defendant had clearly been guilty of murdering her husband, but her loophole-finding defense attorney had managed to worm her out of a sentence.
Klavier slammed the side of his fist against the door of the courtroom angrily. He was furious at himself for letting a criminal go free, and on top of that, he knew he had let down Ema.
He knew that Ema had spent days scraping together evidence, barely sleeping. She had desperately wanted a guilty verdict- the defendant had previously caused one of Ema’s friends to go into a coma, but had never been proven guilty for it. This had been the perfect opportunity to send Narcissus Cyndrum to jail, and Klavier had just let that opportunity slip out of his fingers.

Just then, Ema came around the corner. Seeing Klavier, she gave him a small smile.
“Hey…um…thanks. I know you tried your best out there.”
“Fraulein…I’m really sorry. I know how important that guilty verdict was to you.” Klavier’s fist clenched again in frustration, unable to look at her.
Seeing him like this upset Ema. This was the first time she had seen him this distressed. Where was the confident, teasing, cocky rockstar Klavier Gavin?

Ema put a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, Klavier. Don’t worry about it. She’s bound to commit another crime sometime soon. We’ll catch her then,” she said softly.
He looked up. “Fraulein…you don’t need to comfort me. I know I messed up. But I promise you, I will get her next time,” the volume returning to his voice.
“There’s the Prosecutor Gavin I know.”
He smiled at her. “We should get going. Do you need a lift?”
“Um…on your motorbike?” Ema asked nervously.
“You’re not afraid, are you?” he teased playfully, hoping to alleviate the depressed mood. “ As long as you hold on tight, you’ll be safe.”
Ema was a little miffed. “I’m not afraid!” she said indignantly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:
There's the first chapter...I'm sorry if it was a bit of a disappointment...
But please REVIEW!!! I will love you forever !!

Author's Notes:

In case anyone was wondering, Narcissus Cyndrum was supposed to be a pun on Narcissist Syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malignant_narcissism) It's kind of silly, I know...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Ten minutes later, Ema found herself on the back of Klavier’s motorbike, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, holding on for dear life.
He turned his head sideways to yell at her over the roar of the engine. “This is fun, ja, Fraulein?”
Ema’s only response was to frantically yell back, “Don’t turn around! Eyes on the road!”
He gave an amused chuckle before looking back ahead.

Despite being scared silly of falling off or crashing, Ema felt safe nestled against Klavier. They arrived at the corner of her street too soon.
“Just let me off here, I can walk the rest of the way. My sister doesn’t trust motorcycles,” she explained.
Klavier laughed. “Alright Fraulein, but let me walk with you. Your street doesn’t look very safe so late at night- especially for a pretty girl like you.”
Ema felt herself blush.

Across from Ema’s apartment was a large district of tall buildings. Between several were dark alleys.
They had nearly reached the entrance to her building when a loud crash echoed from across the street.
“Tell me where the knife is!”
“What knife?”
“Don’t play dumb,” the voice snarled. “The knife I killed him with.”
“Fine! I’ll tell you! Just don’t shoot me!”
“You’d better not lie…or you’ll regret it.”

“That voice sounds familiar,” Ema whispered suddenly. Klavier realized it at the same time she did. They looked at each other. “Narcissus!”
Ema turned quickly and started sprinting towards the voices.
Klavier grabbed her arm. “What are you doing?” he hissed.
“I don’t know,” she hissed back. “But Narcissus has got to be doing something illegal now. I’ll catch her.” Ema tried to pull her arm out of Klavier’s grasp. He wouldn’t let go.
“Ema! Listen to me. You’re a detective, not the police! It’s not safe for you to go after her!”
Ema looked at him. “Please, Klavier,” she begged. “She sent my best friend into a coma! I can’t let her get away!”
Klavier couldn’t win against Ema’s pleading expression. “Fine, but I’m coming with you.”

The two of them headed quickly towards the alley. Edging along against the wall so that they wouldn’t be seen, they heard the last bit of the conversation.
“I told you where it is. Can you let me go now?” a voice asked shakily.
“Sure,” the other voice responded coolly. “Just let me send you on your way with a little present.”
A gunshot shattered the silence.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:
I should also add...I couldn't fit the Snackoos in anywhere... Sorry!

Ema’s eyes grew wide and Klavier clapped a hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming, but it was too late. A frightened sound escaped Ema’s mouth.
“Who’s there?” the voice asked suddenly.
Ema stood there, frozen in shock, but Klavier came to his senses, grabbing her hand and running.

They could hear footsteps behind them as they attempted to navigate through the maze of empty roads within the huge district of buildings.
The footsteps were growing farther away when they turned into a dead end. Klavier quickly pulled Ema to the wall blocked from sight but a large dumpster and crouched down.
Pressing her against the wall, he wrapped his arms protectively around her so that she was completely shielded by his body and the wall.
“Don’t worry. Everything will be fine,” he whispered soothingly, gently rocking her back and forth.

A few minutes passed before they heard footsteps coming closer again.
Klavier felt Ema tense in his arms.
“I’ll go out and distract her. Wait until she’s turned around and then run,” he whispered, beginning to stand up.
“Klavier! No!” she whispered urgently, pulling him back down.
He bent towards her and cupped her cheek with his hand.
“Fraulein, you don’t need to be frightened. I’ll make sure she doesn’t come near you.”
“I’m not worried about me. But what if something happens to you?” Ema asked anxiously.
Despite the circumstances, Klavier’s face relaxed into a smile. He pulled her closer to him and gently kissed her.
“For a smart detective, you can be such a silly girl sometimes.” He smiled and left before she could stop him.

No! Ema thought. She could already hear his footsteps moving farther and farther away and Narcissus’ following.
Think, Ema, think! She told herself. She quickly pulled out her cell phone, calling the police but not bothering to say anything. They would be able to trace the call.
Ema hurried after the retreating footsteps. She was struggling to come up with a plan when she heard the voices.

“You can’t go anywhere. It’s a dead end. Where’s the person who was with you?” the cold voice demanded.
“What person?” Klavier asked calmly.
“You know what I’m talking about,” Narcissus snarled.
No! Narcissus has a gun! Ema suddenly realized. Why is Klavier baiting her?!
Without thinking, Ema moved into view.
“You won’t get away this time, Narcissus.”
Klavier was reeling.
Why didn’t she get away? How could you be so stupid as to leave her alone? Did you really think she would have listened to you?

“Ema! My dear old classmate! What a pleasant surprise!” Narcissus had now turned around and trained her gun on Ema.
“We have all the evidence if your crimes now,” Ema responded coldly.
Narcissus laughed. “And are you going to stick me in jail with them? Because it looked like you failed pretty miserably today.”
Suddenly, the three of them heard sirens wailing. Narcissus turned at the sudden noise and Ema took this momentary distraction to throw her bottle of luminol testing fluid at Narcissus, hoping to knock her down somehow.

The moment the bottle hit Narcissus, she fired on reflex. When she realized what she had done, she turned and ran, only to be surrounded by several members of the police force who arrested her.

Ema had slumped to the ground. Klavier hurried over to her, only to find a bullet lodged in her shoulder.
“Fraulein…say something. You’re scaring me,” he said, kneeling beside her and brushing a few strands of hair away from her eyes. “How much is it hurting?” he asked bleakly, agonized to see Ema in pain like this.
“It’s not that bad,” she whimpered, her eyes squeezed shut from the pain.
Klavier cradled her in his arms and gently stroked her cheek.
“Why would you be so silly?” he asked, trying to distract her until the paramedics came.
“I couldn’t just let her go after you like that. She had a gun!”
He kissed the top of her head.
“Promise me, Fraulein, that you’ll never do something like that again.”
“That’ll depend on the situation,” she mumbled, her words starting to slur.
Luckily the paramedics had arrived.
“She’s losing consciousness,” one of them said.
Klavier whispered in her ear. “Sleep well, Fraulein, and dream sweet dreams. I’ll be waiting for you to awake.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:

I know...it's kind of rushed
But I suppose that if you get thrown into a life and death (sort of) situation like that, it pressures you to act faster.
I think....

Ema spent days in the hospital after her surgery to remove the bullet. She had been burning a high fever for days, drifting in and out of consciousness. The doctors were worried that if her fever didn’t break soon, she would suffer brain damage. Klavier spent every day and night beside her bed, unwilling to leave without seeing her wake up.

Ema was actually close to waking up, but her dreams were turmoiled and two voices constantly argued back and forth in her head before she could break through the haze and wake up.
He likes you.
Yeah, right. As if that’s even possible.
Then why’d he kiss you?
Because he’s a flirt! I bet he does that to every other girl he meets.
But he was so protective…he seemed genuinely anxious.
He probably just felt guilty for not getting a guilty verdict for Narcissus after you worked so hard.
That’s going a bit far, isn’t it?
Ema Skye! Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for that glimmerous fop!
Well…he’s kind of sweet…and he really is quite good-looking…
Ha! Are you going to be another one of those girls who swoon over him? Do you really think you would have a chance? There’s a huge line up of girls for him.
The other voice was silent, unable to find a comeback against this argument.

Klavier was still loyally sitting by Ema’s bedside. He stroked her hair.
“Fraulein,” he whispered. “Please wake up soon. I know you’re there.”
Klavier felt torn. A new trial for Narcissus was scheduled for tomorrow and he desperately wanted to get that guilty verdict for Ema. But he couldn’t bear to leave her side before she had awoken.

*******

That night, Ema’s fever finally stopped. She felt a searing pain in her shoulder and her head was throbbing. She slowly opened her eyes, only to see an unfamiliar ceiling.
Where am I?
That was when she noticed someone in a chair beside her bed with his head in his arms, resting on the edge of her mattress. She recognized the twist of blond hair on the side of his head and the flashy rings.

“Klavier?” she whispered, her throat hoarse from the lack of use.
“Hmm?” his head twisted lazily to the side and he opened one sleepy eye. He sat up instantly when he saw Ema awake, grabbing her hand instinctively.
“Fraulein! Are you really awake this time?”
Ema frowned slightly. “How many times was I partly awake?”
Klavier only shrugged. “You mumbled and tossed around a lot in your sleep.”
“Not to sound rude, but how come you’re here? And what happened?” Ema was still extremely bewildered to find Klavier beside her bed.
He pressed a button on her bed to let her sit up.

“Well…Narcissus shot your shoulder and you were already unconscious when they performed the surgery to remove the bullet. You’ve been out for three days with a raging fever.” He placed his hand against her forehead and gave a relieved sigh.
“But luckily, I think it stopped.” There was a brief silence as Klavier pulled his hand away.
“Oh, Fraulein, I wanted to ask you something. It’s about Narcissus’ trial tomorrow.”
“Do you need me to be a witness?” Ema was relieved that there would be a trial.
“Nein, Fraulein. Nothing stressful like that. I just wasn’t sure if you would want me to stay here with you instead of prosecuting tomorrow.”

Ema clapped a hand to her cheek. “Oh, Klavier. You don’t have to do that for me! How long have you been here, anyways?”
Klavier smiled. “As long as you’ve been here. But if you want me prosecuting tomorrow, you be a good girl and stay in bed, ja?”
He leaned closer and his eyes grew determined. “And I will do everything I possibly can to get here convicted.” He kissed Ema on the cheek.
“I should go prepare for tomorrow. I’ll come visit you soon, Fraulein.”
Ema nodded numbly as he slipped quietly out of the room. The arguing voices in her head started again.
I told you he likes you.
Enjoy it while it lasts. He’s doing this because he feels bad.

Ema woke up the next morning anticipating Klavier’s promised visit.
By late afternoon she was starting to feel a little peeved.
Why’s he still not here?
He said soon. That doesn’t necessarily mean today.
Slightly irritated, Ema decided to go for a walk in the hospital’s mini park. She had just thrown off her covers when a voice demanded, “Fraulein! What do you think you’re doing?” Klavier strode into the room.

Flushed and pleased at his arrival, she protested, “I just wanted to get some fresh air!”
“Ah…you wanted to go outside? I can take you.” Before Ema could respond, Klavier had scooped her up sideways and began walking out of the room.
“Ack! Put me down! There’s nothing wrong with my legs!”
“Silly Fraulein! I can’t let you walk when you’re recovering from a surgery.”
Ema had no choice but to cling onto his neck in order not to throw them both off balance.

