March 17, 2019

            Franziska stood at the baggage claim watching the conveyer belt going around, her keen eyes waiting for something familiar to appear.  She hated to fly commercial, but the von Karma’s only owned one jet, and it had been busy bringing Miles Edgeworth to Germany.  She hadn’t wanted to wait for him to arrive so that she could leave, and first class wasn’t that bad.

            Finally she caught sight of her own bag making its way slowly towards her from the other side of the belt.  When at last it arrived in front of her she reached out, but an arm appeared from behind her and took it instead.  Surprised she turned and found herself looking up at the glowing red mask of Diego Armando.  She was at a loss for words, a situation that was becoming altogether too common.

            “Miss me?” he asked grinning.

            “What are you doing here?” she demanded.

            “Don’t change the subject, Ziska.  Did you miss me?”

            “Not as much as you missed me if you’ve been hanging around in the airport.”

            “So you did miss me?” Diego inferred.

            “How long were you waiting here?” she demanded in exasperation.

            “Edgeworth told me which plane you’d be arriving on before he left.  It’s not like I’ve been here all day.”  They stared at one another moment, “You haven’t answered me yet.”

            “Give me my bag,” Franziska ordered.  He held it up higher so that she couldn’t reach it, “I got you a present,” she explained, and he quickly handed it over.

            Placing the bag on a seat, Franziska began to root through it.  Eventually she pulled out a small glass jar.  She handed it to him and he looked at her in confusion.

            “It’s a used candle,” he told her. 

            “It smells like coffee,” she responded zipping her bag and throwing it over her shoulder.

            “It doesn’t smell like very good coffee,” he said sniffing it, “and besides who was using it?”

            “Why do you care?” she asked frowning at him. “I’m going to call my chauffeur, would you like a ride?”

            He nodded without looking away from the little candle, continuing his close study while she made her call.  When she hung up, Diego grinned at her.  He held the candle up between them, “You did miss me.”

            Franziska’s cheeks tinged pink and she peered up at him. “Maybe a little,” she admitted.

            Diego looked pleased, “I missed you too.”  They stared at one another for a moment, before Franziska realized how foolish they must look. 

            “What were you doing while I was gone?” she asked him, leading the way out.

            “Working on our case,” Diego responded. “Do you want me to take your bag?”

            “It’s not even heavy,” she said, turning and raising an eyebrow. “Besides, I meant, outside of work.”

            They stood outside and waited for the limo to arrive.  Diego looked her over carefully.  “You’re curious about my social life?”

            “I was just being polite.  You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.  Personally, I don’t care.” The limousine arrived, and Franziska entered, not looking back as Diego followed her.

            “You don’t have to get so mad,” he said gently.  She frowned at him, and settled herself down.  Diego looked at her, clearly deep in thought.  He smiled suddenly and said, “I’ve started seeing someone.”

            Franziska’s eyes widened, but she quickly tried to look disinterested. “That Blanca woman from before?”

            Diego’s grin got wider, “Yes.  My mother’s practically married us off already.”

            “She’s very pretty,” Franziska said quietly.  Diego looked surprised by this response.  He leaned closer to her.

            “You think so?” he asked.

            “Yes,” Franziska insisted, “She was very… womanly.”

            Diego put his hand behind her head and ruffled her hair awkwardly, “You’re just saying that because you’re tired.”

            “No,” she insisted, “My congratulations are earnest.  I think it’s good that you’re moving on.”

            Diego sighed and leaned back in his seat, “Thanks, Kid.”

oOo

March 20, 2019

            As a von Karma, Franziska had always felt that work was the most important thing one could do.  Since beginning her career, she had found herself happiest when in the court or the office, and going home at the end of the day had always been an unwelcome prospect.

            When in the United States, Franziska’s home was an extensive and expensive flat.  Her father had lived in it when he was still alive, and the décor was as impressive and cold as he had been.  The apartment had no live-in servants, and whenever she was home it was completely empty. She spent most of her time in the study, working as she would in the Prosecutor’s Office, and more often then not she spent her nights slumbering at her desk.

            In the days after returning from Germany, Franziska began to dread the end of the workday more than ever before.  Her job had become enjoyable in a completely new way that she’d never felt before.  She liked going to the office, simply because she enjoyed being with Diego.

            She was, of course, interested in her work, but they could have been doing anything and she still would have been content.  Everything about Diego made her happy simply to be in his presence.  The way he smiled, the way he laughed, even the way he teased her; all of it brought her joy.  But it made the end of the day all the more painful.  The idea of returning to her empty apartment while he went out with his horrible new girlfriend was practically painful.  Worst of all she felt that she was being illogical, which made her feel a thousand times worse.

            She was currently sitting in the large, comfortable, swivel chair at Diego’s desk, watching as he made himself some coffee in the pot that he kept in his office.

