Archive of Our Own

 Prosecutors Office

Date:???

Time: 9:30 P.M.

There was a knock on the door of his office so he stood up to open it.

"Hello Mister-"

A look of recognition struck her face. The man was taken aback.

"Miss…do I know you?"

"N-No, you don't. We've never met before."

…

"That's a lie miss. Who exactly are you?"

"That's not why I'm here, Prosecutor."

"Fine. Then why are you here Miss…?"

"Just go with Fey."

"Ms. Fey, why are you here then?"

"To confess."

"To what?"

"The murder of Dahlia Hawthorne."

"!"

"Well, what are you waiting for? Arrest me."

"Why did you come to the Prosecutor's office to be arrested for a cold case from over 6 years ago? And why did you come to me?"

"..." 

"What exactly do you know about me, and why are you confessing to me? Is this because of my history with her?"

"I want you to prosecute me and find me guilty. It will finally put a pin in the ordeal."

"Ms. Fey, don't ignore my question."

"Sorry, but I can't answer that."

"...Very well."

—---------------

Detention center

Date: November 16, 2019

Time: 9:48 A.M.

Miles Edgeworth adjusted his cravat, as he waited to meet the suspect. He wasn't nervous of course, but it was rather uncomfortable waiting for the apprehended to appear before him.

His old friend asked him to show up here. He didn't understand why or how, but it seemed important to him, so he obliged. He wasn't sure of why his friend wanted him to possibly defend this woman, but he owed him a favor.

Eventually, a woman around his age appeared before him. She was quite beautiful, with silky black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing the orange jumpsuit handed out to prisoners, even though she was only a suspect. 

"Hello sir, what business do you have with me today?" She asked politely.

"I understand you were charged with murdering Dahlia Hawthorne, yes? And I must say, you look a lot like her." Edgeworth responded. A curt nod from the women confirmed his question.

"Ah yes. Dahlia was my twin sister." She responded, not adding much else. "I'm Iris." She finished.

"Nice to meet you Iris, I'm Miles Edgeworth. If you don't mind, why don't you tell me your story?"

"Why do you want to know?" She asked, mildly confused.

"Oh sorry, I should have mentioned, I'm a defense attorney. I was asked to take your case." He responded.

Iris was quiet and didn't quite acknowledge that statement.

"I suppose I can tell you my story." She sighed. "But don't be shocked at what you hear." She flicked her hair behind her head, showing a tad bit of annoyance. "But I must ask, who asked you to take my case?" 

Edgeworth shook his head a bit.

"That happens to be confidential at this moment. However, I may tell you after I hear your story." He responded coolly.

Iris just shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

"Alright Mr. Edgeworth, I may as well tell you. I have no reason not to." 

Edgeworth pulled out his notebook and a pen as Iris spoke.

"A long time ago, I met someone. A guy, that is. I met him under some rather, er, unfortunate circumstances. My sister wanted him dead for…reasons. I loved my sister, so I told her to give me a chance to save this guy. She gave it to me, so I tried to save him. I failed though, and I fell for him."

Iris paused, and took a sip of the water the guard had given to her before entering the room. Edgeworth watched her, this situation sounding somewhat familiar to him, as if someone had said something like this to him before.

"I loved him with all my heart. We would do everything together, and he loved me back. I begged my sister to let him live, but she refused to back down. She told me she was going to kill him. She told me she was going to do it." Iris trembled a bit. "I couldn't let her do it. I wasn't going to let her take the one man who ever cared about me away from me."

"You…did it, didn't you?" Edgeworth asked, vaguely surprised.

"She left me no choice!" Iris suddenly shouted. She quickly realized her change in volume, and apologized. "Sorry Mr. Edgeworth. I killed my sister." She smiled, looking almost angelic. "She tried to kill him, so I killed her instead. The only reason I was never found and convicted was because her body "disappeared" into a certain river." 

Edgeworth nodded. Surprisingly, he didn't feel scared or threatened by her. Her outburst barely even registered with him.

"Eagle river I assume? I remember a rather big case that involved that river years ago, with your sister no less."

"Of course it was Eagle River. I was a nun at Hazakura so it shouldn't be a surprise."

Edgeworth nodded. He sat in thought for a moment before speaking.

"Alright, I'll take your case." He finally spoke. Iris, a bit shocked, questioned him.

"Mr. Edgeworth, with all due respect, I did kill my sister. I admitted to the murder in front of you. I KILLED her."

Edgeworth nodded.

"Of course. I'm not deaf you know. However, even if you did kill your sister, it seems you may have had a reason to. I bet I can get you off with a minimal sentence."

"But what if I don't want that? I turned myself in, to pay for my crimes Mr. Edgeworth." Iris put her head in her hands. She lightly tapped her head with her fingers, looking down at the countertop.

"Miss, can you answer a question for me?" Miles asked. Iris cocked an eyebrow in response.

"Yes?"

"The man whose life you saved, who was that man?" He asked.

Instead of answering, Iris chewed on her nail, looking away.

"Would it happen to be Phoenix Wright?" 

Iris looked at him, incredibly shocked.

"H-How'd you know?"

Edgeworth played with one of his bangs.

"He's the one who asked me to take this case. He didn't give me a reason why." He clasped his hands together, and leaned in close to the glass. He stared at Iris. "But it doesn't seem like he knows what you just told me, does he?"

Iris smiled slightly, a bit amused.

"You're quite similar to him, aren't you? Your deduction skills are incredible." She rested her head in her hand. "Yes, you're right Mr. Edgeworth. He doesn't know anything. He was shocked when he met me, especially since I asked him to prosecute me."

Edgeworth nodded.

"He told me you went to the prosecutor's office to turn yourself in. He told me you were rather cryptic with him, and that you asked him to prosecute you." 

Edgeworth paused again, and took a drink of water.

"My point is that Wright knows that he knows you. He wants me to defend you in the trial because he's feeling conflicted. As his friend, I have no reason to object." He stood up from his chair and bowed. "For his sake, please let me take this case."

Iris, a bit shocked at his insistence, only nodded her head.

"Thank you Iris."

"Mr. Edgeworth, I hope you know you'll be defending a murderer." Iris spoke. Edgeworth wagged a finger at her.

"A murderer is someone who commits murder unlawfully and with premeditation. You didn't premeditate this killing, and you saved someone's life. You're no murderer. You don't have any sins to pay for." A smirk crossed his face. "But I want you to tell Wright everything. You need to be honest with him after this case is done."

Iris nodded.

"Yes sir."

"You've done me a massive favor. You saved the life of one of my oldest friends, for that, I am forever in your debt." A rare smile entered his features. "Thank you Iris. I'll see you in court, I'm going to go learn some more about the case." His face softened a bit. "I hope you know that Wright believed you were still out there. That's why he became a prosecutor."

With that, Edgeworth stood up, bowed, and left.

—------

Wright's Office

Time: 12:56 P.M.

"Wright." Edgeworth set some papers down on Wright's desk. "Take a look at this."

Phoenix Wright walked over to his desk and picked up the papers, scanning through them quickly.

"Ivy University student Dahlia Hawthorne disappears, suspected in the poisoning of Diego Armando." Phoenix rubbed his forehead. "I had no idea she was suspected as a murder suspect." 

