Another chapter down, I'm getting close to the actual ending of the story in my writing, so please follow and favorite so you can see how it ends! Thank you to everyone reading along.

BB

I don't own yugioh or DW

I felt myself spiral a bit over the course of the next few weeks. I kept the shop closed, and would spend hours cleaning it. Finishing my organizing, cleaning everything from the shelves to the floor with polish, even going as far as cleaning out the fridge. It's when I ran out of things to do did I sink. I didn't crawl out of bed for a few days. I heard the shop phone and my cell ring, but I couldn't find it in myself to care. I knew I should at least send a text to Seto, tell him I was okay, but I felt like I didn't have the energy. I wasn't sleeping. It seemed every time I dozed more chunks of that night would come up. I hated it. Apollo tried to rouse me, he tried everything from begging like he did for his treats, to tugging at my afghan. I saw the worry over his mistress, but I just couldn't bring myself to care, because right now? I'd never felt more insignificant.

"Hey there pretty lady, I'm lookin' for a Mister Kaiba, see he called me the other day 'bout my sister- Hey!" Two large men, clad in dark suits grabbed the man by the arms and drug him out to the front steps. "As if Mr. Kaiba would have anything to do with you." Grunted one. "Well, isn't this lovely?" Grunted the man, crossing his arms and dropping to the stone steps leading up to the tower. It was easy to see instantly he didn't belong. Thick, brown, scuffed square toed boots showed they were a daily driver, stains that looked like blood and lord knows what else covering the top. Thick denim covered his legs, and to protect himself from the cold he wore a thick camouflage jacket, with a hat to match. "That certainly didn't go like I thought." Grunted the man, reaching inside his coat and pulling out his cell. Dialing a familiar number, he wasn't surprised when it didn't pick up. Instead of the standard voicemail message though, he received a jingle with the automated words. "The number you are trying to reach is unable to take voicemails at this time. Please try again later." "Dammit..." "You're Jack." The American looked up to see a tall, brunet man, dressed in a fine blue suit. "I apologize for your treatment, I didn't inform my staff you might be arriving. I am Seto Kaiba." The suited man offered a hand to the camo covered man on the steps and helped him to his feet. "If you want, we can go now. I've cleared my schedule for the day." "Uh... yea, yea, that's fine. I don'know where I'm goin' though, so lead the way."

The CEO could easily see the resemblance between the two, the key feature being the dark eyes we shared, but that's where it stopped. My hair was black, and from what Kaiba could tell the man beside him was either a brunet or a dark blond. "It's not far. This way." The pair crossed the street and Jack had to really try to keep up with the blue eyed man's long strides. "So... what's got you so worried you gotta call me?" Said Jack, voice a bit winded from his power walking. "My brother and I haven't been able to get a hold of her, and we're concerned about her welfare..." Sharp eyes looked at the Westerner and slowed his pace to a much more comfortable level. "Why? She sick?" That had the suited man at a stop. "She didn't tell you." "Tell me what? She hasn't called me lately." Jack's brows pinned as he thought about it. "Come to think of it, that Arab friend of hers called me the other day askin' if I'd talked to her..." Dark eyes met blue. "Is my sister okay?" "I don't think so." The taller of the two moved to continue, but the other one grabbed his arm. "Why not." "You should ask her." "I'm askin' you." The grip tightened, and Jack's tone turned almost threatening. "Did you do somethin' to her?" Kaiba's brows pinned and a frown came over his lips at the insinuation. "No... I found her after someone else did." Shock had the American's grip loose, allowing the CEO to pull free. "She didn't go to the hospital, and next thing I know the shop is closed and she's not picking up her phone." Hurt was easy to read on Jack's face, and the brunet sighed. "I was hoping you could talk to her..." "Yea... yea, I'll talk to her..." The American reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "Take me to her."

