A/N: This chapter was supposed to be posted yesterday, but I completely flaked out. Work has me rather engaged, and then a friend came over to hand out until almost midnight. So I forgot about updating until I was going to bed. Heh.

I'm curious by how little response there was to the rather dramatic past couple chapters. Hm. Anywho, the drama is going to lead into romance soon. After all, this was the ending for all the readers out there who wanted a little happiness for our troubled couple. However, before something can be mended, sometimes, it needs to be broken.

House of Cards

By Catsitta

Part Thirteen: Shatter Me

His arrival was free of fanfare.

A cab swept the Yagamis and Matsuda to a hotel in London, while J dropped him off at the Whammy House gates. Evening was upon them and for once, L felt the urge to surrender to sleep. The Kira case was done with, closed completely. All the suspects were either dead or in custody, and the last remnants of Kira's identity were in ashes. However, the victory felt shallow. Who was Kira? How did he kill? Was...was it Misa? No...Light? It could not possibly be Light. But he burned evidence at Roger's command as a requirement for keeping Light at Whammy's House.

Questions like that itched at L's brain ever since he boarded the plane back to England. What was he forgetting and why?

Pinching his brows, he entered the manor, hoping to slip into his room unnoticed. Fate had other plans and assaulted him with a rather red-faced Mello. L grunted as the blond shoved him against a wall. Strong little bugger.

"You blithering idiot!"

"Pardon?"

"Kira! You're fucking Kira!"

L blinked rapidly at the announcement. "Where did Mello come to that conclusion?" He could vaguely recall an argument with Light before he left in front of Roger that the boys walked in on. Oh, that's right. Light pointed out how she was a major suspect in the Kira case, and how they had relations while she was still under suspicion. Roger wanted him to...destroy the evidence linking Light to Kira? Why would he do that? Did that mean Light really was Kira? Why would he marry Kira, if that were true?

Then again, why did he marry Light?
Revenge.

He was upset by his inability to convict Light as well as her horrible habit of getting tangled up dangerously in the case, so he signed the papers to give him legal control over her well-being and actions. That way he could transfer her from hospitals and have a legitimate reason to keep the stubborn brat close.

Light was not happy about it.

CRUNCH!

In his daze, L never saw the punch coming.

The teen broke his nose with one blow.

Instincts kicking in at last, he grabbed Mello and flipped their positions.

"What right does Mello have to hit a superior?"

"Pff. Superior? You'll be lucky if you have a fucking leg to stand on after Roger's done with you."

"I admit to being impulsive by taking a suspect as a spouse, but I doubt that is reason for dismissal."

"Are you fucking with me? Don't play stupid! The little bitch you call your wife is Kira!"

"Why does Mello keep saying that? He was a suspect, I never found any proof..."

"She confessed, you dipshit! Did someone knock in your skull in Japan?"

"That was him being petty."

"And what's with calling her a he? I know she looks like a dude, but damn."

"It's called being respectful."

L shoved away from Mello, his head ache reaching a throbbing intensity. He really needed a nap and a good strong cup of tea. Earl Grey? Hm. With plenty of sugar cubes. Maybe there was some in the kitchen.

"Don't walk away from me you bastard!"

He waved the teen away. He wasn't in the mood for this conversation.

Leaving behind the protesting boy, L shuffled through the halls towards the kitchen, but before he could reach his destination, a shadow fell over him.

"Good evening, Roger."

"Did you destroy the Death Note?"

"Death...Note?" L frowned. Was that what the black books were called? Strange thing to name a log. Maybe he called them that because he was using them to account for Kira's murders. Then again, why was he writing things down? He hated paperwork. He did everything on the computer. L rubbed his eyes. Why was he feeling so disoriented? The past few months were hazy instead of crystalline clear. As if someone ripped out a giant piece in the middle of a jigsaw puzzle. What was he missing? "Yes. I burned them."

"Them?"

"There were two...Roger, can the debriefing wait?"

A hand closed on his shoulder, "Of course not. L, what is wrong with you? Why is your nose bleeding?"

"I..." L frowned up at his superior. Everything felt strange. The world tilted.

"L!"

