Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

"Talk"

'Thoughts'

Flashback/dream

...

...

...

Mai sighed to herself as she watched the proceedings in her living room from the kitchen. The guys were over for dinner, their final dinner together before Duke and Bakura left Domino. What should have been a fun and lively affair was rendered somber due to recent events.

Téa had left.

Citing the need to focus on her upcoming contract negotiations, she had abruptly decided to end her vacation and left. The guys knew it wasn't the truth and suspected Kaiba's involvement. Joey had proclaimed loudly, over and over, the desire to confront Seto Kaiba and Mokuba over what happened with Téa and Serenity. Thank God for a reasonable Yugi who somehow managed to talk Joey out of it. But Mai had no idea what he said to calm Joey. None of the males told her and despite feeling frustrated at their blatant hiding, Mai knew she was in no position to demand answers because she was blatantly hiding information from them too. And they all knew it.

Mai was the only one who knew the truth about Téa and Seto, and Téa and Serenity. She was the only one who knew everything, and despite Joey's demands, she hadn't said a word. She had promised Téa she wouldn't say anything, and she suspected Téa had wrangled some kind of deal with Yugi too. Perhaps that was what Yugi used to placate Joey and the others for the moment because in Mai's opinion, the group of previously overly concerned men had recently become suspiciously mollified.

She carefully watched the two groups the guys were split into and despite being out of earshot, she could guess exactly what conversation each group was having.

Yugi and Bakura were sitting together, speaking calmly, probably about Bakura's next archeological trip. The quiet male was quite the intellect and had very quickly risen among the ranks of the British Archeological Society. He frequently led digs all over the world, from Antarctica to Australia. And Yugi was one of the first recipients of any interesting findings, sometimes even before Bakura's supervisors. The two had bonded over their love of ancient civilization, Egyptian and others. Yugi was constrained by his involvement with Industrial Illusions and was unable to travel as freely as Bakura did. But to Yugi, being at the forefront of all dueling card developments was well worth it.

She turned her attention to the other group, the three stooges as Téa and she loved to call them. Duke was also leaving early morning, going back to California. Since moving to USA, Duke had gotten involved in various tech ventures and was well established in the prosperous Silicon Valley.

Joey and Tristan both worked at Industrial Illusions, Tristan in the Engineering and Product Design Department, and Joey in the Marketing and Communications Department. Joey also served as an ambassador for the company, and was heavily involved in all product demonstrations and promotions.

Duke and Tristan were sitting across from Joey who seemed to be doing most of the talking. But the body language of the three men told her it wasn't a fun conversation. Joey seemed to be aggressively trying to convince a reluctant Duke of something whereas Tristan seemed unsure. She wondered what Joey was trying to say. Her one guess would be that Joey wanted Duke to visit Téa. He had floated that idea to Mai before. He was convinced that Téa would be more open to sharing when she was safely away from Kaiba and his wrath. Would it be so?

Her musings were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Her confused stare was met with equally confused looks from everyone in the room. They weren't expecting anyone else. After a few seconds, Joey got up to answer the door.

"Kaiba, what the hell are you doing here?" This suddenly got the entire room animated with the guys getting up and moving towards the door. But Mai beat them to it and with just a few long and hurried strides, she was standing face to face with Seto Kaiba.

"I need to speak with Téa." Seto said in an agitated tone, his eyes focused on her. Before she could think, she had moved forward and slapped him.

The sound of her hand smacking his cheek rather powerfully was met with shocked gasps from everyone, the loudest of whom was Mai herself. She recoiled in surprise at what had just happened, her eyes wide with confusion and fear. And the fear only intensified when Seto slowly turned his tilted face back towards her, his menacing eyes holding her down, demanding an explanation. Sensing the danger, Joey quickly stepped in front of Mai to shield her from the coming rage.

"Explain yourself Valentine." Seto growled in a low tone, eyes still locked onto her terrified ones. But as she watched him, as she thought about the reason he was there, her fear gave way to anger.

"Why don't you explain yourself?" She said angrily. "How dare you show your face here after all that you did? How dare you say her name after what you did to her?"

"What did you do Kaiba?" Joey demanded but Seto ignored him, keeping his attention solely fixed on Mai.

"If you know what happened, then you know she isn't as innocent as you want her to be. She is equally to blame." He replied.

"I do know what happened." Mai told him. "I know more than you Seto Kaiba because it was me to whom Téa confessed everything. She told me her feelings, her insecurities, her fears, her doubts, her everything. You blame her for the decision to leave the mansion but I saw her struggle with the burden of that decision. And I also understand why she did it. She was afraid that at the end of it all, it would turn out to be fake and unreal, a product of the isolation and situation rather than a genuine connection. She feared that once the walls confining you and forcing you to interact were gone, you would return to your very large world and she would return to being an insignificant dot. And it was that fear that drove her away."

"I never implied that it would be so." Seto fiercely defended himself. "In fact, I remember explicitly stating otherwise."

"But your actions explicitly proved otherwise." Mai spat back. "She waited for days for you to make any contact with her. She was too afraid and ashamed to do it herself no matter how much she wanted it, but she hoped that you would seek her out even if to angrily berate and insult her. She waited and waited, her initial doubts turning into firm beliefs with every passing day. In fact, she had almost convinced herself that it was all a dream. It was me who persuaded her to go to you." Mai paused here to take in a deep breath before continuing.

"Despite her misgivings, she went to see you. And you did exactly as she had feared. You showed her that she was indeed nothing more than an insignificant dot in your very large world, an insignificant dot that wasn't even worth a cursory look let alone any real acknowledgement." Mai said in a low voice. "It broke her heart. And I'm to blame for it as much as you are because I told her to go. Before the visit, she was complacent with the situation no matter how sad or depressing it was because deep down, she held on to the hope that perhaps an iota of it had been genuine, and that your willful ignorance and snubbing of her stemmed from anger which is a form of acknowledgement." Mai's voice cracked as she spoke further.

"But then… then you did that. You treated her as someone who wasn't even worth a glance and an insult from the great Seto Kaiba. And the last of her desperate hope disappeared."

Flashback

Mai shifted on the couch for the umpteenth time, moving her eyes from the TV to her phone. Still nothing. No call. No message. It had been almost two and a half hours. What was taking her so long?

She tried to think positively and imagine them making out passionately. There must have been so much sexual tension between them and once the thin layer of anger was dealt with, passion must have taken over. She laughed nervously and turned back to channel surfing. Yes. She was worrying over nothing. Téa was perfectly fine, probably being ravished by Domino's sexiest billionaire.

And then her phone rang. She immediately picked it up, not even bothering to see who it was.

"Hello." She said breathlessly, wondering why she was so anxious.

