AN: So um… let me know if I need to up the Rating… I mean I might have to later for reasons that shant be disclosed yet *winkwink* Oh and pleasepleaseplease comment or review or whatever it is you do. I really wanna know what you all think and I'm open to tips, advice, and criticism and all that wonderfulness. So reviews please!

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Chapter 4:

Here and Now

Quillish stared across the desk at his swollen eyed friend, waiting to be acknowledged. That seemed to be the only thing he did as of late, wait to be acknowledged. But then again, he had been delivering unnerving news as of late. This was by far the worst… particularly because they had both known it was a possibility, a probability.

"I failed her… I failed the only family member I ever truly loved…" Roger seemed so broken and helpless. Not the sort man that Quillish would leave behind to watch over an orphanage full of gifted children. "I had worked so hard to get her out of that life, once I was old enough… and she paid me back by getting right back into it…"

"I know, old friend. But look at it this way," Whammy tried to reason. "She took a job ridding the world of people like your parents."

"I know," Roger tried to wipe the tears from his face. "But she was supposed to stop once she had Eleanor was born…"

"Roger, she did. They threatened to kill Eleanor and the man the girl refers to as Athair if she didn't go back. She tried, but you can't get out of that world," Whammy tried to comfort his oldest friend. "You were one of the lucky ones."

"I… I still failed her… I am a horrible older brother. I should have tried harder."

"Roger, you tried and that's what counts. You feel you failed her?" Whammy had an epiphany. He knew how he would prevent Roger's state of depression.

Roger nodded.

"Then make it up to her by looking after her little girl, your niece. She's your responsibility now, with her mother dead and her father, well, her father is who he is. You take care of that little girl. She's all alone in the world now, except for her uncle Roger. She's in the hall where we keep Lawliet and Beyond so you can continue to keep her away from other children or integrate her into the orphanage. The choice is yours," Whammy ended what was a lengthy speech for him with a sharp nod of his head.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Roger looked slightly aghast.

"Just as serious as when I decided to found this institution."

"Then I have no choice, old friend," Roger accepted what it was Quillish had decided just as he always had in the past and always would in the future. Quillish was he oldest friend and had never steered him wrong so far. He was the wisest and most knowledgeable man Roger knew.

"Would you like to go check on her?" Whammy questioned as he rose from his chair and moved towards the door.

"Yes… but Quillish, its 5 o'clock in the morning. The entirety of the orphanage is still sound asleep," Roger looked questioningly at Whammy as he followed him from the office.

"I know that. We'll just have to be quiet," Whammy smiled knowingly.

While Roger went to check on Eleanor, Quillish decided to peek in on the twins. They were most probably awake at this hour and were likely to be needing sustenance. He opened the door to find Lawliet looking up at him from his small, child-sized laptop. At first, Quillish was confused with not finding Beyond across from his brother, working as well. And then he looked to the bed to find beyond laying there, a small girl curled up into his side. Quillish shot Beyond a questioning look; Beyond was just as antisocial as his brother.

"It's-" Beyond attempted to explain before he was cut off.

"HOLY SHIT!" you could hear Roger scream from the next room. He had found the destruction left by Nell. "Quillish, get in here and help me find my niece!"

"This," Beyond nodded toward the sleeping girl curled into his side, "is Nell. She had somewhat of a panic attack when she woke-up. We brought her in here after checking on her and finding the room to be unsafe for small children."

"Understandable. I'll go fetch Roger before he starts searching the wing for her. You know the last place he would look is in here. He's not too fond of you two," Quillish wagged his finger as though they were naughty children.

"I don't know why not," Lawliet look unperturbed by the world around him, continuing to work on whatever it was he was doing. "We really are the most well-behaved children in the house."

"Intelligence does not beget mannerism, Lawliet," Quillish admonished as he walked out the door and over to what remained of Eleanor's room. He was shocked, to say the least, when he saw the shambles of what was left of the furniture that was previously in the room. When Beyond had said 'somewhat of a panic attack', it had been a drastic understatement. Well, it was to be expected from the boy whose twin brother had panic attacks that consisted of mass destruction and then a total meltdown.

Roger was running frantically around the room, looking through the rubble for any sign of his niece. "Quillish, she's not here! She's not anywhere in this room!" Quillish shouted frantically.

"I know. She's in th-"

"I really am the worst person in the world. Five minutes into my duties as Eleanor's caretaker and I've already lost her. Where could she be? There's really nowhere she could have gotten too, not knowing the layout of the mansion. Oh, where is she? I can't believe I've lo-" Roger rambled as he shuffled around the room, looking under pieces of debris.

