To my readers, I know this is a rather fast update, but because of the subject matter, I had to get it done, I had to get off my heart, it just wouldn't let me alone. It's a rather long chapter, I hope it will affect you as much as it did me. Onward…
Chapter 52
Christine brushed off the light snow around both Watari and L's headstones. She made sure all the broken branches and debris were removed from the actual graves. On top of everything else she had made herself caretaker of their graves, and since she spent a lot of time out there talking to L she figured it should be her job.
She sat between the graves, drawing her knees up to her chest for warmth and talked to L. She told him of her last phone call to the boys, that they all seemed to be closing in on Kira and best of all, they seemed to be helping each other, even if that wasn't the original intent. She always felt peace while she out there, but this time she seemed to sense a little unease, maybe even worry. She reached out and touched L's grave as if that would give her a better idea of what was happening.
"Excuse me, Dr. Thompson?" she looked up at the sound of the young voice and smiled. It was Michael, the young one who was so interested in parapsychology and her next candidate for an heir for Near. She stood and walked over to where he stood. He always seemed to have a huge book on his favorite subject clutched against his chest.
"Yes, Michael, what can I do for you?" she asked brushing herself off.
"Well, I wanted to thank you for introducing a class in the paranormal and how it relates to criminology into our curriculum, I am really enjoying it."
"I'm glad Michael. I just thought that perhaps you had a point and Roger and I searched around for someone who could teach that kind of class. It wasn't easy but we did find someone. Is she adequate in your opinion?"
"She's bloody marvelous…..oh, sorry." Michael said, blushing slightly. Christine laughed and patted his back.
"It's okay, Michael I'm glad you're that excited about it. But you didn't have to come all the way out here to tell me that." Michael looked around and specifically at the two graves.
"I've noticed that you come out here quite often. I asked around and found out who was buried here. You were very close to the original L and his assistant?" Christine nodded and smiled sadly, her eyes moving to the graves.
"Yes, they were very dear to me, very dear."
"Do you feel close to them when you're here?" he asked.
"Oh yes, and I never believed that was possible before. I don't understand it, but I really do."
"That's part of what I've been studying on my own. The belief that the dead can communicate with the living telepathically. You don't really hear their voices, do you Dr. Thompson? But you do sometimes feel they have said something to you, don't you?"
Christine looked down at the small, inquisitive face. She couldn't believe she was actually having this conversation with such a young child, it was definitely like talking to Near.
"Yes, Michael I truly do sometimes feel L says things to me. I hear his voice in my head. Ofcourse I'm not completely sure it's not just my own need to hear him making me hear him." Michael shook his head and sat down on the ground in front of her, frantically flipping through pages.
"There is a strong belief that the dead will communicate with loved ones left behind, especially in moments of great stress or turmoil", he read "It is believed that if the departed one feels guilty for leaving the loved one behind, especially if it was a sudden, unexpected death, and does not want to leave that loved one completely alone. There have been several studies on these phenomena, all of which come to the same conclusion. Others, ofcourse, chalk it up to the loved one needing to hear the deceased so desperately they create scenarios and conversations in their own minds to give them peace." He looked up at Christine.
"There are plenty of studies that agree with you, Dr. Thompson, to give credence to your belief."
"And as you read, there are probably just as many that believe its self made." Michael closed the book and stood up again.
"What do you believe, really Dr. Thompson?" With the reality of all the other things in the world, she knew it was certainly possible she was communicating with L, she knew she desperately wanted to believe it.
"I know I want to believe it, Michael, with all my heart I want to believe it."
"Then I believe that's all you need for it to be true. You have to believe in it, make sure your mind is open to it. They can't get through unless your mind is open."
"It's getting a bit chilly, Michael, walk with me back to the building?" she asked and he nodded. "When did you start getting so deeply into the paranormal?" she asked. She watched as a cloud passed over his face and he clutched the book closer to his chest.
