Author's Note: WARNING for anyone with anxiety (like myself): Things are going to start getting intense very soon. In this chapter particularly, there is a rough moment. All I can say is, I really like happy endings and I love these characters too much, so don't despair. Stick with me, I promise I won't let you down!

Chapter Eighteen: Never Gonna Dance Again, Part One

The LA County Memorial Hospital

October 22, 2029

Detective Dick Gumshoe was still lying on his back in bed when Phoenix and Edgeworth entered the hospital room. His chest was fully bandaged, and he was attached to several beeping machines, with long, thin injection tubes connected to both of his wrists.

Edgeworth felt a little bit sick, just looking at the damage.

Maggey Gumshoe stood up as they entered and smiled gratefully at them both.

"Oh," she began. "Mr. Wright, and Mr. Edgeworth! Thank you so much for coming, we're so, so thankful for all the help you've given us. Look, Dick, look who came to visit you!"

Gumshoe's eyes opened slowly, and he gave Edgeworth and Phoenix an exhausted, lopsided grin.

"H-hey, pal," he managed. "Man…I'm glad to see you. Sounds like I owe you one. Guess you saved my l life, huh? Th-thanks…thanks."

Edgeworth heard Phoenix suck in a sharp breath beside him.

Yes, Edgeworth reminded himself, he does look a mess, and I've never heard him sound so defeated. Still, he's alive, and that's what truly matters here. He's ALIVE.

"Detective," said Edgeworth, trying not to sound as shaken as he felt. "Good morning. I'm relieved to see that you're awake and on the mend. You had us…extremely worried."

Phoenix laughed gently under his breath. "Oh, tell him the truth, Miles. You were terrified. He was almost in tears, Dick."

Edgeworth coughed.

No, he thought, I wasn't, because I was too busy being in shock. Anyway, Wright, it's difficult to be sincere when you're so busy doing it for me. Do shut up for five minutes.

"It's great to see you," finished Phoenix. "You've always been a fighter. I knew you'd get through this."

Maggey sighed. "If only he hadn't married the Goddess of Misfortune. I…I just knew something would happen one day!"

"Stop it, Maggey," muttered Gumshoe, slowly forcing himself up onto his elbows with obvious difficulty. "You and your streak of bad luck have nothing to do with this. It's not your fault, you hear me? Now please sit down. All this stress is bad enough for you as it is. Relax, okay? 'S gonna be all right. We're gonna be okay."

He tried to smile at Maggey, and she almost burst into tears right there on the spot.

Gumshoe sighed.

"Listen, pal," he began, turning his attention back to Edgeworth. "There's…there's something I gotta tell you. I'm real sorry, Mr. Edgeworth, but it's not good news."

Edgeworth's stomach lurched.

"Yes?" he demanded. "What is it? Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait until you're 'feeling-!"

"The doctors don't think I'm gonna walk again," announced Gumshoe quietly, grimacing as he said it. "There's some damage to my brain, the part that moves my legs. Doctor said it was an…ice cream injury, or something."

Edgeworth froze.

No, he thought. Impossible.

"What? B-but why? Phoenix shook his head emphatically. "You were stabbed in the chest, there was no damage to your brain."

"Ischemic," murmured Maggey, "not 'ice cream.' It's an ischemic brain injury…something that happens when you lose too much blood, I guess." She shrugged helplessly.

Edgeworth felt like a cold hand had just closed around his heart, momentarily muffling the beat. Then, that vice-like, agonizing pain set in, and he took a deep, slow breath, trying not to let any of it show on his face.

Phoenix put a steadying hand on Edgeworth's shoulder, and Edgeworth focused as hard as he could on the sensation and the warmth of that hand, willing himself angrily to get over the pain.

"I'm…really sorry to hear that," Phoenix said. "That's…I'm not sure what to say, Dick. I'm so sorry. If there's anything we can do to help, just ask. Anything at all. I know I speak for Maya and the whole Wright Anything Agency when I say that. We're here for you, okay?"

