Disclaimer: Phoenix Wright belongs to Capcom

On a cloudy Friday morning in February, Phoenix walked his daughter to school with the intent to meet someone afterward to tell her she can no longer love him. Holding Trucy's hand, he was deep in thought about what he was going to say when Trucy cried out, "Daddy! Slow down! The only way I can keep up with you is if you carry me!"

Phoenix stopped and smiled. "Sorry sweetheart, Daddy's got a lot on his mind."

"Ooh, are you thinking about Mommy Maya?" she said, smirking behind her free hand.

"Trucy, we've talked about this. She's not your mommy just yet."

"I forgot. So, are you thinking about 'Potential' Mommy Maya?"

"Much better. Well, yes, and something else. Do you remember Iris?"

Trucy folded her arms across her chest and looked off in the distance as she thought.

"You mean Mommy Iris?"

"Trucy…"

"Oops, I meant 'Potential' Mommy Iris."

"Yup. I'm going to visit her for a 'serious discussion' while you're in school."

"Boo, how boring."

Just then the school bell rang. Students that were nearby were suddenly running to get to class. Phoenix squat down to his daughter's level and said, "Don't forget, when you get home, we're going to visit Maya and Pearls at Hazakura temple. Maybe they'll let you show their students a trick or two. Are all your things packed for the weekend?"

"Yes Daddy!"

"Good. Now, hurry up or your teacher will scold me again for making you late."

"Okay, have fun visiting 'Potential' Mommy Iris!" she called after her as she ran to class.

Phoenix chuckled to himself. "Heh heh heh, 'Potential' Mommy….where does she get this stuff? I'd better start monitoring the shows she watches."

Once he saw that Trucy was safely inside the school, he stood up and turned toward the direction of the detention center and started up his thoughts on what to say to Iris. As this was happening, a certain German prosecutor prodigy has just arrived at the airport and was adjusting her black miniskirt and silvery-blue hair when a voice spoke from behind her.

"Still perfect as always, Miss von Karma."

Smirking, Franziska spun on her heels to find herself face-to-face with a blonde woman wearing glasses. "Miss Andrews, a von Karma is always perfect no matter what."

Adrian smiled back. "Sooner or later, you'll have to admit that you're not as perfect as you claim to be. Now, what brings you back to the States?"

"Revenge against Mr. Phoenix Wright….and a certain blonde that I cannot seem to get out of my mind," she whispered the second part quietly into Adrian's ear. She then stepped away from Adrian and pulled her whip out of her purse. "But this time, I will get my verdict!" she cracked her whip to accentuate her frustration, causing a number of people to run away frightened.

"Um, Franziska, how about we find your luggage and go find a place to eat?" Adrian suggested with a nervous smile. The other woman nodded.

"I suppose, if it will please you."

"Wonderful. What do you feel like eating?"

Just then the carousel started up, bags falling down the chute to the people waiting below. Franziska watched idly for her bag as she said, "Is there a French restaurant nearby?"

"Yes, there is, but I heard that it's not very—"

"Foolish fools who listen foolishly to the foolishness of other fools! French cuisine is always delectable, unless people here in the United States have no taste!"

People nearby glared at the foreigner. She brandished her whip at them in response, and their group glare dispersed immediately. Adrian took this opportunity to retrieve Franziska's bag from the baggage claim and ushered the whip-wielding woman off to her car.

"Hmph! The nerve of those people! How dare they look at me as though I am an insect!"

"They couldn't help it. You insulted them on their own soil," Adrian reasoned as they pulled out of the parking lot. "Besides, let's focus on the other reason why you're here."

Franziska gripped her left arm with her right hand. "I still don't see what the point is. He's dead, and there's no reason why I should bother him."

Adrian patted Franziska's knee with her hand gently. "It'll be okay. And at the same time, you can tell him that revenge against Mr. Wright is impossible."

The foreigner choked on her friend's words. "What do you mean, revenge against Mr. Phoenix Wright is impossible?!"

"I mean exactly what I said. A few months ago, he was caught using forged evidence and was stripped of his attorney badge for it."

