May 1st, 2029, 10:00 AM
Shopping Mall, Downtown L.A.

"Thanks for taking me dress shopping, Maya."

Maya smiled down at Trucy as they walked through the mall. "You're welcome. I know you wanted your mom to bring you, but I'm glad I could fill in."

Trucy nodded as she bounced along beside Maya. "You're my mom too, Maya. Besides, I didn't think you'd want to take me which is why I asked Thalassa."

Maya laughed lightly. She would never admit to Trucy just how jealous and disappointed she'd been when she announced Thalassa would take her. She didn't want to make Trucy feel guilty for wanting to spend time with her long lost mother. "It's no problem. Actually, I'm kind of excited to go since I never had any sort of prom, and neither did Pearly. I think it'll be fun to go shopping for girly stuff, no men or dads to bother us."

Trucy laughed at Maya's wink and nudge. "When I graduated eighth grade I had to get a dress for it. My daddy made the lady at the store help me pick it out. I looked terrible because she pretty much let me get whatever I wanted, plus it was one of the cheapest ones they had. He didn't tell me it had to be cheap but I knew money was tight so I didn't want to get something too expensive."

Maya wrapped an arm around Trucy's shoulders. Even as a kid Trucy had been so intuitive. "Well today there's no money limit. Your dad gave me his credit card," she said, grinning.

Trucy's eyes lit up. "He really said I could get whatever I want?"

Maya pursed her lips. "Not exactly. But don't worry about it, I'll deal with him." If they really went overboard she was happy to help Phoenix pay back the balance on his card anyway. She didn't want Trucy to have to worry about something like money anymore. "I think his only rule was that it couldn't be too revealing, super short, or too tight."

Trucy rolled her eyes. "Of course he would say that."

"We'll just see what we find. Nick's just being a typical overprotective dad. You'll be 18 soon so he's going to have to give you some wiggle room when it comes to stuff like this eventually. I will not let him talk you out of wearing make up if you want to, by the way."

Trucy pumped her first in the air as they neared the store they were aiming for. "Yess! It's so nice to have you on my side."

"He's probably just worried about his little girl getting her first boyfriend anyway," Maya continued teasingly. "Got anyone special, Trucy?"

Trucy only giggled and shook her head no, then grabbed Maya by the hand to pull her into the store.


May 1st, 2029, 10:30 AM
Fey-Wright Residence

Phoenix flipped one of the pancakes over in the pan, careful not to let it stick on top of any of the others. He knew for a fact that Pearl loved having breakfast when she stayed at the house, she'd said more than once that it was one of her favourite things about staying at the house with her family instead of in Fey Manor in Kurain. He wasn't the best cook, but after years of taking care of Trucy, he wasn't terrible. At any rate, he made good pancakes. He also knew that Pearl's favourites had chocolate chips in them, so he'd been sure to add those to the batter despite not really being a fan of them himself.

Pearl entered the kitchen right on cue, as if she knew exactly what he was making and when it would be done. He turned from the stove to smile at her. "Good morning, Pearls. You slept in pretty late today."

She yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, coming forward to climb into one of the stools at the island counter. "I had a tiring day training yesterday," she explained. "I was beat, and since it's the weekend I figured I could sleep in. But when I woke up I could smell something good so I decided to come see what you were making." She sniffed the air. "Are those pancakes, Mr. Nick?"

He lifted one of them out of the pan on a spatula to set it on a plate. "Yep."

Pearl stared. "Do those have chocolate chips in them?"

He smiled. "Aren't they your favourite?"

She nodded, and he put the plate down in front of her once he'd stacked a few on it. He handed over the syrup and the butter before getting his own plate and sitting down beside her. She was already smothering her pancakes in butter and half the bottle of syrup. They ate in silence for a few minutes, but Pearl was related to Maya after all. Despite her small size she could really pack the food away, and she was fast. Her plate was clean before he was even halfway through his.

She sat back with a satisfied sigh. "Thanks, Mr. Nick. Those were delicious."

"No problem, Pearls," he said, continuing to cut his up. "So what are you up to for the rest of the day?"

