Well, here we are... two months later. (update-wise)

The first thing he noticed about the room was it was painted bland white on all four walls, pictures framed with single shots of black and white flowers slightly sloping under the glass. There was a black and white clock hanging in the center of the wall in front of him with the roman numerals the long hand ticking mindlessly slow. There was a small white and mahogany desk up against the left wall neatly covered in useful desk objects such as a pencil and penholder, a square marble paperweight and blank paper topped with a black ballpoint pen. There was also a silver picture frame of three people, a woman, a man and a little girl, the picture was in black and white as well. Now directly in front of the plush and large family leather couch he sat in was a bluish-gray couch and a blond hair woman occupied it. She wore a silk blouse with silver buttons and a black skirt with pleats, she wore sheer brown stockings and black pumps, her foot bending back and forth at the ankle. She wore thick black frame glasses and her hair pinned up elaborately.

Mrs. Haruna Kirihara was her name, a private therapist that Mokuba had forced him into seeing, they stared at each other, a smile formed her lips, not a cheerful one, but a patient smile. Her hands folded in her lap above the pad of paper where she would judge him in writing and never allow him to see those mocking words she jolted. "Why are you here Mr. Kaiba?" she suddenly asked as her timer clicked away in the background. His brow knotted as if he were trying to unravel her mystery.

"Because my brother asked me to come," he remembered it clearly. He had been leaving his wife's hospital quarters when his little brother approached him and outright begged him to talk to someone. This was not a willful choice on Kaiba's part, but he wanted to put his brother at ease and so… here, he was.

"Are you sure?" she quipped, her brow lifting, her fingers not working at all… not writing her secret findings down. Was she trying to confuse him? "Tell me about her… your wife."

Seto Kaiba was not renowned for talking about his emotions let alone displaying them. He opened his mouth, and then closed it as if trying to say something he would rather not; her eyes widened a little in anticipation. "She's… everything," he said as if everyone should know about Téa Gardener.

"She is contracting an illness? Is that correct?" she asked, flipping her empty pad back and pulling a white sheet with printed letters typed. He nodded, his whole life documented in front of her eyes.

"You don't need me to say anything else, with that paper." her amber eyes redirected onto his face and she gave him a toothy smile.

"Yes, but I'd like to hear it from your mouth."

"Is that your family?" she looked over her shoulder towards the desk he had previously noted, she looked back and him and nodded.

"Kind of… that's my daughter Emily and my ex-husband Shinji…"

"What happened?"

"We're here to talk about you, remember?" she sighed. "Different rising ideas." she said dejectedly.

"She's the only woman I have ever or will ever love. She awakened feelings in me I thought had died out long ago." his deep cold eyes drifted down to the wedding band nestled near the base of his third finger. "She… she seems to forget things… her first son… our children… her friends… even me," she stared, her pen began its work and he drew in a shaky breath. Judgment from a stranger who was neither good nor evil, just a stranger doing their job for a price,

"The pain must be…"

"…unbearable, if I were to lose her…" he stalled. This was his vulnerability: Téa Gardener, a woman he did not love outright, but with slow understanding.

"Would your world crumble?" His eyes said yes when they locked with hers briefly, casting to his left. "Mr. Kaiba, I would like to help you get through this…"

"Get through what?" he asked, the ice beginning to cover his words like a deadly winter.

"The inventible,"

"You make it sound like she's dead all ready." his lip twisted into a cruel snarl, the timer sounded its warning bell, and she looked at it, standing. He stood with her and she extended her arm.

"It would seem our time has ended, I would like to see you Thursday, at three."

"I can't. I have to be with my wife and the twins."

"Mr. Kaiba, please work with me, your family just wants you to be happy-"

"Good day, Mrs. Kirihara." she offered her number on a tear of paper to call her whenever he needed someone to talk to and he slipped it in his trench coat pocket to be forgotten about. Making his way to the awaiting limo, he opened the backdoor forcefully, directing the driver to take him to the hospital. He stared out the window for the remainder of the drive, watching the scenery drift by. This place was not her home; she should be home with her family, Mokuba, Ora, Ran and him. Opening the door, Seto looked around and then proceeded towards the entrance, slamming the door behind him. He opened the glass doors and proceeded towards the reception desk.

