The next morning Téa woke up to the sound of Kaiba talking on the phone. He sounded pretty angry. When Kaiba noticed Téa was awake, he said, "I have to go," and hung up the phone.

"What's going on?" Téa asked curiously.

"Apparently, someone caught the whole incident yesterday on a cellphone camera. He turned on the TV and said, "It starts at where you throw wine in Devlin's face and ends with me throwing him into the pond."

Téa rubbed her cheek unconsciously and asked, "Once again, I do still have a job, right?"

"Stop worrying about your job," he said, "I already told you, your fine. Is your face okay? It looks a little red."

"I'm fine, it's just sore. So what is on the agenda today," Téa asked, "I noticed you didn't have anything written down on my planner."

"We don't have another meeting until tomorrow. So you can do whatever you want to today." Kaiba said.

Téa blinked in surprise and asked, "Really, well how about we go sightseeing together?"

"I have too much work to get done on the computer," Kaiba said as an excuse.

"Well how about I help you with that work so we can finish in half the time. Then we can go out together and do something?" Téa suggested.

Kaiba turned off the TV and said, "There really isn't much in New York that interest me. Go have your fun."

"How about that coffee shop Mokuba was telling me about. He said you don't ever leave New York without getting a cup of coffee and some chocolate from there." Téa said slyly.

Kaiba thought about it, he could really go for some good coffee right now. With a sigh, he grabbed a clean jacket from his suitcase and his wallet. "Go get dressed," he said.

She smiled knowing that she had won and quickly got dressed in the bathroom. When she came out, she was wearing a pair of blue jeans with a light blue shirt. She pulled on her black jacket and said, "Let's go."

They walked together down the road and Téa asked, "So how did you know about the divorce?"

"Mokuba found out from Wheeler's sister," He answered.

"Oh," she replied simply, "So, what have you been up to these past few years?"

"Other than working, not much. Just making sure Mokuba stays out of trouble." Kaiba answered.

"No relationships? That's surprising… after all, you have been the world's most eligible bachelor since high school." She replied.

Kaiba snorted, "I am flattered you kept track."

Téa laughed and replied, "You know what I mean."

They arrived at the coffee shop and Kaiba placed his order and let Téa decide what she wanted to order. Once she ordered, they walked over to a booth and Kaiba continued smugly, "No, I don't think I know what you mean. Tell me what was it that made you remember that little fact."

Téa laughed and replied, "I know that because every year when they posted that list, even after we were married, Yugi became extremely jealous. I suppose that should have been my first clue that he was cheating on me," She said sadly.

The waitress delivered their drinks and chocolate. Kaiba looked over to Téa as she took a sip from her hot cocoa. Even though she was trying to hide it, he could tell she was still in deep pain from the divorce. He also took a sip from his cup and said, "Yugi doesn't know what he lost yet. Once he realizes it, he will be kicking himself over it." Kaiba was silent for a moment before he asked, "Would you like to go to the American Museum of Natural History?"

"I thought you were too busy?" Téa replied.

Kaiba gave a rare smile and said, "Let's just say I changed my mind. There is something I want to show you."

She finished her candy and picked up her cup of coffee. "Well let's go already!" she said excitedly. She grabbed his arm and led him out the door.

"You're going the wrong way," he said. She laughed and turned around with him in tow.

…

There were several exhibits inside: dinosaurs, ocean life, and animals. But Kaiba was saving the best exhibit for last. Kaiba led her to the door that led to the attraction and held the door open. She gasped when she saw the inside. It was a warm room with tons of tropical plants and sitting on those plants and flying above them were hundreds of butterflies. She knelt down to touch one, but it flew off. "This is incredible," she whispered.

"Every winter hundreds of butterflies migrate. To help butterflies who are in danger of extinction, they set up this butterfly sanctuary," he explained.

"Let's take a picture and send it to Mokuba," she said eagerly. Before Kaiba could protest, she had already asked a stranger to take a picture of them. "Just hold down the button when you're ready," she instructed the person.

Kaiba kept a straight face while Téa was grinning like a Cheshire cat. "One, two," he heard the stranger say. Suddenly a butterfly landed on his nose as he heard the stranger say, "Three." The stranger continued to hold down the button, unknowingly taking multiple shots as Kaiba started to laugh. When Téa got her camera back she was pleased to find both a shot of when the butterfly landed and a shot of Kaiba smiling. She put the camera back in her purse and couldn't wait to send the pictures to Mokuba later.

