The Life of a Demon Attorney

A/N: Sorry for the misleading ending from Chapter 7. I didn't mean to give the impression of the end of the fanfic XD My bad! I thought the "R&R for the next chapter" at the bottom would have cleared any of that up. ^^; Anyways, here is Chapter 10. Enjoy!

risenfromash: First of all, thanks for dropping off a review and letting me know what you think. The compliments mean a lot to me. But I do have some clearing up to do, so I hope everything I am about to explain answers your questions/concerns.

Edgeworth had only just moved back in, so I doubt he was expecting anyone he knew to visit him, especially since he hadn't told anyone ahead of time of his return. The only people who knew were Gumshoe and Phoenix (both of whom I don't see visiting Edgeworth's apartment much). As for being protective of Kay, it had been a while since the incident, over a year or so, so I doubt he'd still be jumpy about something as simple as answering the door. When he was pulling Kay back, he thought that she had just dismissed the visitor, not invited them in, so he was trying to pull her back into the bedroom for… certain 'activities.' That's why he was pulling her back, not because he was pulling her away from Franziska.

I don't see her as being jealous of Franziska though. I thought of it while writing the chapter, but just couldn't picture Kay being jealous of Franziska. She had seen Edgeworth interact with her before and knew there was no romantic interest between the two. On the other hand, Seasons she had never heard of, and she all of a sudden realized all the late nights at the office were with his assistant Seasons. That bears room for jealousy. Also be aware that Franziska is more inquiring and passive (like Edgeworth, hiding her emotions) when she first realizes that they are dating, and doesn't express her full support until later, as time is passing, in the description following the first scene. :) Hope this answers everything for you!

HopelessRomanticist: What good timing, you'll find out where Iris is soon enough.. :)

The usual disclaimer applies.

Chapter 10: Temptation

Seasons Hartleb was in a predicament.

She had gotten herself into a lot of trouble just a month ago. She had found evidence, planted at a crime scene in London. It was false evidence, created to lead them astray. She had, as the detective in charge of the investigation with the prosecutor, presented it in court while giving testimony, at the time unaware that it was a forgery. In the end, the defense attorney eventually proved it to be a fabrication. The prosecutor was laid off for negligence, and she herself was in hot water. She was sent to L.A. while the precinct back home decided whether or not to take her off the force. Sure, the prosecution was responsible for what evidence she chose to present in court, but the prosecution presiding over that case had been influential, and had pulled some strings before being fired, managing to place a significant amount of blame on Sesasons as well. Now, because Seasons hadn't been fired, she had the ability to contest to her foreign assignment and try to earn the right to stay in England. But upon reading the case review, several names had caught her interest…

So here she was.

She was standing here with another powerful prosecutor - a prodigy, apparently, in North America. He was the first male to become a prosecutor at the young age of twenty, only bested by Franziska von Karma, a female who had become a prosecutor at the age of thirteen. It was different here in L.A., many of the officers down at the precinct less than reliable. But at least there was eye candy.

"How can you not see it?" she heard Edgeworth say from his desk. Seasons turned to look at him, taking her eye off of the view from the twelfth story of his office. She leaned forward over his shoulder, the tips of her auburn hair brushing against the sides of his face.

"Not see what? Mr. Edgeworth, I see no contradiction. I was top of my force, and I-"

"There's no mud on the victim's clothing."

"… What? What does that prove? We already determined in court yesterday that the victim was killed in another location-"

"The victim was then transported here and thrown to the ground, where there should be blood on her garbs, but there isn't!"

"!"

Seasons' eyes frantically searched the crime photo. How could she have missed something so obvious?!

"You're losing your touch, Ms. Hartleb," he said, that conceited smirk on his face. Seasons did what she had taken to doing every time he tried to get the best of her: she turned her face slightly, already in close proximity with his. She caught his glance, and a smirk tugged at her lips. The only way to make a man like Edgeworth feel uncomfortable was… seduction. Any attempt at getting close and personal with this American prosecutor proved to be difficult, but Seasons enjoyed a good challenge.

"Am I?" she whispered. She could picture that child's jealous face now. What had been her name? Kay? And all along she had thought he was a workaholic with no time for a lover. Quite the contrary: he had time to have personal relations with someone younger than even Seasons. Not that that was taboo or anything nowadays. If she remembered correctly, the detective she was replacing had married a woman with approximately the same age gap as Edgeworth and Kay.

