For His Sake

Lana was drowning in paperwork. She had no idea how Damon Gant had convinced the PIC to appoint a detective to the position of Chief Prosecutor, but he'd done it. She was done asking how. Not that he would answer to her anymore.

Lana was always stressed. About everything. Case after case, penalty after penalty, prosecutor after prosecutor coming to her to complain. The warm smile Ema used to have on her face when Lana picked her up from school was gone. Any friends she used to have in Criminal Affairs had turned cold. And Mia…

She and Mia had been over since Mia passed the bar exam. She had defied her village enough in becoming a lawyer, and they could cut her off from Maya if she rocked the boat one more time. The Council of Mystics expected biological heirs from the Fey family, and would never accept Mia dating another woman. Or so Mia said.

Intolerant cultists, all of them. She bet most of them were frauds anyway.

Mia said she was bisexual anyhow, and it wouldn't devastate her to comply with their demands. But Lana had to wonder: if Mia knew she would never be allowed a real relationship with a woman, why had she gotten so far with Lana? Had Lana been used? Again?

After the breakup, Lana had thought cutting off contact with the new attorney was the best thing for her. Even when she heard about the new power couple, Lana said nothing. Not even when Attorney Armando took a case she was the detective on. With the SL-9 incident and the aftermath of Joe Darke, Lana had bigger fish to fry than her ex hooking up with the boorish "alpha male" attorney who drank too much coffee and called her "Detective Kitten".

But it would have been nice to have a friend. Some days, Mia felt like she might be the only person who could possibly understand.

Not that Lana would approach her. She was too busy, too stubborn, too hurt, too… whatever the excuse today was.

With nowhere else to turn, Lana had thrown herself down the deep end of her work, drowning in her thoughts. The burial was so deep, she almost didn't hear the knock at the door. But Ema did.

And Ema recognized them. Their friendly voices told her all she needed to know.

"Lana's in there. She's always in there."

"She doesn't come out?" Yep, that was her. Of course it was.

Lana looked into her reflection on the computer screen. Had her dark circles really grown that big? When was the last time she slept?

"...doesn't come out for me. Not for science. Not for anything!" Ema must be pouting. Lana would have to make it up to her later. Maybe buy her something?

Still, that didn't dissuade the figure from her past. "Well, I'll just have to go in, then. This is really important. I need your sister's help."

A snort. "Good luck! Lana never helps me."

As if Lana needed to feel worse. She hunched over her forms, trying to pretend she heard nothing as the door to her office open.

"Lana? Is that you?"

She looked up, and immediately regretted it. When the main lights came on, Mia looked as beautiful as ever. Even with tears streaking her face and redness surrounding her eyes, Lana was struck.

"Lana… something horrible has happened."

"Huh?" Lana asked. Quite stupidly.

Mia collapsed beside the chief prosecutor, looking close to tears. "Diego, he's… he went to speak to Dahlia Hawthorne. He shouldn't have gone alone."

Lana had heard about Mia's first case. Who hadn't? That said, she didn't know all the details, beyond the fact Terry Fawles had committed suicide on the stand and Mia had been traumatized. The paperwork on that mistrial had been enormous.

Still, she didn't recognize the name Hawthorne. "Did this Hawthorne do anything to him?"

Mia nodded. "I'm sure of it. She's the one who poisoned him!"

"Attorney Armando was poisoned?!" Why wasn't that in a trial anywhere?

"Yes… she did it. I need your help. I need to catch her."

Mia collapsed onto Lana's chest. The closeness was alien, almost uncomfortable. But still, Lana didn't push her away. Contrary to what her old colleagues said, she wasn't a complete monster.

She had to think. "How do you know this woman did it?"

"She's the only one who would. She tricked Mr. Fawles into killing himself with the same poison, and she got off completely free. Diego and I tried to see if she was involved in any other crimes, but nothing. Finally, he encountered her in the courthouse cafeteria. He was drinking coffee. He must have said something that tipped Hawthorne off. After she left, Diego collapsed… from poison."

"Was Hawthorne searched?" The way Mia described it, it sounded like Hawthorne would be a logical suspect.

"Yes. I know the police found nothing, but-"

"But nothing." Lana cut her off, feeling cruel. Especially as Mia gripped ever tighter onto her. "As far as the police can prove according to you, all this woman did was speak to him. How is he?"

Mia took a long time to reply. "The doctor… Diego's in a coma. His central nervous system… they don't have much hope."

Lana sighed. She might not have liked the man, but he was a good lawyer. He didn't deserve this. "Sounds dire. Are you sure you shouldn't be with him?"

"He would want me to catch his killer. I know it! But I can't think…" Mia turned to Lana, eyes wide and begging. "I know Diego would understand. I need your help, Lana."

