Phoenix was silent waiting for the cab and you wondered if he was thinking about the case, thinking about anything really he seemed so lost in thought. There was an unfamiliar air about him you didn't like and you had to look away keeping quite as you shifted on your feet knowing maya was staring at you both confused why the air changed so suddenly. It was just so playful and now it was tense. Tense enough to cut with a knife.

"Maybe we should go back to the detention center first and see if Mr.Powers knows anything new? It wouldn't hurt...besides as long as we get to the studio before dinner time we should be able to meet the producer and the director..." you trailed off looking at Phoenix with the slightest frown against your lips, you really wondered what he was thinking.

"Huh?" Phoenix looked away lowering his arm from flagging down a cab to stare at you. The gears in his head were moving again and you frowned a little more, was he not listening? "Oh...I guess that would be better, what's more efficient?"

"Getting some food first im starving!" Maya huffed behind you both finally making Phoenix look at her slowly.

"This is serious maya..." Phoenix sighed a bit and you realized something was bothering him.(but what?).

"Phoenix, maybe eating will do us all some good...we know Powers didn't do it and the real murder had to of slipped up some where, it has to be so obvious we're just oblivious to it because we've done so much "staring" at the case! Let's just..get some lunch or a snack, head to the detention center and then go from there yeah?" You reached for him only to withdraw to grip your brief case with both hands. Phoenix just stared at you his face twisting until finally he sighed slumping his shoulders.

"That's...a good idea" Phoenix shook his head before feeling his face fall and his eye twitch with a joking annoyance at maya as she huffed and talked.

"Of course it's a good idea! (Y/N) and I are full of them you just need to listen nick!" Maya puffed her cheeks again and you just shook your head.

"We're all a little tense after the trial we just need a second to relax maybe it would be wiser to go back to the office and just sit for like five minutes" you crossed your arms in the slightest. "It wouldn't hurt anybody to just sit for a second, Besides these heels are killing my feet! I don't know why I haven't brought extra shoes!" You groaned and tried to balance to get off one foot only to wobble nearly falling over causing maya to laugh and Phoenix to chuckle a little.

"Alright...alright fine, we'll go get some lunch" he shook his head seeming to finally give in.

"YES!!!!! Can we get burgers! Or how about stake! Thinking about those T bone stakes we saw today has made me crave them!! Or maybe we could get something sweet!" Maya started to think going off about what sorts of foods you could go out and get and you just laughed.

"We aren't having any sweets for lunch!!!" Phoenix began to argue with her making you laugh a little more. Your little family was perfect even if Phoenix and maya argued a little too much.

"(Y/N)..." a voice called out from the distance and you hadn't heard it at first staring at maya and Phoenix until they both fell silent.

"Eek!" Maya jumped a bit.

"ACK!" Phoenix seemed more rattled than her visibly flinching. You had a feeling you knew who was behind you, but you don't think you wanted to turn around.

"...Wright. Fey." the voice was familiar and you knew that tone, he was displeased. You could feel his eyes burning your back and you refused to turn around closing your eyes with a pained expression. Maya and Phoenix too shocked to even say anything yet. "(Y/N)...."

"Don't do this right now" You felt uneven, like something was weighing you down but you knew nothing was. Maybe it was guilt, guilt that you had walked away from him. Guilt that you had kissed Phoenix while still in a relationship with Edgeworth. Maybe guilt because you chose a side. But you knew that there was only one thing to feel guilty about.

"I just wish to speak with you...alone..." Edgeworth eyed Phoenix and maya as they glared at him.

"Maybe she doesn't wanna talk to you!" Maya slammed her hands down to her sides with an angry expression.

"Can't you just leave her alone!" Phoenix had a twinge of anger in his voice, an anger that could of gone unchecked if he didn't watch himself. Luckily he was, but after seeing you cry your heart out for Edgeworth. After comforting you last night, holding you close and being there for you. He couldn't let Edgeworth hurt you anymore!(He cared so much about you even if he was still afraid to admit he was in love, he just wanted you to be happy and Edgeworth lately hasn't made you happy).

There was a silence and you just opened your eyes to stare at the pavement looking at your glossy heels. You shifted on your feet before releasing a shaky breath.

"Mr.Edgeworth..." you drew in a shaky breath now gathering your courage, you were stronger now. You wouldn't let this happen again, you thought you had been happy with Edgeworth but the fact was you weren't as happy as you could be. Phoenix made you a new level of happy that not even Edgeworth was able to give you, you had to accept that you and him weren't able to work. You should of known from the start but you fooled your self. He fooled himself too. "You and I have made our decision, I gave you a choice we took our sides...I-...I never wanted it to end this way...maybe if you hadn't of taken sides we could of-.....worked...but I just- I can't do this..." you turned to face him not caring maya and Phoenix were listening to you intently. "Not again....I'm okay with being friends...but look at us...I mean we're already on different sides!" Your voice cracked.

"(Y/N)....you know I didn't have a choice that day..." he was making excuses, and if you had talked to him after the breakup you'd of fallen for them, but you were better than this. Phoenix made you realize this.

"You could of! You just...didn't want to!.." tears stung your vision as you snapped before you pressed your lips together. "Look I can't talk about this right now, and I don't want to talk about it...if you came to ask me if I still care about you I do...I really do that won't change even if I want to change it, but we aren't gonna work again...let's just be friends and leave it at that and if you can't handle friends then just colleges" you nodded to your self and turned on your heel.

You weren't sure where you were walking after gently pushing past maya and Phoenix but you just needed to walk away. You couldn't stand there and let Edgeworth cloud your thinking, you needed to be distracted and so work it was, you wanted to go with Phoenix's original plan. You wanted to work away the pain, even if you knew it would do nothing in the end. You walked far enough down the side walk lost in thought only to stop hearing maya running after you.