Edgeworth cleared his throat and moved away, like he always did. Seasons watched as he slid his suit jacket back on, that stony look on his face.

"Even losing your touch, Miss Hartleb, I cannot deny your value to this case."

"Thank you, Mr. Edgeworth." Seasons slid on her own jacket and walked to the door with her superior.

"I have to head out, my apologies, but when you're finished looking over those case records, could you drop by my apartment?"

Seasons arched an eyebrow. An invitation from Miles Edgeworth?

"I need them in the morning before the trial. I need to give myself enough time to mentally prepare," he explained. Of course. Somehow Seasons doubted he was the type to just invite women freely into his abode at late hours of the night. Still, she enjoyed having her fun. For some reason the quiet ones always inspired the worst in her. She leaned forward as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket.

"Of course, sir," she said quietly in his ear. Edgeworth didn't even flinch. He opened his office door and waited for Seasons to walk out first.

"Thank you for staying so late," he said simply. "I will see you later, Miss Hartleb. Enjoy the rest of your night."

"I'll try," she said. Edgeworth turned the corner and went down the stairs. Seasons smirked, clutching the files in her hand.

Oh boy. She was in more trouble than originally expected.

"Edgeworth!"

Edgeworth smirked as he hung his keys by the ring neatly on one of the pegs in his coat rack. As he slid his jacket off as well, he glanced at the woman standing in his living room with a mad grin on her face.

"How did you get in here?"

"I was a thief, Edgeworth. I have my ways," she said haughtily.

"I could report you and get you a short sentence, you know."

"But you won't!"

"The next time I see Little Thief, I'm taking it from you."

"Shut up, you're going to ruin the surprise."

Edgeworth arched an eyebrow as he walked further into his apartment suite. Kay walked up to him. She really looked excited. She moved behind him and slid her fingers around his eyes to make sure he couldn't see.

"Surprise?" Edgeworth asked.

"Yeah! You ready? One, two, three!" She moved her fingers away, and Edgeworth's eyes widened as he was almost bowled over by a large collie.

"Pessu!" he exclaimed. Kay burst into a fit of giggles as Edgeworth fell to his knees to wrap his arms around the big dog's neck. Edgeworth was always so calm and collected, so seeing him with such a big smile on his face was foreign.

"Kay- where did you- how did you-?!" he tried to ask, at a loss for words.

"Well, you told me you had a dog a while back," Kay said with a grin. "It was when you told me about your mansion that you're renting out; 'cause it's too big for just you, right? Plus you said that the family cares for Pessu a lot of the time. Today I paid the family a visit and thought I'd bring Pessu by! You've been working so hard on the case, so I thought you could use a friend…"

"Dogs aren't allowed in the building, you know," Edgeworth said, but he was patting his companion on the head happily.

"If you won't tell, I won't," Kay said happily. Edgeworth managed to give Kay a brief hug before the collie jumped on Edgeworth, panting.

"Thank you, Kay. I'll bring him back in the morning before the trial. He'll be good company while I review the evidence list tonight." Edgeworth visited Pessu a lot at the mansion, but Kay didn't have to know that. It was good to have him here. He was a dog person; around Pessu, it often became hard to maintain his monotonous and stony demeanor.

"Well, I better go," Kay said, but Edgeworth shook his head.

"Stay the night, I don't mind. I have to stay up late and prepare for the trial, but that just means you'll have the bed to yourself for a little while. I can drop you off at work on the way to the courthouse."

"It's sweet of you to offer, but I don't have work tomorrow - Pro D Day, remember?" said Kay, giving Edgeworth a peck on the cheek. "You sure I won't bother you if I stay?"

"You won't," he assured her. Kay walked up to Edgeworth, snaking her arms around his waist and giving him a long kiss. Edgeworth returned it, deepening it slightly until he heard Pessu whine quietly from behind. Kay laughed.

"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to bring the dog," she said.

"He's just looking out for me – I have a lot of work to do tonight and is reminding me of that fact."

"You always have a lot of work to do," Kay said, shaking her head. "I expect some serious repayment on your part when everything is over."

Edgeworth smirked, trying not to think about the aggravating fact that he and Kay hadn't 'been' with each other for almost a month now. How had he gone so long without..? Nevermind. All he knew was that now he'd had the good fortune of being with a woman, it was exceedingly frustrating not being with one. However, he had a good amount of self-control.

