A/N: Well, this is it, guys. Enjoy this last chapter!

Two Years Later

"I think a bunch of these should go outside the door, Trucy," Pearl says, lifting a pink balloon with the word "congratulations" written on it in white cursive writing.

Trucy nods thoughtfully. "Definitely. Then everyone coming to the second floor will know something fun is going on here!"

Phoenix has to smile at the two girls as he sits behind his desk, watching them decorate the office for the party they've planned tonight. It's nice to have them both in the office again, too. Pearl spends most of her time in Kurain as the assistant to the new Mayor now, and Trucy is currently living in the dorms of Ivy University where she's taking the theatre course to supplement her still popular magic shows, so Phoenix doesn't get to see them as often as he would like to anymore.

He looks back down at his laptop and gets back to work on finishing up the paperwork from his most recent case. He wants to have it finished so it's not in the back of his mind during the party. They're celebrating more than one event tonight, and he wants to be entirely in the moment for all of it.

Two hours later, Trucy and Pearl have finished decorating the office, and Phoenix has completed his paperwork. He's upstairs changing from his suit to more slightly more casual party clothing when Maya bursts into their room.

"I'm home!" she exclaims, practically skipping into the room to kiss him on the cheek.

Phoenix turns to her as he finishes buttoning his shirt. "I was starting to wonder if you were going to make it," he says, grabbing a black blazer from the closet to pull over top.

"I wouldn't miss this party, Nick. Obviously, since it's all about me!"

Phoenix snorts and looks her up and down. She's wearing a professional looking black pencil skirt and a matching blazer over top of a white blouse. He has to admit; he's found Maya's new look quite sexy. "Are you going to change into something more comfortable?" he asks hesitantly.

"I think so, yeah," she says.

He sighs. He was kind of hoping she would say no, but he supposes it can't be all that comfortable. She goes to their closet to start looking through her outfits.

"I'm going to head downstairs, okay?" he says. "People will start getting here soon."

Maya nods. "Sure, Nick. I won't be long."

"Alright."

He heads back downstairs to a transformed room. Trucy and Pearl have gone all out. All of Trucy's old magic props have already been cleaned out since she moved to school, and they've pushed the couches to the side of the room to make more space for mingling. They've once again converted his desk into a sort of buffet, but the food covering it is far from pizza and chips. It looks like something catered, but Phoenix knows Pearl has been getting better and better at cooking and baking, so he wouldn't be surprised to find that she'd made it all herself.

Charley is still thriving in the sunlight under the window, even bigger after two years of growth in his new pot, and Charlize, as Maya had dubbed her, sits in a smaller pot beneath the shade of Charley's leaves. On the shelf behind the two plants, there are picture frames. That two-year-old photo of he and Maya before that night at the restaurant, before their first kiss, is framed again and situated front and centre. There are other photos too, added over the years, of he and Maya, family photos that include Trucy and Pearl, and a variety of others. Phoenix likes having them down in the office instead of up in the apartment. He loves showing his family off to clients who come in.

He smiles at the pictures as he enters the room, and Trucy looks over at him from where she's hanging one last balloon.

"Hey Daddy," she says, hopping down from a step-ladder. "People should be getting here soon."

He nods. "Have you heard from Apollo lately?"

Trucy's smile spreads. "Yes! My brother is on his way. His plane landed about half an hour ago so he should be here soon."

He smiles at her. Ever since being told the news of her and Apollo's relation, she's taken to calling him 'my brother' whenever talking about him. "Good."

She nods. "I'm so excited to see him again. It's been forever."

"You just visited him in Khura'in last year before school started."

"I know, I know. I just want to make up for all those years we lost not knowing about each other, you know?"

Phoenix pats her on the shoulder. "I get it."

She smiles. "But, enough about me. Tonight is about you and Maya."

"You and Pearls did a great job decorating the office," he tells her. "Where did she go, anyway?"

Trucy laughs, a little bit to herself. "I think she went upstairs to get changed and put on some makeup since you know who is coming."

"Ah," Phoenix says, feeling suddenly like an overprotective father. Pearl had gone with Trucy to Khura'in to visit Apollo and had come home gushing about him to anyone who would listen. She never outright admitted it, but to him it was obvious. She was crushing hard. He'd hoped she would grow out of it after not seeing him for a year, but Apollo's visit was only making her more excited.

"He's too old for her."

Trucy rolls her eyes. "How much older are you than Maya, again?"

