It was dark waiting in the wings. The only illumination came from the glare of the stage. He stood there silently, wrapped in the blackness watching Klavier and Lamiroir's body double, the magician, performing the lead singer's latest masterpiece The Guitar's Serenade.

"Push the switch now!" he said into his headset and smirked with satisfaction at the tell-tale flicker coming from the sound hole of Klavier's guitar. There was the sound of footsteps behind him and before he knew what happened, Detective Daryan Crescend found himself bent over the table full of sound equipment, his hands secured tightly behind his back with what felt like a silk scarf.

"What the...! Who?" Daryan struggled against his silken bonds and his captor pressed the hand holding the rocker harder into his back and pinning him to the table. All he could do now was wait to see what would happen next. He felt a hardness press itself against the tight leather covering his bum and his assailant's warm breath tickled his ear as the man spoke.

"A magician never reveals his secrets."

Objection!

The Borscht Bowl Club had closed for the evening and the owner already gone having left Phoenix to lock up. Phoenix and Kristoph had just finished eating.

"Play me a song Phoenix." Kristoph said reclining back in the chair at his favorite table next to the piano. Contrary to everyone's belief, Phoenix Wright did know how to play the piano and he did so exceptionally well for someone who was self taught. Phoenix grinned sheepishly and began to play Kristoph's favorite song, Moonlight Sonata. He closed his eyes, lost in the undulating wave of music as his fingers danced across the keys with practiced ease.

Kristoph watched him contemplatively. *Beautiful.* he thought. He still had his eyes shut, his brow furrowed in concentration and gently swaying to the lilting rhythm of the song. Kristoph got up from his seat and crossed quietly to the piano, stopping behind the absorbed pianist. He placed his hand lightly on the ex-defense attorney's shoulder startling him and causing him to abruptly end his playing with a mess of off-key chords.

Phoenix turned his head to look at the older Gavin brother and found his face inches from the other man's. Kristoph gave a mischievious grin and closed the distance between them. He kissed Phoenix softly and passionately his tongue exploring every inch of Wright's mouth gently caressing and entwining itself with the Wright's tongue. It lasted only a few moments before he broke the kiss. He looked down lovingly into the ex-lawyer's gray eyes. Phoenix was blushing slightly but looked pleased all the same. He returned Kristoph's gaze. "Objection..." he said softly and smiled.

It was over. He had this one in the bag for sure this time. The basement of the Borscht Bowl Club was cool yet Apollo was still sweating bullets. He had lost every hand thus far and was down to nothing but his boxers and bracelet. He had to win this hand. He glanced across the table at his opponent and smiled nervously. Apollo looked at Trucy and signaled that he didn't need anymore cards. He cast a swift glance back down at his hand just to be sure he wasn't dreaming. He grinned in spite of himself because he knew that there was no way his opponent was going to beat him this time. When he looked back up, Trucy was dealing out a few cards to his rival at the opposite end of the table. The face behind the cards a mask and unreadable. It unsettled Apollo to see the man so smug and calm.

"You fold?" he asked expectantly.

"Not a chance." came the reply. Apollo swallowed hard. Was this some ruse by this poker master to try and get him to fold? Apollo shook his head indicating that he too was not going to fold. Phoenix Wright spread his hand across the table in front of him, a Full House. Apollo whooped with joy and spread his own hand.

"Read em and weep!" he cried ecstatically revealing a royal flush. He jumped up from the table dancing in celebration at having finally defeated the unbeatable Phoenix Wright.

"Well played." Wright conceded giving Trucy an inconspicuous wink. He knew that she had purposely dealt the young defense attorney the rare hand and it amused him greatly. "You've won. What will you take?"

Apollo ceased his victory dance and turned to Phoenix eying the baby blue beanie atop his spiked head. A wide grin split his face and he stuck out his hand.

Maya paced next to the telephone box, her cheeks puffed out in her best mad face tapping her foot impatiently. She glanced at the nearby clock for the hundredth time. He was late! Nick was supposed to meet her here at Expose Park over an hour ago. She had already tried to his cell five times and only got his voice mail. She sighed in frustration and plopped down on the bench next to the phone booth, chin resting in the palm of her hand. She watched the people passing by; a couple walking hand in hand, a group of kids zipped by on roller blades. Maya's eyes widened and she had stifle her giggles as a young blond guy with dark sunglasses and a silver G shaped necklace hanging from his neck strolled by wearing a hot pink and black frilly corset dress, knee high black boots, hot pink nails and carrying a lacy black umbrella.

