A/N: L and Beyond are reeling from the latest notes from the 'anonymous' detective at the NPA. Light provides comfort.

Beyond and L were silently contemplative as they absorbed the weight of the information they'd received. They'd read the anonymous notes several times and checked the files for the murders against several of their own past cases. Though they'd need to take the time to compare more of them to be sure, so far, the theory from their mystery detective seemed to check out.

Stupid. I can't believe I didn't see it before. L scowled as he bit down on his thumb.

"Whoever is doing this. It's personal. They want to hurt us," Beyond muttered angrily as he rose and began pacing near the windows. "That Omega at the wedding reception. It wasn't a coincidence. It was a message. They're going to try and hurt Light."

Beyond's voice cracked at the end, the only indication of the wavering emotion that sought to overwhelm the other Alpha. L rose immediately and hurried to his side, wrapping his arms around him.

"Shh, it's going to be okay," L released a wave of pheromones to try and get his mate under control. "We'll keep him safe. No one is going to hurt Light or the babies."

"I- I'm going to go check on him. I need to see him and know he's okay," Beyond murmured and L nodded in acknowledgment.

"I understand. I'll be able to finish some things up here knowing you're with him. I'll join both of you when I'm done, alright?" L assured Beyond as he released the Alpha from his embrace and watched him leave the office. He went to the computer and started looking through old case files again. There was no way they were going to let anything happen to their mate or unborn children.

xxx

Light sat straight up in bed. He'd been on the edge of falling asleep when the first pangs of distress and fear washed over him. The Omega was about to climb from the bed to seek out his mates when the door opened and Beyond hurried inside, eyes wild with fear as he sought out Light in the dim room. The Alpha closed the door, darkening the room further as he made his way to the bed, scent laced with panic as he crawled into bed with Light.

"B, what happened?" Light mumbled sleepily as the other man pulled him close beneath the covers. "Are you alright?"

"I just needed to make sure you were okay, that's all," Beyond murmured, lips seeking out Light's own.

"I'm okay," Light assured him between kisses as one of B's hands pressed against his stomach, moving in slow gentle circles. "Let's get you undressed if you're going to stay."

Beyond nodded and sat up, turning on the bedside lamp. Light reached for the hem of his mate's shirt and pulled it up over his head, tossing it over the edge of the bed. Not a minute later, Beyond's pants joined it on the floor. Light smiled as Beyond clicked off the lamp and happily snuggled up against him again, bodies fitting together like puzzle pieces as their limbs entwined with one another.

"Love you," Beyond murmured sleepily as Light ran his fingers through the Alpha's hair.

"Love you, too."

xxx

Light awoke feeling rested, but something in the pit of his stomach felt off, wrong. It took him mere seconds to realize that it was because the other side of the bed where L usually slept was empty and didn't look like he'd come to bed the night before. He frowned as he quietly and carefully extricated himself from Beyond's arms, leaving the tired looking Alpha to his slumber.

Where are you, L? Light shivered in the early morning air, more from the loss of his mate's body heat than the actual temperature. He grabbed his navy blue cashmere robe and wrapped it around himself before exiting the bedroom in search of his other mate. As he neared the office, he heard soft muttering from within. Light peeked inside, a morning greeting caught upon his lips as he took in the scene with wide eyes.

"It's got to be here…" L was crouched down low, biting his thumb as he moved amongst the printouts, open laptops, and folders that littered the entire floor of the office. He'd pause and look at one thing or another for a few seconds before moving on to the next. "Who are they? Can't let them hurt Light…have to protect him."

Light swallowed hard, heart beating rapidly as L continued to mumble to himself.

This is my fault. Light realized guiltily as he backed away from the door and tiptoed down the dimly lit hall. He froze in his tracks when he remembered how Beyond had been behaving the night before when he'd come to bed. There's no other explanation than that they read the notes I put in the police file. I never thought that they'd get this upset. There must be something I can do to make this right.

Light spun around and took a deep breath as he made his way back along the hallway toward the office. His mates needed comfort and reassurance from him.

First things first. Light quietly opened the door to the room and slipped inside, footsteps drawing L's attention as he walked across the room. The Alpha looked at Light with tired eyes as he drew close and kneeled beside him.

"Light, what are you-"

The Omega cut L off as he pulled him into his arms and released his soothing scent. L let out a resigned sigh in surrender as Light maneuvered him until his head was resting in his lap.

"Just rest for a little while," Light whispered as his fingers carded through L's messy raven strands.

"M'kay…" L's eyes slid closed with a content hum as Light continued to stroke his hair. He wasn't sure how long they stayed like that. The sun eventually rose high enough to fully banish the night away as Light held his mate close and watched him sleep.

The soft creak of the door opening drew Light's attention as Alex peeked his head inside the office. The other Omega's eyes were full of concern as they met Light's own. The brunet shrugged and mouthed the word 'coffee' to Alex. He nodded in understanding and returned several minutes later with a fresh cup for him.

