Okay, you can all yell at me. I promised a quick update… I'm such a bad person!  T__T Okay, anyway! Ummmm… A few notes! This chapter is a few days late! It was gonna come to you in honor of Joey's and my Birthday! (Mine is the day after his!!!!!!!!) But since I haven't been on ff.net for a while I didn't know that chat room fics were banned, and I had an old chat room fic that I had made when I was really, really bored under my username and then they deleted it and told me I couldn't upload stuff for a while!!! So this was supposed to come to you on the 25th!! And although I lied to y'all and told yah that Joey was born on February third…. I was just kidding. Yeah. Back then I wasn't sure whether it was Feb 3rd or Jan 25th because tons of sites say either one is right, but I have known for a while that it is the 25th of January which makes me soooo happy! WOOOT! We were meant to be together!!!!!!!!! Thanks a bunch to my new reviewer Gyrrlgenius who caught my slipup in that chapter! I had been meaning to correct it but I forgot -^_^- hehe... bad meeee! So ummm I hope you don't want to kill me for last chapter, and I just wanna let you know that this is the end. Joey dies, and never comes back to life; it's so sad and horrible… JUST KIDDING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hehehe… did I scare you? Yeah, this fic is just getting started!!! Oh, and just so you all know... I got a death threat from one of my reviewers… and that kinda creeped me out. A lot. Because she was yelling at me for 'abusing Joey' and I thought… Hey! I'm not abusing Joey! His dad is!!!! Don't kill the messenger!!! … But it was still scary!!! ^___^; Okay, well I hope you enjoy this chapter! It was fun to write! Review Please!!

- Calcifer (PS umm there was some confusion about the last two chapters, I made a few grammatical changes in one and reposted it, but I accidentally mixed it up so chapter seven got posted twice and six wasn't there at all! Oops! So if you read the chapter where Joey gets shot twice… go back and read chapter six again because it's back up now! Sumimasen mina-san!) (PPS: Um just so you know, it's not around the time of Joey's birthday in the fic. That'll come later! Hehe… Anyway! Umm if you were wondering about ages: Joey is 17, Serenity is 14, Kaiba is 17, soon to turn 18, Yugi and Co. are all 17, and Mai is 18.)

            Joey felt incredibly light, as is his whole body was floating in the air; completely weightless. It was completely dark, but images kept floating in front of his eyes. He saw himself sitting outside his elementary school waiting for someone to pick him up, though no one would come. He saw himself huddled in a corner of his room nursing cuts and bruises all alone in the dark. He saw himself sitting alone at lunch, an arrogant twelve year old, too proud to ask to sit with anyone else. Soon all the visions went too fast and blurred, so that one was indiscernible from another. And through it all he heard someone calling him. He was sure he was dead and he knew the voice was calling him in vain. The voice was insistently calling out "Joey!," but he could not move or respond.

            "I'm dead," he murmured, "It's no use, go away. Let me sleep." The voice was grating in his aching head, though its tone was sweet. He laughed to himself, thinking that perhaps it was an angel, and decided to open his eyes to see her face and tell her to stop yelling at him so he could rest, for that was all he wanted to do; just to sleep and be away from the sharp pains in his chest forever. His eyes opened a crack and a blinding light entered them. He could tell that someone was leaning over him, but he could not distinguish any features. He thought he heard someone yell something, and heard running footsteps, but he was still trying to focus on the person above him. Finally he saw her clearly, and it was an angel: his red-haired angel of a sister leaning over him, calling his name, and holding his hand. His hand felt wet, and when he looked at it he saw that she had been crying onto it. He had never wanted to make her cry, and he tried to say something, anything, to make her stop, but he couldn't make a sound. He felt someone else doing something to his chest, and he directed his gaze there. Another woman seemed to be changing a bandage. It was all too confusing. Where was he? His brain felt fuzzy, and he could barely process one thought at a time. Suddenly a face leaned over him that instantly shocked him out of his stupor.

            "K-Kaiba?" He yelled, though it came out very scratchily, and half the sound was lost due to his weakness.

            "Yes. He's alive." The brown-haired head said above him, laughing at the horrified expression on Joey's bloodstained face.

