Author's Note: Ugh. Well that little "Bad Health" moment went on a little longer than I'd hoped, but oh well. Thanks so much for your patience, and I apologize for the lack of updates. Luckily, I had a lot of time to plot out the rest of this story, and actually it looks like it's going to be a much longer story than I'd originally realized, so I think I might break it down into three sections; a trilogy, if you will. I'll worry about that later, though. For now, here's a chapter!

WARNING: This chapter contains relationship troubles, and characters behaving in flawed, human ways.

Chapter Twenty: Shush

October 23, 2029

Miles Edgeworth's Home

Edgeworth and Trucy joined the others in the library. Phoenix scooted over on the sofa to make space for Edgeworth, but Edgeworth chose a chair next to Apollo instead, leaving Trucy free to take the space next to her father. As always, she was smiling and alert, but her eyes kept shifting back and forth across the faces of her friends. Phoenix rested a comforting hand on her shoulder, then cleared his throat.

"Well?" demanded Edgeworth.

Phoenix frowned at him. "Yeah, I was just getting to it. Maggey called. Like we said, the police found Noel Parker's body."

Athena's eyes were wide. "He was hanging from that bar at the top of the shower, you know, the one the shower curtain clips onto." She shuddered. "There was a chair underneath him, too, lying on its side like he'd kicked it over while he was…um…dying."

"Creepy," announced Widget. For once, Athena didn't shush it.

"And of course," added Apollo, looking unimpressed, "there was a suicide note, written in blood. It just said 'Sorry.'"

Edgeworth frowned. "I see. Then we're meant to believe this was a suicide?"

"Yeah," agreed Phoenix. "That's what it looks like, anyway. The note in blood was kind of an ugly but revealing touch."

"What melodramatic nonsense," muttered Edgeworth. "The man could not possibly have hung himself for the same reason that he could not possibly have committed the murder of Mrs. Butz. The act of hanging one's self requires a great deal of manual dexterity, and Parker's hands were destroyed to the point that even tying a competent knot in a noose would have been extremely difficult for him without excruciating pain."

"One could argue," countered Phoenix quietly, "that he might have regretted his crimes so much, he was willing to put up with the pain in order to end his life."

Edgeworth just shook his head." Absurd," he insisted. "A man who murders three victims, and attempts to murder a fourth and fifth does not suddenly experience that level of remorse for no reason. That's merely the stuff of detective fiction."

Phoenix nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, we think so, too."

"I have a question." Maya was chewing thoughtfully on her lip. "Where did the blood come from? For the note, I mean. Um, hanging doesn't usually cause a lot of blood, right?"

"Apparently he cut his own finger with a breadknife," Apollo informed her, "and used that blood to write the note. The breadknife was lying next to the chair, covered in his blood, so whoever DID kill him definitely used it. No prints on the knife, though. Not even Parker's."

"As if it wasn't already obvious enough, that makes it doubly clear." Edgeworth folded his arms across his chest defiantly. "A suicide does not wipe his own prints before dropping the knife."

"Yeah," agreed Apollo. "That's exactly what Mr. Wright said."

"We do think the guy was probably an accomplice," added Athena, "but there's still a murderer out there. Now, though, all we have to do is convince the murderer that we believe in the suicide theory, and voila! They let their guard down, and we lock them up!"

But in order to do that, thought Phoenix, we'd have to lift all that extra security. No more special police guard for Larry, or for the Judge. Is that really such a good idea?

"I don't know,' he said aloud. "That seems kind of dangerous to me, but in the end, I guess it's up to the Chief Prosecutor and the Police Department. What do you think, Miles?"

"Aw, Nick," whispered Maya, just loud enough that Phoenix and Trucy could hear, "it's okay, you can just admit that you don't want to leave yet!"

Trucy giggled. Across the room, Edgeworth's ears turned red, and Phoenix realized that Maya's whisper hadn't been quite quiet enough.

"I'll, erm, naturally want to confer with the Chief of Police," muttered Edgeworth hurriedly, clearly trying to cover his confusion. "Your safety concerns are, of course, valid. I shall let you know as soon as I have more information to share."

