The next few months seemed to fly by for the young, happy couple. Sure, they ran into some difficulties due to the fact that they were both very stubborn, but for the most part, things were going well for them. They seemed to spend all of their time together; hand-in-hand and heart-to-heart. Even though Mia was still upset about that case, Diego helped her recover.
It was a normal Friday night for Mia; she went over to her apartment and waited for Diego to arrive. As time passed on, he spent more and more time at her apartment and she spent as much time at his. The two of them were even considering the idea of moving in together.
She quickly slipped into her favorite dark blue satin dress a pair of black matching shoes and rushed over towards the mirror to re-apply her dark red lipstick. Just after she finished, she heard a knock on the door. She smiled inwardly; "That must be Diego..." She thought to herself. It didn't take the young woman very long to run over to the door and fling it open.
Her eyes lit up as she saw Diego standing there in front of her, dressed in a black suit. A smirk formed on his full lips as he looked at the blushing Mia who was standing before him. "Good evening, my lady." He teased her as he grabbed her hand and kissed it, causing her to blush even harder. She always figured that after spending so much time with Diego, she would grow immune to his charms.
"I have a treat for you tonight, kitten." Diego said as he placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her through the door.
"Where are we going?" Mia asked as the two of them wandered over to his car.
"It's a surprise, so I'm going to have to ask you to put this on." He pulled out a black cloth and wrapped it around Mia's eyes and finally tied it.
"…Do you really have to blindfold me?" Mia gently brushed her hand against the strip of fabric that shielded her eyes.
He let out a chuckle. "Ha…! Yes, it is."
Mia let out a sigh and Diego grabbed her seatbelt and helped her buckle it. Mia heard the sound of the engine starting up and felt the car leap forward. She never liked driving with Diego when she could see, but never mind blindfolded.
"Could you slow down?" Mia asked.
Diego laughed. "Well, even blindfolded my kitten can sense these things." Mia felt the car slow down a bit and she slouched in her chair in relief.
Finally, the car came to a screeching halt and she heard the sound of Diego's door opening, then closing. She groped her seat in search of the seatbelt and eventually she found it, unbuckled it, and fought with the seat belt strap. Eventually, she heard the sound of her own door opening and felt Diego's cool hand grab her arm and help her out of the car. She walked with Diego and wondered where he was taking her. She heard the thrilling sound of Jazz music playing faintly in the background.
"We're here." Diego announced as he reached over and removed the piece of cloth from her eyes.
Mia gasped and brought her slender hand up to her face as she looked at the marvelous setting that stood before her. They were right at the edge of the beach. Everything seemed so much more beautiful in the light of the full moon that stood out against the dark sky. The large waves crashed against the sand and the faint smell of salt lingered in the air. It took a lot of will power to peal her eyes away from the magnificent waves, but when she looked behind her she saw a table for two set, complete with a white table cloth, candles, and a stereo set to the side that played the sweet sound of Jazz music.
"Diego…it's…" Mia was utterly speechless.
"I know," Diego said, as if finishing her thought.
She wandered over towards the table and slowly sat down. Diego rushed over and took the seat across from her.
"I brought dinner, too." He pulled out a large bag and threw it on the table. He quickly unzipped it and took out two plates and various eating utensils. He took out a bottle of red wine and some coffee, of course.
"You went through all that work…for me?" Mia asked as she watched him pour the drinks.
"Of course; I even cooked the dinner."
"You cook!?" Mia asked dumbfounded.
"No, I was kidding about that part; I got takeout from a nice restaurant." He patted her hand affectionately.
"But…why did you go through all of this work?" Mia asked, leaning back on her chair.
"Just to do something different for a change." He smirked and gulped his coffee. He took out a large plate of pasta that was wrapped to preserve it. "Enjoy." He handed one over to Mia, who carefully unwrapped it and moved a serving onto her plate before he helped himself to some of it.
Mia slowly ate her dinner as she examined both Diego and the beautiful blue ocean against the dark sky.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
"It's so…peaceful." Mia let out a sigh. She paused for a moment. "Thank you for bringing me here."
"No problem," He fiddled with his jacket pocket. "I have this for you…" He handed her a small black box.
Mia slowly took the box from his hand and felt the smooth texture of the black velvet before opening the box. Her eyes widened in shock as she opened it.
"Do you like it?" Diego asked.
All Mia could do was gasp. She pulled out a thin gold bracelet from the case and examined it. She saw some lettering on the inside of it that bounced off of the moon and candle light making it possible for her to read the inscription. Always and Forever, my Kitten.