            "What? Where? How..?" He moaned in confusion. Even Serenity giggled quietly at this, and hugged him tightly around the neck.

            "Oh, Joey! You're alive! Thank heavens!" She was sobbing into his hair, but she was laughing with relief at the same time. He winced slightly as she jostled his body, and she pulled away, looking worried. "Did I hurt you?"

            "Nah, it's okay…" He croaked, still not able to talk very well. "What… happened?" To his surprise it was Kaiba who spoke.

            "I happened to be observing your father's transaction from a safe distance. I do quite a few dealings with Stephanovs, and I find it useful to know about all their … business deals. When I saw you get shot, I went in and convinced them to let me have the body." Joey was staring at him in disbelief. "What's the matter Wheeler? Aren't you even going to say 'thank you'?"

            "You… saved… me?" He said, incredulously. "Why?"

            "Joey!" Serenity cried, reprovingly.

            "It's a fair question." Kaiba said, rolling his eyes. "I don't really know myself. Charity, I suppose."

            "Okay, that's great. Thanks a lot. Where am I?" Joey asked, nervously, looking around at the large four-poster bed, and lush curtains.

            "A guest bedroom in my mansion and you're being treated by the KaibaCorp medical staff. Feel honored." Kaiba said. "Well, Wheeler, just like in the few duels you've ridiculously won, you've gotten lucky. That bullet barely missed your heart; if I hadn't arrived you would have bled to death." Joey closed his eyes, not even wanting to think about how close that had been.

            Suddenly, he remembered his father. "My dad! Where is he? Did he get home alright?" He asked, frantically. "Did you see him, Serenity?" She shook her head.

            "But I left the house very quickly. Seto sent a car to pick me up, since he couldn't reach me by phone. Dad might have gotten home while I was gone."

            "Waitaminute. 'Seto'??? Since when are you on first name terms????" This was all too much for Joey, and he fell back onto his pillow.

            "Um, Joey. He did save you. I think it's allowed for me to call him 'Seto.'"

            "No it isn't." He said stubbornly, not looking up, and not wanting to admit to himself that he owed Kaiba his life. "So… when can I go home?" He asked to change the subject.

            "Whenever." Kaiba said, sounding as though he was already bored with the whole affair. Joey sat up as much as could with out passing out from pain.

            "Good. Then I wanna go now." Serenity sighed.

            "Joey, it's not good for your health to go so early… you should stay here a few days." She tentatively said. Joey shook his head.

            "I'm perfectly fine. I just need some rest, and there's no reason I can't get that at home." Serenity sighed and turned to Kaiba.         

            "Seto? Would it be possible to get him to our house without reopening his wound?" Kaiba nodded and gave quiet orders to some servants to get his limo ready. Joey insisted that he could walk, but they made him use a wheel chair anyway, though he protested all the way into the limousine. He was completely silent for the entire drive and still didn't say a word when they parked right in front of his apartment building. Serenity hopped out of the limo to go and get the manager of the building to help support Joey up the stairs. Joey was about to get when Kaiba stopped him.

            "Wheeler… I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to worry about the Stephanovs. I paid off your father's debt to them in exchange for being able to take you away from there." He muttered in an undertone. Joey stared at him, horrorstruck.

            "You're telling me that you gave them five thousand dollars?" He gasped out. Kaiba nodded, observing his horrified manner quizzically. Joey was still staring at him, then he buried his head in his hands. "I'm indebted to him. Why him??" He moaned to himself. Kaiba laughed.

            "You don't have to pay me back, Wheeler. That amount of money doesn't matter." Joey looked up at him.

            "But- but- but- ... IT'S FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!" He shouted.

            "God, Wheeler. I'm a multi billionaire… five thousand is pocket change. Besides, you let Muto give you three times that amount."

            "That's different. Yugi's…"

            "… Your friend? …Someone you actually like? …Not a stuck up, high and mighty, jerk?"

            "Exactly." Joey said, looking miserable. Kaiba smirked.

            "Well, Wheeler. You may hate me but it doesn't matter, and you don't have to give me that money back. I know it's hurting your pride, but just tough it out. You'll get over it after a few minutes."