"You shush."

Trucy giggles. "Don't worry. I don't think Polly has any interest in her. It's just a crush because he's the only boy she knows who's even close to her age. She'll get over it eventually."

Phoenix sighs. "If you say so. Speaking of crushes, you don't have anyone special at school do you?"

Trucy blushes. "Daddyyyyy."

"I'm just checking."

She sticks her tongue out at him. "No, no one yet."

He smiles. "Alright."

They hear a knock at the door, and Trucy looks grateful for the distraction. "I'll get it."

She hops over to the door, only for it to burst open before she has a chance to answer it. Athena grins and holds her arms above her head. "I have finally arrived! Now the party can really get started!"

Trucy puts her hands on her hips. "Athena, you're the first person here."

Athena frowns. "Technically, I'm the second person here. Because look who I found lurking in the hallway when I came in!"

She reaches out of view and grabs someone, pulling them in, her arm around their neck. Trucy's face lights up. "Polly! You made it!"

Apollo looks a little annoyed at the grip Athena has on his neck, but he smiles at Trucy anyway. "It's good to see you again, Trucy." He ducks from under Athena's arm and steps into the office. "Man, I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's also good to be back in this office! I missed it."

Apollo glances around, eyes finally landing on Phoenix. "Mr. Wright! It's been a while," he says, extending his hand for a handshake.

Phoenix looks down at it, but ignores it and reaches out to pull Apollo in for a hug. He can't help it. He's missed the kid immensely, even if he's had all the girls to distract him from Apollo's absence. Apollo seems surprised at first, but finally, he wraps his arms around his former boss, patting him hesitantly on the back.

Phoenix pulls back, only to find Trucy and Athena watching their embrace with smiles on their faces. Phoenix clears his throat. "Uh, yeah, been a long time, Apollo," he says. "But I'm glad to have you back."

Apollo grins, rubbing his hair spikes sheepishly. "Only for a little while, though."

Phoenix nods. "Of course. I'm sure the lead attorney at the Justice Law Office in Khura'in can't be away for too long."

"You've got that right. The lawyers I have working for me now are all great, but I never realized how much work being the boss is." He looks at Phoenix. "Were Athena and me such a handful?"

Phoenix laughs. "No, you two made my job easier if anything. Trucy on the other hand…"

"Hey!" Trucy says, putting her hands on her hips. "If anything I was the real boss around here, Daddy."

"Who was the real boss? We all know I'm the boss here."

Phoenix and Apollo turn to find Maya entering the room. The purple dress she's wearing now takes Phoenix's breath away. Maya could wear anything and look beautiful, though. She has a thin gold chain around her neck that disappears underneath the neckline of her dress, instead of her magatama.

"Hi Ms. Fey," Apollo says, smiling. "You look amazing."

"Hey, that's my line," Phoenix says.

Maya grins as she walks over to them. "Thank you, Polly. You're not looking too bad yourself. I'm sure Pearly will agree with me, too," she says, grinning up at Phoenix, who makes a face at her.

Apollo raises an eyebrow but says nothing.

"Feel free to grab some food and catch up," Phoenix says. "Everyone else should be arriving any minute."

"Sure, thanks, Mr. Wright."

Slowly but surely their closest friends trickle in. Edgeworth arrives not long after Apollo and Athena, and Gumshoe shows up a few minutes after him. Ema comes with Kay and Iris in tow; the three of them had become good friends after that night out together so long ago now. When Larry finally appears, fashionably late as always, everyone has been mingling for a while already, and conversations have started in different corners of the room.

Phoenix and Maya make their rounds, visiting every group and thanking people for coming or catching up with those they haven't seen in a while. After they've made their rounds, he and Maya make their way to the middle of the room and attempt to get the attention of everyone gathered in the office.

People stop their conversations and turn to look at them, some still sipping from wine glasses or munching on the food. Maya looks up at him, waiting for him to start.

Phoenix clears his throat. "Um… thank you, everyone, for coming. You all know the reason we're here celebrating today is because of Maya's recent graduation from the paralegal course at the local college. She's, as of today, an official member of the Wright Anything Agency."

Maya beams as everyone claps politely, including Phoenix. He's proud of all of her accomplishments in only two years. She'd spent the better part of two months after Molly's trial back in Kurain, working on the election process, helping candidates, and assisting the villagers with any and all concerns they may have had about the changes. She'd remained the Master up until a new Mayor was finally selected. It was easily the hardest part of their relationship to date, being long distance and Maya being incredibly busy, rarely even having a weekend off to spend with him. But when it was finished, and she had finally moved into his apartment for good, things couldn't have been more perfect.

