OH EM GEE!

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*Starts to sob*

Thank you! *Sniffle* Thank you all so much!

I don't deserve such amazing fantastical people like you!

I need a tissue...

You probably shouldn't look at me, I am a MESS!

Enjoy the chappy!

P.S. Those who celebrated independence day in America, hope you had a fun filled fireworks display! I got to see a lot of big booms...that made me happy. =D

P.S.S. ANOTHER TRANSLATION! The link is on my profile, so send your appreciation to atalayak for translating my story into Polish!

(Disclaimer: I have over 1,000 reviews suckers! I own all! Except for Death Note...)


Very First Date

"So I thought we got the bad guys…what more do we have to do?" Alice scratched her head. They were all in the hotel room, each one working on something of their own with either a computer, PSP, or paperwork. Watari had returned after Alice made her big confession to L, and he was later told of the ordeal. Surprisingly Watari had pulled her aside so they could chat in privet. In the privacy of another room, Watari gave her the most endearing bear hug she had ever received. She had never seen him so happy with her before. Watari in no way thought L would find someone on a romantic level, and knowing that L and Alice were going to be a couple just blew his mind. He needed to show his appreciation to her, and he also wanted to congratulate her as well. So he hugged her. Alice was moved by the hug, and she almost got too emotional, but she reminded herself that the relationship was still new, and it wasn't set in stone. So Watari could have been giving her a useless congratulation. But bad thinking aside, she appreciated the gesture anyway.

So when they returned, Alice was greeted by the sounds of L giving orders to Matt and Mello. Apparently the case they had been working on with the drug dealers was not over.

"Far from it," L gave her an answer.

"But Mello shot like 500 druggies at the warehouse…"

"I only killed three you idiot, and we managed to only round up a small portion of the operation. Ever since you got your ass kidnapped, we've had to blow our cover and rescue you, making the actual drug operation move from its original location. Now we have to find them again," Mello made his anger clear. He sounded as if he was smashing the keys on his keyboard.

"That was so not my fault." She wiggled her finger back and forth. Mello snorted in disagreement.

"Mello, I've sent the location to Matt. You should be on your way in the next five minutes." L gave his next order. Alice wasn't sure if he interrupted to help her, or simply do his job, but she was grateful none the less.

"We're on our way," Matt smiled, once again relieving the tension in the room. Matt then managed to convince Mello to leave the room without sarcastically mocking anyone on the way out. Alice was impressed. When they were gone, L gestured for her to come sit back down. She obliged with a light skip in her step.

"So what's next oh-great detective?"

"You are going to come with me to an interrogation."

Alice lit up with delight. It had been a while since L had seen her with such an infectious smile, and he was momentarily proud of himself for getting her to do so.

"No way! Oh my god, I need to go put on a push-up bra!" She scrambled up from her chair.

"That's not necessary…" L immediately lost his pride. In the background, he could hear Watari sigh loudly. But Alice didn't seem to listen to either of them. She was already squealing bits and pieces of incoherent words, and running for the door. She may have said something about showing off her skills, but he wasn't quite sure. The only good side to her random spark of enthusiasm was the brief joy he had brought to her. At least he wasn't making her cry anymore.


L waited patiently outside of the interrogation room. Earlier he had texted Alice to meet him there in the next ten minutes. He recently given her a new phone since her last one was smashed to pieces somewhere just outside of Grapeland. He highly recommended not breaking this one so she could stay in contact with them at all times. Alice of course, could not give him her guarantee that her phone would stay in one piece. L just had to accept that answer with a grain of salt. But aside from faulty promises, L still had a whimsical sense of happiness clouding around him like a fog after a storm. Everywhere he looked, he saw the colors around him stand out as if they were glowing. His keen sense of vision seemed to become sharper in just a matter of minutes. The smell of sweets somehow got sweeter; the taste of chocolate has gotten creamier, and even the touch of the carpet on his bare feet has gotten softer. Every part of his senses seems to have gotten enhanced over the last few minutes, and he fully blamed it all on Alice. Never in his life has he looked at his surroundings with such interest. Most of his work he's focused on what was necessary. Now he seemed to notice everything around him, and he certainly wasn't overwhelmed. In fact, he found it to be exhilarating. It was as if he was experiencing his first case all over again. He was finally getting back to the roots of his happiness. He was experiencing his love for the hunt, and even more so, sharing it with the one person he felt a connection with.

