Yugi took far too long to answer his ringing phone. Mokuba paced behind Rebecca waiting for the call to be answered. He was about to hit the red button when Yugi's out of breath voice finally came on the line.

"Hi Mokuba. Sorry I took so long to answer, I left my phone downstair-"

"It doesn't matter. Listen Yugi, I need you to come over right now," Mokuba said urgently.

"Is everything okay?" Yugi asked, alarmed by the tone Mokuba used.

"Not really."

"Should I bring the guys over as well?"

"No, I think they should be fine. It's just you. Actually, maybe bring Tea along," Mokuba instructed.

"Okay, we'll be right over."

In a very Kaiba-like moment, Mokuba hung up without another word. In fact, Yugi barely finished his sentence, but the younger Kaiba was focussed on the screen and wanted to hear as much as possible.

Rebecca picked up the phone and dialled the line for the guard house. Roland answered immediately and she informed him to expect Yugi soon.

"Thanks," Mokuba mumbled.

"Babe, there is a lot of staff here. Maybe you should send them home." Rebecca looked up at Mokuba but he never took his eyes off the laptop, not even when he responded.

"That's an idea, some of them live very far away though."

"We just need them away from here," Rebecca said.

"Yeah. Call down to the kitchen, ask them to gather everyone. Tell them I'll be down in a few minutes." Mokuba was stressed but remained calm. There was enough of his brother in him to take charge and think things through clearly.

Rebecca nodded her head and followed through with his instruction. She wanted to be there for Mokuba but more than that, she wanted to be helpful to him too.

The staff were confused by the request but assured Rebecca that they would get on it immediately. Not forgetting her manners, she politely thanked them and rejoined Mokuba, watching and listening until they saw the three people on screen leave the dining room.

"You okay?" she asked. Mokuba's hands were clenched into fists, his lips pressed into a thin line. He could not believe that it was Hobson. "Mokuba, you're worrying me."

She pulled on his arm forcing him to stand up, to look at her. She had seen him angry before, but never like he was now.

"Fine, let's go downstairs." He held her hand gently as he always did and made his way to the kitchen.

"Hobson?" Lara asked.

"He was the Kaiba's butler. Kaiba-boy, how much have you not told poor Lara?" Pegasus asked.

"That's none of your business. How do you know it's Hobson?" Kaiba growled.

"How do I know anything?" Pegasus said vaguely. He looked out the dining window to see the darkness that had settled over the island. "Oh look at that! It's such a beautiful night for stargazing." He stood up and gestured for the two of them two follow.

"Are you insane?!" Kaiba said lowly.

"Kaiba, trust me just this once. Now follow me you two."

Lara gave Kaiba a quizzical look but they walked silently behind the eccentric man. He led them all the way to the highest tower from which the entire island could be seen. Lara had to admit, it was a beautiful night, but a strange one.

"This is one of my favourite toys," Pegasus said as he ran his finger along a telescope. "Won't you come over and take a look?"

"You've lost your mind," Kaiba said. He was irritated with the games that Pegasus was playing. He just wanted straight answers out of the man.

"Lara?" Pegasus smiled.

"Sure." She sighed, but joined him anyway.

"Look out that way." Pegasus pointed in a direction out the glassless window and Lara obeyed.

"Scheisse," she whispered under her breath.

"Isn't it interesting?" Pegasus said cheerily.

"What is it?" Kaiba growled, moving to stand next to her.

"You can see the island," Lara said as she moved aside to let Kaiba have a look. He peered through the eyepiece and sure enough, could see the tiny island with dense vegetation and only the minimalist hint of light. It was not visible to the naked eye when they looked out to the horizon.

"That's it! I'm going over there," he said with a steely edge.

"We will be going over Seto." Lara raised her eyebrows at him. "How far do you think that island is?"

Kaiba stuck his head out the window looking straight down to the dimly illuminated ground below and out towards the shore.

"I'd say we are about two hundred meters up in this tower." He looked at the telescope and narrowed his eyes. "It's roughly fifty kilometers away. It should take us about ten minutes to fly there."

"Very good Kaiba-boy. Still bright as ever," Pegasus interrupted them. "but neither of you will be going tonight. I suggest you stay the night. Your chopper must need refueling; and if I know you, you are going to destroy that place and it will be hard to miss at night." Pegasus leaned casually against the wall while he spoke to them.

"He's right," Lara grudgingly admitted.

"Of course I am. Now let's go back inside. I could go for a nice cup of tea."