An older woman with dark hair tinted with silver smiled warmly at him and informed him that his wife was just coming out of her exam. Exams, another thing he did not want Téa going through. He thanked her curtly and headed for the elevators, happily unoccupied. When the doors shifted open he quickly made his way down to see Joey Wheeler standing outside the doorway with his hand grasping the nose of a gray flask. "What are you, getting drunk in a hospital corridor?" His deep brown eyes gazed at Seto and he lowered his head. "Have you forgotten? She's a Kaiba." he pushed open the door, leaving the mutt to his thoughts. Mokuba was already inside with the twins… it had been two years already since they told his wife that she was going to die and a little everyday her memories were being wiped clean, but he knew that if they spent much time together they would never fade from her heart. Releasing her daughter's hand, she turned towards Kaiba and smiled brightly at her. White gauze was covering the side of her head. He smiled at her and closed the door behind him. "Hey there." he bent over and kissed her on the lips, her hand gripped his dress shirt, she broke the kiss and gave him a sly look.

"And where were you today, you're late." he smirked and picked up the boy who had been tugging on his pant leg. The boy assaulted him with a tight hug around his neck, snuggling close to his father.

"Please forgive me, I had an appointment." folding her arms across her chest she looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. Suddenly she smiled widely and clapped her hands together.

"Seto, when the doctor comes in I'm going to ask her if I can go home." he blinked and sat down on the chair, resting Ran on his lap so the boys back was to his chest, Seto's arms wrapping around his small torso.

"I was going to ask the same thing. Really, you are smart." he gave her another kiss this time to the cheek. Mokuba was relatively quiet, playing with his niece.

"Are you sure, Téa, I mean you're still sick." Mokuba tried to reason while pulling little Ora close to him in a hug.

"Its okay, Mokuba… I'll have doctors at the mansion." he assured him, there would be no way that he would allow the woman he loved and mother of his children to go untreated. As horrible as it sounded nothing mattered without Mokuba or Téa… not one single thing, if he ever lost her, his hand stroked her face, his children would be without two parents, how could he ever… he shook those thoughts from his mind, he wouldn't lose her, he was going to save her, after all… he was her hero.

Suddenly there was a brief tap on the door and Téa's doctor walked in, holding her chart. "How are you feeling today?"

"You asked me that this morning." Téa said with a smile, the doctor nodded and cheeked her pulse with her fingers on her wrist.

"I did, didn't I?" she laughed and ripped the gauze down slightly peeking at the stitched incision. "This is healing nicely, I see the family's all here." she tapped the gauze back.

"Seto and I would like to go home."

Nodding Seto spoke up. "That's right, and you won't have to worry, I have personal doctors…"

"I see…" she looked forlorn, but the innocent look on her strong patient's face made her smile. "Well… may I have a request of my own?"

"I don't see why not." Seto stood, letting his son slip from his grasp. Negotiations were in order and he would do anything to see her out of this place.

"May I be updated on her health?"

"That's all." her nod and request surprised him.

"Are you really letting Téa go home?" Mokuba asked, the look on his face told his brother that Mokuba really wanted Téa home with them again, too.

"If I can have my request…"

"Of course, if that's really what it takes to bring my wife home." smiling she thanked him.

"I'll have a staff member come shortly with a wheelchair to escort Téa out." He wanted to tell her that he would carry her out himself but thanked her before bending another kiss to Téa's forehead. She would be home today! Today of all days he would bring her back to their home, the home they made together so long ago.

"I'll be back, okay guys?" Mokuba made a rush for the door, pulling something out of his pocket as he shut the door behind him.

"Mama's coming home?" Téa looked down at the small girl with her russet hair in twin pigtails.

"That's right, sweetie." she nodded, cupping the chubby cheeks and pressing a kiss to her little button nose. There really was no reason for Seto to go back to that therapist now. "Should we stop for ice-cream on the way?" she asked, smiling at her husband.

"If you so desire." he chuckled as her fingers brushed against the back of his hand, they lingered on the wedding band, brushing gently against its shiny smoothness. He took her hand then and she smiled up at him, her eyes shimmering in the sun's light.

It was not too long before a young man in blue scrubs entered the room, pushing a wheelchair in. He smiled at Téa's eagerness to get out of the bed. Seto swept her out of the bed and placed her in the chair. She giggled at the brief rush his action had caused in her stomach. She was pushed out of the room as Seto picked up the duffle bag he had sent over from the mansion when he gave the word that The Kaiba Mansion's mistress was on her way home that very day. It was a good feeling to have. When they were finally out Seto lifted her out of the chair and the driver opened the door for him to slip inside with her, closing the door softly. "What happened to Mokuba?" Téa asked, looking at Seto as he strapped their two year olds into their seats.

