Author's Note: I decided to switch the first few chapters, because I honestly didn't like the flow of the story. Let me know what you guys think!

Chapter One

"Near!"

Emma practically sprinted over to the young boy hunched over a collection of dolls scattered across the wood floor. She threw her arms around him and squeezed tightly, ignoring his stiffened muscles. This was her first time seeing him in person rather than through a computer since they'd found out L died, and Mello stormed out of Roger's office. He smelled of vanilla, which comforted Emma instantly - he smelled like L.

"I've missed you so much," she said, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She grabbed a fistful of his white hair tightly, something Near had gotten used to throughout the years. She had done it the first time they met and continued to do so ever since.

He recoiled slightly away from her embrace, but he sighed and did not push her away. Emma had gotten used to this; she never expected any return of affection from any of the Wammy children. At first, she had been hesitant to speak to anyone when she first arrived at Wammy's House except L. However, when she met Near, she was instantly attached to the young child. Every time she saw him, he appeared to be more and more like L.

Much to Emma's surprise, Near lifted his hand from the ground and patted her back gently.

"I missed you, too, Em," he said dryly, but she was grateful for the small gesture.

Suddenly, she pushed him back and placed her hands on his shoulders firmly. Her green eyes stared into his grey ones. After a few moments of silence, she slowly leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I think I know who Kira is."

Near's eyes widened slightly, but he was not surprised. He knew it was only a matter of time before Emma realized what he had already concluded upon being briefed. Emma straightened again, and he quickly reverted back to his bored gaze. He smiled softly, reaching down to pick up the small wooden doll that lay in front of him. He grabbed a black Sharpie and carefully penned Kira on the doll's chest.

"I see," he said quietly, placing the Kira doll back down on the floor across from the rest of the collection. Emma felt her chest tighten when her eyes fell on the L doll. "I believe I have a pretty good idea of who Kira is as well, but I'd like to hear your thoughts. I'm sure we have come to the same conclusion."

Case #0021

The first time Emma had met L was when he was interrogating her via a blank computer screen and a microphone. She was trembling in the chair Watari had placed her in. Of course, at the time, she had no idea who this strange old man was; but he had been nice to her, and that was all that mattered. He'd placed a cup of tea in front of her and let her borrow one of the FBI jackets to cover herself.

"What is your name?" The scrambled voice spoke loudly through the microphone, causing Emma to jump.

"Um... Em - Emory," she mumbled, slumping down into her chair. "Emory Jordyn."

"Emory Jordyn," the computer continued, "I am L. I was the one who organized the raid in attempt to arrest Klein Dolvetsky. Do you know where any of his hideouts may be? Where could he have possibly run to?"

"I... I don't know."

"How were you able to escape?"

Everything had happened so fast, it was all a blur. Her boss, Klein, had been leading her to the VIP room, where she knew Mr. Charles was waiting. He came almost every week and requested her and Kaitlyn, and Klein always threatened both of them to be on their best behavior. If they did not please Mr. Charles, they'd be beaten and locked in one of the walk-in closets.

"He's one of our best customers," he would say, "so don't fuck this up."

Before they could even reach the VIP room, Emma heard a loud BANG! on the other end of the house, followed by deep screams on the other side of the hallway door, where the back door was.

"FBI!"

"Get down!"

"Everyone get down on the floor!"

The entire house was slowly filling with smoke and the sound of heavy boots stomping down the halls. Emma tried to squint through the smoke to see what was going on. She could see a few of the clients stumbling out into the hallway, some half naked, while others were attempting to pull their pants up. She scanned the area for Kaitlyn, worried for the older girl. She had always protected Emma, keeping Mr. Charles entertained so that he would not touch her. But she could not continue her search, for Klein grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her down the hall, practically ripping open a door to the left and dragging her down a flight of stairs. Before they were halfway down, he threw her down into the darkness.

"Don't you fucking move," Klein hissed, turning to run back up the stairs. "I will not lose my two best girls."

Emma heeded his demand and quickly ran down the stairs, her eyes adjusting to the pitch black darkness. There was a short moment when the door was still open that light spilled into the basement, but that was almost immediately put out by the slamming of the door being closed again. She could hear the sharp clicking sound of a key turning on the other side of the door over the screams from upstairs. He had locked her down here alone.

Stretching her arms out into the darkness around her, Emma began to feel around for a light switch on the wall. Please let there be a light... a lamp... something...

Her fingers swept across what felt like a switch, and her heart rate sped up. With a trembling hand, she flipped the switch. A dim light filled the room, and she quickly brought her arm up to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness. As her eyes adjusted to the light once again, she immediately scanned the room, looking for anything that might help her.

There was a tall bookcase filled with books and dust bunnies, the thick volumes too worn and dust-covered to reveal their titles. Beside the bookcase was an oddly clean office desk; it was the only thing in the basement not covered in cobwebs and dust. Emma made a beeline towards it and began rummaging through its drawers. Papers... pens... a stapler... the first drawer offered no resources for her, and she quickly slammed it shut and moved on to the next.

