Disclaimer: All the rights to the Ace attorney belong to Capcom and not me. I own none of the characters.

A light of the heart

It was a peaceful night in Japanifornia, even if it was cold and frosty.

It was Christmas Eve.

Outside the snow covered the ground like a thick layer of frosting on a freshly-decorated muffin, the scent was heavy with fresh baking, the air was filled with jolly yet traditional music that flowed through the air like a river streaming flawlessly through a river creak; Children were excited and anticipated the arrival of Santa Claus that very same night, adults were getting annoyed but also festive at the same time, Christmas carols played all throughout the city.

Phoenix Wright had decided to have two friends of his over for Christmas.

Maya and Pearl Fey had asked to spend their Christmas away from the Kurain village and stay over at the Wright and co. law offices —Phoenix felt a bit awkward having both the girls in his apartment but he decided to try his best to push those feelings aside and accommodate them as best as he could.

Pearl was a special case for him, though.

As she was an eight year old little girl, she was quite a sensitive child and was in a fragile state of mind due to certain hardships she had been dealt with throughout the year.

The apartment had a jolly atmosphere since the all so joyful Maya had brought some decorations to the house and had insisted on decorating the inside of the flat (despite Phoenix's reluctant protests born of annoyance but he put up with it for the sake of the holidays) and she started to chatter jovially away while she went about her merriment making.

Phoenix had stayed to oversee while Maya was decorating the doorway of the flat.

"C'mon, Nick!" Maya cried as she reached up to hang a piece of tinsel on the frame of the doorway. "Try and be a little more festive!"

Phoenix rolled his eyes and folded his arms. He knew that the younger woman was just expressing her excitement right now and he appreciated it but he did wish that Maya could focus on other things instead at times.

He lowered and then shook his head slightly.

"But, Maya, don't you think that we're going a bit overboard? You're only gonna be staying the night."

"But it's Christmas Eve...!" She whinged. "I need to let out some of my festive joy!"

The spiky-haired attorney-at-law rolled his eyes, he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and folded his arms at his courtroom aide childish behaviours.

He took a quick survey around the room and saw how everything had looked moderately festive before the arrival of the only two surviving Fey clan girls he knew of currently; there was a little light up Christmas tree in the corner of the main room and there was an already-wrapped gift strewn about the place, he didn't think the place needed anymore festivity and he heaved a deep sigh. Perhaps he was being a bit lazy this Christmas but he just wanted the girls to get settled in and wanted Maya to keep her excitement contained until Christmas Day.

Yet this was when the Ace attorney in blue had noticed a certain pretzel-haired child's absence.

"Hey. Where's Pearl?"

It had appeared that Pearl had slinked away while they were distracted.

The master of the Kurain channeling technique glanced down worriedly from where she stood perched on her step ladder. She had a knowing look on her face, even though it was subtle. She knew why Pearl was troubled and hated seeing her little cousin like that...she was a bit preoccupied with the festivities yet she sincerely hoped that Pearl could feel better.

Maya hesitated but eventually asked "...Can you go and check on her, Nick?"

Phoenix decided to do just that as he wandered over towards one of the only places she could be:

His bedroom.

He gently pushed the door opened and peered into the room.

The bedroom was a room that was pretty basic as far as bedrooms came.

It had (of course) a single bed with a bright red duvet cover covering it, the mattress beneath said duvet was pure white but was a bit wrinkled due to how long it had been used. The wallpaper was dark orange and the carpet covering the floor was beige coloured. Next to the bed was a small bedside table that had a lamp and a small digital alarm clock sat atop of it —the lamp was lit and cast a bright amber glow in the room.

Pearl was seated on the edge of the bed as she stared somewhat longingly out the window.

Her eyes were fixated up at the starry skies out the window, lost in her own thoughts, as she had a very thoughtful expression written plainly across her face. Even though she was excited about Christmas, just like every other child this time of year, she also felt a bit lonesome.

This would be the first Christmas she would spend without her mother...without the woman who had raised her...she couldn't lie and say that it wasn't a difficult concept for her to grasp.

Her mother, Morgan Fey, had tried to have her cousin, Mystic Maya, hurt because she wanted her to be the head of the Fey clan instead of Mystic Maya. To be honest, she couldn't quite understand it. She wanted to help Mystic Maya...she didn't want to hurt her. She loved her mother but she was also upset. Why did she want to hurt someone so kind as Mystic Maya was?

She just couldn't understand it.

Any of it.

