This is a pretty short chapter. It's basically just a transition, and if I included it with the next chapter, the next chapter'd be SO long. I'm sorry for the wait... school is eating up my life. Oh, yeah, and Trials and Tribulations is coming out Tuesday, so that'll be eating up my life for a while too.

I hope you guys are liking the story so far... tell me some suggestions and I'll try to fix up the rest of the chapters!

DRAMA will happen in the next chapter. I mean it. Don't say I didn't warn you... and PS, try to find the Beatles lyrics in this chapter. Wow, I'm cool.

"I'll ask again. You are going to Mr. Wright's, aren't you?"

"I wasn't planning on it."

"You're going. You're going to help me execute my plan..."

"I'm not helping you execute anything. I thought I told you never to contact me again."

"Hm, I must've forgotten. Besides, if you want me to keep quiet about, oh, you know..."

"FUCK."

"Yes, that."

The day when I would finally see Wright again had finally come-- November 22nd. Thanksgiving.

Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be-- there's a shadow hanging over me... oh, yesterday came suddenly...

In a matter of days, I had become an accomplice. Ironically, it was only a few days earlier that I thought I was starting to get my life back on track. How incredibly wrong I was. As if my past weren't haunting me enough already...

Franziska had me glued to the phone for quite some time that day, explaining in great detail how I was to get all the information I could out of 'Mr. Wright'.

Eventually, I was supposed to get Wright to leave his apartment and go outside. Franziska wanted to "randomly" bump into him. I asked why, but she told me that it was nothing I needed to worry about.

I felt like such a child, one who holds their parent's hand tightly even though they have no idea where they're going.

There had to be more to the story Franziska was telling-- the one about Wright supposedly writing a letter. There's gotta be a better reason... for why Franziska wants revenge so badly.

I desperately needed to find out-- for my own sanity.

So many things were going wrong, all at the same time. I moaned out of sheer desperation and disgust. The tension that was growing inside my stomach was becoming unbearable-- anger, hurt, confusion...

"When did I become so... weak?" I whispered out loud. After a second, I realized that I had actually spoken out loud, and groaned again; on top of being a weakling, I was going insane, apparently.

Feeling vulnerable is a rare occurence when it comes to me, cold-as-ice Miles Edgeworth. Yet, it seemed like I had been weak at the knees all week, ever since the first Wright sighting. I felt like I could trust Gumshoe, and even Franziska... at least, when I was under the influence. What is it about... them, all of them... that makes me feel so trusting, so dependent?

Whatever that reason was, my fate was sealed. I had no choice but to go to Wright's.

I wasn't expecting anything good to come out of the situation-- lately, my days had been anything but lighthearted.

I was shivering as I started walking to Wright's apartment. Snow was falling harder than I'd ever seen-- unusual for Thanksgiving, but in a way, it was comforting. What is it about chilly weather that makes me so... warm inside?

If circumstances weren't so dire, I would've been in an amazing mood. Halfway to Wright's apartment, I had this fluttering, tossing feeling in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't relax. I wasn't ready to face him again, at least... not yet. I had to stall, somehow...

Greeting cards?

I stopped walking and peeked inside the window of a card shop-- there were Thanksgiving cards all over the place.

Who gives out Thanksgiving cards, anyway?

Without thinking, I entered the store.

I scanned the shelves of greeting cards-- most of them had pictures of turkeys and cornucopias, and 'inspirational' words of thanks strewn across them. There were specific types of cards-- cards for grandmothers, cards for your significant other, cards for friends.

Huh. I picked up a random card from the Friends section. There was a cartoon of a corn cob on the front.

What if I were to get Wright a card?

I read the card skeptically,

I hate to sound corny, but I'm really thankful for our friendship! Happy Thanksgiving!

Shuddering in horror, I shoved the card back where I found it. I picked up another, plainer card.

Years pass, but true friendships withstand all... A simple "thanks" isn't enough to show my appreciation for everything you've done.

I reflected on that for a moment.

As much as I wanted to, I could never give a card like that to Wright. For God's sake, I hadn't seen the man in years. I imagined the look on Wright's face when he read the card. His mouth would gape open, and he'd raise an eyebrow at me as if I were insane. And then he would ask me to leave.

Yet, the card's simple phrase rang true-- I deeply appreciated everything Wright did for me in the past. He saved my life-- literally. Reluctantly, I placed the card back in its slot.

So much for getting a card. I left the store and kept walking. At least I would be fashionably late.

Still tense, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt my phone vibrating against my leg. I answered as I continued walking-- it was Gumshoe, of course. He wanted to apologize for laughing about my "Franziska spent the night" comment.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry about that," I muttered, still blushing like a schoolgirl.

"...So was it any good?" Gumshoe asked almost inaudibly.

I paused for nearly a whole minute, wondering if I had heard him correctly. My face was bright red, and finally, I managed to squeak, "What?!"

"... I mean..."

"I'm going to hang up now."

"NO!" Gumshoe shouted hurriedly. "There's something important you gotta know about tonight! It's urgent, pal!"

"You're going to be there, aren't you? Why can't you just tell me later?"

"Because it'd be weird if I told you this while Mr. Wright's around. Just--"

"I'm at the front door. It's gonna have to wait." I spoke quietly so that Wright wouldn't hear me yelling outside his front door.

I lowered my phone and was about to put it away when I heard Gumshoe say faintly, "Don't let Phoenix leave the apartment!"

Well, that's strange. Disregarding Gumshoe's warning, I shut the phone and slid it into my pocket.

Nervously, I poked at the doorbell. I fidgeted with my tie as I stood at Wright's door. Nothing was more nerve-wracking than the thought of the expression that would spread across Wright's face when he opened the door. Would he be surprised, happy, or ... ready to vomit?

No more than thirty seconds had gone by when the door creaked open. I held my breath a little in anticipation.

I was greeted by a petite, thin woman. With her big, brown eyes and long hair, she was stunningly pretty... so pretty that I felt a little nervous. She was definitely the woman that I saw the other day. She stood there for a moment, staring intently at me.

It was Maya Fey.

"MR. EDGEWORTH!?"

I sighed, and my heart started beating again.

"Come in!"

Before I could make a quick, last-minute run back home, she grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me into the living room. I was surprised at how nice the place looked, especially considering the fact that they had only moved in a short while ago. And something smelled absolutely delicious. I just prayed to God there wasn't going to be any wine.

Maya called into the kitchen, "Nick! He's here!"

I heard a plate crash to the ground. Wright, still pathetic as ever, hadn't changed a bit, apparently. He poked his head through the doorway, and grinned when he saw me.

"Edgeworth!"