“What do you think, Maya? Which one should I wear?” Phoenix held up the three ties he’d narrowed down to.

“Um… I don’t know. Maybe you could just not wear one at all…”

“What? But we’re going to a fancy restaurant, I can’t go without looking smart!” he gasped.

“Okay, okay. Just mix them up behind your back and choose one randomly!” Maya snapped.

Phoenix was taken. “Um… you seem a bit tense today, Maya. Is everything OK?”

“Yes! I’m fine! It’s just… hormones! I am pregnant, after all!”

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. “Well, you’ve been bright and chirpy all week, until I mentioned I was going to dinner with Franziska. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were jealous!”

That earned him a smack around the head.

“Ow! You’re so violent!”

“That’s why you shouldn’t tease a pregnant woman,” Maya said smugly, her arms folded over her huge belly.

“Sorry, your majesty…” he grumbled. Honestly, did she have to be so hormonal these days? “Well, I guess I’ll ask Pearls. I’m sure she’ll pick out a nice tie for me!”

Maya smirked. Phoenix hadn’t gotten round to telling Pearl about his dinner date with Ms Von Karma, and she knew Pearl’s reaction wouldn’t be a positive one.

“Hey, Pearls! Come here!” Phoenix called.

“Alright, I’m just coming Mister Nick!” Pearl scampered into the room. “What is it? Is Mystic Maya’s baby coming out?”

“No, no! I need you to help me pick a tie.” He held up the three options. “Which do you think Franziska would like best?”

“Isn’t Franziska that mean prosecuting lady?”

“Hey, Franziska is nice once you get to know her! And anyway, I’m taking her out to dinner this evening!”

That one got him five slaps.

“Mister Nick, how dare you! The only woman you can take to dinner is Mystic Maya! She’s your special someone! You can’t just go out to eat with someone else!” Pearl slapped him hard again for good measure.

“Hey, Pearls, don’t be like that!” Phoenix said, “Maya and I aren’t dating, you know that! I’m allowed to see other women if I want to!”

Pearl glared at him. “Mystic Maya, tell him off!”

“Pearly, I can’t stop him from doing what he wants,” Maya said in exasperation, “Phoenix isn’t my boyfriend, ok? He can go on a date with Franziska if that’s what he really wants to do.”

Pearl pouted, then ran off to her room with tears in her eyes.

“Great. I guess I’ll have to pick a tie by myself then.” Phoenix went off to his bedroom.

Maya sighed. Was it wrong to feel jealous of Franziska and Phoenix? She didn’t know. Maybe it was just her hormones after all.


Phoenix’s wallet felt extremely empty as he handed over some cash to the taxi driver; he really should learn to drive one of these days. He looked up at the restaurant. It was one of those fancy places, and he dreaded to think how much a romantic dinner for two would cost.

He had been pretty surprised when Franziska called him the evening after the christmas party to see if he was okay. He’d expected her to be disgusted at him for throwing up all over the place; instead she’d been sympathetic and really quite nice. He’d been even more startled when she said she’d enjoyed herself at the party and wanted to meet up with him again.

“What… like a date?” he’d said, dumbfounded. Franziska von Karma wanted to meet up with him for dinner? That was crazy!

Franziska had laughed; instead of her usual cruel laughter, it sounded like she was giggling. That was weird. “Yes, I suppose you could call it that… so, how about tomorrow? I think I have a gap in my schedule in the evening…”

“Um… ok!” Even though this was Franziska, the prosecutor he had once hated, he just couldn’t say no. It had been so long since he’d been out with anyone, and she seemed to have gotten a lot nicer lately. “So… you can pick the restaurant!”

He regretted letting her choose now. Of course she’d pick the most expensive place in town. He went inside and a waiter guided him to a table of two, where he sat waiting for his date to arrive.


Edgeworth took another sip of wine; the wine was always good in this place. It was his favourite restaurant, in fact, and he’d come here often with Franziska when the two of them were on speaking terms. The price was a bit of a stretch, even on a prosecutor’s salary, but the good food and excellent service completely made up for it.

“Ah, this soup is delicious! Don’t you agree, Miles?”

“Yes, chief prosecutor, certainly the best soup in town!” he said, gulping down a spoonful.

The other prosecutors nodded in agreement. It was a kind of unofficial Christmas dinner, and all of the higher ranking prosecutors at the office had been invited. Luckily for Edgeworth, Franziska had declined her invitation; he was thankful that he wouldn’t have to spend a whole evening sat across the table from her, with the way things were between them now. She had said she had other plans, which seemed strange for her. Usually she wouldn’t miss a chance to suck up to the chief prosecutor. Actually, her behaviour had been decidedly odd recently – he thought back the Christmas party a couple of days ago, when he could’ve sworn he saw her kissing Wright.


Edgeworth glanced around the restaurant. As usual it was filled with businessmen having corporate dinners and rich-looking couples. Everything was ordinary… until one table caught his eye. He couldn’t mistake that ridiculous spiky hair anywhere! But what on earth was Wright doing in a place like this? Surely it was beyond his price range! Maya wasn’t with him like she usually was… could he be meeting somebody for dinner? A woman, perhaps…?