Pearl tapped her chin. "Not much. I have the day off from training, and Mystic Maya and Trucy are out, so I'll probably just sit around."

"Why didn't you go with them?" he inquired.

She shrugged. "I like shopping but I didn't feel like it. I was too tired to wake up earlier."

"Makes sense to me," he said. "Hey, do you want to do something with me today? Maya and Trucy are out and will be out for a while if I know Maya. I gave her my credit card and I'm sort of scared to see the bill later."

Pearl laughed. "Sure, why not? How are you going to pay for it without your card though?"

"I have some cash, I think. What were you thinking?"

"I'm not sure," she said, looking up at him and grinning. "Remember that time you took me to the zoo when I was little? It was just you and me."

"Of course. Maya was busy and basically asked me to babysit you."

"It was fun," she said fondly. "But I don't know if I'd want to go back there. The pony lady thought you were really handsome. I had to tell her off."

He laughed. "What? I don't remember that."

"She didn't say it to your face. But I remember."

"Wait, Maya and I weren't even together at that time."

Pearl raised an eyebrow. "Exactly. I did you a favour, because if you'd started dating that cowgirl lady you wouldn't have ended up with Mystic Maya! Your fiancée," she reminded him.

He rolled his eyes at her. Pearl loved saying that more than he or Maya did. They still accidentally referred to each other as just 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend' half the time, but Pearl never forgot.

"Right, right. It's because you preemptively rejected the cowgirl at the zoo for me that Maya and I fell in love."

She nodded. "Yep. That's right."

He laughed. "Well, no zoo today. How about a movie and dinner after?"

Her eyes lit up. "There's this new romance out and the lead actor is so dreamy, I've been wanting to see it for forever but Trucy wouldn't go because she said she's tired of cliché romances."

Phoenix smiled. "Of course. Well, it can't be any worse than the dozen or so Steel Samurai movies Maya has made me see, so sure. That's fine."

"Yay! Thank you, Mr. Nick!"


May 1st, 2029, 1:00 PM
Shopping Mall Food Court, Downtown L.A.

"Now I get why my daddy hates shopping," Trucy said, taking a sip from her soft drink.

Maya crumpled up the paper from the burger she'd ordered from the food court. "Aw, come on. You didn't expect to find the perfect dress in the first store we went to, did you?"

Trucy gave her a look. "We've gone to five different stores already. None of them had the one, you know?"

"I get it. Do you know how many wedding dresses I've looked at so far? I just can't find the right one. It doesn't help that the Elders in Kurain want us to get married there instead, and it's super traditional. We'd have to wear kimonos and stuff."

Trucy thought for a moment. "That could be really pretty though."

Maya wrinkled her nose. "It wouldn't be terrible but I know Nick isn't too into it and to be honest, I'm not either. I'd be happy to hold the wedding in Kurain, but I don't want to be disrespectful to everyone there by not following their traditions." She sighed. "Honestly, we're still not sure where it's going to be. We haven't even picked a date yet, but your dad keeps saying that we have to have it in the spring or summer. No snow unless I want him to wear his beanie during it."

Trucy giggled. "Well, it's only been a few weeks."

"You're right about that." She looked down at the ring on her finger. "I want to just enjoy it for a bit, before getting all serious into the planning. I just couldn't help looking at dresses. It's fun."

Trucy finished off her drink and set it aside. "Well, shall we get on with it?"

Maya nodded. "How about we try looking at specialty stores? These big department stores are okay but we're doing this sort of late so a lot of the good stuff is gone. A name brand store that sells only formal wear might be better."

"That sounds good to me!"

They got up to throw out their garbage and made their way thankfully out of the packed mall and into Trucy's yellow beetle. Maya knew about all of the stores around this part of town that sold formal wear thanks to her wedding dress window shopping, and a few minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of a clothing store called Le Formel.

Trucy laughed at the name before they entered. "That's really creative."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "Are you being sarcastic?"

"Nope! It's so simple that it really is creative."

"Right. Let's go see if their dresses are as creative as their name."

