Okay guys and girls, here it is; last chapter. *Sniff* I've enjoyed this story one of the most of all my stories, it's a little saddening to have finished it. Well, read and enjoy!

'So how come you're acting like a human being today?' Tristan asked Vivian as the gang helped Mai drag the bags and Vivian over to Joey's apartment.

'Because I am one,' Vivian scowled at him.

'Well, let me rephrase that; how come you're acting normal.'

'I'm in a wheelchair, that's not normal for me.'

Tristan resisted the urge to gnash his teeth together. 'How do you put up with her?' He asked Mai, forgetting momentarily he didn't really approve of her after everything that had happened.

'With great difficulty.' Mai replied, and held back a sigh when she saw the wariness come back into Tristan's eyes. Give him time, she told herself, just give it all time.

'Hey!' Vivian tried a whack at Mai, but she was too far away, and Serenity pushed her out of range even further.

'Oh sure, side with her,' Vivian grumbled at Serenity.

Joey opened his apartment, and all nine of them filed in. It was a nice place; three bedrooms, one bathroom, with a large living area and rather large kitchen in one corner of the main room.

'Dueling doesn't pay badly,' Joey commented as he lugged his bags in. 'Okay, 'Ren, you're in your usual room; Vivian and Mai can have the third; it's got two extra beds, against the day-which happens quite often-that Tea, Yugi and Tristan crash here. Comes in handy now.'

'Sure you don't want Mai with you?' Vivian asked wickedly.

'Uh-' Joey went scarlet.

Mai, still worried about hitting Vivian, settled for glaring at her and carrying their bags over to the room Joey had pointed out, with those who hadn't been in the car with them, staring at Joey either slack-jawed or with an "about time" look on their face.

Mai dumped the bags and surveyed the room, glad to be away from everyone for a few moments. Just because she didn't like being alone, recognised that she didn't do well with it, and didn't seek solitude anymore, didn't mean she didn't crave moments of peace, especially after such a nerve-racking reunion. With Joey there hadn't been time to worry; she hadn't know he was coming, but she had practically worried herself sick on the flight from Germany to Japan, and done her best not to let the other two see it. But of course, Vivian knew-after spending a year with her travelling, she knew her moods. And Joey-she'd come to see he always knew when she was hurting or worried. Probably because of her eyes; they expressed her emotions much more than she liked.

'Not bad.' Vivian wheeled herself in. 'Nice bed,' she grinned, 'and it looks soft-mores the better.'

Mai smiled and shook her head.

'What?' Vivian cocked an eyebrow at her.

'I'm just glad you're up and about and well. And bouncy. Don't you ever stop?'

'Why should I? And don't get too sentimental on me; I'll start feeling sorry for myself.'

Mai laughed. 'Alright. Come on, back into the fray.'

'Mai?'

Vivian waited until Mai turned back to her. 'You did good back there; I'd say you got what you wanted.'

Mai blinked, then smiled. 'Yeah, I guess I did, didn't I? Joey, the gang, you being safe...Everything finally fell into place.'

''Bought time you had some luck in my opinion. You think he has any food around here? I'm starving.'

'Tell you what; I'll take everyone out for an early dinner; on me. And I don't know if it was luck so much, but I got a second chance.'

Vivian looked down at her legs, then at Joey out in the main room. 'I'd say we all did.'

They couldn't decide on a restaurant of any sort unanimously-or even with the majority-so Mai bought everyone various takeaways and they had them by the docks as the sun set and dusk drew in.

Mai caught Joey looking over to a pier down the way from them with a far-off look in his eye. She glanced where he was looking, frowned, then understood, and nudged him with her elbow-not hard to do as she was practically sitting against him.

Startled, he jumped, and glanced over at her. 'If I'm not allowed to feel guilty, then you definitely aren't,' she told him tartly, but softly.

Joey rubbed his head. 'It's not easy.'

'You're preaching to the choir,' Mai told him.

He winced. 'You're right. Sorry.'

