Risenfromash: I originally wrote this for Valentine's Day as a fluffy romantic piece set after Vera's return from being kidnapped, but Stolen Angel evolved and I wrote Flashback and so I revamped this and have just now posted it.

When last we left Apollo Justice and his girlfriend convicted felon Vera Misham, better known by the alias Drew Misham, Vera had just been released from a mental hospital where she had been treated for post-traumatic stress and depression after having been kidnapped. Life is returning to "normal" in Vera and Polly's little lavender-walled apartment…

~xxxx~

A few weeks after Vera's release from the Sunny River Mental Hospital, the family got together for dinner at our apartment. We were celebrating that all the trials related to Vera's kidnapping and Dr. Jonas's unethical behavior were finally complete and that I had a break between cases. We were all hoping that life would be returning to normalcy after several dark months, or at least to as normal as life around Phoenix Wright ever could be.

Vera and I had created a taco bar with every possible burrito and taco filling we could think of and we spent most of the night munching on tacos, playing cards, and having the girls try to entice me and Phoenix to sing karaoke with them. I respectfully declined until I got so drowsy that I was silly enough to get up and attempt to sing some sappy love song to Vera. To which she turned crimson, took the microphone from me and switched the track to some punk rock song saying it was more fitting of my personality.

Phoenix and Maya grinned at Vera and I arguing over which of the two songs I was butchering more and then they whispered something in Trucy's ear. Trucy's face lit up and she came over to us and said, "Polly, quit yanking on the microphone and quit arguing. He was awful at both of them. Chords of Steel are not helpful in music. BUT for being a hopeless romantic who tried to sing his lady love a song my parents and I present you with a gift." Trucy's magic panties appeared from somewhere by apparent sleight of hand and she thrust them at us.

"We wanted to do something special for you guys." Maya said.

"Reach in!" Trucy ordered and Vera and I reached into the panties and brought out an envelope.

Vera opened the envelope while I leaned over her shoulder peering into it. Inside was a gift certificate for a night at the Gatewater Hotel's honeymoon suite.

"But we can't…" What the hell were they thinking? Vera was still under house arrest.

Trucy smiled smugly, "What kind of an illusionist would I be if I couldn't get Vera next door unnoticed?"

Vera looked at Phoenix. It hadn't been that long ago that he had specifically forbid us from in anyway trying to cheat the conditions of her house arrest.

"It's OK. You're only going to be next door. We'll cover for you. Besides, my sources have informed me that Vera's parole officer is planning to take his wife on a romantic 4-day getaway this weekend. It's his silver wedding anniversary. I'm confident he won't be making any house arrest inspections."

Phoenix was amazing. He must have connections all over the city. He seemed to know everything.

Maya started to gush about the accommodations. "Vera, you're going to love it. The regular rooms at the Gatewater are nothing special, but the honeymoon suite is really nice. Nick took me there a long time ago for my birthday. When was that? I think I was turning 17..."

Phoenix was bright red now.

Sure, nothing inappropriate had been going on between him and his plucky little teenage assistant. I buy that. Not.

I wondered how much of this crap about him and Maya having a celibate relationship for ten years was total BS.

"What?" Maya said cluelessly.

"Maya! You just made it sound like I'm some kind of statutory rapist!"

"Oh! Oh, no, no it was really Pearly's fault! I mean she got us the room hoping it would encourage us to-"

I put up my hand. I was laughing too hard to say anything and as funny as Phoenix's discomfort was I didn't really need to know all this.

"No, really we just watched TV all night and hot tubbed."

Vera busted up laughing.

"She was 19, I swear!" shouted Phoenix. Poor Phoenix. His affection for Maya was still getting him in trouble.

"ANNNYWAAYYS," Trucy interrupted in order to save her dad further embarrassment. "There's a hot tub and I know it's too risky for you two to go to the restaurant, and I hear it sucks anyways, so we put money towards room service."

This was the sweetest thing anyone could have done for Vera and me and quite possibly one of the sweetest things anyone had ever done for me, but I worried how this would go. Since Vera's return from being stolen away we hadn't been…um…physically intimate. I wasn't entirely sure why. I was giving her space and it just hadn't happened, but a romantic setting like a honeymoon suite could put a lot of pressure on Vera, and I didn't want that. I mean, I missed what it had been like when we first together and doing it all the time, but she'd been through a lot and I hadn't said a thing about our lack of a sex life.