The youngest member of the Fey clan wore a thickened version of her traditional purple kimono, that was accompanied by a woollen shawl that had obviously been knitted for her, and she had her magatama hung heavily around her neck. She clasped both of her small, mitten-clad hands together as she gazed thoughtfully up at the navy blue skies above her. She could see the stars twinkling above and couldn't help but be mesmerised by their beauty.

She shuddered a bit when she felt some slivers of winter winds brush passed her, though.

"...Pearls?"

Pearl gasped as she looked behind her and saw a familiar spiky-haired man towering over her.

"Mr. Nick?"

Phoenix hardly seemed phased due to her shock.

"Is everything okay?" He asked as he walked up to the bed and sat right beside her.

He didn't say anything more as he pulled the young girl on to his lap and spared her a smile as warm as a winter fire, his ocean blue eyes compassionate.

A few moments of silence passed the two of them by.

Pearl's deep brown eyes suddenly watered with tears and she shut them to try and stop those tears from rolling endlessly down her cheeks but to no avail. Her heart ached due to the fact that she missed her mother but she felt angry as well.

"I just...feel so alone this year. M-Mother is in prison and I've never spent a year without her before and...and she normally tells me Christmas stories...b-b-but then I remember that...th-that she's not here anymore...maybe if I had been a better d-daughter then she wouldn't have tried to be so m-mean to mystic Maya and th-then she would s-still be with me..."

She hung her head and closed her eyes as the tears continued to roll down her face.

Phoenix felt guilt swim through his veins and his heart crumble like dry clay when he saw how saddened the normally-lively eight-year-old had been rendered. How could he remedy how awful she felt? How could he explain to her that her mother was insane and how she used her own daughter as a pawn to become the master of the channelling technique? This was never even her burden to bare!

He just stroked her head, rubbing the top of her head soothingly.

"Pearls. You don't have to bottle everything up, you can always talk to Maya and myself about what you feel. I promise you'll never be alone..."

He exhumed a breath.

"You were the best daughter you could've been. It wasn't you're fault."

Pearl lifted a sleeve and proceeded to use it to dry her eyes, she sniffled and sobbed. She had to admit that those words did soothe her soul a little bit and they did make her feel a little bit better but still...to be without her mum for the holidays...it was still a difficult concept for her to clasp on to properly. She kept on sniffing as she tried to calm herself and stop crying.

Then she spoke up.

"...What's so special about Christmas, Mr. Nick?" She asked innocently.

Phoenix stared down at the little 8-year-old as he pondered carefully on how to answer that question for a minute. He pursed his lips while he wracked his brain for an answer; his heart pounded in his chest it sunk in his chest like a boat in the middle of the water with a hole in it.

He recalled a few of the more important things about Christmas.

"Well, Christmas is a time when you spend time with the ones you love. It's also a time of joy, gifts, family, friends and it's a time where love is shared..."

The little girl with the pretzel-shaped hair bun sat on the lawyer in blue's knee, her eyes shimmered like large diamonds as she gazed up at the spiky-haired attorney with an awe-inspired expression written plainly across her face. Her mouth hung agape —she hung on the ace attorney's every word.

The attorney and the youngest member of the Fey clan sat in mostly silence.

After listing those things to her, a thought dawned upon the spiky-haired lawyer. He looked down at himself in deep thought; maybe it was a bit too early to do this but, perhaps, maybe now would be a better time then tomorrow to give his gift.

She could probably use it a bit more right now anyway.

He sighed as he produced a gift from his pocket and handed it to the little child, his gaze glued to the ground below but his entire face severely reddened due to either the cold that slithered through the window or embarrassment.

He muttered "I...I wanted to give you this tomorrow, Pearls, but I think you need it now."

Pearl didn't say anything as she unwrapped the gift, picking and tearing at the paper, she actually didn't make a sound as she tore the paper off of the mysterious gift; eventually the gift was revealed and it turned out to be a teddy bear. Although it appeared to be a purple crochet-made dog with little black buttons for two eyes and a bigger button for the nose. It even had a fake miniature magatama necklace.

She just gawked at the plush pup for a lengthy few moments after she tore the gift open and the gift within was unveiled and she was seeming to take in every single detail and stitch of the crochet toy.

Phoenix started to panic inwardly and his heart started to race a bit. Would she like it? Why was she taking so long to react? Did she not like it? Why was she gawking at it?

All of a sudden, Pearl's gawking face exploded into one of joy as she pulled it towards herself and held it close to her and she hugged it tightly. Her embrace was so tight that the stuffing within the toy was even being shoved up from the body and into the head to make it balloon, causing the little button eyes of it to bug out too.