"M… Mai…" Her heart stopped. That did not sound like someone who was returning from a happy reunion.

"What happened? Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm… I'm…" Téa struggled to speak but Mai could still hear the tremor in her voice. "Can I come talk to you… please?"

"Of course." Mai immediately said. "I'm home and I'm alone. Come right away."

"Okay." Téa replied before the line went dead. Mai placed the phone down and turned the TV off. The ensuing silence seemed to amplify the sound of her thumping heart. Only one line kept repeating in her mind over and over again.

What had happened?

She got up to pace restlessly, and as soon as she heard footsteps outside the door, she opened it and allowed a visibly distraught Téa in. Téa quickly went to the couch and sat down, taking in deep and shaky breaths.

"Oh my God Téa, what happened? Are you okay? What did he do?" Mai asked, sitting beside her.

"He…" She gulped. "He… he didn't… he didn't see me." She said in a shaky voice. "He was too busy. He must have been… because… he didn't even call the receptionist back."

"Oh Téa." Mai said gently, placing an arm around the devastated younger girl.

"It's okay." Téa said, eyes staring at the carpet. "I was expecting that. I knew it would happen. He is a busy man. He has a multi-billion dollar company to run. He is a busy guy. He doesn't have time for someone like me. I already knew. I am not as important as Kaiba Corp and I can't be either. I knew that and it's true." Mai tightened her embrace on the shaking girl.

"It's my fault." Téa said. "I should have known better than to bother him at work. He doesn't have time for someone like me. He is a busy man. He can't entertain the delusions of a fangirl. Kaiba Corp is more important. He has many things to do. I should have known better than to bother him. It's my fault."

"I'm so sorry Téa." Mai said. "I'm sorry for making you go through with this."

"It's good. It's good that it happened." Téa said, her eyes still on the same spot. "At least now I know the truth. I always knew but a part of me kept hoping for something more, a movie ending with music and confessions." She laughed bitterly at her words. "But now I know that it was just a fairy tale, a delusion. I was right from the start. I knew it was the case and now my doubt had become a fact. And that is good. Now I know not to hold on to something that was never real to begin with. I had expected that and now I know for sure. This is good. This is actually good." Téa continued to babble and repeat the same lines over and over again but Mai knew she was just hopelessly trying to blunt the pain with forced realism. She was trying to stop the bleeding by saying she already knew of the injury and was prepared with the bandages. She was foolishly trying but the hurt was too much to be contained.

She was heartbroken. And a broken heart couldn't be fixed with fake pep talk.

"I'm sorry." Mai said. There was silence. Finally Téa looked up at Mai with tearing eyes.

"It hurts so much." She said in a cracked voice as the flood of tears she had been valiantly holding back broke through and spilled over her cheeks. "He didn't even do anything. He didn't say anything to hurt me. He didn't do anything so it shouldn't hurt. Everything happened as I knew it would. I had mentally prepared for it but… it still hurts and I don't know why. It hurts so much." Mai engulfed the sobbing girl into a protective embrace, her own heart breaking at her friend's state. For the next hour, she continued to hold Téa, letting her sob and cry, not saying a word of comfort. She had nothing to say. She tried to come up with something during the first thirty minutes but everything seemed hopelessly inadequate. So she remained silent, offering the physical comfort she could.

And as she watched her friend wipe more and more tears, she swore to herself that she would not forgive Seto Kaiba for this.

End flashback

"I held her as she cried for hours." Mai said. "I wiped the tears that kept on flowing even after she had stopped sobbing. And worse, I gave her fake assurances that it would be okay." She fixed her hardened eyes on Seto's expressionless ones and spoke.

"Do you know how it feels to watch someone you love break before your eyes? Do you know what it's like to live with the knowledge that you contributed to the pain the person is feeling, that you could have prevented it but instead you facilitated it? Can you comprehend how difficult it is to come up with words to blunt the pain, lies that ring hollow even in your ears as you repeat them over and over, trying subconsciously to alleviate your own guilt than help your friend? Do you?" She demanded. Seto's response was silence, a complete lack of reaction which only angered Mai further.

"You are a heartless monster." She yelled in an emotional tone. "You can't even fake feelings. Téa was right to fear you and doubt you. She was right to believe you would never care. And now I believe it too because you need to have a conscious and a soul to feel and care. And you've never had those things Kaiba. All you've ever had was money, power, anger, and a sense of superiority. And that's all you will ever have. You don't deserve anything else. I'm glad Téa is away from you. She deserves a loving and caring human being, not a cold hearted bastard like you."

Her passionate speech failed to generate any response from Seto. With a final look of disgust, Mai turned and walked back into the house. The guys came over to the door, Yugi standing besides Joey to face Seto.

"You should leave before I do something I've wanted to do for a long time." Joey threatened in a dangerous tone. Seto met Joey with a challenge in his eyes, as if daring the brash blonde to do it. But before Joey could take a step forward, Yugi grabbed him.

"No Joey. Don't do it."Yugi said. "It's exactly what he wants. He wants to be a victim so he can get rid of some of the guilt and shame he is feeling. But he isn't worth it. He isn't worth anything we have to give, not even anger and disgust." Joey stared at Yugi before nodding in agreement and going back inside the house. Yugi shot Seto one last look before going inside and closing the door.

Mai sat on the couch, the wet tissue in her hand providing evidence of the tears she had recently shed. Instead of going to sit by her and comforting her, Joey stood in front of her, a serious look on his face.

"Mai, you're going to tell me everything." Mai nodded, knowing that there was no excuse left for her to hide it. She had already revealed too much in her exchange with Seto. The guys knew the summary. It was time to give them the details.

...

Mokuba nearly jumped from fright at the sound of the door slamming. He had been diligently reading a book when the offending sound had startled him. Within a few seconds of the sound, Seto appeared in his line of vision. One look at his brother's face told Mokuba he wasn't about to receive good news.

"You knew Téa left Domino?" Seto asked, though the question sounded more like an accusation; an accusation which was confirmed by Mokuba's nod. Without another word or a glance, Seto left. Mokaba heard his stomping steps hit the carpeted stairs before disappearing behind the slamming of a door.

The younger Kaiba sighed and fell back into the couch. Truth be told, he had been expecting something far worse than a look of betrayal and disappointment. But Seto's lack of anger told Mokuba that his brother was far more hurt than Mokuba had predicted.

Téa had called to say good bye to him before leaving. Her decision to leave early induced feelings of guilt in Mokuba and he tried to apologize but Téa was firm in her dismissal of it. She assured him that she didn't lay the entire blame on him. Of course he shared some of the blame for the way things had turned out, but she shouldered as much, if not more. Her actions had contributed to climax of the situation and she accepted her role in the outcome. And with her final words of wishing him all the best for the future, Téa Gardner walked out of his life just as abruptly as she had entered.

