Chapter X: Dinner with the Truesdales

Welcome again, GX fans! Thank you again for your reviews of chapter nine! To answer AlexieJayFan's query about Hassleberry's leg, when a bone transfer is made under normal circumstances, you tend to end up with screws, pins and/or metal plates in your arm or leg. Therefore, it's probably a good bet that he has some metal in his leg. Anyway, we're glad we're able to keep you interested in our story which is a rather long tale.

Originally, we said this chapter would be called "Annie's Secret." Due to length, that chapter is next time. This time, though, we're just dealing with dinner and a little good-natured family teasing. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Peach and 15animefreak15 don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX or anything else. They just own this idea and their respective OCs.

Back in Domino, Annie sat against the seat of the Truesdales' car, still a bit tired. "So this is where you guys live," she smiled, looking out the window as the car pulled up to a nice two-story Cape Cod-style house.

"Yeah. It's not much, but it's home. I can't believe it's been a whole year since I was back here..." replied Syrus.

"Well, why don't we start off your first night back with dinner? Zane, if you could get the wheelchair out of the back..." Darla stated, getting out of the car.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Annie apologized.

Zane sighed. "I can see why my brother likes you...You're both always apologizing needlessly..."

Annie blushed. "I just feel bad because you have to go to all this trouble...I'm such a spazz..."

"Sorry, Zane...uh, I mean, heh," Syrus sweat-dropped.

"Now, now, Annie, you are not a 'spazz'. You're a polite young lady," corrected Darla. She helped Annie get into the wheelchair, then allowed Syrus to roll it up to the house.

"I hope I can walk on my own in a minute," Annie said. "Um...Mr. Truesdale?"

"Please, call me Will, Annie..."

"Um, Will...can I try walking on my own a bit?"

"Hm…I don't see why you couldn't try. But let's get inside the house first," Darla said quickly.

Once they were inside, Syrus pushed the wheelchair into the living room. "That was a good idea, mom. Now, if she falls, she'll have a soft landing."

"SYRUS!" Annie yelped, red-faced.

Syrus realized what he'd said and blushed, staring at his shoes. "I'm sorry, Annie. That wasn't very nice. I'm not very good at this sort of stuff, am I?" he asked through a sigh.

Annie immediately felt contrite. "It's not that...It's just...I hate being weak..." She sighed.

"But you're not weak! I mean...you're one of the strongest people I know. At least, you're stronger than I'll ever be..." he mumbled, twiddling his thumbs sadly.

"You're stronger than me...you've faced duelists tougher than I have..." She looked at him. "I couldn't have faced the Paradox brothers...I'm only an Obelisk because I'm so smart and a girl..."

"Yeah, but...I did try to get replaced. And I messed up a lot in that duel..."

Darla sighed inwardly, realizing just how similar these two were. 'So nervous and polite, always having trouble believing in their abilities,' she thought.

"You are smart, a lot smarter than me. I mean, I'm not in Obelisk." Syrus added.

"You'll be in Obelisk..." Annie said.

Zane sighed. "Oh, lord..."

"What, Zane?" Annie asked.

"You two are so alike it's scary..."

Both kids looked at Zane. "Huh?"

Syrus blushed. "No we're not. She's way stronger and smarter than me. We're about as alike as, well...Violet and Bastion." He sighed rubbing his lower arm.

Zane smacked his forehead. "This is crazy. Syrus, you belong at Duel Academy and I think you could kick my butt in a duel… eventually."

Will Truesdale grinned. 'That's my boy,' he thought.

And Zane continued, "Annie...you're probably a better duelist than you think...and I know you wouldn't have fallen for my brother if you didn't see certain qualities, true?" Annie nodded.

"So...quit it..."

Syrus smiled a little. "All right, Zane. You win...as usual." Seeing the look on his brother's face, he sweat-dropped. "I-I mean, we'll stop...uh, why don't you try standing, Annie?" he added, changing the subject.

"Don't worry, sweetie. If you can't stand, none of us will think you're weak," stated Darla encouragingly.

Annie nodded. "Zane?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I duel you?"

Syrus' eyes widened. "Huh? But Annie, what if you...you know..." He was referring to her fainting problem, worried that she might get hurt.

"Not right now, silly! I meant later..." Annie explained.

