Disclaimer: I do not own Phoenix Wright or its characters, but I do own my Original Character in this story, Valerie Knight.

I don't know when the exact moment I wanted to be a lawyer was. It could have been sometime in high school or maybe it was sometime when I was a little girl? All I remember was that I had two loves when I was younger and they were acting and books. I don't know which when I loved more, but I came to a compromise by reading plays. Maybe one of the reasons I became a lawyer was because I loved being the center of attention?

If anything changed me, I guess it would happen to be two fictional characters. One was Atticus Finch from Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and the other was Portia from William Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. Atticus Finch will always be the type of man I want to fall in love with. He'll always be that type of man who I'd feel safe with. I want to find a man like him. Portia, on the other hand, will always be the type of woman I strive to be. Courageous and brave is all I want to be in life. I don't ever want to be looked at as weak. I want to be like her.

It's funny, but I didn't become a defense attorney like Atticus or Portia. I became a prosecutor, a person who's job is to doubt people. Maybe that's because after all the books I've read, I see the human heart as weak? I see the evil in people more than I see the good. In my mind, everyone has done something wrong if they even sit on that bench accused of whatever crime. I know, it's bad to accuse the innocent, but in my world there is no innocent, only guilty.

Charles Lamb once said, "Lawyers, I suppose, were children once." If that's the case, then I lost my childhood far before it should've ended.

Episode 1: Turnabout Revenge

"...And so the defendant brutally killed his own wife just to get revenge upon his older brother!"

I, Valerie Knight, the "bookworm prosecutor," declared. This trial had been going on for around thirty minutes and was one of the most boring trials I've ever had the displeasure to sit through. The defendant, Mr. Bob Kramer, had been accused of murdering his own wife. What made this trial boring was that every piece of evidence that could prove him guilty was right before him. His fingerprints were on the murder weapon, he had bloodstains all over the clothes he wore on the night of the crime and he was even the first person the police discovered when they were called in to investigate! He even had a motive! It wasn't one of those pansy-ass motives either. It was a bloody good motive: revenge.

"OBJECTION!"

And then he had to call it. Diego Armando, the opposing defense attorney assigned to this case, was the only thing that kept this trial mildly entertaining. I had known Diego for years and years and facing him in court was one of the most exciting things you could ever experience. It was like drinking seven cups of coffee and then doing six backflips and then being presented with ten thousand dollars by a famous celebrity. OK, maybe I'm over-exaggerating a bit, but you get the point?

"According to the defendant's older brother, both of them had been on good terms for two years. Mr. Kramer's brother had even came to the couple's wedding and made the first toast!"

"It was all a well-acted facade, Mr. Armando. The defendant's brother, Tom Kramer, might have liked his younger brother, but his brother had always despised him. Fake happiness had been something they'd known for years. It was the only thing that kept them from killing each other."

I paused, taking out a folder full of various documents. Most all of them were debt papers belonging to the defendant's brother. The man had been in serious debt with some serious players, including his younger brother. Money and a woman? What pathetic foolery.

"When he was young, the defendant had a major inferiority complex. Everyone favored his brother, the kind extrovert who might have not been too bright, but still lovable, more than him, the quiet and cynical introvert who kept all his jokes on the inside. This pessimistic outlook on life inspired him to go on to college to pursue something he knew he could do well in: acting. After all, he had always been acting like he actually cared for his brother. While he was succeeding in college, his brother dropped out. I bet Mr. Kramer actually enjoyed knowing his brother was a failure while he was getting things like an offer for his very own talk show. He even went so far as to hire his brother to work on his show, just to mock him!"

I sighed. I had notice that throughout the years that I sigh a lot in court. I apologize in advance if it becomes a nuisance. Anyways, Diego didn't look too pleased. I'm pretty sure by now that he had noticed how arrogant I was. He knew that I could wrap this case up easily, but was only toying with him.

"And while working on his brother's show, the defendant's brother fell in love with the victim?"

Ah, such a pathetic question! I mused over why Diego would even ask something so obvious like that, but then I came to a realization. I knew he was pissed because I wasn't letting him speak.

"Yes. Bob saw that his brother had fallen in love with one of his employees and used his authority to make the victim pick him over his brother. Well, he didn't make her fall in love with him, but come on! The victim was a script writer. The defendant's brother was an aide and the defendant was the show's host! I can assure you that any sane woman would pick the good-looking, funny man who earns a very large paycheck over the good-looking, kind man who barely earns enough for a cup of noodles everyday! That's not the only thing, though..."

I slapped down the documents folder on my bench, taking out one of the many incriminating forms.

"The defendant's brother was in major debt and his kind brother actually loaned him a large sum of money out of pity, but the defendant's brother never quite got around to paying off his debts. His brother's debt included."

I felt the Judge staring at me so I looked up at him. He was as clueless as ever. I gave one of my signature sincere-ish smiles that always perked the old man up. I always was able to get to the old man's heart easily, making most cases easy wins.

"Witness, is this true? Did your brother never pay you back?"

