And now we come to the end, this will be the final chapter of Always There. Although my head has been dancing with ideas for follow ups..meeting the new heirs, Near finding he has to deal with the original task force members again…all kinds of things to work on in the new world that's opened up here. I also am planning on some stories, probably one shots, involving things that happened with Christine and L and the boys over those four years they were together. I think that would be fun. And ofcourse, the LxLight stories that I'm also writing; I'm thinking of some MattxMello ones as well. Now that I've started, I just don't want to leave…LOL.
Special thanks go out to my faithful readers who have been there since the beginning, Rainy-Lullaby and CabooseBlue; my newer readers Breaktherules and ShizukaLawliet 13. Also to WhiteLadyDragon who gave me some interesting school for thought, and especially to Dragonrider4000, my dearest friend who made me start writing in the first place and was complete support all the way, couldn't have done it without her.
So although I'm kinda sorry it's over, I'm glad too. I don't deal with the harshness of the canon often, but I had to fix what I thought was wrong and now that I have, I'm all done with it..LOL. Except if I want to continue one with Near being L and all, but at least I'm not forced to kill off people I love. So thank you again everyone for taking this little journey with me, and for those many people who have been reading but now reviewing, I thank you as well, I just don't have your name to do it personally.
Hugs Everyone!
Chapter 54
They were all back at SPK headquarters now, Light's body having been taken to the morgue once Near had okayed it. He had stared down into the hateful face, marveling at how innocent and handsome that face looked now that the evil that was Kira was gone. He felt sorry for the Light Yagami that could have been, but hated the very ground this one had walked on.
He had walked across the floor and picked up the bloodied broken watch from the floor and had taken it with him. Perhaps he could not bring back Kira's head, but he would bring back something.
"Once the Death Notes are destroyed, this will be completely over." He said to them as they prepared the final report. He turned at looked at them one by one.
"It has been my pleasure to work with each of you. You have completely outdone yourselves in this case and I will make sure the proper authorities know this. I do have a question I would like to ask each of you." They each looked at him, waiting for the question.
"As I will now become L, I am in need of contacts with whom I can trust completely and know they can get the job done. I would very much appreciate it if you would consider becoming my main contacts. I would be working primarily with you, doing much as you have already done for me in this case. I will most likely be working out of my home in England, where the previous L worked, so I would need people who can move for me. Would any of you be interested in such a position? Ofcourse I would pay you just as you have been during this case, you are more than worth it." The three of them looked at each other and then smiled at Near.
"I think we would all be honored to continue to work with you, Near…or shall I say, L?" Rester answered smiling.
"Good. Then your first assignment as L's contact Commander Rester is to set up my flight back to Winchester and to accompany me. I'll make sure you have the best accommodations once you arrive for however long you wish to stay."
"Right away, L." Rester said smiling and got right on it.
"Please maintain New York as your headquarters. I will be in contact after I get set up in my headquarters at home. I thank all of you for your extraordinary work. Now please take some well earned rest until I contact you." Lindner and Gevanni both nodded and left the headquarters.
"Rester, we need to contact all the heads of all the nations and let them know that Kira is no longer a threat to them, without telling the world he is dead. I believe that would create chaos among his followers." Near added when Rester was done with the reservations. He reached for his phone to call Dr. Thompson and decided he would wait until he was there; he didn't wish to disturb her now.
Christine brushed the leaves off of Mello's new headstone. She was amazed that Roger had been able to get it done quite so quickly, for both he and Matt, but then Roger was showing a side of him he had kept hidden for far too long. They were simple headstones, Mello's had his real name, "Mihael Keehl" on the first line, "Mello" underneath and the dates of his birth and death under that. She had tried to think of something to say underneath, but she decided "Badass" simply wouldn't look good on a gravestone. So she had an opened chocolate bar engraved on the stone instead. She had purchased a rosary similar to the one he had worn and had placed it over the gravestone itself. Matt's was similar, "Mail Jeevas" written across the top, "Matt" underneath that and his dates underneath that. On his stone she'd had them engrave a game boy. She had hung one of the extra pairs of goggles on the stone itself. She sat down next to L's grave and hugged her knees to her chest, staring at the four graves in front of her.
