Risenfromash: After this Nature of Devotion will return to one-shot episodes (hurrah). Most will be things that occur after these events, but there may be some from earlier in Miles and Franny's relationship and I'll make note of it in the beginning. I have also created a C2 community for stories focusing on Miles and Franny. Please see my profile page for more info.
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Thank you for your continued support.
EPISODE 16
EPILOGUE
Franziska lounged on the loveseat in the sitting room happily flipping through a fashion magazine. Her stiletto-tipped legs were slung over the arm in a deliberate act of defiance against the proper way to sit and behave. Miles seeing this knew that meant she was feeling frisky and playful something that could only happy when she was truly content. It had been a very nice weekend. They had done nothing special, but being able to spend time together again as brother and sister and lovers made these days away from work seem like a real holiday.
"Aw! There you are."
Franziska glanced up and smiled briefly at him before turning her attention back to the magazine. "All this retro stuff looks horrible. Who looks good in neon?" She murmured as much to herself as to her brother.
Miles sat down next to her on the couch and she took it as an invitation to snuggle into his lap. "I wouldn't look good in any of this," she said her lips curling downward in distaste.
"Darling, you can make anything look good. Possibly even that…thing." Over her shoulder Edgeworth had spotted an absurdly shaped garment that defied even his extensive vocabulary.
Franziska laughed. "No way. That looks like something Jude or Fredric would wear. I wouldn't waste a cent on it."
"Speaking of money, I got an e-mail from Joshua." Franziska's eyes flicked upward over the top edge of the magazine. This was the first time either of them had heard from Walker since his rather abrupt departure back to the U.S. a month prior.
"Oh? And how is Defense Attorney Josh Walker doing?" Franziska said trying not to sound alarmed, but Miles could see her hands twitch ever so slightly a sign that she was nervous and wished that her whip were in her hands to comfort her. He smiled and placed a reassuring hand on hers. She need not worry. There was no doubt in his mind that he was where he belonged. These last few weeks with Franziska had been some of the happiest of his entire life.
Franziska knew she owed a great deal to Walker, but he was the only major competition she had for her brother's heart so she wasn't about to let her guard down any time soon. She had Miles back to herself and she would be damned if she would let anyone steal him away from her again. She loved him and needed him. He was her rival, but she found very little not to like about him besides perhaps his obsession with that stupid television franchise The Steel Samurai and Pink Princess, but she could forgive him that.
"He has settled into his new firm. His father is doing a little better after the surgery and he almost won a case."
Franziska chuckled. "Almost doesn't count in court."
"I know that darling, but he doesn't set his goal at perfection as we do."
They were perfect for one another he realized that now. It wasn't only that he loved her and felt the need to worship her. They were made for one another. They understood one another like no one else could. It made him feel comfortable like a favorite blanket or sweater. He closed his eyes and smiled, such contentment was surely criminal.
"Josh did mention something else I found odd, though. He thanked me for the generous donation I made in his name to the Berlin Symphony's Youth Enrichment League but I didn't donate to them."
"Strange," said Franziska. Miles noticed that she was concentrating far too intently on her magazine as if attempting to be inconspicuous. "Perhaps, it was a mistake," his sister commented again with a fake nonchalance.
"Franziska, organizations such as that don't accidentally credit the wrong person with platinum level sponsorship." She flipped the page of her magazine and shrugged.
"Maybe he's making it up." It was an entirely illogical explanation and they both knew it.
"Sister…" Miles extracted the magazine from her hands delicately so as not to give her any paper cuts and set it on the floor by her whip and held her in his arms so she couldn't leave him.
"I know it was you." He said staring into her ice blue eyes.
Franziska made an audible sigh and said, "Fine, it was me. You happy, fool? Can I have my magazine back?"
"That was very sweet of you, darling," Miles said hugging her as though he were a toddler and Franziska was a cuddly teddy bear.
"But, Franziska, that was a lot of money."
She attempted a shrug while still held in his arms.
"It was a peace offering for you and your boyfriend. It's in both your names, but I hid the card the symphony sent you. Because, while I suppose it was thoughtful my timing seems to have been far from perfect."
Miles reached up to brush a hair from her face. There was no mistaking the look of adoration on his face. His eyes were wide in order to drink in her beauty. His lips were pursed every so slightly moments away from kissing her with a passion rarely seen and his nose was being tantalized by that hint of a flowery scent a person could only catch when they were very close to her. She was lovely and Miles felt incredibly blessed to have her once again as the focal point of his life. He knew some men described the woman in their life as a ball and chain, but he saw the anchor she provided as welcome. She gave his life a happy purpose and a hope that the future would be less melancholy than their ruined childhoods had been.
"Now, don't be thinking I used my money," she said feeling as though she should explain that she didn't make any sacrifices to make the enormous donation.
