( No Title )
In Justice We Trust (84327 words) by thesavagesabretooth
With Simon Blackquill and Athena Cykes assigned as their psychologists, the Phantom and Fulbright must grapple with their identity, their deeds, their future, and their love for the twisted samurai whom they betrayed.
All the while, Edgeworth and Wright find their relationship tested as they walk the narrow path between pursuing real justice, and the dark age of the law.
–
December 25, 7:15 am
Athena walked nervously into the hotel restaurant’s dining room with Simon right behind her, and Halblicht and Gumshoe following a little way behind.
Despite having suggested ‘just keep them separated the whole investigation’ in the first place, she had, in the end, been the one to nix the idea.
The idea of running around intercepting Apollo every time he came too close was not only stressful– but it left her feeling a little sick. She’d only repaired trust with Apollo a few days ago, when he’d doubted her hard enough to go along with the attempt to indict her for the murder of her mother.
She’d only just promised that they’d try to trust one another from here on out. She couldn’t lie and sneak around him– which was exactly why she walked straight for him with the truth heavy in her heart.
And that was why they were headed to the cafeteria, to hopefully link up with Apollo Justice, and have a civil conversation over coffee.
Hopefully.
Despite the hopes for a civil and understanding discussion of a complicated situation…she felt the sinking in her stomach that this was likely going to get worse before it got better.
Christmas morning in the hotel dining room was not jam packed, though it was festively decorated. More festively than Athena was feeling, with red and green streamers, and old American christmas music being pumped through the speakers. There were only a few people sitting and eating the buffet breakfast– fewer than a half dozen including their own group– and Athena quickly spotted Apollo sitting with Ema, drinking coffee.
WIth her best and brightest smile she turned her walk into a near skip and hurried over towards them with a wave.
“Ema! Apollo!! Good morning!”
“Hey uh, morning Miss Sunshine" Ema jolted, nearly spilling her cup of morning coffee with a sharp choke. “Sounds like someone had a good night without me.”
Apollo looked up, and lifted his coffee in salute. She felt a wave of embarrassment from him as he grinned at her. "Hey uh, morning Athena. Morning Prosecutor Blackquill.”
“Good morning,” Simon nodded. His low hum of anxiety was like a wall behind her.
Athena’s head cocked to the side thoughtfully, her ponytail trailing over her shoulder as she smiled. The embarrassment was …not what she’d expected.
Perhaps he’d spent the night with Ema? Either way, it wasn’t the worst emotion to start out on. She pulled out a chair and dropped in to sit opposite Ema and Apollo with a big grin on her face.
“Well. I mean, mostly I slept…which is better than some of the other days this week!”
Apollo laughed and sipped his coffee. “Yeah, I hear that. I got uh, a little sleep. Glad to hear you tw- you got more than I did!”
….
Athena felt her face flushing as understanding dawned at just what conclusion Apollo may have drawn.
She cleared her throat with a smile, leaning on her hands with a shrug.
“Yeah…hey uh, Apollo? Can I talk to you about something important?”
Ema raised her eyebrow, halfway through tipping back another sip of coffee.
“Uh, sure?” Apollo cocked his head. “Have a seat. There’s plenty of coffee.”
“Thank the heavens,” Simon murmured.
Athena poured herself some coffee before she mixed in a little cream and sugar.
“Thanks, guys!” she raised her glass to them, before she set it down. “Ema, you already know about this…so maybe you can back me up on it?”
The detective looked like she nearly choked on her coffee again. “…oh…frick.”
“Try not to die at the breakfast table, Skye-dono,” Simon drawled. He started grabbing buffet items and putting them on a plate, passing some to Taka on his shoulder.
Apollo looked more surprised at that, and glanced at Ema. “Uh, I mean, are you sure this is something I need to hear about? I mean, I’m not gonna be weird about it or anything.”
Athena began grabbing breakfast items too, piling them onto her plate with a sheepish smile “it’s absolutely something you have to hear about…you trust me, right?”
“You’re probably gonna be weird about it.” Ema murmured.
Apollo sipped his coffee and set it down. “I promise I won’t. Look, ten years isn’t that weird. If you and Simon–”
Simon made a choking noise and looked down from where he was feeding Taka.
“Justice-dono, I’m afraid that’s not what this is about.”
“Yeeeeeeeeeep!!!” Athena waved her hands back and forth, despite the croissant clutched firmly in one hand. “No, no no! that’s…I mean, GEEZE that’s not what this is about at all!”
She was scarlet red, she knew she was, and the solitary emotion that broke through her chest was the utter embarrassment and desire to melt into a puddle and hide. “It’s…it’s about the investigation!”