"So now you have your boys with you. I'm sure they are very glad to be with you again; I bet Watari thought he was free of those two." She laughed laying her head on her knees.
"I haven't heard from Near since he called about them, it's been over a week and I'm just a little worried. I know I shouldn't be, but I can't help it now after what's happened. I don't think I could survive another loss, so you can't have Near, I hope you understand that." She started to get up and could see Roger coming across the lawn to where she sat.
He reached her just as she was getting up and offered her a steadying arm. This past week Roger had shown who he truly was to her. When L had died, she had been so preoccupied with taking care of the boys that he didn't have a moment to get close to her, but this time she had been all alone and he had been there for her. She suddenly thought of Geoffrey Donovan..he had tried to contact her over the past week when he'd heard what had happened and she couldn't deal with it. She should at least call him or send him a note. That made of her think of her last conversation with Mello, how he wasn't happy she was even having lunch with another guy. She smiled sadly, fighting back the lump to her throat.
"Christine..did you hear what I said?" her mind suddenly registered that Roger had been talking to her.
"I'm sorry, Roger my thoughts…"
"I understand, it's fine. But I was telling you there was someone in your office waiting for you."
"Really? Someone ill?" he shook his head.
"No, no one's ill." He said and smiled and she noted the twinkle that suddenly appeared in his eyes.
"Well then if no one's sick, then.." her eyes flew open and she stared at him. Roger simply nodded. She turned and ran as quickly as her feet could fly down the hallway, smart students moving out of her way. She got to her office and stopped, her hand going to her mouth to keep her from crying out when she saw Near sitting at her desk, his favorite robot clutched to his chest. He looked up, smiled then stood up and ran to her. She threw her arms around the small young man, her cheek against the soft shock of white hair that so reminded her of L's.
"Oh my God, Near is it really you?" she whispered, tears of happiness and relief sliding down her face. She felt him nod against her chest.
"I can't believe you're really here!" She looked down at him. "Does this mean..?" he looked up at her, his large dark eyes shining as he smiled.
"Yes. Kira is dead, we defeated him L, Mello and I. He's dead." Christine could feel the strength leaving her legs as she processed that information. Near held her and sat her down at her desk. She looked at him, her hand reaching his face.
"He really is dead? After all this time, and killing almost everyone dear to me, he's finally dead?" Near nodded and leaned into her touch for a moment before moving back a little. She realized he was a little uncomfortable and she put her hand down. She looked at her pictures of L and the boys, and Watari. She knew it was wrong to rejoice at anyone's death, but she couldn't help it, she couldn't be happier. Near reached into his pocket and pulled something out.
"Obviously I could not really bring his head with me, but as trophy's go, will this do?" he asked and held it out to her. She took it out of his hand and looked at questioningly.
"A broken watch?" she asked.
"This was his, it was shot off of him as he tried to use it. He had hidden a small piece of the Death Note in it, to use when no one was looking. His real name was Light Yagami. Apparently he found the notebook on his way home from school when he was 17, and after finding out how it worked he decided he'd rid the world of all evil. He was brilliant, Dr. Thompson, and quite devious once he became mad with the power. His father was the chief of police and head of the Kira investigation in Japan. This is how he got all of his information and able to stay ahead of everyone. When L got involved he managed to worm his way onto the task force specifically to meet L and keep him in his sights and then, eventually kill him. Once that was done, he took over leading the task force and became L. The ridiculously stupid task force was led by the nose for six years."
"Until you got involved and destroyed him." Christine finished and stared at the watch, noting the blood stains on the bottom. Somehow, seeing them made it even better. She smiled as she realized exactly what she was going to do with the watch.
"Someone else deserves this more than I do." She said and got up and headed out of her office. Near looked at her totally confused but followed her anyway as she went down the hall and eventually out of the building. He suddenly realized where she was going and he stopped, not sure if he was ready to deal with that yet both hands on the robot. Christine felt him stop and turned back to him.
