Disclaimer: I would NEVER own the characters of Ace attorney, they belong to Capcom.

True heart of Justice

A few dozen Khura'inese incenses filled the room, filling the bedroom with a sweet-scented mist that calmed the woman occupying the small space.

The incenses surrounded a small cotton futon that doubled as a bed on the floor as well as a few small lit candles whilst Juniper lay on the futon, clutching her severely swollen abdomen as she closed her eyes and took in the soothing scents that came from the mist of the incenses. She couldn't help but feel quite relaxed with the calming smells overwhelming her sinuses and drowning the remainder of her senses.

She was covered in a thick blanket and a cool damp cloth covered her forehead to make sure to keep her cool.

All she could do was wait right now.

The judge/floral maiden glanced down to her huge stomach and gently rubbed the palm of her slender hand on top of it, eyes softening as a kind smile swept across her lips. She couldn't help but feel joy over the fact that she was almost ready -almost ready to officially have a family with the man she loved more than anything in the whole wide world. Junie couldn't help but recline her head, allowing it to steadily thump back against the pillow, whilst she let the reality hit her.

She was about to have a baby with Apollo Justice.

But she couldn't help but feel nervous.

Would she be a good mother, would their child grow up a sickly runt like her?

Those fears spun around and around in her mind as she looked down fretfully at her swollen abdomen and she could feel tears spring to her eyes, making them water as they seemed to stick and refuse to move from the place where her unborn child was growing.

"Juniper...? Juniper, sweetie?"

The floral judge-at-law was quick to raise her head whence her dearly-beloved's voice reached her ears. She raised her gaze and found that her husband was stood just outside the door with his face filled with anxious anxiety as he seemed to cling to the door as though he were practically glued to it.

If Junie wasn't so nervous then she would have giggled at the sight.

She tried her best to smile as she allowed the man she loved entry to the room, taking deep and large breaths to properly inhale the incense to try and get herself to relax. She watched as Apollo knelt down by her side and was quick to take both of her hands into his own as he seemed to try and hide his own fears from her...and Junie couldn't help but lower her head with tears threatening to spill out from her eyes.

"Apollo...what if our...?"

Apollo quickly picked up on his wife's fears and he had to admit it, those worries were justified; Juniper had apparently been born with a weak immune system so she got sick quite a lot in her life and she also had a tendency to go into violent coughing fits whether she gets nervous or anxious or anything.

He understood that she only feared about her unborn baby's future...but still...

Apollo looked deep into his wife's beautiful and enchanting eyes. A soft and compassionate smile had taken form on his lips, his brows had caused a pure look of adoration to appear on his face. Heck even his trademark twin thorns of hair were gleaming with this reassuring confidence...it was obvious that he was very confident, but he was probably as frightened as she was deep inside.

"It's gonna be okay, dear, I promise..."

He pulled his wife in to a soothing embrace. Juniper didn't say anything, but she settled in her husband's arms. She could feel a gentle flutter of movement inside her stomach but the tears refused to stop streaming down her cherry red cheeks and she bit her lower lip to prevent herself from hiccuping and whimpering anymore than she already was.

Junie's eyes opened when she felt Apollo put his hand on her tummy and tenderly stroked it, she saw as he smiled gently and took in the movements of their unborn child.

The flower maiden judge and red clad lawyer didn't move for awhile, they just snuggled each other and said nothing as minutes ticked by.

It didn't take too long before Apollo spoke up once again.

"What can I get for you, honey?" He lifted his head and dutifully grinned, obviously ready to do anything he could to make his pregnant wife comfortable. He started to throw out suggestions for what he could do and it was obvious to his wife that he was willing to do absolutely anything to make Junie happy.

"Ya hungry? Need your feet rubbed? Want me to run to the market to get whatever your heart desires? Anything?"

Juniper couldn't help but giggle. Apollo couldn't have been anymore dutiful and loyal and sweet than he already was and she was overjoyed to have such a loving and supportive husband. Her cheeks flushed scarlet and she placed her hand over her mouth to stifle her little burst of laughter.

"Just having you here is enough for me, Apollo..."

