Five Scenes from the Greatest Law Firm that Never Was

By Cyberwulf

Rating: T

Summary: Based on the "Five Things That Never Happened to Character" trope. Five scenes from a universe where Mia Fey survived Redd White's attack. Written for the Phoenix Wright Kink Meme. Contains spoilers for Dual Destinies.

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i. Turnabout Sisters

Most days, Mia was just happy she was alive.

Most days, she knew she could make it work. Just a few changes here and there, and she could continue on her life as normal. Write everything down to help her remember. Bring a cheat sheet to court. Ask to sit down if she got too weak – she had all her medical records and the judge was usually sympathetic. Phoenix was getting better and better every day; he made not only an excellent co-counsel, but was more than capable of handling complex cases on his own. Go to physio. Smile for Maya. Everything would be all right.

And some days, she wanted to shove her computer off her desk, rip down every yellow Post-it festooning the office, and throw her crutch through a window.

She'd always been bad with names and faces, but it was ridiculous now. Even with the case file in front of her, Phoenix or Maya had to prompt her for a client's name. How did that look? Phoenix's star was on the rise. A glittering legal career was within his grasp now, her own cut short by a dodgy memory and damaged nerves. On her worst days, she hated him. On her worst days, she caught the anxious glances he exchanged with Maya, the ones she wasn't supposed to see.

On her worst days, she knew this was as good as it would ever get.

"Chief? Chief!"

Phoenix came running, alerted by the sound of poor Charley toppling over as she lurched into him, weak leg giving up. It was only a few steps. She should've been able to manage without the crutch. Just a few steps to get some paperwork from Phoenix's desk, and she couldn't make it.

"Chief –" He moved Charley off her, standing him back upright, and took her arm.

Mia ripped it out of his grasp.

"Don't help me!"

She glared at him as he shuffled back, stunned by her outburst. "Don't… help me."

Phoenix wet his lips nervously. "O-okay."

Mia turned away from him, her eyes growing hot. She manoeuvred herself into a sitting position under the window, and drew her legs up to her chest. This was all her own fault. Poor Diego was still lying in a hospital bed because he'd gone chasing psychopaths on his own, and instead of learning from his mistake, she'd done exactly the same thing. If she'd trusted Phoenix and let him in on her investigation, Redd White wouldn't have caught her unawares. Mia buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

"Chief…"

Phoenix was at her side, and she didn't flinch when he put his arms around her.

"C'mon, Chief," he pleaded quietly. "A lawyer has to smile no matter how bad things get, remember?"

"Maybe…" Mia shook her head. "…maybe it's all over."

He pulled her head against his chest, and she clung to him.

"I won't let you give up, Mia," Phoenix murmured. "Even if I have to smile for both of us."