'No problem,' Mai turned slightly so her back half rested against his shoulder. 'You're lucky.' She looked over at the other eight that made up their group. 'To have had all this easy affection.'

'You'll have it. If you let it.'

'I'm working on it. It may take them awhile, me too; to adjust, but I really want to work on it. I'm sick of having no roots.'

'Good,' Joey kissed her fingers instead of her mouth to spare any comments, but Mai found it absurdly sweet, and it made her heart do a slow roll in her chest; another thing she was trying to get used to. 'Cause I want you here with me.'

'If you two lovebirds are finished, do you wanna take a walk along the docks? Work all this food off?' Tristan asked then with a teasing note in his voice.

At least he was trying to be civil, Joey decided as they all got to their feet; that would have to be enough for now. A couple of months after coming back from California, they had gotten on to the topic of the Orichalcoes, and Tristan had-Joey couldn't remember what prompted it, but he remembered seeing red-gone off on a rant about Mai, he and Joey had almost come to blows because of it. Yugi and Tea combined had managed to calm them down, but Joey was angry at Tristan for days. Finally Tea ordered them to make peace, and Tristan had agreed not to bad-mouth Mai and try to be civilized if they saw Mai again-in exchange for a quick overview of Joey and Mai's duel-a very brief one; it was not something Joey liked to talk about. Eventually he had given the same account to Yugi, Tea, and even Serenity, after much wearing down on her part. But it hadn't made her see Mai in a bad light, and she'd helped Joey to see more clearly-her and Tea both-how cut up Mai must have been to change so dramatically, and when Joey really considered it, it confirmed she'd gone through hell in those months they'd been apart. And probably afterwards, now he thought about it again, and it must have been almost as hard to come back than it was to sink-both were emotionally exhausting, but coming back required willpower-and even the best of wills faltered.

But she was alive, healthy, and happy, chatting girl stuff to Serenity and Tea as Vivian got into a spat with Rebecca. Mai eyed them for a second, then let them be; even divine intervention couldn't make them find peace with eachother; they would just have to settle it somehow between themselves, or know to keep as much distance between them as possible.

'So what have you been up to this past year, overall?' Tea asked finally. 'I'm sorry; the question's been preying on my mind since we knew you and Joey had met up.'

'This and that.' Mai came to a halt by one of the piers. 'Dueling, of course, but that's a no-brainer. I met up with Viv a couple of months after California.' She sent Vivian a grin. 'And my ears were nearly talked off that first tournament. We saw each other at various tournaments for a few months, then found out there was a tag-team tournament in China. And went for it.' Mai frowned. 'The night before we left...that was I believe when you guys were in Egypt. Joey explained the finer points to me in Germany. But I did hear through the duelist grapevine Yugi no-longer had his puzzle. I'd learned more about the Pharaoh when I served the Orichalcoes, and with an old village appearing in the sky and the world going haywire-it could only be you guys involved.'

'Thanks ever so,' Yugi grumbled.

'Anyway, me and Viv set out for China and we went from there. Rose eventually to team champions in Europe, then world-wide. I must say, we need a duel against Yugi and Joey one of these days. It'll be interesting to see whose better.'

'That's not fair, you two have been together for ages.'

'So?' Mai smiled at Joey. 'You two always worked well together.'

'Please say yes,' Vivian begged, 'Not holograms, just the cards, but it's the only challenging duel I'll have in months. Please, I'm begging you!' She looked at Yugi.

'Ah, sure, why not?' Yugi glanced at Joey.

'Anything to get her to shut up, huh Yuge?' Tristan slung an arm around his shoulders.

'Does she ever?' Rebecca grumbled. 'I bet she even talks in her sleep.'

Vivian stuck out her tongue. 'I most certainly do not.'

'Don't what? Shut up, or talk in your sleep?' Duke asked her with a wicked grin, and stepped well out of her reach.

'Well, she does talk in her sleep,' Mai commented, glad she was walking well behind Vivian.

Vivian scowled at her, and pouted. 'Why is everyone against me?' She grumbled.

