So this came from a request on my fan fic blog on Tumblr. It was originally supposed to just be a short one shot or drabble, but it's ending up longer and will be multi-chapter instead. Probably not too many chapters, but it's already getting too long to post as one.

Everyone loves a good fake dating fic, right? I know I'm having fun writing it so far.

I hope you guys enjoy and feel free to fave/review if you like it. They definitely help motivate me.

"I'm so sorry, Boss. If I had known we'd have such a big case coming up I wouldn't have asked for that time off. Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"

Phoenix shakes his head for the tenth time that day. "I already told you you could take next week off. I'm not going to be the type of boss to go back on that." He looks up and attempts to give her a reassuring smile. "I have lots of experience. I can handle this on my own, don't worry."

"But it's such a big case… You're positive you'll be okay?"

"Athena," he says, looking at her the way he looks at Trucy when she's begging for more allowance money or asking to stay out past midnight. "It's fine, really. This is your first vacation since you started working here, and didn't you tell me you're going to Europe to visit your friends there? You can't cancel something so big. Besides, you deserve it, so stop worrying about me."

She sighs. "Alright. But if you need any help promise me you'll call me in!"

He waves a hand at her. "If I need any help I can call Maya up. She was my assistant for years so she has enough experience to help while you're gone, if I need it."

Athena smiles. "Ah, I see what's going on. I get why you want me gone so badly."

He rolls his eyes. "Oh come on, Athena. You've been talking to Trucy and Pearls too much," he says, looking back at his computer screen. He can't bring himself to look her in the eyes now.

She smiles knowingly at him. "Uh huh, sure, Boss. Alright, well, I'll be packing tonight and leaving tomorrow, so you have fun."

She sounds like his mother telling him to have fun at his first high school dance. "Yeah, you too, Athena."

She grins at him as she grabs her bag from her desk, then waves before she opens the door to head downstairs, leaving Phoenix alone in the office. With Apollo gone, and Trucy spending more and more time at work or with friends, he finds himself alone an awful lot nowadays.

He clicks on a folder of files for the upcoming case on the computer and starts to read over them. If he's going to be alone in a quiet office, he might as well prepare fully for the case. Athena is right, it's a pretty big one, so he can't be caught off guard.

He doesn't think he'll need to call Maya for help. Then again, the stillness of the office is kind of strange, so maybe he should? He misses her rambunctiousness. She always made work fun. Now it's just… work. And Pearl hasn't been around much lately either, she's probably busy with training in Kurain Village now that she's older and their Master is back. He wonders if Maya is busy with her duties. Who knows if she would even be able to come if he did call to ask for her help, she has responsibilities now too and sometimes he finds it hard to remember that…

It's fifteen minutes later when he realizes he's spaced out, thinking about Maya and whether or not she could come over if he called. He sighs and goes back to work. Really, he needs to take this case more seriously.

The next morning Phoenix gets to the courthouse early in anticipation for the trial. As much as he'd reassured Athena that he'd be fine, he's starting to regret not calling Maya. Ever since regaining his attorney's badge, being alone on the bench is nerve wracking, given what happened the last time he was by himself during a trial. He takes a seat in the lobby and pulls out the case files. If he can go over them once more maybe he won't feel so nervous.

He's five pages into the case files when he hears a high pitched laugh from across the room, and looks up to see a young woman fluttering around one of the bailiffs and touching his arm lightly.

"Oh my, do you have a gun, sir? Your arms are so big, I can only imagine how often you must work out."

The bailiff stutters and blushes at her attention. Looking a bit closer, Phoenix supposes she warrants such a reaction. She has coppery red hair that falls in waves around her shoulders and halfway down her back. Her clothing is modest enough: a tight black pencil skirt and a white blouse with a black blazer, but her legs are bare and her black high heels must be at least five inches high, which only helps accentuate her shapely legs. Red hair definitely isn't his thing, but otherwise she's very pretty.

Now she's giggling at whatever the bailiff is saying to her. Phoenix goes back to his case files. While it's obvious by the way she's dressed that she must have some reason to be in the courthouse, he wishes she wasn't standing in the lobby right before a trial, making noise and distracting certain hardworking defense lawyers who need to concentrate on their cases.