One thing was for sure, no matter how strong her own embarrassment it was toweringly overshadowed by Apollo’s as he turned as red as his vest. He looked like he wanted to hide.
“Oh boy, Justice, you really put your foot in it this time,” he murmured to himself, rubbing the back of his neck. “Uh, sorry about that… I just assumed…”
Simon sniffed. “Defense attorneys. Always assuming they know how the evidence fits together.”
“Tell me a—” Athena’s head shot up. “SIMON, I’m a defense attorney, you jackass.”“Whoo boy This is off to a great start.” Ema groped for more coffee, grimacing the whole way while Simon laughed and slapped the table.
“Oh it certainly, certainly is.”
Apollo just hung his head in his hands. “Oh for Justitia’s sake…”
“Justitia had nothing to do with what I know she’s about to say,” Ema drawled, giving Simon and Athena a knowing, and somewhat reproachful glance. “But promise you’ll be cool, Justice.”
“Sure, yeah, of course I promise.”
Athena smiled awkwardly as she finished punching Simon solidly in the arm.
“…It’s about someone who’s going to be investigating with us, and…well…a special assignment that Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth gave Simon and I.”
“Okay…” Apollo’s embarrassment waned a little, matched by a rising confusion. His sharp eyebrows raised. “Well you have me curious…”
She glanced at Simon, who was feeding half a donut to Taka, and watching closely, before she continued.“…we’ve been asked to rehabilitate…and give intensive therapy to…the man you once knew as Bobby Fulbright.”
Apollo’s confusion rose to fever pitch, overshadowing everything else at the table.
“Bobby Fulbright is dead. That’s what was said at the trial. Was that– not correct?”
Simon closed his eyes. “Hmm.”
Athena glanced off to the side.
“Reality’s a little more complicated than what’s reported in the news, Apollo.” She wrung her hands together, before embarrassedly noticing it was an unconscious mirror of a gesture she’d been seeing a lot lately. “…the person we’ve been calling ‘the phantom’ survived the sniper attack…and is very much a victim of all t-this too. Not to get too deep into a man’s psychological profile over breakfast, but…there’s a reason Miles asked us. And we’ve had breakthroughs already.”
As Athena spoke, Apollo’s confusion didn’t fade any, but it was joined by a rising anger as the flus– and the hesitant smile– on his face both disappeared slowly.
He put his hands on the table.
“Tell me this is a bad joke, Athena,” Apollo said in a raspy voice.
“Oh it is,” Simon huffed back. “Unfortunately the joke is on all of us, by Lady Justice herself.”
“You can’t be serious.”
Athena shook her head. She could feel her smile strain, before it crumbled completely into the quietly neutral expression she’d worn most of her childhood.
“As serious as the grave, Apollo.” she looked down at her fidgeting hands. “We’ve been administering therapy for a few days now, and …and Prosecutor Edgeworth needs his help in finding the people really responsible. So he’s been asked to come with us while under Simon’s custody, with me as his appointed psychologist.”
She looked up, meeting Apollo’s eyes. He remained quiet, staring at her in disbelief, his hands trembling on the table.
“I know you can feel if I lie. So believe me when I say that the man known as the phantom’s as much a victim in this as us…and that doing this will he-help us find the real murderers.”
Ema hissed through her teeth, and clarified “…he’s on staff under a new identity, Justice. Detective Halblicht he’s calling himself…”
“You knew about this?” Apollo asked, his voice slow, and shaking as he looked around at the three of them. “He’s been alive this whole time and you all knew– and this is the first that anyone told me?”
“Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth is responsible for the security on the matter,” Simon said with a stiff shrug. “We were instructed not to tell anyone about it. I’m surprised he didn’t tell you.”
“I– I–” Apollo grabbed the edge of the table tightly with both hands.
Ema held her hands up.
“…I assumed you were in the know. They didn’t even tell me until I figured it out for myself. I’m pretty sure if I hadn’t, Simon wouldn’t have said shit to me.” She grimaced. “…besides, Justice. I only found out yesterday…and I only just saw you this morning. Didn’t exactly have the chance to break the news to you , did I?”
Athena kept her own expression still and quiet. “I’m guessing he was waiting to break the news to you soon, Apollo…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth put his trust in us to perform the job quietly and securely…but, I’m telling you now.”
Apollo was shaking like a leaf. He had gone pale, and his emotions had become such a storm to Athena as to be completely unreadable.
He stood up, jerkily, and nearly fell over. He opened his mouth to speak but only a croak came out, and he turned his back to them.
“Apollo…” Athena spoke up, starting to stand up as well. “I know it’s a lot, I know. I was really shaken up about it too, but it’s… it’s..complicated.”