All the staff was waiting in the kitchen for Mokuba to address them. They were confused as to what he could possibly want. There naturally was talk that something was happening, but with security being tight-lipped and no one audibly going over details; all they had was tiny scraps of information, nowhere near enough for a full picture.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I asked all here," Mokuba started and they all nodded. "Unfortunately, something has happened and it might not be safe here temporarily. That is why I am ordering you all to go home for a few days. I will call you right back as soon as it is safe. Leave out the servant's entrance, I think it would be safest for you."

"But Master Mokuba, some of us live very far away. It won't be possible to go on such short notice," a young maid said.

"I realize that so I want to know who of you are willing to accommodate those that can't go home?" he asked clearly. Many hands were raised and doing a quick count, he realised that it would be more than enough for everyone to have somewhere to stay. "I know this might inconvenience you guys, so I will have you all paid extra in this week's wage."

"Thank you, Mokuba sir."

"My pleasure. Now please, if you could all hurry. Let Roland know when you're all leaving," Mokuba ordered. It was interesting for Rebecca to see Mokuba like this. She always knew he was confident and assertive, those things had never changed since she first met him, but seeing him stand in front of his employees and issue quick clear commands without being harsh and seeing them interact with him, gave her a new appreciation of the man she loved.

The group of workers turned around and exited the kitchen as they chatted among themselves.

Rebecca looked out the kitchen window and saw a car pull up to the wrought iron gates.

"Looks like Tea and Yugi are here," she announced. Mokuba joined her and saw Roland walk out as the car rolled up the driveway. Tea opened the window and they could see Roland speak to them. They nodded, wound the window back up and drove into the underground parking, leaving the outside area clear of any vehicles.

Mokuba counted the seconds before they appeared in the house.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming over," Mokuba said as he greeted his friends with hugs.

"No problem, Mokuba. What's going on?" Yugi asked in his timid way.

"Have a seat, it's a long story." Mokuba climbed onto the barstool in the kitchen and the others did the same. "Before we start, Yugi do you have someone to open up and manage all the stores if you're away?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Tea, you're going to be cooped up with us for a bit," Mokuba said apologetically.

"I can't Mokuba. I have performances this week."

"Do you have an understudy?"

"Yes."

"Then she's going to have to do them," he said plainly.

"It's my career Mokuba."

"And this is your life."

"Not pitching up will reflect badly on me."

"I promise you it won't. I'm a Kaiba, I'll take care of it." He assured her.

"Is it worth arguing?" she huffed.

"No," Rebecca replied with a smile.

"So tell us what's happening." Yugi said a little impatiently.

"Lara and Seto are at Pegasus's island. He's had some disturbing information," Mokuba said with his hands knitted together on the marble counter.

"The message he sent at the engagement party," Tea interrupted.

"Yes, regarding that. Maybe I should start at the beginning. How much do you know about what's been happening at the office?"

"Lara told me about Takeo Yamamoto and his daughter. She also said there has been issues with the board," Yugi said.

"She said she's been going out to lunch with you more often, I'm glad she told you about that because I don't have to go back to all that stuff." Mokuba looked Yugi in the eye as he addressed his long time friend.

Rebecca sat quietly next to him listening to the conversation.

"The situation at work has become a bit tougher for her. We figured out who has been working with Yamamoto all along which means we know a lot more than they think we do."

"Who is it?" Tea asked inquisitively.

"I'm getting to it. His name is Fukuhara, head of legal. So about three weeks ago, when you girls went out, there was an issue at the office in Munich."

"I remember that. Lara got the call while we were looking at dresses. She looked really mad but didn't say anything," Tea said looking between Yugi and Mokuba.

"That's because there was a situation. Someone had hacked into Schroeder Gaming and the call Lara got was someone from that office asking why did she not give them a heads up. The thing is that neither Seto nor I authorized it, Yamamoto did."

"I don't understand, why would he arrange a hack on something you own. And why would you admit to it, isn't it illegal?" Tea asked.

"No, they claimed it was white hat." Mokuba saw the confused look on Tea's face and elaborated further. "White hat is legal. A white hat hacker is a security expert. They ensure that a company's information is secure." Tea nodded her understanding and he continued. "We would never authorize that, not now at least, because Schroeder Corp. had a policy against it and since the acquisition is still so new, we have to deal with it carefully."

