Ugh. I'm not so sure that last chapter was very good. I know it was kind of downer for my fellow Cykesquillers, but don't let things discourage you! You never know what could happen, hm?

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!

Chapter 20 – Turnabout Birthday

I can't believe my stupid alarm clock had to die today, of all days! Mr. Wright's not going to be happy if I'm late getting to the agency!

The day of Trucy's party finally came, and Apollo was running late.

Apollo scrambled around his apartment, getting ready to head over to the Wright Anything Agency.

He opened the door to the office and saw that only Phoenix and Athena were there.

Great! I'm early! That's a relief.

But Phoenix had his arms crossed, and he stared hard at Apollo. "Apollo. Did you forget what time you were supposed to be here?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Wright! My alarm clock kind of died on me this morning, but it looks like I'm early."

"Yeah, early enough that you didn't have to put up all of the decorations and set up everything. Luckily, Athena got here early enough, so the two of us ended up doing it together. But you have something you need to do right now, Apollo," Phoenix said.

"What's that?" Apollo thought hard, and his face fell. "Oh no. Mr. Wright…" He began to whine.

"Hop to it, Apollo. That toilet isn't going to clean itself!"

"Gr…"

One toilet cleaning later…

"Whew! That went by quicker than I thought." He looked up at the clock. "Hm…11 o'clock. Just enough time to sit down and relax." He plopped down on the couch and shut his eyes. Just before he dozed off, someone yelled in his ear.

"Apollo!"

"Ack!" Apollo got up with a start. He saw Athena standing there, hands on her hips. "What's the big idea, Athena?! Couldn't you see I was trying to get a little rest?!"

"Apollo. Look around this room and tell me what's missing."

Uh oh. She looks mad. I must've forgotten something else I had to, but what? Apollo did as he was told, but he couldn't find anything. He shrugged. "I don't think there's anything. What's missing?"

"Not what. Who!"

"Who? Well, Trucy isn't supposed to be here yet, and none of the guests are here, so who are you…" Apollo gasped. "Oh no."

"Oh no is right! You were supposed to go pick up Junie! How could you do this to her?! Make a poor girl wait for you like that!"

Apollo shook his head. "I honestly didn't mean to forget. I was so hyped up at getting here to the agency, that it must've slipped my mind." He laughed sheepishly.

"Some boyfriend you are!" She shook her head. "Guys. They're all the same." She pointed at the door and yelled, "Now go get her! NOW!"

"Alright, alright! I'm going." Geez, she seems to be getting angrier and angrier with each passing day!

Apollo headed out the door before Athena had the chance to kick him out.

Athena sighed heavily as Apollo left the office. She was there alone now, since Phoenix had to go pick up Maya, Pearl, and Iris from the apartment and bring them to the office before Trucy came along.

I just hope Jinxie will be able to distract Trucy long enough so that we can get this place completely ready for her.

She looked around the office. There was a big banner on the wall that read, "Happy Birthday Trucy!" in purple letters. Balloons of various colors were touching the ceiling. A small pile of presents were at the corner of the room, and some of the food was set out on the table.

I hope she likes this. From what Mr. Wright said, this is the first surprise party Trucy has ever had.

Someone knocked on the door. "Come in." Athena was hoping it was Mr. Wright with the girls, but it turned out to be Prosecutor Gavin.

"Ah, Athena. Hello there."

Athena sighed. "Hello Prosecutor…I mean, Klavier."

"How goes things with you?"

"Oh, great! So what do you think of the place?"

Klavier looked around. "It's very nice. I'm sure our little Fraulein will love it."

"So Klavier. What did you get Trucy for her present?"

"It's…something."

That's when Athena noticed that he was carrying a black guitar case with him. "What's with the guitar?" She pointed to the case.

"Ah, this is one of my guitars. It's got a Red Badger on it."

"Red Badger? Oh, it's supposed to be related to the police-force, right? I know they've got some weird Badger theme going on."

Klavier nodded. "I decided that I would perform a song for our little Fraulein."

Athena clasped her hands together and smiled. "Oh that's going to be wonderful! She'll love it! She is a big fan of the Gavinners, you know."

Klavier chuckled, pulling at a lock of his hair. "I know that."