"I understand if you don't wish to go with me," she said quietly, "But if you do.." she reached out her hand towards him. He stood still for a moment, fighting with himself. He took a deep breath and walked towards her, taking her hand. She smiled and they walked together to the area in front of the woods.
He stopped a few feet away from the graves, his eyes going over the headstones, the reality of it all slamming into him like a brick wall. His entire life and world as he knew it was now lying under mounds of dirt, from his real parents to his adopted family as he thought of them. It just didn't seem fair in any way that it should be this way. He had to remember that as far as L, Matt and Mello were concerned, it was all because of one man, and that man had been stopped. He watched as Christine got down on her knees in front of L's grave.
"You deserve this more than I do, L." she said as she began to dig in front of the headstone. "This means you did everything right, and when you couldn't do anymore you made sure you had trained the boys to be able to take over and they finished it for you. Here…" she said when she decided she'd dug deep enough to keep it from being washed away, she dropped the watch into the grave. She piled the dirt back on it and stood up.
"Your boys did it, L I hope you're proud of them because I sure am." She turned back to Near and saw he was struggling keeping himself together as he scanned the graves. She walked back to him as she brushed dirt off her hands and clothes.
"Near, are you okay?" she asked. He looked up at her, his eyes shining.
"I watched Matt die, Dr. Thompson and I can't get that out of my mind." His eyes slid back to Matt's grave.
"Oh Near, I didn't know…"
"The news was following both he and Mello and they lost Mello but Matt had been stopped by Kira worshippers and body guards. He got out of his car, hands up in surrender…but they all shot him anyway, they just shot him. He was unarmed, he was only diverting their attention away from Mello, and they killed him." Christine couldn't imagine how he even continued on after witnessing such a thing. She knew how close they'd been all along and even more so as they worked on the case. She put her arm around him and led him away from the graves.
"I can't imagine having to live with having witnessed that, it makes me even more proud that you were able to continue on." She said to him.
"I had to, how could I stop after knowing he was responsible for that? I'll be alright, Dr. Thompson."
"I know you will, but not right away. You need to rest now, you've been working on this for years and now you need to just relax for a while." He stopped and smiled up at her.
"I'm L now. I can't relax." She looked down at him and sighed; just like L.
"Well you're gonna stop for today. We're going to the fanciest place I can find for dinner and…" he was shaking his head.
"I've been away from home for so long, would you mind if we ate in? I really do not feel like being out there." She immediately understood and nodded as they began walking again.
"Of course, Near. I'll get Roger to suggest a good place to deliver, he knows the restaurants around here more than I do; or I could cook."
"Roger? Our Roger?" Near asked.
"Oh that's right, you don't know. There have been big changes with Roger recently; well more like he's letting the real Roger be known. Come on, back to my office. I have some things I have to finish before I can close my doors for the day." Near stopped for a moment.
"Would you mind if I go someplace else…I find that I am beginning to feel very tired."
"Oh of course you are, I should have realized that. You can relax in my place, just let me get my keys." They had arrived at her office and went in. Christine went to her desk when someone knocked. Both she and Near looked up and saw Michael standing at the door.
"Excuse me, Dr. Thompson?" she smiled at him.
"Yes, Michael, what is it?" The young boy clutched his book to his chest and looked at Near.
"Oh yes, Michael this is Near. He's been away since before you got here, but he lives here as well. I suspect you're going to get to know him better soon." Near looked from Christine to Michael and it was clear he was confused.
"Hi, Near. Dr. Thompson, I saw you at the graves again, and I know two other people you knew have died, but no one seemed to know who they are. Did they used to be orphans here?" Near looked at the floor and Christine motioned for Michael to come in.
"Michael, those two were young men who used to live here as well. They died helping to get rid of Kira. They were very close to me." Michael nodded holding his book closer to him.
"Have you seen them since they died? Sometimes it takes a while for them to be able to reach back. I can give you a book about it if you'd like. It's just that, I saw you when they first arrived and I know how upset you were. Sometimes reading about the possibilities can help make you feel better." Christine walked over to him and hugged him to her.
