Crap crap crap, I'm gonna be late! Lana's gonna kill me!

Ema Skye bolted from the police station and toward the streets.

"Wait! Fraulein Detective!" a certain glimmerous fop called from behind her in a sing-song voice. Clenching her fists, Ema stopped running and turned around slowly.

"What. Do. You. Want. Gavin," she said through her teeth.

Klavier Gavin laughed. "My, my, Fraulein. You're even more hostile than usual," he muttered under his breath. But to Ema, he shouted, "Where are you going? You still have to fill out that last case report-!"

"Do it yourself!" Pulling out her cell phone, Ema turned around again. "I can't be late!" With that, she began to run again.

Inside the police station, Klavier chuckled. "You're lucky you have a boss as nice as me, Fraulein," he said to himself, grinning, pulling out the already-filled out paperwork and inserting it into the proper slot.

As she continued to run, Ema dialed the taxi company. "Hello? I. Need. A. Taxi," she said between breaths. "Huh? Oh. I'm. On. Third—oof!" She crashed into a tall man, her cell phone flying out of her hand and, due to a shift in balance, she fell onto the ground.

"Er, owww…" Ema muttered, rubbing her head. She glanced down at her watch. Shoot, I bet Lana's waiting right now…

"…Are you alright?" A hand was extended to her.

Ema's eyes followed the hand up to the man's arm, to his shoulder, to his face. The wine red suit. The cravat. Her eyes widened. "M-Mr. Edgeworth?" She slowly took his hand.

Edgeworth's eyes widened likewise. "…Ema Skye?" He pulled her up. "My goodness, it's been a while, hasn't it?" He smiled at her.

Mr. Edgeworth…smiling? The very thought made her blush. "Y-yes, it has."

"Anyway, Miss Skye," said Edgeworth, letting go of her hand. "You seem to be in a hurry."

"Y-yeah, I, um, need to get to the airport. I was just calling a taxi, and…"

Edgeworth walked to where her cell phone lay. Tenderly, he picked it up. "I think they hung up on you," he said, examining the device. "Either that, or something inside snapped."

Ema groaned. "No, really? That's just great…"

Handing the phone back to her, Edgeworth looked up in thought. "Not to worry, Ema. I could give you a ride to the airport. Actually," he sighed. "I just came from there, but, nevertheless…"

"Thank you so much, Mr. Edgeworth!" Ema beamed. Citrus…I still smell citrus, even after all these years…

"I just parked around the corner. If you'll come with me…" he signaled with his hands, and turned around to walk back down the sidewalk. Ema slowly followed.

I'm in Mr. Edgeworth's sports car. …How amazing is this?

Ema sat contentedly in the passenger's seat. Occasionally glancing at Edgeworth, she smiled.

"So, why are you here, Mr. Edgeworth?" she inquired. "Last I heard, you were teaching law at a university abroad, weren't you?"

"How did you know that?" Edgeworth asked, surprised.

"Mr. Wright told me."

Edgeworth smiled again. "Wright…of course. I haven't written to him in a while. How is he?"

"You know, still the same person as he always has. Just barely getting by." Ema smiled. "Trucy's getting older, too."

"Trucy? Oh, right. Wright's 'daughter'…" Edgeworth remembered the name from Phoenix's letters. "I'll have to meet her, sometime. She sounds like quite the character…"

"Trucy's a really nice kid," said Ema, leaning her head on the car window, staring at the scenery flashing by them. "So's Apollo."

"Apollo…the 'apprentice', right?"

"Yeah."

"…Ema?"

At the sound of her name, Ema turned her head quickly. "Yes, Mr. Edgeworth?"

Edgeworth smiled; it was the smile he always had when he was trying to uncover something. Some called it his arrogant smirk. Ema found it dashing. "Ema, something tells me that you're unhappy with your current situation."

"Well, I…" Ema took another glance at him. As they reached a stoplight, Edgeworth looked back at her. "It was in your tone of voice," he explained. "You were fine until we reached current events."

"…" Ema thought back to the glimmerous fop. "Yeah. I…" She paused.

Edgeworth turned his eyes back to the road. "It's fine. You can talk about it, if you like."

And she told him everything. About how she didn't make it through her studies in forensics. About how she was stuck being a detective. About how she had an idiot for a boss. About how she'd rather be helping the defense, because at least they weren't glimmerous fops. About how she worried about having bills to pay. About how—

"Ema," Edgeworth said softly. "We're here." They had been in the parking lot for five minutes.