Having her with him working on the case, felt like Christmas day. It was as if he bought her a present he was excited to see her open. In the far back of his mind, he did worry how she would handle herself in the interrogation, but his trust with her has reached past its peak, and he had faith she would make the interrogation worthwhile. Even if she didn't get any answers, at least he had the assurance that it would be entertaining. He would have to make a copy of the recording for future amusement. It was her first interrogation anyway, so he felt it would be necessary to have it recorded on video. Maybe he could even start a makeshift scrape book of their work together. He still had the ring from their trip to France…

"I'm here," A defeated sigh came from down the hall. Alice looked hunched over, with her head drooping towards the floor. She was walking with her feet dragging on the carpet.

"You were very excited earlier." L grew interested.

"I forgot I left my push-up bra at home." Alice's sigh got louder. "I put on my zebra print Victory Secret, but it doesn't make them look perky enough. Do you think I should stuff it with tissue?"

"I'm not going to give you an answer to that, and I'm still not quite sure why you insist your…assets…are necessary for this interrogation. If anything, they will distract from the questioning itself."

Alice started to wiggle her eyebrows up and down, and a playful smile replaced her disappointment. "So are you saying that my breasts will be too distracting for you?"

"I'm going to ignore that too and move on to the task at hand. Do you remember the two men who kidnapped you?"

"Of course, who could forget being thrown at a wall and locked in a cage?" Alice gave up on the teasing. She had all the time in the world to tease him later anyway. And the sooner they finished the case, the sooner she could go home and be with her family. Underneath all her doubt about the relationship, she was still excited to tell everyone at the Wammy house about her and L. She wondered what they would think, or if they would even approve. L was like a god to them, so would she even be worthy?

"In that room is one of the men who kidnapped you. If you are uncomfortable with speaking to him, then I would understand."

Alice mentally tried to picture which man was in that room. She certainly didn't like the idea of sitting across from muscles, but then again, the Italian didn't sound so hot either. But she didn't want to waste an opportunity to stare someone down and try to force them to speak the truth. She always believed that would be her strong suit if she ever did consider taking up detective work.

"I'm coming in with you. Do you want to be the bad cop, or should I?"

"Please don't use movie references to operate an investigation."

"You just made yourself the good cop. Leave the nasty talking to me and we'll crack him like an egg." Alice reached for the door handle. L internally gave a groan, starting to rethink letting her help in the first place. Maybe he was letting his euphoria take over his brain too much. Why did he ask her to help him again?

Before he could think of an excuse, Alice was already walking inside, causing L to hurry in behind her. They hadn't even taken two steps inside before Alice make a remark to the criminal.

"So it's the greasy haired weasel eh? Let's hear what you have to say for yourself you little piece of shit. Mind telling me what you were doing yesterday afternoon?" Alice pulled her chair around so it was facing the opposite direction. That way, when she sat down, she could fold her arms on top of the backrest. The Italian rouge sneered at his new roommates, giving Alice an even sharper glare to try and cut her overly confidant exterior. It obviously wasn't working, since Alice made a face back at him.

"I was fighten' your skanky ass down at the abandon amusement park." His Italian accent was strong. Alice gasped loudly and stood up for dramatic flair.

"So you admit to attacking me!"

"Are you an idiot? Of course I did! What kind of interrogation are you trying to run here? I thought you wanted to know about the suppliers?" He waved his cuffed arms about. One of his hands was covered with gauze from when Mello shot the gun out of his hand. Alice wondered how much pain he was in. He was shot in the leg too, but Alice couldn't see his legs since they were under the table.

