Hope you all enjoyed the interview chapter, getting to know more about the boys and how they feel about L and being the heirs is important to how they react later on. From now on we get into the serious story line that will eventually lead to the Kira case. Thank you all for reading and special thanks for those of you who bother to review. It makes me very happy to know that there are readers who enjoy this story that is so very close to me. Thank you again.

Chapter 10

Watari sipped his tea and looked out across the lawn watching the kids play. He was sitting with L on the roof terrace. It was a beautiful summer day and he managed to get L away from the main computer for a little fresh air. He turned his gaze towards his young ward and sighed. The detective was sitting his usual way, a thumb against his lips as he also watched the children. Even though L's eyes were focused on the children, he knew that the detective's mind was far away. It was at least five years away, dwelling on a situation that had been out of his control and yet Watari knew the boy took all the blame and guilt for it. No matter how often Watari tried to tell him that he had no control over how insane Beyond Birthday had been, L still felt that if he'd done something differently things would not have gone so wrong.

And now there had been two murders that had flown into L's radar. As he was constantly on the lookout for Beyond, he had set his computer to track any murders that happened anywhere in the world, and especially any that appeared to be odd in any way. L knew that when Beyond decided to get his attention again, he would do it in a way that would make sure L would know it was him. The first had been unremarkable, a man, freelance writer apparently drugged and strangled with a rope. What had made it stand out were the four straw dolls that had been found at the scene. Just simple little straw dolls that had been nailed to the wall. At the second murder scene, the victim had also been drugged and then killed with a blow to the head with a bat like object. And there had been three dolls at that scene. This told L that he was being given a message. There were to be 4 murders, murders that he could not stop because he had no idea what was making Beyond choose each person. All he knew for sure was that it was Beyond.

Watari had made L get away from the computer for a few minutes. He had become increasingly agitated and had closed himself from everything except what was running on those screens in front of him. He had not seen L behave that way in a very long time, and it bothered him to see the young man so upset. He knew there was nothing he could do to calm him so he literally took his arm and brought him outside to the terrace, refusing to listen to his protests. Watari knew the finding of the second victim had caused L his greatest grief over the situation. The victim had been a 13-year-old girl.

Now L merely sat and stared in the direction of the children. His cup of coffee untouched, even the cakes next to it still lay on the plate. He had at first been angry when Watari had forced him away from the computer, but in reality it had been a good thing. L had allowed himself to get too emotional over what had happened and it was clouding his thinking; his judgment. He hadn't been sure what to do next he had just been staring at the crime scenes, horrified at the body of the child and feeling he was responsible in the end. He had let Beyond get away, he had let Beyond fester and become what he was. And it had begun under his own nose, in his own home and he didn't see it. The turmoil began to fester inside of him again, but he was careful not to let it show. He knew Watari would see it immediately and he didn't want to talk about it right now, he couldn't. Watari already knew everything anyway, but he knew his guardian would want to try to help him but there was only one-way to help this. He had to find Beyond as soon as possible. But right now, he didn't know how. He sighed, he'd wasted enough time, and he had to get back to work. L stood up and felt Watari grab his arm.

"L….."

"I need you to make arrangements for us to go to LA." The detective answered gently pulling his arm away. Watari stood up himself and faced L.

"No." he said quietly, but firmly. L's eyes narrowed as he stared into the eyes of his guardian.

"What do you mean, no?"

"I mean no, L. Not this time. You haven't your wits about you and I'm not about to let you go charging into LA without them. You know that's exactly what B is waiting for you to do. You are not some nameless, faceless mysterious detective to him. He knows who he's looking for, he knows the way you operate and where you'd most likely set up your headquarters when you arrive. You cannot go on this one L. I will not allow you to march right into B's hands when God knows what he would do to you if he caught you."

Watari could almost feel L's anger coming off of him in waves. It would be the first time he had ever said no to L since he was a child, but he was standing firm on this one. L was not himself at the moment and could not be trusted to act in what would be best for him. He reached out and grabbed L by both of his arms.

"Use that intellect that you're so proud of and I know you have. You are not thinking clearly right now, you know that. You know I would never do this if I didn't think it was in your best interest."

"I am not a child anymore, Watari." L said, his voice not far above a whisper but deadly cold, "No one knows B like I do, I have to go there. And I do not need you to keep me from danger."

