A/N: Geez...I'm being all sorts of impatient with this updating thing. I hate waiting for the next day to post the next chapter, especially with your encouraging reviews. Let me just say...pretty eventful chapter. I like it though and I hope you do too! Please review!

Chapter 21: Risk

"Alright let's try again from the top!" L instructed loudly through the paper megaphone he was holding. Misa was sitting on a sofa in front of him, Aiber across from her on a second couch. Miya stood by watching the scene, not feeling very well again. It didn't help that the whole room was growing tired, as Misa did not seem to grasp the seriousness of her interview with Yotsuba.

"Tell me Misa," Aiber began again. "Is it true you once said that you came to Tokyo in order to meet Kira?"

"Whaaaaaat?" Miya responded dramatically, throwing her arms back into the air. L bopped her on the head with the megaphone before placing it in front of his mouth.

"Misa please stop overacting," he said in an annoyed voice. "It looks too cheesy, not to mention fake." Misa turned around and peered over the couch at him.

"Huh?" she pouted. "But I thought that was a realistic performance!"

"Just do it again," L instructed.

"Whatever you say, 'oh so great director'!" Misa said, making a funny face and waving her hands around.

"If you don't get serious about this I'll kick you," L warned over top of her.

"Hm!" Was all Misa had to say before turning back to Aiber, who began the conversation again. Miya didn't wait to see how she did this time. Instead she stood and headed for the door. L noticed her out of the corner of his eye and set his megaphone on the table, pulling Light over a few feet so he could reach her.

"Where are you going?" he wondered curiously. Miya groaned.

"Sorry, I just really want to go to the doctor. Noah is better and he's at the daycare today, but I'm still not feeling well and I really don't want to deal with this now in the middle of the case."

"Are you alright?" L asked, now clearly concerned.

"Yeah, I just need some medicine or something to help me get better so I can focus again," Miya insisted with a nod. "Just a virus or something. I'll be okay." L still looked concerned, but he slowly nodded.

"Very well," he sighed, double checking to ensure Light wasn't listening. "Call me so I know you're alright."

"I will," Miya replied as she stepped out the door.

"Well?" Miya wondered as her doctor stepped back in the room where she was waiting. He was a tall man, with a serious face that matched the serious atmosphere of the office. Miya hated visits to the doctor, but she wasn't feeling well and with all the added stress of the case it was just exhausting.

"Well this is probably not the news you're expecting," he began slowly, walking toward her and sitting in a chair across from the patients table where Miya sat. "But…you're pregnant Miss Yamaguchi." Miya's eyes widened at his words before she snorted.

"No I'm not!" she laughed. "There's no way!"

"Are you sexually active?" he asked bluntly. Miya's chuckled died out as she continued.

"But…but my son was just sick…I probably just have whatever virus he had…"

"I'm afraid not," the doctor continued. "All the symptoms you have can be attributed to the early stages of your pregnancy. Morning sickness, headaches, tiredness, mood swings. You're only about a month along but certainly you noticed a stop in your menstrual cycle. You're late for you period this month, correct?"

"…yes…" Miya said after counting the days in her head. With all the work on the case she hadn't even realized. She also remembered the pack of neglected birth control under her parents bathroom sink. She'd left it there during the move by mistake and stupidly forgotten to pick it up again. She couldn't believe she'd been so careless, but it was too late to worry about how it had happened. What was done was done.

"Are you alright Miss Yamaguchi?" the doctor wondered as Miya stared down blankly at her hands.

"Yeah, I-I'll be fine," she said quickly.

"I don't want to overstep my boundaries but may I ask if the father's around?" The doctor asked after a moment. "That's usually the reason for these types of reactions."

"No, that's not it at all," Miya said thankfully. "This is just really bad timing." How could she be pregnant?! With the Kira investigation and her and L's involvement in such a dangerous case! The news was a shock, and it definitely hadn't been what Miya was expecting. She couldn't help the few tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"I'll have the nurse schedule you your next appointment," the doctor said gently, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder before leaving her alone. Miya wiped her tears with the back of her hand and took a deep breath, wondering how L would take the news.

"If that woman can pull this interview off we should declare it a national holiday," L said, shaking his head as he stepped into Miya's living room. "All day and still she can barely pull it off realistically." He sighed and looked to Miya, who was on the couch looking back at him. He furrowed his eyebrows and stepped over to where she was, perching himself beside her. "What did the doctor say?" L wondered. "You didn't call me. I was worried. Did he write you a prescription?"

"No," Miya answered.

"Well, are you alright?" L asked, reaching a hand out and touching her cheek gently. Miya nodded and stood up.