            “Do you want some?” he asked, as he had for the past two days. 

            “I don’t like it,” she responded, as she had for the past two days.

            “But you like the way it smells?” He took a sip from his coffee mug and smiled at her.

            “I like the way flowers smell, but that doesn’t mean I’d want to ingest them.”  She gestured for him to sit down across from her.

            “You do know that’s my desk you’ve taken over, right?”

            “I know,” she told him, smirking.  Diego placed his coffee in front of her, before pulling the chair from the front of the desk around to the back so that he could sit beside her.

            “Now, we really should get to work, Ziska.  These bastards won’t incriminate themselves.”

            “They’ve done a pretty job incriminating each other,” Franziska said leaning back in her seat. “When do you think they’ll actually give us a court date?”

            “Desperate to get rid of me, eh?”

            “No,” she responded quickly, before shaking her head and adding, “I mean, I don’t particularly care either way.  But, really, we have more than enough information to send these two men to jail five times over.  Why haven’t they put us in court yet?”

            “I think they keep pushing it back every time they find something new.  And they keep finding new stuff.” He sipped and shrugged, “Gives us a bit of a break.”

            Franziska harrumphed and rested her arms on the table.  “I wish they’d give us something to do.  All we’ve been doing is reading reports.  I want to do something.”

            “Hey, maybe we can take off early,” Diego said with a shrug.

            “No!” Franziska responded quickly.  She blushed and added, “It’s a dishonest use of taxpayer money to leave in the middle of the afternoon like that.”

            “It’s not like we’re doing much here,” he said. “Let’s compromise.  How about we take lunch out, and not talk business at all.”

            “I suppose we could do that…” she said quietly.

oOo

            “You know, as an underage government worker you probably shouldn’t be ordering alcohol.”

            Franziska shrugged and took a sip, “I can drink back home in Germany.  You should have ordered some.”

            “I’ve been banned from alcohol; Doctor’s orders,” Diego said nonchalantly.

            “And the caffeine?” Franziska asked, leaning forward with smirk and a raised eyebrow.

            Diego grinned, “There are certain things a man can’t live without.  There is nothing that coffee can do to my body that would be worse than what its absence would do to my soul.”

            “Poetic,” Franziska said smiling, and they fell into a comfortable silence as their meals arrived.

            “So Ziska?” Diego asked, as the quiet began to last too long, “Is their anyone waiting for you back in Germany?”

            “You mean like Miles Edgeworth?” she asked, confused.

            “I mean, do you have a little boyfriend back home?”

            “Oh god no.” She shook her head.

            “I don’t suppose you’ve ever gotten much of a chance to meet guys your own age?” Godot asked, looking at her carefully as he waited for an answer.

            “I suppose not, but most boys my age are exceedingly immature.  As a whole I find them distasteful,” she answered simply.  Diego let out a loud deep laugh that sent a thrill of happiness through Franziska.

            He bit his lip and looked at her for a moment, as though there were something he wanted to ask.  Whatever it was he decided against it.  Instead he settled on, “So you’ve never dated anyone, then?”

            “If I had met someone, I think my Father would have killed him.”

            “Literally,” Diego added without thinking.  He was certain, for a moment, that he had offended her, but Franziska laughed.  It was a clear and pleasant sound, not what he would have expected from her, and it put a smile on his face.

            “We should probably get back to work soon,” Franziska said quietly, blushing when she saw his expression.

            “I guess,” Diego answered.  “ We should get back to the office before it’s time to leave for dinner.”

            “You have plans?” Franziska asked carefully, as she waved the waiter over.

            “Of course.”

            “With Blanca?”

            “Of course,” he repeated. “Why do you ask?”

            Franziska looked down at the table, training her face into a look of practiced disinterest, “No reason,” she said.

oOo

March 23, 2019

            It had been another day of reading new information that sounded exactly like what they had been reading the day before.  Outside the window of Diego’s office the light was beginning to disappear.  Franziska was reading over a report without really absorbing any more information.  She was, however, still more focused than her coworker.  He had taken to mixing different blends of coffee together in an attempt to create something new.  In the middle of pouring one mug into the other he slopped some onto his desk and frowned.

            “Okay, we’ve been here too long,” he announced.  Franziska looked up, and sighed.  She closed the report and began to pack it into her bag.

            “I want a court date,” she growled, “I’m sick of reading this.”

            “Why are you taking it home with you then?” Diego asked. “There’s no reason for you to be working on this after hours.”

            “I haven’t got anything better to do.” Franziska frowned.

            “You could sleep,” Diego suggested, “You seem kind of exhausted.”

            “I’m not exhausted.”

            “Is something else bothering you?  You’re kind of… on edge.”

            “I’m fine,” she told him shortly, “This is how I usually act.”

