The next day, Trucy sent an urgent message to Apollo instructing him to arrange a meeting with the gang, excluding Phoenix and Edgeworth, and to tell no one else.

Trucy: meeting at WAA asap, don't tell dad or mr. Edgeworth

Apollo: uh

Apollo: why?

Trucy: Apollo it's VERY important, just DO IT

Apollo: What should I tell them?

Trucy: tell them it's about a top secret mission and if they value their careers they'll listen to me

Apollo: …

Apollo: I don't…

Trucy: come on Apollo just do it

Apollo: Okay, okay, I'll see what I can do

Trucy grinned at her phone and started making preparations.

A few days later, the entire junior legal system of Los Angeles was sitting in the cramped meeting room of the Wright Anything Agency.

"Alright, Trucy," Apollo muttered, squeezed between Klavier and Ema. "What the hell is this about."

Trucy stepped up between the two couches, clutching a small notebook to her chest. She took a deep breath.

"This meeting is about love."

Simon stood up and started to leave. Athena grabbed him by the collar and forced him back onto the couch.

"You were saying, Trucy?" she said, nudging at Simon to keep his mouth shut. Taka squawked softly, a look of indignation on his tiny bird face.

Trucy cleared her throat and took a more professional stance.

"It's about my dad," she said, scanning her audience. "And Mr. Edgeworth."

Shocked inhalations ricocheted around the room.

Quick as a whip, Athena jumped from her seat and put her hands on Trucy's shoulders, leaning over her.

"What have you seen," she demanded, shaking Trucy's shoulders.

"N-nothing? I…what?"

"Oh," Athena said, releasing Trucy from her grip. "So you didn't, like, walk in on them or anything."

"Walk in… oh! No! No no no. No."

"Okay, nevermind." Athena went to sit back down, but leaned towards Trucy again. "You're sure, though."

Trucy waved her arms frantically. "Yes! I think I would know if I'd walked in on my dad and another guy!"

Athena sighed and sat back. Simon squinted at her. "Okay, okay. So what is this about, then?" she asked.

Trucy rubbed the back of her head and shuffled her feet. "I mean, you're not totally off-track." She hugged the notebook again. "I think they like each other."

She received a couple looks of surprise, and many blank stares.

Ema spoke up first. "What makes you so sure about that?" She took out her own notebook and looked like she was about to start scribbling in it.

"Well, for a long time daddy's had this obvious tell where he rubs the back of his jaw. And I knew it meant something, but I had no idea what it was." Trucy shifted her weight, her finger on her chin. "Then, about a month ago, I realized something. He does it when we talk about Mr. Edgeworth. But why?" She took out her pen and tapped it against her notes. "I did some investigating, and I found out that Mr. Edgeworth does the same thing. Not with his jaw, but with his ring. And after that it all started to fall into place. They have feelings for each other. And I think it's our duty as advocates for the good of society to make sure that they get together!"

Apollo's brow was creased, the bridge of his nose scrunched up. "Trucy, you're a magician. I don't really think that counts as an advocate of good."

"I make people happy," Trucy said with indignation.

"More importantly," Apollo continued, "why should we risk the wrath of our respective bosses on a hunch from you? It's not our place to interfere with their personal lives."

Across the room, Simon nodded.

"It's more than just a hunch. Come on you guys, does anyone here really think that Mr. Edgeworth and my daddy have never had any romantic feelings for each other whatsoever? Honestly."

Everyone looked around, waiting to see who would object first. Not a single person did.

"Curses," Ema muttered under her breath, her hands balled into fists.

"See?" Trucy said, standing up straighter and crossing her arms.

"Alright, but that doesn't change the fact that their love life is none of our damn business. I don't want to think about what Mr. Wright gets up to," Apollo said as he sank further into the couch.

Klavier turned to him. "You've never thought about it?"

"…about my boss' romantic liaisons? Not even a little bit." Apollo squinted one eye at Klavier. "Oh. Oh god, have you?"

Klavier grinned. "Why not? They're both handsome men."

Apollo grimaced. "Oh my god, he's your boss!"

Behind them Ema chanted a steady mantra of "Ew ew ew ew ew ew ew ew-"

"I really, really don't want to know," Trucy said, her face flushed pink. "I just think that they deserve to be happy."

Apollo paused in the middle of a look of excruciating disgust. "Is Mr. Wright not happy? It seems to me he's been downright chipper since he got his badge back."

Trucy toed the floor again. "I mean, he's happier than I've ever seen him. But I can also tell that he's lonely." Sadness flashed in her eyes for just a second, but that was all it took. Athena was at her side in an instant, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. Widget glowed softly on Athena's chest.