"Diego…I…" She was at a loss for words.
"Do you like it?" Diego repeated.
"Y-yes." Mia stammered. "Yes, I love it!" She repeated in a more confident voice.
Diego grabbed her hand and held it in his, which just made Mia's heart melt. "I'm glad." He whispered. "I'm glad…"
Eventually they finished their dinner and began to stroll the beach, walking with their hands intertwined. Mia leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder as they gazed off, looking at the large, crashing waves.
"…Thanks for doing this." Mia finally said.
"I would do anything for you; you know that." He paused. "Anything."
Tears started to form in her wide eyes and she picked her head off of his muscular shoulder and pulled him into a tight embrace, her head was resting against his strong chest.
"I'd do anything for you too." Mia said.
She had never felt so safe then when she was wrapped up in his arms. "I love you, Diego." She blurted out. As soon as she realized what she just said, she ripped herself out of the hug and turned away from him.
"Mia…" She felt a hand on her shoulder. "I love you too."
She felt her cheeks start to turn red as she faced Diego. The two of them stared at each other for what seemed like hours, but was really a few seconds. When a wave broke apart against the sand and sent droplets of water flying at them, they finally snapped out of the trance that they were in.
Mia let out a light laugh as she looked at the edge of her satin dress that was ruined by the salty water; she truly didn't care at that point.
Diego chuckled. "Let's go home." He announced as he wrapped his arm around her waist and the two of them stumbled back to the car. Just when they were about to get in, Mia spotted a familiar figure sitting alone on a bench near the parking lot, staring up at the dark, wide sky.
She froze as she looked at him. "…Edgeworth?" She asked, stunned to see him.
He turned around to look at her; his eyes reflecting sadness. He was dressed in a wine colored suit which was much less gaudy then the one he wore to his first court appearance, but he still looked like an angel with his beautiful face and hair.
"Is that you, Mia Fey?" He asked, standing up from the bench and walking over towards the couple. "Diego Armando as well?"
The two of them nodded their heads and a strange, bitter smile formed on Edgeworth's lips.
"Strange, seeing you two here." His voice lost its awe and returned to its normal, confident tone that Mia recognized from that terrible day in court.
"What are you doing here?" Mia asked.
"I came here…to think." He looked up at the sky. "…And I see that you two came here for a date."
"Y-yeah." Mia stammered.
Edgeworth looked away from and returned his attention to the sky. "Well, have a good evening then." With the tone that he said this, Mia could tell that he was trying to signal the end of the conversation.
"And you too…" Mia muttered as she and Diego wandered back into his car. The young lady let out a sigh as she sat in the car.
The two of them drove in silence for a moment until Mia decided to start up a conversation. The night went so well and she was determined not to ruin it by brining in a depressed mood.
"It's strange running into Edgeworth in a place like this, huh?" She said, trying to act as normal as possible.
Unfortunately, Diego knew Mia well enough to see through her façade. "It still bothers you doesn't it…?" His voice trialed off.
Even though he was being extremely vague, Mia knew that he was referring to that fateful case a few months which resulted in the death of an innocent man.
"…Yes." She hung her head down.
Diego grasped onto the steering wheel to control his anger; he hated seeing Mia in such distress. After she admitted this, he knew what must be done—he had to confront Dahlia. Strangely enough, he felt much calmer after making this resolution. For some reason, he just knew in his heart-of-hearts that he would be facing danger and that everything would change after this confrontation, but he just had to face her; he had to at least try to lay Mia's demons to rest.
"I understand." He said more to himself then to Mia.
"Thank you for helping me after that case and convincing me to stay in law…" Her voice trailed off.
This caught Diego by surprise. "You're welcome…" He raised an eyebrow. He wanted to turn to look at her, but he had to keep his eyes focused on the road.
"I always wanted to help people; to defend the defenseless." Her voice trailed off.
After she said this, he was even more resolute about his decision; even if something were to happen to him, perhaps it was time for someone else to become a star defense attorney and the defender of the people. His legacy was over; it was time for someone new to step up to the plate. He couldn't resist sneaking a glance at Mia, who was sitting there, staring ahead. He could see the determination in her eyes.
"You will be a good defense attorney; you're going to help a lot of people…" He refocused on the road ahead.
"And you're going to be with me every step of the way…right?" Mia asked.
