Miles Edgeworth, Phoenix Wright, Franziska von Karma and Adrian Andrews don't belong to me; they belong to CAPCOM. The plot, however, is mine. :^)
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A/N: This story is not connected to "All's Fair In Love And War" so to avoid confusion for those who have read that story first. :)
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It looks like the end of their relationship is now a fact and not a possibility. Phoenix has made it quite clear to Miles that he doesn't want anything to do with him but Miles refuses to give up and he is determined to make things right, no matter how long it takes or the cost. However, once he spies Phoenix through the master bedroom window, Miles comes to a horrifying realization: no matter how sorry he is for running away, it may be much too late to repair the damage he inflicted...
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Chapter 14! Wow, this is going along quite nicely as far as the writing sphere is concerned! :) I'm happy with the direction it's taking-though I think I need to work out a few more events that keep cropping up in my head! :D -and it's moving along at a speed I'm happy with. :)

Poor Miles! He's realizing now that there's just some things you can't make better simply by just showing up again and apologizing! He's really got his work cut out for him to try and make things right! Will he succeed? Time will tell...

I split the action into two different P.O.V's, Miles' and Phoenix's, to show what each was dealing with and feeling at different times the night of November 20th. Each is dealing with their own personal demons in their own way although both are hurting and in pain; I hope that I've shown that properly along with all the other conflicting feelings and actions. Poor boys...

I took a little bit-okay, more than a little bit-of poetic license with the gilt frame groaning and twisting as it hits the wall after Phoenix threw it. I don't think that it really would but it was too good an image for me to pass up as it symbolizes, perfectly in my opinion, Phoenix's and Miles' relationship as it stands now: shattered, in pieces and wrecked. Quite an image!

That being said, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter which will be the last one for a bit while I get caught up on all my other writing projects! [or, more reasonably, try to! :D ] I have two stories for Halloween on the go-one PxE and the other for the October assignment for the"IamMatthewianProject" club I belong to on dA-numerous other things to catch up on-such as chapter 10 of "Little Place of Forgetting," chapter 3 of "Dream Within A Dream,"chapter 5 of"Turnabout Antiquity," a story for "God's Forsaken" that I'm doing on y!Gallery and various other stories that have been waiting in the wings forever and a day... I'm also beta reading. -whew!- Lots to do! :D

Thanks to my readers and all those who have favourited, reviewed, story alerted, favourite author or author alerted me. I appreciate it more than I can say! :)

Special thanks to my beloved husband, DezoPenguin, for all his help, support, advice, nagging (when necessary) and encouragement! I appreciate it more than I can say! Love you!

Any and all comments will be appreciated and are enthusiastically welcomed! :)

Rated NC-17, male/male relationships, Phoenix & Edgeworth
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November 20th
Meadow Gardens Cemetery
Los Angeles, CA
8 P.M.

Miles stood there in the pouring rain, his heart broken into a thousand bleeding pieces, looking numbly at the puddle that was beginning to fill up at his feet. His arms were lying lifelessly by his side, water dripping from his trench-coat and from his hair. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut in a vain effort to keep the tears he could feel welling up in check but this was a hopeless venture, at best, as he discovered when he began to feel the steady trickle begin to travel down his cheeks. The crash of thunder and crackle of lightning that broke out overhead some moments ago echoed in his mind as he stood there, pent-up emotion struggling to find desperate release and that he was trying to suppress.

So that was it, then. Everything he had feared would happen had and now he was left with a broken heart and a numb mind swirling with questions that he had no answers to. Or none that he wanted to admit had answers.

He sighed deeply. What had he been expecting, exactly? That Phoenix would forgive the lies and deception he'd spun for three years and just fall into his arms again when he saw him? He'd been a fool-was a fool-to think that this would even be remotely possible after all this time and all that had happened between them.

He hung his head as he stood in the darkened cemetery on that old, wooden bridge, wondering how everything could have gone wrong so fast. He'd wanted to mend fences with Phoenix, to see if he could repair the damage he'd caused by his deception but, as he had seen for himself with heart-breaking clarity, that hope had all but been extinguished.

He'd accepted that as just punishment; after what he'd done, after he'd deceived the one person he loved more than anyone else in the world, how could he have ever expected that he could be, or would be, forgiven?

Miles sighed once again as he looked up into the black, starless sky, the driving rain pelting him painfully in the face. He made no move to raise his arm or lower his head; he stood there in silence for some time, his mind racing and his heart broken. He'd been dreaming of this moment for over two years and now all that was left was a nightmare. Phoenix hadn't forgiven him for what he'd done and, as far as he was concerned, the sooner Miles disappeared again, the better he'd like it.