“Are you alright, Miles? You look distracted!”

“Ah, no, I am fine, chief prosecutor…” He tried to focus on the conversation around the table, but his eyes strayed back to Phoenix’s table. Wright was drumming his knuckles on the tabletop, and looked impatient. He suddenly perked up as the restaurant door opened and someone walked in. Edgeworth followed Phoenix’s gaze; the newcomer was none other than Franziska von Karma! Maybe she had found room in her tight schedule and managed to come to the prosecutors’ dinner after all?

But instead of heading towards the table where Edgeworth and his colleagues were sat, she seemed to be walking towards Wright. And smiling at him, of all things!

Edgeworth nearly fell off of his seat in shock as Phoenix got up and pulled back Franziska’s chair for her. As she sat down, she kissed on both cheeks. Edgeworth almost fainted with shock. What on earth was going on?

“Are you really alright? You looked pale, Miles!” The chief prosecutor stared at him in concern.

“I’m… I just… please excuse me, I need to get some fresh air, if you don’t mind…” Edgeworth stood up in a daze and clumsily tucked his chair under the table. As he rushed out through the fancy double doors into the cool evening air, he was certain that Franziska looked at him with a sly smile on her face and a glimmer in her eyes.


“So, how do you find the beef, Phoenix Wright?” Franziska asked, smiling sweetly.

Phoenix swallowed his mouthful of roast beef and grinned at her.

“It’s really, really good!” And probably really, really expensive, he thought to himself. He hadn’t dared to look at the prices on the menu yet. “Um… by the way, you can just call me Phoenix. Or Nick, if you want. Or Feenie.” Phoenix instantly blushed; why had he said ‘Feenie’? Now he’d made a total fool of himself in front of her!

“Well, alright then… Feenie.” She moved her hand subtly across the table to touch his fingers. “You know, I’m having a wonderful evening. It’s so lovely to spend time with you.”

Whoa, whoa, whoa! This was WAY too weird. Phoenix didn’t know what to say. A couple of weeks ago, this girl had hated his guts, but now she seemed to be all over him!

“Oh, I’m sorry. Am I being too… full on?” she said, removing her hand from his.

“Ahahaha… it’s… um… okay…”

Franziska seemed to glance behind her for a moment, then suddenly grabbed him hand again and interlinked her fingers with his. Then she giggled. “Oh, Feenie, you are so funny!”

Phoenix was so overcome with shock that he nearly spat out the piece of potato he’d just put into his mouth. He gulped it down quickly. “Um… no offense, but why are you being so nice to me?”

“Because I realised what a lovely and genuine person you are,” she responded, sounding sincere. Did she really think that about him? “And you are rather good looking… I couldn’t resist you any longer.”

Why was she talking so loudly? Surely people three tables away would be able to hear their conversation! But still, when she’d complimented him like that, his stomach did a little flip. He felt warm and fuzzy in a way he hadn’t felt for a long time.

“Well… um… thanks! You’re pretty too…!” He felt himself going red. He’d always sucked at flattering people. But she didn’t seem to mind. She must really like me, he thought.


As he came back into the restaurant, Edgeworth was sure she turned to look at him again. Then, suddenly, she seem to be holding hands with Phoenix and giggling like a schoolgirl. This was ridiculous. She hated that man! Why was she suddenly having such a good time with him?

He sat down. The other prosecutors exchanged glances, but didn’t say anything.

“…I couldn’t resist you any longer!” Franziska was saying. She was speaking so loudly, it was as if the words were intended for him. Her voice burned inside his ears. How dare she say these things to another man! He’d loved her for so long, and now she’s moved on straight away and was practically rubbing it in his face!

He realised he was trembling and his fists were clenched. He looked up and was greeted with stares from all around the table.

“Perhaps you are ill, Miles,” the chief suggested, “You are welcome to go home and get some rest, if you are not feeling up to the next course of dinner.”

Edgeworth breathed in through gritted teeth, throwing a glance back to Franziska and Wright. She seemed to be gazing into his eyes. He felt physically sick.

“Yes, yes, you’re right. I’ll just be leaving now.” He put down his knife and fork, then stood up. “Good day.”


Franziska smiled triumphantly as Edgeworth walked out. He looked pale and very agitated; a clear case of extreme jealousy. It had been a stroke of genius to invite that stupid, naïve defense attorney out to dinner and flirt with him in plain view of Edgeworth. Her ex-lover would be on his knees and begging for her to take him back before she knew it!

“And then she made me buy a bonnet in every colour, cos she couldn’t choose which one she liked best!” Phoenix said. He’d been rambling on about some shopping trip with Maya for a while now.

“Oh, poor you!” she said, trying to sound sympathetic. She watched in disgust as he shovelled in a forkful of vegetables. Honestly, had his parents taught him no table manners? It was difficult to keep a smile on her face at times with this joke of a man in front of her.

