Chapter Text
State vs. Masters ends with Manfred von Karma’s arrest and Jeffrey Masters’ acquittal. The courtroom cheers and someone throws confetti. Mr. Masters starts to cry, and his daughter runs up to hug him. It’s like a scene out of a movie.
Gregory Edgeworth stands behind the defense bench, a bit stunned. If he was being totally honest, he wasn’t confident he was going to be able to pull it off. It’s almost surreal.
As everyone files out of the courtroom, Miles dashes from the gallery up to his side and grabs onto his coat.
“Father, you did it!” Miles says excitedly, stars in his eyes. It’s the look of a boy who wants to be just like his father one day.
Gregory smiles at him and wraps his arm around him. “Yeah. We did it.”
He looks over to Raymond, who has tears forming in his eyes himself. “Oh…Kate can rest easy now. I’m so happy…”
Laughing, Gregory puts his other arm around Raymond and pulls his boys close. Raymond was always so emotional.
But as they’re celebrating, Gregory notices something. People are getting up, meandering around, and leaving the courtroom, yet one member of the gallery remains seated, so still she could be a statue.
It’s a young girl—no older than maybe four, at the very oldest. She is dressed to the nines, and has blue hair cut into a cute, girlish bob. Her face is solemn.
He keeps an eye on her, but nobody talks to her. People keep leaving but none of them take her with them. Even the judge has left at this point—absent-minded as always—yet she remains. Gregory feels worry brew in the pit of his stomach. The options for this girl’s parentage are running out.
“Raymond,” he says, “take Miles out to the car. Warm it up for me. I’ll meet you there. I have some business to attend to first”
Raymond nods, exuding passion and energy. ‘Yes, Sir!” he says, before putting a hand on Miles’s shoulder and guiding him out of the courtroom. He probably thought Gregory was going to talk to the defendant. That could wait. He’d explain everything later.
Once Raymond has ushered Miles out of the courtroom, Gregory approaches the little girl, switching from ‘stern defense attorney’ to ‘compassionate parent’ and crouching down to her height. She only lifts her head ever so slightly, barely acknowledging his presence. Her expression remains demure and flat.
“Hey honey, where are your parents?” He asks, trying not to let her reaction (or lack thereof) discourage him.
“They took my papa away in handcuffs,” she says, and Gregory feels like he just got stabbed in the gut. He doesn’t know how to process the fact that he is talking to Manfred von Karma’s child.
“Oh—er, did you come here with anyone else?” He continues, doing his very best to not let it show.
“I came here alone with my papa.”
Gregory purses his lips. Okay. Okay. He’s dealing with a totally unaccompanied child who doesn’t even know how to read yet. She has no guardian with her at the moment. He should…take her to the police, right?
Ah, he’s getting ahead of himself. “Okay. What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“My name is Franziska von Karma.”
“And how old are you?”
“I am three years old.”
Gregory has no idea what to say to her. He has never met a child who speaks in complete sentences before, let alone one as young as three. Then again, knowing von Karma, it’s not really a surprise his kid would turn out like this.
Then, before he can respond, she suddenly hops down onto the ground and begins to walk towards the courtroom door, her back perfectly straight, her stride unshaken.
“Ah—where are you going?” he calls after her. He can’t just let an unattended child walk out of the courtroom. That would make him a failure of both a lawyer and a parent.
“I am going to the police station.” She says matter-of-factly, not stopping or turning around in the slightest.
“Um, what?” It’s almost as if she read his mind. He follows after her, more questions raised than answered.
“Yes, that is generally where children with no parents are supposed to go.”
“Er, yes, but…” how did you know that? What makes you think you can get there yourself? Do you even know where it is? No three year old should be acting like this! “...it’s not safe to go by yourself. I’ll take you.”
This causes her to pause, stopping in her tracks but not turning around. “...Do you have a car, Mr. Edgeworth?”
She knows his name. She must have really been paying attention to the trial. “Yes, I do. My employee and son are waiting inside it for me.”
“Well then, I suppose a car would get me there faster than my feet. Thank you for your kind offer.”