Apollo couldn't help but chuckle himself whilst he dropped to his knee and peppered a few little kisses on her swollen abdomen. With each little kiss, Apollo felt his unborn son or daughter move and shift around inside their mother's tummy. He couldn't help but look up at his dearly beloved adoringly with his eyes shimmering. "For you, my love, I'd fight against the world..."

Juniper still felt really nervous but she also felt lucky —lucky to have someone like Apollo Justice to be her husband...

A few hours later...

Juniper wailed out in agony, her eyes squeezed tightly shut and sweat thoroughly soaking her face. She threw her head back to let it thump against the pillow as she wanted to thrash around the futon in pain as her big tummy prevented her from doing so.

She couldn't help but let out shrill cries of agony as the pain coursed through her body.

Nahyuta along with Amhara had come into the room, Nahyuta acting as the assistant nurse and the former queen of Khu'rain acting as the midwife; Amara was more than happy to assist her late husbands adopted son's wife through birth since she felt that it was the least she could do for Apollo for finding out the truth behind her husband's murder as well as freeing both her biological children from lives filled with emotional pain and turmoil...plus, he did give the whole kingdom a whole new leash on life and the former queen felt that this was one of the only ways that she could repay that dept.

Amara also had experience as a midwife, having a boat-load of time while she was held captive she decided to get into all sorts of hobbies to occupy herself so she felt it were only natural.

"A-APOLLLLLLLOOOOOOOO!" Juniper howled, then she started sobbing, "THIS HUUUUURTS!"

"Keep going, dear child!" Amara encouraged as she tried to get Junie through this in one piece. "You are doing so very well!"

Honestly Rayfa, the queen of Kh'urain would have been here too but her mother forbade it since she didn't wish for Rayfa to have to witness anything that would traumatise her for ages. She was still sort of young, what having just turned nineteen years of age.

"YOU DID THIS TO ME!" Juniper screamed whilst glaring intensely up at her husband whom had only regained consciousness an hour prior after fainting.

Junie's eyes might as well have been sharp daggers and her whole body was shaking violently as though she were in an earthquake, her grip was extraordinarily tight around Apollo's necktie and the way she pulled down on it actually made her husband choke.

He tried to ask his wife to cease crushing him outwards as he had not the willpower or the heart to try prying her hand away from his tie since he was being strangled so much that he couldn't make a sound except for pathetic screeches.

Apollo actually felt frightened that his own wife would make him suffocate after ripping him to shreds as she looked at him furious for the first time ever.

Junie's sweet brown eyes were glaring roughly and sweat was relentlessly cascading down her face as she heaved her breaths roughly and tiredly. Her hair stuck to her face and she bit down hard on her lower lip and her eyes squeezed closed when she was overcome by another wave of excruciating agony.

Apollo was on his hands and knees with his chest being forced to press down against the floor as his wife had seized his tie in a death-grip. He, like Juniper, was quaking with stiff tension and his eyes were thickening with pain and other emotions and the sweat that was dripping down his face were making his spiked bangs wither like wilting flowers. He wanted to ask his wife to cease crushing him outwards as he had not the willpower or the heart to try prying her hand away from his tie since he was being strangled so much that his eyes were basically bugging out.

Junie was probably using it to squeeze the pain away...and to squeeze the life out of him in a very literal way.

Apollo continued to grip on to his wife's other hand, though, trying to keep his eyes off of his own hand which had been mangled and swollen by now. His rich brown eyes were bulging out of their sockets and his jaw was tight since he tried not to make a peep and aggravate his lover more than she probably already was.

As Apollo encouraged Juniper through birth, time seemed to slow down and it felt like an eternity of pain on both sides until something finally happened; husband and wife felt the sweat seeping and dripping down their faces as they glanced towards Amara whom started to look really excited as she started to seem to get ready to finally deliver their child.

"Oh! You are almost there, Juniper...! Just a bit more!"

Juniper found it hard but managed to find the strength to give one last strain until it finally happened; a few moments had passed by before a very soft cry was heard.

The couple instantly heaved a breath of relief neither of them knew that they were withholding.

Tears welled up in Apollo's eyes when he saw the tiny newborn, his son...the little one was bundled up in a fuzzy flannel towel and his teeny tiny face was scrunched up as his mouth was open and he finally let out a loud cry.

The baby was way tinier than most babies, and it was sort of shocking.