"Yes, I will…" Diego said. The words seemed forced out of his mouth; somehow, he knew that he would be forced to leave her side shortly. It scared him how eerily calm he was about this proposition. Even though he may not be there in body, his heart would always remain with her. "I will…"
Shortly after this event, Diego called up Dahlia and requested to meet her at the courthouse. Right before the meeting, he kissed Mia goodbye for the last time and walked over to the courthouse. The walk seemed to drag on for him, as if he was walking to his own funeral. Time seemed to stop for him as he saw Dahlia sitting in the cafeteria. He walked up to her and sat down across from her.
Dahlia looked beautiful, as usual. Her face looked so sweet, like she was incapable of doing anything evil and her red hair was perfectly groomed and there wasn't a wrinkle in her dress. He knew that as soon as he applied pressure to her, she would crack like an egg.
"Well, hello, Mr. Armando." She smiled at him. "What brings you here?"
He took a gulp of his coffee. "I came here to force a confession out of you."
"For what, exactly?" She asked, still looking as sweet as ever.
"Look, we both know what you did to Valerie and how you put Fawles up to take the fall." He slammed his fist on the table. His eyes showed nothing malice as he looked at her; he certainly wasn't going to fall for her charms.
She snickered. "Do you have proof?"
He scowled at her. "I may not have it now, but mark my words; I will be watching you. As soon as you mess up, I'll be all over you like ugly on an ape."
Dahlia sneered and leaned forward. "I'll kill you before you'll be able to use that information."
"Oh, was that a threat?" He mocked her. "Threatening to kill people is illegal, Dahlia Hawthorne. Perhaps it would be best for everyone if you went to jail."
She let out a laugh. "That will never happen in your lifetime."
"I think it actually may and sooner then you think." He paused for a minute. "You just wait; as soon as you slip up, you're mine."
Diego smirked as he watched her squirm in her chair. He brought his coffee cup up to his lips and drank some for his recent victory.
His whole body seemed to react against him and he collapsed to the floor, trembling and twitching. His vision began to dim and the frantic voices around him seemed to blend together. He stared up at Dahlia and continued to watch her until she faded into darkness like the rest of his surroundings.
Ring.
"Oh, it must be Diego…" Mia Fey thought to herself as she closed the novel she was reading and began searching for the phone.
Ring.
Ring.
Finally, she grabbed the phone and answered it. "Hello?"
"Ah, is this Miss Fey?" A man asked.
"Yes, why?" Mia asked. She stood up from her chair and flipped her hair.
"We need you to come down to the hospital; there's been an accident." She froze at the sound of 'accident' and instantly sat back down.
"What happened?" She slowly asked as her hands trembled causing the phone to shake in her tight grasp.
"You better come down."
"…Ok." Mia felt a lump in her throat. "What could that be about?" She wondered. She couldn't really think of anyone who could be sick.
On her entire walk down, she couldn't figure out what was wrong. She then wished that she asked the man on the phone for more details. "What if it's Diego? What if it's Maya?" She wondered. After Mia thought these terrible thoughts, she shook her head; she must be optimistic.
Mia took a deep breath before she opened the hospital doors. When she entered, she saw an older man standing in front of her who looked a little bit like Mr. Grossberg with his grey hair and heavy build.
"You must be Mia Fey…"
"Yes?" Her voice unwillingly shook.
The man sighed. "Follow me."
Mia wordlessly followed this man; her heart was pounding in her chest as she went through all of the possible scenarios. Finally, the man stopped in front of a closed, wooden door.
"I have to tell you something first…"
Mia was starting to loose her calm. She just wanted to find out what was happening. "Yes?" She asked through clenched teeth.
"Your boyfriend, Diego Armando, was involved in an accident."
These words didn't sink through Mia's head. "What? No, I just saw him this morning…" She shook her head. This man must be lying.
"We believe he was poisoned at the courthouse." He continued.
No…
No!
"No!" Mia shouted. "He can't be…is he ok?"
"He's in a coma right now. We lost him for awhile, but with the newfound technology we were able to revive him."
"W-will he ever come out of the coma?" Mia stammered. This had to be a bad dream. She couldn't, no; she didn't want to think of a life without Diego.
"Unfortunately, it's unlikely that he'll ever come out of it…you see--" Mia didn't wait for this man to finish. She whipped open the wooden door and ran into the room. She saw Diego lying on the hospital bed, looking so helpless. His skin no longer radiated his healthy glow and his black hair turned white. She leaned over to edge of the bed and her legs gave out from underneath her. She was so pre-occupied with Diego that she didn't even notice Grossberg pacing at the far side of the room, looking very distressed.