"Yes, well, not murder. Armando survived. He was in a coma until recently. You know that defense attorney Mia Fey?" Edgeworth questioned. Phoenix nodded.

"Of course. I've faced her in court many times before, and she defended me while I was in college. I have a lot of respect for her."

"Diego is her boyfriend." Edgeworth stated, slightly amused. "Dahlia did indeed poison him. Armando testified to this fact." 

There was a strange silence in the office as Phoenix took in this new info.

"I'm telling you Miles, it doesn't make sense. The girl I knew really wasn't like that. I'm so confused by all of this…" He grabbed his head. "Now a doppelganger shows up and admits to murdering her? Everything is so confusing Miles, and I don't even know why this girl wants me to prosecute her!" 

Edgeworth sipped his tea silently.

"The truth will come out in due time. For the time being, prosecute the case to the best of your abilities." He looked at Phoenix intently. "But don't be surprised at the events that unfold tomorrow." 

Phoenix cocked his head to the side slightly. 

"Do you know something I don't Miles?" 

"Perhaps, but you'll see tomorrow."

—------

Courtroom 3

Date: November 17th, 2019

Time: 10:00 A.M.

"Here begins the trial of Iris Fey. Is the prosecution ready?" 

"I suppose so, your honor." Wright adjusted his suit as he prepared, and pulled out a piece of paper, which was presumably his opening statement.

"Is the defense ready?" The judge asked.

"It is your honor." Edgeworth replied.

"Now then-"

" Hold it, your honor." Edgeworth stopped the judge.

"W-What seems to be the issue defense?" The judge asked, quite surprised.

"The defense would like to announce its plea." Edgeworth announced, shocking pretty much everybody in the courtroom outside of Edgeworth himself.

"But defense! If we're standing trial, wouldn't you think she would maintain her innocence?" The judge responded.

"Not so fast Your Honor." Edgeworth continued. "The accused actually turned herself in for the crime. Otherwise, there's not enough evidence to convict her of the crime. There was no body that was ever found, and no murder weapon was ever found. Nobody was even sure she was dead until the accused turned herself in."

Edgeworth slammed his desk.

"With that said, the defense would like to enter a plea of justifiable homicide."

The courtroom erupted, and the judge struggled to maintain order after Edgeworth dropped this bombshell. Even Wright looked shocked. Iris stayed silent as the courtroom was sent into recess due to the inability to calm the courtroom.

—----

"Are you certain about this Mr. Edgeworth?" Iris asked. 

"Of course Ms. Fey. It is justifiable homicide to kill to save the life of another. However, the truth must come out in court today. I'm going to have to ask you to testify about your relationship with Mr. Wright." Edgeworth stated. 

"But-" Iris began to object.

"Please Iris. For Phoenix."

"...Alright." 

"Thank you Ms. Fey. Now I need to make a call." Edgeworth pulled out his phone and dialed. After a few seconds, a female voice answered.

"Miles? What's up?"

"Hello Mia. I called because I need Diego to testify. He's at the courthouse like I requested yesterday, correct?" Before she could answer, a suave voice spoke up.

"Why call the kitten when the lion is already in the den?" 

A man with creme-colored hair and a visor showed up before him. He was wearing a normal black t-shirt and sweatpants, which looked awkward on a man who always wore suits. A smug smile rested on his face, and he held a white coffee mug in his right hand.

"I see you found your answer Miles. Good luck at the trial." Mia hung up. 

"Diego, nice to see you again." Edgeworth extended his hand to shake Diego's, but the coffee aficionado just laughed.

"No need for that kid. I know it's been a second, but we're past formalities." He gave the lawyer a hug. Edgeworth was taken aback by the sudden physical contact, squirming, almost pleading Diego to let go. Iris let out a small giggle, drawing the attention of the coffee addict.

"So you're the one who killed Dahlia Hawthorne, huh?" He got too close for comfort, breaking Iris's personal space bubble. He inspected her closely, observing her shocking resemblance. "You sure do look like her." 

"I'm her sister. We were twins." Iris stated. Diego nodded.

"You have my thanks." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "I'm a selfish man, and if you hadn't killed her, I just may have myself. I know it's cruel of me to thank you for this, but seriously. Thank you."

"Armando!" Edgeworth scolded. Diego just held up his hand, and turned his head back and frowned.

"Easy tiger." He looked back at Iris, who was conflicted. Diego gave her another smile. "Look, I'm here to save your hide. Your sister did some terrible things to me, but you don't deserve to rot because of your sister."

"To you…?" She looked him up and down, and upon realization, Iris's confusion turned to shock, and then to embarrassment. "The poisoning?" She asked. Diego laughed a bit. 

"That's right kid. Your sister poisoned me. I woke up a couple months ago, and I've been getting my bearings back. I can't really see outside of this mask anymore, and physically, I've been better." He sipped his coffee. "But just like Diego Blend #35, after the first kick, you'd think I was down. But I came back, and more bitter than before." He chuckled at his own terrible coffee pun. 

"I'm sorry sir. My sister ruined your life, and I can't help but feel it's my fault " She bowed her head to him. Diego didn't react right away, but his aura changed.

"Kid. Look at me."

Iris looked up at him.

"You had the ability to kill your sister, but not stand up for yourself? You're taking blame and apologizing for what your scummy sister did. Don't." He shook his head, then crushed his coffee cup in one hand, splattering coffee and his blood everywhere. "Your sister fucked me up, not you. Fortunately, I still have Mia, so in the end, everything is alright." He summoned a new coffee cup out of thin air. His aura returned to normal. "Sorry, I lost my cool."

Edgeworth butted in after Diego finished his rant.

"The trial is starting back up. The recess ends in a minute or two. You know what to testify about, right Diego?" Edgeworth asked. A simple nod from Diego said all that he needed to know.

—-----

The gallery was finally calm, and the judge banged his gavel.

"If the gallery continues to disrupt this court, we will remove any and all who are the cause of this! This is a court of law, so please be respectful!"

 He looked down from his podium and spoke to the lawyers.

"Now Mr. Edgeworth, are you sure about this plea? This establishes guilt on your client, but it allows you to explain why the homicide was justified."

"Of course your honor, the defendant herself admitted to the crime. We're just here to establish her justifications for such a crime." 

The judge looked to Wright. 

"Prosecutor Wright, what are your thoughts on this? Does this change anything?"

Phoenix rubbed his chin for a bit before speaking.

"Your honor, the prosecution has no witnesses that can testify to this effect, so I would assume the defense has some witnesses he has prepared. The only witness we had planned on dealing with today was the detective, Dick Gumshoe, who would outline the crime. But this plea surprised even the prosecution." He shook his head. "So I suggest the defense calls the witness that I assume he has prepared."

Edgeworth shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"You know me so well, Wright." He bowed before the court in a somewhat sarcastic way. "You of all people should know me that well." He looked towards the judge. "Your honor, the defense would like to call its first witness."

"Very well. If the defense and prosecution are in agreement, the defense may call its first witness!"

"The defense calls the man to the stand that can testify to the true nature of the victim. The very man whose life changed forever with just a single sip of coffee!"

Diego took the stand, chortling the whole way there.

