Chapter 4: A Basket of Fruits and Herbs

Running down the corridor of the top floor of the Prosecutors' office, Lana looked back to make sure Edgeworth could still keep up with her. Her pace grew slower when she readjusted her purse on her shoulder so it would not fall. The sound of their shoes rapidly clanking on the floor echoed in the silent empty hallway.

Edgeworth was hastening the quickest he could towards his office, following a sprinting Lana Skye. His legs were already aching, his breathing irregular, but he refused to stop. He could not panic. He tried to re-organize his thoughts. First of all, he could eliminate the possibility of a fire: they hadn't met any firemen in front of the building, they had been allowed to go into the parking lot and to use the elevator, and he could not sense any smell of burning or detect any smoke yet. What did worry him was the fact he had not seen the security guard in her usual area in the lobby…

Lana arrived at the end of the corridor and stopped in front of the largest entrance with a massive wooden door. The doorplate indicated the number of the office, with underneath in golden letters the title of "Chief Prosecutor". Edgeworth noticed Lana had a puzzled expression upon her face. He understood her. He also found it strange that the door was closed. Furthermore, whatever was happening behind it, everything seemed to be completely quiet. Discomfortingly so…

He examined the doorknob. He hesitated. But he relaxed his tense arm. No time to lose! He turned the knob clockwise. It wasn't locked. He flung the door open and prepared to enter…until he was blinded by colorful projectiles in his eyes and deafened by loud shrieks in his ears.

"SURPRIIIISE!" Surrounding him were a grinning Detective Gumshoe, a very upbeat Kay Faraday, and a smiling Maggey Byrde, all three of them holding party poppers in their hands.

After having shaken off the little bits of confetti from his face, Edgeworth blinked, and saw that his office had been invaded with festive banners and candles, his desk having been cleared out to make room for what looked like Christmas cookies and candies, alongside bottles of soft drinks and glasses. It took a while for him to recollect himself from the shock, and to comprehend exactly what was going on.

"Wha-wha-wha-what? What do you think you are doing HERE?!" Edgeworth tried to sound menacing, but his voice was still trembling from the fright. He heard Lana approaching behind him. Though she was relieved nothing bad had happened, she still wanted to know what was going on.

Maggey nervously approached Edgeworth. She had been re-hired as a security guard in the building, after Gumshoe hadn't been able to find the "Goddess of Misfortune" another job. The Detective had to plead her employer to take her back.

"Mr. Edgeworth, you're finally here! When Detective Gumshoe told me about his…plans tonight…he asked me if I could use this." She presented the Master Key to him. "But please, don't get mad, Mr. Edgeworth! Detective Gumshoe wanted to do something nice for you!" Maggey obviously didn't want the great prosecutor to lose his trust in her.

Kay then advanced. She slammed her palm so hard on Maggey's back that the security guard flinched. Kay didn't notice, placed her hand on her friend's shoulder, and laughed: "Well, we thought we might just let Maggey tag along! After all, the more the merrier, don't you think so?" Edgeworth was about to reply, but she continued without paying attention: "We were going to invite your sis', but she didn't seem too interested. Said she was busy and didn't have the time to attend such a foolish event with such foolish people. Yeah, and then she just said 'foolish' a lot. After that, Wolfman didn't seem like the party type either…and Larry's with his girlfriend, so…It's just us, I guess, but we're pretty fun people, so don't be too disappointed!" Detective Gumshoe grinned harder at this statement.

Edgeworth was boiling inside. He was about to sharply retort that she still had not answered his question, when Lana came forth and took the words out of his mouth: "Um…Excuse me, but…would you mind telling us what is happening here?"

Everyone turned their heads towards her. It was as if the three intruders hadn't noticed her presence.

Uncomfortable, Detective Gumshoe decided he should respond: "Oh, Mrs. Skye, didn't notice you behind Mr. Edgeworth there, pal! I mean, he's so tall and stuff (laugh)! So you're…not doing anything special for Christmas Eve either, huh?" He scratched his head, hoping they'd bought enough food for everyone. "Well, we thought, since we all have nothing to do tonight, that maybe we should celebrate together!" He beamed, brandishing a bottle of champagne from one of the side tables, adding: "Sorry for the fright, sir, but we thought you'd probably refuse if we just told you the truth. You're not really into parties and stuff. But I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun!"

