"Calandra, let me make things clear for you. You are never, under any circumstances, to hang up on me again. Do you understand? You will stay the night tonight. You and I need to talk before you leave. That's not a choice. Understand?" he asked. Callie raised an eyebrow at the anger that was weaving in and out of his tone. Someone had a control issue.
"Calandra Haveles, answer me!" She nearly snorted. He sounded like her mother, just with a deeper voice, and a bit more anger.
"Very well, Mr. Kaiba. I shall see you then," she snapped, letting him know through her tone that he would not cow her. She snarled as she heard the dial tone. The little brat had hung up on her. She smiled at Mokuba and Rosie, who were looking at her with worried eyes.
"Hey, there's no need to look like that. I'm still alive, right? Despite what you think, he can't quite manage to kill me over the phone, guys," she said, brushing off the fury she felt brewing within her veins. Mokuba giggled, and Rosie gave her a weak smile.
"Callie, I'm hungry!" Mokuba announced. Callie smiled down at him.
"Well, let's go get something to eat. We never did stop for lunch, did we?" she asked, ruffling his hair, giggling at the frown he sent her.
"Yeah, let's go!" Mokuba shouted, dashing into the house. Callie grinned, and began to jog after him. She paused when she felt a soft touch on her shoulder. She turned to face Rosie, her eyes questioning the redhead's touch.
"You aren't in trouble, then, Ms. Haveles?" Callie grinned.
"Well, I might be in for it later, but the hell with it. He can't be that bad, can he?" she paused when she saw the look on Rosie's pretty face. "Or maybe he might be. Don't worry about it, Rosie-that is your name, right? I'll be fine. And for the last time, woman, it's Callie. Ms. Haveles makes me feel old. Well, not really, but it's a good excuse, neh?"
Callie made a face as Rosie broke into laughter. "Well, then, Callie, I suggest we go in and get some food along with the young master. You'll need your strength when you go up against Master Kaiba," Rosie said, a smile wreathing her face. Callie grinned, and wrapped an arm around the smaller woman's shoulders.
"You know, I think I like you," she muttered, smiling. With a laugh, the two of them walked indoors; ready to face the horrors of making a lunch.
Hours later, Callie collapsed on the sofa, letting out a muffled 'oof' as Mokuba followed suit, and landed right on top of her.
"What do you want to do, kid?" she asked, shifting him over a bit so she could breathe. Mokuba paused to think.
"Can I stay up until Seto comes home?" he asked. Callie sighed. The poor kid.
"No, Mokuba. You can stay up until 10, okay? That's it, though. I'm sorry, kiddo," she said, waving goodbye to Rosie, who was leaving for a dinner with her boyfriend. She suspected the woman would be back, since she'd visited her room earlier, but from their talks, she knew that Rosie also shared a flat with her boyfriend.
"But Callllllie...I wanna stay up until Seto comes!" Mokuba whined. Callie snickered, and grabbed hold of him, giving him a gentle noogie.
"No can do, my friend. However, I'll tell you what. It's what...seven now? We'll watch a movie, okay? And then, if it ends early enough, we'll start another one. How's that sound? And don't worry about the dinner, Rosie ordered your favorite pizza."
Mokuba cheered, and Callie grinned, batting him with a cushion from the sofa. "Go choose a movie, kiddo. And I'm warning you, no romances!" she teased. He made a face at her, but hopped up and rushed over to the gigantic entertainment center. Callie made herself comfortable, nestling deeper into the soft, plush couch she was resting on. She marveled at how big it was: at least three people could lie next to each other and still fit on the damn thing.
She was jolted out of her thoughts as Mokuba landed on her stomach. "Guh!" she exclaimed, gasping for breath.
"The movie's in!" Mokuba announced, grinning happily. Callie grinned.
"Okay, Champ, sit down then, and not on me!" Mokuba grinned, and plopped down next to her, stretching out on the couch. Callie smiled, and watched the credits start rolling. She gasped as she saw the movie title.
"Mokuba! Thank you! I adore this movie so very much!" she squealed, giving the surprised preteen a hug. He snorted, and pried her arms off of him, and the two settled down to watch "Buckaroo Banzai: An Adventure Across the Eighth Dimension".
They were almost 20 minutes into the film where the doorbell rang. Callie hit pause as Mokuba hopped up and dashed to the door. Rolling her eyes, Callie grabbed the money and followed the child at a more sedate pace. She heard the child conversing with the pizza person, and sped up, hoping he wasn't tormenting the poor person on accident.
"-You sure you don't want to come in, Tristan?" she heard him ask as she entered the room. Was he inviting a random person into the house? She eyed the man in the doorway, teen, actually, who was trying to hide his face underneath his hat.
"Mokuba, if he doesn't want to come in, then he doesn't want to come in," she admonished quietly, sidling up behind the boy. He stuck his tongue out at her.