"My mom was really into it, she used to tell me she saw family members a lot, spoke to them a lot and for me never to be afraid if it happened to me, that they would never hurt me. When she got sick and was dying she promised me that she wouldn't really be leaving me, she would always be there, all I had to do was make sure I was open to her and believed it. She was right, Dr. Thompson, she hasn't completely left me. She talks to me often, it isn't the same as having her here, but it's better than nothing. So I've been studying it ever since, and when Roger brought me here it gave me more ways to study it." By that time they had reached the front doors and Christine looked down into his suddenly troubled face.
"Come on into my office, this is definitely hot cocoa weather." Christine said to him and he nodded gratefully, smiling up at her…
Near watched the advertisement for the upcoming New Year's Eve spectacular, that was going to feature the comeback of Misa turned to Rester and explained what he wanted and Rester agreed, getting in contact with Lindner. This was step one in putting Kira in his corner.
Mello and Matt sat in the room he had acquired for them, another dumpy place as Matt put it. Mello watched Matt light another cigarette and get back to his video game as he worked on the laptop. He had a plan building in his mind, one that if it worked, would force Kira into moving. The problem being he wouldn't be the one reaping the benefit of what Kira would do, Near would. Suddenly it didn't matter whether Near got to Kira first, just as long as he got to him. He'd felt that way since he'd seen and heard L's message. It suddenly just felt so selfish and unproductive to the cause of catching and destroying Kira. The problem was the idea that he had was probably going to result in him dying, or at least be very dangerous. And he needed someone to create a diversion for him so he could get it done. He looked at Matt again and sighed. He knew that Matt would do it if he asked, he just didn't want to ask. What if Matt got hurt? He could never forgive himself, it was a very dangerous thing to ask him to do. But if he didn't do it, it would be harder for Near to be able to get proof on Kira. That was the thing that killed L, not having concrete proof. He would get it, if it killed him he would get it. Kira needed to die.
Near smiled as he saw that L2 was trying to contact him. He had already heard from Rester, the plan had gone exceedingly well and the detained ones were safely, and it seemed, happily secured away.
"Near..."
"Yes, what is it L."
"We have a problem, Mogi and Misa Amane are missing."
"Yes, we're already aware of that. I was the one that took them into custody."
"For what reason!" Near smiled at the anger he could hear in L2's voice.
"Oh, just in case. "
"Near! Kidnapping is a blatant criminal act! You have to stop this now!" L2 nearly shouted.
"Actually, Mr. Mogi and Amane came here willingly. You can even ask them yourself. I'll put them on line now." With a few keyboard clicks Near completed the link to where Amane and Mogi were, complete with picture and sound.
"Mogi, Misa this is L speaking. Near has told me that he is detaining you two and that you both agreed to it, is that true?"
"It is." Mogi answered.
"Actually I was against the whole thing," Misa interjected, "But Mogi told me it would be best if I went along quietly, that we would be killed if we didn't agree."
"Fine, L2 answered, "Its fine if you both agreed to this." He then broke the connection. Near smiled again as the connection was broken. He had now removed the original second Kira from the equation. He was sure that this move was not lost on Light Yagami.
At the same time, Gevanni had made his way into the gym where Mikami consistently went to work out, at 9:00 pm each evening. He then made his way into the locker room, picked the lock of Mikami's locker and his brief case. He knew now he was possibly holding his life in his hands. If he touched the notebook and there was a shinigami guarding it, he would be dead. He took a deep breath and reached into the briefcase and grabbed the notebook. He held his breath and looked around the room in all directions and saw nothing. He slid down to his knees as he began to breathe again, glad to be still be alive.
"Sir, I touched the notebook and I can't confirm the existence of any shinigami at this time." He reported to Near once he had left the building.
"Commander Rester, please connect me to Mogi." Near asked and Rester did immediately.
"Mr. Mogi, according to your investigation of the rules of the notebook, how long can someone be controlled before their death."
"Based on the data we got from the Yotsuba experiments it's 23 days."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'd say that the killings done by Yotsuba were more than enough to prove it."
"Thank you for your assistance." Near answered and Rester cut the connection.
"We have to consider the possibility that Gevanni is being controlled. In that case they could be making him say that there aren't any shinigami. That means I need to confront L in exactly 24 days if Gevanni is still alive till then."
"Mr. Gevanni, I need you to get back to that notebook in a few days. I want pictures."
