A/N: This is my longest chapter yet. There's a lot of back and forth dialogue and inner reflection (as has been the case with my more recent chapters) so I hope you aren't finding the pace too slow. I went back and re-edited my first and second chapters so they would work with the length of story a little better. My writing has changed a lot since those first chapters in 2009 and I hope my story doesn't end up too disjointed because of it. I may have to go back after it's done and do a grand re-write so I can be happy with it.

This chapter is a tad sappy and very relationship oriented, with the majority of it being dialogue between Phoenix and Maya. My apologies in advance.

At this stage there are still 14 chapters to go, but at least we're well past the halfway mark now!

Maya couldn't help but grin as Edgeworth's car sped back towards the city. Phoenix had taken the seat next to her in the back, much to her young cousin's delight. Not only did Pearl take the opportunity to proclaim all sorts of romantic notions at Phoenix's choice of seating, but she was also thrilled at getting to ride up front in the shiny red sports car. Maya wasn't too sure how Edgeworth felt about the arrangement, as the poor man was left playing babysitter of sorts. Pearl had a seemingly endless barrage of questions about everything from what made the car go fast all the way to the classic 'are we there yet'.

She glanced sideways at Phoenix, finding him leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed. His fingers were laced loosely behind his head and a small smile graced his lips. Maya found herself unable to look away from the handsome lawyer, his serene visage leaving her stomach in knots. She had always found Phoenix attractive, but lately it was harder to ignore than usual.

It wasn't long before Phoenix seemed to sense that he was being watched. He lazily opened one eye, barely containing his grin when he caught Maya watching him. She blushed and averted her eyes quickly, the innocent action causing Phoenix to chuckle. Here was the almighty Master of the Kurain technique, behaving like a fifteen year old with a crush. He found it cute that despite having made his feelings for her quite clear, Maya still felt compelled to sneak glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking. As far as he was concerned, Maya could look at him whenever and however she wanted. The constant denial of his feelings for her was getting tired and no one believed him anyway. He wondered idly how the other occupants of the car would react if he grabbed Maya right now and kissed her. Pearl would probably explode from delight, causing Edgeworth to veer clean off the road.

"Maybe not the best plan," he thought to himself. The possibility of causing a car accident on Maya's birthday didn't sound like the most rewarding idea. He might get the kiss, but if Edgeworth crashed his car, they likely wouldn't make it to her party. Plus, someone could get seriously hurt.

He blanched inwardly, laughing at himself. How exactly did his brain make the leap from schoolgirl crushes to car crashes?

"This whole 'let's just be friends' arrangement must be really messing with my sanity," he thought, still somewhat amused. "Either that or I've been hanging out with Maya too much. I might have started to absorb some of the crazy."

Phoenix's laughter caught Maya's attention. She looked up at him again, her embarrassment quickly forgotten and replaced with curiosity over what could possibly be making him laugh. Was he laughing at her? Once her eyes locked with his she couldn't help but share his infectious smile. His dark eyes twinkled mischievously as he tried to hold back his laughter. Maya soon found herself giggling as well.

Edgeworth glanced in the rear-view mirror, somehow not surprised to find Phoenix and Maya making eyes at one another and giggling stupidly. Did they honestly think that nobody else could see the way they behaved around one another? Their relationship had to be the worst kept secret in history. Even Detective Gumshoe seemed to have an inkling that something romantic existed between the attorney and his assistant and he wasn't exactly world renowned for being quick on the uptake.

As far as he was aware, Maya's party preparations were all going according to plan. He had placed Franziska in charge of getting a hold of those he hadn't been able to and letting the caterers into his apartment. She hadn't phoned him back so he could only assume there were no problems. Franziska was capable and organised. He had absolutely no qualms about leaving the important tasks in her hands. By now the guests should probably be arriving. With one last glance at Phoenix and Maya, Edgeworth turned his attention back to the road.