"Miles, there's no reason for the dramatics. I know the court is not necessarily on your side yet, but the way you said that is just embarrassing."

Miles facepalmed before speaking.

"Name and occupation."

"Why give the court unnecessary information? That's like telling me coffee is best black. We all know it's true, so why bother?"

"You're an attorney yourself! Name and occupation!" Miles almost yelled, exasperated.

"Now now defense, no need to get your panties in a twist." The judge interrupted. "Now I must say witness, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

"Ha! Your honor, of course you have, it's just been a while." He took a sip of his coffee with his now bandaged right hand. "Let me jog your memory." He set the coffee down on the witness stand and took off his mask. 

He revealed his face, showing off a long scar across his nose and under his eyes, yet the most noticeable thing was his eyes, which had turned almost white. However, despite this, the judge clearly recognized him.

"Well, I'll be! It's you!" 

"Of course your honor. Unfortunately, I currently can't see that shocked look I know you have on your face. I can't see without this visor here, so I need to wear it 24/7." Diego put the mask back on, and the lights on it came beaming back to life.

"I thought you died!" The judge continued. 

"Ha! I'm more resilient than that." He put a finger to his mask. "Anyways, let's cut to the chase, your honor. I'm Diego Armando, and I'm currently recovering from a rather long nap I took, but otherwise, I'm a defense attorney at Fey and Co. Law offices." He picked his coffee back up and started drinking again. 

"Mr. Armando, I heard about you from Mia Fey. I'm glad to see you're awake again." Wright stated. 

There was a moment of silence, and Diego locked mask to eyes with Wright, before throwing his coffee at him. 

"Shut up, Trite, I don't need your pity. Besides, you're part of the reason I'm like this."

"H-huh?" Wright confusedly looked around, pointing at himself. Diego just summoned more coffee.

"You'll find out in due time Trite. But I must say, I'm not rather fond of you. However, Mia likes you enough, so I'll give you a pass. Just don't pity me or you'll get hot coffee thrown at you next time, instead of the cold brew I gave you."

"Mr. Armando! There will be no more coffee chucking in my court!" The judge slammed his gavel. "Please be kinder to the prosecutor."

"Ha! You never stopped me when I was an attorney years ago, what happened your honor, you finally grew a pair?" Before the judge could respond, Diego continued. "Don't worry, your honor, I'll cut it out, just make sure he doesn't ask stupid questions."

"Please just start your testimony before I get a headache." Edgeworth pleaded, wanting to slam his head on his desk.

Testimony

"I remember the date well. February 16th, 2013. The date of Terry Fawles Death."

"That case started this whole issue. Fawles killed himself in court, and I believed Dahlia was involved."

"On August 27th of the same year, six months later, I went to meet Dahlia in the courthouse library."

"I went to confront her about Fawles and ask her some other questions."

"I was in conversation with her when I made the mistake of losing my focus and attention."

"When I looked away for a moment, she slipped poison into my coffee. I didn't realize right away because it was tasteless."

"Before long, I felt a pain in my chest, and I felt my vision fading. I dropped to the floor.

"The last thing I saw was Dahlia Hawthorne's evil smile."

Testimony End

"By the time I came to, 5 years had passed. I went into a coma, and by the time I had awoken, Dahlia Hawthorne had disappeared." Diego slammed his mug. "Let me make it clear that I believe the victim deserved her fate! That woman ruined lives, and hurt many others!"

"Objection!" 

Phoenix spoke up, finally entering the fray.

"Let me ask you a few questions Mr. Armando. For one, are you positive that Ms. Hawthorne poisoned you? How do you know it was her?"

"Ha! Trite, me and her were alone at the table. There was no one else near us. The only reason she was let go was because they couldn't find the poison she put in my coffee. Someone took care of that poison, some idiot at that." Diego slammed his mug again. "Are you doubting me Trite?"

"Mr. Armando, are you sure that you aren't being biased when talking about the victim? As you said earlier, she may have caused you to lose a prior trial!"

"Objection! The witness previously mentioned why this was important! It all ties into the victim's motive to poison Mr. Armando!" Edgeworth shouted back. 

"Objection! There is no proof that this all ties back to her-" 

"Hold it!" Diego threw his coffee at Wright to cut him off. 

"Mr. Armando!" The judge yelled. "That's quite unnecessary!"

"Sorry gramps, got a bit excited." A smug grin entered his features. "Trite, you need to stop defending Dahlia. You may have never gotten the closure you wanted, but if you shut your mouth, you may learn the truth." He summoned another coffee out of basically thin air, then took a swig. "I know it's hard to believe the woman you loved was a murderer."

"That's not relevant to this case! I'm objecting because the defense lacks the proof to back up this assertion!" Phoenix wiped himself off with a towel, then fixed his spiky hair and suit.

"Ah, but you lack basically any proof whatsoever! In fact, there's no proof Iris even killed Dahlia! The only reason she became a suspect was because she turned herself in." Armando interjected.

"Your honor, who exactly is the defense in this case?" Edgeworth asked the judge sarcastically. 

The judge just sighed. 

"Alright you two, break it up. Let's move on. I think we've established what type of person Ms. Hawthorne was."

"Obje-" 

"Overruled!" 

"But your honor! There isn't any evidence to support the claims that Dahlia Hawthorne was this type of person!"

"Mr. Wright, we have no proof of basically anything. All we have is testimony to go off of. I find no reason to doubt the very man who was poisoned. Do you?"

Phoenix was silent for a moment.

"No your honor. My apologies."

Diego walked over to the Defendants bench and stood there.

"I'll be taking over as co-counsel, your honor, since my testimony is over." 

"What?! I didn't ask for you to be my co-counsel! You're not even wearing a suit!" Edgeworth protested.

"Oh shut your yap Miles. Let me help the kid out. He's in for a bit of a shock. From what Mia told me, he hasn't matured much since college, he just puts on a facade. Mia is worried about him, so I agreed to stay and help." He chuckled to himself. "And, about the fashion choice, Mia won't let me wear any suits. She wants me to rest, but she gave me permission  to help with this."

"Fine." Edgeworth adjusted his cravat out of annoyance, then spoke to the judge.

"With the permission of the court, the Defense would like to call its final witness to the stand."

"And that is?" The judge questioned. 

"The defendant herself, Ms. Iris Fey."  

The crowd started to get loud again, but the judge killed the noise by banging his gavel.

"Order! Order in this court! This type of reaction is NOT needed." The judge glared over at the gallery, before returning his gaze to the floor. "We will summon your witness, defense. Bailiff, please escort Miss Fey to the stand please."

Iris was brought to the witness stand by the bailiff, and her handcuffs were removed temporarily. After rubbing her wrists where the handcuffs were, she faced the court, but didn't meet anyone's eyes. 

"Name and occupation witness." 

"Iris Fey, I was a nun at Hazakura until recently. I basically quit after turning myself in."

"Finally!" Edgeworth thought. "A witness that gives their name and occupation!"

"Ms. Fey, could you describe the murder of your sister in detail please?" Edgeworth asked. Iris shook her head in agreement, before Edgeworth continued. "However, I won't be cross-examining you, because that's Mr. Wright's job since you're my witness. Is that ok Wright?" 

Phoenix nodded in agreement.

