A/N: My longest chapter in a while and also the end of Trouble in Tokyo! Soon I'll start my new project, but I'll probably take a break for a few days. Don't really have anything to talk about these days, so thanks for your support, as always. Please review!

~Diana

The next day, Madeline woke up early, planning on waiting for Edgeworth again, to talk to him about last night. She tied her hair back, putting on a sweater and jeans, and grabbing her bag before she went downstairs. Curling up on a chair in the lobby, she stared at the stairs, determined not to miss him this time.

Finally, he made an appearance, walking quickly across the lobby. She stood and followed, eventually stopping in front of him. "Hi," she said quietly, politely, not knowing how he would react. A surprised expression crossed his face.

"Good morning," he said, equally as courteous. She looked like a scared animal, waiting for him to say something. He felt the slightest tinge of guilt, but he tried to push it away. Finally she shook herself, opening her mouth to speak.

"So, last night," she murmured, her gray eyes focusing on him. "At the restaurant…that was you, right?"

He paused. "Yes," he said slowly.

"May I ask what you were doing there?" she asked, tilting her head a little. His eyebrows furrowed as he wondered how best to answer.

"I…was hungry, so I stopped by." One eyebrow rose, clearly asking for an explanation for the wine spill. "I was just a little clumsy."

She nodded, seemingly satisfied, although her eyes were still a little uncertain. He took a good look at her then. Her hair was pulled back from her face, revealing her beautiful gray eyes. Her form-fitting sweater and jeans flattered her slender figure. A small half-smile flitted across her face, quickly followed by a look of confusion. "You should probably be going," she said, putting a hand on his arm and gently pushing him in the direction of the hallway. He nodded slowly, having a difficult time taking his eyes off of her.

She looked back at him, her breath caught in her throat. What was she thinking? Miles Edgeworth was her boss, for god's sake. She turned and walked away, feeling his eyes on her back, as if he was unable to look away.

She made it back to her room without any further incident, and threw herself back down, feeling conflicted. She wasn't really having these feelings for her boss, was she? She pushed it out of her mind impatiently. She moved back to the desk and pulled her bag toward her, deciding that there was no point in not being productive.

A few minutes later, she threw her pen down. Reading case files just reminded her of work, which reminded her of her boss, which reminded her of what had happened downstairs… Stop! she told herself impatiently, shaking her head. She just needed to concentrate on her date tonight, that was all. She knew what she wanted.

Edgeworth paced around the lobby impatiently. The convention had just ended and he'd seen Mitsurugi dash up the stairs and assumed that he had another date with Madeline. Madeline… he inwardly cursed. She had to know something of his feelings for her now, after this morning. He turned and paced the other way, thinking quickly. If he planned on doing what had been on his mind all day at the convention, the time frame in which to do it was quickly narrowing.

He took the stairs two at a time and stopped outside of Madeline's door. He took a breath, then knocked. "Just a second," came Madeline's voice, sounding a little breathless. A minute later, the door slowly opened.

She looked beautiful, wearing a blue off-the-shoulder shirt with silver accents and simple blue jeans. A scarf was around her neck and she was carrying a jacket and a silver purse. Her hair was silky and curled around her face. A hand flew to her mouth when she saw that it wasn't her date outside the door, but rather her boss.

"Oh, Mr. Edgeworth," she said, looking down.

"I need to speak with you," he said quietly.

"My da-um, Mitsurugi will be here in a minute-"

"Please, it's important."

"A-alright," she replied, stepping aside to let him in the room. He took a seat on the desk chair and she sat on the bed. "What do you need?" she asked. Her tone wasn't irritated, just curious.

He paused for a second. He hadn't really thought about what he was going to say before he came here. In retrospect, this was clearly an oversight.

"I don't want you going out with that man."

"What?"

Whoops. That just popped out of his mouth. He wanted to take it back, say something else, but he was pretty sure that wouldn't stop the angry look from crossing her face. "I mean-"

"No, I heard you. I just can't believe you said that!" He looked away. "What gives you the right to-"

"I am your employer," he said coldly. Being like this was practically causing him physical pain, but he had to continue down the road he'd started on.

"That doesn't give you the right to interfere in my personal affairs," she said angrily, standing up. He stood up too, moving so he was directly in front of her. He put his hands on her shoulders and she put her hands on his, trying to push him off, but he held firm.

"Madeline, you don't understand," he said, desperate to make her listen.

