Apollo's eye twitched. Since when did becoming a lawyer for the Wright Anything Agency include babysitting? He shook his head and pushed his way to the door. He paused. The foyer was empty. Cautiously, he walked over to the next door, the one between himself and the living room. He opened it, took a step, and shrieked.

The bucket landed away harmlessly, but Apollo found himself drenched in water. He forced away the fleeting thoughts over how he would need to get his red waistcoat dried and ironed out yet again, and devoted all this attention to thrusting his arm outwards. He pulled it back when the torrent was over, briefly satisfied that the bracelet was untouched.

There was a sofa nearby, and Apollo was not altogether surprised when the three children popped out from behind it.

"Suprise!"

"Suprise!"

"Suprise!"

There was a pause, and Trucy gave a slight bow from her spot in the middle.

"So sorry, Mr. Justice! We thought you were Daddy!"

Then she whirled on her brother, then her sister. "Are we sure he was gonna be here at 6 p.m.?"

They shrugged, and so Trucy shook her head. "Get him a towel guys, I'll talk."

As the dup fled, Apollo managed a wry smile. "You guys practice a lot?"

"Yeah..." Trucy trudged her feet shyly. "We were actually aiming for Daddy."

"And Mr. Wright knows about this?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't get pranked for us very often. We mostly prepare and plan pranks on our own."

"How long have you been doing that kind of stuff?"

The slight smile that always seemed to touch Trucy's lip faltered. "Since a few years back."

Phoenix looked out at the scene below. He knew it was a little lame, but he could not help but think this was the best place for an anniversary. Pacific Plaza. It was here that he and Franziska had arrived by bus after winning the Halloween competition. They had been together at the beach, and the spring bath, and had opened to each other like they had not before. Or maybe it was Phoenix who had unlocked Franziska's heart.

"Ack!" Phoenix jumped up as the hand came down across his shoulder blades. Franziska chuckled. "Don't let your head get in the clouds. They're only flowers."

Phoenix looked down at the yellow sunflowers, and despite his wife's demeanor was still pleased they were going strong after so many years. "I'm hitting the lawbooks again, you know?"

Franziska smiled. "So you're finally getting serious? Just keep in mind, you won't be able to take the bar exam until the last obstacle is gone."

Phoenix grinned. He was silent for a moment. He knew what he wanted to say, but he needed a moment to start blurting out. "Outside the kids...everything's been hard. The years have been, well, nothing short of a learning experience. And there's no one I'd rather have stood by than you."

Franziska chuckled again. "So sentimental." But she leaned forward and gave him a peck on the nose regardless. Phoenix blushed, as he would have when he was still a young student. Back when everything still seemed so new, and so fresh. When he was still a half-lollygagging boy, and Franziska was a strong, willful girl. He could not have imagined they would become friends, let alone...

So many things changed in the years they had lived. But not the two of them, never. And so he moved forward to return the kiss. He put his lips on hers and wrapped his arms around her waist. Franziska relaxed in his grip, daring to muse.

Prosecutor...wife...mother...

She would have shaken her head if she were not so preoccupied. She wanted to be proactive, too. Her own arms went around Phoenix's neck. The two held each other aloft, not wanting to be the first to break the mood

Then Phoenix's phone began to ring, so he separated himself from Franziska with a rueful huff, and pulled the device from his pocket.

He stared at the screen and the name of the messenger. He had needed help with the kids, but he thought for sure he that had sent the voice message to Guy Eldoon. Not Apollo...

The lobby was the same, but Apollo was not. He was not wearing his usual waistcoat. The kids had taken his soaked clothes, and here he stood now, decked out in an old blue suit worn by Phoenix Wright himself in the old days. They even managed to procure a red tie for him, and the attorney's badge slipped into the lapel like a charm. He thought back on all the news clippings he used to collect, and how being able to wear the iconic outfit himself...did not give him the same wonder as it would have before.

Shaking his head, he turned to Lamiroir. He was still holding her hand, but it impressed him that she had been walking so surely and confidently beside him. She had been pressed to disclose her blindness to him, and he was doing his best to respect her boundaries. Even so, it was necessary to be blunt.

"I must tell you, ma'am, that this case is a tough one." Understatement of the century, he thought to himself. "Please do not say anything without signaling...raising your hand to be first. Anything you say can be used against you. Understand?'

Lamiroir nodded. She gripped his hand a little tighter, and Apollo did the same.

Klaire was walking beside the two of them, and Apollo snuck a glance at her. He had not lost sight of the fact that he would be facing the man who shared her last name in court.

"Um...Prosecutor Gavin...is he related to you?"

Klaire missed a step. It was the first time he had seen her do such a thing. "He is."

"Any parting advice?"

"A message from my brother, actually." Klaire shrugged. She laughed, but Apollo thought it seemed more labored than usual. "He said you remind him of a younger him. But as a gentleman, he would challenge you if he suspected anything nefarious in you towards me."

"Like...a duel?"

"Yes. With guitars."

They shared a laugh.

"But, no, seriously, he would. And he'd win."

-A multi-chapter story; Chapter 16; story idea by CRed1988 and writing by Jerviss.