Author's Note: I'm going to warn you right here and now! If you were content with the happy ending of my sequel and do not want it tainted with a sad-ish/bitter-sweet ending, stop reading here. On the other hand, if you wanted a bitter-sweet ending, or think you can handle it, feel free to enjoy my alternate ending :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note or anything remotely associated with it.

January 26, 2026.

I stood there with him at the grave for hours, sighing periodically. Half of me just wanted him to move on, but then half of me, the selfish half, wanted him to never forget.

I clutched my tattered, threadbare teddy bear close to my chest and habitually reached for a stick of bubblegum ...I didn't have any.

"C'mon Mello, don't you want to go home yet?" I walked soundlessly up to him and slid my hand into his. "We've been here for hours Mello, the sun is about to set." A small smile pricked at the corner of my mouth. "Remember all the times we used to watch the sunset together? And all the sunrises we enjoyed?" Mello didn't move, didn't speak, he didn't acknowledge my presence. "Mello it's okay. There isn't anything else you can do here. Let's just go, okay?" I pleaded softly. I waited a moment and then added, "Will you please talk to me! Won't you say anything? We've been standing here for hours and you haven't said a word to me." I felt so unconnected to him. He had come here so that we could spend some time alone together, but he wasn't acknowledging me at all.

A warm breeze picked up then and rustled the bare branches in the trees and on the ground. It bent the tall blades of dead grass that were peaking up through the snow back and forth around the tombstone and it tossed our hair from side to side. I backed away from Mello and said one last goodbye to Wammy and L who were buried beside Matt's and Mello's empty graves and the newer grave that had been recently added to the line of fallen heroes.

"Time to go home Mello," I tried once more. This time Mello turned with me and we walked back to his car together. I slid into the passenger seat as Mello started the engine and we drove off.

I admired the beautiful scenery as we drove by. It was a gorgeous Sunday afternoon. The snow on the ground was a pure, and sparking white. Diamonds and pearls had nothing on the beauty of the glinting snow. I watched as little girls, bundled up in their warm clothes kicked piles of the white powder on the sidewalks with their mothers. A sad, wistful smile played on my lips.

"It's like a painting, isn't it?" I turned back to him in the driver's seat and placed my hand gently on his shoulder. "...You know, first anniversaries are always the hardest Mello," I explained to him during the drive. "It'll get better eventually. I, of all people, should know eh?" I half chuckled and then sighed sorrowfully.

Mello ignored my attempt to strike up a conversation and continued driving. "We always used to talk you know. Well hell, we always used to fight but you know what I mean." I sighed again. "It's like back in the day when you used to clam up on me; not say anything. You wouldn't ever open up to me back then, you started to these past couple years but now recently it feels like we're back to square one... You can still talk to me Mello. Nothing's changed between us, why do you have to act all difficult just because – WATCH OUT!"

Mello ran a red light and missed by millimetres being t-boned by an oncoming vehicle.

"Fine! You don't want to talk to me, whatever. But don't you dare start with this 'reckless and destructive' business or so help me!" I warned. We went the rest of the ride in silence.

Mello and I pulled up to the place he was staying at during his visit from New York to England. Mello got out of the driver's seat and I let myself out of the passenger's. The two of us strolled together down the sidewalk, the cool, winter wind tangling our hair and our boots crunching on the crispness of the delicate, fallen flakes. It was so close to perfect, and just so far away from the ideal.

Finally we came upon the door we wanted.

Mello let himself in without knocking and I followed in silently behind him.

"You weren't there this whole time, were you?" a shaggy, red mop of hair asked as we crossed the doorway. Matt was engrossed in some sort of computer program and hadn't even looked up. When Mello didn't answer him, he asked, "How was it?" without making eye contact.

"You should've gone too," Mello said, finally saying something.

"I'll go a little later I think... So, how was it?" Matt tried again, finally tearing his eyes away from the computer screen.

"Look at him Matt, how do you think it went?" I asked more to myself than to him. I hung my head and shook my head with despair.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, before Matt changed the subject, asking, "When's your flight back to New York?"

"Tomorrow morning?"

"What time?"

"Seven."

"When are you-"

"I'm going to go to bed Matt... Sorry."

Matt waited a beat as Mello tossed his coat on the back of a chair and then sulked to his guest room before saying, "It's alright buddy, I get it. Have a good night." As an afterthought, he sighed and added, "Have a good night Gem."

"Have a good night Matt," I echoed, giving him a hug around the shoulders from behind and then following Mello into his room.

Mello was sitting on the end of the bed, leaning forward with his head in his hands, his golden hair falling around his face.

"I guess, I guess I finally realise how you felt all those years Jewel," Mello spoke to me finally. "I'm sorry I did that to you. I'm sorry I didn't spend every hour of every day that I could with you."

"C'mon Mello, you're going to be okay," I said sitting down beside him on the bed. I leaned my head into his neck and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, sandwiching Virginia, my ever faithful companion between us.

I recalled this time last year with a forlorn but accepting manner. The media was all over the incident the day after it happened. There were stories all over the news and internet and in the papers. They all said the same thing. They all said that if it weren't for me those children would have died. They said the mothers and fathers of those children would have been left without their kids. They all said that I was a hero.

