iv. Mr. Prosecutor, Madame Attorney

The air-conditioned video store was a welcome relief from the summer heat. Mia savoured the cool air as she idly flicked through the movies to rent. Maya and Pearl were dropping by for a few days, and it would be nice to have a couple of new flicks and old favourites to watch in the evenings. Especially since she couldn't really afford to take them to the movies or out to eat. Business had been slow since Phoenix was disbarred – partly because people thought she was untrustworthy too, and partly because she was severely short-staffed. Maya and Pearl helped her out when they could, but it wasn't fair to expect them to drop everything and come to the city whenever she got a case. She needed an assistant, badly.

Mia selected a couple of kids' movies that weren't too kiddy. Pearl was nearly ten, after all. She moved on to the PG-13 section and flipped through the titles, trying to find something that was a little more grown-up without being too violent or sexual.

"…Mia?"

Mia turned at the familiar, deep voice.

"Diego."

He was at the rack behind her, browsing through the box sets. He offered her a small, sheepish smile that tugged at Mia's heart. She hadn't seen him smile in so long.

Diego made his way around the rack of DVDs and approached her. He stopped just outside her personal space and looked her over, his gaze lingering on her low-cut halter-top. It was something that Mia normally found irritating; but this was Diego.

"You look good, kitten," he murmured. Mia couldn't help smiling at the attention. He nodded at the colourful DVDs in her hand. "Bringing back Saturday morning cartoons?"

"What?" Mia looked at the DVDs. "Oh!" She shook her head with a chuckle. "No. Pearl and Maya are coming to stay for a while." She gestured to the set of discs Diego was carrying. "What about you?"

"I like to rent a box set every other weekend," Diego explained. "Catch up on all the TV I missed while I was out." He showed Mia the cover, smirking wryly as he did so. "Right now I'm trying to decide what a Steel Samurai is, and whether I should care."

Mia shrugged. "It's a cultural phenomenon," she remarked. "Bright colours, simple plots, and beloved by kids, teenage girls and weird older men. You're really missing out."

Diego chuckled, and it was so good to hear him laugh. "I guess I'd better give it a whirl," he replied. "Speaking of cultural phenomena, I heard they re-released your favourite movie a couple years back."

Mia rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, in 3-D," she drawled. Ever since the assault, 3-D movies just gave her a headache. One more thing she couldn't enjoy, like running, or dancing. She felt her good mood evaporate.

"It doesn't work for you either, huh?" Diego murmured. Mia looked up at him, and he gestured to his visor. "Kinda hard to get those glasses over this thing."

Mia nodded. Suddenly everything felt very awkward.

"Well, I…" She jerked a thumb at the register. "…I should be going. I'll leave you to…" She waved a hand at the rack of box sets. "…pick out your shows…"

"Mia."

She looked up at him.

"I've…" Diego wet his lips. "I've been meaning to come by the office." He looked away. "Maybe…we could have that cup of coffee. If the offer still stands."

Mia frowned. What was he…? It came back to her after a few moments – the last conversation they'd had before now, him slamming out of the office after rejecting her offer of a friendly cuppa joe for old time's sake.

It looked like he'd finally grown up.

"I'd like that."

Diego waited while Mia picked out a couple more movies, and followed her to the register. A few minutes later they were on the sidewalk in the blistering heat, toting matching carrier bags.

"Where do you wanna go, kitten?" Diego asked.

Mia shrugged. "You pick," she answered. She glanced at her cane. "As long as we don't have to walk blocks and blocks."

Diego smirked. "You got it."

They set off down the street, back the way Mia had come. Mia found herself glancing at Diego as they walked. He was wearing a white muscle shirt that clung to his chest, and brightly coloured shorts that stopped just above his knee. He had the same sandals as Phoenix, and Mia wondered how mad he'd be if he knew that. It occurred to her suddenly that this was the first time she'd seen him in something other than business wear since the hospital. He'd been taking care of himself – eating right, hitting the gym, getting some sun – and it showed. His arms and chest had filled out with muscle, and he had a nice, deep tan. Boy looked good. Mia felt herself blushing and she looked away quickly. Damn. She didn't love him anymore, but apparently her body still remembered his. Vividly. She made a mental note never to get drunk around him.

They stopped at a coffee shop on the corner with tables on the sidewalk outside. It was a little more upmarket than the usual places Mia went to these days. She scanned the menu carefully, tallying up how much cash she needed to get her through till her next case, and how much she could afford to splurge.

As though he could read her mind, Diego said, "It's on me, kitten."

Mia looked up at him.

"Are you sure?" she replied teasingly. "Because the chocolate fudge cake looks good."

Diego smiled back. "I'm sure."

The waitress came to take their order. Mia settled on a latte and a slice of cake, since Diego was feeling generous and she was feeling hungry. Diego ordered a strong black coffee. He flirted a little with the waitress, and Mia found herself wondering if the visor made it difficult for him when it came to women. Her D-cups of Distraction were as potent as ever when it came to getting male witnesses to talk, but every now and then a guy would get fixated on her cane. Suddenly she wasn't a gorgeous woman flattering their egos, but somebody broken; somebody who needed help. Maybe there was a way to exploit that too, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to try yet.

"So how've you been?" Diego asked.

"Pretty good," Mia answered. She smiled wryly. "Not taking on too many cases right now."

"Me neither," Diego said with a smirk. He sobered. "I don't trust myself with anything more serious than petty theft. Not since… since Trite."

Mia took a deep breath and let it out.

"You heard about that, huh," she murmured, mostly because she couldn't think of anything else to say. Of course Diego had heard about that. Practically every member of the bar association had heard about that.

