This proved to be a very hard chapter to write. Not because of the content (although that was hard), but more so trying to convey the emotions properly. It could be much better, I'm sure, but this is the best I can do. I'd say enjoy…but…well…please don't hate me for this.

I'm dedicating this chapter to a certain someone who's been dying to read it. You know who you are!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ace Attorney series characters!

***WARNING: There is a character death in this chapter. Proceed with caution!***

Chapter 20 – Turnabout Sorrow

Serena was working the evening shift in the ER at the main hospital. There weren't many patients there that evening, much to her relief, since she had a semi-critical patient already in her care. She entered the room where this patient was.

"How are you feeling right now?"

"As good as I can, I suppose."

Serena nodded, her eyes on the monitor. The patient was in stable condition. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Actually…there is…something." The patient waited a moment. "Would…you be able to call…Mr. Wright for me?"

"Mr. Wright? As in Phoenix Wright, the defense attorney?"

"Yes. Do you know of him, Dr. Sterling?"

"Yes…he's…a friend. So you'd like me to call him for you?"

"Yes. Tell him I'm at the hospital."

"Alright. I will."

(Line)

At the Wright Anything Agency, all three defense attorneys were there, along with Trucy and Iris. Apollo was writing in his journal, Athena was looking up something on Widget, Iris and Trucy were talking on the couch, and Phoenix was watering Charley.

It's been a while since the agency was like this. It's nice, having everyone here…together. He first looked at Apollo, then Athena, and finally, and Iris and Trucy. He smiled, until he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket.

"Hello. This is Phoenix Wright….Hey Serena. What's wrong?" Phoenix's smile disappeared in an instant. The others stopped what they were doing, and an ominous silence fell. "Really?! Okay. I'll get there as soon as possible." He hung up and went into his office to grab his coat.

Iris followed him. "Feenie! What's wrong?"

"It's…you-know-who. In the hospital."

Iris's eyes widened. "Is everything okay?"

"I'm not sure." Phoenix walked out of the office room. "Hey you guys. We…have someone we need to go visit."

"Who is it, Boss?"

"Yeah, Daddy! Who is it?!"

Phoenix shook his head. "You'll see soon enough. Now come on." Everyone filed out of the building, Athena being the last one.

Mr. Wright…he's worried and scared. What could be the matter?! And who are we visiting?

They all exited the elevator, walking into the emergency room. Phoenix walked up to the nurse's station.

"Sir. Can I help you?" One of the nurses asked.

"Yes. I'm here to se-"

"Mr. Wright."

He turned to see Serena. "Where is she?!"

Serena pointed down the hall. "The door on the right side. Just knock when you go in. And let me know if you need anything. I'll be coming in there to do a quick check-up soon."

He nodded and walked towards the room. He turned around in front of the door. "You guys. I want all of you to stay out here unless and until I tell you to come in." His eyes fell on Iris. "Except you, Iris. I want you to come in with me."

She nodded. With that, the two of them knocked on the door, entered the room, and shut the door behind them.

"Who could be in there?!" Apollo asked, eager to know.

"Who knows?"

"Apparently, Mr. Wright and Iris do," Athena answered.

"They're here."

"They…are?"

"Yes. Right outside that door, probably wondering who you are?"

"…"

"Can…I bring them in?"

"…Y-yes. I can no longer put this off."

"Would you like to speak with them…alone?"

"I-if you wouldn't mind."

"I won't. Come on, Iris."

Phoenix popped his head out of the door. "Apollo. Trucy. You two need to come in here. There's someone I want you to see."

Phoenix stepped out of the room, followed by Iris. Apollo and Trucy exchanged confused glances, but shrugging, they went into the room.

"Mr. Wright. Who's in there?!" Athena hated being left out in the dark.

Phoenix hesitated, but felt a hand on his arm. It belonged to Iris. "You need to tell her, Feenie."

"Athena…"

"Lamiroir?!" Apollo ran over to the bed, taking a seat on the nearby chair. "What happened?! Are you alright?" It had been over a year since they had last seen the famous "Landscape Painter in Sound."

"Apollo. Trucy. Yes, I'm fine, just a little sick is all." The woman's eyes floated up to Trucy, who just stared at her very intently.

She seems…different. Somehow. I feel like…I know her from long ago.

"Trucy. Please, have a seat."

Slowly, Trucy sat on the other side of the bed. Lamiroir asked them little questions, like how they were doing and what was going on in their lives, which they answered honestly.

"Do…the two of you know why you're here…to see me?"

Apollo and Trucy stared at each other before Apollo spoke up. "Because we know you?"

"Y-yes. You know me…as Lamiroir. But…I am not actually Lamiroir."

"You…aren't?"

