A week later, Edgeworth was examining evidence at his desk, going over the report again and again. He wondered how hard he and Franziska would have to push to get the death penalty.

Franziska had been avoiding him lately and hanging more and more around Adrian Andrews, going over her testimony. When Edgeworth was with the two, Franziska did not talk to him at all—only to Adrian, who talked to both of them. He wondered if it was really necessary to spend so much time on a witness testimony that had been flawless from the beginning.

Someone knocked at his door. "Enter," he called distractedly. The door opened and shut. "I will be with you in just a moment." He studied the tip of a knife very carefully before putting it off to the side. He stood up, shuffling things on his desk around, and then finally looked at his visitor.

There stood Nicky, much like she had been the first time she materialized in his office, blue-and-yellow uniform and all. She wore a sad expression. Her eyes had dark purple circles underneath, and the corners of her lips were turned down. The dark circles weren't the only thing one could note about Nicky's eyes—they were also red and swollen, and there was moisture beneath them and on her cheeks.

Edgeworth's heart kicked into overdrive. She wasn't supposed to be here. He glanced at the clock. It was about the usual time she used to show up. She hadn't called. He didn't want it to look like he cared too much for her, just in case…

"Why?" she croaked out suddenly. The sound of her voice made Edgeworth's heart break, but he crossed his arms over his chest and tapped his pointer finger.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you avoiding me?" Her voice cracked slightly. "Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry. Whatever I did, I'm sorry. Stop avoiding me. I miss you."

"I am not avoiding you," he told her, willing himself not to change his demeanor. "I have simply been very distracted with this case."

Nicky shook her head. "It's more than that, I know. You never call anymore, and when I call you…lately, you haven't even been saying that you miss me. Do you miss me?" she asked desperately.

"I have been distracted. It is a very difficult case," Edgeworth told her. "And as of right now, I have no desire to see you."

A slight pause followed his words...and then Nicky's entire stature changed. It started with her eyes and face—they hardened, her lips pursed into a line, her chin lifted. Her shoulders, instead of slumping, grew stiff. Her hands clenched into fists by her side. He wanted to shrink away from her like a small puppy dog. Surrounding her was an aura of extreme anger. "Fine," she snapped. She whirled on her heel and walked toward the door, yanking it open. She spun around to face him in the doorway. "Do you remember that day in the park when I told you that you hadn't been cold to me yet?"

He was caught off guard by the memory. It was before he had admitted to himself that he had feelings for her…the sandwiches, the blanket, talking about his past…

"Yes," he replied, dropping his arms by his sides.

"Well, it's a damn good thing I said yet," she spat, and slammed the door. Edgeworth stood there, dumbfounded, for a few more minutes before crumpling into his chair and leaning his elbows on his desk, burying his face in his hands. He wondered if she knew that she had picked the one thing to say that would hurt him most.

Nicky wiped tears away from her face as she walked. She wasn't entirely sure where she was going, but her feet knew the way. People walked past, but she ignored them as if they were nothing more than particularly large air molecules. They did the same to her.

It wasn't too long before Nicky found herself in front of the little café down the street from the fast-food restaurant. Without thinking, she opened the door and went inside, sniffling a bit. Round tables dotted the pastel yellow-tiled floor. Booths lined the walls, colored with pastel yellow and cream. The tables had peach tablecloths trimmed in lace draped across them, and the place was deserted but for one person, sitting at a round table and drinking coffee.

"Larry!" Nicky cried, and he looked up and smiled.

"Hey, Nicky," he said, raising his cup of coffee. "You're not at Edgey's today?"

She stopped in her tracks on her way to his table and slowly looked down at her feet. "No," she replied softly.

"Oh, hey," Larry said, jumping up. "C'mere. Lemme give you a hug. What happened?"

Nicky walked over to him and glumly leaned against him, not making any move to hug him back. He cradled her for a while before pulling back and holding her at arm's length.

"What happened, huh?"

"I don't know," Nicky moaned, collapsing onto Larry's chest again. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "I just…don't know."

"Nicky, were you and ole Edgey ever really…officially…dating?"

"Yeah," she said, her voice muffled by his blue-and-yellow uniform shirt. "But we're not now."

"What do you mean?"

"He told me that he had no desire to see me."

"Oh, Nicky," Larry gasped, rubbing her back. "You poor baby."

"I don't know what to do!" She sniffed and turned her head so that her cheek was pressed against Larry. "What am I supposed to do?"

Larry was stroking her hair. "I don't know."

"What can I do? I guess I'll just…move on…go on like everything's normal."

"You'll be okay." His other arm was around her waist now, holding her against him.

Nicky sighed and straightened up, looking down at her feet. "Thanks, Larry."

"Hey. You'll move on, right? You'll be okay." Larry slipped his finger underneath Nicky's chin and tilted it up. "Right?" And before Nicky knew it, Larry was kissing her. She hung there limply, not knowing what to do. She hadn't even known Larry had feelings like these for her. Her eyes were still open, staring at an extreme close-up of Larry's eyelashes. He was pulling her against him and cradling the back of her head. His lips were gentle and soft on hers. It had all the makings of a good, nice, romantic kiss—but it wasn't. The only thing Nicky could think about was getting out of this situation, and fast.

Larry pulled away from her and opened his eyes to look straight into hers. He set his forehead against hers. "Most people close their eyes when they kiss, but you're surprised, so I guess it's natural," he told her. He pecked her on the lips again and withdrew his arms. Nicky blinked at him, not saying anything. "I have to go, okay? But I'll see you at work tomorrow." He pulled money out of his pocket and put it on the table. He gave her a quick squeeze around the waist before he left. The bell on the door tinkled merrily and Nicky was absolutely alone in the café.

What the hell was going on?