He had to admit, he was also somewhat thankful that Maya's little cousin was too busy chattering about some sort of children's theatre or art gallery or... whatever she was talking about to hear the immature goings on from the back seat. Pearl had enough questions without adding the potential awkwardness of the nine year olds viewpoint on romance to the equation. He was of the firm belief that a personal life was called so for a reason and Pearl was definitely the kind of girl that would bombard him with questions he wasn't comfortable answering. It was a good thing she was too small to be able to see the rear-view mirror. In fact she could barely see over the dash.

"And so that's when I realised that Janey's puppy had been under the bed all along." Pearl explained. "It was a very good story. I think it's one of my favourite episodes. You would have worked out where the puppy was right away though, Mr Edgeworth. You're a smart lawyer. It took me a little longer because I'm just a kid, but I know you would have worked it out easily."

She paused for a moment, frowning slightly.

"But what I can't work out, is where they could have left the ball. What do you think, Mr Edgeworth?" Pearl asked, obviously under the impression that he had been listening intently to her retelling of last week's episode of Kids Masterpiece Theater.

She stared up at him, clearly awaiting a response. Edgeworth realised with some discomfort that he had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, nor had he any idea of how to answer her question. Those big brown eyes of hers were somehow even more intimidating than Franziska's whip.

"Well," Edgeworth bluffed. "If you cannot find the answers you seek, perhaps further investigation is required."

Pearl considered his response for a moment before smiling and nodding her acceptance.

"You're right Mr Edgeworth," Pearl chirped happily. "I'm going to go home, watch it again and really investigate properly. Just like you and Mr Nick do!"

Edgeworth felt himself relax slightly as the sign signalling the city limits came into view. He really wasn't good with children.

"Almost home!" Maya breathed happily as they drove down familiar streets.

"I hope you'll forgive me, Miss Fey, but I'm afraid I need to stop off briefly at my apartment to pick up a file. I plan on heading back to the office after I drop the three of you off." Edgeworth explained. "It will only take a moment."

It took every ounce of Phoenix's self control to stop himself from giggling like a mad man.

"Oh, that's fine, Mr Edgeworth." Maya exclaimed. "I don't mind at all."

Edgeworth signalled left and pulled the car into the underground parking lot of a very impressive looking apartment building.

"Wow..." Maya said in awe. "You live here?"

"At the very top," Edgeworth stated factually. "You are most welcome to come up and take a look at the view if you like."

Maya's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Oh Nick, can we? I've never seen the city from up that high!" Maya pleaded.

"Sure." Phoenix agreed, shooting Edgeworth a look over her shoulder as they exited the car. His calm expression betrayed nothing. He was too good at this. Phoenix watched as his friend pulled out his cell and sent a quick text. It was no doubt to Franziska to let her know they had arrived.

"Edgeworth..." Phoenix thought with a scarcely concealed grin, "...you sly dog, you."

As they stepped into the elevator, Phoenix could barely contain his excitement. Everything was going perfectly. Maya was going to love this.

Edgeworth slipped his security card in the slot and pressed the buttons for the 28th floor prompting the elevator to begin its ascent. After what felt like an eternity (to Phoenix anyway), the elevator rumbled to a stop, opening its doors to reveal a darkened apartment. Edgeworth stepped out ahead of them, flipping on the lights as they were met with a deafening chorus of "SURPRISE!"

Maya squealed, bringing her hand to her mouth in shock, before breaking out into a huge grin. She scanned the festively decorated apartment, hardly able to believe that all of this was for her. Friends she hadn't seen in years waited to greet her, extending birthday wishes and congratulations. To the side of the room, a large buffet table was overflowing with delicious looking food and drinks. She couldn't ever remember feeling this happy. Pearl tugged on her robes, her eyes as wide as her smile. She would have never seen anything like this before.

"Thank you!" she cried, turning to Phoenix.

He held his hands up in protest.

