I couldn't wait two weeks! Here's the next chapter. This one is probably the shortest though.

"Come on, Maya. I'm sure you look great."

"Just one more minute, Nick!"

Phoenix taps his foot outside the bathroom door. It's proven difficult to get Maya out of the office today, but he needs to take her out so he can leave Trucy to decorate for the party. She's enlisted Athena's help, and Pearl will be around soon too. He needs to get Maya away from the office before she shows up, as it's supposed to be a surprise. He'll have to remind himself to thank Pearl for covering for Maya the other day too, or this wouldn't have been possible at all.

Just when he's about to knock on the bathroom door again, Maya opens it and steps out. She's wearing the white sequin and black chiffon dress he bought for her the other day, at his suggestion. Her hair is different again too, down straight and sleek, but her magatama necklace is ever present. "Well?"

"Like I said, you look great," he says. "Now, can we go?"

She finally nods. "Yeah, off to the show we go!"

She takes his arm and starts dragging him towards the door. He's spent money on tickets to see a new version of the Steel Samurai stage show. As soon as he'd seen advertisements for it at the local theatre on TV, he knew it would be the perfect way to distract her. Besides, Maya had asked him to go years ago when he was still a rookie, and he couldn't afford it back then. The tickets are much cheaper nowadays, and his budget isn't so meagre anymore either.

Before they head out, Phoenix gives a covert nod to Trucy, who smiles and sends him an "OK" signal.

The show is alright. Pretty good acting, and there's a weird musical number in the middle out of nowhere, but Maya has enjoyed it and that's really all that matters. She's in high spirits as they leave the theatre.

"Thank you for bringing me here, Nick," she says as they start their walk back to the office. "It was great. I feel kind of bad that you've been spending so much money on me lately though."

He shrugs. "Hey, that's what boyfriends do."

She smiles at that. "I should've made you my boyfriend a long time ago."

Phoenix snorts. "As if I haven't spent half of my life's earnings on you already anyway. I swear, Maya. DVDs, games, books, movie tickets, collectible figures. You name it, Maya has it, but who paid for it? Phoenix paid for it."

She laughs. "Maybe when I was younger, but I helped you when you were disbarred, when I could and when you needed it. And I don't recall you sending me any care packages when I was in Khura'in. Just letters."

"Hm. So we're probably even then."

She nods. "Yep."

Phoenix pulls out his phone to text Trucy. Maya glances curiously at him. "I'm just letting Trucy know we're on our way back," he tells her, not wanting her attempting to snoop. He really needs to know if it's okay for them to return.

He gets a return text from Trucy, telling him everything is good to go. He turns to Maya. "Hey, let's hail a cab. I don't feel like walking."

Maya nudges him playfully. "Old man can't even walk back to his office anymore."

He makes a face at her as he flags down a passing cab. They climb in together and he gives the address to the agency.

When they get to the office and climb from the cab, Maya is still jabbering away about what they should have for dinner. She wants to order something in and share it with Trucy, which makes him smile. Maya has always gotten along well with Trucy, thankfully. She'd be a great mom, if she ever decided to have kids of her own. He wonders if she's ever thought about it. He certainly has. Having more kids, that is. Though the idea of having one with her isn't bad either… He smiles to himself. That's way in the future though, if ever. Why is he even thinking about something like that right now anyway?

Maya nudges him as they walk down the hall towards the office. "What are you thinking about? You have that look on your face."

"Hm? It's nothing."

They stop outside the door and Phoenix knocks twice. Maya gives him a strange look for knocking before walking into his own home, until they walk in and everyone pops out from random hiding places to yell surprise.

Trucy and Pearl are the loudest, while Edgeworth mutters it quietly. Pearl runs over and grabs Maya in a hug. "Mystic Maya, you're finally back!"

Maya hugs her, grinning and looking around wildly. "What is all this? What did I do to deserve a party?"

"Mr. Nick wanted to give you a welcome home party!" Pearl explains. "It was so romantic of him!"

Phoenix rolls his eyes. "It's more like a small get together," he tells Maya. "We mentioned having something during the Sprocket trial and never did. I know you've been home a while, but…" he trails off, shrugging.

