EPISODE 16

Part XI

Defense Attorney Walker paid Prosecutor von Karma a visit regarding the Henderblath case. It appeared that a key eyewitness in the case was telling each of them what they wished to hear and had been scheduled to appear as both a defense and prosecutorial witness. This had irritated both of the attorneys greatly and they had discussed what to do to try to get the truth out of the witness or whether the witness' integrity was so compromised that neither one of them would be able to call him to the stand.

Walker had felt very lucky that Prosecutor von Karma wasn't blaming him for the lack of honesty on the part of the witness. He knew that while the prosecutor didn't need an actual reason to whip you senseless, an excuse made her actions seem less barbaric and this seemed like a perfectly good excuse to him, but instead of being torn to shreds by her leather tendril Prosecutor von Karma seemed completely focused on the task at hand.

Franziska was proud of how professional she could act around Miles' boyfriend. Even as the thought of how those hands brought pleasure to her brother and how it was those lips that kissed him she remained business-like. The paradigm had changed and while she was still desperately in love with her brother Joshua was his chosen one now and she knew it would be Walker that Miles would be dedicated to as long as Josh remained faithful.

The two attorneys vented their frustrations about this stupid witness who was clearly obstructing justice by falsifying testimony. In the end, Franziska said she would put the fear of God into the witness and if that didn't work to hell with it. She had plenty of evidence that the defendant was guilty. Walker had snorted at this and it reminded her of Phoenix Wright. Even after all these years, Franziska still believed defense attorneys to be an odd bunch because they were constantly being forced to ignore the realities around them. In this case, that the defendant was clearly guilty as charged.

Defense Attorney Walker gave a nod and got up from his seat to leave and Franziska turned away from him to face the window, but it was only then that she said what she was on her mind.

"Walker, I'm very glad Miles Edgeworth has you. Thank you for making him happy."

The words shot through Joshua like a dart. He whirled around to see the expression on her face, but her back was still to him. For a moment Franziska thought he had left because she heard nothing, but then he said, "I'm not convinced he is happy. He misses you Franziska. He misses his sister."

"Well then, Walker, you had better try harder to make him happy. Miles Edgeworth is a very good man. He deserves it. Now, please leave me."

Joshua walked out with heavy heart. He felt like he had grown to know them both and he knew Franziska didn't say please and thank you often. She didn't avoid your eyes when she spoke to you. She was a confronter. Yet here she was avoiding Josh's eyes attempting to be civil and, frankly doing a better job of it, than he had ever before seen.

Joshua loved Miles, but something within him had always warned him that Miles' heart already belonged to someone else and now he saw how desperately that someone needed him. She could say all she wanted about how Miles should be with him, but there was no doubt in Josh's mind that behind that heavy office door she was crying. Joshua had let the whole brother/sister dynamic cloud his thinking but he saw now that Miles and Franziska had been just another couple in love and Franziska despite her tough as nails exterior was just another person pining for the lover she lost.

Franziska wouldn't let it be known to anyone how miserable she was, but Josh knew it. She was still desperately in love with him. Otherwise she wouldn't be working so hard to accept Josh into their life. She was putting her brother's feelings above her own and Josh knew how very un-von Karma like a thing that was to do.

Josh sighed. There would be other loves for him, but Franziska needed Miles. She had no one and she was sacrificing her own feelings stepping aside to allow Josh and Miles to have a happy ending together, but Josh wasn't convinced that he and Miles were headed in that direction. Until now, he had been mystified as to why, but now he felt that he understood. Miles and Franziska needed to be together. They belonged together. He could love Edgeworth all he wanted and Miles could love him back, but it didn't compete with whatever bond Franziska and Miles had.

All this time Josh had only heard Miles' side of the siblings' breakup story and it had been tainted with the bitter taste of betrayal. Franziska hadn't cared about him. She had probably been using him all along, that was what Miles said, but now he realized Franziska hadn't betrayed Miles because she didn't love him. She practically worshipped him. She had been lonely for the attention her brother and lover showered her with so she went with a man she didn't love in an attempt to obtain that feeling while she was away from him. Josh understood that all too well. The first time Greg cheated Josh had accepted that as an excuse, but it hadn't been true. Greg was an egomaniac. He would never be happy till he had a man worshiping him in every city he visited. He was a cheater. That wasn't Franziska. Franziska wanted only her brother.

Why else would Franziska have told Miles' the truth? She respected him too much to hide the lie. Greg never did that. Josh remembered the embarrassment of being told by a friend of a friend how they'd been surprised to learn Josh was "ok" with being in an open relationship and Josh had been forced to cover for Greg pretending that his lover's straying was something he knew all about and was ok with when he was very much not alright with it. No, Franziska could have spared herself and her brother all the heartache, but she'd chosen to be honest and when she tried to explain all Miles had heard was that she had been unfaithful. He had missed that somehow her wandering had confirmed for her that he was the only one for her.

Josh shook his head and snorted. He wished he wasn't such a romantic, because he believed Miles was in love with him. He knew Edgeworth wasn't the kind of man to say the words without feeling them, but he also knew the look of longing that entered Miles' steely eyes anytime Franziska was around. His heart was still bound to her just as surely as when they had been together. Josh felt sick, but he had to know. Josh wanted someone who would love him exclusively, a partner to go through life with and if Miles wasn't that person he figured he may as well move on now before it hurt any more than it already would.

He sighed wondering if he would have the strength to do what he felt he had to do and wondering how he had been so near to a happy ending just to discover it wasn't his happy ending.