“I have some good news for you,” he began conversationally.
She looked at him quizzically.
“Narcissus Cyndrum is now sitting in jail awaiting trial from a higher court.”
Ema had completely forgotten about the trial at Klavier’s arrival.
“Really?”
He grinned and nodded.
She hugged him closer. “Thank you so much!”
“It was nothing, Fraulein.” His voice hardened. “If I had gotten that guilty verdict earlier, none of this would have happened to you.”
Ema pulled away so that she could see his face.
“Klavier…none of this is your fault! I’m fine now, anyways!”
See…didn’t I say so? He feels guilty. That’s why he’s doing all this.

They had finally arrived at the hospital park.
Klavier set her down gently on a bench and sat down beside her, leaving an arm around her shoulders to keep her warm.
“Your sister is a very nice lady,” he commented suddenly.
“You met Lana?”
“She was extremely worried, but I promised to take care of you. She apologizes for being unable to take some time off work to visit.”
Tell him he doesn’t have to do all this because he didn’t get that verdict! Otherwise Lana will start asking things, and it’ll only be embarrassing for you both in the end.
I know I ought to…but I don’t think I could stand hearing him tell me he doesn’t like me. That would hurt a lot. It’s so much easier to just pretend.
Ema Skye! You are a scientific investigator! You know you can’t alter the truth.

They stayed outside until the stars came out. Ema still could not work up the nerve to tell Klavier.
Reluctantly, Ema said, “You should go home now. It’s getting late. I’ll be fine alone.”
Klavier drew her closer to him. “I wouldn’t feel safe leaving you here all alone.”
“I don’t want you to sleep in a chair!”
“Did you want to share the bed?”
“No!” Ema blushed furiously.
“I was only joking, Fraulein,” Klavier laughed. “I’ll be okay for one more night. The doctor says that you can be discharged tomorrow.”
With that, he scooped her up in his arms again.

When they arrived back to her room, Klavier touched Ema’s wounded shoulder gently, after he had set her on the bed.
“Does it hurt much? I can call a nurse to get you some painkillers,” he offered.
Ema shook her head. “It’s not that bad.”
Klavier grimaced slightly. “That’s what you said last time and you ended up falling unconscious for three days,” he said, pulling the covers over her and sitting down on the edge of her bed. Gently stroking her hair, he began to sing her a lullaby, slowly coaxing her to sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:
I know...that was kind of corny >.<
Only one more chapter after this, so I really want reviews!!! (Pretty please?)

When Ema woke up the next morning, Klavier was already moving around, packing her things. Lana still could not get away from work, therefore trusting Klavier to bring Ema home, without realizing he rode a motorcycle.
Luckily, Klavier relented to letting Ema walk, as long as he kept an arm around her waist for balance, so Ema was spared the embarrassment of being carried out of the hospital.

When they arrived at Ema’s empty apartment, he demanded that she sit down and headed to the kitchen to find her something to eat.
Ema sat on the couch, mindlessly playing with her pink sunglasses. As much as it felt nice to be pampered by Klavier like this, she knew it wouldn’t last.
The longer you lie to yourself now, the more it’ll hurt in the end. Just tell him!

Klavier returned several minutes later. “There’s no food in you kitch-“ he stopped short when he saw Ema’s disheartened expression.
“Fraulein, what’s wrong?” he asked, sitting down beside her.
Ema blinked back the prickling moisture in her eyes and forced herself to talk.
“Klavier…you really don’t need to do all this. Honestly, none of what happened was your fault and you don’t have to act like you like me because you feel guilty,” Ema managed to choke out.

There was a short silence before Klavier lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. The expression in his eyes was unreadable.
“You think…I’m pretending?”
Ema averted her eyes and shrugged slightly.
“Fraulein…you have no idea how long I’ve had my eyes on you. But you were so unlike other girls; you never seemed to show any interest in me and I didn’t think you would ever feel the same way. So I tried to treat you the way I would treat any girl I knew.” He paused for a moment, trying to read her expression.
“And then, that night when you were shot, I realized how much you meant to me. During those three days that you were unconscious, I vowed that I would treasure every moment with you from then on. I was afraid to leave your bedside. I was scared that if I left you for a moment, something would happen and I would lose you forever.” He touched her face gently.
“I took your presence in my life for granted. Never again will I make that mistake.”

Klavier’s words caused Ema to look back into his eyes.
“Ema…don’t you understand?
…I love you,” his last three words were whispered, his blue eyes pleading, begging her to believe what he was saying.
Ema’s eyes suddenly watered and her expression became one of a vulnerable child’s.
“Do you really mean it?” she asked, her bottom lip trembling.

A relieved smile broke across his face as he pulled her tightly against his chest. He whispered in her ear, “You’re the only one I will ever love, my dearest Fraulein.”

*********
That night, the two of them sat under the stars with her settled contentedly in his lap as he strummed his guitar. As the notes played on and he rocked her gently back and forth, he sang to her, low and sweet.

Sugar, Sugar…
O that night, in your embrace
When you stole the keys
My heart held on to so tight…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
End Notes:
I hope you guys liked the ending!!!

I know it sounds a bit awkward since I only took four lines of the song (it sounds too short) but the rest of the lyrics don't really work with it

To all those who have reviewed: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!
As I said before, this was my first time writing a fanfiction, and you don't know how glad I was to have your support
So thanks!!

Author's Notes:
I guess I never really appreciated Diego before I wrote this story. But after taking it from his perspective, it's a lot easier to understand what he went through.
I apologize if he's out of character, but the hardest part about writing this story was the fact that we only ever see him as the confident, in-control guy. But here, he's thrown into a situation of vulnerability (is that a word?) and brokeness.
I hope I captured the element of despair and bitterness I wanted...

Anyways, enough of my ramblings. Here's chapter one. Please review!!!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



“Ah…thank you, Kitten.” Diego took the cup that Mia handed to him.
“I don’t see how you can drink so much coffee…just what is it that’s so great about it?”
He took a sip. “Lots of sugar and cream- just the way I like it.” He put an arm around Mia’s shoulders and answered her question. “It kind of reminds me of you, Kitten. Sweet, rich and good ‘til the last drop.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “You should start heading to the cafeteria. This could be your only shot at getting some information from Dahlia Hawthorne,” she said grimly.
“Don’t worry about it, Kitten. We know she’s a liar, so once we eliminate the impossible…whatever remains must be the truth, no matter how improbable it may seem.”
Mia eyed him skeptically. “Aren’t you being a little too relaxed about this? After all, she was the one who walked away from Terry Fawles’ suicide smirking and “innocent.” You’re about to go talk with this sly demoness and you’re smiling?”
“A lawyer is someone who smiles no matter how bad it gets. It would do good for you to remember that, Kitten.”
With that, he kissed her on the cheek and got up in one swift movement.
“I’ll pick you up for dinner at 7 tonight, then.”
“Where are we going?”
“It’s a surprise, Kitten. You’ll see.”
At the doorway of the office, he turned around. “Let’s see that lawyer of smile of yours again, Kitten.”
“Why?”
He gave her a flashy grin. “It makes me miss you less when you’re not with me.”
She rolled her eyes and humored him.
Later on, she would be glad that she did.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:
I know...the chapters are kind of short. I might post more than one at a time, though
I will love you if you review!!

Diego pushed through the crowds of the courtroom cafeteria, finally spotting Dahlia’s umbrella.
“Ms. Hawthorne.” Diego sat down across the table from her, placing his coffee mug and files in front of him.
“Mr. Armando! How nice it is to see you again,” she tilted her head to the side and smiled sweetly at him. “I don’t suppose you called me here for a cup of coffee.”
“To meet with such a pretty lady like you, Ms. Hawthorne, I do wish that this could have been a social visit.”
“I should have guessed that the police would show some interest in me. I would assume that you want to know something about my stepsister and my deceased boyfriend,” she was still smiling, but her eyes were now giving off a dangerous glint.
Diego chuckled. “Clever and beautiful, aren’t you, Ms. Hawthorne? A wonderful combination for a lady, but only when the intentions are righteous. And if coupled with honesty, even better.”
“What are you insinuating, Mr. Armando?” she looked at him innocently. “Are you suggesting that I am a liar?”
“No matter the man, we all wear masks…either on our faces or over our hearts.”
They locked eyes for a moment before Diego glanced away to look at her necklace.
“That pendant of yours is quite charming. Yet somehow, I think I’ve seen it before,” he said, his smile growing dangerous.
Dahlia realized his recognition of her necklace. “They’re quite popular these days. A lot of girls like to keep their favourite perfume inside,” she counteracted lightly.
She’s good, Diego thought. Caught in her own mistake and she’s still smiling like she won the lottery. It’s going to take a while to crack her.
“Do you think I could have a closer look? Maybe I’ll get one for my girlfriend,” he smiled, his tone light, but his gaze piercing.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Armando. But the clasp is quite difficult.” Her tone sounded sincere enough, but her eyes were glaring dangerously at the man she was battling wits with.

Sensing that they were at an impasse, Diego took a drink from his mug and flipped open the cover of his file.
“In that case, Ms. Hawthorne, would you mind telling me again how you met Mr. Terry Fawles?”
Suddenly, a passerby bumped into Dahlia, causing her umbrella to swipe across the table and knock the case file to the floor, sending the papers flying.
The passerby apologized and began helping Diego pick up the papers.
“Where were we?” Diego asked when he had finally managed to collect all the loose sheets.
“I believe we were talking about Terry,” she replied calmly.
“Ah, yes.” Diego took another drink of his coffee. “So how did you first meet Terry Faw-” he broke off into a violent fit of coughing and when he took his hand away, it was covered in blood.
His body tensed when he realized what had just happened.
“You poisoned my coffee!” he spluttered, pointing an accusing finger at her.
“Mr. Armando! What just happened?” she asked dramatically, for the sake of anyone within earshot.
He collapsed on the table.
“I will get my revenge,” he snarled.
She leaned closer so only he could hear. “So tell me, Mr. Armando, how does a dead man get his revenge?”
Dahlia laughed at the sight of Diego Armando dying and left the courtroom cafeteria.
As his eyes closed, Diego Armando whispered those five words again.
“I will get…my revenge…”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:
I hope Dahlia wasn't OOC either...
In case you're wondering, yes, I actually did quote Diego from the actual game several times. (I had to, I love his quotes)

Author's Notes:
Okies.
Here's chapter 3
I'm sorry if Diego's really out of character

