AN: This story was written a little before my Silent Hill fiction and, if you can sort of tell by the word count, had a bit more passion from me. I am and will always be a big fan of the Ace Attorney games. One character, though minor, has been in each arc of them at least once. That's who this story is based on. As well as an old OC I've had since the first time I played Phoenix Wright. Once again, I wrote this back in 2010, so there's gonna be a little tweeking here and there from how it was written back then. Also, the first three chapters are prologue, only because I wanted the actual story to be like a case in the game. So, if you actually had the patience to read all this bold text, please enjoy. I won't be the type to beg for reviews, but it always gives me motivation to continue writing. 3

The night was perfect. Warmer than the day proceeding it. Upon a time when most would be sleeping, others would be out and enjoying the night life. But beyond the hum of the hustle and bustle, one car remained at a constant stop and go, even without any sign of a cause in front of it. Its erratic driving built a panic to the drivers behind it, beginning nervous and angry honking to disturb the city's rhythm.

The driver behind the wheel held a tight but shaky grip around the wheel with one hand, with the other hand to the rear view mirror, tiny, innocent eyes glancing to the ruckus caused. The hand from the mirror reached back for the driver's head, pushing back a small, blue police cap and scraching into the black hair beneath it.

"I've never driven this poorly before..." the driver spoke to no one in his panic filled squeaky voice. "M-Maybe it's just nerves...I haven't dated in a year now...this could be a bad idea..."

Not realizing the car had come to a complete stop, the driver's wide-cheeked head hit the ceiling of the car in surprise from a synchronized honking from behind. After a minute to come to, the driver grabbed at the handle of a megaphone that sat on the passenger seat, pointed it out of the driver side window towards the cars behind him and held the microphone close to his mouth.

"EXCUSE ME!" The megaphone shrieked along with his shrill voice. "Everyone PLEASE! Have PATIENCE!"He pulled the megaphone back into his car, then tried to quicken his driving. However, he wound up sailing through two stop signs and a red light before snapping back into sanity.

A Few Days Earlier...

"Detective Gumshoe, sir! I was hoping I could ask you something sir!" Officer Meekins stood saluting to the scruffy detective as he began to leave the Criminal Affairs Department.

"Huh?" Gumshoe turned to him with a slight hesitance in his tone. "Uh...sure thing, pal. What is it?"

"Sir! I-I was wondering if you knew of the new officer in training, sir!"

"New officer?" Gumshoe thought for a moment, then finally remembered hearing about it around the precinct. "Who, you mean that Carol girl? Well, sure, I've heard about her, but it's not exactly my department to know everything really."

"Oh, I-I know that, sir..." Meekins mumbled slightly, twiddling his thumbs, almost too embarrassed to continue. "I-I mean...she's been here for a few weeks now, sir. I wouldn't expect you to know her well."

"Gotta agree with you there, pal." Gumshoe chuckled. "Since she started, all she's done was keep to herself. I hardly even know her last name!"

"It's Ling, sir..." Meekins whispered so much, not even he heard himself.

"Huh?"

"N-Nothing, sir! A-Absolutely nothing!" Meekins slammed his fist down into his left palm, trying to get back the confidence to continue with what he wanted to say. "But I was hoping you knew if you had seen her with anyone in particular, sir!"

"In...particular?"

"W-Well..." He looked back down to his hands, trying to avoid Gumshoe's glance. "You know what I mean, sir..."

"..."

"..."

"Oh...Oh! I see what you mean, pal!"

"PLEASE, SIR!" Meekins shouted through his megaphone. "NOT SO LOUD, SIR!"

"Not so loud yourself!" Gumshoe retorted.

"Sorry, sir...but please..."

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! You want to know if she's interested in seeing anyone!" Gumshoe grinned widely to the ever ashamed looking Meekins. "Well, from what I've seen, she lacks a wedding ring, a man's arm to be around and an interested eye."

