A/N; So you all liked the addition of a Lemon so early in the story? I'm glad, I felt I had to include one as it had been so many chapters, character-wise, since the last one. I'm happy you all liked it.
I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Please read and review!
Chapter 3
Light sat at the kitchen counter watching L cook. Theoretically he was meant to be writing the next section of a book in the set he was now given permission to write. Indeed the laptop was open before him and the word document open to the correct page; but the sight before him was far too interesting to be ignored. It wasn't often his partner cooked with Jason around, the man they had 'acquired' due to the abhorrent actions of Beyond, a person Light could think of without any feeling of fear anymore, enjoyed cooking far too much to be denied the pleasure. Yet when L cooked he did so perfectly and with such grace he had to be observed Light thought.
He had always been surprised L had taken to cooking; it had not seemed like something the highly intellectual man before him would choose to do. Unless working in a restaurant kitchen it could hardly be called the most mentally taxing of activities, it could be difficult yes, but not at the level L was used to. It had been quite a surprise for Light to hear the reason from his lover, it was because L had learnt to cook because of him and so L wanted to cook for him occasionally... and L had not been the best of cooks when he had begun and, as it was something L had found personally difficult, he had to continue until he was at a level he approved of. It was an aspect of the black-haired man's personality Light loved intensely.
"Must you always watch me when I cook?" L asked as he paused in slicing up a now cooked chicken breast; glancing up at Light with what was obviously intended to be an annoyed expression. It failed because his eyes sparkled and a smile twitched at his lips. Light chose to merely smile back and shifted to rest his head gently on his left hand; he was rewarded with the narrowing of L's eyes before he turned back to his slicing. The cook couldn't hide the smile that resolutely refused to leave his face though, and it seemed to Light that L hand's moved with slightly less grace than before because he was watching him.
His observation of L was brought to a close though as there was the sound of the front door opening followed by the sound of one excited small childlike voice being calmed by a much older voice entering the entrance hall. Whatever the older voice had said though seemed to have failed as there was the pattering of feet and the door to the large open plan main room opened and a small girl in a white dress barrelled into the room, followed rapidly by a large black cat. Neither of the two men in the room had time to blink before she was stood before them triumphantly brandishing a flower while the cat curled at her feet.
"Daddy, what's this?" Eleanor asked, the gaze she fixed on L was filled with the fervour she had developed recently for wanting to know the name of everything. Light smiled, he knew it was a dangerous thought, but he hoped it meant she could become as clever as L and himself, or at least close to it. He didn't like to think that way though, he didn't want to pressurize her to become like them.
L glanced at Light as his daughter continued to brandish the flower up at him. It was obvious he was still getting to grips with the bundle of energy that was their adopted child, most of the time he obviously took great delight in telling Eleanor about the world around her; often in far too much detail... but sometimes it was evident he didn't quite like that the areas were unpredictable. Light was still waiting for the day when L didn't know the answer though; it was very evident that L was eons ahead of him still in sheer knowledge and probably always would be.
"Oh, you're daddy, not me," Light commented with a grin, and he laughed slightly as Eleanor nodded enthusiastically obviously agreeing with him. He turned slightly to smile at Jason as the man perched on the chair next to him, he reached out with one hand and for a moment the two close friends held equally damaged hands. A silent greeting that helped them not only remember their past, but also that it was in the past. It was odd, but it helped them.
"So, you want to know the name of the flower," L stated, not really asking her as he turned to wash his hands at the sink, "Do you remember where you found it?"
"It was growing next to the path," Eleanor said, her voice filled with evident thought, "up against a house... There were others."
The last sentence was added with a hint of trepidation, and Light could well understand why. L never shouted and indeed Light could never visualise his lover shouting, it was something he had only seen a couple times and the memory of it seemed fake, but he had been disappointed in Eleanor for picking a solitary flower when there had been no others of that type around. Light had tried to reason that she had been only three and a half at the time, but L had said she had to learn some time. As if in acknowledgement of this L nodded and flashed her a smile to reassure her, telling her he wasn't disappointed.
"Now then, let's see if we can work out what this is," L said, and he stepped round the counter to crouch down next to her, his thumb coming to perch by the side of his mouth as he gave the bloom a serious look. The look was slightly ruined as Rigel, now a fully grown black cat with white patches, decided that now was the moment to return to his original master. As expected Eleanor giggled, this was the cue for L to take the flower between forefinger and thumb to inspect it. Sometimes Light wondered how Eleanor was ever going to think that she would have to mature as she aged with the world's most successful child as one of her fathers.
"I noticed the LED on the phone flashing as I came in," Jason murmured, breaking into Light's contemplation of his family. He swivelled in the chair to look at Jason quizzically, he couldn't remember hearing the phone, but then he had been involved in other things.
"Did you notice the name?" Light asked, keeping his voice quiet so L and Eleanor couldn't hear them.
"No," Jason replied, and then he chuckled, "I'm surprised you didn't hear it."
"We were out in the garden," Light said calmly, refusing to rise to the too obvious bait. He could tell by the gleam in Jason's eyes that the man knew precisely what the two men had been up to.
