I wish to take this time to do a couple of things. First, reiterate that I do not own these characters (well I own one of them). The rest, and the basis of this story belong to Ohba and Obata. I also want to thank all the wonderful people who have read and especially those who have taken the time to review and let me know what they think. A special shout out goes to Dragonrider 4000, Rainy-Lullaby, CabooseBlue who have been with me from the beginning and a welcome to Ray-nee-chan, Bluepaintedfreak and Salemthemuffin for their recent reviews!!! I hope you keep reading and enjoying, it brings me great joy to share this and know others enjoy it as well!! Thank you!!!
Chapter 30
Mello had managed to evade the couple after they'd pulled up in front of the theatre by running into the theatre, intermingling in the crowd, running out of a side door and hid out for a while behind the theatre. After waiting a while he came back around the building and found the car was gone and he relaxed. Next he needed to find a phone. He really needed to talk to Matt.
Christine's office phone rang startling her as. The office phone didn't ring that often and it was a lot louder that her cell phone. Roger needed something.
" Dr. Thompson."
"Would you accept charges for a call from Mello?" queried an operator's voice and Christine's heart leapt into her throat and she stopped breathing for a moment.
"Oh of course, of course I'll accept them. Mello…Mello are you there?" she heard a chuckle and the unmistakable snap that gave her the answer.
"Good afternoon Dr. Thompson thanks for taking the call."
"Of course I'd take it, oh my God Mello are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Dr. Thompson don't worry. But I need to talk to Matt and I knew if I called you it would be okay." The Dr. smiled at the phone.
"Yes, I'll get him, don't move." She said and put the call on hold before running out of the office.
Matt practically flew thru the hallways and to her desk. He snatched the phone, hit the hold button and frantically yelled into the phone. Christine stood at the door and then decided to walk a little way down the hall.
"Mello? Talk to me!!" he cried. He too got the chuckle Christine had received and he sighed deeply.
"Hey Matty, didja miss me?"
"Miss you? I want to kill you. Why did you leave me like that, to have to deal with L's death without you around? "
"I'm sorry Matt, I guess I didn't really think that far ahead. Are you alright?"
"Fine time to ask now. But yes I'm fine. If you were here you'd know. How are you?"
"Actually things are working for me so far. It's a start to getting me to Japan."
"Mello, listen to me. You need to come back, things have happened you don't know about, L has left things behind…"
"I don't care what L left behind. He left us behind that's all that matters."
"Oh come on Mello you're acting as if L had a choice in dying or not. He didn't leave us on purpose."
"I know he didn't set out to die on us, but he did. He didn't take enough care, he was L for chrissakes."
"He was still human, Mels. Listen, he left us a video message on the computer, you really need to see it."
"NO!" Mello's shout was so loud Matt had to pull the phone away from his ear.
"Mello stop being so stupid and just listen! He left us money; if you come back you can get your share and use it to help find Kira! Near and I…."
"Near and you? You've been working with Near?" Mello spat out.
"Ofcourse, that's what L wanted wasn't it? It's the only way we're going to get this done, Mello no matter what you think."
"Let Mr. Wonderful figure it out on his own. You work with me, Matt not with Mello. "
"That's hard with you not being here! You can't leave me and then order me around Mello. We're working with Dr. Thompson too, you can't expect me to just quit just because you have a problem with Near." Mello was quiet on the other end for a minute and then Matt heard a very deep sigh.
"Fine. But when I call you need to let me know everything you find out, right?" It was Matt's turn to sigh.
"Why don't you just come back, Mello? It's weird without you here driving me crazy." Mello was quiet again.
" I feel the same. But I have to do this my way, I can't explain to you why, but I do. I'm sorry. I promise when I get settled I will send for you."
"But Mello, the money you could use the money…"
"I don't want L's money. Matt I have to go. I called to let you know I'm okay, I'm going to be okay and I'll call again soon." Mello struggled with how to tell Matt what he felt he needed to.
"Matt, I…."
"I know, Mello, I know. It's okay, I guess. Just don't forget you've left me here."
"No fucking way, Matty. Look, I gotta go. Tell Dr. Thompson good-bye for me and I'm sorry I've worried her, okay? "
"Okay, Mels. Bye."
"Later." And he hung up. Matt stood with the phone in his hand for a few moments and then hung it up. Christine walked slowly back into the office and looked at Matt. He looked up at her and smiled.
"He's alright, Dr. Thompson. He won't listen and he won't come back. He's just Mello. He did apologize for worrying you though."
"I didn't think he would come back, I just hoped he was alright. Did you tell him that L left him a trust." Matt nodded.
"I tried to use that as a way for him to come back, at least to get what was left him and then he could use it to do what he wanted but he didn't want L's money he said." Christine sighed.