"Diego, no…" Tears began to flow down her face. "Please, wake up…" She grabbed his hand and looked at him.
No response.
"Wake up."
Still, nothing.
"Wake up, Diego! Wake up!" She grasped onto his hand tighter, but still got no response. She buried her head in the white hospital sheets and began to weep as the doctor watched her helplessly from a distance.
"We're going to have to ask you to leave…" the doctor quietly said as he pulled the weeping Mia up off the floor. "I'll call a taxi to drive you home…"
"It's ok; I'll take her home…" Grossberg offered.
"I can't leave him…!" She shouted; her voice was on the edge of hysteria.
"You're not doing anything productive; it would be best if you left." He quietly said as he dragged Mia out of the room.
She was still in denial; Diego couldn't be in a coma—he just couldn't be.
She sat in the passenger's seat of Mr. Grossberg's car, just sitting in a daze, trying to absorb this piece of horrible information. All that she would whisper was "he's gone."
"I know, Mia. We both miss him." Grossberg muttered. It was clear that he was in pain, but he was also trying to stay strong for Mia; it would be what Diego would have wanted. To him, Diego was like a son.
Eventually, the car stopped and Grossberg offered to take Mia back to her apartment, which she politely declined. All Grossberg could do was watch Mia run into her apartment building. His heart went out to the young girl. He watched her life with Diego unfold from the sidelines. He, more then anyone else that Mia was associated, know how much she was suffering.
Mia walked back into her room; there were so many memories stored in there. A deep sadness overwhelmed her but for some reason she couldn't cry.
"The only time a lawyer can cry…is when it's all over." Diego's words lingered in the back of her mind. Diego wouldn't want her to cry; he wouldn't want her to be stuck in the past and spend all of her time waiting for him to wake up.
Mia shook her head, "You have to be strong, Mia." She thought to herself. With this newfound energy, she walked over to her desk and wrote a brief, final diary entry. For some reason, it no longer gave her any joy to write about her life. She no longer felt the emotional attachment to that small, leather book. After she finished her last sentence, she closed the book shut, never to open it again.
Part III
"Dear Diary,
Today was surely the worst day I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing. I was at home, waiting for Diego to arrive when I got that dreaded phone call. It was a doctor telling me that there was an accident and telling me to come to the hospital. I had no idea what to think; so many things were rushing through my mind. 'What if something happened to Diego? What if Maya got into an accident?' Nothing could prepare me for the sight that I was about to see. When the doctor told me that Diego was in a coma, I thought that my life was over. Seeing him lying there will all of the life sucked out of him was too painful for me to bear. I can't believe he's gone! I can't believe he'll never wake up again! I love him so much. Not only was he my lover, but also my best friend. It's so hard to believe that I'll never be able to speak with him ever again; it's a fate worse then death.
Part of me did die today. I no longer feel the great joy I used to feel. I hope that the pain will soon fade and I'll return to my normal, happy self. This is my last diary entry for now; I no longer have the will to spill my guts into a leather book. Instead, I will use this new time to study harder and become a better attorney. I hope that with more experience I'll be able to save more people. No person should have to go to jail or die for a crime that they didn't commit while a murderer roams the streets. No person should know that their innocent friend or family member had to pay the ultimate price for a crime that they didn't commit. If I can impact one life positively, then I know that all of the pain and sorrow that I've felt will be worth it. Even though I miss Diego, I will be strong; I will carry on through life living for not just myself, but for Diego as well. I will be strong; I will help people. I must…I shall not look at this as the beginning of the end, but rather the end of the beginning."
"…Even though I miss Diego, I will be strong; I will carry through life living for not just myself, but for Diego as well. I will be strong; I will help people. I must…I will not look at this as the beginning of the end, but rather the end of the beginning." Maya Fey finished saying.
"Is that it?" Phoenix asked.
"Yeah, it looks like that was her last entry." Maya fanned through the pages of Mia's diary. The two of them stood in silence until Maya let out a troubled sigh.
"What is it, Maya?" He folded his arms and cocked his head to the side.
"What should we do with this?" Maya asked.
"We have to do something?"
"Of course we do! We have to give this to Mr. Armando!" She shouted.
Phoenix leaned back and flinched. "Do you think that Mia would want him to read her diary…?"
"Of course he would!" Maya exclaimed.
He was about to protest, but then realized that Maya didn't listen to logic.
"Ok, we'll go to the detention center."