L jumped in quickly to answer his question. He had been momentarily watching the two go at it while he got comfortable in his seat.

"That is exactly what we need to know. I need names of all the suppliers."

"I ain't telling you squat." Italian looked away. Alice started to click her tongue. That was a clear sign that she was annoyed.

"Listen here buster," Alice began her rant. "You either tell us who they are, or so help me Jesus, I will kick you in the nuts again."

"Is she aloud to do that?" He turned to L with fear in his eyes. All the guy had to do was think back to his brief moment with her, and goose bumps would cover his body. He cringed at the thought of her last kick. He was pretty sure she gave him a vasectomy with just one swing. He wasn't going to have a child anytime soon, that was for sure.

"I don't endorse torture, but that does not mean I have full control of her actions. She can do as she pleases." L gave him an honest answer. Deep down inside, he did feel sorry for the guy. Nobody should be put through two kicks to the crotch. Wasn't one enough?

The Italian swallowed a large lump in his throat. But he straightened his back and tried to put on a hard outer shell.

"You don't scare me." He attempted to say without making his voice squeak. He failed miserably.

"Is that so?" Alice arched an eyebrow. She then slowly made her way around the table, keeping her eyes on her kidnapper. He flinched under her gaze as she stood right next to him. L only watched with curiosity. He should have probably told her to stay in her seat, but his intrigue far outweighed the safety of the situation. And he wasn't disappointed. Alice started to adjust her breasts, as if she was trying to make them look bigger.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You lactating or something?"

Alice slapped him across the face so hard the sound echoed inside of the small room.

"That is sexual harassment! You keep this up and your rep sheet is only going to get bigger. You'll be in jail for the rest of your life!"

"You crazy bitch!"

"Name calling is going to get you a death sentence!" Alice made her argument louder. The Italian rubbed his newly swollen red cheek and growled at Alice.

"Ace, I think you've said enough. Why don't you have a seat?" L made a good offer. It took Alice a moment to think it over, but L was right. She made her statement loud and clear, so now it was the good cops turn to proceed. She slowly backed away and found her seat next to L. She turned it back to its original position, so she could cross one leg over the other.

"He's all yours," She gesture to L, feeling proud of how she dealt with her role. She would later have to ask L how amazing she was. She was sure L would dote and fawn over her skills as an interrogator. He may even hire her full time for the gig.

"Your background check came back with an interesting history." L finally got to start on the right foot. He pulled out a file from seemingly nowhere. Alice wasn't even sure where he could have been hiding it. The only response L got from the Italian was an arched eyebrow. So he continued. "You were born in New Jersey and worked for a cable company in your younger years. You even got married at the age of 26. How is it that such a simple man with a stable lifestyle throws his life away to move to Texas and work for an illegal drug trade?"

Alice was shocked to hear about his past. She would have never guess he could have found love and worked in a normal job. But then again, she saw almost every criminal as lowlifes who were born with a rotten heart. She liked to think they were bad people from the start, because she hated to think anybody could become killers. The Italian started to lick his lips. He looked away as if he was having a hard time focusing. The fight he had in him before seemed to vanish right before Alice's eyes.

"I had a bad marriage." He started to answer. "Wife left me for a fucking plumber. We hadn't even been together for a year. So I quit my job and moved away to forget. But it got worse, so I needed a distraction."

"And you thought killing innocent people would be a good distraction?" Alice gapped.

"I didn't start killing people!" the Italian shouted. "I took up the profession of selling the stuff."

"You don't seem like the type to kill willingly," L made an observation. The Italian laughed at that statement.

"You're right. I don't particularly like to shoot people, but as soon as I started to make a lot of money, I got hooked on the income. I wanted more, and killing people paid ten times the salary I got for selling the stuff. I justified my kills with the thought of knowing I was only killing the basterds who bought the drugs."

"But you shot my friend! You shot Eric!" Alice got emotional. Her hands gripped the table like clamps.