And there's his pompous attitude. I really hope someone gets here soon. I really don't want to be alone with him.

Athena's wish was granted when someone knocked on the agency's door. "Come in!" She called out happily.

"Mr. Wright, I…" The person stopped in the doorway.

Oh no. Why her? Anyone else would've been fine. Anyone but her.

Athena sighed. This was going to be a long day.

Apollo rushed to get to Junie's house, and when he got there, she was standing outside patiently. She waved at him as he ran up to her.

"I am so sorry I'm late! My alarm clock stopped working, and I needed to help Mr. Wright at the agency to get ready for Trucy's party…"

Juniper just laughed. "It's alright Apollo. I understand. I'm just glad that you're here now." She clasped her hands in front of her and frowned. "I was starting to get worried that something may have happened to you."

Apollo chortled, holding a hand behind his head. "Well, I'm alright, so no need to worry. Now, are you ready to head out?"

"I sure am. Let's go."

The two of them walked all the way to the office. On the walk over, they talked a little bit.

"So, what did you get for Trucy?" Apollo asked his girlfriend.

"Oh, I got her this wonderful gardening kit that I stumbled across. You can plant flowers, fruits, vegetables, everything! Do you think she'll like it?"

Apollo smiled. "Trucy will like pretty much anything, and I'm sure she'd especially enjoy gardening. I think I remember her mentioning once that she wanted to try it out. It'd be nice thing to distract her from her magic, even if it's just temporary."

Juniper nodded her head. "And what about you? What did you get her?"

"Me? Er well…I don't think it's a very good present."

"Come on, you can tell me!"

Apollo's face turned red as he explained his present to Juniper. "I guess I can. I made her this stuffed bunny at Build-A-Bunny Workshop. I gave it a beating heart, a little magic sounds in its paws. I dressed it up in a magician's outfit, and got a few other outfits and accessories for it too." (AN: I didn't want to use Build-A-Bear Workshop just because, so I decided to change it to bunny. I don't own either them.)

"Polly! That's such a cute present! I know for sure that Trucy will love it! You're such a great person!"

"Heh, heh, heh." Apollo laughed, his red face only becoming redder.

"You seem to be kind of like an older brother to her, now that I think about it."

An older brother, hm? Well, I guess I kind of am like an older brother to her. But then…that would make me kind of Mr. Wright's son…Apollo considered the idea. He is my boss, but…I guess he is kind of like a dad to me, somehow. At least, he's the first father-like figure I've ever really had. Hm…

"Apollo? Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it is. I was just doing some serious thinking, that's all." They found themselves in front of the Wright Anything Agency.

Apollo opened the door, let Juniper walk in, and shut it behind him. He stood next to Juniper and found quite the site. Ema was pelting snackoos at Prosecutor Gavin.

Hm…where's Athena? He searched all around the office and quickly spotted something yellow briefly behind the couch. Juniper headed over there to her.

"Hey you guys! Knock it off!" Apollo yelled. He smiled. Well, looks like skipping out on my daily chords of steel exercise this morning hasn't caused an issue for me. He then frowned when Ema glared at him, a snackoo in hand.

"Who are you to yell at me?!"

She threw a snackoo right at Apollo's face, but lucky for him, he ducked.

Ema, however, wasn't so lucky when the door had opened and someone was walking in.

I guess it's alright if I'm a little early. Edgeworth knocked on the door to the Wright Anything Agency. He then heard some kind of commotion behind the door. Eyebrows furrowed, he grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, only to have a flying projectile hit him square in the nose.

He had closed his eyes instinctually, and when he opened them, he found Prosecutor Gavin trying to hold in laughter, Athena and another young lady behind the couch, and on the ground near him was Apollo. In the middle of the room stood Ema Skye. In one hand she was holding a bag of snackoos, and the other one covering her mouth. She was horrified.

"M…Mr. Edgeworth!"

"Ahem. Detective Skye."

"I…am…so sorry, sir!"

"Hmph. It's alright, although I do have to ask you why you are throwing food at people? It's not very becoming of a young lady such as yourself."

"I know Mr. Edgeworth, but he!" She pointed to Klaver. "He provoked me!"

Klavier laughed. "Me? Provoke you? Please, Fraulein Detective." He addressed Edgeworth. "Herr Edgeworth. Please forgive her on my behalf. It is only in her nature to do such things."

