It's funny what pops into your head the night before an exam. Especially when it has nothing to do with the actual exam.

How to Cry

Phoenix found it rather amusing to watch the five tall teenage boys being bossed around by an eight year old. They were residents of the apartment block around the corner from the office – sorry, the agency – and had offered their help rearranging it.

He just hoped they weren't looking to be paid.

"Hey!" Trucy yelled angrily. "Be careful! That's Mr Charley you're throwing about!"

The boy carrying the plant laughed and set it down carefully beside the door, apologising reverently as he did so.

Phoenix looked at Trucy, the little girl in the silk top hat who'd swept in and taken over his life. Four weeks ago, he'd lost his badge – just thinking about it made a lump rise in his throat – and then, two weeks after that, he'd taken in the little girl that had been left behind.

"You okay, Daddy?" Trucy asked, turning to face him. "You're sorta staring into space…"

Daddy. That's who he was now, Trucy's daddy. It was so surreal. The child was so accepting, so trusting…and she called him daddy. Phoenix still didn't know, two weeks later, whether he could really do it. How could he be a father, how? Sure, he'd looked after Pearls sometimes, but he'd really only been helping out Maya. Not that Maya wasn't a handful herself, but she was an adult. Legally, anyway.

This, however. This was entirely different. Trucy was totally dependant on him now, and he couldn't even provide a proper income. In fact, considering how 'good' he was at piano playing, he was more dependant on Trucy and her shows at the Wonder Bar than she was on him.

"Daddy?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine, Trucy."

Trucy was looking at him with a look on her face which showed she didn't believe him. "Daddy, you can't lie to me." She said, frowning.

Phoenix almost laughed. He knew that. Trucy had only been in his care two weeks, and already her 'gift' fascinated him. She'd come with him to the Borscht Bowl Club only two days previously. One of the customers, after heckling Phoenix's admittedly awful piano playing, had challenged him to a game of poker, of all things.

Trucy had encouraged him to accept, and so they'd played.

And that's when he found out about Trucy's 'power' and how absolutely pointless it would be to try and lie to her.

He'd also been challenged to a re-match, but he didn't see himself becoming a hardcore poker player any time soon.

"Okay, boys, let's call it a day!" Trucy called to the teenagers. "Time to go home, now."

Laughing, probably enjoying the novelty of obeying the little girl, the young men filed out of the office, taking the pieces of paper that Trucy was handing them as payment – tickets to her magic show.

"Sit down." She commanded as soon as they were gone, turning to face Phoenix.

Phoenix obeyed, slumping down on one of the two sofas which now sat in the middle of the room.

Trucy clambered up beside him. "Now, Daddy, what's wrong?"

Phoenix looked at her worried little face, trying to come up with an answer.

Three weeks, he'd been without his badge. He'd gotten angry, even zoned out completely. He'd broken things; he'd made even more of a mess of his room at home. He'd turned to every single way to try and siphon off his feelings, and none of them worked.

Except one. He still hadn't cried.

"You know what, Trucy?" he said, staring at a point in the wall, not really seeing it. "My mentor once told me something."

"What was that?"

"The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over." He muttered, mostly to himself. He barely even noticed when Trucy got off the couch and into the next room. She came back in, holding what looked like a lump of blue and pink wool.

"I made this for you." She said brightly. "It's a hat, see?" She climbed back onto the couch, reaching up and pulling it over his spikes onto his head.

"Thanks, Trucy." Phoenix muttered quietly.

Silence. Then Trucy spoke again.

"You know what, Daddy?"

"Hm?"

"When my mommy went away, I cried a lot. Daddy – my other daddy – he did too."

Why was she bringing this up now? Phoenix wasn't exactly sure what to say. "I…I'm sorry…" he started.

"Y'know, I don't know much about lawyers." Trucy continued, cutting across him. "Maybe your mentor-person was right. Maybe lawyers can't cry until it's all over. But I know one thing. A daddy can cry whenever he needs to."

