Author's Note

Okay...I am posting three new chapters tonight (or morning depending on how you look at the time)! After these three chapters...there will only be three to go. That means if you do not vote for the story that you wish for me to write next, you get no say and cannot complain about anything dealing with it! Also, I wish to inform everyone, that once this story finishes and the poll on my profile (the one that say's What Should I Write Next?) is done (which will be the same day that I post the last parts to this story) a new poll will come up. That poll will be for pairings. I want to know what my readers want, what you guys really want! This new poll will be up for only one month, so please, please! vote on it! If no one votes on this new poll before the month is up...I am not giving you more time. This is your warning and you will get one more warning at the end of this story...I will also just randomly pick a pairing from peices of paper that I scatter on my bed...so, if you don't want that...THEN VOTE!

Also, I wish to thank DarkSeaRain and Lady Minuialwen and The Night's Wish for the lovely reviews. I am very happy that you guys enjoy the story or wanted to give me advice on the story! I am very grateful to you all!

- A. Moonbeam

Chapter XXV

Funeral Hide Away

"If you're going through hell, keep going."

- Winston Churchill

The next morning, Alana sat up in her bed right when the first rays of light shone through her windows. She hadn't slept very well in the entire time she had lost L. Her dreams, when she could sleep, were of L cursing her for not saving him when she could have. Alana broke her eye contact from her hands and stood from her bed. She showered and dressed without any real thought. She fingered the ring that was still on the chain around her neck, she hadn't taken it off last night when she went to sleep. She didn't see the point in it. She glanced at the ring on her finger before exiting her room.

Alana didn't think about what she was doing as she walked downstairs and into the kitchen. Watari was already awake, like normal, and fixing a simple breakfast for everyone to enjoy that morning. Alana smiled at him as she poured a cup of coffee and sat at the table.

"Happy Christmas, Alana." Watari stated as he placed a bowl of fresh fruit before her.

"Merry Christmas, Watari." Alana smiled as she looked up at him, trying to appear normal.

"This came for you in the mail yesterday but I was under strict orders not to give it to you until today and then only when it was just you and I." Watari explained as he sat at the table as well and passed a crisp white envelope to her.

Alana looked at the envelope with curiosity before picking it up. Her food and coffee were abandoned as she opened the envelope and saw that there was a plane ticket hidden away in it. "What is this?" Alana questioned as she looked at the ticket curiously.

"The only way you can ever find out is if you get on the plane. Your flight leave tomorrow morning. Mrs. Ingrin has offered to drive you when she returns to London with the children." Watari explained softly.

"Is it safe for me?"

"Of course. I'm pretty sure you will be very pleased with what is awaiting you on that island."

Alana stared at the airport when she exited the car. Mrs. Ingrin was a very nice woman, but Alana was happy to get away from her. Alana smiled softly as she turned to get her bag out of the trunk of the car and sat it on the sidewalk. Fayette and Alec and accompanied them on the trip and Mrs. Ingrin was there to keep them from running off into the airport to follow Alana.

"I'm going to miss you, Aly." Alec sniffled as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Alana knelt to the ground and hugged Alec closely. "I promise that I'll contact you as soon as I can, darling. I'm not going to leave you forever." Alana whispered as she kissed the side of his head.

"I know, but I'm tired of you always leaving. I want you just to stay home with us." Alec sniffled.

"Hey, now. We're not going to cry, alright? I promise that I'll come home and if I can find a way to bring you and Fayette where ever it is that I'm going, I'll get you there. You can count on that promise." Alana cooed as she brushed Alec's brown hair out of his face.

The boy nodded his head. He was six now from when Alana had first met him and she was completely stunned at how quickly he became attached to her. It seemed so long ago from when she had first cradled him in her lap when she had first met L. Alana smiled at the boy in front of her and nodded her head slightly. She knew that he would be perfectly okay with her absence. He had other people he could play with and quite a few other people that he was attached to.

"Just come home, Aly. You're like a mom to me and I've never had one. I don't want you to go away forever." Alec whispered as he clung to her once more.