"I'm afraid I can't take credit for this one, Maya." He admitted.

She frowned for a moment, before realising exactly who must have organised the party for her.

"Thank you so much, Mr Edgeworth!" Maya exclaimed, enveloping the man in a crushing hug. Not sure how to react, he patted her awkwardly on the back. Phoenix couldn't help but laugh as he watched the clumsy exchange.

Somehow freeing himself from Maya's grip, Edgeworth brushed his suit jacket smooth of wrinkles before speaking again.

"It was my pleasure, Miss Fey."

"Please," Maya said with a grin. "Call me Maya."

"Very well, Maya," Edgeworth returned. "But you must call me Miles."

Phoenix shot Maya a pointed look, causing her to giggle. Edgeworth caught it, raising an eyebrow at Phoenix.

"You should go and greet your guests, Maya." Phoenix instructed. She nodded, bounding off towards the throng of people waiting for her in Edgeworth's living room. Before long, hugs and animated conversations were being traded as Maya headed around the room, thanking everyone individually for sharing the day with her.

Phoenix nodded at Edgeworth as he moved past his friend to join Maya.

"I owe you," he said thankfully.

"Let's not forget that," Edgeworth quipped with a note of sarcasm.

Maya stepped out on to the balcony, letting the night air cool her flushed cheeks. She had just put an exhausted Pearl to sleep in one of Edgeworth's guest bedrooms and inside the party was still in full swing. Will Powers and Larry Butz were engaged in a serious discussion about the finer points of playing the Steel Samurai, while Lotta Hart flitted about taking photos which she claimed to be uploading directly to the internet. This of course angered Franziska, who did not want to be seen in any photos with the 'Scruffy Detective'. Maggey was trying her best to console the wounded Gumshoe, while Edgeworth had spent most of the evening discouraging his seventeen year old assistant Kay from drinking any alcohol. Judging from her inebriated state, he hadn't been too successful.

Maya couldn't believe the eclectic mix of friends from the past who had showed up this evening. Adrian Andrews sat casually chatting with Franziska while Max Galactica and Regina Berry entertained the partygoers with magic tricks. Even Penny Nichols and Ron and Dessie Delite had shown up for the party.

Phoenix had introduced Maya to a young woman named Ema Skye, who had worked on a case with him a few years back while she was in Kurain. Maya had felt an instant kinship with the girl who was loads of fun, although her infatuation with Edgeworth was a little disturbing. She hadn't seen Phoenix since then and that had been well over an hour ago. She frowned, wondering where he had gone. She slipped her cell phone out of her pocket and began searching through her contacts for his name.

"There you are..."

The familiar voice from behind Maya interrupted her thoughts and she turned to find Phoenix closing the balcony door softly behind him. With a smile, she slipped her phone back in her pocket, once again turning her attention to the view. She leaned against the railing with a sigh. The city actually seemed peaceful from this high up.

"I was looking all over for you," Phoenix said, leaning against the railing next to her.

"I could say the same to you," she responded dryly.

She sloshed the remainder of her drink around in her glass, clinking the ice cubes together before downing what was left.

"Whoa, easy there tiger," Phoenix said raising an eyebrow. "I'm not carrying you home."

"Relax, Nick." Maya groaned, placing the glass down on the small table beside her. "It's just punch."

"And don't lie, you would totally carry me home." she smiled after a small pause.

"You're right, I would." Phoenix admitted. "About that punch though, I should warn you that Larry's never met a punch bowl he didn't spike..."

Maya laughed. She probably should have expected as much.

"Well that would explain why I'm slightly light-headed," she concluded. "Thank goodness we didn't let Pearly have any."

"Oh, Larry." Phoenix said, his voice tinged with something that wasn't quite disbelief. He knew the man too well to be surprised by the things that Larry considered good ideas.

"So where have you been?" Maya asked. "You've been MIA for about an hour. I thought you'd found a better party to crash."