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



~~~~~~~ 5 Years Later ~~~~~~~

Dr. Lavernne stumbled into the hospital, fifteen minutes late as usual. She knew it didn’t really matter- the patient she checked on first every morning had been in a comatose state for five years.
She began running the usual tests, sipping a cup of coffee. Doctors were not allowed to consume food or drinks in a patient’s room, but with hers in a coma, who would really know?

She had set down her cup of coffee and was checking the patient’s heart rate when his eyes flew open.
“Coffee,” he stated, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Dr. Lavernne jumped and nearly knocked down her cup of coffee in shock.
“Sir! You’re awake! Do you remember what your name is?” she had recovered slightly from her surprise and was running the required tests.
“Mia!” the man suddenly shouted.
The doctor was quite flustered. “No, sir. Uh…that’s not your name,” she stammered.

“I know who I am,” Diego replied quietly. “But tell me, doctor, what happened to me?”
“I hope you can stay calm,” Dr. Lavernne said uncertainly. “You were poisoned and fell into a coma on August 27th…five years ago.”
Diego took this fact surprisingly calmly. “Doctor…what do I look like? Am I completely unrecognizable after five years of sleeping?”
She bit her lip. “It’s nothing too awful…but your hair turned white.”
“Oh…I wonder what Mia will think about that,” he muttered to himself.

“I should go report this to administration. I’ll come back to check on you soon,” Dr. Lavernne started heading out of the room.
“Doctor, one more question… Why can’t I see?”
“You…can’t see?” her voice sounded strained.
“I can see that it’s brighter when I open my eyes and I can make out a few silhouettes of darker objects, but otherwise, I can’t really see anything else.”
There was a pause.
“This is only temporary, right, doctor?”
Flustered, she stammered the only response she could muster. “I…I think so.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:
I should also explain the lack of description. I think that while I was writing this, I was subconsciously taking it from Diego's perspective, and seeing that he's practiacally blind, I only put in details that I thought he would pick up on

Diego’s next few days in the hospital were busy with various doctors running one test after another on him. He attempted to argue against them, desperately wanting to leave the confines of the hospital, but they assured him that the faster they ran the tests, the earlier he would be able to leave the hospital. Only when it was late at night and the lights were off and the hospital quiet did Diego finally have some time alone.

He seldom slept, spending most of his nights sitting on his bed with his eyes closed, his thoughts often drifting to Mia. Though there was little difference between having his eyes opened or closed, Diego always found it easier to picture Mia with them closed. He longed to see her again, yet at the same time, he was afraid of the changes she might have undergone in the past five years.

There’s a very high chance that she has another boyfriend…maybe she’s even married.
No! Mia’s not the type to do that! Maybe she’s just not visiting because the office is extremely busy.
Imagine everything she probably suffered during the past five years. Would she really have waited that long for you?
…Yes. I know Mia…she wouldn’t give up on me so easily.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr. Lavernne arrived at Diego’s room early the next morning. She dragged a chair beside his bed and sat down.
“Mr. Armando…I have some good news and some bad news.” She sounded nervous.
He nodded grimly, still troubled over the prospect of seeing Mia again.
“Well, first of all, you can be discharged from the hospital today. The results from all those tests came in and it seems that you’re basically healthy…except…your vision problem isn’t temporary.”
It took a moment for that to sink in.

“You mean…I’m blind?” his tone grew enraged. “You said you thought it was momentary! So now I have to live the rest of my life without being able to see?!”
“I’m really sorry, Mr. Armando…I thought it was just a brief side effect from your coma.” He could hear from her tone that she was cringing. “But there still might be a way you can see,” she added in a small voice.

He took a deep breath to regain his composure. “I’m very sorry for losing my temper, doctor. I shouldn’t have reacted like that. After all, a man has to hold his head up high no matter how bad things get,” he chuckled darkly.
“It’s alright,” she responded sympathetically. “It’s only natural that you would react like that. But I know an optometrist who specializes in cases like these. He might be able to help you. The only problem is that he has a very long waiting list.”
Diego nodded slowly. “I believe I have a few things I wish to attend to first.”

Author's Notes:Voila! Here is the last chapter!
Actually, it's actually two chapters, but I just decided to post them up as one

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Diego arrived at the entrance of Grossberg Law Offices by taxicab. His ego had suffered a severe beating since he left the hospital. The doctor had given him a walking cane, and though he hated to admit it, Diego realized that he could not get around without it.

As he hesitated on the pavement, he felt unexpectedly vulnerable and slightly humiliated for the first time in his life. He, Diego Armando, was stumbling around with the aid of a cane like a disabled person. He couldn’t see the faces of the people on the street, but he felt exposed as if he had been stripped naked and thrown on stage with the light of the spotlight in his eyes, blinding him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Welcome to Grossberg Law Offices. How can I help you?” a secretarial woman’s voice asked him when he had stepped inside.
He strode forward, tapping his cane warily in front of him.
“I’m looking for a friend of mine. I don’t know if she still works here.”
Diego heard the secretary click her computer mouse several times.
“It’s okay. We have records. What is your friend’s name?”
“Mia Fey.”
“Mia…Fey?” the woman repeated slowly. She had stopped clicking her mouse and Diego could hear the skepticism in her voice.
“Ms. Fey is…gone. She was murdered a year ago.”

Time stood still for a moment as the shock and despair sank in. Diego’s mind suddenly flashed back to the Terry Fawles case, seeing Mia cry beside him. He remembered the way he had crushed his coffee mug, slicing open his hand.
Now it felt like it was happening again, a thousand times over, slicing up his heart and his soul.

Mia…Mia…No! This can’t be true…
Stop! The only time a lawyer can cry is when it’s all over.
It is all over. I have no one left. I’m absolutely alone now.
Which means you have nothing left to lose. But the person responsible for this will pay. As will Dahlia Hawthorne…
Dahlia Hawthorne.

The memory of the name caused a surge of hatred to wash over Diego. He gripped his cane dangerously tightly and growled angrily, “You will pay for this, Dahlia Hawthorne.”
With that, he exited the office, leaving the secretary startled and speechless.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Dr. Lavernne, I want that optometrist’s address,” Diego had almost instantly returned to the hospital.
Dr. Lavernne was a little surprised at the authoritative tone in his voice. Diego Armando had somehow changed over the past few hours. What had happened?
“I’ll have to go and get it. Can I get you anything to drink on the way?”
“Coffee…with plenty of sugar and cream.”
Dr. Lavernne shifted uncomfortably, unhappy to be the bringer of bad news once again.
“Mr. Armando…I don’t think you should drink coffee. I think it would too much for your body and eyesight to handle.”
“Then take out the cream and sugar.”
The doctor, sensing Diego’s impatience, relented.

She returned with a cup of black coffee for him. He nearly spat out the first mouthful. But as he forced himself to swallow it, he felt a certain serenity, somehow making peace with the bitter black coffee.
No one could understand the deep, black pit that was his life now. But he somehow felt that his life was reflected in the coffee’s swirling black and bitter depths.
“Blacker that a moonless night, hotter and more bitter than hell itself…that is coffee,” he mused aloud.

I’m just as bitter as this coffee, he realized to himself. Maybe I’ve finally found my companion in this brutal, cruel, merciless world.
He chuckled bitterly.
Dr. Lavernne glanced at him worriedly, finally speaking. “Mr. Armando…did something happen when you left the hospital? You somehow seem…different.”
He felt the pain rise in his chest again, this time laced with anger and hatred.

“I wake up after five years in a coma unable to see a thing. But I accept that,” he said bitterly, more to himself than the doctor.
“Then…I find out that she’s gone. My reason for living, the core of my existence. Gone. Just like that. And I was the one who failed to protect her.”

Dr. Lavernne gently put a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe this was just how it was meant to be. It was out of your control that you were unable to save her.”
“The weak get washed away by the tides of fate…the strong drink it up. I refuse to have my destiny control me. I will make those responsible pay for their deeds,” he snarled.
“Mr. Armando…please. Don’t do anything drastic. Don’t try to serve justice by breaking the law.”
“I have nothing left to lose. And the police wouldn’t have anyone to catch. I believe the official records say that I am a dead man. I don’t even know who I am anymore.” He paused for a moment, calming down, contemplating.
“But I won’t break the law. That would only disappoint Mia…wherever she is now.”

Dr. Lavernne inwardly breathed in a sigh of relief.
“Mr. Armando-”
“Please don’t call me that, doctor,” he said quietly. “Diego Armando ceased to exist the day his Kitten died.”
In his mind, he was already plotting, calculating, planning how to punish Dahlia for everything she had stripped him of through his coma. He could feel the rage burning inside him, the bitterness at Mia’s death and the hatred towards whoever had failed to protect her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The second time he left the hospital that day, he felt much more of a purpose in his step. For now, he had a reason to live- to make Dahlia Hawthorne suffer for her sins.
And the first step to that was getting his vision back.

“I wish to make an appointment with the eye doctor here.”
The secretary sounded tired of hearing the same request time after time. “ I hope you realize that there’s a 47 people waiting list.”
“I’m willing to wait,” he responded calmly. “But do you think I could see him a little faster is I paid double the normal fee?”
The woman sounded flustered. “I’ll have to ask…but I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
“Very good, then,” he turned on his heel to exit the office.
“Sir! Please wait! I didn’t get your name!”

He paused at the doorway for a moment, his unseeing eyes seeming even more distant than usual.
“Godot.
My name is Godot.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:
I know, the ending was pretty bad...
But despite that, I hope you enjoyed it!
And PLEASE leave me a review!

Author's Notes:

Dedication: I decided that I wanted to dedicate this story (this chapter especially) to my best friend. It's all thanks to him that I got Ace Attorney and he was the one that fueled my appreciation for Iris. So for that and everything else, this story goes to him :)

This is my first time trying to write this genre so I'm not sure how well it turned out...

This is the first of five one-shots I'm planning to write spotlighting the sisters of the PW series centered around a theme.

I guess this is a bit long for a one-shot, though XD

I must also thank Ioniclunch for beta-reading and kaleidostarmoon (on fanfiction.net) for looking over it for me :D Thanks, guys!

Disclaimer: All characters, settings, plots, etc. related to the Ace Attorney series belong to the wonderful Capcom. I don't own the art of star-folding either :)

On with the story!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



“Now pinch the corners.”

Her sister’s delicate eyebrows bunched together as she tried unsuccessfully to follow her instructions.

“I can’t do it, Dollie!” Her eyes watered. “I can’t do anything, can I?”

“Don’t be silly, Rissy. You just need practice.” Little Dahlia took the unfinished paper star from her sister’s hand and fixed it. She handed it back.

“Here. Now close your eyes and make a wish.”

Iris sniffled. “Does it really work?” Dahlia nodded.

“Then I wish that Dollie and I will always be best friends and that we’ll always love each other.” She gave her sister a quick, shy hug and dropped her star into the jar Dahlia held out to her.

Dahlia giggled and said with an older sister exasperation. “Rissy! You weren’t supposed to say it out loud. Now it won’t come true.”

Iris’ innocent eyes widened in horrified shock and she clapped a tiny hand over her mouth. Dahlia saw that her sister’s eyes were wet again.

“Oh, Rissy! Don’t cry! If Mommy sees you, she’ll yell at you for being a baby again.”

“But my wish won’t come true now!”

“Rissy, you’re being silly again! You’re my sister and I’ll always love you. Okay?” She grabbed Iris’ hand. “Come on. We’ll go to the pond. Maybe we’ll see some ducks – they always make you laugh.”

Iris sniffled again and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

“Will there be bunnies too?”

“Yup! I promise – bunnies, ducks, maybe even frogs. We can even catch one and put it in somebody’s bed.”

Iris giggled. “Okay, then.”


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iris sat alone in her room, the unfinished paper star in her hand, her eyes brimming over as the unexpected memory brought a wave of loneliness over her. She missed Dahlia so much and it had only been a week since she had been left at Hazakura Temple. Sister Bikini was a jolly, friendly nun, but no one could replace her sister. How would she know what to do without Dahlia there?

Dahlia had always been the star to shine more brilliantly – enough for the two of them. She was always the one to lead the way, to make decisions, to protect Iris from their mother’s angry tantrums. And now, Dahlia was far, far away with a small chance of ever being reunited with her sister.

As the tears spilled down her cheeks, Iris looked down at her paper star. She could imagine Dahlia, “Don’t cry, Rissy! You have to be stronger than that!”

“I can’t do it, Dollie!” she cried internally, just as vulnerably as she had many years ago.

“Everything will be okay, Rissy. Now dry your tears and make a wish.” Her sister’s words from past years echoed in her head.

All Iris wanted was the chance to say the many things she had left unsaid for the past years. And now she would never have that chance.

But as the despair sank in, an idea formed in her head. Slowly, she unfolded her paper star and smoothed out the strip of paper. As she pulled out a pen, she hesitated, and a teardrop became the first mark on her paper.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dollie,

