BlueMoon Goddess: Hopefully the wait wasn't too long you guys. But I'm here with another chapter, so I hope you're ready!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh; its characters, or 'Completely Smitten' by Susan Mallery which this fic is based on.

Summary: Tea ran away from her small town to do all the bad things she'd never done since she turned eighteen. And once she finds herself in a hotel room with a "bad boy," she's sure the loner will teach her the basics and Bakura has no problem teaching the innocent girl a thing or two... though something keeps preventing him from doing so. And once they take an unexpected road trip, they find themselves biting off more than they can chew as their heading down the road to love.

Tea tried to hold on to the glow as long as possible, but by noon, it had faded. She kept glancing at the clock, then wishing she hadn't. Bakura sat across from her at the kitchen table. Ryou and Miho were out dealing with last minute details for their wedding, and won't be back for hours and for that Tea was glad. She didn't want Bakura's family members to witness whatever was going to happen.

"Do you know what you're going to say?" Bakura asked her.

"No, I'm going to try to be mature about this and not call him names."

"He probably deserves them."

She tried to smile. "I wish I'd practiced my swearing more."

He took her hand and squeezed. "You never swore at all. Do you want me to hang around or would you rather be alone with him?"

Her breath caught. "Don't go, please. If you can stand to stay, I would really appreciate you being here."

"Then I won't go anywhere." His dark eyes promised.

She studied his handsome face, the spikiness of his white hair, the way his shoulders seemed so broad. Her heart ached with her love for him. Last night had been the most wonderful experience of her life, and all because of him. Impulsively she rose to her feet and crossed to his chair. He shifted back so she could settle on his lap and wrapped his arms around her as she clung to him. If only he would never let her go.

"I'm not going to say anything." He told her. "But if he uses physical force, I'm going to beat the shit out of him."

Despite her apprehension, Tea laughed. "Yami isn't the physical-force type."

"Can I beat him up anyway?"

She looked at him. "You'd do that for me?"

"Of course."

"No one has ever offered to beat someone up for me before."

"I'm a rough, tough kinda guy."

He was that and so much more. He was―

A car pulled up in front of the house. She stiffened, then slid to her feet. "He's here."

She walked toward the front door. Bakura followed partway and stopped in the hallway. She thought about asking him to stand next to her, then changed her mind. This was her problem and she would solve it herself. Knowing Bakura was close gave her strength.

She waited for the knock before opening the door, seeing Yami standing at the doorway. Tea blinked in surprise as she took in his tri-colored hair that shot up in points and violet eyes. In her mind, he'd always been fairly good-looking, but now he seemed pale and cold.

"Hello Yami." She said, stepping back to allow him into the house.

"What is this place?" He asked by way of greeting. "Whose house is this? How do you know these people?"

"They're friends."

He looked around the living room, then turned his attention to her. "Are you packed?"

"No."

He frowned. "You're going to make this difficult aren't you?"

"If by difficult you mean I'm not going to do what you tell me, then yes. I already explained everything on the phone. I told you not to come and there was a reason for that. I'm not coming back with you."

His gaze narrowed, then he reached for her wrist. "I've had enough of this. Show me your room, we'll pack your things and get out of here."

Tea shook free of his grip and stepped back. She looked at the man she'd dated before her and it was like seeing him for the first time. He never listened to her, and they'd never done anything she wanted. Their entire relationship had never been a partnership. Instead Yami had been in charge and she had done his bidding. She closed her eyes and tried to picture him naked, touching her, making love with her. Her imagination wasn't up to the task. She didn't want his hands on her body. She didn't want anything to do with him.

"I don't love you Yami." She said firmly. "I'm not sure I even like you. You want a woman to do what you say and I want a man who's interested in my opinions. You want to be in charge, and I want a partner."

"You don't know what you want."

"Yes I do. I want to love someone the way my father loved my mother. I want to love with a deep honesty that touches my soul. I want to become a professional dancer and go to California on my honeymoon. I want to have children years later. I want a big house that looks lived in, not designer perfect. But most importantly, I want a man who believes in me and who I can believe in. I don't want you, Yami, I don't want to marry you, and I don't want anything to do with you."

He flushed. "You don't know what you're saying. Your father wants this marriage."

"Maybe he wanted it once, when he thought I loved you, but as soon as I tell him the truth, he'll back me up." She sighed. "Let me go. You don't really love me. You haven't for a long time, in fact, you were the one questioning whether or not we should get married. Obviously something inside you told you it was wrong."

"Last minute jitters." Yami told her. "Nothing more."

She moved close to him. "Tell me you love me with all your heart…tell me you didn't feel even a little relief when I ran away."

"Tea, you're…" He broke off, his mouth twisted. "You're on drugs."

She burst out laughing. "It has to be that, right? Because I couldn't possibly have figured out how to be my own person."

He glared at her. "If you don't come back with me right this minute, it's over between us."

She walked to the door. "Goodbye Yami. I hope you find someone to make you happy."

He stalked toward her. "You'll regret this. I won't take you back."

"You shouldn't, I'm the wrong woman for you."

Yami moved towards the door, then swung to face her. "You're disappointing a lot of people with your behavior."

Magic words designed to make her feel small. She ignored the automatic guilt. "Those who care about me will understand and support my decision. Those who don't will judge me, and I can live with that."

"You're making a mistake."