As soon as they stepped inside they were greeted by a a woman in a dress that looked more suitable for a ballroom, her neck dripping with diamonds. Trucy gasped. "Your dress is so pretty!"

Maya looked over the woman. So she worked at a formal clothing store, was a ball gown really necessary? She had to hope Trucy wouldn't try picking out a similar dress. The woman smiled widely at her, giving Maya the impression that she hadn't had a compliment on the outfit even once before.

"Thank you, young lady! What can I help you with today?"

"I'm looking for a prom dress," Trucy told her. "We've gone to a bunch of stores already and didn't find anything I liked, so we came here instead."

"Well, I can definitely help you find something here!" the woman said. "Is this your mother?"

Maya started to say no, but Trucy grabbed her hand. "Yes!"

The woman held out her hand for Maya to shake. "I'm Claire. I'll be happy to help your daughter find something she'll love."

Maya smiled. "I'm Maya, and this is Trucy. That's great. Let's get looking then."

"Do you have any idea what sort of dress you're looking for, Trucy? We have all sorts."

"Hm, not really. I like blue and yellow, I guess. Oh!" she held out her wrist. "If you can incorporate my other mom's bracelet into it, that'd be great."

Claire raised an eyebrow at the term 'other mom', but didn't mention it. "A gold bracelet like that will go with almost anything. Let's see what we can find."


May 1st, 2029, 3:00 PM
Movie Theatre, Somewhere Between LA and Kurain

"Wasn't that movie great, Mr. Nick?! Isn't Christopher Evansworth just so handsome?" She sighed. "What I wouldn't give to marry someone like him."

Phoenix yawned, turning his head away from Pearl to hide it. "It was great, Pearls." He gave her a sideways glance. "So, where do you want to eat?"

"Hmm. I don't know. Do you want to just go home? I'll cook us something," she said.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? You don't want to just go somewhere?"

Pearl shrugged. "I like being at home when I'm not staying in Kurain. And I've been meaning to try this new recipe lately, I think you'd really like it!"

"It's fine with me," he said. "Home it is."

He smiled as Pearl bounced along beside him. It was nice to hear Pearl call it home. His home with Maya and Trucy was where Pearl actually belonged. At home, with her family, not by herself in the large and empty Fey Manor.

They chatted about mundane things as they walked home, only stopping at the grocery store so Pearl could get some of the ingredients she needed for the meal she wanted to cook. When they made it back to the house Pearl made her way straight into the kitchen, telling him to stay out until she was finished.

Phoenix went to the small spare room he called an office and sat down in the swivel chair in front of the old desk. He rifled through some of the files he'd brought from the office, finding the small card he'd purchased and hidden there a few days ago. Maya told him he should get something for the occasion, so he did.

He ran a hand over his face. It was almost as nerve wracking as proposing to Maya, but at least in Maya's case, he was pretty sure she wasn't going to say no. With Pearl, he really didn't know. She would talk about wanting to be his 'real' family so often, but that didn't mean she'd automatically agree to his suggestion. He told himself not to let his feelings be hurt if she didn't. It was her choice.

He tried to work on some of his files while he waited for Pearl to finish dinner, but he couldn't focus much on it. He ended up sitting with his chin in his hand, staring at the wall and trying to come up with a good way to ask her. In the end, he decided he should just go about it the way he did a lot of things. He'd have to just wing it.

Around an hour later there was a light knock on the door. Phoenix hurriedly slid the card back between his files and told her to come in. Pearl poked her head inside the door. "Dinner's ready, Mr. Nick. You can come to the dining room now."

He smiled at her. "Okay. I'll be right there."

She left, and Phoenix found the card again, sliding it into his inner jacket pocket before leaving the office to join her.

Pearl had made a delicious looking chicken casserole with scalloped potatoes on the side. There was so much food he knew for sure there'd be leftovers for Trucy and Maya. Pearl had probably done that on purpose.

"It looks great, Pearls," he told her, sitting down at the end of the table.

