I Do Not Own Death Note or the characters affiliated with it!

A/N: Well, a 3-2 vote on my Deviant Art poll says that I should write a Christmas one-shot featuring L and Raine and try and have it uploaded before the 25th. I'm going to try my best to make that happen, but my Holidays are normally so crazy and stressful, there's still a very small chance it might not be finished in time. Wish me luck with my challenge! ^_^

It had been three days since the raid at the paper factory. The operation had been a success. All of the captives had been rescued and most of those involved in the illegal operation had been arrested. L's strategy of herding all of the hunters to one place was recognized as an act of brilliance (though L himself didn't actually get any credit for it.) The authorities always took credit for all of L's accomplishments. L didn't really care, of course. Praise and recognition meant absolutely nothing to him.

The amount of bloodshed was minimal. The moles that L placed had strategically cut off access to the rooms where surpluses of weapons and artillery were stored. Again, it had been through the careful planning and maneuvering of one man that enabled the operation to go as smoothly as it had. Ewan, the man who had played 'Doctor Tailor's' tour guide, had acted as L's main eyes and ears. Ewan never knew that the man he had met that night was none other than L, himself. He hadn't even been aware that the doctor visit was little more than a ploy up until the moment L had revealed the doctor as another mole.

Ewan had been the one responsible for sending information directly to L. When he intercepted the conversation between Dr. Tailor and Carl Heltman, he forwarded the transcript to L along with a few of his own footnotes. Ewan loved putting his own two cents in. The transcript of the phone conversation itself hadn't been the key piece of information L had needed to move forward. He was the one who had placed the call, after all. L had counted on Ewan's footnotes. Ewan had written at the bottom of the transcript, "Heltman has ordered all hunters to bring catches to the factory. He wants this man to have his pick! You have to do something! This man will torture and kill the children if he gets them! I don't know if I can just stand back and watch him take them away! You can't let it happen! I need an order from you, now!"

It was Ewan's footnote that had confirmed what L needed to know. L's phone call had successfully fooled Heltman. The women and children were being dragged out of their hiding places. He didn't reply to Ewan's message. If Ewan had known from the very beginning that the doctor was actually an outside mole, his demeanor might have changed- and that would have risked blowing L's cover. L couldn't risk Ewan getting nervous and not acting natural. Leaving him in the dark up until the last minute had been a necessary evil.

The idea of posing as Doctor Tailor was a slight risk. Dr. Tailor was a sadistic murderer who had dropped out of medical school to pursue a career in understanding human pain through surgical experiments. He purchased many of his victims from slave markets around the world. He was very fond of dissecting his victims alive. L had exposed him several months earlier and Tailor was quickly arrested and tried in secrecy. Tailor was found guilty of murder in thirteen different countries. None of these countries wanted it getting out that slave markets actually existed on their soil (even if they were there illegally), so each and every country signed a secret agreement that Tailor's arrest would never be made public.

Because Tailor's arrest had never been made public, none of the black markets knew he had been apprehended. If Tailor went months without buying from Singapore, they assumed he had switched to the Los Angeles market. If the LA market hadn't heard from him, they assumed he had moved on to the European trades. He jumped back and forth from city to city, continent to continent. Tailor's love of variety had worked to L's advantage when Heltman called the market in Singapore for a background check on the doctor. None of the markets had any way of knowing that Tailor was in custody.

After everything was over, the UK market had collapsed and Raine was safe. Raine suffered several broken ribs and was covered in scrapes and bruises. The medical examiners had put her on bed rest and prescribed her a strong pain medication. Raine had spent the past two days in her condo, sleeping for most of it. L never left her side unless he thought she was waking up. Wedy and Watari helped care for her when she was awake. L's guilt was too much to allow him to face her. He felt responsible for her abduction.

L's behavior hadn't gone unnoticed by Wedy or Watari. Wedy always gave him a dirty look whenever she was around. Eventually, she had to say something. "You're a real jerk. You know that? She really needs you to be there for her right now and you walk out of the room every single time she starts to stir."