"No, I understand perfectly." Her gray eyes blazed. "Get out of my room." It wasn't a request, it was an order. She pushed him away, but she tripped on her bag and stumbled forward into his arms. He helped her back to her feet, his arms slipping around her waist. To his surprise, she didn't pull away, her breathing becoming quick and shallow, her eyes meeting his. They were large, like a frightened doe. At that moment his instincts took over. His lips met hers.

She was frozen for a minute in shock, then she moved away quickly, almost to the other side of the room, her eyes tortured. "What are you doing?" she asked breathlessly.

"I-I'm sorry," he murmured. "I just had to-to see if-"

"If what?" she replied, moving back toward him again with the energy of a thunderstorm. "You think you can just come in here and just kiss-" She put her head in her hands, shaking it as though trying to dislodge something. "Just get out. Please." When she looked up, her cheeks were wet with tears.

"Madeline, I-"

"Get out!" she said in fury, eyes sparkling. Her hand connected with his face, hard. He put a hand to his cheek, backing up slowly and opening the door from behind, backing out into the hallway. He started the long walk back to his own room. Mitsurugi passed him on the way.

"Hey, is Madeline in her room?" he asked casually. Edgeworth nodded coldly. "Great," said Mitsurugi, totally oblivious. He continued walking and Edgeworth paused, taking refuge behind a pillar as the other man knocked on her door. It opened and she stepped out, a radiant smile on her face. He held out his arm and she took it, saying something too quietly for him to hear and laughing. As they headed in the direction of the stairs, she happened to look back, catching sight of him. Her eyes narrowed and she tossed her hair, putting her head against the other man's shoulder as they walked away. When they had disappeared from sight, Edgeworth stepped out, and finding he couldn't go another step, sat down on a bench in the hallway. He put his head in his hands, his elbows on his knees. What had he done?

Madeline and Mitsurugi exited the hotel hand in hand. It was raining lightly, so she put on her jacket, wrapping her arms around herself. He put an arm over her shoulders. "Are you cold?" he asked. Madeline shook her head. She was still a little dazed from the confrontation in the hotel room. Being kissed by him felt so different from kissing Mitsurugi; there was just something else there. She didn't want to admit it because she was still angry with him. She barely noticed that he was leading her into a little restaurant. The waiter led them to a corner booth and left them with their menus. Madeline could feel him looking at her, but she kept her eyes down. Her feelings were so mixed up inside that she didn't think she could look at anyone right now.

"Madeline?" She reluctantly looked up and met his eyes. "I had something I wanted to ask you."

She pasted a smile on her face. "Sure, go for it."

"Well, I was wondering, if maybe you'd consider…" He trailed off, running his hands through his hair.

"Consider what?" she asked, blinking.

"Consider…staying. Here. With me." Her mouth fell open. "I'd give you a job and we'd find you a place to live. A cute little apartment in Tokyo," he pleaded, taking her hand. She was still in shock. "Madeline, I-I think I love you," he murmured, his brown eyes warm and sincere. "You're the prettiest, funniest, most amazing girl I've ever met," he said, taking advantage of her silence. "I think you're the one for me."

Her breathing sounded ridiculously loud in her ears, as did her heartbeat. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. Why wasn't she saying yes right away? "I…I…" she stammered. She made the mistake of looking into his eyes. "I have to go," she said, standing quickly and practically running out of the restaurant.

"Madeline, wait!"

She paused outside the door. Everything was moving way too fast, she needed to think. Blurs passed by her as she pushed her way through the crowd, all trying to get home before the rain really started to fall. She could hear him coming behind her, calling her name over and over, but she kept moving forward. Finally reaching the doors of the hotel, she pushed her way inside and up to her room, attracting the attention of another black-haired woman. One look at her boss as he came running through the door was enough to guess what had happened. She slipped away in the direction of the stairs.

"Knock, knock," came a voice from outside the door. Madeline lifted her head from the blanket. "Can I come in?" the familiar voice called. Miwako. Madeline sat up quickly, running a hand through her hair and trying to wipe off her smeared mascara.

"It's not locked," she called shakily. A few seconds later, Miwako appeared, balancing a tray with two steaming cups of tea.

"Hey," she said softly, sitting down on the bed next to her. "I saw Mitsurugi run in. What happened?"