"Thank you, Michael I would definitely like to read on it. You can bring it to me tomorrow okay?" Michael's grin was huge and he nodded.
"Did you know them too?" he asked Near, and Near nodded.
"Then you should read it too. I promise it will help." he looked at the robot Near was holding so tightly, "Optimus Prime, he's one of my favorites!" He said and ran out of the door. Near stared after him openmouthed, no one ever knew his robots.
"If I hadn't been through what I've just been through, I would laugh at what he was suggesting." Near said as Christine handed him the keys to her apartment.
" Believe me, I understand. Would you rather have L's keys, its yours now." Near's eyes grew very wide and he shook his head.
"No, no not yet. I'm not ready to take that over yet," he took the keys and smiled, "But thank you. I promise not to make a mess." He said and picked up the one bag he had with him, "At least not one I can't easily clean up. Oh and Commander Rester is in Roger's office. I'm sure you'd like to meet him." He then turned and walked out of the office. Christine stood up and went to the door to watch him walk away, as if she had to completely make sure she hadn't been dreaming all of this. She wondered if eventually he would begin hunching as L did when more and more pressure and horrors were laid on his shoulders. She would try everything to make sure it didn't. She wasn't able to help L before that happened, but she would do it for Near if she could.
She went back to her desk and allowed herself a quick shuddering sob of pure relief that he was back, and then got back to work.
A pile of paperwork and one broken finger later, Christine put up her cell phone number on the door and closed the office. She left the option to whoever needed her to either call or come on up to her apartment if it was an emergency, as there was a phone on a small table right outside her door. She never wanted any of her children to think they couldn't reach her if they needed her; and over the past six years without L, she was always in her apartment.
She ran down the hall to Roger's office to see if Commander Rester was still there; she wanted to thank him for keeping Near safe. She got to Roger's office and knocked on his door and walked in when he invited her in. She found Roger and a strong looking blonde man sitting at the table in his office, having dinner.
"Oh, excuse me, Roger for interrupting but I wanted to thank Commander Rester." She said walking over to the table. Both men stood as she walked over and she hastily had them sit back down.
"Please continue with your dinner, gentlemen." She said sitting next to Roger.
"Would you care to join us, Christine? Commander Rester, this is Dr. Christine Thompson, she is our resident doctor and much more to the children here." She shook Commander Rester's hand and then shook her head about dinner.
"No thank you, Near is waiting for me upstairs, and I'm going to have dinner with him. If you can excuse me for just a moment Commander Rester I need to thank you for bringing him back to us in one piece."
"I have to tell you that I thought several times we weren't going to make it through this case. It was completely unbelievable the things that were going on, if it weren't for Near we would have never been able to take Kira down. He thought outside the box, instead of what was possible, just what was. He is amazing, Dr. Thompson."
"Near has asked him to continue working with him as L, as well as the rest of the SPK team. They will be working out of the New York headquarters." Commander Rester nodded. Christine touched his hand and looked at Rester eye to eye.
"I am very glad to hear you will continue working with him, he needs people he can trust. Being L is far from being easy. Thank you again, Commander." She stood up then, "Now I must get back to Near and make sure he has a proper dinner. I would imagine that hasn't been the norm for any of you for quite a while." Rester nodded his agreement.
"Will you be staying with us for a bit?" she asked him and he shook his head.
"I've got a very nice hotel in town, so I'll be going back after dinner and probably get back to headquarters in a couple of days. A little downtime is in order." Christine agreed, thanked him again and excused herself from their dinner.
She opened the door to her apartment quietly just in case he was still asleep, and was pleased to see that he was. He was curled up on her couch, his arms wrapped around his robot, in an almost fetal position. She kneeled by him for a moment, looking at this child's face that hid the young man inside. She looked down and saw her picture of Matt and Mello on the floor beside the couch. It broke her heart to think how much Near had to suffer in order to finish Kira. She ran her hand through his hair for a moment and then got up and went to the kitchen to cook them dinner
When she had finished she set the table and brought the food to the table before she woke him up. She shook his shoulder gently and called his name until his eyes fluttered open and he focused on her. He sat up and rubbed his eyes and looked around, obviously a little confused.