"I highly doubt I'm the person she wants to see right now. I believe the company that you and Watari are providing is more than adequate. She's very fond of both of you."

"Coward." Wedy placed a fresh pitcher of water on the nightstand by Raine's bed and left L alone to sulk. He sat perched in a chair pulled up beside Raine's bed. Every so often, he would hold her hand or kiss her lightly on the forehead if she moaned in her sleep. L tried to keep his touches to an absolute minimum. Raine had been covered with unwelcome touches during her abduction. L wasn't sure if his touches would be just as unwelcome. A simple touch from anyone could trigger a flashback to her bad experience. In fact, there was a good chance her body had yet to realize it was no longer in danger. Raine was so out of it from the strong pain medication, she didn't appear aware of her surroundings during her brief times of wakefulness. It was as though her mind had traveled to a different place to escape her pain. It was a common defense tactic of rape and torture victims.

Eventually, Watari came into the room with a tray of coffee and cake for L. He spoke quietly so he wouldn't disturb Raine's sleep. "If you'd like to take a break, I'd be more than happy to sit in here with her for awhile."

"I'm fine, Watari. Thank you."

"May I ask why you find it so necessary not to leave her side as she sleeps, yet you run and hide when she wakes up?"

"Raine was abducted while under my protection. For that reason alone, I have no right to be here. I should be locked away with the rest of them for failing her. I don't want to upset her if she wakes up and sees me here; but at the same time… I can't bring myself to leave her."

Watari placed his hand on L's shoulder. "Don't drown yourself in guilt. You have every right to be here. If not for your quick planning and courage to face the enemy, she would still be in harm's way. In fact, she might not even be alive. I sincerely think that it would make Miss Raine's day to wake up and see you here with her."

"You sound so sure of that, Watari. What am I to her other than an ex-lover who broke her heart with my own brand of cruelty?"

"Have you told her your true feelings?"

"Yes… more than once. She thought I was lying to her on both occasions."

"I don't think I understand how two people who are so gifted in communication could have so much trouble dealing with a miscommunication."

"I told her to leave that night, Watari. In fact, I practically begged her to leave. I even had a new life arranged for her beforehand because I knew she'd never forgive me."

"And was it a sincere request, or was it something you said in the heat of a bad situation?"

"What does it matter? I still said it."

"Once your initial anger had passed, you went after her with some small hope of getting her back. Your actions spoke much louder than your words. Though you may have made arrangements for her to teach at Wammy House, I don't think you did it solely for the reasons you're dwelling on. I believe there was another reason. Am I right?"

L didn't answer. Still keeping his arm on L's shoulder, Watari leaned down to make contact with L's eyes. L was staring at the floor. "Look at me, child." L was hesitant, but he finally looked at Watari with a respectful silence- expecting a lecture. "You were never properly socialized growing up; and I accept the blame for that. Your emotional maturity never had the chance to fully develop. Now that you're a young man and you've found a love interest; you've got a lot of catching up to do. People get angry with each other, L. They say things they don't mean; be it out of anger or because their feelings have been hurt. It doesn't necessarily mean that the love they share has died. You can't dwell on one bad occasion when you've shared so many more happy occasions with Miss Raine."

L's mouth opened as though he were about to say something. The only thing that came out was a sigh. He looked back down at the floor. Watari cut straight to the point. "Are you still in love with her?"

"Yes." L answered without looking up. His voice was a broken whisper.

"Is it your wish to keep putting distance between the two of you?"

"No."

"And yet, you go against your own wish. Does that make any sense?"

"… No."

"I rest my case, child. It makes absolutely no sense that the two of you obviously want to be together, yet you're both denying it to yourselves."

L closed his eyes and put his hand on Watari's shoulder. It was a touching scene to see both of them using the same reassuring and comforting gesture. "Watari, please don't call me 'child' anymore."

"What else would you have me call you? You have so many aliases; I never know which one to use to get your undivided attention in situations like these."

"In a situation such as this…" L brought his index finger to his lip and looked up at the ceiling as if he were thinking about it. "I believe I would prefer it if you referred to me as 'son'."

