Chapter 5: Hey, hey the gang's all here!

Disclaimer: If you really want one, just read the first four. I'm sure it will say the same thing – I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh.

Oh, wonder of wonders, they finally kissed. It was about time, too ;). What will happen in this chapter? How far will they take the game of revenge and payback or will they call a truce? Will they honour the truce if they call one? Where does an alarm clock fit into all of this?

Stupid question time: What is a lemon and what is a lime? Where do you draw the line? Just email an answer to me. It's on my profile page.

Thanks for all of the great reviews. I thought this was just a silly little story when I first came up with the idea after a dream I'd had but it's blooming into so much more. And I'm glad that it's not toooooo sweet.

Let the games continue...

Closing the door behind himself and taking off his coat, he saw that she'd already shed hers and gone into the kitchen. Which was just as well since he couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. The only dream he'd had for almost a week had finally come true. Seto Kaiba, hormone-driven, teenage boy, had kissed Téa Gardner. The moment replayed itself continually in his mind. Touching his lips, he could still feel the ghostly press of hers against them, how soft and sweet they'd been. The wicked things her tongue had done to his then made him blush to the roots of his dishevelled mop of hair. And just as he was about to kiss her again, at her request no less, she'd given him a snow wash and escaped. He hung his coat on the banister rail that led to the basement and shook his head.

There had to be a way to get her back for that. Okay, granted, he was the one that had lobbed the first snowball but he hadn't thrown it hard enough to knock her over. Combing his wet hair into some semblance of order, he walked through the living room into the kitchen. His eyes automatically locked on her as she replaced the lasagna in the oven. A warm apple and cinnamon scent filled the air and he inhaled appreciatively. Maybe the crumble would be something fit for a human to eat after all.

She moved towards the sink and grabbed the kettle from the counter, getting ready to put it on to make hot chocolate. Kaiba may not want any in return for his help, but there was nothing better than drinking something hot and sweet after being outside in the cold. Not that it had been cold for very long. Her cheeks glowed at the memory of kissing him in the snow. She'd forgotten about the snow in the midst of his warm lips on hers. Giggles erupted once more at the look of shock on his face when she'd filled it with snow as she plugged in the water-filled appliance and turned it on. Payback was fun.

From out of nowhere, she felt a pair of hands grasp her around the waist and spin her around. Looking up, she saw amusement in his beautiful, blue eyes. The grin on his lips told her that he hadn't forgotten what she'd done to him outside just minutes ago. He moved closer to her, effectively trapping her against the counter and leaving no possibility of escape.

"That was not a very nice thing you did to me out there," Seto growled, enjoying the look of surprise on her face before he frowned. She should have looked just as dishevelled as he did considering what had transpired between them outside in the snow. No such luck. Perfect as always. Hell, her hair wasn't even damp. Some things just weren't fair. This was one of those things. He looked like a drowned rat and she, well, she just looked too damned irresistible.

"Revenge is best served cold, Kaiba. Do you need something to warm you up?" Téa purred softly. Her fingers itched once more to bring his hair to order. Unfortunately, this itch couldn't be scratched as his hands had hers in a firm but gentle grip. No chance of dodging him now and he looked ready to act on her earlier invitation.

"Hmm, a warm up would be nice right about now," he replied, pressing in closer to her, loving the tremble he felt course through her body.

"I've got the kettle on if you don't mind waiting a minute for hot chocolate." Her wide-eyed, innocent face didn't fool him for a second and he chuckled softly.

"Hot chocolate wasn't what I was thinking about." Seto leered playfully at her and an answering smile lit her expression. She was just as eager as he was. "And there's no snow to save you now."

"That was payback for making me think I'd hurt you with that snowball. Just be glad I didn't do it right before you'd first kissed me. And believe me, I'd been debating on it. Seriously." The quirk of her lips was enticing and he was having a hard time concentrating on anything at the moment except that he wanted to taste her once more.