That was days ago. Initially he struggled with the decision of whether to tell Seto or not, eventually deciding that it was worth it to mention it to Seto. He could do with the information as he pleased. But Seto cut him off just as he said Téa's name, refusing to hear another word. After that, Mokuba didn't bother. If Seto wanted to cut Téa completely out of his life, so be it. He would no longer try to make Seto see reason.

So instead, he opted to watch his brother silently wage a battle against his heart, a battle Seto seemed to be losing based on Mokuba's observation from the past 3 days. Seto became quieter, if that was even possible. He became more reclusive, which again was a feat considering the older Kaiba wasn't social to begin with. He began locking himself in his office for hours on end, not even coming out for his periodic coffee runs. And there was no movement of work on his desk either. Mokuba knew because he had checked, and the same files littered the desk the three days he had checked, in the same position too. Seto wasn't working. Then what was he doing for hours by himself?

The pattern of behavior had started the day after Mokuba had brought up Téa in his attempt to tell Seto of her departure so Mokuba could fairly positively assume that she was somehow related to Seto's state. To what extent, Mokuba wasn't sure. And he couldn't ask Seto either.

With a loud sigh, Mokuba closed his eyes, wishing there was a way he could fix everything. After all, he had led to all of it happening in the first place. He had selfishly forced Seto and Téa to be a part of his project, wanting to cash in on their charged interactions and exploit it for his gains. He had succeeded in that endeavor. The show's initial reception was beyond what he had expected. The first episode had reached many times more viewers that he had dared to dream of, and with every episode, more flocked to it. Already the media had labeled it as the most successful show by a debut producer. It was a mammoth in ratings and he was receiving calls and pitches from Hollywood.

But Mokuba knew it was all because of the two protagonists in the cast. The world watched them and them only, rooting for them to get together. Seto's fan base had increased even more and Téa had made fans out of men and women alike. How would they react when they would discover what eventually happened? Many would be angry, many would be disappointed, many would be heartbroken. But no one would feel the guilt Mokuba felt along with the other emotions because no one would see the pain and suffering Téa and Seto went through.

In his defense, he had never expected any of it to happen. Yes he had predicted sparks to fly between them, but he had expected the sparks to be of anger. He hadn't expected Seto to actually like someone, let alone fall in love. Nor had he expected Téa to develop any feelings for his brother. Yet it had happened, and Mokuba took full responsibility for it, even if the other two didn't want to fully admit it.

...

Seto stared at the laptop screen just as he had done many times over the last few days, watching the same video while his heart thumped loudly exactly the same way it always did when he watched the video. The only difference was that he had always attributed the state of his heart to anger and adrenaline. But today, he knew it was no longer the case. Today, his heart thumped from fear, from panic, and from regret.

The security footage of Téa's visit to Kaiba Corp played on and he watched with rapt attention, knowing in just a few seconds she would enter through the grand doors and walk to the receptionist. He had memorized every scene after watching it so many times that he could play it behind his closed eyelids. Yet he still played and watched the video as if it was the first time, always looking for what he didn't see before, always trying to find something… something he had somehow missed… something he secretly hoped was there but was too afraid to voice even in his thoughts.

He watched her enter and talk to the receptionist before taking a seat in the lobby. Even after his numerous viewings, he was still taken by her. The technology couldn't even dare to capture her beauty and spirit.

He watched every second of the video with rapt attention but this time, he saw something different. Instead of seeing a girl who fiddled her fingers in boredom, he saw a nervous girl twisting her fingers in fear and anticipation. Her periodic checking of the time no longer meant that she was thinking this was a waste of her time. It showed a confused and agonized girl who couldn't understand what the delay meant. He saw someone who valiantly sat for hours, waiting on a man she was increasingly becoming unsure about. A girl whose shoulders slouched more and more with every passing minute and with every glance and word of passerby's.

He watched her get reprimanded by the receptionist. He saw the embarrassment bloom on her cheeks, as she loyally went back to wait. He saw the crestfallen look on her face as she glanced at the clock one last time. And he saw the pain she desperately tried to hide as she hurriedly walked out. Was it his imagination or were there tears in her eyes? He froze the frame and zoomed in to get a better look, and there they were, droplets of water shinning in her eyes, waiting to cascade down her rosy cheeks.

He had done all that.

With a dejected sigh, he pushed the laptop away. He had wanted to test her resolve. He had wanted to humiliate her. He had accomplished both marvelously. But he had also hurt her. He had broken her heart. He had proven to her that he was a heartless being who only cared about himself and Kaiba Corp. He had confirmed her worst fears about him.

Mai was right. He didn't deserve her. Better yet, she deserved someone much better than him. She deserved someone who was caring, kind, and loving, someone who knew how to forgive and not have a tit-for-tat relationship. That wasn't him. It never was him and he knew he could never be that person either.

He looked at the laptop screen again, focusing on her tear streaked eyes, adding it to the number of times he had hurt her to the point of tears. It was shameful how long the list was, and he knew if he was to seek her out, the list would only grow. Such was their fate. He was Seto Kaiba. He was placed on earth to intimidate, to force, and to hurt. He was to be feared and despised. Everything else was an impossibility. She was placed on earth to help, to nurture, and to love. She deserved to be loved and cared for. Anything else was wrong and unfair. And he knew he couldn't do that. He couldn't give those emotions to anyone.

He and her were not meant to be. They were too different, too opposite. Even if he was to seek her out and she was to give him another chance, he knew it would end in tears and pain for her, and anger and disappointment for him.

With a determined expression, Seto went back to the laptop and deleted the video. He was a heartless and uncaring person, he knew that. But somehow, Téa had managed to make him care about her. And it was out of his love for her that he decided not to pursue her. She deserved better. And if he couldn't give it to her, he wouldn't keep her from it either. She was out of his reach and life now, and soon would be out of his mind as well.

'Good bye Téa. I hope you find what I can't give you.'

...

Téa let out a deep breath as she slowly walked out of the elevator towards her apartment. Her gym bag dragged on the floor behind her but she was too tired to care. After another long day at the studio, the only thing she cared about was eating dinner, taking a hot shower, and then falling on her bed to sleep… a merciful dreamless sleep.

It had been almost three weeks since she left Domino… since she left Seto Kaiba. But though she had escaped his physical presence, she hadn't been able to escape him altogether because he stubbornly haunted her dreams and occupied her thoughts. There wasn't a single free moment when her mind didn't stray to him and to all the 'what ifs'. She hated the 'what ifs', the many scenarios that could have been but didn't happen. Yet they continued to invade her imagination, leading her to question herself and her decisions over and over again in an exhausting cycle that left her mentally and emotionally vulnerable. Many times she had come close to tears at her situation, at her helplessness, and her lack of ability to deal with the outcome.

