From This Day Forward, a phoenix wright: ace attorney fanfic

Cover Image, Phoenix Wright: Wedding Day, is a fan art by StudioKawaii and is used with permission. Thanks! :)

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Today is a very special day for my husband, DezoPenguin, and myself. It was sixteen years ago today, April 1, 1998, that he proposed to me. We were married July 31, 1999. :) Happy Anniversary, sweetheart! I love you!

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A/N: Miles Edgeworth, Phoenix Wright, Larry Butz, The Judge, Maya Fey and Pearl Fey do not belong to me; they belong to CAPCOM. The plot, however, is mine. :)

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At last the big day has finally arrived! Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth are getting married and they're both very nervous. Can their friends calm them or will some kind of disaster ruin the nuptials?

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To: Rufioh Nitram: Well, now that you mention it... ;)

The sequel fic to Love Is A Many Colored Journey. :D

The vows that Phoenix and Miles are very special ones: they are the vows that my husband and I spoke when we were married. I couldn't think of anything more special, or more imbued with heartfelt meaning, than that. The opening theme to the movie Gettysburg also played when my Dad walked me down the aisle, and Reunion and Finale played at the recessional when Dezo and I walked back down the aisle as man and wife, so it is a shout out to our own wedding. :) Phoenix's trouble with ties appears in my fic The Wishing Well.

The words "Forever binding, forever uniting, forever encircling- From this day forward" following the vows were not the real ones that we spoke to each other; I made those up, tacking on "From this day forward" on to the end but it certainly is fitting, isn't it? :)

Hope you enjoy! :)

St. Marguerite d'Youville Church does exist but the one I am using is based on my own imagination. :)

Thanks to my readers and all those who have favourited, reviewed, story alerted, favourite author or author alerted me. I appreciate it more than I can say! :)

Thank you to my beta reader, Pearls1990, for amazing beta reading! Much appreciated! :)

Special thanks to my beloved husband, DezoPenguin, for all his help, support, advice, nagging (when necessary) and encouragement! I appreciate it more than I can say! Love you!

Comments are appreciated and welcome! :) I'll probably change some things at some point; always room for improvement! :)

Rated Teen, Phoenix x Edgeworth, male/male relationships

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November 21st
St. Marguerite d'Youville Church
Sacristy
Los Angeles, CA
1:22 P.M.

"Nick," Maya said patiently while attempting to redo my tie properly which was a bit difficult seeing how I was fidgeting, stepping from one foot to another, "I can't do this right if you don't stand still."

My assistant was doing her level best to fix the problem but she wasn't having an easy time of it with me fidgeting every few seconds. Though I thought of her as a younger sister and loved her as such, I had to admit that she was really beginning to get on my nerves at this point.

I made a face.

Sounds like Miles when he tried to do the same thing and I couldn't stand still for two minutes.

I sighed and winced as she yanked me a little to the right, her brow creased in concentration, gritting my teeth.

I think she's doing that on purpose!

"I'm trying," I replied somewhat testily as she yanked me over to the left, nearly falling over as she caught me off-balance. I gave her a frosty glare that didn't even dent her patient exterior since she merely looked amused. I admit that this nettled me greatly, my already frayed temper on full display. "Now cut that out!"

What is it with me and ties, anyway?

Her eyebrow raised, her mouth set in a firm line, giving the tie a firm tug to the left and then back again to the right while I struggled to maintain my balance. There was a smug expression on her face that gave credence to my belief that she was doing this just to annoy me and I resolved that, once I found the perfect opportunity, I was going to get even with her.

As if she had heard my thoughts or had at least deduced what I was thinking, she gave it another little twist that nearly sent me to the floor. I glared daggers at her while she giggled.

"Very funny," I mumbled tartly and managed to keep still long enough for her to tie the blasted thing and then moved over to the wooden pew by the door and sat down, my hands resting on my knees. Maya came over a few minutes later and sat beside me, poking me in the ribs.

I jumped and gave her a dirty look, rubbing my side with my hand. She had an unrepentant smug look on her face and I wondered why.

"Nervous, Nick?" she asked teasingly, linking her arm through mine, batting her eyelashes at me.

I rolled my eyes, the corners of my mouth twitching. "A little," I admitted, rubbing my sweaty palms on the knees of my tuxedo slacks and trying to still my quaking knees.

Who am I kidding? I'm so nervous I'm sweating!

Maya looked at me with those too-old and too-wise eyes, her mouth splitting into a wide grin.