I miss you so much. Now I know what it really feels like to be alone. It’s not like when the other kids made fun of me and didn’t let me play with them when we were younger. You were always there for me. Now I know that being alone means being without my best friend, my leader, my protector, my big sister. Being alone means being without you. I hope that one day, you’ll know how much I love you and how lucky I feel to be your sister.

Love,

Rissy


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As she signed her name, she felt a certain peace inside at having written out the hurt she was feeling. She folded it up and gently dropped it into the jar Dahlia had given her.

It was the first star of many.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dollie,

You’ve changed so much. It hurts me to see you like this. What happened to my sweet, brilliant older sister? Why have you suddenly turned to criminal means? You know how much I love you and want to help you, but why must you force me to help you in doing something so hurtful and dangerous? What if something happens to you? And that man, Terry – he’s innocent. I feel so weak and cowardly for not being able to stop you and for agreeing to help you. Dahlia, I know the real you is still there somewhere. Maybe one day, the big sister I loved will come back to me.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dahlia,

Where are you now? You promised me that after you left with the diamond, you would call or write to me. That was three months ago. Where have you gone, Dollie? It feels like you’ve abandoned me.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why, Dollie? Why? How could you do such a horrible thing? Valerie and Terry helped you in your plan; how could betray them like that? All you wanted was the diamond and you got it. Every time I close my eyes, I remember how I failed to stop you. Every step you take away from being the Dahlia you once were feels like a stab into my heart. Dollie, I’m begging you, please come back.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dahlia,

I don’t want to lie to him any more. Every time he calls me Dollie, it breaks my heart to remember that everything is a lie. Our relationship is a lie, our love is a lie, I am a lie. Feenie is innocent, and when he discovers the truth, it’ll hurt him so much. Please, Dollie, stop making me hurt him. And stop making me hurt myself. How can I live loving a man who doesn’t even know who I am?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dahlia,

Why must it end like this? Why couldn’t you have stopped before it was too late? Why didn’t you realize the consequences? Dollie, you’re going to die. I will never see you again. Dollie, I love you so much. Even if the whole world says that you don’t get a second chance, I forgive you for everything you’ve done wrong. Please just show me a sign that the real Dahlia is still in you somewhere.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dollie,

These past two months have been excruciatingly painful for me. At times I feel that there is no possible way that you can actually be completely gone. But why have you still not realized your mistakes and regretted them? Mr. Godot told me of your plan long ago, but I held fast to the belief that you would never do such a thing. I feel like my whole being has been shattered from all the times you let me down. And it’s heartbreaking to know that it was our mother who planned all this. I’ve been hoping all these years that you would turn back, but it’s beyond too late now.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I feel so ashamed that it had to come down to us against each other. Sister against sister. When did our lives twist into this ugly mess? What happened to the two little girls who spent hours folding stars together? Now I sit in my room, folding star after star and wishing again and again that all this were a bad dream. What you did was wrong, but I still felt like I was betraying you in helping Mr. Godot. Everything has spiraled out of my control ever since the day father left me here at the temple. Seeing you in court trying to frame our cousin burned an everlasting image in my mind. You left me no choice, Dollie. I believed in you so faithfully, but you still kept going down the wrong path. And I couldn’t do anything to stop you.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Dollie,

I’m so sorry. Did I really do the right thing? Or should I have, as a loyal sister, helped you in any plan you had, no matter how wrong it was? Even so many months after your death, I still feel a hole in my heart, aching for the older sister that once was a brilliant star in my sky. But Dollie, not matter where you are, I wish so much that you will know that I still love you, I forgive you and I will always miss you every day. You were the one who taught me how to fold these stars and to make wishes on them. Now I can only hope that someday, somewhere, somehow, you will know that I never, ever gave up on you. Every star I have ever folded doesn’t even come close to representing how important you were, are and always will be to me.

I love you,

Rissy


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iris stood at the edge of Eagle River, the waters rushing beneath her feet. In her hands she held a jar filled to the brim with paper stars of every colour and size. Hugging it close against her heart, she closed her eyes. Memories of her sister flashed through her mind, some in the very place she was standing.

She choked back a sob as the truth dawned upon her.

“You’re not coming back, are you, Dollie?” she whispered to the wind.

I’m so sorry, Rissy. You’ll have to be strong without me.

“No, Dahlia! Don’t go! Don’t abandon me again!” she screamed inside, clutching the jar even closer.

Shh…we had to part someday. You have to let go…Goodbye, Iris.

Dahlia was gone forever.

Iris fought against the tears stinging in her eyes. Dahlia would not come back no matter how hard she cried. She looked down at the jar she carried, which suddenly felt much heavier than it actually was.

You have to let go…

Iris felt her arms toss the jar towards the river and as it was caught by an updraft of wind, the lid came undone. Hundreds of multicoloured little stars cascaded out and for a moment, they seemed to be floating.

As Iris watched all her wishes dance towards the water below, she could feel a weight lift off of her as if each little star had been carrying a burden from the past years. She stood there until all she could see was rushing water again and made one more wish.

I wish that one day, we’ll meet again. But until then…goodbye, Dollie.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author's Notes:

I hope I kept them in character enough...

I know, the letters seem a bit long to fit on a strip of star folding paper...but let's pretend Iris has really small writing, 'kay? :D

And I'm assuming that Dahlia wasn't evil by nature - it was the lack of love from her family after she was separated from Iris.

Oh, if any of you are confused by Iris' actions at the end, I should clarify something. Iris isn't giving up on Dahlia, she still believes she's out there somewhere; Iris is just letting go of all the hurt between Dahlia and her over the years.

Anyways, thanks for reading, and please leave me a review! I really want to know what you thought of this :) (Pretty please?)

If my brain juices allow, the next chapter should be about Lana and Ema, from Lana's perspective :D

Author's Notes:

Hey guys! I'm so sorry for taking a while to update (you may realize now that I can be a very slow writer XD)

Thanks to kaleidostarmoon (on fanfiction.net) for reading this over for me! She also brought this up: You may notice that I spell 'armour' a-r-m-o-u-r :D I am Canadian, and you will probably find that for pretty much all words like that, I do spell things '-our' (So all of you who spell it a different way, please don't eat me :P)

I also must thank Jedi Knight Cheeze (also on fanfiction.net) for beta-reading and pointing out a major discrepancy with the actual game. Sadly, there is still a slight contradiction to the events of SL9, but I'm hoping you guys won't notice (Let see the true Ace Attorneys pick out the contradiction! :D) I would have changed it, but then there would have been way to much to rewrite.

Thanks also goes to Szabu (here on CR) for inspiring the title of this chapter with his own story "Tears of a Fallen Star" (and for letting me use it :D)

Here's chapter two - this chapter's of Lana and Ema (more so of Lana, though :D)

Okies, enough talking :D On with the story!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Fallen Star

She peered outside into the darkness, the black sky adorned with hundreds of twinkling stars surrounding her like a majestic cloak. There was a brilliant flash of light, and then just as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared over the invisible horizon.

Lana Skye had just watched a star fall.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The face of the suit of armour seemed to stare down at Lana emotionlessly as she strode across the room to pick up the ringing phone in the grand office.

“Detective Lana Skye speaking.”

“Hey, Lana!” A cheery voice sounded on the other end, alleviating the chilling feeling of being watched by the masked suit of armour.

“Ema! What’s wrong? Are you sick? Did something happen to you at school?” Lana’s trained motherly instincts took over as she realized that Ema would not normally call her from school.

“No, no, no! I’m fine,” came Ema’s reassuring answer. “It’s just that…well, I kind of forgot that there was no school today.” There was a pause. “Please don’t be mad,” Ema added in a small voice, bracing herself for a parental lecture delivered by her sister.

To her surprise, Lana burst out laughing.

“Oh, Ema! What am I going to do with you? So now you’re stuck at school?”

“Yeah…but the janitors won’t let me inside.”

“I’ll come pick you up, then.”

“But Lana, you’re so busy with that poisoning case right now. I can just walk to the library…it’s not too far.”

“Don’t be silly, Ema. It’ll take you forty minutes. Just sit tight and I’ll be there in fifteen.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Ema, I’m sure. We can go out for lunch – it’ll be fun. But you’ll have to stay at my office for a couple of hours.”

“Oh, cool! You mean the big one that you share with that man who has pink sunglasses like me?”

Lana laughed again. “Yes, that one. But you’ll have to be good, because we’re still investigating that poisoning case. Are you sure you can handle all this murder stuff? It’s a little morbid…” she added, her parental instincts taking control again.

“Of course I can handle it! I’m going to be a scientific investigator one day!”

“That reminds me…if there’s no school today, did you stay up until two last night studying for that huge science test for nothing?”

“Oh…oops. I guess that’s on Monday, then.”

Lana gave an exasperated groan. “Well…at least that means you’ve got time to review. Anyways, I’m coming now to pick you up.”

“Thanks, Lana. You’re the best!”

Hearing her sister’s genuine comment, Lana felt her heart swell with pride. It was times like these that made all the rough spots worth going through. She felt so happy with her life as the adored big sister and the well-liked, high-ranked detective.

Lana Skye was a shining star.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lightning streaked through the sky and thunder roared in the background. As Lana hurried inside the Police Department doors, gripping her umbrella handle tightly, she couldn’t help but glance up at the downcast skies and wonder if her day would be equally as bad.

Little did she know, it would be a living nightmare.

- - -

Upon entering the police department lobby, Lana was greeted by numerous colleagues, hustling and bustling about.

“Hi, Detective. Here’s the report you asked for yesterday.”

“Good morning, Miss Skye. There was a call for you an hour ago, so I took down the number for you.”

Lana responded to all of these greetings with a smile, wondering why the building was so busy at such an early hour.

“Howdy, Bambina.”

“Jake!” she whirled around. “What’s going on here? It’s only seven.”

“Well, Bambina, if you’d come twenty minutes earlier, you would know this, but Joe Darke cam in this morning an’ turned himself in.”

“He what?!” Several heads turned in surprise at Lana’s unexpected outburst.

“Said somethin’ about feeling guilty,” Jake muttered, his eyebrows furrowed. “But I don’t trust that man…he’s too shady – killing one witness after another. Neil’s preparing to question him in a bit and Bruce and Angel are on their way here.”

She nodded. “I’ve got a report to finish – I should be done that in an hour. Could you page my office when the questioning starts?

“No problem, Bambina. Don’t forget to bring Detective Gant too.”

“Okay, Jake. Thanks.”

- - -

“For someone who turned themselves in, he’s not being very helpful,” Bruce muttered.

The investigation team stood outside the interrogation room, intently watching the questioning through the one-way glass.

“Maybe I should go in. Nobody can stay quiet when I’m through with them,” Angel suggested, sounding impatient at the past two hours that had yielded no results.

“No, no. Let Neil go for ten more minutes and then we’ll see,” Gant replied calmly, twiddling the strand of hair that hung in front of his forehead. “Oh, by the way, Lana, your sister came looking for you so I told her to wait for you in our office.”

Lana glanced at the clock and grimaced. “Hopefully she’ll be able to amuse herself with investigating the room until we’re done here.”

The group stood for a few minutes in silence when the windowless room suddenly went pitch black.

“What happened?”

“I think there’s a power outage. It’s storming outside.”

“Do you think the whole building lost power?”

“I guess we’ll just have to go see.”

A crash suddenly sounded from the interrogation room, followed by a yell, “He’s getting away!”

Someone managed to find the door handle after several moments and they were relieved to find that the corridor was dimly lit by an emergency light.

“Okay, everyone split up!” Gant ordered, and they all hurried in a different direction to pursue the murderer on the loose.

Jake and Lana arrived at the criminal affairs department in a few moments.

“I’ll go check the case file room,” Jake called over his shoulder.

Lana suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. “Oh, no! Ema!” she gasped as she remembered.

Jake looked back at her, concerned, “It’s okay, Bambina. I’ve got it covered here. You go find your sister.”

Lana gave him a quick smile of thanks and quickly ran the other way.

The pounding of her heart in her chest seemed to match with the rumbles of thunder outside as she navigated through the dark corridors and occasional crowds of anxious yelling people as she made her way to her office.

