"All We Are"

by KeiG

A Phoenix Wright Fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not own them. Capcom does. However, I do own the original characters here, so if you don't want me to sic Franziska and her whip on you (I have her on speed dial), please ask permission first before you use them. Thanks.

Author's Notes - at the end of each chapter.

Chapter 2: Saturdays

July 26
12:04 PM
Mile-High Diner

Mia pushed the doors open with a little too much force, causing the chimes near the door to ring violently and for the customers to turn their heads to her direction. After muttering her apologies, she made her way to the counter and scanned the place for an booth secluded enough for her to do her brooding. She had just come from court and basically did not do well despite getting the judge to hold the verdict and call a one-hour recess. That arrogant prosecutor was getting on her nerves mainly because his arguments made good sense. This was definitely not a good day.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed a familiar figure reading a newspaper in one of the booths in the corner. Her irritation was replaced with curiosity and she picked up her satchel and walked over to the booth. "I didn't think someone like you had lunch here," she said with an amused tone.

Alex looked up from his paper and blinked in surprise when he saw the lawyer standing beside him. "Not really," he chucked softly, folding away the newspaper. "Care to join me anyway?"

"So what brings you to this place?" Mia asked as she slipped in opposite him, and she frowned slightly when she saw his eyes tighten.

"I'm..." he paused, choosing his words carefully. "Let's just say I'm sick of lunch at the office cafeteria."

"Did something happen?" she asked before she could stop herself. She didn't want to seem like she was putting her nose in his business. And it's not like he's going to open up to me, she thought.

He looked at the table and glared at it, making her wonder how long would it take before the table melted under his gaze. She was expecting him to tell her off or not answer at all, so it was a surprise when his eyes softened and he exhaled deeply. "Remember when you asked me if I can handle the kind of pressure my job has, considering my age?"

Mia nodded.

"Well," he continued, his shoulders slumping a little. "I'm having a hard time, to be honest. They all think they know what's best for my father's company...MY company. They have no idea what my father and my family want. Those morons treat me like I'm a teenager, it's infuriating."

"Wait, aren't you the boss?" she asked, slightly taken aback. "Can't you just fire them?"

He shook his head. "I wish it were that simple. Let's face it, I still have to play politics with these people because without their...participation, the company's kaput." He suddenly had a thoughtful expression. "Then again, I could do very well without that prick Sanchez..."

A waiter in his mid-twenties approached their booth, smiling directly at Mia. "Tough day in court, Miss Fey?"

Mia smiled back sheepishly. "Sorry about the door."

"It's okay, ma'am. But I have to admit, I thought the chimes were going to explode!" The waiter scratched the back of his head and laughed while Mia just looked at him and smiled. Alex watched the exchange with mild amusement. The waiter then took their orders and smiled shyly at Mia before walking away to the kitchen.

"So you're a regular, huh?" Alex asked, resting his chin on his hand and trying to hide a smirk.

Mia didn't seem to notice. "I've been eating lunch here when I can since I started working for Mr. Grossberg. It's a pretty nice place; it's quiet, the food is good and the prices are reasonable. The people are friendly, too."

"I can see that," he jerked his thumb over to the kitchen. "He's got a huge crush on you."

"Justin?" Mia's eyes widened. "He's just shy, Alex."

The CEO guffawed. "I'm a guy, Miss Fey. I notice these things. Did you see the way he looked at me? If looks could kill, I'd be fighting for my life right now."

"I don't believe you."

"I can prove it."

"Show me some evidence then."

Just then, the waiter named Justin came back with Mia's lunch. "Here you go, Miss Fey," he set the chicken clubhouse in front of her and smiled sweetly. "Enjoy your lunch!"

The pair watched as Justin skipped happily back into the kitchen. "Exhibit A," Alex said smugly, gesturing both hands to her plate. "Your lunch."

The lawyer raised an eyebrow. "What about it?"

"Look at it," he leaned closer to her sandwich. "It's obviously prepared with a lot of TLC, don't you think?"

"Objection!" Mia crossed her arms and smirked, just like in court. "This is a diner, Mr. Parker," she argued. "An eating establishment. They're supposed to serve well-prepared--" A plate was slammed on their table, and both looked to see Justin smiling a little too much at Alex. "Your lunch, sir," he said stiffly. "Enjoy."

"And may I present exhibit B to the court," Alex grinned. "My lunch." It looked like a 7-year old made it. "What was that you always say in court? Take that!"

Mia looked back and forth at the two plates which almost looked like two different sandwiches despite it being the same chicken clubhouse and sighed. "You win," she said dryly. "But I humbly ask that you stick to CEO-ing and leave the lawyer stuff to me."

He started laughing lightly, and pretty soon Mia had joined in. As soon as they got their bearings back, Alex gave his sandwich an wary look. "I do hope this is still safe to eat."

"I don't think he'd actually kill you," Mia said, biting off a piece of her sandwich.

"I guess," Alex picked up a piece and took a deep breath. "Here's to hoping it's not poisoned." He took a bite and chewed slowly. Not feeling any adverse effects on his body, he took another bite and was about to tell Mia that it was actually tasty when he noticed she had stopped eating and was staring wistfully at her plate. Uh oh, Alex thought to himself. "Mia?"

She looked at him, and he was surprised to see the amount of sadness in her eyes. "It's nothing," she responded and smiled, even though she knew he wouldn't buy it.

"It's not 'nothing'," he set his sandwich back down on the plate, his face now a painted with a gentle concern. "If it's something I said, I'm really sorry--"

"No," she interrupted, shaking her head. "It's okay, really. I just remembered something, that's all."

"Are you sure?"