A huge grin spread across Watari's face. He had to look away to keep from weeping. "Of course… son. Well, before I forget…" Watari stood up and quickly regained his full composure. "Roger stopped by about half an hour ago and left a gift basket from her students. Would you like me to bring in now, or should I wait until Miss Raine wakes up again?"

"I suppose you could wait until she's awake to bring it in. She might not notice it right away if it's in here when she wakes up."

"Very well. I trust I'll know she's waking up when I see you bolting out of her room?"

"It's very possible. I haven't exactly gathered my nerve to speak to her yet."

"You're L. You've never lacked the nerve to do anything. At any rate, make sure and let Wedy know when Miss Raine wakes up so that she may assist her to the restroom if needed."

"Yes. Thank you, Watari."

L stayed in his chair next to Raine's bed as Watari walked out of the bedroom and closed the door. He didn't find it surprising that Raine hadn't stirred any during his conversation with Watari. Her sleep was almost as deep as it had been the night he had found her. L began to let his memories go back to that night. He had tried so hard to convince himself to leave her in the rain. The possibility that she had been planted there had been so high. L didn't want to imagine what would have happened to her if he had in fact walked away and left her.

He remembered how awkward it was to dress her in his clothes after he'd found her and smiled to himself. Though he probably didn't realize it, his face had turned rosy red from the memory. He remembered the time he had first saw Raine with her eyes open. She had been playing her flute on the balcony. His sleeping beauty was so full of life then. Though in the beginning, L had always acted as though he was annoyed with Raine's company, he had actually been intrigued by her. He was like a child who couldn't stop staring at Christmas lights or a rainbow.

L frowned slightly as he remembered how he had initially tried to fight his attraction to Raine. It had caused him to hurt her feelings on more than one occasion. It had been on the night in New Orleans when he had fallen ill that he first realized he was growing infatuated with her. The speed at which it was happening was more than he thought he could handle. The fact that Raine had cared for him in one of his weakest moments (despite knowing L had lied to her about who he was) was the single event that made L realize he was falling for her.

L couldn't resist holding her hand as he thought of all of the memories they had made in the time they had traveled together. When he looked at her now and saw the bruises that now covered her; he closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip almost to the point of bleeding. Though there were no sobs, tears began to form in his eyes. He continued to bite on his lip to keep himself from crying. He couldn't cry. It just wasn't something that L did. Not without the rain to cover it up. In fact, the rain normally did all of his crying for him. L kissed Raine's hand and squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry, Raine. I'm so very, very sorry."

The wind howled in the cold darkness of night as the rain poured. In the parking lot of a small hotel, a man lay dying on the ground. A large blade had entered his back as he was unlocking the door to his rental car. He never saw the assailant. He had only heard the cold and callous voice. "You thought you could take her away from me? Well, you can have the filthy little hoar. She and that child will meet you in Hell tonight. I'll slice them both open with this blade." The machete sliced down into the man's body as the murderer withdrew it. The shock had taken the his voice away. The pain had paralyzed him.

Every rain spirit in the region exploded as one of their oldest and most respected brothers called out to them in the silent language of the elements. Upon hearing the cries of the rain, the wind responded. Standing now above the man was a young woman in an exotic sapphire outfit. The tantric styled gown was as transparent as she was. The metal band she wore upon her brow was the crown of the sky. She studied the man with a curious eye. They had obviously never met before. "You look like you're in a lot of pain. I don't think you're body is going to make it. Why don't you leave it? Are you not strong enough?"

In what little power he could muster, he managed to speak to her without using his voice. "That's not why I called you! Please, I beg of you! Save Keiko and Adian! Don't let my small child and his mother fall victim to that monster!"

"Keiko… and Adian… a child of the elements?"

"Yes! He's my son! You have to get him away from here! He's just a child! Please! Have mercy and help him! Just… please!"

"Where are they? Has your child developed his language yet?"

"Yes! He'll tell you where he is! Please, just hurry!"

"I will find your loved ones and carry them to safety then. You have my word."