He catches up to her, standing by her side. He’s thankful he won’t have to fight her on this, but…
“Hang on, didn’t your father ever tell you not to get into cars with strangers?”
“He did.” Franziska wastes no time in answering his question, cutting and exact. “However, it seems he is a criminal, and you are the man who proved that. You saved Mr. Masters from a horrible fate. Children are not supposed to be unattended, so if I can trust anybody in this courtroom, it must be you.”
And Gregory…is taken completely aback. Not only does this small child speak perfect English (and German, too, judging by her accent—which only made it more impressive), and not only did she watch and pay attention to the trial, but she completely understood the details of the trial, what had happened to her father, and where she was supposed to go next. And she wasn’t even out of the toddler stage.
“Uh, right. That’s…very good, dear. You’re very smart.”
All of a sudden, the earth begins to shake.
Franziska starts looking around the room frantically, clearly ill prepared for earthquakes. Gregory, on the other hand, jumps into action. He grabs Franziska and runs over to the wall, practically throwing his body over her own to shield her. Beneath him, she’s letting out panicked noises, and it breaks his heart, but this is the best he can do for now.
After a moment, the earthquake subsides. It wasn’t a very big one, so the courthouse was largely undamaged. During the confusion, he could hear some people shouting about the elevator no longer working, but that appeared to be the bulk of the damage.
He lets go of Franziska to see her shaking, near tears. “Mr. Edgeworth…” she says in a tiny voice. “What was that?”
He brushes some hair out of her face, holding her steady. “Just an earthquake, dear. They happen all the time in California. You don’t need to worry; we know how to handle them. No one was hurt.”
Franziska takes a few deep breaths to steady herself—still clearly shaken, but calming down. Already, she was one of the strongest children he had ever met. “Well, thank you very much for protecting me, Mr. Edgeworth. Now, you said you’d take me to the police?”
He smiles. So business oriented, this one was. “Here, hold my hand so you don’t get lost.” He holds his hand out, but she just folds her hands in front of her.
“I am not some helpless fool. I am perfectly capable of walking alongside you.”
Gregory blinks. What?
He grabs her hand anyways. “I insist. It’s a rule, if you’re going to get into my car.”
She lets out a huff. “Very well. Take me to the police, Mr. Edgeworth.”
He holds her little hand as they walk out to his car. As he approaches, he can see Raymond in the passenger seat shoot him an odd look. He opens one of the doors to the backseat and invites her to sit next to Miles.
“Um, Father, pardon my asking but…who is this?”
“Well—”
“I am Franziska von Karma, esteemed second daughter of the house of von Karma. My papa was just arrested, so now I am alone. Your father has graciously offered to take me to the police station, as I am a child and I cannot drive.”
Miles stares at her like he just saw a ghost. “Excuse me?”
Raymond has his body twisted around like a pretzel to look at her as she climbs into the seat, buckling herself in with ease. He scrunches his nose. “Wait, kid, how old are you?”
“I am three years old.”
Raymond shoots Gregory a look. What? he mouths. Gregory just shrugs, because he truly has no idea either.
He gets into the driver’s seat, lets out a long sigh, and begins to drive. He takes Raymond home first, as he has no clue how long he’ll be at the station and he doesn’t want to keep the poor boy waiting when he’s off the clock. He has no qualms keeping his own kid, however! So after that, off they go to the station.
Throughout the drive, Miles keeps trying to make small talk with Franziska. Her answers are short and blunt, which Gregory would find funny under any other circumstance.
“So…you’re Manfred von Karma’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t do anything.”
“Well, yes, but that’s just what people say when bad things happen.”
“That’s foolish. Offer your condolences instead.”
“Er—my condolences?”
“Thank you.”
Silence.
“So, do you have any other family?”
“My mother is dead and I have not seen my older sister in years.”
“Oh. Um. My condolences.”
“Thank you.”
He sees Miles’s frustrated face in the rearview mirror. The poor boy is so utterly perplexed, it’s somewhat charming. Miles has never met a problem he couldn’t solve, so Franziska must be very confusing for him—even moreso than she already is.
He pulls up to the station and parks the car. “Miles, you stay here while I take Franziska inside, alright?”