"Please proceed with your testimony Ms. Fey." The Judge concluded.

"Yes, your honor."

Testimony

"It was a normal day up at Hazakura Temple. I had finished my chores and was taking a walk outside."

"I had crossed over Dusky Bridge and was wandering around outside the Inner Temple."

"My sister showed up before me because I wasn't answering my calls. My phone had broken recently and I hadn't gotten a new one yet."

"She asked me some questions before scolding me. I didn't care too much though, so I just apologized."

"Then she told me something that set me off."

"She was going to do something unspeakable, something that I could never let her do."

"She was about to leave, and with no phone, and no way to contact her, I knew if I let her leave I couldn't stop her."

"So I threatened her. I pulled out the knife I used in my chores earlier and told her I'd kill her if she did what she promised."

"I told her to stop and think this through. She just laughed at me and told me…unspeakable things that she would be doing."

"I couldn't let her do it. As she crossed Dusky Bridge to leave, I used the knife."

"I stabbed her in the back, and pushed her into the river."

"I loved my sister, but I don't regret it. If I hadn't done what I did, more people would have died."

Testimony end

"That's certainly a complicated testimony. However, it feels quite vague." The judge murmured. "Mr. Wright, your cross-examination."

"So, Dahlia Hawthorne was your sister?" Phoenix asked Iris. 

"That's right, she was. She's my twin sister."

"Thank you for confirming that Ms. Fey." He strolled around in front of her, thinking of a good question to ask. "You say your phone was broken, so your sister came to scold you, correct?"

"That is correct Mr. Wright." Iris responded. "She gave me a verbal tongue-lashing."

"For what reason? Why was your sister mad at you?" Phoenix demanded.

"I failed to help her in one of her plans. Dahlia often tried to use me to help her plans. I refused to help her anymore." Iris confessed. "She scolded me for failing my assignment, but in all actuality I had given up on the plan." 

"Why did you give up on this plan?" Phoenix retorted. "Was it that horrific?"

"Mr. Wright! That is irrelevant to this case at hand! And why haven't you objected, Mr. Edgeworth?" The judge exclaimed. Edgeworth just shook his head.

"Your honor, for us to prove our point, the truth needs to come out. Let Mr. Wright continue his line of questioning." A small smile was placed firmly on Edgeworth's lips. Phoenix returned the smile.

"Sorry for the harsh tone. Please answer the question Ms. Fey."

Iris looked up at Phoenix. He noticed her eyes brimming with tears.

"I-I fell in love." She confessed. 

The courtroom was silent. 

"In love?" Phoenix asked. "With who?"

"The boy she wanted dead." Iris continued. "I fell in love with him, so I couldn't do anything to him. I never could have anyways."

Phoenix paced for a bit before continuing.

"So, does this tie into the threats that she was making on this man's life? She was threatening the life of the man you loved, so you killed her?"

"...That is correct."

"Would you testify about this relationship with this man, and why and how exactly it came to this?" Edgeworth cut in. "I think that will clear up the majority of the fog surrounding this issue."

"I concur." Phoenix agreed. "Witness, please testify."

"Are you sure about this Mr. Edgeworth?" Iris looked at her defense attorney. "I'm not sure this is a good idea." She played with her hair a bit, then looked down at the witness stand.

"Ms. Fey." Diego spoke for Edgeworth. "The truth will set you free. Please testify about your relationship with this man and how it came to be."

Iris visibly swallowed, before glancing at Phoenix, who appeared unphased, and very much not ready for the bombshell he was about to receive.

Witness Testimony

"About 6 months before I killed her, Dahlia called me."

"She told me about poisoning Mr. Armando. She told me about how she offloaded the poison."

"She gave it to a man, and she planned to kill him too before he found out."

"I begged for her to give me a chance to save his life, and she gave it to me."

"Six months passed, and I had fallen in love with this man."

"Dahlia felt it was taking me too long, so she told me she was going to kill him."

"I knew it was t an empty threat, she'd killed people before and she'd do it again."

"That's why I stopped her."

Testimony End

"Ms. Fey." Phoenix began. "You were rather vague on how you claim your sister offloaded the poison. Would you mind being more specific?" He questioned her harshly. 

Iris stayed silent.

"Ms. Fey? Are you alright?" Phoenix asked, his harsh tone leaving his voice. He looked at her with a hint of worry.

"I…I can't answer that. I-I don't think I'm ready..!" Iris stumbled over her words.

"Iris." Edgeworth walked over to the stand and spoke directly to Iris. Phoenix backed off a bit, slightly confused yet, still not understanding. 

"Please." Was the only thing Edgeworth said.

Tears brimmed in her eyes, and she gave him a quick nod. Edgeworth returned to his stand, and Phoenix took back over.

"Ms. Fey?" Phoenix asked. She looked up and looked him in the eyes for the first time the entire trial.

"She gave it to a man…" She started.

"Yes, you've said that already." Phoenix interjected.

"I-I know just give me a second, I-I-" Tears finally left her eyes and she started crying. "S-She gave it to him i-in the form of a pendant." She finally pushed out. 

Phoenix, still not fully grasping the situation, continued.

"So what did you do next?" He asked. "If you're ok to continue, Ms. Fey." He added at the end, but Iris ignored it for the most part.

"I t-took my sister's place for six months t-to try and get the pendant b-back." She scrunched her face up in an effort to contain her crying. She failed.

"Why did it take you six months to get the poison back?" Phoenix implored, pressing further. "What possible reason would you have to spend six months with him if you were simply trying to get the poison back from him?"

Iris's tears stopped flowing for a second, only to come out at a much greater force. 

"B-Because he was a lunkhead! I-I told him to give it b-back so many times!" Iris finally burst. "H-He just didn't listen!"

A look of realization crossed Phoenix's face.

He finally got it. 

"What..?" 

"A-And then! I realized, I j-just didn't care about the p-poison anymore. I LOVED him. H-He loved me back, more than any m-member of my family ever did!" Iris continued, unprompted. Her confidence grew as she spoke, though still very emotional. "He loved me for who I was. Even if I wasn't Dahlia. E-Even if the circumstances were terrible, and even if my original intentions w-were just to save his life, after a short amount of t-time, I really fell in love with him!" She finished her spiel, then broke down into a sob.

The courtroom was silent.

The defense was silent.

The judge was silent.

Phoenix Wright, the prosecutor, was silent. A single tear fell from his eye. He walked forward and spoke.

"But that's…Dollie?" Phoenix whispered, flabbergasted at Iris's confession, finally realizing the truth.

A smile replaced the frown on Iris's face, and her tears brought a new meaning. She was still crying, but suddenly, the atmosphere was warm instead of cold. She tilted her head, and smiled through her own tears.

"Sorry for leaving you alone all these years,  Feenie." 

The courtroom absolutely blew up, and the court went into recess.

—-----

The judge called for a recess in light of this shocking information. Phoenix almost broke down in the courtroom, and if it weren't for Edgeworth asking for a recess, he would have. Although Edgeworth's question was more or less unnecessary, as it was too loud to even continue without a recess.

Iris was in the prosecution's lobby, and was having a conversation with Phoenix, and Diego and Edgeworth were talking, waiting for the trial to resume.

