A/N: Hi, friends! So, some unfortunateness is coming. And that's the end of the story. It's getting to be long as hell and we could stand to almost call this done. But fret not. We still probably have a good five or six chapters left in this, but I hope you're prepared for what may come soon. So, how about we just get into this week's chapter, ok? Love you x

L woke up the next morning with Light's head in his shoulder, a blissful glow in his face. And L couldn't help himself. If he can do it, I can do it, right? L took his phone and opened his camera, getting a quick shot of the work of art he called his boyfriend. Go ahead, Light. Get some sleep. You've more than earned it with everything you've done for me in the last few days. L slowly eased Light onto the bed and left him to sleep with a gentle kiss on his forehead. Well…Back to the grindstone.

L walked downstairs and saw the task force sitting there, waiting for him to join them. And of course, Matsuda couldn't contain his excitement, "Ryuzaki! It's so good to have you…"

"Matsuda," L snapped, "Shut…Up."

"Oh…" Matsuda backed off, "I…I'm sorry…I…"

"You're still not shutting up," L sat in his chair.

"Forgive him, Mr. Matsuda," Watari came in and brought L a cup of coffee, "He's likely just waking up. It's not you."

"It's completely you," L clarified, "Thank you, Watari."

"Ryuzaki…" Watari didn't want to have to yell at him in front of the task force, but L wasn't making it easy on him to have any restraint.

"Yes," L realized what Watari was trying to get across. I know. You raised me better or some bullshit like that. But tell me you haven't thought about throttling Matsuda before. Everyone in this room has at least once in their lifetime.

"No Light yet?" Soichiro noticed.

He's still asleep as far as I know. But L tried to keep the smile off his face, "Not yet. I didn't see him on the stairs."

"Oh…" Soichiro let it go. I hope everything's ok, "Jetlag?"

"Probably." Or it's Light finally getting to relax for the first time in almost a week, "I'm sure he'll be down soon. What have I missed?"

"Nothing too breaking," Soichiro filled him in, "It's been relatively quiet since you've been gone. No deaths. No maiming. Everything's been…Eerily quiet."

"Yeah," Aizawa agreed, shooting accusatory glances at L, "Eerily is definitely the word for it."

L smirked a little. Oh, yes. I missed you, too, Mr. Aizawa, "That's unfortunate. Not unfortunate the body count hasn't gone up, but unfortunate that no one's made a move."

"So," Matsuda recovered quickly from his prior scolding, "Ryuzaki, how was your tr…"

"My trip to London has nothing to do with the investigation," L kept a tight lip, his hands visibly shaking. Not enough to cause anyone else alarm, but Watari noticed, putting him on high alert, "What about this morning? Has anything happened since any of you came in this morning?"

"That's what I was about to get to," Soichiro turned L's attention away from Matsuda, "There were two more bodies found this morning. Mogi's currently on his way to check the crime scenes."

"Good." Finally, something happens, "Is there a way we can get a hold of Mogi now? Did he bring his phone with?"

"Yes," Soichiro got his own phone out and started dialing Mogi's number.

"Ryuzaki," Mogi's voice barked from the speakers in front of L, who had already established contact with him faster than Soichiro's phone ever could, "I'm not sure how to tell you this."

"Just be straight with me, Mr. Mogi," L demanded, "What is it?"

"It's…" Mogi winced, "It's clean. Like…Professionally done. If I didn't know any better, I'd think nothing happened, but everyone says this is where the bodies were found."

"Did they know each other?" L wondered.

"As far as I know," Mogi went on, "No. I've talked to some of the locals, but they're not giving me much. One lived a couple blocks away. The other was from out of town visiting family. It wasn't anything earthshattering."

"What about CCTV?" L thought, "Could you get those tapes and bring them here?"

"If the crime scene itself is this clean," Mogi figured, "I doubt the CCTV footage will be any good, but I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," L dropped another sugar cube into his coffee, "What about the witnesses? Were there any?"

"Not by the looks of it. I've talked to most of the people in the surrounding area and they had nothing."

Dammit…It appears we're at a stalemate then, "Alright. Come back. We don't need to add to their body count and our already low numbers."

"On my way."

Click.

Does our killer happen to have a cleaning crew on the side? Or are they just that precise? The loud stomps down the stairs snapped L out of his head for a moment or two. And when the source caught L's eye, he couldn't keep the smile off his face, "Good morning, Light."

"I'm so sorry," Light pulled himself together, still putting his shoes on, "I overslept really bad."

"It's alright," L settled him, "We were in London for a few days. I'm sure jetlag got to you. It does to all of us."

"Except for you," Light pointed out.

"You can't be jetlagged if you don't have a concrete sleep schedule," L brushed him off, "Really, Light. It's fine. I'm not too worried."

"Sure," Aizawa mumbled under his breath, "If it were any of the rest of us, we'd be raked over the coals by now."

