Summary: In order to recover from his instability, Miles Edgeworth calls on Misty Fey to summon his father. Though, even that isn't enough to recover. Recovery itself may take years and more than just summoning the dead.

Warning: PTSD symptoms, including anxiety, cutting and thoughts of suicide

Prequel to 'Contract to Summoning'

It was another night for Miles Edgeworth, another nightmare. He woke up in the middle of the night in bed. He felt pitiful, having the inability to sleep, his body shaking, waking up in cold sweat and having to focus on breathing just so he can return back to sleep. To make things more difficult for the young prosecutor, he was supposed to show up for work tomorrow. He had an appointment.

After the Terry Fawles case, Edgeworth found himself becoming more bitter and angry. He couldn't function at work. It was bad enough he was climbing up the stairs 12 floors just to avoid the elevators, but it didn't seem that Edgeworth would ever do anything right. Sure, he didn't lose that last case, but it felt much worse. He.... He needed a Guilty verdict. No draws. If not, Edgeworth wasn't sure how long he could handle this.

"I-It's over. He-He-He's gone. He's.... n-n-never coming back," Edgeworth whispered to himself, hugging himself as he trembled under his covers. His eyes squeezed shut as fearful tears came pouring out. "Wh-Wh-Why?~" This was torture.

Edgeworth couldn't get any sleep that night. He dressed himself in his signature outfit that showed he was a proud genius prosecutor and student of Manfred Von Karma. Reaching for the medicine cabinet, he took his daily pills that were supposed to help him control the shakiness of his body. Even these were not enough. He had tried seeing psychiatrists, but they didn't seem to know how to open Edgeworth up. There was no one that could.

That was why Edgeworth had to see her. He knew this was an insane idea and the idea that this could work was zero to nothing, but he didn't know what else to do. Von Karma would just tell Edgeworth to seek help or solve his problem himself. Franziska was still too young. Edgeworth was not very talkative to his colleagues, who treated him like a child. Winston Payne was nice, though. It was actually the Chief Prosecutor that suggested this person to Edgeworth. He never thought he'd take this suggestion.

If this didn't work, Edgeworth didn't know what he would do. He needed something, anything to get rid of these nightmares. The bags under his eyes were growing heavier. At this point, he would start gaining wrinkles before the age of 30. This had to end.

Edgeworth went inside his car, then drove to a private location. This person was supposed to be under Witness Protection, thus they were to meet in a private government location. It was set at an office building inside the cafeteria that included a walk-in freezer. Edgeworth couldn't understand why, but he was desperate and would give this chick anything, if it would help in any way.

After parking his car, Edgeworth stepped out and entered inside the building. It was barren, being this place closed on the weekends. It was a Saturday. He could hear the echo of his own footsteps as he walked down the hall and into the cafeteria. Inside, he saw an older lady sitting in the middle of the room. She wore a brown trench coat and bare feet. Her hair was short and black, holding a very calm expression.

The room was quiet. If someone were to drop a pin, the entire room could hear it. Edgeworth walked across the room, then sat across from the lady. It had been ten years, since he saw this lady. Even seeing her now, she seemed very gentle and sweet.

"You ask for my services?" The lady asked.

"Y-Yes. Our phone conversation should have been clear about what I want," Edgeworth stated, crossing his arms.

"It is, but what makes you think this will do any good? I am not a therapist. I am a spirit medium. I only summon spirits from the dead to possess my body. I cannot control what the spirit will do or say."

"I am aware of that."

"That's what the police had said and now I am a fraud, because the spirit said something that contradicted to the truth," the lady said, showing her kind smile. "Will I be called a fraud by the lips of Von Karma's disciple for not getting his way."

"No, because no one else will know, except the two of us. All the cameras are off and no one is here, except us. I will be no different than any other client."

The lady furrowed her eyebrows slightly, she stated, "you are troubled by something. You cannot be coming to me for my services, unless you hope to gain something out of it. Before I agree to share a contract with you, I must know the reason for my services."

"Y.... You know why," Edgeworth said. He didn't want to admit his reason out loud.

