A/N: Hey guys! This is an AU I found on Tumblr, and was then asked to write (by tumblr url: lesbianedgeworth). I nabbed a few ideas from their blog, heh.
The idea was that Ray (from Investigations 2) fought for custody of Miles after Gregory died. This will be a one shot (unless enough people show interest in my expanding/continuing this).
There will be NO EdgeworthxWright. While I have no problem with it, and will even look at fanart of it, I do not ship it. I see these two as best friends and, in this story, something akin to brothers. Sorry, but I ship MayaxPhoenix too hard (regular readers of both my accounts know this already).
Alright, nothing else to say here. Here we go!
…
Raymond Shields sprinted down the hall, his heart pounding.
It can't be true, it just can't!
Right after the trial, in which Jeffrey Master was finally found guilty (after an entire year!), Mr. Edgeworth and Miles had gotten on that elevator with the bailiff, Yanni Yogi. Ray had to make a quick pit stop in the bathroom, promising to meet them downstairs. He had done his business and stopped to polish his brand new Attorney Badge in the mirror… when the earthquake hit and the power went out.
That was five hours ago.
Ten minutes ago, he heard the report that the elevator had finally been opened and two of the elevator occupants were unconscious.
The third was dead.
Fear pulsed through Ray as he rounded the corner and saw the police and paramedics at the elevator. He ran to them, panting, and quickly looked around.
"Sir, I need you to step back. This is an active—" one of the officers started.
"M-Mr. Edgeworth… and his son… where…?" Ray panted, looking up at the man desperately. The officer hesitated, remembering seeing Ray standing at the bench with Gregory Edgeworth. He sighed.
"The little one is over there, getting oxygen," the officer said. Ray quickly looked over, spotting an unconscious Miles laying on a cot, an oxygen mask over his face. He turned back to the officer.
"And Mr. Edgeworth?" he asked once he got his breath back. The officer sighed again.
"I'm sorry, son…" he said. Ray's eyes widened, and he ducked under the police tape, slowly walking over to the elevator.
Propped up against the wall, close to the door, was Gregory Edgeworth. Dead.
There was a single bullet wound in his chest, and a little blood at the corner of his mouth. Ray didn't touch him, knowing it would tamper with the scene, but instead took off his hat, holding it over his heart.
"Oh… sir…" he muttered, tears blurring his vision. The officers close by let Ray have his moment before quietly asking him to stand aside so they could continue the investigation. Ray nodded numbly and walked over to sit next to Miles's cot instead. After a few minutes, an officer crouched down next to the young man.
"You knew the victim?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"Then you can contact the boy's mother, right?"
Ray slowly looked up at the man, blinking back tears.
"His mother died nine years ago. In child birth," he admitted. The officer looked at him in surprise for a moment, then sighed.
"I'm sorry," he muttered. Ray shook his head, looking back at Miles again.
"It's fine." He suddenly thought of something. "I'll take him in."
"Wait, what?"
"I'm an adult. I have a job and a roof I can put over his head." Ray looked up at the officer. "When he's cleared by the paramedics or doctors or whatever, I'll take him in."
The officer watched the young man in front of him as he wiped his tears away on his sleeve, placed his hat back on his head, and smiled with determination at him. It was convincing, but the officer could see the corners of Ray's mouth trembling slightly. It was actually that that convinced him this would be a good idea.
"Alright. I'll draw up the paperwork for guardianship," he agreed.
"Thank you," Ray said, before turning back to Miles.
…
The next six months were the hardest Ray ever had to face. Right after signing the papers that passed legal guardianship to him, he talked to his apartment complex, and got moved into a two-bedroom apartment. Thankfully, the apartments worked with him and gave him a good deal, or he wouldn't have been able to afford it.
He then bought everything Miles would need from his old home, like his bedroom furniture, his books, pictures, anything Ray could think of. He then packed the rest of the house in storage and put it on the market. He'd have liked to just move in there, but he couldn't afford the mortgage.
Next was taking over Edgeworth Law Offices. To his surprise, Gregory had left the offices to him in his will. He decided not to change the name.
Then there was keeping track of the investigation into Gregory's death, while also appealing Master's sentence on grounds that von Karma had blackmailed him into a confession, which Gregory had proved in court.
Both hit a roadblock.
The appeal was shot down due to lack of new evidence.
