CHAPTER 2

In this chapter: Apollo didn't like what Phoenix had to say and is being an absolute brat, so Edgeworth to the rescue!

The papa birb needs to have a little chat with his adopted angry birb son. Who doesn't quite realize he's been adopted yet.

(Note: Phoenix and Miles are married. But Phoenix still has an apartment. It was a mistake, but it makes sense too. Any case Miles takes he likes it to be against either Athena or Apollo because they're at least competent enough to work with the prosecution to find the truth. And those two spend a TON of time with Phoenix, but if they're working on a case against Miles they can't exactly hang out around the papa birb now can they? The apartment really serves as a safe place too)

NOTE: SLIGHT PTSD WARNING. Poor Apollo, I just can't let him catch a break can I? He has a mild panic attack in the beginning here, and it's brought up later on as well.

AND I'M IGNORING A SPECIFIC PART OF AA6. For those of you do not know the spoilers, don't worry about it. Those of you who do know, I am modifying that story somewhat. IT WON'T HAVE ANY EFFECT UNTIL LATER. I don't plan on posting anything containing AA6 spoilers until after the September release in the States.

Until then, I have plenty ready for this series. The next chapter will probably be a bit of backstory (with more Athena and Klavier, and Ema of course!) and the chapter after that, well that's the fun one that started all of this!

The second time he uses magic, it has quite the effect.

It wasn't until Apollo was changing the bandage on his hand two weeks later that what he had done fully sunk in.

Once again, he had punched Phoenix Wright. Only this time was a tad more explosive.

The firecrackers going off were his doing somehow. As soon as his fist connected with Wright's nose, the crackling of them began and suddenly he wasn't standing in front of Wright and Trucy, but in the courtroom.

The deafening white noise was back. A constant stream of ringing that wouldn't leave his ears no matter what.

His hand was shaking as he dropped the bandage. Apollo tried closing his eyes but that only brought both the courtroom and the talk with Wright to the front of his mind.

"Apollo, it's completely possible that you're doing the same magic Trucy can."

"How can he daddy?"

"Lamiroir- no, Thalassa… She asked me not to tell you, but given the circumstances. I don't see any other option."

"Mr. Wright, tell us what?"

Apollo glared at the floor where the pure white bandage seemed to glare right back. It mocked him as his arms trembled slightly.

"Truce, Apollo, your birth names are Trucy Gramarye and Apollo Gramarye. Thalassa is your mother, though you have different fathers."

Apollo crouched down, picking up the bandage with now shaking hands. No. My name is Apollo Justice. My parents died in a fire when I was barely one. They didn't just disappear and leave me…I don't…

He couldn't bring himself to finish the thought. 'I don't have a sister'. As much as he wanted everything Wright told him to be a lie, he couldn't help but hope part of it was the truth.

He had seen the shock on Trucy's face when Wright told them. She was just as clueless as he was, except maybe for her birth name. She was older when she was adopted, of course she'd remember it.

But Apollo…

The lawyer had no memories of any other name. He had remained at the orphanage without a last name for the longest time, until he had decided on one for himself. Sure, it had gotten him mocked from time to time. But Clay had stood by him through it all.

Clay… Adjusting the bandage, Apollo wondered what his friend would have to say about all this. Probably that it was cool, that he was happy Apollo had found that he had family after all. What would he have thought of Trucy?

Apollo felt the tears coming. Clay would have loved Trucy like she was his own sister. He would have hugged her as she cried over the truth. Cried about having family she was related to still, cried about being abandoned by her- their - mother. Clay would have tried to help defuse the situation.

He would have listened to Apollo rant about it. How it wasn't fair, how all he wanted was a family Clay knew that.

And yet here Apollo was. With no best friend, tears falling onto his hands as he listened to his phone ring for the thousandth time that month. He gave up looking to see who it was, he knew who it was. It was Trucy, or her father, or Klavier, Athena, he even had a message on there from Blackquill.

He wondered though, just how many of them knew the truth before he did. Klavier had been on good speaking terms with Lamiroir, had she told him? Would Wright have told Athena?

He would have told Prosecutor Edgeworth. Apollo wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Of course, the Chief Prosecutor would have known. He probably knew who Apollo's real father was, it was probably in a file hidden away somewhere out of his reach.