"Dinner is ready," she told him and he smiled gratefully at her as he finally remembered where he was and got up and walked to the table.
"After everything you've been through it would be a shame if my cooking killed you." She said as they sat down and Near couldn't help but laugh.
They sat and ate, Near telling her the details of the case from the beginning now that he knew them all after talking to the Task Force afterwards. He told her mostly of what L had done, what he'd been through and why he had shown his face in the first place. He filled her in on what had happened to Mello in the first place when she had come to help him, and exactly what he and Matt had done that closed the case.
When he had finished eating it was clear he was still tired, that finally talking about all that had happened and getting it out had left him drained. He was beginning to relax and it was more and more difficult for him to put words together.
"Near, are you sure you don't want L's keys, you look so tired." He shook his head
"If it is agreeable to you, I would prefer to sleep here tonight, the couch is fine." He said standing up and walking over to it. He stopped for a moment and turned back to her.
"I have something I feel so guilty about that it is keeping me from walking into L's apartment and taking it over."
"What could you possibly have to feel guilty about, Near?" Christine asked him getting up from the table. He looked away from her before he spoke.
"The day Roger told us L had died, Mello reacted as you would expect, he didn't believe it at first, he was upset making Roger say it again. Do you know what my reaction was, Dr. Thompson? I called L a loser for not winning the game. I was so angry at him for allowing that to happen that I lashed out at him the only way I knew how. I can't get over saying that about him, I can't walk into his apartment and take over his job after calling him a loser, especially now that I've been in his shoes and know what it is he went through." Christine walked over to him and turned him around to face her.
"We all say things we don't really mean in the heat of the moment, Near. Don't you think L would have realized that? You were a child, suddenly saddled with the loss of your father figure and a position you weren't ready for. Of course you were angry at him, just as Mello was. You have nothing to feel guilty about." Near nodded and turned towards the couch again.
"Perhaps so, but until I can rectify it in my mind, I do not feel comfortable about taking over yet. If it is alright.."
"Ofcourse Near. I'll get an extra blanket." She went to her closet and did just that as he lay on the couch. He was fighting not wanting to be treated like a child, while desperately wanting to be, to give up being the adult he'd had to be for so long. She covered him with the blanket and resisted the urge to kiss his forehead; she didn't think he would appreciate it quite yet so she settled for patting his shoulder.
"Good-night, Near. I'm so glad you're home." She told him and went into her own room after turning off the light. She undressed and got into bed, preparing to have the first real relaxing sleep she'd had in six years.
She heard someone calling her name softly, and shaking her shoulder. She fought waking up, she had been sleeping so nicely, but whoever this was so damned insistent. Then her eyes flew open as she thought it might be Near having some kind of problem so she tried to sit up quickly and then stopped. Smiling down at her was not Near, it was L.
"I always thought you were difficult to wake up," he said smiling, "But this was particularly difficult." She said nothing; she reached up and touched his face, moving her hand up to his hair and running her fingers through the ebony wildness she missed so much. He leaned into her touch and closed his eyes, obviously enjoying it as he always did.
"L…how.." he smiled and leaned down and kissed her softly.
"After all that you've learned tonight, you still doubt this possibility?" he asked her and she shook her head, sitting up fully. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, tears beginning to run down her face. She buried her face into his neck and held him as close as she could, afraid she'd wake up and he'd be gone.
"Geez, guys if you want to be alone just say so!" her head snapped up at the sound of the other voice in her room and her eyes found Matt, leaning against the wall with Mello sitting on the floor next to him, chocolate bar in hand. She cried out and jumped out of the bed and ran to him, throwing her arms around him and holding him close for a few moments, and then doing the same to Mello when he stood up next to Matt. Her crying was almost out of control now, her boys were here and so was L.
"Why? How? I don't understand!" she stuttered and Matt laughed.