Maya throws her arms around him. "Thank you, Nick!"

"You should thank Trucy. She made it happen. Athena and Pearl helped decorate when they got here, right?"

Both of them nod, and Maya gives them all a quick hug. She greets Edgeworth last, even giving him a hug, though Phoenix can see how he tenses up at the intrusion of his personal space. "It's so good to see you, Mr. Edgeworth."

He smiles and adjusts his glasses when Maya lets him go. "You as well, Maya, and this time I didn't almost run you over."

She grins. "Sorry about that. I'm glad you came."

He nods towards Phoenix's desk, which has been transformed into a sort of buffet. "I brought wine. Nothing fancy, but I'm sure it'll go with that pizza and the chips and dip Trucy has so generously provided for us."

Maya laughs. "I'm sure it will. Oh! By the way, Pearly," she says, turning to her. "How did you get out of your duties? You said you would stay there so I could keep visiting Nick."

Pearl shrugs. "I called the clients who had appointments and told them we were sick so unless they wanted to see an acolyte, they'd have to reschedule."

"That's bad, Pearly…"

"I'm sorry, Mystic Maya," she says, looking down at the floor.

Maya smiles. "It was bad, but worth it. Thank you."

Pearl nods and scurries back over to Trucy. They head down the hall to Trucy's bedroom, and Athena decides to follow. She's still younger than the majority of the adults, and closer in age to Trucy and Pearl, so she'll probably have better company with them. However Athena is the only one carrying a glass of wine.

Phoenix raises his eyebrows at Edgeworth. "You know she's underage right? And why did she get some before either of us?"

Edgeworth shrugs. "She got ahold of the bottle and didn't really ask permission. Honestly, she's your employee, Wright, you can discipline her."

"Nah, we're off the clock," Phoenix says, grabbing two glasses and pouring for him and Maya. "Do you want to go to the back room and leave the kids out here?"

Maya nods. "But first!" Phoenix watches her grab a plate and pile it high with a few pieces of pizza and chips. "Okay. I'm ready. Let's go. Nick, can you take my wine?"

"I got it."

He leads them into the back room. It used to be a sort of hangout spot with an extra bed and a TV, but Trucy has changed it into another sitting room. The main office is pretty messy, but it is still technically for clients. She calls this back room the break room, for employees only.

Edgeworth and Maya sit down, but before Phoenix can settle in beside Maya, Athena appears in the doorway. "Uh, Mr. Wright. Someone is here for you. It's that guy from the Sprocket case. The painter." Phoenix groans, Edgeworth rolls his eyes, and Maya scrunches up her nose. Athena looks at them. "What?"

"Larry," they say simultaneously.

"I'll go see what he wants," Phoenix says. "I'll be right back."

He gets up and follows Athena back into the main office where Larry is standing by his desk, wringing his hands. When he sees Phoenix his eyes well up with tears.

"Niiiiiick!" Phoenix only has a second or two to prepare himself before Larry has thrown himself into his arms. "She dumped me, Nick!" he wails into Phoenix's shoulder.

Phoenix sighs and pats him on the back. It's not as if he didn't see that coming from a mile away. "Larry, Molly isn't who you thought she was. Trust me, this is a good thing."

"No, Nick! I'll never find anyone like her! She was amazing!"

Phoenix rolls his eyes. "Come with me. We're having a party for Maya, so come have a drink. Edgeworth is here too."

Larry's eyes swim with even more tears. "You didn't invite me?"

"Look, it was nothing personal, I'm just not fond of Molly and I knew you'd want to bring her, and wouldn't come if I told you she couldn't, so I just didn't ask."

Larry's lip trembles some more, but Phoenix pats him on the back, a little harder than necessary, and wraps an arm around his friend's shoulders. "Come on, you need a drink."

He leads him to the back room, noting the expressions on Maya and Edgeworth's faces. Neither of them look very pleased that Phoenix has invited Larry inside. Phoenix sits him down in the armchair and grabs a glass, offering it to Edgeworth to pour. He hands it over to Larry when it's full.