"It is a nice day isn't it," Jason said, apparently completely prepared to continue this game until Light snapped.
"A very nice day," Light commented, "Now I think I should go check that message in case it was important, don't want L upset with us do you?"
Light left the room with as much decorum as he could manage with Jason's quiet chuckles ringing in his ear. He knew Jason would follow any and all orders he gave him without question; but that didn't stop him from being as insubordinate as he could manage every minute of the day. It seemed to be Jason's sole purpose in life, and Light wondered if Jason only did it to prove that Light wasn't Beyond and wasn't a 'master' that would abuse his position... Light grimaced and forced his thoughts back to the present. He refused to think about Beyond twice in one day, refused to think of him at all in fact. It was in the past.
Once the door to the main room was securely shut so the sound of the phone would not disturb the two people attempting to identify the flower, Light pressed the message button on the phone, an eyebrow rising almost automatically in curiosity as he saw the call came directly from Mello. Usually the trio arrived unannounced whenever they wanted to stay with them.
"Hey Guys," Mello's voice said as the message played, "Can't possibly think of what you could be doing to pass the time that would mean you couldn't come to the phone. Seriously, if you're out haven't you heard of the mobile phone? Anyway, I'm phoning with a piece of news and some information that I know the cake loving fiend will be interested in. I would say over the phone but that might mean we wouldn't get the pleasure of your phone call. Seriously, for two people that work from home you don't call often-"
"You do realise you're rambling? That could be a sign of a failing, or a weak, intelligence."
Light laughed as he heard Near's voice suddenly cut over Mello's, he knew that Near could never resist such comments no matter how close he became to Mello. He could just imagine Mello's face, and his laughter only increased as the silence stretched on for a couple more seconds.
"Anyway," Mello's voice suddenly continued, "You should call. This is information you need to know. Hope to talk to you soon."
The click resounded in the quiet of the hallway, and Light laughed at the imagined things fate had in store for Near after such a comment to Mello. He wondered briefly if the trio were developing something similar to the lifestyle he and L shared; and whether it was occurring because of what the trio had accidentally seen when they had placed those cameras. If they were he just hoped they never asked him for advice, it was one conversation he hoped never to have in his lifetime; the trio were too much like family for that to ever be comfortable.
Light sighed and, picking the phone off its stand, slipped back into the main room just in time to see Eleanor running off into the garden, the presumably now identified flower back in her hand. He suspected L had given her the task of seeing if they had any in their garden.
"So what was it?" Light asked, resuming his seat at the counter as he placed the phone down in front of him.
"Veronica averensis, or common Speedwell," L said with a smile, "Though I'm surprised she found it growing where she did. Who phoned?"
"Mello," Light replied, completely unsurprised that L would have understood completely what the sudden appearance of the phone would mean, "Apparently he has 'a piece of news and some information that I know the cake loving fiend will be interested in'. His words not mine."
Light held back a laugh as L's brow actually twitched, it was evident Mello's comment had caused the effect he had obviously desired; he wondered whether he should tell the blonde.
"Oh, and they think we don't call often enough," Light added, unable to stop a small laugh from following his words.
"We have talked to them every week for the past three and a half years, sometimes more," L said, sounding completely serious, continuing with his cooking as he talked, "That should be considered more than adequate. However I think it's time we phone them, I'm curious about what they want to share."
"You're curious about everything," Light commented, as he reached for phone and brought up Mello's number. "I do wonder how either of us thought you would cope without some cases."
"The job I do now is vastly different from before," L replied with a smile as the phone rang between them.
"I'll go watch Eleanor in the garden," Jason chuckled, rising and heading towards the open door to the courtyard.
"Thank you," L and Light called as one. Both felt a momentary pang of guilt for not being the one out there with her, but it was very rare that they weren't with their daughter in some way; in fact Jason took care of her for one day a week so they could all have a welcome break from routine.
...
"Mello!" Matt called, "Your phone's ringing."
There was an annoyed sigh and Mello paused in whatever he was doing and padded in from an adjoining room. Matt felt the glare from the man through the back of his head as he realised that Matt hadn't answered the phone so he could continue with his game. He felt the glare shift to Near who was ensconced inside another building project, so absorbed that he hadn't even glanced in the direction of the phone as it began to ring.
"Am I the only one working today?" Mello said coldly just before he looked down at the caller display, a frown forming as Matt chuckled and Near continued on in silence. He loved them deeply, but sometimes he couldn't help hating them too. In a happier tone he added, "It's them."
The two final words acted like some form of magic spell, and gave him the attention of the other two as he answered the phone and put it immediately into speaker setting.
"Hey," Mello said, suddenly sounding happy, "Thanks for getting back to us so quickly."
"You mentioned information," Light laughed over the phone, "Of course we would get back to you quickly. Can you imagine the cake loving fiend ever passing up information?"
Mello laughed at Light's words, and it became slightly evil as he was sure he heard a disgruntled noise from L.
"What precisely did you think we needed to know?" L asked, and he sounded serious so Mello knew he must have had an effect with his words.
