Anna's POV

"Anna, what have you done?" L questioned from the doorway.

I stopped pacing and looked at him. I knew that some amount of fear must have registered on my face. L knew before I could say anything. I glanced at the phone and then to him and offered him a smile, hopefully innocent smile.

"I haven't done anything." I lied. The look he gave me told me he wasn't buying it. I caved. "I'm only trying to help."

"By doing exactly what I said not to do." He reminded me.

L was losing patience with me. I couldn't blame him. After all, technically speaking this wasn't my case. It was his. Watari was looking between us sympathetically. I knew he wanted to let us figure this out on our own, but we needed help before this got out of hand. I, however, was not going to be the one to request him to step in.

"Why are you so opposed to being associated with Beyond?" I snapped.

L rolled his eyes, "Perhaps because he murders people for the fun of it."

"You're impossible."

"You're not thinking. If we can be traced to Beyond, Beyond can be traced back to Wammy's. Everyone is in danger there. Is that what you want?" L snapped.

"I think we just want different things from this case." I dismissed, annoyed with him.

I fell into the couch closest to me and turned my back to L. I didn't want to talk to him anymore. Not right now at least and certainly not about this. I needed a few minutes alone to collect my thoughts so that I wasn't on the verge of murdering him myself.

"That's probably because you have a death wish and I want to bring Beyond to justice."

I snapped around and shot him a look. "No, I want to save him and you want to condemn him. That's the difference L."

L came over to where I was and put his hands on the back of the couch. He stared me down for a few moments. Neither of us said anything. I didn't want to fight anymore. I just wanted to end this and go home. It had only been a few days, but I was exhausted already and I missed the boys. I'd had enough of L.A.

"If you are so concerned with saving someone who is beyond redemption, then go ahead and try. It won't work. Beyond wasn't found all those years ago because he didn't want to be found. Beyond won't be saved because he doesn't want to be saved. He probably doesn't even think he needs to be saved." His voice was hard, but his eyes softened when he finished.

"The ends will justify the means." I mused to myself.

L stood up straighter, moving away from me. "Exactly."

He came around the couch and sat next to me. We sat in silence. Not looking at one another, not touching. Just sitting. We couldn't bring Beyond back to Wammy's. There was never going to be just the three of us again. The fantasy of being friends again and having everything return to the way it used to be when we were kids diminished entirely. Nothing would ever be the way it used to be. We weren't children anymore. L and I weren't just friends anymore. Beyond wasn't Beyond anymore.

"I'm sorry." I said finally breaking the silence.

"I'm sure you are, but right now we don't need apologies. We need a plan of action to fix the damage done."

I looked to him. "The polite response is that it's okay."

L looked over at me. "Would you have me lie to you?"

I took a deep breath. I had to keep breathing. I felt the weight of the world fall on my shoulders, but I knew it could only be a fraction of what L felt. If things went wrong, if we failed, this would be on him. Not me. I stood up and offered my hand to L. He took it and I pulled him off the couch to his feet.

"Let's get started on the plan then. We have a criminal to catch."

L's POV

Anna and I resolved to work through the night to come up with some sort of plan. She went back over files we'd seen a hundred times, she didn't even seem to be disturbed by the photos anymore. A frown rested on her lips as she tried to work through problems. I sat beside her, typing and erasing different ideas on what we could do to stop Beyond before things went wrong. Well, before things got worse.

Around two in the morning, I felt a weight against my side. I looked over to Anna. Her eyes were half closed as she read over the information again and again. I could practically see the wheels in her head beginning to slow down. I set my laptop aside and wrapped one arm around her. Using my free hand, I took the file on Believe Bridesmaid from her.

"Perhaps you should go to bed. The next murder won't be for a few days anyway."

"August 22." She clarified.

I nodded, glad we were both on the same wavelength. "We have time."

She sighed and leaned farther into me. "I'm fine, just give me back the file."

She tried to reach across me to take it back. I held the file just out of her reach and she dropped her arm across me and wrapped it around me loosely. Anna's face was buried into the crook of my neck. She was tired, more than tired. I dropped the file onto the table and picked her up. Anna's arms wrapped around my neck as I carried her into the bedroom.

I tried to put her down on the bed, but she held on and pulled me down beside her. I laid down next to her for a minute on top of the sheets. I pressed a kiss to her forehead before trying to get up. Her arms locked around me even tighter.

"Anna, let go."

"No."

"Anna, I have to get up and turn off the light."

She glanced up under her lashes and frowned. "Will you come back?"

"Yes."

She released me and allowed for me to turn off the light and close the door to the bedroom. I crawled back into the bed beside Anna and pulled her closer to me. I felt her snuggle into me and wrap her arms around me.

"Tomorrows the 17th." She noted.

"Yes."

There was a silence. "L?" I hummed in response. "Do you think we'll be able to catch him?"

I didn't answer for a moment. I didn't want to say no. I knew we would catch him, I just wasn't sure what condition he would be in when we did.

"Yes, I'm positive we will."