"Maya! Hey! Maya!" She looked up at the sound of Nick's voice.

"It's about ti---" her jaw dropped in shock as Nick came running up to her apologizing profusely for his tardiness. He was wearing a bright yellow duck suit with a huge orange beak strapped to his face. Trailing along behind him were six or seven baby ducks. Apparently they though Nick was their mother.

"Don't ask." he said in response to her expression. Maya turned around mortified at the people stopping to point and stare, some talking pictures on their phones.

"I'm sorry. You have the wrong person." she said walking away as fast as possible without running.

"Hey wait up!" Nick and his entourage of babies hurried after her. She tried to pretend she didn't know him as he tagged along behind her promising to make up for his lateness by taking her out for hamburgers, completely oblivious to all the attention he was attracting as they left the park and headed home.

It was early fall, the trees around Gourd Lake were starting to shed their summer greenery and wrap themselves in the rich colors of Autumn. Far from the more trafficked area of the lake a small unkempt shack sat not far from the lake shore just beyond the tree line. It was robed in darkness during the wee hours of the morning. Inside the ramshackle little building was much cleaner. Two men lay sound asleep on a pallet in the floor, wrapped in each other's arms. The first faint rays of morning crept silently up the side of the shelter to peek through the window at the prone forms of the pair of lovers. A pale ray of light fell across Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth's face waking the silver haired angel from his pleasant sleep. He lay quietly with his head on his lovers' chest listening to the steady rhythm of his heart and the deep rumble of his breathing. He loved watching the spiky haired man sleep. It calmed him. He knew he needed to get up because his plane would be leaving in a few hours with or without him. He sighed contentedly and placed a feather soft kiss on Phoenix's lips before untangling himself gently from his lover's arms and the mass of blankets. Miles walked to a corner of the tiny shack where a chair sat holding his and the defense attorney's clothes. He shivered as he dressed all the while wishing he could just crawl back under the incredibly warm blankets. It was chilly this time of year so close to the edge of a body of water the size of Gourd Lake. He finished dressing and walked down to the water's edge to think. He had no idea how he was going to break the news to Wright that the night before was their last night together. He sighed again and stared out at the lake lost in thought.

Phoenix Wright stirred in his sleep, his dreams troubled. In his dream Edgeworth was standing nearby, one of his rare smiles lighting up his face. Phoenix reached out to take him in an embrace but his reach came up short. He tried harder to reach out to the man before him only to keep coming within centimeters of him and not be able to reach. It seemed like the harder he tried, the farther from his touch Edgeworth became until he had faded away all together.

"Miles!" Phoenix sat up with a start, his arms outstretched before him. He was breathing hard as if he had just run a marathon. Just a dream. He ran his hands through his hair taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly to calm himself. He was shaking badly, partly from the cool air but mostly from the all-too-real seeming nightmare he had just awakened from. He realized something was missing. Looking over he saw that Edgeworth was no longer beside him nor were his clothes to be found on the chair where he left them the night before. Fragments of his dream flashed before his eyes and the earlier panic began to blossom within his chest again. He jumped up from the pallet and ran to look out the window. There was Edgeworth, standing on the lake shore, his bare feet in the shallows. There was a tightening in Nick's chest and he couldn't breathe. He exhaled heavily, releasing the breath he didn't even realize he had been holding. He turned around to retrieve his clothes still unable to shake the feelings of dread and unease the dream had left him with. Maybe it was because of the rumors he had been hearing. Most of them revolved around the suspicions about forged evidence and tampered witnesses because of Miles being Von Karma's protege. But there were a few that bothered the defense attorney even more. Rumors that Miles was running away with his tail between his legs. Rumors that he was leaving...for good. Phoenix prayed that it wasn't true and that they were indeed just rumors but after several weeks of the same disturbing dreams and constant whispers he felt like he was about to lose the most important person in his life, forever.

He exited the shack and made his way to the lake shore and Edgeworth. He came to a stop behind his lover but Edgeworth gave no sign he even knew Nick was there. Phoenix wrapped his arms around the smaller man in a tight embrace from behind. Edgeworth's hands came up to rest on Phoenix's arms and grasped them tightly. Phoenix buried his face in Edgeworth's hair, breathing in his scent.

"You're leaving aren't you?" his muffled voice came from Miles' hair. Phoenix felt Edgeworth tense against him. He seemed hesitant to answer.

"........yes." he replied finally. The two stood in silence watching the sun rise over the lake. Minutes passed before either spoke again.