This time, she flashed him her most reassuring smile. "Yes, don't worry about it. My mood's kind of...off. Today isn't going so well for me too."

The CEO nodded slowly. "You need help with your case?" he offered.

She exhaled deeply and reached for her sandwich. "I don't know, I've already tried looking for contradictions in everything, and I barely made it out alive." Remembering how that young prosecutor smashed most of her defense irritated her again and she savagely took a bite from the poor clubhouse.

"Maybe all it needs is a fresh pair of eyes," he shrugged. "And besides, I think I have a future in becoming a lawyer especially with the way I brilliantly presented my case earlier."

Choosing to ignore his last sentence at the moment, Mia considered his proposal. Maybe he could find something she missed, and if luck had it, maybe he would be the one to crack the case. "Alright, I'll let you read the case files," she told him, and then her expression changed to a mild death glare. "But only if you don't mention that crush-thing again."

A sound caught their attention and both turned to look at the kitchen to see Justin staring at them. Seeing that he was busted, he blushed a deep red and moved out of sight. Alex snickered as he held his hands up to protect himself from a barrage of scrunched-up tissue balls.

An hour later, Mia was in court and tried her case. She won.

September 21
11:45 AM
Alex's Apartment, Darius Building Penthouse

To say that the Parker Suites at the top most floor of the building was huge was an understatement. There were four bedrooms each with its own bathroom, a receiving area, a living room with the most comfortable couches, a vast library and office, a massive marble kitchen, and a deck overlooking the city. Alex and his family used to stay here during monthly visits, when his father had business to attend to but did not want to waste his precious family time.

When the Parker patriarch died, he had left the penthouse - and the entire building - to his son. Now Alex, ever the practical one, decided to move in instead of renting/buying a smaller apartment so as not to waste space, and it was only a 10 minute walk to his office. But with his mother taking up permanent residence at their ancestral house on the other side of the continent and his sister and her family were living 10 hours away by car, he couldn't help but feel a little lonely.

That was the reason why he was thankful for his weekly lunch meetings with Mia at the Mile-High. He did not exactly know how it started; it was as if there was a silent agreement that July afternoon to have lunch at the same booth in the same diner. Nevertheless, it was something to look forward to since the woman was incredibly smart and fun to talk to.

Speaking of which, he was going to be late if he didn't leave right now.

He was looking for his car keys when his cellphone rang. Fishing it out of his pocket, he checked the caller ID and was surprised to see Mia's name blinking back at him before pressing it to his ear. "Hello?"

-Alex! Where are you?- came Mia's voice on the other end.

"I'm at home. I was just about leave--"

The lawyer sighed. -Thank goodness, I thought you were already at the diner.-

"Why, what's up?"

-I can't make it today.- she replied, sounding apologetic. -My trial was moved to an earlier time and I have some last minute preparations to make. I'm really sorry.-

Alex took a deep breath and smiled. "Hey, it's okay. You have a job to do," he said, hoping she wouldn't notice his disappointment.

-Thanks,- she sounded relieved. -Let's move it to tomorrow, okay?-

He opened his mouth to agree but then remembered a conversation he had with his sister over the phone that morning. "I don't know, I have to look for something for Moi."

-I'll come with you,- she offered and continued in a rush before he could protest. -Hey, I really have to go. I'll see you tomorrow okay? Just let me know when and where. Bye!-

CLICK

He stood there frozen, trying to process what had just happened. He slowly looked at his phone with boggled expression and then went to sit on the couch. "Crazy woman," he muttered. Sitting there with a grumbling stomach and nothing better to do, he leaned back, grabbed the remote and surfed the channels while reaching for the cordless phone and ordering takeout.

October 05
12:30 PM
Mile-High Diner

Mia sighed as she rested her chin on her hand. It had been fifteen minutes since her companion started working on that block puzzle she brought and he still hadn't figured out how to put them together. "I think bringing you puzzles is not a good idea. You haven't spoken to me for more than ten minutes."

"Quiet, woman," Alex said, frowning and fumbling at the pieces.

"You haven't even finished your lunch yet."

"This is more important."

"It is?"

Alex gave her a look. "My dignity is at stake here."

The lawyer smirked and took sip from her orange juice. "I finished that in thirty minutes."

"I bet you didn't have a defense attorney bragging in front of you while you're trying to concentrate--ha!" His eyes brightened when he managed to finish one part of the puzzle. "I'm gonna finish this, I swear," he shot Mia another look before going back to his mission.

Mia could only shake her head in amusement. "You're having a hard time, huh?"

"I hate you."

"I know."

The man glared at her for a moment, and then he was back in his own little world. Mia couldn't help but smile; he looked so cute with that determined look in his face. Taking another sip of her juice, she started thinking of other devices she could torture him with.

A/N: My first fanfic for this fandom. It's also the first time I've posted any of my work, so yes, I'm nervous as hell. Comments are always welcome, but please be kind to a newbie. ;

I uploaded this story once before but after much deliberation, I found that I had a whole lot of inconsistencies so I decided to redo the plot and rewrite the story. I've also divided my plot into their corresponding chapters so at least now I have a better guide to finish this story. And I really do hope I finish this.

I've also started doing fanart for this, although it's taking me quite a while to finish, with real life getting in the way, LOL.

More notes!

Story – Yes, it's still a bit boring. The first part's always boring. I have to establish a couple of things about Alex and Mia's relationship first, but I hope to pick up the pace after the first few chapters. And I'm trying to put in a little humor in it.

Block puzzle – It's kind of like a rubix cube except you can take it apart and you have to put it back together correctly. This part is actually a spur of the moment thing because one of my band mates had me try the puzzle and I had a hell of a hard time. It took me about three hours, I think.