Please, Ema. Please don’t be hurt.

It felt like an eternity before she reached her office and when she did, the sight of Neil’s corpse hanging from the spear of the suit of armour nearly made here scream. But the sound was stuck in her throat when she saw her sister crumpled on the ground.

“Ema!” she gasped, running to her sister and cradling her in her arms. “Ema! Ema! Wake up!” she cried, nearly shaking her sister in her panic.

What happened?

Gingerly, Lana slowly surveyed the room, trying not to look at the grotesque sight of Neil’s impaled body. Horrified, she saw the jar with her sister’s name and the events began to piece together in her mind.

“No…it can’t be,” she whispered, as if in a trance.

She nearly jumped when Damon Gant entered the room.

“Lana! What happened here?” His eyes landed on Neil’s corpse and swept back to Lana cradling her sister. “Did…Did Ema do this?” he asked hesitantly.

“No! No! It’s not possible!” she cried, shaking her head repeatedly and hugging her sister closer. “Ema wouldn’t…she couldn’t…no…no…”

Gant knelt in front of her. “Lana…people are going to come soon. Ema will have to be put on trial…they could send her to jail.”

Lana’s head jerked up, a crazed despair in her eyes.

“Please, Mr. Gant! Help me! Ema can’t go to jail!”

She glanced around the room, desperately searching for something – anything – to help her sister. Suddenly, an idea dawned upon her.

“Please, sir! Couldn’t we pretend that Darke did this? After all, we’ve been looking for decisive evidence to sentence him! We’re not punishing an innocent man - we know he’s guilty! Please…if neither of us say anything, no one will ever find out,” she pleaded desperately.

He regarded her silently for a moment.

“Fine. But we’ll have to act fast.”

Lana Skye was a falling star.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In her dream, she found herself surrounded by thick clouds, obstructing her vision so that she was helplessly lost.

“Ema!” she called, but her voice sounded far away, lost in the dark cloak of clouds that captured her in its folds.

“Ema!” she called again, but this time, she felt a pair of gloved hands wrap around her throat, suffocating her.

“S-stop! I-I can’t breathe!” she choked as the clouds swirled dizzily around her.

As her vision blacked out, the last thing she heard was a cackling, maniacal laugh.

- - -

Lana shot up in bed, her hands instinctively flying to her neck, where she could have sworn a pair of gloved hands were a minute ago.

Relax, Lana. It was just a dream.

She tried to slow her breathing, to calm the pounding in her chest, but the despair and fear would not subside.

It’s no dream, Lana. With the control he has over you now, he might as well have his hands around your neck.

Lana shivered in bed, a feeling of helplessness overwhelming her again. She didn’t know which part of her life was worse – the terrifying nightmares or the uncontrollable living hell that was her life now. Even worse was the fact that she couldn’t cry, she couldn’t scream. She was left to muffle her sobs beneath her covers, suffocating in her own despair.

She nearly jumped when her door creaked open a crack.

“L-Lana?” Ema’s voice called out hesitantly.

Seeing her sister was a relief from her horrifying nightmares, and Lana longed to reach out to her and embrace her, something she hadn’t done in years. But locked in the cruel life she lived now, she couldn’t.

“What is it, Ema?” she asked emotionlessly, closing her eyes. It was easier to hold up the façade when she couldn’t see the hurt she had inflicted in her sister’s face.

“I…I thought I heard you call my name,” Ema responded, almost inaudibly.

“No, Ema. I didn’t. Now go back to bed.”

Inside, a voice was screaming.

Stop it! Can’t you see how badly you’re hurting her?

I don’t have a choice, another voice responded bitterly. She can’t know what’s happening.

Lana heard the door close and she was glad that her eyes were still closed. She took in a deep shuddering breath, letting her mind go black, the momentary feeling of nothingness a temporary solace in her life with no silver lining. There was no escape from the iron bars that locked her inside her heart.

It was never going to end.

- - -

“And this year’s Prosecutor of the Year award goes to…Miles Edgeworth!”

The audience broke out into polite applause with the exception of Detective Gumshoe yelling in the background, “Whoo! Mr. Edgeworth!”

Lana smiled stoically as she shook his hand and handed him his trophy.

“Congratulations, Mr. Edgeworth.”

“Thank you, Chief Prosecutor,” he responded in the same bland tone that she used.

As he walked off the stage, Lana could hear whispering in the front row.

“Isn’t that the demon prosecutor who forges evidence?”

“Yeah…and didn’t he kill somebody last Christmas?”

“The police department must either be crazy or oblivious giving the award to that man.”

Lana felt a wave of guilt wash over her as the emotionless smile fell off her face.

It’s all my fault…I gave him the forged evidence that started these rumors.

But you had to protect Ema!

At the expense of so many people…Edgeworth, Jake, Angel…

It’s too late to regret it now, Lana. It’s much too late.

- - -

Lana strode to the ladies’ restroom, relieved that the tiresome ceremony was finally over. She pulled out her ringing cell phone, and seeing the name that flashed on caller ID, wanted to throw it on the floor and have it break into a hundred pieces.

My day’s been bad enough…I don’t need him to add to it.

She closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths and recollected herself.

“Chief Gant?”

“I need you to do me another favour, Lana. You see, there’s been a little accident.”

Hours later, she would wish that she had hung up right then and there. As she listened to him describe the situation, she felt a sick feeling in her stomach and a scream erupt inside of her.

When she hung up, she could only bury her head in her arms, a desperate feeling enveloping her.

Why? Why? Why?

- - -

She moved around in a daze, unaware of what she was really doing.

And when a hand grabbed her wrist and she looked up into Angel Starr’s accusing glare, she could almost feel a morbid relief.

It’s finally over, isn’t it?

On a reflex, she made a feeble attempt to get away, but still found herself in police custody a while later.

- - -

The officer across from her asked her question after question, droning on in a monotonous voice.

She wasn’t really paying attention to him, instead imaging various people in her mind’s eye.

Damon Gant, clapping and laughing obnoxiously, free from the accusations of any crime.

Miles Edgeworth, likely to be the prosecutor of her case, going to great lengths to prove her guilty.

Jake Marshall, Angel Starr, even the deceased Bruce Goodman, all staring accusingly at her.

But most of all, Ema’s disappointed and hurt expression at being told that her sister was a murderer. Poor, vulnerable, little Ema, who had to be protected at all costs.

Lana’s sudden outburst startled the officer.

“I did it. I killed Bruce Goodman.”

Lana Skye was a fallen star.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:

Well, what did you think? Was it sad and desperate enough? Do you really hate Damon Gant now? (I hope so :D)

I'm sorry if you found the ending a little angsty :P Hopefully, the next chapter will be a little more hopeful - after all, it will be from Ema's perspective :)

Anyways, reviews are loved!! I will adore you if you leave me some feedback! :D

(Okay, Ace Attorneys, here lies the contradiction:

Jedi Knight Cheeze pointed out to me that in the game, Lana believed herself to be the first one on the scene. I then went to read up on a case walkthrough, and found that this was true. Reading on, I also found out that Lana hadn't been in questioning with Darke. In fact, it seemed that Gant and Neil were the only ones who had been. Apparently, Lana had been doing some filing of sorts, and had returned to her office for that reason, and then stumbled on the crime scene.

So you'll notice that if I had changed that accordingly, I would have had to rewrite most of the second section. However, it may be just me, but I think it would make more sense for Lana to be in questioning with Darke too. After all, she was part of the investigation team and made up half of the Legendary Duo :)

So that's the contradiction. Rise From the Ashes was pretty confusing for me, and it's little details like these that slip my mind. Sorries! I promise to read up on all the case descriptions and walkthroughs again next time!)

Author's Notes:

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I've updated; I've been insanely busy recently :(

So finally, I reveal to you the third longshot of Constellations - a chapter of Mia and Maya.

Yes, I know, I originally said it would be another one of Ema and Lana, but no inspiration came...

So instead, I bring you Ch. 3 - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Once again, I need to thank kaleidostarmoonand JediKnightCheeze on ff.net for beta-ing for me :D I should mention that JKC pointed out a slight age discrepancy, so Mia and Maya's ages might be slightly off, depending on how you calculate it :P

And one more thing: the "other" lyrics of the song Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star are from the original song. If you want to find out more, you can always search it up on wikipedia or something :D And so, I should add a disclaimer:

Capcom owns all things Ace Attorney, and I don't own any part of the song "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"

Anyways, enjoy~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

“Okay girls, now go to sleep.”

Misty Fey kissed Mia’s cheek and patted the squirming lump beneath the sheets.

“Maya, don’t keep your sister up,” she scolded.

“Shh! Mommy! I’m not here!” the squirming lump protested in a loud whisper.

“Alright, then,” her mother responded, playing along. “Mia, if you ever do find your sister, tell her that she left her stuffed elephant in my room.”

The tiny lump suddenly bounced up, sending a pillow flying and smacking a bewildered Mia in the face.

“Mommy! You have Effie?” Little Maya began jumping on the bed, making it impossible for Mia to sleep. However, her stout legs quickly lost their balance, and she ended up plopping down on her sister’s stomach.

“Ouch!” Mia complained. Though her two-year-old sister didn’t weigh much, it was still uncomfortable to have something sitting on her rib cage.

After another ten minutes of fuss, Maya finally settled down in bed, clutching little Effie the elephant tightly in her stout arms.

Finally, Mia thought. Now I can sleep.

She turned on her side, glad that Maya was finally quiet again. She had nearly fallen asleep when she felt wind blowing in her face.

That’s weird, her dreaming mind thought. I’m sure it wasn’t windy a moment ago.

She opened her eyes, only to find her sister’s face two inches from hers.

“Gah!” Mia shrieked and fell off the bed in surprise.

Maya giggled on the bed. “Heehee…sissy…I scared you!”

“That wasn’t funny,” Mia replied crossly. “I was trying to sleep.”

With a huff, Mia climbed back on the bed, turning on her other side so that her back was faced pointedly at Maya.

After a few moments of silence, Mia felt a chubby hand on her cheek.

“Mi-a, are you mad at me?”

Mia gave no response. Suddenly, she felt a big, wet kiss on her cheek.

“Eww!” she cried, wiping it off with the back of her hand, but she couldn’t help but not be mad at her little sister. She sat up, and Maya leaped into her lap instantly, staring up at Mia angelically.

“Are you still mad at me?”

Mia sighed, surrendering, but unable to keep a slow smile from creeping onto her face.

“I guess not…”

“Then will you sing me and Effie to sleep?” Maya began bouncing up and down in her sister’s lap.

“Okay! Okay! But stop bouncing first! You’re shaking the bed, you goose!” Mia laughed, tickling her sister.

Twinkle, twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are

Up above the world so high

Like a diamond in the sky

Twinkle, twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sissy, I’m tired,” Maya complained, plopping down onto the floor, a grape-flavoured lollipop in her hand.

“Ma-ya! The ground’s dirty!” Mia picked her up and brushed her off, only to have Maya promptly plop back down again.

“Maya! I told Mom we’d be back before her,” she said exasperatedly. Maya still refused to budge.

Groaning, Mia relented. “Fine! I’ll piggyback you home!”

The walk from the pond to the centre of Kurain Village was only ten minutes long, but with Maya on her back, it seemed to Mia that the distance grew longer with each step.

Arriving back at the village, Mia suddenly wondered if she had gone to the wrong place. It was suddenly swarmed with people – news reporters and the paparazzi were everywhere.

Mia was suddenly relieved that Maya was on her back, and she finally managed to push through the crowds to meet her aunt.

“Girls! Where have you been? We’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Aunt Morgan, what happened here?” Mia pressed, completely ignoring her aunt’s question.

“Oh, Mia…I hate to push this on you so suddenly, but…”

“But what?”

“It’s your mother. She’s disappeared.”

“W-what?” Mia stammered, unable to form any other coherent question.

“No one’s been able to find or contact her for the last eleven hours – the tabloids are going to go crazy about this.”

Mia opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Finally, she forced herself to ask the inevitable question.

“D-do you think she’ll come back?”

Aunt Morgan looked flustered. “I…I don’t know, Mia. But why don’t you and Maya go to bed? It’s been a crazy day. Get some rest and things will be better in the morning.”

That’s not true, Mia realized with a sinking feeling, but she allowed herself to be steered towards the sleeping chambers, with Maya still clinging to her neck.

Sinking down in her bed, reality finally hit home as she felt a tidal wave of emotion overwhelm her. She tried to choke back a sob, but failed, the held-back tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Sissy?” Maya had clambered into Mia’s lap, her eyes wide as she stared up at her sister’s tearstained face.

“Sissy,” she repeated. “Where’s Mommy?”

Maya’s innocent question brought a fresh round of tears from Mia, who vainly tried to muffle her cries by biting down on her lip.

“I don’t know, Maya,” she finally sobbed, hugging her baby sister close. She felt a little hand pat her head.

“Don’t cry, Mia,” little Maya said reassuringly, oblivious to the weight of the situation. But to Mia, Maya’s naïve comment brought her a fleeting feeling of comfort, her innocent remark a golden nugget of wisdom.

“Will you sing me to sleep?” Maya asked when her sister’s tears had finally stopped.

Mia hiccupped, about to protest that her throat was hoarse from crying, but then remembered how soothing it was when their mother sang her to sleep.