"All that's left is the verdict, huh?" Edgeworth said, mostly to himself. 

"Yeah. I'm just glad that we didn't have to tell him straight up. I don't think Iris could have possibly said his name if he asked for the name of her lover." Diego chugged his coffee, before slamming the empty mug on the table. "Trite is a knucklehead, but I'm glad he realized before Iris had to say it straight up."

"I wonder how that conversation is going though…" Edgeworth rubbed his chin. "I'm not sure how he took it to be completely honest."

"Well, we'll learn in due time."

Meanwhile…

Iris had dried her tears, and was now intently staring at Phoenix. He was still clearly in shock, just staring at her, not speaking.

Finally, Iris broke the tension, as well as the staring competition.

"So uh…how have you been?" She asked. She looked down and played with a strand of her hair.

"I, uh…I've been ok." He responded.

"That's…good."

…

"This is kind of awkward, huh?" Phoenix remarked. He let out an awkward laugh.

"Haha, yeah a bit." Iris replied.

"We have…a lot to talk about, yeah?" 

"Where do you want me to start?" Iris stopped playing with her hair and looked at him. He recognized the look as her serious face. He remembered it well.

"Like, uh…" Phoenix scratched his head. "When did you two, y'know, switch places?"

"Oh, you only met Dahlia one time. The day she gave you that pendant."

"The one filled with poison…" Phoenix looked away, dejected. Iris scrambled to cheer him up a bit.

"B-But, it's not your fault! You didn't know that there was poison in it." She grabbed his hand with both of hers, and he turned back to her. 

"Iris?"

"Listen, Phoenix, it's not your fault this all happened. Dahlia used you, but she used all of us. In fact, the only thing that changed because you carried the poison away was the time it took for Dahlia to die." Iris shook her head. "If you had never taken that necklace, I would have never met you. And for that, I am grateful." 

"But what about the poisoning?" Phoenix interjected.

"You didn't HELP her Phoenix." Iris frowned. "If it were any other guy, Dahlia might have gotten away with it. But you…I fell in love with you. It's because of that that Dahlia didn't get away."

Phoenix reddened a bit, but smiled.

"Thanks for that Iris. You definitely helped."

Iris beamed a smile at him, and Phoenix felt his heart explode.

"Of course Phoenix."

Phoenix had to pause before he continued, trying to not show his weakness.

"So, you replaced her after that day?"

"Yeah. You can ask me any question about our relationship, I could probably answer them all."

"What did you make me during winter as a gift?" Phoenix asked.

"A sweater with a P on it." Iris answered quickly.

"During college, what was I accused of and who-"

"You were accused of killing a teacher. You were defended by Mia Fey, and the culprit was the professor's husband because she was having an affair with the university's janitor." Iris cut him off, then babbled off the facts of the case.

"Ok, but you could have read that anywhere." Phoenix remarked. 

"How about this, I'll name some personal things about you." She smiled. "Your favorite color is blue, you absolutely love anything that has to do with meat, you're secretly really into romance shows, you are afraid of heights, and you're really bad with technology."

"That's…wow. But I'm not afraid of heights." 

Iris let out a giggle at that.

"Phoenix, when we went to that amusement park, you tried to be so manly by suggesting we go on the roller coasters, but you were terrified. You clung onto me every time."

"I…I forgot about that."

"You still doubt me?" She asked, a smug smile apparent on her face.

"No, I don't." He responded. "I guess you really are…" Wright paused, unsure how to finish that sentence.

"While I'm not Dahlia, I was 'Dollie,' as you called me."

"Yeah, I can see that." He rubbed his temples. "I have another question, Iris." 

"Ask away Phoenix."

"Why did you just leave? Why didn't you stay and tell me what happened? Couldn't you have just…been honest with me?" He took a seat on the couch. He patted the spot next to him, and Iris sat down too. She crossed her legs, nervously, before speaking.

"I could have, but that would have been too much for you." Iris confessed. "If I had told you everything, I thought you would hate me. And why would you want to date a murderer? I couldn't have possibly kept that from you. I wasn't going to pretend to be Dahlia even after I killed her either. That would be just wrong. So instead, I left. I didn't give you a heads up or anything. I just disappeared, because that's what my sister did."

Phoenix took in this information silently. 

"I know that's not any excuse, Phoenix." Iris added. "What I did to you was reprehensible." She started tearing up. "How could I do that to you? How could I do that to someone who I loved so much? I'm sorry Phoenix, I truly am." She started to cry a bit, unable to control her emotions again.

"Iris…" Phoenix leaned over and gave her a hug. Feeling his warmth soothed her, and she hugged him back.

"T-Thanks Phoenix." They let go.

"One last question Iris."

"Yes?"

"Why did you choose me over your sister?"

Iris just laughed.

"I had to choose between the man who I loved or the sister who hated me and wanted to take away the man I loved. It really was an easy choice." Iris smiled. "I don't regret killing her though. If I hadn't, you would be dead. Even if our love is dead, you deserve life more than she did."

"That's a sentence that I never thought would have left your mouth years ago."

"Me neither Phoenix. I wish it never came to it, but it was you or her, and I chose you."

Phoenix gave a bittersweet half-smile.

"Thank you Iris. Thank you for everything. I am forever in your debt." He bowed to her.

"N-No, don't worry about it Phoenix. Don't thank me for killing someone." She stammered. 

"I'm not. I'm thanking you for saving my life." Phoenix straightened up. "I always knew that Dollie was still out there, even if I had the identity wrong."

Iris giggled.

"Thanks Phoenix."

—-----

thwap thwap thwap

"Court reconvenes for the trial of Ms. Iris Fey! The gallery has been removed, so as to not distract the case any longer. Too many interruptions stop proceedings!" He shook his head. "Now where were we?" 

"Your honor." Edgeworth began. "We feel the defense has submitted sufficient evidence to prove the defendant had a good reason to follow through with her actions." He tapped a piece of paper in his hand. "A witness clearly stated the true nature of Dahlia Hawthorne, and the defendant testified to the court that Dahlia was trying to kill her boyfriend!" 

"Hmmm…but the defense doesn't have any proof other than testimony."

"Your honor." Phoenix spoke. "The defendant turned herself in. So it is likely that she is telling the truth. The prosecution believes we can take her at her word." 

"Mr. Wright, are you sure your personal feelings are getting in the way?" The judge raised an eyebrow. 

"I swear your honor. The defendant turned herself in and confessed. Otherwise this would have been a cold case."

"Very well then." The judge coughed, then looked around. "Is that all? Is it already verdict time?" 

"I suppose your honor." Edgeworth answered. 

"Your honor. The prosecution requests a guilty verdict." Phoenix began. "But we also request that she be charged incredibly lightly. Her actions were very much justified in the eyes of the prosecution."

"Very well. Will the defendant please take the stand?"

Iris was brought to the stand by the bailiffs.

"Defendant, I must say, throughout this trial, I have gained respect for you." He shook his head. "Unfortunately, you did take a life. While you did it with noble intentions, the law doesn't look kindly to anyone who takes a life, so you must be punished."

"Yes, your honor. I'll accept any sentence you give me." Iris looked at the Judge, glad that it was over.