There was no answer from the man on the ground. He was gone. The conversation had gone by a lot faster than it would have in any human language. In less than a minute after she had appeared by the man's side, she had resumed the form of the wind and was flying through the breezes; listening for a call. The voices of the rain were so loud and frantic; she had trouble deciphering what any of them were saying. Most of the ones she was able to understand demanded justice for the brutal murder of their brother. She found Keiko and Adian's home first. The front door was open and the house was completely empty. She scolded the rain spirits for not controlling their outbursts. "If you don't shut up, then I'll never be able to hear the child!"

She listened intently to the sounds of the surrounding area. As the voices of the rain began to settle, she heard the one small voice of despair that she had been looking for. "Stop it! She's bleeding! No! You're hurting her! Mommy!"

As soon as she had tuned in, she responded. "Adian? Adian, tell me where you are! My name is Akaia. I can help you and your mother!" Akaia rode the wind as she listened for a reply. All she was getting back were faint sobs. In both her and the rain's frustration, the power of a typhoon swept over the island. "Adian? Adian! You have to be brave! Tell me where you are!"

"It's… scary… and cold… in here. The bell…is so loud." His little voice was so weak. Akaia knew instantly it wasn't just fear that was making it difficult for him to communicate.

"A bell? I hear it! It's coming from the other side of the island!" With the speed of the wind, she was instantly at the front door of the cathedral. A strong gust of wind forced open the heavy doors at the front entrance. The wind blew through the cathedral wildly; and at the entrance stood the young wind spirit, Akaia. Her long ringlets of brown hair blew wildly in the wind. What Akaia saw when she entered horrified her. 'I'm too late.'

An angry man stood over a dying child. His hand held the handle of the blade that had been pinned through the boy's chest. The child was spitting up blood and jerking like a fish out of water. His body was trying hard to fight its death. Akaia's eyes caught sight of two adult corpses. One had been sliced open and stabbed in the back. The other had bullet wounds to his chest. It was a horrific scene to take in.

Akaia broke her first rule. She made herself visible to the man who stood over the child. With an evil smirk, the man pulled out his revolver with his free hand and fired at Akaia twice. When he realized the bullets were going right through her, he backed away from Adian without bothering to withdraw the blade. "What the fuck are you?"

Akaia made a cut off signal with her arms, creating a huge gust of wind that blew the man up against the altar. "What I am is the beginning of your end."

Raine woke up before her memories had a chance to finish replaying in her dream. Her eyes slowly moved around the bedroom. It was empty. In her arms was a stuffed panda bear. She ran her hand over its soft head and pulled it close to her. Her fingers played with the silver necklace it wore. 'This is his bear. Does that mean he's been here? There's a chance Watari brought it by.' Her fingers traced the silver L on the necklace. 'Didn't he say there was a name inscribed on the back? I didn't bother to look for such a detail the night I left this with him. L said he used it as his surname.'

She brought the bear close to her face and turned the newly polished emblem around. It took her groggy eyes a moment to adjust themselves to the small writing. 'It says… Lawliet.' She nudged the bear's forehead with her nose. 'He gave me his surname. He could have given me any random name, but he gave me his own.' Raine felt herself wanting to cry. She wanted to see him more than anything; but she was sure L was probably upset with her for putting herself in such a bad situation after he had taken so many precautions to keep her safe.

Raine inhaled a deep breath and winced in pain. Her broken ribs made breathing very painful. She tried very hard not to think about what had happened to her during her abduction. The more she did, the filthier she felt. She wanted to soak in a nice hot bath, but she wasn't sure if she had the strength to go through with it. The master bathroom was connected to her bedroom. It wasn't too far of a walk. Very slowly, she sat up. The minute she had her feet on the floor and stood up, Raine almost fell over with a dizzy spell. Every part of her body was sore, but she managed to walk towards the bathroom.

She was only a few feet away from the bathroom door when it suddenly opened. Out walked L. His hair was wet and he was wearing one of Raine's t-shirts. The moment he saw Raine, he froze. They looked at each other for awhile. Neither of them were sure what to say. Raine finally smiled shyly and spoke. "I see you've made yourself at home."