No. Not my real father. He repeated to himself that his parents were dead. It did not matter what Lamiroir told Wright.

As far as Apollo was concerned, his parents died a long time ago. The only thing he had to remind himself that he ever had parents was his bracelet.

The bracelet currently sitting on his bed, untouched for a solid week after realizing Lamiroir wore the matching one.

Like he needed another reminder of their betrayal.

He sat with his back to the kitchen cupboard as he waited for his hands to stop shaking. It happened from time to time, the doctor had mentioned something about nerves being damaged from the bomb the last time he went.

"Apollo, take it easy! It'll take some time for you to be back to your old self kid. Don't rush it."

Shaking his head, Apollo tried to get Wright's voice out of his ears. He had no right to worry over Apollo like that, like his father. He wasn't, a real father would've told him the truth.

Wouldn't they?

Well, what would I know? He thought. I don't have one.

You could. A small part of him was still warmed at the reminder that Phoenix had fussed over him after the trial just as much as he did Trucy. How Phoenix had put him on desk duty, where the only thing he was lifting was a pen or some papers and he wasn't out running around after leads for cases.

Phoenix had kept an eye on him. Letting Apollo stay with him and Trucy on the days where he was fine in the morning, but grew exhausted as the day passed. Reminding Apollo to get something to eat, and keeping him far away from the saltiest noodles in LA.

It wasn't just Phoenix keeping an eye on him; somehow the Chief Prosecutor had been roped into it as well. Visits to the Agency began to include Apollo in conversations. Phoenix talked about his accomplishments to Edgeworth as proudly as he did Trucy's, and Edgeworth responded with almost as much pride.

Apollo shook his head. No. They did that with Athena too, and Klavier and Blackquill. It wasn't anything special.

The next time his phone rang, he was tempted to grab it and toss it across the room. Couldn't Wright take a hint? If he didn't answer the first four days of calls, why would he now? Mekiko seemed to take the hint, batting at his phone. It stopped after the first two rings.

Apollo pulled his legs closer to his chest before resting his forehead on his knees. Without the phone, the piercing ringing was returning. He tried to keep his breath steady but it was becoming harder to the tighter his chest got.

Fear ran through his mind, making him lightheaded. The lawyer was glad he was already sitting down, had he been standing he would have fallen to his knees by now.

A different sound began to chime in his apartment, a loud purr, from Mekiko. She was pacing around him, eyes locked on his figure as her tail twitched almost worriedly. He tried to smile, to reach out to pet her. Wanting to be rid of the memories, he carded his hand through her long fur, a small huff of laugher escaping as she twisted her head every which way to try and lick at his hand.

You didn't know, did you? Of course she didn't. Mekiko only knew that he fed and took care of her; she didn't care about much else. Though, she did know if he wasn't feeling fine then nothing else was fine. Apollo was grateful that she understood at least that much.

There was only so much she could do to help him though. It's not like she could hug him, and tell him everything was going to be ok.

"Shh, Apollo it's ok. It's alright, you're ok. You're safe."

Apollo pulled his hand away from Mekiko as he thought back to a few months ago. July had been hell at the agency. Fireworks had been banned from ever coming near the building; Trucy's firecrackers for her show were given special privileges as Phoenix told her she couldn't practice with them indoors. But it wasn't as if they could ban the entire city from having them.

Athena would flinch every time one went off, her hands automatically moving the adjust headphones that weren't there. Trucy would stop whatever she was doing to glace towards the window before continuing on. And Apollo tried his best to ignore it, to shut it out with a constant mental chant of I'm fine. But it could only work for so long.

And Phoenix... he was there for them. Handing an old music player to Athena, saying the music on it usually helps pass the time while writing reports and waiting for clients, giving Trucy a kiss on her forehead with a small reassuring smile.

Apollo had given up trying to block out the loud fireworks with just his chanting. His hands were over his ears and he was trying his hardest not to cry. He couldn't, not in front of Athena and Trucy.

An arm wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him in close and pressing one ear against a broader chest. Another hand came up to cover his other ear. He could feel Phoenix sigh better than he could hear it.