            "Tell me one thing." Joey said. Kaiba looked curious.

            "Why did you really do this? You hate me as much as I hate you." He asked, not breaking eye contact with the person he loathed so much. Kaiba sighed, and glanced at the floor for a minute.

            "… Because… Because you're not the only one with- with a… unsatisfactory father." He said quietly, then stepped quickly out of the limousine and walked up to Serenity and the manager of the building. Together, Kaiba, Serenity, the manager, and the limo driver were able to get Joey up the many flights to his apartment. Joey smiled slightly at Kaiba, then looking as though he'd rather be anywhere else in the world; he held his hand out to him.

            "Thanks." He said simply, and Kaiba gave a small smile back and shook hands with him. "Don't get me wrong, Kaiba… I still hate you."

            "The feeling's mutual." Kaiba said, then he walked down the flights of stairs with his driver, laughing quietly to himself. Joey sighed, then opened the door to his apartment. As he and Serenity walked into the kitchen he saw his father slumped over the kitchen table with a three quarters empty bottle of gin next to him. Joey walked close to him nervously, not sure if an attack would come, but instead his father looked up and scooted his chair as far away from him as he could; as if he had seen a ghost. He stood up and continued backing away, and Joey could see tear tracks down his father's cheeks.

            "Joey…" He said quietly, not believing it. "Oh, Joey… I'm so damn sorry. It was all my fault. Please, don't come any closer, I'm sorry dammit, I'm sorry! I couldn't even get your body and give you a proper funeral! My son… my only son…" He was staring at Joey with a livid terror, and Joey felt like laughing and crying at the same time. He moved toward his father.          "I'm not dead, Dad. I made it. You always said I was practically indestructible." Zachary Wheeler stared at his son for a minute before bringing him into a tight embrace.

            "Oh, son, I'm so sorry. I-I thought you were dead, and I just panicked… I don't even know what came over me, but- Oh God, Joey, don't you do that to me again, you hear?" He yelled then smacked Joey away from him. Joey sighed, he had liked to think for a minute that all of a sudden they'd have a wonderful, loving family, but it was almost relieving to have his father back to normal. Being hugged and cried over was too abnormal. He looked down at his chest and saw that the wound had begun to bleed again. Serenity hurried him into their room and made him lie down as she changed his bandage with some supplies she had gotten from the KaibaCorp medical team. She brought him some tea, and sat down next to him until he started to doze off.

            "Dad's asleep." She murmured quietly. "You sleep too, okay?" She got up and moved to the door. Joey smiled as he drifted off, and finally fell asleep. He was sleeping deeply for about ten minutes, but then the sound of the front door closing woke him up. He lay in bed trying to discern what was going on, then got up, wincing, and went out into the kitchen. No one was there. He heard snoring from his father's room, but Serenity was no where to be seen. He ran back into his room and pulled up the blinds of his window to see into the street below. To his shock and horror, Kaiba's limousine was still there. He saw Serenity walk out of the building, wearing much nicer clothes than she had been before, and talk to Kaiba, who had been leaning against the side of the limo. He then saw Kaiba kiss her cheek and help her inside the limo. He rubbed his eyes, hoping he had been seeing things, but he was not mistaken. He ran full tilt out of the apartment and down the stairs, taking them five at a time. He ignored the pain in his chest, and he knew he wound was bleeding freely again. He leapt out of the building and saw the limo rounding a corner. He ran after it yelling threats at Kaiba, that he knew were unheard, then stopped, panting, once they had gone out of sight.

            He was bent over clutching his chest where the pain was agonizing. It was too much to process for his poor, aching head. Though everything seemed to be coming together; all the times Serenity had gone out without saying precisely where she was going, the whole "Seto" business, Kaiba getting his car fixed at the Wheeler auto shop… it all made sense. He punched the wall of the building he was standing next to, and looked up as a car screeched to a stop right in front of him. His vision was fuzzy, and he couldn't really tell who the person who leapt out of the car was. Suddenly it all came into focus. Mai Valentine was approaching him at a lighting fast pace, and when Joey looked at himself he realized that he had left the apartment wearing nothing but boxers and a bandage around half his chest. He blushed bright red.

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