“You know what, it’s getting late,” she said, tapping her watch, “Perhaps we should skip dessert and head home.”

“Okay, sounds good to me!” he said, grinning a little too brightly. She’d have thought he’d be eager to have dessert, since he had enjoyed the starter and the main course so much. Then again, she realised, he was probably happy that he wouldn’t have to pay for any extra food.

“Alright, then. I shall ask the waiter to bring us the bill.”

She almost burst into laughter when he saw how much the meal had cost; it was rather comical the way his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

“So… I’m paying for this, right?” he said, almost pleading her to say ‘no, don’t worry, I’ll pay instead’. But she wasn’t going to give in that easily.

“Yes, like you promised over the phone,” she said in her most sugar-sweet voice, “You are awfully generous, Feenie.” Urgh, every time she said that name she felt like puking.


Phoenix reluctantly paid and they headed out of the restaurant. The date had gone pretty well, in his opinion. She seemed to really, really, like him. And she had said that they should ‘go home’… did she mean they should go back to their own homes, or was she subtly inviting him back to her place? She did seem very keen on him, after all…


Franziska felt relieved as she called a taxi. She couldn’t wait to get away from this vile man.

“So, um… are we going back to your place?” he asked sheepishly.

“W-what?” She could mask her horror this time. “No, of course not! Foolish fool, why on earth would I want to…” She breathed slowly, in and out, and managed to regain composure. “I mean… it’s too soon for that. I would rather take things slowly.”

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” Phoenix had gone very red. “Well… bye then! Thanks for this evening!”

“Goodbye, Feenie!” She gave him a very fake smile and hurried into her taxi.

Kill Franziska off

That's actually a pretty good idea... but i dunno, it might upset franziska/edgeworth supporters, since i was gonna make them get back together... but still....! *Starts plotting a horrific death* heh heh heh!

You have to get Miles and Fran back together, or I'LL kill YOU! And I'm not joking!

dudes, DON'T kill her, or I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!!!

Noooooo; don't kill Franny! D8 She's evil in a good way. >D

Alternative ending plz? For us Franny haters (not that I really hate her, I'm pretty indifferent to her, it's just that I can't stand her being horrible to Nick and Edgey)

Hmm...instead of killing her (or even causing any physical harm), you could have mean old Franzy experience something really emotionally traumatizing (like when Edgey dumped her in a previous chapter). Much angst and tears involved preferably.

“I feel kind of bad, leaving Pearl alone with the village elders for Christmas…” Maya said, gazing out at the snowy scene whipping past outside the window.

“Yeah, me too. But it was hard enough explaining to my parents that I had a pregnant girlfriend, let alone a pregnant girlfriend with a younger cousin who comes everywhere with us and knows very little about the outside world…” said Phoenix.

“I guess.”

Phoenix absent-mindedly reached into his pocket and checked his mobile; still no new messages. He sighed. Maya frowned a little.

“Huh. I bet you wish your girlfriend Franziska could’ve come too, right Nick?” she said quietly.

“Well, it would’ve been nice…” he mused, not detecting the sarcasm in Maya’s tone.

Maya bit her lip to stop herself from saying something horrible which she would later regret, and turned her head back to the picturesque winter scene outside the train window. She knew that she should be happy for Phoenix and Franziska, but somehow she just couldn’t.

There was a beep as Phoenix’s phone received a text message. He pulled it out of his pocket at the speed of light, his eyes lighting up. Maya groaned inwardly as his fingers whizzed across the keys; he was probably writing some soppy text back to Franziska. She glanced over his shoulder and her worst fears were confirmed: “MISS U ALREDI BABE, LUV U XXX FEENIE”. It made her want to puke.

Phoenix was still smiling happily to himself as he pressed ‘send’ and tucked the phone back into the pocket of his jeans.

There were five more minutes of awkward silence, only interrupted by Phoenix’s irritating ringtone as the texts whizzed back and forth between him and his new girlfriend.

Finally Maya couldn’t take it any more.

“Nick!” she growled, turning wildly to face him.

He jumped in shock, dropping his phone on the floor. “W-what?”

“Could you please stop texting Franziska so much? It’s so annoying! If you don’t stop, you might just send me into early labour!”

He picked up his phone nervously and put it away. “Alright… um… sorry…”

Maya sighed in relief. “Thank God. I thought you were never going to stop.”

Phoenix opened his mouth to ask why she was getting so pissed off about it, but decided not to. It was probably just hormones; after all, Maya was due in less than a month.

“I’m sorry, Nick,” said Maya, seeming to have calmed down a bit, “It’s just that… you know, we’re going away for Christmas, just the two of us, as… friends. And I don’t really want Franziska to ruin it… you know…?”

“Y-yeah. It’s fine. I won’t text her so much.”

Thankfully the tension was broken by a robotic voice booming from the loudspeaker: “You have now reached your destination. Thank you for travelling with SpeedyLine Trains. Mind the gap.”

“You’d better carry all the bags, Nick! I can’t manage them in my condition!” Maya said chirpily, nudging Phoenix in the kidney.