"You know how much he loves you, Trucy. You're the most important thing in the world to him."

Trucy looked up at her, chewing her lip. "I know. Of course, I know that."

"And it's not that you're not enough to make him happy. You know that, right?"

"Yeah. I get it, I really do," she said, clutching her notebook hard in her fingers.

Athena gave her shoulder a squeeze. "It's just that romance is a different sort of beast. But romance and family are both important. And you know what? I agree with you. I think we should do it."

Trucy's face brightened. "So you'll help me?"

"Of course we will!" Athena said, turning around to give Simon a grin.

Simon sighed and rubbed his temples. "I suppose I'd be willing to help. To a point, mind you. If it gets weird, I'm out."

"That's the spirit!" Athena said, jumping over to the couch and hugging him. He grumbled and rolled his eyes, but allowed it to happen. Taka cooed and rested his head on Athena's arm.

They all turned towards Apollo, Klavier and Ema.

Ema had a deep set frown on her face, but she raised her fist into the air regardless. Apollo turned to Klavier.

Klavier grinned back at him with those unnaturally white teeth.

"Do you object to love, Herr Forehead?"

Apollo grunted. "I can't believe all of you are actually in favor of this. You know we could all end up fired. Or dead."

"Apollo, you really think my daddy would do that?" Trucy asked, eyes wide.

"Mr. Wright, no. Prosecutor Edgeworth, on the other hand, is a very powerful man and could easily have us all assassinated without a second thought."

Klavier and Simon shot each other a look, but they didn't deny it.

Trucy crossed her arms. "Mr. Edgeworth is a sweetheart. He may have that kind of power but he'd never hurt a fly."

"Sw-sweetheart?" Apollo stuttered as though the word felt unnatural on his tongue.

"Yes, that's absolutely true," Ema said with surprising vigor. "He may be ferocious in the courtroom but he's really very gentle," she continued. "He's hard on the outside, but he's gooey on the inside. I'm sure of it!"

"Gentle?" Apollo repeated, with a wary look.

"The point is, no one's gonna get murdered. And if something goes wrong, then we'll try harder. It isn't over until the curtain falls!" Trucy raised her fist to the air, mimicking Ema.

"Well, I suppose that settles it," Klavier said with a cluck of the tongue. "Love always wins in the end."

"Love?" Apollo looked around one last time, hoping to find someone who might possibly be on his side, but it seemed he was alone. He sat back with a grumble. "Fine."

"You'll help?" Trucy said, standing at the edge of the couch on her tip toes, hands clapped together.

Apollo heaved a world weary sigh. "Yeah. I'll help."

Trucy laughed and threw herself on him. "This is so exciting," she squealed, hugging Apollo around the neck until he started to choke. Klavier scooted over so he could watch the struggle. "It's gonna be so great!"

When she released Apollo, his face was a pale shade of purple.

"Thanks, you guys. I know with all of us working together we can make some magic happen." She tumbled over into the small gap between Apollo and Klavier, and held out her hand towards the center of the room. "For love!"

One by one, some with great reluctance, everyone stretched out their arms to meet in the center. "For love!" a few of them repeated, followed by a low grumble from everyone else.

At that very moment, Phoenix pushed the front door open with his shoulder, carrying a tall stack of books. "Hey-" he started. He saw the mysterious formation of law professionals in the middle of the meeting room. They stared back at him. No one said a word. Slowly, he backed out of the room and closed the door. They heard the sound of the door being locked.

After a still moment, Trucy lowered her hand.

"Anyway…"

Apollo squinted at her. "Anyway? Shouldn't you go get him or something?"

She waved him off. "He'll come back in an hour or so. He's used to this kinda stuff. Let's get down to business."

Apollo turned to his neighbor, but Ema just shrugged.

"Okay, whatever. This is the Wright agency; I should be used to it."

"Alright!" Trucy said, taking out her notebook and hunching forward. "First things first, we need a codename."

"Do we?" Apollo asked.

Trucy poked him in the shoulder. "Of course we do. That way if anyone overhears us, they won't know what we're talking about."

"Or we could just not discuss sensitive information in public," Apollo said.

"How about Operation Dad Love?" Trucy suggested.

Apollo leaned away, affronted. "How about no."

Klavier snapped his fingers. "Operation Man Love."

Apollo was stunned into silence.

Klavier turned his gaze up thoughtfully. "Operation Hot Dads?"

"It's getting worse!" Apollo threw his hands in the air. "How is it getting worse?"

Athena pointed at him. "What do you think it should be?"

Apollo he sank back against the couch. "If I had to, I guess I'd go with something a little less suspicious. Like Happiness."

"Operation Happiness? I think I could work with that," Trucy said, holding the pen to her chin. "Good job, Apollo."