"You've seemed to have gathered a lot of information from someone who you don't even know their last name, sir..."

"I'm a detective, pal. These observations come naturally." The playful look returned to Gumshoe's face soon after that statement. "So, are you going to try asking her out at all?"

"W-Well, sir...that's just it, sir...you said she keeps to herself all the time, so I don't know how she would react, sir..."

"Hey, what's the harm in trying, pal? The worse anyone can say is no, right? What do you have to lose?" Almost right after Gumshoe said that, he saw a figure walking in through the entrance of the Criminal Affairs Department. It walked up to the Chief's desk and began talking to him. "Heh, speak of the devil, pal. There she is!"

The woman speaking to the Chief was in a uniform self-crafted that kept her strong build visible, as well as protected. Her hair was cut short enough so a little bit of her red hair was visable beneath her police cap. Green eyes darted through documents recieved earlier that she needed to deliver. And her voice as she spoke held a cool and delicate tone, making her sound formidable and feminine at the same time.

Gumshoe and Meekins remained watching her for the whole of her conversation with the Chief. Edging a bit more towards the exit, Gumshoe gave Meekins a firm pat on the back.

"Good luck, pal" was all he said before rushing out. The jolt from Gumshoe's pat stirred Meekins to accidentally drop his megaphone onto his foot. Shouting in pain, he gripped at his foot, forgetting about the megaphone shrieking on the ground from impact. He scrambled to pick it back up, when he felt eyes fall upon him. He looked up and swallowed nervously as Carol kept her gaze at him.

For someone like her, it would've been less surprising if she looked to him coldly. However, she just...looked. Almost like she was studying him. With hardly much emotion to start, but something building in thought. Meekins was looking as well, no doubt, though he didn't know how to act upon his wishes.

However, with the still shrieking megaphone sounding through the precinct, the woman finished up with her brief meeting with the Chief, wished him a good day and approached the still slightly confused Meekins. She knelt down slowly and lifted the megaphone from the ground, turning it off at the dial on the back.

"You need to be more careful with this thing...I've heard about you around here. You use this a little too much." She finished, handing it back off to him.

Meekins tried his best to come up with something to say back, or at least to thank her. But with all that was racing in his mind, all he could muster was a slight "Yeah..." and nod. With that, she nodded back just as softly, turned heel and walked towards the exit of the Department. Realizing he had missed his shot, Meekins snapped back to his wits, turned and followed after her quickly out the door, shouting on the way.

"W-Wait! ONE MOMENT, MA-" Gagging and falling back suddenly, the loop of the bottom of his tie caught the handle of the door on the way out, holding him firm, choking him around the neck. He held his tie and tried pulling it back out, unsure on what exactly it was caught on.

"Check the handle."

Meekins turned to see she had returned, arms crossed with her right hand reaching high up to her left arm. She was looking at him almost from the corner of her eyes, but still with a warmth behind them. Having to snap back into his thoughts, Meekins opened the door back up and saw it was snagged on the hook-like handle. Starting to blush, he quickly freed his tie and closed the door, tucking the tie into his jacket.

"If you're carelessly rushing around all the time, you'll be proned to such accidents like that." Her face changed into a lighter tone than before. "However, from what I've heard, this wasn't your first snag up, was it?"

Meekins looked down awkwardly to his hands at best to avoid looking directly at her. "You've heard about me, ma'am?"

The woman's expression shifted almost coldly. "I don't appreciate being called that, officer..."

"O-Oh...s-sorry, m-...uh, miss..."

"Why don't you just call me by my name?" She started, readying up and saluted. "Officer Carol Ling. I'm studying under this precinct and hope to make this my life's work."

"Ah...OH!" Meekins straightened back up and saluted proudly in his way. "Officer Mike Meekins reporting, Ms. Ling!"

Carol felt a slight chuckle come up from the way he was saluting, but suppressed it quickly. She pulled her hand down, allowing Meekins to do the same.