"I think he feels L betrayed him by dying somehow. Mello's angry with L and he's never going to heal if he doesn't come to terms with that. Are you alright?" Matt nodded and started to speak, and then stopped. Christine waited; she had an idea what he wanted to say.
"Dr. Thompson this is hard for me to talk about, but Mello and I…we started…I mean, we are more than just friends…" Christine smiled and nodded.
"I know, Matt. I figured that out a while ago. It's fine." Matt slid his goggles from his eyes and looked deeply into Christine's.
"Do you think it would have been alright with L? Would he have been upset with us if he knew?"
"Matt, he knew. And it didn't faze him at all. I remember he said as long as you two were happy. It made no difference to him at all, he still cared. So please don't let that worry you." Matt smiled and nodded and took a deep breath.
"Back to work. I'm surprised Near hasn't come after me already." He walked to the door then stopped and turned around.
"Thank you, Dr. Thompson, for everything not just today. I know you and L were very close, but you were still able to do what you did for him and for us. I just thought someone should say thank you." He smiled again and walked out. Christine knew she would remember that moment always.
Time began to move very quickly. It had seemed to have stopped from the time Christine had read those three words on the computer screen until now, but now as they all were working on the Kira case, there seemed not to be enough hours in the day. He and Near were working almost constantly from the moment they were out of classes and there were many times when Christine had to throw them out of L's apartment and to bed. She watched as they healed, reveled in the return of Matt's crazy sense of humor and Near's sardonic wit when he let it loose. She on the other hand was dealing with her own demons. She knew she could not get past L's death until Kira was dead. She knew it wasn't particularly healthy, but that's what it was. She didn't want him caught, she wanted him dead. Perhaps then she could truly let L go. She wandered into L's bedroom while the boys were working and sat on the bed. She looked around the room, the pictures on the wall, all of outside areas, beaches, parks, sea scapes all spoke to her of someone who was constantly inside and yet adored the outside. She stood and ran her hand over his dresser where there were several bowls of candy and a hair brush…which she wasn't sure he ever used. She would watch him get out of the shower and simply run his fingers thru it a few times; when he wasn't shaking it at her like a dog, but she never saw him brush it.
"Dr. Thompson?" she looked up out of her reverie to see Near at the doorway.
"Yes, Near what's up?" she asked.
"I think you need to see this." She followed Near into the main room and to the computer. He had pulled up headlines and she read the top line…
"L Creates New Rules for Police and Media Forbidding the Release of Criminal's Identities" she stopped and reread it and then looked to Near and to Matt, taking in their confused and stricken faces.
"Oh my God, someone is pretending to be L!"she whispered reading the whole article.
"It is my belief that the Japanese Police Force is behind this. They are the only ones other than ourselves that is aware that L is dead."
"But why do this? Don't they realize that there would be people that L worked with that would know?"
"Dr. Thompson L never showed his face to anyone. His voice was always synthesized in his phone calls and appearances. How would they know?"
The anger began to build in Christine so quickly she almost couldn't control it. How dare they think they could just replace L like this? With who? Some jackass who has the audacity to believe he could possibly take L's place? "
"They can't do that, they can't just pretend that L didn't die, that he's interchangeable like a nondescript piece of machinery!! "
"I think their hearts are in the right place, Dr. Thompson, it would cause a major uproar if it were announced that L was dead, especially knowing he was fighting Kira. I can understand what they were probably thinking." Matt said, reaching out and touching Christine's shoulder.
She took a deep breath and looked at him. "This is what I didn't want, don't you understand, Matt? L being treated as if he were nothing more but a letter, a title when he was so much more. I promised myself I wouldn't let him be treated that way!"
"Is it that much different than if it were Near or I taking it over? The world will never know that L was that crazy guy with the wild hair and big eyes. The world has no idea who L was or is. They only know that letter. The problem is that someone who has no idea of what it truly takes to be L is pretending to be something they can't really be. Near is the true heir to L and we need to fix that as soon as possible. But in the meantime, I think it's probably a good thing that they don't let it get out that L is gone."
"And the people who knew L, really knew L, know he was more than that letter and because of you all of Whammy's knows it as well. But Matt is right about everything else," Near said quietly, "And now we need to find out who this L is on top of everything else because ultimately we're going to have to work with him to find Kira before I relieve him of his role." Christine turned and looked at Near. He was staring at the computer screen, hand in his hair with a look on his face that told her he was deadly serious about taking the role of L back from whoever had it. She took a deep breath and smiled.
"Alright, I guess you're right, after all. I think I'm going to go to my place. If anything else exciting comes up, don't hesitate to let me know. But please don't be up too late." They both nodded and she left them to their work.
She never expected that someone else would have the nerve to pick up L's mantle, it was just wrong whatever the reason. But she knew Near would get it back eventually, she had heard the resolve in his voice and there was no questioning that, and it couldn't happen soon enough.