"Wright....Phoenix, I have to go. I still need to pack." Edgeworth's voice came out strained as he tried to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to take him.

"Just a little longer." he pleaded, hugging his love even closer. Edgeworth made no move to leave. Phoenix felt wetness on his arms and realized Edgeworth must be crying. He continued to gaze at the sunlight dancing across the surface of the lake. He wanted to try and comfort the stubborn prosecutor but he knew Miles hated for others to see his weakness.

The sun was nearly completely risen now. The light reflected off the water dazzled their eyes and everything was cast in a warm glow. The trees were ablaze with color. Edgeworth sighed. It was beautiful. Phoenix had lowered his head to rest it on Miles' shoulder and placed a soft kiss on the other's neck. Edgeworth was torn. He didn't know what to do. He needed to get away from all the back stabbing and lying that was going on around him but he didn't want to leave Phoenix either. He wanted to be with the spiky haired man forever but wasn't sure if Phoenix truly wanted him to stay with him. He needed to hear it from Nick himself.

"I feel so lost." he admitted. "I want to get away but I also want to make you happy. What should I do, Phoenix?" Wright held Miles tight against his chest and whispered in the prosecutor's ear.

"Stay...." he said softly.

Several heads turned to look at the candy apple red Ferrari that was gliding into the parking lot of the police precinct. The car pulled up to the front door and parked.

"Whoop!" A large man in a grubby trench coat and a bandage on his face came barreling out the front door nearly knocking several people over in the process. Miles Edgeworth stepped out of his car. The detective in the coat came to a stop before him.

"Hey Mr. Edgeworth!" he grinned stupidly and Miles groaned inwardly. "Got a message for ya from the Chief of Police, pal. Says he wants you to stop by the evidence storage room after the ceremony. Got some evidence for transferral apparently." Edgeworth sighed and nodded. The detective continued to stand there, a blank look on his face.

"Erm....thank you Detective Gumshoe. Inform Chief Gant that I'll take care of it." The young prosecutors' voice seemed to snap Gumshoe's attention back to the present.

"Okay, pal. See you at the ceremony. Oh! And congratulations on your award sir!" He grinned and ran off back into the station. Edgeworth massaged the bridge of his nose. He was already in a foul mood at having to attend this ridiculous ceremony. It was a joke and a waste of time and now the Chief of Police wanted him to do the detective's jobs for them. Evidence transferral was not the responsibility of those in the Prosecutor's office. This day was going downhill and fast. Shaking his head, Edgeworth followed the group of officers and detectives streaming into the precinct.

The ceremony went by fairly quickly and soon Miles was left standing in a room full of people, award in hand, being congratulated. His head started to pound. He needed to get out of there and be alone. He decided to go ahead to evidence storage and pick up whatever it was that needed transferral.

"Hey pal! Mr. Edgeworth sir!" Edgeworth looked up to see Gumshoe trying to fight his way across the crowded room to get to the prosecutor. Miles pretended not to hear and ducked silently out into the deserted hallway, making his way swiftly as far from the celebration as possible. Five minutes later, after a torturous elevator ride, Miles reached the security desk of the evidence room. It was completely deserted. Figures. he thought. Why must everyone around here be so incompetent? Sighing heavily he rummaged in his pockets, finally locating his security card. He passed it in front of the card reader and with a loud beep entered the room. The door slid shut behind him with a soft *whoosh* and suddenly he remembered. He didn't even know what he was supposed to be getting. He turned back to the door and with much grumbling passed his card once again in front of the reader. Nothing happened.

That's odd. He tried again. Still nothing. Hmmm..... Shrugging his shoulders he decided to take a look around. Perhaps the Chief left a note or something for him? He made his way down the first aisle of lockers, around a corner and to the back of the room to his own evidence locker. He didn't see anything to indicate the Chief had even been in the evidence room ever, let alone in the last few hours. He started to turn to leave but stopped in his tracks. He thought he heard the door open and close. He crept silently towards the end of the row of lockers. Before he had gone even three steps a shadow fell across the opposite wall and seconds later a large figure stepped into view blocking his way to the exit.

"Hello Miles." came a cocky, self-assured voice. The figure raised a hand and adjusted a glove.

