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This fic has been long time coming. It's been halted by everything from school work to lack of motivation, but it's finally ready to post. This started from a conversation I had with DSL-69 regarding an idea about Mia surviving the blow to the head White deals her, but is in a coma. I started running with it and this is the result. I intend to run this until the end of Trials and Tribulations, so it's going to be a fairly substantial work. Please enjoy and let me know what you think, constructive criticism is always welcomed and appreciated.

Huge thanks to DSL-69 for letting me run with the idea along with being a beta for it, and to Quizer and Fearlololoki for also being betas.

And, as always with my writing "speaking" indicates spoken dialog and speaking indicates those PW internal monologues we so love.

Rating: PG-13 for swearing

Summary: During Redd White's assault, Mia's quick reflexes cause her to partly dodge his blow, resulting in her falling into a coma rather than dying. Unable ot help from the grave, Phoenix is forced to stand on his own two legs and fight his battles alone...until the day he and his mentor stand side by side again. AU, eventual Mia/Phoenix.
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Phoenix strode into the office at a brisk pace well aware he was late. Mia had told him to be there at nine, but biking from his place to the office took longer than he had expected. The office was quiet, unnaturally so, and the lights were all off.

Phoenix sighed, Damn, she probably left for her place already…I guess I’ll have to bike over there.

He turned back towards the door, but stopped before he opened it. There was a faint odor in the air, its faint tinct of iron almost smelling of...

Blood?! Mia!

Not stopping to think, Phoenix tore into Mia’s office. The room was in a state of disarray, with documents strewn about and furniture overturned. A muffled cry brought his attention to near the window, where Mia’s unmoving body lay slumped over on the floor, the eerie light from the hotel across the way pooling around her.

A younger girl dressed is some rather odd clothes was leaning over Mia’s body, crying. “Sis…”

Trying to pull himself together, Phoenix spoke, “Who are you-?”

With a startled noise the girl slumped over. Phoenix quickly moved to her side and found that she’d only fainted. With a reluctant look at Mia’s form, he scooped up the girl and laid her on the couch in the outer room of the office. He had to stop himself from running back in to check on Mia, knowing he’d most likely trip over something in the shambles of the office.

Mia’s form was still, unnaturally so. Phoenix gently lifted her prone form into his arms, cringing at the blood he lightly touched as he felt for a pulse, his fingers nervously checking the side of her neck, Please don’t be dead Mia…please…

And then he felt it. The pulse wasn’t strong, but it was steady. She was alive.

Thank God… Phoenix’s head slumped onto her shoulder in relief for a moment before he snapped his head up, I’d better call an ambulance…Damn, the one time I forget my cell phone at home.

Phoenix gently lowered Mia back down, careful not to move her too much, before quickly moving over to use the office phone, Alright, I better call-What? A few of the screws are missing…looks like someone was halfway through taking it apart…

“Police?! Please come quick!”

What the?! Someone screaming outside the window?

Phoenix moved back towards the window and saw a woman looking straight into the office, Damn, she’s looking right at me!…This could get misinterpreted but at least someone got notified, I guess. I’d better check out the crime scene before they get here and find out why that girl was here.

Phoenix did a quick survey of the area around Mia’s body, noting the Thinker coated in blood close to the body. As he moved to get up, a flash of white caught his eye. The corner of a piece of paper was in Mia’s left hand. Phoenix carefully pried it out her hand to get a better look at it. It was a receipt with “Maya” written on it. Phoenix tucked it carefully into his pocket before heading out to the outer office.

The outer office was seemingly empty and Phoenix briefly thought the girl had run out on him.

He jumped suddenly as he felt a hand on his shoulder, “Yipes! Don’t scare me like that…uh…who are you? It’s okay, I work here.”

Her reply was so quiet Phoenix had to lean in to hear it, “Maya…Maya Fey.”

“Maya…Fey?” So it was her name that Mia was writing…I wonder if I should show it to her..?
“So, you’re the chief’s…?”

“Sister. I’m her younger sister.”

“And you were…visiting? This late?”

Maya nodded and sat back down on the couch, “Yes. She said she wanted me to hold some evidence for her.”

“Evidence?”

“I-it was that clock…”The Thinker”…”

Phoenix nodded,” I see…um…could you tell me what happened?”

“I came in…the room was dark and Sis…Sis was…!”

Phoenix put his hands on Maya’s shoulders, “She’s still alive Maya. Somehow, that blow didn’t kill her.”

Maya started to get up, but Phoenix stopped her, “Maya, she’s still not conscious, someone across the way called the police, but I don’t think an ambulance is going to come with them. Do you have a cell phone?”

Maya nodded and handed him her purple cell phone. Phoenix quickly dialed 911 and informed them that someone needed medical attention and relayed the address of the office. He found himself breathing a sigh of relief as he handed Maya the phone. She gave him a small smile and he thought about the note he’d found in Mia’s hand.

“Thanks, but um… there’s something I’d like to ask you about.”

Maya looked at him curiously, “What?”

Phoenix shifted a bit uncomfortably and pulled the receipt out of his pocket, “Before she lost consciousness…Mia wrote a message in her own blood. It’s on the back of this receipt.”

Maya took the receipt and turned it over with a shaky hand, “Th-that’s MY name! Why?! Why would she write my name?”

Yet again, Phoenix put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to reassure her, “ Please, calm down.”

Maya took a couple of deep breaths but her voice still betrayed her incredulousness, “Why would Sis write my name…?”

Phoenix’s reply was cut off by the sound of sirens drawing closer to the office.

He jerked his head towards the door, “The police!” It’s about time…hope they have the ambulance with them too…

“FREEZE! POLICE!!!!”