I really hate it when she does that; it's creepy when I feel that she can look into my soul!

I made a face at her.

"Really, Nick?" she drawled, all innocence, her eyebrow raising. She had that certain tone in her voice that made it very clear that she wasn't going to let the matter drop and I had better tell her exactly what was on my mind. Knowing this, I gave in but not graciously.

"I... I'm very nervous," I said after a few moments silence, sighing loudly.

She nodded. "I thought so." She gave my arm a friendly squeeze. "So my next question is this: why are you so nervous?" She tilted her head slightly to the right. "After all, you're marrying Mr. Edgeworth. He's as crazy about you as you are about him, so what's there to be nervous about?"

"Everything," I replied, running my fingers through my hair.

She thought it over for a few moments and then frowned. "Would you mind quantifying that statement, Nick, because I really don't get it." I guess even an assistant picks up some legal lingo in the course of a few years.

I bit my lip. "I'm not really sure that I can explain it to your satisfaction," I began and yelped when she poked me in the ribs again, her brow furrowing.

Why is she being such a pain today of all days?! I thought uncharitably, rubbing the sore spot on my side. And since when did she become more like Pearls?!

She was looking at me expectantly—or probably waiting for another chance to attack me—so I hastened to answer her question.

"I know that, Maya; I just can't help but worry that, in between now and the ceremony, that something's going to go wrong."

She looked at me askance.

"Why?"

I shrugged, running my fingers through my hair.

"I don't know, exactly. It's just..." I paused for a moment, collecting my thoughts. "It's just we've waited for so long to get married. There were a few intervening years in the middle where we weren't even together and I'm worried that some last minute crisis will derail our day."

Maya thought it over for a few minutes in silence before she slowly nodded.

"I see," she said quietly, giving my arm a hug. "That makes sense, at least." She looked me right in the eye. "I thought you were having second thoughts and getting cold feet."

My eyebrow raised, a lopsided grin spreading over my face.

"Not a chance; I've waited too long, and went through too much to back out now."

She smiled, leaning forward and giving me a sisterly peck on the cheek. We sat there in silence for some time and I couldn't help but think that Miles, of the two of us, wasn't nervous at all. I could see him, calmly and coolly, dressed to the nines and waiting for the ceremony to begin while I was a gibbering wreck.

I wonder how he does it?

Truth be told, I really envied him.

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1:23 P.M.

Miles was pacing the floor in the adjacent room, looking, for all the world, like a caged tiger. Dressed in a crisp white suit with gold filagree stitching an inch from the bottom, he was sweating bullets, his face a grim mask as he walked up and down, Larry's eyes following him as he paced back and forth.

"Relax, Edgey," he said blithely, waving his hand in lazy circles in the air. "Why're you so nervous? You're marrying Nick!"

Miles stopped pacing long enough to give him a frosty glare.

"That's precisely the problem," he grated out, his hands clenching into fists.

"Huh?" Larry looked at him, a puzzled expression on his face. "How? I thought you wanted to marry him." He gave him a puzzled look, his eyes clouding. "You do want to marry Nick, right?"

Miles sighed.

"I...do. I do."

Larry waved his hand lazily in the air. "Then what's the problem?"

Miles stopped pacing, giving him the gimlet eye as he crossed his arms over his chest. Larry quailed a little, swallowing hard, shrinking back in his seat at those piercing dark grey eyes.

"I'm afraid that something will go wrong," he said, taking a deep breath, his fingers trembling slightly.

Larry's eyebrow rose. He still didn't get what was bothering him or why, exactly, he was so nervous.

"How?" He leaned forward, pressing his advantage. "You want to marry Nick, right?"

Miles nodded. "More than anything else in the world," he said softly, his dark grey eyes shining.

"And he wants to marry you, right?"

"As far as I know, yes." He frowned, his brow furrowing. "What has that got to do with anything?"

"Well," Larry continued, warming to the situation, "by my calculation, that means that you should be walking down that aisle fairly soon and not here makin' tracks in the floor." He glanced down, a lopsided grin spreading over his face. "Nope, don't see any yet." He grinned while Miles stood stock still like a statue for a few moments as the ridiculousness of the situation impressed itself firmly in his mind.

Larry, of all people, is sitting here giving me advice...me! Larry! Miles was stunned and, oddly, touched. This was certainly something new! This is really weird. He smiled crookedly and chuckled softly. Definitely an odd day, particularly when I'm taking advice from Larry... and it makes sense!