"Yeah, I'm a real trooper," he replied.

Trucy made a checkmark in her notebook. "Then the next step is to plan our first attack. Any ideas?"

Athena grinned and leaned over the table. "I think I have a few."

Their first opportunity to implement Operation Happiness came about two weeks later. Phoenix and Apollo were in the middle of an important investigation. It just so happened that their investigation led them to the office of one Klavier Gavin.

And unfortunately for Apollo, Klavier was actually interested in executing their little group project, which meant that Apollo couldn't just pretend that he'd forgotten about it.

They stepped into his office, and he greeted them with his patented rock-star grin. With some well placed small talk, he was able to stall their interrogation until the timing was just right.

"You know, I think some of your questions would be better answered by our prestigious Chief Prosecutor."

Phoenix turned to Apollo and shrugged. Apollo glared at Klavier, who put his hand on Apollo's back with a smile and guided him out of the office.

It turned out that Edgeworth was indeed better equipped to answer their questions, and Apollo had to wonder how much thought had gone into molding Trucy's pseudo-mission around a real life case.

After ten minutes or so, Klavier pretended to check his phone.

"Ah, I am sorry to interrupt, but I've just remembered something. There is a small detail I noticed at the scene of the murder, but I must have forgotten to get a clear record of it. Mr. Wright, if I take Apollo to the crime scene, perhaps our Chief would be willing to escort you home when you've finished here."

Apollo grunted and shoved his hands into his pockets with as little rage as he could muster.

"No, that's fine. I can just take a taxi home," Phoenix insisted.

Edgeworth pulled down his cuff and checked the gold watch on his wrist. "I'm due to leave soon. I don't mind dropping you off at home."

"Maybe you can get a bite to eat as well? It's close to dinner time, after all," Klavier offered.

Making sure his legs were out of view from their superiors, Apollo kicked Klavier in the ankle. Without missing a beat, Klavier stepped on Apollo's toes with the heel of his boot. Apollo sucked in a pained breath through his teeth and slammed his hand open-palmed onto the desk.

"Oh, well," Phoenix said, rubbing the back of his head, oblivious to his protégé's pain, "I think Trucy's picking something up on her way home. But if it isn't out of your way, I would appreciate the ride."

Edgeworth smiled. "Certainly."

Apollo spoke up before Klavier could make any more helpful suggestions.

"I guess we should get going before it gets too dark. I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Wright. And thank you for your help, Prosecutor Edgeworth." He grabbed Klavier by his jacket sleeve and dragged him out the door. Klavier waved as they disappeared from sight.

"…huh," Edgeworth said a few moments after they'd gone.

"Yeah, they're not fooling anyone," Phoenix said.

Phoenix and Edgeworth shared a look and started laughing.

Edgeworth began to gather up the files on his desk, stacking them in two neat piles. "Let me sort through this and then we can be on our way."

Phoenix leaned against the side of the desk and watched him work in silence.

"God, it must be tough," Phoenix said after a while.

"What is?" Edgeworth asked, flicking his pen in neat loops for a quick signature.

"Being Chief Prosecutor. I mean, it's so much responsibility. The paperwork on your desk right now is more than I've ever seen in my entire career."

Edgeworth smirked as he closed another file. "I fear that has more to do with your personal work ethics than my position, Wright."

"Wow, already with the attitude," Phoenix said with a grin. "Sorry we can't all be paper filing machines, your highness."

Edgeworth ignored him and kept on sorting, and the stack slowly diminished.

Phoenix sighed. "No, but really. I'm impressed. I'm really prou- impressed. Like super impressed, it's great." He started to fiddle with his watch chain.

Edgeworth looked up from his paperwork and studied Phoenix. He cleared his throat and went back to his work. "Thank you, Wright. I appreciate the sentiment."

"Mhm," Phoenix replied, and looked out the window.

Not long after, they were making their way down to the garage, Phoenix carrying a small stack of folders for Edgeworth. As they passed the front desk, the secretary called out to them.

"Have a good evening Chief Edgeworth! And Phoenix, tell your daughter I said hello!"

Phoenix grinned and waved. Edgeworth nodded. "And you too, Mrs. Keane."

Inside the garage, Phoenix squinted at Edgeworth's eye-searingly bright sports car/crime scene.

"I'm surprised you never sold this car, what with the corpse in the trunk and all," Phoenix said as he waited for Edgeworth to open the doors.

"Hm. It's nostalgia, I suppose," Edgeworth replied.

"Yeah, I guess dead bodies make me nostalgic too," Phoenix said with a grin.

Edgeworth rolled his eyes. "It was my first car, Wright."

