Chapter 7—Together

January 19, 2018

Barbara's ailment was terminal. Even though the veterinarian could have administered treatment that would keep her alive longer, she would have died before much longer from blood poisoning. Her kidneys had failed. No matter what, she would die soon. The veterinarian, pointing out that Barbara would not last much longer anyway and would otherwise die slowly and agonizingly, suggested euthanasia. Though neither Lana nor Ema liked the idea, they gave their consent.

Lana returned to England two days later. The scene she saw when she walked out of customs was very heartwarming. Miles, who had arrived a few hours prior, was waiting for Lana on a bench, Ema sitting next to him and leaning against him for emotional comfort. There were no tears in her eyes, but it was clear that Ema was still dealing with the initial pain of Barbara's death.

It had been quite a surprise for Lana; she never expected Miles to go to such lengths to comfort her sister—though it was probably only at Ema's insistence that he had done so. Even with Lana, he was not particularly physical. From time to time, they hugged, and there was an occasional kiss, but both actions were typically either done as formalities or because of a mutual surge of passion—such as after Miles's trial or when they got engaged. He always had a fairly strong aversion to touching, which is what made the scene of Ema leaning on him all the more surprising—and all the more pleasing to see; it reassured Lana that he would prove to be a fine father someday.

Still, the matter had been discussed beforehand, and Miles and Lana had both agreed that unless they had a calmer, more settled life by the time they got married, it was best not to have children immediately. What Miles said made perfect sense, even though Lana wasn't necessarily happy about it. As much as she loved children and wanted to have a child someday, she agreed that it was best to settle down before starting a family.

About three weeks had passed since Barbara died. Ema and Lana had moved on for the most part, though her memory still lingered in their minds. Katara had become somewhat cuddlier because of Barbara's death. Now that she didn't have another cat to spend time with, she settled for humans.

At the moment, both Lana and Ema were simply killing time. Ema was on the sofa, watching The Nickel Samurai while she waited for some gases in the "lab" to react. Katara had curled up on her lap. Lana had purchased a flat in the Lauderdale Tower. As there were three potential bedrooms, one of them served as a laboratory for Ema to conduct chemistry experiments. Admittedly, the experiments were all planned out, and Ema essentially knew how the reactions were going to be. Naturally, only specific experiments were allowed—especially after she scared their neighbors by placing nitrogen triiodide near their door. It was a lucky thing that they understood it was a joke and didn't raise a stink over it.

Lana, on the other hand, was reading the most recent issue of TIME while she waited for her birthday cake to be ready. Today was her thirtieth birthday, though Lana had been against the idea of a cake, knowing that Ema would sneak more than her share of it. Eventually, Lana gave in, but she chose a cake that would be less appealing to her younger sister; Ema wasn't overly fond of lemon cake, even if it had chocolate frosting. At the least, Lana could have more than a fourth of the cake that way—and it would help keep Ema in good health, considering her newest favorite food. Lana had made the mistake of buying Ema a bag of a new snack food called "Snackoos" around a week ago. The chocolate-flavored ones had proven especially addictive for her, so much so that Lana started forcing Ema to start taking Hwa Rang Do classes with her to exercise off all the extra calories she was getting—though Ema was practicing at a lower level, naturally.

Miles had asked Lana on a date to celebrate her birthday, but since Ema wanted Lana to stay home, they reached an acceptable compromise: Miles would visit Lana and Ema in their flat. Their dates were rarely much more than friendly outings except for the occasional kiss, hug, or sweet talk. He was due to arrive fairly soon. Part of her was expecting a very expensive present from him. Earlier that day, she had jokingly suggested to Ema that Miles might have bought her a piano; Lana was good at playing the piano, but she was fairly certain that there would be no room in their flat unless it was an upright—not to mention the neighbors might complain if Ema tried to play it.

