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Chapter Text

The attorney lounge was positively buzzing as Nick strode into the room. He bashfully dodged the praises of the other attorneys but he couldn’t help but feel like he was walking on clouds. He had been on a winning streak and as a rookie attorney it was the greatest thing he could hope for in starting his budding career. 

A piercing glare from across the room cut straight through the crowd of attorneys huddled around him. His good mood was immediately torpedoed. This was the trade off he hadn’t anticipated nor wanted as payment for his his newfound success. 

Miles Edgeworth stonily watched him with a resentful expression on his face. He was seated in the plushest armchair in the lounge. As he glowered, Nick watched as he brought a tea cup to his mouth; his lip curled so much that a bystander would suspect it was the cause for his bitter sneer. 

(He definitely brings in his own blend. I wonder if he also brings his own chair in.) 

Ruining the win streak of another attorney, especially one so celebrated and feared as Edgeworth, certainly invoked a mixed bag of emotions within himself. However, based on his expression, he suspected Edgeworth’s feelings were less conflicted on the matter. 

Nick sheepishly extricated himself from the crowd and made his way over to Edgeworth. 

“Wright,” he spat venomously before putting his now empty tea cup aside, “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” 

“Well, if looks could kill, yours would have dropped me dead,” he barbed back but immediately felt bad about it. 

Edgeworth rolled his eyes. "Come to gloat then?" 

Nick sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "No, no, that wasn't my intention. I just came over to chat but clearly it's not a good time." 

Edgeworth's only response was to glower at him again. 

(Great job. Idiot.)

Edgeworth looked on edge. His hair and clothes were impeccable as always but he carried a hardness that went beyond his usual cool demeanor. Nick knew he was the cause; he hadn’t intended to come here to start a fight but here he was, already failing miserably. Edgeworth was much better to have as an ally than an opponent and yet Nick continually found himself as his opposition. 

“I don’t intend to lose out there today,” Edgeworth said quietly, dangerously. 

“Look, Edgeworth, we’re both just doing our jobs. I’m not here to rub it in your face but I’m just doing the best I can to get by. And I wasn’t going to be put away for a murder I didn’t commit.” 

Edgeworth lifted his eyebrows and pulled himself up gracefully. “And you weren't. So is there a reason we're having this conversation?”

“I guess I'm just curious why you warned me beforehand of your intentions,” Nick shrugged. 

There was more that he wanted to ask but he needed to start somewhere. 

Anger flashed in Edgeworth’s eyes. “I have nothing to fear from speaking with you. You look like a fawn; fragile, unsteady on your feet. Consider it a forecast of the storm to come. You can be ready for it or get caught in the squall.” 

A coffee appeared in Nick’s hands, breaking the tension. Someone in the crowd had pushed upon him and he accepted it gratefully. 

“Well, I much prefer the type of forecasts that deliver coffee. Is this the type of perk an ace attorney can come to enjoy?” he said cheekily as he took a sip. 

Edgeworth’s eyes flickered between the cup and his eyes. The sneer on his face deepened. “Keep your wits about you, Wright,” he warned. 

He tempestuously disappeared into the crowd. The other attorneys parted for him involuntarily. 

(What the hell was that about?)

He sighed. He hadn’t intended to needle him and would have enjoyed the opportunity to clear the air. But clearly Edgeworth had other plans. 

The coffee was great, at least. 

They stood across the courtroom each other in a standoff that felt reminiscent of a cowboy movie. 

If he was going to succeed again then Nick knew he had to keep Edgeworth from getting to his head. He decided to try to ignore him and broke away from their mutual stare down first but the noise of a small cough caught his ear. He looked up and saw, almost imperceptibly, as Edgeworth placed a long finger just between his neck and cravat and loosened it ever so slightly. 

Nick frowned. Something about it shook him. It was so subtle and yet so glaringly out of character. If the effects of their conversation had Edgeworth cracking then the sight of it was throwing Nick far more deeply. 

He shook his head. No, Edgeworth was probably just toying with him. He turned his attention to the front of the court where the judge presiding over the case began banging his gavel. 

“Prosecution is ready, your Honor.”

“Defense is ready, your Honor.”

Court was in session. 

“Prosecution, do you have any opening remarks?” 

“Ye-es <ahem>, excuse me, yes, your honor,” Edgeworth’s voice cracked slightly from a cough but he continued through, unperturbed. 

“The prosecution intends to find a guilty verdict in one Gina Watson for the murder of her business partner, Bradley Burbank. She poisoned him on November 4 as described in the autopsy report, which has been submitted to the court record as evidence.” 

Nick had poured over the autopsy leading up to the trial and it only left him stumped. The cause was suspected poisoning but the compound hadn’t been identified. The toxicological report provided no evidence that the victim’s system contained any of the more common compounds; the entire panel had shown up negative. If only he could find the compound he knew he stood a much better chance of getting his client released. 

Conversely, Edgeworth also needed to provide enough circumstantial evidence to pin the crime on Gina. While Nick would never underestimate Edgeworth’s ability to pull a win out of his back pocket, he was certain in this case that Edgeworth had as little to go off of as he did. 

It would be a tough one for either of them to win. 

Gina took the stand. She had a bookish look. Red hair, glasses, and looked nervous and small on the stand. Nick gave her a reassuring nod as Edgeworth stared her down coldly. 

“State your name and job title for the courts,” Edgeworth said in a clipped voice. 

“Gina Watson. I’m th-the cofounder of Watbank Chocolatiers,” she spoke timidly. 

(Don’t back down to him. He will eat you alive.)

“The accused will provide testimony to the court,” the presiding judge said.

“I’ve known Bradley my wh-whole life. We grew up together, right next door to each other. We used to spend summers baking with our moms in the kitchen, and then we started doing it on our own as a side business. We both went into the culinary arts - I went on to become a master chocolatier while Bradley studied food chemistry. He was brilliant at understanding the functional elements of ingredients and could come up with incredible combinations.” 

Nick rubbed his face thoughtfully. He had spoken to Gina at length in the detention center but he had some details he wanted to establish before the court. 

“What was business like? It sounds like you had a successful partnership.”

“Objection! The defense is leading the witness!” Edgeworth piped up before coughing into his elbow. 

“Hmm. Objection denied, but I will warn Mr. Wright to stick to a more direct line of questioning,” the judge said definitively, “And will the court assistant kindly bring water for the prosecution.” 

Edgeworth glowered at him from across the court and Nick only raised his eyebrow in response. 

(Is this a tactic? If he’s trying to unsettle me then it’s working.)

“Please answer the question, Ms. Watson,” Nick continued. 

“Business was good. I have financial records to demonstrate this. We were recently expanding into a new product line of functional chocolates.”

“Describe some of these products for me,” he encouraged. 

“Objection! This is irrelevant!” Edgeworth rasped in exasperation. 

“Mr. Wright, does this question have a point?” the judge asked. 

Irritation was evident on his face and Nick shirked back slightly. He began to sweat. He really wanted it to have a point. He had gone through many of their recipes in hopes there was something in there that could help them. 

“Your Honor, I believe the poison could have been something more benign than what we think of as a traditional poison. As a food chemist, Mr. Burbank had unfettered access to additives and functional ingredients. Even if considered safe in limited, measured quantities, any ingredient carries the risk of toxicity.” 

The judge raised his eyebrows. “Do you have evidence of this?” 

“Well, er, no. But it’s a hunch.” 

Edgeworth snickered from across the court. The judge gave him a reproachful look and he transitioned into coughing softly. 

“Stick to the facts, Mr. Wright. The accused will abstain from answering the question,” the judge said gruffly. 

Nick could feel himself losing favor with the court. He knew there was something there. He had reviewed hundreds of pages of ingredients and recipes; some of the ingredients came with their own safety data sheets. 

“Yes, your Honor,” he grumbled.

“You’ve got to narrow it down, Nick,” Maya whispered. 

“Your Honor, may I reframe the question?” Nick asked desperately. 

“I will allow it. Make it succinct, Mr. Wright.” 

This elicited a sneer from Edgeworth but he did not object, to Nick’s surprise and relief. Nick watched for a minute as he took a small sip of water. As he lowered it back down a slight tremor in his hand created ripples in the surface of the liquid. 

“The question, Mr. Wright?” the judge pressed.  

“Oh yes, my apologies and thank you, your Honor,” Nick shook his head, “Ms. Watson, do you have any product lines that contain ingredients that would be considered risky to handle?”

Nobody objected.

She looked thoughtful. “Offhand, no, I cannot think of anything. Bradley was always the expert but most ingredients, as you say, could be considered toxic in the right quantity but many of them impart a bitter or foul taste when accidentally added in the wrong quantities.” 

He deflated slightly. Damn, he was hoping for something more to work with. No matter. He’d file it away for later. 

“Would you say you and Bradley were close?” he asked gently. 

She nodded fervently. “More than anything. We were b-best friends,” she began to tear up, “I would never do anything to harm him.” 

“And, in your opinion, is it possible that this was accidental? Could Mr. Burbank have accidentally poisoned himself during a trial run of a new product?” 

He was surprised at the lack of objection from across the court. 

She shook her head. “No. I don’t believe so. Bradley was a genius. He was a chemist by training and very careful when experimenting with new food items.”

Nick nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Watson. No further questions from the defense.” 

He took his seat and ruminated. He was no closer to winning but there was no denying that she had a good character. It would be her best defense against Miles Edgeworth’s prosecution.

“The prosecution may begin its cross-examination.” 

Edgeworth stood up. He already looked tense. So much so that Nick wondered if his defense had been that effective. 

“Ms. Watson, going back to your comment about your financial statements, I have to disagree on your point that business was doing well,” he dove right into it, “Your business had not been turning a profit for several months. Can you explain this discrepancy?” 

“Yes, it’s not uncommon for business to ebb and flow. We weren’t in the red, yet, but we had hired several new staff this year and expansion almost always begets losses for a period of time.” 

“And is it true that you and Mr. Burbank had several arguments regarding one of your staff?” 

There was an audible gasp in court. 

“I… Yes, I mean, we had disagreements regarding staff conduct but not enough for me to ever consider-” 

“Prosecution has no further questions,” Edgeworth said tersely, “Prosecution motions to call one Mabel Hodge to the witness stand.” 

Nick frowned. “What witness?” he hissed at Maya. She shrugged. 

“Alright,” even the judge looked befuddled at the motion, “The court dismisses the defendant and recognizes the witness called by the prosecution.” 