"How about we call a truce? There's no sense in trying to one up each other when we have... what was it you had said to me in my office that day? Oh yes 'There are much more important things we could with our time'. What do you say, Gardner?" He looked at her expectantly for a second before his gaze was caught by something glittering around her neck. The pendant rose and fell against her as she breathed.

"On one condition," she replied, noticing where his gaze was and going crimson. Trying to control her breathing was an impossible task considering the closeness of a warm male named Seto Kaiba.

"What?" He just wished she'd agree already so they could get to the kissing part.

"Don't call me Gardner anymore. Téa will do just fine." The fingers of her hands tightened their grip on his in anticipation of what was about to come.

"Then don't call me Kaiba anymore. Just Seto. Deal?" He bent closer to her, anxious to get to the kissing once more. Her lips were so tempting and so close.

"Deal, Just Seto," she replied.

Closing the distance between them, their lips touched and met once more. Forever wouldn't be long enough to enjoy this, he thought to himself, letting his mouth roam over hers, exploring it once more. Her warm lips matched him move for move before going on to suckle tenderly at his lower lip, a soft moan echoing from deep in her throat. His tongue licked across her upper lip and she opened up for him. He swept in, tasting her again like it was the first time. Her tongue rubbed against the sensitive underside of his and he growled approval at her move. She smiled against his lips and wriggled her hands free before plunging them into his hair, pulling him closer, her fingers tangling themselves in his soft, wet hair. Now that his hands were free, he didn't know what he wanted to do with them first and settled on a compromise. One hand grasped her around the waist and the other skimmed up her back and settled into her hair. It was just like silk, smooth and flowing. The kiss continued on and on and Seto really wanted it to never end. Neither did she but it was just about time for the...

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

His lips broke away from hers suddenly. "What the hell was that?" His eyes were wide with surprise and his heart felt like it was going a million miles an hour. She released his hair and chuckled at him before pushing him away gently.

"That was the warning bell," Téa said, walking across the kitchen and turning right, heading for the stairs to go up. Seto followed her, determined to find out, and destroy, what had interrupted such a perfect moment. The stairs creaked as they ascended to the second floor. She walked into the first room on the right and made for the nightstand next to her bed, turning off the annoying buzzing. Seto gulped. He was in her bedroom. The place where she slept every night. In pyjamas. And by the looks of it, she liked to sleep in shorts and a tank top, they were spread across her pillows just waiting for her to undress... No, he couldn't go there.

"What 'warning bell'?" he asked. It was much safer to keep his eyes on her. Well, not much safer, but...

"I set my alarm clock for 3:30. The final stretch, the last half hour, to make sure that I have everything ready for when the gang gets here. I'm expecting the guys to show up at about 4, even though the invitations said six. And I don't have much left to do, thanks to you. Now, if you help me again, you'll find that I'll be more than willing to compensate you for your time and effort..." She trailed off at the look on his face. This was only the second time she'd caught him blushing. At least she knew he could. That information could come in handy later on.

"Only if there are no more alarm clocks set to go off in the near future," Seto replied dryly as he tried to control his blushing. That woman seemed to be in control of everything. Once, just once, he wanted to take command and not have anything, like snow or alarm clocks, intrude on them.

"Mmm no more alarm clocks, but I can hear the kettle boiling from here. Time for a hot chocolate." Brushing passed him, she left the room and headed downstairs. The sigh of frustration she heard made her giggle again. Whoever would have thought that Seto could be so easily flustered?

He followed her a second later, lost in memories of kissing her. One time, just once, he wanted to kiss her with no interruptions. And if the gang was coming over soon, including his little brother, he highly doubted he'd get another opportunity tonight. It wasn't that he wanted to keep what they'd started hidden. He just wanted it to be low key for a little while, so he could just enjoy her company without having to defend himself against her friends, especially that stupid mutt, Wheeler. Just because he'd changed his opinion of her didn't mean that all of her friends were off his bad list. Especially Wheeler. The dog couldn't duel his way out of a paper bag with a hole at either end.