Not long after moving in Maya decided to take her job as his assistant more seriously. She'd always been a big help, and Phoenix was happy with her assistance, but she was tired of not being able to help with the actual legal side of things. Together they'd looked into schools and programs, and though he believed Maya would make a fantastic lawyer, she thought it was too expensive and took too long. The paralegal program at the local college was a perfect compromise. She wouldn't be able to offer her services as a lawyer the way he could, but after graduating from the two-year program, she'd have a much better grasp of the legal work done behind the scenes and could help both Phoenix and Athena, lightening their workload and being more than a simple assistant.

Phoenix wraps an arm around her. Maya had a hard time not feeling bad about leaving her position in Kurain for those first few months after moving to the city permanently, but he'd assured her that it was her decision, and he didn't want her doing something that was only going to make her miserable. Maya had always been good at hiding her true feelings, he'd honestly had no idea she was so unhappy with her job as Master, but after moving to the city, even he was able to see the difference. She's happier now, doing something she loves, and he can tell. He considers himself lucky that her real passion is something so close to his own heart.

He clears his throat to get the attention of the room again. "As amazing as Maya's accomplishments are, we do have one other announcement," he says to the room. "Something only a few of you are aware of so far."

A hush falls over the room as everyone is eager to hear what other news they have. Maya is practically bouncing with excitement beside him. Phoenix takes another breath. "We're—"

"We're engaged!" Maya bursts out before he can finish.

There's a pause in the room before it erupts in uproarious applause. "It's about time!" Larry calls from across the room.

Phoenix squeezes Maya to him, leaning down to kiss her temple. "Kiss her like you mean it!" someone else yells, and Phoenix is pretty sure it's Pearl's voice.

Maya smiles and turns in his arms, reaching her arms up to wrap around his neck. "Want to give them what they want?"

Phoenix sighs. He's never really been one for super public displays of affection, but Maya is looking at him expectantly, as are most of their party guests.

He rolls his eyes but gives Maya a chaste kiss on the lips. Maya chuckles when he pulls away. "I guess now that everyone knows, I can wear this on my finger again, where it belongs," she says, drawing on the thin gold chain necklace she's wearing around her neck. Her engagement ring slides out from under her dress's neckline, and she unclips the chain, letting the ring slide from it to land on her palm.

She hands it over to him and holds her hand out. Phoenix smiles as he takes her hand and slips the ring back onto her finger. The room once again erupts into applause, and Maya smiles up at him. The sight of her smile is something he knows he'll never get tired of.

After their announcements, they continue to mingle with guests. Eventually, they separate, Phoenix going his own way when Maya gets cornered by Athena, Ema, Iris, and Kay.

"So, Miss Fey, how did Mr. Wright ask you?"

Maya smiles as Athena sits down beside her, and the others approach to gather round. "I'm curious," Ema says. Kay and Iris nod their agreement.

Maya shrugs. "To you guys, it won't seem that special, but for me it was perfect."

"Come on," Kay prods. "We still want to hear it, even if it's not some crazy big deal. Small proposals can be just as romantic."

"I would love to hear it as well," Iris says.

Maya sighs. "If you guys insist. Well, he told me to get all dressed up, so I was expecting some fancy restaurant for our date night. Instead, he took me to the same old burger shack we've been visiting for fourteen years, and we ate there, dressed like we were in a five-star restaurant."

The girls all look at each other, eyebrows raised. Maya continues. "But really, I love that place, and Nick knows it. So it was perfect. When we left there, I didn't know what was going on, because there had to be a reason he told me to dress so nicely. I knew we probably weren't going to the movies or anything. He hailed a cab, and we ended up getting out at the old Big Tower, that skyscraper across the city with the viewing platform at the top. Nick knows how much I love the city now that I live here, so we went up to the top so we could look at the view.

I was busy admiring the city and looking at all the lights and stuff, and when I turned around to see where Nick was… he was there, on one knee, holding the ring. It was pretty late at the time, too, so there weren't very many people around. It was only us up there, me and him and the stars, that I could see for once because we were so high up."

Maya waves a hand. "He said some romantic, sappy stuff and asked me and obviously I said yes." She smiles to herself. "It was perfect."