Franziska sat back in her seat, full of disbelief. She had lost her chance to restore honor to the von Karma name.

That man…he wouldn't dare…but, if he purposely used forged evidence, does that mean that all those cases I had against him were won by forged evidence too?

Adrian was disturbed at the silence of her passenger. Usually, she would be ranting about people she worked with and whatnot, but the shock must have really caused some damage to her. She took a quick glance at Franziska and saw that she was gripping her arm harder now. She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly figured that she was only going to be told to shut up.

"You're learning fast, Miss Andrews."

At the next stop light, Adrian stared blankly at Franziska. Franziska simply continued staring straight ahead.

"You know how to handle me, and you and I have not spent all that much time together. Scruffy was always hanging around me, yet he still understood nothing about me."

Adrian appreciated her words. She smiled broadly and was midway through a "thank you" when suddenly—

"Fool! Keep your eyes on the road, the light is already green!"

She let out a small "eep!" and hit the gas.

...

Phoenix arrived at the detention center and sat down in front of his ex-girlfriend, Iris. Iris was a small young woman with a sweet disposition, and yet, even with her sweetness, she sat before Phoenix behind a bullet-proof glass wall.

"Feenie, how wonderful of you to visit!" she said warmly. Phoenix smiled, but the smile had discomfort written all over it.

"Iris, there's something I have to tell you."

"What's the matter? Is something wrong?"

Phoenix shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong, but…this is really difficult to say."

Iris placed her hand against the glass in an attempt to give him reassurance. Phoenix placed his own hand against hers. "Tell me, please."

"Iris…you and I…well…"

He let his head droop with a sigh as Iris waited patiently for what he had to say. Without looking at her, he continued to speak.

"Iris, I'm sorry. There's someone else."

She felt her heart breaking silently. "Oh. I see." She lowered her hand from the glass. He did the same thing.

"Is she someone that I know?"

"…it's Maya."

Iris felt her throat tighten. She fought back tears as she struggled to keep her composure. "Mystic Maya…I suppose, it was bound to happen."

Phoenix lifted his head and adjusted his eyes onto hers. "You mean, you knew we were going to…"

She nodded as she raised her hand up to her neck. "You two seemed to have a good connection, especially after you tried to cross that bridge."

He flinched. The memory of trying to cross a flaming, elderly bridge and falling hopelessly into the river below left a deep scar in his mind. He crossed it without thinking properly, his concern more on the fact that a possible murderer was on the other side of that bridge and Maya might already be—

"I didn't realize it then, but Maya is someone very dear to me," he said, cutting off his own dreaded memory. "When we're together, we can just be ourselves without worrying if the other person is having fun or not. We just…click."

There was no stopping the tears. She tried to blink them back, but nothing helped. After letting out a few sobs, she smiled. "Feenie…if you ever found another woman to love, I'm glad that it's Mystic Maya."

Phoenix couldn't believe how accepting she was of his choice. "Iris…"

She shook her head. "No really, from what I've seen, Mystic Maya is truly a wonderful person. Mystic Pearl looks up to her, and she would never do anything to hurt anyone."

"Iris, you don't have to push yourself."

"I'm not. I'm really glad you two are together. I'm sorry, my time is up." She stood up as she wiped away some tears. "You have my blessing, Feenie….Mr. Wright."

"Mr. Wright?" He said quietly as she left the room. The morning was still young, yet already his energy was spent. He figured that cleaning the office would take his mind off of things before heading home to an energetic magician.

...

"That was not French cuisine! What is wrong with this country?!"

Franziska stormed out of the restaurant, whipping anyone she came into contact with. Adrian quickly paid the bill before running after her.

"Franziska, please, wait a minute!"

The angry foreigner spun around and cracked her whip at the ground. "Why should I?! This day has been nothing but one tragedy after another! I just ate sewage, I lost my chance for revenge, I have to explain to my deceased father that I can never restore honor to our name in addition to telling him that I'm in—"

"Franziska, hush…" Adrian embraced her tightly, pressing Franziska's face into her shoulder to keep her from saying anything more. "You say you're having a bad day, but I'm just glad you're here."