"I have no idea, I just know we're here. We had to see you, let you know everything's fine with us." He said and Mello crossed his arms.
"And to make sure there was no teacher in here giving private lessons." She laughed at him. It was if nothing had changed.
"Boys, I would appreciate talking to Dr. Thompson alone now," L said drawing his knees up to his chest, "I believe you have other things to do before your time runs out." He told them. They both nodded and began to move towards the door before Christine grabbed them both for one more hug.
"Thank you," she whispered to both of them kissed their cheeks. They smiled, pulled out of her grasp and were out of the door before she realized it. She turned back to L and sat next to him on the bed.
"I need to thank you for being there when I really needed you to be." She said reaching out to touch him again, afraid he'd just disappear in a puff of smoke.
"You don't need to thank me, I had to be there. There are reasons to be able to be here, and that was definitely a reason. I am here tonight to thank you for the watch." He held up his arm and to her surprise, Kira's watch was on his wrist. "Thank you for what you said, it made everything easier to deal with. My guilt for not getting Kira in the first place, then resulting in Mello and Matt losing their lives; I needed to hear what you said."
She leaned across and kissed him again, savoring every moment their lips touched, knowing that she'd never feel this way about anyone else.
"L you need to talk to Near, he feels guilty.." L nodded.
"I know, and I will. I also need to let him know it's time to get that chessboard out again, it's been gathering dust for far too long. He's got to keep up the tradition of L beating the pants off of the doctor…well…not literally. I'm the only L that could do that." She laughed and ran her hands through his hair again, knowing that she probably only had a short amount of time with him and she would do everything she missed.
"L-I have to tell you.." he put his fingers on her lips and stopped her, shaking his head.
"No, you don't. I know anyway, I've always known. My feelings for you were much more intense than I ever expected them to be as well. But we will keep it to ourselves, it is easier that way." He leaned forward and kissed her again, with a bit more urgency this time.
"I shall have to leave soon, and I still need to speak with Near. I am never far away from you, Christine, I am always there," he smirked, "Remember that the next time you're out with Donovan." He said and she stuck her tongue out at him. Then she grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her.
"Can you lie with me for a while, until I fall asleep?" she asked and he nodded as he moved strands of red hair out of her face.
"It will be my pleasure." He said and lay down with her, his arm staying around her. She leaned over and found her favorite spot on his chest and snuggled into it, closing her youeyes.
"Good-night, Christine." He whispered and she nodded, her eyes growing heavy quickly.
Near realized he wasn't dreaming when Mello picked up their picture from the floor and showed it to Matt.
"We're such a lovely couple!" Matt exclaimed and they both laughed. Nears fingers were twirling his hair furiously as he tried assess what was going on. Mello sat next to him on the couch.
"One day you're gonna reach up there to do that and you'll be bald." He laughed and Matt joined him. Near smiled at him, glad to be talking to him again even if it was teasing. He really wanted to hug them, but that seemed out of place right now.
"Mello, you know what you did cemented my catching Kira.." Mello nodded snapping on his chocolate.
"I knew it probably would; you should have realized you couldn't do it without my help." Matt rolled his eyes and kneeled in front of Near.
"Near, we just had to tell you how awesome it was how you took him down and to just let you know we're fine." He told him.
"And to tell you to watch your ass coz we're keeping an eye on you." Mello added and Matt laughed, reaching into his back pocket for his game as he stood up. Near wondered if there truly was chocolate and video games in whatever afterlife they were in, or if it was simply for his benefit as he would expect them to have them. They both looked in the direction of the bedroom door and smiled.
"We're outta here Snow Queen, keep your nose clean." Matt said smiling. Near looked in the direction they had been looking then back to them, but they were gone. He looked back towards the bedroom door and stopped breathing. L stood there, his hands in his pockets, head tilted down towards Near so that the fringe of his black hair was hanging over his eyes. This time Near didn't hesitate, he jumped from the couch and ran to him, throwing his around him and pressing his face into the white shirt, and cried when he felt L's arms wrap around him.