The investigation into Gregory's death hit a dead end due to lack of suspects. After all, there were only two in the elevator with him. Yogi, and Miles. There wasn't enough evidence to convict Yogi, and no one wanted to believe a nine-year-old had committed patricide.
So, six months passed without any news.
And, to Ray's despair, Miles didn't say a single word in those six months. He'd withdrawn into himself, and closed off the world around him. Ray felt sure he could force Miles to talk if he wanted to, but he was also scared that would make it worse for him. So, he simply sat back and watched as Miles stayed silent, not even having the heart to send him to school. After all, what could he possibly learn in the state he was in?
The boy hadn't even mourned for his father, so neither had Ray. After all, he had to stay strong now. Wasn't that part of being a parent?
Then, June hit. And everything changed.
…
"Come on, Miles. We need to get going. After all, who knows? I might get a client today!" Ray said in a much more cheerful voice then he felt. Miles peeked up from the couch, before sliding off and padding over. Ray quickly took in his appearance. Fresh pants and a clean shirt. Brushed hair and teeth. Miles was still taking care of himself, even if he'd closed himself off from the world.
Well, that was something, right?
"Do you want to bring a book or something? All that's at the office is law books," Ray said, going through the motions they went through every day. As expected, Miles didn't answer, so Ray picked a book. The same book he's been grabbing for the past six months. The book Miles had been in the middle of reading when everything went down.
"How about this one, hm?"
No answer.
"Alrighty then, I'll just slip it into your bag." Ray reached over the boy's shoulder and slipped the book into his book bag before buckling it again. He then took Miles's hand and walked out, locking the door behind them. They stopped by the usual place for breakfast (Ray was happy the boy still ate. That was one thing the doctors and psychiatrists warned him about when he told them about Miles withdrawing) then walked over to the Edgeworth Law Offices.
He got Miles settled into the office, then checked the mail and phone messages. Just junk mail, and no new messages. With a sigh, he sat down and spun in the chair.
It'd been about three months since his last case. True, the state was paying him social security for fostering Miles, but it was only just enough to pay most of the regular bills. And the money that Gregory had left for Miles hadn't been a whole heck of a lot. After paying doctor's (and psychiatrist's) bills and Miles's insurance, there wasn't much of that left. Ray sighed softly, glancing over at Miles.
I might have to pick up a second job or something. At least until I start getting more clients…
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Ray immediately stopped spinning and sat up straight, putting on a serious face.
"Come in," he called.
The person who entered was the last person he ever expected.
Manfred von Karma. The prosecutor glanced disdainfully around the office before spotting Miles, who was sitting at the window, staring out. He smirked, and turned to Ray, who had decided to stand.
"Mr. Shields," he said. Ray suppressed the urge to shudder at his voice. Long gone were the days where he wore his heart on his sleeve.
"Mr. von Karma. I heard you took a vacation. I hope you enjoyed yourself?" he said. The prosecutor scoffed.
"I've come to take Edgeworth in," he said, not answering Ray's question. Ray actually took a small step back in shock.
"Wait, what?" he demanded.
"Yes. I see that you're still quite young. And new at being an attorney. My, there's not even a scratch on your badge, is there? You are entirely unprepared to take care of a boy. Especially one who's been through… such a traumatic event in his life. He needs a guardian who's experienced at being a father."
Ray looked down at his shiny new badge. Von Karma was, of course, correct. Ray had only just turned nineteen himself right before Gregory had passed away. He was still new to being a defense attorney. Hell, wasn't he just thinking about how he needed a second job?
He slowly sat down in the chair, thinking all of this over. Wouldn't it be in Miles's best interest if he allowed von Karma to take custody of him? He glanced up at von Karma, about to answer, when he caught sight of a picture on the desk that made him freeze.
It was of Katherine Hall, Master's adopted daughter.
And suddenly, Ray remembered the kind of man he was dealing with. The man who blackmailed an innocent person into confessing he committed a crime he had no part of.
He suddenly stood again, so quickly that the chair actually rolled back a bit.
"No."
"Excuse me?" von Karma growled. Ray swallowed slightly, but held his stance.
"I said no. Yes, I might be inexperienced and new to all this, but what Miles needs right now is a caring guardian who has his best interests at heart. Not some prosecutor who's twisted sense of justice and perfection includes blackmail," Ray spat. Von Karma stared the young man down, and Ray knew, if looks could kill, he'd be dead on the spot. He held his ground, however, and glared back at the man.