"Gr…" Ema glowered at him, a hand in her snackoo bag.

Apollo quickly went to her side and confiscated the bag from her. "Hey!"

"Sorry Ema. But you're not getting these back until after the party is over. There's plenty of other food here for you to snack on, but please, don't start a food fight. The last thing any of us need is for this place to be a mess for when Trucy comes."

Ema crossed her arms and grumbled in the corner of the room. Seeing this, Apollo went over to Athena. "Hey. How about you talk to her?"

"Me? Talk to her?! I can tell that she doesn't like me, Apollo. Sorry, but there's no way I'm going to take that risk."

"Fine, fine. Hey Juniper. Come on. I want to introduce you to Mr. Edgeworth."

Juniper followed Apollo to the Chief Prosecutor. "Mr. Edgeworth."

"Yes, Mr. Justice?" Who's this young lady with him?

"I thought I might introduce the two of you. Juniper, this is Mr. Miles Edgeworth. He's the Chief Prosecutor. And Mr. Edgeworth, this here is my girlfriend, Juniper Woods. She's a student at Themis Legal Academy."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Woods." Edgeworth shook hands with the young lady.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Edgeworth."

"So what course are taking at the academy?"

"I'm enrolled in the Judge's course."

Apollo piped in. "She wants to become a judge and help to completely end the dark age of the law."

Edgeworth nodded his head. "Well then. That's a noble cause. I wish you all the best in your endeavor, Ms. Woods. And who knows? Perhaps there may come a time when you might be presiding over a case I prosecute."

"Thank you Mr. Edgeworth."

"She's got two other friends at the academy: Hugh O'Connor, who wants to be a defense attorney, and Robin Newman, who's in the prosecutor's course."

"Newman…that name rings a bell. Ah yes. I believe I spoke with her over the phone regarding interning at the Prosecutor's Office. It's good to see the youth wanting to take initiative in maintaining the glory of the law."

Athena was nearby when she heard this. "Aw come on Mr. Edgeworth! You're not old enough to be calling us the youth! You yourself could easily pass by as being in your mid-twenties."

The next oldest person in this room is ten years my junior! I think I'm perfectly justified in referring to all of you as the youth…although I do appreciate the compliment. Edgeworth didn't really know how to verbally respond to the comment, so he was relieved when a knock was heard at the door.

"I'll get it!" Athena rushed to the door and opened it. "Hi Serena! Come on in!"

The doctor walked inside the office. "Hello Athena."

Athena got an idea. "Hey! Serena, there's someone I think you should meet." Athena grabbed Serena's arm and dragged her to the corner where Ema was.

Edgeworth watched as Athena introduced them to each other. Ema smiled politely, as did Serena.

"Ema here is a detective for the LAPD, but her ultimate dream is to become a scientific investigator."

"Really? That's a fantastic career to get into. I actually took a forensics course or two back in high school."

This sparked up Ema's interest. "You did? Oh, what did you do?! Did you use luminol and fingerprinting powder?!" Ema pretty much went on and on about her own experiences with scientific investigation while Serena stood there listening intently, nodding her head at times.

"Well, that takes care of Ema," Athena said. "She shouldn't be moping around for a while."

"Yeah, that is until Serena gets tired of her rambling on about scientific investigation," Apollo added, knowing all too well how long the detective could go on about science.

Athena shrugged. "We'll take what we can get for now."

"Thena. Isn't Mr. Blackquill coming to the party?"

Apollo tried to signal to Junie to stop, waving his hands around, but it was too late. Athena looked down at the ground. "He wasn't invited," she replied.

That was a rather low-spirited tone of voice she just used. Hm…I wonder if this has anything to do with the time she was leaving Prosecutor Blackquill's office and I ran into her. Something must have happened. I shouldn't pry into their affairs, although...he does seem to be stuck in his office a lot more often than usual. I'll have to see how things go.

Athena had by then walked away from them.

"Apollo? What's wrong with Thena?"

Apollo sighed. "She and Prosecutor Blackquill….they sort of got into a fight, at least, I think they did. One day, she went over to visit him, and ever since then, she gets all gloomy when someone brings him up. They're definitely not on good terms with each other, that's for sure."