"You guys shouldn't have been there in the first place! I had to do what I had to do."

Alice looked about ready to slap him again. L had to step in quickly before the interrogation got out of hand.

"Your criminal record is certainly not as large as Josephs, and yet you rank higher up the scale then him. Why is that?"

Hearing the name Joseph brought Alice back to her vision of being choked out in the desert. Joseph was Doug's killer, and he was somebody Alice was thankful to never meet.

"The guy has no brains. All he knows how to do is eat, sleep, and kill. So I made him do most of the grunt work. Paid him with pocket change,"

"Interesting, and your partner Hammer, how did you two come to work together?"

"We met back when we were selling. He came out of military and didn't really have anywhere else to go. Government screwed him over pretty good, so he was left selling drugs. I asked him to work with me, because I needed the muscle."

"You're kidding me," Alice was becoming more stunned. Muscles came from the military? That would explain his overly buff body, but it certainly didn't explain how he could justify selling drugs. Weren't those who joined the army supposed to have a patriotic pride for their country?

"And who was it that hired you?"

"That I ain't going to tell ya. I'm not going to fall for that trick. You just want to know who the suppliers are."

"So you're saying it was the suppliers who hired you, and not any of the dealers."

"Ah…wait! No! I didn't say nothing!" Italian got flustered.

"Thank you for your cooperation." L started to stand up. Alice was surprised to see he was done already. L must have figured something out with just that piece of information.

"It's over? That was it?" The Italian seemed just as confused as Alice.

"Yes, that was all. I will have an escort come and get you to take you back to your prison cell."

"But I don't want to go back there," His shoulders slumped.

"Well you should have thought of that before you shot my friend," Alice said as she followed L by standing up. She didn't give the Italian thug a second look as she walk out the room, trailing behind L. She was tired of listening to his whiny voice, and remembering that Eric was still in the hospital made her even more upset. At least she got the satisfaction of slapping him.

"Are you alright?" L asked her after they were out of the room and the door was shut. Ace gave him a quizzical look.

"I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"I noticed you were starting to get more upset as the interrogation went on."

"That was nothing, don't look into it. But enough about my feelings, how did I do? Do you think I was too amazing? I probably could have saved the sexual harassment for an even bigger case, but I just wanted to test the water first, you know?"

L honestly didn't know how to answer her question. He always believed honesty was the best policy, but under his newly formed circumstances with her, lying would have been the better option. He just managed to form an intimate relationship with her, and she was the type of person who lived off of appraisal. So he decided to be honest with his answer, but only to a certain point.

"You managed to rattle him up pretty well. Your confidence was quite astounding."

Alice soaked up the so called complement like a sponge. Even though he didn't bow down to her, getting that much out of him was just as good.

"Thank you." She swayed like a child. L was relieved to get away with such a simple response, and he was even more thrilled to see he's made her happy. "So why did we leave anyway? I thought you wanted to know who the suppliers were," Alice asked him.

"I got my answer. This case has been monitored for years, and we have names of many of the culprits. But we haven't been able to label any of them as the actual suppliers. But I am knowledgeable of those who have high enough power to recruit new employees. Grill just told us the suppliers are the ones who hired him, so I now have the names of those people."

"That's amazing!" Alice lit up.

"Thank you,"

"So now what do we do? Do we round up the suppliers and send them to jail?"

"That would be the goal of this whole case, but unfortunately since their location has moved, we are unaware of where they might be."

"But couldn't the slime ball in there tell us where they went?" Alice pointed behind her at the door.

"We apprehended him before his comrades moved, so he could not tell us where they have gone."

"I guess that's true," Alice bit the inside of her cheek. "So how do we find them?"

"Well the most common way to find a felon is to put their image up on posters or television screens so the local civilians can help with the search. Other methods are the use of the police, track records, or surveillance cameras. They couldn't have moved their operation far, so our search shouldn't take us too long. The only concern I have is their probability of running across the border. If they plant themselves in Mexico, then my authority on the case is void, and then it's up to the police in Mexico to finish the job."

