Title: Thank YouRating: PGPairing: Franziska/EdgeworthSummary: it takes place before Farewell, My Turnabout. That's all you're getting.Disclaimer: If I owned Franziska, Edgeworth, Director Hotti and the Judge, they would have taken over the world by now. Except Hotti, who would be trained as an attack dog, given a flea collar and would be bald.
"Objection! Ms. Smith! I would appreciate it if you would tell us, than, why your fingerprints were found on the victim's backpack?" asked the defense attorney sternly.
"Ah! I… I… uh…" stuttered the flustered witness. A sharp crack rang throughout the courtroom, and the defense attorney yelped in pain.
"Fool." replied the prosecution, teeth clenched. Ms. Von Karma readied her whip in a swift jerk.
"Before the victim left on his motorcycle, his cell phone fell out. He asked for the witness to put his cell phone back." pointed out sweating Franziska with a weak smirk. "Thus, her fingerprints would have to be on the back pack."
"Aaaragh…!" muttered the defense, an older man who was a bit scatterbrained.
"Uh… yes! Yes! That's, uh, exactly right! I helped put his cell phone back!" said Ms. Smith putting her huge creepy smile back on.
"Ms. Smith please continue with your testimony." the judge said, looking warily and the witness, who was smiling brightly.
"I got worried after a while when he didn't comeback, so I called his cell phone before I left for the party-" continued the witness.
"Hold it!" cried the defense "Ms. Smith, you testified that you called the victim before you left home. But Mr. Scott's cell phone only received one phone call that day. That phone call was from the supposed murderer, the defendant, who had supposedly called to check if the victim had fallen for the trap. But to the murderer's surprise, a policeman answered and they hung up. You were the one who made that phone call! But not from home, from the defendant's, your cousin's, house!" he cried with a smirk.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" shrieked the witness in despair, still smiling. That smile disappeared as she stared at Mr. Edwards with burning hatred. She then turned her gaze to Franziska von Karma who was clutching the table in front of her, sweating heavily, teeth clenched, eyes glazed. "Don't just stand there! Object! Prove him wrong! Do SOMETHING!" demanded Ms. Smith.
"Ms. von Karma…?" asked the Judge. Franziska went lax and then fainted, hitting her head against the wall.
"Ms von Karma!!" said the Judge eyebrows raised "Hurry! Someone get medical help! No, wait! There's no time! She needs air! Don't worry! I know CPR!" he said standing up.
"Ah, no, your honor, that wont be necessary. Medical professionals are on their way." reassured the defense attorney, a little shaken at the Judge's offer.
"Oh, well good. I do think we need more time to fully understand this case, so we will continue tomorrow." the old man concluded, banging his mallet.
Miles Edgeworth rushed to the lobby of the court house; he was carrying Franziska von Karma in his arms, to meet the ambulance. The young girl was burning with fever and out cold. Out side the court house, he reluctantly handed her of to the professionals and he stood there as they drove off. He had just finished one of his own trials and had come to watch Franziska's work. The young man had noticed something awry the moment he walked into the courtroom. The younger prosecutor was leaning heavily on the table in front of her and had not donned her usual smirk of confidence. He had just figured the trial had gone south recently and thought nothing of it. But now he knew something was seriously wrong.
Edgeworth followed the ambulance in his red car to the Hotti Clinic were Franziska was being taken for treatment.
"Sir, I would greatly appreciate it if you would tell me what has happened to Franziska von Karma!" Edgeworth said rather loudly to the 'director' of the clinic.
"Ah, well, yes, you see…" the man replied, scratching himself.
If this retarded, incongruous, malapropos, imbecile strays off subject one more time… I swear I will deracinate his sorry excuse for hair. Thought Edgeworth, steaming.
A nurse came up to the discombobulated man and said, "'Director' Hotti! Please come with me, we need you in your, uh, 'office'!" she said and led him away to a patient's room. She exited the room a few minutes later, locked the door behind her and walked over to Edgey.
"Sorry about him, he's a delusional patient." she explained "So, who were you trying to find?" Edgeworth sighed, finally a person with normal hair and at least half a mind!
"Franziska von Karma. She was brought here by ambulance a few minutes ago."
The nurse informed him that she had appendicitis and hadn't come in for treatment.
"It might be too late…" she murmured
No! Franziska… why must you be so stubborn! He thought angrily. Wait! She's still talking!
"… know until her surgery is done." the nurse finished
"Oh! Ah, ok." he said loosing his composure but quickly grabbed it back and said,
"Then I shall wait until Ms. von Karma is free." and he strode away to the waiting area. The nurse sighed and continued her duties
"Sir, sir…" said a voice through the darkness. Edgeworth's eyes flicked open to find the same nurse from before standing in front of him.