Ema checked her watch and quickly got up, running to the lab to check on her experiment. Katara almost fell off the sofa, but she righted herself before landing and simply walked over to Lana, curling up in her lap instead.

Ever since Lana got engaged, Ema had made an effort to refer to Miles by his first name—it seemed somewhat rude to talk formally to her future brother-in-law. The results of those efforts had been mixed so far. When it was just her and Lana, Ema said "Miles" a little over half of the time, but whenever Miles was actually there, she tended to still call him "Mr. Edgeworth."

"Traitor," Ema said to Katara as she walked back in. Lana, smiling, stroked the little cat with one hand as she set the magazine aside with the other. Ema sighed, still mock-glaring at Katara. "No matter what you do, I can't get mad at you." She walked to the chair and got down on her knees to stroke the cat. When Lana put her hand down, Katara started licking it.

For a moment, neither sister spoke. The only sounds were the usual sounds of London as heard from their flat, the television, and the faint scratching sound of Katara's tongue across Lana's hand.

"What was the name of that defense attorney Pess lives with now?" Ema asked.

"Kristoph Gavin," Lana replied.

"What's he like? I mean, if Miles trusts him enough to let Pess live with him, then he must be a good person, right?"

Lana briefly took her hand away from Katara and placed her index finger below her lower lip, rubbing it slightly. "It's a bit of a complex answer. He's a kind person, and I don't think he's one to do anything illegal out of malice, but…"

"But…?"

"He's selfish. He can handle defeat, so it's not as if he plays dirty, but he said he became a defense attorney because he turned out to be good at it and he wanted to live a good life. He doesn't really care whether his clients are innocent or guilty. As long as he's not hurt by the case, he'll take it and see it through to the end."

"Oh…"

"He does his job, and he does it right, but for the wrong reasons. Still, Miles and I both think he's a good man on the inside, even if he's selfish."

"Um… Hm…" Ema appeared to wander deep into thought.

"I know the feeling. You want to say bad things about him for being selfish, but a lot of other people are just like him, doing their jobs out of a need or d—"

The doorbell rang.

"Would you mind getting that?" Lana asked, indicating Katara.

With a fake annoyed sigh, Ema got up and walked to the door. Both sisters knew Katara was "portable," so Lana could have easily walked over to the door while holding Katara and then sat back down without having to worry about the cat leaving.

"Hi, Mr. Edgewo— Miles!" Ema greeted after opening the door, managing to catch herself.

"It's nice to see you again, Ema," Miles responded. "May I come in?"

"Oh!" Ema stepped out of the way. "Sure! Sorry about that." Miles entered with a stuffed fox in his hands—Lana's present, no doubt.

A fox?

"Thanks for coming," Lana greeted.

"Thanks for having me," Miles replied, approaching Lana. He knelt down and placed the fox on the floor next to the chair. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." She extended her left hand. Miles took it and leaned toward Lana and kissed her lightly.

"Also, I have some good news. The people at Hyde Park contacted me and said that the event planned on April 29th was canceled, so we can have the wedding then if we want."

Lana felt herself smile.

"Really!?" Ema chirped.

"…Are you sure Gumshoe doesn't mind?" Lana asked, looking at Katara.

"I happened to discuss it with him recently, and he said that he didn't mind—though he wanted us to send him pictures."

Lana smiled and let out a small laugh through her nose. She looked at the fox. "So… why a fox?"

"Because I think a fox suits you. Beautiful, clever, and loyal."

"Loyal?" Ema asked.

"According to the clerk at the store I got it at, foxes mate for life."

"Well, I think a fox suits you for the same reasons, Miles," Lana replied.

"It looks expensive…" Ema commented.

"It cost about one hundred pounds," Miles said. "Růžička is a very expensive company. According to the clerk, their products are 100% handmade from high-quality (and high-priced) materials. I recall seeing a life-size leopard in the store that cost something along the lines of a thousand pounds. There's also the fact that they're all imported from the Czech Republic."