The defendant looked like he could cry at any moment. I thought about what I should do for a moment and then realized that I might as well make him shed those tears. He hadn't been speaking for a long time so it was time to do drastic things.

"Answer him, witness! Don't make me throw my book at you!"

I held the thick, hard-cover copy of my favorite book up for everyone to see. I could tell the defendant shivered when he read what was on the front cover, "Great Expectations by Charles Dickens."

"But Miss Valerie! You'll kill him if you throw that version at him!"

My young apprentice finally spoke up. Oh yes, I almost forgot about him with Diego being there and all. There also was the fact that I didn't allow him to speak when I was prosecuting, only to watch me in action. Saying something would earn him a hard, but kind slap with whatever book I had. Usually it was my annotated copy of Great Expectations that slapped him across the head. You see, being the kind and lovable prosecutor I am, I took an apprentice. His name was Chad Livingswell. I rather like him since he's a rich, young boy from my home country. Yeah, I'm not from the U.S. So starting right now imagine that I'm talking in a cute, bubbly British accent. Upper class, I might add. I'm definitely no peasant.

"Um, no. Miss Knight, he never payed me back..."

The defendant rustled around in the witness bench. The black suit he wore seemed to wrinkle more and more with every passing moment that he stood up there. The man was in his late thirties and had dyed black hair. I personally loved his show. It was nightly mix of politics, satire, and over-all stupid shenanigans. It was one of the only things that could make me laugh.

"Well, Mr. Kramer, Charles Dickens once wrote in the greatest book of all time, "Throughout life, our worst weaknesses and meannesses are usually committed for the sake of people whom we most despise." I think that quote holds particularly true in today's trial."

I paused and tapped the cover of my copy of Great Expectations. I grinned and watched as Diego took a long sip of coffee. He then set his coffee cup down and leaned over the defense bench, smirking.

"Must you always use that same quote, Miss Knight?"

"Why yes, Mr. Armando, because it always turns out to be true!"

I immediately stopped upon hearing the woman standing next to Diego whisper something to him. It always happened, but the only person I paid attention to in court usually was the defense because I usually just wanted to beat them so bad that nothing else mattered. It was like nothing existed, but this man in front of me and a set of facts that needed explaining. The woman next to Diego was named Mia Fey. I'll never forget her as long as I live. Her hair was longer than mine, she was a great deal taller than me despite me being older than her, she was much curvier and filled out her clothes better than me, had a cuter and more bubbly voice and looked to be the over-all better woman.

I had things she didn't have, though. I had a backbone and a will that could and always overpowered Diego's. While she was his little Kitten, I was his Lioness. I didn't need him and he didn't need me, but sometimes we came together. His kitten, though, constantly needed him. She wouldn't be a full-grown cat for a long time so she had to rely on this man who could feed her the truth which she could spit back up like little hairballs. Disgusting Metaphor, I know?

"Well then, why don't you explain how that quote pertains to this situation then?"

I never liked defense attorneys. The defense attorney's motto was "To defend the defenseless." I hate that motto so much. I'll remind you that in my court there is no innocent, only guilty. Becoming a defense attorney meant defending those who are guilty. In my opinion, most defense attorneys are scum, but Diego was at least fit scum. Fit scum was a rarity amongst attorneys.

"You see, Mr. Kramer despised his brother, but after being pressured by his friends, family and his new "girlfriend," he loaned his brother a large sum of money. His brother never payed him back so he took drastic measures. He took the life of the only woman his brother ever loved."

I paused and gave a smirk towards my apprentice to assure him that I could wrap this case up in a matter of minutes. He smiled back at me, something I knew that Diego took as a warning sign.

"The defendant never loved the victim even after they married! The only reason he married was to get back at his brother! After his brother didn't pay him back, he lost it! He decided to make his brother pay the ultimate price and killed this woman his brother loved! He only killed her instead of his brother because he wanted to see how much pain his brother would experience! If he had the chance, he would've killed his brother, too, but the police got there before his brother came!"

The defendant flinched when I said this. I was right, huh? Well, it was to be expected. The whole court was strangely silent for a minute before Diego finally took a swig of coffee and poised himself to speak.

"And how do you know that's true, Miss Knight? What evidence is there that validates your crazy theory?"

Ah, this was wrapped up. There was one piece of evidence that no one brought up even though it was right there in front of everybody's faces.

"The defendant's brother. Do you know where he is right now?"

Diego didn't respond and I could tell Mr. Kramer was now in a cold sweat.

"The defendant's brother is now in a mental hospital after experiencing extreme trauma and shock following his discovery of the body of the victim. In other words, the death of the victim caused the defendant's brother to go insane. That was the ultimate objective in the plan I just stated. Now, what do you have to say, Mr. Kramer? Are you happy that you caused your brother to experience deep emotional and physical pain?"

I smirked. The defendant gasped and I heard Diego slam his coffee cup hard on the defense bench.

"OBJECTION! That is merely-"

And then the defendant began to laugh maniacally, a clear sign that I was right.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Yes, Miss Knight, I did murder her and I'd do it again, too! You know, I'd kill that bastard, too if I had the chance! If only every one else in this pathetic little world was as bright as you! Then there'd be no problem at all!"