"Ms. Ling, miss...May I ask you a question if you're not busy...miss?" Meekins began, looking down to his hands.

"I don't mind. You don't need to be so polite all the time, Mike." Carol answered kindly, but still with the tone of authority she had been working on before.

"I-It's just how I am, miss. Can't be helped..." Meekins looked away, almost ashamed of who he was for a moment.

"Alright then. Go ahead." Carol responded, holding in another chuckle.

"Well...uh...um...I-I..." Meekins attempted to ask, expression changing drastically with each word and taking longer and longer to speak. "I-Is...a-are you...uhm...are you..."

"If you're too ashamed to ask something, you shouldn't. I know it only takes a true man to state what he wants for what he wants to know." Carol uttered a bit coldly, beginning to turn heel off away from him. "I imagine you're not a true man then..."

Meekins felt a harsh tightening in his chest. He had been struck down before he could even say anything! And worse, she had begun to walk away and quickly, almost like he was a waste of her time. If this was really going to be the first impression of the two of them, how was the rest of their relationship supposed to go? If there even will be one no less. He thought back to what Gumshoe told him just earlier. The worse anyone can say is no, right? What do you have to lose?With one final confidence boost, he held his trademark megaphone in her direction and shouted into the microphone.

"MISS CAROL LING! ARE YOU WITH ANYONE AT THE MOMENT, MISS?"

The echo of his megaphone reached the corners of the block. Sirens of cars close by were wailing as if an explosion had gone off. And Carol ducked from instinct from the sound, thinking there was, in fact, an explosion. When she turned to see it was from the megaphone, she stormed back to him and snagged the device from his hands, turning it towards him.

"You are far too loud, Officer Meekins. FAR too loud!" She shouted through the microphone into the megaphone, then into his face, which began to turn a shade of mid-tone red, seemingly from either anger or embarrassment.

"W-W-Well...I-I...I guess I deserved that...b-but..." Meekins looked back down to his hands, looking as if he was about to cry at any moment.

Carol looked to him for a while, thinking for a moment. She smirked slightly and dropped the megaphone back into his hands.

"But, it did have to take some guts to announce a question like that...to answer it, I'll have to say no." She said with the smile intact.

"Ohhh...okay..." Meekins responded even sadder, forgetting how he asked his question. Carol even noticed, looking to him curiously.

"Why do you sound so sad? I said no, silly. I'm not with anyone at the moment." She corrected.

"I heard you, miss..." Meekins replied. "...Oh!" His face changed into realization. "Oh! OH!" He threw his right fist into his left palm, understanding what she meant. "You're NOT with someone right now, miss!"

"Yes, that's what I said. What, did you think I was turning you down that simply?" Carol smiled.

"Well, yes I did to be honest, miss..." Meekins muttered, then began to turn red again. "I-I mean-! I-I wasn't...I didn't mean it l-like that, miss..."

Carol sighed a bit and reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a pad of paper and a pen. She scribbled down a few numbers and her name, then tore it off and stuffed it into his megaphone, almost playfully.

"Let me know when your free..." She said before saluting him off. Once Meekins responded with his salute, she smiled, turned heel and walked out of sight.

Meekins quickly reached for the paper inside his megaphone to see that she had written out a phone number above her name. He looked to the paper for a long enough time to commit it almost to memory, but knew it would still be a better idea to keep it in a pocket as not to lose it. He began to feel more at an ease than ever. He practically danced on air towards his car, though tension filled up inside of him again once he reached it. The stress of a first date hasn't found him in some time and he knew how he was. Twice as forgetful and three times as clumsy. He got into his car, thinking of just what he wanted to do to make as good of an impression as possible, but felt as much as he would try, nothing would work. Shutting his door, he felt if he would just be himself and she approved, all the better. If she didn't, well, that was just another one on his ever growing list. He sighed as he started the car with this thought and drove off, unaware that his tie was flapping halfway out in the car door.