"If that's the case why would do it?" Yugi asked. He had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"An issue like that on a company Lara helped acquire, on a project she is working really hard on? Come on Yugi, you know why," Mokuba said. He dropped his gaze to the counter and shook his head. "That was their step one. After that they called for an emergency meeting first thing that Monday. Lara was supposed to have left for the States early and they banked on her not being there but we changed her travel plans so she could attend the meeting. It went as we expected. Yamamoto and Fukuhara tried to turn it all around to make it look like her fault. They blamed the vulnerabilities of the system on her and Fukuhara already had researched the legalities of the hack, but you know Lara, she'd never take things lying down. She exposed his lies to the board and Seto called his bluff on the hack and suspended him. Fukuhara was let off with a warning."

"He must be pretty mad," Tea said.

"Yes. He threatened her afterwards. He said that it wasn't about her but now she's on borrowed time."

"Well, that's not ominous," Rebecca interjected sarcastically.

Mokuba draped an arm around her, squeezing her shoulder. "Seto managed to get messages off Fukuhara's phone."

"We won't ask how," Tea laughed.

"Best you don't." Rebecca smiled.

"What did they say?" Yugi asked.

Mokuba sighed as he recalled everything he read in those messages.

"A lot. Yamamoto is using his daughter first of all. He wants her to get close to Seto so he'd fall for her and she could become Mrs Seto Kaiba. Being that close to our name would firmly fix him in the highest echelon of society."

"That's ridiculous, anyone can see Kaiba only has eyes for Lara."

"Tea's right, and Kaiba has never done the society pages like that," Rebecca said.

"I don't think that matters to them, and regarding Lara, their plan to get rid of her backfired with the suspension but they said they would find a way to remove her permanently if they had to." Mokuba covered his eyes as he said this.

"Mokuba, when did you find this out?" Rebecca asked.

"Before she left for the States."

"Is that why she was gone for two weeks?" Yugi asked.

"She had to go for work but we'd hoped it would be enough time for Yamamoto to show his hand. Seto sent Fuguta and Lara's trainer with her just in case, but for almost three weeks it was quiet."

"Until yesterday," Yugi said softly.

"Yes." It was a strangled whisper. Mokuba cleared his throat and continued. "They say she and my brother wield too much power together and it's dangerous for their plan. Yamamoto's aim is to have Misaki carry brother's heir."

"What?!" The three of them exclaimed in unified shock.

"That was Lara's reaction too." Mokuba laughed. "Yamamoto understands the bylaws. Only a Kaiba can control Kaiba Corp. and he would ensure he does as the stand in until the kid is old enough, which let's face it, won't happen."

"But Mokuba, that means they plan to kill you and Kaiba," Tea said, eyes wide with worry.

"Yes, and right now the only other family we have, is a businessman named Yugi Moto," Mokuba stated plainly.

"That's why we're here. You're trying to protect us again." Yugi looked down at the marble top, thoughts swirling through his mind.

Mokuba nodded. "Yugi, you've been a friend for a long time and… and we can't lose another family member." Mokuba's eyes burned with hurt, fear, and a determined protectiveness.

"You won't Mokuba. We'lll do everything we can to help."

"Thank you Yugi." Mokuba gave him a tight smile. "In those messages they admitted that the hack had some purpose but I don't know what information they wanted. They kept mentioning the person they're working for as 'he'."

"So there's someone bigger behind everything," Tea said, anger permeating her voice.

"Yes and we found out who," Mokuba said

"Well, who is it?" She asked impatiently.

"Hobson."

"Hobson?" She frowned in confusion.

"I remember him." Yugi's eyes grew wide. "He was in the limo that first time Kaiba and I duelled."

"The very same." Mokuba pounded his fist on the countertop.

"That was forever ago. What happened to him?" Tea was curious.

"Seto fired him. After that duel, Seto was lost for a little while but he started making real changes. Hobson was one of them. We didn't need a butler like him," Mokuba said through clenched teeth.

"What do you mean babe?" Rebecca tenderly placed a hand on his shoulder.

Mokuba was wracked with indecision. He did not want to tell his brother's story. He did not want to let them know any more than Kaiba had revealed years earlier but he had no choice.

"Hobson took great pleasure in inflicting pain… on my brother," he managed to say with great difficulty.

Tea's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes softening, on the verge of tears. Everything about Yugi became harder, his usual gentle doe eyes, showing only anger.

"All this time I thought… everything we said to him over the years… Mokuba, I'm sorry." Tea's guilt was plain.

He held her hand across the marble. "It's okay Tea. My brother wasn't the easiest person to be around and he never wanted to tell anyone about our lives."

"I can only imagine how much you're leaving out," she said.

"Plenty." Mokuba gave her a sad smile.

"How did you find out who it was?" Yugi asked.

"Pegasus. Like I said, Lara and Seto are there right now. Rebecca hacked into his security so we could see and hear what was being said." Mokuba was clearly proud of his girlfriend.