Ema looked up. "Oh, sorry, Mr. Edgeworth," she said, embarrassed. "I've been rambling about stupid things…"

"It's quite alright." Edgeworth got out and opened her door. "Hopefully, your flight will be less irritating than life here seems to be for you." Another smile.

Ema slowly got out of the nice, red sports car and straightened her top. "A-actually, Mr. Edgeworth, I'm not taking the plane. I'm supposed to be picking up my sister from her flight."

"Oh! Lana—er…I mean, Ms. Skye." Edgeworth looked toward the airport building. "…Would you like me to drive the two of you back into town, seeing as you do not have your own vehicle…?"

"I…I couldn't…are you sure it's okay with you, Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Of course. Anything for my former boss and her sister."

"Lana!"

"Ema!"

The two sisters rushed toward each other, meeting in a tight embrace. "It's been so long, Ema," said Lana, eyes closed. They separated. "You've grown!"

Ema laughed. "And you haven't changed at all." It was true. Lana still seemed unaffected by three years of time, except for the change in clothing. Lana glanced behind her sister, as a crimson-clad man caught her eye.

Edgeworth seemed slightly embarrassed, but he still walked toward her. "Ms. Skye," he said formally.

Lana smiled. "Miles Edgeworth. It's certainly been a while since I last saw you."

"It has."

The three of them stood in a semi-awkward silence.

"Mr. Edgeworth here'll give us a ride back into town," whispered Ema toward Lana.

"Oh…so that's why he's here…" Lana smiled again, which unnerved Edgeworth. Strangely enough, he was still more used to the cold disposition that Lana maintained for two years than the smiling Lana. Then again, he never was used to the smiling, pre-SL-9 Lana. Her desire to maintain familiarity with everyone in the police station as well as the Prosecutor's Office was… not something he was used to.

Edgeworth cleared his throat. "Anyway, shall we be going?"

"Oh, yes." Lana pulled up her luggage. "Thank you, Edgeworth."

Bowing, Edgeworth smiled slightly. "But of course, Chief."

The three of them got into Edgeworth's car; Lana in "shotgun", Ema in the back.

"Out of curiosity, Edgeworth," Lana began, examining the vehicle. "…Is the same car from…my case several years ago?"

"No, no. The police kept that as evidence. However, they eventually did reimburse me with a new one of the same model."

"I see."

The same semi-awkward silence returned.

"So…Edgeworth. How have you been? It's been, what, nine years? What have you been up to?"

"Well, I received the opportunity to teach law abroad," said Edgeworth, keeping his eyes on the road. "So, I've been a professor for about five years…but now I'm on sabbatical, so I decided to return…to visit."

"Oh! So I should be calling you 'Professor' Edgeworth, Mr. Edgeworth!" Ema said from the backseat.

"No, er… 'Mr' is fine, Ema."

"And for me, Edgeworth?" Lana looked at him. "May I call you 'Miles'?"

Edgeworth's eyes darted toward her quickly, but quickly went back toward the road.

"You know, I don't really like formalities…" Lana twisted a lock of hair, now staring out the window. "And…since I'm no longer your boss, I don't really have the right to address you like you're my subordinate."

"…If that pleases you, Chief—er…Ms. Skye."

"Thank you."

Ema watched them from the backseat. "…"

"Lana?"

"Yes?"

"What's the deal with you and Mr. Edgeworth?"

Lana looked up in surprise, nearly dropping her luggage. Edgeworth had dropped them off in front of Ema's apartment and had left. "What 'deal'?"

Ema looked away. "It just seemed like you were close. That's all."

Studying Ema's face, Lana smiled wryly. "Oh? Is my little sister jealous?"

"Oh, come on, Lana," said Ema, rolling her eyes, but her cheeks turning red. She turned her back to Lana as she unlocked the door. "I'm not the same kid I was when I was sixteen."

Lana chuckled softly. Even if you say so, Ema, I know you'll always be the same girl you've always been.

Some things never change.

A/N: Ema-Edgeworth-Lana triangle. Maybe with a little Klavier thrown in later? XD I don't really know where I'm going with this. I just thought the idea would be cute. :3

Reviews are loved~

(haha, and I really shouldn't be starting more stories when I have so many to finish...^^;)