"That's not fair."

"Different countries, different set of rules," L stuck one of his hands into his pocket.

"Well I want to catch these guys, so let's get the cops out there and find them!" Alice got pumped up. She was ready to save the day, and more than anything, get the case done and over with.

"There is something more that you could help with."

"What do you need?" Alice's smirk grew.

"Come with me and I will explain," L stated while moving forward. Alice happily followed in suit, swaying a little along the way.

"Do you need me to interrogate muscles too?" Alice wondered. After having been successful with the Italian, she felt like she could handle muscles without any trouble; as long as he was chained to floor instead of the table. She had a feeling with his strength, he could break the table.

"That won't be necessary. I have something more important for you to do." L walked a little slower so Alice could catch up with him. When she was walking side by side with him, she spoke.

"Do you need me to order more room service again?"

"Watari is more than capable of making anything you would like. Are you hungry? I know you haven't eaten dinner yet, and it's getting late."

Alice was about to tell him she wasn't hungry, but her stomach beat her to the answer first. It growled like a starving lion cub. She quickly covered it with her hands, hoping maybe she could shield the noise.

"I'm not hungry…" She played it off as nothing. L wasn't a fool.

"How about I discuss your next task over dinner?"

Alice wasn't sure what to think about his offer. He was downplaying dinner with work, and Alice liked the idea. Somehow he could read her thoughts, and make the situation into something they could both agree on. Why had she never noticed this about him before? It was a quality she certainly liked.

"Alight, let's go eat." She agreed. L steered her toward the dining hall next. Last time she was there, she was about to be put through an interrogation that made her stomach do flips. Now it was flipping for entirely different reasons, but she didn't mind it as much as before. As they entered the dining room, the few employees she saw before had disappeared completely. It was as Alice predicted. The entire Hotel had been evacuated. All that was left was L's task force. Not thinking anything of it, she took a seat in one of the chairs that was surrounding a plain looking glossed over round table. Underneath the gloss looked like wood, but she wouldn't be surprised if it was fake. L sat on the opposite side. He quickly pulled out his phone and dialed Watari's number. In just a short conversation, L ordered Watari to bring them something to eat, and of course, make the desert with strawberries. In no time, L was folding up his phone and sticking it back in his pocket.

Alice took the silence between them as an opportunity to look around the room. There was a swing door to the kitchen on the far right wall. Surrounding it was a little alcove that had countertops and an island. It was most likely used for displaying the chief's work. On the walls opposite of the alcove were large paintings of cattle ranches. It seemed Texas was proud of their work as farmers. They displayed many pieces of art that represented the hard labor of a cowboy. But beyond the urban paintings of southern living, the hotel was among the most simplistic she's ever been to. Just the way she liked it.

"Do you think this could be labeled as our first date?" L brought up the question out of the blue. Alice had to mentally slap herself to bring her back down to earth.

"What?" Her brain didn't quite catch up.

"This will be our first time as a couple eating dinner together. Is that not the basic setup for an average outing between a couple?"

"You think this is a date?" Alice mostly asked herself the question, but she waited for L to give her an answer.

"We do not have to label this as one if you feel uncomfortable." Alice heard the disappointment. He was actually starting to make her feel guilty, and she could tell he was doing it on purpose. Since when was he using manipulation on her? Wasn't he the one who claimed to want to take things slow?

"I'm not uncomfortable with it, I just…ah…It's not what I expected…" Alice stumbled on her words.

"You are right. This inst much of a date if we are working." L stuck his thumb to his bottom lip. Alice seemed to relax a lot easier after that. But the relaxation did not last long. "We should hold hands." He stuck out his hand toward her on the table.

"Are you serious?" Alice stared at his outstretched hand.

"I'm very serious. To make this date official, I've read that holding hands is the first step between a couple."

"You're getting date tips from a book?"

