A/N; Well, I apologise profusely for the long wait, but I have quite frankly been struggling with this chapter. I struggled and I struggled, until I realised that it wasn't L and Light this chapter was meant to be about, but the trio. So now I provide you this trio filled chapter in the hope that you shall forgive me for the long wait between updates. Also, I know it's a much shorter chapter, but being at home for Christmas seems to have taken my ability, and my time, to write, but I hope to give you another chapter very soon.

Review replies will be done later as my internet connection is also very poor at the moment.

*bows* Please forgive me.

A Merry Christmas to you all, or whatever seasonal greeting you would prefer.

Please read and review!

Chapter 4

The room was almost deathly silent as the occupants looked over the details of the newest case to come their way. All were calmly learning the details of something that would have many skilled and veteran officers of the law running from the room in disgust and revulsion. The pictures would have been enough to have given anyone nightmares for years, but they took it all in as if they were looking at pictures of relatives of anything that wasn't what was laid out before them on the coffee table. The four of them were gathered around an old coffee table, a surface usually scattered over with Mello's coffee cups, Matt's games and the occasional errant dice, that was now covered in an even layer of victim profiles and images; the case notes themselves on the floor forgotten.

"I think we can be quite sure this is a serial killer, not someone attempting to copy the killings," Matt said quietly, "despite the years that separate them."

"What makes you say that?" Matsuda whispered his voice just as quiet. It was as if staring at such an atrocity made them all subdued and unwilling to speak louder.

"No-one would want to copy something like this," Mello sighed, "and to mimic the cuts would require a great deal of accuracy. This was also something not released to the general public, in fact, not even many of the police force knew of it."

"So if it was a copy cat," Near said, finishing the explanation, "It would have to be a police officer from the original case."

"How likely is that?" Matsuda asked. He knew many people would find it strange that he was asking so many questions of the trio, but he knew that they, especially Near, liked to be asked these questions. It made them feel more secure in what they knew; even if many thought they only enjoyed such attention so they could show off.

"Less than five percent probability," Near replied, "they all have exemplary carriers."

"Besides," Mello added, "all but three of them have died."

"Ah," Matsuda said softly, then his brow furrowed, "How is that relevant?"

"These are the other officers," Matt muttered and the usually happy gamer leaned forward to tap five of the pictures on the crowded table. He seemed to become more unhappy as he did so, his face a perfect image of despair and absolute anguish. This was not like the trio at all, even though this case was one of the worst they had viewed, it could not possibly have been enough to unsettle them this deeply.

"What is it?" Matsuda asked, growing more confused by the moment.

"This is the only case L lost," Near said, his voice tinged with emotion, "this is the one case L didn't solve."

Matsuda stared at the trio in astonishment. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was like saying the sky was orange with green spots, or that Mello didn't eat chocolate. It was wrong, it didn't fit. It couldn't be. Yet the trio seemed adamant that it was the case. It was evident the trio didn't like it either and it unsettled them to admit it to someone else, L was someone they held in high esteem after all.

"Didn't not couldn't," Mello said quickly, attempting to explain the startling secret to Matsuda, "It was before he became famous. He was only seven at the time-"

"Only seven?!" Matsuda gasped.

"It was one of his first cases, and he didn't have any of the resources, technical help, or information available that he would have just a year, or even a few months later," Mello continued, his eyebrow twitching at the interruption from Matsuda but managing not to say anything about it. "To have seen such images as these can't have helped.... Needless to say he couldn't solve it from the little data he had, it would. Not so much a loss as a stalemate, no-one would have been able to solve it with the little data he had. Though I think the case haunted him for years. I believe he never returned to it because Wammy forbade him to do so, the images were not something he was comfortable in letting a person of such an age see. He was always willing to let L do what he wished, but this was one of the few instances he put his foot down. Now it seems we reap the rewards of his actions."

"Why didn't L return to it when he was older, when Wammy surely couldn't have stopped him?" Matsuda asked, showing just how far he had come with the trio.

"Considering how many cases he had to deal with on a daily basis, and the number of aliases he had to support, it is unsurprising such a case was left behind," Near said quietly, "At the time only eight victims were recorded in the case and no reward was ever offered; it never met his later requirements for taking on a case so never would have appeared on his system."

"Doesn't help that all the documentation on the case is on paper, L wouldn't have been able to retain copies," Matt said, sounding annoyed again, "not even the police realised how much they had till they unearthed it at our request. They thought this was entirely new and that this had not happened before. It's doubtful L even has a copy of the documents he was shown at the time. We only know about it because of how much L has told us about his past, until now I hadn't thought he had told us the truth until I saw this."

"No wonder this has been able to go on so long and take out so many people," Matsuda whispered, staring down at the pictures once more. There were twenty-one main photographs grouped in the middle of the table, and each was of a separate victim, around them swarmed pictures of how they had looked before they had been mutilated. There was hardly any resemblance. "This is still horrible."

"No doubt this will be someone Light will take great joy in removing from the world," Mello said, glowering down at the pictures, "After all; he still uses that Death Note occasionally."

"He was never going to completely give it up, not even with Beyond torturing him because of it," Matt sighed, "and seeing these I am suddenly grateful he didn't."