Apollo looked over his shoulder squarely at her, and there was hardness in his strange, dark eyes.“Really? Because it seems pretty simple to me. Excuse me. I need to go talk to Mr. Edgeworth.”
Simon frowned, leaning on the table, and looked like he was weighing whether to speak or not.
Athena broke into a sharp frown as she fully stood up and slapped her hands on the table.
“…Dammit, Apollo! You said you’d trust me! You said …you said you wouldn’t get weird about it!” She slapped her hand on the table again. “The people behind my mother’s murder– behind Clay’s murder– are still out there. Even if you don’t believe me when I say that the therapy is very much necessary, then you have to believe me when I say that we need Robert’s help to take the organization down. Every second they’re out there is another orphan, another lost friend, a-another abused child.”
“Athena, when I said I trusted you, I didn’t expect to hear that you were giving therapy to the man who killed m–m–my friend!” Apollo’s famous chords of steel suddenly rang out, but faltered mid way through. “How can you? How could you even think–”
He whirled around fully to face her, and there seemed to be a dark fire in his eyes.
Simon was up from the table in an instant and his hand was at his belt while Athena braced herself against the table, her fingers digging into the wood as Ema shot upward, too.
“Hey, hey…let’s all take a deep breath before we cause an incident, alri–” Ema had started to say when Athena pushed forward toward Apollo.
“He’s the man who killed my mother, Apollo! Who framed me for it! You don’t think it’s hard for me? That I wasn’t conflicted?”
She slapped her hand on her chest. “but I’m giving him therapy because it’s the right thing to do…because it’s the kind thing to do– there’s more to the phantom than a psych profile and the blood on his hands. Something made him that way, Apollo. Are you going to be upset at me because I’m trying to treat the wounds it left?”
Apollo shuddered physically, almost violently, and crossed his arms– more like he grabbed himself– almost as if he was trying to hold himself back.
He made a sputtering noise that wasn’t words, and everything in the cafeteria fell silent. All eyes were on them.
And then the silence was broken by the soft clip of dress shoes on tile.
“Mr. Justice– if you’re going to yell at someone, how about you yell at me instead of Ms. Cykes.”
It was Robert Halblicht.
December 25, 7:20 am
“Festive, isn’t it?” Halblicht observed as he poured a large cup of coffee, and offered it to Gumshoe. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as Athena and Simon approached Apollo.
Do you think it’s going to be okay?
No, Bobby, I highly doubt it.Gumshoe nibbled his way through a large plate of pancakes and eggs, his coffee cup steaming in the open air as he looked around.
“Sure is, pal! Guess it’s Christmas after all…hah, brings back memories, I’d say.”
“I imagine this wasn’t how you were hoping to spend your Christmas.” Halblicht’s own plate was hardly more restrained than Gumshoe’s– and he was half a donut in before they even sat down.
It’s not how we wanted to spend our Christmas either…
Still, he kept a careful eye on the situation across the dining room.
“I’ll be honest with ya, pal. The way things go in the precinct, I dunno if we’ve ever had a half-decent Christmas. Things tend to like goin’ sideways if you know what I’m sayin’.”
“Is that why the office Christmas party is in January every year, then? Just in case?”
It had been such a hell of an evening. It had been such a promising morning. For just a few minutes, things had felt almost normal. Almost like they had early in the year, when they would just be able to get up, get ready for work, and go into the precinct.
Now, as Robert watched the discussion across the room, and heard voices begin to raise, he thought he should never have let himself hope.
Never even let Bobby hope.
Robert, you can’t stop me. Look, it’ll be alright. Somehow.– I know it. Mr. Justice is a good man…
Isn’t that exactly why you said it was so terrible what we did, Bobby? Because he was a good man?Gumshoe nodded, oblivious to their internal turmoil, as he tipped back his coffee.
“Yep…that’s why. Because if somethin’ happens on Christmas Eve again, like the whole mess with poor Mr. Edgeworth, we wanna be able to bolster everyone’s spirits with a big party. Nice gesture, ri–”
Dick;s gaze was drawn to the raising voices “…they alright over there?”
They’re fighting, Robert. We should go over there. We can’t just let them–
–Bobby they asked us to let them handle it.
So why did he feel so uncertain that was the right answer?
Robert narrowed his eyes, and sighed. He pushed his fingers up under his glasses and rubbed the tense bridge of their nose. “No, I don’t think they are. Dick– they asked me not to intervene. What would you do, if it was you?”
“If it were me?” Gumshoe rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “…Honestly, probably barrel over there anyway with my signature Gumshoe charm and ask ‘what seems to be the problem here, pals’. Usually that gets me whipped by Ms. Von Karma or somethin’ but it at least breaks it up!”
Robert smiled deliberately, and set down his coffee.