"Very well. After hearing both arguments from the defense and the prosecution, I find the defendant, Ms. Iris Fey…

Guilty

…of killing Dahlia Hawthorne. However, due to the plea of justifiable homicide, Ms. Fey I sentence you to 6 months in prison, and two years of probation.

"That's all your honor?" Iris implored, shocked.

"You have your whole life in front of you. I don't want it ruined because you did a noble thing." The judge smiled. "You remind me of my granddaughter in a way too. Please, after your sentence, live on and be happy. You deserve it."

"Th-thank you, your honor. I'm very grateful." 

"As for you Mr. Wright." The judge fixed his gaze upon him. "I expect you to visit her while in prison. She saved your life for heaven's sake!"

Phoenix just laughed.

"Of course I will, your honor."

"Very well. And with that, the court is adjourned!"

—-----

"Well Miles, good work in there." Diego remarked. "I better get going though, Mia is waiting so we can go on a coffee date.

"Didn't you drink, like, 17 cups already in there?" Edgeworth retorted.

"You can never have enough coffee Miles." 

With that, Diego left. At the same time, Phoenix entered the defendants lobby.

"Good work Wright. It seems everything worked out in the end." 

Phoenix didn't smile, instead looking a bit downtrodden.

"You knew all this, correct?"

Edgeworth frowned.

"Yes, I did."

"Why didn't you tell me then? We're friends, Miles."

"Phoenix, you know as well as I do that I'm terrible with things like that. It was better Iris told you herself."

"I just…I don't know what to make of all of it."

"Wright."

Phoenix looked at him.

"This is the only time I will speak of feelings with you…but Iris cares about you. A lot. Her feelings for you were and are real. She did everything for you, Wright, so don't just forget about her."

"But…she did leave me. For six years." 

"Wright, for the love of- She saved your life!" Edgeworth scolded, exasperated. "Look, she never forgot about you, clearly. She asked you specifically to prosecute her because of her shame. She never wanted to leave, you lunkhead."

"Lunkhead?" 

"That's what Iris called you, and it's quite true, don't you think?" 

"No…" 

Edgeworth just sighed.

"You promise to visit her though, right? Both you and I owe her a great deal." 

"O-of course. Once I get my feelings straightened out, I will. But what do you owe her for?"

"She saved your life Phoenix. You're one of my best friends, of course I owe her a great deal." He crossed his arms and tapped his shoulder, slightly embarrassed by the way he said it.

"Awww, thanks Edgey."

"D-don't call me that! You sound like Larry!"

"Ok, ok. But thanks a ton Miles, you helped a lot." Phoenix grinned happily. "You're the best."

Edgeworth gave a rare smile.

"Don't mention it, Wright. Now never speak of this conversation again. It was incredibly weird and awkward for me to talk about this stuff."

"Of course."

"Now I must go. I have other things to attend to." Edgeworth turned to leave, before turning back to say one last thing.

"Visiting hours begin at 8 tomorrow Phoenix. I hope you visit her soon for her sake."

—-----

Later that day…

Fey and Co. Law Offices

9:45 PM

Mia was poring over a case she had just received when she heard a knock on her door. 

"Who could that be? I sent Diego home after our little coffee date, so it couldn't be him…" 

Mia walked over to the door and opened it. A soaking wet man in a blue suit and red tie stood in the rain. A prosecutor's badge was pinned on the suit.

"Phoenix! Come inside, you're soaking wet!" Mia exclaimed. 

"Thanks Chief." He said, stepping inside.

"Just call me Mia, Phoenix. Chief makes me feel old. Besides, I'm not your chief anymore." 

"Yeah…" Was all Phoenix responded with. He shyly scratched his neck.

"You would've made a great defense attorney Phoenix." Mia sighed. "But I understand why you switched to the prosecutors office. You wanted to find the person who took Dahlia away, and now that you learned what really happened, you're conflicted, right? I assume that's why you're here, to talk."

Phoenix chuckled.

"You know me so well Mia."

"Here." Mia tossed him a towel. "Dry off. There's a pair of clothes in the bathroom you can change into. They're a pair of Diego's, but he won't miss them."

"Thanks Mia."

Phoenix moved to the bathroom, where he changed into a black shirt and sweatpants. Phoenix felt weird, knowing these were the clothes Diego had worn that very day in the courtroom. They smelled like coffee, of course, but he still put them on to be dry.

He stepped out of the bathroom, where Mia took his suit.

"Let me dry this for you." She smiled, and took his clothes into another room, before coming back. "Have a seat Phoenix." She gestured to the couch.

"Thanks Mia." He sat down, and Mia placed coffee in front of him.

"Don't worry, it's not a Diego blend." Phoenix chuckled at this, and took the coffee.

"I'm sorry Mia. I just need to air my frustrations." Phoenix leaned back and sighed.

"Diego told me everything. Apparently the woman you dated wasn't Dahlia, huh?"

"Apparently not." Phoenix sipped his coffee. "Is this decaf?"

"Don't tell Diego I have it, he'd kill me." Mia shrugged. "It's late. I want you to actually sleep tonight."

"Thanks for still worrying about me Mia." Phoenix smiled.

"Of course. You were my first protege. It's disappointing that you decided to become a prosecutor, but you're really good at your job, and I'm still proud of you nonetheless." She smirked. "I still hope you come back and become a defense attorney one day."

"Haha, I'll think about it Mia." 

Silence surrounded them for a moment as they both took a drink.

"Now back to the topic at hand, how are you feeling?" Mia asked lightly.

"I…don't know." Phoenix scratched his neck. "On one hand, the person I fell in love with was real. She wasn't fake." Phoenix set down his coffee and twiddled his thumbs. "But on the other hand, she did lie to me, and she left me alone for six years. She never told me what had happened, she didn't try to explain. She just left."

"Phoenix, try to think about what would happen if you were Iris." Mia set her coffee down and looked up at Phoenix. "Back then, if her life was in danger, what would you have done, Phoenix?"

"I…guess I would have done anything to save her life." He responded. 

"Exactly, and Iris did just that. Maybe she wasn't perfect, but who is? She did everything she could to save you, and she did Phoenix. I think you owe her a lot, as do all of your friends." Mia simply smiled. "If it weren't for her, I never would have met you Phoenix. I'm very glad that I met a talented young man like you."

"N-No need to butter me up Mia." Phoenix replied, embarrassed. "But you're right Mia, I do owe her a lot. I…just don't understand why she never contacted me until she turned herself in, or even just explained why she was leaving." Phoenix sighed. "Everything is so confusing."

Mia looked around the office for a bit, before settling her eyes back in Phoenix.

"Let me tell you something Phoenix." She stood up and moved next to him. "Iris is actually my cousin."

Phoenix's mouth dropped open for a moment before he regained his composure.

"I mean, yeah. They kept referring to her as Ms. Fey, I guess that makes sense."

"I didn't even know until recently. My aunt, Morgan, abandoned her and Dahlia."

"What?!" Phoenix nearly shouted. "That bitch…"

"Hey Phoenix, relax." Mia put a hand on his back. "I didn't know until recently. I did a bit of research and interrogated Morgan. That's how I found out."

"That's so…sad." Phoenix said.