"(Y/N)!!!! WAIT UP!!" She waved her arms hastily as you turned to face her, you didn't see Phoenix with her as she approached you. "You don't have to be alone you know! Us girls have to stick together!" Maya stopped smiling at you and your harden concentrated eyes began to soften.

"Thanks maya" you sighed a bit.

"It's the least I can do, you risked a lot for me a month ago just as nick had! I owe you so much! You're like a second sister to me (Y/N)! And I always look out for my sister!" Maya smiled a bit and you just smiled back at her. Speaking of Phoenix where was he? Your eyes looked past maya to see him walking down the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets looking huffy.

"How about we just go eat at that burger joint you like so much, it's on the way to the station anyway" you looked back to her and smiled more.

"Really!!" She looked so happy only to look at Phoenix with a worried expression as he approached you both.

"You know I could of made him go away" Phoenix looked at you not bothering to say anything to maya for a moment. You let a silence hang in the air as wind swept through your hair.

"You can't fight every battle Phoenix" you turned away with heavy eyes waving for a cab now. "But thank you...really, it's nice knowing i have people here for me!" You smiled at him glancing at him from the corner of your eyes.

"Yeah but-!" Phoenix wanted to argue, because he thought you deserved better, he didn't think you needed to deal with these emotions. He had to admit you had it better than he had, but like he thought before it didn't mean it still didn't hurt just as bad.

"Nick" maya warned a little. "Why don't we just forget about it! I mean it's over with now and (Y/N) won't be alone around him! Not while we're around! Right?"sometimes maya could be so optimistic.

"Right" Phoenix sighed slumping his shoulders as a cab came up to the curb letting you all in. You gave an address and the cab started to drive leaving you in silence again. You felt the eyes on you and had to brush away the stray tears after looking to the window before you turned around to meet their stares.

"I'm really glad I have you guys, I don't know what I'd of done if I didn't have either one of you!" You sniffled a little playing it off as much as you could. "Really thank you both, I'd do the same for each of you"

"Awww!" Maya sniffled rubbing her eyes. "Please don't make me cry!" She gasped a little making Phoenix roll his eyes, but the smile was there.

"What are friends for?" Phoenix kept repeating the familiar phrase but you don't think you minded smiling at him before blushing a little avoiding his gaze.

"Hmm...yeah what are friends for?" You sighed. Unaware Phoenix was blushing wildly.

"Is there something I'm missing here?" Maya looked between you both from the middle making a face, well she thought that you both were being oblivious again but she couldn't tell! Sometimes it was so hard to read you both! She was trying really hard to set you both up and you made it so impossible!

"What do you mean?" You knew what she meant but decided to play dumb shaking your head before biting back a smile. "Don't be a whippersnapper!"

"Never say that again" Phoenix held his head in his hands with a groan. "Please!" He really held out the word leaving you and maya laughing.

"You mean you don't want that to be your new nickname? I think it's better than nick" you teased to ease the air around you all making maya laugh more.

"No no! Don't call me that!! Anything but whippersnapper!!" Phoenix gasped out raising his head with wide eyes leaving you in a fit of laughter. "I'm serious!"

"I know! I know!" You calmed down in your laughter flicking away a tear of happiness. "I'm only teasing" you snickered a little again.

"Please stop I've heard enough of that today" Phoenix groaned.

"Hmm I don't know seems fitting! And if I'm going to be like her when I grow up I need the practice!" Maya started to join in on the joke leaving Phoenix groaning more.

"Don't gang up on me!" Phoenix snapped his head to look at maya.

"You're right, you're right, we should call him Snipperwhapper" you laughed a little.

"I'm serious! You call me that and you're sleeping in the hall!" Phoenix crosses his arms like a pouty child.

"What?! You can't kick me out when I have a key Phoenix!" You laughed a little more unaware what this sounded like to maya who now listened with wide eyes and a sly smile.

"I can still try!" He was like a child unwilling to loosen his pout.

"Phoenix!" You whined out his name earning no response, though it felt so impossible not to look at you, he was really fighting himself. "Okay okay I won't call you any of that, I promise!" You laughed a little more.

"Doesn't mean I won't!" Maya spoke up after Phoenix turned to look at you with a relieved expression.

"Don't!" He warned and you all erupted in laughter. Finally it calmed down and Phoenix nodded a smile still on his lips. "I guess you both were right....having no break during a case is pretty bad.." Phoenix rubbed the nape of his neck.

"I told you!" You sighed with a smile. "Believe me I speak from experience!"

"It's common knowledge nick!" Maya spoke after you.

"I'm just worried...this case is tougher than I thought it would be" Phoenix sighed a bit the laughter all dying down.

"We'll get through it" you reached for Phoenix having to stretch an arm in front of maya to take his hand. "We got through White and he's never going to harm anyone again! We can get who ever killed Mr.Hammer!"

"Yeah! We'll get the murderer! Steel Samurai style!" Maya pumped her fist after you and Phoenix shared a deep look making you both pull your hands away. You all smiled and you relaxed more, you had to admit Edgeworth had made you upset earlier, but sitting with Phoenix and maya you were reminded you weren't alone. And that spoke volumes in where you were now, this was the start of something good, you really kept thanking Mia for what she left you.

The only problems you knew you had to still deal with, were your ex and your new found love for Phoenix, even if you always knew it had been there since you started Maya's case with him. The only, actual problem which was more pressing than your feeling, was this case, it was hard to tell who then murderer was! And on top of that, even if you wanted too, there's no way you could say anything to Phoenix about how you feel!...Right?