Visiting the Parents

Phoenix gets a call from his parents asking if they can meet his fiancée Tiffany Howe. The young lawyer is worried that this trip will not go over smoothly but Tiffany is excited to meet the parents of her fiancé. Will the visit go over well?

(Author's note: I had always wondered about Phoenix's parents. The only thing we know about them is that they are both alive and are living out of city. So this one shot is to what I think Phoenix's parents are like. Not to mention I think it would be nice if Phoenix and Tiffany were to meet them. This one shot came to mind and I have to admit, I had fun writing it out. Of course, writing the sweet moments between Phoenix and Tiffany always has me grinning like an idiot. XD Enjoy!)


Phoenix had not expected a phone call from his parents. He would of course keep in touch with them whenever he was not busy. He had been so hectic making preparations for the upcoming wedding he and Tiffany were going to have as well as his job as a lawyer that he didn't know what to do when he got that call.

He was in the middle of looking over the paperwork Sophia Loocke gave him to aspect over when his cell started to ring the Steel Samurai theme. He picked it up and said into it all the while still looking at the papers, "Phoenix Wright speaking."

"Hello dear, it's been a while since I heard from you."

Hearing the familiar voice caused Phoenix to sit up straight in his desk chair, "Mom!"

His mother laughed before responding, "Is that kind of response you give to your mother?"

"No! I uh…I wasn't expecting you to call that's all!" Phoenix said, trying to keep his voice steady.

"I understand. From what I've heard, you're going to get married very soon. Oh how exciting!" Mrs. Wright cooed happily.

Phoenix couldn't help but laugh, "Yeah. I can't believe it either."

"That's why I am calling you, Phoenix. Your father and I want to meet this lovely lady you told us about."

The young lawyer stopped laughing and sat rigid in his chair upon hearing his mother's request, "You want to meet her?"

"Why of course. I need to see my future daughter-in-law. In fact, I was hoping you both can come up next weekend."

"I…well I will see what I can do, mom." Phoenix said, as he wasn't sure of how to feel at this point.

"Great! Call me if you decide to come. Love you, dear!"

"Sure. Love you too, mom. Say hi to dad for me." Phoenix said and he turned off his cell.

He had expected a lot of things from his mom but that request wasn't one of them. Then again, why should it be a surprise? After all, he was always close to his family. His parents raised him without help from anyone when they lived out by the farm houses. They were such good people and they taught him the best they could. Having Tiffany meet them certainly wouldn't embarrass him. However, he couldn't help but worry that they may not approve of Tiffany. He had always been such a worry wart.

He thought long and hard. Finally, he picked his cell back up and dialed Tiffany's number. He was half hoping she would be too busy to answer. Right after the first ring, her voice said, "Hi, this is Tiffany Howe."

"Hi Tiff. It's Phoenix." Phoenix greeted and he heard Tiffany laugh on the other end,

"I kinda figured that, since I saw your ID pop up on my cell. I was just about to head home. What's up?"

"I well, can you come over to Wright & Co Law Office for a moment? I wanna talk to you about something." Phoenix replied and he could almost see the worry look on Tiffany's pretty face.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"No. Just please, come over." He assured her.

About ten minutes later, Tiffany knocked on the door and Phoenix opened it for her to come in, "Hi Phoenix, you sounded uh distant on the phone. You sure there is nothing wrong?" was the first thing she said.

Guess he wasn't the only one who tended to worry easily, "No." he finally said and rubbed his hair.

"Is it about the wedding? Are you already having second thoughts?" Tiffany interrogated and on the last question, a hurt sad look crossed her face, causing Phoenix to shake his head,

"No! It has nothing to do with the wedding, Tiffany! I'm looking forward to it, I promise! It's nothing bad, I swear!" he said in hopes to affluence Tiffany's worries.

His fiancée frowned but seemed to feel at ease that it wasn't about the wedding, "Then, what's wrong?"

Phoenix sighed. Here it goes. "Well, I received a call not too long ago."

"A call?"

"Yeah, it was my mom."

