After convincing Yami that it would probably be okay to go to Monteague's apartment in this form they finally left. So there they were outside the door; Yugi gaining odd looks from the other people on the floor for the way she was dressed,

"Do you think he's here?" Yugi asked, having hit the buzzer.

"He should be," Yami replied trying to look through the windows, it was impossible to see through the books piled up behind them. The door finally opened slightly and Monteague poked his head out,

"What do you want?" he asked Yugi, not recognizing her.

"Monteague it's me, Yugi, Yami brought me with him, we're here to visit you," Yugi replied smiling up at him.

"Yami! were are you ya old fool!" Monteague called looking around for him.

"Right here Monty, you have a problem with Yugi coming to visit?" he asked walking over to stand next to Yugi.

"No, I have no problem with your Yugi coming, but why'd you have to bring this girl," Monteague replied exasperatedly gesturing toward Yugi.

"The girl is Yugi, Yugi is a girl now, now will you let us in, you know the people on your floor always love to keep an eye on me whenever I come around," Yami said putting an arm around Yugi's shoulder as best he could, it was still freezing and slushy snowy out and both were wearing the jackets they wore when they went into the freezer. Monteague opened the door wider and ushered them in smiling slightly,

"Good lord Monteague what the heck have you been doing!" Yami asked his eyebrows rising at the sight of his buddy's living room, yes, the books had been picked up but thay had been replaced by a large bowl, a bowl about the size of the couch sitting across from it, half of it was dedicated to water and the other half what looked like fifty pounds of bird seed.

"Well, last night after you left, I got some blood like you told me to and put her out of my mind and went to bed, well this morning I woke up to the smell of ashes and when I came out here to look some of my books were burned and would you believe it, this baby was sitting in the middle of it all," Monteague said all of this while he was walking around the apartment, and when he returned to the room Yami and Yugi were in he had a very colorful bird in his arms, the thing was adorable, but the only problem was it was about the size of full grown greyhound.

"Monteeeeague," Yami moaned slaping his forehead as the larger vampire set the bird down and it started hopping clumsily towards the water and food bowl; Yugi followed it being careful of its long tail. The bird started blue on its forehead, then blended to green on its eyes, which then blended into the golden yellow that covered its back and tops of the wings, its belly was white and its tail and wing tips were dark orange and blood red.

"What? She's beautiful," Monteague said proudly grinning.

"Monteague, you've read enough books, I would think you know what 'she' is," Yami said staring weakly at him; he had expected to come over and see Monteague crying his eyes out over his lost lover again, but here he was happy as ever with a newly burned bird in his house.

"Of course I do, phoenix kind of stand out from the other birds," Monteague said watching as the bird watched Yugi and then hopped around her chirping excitedly until Yugi finally knelt down for her.

"Yugi I don't think you should do that," Yami said worriedly as the phoenix rubbed its head under Yugi's chin, cooing contentedly.

"Yami, she's friendly, come here and feel she's very soft," Yugi told him looking up and smiling at her husband.

"Yeah Yami, she's harmless, the most she can do is try to peck at you," Monteague said pushing Yami towards the two on the floor.

"Monteague, tell the truth I've never had a good reputation with phoenix's," Yami said kneeling next to Yugi.

"Yami, what could you have possibly done to make this little thing angry?" Yugi asked innocently putting her hands on the birds back and turning her away towards the food and water, which she happily hopped towards.

"Trying to pull out an adult one of these babies tail feathers would put you down for a bad mark with any phoenix," Yami said grabbing Yugi by the shoulders and looking into her eyes to get it across.

"Yami, this is a different one she's a nice one," Yugi replied taking one of his hands in hers and pushing it towards the bird's back; Yami flinched as Yugi laid it on the soft warm feathers.

"See, she's a good bird," She said moving Yami's hand along the feathers, making the phoenix look back at him with a small chirp.

"I guess your right love," Yami replied looking sheepishly at his wife as he gently rubbed the bird's feathers.

"So Monteague, please tell me you haven't named her yet?" Yami asked looking back at the very tall vampire, who shuffled his feet.

"Would you just hate me if I said yes?" He said grinning and bending down to pluck her off the edge of the bowl, earning him a mild chirp of reproach.

"Nooo," Yami replied looking at him through his eyebrows.

"Well, her name is Pira," Monteague said stroking her back with a large hand as he cradled his baby bird. To Yami and Yugi's surprise and amusement, Monteague started to hum to her holding her high on his chest, he walked off back towards his bedroom, where no doubt there was a nest made for her.

"He really loves her, huh?" Yugi said leaning into Yami holding onto the hand still resting on her shoulder.

"I guess so, at least she takes the place of his old lover," Yami replied resting his chin on top of her soft hair.

"Considering he didn't take much thought to me being a girl I'd say he was completely over her," Yugi said leaning back into Yami.

"She's in her nest now, gods she just the sweetest little thing, I can't wait for her to start speaking," Monteague said coming back into the room and sitting down hard on his couch, the poor piece of furniture creaking as he sunk into it.