By the time they reached the shop, the camouflaged man had steeled his resolve, determination set on his face. Trying the handle, the door was locked, as it had been for a while now. "She sent me a key when she first came out here, hang on." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a large set of keys. "Might take a minute. Gotta remember which one it is..." He sorted through the set, and narrowed it down to a set of three. The first one didn't work, but the second one did. Turning the heavy deadbolt, the American went first. The shop was absolutely silent, except for a deep growl coming from the floor. "Hey Apollo... the lady of the house home?" Turning to look at the man who followed, Jack froze, coming face to face with the muzzle of a pistol. Shock filled the stares on either side of the gun before my shaky voice broke the silence. "Jack?" "Jamie." A large hand grabbed the pistol and gently tugged it away as my arms came out to wrap around my brother. "What are you doing here?" I whispered. "Your friends were worried about you James... He flew me out here." I pulled back and looked to the man with him, a frown on my lips. "Why? I'm fine." "You're not fine." Replied Seto, hands in his pockets. "Think I know how I'm feeling better then you do, thanks." I looked to my brother and held a hand out. "Give me my gun." "Actually, I was kinda wantin' to look at it, this is a nice li'l pistol you got here. Can't see a damn thing though, let me get these blinds." I winced as the blinds to the shop lifted, letting in the sunshine. "Jesus Christ." I shot a dirty look to my brother, who had a look of shock on his face. My hair was greasy, and I had dark circles under my eyes. "You look like shit." "You look like shit all the time." I hissed, moving to escape the pair upstairs. "Come on, that's not nice. Come back and talk to me." "I don't want to talk to you!" "You're talkin' to me now!" "Fuck you Jackson!" The man at the foot of the stairs grinned obnoxiously. "C'mon Jamie! We're worried! That Pakistani friend'a yours called wonderin' if you were okay." "She's not Pakistani you pig." I snapped, lip curling in disgust as I moved to go up the second flight. "But you knew exactly who I was talkin' 'bout, didn't ya?" He frowned as I kept going, jogging to catch up. The CEO sighed and looked at his feet where the dog was looking up with a begging stare. "I bet you haven't been out in ages." A whine left the dog and the blue eyed man leaned down to pet his ears. "Go get your leash."

I holed myself up in the bathroom, curled up behind the door while my brother leaned on the other side of it, begging for me to talk to him. "Talk to me Jamie... I'm worried about you..." "I'm fine." "That's why you're holed up in the bathroom?" I sighed and looked away from the door. It's clear this was where Apollo had been doing his business while I tried to sleep my troubles away. "Look, somethin' happened... somethin' bad..." I felt a lurch in my stomach. "How do you know that." "He told me Jamie." I felt a burning rage fill my stomach. "Don't get mad at him, I made him do it." "It wasn't his secret." "Why was it a secret at all? Why did I learn that from him in the first place?" I went silent and I heard him move against the door. "I...I don't know..." I whispered. "To be honest... I just want to forget it ever happened." "You have to come to terms with somethin' before you can let it go...Tell me what happened." I felt my lip tremble, but I told my brother what happened that night. The date with Seto, coming home to find my door opened, what little flashes I'd been haunted by over the course of the last few weeks. "So why you hidin' yourself away?" Asked Jack, hearing my sniffles and feeling the strings on his heart pull. "I don't know what else to do Jackson." I whimpered. "I've been...numb. I didn't know what else to do." I brought my hands up and felt the tears come. Tears that had been held back and buried. "I feel so...dirty and used, and scared... and hurt. There so much I don't know what else to do so I shut down... I keep asking why." I sniffed and felt a sob escape. "It's not fair... I've done my time." "I know you have." The handle jiggled. "Open the door Jamie." I unlocked the door and leaned out, falling into a warm embrace with my brother and staying there until my tears dried. "Hey Jamie..." "Yea?" I asked, wiping my face with the back of my hand. "When's the last time you showered?" I felt a blush run over my nose. "Might have been a minute..." "That's what I thought..." He looked around and saw take out containers and pizza boxes scattered around my room. "Let's get this, and you cleaned up... you stink." I gave him a shove, but started on the bathroom.

