Loving Them from Across the Court

Katt: Hi everyone, I'm back and I know I have like four others I need to finish, but writers block gets me every time. Though don't worry, it shall happen. I shall finish them sometime in my life...sorry. ^_^; Anyway I do not own "Phoenix Wright" or "Rent", but I do own two characters that will be appearing, I know so typical of me to bring in my own characters, but like always there's a purpose to it.

Phoenix: Um...where am I?

Miles: Phoenix?

Phoenix: Miles? do you know where you are?

Miles: If I knew that then I would of already been out of here. *Then a huge spotlight comes down on them as well as a desk and a big, black leather chair with it's back towards them.*

A mysterious voice: Gentlemen, as your benefactor on this day, with a cherish heart I must say, I ask one simple request from you.

Miles: and if we refuse?

voice: that's cute, you make it sound as if you have a choice

Phoenix: who are you!

Katt: whoa! calm down, it's me Katt. Remember? I called you down here as well as Edgeworth here.

Miles: Oh yes, I remember now, I was warned about you by certain people you've had in these "fanfics" before.

Katt: well good, then this makes it easier then.

Miles: I will only agree if you agree that if you start a sequel or third that you complete them as well as this one.

Katt: Ok, but you must agree to do whatever I want with this fanfic or I'll reveal a dark secret of yours.

Miles: Oh and what would that be *she whispers it into his ear and he turns a crimson red around the cheeks and ears.* Very well then, I agree.

Katt: good, phoenix?

Phoenix: Sounds like I got no choice

Katt: Good, now as I always do, oh and there might be some yuri/yaoi, but I shall not say when, just prepare for it in every chapter. Now as I always say...on with the show!

Chapter One: Rent

A cool beautiful snowy day; perfect weather for it being towards the end of December, in fact it would be Christmas tomorrow. Even though he would love to go out into it and enjoy all of it's beauty, the bills were piling up and Phoenix had to try and go through all of it just to find out that the rent to his law office is three months behind. Though he's been paying it off little by little, sooner or later the bank is going to come by to foreclose it.

" What the heck am I going to do...I need a miracle...Or another case offer. One that could pay this time. That last case with once again Larry being in the end of it all ends up short-handing me. I need help this time."

Just as he said that Maya; his assistant comes in with an envelope at hand. Phoenix had wondered about it as well as other things. Such as why on some days does she wear normal clothes and has to leave the office right away, then comes back with a doggy bag. He's had a clue, but never could figure how to bring it up.

Not realizing that she was even trying to talk to him, he looks up to see a concerned Maya, still holding that crisp white envelope that looks bigger up close.

" Hey, aren't you listening?"

" Sorry Maya, what is it?"

" Here, I know rent for this place is due so I managed to scrap up some money."

She hands him the envelope and just by looking inside almost gave him a heart attack, he saw so many one-hundred dollar bills inside. There was enough money to pay for the three late months and three more added with it. Now he had to ask, she had to have gotten this money from somewhere or someone.

" Ok Maya, I thank you for this, but I need to know. Who gave you this money?"

" Just a friend, oh I got to go now, I'm meeting my friend for lunch. I'll see you later, Merry Christmas Nick! "

" Wait, Maya!"

Before he could finish his sentence off she goes. He decided that sooner or later he was going to corner her and get her to tell the whole truth. In that time he decides to close up the office early and goes on to pay for the rent and all the other bills. When he gets home to his three bedroom apartment. Up on the front of his wooden brown door was a yellow paper taped to it. After a careful look at it, he ripped it down, crumbling it in his hand as he opens the door to walk into a completely furnished apartment, including a fireplace mantle.

There lounging on the three year old dark blue couch was a young man with black spiked hair, grey eyes, wearing a regular white shirt and jeans with his face deep in a book with a thin black framed reading glasses on while listening to a song from some musical that Maya had him go to. He comes up beside the couch, then smacks the couch, watching some of the dust as well as the young man fly up off the couch and onto the ground.

" Jeez Phoenix, give me a warning before you decide to start knocking things off the couch."

It was funny to watch him react. Reminding him of how he was at that age; a college student, learning the tricks and trade of law. He had signed up to help transfer students who were interested in getting some experience before going out into the real world. He hadn't regretted doing it, he got to meet Greg who wants to be a defense attorney. Great guy, picked up a part time job down at a local cafe as well as doing part time work at the office and school.

" Sorry Greg, but did you see this?"

" No, what is it?"

" Another notice, we have till the end of January to pay last month, this month, January and February."

" What!, but I just gave them like five hundred dollars this morning, that's two paychecks worth down the drain. Does it even say how much we owe them?"

" Nope, but since that five hundred is usually two months worth, I guess it paid for the two months before."

" How did we get so behind?"

" I have no idea, but I am sorry most of your checks just went down the drain here."

