I still don't and never willl, own YuGi Oh!
The flight was easy, with hardly any turbulence, the weather perfect. Kaiba was pleased. He abhorred turbulence.
However, inside the plane. . .
Joey had noticed that this was the fifth time his wife had gone to use the women's lavatory. He was a little concerned but figured she'd tell him when she was good and ready. He spent the alone time daydreaming about the future . . . a big house with a white picket fence, like in the movies. . . . kids running all over, he loved kids . . . a successful career and a loving wife. There, the dream stopped. What else was there?
Oh yeah Kaiba in jail . . . I'll allow mandatory visits, since he's my sister's husband. . . and since I'm studyin' to be a police officer, I'd put 'im there!
"Isn't dat right, little guy?" He cooed to the infant boy, who was playing with their puppy. His sister had left him with him, but would be shocked. Not just because of his thoughts, but because Christian was playing with a germy dog. His sister was obsessed with keeping her baby safe. And besides, Joey was just joking about the jail, or so he thought.
I still don't like Kaiba, and probably never will but if even he can make such a cute little guy, how bad can he be? Holding out his forefinger, he smiled at his nephew. Chris wrapped his own fat little fist around it and tugged, squealiing happily. Honestly, I thought that he'd have horns and a tail or something . . Joey thought, hoisting him up as the doggy yapped. "That's a doggy," Joey intoned slowly. "Doggy? Can you say . . . doggee?"
"Gyayyayay . . . yunkel!" Chris giggled a little baby giggle.
"Close enough." He kissed and smoothed the hair flat while avoiding the baby's flailing fists. "Mai said you look a lot of yer father . . . but God wouldn't be that cruel, would he? Oh, no, he wouldn't! Oh, no he wouldn't! Muah!"
"Joey!" Mai hollered from another room, making him jump, "Can you come here!"
"All right." He found his sister, and gave her her son back, while the excited dog barked. "Move, you mutt."
"Thanks, Joey, for looking after him." Serenity smiled, a bit fatigued. "Can you tell Mai that we'll be landing soon."
"Sure, I have to help her with something anyway. Where are we landing?"
"Normandy," Kaiba answered without looking from the pilot's seat. "You know where that is. . . ?"
"Sure, I know where that is!" Joey yelled as he spun on his heel. "I passed Geography class in high school!" He left.
"Barely," Kaiba said after he'd left in an undertone. He had a conversation with his wife with their eyes: I told you so, Serenity. Stop teasing him, Seto! was the gist.
Meanwhile Joey had finally made it back. It was like a maze with all the corridors and passageways, and he hadn't been to the bathroom since Mai had been hogging it the rest of the plane trip. "What's wrong?" he said, slightly out of breath.
"Darling . . . come here and tell me what you think."
She was holding up something pink and like a thermometer. He stopped and stared at it. "Huh?"
"Does this . . . say a minus sign?"
"Where? Oh." He took it and squinted, feeling a funny prickling at the back of his neck. It was hard to see because the screen was LSD and the harsh light reflected off of the surface. "Yeah. . . it's a minus sign, all right . . . why?" He straightened. "What's it for?"
She didn't answer right away. Her head was down and her body rigid and the hand that wasn't holding it had gone into a fist and was shaking.
"Mai. . . " He tipped up her chin. "What's the matter. . . ?"
All at once, her face broke out into a beam. "Darling! I'm pregnant!"
She hurled herself at him, into his arm. There was a bump and the plane made a cracking sound. "What was that?" Serenity said.
"W - B - You're wha - Preg - " Joey could seem to finish a sentence let alone a word. "YOU ARE?"
"It must've happened during our wedding night," she said happily, picking up the pregnancy test from the sink where it had spilled.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" he shouted so suddenly, startling her. "THAT'S GREAT NEWS!"
"I know! That's what I said.."
"Wait, we - we hafta land this thing right now! It isn't safe for you to be up here - Here - "
He gestured to the nearest seat, which happened to be the toilet seat. "Joey," she laughed when he motioned her to sit. "Give me a break. I'm not going to faint."
"Oh, boy." He sat down then, instead. "I can't believe this happened so fast. . . Are you sure? What is that? A pregnancy test . . .?"
"Yep. I picked it up off the shelf at the airport."
"Did you pay?"
"Of course I paid!" She swiped at him, purposely missing. "What am I a thief?" she said absently.
"No. . . but you have stolen my heart." He murmured.