But, was that really the truth? He knew that Phoenix was hurt-he really couldn't blame him for that-but did he really mean what he'd said or was it just the hurt and pain talking? Before Phoenix had turned away from him, he'd seen the flash of agony in his eyes that was gone so quickly Miles wasn't sure if he had only imagined it.

Could it be...? Could it possibly be...? Miles' brow furrowed as he mulled this new piece of evidence over in his mind. Maybe this isn't the end, after all. He felt his heart beginning to beat faster as a new hope rose within him. Maybe there still is a chance that we can work things out.

As he thought of it, he felt new hope rising within him. It was, as he well knew, a long shot but it was worth it to try and salvage the situation if he could; he wanted nothing more than to have Phoenix back at his side once again and he was willing to do what it took if there was a chance that he could make things right again.

With a considerably lighter heart, Miles turned and walked briskly toward the main cemetery gate, ignoring the fact that he was soaking wet as he made his way over to his car, took the key out of his pocket, opened the door and quickly got in, slamming the door impatiently but excitedly behind him.

I don't know if I can make things right with him, he thought as he pushed the key into the ignition, twisting it quickly and smiling as it roared into life instantly, but I'm willing to try. His eyes misted and he scrubbed them away with an impatient swipe. I don't want to lose him; without him, life isn't worth living and I've had my fill of pain and regrets.

He grasped the steering wheel hard in his hands as he pressed on the accelerator, gravel shooting out from the back wheels as they spun on the pavement, the car nosing forward as he shot out of the cemetery parking lot.

He chewed on his lower lip as he roared through the driving rain in the pitch blackness, leaning forward in his seat in order to be able to see through the windshield, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

The windshield wipers tapped out a hypnotizing rhythm as they swept back and forth across the glass and Miles found his thoughts drifting back to his confrontation with Phoenix. He couldn't forget the heart-wrenching agony that had been on his face when he'd realized that he really had come back, that he really was alive and well. How could he have been so foolish as to think that Phoenix would be able to get past it when, as he had so adequately and chillingly proven, that he could not at this point in time?

Miles shook his head impatiently, refocusing his thoughts on the road. It wouldn't do, after all, to get into an accident on the way to see his beloved and the last thing that Miles wanted was to cause him any kind of pain. It was the least he could do.

I'm coming, Phoenix; you're too important to me to give up.

The dark night seemed to mock him as Miles raced down the highway, his heart hammering with both dread and a sense of hope. Perhaps he could make this right; perhaps the past could be forgiven and forgotten and perhaps they could move on from here.

I won't rest until I've made things right, Phoenix. I promise I'll do everything I can to make it up to you and prove to you that I do love you! All I'm asking for is the chance. He closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. I love you, Phoenix; I'll never stop loving you!

He certainly hoped they could and it was this hope that sustained him throughout that long night down that never ending road...

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November 20th
Phoenix Wright Residence
9 P.M.

I raced blindly into the house, my eyes swimming with tears. I fumbled with the key in the lock as I tried desperately to push it in; I brushed my eyes impatiently with my free hand so I could see what I was doing and, at last, finally managed to push the key into the lock. I turned it quickly, threw open the door and raced in, slamming it hard behind me, my chest heaving with sobs.

I turned and leaned against the door, thinking that this was exactly the same thing that I had done three years ago, only it was at my office. The blinding tears... the hard turning of the key in the door... the fumbling with the lock... it was all the same. Nothing had changed since then only now I knew that Miles was alive and had been for three years. What hurt me the most was that he didn't try to contact me; he'd said he'd had his reasons but I couldn't for the life of me fathom what those reasons could possibly be.

Why did you have to come back just when I had found some measure of peace? Why couldn't you have stayed dead? Damn you, Miles Edgeworth! Damn you! I wish you had!

I balled my fist and struck the door as hard as I could, gasping in pain and tears springing into my eyes as I felt the pain wash over me like a blessed balm, driving out all other considerations. I hit it again and again, over and over, screaming out my pain with every blow.

It seemed like an eternity as I struck the door with hard blows, each one seeming to land harder than the one before it. My throat ached since I'd screamed myself hoarse, the only sound I was able to make now was a sorrowful mewl; my fist ached from the repeated blows but my rage and pain drove me on until I could stand it no longer and collapsed into a sobbing heap on the floor, my arm thrown over my eyes.