The witness took the stand. She was a short and somewhat plain woman with mousey brown hair and a stern face. 

“State your name and job title for the court,” Edgeworth said. 

“Mabel Hodge. I worked under Bradley as his lab assistant.” 

Nick frowned deeply. 

(Why didn’t we see her when we were interviewing the staff?)

“Please provide your testimony of November 4,” Edgeworth instructed. 

“Yes, Mr. Wright,” she responded. 

Nick looked up in confusion but found she was looking at Edgeworth, not him.

Edgeworth looked up with a deep scowl. “Mr. Edgeworth,” he corrected snidely, “Prosecution.” 

Her eyes went wide and Nick couldn’t help but snort. A piercing glare from Edgeworth made him bite his tongue to stifle his laughter. 

“My apologies,” she looked between them with a frown on her face but continued, “I arrived for my 9 am shift. Bradley was already in the lab, he usually worked all hours. But Ms. Watson was there with him. They were screaming about something. I didn’t want to eavesdrop so I punched my time card and began taking inventory. I didn’t need to be in the lab for my work that day so I stayed out of their way. Finally, I heard Ms. Watson leave angrily around 10:30 am. I didn’t go back into the lab until 12 pm which is where I found him.” 

“Describe to the court what you saw,” Edgeworth continued, folding his arms tightly across his chest. 

“H-he was dead,” she stuttered slightly as she recounted it, “He was lying face down on the floor in a pool of vomit and who knows what else. It looked like he had fallen but tried to drag himself out but didn’t make it. I dropped what I was carrying and rushed over but as I turned his head over slightly it was clear he was dead.”

It was an upsetting way to find someone you respected as a colleague to be sure. However, Nick could’ve sworn he saw discomfort flit over Edgeworth’s face. 

(Strange. It's no worse than many murder cases we hear.)

He seemed to lean forward before using his palm to catch himself on the desk. Nick, admittedly, jumped at the dramatic effect. 

“Would you say that they fought often?” Edgeworth asked through gritted teeth.

“Oh yes, all the time,” she responded. 

He pushed himself back up with a shrug. “Prosecution has no further questions.”

“Oh! Okay then. The defense may begin its cross examination!” the judge chimed in. 

(Huh! Even the judge was unprepared for a fast question period.)

Nick ran through his mental rolodex of facts from the case. 

(Ugh, I need to think of something fast. Edgeworth must have hid her carefully from me.)

“Ms. Hodge… What qualifications would a lab assistant require to work in this environment?” 

“Well, I obtained my undergraduate in general chemistry and received a Laboratory Technician certification post-undergraduate.”

“And what duties did you perform under Mr. Burbank?” 

A small smirk appeared across her face. Nick cocked his head. 

(Did she just… blush?) 

“Learning, mostly. He was teaching me the ins and outs of an industrial lab. But on a day to day basis I did a variety of tasks. Inventory, preparing ingredients for processing, running trials, lots of paperwork… Those were the big ones.”

“I see… And in your professional opinion, are you aware of any ingredients that would be considered toxic if used in high doses?”

She faltered and Nick narrowed his eyes. 

“I, uh…” she began. 

A clatter from the other side of the room made Nick look up with an annoyed growl. Edgeworth had slammed his hands on his table as if he was going to object, but remained silent. The glass of water was knocked over on the desk beside him.

“An objection, Mr. Edgeworth?” the judge asked in confusion. 

Nick looked at his opponent in bewilderment. His hair had fallen into his face and his eyes shone with what Nick swore could only be fury. Nick had expected an objection but when none came all Edgeworth did was upright his fallen glass. 

“Answer the question!” Edgeworth said forcefully. 

(What is happening in this court today?)

If she was concerned before she was downright terrified now. “No! I mean, yes! There’s a multitude of ingredients that come with their own safety data sheets.” 

“You conduct the inventory, correct? Are any ingredients missing in quantities that would be cause for alarm?”

She seemed caught off guard. “Um, not to my knowledge. But I would have to verify my logbooks.”

“Are there any current product lines that contain them?” 

“Objection! We’ve been through this line of questioning!” Edgeworth shot his head up, looking more frustrated than Nick thought he ought to be.

(We spar about these types of questions often… But he seems more frantic than usual.)

“Objection, I would like to explore this avenue with someone with the credentials necessary to answer the questions,” Nick responded forcefully as he slammed his own hands on the table. 

“Objection! You are wasting valuable court time in your efforts to stall long enough to generate a meaningful question!” Edgeworth fired back. 

The gavel banged thrice. “Order! I will allow the question but once again remind the defense to keep it relevant AND will warn the prosecution to curtail its judgment on what is or is not relevant to the court. You may object but I will be the final word.” 

Edgeworth eased off but snarled across the bench at Nick. 

There was an energy he couldn’t shake. As a defense attorney he was expected to work under pressure but he felt particularly under the gun to find something… But he didn’t know what that something was. He made eye contact with Edgeworth briefly. There was something unreadable behind his eyes. He was the cause for the undue pressure but Nick couldn’t put his finger on why. Edgeworth was masterful at deflecting and keeping cool to keep Nick off the scent. He didn’t usually get unraveled unless the witness was being uncooperative. If this was a new tactic Nick was going to have to think of something. 

“Ms. Hodge?” Nick pressed. 

“As much as Bradley wanted to explore other products we were focusing on chocolate at Ms. Watson’s behest. To compromise, Bradley created several lines of chocolates with functional ingredients.”

“Such as?” Nick pressed further. 

“Chocolate with melatonin to help induce sleep, chocolate with caffeine for energy, chocolate with methylsulfonylmethane to improve joint health,” she rattled off, counting her fingers as she did so.

“Objection! Your Honor, I implore you to consider the validity of this exercise. Mr. Wright is no chemist. He cannot hope to create a meaningful argument from this information!” Edgeworth was practically pleading. 

The judge nodded. “I agree. Objection sustained. Mr. Wright, do you have further questions for the witness?” 

Nick was sweating nervously on the defense bench. He was out of ideas. 

“No, your Honor,” he said glumly. 

(Was this to be his first loss? No… It was too soon.)

Edgeworth pointed sternly across the courtroom. “Your Honor, my closing remarks if you will?”

Nick began sweating as he awaited the rampage. He closed his eyes in defeat. 

“Yes, of course Mr. Edgeworth.” 

“Your Honour. We may lack several pieces of circumstantial evidence to reach an easy guilty verdict on Ms. Watson, however, what we do have is a motive. There was evidence of infighting and financial difficulties. Whether or not the defendant is knowledgeable of the toxicological characteristics of the compounds contained in her business is irrelevant. What is relevant is that she had access to ingredients that may have functioned as a murder weapon under the right circumstances. And therefore-”

The rampage ceased.

“Nick, look at Edgeworth!” Maya hissed quietly, “he doesn’t look so hot.”

He opened his eyes to gaze across the courtroom where Edgeworth should have been delivering his final blows.

A fine sheen of sweat covered Edgeworth’s face as he used one hand to brace the side of the bench, his knuckles whitening in effort to fight the tremors that appeared to have taken hold. 

(Does he look… paler than usual?) 

Worry washed over Nick. It suddenly became apparent. He had been struggling through the entire trial. It wasn’t anger behind his eyes. 

It was fear. 

He had been in a rush to finish this trial but it was clearer now that it wasn’t because of Nick. There was something else going on.

“Get me the documents containing the three products that Ms. Hodge mentioned,” he urgently whispered in Maya’s ear. 

She looked at him with confusion but he only nodded. The crowd was well-distracted at this point. Nobody would notice her slinking around. 

For whatever was wrong, Edgeworth seemed determined to power through it.

“Therefore, your honor, th-the defendant’s guilt is obvious through the… the…” he coughed violently. 

“Edgeworth?” Nick called worriedly from across the court, "Miles?!"

“Mr. Edgeworth? Are you alright?” the judge asked. 

A murmur rose across the crowd as Edgeworth hunched over, breathing heavily, before righting himself forcibly once more. 

“Fine!” he choked angrily with panic in his eyes, “As I was saying…” 

He trailed off, shuddering from some unforeseen pain.

Nick couldn’t, wouldn’t, let the spectacle continue. 

Nick stepped out from behind his bench and began to cross the court floor.  “Objection! Your Honor, I demand we take a short recess to evaluate the health of the prosecution.”

“I said I’m fine!” Edgeworth cried manically, “The defendant is guilty because… because…” 

His legs buckled and he slumped the floor with only his arms clinging desperately to the bench to slow his descent. 

“Shit,” Nick hissed. He was first to reach Edgeworth. He was still conscious but on his hands and knees and struggling to find the strength to pull himself upright. 

A small crowd formed around them. Nick hoisted him into a seated position with his back against the bench. His breathing was laboured and he had a now persistent tremor. Nick grabbed his wrist and gently applied pressure to just below the base of his thumb.

His pulse was racing! 

“We need a medic!” Nick pointed at Gumshoe who sprang into action.

“Order! Order!” the judge barked, “Everyone is dismissed and ordered to vacate the courtroom for a medical emergency.” 

Edgeworth lifted his head weakly with a small groan and Nick carefully placed his hand under his chin to observe him. His skin was near white but he was still awake. His eyes bore intensely into Nick’s. 

“You ruined my closing remarks,” he hissed furiously. 

(He’s alive at least.)

“You'll thank me later,” Nick said grimly. He kept one hand on Edgeworth’s shoulder to keep him upright. 

He looked around and desperately hoped Maya was successful. His instincts were screaming. He was so close to figuring it out…

A shaking hand grabbed his arm with a strength that surprised Nick. He turned once more to face Edgeworth. He seemed to want to say something but was wrestling with it. Nick leaned forward so that they could speak as privately as possible. 

“If you know something that could help me help you, now would be the time to share it,” he whispered urgently near Edgeworth's right ear. 

As he pulled away, something behind Edgeworth’s eyes seemed to crack. The anger that he had carefully crafted to mask his fear disintegrated. Nick didn’t know when he had ever seen his face so open. 

“The tea,” Edgeworth finally rasped. It sounded like a confession to Nick's ears. 

“The tea?” Nick questioned. Panic began to rise in his mind. “What tea?!”

Then it hit him. 

“This morning before trial,” Nick said in a hushed voice. 

Gumshoe appeared over his shoulder. As did Maya, who pressed a bundle of papers into his hands. 