The mention of his mother piqued Tiffany's curiosity and she said with a small smile, "Oh really? You don't mention your parents a whole lot. In fact, I don't think you ever really did."

"I know. I guess they just don't come up in our conversations." Phoenix started to laugh in utter embarrassment.

"Well, what are they like?" Tiffany asked, now very curious about the people who raised her husband to be.

"They're really good people. My mom and dad raised me out in the country of Los Angeles, by farm houses actually. I try to keep in touch with them once a month at the most." Phoenix replied and Tiffany tilted her head.

"You were raised in a barn?" Was the first thing she asked and Phoenix gave her a look,

"No, Tiffany. I lived near a barn but I wasn't raised in one." He replied and Tiffany giggled at the face he was giving her. She always loved his over the top facial expressions.

"Okay. So your mom called you up is what you said. What did she want?"

"She heard that you and I are going to be married real soon. She uh…she and my dad want to meet you." Phoenix answered slowly as he wasn't sure of how Tiffany was going to take this.

Tiffany's smile widen, "That sounds great! I would love to meet your parents! They sound just wonderful."

Phoenix couldn't help but smile back. Why should he worry? His parents never once embarrassed him. Though he did wonder how they react to meeting Tiffany. He was sure they will love her just as much as he did. She was so likeable, open, and honest. Still, he couldn't help but worry that this trip will turn out to be a bust.

"When do we leave to meet them?" Tiffany's sudden question brought him out of his wandering worrisome thoughts and he replied,

"My mom wants to see us next weekend."

"Terrific. I will let my boss know I will be out of commission for next weekend," Tiffany suddenly hugged Phoenix and gave him a light kiss before adding, "I can't wait!"

"Me too, Tiffany." Phoenix replied and hugged her back, "Me too."


For the next week, Phoenix and Tiffany got prepared for their small trip. They will be staying at Phoenix's parents place for a couple of days. The drive to their place was going to take several hours. Phoenix was really glad Tiffany knew how to drive otherwise they would have to take a train first and then a bus. Using a car will save time and money for sure.

On Friday morning, Tiffany met with Phoenix at his apartment to get their trip started. Once they were sure they had everything, they set out towards the countryside of Los Angeles. Phoenix could feel his worries go away as Tiffany continued to drive her car through the busy streets of the city. He shouldn't be nervous. His fiancée was excited about meeting his parents. When he called his mother back to confirm they will be visiting, she exclaimed happily.

Happy thoughts, he had to think happy thoughts. He stared out the window at the passing cars and let out a small sigh. Tiffany looked over and noticed how quiet Phoenix was, "You doing okay, Phoenix? I mean I have noticed how odd you've been acting ever since your mom called."

"I just…" Should he tell her? He looked over and could see Tiffany was concerned for him. She never once gave him a hard time whenever he was worried about something. Why should he not be honest? "I guess I'm nervous that things won't go over so well."

"With me meeting your parents?" Tiffany questioned and seeing him nod caused her to sigh before she added, "I understand you're nervous. I have to admit I am a little too. I mean I don't want to make a bad impression on your parents."

"You won't Tiffany. I'm sure you won't. My parents are going to love you." Phoenix replied as he wanted to reassure her.

Tiffany gave him a gentle smile before looking forward to keep driving. Phoenix looked back out the window and thought over of his words. He was sure his parents will certainly love Tiffany. He couldn't see a thing about her that they would not.

Finally, it wasn't long until the couple had arrived to their destination. Tiffany followed Phoenix's directions and she was mildly surprised to see a small but well-kept house come into view from the trees they were driving through. Phoenix felt a feeling of nostalgia when he saw the house he grew up in. He couldn't believe it's been at least a decade since he lived here. He was only 17 when he went off to college. He could still remember when his parents bid him farewell. His mom was crying and wishing the best for her only little boy. And there was his father giving him a pat on the back and telling him to make the world a better place.

"So, this is where you used to live?" Tiffany asked once she parked her car right beside the old station wagon that Phoenix's parents owned.