"That's so romantic," Iris says quietly. The others all nod their agreement.

"Why didn't you think that wouldn't sound special? That sounds amazing," Athena sighs. "I can't wait to finally find a boyfriend that loves me as much as Mr. Wright loves you."

The other girls all sigh in unison, and Maya tries not to laugh. "I'm lucky," she tells them. "But I'm sure you'll all find someone eventually."

"Congratulations, Wright," Edgeworth says, lifting his wine glass in a mock toast as Phoenix approaches them.

Larry smiles from where he's standing beside Edgeworth. "Yeah, Nick. Who would've thought you'd be the first of us to get married?"

Edgeworth raises an eyebrow. "I did, considering I don't date, and your relationships never last longer than a month."

Larry frowns. "Anyways," he says, "I'm happy for you, man. To think two years ago I told you not to get ahead of yourself. Guess I was wrong. You two are meant to be together."

"And I believe I told you I thought it was highly unlikely the two of you would not work out," Edgeworth says.

Phoenix smiles. "Yeah, you did. And that was before Maya and I were actually together. A lot of people seemed to know about us before we even did."

"It was pretty obvious," Larry says. "Even Edgey here managed to figure it out." Edgeworth shoots him a glare but says nothing.

"Thanks, both of you," Phoenix says. "We're both excited."

"Do you have any plans for the wedding yet?" Edgeworth asks.

"We've talked a bit about it. Maya wants to have a romantic beach wedding or something," Phoenix says, shaking his head a little. "But who knows what we'll decide on once we start planning it for real."

Larry grins. "You'll let her have whatever she wants, though, won't you? You're still whipped."

Phoenix shrugs. "If wanting to make someone you love happy makes you whipped, then sure, I'm whipped."

Larry rolls his eyes, and Edgeworth shakes his head at him. "Is it any wonder you're thirty-seven years old and have never had a serious relationship, Larry? You've never moved past your college years."

"Jokes on you, Edgey, I didn't even go to college."

Phoenix and Edgeworth exchange a glance before Phoenix laughs, and even Edgeworth manages a chuckle. Larry looks back and forth between them, not understanding what's so funny.

They stand and talk a while longer. Phoenix tells them the engagement story as well, and Larry goes on about how jealous he is, but is otherwise supportive. Edgeworth seems happy for him, too.

As the conversation dies down, Phoenix notes that Apollo is wandering around the room, drifting in and out of discussions. Phoenix excuses himself from Larry and Edgeworth and heads over to Apollo.

"Hey, Apollo, you okay?"

Apollo blinks, looking up at him. "Oh, I'm fine. Just trying to get a break from Trucy and Athena, to be honest. I was looking for Pearl. She disappeared, and she's so much calmer than those two."

Phoenix has to stop himself from saying anything about Pearl's crush. The last thing he wants to do is embarrass her by telling Apollo about it, and besides, he thinks Trucy is right. Apollo doesn't seem to have any interest in her aside from friendly interest.

"They can be a handful," Phoenix says.

Apollo nods. "Oh, I should've said. Congratulations! You know, after Trucy told me you and Ms. Fey finally got together, I didn't think it'd be long before I was being invited to a wedding. I'm kind of surprised it took this long for you to propose."

Phoenix smiles. "Well, we wanted to be extra sure."

"But you've always been close. You really thought you might not make it in a relationship?"

Phoenix shrugs. "Things are different when you go past friendship. We have fun together, and I love her more than anything, but we still had moments where we had to work together to make sure we were both getting what we wanted out of the relationship. It's just a good thing those conversations have always been easy resolutions or compromises. I never had a single doubt that I'd marry her, not since we got together, even if we were arguing or not getting along for a few hours on a random day."

"That's good to hear," Apollo says. "I'm sure Trucy and Pearl are ecstatic."

Phoenix nods. "You have no idea. Pearls has been on Maya and me to get together since she was nine years old. Maya was only eighteen when she started that up."

"Wow," Apollo says, chuckling to himself. "She's been a supporter for a while."

"Oh, most definitely."

They're quiet for a few seconds before Phoenix clears his throat. "Apollo, I know you're not staying long before going back to Khura'in, so I'll ask you now. Will you be able to come back for the wedding so that you can be one of my groomsmen?"

Apollo looks surprised that Phoenix had asked, but nods his head slightly. "Yes, of course, Mr. Wright! I'd love to."