Edgeworth's eyebrows were still frowning. Gumshoe's own cheerful expression turned into a moping look. "I'm sorry sir; I really didn't mean to scare you. And I didn't think Mrs. Skye would be with you tonight…" The prosecutor sighed as in resignation. After all, the detective was right: he probably would have declined his invitation if Gumshoe had straightforwardly asked him. He wondered why his friend had been so keen on thinking that Mrs. Skye would definitely not have been with him tonight. Detective Gumshoe must have known her little sister had left the country for her investigation. Then again, it was highly probable that the man had just forgotten about it…

"Well, Detective Gumshoe, at least everything and everyone is safe and sound. But I do think you should apologize to Mrs. Skye: she was also very much alarmed by your call."

The detective's droopy head bowed to ask for forgiveness, while Lana raised her hand to tell him it was all forgotten. Before Gumshoe could protest, he felt someone glaring at them. He turned his back and noticed that Kay was intensely staring, not at him, but at Lana specifically. He then recalled the fact they'd never met before.

"Oh, uh, Kay, this is Lana Skye. She was Mr. Edgeworth's mentor many years ago. She's also Ema's sister. I've told you about Ema, the forensics detective, remember?"

Kay didn't respond. She kept curiously eyeing, looking intently at this stranger who apparently was very close to Mr. Edgeworth, even though she'd never heard of this person before. Gummy was about to remind her that it was rude to stare, when she suddenly questioned Lana: "So you're like…Mr. Edgeworth's secret girlfriend?"

The room stood still. No one dared to speak up. Detective Gumshoe, upon noticing the different color changes in the prosecutor's face, clumsily hit Kay on the head. Kay, impatiently waiting for the answer, again totally oblivious, protested: "Ouch, Gummy, whatcha you do that for?" Edgeworth, on the verge of exploding, his teeth clenching and his cheeks flushing, could only emit a grunt: "Nnnghghh…K-Kay!"

Without any warning, Lana responded in a soft voice: "As much as you are Mr. Edgeworth's stalker, young woman."

All of the people in the room looked at her in disbelief. Mr. Edgeworth was on the verge of fainting when he heard her words. Lana simply smiled. She knew what it was like to deal with gossipy young women with wild imaginations. Even Ema could still behave like a teenage girl sometimes. Mr. Edgeworth observed this change in her expression. Was she actually…joking?

Kay opened her eyes wide. She then grinned, put on a proud face, and replied: "Hmffh! No way! I'm no vulgar stalker! I am a thief! A Great Thief!" She paused to clear her throat. "Even in the depths of night, when no other bird dares to take flight, one alone soars to shine the light of righteousness on the world's blight! And that one is me, for I am the Great Thief Yatagarasu! And my goal is to steal the truth! I'm not interested in Mr. Edgeworth's hankies or anything like that, if that's what you mean…"

Now very self-conscious (and highly conscious of his cravat as well), Edgeworth intruded upon their conversation: "Um, I think that's enough for your introduction, Kay! Mrs. Skye, this Kay Faraday, the daughter of the famous prosecutor Byrne Faraday." Lana nodded, recalling the man's face from many years ago.

The atmosphere was tense once more with another awkward silence. Suddenly, a light bulb lit up over Detective Gumshoe's head. Hesitantly breaking the silence, he tried to make eye contact with Lana before speaking up:"Oh, uh, Skye! I mean Mrs. Lana! No, Mrs. Skye! Yeah, that's it, Mrs. Skye! Now that you're here, I guess I could tell you the news."

A glint of surprise appeared in Lana's eyes. Detective Gumshoe laughed: "Heh! I guess it's the perfect time to do it, 'cause it's Christmas Eve and all! Alright, let's say this is my gift to you! I think…" He paused for a dramatic effect. Lana pressed him to continue: "What is it, Detective? Please, proceed."

The Detective smirked once again: "I think there might be an opening at the police station for you. Some of us…" He paused again, sadly this time, as if he'd remembered that he wasn't part of this group of people. "Some guys down there got promoted before the holidays, and well, there's a spot available: police officer, if you're interested. It's basic stuff, like traffic control and all that, but it's something, I guess…" His voice trailed off, until he realized, from the look on her face, that Lana didn't seem to care about the job's constraints.

"Oh…Oh…" Lana couldn't add anything else. She was obviously touched by Detective Gumshoe's efforts to find her a decent job. Maggey smiled: she knew very well the detective's heart of gold, so she understood Lana's reaction.