"I wouldn't do that L, if this were anyone else. You need help with this one; you need to stay far away and detached from this. If you go out there B will find you and kill you, if not worse."

"B already knows where I am. If he wanted to find me and kill me.."

"L he knows it would be nearly impossible to reach you here. Whammy's is a virtual fortress when it needs to be. You know that as well." He continued to stare directly into L's huge eyes, waiting for the change in them that would signify he was understood and agreed with. Finally when he thought he might have to come up with something else, they softened and lowered, his shoulders rounding and his hands finding their way into his front pockets. With that Watari removed his hands from L's arms and stepped back.

"Now, go back to your desk, I'll bring your cakes down and get you fresh coffee. Go over your many contacts, I'm sure there is one perfectly suited to help you with this who can maintain a cool head and keep you informed of what's happening."

L sighed deeply. Watari always had the ability to make him feel like a child again, but this time he had to admit he needed it. He had already admitted to himself he was not thinking clearly, and he had just proven it. He looked back up at Watari and nodded, getting a smile in return. He turned and headed back to his apartment.

True to his word, Watari was down in no time with his cakes, and pouring him a fresh cup of coffee. This time he filled it with sugar and cream and took a sip. He felt a bit calmer then he had a few moments ago. He decided to go through some names; it would have to be someone new. Someone who had excellent deductive powers as well. They would have to keep on their toes to stay ahead of B and stay alive.

Watari stood behind him for a time, watching silently as he flipped through screens of information, names and pictures. He gently put a hand on his shoulder, squeezed it softly and then pulled it back as he walked away from L. He knew this calm would only last as long as it took for the next murder to happen and he didn't know how much longer L would listen to him. He might need a little help on this one, as much as L did. He quietly left the apartment and headed to Dr. Thompson's.

Christine had been out on the lawn enjoying the warm August sun and watching the children run riot through the yard. Well, most of them anyway. Near stayed inside, not far from the doorway so he could watch everyone, as he built a new fort out of dice. Matt lay in the grass with his video game out in front of him, goggles over his eyes to protect his eyes from the sun. Mello, on the other hand, was running all over the place with the others, screaming, occasionally swearing, and laughing. At one point, however, he was running so fast that he lost his footing and fell, sliding forward on his face eating grass at an alarming rate. He ended up face down in front of where Matt was lying, which meant Ofcourse that Matt totally collapsed into hysteria, laughing so hard Christine could see the tears running down his face. Mello continued to lie in the grass, not moving for a few moments. Christine jumped up and ran towards him thinking he may have knocked himself out. When she arrived and got down on the ground and called his name, he slowly lifted his face up and spit grass at her. She fell backwards onto her butt and started laughing along with Matt. If someone had told her she'd have a job where she'd be sitting in the grass laughing her ass off at a rude kid a year ago she would have had that person committed. And yet here she was, and she was loving every minute of it.

She finally got up, brushed herself off and decided it was definitely time for a shower. She stopped by her office to make sure no one was looking for her and then headed up to her apartment. Everyone knew she was always available, even when technically she was done for the day, but it was rare when anyone seemed to need her in the evening. So generally her evenings were all to herself. Unless Ofcourse it was an evening she spent with L.

When she got to her place, the first thing she did was kick off her shoes, and walk over to a cabinet where she kept her favorite wine. On one of her shopping excursions into town she bought several bottles so she'd always have some for those moments when she wanted a glass to relax with. Tonight would be one of those nights after a long shower.

Or maybe one before the shower and a couple afterwards. She hadn't seen L in a few days so perhaps she'd check on him later as well.

She poured herself a glass and then just as she started to go to her room and undress, there was knock on the door. Thinking perhaps it was L, although he'd never come down to her place yet, she went quickly to the door. She was surprised to find Watari instead.

"Hi, Watari, wasn't expecting to find you at my door." She said smiling.

"I'm sorry to impose on you, but, do you suppose I could come in and speak to you?" he looked very serious so she nodded immediately.

"Please do. Can I get you a glass of wine?" she asked him as he came in. He turned to look at her and a small smile found a place on his face.

