David had been pretty thorough with L about the basic state of his daughter; her name was Emery, she was three years old and very articulate for her age. She was potty trained, well-mannered, and generally playful... But also very scared and confused.

She didn't understand where her mother was, or why she'd left. She didn't understand why she was suddenly hearing the word "father" more often, or why she was coming to live in a strange house.

She was too young and afraid to understand, so when officer David returned to the car to retrieve her, she flinched away from him.

"Don't want to go." She cried, and the officer in the front seat cringed as she sobbed, "I want mommy."

David sighed. He didn't know how to explain to this child, once again, that her mother was gone. "Listen, sweetie... I know you're sad that your mommy is gone, but we've found your father. Your daddy. You'll be staying with him from now on."

Emery looked up at the officer, her round, azure eyes welling with tears. "Don't want to." She cried simply, but she allowed the officer to pick her up nonetheless.

"I know." David attempted to soothe her as she buried her face in his shoulder. "But your daddy is excited to meet you. And he'll take great care of you. He's a good man."

Emery sniffled and cried the entire time David was carrying her from the car to the front door, where Watari was waiting for her. He took Emery from the officer's arms, allowing her to cry on his shoulder as L stood at the window beside them, stagnant.

He could hear Emery crying, he could practically see her pain- but he had no idea how to soothe her. How was he supposed to introduce himself to his own daughter; the child he never even knew he had?

She looked just like him; the fair skin, the black hair... The sadness. She was lost, alone, and afraid... Just like he had been at her age. How could he be the father she needed...?

"Now, now, don't cry, little one." He heard Watari whisper to her. He'd always had such a fatherly presence, this kind of soothing was second nature to him. "I know you're sad, but you're safe. Your daddy and I will take good care of you here."

Emery sniffled, clearing her nose before looking up at Watari's kind face. "You aren't my daddy?" She questioned innocently, her little voice trembling.

"No." L finally spoke, turning away from the window and toward the couch where Watari and Emery sat. "He's not... I am."

Emery peered at L, and then hid her face in Watari's shoulder. Had the situation not been so tragic, her reaction would have almost been funny... She had been expecting a more "fatherly" figure to be her daddy, but in reality the tall, pale, slouchy man with messy hair and raccoon eyes was her father. Her reaction was almost like a joke that she was too young to understand.

There was silence. L made no move to approach Emery, feeling ashamed that he didn't know how to comfort her. Eventually, his gaze fell to the floor, and he turned away once more. Watari placed Emery on the couch, walking toward L in stern strides. "Don't worry, little one, we'll be right back!" He called behind him, placing an arm around L's shoulder and coaxing him into the next room- a library overflowing with books.

"L, I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but you really need to put forth some effort." Watari stated, as gently and politely as he could. "If you don't, Emery will start to feel even more alone than she already does. Not only will she have to deal with the fact that her mother is dead, and she is in a strange place with strange people, but also with the fact that her father is showing no intention of bringing her any comfort."

L looked down, then nodded, closing his eyes. Watari hadn't seen him look so forlorn in a very long time. Truth be told, L rarely looked happy, but the sorrow in his eyes was both indescribable and undeniable.

"Watari..." L began, looking away. "This hurts so horribly." He breathed, looking up at the man who had raised him, the man who knew him so well. His expression was so pained; so different from his often blank mask. His poker-face typically made it easy for others to forget that L had any emotions at all; he was so good at hiding them... But not tonight. Not this time.

"She... Looks exactly like me." He continued finally, swallowing the lump in his throat. "And she articulates herself so clearly, she's obviously intelligent for a child her age... That's my daughter... And I wasn't there when she was born, or when she said her first words. I didn't even know she existed before tonight. And now she has no mother. She only has me, and I have no idea how to be the father she needs right now."

Watari nodded, understanding L's standpoint entirely. He placed his hand upon his shoulder. "Just start by being there for her. That's all you have to do, and that's all she needs; everything past that point will come to you naturally."

L nodded then, and his eyes widened as Watari embraced him, holding him close- the same way he'd done when he was a small child.

"Go to her."

L looked at Emery for a moment before approaching her. She was crying again, her knees pulled up to her chest, her face buried in them. She was alone, and so was he; Watari had opted to let L handle the rest of the situation himself.

She was shivering, so as L neared her, he grabbed a blanket off the couch opposite her. He placed it around her.

Her sobbing ceased for a moment. "Thank you." She hardly managed, wiping her eyes.

L nodded, and then lifted her up- wrapping his arms around her. She started crying again, wishing so desperately it was her mother holding her- and he felt his eyes well up with tears as well. "I'm so sorry." He whispered between tears. "I'm so, so sorry I was never there."

"It's okay. Don't cry." She sniffled, though L knew she didn't understand the weight of his words. She looked up at him, and he looked away; determined not to allow her to see him crying.

She reached for his eyes anyway, clumsily wiping them with the edge of her blanket. He smiled then, whispered "thank you", and pulled her in even closer; using the long sleeves of his shirt to wipe her tears.

"I'm here now." He assured her, rocking slightly as he stood. "And you will never have to feel scared and alone again. Because you won't be."

She nodded, though her eyes still held sadness. "You won't leave me like mommy did?" She struggled to ask, her lips quivering.

His eyes widened as he heard that, and he gasped slightly. He had no idea what to say to her; no idea how to explain that her mother hadn't intentionally left her behind... But that there was nothing he could ever do to bring her back.

In the end, he opted for a simple, "No. I will never leave you."

Watari sighed, smiling ear to ear from where he'd been spying on the two... At the corner of the stairs.