" It's ok, can't get any worse."

" Yeah, well what are we going to do until then."

At that moment he caught the last line of the song that Greg had been listening to "Cause everything is rent" He smiled and nodded to himself in agreement. That was just too perfect for that song to be playing.

" You know you got great timing Greg. That song...it's from "Rent" right?"

" Oh, yeah. We're studying musicals in my music appreciation class."

" Oh, that's right. Your classes. So any calls?"

" Yeah, a Mr. Gumshoe called. He said he was going to be coming over. Though that was like a half an hour ago, so I don't know what's going on with him."

In the meantime at a crime scene in an extravagant apartment about four blocks away from Phoenix's apartment is Gumshoe taking witnesses statements while the police tape down and mark everything down before he heads over to Phoenix's place. When everyone cleared out he gave his reports to the police to leave at his desk and started to head over to the bus stop when he felt a hand on his shoulder stop him .

He looks over to see a man with a visor on that has three red lights on it. It was Godot who had stopped him. He hadn't expected him to be here this late, but then again he's a prosecutor and a dedicated one at best.

" Sir! I didn't expect you here, thinking about taking this case? Seems like a easy case to me."

" No case is easy if Mr. Wright is the defense attorney. In any case I'm not here to take on the case."

" Then why are you here sir?"

" I figured I'd be nice since it's Christmas Eve and take you out for dinner."

" Oh...well I was going to go over to Phoenix's, but he's probably still at the office."

" Good, then it's settled now come on."

While Gumshoe went off with Godot for dinner, a red sports car pulls up into Phoenix's parking area. Staying inside the car to think for a moment. He didn't know why he was, only that it was the idea of his prodigy; a young woman with silvery grey hair that was left down past her shoulders, brown eyes and wore a white blouse with a red woman sports jacket and pants with heels. Now thinking that maybe coming here was a bad idea. Was about to start the car when he noticed that his car keys was gone and saw that the young woman was holding them.

" Sooner or later your going to have to go see him outside of court. Besides it's Christmas Eve, at least you can wish him a Merry Christmas." said the young woman

" Couldn't I have just called him?"

She gives him a look that says " I don't think so" He gives it another few minutes to think till he opened the door, motioning her to get out of the car. They slowly walked up the stairs to his apartment, but when they got there all of the lights went off and they heard a scream as well as a crash. Knocking rapidly, hoping that someone is alive inside to open the door. They could barely make it out to who answered the door, but the voice sounded familiar, at least to one of them.

" Yes? who's there?"

" Um...Phoenix?"

" No, hold on a moment, Nick! there's someone here for you. Will you hurry and find the matches and flashlights."

" Who is it? Ouch! dang these corners." Banging his leg into the corner of the coffee table. " Aha! found the matches. Now who is it?"

" I don't know, maybe it's your lover, they used your first name."

At that moment Miles; who was the one standing at the door was glad the lights were off so no one could see him blush. Phoenix had just gotten a few of the candles in the apartment lit as well as one in a dish he was carrying with him. Giving him some clue where everything was and who was at the door.

" Ha ha, very cute, now who is it?"

He got to the door and saw Miles there with the young woman and smiled with a small blush creeping up on his face. He laughed a moment to lift up the cold silence.

" Well Edgeworth, this is an unexpected surprise, come on in."

They walk on in only to see that the lights come back on to reveal the inside of his apartment better. This was his first time of being over here and was amazed on how clean it was, well except for the fireplace that had a bunch of papers in it. His mind was distracted only for a moment when he heard a yell coming from his prodigy.

" You!"

" You? why are you here?"

" Same thing as you, you goof. "

" I meant why are you here at the apartment? "

" Well one...to meet this famous Phoenix Wright and two...I knew you were here and I wanted to visit you. Now look at you, so sloppy and your hair...you've let it grow. "

" Well sorry Nicole! but not everyone is as "perfect" as you. I actually like to relax, unlike you you stuck up little..."

" Okay, enough you two!" said Phoenix, feeling like he's missing something, but knows if he didn't stop it now he'd get complaints from his neighbors the next day.

" So I take you two are classmates or something?" said Miles

" Yes, here and back at our country. We're called the next rivaling generation of lawyers." said Nicole

" Now, are you here to argue with Greg or do what you wanted to do?" said Phoenix

" I came to give Greg his Christmas Eve present, just because we're rivals in the class doesn't mean we're always rivals."

She hands him a small blue box with a red bow on it. He smiled to himself as he held the present, feeling it's slick paper against his fingers. He stood there for a moment without saying a word. When it seemed like everyone was staring at him, he lifted his head to look at her.

" Thanks Nikki. Oh wait, I got something for you too, give me a second."