“Ow! Okay, okay, I’m just getting them!” He reached up and took the two large suitcases they’d brought with them off of the rack above their heads. It was a bit of a struggle but he finally lugged everything off of the train and onto the platform.

It was only a small station, so the platform was outdoors; snowflakes swirled down around them, forming a soft white carpet around their feet.

“Wow, look at all this snow! It’s almost as good as Kurain in winter!” said Maya, “I love snow! Although…” she looked down at her huge bump, “I guess I can’t really make snow angels this year, huh. Oh well, I can just watch you making them, Nick!”

“Hmm. Yeah.” Phoenix could just imagine himself rolling around in the snow, waving his arms about with Maya screaming ‘faster!’ at him. “Are you warm enough, Maya?”

“Yeah, duh! I’m wearing, like, four layers!” Maya patted the huge winter coat she was wearing. “Feels weird wearing normal clothes, though. Are you sure your parents would freak out if I turned up in my acolyte outfit?”

“Yes, definitely. They’re really not fans of the occult. Plus that outfit barely fits you anymore!”

“Well, we spirit mediums don’t believe in buying tons of new clothes just because you’re pregnant! You need to save money and carry on using your regular clothes!”

“Uh huh… so how come you believe in forcing your poor best friend to buy tons of baby clothes for you?” Phoenix asked, one eyebrow raised.

“Oh, it’s alright if someone else buys stuff for you!” said Maya, “Hey, is that your parents?” She pointed to a middle aged couple stood huddled by the ticket office. The woman was waving.

“Yep, that’s them… here goes…” Phoenix took Maya’s gloved hand and led her over to his parents.

Maya noticed that both of them looked a little like Nick. The man had his blue eyes; his grey hair was thinning, but it looked like it had once been dangerously spiky, like Nick’s. The woman had Phoenix’s dark hair, cut into a neat bob; the features of her face somehow resembled him too.

“Mom, Dad, this is Maya. Maya, these are my parents.”

“Oh, it’s lovely to meet you!” his mother gushed, hugging Maya and kissing her on the cheek. “I didn’t expect you to be so young! How old are you, exactly?”

“I’m… twenty-four,” said Maya, “I just look young for my age!” That was the age she and Phoenix had previously agreed on; after all, his parents probably wouldn’t been too keen on him having a nineteen-year-old girlfriend.

“Huh. You look like you’re barely past eighteen,” Phoenix’s father said gruffly. He held out his hand; Maya shook it nervously. “I’m Phil. Nice to meet you.” He shook his head in distaste. “You have a very limp handshake.”

“Dad!” Phoenix hissed, “Can’t you at least try and be nice?”

“Oh, Phoenix, your father is only joking around,” said his mother, shooting a fierce glare at Phil. “Don’t listen to him, my dear. My name is Robyn, by the way.” She beamed at Maya. “Now come on, let’s get you out of the cold!”

Robyn led the way to the car, and Phoenix helped Maya in.

“So, Maya, what did your parents think about your condition?” Phil asked, “I’m sure they were displeased. After all, you are pregnant out of wedlock.”

“I… um… actually, I don’t exactly have any parents,” Maya said. She could see Phil’s blue eyes glaring at her in the rear view mirror.

“Oh. That makes sense.”

“What makes sense?” Phoenix asked accusingly.

“Well, that would explain why Maya has gone astray and ended up in this situation… she had no parents to teach her otherwise.”

“Dad!” Phoenix said angrily, “Maya hasn’t done anything wrong! She’s nine- I mean, twenty-four! Whether she has parent or not makes no difference!”

Robyn patted Phil’s arm. “Phoenix and Maya have made their choice, dear. They obviously decided to take a less traditional route. But I’m sure things will be sorted soon… won’t they, Phoenix?”

Phoenix groaned; Maya glanced at him in confusion. “Excuse me, Robyn… what do you mean, ‘things will be sorted’?” she asked.

“Well, with the wedding, my dear! Then it won’t really matter too much that the twins would be born with unmarried parents!” said Robyn.

“The children would still technically be bastards, though,” Phil muttered darkly.

Maya could barely hide her horrified expression. “Um… me and Nick… we’re not actually, like, engaged or anything!”

“Oh, I know, but it’s only a matter of time!” said Robyn cheerily, “Phoenix assured me on the phone the other night that you two have been thinking seriously about marriage for a while now!”

Maya turned to glare at Phoenix. He mouthed the word “sorry”, looking extremely embarrassed.

“So, Maya… do you have a job? Or, rather, did you have a job before you went on maternity leave?” Robyn asked.

“Uh, well…” Maya looked at Phoenix for guidance, but he was too busy staring out of the window, trying to forget his annoyance at his parents. “Um… actually, I’m kind of a spirit medium.”

Phil nearly crashed the car.

“A… what!?”

“It’s nothing too weird, honest! We just, um, channel spirits sometimes… and stuff…” Maya felt like kicking herself. Phoenix had warned her not to mention this kind of stuff.