Rocking Maya in her arms, it struck her how oddly similar the song was to her predicament, and how lucky she was to have Maya. She closed her eyes, temporarily shutting out the pain as she fell into rhythm with the familiar tune.

When the blazing sun is gone

When he nothing shines upon

Then you show your little light

Twinkle, twinkle, all the night

Twinkle, twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been two weeks. Two weeks of fruitless waiting for the Master of Kurain that would never return. About twenty claimed sightings of Misty Fey were reported, but with each passing day, the desperate sinking feeling in Mia’s heart told her that her mother would never come back.

Don’t cry, Mia, she told herself. You have to be strong. You have to take care of Maya. When Mom comes back, she’ll be disappointed to see how easily you fell apart.

If she ever does come back, the inevitable voice argued.

But Mia refused to have that fact shatter her resolve. She struggled to keep her mind occupied with her chores as a medium-in-training and full-time babysitter for Maya. Many others in the village offered to help her, but she refused politely, unwilling to let anyone else care for her lifeline, Maya.

She heard the other women in the village talk about her; about how pitiful it was that a twelve-year-old girl had to take on such a responsibility and how shameful it was that her mother would abandon her in such a fashion. Their words sliced at Mia’s heart, reopening her healing wounds, but she fought to hide how broken her heart was.

After a while, the gossip died down as Mia adjusted to her motherless lifestyle. She was unsure of what lay ahead for her and Maya, but simply lived life day by day, until she overheard the elders discussing her position one day.

“We need to start training Mia as the Master soon. I have my doubts that Mystic Misty will return to us.”

“I sense that she will have very strong powers…she’s got a powerful resolve.”

“But what about the little one, Maya? What if she grows up like her mother, and surpasses her sister?”

“I do hope that history will not repeat itself. Morgan is clearly dissatisfied with being the branch family…Mia might feel the same way if it happened to her.”

“Remember how much Morgan hated Mystic Misty when it happened? I would hate to see the same thing happen to little Mia and Maya.”

“But what should we do? Tradition says that the oldest sister should take the role, but I feel that Maya will grow up to be a powerful spirit medium.”

Mia returned to her room, suddenly feeling confused about what to do. She watched Maya play with Effie in the corner, without really paying attention, her mind occupied with the prospect of becoming the Master.

But what if Maya grows up to be jealous of me? Or vice versa? I can’t let something like this ruin my bond with my sister! But what can I do?

Maya noticed her sister in the room and waddled over to her, hugging her leg with her chubby arms.

“I love you, sissy,” Maya looked up at her sister adoringly.

Mia’s eyes filled with tears as she began to wonder how she could have survived the past few weeks without her baby sister. She could see how much Maya adored her, and refusing to let anything come between them, Mia made her decision.

Nothing in the world meant more to her than her sister, and nothing would ever change that. She didn’t want the title of the Master, nor any fame associated with it. She didn’t need anything but her sister’s affectionate love.

Bending down to hug her sister, she felt her worries disperse at her decision. Because for a moment, everything was right in the world.

Then the traveller in the dark

Thanks you for your tiny spark

He could not see which way to go

If you did not twinkle so

Twinkle, twinkle little star

How I wonder what you are

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:

You may have noticed that this one was slightly shorter than the previous two. Did the other ones drag on too much?

As always, feedback is loved, and reviews make me so very happy!

So please? Review?

Oh, I nearly forgot - happy holidays! :D

Author's Notes:

Hey everyone! I know it's been forever since I've updated. At the end of January, I had exams, which meant that my whole first month of 2009 was packed with homework because of all my teachers cramming the rest of our curriculum into those last several weeks. And then there was Valentine's Day and such, and recently, there were just a lot of personal things getting in the way of me finding the time (and mood) to write.

But enough of my ranting - I'm back now (hopefully with more updates). I've had an idea for a Mia x Diego multi-chaptered story for a really long time, and I really want to start writing it. So keep your eyes open for that too :) And I hope everyone's doing well, and I'd love if anyone contacted me just to catch up :)

Anyways, here is the 4th long-shot of Constellations. It's from Ema's perspective, and since I've already done Lana's, I tried to keep this one short so that it wouldn't be repetitive. And you'll notice I wrote in present tense this time. (Yes, Philomena needs her practice in writing in present tense :P) So if there's any grammar that sounds weird or debatable, please point it out, because writing in present tense really isn't my forte. Oh, and in case anyone's wondering, Star light, Star bright is a nursery rhyme that obviously does not belong to me :P

And, much thanks to JediKnightCheezeon fanfiction.net who beta-read for me again. And I want to wish everyone a very (belated) happy New Year and Valentine's Day!

Hope you like this (and as always, I'll be oh-so-happy if you leave me a review :P)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



The glass of her bedroom window is cold against her cheek. The streetlamps outside suddenly blur, and a moment later, she feels the tears spill onto her face. She tries to swallow the lump in her throat, but it has the opposite effect of what she wanted. Her tiny frame begins shaking uncontrollably, her little body wracked with sobs. Through her blurred vision, she sees a figure practically sprint towards her from the doorway.

“Ema, don’t cry,” her sister tries to calm her.

The little girl looks up into Lana’s eyes, her lower lip trembling.

“I miss Mommy and Daddy.”

Suddenly, she is not the only one crying. A pair of arms encircle her, and a wet cheek presses stickily against hers.

Even at her young age, Ema senses that something is askew with this picture. She has never seen Lana fall apart like this. She feels like she is seeing something she shouldn’t be, as if she peeked behind a heavy curtain and watched a backstage warm-up that should have been left unseen.

As if realizing the same thing, Lana pulls back, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and gives her little sister a crooked smile.

“Me too.”

Ema feels a hand slide into hers.

“But they’re not too far away. Just look outside.”

Little Ema looks out the window once again, naively hoping that her parents will be standing there on the sidewalk. Instead, Lana gestures towards the sky.

“See all those stars up there? Mom and Dad are one of them.”

Ema sniffles. “Really?”

Her sister bobs her head convincingly. “And if there’s a wish you want to make, you can wish it on them.”

Ema’s eyes widen. “But what if they’re not listening?”

“You just have to say the magic words. Repeat after me:

Star light, star bright

The first star I see tonight

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have the wish I wish tonight.”

Little Ema feels hopeful as she says the words. She squeezes Lana’s hand, and she knows that she can trust her big sister. As she makes her wish, she knows she is not alone in this forlorn world.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The glass of the window is frigid against her hot cheek. The angry tears stream down her face as she sits there, confused and hurt.

Lana will not be coming to console her this time.

She hates her sister right now, yet at the same time, vainly hopes that Lana will miraculously transform back to her old self.

A fresh round of tears pour down Ema’s face. There will be no such miracle. Lana is cold and uncaring; nothing will change that now. Ema’s empty hand clenches into a fist as she is reminded of how alone she is.

Through her tear-filled eyes, she can see the stars twinkling outside. They seem to mock her, laughing at all the times she was stupid enough to make a wish on them. At all the times she believed in the things that Lana told her. At her futile wishes and attempts at understanding Lana’s sudden transformation.

“I hate you!” she whispers angrily to no one in particular. Instead of making Ema feel better, hearing those words makes the knot in her stomach tighten, and the weight on her heart suddenly seems a hundred times heavier than it was before.

Defeated, Ema closes her eyes, shutting out the world. With her head against the windowpane, she slowly drifts into dreamland, without realizing that it’s her sister’s tearful voice from the doorway lulling her to sleep.

“Star light, star bright

The first star Ema has seen tonight

I wish she may, I wish she might,

Have the wish she wishes tonight.”


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ema’s hand is pressed against the cold glass of the detention centre’s visiting room. Lana has already left, but Ema feels transfixed to the spot, her mind still spinning at everything that just happened.

There was no way that Lana could have killed a person. No matter how much Lana changed over the past two years, Ema refuses to believe that Lana would, or could, do such a thing.

It’s a while before the guard finally tells her that she needs to leave, and she walks outside in a daze. She feels numb, but a little voice at the back of her head tells her that it’s not over.

Science is on your side, Ema. Lana is innocent, and science will prove that. But you need to get help first.

Those down-to-earth, rational words seem to come from Lana, and not Ema herself. But Ema knows that they are true, and she refuses to give up now, when her sister needs her the most.

Ema has fought through everything – her parents’ deaths so many years ago, and Lana’s sudden personality change after the Joe Darke case. Ema will not stop fighting now.

She feels her determined spirit come back to her with vigour, and glancing up at the sky, seeing the stars gives her a sort of reassurance.

Science has always told her to think, but Lana has always told her to believe.

And so, for the first time in two years, she does.

“Star light, star bright

The first star I see tonight

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have the wish I wish tonight.”

Author's Notes

I've had this idea in the back of my mind for a while. The idea for the first chapter was something I wrote down a year ago, and when I came up with this story recently, I thought, "Hey! I could just plug Diego and Mia right into my two protagonists! That totally works!"

Yes, I'm easily excitable.

Um...okay, let's get some housekeeping out of the way. First off, Trials and Tribulations spoilers are up ahead in future chapters. I'm also crossing my fingers that we never heard anything mentioned about Diego's family. (Right? Right?) And I should point out that this is my first multi-chaptered story I'm posting up without writing it all first. (Well, technically, there's Constellations, but those are all individual long/one-shots). And if you know me, you'll know that I can take a while to update XD I have a general direction towards which I'm headed, but commentary from you guys along the way might change that.

Oh yes. And please review? Don't kill my enthusiasm in writing a new story!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Boys don’t cry.

Not when they have to grow up without ever meeting their father. Not when they are picked on and made fun of because their family is poor. And certainly not when their older sister dies.

At least that’s what he told himself.

But like with most boys, things got to a point where he just couldn’t handle it anymore. He thought he could run and hide from the truth, but he soon learned that it followed him everywhere and haunted him.

Still, he refused to cry, shutting his emotions inside of him. His mother found him on his bed one night, his arms around his knees, his hands balled into fists.

“Diego,” she whispered tearfully, her heart already snapped into two pieces.

He gave no response, only continuing to stare straight ahead. She stroked her son’s hair and pulled him into a tight hug.

“I know you miss Isadora,” her voice broke at her daughter’s name. “I do too. You can’t imagine how much. But no matter how much we try to avoid that truth, Izzy’s still not coming back.” Her voice faltered, but she made herself continue. “I know you want to be strong for me, but cry if it makes you feel better.”

Diego shook his head stubbornly, causing another pang in his mother’s heart. She felt helpless, unable to reach him through his sadness. But she could understand why. Had it been any time before, Isadora would have been the one to understand her brother when no one else could.

Diego’s mother stood up in defeat. She looked at her son once more before she turned towards the door. To her surprise, she heard Diego say, “Mom, I never got to say bye to Izzy. Why did she just leave like that?”

His voice was quiet and his face tearless, but she could see the anguish and hurt embedded in his eyes. She could do nothing but sob his name and embrace his tightly again.

“I…I just wish I could talk to her one more time,” he whispered.

His mother hugged him tighter. She wished so much that she could make it happen; anything to wipe her son’s grief away.

Later that night, she sprang up in bed, remembering something a friend had once told her long ago. Maybe, just maybe, she could find a way to fulfill her son’s wish.

Author's Notes:

WARNING: This chapter is pretty long

Oh, and if you have questions/confusion/complaints along the way, please scroll down to my End Notes at the end of this chapter. I may answer them there.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



The weather was bright and cheery, unlike the way he felt inside. His mother was apparently expecting a mysterious guest and had told him to stay outside during their visit. So he sat on the steps of his backyard patio, unaware of the beautiful sun and flowers that surrounded him. It didn’t really matter to him anyways. No matter where he was, he still felt that same empty sadness inside.

-----------------------------------------------------

Mrs. Armando opened the door to see a tall woman with very big hair dressed in a traditional-looking black and white robe. By her side, looking immensely small, was a young girl.

“You must be Ms. Fey,” Mrs. Armando greeted the woman politely.

“Please, call me Mystic Morgan. I understand that you are interested in our spirit channelling services.”

“Oh yes. Please, come in where we can discuss this more comfortably.”

Mrs. Armando led Morgan to the living room as Morgan turned to her niece.

“Mia, please wait here patiently and behave.”