"She gave you all the love she was never given by her mother, Phoenix. That's the conclusion I came to." Mia grabbed her coffee and sipped it. "Even if just for my sake, please forgive Iris. She may have her faults, and she could have done things differently, but she took the life of Dahlia to save your own." She smiled again. "I'm not trying to invalidate your feelings Phoenix. I understand feeling conflicted, and you have a right to. But understand that Iris really did love you, and probably still does."

"Still…does?" Phoenix whispered.

"She asked you to prosecute her case, she came straight to you. She told you the truth in court. She saved your life, and she's paying for it. She did it all for you Phoenix." Mia sighed. "She's a bit of a…what was that word she called you? Lunkhead?" 

Phoenix turned bright red at that.

"Don't remind me…"

"Haha, don't worry Phoenix. I think she'd agree she's a bit of a lunkhead too. But she cares about you enough to spend time in jail just so you have closure. She wanted to make up for her past mistakes." Mia shook her head. "But will you let her closure be just that, closure? Or will you try to be there for her again like she was there for you."

Mia pointed her coffee cup at Phoenix, despite their close distance. 

"That's for you to decide Phoenix. But don't leave her waiting for too long."

Phoenix pondered her words for a moment.

"Thank you Mia, you've helped me a lot today." He stood up and bowed. "I need to get going, but I am incredibly grateful for your help today, Chief."

Mia smirked.

"Back to the chief thing, huh?" She shook her head, reminiscent of Diego. "Very well. I wish you luck Phoenix. You're always welcome back here."

She left the room, and came back with his suit in a plastic bag.

"Keep Diego's clothes, he won't miss them. Your clothes are mostly dry, just shield them from the rain." She handed him an umbrella. "And please use an umbrella next time. You're like a child yet, Phoenix."

"Haha. Thanks. I'll see you later Chief!"

With that, he left 

—-----

The Next Day

Prison

8:55 A.M.

"...your belongings that are not allowed inside the prison will be held with us until your release." The warden finished saying. "You will be in a cell alone. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir." Iris responded. "Thank you very much." She gave him a kind smile to which the warden blushed a little.

"Yes, of course. We will be bringing you to your cell now."

A phone started ringing. The warden pulled out his phone, looked at the number, and brought the phone to his ear.

"Ah, yes. Ok, we can do that. Alright, bye."

He looked at Iris.

"Looks like you have a visitor first."

"Already? I just got here?" Iris responded, concerned. Was it Bikini? She told her everything before turning herself in, so she'd know where to find her. Maybe Edgeworth was coming to talk, he'd promised to do that after the trial.

She followed the guards to the visitation room.

Or maybe…no, he wouldn't be here. Not this soon at least.

She entered the room, and looked to the glass window, and saw him.

Iris sat down. Incredulously, she picked up the phone and spoke.

"Why are you here?" The man gave her a goofy smile.

"What, the lunkhead can't visit you?"

"Phoenix…sorry about that." Iris apologized. Phoenix waved her off.

"It's all good. I understand, I was an idiot, I admit." He sighed. "I just wanted to visit you."

Iris felt herself heat up, and she turned away.

"I…thanks Phoenix." Was all she could stammer out.

"How about we catch up on life, is that ok with you Iris?" Phoenix asked.

"Are you sure you still want to associate with me?" Iris mumbled. "I'm still a murderer."

"...You saved me, Iris. I'm forever in your debt." He smiled. "Of course I'll keep associating with you. I'm going to visit every week until you're released." 

Iris's eyes lightened up.

"Do you mean it?" Iris asked, almost pleading for a "yes."

"Of course. I owe you everything."

Iris started to cry.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

Phoenix felt himself start to tear up too.

"Of course Iris."

—----

Six months later…

Fey and Co. Law Offices

9:37 A.M.

Phoenix was looking over some files of a case when Diego entered the room.

"Hey Diego, what's up? Do you need something?" He whipped around in his chair. Diego looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Trite, get out of here. Her release is at 10 sharp. If you don't leave, you're gonna miss it." Diego practically shooed him out of the office. Phoenix looked at his watch, before panic entered his features. He stood up faster than Diego had ever seen, and started getting himself together.

"Shit! Thanks for the reminder Diego." Phoenix rushed out of the door, leaving the door open in his wake. Diego chuckled.

"Ah, young love. Reminds me of you and me, kitten." Diego looked over at Mia, and winked under his mask. She sighed, and came from across the room to give him a playful bonk on the head.

"Oh put a sock in it Diego. I can barely see you trying to wink, you dork."

"Ah, I forgot about this stupid mask. It ruins my flirting tactics! It is my curse!" 

Mia laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're seriously an idiot Armando." Mia sighed. "I'm just glad he's back here. He's much happier than he was when he was a prosecutor. He's meant to be a defense attorney."

Diego chuckled.

"It's in his veins, Kitten. I'm just glad you recognized it." 

"It's not because of me that he's here. If he'd never met Iris, he'd still be a prosecutor." Mia just shook her head. "But I should say, I'm ecstatic to have another lawyer. With the three of us, we're going to make one hell of a law office." Mia pumped her fist excitedly. "We'll rival Edgeworth law offices!"

"As long as Redd White doesn't get in our way." Diego sneered. "He's the reason I don't like you staying here alone at night."

"I know, but trust me. We'll be fine." 

"I know." He smiled. "I trust you."

To that, Mia returned a warm smile.

—-----

Phoenix hopped off his bike, and strode into the prison building. He talked to the reception, and headed towards the re-entry center. He heard someone talking down the hallway, and it sounded like there was also a lot of crying. He slowed his pace, and peeked into the re-entry center.

"I-Iris! I'm s-so happy! You're finally out!" A small woman with a headscarf was sobbing into Iris's robes. She was losing it, and Iris was comforting her.

This was the first time Phoenix had seen her outside of her prison uniform. She wore robes similar to Mia's sister, who he'd only met a few times. But they were pink, with a huge red ribbon tying it together. She also wore a purple magatama around her neck. 

"You really do look like a Fey, don't you Iris?" Phoenix blurted out, unintentionally. 

Iris looked up, and upon seeing Phoenix, smiled gracefully. She looked like she was about to cry.

The short woman hugging Iris turned around and faced Phoenix.

"Ah, so you're the man Iris has been talking about so much." She walked up to him, and through her puffy, tear ridden eyes, gave him a smile. "Take good of her kid, ya hear?"

"I-I…what?" Phoenix flushed, embarrassed.

clop clop clop

Phoenix looked up to see Iris running towards him, her shoes clacking as she ran, before throwing herself into him. He staggered a bit, before accepting her hug. He picked her up and spun her around. Iris giggled as he set her down. 

"Good to see you again Phoenix."

"Y-Yeah. It's good to see you again too." Phoenix reverted back to his old habit of scratching his neck when embarrassed. Iris saw a gleam on Phoenix's chest, and she grabbed his suit quickly.

"Is this a defense attorney's badge?" Iris grilled. "Why didn't you ever tell me?" She poked his chest, seemingly annoyed at him.

"I just wanted it to be a surprise…surprise?" He chuckled. Iris's annoyance melted away, replaced by relief. 

"That's my Feenie." Phoenix melted at the nickname, remembering the power it held over him.

"W-What do you mean by that?" He asked, embarrassed.