Fresh tears began to spill down her cheeks. "Nothing," she said, wiping them away impatiently. Miwako put a hand on hers. "H-he wants me to stay here. With him. He offered me a job."

Miwako hugged her friend. "But that's good, isn't it?" the other woman asked. "You could live here, you could stay with me! There's room at my place!" Madeline pulled away, turning to face the wall. "What's wrong, Madi?" Miwako asked, her blue eyes concerned.

Madeline turned back to face her, eyes brimming with new tears. "I-I don't know what I want anymore," she whispered, her voice broken.

Miwako blinked in surprise. "There's someone else?" she breathed.

Madeline stood, putting things away, slamming drawers. "N-no," she said tightly, sniffing. The other woman's sapphire eyes followed Madeline around the room, a secret smile dancing on her lips. She'd known as soon as she'd seen the pair from America that they were meant for each other. She had to play her cards carefully.

"It's Miles Edgeworth, isn't it?" she asked gently. Madeline's shoulders shook.

"H-he kissed me today. Before my date." She was by her dresser now, her hands splayed on the wood, weight resting on them, looking in the mirror. She could see Miwako as a blur behind her, still and unmoving on the bed. "It felt…different than how I felt with Mitsurugi. It felt…good."

"So are you going to tell him?"

She laughed bitterly. It sounded hollow in her ears. "After the way I talked to him? I don't even think I have a job, let alone a chance at a relationship."

Miwako sighed, standing. She moved over and stroked Madeline's hair. "Don't worry," she said softly. "It'll be fine. Just stay in here and relax tonight. It'll all look better in the morning." Miwako turned and walked toward the door, making sure the other woman didn't notice that she'd palmed the keys to her room. As the door closed behind Miwako with a soft click (signifying that the door had locked), Madeline sat back down on her bed, pulling her legs into a cross-legged position and taking the cup of tea Miwako had left. She held it in cupped hands, feeling the warmth seep through her hands as tears poured down her cheeks. What had she done?

Miwako stopped in front of Miles Edgeworth's door. She took a deep breath and knocked hesitantly. She heard footsteps, then the door opened. "Can I help you?" the burgundy-suited prosecutor asked. Miwako could tell that his cool collected appearance was just a mask covering a much deeper emotion. Call it woman's intuition.

"I just…" she trailed off. Miles Edgeworth was not easy to talk to; in fact, he was downright intimidating. "It's, um…it's about Madeline."

He closed his eyes. "I don't want to talk about her." His voice wasn't filled with anger or bitterness, it was more hurt and…was that regret?

"Please, can I come in?" Miwako asked. "I wouldn't bother you unless it was important."

He was deep in thought for a minute, then stepped aside, letting her enter. She let out a little sigh of relief as she slipped by him and into the room. He gestured for her to take the chair, then sat across from her on the bed and raised an eyebrow, clearly telling her to go on.

"I just thought you should know…Mitsurugi offered Madeline a job here." His face changed for an instant, displaying an expression that even Miwako, with all her talent at reading people, couldn't make out. There was a beat of silence.

"That's good for her," Edgeworth replied neutrally, back under control. "I hope she realizes what an opportunity it is."

Miwako leaned forward a little. "She didn't accept."

Another eyebrow rose. "What?" For a second, there was a ghost of something like relief in his eyes.

"She's in her room right now, pretty shaken up. I'm worried about her."

"And do you know why she turned the job down?"

"No," Miwako lied through her teeth. She wanted Edgeworth to find out for himself. "Are you going to talk to her?"

He looked down. "I don't think I would be…too kindly received right now."

She tossed the keys to him and he caught them, holding them up with a surprised look on his face. "You never know until you try."

Madeline was still sitting on her bed when a knock on her door made her start. "Wh-who is it?" she asked.

There was a throat clearing and then a response. "It's Miles Edgeworth." She gasped, biting her lip. "Can I come in?"

"I would prefer that you didn't, but I don't think it will matter because I did notice that my keys are gone and Miwako would only have taken them to you or Mitsurugi, and since you're here…" she trailed off, sighing, realizing that she was babbling.

"I would never come in unless you said yes, despite what Miwako gave me. But I do need to talk to you."

She thought for a second. "Fine," she said, so quietly she was afraid he hadn't heard and was about to go and open the door herself, but the jingle of keys said he was coming in. She turned to face the wall, knowing full well that she was being ridiculous and childish, but taking pleasure in it. She heard his footsteps as he entered the room, stop as he saw her (she looked like a mess, she was sure), then take a seat in the chair. "What do you need?" she asked, feeling intense déjà vu from just a few hours ago.