"Poor Thena."

The door suddenly opened and two girls burst into the room.

"Alright! Where are those burgers?!"

"Mystic Maya! Shouldn't we wait for Trucy to come and for the party to start before we begin eating?"

"Aw! But Pearly! I haven't had any burgers since I was here last time!"

Everyone turned their attention to the door. Behind Maya and Pearl were Phoenix and Iris.

"Oh! Look at all of these people here! You really went all out for this party, didn't you Nick?!" Maya went around greeting everyone, until she stopped at Serena and Ema.

"Nick. Who's that person Ema's talking to?"

"That's Serena Sterling. She's a doctor. Here, let me introduce you." Phoenix walked up to the pair. "Hey Ema. Sorry to interrupt you, but I wanted to introduce Maya to someone. Serena, this is Maya Fey, a good friend of mine, and Maya, this is Serena Sterling."

"It's nice to meet you Miss Fey."

"Please," Maya waved a hand in the air. "You can just call me Maya. So you're a doctor?! That means you give people shots, right?" Serena nodded. "You know, I think Nick here needs a shot. I don't remember the last time he's even gone to see a doctor, unless it's because he's gotten himself into some freak accident."

Phoenix sighed. "Maya. Is it really necessary for you to tell someone you literally just met about my medical history?"

"Maybe this will motivate you into going to the doctor! Isn't it important to get checked out often, Dr. Sterling?"

"Well, it is very helpful to go visit your doctor annually to monitor your health and help maintain it, not to mention that you'll want to make sure that you don't develop any diseases or problems that could become serious if left untreated, but then again, I probably shouldn't be one to talk."

"Why's that?"

"I myself don't really go to the doctor annually."

"See?" Phoenix pointed out. "I'm completely justified then! She's a doctor, and even she doesn't go to see one!"

"That's a contradiction right there, Nick. She's a doctor. She would be able to know if there was something wrong with her. You, on the other hand, don't know the ABCs of being healthy, so you are in fact not justified."

"As if you know the ABCs of being healthy either Maya." He grinned evilly. "Hey Serena. How good are burgers for your health?"

She had just been listening to their argument, so she was caught off guard by the question. "Burgers? Well, they're not bad for you…"

"See?! HA!"

"However, that's the case when they're consumed in moderation."

"Moderation?" Maya asked, frowning a little and her face falling a little.

She nodded. "A burger once a week won't do any significant damage."

"Here's a question for you then. Say someone has been eating 100% vegetarian food for the past month or so, and after that, they consume at least three burgers a day for a week. Is that healthy?"

"Three burgers a day for a week?! That isn't healthy at all!"

Phoenix shot a sideways glance at Maya. "Hear that, Maya? It isn't good for you. Listen to the expert."

Maya just crossed her arms defiantly. "That being said, Mis..I mean, Maya, you don't have to stop eating burgers all together; just…don't eat so many all at once. You're still young, and you should try to maintain your health. The sooner you take initiative, the better you'll be in the future."

"I'll take that advice, Serena. But I'm not as young as I look, you know. In fact, I'm willing to bet I'm older than you!"

Serena frowned a little. "Er, well…"

"Just how young do you think she is, Maya?" Phoenix asked.

"She can't be any older than say, 25. That's in the ballpark, isn't it, Serena?"

"Er, well…I'm actually older than that."

"No way! Okay, so you may be a little older than that, but there's no way you could be Nick's age." Maya saw that the doctor smile awkwardly. "Wait. How old are you then?"

"33."

"33?!" Maya gaped at her. "You can't be serious!"

"But I am."

"You're just a little younger than Nick and Mr. Edgeworth! I…that…how is that possible?!"

Serena spoke up. "Enough about me. When's Trucy going to get here?" She asked Phoenix.

"She should be getting here in about half an hour. Which reminds me, I wonder where Detective Gumshoe is? He said he would make sure to stop by for the party."

Edgeworth noticed that everyone else was talking to one another. Klavier and Juniper were talking to each other, as were Pearl and Iris. Apollo and Athena were speaking to Phoenix. Maya went to speak with Ema, leaving Serena to stand by herself to the side of the room.

