Beyond's POV

I hadn't seen anyone for quite some time. I walked the grounds looking for signs that I hadn't been left behind. It was strange to see Wammy's deserted like this. When I'd been growing up, there were children everywhere on the grounds. Since then, Wammy had developed a second orphanage where the normal children would go. We'd all been put together before that, back when L and Anna were my best friends and A was still alive. I continued around the premises, but found nothing.

I noticed the guest house I'd lived in for the short time I'd been presumed dead and went to it. Anna used to play house by herself in the little room after I'd convinced L that playing house was for little girls. I looked over the little house and tried to turn the handle, but it was locked. I don't remember anyone ever locking this door. I walked around to where there was a small window. It was too high for a child to look through. I straightened myself up, hearing my spine crack from the unfamiliar position. I'd worked very hard for years to perfect my posture to be just like L's and that meant slouching. It had worked a little too well and the curve of my back at reached an extreme L was unfamiliar with. I looked through the window to find L sitting at the table with Anna curled up in a position that didn't look comfortable beside him looking over his shoulder at the screen of a laptop. Due to my position, I couldn't read the screen. Anna turned to him suddenly and seemed to speak quickly. L looked her over and nodded and she kissed him. When she pulled away she held out her hand to him and he shut the laptop and headed for the front door. I leaned back and tried to blend in with the wall as I heard the latch unlock and the door open.

"So you know what to do?" Anna's voice was calm as the door shut.

"Yes, I know what to do." L sounded tired.

"Ok, then I'll follow you." Anna said. I pressed myself harder into the wall of the guest house as I watched L walk by. I waited a few seconds, but Anna never walked by after him. I came off the wall and turned around just in time to see Anna swing at me. I threw my arm up to block her from slamming her fist into my face and took a step back to steady myself. My attempts to keep myself upright were all in vain when I was knocked to the floor from an attack from behind. I should have known they would have noticed me, even if they hadn't, they would have planned this out. I didn't stand a chance fighting against both of them. I knew that. So I didn't move.

"Get up, B." I still didn't move at L's command.

I heard Anna sigh and then she crouched down beside me, a gun handing loosely from her right hand. "Get up, B." Anna's command was a bit more persuasive and not just because she had the gun. I slowly got to my feet, taking my time to demonstrate the little power I had. Anna stood up with me, matching my pace. She looked past me to L and nodded once.

Before I even had a moment to try and figure out why she was nodding, I was in the guest house sitting in one of the chairs with Anna and L standing in front of me. "I didn't realize Anna was the one giving orders, L. She's really tightened that leash on you hasn't she?" I taunted, but L seemed unfazed.

"It'd be in your best interest for you to turn off the sarcasm and answer my questions, B." I glanced from L to Anna. Her usually warm eyes, were frozen over as she watched me. Her jaw was locked.

"And what exactly is my best interest? You'll let me live? You won't shoot me, Anna. Not as long as Ace is still out looking for you two. Which" I looked over to the clock in the corner of the room, "won't be much longer if he's not as stupid as he looks." I looked up and smiled at them only to be back handed. I bit my tongue a bit when she hit me and I could taste the blood beginning to surface. "That was unnecessary." I scolded.

"Are you ready to answer my questions?" Anna asked sweetly.

I spit a bit of blood onto the floor by her feet before looking up at her, "Ask away, Love."

Anna's POV

I looked from the blood to L. We'd planned to try and trick B into giving us information on Ace, but when I'd caught sight of his reflection in the computer screen the plan had changed. "Alright, first where the hell is he?" I asked. We hadn't bothered to tie him up, he wasn't going to be going anywhere with the both of us standing here.

B looked up at us, "You'll have to be more specific." I fought back the urge to hit him again.

"Ace Robertson." L replied firmly sounding almost as annoyed as I felt.

Beyond stretched out in an attempt to get more comfortable in the wooden chair. "What about him?"

"Beyond, you really don't want to piss off the girl with the gun." I instructed and he nodded before sitting up straighter. When he didn't say anything, I gave into his game. "Where is Ace Robertson, B?" I asked again.

B looked me over and then at the clock. After a few minutes he turned to L and I, "I'm not really sure."

I let out a noise of frustration. "You're testing my patience, B. I know you've kept contact with him, so where is he."

B sighed and stood up, moving to the other side of the room, "I'm sure I am but honestly, I'm not sure where he is. I'm with you two so it would be insane to think I knew his exact location." He looked out the window and cocked his head to the side, "Where are your children?"

"Not here." I answered.

B nodded, "Good. That was a smart decision."

I looked him over. I knew the answer before I asked the question, "Why?"

B turned him attention from the window to us, "I don't know where Ace is." He smiled sickly, "But I have a very good idea as to where he's headed."

Near's POV

I fiddled with small cross at the bottom of the chain Anna had given me. It hadn't made much sense to me. How could a necklace protect you? It was a piece of metal. Mello seemed to believe the necklace was something special. I'd asked him to explain why it was important to him, but he simply shrugged me off and went back to reading. Wammy had explained it vaguely, saying Anna was Catholic- as was Mello. In that case, it had made sense for Anna to bestow such a gift to him, but why me? Or Matt? I'd began researching to see if there was any truth to the cross protecting people, but found nothing. There were a few so-called miracles here and there but nothing that had solid proof, simply witness testimonies. I dropped the cross under my pajama shirt and felt the cold against my chest.

We'd only been gone a day, leaving our home in England to take up residence in a small two bedroom house in the countryside in France. I wanted to go home. I missed my toys and my bed and Anna and L. I laid back on the bed I'd claimed as mine for the time being in the room I now shared with Matt and Mello. There was one bunk bed in the room, Matt and taken the bottom bunk and Mello the top, and then my own twin bed pressed against the opposite wall. Wammy had set up a sort of makeshift crib in his room so that he could keep an eye on Gia.

"Hey, Nate." I looked up to see Matt in the doorway. I'd accepted that he was going to continue to call me by my birth name as long as he could. I didn't mind so much anymore. Wammy actually thought it would be better if we called one another by our 'real' first names for now since Ace would know us by our aliases if he knew our names at all. I thought we were working much too hard to keep a low profile.

"Yes?" I asked.

"Wammy said dinner is ready, so come on." He then ducked out of the room.

I sighed and pulled myself up out of the bed. I just wanted this whole experience to be over with.