"Oh, Detective, you have no idea how wonderful this is for me! I couldn't ask for anything else! Thank you! Thank you so much!" Lana rushed towards him, almost as if she wanted to hug him. She then controlled herself, thinking it might be inappropriate. She extended her arm in a more professional manner and whispered: "Thank you". Embarrassed, a blushing Detective Gumshoe could only stutter. He uneasily put out his hand as well. Their handshake was vigorous: it was a way for them to confirm their new friendship.

Lana didn't detect the detective's wink at Mr. Edgeworth. It had been a hard task for Gumshoe to convince the other policemen to accept her candidature, due to the fact her record stated she'd been a former criminal. It wouldn't have been possible without the help of the Chief Prosecutor, who had been able to pull a few strings behind her back. Though this hadn't been entirely permissible, it wasn't considered as illegal either, and Edgeworth believed it to be the right path to take. It was for her sake, after all…

After the handshake, Lana turned towards the two girls: "Oh, and I really must apologize for intruding upon your gathering tonight!" Maggey and Kay both shook their heads in synchronization, a sign that meant they'd already accepted her as a guest. "What did I say? 'The more the merrier', right?" Kay cheerfully added. Lana smiled: "Thank you". She turned towards Mr. Edgeworth, who seemed to have been hiding in a corner behind the door: "Isn't this nice of your friends, Mr. Edgeworth?"

The lawyer didn't know whether he really believed this to be nice, but he nevertheless showed his consent. As long as she continued to smile this way, he would approve of anything she said. It was a huge relief to see her like this after her distress when they were in his apartment building. As long as she continued to smile, everything would be fine…

The evening carried on with more surprises and special presents. Mr. Edgeworth was once again shocked upon discovering a brand new Steel Samurai special edition figurine of the Iron Infant from Kay and Gumshoe (if only they'd known it was the one that was missing from his collection), which he immediately tried to hide from his former mentor who curiously asked him what it was. Thankfully, Kay's shrieks upon discovering the new gadget she needed to enhance Little Thief's capacities to detect hidden objects caught Lana's attention. Detective Gumshoe then admitted Maggey partly helped him to pay for it because of certain people who enjoyed giving him salary cuts…

Midnight had fallen. The detective's champagne had been poured into everyone's glasses that happily clinked to celebrate the arrival of Santa Claus (no one tried to deny his existence in front of Kay). After that, all five of them moved to the building's roof to contemplate the shining stars, after the menacing snowy clouds had disappeared. While the Great Thief complained about how chilly it was, and Maggey proposed to do some warm-ups with Gumshoe to fight the cold, Edgeworth spotted Lana near the balcony, her left hand holding her glass, her right one tightening her muffler, gazing at the skies. He was uncertain whether he should approach her, though he wanted to make sure she was feeling better.

He didn't hear Kay come near him until she whispered in his ear: "So Mr. Edgeworth…You sure you don't have a teensy little crush on her?" He jumped:"Ah-Uh-Eh-Wh-Wh-What?! Kay, you have to stop sneaking up to people without warning! And you should stop saying out loud whatever foolish thoughts go through your mind!" Kay tilted her head: "You're starting to sound like your sister, you know that?"

"Nghhhoooh!" Was she even listening to what he was trying to say? "Kay, would you please?" She tilted her head the other way: "You still haven't answered my question yet, you know that?" He could only shake his head in despair:"Please, you know very well where I stand when it comes to those types of…relationships…" He didn't know how to formulate this. He left Kay standing there pensively and went to join Mrs. Skye.

Kay took Detective Gumshoe aside. Before Gummy could ask what was going on, she pointed towards the balcony where the two lawyers were standing together, and whispered to her partner: "Now come on, don't you think that could work out? I mean, they're kinda alike, in the way they speak, the way they act…Except that she's got a sense of humor, while his…funniness is unintentional…"

Before she could continue, the detective removed her hand from his arm, and shook his head: "I wouldn't get into it, Kay. You know how Mr. Edgeworth is with women. Plus, I remember, those two got a history together, and it's not that pretty a story." Kay widened her eyes, insisting he tell her more, but the detective refused: "Hey, it's a long story, and I'm not going to talk about it tonight. Sorry Kay, you'll just have to let it drop." Disappointed, Kay observed Gumshoe return to his warm-ups with Maggey, then looked again at Edgeworth and Lana side by side. She flinched. Something strange was going on with her friend and this woman, and she wanted to know what.