"Yup. It's hard to believe," Phoenix looked around and let out a sigh of content, "I hope to show you around, but first, we better go see my parents."

He started to lead his fiancée up the small stairs to the little porch. He rang the doorbell and waited for either of his parents to answer. Tiffany stood behind Phoenix and waited patiently. She looked behind her to see how pretty this place was. There were some trees to give this place a nice shade. But she can see through the thin line there was vast fields. She can even see the small buildings that looked like farm houses. Phoenix wasn't kidding that he grew up near them.

She turned back around when she heard the door open and she saw a woman that looked like she was in her late 40's come out. She wore a simple blue dress and an apron. She had black hair that was starting to gray and her dark eyes sparkled happily upon seeing who was here. "Oh my little boy is here!" she said, smiling up at Phoenix.

"Hi mom." Phoenix greeted his mother and gave her a great big hug.

"I know you've been contacting us through the phone but it's been nearly ten years since I saw you. You've have grown more handsome since then. Oh Phoenix, look at you." Mrs. Wright said, her eyes watering at the sight of her only son before her.

"Come on, mom, you're just embarrassing me." Phoenix said, his face flushed from his mother's compliments.

Tiffany watched as the woman put her hands on each side of Phoenix's face to look him over. It was obvious that she missed him. She knew her father would do the same if she didn't see him for so many years. She waited patiently all the while a gentle smile was upon her face.

"Dear! Get out here! Your son is finally here!" Mrs. Wright called behind her and turned back to look back at Phoenix, "I am so glad you came, Phoenix."

"Me too, mom." The young lawyer admitted, a smile spreading across his face. He really was glad that he came. He did miss this place and his parents.

Tiffany saw another figure appear in the front door and she blinked in surprise to see an elder man come walking out. She can see where Phoenix got his good looks from. The elder Wright too had black hair only it was spiked like his son's and he had dark blue eyes and the same eyebrows. Despite his age showing, he was still a good looking man and wearing a simple shirt that showed off his good figure. Question that remained inside Tiffany's head was where did Phoenix get his spiky hair from?

"Son! So good to see you are here!" Mr. Wright said and gave Phoenix a man hug.

"Hey dad." Phoenix greeted his father and he hugged both his parents.

Once the warm greeting was over, Mrs. Wright was the first to look after at the patient woman her son brought with him. She saw a very pretty, no beautiful woman with soft wavy light brown hair that fell over her shoulders with ease. Her green eyes seemed kind and she wore a soft gold shirt and black jeans. This was the woman Phoenix was going to marry? She couldn't help but feel a little shocked.

"So you're the fiancée my son told me about over the phone?" Mrs. Wright finally asked, causing Phoenix and Mr. Wright to look over.

Tiffany blinked and she gave the mother a gentle smile, "Yes. It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Wright. My name is Tiffany Howe." She greeted politely and bowed her head a little in respect.

Phoenix bit his bottom lip. He was afraid his mother will not approve of Tiffany. For a moment, he thought it was going to be true. But his fears ceased when his mother took Tiffany's hands and said, "My dear, you are most welcome into this family. I don't think my son would ever find such a beautiful woman to marry. And I can tell from looking into your eyes that you have a beautiful personality to match."

"My wife is right. Welcome to the Wright family, Tiffany," Mr. Wright said with a smile and then turned to Phoenix, "Tell me son, how did you manage to snag such a looker like her?"

Phoenix felt a sweat drop form while his mother and fiancée laughed at the comment, "Not funny, dad…"


For the next couple of days, Tiffany spent the time with Phoenix's parents. As she got to know them, she can see just what good people they were. She would laugh when Mr. Wright teased his son on how he was able to get such a beautiful woman like her. And Mrs. Wright loved her like a daughter she never had. The elder woman was starting to see why her son fell in love with this young lady. She offered to help out with the chores and enjoyed spending time with both parents.

One day, Phoenix was out with his father to fish and Tiffany was with Mrs. Wright, who was at the moment sewing up a blanket. Tiffany was reading a book that she found on the bookcase inside the house and was curious of what it was about. Mrs. Wright observed the young woman for a moment before saying,

"Tiffany, I am curious."