"L," Matt interjected, shaking his head at Mello who was too bust laughing to talk, "Do you have any knowledge of what happened to E after he was moved from Wammy's?"
"Only the basics," L said softly, "he was moved to a safe house after the incident at Wammy's. Apparently he didn't respond well to the change and was a quiet and reclusive character around the family he was sent to live with. A few weeks after he had been there he vanished. No-one's been able to trace him, and truth be told not much effort was put to the task. With everything focusing on B the timing was perfect for anyone wanting to leave the fold of Wammy's without being tracked. No effort was put into finding him later I suspect because Wammy would have considered it E's choice."
"Well," Matt sighed, "We found him-"
"He was the driver of a suspected delivery of information or goods for a new, but growing international gang," Mello said, cutting across Matt, "We managed to stop the vehicle, but E was shot as he was led from the scene. Whatever he had told them, and what he could have told us was lost. E is dead."
"I see," L commented, and there was a pause for a moment, "What was he transporting?"
"There was nothing else in the car besides an overnight bag and 3 CD's," Near said softly, "The CD's have all been checked, and they are all just music CDs."
"If E was transporting anything, it was just himself," Matt sighed, "We've checked over all the effects on his person as well; there is nothing that we can see as being any importance."
"I sense that you don't want my help in this despite telling me all these details," L commented, "So I shall give you the reassurance you obviously need. You could not have known that he would be shot. Without prior knowledge about who it was you could not have factored such a thing in. This is not a failure. Is there anything more about E you can tell me though? It is quite disappointing to hear of someone from Wammy's following such a path."
"Nothing more than we have already told you," Mello replied, "he had no ID on him, and no currency of any kind. If we hadn't been able to identify him he would have been a John Doe or something."
"He still remembered his Wammy's training then," L sighed, "I cannot see what else can be done; except catching this gang of course."
"Oh, we're working on that," Matt said, and Mello rolled his eyes at the smirk that appeared on the red head's face.
"I would have expected nothing less," the previous holder of their title replied, "You are not the sort to stop just because someone has died and taken information with them. Even one this close to you."
"Hardly," Mello interjected, "he was just a lowly rival at Wammy's."
There was the sound of Light laughing on the other end of the phone, and the trio could only imagine the look on L's face that caused it. All three of them knew L hated the rivalry that formed at Wammy's despite the fact it was inevitable. L's reply then completely surprised him.
"I would hardly think he was ever a rival for you three," L said softly, "I never thought any other people at Wammy's could have taken my role."
The trio felt renewed by L's praise, and by the comments he had made about the loss of E not being failure. They had known it logically themselves, but it was still reassuring to hear the same words from the man they considered so much a father figure at times.
"Why do you think they wanted E?" Light said suddenly, and the sudden sound of his voice made Near jump.
"We think it is because they finally found out that L the Detective was more than just a story to scare criminals with and they were spooked," Mello said slowly, "so they found, somehow, one of the few people in the world who had contact in some form with L and was willing to talk about it. E was that person. Of course it could be for some other reason, but until new data comes to light this seems the most likely option."
"I agree," L replied eventually, "there has been this search for information before by growing gangs before, they never had access to such a source in the past though. E was not a big breach of secrecy despite this, he was part of Wammy's but all his information was outdated and he hardly knew anything about me, or you I presume."
"Indeed," Near said softly.
"You will phone us if there is any new information relating to this?" L asked, "I am not going to step on your toes, I just want to be kept informed."
"Of course," Mello said, and he grinned, "This is a 'family' matter after all."
There was more sound of Light laughing at the other end of the phone line.
"Yes, I suppose it is," L said finally and Mello's grin turned into a smirk, "Now, unless I'm very much mistaken the sounds I can hear coming from the garden are from Eleanor terrorising Jason. We must go. Goodbye."
"Bye," the trio chorused, almost in the unison they had achieved back at Wammy's.
They didn't even hear Light manage to say goodbye through his laughter as the line was cut off.
"Well, I think that went very well," Mello laughed as he lounged back on the sofa one hand reaching for his ever present chocolate.
"If you count annoying L as an achievement yes I agree," Matt sighed, "I wouldn't be surprised if he accidentally kicks you next time we meet."
"No, he wouldn't do that," Near said softly, "He would never do something so obvious."
...
"You are such a liar," Light managed to say as L cut the call.
"I had to think of some reason to end the call," L commented before turning back to the food he was preparing. This time it appeared he was finally moving on to what he enjoyed most, making cakes. After a few more minutes of L watching Light rose and headed towards the door out into the courtyard.
"I believe I shall go add some weight to that lie of yours," Light said in explanation as he slid on some shoes, "Can't have it all a fabrication."
He heard L chuckle behind him.
"Oh, when are you travelling to England again?" Light asked, pausing with his hand on the doorframe as he left so he could look back at L.
"My plane next Tuesday leaves at 2pm."
"Ah, good," Light said with a smile, and he laughed as L stared at him critically, "I hoped I had remembered correctly. It means I can cook you lunch before you go."
With that Light hurried away into the garden.
"You really are going to miss me Light," L whispered after his lover had gone, "If you want to cook for me."