"Way to go Beck!" Tea smiled.

"Thanks," Rebecca said sheepishly. "You know, Mokuba, it makes sense now why it was taking Kaiba so long to uncover all of this."

"Yes it does," he said looking at Rebecca. "None of us suspected Hobson. We didn't even know about the island. Obviously the directors used some untraceable method of contacting him."

"So what now?" Yugi asked.

"Now I need to hear from my brother," Mokuba answered. At that moment, Roland stepped into the kitchen to inform Mokuba that all the staff had left. Mokuba thanked him and watched their most loyal employee leave once more. He pulled out his phone and played with it against the marble top, willing it to ring. The problem was that he had no patience left in him and dialled his brother.

Silently thankful that Pegasus had his own helicopter, Kaiba made sure his chopper was refueled in his presence. He trusted no one in Pegasus's employ. Lara stood by and watched, reluctant to be away from him for even a moment.

Once Kaiba was done, the two of them were shown to a guest room where they would spend the night. The maid placed a couple of towels and a few essential toiletries on the bed and exited the room, closing the door noiselessly behind her.

The room, while opulent, was minimally furnished. Kaiba scanned his surroundings and while he found nothing sinister, he did not trust that Pegasus did not have a bug or camera hidden somewhere.

"Seto, tell me about Hobson," Lara said, but Kaiba just put a finger to his lips. Holding her gaze, he nodded his head towards the en-suite bathroom and she silently followed him in. He shut the door behind her then reached into the shower cubicle and opened the faucets as far as they would go. The hard jets of water echoed loudly in the marble bathroom. He counted on it drowning out the sound of their voices.

"I don't trust that Pegasus isn't trying to listen in on us," he said softly.

"Are you going to tell me about Hobson now?" she asked equally softly, moving to sit on the edge of the claw foot bathtub.

Kaiba sighed and sat beside her. "There isn't that much to tell."

"Seto, the man wants to kill us. And don't think I've forgotten about Tokyo. You mentioned him then." She laced her fingers in his and looked at him expectantly. She saw his jaw clench.

"Do you remember everything I told you before Germany?" he asked.

"Of course."

"Hobson was put in charge of my studies but it was more like he ruled the house when Gozaburo wasn't there. From the moment we entered until I overthrew my stepfather, Hobson was a constant." Kaiba looked at a spot on the floor as he spoke. Images of a past he wished to bury came back to his mind.

Lara said nothing, she just listened.

"Before Gozaburo hired him, he worked as a torturer. It was a role he enjoyed," Kaiba said, slowly turning to look at Lara. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

She swallowed, trying to find her voice. "He hurt you."

"The switch was most often in Hobson's hands," he said as he looked back to the floor. "He was always loyal to Gozaburo and when he was gone, Hobson pledged that loyalty to me. To the Kaiba name."

"That must have been difficult," she said trying to control her emotions.

"I needed my stepfather's minions at the beginning. It was a dark time for me. I had Hobson fetch Yugi for a duel. Stupidity of youth." Kaiba let out a humourless laugh. "I put his grandfather in hospital."

"Oh Seto." She leaned against his shoulder.

"I told you I was monstrous."

"And I said 'was'. That's not who you are in here." She placed her hand over his heart and he wrapped his fingers around hers, keeping it there.

"Maybe it was. After that I felt I needed to re-evaluate my life. I fired Hobson. I didn't need that demon around me and I certainly didn't want him around Mokuba."

"You did the right thing, Seto. It was best for both of you."

Shaking his head, Kaiba suddenly stood up. He spun around facing Lara, gesticulating wildly. "Except now he's coming after my family. Not just me. You, Mokuba, Yugi, you're all in danger and it's my fault. I shouldn't have been afraid to get my hands dirty, I should have ended him then." He ran his hands through his hair, breathing heavily.

"Hey!" Lara walked over to Kaiba, forcing him to look at her. "This is not. Your. Fault."

"Isn't it? I knew what he was like."

"Yes, you knew what he was like because he tortured you and even after all those years of hurt, you still did the right thing." Lara stood on the tips of her toes and hugged him tightly. "Seto, we'll fix this together. You and I."

He wrapped his arms around her, holding on to her like a lifeline. He hated showing his vulnerability but she provided a refuge, a release when his dam walls threatened to burst, when he felt that everything would spill out. She was strong enough to share the weight of it all, the destructive forces. Together, they were indestructible. He felt this to his very core, even if the words sometimes failed him.

"I love you, Lara."