He runs off to his room to go grab it while Phoenix and Miles goes on to sit down at the couch to relax. Silence between them for a moment and then Phoenix remembered something and reached to the small wooden lamp table next to him and opened a drawer to pull out a thin box covered in red Christmas paper.

" Well, I was going to wait and come by your office tomorrow with this, but since your here anyway well... Merry Christmas Edgeworth."

" Um, thanks Wright. Oh and this is for you, Merry Christmas."

Handing him the small blue box to him. Miles opens his first and was kind of surprised to see this as a present. He took it out to look at it and found it to be silk, didn't think he could afford nice material, but then looking around the apartment tells him that he could. Then he notices a maroon book underneath with a fine ball tip pen. He looks through it with interest. The cover being leather and having good parchment paper inside.

" Wright, A cravat? a journal and pen? why?"

" Well I figured you could use a new cravat and really I don't know what type of material yours are so I though silk was a good one. As for the journal and pen, well I figured that you have days that you wish you could console your day and how you feel from it to someone, but for how you are you won't so instead of keeping it all pent up inside you could write it down."

" And what makes you think that I would want something like this?"

" Well...I keep one, a journal and I write in it everyday, especially when I'm feeling not my usual self. It's nice to be able to get it off your chest. Well in any case you can use it to write down your thoughts for a trial or something. Well anyway I hope you like it."

" I love it" Thought Miles as he caressed the pages of the journal. and left it sitting on his lap along with his new cravat.

" Thank You Nick, I do like it...very much" although whispering it, Phoenix still heard him and blushed. He said his first name when he came to the door and now he called him his nick name. He felt his face turn red as he thought of it. Seeing Miles stare at him in wonder, he laughs it off and smiles.

" Well...aren't you going to open yours?"

" Oh, yes."

He opens the small box to find a key in it with a "Steel Samurai" key chain attached to it. He took it out and looked at it for a moment, confused. Then a small thought appeared.

" A key? wait what if this is his car key? nah he'd never in a million years give me a car little alone his. Maybe...it's his house key? What do I do if it is? I mean there's no chance of that happening either, but what if it is? Oh jeez just thinking about it is making me red. He's probably wondering why I am. I better ask what it is before more thoughts come to me."

" So um...a key? "

" Yeah, well don't get any ideas..."

" Too late"

" But, I figured you needed transportation other then that dinky little bike you've been riding since high school."

" Hey, it's a faithful little bike."

" Anyway... It's over at my place. You can pick it up tomorrow if you want "

" Well, what is it?"

" Hmm, I think I'll let you figure that out. In the meantime I think Nicole and I should leave."

" Oh...well I wish you could stay longer, but if you must go then I'll see you tomorrow"

" Alright then, oh and Wright...come alone."

"Um...okay"

" Come alone? why?...Oh jeez lets keep those thoughts out...dang it too late now I really am going to need that shower tonight."

As Miles and Nicole leave, Phoenix sighs and falls into the couch, holding the key in his hand to look at while Greg blows out the candles that they left burning after the lights came back. He leans over the couch to see Phoenix staring at it so gently while caressing it between his thumb and index finger.

" Gee Nick the way your staring at that key seems like you really care about Mr. Edgeworth."

" Yeah..."

" Yeah, care is the word..."

" So what did Nicole give you for Christmas?"

" Oh, um it's just an old photo is all, nothing big really. Say it's already midnight and no Gumshoe nor Maya. I think we've been ditched."

Although he wasn't comfortable with the sudden change of subject, he went along with it. Apparently it was something too personal to talk about with Greg. They stayed up a little longer, burning old bills, receipts, bank statements, etc. When it hit two in the morning, they called it for the night.

During that night, at four in the morning. In the middle of a dream, Greg wakes up to his cell phone going off, it was Nicole calling him. He answered and didn't take long for him to guess why she was call for he could hear her sobbing over the phone.

" Is it that dream again Nikki."

" I know I should be over it, but it's still so...so..."

" It's ok Nik, just calm down. Your not doing yourself any good by staying upset."

After a few minutes, he started talking to her again. Calming her down more so she could fall asleep better.

" Now I know that it stinks, but we have to keep this up. Remember we have priority to fulfill. At least the fake fight we did earlier was a nice touch. Since Phoenix is going out tomorrow, want to meet me at the cafe around one-thirty? ok now look you get yourself some sleep ok and try not to think about the dream. Good Night Nikki."

He hangs up the phone and goes onto sleep, while on the other end after Nicole hangs up and goes onto sleep Miles managed to catch some of the conversation that he was hearing from within her room when he was passing by to head to his own bed.

" Priority? dream? I'm going to have to talk to Nicole about it, but not now, not tonight anyway."

Katt: Ok that's it for the first chapter

Phoenix: Already? so wait what was Greg and Nicole talking about?

Katt: Sorry, can't tell. You'll just have to wait. Anyway please comment and see ya soon