My first serialized fic. I'll try to update as quickly as possible. I'm still a newbie at this whole writing thing, so please be gentle when rating/reviewing...

Anyhow, on to the story itself. Mia and Diego are my absolute favorite characters in the series, as well as my favorite pairing. So tragic... The only backstory they had was provided in cases 1 , 4, and 5 of T&T, so I tried my hand at writing my own. As of this writing, Mia, Diego, Grossberg, Gumshoe, Nick, Maya, Pearls, Edgeworth, Kristoph, Eldoon (maybe his dad, the timeline wouldn't fit otherwise, since it states he had only been working at the stand for a year and a half in Apollo Justice) and the Judge (as well as some minor OCs)are either sceduled to appear, or already have (Gumshoe is slighty more subtle), so anyone who played the games should get a kick out of this fic. I hope you have as much fun reading this as I had writing it.

The Dark Fragrance of Coffee, Indeed

Chapter 1: Coffee and Complications

9 Years Ago

Alright. Briefcase, scarf, suit, magatama, cell phone… Nothing missing. Just don't forget to smile! "Mia Fey, reporting for duty, sir!"

The only person I knew here, Marvin Grossberg, opened the door and laughed heartily. "Ah, Mia, Mia! Punctual as ever! Come in quickly, it wouldn't do for you to catch cold on your first day of work…"

I thanked him and we headed inside. Mr. Grossberg showed us the secretary, who was too busy typing to notice us, as well as the bathrooms, which actually didn't smell as bad as you would think.

Finally, we got to the actual offices. Two things instantly grabbed my attention: one was the messiness, which would probably serve as fine evidence for an elephant stampede. Two was the intense, unmistakable scent of pure black coffee, which could probably kill the aforementioned elephants. "Ugh, Mr. Grossberg, what's with the coffee stench?!"

"Erm, I was hoping that you wouldn't notice that…" Who couldn't? The smell could raise the dead! "That would be Diego. You'll be studying under him until you can take on your own cases."

I groaned as we headed upstairs. Two years with this guy would be worse than two years trapped in a Lordly Tailor exhibition… As Mr. Grossberg opened the door, half the cells in my nose died. I don't think it was coincidence that the second floor of Grossberg Law Offices was completely empty, save for a lone occupied chair and desk, the occupant's back turned toward us. "Diego," said Mr. Grossberg, "your new apprentice has arrived."

The swivel chair spun around. The man was a tall one, maybe six and a half feet tall, seemingly of Mexican descent. He wore a bright red shirt and vest, which probably hid lots of muscles thanks to its bagginess. In his hand was- surprise, surprise- a coffee mug. His face; black, spiky hair, a trimmed, thin beard that clung to his chin, emitted an aura of cockiness and smugness. "Well, well. Look at the little kitten come to play…"

The man introduced himself as Diego Armando, 27 years old: senior defense attorney and coffee addict. He offered me a mug, claiming it to be his 101st blend. I took a sip. It was actually quite good, with a hint of milk chocolate and some cinnamon added to the mix.

"Really, Diego." sighed Mr. Grossberg. "Any more coffee and you'll end up killing yourself. What is that, your 17th cup this morning? My hemorrhoids ache just thinking about it…" I sprayed my coffee all over the office. Seventeen cups by 8:00?!?!?

Diego smirked. "Aw, is the kitten feeling okay?"

My face heated up in an instant. "Sh- Shut up! L- Let's just investigate the crime scene, alright?"

He chuckled. "Well, at least the kitten isn't totally wet behind the ears…"

We bade goodbye to Mr. Grossberg and stepped into the chilly January morning. Diego offered to drive us, but I declined: I trusted his Ferrari (along with his driving skills) no farther than I could throw it.

Los Angeles traffic was pretty much heck, so walking wasn't that bad anyway. The crisp winter air was good for the lungs. In Diego's case, switch that out with coffee. Speaking of the addict, he wanted to stop at a coffee shop. I sighed and agreed; there was probably no getting between this guy and java.

The ringing doorbell alerted the waiter to our presence. "Diego! Long time no see! What'll it be, the usual?" No surprise there, either.

"Hey, Norman. The usual." I could only guess as to what that was. "Anything you want, Mia?"

The question kind of caught me off-guard; Diego didn't really seem the type to treat others. "No thanks, maybe a water…" I replied.

He stroked his makeshift goatee in thought, gazing intently at the menu. "Alright, and a hot chocolate for the Kitten here. Both to go."

My cheeks flushed red for the second time in half an hour. "Diego!"

Both he and Norman laughed softly to themselves. "Embarrassed easily, I see…" Of course, that last comment earned him a slap to the face. He paid Norman for the drinks, and I was surprised he didn't get a frequent customer discount, or at least a membership. I stormed out with Diego following, sipping his coffee as smugly as ever.

Fifteen minutes later, we arrived at Hazakura Temple, the site of the murder. Normally, the place would probably be fairly serene, but at the moment, it was swarming with cops. Diego flashed his attorney's badge, and the detective instantly let us through. Actually, it wasn't really instantly, he stared at me for a moment, letting his dirty green coat sag to the ground, his jaw doing the same.

"One last thing." he said in that ever-cocky tone of his. "Once you enter here, there's no turning back. Is the kitten ready to see the Lion's Feast?"

I nodded, and we walked through the gate. What awaited forced me to cover my mouth to stifle a gasp. The whole room was literally covered in blood, with a lone body impaled with a knife through the chest in the center of the room. The word "justice" was written in capitals above the body in what appeared to be the victim's blood.

Diego smirked. "Told you. Want to step outside for a second?" I nodded and stepped into the snow. While outside I managed to find an empty bottle and a lantern hidden in the snow. Thirty minutes later, Diego came back with the knife , an umbrella, and a sample of the blood.

The veteran defense attorney grinned. "I know we don't have much evidence, but court is always more fun this way, trust me." I sighed and took a sip of the (now cold) hot chocolate, but promptly spit it right out. "The trial starts tomorrow at 10, so be there at 9."

My jaw dropped, kind of like my little sister Maya when Steel Samurai was cancelled on account of some infomercial. "But… But I haven't even met the defendant yet! How am I supposed to study court now?"

He smirked again. "Well, sucks to be you." He turned around and started down the mountain path, leaving me gaping after him and blushing for the 3rd time that day. "Ciao."