"Promise."

He watched as Kay walked into his bedroom, Pessu sitting right by Edgeworth's desk on the hardwood floor. That dog had always known him too well, when they had been the only ones living in his mansion all those years ago. After Wright had lost his badge, though, Edgeworth went on a whim and put the mansion up for rent. With Franziska traveling abroad and Phoenix no longer an attorney, he felt suddenly alone. The emptiness of his mansion pronounced that. He wasn't stupid, though. He wasn't expecting to get any offers on the place, considering that when people rented, they usually looked for apartments or something equally cheap. One family had miraculously contacted him, however, and had been renting his mansion ever since.

At some point in the evening Edgeworth managed to change into his pajamas, pouring over whatever information he had not passed to Seasons, one hand absent mindedly patting the sleeping Pessu on the head. He used his trusty logic to piece things together over and over again, memorizing his strategies for the following morning without fail. His train of thought was broken only once, when there was a knock on his door. Ah – that was probably Seasons. He glanced at the clock – three in the morning?

"You're up late," he said as he opened the door. He accepted the papers that Seasons held out to him. He saw her gaze fall downwards, and Edgeworth swallowed, feeling suddenly self-conscious. He was not in his usual suit, but in a fitted t-shirt and sweat pants, worn perhaps a tad low on his hips. He never bothered to use the drawstring, but right then, he cleared his throat and quickly pulled the drawstring tight so the sweat pants remained securely around his hips.

"Apologies," he said quietly. "But I'd been wearing a suit all day I thought it best to study the rest of the night in comfort."

"Oh, it's… not a problem, Mr. Edgeworth, sir," she said in that husky British accent. Edgeworth truly wondered what this woman was up to; she knew of Kay now, and they were strictly work partners. He didn't even have any of those kinds of feelings for the woman, but still she persisted. It was just… it was hard to ignore her advances when they spent so much time together. He couldn't pretend he was so oblivious he didn't notice any of them.

"It's odd to see you out of a suit," she said. She herself was still in her pencil skirt and blouse from earlier that day.

"Yes," he said uncomfortably. "I suppose I should have waited until your arrival before changing, but ah…" he trailed off, grasping his arm as he looked away. Seasons smirked, leaning against his door frame.

"You look good," she said. "So don't worry about it. I didn't think the word 'sweatpants' were in your vocabulary, though." Her gaze flickered down to below his drawstrings, and Edgeworth sent her his usual passive look. He was not against comfortable clothing when lounging in his own home.

"Erm… thank you for bringing the files." He paused, feeling oddly uncomfortable beneath Season's blunt gaze.

"Well," he said. "Good night." She smirked and turned around.

"Good night, Mr. Edgeworth. I'll be cheering for you from the gallery tomorrow."

Edgeworth ignored how difficult it was to picture this cool woman actually cheering, simply nodding and shutting the door behind her. When he turned around, a sleepy-looking Kay was sitting on the armchair of his couch, Pessu still asleep by his desk.

"I don't like her," Kay said, her voice groggy.

"I think she likes that you don't like her. It eggs her on." Kay walked up to him, wrapping her arms around him almost protectively and pressing her face lightly against his chest. Edgeworth held her, setting the new files aside on his desk with a sigh.

"Listen," he said softly. "I was going to save this for later, but there's an annual dinner coming up soon. Attorneys, prosecutors, judges, officers – they'll all be there. It's a really big, formal event. I'm allowed to bring one guest, and I know you probably don't want to come, but-"

"Of course I'll come," said Kay. Like she was going to let Seasons go with Edgeworth to a big fancy dinner. Sure, she was a tiny bit jealous, but Edgeworth was a good guy, deep down. He would never do anything like go behind her back with Seasons.

"But only if you come to bed." Edgeworth glanced at the clock. He could rise early to review the last of his files. He sighed and wrapped his arm around Kay, walking with her back to his bedroom.

"Fine. You win," he said. Kay laughed.

"I always win."

"You're kidding."

"Not at all."

Franziska von Karma leaned back in her seat, her eyes closed.

"You won that trial?"

"Of course."

"I thought the man was innocent..."

"He was a liar."

