Hey ya'll! I just completely rewrote this first chapter, because it was rubbish, haha! I hope it's better now.

Please, leave a review! You have no idea how much it means to me.

August 1, 2004

L stared at the screen in front of him.

It showed a girl standing on the pavement. Just standing there, waiting, looking straight at the security camera, as if she knew she was being observed.

So, she came. I didn't think she would.

L gave a sigh.

The girl was wearing a loose pair of jeans, a blouse that left her shoulders bare, and a pair of sandals. Her red hair formed a halo around her face, even if she had tried to braid it on a french braid. Her skin was just as pale as L remembered, with a thousand freckles scattered on her nose and cheeks. There were no colors in the security camera footage, but even without them, L knew the eyes that kept staring back at him were green. The eyes of a cat.

There was a bag on the girl's shoulder, a bag large enough to hold some clothes and necessities for a weekend trip, but not much more. Still, L had a feeling that she had come for a longer than a weekend. Maybe the bag was small, because she had left in a hurry. In fact, the bag seemed new - like it hadn't been worn before. It was probably purchased from the airport, he deducted. So, she had been in a hurry when she left.

Watari shouldn't have called her. This will only make things more complicated.

L took the bowl that held sugarcubes, and began to pick them up one by one, add them to his tea one by one, counting them silently in his mind.

"...thirteen, fourteen, fifteen…"

A cup of tea couldn't hold much more than fifteen sugar cubes, but still he kept on adding them until they formed a small mountain and began to roll off, fall to the table. He hardly noticed. He had turned his eyes back at the girl.

"What's your name?"

"Felicity."

"No, your new name. The one they gave you here."

"It's Fay. But I don't like that name. It sucks."

L shook his head to the memory.

Felicity Penrose.

Fay.

What on earth was she here for? L had forgotten about his tea. It got cold in the cup, the sugar cubes melting slowly into a sticky goo, the wind made Fay's hair escape the braid and fly around her face.

"Mr. Aizawa." he said, not turning his eyes away from the screen.

"Yes?"

"It seems we have a visitor. Would you be as kind, as to escort her up here?"

Fay stood by the door.

It felt like her heart was trying to escape through her sternum, and her head was dizzy.

It had been only 20 hours since Watari had called her, and here she was, on the other side of the globe - still feeling the turbulence of the plane as a swaying in her head, the jet lag making her feel slightly out of place.

But what really hit her, was him.

Christ, I can't believe he's going to act like nothing happened! Like we didn't part ways the way we did.

Maybe she shouldn't have been surprised by it, though. The only real question was, was she going to do the same?

He had hadn't even glanced at her, he just kept staring at the TV screens on the wall, as if they were far more important than she was, which was probably true. It wasn't like he had called her and asked her to be here. Most likely her presence was nothing more than an annoyance to him, something to be tolerated, nothing more.

Well, we'll see about that. Fay decided. I can be useful.

She let her bag fall to the floor, and slowly walked across the room, closer to L.

"This must be a tricky case, as Watari sent for me." she said. "It is the Kira case, isn't it?"

"It is." L answered, and for the first time turned to look at Fay. His huge panda-eyes bore right through her. "And it is taking longer than I'd like to admit, to solve this one."

"Indeed. I would've thought you'd solved it in a few weeks, tops. How long has it been now? Almost a year?"

"Nine months."

"Long enough. Time to put an end to this thing. How can I help?"

"Would you make me another cup of tea?"

L picked up his tea cup from the table and held it up, delicately, with just his thumb and the index finger. Fay noticed the cup was full of icky stuff, that was most likely too many sugar cubes melted into something.

An emotion flushed through Fay's heart, and made her cheeks blush.

He hasn't changed at all. But what did you expect, really? Did you think he'd learnt to put the kettle on by himself?

"Nah, no way." Fay shook her head. "I'm not your maid, Ryuzaki. Someone else can make your tea."

"Oh, can't blame me for asking." L answered, but turned his attention back at the TV screens, and the sweets. "The files are on my laptop over there, you can start by going through them. Once you've finished, I'll hear what you thought."

"Fine." Fay walked to the table, and was glad to sit down on the sofa and pick up the laptop. She felt like it gave her protection, something that would hide her.

Every member of the task force was still staring at her, the men introduced as Aizawa, Matsuda, Mogi and Deputy Director Yagami. Especially the cute young one, Matsuda, eyed her with clear interest, and there were pink spots on his cheekbones - something that made Fay avoid his eyes. Yeah, with her slender figure and the huge cloud of fiery red curls, she was used to men noticing her, but this was different. The only man she wanted to notice her, was L - and he was the only one who kept acting like she wasn't even there.

Or more likely, like the last four years hadn't happened at all, which made Fay a bit annoyed.

She tried to concentrate on the files, but was interrupted again - by a truly good looking, light haired guy, who sat close to L - Light Yagami, she remembered.

"Ryuzaki." he said with a low voice.

"Uhhuh?" L muttered, his mouth now full of sweets.

"Come on, who is this girl? How come you're just handing her our names, and the most secret files of our investigation?"

Fay rolled her eyes at this remark. She had been introduced by Watari when she had arrived - as L's friend, and a former co-worker. Shouldn't that be enough? She instantly disliked that guy.

"As said-" L swallowed. "-she is a friend. She can be trusted."

"I thought you didn't have any friends. Besides, the rest of us don't know a thing about her."

"You don't know a thing about me either, and still you trust me Light-kun. Or at least that is what you say."

"You're one to talk about trust." Light noted, rather pointedly.

It wasn't until then, that Fay noticed it. A silvery chain that went from his wrist to L's, connecting the two men together. They were handcuffed.

Now, that's curious!

"Ryuzaki." Fay said, looking up from the laptop.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to tell me why you're handcuffed to this nosy guy, who talks like I'm not even here?"

"Oh." L seemed to notice their weird setting for the first time. "Because I'm not completely convinced that he is not Kira."

"For the 100th time, I'm not Kira!" the young man snapped.

"We will find out about that, eventually." L replied coolly. "Fay, Light-kun is my friend. I wish the two of you get along."

"Your friend, and a suspect in the Kira case?" Fay eyed the pair in disbelief. "That's totally messed up. I can see why you need me."

"Actually, I need you for the tea." L replied. "You do know how to make it - it helps me think."

Fay rolled her eyes.

"I thought it was my presence that helped you think."

"Is there a contradiction?"

"Agh, just like the old times." Fay snapped, but couldn't help a smile. "You're unbelievable!"

"Yes, so I have been told."

" I can't believe I'm falling for this again!"

"So, you'll be making my tea, then?" asked L, and picked up the cup again. "Thank you, I do appreciate it, Fay."

A moment of silence.

"Fine, whatever." Fay stated, and gave a sigh. She stood up, and walked to L, to take the cup from his fingers. When she did that, their hands almost touched.

How could she stay mad at him, when he was being like this? Like they had never been apart at all? He was making her slip right back to where they had been before-

Before she had ruined everything.

Just the memory of that was enough to take Fay's breath away.

You should be grateful he lets you be here. You should be happy you're here at all.

She took the cup and walked to Watari.

"Will you show me where the kettle is?"

I hope you enjoyed this! If so, write a review - and please, continue into the next chapter. :D