To Explain

# CW: Ok, Tristan: 7, Duke: 3, but you don't wanna know that! You wanna know what happens to Joey and Mai, don't you? DON'T YOU? Duh, otherwise why would you still be reading this fic?! #

'I WANT OUT! I WANT OUT!' Joey bashed at the metal door of the cell in the station with all his might.

The little sliding window opened, revealing the pale blue eyes of a young constable.

'Mr Wheeler, I would strongly advise that you stop making a scene. There are people working here!'

'Who gives a shit?' growled Joey. 'I didn't do it and you can't prove I did. You're making it hard for me, so I'm gonna make it hard for you until you tell me why I'm here.'

'You are here on suspicion of arson and attempted murder, Wheeler.'

'Yeah, yeah.'

'So unless you are willing to make a confession - '

'Oh, a confession, huh? I'll give you a confession.' Joey pushed his face right up to the little window. 'I confess to not doing anything wrong. If being innocent is a crime, yeah, I'm guilty. I would never hurt Mai. I'd die before I hurt her.'

'Unless you are willing to make a PROPER confession, Wheeler, I'd advise you to keep it down.'

'I wanna know why I'm here.'

'You're due in the interview room in a half an hour.'

'Oh great. You cops shove me in this shit-hole and make me wait a half an hour before telling me why I'm even here.'

'Don't use that tone of voice against me, Wheeler. I wasn't even aware of your arrest until five minutes ago.'

'You cops are all the same. You don't believe a word I'm saying 'cos I'm in a cell.'

'Well it does kind of dictate your character a little.'

'Whatever.'

'Wheeler, just compose yourself and sit quietly for the remainder of the time.'

'Piss off.'

'Your attitude is helping nothing, Mr Wheeler.'

'I said piss off.'

The constable slammed the window shut and Joey heard his footsteps tap away until they mingled with the other sounds of the station.

Joey sat on the floor. There was something rising in his throat, something stinging at the back of his eyes.

'They can't do anything if Mai says I didn't do it.' He said to himself, but he couldn't quite believe that. Some proof would have had to be found against him for him to even be there.

What had they found? Was it enough for him to be sent to jail?

Joey could hold back no longer. He collapsed face down onto the floor, sobbing.

'Mai! You know I didn't do it! Is that enough? It's got to be enough! I didn't do it! How could anyone ever think I'd hurt you? I'd never hurt you, Mai! I love you!'
'He'd never do anything to hurt anyone, PC Maun!' Mai sat on the couch her head in her hands. 'Especially not me. Joey's an amazing person, can't any of you see that? Why have you taken him away from me?'

'Miss Valentine, I can see that you and Joey are closer than you have been letting on. Don't be afraid to tell me anything that he ever - '

'Are you insane?' Mai cried out. 'He's never done anything wrong! I love him with all my heart and he loves me too. We only truly found that out today and you're dividing us. 'To serve and protect' – ha! Do your job. Why don't you serve me by protecting me from the person who actually means me harm!'

'Miss Valentine – it's out of our hands. Someone else was attacked earlier today, just after Keith was arrested.'

'Joey was with me the whole time.'

'It's true he has an alibi, but you're the only one who can confirm it and he's already suspected of blackmailing and threatening you.'

'Blackmailing – that's a load of bullshit. Who was attacked?'

'A certain Yugi Mutou, Miss.'

Mai's mouth dropped open.

'Yugi – is he Ok?'

'Two broken ribs and mild concussion. He's a tough kid. He came round pretty quick.'

'You guys are mad. Yugi's Joey's best friend. If the kid dropped a quarter Joey would wrap it in silk and worship it as a god.'

'There is an eyewitness.'

'Someone SAW Joey beating the crap outta his best friend?'

'You could say that.'

'Who saw it?'

'Both his friends. Miss Gardner and Mr Taylor. They saw him running away.'

'But they didn't see it happen.'

'No.'

'It doesn't make sense. Joey was here with me.'
'You gotta let me see him!'

'Wheeler.'

'This isn't fair. My friend's hurt and you won't let me see him!'

'Have the courtesy to sit and allow us to continue the interview.'

'I did not do shit!'

'MR WHEELER!'

Joey sat down, breathing heavily.

'Perhaps we can now continue.' The policeman adjusted the position of the tape recorder on the desk. 'Where were you at two thirty this morning?'

'At home.'

'Precisely what were you doing at home?'

'Eh - '

'For the benefit of the recording, Mr Wheeler is shrugging. Wheeler, you can't just forget what you were doing.'

'I was searching my house for evidence – hey, what about I run through everything that happened after Keith got carted off, huh?'

'Shoot.'

'Mai and I searched the house, we found the bleach planted under a floorboard in my room. We talked a bit and we – uh - '

'You what?'

'Never mind.'

'There is no 'never mind' in the law, Wheeler.'

'Ok, Ok, we kissed and then we started to get kinda intimate, Ok?'

'Ah.'

'Then your cronies knocked on my door and I got dragged away.'

'What were you doing earlier?'

'We had Keith over in the house and then the other guys came to see him.'

'The other guys?'

'Yugi, Tristan and Téa.'

'Right. What time did they leave?'

'About a half past three.'

'And then what did you do?'

'Then there was all that shit with the poisoned coffee and you know the rest.'

'Where's your jacket, Wheeler?'

Joey sat back, one eyebrow raised.

'What's that supposed to mean?' he asked.

'Your blue jacket and your beige wallet.'

'What about them?'

'This about them.' The policeman produced two evidence bags from under his chair, one containing a wallet and the other a jacket.

'This contains a picture of an unknown teenage girl.' He shook the wallet. 'And this has 'J Wheeler' written on the label.' He shook the jacket.

'Before you say anything else, the girl is my younger sister. Yeah, they're both mine.'

'This was found beside the unconscious Mr Motou.' More wallet shaking. 'And this was found hanging on a bush about ten yards up the street.' More jacket shaking.

'Ooh, I'm scared.'

'You should be, Wheeler. Attempted murder four times? Arson? You could be heading for death row if you're found guilty.'

'Tell you what'll really get me on the chair – if I kill you right now.'

'For the benefit of the recording, Wheeler has just made a murder threat.'

'I'll tell you something, cop, fuck you and fuck this whole damn station. You can't fucking execute me for something I didn't fucking do!'

'I think we've heard enough. Interview terminated at ten seventeen am.'
'He was with me the whole time! Doesn't anyone believe that?'

'I've told you, it's out of your hands.'

'They've got proof for the poison thing, they've got proof for the thing with Yugi, they've got proof for every goddamn thing, but no proof will convince me. I love Joey. I'll always love him.' Mai's eyes (bet you're sick of the rhyme thing now) filled with tears.

To her surprise, PC Maun put an arm around her.

'Listen, some things happen, and it feels as if everything's against you. You can try. God knows you can try. I know your type, Miss V. I know you'll try until your last breath.'

Mai wiped her eyes and nodded. She would try. She'd get Joey out.

'Nothing's going to stop us. We want to be together. We'll be together. We will.'

'You will.' Smiled PC Maun. 'But don't tell Clive I said that.'

'Cross my heart.' Mai smiled back.

'Now go get your boy outta there!' grinned PC Maun.

Mai stood up and marched out of the room.

She would get him out.

For love.

# CW: Awww! Joey's in trouble, but Mai's coming to the rescue! #