"Do I? So far, I can see psyche-locks inside your heart. You expect me to help you without me knowing the root of your troubles."

Edgeworth gave the lady a cold, stubborn glare as the lady smiled calmly, giggling. He was acting like a child and the lady found it amusing. This annoyed the young prosecutor beyond imagination. She was right. Edgeworth was hiding a lot of things in his heart.

"You don't need to know anything about me! You just need to summon spirits! No more!" Edgeworth shouted, slamming his hand on the table, making a terrifying echo throughout the room that made the young prosecutor jump.

The lady was not fazed. Instead she looked.... concerned? Why would she be concerned for Edgeworth? He was the demon prosecutor, the student of Von Karma! He was a prosecutor to be feared, not pitied. The lady stood up, looking at the man in the eyes.

"That incident didn't just hurt you, Miles Edgeworth. Don't talk like you're the only one. All of us had lost something. For me, I lost my entire family and now am dead to the world. It saddens me that you are not willing to listen to the one person that can save you. What makes you think your father can help you?"

Edgeworth felt his arms shaking, trying to buckle them in place. He bowed his head, hiding his eyes in the shadows as he replied in a whisper, "if you are a fraud, I need to know for myself. It's that or.... my father lied in his testimony."

".... and you believe he won't lie to you?"

"...."

The lady's eyes softened, then sighed, "very well. I will summon him, but if you are not satisfied with what you see, then this will be the last we meet."

"Th-Thank you... Mystic Misty."

Misty smiled, then performed her first transformation. Edgeworth looked up, then his eyes began to water. He was so choked up in tears that everything he had been preparing to say instantly left his memory. Before he knew it, two strong arms were wrapped around him, a hand placing his head on that broad shoulder that was once a woman. No words were spoken that day. The only thing that was exchanged was tears, a strong hand over those silver locks and a single kiss on the young prosecutor's head.

Misty returned back, finding a sleeping Edgeworth's head on her lap with a tear-stained face. She smiled softly. It seemed like this wouldn't be the last time this boy would call for her services and it wasn't.

-----

It wasn't long before Edgeworth finally took on a new case. Misty Fey's contract with Miles Edgeworth was kept in secret and only known by Detective Gumshoe and the Chief Prosecutor. His father was only summoned for therapeutic purposes for his anxieties and emotional instability. Of course, Misty Fey had to only enter the Prosecutor's Building after summoning Gregory Edgeworth, who would find a way to enter inside his son's office without suspicion. Actually, doing so was quite easy, since Miles Edgeworth entered his offices through a different route.

For the proud prosecutor, he first would clock in to work from the front desk. From there, he would enter the stairwell in order to go to his office. To get to the stairwell, he would walk down the hallway located on the right of the front desk. Then, he would take a right, walking through the first door on the left, the two doors on the right being the restrooms. Hardly anyone took the stairs, exception emergencies and only used the hallway to go to the bathroom. Most would take the elevator, which was located down the same hallway to take the stairs, only they would keep going straight down that hall,until they made it to the elevators.

Misty Fey was instructed to take a different route to enter the building. She entered through an emergency exit located around the corner from the restrooms. She was given a key card. Once she summoned Gregory, he would come out of the emergency exist between the restrooms and stairwell, then take the elevator before making his way to the High Prosecutor's office. No one questioned him. Why? Because when Gregory entered inside the building, he was dressed in the same outfit as his son, Miles Edgeworth. Misty Fey had dyed her hair in order for the hair color to match the young prosecutor's. This was the only way Gregory Edgeworth would be allowed to enter the building without any question. No prosecutor's badge was shown, since his son always kept it in his pocket. Unless someone was to really focus on the man's face or talk to him, no one would know one from the other.

Of course, the young prosecutor never expected for his father to be summoned on anything related to his work. After all, his father was a Defense Attorney before he died, so he never went to him for job related issues. Miles' job wasn't the cause of his problem anyways. If there was, he'd go to his mentor, Manfred Von Karma. His father was only around to help calm him, usually during break.

