Boy the writing bug bit me tonight! This chapter just like poured out of my mind! And I REALLY enjoyed writing this chapter. Finally getting back to the relationship drama. And speaking of drama BOY is there a lot of it. No one get mad at me though if you really like Miles. Just stay with me to the end and I promise you'll be happy with it. I had to add this little spat in here though to cause for some interesting predicaments in a later chapter. Alright Chapter 12!


Apollo and Miles stepped out of the elevator and started walking down the hall. Apollo kept looking at the ground away from Miles. Meanwhile Miles just kept looking ahead walking at a pretty fast pace causing Apollo to almost run to keep up. 'Oh God, why does he want to talk to me? Does he know I'm working for Phoenix? Does he know I have a crush on Phoenix? Does he know Phoenix has a crush on me? Does he not want me to be in charge of him? Did he not want to come back just for this? WHY IS IT SO HOT IN THIS HALLWAY?!'

Miles put his hand out in front of Apollo and pointed to a bench in front of an open window. "Would you care to sit Mr. Justice?" Apollo just nodded and slowly walked over to the bench. Miles came and sat down next to him.

"So Mr. Justice, I hear you just had your 10th victory in a row after only 6 months time. You must be extremely content with yourself. It is quite a staggering achievement."

'Why does he keep using such big fluffy words? Has he always talked like this?' Apollo just fiddled with his hands. "Yea, it's no big deal though, I just fight for what's right."

"As you should. I hope that you would never try to cheat and make up evidence to get actual felons off the hook."

"Oh no! No Mr. Edgeworth I would never that's just not right!"

"I figured as much, Gumshoe would never trust you with something so big if you were not the right person. Now then, have you noticed anything weird about the people working on this case?"

"What do you mean? Do you think someone that is working with us is the spy?"

"That is not what I meant. I was wondering why our team is just the two of us meanwhile the other teams are of three."

"Yea, that is weird. I wonder why."

"Well I do remember there used to be a really good defense attorney that used to work but he apparently up and left, I wonder why he's not here."

"You're talking about Phoenix aren't you."

"That's right. That was his name Phoenix."

Apollo clenched his fist and teeth together. "You KNEW it was Phoenix! You just wanted to see if I knew it was him! What about him Edgeworth?!"

"Nothing Mr. Justice I just completely forgot. It's been a while since I have been back here. I forget things easily. No need to get upset over everything."

Apollo tried to calm himself down, but he still felt tense sitting next to Miles. "So what do you want to know about me?"

"Well whose office do you work for first? That way I know who your superior is."

Apollo stood up and shot Miles a glare. "You were a prosecutor, you were an investigator, and you should know exactly who I work for. If you know ANYTHING about my wins you know exactly about my first win."

"The case of People vs. Shadi Smith which ended up indicting your boss Kristoph Gavin as the actual suspect and not Phoenix, what about it?"

Apollo started to walk away, "This conversation is over."

Miles got up and chased after Apollo. "Wait, I'm sorry I came off as a jerk. I just was nervous about meeting you and finding out what you're like."

"What're you trying to do? Determine if I'm good enough to work for a guy like Phoenix? Why do you care about him anyways? You dumped him!"

Miles grabbed his right elbow and turned away, "So you know about that too? Who told you about that?"

"Who do you think? Come on smart prosecutor you should know everything."

"So I take it Trucy is still mad at me?"

"Mad at you? You better not come near the agency, she would kill you. In fact, why don't you stop by later today…"

"Apollo don't be like that."

"Be like what? You are the one that abandoned Phoenix causing him to drop into depression. You just kicked him to the curb and went about with your life pretending you were better than him. Newsflash Miles, you're not. You weren't better than him then, you aren't better now, and you'll never be. As for me, I refuse to work with someone who is incompetent like you. I'm going to make sure Phoenix takes that BAR exam, gets his badge and he and I will work together. You can fly back to Asia and go about your pretty little perfect life."

Miles turned around and went back to sit down. Apollo stood there and watched him with his arms crossed. "Maybe if you actually showed you cared about other people besides yourself then you could actually be liked, but until then I have no need to talk to people like you."

Miles looked down at the ground, "People like me? What do you mean people like me? All you defense attorneys are the same. You think I only care about myself? I don't, I care for the safety of the people and public everywhere. I vowed once to get all criminals convicted, to never deal with criminals again. Then I started working with Phoenix. I started finding the truth in all investigations for myself. I knew that he would be able to do it without me so I decided to pursue some interests of mine and let him handle things on his own. After a while I returned, but only at his request because he needed my help. I came back and helped him out. I saw he did some good for the public. Not only did he protect the public, he even protected the wrongfully accused. I saw a strong confident man in him once, someone who saw the good in everyone and was always there for people. He would risk anything to protect the innocent, but then came that case. He forged evidence, and then you proved he didn't. Did he? Didn't he? It doesn't matter. Just a few days after he got really quiet and changed. He wasn't himself anymore. No confidence, never returned calls, nothing. He just shut himself up. I couldn't stand that. I already am a mess myself with my bad history I wasn't about to take on his new future."

