AN: Thank you guys for the reviews and the alert adds and such. Please keep it up and keep me smiling, because then I'll keep up the writing and keep you smiling too:)

Sweets

kagomes-wanna-be

Chapter Four:
The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker

The early morning sun shone in through the window as L sat at the computer, staring intently at the screen. He had on a sweater, much to his disliking. It was far to tight for his liking, and it itched a little, but the days were getting far too cold to wear anything else. The keyboard clicked as he typed an e-mail to Watari.

A soft tapping came at the door and he didn't say anything, but it opened anyway. Elizabeth walked into the room, staring at the ground and not saying anything for a long moment. She finally cleared her voice, walking forward. "I brought these for you," she said, setting a small container of suger-covered brownies on the desk. "I would have given them to you last night, but you weren't here."

"I was out," he said, and that was all. She held back a sigh and took a deep breath, nodding her head.

"Alright then."

It had been strange when he hadn't been around the night before. They had fallen into a sort of routine over the few days that they knew each other. They'd spend the morning in the common room, he would leave once the school-children arrived around 2, she'd leave for work around 3, then return at 8:30 and share the sweets that she had brought home with her that day.

But he hadn't been there last night, and he had left early that day. She wasn't sure what to do with so much time free without him. Sure, she could read or go on the computer or something to that effect, but he wasn't there and it was strange. It had only been a few days, but she had already grown accustomed to his presence being there with her at all times.

Silence resounded in the room as L finished his e-mail and sent it before closing the window and standing up, turning to walk out of the room. "Wait, Anderson," she said, turning to face him.

He stopped, confused for a moment before remembering the name she had given him. "Yes, Elizabeth?"

She winced slightly at the way he said her name. His face was straight and his eyes were dull, but their was a soft tone in his voice that she didn't like. "I, um..." she trailed off, stumbling over her words.

"Has Elizabeth come down with a sudden speech impediment?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as his gaze peirced into hers.

"Oh, um, no," she said quickly, shaking her head. "I was just..." again she trailed off as she looked out the window before looking back towards him. "I was wondering if you'd like to go on a walk with me."

He blinked slowly as he let her statement mull over in his mind. "A walk?"

"Yes," she told him, nodding her head with a smile. "It looks like a lovely day outside. I'm sure that a little fresh air could do us both some good. What do you say?"

Nothing was said for a moment as he looked at her. Why would she want to go for a walk? Especially in this cold weather. "Alright," he responded finally. If she wanted to go for a walk then they would go. Perhaps he could discover her motive.

"Great." A bright smile erupted on her face and it lit up as he agreed. "Um, how about you go put on some shoes and I'll go grab my coat."

He looked down at his bare feet, his toes wiggling and pressing down against the floor boards. He really didn't like wearing shoes, but he knew that he couldn't go outside in Winter without them. "Alright," he said again, turning and walking out of the room and up the stairs.

Elizabeth walked into the main hall, taking her coat from one of the hooks lining the wall and wrapped it around herself. She turned a moment later to see L trudging down the stairs, a large coat and a scarf now on his person. "Why, Anderson, you can barely tell that you're hunched over in that coat," she said, smiling at it's large size on the slim-framed man.

"I don't like the cold," he stated matter-of-factly and opened the front door, walking outside with her.

The cold on her face made her shiver gently, but she smiled all the same. "It's a beautiful morning," she said as they walked down the front steps and across the long driveway.

"If you say so." He looked around the area, and found he had to agree with her. The sun was warm on his skin despite the bitter cold of the air. The old streets and buildings of the neighborhood didn't look as dirty or worn down as they normally did, and the faces of the occasional person they saw were flushed red from the cold and really looked quite cheery.

"So how long have you been at the orphanage?" Elizabeth asked as they walked down the street, her hands inside the pocket of her jacket.

"A few years."

"Where were you before you got here?"

"I don't quite recall." His eyes shifted to see her from the corner of his eye. He looked her up and down, taking in every bit of information. He eyed her hands in her pockets and squinted gently. Was she trying to hide something?

"Oh... alright." She wasn't sure what else to say, but she took a deep breath and decided to move onto what she had wanted to say in the first place. "Anderson... I wanted to apologize to you."

L looked at her with his dark, wide eyes. "What would you apologize for?"

"For not telling you my name," she elaborated. "I realize that it was wrong of me to do that. At the time I just thought it was funny. Kind of a... an eye for an eye, sorta thing." She bit her lip nervously, hoping that he would understand.

His eyes squinted as he stared at her, his hands burried deep in his pockets. "You're saying that you didn't feel the need to give me your real name if I didn't plan on giving you mine."

There wasn't anything in his voice to signify signs of anger, but there wasn't anything else in it either. The monotone state of his voice made her nervous. "Exactly."

