Title: All's Fair In Love And War
Author: EdgeworthFanGirl AKA Tarma Hartley
Rating: PG-13, mild language
Genre: Romance/General
Status: completed
Pairing: Phoenix & Edgeworth
Summary: After a rather bad day in court, Edgeworth wants to see Phoenix in his office. Is it about the case or is it something else?
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I write under the penname of Tarma Hartley on fanfiction.net and this was my very first PxE fanfic I ever wrote. I posted it at the end of January 2007. I hope that those who read will enjoy it. Slight revision. Comments are welcome. :)

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"Objection!" Miles Edgeworth’s imposing voice cut across from the other side of the courtroom. "The witness has already answered the question!"

"Objection!" I shouted back, slamming my hands on top of the table in front of me. "She hasn’t answered anything!"

"Objection overruled, Mr. Wright," the judge said tiredly, giving me an icy look, "continue your line of questioning, Mr. Edgeworth."

"But–"

"I said objection overruled, Mr. Wright. I won’t tell you again. Continue, Mr. Edgeworth."

"Thank you, Your Honor," Edgeworth replied, giving a deep bow and continued on with his presentation. I grimaced and then shot a glare across the floor to Edgeworth who smirked back.

That was the fifth time today I wanted to wipe that smirk right off his face. Maya seemed to sense my growing frustration since she put a restraining hand on my arm just as I was about to raise it and shook her head.

"Don’t let him get to you, Nick," she said calmly. "Call his bluff. Don’t let him know that he's gotten to you."

"I think its too late for that, Maya," I replied, catching Edgeworth’s grim smile as he looked at me, "he already knows."

Damn him.

XXXXXX

Edgeworth was waiting for me in the Court Lobby No. 2 once the trial had ended for the day. I was more than a little surprised. What was he doing here waiting for me?

Even Maya raised an eyebrow when she saw him standing there by the door.

"What’s he doing here, Nick?" she asked.

I shook my head. "I don’t know, Maya," I replied, "but, whatever it is, it can’t be good."

She sighed. "Does this mean I have to find my own way home again?"

"I suppose so," I replied. I brought out my wallet, opened it up, took out some bills and handed them to her. "Here. Take a taxi home and get yourself some burgers on the way."

She gratefully took the money, wished me a good evening and left, giving Edgeworth a piercing glare in passing. He made no comment but an eyebrow did lift somewhat.

Once she had gone, I turned to Edgeworth, barely disguised anger seething just below the surface.

"What the hell do you want, Edgeworth?" I growled. "couldn’t it have waited until tomorrow?"

"No, Wright," he said coldly, "it couldn’t. Come with me to my office. We have some things to discuss, you and I."

I sighed. Terrific. Another evening shot and I had to spend it with Edgeworth on top of it. Lovely. Not something I really wanted to do.

I crossed my arms over my chest, my mouth turned down. "And, pray tell, what exactly do we have to discuss?"

Edgeworth’s grey eyes narrowed, a finger tapping the outside of his arm where they crossed and gave me a withering glare.

"I said, Wright," he began again, his voice tight with anger as he annunciated each and every word, "We. Have. Some. Things. To. Discuss. Now. Tonight. Not. Tomorrow. Or. The. Next. Day. Now! Have. I .Made. Myself. Perfectly. Clear?"

I resisted the urge to salute him. "Perfectly," I spat, turning on my heel and pushing past him. He turned and watched my angry retreat with amused detachment and, after a moment or two, followed me out the door.

"Damn that Edgeworth!" I seethed to myself as I stalked towards the courthouse Parking Lot. "Not only does he practically try to humiliate me in court but now he wants to talk to me at his office about something or other that can’t wait until tomorrow!" Damn the impudence of the man!

I kicked an unoffending stone on my way past and it went skittering into the darkness beyond the light posts. I wanted to fling my briefcase after it but held my temper as I saw Edgeworth’s red car parked a few feet away. I sniffed as I walked up to it and resisted the urge to spit on it. I kicked the tire instead. I hurt my foot a little but it was worth it.

Edgeworth emerged slowly from the darkness and rolled his eyes. "Now that you have had your little tantrum, do you feel better?"

I glared at him. "Much."

He sighed as he walked over to the driver’s side. "Honestly, Wright," he chided as he clicked the electronic door opener he held in his hand, "you didn’t have to throw a fit." He gave me a long-suffering look as he opened the car door and got inside, opening the passenger’s side door for me.

I threw my briefcase in the backseat as I sullenly got into the car, slamming the door pointedly behind me. He raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he put the key into the ignition and, with a quick twist, the car roared into life. Edgeworth carefully backed out of the parking lot and drove down the street, taking a left at the intersection.

The half hour trip downtown to the Prosecutor’s Office was a quiet one which was just as well. I was too angry at Edgeworth to make any conversation and he seemed preoccupied as we made our way thorough the dark streets. It was an uncomfortable, strained silence but I wasn't going to be the first to apologize. He started it.