"That is a name many know me by, but it isn't my real name." Her eyes caught sight of something. "Tell me, Apollo. That bracelet…where did you get it from?"

It was an out-of-the-blue question, but Apollo's hand instinctively went to his bracelet. "This?" He looked away. "My…mom gave it to me, when I was…young."

"You don't remember anything about her, do you?" Apollo shook his head. Up until that point, her right hand was concealed, under the covers. She took it out and wrapped it around Apollo's wrist. "Apollo," she said gently.

He heard Trucy let out a gasp. He glanced down at his hand, only to let out a gasp of his own. Around her right hand was a bracelet that was identical to his. He then lifted his head to look into a pair of warm blue eyes.

Her other hand clasped Trucy's wrist. "Trucy. Allow me to reintroduce myself to you both." She took a deep breath in. "My name…is Thalassa Gramarye." She gave them a small smile, looking at each of them. "I'm…your mother."

"M-m-mommy," Trucy stated, finally realizing why the woman seemed so familiar to her. "You…you found your way back!" The young magician hugged her mother tightly, tears streaming out of her eyes. "I can't believe you're here! I missed you so much!"

Thalassa returned the hug, despite feeling weary. She opened her eyes and gazed at Apollo. Pulling away, she spoke to him. "Apollo…"

Apollo didn't know what to say. All this time…I thought she was gone…but, she was alive. His eyes then landed on Trucy. And Trucy…she's…she's my…little sister.

"Polly! What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?!" Trucy giggled. "Now you really are my big, little brother!" He was mute. "Apollo?"

They watched as he stood up. "Um…excuse me…" He turned his back to them and made his way to the door.

Trucy noticed that Thalassa was frowning. "Don't worry, Mommy! He'll be fine! He just needs a little time to digest everything." But even Trucy was a little worried about Apollo. I hope he's okay…

Athena stood in stunned silence. Phoenix had just finished explaining everything to her, how he had been approached by Thalassa a while ago, her expressing her desire to reveal the truth of her identity to Apollo and Trucy, and how she had begged him to keep her secret until she was ready to face them.

So that's why Mr. Wright has been sneaking behind our backs. It all makes so much sense now!

They all turned around when Apollo came out of the room. He looked at each person, and his eyes finally fell on Phoenix. Apollo glared at him.

"Apollo, I-" Phoenix began, knowing that he was going to get fried by Apollo.

"You knew, didn't you? You knew that she was my mother…when I took on that case."

Phoenix sighed in defeat. It was inevitable to deny it. He nodded. "I did."

Apollo shook his head slowly. "How could you, Mr. Wright? How could you not tell me? After all this time!"

"Apollo, I wanted to tell you, but-"

"No! I can't believe you would keep this from me for all of this time! I trusted you!" Apollo faced the hallway. "Just…leave me alone, okay?"

"Apollo!" Phoenix called out. But Apollo didn't listen. He walked away.

"Feenie, give him time. He needs to adjust to this."

Apollo. You sound…so emotionally distressed. I wish I could I help you, somehow.

Serena approached them. "Is everything okay? I just saw Apollo storm out of here and into the elevator."

"Yes, everything's…alright."

She looked at the group doubtfully. "Okay then."

Trucy rushed out of the room suddenly. "Something's going on! Those machines in there just started to make noises!"

"What?!" They exclaimed.

Serena barged into the room, and after a moment, she popped her head out, and yelled out loud. "I need help in here, now!"

A couple of nurses and technicians ran into the room. Serena spoke to the group. "I have to ask you guys to stay out here for the time being."

Shutting the door behind her, she leaped into action, giving out orders to her coworkers. "Come on! She's not stable! We've got to work quickly!"

She helped set up another IV bag and connected it to Thalassa, but it didn't seem to be helping the situation.

"Dr. Sterling…" Thalassa began weakly. Serena stopped and looked down at her. "Please…thank Mr. Wright and Iris for me, and…tell Apollo and Trucy…that…their mother loves them very much. And always will."

M-mother?! Is she…their mother?! Serena held the woman's hand for a moment. "Ms. Gramarye! Please! Hold on! You'll be able to do all of that yourself!"

The woman smiled faintly, shaking her head a little. "I'm…afraid…I won't. I…waited…too long."

Serena got back to work, trying to get her condition to stabilize. Until she heard it. The monotone, continuous beep which made everyone in the room freeze, including her. Her eyes darted to the monitor. Flatline.

"Start CPR! Someone get the pharmacist in here, stat!" She ordered.

CPR was administered, as were numerous drugs. Serena did chest compressions, until someone spoke to her.

"Dr. Sterling…Dr. Sterling?"

She shot the speaker a glare. "What?!"