“I was thinking the same thing. Hopefully, I’ll be right back.”
If Dick would do it, and Bobby would do it, why not just do it? Could the result possibly be worse than not intervening? He thought not.
That’s the spirit!
December 25, 7:25 am
There wasn’t any sword at Simon’s belt for him to draw, but his hand went there anyway, as the tension in the situation increased– Athena and Apollo facing one another as the latter seemed on the verge of some kind of nervous breakdown.
This had been a mistake. They should have gone to Prosecutor Edgeworth instead of trying to deal with it themselves.
Just as Simon was about to step forward and intervene, he found himself interrupted.
“Mr. Justice– if you’re going to yell at someone, how about you yell at me instead of Ms. Cykes.”
Simon’s attention turned swiftly. Halblicht had come to intervene, like some idiot white knight– despite his current black suit.
Simon hissed. “Half wit, I thought we told you to stay put.”
Halblicht smiled a cold, thin smile and adjusted his glasses. “That didn’t seem to be the right call in the situation, sir. But you’re welcome to dock my pay about it.”
Apollo was standing there, eyes alight, haking, and face pale. All his attention slowly turned to Halblicht.
Athena winced, and her expression of anger that reflected in the bright red light of Widget’s display turned to surprise.
“Robert?” She quickly looked down. “Apollo’s just upset. I can’t blame him…I ..ah..”
“No, I don’t think anyone could blame him in the circumstances,” Halblicht agreed, slowly. I’d say he’s owed a free shot at the very least.“
Robert turned toward Apollo, his hands lowered.
"A free shot?” Apollo whispered in a low, dangerous tone, as he finally managed to speak. “A free shot? You owe me a hell of a lot more than that, you bastard, after what you took from me!”
Simon’s throat tightened in shock as he watched Apollo suddenly launch himself at the larger man like a missile, grabbing his lapels and slamming him back against the table.
“I want it back, do you hear me!” Apollo yelled. There was something wrong with his voice. “How the hell can you be here walking around when I–”
December 25, 7:28 am
The table beside Athena slid several inches as Apollo slammed Halblicht’s body into it.
“APOLLO!” Athena shouted. Widget flashed yellow and red as the ambient emotions pinged through her system like an alarm bell.
She moved quick when emotions became difficult– her body defaulting to action over the difficult prospect of expressing herself in words.
Flipping that cop back in Nine Tails Vale, preparing to fight when the courts were turning against them– trying to take down the person threatening Juniper– action was simple.
Action is what she took, grabbing Apollo’s shoulder as soon as she could muscle herself closer. “Get a hold of yourself!”
“It’s him I want ahold of, princess!” Apollo snapped back. He wrestled against the grip on his shoulders, slamming his fists against Halblicht’s chest.
The air went out of the detective and he shuddered against the table as Apollo hit him with strength.
There it was– Aura’s sarcastic snipe every time she tried to talk to her for the past 7 years. ‘The Princess of the Cosmos Center’. A sting of hurt , and growing anger flashed through her with the hot sensation of tears behind her eyes.
If she had to take a blow from his fists to snap him out of it, then she’d do it.
She pushed Apollo with her considerable strength and shoved her arm and shouldered her way between him and Robert’s chest.
She could hardly hear the heavy footsteps approaching over the sound of the ambient emotions and her own pounding heart. But suddenly, just as she was face to face with Apollo– between him and Robert– and standing over them all from either side were the two great stormclouds of Simon and Gumshoe.
Apollo shuddered– his fists tight and raised– but he didn’t make a move.
“Stop.” Athena said. She spread her arms out between him and the shuddering detective “Apollo, leave my patient alone. Consider it a ‘royal decree’ if you want, I don’t care– but I won’t let you hurt someone who’s not even fighting back.”
Apollo didn’t say anything for a moment. His lips were tight– and he moved to back away.
“Just let me out of here,” he rasped out finally. “I need some air. Fuck.”
Halblicht had gone limp against the table, and Athena could see Simon’s hands on his shoulders, ready to pull him away, or perhaps shield him if necessary.
Gumshoe’s hand patted his shoulder, and Athena heard him murmur. “Let’s get you some air, pal. Come on…”
With a tug on his shoulder, Apollo moved towards the exit as Athena shook on her feet. She was openly crying now– of course she was. Another day, another fracturing connection.
Another fantastic Christmas. Just like always.
“I’ll see you later, Apollo. Try to relax…if you need some therapy, just…just let me know.” Her voice quivered, and she found herself instinctively glancing back to make sure Halblicht was alright.
“Yeah,” Apollo hissed. He jerked his shoulders and slumped across the dining hall to the exit with Gumshoe, as everyone watched. “I’ll let you know.”
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