Speaking of breaks, Prosecutor Edgeworth had started his lunch break, getting out his lunch, then sitting on the couch with his father. This was starting to become like a daily routine and a necessary one. Of course, this didn't happen daily, just during times when Miles felt anxious or overwhelmed. This probably wouldn't be necessary, if he had someone he could be open to like a close friend, his partner, a colleague, a family member or even his mentor. Unfortunately, the young prosecutor had closed himself off from everyone around him, even his loved ones, with no way of knowing howto get a hold or open up to them. Until Miles found people to talk or open up to, this was the best solution he had.

"So, how was work?" Gregory asked. Of course, he was wearing along brown trench coat. He changed out of the disguise he used to get into the office.

"I'm taking on a new case. I'm hoping to make up for my failure during my first case," Miles replied, sipping his tea.

"I heard. It wasn't your fault. You know that, right Miles? You couldn't have prevented the young man from drinking that poison."

".... I was selfish and careless. I am a prosecutor and I cannot expect every defendant I prosecute to be guilty, but I knew he was innocent from the moment I read up on Daliha Hawthorn. I cannot be like Mr. Von Karma. I cannot indict someone guilty I know is innocent. So, for my next case, I indicted someone I knew without a shadow of a doubt is guilty. I won't make that mistake again."

"Son, no one is perfect. In no disrespect toward your mentor, but no one is perfect and he cannot expect perfection in everyone, not even himself. If perfection did exist, then there wouldn't be need for trials. There wouldn't be need for lawyers, especially prosecutors."

Miles glared intensely at the food in his food box before Gregory placed his hand on his son's wrist. Miles looked at him, glaring before that glare softened. He hated making his father upset and he knew it was his fault. He chose to become a prosecutor under the very man his father loathed. His father was only trying to help him and he was acting like a rebellious, spoiled child. His father could've refused to help him, even leave him and call him a traitor like Raymond Shields.

Speaking of which...

"Mr. Shields is the Defense for this case," Miles muttered.

"Ah. What did he have to say?" Gregory asked.

"He told me I was a traitor and asked, 'what would your father say if he saw you now?' I called him a foolish scum of a Defense Attorney that defends murderers..... I was angry and still am."

"I can understand your anger, Ray was out of line and if I had been there I would have given him lip for that, but you cannot act that way toward him. He's running my offices on his own and the one person he expected to help him run it has chosen a different path. He's suffering. You cannot be cruel toward those that are suffering no matter how justified it is. I don't care whose mentorship you're under, you're not a Von Karma. You're my son and my son always had a kind and gentle soul."

Miles squeezed his eyes shut, tears leaking out of his eyelids before he covered his eyes. He sobbed, "you're the only one that still believes that, after seeing me like this. I'm not the happy boy you raised. He died in that elevator."

"You're wrong, son. These tears are proof of that," Gregory said, reaching up to wipe his son's tears.

"How can you say that, after I...."

"Because, I love you. I know you don't understand this, but I will do anything, anything to make all the hurt go away. I would make any sacrifice just to keep you safe. It's why I'm here, why I say these things. If I could, I would remove those nightmares, those memories of DL-6."

"..... so, it's true. Y-You testified and lied... I...."

"Don't son.... please don't...."

"Why couldn't it have been me? I took away the most important person in my life and now... I have no reason to move on. I can't. I can't be normal. I keep having these nightmares and fears. It's.....disgraceful. I can't be that gentle soul you loved so dearly anymore. I... I can't... I..."

Miles was shaking, breathing heavily as Gregory held his son in his arms. He whispered, "breathe, son. Try to breathe." Miles tried to breathe in and out slowly, but they came out as rasps, tears still flowing down his cheeks. "You have the whole world ahead of you. I don't care what your future holds.... I can't... I don't want you to..." He heard his son coughing as he tried to gain back his breath, crying on his father's coat. "If you want to know, seeing you right now, I want you to live. I will sell my soul to the devil if it means healing your soul. Until I see you live on and not just as a walking shell, I'll help you in every way possible. If there's anything you need help with, I'll do it, even work related. I know it's not much, but I used to be a detective before I became a lawyer."

"Y-You were a... detective? You never mentioned anything about that to me," Miles said hoarsely.