She watched him walk out the door and down the pathway to his rental car. He paused before climbing inside. "This is your last chance." He waited and when she didn't say anything, he got inside and drove away. Tea watched him go and felt only relief.

Bakura listened to the sound of the front door closing.

Tea had done it…she'd stood up to Yami and reclaimed her life. She'd come a long way from the young woman who had walked into a bar, looking for trouble. While he'd never doubted her ability to do whatever she wanted, he knew she'd been afraid. Until recently, she'd always let others' opinions dictate her actions. That wasn't likely to happen again.

"Did you hear?" Tea called as she to where he leaned against the wall. "Wasn't that something? I couldn't believe he expected me to come back with him. I mean, I told him and told him I wouldn't. Why on earth did I go out with him? I was crazy."

"You were doing what your family wanted."

She considered that. "By family you mean everyone at church." She sighed. "You're right. They seemed so happy to see me with Yami and I didn't care. I wasn't crazy about him, but he wasn't too horrible. I guess over time I thought I was in love with him because that seemed to be the next logical step. Just think, if he hadn't had second thoughts, I might never have run away and I would've ended up married to him."

Bakura walked into the kitchen, with Tea right behind him. "You wouldn't have gone through with it."

He took a seat at the table, with her plopping down next to him. "I hope you're right. I want to think that I would've pulled back at the last second, but I'll never know for sure." She shook her head. "I couldn't believe he accused me of being on drugs. Oh, like that's the only possible explanation for me turning him down. What a jerk."

"You didn't even let me beat him up."

She leaned toward him and rested her hand on his arms. "I love that you offered to do that for me. It was so sweet."

Her face was bright with happiness, humor flashing in her eyes. She looked young and alive, filled with possibilities. Just how a girl straight out of high school should look. There was a whole world waiting for her out there, one she'd never experienced. Tea had dreams, aspirations in life she wanted to pursue.

He knew then what he'd always known but had never wanted to admit out loud. That she deserved to be free to do what her heart desired most. He loved her too much to tie her down when she'd just found her freedom.

Bakura cupped her face. "You did well today. You proved something to Yami, but more importantly, you proved something to yourself. No matter what happened, you'll always remember that you have the strength and determination to do whatever you want. You spread your wings."

She smiled. "I like that analogy."

"It's time to take them out for a test drive."

Her smile faded. "What are you trying to say Bakura?"

He could still remember the way the bullet had slammed into his leg. The pain had come as a surprise. This time he was expecting it, but the intensity still stunned him. It was as if he was being ripped apart from the inside. He swallowed. "I'm saying that you need to start living your life. It's out there, everything you could ever want."

"But what if everything I want is right here?" She blinked several times and her lips trembled. "Do you want me to leave?"

"This is about you."

Tears filled her eyes. "I understand what you're saying and I even know why, but I want to stay."

He wanted that too. More than he'd wanted anything. For the first time in his life, he'd finally found a woman he could love forever. Unfortunately she was the one woman he couldn't be with. Fate sure had a twisted sense of humor.

"I'm going to ask for my job back at the Scottsdale police station."

"You are?"

"Yea, and if they take me back, I'm going to take that promotion as well. If it's still offered."

"Really?"

"Really. Because of you Tea, I'm willing to take the chance. You have to do the same."

Tears spilled down her cheeks. "I love you. I want to be with you and marry you."

He felt that blow down to his soul. "I love you too. I want…" He wanted so many things. "I want what's right. I told you from the beginning I wasn't going to screw up with you and I meant it." He brushed away her tears. "All your life people have told you what to do and you've listened. I'm not going to be like them. I want us to be together, but not like this. You need time to figure out what's right for you, to find your own life, and start living out your dreams. Once you get that straightened, you come find me. I'll be waiting."

She bit back a sob. "F-For how long?"

"For always. You're the first woman I've ever loved. What I felt before doesn't compare. There's just you Tea. I'll be waiting."

Telling herself that Bakura was right and actually leaving were two different things. Tea had to pull over twice in the first twenty miles because she was crying too hard to see the road. She loved him and he loved her, so why was she leaving?

She brushed away the moisture and checked her mirrors before easing back into traffic. The answer was simple. She was leaving because as much as she loved him, she needed time to think things through. She'd fallen for him so fast that she could barely keep up. She needed to calm down and to take a look at her life. She needed to go home, to make peace with her father and to reevaluate her world. The childish part of her demanded that she turn around and drive back to Scottsdale. She loved Bakura, and she wanted to be with him right now. But the sensible part of her knew that getting closure was more important.

Tea reached into her shirt pocket and felt the card he'd given her. On it was his home number, his work number and his cell number. When she was ready, she was to call, but until then, they would be apart. He wanted her to be sure. She supposed he had considered the possibility that this was just a vacation fling for her. That time and distance would cause a change of heart.

"I'm my father's daughter." She whispered as she drove. "He's loved the same woman all his life. You'd better be waiting, because I'll be coming to find you."

BlueMoon Goddess: Well I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Yea, it was a bit short, but I still hoped you guys enjoyed it. But the main thing was that Yami is out of Tea's life for good! Sorry he didn't get much time in this story but hey, it was supposed to be focused more on Tea and Bakura. And hopefully Bakura didn't seem too OOC. Anyway, next chapter will be up its normal time, two weeks, so until then guys! ^_^