In part this was due to the fact that after we were together Vera had told me that she'd always intended to wait until she was married and that made me a tad guilty. The first time we did it it had all been her idea, but still maybe I shouldn't have been quite so easily led. I hadn't tried to hide the fact I was thrilled. I mean, who wouldn't be Vera is beautiful and amazing and was apparently hot for me. That never happens.

So, at any rate, I wasn't really sure what she wanted at this point and no matter what it was it was ok with me. I loved Vera and the sex was great, but I would be happy no matter what Vera wanted…as long as Vera still wanted me. In short, other than our relief-filled make out session when she first was rescued after her abduction we hadn't done much other than holding each other and kissing since sometime shortly before she had been stolen away.

I looked at Vera studying her for her typical signs of anxiety worried at any moment she might start shaking or hyperventilating or fainting or something. But she looked genuinely excited.

"I can hardly wait!" she said smiling. "This is going to be so romantic!"

Well, she seems ok with it.

My eyes met Phoenix's for a moment. He could tell I was nervous, but this had presumably been something he had supported. The gift was from the three of them so I had to assume he thought everything was going to be all right. He smiled at me and gave me a wink. Why did I feel like he was pulling for me to get some?

~xxxx~

So the next day I went about my work in a kind of excited fog. This would be the first time Vera and I had ever gotten to be together anywhere other than our apartment building, police stations, or hospitals. I shuddered to think of how much time Vera had spent at the police station, giving statements, identifying bad guys, answering yet more questions after being kidnapped and that was before the whole my-psychiatrist-is-in-league-with-the-guy-who-tried-to-kill-me incident. If you added her time at the Sunny River Mental Health Facility to her time in the detention center I realized that she was gone nearly as much as she had gotten to be home. It was a very sad thought.

I had been told by Trucy who was in charge of orchestrating this rendezvous that I was not to go home after work. She made me take my overnight bag with me to the courthouse that day. Normally, Trucy and I walk to and front the courthouse together, but today she told me not to expect that so I'd biked to work and been on my own a lot of the day other than during our actual time in court. All Trucy had told me when we parted was not to worry.

"Vera will meet you there. Have a great night." She said kissing me on the cheek and winking at me. I couldn't believe I had a 15-year-old kid arranging my romantic night, but it seemed like I didn't have much of a choice. I had to admit that Trucy was in many ways the master of my life. If it hadn't been for her I might never have gotten the guts to admit to Vera how I felt about her and Trucy knew that no matter how embarrassing things were if she had arranged them I'd go along with it.

The girl has a strange power over me. I'm not sure it's normal. I worry sometimes about it. People always assume Trucy is my girlfriend until they see me with Vera, which only our really close friends do since Vera can't go out. The whole situation is a little quirky, I guess, but Vera has always assured me that I don't need to worry about it. She has total faith that I have no romantic feelings for Trucy even when I find myself worrying that might not be true.

I guess I just never expected my best friend to be a girl, but she is and then there's her dad. Phoenix and I are pretty close too. Which is weird. A father daughter team is not what a young man usually hangs out with…but I digress.

On my way home I stopped at the florist and got Vera a little bouquet. I don't know what it was, peonies maybe, but it was unique like her and somehow I knew she would like it.

At the front desk of the hotel I made arrangements for the bell desk to watch my bike for me, which I guess I should have realized wasn't the most common request, but Trucy had been very specific that I wasn't to even enter our building after work. The concierge looked at me like I was insane, but I explained that either they needed to let me check my bike or I would be forced to drag it to the honeymoon suite with me. Explaining it that way got them to miraculously find a place to keep it. Go figure. They gave me the key and directed me to the top floor of the hotel and I headed up with my briefcase full of legal documents, my duffle bag of stuff, and my little bouquet.

The Gatewater is really fancy. Everywhere I looked there were gilded accents or huge floral arrangements that made my flowers for Vera look positively puny. Riding in the elevator up to the top floor I suddenly felt nervous. I couldn't really say why, I mean Vera had seemed just fine this morning when I kissed her goodbye.