"Good to hear," Phoenix says, holding out his hand.

Apollo takes it and gives it a quick shake. "Give me the details when you have them. I'll take time off and book a flight as soon as I can."

"Will do."

"Anyway, Mr. Wright," Apollo says, "your bride-to-be looks a little lonely over there." He nods in Maya's direction, and when Phoenix looks, Maya is sitting alone on one of the office couches, smiling at Athena and Trucy as they argue over one of Trucy's dangerous magic tricks. Kay, Ema, and Iris seem to have moved on and are getting into the food now.

Phoenix nods his thanks at Apollo. "By the way, you might find Pearls upstairs in the apartment. She tends to get overwhelmed at parties like this sometimes, so she might be taking a break up there."

Apollo smiles. "Thanks, Mr. Wright."

Phoenix turns away from him and heads towards Maya. She looks up when he approaches and smiles at him. She's practically glowing and even now he's still being caught by surprise by her beauty. He holds out a hand to her, and she takes it without question, letting him pull her to her feet, her purple dress swaying around her legs.

"Do you want some wine, or food, Maya?" he asks.

She shakes her head. "No, I'm okay."

He tilts his head. It's not often Maya refuses food or wine, but he doesn't press her. "Let's go outside then," he murmurs to her.

She follows him quietly, leaving behind the noise of the party and the mingling guests to step out onto the balcony into the cool night air. Maya takes a deep breath of fresh air and moves to rest her arms on the railing.

"The city is pretty at night, huh, Nick?"

He looks up. The Gatewater Hotel obscures some of the views, but the other buildings around his are lit up, and down below on the street he can see billboards and streetlights and cars whizzing by. He's used to the city sights, but even after two years of living in the city full time, Maya still finds wonder in it. It was part of the reason he'd chosen the spot he did to ask her to marry him.

"I guess so," he says.

Maya looks at him, an eyebrow raised. "You sound so enthused."

He grins and wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his side and leaning down to speak into her ear. "The city is nothing compared to you, Maya," he murmurs to her. "Even if we lived in the most beautiful city in the world, I'd still rather spend the night looking at you."

Maya smiles, lifting her head to nuzzle against his cheek. "You've become quite the sweet talker lately."

"I was making sure you'd say yes when I asked you to marry me. Now I have to keep it up, so you don't change your mind."

Maya laughs and reaches up to pat his cheek. "I would never."

Phoenix shrugs. "Just in case."

Maya smiles and wraps her arms around herself. "It's chilly tonight, huh?"

"Here," he says, removing his arm from her shoulders to slip his jacket off. He drapes it over her shoulders, and Maya pulls it around herself.

"Mm. Thank you, Nick." She sighs. "Was there a reason you brought me out here?"

"Just saving you from the kids."

She laughs softly. "Trucy's pretty happy that Apollo's visiting, huh?"

"Yep. I'm glad we finally told them."

"Me too. They deserved to know they're siblings; it was time."

"Mhm."

Maya moves over, bumping her hip playfully against his. "Nick. I wasn't going to tell you this yet, I wanted to save it for a better time, but I don't think there'll be a better time than now, with all our family and friends here. And I'm too excited to keep it to myself much longer anyway."

He raises an eyebrow as he looks down at her, still huddled up in his jacket. "What? You just said you would never go back on your decision to marry me, so I hope that's not it."

She flaps the arm of his jacket at him, swatting him with it. "That's not it."

He leans forward a little to get a peek at her face behind her fringe. She's smiling to herself, apparently pleased with whatever she's about to say. "Maya, what is it?"

She presses her lips together, and lets go of his jacket on one side. It falls open enough for him to see her hand move to rest on her stomach. She looks up at him. "Do you think Trucy will mind if she gets another sibling?"

It takes Phoenix a second to process what she's saying, but with her hand resting on her stomach, it's quite obvious what she means. He's speechless, and for a moment all he can do is stare at her, mouth agape. Maya grins as he stands there, blinking at her. Finally, he manages to utter one small word. It's practically a whisper.

"Really?"

Maya laughs and turns to face him. "Yes, really."

He looks down at her. "You don't look… I mean, I didn't notice anything off…"

Her hand rubs a circle over her belly. "I've had a bit of morning sickness; I just thought I was getting a stomach bug or something, until I missed a period. I took a test, and it was positive, so I went to the doctor, and he confirmed it. I'm only around seven weeks, so I haven't gained much weight yet. I didn't tell you right away just in case it was a false positive or something, but it's not."