"Oh! Tristan, this is Callie. Callie, this is Tristan. He's a friend of mine," Mokuba said, beaming. She nodded at the teen.
"Nice to meet you. How much do we owe you?"
"Ten bucks, that's it," he said, grinning at her. She smiled back, and handed him the money and a tip.
"Tristan, you sure you don't want to come in?" Mokuba pleaded.
"I gotta go meet the gang. We think we're going to the arcade, or something," Tristan said.
"Why can't they all come here? It would be fun!" Mokuba shouted, smiling. Callie cleared her throat.
"Oh, come on, Callie, please?"
"Maybe another time, Mokuba. Your brother is already irritated enough with me, don't you think?" Mokuba sighed, and nodded. Bidding goodbye to Tristan, they shut the door and brought the pizza into the TV room, not bothering with plates. Callie turned on the movie again, and they sat down, savoring the cheesy flavor of the pizza.
Callie sighed with relief as she quietly closed Mokuba's door. The kid was a bundle of energy, even at night. She had no idea where he got that much enthusiasm, but it was nice. That is, until you had to get him to bed.
She waved to Rosie as the maid passed her, heading to her room for the night. Callie skipped down the stairs, heading to the kitchen, where she picked up the packet. She headed back into the TV room, flipping on the news with a low volume. She began reading, willing the hours to fly by quickly.
Seto Kaiba slipped into the house quietly, placing his briefcase on the floor as he shed his trench coat. He closed the door behind him, and continued into the TV room, since he could hear the soft buzzing of the TV. He smirked at the scene in front of him.
Callie was curled up on the sofa, the packet he'd had typed up for her near her head. A slender arm was thrown over the back of the sofa. Her hair was partially covering her face, and the flickering TV threw shadows over her body. He picked up the remote and shut the TV off, making his way to Callie's side. He shook her lightly, leaning over, but she didn't move. He sighed, and shook her again, this time a bit harder. She rolled over, her hand batting at him half-heartedly, and woke with a start as she tumbled off of the couch.
Callie rubbed her head, trying to clear the spots from her eyes. She could swear she heard snickering. Her eyes cleared for a moment, and she saw a smirking Seto Kaiba before her eyelids drifted down once more.
Seto groaned in frustration, resisting the urge to cradle his head in his hands. She had been awake! But now, she was sprawled on the floor, and he could see her shivering. He sighed. As much as he would like too, he couldn't just leave the girl there. It was pretty cold tonight. Grumbling to himself, he bent over and scooped her up, and began walking up the stairs.
He was halfway up the stairs when Callie stirred in his arms, her eyelashes fluttering. He froze. He didn't particularly want her to wake up at the moment. She would more than likely yell, going by the little he knew about her. She rolled a bit, and then settled again, her breathing slowing down once more. Seto sighed with relief. And then he noticed something.
When Callie had moved, her shirt had adjusted as well. The top two buttons had opened, and her shirt was falling open. Oh, shit, he thought. He could feel a blush heating his cheeks. He stayed frozen, but then shook it off, training his eyes on the walls of the hallway. He kept walking, finally reaching a satisfactory guest room. He nudged the door open with his foot, and walked inside, placing Callie on the bed.
He turned and began to walk out. A low moan sounded out behind him, and he froze. The sound sent a shiver rolling though his body, and he couldn't resist glancing behind him.
Callie had moved already, her body curled up tightly, her shirt gaping opening, one hand resting on her right hip. And as he watched her, her eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes opened.
Oh, shit, he thought for the second time that night.
A/N: Wow. That was an insanely fun chapter to write. By the way, I converted the money into dollars because I don't know how yen works...Oh, and for those of you who might be wondering, when I used 'cow' it was as in 'intimidate' not the animal.
Setalina Muro: You're welcome about the review! Thanks for reviewing my story! :grin: I like cliffhangers. Suspense is a good thing in a story, because it keeps the readers interested!
Butterfly321: why did I have to end there? Why, to be evil, of course! Thanks for the review!
Arabella Silverbell: Okay, that's good. But you'll have to beat ME to world domination...I've been planning it for a long, long time....
L.D. Kaket: Thanks! I'm glad it was a relaxing read. I know it was a cruel place to end it...I'm like that.
Iwaswatchingyoulastnighta7oclock: At my 7 or at yours? Time works differently for me. I love them too. They're gorgeous...
Hero Girl of Brien: Of course you end a chapter like that. Half the time I just do it for the reactions...hee hee. Thanks for the review!
Twilight: Oodles...that's such a fun word. I love it. Yeah, I'm surprised at myself. I've been updating pretty quickly for me. It's Callie. She's just such a fun character to write! I think she interacts so well with Mokuba because she's pretty childish herself! Yeah, I liked making Seto call her Calandra...And I'm trying to cut down on my errors...hee hee!