"Not likely," Phoenix assured her. "I had to duck out for something."

"For that?" Maya said with a smirk, motioning to the wrapped box he had placed on the patio table.

"Possibly," he teased.

"Is it for me?"

"Could be."

Maya smiled. She didn't see anyone else here having a birthday. So Phoenix had actually left her party in order to get her a gift. She was touched, but she felt bad at his obvious guilt for having not remembered the date.

"I hope you don't feel bad about forgetting my birthday." Maya said gently. "You didn't have to leave to get me something. You've done so much already..."

"Well if someone had reminded me I might have been a little better prepared." Phoenix countered. His tone was light and his smile evident in his voice, but his words cut Maya deeper than intended. She sighed heavily.

"I'm sorry, Nick. I just, I don't know. Bad decision, I guess."

"Maya…" he began, "I didn't mean…" He frowned in concern.

"No, it's fine," she said cutting him off. "I do owe you an apology."

"I thought we decided we weren't going to talk about this today." Phoenix reminded her.

Maya turned to face him, smiling sadly. She appreciated his constant efforts to protect her, but there would come a time when she would have to do things on her own. As much as he would claim otherwise, Phoenix wasn't always going to be by her side.

"We never talk about anything, Nick," she reasoned.

"Nonsense," Phoenix said, still trying to lift the mood. "We talk every day! What do you call this?"

"You know what I mean." Maya stated stoically, turning back to her view of the city.

He knew exactly what she meant. From the time they had met the two of them seemed to have skipped over the more emotional conversations. They'd been through so much together, but Phoenix could barely recall properly talking about any of it. Mia's death, Maya's kidnapping and her mother's murder were but a few examples. A quick change of topic and a lame joke always seemed to be the easier option. Maya never seemed willing to talk about what was bothering her or what she was feeling. She had a definite tendency to bottle things up, preferring to shoulder her burdens on her own. Growing up alone probably had a lot to do with that, but she needed to realise that she wasn't alone anymore. He knew he wasn't much better either, suddenly feeling quite cowardly for often taking the easier road of keeping things light.

"Maybe we have gotten into a routine of avoiding important conversations," Phoenix admitted.

Maya lifted her chin, eyeing him seriously.

"Well maybe we should try and stop doing that," she suggested. "Tell me exactly what's on your mind."

He toyed briefly with the idea of saying something suggestive to make her laugh and avoid the real issue, but she had made a point of asking for his honesty. He owed it to her. If she really wanted to have this conversation now then they would have it now. He took a deep breath, steeling his expression before speaking.

"Why didn't you want me there today?"

Maya felt her shoulders slump. The slight sense of bravado provided to her by Larry's alcohol infused punch seemed to abandon her the instant she registered the underlying hurt in Phoenix's voice. She thought for a long time, trying to carefully word her answer. Thinking she was not going to respond, Phoenix began to elaborate.

"I know I'm not from Kurain and that they all see me as an outsider, believe me, I know. But I thought you would be the one that didn't care about all their rules. You'd be the one to say 'To hell with you all, I want Nick here with me,' or something like that. When I found out you didn't, well... It just made me feel far away from you. I don't like feeling like you're constantly letting me go, Maya. It doesn't have to be that way."

Actually hearing him explain how he felt made Maya feel a thousand times worse, but she had asked for this. It was time to be a grown up and deal with the consequences of her decisions.

"It was an important day for you and therefore it's important to me," Phoenix continued resolutely. "I wanted to be there with you. I don't care whether they like me or not, I'm a part of your life and I'm not going away. I know we always steer clear of conversations about us, but Maya, I-"

"It's hard," she said, interrupting him. He smiled pathetically.

"I know," he replied softly as he placed his arm around her shoulders. "But as long as we keep trying to talk about this stuff and work through it, we'll only get better at it."

She nodded in agreement before resting her head against his shoulder, sighing peacefully. He stroked her back reassuringly, turning slightly to place a soft kiss atop her head.