Why couldn't she just accept what had happened and move on? She did so with Ethan. After finding out about the news of his offer and possible move out of New York, she had been hurt. She had been immensely hurt. She had shed tears at the perceived unfairness of the situation, at the reality of an end of a beautiful relationship. She had loved Ethan and had imagined a future with him, and giving that up had been difficult. But it didn't come close to what she was experiencing now.

What frustrated her the most was that she never even had a relationship with Seto. She didn't have anything with him except a few random moments of caring and passion. It couldn't even classify as friendship let alone love. Sure the few moments of care were precious as they were rare and meant a lot to her. And the passion she felt with Seto far eclipsed anything she had felt before with any other man including Ethan. But that couldn't be enough to render her the mess she had become, a love-sick and depressed fool who lamented over the loss of what she never had and what she could never have.

Then why did it affect her so much? In the end, she concluded that with Ethan, the relationship had ended gradually, on a positive note with both of them acknowledging it. After agreeing to end the relationship, they had treasured every moment and made wonderful memories. The end was bittersweet and to this day, she recalled it with fondness.

With Seto, the end was as abrupt and unexpected as their beginning. They never truly acknowledged their feelings, never fully understood them, and even after realizing that something might be there, never accepted them. There was too much that was unresolved between them, too much that was left unsaid. It was the loss of potential that hurt the most. They could have been great. Or they could have crashed and burned. But there was no way of knowing because they never were. There was no closure. Everything was left open but without an opening.

It was these thoughts that bothered Téa, refusing to let her forget Seto Kaiba and move on with her life. Her only hope was that time would blunt the pain and the wound would heal. She just had to wait and pass time. Once sufficient time passed, she would recover. Of course the scar would be there as a reminder but she would gladly take a scar over a gaping wound.

And so she established a grueling routine where she was always occupied with something. If she refused to let her mind be free, it couldn't think of Seto. The strategy worked beautifully during the day. But Seto stubbornly surfaced in her mind at night when she lay alone in bed. And as long as Seto remained in her head, sleep refused to enter. The sleepless nights threatened to affect her performance, and that was something she couldn't risk especially at such a crucial time in her contract negotiations. Thus the 'work till you drop dead' strategy was born.

The advantage of this new strategy was twofold. It kept her occupied during the day and tired her to the point of exhaustion so that at night, she fell into a dreamless sleep the moment her body hit the bed. The other advantage was the hard work she was putting into her career and showing her company and the other interested parties how devoted and talented she was. It was a win-win situation. And she was happy with it for the most part. Sure Seto still came up in her mind every now and then, and of course sometimes she wished things had turned out differently, but those instances were becoming less frequent, a testament to the success of her strategy. Still it sucked to practically abuse her body the entire day. Hopefully she was close to getting over him and putting this entire thing behind her.

She was halfway there, she mused to herself. She had already spoken with her friends about it and gotten the support she wanted but was too afraid to hope for. Mai had called to tell her of Seto's visit and her subsequent discussion with the guys. Initially Téa was very confused about Seto's visit. And as much as she hated to admit it, a little flame of hope had formed in her heart at the news. If Seto had bothered to show up asking about her, then maybe he cared and wanted to see her. But that tiny flame extinguished just as quickly as it had formed because despite going to Mai's place for her, he had yet to contact her. Perhaps he had gone to deliver the final nail in the coffin of their relationship but couldn't be bothered to make a phone call, let alone the trip to New York to do it. But his lack of response had delivered the metaphorical nail and Téa had officially given up on him and their relationship.

The only highlight from that debacle was that her relationship with her friends had improved even more if that was possible. The day after Mai had called, she received calls from all of her friends. Yugi was the first, followed by Tristan, Duke, and Bakura. Everyone called to express their support for her and assure her that they loved and admired her. Her moments of weakness hadn't tarnished her reputation. Instead, it made her friends want to protect her and everyone had offered various ideas on how to best get revenge on Seto should she green-light it.

Joey was the last one to call. He called the next day and during the time between her friends and his call, Téa had been wrought with worry. But his call erased any and all doubts she had.

Flashback

"I'm sorry for not calling earlier." Joey said and Téa managed a nervous smile. "I had to talk to Serenity first and get her side of the story."

"Of course." Téa replied.

"Téa." Joey said in a serious tone, making her heartbeat increase dramatically. "I don't ever want you to think you can't tell me things involving Serenity, whether they are good or bad. Don't you ever think that I will give more credence and weight to what she says over you. She is my sister and I love her. But whereas she is my sister by blood, you are my sister by choice and I love you just as much. I share my DNA with her but I share my heart with you."

"Oh Joey." Téa sniffed as tears streamed down her face.

"I had to call Serenity and confirm with her about her actions because despite being related, I haven't spent a lot of time with her. I have to verify with her because I can't claim to be completely sure of her actions. But with you, it's different. If someone said something about you, I wouldn't need to ask you to know if it was true or false because I know you so much better. And I thought you felt the same about me. I thought you knew me better than that and wouldn't think that I would take Serenity's side purely out of a biological link."

"I know." Téa said through sniffles. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Joey said. "I'm sorry for making you think that. And I'm sorry for Serenity's behaviour."

"You don't have to apologize for her." Téa said. "I don't blame you for anything."

"Serenity's sorry too." Joey said. "She is ashamed of her actions. She hasn't met me or the guys yet. She says she won't until she apologizes to you. So if she calls, please listen to her. I'm not saying that you forgive her, but just listen to her. Give her a chance to explain herself to you like she did to me. I won't hold anything against you if you don't forgive her right away because to be honest with you, I haven't forgiven her either. I'm very disappointed in her, and it will take me some time before I can forgive her for hurting my friend. But please give her a chance to explain herself to you."

"I will." Téa assured him. "If she calls me, I will listen to her."

"Okay good." Joey said, releasing a long sigh. "Now there's only one thing left. Dealing with that bastard Kaiba. I've got a few ideas that I want to share with you. It's only fair that you approve the punishment that asshole receives for messing with my sisters hearts."

End flashback

The conversation turned lighter from that point onwards, with Joey suggesting ridiculous ideas and Téa laughing and pointing out the absurdity or the impossibility of each and every one of them. But after that call, she felt much better than she had since her arrival back in New York. She had the support and love of all her friends. And for the moment, that was more than enough. She didn't need Seto's love.