"Generally I'd ask for a cup of tea, but because of my subject matter I think a glass of wine would be appreciated." His answer brought a frown to Christine's face, obviously this subject had to do with L, and she immediately worried. She had him sit down as she poured him a glass, handed it to him, and sat down across from him.

"Is there something wrong with L," she asked.

"This is very difficult for me," Watari began, "I would never think of speaking of L's past to someone without his permission, but because of how he's handling this situation which completely relates to an incident in his past, I feel it's important to tell you. I truly believe I am going to need your help with L as this situation progresses. You may be able to reach him in ways I simply can't."

"I..I see. Then please, tell me what's happening." The doctor said.

"I'm sure you know I brought L here when he was very young, not long after he was orphaned. I was going to different orphanages, looking for gifted children who were not getting the focus they deserved. As I had created this orphanage for just that purpose." Christine's eyes widened and she look directly at Watari.

"You created this orphanage? Then you are Quillish Whammy?" he nodded with a smile.

"Watari is my undercover name you could say. As L is for him, Near for Nate, Mihail for Mello…etc. It helps keep us all safe and under the radar."

"But you appear to work for L. Why would you do that?"

"Mostly because L needs someone to be the liaison between him and law enforcement agencies around the world. He cannot be known by anyone it is far too dangerous. Believe me, Doctor Thompson I am experienced in many things that make me a viable help to L and most importantly because I love L as my own son and would never want him out there alone. From the day I brought him here he has been very special to me. I spent all my time with him, helping him learn at the amazing pace he did. I discovered he had an amazing talent and love for deduction and that is how L was born. I have always been there for him and I can't imagine him being anywhere without me at his side. Roger runs the orphanage here administratively, and the money L earns more than covers all it's expenses. Without him I don't suspect we'd be able to run as we do." Christine took this all in and it made perfect sense. She had known there was feeling between the two but she hadn't realized just how deeply it ran.

"When L was about 16 was when we hit on the idea of heirs for the L name. L was not particularly keen about it at first, he saw the first ones we proposed as just waiting for him to drop dead, it was uncomfortable for him. We called the first two at the time A and B. Because L wasn't particularly thrilled with the idea, and he was still very young and not particularly good at dealing with people, he kept his distance from them. On occasion he'd talk to them, tell them they were doing well, but he was very busy and still building the L reputation. He didn't spend a lot of time with them. And, I must say, Roger was very, very had on them; the pressure to be perfect was much greater than it was now. A had a difficult time, he never felt that he was doing things up to par. B on the other hand was almost as brilliant as L. But he also had a problem. We had seen early on that he was…. odd. Seemed to take delight in bullying the younger children, a bit on the darker side of things. But yet he was brilliant and caught on to everything he was being taught.

It came to Ls attention that B had begun to impersonate him whilst we were away. He had been studying L's every move, the way he talked, dressed and every mannerism. B did slightly resemble L so it took very little to complete the illusion that he was L. As L he began to put pressure on A, telling him that he would never accomplish being L's heir, that he wasn't trying hard enough. That he was disappointed in him. He would terrorize the other children as well as L..have them totally frightened of him. When L heard of this we both came back here immediately and he went to Roger to make it known that it had not been him doing these things. And then he went to A's room to assure him none of what B had told him was true." At this Watari paused. He stood up from the couch and walked away from Christine, he took another drink of the wine and sighed deeply.

"L got to A's room and found it covered in blood, A was in his bed, also covered in blood, both wrists slit. L ran to him to see if he was still alive, but it was too late. It was then he was attacked from behind; a frightening cackle filled the air as he was thrown to the ground. He looked up to see his own likeness staring down at him, his eyes red and glowing." At this Christine gasped. She pictured a young L being faced with this kind of horror and it tore at her.

"Red eyes? His eyes were red?" Watari nodded.

"The reason for that is another story, I will relate it later, but right now it bears nothing on what we have to discuss. B held a knife in his hand and lunged at L, telling him how he'd kill him and take over, spinning a tale of how he'd tell everyone that A had killed L out of anger of not being good enough to be him, and then he killed himself in remorse. And now, dear B would be forced to take over sooner than expected. He then lunged at L, who jumped up and tried to get away, but not before B had slashed his back several times. It was then that I came crashing into the room, having been looking for L after talking to Roger, not wanting him to face this alone. Had I not arrived at that time…"he stopped talking, the words sticking in his throat. Christine stood up and came over to him, and touched his arm.