Zane looked understandably surprised. "I was hoping you'd say that..."

"I think I'll try getting up now..." Annie said.

Syrus let out a sigh of relief, even if he was still nervous about the duel. "Okay...just be careful," he replied. 'I wonder what kind of deck she has, anyway...come to think of it, I've never seen Violet's deck, either. I don't think any of us have ever seen them duel,' he thought, surprised by this revelation.

Darla moved quickly and moved the footrests so Annie could step down onto the carpet. 'You'll be okay,' Annie told herself. 'You shouldn't be nervous...Oh, crap, Darla has to call Mom...just walk, Annie!' The girl put her feet on the ground and stood up, albeit shakily.

"Syrus?"

"Y-Yeah, Annie?"

"Could I lean on you?" she asked softly. She needed him to be strong for her and with her.

Syrus blushed a little, but knew he needed to be strong for them both. "Uh, sure..."he answered, taking a step towards her, allowing her to lean on him for support.

Annie took a few steps just using Sy for support. She might've made it to the couch just holding onto his shoulder, but then she felt weaker and leaned on him more heavily. "Oh..." she moaned, taking a few deep breaths.

Syrus' knees buckled a little under the weight, since Annie was bigger and heavier than him. But he kept standing, and managed to push Annie gently onto the couch. "Annie? Are you okay??" he asked worriedly.

Annie's eyes were closed as she breathed deep for a minute. She nodded, but didn't speak.

Darla walked over to check her pulse, noting that it was a bit ragged from the exertion but not dangerously so. "She's just fine, Syrus. Just a little tired from pushing herself like she did. Why don't you stay here with her while your father, brother, and I go get dinner fixed?" she offered, smiling. Syrus nodded, sitting beside Annie on the couch.

Will and Zane followed wife and mother into the kitchen. "Mom?" Zane asked, looking backward. "She does that a lot..."

Darla sighed as she unwrapped the meat loaf she'd made earlier. "It's likely that she has some sort of condition that makes her more susceptible to fainting, Zane. Perhaps low blood sugar or a weak heart. I can't be sure myself, but I do know that fainting as she's been doing isn't good," she explained, frowning.

The 19-year-old looked worried. "She hasn't said anything..."

Will looked at his eldest son. "Zane, she'll tell us when she's ready..."

"Dad, they've been dating for a few months now and they've been friends since their first year…" Zane sighed. "I think she should be ready to tell him..."

Darla listened to their conversation as she filled a bowl with creamed corn and another with spinach. "Zane, sometimes it's hard to tell the person you love something. No matter how important it is. I'm sure that she'll tell him soon, just be patient..."

The teen boy looked a bit puzzled, which was unusual. Will sighed. "Relationships can be complicated, kiddo, but it's worth it...especially when you're with the one you love the most," he concluded, smiling at his wife.

Darla smiled back, leaning over to plant a swift kiss on his cheek. "You'll understand when you find a girlfriend, sweetie. Speaking of which, isn't it about time you found someone? I mean, you're brother's two years younger than you and he found a nice girl."

"MOM!" Zane yelped, embarrassed. "It's...man!"

Darla chuckled a little, turning to kiss her eldest son on the forehead. "Now, Zane, I was just teasing is all. Let's take these goodies into the dining room," she stated, placing some biscuits on a tray.

"Okay, Mom...don't worry, I'll find somebody..." Zane said.

"We know you will, Zane," Will said, mussing his eldest son's hair.

Meanwhile, back in the living room, Annie was regaining her color. "I'm sorry, Sy...I keep scaring you..."

"Don't be sorry, Annie. I'm just...glad that you're okay. I'd be so sad if anything bad happened to you..."

"Mind if I lay down a minute?" Annie asked. "I'm tired...and...I feel so safe with you..."

Syrus blushed and nodded, moving over to make room. "R-Really? No one's ever felt safe with me, before. Usually, it's the other way around..."

Annie laid down, her head resting against him. "I don't see why...you're so sweet..."

"Well...I'm not very...brave. I always get scared and run away. Just ask Jaden...or Zane," Syrus replied, frowning sadly.

"You're braver than you think, Sy..." she countered, feeling pleasantly warm in Sy's arms. "You don't leave their friends when they're in trouble..."