The dams broke then, and Phoenix buried his head in his hands and sobbed. Everything he'd known, everyone he'd loved, all the happiness - and the pain- that badge had given him filled his mind as he cried. The people he'd managed to save…Ron, Larry, Adrian, Maggey, Maya….Edgeworth…Iris…and the people who had helped him, Edgeworth, Maya, Mia, Pearls, Detective Gumshoe…

It wasn't like they were gone, not in the conventional sense. But none of them were here, and none of them knew. What would Edgeworth think, travelling abroad, when the news reached him? Forged evidence…? You're not the man I thought you were, Wright… Even though the voice was only in his head, Phoenix found himself flinching away from it.

Distantly, he felt Trucy slip away from him and he heard a scraping sound, and the sound of the rusty old kettle in the kitchen being turned on, but he couldn't focus on it.

He remembered when Pearls used to make tea for him and Maya, insisting they had 'special time' together. He wondered how Pearls and Maya would react to the news – Maya, especially. He doubted Pearls would quite understand. You…you didn't do it, Nick, right? The uncertain belief in Maya's voice that he had heard so often made him feel even worse, even though he was imagining it all.

He'd already spoken to Gumshoe. I…I'm sorry, pal. That's all he'd said. The detective blamed himself, despite Phoenix's assurance that his testimony hadn't affected the outcome at all.

He didn't know how long he cried for, but it was a long time. "Hey…Daddy?" an uncertain voice interrupted his thoughts after what seemed like an eternity.

Phoenix looked up. Trucy was standing in front of him, holding a mug. "I made you tea, Daddy." She said, holding it out to him. "I've never made tea before, but I think I did okay…"

Phoenix accepted the cup, took a sip and nearly choked. Trucy must have put about nine hundred spoonfuls of sugar in the cup, and she hadn't stirred it either. Still, he drank it and put down the cup, with a thick layer of sugar still at the bottom. "Thanks, Trucy." He said, smiling weakly.

"Did you like it?" she asked anxiously.

"Best cup of tea I've had in a long time." He lied.

If Trucy saw through his lie, she didn't comment. "So, are you feeling better now?" she asked.

Phoenix smiled properly then. "Yeah, I am, actually." He admitted.

Trucy grinned, looking pleased. "Told you that you would! Hey, but, it's getting dark now…"

"Yeah." Phoenix got to his feet. "Time to go home, okay?" He could clean up the cup tomorrow.

Trucy, still grinning, went and opened the door. "You know, I've been thinking. This is the Wright Talent Agency, right?"

Phoenix followed, locking the door behind them. "Yeah?"

"So I should be Trucy Wright, shouldn't I?"

Phoenix froze. "Trucy…what about when your daddy comes back?" he asked gently.

"Daddy? You mean my other daddy, right?" Trucy replied. "Oh, he's not coming back for a long time, I don't think." She said this matter-of-factly, without any sign of being upset by it. "'sides, you're my Daddy too, now."

"Are…are you sure you want to do that?"

Trucy frowned at him, and then suddenly looked down at her feet. "Oh. I understand."

"…what?"

"You don't want me to stay here for long, do you? That's okay. I don't mind…" she muttered.

"No!" Phoenix objected, more forcefully than he intended. "I mean…of course I want you to stay, Trucy! I mean, it's like you said. We're family, right?"

Trucy beamed up at him. "You're so silly, Daddy." She said, slipping her hand into his as they walked home.

The only time a lawyer can cry is when it's all over.

Phoenix looked at his lapel, where the lack of the golden badge was still glaringly obvious. He wasn't a lawyer anymore, no matter how he'd spent the last three years. He didn't know where he was going now – all he knew was that the road ahead was dim and uncertain.

A daddy can cry whenever he needs to.

He felt the small hand in his, and looked down to Trucy walking along beside him. He realised then that it didn't matter. No matter how dark the path he was now on would be, he'd be alright.

Just as long as he had his daughter lighting the way.

Not bad for a few hours work, huh? Reviews are loved :D