"But you did, Watari, you saved his life. My God, how horrible for both of you! But, what happened to B?" Watari took a deep breath and continued.

"When I came running in and saw what was happening I immediately snatched him off of L and threw him across the room. He smashed into the wall and lay still, I assumed he was out cold. My immediate attention then went to L who was bleeding profusely and was terrified beyond all reason. B got up and escaped out of the window as I was attending to L. Perhaps I should have made sure he was under control before I did but all I could see was L at that moment."

"I can completely understand that, I don't think I would have done anything different." The doctor consoled him.

"Perhaps. But that means that B escaped. L has tried to find him all this time. He's gotten close several times, thru contacts. But B has managed to kill everyone he sent after him. After losing them L decided to stop sending contacts. It wasn't worth the loss of life. And he's been waiting for him to surface again, because he knows B will not stop until he has defeated or killed L."

Christine was already horrified by the story, but now she was worried for L as well. As if he didn't have enough on his shoulders, there was the ever present though that someone was out there waiting to destroy you.

"I take it then he has returned somehow." She ventured. Watari nodded.

"L has always felt the death of A and the creation of the monster B became was his fault for not paying enough attention to the heir program. When it was restarted he was determined never to let that happen again, to make sure the children were not pushed as A and B had been, and to play close attention to them. To make sure everything was alright with the children, that he knew them as well. As you can see with the relationship with the trio and L, he has succeeded.

But the guilt of what happened is on his shoulders and so he has been looking constantly for any kind of clue that B would leave. And he knew it would be murders, and he knew B would leave a clue especially for him to find." Christine walked over to the counter and picked up the bottle of wine. She refilled Watari's glass and her own as she listened to him tell her about the murders in LA, and L's reaction to them and especially the second one.

"I've told you these things because I know you've become a good friend to L, he respects you and enjoys your company immensely. I believe I may have gone as far with this as he will allow me, and if he needs more help it will most likely need to come from you. He will not be easy to deal with and you must remember he will not mean some of the things that may come out. He's simply in more pain than he knows how to deal with. I can count on your help, Dr Thompson?" She smiled and nodded, almost insulted that he had to ask.

"Ofcourse. I think I'll go up and see how he is now. If there has been a third murder I don't think he should be left to his own devices right now." Watari nodded and gave her a grateful smile.

"L is quite lucky to have such a doctor. Now I think I have overstayed my welcome, and should let you get to work. Good night Doctor Thompson, and thank you." He placed the glass on the counter and turned to leave.

"No, Watari thank you for having enough confidence in me to think I could help him. I truly appreciate it." He smiled again and then left her alone to think on what her next move should be.

L slammed his fist down on the desk and angrily pushed himself away from it. It had happened; the third murder. A 28-year-old woman, with no connection to the other two, except for the dolls. And Ofcourse this time there was two left behind. There would be one more. One more person would lose their life and he had to sit idly by and wait. There would be no way of stopping B. He left no clues behind except the one he wanted to. The dolls. Through connections he was receiving all pictures and info from the crime scene as he had from the others. He would print them out and study them later. Right now he had to decide what the hell to do, whom was he going to get to help him solve this? And exactly what was B trying to do? Prove to him how ineffectual he truly was? Discredit him; make him look like a fool? If it was then it was working so far. He did feel like a fool and useless.

He stormed across the room; angry with everyone and everything that was preventing him from catching B and throwing him in jail. He'd gotten away that night and continued to elude him, it was infuriating. What good is it being L when you can't get your hands on one insane killer? He made himself calm down, Watari was right he could not think straight if he was emotional. He had fought long and hard to keep the emotions at bay while working on cases. Most of the time he was able to keep completely detached, even at some of the most heinous crimes he had ever seen. But because this was so close to him, and he felt he was responsible, it was so very hard for him to look at this with a detached eye.

