(-- --)

Chapter 1

Lotte and Lisa

(October 15, 2043, Thursday)

Unbeknownst to Mr. and Mrs. Gavin, a girl was watching them upstairs through the wooden railing. Their voices echoed throughout the house. The girl gripped the railing until her knuckles turned white.

"I don't believe it," whispered Ema. "You're leaving me?"

"Ema, just listen to me--"

There was a rustle. "Don't touch me, Klavier."

"I don't want to keep lying and hiding from you anymore. Eva deserves better, and I know you do, too."

Silence fell between them except for Ema's sniffling and sobs.

"So that's what's been going on for the past year…you couldn't come to dinner or gatherings or even your daughter's piano recital because you're too busy screwing another woman?!" she screamed.

"I'm sorry, Ema--"

"Get out. You're despicable. I can't believe you would actually do this to me…and the girls!"

Another silence fell between the two. Upstairs, the girl stood up from her hiding place and walked slowly down the hall. She opened the door at the end.

"Are you awake?" she asked softly.

The sheets on the bed rustled. "Yeah…" said the other girl.

"Can I sleep here tonight?"

"Of course."

The girl walked into the room, quietly shutting the door behind her. She made her way through the darkness to the bed. She pulled back the covers and slipped underneath them.

"I could hear them even though the door was closed…is it really over?"

"Unfortunately…"

"What a disaster…"

The girls froze as the door opened. They feigned sleep as Klavier gave them one last look before closing the door. Several moments later, they heard the tires screeching out of the driveway.

(-- --)

(October 16, 2043, Friday)

"Gumshoe's covering your shift today," said Phoenix as he hung up the phone.

Ema let out a soft groan of acknowledgement as she hugged her pillow closer. "I'm a goddamn statistic now…" she moaned.

"Don't say that," said Trucy. She went around the room, picking up items off of the floor and putting them in their rightful place.

"I shouldn't have married him…"

"You married him because you loved him," answered Phoenix.

"And you have two beautiful daughters," added Trucy.

"Did you tell the girls yet?"

"I didn't have to…they already know. They're almost fifteen. They're not stupid…" Ema sat up, leaning over to grab a tissue to blow her nose. Trucy sat down on the bed and put her arms around Ema.

"You're going to get through this," said Phoenix.

"I know…but now, I just want to pull the covers over my head and read novels." She gave a weak smile before adding, "Trucy…go get me one of the books in the living room. I think I'm going to start right now."

(-- --)

(October 24, 2043, Saturday)

Charlotte "Lotte" Christina Gavin lightly fingered the ivory keys at her piano. She sighed. She looked up at her younger twin sister across the living room. Elizabeth "Lisa" Ashlyn Gavin was staring at the framed photographs on the mantelpiece.

Lotte and Lisa were identical twins. They were turning fifteen today. The girls were tall. Their skin was tan like their father's. They had long brown hair and shared the same azure colored eyes. Both girls were fluent in English, French, and German, the latter two learned from their parents. Lotte was the musical twin. She could play a wide variety of instruments, though her heart went to the piano. Her sister was the opposite. Lisa was more into books and studying. They were like two pieces of a puzzle. They liked to believe that they both were the hemispheres of the brain, Lotte being the right and Lisa being the left.

The girls could easily switch lives and no one would be able to tell the difference. Lotte was smart and got good grades, but she didn't strive for academic achievement. She didn't have the patience to sit down and study. Lisa could play several pieces on the piano. She couldn't read music notes on the sheet, but she could replay music by ear and by watching which keys were hit. Lotte and Lisa also had the same personality: lady-like, rational, and sweet. They both had tempers they could control; however, Lotte was the one who would lose control first.

Lisa ran a finger along the frame of her parents' wedding photo. Their blissful faces were frozen in time in that one shot. She turned her head to stare at the second floor where her mother was sleeping in her bedroom alone. There was such a difference in their faces after sixteen years. Thick tension hung in the air whenever they were together. They rarely discussed the divorce in front of company, and even then, they couldn't bear to look at each other.

Her fingers drifted off to the side towards more photographs. There was one of the whole family. Soon, this photograph was going to be split down the middle, just like how she and her sister were going to split time between two households. The next one was of her parents, her and her sister, and the rest of their friends and their kids. They were a close group of friends. It was like they were part of an even greater family. The next several photographs were of Lotte and Lisa. There was one when they were infants, one when they were toddlers, and one on their very first day of school. There was a picture of Lotte receiving her ebony piano, and another of Lisa proudly holding up a plaque for academic excellence. The final photograph was of the twins and the children of their family's friends in order of age.

