Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Phoenix wright since they belong to Capcom. I don't own the Professor Layton characters either since they belong to Level 5 games. I do own the idea, though, since nobody else had put an idea on fanfiction yet.

Carols of the bells in Labyrinthia.

There was only dark...

The cold waters swallowed both ladies whole as they fell through the breaking ice -one minute the two were standing on what first appeared to have been a pretty solid ice lake and the next they both fell in and were now completely underwater, sinking further and further into the cold and dark depths below.

The two women had initially clung to each other but had released their grips the second either of them made contact with the icy currents.

Despite the water filling her mouth and lungs, Maya had to keep her focus and that focus was directly aimed at Espella. She looked all around her friend and her blood run as cold as the water she was currently drowning in when she couldn't catch a single glimpse of her. She had to refrain from panicking as to contain herself and avoid the risk of making her potential life-threatening situation more so. She looked all around her as she spun slowly, holding her breath as much as she could despite her being forced to swallow that mouthful of water.

Her lungs began to burn for oxygen, her mind was racing, a combination of fear and dread clenched to her soul like a hand firmly squeezing a squishy stress ball.

Her surroundings started to darken around the edges, whether it was the water itself or her own eyesight failing her she couldn't tell.

Maya's heart sunk into her stomach whenever she caught a glimpse of red and blonde.

Despite her blurring vision and increasingly serious desire for oxygen, the young woman frantically swam downwards. Maya could feel her lungs burn and she swam frantically towards the other drowning girl, her heart was jumping ferociously in her chest and she was certain that if it wasn't for the training she'd undergo when she would have to withstand temperatures lower than this then her whole body would've given out much sooner than this.

The spirit medium made the most frantic dog-paddles ever as she tried to dive towards Espella, and Maya could tell that she was very much unconscious by now thanks to the faint shimmers of light from above revealing that she had closed eyes and unhealthily pale skin that was almost transparent now.

It was difficult and her arm joints protested a lot at the movements of her arms, but she still made swift strokes down to try and get to the young lady whom was sinking further and further into the depths of the ice cold river. However Maya was starting to find it difficult to keep herself awake.

Her eyelids were starting to glue shut, she could swear that ice was beginning to cover her skin, and her vision was seriously starting to shut down.

No...no, this can't be...how it...ends...

Maya thought to herself in fright as her eyes closed and she lost the fight to open her mouth and released all the air that she'd been trying to keep in, the bubbles were large and bobbled up towards the surface the instant that they were released, and the thread of awareness that the spirit medium master had been clinging to had faded into nothingness as the oxygen was sucked from her lungs and replaced with the ice cold lake water that surrounded her. All she could hear was the loud swishing of the water as it filled her ears.

Maya's world sunk into a bottomless abyss.

This was it...

Then, without warning, a heavy something disturbed the soul-sucking silence of the harsh ice lake.

It was Barnham!

Barnham had jumped in a few seconds after Maya and Espella fell into the unforgiving lake water. He was determined to get them out safely -he may not have been a knight of the inquisition anymore but that didn't mean that he didn't feel that burning desire to protect those close to him. He crashed into the water and did a rather graceful downward dive to try and find the young woman whom was sinking deeper and deeper.

Barnham always had a secret love for water, he could remember loving it before he could walk (even when he'd been hypnotised into thinking he was a gallant knight), and that was why he took up boating...but he couldn't help but take notice of how absolutely freezing this lake water was, he hadn't been subjected to the lakes frigidity for even five seconds and he could feel the ice start clinging to his skin. His chest and his lungs were burning for breath, and he grit his teeth to bare through the intense cold.

The former knight of inquisition managed to furl his arm around Espella's waist, affectively carrying her, and then he back went to rescue Maya. It didn't take him too long to reach the now unconscious spirit medium master. He proceeded to wrap his other arm around Maya's waist, making sure that she was secure in his arms, and he couldn't help but feel concerned when he noticed that neither women were breathing right.