"Yes," L didn't seem embarrassed in the least. Alice's heart felt like it would jump out of her chest at any moment. How could he be so calm? Wasn't he the one who confessed to her? Why was she the jumbled sweaty mess? Alice sighed heavily, bringing her hand to her forehead.

"I thought you wanted to take things slow. I'm still not sure what love is supposed to feel like." She made an excuse. L still did not retract his hand.

"Should I try to court you? I've read that Shakespeare was a master of the romances. In A midsummer Night's Dream, I recall a line he wrote about love. 'Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.' But I have to admit, I've never had a taste for Shakespeare. His work tends to be overplayed and frankly unrealistic for the time period. He claims love to be the risk for death, but in reality, tuberculosis would be a more leading cause."

Alice felt immobile. What was she suppose to that? He was quoting Shakespeare as a pick up line!

"Fine, I'll hold your hand." She gave up. She honestly didn't know how else to stop him. It was just holding hands anyway, how hard could that be? Taking her right hand from her lap, she reached over the table and gently placed her hand over his. She had never notice before, but his hands were quite large compared to hers. As soon as he closed his hand around hers, she was trapped inside of a cocoon. At first she felt awkward, not even sure what to do with her other hand. But as time progressed, the warmth of his hand had become more comfortable. In fact, it led her back to the time she was blindfolded and brought to that motel room in France. She had been experiencing the fear of the murder, but when L touched her, it all just seemed to vanish, and she was brought back to a sense of calmness. She liked the feeling, but was it the feeling love, or just hormones?

"Your hand is cold."

"Well if you don't like it, then let go," Alice got angry and tried to pull away. But L held onto her hand, not wanting to lose the little connection they shared.

"I never said I didn't like it. I was merely stating a fact." He tried to recover the moment. He would later have to do more research on dating. He clearly wasn't good with his words. Alice clicked her tongue once, but relaxed in his grip. She realized she was fighting him, even though she agreed to be with him. She needed to let go of her fears and try to do her part for the relationship. It wasn't fare that L was the only one trying. So taking a deep breath, she used her thumb to rub against the palm of his hand. His skin was incredibly smooth for somebody who typed on a computer all day. She wondered if he used lotion.

"I'm sorry," she managed to say. For a moment, L didn't hear what she said. He was too busy watching her thumb. He wondered if he should do the same, but then felt a fog drain out all his thoughts. He could subtly hear she was speaking words, but as to what they were, he could not figure out.

"L, are you listening?"

"Huh?" He finally snapped out of it. What had she done to him?

"I was apologizing for earlier. I know this is new for both of us, and I wasn't being very nice to about it."

"There is no need for that. I find whatever you do to be perfect."

"Oh, so now you're mister charming?" Alice smiled, beginning to enjoy playing with his hand. She started to make circles with her thumb to see what kind of effect it would have on him. She decided if she was going to break his composed exterior with teasing, she would have to step up her game. Talking about her breasts wasn't going to be enough.

"Did I finally say the right thing? I feel I should take note of this." L mumbled the last sentence to himself. It took all of his willpower not to focus on her thumb. He still had to explain what her job was, and Watari would be there any minute with their food. He couldn't give in to her charms so easily like last time. He needed to stay focused and get back to the case. He had to…ah…hmm.

What did he have to do again?

"Sir, your food is ready." Watari appeared just in the nick of time.

"Excellent," L finally found an excuse to look away from her thumb. Alice stopped rubbing and eyed the cart of food like a hungry wolf. She probably would have pounced at the cart had L not been holding onto her. When Watari was at their table, he immediately noticed they were holding each other's hands. He was momentary struck with disbelief. So it was true after all. L and Alice were a couple.

"That smells amazing!" Alice started to drool. It wasn't just any smell. It was the smell of Watari's beef stew. The smell was so rich, Alice could even taste it.

"I'm happy to see you both getting along." Watari looked delighted. For a brief moment, Alice could have sworn she saw flowers grow around him with some sort of glowing light, like a halo for an angel. He set the bowl of stew in front of Alice, and then placed a strawberry covered tart in front of L. It did not take long for Alice to free herself from L's hand and dig her spoon into the thick broth.