"Good, okay." Phoenix nodded. "In the meantime, um, Maya? Are you still…?"

Maya looked glum. "I'll find him, I promise," she said. "I don't know why this is happening. It just doesn't make sense, it's like someone's pulling him back from the other side! But don't worry, I can do it!"

"Maya's been trying to reach Mr. Parker," clarified Phoenix, "but for some reason she can't pull him over to our side."

"Well, um…maybe he's not dead enough yet?" Athena looked uncertain. "I mean, he did just die a few hours ago. Maybe he needs more time, to uh…take a tour of the Twilight Realm, get settled in?"

Apollo gave Athena an incredulous look, and Athena, embarrassed, stopped helping.

"No, it's not that. Something's resisting me," insisted Maya. "I search for him, and then the moment I find him, it's like some kind of…uh…like a wall goes up, blocking him off, and the connection breaks. It's been years since I've experienced anything like this. This shouldn't be happening!"

You've been under a lot of stress lately, thought Phoenix sympathetically. Maybe that's all it is. I know you can do it, Maya, but give yourself a break. Oh, and speaking of breaks…

Phoenix looked over at Edgeworth, who was now staring intently at something on his cellphone screen. Standing up, Phoenix nodded to the rest of his team, then strode over to Edgeworth.

"We're going to head out for a bit," he announced. "I'll have my phone, so keep me posted if you hear anything new. Maya, I know we need to reach Mr. Parker, but don't overdo it. Athena, Apollo, make sure she doesn't overdo it, okay?"

"On it, boss!" Athena bounced to her feet. "Come on, Maya, let's go make some coffee. Maybe what we need is some good caffeine stimulation for our mental faculties!"

"Huh? Don't I get coffee?" Apollo frowned. "What about my mental faculties?"

Athena just shrugged. "Can you channel spirits?"

"N-no, of course not," mumbled Apollo. "But I-!"

"Then you can get your own coffee." Athena turned on her heel and marched Maya into the kitchen, leaving Apollo to tail awkwardly behind them. Maya shot him a quick, apologetic look over her shoulder before Athena whisked her away.

"Where are you going?" Trucy looked up at Phoenix. "Can I come? I haven't been out of the house in days, my focus power is starting to disappear…"

"You can focus for days on end when you're working on a new magic trick," countered Phoenix sternly. "You promised me you'd finish that essay today. Is it finished yet?"

Trucy hung her head. "Uh…no. But I can't think of anything. My brain hurts…all my ideas have just gone 'poof' and vanished.""

She looked dejectedly out the window, and Phoenix, relenting a little bit, gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Okay, okay, then take a break," he suggested. "Maybe you and Maya can practice a little bit until I get back. Remember, though, you did make me a promise."

Trucy perked right up and beamed at him. "I know! As soon as I'm recharged, I'll finish the best, most concise," she smiled at Edgeworth, "essay that the world of Leadership and Management has ever seen. Just you wait for the big debut of Trucy Wright's Magically Perfect Final Essay!"

Trucy then hurried off to the kitchen to join the others, leaving Phoenix and Edgeworth alone in the library.

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "Where exactly," he asked, "are we going?"

"For a walk," replied Phoenix firmly. "It's a nice day! Seems like a great time for some good, brisk cardiovascular exercise, right?" He grinned, trying to look more enthusiastic about the idea of exercise than he felt.

At least the company's good, he thought. Who knows? Maybe it'll turn out to be romantic.

Edgeworth looked momentarily startled. "Ah…I see." For some reason, he coughed and looked away, as though he was embarrassed. "Well, then. Erm. Shall we?"

It was a perfect, sunny October day, the ideal temperature for a stroll up and down the block. Edgeworth locked his front door behind him, then fell into step alongside Phoenix.

"This feels slightly foolish," admitted Edgeworth. "We don't…exactly have anywhere to go. It seems odd to just wander around without a goal in mind."

Phoenix laughed. "Just pretend you're pacing up and down in your office," he suggested.