"Have you checked the time?"

Serena's eyes darted to the clock, and she stopped mid-compression. 15 minutes had passed. Her eyes fell to the motionless woman in the bed. For an instant, she could've thought she saw someone else in that bed.

No…Not again.

She quietly asked, "Does someone have the certificate?"

"Yes."

Serena nodded her head. "Get this down: 17:45:00…"

"Dr. Sterling. Would you like us to go tell…"

"No." Serena took off her glasses and sighed, rubbing her hand over her face. "I'll…do this. Myself."

She slipped out of the room, only to see all of them stand up and looked expectantly at her.

"I…" She shook her head. "I'm sorry," she said softly. She had her head down.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Phoenix asked, the impending doom feeling coming to him.

"She's…gone," the doctor whispered.

Trucy shook her head. "No…" She backed away from them.

"Trucy," Phoenix began, reaching out to her.

"No…no…NO!" She ran off down the hall.

"TRUCY!" Everyone cried out.

"Serena? Where does that hall lead?" Iris asked calmly.

"It leads to an area outside, a garden. It isn't an exit though."

Iris nodded. "I'm going to go after her."

"Iris…" Phoenix spoke up. "Maybe I-"

She shook her head. "I…think I should take care of this." She then ran off in the direction Trucy had gone.

Now in the hallway stood Phoenix, Athena and Serena.

"I…I need to go find Apollo and tell him," Phoenix said quietly, and he left.

Serena banged her head on the wall she was leaning against. "I can't believe this happened!"

"Serena."

"First Thomas, now her."

She's in a lot of pain.

Clearing her throat, Serena excused herself, leaving Athena to stand in the hall outside the room.

Poor Apollo and Trucy. They finally meet their mother, only to have her ripped away from them. She wrapped her arms around herself, her own mother coming to mind. I can sort of relate to that feeling.

Outside in the garden, Iris found Trucy sobbing in the corner amongst an overgrowth of plants.

"Trucy?" Iris called out. "Are you okay?"

The young magician turned around and saw the woman. "I…Iris…" She sniffled. She hastily wiped her tears. "I'm fine."

Upon finding out that Trucy and Apollo were half-siblings, Iris began noticing the similarities between the two of them. One particular thing was just as Apollo had his two horns, Trucy had to very miniscule horn-like hairs sticking up from her head, which could only be seen when she wasn't wearing her magician's hat. And they both always claimed that they were fine (Apollo more often than Trucy), even when they actually weren't.

"Trucy." Iris walked over to her. Trucy had turned away. "Trucy…I know it's hard for you. To have learned everything all of a sudden, and then for this to happen." Trucy still didn't respond. "But you don't need to suffer alone. Your Daddy is here for you, Athena's here for you. There's Apollo, Juniper…and…" Iris paused for a moment. "You have me too."

Trucy turned her head so that she could see Iris. Trucy then began to walk over to her before she ran into the woman's arms, sobbing heavily as she clutched onto the woman's robes tightly.

Iris wrapped her arms around the young girl and rocked her gently. "Trucy, honey. It's alright. Let out all of your tears."

"I-it's just that…I-I thought M-m-mommy was gone, after she d-disappeared. I d-didn't think I-I'd see her again!"

"Trucy…" Iris waited patiently for her to continue.

"I-I wish…I had…more time…with her. To…talk to her…and just, just be with her."

"I know, Trucy. I know. But…at least you were able to see her when she was Lamiroir, and when you and Apollo worked on that case together."

"How am…I going to get over…this?" Trucy asked between sobs.

"Just remember all of your happiest moments you had with her. I know there probably weren't many, but focus on them. I won't say not to be sad that she's gone, but…you should try to be happy with the fact that you were able to spend time with her."

Trucy nodded against Iris's chest. After a couple more minutes of crying, Trucy let go of Iris and wiped her eyes. "Thank you."

Iris took out her purple handkerchief and wiped off Trucy's face before holding it in her hands affectionately. "I'm always here for you, Trucy. Never forget that."

"I know, and I won't." They were both quiet for a minute, the sounds of cars on the road and an ambulance approaching the hospital coming from below them. "Um…Iris?" She asked shyly.

"Yes?"

"Since…since mommy is gone…can I…can I…" Iris nodded, motioning for the teen to continue. "Can I call you mommy?!"

Iris didn't expect Trucy to say that. "You…want…to call me Mommy?" Trucy nodded.

Iris remembered what Thalassa had told her.

(Flashback)

Iris was alone with Thalassa. Ever since Phoenix had introduced the two, Iris went over to visit Thalassa every week, especially when Phoenix couldn't make it. One day, on one of her visits, Thalassa had told Iris something very important.

"Ms. Fey."