"Guess July just isn't anyone's month, huh? Between the noise and the lights, maybe we should start planning trips to visit Maya in July. Or Franziska, I'm sure she'd love a chance to try and corrupt you and Athena into being prosecutors." Phoenix joked, picking up the paper Apollo had been working on with his free hand.

Apollo could feel the man tense whenever one would go off close to the agency. He recovered just as quickly, but the younger DA knew Phoenix was just about as sensitive as everyone else there to them. Yet he pushed it aside to make sure the three of them were alright.

He frowned. Of all the memories he had, that one had to be the one to pop into his mind. It was so confusing, having good memories of Phoenix tarnished because of a secret.

He knew then. Apollo thought. Of course he did. Wright had admitted that Lamiroir told him after the trial.

But he hadn't treated Apollo any differently really. He still made him work hard, even without a case to focus their attention on. Phoenix would give him chores to do, and Apollo would snip back that Phoenix had studying to do, way more important than trying to act like Apollo was a child with a chore chart.

The more Apollo thought about it, things were different though. It was peaceful, compared to his last mentor.

Did Mr. Gavin know? His mind drifted to the cold, calculating gaze of his first employer.

Was that why he took on Apollo? Still so young, barely through his first year of college, yet enough to catch the attention of one of LA's greatest? Apollo couldn't help but think it was all out of spite, just one more way to get back at Zak Gramarye. If Wright's words were true, and if Kristoph did know, what better way to get back at the man's family, then to turn his wife's eldest son against them?

Impossible. He couldn't have known.

But Wright did. And he said nothing. He kept the truth to himself; let things go on for almost two and a half years as they were. Two and half years that he could have told them. Things would have been different, but a good different. He and Trucy were siblings, they were family. He-

He finally did what he wanted, tossing his phone at the wall as it began to ring once more. Apollo didn't care who it was. His thoughts had just made the anger he felt grow again, the tears in his eyes weren't from sadness anymore. The sharp crack of his screen breaking as it hit the corner of the wall hadn't fazed him, though it sent Mekiko running.

At least, he thought it was the phone that had sent his cat off. The sudden appearances of shoes beside his now broken phone made Apollo look up from the sorry state he had left the electronic device in.

It was the last person he expected to see, especially given the locked state that his door had been in. The presence of a bobby pin in the Chief Prosecutor's hand was enough of an explanation to say his door was no longer locked.

"I highly doubt your phone has done anything to earn you anger." Edgeworth said, bending down to pick up and pocket Apollo's phone before walking over to the boy.

Apollo glared up at him, refusing to respond. He knew. He had to, there's no way Wright could keep it a secret from him.

"And here I thought you'd outgrown the silent treatment." Edgeworth shook his head. "Just as bad as Wright…" He looked over Apollo.

The younger knew he must look a mess. He hadn't fixed his hair, leaving it down and out of the gel he usually used. He traded the usual outfit for a pair of jeans and a red button-down shirt.

His eyes flashed a familiar red as his glare hardened. Edgeworth hadn't moved a muscle when he mentioned Wright, leading Apollo to believe the prosecutor had come on his own without informing his husband.

"You know, the last time someone went off the radar for longer than a few days, they had the courtesy to leave a note." Apollo didn't care for being courteous right then. "A suicide note, but a note nonetheless." Well, he hadn't planned on taking that route. Just taking some time alone so he wouldn't be the next out of their group to be arrested for attempted murder.

He opened his mouth, ready to give an angry speech about breaking and entering, when he suddenly wasn't on the floor anymore. Apollo yelped as he was picked up and tossed over Edgeworth's shoulder. His first thought had been to ask how the Chief Prosecutor was able to pick him up so effortlessly.

The next thought was to hit him. "L-let me go!"

Edgeworth didn't reply, carrying him out of the apartment- making sure to lock the door before shutting it again- and reaching into his pocket for what Apollo assumed were car keys.

"Put me down!" He yelled again, hitting Edgeworth on the back again. "Now!"

He squirmed, trying to get out of Edgeworth's grip. But the man was stronger than he looked. For once, Apollo cursed having an apartment on ground level. There was no way Edgeworth, no matter how strong he was, could carry Apollo down stairs. And the elevator was out of the question.

