The first thing she recognized were the dogs. She couldn't see them, but she knew they were there.

She saw their torn ears in her mind's eye, bloodstained teeth and patchy fur. She heard the pants, snorted out of flared nostrils.

They always came for her, for what is a champion but a throne to overthrow?

A year's time would save her from much, but it refused to silence them. There is always a limit to generosity.

A moment's weakness toils the bell.

For whom does the bell toil?

It toils for she.

There's a reason no one cries "Long live the queen!"

The next thing she realized was the gurney, then the needle in her shoulder.

Until now, she'd never been able to smell herself, much less taste her raw terror as she tried to break loose of the straps, to rip the lethal thing from her body before it was much too late.

"Venus, stop that!" A dog with missing ears, she knew clearly where they'd gone, snapped from above her body. "Stop that, Venus!"

"No!" She stilled in terror when her voice slurred in such a manner. Was it already done?

"Stop it, Venus! You're going to hurt yourself!"

"No! I refuse to let you kill me!"

"Venus!" The creature lunged at her neck; light and shapes flooded back to her.

There was a lady standing over her, calling with the canine's voice. "It's okay, Venus. You're in Los Kyoto. You really did a number on yourself, you know that?"

Terror still raged through her, and she clung to her neck.

"You're going to choke yourself. Let go, I won't hurt you, you're safe. My name is Naia, Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth sent me." A prosecutor's badge dangled from her neckline.

Mr. Edgeworth, she remembered him. His name was Miles, it was so un-European. He smelled of ramen and black tea and was nothing but gentle to her.

He and the boss bickered heavily, and while Apollo bore respect, he was still obviously bothered by his presence. She felt more fear towards her boss than she did towards Mr. Edgeworth. He specifically told her to call him Mr. Edgeworth, so she did.

"Ah, you remember him, don't you?"

She remembered Mr. Edgeworth.

"You had a panic attack and passed out, he was getting a bit worried."

She remembered now. She'd gone to Courtroom Number Four in search of Apollo, and found his unconscious body on the ground, bleeding.

And it wasn't just him she saw, four others echoed in the ruins' shadows and the smell of blood clawed at her throat.

That's when the dogs came, howling. That's when everything went dark.

"Mr. Justice will be okay, Venus. You'll both just have to rest here and recover."

Apollo was here.

She ducked her head away. "My name's not Venus."

"Of course not, Athena. Now you just relax. Your painkillers should start working soon, if you're still in a lot of pain."

"Are they gonna mute them?"

"Your hearing aids? I'm not sure. If they do, I'm sure they'll have a good reason. No one will hurt you like that again, you're free."

"It will be a long time before I can say I'll believe you."

December 18th, 2027

1:05pm

General Hospital - Suite 247

Apollo was sure it was a dream. He was sure that the prosecutor wasn't really there. He was sure she didn't really call Athena by another name for an entire conversation. He was sure she didn't respond by the other name until he was mentioned.

He was sure it was a dream. A stress dream, distorted further by the pain.

He was sure she was Athena Cykes.

And he'd rather die than lose his faith.

But then Fulbright came. He'd heard the voices outside and the seed of doubt within him began to sprout. "Ah, Prosecutor Graves! I'd heard much about you from Prosecutor Blackquill. Astounding to finally meet someone so concerned with the fight for justice as I!"

"Cut to it, Detective Fulbright. Some of us have actual work to do, instead of playing tea time with convicted killers."

"I beg your pardon! Here I am, looking to your advice in awe, and you chide me for attempting to reform those in our prison system!"

"There is no 'reforming' the man. He is to efforts will be nothing but in vain."

"This is getting beside the point, Prosecutor Graves! I'm here investigating Venus Blackquill!"

…What?

"You are a fool, much like Blackquill has always said. That is not her name!"

He knew it. He knew it was all a dream.

"It is Gyax. Venus Gyax. There is no Athena Cykes."

No.

It couldn't be.

"I beg your pardon, Prosecutor? There is too such a person!"

"Not in a long time. Perhaps you didn't read your charge's file, Fulbright, for Athena Cykes died long ago. Skye filed the death certificate yesterday."

He couldn't believe it, but he had to.

If evidence is everything, then the woman he loved was a fraud.

"That certificate was only just received! Even the hospital staff has no idea why it exists, for she is clearly alive."

"I will say this one more time, Fool Bright . That certificate was signed in the presence of the court. Athena. Cykes. Is. Dead. Visit her grave if you're so blatantly inclined."

"I can see now why the chief put you with Prosecutor Blackquill. So very willing to get in the way of justice. No wonder they call you the Scapegoat Prosecutor."

He saw his lover stumble from her bed, storm over to the door with her IV stand and slam it against the door. "Shut up!" Her Chords of Steel threatened his own.

"Look what you've done. She's awake." The door cracked open. There was the lady he'd dreamed about. "Athena," How dare she continue to call Athena that, when it was all such a lie? "Go back to bed. You need to rest."

He couldn't take it any longer. He needed answers before she could slip back through his hands. "Not until I get answers." He was too busy to stand, but Justice was still going strong. "I have evidence to suggest you haven't been straight with me, Athena. Or should I say, Venus?"

Athena's eyes flooded white. Muscles in her throat rippled the odd scar circling the shallowest part of the jugular. Low rumbles stirred from the remnants of her light voice.

He was ever so glad he hadn't heard that sound in bed. "Don't incriminate yourself."

The white in her eyes vanished as she looked back, pupils shrinking as she pulled backwards.

"If you can't be straight to me about something as simple as your name, Venus Gyax, then what else have you been lying about? Your convenient disappearance? The knife in Clay's chest? Spill it, Gyax!"

"That's not my name!" She couldn't look him in the eye, his bracelet threatened to amputate his hand. "Apollo, it's me, Athena! Your painkillers are playing with your mind, they did the same thing to me!"

"If you were Athena, then why did this hospital find a death certificate?! Why have a detective and a prosecutor identified you otherwise?!"

"I'm Athena Cykes. I'm your co-council, your partner in crime fighting. I-I love you, Apollo Justice!"

"How can you prove you're her? How, even if you are, can you prove you were ever worthy of the love I had for Athena?"

"Because I am Athena!"

"You were never Athena! This prosecutor proves you were never who you said you were! I can't believe I ever trusted you for a second, you European reject!"

"Apollo Justice! You will quit harassing your partner!"

"My partner is Athena Cykes! Not this fraud of a woman!"

Widget fell black and she crumpled to the floor. "I'm Athena, I'm Athena!" She continued to plead even after she'd hit the ground. Graves pounded the nurse call button and helped the incapacitated redhead to bed. He felt everything swirling inside him. He wanted to believe her, to hold her tight.

The nurses came and muted her ears. Athena Cykes, Venus Gyax, whoever this woman was, was now out of his reach.

He'd dumped all the doubts in his brain, but no clarity or comfort came. He felt utterly betrayed on both his behalf and hers. He couldn't argue, he loved this woman, and was her legal guardian. Those feelings and ties, however, were formed with Athena Cykes. He wanted to believe in her, to feel her play with his hair as she chided him for risking his life to save her friend.

Her friend that was now safe and sound, not guilty of a terrible act.

Her friend who had also been betrayed, believing this woman was her dead childhood friend. For Juniper's sake, he wanted to declare this woman had been and always will be Athena Cykes. For his own heart, consumed by the loss of two families and an only friend, he needed who she said she was.

However, evidence never lies.