He walked back to his desk and picked up a folder. It was information on an FBI agent. One Naomi Misora by name. She was apparently a very capable agent, but what had gained his attention were her deductive abilities. He had cross-referenced agents, police officers and others with their cases and had come up with several who had solved thru deductive reasoning with very little in clues. He would need someone who could drop everything else and work on this case exclusively and that would not be easy for most of the people he had found. Most had other cases they were working on and would not be able to just drop them. But Naomi Misori was on leave at the moment from the FBI. A situation in her last case had caused her to have to take time away, and that would make her his top pick. He threw the file back on the desk. He hated this, working thru someone else when this case was so personal to him. He turned as he heard the door to his apartment opening. He assumed it was Watari and was quite surprised to see Dr Thompson coming in. He turned his back on her and sat down at his desk.

"It is generally assumed that one would knock before entering someone's apartment." He snapped at her. Christine almost felt as if she'd been hit with an icy wind his voice was so cold. She had never heard him that way, not even when they had first met in her office. But she had been warned.

"I am sorry about that, L. I wasn't thinking I guess." She offered closing the door behind her.

"Dr. Thompson this is not a good time. I would appreciate it if you would leave." He said without turning to face her. Christine built her resolve, she wasn't going to leave him like this but it was obviously going to be a fight. And she thought Mello was tough. She walked towards him steeling herself for whatever he'd come up with.

"Well it has been a few days since we've talked. I thought we'd have some conversation over some coffee and…" She was startled by how quickly L turned towards her, anger beginning to show on his face.

"That is not possible right now, Doctor. I have asked you to leave and I will not ask you again." She decided pretending she didn't know what was happening and trying to take his mind off of it was not going to work. The wall was too great. She stepped closer to him, ignoring the powerful glare that was aimed at her.

"Has there been another murder, L?" she asked quietly. She watched as several emotions crossed his face as he stared up at her.

"Watari! He had no right to say anything to you!" he finally said in that quiet, cold tone.

"Don't be angry with him, L he is very worried about you. He thought you might need someone.."

"I don't need anything except to be left alone! I will deal with this!" He stood from the desk and walked towards her

"I know you can deal with this, when your head is clear and you are thinking unemotionally. I want to help you with that, that's all." He continued to stare at her, and she stared back. He sighed suddenly and walked past her into the main room.

"If you know what this is about, then you know why it is difficult for me to do that." He said finally.

"Yes, I do, and I completely understand."

"No, I do not think you can completely understand the way I feel. To feel responsible for creating the monster he has become, and now these deaths, and one a child. Dr. Thompson there is no way you can understand."

"Alright, perhaps I can't really but I can comprehend the pain you must feel. I do agree with Watari that you have to let it go, and let someone else do the work for you in this. Have you thought that over?" he nodded and faced her again.

"I have found someone who is suitable. I will contact her soon. I feel I am once again putting someone in danger needlessly when I could.."

"No, you couldn't and you know that else you would not have found someone else. I know Watari is like a father to you and there are things you don't feel comfortable talking to him about, he's so close to it all. I'm offering to be the third party, the one not involved that you can bounce ideas off of. Both of you have deep emotions over this B person, I do not and might be able to weigh ideas solely on their merit alone. I am you r friend and I wish to help. Will you let me without a fight? Or do I have to wrestle you to the ground and make you?" She watched as L's eyes comically widened at her last question, and he actually laughed.

"I suppose I must acquiesce with that threat over my head." He said finally and she felt the wall between them finally crumble. She watched his body language relax a bit, and then he walked over to the table and took in the many sweets that were always there provided by Watari. After a few minutes he chose a slice of strawberry cheesecake and he sat down to eat it, fork poised between finger and thumb.

"What you need is a good stress reliever." She said watching him eat. "Something to put all that stress into when it gets really high and threatens to overtake you." He nodded.

"Any suggestions, Dr.? Although I can not imagine anything that would take my mind away from B for any length of time."

Suddenly Christine started laughing and he stopped mid-bite to stare at her.

"I'm sorry, something just crossed my mind. It would definitely take your mind away from him for a little while anyway."

"Really? What could it be?" he asked.

"Sex" she laughed again as she watched the surprised look cross his face.

"Well I imagine it would take my mind off of B for a while. But that isn't a possibility at the moment. Especially as there is no partner available to me." He said.

"What you need is a friend with benefits, L," she said laughing. He raised one eyebrow.

"Explain?" he asked.

"A friend with benefits means someone whom you enjoy being with, trust and have a really good friendship with, that you also have a physical relationship with without the fear of romantic involvement."