“They’re on their way!” Gumshoe said as he surveyed the scene before him. Worry had taken hold in the lines of his face. 

It was enough to spur Nick to action. “He was poisoned in a similar fashion to Mr. Burbank!” Nick said in frustration to Maya, “But we never figured out what that poison could be!” 

He flicked through the papers as quickly as he dared. Melatonin overdoses induced sleepiness and confusion, whereas Edgeworth was agitated, alert and shaking. It also, apparently, wasn’t very dangerous. He threw the paper aside with a growl. Methylsulfonylmethane had no recorded overdoses and was considered safe. Great, he tossed it aside in kind and revealed only one ingredient left. 

Caffeine. Pure caffeine could be fatal in high doses, the symptoms were varied but agitation, rapid heartbeat, tremors and thirst all tracked. Also, if this was the same thing that happened to Burbank, dying in a pool of his own vomit didn’t seem like an unlikely next step.

But no, Nick wasn't going to let that happen. He skimmed the treatment section and without wasting further time Nick looped his arm around Edgeworth’s back and helped him to his feet.

“You two! Come with me!“ 

He assisted Edgeworth out of the courtroom, supporting him as best he could, while Maya and Gumshoe trailed him. 

“What are you doing?” Edgeworth asked weakly. His legs were only somewhat working to help Nick in moving him. 

“Saving your life,” he muttered back. 

Edgeworth only groaned in response and Nick wasn’t sure if it was because of him or the poison. He stopped and looked around and carefully began to ease him onto Gumshoe’s shoulders. 

“Get him into the washroom. I’ll be there in a second, I just need to make a pit stop!” he instructed.

He was growing weaker by the second. Nick could see it in the way his feet limply dragged on the floor.

(Please just hang in there!)

He dashed to the attorney lounge, ignoring the horrified crowd that had congregated, and grabbed a glass and a salt shaker. Without wasting any time he threw open the washroom door to see Edgeworth slumped against the wall with Maya holding him up. He was paler than death and had a blue tinge to his lips that hadn't been there a moment before. Nick's heart caught in his throat.

“What are we doing, Nick?” Maya asked frantically. 

“Mix all of this into a glass of water,” he said hurriedly as he shoved the glass and salt shaker into her hands, “It was caffeine. A toxic dose.” 

Her eyes went wide in shock but she sprung to action.

He dragged Edgeworth into a stall and knelt down with him, holding him in front of him so that Edgeworth faced the toilet. Using his body as a brace, he pulled Edgeworth’s prone body against him so that his back was resting against Nick’s front. 

(We don’t have much time but I think I have a few seconds for this.)

He ripped Edgeworth’s jacket off his shoulders and deftly untied his cravat. 

“Take these!” He thrust them at Gumshoe who cradled them as if they were sacred. 

Nick lifted Edgeworth’s neck and tilted his head towards the ceiling as Maya handed him the glass of salt water. Nick could tell his strength was quickly waning; his head lolled without much resistance against the hollow of Nick’s chest.

“What are you doing?” he asked almost inaudibly. Something about hearing the suspicion in his voice gave Nick a slight amount of hope. 

However, alarmingly, Nick could see he was salivating and beginning to foam at the mouth. 

“I’m so sorry for this, buddy,” he said grimly, “But down the hatch!” 

Nick poured the salt water into his parted mouth and massaged his throat to help stimulate swallowing. 

The result was near instantaneous but Nick was mostly ready. He dropped the glass and braced Edgeworth’s head as quickly as he could with both hands to aim him towards the bowl. 

Edgeworth’s violent retching brought up the contents of his stomach in several waves. Nick held him as tightly as he dared but wasn’t quite successful in limiting the aggressive heaving induced by the vomiting. 

(Now is not the time to be squeamish. He needs me.)

Edgeworth’s hair was slick with sweat and Nick had to fight to keep his grip. Nick could feel that he was going slack and worried that he hadn’t been fast enough with his assessment of the situation.

“You’re okay, you’re going to be okay,” he said frantically, half to himself and half to Edgeworth. 

(Where are the paramedics?!)

With a sudden bout of strength Edgeworth clawed the side of the toilet with his right hand to pull himself into a brace position.  

“You - fucking - ass-“ he began to choke out but was cut off by more vomit than Nick thought a person could contain.

Nick didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The only thing he could think to do was to gently rub his knuckles up and down Edgeworth’s arched, writhing back. 

It slowed until he was only coughing unproductively and breathing laboriously. Edgeworth weakly tried to use his already soiled sleeve to wipe his face in a very uncanny valley sort of way. 

Nick procured a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to him wordlessly. Edgeworth accepted it with effort and brushed it across the lower half of his face. Nick gave him the privacy to do so but could see the way his eyes streamed from the effort. He held him as best he could so he didn’t fall forwards into his own sick. 

A commotion behind Nick signalled the arrival of the paramedics and he allowed them to begin their work. Edgeworth's head lolled forward and Nick reached forward to support him under the chin once more. Nick's heart gave a painful clench to realize he was unconscious; ashen faced and baring sunken cheeks. Nick helped them load him onto the stretcher but felt helpless to the situation. 

"Edgeworth," he whispered as they rushed him away.

“Maya, Gumshoe, go do crowd control,” he instructed softly as he looked around the washroom. 

“You got it, pal,” Gumshoe said without fuss, for once. 

“Nick,” Maya said softly. 

He looked up at her forlornly. 

“That was brilliant.”

“Did I do enough?” he asked desperately. 

She looked worried and he opened his mouth to press her further. 

“You did everything you could,” she cut him off before he could speak and left to go follow his instructions. 

He was left standing alone in a bathroom that was now a crime scene, wearing clothes that were covered in vomit that wasn’t his own. 

(I hope it was enough.)

Now that the commotion was over he didn’t know what to do with himself. 

(One thing is for certain, this case is just beginning.)

Chapter Text

The remainder of the day of the poisoning felt like a fugue state; Nick had never felt so unsure of what to do next with himself. He thought maybe he should go to the hospital to wait for news. But then again, he wasn’t anybody to Edgeworth. There was no way anybody would tell him anything. 

So instead he went back to his office and pretended to be busy with work. Working on this case was just a reminder of the way he watched helplessly as Edgeworth slowly got paler and weaker in his very arms. 

Perhaps, for now, he just had to wait. Productivity wouldn’t meet him until he heard something. He felt like the only person who had any chance of figuring out this case and the type of news would surely dictate the next steps. However, as it stood now, he was frozen in time. 

Any time his phone buzzed or rang his heart skipped a beat. And yet no news reached his ears. 

The first night might have been worse than that though. He laid awake in bed for most of it and when he couldn’t take it any longer he got up to check the news. The case was being prominently featured but he didn’t see any sign of Edgeworth’s condition. He watched until he felt ill from over-tiredness and somehow, in the wee hours of the morning, he found a turbulent sleep.

It was regrettably short lived. With a gasp he awoke from a nightmare where he was holding Edgeworth’s limp body while blood pooled around them. 

He once again checked his phone to find no news. 

“I’m sorry for the spectacle yesterday,” he said tiredly as he rubbed his hands over his eyes. 

“Is he okay?” Gina asked sadly, “Your friend?” 

He didn’t correct her. 

He sat across from her in the detention center. She looked nervous today but pleased to see him nonetheless. 

“I’m not sure,” he said sadly, “No news is good news… I hope.” 

She looked thoughtful. “I do too. It was too similar to what happened to Bradley to be an accident.” 

“Yeah, actually, I’d like to talk to you about that,” he began. 

It was awkward. He had been sure of her innocence but after watching the incident unfold before his very eyes he had started to question it. On one hand, she had been in detention so how could she possibly have poisoned Edgeworth? But on the other hand, she had the motive to do so. Attempting to murder a prosecutor, especially one as effective as Edgeworth, was not outside the realm of possibility. 

He was sure there was a non-zero list of people who would exact their revenge on Edgeworth if they could. But to do so in the same fashion as the current case was too unlikely to be a coincidence. 

“I believe it was a lethal caffeine overdose but that will be confirmed once I know about Mi… Mr. Edgeworth’s condition. I’ve already put in a request to get an updated autopsy on Mr. Burbank as well,” he paused and looked up at her, “Ms. Hodge mentioned there was a caffeine chocolate product being created. Is it fair to say that pure caffeine powder was held onsite?” 

“It is. I’m sorry it didn’t occur to me sooner.” 

She seemed sincere as she said it. He relaxed slightly. 

“So, I noticed something about Ms. Hodge on the stand. She seemed to react very, uh, positively to the idea of working with Bradley,” he said awkwardly, “I got the impression she may have had stronger feelings for him than one would for just a colleague.”

“Mabel?” she rested her chin on her palm, “She always treated Bradley reverently but I admit I didn’t spend as much time with her to notice. It was largely by choice because she had little respect for me so I stayed away as much as possible. I would report it to Bradley but he didn’t do much to address it because she would just behave the same way next time.”

“What would she do?” he asked, leaning forward. 

“Well, she’d question my competence, for starters. Any time I’d attempt to discuss product parameters or flavour profiles she would challenge me. She once accused me of holding Bradley and his work back. Most recently, in response to my feedback to suggest some minor changes to the functional chocolate lines, she said what I was suggesting would be inedible but she’d prepare a special sample for me just to prove me wrong.” 

“It sounds like a hostile work environment,” he sympathized.  

“It wasn’t great. And admittedly it drove a bit of a wedge between myself and Bradley. He would just say if he didn’t see it then he couldn’t reprimand her. And…” she trailed off. 

“Yes?” he asked. 

She remained silent, looking ashamed. 

Nick sighed. “Look, Gina, to be able to give you the best defence possible I need to know these details.”

She sighed. “It’s embarrassing but… Bradley proposed to me a number of months ago. I said no because we weren’t dating, nor did I feel that way about him. I thought he took it well but he later said he’d fire Mabel only on the condition of me agreeing to get together with him.”

He grimaced. “I… I’m sorry. Why wait to bring this up now though?”

“I didn’t think it was important before but maybe that’s something that could help you now.”

He tapped his pen thoughtfully to his chin. “You already said that you didn’t think it was accidental therefore is it possible this was a suicide?” 

She grimaced. “I don’t think so… And he didn’t leave a note.” 

(That’s true, he hadn’t.)

“Okay, I appreciate it. Thank you so much for your help,” he closed his notebook with a sigh. 

