Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman

Epilogue: Shut Up and Dance (By 6GunSally)

Like that it was done. Final. No if's and's or maybe's. Phoenix and Maya were a thing.

They walked slowly back into the frigid establishment her arm wrapped around his and her head resting against his bicep. Her other hand was occupied in tracing the locket at her throat. Neither of them spoke.

They hadn't entered yet when they were met by loud music pulsing in the now darkened barroom. Maya looked up when Phoenix hesitated at the door. He was frowning.

"Nick?"

"They've never had a DJ before," he said.

"It's probably Olga's iPod on shuffle," Maya said, "she's been trying to sneak it into the sound system ever since she got that weird compilation of Euro Techno."

Phoenix still didn't move to enter the Borscht Bowl Club, "Um, Maya..."

"Yeah?"

"You're not going to ask me to dance, are you?"

Maya put her head down and touched the locket. After everything. Their little arguments, the revelations, their acceptance of the inevitable—she didn't want to pressure him into doing something he wasn't comfortable with.

But then, she did like dancing.

"Oh don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me."

Phoenix frowned apprehensively when Maya didn't answer. He couldn't dance—not really. He certainly didn't want to jump up in front of everyone there and show off how terrible a dancer he was—not when he'd just won over the establishment with his serenade.

He let her pull him back inside. They'd turned off the main lights and the room was lit only by the moving colored track lights and the reflections off of the mirrored ball hanging above the floor.

Some obnoxious couple was showing their moves while the crowd surrounded the stage cheering them on. Phoenix watched the guy spin his girl around and then lift her bodily in the air. Her slender figure arched gracefully and her arms extended—just like in Dirty Dancing...

Maya was gaping at the dance floor.

"Hey, Nick is that—"

"Come on," he said steering her back to their table.

He was shocked to find Gumshoe and Larry sitting alone.

"Hey," Phoenix said joining them at the table, "Where'd Edgeworth and Franziska—"

Larry just nodded toward the crowd and the obnoxious dancers.

Phoenix's eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

I said, "You're holding back," She said, "Shut up and dance with me!"
This woman is my destiny
She said, "Ooh-ooh-hoo, Shut up and dance with me."

Maya grabbed his arm excitedly, "Nick!"

"Huh? What happened?"

"Is that—?" she pointed. This couldn't be. Was it really them?

Gumshoe chuckled, "Yeah that's Mister Edgeworth and Franziska. We usually don't let him have liquor. Wine or beer, sure. But liquor makes him brave."

Phoenix was frowning at the big detective as he shook in silent laughter. Maya punched him.

"You never told me that Edgeworth could dance!"

"I didn't know!" Phoenix said rubbing his arm where she punched him.