L seemed to mull that over a few moments before he spoke again.

"Does this arrangement not cheapen the act, reducing it to the same feelings as perhaps meeting or lunch?"

"Not necessarily, L. If the parties involved are close friends it's a great way for mutual gratification without the messiness of emotional ties. And it's much more fun than just meeting for lunch!" she laughed watching L digest this new material.

"You speak as though you have experience in the matter." Christine felt her face flush and she cleared her throat.

"Well, I am human." she began, "And my career has always been in the way of deep relationships so sometimes it was the best relationship to have."

"I'm not judging you, Doctor, I think it's a good idea as well. It is something I will keep in mind for future reference. Ofcourse I've studied sex in relation to some of my cases, but I have not had the opportunity for practical experience. Romance is also not possible in my life for many reasons."

Christine let that statement sink in. Was L telling her that he was a virgin? Well, actually, when would he have had the time or opportunity in his chosen life? She suddenly felt very bad for him. Perhaps after this case she could get him out to a club or something at night. No one would know who he was, and perhaps he could find someone who wasn't a walking disease factory. She smiled at him.

"You're young, there will be time and opportunities for that after this case is done and over. I will think about other types of stress relief for right now and tell you what I've come up with in the morning. Right now I think that I should let you contact whoever it is who's going to help you with your case and get that started, and I need a shower because I smell like grass thanks to Mello." L started to ask but then decided against it.

"That's probably wise then, Doctor." He answered instead as she stood up to go.

"You know you can call me or come to me at any time." Christine reiterated.

"Yes, and I appreciate it. I have not had that luxury before and I am not 100% sure how to handle it. Probably about 80%. " Christine laughed and went to the door.

"Alright then, I'll talk to you later" she said and went out of the door. For a moment she leaned against it trying to gather her wits. She almost felt like she HAD been wrestling with him for a while. But at least she got through that wall of his, he had let her in finally. She headed for a much needed shower.

L stared after her for a few moments, many thoughts dancing in his head that had nothing to do with the case for a change. He truly wasn't used to having anyone other than Watari to confide in, to talk to. And there were some things that he didn't feel comfortable talking to Watari about, perhaps he could discuss these things with the doctor. She had also brought up a subject that L had never let himself think about. Sex. He had pretty much resigned himself to a life without it; he had told himself he just didn't have the time. And whom could he possibly meet with the life he led. He would constantly be wondering what she was truly after. And yet he was 100% male and human. He'd sat and looked at web sites, movies, pictures and other than making him have to masturbate after a while, he hadn't really learned anything useful. He knew he certainly wasn't a candidate for love and marriage that was out of the question. But it didn't mean he didn't think about what a relationship would be like, especially sexual. He sighed to himself and pushed the thoughts out of his mind. He had to contact Naomi Misora, that was paramount.

He went to his computer and decided what the best way would be without putting himself in jeopardy. He didn't wish to send Watari, B would definitely be on the lookout for him, knowing if he saw Watari L wouldn't be far behind. He decided to leave her a message without leaving a way to track him back. He found and hacked into her email, finding her list of past emails for someone to impersonate. Raye Pember…yes he'd read about him in her files, he was also an FBI agent and her current boyfriend. He would leave a message as if he were Raye to insure she would read it. He couldn't just leave one as L; she'd think it was a joke and delete it. He composed a quick message, also apologizing for doing it that way, and specified a way she could reach him at 9:00 in the morning, and sent it. Now all he had to do was wait until she answered.

He briefly went over the pictures of the crime scenes again, cringing again at the young girl. And something that wasn't mentioned in any of the reports. A letter was sent to the LAPD a week before the first murder. All it contained was a crossword puzzle. He discovered it was a very advanced puzzle so no one in the police department was able to completely finish it. L did, of course, and it pointed out the address of the first victim. He would go over it with Naomi when she contacted him and he had her visit the scenes personally, perhaps they would find more "clues" such as this.

He pushed himself away from the desk and walked towards his sweet table again. Watari came in, bringing him fresh coffee and pastries, letting him know it was far later than he realized.

"Watari, I am not sure I approve of you going to Dr. Thompson." He began. Watari stopped what he was doing and faced L.

