Anything But Love - Chapter Thirteen

"Need anything else, Chief?"

Mia looked up from the papers spread out across her desk and tapped her pen against her lips in thought. "Hmm... No, I don't think so. You go on home and enjoy your Christmas Eve."

Phoenix nodded and stood, putting a few things in his briefcase before latching it and straightening. "Okay, guess we'll see you tomorrow night. I'll make sure Miles watches that DVD so he and your little sister will have something to talk about." He grinned, and Mia mirrored his smile.

"Phoenix, if you can get that man to say more than two words, I'll be impressed."

Phoenix laughed a little and then sighed. "Yeah, I know. He's warming up to you a little, though, especially after everything you've done to help." He paused, then averted his gaze slightly. "By the way, thank you for all of this. You really didn't have to-"

Mia held up an index finger, effectively silencing him. "Phoenix, I told you not to worry about it. When you told me what happened to him, there was no way I wasn't going to help you two out. You can thank me by continuing on the path you've started walking, and by encouraging Miles to keep up his own studies. He's a genius: his talent is being wasted with him cooped up in that apartment twenty-four-seven."

Phoenix gave her a solemn nod. "I know, and I think he does, too. He's just scared, and... honestly, I am, too. The fact that Von Karma hasn't made a move against either of us is... kind of unnerving. I mean, not that I want to deal with him, but..."

"But he's not the type to forgive a slight against him," Mia finished for him, a grave frown on her lips. "Don't let your guard down; that might be what he's waiting for." With that, she stood up, her features relaxing a little. "But! It's Christmas Eve, so try not to dwell on it for now. Go home and relax, and I will see the two of you tomorrow night for dinner."

Phoenix shook off his worry and smiled again. "Aye, Chief. Merry Christmas." He picked up his briefcase and gave her a parting wave before exiting the office, whistling a mostly-on-key version of "Jingle Bells" as he went. His mood really had improved during the past month, and he was well-aware of the cause.

That wasn't to say that all was perfect. Yes, he was going home to the man he'd spent so many years dreaming about, but that man was still suffering. Miles was settling in all right, but he was still so timid, quiet, and even fearful at times. He never felt safe leaving the apartment and never felt safe being alone, and God forbid he be faced with someone other than Phoenix! Apparently, after coming to America, Von Karma had literally been the only person he'd seen for the entire two and a half years until Phoenix had rescued him. That plus the severe psychological torture he had undergone had left him with so much crippling anxiety when faced with new people and places that Phoenix wondered if he would ever truly be able to function within society again.

At least he could say that Miles was learning how to be human again. It was a very slow process, but they had actually been able to have some relatively normal conversations over the past two weeks. The nightmares, however, had not stopped, and actually seemed to be getting worse. He hadn't managed to coax Miles into telling him what those dreams showed him - only that he'd had them since he was a child. Phoenix wasn't going to force it, or at least that's what he kept telling himself. He wondered if he might have to at some point, wondered if that would be the right thing to do. He knew of one subject in particular that could most assuredly cause nightmares for his poor lover, but that situation had only started when he was sixteen. According to Miles, the nightmares had been around long before that...

Lastly, there was the looming threat of retribution from Von Karma. Given that the man was a prosecutor of such note, Phoenix had honestly expected him to locate the apartment by now, to either show up himself or even send the police out, claiming that Miles had been abducted. He had no idea if the man had made any more attempts to contact Miles by phone, as he'd disposed of that cellphone and - with Mia's help - purchased his lover a new one so that he would not be left without a means of contact. Once, he had even passed Von Karma in the courthouse, but the man hadn't given him a second glance, as if not even recognizing him.

He knew - and Miles assured him - that wasn't possible. Von Karma would remember him and would suspect, and as previously discussed, he would not just let this go. He had to be plotting something, and that thought kept Phoenix awake on many a night.