"I would advise you to reconsider your answer," von Karma growled.
"You can advise me all you like, sir, but my answer still stands. Now, kindly, get out," he said. Von Karma scowled, but left the office. Ray waited a few minutes before letting out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. He slowly walked over to where his chair was and pulled it back to the desk, sitting and putting a shaking hand over his eyes.
He knew, someway, somehow, he'd come to regret pissing off von Karma.
Suddenly, he felt a pair of small hands on his own. He froze slightly, before looking up. Miles was standing next to his chair, looking up at him, gripping his hand. Ray smiled warmly at that, patting the top of his head.
"I'm alright, Miles. Don't worry. I won't let that scary, bad man take you away," Ray promised. Miles's lips twitched into what could only be described as a smile. A tiny, almost invisible one, but it was still the first time he'd smiled in six months. Ray smiled warmly back and hugged him.
…
It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going to happen next. Von Karma took Ray to family court to battle for custody of Miles. Both had points going for them, and going against them.
Ray knew Miles. He'd been close to his father, and obviously Gregory trusted him if he left the office to him. He'd also been taking care of Miles for the past six months, but he wasn't as financially stable as the courts would like, and he was young.
Von Karma was financially stable, older, and had more experience being a father, but Miles didn't know him, it was known that he and Gregory didn't get along, and moving in with von Karma would mean being uprooted to an entirely new country.
In the end, the judge was only left with one choice.
"We need to ask Miles himself who he wants to live with."
The bailiff lead Miles to the witness stand. He gripped it, looking around. Ray's heart was hammering in his chest. He knew, the only way he'd get Miles at this point, was if Miles said he wanted to stay with him.
But Miles hasn't spoken in six months. He watched as the judge posed the question to the young boy.
Miles blinked up at him, before looking back and forth between Ray and von Karma, then looking back up at the judge.
"Uncle Ray. I… I want to stay with Uncle Ray," he said. Von Karma gritted his teeth in anger at that, while Ray let out the breath he was holding, his legs feeling a little wobbly from relief: both at Miles choosing him, and at hearing him speak for the first time in a long time. He smiled warmly at the young boy, before turning back to the judge.
The Judge ruled that legal guardianship would stay with Raymond Shields.
…
As Ray and Miles were leaving the courthouse that day, they ran into another surprise.
A defense attorney.
"Ah, Mr. Shields. Miles," he said, giving them a stiff smile. "I'd just been to your office and home, looking for you.
"Is everything okay, Mr…?"
"Robert Hammond. Defense Attorney," he said, flashing his badge. "Yes, I just need to talk to Miles here about… what happened in the elevator," he said. Ray quickly looked down at Miles as the young boy's grip on his hand tightened noticeably. Miles's face had turned white.
"Mr. Hammond, is this absolutely necessary?" Ray asked quietly. "We've just had a hard day ourselves, and, as you can probably imagine…" he trailed off at the total lack of empathy on the other lawyer's face.
"I'm sorry, but if I'm to get my client a Not Guilty verdict, I need to know what happened," he replied.
"Who's your client?" Miles asked in a soft voice. Ray glanced down at him again, hoping he was okay.
"The bailiff who was in the elevator with you and your father: Yanni Yogi," Hammond said. Miles gripped Ray's hand even tighter.
"I don't remember much," Miles said in a small voice. "Just that it was getting hard to breath, and—" his voice caught here. "and that Mr. Yogi started yelling at Father…" Miles started to sound even more distressed. Ray dropped to one knee, wrapping his arms around the young boy. He looked over his shoulder at Hammond.
"There, you got your answer. He doesn't remember much. Happy?" he snapped, although he immediately regretted it when feeling Miles flinch in his arms. Hammond scowled slightly, and stalked away. Ray turned his attention to Miles, rubbing his back.
"It's okay. It's okay," he said softly. Miles nodded, taking a few deep breaths before finally pulling back and looking up at him.
"Can… can we go home, Uncle Ray?" he asked.
"Of course," Ray said with a smile, standing and leading him out.
…
A few hours later, they received a visitor, this time from the prosecutor on the case. He got the same answer out of Miles, who at that time, was starting to get very upset. Ray chased the prosecutor away after a few minutes and looked at Miles.