He manages to tune out the flirting going on on the other side of the room to immerse himself in his notes again. He'd spoken to his client late last night, so he's confident in their testimony and he's sure they're innocent. It just doesn't make sense that his client would rob a bank, let alone murder one of the tellers while in the process of robbing. He doesn't know exactly what happened during the robbery, but he's sure he'll be able to figure it out during the trial.

He closes his files once he finishes with them and sits back. He can't help eavesdropping a bit on the conversation going on across from him now that he has nothing else to do, but he quickly realizes that it's not exactly the most intelligent conversation, at least on the bailiff's part. The woman is talking about some old cold case, spouting off theories and talking about old suspects and evidence. The bailiff is nodding and smiling and Phoenix gets the feeling that she may as well be talking to the wall for all the bailiff understands. She seems to notice this as well, and quickly goes back to more simple topics, like the appointment she supposedly has at some expensive spa in downtown L.A. later today.

Another bailiff pokes his head out from inside the courtroom and spots him. "Mr. Wright, the trial is about to start."

Phoenix tears his gaze away from the woman and nods to the other bailiff. "Thanks. I'm on my way."

He stands and stretches, and when he looks back at the woman once more, he notices her staring at him. He looks away awkwardly and heads towards the courtroom doors, but as he passes, she surprises him by reaching out and grabbing his arm.

"You're Phoenix Wright?" she asks, tilting her head slightly to look at him. She's stopped him in his tracks with the grip she has on him.

He nods distractedly. "Um, yeah, that'd be me. But sorry, I have a trial to get to—"

"I've heard so much about you!" she says suddenly, tightening her grip on his arm. She has long French manicured fingernails, and he's grateful he's wearing a long sleeved shirt and suit jacket or he's sure she'd have them sunken into his skin like some sort of bird of prey.

"You have?" He tries to subtly pull his arm away, but she only holds on tighter.

"Of course I have. You're quite famous."

He's still not used to people calling him famous, even after all these years. He supposes in legal circles he is, but he doesn't think about it often. He smiles at her awkwardly, still trying to take another step to get through the courthouse doors. "Oh, heh. Thanks, I guess I am."

She finally relinquishes her hold on his arm, but then takes a step towards him. She's uncomfortably close now; he can smell her perfume and a few of the buttons at the top of her blouse are undone, so when she leans forward ever so slightly, it's impossible to miss the way her impressive cleavage is on display. He makes a point of not looking any further down than her eye level, but fails when his eyes flick to her lips, full and pouty, with deep red lipstick on them.

"Well, well," she says, looking him up and down. "They didn't tell me you were so handsome. And I must admit, I was expecting someone much older. As amazing as everyone makes you sound I figured you'd be more… experienced."

She seems to be at least a few years younger than him, so he steps back. "Ah, I'm probably older than you think I am, miss."

She stands up straight again and shrugs. "Does age really matter when you're that good looking?"

He can feel heat rising to his cheeks. He's not that used to attention from women, let alone one so pretty or so very forward. She definitely isn't shy. "Uh, t-thanks." He realizes he sounds exactly like the bailiff; a stuttering blushing mess because of the attentions of one woman. He clears his throat and attempts to remain professional. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met before, have we?"

She holds out her hand, which he takes apprehensively, and she gives him a surprisingly firm handshake. She still holds on a little too long for his liking, but she lets go of his hand quicker than she did his arm. "My name is Molly Hott."

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Hott."

"You can call me Molly when we're not in court," she says. "I don't mind."

Somehow she's managed to get right up close to him again, and he takes another step back. "Um… heh, alright… I guess you already know me."

"I wouldn't mind getting to know you a bit better…"

He's starting to get a little hot under the collar, but he's saved when the bailiff from inside pokes his head out the door again. "Mr. Wright, please hurry. The trial is going to start soon." The bailiff catches sight of Molly. "Oh, and you as well, Prosecutor Hott."

Phoenix looks back and forth between her and the bailiff. He swears he misheard… but what did she say just now? He could call her Molly when they're not in court?