Now, that was all well and good, but it was little consolation for one twelve year old girl who lost her mom that day. The one little twelve year old whose mother I couldn't save. I could only hope that blonde little pixie, the one that lost her mom, would forgive me someday. I could only hope that the girl, AND the girl's father would forgive me.

I distracted myself for a moment with the wedding band around my finger. It was white, braided gold and had a perfect, princess cut diamond, set perfectly in the middle. I entwined my hands and arms around Mello's and tugged at the leather gloves he was wearing; the leather gloves that were hiding a matching ring on his own finger. White braided gold, no stone. I wondered how much longer he'd wear it.

"You know, I always used to wonder what it would be like for the two of us to grow old together," I said to break my own uncomfortable silence. "But then I figured that the two of us wouldn't be getting old anytime soon, ya know. Neither of us had a particular regard for our own safety. Each other's sure, but our own, not so much," I chuckled and then left out another pent up sigh.

I waited a gloomy, cheerless moment then scuttled to the other side of the bed and pressed a button on Mello's clock radio, turning it on. Mello jumped at the sudden noise as 'Fire and Rain' by James Taylor drifted through the speakers.

In a sad, ironic way, it was perfect.

"Mello, you can't sit here all night. You need your sleep." I placed my hands on his shoulders and in a futile attempt, tried to get him to lay back.

"It isn't your fault you know," I muttered when I gave up on trying to get him to relax.

At last Mello stood up. He kicked his shoes off, shut the light off and laid back in his bed on top of the covers.

A soft, pink light filtered in through the Venetian blinds, and left rose and violet coloured stripes across the room.

I laid down beside Mello, resting my head on his shoulder and sliding my arm across his chest. I watched my arm rise and fall and matched my breathing to his. "You know Mello, I always loved your eyes. I don't think I ever told you, but I do."

Mello's crystalline blue eyes always revealed so much about him. Right now they were revealing just how lost Mello seemed to be. He was just lying there, staring up at the ceiling. I had a feeling that both of us were wishing we could see the stars instead of spackle and white paint.

After a short while I felt Mello sigh and noticed that his eyes were closed and his breathing had become deep and regular. Maybe, just maybe, he could find some peace in sleep.

I waited a moment and then sat up. Taking Virginia with me, I made my way into the living room to sit with Matt.

"So how are you holding up Matters?"

"It's hard to believe it's been a year already." Matt sat back from his computer and folded his arms behind his head.

I sat down beside him and leaned against his side, crossing my legs and holding Virginia in my lap.

"He's been kinda depressed without you Gem. I've been looking after him the best I can, but..."

"You're doing great Matt. You've always been there... for both of us."

Matt trembled beside me, and I glanced to see what was wrong. He brought one of his arms down from behind his head and pinched the bridge of his nose and squinted his eyes.

"Oh Matt, I'm sorry," I whispered and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I didn't think I'd miss you this much Gem. Your absence, it's really felt."

"You know what you should do Matt? You should go find Linda. You two always seemed to get along. Neither of you has anybody. The two of you could make the loneliness, a little less lonely ...And hey, c'mon, I'm always going to be here. I'd never leave you guys," I smiled through the tiny droplets in the corners of my eyes and tightened my grip around him.

Matt and I sat the night together. The sun was already rising when Mello came out of his room.

"Were you awake all night?"

"Just spending some time with a friend," Matt answered. "Is it time for you to leave already?"

"Yeah. My flight is in a couple hours."

"You all packed?"

"I haven't even unpacked. All my stuff is still in the car."

"Right," Matt trailed off.

There was a long, drawn out silence between them. I knew neither one of them wanted to say goodbye, but neither one of them really wanted to drag this out either. That's just how they were.

"Well, keep in touch Mello."

"You too."

"I'll be back in America as soon as I get the data Near wanted for his new case."

"I'll see ya."

Without another word between them, Mello grabbed his coat from where he had thrown it the night before and started for the door.

"Bye Matt. I'll be around," I called over my shoulder, grabbing my teddy bear and hurrying out of the building with Mello.

It had snowed last night. The air was cool and dry and mixed with the intoxicating scent of prism like icicles, freshness, and the early morning.

I rode with Mello to the airport, clutching my teddy bear that whole way and waiting with him as he stood outside, leaning against his car and staring up at the vast building. I watched him silently and listened as his breath turned into puffs of fog in the frozen morning air.

"Back to America eh?" I said just to hear something other than jet engines and the chatter of busy commuters and tourists.

Mello straightened up against the car and fished his sparse amount of luggage out of the trunk. He took a second to pat down his pockets and unzip his bag. He was looking for chocolate I guessed, but it didn't look as though he was going to find any.

"You know, I'll be there whenever you need me Mello. I'll always be with you. Say hi to my brother for me and our little girl."

Mello took the first step towards the airport entrance and his long flight back home. He didn't look back.

"Goodbye Mello... I love you," I whispered, and ghosted away with the wind.

Author's Note: So, obviously decided on a 'bitter-sweet' (maybe more sad, than bitter-sweet, but at least no one else died ha-ha,) ending there. I originally wanted this to be the epilogue for the sequel, but too many of you guys were all, 'You can't kill Mello, Marsh or Jewel.' Which of course is obviously what I intended to do, so that's why I decided to make this a one shot. I hope you guys don't mind too much. I just had to!

Also, did you guys catch the significance of the date? ;D

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! :D :D Because this one, is OFFICIALLY, finished.