"So, Yugi, what happened? last time I looked you were a boy," he said staring at Yugi, now looking her up and down as she stood with Yami.

"I don't know, last night I was having some nightmares and was feeling sick and when I woke up I had these," Yugi said motioning towards her chest, and failing to mention the creepy person in the dream.

"Well I've never read about that happening before," Monteague said raising his eyebrows slightly.

"It's no problem at all, so far the only hard thing was clothes and breaking the news to the family," Yugi said shrugging and sitting down as well with Yami following.

"Trust me Yugi, there are going to be a few problems if you stay like this for at least a month," Monteague said patting Yugi on the back.

"First of all feminine instincts are probably soon going to take over, you're going to need actual women's clothes, and then there are the physical aspects of a woman who is in her teens and older, tell me have you ever had health class in school?" he asked quickly before continuing.

"Only when I was there, I barely got through my tenth grade class I was out so many times, everything else I know after then was self taught, what are you going to cover?" Yugi asked looking at him, Yami doing so as well.

"Erm, well I'll tell you when it happens, in the meantime just check your underwear every once in a while just in case," Monteague whispered to Yugi in her ear. Yugi was puzzled by the little bit of strange information and blushed slightly, but kept it to herself.

"O-okay," she replied fiddling with her fingers distractedly.

"Jou is going to take her out shopping tomorrow Monty, maybe you would like to come, it'd be a great change from the book-lined room you live in," Yami said changing the subject upon seeing his little wife blush. Monteague only snorted,

"I couldn't possibly go, who'd take care of Pira, she has her food and water but she's only a baby, she could hurt herself," he said scratching the back of his head.

"Malik and Marik can take care of her," Yami replied reaching past Yugi and slapping him on the back.

"Those two nuts! I wouldn't trust them to take care of a rat let alone Pira," Monteague just about shouted.

"What about Seto?" Yami ask realizing who he'd just suggested.

"I guess he could do it, but he'd better not hurt her," Monteague said uneasily.

"Seto is a nice person, he'll take good care of Pira," Yugi told him smiling, Monteague couldn't resist the sweet smile and hugged Yugi tightly in a big 'man hug'.

"Okay I'll go then, just make sure he'll take good care of her," Monteague said letting go when he realized he was squishing Yugi in his grip.

---------------------------later that day---------------------------------

"Why do you always volunteer me to do these things!" Seto asked rubbing his temples.

"Because he doesn't trust Malik, Marik, or Ryou to take care of her, and Yugi wants you to," Yami replied standing behind his cute wife, Yugi staring up at him with a cute puppy eyes look. Seto caved seeing the look,

"All right, I'll do it! But I was hoping I could go help shop," Seto said pouting slightly.

"Seto, you and I both know it would look kind of strange to some people that there are four men with one little woman like Yugi we're already going to have three, but I'm a husband, Jou could pass as older brother, and Monteague could definately pass as a dad," Yami said twirling one of Yugi's stray bangs in his finger making, Yugi smile slightly.

"Okay then the bird's name is Pira, what is she again you never said," Seto said smirking at the two short vampires; Yami looked close to biting into Yugi's neck just to pleasure her.

"She's a phoenix, last night she burned some of Monteague's books and now is a baby," Yami replied draping himself over Yugi's shoulders.

"A phoenix! Yami why the heck does he need someone to watch her, baby bird my butt!" Seto cried sounding flustered.

"I know Seto but she's his life now; he even cleaned up his apartment for her and he wants to make sure she's safe," Yami replied looking up at him from Yugi's shoulder.

"I could understand though if it was a normal bird like a parrot or something small, but phoenix get huge she'll be Monteague size by the time she's full grown!" Seto responded measuring up to his head plus some, Monteague was actually an inch or two taller than him.

"So, she isn't yet, just take care of her, she's a sweet little thing now, so please be nice and watch her, it'll only be for a few hours," Yami told him looking back down to Yugi and scooping her up into his arms; he turned and left Seto to stand there huffing and glaring hard at his back.

"He seemed mad," Yugi said wrapping her arms around Yami's neck.

"He's fine, we just caught him off gaurd," Yami replied kissing his little wife and resting his forehead against hers; Yugi yawned showing her fangs for a moment before looking back sleepily at Yami.

"Tired?" Yami asked smiling.

"Yeah," Yugi replied as Yami walked into their room. They changed into their pj's, Yugi, not having any choice, had to sleep in her old pajamas, but she didn't mind as she cuddled in close to Yami in the bed, they both said their nightly "I love you" and both dozed off into a peaceful sleep Yugi pressed securely against her husband's chest.


notes: ummm, oh yeah, the phoenix with play more of a role later in the story, maybe, and just as a clarification Monteague is 6' 5" and Seto is around 6' 1" or 2" in this fic.

Gruzzee: yet another slow chapter, I'm going to have to pick up the pace.

Cazi: ((snoring))

Gruzzee: yeah defiantly going to have to pick up the pace for you readers R&R and come back for more!