"I promise that when I come back, I'll try to stay longer. I also will have to see what I can do about you never having had a mom, okay?" Alana smiled as she hugged the boy once more.

"What about me?" Fayette questioned softly and caused Alana to laugh.

"I'll see what I can do about you too, Fayette, that is if you want?" Alana questioned the girl.

"Of course I do!" Fayette laughed as she jumped in on the hug as well.

Alana felt close to tears as she hugged the two children that decided that she would be a perfect mother to have. She just knew that she would have to make them her children when she came back, she would do whatever was in her power to have them as her own.

"Alright, children. Alana's going to miss her flight." Mrs. Ingrin sniffled from next to the car.

Apparently Mrs. Ingrin was listening to the teary goodbye that the children were giving and couldn't help but adding her own tears to the mix. Alana laughed as she stood up and ushered the children back to the car. She then leaned over and gave Mrs. Ingrin a hug as well. "I do promise that I'll adopt those kids. I don't think I could live my life without them now." Alana chuckled softly.

"I am sure that Mr. Wammy would be very happy to see you with them." Mrs. Ingrin whispered and let go of Alana. "Now, go! You don't want to miss your flight!"

Alana got off the plane, slightly confused as to the fact she was the only person in her cabin on both of the flights she had to get on. However, she didn't really bother herself too fully with the thought. She continued down the ramp as the only person completely on this flight. It had been a private jet that had picked her up when she reached the airport in Brazil. It also seemed as if she was the only person in this airport as well. With a slight nervous chuckle, Alana walked to gather her bag but was postponed by what she saw before her.

Standing there with his hands in the pockets of a pair of faded jeans, his torso clothed in a white button-up shirt, his dark hair in tangles, and his large grey eyes bagged from lack of sleep…was L. Alana froze as she took him in. She couldn't believe it, she wanted to so horribly, but there couldn't really be anyway that he could be there. However, somewhere in Alana's heart she knew that this really was L and her feet were already pounding against the floor to bring herself closer.

When she ran into him, her arms wrapped around his shoulders and clung to him. Her tears feel down her face unchecked and she was just so happy that he didn't disappear when she touched him. Alana felt his arms come around her and the burn of his embrace reminded her that he really was here. She pulled back and looked at his face for a split second before her hand was connecting with his right cheek in a resounding smack.

"What the hell?" Alana screamed at him, pulling back enough to look him in the face.

"I'll explain it all when we get to the house. There is only so long that I can keep the airport empty. Just…just promise me you won't smack me again." L groaned as he rubbed his jaw.

Alana took a deep breath and clenched her hand into a fist, "I'll try but at the moment I want to beat you senseless."

L grinned at her and nodded his head, "I love you too."

Alana smiled softly at him and walked with him as they went to get her bag. She still couldn't believe it, she had to have fallen asleep on the plane.

The ride to the house that L had been staying at didn't take nearly as long as Alana thought it would. Apparently, L was simply sitting around a nice beach house and paying attention to everything around him with slight ease. He had only contacted Watari once and that was to give him the instructions for the plane ticket. Alana looked at the house in front of her. It was a three story house that over looked the beach and ocean and a very beautiful wraparound porch that was set with a simple weaved rocking chair set.

"What do you think? I've been having it built and it was supposed to be where I took you for our honeymoon, but I ended up needing it earlier." L explained as he opened her car door.

"It's beautiful." Alana breathed as she looked at him, "You had this built? It had to have been in the process before you even asked me."

L blushed lightly as he turned his attention back to the house. "It was. I figured that if you didn't want to marry me, I could at least give you a house to get away in."

Alana smiled softly as she took his arm, "Remember, I'm believing that I'm not crazy right now and that you really are alive. So, I'm going to need that explanation you promised me pretty soon."

L nodded and led her up the stairs and through a set of glass French doors. Alana took a moment to enjoy the open room. The floor was wooden, which she would learn was true all over the house with a few rugs intermixed in places, and high windows (each window in every room covered with sheer white hangings other than the bedrooms). The ceiling was open to show the beams and the landing at the top of a simple set of stairs that held a white banister. The front room had a large living room with a television and bookcases covering the walls with numerous books on them. The other side of the house showed a dining room that was simply set with a table that would fit six people comfortably. Alana smiled at the picture before her as L led her through the dining room and through a sliding wooden door to a kitchen. There was another table there that was set with only four places and all the other kitchen necessities.