She grinned and started spooning the food out onto their plates. She took a seat to his left. "Thanks, Mr. Nick. I'm not a bad cook, if I do say so myself. That's just because I have to cook for myself all the time when I stay in Kurain."

"Well, we certainly could use your skills around here more often. You know Maya and I can't cook."

"Your pancakes are good though, Mr. Nick!" she said. "And you can make hamburgers."

He chuckled. "Yeah, only because you and Trucy love pancakes so much, and Maya likes burgers. I've had a lot of practice with those two particular things."

"Maybe you should keep practicing with other foods. You could get a cook book!" She put her hand over her mouth as an idea struck her. "Or I can make you some recipes to try!"

He smiled. "That'd be nice, if you have extra time I certainly wouldn't mind. Especially on those days you have to stay in Kurain."

She nodded excitedly. "I'll be sure to make up some recipes for you before I go back for more training next week."

After that, they ate in silence. Phoenix was full after his one helping, and sat back with a sigh. "That was delicious, Pearls."

She was much faster than him and was just finishing her second helping. "Thanks! It did turn out pretty good, huh? I'll have to be sure to save that recipe as one of the good ones."

"Good ones?"

She smiled. "Not everything I cook turns out so great. One time I tried to make a lasagna… It was a mess."

He laughed. "Well, lasagna might not be your forte but casserole certainly is. What other meals do you have planned to try when you go back to Kurain?"

She shrugged. "We'll see once I get there." She sat back in her chair and huffed. "I wish I could go back and forth like Mystic Maya does, so I could cook for everyone here and not just myself. I don't really like staying there all by myself. The manor is so huge and empty, it's kind of lonely. I'd much rather be here with everyone."

"Why did you decide to stay at the manor so often?" he asked. "Can't it be changed into something else, like a museum or something for tourists?"

Pearl sighed. "It's sort of complicated. For the most part it is being used for tourism now. We've changed and upgraded a lot of it so if we have clients coming from out of town it can be used as guest rooms for them to stay in overnight. We still have the channeling chambers too, and even a little gift shop was set up in one of the rooms. But at the same time, it's been in Mystic Maya's family for generations. It just doesn't seem right to completely give it up. Mystic Maya didn't really mind, but I volunteered to take care of it so she didn't have to worry, so I am."

He nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Pearls."

She looked up in surprise. "Why are you thanking me, Mr. Nick?"

"Because thanks to you, Maya can live here with me without having to worry so much about what's happening in Kurain. The manor is one thing, but you're also Maya's heir until the new laws come into play. Having you in Kurain during the week probably puts her mind at ease. You're her second-in-command, Pearls, and she knows you can take care of anything that pops up while she's here." He paused. "And like I said, Maya and me wouldn't get to be together as often if not for you."

Pearl beamed. "I'd do anything for you and Mystic Maya, Mr. Nick."

"I know you would." He took a deep breath and let it out in a huff. Their dinner was done, and they'd had fun today. He had to do it now. "Hey Pearls, can I ask you something?"

"Of course!"

"Do you remember a few weeks ago, when you told me that you'd like Maya and I to get married because then me and you would be like real family?"

She nodded.

"Well… I was wondering if you wanted to make it official. Like I already told you, you already are my real family. But I wanted to know if you wanted to make it official in the eyes of the law."

She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

He rubbed the back of his neck shyly. "Let me just first say that you don't need to give me an answer right away. You can think about it, but it would be my honour if you… well, if you would let me adopt you."

Her eyes widened in surprise, but when she opened her mouth to speak Phoenix held up a hand. "Wait. I know we've never really talked about your mother, but by now you must be aware that her parental rights have been terminated, and the fact that you're already 18 makes it an easier and quicker process. If you give consent, Maya and I can adopt you. You'd be our daughter. I mean, I already think of you as one," he smiled, "but it'd be official. It's totally your choice."

Pearl blinked, trying to hold back her tears. "Y-You really want to adopt me, Mr. Nick?"

He smiled. "Yeah. Like I said; your choice. It's okay with me if you'd rather not—"

"No!" she said quickly. "No…" She sniffed lightly, a tear starting to slide down her cheek even though she was smiling. "I'd really like that."