He smiles at her, his hand coming forward to touch her belly. "Maya… This is amazing news." He wraps his arms around her, hugging her tightly to him.

Maya sighs, resting her head against his shoulder, her arms wrapping tightly around his waist.

"Do you think it's too early to tell everyone else?" she asks quietly.

Phoenix turns to look into the window. He can see that Apollo has found Pearl and brought her back to the party to sit and converse with her on the couches, and Athena and Trucy are still engaged in heated conversation on the other couch. To the other side of the room, Edgeworth and Gumshoe are standing together talking, and Larry isn't far from them, standing in a circle with Kay, Ema, and Iris. From the dirty looks on Ema and Kay's faces and the blush on Iris's cheeks, Larry might be getting himself into trouble.

Phoenix smiles as he watches everyone. "I don't think so," he says. "Not if you want to, at least."

She sighs. "I know there's always a chance this early on… that things don't go the way you want them to, but I really want everyone to know."

"Hey," he says, pulling away. "Let's not even think that. Everything will be fine. Let's tell them."

She nods, suddenly looking determined. "Okay."

They make their way back inside, hand in hand. Maya clears her throat. "Excuse me, everyone? Can we get your attention once more?"

The room quiets rather quickly. Everyone turns to look, curious what else could be going on after the excitement of the engagement announcement. "We have to tell you all one more thing," Maya says. She squeezes his hand. "I'm—"

"She's pregnant!" Phoenix blurts, interrupting her in his excitement.

Maya nods excitedly beside him, and Phoenix hears a gasp and a squeal, only to look over to see Trucy and Pearl's reactions. They're the only ones who knew about the engagement before the party, but this is a complete surprise for them.

This time when the room erupts into applause, it's thunderous even for the small number of people present. There's whistling and cheering, and Phoenix is pretty sure he can hear Pearl crying from sheer happiness.

He turns and pulls Maya into his arms again to kiss her deeply, passionately, putting every ounce of love and joy for her and their new addition into it, and this time he doesn't care who sees.

The Next Day

Apollo yawns as he makes his way out of the courthouse after Athena's most recent trial. He'd gone to cheer Athena on for old time's sake, but the trial was exhausting, even for him up in the gallery, and particularly after the night he'd had at Phoenix and Maya's graduation/engagement/baby announcement party the night before. With Athena old enough to drink and with Trucy not caring whether or not she was 21 yet, he'd had a hard time keeping up with the festivities. He's not sure how Athena isn't hungover for her trial today.

He can't be any happier for his former boss. Truthfully, he didn't think something like this was going to be announced when he came to visit at Trucy's insistence, even after she'd told him it was a special occasion. He figured it must have been someone's birthday that he didn't remember, or maybe that Trucy was making things up so he would visit her.

He's glad that he was invited, though. It means quite a lot to him that Phoenix wanted him there for the announcements; that Phoenix thought of him as a close part of his family who should be present for such things, and it means even more to have Phoenix ask him to be a groomsman in their wedding. He can only assume that Edgeworth will be the best man; that seems the obvious choice.

He sighs as he takes the stairs down from the courthouse. Athena had to stay inside for a while longer and had told him to go on back to the office ahead of her. He has no reason to stay in the courthouse since he's not taking any cases while he's visiting, so he'd told her he'd meet her back at the Wright Anything Agency and took his leave.

As he steps off the final stair, he glances over to the usual hot dog stand, still situated on the sidewalk just near the corner of the courthouse. It's never been moved, and Apollo has to admit, he has some good memories of those delicious hot dogs. Not able to resist temptation, he steps up to the cart and orders one for himself.

When he turns back around, hot dog in hand, he jumps in surprise. A woman is standing behind him, a little too close for comfort. She's pretty though, and he finds himself staring at her. Long, curly, red hair. Dark, pouty, red lips. A white sundress that falls to knee height and shows much more cleavage than Apollo is used to seeing from most women.

Her beauty catches him off guard, and he mumbles an apology before he realizes he did nothing wrong, and moves to the side of the hot dog cart to get his condiments. The woman orders one as well and moves quickly to the side of the cart for her condiments before he has a chance to leave. Once again, she's standing just a little too close for his comfort.

She picks up the ketchup bottle and promptly drops it on the ground. She gasps and bends down, and when she leans over, it's almost impossible for Apollo not to notice how much cleavage she's baring. He tries not to look too closely, but it's almost as if she wants him to.