"Mr. Aizawa," L perked up, "Are you jealous of my assistant?"

"It's obvious you have your favorites, Ryuzaki," Aizawa wasn't backing down, "And even you have to be aware there's some nepotism going on here. You just went from damn near tearing Matsuda in half for asking basic questions…"

"I don't like small talk."

"To letting Light slide on being incredibly late."

"Because he's done more than enough for the last few days," L got defensive, "I'm pretty sure Mr. Matsuda hasn't been through several time zone changes and international travel. Light has. Therefore, it's not nepotism. It's compassion and empathy. So, please. Don't make assumptions or accusations that you can't back up. Now, Light?"

"Yes?" Light chimed, ready for anything L could throw at him.

"Start planning my next trip, please," L sent him off. That should keep you busy for a while and be enough to settle Aizawa's tirade.

"You're leaving again?" Matsuda asked, hoping that wasn't enough to set L off.

"In a couple weeks, yes," L nodded. I really do hate small talk, but I guess this indirectly involves them, "While I was in London, I was called to some important business in Washington DC. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, but I need to go soon. Light, you do remember my specifications, do you not?"

"Of course," Light knew them like the back of his hand. Room with a nice view, plenty of space, and close to a good bakery. We've been together for a while, L. Of course, I know what you want.

"Good."

"And now," Aizawa got all fired up again, "You and Light are jet setting to America…"

"I never said Light was joining me," L growled, "Did we not just have this conversation about jumping to conclusions and making accusations, Aizawa? That's the kind of thing we were talking about. Not that it's really any of your business, but I'll be going alone. And on that same note, I will not be at liberty to discuss this trip. It's completely classified. Light, who knows just about everything when it comes to me and my schedule, doesn't even know what this trip is for. And it's going to stay that way, just to make you feel good inside."

"I…Uh…" L had Aizawa caught off guard.

And L knew it. And that's what made him feel good inside. Do not ever try to engage me in a battle of wits, Aizawa. You will not win and you will not come out of it unscathed, "Now, could we get back to work or do you have other comments you'd care to make?"

"No…" Aizawa pouted in the corner.

"Wonderful."

"I'm back," Mogi walked in with the CCTV footage in his hand, "What did I miss?"

"Same old, same old," Soichiro shot a quick glare at Aizawa. We're dealing with enough. We don't need petty bickering on top of it.

"Actually, Mr. Yagami," L asked, sending the strangest chills through Light, "Could I ask you a few questions?"

"I don't see why not," Soichiro agreed, "What is it?"

"It's a more private matter," L got up from his chair, "If that's alright with you."

"That's fine," Soichiro wasn't sure what to think. L had never asked for any sort of one-on-one conversation with him before. It had him scratching his head.

However, it had his son's stomach in knots. L, what the fuck are you doing? There's no way it's about me…Then again, there's no way it's not about me. What else would he want to talk to my dad alone about? It's times like these where Light wanted to sneak away and call Sayu, who was likely in the middle of her free period, just to put his mind at ease. Not even necessarily at ease. Just to rationalize his thinking. No. L's not asking Dad about me. We're back to work. It has to be something about the investigation.

"We'll be back later," L called out behind him, only intending the message to reach two people. Aizawa was still fuming and Matsuda was catching Mogi up on everything that happened while he was away. As long as Light and Watari knew L would be gone, that's all that mattered.

Still, the thought of L and Soichiro being off on their own made Light nervous. Nearly to the point of making him nauseous. It's not going to be about me. At least I sure as hell hope it's not about me. I haven't really done much to piss L off. And even if I did, he'd be the one to deal with it. He wouldn't run off and tattle to my dad. Right? No. He wouldn't do that. L's petty, but not that petty. Although, where some see a brief moment of Light's anxiety, others see a golden opportunity. The moment both L and Soichiro were out of the tower, Aizawa made a miraculous recovery from his tantrum.

"Hey, Light?" Aizawa piped up, "You got a minute?"

"Um…" Light was already not in the best place. Adding Aizawa to that wasn't exactly going to help, "Not really. Why?"

"I want to ask you something," Aizawa watched over Light's shoulder while Light searched the internet for good hotels in Washington DC that met all of L's specifications.

"What?" I know money's not a problem with L, but damn, some of these are pricy…

"What's going on between you and L?" Aizawa asked, "And don't say it's nothing. There's no way in hell it's nothing. What do you know that we don't?"

Light tried not to look too obvious that he was about to throw up. However, it would be in Aizawa's best interest to not be within five feet of Light. As someone who knew exactly what was going on between L and Light, Watari was more than happy to step in, "Excuse me, Light?"

"Yeah?" Light felt the strangest wave of relief wash over him.

"If you'd like somewhere quieter to get your work done," Watari suggested, "There's an empty boardroom down the hall."

"Thank you," Light sighed out, not needing Aizawa to corner him.

