Hello everyone! Thanks for clicking on this story! Weeeee!

I personally think that the story of Mia Fey and Diego Armando (or Godot, however you like to refer to him) is the most tragic in the whole series. I'm also a hopeless romantic.

There are lots of spoilers from GS3 in this story, so read at your own risk.

I love you all! Enjoy! Will update soon!

Diego Armando's World-Changing Decision

Those who knew Diego Armando would not describe him as a loving person.

They would agree that he is loyal, clever, witty, (strangely immune to the effects of caffeine), optimistic, dedicated, determined, enjoyable to be around...but the word "loving" never made its way into people's descriptions of Diego Armando. None had ever seen him display enough affection to warrant that kind of description. Diego Armando knew this, and he knew this well; he himself wouldn't even describe himself as loving. He wasn't sure if he had experienced that specific emotion before, and thus, he could not properly describe himself as one capable of feeling it. He had always thought in the back of his mind:

"I must be at least somewhat loving. Everybody is..."

But nothing had ever occurred to validate his concerns.

At particularly low points of (rare) self-degradation, Diego Armando had even tried to convince himself that he was loving because, quite simply, he loved being an attorney. He loved standing at the bench, watching prosecutors and witnesses squirm beneath his firm gaze and quick retorts, and he loved finally seeing the look of relief on his client's face. Most of all, he loved sipping his coffee and grinning the whole way through.

Ultimately, he had settled upon the fact that he was passionate. That was all. Not loving, but passionate. And everyone else seemed to agree. The discovery was perfectly fine with him because he had lived his entire life believing that he was not loving, and change was a frightening thing anyway. And so until February 16, 2012, those who knew Diego Armando (including himself) would not describe him as a loving person.

Diego Armando had already had some experience with kittens before Mia Fey stumbled into his world, practically blind and just starting to grow out her claws. She had come into his lion's den with a bright smile and the eagerness that he would expect from any new defense lawyer; he had seen such eagerness die down many times in the past (when the kittens were too weak), so Diego Armando figured it was only a matter of time before this one got herself declawed and moved to a new home.

He had to admit, though: she was much cuter than most kittens.

Mr. Grossberg's office relied on Diego Armando, a fact he knew all too well. Everything went through the slippery fingers of that old man and straight into Diego Armando's palms every time. He could count on one hand the number of times Mr. Grossberg had been able to handle a case without the input of Diego Armando and his beautiful little cup of infinite coffee. There were other lawyers in the firm, other lawyers that would stare down the lion each time he walked in, other lawyers that wished they could drink coffee and hear the words "not guilty" as often as Diego Armando did. He knew his title, and he advocated it (though he can't remember ever actually conjuring it): Grossberg Law Office's finest attorney.

Mia Fey seemed as if she wanted to challenge that title from the moment she walked in. Diego Armando remembered exactly what she had said to him when he had introduced himself.

"You must Mia Fey, our newest kitten. Welcome to the jungle."

"E-excuse me?"

She had always been so very adorable, with those bright eyes and ferocious expression.

"Diego Armando, at your service."

"What did you just call me?"

"Forget about it."

"Hmm. What did you say your name was?"

"Diego. Diego Armando."

He had thrown in a wink, because he thought the moment called for it.

"Do you always look so smug, Mr. Armando?"

"...What?"

"That smug look on your face. Do you always look like that?"

"Ha. No. Do you always ask so many questions?"

Then Mia Fey had smiled, and Diego Armando had sensed something strange.

"Well, yes. That's what a defense attorney is supposed to do...right?"

From that moment on, the entire office recognized Diego Armando and Mia Fey as rivals. The notion was laughable to him in the beginning; he could safely assume that he had been drawing acquittals from the mouths of judges before she had even decided to become a defense attorney. It became a running joke among the lawyers who watched Mia Fey eyeing him dangerously when she sauntered in the office. When Diego Armando spared a moment from his work to glance at that beautiful kitten, the expression on her face always said one thing: Finest attorney? We'll see about that.

It had confused him immensely. Nevertheless, Diego Armando took interest in Mia Fey. He saw that perhaps her eagerness wasn't so persuadable. She worked with a certain glimmer in her eyes—he was almost sad to admit it and cut down a piece of his confidence, but Diego Armando knew that Mia Fey wasn't after defeating him. She was not out to get him. As the weeks went by, he saw her begin to accept the fact that he was, in fact, the finest. At that point, that was fact. She was out for something else, something that Diego Armando couldn't quite pinpoint. Nonetheless...Diego Armando knew that Mia Fey was watching him. Every move he made, every step he took, every fateful sip of coffee. From a distance, he could feel the weight of her gaze, maybe even her admiration. Diego Armando told himself that he would figure her out one day. He believed that he would figure her out just as he had figured out so many cases. The process couldn't have been much different.

Life went on for Diego Armando. It went on for weeks after the arrival of Mia Fey and he barely batted an eyelash. Two, maybe three cases went by, and his interest in Mia Fey's interest in him perpetuated, but life went on regardless. His nearly spotless record became more spotless (as he expected, and as everyone around him expected), and his lovely little kitten continued to hunch over her lovely little desk and wait for the day of her breakthrough. Diego Armando did not make any attempt to approach her. Mia Fey did not make any attempt to approach him. And so, until February 16, 2012, life went on for Diego Armando.