Towards the back of the room was a locked door Emma knew led to the outside. She had been allowed outside through that door once before, when Mr. Charles wanted to take her and Kaitlyn to the park. She didn't even want to think about how much money he'd paid for that privilege. Klein never let the girls go outside, only the boys.

"Emory Jordyn," the computer spoke up again, breaking her train of thought. "Please answer the question. How did you manage to get out alone? Was there anyone else with you?"

She shook her head, then realized the person behind the screen probably could not see her, so she mumbled, "No.. I tried to look for Kaitlyn, but I don't know where she went... Did you find her?"

"Answer my questions first," the computer repeated, "and I will try to find your friend."

After looking through the third drawer, she finally found what she was looking for: She pinched the paperclip between her trembling fingers and held it up to the light like a trophy. After a quick glance at the stairs to make sure Klein was not coming back, she stumbled over to the door and studied it carefully. Luckily, it did not have a bolt lock. The key to the lock was no doubt in Klein's pockets, along with the rest of the keys one would need to get through the house. Klein kept everything locked, even the guest bedrooms, unless someone was inside, but they usually locked it from the inside anyway.

Crouching down onto her knees beside the door, Emma quickly straightened the curved paperclip before sliding it into the keyhole of the doorknob. She could still hear the turmoil going on upstairs, and she was pretty sure she'd just heard them bust down one of the doors. She wondered when Klein would return - if he would return -

"I'm sorry, but are you telling me you were able to get out simply by using a paperclip to unlock the back door?"

"Uh-huh," Emma nodded slowly, tightening the black FBI jacket around her shoulders as she shivered, suddenly feeling very self conscious of her half naked body. "Mr. Klein would beat me if he caught me... One time, he caught me trying to pick the lock to my bedroom..."

"Klein Dolvetsky physically abused you?" the computer queried. "Did he do this with all of the children?"

"Um... I think so," Emma mumbled. "I saw him hit Kaitlyn a few times. He left me in the basement to go look for Kaitlynn. He said he didn't wanna lose his two best girls."

The computer was silent for a while, until she heard a sigh come through the speaker. She instantly perked up at the sign of a human being behind the screen.

"Watari," the scrambled voice began, "this girl doesn't know anything. Please escort her to a room and make sure she's taken care of."

"Wait!" Emma stood suddenly, the chair clattering to the floor behind her. "What about my friend? You promised you'd find her."

"I did, and I will," the voice replied. "However, I imagine you're very tired and perhaps even hungry. I will let you know as soon as I learn anything about your friend."

To this day, Emma could still feel the very same shiver crawl up her spine that she had felt the day she'd stepped out into the night, through the back door of the basement. The only thing covering her freckled body was the black lingerie Klein had made her change into before taking her to the VIP room. The wind swept through her black hair, and it fell across her face, hiding the fresh tears falling down her cheeks. She finally felt free.

"As I'm sure you already know, we cannot just come forth and arrest Kira," Near continued, starting to put together the puzzle he had just let topple down to the floor. "After all, we have no evidence that he is, in fact, Kira."

Emma sipped her cup of chamomile tea and picked up one of the puzzle pieces from the wooden floor. Quietly, she connected it to the piece Near had just placed on the board, lifting her eyes to watch Near's reaction. He stiffened at first, but allowed himself to relax. He had also gotten used to Emma solving his puzzles with him. He may have to get used to working with her from now on - after all, that is what L would have wanted. Unlike Mello, Near did not mind working with others.

"I'm sure you have a plan," she said, smirking at him, her green eyes bright with excitement.

"I do," Near said without taking his eyes off the puzzle. He could feel her eyes burning a hole through the top of his head. "Excuse me for straying off the subject... but have you heard anything from Mello since that day in Roger's office?"

Emma started to shake her head, then paused for a moment before answering. "Well... he did try to recruit me to work with him on solving the Kira case. He was with some rather... questionable associates."

"Hm." Near continued working on the puzzle, giving Emma a chance to place a piece down on the board every few minutes. "That's rather surprising. I never imagined Mello working with anyone else, especially with you..."

"Am I not easy to work with?" Emma laughed, a light blush creeping up behind her freckles.

"Quite the opposite, actually," Near muttered, twirling a lock of his hair between his fingers. "I've always found you very easy to work with. L always took your opinions into perspective, and as his successor, I would like some things to remain the same, if you're willing."

Her lips parted slightly, looking down at Near in shock. He wanted her to continue being L's partner? Or perhaps now it would be N's partner. She wasn't sure what he had decided to do, if anything, once they officially brought down L's new imposter. Would they continue to keep up the charade that L was still alive?

"Of course I'm willing to work with you," Emma said quietly, looking down at the ground to avoid meeting his gaze. She knew it wouldn't matter either way, because she was certain Near was doing the same. "I promised L I'd never give up, no matter what happens, and I intend to keep that promise."

Author's Note: Things are finally picking up! I've been dying to get the first boring chapters out of the way, so I can get to the good stuff.