The image made him smile as he walked into the kitchen and saw her pouring hot water into two mugs. She reached into a small bag beside her and added some white marshmallows, stirring them around with a spoon to heat them up. She heard him come up behind her, felt his hands at her waist once more. Her heart rate tripled again and she could feel his warm breath on her cheek as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"So what else do you have to do before they get here, Téa," he whispered, conscious of how close he was to her, conscious of his desire to take his tongue and lick the shell of her ear from earlobe to top and back again.

"Well, I have to set the table for six, make another pot of coffee since the first one is now about an hour old, get the snacks ready and make sure the living room is ready for putting up the tree and other decorations. It should be fine, but a final check never hurt anything, Seto." She leaned back into him, enjoying the warmth he radiated and loving the way he had said her first name. If someone had told her this was going to happen, she would have laughed in their face and asked them what they'd been smoking.

His arm grasped her more tightly, enveloping her in a warm hug and the scent of his aftershave that she hadn't noticed before. He smelled delicious and she wanted to melt against him but time was of the essence right now. The faster they got it done...

"Seto, I really have to get this stuff done. If you wouldn't mind setting the table..." she started to say, pointing at the dishes and silverware that were on the counter in the far corner. He groaned once and released her. "Trust me, I'll make it worth your while."

"I'm going to keep you to that promise, Téa. A verbal agreement."

"I know, I know, you're a businessman. Binding legal agreement and all that." She grinned as she said it and he narrowed his eyes at her before rolling them. At least she had a sense of humour.

At least he had a sense of humour, she thought to herself, hearing the clink of dishes as Seto scooped them into his hands and started to set the table. The carafe was rinsed, the water was readied and another pot of coffee was started just as he finished putting out the dishes. Next came the silverware. Nice stuff, too. It looked old.

"It was my grandmother's set," she said, almost reading his mind. As he glanced at her, she took a sip of her hot chocolate, the marshmallow stuff leaving a white moustache on her upper lip that he wanted to kiss off.

About twenty minutes later, the hot chocolate was finished and everything else was done. The snacks were laid out on the coffee table, small plates and napkins set about for easy access. The cider she'd made earlier was in a pot on the stove, heating gently, the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg mingling with the smell of fresh brewed coffee. The lasagna was perfect, the apple crumble was golden brown and just needed heating before topping it with the vanilla ice cream that was in the freezer. Cups and glasses sat on the end of the counter by the table and the sound of the radio playing "Holly Jolly Christmas" finished the scene beautifully.

Now all they had to do was wait for the guests to arrive. And keep their hands off of each other. Fat chance on that last one, she thought, joining Seto as he sat on the couch watching the snow fall again outside of the window. His arm wrapped around her shoulders companionably and she leaned against him comfortably. She felt him kiss the top of her head and she sighed. There was so much more she wanted to do with him but the constraints of time prevented that. Didn't stop her from thinking about it though.

"What do we do know?" he asked, sitting back and letting her lean closer to him. Her hand rested on his chest and he figured she could feel the wild beating of his heart.

"Mmm, a few ideas pop into my head but we don't have enough time to try any of them." Humour coloured her tone and a rumble in his chest let her know he was laughing, too. She wished they could stay like this all day.

Ding dong ding dong...ding dong ding dong.

Hey, hey the gang's all here, Seto thought sardonically. At least he'd have Mokuba here, under his watchful eye. Téa gave him a reproachful glance as she stood up and went to answer the door, making him wonder if she really could read his mind.

"Hi guys," she said brightly after opening the door. Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Mokuba greeted her enthusiastically, all of their cheeks bright red from the cold. "C'mon on in. Everything's ready. All we have to do is set up the tree, decorate and eat."

"Mmm eating, dat's the part I been waitin' all day to do," Joey commented, his accent making Kaiba wince. He was the first one to step through the door and consequently, the first one to see Seto sitting on the couch. "Kaiba?! What the hell are you doin' here?"

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See you next time in Chapter 6 entitled "Being Civil Isn't Easy".

So, how was it? I know, I know it was a little short but it was a natural ending to this chapter so I just let it be.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Aphrael21 ;)