It suddenly clicks. "Wait… you're the prosecutor on this case?"

She titters. "You didn't know? They never tell you defense attorneys anything, do they?" It was true, he had no idea who the prosecutor was going to be in today's case, but he wasn't expecting someone new. Or at least, new to him. "I have a few cases under my belt," she continues as if reading his mind, "but I'm still pretty new, which is probably why you've never heard of me."

"I see."

She smiles pleasantly. "Don't think that just because I'm new, you'll be able to beat me so easily. Your client is guilty."

"We'll see about that, Miss Hott."

"I suppose we will. Shall we?"

He stands aside. "Ladies first."

She steps through the courthouse doors and makes her way confidently over to the prosecution's side. Her evidence and case files are all laid out on the desk already, but he has to carry his and unpack everything, laying it out so everything is within reach and easy to review quickly. His client is sitting in the defendant's seat, looking sweaty and scared. He's a short, balding, middle aged man and Phoenix doesn't even think he would have the endurance to attempt bank robbery. Not to mention the man is already filthy rich. He has no motive. Phoenix tries to give him a reassuring smile, but it doesn't seem to help at all. He slouches further down in his seat and stays that way.

Three gruelling hours later, court is finally dismissed for the day. Phoenix is a little surprised, but somehow Molly was able to prolong the trial another day. His client's fingerprints were found at the bank, something he was not aware of. He managed to convince the judge that the fingerprints could have been put there while his client was doing his regular banking, as the bank that was robbed was indeed where his client had his accounts, and luckily there were surveillance tapes in evidence to prove it.

Now he's going to have to go back to the bank for more investigating, and already finds himself pondering whether or not he should call Maya. Investigating alone is boring, and Maya always manages to catch things he misses, or ask witnesses questions he never thinks of.

"Mr. Wright!"

He's pulled back to the present and looks around to see Molly striding towards him. "Good job in there," he says flatly.

"I told you not to underestimate me."

"You did," he concedes.

She shifts from one leg to the other. "Prosecutors and defense attorneys always seem to have a rivalry, don't they?"

"It seems like that sometimes," he says. "But as long as we work together to find the truth instead of worrying about win records, things usually work out."

"I'm glad you think so too. Which is why I was wondering if you wanted to maybe discuss the case with me tonight? Over drinks perhaps?"

"Oh. Uuuuuh…" Is she seriously asking him out right now? After that trial they just had? She was like a different person in there. She reminded him scarily of Edgeworth, all serious business. He scratches the back of his neck, trying to find a way to let her down gently. She seems nice enough, maybe a bit overly flirty, but he still doesn't want to hurt her feelings. "N-No thank you. I'm very busy and um…"

"Oh, come on. It's just a drink." She tilts her head as she waits for him to say something, and some of that copper hair tumbles off a shoulder. "Nothing more."

He swallows. "No, I can't," he says more firmly. There's no point leading her on by saying yes when he knows for a fact nothing will come of it.

"Why not?"

"I just… can't…"

"You don't want to?" she pouts with those full lips.

"No, that's not it!" he says quickly, even though that is exactly it.

"Well, then, come on."

"I'm flattered, really, but um… no." Fine, if she's not going to take his very obvious hints that he doesn't want to, he'll have to outright reject her.

"You have to give me a reason," she says. "And 'I don't want to' doesn't count."

She's being very pushy all of a sudden. It's starting to make him a little uncomfortable. He wracks his brain for a good enough reason. Maybe the fact that he has a daughter will deter her?

"I have a daughter and I don't really think you want to go out with a guy who has a teenaged daughter."

"Aw, you're a dad too? That's so sweet. I'd love to meet her, actually."

Well, that didn't work. What else can he use? Work and being busy won't deter her, using Trucy as an excuse has done nothing. He can say that he's gay but since he's not, that seems wrong… Finally, an idea comes to him. It's the most obvious excuse and he has no idea why it's taken him so long to think of it.

"Okay… I already have a girlfriend," he lies. "But we've been keeping it kind of quiet. It's a new relationship so we didn't want everyone to know right away."