Maybe, I was the one who was nervous. It had been three months since our life had been turned upside down by Vera's abduction. Since she had come back her insomnia had worsened because of post-traumatic stress. She had spent hours staring at blank canvases searching for inspiration, but only managing to paint black blobs. It had been hard and then, of course, she'd ended up in Sunny River unsure whether or not she belonged there. I really hadn't found myself craving sex or even really thinking about it much during all that time, but now in the elevator headed to a hotel room I realized how I longed to be physically intimate with her again.

Apollo, don't do this to yourself. You're just lucky Vera's alive let alone still interested in being with you. Don't get your hopes up. Just let whatever happens happen and try not to do anything stupid.

I slid the card into the lock and walked in. The suite was indeed very nice. It was spacious with a whirlpool tub in one corner and there was a bottle of champagne chilling. There was a huge bed that looked comfortable and a little love seat. I plopped on the love seat and waited for Vera's arrival.

It seemed to me like I was waiting a long time, but when I glanced at the clock by the bed only three minutes had passed. Good lord, why was I so impatient? I knew Vera wouldn't get caught. Mr. Hanover, her parole officer, was out of town with his wife, but I felt restless. The minutes stretched on. Eight… fourteen… twenty-one. I turned on the TV. It was the news. Bad stuff was happening all over it seemed. Natural disasters, crimes, lying politicians, it's always the same. I flicked it off. I paced around. What if this was all too much for her?

I heard a rap at the door and then the door opened and a bellboy entered with a couple of small bags followed by an Arab woman in a full-length black robe and burka. I opened my mouth to say they were in the wrong place when the woman's eyes met mine and they were unmistakably Vera's. The Arabian beauty before me was Vera with a touch of Trucy's magic.

The bellboy set the bags down and looked from one to the other of us and I realized that it was probably customary to tip. I fumbled around in my pocket for my wallet and thanked my lucky stars that I still had a little cash after buying the flowers.

I put the money in the palm of the guy's hand without taking my eyes off Vera. However, the bellboy continued standing there with his hand out so I sort of glared at him and he bowed and left.

"What was that?" Vera asked.

"He thinks a slub like me must be paying you so I think he was expecting a bigger tip."

She giggled and walked over to me. I was absolutely entranced by the vision of beauty and grace before me. She was magnificent. She put her arms on my shoulders.

"Sorry I'm late. Trucy kept messing with the eye make-up. She's such a perfectionist."

She was so beautiful, but it was a little creepy. I wanted Vera and this looked like someone else. I reached up to her face, "May I?"

She nodded and I pulled off the burka and her blue hair came spilling into view.

"There you are!" I said with relief. It really was my Vera.

She giggled, "Well, what did you expect? Trucy's a great magician, but she couldn't teleport me over here."

"I don't know what I expected…but definitely not something so sexy."

She looked down and blushed. "I'm a little embarrassed." She said.

"Oh, don't be."

"Well, they know we're going to…you know."

Oh, are we? Hurrah!

"Vera, I think they already know. We live together."

"I like to pretend they don't. I get embarrassed. I never thought I'd be "living in sin" with someone. My father raised me to be so traditional."

An artist with traditional morals, Vera had such an interesting mix of values.

"Sweetie, Phoenix and Maya can hear us through the floor."

Vera blushed bright scarlet.

"Don't be embarrassed. I love you and everybody knows it."

I leaned forward and pulled her close to me. Her lips tasted sweet like the strawberry cream lip-gloss she always used. I held her against my chest thanking heaven that she hadn't been taken from me. What would I ever do without Vera? She was so pure, so kind, and so angelic in a world filled with so many horrors and so much disregard for love and joy.

"But Vera, you know we don't have to if you don't want to."

Vera said nothing but explored my ear with her tongue and lips. I found my eyes closing and all thoughts of anything other than her touch were beginning to shut off. I was in a black world with flashes of color appearing, as she'd stimulate the most sensitive areas of my neck. I felt her hands reaching down to loosen my vest.

I started to pull away. I wanted her with all my heart, but…

"Polly, what's wrong?"

"Are you sure?"

Her head tipped in that way it does when I've said something she believes to be incredibly silly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you were waiting and then we- and then I moved in and…"

Vera giggled. "Do you think I've changed my mind?"

"Well…"

Yes, Vera. Yes, I thought maybe you had and that would be ok. Really. I don't care. I just don't want to be without you.

