He pressed Apollo's red and gold fountain pen to the notepad in from of him and inhaled sharply. He never thought he'd be writing this letter, not for real. He'd imagined it in his head many times. His life had taken him to many dark places, but never to actually trying to write it. The tip scratched loudly at the paper, and he tried, in the neatest cursive he could muster to write down what was being asked.

He'd been reinstated, gotten himself a new blue suit, had clients lining up, had been able to pay all his bills and had a loving family. The people who wronged him were supposed to be behind bars or looking at him with shame and embarrassment at their mistakes. Life was supposed to be good for him now. This was not part of the plan, this letter… this note was not supposed to be written, not now, maybe seven years ago, but not now.

If I want anyone to remember anything, it is that I've tried. I've fought against different-

His hand shook, causing a blob of ink to obscure part of it. He wrinkled his nose and glanced up at the man sitting across from him, knees touching the coffee table. "I-"

"How elegant, Wright." He sneered, gaze narrowing. "Start again."

"It's not my pen." Phoenix mumbled, tearing the layers of paper the ink soaked through off of the notepad and tossing them behind him. "Look, you don't need to do this-"

There was a biting laugh as the blond across him leaned back against the tattered blue sofa of the Wright Anything Agency. The touchscreen phone he held in his hand never leaving its' place, his thumb hovering above it. Phoenix imagined the phone was worth more than most of his clients could afford as a fee. "Of course I don't, but I want to, Mr Wright. Now, finish your note and drink up." He gestured to the other end of the coffee table where two glasses sat. One filled with apple juice and something darker, the other held the remains of Trucy's milk from breakfast . "And I can get out of here before your little girl gets back from school, hmm? Best for her to find the body, I think. Poor Daddy couldn't handle the stress of being a lawyer again and Mr. Justice, well…" Kristoph leaned in forwards and grinned. "Will just need to see about him, won't we?"

Phoenix felt a chill run down his spine at the tone in which he said that. Phoenix swallowed hard and started the note again, hoping to buy him some time. "You storm in here, threaten me, people will know."

"A broken hearted little girl with delusions of grandeur? Besides, we've been over this already." He moved the phone closer to the blue clad lawyer's face. "One wrong move and Miss Trucy and her classmates get quite the surprise. A school shooting in this day and age? Not very refined, but hardly suspicious, and if you know the right people you can find people not caring if children are involved."

Phoenix closed his eyes and tapped the table with the pen. "Are… is there really someone there? Outside the school?"

"Yes."

No locks.

"Damn." He swallowed again and restarted the note.

Remember me as someone who persevered against all odds, as someone who would do ANYTHING to protect his family and friends to-

Kristoph snorted, thumb inching closer to the touchscreen. "I noticed that message, Wright. Start over."

Phoenix bit back a growl and tore the paper off, tossing it behind him with the other pages that didn't meet Kristoph's approval. He started again, biting the inside of his cheek as he tried to think of a code, of some sort of message he could leave to explain. Trucy and Apollo needed to know what happened. They needed to get him put away somewhere where his old connections couldn't pamper him or smuggle him out. If this man stayed out, more people would die.

"Why now?"

"Hmmm?" Kristoph replied lazily, glancing away for a moment.

"You've had nearly eight years to kill me. Why now?"

It was uncomfortably true. It was a possibility that didn't even cross his mind all that time. If Gavin had caught on earlier, he could have poisoned him. He could have gotten rid of the attorney that dared to challenge him, steal his clients, and it would have been remarkably easy. Phoenix hadn't been leading the most honest of lives in the years following being disbarred. A small amount of poison in his grape juice, a smack on the head, a shot to the heart. He felt like such an idiot in hindsight.

Kristoph acted like he didn't even hear him. "I wonder if I should prepare another glass."

Phoenix furrowed his brow. "What?"

"Well, I'm a little torn with what to do about your little… apprentice."

Phoenix felt his stomach drop. "Don't you touch him."

"This isn't about you Mr. Wright. You were always a pain, but a small nagging, like a pin prick." The blond crossed his legs and turned his gaze back to him. "Nothing that required death. Watching you suffer was amusing of course, trying to juggle being responsible and being known as a criminal, but no one would listen to you. You were never a threat. But the truth is, Apollo was supposed to be my successor. My perfect little toy, accomplice, the poor boy has such a dependant personality. He needs someone to latch on to and follow. Too bad that he latched on to your image at such a young age."

"Huh?" Phoenix was officially lost. Apollo was many things, but he'd never considered him as being dependant on the image of his younger self to get through the bad times.

Kristoph growled and pointed to the notepad. "You just wrote down gibberish. Start again and get it correct this time!"

Phoenix groaned. He had, in fact written down bits of the conversation unintentionally. He tore the paper off and started again, not needing anymore prompting. He wondered how long it was before Kristoph decided a suicide note wasn't required for this murder.

They sat in silence while Phoenix started again. The only noise, the scratching of the metal tip on paper.

"I wonder how he'll react." Kristoph murmured, tapping his index finger to his chin. "Maybe he decides he can't handle it." The corners of his mouth twitched upwards. "He runs away, unable to handle another mentor letting him down, or-" He eyes shone excitedly and he sat up straighter. "Maybe he lays down beside you."

"Leave him out of this. He has nothing to do-"

"He had nothing to do with this." Kristoph corrected angrily. "He was supposed to be MINE!" He slammed his hand down. "YOU requested him for your trial and he obeyed you like a puppy needing approval from his master! YOU made him a part of this and YOU are the reason he needs to suffer!"

Phoenix jumped at his outburst, causing a smudge on the paper. He ripped it off without prompting and threw if behind him. "This is about Apollo." He said with sudden clarity. "You want this to hurt him."

"Of course. He'll be left all alone, afraid to get close to anyone, afraid to take on cases or hunt for the truth. He'll be a broken young man and then I'll come in. I will save him from himself and make him realize you were never the man he wanted you to be. I will be the one he realizes that has always cared. I am all that he has."

"Save him?" Phoenix echoed.

"We will do great things, together, like it was supposed to be."

"WHAT?" At that the pen dropped out of his hand and rolled under the table. He couldn't believe his ears. "Are- what?"

"He was my assistant. He was MINE, Mr. Wright and I never gave him permission to leave."

Just a weird scene that popped in to my head one night.