"Well, you were more interested in what I was doing at the time and I was happy to tell you about my work. Though, if you want to know, I was Chief Detective. It's why I've always done investigations before taking on my clients. I know it's not a lawyer's job to do that, but most detectives don't trust Defense Attorney's, as you well know. It also helps when you find things that are easily overlooked."

"..... I see. Could you help me with this case? Detective Gumshoe is the leading detective, but I don't feel fully confident in myself. An earthquake might come at any moment or I may miss something huge. Von Karma always tells me that investigations are the root of evidence and evidence is the only thing that exists in court. If not, then testimony does."

"I'm not a Prosecutor, Miles.... with that said, I will use my skills as a former Detective to help you in your investigations. That also includes autopsy and analysis of any kind such as fingerprints, DNA and blood."

"It will be difficult to have you walk around in the public, but with the police and a only a select few that are allowed to know of your existence, I'm sure some allowances can be made. Though, you will have to only appear as my assistant and it will have to be under an anonymous name due to Witness Protection."

"Understood. If it helps you, I will do it," Gregory replied, smiling as he held his son in his arms. Miles smiled himself as well. He didn't expect his father to help him in his work, but he always felt calm around his father, so maybe this could help him.

-----

Gregory mostly worked alongside the police where he would help with the Autopsy or study evidence his son had found. Of course, he was given a different name, Greg Shole. Since no one in the police department had ever met Gregory Edgeworth, nobody knew that he was a spirit possessing a spirit medium at the moment, except the Chiefs at the station. What really helped was the fact the area where the body was studied at was a very cold temperature, giving the spirit medium more spiritual powers. She would summon Gregory in the morgue when summoning him for investigation purposes.

Another place Gregory was allowed to go was at the prosecution stand as the Prosecutor's Assistant. It felt strange, being on this end of the courtroom, especially going against his former apprentice. At that moment, he wore a red trench coat and a matching hat. He never wore glasses, since spirits never had physical injuries or disabilities. Hopefully, he didn't stick out and his disciple didn't recognize him.

"The Defendant claims that the murder was accidental. Considering the location and circumstances, the Defense believes that this should be taken under consideration," Raymond argued.

"OBJECTION! The Defendant was carrying the murder weapon with him, this Switchblade, which is illegal! Are you telling me that the defendant was carrying an illegal weapon for self defense purposes?" Miles argued, slamming his hand on the counter. "If you believe that the defendant brought this knife with him with no intention of murdering the victim, then you must be out of your mind!"

"ORDER! ORDER!" The Judge called out, slamming his gavel.

Gregory could see the anger in Raymond's eyes and understood them. It was hard to avoid his son's actions that reflected Manfred Von Karma. Though, they were only copies. Miles was trying too hard to reflect his mentor, because he was only thinking what Von Karma would do. When thinking, Von Karma would often cross his arms, but for Miles,he did this when he was angry as well. Gregory gave his son some advise on trial to help him with these habits.

"Lay your arms down, son. Take a deep breath," Gregory advised quietly as Miles uncrossed his arms, then took a deep breath.

"The Defense makes a good point. According to the tape, the defendant is seen slipping on the ice from the sidewalk, though the switchblade does come into question. Was the defendant intending on murdering the victim?" The Judge questioned.

"Obviously no! He simply brought an illegal weapon. Even if it's illegal, that doesn't mean he intended to use it for murder. According to my client, he intended on using it to show off to his friends," Raymond explained.

"Don't be absurd!" Miles argued, feeling frustrated from how the situation was going.

"If I may, I think the blade itself should come to question," Gregory finally spoke.

"Hm?" the Judge responded.

"Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to perform more tests, but I have reason to believe that the switchblade contains more than just the blood from the victim. To be more specific, the marks located at the tip. If you would allow me, I can demonstrate and show you the mark."

"Ah, of course, Mr. Shole!" The Judge replied, having known that Gregory had helped analyzing evidence.

Gregory took the switchblade with gloves, then pressed the button to release the blade. From there, he pointed at the markings, located at the tip of the blade. He explained, "as you can see, these are markings that seem questionable. I have reason to suspect that these were created when the blade was struck into the victim with incredible force, particularly toward a bone of the rib cage. If this is correct, then there is no doubt this was no accident, considering the amount of force the defendant would have to create in order to create these marks."