“If you think Mabel could provide you with more information perhaps you should look more closely at her office in the lab,” she suggested. 

It wasn’t a bad idea. It’s not like the prosecution would allow him to speak with their key witness in the midst of this mess. 

He walked out of the detention center, deep in thought. He checked his phone. 

Still no news. 

Nick walked through the chocolatier alone. It confirmed his suspicions that Maya was avoiding him; she loved tagging along on investigations. It would’ve been nice to have her but he suspected that she also needed space. Edgeworth had come so close to death, possibly still fighting for his life, and she had been present for it. For a spiritual medium it undoubtedly must have been intense. He already tried to ask her, back in that cursed washroom, but she cut him off. He knew not to try again. 

At first he wondered if she knew something he didn’t, which ate him up inside, but as time passed he was more inclined to think that he was just going to have to be the last person to know. 

(Back to the task at hand…)

Watbank Chocolatiers had been closed since the day Bradley Burbank was discovered dead by Mabel Hodge. He looked around, searching for clues that may have been missed the first time he was here. At the time, Mabel Hodge had not been made available to him, likely by the prosecution’s demand, and she was absent today as well. 

After Edgeworth’s poisoning he suspected the police had already combed through here again with even more scrutiny, but Nick still wanted to look at some records. 

He could see from the punchcard records that Mabel had punched in when she said she did. There was no camera system but timing seemed reasonable. He couldn’t see a good reason to doubt her. 

And yet… Something about her testimony had set off alarm bells in his head. 

He reviewed the inventory of ingredients; pure caffeine powder was indeed onsite. He also found some weight records for ingredients. It appeared that any time caffeine was used an entry was made that included the date, quantity used and purpose. There were also production records for every batch of product made. He flicked through the last month but nothing overt stood out to him. 

Neither type of record helped him currently but he pocketed them all the same. 

(Come on Wright… how did the poison reach Bradley Burbank that day?) 

He had little to go off of. Edgeworth seemed to know he was poisoned from his tea therefore he must’ve deduced it himself. But the way the poison got into his tea is also still unknown. 

Something felt off about it. Mabel Hodge was the only person, apart from the deceased Mr. Burbank, who could have had ready access to the caffeine powder and knowledge of its danger. Mabel was a question mark unto herself. Nick was certain she was involved, somehow, but he couldn’t ascertain why. 

He remembered the blush in court. If Bradley were someone of importance to her, she was no more a suspect than Gina was. Neither had a reason to have the man dead, though, strangely, they did share a mutual source of tension. 

Suddenly, felt his feet lift off the ground. 

“ACK!” he choked out as a broad pair of arms wrapped around his chest. 

“Hi pal!” a cheerful voice rumbled from behind him. 

Once the offending party had placed him back down he whirled around to find Gumshoe looking sheepishly at him. 

“What was that for?! I thought you might have been an assailant!” he shouted angrily. His heart was racing from fright and he had to take several deep breaths to calm himself down. 

“I’m sorry Mr. Wright. I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude for what you did for Mr. Edgeworth,” Gumshoe exclaimed joyfully. 

“Oh… oh! Has there been any news?” Nick immediately perked up. 

“Yeah he’s going to make a full recovery!” Gumshoe said gratefully and clapped Nick on the shoulders. 

Nick released a tension he hadn’t realized he was carrying. 

“Good,” he said breathlessly, “Can I see him?” 

“I’m sure you can. He’s asked to speak with you after all,” Gumshoe says happily. 

(Yikes, a direct summons? He probably has some choice words for me.) 

And yet the heat in Nick’s chest overwhelmed any apprehension he had about seeing Edgeworth. 

“Hey Gumshoe, do you know anything about that witness, Mabel Hodge?” he hazarded. If Gumshoe was feeling charitable he couldn't squander the opportunity to ask questions. 

Gumshoe looked around reluctantly. “Well, I guess I can share this with you as a one time favour. I don’t think it’s relevant to the case anyways. We cleaned the place out in our investigation but this was leftover. Doesn’t appear to be meaningful but good luck, I guess.” 

He handed Nick her lab book.

(Not meaningful, eh? We’ll see about that.)

“Perfect, thanks,” he said gratefully. 

He wanted to dig into it but he had to take care of a few things first. Once he was outside he pulled out his phone. 

“Hey Maya? It’s me. Edgeworth is okay! But listen, can you help me with a quick favour?” 

The attending nurse led him into the hospital room and he entered somewhat sheepishly. 

The first thing he noticed were the flowers everywhere. Massive bouquets offering well wishes littered the room. The largest ones appeared to be from the Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office. 

The second thing he noticed was Edgeworth. He was still quite pale but some colour had returned to his cheeks and lips. However, his eyes were deeply circled with dark rings that went beyond just exhaustion. 

(At least that terrible blue-grey colour was gone.)

And somehow, the least surprising thing of all was that he was diligently reviewing case files. 

He looked up from the document he was reading. His eyes tracked Nick with the same intensity that they had in the attorney breakroom the previous morning. 

“Hiya Edgeworth,” Nick offered carefully. 

“Wright,” he said dully. His voice was very hoarse and, while it didn’t contain the same anger as before, there was a warning there. 

Nick walked further in and took a seat across from him. 

“We, uh, sent flowers,” he said awkwardly as he looked around to find them. 

Maya had placed the order for him within his budget. But he flushed when he saw the very modest bouquet amongst the mountains of expensive looking arrangements. 

“... Not sure where they are though.”

Edgeworth shook his head and bundled up his papers before casting them aside. “You might have let me finish my closing statement,” he said in that new, raspy voice. 

“I’d rather see you alive to exchange barbs with me than let you die in a dingy courtroom,” Nick said softly as he brushed a few dead petals off the side table. 

“I was going to win and we both knew it,” he said bitterly. 

“You wouldn’t have made it if I let you finish,” Nick said with a frown. 

“Then perhaps letting me die with my dignity intact was the correct answer,” Edgeworth petulantly folded his arms.

Nick raised his eyebrows incredulously. “Miles, I don’t know what you think death by poison is like but I assure you, there was no dying with your dignity intact. You weren’t just going to finish your monologue and keel over dramatically while the newspapers sung your praises. You would have soiled yourself, probably several different ways, and died in a fit of ugly convulsions.” 

Edgeworth looked away pointedly. 

“But if that is the future I robbed you of then please accept my sincerest apologies,” Nick said as he shook his head in disbelief. 

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Edgeworth didn’t have any further barbs and Nick was exhausted. 

“Look, I, uh, while I’m here I wanted to make sure you were okay. And to let you know that they declared a mistrial and will reschedule once you’re okay.” 

He swivelled his head back to Nick. 

“Yes, I’m aware. In two days time in fact.”

Nick was surprised but knew he shouldn’t be. 

“Wait, already?! Are you sure you’re up for it?” 

Edgeworth sniffed. “I am quite sure. I’m due to be discharged tomorrow. My cardiac results are perfect, my bloodwork shows no lasting damage. My voice is, admittedly, not quite there but it will also heal in time. I don’t need to be loud to command a courtroom.”

Nick shook his head. 

“No, I suppose you don’t. That’s all a relief to hear, anyways.” 

Edgeworth shrugged and Nick wondered why he even asked to see him. Perhaps it was a show of goodwill or to prove he would be okay to continue. Whatever it is, Edgeworth hadn’t offered any clues.

“I suppose you’ve got your hands full. This was not a good look for your client, after all. Poisoning the prosecutor certainly is damning evidence,” Edgeworth suggested.  

(Did he bring me here to talk shop?)

“Yes, it certainly is, but I’ve still got a few things to look into,” Nick said simply. 

“Like caffeine intoxication?” 

Nick smirked. “I’m a little more familiar with it now. That said, I know it happened when you drank your tea but I can’t imagine how.” 

Edgeworth remained silent. 

“Oh sure, don’t help me now that you’re alive and well,” Nick teased. 

“We’re still opposing each other and I will have my guilty verdict,” Edgeworth stubbornly insisted.

(So… no shop talk.)

Nick was about to retort but Edgeworth abruptly sighed in frustration.

“I cannot wait to be rid of his hospital gown and back in the courtroom in my regular attire,” he grumbled.  

It was the most human thing he had said all day and yet it still sounded boring as hell.

Nick grimaced. “Oh, um, on that note I think you’ll need to replace your shirt and pants. I was trying my best… When I induced vomiting… I mean they’re beyond what you would probably want to consider keeping,” he finally managed to say. 

“There’s that bit about dignity again. How can I face you in court knowing that you’ve held my hair back like a parent would an unwell child?” Edgeworth’s ire once again turned towards Nick.

“I know you don’t like accepting help from people, especially me, but I didn’t do it because I wanted to embarrass you. I did it because you needed the help. I wasn’t going to let you suffer alone. Even if you were strong enough to handle it yourself, I don’t think I would have left,” Nick said sincerely, “I know you wouldn’t ask me for any of that though, so if anyone tries to use that to say you’re weak, just say I’m the bleeding heart.”

He seemed to pass Edgeworth’s scrutiny because he turned away once more. 

“I’m rather tired. If you don’t mind, I would like to prepare for the next time I see you in court.” 

“Oh, um, that reminds me. Before I leave I want to return something to you.” 

Edgeworth looked at him with one eyebrow raised as Nick procured a gently wrapped package from his backpack. He handed it carefully to Edgeworth. 

“It’s your suit jacket and cravat. I’m not sure if you remembered but I pulled them off before things got ugly. I figured you would never forgive me if I let you ruin them.”

Edgeworth carefully unwrapped it with an unreadable expression. 

“I, er, thank you, Wright,” he said softly, “I appreciate your… foresight in this matter.”

Nick immediately brightened. “Yeah, heh, I wish I had the foresight to take off my own jacket. But I figured it mattered more to save yours than mine.”

Edgeworth’s face looked up in horror. “You mean to say that I…?” 

“Oh, yeah! But don’t worry about it. Honestly, it’s nothing. It wasn’t expensive or anything,” Nick rubbed the back of his head. 

Edgeworth looked unwell once more. 

“Forget I mentioned it. I’m sorry!” Nick said apologetically. 

“I… I’ll see you in court, Mr. Wright,” Edgeworth said in an uncharacteristically small voice. 

“I look forward to it, see you there Miles.” 

He was exhausted by the time he got back to his office. He hoped he could sleep tonight but he suspected that his impending investigation would plague him this time. 