L looked apologetic. "I fell asleep while I was holding my coffee and spilled it all over me; so I borrowed one of your shirts and took a shower." He looked down in shame. "I realize it was rude of me to do such a thing without your permission, but you know I normally don't care if others think of my actions as inappropriate. For you, however; I sincerely apologize. The amount of sugar I put into my coffee makes it rather sticky and I was in real need of a shower… "

Raine slowly walked towards him. His articulate rambling made it obvious that he was nervous. If she didn't interrupt him, he'd just keep going. "L, I don't mind that you borrowed a shirt and took a shower. I actually think black looks very nice on you. The butterfly on the front isn't really you though. You're normally not one who falls asleep in the middle of an activity. You must be pretty exhausted." She stopped and closed her eyes to try and shake off the dizziness.

L closed more of the distance between them so he could catch her in case she fell. "You shouldn't be up and walking around. If you need to use the restroom, then I shall call Wedy in here to assist you. And it's a lot easier to fall asleep when there aren't any cases in front of me to solve." He wanted to move even closer to her, but he hesitated.

Raine frowned at his hesitation. "Are you keeping your distance because you think I'm filthy? Am I filth because of what happened to me?"

"No. That isn't it at all. You're not filthy. Please, don't think for even a millisecond that you are." L moved closure, but he still fought his urge to touch her. "I'd really like to wrap my arms around you and never let you go; but I'm afraid to touch you due to your physical and emotional injuries. I don't want to hurt you… ever again."

Raine slowly put her arms around him and gave him as firm of a hug as her injuries would allow her. "I don't know how you managed to get me away from those men, but you don't know how very grateful I am. I knew you would find me. I'm sorry you had to go through so much trouble."

L was savoring every second of Raine's closeness. He closed his eyes and almost lost himself. "I wouldn't define making sure you're safe as trouble. I would define it as love." He very carefully returned her hug. For the first time in over a month, his mind felt almost completely calm. "I love you, Raine. I swear on my very existence it isn't a lie." L lightly kissed her on the forehead. "I'm sorry I failed you."

"How can you possibly think you failed me? You've gone out of your way since the night you found me to take care of me. Even after we ended our relationship, you still thought enough of me to make sure I didn't end up homeless on the streets. I would still be in captivity and half dead right now if not for you."

"You should have never been abducted to begin with- not while under my protection. If you would have been with me…"

Raine brought her index finger to L's lips. "I would have wandered away from you just as easily as I did with Wedy. How many times did you scold me for it while we were traveling? I was more than aware of the area abductions and I was even educated about the very trick that I fell for. Sometimes bad things happen, L… no matter how many precautions you take. It's just part of life. The worlds are just as cruel as they are beautiful." Raine's breaths were getting short and irregular. "I think… I need to go lay back down. It's so painful to breathe."

"Do you need me to carry you?"

Raine laughed softly to herself as she turned around and headed back towards the bed. "No. But, it would be nice if you could hold me once I get there. I really miss that."

"So do I." L helped Raine back over to the bed and rested beside her. His fingers intertwined with hers. "How will we greet tomorrow, Raine?"

"Honestly, I hope we'll greet it together."

"You would have me back after how I treated you?"

Raine leaned in (with a slight grimace of pain) and kissed L on the cheek. "Adian… L Lawliet. I love you, and I want to be with you."

L smiled sheepishly. "I love you too, Raine. I want us to be together again." He couldn't help but laugh at his cheesy line. In his excitement, he had completely forgotten to use another language. The man known for his chronic insomnia had no trouble falling asleep that evening. L had his Raine back.

I couldn't make a very affectionate reunion here because Raine is obviously still recovering from her abduction. There are only two or three chapters left now. The climax of the story is pretty much over. The remaining chapters are just meant to wrap up the loose ends and answer the lingering questions. I normally have a lot of trouble with endings, so I'm getting a little nervous. Happy Holidays! =)