It was a slim chance, but Gregory always believed in the truth no matter what side he was on. This particular truth would certainly help the prosecution. It would also give Miles some recess time to cool down.

"I see, then we'll need to farther analyze this blade and have this trial continue tomorrow. Court is adjourned!" The judge stated before slamming his gavel.

After the trial, Gregory walked over to Miles between the benches, asking, "are you alright? You looked tense."

"... I hate the way Raymond is looking at me," Miles muttered, crossing his arms.

"Miles."

Miles sighed, putting down his arms. Gregory said, "it's not just Raymond."

"... did I make a mistake? Am I going to drive another man to suicide?"

"No, son. If that blade proves those markings are from the bone, then it will prove that the murder wasn't accidental."

"Raymond doesn't seem to think so," Miles smirked bitterly.

"Even Defense Attorney's can be wrong. The defendant did slip on the ice and the knife plunged into the victim, so the aim was off, but what happened afterward? Did the victim continue to push the blade in or try to save the victim?"

"Father...."

"I know Raymond. He's not trying to save his client from a Guilty verdict, but to show him mercy. It's possible he thought it was an accident, but the blade tells the story. From there, I'm sure he will find the truth."

".... thank you, Father," Miles thanked quietly as Gregory nodded.

"Prosecutor Edgeworth," Raymond called, returning to the courtroom from the Defendant Lobby, as Miles turned to face the Defense Attorney. "I... want to apologize for what I said yesterday. You're still a traitor and I hate you for that, but you're still his son."

"Hmph, I don't care what you think of me. My father is dead. There's no use for bringing up the dead, so don't. Anyways, I'll be seeing you in court tomorrow," Miles replied coldly before turning around and leaving.

Raymond was obviously upset and felt betrayed. He turned away and left, but not before Gregory said, "Mr. Shields, right? I'm sorry about my boss. He's been under a lot of pressure lately."

"Yeah... I know," Raymond replied, not turning around. "That was clever. I didn't notice those markings."

"The truth will be revealed tomorrow."

"Yeah... why do you work for him?"

"That's classified. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I think I already know. I'll try not to be angry at Prosecutor Edgeworth tomorrow. I know he doesn't forge evidence like his mentor."

"Thank you," Gregory replied, before turning around to leave through the double doors out of the courtroom.

"Yeah, goodbye...." Raymond said before hearing the doors close. He showed a sad smile. "Mr. Edgeworth."

-----

At some point, after about a year and a half, Prosecutor Edgeworth stopped the appointments with Misty Fey. It was mostly because his mentor eventually caught onto the appointments. Edgeworth couldn't face his mentor with any signs of weakness, so he eventually stopped contacting Misty Fey. He wasn't acting up as much as before, so the young prosecutor had believed he was cured. Though, one man had proved him wrong, especially after that fateful Christmas Morning.

Now, that Manfred Von Karma was gone, the young prosecutor returned to his office feeling empty. He plopped onto the chair, pulling out a note from his top drawer. All this time, he was innocent of his father's murder. Suddenly, the stubbornness he felt diminished. Those times he worked as a prosecutor, his father had been with him, even when believing that he was the one that pulled the trigger. He didn't deserve that kind of love.

"Miles!" The young prosecutor heard from a familiar, yet frantic voice.

Standing up, he saw the ghost of his father, obviously summoned by Misty Fey, in his old disguise. Miles had no time to act before his father ran to him, forcing Miles to lay the note on his desk as his father hugged him in his arms. He then heard something he had never heard before in his entire life. His father.... was crying?

"Von Karma.... he forced Mystic Misty to summon me and watch that entire trial. I thought I..." Gregory sobbed, then Miles couldn't keep his own eyes from watering.

"I'm... s-s-so s-s-s-s-sorry! I've done so many things I know you hated and you always were... th-th-there for me a-a-anyways. You should hate me, Father!" Miles wept.