He opened the door and immediately realized he was not alone. 

“Nick!” Maya said urgently. 

“Ack! What are you doing here?!” he said as he leapt back in fright. 

He was tired of being jump scared today. 

“I just wanted to come see how you’re doing and to say that I’m sorry I ran off afterwards but I physically couldn’t stay,” she said apologetically. 

“Yeah, I get it, it was a lot,” he said gently. 

“No, well, yes, but that’s not it. Not exactly.” 

He frowned. “I’m not following.” 

“Well, it was strange. The second you were about to ask me, you know, if he was going to make it. I felt something.”

Nick didn’t pretend to understand her powers at the best of times and these were not the best of times. 

“Felt what?” he pressed. 

“Well, I don’t entirely know, but it was strange,” she seemed to struggle to find the words, “It’s like I could feel him slipping. He was so close. He could have… but anyways I was vaguely aware of it but something about it felt like a warning. Like if I tried to make any connection I risked pulling him away from whatever lifeline was tethering him.” 

He was once again reminded of how close he came to failing Edgeworth yesterday. He had to remind himself that he had in fact seen him alive and well earlier that day to stave off the cold feeling that was settling in his chest. 

“I’m glad you didn’t. As much as I could have used the reassurance.” 

She rocked back and forth on her heels. “Well, that’s the other thing…” 

“Hm?” 

“It was like being around you made it… worse?” she very carefully suggested. 

“How so?” he asked with alarm in his voice. 

“I think, well I don’t know for sure, but I think that I was channeling your need for him to be okay. It was like there was some other kind of tether. I still need to train obviously because I don’t understand it at all,” she explained weakly.  

He tried to make sense of it but it wasn’t registering. “A tether?” 

“Like I said, I don’t understand it.” 

And yet he did. Sort of. Perhaps it was in their shared history. Perhaps it was in the way he hadn’t given up on searching for his lost friend over the years. And yet, it was still unexplainable. They weren’t friends any longer and he didn’t know how they could be moving forward. 

At the very least, for now, Edgeworth was going to be okay. Perhaps Nick didn’t need to investigate this any further for the time being.

“Thanks Maya,” he said gratefully, “Maybe keep this one under wraps for now.” 

There was a knock at the door and she rushed to answer it. He headed to his desk to look into Mabel’s notes. 

“There’s a note for you, Nick!” Maya said as she returned. 

She thrust an envelope into his hand.

“Who from?” he asked curiously. 

“Not sure, but it was hand delivered by a private courier. I guess it’s just a mystery!” she said in a mocking sing-song voice. 

He frowned and took it as she walked away. 

--

Mr. Phoenix Wright - 

I appreciate you preserving my dignity to the extent that you did. 

As a show of my gratitude please visit my private tailor. I have issued an unlimited credit in your name to have a bespoke suit made on rush to replace the one I rudely ruined. Please do not delay so that you have it available for the next time we meet in court.

Yours faithfully, 

Miles Edgeworth

--

A business card fell out of the letter. Nick turned it over in his hands. It appeared to belong to a very expensive suit maker in the fanciest part of LA.

(Huh. Typical of him to care more about his dignity than his life but I suppose it’s the only way he knows how to show gratitude.)

Nick spent the following day obsessing over Mabel’s lab book and the records. He hadn’t gotten anywhere and his eyes hurt from the strain. He had poured over the records only to exhaust any leads he thought he had. 

The only thing that resonated with him was the tiny heart drawn in the bottom right corner on the very last page. ‘M.H. + B.B.’ was scrawled inside of it. At least his instincts were correct on that front. 

He checked his watch. It was nearing midnight and he was no closer to finishing this case. He was about to close everything down when a number popped out at him. 

Wait. 

Wait! 

The total weights… His math may have been rusty but when he looked at the inventory versus the usage something was off. He almost missed it in the conversion. In the previous shipment, they received fifty grams of pure caffeine powder. Each caffeinated chocolate bar only contained fifty milli grams. But that was only the equivalent of 0.05 grams of pure caffeine powder. 

However, several entries between October 24th and 30th involved larger quantities of caffeine being used. It was nothing alarming at first glance; half a gram here, another gram there. At first he wondered if production was being ramped up. However, the production records didn’t show an appreciable increase during that time frame. They were still only producing quantities of chocolate that consistently used five grams of total pure caffeine, enough for an entire batch of one hundred chocolate bars. 

(So why was she taking out larger quantities than needed? Measurement error?)

He looked at past records and found no previous discrepancies. 

Her lab book contained a wealth of testing parameters. Several notes went over flavour profiles and how to mask… 

Oh no. 

The bitterness of caffeine was established in court. But when used in normal quantities it shouldn’t need to be masked. So why was there a recipe for a sample chocolate that involved far more flavouring and sugar than all the rest? 

He grabbed his calculator and began to tally up all the missing caffeine values. They totalled ten grams in all. A very round number to be sure but as he compared it to the safety data sheet… 

Ten grams - a toxic dose. 

She had been collecting caffeine in a quantity large enough to poison someone, all the while testing flavour profiles to mask the taste. 

(Ugh! I’m so close… But why murder Bradley?)

Was it a crime of passion? Had she been jilted? 

The records stopped on the day of the murder therefore he had no evidence to support Edgeworth’s poisoning. He also suspected that Edgeworth’s medical records would be off limits but he might not need them to win the case. 

He still had nothing for a motive and the trial was tomorrow. 

(But still, I might have a chance of pulling a win out with this.)

The next time he saw Edgeworth again in-person was in the attorney lounge the day of the trial. Both of them individually had crowds swarming them and both tried to brush them off. Edgeworth out of embarrassment of the well wishes and Nick out of not wanting to appear to be a show off. 

(It’s what, I’d hope, anyone would do. Besides, I can beat him in court, I don’t want or need him dead.)

Edgeworth’s gaze once again cut across the crowds and as he caught sight of Nick. His eyes looked him up and down and Nick watched as a deep scowl fell on his features. He marched across the room, brushing off any stragglers, and grabbed Nick by the arm to drag him to the private corner with the armchairs. 

“What are you wearing?” he hissed. 

“A suit I borrowed from Larry. Don’t you like it?”

A tic appeared in Edgeworth’s cheek. “What happened to the suit I was paying to have made for you?” he growled, “You had all day yesterday to go and get it made!”

“Oh, that. Yeah, I’m not taking it. I don’t need to accept anything for doing the right thing. And I was a bit busy solving this case.” 

Edgeworth levelled him with a glare so similar to the one Nick had seen across the courtroom. It made him smile. 

“Why must you vex me? I will not be in your debt!” Edgeworth demanded. 

Nick frowned. “You’re not in my debt. I like to think that if the same had happened to me, you wouldn’t have let me die.” 

Edgeworth looked furious. “People will think I didn’t even have the good decency to thank you.” 

“I mean, did you? Your note expressed appreciation and gratitude but it’s very impersonal as far as thank you’s go. So no, I don’t need a new suit from you. I did what I thought was right and that’s that.” 

Edgeworth clenched his jaw. He was about to retort but an announcement paged them both to the courtroom. 

“Listen, Edgeworth, you’ve got the wrong person. I was given this,” he procured the lab book, “I’ve analyzed it and figured it out. Mabel Hodge was responsible for the poison. This trial doesn’t need to go on. I’m willing to talk about options. We can work together on this one.” 

“Where did you get that?” Edgeworth's face bore an unreadable expression. 

“Gumshoe. I don’t think he knew its significance so please don’t blame him.”

“I… Keep it,” he said in a low, throaty voice. 

“But we don’t have to do this!” Nick said hurriedly. 

“Listen, Phoenix, you would have found out soon enough but you might as well hear it from me directly. The Prosecutor’s Office has changed direction based on our investigation. You’re not defending Gina Watson any longer…”

A ringing sound filled Nick’s ears. “What do you mean?” he gasped. 

“I mean that we have taken a new suspect into custody. You’re defending Mabel Hodge.”

Nick’s mind went blank. 

“I’ll see you in there,” he said in a way that almost seemed regretful.

Nick wordlessly watched him leave as a cold feeling sank deep into his chest.

Chapter Text

“What?!” Maya cried outside the courtroom where Nick had intercepted her. 

“The prosecutor's office dropped the charges after the mistrial. They said that in light of new information they could no longer prosecute her,” he explained hurriedly. 

“At least Gina can walk free,” Maya said thoughtfully, “But now Edgeworth is gunning for this win and now you’re-"

“And now I’m facing a client that I’ve never spoken to and have already determined to be the likely murderer,” he finished for her, “Great. Just, great.” 

Maya is silent as she considered this. 

“What would Mia do?” he wondered aloud, “She always placed having faith in clients above all else.”

“Nick… Mia never had a perfect win record. She was one of the best there ever was but winning wasn’t the only thing that mattered to her. There were certainly many cases where she was absolute in her belief that her clients were innocent and she defended them to the bitter end. But she did the same for the ones she wasn’t. You don’t have to believe Mabel Hodge but you do have to give her the defense she’s entitled to,” she prodded him gently. 

He knew that but still needed to hear it. 

“Thanks Maya, I really appreciate it. Maybe I should leave the ego driven activities to the prosecutors.”

“Exactly. This isn’t about you, it’s about justice being dispensed to the right person,” she advised. 

(And I don’t know the whole story but somehow Edgeworth is at the center of it.) 

“Prosecution is ready, your Honor.”

“Defense is ready, your Honor.”

The gavel banged; the new trial had begun. 

“Good to see you back in court, Mr. Edgeworth. Do you have your opening remarks?”

“Thank you, your Honor. It’s good to be back. In light of new information resulting from the ill-fated November fourth trial, the prosecution is pursuing charges against Mabel Hodge for the murder of her employer Bradley Burbank.”

Edgeworth’s voice was still hoarse but the crowd was undoubtedly on his side today. They descended into a hush every time he spoke, clearly romanticizing his return after his dramatic last appearance. 

He was, by all accounts, loving it while Nick was floundering at the defence bench. 

Nick hazarded a glance at Mabel. She looked far less confident today. She nervously looked at him and he tried to give her a weak smile. 

“Your Honor, the prosecution motions to re-use the depositions provided by the former witness and defendant at the previous trial to avoid the need for new testimony,” Edgeworth proposed. 

Nick was on his feet. 