"Pictures?" Rester asked.
"Yes, I want to see exactly what he wrote in the notebook," Near answered picking up the finger puppet of Mikami, "I want to see the pattern in how Mikami writes, if there are any habits, and what kind of notebook it is. I want to see it all, everything in detail with my own eyes." Gevanni agreed and broke the connection.
It had been three days and Mello had finalized what he planned to do. If everything worked the way he had it written out, Near would have what he needed or he himself would be able to force Kira's hand. Either way, this would be the turning point. Matt came out of the kitchen with two cups of hot cocoa, cigarette dangling at the end of his mouth. He handed on cup to Mello who took it gratefully and took a first tentative sip.
"Careful you might burn your tongue, it's really hot." Matt warned. Mello nodded.
"I figured, that's why I took a small sip." Matt laughed and sat down, moving his cigarette long enough to take a small sip himself. He looked over at Mello who was reading his plans again and decided it was time to ask. He never pushed when Mello was planning things, but it had been two day and he hadn't said a word.
"Can you tell me what it is you're planning?" he asked tentatively. Mello looked up at him and sighed.
"I'm going to kidnap Takada." He said and Matt nearly dropped the cup.
"Are you fucking serious!" he nearly yelled.
"We have to do something to make Kira move, to make him nervous. Like L calling him out on television. He only moves when he's threatened. She's his mouthpiece, you take that away from him and he's screwed right now."
"You realize he'll probably just kill her, I told you that before." Matt cautioned.
"Yes, yes he probably will and that will be the proof we'll need. He'll write her name in that notebook, and when we get our hands on it we can prove it." Matt shook his head.
"How are we going to get that notebook?" he asked.
"I think Near has that figured out from what Halle says, he's got some plan working involving the guy who's doing the killings write now. Ultimately he'll end up with it and he'll need some proof. We've got to provide that." Matt looked at him closely.
"You want to help Near?" he asked a small smile forming on his face.
"Well if I get to it first that would be even better," Mello said smiling, "But the ultimate goal is to kill Kira. Anyway I can do that is what I have to do!" Matt smiled broadly now, put the cup down and ran over to where Mello was sitting. He grabbed him and kissed him.
"Mello that's brilliant. I've been hoping you'd come to your senses about this. It's because you saw the message isn't it?" Mello looked away for a moment and then nodded slowly.
"L wouldn't want us at odds with each other, and if I loved L I have to try to respect his wishes somehow. My problem is that she's surrounded by tons of guards, I need a distraction." Matt stood up and saluted.
"Distractions are my specialty mon ami!" he said laughing.
"Matt this isn't funny! These people think she's their goddess, they kill people for just looking at her the wrong way. If you're not careful they will kill you Matt, they'll kill you!" Matt stopped laugh and sat back down and stared deeply into Mello's eyes.
"I know that, Mello I'm not stupid. They could kill you too if they catch you. I will tell you right now if anything happens to you I will not stay here alone. If they kill you I will make sure I get killed too, I'm not ever going to be without you again, do you understand that?"
"Matt that's ridiculous.." Matt grabbed Mello's face and held him in place as he kissed him deeply.
"I'm not living without this. I've done that for almost 5 years, waiting for you to send for me. I'm not doing it for the rest of my life. You will either make it through this, or we die together. Understood?" Mello nodded and wrapped his arms around Matt, close to tears.
"Alright, Matt. You have to be careful; I'm not planning on living without you either. I don't think I could, not any more." Matt nodded than sat back, and lit another cigarette. He suddenly started laughing.
"What are we, a fucked up Romeo and Juliet?" He asked and Mello had to laugh with him.
"I'm not worrying about it because this is planned down the moment and should work," he pointed down at the paper, "There is an abandoned church about 10 minutes away in this direction. That's where I'll take her and you meet me there when you get away from her assholes. I'm going to steal a truck and park it here and that's where I'll take her to transport her to the church. You need to get your hands on a car…" he then proceeded to explain what he thought would be a good plan for Matt to make a diversion and Matt agreed.