"Ma'am, Mr. Kaiba, Mokuba said he had something very important to attend to."

"...More than Téa's homecoming? What could he be thinking?" His son's hand suddenly came around his fingers, giving them a tiny squeeze; he smiled and ruffled his dark hair.

"You don't have any right!" he screamed, his hands curling into tight fists and his upper lip quivering, his eyes narrowing at the sight of his opponent. He was ready for a fight if that is what it came to; the other lowered their eyes to the ground, stewing in self-loathing.

"You're right…"

"You're a coward, always have been! I believed in you and you let him take her! She is not with us anymore… her memories of us… being replaced with him and them! I hate you!" and before the other could respond to the venomous words a fist came colliding with his cheekbone, he went crashing to the floor, his cheek immediately bruising into a deep red.

"JOEY!" Yugi fell to his knees in front of Yami and looked over at his best friend with fearful eyes.

"You're no good, just ain't no good!" he spat at him and yanked Little Yugi up by his elbow and cast him back. He tripped over his own feet at the sudden move and fell to the ground, he shifted to his hands and knees and Yami sat openly and Joey straddle the 'pharaoh' and started laying punches to his face. The first strike fell into his nose, blood sprang from it immediately, and he cried out in agony as Joey laid another to his jaw, the bone cracking on impact! "You're da lowest!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "She doesn't remember Yuge or Tris, or even me or sis!" he spat in outrage, his fists slamming heatedly repeatedly to the passive shell. "She would have never gotten sick--" tears suddenly sprang to life in Joey Wheeler's eyes and he choked on his words.

"It's not his fault!" Yugi screamed, scrambling to his feet too late to try to pull of this angry Joey. "Joey! Joey! Please, stop it, you'll kill him." his eyes widen and he let out a staggered groan as Joey's elbow connected with his upper stomach, he fell back in pain.

"Not his… you hurt her! You selfish bastard, she cried over you, she cried!" he wept and his knuckles turned red with this hit. "You…" his assault was sluggish now and the power in his punches weakened, "She's dying…" he sobbed and released his hold on Yami's collar and fell back and drew his knees up to his chest and buried his face in one bent arm. There was no strength in Yami and Yugi was just reviving from his stun. "Oh, man God, Téa's dying." he sobbed into his hand and Yugi crawled towards the pulverized Yami and touched his bloody face gingerly, he was still breathing and panting heavily through the nose. Just then a shiny purple car pulled up to the game store and Mai stepped out, her eyes immediately fell to Joey and then to the body on the floor.

"Jesus! What happened!" she ran over and dropped to her knees, examining all three of them. Joey looked over at his girlfriend, ready to confess and lose her until Yugi interjected.

"Some guys… weird guys… they attacked me and Yami and… Joey tried to help, but it was to late… Mai, can you call an ambulance?"

"Sure thing, she reached into her back pocket and pried out her phone touching Yami on the wrist. "Hello? Oh, god… um there's been an attacking I have one severely injured man here." Yugi and Joey exchanged brief glance, disappointment shone evidently in Yugi's violet eyes and confusion glistened in his.

Mai smiled at Yami who finally opened his uninjured eye. They lifted Yami into the back of the ambulance and Yugi climbed in with him. "We'll see you there, Yugi." he nodded, the double doors shut, and the ambulance sped off. She made her way over to Joey who was sitting in her car, his hands in his lap. "I called the hospital and Téa made a checkout earlier." he looked up at her, looking sick. "Careful, I just had the car upholstered." she joked and then frowned. "I'm sorry, babe, you okay? You don't look as bad as the other two."

"I'm a bad person, Mai; you should get away from me while you've got the chance." She looked shocked for a moment before she smiled and slipped her hand onto his handsome face. "Joseph… I love you, right and so… good or bad, I can't just leave, now I can't save you… but I can stick with you for the long haul." she took his face with her other hand and kissed him gently, his body ran warm with her touch and he pulled back and began to cry. "I know… you love her… I'll never be as perfect as her… but we're all we've got."

"This isn't about Téa right now." he choked. "It's about me and what happened back there."