Before he'd even realized it, Phoenix was peddling up to the bike rack outside of the apartment building. He had been lost in thought and on autopilot the entire way home, which also meant he'd forgotten how cold it was. Now starting to shiver, he stepped off his bike, locked it in place, and then began the trek up the outside staircase to his door.

Mia was right: It was Christmas Eve! It was a time for fun and relaxation, and he was going to spend it with the love of his life!

Warmth washed over him as he stepped through the door, and he quickly closed it to keep that heat from escaping. The very next thing that hit him was a smell that instantly set his mouth to watering, and his gaze went to the kitchen, at the entrance of which stood Miles. He was wearing his usual nice clothing, but over top of it was a tan apron with roses stitched along the edges of it. Phoenix knew he should have begun with a greeting, but the sight of that accessory now had his full attention. "...Where the hell did you find that?" he asked in utter confusion. He immediately regretted his phrasing, but to his astonishment - and joy - Miles just raised an eyebrow at him.

"It was in your 'junk drawer,' folded up at the back behind that zip-lock bag of miscellaneous nails and screws," the silver-haired man replied. Then, the timidness returned and he bowed his head. "I, um... had hoped to find one because I did not wish to make a mess..."

Phoenix dropped his briefcase and keys and slipped off his shoes, taking a large whiff of the aroma filling his apartment. "Do I smell what I think I smell?" An excited grin was forming on his lips as he approached his lover. "Miles, are you baking?"

"Y-yes..." Phoenix thought he detected the movement of Miles' lips to add the word 'sir' to that, but he didn't say it aloud. "I-I found a recipe online for Christmas cookies... and you had the ingredients here, so... since I could not purchase you a gift, I thought..." He trailed off, having dissolved into anxiety and uncertainty.

Phoenix closed the rest of the distance between them and gently took Miles' face in his hands, bringing it up so that he could give the other man a tender kiss on the lips. When he drew back, gray eyes were peering at him in anticipation, waiting to hear just what 'Sir' thought of his gesture. "Miles, if those cookies are half as sweet as you are, I'll be in a sugar coma tonight."

Phoenix would forever contest that Miles Edgeworth blushing was the single most adorable thing on the planet, and he couldn't stop himself from placing little kisses on each of those rose-tinged cheeks. He wanted to scoop the other man up into a big hug, but the apron was covered in flour and he didn't want to ruin Miles' efforts at not making a mess. He'd just have to wait on that.

"I-I should... go check on them..." Miles murmured, staying in place for as long as Phoenix had hands on him; it was one of the more subtle things, but he would never draw away from a touch or hold. Only when Phoenix let his hands drop from his face did Miles step back and turn to go toward the oven, and Phoenix decided to just leave him to his task and go change out of his suit.

He returned wearing a cozy red sweater and black sweatpants in time to see that Miles was in the process of spreading icing Phoenix had completely forgotten he'd had over the cookies, a look of intense concentration on his face. The attorney couldn't help but stand there and watch him with a little smirk, having to resist the urge to go around and sneak up behind him for a little surprise, as he looked that focused. Instead, he sighed, shook his head, and went to his briefcase to retrieve something, speaking as he pushed aside some papers. "I got you something, Miles."

A brief delay as his message wormed its way into Miles' attention. "...Hm?" He heard the plastic spreader clatter to the pan, and when he stood up and turned around, Miles was looking at him with curiosity. Phoenix held up what he was holding, and he watched that curiosity morph to wide-eyed surprise and a hint of habitually-suppressed joy. "I-is that...?"

Phoenix chuckled and approached him to place the DVD case on the counter. "Yep! The entire first season of "The Steel Samurai" so you can catch up from the beginning. After all, Mia's little sister is a huge fan of the show, apparently, and I wouldn't want you to be completely lost when you two talk about it tomorrow night at dinner."

he watched as Miles picked up the case, still wrapped in plastic, and examined it like he'd just discovered some sort of priceless treasure; Phoenix was certain he was not at all accustomed to receiving gifts, especially not gifts meant for entertainment. "Th... Thank you, S- Ph-Phoenix." He looked up once more, and Phoenix could no longer stand it. He reached up to untie and pull away the apron, and then gathered Miles into a tight embrace. Miles came eagerly and lay his head in the crook of the young attorney's neck, his Christmas gift clutched to his chest between them.