She brought her lips to mine. "Is that why we haven't been making love? It's been driving me bonkers."

She looked deep into my eyes; "Mr. Justice your girlfriend loves you and wants very much to make love to you. Is something wrong with that?"

I shook my head no, but it was more of a tremble.

Why am I so damn nervous?

She giggled as she started to undress me. "All this time you've been torturing me and you thought it was what I wanted. You should have just asked, but I suppose I could have said something, too. But this will be very nice."

I shifted my weight nervously. "But, Vera you were waiting and I kinda messed that up…"

"I was waiting for the right person and, Polly, it's you. I love you. It's ok. Really. Quit worrying."

She climbed in my lap and tucked her delicate little feet up under her.

"You probably worry that you wouldn't be living with me if I hadn't gotten kidnapped, right?" When she returned I hadn't been exactly invited to move upstairs with her, it was more of an assumption by Vera and by everyone else that I wouldn't let her be alone anymore and I had never left.

I nodded. She lifted her eyebrows just a little and smiled, "Well, I was working up the nerve to ask you to move in with me. I was trying to wait, because I didn't want you to freak out."

"You were seriously going to ask me to move in with you?"

She nodded her head and my bracelet didn't react at all.

"Yeah, you were at my place all the time anyway and I felt so lonely whenever you'd leave, but I was worried I'd scare you off if I asked you, Mr. Anti-Commitment."

"Hey, that's not fair! I don't have a problem with commitment I just know I'm not the only guy who would love to be with you. Swooping in while you're a caged bird just doesn't always seem very fair to you."

She looked me square in the eyes with an intensity Vera rarely did. "Polly, you're the only person I want."

Wow. And I thought I was turned on before.

I reached down and slid the little slippers off her feet and my hand started reaching up her smooth silky leg. My hand was on her calf then her thigh. I was so relieved she wanted this, too.

Her lips and tongue moved from my neck to my chest. I felt the palms of her hands on my back and her tongue gently licking at me, leaving trails of wet warmth that ended with tender kisses.

My hands were both under her robe. Touching her that way made all those suppressed desires of the last months come bubbling up to the surface. I scooped her up. She felt light and delicate in my arms like a butterfly. I gently placed her on the bed and she pulled her robe off over her head and started helping to remove my vest and shirt. I climbed on the bed next to her, kicking my shoes across the room.

I lay next to her on the bed just looking at her. She was so, so beautiful and she loved me. She wanted me. It seemed too good to be true. There was not a man alive who wouldn't have wanted her and she was laying here next to me looking all cute in lavender panties and bra like she just stepped out a lingerie catalog. I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her as she started unbuckling my belt. I trembled.

Vera must have sensed my shyness as she said, "What's wrong, Polly? You're acting like you've never done this before." But that was just it, I felt like I hadn't. I remembered sex, but this felt different somehow like something with even deeper meaning, like a religious experience or something.

"You're not allowed to chicken out on me." She said teasing me as she led my hands though the process of undressing her. I was so nervous. I don't know why this seemed worse than our first time; maybe it was because our love had grown so much. I leaned in and whispered into her ear, "You have to promise me to tell me if I get too rough, OK?"

"Polly, I'm not made of glass," she said but she nodded at me, her eyelids fluttering as I pushed against her. It felt amazing being with her like this. I was so in love with her and she was awesome, gorgeous, HOT.

I remember thinking that this was what I wanted. I always wanted to be with her. To wake up in the morning to her blue hair in my face and the smell of her pencil shavings and her lavender soap.

Eventually we tired or I did or something. She sighed happily and flopped back, her arms and legs still draped around my body. We must have fallen asleep, because the room was darker when I came to. I rolled over to greet my angel, but she wasn't there and I had a moment's confusion, before I realized what had woken me must have been the sound of her showering.

I looked around the room at the evidence of our passion. There were clothes thrown here and there and one of my shoes was all the way over in the corner under the desk.

It was then I realized I had forgotten to give Vera the flowers I had bought for her. I guess we had both been eager to have some alone time.

Vera walked out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe provided by the hotel. She was all smiles and, I swear, she was glowing with beauty. She had removed most of the makeup she hadn't sweated off and she looked incredibly happy.

"I'm starving how 'bout you?"