Hm…she doesn't seem to be the talkative kind of person. She did seem almost intimidated by everyone speaking to her. He watched as her eyes narrowed a little, and she reached into her pocket to pull out a phone. He was standing near enough that he could hear her speaking despite all of the noise.

"Hello? Yes this is she…What?! What do you mean?!" She frowned deeply as she listened to the voice over the phone. Her eyes went wide with concern, and she was tugging at her necklace. "Alright. I'll be there as soon as I can." Shutting off the phone, she approached Phoenix.

"Mr. Wright. I'm so sorry, but I'm afraid I have to go."

"So soon? But the party's only getting started!" Athena exclaimed, now in a better mood.

"Why do you have to leave?" Apollo questioned.

Edgeworth couldn't help but listen in on the conversation, especially since he was standing right nearby.

She looked down at the ground. "Something…something came up suddenly, and it's kind of an emergency." She smiled sadly "Would you mind telling Trucy that I'm so sorry I had to leave her party like this, and that I hope she has a Happy Birthday and enjoys herself?"

"Trucy will understand. And of course we will!" Apollo answered.

"Take care Serena," Phoenix called out to as she rushed out of the office.

Edgeworth walked over to Phoenix. "Hmph. I wonder what kind of emergency she could have."

"Come on Edgeworth. Don't be like that. Maybe it's a family emergency."

"As far as we know, Wright, she doesn't have any family." None that we're aware of anyway.

"Well, I'm sure she's got a good reason for leaving."

"Hey Nick! Where did Serena go?"

"She had to leave. Something came up all of a sudden."

"Oh. You know, I was telling Iris and Pearly here that you seem to somehow attract some really attractive ladies here, don't you Nick?"

Phoenix blushed. "Maya, stop. You're embarrassing me. And I never said she was attractive."

"Aw, come on Nick. Do you have eyes? She's super good-looking! I wonder if she's dating anyone."

Edgeworth couldn't help but notice Iris as Maya was saying this. Iris Fey. It's been a while since I last properly spoke to her. That was eight years ago. She hasn't changed one bit. She…was the one who Wright dated back in college, dressed as her twin sister, Dahlia Hawthorne. What could she be doing staying here in the city? And why does she look rather distressed just now?

Iris was frowning and had her head down.

Just then, the door opened to reveal Detective Gumshoe. "Quick everyone! I saw Trucy and her friend coming by!"

"Everyone, find a place to hide!" Phoenix directed.

Athena, Juniper, and Apollo hid behind one couch, while Pearl, Maya, Iris and Ema hid near the table between the two. Edgeworth went to the back of the room and stood near Charley the plant, while Phoenix stood right neat the light switch.

"Klavier!"

"Sh!" Apollo shushed Athena.

Athena whispered angrily. "Klavier! Get down!"

"But I want to be the first one our little Fraulein sees when the lights turn on."

"Don't worry, pal. I'll take care of him." Gumshoe dragged Klavier by the arm to one corner of the office while Klavier struggled futilely to get out of the detective's grip. "Sorry, Mr. Gavin." He stood in front of Klavier so that the prosecutor was completely out of view.

Athena held two thumbs up. "Thanks Detective!"

Phoenix peeked out the window. "Sh everyone! I can see Trucy coming with Jinxie. Okay, when I turn on the lights, everyone jump up and say surprise."

"You don't honestly expect me to jump, do you Wright?!"

"Fine then, don't jump! Just say surprise."

"Aw come on, Mr. Edgeworth! It'll be fun!"

"Hmph. No offense, Maya, but I don't think it would be fun if I was to hurt myself somehow in doing so."

"Sh! They're almost here."

The room went dead silent, that is until a phone went off. Everyone looked to Detective Gumshoe, who held his hands up in front of him. "It wasn't me!" He turned around to reveal Klavier, who was holding his phone, texting someone.

Ema looked around her and found a red bouncy ball near her. She picked it up and threw it at the Prosecutor's phone, which fell out of his hand and to the floor.

"My phone!" He bent down to get it when the door opened.

"That's weird. Why are all the lights out?" Before Trucy could go over to turn on the lights, they came on and everyone yelled aloud, "SURPRISE! Happy Birthday Trucy!"

Trucy held a hand to her mouth. "Wh…what's going on?!"

