For the next few Tuesdays, Lawliet found himself anxiously awaiting AJ's smiling face to appear in the window of the cafe before entering. She ordered the same thing each time, a gingerbread cappuccino, and they sat in the same chairs as they had the first time they met. He now knew that her favorite holiday item was gingerbread. She liked to twirl her hair around a finger when she was relaxed and she smiled often to herself when she felt the warmth of the fire hit her. He could tell she thought deeply and saw things many others didn't - which was interesting all in itself. She had spoke of her parents who separated early on in her life (breaking the assumption that she had a happy parents) and had not seen her father since. Her mother had done the best that she could as a single parent and a minimum wage income. But she had been happy and it had taught her to be grateful for what she had and to make the most out of her life while she lived there.

Lawliet appreciated that way of looking at the world. His whole life had been shadowed over death, murder, and all sorts of cases that had taken his interest at the time. He had put his life on the line with Kira and had been supposed to die during it. Not once, not until now, had he realized that the world had a lot to offer... like AJ.

And what he really noticed about her, was that she liked him for him. He had informed her that he was an orphan and had been raised by a man that had recently died. He lived on his own and that it could get lonely at times. She hadn't once judged him or pried into any information that he didn't want to reveal, as if sensing he couldn't or wouldn't, and accepting it for what it was. She also hadn't ever commented on his quirks either - like his sitting habits or when he would slip his shoes off absently and reveal his toes to her. She didn't mind that he hunched over or when he found himself unable to speak for a long period of time because he was thinking to fast and deeply.

All of that made him like her even more so than he already did.

Christmas Eve fell on a Tuesday and so Lawliet sat himself down in his regular chair by the fire, staring at the Christmas tree to his left that was heavily decorated with ornaments and lights. His eyes glanced upwards frequently to the door to see if he could spot AJ entering.

Thankfully, she did sooner rather than later, wearing a pair of skinny legged jeans along with her ensemble of outerwear. She looked to be less cheerful than she usually did upon seeing him and ordered her drink with a solemn smile before walking over and sitting down across from him.

"Arrre you all right?" he asked her in concern. Christmas was her favorite holiday and would have assumed she would be ecstatic with energy of the holiday season since it was here.

AJ pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth, her eyes still refusing to look up at his. "I... I accidentally killed my hamster this morning."

Lawliet stared at her then, hardly knowing what to say to that confession. He had made it his whole life's business to make people confess to murder, but this girl in front of him just spoke it easily with the utmost regret and heartache that he had ever heard. And he hadn't known she had a hamster.

"May I ask what happened?" he asked warily, not sure if she wanted to speak about the details just yet since she seemed to be devastated.

Sniffling, AJ's shoulders slumped. "I put her in her ball last night, to run around after I got home from work. It was pretty late and there had been tons of orders because of Christmas parties and such. I was exhausted... so I... well I woke up this morning and realized I had fallen asleep and had left her in her ball all night. She was... dead. I killed her."

Lawliet became silent, mulling over what she had told him. He honestly didn't know too much about hamsters, but knew enough about humans that preferred animal companions to know that this was tragic in her life. And on her favorite holiday, no less. If he had felt more comfortable with the idea of physical contact - or just had the nerve to do so - he would have pulled her into his arms and hugged her until she felt better.

But since that wasn't going to happen, Lawliet put a finger to his lips. "Well, it was an accident AJ. Accidents do intend to happen because humans are not perfect. You were extremely tired which can render the mind into a state of thoughtlessness. I know that guilt and regret may be eating at you at this moment, but please do not beat yourself up over it. I, more than many, know you are not the type of person to do this deliberately."

AJ nodded gently, before raising her eyes to meet his for the first time that afternoon. The whites of her eyes were red from crying, giving her a wild look with her icy blue irises. He could tell she had been crying for some time and probably had almost not come that day to meet him. He was thankful she had so she wasn't alone during this.

"Thank you Lawliet," she said appreciatively and he nodded once, willing himself not to blush at the way she spoke. Her face fell again though and he could tell the hamster incident wasn't the only thing that had made her upset. "It's not just that though... my mother isn't coming for Christmas. She met a man in France and will be with him this week. I'm... not invited."