"Want to go to the book store?" he asked, trying to think of anything to get the boy's mind off of what happened in the elevator. He remembered Gregory mentioning that Miles loved to read. Miles nodded, latching onto his hand, and Ray lead him out.
Once they got to the book store, he left Miles to wander the stacks while he entered a specific section: Parenting. He searched the stacks, picking up a book on the basics, and one that was geared specifically towards foster parents: Raising Children with Trauma. Of course, this book didn't have specifics on how to handle kids who were trapped in an elevator with little oxygen, where their fathers died not two feet away, but Ray thought the general advice might be a big help, especially the chapters on recognizing and handling PTSD. The doctors said it was too early to see if Miles had that, but Ray wanted to be ready for anything.
…
Unfortunately, they got their answer to the PTSD question on the way home from the bookstore. Miles had picked up two books, and was walking alongside Ray as they made their way back to their apartment when it happened.
The ground started to shake. It was one of those earthquakes that LA was famous for. Ray covered his head and was about to tell Miles to do the same, when the boy let out a cry.
Ray quickly looked down, catching sight of Miles's ghostly white face just before the boy crumpled, curling into fetal position, his whole body trembling and racked with sobs. Ray quickly fell to his knees besides the boy, wrapping him in a hug, simultaneously comforting him and shielding him from any falling debris or curious stares. The boy's scared sobs ripped at his heart, and it was all he could do to try to protect him without bursting into tears himself.
He knew where this reaction stemmed from. After all, it was an earthquake that trapped them in the elevator to begin with.
Even once the ground was done moving, Miles stayed curled in a ball, sobbing. Ray glanced around before taking the bag of books and stuffing them in Miles's bag. He then took a deep breath and picked him up.
"Is he hurt?" a passing woman asked in a motherly tone. Ray looked up in surprise.
"Hm? No. Just… scared," he said, before offering her a smile. "Er, thanks though."
"Of course," the woman said before hurrying away. Miles kept his face buried in Ray's shoulder, gripping his shirt tightly. Ray muttered meaningless noises in his ear, keeping his tone soothing, as he rubbed his back and quickly walked home.
Finally, he reached the apartment and managed to unlock the door with one hand.
"Miles?" he asked softly. The young boy shifted in his arms before finally looking up, his eyes red-rimmed.
"S-sorry…" he muttered. Ray sat down on the couch, holding the boy in his lap.
"For what?"
"For… reacting… like that…" the young boy muttered, nestling closer to Ray. Ray looked down at the young boy, surprised slightly at both his words and the action. He tightened his arms around him.
"It's alright, Miles. It's understandable as to why you'd be scared of earthquakes. That's nothing to apologize for…" he said. Miles just buried his face once more, causing Ray to sigh and hold him close.
They sat like that for hours, until finally, Miles's breathing slowed. Ray carefully pulled back slightly, and smiled warmly at the fact that he was asleep. Carefully, he picked him up and carried him to his bedroom, laying him in bed.
Grabbing the two parenting books, he slipped out of Miles's room and into his own room. It was only then that he realized the boy never ate lunch. Or dinner. Did he even eat breakfast today?
Guilt swarmed Ray, but he was powerless to stop it. Instead, he changed into his own pajamas and laid in bed, finally falling asleep.
That's when the nightmares started.
Ray was suddenly startled awake by a blood curdling scream from the next room over. Before he was fully conscious, he was out of bed and down the hall. In his hand was the first weapon he could find: a desk lamp.
He dashed to Miles's room and flung open the door, looking wildly around.
Miles was alone in the room. He was thrashing from side to side, getting more and more tangled in the blankets. He let out another cry, and it clicked for Ray.
He dropped the lamp and darted over to the bed, gently catching the boy's face in his hands, holding it still so that his face would be the first Miles would see on waking up.
"Miles. Miles, wake up. It's a nightmare. Please wake up," he called, raising his voice. It seemed to finally get through to him, as Miles's gray eyes flew open. His chest rose and fell rapidly with his quick breathing as he studied the face above him.
"Uncle Ray!" he sobbed, and suddenly, he was clinging to the young man again.
"Whoa, okay," Ray said as he was basically pulled down by the boy. He adjusted them so Miles was in his lap again, holding him close to his chest and rocking him back and forth. "You had a bad dream?" he asked. Miles nodded.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Miles shook his head.