Lifting her bag off the ground, she dug inside to find the keys to the apartment but froze once she lifted her face. Sitting on the floor of the hallway, his back against her apartment door, a laptop poised in his lap, was Seto Kaiba. What was going on? It couldn't be true. It wasn't possible. Was she imagining things? Was this a new stage or an unintended consequence of her 'get-over-Seto-Kaiba' program? Instead of just thinking about him, now she was imagining him? Maybe she was too tired and her brain was playing tricks on her. Yeah. That made sense.

Sighing at her misery, she walked forward, ready to walk through the mirage and enter her apartment.

"You're finally here." She froze again. Where did that sound come from? Could mirages speak or make sounds? Weren't they a trick of the eyes? Or could they play a trick on other senses too?

"Téa." Seto said her name slowly, cautiously, not sure what to make of her reaction to him. She was staring at him with wide eyes, as if not believing what she was seeing. Slowly, she lifted her hand towards him, as if to touch him but then lowered it with equal slowness.

"Uhh… are you okay?" He found himself asking. She blinked owlishly before shaking her head and muttering 'great' before moving towards the door. Watching her stumble forward had him reaching out automatically. As soon as his hand touched her arm, she turned on him, eyes wide with shock.

"You're real?" Téa said in disbelief. He had to be if she felt his touch. Mirages definitely couldn't do that. Seto shot her a confused look before muttering 'of course'. Suddenly, she felt weaker than ever. Her bag slipped down her arm and fell on the ground, her body following. But Seto immediately reached forward and held her.

"What's wrong? Are you sick? What is happening?" He said in a panicked tone.

"I… this…you… what…" Téa struggled to formulate a response but her brain refused to cooperate with her mouth.

"Give me your keys." Seto said in a commanding tone. Without protest, she handed them to him. While keeping a firm grip on her, he opened the door and led her inside her own apartment. He walked her towards the couch and sat her down. Then he went back out to grab her bag as well as his stuff and placed them in a corner of the living room before standing in front of her.

"Did you have dinner?" He asked. Mutely, she shook her head. He frowned at her answer but didn't respond further, opting to move to the kitchen with his cell phone. She heard him place a call for take-out but she was still in shock to make a move. She dumbly watched him go through her kitchen cupboards to retrieve glasses. He filled one with water and brought it to her, placing it firmly in her hand.

"Drink." He commanded. And obediently she complied, wide eyes still focused on him. After a few sips, she moved the glass away. Seto grabbed it and placed it on the table before going back to the kitchen to rifle through her fridge. He was acting like it was his apartment, not hers, Téa silently fumed. It was just like Seto Kaiba to take control of a situation and act like it was normal. But it wasn't normal, her mind screamed. Nothing about this was normal. Seto Kaiba in her apartment, acting like he lived there wasn't normal.

"What is going on?" She finally found her voice and spoke. "What are you doing here?"

"We can speak after we've had something to eat." He said without turning. Téa huffed in annoyance at his dismissal.

"I'm ready to speak now." She said.

"No you're not. You are obviously exhausted, and I can bet my entire fortune that you haven't had anything to eat in the last six hours." He said. "And neither have I for that matter. I would rather have that conversation on a full stomach than empty."

"You haven't eaten anything?" She asked in surprise. "How long have you been here?"

"My flight landed at noon and I have been here since." He replied.

"You should have gone to your hotel or penthouse and eaten something." She said in a quiet voice, unsettled at the information. It was almost 9pm which meant he had been waiting outside her door for seven or eight hours, depending on when he left the airport.

"I didn't want to miss you." His words sent her heartbeat into frenzy. She was saved from responding by the ringing of her apartment buzzer. Before she could move, Seto was walking towards it and answering, letting the delivery person come up. She again marveled at his boldness and authority, unsure if she was annoyed by it or annoyed at herself for allowing it. Her annoyance jumped out the window when the delicious smell of food hit her nostrils. In the confusion of seeing Seto, she had totally forgotten how hungry she was.

Seto continued to act as the host in her apartment by fetching her plates and cutlery. They ate in silence which was fine with both. Hunger trumped any other feelings they were experiencing and they worked to satisfy that. Plus eating delayed the inevitable conversation which both secretly dreaded. After dinner, Téa made the move to pick up the dishes but Seto grabbed them from her hands and took them to the kitchen. She was again rendered mute when he began washing them and placing them in her dish rack. Twice she rubbed eyes and pinched herself to make sure it was real and not a figment of her tired mind. But it was so bizarre it had to be real. There was no way in hell that she would have imagined Seto Kaiba doing the dishes in her kitchen.

Seto took extra long to dry his hands, making sure there wasn't a single drop anywhere on his skin. He wasn't OCD or a dry-hands enthusiast. He was just afraid of the conversation they would be having in the next few minutes. He knew he was being a coward and was only delaying the inevitable. But that was fine by him. He needed the extra seconds to compose his mind and words. Téa's reaction to his presence had thrown him off.

He hadn't expected the response he had received. But then again, he wasn't sure what he was expecting. Of course he hadn't imagined her to jump into his arms and cry tears of relief and happiness at his presence, like he had seen in that ridiculous movie the girls had made him watch, even though he realized he had followed the script to the letter. Even now he hated to admit it to himself but just like the 'love-sick' male lead, Seto had engaged in a hunt for the location of his amore. Utilizing his resources and mental capabilities to hack into US government databases, he had managed to locate Téa. And exactly like the 'love-sick fool' male lead, Seto had jetted off to show up at her door.

But that was where the similarities ended. He hadn't received the warm movie-worthy reception he had been secretly envisioning. In the back of his logical mind, he knew he couldn't expect that because this was real life, and complicated situations like theirs didn't wrap up perfectly in a barrage of sentimental words and music. But despite his realistic expectations, he hadn't been prepared for the reaction he had received. He hadn't expected the utter confusion she had displayed.

Why was she so baffled by his presence? Was his showing up a mistake? Had he assumed too much and assumed incorrectly? Should he have paid attention to the obvious signs from the universe that they weren't good together? That they weren't meant to be?

He stared at his completely dry hands and sighed in defeat. Screw the universe. He didn't care what gods or fate had planned. He was Seto Kaiba. He did what he wanted to, not what others deemed appropriate. And what he wanted was to get some answers.

No more delay tactics. It was time for the confrontation they should have had a long time ago.

Téa watched Seto walk towards her with a purposeful look on his face and it had her heart racing a mile a second. This was it. What exactly 'it' was, she didn't know but she knew that tonight would be decisive for them.

He took a seat beside her but didn't speak. She could tell he was struggling to come up with something so she spoke instead.

"What are you doing here Seto? Why are you here?"

"Don't you want me?" He asked. "To be here?" He hastily added.