"Miwako told me that Mitsurugi offered you a job."

"Yes, he did."

"She also told me that you did not accept said job. May I ask why not?"

There was silence for a second. "My family is in America, my friends. I don't think I could leave them."

"And…Mitsurugi? He's not a strong enough pull to leave my office and take the job?" It was a thinly veiled question and she knew exactly what he was asking.

"No," she murmured, casting a quick look over her shoulder. "Although," she continued, a hint of sarcastic amusement coloring her voice, "I don't know if I'll have a job when I get home."

He restrained a snort. "I wasn't planning on firing you, Miss Brent."

She finally turned to face him, running her hand through her hair. "Please, it's Madeline. Don't get all formal on me."

"Hmm, I thought I'd lost the privilege of calling you by your first name during our last conversation." There was no edge of bitterness or malice in his tone, but Madeline flushed red anyway, biting her lip. Her gray eyes looked unbearably guilty.

"Yes, about that…" she said. "Talking with you today…made me realize something important."

"And what is that?"

She sighed. She clearly was hoping that he wouldn't ask straight out, but he wasn't taking it back now. "Well, when I'm with Mitsurugi, I…I thought I liked him…but it's not the same as how I feel when I'm…when I'm with you." She'd been looking down throughout the entire speech, but at the end, she looked up, her gray eyes filled with a mixture of hope and another emotion that he couldn't read, her lips in a small smile.

"Are you…what are you saying?" he asked hesitantly. He wasn't daring to hope that she could possibly feel the same way.

"I guess I'm saying…this." She moved closer and kissed him on the cheek. He grabbed her wrist and prevented her from moving away. She exhaled shakily as he leaned toward her again, kissing her. Her hands wrapped around his neck and his entwined in her hair. "Wait, stop," she said breathlessly, pushing him away. "I should probably talk to Mitsurugi first. I mean, what if he walks in on us?"

"You probably should," he repeated, intoxicated by the smell of her perfume, the closeness of her. He wanted nothing more than to hold her close to him, to make sure she would never be in another man's arms again. She gently wiggled out of his arms, standing and heading toward the door.

"I'm going to go see if I can track him down," she said, turning around and meeting his eyes, smiling self-consciously. "Don't go anywhere."

He nodded and she slipped out the door, closing it softly.

Madeline walked down the hall, unable to keep a little spring from her step. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, so much like a giddy schoolgirl. She almost laughed out loud. She'd seen every other woman in the Prosecutor's Office go crazy over her boss; she'd never dreamed she'd be one of them.

Going down the stairs to the lobby, her gray eyes scanned the crowded room. People were shaking out umbrellas and there was a thick mix of languages in the air. Since the convention was over for the day and because of the weather, everyone was staying inside. Finally she spotted Mitsurugi. A cynical smile crossed her lips. He was with a blonde woman with a slight French lilt to her speech. They were laughing, holding drinks. Madeline snorted, raising an eyebrow. She should have known he preferred blondes.

She slipped back up the stairs, smiling. Mitsurugi was apparently over her already.

Her hotel room door was ajar; apparently she hadn't closed it very well in her rush to find Mitsurugi. She pushed it open. He was sitting where she'd left him, calmly waiting for her return. "So, you talked to him?" he asked.

"Not exactly." A confused expression crossed his face. "He was already talking to another girl," she admitted, not without a pang. She had liked him for a little, after all.

"I'm sorry," he replied, taking her hand. She squeezed it.

"No, you're not," she said, laughing.

"No, I'm not," he repeated, smiling. She liked it when he smiled. She settled back down on the bed, facing him.

"I'm ready to go home," she murmured. He moved to sit next to her on the bed and kissed the top of her head.

"We can go home now, if you want," he told her. Before he finished, she was shaking her head.

"No," she replied. "You're finishing your convention."

He nodded. "At least one good thing came out of this trip," he said quietly. Leaning closer, he kissed her again. He could feel her lips form a smile against his and he wondered what had made her so happy.

Madeline's eyes were closed and she couldn't have held back that grin even if she wanted to. She finally had seen the fireworks and felt that feeling. Miles Edgeworth, who'd been by her side since day one, was the one who was meant for her, and she realized that she wouldn't change that for anything.

THE END