I was starving. I grabbed the room service menu and she lay down on her stomach next to me on the bed to read it while I did.

"Is it going to gross you out if I eat mushrooms in front of you?" She asked.

I have a thing about mushrooms. I think they are nasty and sometimes the smell of them makes me feel ill, but I assured her she could order whatever she wanted. So, she ordered lasagna with mushrooms, olives and some special sausage and I ordered a steak with just a hint of pink.

Vera was so hungry she was tapping her food impatiently while she waited for her dinner and I found myself just watching her leg. The rhythm of its movement reminded me of her on top of me and I started feeling myself wanting her again.

Good grief! Hurry up with the food already!

I decided to take a shower and so I excused myself from Vera's company and headed into the bathroom. I was just soaping up my hair when I felt a hand on the small of my back. Vera had snuck in without me hearing her and was stepping into the shower with me. She kissed and pressed herself up against my back while the warm water streamed over us. Her lips were on my neck again and I felt myself melting. I reached behind me to touch her silken skin. Her kisses on my neck felt so amazing that I was just about to turn around and pin her against the wall of the shower when a sound awoke us from our passionate interchange.

Someone was pounding on the door. I jumped out of the shower and quickly ran a towel over me and threw on a robe and dashed out to the door. I opened it to find the bellboy looking annoyed. He had probably been banging on the door for a while. I was about to apologize, but his eyes were on Vera. She had also emerged from the bathroom and was looking amazing, the post-steamy-shower ambience only adding to her elegance. The bellboy was eating up the vision of her, but I didn't feel jealous. Instead, I just enjoyed it.

She's all mine, bellboy.

"Here you are sir…madam. Have a good meal…" he backed out of the room forgetting to wait for me to tip him. Seeing him trip all over himself in front of Vera reminded me of the day I met her at the detention center. I had also acted like a complete idiot. I think the first thing I did when I saw her was to spout off a bunch of random sayings, including at least one pick-up line. I'm many things, but smooth isn't one of them. I came off like such a buffoon that I would have expected her to ask for a different attorney. But she was too traumatized to see my idiocy as potentially harmful to her case.

At the time, I was really focused on the case and found her unwillingness to discuss the events of her father's death very frustrating, but even then she fascinated me. Not only was she damn cute, but there was also something enigmatic about her that made me want to get to know her better. Not that I consciously realized it at the time. I just knew I wanted to help her and I want to help all my clients, but the feeling never went away. When she almost died I went and visited her at the hospital and I found myself not wanting to leave her. Ever.

I stood looking at her remembering how Trucy had helped me come to terms with my attraction for Vera, but Vera headed right for dinner. She must have forgotten to eat lunch again. Vera isn't a big eater, but she has a tendency to get so deeply involved in her artistic processes that she forgets to do more mundane things like eat or go to the bathroom. I can't tell you how many times when I was down at my desk I would suddenly hear the fast pitter patter of her feet as she'd make a mad dash to the bathroom when she suddenly realized she couldn't put off putting down her paintbrush any longer.

Dinner wasn't great, but it was a lot better than Tres Bien. Vera said her lasagna was great, but I declined to sample it, because of the mushrooms. For dessert Vera had wanted this layered pudding/mousse thing that was enormous. It looked like it could have been dinner for at least four people. She happily dug into it moaning about how good it was in a way that reminded me of her sensual moans. I realized I'd do well to finish my piece of pie before being all over her again.

In fact, I may still have been chewing when I walked up beside her. She was still happily scooping spoonful after spoonful of chocolaty goo into her mouth.

"Here. This is amazing!" She said giving me a bite. She was right. It was really good. I'm not a big chocolate person, not compared to Vera anyways, but this tasted like a liquid truffle. I wondered if I had any chance of pulling her away from it. All of a sudden I knew how Phoenix must feel all the time around Maya.

"I forgot to give these to you when you got here." I said giving her the flowers. "I meant to ask for them to bring a vase with dinner, but I forgot that, too."

"Distracted?" She said licking at her spoon.

You could say that. That would be a nice way of saying it.

"Guilty as charged." I said shrugging.

Vera set her spoon aside. There was still enough dessert for an army, but she came over by me.

"You know what I wish? I wish we could go dancing." Vera said wistfully.

"Dancing is way overrated."

