Hello again! I again thank those of you who continue to read and review. It lets me know I'm not just talking to myself here..LOL. I hope you continue to enjoy.
Oh and once again, the only thing that belongs to me here is my OC.
Chapter 9
Christine knew Mello had arrived without even looking up from her desk. She'd been reading over Mello's highlights and the unmistakeable snap of his ever present candy bar announced him. She looked up and smiled as he hovered in her doorway.
"Come on in , Mello I'm glad you got my message." He came in and dropped down in the empty chair on the other side of her desk. He leaned back and raised his legs as if he were about to put them on the desk. He glanced over at her and the look on her face suggested that would not be a good idea.
"So", he began while also taking another bite, "Why am I here, I'm not sick."
"No, you're not sick. But I'm having in depth conversations with all the students here, the ones in the arts and sciences as well as you guys in criminology and investigations. Ofcourse, you have special status because of I have to take great care with you!!" she said smiling.
"My special status?" he asked eyes flashing, sitting up and leaning towards her,
his need to be special clearly on display.
"Well, being one of L's heirs makes you very special indeed, you know that. " he grinned back at her and then leaned back into his chair.
"So what do we have to talk about?"
"Nothing in particular, just conversation. I want to know some of your feelings, ideas on things. To see where you stand and if there's anything I can help you with." She saw Mellos' eyes suddenly narrow. He again leaned forward on the desk and caught Christine's gaze with his own.
"You want to know if I'm good enough to be L." he said.
"We already know you're good enough to be L, you wouldn't be in line if you weren't. L just wants to know in depth your good points and points that need to be worked on. So he can work on those points with you and make it easier for you in the long run. Also, the reality is, either you three work together, with one of you being the ultimate decision maker, or one of you takes it on all on your own. With perhaps the other two being there for support if needed. At any rate, L wants to throw all this information in a bag and see what comes out. Does that make sense to you?"
His eyes softened a little, and he leaned back again. He took another bite and seemed to be thinking over something before he spoke again.
"All of this preparation based on the premise that L will die. Doesn't that bother you?" he asked her.
The question caught her offguard. She sat back in her chair and released a breath she hadn't realized she'd held. She decided she would be as honest with him as she wanted him to be with her. He may only be 13, but his mind was as sharp and as quick as any adult she had ever met.
"To be honest with you Mello, I hate it. I have grown very, very fond of L. He has become a good friend and to constantly have to dwell on what will happen if and when he dies lies very heavily on me. Much as I would be if sitting with a family member and working on their will. You, Near and Matt are L's living wills. What he has managed to accomplish and amass as L is too important, too precious to just leave to chance should…should the unthinkable happen. And you three are the very thing that will keep L always there. You will keep L alive and all the great things he has done. It is a very serious responsibility to place on heads so very young, and that concerns me as well. " she stood up and walked over to Mello, stooping down next to him so that her eyes were level with his.
"Believe me, I don't like this scenario at all. It isn't a pleasant thought. But because he IS my friend and it means so much to him, I will do this for him in spite of my feelings". She watched Mello's eyes, looking for his reaction. At first there was none, he merely stared back at her, seemingly digesting everything she said. Then he smiled.
"I think it sucks too. But I'm not worried about it because L is too smart to let some stupid criminal kill him. So all this is just a prep course for when L decides he's done with it and wants to pass it on."
He snapped another piece and then looked back at her, a smirk settling on his face.
"Friends, eh? Yea, right." Her eyes registered surprise and then she stood up and walked back to her chair.
"Yes, Mello. Friends. And that isn't a discussion for you anyway." She heard him snicker behind her.
"The relationships I'm concerned with right now are the ones you have with Matt and Near. Especially if you guys have to work with each other."
"Matt is the best. He's so much fun, he's always there for me too. He's like my right arm, quiet and not pushy but always there, you know. We're really close, he can almost finish my sentences when I don't even know what I'm gonna say. We…" he stopped suddenly and she saw a small blush start on his face. He looked down at his candy bar and didn't say anything else. Christine thought for a moment as to what that could mean. Obviously he felt very close to Matt but what….oh. Did he feel something more than friendship towards Matt? Did Matt return that feeling? This was a turn she hadn't expected if what she thought was true. He was still young, still dealing with growing emotions and desires, all confusing. Something to keep in the back of her mind.
"Mello, I want you to realize that no matter what you say to me, it won't go any further than here. Whatever your feelings are for Matt are fine and there's nothing wrong with having feelings for Matt or anyone else, so there's nothing for you to be embarrassed about." After a few moments he looked back up at her and smiled at her.
"Okay." He said simply and that was enough.
"Okay. Now, about Near…." She almost laughed watching his face scrunch up.
