A/N. I probably won't be able to continue to update at such a pace, but when you have time to write Wright, you should write Wright, right?

Kristoph glanced around quickly to see if anyone was watching as he turned the door knob and slipped inside the dingy third floor office. This was a pretty rough part of town, which was fitting, because the person who had called him here today was pretty rough himself.

Jason Holt was a private investigator with a bad reputation. He was a man who would go to any lengths to get results, and Kristoph certainly liked that about him.

Kristoph generally liked to keep tabs on people of interest to him, for "insurance" purposes if you will, and Jason always just took the shots and cashed the checks, no questions asked. He'd snapped some rather useful pictures of Phoenix Wright and his young assistant a few years ago on the morning of the Gramarye trial after Kristoph had decided he needed to keep an eye on Wright once he accepted the case. He was a firm believer that you just never know when things like that are going to come in handy. He'd recently mailed said photos to try and bait Wright at the advice of Andre Fey, but as far as he was aware there had been no reaction yet from the disbarred attorney. Either Andre was wrong or Wright was playing his hand close to his chest. Very close.

Jason Holt sat behind his desk with his feet propped up on the worn wooden surface, talking on the phone. Kristoph grimaced at the PI's chosen attire. Holt was wearing what was possibly the loudest shirt Kristoph had ever had the misfortune of seeing. How on earth did this guy even manage to stay out of sight to take such stealthy photos with a wardrobe that looked like someone had vomited up a Hawaiian luau? Holt hung up the phone as Kristoph approached, the latter surveying the small office space with his usual disdain.

"You wanted to see me for something important, Herr Holt?" Kristoph asked, folding his arms over his chest. He wasn't fond of making the trip to such a low class neighborhood, so he had best be summoned for a good reason.

"Yeah," Holt replied gruffly. "You know how you got me to send them pictures to that ex lawyer guy?"

Kristoph nodded tersely.

"Well, I was going through some stuff and I found these. Thought they might be important," he finished, producing a stack of photos and throwing them down on the desk in front of him. Kristoph moved closer, smiling as he realized what, or rather who, was unexpectedly in these shots.

"I took these when you got me to tail your brother last year at that coffee shop. I never even noticed it was the same girl until you had me dig out those other pictures." Holt explained further.

Kristoph couldn't help but smile as he flipped through the photos of Klavier talking to Maya Fey in a nondescript coffee shop, then following her to People Park, which had been taken only last year. The final shots in the pile showed the petite woman embracing and kissing a disheveled looking man in a blue beanie, who Kristoph immediately recognized as one Phoenix Wright.

"Thank you, Herr Holt," Kristoph practically purred. "You've earned yourself quite the bonus today."

It turned out that the Fey boy was correct. And these pictures would do nicely.

"Crap."

Maya pursed her lips together and re-read the test instructions for the hundredth time. Two lines was a positive. There were two lines on the test in front of her. And the one she had taken before that one. And the one before that. There was no denying it now. She was pregnant. She was going to have a baby. Nick's baby.

Feeling suddenly dizzy, she sat down on the edge of the bathtub and took a few deep breaths, just as Pearl knocked on the door.

"Mystic Maya?" she called. "Can I come in?"

"Come in, Pearly," Maya answered flatly. Pearl entered and closed the door behind her.

"Sooo?" Pearl inquired expectantly.

Maya sighed heavily, forcing a smile.

"Positive!" she said through her smile, her false cheer evident. "I'm..." she trailed off.

"Pregnant." Pearl finished for her.

"Right." Maya nodded.

"You're going to have to say the word if you're going tell Mister Nick," Pearl teased gently.

Maya glanced flatly at her cousin. She knew that.

"Are... are you happy?" Pearl asked cautiously.

"I..." Maya trailed off again. Was she happy? This was a big deal. A really, really big deal. "I really need some time to process this," she finished. Pearl nodded sympathetically.

"How far along do you think you are?" Pearl asked. Maya sighed and stared at the ceiling, attempting to do the mental math. The last time she and Nick had seen each other was about six weeks ago at the Beachfront hotel, and her last period was two weeks prior to that, which would mean...

"Oh god, I'm about eight weeks already." Maya cried. She'd resigned herself to the fact that she'd have nine months to get used to the idea. Turns out it was more like seven. She cursed under her breath. How could they have been so stupid? They were always really careful. Except... well... for that one time they weren't. And here she was.

Pearl sat quietly next to Maya. She wasn't really sure what to say. "I've got to be at afternoon training soon, but is there anything I can do for you? Anything I can get you?" she asked.

"I'm fine thanks, Pearly. But thank you." Maya smiled. Although if she was honest, she could absolutely kill a burger. With mustard and pickles and onions and... anchovies. Yes. She really wanted anchovies. Pearl smiled softly as she stood, patting Maya on the knee.

"This will all work out, you know." she said softly, her words displaying a wisdom beyond her years. "Mister Nick is going to be so happy. You're both going to be the best parents, like you both were to me."

