Author's Note: My gosh, I just finished three days of inventory and now I am finished! Talk about exhausting. Especially cause now I have a cold too :S
And the inventory and myself are not the only things that are finished...
EPILOGUE! Last update for this story my people :D
So, the thing is... I was going to have a totally different chapter be the epilogue here (I wrote it and everything,) but I sensed there was going to be too much (oh, what's the word?) displeasure with it. So I've decided to upload it as a one shot and you guys get this for your ending :)
Disclaimer: I do not own a Death Note but I sure wish I did... Some people. Am I right? Ha-ha I kid ;P ...I do not own Death Note or anything remotely associated with it ;)
August 24, 2025.
"What do you think of Joel?" I asked out of the blue. "Or Jaleel?" I chuckled quietly, "Jaleel White was always one of my favourite actors growing up. 'Did I do that?'" I said in a nasally voice, echoing his famous catch phrase. "Or Jett, as in the precious gem," I chuckled again as I made conversation with myself. "What about Jules...?"
"Well you're having a lot of fun with the name thing."
"More than a little," I smiled and winked. "Okay, what about-"
"What about the two of us getting some sleep?" Mello yawned beside me.
"I really want one," I smiled in the dark.
Mello yawned tiredly beside me, "Yeah I know. But can't the names wait until we actually have one?"
'We.' I liked the way that sounded. 'We.'
I chuckled in response and then remembered something. "You know we got a progress report for Marsh today."
"Oh yeah?"
"She's doing perfect work at Wammy's. About the only thing we're waiting for at this point is just for her to be old enough. Near wants to take her on for a trial run next year. Like a practicum you know? She's doing amazingly."
"Of course she is. She's ours."
"Yup, and you're mine," I sighed blissfully. I rolled over under the covers and laid my arm across Mello's chest, my heart and soul swimming in contentment. I nuzzled my nose into Mello's neck and breathed in his intoxicating scent.
A thought occured to me after a second, and using my free hand, I fished around under the covers for just a moment and came out with an old, worn out teddy bear. Virginia, my ever faithful compainion.
I snuggled her into my side and stretched my hand over my head to reach the clock radio. As I did so, the moonlight streaming in from an open window caught and bounced off of a flawless, princess cut diamond on my ring finger. The reflected moonlight cast shooting stars around my room. I leaned over further and hit the radio button on the clock. 'You Want to Make a Memory' by Bon Jovi came through the speakers.
Perfect.
I rolled back, nuzzled into Mello's side, sighed and closed my eyes. As I did I remembered quote from an amazing author, 'You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep at night, because your reality is finally better than your dreams.'
Wise man.
"Hey, Jewel, you asleep?"
I wanted to answer him, but I just couldn't; I was suddenly so tired. A soft sigh was my only response.
I woke up to the sound of a demanding knock at my front door.
"Let us in Jewel. We have a warrant and we know he's in there."
I lolled my head to the side tiredly and smiled when the only thing left of Mello was a piece of paper pinned to his pillow.
'Matt called, they're outside. I'll be back when it's safe. Take care of yourself.'
The next banging was my door being smashed in as the police used their battering ram. I sighed with acceptance, threw my covers off and slid my legs over the side of the bed with my hands in the air. We'd all been through this a number of times.
What followed next was a collection of 'Clear's' and other assorted shouts as the swarm of officers with Kevlar vests and drawn weapons worked their way through my apartment and finally into my room. I checked the LED readout from the clock on my end table. Seven thirty-five; they were getting earlier and earlier.
"Where is he Jewel! Where is he!" a team of them shouted as they burst through my door and scoped the space with their guns.
"Morning Dom," I said to the officer. This wasn't the first time he'd broken into my room with a band of armed constables.
"Where is he Jewel?"
"You've missed him again boys," I smiled, hands still in the air.
"He was here!" they demanded.
"Yes. Yes he 'was.'"
The shouts quieted and the entire group of them gathered in my door frame waiting for new instructions. Dom nodded his head towards them and one by one they all filed out.
When they were all gone, Dom waited a moment and then said, "You know, you can't keep protecting him."
I laughed so hard a tear formed in the corner of my eye. "Me? What have I done? It's not my fault the lot of you keep showing up late."
"Do you know what you can get for harbouring a fugitive?"
"Prove he was here and I'll take my sentence," I said snidely; my lip twitching after a second as I remembered Mello's note. I shrugged it off though, it was only circumstantial evidence.
"You can't keep hiding behind your brother's name either Jewel. You know that right? He can't cover for you forever."
I crossed my arms over my chest and tilted my head up at the officer. "Who's hiding Dom? I'm right here." I unfolded my arms and held them out, wrists together.
"We're setting up a stakeout in your apartment Jewel, and we're staying here until he comes back."
"Idiot, Mello isn't dumb enough to come back while you're here."
"No, but he's cocky enough to think he can."
I smiled once more, because he was probably right.
Dom and his team had themselves set up inside ten minutes. I wasn't even going to bother with the legality of it anymore. Between Mello, myself, Near and Dom's team, we were all breaking so many laws. With me covering for Mello, Near covering for me, and the police staking out my apartment and breaking in at all hours of the morning... The whole situation was just a farce anyway. My own hypothesis suggested that they were merely here to keep up appearances, to make it look like they were actually doing something. That's not to say that they weren't really after Mello, but something told me that at any given point of time they waiting for Mello to come to them instead of the other way around... They were in for a long wait.