He rolled his eyes at that last thought, a curious look crossing over Larry's face. Obviously Larry hadn't missed the eye roll and was probably wondering what it was all about.

I don't think I'll tell him, he decided, a smirk spreading over his face as he walked over to the open window and leaned against it, enjoying the soft breeze that blew through, ruffling his hair gently, Larry's eyes following his every move. After all, it is our wedding day and the last person I want to be thinking about is Larry... even if he is occasionally helpful.

Miles chuckled softly. He couldn't wait for the ceremony to begin.

A few minutes later, he heard a soft knock at the door, Larry hopping up from his perch on the bench and walked over to the door and opened it. Pearl Fey walked in, a bright smile on her face, resplendent in her beautiful red dress, holding a small wicker basket full of rose petals, an orange garland woven into her hair.

"It's time to go now, Mr. Edgeworth," she said, reaching up to take his hand in hers. "The ceremony is ready to begin."

He smiled down at her as they walked toward the door. He was surprised to hear a loud sniffle and he turned to see Larry wiping his eyes with a handkerchief, a foolish grin on his face.

Larry's... sniffling?! Will wonders never cease... He frowned momentarily as he passed by but then smiled. That was something I certainly didn't think I would ever see but its touching in its own way though decidedly weird and unexpected!

Pearl looked up at him and smiled, squeezing his hand comfortingly as they walked to the front of the church. Miles stood at the front while Pearl walked down the aisle and took her place behind the door to await Phoenix's arrival.

He took a few deep breaths to steady his racing heart and to calm his jittery nerves. It was almost like a dream and he was afraid that it would disappear like smoke in the wind. He'd waited a very long time for this moment and he wanted everything to go smoothly.

He turned his head toward the entrance when the music began to play, his face wreathed in a dazzling smile. Pearl led the way, walking slowly down the aisle, reaching into her basket and scattering red rose petals on the floor as she made her way up, smiling sweetly as she looked about her.

Phoenix, on Maya Fey's arm, appeared in the doorway and Miles' heart skipped a beat when he saw him. He looked amazing in his midnight-blue tuxedo with silver tie and cummerbund and black shoes, his raven-black hair appropriately spiky.

Their eyes met and locked, a smile spreading over Phoenix's face when he saw Miles waiting for him near the altar. Maya looked up at him, a gentle but proud smile on her face, squeezing his arm.

He's so beautiful, Miles thought as the strains to the opening theme from the movie Gettysburg filled the air, all of the assembled guests rising to their feet and turning toward the door, murmurs of appreciation filling the air, proud smiles on their faces as they watched them process down the aisle.

Miles couldn't wait until Phoenix stood beside him and waited with baited breath for him to arrive.

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Halfway up the aisle, Maya and I stopped in front of Miles. Maya unlinked her arm from mine and gave me a warm hug that I returned in equal measure before she turned to Miles, giving him a hug as well. She stepped back, and turned to walk back to her seat, wiping proud tears from her eyes.

Miles smiled as he reached out and hugged Phoenix, tears beginning to well in the corners of his eyes.

"You look wonderful," he murmured softly in Phoenix's ear while his head rested briefly on my shoulders, his arms tightening around me.

"So you do you," I whispered back, giving him a quick buss on the cheek before we turned around and, with his arm linked through mine, we made our way slowly to the front.

We were startled by a loud wail and stopped for a moment, wondering where on earth the loud noise came from. It was Larry, wailing and blubbering at the top of his lungs, repeating, "I'm so happy!" before a new wave of waterworks erupted. Maya and Pearls comforted him as best they could. We could still hear him snuffling while we walked the rest of the way to stand in front of the Judge, his normally placid and expressionless face now smiling and looking both proud and sad.

We three had had a lot of history together and we couldn't think of a better person to perform our wedding ceremony; in fact, we had insisted on it and, once we'd cleared it with the reverend of St. Marguerite d'Youville Church, the Judge readily agreed, a proud tear in his eye.

Once the music had drawn to a close and the guests had returned to their seats, the Judge stepped forward and opened the thin book that he held in his left hand, laying it out flat on the palm of his hand, the fingers of his right hand lying on the page. I had slipped my arm from Miles' and we stood there, side by side, our fingers lying against each other.

He cleared his throat a few times before he said, in a loud and slightly quavering voice said, "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses to join together these two men in matrimony..."

He looked at Miles and I in turn as he continued, his voice strong and solemn, "You both have entered, by your own free will, the bond of matrimony. It is a serious step that you take today and I ask you: are you ready, and willing, to make this commitment?"