"Near….I get tired of always having to compete with Near. And I'm always second, no matter how hard I try. You don't think I know that Near will most likely end up ahead of me in this too? I know it. But I'm not going to just give it to him. Its not that I don't like Near, but we can't really get along because we're always competing."
"Do you think you'd be able to work with Near, maybe take suggestions and direction from him if you had to?" Mello shrugged snapped his bar again.
"I guess if I had to. I don't hate him, he just pisses me off." Christine couldn't help smiling at that.
"Mello if you only knew how many of us go to work with that idea every day. Alright, I think I've probed you enough for now. If I think of anything else I'll get in contact with you. And I don't want you to worry, this changes nothing of your status. You will always be L's heir." Mello stood up and started to walk out. He stopped and turned around.
"I see why L likes you. Even if you are lousy at chess." He laughed and ran out of her office.
Christine's mouth dropped open and she stared after him. Obviously L's been talking about her chess playing to the boys. That was unfair! But the other half of the statement wasn't lost on her either. L apparently told them he liked her. That part was good, but the other part……there would have to be words with the genius detective.
Her next meeting was with Matt. Well, Matt and his video game. He sat across from her as Mello did, leaning back in the chair, legs stretched out in front of him. She watched as he diligently continued his game, as if he were alone.
"I do have your attention, yes?" she asked him and he nodded.
"Sure. What's the deal? Mello said this was some sort of interrogation." He grinned, knowing full well Mello was exaggerating.
"Oh for heaven's sake, he didn't really say that, did he?" she asked him and her answer was a full out giggle.
"Well it's no such thing. L and I just want to get a little insight on you three, nothing frightening." He shrugged and continued to play.
"First of all, I get the feeling you're not overly keen on being L's replacement." She started. He paused for a nanosecond and then continued what he was doing.
"No, not really. I don't mind if the cases involve computer work, chasing hackers, gathering information. But the rest of it, it's just too much for me. I'm mostly in on it because of Mello…and Near. It keeps us together and that's what matters to me."
"Then you wouldn't mind being more of a helper than the main decision maker and planner? You wouldn't mind working with the other two at all?"
"Naw, it's what I do now anyway. Near has all the answers and Mello …well Mello's Mello. He can get things done in ways Near hasn't even thought of yet." With that he laughed again.
"You don't seem to have any problems with the other two at all. You get along well with the other two?" she asked.
"Yea, fine enough. Mello and I are best friends, we do everything together." He looked at her quickly, and she caught the uneasiness there. "But I don't have any problems with Near, he's just…quiet."
"Matt, does all this responsibility bother you at all? Knowing that you are in line for L?" he stopped playing and turned his gaze to her. For the first time she saw emotion flicker in his blue eyes, serious thought.
"What bothers me is everyone planning on L's dying. L is like a big brother to me, he's one of the first faces I can remember. Even though we work on mock cases and stuff when we're with him, that's not all we do. Did you know he used to read to us when we were little? Sometimes when we're up there, we're just laying around on the floor like a big sleepover. He works on his laptop, and we just talk and laugh about stupid stuff. And all everyone ever wants to know about is if I'm ready to take over when he dies. The answer is no, I'll never be ready for that." She could see the pain that was lurking behind his ever smiling eyes, and she completely understood.
"It's alright, Matt. To be perfectly honest I don't think any of you would be, not really. But remember it's just a precaution, no one really thinks anything's going to happen to L. He just wants to be sure everything is in place. As I told Mello, you three are what will keep L alive if anything were to happen. But no one is truly planning on it, and certainly no one expects you to be happy about it."
He seemed relieved and flashed her a grin before going back to the game. She decided she'd learned enough from him. Just as she was about to dismiss him, Mello came to the door and opened it.
"Aren't you done yet? What are you telling your life story?" he said punching Matt in the shoulder.
"Geez, did I bother you when it was your turn in here? Am I done, Dr. Thompson?"
"Yes, you can go, Matt. Thank you." She looked at Mello who smiled back at her for a quick moment and then hauled Matt out of the chair.
"I'll send the White Queen in if I see him." Mello laughed as he and Matt flew out of the door. In spite of herself, the doctor had to laugh at Mello's name for Near.
Soon after, Near was in the chair, sitting with one leg hugged to him and the other out to the side. His right hand was twirling in his hair and the other grasping his favorite robot. He stared down at desk between them. Christine took a moment to just take him in. Out of all of them he was the one she saw the least. She noted that often she saw him alone working on what seemed to her impossible puzzles, or houses of cards. When she did see him with the other two he was generally building some type of fort for his toys while the other two were busy doing something else in the vicinity. She couldn't think when she'd actually seen him smile. Oh, except when he had told her Mello would need a distemper shot if he didn't see Matt in the hospital. Then he'd given her a half smile of amusement.