"Really?"

Pearl laughed and wiped her tears. "Why do you sound so surprised? Of course really! It's something I've thought about before… A lot, actually."

He scooted his chair back some and reached over to squeeze her shoulder. "Me too."

She threw herself forward, out of her chair and into his arms, squeezing him in a crushing hug. "This means more to me than you know, Mr. Nick," she said quietly.

He patted her on the back and she pulled away, wiping at her eyes yet again. "After my mother went to prison, you and Mystic Maya were the ones who were always there for me, not anyone else. So this means a lot."

He smiled at her. "It means a lot to me too, Pearls. Oh!" He reached into his pocket to pull out the card. "Here."

She looked down in surprise. "You didn't have to get me a card!"

"Just open it," he prompted.

She tore the envelope open and pulled out the card. The card wasn't important but Pearl still took the time to read the cheesy words on the front of it before opening it up. She caught the delicate necklace that was tucked between the pages before it fell. She smiled to herself. It was just a simple gold chain with a tiny heart shaped pendant on it. There was nothing else too remarkable about it, but she still loved it.

She looked up at him. "It's so pretty, Mr. Nick. You didn't have to get me anything though. You just asked to adopt me, that was perfect enough."

"I know I didn't have to," he said. "I wanted to though. You deserve it."

She hugged him again quickly. "It's small enough that I can wear it with my magatama without it being too much. I'll never take it off!" she declared, clasping it around her own neck. It hung just slightly higher than the magatama.

She smiled at him. "So should I start calling you 'dad'?"

He laughed. "Nah. I mean, you can if you want, I guess it'd make sense now. But I've gotten pretty used to 'Mr. Nick'. You're the only person who calls me that."

"I think I'll stick with that then," she said.

"And obviously, you'll keep your last name and everything. Even Maya isn't changing her name when we get married."

Pearl pursed her lips. "She should change her name, Mr. Nick."

"You know the Fey women don't change their names, Pearls," he said. "You should know it better than me."

"I know, I know. I just think it's more romantic when the woman takes the man's last name." She grinned. "Speaking of weddings, do you have a date yet? A location? Who's your best man going to be, Mr. Nick? It'll be Mr. Edgeworth right? Are you going to invite Apollo? Oh, I can't wait!"

Phoenix smiled at Pearl's barrage of questions, finding himself thinking about what it would be like to walk Pearl or Trucy down the aisle at their own weddings, as the father of the bride.


May 1st, 2029, 3:40 PM
Le Formel, Downtown L.A.

Maya tried not to cringe as Trucy walked out of the dressing room in yet another gaudy and ridiculous looking prom dress. This one was blue, so at least Claire had gotten that much of Trucy's suggestions right. The rest of it was rather hideous. It was big and poofy, like an old fashioned Cinderella ball gown, but not in a good way. It had big puffy shoulders and the skirt fell all the way to the floor where it would drag behind her. It was covered in a layer of glitter and had way too many sequins.

Trucy made a face at Maya before Claire could see her. It clearly revealed her displeasure with the dress. Claire had done Trucy's hair up in a pink ribbon, and had hung a large silver necklace around her neck. She was also wearing white, elbow length gloves. None of it matched.

Claire didn't seem to realize this though. She came out of the dressing room behind Trucy and walked around to stand beside Maya where she could admire her creation. "Oh, you look beautiful, Trucy! Don't you think this one is it? We've been here for hours, you can't say this one isn't the one! We've finally found it!" She turned to Maya. "What do you think, Miss Fey?"

"Er… It's… not bad," she lied.

Claire looked delighted. "What about you, Trucy?"

Trucy turned to look at herself in the mirror. "You know Miss Claire… to be honest, I'm just not feeling this one either."

"Oh, why not?" she asked. Her feelings looked a little hurt, but there was no way Maya was going to let Trucy buy this dress just so the sales lady wouldn't get her feelings hurt.

"I'm not sure," Trucy said. "It's just not the one."