"I…" She stuttered before narrowing her eyes at his diversion. "That didn't answer my question." He smirked at her accusatory tone before replying.

"I'm here to… to talk I suppose, and to get some answers." He said. "And I'm sure you feel the same way. We have assumed too much and spoken for each other too many times. It's time we spoke for ourselves and said what we want to say."

"You're right." Téa admitted. "We do need to clear the air." Silence ensued during which both struggled to decide what to say.

"Did you really leave because you thought I was pretending to care about you?" Seto asked. "Did you actually believe that all my gestures were fake, that everything I said to you was a lie and a trick?" Thought he tried to keep his voice neutral, an ounce of hurt leaked through.

"I…" Téa swallowed before trying again. "It seemed too surreal to be true. It was so unlike you I couldn't believe it." She admitted in a small voice.

"So you decided that my actions weren't genuine based on your extensive knowledge of me as a person." Seto said in an acidic tone.

"Back in high school-." She began but he cut her off.

"We have been out of high school for years. You're not the same person as back then. Why did you assume that I was?"

"Mokuba said-." She began again, and again he cut her off.

"You took his word over my actions?" He demanded. "You decided that what he said was worth more than what I was doing and saying?" She lowered her head, not sure how to counter his words. He was right. She had given more weight to Mokuba's words because they fit in with her outdated perception of Seto. And when the reality she encountered didn't fit into that perception, she declared the reality to be a lie.

"You're right. I shouldn't have done that." She admitted.

"Téa, look at me." Seto said. Hesitantly, she met his gaze, expecting it to be cold and disappointed, but was met with warm and sincere eyes.

"I meant what I said and what I did. I meant everything." His confession almost made her sob.

"Shh.. shh." Seto whispered, grabbing her shaking hands in his steady ones. "I'm not angry." He assured her.

"I'm sorry." She whispered in a broken voice. "I should have stayed and talked to you. But it was too much too soon. It overwhelmed me and I ran from it. I was convinced that it was artificial and it would hurt me greatly in the end. So instead of verifying it, I ran from it. I took the cowardly way out and escaped from a potential heartbreak without fully understanding the consequences."

"It was overwhelming." Seto agreed. "And there were times when I questioned my own feelings and reactions. But I wasn't afraid. I was excited at exploring what I was feeling and experiencing. I wanted there to be more."

"Then why didn't you contact me after the competition finished?" She asked. "Why didn't you see me when I came to you?" Seto turned his face away in shame at the recollection.

"I was angry." He said. "I felt rejected and humiliated, and my pride and ego didn't take that easily."

"So you knew I was waiting at Kaiba Corp." She concluded. "But you purposely made me wait to get back at me."

"Yes." He admitted. "I wanted to see you and my first instinct was to call you to my office. But I decided to make you wait, to make you feel some of the anguish and anxiety I had felt. When I was ready to meet you, I learnt that you had left. I had missed you by one minute."

"And you didn't come after me or contact me again because Seto Kaiba doesn't chase after anyone, especially not some girl." Téa said bitterly, recalling the embarrassment and pain she had felt.

"You're not some girl." Seto said, offended at her words. "If you were, then I wouldn't be here."

"But you are here." Téa said in a soft voice.

"Yes I am." Seto said. "I am here because I want to be." There went her heart again. "I've tried to forget you. I've tried to ignore what I felt. I've tried to accept that we are nothing more than a fairy tale. But I can't, not when there is a sliver of doubt and hope. I won't give up until you explicitly tell me that you want nothing to do with me." He held her chin and spoke. "Tell me Téa, do you want me out of your life? Do you want me to disappear and never see you?"

Téa's heart was thumping painfully in her chest. She could feel it slamming against the ribcage as if struggling to break through and fall at the feet of the man who was causing such frenzy. His beautiful eyes held promise of so much.

"We still can't be together." She chocked, a tear slipping down her cheek. Seto quickly brushed it away with his thumb. "You live in Domino. I live here. We can't be together."

"You didn't answer my question." He said, repeating her words from a few minutes ago.

"I want to be with you." She said. "I want it so much. That's all I've thought about since the day I left the mansion. But I can't do a long distance relationship."

"Is that your only concern?" Seto asked in a surprisingly calm voice.

"Yes but-."

"Consider it solved." Seto declared.

"How?" She was baffled at his response. Did he already have a solution? Was he going to ask her to move back to Domino?

"I'll move to New York." His words had her jaw literally dropping. Seto chuckled at her expression before continuing. "I don't have to live in Domino to manage Kaiba Corp. It's a global corporation with branches all over the world, including New York. I already own a penthouse in Manhattan because of how frequently I'm here and-." This time it was Seto who was cut off by Téa's lips on his. Just as abruptly as she had kissed him, she pulled back, a visible blush covering her entire face.

"I'm sorry. I…" Her apology died watching a huge smile blossom on Seto's face. She had never seen him smile like that before.

"That's the reaction I wanted." He said before grabbing her face and melding their lips together.

All his theories, his imaginations, his anticipations didn't even come close to the actual feeling of kissing her again. Her lips felt impossibly soft as they moved insistently against his. She tasted even sweeter than he remembered. His hands moved from her face to her waist, pulling her into his lap before one hand found a home in her silky strands.

Téa's mind was on cloud nine, no ninety nine, and with every passing second, it climbed higher and higher. She remembered him to be an excellent kisser but this was beyond excellent. His lips were like molten lava, scorching her entire being. His velvety tongue was boldly exploring her mouth in a way that was making her toes curl.

Kissing wasn't supposed to be this pleasurable, Seto's mind supplied. Yet a taste of her lips had him in an extreme state of arousal, so much so that he was losing all rational thought. His entire body felt hot and his nerves felt inflamed with a passion unlike anything he had experienced before. There was no other thought but a singular focus; claim Téa as his.

With all the will power he could muster, he pried his lips away, eliciting a delicious sound of protest from her. It nearly had him attacking her again but he withheld.

"Tell me to stop." He whispered breathily to her. "Tell me to stop now if you are not ready because if we keep going, I won't be able to." Téa's eyes widened ever so slightly in realization at what he meant and she moved to get off his lap. He closed his eyes to hide the disappointment. But when he opened them, he was greeted with the sight of her taking her shirt off.

"I don't want you to stop." She said with a blush. Seto needed no further confirmation. He was up and kissing her in a blink, holding her body tightly against his. Téa moaned loudly in his mouth as his roaming hands caressed her naked flesh.

More.

With one smooth movement, Seto lifted her off the ground. Her legs automatically wrapped around his waist, providing them with a better angle to deepen the kiss, something both took advantage of. Seto began stumbling towards a door, supporting Téa with one arm with the other outstretched to open the door.