Phoenix squeezed him tightly and rested his chin on his lover's shoulder, getting his first look at the half-frosted cookies sitting atop the stove. He suddenly wondered if they could get away with just having those for dinner...

Fuck it! It was Christmas Eve, this was his house, and he was a grown-ass man! If he wanted cookies for dinner, he'd have cookies for dinner!

Ringing - loud and incessant - was what dragged him from a dead sleep the following morning. He honestly couldn't even remember dreaming, but he supposed he must have, right?

Phoenix groaned as he blindly groped around for the source of the noise, not yet able to even open his eyes and lacking some muscle control in his arm. He ended up knocking something off his nightstand - the phone probably - and the ringing was now farther away. He grumbled in irritation, deciding to just wait for it to go to voicemail: they'd leave one if it was important enough.

His phone soon beeped to indicate that the call had been missed, and he had just resigned himself to going back to sleep when it began ringing again. He groaned louder in pure irritation and started to drag himself out of bed, forcing his heavy lids open halfway. It was indeed morning, and the sun was too damn bright!

Strange... It almost felt as though he had a hangover, but he only remembered having one glass of wine the previous night...

At last he got a grip on his phone, and instead of chucking it against the wall like he really wanted to do, Phoenix checked the caller ID. Mia's modest yet confident smile looked back at him, and he could only wonder why Mia would be repeatedly calling him on Christmas morning!

"H'llo...?" he mumbled when he somehow got the phone to his face.

"Good morning, Phoenix," came Mia's voice. She sounded calm and professional on the surface, but he had known her long enough to detect a hint of... something in her voice that he didn't like. It was too damn early in the morning to figure out what, though. "Sleeping soundly on such a fine Christmas morning, I see."

Phoenix rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear away the thick fog that wouldn't seem to lift from his mind and senses; he wasn't usually this groggy. "Erm... Y-yeah, kinda'. Something the matter?"

"Yes, in fact," she replied, and he was starting to recognize that 'something' as 'anger' the more she spoke. "I'm actually down at the Detention Center right now, and you'll never guess who I'm visiting."

"Probably not before I put pants on, no," he mumbled, beginning the process of drawing on his sweatpants. Why did she sound so mad? What had he done wrong this time?!

"Phoenix, look around you," Mia instructed. "Is something missing?"

"...Is something...?" Yes, it was way too early in the morning for this! He straightened up and looked around, his gaze falling on his empty bed. It appeared as though Miles had gotten up before him, which he had to admit was a little peculiar. Miles often woke up before he did, but he would stay right there beside him until Phoenix decided to get up, usually because Phoenix kept a firm, protective hold on his lover while they slept. Oh well, perhaps he'd just needed to use the bathroom or something. No big deal! "Mia, come on. I seriously just woke up and-"

"You know, as much as you claim to worry about him, you sure are inattentive this morning."

It took his hazy brain a moment to register her words, but soon an icy dread began creeping over him. He started toward the bedroom door. "W-wait, what?" He found that the bathroom door was open and the light was off. A quick look around the rest of his tiny apartment revealed that the living room and kitchen were also vacant. "Mia, a-are you trying to tell me that-"

"I got a call from him this morning, yes," Mia stated, her voice stern. "Had I not noticed it was from the Detention Center, I wouldn't have had any clue what was wrong with him, because he couldn't form a complete sentence he's so terrified. I suggest you put your pants on and get down here ASAP."

Phoenix's brain was reeling as he tried to conceive of what this all meant. How was this even possible?! Had Miles actually... left the apartment at some point and... somehow ended up in jail!?