"Thank you," Light murmured as he took it and sipped eagerly. At least he wasn't feeling nauseous, which was a definite plus to staying so close to his mates.

"Where's Beyond?" Alex quietly asked as he pulled a throw blanket from the back of the sofa and draped it over L's sleeping form.

"In bed, but last night he wasn't in much better shape," Light replied in hushed tones. "I think L was awake all-night researching." Light gestured to the mess that covered the floor.

"Pretty sure that the anonymous detective posted something to the case files that upset them," Light explained guiltily. Alex nodded in understanding and began to carefully clean up some of the fallout from L's research exploits.

"They needed to know," Alex assured Light as he gave the younger Omega's shoulder a squeeze in sympathy. "It was the right thing to do."

"I'm not so sure anymore," Light muttered, taking another long sip of his coffee. "Maybe I should've tried to figure this out on my own."

"Whatever you want to do, you know you have my suppo-"

Alex was interrupted when the door flew open and Beyond rushed inside with panic in his eyes until he saw Light and relief filled them instead. It was only then that Beyond took in the full scope of the messy room and L's current sleeping position in Light's lap.

"Oh no…" Beyond mumbled as he began to help Alex tidy up everything. The two longtime friends exchanged a knowing look.

"Is this like what happened during the Bangkok triple homicide?" Alex whispered to the Alpha, holding up the related case file. "Didn't you tell me that L barely slept for a week or so?"

"Yeah, but this…" Beyond shook his head and handed the blond Omega a few papers that belonged with the file he was holding. "This was just overnight that it got this bad."

The Bangkok case was one of L's most famous. The high-profile murder of an American Senator, his top advisor, and his teenage daughter in the suite of a luxury Bangkok hotel was deemed 'unsolvable' after several months of investigation by multiple international police agencies. Until L came along that is.

He had the guilty parties identified and behind bars in mere days. L's success with that case served to unquestionably solidify his reputation as a genius detective. After that, he became even more in demand. A whirlwind of cases came his way from all corners of the world and the seemingly breakneck pace of work hadn't slowed one bit since then.

"What happened?" Light asked curiously.

"L obsesses over the details, it's what makes him so good at what he does," Beyond murmured thoughtfully. "I tend to help pull him back to see the big picture when he gets too deep in the weeds." The Alpha looked around the slightly more organized space and sighed. "Unfortunately, I wasn't there to keep him from getting lost in them last night."

Beyond drew closer and kneeled next to them with a heavy sigh. He brushed a thumb across L's cheekbone, a wistful smile on his face as the other Alpha leaned into his touch.

"How long has he been asleep?

"I'm not sure. The sun was just rising when I found him," Light replied. Beyond reached out to grab a pillow from the nearby couch and carefully tucked it under L's head before helping Light move out from under him. L curled up further into a ball, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. It would have been adorable if the reality wasn't so heartbreaking.

Light had never seen this side of L before. It both concerned and intrigued him. To know that even his brilliant mate's mind could become a victim of his obsessions was a reality check. No one was completely infallible, not even the great detective L.

"I'm going to let Quillish know what happened," Alex informed them as he headed for the door. "I'll bring you both back some breakfast."

"Thank you, Alex," Light responded with a grateful smile, as did Beyond. They looked at one another, then down at L, then back at each other. "What have you done in the past when he's like this?"

"I don't have quite the same knack for calming him with my scent as you do," Beyond explained. "So we usually ended up fighting or fucking…or both. A couple of orgasms usually put him right to sleep."

"Hmm," Light smirked and took a sip of his coffee. "Is that your professional opinion, Doctor?"

"Well, it's not the most scientific method, but it got the job done at the time," Beyond laughed softly as he added another file to the stack of case folders sitting on the floor beside him.

"Do you know what might have set this off?" Light asked, staring into his cup instead of meeting his mate's eyes. Should I tell him?

"Yeah, I have a fairly good idea," Beyond muttered as he began to scroll through one of the files pulled up on the nearest laptop screen. "We're trying to find a connection amongst some old cases based on a lead we received last night."

I need to tell them. Light took a deep breath and steeled his resolve . It could be the difference between another murder happening or not if they can catch whoever is doing this.

"The cases for the Argentinian widow, the Moretti family, the India trafficking ring, and the Nigerian Embassy attack are a good place to start," Light finally forced out the words and hoped that his mate would give him a chance to explain.

"How do you know…" Beyond's voice trailed off as he turned to look at Light in wide-eyed realization. "You're him…the mystery detective."

"Umm, yeah…about that," Light quietly replied, eyes downcast as his nerves sung with anxiety. "I've kind of been secretly helping out the NPA for quite a while now without them knowing it, but I wasn't sure how to tell you. I didn't want you to be mad at me for keeping a secret like this."

