Blood… There was so much blood. All over the floor, and she was standing… right there…

"Mommy…" little Athena said quietly, and suddenly it was like the world was closing in on her. She dropped the knife that had been in her hand, vaguely aware of the sound of it clattering on the floor. Taking over her senses, however, was an overwhelming fear.

No matter how she tried, she couldn't breathe. She tried to fight it, but her breaths felt like they were becoming more and more limited with each strained inhale. As if soon, she would become unable to at all. It was beginning to make her feel lightheaded.

"-ykes! Ms. Cykes!" An unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out. A voice that didn't belong…

A hand touched her arm, and a scream escaped her. It was with that, however, that the flashback was finally broken.

Before her was… Edgeworth? "Ms. Cykes. Can you hear me?"

"No-" she managed, still only half aware of her true surroundings. How could she focus on any of that when she couldn't even breathe? A hand clutched at her chest, becoming aware of her heartbeat. It felt like it was threatening to burst. Was this it… Was she to die, too? After managing to survive…?

"Hey." His voice was loud enough to attempt to be heard over the noise – be it literal or metaphorical – of whatever she thought she was experiencing, but was not at all unkind. "Ms. Cykes – Athena – look at me." If he could just get her attention back here…

She sank to her knees, shaking her head vehemently. "I- I can't…!"

"You can." He wasn't entirely certain what she was saying she couldn't do. Earlier, she had worn an expression he knew all too well – the expression of one who thought themselves to be somewhere other than where they were. Somewhere in the past. And now… pale, shaking, and taking shallow, quick breaths, there was no doubt she was still a ways from having recovered. "Listen to me. Just try to focus on my voice. You're in the courthouse. We just finished a trial." With her as the defense and him as the prosecution, no less. That didn't matter right now, though. Being her adversary in court didn't mean he would walk right by her when she clearly could benefit from some help.

"The trial…" she murmured. Finally, she looked at him, eyes focusing. "Mr. Edgeworth…?"

He had sat down on the ground as well, facing her. "You're alright, Ms. Cykes. There's nothing to be afraid of." Her hand tightened around the fabric of her shirt over her chest, and he could see the fear still in her eyes. "You're having a panic attack. It'll pass."

Oh… When he pointed it out, she realized that was likely the case. She gave a small nod before repeating, "…It'll pass…" As if that would make her mind realize such. If that was the case, she knew she would become able to breathe again; she wasn't dying. Even so… she couldn't help the feeling of alarm at just how difficult it still was. That was only natural, wasn't it?

"Just keep focused on where you are. It'll be alright. Whatever you're feeling afraid of… It can't hurt you right now." Admittedly, he had a pretty good idea of what she was afraid of. Despite her client having been proven innocent, he was almost certain this trial must have brought back some unpleasant memories for her. The word she had spoken earlier – "Mommy" – certainly seemed rather solid proof of that having been the case. Still, he had little business guessing at her private matters, he felt.

She nodded again. Okay… She just had to breathe. (Breathe… C'mon, Athena, you can do it.) It would get easier as she went on; she knew that much, too.

He waited patiently. Gradually, her breathing slowed and her body stilled. She let her arms return to her sides, the one having been at her chest and the other wrapped protectively around her body. At first, she looked at Edgeworth, but her gaze dropped. Feeling the need to break the awkward silence, she mumbled, "…Thanks."

He shook his head. His appearance was collected as always, giving away no hint that he knew from experience how tough such things could be. "How are you feeling?"

Other than the complete embarrassment… "Better. …Obviously." She tried to laugh, although it was a little strained. Everything still felt a bit fuzzy.

"…You needn't push yourself."

And that was when she realized: he understood. Not in the way of simply knowing what panic attacks and flashbacks were, but… in the way of someone who had personal experience. She didn't know him. Certainly not well enough to ask. …Then again, he had seen her break down more than once – in court, during that trial, and right now, of course… - and knew of her darkest moments. Even though he had been the one trying to prove that she had… But she didn't often hold grudges.

More comfortable with silences than she, Edgeworth waited, letting her take the lead in their conversation.

"…I thought I was past that stuff," she finally said. The flashbacks, the panic related to the incident… Now that she knew she had been innocent, that the only one she had harmed was the Phantom who had murderer her mother… there was no reason for her to relive a nightmare she knew to be false. And yet, with a background in psychology, she knew just how illogical the human brain often was.

"You believed that since you were a small child. It's no surprise your brain might forget at times." He tilted his head slightly, deciding to offer something more concrete. That statement sounded like a somewhat hopeless one, and he didn't want to give that impression. "You know… I had a not entirely dissimilar experience. It took some time for me to stop…" He made a slight gesture; "…thinking about it in that manner. And truthfully, elevators still… make me rather uneasy. Even so, it helps to know now who was truly responsible, does it not?"

"Of course."

"And eventually, the memories will start to reflect that."

Athena nodded. She knew that should be the case… but it was as he said: eventually. "How long ago was…?" She wasn't entirely sure herself which question was meant to come next – how long ago the incident was, or how long ago it was that the truth was discovered, and how long after that was it that he stopped having memories suggesting it was his fault.

"…I was eight when it happened. The truth came to light through a… rather complicated series of events a few years ago. …The flashbacks and whatnot mostly stopped within a year after that, save for things that hit a little too familiar."

Like elevators, she surmised. …A year… She had no idea on what level his traumatic experience compared to hers, or if that would be a factor. (But he's still afraid of elevators… It'd be great if I could stop freaking out in the middle of trials, huh? I hope that's not too much to ask…) Then again, elevators were easy to avoid. Exposure and all that – training in psychology had taught her a thing or two about such matters, of course. Now that she was an attorney, she had been in numerous trials in which nothing bad had happened, and so far, all of them had culminated in good things happening. Today's events ended up catching her off-guard in that respect, but… she had become fairly comfortable in the courtroom by now. That was something to factor in, too.

Finally, Athena smiled. It was entirely genuine; she had bounced back. "You're right. I guess it'd be too much to expect it to work that fast, but… I guess that's kinda exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks!" Just knowing that it would lessen… That was enough.

Edgeworth gave a small smile, then stood and dusted himself off. (I hope she doesn't make a habit of sitting on these floors.) He was about to offer her a hand, but one look in her direction showed her to be already back on her feet. "I think we can both agree it would be best to pretend this never happened," he commented; "…but I wouldn't be averse to talking with you again. Hopefully under better circumstances."

She grinned. "Agreed. …On, uh, both." It wasn't like either of them could forget, but basically, she would really prefer it never become a subject of conversation, and she was sure he felt the same way.

And so, they parted ways. True to their hopes, however, it was not the last time they spoke outside of the courtroom. It was a highly unlikely friendship – their personalities seemed to clash in every way. Even so, it was what came to be.