No... No, that wasn't possible, and yet...

"Phoenix? Phoenix, you better not have gone back to sleep on me!"

"I-I'll be down there right away!" he stammered, heart suddenly racing as he hung up the phone. Panic was driving the fog of sleep away, though it wasn't really helping him make any more sense of the situation. He began rushing around, not even bothering to take a shower or make sure his suit and tie were straight before he raced out the door.

Phoenix was out of breath when he at last burst into the visitation area to see Mia standing there with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. And, to his horror, Miles was indeed seated on the opposite side of the plexiglass window, slumped forward with his face in his hands. Phoenix practically ignored his boss and ran right over to the divider, picking up the phone that was used to communicate through the soundproof shield. "Miles! W-what the hell happened to you?! Wh-what's going on!?"

What he heard from the other end were heart-wrenching sobs, and it took some time before Miles managed to choke out a response. "I-I'm... s-sorry, Sir! I... I-I'm s-sorry I-I left...! I-I... I..." He stopped, nearly hysterical and unable to go on. Phoenix wanted to scream at him - not out of anger - but out of pure frustration and horror at the situation. Instead, he turned a helpless look on Mia, hoping she'd managed to get something out of him.

"He's been arrested on suspicion of murder," his boss stated bluntly, driving a metaphorical knife into his gut. "They brought him in around one this morning, and he called me at seven-thirty."

Phoenix was sure that the look on his face was no less than dumbfounded. "M-murder?! A-are you serious?!" So many fears zipped through his mind over the next three seconds, and the rush left him feeling deathly ill. "Wh-who do they think he killed, and why didn't he call me?!"

Arms still folded, Mia raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, it's a good thing he didn't try to call you, because you wouldn't have woken up before he ran out of time for a phone call." Her scolding hurt, but it was the least of his worries at the moment. "As for the victim, they haven't identified him yet. I don't have anymore details, and - as you can see - he's not exactly in a state to offer them." She made a gesture toward Miles, something in her gaze softening when she looked at him. Mia was not angry with Miles, and she obviously had a lot of sympathy for him.

Heart pounding somewhere in the region of his Adam's apple, Phoenix turned back to look at his lover. He had to take control of this situation, had to figure out what was going on! To do this, he would need to claw his way out of this well of panic he'd sunk into and find his strength. That would be the only way to get through to Miles right now... if that would even work.

"Miles."

He heard one of those sobs hitch in Miles' throat at the sound of his name spoken in such a stern way.

"Miles, look at me. Now."

Slowly, Miles lifted his head and lowered his hands, revealing his tear-stained face, red-rimmed eyes, and soaked bangs. He looked an utter mess, and Phoenix wanted nothing more than to reach through the glass and pull him into a protective embrace: an unfortunate impossibility.

"I want you to take a deep breath for me." He watched as this order was carried out. "Now, another." Again, he waited until Miles had exhaled. "And another." The whole time, he held eye-contact, which told Miles he was not permitted to look away. "Very good. Now, I want you to answer my questions."

Miles was visibly trembling, and before he spoke, he sniffled and reached up to try and wipe away some of the tears. "Y-yes, Sir..."

Phoenix took a deep breath of his own, and he was aware of the curious look on Mia's face as she watched him silently. He didn't like doing this in front of other people, but he had no other options at the moment. "Where did you go last night?"

Miles swallowed. "G-Gourd Lake, Sir."

"Why?" Miles hated leaving the apartment with him! What could have possible possessed him to leave alone and go out to a place like that?! How was Gourd Lake even relevant!?

"B-because, I..." Miles paused, trying to swallow back another sob. He clearly wanted to look away, but he didn't. "I-I... r-received a letter... a-asking me to... to meet someone there last night..."

That answer explained nothing and only made Phoenix worry more. "Who? Who sent you that letter, and how did they know where to find you?"