Larry sniffs at it. "Don't you have anything stronger than wine?"

"No," Phoenix states, not bothering to elaborate.

Larry frowns but sips at it, then tips it back and downs half the glass in one go. Maya raises her eyebrows at Phoenix, who just shrugs at her.

"Larry, I think it's time me and Maya told you about Molly. And it wouldn't hurt for Edgeworth to hear it too, since he's her boss."

Edgeworth leans forward slightly. "What are you talking about, Wright?"

Phoenix sighs and plops down on the couch between Edgeworth and Maya. Edgeworth makes a face and shifts over to distance himself from his friend. Phoenix waits for Larry to finish off his glass of wine. He holds it out for more when he's done, and Edgeworth obliges.

"Just drink it slower this time, Larry," he says.

Larry nods and settles back, finally willing to listen. Phoenix glances at Maya, who isn't exactly giving him an encouraging smile. He leans towards her, so close that when he whispers into her ear, only she can hear him. "I'm not going to tell them everything," he assures her.

She nods and he sits back. "Larry," he says, "Molly was using you." Larry goes to make another wild exclamation to defend her, but Phoenix holds up a hand. "She was using you to get to me. She was trying to make me jealous of you because she's… preoccupied with me…"

"She has a huge crush on you!" Maya suddenly exclaims. She looks to Larry. "She's been bothering Nick all week, trying to get him to go out with her and following us around and making suggestive comments, even though she knows he's not available. She only brought you to that date because she wanted to get a rise out of him!"

Larry frowns. "So you're saying that Nick is more attractive than me? So obviously a woman like Molly wouldn't be interested in me if Nick is around?"

Phoenix sighs. "That's not what we mean. She's just so focused on me that when her little jealousy plan didn't work out, she dumped you because you weren't worth anything to her anymore."

Larry's frown only deepens, and he lifts his wine glass to his lips again. Edgeworth turns to Phoenix. "Miss Hott has been inappropriate with you?"

Phoenix nods. "Yeah."

"Hm. There's not much I can do about it now, Wright. You should have told me sooner. Now that the trial is over the most I can do is make sure she isn't put on anymore cases where you're going to be the defense."

Phoenix nods, but Maya sits forward. "Mr. Edgeworth, you don't think she'll escalate now that she can't see Nick in court every day, do you? Will she start stalking him or something?"

"I can't say, Maya," Edgeworth says, pushing his glasses up his nose. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that, however if it does it'd be time to get the police involved. You're truly worried about that?"

Phoenix and Maya both nod at once. "She hasn't done anything too crazy yet. No threats or anything, but just the fact that she isn't giving up on me even though she knows I have a girlfriend is what bothers me. That would deter most normal people, right?"

Edgeworth shrugs. Phoenix sighs. He forgets that Edgeworth has very little experience with this sort of thing.

"If there's one universal dating rule it's that you don't go after another person's partner," Larry finally speaks up again, confirming Phoenix's thoughts. "You're just a jerk if you do that, you never want to be the other woman or the other man. Maya, you're a cutie, but I would never try to get you to leave Nick for me, because Nick's my bro. And even if he wasn't my friend, it's still not right," he states with a nod. "Molly's really been that bad, Nick? Even knowing about you and Maya?"

Phoenix nods. "Yeah, Larry. Even during dinner the other night she was feeling me up underneath the table with her foot. She eventually stopped but she wasn't very happy the rest of the night. I know that she probably seemed really sweet to you. Trust me, when I first met her I thought she was nice too, and I know how you are when it comes to pretty women. But she's just not the person she pretends to be."

"That explains why she practically kicked me out of the cab at my apartment and left me there in the rain after dinner," Larry says. "I was at least hoping she'd come inside for… coffee, you know."

"Of course you were."

Larry heaves a sigh and finishes off his second glass of wine. "Well, I guess it's better I found out now. This might just be my shortest lasting relationship ever. A new record."

"I'm sorry, Larry," Maya says. "You deserve better than her anyway."

He purses his lips. "Hopefully I'll find someone better someday. But anyway!" He leans forward, looking a little bit happier now, and glad to change the subject. "How are you two doing? Still good? This whole Molly thing isn't putting a strain on your relationship, is it?"