"Thanks, pal." Gumshoe nodded. "Hey, it could have been worse, right? Could have been a lot worse, and it's thanks to you both that I'm here at all. I'm real grateful for that, even if I can't get up and show you right now. I will, though. You just wait, we are gonna have a celebration one of these days, of my personal heroes, the greatest legal team this county, no, the whole world has ever seen!"

Phoenix squeezed Edgeworth's shoulder. "Hear that? Dick says we're a great team."

Edgeworth just nodded silently.

"Listen, Mr. Edgeworth." Gumshoe paused for a moment, then frowned and kept going. "I know this isn't what you want to hear when you're in the middle of a really important murder case, but…without my legs, I'm not gonna be much use to you as a detective. I'll only slow everybody else down, can't even really guard a door. I guess this is it for my career in the police force. I'm sorry I had to let you down like this." He hung his head dejectedly. "It was fun while it lasted, though. Thanks for everything. I mean it."

"What?" Edgeworth stared at him. "Nonsense. Absolutely absurd."

"Huh?" Gumshoe blinked. "But I-!"

"I do not," said Edgeworth quietly, "accept your resignation, Detective Gumshoe."

"Miles." Phoenix gave Edgeworth a warning look. Edgeworth ignored him.

"I don't accept it," Edgeworth repeated. "When you are discharged from the hospital, we shall reassess the situation, and at that time, if necessary, I will have you reassigned to the Prosecutor's Office, where you shall serve as my personal investigational assistant. Specifically, you shall assist me in my analysis of the facts of the case, as well as in the courtroom, serving as a second opinion for my arguments and a source of information in case I miss a crucial piece of the puzzle. There will, of course, also be a significant salary increase. I will begin preparations immediately to have both the office and the courtroom outfitted with the appropriate seating and mobility tools."

Gumshoe's mouth dropped open in surprise. Maggey, delighted, stood up again and clapped her hands excitedly.

"Wha…wait, a-are you sure, Mr. Edgeworth?" stammered Gumshoe. "That, uh, sounds like a ton of work, pal. I've never been much of a brainy kind of guy, that's why I leave all the deduction stuff to you. Plus, uh, it all sounds kinda expensive."

We'll sort it out somehow. You shall be…the Watson to my Sherlock, thought Edgeworth desperately, and my Watson is going to have the fanciest, most comfortable chair at the bench that money can possibly buy. I am, after all, the Chief Prosecutor of this district. Just let them try to tell me that this isn't possible.

"Rest well, Detective." Edgeworth nodded curtly at him. "Take all the time you need for your recovery, but please be prepared to join me in my work as soon as you are well and healthy enough to do so. I eagerly look forward to our continued professional partnership."

Gumshoe started to tear up a little bit. "You're…you're a real pal, Mr. Edgeworth," he managed, a bit hoarsely. "I-I'm looking forward to coming back to work, now, sir!"

Edgeworth alarmed that he, too, might start crying any moment from the combination of the chest pain and the emotion, turned on his heel and left the room.

"Hey, Miles!" Phoenix hurried out after him and stopped him in the waiting room. "Whoa, slow down! Don't forget, we came together, you can't leave without me."

Edgeworth turned on him, and Phoenix paused, seeing the look on Edgeworth's face.

"Hey," he said, a bit more gently. "Are you okay? I think you really affected Gumshoe in there. Maggey, too. They're both crying, now. I bet Dick was really upset about the idea of losing his position; he takes his work with you very seriously."

"I know it," muttered Edgeworth.

"Now he has something to look forward to again," insisted Phoenix. "They say that really helps the healing process." He gave Edgeworth a soft sort of smile. "You really made a difference for him. Shows how much you care. I…I really respect that."

"I will find whoever did this," snarled Edgeworth. "I will find him, and I will be personally responsible for bringing this criminal to justice, or, so help me, I will never prosecute another case as long as I live."

"We'll do it together," said Phoenix. "For Detective Gumshoe. I promise."

Phoenix gripped Edgeworth's hand, and Edgeworth let him. He found that liked the way Phoenix's absurdly slim fingers felt against the back of his hand, liked how firm and confident Phoenix's grip was, and how unexpectedly safe it felt to just hold on to him, even in the simplest of ways.