“Objection!” he shouted, “The defense would like new sworn testimony given the new information brought to light from the former trial. The defense cannot adequately cross-examine based on old testimony.”  

“The depositions will remain on the court record as a reference but I agree we will require new testimony,” the judge ruled as he banged his gavel. 

It was enough to get Nick fired up. He made eye contact across the room with Edgeworth who only shrugged in response. 

“The prosecution calls its first witness to the stand. State your name and title,” Edgeworth said smoothly. 

Gina Watson was once again on the stand. 

“Gina Watson. I’m the cofounder of Watbank Chocolatiers,” she spoke with far more confidence this time. 

“Ms. Watson, please accept the prosecution’s apologies for the previous trial. However, we will need to revise your testimony per the judge’s orders. In your deposition you provided your history with the victim, and his character and experience. It was also established that this was not, in your opinion, an accidental poisoning. Is there anything you would amend in these statements?” he asked, holding up a copy of her former statements.

“No, that was all true,” she acknowledged. 

“I’d like to ask about Ms. Hodge. In the previous trial you confirmed that there had been disagreements regarding staff conduct between yourself and Mr. Burbank. Could you enlighten the court on what staff conduct issues took place?”

“I communicated to Bradley on several occasions how Mabel would undermine me. She questioned my training, my abilities, and my work ethic. She only said these things to me, to my knowledge. He indicated that he would not follow up with her.”

“Why do you suppose that is?” Edgeworth pressed further. 

“I can’t be sure but I believe she carried a torch for Bradley.” 

(Oh great.) 

“Objection!” Nick shouted, “This is a speculative line of questioning!” 

“I’ll allow the witness to elaborate and add to her testimony however I will remind the prosecution to keep it fact based.” 

Edgeworth gave him a challenging smirk from across the courtroom. 

“No need, your Honor. The prosecution can provide evidence to support this claim.” 

He procured several photographs which were subsequently placed on the screen. Nick watched in horror as several scrawled hearts containing the initials M.H. and B.B. were documented on numerous records that Nick hadn’t been made privy to earlier.

(Typical.)

“A school girl’s crush?” Edgeworth asked the courtroom with a shrug before a serious expression fell over him, “Or a more sinister motive?”

Nick began to sweat.

“The evidence is accepted into the court record,” the judge said with a nod, “If there is no further testimony the defence may begin its cross examination.”

Nick stood up with a sigh. He would be unable to ask about anything that wasn’t explicitly said in court which meant that the failed proposal was off limits unless she brought it up herself. 

“Ms. Watson, you said that you and Bradley had communicated on several occasions pertaining to Ms. Hodge. Are there any records to support this conversation?” 

“I had documented several of them, yes,” she responded. 

“Can you provide this documentation to the court?”

She pulled out a notebook. “Yes, I have three recorded conversations.” 

“This will be accepted into the court record as evidence,” the judge confirmed. 

Nick thumbed through them. Two were fairly straightforward but the last one, dated only two weeks before Bradley’s death, gave him pause. 

“This says that Bradley would speak with Mabel if you agreed to his terms. What were those terms?” he pressed. 

She flushed. “I would rather not say.” 

“You cannot withhold relevant information from the court. You’re under oath,” he reminded her. 

“Objection! Can the defence prove this is relevant to the court?” Edgeworth was on his feet.

“Can the prosecution prove that Ms. Hodge’s feelings were relevant? If anything, the prosecution has established that they did, which bolsters the defence’s current position. Why would Ms. Hodge kill someone she was in love with?” Nick shot back. 

The gavel banged. “The question is sustained. The witness will answer the question.”

“He said he would discipline her only if I reciprocated his romantic intentions of me,” she said and her face flushed scarlet. 

“LIAR!” Mabel screeched from the defendant’s chair. 

A murmur rose in the crowd and all eyes turned to her except for Edgeworth and Nick who locked eyes across the courtroom. 

(He planned for this to happen.)

Nick turned back towards Mabel. “Stay calm,” he advised as she tried to hide her reddened face. 

“The defence has no further questions,” he said glumly. 

“The prosecution calls upon the defendant, Mabel Hodge,” Edgeworth said simply. 

Mabel took the stand looking equally furious and terrified. 

“Ms. Hodge, how would you describe the relationship between yourself and Bradley Burbank?” Edgeworth asked. 

“He was my mentor. I cared very deeply for him and he did for me as well,” she insisted. 

“Were you romantically involved?” Edgeworth asked. 

“No, but…”

“But?”

“It was a matter of time. He told me so,” she stubbornly said. 

Nick’s eyes rose to his hairline. 

“So he strung you along until you realized he would not reciprocate your feelings? At which point you decided if you couldn’t have him, nobody could?”

“Objection! The prosecution is badgering the witness!” Nick exclaimed. 

“Mr. Edgeworth, I will caution you to be more delicate in your line of questioning,” the judge warned. 

“Yes, your Honor,” he said through gritted teeth. 

“I never poisoned him!” Mabel insisted furiously. 

Nick turned to face her. 

“Answer his questions but say nothing else!” Nick instructed sternly.  

Edgeworth raised one eyebrow from across the court. She fell silent once more. 

“You would have had unfettered access to functional ingredients, would you not?” Edgeworth continued with his interrogation. 

“Yes,” she responded, looking at him suspiciously. 

“So you had the means, and a motive. The only thing that eludes me is how Bradley Burbank consumed a lethal dose, which, as we’ve established was neither accidental nor a suicide.” 

He began to pace around his bench. 

Mabel looked confused. But as she opened her mouth to speak Nick was on his feet. 

“Objection! Does the prosecution have a question?” he demanded. 

Edgeworth stopped and turned to face him before facing Mabel. 

“I do, but I must ask about something that happened after Bradley Burbank’s murder before we come back to this. Please explain to me why you were in the kitchens of the courthouse in the morning of the original trial,” Edgeworth insisted forcefully, suddenly pointing at Mabel. 

“Objection! How could Ms. Hodge have been in the kitchens!” Nick shouted. 

Edgeworth shrugged at him. “Video evidence places her there. And I personally witnessed her without her knowing I was there."

"Why were you in the kitchens?" Nick blurted out. 

Edgeworth wagged a finger at him.

"Patience, Mr. Wright, I'm getting there. I was bringing my tea to the kitchens to prepare it the way I like it when I saw her.”

"Is this becoming 'story time with Edgeworth'?" Maya asked quietly beside him. 

"Yeah, and I don't think I like where this is going," Nick said as he scrunched his nose. 

The spectacle continued to play out in front of them. Edgeworth whirled to face Mabel once more.

"I ask again, Ms. Hodge, why were you in the kitchens?" he insisted, slamming his hand down on the prosecutor's bench. 

"I was... making a delivery," she admitted quietly, "But I never poisoned anybody’s tea! And I never intended to poison Bradley!” she cried out. 

Edgeworth smiled and Nick felt like someone had walked over his grave. 

“Both of these statements are, surprisingly, true. A simple case of mistaken identity,” Edgeworth began to circle around his bench like a viper, “I believe I understand it now, Ms. Hodge. You don’t like competition, do you? Not for affections, not for trials. Isn’t that right?”

She looked enraged like she was about to berate him but instead of harsh words heaving sobs poured from her mouth. 

“Objection! The prosecution is harassing the witness!” Nick was on his feet and slammed the table. 

Edgeworth interjected before the judge could respond to Nick. “You did not intend to poison Bradley Burbank. Your true target was Gina Watson! Just as Mr. Wright was your true intended target on November fourth!” 

Edgeworth looked at him intensely with more feeling on his face than Nick had seen in years. The implications of what he had just said were swirling around his head. 

“Wait, what?” Nick asked blankly before he found his tongue again, “Hold it! I was given coffee that day but I wasn’t poisoned!” 

“Yes, and therein lies the mix up with the tea,” Edgeworth said simply. 

Nick went numb. Was Edgeworth implying that by him being poisoned Nick's own life was saved?

Edgeworth continued his monologue, seemingly unbothered by the fact he almost died by the hand of the person on the stand. 

“You’ll remember, in the previous trial, how Ms. Hodge confused me for Mr. Wright, a truly remarkable mistake rooted in assumptions. The fact is, Ms. Hodge never spoke directly to either myself or Phoenix Wright prior to the trial. What happened is that she saw Mr. Wright walking around the crime scene during his early investigation, and yet never spoke with him because she was scared to speak directly to any attorney at risk of revealing the nature of her crime. However, she had ample written correspondence with my office. Therefore, she had my name and Mr. Wright’s visage, and connected the two together. Conversely, this is why she referred to me as 'Mr. Wright' during the trial that day.”

“No. Hold it! HOLD IT!” Nick bellowed, “That still doesn’t make sense. Even if she assumed you were me, she would have put the poison in my coffee order, not your tea order! The name still would've been correct and I would have received the coffee. You’re only insinuating that she mixed up our faces. This does not imply guilt!”  

“Which brings us to the next complication. And what I witnessed in the kitchens while I was bringing my own tea blend.” 

“Which was?” the judge asked in a hushed voice. He was on the edge of his seat.

“I witnessed Ms. Hodge delivering your coffee order. Ms. Hodge, what was that order?" he bellowed as he pointed at her. 

"Nick! You have to object!" Maya hissed beside him. 

"I... I can't," he said, defeated, "He's established relevance." 

Mabel swallowed thickly. "It was... It was a large latte with four creams, three pumps of vanilla and one sugar." 

"Disgusting, to be sure," Edgeworth said smugly while Nick continued to sweat as if he was on trial, "And you got this order how exactly?" 

"I asked around," she said quietly. 

"And the real question here, is why?" Edgeworth turned back to face the room, "She requested Mr. Wright's usual order in advance and delivered it exactly as-is, overfilled with a cloying concoction, not of poison, but flavourings and creamers. Just the way Mr. Wright likes it. With one addition on the side. A sugar packet, branded with the WatBank logo, containing a fatal dose of pure caffeine powder.” 

He procured an evidence bag from his pocket containing the open bag. The courtroom gasped. 

“I collected it from the kitchens and this has been analyzed by the lab,” he said smoothly, "It contained pure caffeine powder, not sugar. I submit it to the court record as evidence."

"The court accepts the evidence," the judge said in a hushed voice. 

“Now, the important thing to note here is that I did not have all these facts available to me at the time. But nonetheless I discarded the coffee delivered for Mr. Wright to ensure no additional poison was present and arranged for it to be tested. I also placed an order for a hasty delivery of a perfectly normal coffee, entirely unadulterated apart from Mr. Wright’s own poor tastes.”