"Thank you Watari." L retracted his hand so he could eat as well. Watari bowed as usual and started to walk away with the cart. "One last thing before you go," L called out. "I need those lists of photos sent to the control center."

"Right away sir," And after that, he was gone. Alice had a least three spoon fulls of stew in her mouth before she even notice his disappearance. She was too far gone in utter bliss to pay attention to her surroundings. L hoped he didn't have that same odd look when she had him under her spell, because she looked ridiculous. It didn't help that a part of the stew was running down her chin.

"So wha ar da phodos for?" Alice tried to ask with the food in her mouth. Lucky for her, L understood.

"They are for your next task. You are going to use these pictures to tell us anything new about these criminals. Preferably their location, but I do not expect you to have to make that connection." L stuck his fork into his tart. Alice swallowed her food and licked her lips.

"Sounds fun," she shrugged her shoulders. "But there was something else I was curious about. Where did you send Matt and Mello?"

"There were a few places I suspected the drug trade to move, and I sent Matt and Mello to investigate. Since Mello isn't the type to sit around and work, I figured he would work better on the field."

"Smart move," Alice waved her spoon up and down.

"Intelligent decisions are what make a good detective," L savored a piece of strawberry. Alice had spit out some of her food to laugh. She snorted once and covered her mouth to clean up the mess. L gave her a puzzled look and watched her clean up with a napkin.

"Did I say something funny?"

"I'm sorry," Alice continued to chuckle. "You're just so straight forward sometimes; it's hard not to laugh."

"I don't see the humor…"

Alice didn't let him finished. She used her spoon to scoop up a piece of his strawberry tart. She quickly ate her stolen reward with gusto.

"Not bad," She licked the spoon clean. L's response was not something Alice would have imagined. But it wasn't as if he's never done it. Alice had never even paid close attention to it before. But this time around it was different. Because behind his newly formed smile, there was an emotion Alice could feel within herself. It was an attraction that was slowly building up. And even though she knew it wouldn't last long, she was going to relish it. Her first date with him was defiantly going to be memorable.


Watari entered the control room with a handful of photographs, each carefully labeled and alphabetized. He loved when things were neat and pristine, and ever since L left, he had been cleaning up the room like a mad man. Near had been a good sport about his need for order, and occasionally helped him with the process. But it didn't take Near long to move to the corner and play with his Lego's. Watari allowed him to make the small mess, as long as he did not spread it around the room.

"So how is the happy couple doing?" Near asked Watari. Watari had a smile so vibrantly bright, that Near even considered wearing sunglasses.

"Wonderful, just wonderful," He answered proudly.

"I'm particular excited to see how Ace uses her psychic abilities." Near quickly changed topics. Seeing Watari so happy made him a bit nervous.

"It's quite astounding really." Watari set the photos on top of L's desk. Near placed another piece of Lego on his tower.

"Do you believe in ghosts Watari?"

Watari sat down before he answered the question. He played with his beard a little and then smiled.

"Well I couldn't very deny their existence, now could I?"

Near looked up to Watari, much like he did with L. So whenever Watari had an opinion on something, Near made sure to listen. Even if his ideas sounded farfetched, there wasn't much that could make Near think badly of the man. If anything, it made him even more interesting to listen too.

"I suppose that's true." Near stopped building his tower and moved on to twirling his hair.

"Is there something wrong Near?" Watari noticed his long delay of silence. It wasn't unusual for Near to be mute at times, but Watari could always tell when Near had something on his mind.

"I'm only uncertain of how this case will end." Near felt a knot in his stomach. This was the first time L was not entirely dedicated to his work, and much like he looked up to Watari, Near saw L as his mentor. He of course adored Alice much like everyone else in the Wammy house, but what did her new relationship with L mean? Would things change? He certainly did not like change.