"How?" Lana asked, uncomprehending. Even as Mia fiddled with her top, the former detective couldn't process what was happening. "I might be Chief Prosecutor, but I can't force an indictment!" Not like the way she had with Joe Darke. Never again.

Mia gulped. "When Diego and I hit a wall in his cases or our investigation, we would use our bodies to…" and with a single hand gesture, Lana understood. Lana knew exactly what Mia wanted to use her for. "It helped us think."

"You want us to fuck like you and your boyfriend would so you can figure out who tried to kill him?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but it works," Mia insisted. "Please, Lana. You're the only one I feel comfortable doing this with. You could talk about your cases too. Maybe we can help each o-"

"No."

Mia froze, eyes wide as saucers. Had she really just assumed Lana would say yes? Just like that?

"I'm not here for you to run back to whenever things don't work out. I'm not your boyfriend, and you know that. I hope you catch the person who targeted him, but…" Lana shrugged her off. "I have bigger problems right now."

Mia looked positively dumbstruck. She hadn't predicted this sort of thing happening. Not that it had been well thought through, if Lana had her guess.

"You don't miss it?"

Lana ground her teeth at the question, trying to ignore the way Mia's breasts pushed against her own. The sensation was oh so familiar.

"Just because your boyfriend is in the hospital doesn't mean I'm available."

"Really?" Mia bit her lip. "I asked around, and I heard you've been single for over a year now."

She didn't have to rub it in, did she? "I got busy with work. Not all of us want to date our co-workers."

Mia tilted her head, likely trying to read into Lana's words. Studying her like she'd study a witness on the stand. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant-"

"So what is this? You think I'm so lonely and desperate I'll let my ex use my body to help her catch a killer?" She was right about the lonely bit, but Lana liked to think of herself as above the latter. "You don't need me, Mia. You could have another man in a minute. Why don't you do what your cult leaders want and go fuck them?"

Mia had reached out for Lana's waist, only to stop midair. "Lana, please… I know what I did wasn't fair to you, but… this isn't about me. This isn't even about sex. It's just how Diego and I would think through cases. And now that Diego needs my help, I can't talk through things like this with some stranger. With where the case is, you can't do much for him officially, and neither can I. I just want to help Diego."

And that was the worst part. If Mia had come for Lana and never mentioned Armando at all, would Lana have been this resistant to the idea? If Mia had returned to Lana because she wanted her and no one else, Lana had a feeling she would have thrown herself at her like the pathetic mess she was.

But Mia hadn't. Even when it was just the two of them, the presence that obnoxious man remained. And it was his presence in the room that gave Lana her spite. Her false strength.

Lana had spent so long ignoring Mia, she never truly gave herself a chance to get over her. And now, seeing her again so touchy and clingy and willing… It made Lana weak. Even her illusion of strength was failing her.

It had been so long since Lana had lay with somebody else. So long since she'd felt the pleasures of the flesh. Even by her own hands, Lana was usually too overworked to do anything. And with Ema right next door to her room…

"Mia, no," Lana protested a second time. "What about Ema? I don't want her to hear us."

"She went to her room after seeing me," Mia replied, smiling. "Like she always would."

Back when Lana and Mia were together, Mia would give Ema various treats and candy for staying away from the two of them, especially in the evening. Lana was pretty sure Ema knew what was going on, but the girl was smart enough to not say anything.

"What about…" Lana tried to speak, but Mia silenced her. She was getting desperate.

"Lana… Help me think this through." As she spoke, Lana felt her scarf coming off, being wrapped around Mia Fey's hands. Her exposed neck was peppered with kisses as the attorney continued. "Dahlia Hawthorne put the poison in Diego's coffee, but when she was found in the courtroom library, there was no trace of poison on her. Where did it go?"

Lana groaned. Mia had remembered exactly what she liked. "Alright. I'll… play along. If you're right about this woman poisoning Diego, she must have hid the evidence before the police found her."

A few minutes passed, filled with pure stripping. Lana was in her bra and underwear, Mia even less. The chief prosecutor prayed her sister didn't come in.

It was only after they were naked that Mia responded. "But the police searched the entire building after they found Diego. The poison wasn't anywhere. Where could it have gone?"

Lana looked up from Mia's breasts. "Well, it's not like evidence can just walk away. Wait."

"What?"

"How did this Hawthorne get poison into the courthouse at all? You can't bring just anything into a courthouse."

"Ahh... uh…" Mia moaned. "She must have hid it somehow. Put it in something bailiffs wouldn't think to check."

"Like what?" Lana reached for Mia's folds, only to have things switch up on her.