When was the last time he ate? Or slept? Hm. Maybe that's why his head felt so funny. He shut his eyes, willing the ache to go away, but he was so tired. Sleep. Sleep was good. Yes...

.

Laughter. Chocolate and laughter.

L shifted, eyes fluttering open. There was something against his face. A newspaper? He frowned and removed it, sitting up. He was on a couch. Had he fallen asleep in his hotel room? No. It looked to homey to be one of the lavish resorts he stayed at when on a case.

The laughter sounded again.

Suddenly two small children ran by, a boy and a girl. They chased each other past the low coffee table where an oddly elaborate tower of cards stood. As expected, the wind caused by their running toppled the tower and sent cards scattering everywhere. They froze, eyes large with fright.

"We're sorry!" cried the girl.

"Mhmm," the boy hid behind his sister.

"It's fine."

"Mama doesn't like it when we knock down her houses."

L sighed and picked up two of the cards. It took a minute, but he reconstructed the base of the fallen tower. "It can be repaired. No harm done." He reached down and scooped up a handful of cards from the floor. Strange. These were all face cards.

"You're awake."

He turned from the odd scene to see Light standing nearby, dressed in a business formal suit. Her hair was cut in a masculine style and not a hint of make-up softened her features. In fact, she even spoke in the low tone she used when she was acting as a male.

"Going somewhere?" Light held a suitcase in one hand.

"Work."

"It's a Sunday." Why did he say that?

"The Kira case never takes vacations."

"I don't like this."

"Who said you had a voice in my choice in the matter? I'm going to catch Kira and bring him to justice if it's the last thing I do."

"Justice.."

Kira.

Light strode through the room and left the house, the force of her closing the front door knocking down the meager attempt at salvaging the tower.

"Why can't mama stay home?"

"She's trying to make this world a safer place for everyone."

.

L jackknifed up, his heart beating harshly against his ribs. It was dark. Very dark. And smelled of bleach. Hospital wing. Roger must have brought him here. Whatever caused him to faint must have been rather serious. He tried to move his arm, but found it tangled up in wires. An IV drip?

"You're awake?"

Light?

He turned in the direction of the voice. A cot was positioned next to him, the faint gleam of metal in the moonlight giving him the vaguest of impressions. So they put him next to his wife. How nice of them. With his luck, she would still be out for his blood about the whole marrying her without her consent and attack him...

"Yes."

"Ah."

"Why is Light awake?"

"Hard to sleep when you've been doing just that for three days."

"Code Gold was too harsh."

"Perhaps. I did claim to be Kira."

"Why did Light do something so foolish?"

A pause.

He wasn't sure why something inside him felt like it shattered when she replied.

"I wanted you to die."

"Light..."

"I hated you."

"It's fine. Light was angry."

"You ruined my life!"

Yes, he did. She was suffering a hospital because of him.

"You kidnapped me, accused me of murder and then shot me on two separate occasions."

"...I did."

Her voice was eerily calm, "But here we are."

"Light said he 'hated me'. Past tense?"

"When you were sleeping, I realized that hating you wasn't worth the effort. I feel nothing. If you were to jump off a bridge, I would neither mourn or rejoice."

L shivered, an echo of a memory slipping through him.

"Even so, I still love you."

Love. What a fickle emotion. She brought so many terrible highs and lows to his life. He wanted her to never feel suffering, to smile again and want to be with him. At one time, they were friends, but this...L fell back against the cot.

"I wish you wouldn't say that."

I wish I could stop.

Wordlessly, the world famous detective and infamous assassin, shut his eyes.

Sleep evaded him for the rest of the night.

-tbc-

A/N: (When you've lost everything, there is only things to gain. Thank you for reading, please review! It's important for me to have feedback so I know when something's going right or not.

READ THIS FOR TAROT INFORMATION

I know I did not include any cards, but symbolically, the card tower in the dream sequence represents the Major Arcana in the tarot called The Tower. It represents a major, eye-opening change. The disillusionment of fantasy. The shattering of falsehoods. Often portrayed as a tower being struck by lightning (sometimes topped with a crown), I felt this symbol matched the rather powerful change that is happening.