"Near, I haven't a lot of time, but I must say a few things to you. First, how proud I am of you, although you did exactly as I knew you would, so I was not surprised. Secondly, you need to take over now, you need to go into that apartment and begin being L immediately." Near looked up at him, the tears having subsided.
"I know but it feels wrong because I don't feel like I deserve to."
"Words said in anger or pain mean nothing, they are merely an outlet. Not doing what you need to do, however, is not forgivable." He smiled down at the white haired young man. "I know what you're capable of and you can't get started until you take that first step. I will be there, don't doubt that for a moment." Near nodded and stepped away from L finally and took a deep breath.
"Yes, I will get the keys from Dr. Thompson in the morning."
"Speaking of the good doctor, my chess set has been gathering dust for far too long. It's time to continue the tradition of L beating the pants off the doctor, figuratively of course."
"I will do so tomorrow as well." Near told him and looked towards her bedroom door, "Actually I look forward to that, I….L?" he had turned back to find L was gone. He reached out to where he had been standing and then brought hid hand back. His mind tried to tell him that this had all been a wishful dream, that he'd slept walked across the room; but his heart knew better. He walked back to the couch and picked up the picture Mello had laid there which reaffirmed his belief. He put it back on the mantle and lay back down on the couch. His resolve was now set, he could do this; he would be L.
The strong beams of sunlight coming through her bedroom window woke her up, along with the sound of very rude birds. She immediately reached over to the other pillow, the feeling of L's arms around her still very strong, hoping he might still be there. She sighed, knowing full well he wouldn't be, but still disappointed when her fingers only felt the other pillow.
She sat up and grabbed her robe, she need coffee to clear her head. She made a mental note to sit down with Michael when he brought her the book, she needed to know more about what was happening, especially why it took so long for L to come to her. After thinking about it she answered her own question. Most of that time after his death was taken up with her and the boys getting the evidence they needec to get the world to believe what was going on so they could get assistance to finish the case. His coming during that time would not have helped anything. Now that it was all over, he was free to roam and that made her extremely happy.
She walked into the living room and saw that Near was already up and staring out of the window.
"Good morning, Near." She called to him and turned around and smiled at her. He seemed lighter somehow, she couldn't put her finger on it, but he simply looked better.
"Good morning. I was waiting for you to wake up because I wanted to get L's keys from you. I think I'm ready to start moving in." She ran to him and hugged him and then went back in her room for the keys.
"I'm so glad, Near. I knew if you thought about it you'd realize it was all fine." He nodded, took the keys and then picked up his bag.
"Perhaps you will can join me later on today, perhaps around 6:00?" she smiled and nodded.
"I would love to. You've got to redecorate a little, make it your own." He looked at her for a moment and then shook his head.
"I don't wish to change anything, I wish to add to it. My toys will have plenty of space there." He smiled and then walked towards the door.
"6:00 without fail!" she called after him and he went out of the door. She went to her coffee pot and started up, and realized that she now felt better as well.
At 6:00 exactly she was knocking on L's door and being told to come in. She walked in and marveled at the spectacle before her. Practically every part of the floor was covered in toys. His circular train set was going, his robots were lined up for a war at one end, his little round pool with his rubber ducks in another spot. Oh yes, he was definitely making it his. He was currently behind a nearly completed fort of dice, several more robots taking up residence around it.
"My, you have been busy." She stated looking around.
"I have also found all of L's original contacts and let them know that the past L was an imposter, and I have taken over. I gave them certain information that only the real L would know and they seemed very happy. I have also spoken with Roger at great lengths. I have offered him the position of being my Watari. I was intrigued when you mentioned he had changed and I wanted to see for myself. I was impressed after an in depth talk and so made the offer." His eyes shifted over to a box on the couch.
"I took the liberty of removing L's clothes and putting them in a box. I felt you had the right to decide what to do with them." She went over to the box and opened it, her hand running over the white shirt at the top.
"Thank you, Near I appreciate that. I completely agree with you choosing Roger. I have also picked at least one student who is academically superior and a candidate to be one of your heirs, Near. His name is Michael, you met him yesterday. I'll set up a meeting with you two so you can begin to get acquainted and appraise him yourself. I believe you will be happily surprised." Near stood up from his dice and came closer to her.