"Like… a locket. Or a hidden pocket. Somewhere she can store a tiny liquid pouch without suspicion."

"And something she can easily dispose of," Lana added before Mia could get lower on her. And to think, the defense attorney used to be such a pillow princess. "Remember: it wasn't on her when she was searched."

"It wasn't anywhere in the building when it was searched." Mia spoke between thigh kisses, driving Lana insane. "Where did she hide it?"

"Unless she comes to the courthouse all the time, I doubt she had a place in mind the police wouldn't check. Besides, wouldn't that mean it's planned?"

"Ungh…" Lana tightened her legs around Mia for a second, inhibiting her ability to speak. The brunette waited for her to loosen her grip to reply. "I really don't think it was planned, though. That's the thing. Hawthorne would have been thinking on her feet. Diego and I were practically stalking her. She doesn't know the courthouse better than us."

"Well, if you had to get something out of the building as fast as possible and couldn't have it found on you, where would you…" Mia's tongue pierced Lana's inner circle, dissolving her voice into whimpers. The chief prosecutor struggled to finish. "...Hide it?"

"Hmm…" Oh, this was torture. Half of Lana's brain wanted the attorney to answer her question, but the other didn't want her mouth to stop for even a second. A compromise was reached when Mia replaced her tongue with fingers. "I would take it out of the building and come back. But Hawthorne never went outside before she was searched. How is this possible?"

"Ah!" Lana came, losing her ability to think for a second. Either Mia had gained a lot more skills since they'd broken up, or Lana had a lot of pent up frustration. Still, she had to give the attorney an answer to the question. "Maybe she isn't the one who hid it. What if someone else was in on it? Did Armando have any other enemies?"

"Of course not!" Mia objected. "And besides, Hawthorne would never work with an equal. When Armando and I first encountered her, she…" she froze. "No way."

"What?" Lana could barely see her, still on cloud nine from her orgasm. "Did you figure something out?"

"She used some poor sap to dispose of the evidence. He probably didn't even know what he was doing. Just like Terry Fawles."

From what Lana knew, there were some key differences there, but she couldn't be brought to care. "Great. Now all you have to do is ask all the 'poor saps' who were in the courthouse that day if they accepted an item from some strange girl."

"Yes!" Mia was more excited than she'd been at any point in this meeting. Lana hadn't even got a chance to reciprocate before the young attorney was putting her clothes back on. "I know how she did it now! Now all that's left is to prove it."

"I guess. But how are you going to do that?"

Mia was almost out of the door before she remembered. Lana bet the girl hadn't even heard her. "Oh, thanks Lana. You were great help!"

And so Lana lay there, naked and unwilling to pick up her clothes from the floor. She was conflicted from being physically satisfied, emotionally resentful, and mentally turning gears.

She couldn't wait to file the paperwork for the criminal named Dahlia Hawthorne. Maybe once Mia had avenged her boyfriend's death, she'd look for someone else.

Lana knew it was delusional to wish it was her. One look into Mia's eyes was all she'd needed to know.

There was no passion in their lovemaking that night. Not a single spark flew in their office, not from either side.

Lana wished she could say she was surprised. But somehow, the chief prosecutor had known. Known all along that they weren't meant to be.

A/N's: So I decided the sex in this one-shot wasn't graphic enough to exceed an M-rating. So I'm posting this on both websites, not just AO3. It's a little different from my recent work, and maybe not my best, but I enjoyed trying something different. I've written about Lana having feelings for Mia before, but I've never tried to write an interaction between the two characters. Shame I chose a setting like this.

For anyone curious, this is the kink meme prompt that I was filling with this fic:

"I'm really into couples having conversations that take a lot of thinking while they're having sex, so I'd love to see Miles and Phoenix discussing a case while in bed together.

The sex doesn't have to be in explicit detail, dialogue only would be fine, I just want to see them figuring out how the murder was carried out and who did it while they're getting off with each other. I'm not looking for rivalry here, or a debate over a client's innocence, more working together to get to the answers.

Canon or made-up cases are both fine! If you go the canon route, I'd love to see them using one of Apollo or Athena's cases as a mental exercise, but any case would be good. (Hobo!Phoenix and Edgeworth working on the Kristoph case could be amazing.)

If Narumitsu isn't your thing, I'm partial to Cykesquill or Lana/Mia, but feel free to suggest other couples because I'm generally pretty open."

Hope everyone enjoyed the fic. I've had it 90% finished for weeks, but I finally got back around to giving it the finishing touch. It's almost the same story with Cost of a Miracle.

And yes, I'm aware the timeline is off on this story. I was halfway through the fill when I checked, and didn't feel like changing it. Consider this fic AU, if you must.

Thanks for reading, please review, and I'll see you on the far side!