So, I have to preface this chapter by saying that halfway through the writing of it, Joey somehow turned into my husband. I guess it started with me picturing Joey driving an old truck, then I imagined him driving my husband's old truck, then I started to realize that their personalities had more in common than I realized. It's funny because I've always been a die-hard Kaiba fangirl, but I think I ended up marrying more of a Joey - haha!

Also, so sorry for the twist at the end… it wasn't planned, it just happened. I was just as surprised as you and I don't know what to do! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

PS The songs for this chapter are both by Train: "You Better Believe" and "Brick by Brick."

Since Yugi's car was still at the hospital - and Mokuba had quietly excused himself to go meet his brother back at their house - it ended up having to be Joey who drove. Yugi watched nervously as his best friend's hands shook on the steering wheel, but to his relief, Joey drove perfectly well. So well, in fact, that it almost seemed mechanical.

"Serenity looks really good," Yugi said, feeling as though it was his duty to try to break the silence and snap Joey out of whatever had taken hold.

"Hn."

The silence resumed, so Yugi tried again.

"Look... Joey, I know it destroyed her to have to keep this from you for so long. She wants to see you so badly; she told me so. In fact, she said that you were the first person she wanted to call when she saw the bleeding and got scared, she just felt so guilty about keeping the secret for so long that she didn't know where to start."

This, finally, had the desired effect.

"You mean it, Yug?" Joey asked, briefly glancing away from the road. In the glow from the traffic lights above, Yugi could see that his eyes were rimmed in red.

"Of course, Joey. I wouldn't make up something like that."

Joey sighed deeply, but he seemed to relax.

"It's just so much to try to think about," he said finally. "I mean, our mom got pregnant with me when she was Serenity's age - a little younger, even - and everything in her life went wrong after that. For my whole life, I've been doing everything I can to make sure that the cycle didn't continue with my baby sister. That's probably why I've been so protective and pushed Tristan and Duke away, you know?"

"Yeah."

"But the thing is," Joey continued, "despite everything I've done to keep her close and keep her safe, it still happened. I feel like I've failed somehow."

"But you haven't, Joey," Yugi insisted. "You've been the best brother anyone could have asked for, ever. But Serenity's still her own person and she makes her own choices. It doesn't mean she doesn't love you or you did something wrong."

"I guess."

"And hey, think of it this way," Yugi said, feeling like he might finally be getting somewhere. "Obviously you wish it could have been prevented - or at least been someone else - but at least money won't ever be a problem for her and the baby, right?"

"Yeah," Joey agreed. "I guess there's that, at least. But, you know, being poor wasn't the only thing that made my mom's life hard. It was also hard because my dad was an asshole. And Kaiba's the king of the assholes."

Yugi nodded slowly, silently, as he tried to put the thoughts in his head into words.

"I know it seems like that to us," he agreed. "But do you remember that one time at Duelist Kingdom when Kaiba met back up with us in the courtyard of the castle? How he started smiling - really smiling - when he saw Mokuba, and they ran to each other and held each other so tight it seemed like they'd never let go? I remember thinking then that maybe Kaiba's more complicated than he looks from the outside. If he could be like that with your sister, would you give him a chance?"

Joey didn't answer immediately. He merely blinked sharply, put on on his turn signal, and turned into the hospital parking lot. As he circled the lot, found a parking place, and parked the truck, the silence hovered. Only after he had pulled the key out of the ignition did he turn back to Yugi. His eyes were a little redder than they had been before.

"I don't want to think about all this anymore," he finally confessed. "I just want to hug my little sister."

The walk up to the hospital room was a bit of a blur. Though they politely declined a nurse who offered to point them in the right direction, Yugi ended up making a wrong turn after all, and they had to double back down a hallway near the trauma unit. They also got stuck on an elevator with an older woman who kept coughing into a red-tinged handkerchief. Yugi could tell that Joey's anxiety level was rising.

Once they got off the elevator, he attempted to put his friend's mind at ease.

"I promise that Serenity doesn't look sick or hurt like these other people," Yugi told Joey quietly as soon as they got off the elevator. "She looks like herself, only in a hospital gown."

Joey nodded silently, but his eyes were still wide.

"We're almost there," Yugi added. "I think she's in that third room down there, on the left."

Seeing Joey's hesitation, Yugi softened his expression.

"She wants to see you more than anything, I promise," he insisted. "Come on - the second you get in there, you'll know."

Swallowing, Joey nodded and followed Yugi to the door.

The latter leaned in first.

"Hey Serenity," he said, smiling. "I brought someone I think you'd like to see."

Stepping aside, Yugi motioned for Joey to come into view.

Once he and Serenity they saw each other, it was all over.

Joey ran over to the hospital bed and collapsed on his knees beside it, his arms locking around his sister's waist. She started to cry and pulled his head closer against her.

"Joey, I'm so, so sorry," she sobbed, running her hands through his hair. "I wanted to tell you, more than anything, I wanted to tell you, I was just so afraid…"

"I know, I know," Joey said, his voice muffled. "I'm crazy and you knew I'd fly off the handle. And you were right. But it's okay. It's all okay now. I promise, no matter what happens, it's going to be okay."