"Really? Huh, how about that," Phoenix said, ducking into the car after he heaved the files onto the backseat.

They emerged from the garage onto the busy, darkening street, vehicles and people moving all around them in a dizzying haze of speed and light.

"So, how's your friend doing?" Phoenix asked, his hands clasped awkwardly between his knees.

"Pardon?"

"You know, the French guy. Frenchie McBaguette."

Edgeworth sniffed. "Monsieur Deuxcoeur is sleeping comfortably at his home in Bordeaux, I would imagine."

"Ah, good, good."

Silence.

"Um, did he enjoy his trip?" Phoenix asked.

"He did, in fact. It turns out that a night of theater is a very suitable activity for a world traveler." He shot Phoenix a look. Phoenix shrugged sheepishly. "And he thought that you and Trucy were charming."

"Ooh, charming? Moi?" Phoenix held his hand to his chest. "How simply divine."

Edgeworth grumbled. "Yes, I'm sure he must have been feeling ill."

Phoenix grinned obnoxiously.

He let the silence settle again before asking his next question.

"So he knew your mother?"

Edgeworth stiffened, his hands clenching around the steering wheel. "Yes, and he's the only one of her friends I'm in contact with, so our friendship is quite important to me."

"Wow. I mean, that's…" he trailed off, dragging his finger along the cold pane of glass next to his head.

Edgeworth sighed. "What is it, Phoenix?"

"Nothing. It's just weird, you know? We've been friends for so long but I don't think I've ever heard anything about her."

Edgeworth was quiet for a long time.

Phoenix opened his mouth but Edgeworth spoke before he could say anything.

"My mother's name was Sophia. Her hair was soft and she smelled like rose petals. She was a bright student, and a skilled artist. After graduating from university, she worked for the precinct as a forensic sketch artist. She loved flowers and tea, and whenever she held me I felt completely and utterly cared for. And now you know everything I do."

Phoenix let out the breath he'd been holding. "Oh."

The air between them was still.

"I'm sorry I made you bring it up," Phoenix said.

Edgeworth shook his head. "You don't have to be sorry, Wright. It was a very long time ago, and not all that painful considering the rest of my childhood."

Phoenix winced. "Sorry, I'm really dredging up your favorite memories, aren't I."

Edgeworth let out a wry laugh. "I suppose you Wrights have a knack for getting me to wax on about the past."

Phoenix hummed. "Don't worry, I won't bug you about it anymore. We're almost at my place anyway."

Edgeworth pulled into the parking lot of Phoenix's apartment. Phoenix grabbed his briefcase and got out, before ducking his head back in.

"You know, you're welcome to stay for dinner. It's no five star joint, but fried chicken is fried chicken."

Edgeworth stared at him and then glanced down at the dashboard clock before shaking his head. "I'm so sorry, but I should get home soon. Thank you for the invitation, Wright. Perhaps another time." He offered a small smile.

Phoenix grinned back. "Hey, no problem. Thanks for the ride." He started walking towards the building entrance. "Good luck organizing all those case files!" he shouted behind him.

Within minutes of setting his briefcase down and taking off his jacket, Trucy came in through the front door with plastic bags hanging from her arm.

"Hi dad!" she said.

"Hey sweetheart," he answered, eyes drawn to the delicious-smelling bags. "Here, let me get those for you."

"No way, daddy," she said, moving out of his reach. "You'll eat everything before we've set the table."

Phoenix chuckled. "Alright, I'll go get the drinks."

Trucy set the bags down on the dinner table and started to unpack their crispy chicken dinner. "So how did things go at work?" she asked.

"Not too bad. We made a lot of headway on this case. I think we have a good chance in court tomorrow."

"Awesome. How's Mr. Edgeworth?"

"Oh, he's - wait," he said, setting a couple of glasses down on the counter. "How did you know I saw Edgeworth today?"

Trucy's eyebrow twitched, but she kept putting out the coleslaw. "Polly texted me when you guys were at the prosecutors' office. I guess he and Klavier had to go somewhere."

Phoenix looked satisfied with that answer. "Yeah, we went to see Prosecutor Gavin. Edgeworth's doing well. He seems pretty busy, but I guess that means things are moving along."

"Good. Well, food's ready. Let's eat!"

They sat at the table and started heaping food onto their plates.

"By the way," Phoenix said, spooning some mashed potatoes next to his chicken, "Edgeworth might come by for dinner sometime."

Trucy's fork clattered to the table. She scooped it up quickly and wiped it off with a napkin. "Oh! That's nice! I hope he does!"

Phoenix eyed her but didn't say anything.

Notes:

I'm writing Klavier as being foreign, in utter defiance of the powers that be.