He face drops. "Oh. Of course. I should have known."

"I'm sorry…"

"No, it's okay, Mr. Wright. It was worth a shot."

"You know, you can call me Phoenix, when we're not in court. I don't mind."

She grins at him, and he's glad that seems to have cheered her up. "Alright. Well, good luck on your investigation, you'll need it. I'll see you tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it."

"Thanks… Same to you."

He decides to walk back to the office from the courthouse. The fresh air may do him some good. He still can't really believe that such a gorgeous woman would be interested in someone like him. He's flattered, but she's really not his type. He's not really looking for a girlfriend at the moment anyway. Trucy still continuously asks him to find her a mommy, and she would probably get mad at him if he told her he said no to a date from anyone, but Molly just doesn't seem right. He doesn't believe in love at first sight, not since his college days, but even so. Sometimes you just know that someone isn't your type of person.

It's not like he's going to tell anyone about this anyway. He's not like Larry, who would find great pleasure in bragging about someone like Molly asking him out. The last thing he needs is Trucy or any of his friends finding out. All that will get him is a large amount of teasing and people being just as surprised as he was that she was interested. He doesn't need that blow to his self-esteem.

One thing he does decide on before he gets back to the office is that he is going to need Maya's help for this case, and once he's back at the empty office of the Wright Anything Agency, he grabs the phone to call her right away. He needs her help now and time is precious, if she can come he needs her to come a.s.a.p.

She picks up on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Maya."

"Nick! It's been a while. What's up?"

"I'm sorry this is so out of the blue, but would you mind coming to the city tonight to help me out with a case? Athena is on vacation so I'm alone and could really use some help from my assistant…"

She hums. "I may be able to weasel out of some of my Master's duties…"

He feels a pang of guilt. "Ah, if you're busy, don't worry about it. I know you have stuff to do…"

"No worries, Nick! I'll find a way. If anything, I can at least count on Pearly to take over for me for a bit."

"Great! I only have until tomorrow, so please hurry. The second day of the trial is tomorrow."

He can hear her shuffling a bit. "Really? Why didn't you call me sooner?! Now I'm gonna be behind on everything."

"I'll catch you up when you get here. I thought I could handle it but this new prosecutor took me by surprise and managed to get another day."

"Ooh, a new prosecutor?"

For whatever reason, he doesn't want to tell Maya about Molly and her flirtatious tendencies, so he keeps things simple. "Yeah, she's only been in a few trials so far but she's pretty good."

"Huh. Well, I guess I'll meet her tomorrow."

"You sure will… So, I'll see you in a few hours?"

"Yep, I'll be there! See you soon, Nick."

He can't waste time waiting for her, so he heads down to the bank where the robbery took place. He can text her the address in an hour or so anyway, she'll still be on the train even then. When he gets to the bank, the building is cordoned off with police tape and a few officers are still milling about. He approaches the tape and goes to head underneath of it when one of them stops him.

"What do you think you're doing? You can't come in here!"

Phoenix looks around. "I'm the defense lawyer in this case, though? I should be able to come in?" He knows it probably won't work. When has that ever worked?

"Nu uh," the officer says. "The prosecutor is here right now anyway so you can just stay out. Whenever she's finished, then maybe you can go in."

Phoenix crosses his arms. He's tempted to tell this officer to go get the prosecutor and tell her he's here, because he's sure she'll let him in if he asks, but he doesn't want to start relying on favours from a woman that has a crush on him. He'll just wait. He can look around outside the building too, it's possible the police missed something since they're focusing so hard on the inside of the building.

The more he hangs around the bank the more he feels like he's the one who's out of place, like some rubbernecker only wanting a view of a murder scene. It's always like this. The defense attorney has no right to see the scene of the crime or know about the evidence just because they choose to defend the people everyone has already assumed guilty. Even after all these years he still thinks it's ridiculous.

He's still stewing about this as he finds a bench down the sidewalk a bit to rest at while he waits for Molly to finish her investigation. Unfortunately, there's nothing outside the bank that looks to be of any use. He takes his phone out to text Maya to let her know where he is. She can get off the train at one of the stops closer to the bank than the office.