"Can we turn back to the case now?" Near said suddenly, a disgruntled hand flicking a piece of hair over and over between two fingers, "Discussing the past is going to get us nowhere, how are we going to solve this until we actually look at the case?"

Suitably chastised Matt and Mello turned back to the task in hand, silence descending as they perused the images once more before gradually shifting to begin the slow sifting through the documents that littered the floor. The only sounds that came from the trio being Matt's quiet sounds of disgust that the case was resolutely paper bound, and Near and Mello's quiet sounds of agreement punctuated by the breaking of chocolate.

It wasn't long until Matsuda was away on other duties, dismissed from the room to deal with the trio's contacts and sort out the copious supplies the trio needed to function. He knew well now just how many duties Wammy had had to contend with when he had served L. Matsuda also knew that it was likely he had far less trouble with three charges than Wammy had ever contended with when he had cared for L; he had depended on Wammy from the age of six, it had only to be expected.

"We're going to have to talk to him about it aren't we?" Mello growled at last jerking to his feet to stand by a large window that looked out from the second floor down onto the long drive below; his gaze taking in the sunset before them.

"I think so," Matt sighed, tossing down the document he was reading, "no wonder they never solved it originally; their record keeping was-"

"Absolute shit," Mello said, cutting across Matt.

Without a word Near rose from where he was surrounded by fallen brown folders and padded across the carpeted floor on bare feet, to where Mello stood staring out the window. In a startling display of forwardness that had Mello's eyes widening in surprise Near leant closer to the blonde haired man and turned his face towards him so he could kiss him gently on the mouth. An instant later all the tension drained from the scarred man's frame and he pulled the shorter man next to him into an embrace.

"You're certainly getting better at all this emotional business," Matt said with a smile from where he still sat on the floor. There wasn't a trace of jealousy on his face, just a simple admiration for seeing the two people he loved taking comfort in one another's presence.

"No, I don't think so," Near said, his voice muffled by the leather jacket Mello was wearing, "I'm just getting better at dealing with Mello's moods."

"Hey," Mello growled, raising a hand to tap Near on the top of his head, but there was no real annoyance to his tone and a smile twitched at the corners of his mouth. Matt meanwhile collapsed back onto the floor behind him laughing heartily, the final lines of tension leaving his forehead.

Together the trio managed to balance each other's moods and counter any shortcomings they created. Apart they would never be able to function on their own, together they surpassed even L with their abilities.

Matt's laughter ceased as all the air was knocked out of him by someone landing heavily on his chest. He opened his eyes and stared up at the person who had sat on him and was slightly surprised to see it was Near.

"I thought I best play fair," Near whispered, his cheeks colouring at even this small sentence as he leant down till his chest pressed against Matt's and kissed Matt. The redhead smiled into the kiss and brought his arms up to hold the smaller man to him.

Mello smirked as he saw the two on the floor and he decided that they had done enough work for the day; it was already well into the evening. Anything that the case was going to tell them could wait until the morning, at least it could now Near had reminded Mello that there were far more pleasing ways to spend their time. As silently as possible he shifted closer to them, apparently unheard as he stopped next to them and crouched down.

They noticed though as he spoke.

"I think this would be better if we went somewhere else," Mello murmured, filling his voice with as much promise as he could. As such it meant that he sounded more as though he was gloating, but it had the desired effect on his partners. They both turned to stare at him with wide eyes filled with a tumult of very pleasing emotions, particularly as a wide grin spread across Matt's face and Near shifted closer to Mello.

"Come on then," Mello muttered, and he pulled Near up into his arms so he was almost completely over one of his shoulders. For a moment Mello was very grateful that Near had stayed small it meant he could carry him just as far as he had been able to in the past. Then he gave Matt a broad smirk and grabbing him by the hand appeared to almost drag him from the room. The gamer obviously wasn't against such treatment if the sudden almost giggle was anything to go by and Mello nearly broke into a run out the sound. He was sorely tempted to stop and use one the many rooms they were passing, but he had said they were going to the bedroom so he wasn't going to give them any chance to tease him if they stopped sooner. He was meant to be the most dominant one in this relationship.

"Ah, Mello," Matsuda said suddenly, appearing out of a room they passed. It seemed he had developed Wammy's almost magical ability to appear out of nowhere and at the most inopportune moment, at least from the trio's point of view, "The European representative of the Contact ring has arrived to speak with you. She-"

"Later," Mello growled, and hurried past their aide. He could have sworn by the way Matt's hand twisted in his that the redhead had turned to wave at Matsuda. When Near laughed slightly from his perch he knew that had to be the case.

"But Mello!" Matsuda called after them, "It's already early evening-"

"Then give her a room for the night," Mello called, and turned the corner. He smiled as he saw their bedroom door before him. Their place was really too big he thought, but he wasn't about to downsize. He liked the manor normally.

"That was rude," Near whispered against his shoulder as Mello closed the door behind them.

"Complaining Near?" Mello asked, striding over to the bed.

"No," Near managed to say as he was placed surprisingly carefully down on the bed, "Just thought I should inform you of it."

"Matt," Mello said, his tone cool, "I think you should find some way to silence Near."

The redhead chuckled, and slowly climbed onto the bed next to Near.

A/N; So would you like a lemon based around the trio now? Yes or no?