The police called it 'the L building'. The public called it 'The empty tower', because no-one was ever seen entering or leaving it.
A few people called it 'home'.
Six people, to be precise, soon to be seven.
Watari, the faithful old man, buzzed from one computer terminal to the next, checking on his boys and topping up their various supplies as needed.
He reached to try and remove the open pack of cigarettes on Matt's desk, reasoning that he was distracted.
Matt didn't even turn around, merely warned softly, "Don't even think about it."
At the desk across from him in this circular room, Mello sniggered.
"Matt-kun has cut down on his addiction recently, it is making him cranky." L observed, typing away at the keyboard. "I do wonder why he is doing this."
Matt rolled his eyes, "Gotta try and cut back a bit while Misa's up the duff."
L frowned, "I don't like that phrase, Matt." He spotted in the reflection of his screen that Matt was about to go through his impressive repertoire of euphemisms for his wife's condition. "I will remind Matt that I am a lot stronger than I look and am short on temper."
Matt sighed, "Fine, fine, Misa is 'pregnant', so I'm cutting back."
Near, stoic as he sat on the floor, building a large city from plastic blocks, mumbled, "Matt never smokes around her anyway."
"Yeah, but the smoke still hangs around in the air, I'd rather she wasn't breathing that crap."
Mello frowned a little, "Oh, but you don't mind me getting lungfuls of it?!"
Matt raised a red eyebrow, "You know the deal, I quit when you quit chocolate, diabetes boy."
The leather-clad blonde scowled and fell silent.
Watari smiled all through this exchange and thought of how wonderful things had been going since the capture and execution of Kira.
Oh, of course Misa had been terribly upset, but L, being a gentleman (and utterly smitten) had seen to it that she was looked after. And in that time after her mourning, she'd somehow fallen in love with the detective.
They'd married in England, and after their wedding L had remarked upon his protégés progress into adulthood.
A year later the boys had come to Japan. Now L was not one person, but four. By far this was the best solution. Mello and Near no longer competed, happy to be helping.
And then there'd been the wonderful news from Misa that she was expecting a baby. L had promptly passed out and been revived by waving a bar of chocolate beneath his nose. (Mello's idea)
Nine months later and she was glowing with life. Her skin had taken on a lovely translucent gold quality and though she complained that she'd never get her figure back, L spoke of her reverently, saying she had never been more beautiful.
"Watari-san."
He shook himself from his daydream and looked across at L.
"How is Misa-chan?" he asked. To anyone who didn't know him he was casual. Watari could see he was anxious.
Watari smiled kindly, "She's in your room, resting. She has eaten most of the strawberry shortcake and expressed her wishes that the child would hurry up and be born."
The poor girl, two weeks past her due date and now utterly fed up with being pregnant. The boys (excluding her husband, of course) were wisely avoiding her room.
L nodded and bit his thumb. "Nothing can be done to make her more comfortable?"
Watari shook his head, "You were there when the doctor told you both, there's nothing wrong with the child, it just doesn't want to come yet." He topped up L's coffee. "I suspect it will arrive when we are all least expecting it."
L nodded weakly.
Watari beamed on the inside. He'd always thought of L as a surrogate son, and to be with him now as he waited for his own child was a remarkable feeling.
He knew the gender of the baby, of course. The parents wanted it to be a surprise, but he'd been to the ultrasounds that L had been unable to attend and with his basic knowledge of biology he was reasonably sure that soon L would have a beautiful daughter.
He'd already purchased a few basic pink baby clothes, and was intending on surprising the parents with a fully ready nursery for the little angel when she decided to put in an appearance.
~*~*~
Apparently the baby decided the dead of night was the best time to show up.
The scream was what brought Watari running down the hall of the floor devoted to homes.
As he pounded down the carpet he was vaguely aware of a door opening and A befuddled Matt and Mello peering out of it in their boxer shorts, but he paid them no heed. That scream was feminine, and that could only mean Misa.