"You didn't feel that way our first weekend together."

I grunted. Ok, I had danced with her that night in the office and I had enjoyed it, but then again I think I would have done anything she wanted.

Not that different from now, really.

"You say you don't like it because you're a guy and, therefore, you're programmed to not enjoy it."

"Well, dancing isn't bad, I guess. It's the clubs I don't like. I went a couple of times in college. It was awful." I remembered cigarette smoke, girls who thought they were "all that" and wouldn't even speak to my friends or me and alcohol too expensive to drink.

But this was Vera and she wanted to dance so I leaned over to the clock radio by the bed and scrolled through the stations. I found something slow and romantic sounding and I stood up and held out my hand.

"Ok, I'll admit something to you. I don't like clubs and dancing, but I would have liked to go to prom."

She looked sad, "You didn't go? How come?"

"No date. I'd just moved and didn't know anybody. I thought I didn't care until that night. I was at my part-time job at Clucker's and I saw some of my classmates go by in a limo. They looked like they were having a blast and the girls with them looked so hot and all I had to keep me company was two hundred pounds of frozen chicken." I smirked at her.

"That's quite possibly the saddest thing I've ever heard."

"Yeah, well I've got a whole collection of really good sob stories I could tell you, but I can't feel sorry for myself… not with you here with me." I whispered bringing my head close to the side of her face. It was cheesy, I know, but I honestly meant it. I was having the time of my life.

We slow danced and as we danced I imagined us dressed for the prom instead of in hotel bathrobes. Me in a tuxedo and her in a beautiful gown. Her dress was white and accented with little lavender flowers. And she had white flowers in her hair that stood out in contrast to the blue. Absorbed by my fantasy I murmured, "How'd I get so lucky?" and I felt her press against me tighter. I could imagine her even more clearly in that beautiful white dress but instead of a bunch of dopey teenagers around there were our friends all dressed up for the prom, too. I was holding Vera close to me enjoying her fragrance and trying to figure out why everyone in my imagination kept telling Vera and I congratulations when the radio station announced it was time for a retro-flashback and a new song started.

Vera squealed. "Oh, God! I haven't heard this song in so long. I had the biggest crush on one of the guys in this group." I recognized the song immediately. It was by a boy band called Boyz Next Door that had been the rage right after I had entered high school. Each member of the band had his own cheesy pseudo-dangerous persona and catch phrase. I looked at Vera in dismay. Normally she had much more refined taste, and she proceeded to defend herself, "I was only ten. If you were a girl you'd understand."

"Soooo, which one did you like?" I inquired like a fan girl.

"Ronny, he was the one-"

"With the glasses, I know." And then I did something I would never do for anyone else in the world. I danced around just like they had in the music video. The only thing missing was the fake wind machine to blow back my hair and clothing.

She looked at me quizzically and I shrugged. "One of the kids I lived with once was this little red-haired girl named Kelly. She was obsessed with them. She made me learn all their dance moves. We used to dance around the living room for hours."

"What happened to her?"

"I don't know. There was this other boy there and he and I didn't get along. He cut my hair one night while I slept and I got so mad at him that I beat him up and they moved me to a different home."

Vera leaned in to me. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not. Well, I'm sorry I broke his nose-"

Vera's eyes got large. "You broke his nose? Polly?"

"I'm not proud of that. He was a punk, but I still should have controlled myself. But it was that whole situation that made me decide to become a defense attorney. It made me so mad. No one was willing to hear my side of the story. They just told me that if I did something like that again I wouldn't get placed with a family- I'd be going to juvee. I felt frustrated and misunderstood and I decided to focus all my energy on getting into law school to help other nice people who had made stupid mistakes or were wrongfully accused or just misunderstood."

"Which am I?" Vera asked me shyly.

"Definitely misunderstood." I said without hesitation. "Vera, you never should have been convicted. You were just a kid. You didn't have the experience to know the impact your art was having. To be guilty you have to understand what you're doing is wrong and have culpability in it. You didn't."

Vera shrugged. "Polly, you need to get over it. Being under house arrest isn't that big a deal for me. I've been under house arrest my whole life and I wasn't exactly helping your cause…" When I had represented Vera in the forgery trial she had refused to help me. In her mind because she had created the forgeries she deserved a guilty verdict. Really, she was just punishing herself for how much her actions had hurt Phoenix. She wasn't willing to forgive herself for that.