The court room went silent. 

(Something still isn’t adding up here!) 

“Hold it! Why poison me?” Nick demanded, breaking the silence, "You have, at best, provided speculative evidence linking my client to the scene of the crime."

Mabel continued to sob on the stand and Edgeworth stood in front of her so that Nick had to face him.  

“Why not? You were the only defence attorney that had ever marred my perfect win record. By removing you she must have determined she had a better chance of having Ms. Watson prosecuted in her place.” 

“But wait, how did seeing one of the key witnesses in the courtroom kitchens not alert your suspicions?” Nick asked suspiciously. 

“It did, but not in the way it should have. At that point I was still prosecuting Gina Watson and I assumed she had used Mabel Hodge as a vehicle to conduct another poisoning.” 

Nick’s mind swam. 

Edgeworth turned back to Mabel. “It was rather well thought out but you unfortunately lack the eye for detail of a killer, as evidenced by the events of November fourth. You almost poisoned the correct person, and yet still somehow managed to call me by the incorrect name. In seeing your confusion after I corrected you I realized something was amiss, and yet you would've been watching me succumbing to a poisoning under the wrong name, assuming you were correct," he turned back towards the room, "Is the court following the logic?"

(No. Because something isn’t adding up here. Even the judge looks confused.)

Edgeworth continued. "If it doesn't, it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that Ms. Hodge's intent was to kill and she was sloppy. Just as she was sloppy with Mr. Burbank. She didn’t intend to poison Burbank. Her true intended target was the object of his affections. The reason she failed? She experienced a similar mix-up,” he turned back to Mabel, “Isn’t that right?” 

She sobbed, "I never meant to poison Bradley!"

Nick's face fell. He understood it now.

Edgeworth slammed his hands on the table. "This all said, I don't know exactly how you prepared and delivered the poison to Mr. Burbank accidentally, but I can only surmise that you acted as you did with the coffee situation in preparing an adulterated food item that contained a multitude of flavourings to mask the acrid bitterness of the lethal dose of caffeine.” 

"Can it be true, Nick?" Maya pressed quietly. 

"It... absolutely could be," Nick confirmed, holding a piece of paper to his face to prevent anybody from lip reading. 

Edgeworth had the motive and intended target figured out while Nick knew the mechanism. Together they had effectively solved a murder and yet there was absolutely nothing he could do except withhold his client's information. It was by far the most uncomfortable he had been in court. She still hadn't admitted guilt and he had successfully been able to keep her quiet enough but his mind was spinning on what he could do for her at this point. 

(But wait... What did Edgeworth just say?)

Edgeworth fluidly turned to face the judge.

“Therefore, your Honour, circumstantial evidence has proven the guilt of the new defendant. The prosecution rests it’s -”

“Objection!” Nick shouted and slammed his hands on his desk.

“Mr. Wright, are you asking the prosecution to continue its case because an objection may not be helpful for you in this situation,” the judge explained lightly. 

“No, I have a contradiction in the prosecution’s statement!” 

“Prosecutor Edgeworth is not on trial-”

“And yet by all accounts he should have known he was being poisoned as it was happening!” he turned to face Edgeworth, “Which begs the question, how did it get into your tea?”

A rabble grew in the crowd. 

Edgeworth smirked at him from across the courtroom with a smug arrogance that enraged Nick to his core. 

“What do you mean by that Mr. Wright?” the judge asked.

“We've established this at length already! To have received a toxic dose of caffeine in a pure form it would have been so bitter that the person had to have known they were consuming something noxious! And we’ve established that the defendant did not poison anybody’s tea.” 

“I’ve already explained how the taste could be masked,” Edgeworth said, deftly avoiding the question. 

“But not with your tea!” Nick slammed his desk, “You could not have missed the bitterness!”

“What can I say? I like my tea strong and it’s of the highest quality money can buy. It must have masked the flavour.” 

“Nah. I’m not buying it. Not from you. That wouldn’t have fooled you,” he said softly. 

It was insane. He knew it was insane. But Edgeworth was acting like the cat that swallowed the canary and Nick didn’t know what to believe anymore. He had a suspicion but it would be too far-fetched even for Edgeworth. 

And yet…

“The defense postulates that the only way Prosecutor Edgeworth could have been poisoned is if he added the poison to the tea himself!” Nick bellowed, slamming his hands on the table. 

The courtroom exploded in chatter and Edgeworth deflected Nick’s seething glare with a coy smile.

The judge banged his gavel. “ORDER!” he bellowed. 

“Do you deny it?!” Nick hurled across the courtroom. 

(Please let me be wrong.)

Edgeworth raised one eyebrow and folded his arms across his chest. “I do not.”

Nick’s jaw dropped. 

Nick ran his hands through his hair, balling them into fists. “Oh my GOD! Why would you do THAT?” 

“Mr. Edgeworth, while I don’t share Mr. Wright’s emotional outburst, I do demand an explanation,” the judge asked, looking shocked. 

Edgeworth once again began pacing. “I had a theory to test based on my own knowledge of the trial through my preparation of evidence and the happenstance activity I witnessed in the kitchens the morning of the trial.”

“A theory… You mean to tell me that you willingly poisoned yourself to the brink of death just to prove a theory? Just to win a case? Is this supposed to be reassuring in any way?!” Nick’s voice rose in fury.

“As a prosecutor, my job is not to reassure you,” Edgeworth said coldly, "It's to see justice meted out." 

It stung like he had been slapped. 

Edgeworth continued.

“What I got wrong at the time was that it wasn’t Ms. Watson who had planted the poison. As I established earlier I was tipped off mid trial. However, by the time I had surmised who the real culprit was I was already succumbing to the effects of the poison.”

“Putting your insane methods aside, why would you drink poison intended for me? You didn’t even know what it was so how would you be sure you could be saved?” Nick demanded. 

“I knew what it wasn’t,” Edgeworth shrugged as he procured a copy of the autopsy report and tapped it with his fingers, “The toxicology report did not reveal anything that would have rendered me dead instantaneously. Nor did Bradley pass immediately, according to the autopsy. I also surmised that because the dose was calculated for you, I had the added benefit of being proportionately larger which would have slowed the effects in me.”

“You did NOT have to consume the poison! Neither of us had to be poisoned! You could have had it tested!” Nick was on the verge of punching the wall behind him. Or better yet, punching Edgeworth in the face. 

“As I said, I had a theory, and a time limit as the trial was taking place that same day. It may not have even been poison but I nonetheless adulterated my own tea and found quickly that the bitter aftertaste proved the first part of the theory correct. Someone had poisoned Mr. Burbank intentionally.”

“For Ms. Watson, her innocence was revealed mid-trial via Ms. Hodge’s testimony. I could feel myself succumbing but also knew the trial would not be completed that day.” 

“Then why didn’t you just stop the trial?” Nick shouted. 

“You might remember that I was in a reduced cognitive state. I ran the prosecution case in the only way someone suffering from a caffeine intoxication could. Poorly,” he explained sombrely, “To that point, I heartily thank the defense attorney Phoenix Wright for his valiant efforts and fact finding when I was incapacitated and unable to do so myself. And more importantly for his quick thinking in saving my life from the brink of death. Truly, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you. The only reason I’m alive today is because Mr. Wright has an uncanny knack for uncovering the truth.” 

The courtroom fell into a stunned silence. Nick blinked and felt the heat rising on his cheeks. 

“So, as it stands, by my efforts I believe I have performed the defence's role in finding the original innocent party not guilty, identified the correct guilty party, and correctly prosecuted her. Your Honor, was there anything else you needed from me?”

“N-no,” the judge sputtered, “But may I say Mr. Edgeworth that -”

(Oh boy, here it comes, he’s in for it now.)

“ - that was the finest piece of investigative prosecution I have ever witnessed in all my years as judge! My final verdict is -

(Fuck it.)

“HOLD IT!” Nick furiously bellowed, “In light of this information I demand a thirty minute recess to speak with my client!” 

“Mr. Wright, surely you know you can’t win this case?” Edgeworth asked from across the court. 

(I do know that, but I’m not out of options yet.)

“Your Honor, thirty minutes, that’s all I ask and we can put this trial to rest,” he said urgently.

“Granted,” the judge said after a moment of deliberation, “Mr. Wright, I also insist that I meet with you and Mr. Edgeworth before the culmination of recess.” 

He nodded.

(Good. I was counting on it.)

The gavel banged and the court was in recess. 

He was granted an audience with Mabel in a secure room. It was odd knowing that she tried to kill him, and likely would have succeeded if Edgeworth hadn’t intervened. He could have easily recused himself from being her attorney but he needed to see this one through. He would still give her the best defence representation he could. 

“Ms. Hodge… It’s not looking good out there,” he said simply, “You are going to be found guilty and the Prosecutor will seek the maximum sentence. You’ve seen his extreme tactics firsthand now.” 

She did not look like a killer. She looked like a scared young woman. 

“I know,” she said regretfully. 

He didn’t know if it was regret at the killing, or regret at being caught. He had a duty to defend her regardless of the answer but still wanted to understand. 

“I don’t think there’s any point to dragging out the facts in court in front of everyone. Let’s establish it between us though. You didn’t attempt to kill Gina Watson because of work hostilities, you did it because Bradley was in love with her.” 

She looked away, her eyes filling with tears. 

“And that sample intended for her went to him instead, isn’t that right?” 

Several large tears rolled down her face and suddenly she was sobbing once more. 

“I just wanted him! I never wanted him dead!” she cried, “I… I freaked out. He told me so many horrible things about Gina. He confided in me how she turned him down cruelly after bearing his soul to her. I thought I was setting him free, meanwhile he's dead and I’m going to jail because it's all my fault.” 

He couldn’t say he felt much sympathy but he could see how the effects of an obsessed heart could lead to extreme measures. 

“Did Gina Watson deserve to die for something outside of her control?” he asked quietly. 

She sobbed harder and he waited patiently. They didn’t have much time but he had a duty to try. 

“No. I see what he was doing to me now. To us, now,” she clarified. Her sobs were beginning to subside as she turned to face him. “And I’m sorry, I know I tried to kill you too, the prosecutor was correct. But you seem so nice and I realize how stupid and wrong I’ve been.” 

He passed a box of tissues across the desk to her before procuring a pen and paper. 