"Well, I've noticed over the last few months, you've grown a lot softer. You were kind of mean when I met you again, to be honest." She sighed. "I guess disappearing on you affected you pretty hard, huh? Sorry for that." She gave him a hug, which he returned. 

"No, no. I'm the one who's sorry. I guess I should've used my head. All of this is avoided if I give that pendant back." 

"No, it's my fault." Iris put bluntly. Phoenix blinked.

"No, it's mine."

"No, it's mine."

"No, it's mine."

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"OK YOU TWO, LET'S BREAK IT UP!" The short lady yelled. She covered her mouth afterwards. "Oh goodness, that came out much louder than I expected. My apologies."

Phoenix blinked.

Iris blinked.

They forgot she was there.

"Sorry." Was all the two could muster.

Iris motioned to the lady.

"This is Sister Bikini, she's basically my mother." 

Bikini waved her off.

"Now Iris, there's no need to butter me up. I'm already ecstatic for you. You finally got a boyfriend! You guys already have my blessing!" She started crying.

"Uh, Sister Bikini, Phoenix and I aren't really…" Iris began.

"She's wonderful ma'am. Thank you for your blessing." Phoenix bowed.

Iris blushed, unsure what to make of this situation. Phoenix just tilted his head and flashed a toothy grin, making her more uneasy.

—----

Later that day

Phoenix and Iris arrived at his place. It was a decent apartment, which he afforded with his relatively nice salary as a prosecutor at the time. 

He opened the door and let her in, where Phoenix quickly started making some coffee.

"You have a nice place Phoenix." She said. "It's very spacious."

"Thanks. It always feels empty though." Phoenix sighed.

"Well it's nice anyways. If you cleaned up a little, you'd have even more space." She shook her head condescendingly. "You're still just as messy as ever." She went and sat down on his bed, and he sat next to her.

"Maybe you could stay with me." Phoenix blurted out."

"...huh?" Iris looked dumbfounded.

"I mean, yeah, it'd be nice to have another person around here." Phoenix smiled a bit, before standing up. "I'm going to change out of my suit. It needs to be washed. I'll be right back!" He disappeared into a side room. Iris sighed as she watched him walk away.

"Does he even know what he's saying?" She huffed to herself. She stood up from the bed, and walked over to the kitchen. The coffee was almost ready.

She saw a pan sitting next to the stove, giving her an idea.

When Phoenix came back wearing more casual clothes, he saw Iris at the stove, cooking.

"Oh, Iris. You're making food?" Iris rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, and don't forget about the coffee next time. If I didn't take it off, it was going to taste like Diego made it." 

"Oh, uh, my bad." Iris just sighed.

"Sit down, I made you my special." Phoenix perked up.

"You didn't!" He started salivating a bit.

"Oh, but I did!" She smiled, and poured a mini omelet onto his plate. There was a plate full of them sitting next to her.

"I haven't had these in so long…" Phoenix took a bite, and felt himself transported out of this world. The cheese mixed perfectly with the eggs and meat, and the small dollops of ketchup on it accentuated the taste. 

"Are they good?" Iris asked.

"They're even better than I remember. Thanks!" He flashed another smile, making Iris blush a bit.

"W-Well, there's plenty more. So dig in." Iris turned off the stove, and grabbed a few off of the plate to eat for herself. She sat down next to Phoenix, and started eating. 

She mostly just watched Phoenix eat though. He was still a massive dork, even if he covered it most of the time. In the end, nothing has changed, and he was still the same person.

"Hey Phoenix…" Iris pulled on Phoenix's shirt, just as he finished eating. They had moved a couch Phoenix had in his de facto living room.

"What's up Iris?" He responded.

"Are you sure you're ok with me staying with you for now? I could just go back to Hazakura, you know. Why do you want me to stay with you?" Iris mumbled to him.

"I just want you to stay with me, if that's ok with you. No reason." He responded. 

Iris was silent. She was incredibly confused, and almost annoyed. His avoidance of the topic irked her.

"Hey, you ok Ir-" Phoenix was cut off.

"Why?" Iris asked. "Why are you doing this? Isn't our love dead Phoenix?" She started to cry. "And why are you being so cryptic, and not telling me why you're doing all these things for me, or what the heck even our relationship is Phoenix Wright!"

"Iris, I-" Phoenix began, but she cut him off.

"You're such a moron Phoenix! You know I still hold feelings towards you! You know how I feel! Are you just playing with my feelings? Do you just get pl-" Iris froze.

Iris was stopped by Phoenix kissing her. She was taken aback, but quickly caved to his whims. He was such a passionate kisser, and Iris remembered this well. 

This is such a familiar warm feeling…

Phoenix released her and looked into her eyes.

"I've wanted to do that for almost six months." He said simply. "Sorry I was being cryptic, I just didn't know how to talk about it. I didn't want to hurt you more…" 

Iris didn't respond.

"Iris…?"

"Oh Feenie!" Iris pulled him back in, kissing him even deeper than he did to her. It had been six long years without him, and her body ached for him. It was a love long since gone, but nothing could ever replace it.

She released him finally, feeling satisfied.

"Sorry for yelling at you." She apologized. "I was just…emotional."

"I can tell." Phoenix laughed. "Sorry for kissing you suddenly, everything you did was just so…cute."

"Cute?!" Iris's face turned crimson. She covered her face with her hands, peeking through her fingers.

"Beautiful too." Phoenix remarked. He played with a lock of her hair, and Iris melted again, feeling like puddy in his hands.

"Y-You still remember how to melt my heart, don't you?" She held a hand to her chest, trying to slow her heart down. 

"I'm just telling the truth." He gave her a pat on the head. Iris puffed her cheeks out.

"I'm not an animal, Feenie." She remarked.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist!" He exclaimed. He scooted a little closer to her, and started talking again. "You mind talking with me about some things?"

Iris raised an eyebrow.

"Sure…?"

"Since you're living with me, would you mind coming to work with me at the office? I'd like you as my co-counsel." Iris covered her mouth, a bit in shock.

"Well, I'd love to but…" She paused. "I don't really know anything about the law. Plus, Mia would need to hire me, and who says she would?" 

"I'm sure she will if I ask. Come on, it'll be fun! You don't need to know the law well, all you have to do is help observe."

"I don't know…" Iris chewed her thumb in though.

"Please?" Phoenix begged. He stared at her, and Iris couldn't deny a face like that.

"F-Fine." She sighed. "Don't expect too much out of me though." 

Phoenix just laughed. 

"All I need is your emotional support, really." 

"I can do that much." She laughed. "You're such a dork." She quipped.

"One other thing…" Phoenix started. Iris looked at him quizzically.

"Yes?"

"Would you…uh…" He started twiddling his thumbs. "Like, uh…" Iris smiled, knowing what he was asking.

"Phoenix, are you trying to ask me out?" Iris poked his face. Phoenix heated up fast.

"I…yes." Was all Phoenix simply responded with.

"Of course, you idiot." She kissed his cheek, and that same stupid, dorkish grin that Iris loved came back.

 She leaned against him, and dropped her head on his shoulder. 

"I…really missed you, Feenie."

"I really missed you too." 

Phoenix kissed her on the head, and Iris fell asleep in the arms of the person she loved.