I don't know how long I sat there huddled up against the door but it was dark when I came back to myself, lifting my head wearily to look into the pitch blackness in the outside area beyond the window. I sniffled and then winced as I flexed my right hand, pain shooting through me like a knife. I cradled my injured hand against my chest, scrunching my eyes shut and toppling over onto the floor, my lips moving silently.

Miles... I tried to ignore the stab of pain that shot through my heart and hand at the same time, tears raining down my face. Why, Miles? Why...? We could have been happy together but you destroyed that hope and, in the process, my heart and soul. I loved you more than my own life so why did you leave me and then deceive me for all those years. I moaned sorrowfully, swallowing hard, the left side of my face pressed against the cool, tiled floor. I don't think I'll ever understand why...

I turned over on to my back, my head thrashing back and forth, painful sobs being torn from deep within me once again, my mouth working but with no sound emerging. It frightened me to see how close I'd come to the edge, precariously perched on the precipice, looking down into the yawning, chaotic abyss below.

My heart broke again, a fresh wave of pain and sorrow coursing through my body, at the thought of all those wasted years of being alone when we could have been together. I loved him and, truth be known, I still did but what exactly did that love mean? It hadn't been enough to bring Miles back to my side; it hadn't been enough for him to contact me to let me know that he was still alive so what did it really mean? I wasn't at all certain but even bigger questions loomed: Why had he decided to come back now after all these years and not a year or two earlier and what was it that had precipitated his return three years after his supposed "death?"

I mulled over the questions in my mind for awhile before I came to the inevitable conclusion.

It means nothing. I closed my eyes, swallowing over the lump in my throat. It means absolutely nothing to him, it appears, but it does to me. Damn it... I wish it didn't hurt so much! I wish I could just forget him and move on... it would be so much easier if I could! I chuckled sorrowfully, a low, moaning chuckle that sounded hollow in my ears and echoing in my empty heart. You'll never be free of him, Phoenix... not even if you lived to be a hundred! Your heart is his and that's not likely to change, no matter what he's done!

I slowly turned my head to face the opposite wall, my eyes red rimmed and sore. I lay there for some time, emotionally drained and unable to move since I didn't have any energy to move, wishing that the ground would open up under me and swallow me. I couldn't take much more of this and I was nearing my limit.

God, how I hate him right now! I wish I could destroy the hold he has on me; then I would be free of him for good!

I slowly picked myself up off of the floor, new energy racing through me with this fresh wave of hateful emotions and, once I was able to stand, I headed for the bedroom. I knew exactly what I was looking for and, when I made my way into the bedroom that we had once shared together, I went right for the night side table that was on my side of the bed.

My hand shot out, grabbed the photograph of Miles and myself that stood there and it was with mixed emotions that I looked at it for a few moments in silence, my free hand clenching and unclenching into a fist.

I couldn't stop the wave of memories that flowed through me like a tidal wave as I clutched the frame in a shaking hand: Miles and myself as children, playing together at his house while his father watched from the living room, a proud smile on his face; Miles and I at school, laughing over a hundred different things; Miles and I after we'd met again as adults; Miles and I falling in love... I couldn't have stopped them even if I'd tried and, although I did try to stem the tide, it was useless as more memories of him came to the forefront of my mind.

With a scream of rage and pain, I hurled the frame away from me as hard as I could, shivering with pent-up emotion as the gilt frame sailed across the room and smashed into the wall opposite. Glass splintered into a million pieces as it shattered, the groaning of twisting metal seeming to echo in the silent room as it hit the floor, bouncing twice with a loud clatter before it lay still.

I stood there for a few moments, my breath torn from me in loud, ragged gasps. I couldn't believe what I had done, staring stupidly at the twisted wreckage for some time; when I was finally able to think again, rage replaced amazement.

"Go to hell, Miles Edgeworth!" I cried, grasping the sides of my head in my hands, rocking back and forth and keening sorrowfully. "Go to hell! I never, EVER, want to see you again, do you hear me? I NEVER want to see you again!" I stood up straight, my tortured face a twisted mask of rage and pain. "I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

Sobs racked my body as I stumbled toward the bed, my body shaking violently as I tumbled headfirst onto it, my sock feet scraping the floor as I fell. I hit the bed hard, my head snapping back momentarily, the rest of me soon following. I buried my face in the thick comforter as I cried, pain and sorrow washing over me.

When will this end? my mind cried, my soul shattered beyond all repair. When will this end?

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November 20th
Outside Phoenix Wright's Residence, At The Master Bedroom Window
11 P.M.