"The guys who got them must have been really strong, Hun there's little you could have done." she said and he looked at her.

"You're beautiful Mai and there ain't a soul I love like I love you." she smiled and laughed a little at that, relived that she did not have to match up with Mrs. Kaiba. "She's like Serenity to me… my other kid sister that needs her big brother."

"Yeah." she whispered and he closed his eyes. "Come on, we should go check on the others." he nodded as he swung fully in and she shut the door and walked to her side. During the ride, Joey could not help but wonder why Yami did not at least put up a defense. He outright agreed with Joey on his accusation and it really was not his fault that Téa had this… this illness… if one could call it that.

"Do you think… we're being punished?"

"What are you babbling about? Of course not, we've done anything wrong." Joey shook his head, but that was where Mai was wrong… they could not protect Téa and not just from Kaiba… but also from losing her lose of her first child, Cole. When they made there way to Yami's assigned room they found that he was heavily bandage and fully conscious.

"Hey…" Yugi said tensely.

"Oh, those bandages are making me think of you as the most handsome man in this small room." he gave a smirk and thanked her for her joke. "My pleasure, hey, why don't I go see if I can steal you some ice-cream from the cafeteria, back in a jiffy." she kissed Joey quickly and left the room.

"Why… did you let me hit you… like that?"

"Because everything you said… you were right… I was horrible to Téa, and I only thought about myself." Yugi opened his mouth to protest, but stopped short, his mouth closed and he turned his head.

"…Surprise!" Mokuba screamed and Duke and Tristan and Serenity hurried towards delighted Téa. Seto quirked a bow as his children sprinted from his side to play with the colorful balloons. "What do you think?"

"All the cleverness of a Kaiba." he said, looking at his brother and ruffling his wild black hair. Téa leaned against Seto who had helped her in.

"This is so wonderful, thank you, Mokie." she said, touching his face, he gave her that childish smile of his, before winking at her and hurrying to pull a chair out for her. Seto helped her over to the chair and as soon as she sat down her little boy grabbed her around the knees. "Isn't this fun, Ran?" her boy nodded and peered over the table at the frosted cake.

"I'm so glad you got out of there, Téa." Serenity said and she smiled at the girl, when she walked away Téa looked curiously up at her husband.

"Seto… I'm sorry, are these friends of yours?" he blinked and then bent so his lips were next to her ear.

"More so your friends than mine, that's Serenity, Joey's sister and… that's Duke Devlin and Tri… forgive me, I don't know him very well." she covered her mouth to muffle the burst of laughs at his own forgetfulness. He kissed her cheek and looked at Ran who was sliding the cake closer. "I'll get that for you, don't make a mess." she watched him like a curious child as he cut their son a slice of the chocolate cake. Sometimes… he was a stranger to him, but even when she shortly forgot his face, she knew she loved him desperately, and knew that he in turn loved her very dearly. She smiled warmly and reached for his hand when Ran stole away the plate. He looked at her and she blushed, he had not seen her blush in such a long time, it made him raise a brow. "You feeling okay?" she shook her head, of course, she was lying, she had never felt better, and she was home with him, where she knew she belonged.

"Seto…" her blush darkened and she lowered her head, her hair cascading forward, whipping around her neck, and concealing her blue eyes. He bent down and she moved her lips a bit. "Can… I mean, may I just go to bed?" he nodded and touched her chin with the tip of his finger.

"Be right back." she nodded and watched him retreat. Seto grabbed his brother by the elbow. "Do you mind taking the kids out and maybe going with those three to the park with them? She's tired."

"Sure thing, bro," Mokuba said glancing back at Téa who was busy twiddling her thumbs absentmindedly. He gave a sad smile and then rounded up his niece and nephew. Seto hurried back to Téa and held his hands out to her. She took them and as soon as she was on her feet he tilted over, grabbed her behind the knees, and caught her lower back as she fell and he proceeded to carry her up the long and winding. She held tighter to him the closer she got to the room they shared. Seto pushed open the door and kicked it shut, it felt like her honeymoon and he was carrying her over the threshold. He did not turn the lights on just slipped her into the bed and tucked her in.

"I'm not a child."