Miles nodded. “It was nice talking with you, Franziska. I hope everything works out for you.”
“Thank you, Miles Edgeworth.”
He takes Franziska’s hand and helps her out of the car, in spite of her indignation, and takes her inside. The woman behind the desk looks a bit confused seeing them—as everyone does, it seems—but Franziska cuts her off before she even gets the chance to speak.
“I am Franziska von Karma. My father was just arrested, so you are going to need to contact my sister in Germany. I have no other family. Mr. Edgeworth has generously taken me here.”
Franziska really seems to have a habit of doing this.
The woman’s eyes widen. “Oh. Well…” she turns to her computer screen, clicking around a bit. “Yes, okay. We’ll get you taken care of. Wait just a moment.”
Not long after that, a few officers are ushering Franziska away, and a few more are standing beside him as he gives the woman the details.
“Do call me with any updates, won’t you?” He asks once they wrap things up.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Edgeworth. We’ll be taking good care of her. We’ll get her back to her family as soon as possible.”
He takes his hat off and bows his head. “Thank you, truly. Have a good night.”
And with that, he exits the building.
“Will Franziska be okay?” Miles asks him as he gets back into the car.
“Yes, she’s in good hands now,” he replies, although he doesn’t want to admit that I have not seen my older sister in years doesn’t sound hopeful.
As it turns out, he was right not to hope. After he and Miles go home and go to bed, he receives a phone call at nearly midnight from a number he does not recognize. It has their area code, though, so he answers it.
“Gregory Edgeworth speaking,” he answers tiredly, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.
“Hello, yes,” a woman’s voice answers. He knows that voice. “This is the Los Angeles police.” Ah. “We’re calling about a Franziska von Karma?”
News already, that must be good. “Yes? Have you contacted her sister yet?”
“Ah, well, no, sir.” What? No? “But…we have a bit of a problem.”
Gregory was suddenly completely awake. “A problem?”
“Yes. You see, she refuses to go with any of our social workers to a foster placement. We’ve explained to her that it’s only temporary, but she starts screaming every time we try to make her leave. She keeps asking for you.”
“...For me?”
“Yes. We’re not really sure what the problem is, but do you think you could come back to the station to calm her down? I’m sure you’ll be able to help her reach her senses.”
He really is not sure what the issue is, but now he’s worried.
“Right, yes. I’ll be right there.”
He hangs up and pulls on his coat. He’s not really keen on going to see the police in his sleepwear, but he doesn’t want to keep Franziska waiting any longer; this will have to do.
Gently, he opens Miles's door and walks to his bedside, doing his very best to keep his footsteps soft. Miles stirs awake, bathed in that sliver of light that always shines in from the hallway, and rubs his eyes.
“Nnn…Father?”
“Yeah buddy, it’s Dad. The police just called me—it’s about Franziska. I need to go back to the station. Will you be okay on your own here?”
Miles wordlessly nods, and Gregory takes that as a sign to just let him sleep. “Alright, I’ll be back soon.” He kisses Miles on the forehead and then leaves, shutting the door behind him.
Truthfully, he didn’t love leaving a ten year old home alone, but ten was about that age children start growing up, and Miles was the most grown up child he had ever met (well, maybe the second most, now). Of course, he wasn’t fond of how this made Miles talk like a victorian-era noble, but such is life.
He arrives at the station in no time, and is greeted with a very grumpy-looking Franziska sitting in front, her arms crossed defiantly. Truthfully, it was very adorable, but he figures she probably wouldn’t take well to hearing that.
He crouches down to her level, and it feels a bit like deja vu. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
“I cannot go with any of these people.” Her little voice is shockingly firm. She furrows her brow as she speaks.
“And why not?”
“Children are not supposed to go with strangers. It isn’t safe.”
Oh, so that’s what this was. “Franziska, these people aren’t strangers, they’re the police. You can trust the police.”
Franziska pulls her arms closer around herself. “I know that! But…”
“But you don’t wanna go with someone you don’t know, huh?” He places a hand on her shoulder, and he feels her tense up. “I know it’s scary, but you can’t do this alone. They’re going to take care of you.”