"I'm fine. I'm just really tired. I'm going to go to bed." She headed toward the bedroom and L stared after her before hopping off the couch and following with his hands in his pockets. He reached the bedroom to see that Miya was already lying down. He took his place beside her and slid his arms around her waist slowly. He noticed that she didn't snuggle into him like she usually did, so he sat up slightly to see her face.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked again. Miya nodded and leaned up to kiss him, hoping to put an end to his worry. When the kiss grew deeper, however, and Miya felt his hand on her hip, she pushed him away gently.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "I can tell something is bothering you and I would like to know what it is." Miya knew she had to tell him, and for some reason a little touch of panic sunk in. A tear rolled down her cheek, causing L to sit up further in concern. Miya buried her face in his chest.

"Miya…?" he said slowly, completely unsure of what to say despite his major concern.

"Sorry…" she sniffed, wiping her eyes and lifting her head to look at him. "I have to tell you…I'm not sure how you'll take this but…" L stared at her as she finally shared the news. "…I'm pregnant." She looked back at him, awaiting a response, and instead got a blank stare. Then his hands slid from her waist as he placed his thumb to his lip.

"You're…pregnant…" he mumbled slowly. After another moment, his eyes focused and he looked back at her. "We can't let anyone know of your situation, at least while it isn't obvious. Also we cannot let anyone know that it is mine, as that would be risky."

"That's all you have to say?" Miya asked. "'Don't let anyone know it's mine'?"

"I'm simply trying to protect you and our child," he replied calmly. "You have my full support."

"That's good because I wasn't sure," Miya said, her anger rising. "Must have had something to do with letting everyone think I'm a slut who got knocked up again by a random guy. Or maybe you'd prefer that I just get rid of it so we don't have to worry about it at all?" In truth Miya would never even consider this option, but she was mad at L and the words were just coming. L's eyes widened.

"Absolutely not," he said sternly. "I want you to have the baby."

"But just as long as no one knows you're involved, right?" Miya snapped. "That's perfect. Thank you so much for that."

"I'm not leaving you alone!" L insisted rather loudly, which was unusual for his normally calm voice.

"You might as well be," Miya shrugged. "When people ask who the father is, I'll have to say he's not around. I'll have to go to the doctor's by myself because it would be suspicious if you came. You won't even be able to be in the delivery room. And then when the baby is born, we'll have to train him to hide his father's identity, because God forbid the world knows he has a dad who loves him."

"Miya, please don't do this," L said. "You have to understand. If Kira were to discover my identity, he would not only kill me but all those closely associated with me who may hold information. If everyone knew we were intimately connected, it would endanger you, the baby, and Noah. Is that what you want?"

"Of course not," Miya snapped. "But why does everything have to be like this! I tell you I'm pregnant and the first thing out of your mouth is how to hide it from Kira! I know the details, okay? I know we won't be able to tell, as much as I wish we could…but God, do you have to be so cold about it? I'm scared here and…why can't you ever just hold me and tell me it will be okay?" Miya was sobbing now, unaware of how much emotion she had built up in her. As much as she wanted to push L's arms away, she found herself crying on his shoulder.

"You don't have to cry Miya," he said. "I'm here for you and I'm not going anywhere." Miya raised her head to look at him.

"Then why don't you prove it?" she asked flatly, wiping her tears away and turning away from him, lying down and closing her eyes. L sat beside her, rubbing her shoulder in comfort with one hand while he brought his thumb to his lip with the other. He had a lot of thinking to do, despite the fact that he already knew what had to be done.

"Everyone, please gather around," L said the next day when Miya stepped into the room. She headed over to the small group of task force members, which at the moment included Matsuda, Aiber, Mogi, Mr. Yagami, and of course Light who was handcuffed to the lead detective, whose eyes were scanning the faces of those around him. They landed on Miya last and lingered there for a moment. He loved her, and now they were going to start a family together, and so the words he had to say flowed out casually.

"I would just like to inform everyone," L began. "That Miya and I have been seeing each other for some time now in secret." Everyone's faces were shocked, except Matsuda, who looked very relieved to have the secret off his chest, even if he hadn't been the one to lift it. L had thought long and hard about this moment all night, and he had decided, however unwisely, that it was time to come clean.

"Dating?" Mr. Yagami wondered. "But that's a little irresponsible considering the dangers involved with this situation, isn't it?"

"Yes well, some things cannot be controlled," L continued, placing a bite of strawberry shortcake into his mouth before continuing through his mouthful. "It would have remained a secret but this is no longer practical in light of recent discoveries and future events."

"What are you talking about Ryuzaki?" Mr. Yagami asked, confused.

"L…you don't have to…" Miya said slowly. "I can deal with it. I was just upset."

"Can someone please just fill us in on what's going on?" Aiber asked, clearly agitated.