“This is going to be hard but I’m going to need a written honest statement of what happened. And then I’ll see what I can do from here,” he said gently.  

“A plea deal? Surely you can’t be serious, Wright?” 

Edgeworth stood across from him in the judge’s office. One hand was on the desk in front of him and the other was on his hip as he looked at Wright incredulously. 

“I am. She’s willing to cooperate, you don’t need to pursue the maximum sentence. You get your guilty verdict, she goes to prison forever, win-win.”

“It does sound reasonable Mr. Edgeworth,” the judge conceded. 

“But she tried to poison you!” Edgeworth sputtered. 

“But she didn’t, in the end, and she expressed what appeared to be genuine remorse to me.” 

Edgeworth shook his head in disbelief. 

“Is it not extreme to stick your neck out for someone who was recently revealed to have tried to kill you?” Edgeworth demanded. 

“I don’t think you’re in a position to judge me for extreme actions, Edgeworth,” Nick said coldly. 

Edgeworth looked up and the air turned electric between them for a minute. Finally he looked away and crossed his arms in front of him. 

“Fine. We will seek a lighter sentence in exchange for her sworn testimony,” Edgeworth agreed begrudgingly.  

“Guilty.”

The gavel banged and the court room erupted into cheers. Edgeworth bowed several times, in several directions. 

Somehow Nick’s first loss wasn’t what hurt the most. 

Nick sat in the lobby with his elbows resting on his knees. His mind reeling from the circus he had just witnessed. 

“Wright,” a soft voice cut through his thoughts. 

He looked up to see Edgeworth standing a few feet away. Their post-trial meetings seemed to carry a quieter atmosphere than the bravado of their battles in the court. However, the awkwardness between them today was a suffocating miasma. 

“Oh, Edgeworth. Congratulations on your win,” he said glumly. 

“Oh, er, well done with your investigative work on the matter. The bait and switch may have been jarring but I think you’ll agree it produced the best outcome.” 

Nick only snorted. Edgeworth didn’t leave. 

“I trust my thanks was sufficient,” he offered lamely. 

“Yeah, sure. It sounded really heartfelt,” Nick said despondently. 

“It was honest. You deserved that at least,” he waited a moment for Nick’s response but when none came he turned to leave, “I must return to my duties. I have much to catch up on after my extended absence.” 

Nick’s eyebrows furrowed and his eyes flickered up to watch Edgeworth walking away with his hands clasped behind his back.. 

“Hey, Miles?” he asked in soft suspicion. 

“Hm?” Edgeworth turned around with one eyebrow raised. 

“You really are mental, aren’t you?” 

Edgeworth cocked his head to the side. “I beg your pardon?” he asked icily. 

“And you haven't been totally honest today, have you? I understand things a little bit better after that absolute melodrama today but there’s one important detail I can’t help but feel like you’ve understated.”

Edgeworth rolled his eyes. “Can we not put this ugly chapter behind us? What else could be left to discuss?”

“All those times you berated me for interrupting your closing remarks. I don’t think you meant it. I don’t think you intended to finish your closing statement that first day,” Nick said in a quiet but resolute voice, “And I don't buy your explanation that you were unaware of what was happening after you started to feel the affects of the poison. I think you were counting on me to interrupt the trial for you.”

He stood up to his full height, challenging Edgeworth to deny him. 

But he did not. 

“I told you that I would do anything for my guilty verdict. I had already drunk the poison and my course was laid. But, in this case, I’ll admit I changed course rapidly as new information came to light.” 

“Why?” Nick asked, hearing a hard edge entering his own voice in spite of himself. 

“Going into the courtroom that day I had exactly two intentions: I did not intend to lose and I did not intend to die. As soon as it was apparent who the real killer was, I realized that I was faced with a no-win scenario. Continuing this prosecution would be a farce. If I managed to win, I likely would have succumbed to the poison during the proceedings, having only succeeded in imprisoning a clearly innocent person over an unstable murderer.”

“So you gambled with your life to force a retrial?” 

“In a sense. My fight changed abruptly mid trial. I was no longer fighting you to prosecute a guilty party on behalf of the state, I was fighting against the clock. I best attempted to time it so when it was clear I could no longer continue, the trial was incomplete, and therefore, inconclusive, while also trying to ensure my own demise could be avoided. But I needed it to go on long enough for the right information to be revealed to help save my life.” 

The cold hand of fear clasped Nick’s heart in an ice grip. “But there’s just one last thing. You still haven’t told me how you intended to survive. From my perspective I was still an opponent to your survival. I could have killed you. Unless,” he paused as he wrestled with the next part, “Unless… You knew I would save you.”

For not the first time today he hoped he was wrong. 

Edgeworth dashed those hopes with a small nod. 

“I was betting on you being the reason for my survival.” 

The cold did not ease. If anything, it spread down from his chest through to his extremities and finally to his brain which was short circuiting from this new admission. 

“What are you saying? Why would you do that?” Nick ground out in a strangled whisper. 

Edgeworth's eyes shone with something deep and unreadable.

“What I’m saying is that I had taken the risk of placing an inordinate amount of faith and trust in your abilities to come to the correct conclusions that would save my life. I had always assumed the answers would come out in the trial, the revelation of the true killer didn’t change that fact. You were the only constant.” 

The cold in his chest was replaced with a white hot rage. It set him ablaze so that he couldn’t see anything except Edgeworth’s fear filled eyes which were now inches from his own. The front of his suit was clenched in Nick’s fists. 

“And if I had failed, Edgeworth? What then?!” he demanded hotly.

Nick’s chest rose and fell with every heaving breath. Edgeworth held his hands out at his sides. He could have shoved Nick away. He could have threatened to sue for assault. Instead he brought his hands up and lightly circled Nick’s wrists with his long fingers and tugged gently. 

“I didn’t see an outcome where that was possible. I had calculated the risks based on your reactions in our previous experiences together.” 

Nick let go and shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling exhausted. He willed himself to slow his breathing and turned around. He should just walk away. Forget about the whole damn trial. 

(No. This was insanity.)

“And in doing so you’ve saddled me with unnecessary guilt,” he spat back. 

Edgeworth winced slightly at the choice of words. Nick decided he didn’t care. 

“You know what the worst part is? I would have helped you no matter what. I would have helped you if you told me in the attorney lounge. I would have helped you if you passed me a note in court. I would have helped you see this one through even if it meant I lost,” he was rambling now while frantically pacing. 

“Phoenix,” Edgeworth said softly. 

It stopped him dead in his tracks. 

Edgeworth looked sidelong and sighed deeply. He gripped his opposite arm and rubbed it in a self-assuring way. 

“I know. You’re correct. I took advantage of your good nature and I’m truly sorry for not seeing that until now.” 

Nick froze. The apology echoed around every fold of his brain until it sunk in and seemed to become a very part of the fabric of his being. 

“I… Edgeworth. If you need me to save your life, I won’t say no, just make sure I know what I’m walking into,” he said softly. 

Some unknown emotion flashed across Edgeworth’s face, if only for a moment. “I will take that to heart.” 

Nick sighed and ran his hands through his hair with a groan. 

“So what now?” he asked. 

Edgeworth quirked an eyebrow, still looking abashed. 

“What now?” he repeated. 

“Where do we go from here?” Nick clarified. 

“I assume back to our respective offices?” Edgeworth said simply, “Or to opposite sides of the courtroom?”

Nick stared at him in disbelief but couldn’t stop a smile from forming on his face. A titter of laughter escaped him and then the floodgates were opened. Raucous laughter escaped from deep within his chest. 

Edgeworth politely waited for him to finish but the small smirk on his face didn’t escape Nick’s notice. 

“Alright. Well played. I forgive you, by the way.”

“That is… reassuring.” 

“Can you answer one more thing for me though? I can’t fault your resolve to get your win. But was there any part of you that felt you had gone too far?”

Edgeworth looked sheepishly to the side. 

“You barfed on me, I think you owe me this one.” 

“I would rather you didn’t hold that against me. It was your idea to induce vomiting. And I offered to replace your suit.” 

“Yes, well, I recall you left the saving your life part up to my discretion. Now stop avoiding the question, Mr. Edgeworth,” Nick said in his sternest voice.  

“I, er… Yes… When I drank the laced tea the bitterness was overwhelming. Admittedly I almost considered spitting it back out discreetly but I happened to look up at that moment and saw you staring at me from across the attorney lounge. I refused to make a spectacle of myself in front of our peers so I willed myself to swallow.” 

Nick’s mind went blank. 

“Hold it. You refused to spit out your poisoned tea in public because being poisoned was somehow less embarrassing?”

Edgeworth remained silent. Nick noted, at least, that he had the good decency to look slightly ashamed. 

“I would not phrase it quite like that…” 

Nick whipped out his cell phone. 

“What are you doing?” Edgeworth asked nervously. 

“Calling your tailor. I’m having several suits made.”

“One suit, Wright, you get one suit.” 

He clapped Edgeworth on the shoulder. “Oh no, I will have several. Because, if I remember correctly, my dear friend Miles has just informed me that he willingly barfed on himself and me because it was better to poison himself than it was to spit in public, or better yet, ask for help.”

A bead of sweat dripped down from Edgeworth’s hairline. Nick leaned in closer, lowering his voice. 

“And I think, for uncovering that motive, I should get several suits.”

Edgeworth made no objection. 

“That’s what I thought. As I recall you’re also in need of some new clothes so you might as well come with me and treat me to lunch while you’re at it.” 

“You are pushing it.” 

“You barfed on me.” 

“You are holding actions that were beyond my control against me. It was a medical emergency and I was in a highly vulnerable state at your mercy.”

“Yes, well, the next time you’re feeling vulnerable perhaps try to aim better.” 

“I do despise you sometimes.” 

“I’m surprised it’s not more than sometimes.” 

As they walked away Nick felt a lightness between them that was reminiscent of when they were children. He didn’t dare comment on it though; Edgeworth was slow to warm so Nick would take this win quietly. 

“I’m glad you’re alright,” he offered truthfully, “And thank you for not letting me be poisoned.” 

“Well, I could hardly stand by and let it happen,” Edgeworth shrugged but there was a small smile on his face. 

Nick chanced a glance at him to find there was a slight pink tinge over Edgeworth’s cheeks. It would not do to dwell. 

However… 

Something about it warmed him up inside in a way that suggested it wasn't just gratitude for seeing him alive and well.