"It's so beautiful, L!" Alana gasped as she spun in the kitchen.

"I'm glad you like it." L smiled as he pulled out a chair for her.

Alana sat in it and watched as L brought over a glass of tea for them both. She took a careful sip and smiled as she realized he must have had to make two different jugs of tea so he could have his sugar. Alana waited patiently for him to begin his tale.

"I spoke with Rem on numerous occasions. I would wait until everyone was gone, even you and Watari. I wanted no one to be surprised when this happened. Rem told me that the only way she would be beyond suspicion was if she actually killed someone. Watari had told me not long ago that he was already dying and that he was ready to go whenever he needed to. I spoke with him about what would happen if he did end up being killed by Kira, and he said that he would allow it. I told him about my plans and he was wanted to help. I didn't want him to give Rem permission to write his name down and he never told me if he had or not. I just knew that when I saw her pick up the notebook and leave the room that you would need to go and check on Watari. Apparently, she did end up dying after writing my name down, but what she hadn't done correctly was picture my face. Instead she pictured someone else's face. All I had to do was act as if I were dying and I have everything on tape from what Light said to me after you left to save Watari." L explained everything in a very simple manner and in a way that nothing was seemingly left out.

"But why couldn't you tell me about this? I've…I've been crying every night, L! I haven't been able to sleep because I keep thinking that if I would have fought Matsuda harder I would have been able to get to you! Couldn't you have just sent me word?" Alana tried not to yell at him and instead everything came out as a chocked sob.

L was immediately on his feet and at her side quickly. He knelt down and brought his arms around her. "I'm very sorry for what I have done to you. All I knew was that if I let you know, you wouldn't have had the same affect on everyone. Everyone believes that I am dead and they don't need to know any more than that."

Alana wrapped her own arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder. "I swear, if I wake up in my bed and find out this is all a dream, I'm going to really kill you." Alana sniffled as L chuckled.

Alana and L had a quiet dinner that night and went to bed together for one of the most romantic nights that they had spent together. Alana was finally able to give his ring to him and they lay in each other's arms until they finally were able to sleep for the first time in a month.

When the sun started to move into their room, Alana squinted her eyes shut. She did not want to wake up yet, but something was wrong. She opened her eyes quickly, peering around to find out what the problem was. What she found frightened her even more than anything else could have. Alana noticed quickly that L was nowhere in the room and she couldn't hear the shower running. She found a set of clothes and slipped into them before running out of the room and down the stairs. She wanted to make sure that nothing was wrong, she wanted to know that L really had been here and that this wasn't just a vacation home for her that Watari had set up.

When Alana slid into the kitchen, she paused in shock at what she saw. L was standing at the stove, cooking was smelled like eggs in the skillet. She cocked her head to the side with a soft smile on her face as she padded her way into the kitchen and leaned against the counter next to him.

"I thought you would sleep longer." L commented as he slid the scrambled eggs onto a platter and reached over to kiss her.

"I thought I had dreamt you." Alana smiled into the kiss, but broke it to take the platter of eggs to the table. "Are you really going to eat actual food?"

"I have been known to eat real food every once in a while. I decided that this was a special moment, our first breakfast together in over a month." L commented as he brought over two plates.

Alana noticed that the table had not just eggs, but bacon and sausage and even toast. She laughed as she looked at all of the food, "Are we really going to eat all of this?"

"Probably not, but there is this really amazing older woman who lives just up the beach that has been giving me some lessons on cooking other foods than just sweets. I figured that we could go and visit her and take her some left overs." L explained with a smile as he sat down next to her at the table.

"I just can't believe someone was able to teach you something." Alana laughed as she grabbed his hand, wanting to touch him now that he was in front of her.

"You shouldn't seem so surprised." L rolled his eyes but squeezed her hand and began filling her plate one handed.