            “You’ve seemed pretty cheery lately, well, for you anyway.  Something’s got to be bothering you.” He reached out gently and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.  She looked up at him, tired but happy, and smiled slightly. 

            “It’s nothing, really,” she said gently.

            “You need to get out more, Ziska.  If it’s not exhaustion than maybe you should go out tonight.  You need a break.” He stretched as he joined her in preparing to leave.

            “I suppose your going out with Miss Blanca, again.” The words came out colder than she meant them to, and she hoped he wouldn’t notice.  He did.

            “Does it bother you?” he asked quietly.  She stared in the other direction for a moment, thinking hard about how to respond.  She desperately wanted to remain in control of herself, but suddenly she felt an unreasonable anger bubbling that she simply could not repress.

            “She’s a Bitch,” Franziska seethed.  “I should know.  But she doesn’t even have the guts or the honesty to act like one outright.  She pretended to be so sweet and grownup but she was just lazy and nasty and-”

            Franziska stopped abruptly; Diego was smiling. “You are a remarkably hard nut to crack.”  She raised an eyebrow, realizing, suddenly, that something wasn’t what she had expected. Diego came very close to her, his smile growing gentler, “Why does it bother you so much, Ziska?”

            Her eyes widened as she began to realize precisely what he was trying to ask her.  Desiring to do anything but answer the question he had posed, Franziska changed the subject, “You haven’t been seeing her at all, have you?”

            Diego laughed warmly, and shook his head, “I can’t get anything by you, can I?” He put a hand on her arm, and asked in a voice that held just the slightest tinge of anxiety, “Will you answer the question?”

            “I think,” Franziska began carefully, paying more attention to his sleeve than anything else, “I think perhaps I may have developed some sort of feelings for you.”

            She raised her eyes slowly, very slowly, and saw that the smile on his lips was of the small, gentle, and honest kind that appeared so very rarely.  There was a moment in which she wondered what expression lay hidden behind the mask, but she found herself pulled, suddenly, into his arms.

            It was warm in his embrace, and she felt she could have remained happily there forever.  Yet Diego pulled back, causing her to look up immediately to see what had gone wrong.  She saw nothing, but rather felt his lips on hers.

            It was a short kiss; at once chaste and passionate.  He let her go, still smiling gently and placed his hand tenderly against one of her cheeks.  Franziska leaned into his touch, looking him over with the slightest of smiles on her face.  They were quiet for a moment; Franziska happy, if somewhat stunned and Diego waiting patiently for a sort of response.

            “What are you thinking?” he whispered softly. 

            “Why did you stop?” Diego’s expression changed, briefly, into one of amused incredulity, before Franziska reached up and pulled him into another kiss.

oOo

April 1, 2019

            Franziska hadn’t known how much had been missing in her life until she had it.  She had thought she’d had everything, and now suddenly she had so much more.  The entire world suddenly seemed joyous and bright in ways she’d never imagined it could.

            The case remained stuck, continuing to expand without progressing, but she found it difficult to truly care.  She liked wasting the afternoons just talking with Diego, particularly now that she knew that when they said goodbye for the night she was still in his thoughts.

They sat together now, he in his desk chair and her on his knee, looking at some new and pointless paper.

“You’ve got to love a beaurocracy that won’t let you condemn a guy because they think they can help you condemn him even better,” Diego said pulling her closer to him.  Franziska hummed in agreement.  He turned his head so that he could see her face, “Do you want to go out somewhere for lunch?”

“Certainly,” she responded, “That sounds nice.”

Together they walked to a nearby restaurant where they sat in a booth by the window with the sun shining on them.  Their conversation was pleasantly varied, and they talked of everything from family, to food, to Phoenix Wright.  The quiet, lonely meals of Franziska’s childhood were almost impossible to remember when she was sitting across from Diego.  Dialogue and laughter floated so easily between them, and those few moments of silence that come to every conversation were always comfortable.  This sort of friendship was very new and welcome, and Franziska could not imagine anything better.

“We should probably get back soon,” Diego sighed, sounding disappointed in the prospect. 

“Why so hurried?” she asked.

“Because we wouldn’t want to steal from the taxpayers, Ziska,” he said, smiling wickedly at her.  She kicked him under the table.

“Be honest,” she demanded.

“Honestly?  I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon, and I want to walk you back to the office first.”

Franziska raised an eyebrow, “I can handle walking just fine.”

“I know,” he answered quickly, “It may come as a surprise to you, but I actually like walking with you.”

“If it means so much to you,” she said, smirking.  The waiter arrived with the bill, and placed it on the table.

“I’ll cover it,” Diego told her, reaching into his pocket for his wallet.

“You don’t have to,” Franziska said frowning, “Unless, of course, you like doing this as well.”

“I do,” he told her, leaning over and kissing her. “Now come on, let’s go.”

oOo

April 13, 2019

            “You’re so cute when you laugh like that,” Diego murmured as he kissed her, there was a pleasant sort of amusement in his voice.