"Have the other two told you why they were here, Near?" she began. He nodded.
"Something about our preparedness to become L when necessary."
"Yes. L and I wanted to see how you all felt about the situation, about the possibility of being L eventually and about working with each other should the need arise. And whatever other subject that you may want to discuss". His dark eyes rolled in her direction.
"I see. A kind of emotional/psychological litmus test for our abilities to handle the task." Suddenly the doctor felt she was talking to some college graduate, not a barely 13 year old. His gaze made her feel a little uncomfortable, it was a bit like L's gaze when he wanted to see right through you.
"I suppose you could characterize it that way. I just really want to know how you feel about things. You and I have never really talked about anything."
"This is true, Dr. Thompson. I apologize for not doing so before now. What is it you wish to ask me?" She suddenly felt as if he were conducting the discussion and not her.
"I guess the first thing I discussed with the others were their feelings for the other two. You get along alright with the Mello and Matt?" he was quiet a moment as he looked away and then back again.
"Well you know Mello and I don't always see eye to eye," he began and a small smiled played on his lips, "I think he doesn't like the competition between us. I don't feel as if we're competing but he does. Matt and I get along fine when we're together. Although I don't believe he really wants the title anyway."
"How do you feel about all this preparation, Near? Do you think you'd enjoy taking on the mantle of L, even if it's with the others help?"
"It's what I have been trained to do. I don't think enjoyment has anything to do with it." He answered flatly. Something was wrong here. The other two opened up very easily, as if they had wanted to tell someone how they felt about this whole thing. But Near was different. He was holding his feelings very close; no wonder L thought he was more like the detective.
"But you must have an internal feeling about what's going on, do you feel comfortable with that much responsibility being put on you?"
"Doctor Thompson I don't really feel anything about it. It would be my job if it were to happen, something I've been preparing for. Ofcourse I'm glad to be considered, it would make everything I've been studying worthwhile. But…"he stopped there, looking at the desk.
"If it happens it means L is dead." She finished for him. His eyes shot up at her and for a moment they were huge and practically shining. She saw him clutch the toy tighter to him for a moment.
"You know there's no shame in feeling badly about this as well. Yes, it's quite an honor, but it's also a bit fearful. We're all banking that L will eventually tire of being L and hand it over to one of you. However, there is also that fear that something could happen to him. We all care about L, Near, that's nothing to be ashamed of or afraid to admit." He said nothing and she continued on.
"You don't think you'd have a problem directing the other two if you did become the primary? You don't think they'd have a problem following you?"
Near shook his head, seemingly grateful for the turn in the conversation.
"I don't think either would be a problem. Neither would it be if Mello were determined to be the primary, I would be willing to work with him."
Christine got up from her desk and went to where Near was sitting. She once again stooped down so she was eye level with him and this time she placed her hand on his shoulder. She felt him tense a bit at the touch but he didn't try to remove her hand.
"I'm your doctor here just as I am for every other student here. But you, and Mello and Matt have an extra burden that the rest of the student body doesn't share. That means that all three of you are very special. It also means that sometimes you may need to share that burden or you'll just explode. Matt and Mello seem to have each other, they're very close friends. But you seem to be a bit of a loner and there's nothing wrong with that. But what I want to make sure you understand, is I'm here in case the load gets to be heavier than you can handle at any time. Or if you just want to come in here and tell me what a jerk Mello is or you need to scream at someone. Okay?"
Near's eyes shifted to the side for a moment and then back to her. He then slowly smiled at her, a grin very much like L's.
"Okay, Dr. Thompson. I will remember that. I suspect I'll be in here often if I have to discuss what a jerk Mello is being."
"Hm, yes that could be a problem," she grinned back at him, "Alright then. We're done. Unless there's anything else you'd like to discuss?"
"No. But how about you? Anything you want to know about L I can help you with?" he asked, a mischievous smirk on his face.
"Now really, Near. No, there's nothing I need to know about L." she stood up and went back to her desk. She watched Near uncurl himself from the chair and go to the door.
" Oh and you might want to try Chinese checkers with L. He's not quite as excellent on that as he is with chess, you might have an even chance." He flashed her an almost creepily wide grin and left her office.
Christine let out a deep breath and leaned against her chair. She was going to have a word with Mr. Detective L, making her look like the world's worst chess player to the trio. She giggled to herself, she kinda was. But she was getting better, it took him longer to beat her these days. She decided it had been a long enough day and a nice hot shower was in order. She grabbed the three folders and headed out to her apartment, locking her office door behind her.