"One thing I can tell you is that I'll always be here. I said that to you before and I meant it," he murmured softly into her hair. "I'll always come find you, Maya. Always."

Maya felt her heart constrict, at that moment overwhelmed by emotions she had been trying to stop herself from feeling. It was no use. She was head over heels in love.

"We are hopeless, aren't we?" she finally managed, eliciting a soft chuckle from Phoenix.

"Yep." was his simple reply. Maya pondered the reality of their friendship, knowing the answer to her next question before it even left her lips.

"This just friends thing isn't going to work, is it?"

Phoenix knew the question was borderline rhetorical, but answered her anyway.

"Nope."

Maya let out a small groan that ended in a laugh. Somehow it felt like the most poignant way to express herself over their situation. She knew she loved him and was pretty sure he loved her. There had to be a way to make it work.

"You should open your gift." Phoenix said, moving away from her to grab the present from the table. He returned quickly, handing her the clumsily wrapped box. She couldn't help but smile.

"You wrapped this?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked at her sheepishly, raising a hand to the back of his head in something akin to embarrassment.

"I... uh... I'm not so good at the whole wrapping thing," Phoenix admitted.

"It's what's inside that counts," she reassured him, carefully tearing open the paper. Her breath caught in her throat when she uncovered a beautiful, intricately decorated silver jewellery box. She looked up at him in surprise, then back down to the box in her hands, turning it slowly to better view the ornate design.

"Nick..." she breathed. "It's..."

"Go ahead," he urged, grinning at her reaction. "Open it."

Carefully, she lifted the lid on the box. The tinkling sounds of a beautiful lullaby soon reached her ears as she inspected the rest of her gift. The inside was lined with plush navy velvet, but most stunning of all were the small figures of a man and woman dancing together, spinning slowly with the lilting tune. The woman's hair was long and black like her own, and her dress glittered with hundreds of tiny rhinestones, catching the light as she spun with her beau.

Maya struggled for the right words but found herself coming up blank. This was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. Where had he found this? She had never seen anything so expertly crafted.

Phoenix smiled broadly, realising Maya was nothing short of enthralled with the music box.

"I knew you'd like it," he beamed.

"I love it," she corrected him. "It's so beautiful. How did you find something like this on such short notice?"

"Well," he explained. "I've actually had it a very long time. I've been waiting for the right time to give it to you."

"Really?" Maya asked, surprised.

Phoenix nodded.

"My father had it made for my mother as a gift on their wedding day. That's meant to be them," he said, pointing to the dancing pair. "This is one of the few things of theirs that my Grandma made sure was kept for me."

Maya watched Phoenix compassionately. This was the first time he had ever made mention of his parents. Clearly, he had inherited a romantic streak from his father.

"Grandma would always say that one day, I would give it to the right girl. A girl who would cherish it, just as my mother had." Phoenix added, a light tinge of pink on his cheeks.

"I will." Maya promised, feeling tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "Always."

Maya placed the music box on the table, almost afraid to let it out of her sight. The sentimental value that it held for Phoenix made the gift even more special. She was incredibly moved that she was the girl he had chose to give it to, especially knowing how infatuated he had been with Dahlia. Perhaps some tiny part of him knew back then that she wasn't the one for him.

She moved back towards him, slotting herself in under his arm where she had stood before. He rested his hand back on her shoulder.

"I don't think you've ever told me about your parents before," she said softly. She felt Phoenix shrug.

"They've been gone so long that I guess I just got used to not having them around," he said casually.

"What happened? I mean... if that's okay..." Maya asked carefully.

"It's fine." Phoenix said with a sad smile. "They died in a plane crash. I was too young when it happened to remember them. My Grandma raised me."

Maya nodded, although her heart went out to him, she was pleased that he had chosen to share something so personal with her. She frowned, once the reality of what he had revealed started sinking in.

"It's really not fair," she said quietly.