A scruffy looking detective in a trench coat barged into the room stopping in front of Phoenix and Maya, “Alright, I’m Detective Dick Gumshoe, see?”

Phoenix found his sarcastic side responding to that statement with a dry, Well that’s a name you don’t hear everyday…

The detective continued, “We received a report from the building across the way, see? Got a person saying they saw a murder. Anyway, I don’t want either of you moving an inch, ‘kay?”

Phoenix watched at Gumshoe went into the office and called for one of the other officers to come in. After a minute or two, Gumshoe strode back in.

“Well, good news pal. This would only be considered attempted murder, as the lady’s still alive. There was a call for an ambulance and they’re almost here. Did you place the call, pal?”

“Yes, I did.” Phoenix let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Thank God…Hang in there just a little longer, Chief. Please…

Gumshoe looked like he was about to say more but stopped and picked up the receipt, “…This word here. Does it mean anything to you?”

Maya timidly raised a hand, “Um…that…That’s my name…”

“WHAAAAAT?!”

Phoenix and Maya jumped at Gumshoe’s incredulous shout.

“The victim wrote this note in her own blood, see? In her last moments of consciousness, she wrote down her attacker’s name!”

Maya paled even further, making her already pale, distressed appearance even more ghostly, “Attacker? I wouldn’t—“

“Case Closed, Missy. You’re coming down the precinct with me!”

“W-what?”

As the sirens of the Ambulance drew closer, Phoenix had a feeling this was only going to get worse.

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Reviews are love, please spread it if you feel so inclined.

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This may not be a fave pairing of mine, but I've read your other works and was hoping for you to write more someday. I like your writing and am eager to see this idea in motion! Please continue!

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Here's chapter two. I've got up to three pretty much done, but chapter four is still in the beta stage so there'll be a bit of lag in between 3 and 4. Five is about half done, as it stands right now but, it marks close to the end of 1-2, which is probably going to be one of the longer AA cases in the AU.
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There was, Phoenix decided, something decidedly depressing about hospital waiting rooms. As he leaned back in the very uncomfortable plastic chair sitting in the narrow room, he glared at the white washed walls. They might be part of it, as the stark whiteness seemed to wash the life out of the room. Phoenix had come down shortly after finishing up his investigation regarding Maya’s upcoming trial, hoping that he could just slip in and see how Mia was doing. However, luck was not with him and he had been stuck waiting for at least fifteen minutes. He was just contemplating leaving to prepare Maya’s case when one of the doctors came out.

“You’re the one who wanted to see Ms. Fey, am I correct?”

Phoenix stumbled to his feet and nodded, “Yeah, I’m Phoenix Wright. I’m her friend.”

For some reason he couldn’t just call himself her employee (although that was technically what he was). Their relationship had never really been at the “employer/employee” level. They’d gone from acquaintances to friends pretty quickly, as people often will when they’re stuck with only each other to talk to on a nine-to-five work schedule.

The doctor nodded, “You can go in and see her, but she’s not conscious. That blow to her temporal lobe was enough to knock her into a coma. She’s lucky though; it was a glancing blow. If it had been more accurate she would be dead right now. ”

Phoenix swallowed, feeling a large cold weight settling into the pit of his stomach, “So you don’t know when she’ll regain consciousness?”

“Could be the next day, could be next year, could be never. We honestly don’t know, Mr. Wright. Do you still want to see her?”

Phoenix nodded, “If I could.”

The doctor nodded, “It’s the third room on the left.”

Phoenix nodded, “Thank you.”

Mia’s room was as stark as the rest of the hospital. Worse, actually, as the light filtering in from the window bleached out the already pale room (Phoenix made a mental note to pick up flowers or something later). Mia lay on a bed in the middle of the room. The only medical equipment was an IV setup, a brainwave monitor and a device to monitor her heartbeat. The slow steady rhythm of the beeps the machine emitted was oddly comforting to Phoenix as he looked at the still form of his mentor and friend.

Mia’s face was peaceful, and she almost would have appeared to be simply sleeping were it not for the bandages wrapped around her head. Phoenix had never seen her face so serene; she was always so full of fire and drive that it seemed unnatural for her face to be in a state of repose like this. He realized he was intently watching her and colored before remembering Mia wasn’t aware of him. This thought caused the cold lump in his stomach to grow. Unsure of what to do, he swallowed and pulled a chair up next the bed.

On a impulse he took her hand in both of his and started talking to her, “Chief, I know you probably can’t hear me right now. The doctors say you…you might not wake up. I know you’re stronger than this, Chief, so don’t let it beat you. I’ll make sure the person who did this’ll be in jail. Right now they’re saying Maya did it, I don’t think she did especially after the way she talked about you. I’m her lawyer because nobody else will take the case. There’s something strange about the whole thing, honestly, but I can’t make the connections at this point and I’m not even sure I can make a case for a ‘not guilty’ plea. That doesn’t mean I’ll try though. You always said that we have to believe in our clients, so I will. I only hope things will turn out for the best…”

Phoenix turned as a nurse came into the room. After briefly checking the IV and Mia’s pulse she strode out. Sighing, Phoenix stood as well, reluctantly letting go of Mia’s hand.

“I’ll be back tomorrow, Chief. After the trial.”

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As always, comments are welcomed and appreciated.

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Ah! You mentioned that you were working on this story a while ago. I'm happy to see that you're posting it. :)

It's quite good so far and it certainly has an interesting concept (I often like "what if" kind of stories). Poor Mia, Phoenix, and Maya. D: I look forward to more.

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Oooh this should be interesing, I've never read a fanfiction with the pairing /

Can't wait for the next chapter!

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Thanks for the positive reviews so far guys! I appreciate 'em.

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