"You're right, but you're still weak. Now, in the morning I have to go to work and the doctors will be in to check on you and if you need them or me…" he took out his cell phone and slapped it in her hand, closing her fingers around the device. "Call me?" she nodded and lay back, placing the phone on the end table. Her eyes snapped open and she tilted her head for a better look. His arms draped on either side of her waist and his face buried against her flat stomach. "I'm so glad your home, so… glad. I love you. So much." he had turned his head, eyes tightly shut. Lacing her fingers through his hair, she felt tears sting the corner of her eyes. Yes, she loved him. He pulled his body onto the bed and rested his head on her shoulder. Téa closed her eyes and let sleep take her to a place where no of her memories were lost. Mother, Lover, Wife, Friend, Daughter, titles she earned titles she wanted to keep if it meant being in these arms until the sun set on her for the last time.

Morning surprised her, even though he forewarned her last night that he would be gone, but the cell phone had remained on the desk and she touched it, stroking it slowly and thinking of his handsome face, suddenly without warning she was bombarding by two wide-eyed children, calling to her. She grabbed one, pulled him down by the hands, and nuzzled her face in his hair. He rubbed his cheek against hers and laughed wildly as she began to attack him with tickles, she sat up as he fell onto his back, her daughter joined in the bout, until he was shrieking with laughter. Suddenly she had to stop as her heart thudded heavily against her ribs. She clutched the spot in pain as if to halter it, but her vision became fuzzy and leaned back and fell from the bed, her children screaming and scrambling close.

He pushed the doors open, found Ora, and Ran crying in their respective nannies arms. He touched their face and Ora opened her arms for his embrace but he quickly kissed her crown, hurried to the bedroom, and opened the door. Seto found Téa lying in the bed the covers pulled up to her chest and an oxygen mask snug against her nose and mouth. Connected to a heart monitor and the doctors hovering around her or charting notes, Téa seemed peaceful. "What happened?"

"I want to know how she's doing." Aki said as he stepped into Yugi's lounge. "What happened to you?" he bluntly asked looking at Yami's heavily bandaged face. "Never mind, I have the right to know."

"No you don't, the only right you had was to Cole and… he's dead now." he lowered his head.

"She's still… I still love her."

"Like you care?" Mai snapped at him when he made that last comment. They turned to look at the blonde-haired woman. "Téa loved you and slept with you and you left her with a sorry excuse of a note, then she has your baby and you didn't even step up to marry her!"

"Mai!" cried and held her shoulder.

"No, Yugi, I won't be quiet! If I am not mistaken, you even blamed her for his death! You are worthless and you are not apart of her life anymore, Seto's a better candidate than you are any day! Get out! You want to know… honestly know? She is dying! You bastard," Yugi's hand fell from her shoulder and never thought Mai belonged with Joey more than in this moment, the heat in her eyes and the rage in her voice was matched only to Joey's temper.

"Dy-ing…?"

Her hand immediately went to her face, touching the gel-texture mask covering her nose and mouth. Her eyes did not open right away as she pulled the mask off her face. "Seto…? She moaned and she felt the weight of the bed drop and a hand smooth over hers. She opened her eyes, revealing a hazy blue… she saw the shadowy figure above her and she focused her eyes until she could see his beautiful face, his icy blue eyes looking her over with concern, he whispered her name and something about being there. "What… what happened?" she asked her voice thick and scratchy.

"You fainted." he pushed her bangs from her forehead and smiled at her. "You scared me." he smiled, forceful, he looked like he wanted to cry, but something was holding him back, his brow twitched instead. She tried to sit up but he pushed down on her shoulder and shook his head.

"Can I have a glass of water?" he nodded and lifted a glass from the end table and brought it to her lips, gently tipping it so it would not spill all over her. She drank deep, but he cautioned her to drink slowly. Téa's head collapsed back on the pillow and she closed her eyes.

Seto studied her, his thumb running repeatedly along the band of her wedding ring from underneath her finger, staring at the diamond embedded in her wedding band. 'Please. Please don't take Téa away.'

Okay so like… I knew I wasn't done with this story, but than I didn't know when I was going to update because I had previously written this chapter but alas in not saving and a possible (I don't remember) computer malfunction I lost the chapter I had written and worked so hard to make good and therefore was dejected from trying to revive the chapter, but upon a slight request I decided to update. Though I wish you people would chill on the "This story makes me cherish my family…" it's a story there is no reality to it or deep hidden meaning, except for enjoy.

This is for you… MOG (my favorite reviewer!)