"What isn't?"

"So many of us have grown up without our parents," she lamented. "Me, you, Pearly... even Edgeworth. It's really awful that we all share that in common."

"Yeah," he agreed sadly. "But I think it helped shape who we all are today."

"Nick... if... if you ever want to see them, you know I can arrange that," Maya offered.

Phoenix gave her shoulder a squeeze. He'd never even thought of that.

"Thanks," he said earnestly.

They settled into a comfortable silence while Phoenix actually considered the possibility of meeting his parents. Although, having his mother channelled by Maya might be a little weird. Maybe she could get someone else to do it.

"I hope when I have children, I live long enough to see their children," Maya said hopefully, jarring Phoenix from his thoughts. "Maybe even my grandchildren's children too."

"You will," Phoenix reassured.

Maya hoped he was right. Here she was, barely twenty and already having lived through multiple attempts on her life. She shuddered to think what else could possibly be in store for her.

Phoenix thought carefully before broaching his next subject. He hoped it wouldn't upset her, but honesty seemed to be the theme of the evening.

"Have you given any thought to maybe channelling your mother?" he suggested gently.

Maya tensed slightly at the mention of her mother, but quickly allowed the tension to dissipate.

"I don't think I'm ready yet, Nick." she replied. "But I will. One day soon, I will."

Phoenix nodded. He wouldn't push her on it. He trusted that she would seek her mother out once she had a little more time to grieve.

"I've got big shoes to fill." Maya stated, giving Phoenix a window as to what she was thinking about.

"I think you'll find they already fit," he responded, keeping with her analogy. She laughed lightly.

"Thanks Nick, but my Mom... they say she was something else. The best there ever was," she explained, her voice drifting. "She tied it all together. She ran the village and had a family. No channelling job was too difficult for the great Misty Fey."

"I'm sure future generations will speak the same of the great Maya Fey." Phoenix assured her with a smile.

"By the time my mother took the Master's position on her twentieth birthday, she was already married and she had Mia," Maya said, shaking her head.

"No kidding?" Phoenix mused. Looking down at Maya he found it hard to imagine her married with a family at her age. She was only just coming to terms with who she was. Misty must have been a strong woman. But Maya held that same strength too, even if she didn't realise it.

"I just don't know if I'm ready," she frowned, looking down at her elaborate robes. "Look at me. I look ridiculous. I feel like a kid playing dress up."

Phoenix shook his head at her. She was so dense.

"You are ready. It will be tough, but you'll do great. You'll be outshining your mother before you know it."

Maya turned, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head against his chest. He returned the hug, pulling her closer to him.

"Thank you, Nick." she sniffed.

"And you don't look ridiculous at all," he said quietly. She looked up at him just as he angled his head downwards to press his lips against her cheek. "You look beautiful," he finished with a whisper.

He felt her clutch lightly at his shirt as his breath tickled her ear. He shifted slightly, resting his forehead against hers as his nose grazed hers gently. After only a moments hesitation, her lips found his in a soft kiss she felt she had waited an eternity for.

Edgeworth walked into the kitchen, placing the empty wine bottles on the counter with a faint clink. The gathering may have been a small one, but Maya's friends sure knew how to knock them back. Glancing at Maya's uncut birthday cake still sitting on the bench, he wondered where the guest of honour had disappeared to.

"Come to think of it," he mused. "Wright is still missing also."

The question of the pair's whereabouts was soon answered as Edgeworth caught sight of them through the balcony doors sharing a rather intimate embrace, absolutely oblivious to the fact that anyone who walked into the kitchen would see them.

In a decisive motion, Edgeworth swiftly pulled the cord on the drapes over the balcony doors, obscuring them from sight. He strolled back towards the kitchen counter, leaning down to select a Sauvignon Blanc from his wine rack before heading back to join the other guests.

The cake could wait.

A/N: Eww, Edgeworth. Sav Blanc? GROSS.