"Ah yes, in regard to this meeting," L continued after swallowing. "Everyone should know that Miya is now pregnant with my child and therefore I will be attending various events with her, including doctor's appointments." Again the looks of shock swept everyone's faces. Even Matsuda was surprised by this development. "Also," L continued. "I ask that you please keep this information to yourselves. I simply felt that as members of this team you should know the truth, as unavoidably things are going to change." The reasons for L's sudden confession were mixed, and for once in his life he was not certain about his own decision. However, he had weighed the pros and cons in his head, and in the end it had come down to some undeniable facts.

One was that Miya's secret pregnancy would only be a secret for so long, and soon her stomach would give her away. That meant that eventually, questions were going to come up as to who the father was. Now L's original idea had been to simply not let anyone know it was his, but he saw a number of problems in this theory. First, if the baby wound up looking like him, it would be extremely hard to cover. Second, and this was assuming Matsuda would keep his mouth shut, Miya was always at headquarters, and he was fairly certain someone would realize this and accuse one of the men in the task force. This would undoubtedly lead to himself, as though it may not have been clear that the two were dating, it was certainly clear that Miya was his friend, as well as her four year old son who had, what seemed to the detectives to be, an unnatural liking to L. He was one hundred percent certain that one of the bright people on his team would figure it out, which brought him to his third problem; Light Yagami.

Light was, without a doubt, an extremely bright young man. And a suspicious one at that. L felt that Miya and himself had done a reasonable job hiding their unexpected love, but as he had pondered the issue the previous night before, he began to realize that maybe that wasn't the case. Matsuda had certainly been a slip up, but L was sure Light was suspicious of them as well. As a matter of fact, he had bluntly asked him why he cared what Miya felt once previously. Therefore, he was nearly ninety-eight percent positive that Light would figure it out for himself.

The second undeniable fact L had gone over last night was that he was, without a doubt, in love with Miya Yamaguchi and therefore, he wanted to be there for her and their child. He knew, as much as he wanted to avoid it, that the only way to truly be there for her one hundred percent was to tell people about their relationship. No hiding. This fact, though he knew it, was hard for him because the last thing he wanted was to put Miya in danger. However, since he suspected Light so strongly, and since he knew Light would find out on his own either way, he decided to take Miya's advice and take a risk.

This is how L was able to so calmly confess everything they'd been hiding. If it came down to Light, possibly Kira, finding out now at L's own control, or later at any possible moment, L would rather it be now. Light, at the present time, appeared to be free from Kira's power, and so he hoped that meant they were safe. And despite all the fears, as everyone looked back and forth between he and Miya at a loss for words, he found himself slightly relieved.

"Wow…" Matsuda said slowly before breaking out into a grin. "Congratulations Ryuzaki! And Miya!"

"Thank you," L said, taking another bite. "I find that I'm quite looking forward to becoming a father." Miya smiled slightly as a huge wave of relief washed over her as well. Finally the secret was out, and it looked like L would be able to fully support her after all. She was nervous, as this was obviously a huge risk, but she felt like it was necessary if only for the fact that hiding the truth was becoming more difficult by the day.

"Alright back to work," L ordered, turning for the screen himself. Everyone gladly left, all clearly unsure of what to say. Matsuda seemed to be the only one who had digested the information, and he gave L a friendly slap on the back before walking away. Miya stepped up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you," she said.

"I want to be there for you," he explained. "This is necessary and frankly, I feel much better with the information out in the open."

"Me too," Miya agreed. "And see now I can kiss you anytime I want." She laughed and leaned down to prove her point, placing her lips to his just for a moment.

"Ahem…" Watari's voice said over the intercom.

"Sorry Watari," Miya apologized. It wasn't a habit she was planning on adopting anyway. She knew, despite how far L had come in the physical aspect of their relationship, that public affection would never be his thing.

"Quite alright," Watari chuckled in return.

"Well congratulations Ryuzaki," Light said, turning towards him in his chair. "I'm not sure how this happened with these handcuffs, but I suppose that's a secret you are not going to share."

"No," L said simply.

"Well I hope you know what you're getting yourself into," Light added. "If Kira were to find out that the great L has a family…"

"I'm well aware of that, thank you," L said, cutting him off. Miya rolled her eyes. Leave it to Light to ruin things. She really hated that guy.

"Just a warning," Light shrugged, turning back toward the screen. L glanced at him suspiciously from the corner of his eye for a moment before turning back to his work. All he could hope, for his sake and now for the sake of Miya, Noah, and the baby to come as well, was that Light was not Kira. Unfortunately, however, L's suspicion of Light had not faded, and he refused to let go of his original theory that Light Yagami was Kira. However as Miya squeezed his shoulder, L found himself wishing for the first time in his life that his deduction was wrong.