It was early fall, the trees around Gourd Lake were starting to shed their summer greenery and wrap themselves in the rich colors of Autumn. Far from the more trafficked area of the lake a small unkempt shack sat not far from the lake shore just beyond the tree line. It was robed in darkness during the wee hours of the morning. Inside the ramshackle little building was much cleaner. Two men lay sound asleep on a pallet in the floor, wrapped in each other's arms. The first faint rays of morning crept silently up the side of the shelter to peek through the window at the prone forms of the pair of lovers. A pale ray of light fell across Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth's face waking the silver haired angel from his pleasant sleep. He lay quietly with his head on his lovers' chest listening to the steady rhythm of his heart and the deep rumble of his breathing. He loved watching the spiky haired man sleep. It calmed him. He knew he needed to get up because his plane would be leaving in a few hours with or without him. He sighed contentedly and placed a feather soft kiss on Phoenix's lips before untangling himself gently from his lover's arms and the mass of blankets. Miles walked to a corner of the tiny shack where a chair sat holding his and the defense attorney's clothes. He shivered as he dressed all the while wishing he could just crawl back under the incredibly warm blankets. It was chilly this time of year so close to the edge of a body of water the size of Gourd Lake. He finished dressing and walked down to the water's edge to think. He had no idea how he was going to break the news to Wright that the night before was their last night together. He sighed again and stared out at the lake lost in thought.

Phoenix Wright stirred in his sleep, his dreams troubled. In his dream Edgeworth was standing nearby, one of his rare smiles lighting up his face. Phoenix reached out to take him in an embrace but his reach came up short. He tried harder to reach out to the man before him only to keep coming within centimeters of him and not be able to reach. It seemed like the harder he tried, the farther from his touch Edgeworth became until he had faded away all together.

"Miles!" Phoenix sat up with a start, his arms outstretched before him. He was breathing hard as if he had just run a marathon. Just a dream. He ran his hands through his hair taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly to calm himself. He was shaking badly, partly from the cool air but mostly from the all-too-real seeming nightmare he had just awakened from. He realized something was missing. Looking over he saw that Edgeworth was no longer beside him nor were his clothes to be found on the chair where he left them the night before. Fragments of his dream flashed before his eyes and the earlier panic began to blossom within his chest again. He jumped up from the pallet and ran to look out the window. There was Edgeworth, standing on the lake shore, his bare feet in the shallows. There was a tightening in Nick's chest and he couldn't breathe. He exhaled heavily, releasing the breath he didn't even realize he had been holding. He turned around to retrieve his clothes still unable to shake the feelings of dread and unease the dream had left him with. Maybe it was because of the rumors he had been hearing. Most of them revolved around the suspicions about forged evidence and tampered witnesses because of Miles being Von Karma's protege. But there were a few that bothered the defense attorney even more. Rumors that Miles was running away with his tail between his legs. Rumors that he was leaving...for good. Phoenix prayed that it wasn't true and that they were indeed just rumors but after several weeks of the same disturbing dreams and constant whispers he felt like he was about to lose the most important person in his life, forever.

He exited the shack and made his way to the lake shore and Edgeworth. He came to a stop behind his lover but Edgeworth gave no sign he even knew Nick was there. Phoenix wrapped his arms around the smaller man in a tight embrace from behind. Edgeworth's hands came up to rest on Phoenix's arms and grasped them tightly. Phoenix buried his face in Edgeworth's hair, breathing in his scent.

"You're leaving aren't you?" his muffled voice came from Miles' hair. Phoenix felt Edgeworth tense against him. He seemed hesitant to answer.

"........yes." he replied finally. The two stood in silence watching the sun rise over the lake. Minutes passed before either spoke again.

"Wright....Phoenix, I have to go. I still need to pack." Edgeworth's voice came out strained as he tried to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to take him.

"Just a little longer." he pleaded, hugging his love even closer. Edgeworth made no move to leave. Phoenix felt wetness on his arms and realized Edgeworth must be crying. He continued to gaze at the sunlight dancing across the surface of the lake. He wanted to try and comfort the stubborn prosecutor but he knew Miles hated for others to see his weakness.

The sun was nearly completely risen now. The light reflected off the water dazzled their eyes and everything was cast in a warm glow. The trees were ablaze with color. Edgeworth sighed. It was beautiful. Phoenix had lowered his head to rest it on Miles' shoulder and placed a soft kiss on the other's neck. Edgeworth was torn. He didn't know what to do. He needed to get away from all the back stabbing and lying that was going on around him but he didn't want to leave Phoenix either. He wanted to be with the spiky haired man forever but wasn't sure if Phoenix truly wanted him to stay with him. He needed to hear it from Nick himself.

"I feel so lost." he admitted. "I want to get away but I also want to make you happy. What should I do, Phoenix?" Wright held Miles tight against his chest and whispered in the prosecutor's ear.

"Stay...." he said softly.