Syrus blushed again, knowing she was right and had a good point. "Yeah, I guess so. But I want to be strong like Zane, so that I can protect you..."

"You already do protect me...Syrus, I love you 'cause you're you..." Annie smiled, drifting off.

Syrus blushed...again. "I love you, too, Annie. For the same reason." He didn't notice her falling asleep, and just figured she was too tired to say anything else.

In the dining room, all of the food and plates had been set out. "All right, boys, I'll go get the young love birds," Darla said, walking into the living room.

"My little brother...good grief, Dad..." Zane said, smiling.

Will grinned knowingly. "Jealous?"

"Not really," the young man said, "and for the record, I've had opportunities in the Pro Leagues, but...the girls just throw themselves at you..."

"I'm glad you're not looking for cheap flings, Zane...you will find someone. And your mom was teasing."

Zane smiled. "It is pretty incredible that Sy did it, though...he's always been so nervous...but...he's brave around Annie..."

Meanwhile, back in the living room, Annie was sound asleep. "Aw, isn't that just adorable?" cooed Darla, grinning.

Syrus blushed, finally realizing that Annie had fallen asleep. "Mom!" he hissed.

Darla laughed quietly, then walked over to gently shake Annie's arm. "Annie, sweetie, come on. I know you're tired, but you have to eat something. Then Syrus can show you to your guest room and you can get some well-needed rest."

Annie stirred. "Wha--?" She was so sleepy and Syrus made a nice pillow. She sat up and shook her head to wake herself up. "Oh, did I fall asleep? Okay..." She moved and got herself up, feeling a bit more steady this time. She smelled the meatloaf and smiled. "Yum! Meatloaf!"

"Oh, I'm glad you're okay with that. I was hoping you weren't allergic or anything. There's also corn, spinach, and biscuits," Darla explained, smiling.

Syrus grimaced as he stood. "Spinach? Yuck. Mom..." he groaned.

"Now, Syrus, and here you wonder why you haven't grown much. You need to eat your vegetables to become big and strong like your brother."

Annie giggled. "I love everything, Darla...a little too much, I'm afraid."

Zane heard this exchange and yelled, "Mom'll love that, Annie! We never eat enough to please her!"

"I constantly tell them that they should eat more. Really, have you seen how thin they are? Why, I could snap them in half if I wanted to," Darla explained, frowning. She helped Syrus lead Annie into the dining room and sit down, before taking seats themselves.

Annie blushed. "Everything looks so good..." She was sitting next to Syrus. "I can't believe you don't like spinach. I love it."

Zane and Will exchanged glances and laughed. "You really do love everything, don't you?" Will smiled. "Good girl. You eat all you want."

Zane also grinned. "So, do you have a favorite food, Annie?"

She nodded. "I love watermelon in the summer...and there's this one ice cream I like but they haven't had it at 31 Flavors in like forever...What about you, Sy?"

"Well, maybe for once we won't have a bunch of leftovers," Darla stated happily.

Syrus, meanwhile, thought for a moment before answering. "Well...I really like fried shrimp, even though Jaden and Violet usually ate it all back at school. But my favorite food has always been black cherries."

Darla smiled. "Yup. He used to eat an entire bowl full, and the juice would be all over his face and clothes..."

"Mom!!"

Zane grinned. "Isn't there that picture of him when he was five and ate a whole bunch?"

Annie giggled at the image of a five-year-old Syrus with cherry juice all over him. "I bet that was cute. I know Mom has a picture of me with a huge slice of watermelon...I got it all over..."

Syrus sent the darkest look he could muster at his older brother, which completely backfired and made him look twice as cute.

"Why yes I do, Zane. Annie, if you'd like, I can show you the family album after dinner," Darla offered.

"That'd be nice, and I know my mom will show Sy my album..." She noticed Sy's expression and said, "Sy...everybody has stuff like that...I know there's a picture of my brother that he wanted erased."

Will smiled. "I know there's a picture of Zane in the album when he was two and ran around the house naked for two hours..."

"DAD!"

Syrus grinned, stifling his laugher as best as he could. "Well, you'll see after dinner, sweetie. I'm sure that both of our families have been through quite a few odd situations in the past," Darla explained, smiling.