Tiffany looked up, "Hm? Yes, Mrs. Wright?"

"I have been wondering how my son fell in love with you. I have heard from him that he wasn't looking into marrying or even dating because of the last girlfriend he had. When I heard him told me that, I felt heart broken and was worried that my son would never fall in love." Mrs. Wright replied carefully and Tiffany frowned upon hearing this.

She had heard of Phoenix having an ex-girlfriend before. But he never went into great detail of what happened. The only thing he told her was that she broke his heart; badly. It hurt him so much to the point that he thought he would never want to find another girlfriend. But Tiffany seemed to have changed his mind and it won't be long before they were to be married.

"But then my hope rose when he called and told me he finally found a girlfriend. He told me a lot about you and when I first saw you, his comments about you certainly matched up. I will admit that if you didn't have a kind soul, I wouldn't give you my blessing of marrying my only son." Mrs. Wright went on and Tiffany could see she meant every word.

"I…I am truly grateful that I have your blessing, Mrs. Wright. I love your son very much. He means everything to me and I love him with all my heart." Tiffany said seriously and confidently.

Mrs. Wright gave her a kind smile. Tiffany can now see where Phoenix got his wonderful smile, "I can see that, my dear. I have seen how you interact with him. And I can tell that he loves you just as much. It's not every day that you see that kind of love. I can't wait until I see my future grandchildren."

Tiffany felt her cheeks flushed and she looked back down at the book she currently was trying to read, "Well, that will have to wait for the time being." She finally said and could hear the older woman laughing.

"Speaking of which, would you like to see how Phoenix looked when he was younger?"

Upon hearing this, Tiffany looked up and her curiosity was piqued, "Oh sure!" she wanted to see if Phoenix was just as adorable back then as he is today.

Mrs. Wright stood up and led her future daughter-in-law inside the house. They went up to the old room Phoenix and Tiffany were currently using to sleep in. After searching the bookcase, Mrs. Wright finally found the old album and she turned towards Tiffany, "Here it is. Why not help me take a trip down memory lane?" Tiffany gave her a bright smile all the while nodding eagerly.

Once they were done fishing, Phoenix and his father headed back to the house. Phoenix had expected to see his mother and Tiffany out on the porch. After all, he was glad to see they were getting along. He had been so nervous his parents wouldn't like Tiffany but it turns out that they loved her. While his father went off to gut the fish, Phoenix went inside the house to clean himself up. But once he was inside, he could hear faint laughter coming from the living room.

Curious, Phoenix followed the laughter and saw Tiffany and his mother sitting on the couch, looking at what appeared to be a photo album, "And here he is when he first started first grade." Mrs. Wright said pointing at the picture.

"Oh my gosh, he looks so cute!" Tiffany said with a squeal.

Phoenix now understood the situation and he laughed nervously, "Uh, what are you both doing?"

Mrs. Wright and Tiffany glanced up, "Oh hi dear. I was just showing Tiffany some photos of you when you were young." His mother replied while waving her hand.

Phoenix's eyes widen at this, "Wait what?"

"And you were so cute as a baby!" Tiffany added in her own comment before looking at Mrs. Wright, "I wanted to ask, just where did he get his spiky hair from?"

Mrs. Wright laughed at this question while Phoenix sweat dropped, "To be honest, I do not know. He was born with hair like that. My husband and I never could understand where or how he got it." She said while trying to ponder on how her son did get spiky hair.

Tiffany laughed again and Phoenix shook his head. Great; just when he thought he was going to go through this trip without being embarrassed. During dinner, his parents told Tiffany the stories of what their son did. They even included him cow tipping and being chased by the neighbor's dog. Phoenix knew his face was beyond red at this point and could see how Tiffany was laughing. She probably thought he was such a ridiculous kid back then.


That night, up in the bedroom, Phoenix sat on the bed he was sharing with Tiffany and waited for his fiancée to come from the bathroom. He was already dressed to go to sleep and tomorrow, they both were going to go back to Los Angeles. He heard the door opened and he looked up to see Tiffany come walking in. She was dressed in a simple white nightgown yet she looked so beautiful. Every time he saw her, he couldn't help but feel he was very lucky he was going to marry this gorgeous woman.