Apollo remained standing there shifting his weight during the entire reveal. "Miles, what you just said right there was all truth, but that ending still makes you a selfish asshole."

Miles clenched his fists up. "Me a selfish asshole?! I tried talking to him, I tried being there for him! What the hell does he do? Just sat there and cried. Didn't even speak."

"And…?"

"And what?!"

"And how long did you try to talk to him?"

"For a few days, then I found out about an opportunity in Asia. I wanted to invite him along with me. He said no, he wanted to stay there. He had to take care of Trucy. Like that mattered. How was he going to do that without any income?"

"See? You're selfish."

Miles clenched his fists then eased them, "Ok, so I was. I realized it then too at the airport. I called him then, but he didn't pick up. When I landed in Asia I called then too, still didn't answer. I called him for the next 2 days. He never responded."

"Do you know why?"

Miles closed his eyes, "I don't know why and I don't care."

"What if I told you Phoenix went missing for four days? Would that change your thought process?"

Miles looked up at Apollo, "He what?"

"He left, went out. He told Maya to watch over Trucy for about 4 days. No one knew where he went and apparently he didn't tell anyone."

"But… why?"

"Why?! Because he lost the case, lost his badge, lost his job, and lost you. He saw Trucy and had no idea what to do with her. How could you as a person say no to taking care of her? For Christ sake she thought her mother was dead and her dad just up and left her, and you have the audacity to say Phoenix was selfish to not come with you to Asia simply because he wanted to stay and give Trucy the childhood she deserved?! That's my sister you are talking about you asshole!"

Miles looked back down at the ground. "I never said that. Phoenix and I had been only dating for a few months at that point. This was something that I was not prepared for. I didn't know how to deal with that kind of baggage."

"That baggage is named Trucy!"

Miles just looked at his hands. "Look I'm sorry."

"You better be."

"I deserve that. Listen Apollo, I never meant any hard feelings to Phoenix, nor did I mean to try to be a jerk to you. I'm sorry we're getting off to a bad start. I'll talk to Gumshoe and take myself off this case. I'll even book a flight back to Asia for tonight. I just thought that by coming back here I might be able to rekindle some things with him. That's all, and I was trying to figure out if you were with him or not. That's all."

Apollo took a step back and opened his arms up. 'So, Miles was jealous that I was possibly dating Phoenix? That's why he came off as a jerk?'

"Look Apollo, I'm really sorry. I'll get out of your way now." Miles stood up and started walking back to the elevator.

"Wait Miles." Miles turned around to face Apollo. "Listen, I understand that you were hoping for that potential relationship again, but it doesn't mean you should worry about someone stepping in your way of stopping you. If Phoenix wanted to be with you the minute he saw you don't you think he'd take you back? Why then would you have waited so long to come back if you really wanted to be with him?"

"Because, I didn't know that I wanted him until I heard he was with you."

Apollo's eyes went wide. "Who told you we were together!?"

"I just thought that you joining his agency meant you were together."

"Well we aren't. I mean yea I have a slight crush on him, but nothing is going on between the two of us."

"Well why not?"

"Just, cause, besides we're not talking about me here we're talking about you. Listen Miles, I know it hurts to leave someone you truly care about but it doesn't mean you can just stop back here and expect everything to go back to the way things were. It takes time."

"I know, I'll just go it will be better if he never knew I was here."

"I didn't say that. Besides, do you really want to leave?"

"What does it matter to you?"

Apollo stood there and stared long into Miles's eyes. He finally got a good look over the man. He noticed his face looked saddened and roughed up. His hair wasn't as well styled and his suit was just a drab suit and plain. Nothing like the pictures he remembered seeing in his law studies.

"Because I'm not selfish like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Miles, you lost your confidence didn't you? You used to wear lavish gaudy clothes filled with colors. In addition you never wore a black shirt and tie, always a white fluffy one with a giant cravat. It was to help you make your presence known. Now you feel like you are a nobody. That's why you dress like that. Because you don't want anyone to know you are there, you don't want to have to deal with your past conflicts."

"What's your point?"

Apollo put his hands on his hips and waved his finger at Miles, "My point is if you are ever to become a better person and not this selfish asshole that you are, you need to stop living in the past. You need to stop looking down on yourself and you need to become the person you once were. Even if Phoenix wanted to take you back at this point he wouldn't. You liked him cause he was a confident man right? What did Phoenix like you for anyways? Probably because you were a confident man too."

Miles just looked at Apollo for a while, he soon bowed his head and smiled. "Thanks Apollo, I needed to hear that. You and Phoenix would be perfect together. I guess I should leave you two be then." Miles turned around and proceeded to walk back to the elevator again.

"Wait Miles." Miles looked back over his shoulder. "If you leave that means I have to work alone on this case. Even if I get Phoenix back it will still be the two of us." Apollo closed his eyes, 'I feel like I am going to regret this next move.' He opened his eyes back up and said, "Would you mind staying and being the third to help us on this case?"

Miles turned around and put one hand on his hip and smiled. "I'd be happy to."