"We are," Miles and I chorused and the Judge smiled.

"Then, let us begin..."

He spoke at some length about the step that we were to take and how serious a step that would be. We would be joining together in a union that would, God willing, last until death and hoped that our love for each other would grow stronger with each passing year. He spoke of the duty that we owed to each other, how we would be each others support and rock that we would cling to when the path was strewn with thorns. I could feel Miles' hand seek mine and I smiled as our fingers linked together, squeezing it tightly.

The Judge then half turned to us.

"You stand here before me, and in the presence of these witnesses, to declare your intention to enter into matrimony." He looked at me first. "Is this your intention, Mr. Wright, to enter into Matrimony with Mr. Miles Edgeworth?"

"It is," I responded immediately, my voice quivering a little with emotion; I could feel Miles squeezing my hand and I smiled softly, my eyes misting.

The Judge looked at Miles next. "Is this also your intention, Mr. Edgeworth, to enter into Matrimony with Mr. Phoenix Wright?"

"It is," he said, his rich baritone voice loud and clear as he released my hand and it returned to lie at my side.

The Judge gestured to us and we turned to face each other. I wiped a tear that was trickling slowly down my face and Miles smiled softly, his own eyes glistening.

"You both have stated your intention to enter into Matrimony. Do you do so out of your own free will?"

"We do."

"Then join your hands." We did as he instructed, Miles' hand lying over my left, my other hand on top of his and his right hand over top of mine. I could hear Larry snuffling again in the background and I couldn't suppress a chuckle; even the corners of Miles' mouth were twitching with open amusement and the Judge had a big grin spreading over his face, as well.

"Mr. Wright, repeat after me: I, Phoenix, take you, Miles Edgeworth-"

"I, Phoenix, take you, Miles Edgeworth-" My voice shook a little but I cleared my throat and soldiered on, each word after gaining strength.

"To be my husband."

"I promise to be true to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health-"

"I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

The Judge turned to Miles, his own eyes glistening. "Mr. Edgeworth, repeat after me: I Miles, take you, Phoenix Wright-"

"I, Miles, take you, Phoenix Wright-"

"To be my husband."

"I promise to be true to you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health-"

"I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

Miles squeezed my hand tenderly and I could see how affected he was for I felt the same way. The Judge turned and gestured and both Maya and Pearls made their way to the front, a small blue velvet pillow lying on her upturned hands, two simple, plain 4mm gold wedding bands glinting in the overhead light.

"You have declared your intention to marry and have made your vows in the presence of me and the assembled witnesses," the Judge said as he took the rings, one at a time, from the pillow; once we had let each others hands go, he handed a ring to Miles who held it gently, his eyes shimmering.

"Mr. Edgeworth, repeat after me: Take this ring-"

"Take this ring-"

"As a sign of my love-"

"Forever binding, forever uniting, forever encircling-"

"From this day forward."

Miles smiled at me as he slipped the ring onto the fourth finger of my left hand, his dark grey eyes shining. He was so beautiful that my breath caught.

The Judge turned to me next, handing me the other gold band and I took it solemnly, my hand shaking a little.

"Mr. Wright, repeat after me: Take this ring-"

"Take this ring-"

"As a sign of my love-"

"Forever binding, forever uniting, forever encircling-"

"From this day forward."

I slipped the ring slowly onto the fourth finger of Miles' left hand, my lips trembling as I did so. The Judge lifted his hand over our co-joined hands

"By the power invested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and husband." He closed the book with a quick snap, holding it in front of him. "You may now kiss your spouse."

I didn't waste a moment, leaning quickly forward and planting a serious kiss on his lips. I could feel him start a little in surprise at first but I felt the corners of his mouth twitch as he smiled. While we stood there, our lips glued together, wild, raucous applause and whoops of pure joy rang out and even the Judge had to smile at the burst of enthusiasm.

Once we had stepped back from each other, the Judge spoke a little more on marriage and then, with a dramatic flourish, pronounced, "I present to you Mr. Miles and Phoenix Edgeworth." Another burst of applause rang out and Miles bowed a little, his left hand holding mine tightly. I chuckled as he did so and then we turned and walked down the aisle to the strains of Reunion and Finale and dodging the rice thrown by numerous colleagues and well wishers who had come to our wedding.

At the reception later on, I couldn't help but smile at my new spouse and the happiness I saw on his face reflected that in my own heart. We were now, indeed, truly one.

~Fin~