Miles smirked. "Then exactly whose fortune did you plunder in the name of classical music?" Miles knew every well that Franziska only had access to his money in the event of his death or incapacitation and vice versa. The two lawyers had immediately seen to the necessary arrangements when the transfer of property came to them from Manfred at the time of his execution. It had been a sad and awkward thing to do, but necessary.
"Papa's. I sold his desk and all his other crap."
Miles drew back in shock as though Wright had just pulled one of his signature Edgeworth-look-at-this-decisive-piece-of-evidence-I-just-pulled-out-of-my-ass moves in court. Franziska might have laughed at the expression on his face had she not been embarrassed that he knew how much she still idolized her father in spite of all the horrible things he had done.
"You cleared out Manfred's office and sold his desk? The one with the three hundred year old carvings?"
"Yes, I think he loved that titanic of a desk more than either of us so I decided I never wanted to look at it again. I was sure you felt the same way and wouldn't object so I sold it and gave the money to charity. I did a bunch of house cleaning this summer and purged some stuff we didn't need. No big deal."
Miles eyes lit up. If she had been going through storage, maybe…
"Did you find my viola?" He asked eagerly.
Franziska grimaced. Damn, of course he would ask about the viola, she thought. He's been wondering what happened to it for years. Internally she debated and decided she may as well tell him the truth.
"Miles, I've known all along what happened to your viola and I'm sorry but it's been destroyed."
"Oh." Miles shoulders sagged. It had been an antique and had such a lovely tone and its superb craftsmanship had made it feel perfect in his hands. "When?"
"The day I got this." She held up her left hand to display for him the scar he knew was there. The cause of the abnormal wrinkles and damaged palm print had been a mystery to him for years and the first hint to him that something was terribly awry in the von Karma household.
~xxxx~
Miles Edgeworth was in the south wing of the mansion reading a book. It was his favorite spot to read because the window overlooked the gardens and had plenty of natural light. Sitting there made him feel like he got to be outdoors even on days when bad weather prevented him from doing so.
Today the ground was covered in snow. It was a few days before Christmas and the view from the window perfectly replicated a traditional German Christmas card. He was shaken out of his absorption in the tome he was reading by a wailing sound from the other side of the mansion. He leapt to his feet not entirely sure what it was he had heard, but confident it was not normal and required investigation. He ran through the house and became aware that the sound was his sister screaming and while he had often heard Franziska angry he had never heard anything quite like this.
"PAAAAAPPPPPPAAAA!" The sound came again wrenching at Miles gut. What had Manfred done to Franziska? Miles was shocked to find himself immediately jumping to the conclusion that her shout was accusatory and not a cry for her father's support, but he was too in the moment to ponder why he would have thought that. Instead, Miles dashed into the main foyer of the house as fast as he could, determined to do whatever he could to help his sister.
He found both Manfred and his sister there. Franziska was screaming and stamping her feet while her father berated the help with instructions.
"What happened?" Miles had never seen Franziska so upset. She was normally exceedingly composed, but at this moment she was hysterical. She was screaming at her father and in obvious pain, though her brother couldn't tell what part of her was hurting.
Miles ignored everyone else and ran to her, kneeling in front of her. "Sister, sister!" She held her arms out to him in an obvious request to be held by him and it was then he saw that her left palm and wrist was red as though it had been recently burned. Miles opened his arms automatically heeding her desire to crawl into them intending to hold her and try to help the injured girl to calm down, but Manfred stepped between them.
"Edgeworth, there has been an accident. Your sister has been hurt due to her own foolish behavior. There is no reason to coddle her when it was her own carelessness that has led her to this state. I'm taking the foolish girl to the hospital now."
Franziska's eyes met Miles' and through the tears he saw a desire there he didn't recognize. She wanted to say something that much he could tell. Miles ignored Manfred and attempted to figure out what it was Franziska was wanting from him.
"Franziska-"
"Miles, we are not in need of your assistance."
Manfred had grabbed hold of Franziska by the upper part of her good arm and was forcing her to walk beside him down the hall toward the door. The thirteen year-old was pulling back and struggling in an attempt to be able to turn around to again see or speak to her brother.
"I'll come, too," Miles said and he began to follow them thinking that might get Franziska to quit her fussing and make Manfred less upset with her.
"No." Manfred ordered with a finality that told Miles there was no room for debate on the topic. Franziska continued to sob and her free hand despite its injury was reaching for something… for a moment Miles thought she was still trying to touch him but it seemed odd to him. Why would she be so insistent on being with him? But there was no doubt that she was desperately reaching in his direction as her father drug her toward the door. Seeing the extent of her desperation Miles decided it must have been her riding crop that she was in need of. After all, she and it were virtually inseparable.