"Are you sure? It might help…"
Another head shake.
"Alright. But I'll be here when you're ready," Ray sighed. There was no answer from the boy, and Ray continued to rock him back and forth. It was another two or three hours before Miles finally fell back asleep, and Ray was able to tuck him in.
Wide awake now, Ray decided to take the parenting books and make himself a cup of coffee. As he walked into the kitchen, he saw that it was three in the morning. A small sigh escaped him, but he started the coffee maker non-the-less.
Ten minutes later, he sat at the table and opened the first book. His eyes scanned over the pages, taking in what it said, before ripping out the paper and eating it.
It was always a nervous habit of his. Eating the paper helped him remember what he read, almost like his body absorbed the words.
He continued this for the next three hours. The more he read, the more nervous about raising Miles he became, and the faster he munched through the book, his coffee forgotten.
It wasn't until around six in the morning, when he had two empty book covers, and a full mug of cold coffee, that sleep finally reclaimed him.
And then, around seven, when his stomach finally protested all of the paper stuffed inside of it. He woke up to stabbing pains in his abdomen, and a small groan escaped him.
"Never… again… will I eat… paper…" he muttered, massaging his stomach in an attempt to make it feel better. He heard a soft giggle from behind, and turned. Miles was standing in the doorway, still wearing the clothes he fell asleep in. He was rubbing his eye, and had a small smile.
"Father… always said—" Yawn. "—That eating paper… was unhealthy…" the young boy muttered, before padding forward. Ray smiled at that.
A balanced breakfast is always an important start to a child's day.
Words that he read (then ingested) floated to mind. Ray hauled himself out of the chair, trying to ignore the stabbing stomach pains, and searched his pantry and fridge. He found a few breakfast items and prepared them, before putting the plate in front of Miles. It was perfectly symmetrical, and balanced easily in his hand. Miles looked at it for a few minutes, then up at Ray, his small smile widening slightly.
"I don't think that's what they mean when they say a 'balanced' breakfast, Uncle Ray," he said, causing the older man to deflate.
…
Miles had to testify against Yanni Yogi in court a few days later.
State v. Yogi ended with a 'not guilty' verdict due to temporary insanity.
Yogi vanished off the face of the earth.
It came out that the police consulted a spirit medium in their investigation, causing the public's belief in both the police and Kurain Village to plummet.
Despite all of this, though, Miles slowly became his old self. Especially after Ray and him ran into one of his friends at the mall near the end of the summer, two months later.
"Miles!?" a young voice called. Ray and Miles both turned around. A young boy, Miles's age, broke free from his mother's grip and darted over to them. "It really is you!"
"Oh, hi Phoenix," Miles said, smiling. Phoenix's mother quickly caught up to them and scolded her son, but the young boy was too excited to even notice.
"What happened to you? You never came back to school after winter break. We were all worried. Especially me and Larry," Phoenix rambled on. Miles looked down at the question. Ray tried to think back on the books he read, wondering if he should step in. "Oh…" Phoenix mumbled. "If it's too hard, you don't need to say. I'm just happy you're around again. Will you be coming back to school?"
"Uh…" Miles looked up at Ray. Ray smiled.
"Of course he will." He crouched down to the boys' level. "I'm Miles's Uncle Ray. I guess you must be Phoenix," he said.
"Mhm! Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you, too," Ray said with a smile. Suddenly, Phoenix's eyes lit up.
"Oh! I'm having a sleep over for my birthday next weekend! You should come, Miles."
"Oh… I don't know," Miles muttered, his hand tightening around Ray's. Ray knew what the issue was. The nightmares hadn't stopped. Miles still wouldn't tell him what they were about, but almost every night, Ray found himself sprinting down the hall and waking Miles up, only to comfort him until he calmed down enough to go back to sleep. Ray would be awake for hours afterwards, meaning he was running on fumes most days.
Which made his job even harder, now that business had finally picked up.
"Pleeeeeeaaaaaaase!?" Phoenix pleaded. Ray smiled.
"How about this, Phoenix. He'll come over before the sleepover so you two can still celebrate your birthday, okay?" Phoenix looked between the two, before sighing softly.
"Okay."
"What do you want for your birthday, anyway?" Miles asked. Phoenix put a hand to his chin, putting some serious thought into it.