"Alright, tomorrow I'll get what we need and we'll get it done." Mello grinned and leaned over and kissed Matt.
"Yes we will, and that will bring the end of Kira. Now, I need to call Lindner, I will need her help in directing Takada." Matt nodded and watched as Mello made the call. He was serious about what he said, he couldn't imagine living without Mello, not after the time they had been spending together. He thought about Christine and how she had survived without L, but that had been different. She had the three of them to keep her busy, the kids at Whammy's too. He had nothing but Mello, nothing. So he'd either live with Mello for the rest of his life, or die with him, it was that simple. He took another drag on his cigarette and made his own plans for the job.
Near looked at the pictures Gevanni sent him on the many screens in front of him and smiled.
"Yes, excellent work Gevannni. The writing matches the writing in Mikami's legal notes, yes this is definitely his writing."
"I agree," Rester said, looking at all the pictures of the pages of the notebook.
"I can now be sure that the plan will work." Near said continuing to admire Gevannis work. He didn't notice Lindner getting up from her desk and going into the next room, a look of almost horror on her face as she listened to what Mello proposed.
After several days of Gevanni continuing to watch Mikami, noting that he was still filling out a page each day after midnight. Near decided that it was time to set up the meeting.
He had Rester connect with L2.
"L?" he asked.
"Yes, this is L. What is it Near?"
"I want to meet you." Near told him.
"What?"
"There's something I want to show you pertaining to the Kira case."
"But, don't you suspect me of being Kira? Do you really think it's wise to reveal your face to me?"
"True, but I can't show you unless I reveal my face. Furthermore, the act of showing my face will prove something and that will bring this case to a close."
"Good. As far as I'm concerned the sooner you realize you're wrong about me the better."
"I wish to lay some ground rules for the meeting" Near added.
"We're willing to go along with anything you want." L2 answered.
"First, I want all the investigators on both sides to be present; in other words everyone involved in chasing Kira should be at the meeting" Near started, placing his finger puppet of himself in front of him on the floor."
"I understand, that will not be a problem."
"As I mentioned before, there are four members of the SPK, including myself. I will also bring Mr. Mogi who is currently staying with us. As for Miss Amane, she will be released right before we meet, she will not be told where we are going." He flicked the puppet of Misa and it fell over. "You can come and meet us once you have confirmed that she has been released. Is that acceptable?"
"Okay, Near I understand. I have a group of five people, but since Mogi is with you, other than me I will be bringing three people."
"Now as to where we will meet," Near pressed keys and produced a picture of a warehouse that he sent to L2 as well, "Daikoku Wharf. There's a warehouse on the outskirts of the southeast side that has been abandoned for some time; it's known as the Yellow Box. I have already taken the liberty of purchasing it. If this arrangement is fine with you, we will use it." How about it, Light Yagami, Near thought to himself, With a location such as this, you can do what I'm sure you've planned to do.
"One more thing," Near added, "This meeting cannot take place unless I have your word that someone will be bringing the notebook."
"Why the notebook?" L2 asked.
"It's quite simple, if your entire team leaves HQ to meet me, then there will be no one left behind to guard the notebook. I can promise you this, I will make no attempts to steal it. In fact, I won't even try to touch it. As long as Mr. Aizawa can state that it is the actual notebook, I am willing to accept his word. However, I do insist that someone other than L hold on to it, my reasons for making that request should be fairly obvious to you."
"Right, I understand, but I'll be the one to decide who holds on to it, does that sound fair?" L2 asked.
"Ofcourse, then all that remains is setting up the time and date. Say three days from now at 1:00 PM?" He could almost see the all knowing smirk that was on L2's face right now.
"That's fine by me, the time doesn't really concern us."
"Well then, 1:00, three days from now."
"Yes." And they both clicked off. Near stared at the finger puppets in front of him.
"Light Yagami, I know what you're planning. I'm going to win."