"But Light," Aizawa wouldn't let up, "I'm serious. What do you know? How do you do it?"

"Mr. Aizawa," Watari nudged Light along, giving him an out, "I think Mr. Mogi brought in some CCTV footage. That would be a much better use of your time instead of pointless gossip."

Light walked into the boardroom with a smile on his face and his laptop in hand. Thank you, Watari. I didn't expect you to go to bat for me, but I suppose in a way, it's still protecting L. It's not that I was going to tell Aizawa anything anyway. I didn't need to get cornered like that either. Light wasn't blind. He knew Aizawa didn't like L. And from a certain standpoint, Light could understand that. He knew what L was like in the early days of them knowing each other. He drove Light insane, too. But Light did the work. Light started to understand him. Nice views. Spacious room. Close to good bakeries. However, everything L said earlier was true. Light had no idea what L's trip to America was all about. It had him worried. But at the end of the day, he remembered what L told him. Keep his phone on.

Meanwhile, in a corner of Aoyama, L sat across from Soichiro, finally getting the breakfast he wanted. Something about a piece of rolled strawberry cake made L smile. Not many things had that power over him, but that strawberry cake put him in his happy place. The sight didn't exactly put Soichiro at ease, but he also wasn't going to question it. Whatever worked for him. Although, the silence had him confused.

"So, Ryuzaki," Soichiro broke that silence, "Why did you bring me here?"

"I was hungry and didn't want to come here alone," L shrugged, "Usually, I come here with Light, but that's mostly so I have some sort of intelligent rambling to listen to while I'm eating. However, this isn't quite like those usual trips. I really did want to speak with you, Mr. Yagami. And it is about Light."

"What about him?" Soichiro went on high alert. You're a good kid, Light. There's no way you did something too off color. That's not like you.

"How much do you know about him?" L asked, "Specifically about his…ambitions?"

"Well," Soichiro thought back, "As far as I can tell, they've always been strong. Light's always been like that. Eager to impress, but he never has to try hard at it."

"I know," L bit the inside of my cheek. Oh, I know that all too well, "I've seen that myself."

"And his intentions are always pure…"

L tried his hardest to not laugh hysterically. Are you sure about that? I've seen him do some very impure things. His exhibitionism is coming along nicely. Not what I meant, but that didn't make it any less true, "If he had to make the difficult decisions, could he be trusted to?"

"I think so," Soichiro nodded, "Why are you asking all of this?"

"Because," L kept stuffing his face with cake, "While I'm gone, I want him to take over the investigation. I want him to fill my shoes while I'm in DC and I want that to go off without a hitch, so I'm curious about how it'll go before it even happens."

Soichiro gasped. Light? Taking the investigation? Even for L, that's a big job to put on his shoulders, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," L's confidence in Light was unwavering, "I know he can do it. I've already approached him about it. He's…How do I even describe Light? He's…Interesting. In these past months I've been working with the task force, Light is the only one I'd trust succeeding me if I were to fall victim to whoever we're chasing. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, as I said before, but I truly believe with everything in my heart that Light can do it."

"So," Soichiro thought, "You're using this trip to America to…test him?"

"In a manner of speaking," L finished off his tea, "I know he won't have a problem, Mr. Yagami. I have complete and total faith in him."

"And if he does," Soichiro assured him, "I'll make sure to help him to the best of my ability."

"No," L put his foot down, "You won't."

"Excuse me?" Soichiro looked at L strange, "Why shouldn't I help him? Am I supposed to just leave him in the wind to deal with it on his own?"

"You won't interfere," L ordered, "The reason why I choose Light over anyone else in the investigation is because his thinking is the closest to my own. If you were to help him, it'd be more of your thinking intermingled with your own. If this is to go the way I need it to, it's going to be me helping him, not you. Thank you for understanding."

"Ryuzaki, no," Soichiro got defensive, "I can't do that."

"That's not your decision," L held his own, "And if it does come down to Light needing help with something, I trust him to make the right one. He and I have already discussed the time zone differences, but also, as I said earlier, I don't have a concrete sleep schedule. It'll be fine. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Soichiro sat back in awe of the verbal beating L had given him. Who does he think he is? He's trying to tell me to not help my own son. I'm sorry, Ryuzaki, but I can't do that. Although, you're right. When the time comes, and he does need help, Light will make the right decision. I have not a single doubt in my mind that he'd come to me before he'd go to you for anything he needed. Light has a good head on his shoulders and I know he'll be able to handle this investigation, but he doesn't need you to figure things out.

As L began his journey back to the tower on his own, he did his best to steady his heartbeat. I know you worry about him, Mr. Yagami. But you don't need to do that. That's for me to do. I hope you know that at any given time, I could have your son calling me Daddy, too. Light's not dependent on me and I love him for it. It's what separates him from the ghosts of my past. But he will turn to me for any help with this investigation. Just like he'll ask me for anything else his little heart desires. Don't you fucking forget it.