Phil seemed to be too angry to speak. Robyn managed wipe the shocked expression from her face. “Oh, that’s um… nice, dear.” Her tone of voice suggested otherwise.





Maya flopped down onto the bed in relief when she and Phoenix finally managed to escape his parents and were alone in the spare bedroom.

“I told you not to mention spirit channelling!” he said, running his hands anxiously through his hair. “Now they’ll never take you seriously!”

“Sorry, sorry!” she said, “It’s just that your dad makes me feel so nervous, I thought he’d eat me or something if I told a lie!”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about him. I should’ve just said we already had plans for Christmas… I knew this was a bad idea!”

“Well, we’re here now, I guess…” Maya sighed.

“Yeah. I’m sorry… it won’t exactly be a very merry Christmas with my Dad around, huh?”

“I thought bakers were friendly!” Maya wailed, “And I was looking forward to free cakes and stuff!”

“Now do you see why I never bought you up to visit and get free food before?” Phoenix said, rolling his eyes. “I really wish my Dad wasn’t such scrooge.”

“I suppose that’s where you get it from, Nick!” said Maya.

“Hey, hey! I dressed up for that Christmas party, didn’t I?”

Maya shuddered as she remembered seeing Franziska and Phoenix making out at that horrible party. She tried to push the memories out of her mind.

“Anyway. I’m sure we can manage five days here,” she said firmly, “I mean, your Mom seems nice… even if she thinks we’re gonna get married.”

Just at that moment, the door was flung open; Robyn stood in the doorway.

“Are you two all settled in? I’ve got out all the wedding catalogues in the living room! Come and take a look!”

Phoenix and Maya looked at other in horror; they were doomed.

“Faster, Nick! Faster!”

“I’m going as fast as I can! Jeez!”

“Hmm… okay, you can stop now!”

Phoenix sighed in relief and got up. His back was encrusted with snow and he was pretty sure his nose was turning blue by now. Maya was sat on the garden wall, wrapped tightly in several thick, woolly layers of clothing. She examined the snow angel he’d just made.

“Well… I guess it’s alright. But I think you should make another one for luck, Nick.”

“What? No way!” Phoenix protested, “Can’t we go back inside now?”

Maya laughed. “Nope! Not yet! The other snow angels might get lonely if you don’t make one more!”

“But I already made five!”

Maya let out a huge, fake sigh. “Well, I guess if you don’t want to make more snow angels for me, I’ll just have to start talking about girly stuff!” She grinned at Phoenix mischievously. “Hey, did you know that when I go into labour my cervix will have to expand to-”

“No, please, that’s enough! I’ll make another snow angel!” Phoenix dropped back down onto the snow and started thrashing his arms about to make a pair of wings.

“Phoenix Ignatius Wright, get up off of the ground right now!”

Phoenix leapt to his feet and brushed the snowflakes off of his arms. “Um… sorry, Dad…”

“You are 26 years old! Why on earth are you behaving like a young child? I am ashamed to call you my son!” Phil didn’t look impressed with Phoenix’s snow angel creations.

Suddenly, Maya burst into laughter. “Nick… your middle name is IGNATIUS? Hahaha! You never told me that before! How embarrassing!”

Phoenix blushed; Phil looked livid. “Actually, my father’s name was Ignatius.”

“O-oh, um, sorry Mr Wright… it’s actually a really nice name, just a bit unusual…” Maya mumbled, going pink.

“I was thinking that if one of the twins is a boy, you could name it Ignatius,” Phil continued, “But, clearly, you have no respect for good old-fashioned names.” He turned and got into his car, slamming the door loudly behind him.

“Uh oh… I think I pissed off your dad… again…” Maya said.

“Yeah, I think so,” Phoenix agreed.

The front door opened, and Robyn came outside. “Hey, you two! Come inside, I have something to show you!”

Maya and Phoenix followed her indoors, where she gestured towards the computer screen.

“I’ve recently gotten the hang of using the internet,” she explained, “And I found the website for a lovely stately home just two miles away from here! They even have a photograph up on the web page, look!” She pointed to a picture of a large old fashioned house surrounded by trees covered in pink blossom.

“Um… and what does this have to do with us?” Phoenix asked.

“Well, don’t you think it looks like an ideal place to get married?”

Phoenix groaned. “Mum, I already told you! We’re not really ready to start planning yet!”

“Nonsense! You’ll want to get married as soon as possible, so that those twins have the best start in life!” She ruffled Phoenix’s hair, much to his annoyance. “Ooh, I know! My friend Judy does cakes! I’ll ask her to make your wedding cake, then we can get discount! Splendid!”

She disappeared off into the kitchen to get the phone, while Phoenix and Maya hung up their coats and sat down on the sofa.

“Oh great… we’ve only been here a day, and already she’s practically planned our whole wedding!” Phoenix said.

Robyn’s voice drifted out from the kitchen. “Hmmm… I think that five tiers should be enough, we don’t want anything too huge… oh, yes, sugared roses sound divine!... well, we haven’t fixed a date yet, but perhaps May next year?”