Neither of his charges would last long if they didn't get precious oxygen and warmth immediately!

Realising that he couldn't afford to waste anymore time, Barnham started to make a quick swoop up back to the surface and he practically burst out the water, gasping for air, with both Maya and Espella slung over each one of his strong shoulders. The former knight trudged through the ice and snow and delivered both Espella and Maya to the safety of the surface where they were immediately tended to by Professor Layton, Eve Belduke, and even Phoenix.

"M-Maya! Espella!" Luke cried out, eyes wide with worry, whilst he clutched Constantine whom whined sadly as he nudged Luke with his teeny black nose for support.

Barnham immediately hoisted himself out of the ice cold water and heaved himself on to the surface, hugging himself to keep warm. He had a feeling that hypothermia would try and loom over him for awhile but he was way more concerned about Espella and Maya's health rather than his own. He sat in a slight daze as he tried to fight back the strong nausea that made his stomach clench tightly, he'd probably swallowed some water.

"It was terrible down there," He shuddered, sputtering and coughing out that small amount of water he swallowed during his rescue attempt, "I think it would've taken another minute before we lost them both..."

Eve gasped in shock and horror, she didn't want to lose her best friend! She was quick to shed her regal and elegant cape and bundle Espella up in it in an attempt to keep her warm. Poor Espella was ice cold to the touch and she was shaking so much from the cold -thankfully Eve the cat had trotted up to the young lady and lay herself on her chest in another attempt to keep her warm.

The Professor was also on standby with his own coat and his instructions to try and get both Espella and Maya over their state of potential hypothermia.

In the meantime, Phoenix was panicking as he fretted over his dear friend.

He hadn't expected this to happen and he certainly hadn't expected Espella nor Maya to fall through the ice and very almost drown like that. He snuffled and he could feel his poor heart race with outright fear as he tried to awaken Maya and get her to come around. He exclaimed as he pulled Maya close and then he cradled his friend's limp body in his arms, "Maya! Maya, can you hear me!?"

The young spirit medium shivered and shook from the cold, a trail of snot dribbled from her left nostril and she was soaked to the bone. She couldn't stop trembling and she didn't open her eyes. The spiky-haired lawyer gently pulled her in closer to him in an attempt to let his body heat seep from him and into her semi-unconscious being. He let Maya rest her head against his chest and held her frail form so tightly that one would think that someone would try and cause her harm.

He closed his eyes tightly, holding back tears, as he started rocking Maya's still form in his arms and spoke in a hurried yet gentle tone of voice.

"C'mon, Maya, wake up...!"

Phoenix stopped rocking her and lay Maya down on the ground and proceeded to reach around her neck to check for a pulse. He found one -it was rather faint but it was somewhat palpable at the very least. He then lay his own head against her chest, pressed his ear against the area where her heart should be and he could hear her heart thump weakly against his ear; he was glad that she was still breathing...

After sitting himself back up again, straightening his posture, the lawyer in blue spared a quick glance over to the other near-drowning victim to see how her progress was doing in the meantime. Espella was now being tended to by the Professor and Eve -the Professor was making sure to check her vital signs were good as he tried shaking her shoulder in an attempt to awaken her, the gentleman started to press his own fingers against her neck to check her pulse and then he started to check to see whether she'd swallowed any water.

Phoenix's brows creased in concern, he didn't like that this was happening.

This was the second time Maya had almost perished trying to protect Espella from harms way and he hated that she was the one paying the price for it so much, it seemed that each trip to this town could only bring danger and endless amounts of worry and strife. Is that it? Is every visit to this town just destined to be filled with moments filled with terror?

"Mr. Wright?" Luke asked, breaking the cold-ridden lawyer from his train of thought.