Apollo had never seen such a tiny infant before, seeing that the child was so frail made him highly hesitant to move an inch out of fear of breaking the little thing since it looked so fragile. Just seeing his son was enough to make him break down into a blubbering mess of tears.

"It's a little boy..." Amara announced, handing the newborn off to his father.

The baby boy whimpered and snuffled as he squirmed around in his father's arms.

Apollo couldn't help but choke back on a few stifled sobs as he lovingly cradled his small child. His loud voice cracked while he spoke softly while his whole body trembled and shuddered. The lawyer in red tickled the tiny child's cheek with his finger, earning the smallest of squeaks from the newborn. He cuddled the small boy to his chest, allowing the little newborn to soak in the comforting warmth of his body.

He didn't expect for his son to have such a healthy set of lungs.

This kid was pretty strong for such a tiny little thing.

The new father minded his son's head, gently supporting it with one hand while the other hand had relaxed in a position to keep the small one in a comfortable position. He smiled gently and his eyes softened a great deal when he started to realise how tiny his newborn son truly was; he seemed much smaller than other babies, his head could even fit perfectly in the palm of his hand while his body was about the size of a miniature loaf of bread.

He was just so little and fragile.

"It's okay little guy, daddy's here, shh..."

The lawyer in red whispered and tried to soothe his child but this proved in vain as he continued to wriggle and cry in protest. The tiny baby boy gasped and hiccoughed whilst his tiny hands waved aimlessly in midair, partially restrained by the blanket he was wrapped in.

This boy —this precious little boy— was his son and he could feel his chest swell with pride at that fact and the fact that the kid was already showing off his healthy set of overdeveloped lungs made him even prouder.

Apollo worried that he could break his son if he dared to move him about too much, yet he continued to smile with each ounce of expression on his face conveying how happy he felt now that he was officially a father. His eyes filled up with tears of joy whilst he coddled the teeny creature of angelic frailty, and he could've sworn that his chest was starting to cave in whilst his heart was thumping erratically. He hadn't had much experience with children, albeit he did find them pleasant to be around and kind of liked playing with them, even though others would think otherwise, but something in his head clicked.

He had never imagined that he'd be married or even manage to procreate, but now he found that he was a family man...and it made him feel whole.

Apollo could feel his eyes become misty as more tears swelled up in them when the baby boy quickly quieted down, taking little breaths as he seemed to finally settle down in his arms.

"A-Apollo...?"

Apollo's focus was finally drawn away from his son and he now saw that Juniper was looking at him excitedly with a huge grin spread across her face. She was so weak that she could hardly hold her own head up, yet she seemed totally focused on her newborn baby; he hastened to his wife's side, shifting the baby gently into the crook of his left arm, and then knelt at her side and smiled adoringly at his wife.

Junie managed to grin weakly up at Apollo and gave him a pleading look. Her arms were held out to take the infant and she had such a motherly glow on her face that made it almost impossible to resist that adorably sweet face.

Apollo knew how to read her eyes after years of marriage and he could sometimes tell what she was thinking, this time was no different. He read her silent plea loud and clear and calmly placed the bundle back in Juniper's waiting arms and the two parents instantly startled coddling their little treasure, trying to get the infant to stop crying himself hoarse.

Juniper quietly giggled a bit and snuggled her crying newborn with a persisting weak yet happy smile on her face. She maintained that sweet warmth and seemed to take to her motherly duties like a duck to water.

Juniper's gaze never left the child.

Apollo smirked as Nahyuta suddenly reached over, grabbing his shoulder, and nodded happily at his adopted brother. He smiled somewhat sadly and patted his adoptive brother's shoulder in a congratulatory manner, the last rights prosecutor murmured.

"If our father were here then would have been so proud..."

Apollo smiled bashfully, his face turning redder than a bowl of ripe cherries. Even his twin thorns of hair drooped a bit as sweat dripped off his face, but he couldn't deny but feel quite touched at his brother's words. His eyes widened but softened at the sincere gesture.

"Thanks, Nahyuta, that means a lot to me..."

Rayfa then proceeded to barge in and her voice boomed loudly even though the excitement etched on her face was easy to read, "WHERE IS THE NEW INFANT? IS IT HERE YET?"