“May next year!?” Maya groaned quietly so that only Phoenix could hear, “Oh no! That’s only a few months away!”

They listened as Robyn said goodbye and hung up the phone. She returned to the living room. “Judy says she’ll start planning the cake right away! I’m going to email her a photo of you two, so she can make figurines to go on top!” Robyn pulled out a camera; both Maya and Phoenix were startled as she flashed it in their faces. “There we go! Now I just need to send this to her…”

Robyn drifted over to the computer and began uploading the photo. Maya and Phoenix’s shocked faces appeared on the screen; Maya had her eyes half closed, and Phoenix’s mouth was hanging open.

“Mum, no! We look awful!” Phoenix protested.

“Oh, Judy won’t mind! She used to change your nappies when you were a baby, you know!”

Phoenix rolled his eyes. “Maya, do you want to go for a walk or something?”

“Sure. Bye, Mrs Wright!”

“Have fun you two!” Robyn said chirpily, “I’ll cut out some more pictures for your wedding mood-board while you’re gone!”


Phoenix breathed a sigh of relief as they left the house. “Thank goodness, I thought we’d never escape!”

“Nick… d’you think we’ll end up being forced to get married this May?”

“Not if I can help it! Let’s just play along for now, and break the news to her over the phone once we’ve left. That way my Dad can’t strangle us for not getting married!”

“Okay!” Maya agreed, “So… what are we going to do now? This village is so small, there’s nothing fun to do?”

“We could go to the park and I could push you on the swings?” Phoenix suggested.

Maya thought for a moment. “Hmm… I dunno, I think I’m a bit too big now for swings.”

“I was kidding anyway, Maya! Honestly, you’re so gullible!”

“Well, I’m not too big for roundabouts! Let’s go!” Maya said excitedly, “Just don’t push me too fast, OK? I don’t want the baby to get jiggled about too much!”

Phoenix rolled his eyes as they walked off towards the park. Maya might have been about to become a mother, but she was really still just a big kid herself.



Franziska was feeling optimistic as she walked to the door to get her mail. Phoenix Wright seemed to be completely fooled, and Miles Edgeworth was clearly dying of jealousy. Things would soon be back the way she wanted them.

She picked up the small pile of letters and flicked through them; bills, bills, a letter telling her she was almost due for a dental check up, a late birthday card from some aunt in Germany; but what was this? A plain white envelope with the words ‘Frannsicksca Vonn Car Mar’ written in pitifully childish handwriting. Who on earth could this be from?

Curiously, she sat down at the kitchen table and opened the mystery envelope. Inside was a piece of paper folded into four. In the same child-like script was the message:

“Fransicksca,
Im relly sorry but we carnt be togther any more. I lov mistic Maya and not you.
Sorry frum mister Nick xxx”

Franziska re-read the note in confusion. It appeared to be from Phoenix Wright, but surely even he wasn’t stupid enough to have such appalling spelling?


Pearl couldn’t stop smiling as she got on the train to Kurain. Her little note to Franziska should have her completely fooled. Then she would break up with Mister Nick and he could be happy with Mystic Maya forever!


Phoenix was sat on his bed reading a book when his mobile rang. He checked the caller information; Franziska. He realised they hadn’t spoken for a couple of days now; she was probably missing him and wanted to hear his voice.

“Franziska! Are you missing me?” he asked happily.

“Fool! What on earth is the meaning of the ludicrous note you sent to me this morning?” she asked angrily, “I can honestly say that you have the worst handwriting of any grown man I have ever met! It looks like the foolish scrawl of an idiotic child!”

He was taken aback by her harsh tone. “W-what note? I didn’t send you anything in the mail!”

“Then why have I received a letter from ‘Mister Nick’ saying that you are in love with Maya or some such nonsense?” Franziska demanded.

“I have no idea! Maybe it was a prank or something? It wasn’t me!”

“Hey, Nick!” said Maya, walking into the room eating a cheese toastie freshly made for her by Robyn, “Who are you talking to?”

“Franziska,” said Phoenix, “Listen, Maya, did you send her a note saying that I’m in love with you?”

“No, why on earth would I do that?”

“Well, you did tell me she was pregnant once, so maybe you did it for a joke?”

Franziska’s impatient voice boomed out of the phone. “Phoenix Wright! I demand an explanation for this foolish fool’s note!”

“Hey, calm down, I’m sure it’s one of our friend having a laugh,” said Phoenix, “Never mind! Anyway, have you missed me?”

Franziska’s tone turned sugar-sweet. “Oh, of course I have, Feenie! I’ve been dreaming about you every day and night.”

Phoenix grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, me too!”

Maya rolled her eyes and left. She’d really hoped that Nick could forget about Franziska for a while, but clearly he was still as besotted with her as ever… She sat down on the sofa with a sigh. She was stupid to even think that maybe Nick would ever feel that way about her.