The entire way out of the building, Apollo continued to squirm and yell. Maybe someone would hear and help him.

On second thought, he paled slightly; did he want anyone else to see him being carried out like a child by the "Demon Prosecutor"?

"Are you finished?" He didn't realize they had already made it outside. It was dark and Apollo assumed it was nearing eleven at night.

The Chief Prosecutor had nothing better to do with his life on a Thursday night than to break into Apollo's apartment and kidnap him, he had a hard time believing that.

He decided once again to not reply verbally, hitting his kidnapper one last time on the back in protest.

A car door was opened before Apollo was set down. He planned to run, but Edgeworth's stare stopped him. His only option was to get in the car.

Most movies that have these situations don't end well. The door wasn't shut until he had the seatbelt on, and trying to open it proved a fruitless endeavor. Stupid foreign car! Who puts child safety locks on the front doors?!

With his arms crossed, Apollo stared out the window. He refused to look over at Edgeworth as the man got in the car and started it. "I expected this from Trucy," was the first thing Edgeworth said as they drove away from the building. "She stopped after a day."

"Good for her." Apollo shot back, keeping his eyes on the window.

"Apollo…I understand you're angry-"

"Angry? No. I passed angry a week ago." Furious, pissed, seething, there were many words to describe how he felt. "You knew?"

He could almost hear the hesitation. "I…suspected Phoenix was keeping something from the two of you. I hadn't known for certain until last year, at the Halloween party."

Last year, Apollo could never forget that. It taught him to never take a bet with Trucy unless he was certain to win. He had dressed up that year, as a magician of all things. All because Klavier just had to win that trial.

That wasn't what stood out. Wright had somehow managed to convince Lamiroir to show up at the party. She had seemed surprised to see Apollo and Trucy, especially in matching costumes- Trucy insisted that she wanted to stay in her performance outfit and use it as her costume so they would match- and thinking back, she had seemed off. His bracelet hadn't detected any lies, but her entire demeanor around them had changed since the trial.

Did Phoenix try and get her to tell us? Apollo let his head rest against the window.

"Why didn't you say anything?" He growled.

"I did, though it seems I spoke to the wrong person." Edgeworth took his eyes off the road for a second to look at Apollo as they stopped for a red light. "I told Phoenix he needed to tell you both the truth."

"And he waited another year to do so!" Apollo finally turned, glaring once more at Edgeworth. "He should've told us sooner!"

If the volume of his yelling affected Edgeworth, he was careful not to show it. "You're right."

That caught him off guard. He had expected an entire speech on how Apollo was being ridiculous, how he needed to stop being such a brat and get over it. Not for Edgeworth to agree with him. "What?"

"Phoenix should have told the two of you the truth far sooner than he had, or at least convinced Thalassa to. It was unfair to keep you in the dark about something like this."

As they continued to drive, Apollo was worried for a moment that they would go to the Agency. He wasn't quite ready to face Wright yet. But Edgeworth kept driving away from the agency and away from any familiar roads.

"You're right to be angry at him for it. However,"

I knew it. Here comes the scolding.

"He was simply following your mother's wishes-"

Apollo snorted. "Sure. And she's not my mother."

"She is. And while I'm not certain as to why she's kept this from you-"

"If you say it must be a good reason I can't guarantee your nose won't end up looking like Wright's."

"If you would stop interrupting, you would know what I am going to say."

It didn't take long for Apollo to figure out where it was they were going. He knew Edgeworth's house. Trucy had drug him there before when she needed an assistant in getting him and Wright to agree to her going on a school field trip out of state.

In his defense, there really was no evidence as to why she couldn't go. It was to an aviary. So, naturally, all she had to do was mention in passing that they needed chaperones, and she killed two birds with one stone. Going on the trip and getting to know Blackquill better.

Apollo had little choice but to follow Edgeworth out of the car and into the house. Pess greeted with a soft, sleepy whine as they passed her in the living room to head into the kitchen. He listened closely, trying to tell if Wright and Trucy were there too.

"I told Phoenix that I wanted to talk to you without his interference." Apollo turned his attention back to Edgeworth, who was holding out a cup of tea to him. "And Trucy is spending the night with Athena."