"You're a fuckin' pig James." "That's cute coming from the guy who had to sleep with chicks in my room because his was such a dump." I growled from the top of the stairs. "You had all those books, they thought I was smart." Said the man at the bottom of the stairway, arms out as I tossed down a trash bag. "What an utter disappointment that must have been when you opened your mouth." I commented dryly as the bell over the door rang, showing the return of the CEO, Apollo at his side. At least I thought it was Apollo. "What did you do to my dog?" I asked, coming down to the balcony and cocking my head at the sight of the once shaggy animal. He'd been given a hair cut, his once long eyebrows no longer hanging in his face. The stringy clumps that had started to mat were gone, and to replace the fur that had been taken, he'd been given a dark blue sweater. It was clear he felt much better, his ears were up, and his tail was wagging. "I took him to the groomers. You're welcome." "Are you wearing a sweater?" I held my arms out. "Come to me! Let me see!" The dog yipped and jogged up the stairs, trailing his leash behind him. "That's just unnatural, dog wearin' a sweater." Grunted Jack as he went to haul out the bags of trash collected. "I'll tell you what's unnatural, the dick wearing camo in the middle of the city." I replied before bending to greet the dog, giving him the first smile I'd had in weeks. "You look so clean! And you smell so fresh! Yes, that's nice." I cooed, pulling the leash off and accepting the kisses the animal offered. "You look so cute in your li'l sweater. Don't listen to Jack, you're adorable. And you look so much better." I murmured, scratching the dog's face. "You look better too..." Spoke Seto as he reached the second floor, moving to take a seat at the table. "That's nice of you to say... but I know what I look like." I said with a small smile as I stood and moved to make coffee. My supplies had run low, leaving only Hazelnut and decaf. "I feel better though." I put the funnels in and started the brew before I moved to sit down. "Might look like shit, at least you feel good about it!" Said Jack as he pulled off his jacket, showing a bright red shirt that read 'Merica!' in big, bold, letters across the chest. "At this point I'm just... happy to feel something." I said as I moved to sit beside the CEO while the coffee brewed. "So how we doin' this? You know where this guy lives? Let's hunt'um down and tear his kneecaps out." "I like his idea." Said Seto, looking my way. "No... I just.. Want to move on. I'll get the locks changed and get a security system installed." "That's not going to fix it." Said the brunet firmly. "He'll find another way. He owns the property, he can deny your claim." "So what should I do?" I growled. "If I fight him he'll just take the building and I'll have to move the shop somewhere else." "So do that." Said Jack. "I can't afford to do that dipshit. Vanessa left me waist deep in debt. Throw in the fact that I haven't been open in two weeks, I don't even know how I'm going to pay the vermin rent this month." "You let me take care of that..." Said Seto before turning to look at my brother. "If I can find him, can you take care of it?" "You drop that dick on my door I will take care of him with bells on." Said my brother with a smirk. "Wait. No. I don't want-" "It's not about that anymore Jamie." My brows pinned and a serious expression crossed Jack's face. "He needs to pay for what he did to you... if you don't want to press charges, fine... I'll take care of it." "I'm not asking you too." I replied. "You don't need too. That's big brothers do. I'm not gonna let him get away with this."

"I'm gonna go grab my stuff from the hotel... I'm gonna stay with you." Said Jack as he slipped his coat back on. "Jack." "Shut up." I shot the man a dirty look as he zipped up his jacket with a grin. "I'm gonna pick up some food too, this place is dry as a bone. With real coffee. Not this crap." "That is real coffee, you wouldn't know flavor if it came and bit you in the ass." I grunted. "Do you need me to get you a car?" Asked the brunet politely. "Nah, I'll be alright. I got my GPS if I need it. It's not that far." The American patted the CEO's shoulder. "'Preciate it though! Look after her while I'm gone." "I'm not a kid." I grunted. "You're my kid sister." Teased Jack as he squeezed my face playfully, getting a swat in return. "Apollo! You wanna come with?" The dog perked and jumped up to follow the man to the door, grabbing his leash once more. As the bell rang silent I sighed, looking out the now bright windows. "You've gone to a lot of trouble for me..." "It wasn't that hard... My assistant found him on Facebook, and got his number. After that it was just a phone call and a plane ticket." "But... that's not it." I wasn't totally sure with myself, but I gently took one of the large hands he had on the table and brought it to mine, my eyes coming down to study it. "You found me... you could have called the police that night... but you didn't... You found Jack and brought him here..." His hands were everything about him in one place. Clean, neat, but strong, and had their share of scars and callous. The backs of his hands were smooth, but you could see the muscle and veins below as I moved it in my grip. They weren't heavy like Jack's, but they weren't light like mine either. I suspected they held a strength and grip you wouldn't expect. "Seto, I can never thank you enough for everything you've done for me... You've saved me in every sense of the word... and I am truly grateful." Suddenly, the hand in mine moved, and wrapped around my fingers, squeezing gently. "You don't have to thank me... whatever you need, I'm here for you." His other hand came down to cup my hands in his and I felt those soft lips press to my knuckles.

Thank you!