"That was a fun night." Tiffany said while placing her brush on the dresser and headed over to Phoenix, "I hope you weren't too embarrassed."

"Me? No way…" Phoenix tried to play it off but he could see how Tiffany was giving him the look that she can see through him, "Okay yeah I was. But can you actually blame me?"

"No. I would feel the same if my daddy showed you baby pictures of me. And let me tell you, while you were cute, I was the polar opposite." Tiffany said and now it was Phoenix's turn to give her a look,

"Yeah right. I'm sure you were just as cute back then as you are now." He said and he felt himself smirking when he saw Tiffany blush from his words.

She turned away while her hair nearly covered her face, "Oh stop it. I am not cute."

"Yes you are. My dad would not stop asking me just how I was able to get someone as beautiful as you to soon be my future wife," Phoenix said and his smirk melted away to a gentle smile, "And it's good to know that my parents love you very much, Tiffany."

Tiffany looked back at him and felt her heart skip a beat from Phoenix's soft smile. He's feeling lucky? She should be the one who feels lucky. She was going to marry this handsome, charming, gentle man that she had come to love so much. She never thought it would ever be possible but here she was. And hearing how his parents loved her made her very happy.

"So, does that mean you aren't upset about me looking at your baby pictures?" Tiffany asked, giving him a playful smirk.

Phoenix laughed before saying, "Of course not. At least that part is out of the way."

"Good," Tiffany leaned over and started to run her fingers through Phoenix's surprisingly soft black hair, "I love your hair, even though I still have no idea where you got the spikiness from."

Phoenix let out a soft chuckle was enjoying how Tiffany was playing with his hair, "It's good to know you do. I love your hair as well." Without a second thought, he reached up and buried his own hands into the waves of Tiffany's long brown hair.

Tiffany can feel her cheeks flush once more and she looked down into Phoenix's calm dark blue eyes, "Your parents are really nice. I hope we will visit them again in the future." She said, trying to calm her racing heart.

"I'm sure we will. They will certainly love it." Not giving her a warning, he moved his hands to Tiffany's waist and suddenly had her sitting on his lap, "Our jobs will keep us busy, but we will make time. We always do."

Tiffany let out a small gasp upon the sudden action Phoenix pulled. Realizing she was now sitting on his lap, she wrapped her arms around his neck and replied, "You're right."

Feeling how close she was, Phoenix leaned over and softly brushed his lips against Tiffany's. She closed her eyes and gave him a kiss of her own. They weren't going to go any further than kissing and cuddling. They were after all in Phoenix's parents' house. The couple took this time to just be in each other's arms before they finally decided to go sleep.

The next morning after breakfast, Phoenix and Tiffany said goodbye to the senior Wrights. Hugs were exchanged and Mrs. Wright told them to be safe and hope they will visit again. Tiffany was going to miss them. Despite it being a short visit, she had really come to adore Phoenix's parents, as they did with her. Phoenix too was going to miss his parents but now was the time to go back to the city.

During the drive, Phoenix sighed in content to know the visit turned out to be better than he thought. Tiffany looked over at him and couldn't help but smile at how happy he looked, "So, glad you decided to have me meet your parents?" she questioned in both amusement and curiosity.

Phoenix looked over and he gave her a smile right back, "I am, Tiffany. I really am," he looked back out the window, "I just wonder if we should do the same with your father."

Tiffany gulped at this thought and laughed nervously, "Uh, maybe we will." She didn't want to say it out loud but she had a feeling that if her father were to meet Phoenix, he might scare him away. But that will have to wait for another time.

She felt her free hand being taken and she looked over to see Phoenix smiling at her, "Thank you, Tiffany." He said and she matched his smile,

"You're welcome." She replied and looked forward again to keep driving. She kept her hand in his. Phoenix followed her gaze and couldn't help but think that their future was looking bright.