"Don't worry I'll get it. Where?" Manfred watched, as Miles Edgeworth understood Franziska's desire without the use of words and it displeased him. The young man had simply read her body language apparently knowing by instinct what it was that would soothe her. Manfred barked at Miles to return to his books, but Edgeworth didn't listen. Instead he saw that Franziska was pointing back toward Manfred's office and Miles began to run that way to get her crop, but a number of the servants blocked his way.
"Where do you think you're going? You know we do not allow running in the house."
"I'm going to get Franziska's riding crop. She wants it and it must be here somewhere."
"Miles Edgeworth, your father told you to return to your studies. You must go."
He turned back around in time to see Franziska's burnt hand still continuing to reach in his direction disappear from view as the front door of the mansion closed. Miles Edgeworth felt defeated. He had been unable to help her. Manfred had not allowed it and that made Miles suspicious.
Something was going on.
~xxxx~
The next afternoon Miles Edgeworth slipped away from his studies saying that he had left an important reference book in the library, but it was an excuse. He wanted, no, needed, to know what had happened to his sister. She had been upset, disturbed to a level he had never before seen even at other times when she had been physically injured such as when she had been bucked off her horse or the time she cut herself in the kitchen with the carving knife.
He had thought that after Franziska was treated in the emergency room that someone would relate the story to him of what exactly had happened to lead to such a severe burn. But Manfred, Franziska, and the household staff had been strangely quiet on the subject making Miles more confident that something had caused Franziska's "accident."
Miles crept down the hallway past the sitting room and toward Manfred's office. He tried to convince himself that he was simply too used to dealing with the criminal mind. There was no way that Manfred would have intentionally hurt his own daughter. Even Miles who regarded Franziska as an annoyance a great deal of the time had boundless amounts of love for her under the veil of their mutual rivalry and now that she was getting older he almost thought of her as a friend. Especially since they had worked on the case in which little Kay Faraday's father had been killed. Something was changing between them. Franziska was outgrowing her pesky little girl phase and becoming a lovely teenager who Miles actually enjoyed being around. It was a shame that they didn't get to see more of one another.
Miles knew the only fireplace in this wing of the house was in Manfred's office so Franziska's "accident" had to have occurred there. He crept up to the door. Normally, he would knock, stand at attention while identifying himself, and wait for Father to state he had permission to enter, but today was different. Today, Miles was going to do the unthinkable, he was not only going to enter Manfred's office without permission. He was going to investigate. Miles found himself feeling very odd about snooping on the man who had so generously opened his home and resources to Miles at the time of Gregory Edgeworth's untimely death, but Miles had to know what had happened. Franziska was still a child and he was an adult. If something was going on she would need his help.
He placed his hand on the doorknob and silently twisted it. Then he released the knob and placed his hand upon the door to inch it open slowly in hopes of avoiding the loud creaking that was almost inevitable with such old doors.
"Miles Edgeworth, what are you doing?"
There was no mistaking that thundering voice. It could only be Manfred von Karma. No one else could suck the spirit out of a person so fast.
"Oh, Sir! I came to speak with you. I had concerns regarding Franziska's injury. I have been trained in fire prevention and safety and thought that perhaps I could be helpful by insuring that the fireplace was secure as I would hate for you or anyone else to become injured again."
"How thoughtful of you, Miles Edgeworth, but I remind you that while you are now a man the rules of this house continue to apply. You are not to enter my room without my express approval… or your sister's room for that matter."
Miles expression changed to one of confusion. He was puzzled. "Why would I…?"
"Miles Edgeworth, you are now a man and as a man there are certain things that are highly inappropriate. Franziska is still a child and you must remember that."
"What do you mean, sir? I hardly ever even get to see Franziska. With her work and my studies…were it not for Christmas, I-"
"Miles Edgeworth, you are no longer welcome home for the holidays. You are an adult and must make your own way in the world. I advise you to forget your sister. Your companionship is no longer required by her or me."
Miles was stunned. Had he just been told by his adoptive father that not only should he not want to come home for Christmas but that he wouldn't be welcome?
"Franziska's hand will heal and she will soon be off to the university herself to further her studies and you will no longer be a part of her life."
"I don't understand. I know that Franziska and I are very competitive, but I do care about her. I thought you would wish that. You have told me from the beginning to treat her as a sister and I've tried to honor your wishes."
"Franziska is a foolish female who got hurt because she was careless. That is all, Miles Edgeworth. Now return to your room or I will have you thrown out."
Miles stepped away feeling a very cold chill. He was confused about why Manfred would be acting this way. He expected to be in big trouble for attempting to sneak into the office, but why would Manfred all of a sudden be making so many comments about the nature of his friendship with the young woman who much to Miles' chagrin insisted on still calling him her little brother.
~xxxx~
"You've always told me that was an accident, that you tripped and fell in Manfred's fireplace. Is that not the truth?"
