CHAPTER 4 PART 1

It was nighttime, and Franziska's head rested on Lt. Edgeworth's shoulder, fast asleep. He, however, was not being granted the luxury of sleep at the time.

He hadn't slept since Officer Armando came to inform him of his suspicions; the Intelligence officer was an extremely smart man; Edgeworth knew he was waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, like a viper in coil, it's venomous fangs exposed. He pulled his Zippo out from his pocket, and then lit a cigarette he had already placed in his mouth; the nicotine buzz was the only thing that kept him from sleeping.

He didn't close the top of the lighter, however. He kept the flame burning and slowly and gently reached towards his piles of journals; he sifted towards the bottom and pulled an older one out that read Lt. Edgeworth on the cover. He blew the dust off of it and read the cover to himself. Lt. Edgeworth; I know I'm not the first, but please, god tell me I'm the last.

He blew out some cigarette smoke and opened the old war journal; a picture of him and his father fell out. He set his Zippo down on a crate beside him, letting it act as a sort of lantern. He picked up the picture and gave it a look over; it was him and his father, marked December 5, 1935, on the day of his 18th birthday. They were both standing outside of his childhood home, saluting the camera, each with a smile. His head surged and throbbed, fighting back flashback to that day.

He remembered he wanted to be like his dad, a Lieutenant in the military, ever since he was a child. He was born in 1917, when his dad was away fighting in WWI. They had the same eyes, same hair (albeit they wore it in a different fashion) and same loyalty to their men. His head throbbed and surged once more, this time his vision with it; he kept on fighting the flashback he knew was inevitable.

He was leaving for college that day. That picture was taken right before he left with his two best friends to go become men. His head surged a final time, and this time it was too strong to fight back.

HOLD IT! Flashback coming up, you really should go play the extended version of Reminiscence : True Pain from PW: JFA on YouTube. It's the perfect music for Lt. Edgeworth's flashback.

FLASH! "Okay, Edgey, we got your picture. Can we go now? I can hear the broads callin' my name!" Larry Butz sat inside his brand new truck calling at him, while Phoenix put his camera up and hopped into the passenger's seat.

Now 18-year old Miles Edgeworth smiled; he was the youngest of the 3, but in a matter of months, not years. They all, however, managed to graduate high school a term early (Larry only because of his family's money; they weren't hit as hard by the depression as anyone else, it seemed; they were still the richest family in town, depression or not.) He and Phoenix did it the honest way; they were both still very excited about getting to go to college, though, even if Larry had been expecting it all of his life. "I'll be there in a minute. Let me say goodbye to my dad." Geez, he's one impatient rich kid.

He looked eye to eye with his dad; he was told they had the same eyes, but he didn't want to believe it; ever he'd known his father, his eyes always seemed so cold and distant, even if he had always been a bright and friendly man. He'd heard about something tragic happening to his entire platoon in the first World War, a platoon he himself was in charge of, but he never was filled in on all of the details. "Hey, dad."

His father smiled back. "Hey, son. I shouldn't be telling you this, because I know you'll do it, no matter what, but go out and make me proud, ok?" A tear started falling from his glasses protected eyes as he hugged his son goodbye. "I love you."

He hugged his dad back; "I love you too, dad." He knew he was lucky to have a man like him as a father; he wouldn't have asked for a different man to take his place. After they were done, he pulled back and patted him on the shoulder. "Now, go get 'em, Miles."

He threw up a salute. "Will do, dad." Gregory Edgeworth had always given his son an option as to what he wanted to become when he grew up, but Miles knew as soon as he graduated college he was going to become a Lieutenant in the Army, just like him. He picked up his bag and tossed in the back of Larry's truck, hopping in the passenger seat, forcing Phoenix to the middle. He waved goodbye to his dad one last time before heading off to become his own man.

They drove for around 5 minutes before Miles remembered he'd forgotten his collection of journals. "Larry, go back. I forgot something."

"Whhhhaaaatttt?" The rich boy said, sounding irate. "Fine, just hurry, ok?"

They drove 5 minutes back to his old house. When they got there, he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it was different. It seemed...cold.

He entered his room and picked up all of his journals and placed them in a bag. He decided to say bye to his dad one last time before heading off, and also he needed to let him know he was here and taking a few more of his things. "Dad?" No answer.

"Dad? Are you here?" Still no answer. He walked up to his father's bedroom and knocked on it, finding it locked. "Dad?" He knew he was behind there. He grew worried; he kicked the door down. He immediately wished he had never done so, as a sickening paleness flushed over his face.

"No..." His dad's dead body hung by a noose from the ceiling, a wooden chair kicked down on the floor below. He walked up to his father's dead body and wiped some of the blood off his dad's chin that had found its way out of his mouth. He looked at it on his finger, and began to shake. "No...dad..." His finger came out of focus as he noticed a piece of paper sticking out of his father's pocket.

He pulled it out, and after reading the scribbled text, he knew he'd never, ever forget these words.

MILES - NEVER JOIN THE MILITARY

He hadn't noticed Franziska awake beside him; "...Lieutenant Ed-worth?"

These words broke his focus and he gazed at the half-awake-half asleep blue haired girl beside him. "Hey, Franziska."

"Sie sehen wie ein Geist aus." She said this with a strong hint of worry in her eyes.

He smiled at her and then pulled her head close to him and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Franziska."

"Ich liebe dich auch, Lieutenant Ed-worth."

FRANZISKA SPEAKS:

Sie sehen wie ein Geist aus - You look like a ghost.

Ich liebe dich auch - I love you too.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Finally, I got around to updating this work of mine! Leave a review or whatever you like, and please, check out my forum, AA's Serene Place. It's a safe place to promote your stories, get feedback on your ideas, meet other writers, and vent your frustrations.

Happy reading, dudes!

-ghostfacekiller39