Edgeworth scowled at him. "The pacing has purpose," he insisted. "It's movement to help encourage and stimulate thought. There are detailed studies extolling the benefits of that kind of thing."

"Well, there are detailed studies extolling the health benefits of regular exercise," countered Phoenix. "Tell you what, we'll walk for an hour, and then we'll go see if the others have made any progress. Okay?"

Phoenix looked down at his watch to check the time, only to discover that it was apparently still 10:35, the same exact time it had been the last time he'd looked at his watch over an hour ago.

"What's wrong?" asked Edgeworth.

"Oh, it's nothing. I think my watch has stopped." Phoenix shrugged. "Maybe it's time for a new one. It's kind of a shame, though; I really like this one. It was a birthday gift from Trucy when she was ten years old. Look at this." Taking off the watch, Phoenix turned it over to show Edgeworth the back, on which was engraved the word DADDY. "I'm…actually still not sure how she paid for it, but I assume it wasn't anything illegal."

"That's a very important gift," murmured Edgeworth. "Perhaps you can get it repaired."

Phoenix tucked the watch into his breast pocket "I hope so," he admitted, "but if not, I'll keep it in the Trucy box."

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. "The Trucy box?"

"Yeah." Phoenix gave Edgeworth a sheepish smile. "I've got a box tucked away in the bedroom full of all the special things that Trucy's given me over the years. She'd be horrified if she knew that I've got seven or eight of the first pictures she ever drew me, all of magicians and magic tricks, of course, and one pretty reasonable depiction of Mr. Hat dressed up in my trial jacket. There are a bunch of photos from her school talent shows and from her first professional magic shows, and some tickets, too. Actually, I've still got your ticket from the show you and I went to together a couple of years ago."

Edgeworth was staring at Phoenix with a strange, deeply thoughtful expression on his face.

"Wh-what?" Phoenix felt self-conscious. "Come on, it's not that weird."

"You are a disturbingly good parent," muttered Edgeworth. "It's frankly unexpected, and…it's quite sweet."

Phoenix wasn't sure what to make of that. "Oh, uh…thanks, I guess?"

"You're welcome." Edgeworth coughed, then reached for Phoenix's hand and held it tight. Phoenix, delighted, gave Edgeworth a little kiss on the back of the hand, which only flustered Edgeworth more. Phoenix laughed.

"I'm sorry about last night," began Edgeworth quietly. "That must have been a rather rude awakening for you."

"Please stop apologizing," insisted Phoenix, shaking his head. "I'm glad I could be there for you. Um. How's the pain right now?"

"It's fine." Edgeworth involuntarily touched a hand to his chest. "I feel fine. I feel…lighter. Calmer."

"Great!" Phoenix grinned. "Hey, maybe the exercise is already working!"

"N-no, I don't think that's it." Edgeworth squeezed Phoenix's hand.

Wow, thought Phoenix giddily. Is it just me, or is it just the most beautiful day we've ever had around here? The birds are singing, the sun is shining, there's a murderer on the loose and that REALLY should bother me more than it does, but…

Just then, His Honor, Judge Steven, the most incongruous of people to see in the middle of an empty street, came into view around the corner. Catching sight of them, he waved enthusiastically. Edgeworth dropped Phoenix's hand so quickly that Phoenix was left standing there with his arm held awkwardly out at his side.

"Wha?" demanded Phoenix.

"Ah, Mr. Edgeworth, Mr. Wright!" The Judge, accompanied by an armed police escort of two vaguely annoyed looking officers, smiled at them as he approached. "What a surprise it is meeting you here!"

Edgeworth cleared his throat. "I, um, live here, Your Honor. As a matter of fact, I believe you've come to visit on more than one occasion."

The Judge just continued beaming." Oh yes, yes, of course, that's right. But Mr. Wright, you don't live here. I'm quite certain I've been to your apartment, and it's on the other side of town entirely. What are you two doing out on this fine day?"

Phoenix opened his mouth to speak, but Edgeworth got there first.

"We're, um, discussing the case, of course," he said hurriedly. "In fact, Wright and I were just on our way to meet up with the forensic investigation team to confer with them about recent developments."