"OOOOOH! I LOVE IT!" She squeaked delightedly. "THANK YOU, MR. NICK!"

Phoenix smiled warmly (and with relief) at the sight.

He was glad she liked it.

He had never told anyone or let anyone know but, in his spare time, he liked to make stuff. He wasn't as talented at it as he was defending people in court but it was something he liked to do in his spare time and it made him some money before he even had his badge and his job.

It was difficult to make but he was supremely glad that she liked it.

His eyelids drooped a bit as he looked down at the eight year old sat on his knee.

"I'm not gonna lie, Pearls, but ever since I met you I've always wanted to protect you from anything that could hurt you because you're too precious to me...you and Maya. Even though I'm not really your dad or anything, if you'd have me, I'll always be there to support you and be there when you need a father figure."

Pearl's eyes swelled with tears once more at the heartfelt words.

"He's right."

Both Phoenix and Pearl turned around to stare over at the door when they heard someone else speak up and they both saw Maya stood in the doorway.

She had a look on her face that suggested that she had been crying too, she had her hands clasped together and she had a large and rather squiggly smile quivering on her lips. She probably heard everything that was discussed between both her friend and her little cousin and started to cry out of emotion.

Phoenix's eyes almost widened.

How much had she heard?

How long had she been standing there?

Maya seemed to read the atmosphere and decided to inject herself into the conversation.

She strode into the room, circled around the bed and then seated herself down on the edge of the bed the lawyer in blue who still had Pearl seated on his knee —the little child finally climbed off of his knee and sat back down on the duvet at this point— and she leaned into Mystic Maya's hold when she wrapped her arms around her in a tight and loving embrace.

The master of the kurain channeling technique smiled warmly at her little cousin.

"We're always gonna have your back, Pearly. If you ever need us, I'll be right there. And so will Nick..."

Phoenix smiled as the two Fey cousins held on to one another; his ocean blue eyes softened. E though this scene unfolding before him was so sweet it could easily rot his teeth out of his gums, he couldn't help but feel a little bit of envy seep into his soul. He didn't really have a family with the exception of his great-great grandfather whom lived in Japan, and he kind of wished he had that great a connection.

He ran a hand through his spiky jet black hair.

Pearl clung to her brand new teddy as she started to yawn and it didn't get unnoticed by either Phoenix or his spirit medium partner.

Maya clapped both hands together as she merrily started to speak again.

"We should all really should get to sleep because tomorrow we're gonna have a biiiiig party! Prosecutor Edgeworth invited us to his place and Detective Gumshoe's gonna be there and so is Larry and I heard that even Franziska's gonna show up!"

Pearl's eyes widened when she heard that last part.

"Wait. Whip lady's gonna be there too?" She asked incredulously.

Maya nodded.

"Yep! It's Christmas and everyone deserves to be together on Christmas."

Pearl breathed sleepily while she removed her winter wear, with Maya's help, revealing that she was her nighttime kimono beneath.

How that was even possible, nobody even knew.

The child looked so tired; she was going to have a big day tomorrow because, after all, it was Christmas day! Her eyelids started to droop and she hardly became aware as Phoenix and Maya both stood up from their seats on the bed and started to lift the blanket and tuck her in underneath it. As she slid under the blankets and rested her head heavily against the pillow, she gave a final yawn as she surrendered to slumber.

Maya leaned down to kiss her head and she whispered.

"Goodnight, Pearly. Merry Christmas."

Phoenix leaned over and flicked the lamp light off, casting the room in darkness, and then both Maya and himself started to leave the room to let the girl sleep; both Phoenix and Maya smiled to themselves as they started to depart the room so they could continue their chat in the office part and not have any worries about Christmas or anything else.

It was as Phoenix walked out that he stopped for a second and stood in the doorway, he cast one last look over his shoulder to see the young eight year old and he smirked gently.

"Merry Christmas."

A/N: Heres a christmas eve fic.

Its mostly about Pearl and Phoenix, I thought I should make a fic about their bond. I hope you guys enjoyed it because I worked hard to get this out just in time for today! I want to wish the lot of you a very merry Christmas because you guys are awesome and I want you all to know how much I appreciate your love.

Writing fanfics is my pride and joy and helps me through each hardship I go through.

On a side note, though, I just watched the movie Klaus on Netflix, I recommend it!

I sincerely wish you ALL a merry Christmas!

-Chloemcg