This is a ridiculous thing for me to be thinking about right now, realized Edgeworth, embarrassed. Forcing himself to stop thinking about Phoenix's fingers, he took a quick breath and nodded.

"Very well," He said, straightening up and pulling his hand away. "Then we have some work to do. Let's go back."

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix, smiling again. "Everyone will be happy to hear that Gumshoe's awake. Let's go share the good news."

Edgeworth spent the rest of that day shut up in his bedroom. At 7:00 that evening, he was still hunched over his papers with his phone within easy reach, waiting and searching impatiently for the breakthrough he so badly needed to avenge Detective Gumshoe.

He was having some significant trouble concentrating.

The house was, of course, much livelier than it had been since he'd moved in a few years ago. He'd only ever been the only one staying here, and now there were five other people, including the newly arrived Athena and Apollo, walking up and down the stairs, debating in the dining room, and calling to each other from the landing. Someone, almost certainly Phoenix, played "Hotel California' very loudly and not too terribly on the piano in the library. Edgeworth was certain that it would take hours and possibly a professional cleaning service to deal with the leftover mess, once this ordeal was over.

Although…perhaps it's not so much of an ordeal, he thought. Certainly it's less unpleasant than I had imagined it would be.

When he'd gone down to retrieve a granola bar an hour before, he'd found Phoenix, Apollo, and Athena watching while Maya and Trucy had practiced a magic trick in the living room. Something kept going wrong, and Trucy kept pulling various unexpected and apparently unplanned items out of her hat. Every time she did so, she tried to come up with cute tagline or explanation for why this was, actually, supposed to happen. Every single time, Phoenix and Maya had laughed.

I like the laughter, realized Edgeworth. There's never been that much laughter in my home before. It's loud, and disruptive, and also comforting to hear through the walls. It's nice to know that I am…not alone in the house. Who would have thought I'd enjoy a home invasion like this? I'm sure I'll get sick of it if it goes on for too long, of course.

At that moment, there was a loud crash from downstairs, followed by a flurry of muffled voices. Edgeworth sighed.

Finally abandoning the safety of the bedroom, Edgeworth went downstairs to investigate the source of the crash. He found the entire Wright Anything Agency team in his kitchen,

"What," began Edgeworth resignedly, "is going on here, exactly? Who has broken what?"

"Oh, no, it's not broken!" Maya pulled her head out of one of the cabinets under the sink, where she'd been rummaging for something. "Don't worry, Mr. Edgeworth! I dropped a pot, but it bounced! It just made a really loud CLANG when it hit the ground. Good thing it wasn't one of those ceramic bowls, huh?"

Athena, who was over at the counter filling Edgeworth's Von Karma heritage ceramic bowls with some sort of leafy green assortment, laughed. "Yeah, but I'm kind of a butterfingers sometimes, so anything could happen! Oh, um, I'm just kidding, Mr. Edgeworth. I'll be careful, I promise! Eeek!" Her hand slipped, she fumbled with a bowl for a moment, and then managed to catch it in both hands before it ended up on the floor.

No wonder I have heart trouble, thought Edgeworth wearily. Please…everyone…get out of my kitchen. Let's just have a peaceful evening, I implore you.

"Aw, the surprise is spoiled." Trucy planted her hands on her hips and shook her head." We were supposed to surprise you with dinner, but I guess the secret is out! Oh well, SURPRISE!"

Helplessly, Edgeworth turned to Phoenix for an explanation. "Wright, what is all of this?"

Phoenix, standing beside Athena, was carefully mashing up a berry-paste, and then ladling it onto each bowl of leaves as Athena finished chopping. He looked up when Edgeworth called his name and beamed, clearly proud of himself.

"It's just like Trucy said," he explained. "We're making dinner! You know, to thank you for putting up with us."

"We figured you needed something better to eat than cereal," added Maya. "That stuff is…I don't mean to be ungrateful, but…yuck!"

"And we know you're trying to stay healthy." Athena finished her last bowl of leaves, and stepped back, surveying her work. "So, we thought we'd make you something healthy but also delicious! No need to thank us, we're happy to help!"