Phoenix went up to his daughter and hugged her. "It's a party for you Trucy."

"For me? Aw, thank you Daddy!" She hugged Phoenix tightly, and then turned to everyone. "So this is why all of you were acting so weird for these past few days! I really should've seen this coming!" She looked around. "Well, what's everyone waiting for? Let's party!"

A few cheers were heard and so the party began.

The party was full of laughter and conversation, games and food. Trucy had opened all of her presents, and sincerely loved every one of them. She had left Serena's present for last.

"Aw! This is so cute! I love this! It reminds me of someone, but I can't quite put my finger on who." Trucy looked around the room. "Wow. I can't believe I didn't even realize it before, But…where is she?"

Phoenix spoke. "Something really important came up, and she had to leave, Trucy, but she wanted us to wish you a happy birthday."

"Oh, okay. I can put this cute teddy bear figure on my desk at home!"

Among her other presents were a scientific investigation kit from Ema, the gardening kit from Juniper, the sweater from Iris, which she began wearing immediately upon receiving it, a song written and sung by Klavier about her, along with the Red Badger guitar, the tea set from Edgeworth along with a few tea assortments, a beautiful portrait of her sleeping when she was younger made by Phoenix himself (AN: I personally think that Phoenix is actually a really good artist, and I feel that it would be better for him to make her a meaningful gift like this rather than buy her something, just thought I should mention that.), the bunny from Apollo, a gift certificate to go to a spa from Athena, and a couple of novels and a charm bracelet from Pearl.

"I'm going to use one of my presents now!" Trucy held a camera, which Gumshoe had given her (AN: For those of you who are curious, Gumshoe's salary is more than enough that he no longer lives off instant noodles anymore! Yay Gumshoe!). She tapped her chin. "Who should I take a picture of first?"

Oh no. I better not attract any sort of attention to myself, otherwise she'll want to take my picture.

He saw Trucy smile playfully. "Hey Daddy! Come here, let me take a picture of you!"

Phoenix stood in front of Trucy and fixed himself. Trucy held the camera in front of her, but lowered it down.

"What's wrong?" Phoenix asked.

"This picture is missing something…or rather, someone." Trucy's eyes fell on Iris. "Hey Iris! How about you go stand next to Daddy?"

"Oh, Trucy, I don't think…"

Pearl interrupted Phoenix. "That's a good idea, Trucy!" Pearl ushered Iris to stand next to Phoenix. The two of them were standing a good few inches away from each other.

Athena had been watching the whole thing and decided to make a contribution of her own. "Mr. Wright! Iris! You two should stand closer together! You're both acting like the other's got the plague or something!" The two individuals took a few small steps to stand closer to each other. Athena shook her head. "Let me help you out there." She went up to them and pushed Phoenix to Iris so that their shoulders were touching, and then she even went as far as to place Phoenix's arm around Iris's shoulder.

"Quick Trucy! Take the picture!" Pearl called out.

A flash lit the room.

Edgeworth smirked. Wright looks incredibly awkward like that. I probably shouldn't be thinking this, but it is rather amusing seeing him like this.

Phoenix and Iris's faces were both red like a tomato. Once Trucy had taken the picture, they separated from each other, looking away.

"Alright! Time to take more pictures! Who's next?" She saw Edgeworth and grinned. "You're turn, Mr. Edgeworth!"

"Oh, er…about that, you see Trucy. It is getting rather late, and I need to get back home and check on Pess. I'm glad you had a wonderful birthday, and I hope that the rest of your day goes on just as well."

Before anyway could argue, Edgeworth left the office. That was far too close. But it is true. It is getting late, and Pess will be waiting for me.

"Looks like things are going better than planned."

"Yup. I've got all of them wrapped around my pinky finger. It's only a matter of time when everything else falls into place. You know? It's extremely helpful, being chummy with lawyers."

"You're not just chummy with lawyers, are you?"

The woman giggled. "I guess you're right!" She laughed. "To think they could be duped by the sweet, innocent, goody-two shoes act. Idiots! They'll learn from their mistakes soon enough."

I hope this chapter made up for the last one! I tried to get a lot of the characters in here, with the exception of Simon, of course. Let me know what you think by reviewing or leaving me a private message. Thanks!