I'm not sure she ever will.

"You need to forgive yourself for making that diary page, sweetie."

She nodded in agreement, but her face had assumed a faraway look. "I know. I try to tell myself what's done is done. It's not good to think in terms of what ifs, Polly. But it's hard and sometimes I find myself feeling guilty, because I love you and I don't know if I would have ever met you if my father hadn't died and I hate thinking that he had to die for me to be so happy."

I'd thought about this, too. We were brought together by tragedy. A tragedy we both wished had never happened. But she was right. One can drive themselves crazy with what ifs.

"Do you think your dad would have liked me if he had met me?"

Her eyes partially closed in thought, her lips pursed. It was the same look she sometimes assumed when struggling to get a line just right on her art pad. "Well, he wouldn't be happy we're living together and he wasn't a big fan of attorneys, but, yes, I think he would like you, because I love you and he'd know you're good for me."

She gave me a little peck on the cheek with her incredibly soft lips. I took her face in my hands and kissed her passionately. I was really sorry her dad had died. She had really loved him.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

I took her hand and pulled her up on the bed beside me. She entwined her legs around me and we rolled around kissing one another. I loved Vera more than anyone or anything else in the world. I thought about her constantly. She inspired me. She amused me. She made me so happy. Even in my wildest fantasies I couldn't imagine feeling so at peace, so happy, so trusting. I loved her with all my heart.

~xxxx~

The next morning when I opened my eyes and felt the warmth of her body beside me in bed I happily sighed. What a great night. We had used the hut tub and I had drunk champagne (Vera had insisted on only having sips since she wasn't technically old enough yet. I always found myself forgetting that…) Even just snuggling up in bed and watching a movie together in the very late part of the night was awesome.

She was great, wonderful, spectacular and I never wanted to be without her again. I kept thinking how terrible it would have been if she had never come back, if she had died by poison or at the hands of her kidnappers or ended up living out the rest of her days as a resident of Sunny River.

Thank you, God. Thank you for bringing her back. I know I don't talk to you enough. But I know Vera's special and I know how lucky I am. I'll do everything I can to take extra special care of her. I don't know why she's chosen me, but thank you so very much.

I didn't mean to get sad, but being like this with her was so incredible it felt like a miracle. I kissed her shoulder and a tear fell on it and she woke up.

"Polly! Polly, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm sorry." I hastily wiped the tears out of the corner of my eyes. "I was just thinking how much I love you. Vera, I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come home. I think I need you."

Vera smiled sweetly and said, "I love you…and, lord, knows I need you. Good defense attorneys are hard to find." I laughed.

"Well soon you'll know the best." I was confident that Phoenix's return to the courtroom would be legendary. I could hardly wait to see him giving Klavier a hard time.

"I think you'll both be great. I couldn't imagine better partners. You two suit each other."

I sighed. I had the best law partner and the best girlfriend in the entire world. When did my crapper of a life turn around?

Of course, it wasn't without it's challenges and quirks. Sometimes I felt like Phoenix was a puppet-master pulling strings I didn't even know existed. Trucy couldn't always be there to help me, because of her other commitments and while my relationship with Vera didn't exactly violate ethics rules it was definitely what the bar would deem "questionable," but since I had no intention of falling in love with anyone else let alone another one of my clients I told myself it was OK.

Life was good, but I had to wonder if this was the calm before another storm. Life with Phoenix was like that, but I had decided shortly after moving in that I belonged in the Wright family. I had finally found my home.

"Thanks for inviting me to move in." I smiled at her. Sure, I was already living with her, but now at least I knew it wasn't because she was too shy to tell me to get the hell out. Not that Vera ever seemed to be shy about telling me off…or making out with me, for that matter. For some reason, she felt safe with me. She trusted me and I was really glad.

"Thanks for not freaking out, but I want you to know you can do stuff to the apartment if you want. It's not just mine now. You don't have to leave it all girlie. I won't get mad if you want to decorate part of it...or tone it down."

I shook my head. I actually liked the purple walls, though I would never say that out loud. "No, I like it just the way it is. It reminds me of you."

I pulled her against me and we spooned there in bed and I was confident that together we'd be ready for the next storm.