The two of them walked out the door. Maya seemed largely unaffected by reading her sister's diary. She was still frolicking out the door, holding the diary close to her chest with the gold bracelet on her wrist. They bantered back and fourth on the way to the detention center and speculated about the fascinating life that Mia led. They discussed the cases of Terry Fawles and Jasmine Green, the love between Diego and Mia, and Mia's rookie days.
Maya seemed a bit quieter when they arrived at the detention center though. Phoenix decided that it would be best if he waited outside for Maya and let her have her privacy. He was sure that she had a lot to say to him.
She slowly sat down and stared at Godot. She had no idea what to say to him; he was involved with her sister and saved her life just a few days ago. She wanted to be familiar with him but there was something about his aura that made her feel slightly on edge when she was with him.
Maya leapt back slightly as Diego turned to her. "So what brings you here, Maya Fey?" He asked as he calmly drank his coffee, as if there was nothing unusual.
"Oh, M-mr. Armando, I just wanted to thank you for saving me." Maya stammered.
"Ha…! Is that all?"
"No, I uh…found this." She placed the leather book down on the table and nudged it forward. "I figured that you might want it."
"I also see that you found Mia's old bracelet." He commented.
"Oh this?" Maya quickly removed it. "I was just temporarily wearing it to free my hands." She placed it on top of the diary and nudged them both towards the man who was formally known as Diego Armando. "You can have it."
He took the bracelet off of the diary and handed it to Maya. "No, it's yours; Mia would have wanted it that way."
After he said this, Maya found that she had great difficulty looking up at his face. Her shyness reminded Godot of his first encounter with Mia and how shy she was at that moment. This just re-affirmed his decision; the bracelet belonged with Maya. He wordlessly picked up the diary.
"So this is Mia's old diary…" He fanned the pages.
"Yeah, I think she would have wanted you to read it." She paused for a moment. "She really did love you…"
Godot chucked. "I know."
Maya shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "…Would you like to see her again?"
He took a gulp of his coffee before responding. "…Of course I would."
Maya focused all of her energy inward and felt her spirit slowly leave her and a new one inhabit her body. Mia's spirit finally settled inside of Maya and she stared at Godot who was just a few feet away from him.
"Mia…" He breathed. He placed his coffee cup down on the table. He reached out his hand and stroked Mia's smooth cheek with the back of his hand just to check if she was real.
She raised her hand and held it over his. "I…I…" She was totally at a loss for words. "I missed you." She choked out, trying her best not to cry.
"I've missed you too..." He admitted. It was funny; over the years he thought of so many things that he would say to Mia but now that she was standing in front of him, he was at a loss for words. Judging by Mia's expression, he could tell she was feeling the same way.
"…I see that you've found my diary." Mia said just to break the silence.
"Maya read it and insisted that I did the same." He responded a little too quickly.
Mia laughed. "I really don't mind you reading it; it's just stuff that you already knew."
"I hope you wrote good things about me." He teased.
"Of course I did." She paused. "You were one of my best friends, did you know that?"
"You were the same for me; that's one of the reasons why it was so hard to wake up and find you…gone." He shook his head and returned to drinking his coffee. "I wish I was dead so I could be with you once again."
"Don't say that!" Mia's voice raised slightly. "You must live your life to the fullest!"
He sighed. "I don't have any desire to though…"
"Then find one; just keep on living. It's my only request."
He sighed once again. "Ok, I'll do it for you."
"Do it for yourself too. You owe it to yourself to live a happy life." She folded her arms.
"You always have been stubborn…kitten."
She smiled at him. "I'm glad that I got to see you again."
"I feel the same way."
Mia let out a sigh. "I should give Maya back her body now."
"Yeah…"
The two of them stared at each other for a moment. "Good bye, Diego."
"Good bye, my kitten." He responded. This time, he didn't feel the same heartache that he felt waking up that one fateful day and hearing of her death. It helped give him closure. Watching Mia walk out that door was strangely comforting. When she was out of view, he opened up the diary, took a sip of his coffee, and began to read. When he read the beautiful words that Mia put down in that old, tattered, leather book he felt a moist liquid roll down the side of his face.
Sure enough, he was crying.
Fin.
A/N: So, that's the end of the "Beginning of the End." I hope you all enjoyed it. Thank you to everyone who took the time to review; each review meant a lot to me. Also, thank you to The Full Neko Alchemist for helping me with the story (along with all of my other stories) and for talking to me and just being an all-around good friend. Also, thank you AraelMoonchild for making the movie and listening to my PW rants. Most of all, I'd like to thank you, the reader. Thank you for reading this story; it means a lot to me.