"With Roger taking on the position with me, it leaves the administrating of this orphanage open. I propose you do it, Doctor." Christine stared at him incredulously.
"Me? But I'm just the doctor.."
"Do not insult me with such a statement, Doctor Thompson," Near said and Christine felt as if L had just said it, "You know as well as I do that you've been doing that job for quite a while now, helping Roger along the way, and Roger agrees I won't accept a refusal." She stared at Near for a moment and began to laugh, he was definitely back to normal.
"Alright, Near I accept the position. I'm sure I'll be able to handle both." She said and then sat down on the couch next to the box to catch her breath with all the news. Near pushed the table holding the chess set closer to the couch. He then walked over and sat at the table, a smirk on his face as he saw the shock on Christine's face.
"I've been told that this chess set has been gathering dust and I must keep up the tradition of L beating the pants off of the Doctor…not literally ofcourse. I feel this is the perfect time to begin." She looked over the chessboard into Near's eyes, and they smiled at each other, knowing exactly what had happened.
"Bring it on, Snow Queen." She taunted and he smiled at the name, reaching for the first piece.
At that moment there was a soft knock on the door, and it then opened to reveal Roger, pushing one of Watari's trolleys. He came in, closed the door behind him and then pushed it over to where they were sitting.
"Near told me that you would be joining him this evening, and I didn't know if you had a chance to eat anything so I thought I'd bring you up something. He also told me this was your favorite wine, so I took the liberty of bringing it along with dinner." Christine stared at the scene in front of her, and she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She felt as if she had been transplanted from scene to another as the only character that didn't change. She thanked Roger as he poured the wine, placing dishes of food before them on the large coffee table.
"Thank you, Roger, "she finally managed to stammer out, "And what shall we call you now?" she asked. Roger thought for a moment and then smiled.
"I believe I will continue the use of Watari as my cover as Whammy did for his. I think it would be fitting, don't you?" she smiled and nodded and then looked over at Near.
"And you? Shall I begin calling you L now?" he raised his head from the gameboard and looked at her.
"If you wish, or you may continue to call me Near, as long as you remember not to do so outside of this room. As long as you do not call me Snow Queen either will be acceptable." She burst out laughing and Near favored her with his infrequent wide smiles. She then sat back and surveyed the scene in front of her as Near contemplated his next move.
L would be pleased, this is what he wanted to happen. Everything continuing on as he had left it, his trust in his heirs completed with Near taking on his role as L now, moving in and making this space his now. She finally felt at peace, after six long years. She wished she hadn't lost so much, but now she felt she could finally move forward instead of the running in place she felt she had been doing. She had kept her promises to L, and to herself and she would continue to do so. She would continue to be here for Near, and his new heirs when that program started again. She almost groaned aloud when she thought of it, going through all of this again. But she knew this time it would be different, there was no Kira to come in and throw everything into chaos; although she was sure something would come along and make things difficult, it was just the nature of the job.
She watched Roger go out of the door and then she turned to Near. She watched him as his mind probably told him what the next five moves would be before he would make his move. She sipped at her wine and smiled; she had accepted this job almost ten years ago because she had wanted something different, an adventure. She certainly got all that and more, and now she was looking forward to what was to come with just as much excitement as she had that first day. She looked past Near and nearly choked as she saw L standing in the doorway to the bedroom. He shook his head and brought a finger to his lips as she started to say something. He smiled at them both, a look of peace and contentment on his face as he watched Near and then brought his eyes to her face. His smile widened and he mouthed the words "Thank you." She smiled back and nodded her head, mouthing "Your welcome."
"Alright, Doctor let's see what you can do with that." Near stated and she looked away from L for just a moment to look down at the chessboard. She looked back up, and as she suspected he was gone. She put down her wine glass and glared at Near.
"You just watch me, kiddo!" and reached for a piece, Near's laughter ringing in her ears.
The End.