It was a palpable relief to finally arrive at the Prosecutor’s Office parking lot and, by the sour look on his face, Edgeworth seemed to agree. After parking, I had undone my seatbelt with haste and exited, stopping only to turn and retrieve my briefcase from the back seat.

We walked in silence into the building and the elevator ride up to the 15th floor was also quiet and uneventful. I couldn’t wait to get whatever discussions he had in mind out of the way and get out of there.

I couldn’t see the point–why would he, the Prosecutor, want to discuss anything pertaining to this case with the Defense? It made no sense. Then again, when you were dealing with Edgeworth, most rules were thrown right out the window.

I glanced briefly at him and wondered what it was that really made him tick. I knew that he hated crime and criminals with an almost unholy passion but there were also ugly rumors floating around about him as well: whispers of forged evidence, of resorting to any and all methods, legal and otherwise (mostly otherwise) to win a case, intimidating potential witnesses.

Stealing another glance at him again made me wonder about the many contradictions in his character. He was Von Karma’s heir and there were many out there who would never let him forget it. I had to admit as we walked out of the elevator and down the hall, it was a hell of a burden on his shoulders and one that I never wanted on mine.

I had to admire that strength and resolve since it took every iota of each to make it through the day though again I wondered at the contradictions between Edgeworth himself and those who thought him to be nothing more than the pliable tool of the late and unlamented Manfred Von Karma. Which he most definitely wasn’t.

I didn’t know how he did it and, despite my burning anger against him, I did grant him a grudging respect for the hard task of going to work with your enemies surrounding you at every corner and just getting through the day relatively unscathed.

How does he do it, day after day? I wondered as I watched him unlock the door to his office. He knows what’s being said about him and yet it doesn’t seem to matter to him. He still comes in and does his job regardless. You had to respect the man for that.

Edgeworth opened the door and walked inside, motioning to me to follow him inside which I did. He closed the door, switched on the light and walked over to his desk, tossing his briefcase onto the couch by the wall. I stood quietly in front of the closed door until Edgeworth seated himself and impatiently motioned to me to sit down which I did.

We sat in silence for some time staring either at the wall, the ceiling, or the floor but were always careful not to make eye contact. I started fidgeting, wishing he would just get to the point of why he brought me here and then I could leave. The sooner that happened, the better.

After what seemed to me to be an eternity, he cleared his throat.

"You’re probably wondering why I asked you to come here with me this evening," Edgeworth began and I noticed, to my surprise, that he actually seemed embarrassed..

What on earth had brought that on?

"The thought had crossed my mind," I said evenly, "seeing as how I couldn’t think of any reason why you would have wanted to bring me here in the first place.” I leaned forward, my hands on my knees."Why did you bring me here, Miles? What could you possibly–"

Edgeworth’s sudden movement took me completely by surprise and, before I had time to react, he had jumped up out of his chair, walked quickly over to the chair I was sitting in, taken me in his arms and pressed his mouth hard against mine.

I was too stunned to do anything; my hands fluttered uselessly against my knees. I didn’t even have the strength to lift my arms. Everything had drained out of me with that unexpected kiss. What was even weirder that, after the initial shock had worn off, I found I rather liked it. This was certainly new for me, never having been kissed by another man before.

Edgeworth’s hand cupped the back of my head, pressing his mouth even harder against mine, running his fingers gently through my hair, urging me on with the passion of his kiss. This is so surreal, the part of my mind still functional remarked, as my body began responding to him, my arms reaching up to wrap around his neck, this can’t be happening...but it is and I don’t want it to stop. I want it to go on forever...

Edgeworth gently parted my lips with his tongue, sliding it into my mouth. I moaned into his mouth as he did so, our tongues dancing merrily together.

This is so amazing, I thought as he gently pulled me to my feet, his mouth never once leaving mine, and yet so..unexpectedly wonderful...

"Wow,” I breathed softly when we had parted, Miles still holding me tenderly in his arms, "I never knew...I never thought. Miles...how..?"

"Shhh,” he chided gently, kissing the tip of my nose, “I don’t know and I don’t care." He sighed with feeling. "I just...want you, Phoenix. You were so angry with me earlier that I didn’t have the chance to tell you."

I chuckled rather ruefully. "I was angry, Miles, very angry. I thought that you were doing your utmost to humiliate me in court." I flushed. "I should have known better than to lose my temper."

He buried his face in my hair. "I'm sorry I gave you that impression, Wright," he said at last, "it certainly wasn't my intention. Sometimes I have a hard time leaving the Prosecutor behind and living as the man." He tenderly caressed my face with his fingers and I trembled at the sparks of electricity that flowed throughout my body. "Can you...forgive me?"

"Of course," I replied, lying my head on his shoulder and closing my eyes while he stroked my hair. "I already have."

I felt him heave a veritable sigh of relief and relax considerably, the built up tension in him draining out of him at that instant.