Matt watched and waited as Takada's motorcade pulled up to the front of the building. He saw Mello on his motorcycle take his predetermined place in the long line of cars. He pulled the red car he had picked up closer to the building to wait for the right time. He lit a cigarette as he watched her car stop alongside the walkway into NHN, watched as she got out and began to wave to the crowd, her goons all around her, cameras flashing. He gunned the motor and pulled out the smoke gun he'd picked up the night before and aimed it out of his window directly at the crowd. The smoke bomb hit the ground, releasing billows of dark gray smoke, almost impossible to see through. He then hit the gas and sped away heading left away from the tv studio, hoping most of the goons would follow him.
Lindner held Takada and pushed her towards the building just as Mello pulled up behind them.
"Don't do it!", he warned, "Look around you. It's not safe for her here, not even inside." He said from inside his helmet, the thick smoke billowing around him.
"It's best if you get her away from here right now. Miss Takada, get on!" he finished gesturing to the back of his motorcycle.
Lindner and Mello looked at each other while she tried to decide which way she was going to go with this.
"NOW!" Mello finally shouted and Lindner nodded.
"You need to go with him. Don't worry, you'll be safe." Takada nodded.
"Right." She answered and turned back to the motorcycle. Lindner helped her on, and Mello sped off with her. Lindner stared after them for a moment and then made another decision. She lifted her arm with the transmitter on her arm and spoke into it.
"Team A and Team B, get on that bike's tail and don't let it out of your sight. The rest of you, find that other assailant."
Mello sped down the street weaving in and out of traffic, dodging and avoiding the black cars he saw behind him. He took a quick left through a very narrow alleyway, making the cars behind him slam into a halt. Once out of their sight he slipped a handcuff on Takada's wrist.
"What are you doing?" she gasped. Mello didn't answer, he just kept driving.
Matt noticed all the cars following him and swerved in and out of traffic trying to avoid them, but they stayed hot on his tail. He swerved onto another street, only to see another line of cars at the very end. He jammed on the brakes, making the car swerve in a complete circle before coming to a halt. Behind him the other cars finally caught up with him, he was totally surrounded. He leaned on the window and surveyed the scene.
So those cars got ahead of me somehow, he thought, how many damned bodyguards does one woman need anyway. He then noticed that every one of those guards had left their cars and they all raised their arms, each one hold a huge gun. He got of the car slowly, his hands up in the air in surrender.
"Hey, come on give me a break! Since when were the Japanese allowed to carry such huge guns! You got me, I'm part of this whole kidnapping incident. That means you'll have a lot of questions to ask.", he looked at them, no answer. "You won't shoot…." And then they did. Every gun went off, all aimed at Matt.
He was dead by the second shot, his lifeless body falling backwards with every bullet that entered it. He slammed against the bullet-riddled car as they ran out of bullets. His body slid down the side of the car and he hit the ground, in a sitting position, his last cigarette falling from his lips, putting itself out in his blood soaked vest.
Mello continued to speed along the street, finding his way to the alley where he parked the stolen truck. He forced her inside and shut the doors behind him. He turned and removed his helmet, staring at his captive.
"Take off everything you're wearing and put it in the box." He ordered. Takada looked down and saw a small open box lying on the floor by her feet.
"Hurry up," Mello ordered training his gun on her, "You can use this blanket." He picked up a blanket lying on the floor and held it out to her. She turned her back to him and began to disrobe. When she got down to her underwear she asked if she could have the blanket to cover herself before she removed the rest. Mello thought for a moment. In reality he would like nothing better than to have her completely humiliated, she deserved nothing less working for Kira. He sighed, Matt wouldn't want him to be that cold, looking at her he could see that right now she was nothing more than a terribly frightened woman and most likely she would be dead soon; he could afford her a little comfort.
"Whatever you want." He said and threw the blanket at her, watching her carefully as she removed her bra and panties, but he didn't notice the piece of the death note that she pulled from her bra and secured inside her fist.
When she had finally finished, Mello took the box and left the back of the truck, locking the cargo door behind him. He got into the cab and pulled on the trucker's uniform he had also stolen, complete with hat. He then drove to the garage where he stole the truck, parked, closed up the box and took it into the garage placing it among other boxes that were waiting to be delivered, the bib of the hat covering his face. He then got back into the truck and pulled out, heading for the abandoned church.