Amara scolded gently "Rayfa, dear, you should mind the fact that a baby's sense of hearing is more delicate so you have to keep your voice down."

Rayfa looked down guiltily, "M-My sincerest apologies..."

All whom were present in the bedroom saw the temporary lingering of deep thought that the princess was clearly going through; her teal eyes were gleaming with thoughtfulness and wonder until she shook it off and then started to walk over to the new mother.

Everyone watched as Rayfa slowly approached Juniper's bedside, with big and jingly staff in hand, and then looked down at the new mother with the new baby resting on his mother's chest; she studied the both of them as though she were an art critic but her eyes lit up when she spotted the newborn.

Watching the Royal priestess hover over an exhausted new mother with her new baby was a little bit unnerving...but then she straightened up and grinned broadly. It was clear to everyone that she was trying to have an impersonal and cold demeanour...but she was failing quite miserably. She exclaimed, forgetting the previous words of Queen Amara as her voice boomed jovially, yet it was a tad quieter than before.

"This infant is supremely endearing, horn head!"

This caused the newborn to become started by the loud noise as his teeny body reacted to the sound and he started to wail loudly. The poor little boy's face screwed up and he cried as loud as his lungs would allow, little coughs burst from his lips as he communicated his sudden fright.

Apollo and Junie had to suppose that their son had inherited a few qualities from his parents -Apollo's Chords of steel and Juniper's habitual coughing fits whenever she got nervous, frightened, and/or when she was in distress.

Rayfa ignored all the glares she received from everyone around her and quickly tried to amend her mistake. She dropped on her knees, unknowingly knocking Apollo away and sending him falling to the floor, to meet the newborn at eye level and proceeded to hastily apologise while she held her staff out over the baby's little head.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Don't cry little one! I'm sorry, I can make it better, look!"

The Royal priestess started to shake her staff about gently, causing it to begin making "jangly" sounds. The slight cacophony it made made the air vibrate softly and the baby almost instantly started to quiet down and snuggle in Juniper's warm and soothing embrace. The baby boy cooed softly and seemed to look about for the source of the noise and freed his tiny arms from his swaddled blanket prison and they waved about aimlessly and flopped about like wet noodles.

Junie giggled and softly gripped one of her son's arms in two of her slender fingers, keeping it still, and then guided it upwards so he could touch one of the metal pieces on the staff.

The little baby boy seemed to relax when his teeny hand touched the metal.

Juniper never felt so happy in her life; her sweet little boy was finally here and she was a mother and the man she loved more than anything in the world was a father...she never smiled so much, and she could feel her facial muscles ache. She hardly even noticed as her husband came up to her and leaned down to kiss her head.

He, like her, seemed really emotional.

Tears flowed down his cheeks as he sobbed, finally letting himself cry out of pure joy and he whispered softly to his wife "Th-Thank you, Juniper."

He and Juniper both grinned from ear-to-ear whilst they enjoyed this moment.

It only took an hour until the members of the Kh'urainese royal family members made their ways out of the room and decided to leave the family of three alone, letting them have some privacy. Juniper fell fast asleep right after that as she became exhausted after bringing a new life into the world, and it was clear that she needed the rest.

So that left Apollo with their son.

He had taken a seat on a small rocking chair that had been set up alongside the futon where his wife lay peacefully asleep.

Apollo looked down at his son with a gentle smile whilst rocking the delicate newborn to and fro in his strong arms whilst he tipped the rocking chair back and forth, watching as his movements seemed to lulled his only son to a deep and peaceful sleep. He closed his eyes and sighed solemnly, eyes glazed with indescribable guilt, when he thought back to his earlier fears.

"Y'know, buddy, you had daddy worried for a while there. Your mama and I weren't expecting ya yet...I was afraid of meeting you at first...I was so scared of being a father, and I feel ashamed to admit this but I never even thought that I'd get to meet you! But...you are here now..."

Apollo raised his son up and he kissed his teeny forehead delicately, making sure to be as careful as he possibly could.

"And I promise you, my little Artemis, that you're going to be fine."

A/N: Here's the end of the story with little Artemis.

I hope you guys liked it. :)

Please be sure to review and fave.

-Chloemcg