- This story takes place immediately following Turnabout for Tomorrow and closing cutscenes of Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies.

Pairings: The story will focus on Athena/Simon, Apollo/Aura and Simon and Aura's silbling relationship. There will also be a lot of flashbacks to 11yo Athena/21yo Simon as well.


It had been about a month since that final case and things were just beginning to calm down and get back to some kind of normalcy. Athena Cykes had been cleared of both the murder of Clay Terran and her mother seven years ago. Simon Blackquill had also been acquitted of the murder of Athena's mother which he had spent seven long years in prison for. And the Phantom had finally been captured after years of pursuit by the government and Chief Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth.

Everyone has assembled to the courthouse as a press conference was finally being held to give the press and public all the information surrounding what really as behind the HAT-1 miracle and Space Center bombings. While Wright and Edgeworth, along with the police were outside taking questions, Athena, Apollo, Trucy and Juniper waited inside.

"It'll be nice to finally have all of this over with." Athena whispered to Junie as she watched the press conference through a window, hands on her hips.

"It will be. It's so much information though. Explaining how the courtroom bombing, the murder from seven years ago and then the murder of Clay Terran. It's almost unbelievable that all of it were by the hand of one person. How's...he doing?" Junie asked, gesturing over to Apollo.

Over the past month, things had been a bit awkward at the Agency. Though Athena had forgiven Apollo for doubting her innocence, he still felt guilty about letting his emotions overwhelm him to that point.

"Oh don't you worry your pretty little head about Polly, he's going to be just fine. He still hangs onto a little of the guilt but Athena and daddy have been reassuring him that he's still an important part of this family." Trucy giggled, bouncing slighty in her standing position.

"Oh Junie is always going to worry her head off for Apollo." Athena teased, nudging her friend in the shoulder.

"Thena! You stop that right now." She demanded, growing quiet when Apollo strolled his way over.

"How much longer do you think the press conference is going to be? I'm starving." He huffed.

"You're always starving, so save it. There's a lot of information to cover. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself." Athena responded, rubbing her head.

"Do you think HE will talk to the press as well? They've been dying to hear what he has to say after of this." Trucy wondered.

"Something tells me that Simon Blackquill isn't really the press conference type of person." Apollo snickered. "Actually, I haven't seen him around here anywhere. Or that killer bird that's normally on his shoulder."

Athena let out a soft sigh, low enough so she could hear herself but no one else could. She was worried about Blackquill. She had spoke to him briefly after the case and he even went out with them for noodles as celebration, but she hadn't seen him since then.

"Knowing him, he would probably threaten them with death or Taka for taking pictures." She joked.

"I can't believe that you and Blackquill knew each other. I was in the courtroom with the both of you and neither of you ever gave the impression that you knew one another. My bracelet didn't even sense it! When Aura told me, I didn't believe her at first." Apollo recalled, from his conversations with the other Blackquill offspring when he was off conducting his own investigation.

"Yes, well…..I didn't want you or boss to know about my past, because I wasn't even able to face it myself yet. And then when I saw Si…Prosecutor Blackquill, it had been so many years, I wasn't sure how prison had changed him. I wasn't expecting to see him anytime soon, definitely not as a Prosecutor, shackled….but we had to help Jinxie and her dad, and I had to do my job." Athena explained. She was going through so many emotions when she watched Blackquill being escorted to the courtroom. She was relieved that he was still alive for one, but then saddened by his hardened, anger appearance and guilty seeing him shackled. Still, the first thing she really wanted to do was run over and hug him, but she wasn't sure who he was anymore or if he was even happy to see her.

"Well you did great against him during that case and the one at the Academy considering the circumstances you were under. You didn't hold anything back! And now he's a free man, able to terrorize the courtroom and the masses with his cryptic, sarcastic death threats shackle free. Now that I think about it….I don't think I like that idea." Apollo gulped.

"Yes Thena! Knowing all you were going through facing him while you defended me and my friends, makes me even more grateful!" Junie exclaimed, hugging her.

"And now, it's all over and we're both free from that burden we've been carrying and hopefully the dark age of the law." Though, Athena wasn't completely convinced of that. Was Blackquill truly free from everything that had gone on? Were any of them?

Just then, Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth had made their way back inside, the press conference finally over.

"That was very long and drawn out." Wright mumbled, wiping his forehead.

"YES IT WAS. I've been in here starving this entire time." Apollo exclaimed.

"Relax those chords Apollo, with all the information finally out for the public we should all have an easier time. But for now, it's time for lunch. Ms. Woods, you are welcome to join us."

Junie smiled and extended her hand. "Please, call me Juniper or Junie. And as much as I'd love to, I must get back to the Academy. I offered to help Hugh with his exams. I'll call you later Thena and hopefully you too Apollo." She added, blushing.

"See you later Junie!" Apollo shouted as Athena shook her head, he was completely clueless, as usual.

"I'll catch up with you guys in a minute, I just have to ask someone something." Athena alerted, heading off in the opposite direction. "Excuse me, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth?"

Miles turned around and proceeded to shake her hand. "Ms. Cykes, what can I do for you? I promise the press conference was handled with great respect to your situation."

She nodded and shook his hand. "I'm not worried about that, I know you handled that wonderfully, but I was wondering…..if you have seen Prosecutor Blackquill."

Miles had not really been shocked by her interest in checking up on him. "He's not here today. I of course, briefed him on what we would be discussing at this press conference and that it would possibly, be best that he spoke to the press directly but he refused and then requested a brief leave of absence. I granted it, feeling it'd be best he had time to adjust to the outside world again, without having to worry about cases."

A leave of absence….much like Apollo had requested when his emotions had led him to that dark obsession with finding Clay's killer. "Okay, thank you." She responded before quickly running off to catch up with the others.

"Everything okay?" Trucy asked as Athena appeared at her side.

"Yeah, everything is just fine."

Fine…..maybe everything should be fine but things were far from fine. Though many personal battles had ended for the lawyer trio, they still had some healing to do.


No one, however had more healing to do…..than Simon Blackquill.

He huffed softly as he looked into the mirror at himself. Slowly, he turned and headed back into the living room of his apartment, well technically it was Aura's apartment but he would be staying there at least until she got released. Simon had the most healing to do. He was finally free of his shackles and conviction, but freedom wasn't always easy. Getting use to the outside world again was difficult and even though he had put on a very brave, stone cold demeanor, he was only 24 hours away from being executed. And now that everyone knew the truth about his conviction and why he confessed, it brought him attention he wasn't interested in. He had watched the press conference and a reporter had even asked if Simon were considered a hero for protecting a child. Just the word made him cringe.

As he was finally set free, his sister, Aura was sent to prison for taking hostages in the Space Center in her desperation to keep him from being executed. Though he was planning on asking Wright to defend his sister, he knew that she would be spending at least a little time in prison. While they weren't the perfect brother/sister duo, they had been very close before he went to prison and though she had grown very frustrated with him, she was still all he had all these years.

Of course, there was Bobby Fulbright or the Phantom, whatever or whoever he was. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he had depended on Fulbright from prison and allowed him to get close, too close. Without even realizing that this person was the very person he sought after for seven years. The man who claimed to want to 'rehabilitate' him back into society. How foolish he was to ever fall for that act, he thought to himself.

Then….there was Athena. Or maybe there was nothing left there. The little girl he went to jail to protect was now an adult and had other people to look out for her now. He had driven her to become a very successful lawyer. His services were no longer needed. Or so he thought.

He reached over gently stroking top of the birds head. "I guess you're all I've got left now Taka…"