A confession. That is all it takes to declare a man guilty. This case was closed and decided. It only took mere minutes for the judge to slap the word "Guilty" across the case file and everything to be done.

"Oscar Wilde once wrote in The Canterville Ghost that "Death must be beautiful. To lie in soft brown earth, with the grasses waving above one's head, and listen to silence. To have no yesterday, and no tomorrow. To forget time, to forgive life, to be at peace." Enjoy the death penalty, Mr. Kramer."

I smiled and walked out of the detention center. I had been speaking to Mr. Kramer after his guilty verdict was read. It was a very bad habit, but I always loved messing with the guilty defendants after their trial ended. It was a sort of sadistic fun.

"Why the hell do you have to do that, Val?"

Diego Armando stood right outside the door. Mia was standing by his side. I looked around to see where Chad was and then I remembered that I had assigned him to fetch a very important document from the library that I needed for an upcoming case.

"Oh, whatever do you mean, Diego? I was just talking to Mr. Kramer about his sentence."

I tried playing the fake innocence card, something that really hacked Diego off. I could tell that both he and Mia were a bit shaken by today's trial, but I didn't care. It was nothing, but another victory to me.

"That's exactly what I mean. Why do you have to make the guilty feel even guiltier?"

He laughed after realizing that he knew me too well. He already knew how sadistic I was and didn't need an answer to that question. He knew I only talked to the guilty to feel that empty void inside of me. It was the void that enjoyed watching people suffer because I, myself had experienced so much suffering over the years.

"I'm sorry, Val, but can you try leaving that cold, heartless persona of yours in the courtroom at least once?"

I sighed and tilted my head to see Chad running towards me, waving a document in his hand.

"Thank you, Chad. I'm sorry, Mr. Armando, but I must be going. I have a very important engagement I must attend. Excuse me."

I lied through my teeth. I hated when he talked to me like that. It was like he wanted that woman he once knew back, but I don't think she could ever return. I had no engagement or meeting except with a man named Mr. Whiskey and engagements with him were always scheduled at the last minute. After a couple of seconds, I left Diego and Ms. Mia Fey behind, dragging Chad behind me. I never was good at holding alcohol, but somehow I wanted and needed a drink so we left toward a bar, even though Chad was eighteen and underage.

"Mr. Armando, please talk to Miss Valerie. She needs you to talk to her!"

I heard Chad yell as I threw up in an alley. Apparently I had four drinks too many or at least that's what Chad told me.

"Sir, she really needs to hear you! Please!"

I heard him yell again. I tilted my head up away from the throw up on the ground to look at my apprentice as he yelled into his cellphone.

"I don't need him, Chad! Just hang up the phone and stop bothering him!"

I yelled over at Chad, but a phone was shoved in my face. I felt like I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. I never could cry when I heard his voice.

"Val, is everything OK? You didn't have to lie to me. You could have told me you felt uncomfortable. Val? You need to straighten up. I thought you said you could handle us being separated."

I began crying upon hearing those words, though. If anyone deserved the title of number one arsehole in America, it would have to be Diego Armando. I wanted another drink even though I was already completely battered and knew I had a really bad hangover speedily approaching me for the next morning.

"Is she with you right now?"

I had to ask that question. Depending on his answer, I might listen to him or I might not. It all depended on how he answered that question.

"Yes. She is. I thought you said you could handle us being separated."

And then I threw the phone right at Chad and yelled at it.

"I CAN!"

My tears quieted and I tried standing up. I walked over to Chad and grabbed the phone out of his hands again, returning to my normal calm composure.

"See you again in court, Mr. Armando. I'll be looking forward to it."

He had no right to lecture me so I hung up. After all, we were no longer together. Like I said before, I was his lioness. I didn't need him and he didn't need me, but sometimes we came together. I could survive and hunt on my own. The lioness always was stronger than the lion. At least, that's how I saw it.

To be continued.

A/N:Wow. First chapter. That was longer and more dramatic than I had originally planned. Gosh, I put almost my entire soul into that chapter. I think I connected to it more because it was written in first person, something I normally don't do. Lately I became obsessed with the Phoenix Wright games or more specifically, Prosecutor Godot/ Diego Armando. I really love him. OK, now I know you're probably like: "WTF. Your OC and Diego were together? But Diego and Mia are supposed to be together!" Look, Mia and Diego are together. They're in love. Valerie and Diego are over. Mia and Diego are together! Valerie and Godot, though? Hmm. Maybe? Valerie and Chad? Maybe that'll happen, too? Who knows (I do, actually!)? I came up with this story on a whim and I intend to have it follow all 3 Phoenix Wright games and follow Valerie's stages from bitter and cynical to kind and generous (Yes, by the end of this story you'll see a new Valerie! It's called character development, people!). I probably won't update this story as much because I need to work on my much-demanded Bleach story sequel, but I'd appreciate if you review and tell me what you think.

NOTE: I'LL PROOFREAD BETTER NEXT TIME!And I'll fix my British slang.