Apollo sighed, choosing to keep his eyes off the mirror. He had excused himself, but he had no need to use the restroom. He fished around in his pocket for the rolled-up newspaper, uncurled it, and looked over it for the second time that day. He could not help it. Cammy Meele had accepted the publisher's oath to put her final statement and confession into the news.

Shadi Enigmar, also known as Zak Gramarye, was posthumously declared guilty of smuggling items and information on the behalf of the Red Carnation crime ring. He had been in close contact with Drew Misham, who produced several forgeries for his partner to transport in secrecy. However, Zak eventually learned that it was not Drew who crafted the items, but his unknowing daughter Vera. When Drew was found dead, the Red Carnation acted swiftly to suppress the possibility of Vera giving up the location of her newest forgeries. Zak and Cammy Meele were summoned for the job as Drew's closest partner and the one with the most knowledge of Hope Springs Airport, respectively. For Zak, it was enough to simply receive an order from command. For the paroled Meele, it was necessary to give her poison to force her compliance. The duo did not plan to kill Vera, no, nothing so crude as that. They were to fly her overseas for interrogation by higher members of the ring, so as to ensure she did not have anything to compromise. Then she would be put to work again.

Everything went as planned, except that Meele did not bet on Zak picking up a framed stamp that Vera had dropped. He had taken out the stamp. Upon it was a little photo of himself, a young woman, and a man dressed in yellow. He had looked at it wistfully, a bit sorrowfully, and then he had kissed the image. He had put it back in the frame, and had fallen over dead soon afterwards.

And thus, Meele's frantic plan to stab Zak's corpse and frame Vera for murder went into effect. The woman had used the last of her energy and life to come clean.

Apollo shook his head, shoved the paper back into his pocket, and opened the door. His shuffling feet brought him back to the table.

Phoenix was at the table, with his wife Franziska by his side. Trucy sat across from Phoenix, and her two siblings were playing a few feet away. The three sitters welcomed Apollo back, and he took his seat at the head of the table. Although he smiled and joined in the conversation, the single sentence did not stop repeating itself in Apollo's head.

Phoenix Wright lost his badge because of Zak's case.

Miles Edgeworth took a deep, steady breath. He took a moment to gather himself before he pushed the door open. The lab was big enough for half a dozen police scientists to work, but there was only one individual there.

He had followed Detective Kay Faraday down the hallway and saw her duck into the examination room. She greeted him with a smile and wave, and despite himself, Edgeworth felt his jaw clench. Why had he needed to prepare himself to go into the room?

"That thing there..." He began. He lifted his pointer finger and turned it towards the thing Kay had under her arm. Little Thief was no longer a phone, and it no longer had a keyboard. It was now the size of a dinner plate, with a screen covering one side opposite the metal of the other. "It's what I think it is, right? More computer processing power? I.."

He paused as Kay lifted one finger of her own for silence, then pressed a button on the edge of the device. There was a sharp blinking sound, and a slip of paper slipped out through a slot.

"And it prints affidavits."

Edgeworth did not bother to question how Kay combined a printer with a mini-computer. He shook his head. "Am I to assume you used that little trick to make a false diagnosis for Ms. Meele?"

"Hey," Kay shruged. "My diagnosis was right. I just needed a bluff."

Edgeworth shook his head. "Why use a cheap trick like that in a court of law?"

Kay's face lost some of it's energy. "Prosecutors like you are always like that. The law this, and the law that." Her eyes squinted. "But what if the law isn't enough? What would have happened if I didn't do what I did? The rookie wouldn't have gotten his chance to pounce on the culprit, and poor Vera would be in prison. You've seen her. She would've lasted a week, at best. And after losing her father, too."

Edgeworth fruitlessly shut his eyes against the words, trying very hard not to think of the shot, the scream, the bullet that had claimed his own father's life.

"What will you be doing after your shift has concluded?" What a pointless and predictable icebreaker. But Edgeworth, for all his legal genius, could not think of a better way to push the conversation further.

"Well," Kay's demeanor shifted instantly, and she giggled. "I'm actually planning on moving further into the city. I'm looking for a new apartment. Going through the catalog will take time, though..."

"I have space." Edgeworth's response was automatic, and he barely stopped himself from slapping his own face. What had driven him to say such a thing?

"Oh! Is the great Miles Edgeworth looking for someone?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Edgeworth put as much steel into his voice as he could. "I can provide shelter until you decide on a residence. Prosecutors and police workers are duty-bound to help one another. And furthermore...after your actions in court, it has become clear that a closer eye is needed on you. Detective."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Edgeworth." Kay gave a mock salute. "Meet me in the main lobby after six p.m. It's a date!"

"It's not a..." Edgeworth tensed up uncontrollably. "I am merely..."

"You know what I mean!"

-A multi-chapter story; Chapter 13; story idea by CRed1988 and writing by Jerviss.