            “I am not,” Franziska said, nuzzling his cheek; she was sitting on his knee again.  She stopped, suddenly, for a moment and leaned against him, “I think I just disgusted myself.”

            He laughed and put his arms around her waist.  Giggling, she leaned down and kissed him.  This was how Gumshoe found them when he opened the door to deliver a report.

            “Sorry Sirs!” he shouted nervously, giving an awkward salute with the hand holding the folder; papers flew out behind him and he dropped to his knees to pick them up.

            “You know she’s a woman, right?” Diego asked, as he watched the detective clamber about on the floor.

            “I know,” Gumshoe said looking up, “Why ya asking, pal?”

            “No reason,” he replied, trying to reach his coffee from around Franziska.  He failed, and she handed it to him.

            “So what have you brought us, Detective?”

            “We’ve got some interesting new stuff.  You see some of the guys at headquarters have got some leads saying the whole thing is probably connected to this big old gang that we’ve been tracking for a couple years now.  They’ve even got this one guy who’s agreed to rat out the guys who were involved in the ring.  Their gonna be meeting him at this sketchy diner, like in a movie or somethin’.  They said you guys could join ‘em if you want, Pal.” The detective said excitedly, standing up and placing his collected papers on the desk.

            “Excellent!” Fanziska sat up alertly, “When is this meeting?”

            “Two ‘o’ clock tomorrow.  The detective that’s going will take you in his cruiser if ya’ show up at the station a half hour before that,” Gumshoe told her.  She nodded and waved him away before settling back against Diego’s chest.

            “Finally.  Something interesting.”

            “Yeah,” he repeated softly, “Interesting.”

oOo

April 14, 2019

            Franziska was climbing the steps of the Police Station, convinced that Diego was right behind her, when she heard his voice from a little too far away. 

            “Franziska, we need to talk.” He was still standing at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes fixed on the sidewalk.  She returned to him slowly, watching him closely until she stood directly in front of him.

            “What’s wrong?”

            He bit his lip slightly before talking, as though he knew how she would respond and didn’t want to experience it. “I don’t think you should come today,” he told her quietly.

            “This had better be some foolish joke,” she responded, her voice equally hushed.

            “You know I wouldn’t joke about something like this.  I’m being serious.  I think it would be better if you didn’t come today.”

            “Why?” she snapped, her voice growing loud, “Do you doubt my competence?”

            “No, Ziska, of course not, but it’s dangerous,” he said, trying to remain gentle.

            She stared at him incredulously, “What do I care if it’s dangerous?”

            “I don’t want you to get hurt.”  He told her, his voice becoming fiercer and more passionate, “I’m not going to let you get hurt!”

            She said nothing but eyed him dangerously, warning him to choose his next words carefully.  He came closer to her, grasping her by the shoulders, “It’s just this one thing.”

            “It is not!  You’ve been doing this more and more since we got together.  You won’t let me do anything for myself.”

            “Shh, Ziska, I’m just looking out for you.”

            “I don’t need you to protect me from every little thing,” she spat.

            “I’m not going to lose another woman, because I’m too damn careless to protect her!” He pulled her tightly to his chest, and she could feel in every small movement of his body, his utter desperation and misery.  It frightened her to know just how great his unhappiness was, and she felt as though she had pushed him too fast.  But more than anything, she knew, suddenly, that if things were to go on as they were it would only hurt both of them.

Franziska yanked herself out of his embrace and looked at him fiercely.  Her voice was dangerously low as she said her next words, “Take the case.”

            “What?” His voice was painful to hear.  He sounded so lonely and horrified.

            “You can take the case,” Franziska told him, her voice less harsh, but remaining just as determined.  “I’m going back to Germany.”

            “I don’t want the case, Ziska.  I want you.”  He tried to smile, that old trusted, fake and toothy grin, but he couldn’t do it.  The edges of his mouth trembled and gave him away.

            “I can’t do this,” she told him.  “I can’t because you can’t.  You’re not ready.  You’re still living with the same fear and guilt that’s tortured you since you woke up.”

            “I know, Ziska but-  I love you.  You know that, don’t you?  Those memories don’t stop me from loving you.”

            “It’s not the feelings that I question,” she shouted, her voice uneven, “It’s the way that you show them.  Have you learned nothing from your failed attempts to make up for a sin that you never committed?  You’re still too proud, Diego.  Too proud and too domineering.  You’re scared, I know you are, but if you can’t gain some acceptance of the fact that there are some things you can never control, than I’m sorry, but I cannot be with you.”

            Her eyes fell on his face, staring at the mask where his unseeing eyes should have been.  “I’m sorry, Diego.  I sincerely hope that you won’t let your fear destroy you, but you can’t get past this with me here.  I hope to see you again some day.”

 

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