Meanwhile, Edgeworth cautiously asked Mrs. Skye if she was feeling a bit better. His left knee bent, his hands clasped together, his wrists reposing on the balcony's railing, the prosecutor looked into the distance at the city's skyline. Lana was also observing the view, captivated by the lights that blinked from the top of the skyscrapers. Her smile was somewhat relieved, somewhat sad: "Oh. Thank you for your concern, Mr. Edgeworth. You should not worry about me. I shouldn't be acting like this at all. It's just…" She thought about what to say next, about what she should reveal to him and what she should keep to herself. "This is just a difficult moment in my life, that's all."

She bent her head slightly backwards with a small laugh: "Oh God. You really have caught me at a bad time. Once more, I guess. I should continuously apologize to you, but I know you won't let me. I wish I could do something to repay you, for everything you've done. I owe you…" She was about to say 'my life', but thought it might sound superficial. "…So much." She tried not to hint at the 2017 murder case, the trial where he had truly saved her life, even after learning that she had stabbed him in the back. She didn't want her past guilt to submerge her once more. Even though she'd never told him how regretful she'd felt during that trial. Even though she still felt that way. She wanted to change the subject, but was concerned when she didn't hear him speak.

"Mr. Edgeworth?" He straightened himself to respond. "You know…you should know, Mrs. Skye, that you are not a burden to me. You never have been, and my respect for you hasn't changed." Lana stared at his face, as if this were her first time seeing it, as if she were seeing him in a new light. He blushed, and looked away, wondering why she was gazing at him in that manner. "Have you always been so compassionate, so generous, Mr. Edgeworth?" Blushing even more, he rapidly glanced at her, and then quickly looked away again. He seemed distressed. He couldn't think of an answer.

After a heavy silence, he managed to hurriedly reply: "Well well, no! You should not see it that way: I am not a generous person at all! You see, you have also given me…a lot in the past, and this is my way of repaying you."

Lana kept a neutral face. She nodded. When he embarrassingly turned his head away, she bit her lip. So that was it. He was repaying a debt. Nothing more. Inwardly, she cynically laughed at herself. She briskly, yet gently, touched his shoulder to inform him that she was going to join the other group.

He watched her leave. He sighed. He'd almost fallen into the trap: he'd almost lost his composure. It was as if a black hole had sucked in all his thoughts the moment she'd looked at him like that. He'd almost panicked. He clenched his fists in frustration. Had he been clumsy? Was that why she left him? He relaxed his hands. No. It was fine. She'd seemed to have accepted his answer as a perfectly reasonable reply. He inhaled, exhaled. "Everything is fine, Miles. Calm down, now. Everything is fine", he kept repeating to himself.

He sighed again. "Kay, I noticed you five minutes ago. You can come out now."

Kay grumbled, and left her hiding spot, which she'd thought was a perfect place to spy on her two 'lovebirds'.

"If you're planning on becoming a Great Thief, Kay, I'd be more careful with your next victim". Kay grumbled some more: "All right, all right, Mr. Edgeworth, I've got the message: I need to work on my spying skills." Edgeworth rolled his eyes: this was really the first he'd ever heard someone talk about 'spying skills'.

Kay continued: "But still, you've got to admit Mr. Edgeworth, something's happened to you…" She bent her back and started examining him with one eye shut, placing her hand near her other eye as if using a magnifying glass. "I may be no detective like Gummy, but I smell something fishy here." She pretended to sniff the air around him. "Are you sure her charms haven't had some aphrodisiac effect on you?" She grinned, happy that she'd managed to place the word 'aphrodisiac', a word she'd heard on some soap opera on TV, in a conversation.

Edgeworth swiftly turned around to make sure Lana had not overheard anything, as Kay had spoken quite loudly. He was relieved upon seeing that she was deep in conversation with Detective Gumshoe, which probably had something to do with her new job. He looked back at Kay, opened his mouth, ready to scold her, but then closed it again. He knew that it was impossible to try to convince her otherwise. He gave up: "Oh, for heaven's sake! I don't even know why I'm giving you advice for your next burglary. This is ridiculous!" He went back and left Kay alone for a second time. He thought he should tell Detective Gumshoe he was going to return to his warm office to get a cup of tea.