"I-I don't know how he found me, Sir, but... h-his name was... R-Robert Hammond."

Somewhere, there had been a teeny-tiny part of Phoenix that had been hoping the name that would pass Miles' lips would be a more familiar and significant one, but he silenced that thought quickly. He didn't recognize that name at all, and the idea that Miles would go out alone at night because a stranger asked him to was absurd. "Who is Robert Hammond?"

Miles shuddered with another sob. "H-he i-is... w-was... a defense attorney, Sir..."

Phoenix was on the verge of proclaiming with frustration that such a thing told him nothing when he heard Mia clear her throat from off to the side where she stood. He turned his head to look at her with curiosity.

"More specifically," she began, looking just a little shaken, "Mr. Hammond was an attorney at the law office I used to work for under Mr. Grossberg." Her words didn't really shed any light on the situation, but at least she wasn't glaring at him anymore.

Phoenix really wanted to know what this man had to do with Miles, but he still didn't have all the essential facts. Steeling himself again, he turned his attention back to the man on the other side of the glass. "Is Robert Hammond the one that was killed?"

Miles curled up a little in his chair. "Y-yes, Sir..." He looked so tense Phoenix feared he was going to burst, probably anticipating the next and obvious question. Phoenix didn't want to ask it, but he had to.

"Miles... Did you kill Mr. Hammond?"

A particularly violent sob jarred the poor man. "N-no! No, Sir, I... I could n-never...! Please... Please, believe me, Sir, I-"

"Okay, okay!" Phoenix held up a hand, unable to stand the desperation in Miles' voice and pleading look on his face. "I believe you, Miles. It's okay. I know you're not a killer, but I need you to try to stay calm and tell me exactly what happened."

It took some time for Miles to get enough of a grip on himself to straighten up and start speaking again, but Phoenix waited patiently, cramming all of his own raging emotions deep down inside to present a calm, sturdy exterior against which Miles could brace himself.

"W-we met at... midnight..." the silver-haired man began, voice trembling uncontrollably. "H-his letter said we needed to... d-discuss something important... a-and he said he... d-didn't want anyone overhearing the conversation. I... I d-didn't want to go with him, but... but I did... We got on a boat and went out onto the lake. A-after that... things are... fuzzy. He said something to me, and then... then I heard a gunshot... s-saw a flash. I-I had no idea what was going on and I just... froze up. I-I thought I was going to..." He choked and had to pause a moment before finishing his story. "There was a... a second gunshot, and then... suddenly... I was alone in the boat and... and there was a pistol on the floor..."

Phoenix felt as though his head was spinning. What had possessed Miles to go along with any of this?! The whole damn thing sounded suspect! "So... What then?" He needed the rest of the story, even though he could already guess where it was going.

"I... d-didn't know what to do, so I just... took the boat back to the rental shop and started to go back home." A pleading look came over him, and Phoenix knew he was resisting the urge to apologize again instead of finishing his answer. "I hadn't even... made it out of the park before the police arrived and... a-apprehended me..."

Phoenix's stomach was churning violently as the implications of that sunk in. "...There must have been someone out there to report what happened," he muttered, more to himself than to Miles. "For them to have shown up that fast, there has to have been a witness... If you two were out on the water... no one would've even been able to find a body that quickly."

All Miles did was sniffle and lower his head, offering no comment or insight on the situation.

Phoenix let out a slow, shaky breath, trying to expel some of his stress along with it: it didn't work. "Okay, Miles, there's just one more thing I'm going to ask you for right now, and you're going to tell me the truth. Understand?"

"O-of course, Sir..."

"What reason did you and Robert Hammond have to meet? What's the connection between you two?"

A leaden silence settled over the group, and Phoenix found himself leaning forward a bit as if straining, reaching for an answer. Miles wasn't looking at him, and he wondered if he should command it, but kept his mouth shut and just waited. Since this dynamic had begun between them, Miles had yet to refuse a direct order like that, so he knew the question would be answered in time.