"I love you too, Seto." She smiled to herself, he had come so far. "You know, that's the first time you called Yugi family."

Kaiba did not reply.

The two of them were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. They pulled apart and Kaiba answered immediately when he saw that it was Mokuba.

"Mokuba, is everything okay?" Kaiba asked urgently as strode out of the bathroom. Lara shut the faucets before joining him in the room.

"Everything is fine Seto. I wanted to know if you guys were okay."

"We're fine."

"Well then I should give you an update. I sent all the staff home, and Yugi and Tea here. Also, I asked Rebecca to hack into Pegasus's security system so we could see what was going on. We heard everything that was said in the dining room," Mokuba spoke quickly. Kaiba remembered seeing the camera move.

"Well that saves me time. The island is nearby, Lara and I will be going there first thing tomorrow," Kaiba informed his brother.

"Okay. Please be careful big brother."

"Don't worry kid. We-"

"Shit!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"Mokuba what's wrong?" Kaiba asked but got no response, instead he heard Mokuba talk to Roland.

"Seto, we have to leave the house right now," Mokuba said hurriedly.

"Take Fuguta and Kobayashi. Make sure they're well armed. You know where to go," Kaiba instructed.

"I do. I know what to do," Mokuba replied panting slightly. Kaiba could tell he was running.

"Tell me what's going on as soon as you can." As much as Kaiba needed to know what exactly was taking place, it was more urgent to him that Mokuba was removed from the immediate danger first.

"Will do." The line went dead.

"What's happening?" Lara asked.

"I think the house is under attack."

Mokuba had his phone to his ear when Roland ran into the house, his gun unholstered.

"Mokuba, sir, the house is surrounded."

"Shit!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"Mokuba what's wrong?" Kaiba asked but Mokuba was issuing quick clear orders.

"Get them into the X5, we'll need a seven seater, and get Fuguta and Kobayashi. You and the others need to stay here. Do what you need to. If Seto needs you, you and team one need to take the chinook. Team two secures the house. Guys leave your phones here. Roland will keep them safe," Mokuba addressed everyone. "Seto, we have to leave the house right now," Mokuba said hurriedly. He grabbed Rebecca's hand and pulled her along behind him.

"Take Fuguta and Kobayashi. Make sure they're well armed. You know where to go."

"I do. I know what to do," Mokuba ran through the house and flew up the stairs slightly breathless.

"Tell me what's going on as soon as you can."

"Will do." He pressed the red button and pocketed the phone. "Babe, there's a duffel bag in my closet, toss in clothes, whatever you think we'll need but hurry. We don't have time."

Rebecca nodded and sprinted down the passage to Mokuba's room. He went into the study and bagged his, Lara's and Kaiba's laptops as well as various other pieces of tech that he thought would be useful. Rebecca appeared at the doorway with the black bag slung over her shoulder.

"Seto's desk, top right drawer, there should be a spare satellite phone there."

Rebecca pulled open the drawer and just as Mokuba said, on top of the neat stacks, was a black phone. She picked it up and slammed the drawer shut just as Mokuba moved next to her. He kissed her hard and quick.

"You don't move from my side."

She nodded and he took the duffel bag from her, racing downstairs once more. Yugi and Tea were already seated in the back of the black BMW. The windows were almost opaque with a dark tint.

Mokuba opened the back door for Rebecca and helped her into the SUV.

"Fuguta, Kobayashi," Mokuba called. Instantly, they appeared before him. "Are we armed?"

"Yes sir. We have two hand guns each and an arsenal in the boot," Fuguta answered.

"Good. Kobayashi, you're driving," Mokuba ordered, then climbed into the vehicle. He needed the more experienced guard to be able to take on any target and not be distracted by having to control the vehicle.

Roland stood aside as the SUV was started and Fuguta radioed that they were leaving.

"Guys, hunker all the way down. I want this vehicle to look empty," Mokuba told his friends who all obeyed. "Fuguta, Kobayashi, open your windows just a little."

"But sir-" Fuguta protested.

"Just do it. It's better if they think I'm still in there. Once we're on the road put the windows back up," Mokuba directed, he seemed to be channelling his big brother.

"Yes sir."

The garage door and driveway gate both opened simultaneously and Kobayashi launched the car driving at speed so he would not have to slow down. The car hit the road with an almighty bump and tore down the street.

A/N I would just like to thank Shelookstothesky for her continued support, she's been an amazing fanfic friend. Check out my Tumblr - Scarletbelle - to see an amazing pic of our OCs, Cam and Lara, together.

And thank you to all you wonderful readers still sticking with this story :)