"Roger, my good friend, if you would be quiet for a few moments please," Quillish waited for his oldest friend to look at him, mouth closed. "As I was attempting to tell you, she is next door with the twins. My guess is they heard the racket last night and went to check it out. Upon finding the room a wreck and the girl sobbing, they brought her to their room where she is currently sleeping. Follow me."

Roger followed Quillish from the room and down one door to the twin's room. He wasn't exactly pleased when he saw Eleanor curled up into Beyond's side but he was happy to see she was safe. In his panic, scenarios of her death and of her getting lost had played through his mind. Eleanor looked completely unharmed, though she was sleeping still in her clothes.

"See Roger, she's fine," Quillish nodded toward the girl.

Roger walked across the room to look at his niece for the first time in nearly three years. "She's gotten so big… Last time I saw Eleanor, she was almost two years old. We were actually celebrating her birthday…" Roger looked up at Quillish, ignoring the twins. He looked regretful, like he was sad for never actually being a part of his niece's life.

"Nell," Beyond and Lawliet corrected in unison.

"Excuse me?" Roger was not used to the twins talking to him unless they were forced to while Quillish was out of town.

"Nell," Beyond explain. "She told us she prefers to be called Nell." Beyond tried to sit up, jostling Eleanor a little. Once sitting upright, he shook Eleanor to wake her up. "Hey, Nell. Roger and Quillish are here to check on you. Wake up."

"B, what have I told you?" Lawliet frowned as his brother only shrugged in response. "I told you to not be so rough and obtrusive."

"Whatever," Beyond rolled his eyes. "Hey, Nell, you need to wake up, okay?"

Eleanor stirred a little, rubbing her face in Beyond's shirt before looking sleepily around the room. "Whaaaaat?" She whined.

"Quillish and Roger are here to see you," Beyond huffed having to repeat himself.

"Quillish and Roger?" Eleanor gave Beyond a confused look before glancing around the room to see Quillish standing near Lawliet and Roger standing by the bed. "Uncle Roger!"

"Yes, Eleanor," Roger smiled fondly at his niece before he was corrected again.

"Nell," the twins chorused.

"I beg your pardon," Roger turned his attention back to the twins.

"Like I am B and he is L," Beyond began to explain, quickly loosing his patience with the older man, "she is Nell. It's like I told you not even three minutes ago!"

"Is this true?" Roger turned back to his sleepy niece. "Do you prefer to be called Nell?"

"Yep," Eleanor smiled up at her Uncle. "It's what Athair called me… I miss my Athair…"

"I know, darling," Roger pulled the little girl into a hug.

"And I miss Momma…" Eleanor murmured into her uncle's shoulder.

"Me too… me too," Roger briefly allowed his sorrow to cross his face before straightening up and maneuvering his niece so that she was perched on his side and they were able to see each other face-to-face. "But now you're going to stay with me. Are you okay with that?"

"Does that mean staying here? With Beyond and Lawl..Lawli…Lawliet?" Eleanor stumbled over Lawliet's name as she yawned her questions.

"Well, them and other children. You see," Roger began to explain, "I live and work here, at this orphanage." Eleanor's eyes widen to the size of saucers. She had never really had much a chance to play with other children. Momma had liked to keep away from other people.

"Wow," Eleanor began to yawn again, rubbing at her eyes.

"Roger," Quillish looked up from where he had looking of Lawliet and Beyond's work. "I think it's time we let young Nell here get back to sleep. You two can talk more at a decent hour."

Roger looked at his tired niece and then back to his friend, "I suppose you're right. But where is –"

"Roger, she was doing fine here with the boys anyways. It'll be quite alright to leave her here," If Quillish were anybody else, he probably would have rolled his eyes at Roger.

Roger put Eleanor back now on Beyond's bed were she proceeded to curl back up and go back to sleep. After promising the twins that he would bring them food shortly, Quillish led Roger back to his office, leaving the twins and a sleeping Eleanor alone.

"Nell is Roger's niece." Beyond began, knowing that while Lawliet might not openly express his interest, he was still curious.

"I know…" Lawliet stood and brought Beyond his laptop. "You check it out."

*insert a line here because I don't know how to back lines*

OH God this took forever! I am soooooo very sorry but I'm back now. It was along summer… a veeerrry long summer that involved me dropping out, getting my GED and enrolling in college just to not have to sit through another year of high school… yeah I'm one of those kids. Oh well I promise to get the next chapter up faster.