Mia, who had come along because her aunt could not trust her alone at Kurain, nodded obediently.

“Now, Mrs. Armando, I hope you can understand that you will need to travel to Kurain Village so that we can perform the channelling. Very particular conditions are required for utmost safety.”

Mrs. Armando sounded slightly disappointed. “So it can’t be done right now?”

“I’m afraid not. You will need to make an appointment since my sister, the Master, is very busy.”

Mia stood up from her spot on the staircase, uninterested in the boring adult conversation that could potentially last a while. Aunt Morgan had told her to stay there and behave, but she hadn’t told Mia that she couldn’t move.

Inquisitive by nature, Mia grew curious at the assortment of decorative vases that stood on a long shelf that lined the main hall’s wall. Intrigued, she began counting how many there were as she moved down the hall. But before she reached the end, she was distracted by someone talking outside. Tiptoeing over to investigate, she saw a glimpse of a boy sitting there. As she moved closer, she strained her ears to hear what he was saying.

“Izzy?” he asked hesitantly. “Izzy?”

-----------------------------------------------------

He always felt better when he closed his eyes. For a moment, everything would seemingly stop, and in that instant, he felt free. When his mind was blank, he could let it wander as he cut off the strings that dragged him down to reality.

He felt the sun upon him as he breathed in the warm spring-summer air. It felt like every May, when he would sit here on the patio steps with his sister, counting the butterflies.

And then he heard them. Footsteps. Uneven and light, with a pause now and then, moving towards where he was. Just like Isadora’s always were as she counted how many green vases their mother had. Or how many had flower patterns. Or how many had a wide mouth.

Diego felt his heart pounding in his chest. It was impossible, unthinkable, but he wanted so much to believe it could be true. Even if it were beyond all reason, his logical side seemed to have completely surrendered.

“Izzy?” The name should have seemed foreign from its lack of use, but when he said it, it felt so familiar and comforting.

“Izzy?” he asked again. He opened his eyes and spun around, all in a moment of a leap of faith.

A pair of wide brown eyes met his. Long brown hair framed the little girl’s cute face, and a moment later, he noticed her odd clothes. But the look in her eyes was so compelling that he had to look back. She was young, but her eyes gave off a calm serenity of understanding, yet also, a sharp and bright assertiveness.

Diego’s surprise at seeing this strange girl was quickly overtaken by a cloud of disappointment and sadness. How could he have been crazy enough to think that his sister had come back?

The girl’s quiet, but concerned voice cut through his depressing thoughts.

“Are you okay?” she asked softly.

Her question threw him off guard. Was he that easy to read? He was suddenly at a loss for words as he stumbled around mentally for something to say. Out of the blue, he felt his sister’s voice pipe up in the back of his head.

“Always introduce yourself and then ask for their name. That’s the polite way to meet someone. Oh, and don’t forget to smile.”

Without thinking twice about it, Diego followed his sister’s advice, not even lapsing in a sudden moment of grief at his sister’s memory.

“I’m Diego,” he said, smiling politely. “What’s your name?”

“Mia Fey,” the little girl responded cheerily. “May I sit down?”

Diego nearly laughed and shifted over, already at ease with her. This girl was so happy and straightforward, and with her seemed to come a brighter aura. He didn’t want to lose this blissful atmosphere.

“Don’t mind me asking, but what are you here for?”

Mia looked a little surprised that he didn’t know, cocking her head to the side. “Well, my aunt Morgan brought me here because there was no one to watch me at home. She doesn’t trust me,” she said, pouting slightly. “And she’s here because your mom was interested in our spirit channelling.”

“Spirit channelling?”

Mia bobbed her head enthusiastically. “Yup! And I’m a spirit medium…in training.”

“So what do you do?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing at the unfamiliar term.

“I can call on the spirits of the dead, and it’s like they borrow my body while I’m channelling them,” she said proudly.

Diego opened his mouth to ask another question, when suddenly, it hit him, snapping him back to reality.

For a few minutes, his mind had been able to shut out the reality of his sister’s death, but now, it swept over him in full force.

Mia saw the sudden change in his expression, the light mood vanishing instantly. The pieces clicked together in her young but astute mind, and after a moment, she broke the silence.

“The spirit channelling…did someone in your family pass away recently?” she asked quietly.

Diego gave no response, only looking vacantly into the distance.

Mia hesitated for a moment. “Was her name Izzy?”

Hearing his sister’s name, an overwhelming flood of emotion came over him. It startled him, and before he could stop it, tears welled up in his eyes and brimmed over. He was appalled that he was crying, but it was such a relief from all the times he had held it inside of him. Diego felt a hand patting his shoulder gently.

“It’s okay. Crying always makes me feel better.”

“You wouldn’t understand how I feel. It was my sister who died.” He hadn’t meant for it to come out like that, but caught between his embarrassment at being seen crying and his stubbornness at acting independent, the words just tumbled out.

“Of course I understand,” she replied serenely. “My dad died about a year ago.”

This took Diego by surprise. He turned to look at her, her eyes calm but sad.

“What happened to him?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“They found him in one of the channelling chambers that had no ventilation. They said he was locked in there for a while, and because there were so many candles in the room, the oxygen was used up really quickly.”

“But you talked to him after through spirit channelling, right?”

“I really wanted to. Because it all happened so suddenly, and I never got a chance to say bye to my dad. But my mom said no. She said that it wouldn’t be fair for us to have a second chance when everyone else in the world didn’t. It kind of changes the natural process of mourning after a person dies. And if we got to see him one more time, we would keep wanting to see him again. Not seeing him helped us let go of him.”

Her innocent, young eyes were sad as she smiled wistfully.

“I really miss him. But I’ll always have my special memories of him.” Turning to look at Diego, she continued, “Because what’s yours will always be yours to keep. And nothing can ever change that.”

Diego was astounded. This girl was so little, but somehow it seemed that she understood everything he was feeling. And somehow, she had deciphered all his confusion for him, leaving him with a sense of peace.

“I wish I had said something more meaningful to her that morning,” Diego said regretfully. “But I didn’t, and all of a sudden, she was gone.”

Mia nodded, and continued for him. “And for a while, you feel like they never existed. Then, suddenly, reminders of them start coming up everywhere.”

Diego glanced sideways at her. “Actually…when you were walking here, for a moment, I thought you were Izzy,” he confessed. “I knew it was impossible…but I couldn’t help but hope…”

Mia regarded him silently. “I can channel her if you like,” she offered quietly.

“I…I…” he stammered, tempted to accept her suggestion. It would be so easy – seeing his sister one more time. But as he considered, Mia’s words from earlier echoed in his head. His sister had already been gone for a month. Maybe it was time to start letting go.

Diego bit his lip, hoping he wouldn’t regret his choice, and shook his head firmly. Taking a deep breath, he said bravely, “I have all the memories of her that I’ll ever need.”

Hearing those words from his own mouth finalized it. Crying had been his way of accepting the truth, and now, he was saying goodbye.

Glancing shyly at Mia, he went on. “You remind me a lot of Izzy, actually. She was always really happy like you. And she always knew how I was feeling before I said it.”

They were both silent for a moment, letting that comment hang in the air.

“Thanks,” Diego said finally. “I felt so lost without my sister before…and now, I feel better.” He felt silly and awkward saying those words, but the clumsy feeling vanished when he saw Mia smiling warmly back at him.

She opened her mouth to say something, but sneezed suddenly instead.

“Are you cold?” Diego asked, concerned.

She rubbed her nose cutely and smiled. “It’s probably just the breeze.”

He jumped up. “Come.” He extended his hand to pull her up and led the way into the house and down the corridor until they reached the closet. He stuck his head inside, and a moment later, he reappeared with a long, tan scarf.

“It was Izzy’s,” he said softly, holding it out towards her.

Mia looked at him, her brown eyes concerned. “Are you sure?” she asked hesitantly.

He nodded vigourously. “It was her favourite scarf. And I know she wouldn’t want it to just sit there collecting dust.”

Mia took the scarf reverently and wound it around her neck. She glanced down, only to see both ends touching the floor because of her short stature.

Diego frowned for an instant, then unwound the scarf gently. He folded it in half, and then put it around her neck, tucking one end into the other. The scarf ends now reached Mia’s knees.

“Perfect,” he smiled, pleased with himself.

Walking back down the hall, Mia stopped again to look at the collection of vases.

“They’re all so pretty,” she marvelled.

A sudden noise from outside made her jump, causing her to accidentally elbow one of the vases. She clapped a hand over her mouth in horror as it crashed to the floor.

Mrs. Armando and Morgan were out in an instant.

“Mia, didn’t I tell you to behave?” Her aunt’s voice was already rising, automatically accusing her niece.

Suddenly feeling protective of Mia, Diego cut in.

“No, it was my fault.” Turning to his mother, he continued, “Sorry, mom. It was an accident. I’ll go clean it up right now.”

Mrs. Armando nodded, so bewildered at her son’s change in tone that she didn’t even notice her daughter’s scarf on Mia. Still glancing at her son in awe, she led Morgan back into the living room to continue talking.

“Oh, Diego! I’m sorry! You didn’t have to do that for me,” Mia gasped, her hands still cupped over her mouth.

“It’s okay,” he reassured her.

“I’ll help you clean up,” she offered quickly, darting to the laundry room to get a broom.

“Careful of the glass,” he cautioned as she began sweeping up the broken pieces. The broom was nearly the same size as her, and she looked too small to be cleaning up the mess.

When he told her so, she laughed. “I do it all the time at home.”

They cleaned up quickly, and almost immediately after, Morgan and Mrs. Armando finished their meeting.

At the door, while the adults discussed contact information and other details, Mia suddenly realized she was still wearing the scarf. She started to take it off, but Diego stopped her.

“It’s yours to keep,” he said, winking at her.

She stared at him in bewilderment.

“Just take good care of it. Izzy will be happy it didn’t go to waste.”

She smiled shyly. “Thank you.”

He shook his head. “I should be the one saying thank you.”

There was still a hint of sadness in his voice, but the pent-up grief was gone. He smiled and waved goodbye to her, feeling a relieved contentment he hadn’t felt in a while. This girl had walked in on his life for one day, waving her magic everywhere and made things better when he needed it the most.

And perhaps, one day, he could return the favour.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes

If you live in North America (or maybe even somewhere else), then perhaps you've heard of the kid's TV show Dora the Explorer? And then there's her cousin Diego, who has his own show called Go, Diego, Go!
So in case you're wondering, Diego and IsaDORA are not in any way references to that. That was a complete fluke. I only realized that after I finished writing the prologue, and by then, Isadora's name had already stuck.

And if you know someone named Isadora (or, maybe are named that yourself), I realize that Izzy is more commonly a nickname for people named Isabelle or Isabella (or some variation of that name with a different spelling). But Izzy was a cute nickname, and I found that it just suited the character of Diego's sister (AKA my OC) And besides, since when were there ever any rules about names?

Don't ask me how old Diego and Mia are in this chapter. Even I don't know. They do however, have a 4 year age gap between them, which is actually a lot when we're talking about kids. But, consider the fact that Mia was probably always really mature for her age, and really, in the PW world, anything is possible :)

The other reason for my vagueness about their ages is simply this: near the beginning of Turnabout Sisters, Maya mentions to Phoenix that her dad died when she was really young. I wanted to situate this somewhere between the time the Fey sisters' dad dies and when their mom disappears. If you do all the math, it's really hard to situate it in a way that Mia's age is still compatible with her actions here. So I gave up on all the technicalities. I'll just leave it up to guys to imagine Diego and Mia as you wish.

Oh yeah. I know they're both pretty OOC. After all, this is over 10 years before we meet them in the game. They have yet to experience everything that they do when we meet them. And their changes are the reason why they won't instantly recognize each other when they meet again. But I won't say anymore. That would just be story wreckage :) (as my history teacher calls it)

So...comments, criticism, advice and suggestions? I'd love to hear them :)

Author's Notes:

Okay, I'm scrounging together my time in these last two days before going back to school so that I can update.

This chapter's a considerable amount shorter, and though you may hate me for it, Diego's not here yet. (He's still backstage, getting ready). But I promise, next chapter, you'll see him for sure!

Now for some character development on Maya's part, and setting the stage for the coming chapters... :)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



“Bee-”

The alarm clock’s first beep was interrupted by its owner smacking the off button instantaneously. She had already been up for half an hour before the alarm and had been sitting in bed with a thick book on law. At her clock’s six o’clock reminder, she slammed the book shut and swung her feet off the bed and into her slippers.

Padding down the hall to the washroom, she passed her sister’s room and knocked on the open door.
“Maya, you sleepyhead, wake up!” Taking a second glance, she realized that Maya’s bed was already made.

“Boo!”

Mia shrieked and spun around to face a giggling Maya.