She grabs the bottle and stands up again, smiling apologetically at him. "I'm so sorry, I can be so clumsy," she says.

Apollo shakes his head. "It's alright."

She smiles again and goes about putting the ketchup on her hot dog. Her long, manicured nails make the act look somehow classy, if putting ketchup on a hot dog could ever be considered classy.

She turns to him when she's finished and takes a bit, slipping the hot dog between those pouty lips. She wipes her mouth with a napkin she'd grabbed off the cart as she chews.

Apollo stares at her until she's swallowed. She holds out one of her hands. "My name is Molly," she says. "Molly Hott."

Apollo extends his hand to her. He hasn't taken one bite of his hot dog, and now he feels like he'll be too self-conscious to eat in front of this woman after how she so daintily made a hot dog look like a gourmet meal.

"A—Apollo Justice," he says.

"Apollo Justice," she repeats, looking away from him, almost as if she's talking to herself.

Apollo can almost swear he sees recognition in her eyes when she looks at him again, but he has no idea who she is. There's no way they've ever met before; he thinks he would remember a woman like her.

"You're Phoenix Wright's protégé, aren't you?" she asks suddenly, cocking her head to the side as her wide eyes stare at him.

He swallows thickly. "Y—Yes. Well, he mentored me. I worked for him for a while, but I have my own law office now, in the Kingdom of Khura'in. I'm just back visiting for a while; I was watching one of my friend's trials today, which is why I'm here at the courthouse."

Molly smiles, perfect white teeth showing between those perfect lips. "How impressive! And you're still so young!"

Apollo smiles at her, reaching up to rub at his hair spikes. "Heh, I guess so."

"I've heard about you, you know," she says nonchalantly. "I used to be a prosecutor you see, but I found… a different path in life. But no prosecutor worth their salt was unaware of Apollo Justice or Phoenix Wright. You had quite the reputation, you two."

Apollo smiles. "We only ever did our jobs…"

"Of course."

Apollo smiles politely. She may be beautiful, but the way Molly is staring at him somehow gives him the heebie-jeebies. It's like she knows something he doesn't, and his bracelet is going crazy around his wrist when he talks to her, but outside like this, not in court where he can press a witness's statements, he has no way to find out what's causing it without her getting suspicious. It does tell him that there's something off about her, at the very least.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Miss Hott, but I have to go," he says, beginning to turn around.

She reaches out, her hand gripping his forearm, long nails digging into his skin. "You know, Mr. Justice, you're rather cute. I don't suppose you'd be interested in a cup of coffee sometime?"

Apollo's eyes widen. She's asking him out. And despite how pretty she is, he gets an overwhelming feeling in the pit of his stomach that he should not date this woman.

He shakes his head. "No, thank you, I'm busy today."

"Well, what about tomorrow?"

"No, really, I can't date anyone right now."

"Why not?"

"I'm going back to Khura'in soon. I can't get into any relationships here in the U.S. right now," he says, grateful for the convenient excuse.

Molly sighs, her grip on him not loosening. "Are you sure that's your only reason? I'd even be willing to move to Khura'in with you if we got along. I have lots of money to spare."

Apollo swallows and looks to the ground, trying to think of a good enough excuse to deter her. She's just met him and she's already saying she'll move in with him? Now he knows why his bracelet feels like it's starting to cut off his circulation.

He looks up just in time to see Athena leaving the courthouse and beginning to head down the stairs, and it gives him what he thinks is a perfect excuse. He closes his eyes for a second and says a silent prayer that Athena won't kill him for this.

Apollo turns back to Molly, trying to look as normal as possible, and tells her.

"I already have a girlfriend."

A/N: And we're done. Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed/faved/followed this fic! I never thought it'd get the following it did. I'm pretty proud of it for it being one of my first multi-chapter fics in years. In particular I want to thank my friend MexicanDetective who was the person to first request this fic in the first place. I also want to thank my regular reviewers: CzarThwomp, Brock's Geodude, Lightning the Raptor, AceAttorneyFantic, MissBlueTip, Turnabout Of The Shadows, and anyone else who I may have missed! Your comments were what helped me keep up the motivation to actually finish this. I also have to give a shoutout to my friends in my Discord group who I often discussed this fic with.

I loved writing it and I'm going to miss it, but it was a fun ride!