Phoenix lifts an arm to rest it casually on the couch behind Maya. "We're fine."

Larry smiles. "Good to hear. Aaah, I'm so jealous! Edgey, aren't you jealous?"

Edgeworth raises an eyebrow. "Not particularly."

Phoenix chuckles at Edgeworth's reply. "Speaking of us… Maya, will you come with me? I wanted to talk to you about something."

Larry 'oohs' as Maya looks up at him in surprise. Phoenix feels his stomach knot. He wants to talk to her about the kiss at the restaurant, and he's nervous. She has to know it meant more to him than just a convenient way to get Molly off his back, right? Then again, he hadn't really told her so outright, and he can't expect her to read his mind. All he knows is he wants to kiss her again, badly, but he can't exactly do that just out of nowhere now. That kiss had been a temporary breaking of one of their rules, and as far as he knows, said rule is back in place.

They get up together, and Edgeworth stands as well. "I'm going to get some of that pizza."

Maya giggles. "You're going to eat pizza, Mr. Edgeworth?"

Edgeworth frowns. "Of course, why wouldn't I?"

Maya shrugs. "It just doesn't seem like something you'd like."

"I'm partial to a good slice of pizza every now and then, Maya," Edgeworth states. "Do you want anything while I'm there, Larry?"

Larry shakes his head, reaching for the wine bottle again to pour his third glass. "Nah. I'm okay with this."

Edgeworth nods curtly and heads back to the main office. Phoenix takes Maya by the hand and together they follow him. He guides her to the door of the seldom used balcony in the main office and opens it, allowing Maya to step out into the night air ahead of him.

Inside, Trucy and Pearl, who'd come out from Trucy's room while Athena gets some food, notice Phoenix and Maya going outside together. They rush to the window beside Charley to spy on their guardians, now standing side by side, elbows resting on the railings to overlook the city below.

"It's so romantic, isn't it, Trucy?" Pearl sighs. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"I don't know, Pearl," Trucy says, resting her elbows on the windowsill. "My daddy is such a dork, he really needs some work before Miss Maya will fall for him."

Pearl puts her hands on her hips. "That's not true! Mr. Nick is her knight in shining armour. He's done plenty for her already. I just know Mystic Maya likes him."

Trucy smiles, rolling her eyes a bit. "You've always thought that."

"Because it's true," Pearl says.

Trucy smiles and thinks back to the picture she'd taken of Phoenix and Maya before they went out to dinner that night. She might only be a teenager, but she knows love when she sees it. "You know, Pearl, I think you're probably right. I'm pretty sure my daddy likes her too."

Pearl grins, which causes Trucy to giggle. They quiet down when they remember they're supposed to be spying. They turn back towards the window, only for their view to be blocked by the blinds as Edgeworth reaches over Pearl's head to pull the string that will close them.

The two girls turn around to face him. Pearl pouts. "Mr. Edgeworth, we were watching!"

"Precisely," he says, crossing his arms. "It's not polite to spy. Give them some privacy."

Trucy sighs. "He's right, Pearl. It's probably better to let them figure stuff out on their own, even though it's frustrating that they won't just admit it already."

Pearl puffs her cheeks out, but relents under Edgeworth's stern gaze. "Okay… Sorry Mr. Edgeworth."

"No need to apologize. Why don't you two go eat some pizza?"

"I am kind of hungry," Pearl admits.

Trucy nods. "Yeah, let's go."

Edgeworth watches them scurry off towards the box of pizza where Athena is picking off some of the toppings from hers. Edgeworth turns to adjust the blinds, making sure there are no cracks in them that anyone inside can see through, then picks up his paper plate with two slices of pizza on it. He decides to make his way back to the back room to talk to Larry some more, and perhaps have a glass of wine himself.

You would be surprised how much thought I put into whether or not the office has a balcony, until I remembered a particular original artwork that showed Maya and Pearl outside the office window in a thunderstorm. Unless the office is on the ground floor (doesn't look that way), there has to be something outside for Pearl and Maya to be standing on. So, balcony scene was a go!