Maya stepped in. "I think we'll give up the search for today, Claire," Maya said. "It's been a long day and we're both tired. We'll pick it up again tomorrow."

Claire frowned. "Are you positive? I'm sure I could find you something."

"We're sure," Maya said, giving Claire an apologetic smile. "You've been great, but like I said, we're tired. So if Trucy could just change back?"

"Oh, alright. But promise me you'll come back tomorrow so I can help you again!"

Maya nodded quickly. "Sure, we'll do that."

Claire smiled at her and led Trucy back into the dressing room to remove the large dress. Once Trucy was back in her regular outfit, they thanked Claire again and hurried out of the store. As soon as the door was shut behind them, Trucy turned to Maya.

"Were you serious about coming back here tomorrow, Maya? I'm not sure how much more of that I could take."

Maya shook her head. "Of course not. Those dresses were all awful and nice as she was, Claire is not a fashion designer."

Trucy huffed as they headed for the parking lot where her car was. "I need to find a dress though. Prom is only in a few weeks."

They got into the car together. Trucy started the engine and made her way out onto the street into traffic. Maya was rather quiet. Trucy glanced at her. "What are you thinking, Maya?"

Maya turned to her. "Would you be up for a bit of a drive, Trucy?"

Trucy shrugged. "I guess so."

"Let's go to Kurain then," Maya said. "I think there may be something there you can try on. If you don't like it, we'll go home and pick up the search tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me."


May 1st, 2029, 5:50 PM
Fey Manor, Kurain Village

"I think it's in here," Maya said, leading Trucy into one of the back rooms in Fey Manor. It appeared to be a storage room full of old furniture and boxes. Maya stepped carefully through the mess to a box with an old label on it. It looked like initials, M.F. She bent down and pulled open the box, waving away the dust in the air before picking through it.

Trucy watched her carefully, wondering what Maya was looking for. Finally, Maya emerged with a bundle of clothing in her arms. She made her way back towards Trucy and back out into the bright hallway. "Remember how I said Kurain was really traditional, so if Nick and I got married here we'd have to wear kimonos and stuff?"

Trucy nodded. "Yeah, and I still think that'd be really pretty."

"Well, here," Maya said. "This belonged to my sister, Mia. It's definitely not for a wedding or anything, but it's still pretty and formal enough for a prom. It might be a little hard to dance in, but it wouldn't be as bad as what I'd have to wear for a wedding."

Trucy took the bundle from Maya and started to spread it out. The silk fabric was a light blue colour with a darker blue floral imprint. The obi was red.

Maya smiled. She was so young when Mia would have worn this she could barely remember, but Mia would have been around the same age as Trucy was now. "It should fit you," she said.

"It's beautiful, Maya," Trucy said. She swallowed and looked up. "Your sister… Mia Fey. My dad has told me a lot about her. He talks about her like she was some kind of superhero."

Maya smiled. "She kind of was, at least to Nick and I."

"Is it really okay for me to wear this?"

Maya nodded. "Of course. I think Mia would want one of my daughters to have it. And you know Nick has some Japanese ancestry on his mother's side, right?"

Trucy nodded. "Yeah, he's told me all about that. He's pretty proud. He says that's where his skills as a lawyer came from."

Maya laughed. "Right, because those are skills that can be passed down genetically."

Trucy grinned at her. "Can I try it on right now?"

"Yeah, of course. I can help you, they're sort of complicated. I never could figure out how to do it by myself."

They went to the Master's chambers together. The room was mostly empty now that Maya had moved all of her things to the new house, but a smaller bed from one of the bedrooms had replaced the large bed she brought with her to the house, and there was still a mirror on one wall.

Maya assisted Trucy with putting on the kimono properly. It took a few minutes but they managed. When Maya was finished tying her obi, Trucy stepped up to the mirror. She smiled to herself. "This is definitely it, Maya," she said. She held out her wrist where Thalassa's bracelet was. "Now I have something from both of my moms to wear."

Maya looked at Trucy through the mirror. "You look beautiful."

Trucy blushed. "Thank you."

"I have one other thing for you," Maya said.