“Ma-ya!” she said, her tone a mock reproachful, but a giggle burst out of her too.

“Sis! It’s your big day! First day at the law firm! So I had to wake up early and make you a special breakfast!”

Somehow, Mia wasn’t surprised that Maya was so excited this early in the morning.

Mia playfully wrinkled her nose. “What is it…soggy burgers?”

“Hey!” Maya laughingly smacked her sister with her wooden spatula. “Don’t make fun of my burgers! And for your information, I made pancakes. Specially shaped ones, too!”

Mia looked amused. “This, I have to see.”

Shuffling over to their kitchen, Mia glanced at the plates piled high with pancakes.

“Uh…Maya…all I see are circles.”

“They’re not circles!” Maya protested. “They’re attorney-badge shaped!”

“Right,” Mia said slowly, nodding skeptically, and then, both girls burst out laughing.

“Maybe I should send you to pancake-shape-making class,” Mia laughed.

“Maybe you should send yourself to true art appreciation class,” Maya retorted laughingly.

Mia patted her sister’s head. “But anyways, thanks. I bet circle-attorney-badge pancakes taste better than anything else. Good for getting me into the law mood for my first day at work,” she smiled.

In half an hour, they were both ready to go, with lots of time to spare. Mia made two creamy cups of hot chocolate, and they sat down at the cozy little kitchen table.

“Hey, sis, why do you always wear that scarf?”

Mia looked surprised for a moment, almost forgetting that she had it on.

“Oh. Well…it brings back a special memory from when I was younger.” Mia smiled as she remembered.

“Ooh,” Maya grinned mischievously. “Was it from a guy?”

Mia laughed. “Well, I guess you could say so. But at the time, he was just a little boy.” She paused, thoughtful. “I can’t remember very much about him, though. It was so long ago. I think his name was…Daniel? Something like that.”

Maya looked confused. “But if you barely remember him, why is that scarf so special?”

“I met him about a year after our dad died.” Maya was silent, listening attentively.

“At that time, I still wasn’t fully accepting the truth. I was upset at mom for not letting us see dad again. I was being bratty and selfish with her, thinking that no one had it worse than me.

But then, I met him. He seemed so alone – he had just lost his sister, and his mom didn’t seem to understand him at all. And then I started to realize how lucky I was, that I still had you and mom, who was so strong and understanding. When I began to comfort him, telling him all the things that mom had told me, I finally began to understand. And because I knew he was trusting and believing in what I said, I started to believe in mom.

I could tell he was really sad, but when I mentioned dad, he was instantly concerned about me.
He was selfless in that way, and he even generously gave me this scarf later. It was his sister’s.”

Maya sat there, awestruck at Mia’s story.

“Wow…I had no idea. Maybe I owe having such a great sis partly to him,” Maya grinned.

Mia smiled back, a little wistfully. “I wish I remember him better, though. I feel like I’m on the brink of rememberings, but my memory’s fuzzy. No matter how hard I try, I can’t quite put together what he looked like.”

Maya patted Mia’s hand from across the table.

“Don’t worry, sis. If you guys are meant to be, you’re sure to meet him again!”

Mia snorted. “How did we get on the topic of my soulmate? I’m just talking about a boy I met when I was really little.”

Maya winked playfully. “You never know, sis. Who knows…maybe Mr. Mystery Boy will end up as my brother-in-law!”

Mia rolled her eyes. “Oh! Would you look at the time? Time to go! I guess that conversation will just have to end there.”

Maya stuck her tongue out. “I’ll get you next time! We’ll find a perfect soulmate for you. In the meantime, I hope you have an awesome first day!”

“With my stomach full of attorney badge pancakes, I’m sure to do fine,” Mia laughed. “Aunt Morgan’s coming on the train to pick you up now, right?”

Promptly, the doorbell rang.

“Okay, sis,” Maya gave her sister a big hug. “Good luck! And call me soon!”

“Good luck with your training too! Work hard! And don’t eat too many burgers!”

Both girls were laughing as they said goodbye.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:

Okay, I'm sorry. I bet that was terribly boring, and a complete downplay from everything happening in the first chapter :(

Buuut, things will kick up once they meet again :)

And I might need Maya in future chapters, so I musn't neglect her character development. And now you know Mia's side of their conversation from all those years ago :)

Anyways, review?

Author's Notes

Hey all! :) I'm sorry if I kept any of you waiting for an update -.- (I'm not going to give you a list of excuses for the delay.) I will add, however, that I did have this chapter begun several months ago, but it was just so BORING that I could not continue it. So I abandoned it for a (very hectic) three months, and sat down and took it from a different angle yesterday. So this chapter may not be great, but I can promise that it's better than whatever that first trial for Ch. 3 would have turned out as.

You may be a little disappointed that there's still no real evidence of the chemistry between Mia and Diego here, but take into account the fact that when Turnabout Beginnings started, they were talking like they barely knew each other.

Next chappie, I promise, things will kick up a notch :)

Anyways, enough of me blabbing - everything else that needs to be addressed will be in the end notes

~ ~ ~ ~ ~



Diego Armando had a very good poker face.

Not that he gambled. But his years growing up as his mother’s supporter had pushed him to always be cool-headed and calm. Then his career as a defence attorney had reinforced that cool, collected composure. It took a lot to surprise him. The new rookies at the law office even had a secret competition to see who could catch him off guard. So far, no one had succeeded.

That wasn’t to say he acted emotionless. In fact, he was quite the opposite. He was always the life of the party, he always had some witty comeback to whatever people had to say to him. But beneath that playful exterior was a man with a steely determination and a depth that few people took the time to understand. In truth, he was lonely, though not even he realized it. He had gone for so many years without anyone to truly understand him, that he didn’t even realize what was causing that empty feeling inside of him.

----------

Diego was already on his third cup of coffee when the office door swung open at precisely 9AM. A young woman walked in, chewing her bottom lip, and glanced around, looking like she had momentarily lost her bearings. Diego saw her inhale sharply and intercept the first person who walked past her, one of the trainees.

“Um, excuse me, is Mr. Grossberg in?”

The trainee looked a little thrown at seeing a woman in the male-dominated office and seemed just as flustered as she was.

“Oh, y-yeah,” he stammered. “Just follow me.” He led the way to Grossberg’s room.

Poor kid, Diego chuckled to himself. He was, however, curious about the mysterious woman.

“Theo,” Diego had walked over to his understudy’s desk.

“Mr. Armando?” Theo glanced up from the papers he was diligently filling out, ink smeared across his nose.

“You don’t happen to know who that lady was, do you?” Diego was seldom at the office as he was constantly taking cases, leaving it to his understudy to fill him in about the office details.

“I think I overheard someone say that Mr. Grossberg hired her. Something about her graduating with astounding marks or something.”

“So I guess we’ll be making acquaintances with her soon.” Diego gestured towards the men-filled office and asked amusedly, “Do you think she’ll survive?”

Before Theo had the chance to reply, Grossberg’s door opened and he emerged, followed by the woman, who looked terribly small in comparison.

“A-hem!” That throat-clearing could be recognized anywhere. “Everyone, I’d like to introduce to you the newest addition to our law offices, Ms. Mia Fey. Mia, would you like to introduce yourself a bit?”

Mia’s face went pink. Diego felt a wave of pity for her being put on the spot like that and came to her rescue.

“Mr. Grossberg, I’m sure Ms. Fey would like us to introduce ourselves too. And maybe we should get her settled before we play the get-to-know-yous?”

“Ah, that’s a good idea, Diego. Mia, m’dear, you’ll be working under me, so just let me know if you need anything. Mr. Hammond will show you your desk.”

She turned to the man Grossberg had gestured to, who politely offered his hand.

“Robert Hammond,” he introduced himself, shaking her hand tightly. She smiled politely back, then snuck a relieved glance at Grossberg’s retreating back. She went around as everyone introduced themselves, though she still looked a tad uncomfortable at being spotlighted.

Diego switched his coffee mug to his left hand when Mia got to him.

“I’m Diego Armando. Just call me Diego,” he smiled complacently.

“Just call me Mia.” She took the outstretched hand and smiled at him. When their eyes met, he had a sudden flash of fragmented recognition.

I’ve seen those brown eyes before. But where?

“Ms. Fey, have we met before?” he asked suddenly.

She seemed thrown by his question. “I-I’m not sure...” She didn’t recognize him, but a sense of familiarity tickled the edges of her memory. But before anything else could be added to that conversation, Theo extended his hand and Mia’s introductions continued.

After a half-hour of settling Mia in, everyone returned to their usual spots, though there was many a glance in Mia’s direction. Of the people who were studying the newcomer in their office, Diego was one of them.

Where have I seen her before? Diego mused, watching as she pushed her brown bangs back, only to have them fall forward again.

“Uh...Mr. Armando, sir?” Theo was unsettled by his mentor’s odd behaviour. “Sir...I hate to ask, but...you’re...not checking her out, are you?” He lowered his voice at the last part.

“Theo,” Diego sighed. “I know what I’m doing, alright?”

The poor boy backed off, but couldn’t help but be wary. After all, it wasn’t exactly normal for his mentor to look like he was ogling her.

Diego’s brows furrowed as he continued watching Mia. He knew he probably looked strangely creepy, but he wouldn’t be able to work until he remembered where he had seen her before.

Mia was intently studying a case file Mr. Grossberg had handed her, but was momentarily distracted when one end of her scarf slid off her shoulder and obscured her papers. Absentmindedly, she flung it back over her shoulder.

Diego felt a sudden jolt of recognition. That little action had stirred up a moment of déjà vu in him – he had seen his sister do the exact same thing so many times before. With a start, he glanced again, this time looking at Mia’s scarf. Without a doubt, it was identical to Isadora’s. Suddenly, the memory flooded back to him – that girl, the spirit channelling, his sister’s scarf. But most of all, what that mysterious girl had done for him; the way she had helped him up from where he had fallen and encouraged him to keep going.

That can’t be her! What are the chances? He asked himself in disbelief. But the more he studied her features, the more he was certain that he couldn’t have mistaken those brown eyes.

She got up out of her seat and started towards the office’s little kitchen, presumably to pour herself a drink. Diego followed her, determined to find an answer.

Leaning against the doorframe, he spoke.

“Coffee?” he offered, lifting the coffee pot off the counter beside where he stood.

Mia jumped, startled. “Oh! Mr. Armando, I didn’t notice you there.” She let him pour her a cup and thanked him as she took it.

She smiled. “By the way, I forgot to mention this earlier, but thanks for getting me out of that little...uh, situation with Mr. Grossberg.”

Diego gave his signature grin. “It was nothing, Kitten.”

Oops. He hadn’t meant for that to slip out, but the memory of Mia looking so put on the spot reminded him of a vulnerable kitten.

Mia gave him a weird look.

Diego cursed himself internally for the tongue-slip, but continued smiling suavely.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Ms. Fey. I have a bad habit of calling beautiful ladies that.” He nearly tripped over his own words as he scrambled to make up the lie.

Mia blushed and glanced down to take a sip of her coffee.

What. A. Flirt.

“Ms. Fey, I know I asked this earlier, but are you sure we haven’t met before?”

...Is that just a really bad pick-up line?

“Uh...” she glanced up uncertainly. She had to admit that there was something about him that seemed familiar, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Before she could come together with some kind of suitable response, one of the trainees called from the desk, “New case for you, Mr. Armando!”

“Give me a moment,” he answered them, turning back to Mia.

“I’m sorry, Ms. Fey. I guess we’ll have to continue this conversation at a later time, then.”

Mia nodded complacently, smiling slightly behind the rim of her mug.

The trainee called again. “It’s a big case, sir! You’ll have to fly there for a couple of weeks!”

Diego sighed. “A much later time then,” he added apologetically to Mia.

“So I won’t be seeing you for a while, I presume?”

Diego grinned again. “Then I hope that when I get back, you’ll be taking your first case.”

Mia returned the smile. “I hope so too.”

As Diego turned to leave, he was certain that his recognition of her was correct.

It seems that she doesn’t remember me. Ah...well, when I get back, we’ll have lots of time to chat, Kitten.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

End Notes:

Oh, poor Diego, being misunderstood by Mia like that.

Anyways, this is just going by my theory: I don't think Diego's actually a flirt. The game leads us to believe that because he refers to both Mia and Dahlia as "Kitten", but...what if he just called Dahlia that so that it wouldn't be so obvious a pet name (no pun intended) for Mia? Well, that's what I think. After all, flirts don't suddenly meet one person and turn absolutely, 100 percent loyal to that person of their dreams. It's too much of a stretch.

I don't know if you guys found this inconsistent: confident, upbeat Diego contrasted with his inner monologue. I'm aware of how hotshot he acts in front of people, but is it too ridiculous to imagine all the uncertainties he hides inside? Like him scrambling inside to make up the lie about the "Kitten" slip while maintaining his usual composure. Was that too much of a stretch?

Oh, and one little explanation: The reason Diego remembers Mia, but she doesn't recognize him is simply because he was older when he met her. I know that the same amount of time passed for both of them (duh), but just because Diego was older when they met, the memory was more vivid for him. That's all :)

Umm...so review, please? (Pretty please with a...a...Snackoo on top?)

Anyways, next chapter, Mia takes her first case! And we all know what happens :)

Or do we?