"Do not fret over something you have no control over Near. You should trust L," Watari knew exactly what Near was thinking. It wasn't as if he never had any similar thoughts, but Watari knew L better than anyone. L could never let his work slip.

"Yes, of course." Near let go of his troubled thoughts. It wasn't healthy to hold onto doubt. Especially after what was supposed to be a happy occasion.

And yet…

Something inside of him felt not right. What was this feeling he had that wasn't making feel good?


THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!

NerdyZombieThing, tootsiepop101, Otaku-neku, Arathi.x, hikari-hime 01, Bree Renee, chocolatxdoll, Violet-revenge, torixx3, Ironicsheep, Angel Ayame, MsGrinAndCry, Kashagal and Natures Ruler, SpringBorn, Karen, Ramen Pizza Teacup, Crazyinabottle, Rainbowed-Sunned-Spirit, freaksforever, blackstar778, Saber Amane, XBloodMageRikaX, BubbleGum, Purple Hippo, Cortoon, Chicken Broth, Jonny Bravo, Maria, Danielle (Love you!), Dani, Spark of the forgotten, Genuinely-Unique, MsBlondiePunch, and Midnight Enforcer. (I noticed a lot of you thought it was the end of my story, and I found that interesting. I promise to never end any of my stories with just a love confession. I will warn you in my headings whether the story is going to end, so don't worry folks. xD I adore you all!)

bellascorpiona: Kira no está en esta historia (hope I said that right). Somewhere on my 7th chapter I written the reason as to why I kept him out my story. Gracias por leer!

Beloved Little Bit: I hope I don't get mobbed by paparazzi. I look horrible in pictures. For some reason my face hates to be photogenic. So to make up for it, I have to make some crazy facial expression to look as if I purposely make myself look bad. xD And I write fast because it's so much fun! TEE HEE~

Yumeno: The website you wrote did not get fully published, so you might have to send it to me through privet messaging. I did check out how to mirror glaze, and it looks incredible!

Sakura Ichigo Morihiko: Eh, you are trying to trick me you little trickster. When I read your riddle, something didn't sound right. The first half of the riddle doesn't work with the second half. It's as if you move off the topic of "gry". So the second half is asking a completely different question. And since the riddle told me the answer, then it's "Language". The three words were "the english language", and the third word was "language".

jssjessica: Your english is flawless. I post every two weeks (Usually). Unless I get crazy and post a week early. =D

Vsat101: GASP! *Starts to hyperventilate* Fan art? YAY! Thank you so much! I'm so excited! THANK YOU!

blondetheftauto: I love getting reviews! And I'm sure if you love writing and work hard on your story, it will eventually get the love it deserves. But ultimately enjoy what you write and it will show in your work. Thank you so much for your review! It absolutely made me giddy.

RedVelvetPanda: I'm your first? I feel so privileged! I'm truly honored by your gracious gift of a review. And what a brilliant first review it was. I was blown away by how kind and flattering you were. Thank you so much for liking my story enough to want to talk to me about it. I'm so happy I could consume an entire watermelon! xD

Friendly Neighborhood Stalker: I know this may sound random, but I absolutely love your profile name. Just brilliant.

Speckles719: Getting the consistency of those cookies was tough! You were right. It doesn't take much to overdo it. I literally had to start over a second batch, cause I messed up the first time. But hey, practice makes perfect right? The second batch turned out much better, and they tasted GOOD! Thank you so much for the recipe! You are like the recipe book I've always wanted, but your better because you complement my writing too! xD

kapibarasan: I'm okay with lemons. They don't bother me in the least, as long as they are written well. I've read a few in the past that have just been plain awful and not realistic. If I do ever write a lemon, I would defiantly take my time to make sure it was appropriate for the story.

Guest: Your first time writing, and you chose me out of the thousands of brilliant stories? You are too kind! Thank you so much! You have every right to be picky about fics. I am too. And I would have never guessed english wasn't your native language. You have mastered english quite well. =)