Ignoring his usual manners, he shoulder-charged the door to Misa and L's modest apartment open and stared around frantically.
Bedroom.
He jogged over and met L in the doorway, hair messier around his head than usual and clad in only his loose jeans.
"Misa's water just broke." He managed to mumble out as he chewed the nail of his thumb. "It gave her a bit of a shock."
Watari nodded, then gently but firmly pushed L to one side and made his way to the en suite bathroom.
There was Misa, in her pink nightdress (stretched over her baby bump), looking surprised and more than a little frightened, a towel clenched between her legs.
"Watari!" She squeaked. "Misa doesn't know what to do, what do I do?!"
Watari was a very good man to know in a crisis. He assured the girl that all she had to do was stay calm, he grabbed her husband and told him in a voice not used since L was a child that he had to help Misa to her bed and try to keep her calm.
He stormed back to the hall, where Matt and Mello were waiting curiously, and told them to phone a doctor and fetch some clean towels.
He let the doctor into the building (hospital was too risky to L and Misa), showed her the room and then finally allowed someone else to get on with the whole messy business.
The three heirs waited out in the hallway. The two M's had the presence of mind to find some clothes and throw them on. Near sat against the wall, playing quietly with a rubix cube and wincing every now and then when Misa could be heard screaming.
Mello shuddered. "Matt, remind me never to have kids."
"Ditto, I ain't loosing my figure just so you can have a mini-Mello." Matt replied, eyes fixed on his hand-held.
Watari paced around, anxious to meet the child he would definitely call his granddaughter, wondering what her name would be, what she would look like… should it really be taking so long?
L appeared in the doorway, looking more of a mess than he ever had in his life. Watari thought he could see tears on his face.
They looked up expectantly.
L shook his head, "Misa is having some trouble… the umbilical cord is around the baby's neck. The Doctor says it is no major concern for the moment, but…"
Watari frowned and gave the boy a firm push back towards the room, "Don't waste time telling us this, she needs you."
Matt smirked from his spot sat on the floor, "You're gonna be a great granddad, Watari."
Watari sighed, "I hope so… it'll be wonderful to have a pretty little granddaughter."
The heirs blinked.
"It's a girl?" Mello asked.
Watari cursed himself for that slip of the tongue, but saw no point in denying it. "I saw it on the ultrasound."
Mello grinned, "Hey Matt, you owe me two hundred yen."
For a while there wasn't much talking. It was hard to when there were still those occasional screams.
And then they heard a cry that wasn't Misa's.
It was a pair of brand-new lungs at full volume.
They grinned at one another.
Twenty minutes passed, and then slowly, an exhausted-looking L emerged, grinning from ear to ear.
"Misa says you may come in now…" he gasped out.
They trooped in quietly, and beheld a perfect sight.
Misa, looking tired out but happier than her wedding day. In her arms, resting against her chest, a miniature human being.
Watari had never seen a more beautiful baby, and he had seen a few in his time. Such fine blonde curls, and porcelain skin… her eyes opened and they were liquid pools of black, just like her father.
"Oh…" Mello breathed. "Look how cute…Matt, look."
Matt smiled faintly at the sudden maternal attitude his boyfriend was displaying. "Yeah Mells, I see. She looks just like you." He replied jokingly.
Near offered a little panda plushie to L, mumbling something about a present for the baby.
"So I guess you're Aunt Mello now?" Matt asked, unsure of what else to say.
Mello didn't react with his usual rage at being called a girl, he laughed a little and responded, "Yeah, I'll take her shopping and stuff."
Misa frowned a little, confused.
L tilted his head. "…There seems to be a misunderstanding. Baby is a boy. We are going to call him Justice."
The heir's faces were filled with shock.
"Watari said…" Mello started, turning to see the old man.
Watari was already gone, wondering how long it would take to have a nursery re-decorated in blue.