"You're not mad?" Serenity asked through her tears.

Joey and looked up, his hair messy and moisture from spent tears clinging to his cheeks.

"No, I'm not mad," he said, reaching his hand up and cupping her cheek. "I don't understand, but I'm not mad anymore."

Joey took a deep breath and got to his feet for a moment, but he ended up sitting back down beside her on the edge of the bed.

"There are a lot of things I don't know," he said, sighing. "I don't know how this happened or why it happened or why it had to be Kaiba. But I realized on the way over here that none of that matters, because it's you and me against the world. It always has been like that, and it's always gonna be like that."

Serenity nodded, crying out loud now.

"I know, I know. I'm just so happy you're here."

Yugi looked on, smiling. Serenity looked up at him in embarrassment.

"Sorry about all this," she said, smiling through her tears. "We're a little bit of a mess."

"Not at all," Yugi replied. "I'm just glad it's all working out."

They all remained that way for a moment or two, Joey and Serenity sitting on the bed and Yugi standing nearby in the doorway. It was as though something like peace and normalcy came over the room and its occupants. The storm had passed, and they were beginning to realize that they could start to rebuild and attempt to figure out how their lives were going to look from then on. It wouldn't be the same as before, but as Joey had said, it would be okay. It would be something they could live with.

As this shift occurred, it was as though practicality suddenly came back to the forefront of Joey's mind.

"Do you need anything?" he asked Serenity suddenly. "Are you hungry?"

She laughed a little.

"The hospital brought me a sandwich and baked potato earlier, but it wasn't very good. I'm okay, though; Mokuba actually gave me some takeout when he came by. Thanks for asking."

"Ah, okay," Joey replied. He paused for a minute and looked apologetic.

"Hey, if you're not going to eat that sandwich…"

Serenity laughed again, this time out loud. There was relief in the sound.

"Dig in," she said, indicating the tray, which sat abandoned on the counter against the wall.

At least some things never changed.

As Joey ate the sandwich, Serenity picked up her cell phone, swiped once or twice, and typed something. Satisfied, she put it back on the table beside her.

"Hey Yug, want some potato?" Joey offered between bites of the sandwich.

"I'm fine, thanks," Yugi replied. "I think I will sit down though, if that's okay."

"Of course!" Serenity exclaimed, indicating a chair near the bed. "Make yourself comfortable. Sorry I didn't offer earlier. I guess I have a lot on my mind."

"Don't worry at all! I definitely understand," Yugi replied. "What did the doctor tell you, exactly?"

Though he had taken her at her word when she told him that everything was going to be fine, he was beginning to realize that he hadn't heard the full story of what happened to bring her there in the first place. He also knew Joey would probably want to know.

"I was having some bleeding earlier, at work," she explained. "I wasn't even sure how serious it was or if I should go to the hospital, but Seto told me he thought I needed to. Once I got here, they immediately took me back to get an ultrasound, but the doctor didn't see anything. He didn't even think I needed to stay the night, but… well, Seto insisted, so here I am."

Joey raised an eyebrow.

"Kaiba insisted?" he demanded. Though the words were muffled from his mouth being full, the skepticism was unmistakable.

"Yeah," Serenity replied. "He seemed really concerned, even after they said everything looked okay. He told the doctor that if my insurance didn't cover the overnight stay he would pay it out of pocket."

Joey swallowed, but he still didn't respond.

"Do they know what caused the bleeding, then?" Yugi asked, breaking the silence.

"They talked about something called 'decidual bleeding,'" Serenity replied, shrugging. "Neither of us had ever heard of it, but it's apparently harmless."

"But you're not, like… in pain, right?" Joey asked, suddenly looking worried again.

"Just a little cramping," Serenity assured him. "They gave me an IV because I was dehydrated, and they put some kind of muscle relaxer in there, too. I barely feel anything now. But you sound just like Mokuba - that was his first question, too."

"I'm just glad you're going to be okay. And Mokuba… he's a good kid," Joey sighed. "I owe him an apology."

Serenity looked confused, and Yugi smiled and shook his head.

"When he and Yugi told me about… you, and all this… I thought he was implying that he was the dad," Joey admitted sheepishly. "We almost duked it out. It would have kicked the poor kid's ass for no reason."

Serenity shook her head, unable to keep from smiling in spite of everything.

"Poor guy. He's a little nuts, but he means so well. He'll be a good uncle."

Joey's smile almost faltered a little, but he muscled past the impulse.

"I'm going to try, too. I want to be better from now on," he said. "I'll change some diapers and take the kid on car rides and when he gets older, teach him to play cards…"

"That's all good... except it's a girl," Serenity said, with a smile.

Joey gave her a look of surprise.

"They can already tell?"

"No," Serenity admitted. "I just know she is."

"Then a girl it is," Joey replied. "I can still teach her how to be an amazing duelist. Probably even better than if she had been a boy."

"Wheeler," came a soft voice from the doorway, "do you really think you're going to be the one to teach my daughter how to duel?"

Kaiba had gotten back early.