Trucy turned from the mirror to look at her. "Really? More presents?"

Maya grinned. "You probably noticed a long time ago that Pearly and I both wear these magatamas," she said, fingering her own. "Your dad has one too."

Trucy nodded. "I know. He says it helps him know when people are lying. He threatened to use it on me so much when I was little, whenever I was bad. Sounds weird to me."

Maya laughed. "Nick's magatama is a bit different than mine and Pearly's, but I won't even get into that right now. The point is, we all have one. You are an honorary Fey, Trucy, so you should have one too."

Trucy's eyes lit up. "Really? I get to have one?"

"Of course. Here," she said, holding out her hand. Trucy had no idea where she'd gotten it from, she hadn't seen Maya pick it up anywhere, but there it was.

She took the stone gently in her hands. It was a deep dark purple colour, with a thin rope wrapped around the hole to form a necklace like Maya's, minus the extra beads.

"You don't have to wear it all the time," Maya said. "They actually can get sort of heavy around your neck if you're not used to them. But I wanted you to have one."

Trucy threw her arms around Maya's neck. "Thank you so much! I love it. It's so pretty. Not to mention this outfit. It's better than anything I could have bought at the store."

Maya squeezed her tightly. "And your dad won't even get to complain about all the money I didn't spend." Maya patted her back. "Come on, let's get you out of that and start heading home. We've got a bit of a drive ahead of us."

"Right," Trucy nodded. "Let's go."


May 1st, 2029, 8:36 PM
Fey-Wright Residence

It was dark by the time Maya and Trucy finally made it home. Phoenix and Pearl were in the middle of a Steel Samurai themed board game they'd found amongst Maya's collection when they walked in.

Phoenix looked up from the game. "Wow, you guys took all day. Do I even want to know what you bought?"

Trucy brought the paper bag they'd put the kimono in over to the table. "Don't worry, Daddy. It's nothing too revealing and it definitely didn't cost that much."

"What did it cost?" he asked, eyeing the bag.

"It was free!"

"Huh?"

Maya smiled as she maneuvered herself behind Phoenix's chair. She leaned down to hug him from behind, pecking him on the cheek. "We went to Fey Manor and picked up one of Mia's old outfits."

"It's so pretty, Daddy," Trucy gushed. "I'm going to wear that to prom. I may have to sacrifice a few dances, but it'll be worth it."

"That's great, Truce. I'm glad you managed to find something and you didn't have to spend any money."

Maya stood up straight, keeping her hands on Phoenix's shoulders. "How was your day, Pearly?" she said over him, to Pearl on the other side of the table.

Pearl smiled. "Mystic Maya… I had the best day ever."

Maya smiled. She had known all about Phoenix's plan to finally ask Pearl if she wanted to be adopted. Pearl really did look elated. She had known it would be a good idea.

Trucy sat down at the table with them. "What did you do, Pearl?"

Pearl smiled at her. "I'm going to be your sister, Trucy."

Trucy looked confused. "You're already my sister."

"But for real," Pearl said. "Mr. Nick is going to adopt me."

Trucy's mouth formed into an O. She looked at Phoenix. "Really, Daddy?!"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"That's so great," Trucy said, getting up to hug Pearl. "Once my daddy and Maya get married we'll all be one big happy family." She turned to Phoenix and Maya. "Speaking of weddings…"

Phoenix groaned and leaned back in his chair. He felt Maya squeeze his shoulders before she leaned down to kiss him again. "Well, that's my cue to go take a bath. Have fun with your two daughters, Nick."

He grabbed for Maya's hands. "Wait, Maya! Don't leave me with these two girls and their wedding talk!"

She was too quick for him, sticking her tongue out as she hurriedly ran from the dining room. He could hear the thumping of her feet on the stairs as she made her way up to their bedroom. When he turned back to Pearl and Trucy, they were both smiling at him.

"So Daddy," Trucy started. "About the possibility of me performing at the reception…"

He groaned and put his head down on the table. He and Maya really needed to pick a date for this wedding. The sooner they were married the better.