"Yeah."

The silence that followed was mercifully interrupted by the arrival of the waitress with their coffee and cake. Mia picked up her fork and broke off a chunk of cake, thankful for an excuse to avoid more awkward conversation. She closed her eyes, savouring the delicious chocolate flavour as it practically melted in her mouth.

"You know, when I heard about Trite…" Diego's coffee cup clinked as he set it back on the saucer. "…the first thing I wanted to do was punch his lights out."

Mia looked up sharply. His treat or not, if Diego was going to sit there and bash Phoenix, she was leaving.

"Easy, kitten." Diego held up his hand apologetically. "I said it was the first thing. I felt like he'd let you down."

Mia gave him a long look, then took a soothing sip of her drink. Her memory of the disbarment hearing was a little fuzzy, but she would never forget Phoenix walking swiftly past her after the decision was handed down, how he almost made it out the door before bringing a hand up to his face, bursting into tears behind his fingers.

"How do you think he felt?"

Diego looked away.

"It's not what you think," he mumbled. "I know Trite didn't forge any evidence." He nodded at Mia's cup. "A latte may be adulterated with cream and sugar, but it's still coffee, hot and strong." He had a sip of his own drink. "Now a Frappuccino, on the other hand, is an abomination. Rich, scalding, bitter darkness deep-frozen, drowned in syrup, cream and chocolate chips, and blended beyond all recognition. How could you trust a coffee shop that sells nothing else?"

Mia smiled. She'd missed his Coffeenese.

"The Prosecutors' office isn't everything you thought it'd be?" she teased gently.

Diego shook his head.

"You should've heard them, Mia," he growled. "Whooping it up, talking about how Trite finally got his. Even a blind man can see it was a set-up." His fingers clenched around his cup, his knuckles turning white. Mia quickly reached out and cupped his hand with hers.

"Diego."

He let go of the cup, and she let out a silent sigh of relief.

"And Gavin, that blond son of a bitch," Diego spat. "I caught the brothers Payne actually patting him on the back." He thumped his fist on the table, making their cups rattle. "I wanted to pat him, too. Till he bled."

Mia grimaced. "Tell me you didn't do anything stupid."

Diego looked down at the table. "…Not exactly." Mia waited, and eventually he leaned back in his chair, both arms crossed over his chest. "I…may have let his tires down."

Mia shook her head and tutted disapprovingly, but couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"I'm not proud of that," Diego added quickly. He stroked the top ridge of his visor for a few seconds, then had another sip of coffee. "And I'm not proud of this. You were right about me, Mia."

Mia looked at him in surprise. Diego took a deep breath and let it out.

"I'm not happy," he confessed. "I wish I could say it's because I'm working a job I don't like for a reason that no longer exists. But the truth is, I haven't been happy since they let me out of hospital."

"Oh, Diego," Mia murmured.

"It's not easy for a man to admit he's wrong." Diego picked up one of her empty sugar packets and began to play with it idly. "But seeing you today… it helped me find my courage."

"You've got courage in spades," Mia replied seriously. She shot him a teasing smile. "It's your damn pride that's the problem." Diego smiled back, and she continued. "But if you're ready to swallow it, I could really use a hotshot attorney at the firm."

"I think I know a guy," Diego replied with a smirk. "He's not so hot when it comes to seeing colours, though. He might need a little help on that."

Mia shrugged. "Well, I hear the boss has to wear a wire when she talks to witnesses," she remarked. "Maybe together they can make one functioning lawyer."

Diego chuckled and finished his coffee. "It's worth a shot."

"You sure your macho won't object to me being in charge?" Mia asked, only half-jokingly. "I'm not a rookie any more. It'll be a big change."

Diego set his cup down and leaned forward, resting his chin on the back of his hand.

"Hey, kitten, I've done some of my best work under you."

Mia ducked her head with a smile, blushing despite the cheap, corny line. They had had a lot of fun nights together. And mornings, and afternoons. And another issue had just reared its ugly head.

"Diego –"

"I know, I know." He waved her off. "You don't feel that way about me anymore."

Mia reached for his hand again.

"Just…think about it," she urged. "Don't come and work for me if you're hoping something will happen. The last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

Diego nodded.

"I gotta give notice anyway," he replied. The waitress came to clear their table, and he asked her for the cheque before turning his attention back to Mia. "I'll think about it, kitten. I promise."

"Good," Mia replied. She finished her last few bites of cake. The waitress came back with the cheque and Diego dropped a few bills on the table.

"I should be heading back," Mia remarked, reaching for her cane. Diego stood and handed her her bag.

"I'll walk with you for a while," he offered. "If that's all right."

Mia smiled. "Sure."

He offered her his arm, and she took it. His skin was warm, his bicep nice and firm. (Down, girl,) Mia reminded herself. Fond memories were memories, nothing more. Especially since he wasn't over her.

They reached an intersection. Mia moved to turn right, only for Diego to pull to the left. They stopped and looked at each other. Mia gently let go of Diego's arm.

"I'm headed this way," she said, gesturing to the right. Diego nodded, and Mia turned to face him properly. "This was nice. It was good to see you again, Diego."

He reached out and brushed her cheek with his fingertips.

"I've missed you, Mia," he murmured. "I miss us." He stuffed his hand in his pocket with a sad smile. "But mostly, I just miss me."

Mia gazed at him for a few moments, then hobbled forward and put her arms around him. He hugged her back, and she felt a tiny drop of liquid fall onto her head.

"I know exactly how you feel."