A muscle in Edgeworth's forehead twitched, and he took a deep breath. "What…what is this 'dinner' exactly?"

It looks, he thought, like reddish slime poured over grass. I…I am really going to have to eat this, aren't I? They may not be any polite way around it, heaven help me. Perhaps this is how I die. Honestly, I had expected something more dramatic.

Apollo brought over a bowl of the apparently finished concoction, containing what appeared to be leaves, berry paste, chopped nuts of some kind, and a small piece of whole-grain bread cut into the shape of a tiny hat.

"It's a Khura'innese dish that I taught myself over there, when I realized that most of the local restaurants don't deliver," Apollo informed him. "I know it doesn't look like much, but…actually, it tastes amazing. I eat it all the time when I need a late-night snack in the middle of a stressful case. It's supposed to be great for your heart."

Athena winked at Edgeworth, who coughed and pretended not to notice.

"Yeah," agreed Maya. "Pearl and I used to eat it all the time in the village! I totally forgot about it until Apollo suggested it, but it's GREAT. Go on, Mr. Edgeworth, give it a try."

They all watched him expectantly. Phoenix raised an eyebrow at Edgeworth and gave him a mischievous sort of smile. Edgeworth scowled at him.

"How…thoughtful of you," Edgeworth managed, steeling himself. Then he quickly spooned a bit of the stuff into his mouth…and found that it was actually not bad at all. Again, he looked over at Phoenix, who was now laughing under his breath.

They all sat down to a heart-healthy, remarkably edible international dinner that evening. Trucy was delighted that her little bread-hats had come out so perfectly. Maya gave Apollo a short but somewhat interesting lecture on the spiritual origin of the berry compote they were eating, and Widget embarrassed Athena by loudly demanding thirds when Athena demurred after her second bowl.

Every time Edgeworth looked over in his direction, Phoenix was smiling warmly, or laughing, or reacting with pride or enthusiasm to something being said.

The cold feeling in Edgeworth's chest was melting fast, now. He spent a couple of delightful hours without any pain, and he savored every moment of it.

By the time they finished eating and cleaning up, it was already relatively late in the evening. Everyone said their good nights, thanked Edgeworth again for the safety and hospitality, and went off to their own rooms. Athena decided to share with Trucy for the night, so that Apollo could stay as well. Edgeworth wasn't certain that Apollo was in the same kind of potential danger as the others, but he had no evidence either way, and was hardly going to throw Apollo out.

Returning to his bedroom, Edgeworth washed up, brushed his teeth, and tried not to keep looking at the door. He tried not to hope, tried not to expect, and tried not to worry that maybe something he'd said the night before, or even something he'd done this morning had already spoiled his chances, whatever those were or had been. He wrestled unsuccessfully with his unruly feelings, willing himself to stop wanting, to stop daydreaming about someone he knew he shouldn't be allowed to have, someone he knew would only make things more complicated and potentially more stressful.

His mind kept drifting back to the feeling of Phoenix's fingers, the way he smiled, and his ridiculous bedhead.

Then, finally, there was a knock at Edgeworth's door. Edgeworth threw it open to find Phoenix Wright, standing there in nothing but a pair of flannel pajama pants, smiling hopefully.

"Hi," said Phoenix. "Um…how are you doing?"

Embarrassed by his own relief at seeing Phoenix, Edgeworth wasn't sure what to say. Phoenix grinned, then stepped forward, kicking the door closed behind him as he pulled Edgeworth towards him and kissed him softly on the forehead. Edgeworth leaned his head against Phoenix's shoulder and wound his arms around him, breathing him in, enjoying the somehow both calming and exciting feeling of holding him. Phoenix tilted Edgeworth's chin and kissed him once, twice, three times, tightening his grip, letting his hands slide up Edgeworth's back. Edgeworth's mind spun happily.

They tumbled into bed together, and Edgeworth wholeheartedly gave himself over to Phoenix's enthusiastic, devoted touch.

It was a long time before they fell asleep, with Edgeworth resting his head on Phoenix's chest, trying not to chuckle at the sound of the gentle, snuffling snores.