Two days before that day, Mia Fey had accepted her first case and sent a wave of shock through the entire firm. Even Diego Armando had trouble (smugly) hiding the fact that he was surprised. It was a case that, when he was at Mia Fey's level, he would never have dreamed of accepting.

Terry Fawles. Death row inmate for the past five years. Escaped convict. Recently accused of murder.

And Mia Fey had accepted the case.

"That girl is crazy."

"That girl is stupid."

"That girl is too impatient."

"Does she really want to put an end to her career this early?"

Diego Armando decided not to take part in the conversations surrounding the odd circumstances. Here was his chance to figure her out.

Why would she accept this case?

On the night that she accepted the case, as Diego Armando was pulling on his jacket and pouring himself one last cup of coffee, he overheard Mia Fey (who would undoubtedly be spending the night at the office) speaking to another attorney.

"Mia, why on earth would you accept this case?"

"Because, he's been turned away by everyone else. I'm the only one he has. If I were in his situation, I would want someone on my side. Even if it was a lawyer on her first case."

Diego Armando decided something very, very important at that moment. He couldn't have known how important the decision was then, but he soon would. The next day, while Mr. Grossberg sat in his office twirling his mustache and twiddling his thumbs, Diego Armando knocked on his door and strolled in.

"Mr. Armando. What brings you in here? I don't suppose you're having any trouble—"

"Let me go with Mia to her trial tomorrow."

"Eh?"

"I want to go with Mia tomorrow."

"But...why?"

"Does it really matter why?"

"Well—"

"Great. So you won't have to worry about a thing, all right old man? I'll take care of our little kitten."

"It really makes me very uncomfortable when you refer to human beings as kittens, Mr. Armando."

Diego Armando decided not to tell Mia Fey that he would be the one accompanying her. He wanted to see just how she would react to seeing him, glowing and ideal, there to assist her. Would she be overwhelmed? Intimidated? Excited? Diego Armando could hardly keep the smile off his face at the thought. He made a mental note in his mind to bring even more coffee than usual; he had a feeling that his kitten would need it. As everyone carried on with the day, oblivious to the fact that Diego Armando had just made a decision that would change the world, Mia Fey sat at her desk scribbling away like a madwoman. He continued to bring the cup to his lips as he watched her, inconspicuously but very, very closely. Diego Armando wondered what could possibly be going on in her head.

That evening, he looked over the case himself. He was the only one left at the office (except for Mia, but she had fallen asleep, and thus he could consider himself alone). And a strange question, one that Diego Armando had not truly considered for years, worked its way into his mind. Before he could think about answering, he thought about why the question had suddenly appeared there, like a blaring siren screaming for an answer.

"Are you, Diego Armando, a loving person?"

In one long, desperate gulp, he swallowed the rest of the coffee and figured that the sirens would continue screaming for a while. He still didn't have an answer to that question, and Diego Armando could never have guessed that the answer was waiting for him tomorrow, on February 16, 2012, on the defense bench in Mia Fey's hands.

Diego Armando had a very strange dream the night before the day that turned his life on its head.

He was sitting in a courtroom. It was bigger than most of the courtrooms he'd found himself standing in, but this one was completely empty. A contradiction shot through his mind and, like clockwork, he turned to point it out to the judge with a deep "Objection!" But the judge was not there to hear it. The bench was hauntingly empty. Then Diego Armando waited for the prosecution's response, the challenge that he was so accustomed to facing. But it never came and he was left with a contradiction to tell nobody and no challenges to face. Diego Armando began to feel very, very frightened. There was nobody beside him, nobody in front of him, no judge, no prosecution; he searched frantically for a witness—any witness—to cross-examine, but there was no one. Not a single indication of life except for the steady beating of his own trembling heart.

There was one thing that gave Diego Armando comfort in the midst of this horrifying situation: the steaming cup of coffee sitting in front of him. He was very relieved to see it there, calling his name. The cup felt warm in his hands, and it was the one warm thing he could sense. The one real sign that he was alive. But when Diego Armando went to sip the coffee, something tasted odd. He was aware of the fact that he knew coffee inside and out. He could identify different blends of coffee based on smells, the type of warmth. People marveled not only at his skills in the courtroom, but also at his skills at the coffee maker. When Diego Armando's name came up in conversation, coffee was bound to follow, like a ball and chain attached to his ankle.

But when he sipped that specific cup of coffee, it had a taste that he had never experienced before. It was the only time since his first encounter with the magical beverage that he had let even a drop of subpar coffee touch his tongue. But by the time he realized the strange taste of the coffee, it was too late. He had already swallowed. Drastic ideas began rushing through his head.

"What should I do?"

Diego Armando wondered if his stomach could even handle this coffee. And suddenly, as he held the warm mug in his hands and pondered his grave mistake, it turned cold. Right there in his hands, the coffee became as cold as ice. He could not stop himself at that moment from screaming a loud and bloodcurdling scream, and hurdling the coffee across the courtroom. He understood then that something was very wrong with this coffee. Something was very...light. Light and cold. Coffee was supposed to be dark and scalding—that was a fact he had determined long ago. But this coffee was the opposite, and when Diego Armando opened his eyes and found himself staring at his ceiling and in a horrible sweat, the strangest idea crossed his mind. He felt that perhaps his dream was prophetic. Perhaps he had just had a strange, indecipherable premonition.

"All right, Diego," he said to himself, "just make sure that your coffee is always dark and always hot. Then you'll be fine."

Then Diego Armando had gone back to sleep.