He looked forward again as he thought over this fact for a moment. It was plausible, but it was also very likely that she could be attempting to play on his emotions. He found it sad for her that he generally had no outward emotions anymore. Especially with her around. "Understandable."

A soft smile graced her lips as they continued to walk down the street. She knew that he was still miffed that she had lied to him, but she believed that he would forgive her. After time, he'd let it go and would come to trust her fully.

"Good, because I wouldn't want this to get in the way of our future," she said with a playful smile.

"Our future?" L asked as he looked at her, hiding his confusion and slight shock.

"Well of course!" she told him, her smile brightening as she perked up, practically skipping. "After all, we are going to end up together in the end."

L nearly tripped over his own feet, holding down a fit of coughs. This girl was insane! They had known each other for barely a week and she was already assuming that they'd be together in a romantic way. Did she really think that they would? Was she honestly messed up in head? "What could you possibly be talking about?"

"Come on! Isn't it obvious?" she asked as she spun around and walked backwards in front of him, staring into his eyes. "We're going to get married someday! You're going to learn how to work at a meat shop, I'm going to open my own bakery, and we're going to have a son who will loves all things associated with wax."

The wheels in L's head began to turn as Elizabeth spoke. Slowly, recognition came over him and his rigid demeanor relaxed. "The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker."

She nodded her head with his words, happy that he had understood what she was poking at. "Exactly. And perhaps we can all live in a crooked house."

L's thumb pressed to his mouth as he thought over the rest of the rhyme. He hadn't heard it in years, but he still remembered much of it. "And purchase a crooked cat who will catch a crooked mouse."

A twinkle entered her eye as he respoded, and she turned to walk forward again. His brow came together as he stared at her back, the sudden silence confusing him. 'Is this a code you are speaking, Elizabeth? Did I just answer it without knowing? What are you thinking?'

Elizabeth continued to walk, unaware of the thoughs that were passing through L's head. All she had done was play a game, and yet his suspicion of her had risen greatly. She was just too strange - too unlike anyone that he had ever met. It could be possible, he decided, that she was really just a peculiar person, but he didn't believe that. He wouldn't until he knew everything about her.

"I believe we should be heading back soon."

"Huh?" she asked, looking over at him. "Oh, yes. I believe you're right."

She gave him a quick smile before turning to head back the way they had come. He turned on his heel as well, his thumb pressed between his lips and his free hand burried deep in his pocket. His eyes squinted as he stared at her from behind. 'I will know everything about you, Elizabeth. I will discover what you aren't telling me.'

--

Elizabeth drank down the last of her hot chocolate, rinsing the cup and setting it in the sink. She stood there for a long time, just staring around. The school-children weren't home from school yet, but Anderson wasn't in the play room as normal. She actually hadn't seen him since they got back from their walk and he had gone upstairs to change out of his coat.

A thought entered her head and she smiled, pulling out the hot chocolate mix and a cup. She placed the tea kettle on the stove to heat the water, waiting for it to whistle before pouring it in a cup and stirring in the chocolate. She added some vanilla, cinnamon, and marshmallows before picking it up and heading upstairs.

She walked up to the door of the room for boys 14 years of age and older. Taking a deep breath, she rapped on the door with her knuckles and waited. There was no noise from the other side of the door, so she knocked a little louder. When there was again no answer, she opened the door a slit, just enough to make her voice heard.

"Hello? Anderson?"

There was once again no answer, so she pushed the door open and looked in. "Hello?" she asked again, taking a step into the large, empty room. He wasn't in there, she realized. She figured he must have gone to the bathroom and shrugged.

She walked across the floor of L's room - and it was his room, seeing as the only other oldest boy was 13 - to set the hot chocolate on the nightstand of the disheveled bed in the corner, assuming it was his. As she was setting down the glass, a large amount of papers and files caught her attention on the floor next to the bed. Her brow came together and she tilted her head to the side, looking down at it.

Normally, she wouldn't be so rude to look at people's personal things, but the sight of her name upon the folders made her believe it was okay. She looked down and picked up a file, flipping it open. She gasped as she looked at a picture of herself, along with her birth certificate. She continued to flip through the papers and stacks, finding her parents birth certificates, their death certificates, all the information they had on her at the orphanage. It seemed that everything there was right in front of her on Anderson's floor.

There was a creaking sound and Elizabeth spun to stare at a stiff L. No emotion played on his face, but he was clearly agitated. Her hands clenched into fists, papers crumpling against her fingers.

"What the hell is this?"

AN: And there's chapter 4:D Hopefully the next update will be sooner. I don't mean to keep you waiting for so long, especially over what just happened in the story. Please keep an eye out and add it to your story alert! And reveiw! I'm going to bed now. It's almost 4 in the morning. Goodbye everyone! Go, review, and be merry.

kagomes-wanna-be

REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!