We stood in silence for some minutes more before I broke it asking, "How..long have you known, Miles?"

"Not long," he confessed, lifting his head up and looking me square in the face, his fingers tracing patterns on my skin, " I knew that there had to be some reason that I suddenly wanted to spend more time around you than before."

He kissed my cheeks gently. "I tried to ignore my feelings..to fight them but they just wouldn’t go away and kept getting stronger." He took a deep breath. "I’m sorry I acted like such a jerk, Wright. I was in denial. I didn’t want to admit these feelings even to myself so I tried my best to forget, burying myself in work, trying to keep busy and not having to deal with them."

"But you couldn’t forget, could you?" I asked softly.

Edgeworth shook his head. "No, I couldn’t. With each passing day, it became more and more difficult to try to hide what I felt and I couldn’t hide from myself any longer what I truly wanted."

"Which was...?"

His grey eyes bored into mine. "You," he stated simply. "I wanted you."

I blinked. It should have come as a surprise but, somehow, it didn't.

"So," I said, gazing up at him in wonder, "you started acting like a jerk to push me away?"

He squeezed his eyes shut. "Yes. I was such a fool, Wright. The more I wanted you, the more I tried to push you away. You see," he continued, his eyes slowly opening, "I was afraid."

"Of..?"

He held me tightly. "You...not..wanting me." He lifted his eyes and stared at the ceiling, his fingers absentmindedly burying themselves in my hair. "I was afraid you wouldn’t want me..wouldn’t want anything to do with me if you knew how I truly felt about you."

He kissed the top of my head. "It seems I can deal with criminals and crime quite well but I cannot deal with the affairs of my own heart. Being Prosecutor, I can shut my feelings down when I have to in order to do my job effectively but this..." He stopped.

"Yes?" I prodded gently.

"I couldn’t deal with it, Wright," he continued, his voice tight, "I just...couldn’t. Until tonight." He looked at me tenderly, his eyes shining with unshed tears. "I couldn’t hide from myself any longer what I wanted and decided to come right out and say it."

He blushed. "I admit to baiting you deliberately so I could have a nice, safe excuse to talk to you afterwards." He chuckled ruefully. "Maybe I wanted to try and convince myself of it, more than anything. “All’s fair in love and war,” so the saying goes. But when I saw how angry you were, I realized that I had pushed you too far...and I cursed myself for being a fool." He swallowed hard. "I was afraid I’d lost you but I had to try..I wouldn’t have had any peace if I didn’t. So.."

"..That was why you wanted me to come to your office with you," I said softly. Now it all made perfect sense.

He nodded. "Yes. I wanted to at least have one chance to tell you how I felt but, when I saw that you were still upset, I decided to throw caution to the winds and just show you how much I cared about you."

He looked into my face, his eyes shining and troubled. "Now that you know, do you..." He flushed. "Can you..I mean..after what I..."

I kissed his lips, silencing him, my eyes telling him everything he needed to know.

"Yes," I whispered, kissing his eyes and tasting those unshed tears, "I can." I looked at him with warmth. "I love you, Miles Edgeworth. I want to be with you."

He gave a small gasp and wordlessly crushed me to him, burying his face in my hair once again.

"Wright..Oh Wright," he whispered over and over, his voice thick with tears. "I love you, too."

His lips covered mine once more and, at that moment, I knew that neither of us would ever be alone again.

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Yay! It was fun to re-read this one, since I love the Phoenix/Miles fluff! :)

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Thanks Syrus!

I have a nostalgic fondness for this one since it was the very first fanfic I ever wrote. :) Of course, I did make a change or two from the one posted on ff.net but the rest is still the same. :)

Thanks again for the comment!

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YOU ARE TARMA HARTLEY?

ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL I'VE PRINTED OUT LONG AGO AND IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO ME and I only just realised there's another chapter.. I'm really excited now. It was one of my first PxE fanfics long before joining this community, and holds a very special place. I'll read this as soon as I have an hour of peace and quiet in the house. I only saw your name, clicked the thread immediately and saw your real name next to it-- I mean, whoa - you are Tarma Hartley? And how could I not notice? I've been talking to you all this time.. Sorry, I'm at a loss for words. That's overwhelming. Even back when I was browsing FF.net and checked your profile afterwards, I couldn't believe your husband would read and review your fanfics! I mean... wow.

*Bows, Edgeworth-style* Yes. :)

I've been sitting here at the computer off and on all day and I still can't think of a single blessed thing to say except I'm really overwhelmed (in a GOOD way!) and thank you very much! (And writers are supposed to be so darn good with words... ;D I'll probably think of something later but I can't think of anything, really, right now.)

I'm very glad to hear that you enjoyed "All Things Being Equal," being very partial to it myself. :) It definitely is my overall favourite of the three stories I have posted thus far, with this one being my nostalgic favourite since it was the very first one I wrote.


Thank you VERY much again! It means a lot to me. :)

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