Kay boisterously laughed: "Ha ha! You've got to learn to be less susceptible, Mr. Edgeworth! Actually no, stay like that! Teasing you is just so much fun!" She heard him mutter something in the distance."Oh, and by the way, you still haven't answered my question yet!" She scoffed. Whatever the prosecutor would say, her suspicions would be denied. Nonetheless, Kay had clearly noticed some change in him since his conversation with Lana. She shrugged her shoulders, decided she should make fun of Edgeworth some other time, and looked up at the skies to contemplate the stars that happily twinkled.

Edgeworth, though fervently awaiting the taste of one of the brews of Twinings' Special Fruit and Herbal Collection, hesitated to interrupt Lana and the detective's discussion. They had their backs turned; they didn't notice him. He could overhear her ask: "Detective Gumshoe, this might be nothing important, but why did you think I wouldn't be with Mr. Edgeworth tonight? I'm sorry, this is a silly question, but it's been bothering me a little."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. So she had also been wondering about the detective's reaction. He approached, curious to hear Gumshoe's response. He felt slightly immature, sneaking up on them the same way Kay did.

The detective didn't say anything at first: he was obviously hesitating. He managed to awkwardly respond: "Oh, that! Uh, yeah, oh, well, I didn't know, I was just…well, it's nothing, but I just…assumed that…" Lana insistently nodded her head for him to carry on. "Well, I guess, since it's been a couple of days that we've released him, I guess I thought…Well, you guys were close and all, so I just… I thought you would be spending Christmas Eve with Jake Marshall."

Above them, the stars froze. They'd suddenly stopped sparkling over the little group of people on the rooftop.

Lana's lips parted. She didn't move. Everything was silent still. Until the champagne glass that slipped from her fingers shattered on the floor into a million little broken pieces.

A shriek. Everyone abruptly turned round to face the screamer. Embarrassed, Maggey shyly looked down at the ground, bit her tongue, and scratched her head in a Gumshoesque manner: "Sorry, I'm sorry Mrs. Skye, I didn't mean to scream! I just get freaked out by the sound of broken glass, that's all. Reminds me of my misfortune and all that."

Normally, the first concern that would have gone through Edgeworth's mind would have probably been about whether he could feel secure in his office with a security guard who was afraid of something as trivial as the sound of shattering glass. But of course, the name of Detective Marshall changed everything.

How…? How was this possible? How could this be happening now, of all times?! Right from the moment he'd remembered that sc-…

He closed his eyes. He had to stop and think. It made sense, after all. Mrs. Skye had been released about a year ago…even though her crimes involving the SL-9 Incident and her cooperation with Damon Gant over the years had been greater than Jake's own misdeeds. Maybe Detective Marshall had confessed some greater sins he'd committed before the Bruce Goodman case…

He opened his eyes again when he heard Detective Gumshoe inquire in a surprised tone: "Um, Mrs. Skye, you…you didn't know about this? I mean, we did try to keep the press quiet about it. But, yeah, I guess it still was in the news, and all that."

Lana's face sufficed as an answer for Detective Gumshoe to finally understand that yes, indeed, she had not heard about Jake Marshall's release. Edgeworth recalled the fact that Lana had stopped watching television or reading the newspaper during her stay, as well as that she had made everything possible to isolate herself from the rest of society. Even if she'd paid a visit to the police station on several occasions, she wouldn't have heard anything if the police had been intent on keeping this event a secret…

Yes, it was all perfectly logical. And yet, he couldn't help feeling an unexpected stinging sensation of dread and cold inside him, watching Lana confusedly look around her as if trying to find an answer for the question that was burning on both their lips: 'Why did this have to occur now?'

Hello everyone! It's the author again!

I must confess, it feels good writing such a cheerful chapter (at least, when you compare it to the previous ones). I thought the story needed some comic relief from all the drama, so I hope the happy-go-lucky trio eases the tension for now...

Speaking of those three, I almost forgot that Kay isn't a teenager anymore when writing this chapter. As you've probably figured out by now, the story's happening during the AJ timeline, so she must be about 23. Well, I can't imagine her as a mature young woman, so I'm going to make her act like she's still 17. Sorry Kay :p

You can interpret Edgeworth's uneasiness however you want (you're the reader after all). I think his hesitations mostly illustrate the fact he is the kind of person who naturally has difficulties when it comes to social relations, who keeps asking himself too many questions because he doesn't trust his own actions or his own words in those situations. Then again, there might be something more when it comes to Lana...

See you next time, and don't hesitate to review :)!