"I'm afraid you dosed off, but Ms. Von Karma is out of surgery." The prosecutor leapt up and almost fell down again, but quickly caught himself. The nurse hid a smile and suppressed a laugh as she led him into Franziska's room.
The girl was still asleep and still attached to an EKG and an IV. The nurse left, leaving only Miles and sleeping Franziska in the room
She looks so small… so peaceful. Miles thought as he approached the chair beside the bed to wait once again. As uncomfortable as the chair was, he soon dozed off to the steady "beep… beep… beep…" of the EKG.
"beep… beep… beep… beep beep beep beep beep beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…" the sound woke Miles up and he tried to remember where he was, but it all came back to him as he walked around the dark room.
Did I really sleep that long…?
Edgeworth was getting a headache from the long beep until realized what it meant, and he froze, overcome with a sudden cold prickly feeling. He broke free and rushed over to Franziska's side to take her pulse. Nothing. The air around him was cold, still, sickly and smelled of dead. Franziska's skin was stiff and gray. Her body was completely still.
Edgey suddenly heard a voice behind him, "Help me Miles, I'm dying. So cold… Help…" He turned to find a ghostly form of Franziska calling to him desperately. He started to walk toward her, but he didn't get anywhere. He tried again and this time the room stretched out and he was swallowed up by the shadows. Edgeworth searched franticly for a wall, or anything for that matter, but he seemed to be floating.
CRACK!
Miles' eyes flew open to see he was back in the hospital room and Franziska was awake and whipping the crap out of everything as usual.
"You've been dozing ever since I woke up, little brother." she said casually, but her voice shook with nervousness, drowsiness and a hint of pain. Miles opened his mouth to say something, but the younger prosecutor cut him off.
"I'm fine. I don't need you here." she said coldly. Edgeworth sighed, and then composed a response.
"Maybe you don't wish me to stay, but I would like to monitor your health myself." he informed her formally. He had not forgotten his nightmare as it was still fresh in his mind, the sickly feeling in the room and the gray body laying there surrounded by a cloud of still air.
"What was that sound earlier?" he asked. She smirked weakly and replied, "The floor was looking dull so I gave it a refreshing… tap." Translation: I whipped the floor to wake you up.
"Are you sure you're ok? You seem… different." Miles said awkwardly.
"Fool. Of course I'm fine! I am Franziska von Karma!" she declared, putting a hand on her hip with the other pointed in the air. Mean while Edgey sighed. Franziska then burst out laughing, and couldn't stop. Edgeworth then looked at her like she had grown another head.
Is she high off of the anesthetic or something?! Miles thought alarmed.
"I've been meaning to ask you, why do you wear a pink outfit anyway?" she said between giggles.
Is this even the real Franziska, or is it a clone?! Suddenly someone else burst into the room, Manfred von Karma. Only, he had a stun gun and was running toward Edgeworth
"OH MY GOD!" Edgey shouted as he ran away to the other side of the room, but Manfred chased him. The frightened prosecutor tripped over a chair and landed flat on his face. The next thing he knew, an electric shock shot through his body and he fell through the floor. Yes, through the floor.
Oh, crap, not again! He thought as he fell fell fell… then he opened his eyes and was back in the dull hospital room. Franziska was still asleep, so Miles decided to get her something before she woke up.
When he returned with flowers, she was awake, and a few nurses where in the room, but they left when he entered. Franziska looked surprised to see him, and then seeing the flowers, she blushed. Miles smiled and walked over.
"You're finally awake!"
"and you're… here… why?" she asked, puzzled that anyone would care.
"you fainted during the trial, so I came to see how you were doing." he replied casually
"But why did you stay?" she demanded, biting her lip
"Because… because… because I was worried about you. I was worried that you would…" he trailed off, unable to say it
"die?" she finished and smiled "I would never die over a foolish thing like a foolishly foolosh illness!" she said.
That's the Franziska I know he thought happily I'm not even going to ask why she didn't come in for treatment earlier. Oh! The flowers! Right!
"Uh, I uh, these are for you." he muttered awkwardly shoving them in Franziska's face. She smiled and took them.
"Thank you Miles. You're the only person who ever cared…" she said tearing up. "Papa always said compassion was imperfect, but… than again, you never were truly von Karma." and she started to let tears fall. Miles smiled and sat on the bed next to her, and gave her a much needed hug.
"Thank you…" she whispered, as she relaxed in his arms. Franziska von Karma finally let herself be loved.