'Because you're so easy to tease since you're so easily put out. Your own comments aren't the sweetest either.' Mai replied.

'That was a rhetorical question,' Vivian stuck her nose in the air.

'Well you got an answer anyway. If you don't want an answer, don't ask the question,' Mai told her.

'Huh!'

'You know, I reckon you just play the clown most of the time because you enjoy it, not because you really mean it.' Duke told her.

Vivian blinked at him, then glanced back at Mai, who tucked a grin behind her hand. 'Gee Duke, you figure that one out all by yourself or did someone help you?' Vivian drawled.

'He is right though, isn't he?' Yugi was watching her with a thoughtful look on his face.

Slightly uncomfortable, Vivian shifted in her seat. 'You told me they were good,' she looked at Mai, then she looked back at the gang. 'Am I that transparent, or did you realise because Mai used a facade when she met you too?'

'Because you act in a way the rings true when you're around Mai, or at odd moments when you're not aware of it,' Yugi told her.

'Okay, I give up, you're good.' Vivian threw her hands up in surrender. 'Can we go home now? I'm getting cold.'

'Not one for emotional talk is she?' Tea asked Mai.

'Give her time, doesn't it take everyone awhile to be easy around strangers?'

'We're not strangers to you and you're not easy,' Tea told Mai.

Mai grimaced. 'Getting past a history is nerve-wrecking and difficult.'

Tea blinked at the most substantial confession about her feelings Mai had ever said to her. 'Yeah, you're right...' she paused. 'You've changed. Time was you held everyone back with your facade, even though you knew us.'

'I know,' Mai murmured. 'I like to think the change is good. And I'd like you to really get to know me, and vice versa, if you'll give me a chance.'

'No problem Mai,' Tea smiled at her. She glanced at Serenity, who had observed the exchange quietly. 'Well, first things first, now that I actually have some girls around me, let's go out for a long day of shopping till our feet ache and whatever else we can think off. Though,' Tea glanced around their group. 'Vivian was not a person awhile ago I thought I'd ever class as a friend. Especially not after she hit on Yugi.'

'She flirts for fun, don't let it bother you; she's rarely ever serious about it. And once she considers you a friend, she won't even flirt with him for fun anymore-well, anymore than how she normally jokes with people, which could be taken as flirting. She's a good friend, even if she is hyperactive.'

'Like you, except for the hyperactive bit; a good friend once you get to know them.'

Mai felt her cheeks heat up slightly. 'Thanks Tea, that means a lot, coming from you. And I'm not sure I deserve it.'

'Anytime, and yes, you do.' Tea glanced ahead of them. 'Looks like we'd better get everyone home before Vivian and Rebecca kill each other.

'I suppose them murdering each other isn't the best way for Viv to spend her first night in Domino. I know the doctor said to keep her quiet, but she needed this. She needs people...I'll try and keep her more quiet tomorrow...' Mai sighed as they walked over to the heated fight. 'With the emphasis on try.'

Mai looked around the gang as they approached. She was so lucky, she thought. Not just that they'd given her a second chance, but also for having all of them as the people she cared about. Sure there were fights-she remembered them well and with some amusement-but they were tight, and they were the best friends she could ever wish for. They were the family she'd never had and never knew she needed until they were in her life. And now they were hers for good. She'd decided while eating dinner with all of them that she would stay. Travel for tournaments, but base in Domino. Vivian would come and go once she had recovered, and that would be heart-wrenching, but she would come back often to visit, and they would still meet up for tag-team tournaments. On the other hand, Vivian might decide to base in Domino too. And why not? Perhaps given time she would fit in with the gang. Perhaps in time the four she had met at Duelist Kingdom would go from the seven they had become to nine. And why not? They had given her a second chance, and she would make it work. Mai smiled as Joey held out a hand to her and took it.

'Ready to go home?'

A home. She finally had a home. Mai smiled brilliantly at him. 'Yes.'

And that's all folks! Hope you loved it and please leave reviews on the way out! Much appreciated!