I got myself dressed and cleaned up and had breakfast. I was about to say goodbye to them and made my way to the headquarters when I noticed my door hanging limply on its hinges.
"You owe me another door boys. You're lucky my land lady is forgiving. I don't know how many other landlords in the city would appreciate having to replace the same door every other week."
"We'll call a repair man," Dom muttered, inspecting his weapon over my coffee table.
"The number's number eight on the speed dial," I informed, and skulked out my fractured door.
"What've we got? I asked Near, strolling into his office, dropping down into a spinning leather chair and putting my feet up on the table.
"We have reason to believe socialist extremists are creating a-"
"'Socialist extremists?'" I asked to be sure. "It's not often you get a socialist planning anything upscale."
"We have reason to believe socialist extremists are creating a biowarfare weapon in the northern latitudes of Siberia," Near repeated without missing a beat. "I've sent Gevanni and his team up there to investigate."
"Hmm, chilly."
I watched Near for a while as he built a massive structure with 12-sided and 20-sided dice. Any game I played when I was little always had to be played with a 12-sided die. As a mathematician I understood from a young age how one 12-sided die was much more fair and efficient than two 6-sided die. When you use two 6-sided dice, rolling so that your piece would move only one space, was impossible, and rolling a seven was more probable than anything else. When you use a 12-sided die, every number has an equal possibility to be rolled. Way more fair.
"You know what?" I said suddenly, breaking the silence, "I think I finally figured it out. I think I finally figured out the real reason why L wanted me on that case with him instead of you or Mello."
"What have you come up with?"
"It wasn't my position at Wammy's, it wasn't because I was your sister... Hell, I wasn't even close to the best choice."
"Why then?"
"Teamwork." I paused, smiled and then added, "L was preparing for something to happen to him. I think he was making sure that all of us were going to seek each other out if it came down to that. L knew none of us working alone had a shot, so he made sure that all of us needed each other to beat Kira. He gave me the experience and the information, Mello had the drive and the opportunity to do what you couldn't, Matt had the knowhow, and you? You had the plan and the law on your side. It was all of us; all of us working together."
"You know, you just might be right."
"You comedians still here?" I asked when the first thing I saw when I walked back into my apartment was a handful of cops primed at each of the windows and behind my patched up door. That repair guy was going to have to start giving me discounts with all the business I was bringing him... I can never seem to get to the door in time.
"We're staying here until we catch him," Dom answered from the kitchen.
"You're going to have to start paying me rent if you want to stay here THAT long." I kicked off my shoes and dumped an armful of files and folders from work onto the living room table and fell back into the couch.
Near wanted me to run down some leads and cross reference some information, but I found my mind wandering. Where was Mello, what was he up to? ...I tapped my long nails on the arm of the chair and adjusted the glasses on my face.
Not in the mood to read for work, I popped a stick of bubblegum in my mouth and trekked into my bedroom to find a recreational book to read. Maybe something the line of Sherlock Holmes, or Oliver Twist... No, the Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The story of a reckless, untroubled kid who only wanted freedom and was always up for a challenge.
I creaked open my bedroom door and there he was, sitting in my window; back against the frame, a chocolate bar hanging out of the corner of his mouth.
I smiled ear to ear, and I could feel the glint in my eye. He knew he shouldn't, but he was arrogant enough to show up anyway. All he wanted was a challenge.
Without breaking stride I closed he bedroom door quietly behind me and slid the lock soundlessly into place. "I don't know about you," I whispered, "but this doesn't exactly qualify as 'safe' in my book."
"Please, those jokers out there can't even catch colds, let alone me," he shot me a sly smile that I returned.
The sun was setting behind Mello's back casting him in a silhouette but leaving a glowing, gold radiance where it got tangled in his blond hair. His steel blue eyes were absolutely radiating and I was melting under his penetrating gaze.
"Heh, you really do love me, don't you Mello?" I teased playfully.
Mello didn't answer with words. Instead, in all seriousness, he slid out of the window sill and crossed the room to me; never once breaking his stern stare. He slid one hand around my waist and cupped my face gently in the other. His touch was so soft and temperate I felt like a porcelain doll which might crack if handled too roughly. Mello leaned down, his face hovering mere millimetres above mine; his steel blue eye, like opals, holding a mystic, electric fire behind them and his cool breath whispering across my cheek, making my eyelashes flutter.
I bit my lip and brought my hands up from my side to Mello's chest, thrumming my fingers against the black leather and wondering how long either of us would draw this out. I sighed and shuddered and felt patches of goosebumps spread over my exposed skin.
"Mello," I whispered and felt him mirror my shudder under my hands.
It was agonizingly painful how he was dragging this out. It was downright cruel, but I knew it was going to be worth every drawn out second.
Finally he closed the distance, his lips barely touching mine. I smiled underneath them and Mello went for it.
It was a deep and passionate kiss. Filled with love and promise, trust and security, understanding and an irresistible affection and lust.
It was perfect.
It tasted like chocolate and bubblegum.
Author's Note: Well, that's it. I hope you liked it guys ^_^ If you've got any questions, comments, or just anything, lemme know :D
Keep an eye out for my next story, and the one shot which should be up in a little bit! :D :D
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