"All that for a birthday present?" Lana teased. "While you're at it, why not buy me a ring made of francium?"

Ema laughed. Miles simply smirked.

"Moving on… about the wedding… Do you want it to be sooner, or do you want to wait until Balboa Park has an opening? I'm in favor of taking this opportunity, and Gumshoe doesn't have any problems with it, but you also have a part to play. I'm not going to push for an earlier wedding if you want to wait."

Lana placed her right hand over her heart and closed her eyes, trying to think.

I'd love to get married sooner, but can we prepare everything in that time? And what if Gumshoe only said that to make us feel better?

"Do you need time to think about it?" Miles asked.

"Yes," Lana replied. "How long do I have before you have to contact Hyde Park again?"

"Until someone else asks for the spot." He paused. "Still, don't worry about it too much if we run out of time. We've waited this long and remained loyal, so what's another year if it comes to that?"

"Well, I know where my vote goes," Ema said. "The sooner, the better. You've waited so long, after all."

"That's a good point…" Lana admitted. "I'm just worried Gumshoe only said he was okay with it so we wouldn't feel bad about excluding him. You do owe him your life, after all… as do I."

"…That's true…" Miles agreed. "I'll call him again and ask him if he's sure he doesn't mind."

"No. I'll do it. No offense, but I think your way of talking to him might also have encouraged him to lie about it if he was lying."

"I understand. I know I can be a bit intimidating at times."

"But that's for later. Tonight's just about being together."

"You're absolutely right. So what do you propose we do?"

"How about a game of poker?" Ema chirped, stopping Lana from suggesting anything she would be left out of. Miles and Lana both laughed at her enthusiasm. "…Is that a 'no?'"

"I think poker's fine," Lana said, reassuring Ema. "What about you, Miles?"

"I only know five-card draw," Miles replied, "so if it's any other variant you have in mind, it'll just be you and Ema."

"I don't think that'll be a problem. In prison, that was the style I played with my cellmates."

"I thought you played hearts."

"We played more than just hearts. Whist, bridge, blackjack… you name it. …You're not annoyed about this, are you? I'm guessing you didn't come here just to play a game."

"It's not a problem. I knew we'd be including Ema in this date. Besides, I've always enjoyed a good game."

"Wonderful. Ema, what about you?"

"Don't worry!" she replied, holding the frames of her glasses over her eyes. "If gambling were legal, I'd be bringing in enough money at school to let you stop prosecuting!"

Another round of laughter arose from Ema's statement.

"Five-card draw it is, then," Lana said after everyone was silent. She picked up Katara and took a seat at the dining room table while Ema ran off to get their parents' old game box. Katara curled up on Lana's lap again as though they hadn't even moved. Miles seated himself next to Lana. A moment later, Ema returned.

"Is that your cake I smell?" Miles commented.

"Yes. Would you like to have some once it's done?"

"Certainly. It smells like the days of a certain defense attorney's youth."

They laughed.

"I only chose lemon because Ema's less likely to sneak extra slices during the night," Lana responded. "She likes lemon cake, but not so much that she'll eat more than her share of it."

The sound of crunching signaled Ema's entrance. She walked in carrying the game box with a bag of Snackoos on top of it.

"Give those to me," Lana ordered. "We're going to be having cake soon enough." Lana extended her hand. With a sigh through her nose, Ema gave Lana the bag, then opened up the game box. After taking the green poker chips for herself, she gave Miles the yellow chips and passed the red chips to Lana. Lana placed the bag of Snackoos on the table, out of reach from Ema's seat.

"So who will deal?" Miles asked.

"Not me," Ema said. "I stink at shuffling."

"I'll do it, then," Lana said, taking the deck of cards and shuffling them. She then proceeded to deal out the cards and place the ante of one chip in the pot. Miles and Ema did the same. She picked up her hand: junk, but with the potential for a straight if she got lucky.

"I'll bet three," Miles said, placing three chips in.