Lotte gently pressed down on the ivory keys, playing Chopin's Nocturne Op.9 No. 2.

Lisa took one last look at the smiling faces in the photographs before letting out a heavy sigh. She collapsed onto the armchair in front of the fireplace, sinking into the soft cushions.

"I can't think of anything to be happy about today," she said quietly.

"It's our birthday," replied Lotte.

"So what? We're spending it with Mom and Dad and our Aunts and Uncles, but today doesn't feel right."

"I think today would be much better if it wasn't hanging over our heads."

"I still want to hope…" whispered Lisa. "I want to hope that Dad would give up that other woman."

"I want to hope that Dad is still in love with Mom…" added Lotte.

"I want to hope that maybe this is all just a really bad dream."

(-- --)

Lotte turned to the boy in the driver's seat. "This isn't the way home," she pointed out.

"I know," he replied.

"Where are you taking us?"

"You'll know when you see it."

The boy was Richard Gregory Edgeworth, the only son of Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma-Edgeworth. He was seventeen, two years older than the twins. He looked like the spitting image of his father – black hair with a grayish sheen and brown eyes. He was incredibly smart like Lisa, but unlike his parents, he wasn't snobbish or condescending. He was laid back and could become rather cheeky, especially with his parents.

Several minutes later, Richard drove the car into a parking lot. A large fence rose up to the ceiling, dividing the lot in two. A bright red sports car could be seen on the other side.

"This is the prosecutors' office," answered Lisa.

"Uh-huh."

"Are we going to see my Dad?" asked Lotte.

Richard turned off the engine and got out of the car. "Let's go."

The three of them rode up the High Prosecutor's Office in silence. Richard opened the door to Room 1202 without knocking. Inside, his father was at his desk writing a bunch of papers. At the sudden intrusion, Edgeworth raised his head to see his son and twin goddaughters.

"What are you doing here, Richard?" asked Edgeworth.

"I brought the birthday girls."

"Hi, Uncle Miles!" the girls replied in unison.

He shot a glare at his son before saying, "Happy Birthday, Lotte. Lisa, Happy Birthday."

"Thank you."

"I was under the impression that I wouldn't be seeing you until your little party tonight."

"Richard brought us," said Lisa. She and her sister sat down on the couch.

Edgeworth narrowed his eyes at his son. "Do you need something?"

Richard smiled and sat down on the couch, making himself comfortable. "What? I can't visit my dad at work?"

Edgeworth hit a button on his phone. "Sarah," he called, "can you please tell my wife to come to my office right now?"

"Right away, sir."

Several minutes later, Franziska opened the door to her husband's office. "What is it?" she asked. She looked at him before looking to the side to see her son on the couch. "What are you doing here?"

Richard scoffed. "Some parents you guys are."

Franziska crossed her arms and frowned. "I see you at home. I don't want to see you at work. Why else would I come here?"

"To…prosecute people?"

Lotte and Lisa giggled. "Hi Auntie Franziska!"

"Hello Charlotte, Elizabeth. Happy Birthday."

"Thank you!"

"And please don't call me "Auntie." It makes me feel old."

"You are old," replied Richard. "You're three years over the hill."

"I'm going to slap you," answered his mother. Richard simply grinned. She turned to the twins. "How's your mother?"

"Better…" answered Lisa. "She's gone back to work. The precinct was pretty understanding so Mom and Dad aren't working together on any cases."

"And I think she only cries at night now," added Lotte.

"She hasn't gone through her anger stage yet?" asked Edgeworth.

"No, not yet. The belongings Dad left behind are still in tact."

""Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." When your mom goes through that stage, you girls can stay with us."

Lotte and Lisa glanced at each other before sighing. "This is really hard for Mom. She still loves Dad. And she can't get over the fact that he's willing to throw away sixteen years of marriage for another woman," said Lisa.

"There have been rumors that Klavier is going to marry Eva Hutchens once the divorce is finalized," said Edgeworth.

"Hmph. What a foolish fool he is," muttered Franziska. "She's probably after his money."