Tears welled up in Maya's eyes. They had indeed been parents to Pearl in a way and it struck an emotional chord with Maya that Pearl had remembered her and Nick taking care of her so fondly.

"Thank you, Pearly," Maya croaked. "I hope you're right."

"I know I am," Pearl smiled gently. She headed to the door, turning back to offer Maya one last smile before leaving and closing the door softly behind her.

Maya let her shoulders slump under the weight of her feelings.

"Well... Better get this over with." she said to herself as she pulled out her cell phone . There was no way she was telling Nick over the phone. She had to convince him to let her come and see him. This kind of news had to be delivered in person.

Dialing his number, she fiddled nervously with the positive pregnancy test in her hand. Her heart pounded in her chest as the call connected and it began to ring. But then it kept ringing. And ringing. Phoenix didn't answer.

Sighing with frustration, Maya snapped her phone shut. She'd have to try again later.

Phoenix trudged up the stairs, pausing in front of the office door to retrieve his keys from his pocket. The hallway light flickered erratically overhead, making it difficult to locate the correct key. He groaned. That light had been like that for weeks. It wasn't so bad during the day when it was light out, but coming home late when he worked nights, it was an absolute pain.

"When are they going to fix that damn thing," he mumbled to himself as he fumbled in his pocket for his phone. Illuminating the screen, he sighed heavily. Although he didn't have the number saved in his phone (that would be far too risky), he recognized it immediately. It was Maya with another three missed calls. That was on top of the two he'd not answered earlier in the day. They'd always had a system. She'd call or text and he'd call her back when no one else was around, but today she seemed super impatient. Using his phone to illuminate his keys, he found the right one and unlocked the office door. Closing the door behind him with his hip, he flipped to his text folder, where there was one unread message from Maya's number.

"Really need to talk to you."

Slipping his phone back in his pocket, Phoenix made a mental note to call her back as soon as he was upstairs. Trucy was with Maggey for the night and they could talk as long as she wanted. He found the light switch, pausing as he felt something paper under his foot as he stepped further into the office. Looking down, his stomach dropped as he recognized the large yellow envelope. The same dark yellow shade and size as the one he'd received a few days ago with the photos of himself and Maya. This one however, hadn't been sent in the mail. This one had been slipped under the door, which was even more menacing. Someone had been here. He didn't like that one bit.

He picked up the envelope and tore it open, silently praying that it was just junk mail or an overdue bill notice and the envelope it arrived in was just a coincidence. But as his fingers traced the familiar glossy paper stock inside the envelope, he squeezed his eyes shut with dread.

Working up the courage, he opened his eyes and immediately wished he hadn't. There were only three photos this time, in full colour. The first showed Maya, by herself, walking through the city in a yellow dress with a coffee in her hand. He gulped, flipping to the next. The second was the two of them together, smiling at each other at People Park, in what he had believed at the time to be a discreet location. The third was Maya kissing him. These were taken less than a year ago. He felt bile rise in his throat as he contemplated what the appearance of these photographs meant.

Kristoph knew he was lying about Maya.

Someone had been following her. Maybe him too. Maybe they still were. He glanced around the office, trying to see if anything looked like it had been moved, but it was difficult with the piles of magic props littering the shelves, couch and desks. Had someone snuck in here and bugged the place? Was he being watched right now? He quickly strode over to the windows and closed the blinds. He'd have to check the office and apartments for hidden recording devices tomorrow as well, just to be sure.

He looked down at his phone. He couldn't call her from this phone either. He had no way of knowing whether it was being monitored. He'd have to go and find a payphone in the morning. She'd texted only an hour ago saying they needed to talk, so he knew that she was alright, and not being kidnapped or potentially murdered (just like old times) but he had to be extra careful or she might not be safe for long, even in Kurain. He'd definitely call her tomorrow morning to check in and explain.

He rubbed his hand over his face, suddenly feeling how tired he was, but he knew sleep would elude him tonight. Maybe he should just give up. Trying to get his badge back and get to the bottom of the Gramarye case was getting more and more dangerous. It was bad enough that he was putting himself and Trucy in harms way every day, but now Maya was involved too. Was all of this worth it? Maybe it was time to just pack everything up, take Trucy to Kurain and stay there for good.

He shook his head. No, that wouldn't work. They'd all still be in danger simply because of what he might know. And Maya would never, ever let him give up. She loved him too much for that. If he didn't take Kristoph Gavin down, there was no telling how many more lives he'd ruin. He had to end this himself. If Kristoph was playing his hand like this now, Phoenix wondered if maybe it was because he was getting close to something important.

Making it to his bedroom on autopilot, he fell on to the bed, hitting the pillow face first with an audible groan. Things couldn't possibly get worse now, could they?

Maya rolled over in bed, grabbing her cell phone from the bedside table. She squinted against the harsh light as she illuminated the display, frowning in frustration when she realized there was no return call or text from Phoenix.

"Where are you, Nick?" she grumbled, slamming her phone down. It wasn't the first time he'd gone dark on her for a few days, but he'd picked a hell of a time to do it again now.