“Nick, hold the baby!” Maya shrieked, thrusting a squirming baby into Phoenix’s outstretched arms. It wriggled, kicking him in the face, and screamed in his ear. “And this one!” Maya tucked a second baby under his arm. The baby fell out of his grip and toppled onto the floor, where it lay on its back, bawling loudly.

Phoenix picked it up and tried to comfort it, only to find another baby lying on the floor. This one was in the middle of having its diaper changed, and it stank.

“Urgh! Maya, this baby needs cleaning up!” He looked around, but Maya had disappeared; in her place was a fourth baby. This one was eating some kind of yellow mush and had food all round its mouth. It giggled and flicked some into Phoenix’s hair.

“Hey! Watch my hair!” he cried. Something tugged hard on one of his spikes; he looked over his shoulder to see another little monster clinging onto his back, laughing a wide, toothless grin.

“Nooooooooo!” Phoenix yelled. He woke up sweating all over.

“Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!” Maya was screaming from the bed. He got up and rushed over to her.

“Maya!? Are you OK? Are you getting contractions?” he asked quickly.

“Um… no….” she said, looking puzzled, “I was just screaming cos you were! Is the house burning down or something?”

Phoenix felt relieved; thank goodness the babies weren’t coming just yet. Judging by his nightmare, he wasn’t quite ready for that. “Don’t worry, there’s no emergency,” he reassured her, “I just had… a bad dream.”

“Oh. Right.” Maya groaned quietly as she heaved herself up into a sitting position. “Hey, Nick! It’s Christmas today, right?”

“Oh yeah! I almost totally forgot!” Phoenix had nearly lost track of time staying here in this dull village with his annoying parents.

Maya grinned. “Yay! I love Christmas! What did you get me, Nick?”

Phoenix made a fake face of horror. “Oh no! I forgot to get you a present!”

She frowned at him. “Nick, you are such a spoil-sport! Just give me the present already, okay?”

“Fine, fine…” He reached under the sofa bed he’d been sleeping on and brought out a small gift-wrapped box, about the size of a box that might have a piece of jewellery in it. He handed it over to her. “Merry Christmas, Maya!”

“Thanks, Nick!” She took the little package in her hands and shook it. “Hmm… what could it be? …Zvarri! A ring?”

Phoenix burst into laughter. “Ha! In my mother’s dreams!”

Maya laughed along, trying not to sound disappointed. For a second there she’d thought that maybe Phoenix had been about to get down on one knee… but of course, that would be ridiculous. She was silly to think of something like that anyway.

“Well? Aren’t you going to open it?” he prompted. Maya grinned as she tore off the wrapper and opened up the little jewellery box inside.

“Wow, thanks! It’s gorgeous!” Inside the box was a little silver locket, engraved with a swirly pattern surrounding a purple stone the exact colour of her medium outfit. Maya took out the locket carefully and clicked it open. “But it’s empty, Nick!”

“Yeah, I thought you could put a picture of the twins in it, one in each side… once they’ve been born, of course.”

“Hey, that’s a great idea! Then I can carry them with me wherever I go…” Maya thought for a second, and then a sad look passed across her face, “Just like my mother did after she left us.”

Phoenix reached out a hand to comfort her but was interrupted by the door bursting open.

“Good morning, you two! Merry Christmas to you both!” said Robyn happily, “Come into the living room when you’re ready and we can all exchange gifts!”


Robyn was delighted with the antique teapot Phoenix and Maya gave her, and Phil seemed to like his new shirt and handkerchiefs.

“Well, here’s my gift to you two!” she said, handing Phoenix an envelope, “I’m sorry it’s nothing special, we just didn’t know what to get!”

He opened the envelope and took out a wad of cash.

“Whoa!” said Maya, her eyes wide, “Thanks, Robyn! Nick, think of all the burgers we could buy with that!”

“It’s for the little bastards, not for satisfying your own gluttony,” said Phil stiffly.

Maya’s eyes narrowed. “Well, bah humbug to you!” she said angrily.

“Dad! Maya!” said Phoenix, “Please… can we just be nice? It’s Christmas, after all…”

There was a long pause, before Maya finally spoke. “Um… sorry, Mr Wright.” She still looked angry, even if she’d accepted defeat.

“Hmph. Good. I just hope you won’t be wasting the generous amount of money which we’ve taken from our own savings to give to you,” Phil replied coldly.

Luckily the tension was broken by the doorbell ringing.

“Ah, that must be our guests!” said Robyn, “Phoenix, did I tell you that we invited Judy over for Christmas dinner?”

“Yes, about a million times,” said Phoenix, “And I know, her daughter’s coming too if she can get a break from her busy schedule…”

Robyn rushed off to get the door and returned a minute later with two women.

“Phoenix, dear, this is my friend Judy! Remember her? She used to bake pumpkin pies for you when you were little!”

“Oh, um, hi Judy…” Phoenix said, feeling embarrassed as the plump middle-aged woman hugged him and kissed his cheek.

“Oh, look at you, all grown up! I’ve already been commissioned to make your wedding cake, darling!” said Judy, “It’s going to be so lovely! I’ve already started on the moulds for the figurines!”