Miles stood outside on the lawn of what had once been his and Phoenix's home together, trying to control the trembling he could feel throughout his entire body. His eyes darted nervously about the lawn, as if he were afraid that someone would catch him and demand to know what he was doing there. He swallowed hard, his heart beginning to beat faster, his palms beginning to sweat; in truth though he dreaded his discovery along with the eventual questioning, there was no doubt that he would answer such a question honestly: he was here to watch his one-time lover because he couldn't bear to let him go.

That was the plain, simple truth of the matter: he couldn't let Phoenix go and he had no desire to. He was deeply in love with him and he wanted nothing more than to be with him for the rest of his life. Looking back, he now wished that he had had the courage three years earlier to confide in Phoenix, to share his suffering and to confront his demons with the one person he knew would stand by him, come what may. He wished he'd trusted both Phoenix and his love

His eyes once more drew back to the master bedroom and he swallowed hard as his head swiveled to that part of the house, his feet soon following.

He strode silently into the front yard, his heart constricting as he heard the muffled wails and sobs coming from within, wincing as he heard the sharp crack of shattering glass and the groan of twisting metal.

He knew that sound... and he knew what it signified. Phoenix wasn't going to forgive him after all; his hopes had all come to nothing and he'd been effectively exorcised out of Phoenix's life as neatly as a surgeon's cut.

He had to accept that, this time, there would be no miracle, no coming together to forget the past and, at last, to move on to a bright future together, to pick up where they had left off living their lives and start again... No, that was all over...and he had no one except himself to blame.

Miles took a deep breath, slowly letting it out, watching it condense in the cold evening air in little puffs, his mind whirling with unhappy thoughts, sighing deeply. Why did he keep hoping for something he knew was probably never going to happen? Why did he keep clinging to something that had, for all intents and purposes, slipped through his fingers?

He had to face facts. As much as he hated to do so, he had to, for his own sake and peace of mind. The swell of hope he'd felt in the cemetery had now evaporated once confronted with this newest meltdown. Phoenix would not-could not-ever forgive him for what he'd done.

There is no hope, he thought morosely, closing his eyes and lowering his head. Everything I've hoped for, longed for all these years is all but a chimera, a dream, a hope that will never be fulfilled. He lifted his gloved hand to his face, cradling it in his open palm.

I shouldn't have come back... Miles thought, his heart aching as he stared at the twisted wreckage of the gilt frame that he could see from where he stood in the yard. I should have stayed in the shadows and not come back out into the sunlight. He lowered his head, stuffing his hands deep into his trench-coat pockets. I wish I'd stayed away and never came back...

He turned away from the window and slowly walked into the darkness, his heart broken and aching. All his hopes and all his dreams were for nothing and he felt emptier and more alone than he ever had in his life. He'd once had the world by the tail... and he'd lost it all in his foolish attempt to escape the world, his life that was increasingly intolerable and the one he loved. He'd been a fool... and now he was paying the price for his deceptions in full.

The darkness swallowed Miles as he turned the corner and slowly made his way down the darkened street, his mind and soul in turmoil. He had no idea where he was going as he really had nowhere else to go. He supposed he could board with Franziska and Adrian for awhile if he had to until he got himself back on his feet and figured out what he was going to do but, even as he thought of it, he shook his head violently.

He couldn't bring himself to do that even though he knew that neither Franziska nor Adrian would mind and that they would both be happy to have him stay with them for as long as he needed to; no, what bothered him was that there would inevitably be questions, put forth more by Franziska than Adrian, about why he'd disappeared in the first place, why he hadn't told her where he was going before he disappeared and what it was that brought him back into the world after three years out of it.

He couldn't bear those kinds of prying questions at this point in time and he really wasn't up to answering them; he hurt too much right now to want to look inside himself and deal with the emotional turmoil and pain he was currently experiencing.

All I want is a little peace... is that too much to ask?

Since staying with Franziska and Adrian was out of the question, where else could he go? He'd placed all his hopes in a reconciliation with Phoenix but since that was no longer a possibility, he didn't have anywhere else he could reasonably go to.

He'd shaken the dust from his feet, proverbially speaking, when he'd run away from everything, and everyone, that Los Angeles presented three years earlier; it didn't seem like there was a place for him here anymore, or anywhere else, for that matter.

The rain had long since stopped but he felt empty and hollow as he turned the corner, wincing as he stepped in one of the many puddles that lined the sidewalk. He was a lonely soul adrift in the cold and uncaring sea of the world, unanchored and drifting aimlessly, with no land in sight and no port waiting to welcome him home.

It's too late, he told himself mournfully, looking up at the black, starless sky before continuing his sorrowful trek, it's much too late...