"Oh darling . . . " She hugged him around the neck, "I'm so glad that you're so happy. And that you believe in me."
"I'm just glad that you're so glad."
"Unlike some other people . . . " she murmured, with a quick look over her shoulder.
"Like Kaiba," he said bluntly. "He didn't even want to believe that his child was being born . . ."
"Well, he got scared," she said reasonably as he stood to hug her. "Mind you, he didn't even believe me when I told him about Serenity, so don't feel too bad."
"What'd he say, by the way? 'Go away'?"
"Something in that range. But you can't make fun of him about that - that he was in denial. At least, to his face. With me, it's okay."
"Yeah, yeah. My baby. . . " He sighed. "You're having my baby. . . my every dream come true. . . "
She hugged him tightly. "Guys, is everything okay? I heard a crash. You'd better come out here and put your seatbelts; it's time to land." Said Serenity's voice.
"Oh, yeah, I forgot!" Joey said, as they filed out and did so. Mai was barely listening as he went on and on about France - where they were landing - remembering when. On their last plane trip, he had been a nervous wreck. Rather like now when he was talking profusely out of nerves.
"We'll tell your sister and brother-in-law when we land, I guess," she decided as the plane went into a dive.
"Brother?" he exclaimed, shooting her a glance.
"Oh yeah," she said with a mischevious grin and a wink, "Don't forget! You promised me to call him 'brother' by the end of this trip!"
Joey pretended not to hear.
The plane landed pretty smoothly, and thus began their wild and wacky adventure. "Hurry up!" Kaiba called to his in-laws. "No, no, Joey LEAVE that there. Ever hear about bellmen?"
Joey ignored him for exchange of a state of bliss. His wife was pregnant. He was about to become a father. "Hey, sis, you know what?"
"What, Joey?" She brushed her hair out of her eyes while hurrying with Chris in the other. The puppy yipped up after them. "Why are you grinning so widely?" She started to grin herself. It was infectious.
"Well, I'm - Guess!"
"Passports."
"Wow, so this is France!" Mai said, with an effort, pushing her hair back. It was a bit windy today.
"Never been here before?"
"Haven't been here in a long time. . . " she murmured.
"So you've been here? Good. Then I don't have to help you two around." Kaiba said bluntly while barking orders at the jet maintenance men.
So he's been here with his wife? I bet Joey would be pleased, Mai thought, mentally smiling.
"My congratulations," he went on to the sidewalk.
"Huh?"
"It's so obvious. You're having a baby, right?"
"Oh. Right. Thank you."
He nodded and went on and left. See, Serenity's husband is not so bad after all! Who knew?
They got in a cab, Serenity hugging Joey after having gotten the news: "I'm so glad! You're going to be a dad! I bet you'll be a great one," she rambled on excitedly.
"You bet I am." He said with a curious glance at Kaiba.
"Congratulations," Kaiba said as stiffily as he said it to Mai.
Serenity turned hopefully back at her brother.
"Thanks," Joey said gruffly. Silence. The girls exchanged glances and rolled their eyes. Men. So weird to one another.
The rest of the cab ride, which was really like a busy, passed in easy silence. Except for Kaiba giving directions to the driver in rapid French. "Wow, I didn't know he knew another language," Mai said, poking her sister-in-law.
"Yeah, he speaks um, French, Spanish, and Italian, and a little bit a German and Russian. As well as English and Japanese."
"Of course," Mai murmured.
"Well, I took French in high school," Joey said. "Though I uh, don't remember much I'm afraid."
"Oh yeah, you did," Serenity said as if just remembering it not having heard him. "So you'll get along just fine in here!"
"Um. . . " Mai didn't say what he was thinking - that he barely passed it with a D. "Don't worry," she said, "I also know French, and practically everything Serenity just said, except Russian."
They arrived, at the biggest place Joey had ever seen. He saw it first. "Jeez! I bet that dwarfs your mansion, eh Kaiba?"
"Not that you've ever been invited to my mansion, but yes," was the answer. Mai rolled her eyes.
"It's a lot bigger," Serenity empahsized as they made their way down the long winding driveway. "This is where all the kings and queens have stayed. It really old; in fact, it was where Marie Antoinette, er, stayed; since then, it's stayed."
"Wow, royality!" Mai said. "It's a castle chateau, then!"
"Precisely."
You could've fit three mansions side by side. "You'll stay in the west wing," Kaiba instructed once they parked, pointing at Joey and Mai, then at it. "And we'll stay in the east. This is our honeymoons, after all," he pointed out, just in case their was any arguement. "Questions? No comments, please."