"Oh, I don't know. Surprise me!" he said brightly. Ray chuckled.
That's the point of a gift anyways, right? He thought, standing and turning towards Phoenix's mother to get the details: date, time, address, phone number. She was more than happy to give the information to him, before taking Phoenix's hand.
"Come on, Phoenix. We still have errands to run," she reminded him gently.
"Oh. Right. Okay. Well, bye. I'll see you later, right?"
"Alright," Miles said, waving after him as they walked away. He then looked up at Ray. "Thanks," he muttered.
"For what?" Ray said innocently, before grinning. "Come on, let's go find him a gift."
The two winded up picking up a sketchbook for Phoenix. Miles remembered that the other boy loved to draw, but would always draw in his school notebooks. He hoped that Phoenix would really like this gift.
…
The night before Phoenix's party, Ray was working on a very important, high profile case. He was at the office late into the night, with Miles was asleep on the couch, using Ray's jacket as a blanket. When the clock hit one, Ray knew he had to give it up for the night, and come back to it tomorrow.
The next day, investigating took a lot longer than Ray had anticipated, and he and a very upset Miles were late to Phoenix's party. Phoenix's mother answered the door when Ray knocked, letting them in, and Miles immediately rushed to where the other kids were.
Mrs. Wright, on the other hand, took one look at Ray, and lead him into the kitchen, where there was no one.
"You look exhausted, dear," she tutted as she made the young man a drink. Ray took it graciously.
"Thanks. I didn't sleep much last night," he admitted.
"I see. Mr. Shields, right?"
"Ray, please," he said.
"Then just call me Helen. Dear, I've met Mr. Edgeworth once in passing, at a parent-teacher night. I remember hearing he died last December. Have you been taking care of Miles since?" Helen asked, sitting across from him with her own drink. Ray smiled slightly.
"Yeah. I used to be Mr. Edgeworth's assistant, and since Miles didn't have any living relatives…" he shrugged slightly. "His father's death was… very traumatic for him. I'm sure you've heard all about it on the news."
"Yes, the poor dear. And you. You're so young, and if he was your mentor…" Helen studied the young man in front of her. "Have you mourned him?"
"No," Ray admitted. "I've been so busy caring for and worrying about Miles, that I just…" Ray squeezed the cup. "He's just been through so much, and he's having these nightmares every night, and I just need to be strong for him, and I feel like I'm just making so many mistakes and—" Ray cut off as a pair of arms wrapped around him. He blinked a few times in shock, and wondered why his vision was blurry.
It took him a second to realize that it was Helen who was hugging him, and that his vision was blurry from tears.
"Dear, if he's recovered as much as he seems like he has, you've been doing a great job. All parents make mistakes," Helen said softly. Ray rested his head on her shoulder, the tears flowing freely. He realized that now that they've started, they wouldn't stop.
"I just… Mr. Edgeworth was… amazing. I want… if I could even be… half the attorney he was… and half… the guardian to Miles that… he was…" Ray trailed off, closing his eyes tightly
And for the first time in the eight months since Gregory Edgeworth died, Ray let himself cry. He mourned for the man who meant so much to him. For the father of the little boy who was coming to mean the whole world to him.
Ray cried, while Helen Wright held him, her motherly instincts leading her to help this small, broken family out.
…
And help them out she did. While Miles and Phoenix grew close again as they grew older, Helen always made sure Miles and Ray were okay. She had no problem babysitting while Ray worked, nor sending extra food over to them when she 'accidently made too much.' She became the mother figure Miles desperately needed in his life, and the advisor on parental issues that Ray needed.
And for that, Ray was extremely grateful. He knew he'd probably have never got Miles into, then through, Themis Legal Academy without the help, but Miles graduated from the Defense Attorney program at the top of his class, and became a top Defense Attorney at the young age of eighteen.
"As of today," Ray said, slinging an arm around the young man he raised. "You are now officially a lawyer of the Edgeworth Law Offices." He smiled warmly at the smile on Miles's face as he looked down at his badge. "Your father would be so proud."
…
A/N: Alrighty. Ending it here! If anyone is interested in seeing more, like a scenario from the games, or something, just let me know in a review and I might do it. I'm thinking of doing a few things, like this version of Turnabout Goodbyes, or stuff with Phoenix and Dahlia first getting together, but I'm not sure yet. Depends on interest level.