"Yeah," Annie said. "There's this picture of me when I was like three and I decided I wanted to be a Star Trek alien...Mom couldn't figure out what I was doing..." The girl blushed. "And then I decided I wanted to be like one of the doctors on 'Grey's Anatomy,' so I ran around quoting the doctor I liked...That one ended up sticking and I want to be a doctor. I guess I'll be known as the Dueling Doctor," she concluded.

"It's nice to know that you'd like to be a doctor, Annie. I remember when Syrus got into my medical bag once. He tried to dress-up like a mummy and scare me by wrapping gauze around himself," Darla reminisced, chuckling. Syrus groaned and blushed, sinking down in his seat.

Annie giggled. "Mom thinks I'll be an okay general practitioner if..." She trailed off and blushed. "Anyway, um...I picked the wrong doctor to quote that day... My dad was about ten shades of red..."

"Which doctor did you quote?" Will asked curiously. "I watch 'Grey's Anatomy,' kiddo, so who was it?"

"Um...Doctor Bailey..." Annie was blushing furiously.

"I don't get it. Why is that so bad?" asked Syrus. Darla didn't quite understand either, unless it was the episode she thought it was.

"It was the episode when she had her baby..." Annie explained. She was really blushing now. 'I did it again...in front of guys!' she thought in horror.

"Uh...so what exactly did you say that made your dad blush?" asked Syrus, still not comprehending the problem. Darla had quite the idea of it now, but didn't say anything. Will was smirking, trying to hold back his laughter.

"Um...'O'Malley...stop looking at my va-jay-jay...'" Annie's face was deeper red than the Slifer jackets now and she buried her face in her hands.

Zane and Will cracked up. "Oh, man that must've been priceless!" Zane crowed.

Syrus finally understood, and blushed a little.

Darla sighed and gave the men a look. "Hush, you two. Now, Annie, we all make mistakes. Especially when we're young and don't know any better. Zane, I remember when you came home from school one day and asked me why the health teacher had given your 'wee-wee' a weird name."

Zane turned crimson. "What?!" he yelped. "MOM!"

Annie asked, suddenly feeling less embarrassed, "What happened?"

"Well, I simply told him that was what everyone called it. That the name he'd given it was just a nickname," Darla explained. Syrus was barely able to stay on his chair while laughing so hard.

Annie giggled again. "Oh. That's no big deal. I didn't even know what Doctor Bailey meant and then Mom had to explain it. And then I told her I wanted to be like Dr. Bailey..." She smiled. "Is being a doctor hard and do you think I could handle it?" She slipped her hand into Sy's hand under the table. Syrus blushed, but squeezed Annie's hand a little.

"Well, it all depends on how much you love what you're doing. I always tell my boys that if you don't love your job then it's not worth doing. And I love helping people who come to the hospital," Darla explained.

"What kind of doctor are you, Darla?" Annie asked.

"Well, I'm an OB/GYN, dear," Darla replied.

"You deliver babies? Wow..." Annie looked admiringly at the other female in the room. "You get to bring new lives into the world... I'll bet it's amazing..."

"Oh, it is, sweetie. It gives you sense of accomplishment only known when you've done something worthwhile. I wouldn't prefer any other job," Darla explained.

"I hope I can find that..." Annie smiled. And then things fell silent for a bit as everyone ate.

"So then, who wants dessert? I managed to squeeze in time for a cherry pie, if anyone's interested," Darla offered.

Syrus grinned, liking regular cherries almost as much as black ones. "Me, Mom!"

"Us, too!" Zane and Will grinned.

"Me, also! Thanks, Darla!" Annie said, smiling. "You're amazing! Was today your day off?" she asked.

"Well, I didn't have much scheduled for today, so I was able to get off earlier than usual." Darla stood and walked into the kitchen, returning a moment later with the pie. She set it on the table and passed out some slices to everyone, taking one for herself as well.

Annie took a big bite, smiling, chewed and swallowed. "This is delicious..."

"Awesome, honey," Will added.

"Man, I missed this, Mom," Zane added.

"Yeah, thanks, Mom! You're the greatest!!" added Syrus.

Darla was blushing a little, resembling her youngest child. "Oh, you all! Now you've gone and made me blush, you sillies."

And that's where we end this chapter. We thank you in advance for your reviews and we hope you will stay tuned for the next chapter, "Annie's Secret." Read, review and thank you very much!