No, we aren't, thought Phoenix, genuinely irritated. Actually, we were having a nice romantic walk, after which I was going to suggest that we sit down over a cup of coffee and gaze into the dark circles under each other's eyes for a while.

"Ah, then you've heard the good news!" The Judge glanced over his shoulder at the bored-looking policemen. "I, er, am allowed to call it good news, aren't I? Or perhaps I'm not. I mean, I don't suppose the death of any man is really GOOD news, but…"

"We did hear about Mr. Parker's suicide, yes," agreed Edgeworth. "I understand completely, Your Honor. No doubt everyone involved is relieved that the case has finally ended."

"Indeed! Yes, that's exactly what I meant." The Judge nodded encouragingly. "And, of course, in light of our newfound safety from the Butz Killer, perhaps I can now dismiss these two delightful officers back to their lives and families?"

Edgeworth and the two policemen shared quick, loaded looks. The policemen nodded, almost imperceptibly.

"That remains to be decided," said Edgeworth aloud. "I will, of course, need to discuss with the Chief of Police and examine the case for myself. You understand, I'm sure."

"Oh, quite, quite." The Judge sighed. "Well, in that case, I'd best be off. I'm taking my two associates for dinner, you see, as a thank you for their excellent protection. Won't you two join us? Oh, but of course, you said you had plans already. Do say hell to Ms. Skye for me, won't you? Let's go, Peter, Max. We don't want to miss the special!"

With that, the Judge was off again, his two guards in tow. They rounded the next bend in the street and were gone.

Edgeworth sighed softly and reached for Phoenix's hand again.

Phoenix found, to his own slight surprise, that he didn't feel much like giving Edgeworth his hand back.

"Well?" he demanded. "What was that all about?"

"What?" Edgeworth stared at Phoenix, apparently picking up on the sharp edge in Phoenix's voice. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you lie?" Phoenix insisted. "To His Honor, just now. Why tell him that we were 'discussing the case?' It's not like you to make things up."

"I…I don't know," mumbled Edgeworth, narrowing his eyes. "What else did you expect me to tell him?"

"The truth," countered Phoenix. "You know, something like 'Oh, hi, Your Honor. Yeah, I do live around here, and I'm out on a nice walk with my partner."

Edgeworth's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. It would have been funny if Phoenix hadn't been so annoyed. "P-partner? I…I had no reason to believe…I mean, we certainly haven't discussed-!"

"Oh." Phoenix shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. Well…I guess I understand that, sure. If you want, we can talk about it now. I'm ready."

"Wright," began Edgeworth. "It…I'm hardly prepared for that sort of a-!"

"We're using first names, remember?" interrupted Phoenix. "You know, like human beings who actually care about each other."

Edgeworth coughed and took a moment to compose himself. "Forgive me," he said carefully. "It is sometimes difficult to remember."

"Oh, really?" Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "Because you always seem to remember to call me Phoenix when -!"

"Do NOT be vulgar," snapped Edgeworth, his face darkening. "I have no interest in engaging in that kind of argument. I am sorry that certain things don't come as easily to me as perhaps they do to you, but, if you'll remember, we are in the middle of a deeply troubling murder case and I confess that there have been other things on my mind."

Phoenix's heart sank. He felt guilty and chastened, but also disappointed.

Yeah, he thought helplessly. Yeah, it's true, there really has been a lot going on, a lot of terrible things happening, but…you're still pretty much all I can think about. I guess that's just me, huh? Funny, I could have sworn you felt the same way.

"Gah." Suddenly, Edgeworth sucked in a breath and clutched at his chest, clearly in pain.

"Oh no." Phoenix took a step forward uncertainly. "Hey, are you…is it your heart? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," muttered Edgeworth through gritted teeth. "It will pass."

"I'm sorry," mumbled Phoenix. "I'm sorry, Miles, I didn't mean to…I'm sorry."

They walked back to the house in silence, with Edgeworth glaring straight ahead, still holding his fist tightly against his heart.

Phoenix felt terrible, angry with himself, and dejected. Somehow, the beautiful sunny day had lost its charm.