Franziska doesn’t say anything, and just stares down at the ground with fervor. Gregory lets out a massive sigh and looks over to the officers, who look just as lost as he is, before looking back at her.
“Franziska—”
“No!” She shrieks, her shrill voice erupting throughout the room. As he looks at her, he sees tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to spill over. It’s then that the cops wave him over.
“We were worried this was going to happen,” one of them says, dejected.
“I’m truly sorry. Please, just give me a bit more time, I’m sure I can talk some sense into her.”
Another one of them just scratches at his chin, unconvinced. “All due respect, Mr. Edgeworth, Sir—we’ve been at this for hours. If I’m being honest, we didn’t even expect her to listen to you.”
“So, why did you call me over so late, then?” He can’t help the irritation that slips into his tone. He doesn’t mind coming over here so late if it’s for Franziska’s sake, but were the cops just messing with him? What was their goal if they didn’t think he could help?
“Well, we’re not really proud of this decision, but…she can’t stay here.”
“So?”
“So, Mr. Edgeworth, how would you like to foster her—just until we can reach her family?”
“...I can do that?”
“We can make you a temporary foster parent. This is only supposed to be done as a last resort, but you see what we’re working with.”
“Yes. I do see.”
“Listen, we already ran a background check. You’re totally clean, a well-respected representative of the law, an experienced parent—we can’t think of a better option, if she’ll refuse to see anyone else.”
“Yes. I’ll take her.”
“Great. Thank you, Mr. Edgeworth. We’ll call in the morning just to hear how she’s adjusting, and then contact you with any updates.”
“Thank you. We’ll be in touch.”
He doesn’t need to say anything more to the officers. He goes back to Franziska and kneels back down.
“Well, I’ve got some good news!”
“Yes. The police said I can stay with you.”
“Yes, just for now, anyways. Here—” he holds out his arms, welcoming her into them. She doesn’t follow.
“I am perfectly capable of walking on my own.”
He can’t help but let out a soft chuckle. She’s definitely von Karma’s kid. “I know. But I would like to hold you, if you’ll have me.”
And Franziska’s eyes widen at that statement—as if nobody has ever told her they simply just wanted to hold her before. He can see the gears turning in her mind as she stares at him. Then, hesitantly, she hops down from the chair, and lets herself fall into his arms. And then, it’s as if being carried just flipped some sort of switch, because she was asleep on his shoulder within seconds.
“Oh, poor thing. All that screaming must have tuckered her out,” he comments as he strokes her head. “I’ll take good care of her.”
“We trust you will. We’ll call you in the morning, Mr. Edgeworth.”
As they step outside into the cold of December, he hugs her tighter against himself. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do next. He had agreed in a heartbeat, without even thinking about it practically. Perhaps his fatherly instincts were getting the better of him. Still, if nobody else could do it, he would take care of her. He had seen firsthand the evil of Manfred von Karma. Someone had to love this child while they still could.
When he arrives home, Franziska in his arms, Miles is sitting at the kitchen table. The poor boy looks like he’s on the verge of passing out, his eyes drooping as he props his head up on his arms.
“Miles…?” he whispers as he shuts the door behind him.
“Oh, Father, you’re home. Thank goodness, I was worried…”
He places a hand on Miles’s head, running his fingers through his hair. God, what did he do to be blessed with such a great kid? “Oh, buddy, you didn’t need to stay awake for me.”
“I was worried about Franziska too. Is that her?”
“Yeah. The police are letting her stay with us until they can reach her family. Are you okay with that?”
Not that Miles really had a choice, but Gregory wanted to make sure his son was comfortable; Miles had never done well with sudden changes.
Thankfully, Miles nodded. “Yes, of course. She needs someone to take care of her. Her father is such a dastardly man.”
Gregory chuckles. “You’re right about that. Go back to bed, okay? We’ll see you in the morning.”
Miles obliges and goes back to his room, so Gregory works on getting Franziska set up in his own. He isn’t totally sure where she should sleep, so for now he decides to set something up for her in the master bedroom so he can keep an eye on her. He winds up pulling some bedding out of their hall closet for her, gently tucking her in before finally going to sleep for the night.