And he was correct, but the words were barely more than a whisper, and even though he barely managed to pick them up, he didn't understand what they meant.

"DL-6..."

Phoenix waited expectantly, but Miles neither looked up nor said anything more. He inhaled and opened his mouth to ask for clarification, but he was interrupted by Mia.

"Phoenix, I... know what he's talking about."

A little surprised, Phoenix turned to her. "Y-you do?"

She nodded, a solemn expression having settled over her features. "It refers to a case from thirteen years ago. We can look up the information on the case once we leave here."

Phoenix blinked in confusion. For Mia to instantly recognize the case number, it must have been a rather important incident, but what did it have to do with...?

...Wait... Thirteen years ago... Wouldn't that have been around the time-?

"Our time is almost up here," Mia informed him. "We'll have to come back later if you've got more to ask him, but for now, I suggest you wrap this up so we can get working on the investigation."

Phoenix swallowed thickly and turned back to Miles, who was just sitting there shivering and waiting for whatever would come next. "Miles, thank you for being honest with me," he said, letting his voice soften a bit.

"Please... please f-forgive me, Sir..." Miles begged in a somewhat hoarse voice. "I-I did an awful thing..."

Phoenix shook his head. "No, Miles, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm not mad at you for leaving the apartment, and I know you didn't hurt anyone."

"N-no, that's... n-not it..." his lover insisted, his right hand clutching his left arm so tightly his knuckles were paler than the rest of him. "I... I h-had to make sure you... w-wouldn't wake up and... n-notice I was gone, so... so I..." He swallowed, unable to look at Phoenix in any capacity while making this confession. "I... put some... some sleeping medicine... i-in one of the... cookies you ate..."

A lurch of shock went through him, and he noted the surprise on Mia's face as well. So, that explained why he'd been so completely oblivious to Miles' absence and why it had taken so long to wake up that morning. Perhaps it also explained why Miles had called Mia instead, knowing that Phoenix probably wouldn't wake up in time to answer the call.

With yet another deep, steadying breath, Phoenix nodded numbly. "It's... That's done now, Miles. For now, Mia and I are going to go investigate this. We're going to get you out of there, I promise. Go back to your room and try to rest. I'll be back later."

Head bowed in shame and misery, Miles just whispered, "Yes, Sir," and slowly got to his feet. Phoenix watched, feeling as though his heart was tearing in two, as a security guard escorted his poor, timid Miles out of the room, and then slumped in his seat under the crushing weight of what was happening.

"Phoenix..."

He looked up from between his fingers to see Mia looking at him, her expression having softened a bit but still grave. "Now isn't the time to fold under the pressure. You know that. You're a lawyer, and your client is someone you care about. Sitting there and slouching under the weight of the responsibility is the last thing you should be doing right now."

Phoenix gritted his teeth behind his hands: she was right. With a great deal of effort, he forced his legs to support him and stood to his full height. "...Let's go, Chief. I need to take a look at the crime scene, and I need to know about DL-6. If there's some kind of connection between Robert Hammond and Miles, I'm sure they'll twist it into some kind of a motive, and we need to be ready for that."

Mia gave a curt nod, the ghost of a smile on her lips. "Indeed. And, on the way, you can explain to me what I just saw."

Phoenix winced. "Nngh... D-do I really have to?"

His boss gave him an inquisitive look. "It'd probably be in your best interest, after what you've told me about him and Von Karma."

Phoenix felt dizzy with yet another twist to his gut. "Ugh... Yeah, okay... I guess..."

With that, the two of them left the visitor's room behind, and Phoenix had a sickening sense of deja vu. Walking away felt just as difficult as it had the day he'd discovered Miles in Von Karma's basement and had to leave him there for the night. His poor love was yet again a prisoner, but at least this time Phoenix knew he wouldn't be in danger, for the time being...