“Well, um, don’t rush yourself! We’re in no hurry!” he said.

Phil was guiding another woman into the living room; she was young and very pretty. “Phoenix, this is Judy’s daughter, Lily.”

“Hi, Lily…” Phoenix shook her hand, puzzled as to why his father was taking the time to introduce them. Lily was slim with long, wavy blonde hair, clear blue eyes and pink lips.

“You and Lily used to sit in the garden in only your diapers and make mud pies, remember?” said Robyn.

“Um… nope…”

Lily giggled. “How embarrassing!” she said, smiling radiantly at Phoenix. He blushed a little in return.

“Lily, you recently broke up with your boyfriend… isn’t that right?” said Phil, extremely polite compared to his usual gruff attitude.

Lily giggled. “Well, yes… although we weren’t that serious anyway… but I’m single at the moment!”

“Ah, yes. Well, I’m sure it would be lovely for you to find a nice strapping young man… someone who would be a perfect match for you, that is….” Phil said, his eyes flicking towards Phoenix.

“Hehe, it would be lovely if I could finally find somebody and settle down!” Lily was looking straight at Phoenix too.

Maya tried to get up quickly – which was kind of difficult in her condition – and grabbed Phoenix’s arm. “Nick, why don’t we go and help you Mum with the turkey?”

“What are you talking about? My Mum’s right here!” he gestured towards Robyn, who was stood directly opposite them.

“Well… maybe we should go to the kitchen and get a head start, then!” She dragged him off out of the room and slammed the kitchen door behind them.

“Maya!” Phoenix said, “What was that all about? We were just in the middle of chatting to Judy and Lily!”

She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Nick, are you blind or something? Your Dad is trying to set you up with Lily!”

Phoenix sighed. “Don’t be so paranoid! Why would he do that, anyway? He wants us to get married so that the children have married parents! He wouldn’t go trying to get me to find somebody else!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said Maya, “He really doesn’t like me. He probably couldn’t care less about the twins – he just wants to get rid of me and set you up with someone who he thinks is more ‘suitable’ for you!”

“That’s ridiculous! Of course my dad cares about the twins – they’re his own grandchildren!”

“Well, how come he always calls them ‘the little bastards’ then, huh?”

Phoenix was stumped by that one. “Well…uh… maybe he means it in an affectionate way?”

They were interrupted by Robyn entering the room. “What are you two whispering about?”

“N-nothing…” said Phoenix, “Listen, Mum… do you think Dad actually wants me to marry Maya?”

Robyn hesitated for a moment. “W-well… of course he does, dear! I mean, he thinks she’s a little unusual, not really what he would have expected for a daughter-in-law, but…” she trailed off, unsure what to say.

“Huh.” Phoenix considered this for a moment. Maybe Maya was right…


About an hour later, the six of them were sat down at the dining room table, tucking into the delicious Christmas dinner that Robyn and Phil had prepared.

They were on to puddings now; Maya had decided to eat some of everything. Her excuse was that she was eating for three.

“Mr Wright, can you cut me another slice of chocolate cake?” she asked, her mouth half-full of Christmas pudding.

He sighed loudly and gave her a third slice. “Remind me never to let you enter my bakery. You’d probably eat everything.” Everybody laughed as if Phil had told a great joke, not realising that he was deadly serious.

Maya wolfed down the cake and excused herself to go to the toilet; she had a very weak bladder these days, thanks to the babies squishing everything up. As soon as she was gone, Phil looked a lot happier.

“Now, Phoenix, you and Lily really ought to exchange email addresses and phone numbers,” he said, “It would be nice for you to stay in touch… after all, you’re both the same age, and both looking for somebody…”

“What do you mean, ‘looking for somebody’?” Phoenix asked, “I’m going out with Maya, and we’re expecting twins any day now!”

Phil smirked. “Yes, well... she’s really not that mature, is she? I was under the impression that your relationship wouldn’t last long.”

Phoenix stood up angrily. “You can’t go saying things like that! I thought you actually cared about old-fashioned values… but you want me to ditch my unborn children already?”

“Sit down, boy!” said Phil, “Honestly, why are you getting so angry over some stupid hippie-girl and her bastard offspring?”

At that moment, Maya returned from the toilet. “Hey! I am NOT a hippie!” She rolled up one sleeve, ready to punch Phil. “And I’ll hit you if you talk about my twins like that again!”

“Maya, no! You’re in no condition to be throwing punches!” said Phoenix, putting a hand on her arm. “Let me deal with this!”

It was too late. Maya had scrambled up onto the table and walked over to Phil. “Take that, you horrible old fart!” She kicked him hard in the face.

“Argh! You crazy bitch!” Phil leapt up, his nose streaming with blood. “Phoenix, get this freak out of here!”

Phoenix rushed over to Maya and helped her off of the table. Judy, Robyn and Lily were sat in silence, looking bewildered. “Thanks for the dinner, Mum,” said Phoenix, “We’ll be in our room.”