Franziska, Edgeworth, and Kay were all in a little coffee shop by the Courthouse. It was just after ten or so in the morning, and Edgeworth had finished his trial with a "Guilty" verdict handed down, even after only a couple of hours of sleep. The accused, he knew, had actually committed murder, and paid the ultimate price for it. He held his mug of tea between his hands, trying to warm his palms as he looked over to Franziska. Franziska was drinking tea as well; seems the only one who had gone to the coffee shop to drink actual coffee was Kay.

"Well, you performed well. I've never really seen you in court before," Kay said. The last time had been when she was ten years old, and she hadn't understood a whole lot of what was going on. His case had been put on hold, after all, due to her father's murder. She had only overheard enough to defend Gumshoe when Edgeworth bullied him. Franziska scoffed, clearly displeased about her little brother's victory.

"I thought you von Karmas were all about perfection?" Kay asked, arching a brow. "Shouldn't you be happy Edgeworth won?"

"Oh," said Edgeworth, setting his mug down upon the table again. "This wasn't just any regular case."

"It wasn't?"

"No. If it had been, I would have never taken it because the defense attorney heading it was much too arrogant. I don't enjoy dealing with people like that in court."

Kay blinked. What did Edgeworth think he was like in court?

"I enjoy a challenge, and Franziska insisted that the only reason I wouldn't take the case was because I was scared. She challenged me, I accepted, and... I won."

Who's arrogant now? Kay thought with a smirk.

"Really, Little Brother, it isn't becoming to gloat."

"I'm not gloating," Edgeworth said with a smirk. Just looking at her, you could sense her foul mood. The reason Franziska had challenged Edgeworth was because she had lost against the head attorney in a previous case - the only person she had lost against since Phoenix Wright. And to know Edgeworth had beaten him...

"Let's go for some ice cream."

"What?" Franziska's eyes widened as she looked up at Edgeworth. Kay sat up too.

"You... you never eat ice cream," Franziska said.

"Yes, well... Kay knows a good place," Edgeworth said. "C'mon, Franziska. I'll buy you something. My treat. We don't see each other outside of the Court House much, so..."

"I don't need your pity."

"It's not pity," said Edgeworth. "It's ice cream."

"Come on, Nick! You heard Edgeworth – it's a big event, so we have to go shopping! You only have two suits, and we've seen them from court and from Gumshoe's wedding. We have to mix it up a little!"

Phoenix laughed as an eccentric Maya pulled him down the street. Ever since she had become the Master of the Kurain Channeling Technique and the head of the Fey Clan, he didn't get to see her much. She hadn't changed a whole lot, still wearing odd robes and always smiling, but even he couldn't help but notice that the once out-there kid had gained a little wisdom in her new adulthood. She was still bold, eccentric, and came to overly creative conclusions, but when the time required, Maya could be really… mature, and even insightful.

She tucked her hair behind her ear as she glanced from window to window, shop to shop. She no longer wore the top knot in her hair, but wore it down, sometimes hidden beneath a hood of some kind.

"Since when does the Master have time for dinner parties and shopping?" he asked her, only teasing.

"Since one of the High Prosecutors of L.A. pulled strings and got us tickets," she countered. Edgeworth had apparently phoned both him and Maya, telling them that he had managed to get them invited to some sort of annual New Year dinner. Even though he was no longer a defense attorney, Phoenix was apparently welcome (no doubt thanks to Edgeworth's persuasion skills) and allowed to bring one guest. He originally thought of bringing Maya, but of course Edgeworth – somehow – managed to reserve a ticket for her, too, also allowed one guest. Phoenix rolled his eyes as Maya shoved open one of the doors, apparently finding a store she finally found suitable based on their displays.

"Okay. First help me pick out a dress, then I'll help you pick out a tux. We'll try them on and meet by the mirrors, okay?!"

"Uh, sure…" Why did he always allow her to drag him around again? He scratched his toque as he awkwardly stood around while Maya floated around the racks, squealing when she found something particularly cute. He found himself growing bored, his gaze drifting outside the window…

"Um… hello. May I help you find something? The men's suits are on the other side of the store."

Phoenix jumped and turned to face the clerk who had spoken, immediately rubbing the back of his neck, abashed.

"Oh – no – my friend, she wants me to help her pick out a dress… and then she's going to help pick out a tux…" He babbled like an idiot, trailing off when he noticed something. His gaze fell upon her uniquely braided black hair, her dark eyes, and fair skin. She was as slender as always, a blush to her cheeks, pleasant smile to her face. She soon noticed he was staring however, and after a few seconds, recognition lit up her features.