"I knew you would not appreciate it, L and I am sorry for seeming to go behind your back. However…" L raised his hand to stop him and surprisingly, smiled at him.

"I said I was not sure I approved of it. I did not say I did not appreciate it. Also, I have contacted one Naomi Misora of the FBI. She should prove to be a great help to me. As you have always been, Watari, and so much more."

The older man was slightly stunned at his ward's words. He couldn't recall L ever saying anything like that to him before. Without thinking he allowed for once his emotions to get the best of him and he found himself taking the young man he considered a son into his arms. Once he realized what he had done he immediately stepped back, afraid he had overstepped his bounds. But what he found when he looked at L was not anger, but a smile and a slight blush on his face.

"I'll finish here and retire, it has been a long day." He said finally and did so, leaving a slightly bemused L behind. His thoughts then turned back to Christine's suggestion. He wondered why it was suddenly plaguing him so much, why he couldn't stop thinking about it. He went over in his head again what she had said, and how she had described what that special friend would have to be. It suddenly dawned on him why the thought wouldn't leave him alone. Everything she had said could be completely applied to her and he knew it. That's why it wouldn't leave him alone; the idea was waiting for him to act on it.

For the first time in his life that he could remember he was afraid to make a move. Everything within him was yelling at him to go down and find out if she would be agreeable. Why wouldn't she be? After all she was experienced in these matters, and he was not. She had made it quite clear that she was his friend, a close friend. It wasn't as if she weren't attractive, she was. He also knew that she was not interested in romance so there was no room for hurt feelings afterwards. Unfortunately his body was also beginning to react to the thoughts his mind was pushing. But what if she turned him down, how would he react to that? He shrugged, it would merely be a disappointment nothing earth shattering and definitely nothing that would hurt their friendship. And if she agreed, there were new levels of friendship for them to explore. Not to mention one hell of a stress reliever, and that was something else he was desperate for. Most importantly, he trusted her explicitly. Something that was necessary to a novice such as himself. He nodded to himself, took a deep breath and went out of the door.

Christine barely heard the knock; it was such a tentative sound. She reached for her robe, as she had changed into her nightgown after her shower, thinking bedtime would be soon after such a busy day. She was quite surprised to see L standing outside her door.

"L? Has something else happened? Come in immediately." She said almost all at once as she ushered him in. He walked in and looked around the rooms he had watched thru surveillance so long ago. Once inside he turned and watched her as she closed the door and came towards him.

"Are you alright?" she asked as closed the gap between them. He nodded and smiled at her.

"Nothing else has happened. I contacted someone who I feel will be of help to me and I should hear from her tomorrow morning. But that isn't why I've come to see you."

"Well, I'm glad to hear you were able to contact someone. Then, if nothing's wrong and I see you didn't bring the chessboard, to what do I owe this special visit?" she grinned at him. L found the smile quite beautiful suddenly, and took a deep breath.

"I was thinking about your suggestion and I decided that your idea was sound. I then began to think of someone who would be a likely friend with benefits, as you called it. You said it should be someone you trust, with whom you enjoy being with. Someone with whom you have a good relationship with, and someone who would understand that there could be no romantic future, that it was for mutual gratification and enhancement of the relationship only. I could think of no other person who so completely fit that description than you, Christine." His hands found their way into his jeans pockets as he stood waiting for her answer.

At first she was simply amazed he had used her first name for the first time. And then the rest of it sank in. L wanted a physical relationship with her, that's what he was saying. She felt her heart pick up speed as the thought solidified itself in her mind. She couldn't truthfully say the idea had never occurred to her, L was quite beautiful in his own right. But knowing what the situation was she had never let it get further than a fleeting thought. As she stood staring into those endless dark eyes, she found she was more than touched that he felt that way about her, that he would trust her with his first time as well. She also realized that he was waiting for an answer. She couldn't imagine what he'd had to go through to get the courage to come down and ask this of her. She was quite warmed by it. In answer she closed the space between them completely, took his face in both of her hands, leaned in and kissed him softly. She almost giggled at how wide his eyes became as their lips touched.

"Hmmmm coffee and strawberry cheesecake. Kissing you is like having dessert." He smiled at her, relief showing in his face.

"This will not affect our friendship then?" he asked quietly.

"Oh yes it will, L. It will make it better, I promise you."