This is the only thing that can be done, he thought to himself, if I don't do it…he was interrupted by the TV in the dashboard as it told of the shooting of one of the kidnappers. He stared in horror at the bullet riddle car that Matt had been driving. His hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly he didn't have feeling in his fingers any longer. He felt as if his heart would explode from his chest the pain was so great.
"Matt, I never thought you'd be killed, I'm sorry." He said to the screen, holding back the tears that threatened to obscure his vision of the street. He didn't think he'd live through this anyway, so he wouldn't be without Matt for long. And if he did manage to do this without dying, he would follow him anyway. It was his fault he was dead, there was no way he could live with this guilt, without Matt.
He pulled off the highway and found his way to the abandoned and destroyed church, pulling into what was left of the building. As he turned the motor off the first pain hit him. He grabbed his chest, and grabbed the rosary that Matt had given him. He held onto it as the pain worsened, feeling as if his chest would explode. He thought of L, knowing now how he had suffered, and then thought of Matt, praying that it had been quick, and that he would soon be joining both of them. With his final breath he whispered Matt's name, the last thing he heard was the glass behind him that led into the cab shattering, and he knew Takada was coming in…
Near watched in horror as the kidnapping unfolded in front of him. What was Mello thinking to pull something like this? And how would it affect the plans he had made. The cameras lost track of Mello's motorcycle, but helicopters and news trucks were able to keep up with the car and he knew it was Matt. He watched as they surrounded the car and held his breath as Matt got out of the car. He let it out when he saw Matt in a surrender position, at least he was smart enough not to fight….and then the hail of bullets began. It was all he could do to keep from crying out as he watched his lifelong friend's body be riddled with bullets and finally fall to the ground. There was no way he lived through that onslaught, no way in hell. He couldn't control the trembling that was going through his body right now, all he could do was control the scream that wanted to escape. Matt had just been murdered in front of him, the same Matt that had been with him as long as he could remember, the same Matt that he fought for L's attention and hugs, the same Matt who held him as he cried over L's death, and that he held when Matt did the same. The same Matt who sat by his side for hours on end trying to find the information they needed to begin the case to find Kira. The people in the crowd began to cheer as it was clear that Matt was dead, shouting death to those against Kira. As the cameras pulled in tighter to Matt's body, Near found he couldn't look anymore or he would lose control completely. Rester could see the change in Near's demeanor and walked over to him.
"Did you know him, Near? Someone from the Whammy's House?" Near nodded, staring at his toys.
"His name was Matt, he was Mello's partner. I was always closer to him than Mello, this shouldn't have happened. What is Mello trying to do?" His pain turned to anger and it cleared his head. He knew what he had to do, Light would probably think this was his doing. He had to make sure he realized it hadn't been him or it would jeopardize everything.
"Rester connect me to L immediately." He ordered and Rester moved to do so.
"L, I am not the one who kidnapped Takeda." He said as soon as they were connected.
"Is that so? Then it had to be Mello."
"Yes, that's right. I have to be honest with you, I had one of our members escorting Takeda and they confirmed it, Mello was the one who kidnapped Takeda. I apologize for letting this happen when one of us was guarding her."
"Near, don't you have a way of contacting him?"
"No, there's no way I can reach him. Although I do have a method of having some contact with him, there is no way he would respond in the current situation." L2 broke the connection, obviously in anger. Near sighed, wondering again what Mello was up to.
Lindner knew where Mello had said he was going to take Takeda and she drove there as quickly as she could, hoping she'd get there before he did anything stupid. She gasped as she pulled closer to the old church, realizing it was completely engulfed in flames. She pulled closer and jumped out of the car. She could see the truck within the building totally covered in flames.
"Oh no, Mello…." She whispered. She stared a moment longer, then jumped back into the car, she heard another car approaching. She pulled out of the way and observed. She could see Aizawa and Ide in the front seat, and Light Yagami in the back seat, and he was smiling.
Near watched the broadcast that announced that unfortunately, one of the bodies found in the fire was identified as Kyomi Takada, and while the second body had not been identified, they believed it to be that of the kidnapper. He lowered his head and sighed. He never wanted Mello dead, and yet now he was. Now it was down to just him, everyone else was gone. He felt totally and utterly alone now, there was only one other person who shared his past, his history, and now he had to hurt her more than he ever wanted to.