The lawyer in blue jerked to attention when he heard the young voice which quivered with emotion, his head snapped down to look at the young lad whom was knelt beside Maya with a look of worry plastered upon his round face; poor Luke seemed to have been on the verge of tears and his lips quivered to signal that he was finding it difficult not to burst then and there, he held his signature blue cap in his hands and clutched it close to him.

"M-Maya and Espella...they will wake up and be okay...r-right?"

Phoenix froze as he was stuck on what to say for several long moments. He didn't know whether saying that they'd be perfectly fine after such a scare was such a great idea but he knew that he couldn't bare to just be negative with such huge eyes staring at him, those young eyes pleading with him to give him some reassurance. He knew he had to buck up. He had to be positive right now! If not for himself then at least for the sake of everybody else!

He had been taught that "the worst of times are when you have to force your biggest smiles," and he was determined to not lose sight of that lesson. He knew that Maya was strong and so was Espella -now wasn't the time to start doubting!

So, forcing his lips to curl upwards, the spiky-haired lawyer reached down and gave the boy's messy dark blonde hair a bit of a playful tousle.

"...Yeah...that's right, Luke."

The Professor's apprentice couldn't help but smile weakly at the spiky-haired American attorney's attempt of cheering him up and he quickly plopped his own cap back on his own head, reaching up and using a hand to mess up his hair a bit further so it would look more normal beneath his hat before doing this.

"H-Hngh! Koff, koff, koff!"

Everybody snapped their heads up attentively to the sound of spluttering which was promptly followed by the sound of violent coughing and all eyes focused on the direction of Espella whom was surprisingly awake and was heaving out a flood of water that she'd probably swallowed during her scary experience in the ice cold lake a few minutes ago.

Professor Layton was letting lean back against him whilst she threw up as much water as she could, the gentleman gently rubbing her back up and down to ease her through it. Espella's head hung low as she purged all the water that was in her tummy and, while it wasn't a pleasant experience, she could feel herself start to come to as she let out a low noise of discomfort.

Phoenix was pleased that at least Espella was recovering, he would feel lots better if only Maya would awaken though. But the lawyer froze when he heard a few weak coughs that was instantly followed by a familiar voice.

"Koff! Koff, koff! N-Nick...?"

The voice called him by his nickname, the nickname only she referred to him as.

He quickly glanced downwards to look at Maya and he couldn't hold back an ecstatic smile as relief washed over him. He quickly wrapped both of his arms around the disoriented young lady, trying to protect her from the bad case of hypothermia that she definitely could get after that little scare. The attorney-at-law tried to calm her nerves (as well as his own) as his voice cracked with pure and heartfelt emotion as he instinctively tightened his hold on the fragile medium.

Maya just lay bundled in his arms and accepted the cozy and warm hug the spiky-haired lawyer.

Phoenix nuzzled her face, rubbing his reddened nose against her cold forehead, and he had to hold back the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks. Personally he didn't care who would see him cry but he knew that he had to remain calm and rational despite all that had just transpired.

His voice was but a shaky rasp as he crooned to her soothingly.

"Oh Maya! I'm here, I'm here, I'm right here..."

While this was happening, Espella was quickly improving and it was apparently after she had gotten rid of all that water that she seemed to come to from her near-comatose state. The Professor made sure to lay her back a bit so she could have a slight lay down so she could recover a tad more comfortably. Her eyes flitted open but she gazed aimlessly over at her dearest childhood friend as Eve just smiled with relief and pulled the younger woman out of Layton's arms for a close for a gentle embrace.

The Professor was too happy to relinquish the care onto the former great witch.

"Oh, Espella...I'm so glad your safe!"

Eve relieved beyond words that her dearest friend was alright now and -although she never wanted to let her friend go- she knew she had to be very gentle if she didn't want to overcome her or anything. Eve readjusted Espella in her arms so she could rest her head over her shoulder and the purple-haired maiden quickly noticed that her feline counterpart seemed to settle as she leapt off of the young woman's lap and watched with cheery olive green eyes, the cat purred whilst her tail swished happily.