"Non of that foolishness, son. You're my child no matter what you do and I know you were hurting and the one that caused that hurt was my foolish action. Had I given a truthful testimony 15 years ago, non of this would've happened. I knew the reason you acted the way you did was because of my testimony. I gave a false testimony to protect you. I tried to make up by trying to help you anyway I could, only for you to push me away to protect me in the end."

"Father," Miles cried, his father holding his face gently. "I....I don't want to live anymore. I just want this to go away. I thought I was getting better, but I suppose I knew I wasn't. I want someone or something to strike me down right now."

"Miles..."

Miles felt more tears pouring, his breathing turning raspy like almost two years ago. His arms were shaking too. His hand looked to be clutching onto his arms, before scratching them quickly and forcefully. It took a moment for Gregory to realize the reason for this. He took his son's arm before rolling up his sleeve. It was worse than he thought. There seemed to have been cuts in the flesh, some that have reopened as blood began slowly dripping from the arm and onto the rugged floor. Miles looked away, still weeping, still panting before coughing.

"Miles..."

"F-Father... I can't..."

Gregory shed more tears as he took Miles' arm and examined the cuts. He whispered, "I'm the one to blame."

"No, I..."

"I lied in my testimony. Had I told the truth, this wouldn't happen. Even prison would be better. They'd take care of this, give you the help you needed. I thought I could help you, but..."

"You did... everything you could. I'm just a coward."

"No, Miles. You're much stronger than you think. If I was stronger, I'd have made sure you were away from Von Karma and got you help."

"I did go to a doctor. The medicines.... I don't know how much I can take. I just... I want to..."

"Don't... please..." Gregory pleaded with sorrowful eyes. He released his son's hand, then got out a First Aid Kit before rubbing cream on the cuts. "How about we try looking into some other help? Maybe others that have also suffered losing their father at a young age. As a former detective, I.... know that many unstable inmates often have missing or abusive fathers. In your case, not only did you lose me, but your new father figure turned out to be my murderer. Please.... for me. I'll join with you too."

Miles allowed his father to take care of him, then nodded. He whispered, "there's a knife on the top left drawer."

Gregory nodded, then walked over, opening the drawer. There indeed was a blood-stained knife with a scarlet red handle. He placed it in his coat pocket before walking over to his son, then gently kissing his head. Miles rested his forehead on his father's chest, eyes closed. Healing would take time, but Miles made it an effort to no longer push anyone away from his life ever again. He walked back to his desk, reading the note he left on the table before placing it in his pencil drawer. It read Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth Chooses Death.

Changing to his former red trench coat and hat, Gregory walked with his son to his car, placing his disguise inside the trunk before closing it. From there, he went inside the front passenger's seat of the car before changing back to Misty Fey, who tiredly fell asleep. Summoning Gregory took a lot out of her. Miles decided to allow the poor woman to stay over at his place in the guest room.

Edgeworth carried the tired woman to the bed in the guest room before making his way back to his car, opening the trunk, then taking out the disguise to wash it. He stared at the bloodied knife that fell on the floor of the trunk, then shook his head before closing his trunk, leaving the knife inside the car. Leaving it there would soon become one of Edgeworth's most regrettable decisions.

 For now, Edgeworth decided to focus on finding a rehabilitation place in Germany. If he planned to move on and continue living his life, he will have to heal himself somewhere where the rumors of his sins were not so well known. Manfred Von Karma had global connections where Edgeworth can go to for any sort of help. He would have to look up the best rehabilitation services that dealt with those suffering his kind of condition. Perhaps he can finally start healing for once.

A/N: Originally, I was going to make a followup with Miles Edgeworth confessing him summoning his father's ghost through Misty Fey to Raymond Shields, but I thought this would be better. Edgeworth isn't the most open book person on the planet, so obviously there was more to his desperation, why his father agreed to help him out during his younger days and the events that transpired. You will also find bits of  hints that came up in Rise From the Ashes, including the blood stain under Edgeworth's desk, if you were to use luminol in his office. Seriously, when playing Rise from the Ashes, spray luminol in Edgeworth's office. You will find blood under his desk that Phoenix tells Ema is probably from a nose bleed.