"Please. Call me Iris."

"Iris. I...you know about my…condition."

"Yes."

"I…won't be in this world for much longer. Three months, is how long they say I have before I am permanently plunged into the darkness. I…hope you do not mind my making a request."

"No, not at all. Please do!" Iris wanted to help the woman as much as she could.

"Trucy…and Apollo. They both…have grown up without their mother or anyone they could call their mother." Blue eyes stared into brown ones. "I want you to change that."

"I…I don't understand."

"When I finally leave this world, Iris, I…would like you to take my place…no. I'd like you to become their mother." Thalassa had turned away. "I never was a mother to them. To either of them."

"No! That's not true! You were and are their mother! I…I can't replace you, Ms. Gramarye. I never can and will, which makes your request a little difficult; however, I'll do my best to try and become a mother for them, just as I'm sure you would've been had the circumstances not been what they were."

(End Flashback)

That was Thalassa's final request of Iris. She wanted her to be a mother to Apollo and Trucy, and she was more than willing to do that. Apollo would be difficult, but Trucy… "Um…if…that's what you want, then I'll be more than happy to accept that title."

A hint of a smile appeared on Trucy's face, but she once more buried her face into Iris, her tears far from over.

"Apollo! Come back here!" Phoenix ran after Apollo. He had found him at People Park, of all places, near the lake.

"Mr. Wright! I just…ugh! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD HIDE SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM ME!" He yelled out loud, his voice echoing around them.

"I'm sorry Apollo! But you have to know…she's…she's gone, Apollo."

"What are you talking about?"

"She's…gone. As in she…" Phoenix stopped. "She passed away," he finished quietly.

Apollo began to cry. It was a rare, but heart-wrenching sight for Phoenix. Apollo was always so strong, and Phoenix had never, ever seen Apollo cry before. Phoenix reached out to touch him, but he moved away. "No. Don't touch me. I…I'm fine."

"No you're not Apollo. And I don't blame you. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I wanted to tell you, I really did. But…Thalassa…she wanted to wait until the time was right."

"So she waited until the day she died?" Apollo asked bitterly, wiping the tears from his eyes fiercely.

Phoenix winced. "She loved you very much, Apollo. I know you'd find that hard to believe, but she really did. She was just worried how you would react to learning the truth." Apollo didn't say anything. "She feared you would reject her, because she had to leave you all alone, to grow up without a mother or a father."

"Why did she leave me then? Why did she have to leave me all alone?!" It was a question that haunted him for years. Why did his own mother leave him behind? He never could come up with a good reason, although he knew that was probably because he didn't truly believe there was a good reason.

"She had no other choice, Apollo. She did it to protect you."

"Protect me?! How?"

"Thalassa's father, your grandfather, Magnfi, he was…a rather brutal man. He was obsessed with the fame he was receiving with Troupe Gramarye. She knew that…if she brought you back to the troupe with her, your life would be miserable. That rather than live a normal childhood, which is what she wanted for you, you'd be raised to become another magician in Troupe Gramarye."

The idea wasn't very appealing to Apollo, but he wasn't done arguing yet. "Then why didn't she stay with me?"

"Because she also knew that if she stayed, Magnfi would still managed to have found her and bring the two of you back." Phoenix sighed. "She left you to give you the best chance in this world, to be free from the world she grew up in. You don't understand, Apollo. Troupe Gramarye may have appeared to be a wonderful, magical group, but behind the scenes, it was dark and conflicted. I learned that myself. She wanted to protect you from that, because she cared for you a lot."

Apollo was silent. He had his back facing Phoenix, who noticed him shaking a little. "A-apollo?" Phoenix took a step forward. He then walked right behind him, turned the younger defense attorney, and pulled him into his arms.

And that's when Apollo broke down in tears. "I'm sorry, ! I'm sorry!"

"Why are you sorry, Apollo?"

"I…I've been keeping secrets from you. I…I was trying to find out more about my family, specifically, my mom. Mr. Huntley said he had information about her. That's why I met with him. I should've told you about it, but I didn't want to hurt your feelings, or anyone's."

"It's alright, Apollo. I forgive you. Don't feel sorry. It's only natural that you'd want to learn about your real family. But you've got to remember that even if we aren't blood-related, we're a family too. The Wright Anything Agency family."

Apollo nodded. Phoenix continued holding onto to him as he cried into the night.

I HATE myself for writing this chapter, but I feel like this is something that could potentially happen. And it's part of the plot. As for the whole Troupe Gramarye and the reason why Thalassa left Apollo behind, this was sort of the headcanon I had. I wish we could find out why she really left him, though.

I hope you guys don't hate me for this chapter! Please feel free to leave a review or private message me. Thanks!