Eve the cat mewed in what appeared to be relief as she bowed her head.

Everything seemed to have been alright now!

...Or almost everything.

"A-Ahem!"

When the gruff sound was heard, Eve reluctantly tore her eyes off of Espella swirled her head around in search for the person who cleared their throat. Her eyes quickly landed upon a certain knight whom was looking awful sheepish, her gaze softened but she couldn't help but raise both her eyebrows in a mix of surprise and confusion.

It was Barnham whom nervously cleared his throat, his face was as red as a batch of ripe cherries and he was looking decidedly nervous as he reached nervously to scratch at the back of his head. He had assumed this humble posture that made her heart pause in her chest for a second time as she saw that his steely serious pale blue eyes were shimmering with embarrassment and his voice sounded hoarse as he turned away from the purple-haired maiden.

"Um...M-M-Ms. Belduke...I...I, erm, wanted to..."

The former knight quickly whisked a sideways glance to the Professor, Phoenix and to Luke and they all just nonverbally encouraged him to continue speaking.

Barnham swallowed a large marble that formed in his throat. He wasn't sure whether he was still suffering from the affects of diving into the ice cold lake but he couldn't keep from shaking and he almost had a hard time keeping his own two feet glued to the snowy ground beneath his feet. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in and exhaled said breath heavily to calm himself before reopening his eyes to reveal naught but sincerity in them as he finally turned to look at Eve.

"I wanted to say that...that...th-that..." Barnham trailed off. He didn't know what to say anymore and the words had just become entangled in his throat. Then he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, hung his head in shame and sighed deeply, humility taking a strong hold.

He knew that he had to be sincere and he had to be brave, he couldn't run away this time.

"...I wanted to apologise...for my ill-mannered behaviour towards you. I should not have held what you used to be against you, it was foolish and small-minded of me, and I...I...wanted to...wanted to say that I'm so very sorry for hurting you."

Zacharias Barnham found himself unable to look the woman in the eye anymore. All he could do now was focus on the snow below him rather than stare at Madame Belduke's flawless yet conviction-filled eyes that would always captivate him and leave him a silent yet panicky fool. He couldn't stand to see any traces of hurt on that beautiful face and he would feel his heart become weightless as though it were floating on gentle currents of wind.

"Zacharias..."

Upon hearing his first name, Barnham looked up and he was totally caught off guard when he saw that Mrs. Belduke had lowered Espella back to the ground and left her with Professor Layton, and she had climbed to her feet and was now stood just a few inches away from him -they were looking each other straight in the eyes and in an rather awkward manner. Eve raised her hand to caress his cheek and she did something she rarely did:

She smiled.

During this she gave an appreciative dip of her head, bowing it. She had a lot to thank Barnham for because he did just risk his own life and rescue Espella and Maya from a shared watery grave. Even though he was very cold, feeling her hand on his cheek made the ex-knight feel so much warmer and he especially felt heat gather in his cheeks which gave them each a powerful scarlet glow. The former great witch Bezella murmured something gently with a soft voice of genuine gratitude and graciousness, it was almost hard to hear but Barnham had managed to catch the words.

Everyone, in the meantime, observed the scene with eyes overflowing with adoration for the heart-warming scene unfolding before them. They couldn't help but feel warm and fuzzy when they saw the adorable display they were now watching -a chorus of "Awwww's" rang from the group (except from Maya and Espella) and they felt their hearts swell. This was so sweet that it could make the ice melt.

Eve huddled close to Barnham and furling her arms around his chest and hugging him tightly, "Thank you."

A/N: Okay, this story is almost done!

I hope to finish this by Christmas this year and I already have begun work on the last chapters for this cross-over, so I should hopefully not keep you with updates longer. I'm sorry that this took so long to update, though, and I hope you guys can forgive me for it. I do hope you enjoy this fluffy chapter.

Have a nice day!

-Chloemcg