Kaiba looked at his watch and asked, "Are you getting hungry?"

She nodded and replied, "Coffee and chocolate don't exactly qualify for a well-balanced breakfast."

As they were walking to the restaurant, Kaiba's phone started to ring, "Hey Mokuba," he said on the phone.

"Hey Seto, how are you guys enjoying the trip?" Mokuba asked.

Kaiba rolled his eyes and replied, "It's a business trip Mokuba."

"Sure," Mokuba said, "I haven't seen you throw too many other guys into ponds over touching your secretary in the past."

"Look Mokuba, if you are going to hassle me over how Téa is enjoying the trip; why don't you ask her?" Kaiba said as he handed the phone to her.

"Hey Mokuba," she greeted as she started to tell him about the trip.

As they made it to their destination, Téa told Mokuba, "I have to go Mokie, but I will send you the photos tonight. Talk to you later." She hung up the phone and handed it back to Kaiba. Surprisingly enough, there weren't any tables. That's when she saw a sign that read 'takeout only.' She didn't pay too much mind to it and figured that they would be going back to the hotel to eat. As expected, when their food was done, Kaiba hailed a taxi and they went straight back to the hotel.

When they arrived at the hotel, Kaiba sat the food on the table and said, "Go ahead and eat." He sat down on his bed and started to check his e-mail. Much to his surprise, Téa brought two plates of food over and sat next to him on the bed. She handed him one plate and a fork. She then grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and started to eat.

Kaiba's stomach flipped as he felt her sit in the bed with him. Sure, she was just eating lunch. But, something about her close proximity made him feel nervous. She seemed to sense his uneasiness and said, "I can go eat over there if you would prefer." Kaiba shook his head no and started to eat. The truth is, he kind of liked this feeling. He almost felt like he wasn't a billionaire business tycoon. In fact, he almost felt … normal. It was a different, but a welcome feeling.

After they ate, Kaiba got back to work on his computer while Téa sat next to him watching TV. About half way through the movie, Kaiba noticed that Téa had fallen asleep. He then realized, he had 2 options: He could either carry Téa to her own bed and risk waking her, or he could just let her sleep in his bed. He was just going to let her sleep with him, but at the last second, he chickened out and decided to sleep in her bed, while she slept in his.

The next morning was going to be their last day in NYC. He had a meeting that night with Thomas Kelms. They were going to attend the Nutcracker in the Koch Theatre and then discuss business over dinner. He knew Téa adored the ballet, so he kept it a secret for the time being. Téa had yet to wake up after he called Mokuba, so he called room service to have breakfast delivered.

He planned on waiting to eat until she woke up, but it had almost been an hour since the food was delivered and he was starting to get concerned. He shook her awake and said, "Téa breakfast is here."

She sat up sleepily and walked over to the table. Kaiba looked at her and felt like something was definitely off, but what? She sneezed and sat down. Kaiba moved across from her, silently missing the contact he had with her last night. He watched her close, for any sign of what was going on. Her phone buzzed and she got up to look at it. "Go to hell Yugi," he heard her mumble.

"What does he want?" Kaiba asked.

Téa shook her head and replied, "He saw the footage on the news of us having dinner together and is throwing a fit. He was blowing up my phone around midnight last night, making it difficult to sleep. Like he had any consideration for me while he slept around with all those whores." Téa then moaned and said, "God, I have a headache." Achoo

"What is on the agenda today?" he asked her as he saw her pulling out her planner.

Achoo, "No meetings until 5:00 tonight," she answered

He looked at her and saw she looked pale and skeptically asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

She sneezed again and replied, "It's probably just my allergies flaring up."

"Regardless, since our meeting isn't until later tonight. Why don't you finish eating and try to go back to sleep," Kaiba suggested?

"That sounds wonderful," she replied as she sneezed her way back to the bed.

…

Kaiba had soup delivered to Téa around 3:00 while he was out shopping for a treat to bring back to Mokuba. He was already dressed, but he knew Téa would need some time. While she was getting dressed, her throat started to hurt and all around her neck felt swollen. She knew she was getting sick.

"I'm back," Kaiba announced, "Mr. Kelms wants us to meet at the Koch Theatre. They are going to be having a showing of the nutcracker."

"That sounds nice," she said painfully. She didn't lose her voice yet, but it was painful to speak. Her makeup hid some of the fact that she felt sick, her smile did the rest of the talking for her. She truly was dying to see the Nutcracker … just at a time when she felt better.