Apollo accepted the cup slowly, thankful that his hands seemed to be cooperating. It was warm, a contrast from the slight chill outside. The tea inside the cup was clouded from cream and sugar, just how Apollo always made it for himself whenever tea was the only option at the agency.

He knew..? Staring at it for a moment longer before taking a sip, he realized it was exactly how he always made it.

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked as Edgeworth led him back into the living room. Apollo sat down in one of the chairs as the prosecutor sat on the corner of the couch nearest him.

"How you were handling things, which from what I could see was not very well." Edgeworth frowned. "Why haven't you been answering your cell?"

"I didn't want to hear what he had to say." Apollo muttered. "And everyone else would just tell me to call him."

"Who?"

"Wright! Who else?"

Edgeworth hummed. Apollo sat the cup down and sank back in the chair. It was far more comfy than his kitchen floor. "Whatever he has to say can wait two and a half years…"

"I was wrong; you're not like your father. You're like your aunt. The last secret I kept from her she held over my head for ten years."

With a grimace, Apollo replied; "He's not my father."

"He sure seems to act as if he is." Setting his own cup down, Edgeworth leaned forward to rest his arms on his legs. "He's as worried as a proper father would be if a child went missing for two weeks."

He continued before Apollo could interrupt. "I'm not taking either side in this argument Apollo. I understand both of you, why you're angry and why he kept it secret. However, you seem to be under the impression that it was just Phoenix's doing."

"Wasn't it? He's the one who knew, and should've told me and Trucy."

"It was not his secret to tell." Edgeworth said. "Put yourself in his position Apollo. What would you do?"

Not hide it for so long. Was his first thought, but as he continued thinking over the question, he grew unsure.

If he had been in Wright's position, with a daughter and employee/apprentice/somewhat son, and was told they were siblings by their mother, but asked to hide it? How could he?

With everything that had happened in those years though, Apollo had begun to realize he could. When would be the proper time? As soon as he was told, when they were celebrating a victory and he had just been entrusted with the secret wasn't the right time. The Halloween party, where they were all so happy, where Phoenix tried to get her to tell them, it didn't work out. The Phantom, the bomb, Clay's death…

Apollo realized there hadn't been a right time.

He brought his knees up to his chest again, circling his arms around his legs. Of course Phoenix would choose then to tell him. Apollo had used magic, something he always associated with Trucy, never himself. He was scared and wanted an explanation.

It wasn't Phoenix's fault Apollo had reacted badly to the news.

Tears welled up in his eyes again. "I'm so stupid…" Two weeks he had ignored them. He probably scared them all with the complete silence. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Come here." Edgeworth patted the couch cushion beside him and Apollo wasted no time in curling up against his side. "Figure it out?" He asked, wrapping an arm around Apollo as the boy shook from holding back sobs.

Apollo nodded slowly, wiping at his eyes with one hand. He felt terrible, and probably looked even worse with his eyes red from the tears now. The bracelet missing from his arm became more apparent and he thought for a second that Edgeworth could have used that against him, tried to lie to him while it would be hard to Apollo to detect.

But something told him that the man had been completely honest the entire time. There was nothing truly to gain from lying.

He did miss the bracelet's comforting weight though.

There wasn't much time for him to miss it. He was exhausted, and the comforting hand rubbing up and down his arm was only helping to lull him to sleep.

Apollo leaned further into Edgeworth's side, his eyes falling shut. "I'm sorry…papa…" He whispered as he drifted off to sleep.

Edgeworth paused in shock as he looked down to Apollo, hearing what he had said before falling asleep. "There's nothing to be sorry for." He said.

A glittering pattern on Apollo's wrist caught his attention.

It was the bracelet that Edgeworth swore hadn't been there before.

"So. Phoenix was right then." He muttered. "You are using magic like your sister."

Apollo slept on, unaware of Edgeworth's musings. With the bracelet on his wrist once more, he seemed to fall into a much more peaceful slumber.

*kicks ending* I wasn't quite sure how to end things, but I think that's good. I could've had Edgeworth calling up Phoenix and saying Polly was ok…but nah.

And sleepy Apollo is more than willing to acknowledge that he's been adopted and has two dads now.