Lawliet suddenly felt a strange sense of anger at the woman that gave birth to this beautiful woman in front of him. He might not know a lot about parents, but he knew enough that it wasn't right for AJ's mother to do something like that to her. Especially if she knew how much Christmas meant to her daughter.

"I see," he said, keeping his voice calm.

"I suppose I'll pick up a shift tomorrow at the bakery, to keep my mind off of it. It's open, you know? On Christmas. I normally request off, since my mother comes to town. But this year, well..." he watched as her voice trailed off and she took a deep breath to steady herself before she began crying again. He felt pity towards her, wishing there was something he would be able to do to make her feel better. "I brought you a Christmas present though."

That threw him off and he almost fell out of his chair. She grabbed her colorful purse and pulled out a small paper bag that she seemed to have stuck a blue Christmas bow to it. "Here," she said with a small smile. "It's nothing much, but I remembered that you had wanted to try it."

Lawliet took the bag with his finger and thumb, staring at it as if it would explode in his hands if he took his eyes off of it for a second. She had gotten him a present? Who was this woman?

"I-I" his voice cracked for the first time ever. He didn't know what to say. "I didn't get you anything. You shouldn't have -"

"Nonsense!" AJ interrupted with a sudden narrow of her eyes. "Please open it. And I don't need anything!"

Lawliet wanted to argue further, but the curiosity of what lay inside the bag made him open it. Inside, was a small piece of cake wrapped in plastic wrap. There was a Christmas sticker with the "To:" and "From:" along with a snowman catching snowflakes. She had written on it in purple ink: "To: My new friend Lawliet" "From: AJ".

When he had told Light Yagami that he was his first friend, he hadn't spoken the whole truth. Yes, maybe they could have been friends had he not been Kira. More than likely. But he had been Kira and their friendship had never blossomed.

With AJ, it was different. She wasn't a murderer (despite knowing the hamster situation) and he wasn't trying to prove her guilty for a crime. She liked him for him and he liked her for her. It was a friendship that was blossoming without them even trying and he found himself appreciating her and the fact that she was in his life now.

"It's the gingerbread cookie cake, from the bakery I work at. I made this one," she said with a small sense of uncertainty, like if she was wondering if he would refuse.

Him? Refuse cake? "Thank you very much AJ." He gently unwrapped the cake and took a bite out of it - and oh my goodness it was good. Delicious even. She was an excellent baker! "Mmmm," he couldn't help but appreciate.

Her eyes lit up and she grinned in her seat, making him feel relieved he could cause her happiness on such a sad day for her. "Ooh I'm so glad you like it!" she exclaimed joyfully.

After the cake was gone, he looked at her with a small curve of his lips. "That was incredibly delicious and thoughtful, AJ. You're by far the most wonderful friend I could have," He spoke without really thinking about it. But once the words were out, he decided he meant them wholeheartedly. He couldn't ask for anyone better to open up to... and he felt like he needed to reciprocate.

A beautiful strawberry blush crept onto her face at his compliment and AJ ducked her head bashfully. "I'm just glad you liked it, Lawliet," she giggled.

"AJ," he said suddenly and she rose her head up in alert at the sound of his voice. "Would you do me the honors of coming over to my townhouse for Christmas tomorrow?"

Her jaw slacked in response, eyes wide, and he felt his palms begin to sweat against his jean clad knees. His heart raced and his breathing picked up. This must be what "afraid of rejection" feels like.

"I... don't know what to say Law- I mean, yes of course! If you really want me to," she answered through the most gorgeous grin he had ever seen on her face. It made her eyes sparkle tens times more than usual. He decided he wanted to see it as frequently as he could.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't, AJ," he said with a nod of his head which she giggled at. "Meet me outside the cafe at one o'clock tomorrow."

AJ nodded enthusiastically, her tragic day long forgotten. "It's a deal!"


Thank you everyone for reviewing and following. It's very nice to know some people like this. It's just a cute story, really, with a potential plot. : )