By the time she was completely dressed, Kaiba was speaking with Mr. Kelms downstairs. She put on her silver slippers under her blue dress, because she felt too sick to be wearing heels. As she walked down the stairs, she saw Kaiba at the bottom. Her vision swayed and she felt her body collapse. The next thing she knew, he was in front of her along with what looked like a hotel staff member. "Téa, are you alright?" She could hear Kaiba talking to her, but was struggling to respond. He then pressed his hand up against her forehead and discovered she was drenched in sweat. "You're burning up," he mumbled. He then picked her up and turned to Mr. Kelm, "I'm sorry Sir, but it appears we will have to reschedule." He then asked the hotel employee to call a doctor.

Kaiba carried her up to their room and laid her in her bed, pulling the comforter up to her neck. He noticed she was still shivering, so he turned to grab the blanket off his bed as well. As he turned he heard her ask, "Does this mean we aren't going to see the Nutcracker?" He almost laughed at the question and replied, "Maybe another day when you are feeling better. The doctor is going to be here soon to evaluate you."

She nodded and closed her eyes. Kaiba then went downstairs to ask the hotel clerk if it was possible to extend their stay a few days, until she felt well enough to fly. It was. So Kaiba extended their stay by three days. He then called up his brother to inform him of the change. Seeing the doctor walk through the doors of the hotel, he told his brother, "I need to go," he hung up the phone and followed the doctor upstairs.

The doctor evaluated her and asked, "Is this the woman who was on the news with you the other day? The one who fell into the koi pond?"

Kaiba rolled his eyes and nodded, he couldn't believe that a complete stranger recognized them. The doctor then explained, "When she fell in, I am willing to bet she accidentally swallowed or inhaled some of that nasty fish water. Which is a literal breeding ground for bacteria. She is going to be fine, but it will take her a few days to recover."

"So, she is not contagious?" Kaiba asked.

The doctor shook his head no and said, "No, just give her time to recover and she will be back to normal. I will call in an antibiotic for her."

"How much do I owe you doctor?" Kaiba asked.

"I work for the hotel. It has already been charged to your bill," The doctor replied.

…

As he let the doctor out, he heard Téa call out to him. He walked over to the bed and asked, "What do you want, Téa?"

"Come sit with me," she said. Kaiba watched her close as if wondering if she was serious. He then grabbed the remote and sat on the bed with her. She turned to face him and asked, "I'm so cold…Hold me?" She was shaking violently. He was extremely nervous, but he remembered how nice it was sitting with her eating lunch the other day. So hesitantly, he crawled under the covers and pulled her into his chest. Shortly afterwards, she fell fast asleep.

Kaiba brushed a piece of hair out of her face and thought, 'Yugi is a fool for letting this magnificent creature slip through his fingers.' He entwined his fingers with hers as he thought about her. 'How could he hurt someone so gentle and innocent? What was it that Yugi felt he was lacking enough to sleep with other women?' Kaiba could think of nothing. In a sense she became perfect in his eyes. Even the smell of her perfume was enough to provoke his desire.

…

The next morning, Kaiba woke up feeling better than he had in a very long time. He looked down at the girl lying in his arms and placed his hand on her forehead. She was still running a fever, so Kaiba stood up. When Téa asked him to stay with her last night, he had completely forgotten to pick up her medicine.

He didn't bother to change or comb his hair before he snuck out the room.

…

Téa woke up feeling just as sick as the night before, but much….much colder. She looked around the room for Kaiba, but it appeared he had already left. Téa wasn't sure how the hotel room service worked, so she couldn't call for breakfast. That left her with only one option, to turn on the television and feign interest.

When she turned on the TV, she saw Yugi getting off a plane. The reporter said over the video, "Famous Duelist, Yugi Moto is visiting New York today. He waved to his fans as he exited the plane. No one is sure why the promising young duelist is in town. But, many speculate it is because of the incident his ex-wife had with Seto Kaiba…There will be more on this story on the 12:00 news."

No… He can't be here Téa thought panicky. She struggled to her feet and stumbled to get to her cell phone on the kitchen table, across the room.

When she finally reached the table, her legs completely gave out on her, leaving her clinging to a chair.

Kaiba happened to walk in that very moment and said, "Woah there," he helped her into the chair and asked, "What's wrong?"