Joey opened his mouth, but Mai said, "Nope! We'll call you if we have any!" and dragged him inside. All at once, they were in an enormous foyer with high sculptured ceilings. "Wow. . ." she said after a while, excited. "I bet this is even higher than Daddy's ceiling. . . come on, let's go find our rooms. . . "
"If you would please follow me," said a young servant in shy French. Mai gestured her husband over, who was staring at some stained glass window done in beautiful yellows and blues. It was a certainly beautiful place to stay. Secluded, too.
"Well, I am feeling a bit more friendly to 'im," he muttered grudgingly as the young servant led the way. "Maybe I won't send him to jail, if he keeps it up like this."
"What wasthat, dear?"
"Nothin'."
Mai smiled and tucked her arm through his. He might keel over anddie before admitting it, but he was impressed. The funiture, which all looked old and antique, matched every room they passed. "We'll explore later," she announced, "but now it's late, Mr. Frenchman."
"Oui, oui," he said, making her laugh.
"Here you are, if there's anything you want, just ring the little bell," said servant bowed out.
"Thank you very much," Mai said, a little rusty, but okay with her French after not have used it . . . in a while.
"And what is yourname?"
"Oh. . . Joan," sqeaked the servant and left.
"Joan? That's sounds like a girl's name."
"That was a girl."
"Oh. . . well it looked like it." Their room was also big, making him feel like a dwarf cast in some magical giant land. "I'm going to check out the bathroom."
Just like he did in our first time away, she thought relaxing in a humongous bed. It was four poster with hangings, a little too firm, and it looked like a landscape made out of cloth. She was so tired that she was nearly asleep after four minutes. Then, "Mai!"
"What! I'm sleeping!"
"Look at this bathroom. It massages you."
"What? Let me see!" She got up in a hurry and rushed over. "They didn't have massaging bathrooms in the fourteen hundreds. . . must've been put in."
"No, it's just the toilet, and look, a hot tub and a sauna and gold faucets and showers . . . " He looked just like a little boy on Christmas.
"I'm glad to see you're so excited," she sat down.
"Oh, sorry. . . did I wake you? You should get some sleep, since you're having a baby."
"Joey, I'm not having a baby now right this instant. I just got pregnant. It takes nine months." It was so cute the way he worried like a nutcase.
"Yeah, but still."
" All I need now is for you to come over here and lie down with me, then. I'm so happy."
Yawning, they climb in the high, tall bed, which took a while and snuggled together. Outside between in lace billowing curtains, the room had a view and a deep velvet night cloth had fallen with just a single star like a pinpoint. "I still should go to a doctor soon," she went on in a whisper.
"Yeah, you should!" He chided.
"It's so nice how you take of me." She smiled, enjoying the alone time with him. Silence fell. "So . . .what do you think the others are doing now? Do you think there enjoying themselves as much as us?"
By the smile in her voice he knew that she meant Tea and Yugi.
"They're probably . . . hmm . . . " He stretched. "Dancin' up a storm in some club right now."
"Really? You think so? I picture them somewhere romantic."
"That's because you are a romantic."
"So're you. Even you think that about your sister and Kaiba. I can tell you that. Even though you're macho side doesn't allow it."
"I'm not pverly macho. I don't, like, . . .crush beer cans on my forehead to prove my manliness."
"Oh, yeah?" She giggled at the thought. "What about that time I caught you ?"
"When!"
"You and Tristan; who else?"
"Oh . . . well . . . what I meant was, I won't do it . . . anymore." He turned slightly red, thankful that the darkness hid it. "I am going to be a father, y'know. I won't have time to do those kinds of kid things."
"Are youthat sad about it?"
"Not really. I guess I'm . . . just so eager to be a father, seeing Sis with Chris, and I'm . . . "
She nodded. "Envious." Me too.
"Kind of," he said reluctantly and a bit guiltily.
Their conversation ended there except for him mumbling and her voice dropping into whispers, his hand on her stomach. Meanwhile, the puppy leaped up and curled to sleep next to his new friend, Christian the Baby.
Meanwhile
"So he's in . . . Ah HA. "
"Yes."
"With his family. Interesting. Do it. But be careful. take your time - but not too much if you know what I mean."
"Yes. How much will we be asking for in ransom, miss?"
"This much. This'll be sweet spendings. MWA HA HA."
All of the conversation was done in rapid French.
TBC