"Hey Phoeniiiiiix!" He looks up at the impossibly feminine voice calling his name and spots Molly waving at him from the entrance to the bank. He gives her a little wave back, and she gestures for him to come to the door, so he sticks his phone back in his pocket and gets up. If she's going to offer to let him in then he'll definitely take her up on that, he just doesn't want to have to ask first.

She puts her hands on her hips as he approaches, and he gets a little scared. She looks strangely unhappy now, and he wracks his brain for anything he might have done wrong while he was snooping around the outside.

"Hey, Molly. Are you finished in there?" He tries to act casual. He has no idea why she's looking at him so sternly.

"Almost," she says.

"Oh… Did you need me for something?"

"I talked to the Chief Prosecutor earlier," she says conversationally. "You're a friend of his, aren't you? Maybe even his closest friend?"

Great, she spoke to Edgeworth. What did she hear? Edgeworth wouldn't do anything to make her hate him… would he? "Yeah, I guess so. Why?"

"He happened to tell me that he had no idea that you had a girlfriend," she says, raising a single eyebrow. "Wouldn't your best friend at least know that much about you?"

What the?! She's still on that? She really isn't going to take no for an answer. He has to keep this lie going and somehow convince her that this supposed girlfriend is real.

"I told you earlier, we're keeping it quiet for now." He coughed awkwardly into his fist. "I hadn't gotten around to telling Edgeworth yet."

"Hmm. What does she look like?"

Why is she grilling him like this? He's tempted to tell her it's none of her business, but instead finds himself scrambling to come up with a description of a generic woman that doesn't sound totally bogus. He tries to think of a celebrity first, but it's been forever since he's seen any movies, and he realizes that he doesn't really know any women his own age that he can describe.

His phone vibrates in his pocket, and he takes it out quickly, holding a finger up to Molly to indicate he'd be a second. She crosses her arms, annoyed at him. It's a text from Maya, telling him she'll be there in only ten minutes or so.

Maya… Of course! Maya!

He looks back up at Molly. "Sorry, what were we talking about?"

"Your girlfriend. What does she look like?"

"Hm…" How to describe Maya? Well, her hair is most definitely the most striking part of her, so he can start with that. "She has black hair," he says.

Molly purses her lips. "Uh huh, so do millions of other women."

"But it's not just black," he says defensively. "It's so dark it's like… like… the night sky! And… really, super shiny, and soft, like silk running through your fingers." Not that he would know what Maya's hair feels like, but he can imagine.

"What else?" she prods.

How long was this going to go on? "Um… she has… brown eyes." Are Maya's eyes brown? All that time he's spent with her and he's blanking on what colour her eyes are, he feels like a terrible friend. He makes a mental note to check when she gets there. "And she's short, really short, barely comes up past my shoulders. She's a bit younger than me too, and really fun. She's pretty cute... She makes me feel less like of an old man when she's around…"

"Okay, fine, I believe she's a real person that you're at least acquainted with. So what's her name?"

He sighs. He doesn't want to have to name her. Describing Maya's features is one thing but if he tells Molly her actual name, she'll be able to find out who Maya is and have her confirm or deny whether they're in a relationship. It won't take much more than a Google search to find out who exactly Maya Fey is.

Molly still has her arms crossed, and she shifts to her other leg, waiting for him to respond. He could give her a fake name, but he doesn't trust himself not to come up with something so stupid that it's obviously a fake name, so he finally relents. He'll just have to explain it to Maya later…

"Her name is Maya. She was my assistant, a long time ago. We've been friends for a really long time, but we just recently started dating, which is why we haven't told anyone yet. If it doesn't work out, we don't want it to be weird for everyone else. Especially my daughter, she'd be devastated."

Molly finally softens her glare. Now that she has a name her mood has suddenly picked up again. "Alright, I believe you. But… you know where to find me if it doesn't work out."

"Yeah… sure…"

"I'm pretty much finished here," she gestures towards the building. "So if you want to head in now, these nice officers here will let you, won't they?" she says, looking over at the one who'd denied Phoenix's entrance earlier.