"Commander Rester, I need you to make arrangements to pick up Mello and Matt's bodies and make sure they are shipped back to the Whammy's house. They should be buried at home with L. Please excuse me, I have to make a private phone call. When I return, please make sure I am connected to L2." Rester nodded and got to work as Near got up and left the room.
Christine was just finishing her first cup of coffee when her cell phone rang. She frowned when she saw who it was, wouldn't it be about one in the morning in Japan? Perhaps Near had good news, he'd captured Kira! She answered the phone with great excitement.
"Near! What's happening to make you call as such an early hour?" She didn't get an answer right away so she asked again, "Near? What's happening?"
"Dr. Thompson, where are you right now?" he asked first.
"Still sitting in my living room, finishing my coffee. Why, what's the matter?" she didn't like the tone of his voice.
"First I need to tell you that Mello and Matt have helped ensure that we will take Kira down in just a matter of hours now." Christine smiled.
"You mean you worked together? Oh that's brilliant Near, I'm so glad!" she said happily.
"But, it came at a great price, Doctor."
"A great price? What do you mean?" she asked, fear beginning to creep into her chest.
"Dr. Thompson, Matt and Mello…are dead." It was as if her ears stopped working, there was a loud, screaming roar in them that she couldn't hear through.
"Near…what did you just say?" she whispered.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Dr. Thompson, but Matt and Mello died in helping me. They died." He finally broke, the tears he'd been holding back finally falling from his eyes, quiet sobs finally escaping.
"No…Near that' can't be. Not both of them, Near please tell me…" but she heard the quiet sobs through the phone and realized it had to be true.
"What…what happened, Near.." she whispered, disbelief still holding her together.
"They kidnapped Kira's spokesperson, they knew it would make Kira move, but Matt was shot by her body guards and Mello died in a fire that started where he was holding her. I made arrangements for them to be sent home, Dr. Thompson, they should be buried with L." That was when Christine lost control, buried with L.
"Near…I have to go." She said into the phone and disconnected. Her whole body began to shake, her boys, her beautiful boys. She looked up at the mantle, the picture she took in LA staring back at her, their broad smiles seemingly mocking her pain. She screamed then, clutching her chest as if her heart was breaking within it, crying like she had never cried before. Not both of them, god no not both of them, this just wasn't fair, it wasn't right. How could this happen, how? She stood up and ran out of the door, down the hall and out of the building. She didn't stop running until she reached L's grave. She fell on it, screaming no and sobbing uncontrollably.
"L you have to help me with this, I can't take this, I can't handle this." She cried falling to her knees and staring at the headstone, "How can I deal with this, I can't, I just can't.." she cried, her arms wrapped around herself. Then she suddenly felt warmth, she felt two familiar arms wrap around her and pull her against his chest. She looked down and saw the familiar white shirt covered arms around her, felt his chest against her back as he held her tight. Then she heard the sounds of quiet crying, as she leaned against him, looked up and saw his face, she could see tears running down it, his head bowed as he held her, the raven hair hanging down over it. She didn't question it, she just melted into his arms as he held her, cried with him at their shared loss.
"Dr. Thompson! Dr. Thompson are you out here?" she heard Roger's voice call from the distance. She felt the arms withdraw, felt his fingers caress her face and then he was gone, just as Roger came into view. She cried harder now that L had left her, she felt completely alone and lost. Roger came to her and reached down and helped her up.
"Near just called me, I'm so sorry Dr. Thompson, I so very sorry." He told her and held her against him as she continued to cry. She hadn't had a moments thought to put on a coat so he tried to move her inside.
"No…no I have to stay with L, he needs me to say here with him, I need him with me!" she cried fighting him off.
"Christine, you have to come inside. L wouldn't want you to stay out here and get sick, it's freezing out here. Please, come inside with me." He pleaded. She looked up at him and nodded, not having the strength to fight anymore. She turned and looked at the grave again, hoping to see him there but he wasn't. But he had been, he had been there when she needed him the most.