"Mr… Mr. Wright."

"I- I…"

"Sister Iris?!"

Phoenix heard Maya's voice from behind him, and Iris turned to face her. She offered her a warm, welcoming smile. She bowed her head, her white dress rustling slightly at the movement.

"Hello, Ms. Fey, although it is just Iris now. I hope you are doing well."

"What- what are you doing here?! We thought- you know- you were still in…"

"Prison?" Iris asked, that pretty smile on her face. "My sentence ended last month. I paid the temple a visit but Sister Bikini told me it would be best if I spent some time in the real world. I prayed with her for a couple of days and then she got me a job here. Her sister-in-law owns the business."

Phoenix felt something drop to the pit of his stomach. She… she looked the exact same as she had all those years ago.

"How the years have changed you, Mr. Wright; I hadn't seen you in the Detention Center in a long time," Iris said quietly. Phoenix opened his mouth to say something, but Iris looked away. She had heard what happened to him through one of the guards. It was no coincidence that he had stopped visiting her after he lost his badge.

"If you need any help," she said, "I will be organizing some things at the cashier. Excuse me." Phoenix watched her walk away, dumbstruck. He only stopped looking at her when Maya tugged on his sleeve. The expression on her face was somewhat wary.

"Nick..?"

"Y- yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Fine, Maya," he said quietly. "I'm fine."

"Okay... well... should we leave, or..?"

"No, no." Phoenix slid his hands into his pockets and glanced at Maya. "This is the only real free time to buy our clothes for the dinner, you're right. So let's pick something out now."

The rest of shopping was somewhat awkward, the two of them often falling into bouts of silence. Maya couldn't help but notice Phoenix's gaze frequently travel to Iris, busy doing paper work by the cashier. Once in a while Maya would catch the two smiling at each other, then looking away. Seemed Phoenix was too shocked to go up and really talk to her. When she had found her dress and was helping Pheonix pick out his tux, Iris moved into the back storage room, leaving Maya and Phoenix alone.

"Okay," she said. "All done. What do you think?"

Phoenix glanced in the mirror, the suit looking silly with the bright toque that sat upon his head. His hair was much too messy beneath though, for him to want to take it of with Iris in the store.

"It's good," he admitted. "You have good taste for someone who wears spirit medium robes all the time."

"Nah," Maya said, brushing some lint off of the shoulder pads. "I just know you a lot better than you think. Come on."

Phoenix walked over to the cash register, and Maya rang the bell once. Iris immediately came forward with a smile that took Phoenix's breath away. Looking at her was like... like remembering a nightmare, while at the same time looking at a dream.

"Finished?"

"Yes. You stay here all by yourself even though you only started about a little while ago?"

"There's not much to it," Iris admitted. "But my supervisor just went out for lunch. She'll be back."

"Ah." Phoenix handed Iris his card, and she ran it through the machine. Maya stood back, just watching the two of them interact. They were so distant, this strange tension between them. It was like the two of them wanted to say or do something else, but something was stopping them. She expected Phoenix to say something stupid, or at least say that he would be back to visit, but he didn't. He slipped his wallet back into his pocket and took the receipt, glancing at Iris one last time as he offered her a goodbye and left the store.

"Why didn't you say anything to her?" Maya asked once they were back on the street. Phoenix shrugged, looking over his receipt.

"I mean- clearly something was still there- you were both so awkward, though- Oh!" Phoenix bumped into Maya from behind as she stopped walking right in front of some kind of fifties diner. "Hey, look! It's Kay - and Edgeworth, and von Karma! They're... eating ice cream?"

Maya would have thought that was a hard picture to paint, if not for the scenario in front of her. Maya glanced at Phoenix, surprised by his lack of reaction, but he was still looking over his receipt.

"Come on, Nick. Let's have ice cream!"

Phoenix watched as Maya ran into the diner, immediately going up to Kay and giving her a hug. He could feel Edgeworth watching him through the window as Phoenix tucked the receipt into his pocket. He pushed open the door and walked inside, secretly pondering what he should do with the receipt Iris had given him. On the back of the thin paper, in her neat writing...

"323-594-6756"

A/N: So, what did you think? Review for the next chapter! =)