Franziska mumbled something into her friend's shoulder. Adrian let her go just enough to speak clearly.

"Foolish fool. It appears that we have switched personalities."

They stood there in the middle of the sidewalk in each other's arms for a few more moments. Then Adrian broke the silence.

"It's that time of the month, isn't it?"

"…yes."

...

Trucy returned home immediately after school let out, only to find the apartment empty. Shrugging, she went to double-check her things when the phone rang.

"Hello, you've called the 'Wright' place, how may I help you?"

"Miss Trucy, it's Pearl!"

Trucy was beside herself. "Hi, Auntie Pearl! What's up?"

"Miss Trucy, please, we are practically the same age, just Pearl is fine!"

"Well then, if I have to call you Pearl, then just Trucy is fine, too!"

"Well, since you're Mystic Maya's lover's daughter, I guess I can call you Trucy."

"And I'll just stick to calling you Auntie!"

"Argh, have it your way, Miss Trucy!"

"Gah! Auntie!"

"Miss!"

"Auntie!"

Suddenly, the voice of reason cut from Pearl's end.

"What is the matter with you? All I wanted you to do was call Nick and ask when he and Trucy'd be arriving!"

"I'm sorry, Mystic Maya, but we're having a serious discussion!"

"About what?"

"Oh, I know about serious discussions!" Piped up Trucy. "Daddy said he went to talk to Mommy Iris after he took me to school!"

"Mommy…? Trucy, are you sure—"

"Oh, sorry Potential Mommy Maya, I meant to call her 'Potential' Mommy Iris."

Maya felt an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. Mommy Iris? Does that mean he's chosen to be with her instead?

Just then, Phoenix entered the apartment, tired from cleaning his office. He spotted Trucy on the phone.

"Trucy, that better not be Russia on the phone again. Remember what happened last time—"

"No, Daddy! It's Auntie Pearl and Potential Mommy Maya!"

"Oh, well, gimme the phone, then," he said as he snatched the phone away from her.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Mr. Nick! Are you coming soon?"

"Yeah, I just got back from cleaning my office. We'll be leaving soon, so we'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay, Mr. Nick!"

"Give Maya my best."

"I will! Bye!"

As Phoenix hung up, Trucy loudly whispered, "Bye, Auntie!" Phoenix laughed.

"Still at it, huh, kiddo?"

She grinned up at his stubbly chin.

"Well, okay, it's time to go. Got your stuff?"

"Right here, Daddy!"

"Mr. Hat's with you, right?"

Trucy hit a switch somewhere on her and out popped a man-sized wooden puppet from behind her pink cape. As the puppet spun out of its cape, it snatched up Trucy's pink, silk top hat and placed it on his own head.

"Ready to go, Mr. Wright!" she made it say while manually moving its mouth.

"Okay then, let's go. Uh, first, you might wanna put him away. I can't afford to pay for an extra ticket."

...

Pearl hung up the phone to tell Maya the good news.

"Mr. Nick says they're about to leave," she said gleefully.

"Really? That's good. What was he doing while waiting for Trucy to get out of school?"

"Oh, he went to visit Miss Iris and then went to clean his office."

Maya couldn't believe what she was hearing. Nick? Clean his office? Nick hasn't cleaned anything since he lost his badge. And what was this business with 'Mommy' Iris? And why am I only a 'Potential' Mommy?

Pearl tilted her head at Maya in confusion. "Mystic Maya, is something wrong?"

Maya snapped back to reality. "N-no, everything's all right. Come on, Pearly, we have to make this temple shine before they arrive!" She said with a fake grin.

"Yay! Mr. Nick and Miss Trucy are coming for the weekend!" Pearl cheered as she skipped off to get some cleaning supplies. Maya stayed in the hallway, still contemplating what she had just heard.

(Wow, what have I done? I'll try to get chapter 3 up as soon as possible. Reviews do help me get more ideas.)