"Wait." She suddenly said, breaking their kiss. "That's the bathroom." Seto couldn't help but chuckle at her words but changed course and moved to the other visible door which led them to her bedroom. Gently, Seto placed her on the bed, watching her hair fan out like a halo. She was beautiful. Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he unbuttoned his shirt and threw it away, enjoying the deepening of the blush that adorned her cheeks.

Téa watched him in a hypnotized manner. Seto Kaiba had a beautifully sculpted body, one that seemed to be carved by the gods with care. His muscles rippled with his movements, causing waves of pleasure and anticipation to course through her body. Slowly, in a predatory manner, he lowered his body atop hers, resting his weight on his elbows.

"We should have done this a long time ago." He said with a smirk, lips tantalizingly brushing hers.

"My thoughts exactly." She replied before reaching up to claim him as hers.

...

The feel of butterfly kisses raining on her shoulder and neck greeted her as sleep left her conscious. A huge smile broke on her lips and she sighed in content.

"Good morning." Seto whispered in her ear followed by a kiss to her temple. Wiggling, she moved further into his embrace.

"Good morning. How long have you been awake?"

"Not too long." He replied, resuming his gentle worship of her skin. "I hope I didn't wake you up."

"You didn't." She answered. "Though I don't mind waking up to this." Seto chuckled lightly and pressed his body suggestively against hers.

"That's good to hear because I have a few more things I want us to do." He whispered hotly against her skin.

"Like what?" She said breathlessly. His hand sensually slid down her back to grip her hip tightly, eliciting a gasp from her.

"I'll give you three guesses." He said, biting her earlobe.

"If I get them wrong?" She asked with a small grin and felt him replicate it against her skin.

"Then I'll punish you." He teased, his hand making eccentric circles on her hips and waist.

"How mean of you." She pouted. "I'll just have to leave you then."

"You can't." He informed her smugly. "After last night, you are officially mine."

"Says who?" She challenged.

"You seemed to repeatedly scream it last night but maybe I misheard you." He replied cheekily, earning a deep blush from her. "But let's ask your hand. What does the ring on your finger say?" He entwined his fingers with her left hand and brought it to sight, smirking at the large diamond ring adorning her ring finger. "Hmm, it seems to say that you agreed to be Mrs. Seto Kaiba." Téa laughed lightly at his teasing but her eyes remained fixed on the trinket he had given her last night on their one year anniversary.

Yesterday marked the 1 year anniversary of the night Seto Kaiba had re-entered her life, and what a life it had been since. All the fears and doubts she had about them never came true. Instead, the relationship turned out to be the best thing she ever experienced.

She could still vividly recall the first night they had shared, feel every touch, and hear every moan as they made love for the first time. Seto stayed at her apartment for the week he remained in New York, opting to spend every moment, waking and sleeping, with her. After the blissful and pleasure-filled week, he left for Domino to make arrangements for his move to New York. It was after his departure that Téa decided to come clean with her friends and inform them of this new development. She knew Seto would tell Mokuba, and she wanted her friends to hear from her rather than Seto or Mokuba.

Arranging a video call had been a difficult task considering that Bakura was in England whereas Duke was in California. Still, somehow they managed to find a time when everyone was available. They immediately noticed her lifted mood and when she told them the reason for her joy, their reactions were far from what she had predicted. There was no yelling or screaming, no looks of disappointment, and no harsh words. She took it as a sign of how much her friends had grown and matured.

Flashback

She carefully watched every face on the split screen of her laptop, her heart beating fast in anticipation. Finally, Yugi broke the silence and spoke.

"Are you sure it is a good idea to get in a relationship with a man who has already hurt you multiple times?"

"Based on what you and Mai told us, he seems to be ego-driven, which isn't a surprise. But he has hurt you for the sake of that ego. Who is to say he won't do so again?" Duke said.

"Yes he hurt me in the past, but he has also brought me immense joy." Téa admitted. "I know it is a risk. But it is a risk I'm willing to take. I know that if I don't give this relationship a shot, I will regret this forever. I have already experienced the loss and regret after walking away from him once. I can't do it again."

"If you want to date Kaiba, then no one here will tell you not to." Tristan assured her. "We just want to make sure it is a well-thought decision, and not a spur of the moment thing."

"I am sure it is what I want." She said confidently.

"I think you guys will be fine." Bakura said. "Kaiba may be an egomaniac and a selfish person, but he is insanely loyal to the people he cares about. If he is willing to leave Domino and the job of micromanaging Kaiba Corp for you, then he clearly cares about you and won't intentionally hurt you." Téa smiled gratefully at his words. "Besides, I saw the way he looked at me when you hugged me. That man is whipped." This earned him a blush and giggles from Téa.

"So Kaiba is back in Domino these days?" Joey asked and she nodded, eyeing him carefully. "Then I'll pay him a visit."

"Joey, what are you going to do?" She asked in a serious tone.

"Nothing. I'm just going to talk to him and let him know that even though we didn't retaliate for what he did to you and Serenity in the mansion, we won't let that kind of shit pass again. If he so much as glares at you, I will kick his ass."

"I second that and declare my intention to join the aforementioned ass-kicking." Tristan piped, earning chuckles from everyone. The mood turned from serious to playful again and Téa sighed in relief, allowing a true smile to blossom on her face. She was glad that they approved and supported her. After a few more minutes of chatting, everyone started to leave. Joey and Mai were the last ones.

"Téa, I want you to talk to Serenity." Joey said. "She told me she is ready to speak with you and apologize. So give her a chance to explain herself. I won't hold anything against you if you decide not to be friends with her but please give her a chance to talk." Téa nodded. She didn't want to have a tense relationship with Serenity, and not just because they ran in the same friends circle. With the addition of Seto to her life, it was important that they speak and clear the air between them to avoid any future awkwardness.

"I promise to listen to her when she calls." She assured Joey who smiled in gratitude and got up, giving Mai a few private minutes with Téa.

"So, how was he?" Mai asked with a grin. "Is he really as good as the tabloids make him out to be?"

"Mai." Téa squeaked in a scandalous tone as a blush broke over her cheeks.

"How was the sex? Passionate and rough or slow and toe-curling?" Mai wiggled her eyebrows.

"I am not going to answer that." Téa said with a laugh.

"At least tell me if he is gifted physically." Mai begged and Téa laughed louder. Mai, too, let out a good natured laugh before speaking.

"I'm happy for you." She said. "Like Bakura said, Kaiba is a devoted and loyal man. I hope he includes you in the list of people and things he treasures."

"Me too." Téa agreed softly.