The officer blushes and actually salutes her. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Right, thanks. So I guess I'll see you in court tomorrow?"

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it."

He nods and turns to head into the bank. He's barely two steps inside when he hears someone else calling his name. A much more girly and excited voice than Molly's, and it's calling his nickname.

"Niiiiiick! Wait for me, Nick, or they won't let me in!"

Molly turns to look around. "Who's Nick?"

Phoenix steps back outside. "Er, that would be me."

Maya is huffing and puffing by the time she reaches them. Phoenix notices Molly staring at her so hard he's afraid Maya might have two holes burned through her soon. He knows instantly that Molly recognizes Maya just from the description he gave.

Maya finally straightens up. "Whew! Is it a scorcher today or what? I'm sweating through my robes here."

Molly curls her lip, and turns to Phoenix. "Are you going to introduce me, Phoenix?"

Maya turns to look at Molly, noticing her for the first time. "Oh! Sorry. I'm Maya Fey." She holds out her hand, which Molly takes and gives a quick shake. When she lets go, she wipes her hand on her blazer.

"You're Maya? We were just talking about you."

"Really?" Maya looks at Phoenix, who swallows nervously. This is going to end disastrously, he can already sense it.

"Oh yes, Phoenix was just telling me all about you. He really didn't do you justice, you're much prettier than he let on."

Maya keeps her gaze on him. "Oh really? What are you telling her about me, Nick?"

"Nothing! I just mentioned how you used to be my assistant, that's all."

"It's so nice that the two of you finally decided to be together after so many years," Molly says.

Maya's eyes widen. "Wait, what?"

"You know, Phoenix mentioned how you've been friends for a really long time but only recently started dating. That's so sweet."

Maya says nothing for a good few seconds as she registers what she just heard. Just as she opens her mouth to speak, Phoenix wraps an arm around her shoulder and pulls her against his side, squeezing her almost painfully.

"Yep, that's right. This is my Maya, I told you how cute she was, didn't I?" Maya is too shocked for words. She just stands there, stiffly held between Phoenix's body and his arm. He sighs dramatically. "I'm one lucky guy that's for sure." He squeezes her shoulder again, hoping she'll get the message and play along.

He's so surprised when Maya's arm comes up and wraps around his waist that he doesn't know what to say. He and Maya simply stand there, arms around each other, smiling at Molly. They probably both look so uncomfortable, he's not sure they'll even pass as an actual couple.

Maya finally finds her voice, but he can tell it's strained. "Right… Nick is definitely my boyfriend," she laughs quietly and shakes a finger at Molly. "Don't you try to steal him from me, or else."

Maya is playing along! He really could kiss her right now, he's so thankful. He'll have to buy her an extra deluxe cheeseburger later as thanks.

Molly looks back and forth between them, scrutinizing their positions. Phoenix remembers that she's smarter than she lets on. She plays up the flirty bimbo act but she's smart, and she can probably tell by their body language that something is off. They're going to have to keep this up and make it believable before she'll leave him alone. He only hopes he can end the trial tomorrow and that he won't see her much more afterwards, so they won't have to continue this charade much longer.

For now, she seems appeased. Maybe she's thinking twice about calling him out while Maya is there with him, since she's playing along. Even Molly may consider that rude.

"You'd better go inside," Molly says. "It's getting late, so you'll want to look around before they kick you out."

"Thank you," he says, turning towards the door. Maya stumbles as he pulls on her shoulder, gripping him around the waist tighter to hold herself steady. They're not coordinated at all.

He catches Molly's eye once more before they go in. Maybe she's appeased for now, but he can tell by the look on her face that she'll be watching them closely for any signs that they're not completely and totally in love. He slides his arm off of Maya's shoulder and reaches down for her hand instead, taking it in his. Her fingers clasp around his automatically, and he hopes it looks natural enough. He sighs as he leads Maya through the doors into the crime scene by the hand.

Why does he always attract the crazy ones?

The trial and case in this fic aren't really going to go into detail, so don't worry too much about following along with that. It's mostly just a thing to base the rest of the events around.