Téa tried to speak, but her voice was completely gone. Tears formed in her eyes as she realized she couldn't tell him. She pointed to the computer and he walked over to hand it to her. She then found the news video that was shown on the television and played it for him.

The news footage enraged Kaiba. He looked up at her and realized, she was trembling. He wrapped his jacket around her, not knowing if she was cold or scared. He looked her in the eyes and said, "He won't bother you here, I promise."

"I see you're making another promise you can't keep Kaiba," Yugi said as he stepped into the forgotten open door.

Kaiba stood in front of her and said, "Leave Yugi, you're not welcome here."

"Téa is my wife. I have every right to be here." He replied

"Ex-wife," Kaiba corrected.

"Really, and that is why she is still wearing the wedding ring I gave to her?" Yugi asked.

Seto turned back and noticed she was in fact still wearing her wedding band.

Téa pulled her rings off her finger and threw them at Yugi. She wanted nothing to do with Yugi anymore. Her heart couldn't take it. Yugi was both genuinely shocked and angered by her reaction, "Let's go home Téa. We can talk things out," he said irritably.

Téa shook her head no and Kaiba said, "It's time for you to leave Yugi."

"Fine," Yugi said, "But, keep your hands off my wife."

"Is that a challenge?" Kaiba asked.

"No," Yugi replied, "It's a promise."

Kaiba shut the door as Yugi left and locked it. He then handed Téa her medicine and a bottle of water. She wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to stand. Kaiba noticed her struggle and carried her back to bed. He whispered half-jokingly and asked, "Do you want me to join you, just to piss Yugi off?"

Téa chuckled and pulled him close as he sat her on the bed. He was leaning over her as she held onto his shirt. She then sat up slightly and kissed him on the lips. She panicked when she saw Kaiba just sit there, figuring she made a mistake or misread his signals. But he silenced her fear when he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Completely out of breath and energy, she pat her hand on the bed, to ask him to join her. He smiled and was happy to surrender to her plea.

…

It was close to lunch time, when Kaiba felt his phone buzz in the pocket of his shirt. He slipped out of bed and stepped into the hall to prevent disturbing Téa. "Hey Mokuba," he said in a low voice.

"Hey big brother," he greeted. After a short pause he asked, "I'm not disturbing nothing, am I? I noticed your whispering."

Seto answered back, "No, Téa is just sleeping. How are things going at home?"

"Well, no one has tried to kidnap me or takeover the company yet. So I would say, just peachy! Is Téa doing any better?" Mokuba asked.

"Unfortunately no, the doctor thinks the water in the koi pond is what made her sick, and her body just needs to fight it off. Also, this morning we had an unexpected visit from Yugi." Kaiba said as he shook his head.

"What did he want?!" Mokuba screamed into the phone.

Kaiba held the phone away from his ear and said, "Watch your volume! He wanted Téa back obviously. Thankfully, she didn't seem to want anything to do with him and she stayed with me."

Mokuba caught that last bit and smirked, "Stayed with you huh? Big brother, are you trying to imply something?"

Kaiba cursed himself silently and almost laughed at his mistake, "Fine, I admit it. I am starting to feel something for her. I am not sure what, but something."

"The word you are looking for Seto is an erection." Mokuba answered smugly.

Kaiba was taken back by his brothers perverted sense of humor and said, "You're hanging out too much with the Mutt. In any case, I need to go. I think I hear Téa moving around in there."

He shut his phone and looked inside the hotel room. Téa looked more stable, but she still looked exhausted. She was looking around in the fridge presumably for something to eat. "Do you want me to order you some soup Téa?" he asked.

She nodded and sat down at the table. Kaiba walked up behind her and checked her temperature "It appears your fever finally broke. Are you feeling any better?" he asked as he dialed the number for room service.

She shrugged her shoulders, she didn't feel cold any more but she was far from feeling well. Besides that, she had nightmares about the day she found Yugi with another woman. The images kept playing in her head like a broken record. She wanted to be over him, but she just wasn't. She just kept asking herself, 'Why was I not good enough? Why couldn't he love me?'

She looked up as Kaiba was ordering the soup and her mind asked, 'Would any man deem me a satisfying companion?' Her mind was screaming no. But, her heart was yearning for the man standing before her. More than anything, she longed for that feeling of being cherished… treasured… That feeling that could only come from a happy marriage. A feeling that she was robbed of the day she discovered Yugi in the arms of another woman. After that day, she no longer felt like she could trust anyone. Could she trust Kaiba or was she just trying to believe in a fairy tale.

…