"It's a half truth. It was an accident, but Papa and I were already fighting."
"About what exactly?"
"Does it matter?"
"It matters to me, because you got hurt while I was in the house and no one would tell me what happened or why both you and your father were so upset. I felt something was being hidden from me and Father wouldn't let me hold you or talk to you about it."
Franziska snorted. "Miles, that day Papa confronted me about how I felt about you."
Miles inhaled sharply. Of course, why had he not realized it all those years later when she admitted she had fancied him even in her youth? Now Manfred's comments made sense. He had ordered Miles to stay away from her, not to enter her room, and not to return home at Christmas. Miles remembered how Franziska had groped the air trying to reach him. Miles had been too naive a young man to realize at the time that Manfred was trying to nip a blossoming love in the bud.
"At first I lied, but somehow Papa had found my journal and-
"I surmise that your journal had some private thoughts."
"Yes."
"How private?"
Franziska climbed in his lap spreading her thighs over his and drug her pelvis over his groin. "Very private," she said resting her arms on his shoulders.
Miles gulped. Much as he found the thought that he and Manfred's daughter were in love a strangely Shakespearian turn of events he was perpetually embarrassed by how Franziska had idolized him from such a young age. Despite all of Manfred's flaws Miles had to admit that he wasn't sure how he would react if he had been in Manfred's position with a thirteen year-old daughter who was having mature desires for her adopted brother, not to mention a significantly older adopted brother.
Miles wrapped his arms around her and kissed her relieved that they no longer had to worry about such things. His tongue tangled with hers as he reflected how fortunate they were to no longer have the conventions of society keeping them apart. Sure, there was stigma about them being siblings but they could accept that. They knew their relationship was different. It was unique, but they would have it no other way.
Then he suddenly pulled away.
"Wait a second, sister. What does any of that have to do with my viola?"
Damn, you can distract him, but he is an investigator and he'll go right back to the mystery afterward, Franziska complained to herself.
"Hmph!" She had been enjoying her brother's attention. "Papa had a plot to make you hate me. He was going to force me to destroy your viola and I guess make me say I did it out of spite or envy thinking that would restore our rivalry and ensure that you would never fall in love with me. But I wouldn't do it. We got into a scuffle, he pushed me and I tripped…"
Miles lifted her hand and kissed the scar that dominated the palm of her hand while tears formed in the corners of his eyes. "I heard you scream all the way on the other side of the house. I was so worried about you."
"Are you crying?" Franziska asked alarmed. Miles had always seemed oddly disturbed by that day and she had never really understood why.
"Darling, I had nothing but respect for Father until that day, but when I heard your voice shouting at him I was convinced something was wrong. I would have never consciously believed that I thought him capable of such evil, but when I heard you I was scared. It was upsetting to me to think that I would believe my mentor capable of hurting you. I wanted to know the truth. So, I kept asking questions about what had happened, but all anyone would tell me was that there had been an accident. I felt a cover-up happening all around me and I was very worried for you." He continued to plant kisses on the scarred flesh and then began working his way up her arm with his lips.
"In case you didn't know, I've always been protective of you. I know you're perfectly capable of caring for yourself, but somehow I still find myself constantly wishing to provide for you. It's funny since it's always the opposite. You're always caring for me and you've had the burden of knowing we belong together all along."
"Fool, don't make me sound like some kind of foolish fool psychic. I didn't know we would end up together. It was just a foolish schoolgirl crush…that I never outgrew." Her lips met his and led them away from her arm.
"I don't know about that Franziska. Even Father took your feelings for me seriously. I'm sure he knew I was oblivious but after that day he was different. I wasn't welcome home at Christmas and he never wanted me to be around you. He scolded me for being affectionate to you. I think he was seeing it too and all the time I was absolutely clueless to your feelings and my own. Franziska, I'm so sorry for everything. I'll never hurt you again."
Franziska smiled impishly and wrapped his arms around her more tightly. "Well, you mustn't be on good behavior all the time. My whip gets hungry you know."
Miles smiled. What a naughty lover he had. "Sister, is there anything I can do for you?"
It seemed funny after all they had been through in the last year that he should be trying to make things up to her, but she didn't argue because there was something she very much wanted.
"Help me find my sister, Miles Edgeworth."
Her brother nodded, his eyes darkening with determination. "We'll find her. Manfred can't hurt any of us now."
The End of Episode 16, Obsession Betrayed
Risenfromash: Some Author's notes- The canon on Franziska's sister is spotty at best. We know she exists, has a daughter and is supposedly married. There is no evidence in the canon that Edgeworth has ever met her and though Manfred talks about his grandchild having a dog named Phoenix I'm playing up the mystery and figuring that was merely a lie, a manufactured insult to Phoenix. This plotline will be playing out in future episodes…