Silence filled the room. Edgeworth stared at the twins' sad faces for a moment before opening up his desk drawer. "Lotte, Lisa, come here." The girls got up from the couch and walked over to him. "Wright and I have other presents for your birthday, but we thought you could do with something a little extra." He withdrew a thick package from inside the drawer and handed it to Lisa. "Just make sure your parents don't see what it is."

Lotte smiled. "Is it something dirty?"

"Just open it."

Lisa set it on the desk and undid the wrapping. Inside, she found a book and two DVD cases. She held up the book and read the title aloud. "Das doppelte Lottchen. "The Double Lottie?"" She glanced at Edgeworth before flipping through the pages. "It's completely in German."

"Is that a problem? You're fluent, aren't you?"

"Yeah, but…I prefer to speak German rather than read it." Lisa set down the book and looked at the DVDs. They were both titled as The Parent Trap, but they were different versions. One was filmed in 1961, and the remake was done in 1998. The girls glanced at Edgeworth.

"Read the book and watch the movies. Then you'll understand what Wright and I were thinking."

"Miles," called Franziska, "we have to go."

Edgeworth got up, gathering several papers. He was almost out the door when he turned back. "There's a DVD player in my desk if you want to watch the movies now."

The girls rummaged through the drawers and found the player Edgeworth was talking about. They settled on the couch with Richard and began playing the 1961 version.

"If their love's on skids,
Treat your folks like kids,
Or your family tree's gonna snap!
So to make them dig,
First you gotta rig—
What do ya gotta rig?
The Parent Trap!"

Lotte and Lisa looked at each other before turning back to the opening credits.

"If they lose that zing,
And they just won't swing,
Then the problem falls in your lap!

When your folks are square,
Then you must prepare—
What do ya gotta prepare?
The Parent Trap!

To set the bait,
Recreate the date,
The first time Cupid shot 'em.
Get 'em under the moon,
Play their favorite tune…

You got 'em!

Lead 'em back to love,
With the velvet glove.
'Cause they're much too old for the strap!
Straighten up their mess with togetherness.
Togetherness!
The Parent Trap!"

"I think I'm starting to understand what Uncle Nick and Uncle Miles want us to do," said Lisa.

"Do you think we could pull it off?" asked Lotte.

"Don't worry about it!" said Richard. "I'll help you, and I'm sure everyone else will, too. You gotta succeed, especially with Uncle Nick and Auntie Trucy on our side."

The girls looked at each other again, a wide grin etching over their lips.


Based off of The Parent Trap, which in turn is based off of the novel Das doppelte Lottchen "The Double Lottie" by Erich Kästner.

Okay, I really shouldn't have created another chapter story because I just get so bad at them. Sometimes it takes me between a few days to several months to get a new chapter out, depending on my creativity level, but I just couldn't help it. They were showing the 1998 version on TV, and then I watched the 1961 version for fun shortly afterwards, and I just got inspired. I love both versions, and I grew up watching the 1961 version.

This story also will have some elements from The Jane Austen Book Club, the part revolving around Sylvia and Daniel's relationship. (I haven't read the book yet, so the elements come from the movie.)

The names of Ema and Klavier's daughters is based off of the original names from the novel: Lisa and Lottie.

I'm also such a nerd that I calculated the ages of the principal characters. So Ema and Klavier started dating a year after AJ (26 & 25). They got married in the same year (still 26 & 25). Lotte and Lisa were born the following year (27 & 26). So Ema is 42 and Klavier is 41 now in 2043.

Phoenix is 50, and still unmarried. Trucy is 32 now, and she recently got engaged. Edgeworth is 50 and married to Franziska, who is 43. They have one son, Richard, and he's 17. Apollo is 39 and married to Vera, who is 36. (Haha, I think this pairing is kind of cute.) Apollo and Vera have a 10 year old daughter named Diana. Maya is 43, and unmarried. Pearl is 33 and recently married. Larry is 49 and still unmarried, but he still chases after beautiful women. Gumshoe and Maggey are married; he's 56 and she is 47. They have two kids: a son named Devlin who is 24, and a daughter named Kyra who is 21. Lana is 55 and married to Jake who is 59. They have three kids: a son named Mondo who is 20, a daughter named Stella who is 19, and another daughter named Luna who is 18.

There was also going to be a subplot romance between Richard and Lotte, but I wrote it out because I wanted it to focus on the twins trying to get their parents back together. It was kind of a one-sided thing anyway.

That's it for now. I'll work on trying to update as quickly as possible. I give my apologies in advance if I can't.

Thanks for reading!