"Shh, calm down, sweetheart," Beyond pulled him into his arms and began to croon. "I don't want to see you upsetting yourself like this, neither of us do."

"Are you sure you're not mad?" Light whispered against B's shoulder.

"No," Beyond ran a hand up and down along Light's back. "I'm disappointed that you felt you couldn't come to us, but I understand why."

"Really?"

"Really," Beyond replied as he nuzzled Light's throat.

"No more secrets," L's voice rang out, startling both of them. He eyed Light pointedly before closing them again. "Okay?"

"Yeah, no more secrets," Light assured L as he leaned in to kiss the Alpha's cheek. "I promise."

"Do you want any breakfast?" Beyond asked as they both rose. L shook his head minutely, but that was all the response they received. Light frowned as they left the office.

"Is he mad at me?"

"No, just tired I think," Beyond replied as they made their way to the kitchen. "I'll try taking him some coffee in an hour or so before our call with the NPA. Until then we'll just let him recharge."

"Are you up for some miso with your steamed rice this morning, Light?" Quillish asked as he prepared food at one of the counters. "I also have some of the grilled salmon you liked the other day."

"Sure, thank you." Light and Beyond slid onto the stools at the island in the middle of the kitchen. It wasn't long before their meals were being placed in front of them.

"Feeling okay?" Beyond inquired as Light carefully sniffed at his food before taking a bite.

"Mmm-hmm," Light responded as he chewed. "So far, so good."

"I'm heading out soon to the NPA for the phone call," Quillish informed them. "There's onigiri in the fridge for later if you want it, Light."

"Thank you for that, and for breakfast," Light called after him. The older man politely nodded and smiled as he left the room. Light turned to Beyond as the Alpha cleared both of their plates to the dishwasher. "So, am I allowed to get on the secure server now?"

"It's not like we've been able to stop you so far," Beyond replied with a chuckle as he turned to face Light. "Seems a shame to continue underutilizing such a valuable resource. Just promise me that if you get upset or feel sick, you'll take a break and rest. That's my only condition."

"I think I can work with that," Light beamed as he hopped off the stool and wrapped his arms around his mate. "Thank you."

xxx

"They're letting me officially help with the case," Light's grin was matched on the other Omega's face as he gave him a brief hug.

"Good. It's long overdue and your insights will be invaluable. I'm sure of it," Alex assured him. "Care to join me? I was going to head up to the rooftop garden since the weather is so nice today. I could use some fresh air."

"Agreed, just let me tell L and Beyond where I'm going," Light responded.

"I think that they've already started the call," Alex checked his watch. "I'll text them and let them know where we are. I was going to make a cup of coffee before heading up, do you want one too?"

"Yes, I never did get to finish the one from this morning, so it didn't count," Light chuckled. "I'll grab my laptop from the bedroom and meet you back at the kitchen."

A short while later they had settled down at a table on the roof inside a gazebo and began to work.

"Maybe I've been looking at this all wrong," Light huffed in frustration as he pulled up more of the files for review. "I can't find anything that really stands out about these cases as a whole to give me a clue to who the killer is."

"I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually," Alex took a sip of his coffee and smiled.

Maybe I should be looking at what's different between these cases and the ones that don't seem to be related to the murders. Light considered thoughtfully. What element or factor was there in every one of these investigations, but is absent in the others.

Light took a long sip of his coffee and began to compare cases from that new perspective, determined to discover the connection to the elusive killer.

"Hey, Alex, you helped out with the Argentinian case, right?"

"Yup."

"Was there anything different about that investigation compare to others you've worked on with L and B?" Light inquired as the other Omega typed away on his computer.

"Hmm, I'd have to think about it a bit. Good question."

"What about the case regarding the India…" Light's voice trailed off with a frown as he started clicking through the files he currently had open.

Alex consulted or provided support on all of these.

He didn't work on any of the unrelated cases.

The killer is someone who knows L and Beyond.

Someone who would know how they operate and how to cover their tracks...

Oh, God...no…it can't be…

Light's heart pounded wildly as he cast a furtive glance at the other man, only to find Alex's gaze already upon him. Light's voice caught in his throat as the Omega stared at him in contemplation for several long seconds before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Well, I wasn't sure whether you'd figure it out or I'd have to explain it to you," Alex smirked as he snapped his laptop shut. "Bravo."

"Alex, I-"Light blinked heavily as his vision suddenly began to waver.

"Wha' d'you do t'me?" Light looked at his half-empty coffee cup with a glare of betrayal as his eyes slid closed and darkness took him.

Endnotes:

Well, so...

All of you who made comments that you didn't trust me not to bring the angst/drama were right.

I've been waiting 33 chapters to drop this on you.

You're welcome ;)

Come scream at me on Tumblr about it.

Cheers!

AF