Vale kneeled at the alter, rosary in hand. She recited the Hail Mary's and Our Father's perfectly. Once done she took a seat in a pew and began to think. The investigation wasn't going very well, which was the reason she was sitting in a church in uptown Los Angeles. Her brother was undoubtedly moving forward in the investigation, but at the cost of many lives and his own health. Near was very good at being L's replacement. Sometimes it was Mello she worried about, but mostly it was Near. She buried her face in her hands, silent sobs of hopelessness wracking her body. A few pieces of hair slid out of the pony tail on the back of her head. She pushed them behind her ear.
Mello stalked the streets of Los Angeles. Nothing was going right. Matt hadn't hit it off well with Rod, nothing was coming up, and Jack, the DeathNote holder, was insane. Mello stopped in front of a building that he had become familiar with the last few months. The stain glass windows shone in the lamp light. The church was beautiful, he had to admit that. He opened the chapel doors quietly, slipped in, and closed them. He immediately noticed a familiar head of snow colored hair. Mello walked quietly to the alter, knelt, said a prayer, and stood again. He walked over and took a seat next to the young woman.
Vale looked up as someone took a seat almost uncomfortably close to her. Blonde bangs fell into her view of blue eyes.
"Mello," she said quietly, surprised.
"Vale," he said, just as quietly.
Vale nodded, before letting her head drop again. She took a deep breath.
"Mello, how do you deal with this on a daily basis? I'm ready to fall apart," she sniffed.
"I don't really know. Most of the time I just come here."
Vale nodded. She understood that. The church was calming. The were quiet for a long time. It was midnight when Vale next spoke.
"Mello, can I go back with you? Just for tonight?"
Mello gave her with a somewhat hesitant look, before nodding slowly. Of all the times he had trusted her with something, she had never betrayed him. Mello stood, and waited as Vale did the same. They both quietly made their way to the chapel doors. Once outside, Vale slipped her hand into his, curling her fingers around his, and pulled her coat tight against the cold. Mello stayed tense the next few moments, trying to get used to the feeling of her hand in his. He calmed a bit when Vale loosened her grip a bit, though it really didn't matter because as soon as she started shivering, Mello brought her into his embrace. It was a long walk back to the Mafia base, and Mello hadn't counted on Vale being with him.
"Do you want me to call someone to pick us up?" Mello asked quietly.
"No," Vale said, just as quietly, "I like walking. Besides, your driving scares me."
She smiled up at the blond, who was a good four inches taller than she, with such innocence, it made him pause. He smiled back slightly. They walked in relative silence for another hour before coming to the base. It was warehouse on the outside, but much more homely on the inside. Like the building Rod Ross has kept in New York City, the upper stories had been furnished in his own taste. Mello kept his own quarters underground. Mello opened the door with his pass key, then let Vale step into the warmth before him.
"You live here?" Vale asked, "It suits you."
"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?"
"Not at all," she said, stripping of her coat, "I like it."
Without a word, Mello began to descend two flights of stairs, only pausing at the bottom to wait for his companion. Vale, too, was silent. She quietly contemplated whether or not Mello was really okay with her staying the night. The deeper they went, the warmer it got. Vale smiled at the memory of Mello loathing the cold. She recalled it was such a dislike that for three winters in a row, Mello refused to step out of the orphanage if the temperature was below 75 degrees. She had stayed inside with him all winter, except for the days it snowed.
Once down the stairs, Mello turned left and opened another door with a different key pass. He opened the door and, again, let Vale go first. The room was large and spacious, suited to Mello perfectly. The walls were black, though under the dim light Vale may have been mistaken. There was a white couch, T.V., computer and a four poster bed tucked away in the corner. Vale noticed that the sheets and the comforter had been made into a kind of nest structure that, she was sure, Mello slept in the middle of. Vale looked at the clock that hung next to the bed. It was well past one in the morning. She could feel herself starting to fall asleep where she stood.
"You can have the bed," Mello said.
Vale shook her head, "I can't sleep in open spaces by myself."
"Still?" Mello asked.
Vale nodded.
"Alright. Here," he said, handing her a pair of sweat pants and a shirt from a dresser she hadn't noticed before. He pointed her towards the bathroom. Vale changed quickly then stepped back into the main room. Mello was already under the sheets in only a pair of pants. Vale pulled her snowy hair out of its confinement, letting it fall to her lower back. She tiptoed over and silently sunk into the mattress. Mello heaved a sigh. Vale slowly slung herself into the bed, trying not to awaken the other in the bed. She made sure Mello was completely covered, covered herself, and drifted off into darkness.
It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Vale awoke, or, at least, that's what the clock at the side of the bed read. Without opening her eyes, Vale felt for Mello, and was quite surprised to find his shoulder level with her hip. She lightly traced up his shoulder, to his neck, and was even more startled to find that he had been using her stomach as a pillow, she just hadn't been awake enough to notice until now. Lifting the covers a bit to see him, she was glad he was still asleep. His hair was mused, his lips slightly open as he breathed. For once, Vale thought Mello looked truly peaceful. So she decided to let him sleep for a few more hours. As she settled in for a few more hours of sleep, she could have sworn she heard him mummer 'Vale'.