Ema said nothing as she called and placed in three.

"I'll call that and raise to five," Lana said, placing four chips in the pot. Miles and Ema both called. "Drawing time."

"One, please," Miles said, discarding one card from his hand. Lana removed a burn card and handed Miles one card.

"I'm good," Ema said.

Lana replaced two cards herself. As she expected, she didn't get the straight she had hoped for, but she had the luck of getting a jack, making a pair.

And of course it's not a straight. "Bets?"

Miles placed an additional two chips in. Ema placed in two and raised to four. Lana folded. Miles called.

"Showdown time," Ema said, doing her best to sound tough.

Miles revealed his hand: three aces. Ema had two pairs. Ema's shoulders sagged as Lana extended her right hand for Ema to place her cards in. Miles placed his hand near the deck.

"Hm," Miles muttered.

"Just you wait," Ema taunted.

"No, that's not it," Miles replied. "I just noticed a light line on Lana's palm."

"That's the scar from when I cut myself around a year ago," Lana explained.

"Mm." He closed his eyes as Lana shuffled the deck, apparently still struggling with that memory. "That's what I thought…"

"Come on, don't start thinking about that," Ema requested, noticing Miles's expression. "Lana was acquitted, Gant's in prison, and you're getting married! It's a happy ending!"

Miles smiled. "It is…" He looked toward Lana. "Though our story's far from over."

Lana smiled as she dealt the cards out again and placed the ante. Miles placed nine chips in almost instantly after picking up his hand. Lana checked her hand to see if she had a chance. Knowing Miles, he wouldn't raise to ten on a bluff.

"I'll see it," Ema said, placing nine chips in the pot.

"Not me," Lana said, folding. Miles laughed.

"Good choice," he said.

"We'll see," Ema teased. Again, Miles laughed.

"I've never seen this side of you," he said to Ema. Then, to Lana, "One, please."

Lana removed a burn card and took Miles's card, giving him one.

"Two for me," Ema chirped.

Lana took the two cards Ema discarded and passed two new ones to her.

"I'm staying at ten," Miles said.

"Heh heh," Ema chuckled mischievously. "I'll raise it to fifteen!" She placed an additional five chips in. Miles said nothing as he called. "Let's see what you've got."

Miles and Ema placed their hands down at the same time. Ema had a full house with three kings and two queens. Before Lana could see Miles's hand, Ema's reaction told her that he had won again.

"I was so sure you were bluffing…" Ema whimpered.

"I almost never bluff," Miles said, taking the pot. Lana looked at his hand: four aces and the remaining king.

How on earth did that happen? Did I shuffle improperly?

"I'm n-not usually this bad…" Ema stated, crossing her arms.

"Since when were you so competitive?" Miles asked. He looked to Lana.

"She's used to winning," Lana explained. "She almost never gets to play anymore because her friends are convinced she'll always win."

"Well… I'm also used to seeing people get all stone-faced when they're bluffing," Ema said to Miles. "But you always look that way in a poker game. I guess that's one of the 'poker faces' I keep hearing about."

Ema and Miles passed their hands to Lana and waited for her to shuffle again.

"That was very strange," Lana said. "I didn't expect to see all the high cards in your hands. Maybe I'm not as good at shuffling as I thought…"

"I've seen it happen before," Ema replied. "It's pretty rare, but I'm sure it's a coincidence. I mean, you'd never stack the deck, right?"

"I suppose that's true…"

Lana dealt the cards out again and placed in her ante.

The rest of the game proceeded more slowly, Ema and Miles winning most of the hands and Lana's share of the chips slowly and steadily decreasing. Ema never managed to make up for her losses in the first two hands, though; in the end, Miles won. The night was one of the best Lana had had. She had a lot of fun, as did Ema and Miles. For her, it was a glimpse of things to come. As she and Miles were going to get married, there were going to be plenty of peaceful nights like this.