End flashback

As promised, she spoke with Serenity the next day when the younger girl called. The conversation was awkward as it was uncomfortable but it was necessary. Serenity apologized for her behavior and explained her actions and thoughts behind it. And Téa explained her disappointment and feelings before moving the conversation to Seto. Serenity actually sounded relieved at the news and gave her full support to the relationship, having seen firsthand how much Seto and Téa liked each other. In the end, both decided to forget the perceived transgressions and work towards a trusting relationship. And after a year, Téa believed that they had achieved that.

Seto, however, was a different story. He still hadn't forgiven Serenity for scheming with the other girls to hurt Téa and treated the younger girl coldly, despite Téa's requests to do otherwise. Seto was notorious for being suspicious of people who threatened or posed any harm to his loved ones, and now that she was included in that very small circle, his over-protectiveness extended onto hers, something she was thrilled by.

Serenity maintained a more than healthy distance from him. And the fact that since getting together with him, they had only visited Domino and their friends a handful of times facilitated the distant relationship. But at least Seto wasn't overtly hostile to her. Besides, he had made a huge effort with her friends and was civil to everyone, including Joey, so she couldn't complain about his dismissive attitude towards Serenity.

With Seto, you had to know which battles to fight and which to concede and she had learned that over the course of their relationship. She knew when to push him and when to give in, and he did the same. It had led to a very successful and happy relationship, something that was shocking to everyone including her and Seto. She had expected their relationship to involve a lot of arguments and head butting and tense standoffs. But she could barely recall any, and even those that came to mind were minor disagreements, never moving beyond a few glares and frowns.

It was shocking to her friends as well. She was passionate and he was egotistical. How was it that these two headstrong and stubborn individuals never got into a single serious argument? But even though it didn't seem logical or probable, it was true and Téa knew the reason for it as well. It was the fear of losing the other that kept things from escalating. She couldn't recall the arguments or the cause for them, but she could vividly remember the feelings of fear they elicited, the fear that if they took things too far, they would lose each other. And having come close to the reality of a life without each other, both were always eager to make amends. After spitting a few angry words, both would turn to the other and apologize. They had successfully placed their relationship over their egos and Téa couldn't be happier with the decision.

"I know the ring is beautiful because I picked it so of course it is," Seto whispered from behind her, "but I still think it is better for your gaze to be fixed on me and not it." Téa laughed lightly at his words.

"Jealous?" She teased, turning in his arms to face him.

"Hardly." He replied. "I can do a lot of things the ring can't."

"Like what?" She said mischievously.

"This." He said, stealing a quick kiss. "And this." His hands ghosted over her naked body, touching all the right spots and eliciting the desired sounds from her. In a smooth motion, he climbed on top of her, pressing his body intimately against hers. "And this." He said with a grin, pressing his hips into hers. Despite herself, Téa blushed prettily and Seto smirked in triumph before claiming her lips again. Within seconds, the gentle pecking turned to heated kisses.

"We shouldn't." Téa breathily whispered, pulling away from Seto.

"Why not?" Seto said, grinding his hips into hers, earning another delicious moan.

"We will be late for our flight. We still have to shower, do some last minute packing, and get ready."

"I own the private jet. I can be as late as I want." Seto said with a grin, proceeding to kiss her neck.

"You can't leave it in the hangar past the designated time." She pointed out. He sighed in defeat, burying his face in her neck.

"I'm going to buy that damn hangar as soon as I get to my laptop." He promised and she giggled.

"Come on. Let's shower and get ready. I don't want to be late." She said with an excited smile and pushed him off.

"You just want to show off the ring to your parents and friends." He accused, falling back on the bed. She openly laughed at his accusation.

"I can't wait." She admitted.

"I'm looking forward to Yugi's and Wheeler's reaction." Seto declared, earning an eye-roll from her. He was still convinced that Yugi had feelings for her and waiting for Seto to screw up so he could swoop in and claim her. No amount of arguing changed his opinion and after a year of trying, she had given up trying to convince him that Yugi and she were only friends.

With Joey, it was a different matter. He didn't fully trust Seto just as Seto didn't fully trust him. Plus Joey was annoyed at Seto and Serenity's relationship, especially at Seto's cold treatment of his little sister. Still the two men acted in a civilized manner when around it each other and it was all she could ask for. She hoped the news of her engagement and pending nuptials would further improve their relationship.

"Please don't say anything to incite Joey." She requested, getting off the bed to stretch.

"I never do." He said, childishly crossing his arms. "Wheeler is the one who always starts it." Téa rolled her eyes at his response.

"You always goad him."

"It's not my fault he is immature and easy to bait."

"Don't do it." She said firmly, gathering their discarded clothes from the floor to place in the laundry basket.

"Or what?" He challenged.

"I'll kick both your assess and ban you from the wedding." She said. Seto laughed loudly at her words.

"I'm the groom. Without me there won't be a wedding." He said smugly.

"I'm sure Yugi will be more than happy to step in should I ask." She replied in the same tone. Seto fiercely glared at her before grumbling something. Téa smiled in triumph.

"If you make me happy, I'll make you happy." She promised him. "Starting with the shower." He raised a questioning eyebrow at her and she smiled coyly.

"Come join me." She said and within a second, Seto was off the bed and steering her into the adjoining bathroom.

"For the record, I'm doing this because we need to save time and be ready for the flight." She said through pearly laughs.

"In that case, I'm most definitely going to make us late." He declared.

"Seto." She whined but he silenced her with a kiss.

"You'll be saying that a lot very soon, and I'll enjoy every minute of it."

"And I'll enjoy saying it." She said, earning another heated kiss.

...

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The End

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Thank you to everyone who kept up with the story and left me with wonderful reviews. I loved reading them and loved the compliments :) They encouraged me to keep writing and were the primary reason I came back to this website and story after almost giving up on writing.

I want to apologize again for the long delays in between the updates, especially the last two chapters. I was hit with the worse case of writer's block and was too disappointed and frustrated to continue writing. I am still not a 100 percent satisfied with the final chapter because I feel like I could have and should have made it better. I wanted to include more detail on the reception and success of the show, and on the phone call between Serenity and Tea but I couldn't find the right words. And I was tired of delaying the end. I am sorry to those who were looking forward to reading those parts. I hope you enjoyed the rest of the story.

Lastly, I want to thank the people who left me private messages during the time I was absent from the website. I am grateful for your concern and encouraging messages. It felt amazing to come back to this account after months and read so many nice emails. You guys are amazing and I hope I made you happy with this story. I love writing and you guys make it worth the frustration and the invested time :) I will now try to focus on A Mile in His Shoes and hopefully not have huge gaps in between updates.

Thanks again for reading. Please review to let me know if you liked it :)

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