Chapter 26

The next morning, Alex woke up, feeling the sun's rays on her cheek. She felt warm and happy, and as her vision cleared, she saw Kaiba sleeping next to her in her bed, his arms wrapped around her. For a moment, Alex was surprised, but then she remembered how it happened.

Last night, Alex and Kaiba continued to dance under the beautiful moon and the stars shining on a clear night. They only thought of each other, and even Alex just let herself be a normal girl for once.

Suddenly, there was a quiet beeping, and Kaiba stopped their dance, looking at his watch. He commented,

"I thought I'd turned this thing off."

Alex looked curious and asked, "Why was it on?"

Kaiba replied, "Mokuba set it because…"

He trailed off, but then Alex noticed the time and replied, "It's your birthday, isn't it? Yes, it's no secret, even from me."

Kaiba groaned and replied, "I don't like celebrating it, but Mokuba always insists that we do something."

Alex replied, "I'm with him on that. Your birthday only comes once a year, so we really should do something special. And I get to be the first to wish you a happy birthday."

Kaiba smiled and replied, "Now that I like."

He looked thoughtful and then added, "Since it is my birthday, that means I can have all of my wishes granted."

He looked a little deviously at Alex, and Alex replied, "Yes, but within reason."

Kaiba smirked and replied, "Fair enough. For my first wish, I want you to call me Seto. At least, for today."

Alex smiled and replied, "I can grant your wish."

Kaiba replied, "Then for my next wish, I want…"

He whispered his wish into Alex's ear, and Alex couldn't help blushing deeply.

Alex smiled, remembering that Kaiba wished for Alex to spend the day with him. Of course, he wouldn't do anything that she didn't want, as he wanted today to be special for them. Although Alex felt a little nervous about Kaiba spending the night over, she agreed to it. So after they got back to Alex's apartment, Kaiba called Mokuba to ask for an overnight bag. Then, as they got ready to sleep, Kaiba insisted that he sleep next to Alex, as he wanted to hold her in his arms. Although part of her thought about refusing, there was a part that told her that it would be ok and that she would even sleep well, so she agreed.

Alex gazed at Kaiba's sleeping face, and she was tempted to touch his cheek although she restrained herself. She looked at the time and realized that she should get ready for the day and start making breakfast. Thus, Alex tried to get up and free herself from Kaiba's arms, but Kaiba only held her closer to him and muttered,

"Don't go."

She wondered if Kaiba had woken up, but he still looked asleep. Perhaps he was having a dream although Alex wondered what that dream could be about. Realizing that it would probably be extremely difficult to get out of bed without waking up Kaiba, Alex decided to stay put, just gazing at his face.

Several minutes later, Kaiba woke up, and upon seeing Alex, he smiled softly at her and said,

"Morning."

Alex smiled back and replied, "Good morning, Seto. Sleep well?"

Kaiba nodded and replied, "The best night's sleep ever."

Alex blushed and replied, "You know, it's a little too early in the morning to make me blush like this."

Kaiba chuckled and replied, "I enjoy seeing your cute reactions."

Alex pouted cutely, and Kaiba added, "You should quit while you're behind. You're even cuter now."

Alex replied, "If you say so. Anyway, we should get up and then eat. We're going to head to your place after, right?"

Kaiba nodded and replied, "That's right. Mokuba wants to spend the day with me."

Alex smiled and replied, "I don't blame him. Family should always spend time with each other on birthdays."

Kaiba replied, "True."

He paused and then added, "I told you that I don't like celebrating it, but today will be an exception."

He smiled at her, and Alex couldn't help smiling back. She replied, "Mokuba and I are going to make sure you have a wonderful birthday. But I should shower first and then make breakfast for us."

Kaiba replied, "If you don't mind, can I make breakfast? You know I like your cooking. I just want to."

Alex looked questioningly and replied, "Are you sure? It is your birthday, so shouldn't I be treating you?"

Kaiba replied, "It'll be a treat for both of us, and as I said, I want to."

Alex nodded and replied, "Ok. In that case, I guess you'll want to shower first? I'll tidy up here and maybe watch some TV."

Kaiba replied, "Ok. I won't be long."

He leaned in to give Alex a quick kiss and after taking some clothes from his bag, he went into the bathroom to get ready. Meanwhile, Alex got out of bed and tidied it up. Then she quickly looked for some clothes to change into for the day. Once that was done, Alex went into the living room and sat on the couch, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV to watch the morning news.

As Alex watched the news, she was surprised by the headline of the day. She shook her head although she also couldn't help letting out a bit of a smirk.

Several minutes later, Kaiba stepped into the living room, wearing some casual clothes, and his hair was damp from the shower. Alex turned to him and said,

"I know this won't come as a surprise, but you can be scary at times, you know?"

Kaiba looked questioningly at Alex and replied, "What do you mean?"

Alex pointed towards the TV, and Kaiba watched the top news. On the screen, there was Kiara in tears, looking like she was being taken to a hospital. Kaiba smirked and replied,

"Oh, that. Now don't tell me you actually feel sorry for her."

Alex replied, "Of course not, but did you really have to go so far as to ruin her career and have her declared insane?"

Kaiba replied, "If she had behaved herself last night, it wouldn't have come to that. But as it was, I could never forgive someone who would try to come between us."

Alex blushed and replied, "You are sweet, but scary, too. It's a unique combination."

Kaiba smirked and replied, "It's a gift, but I did go easy on her, all things considered. And it looks like PR did their job, so I won't need to fire anyone."

Alex shook her head and replied, "That's good."

She looked a bit thoughtful and then asked, "This is going to sound like a silly question, but you really didn't know her?"

Again, Alex pointed towards the TV at Kiara. Kaiba shrugged and replied, "All I knew is that she was some rising supermodel. Should I know her?"

He looked questioningly at Alex, and quickly shaking her head, Alex replied, "Never mind then."

Alex thought to herself that Kaiba may not have remembered Kisara from his past self's life, so of course, that's why she asked that question, wanting to confirm things for herself. Kaiba looked at Alex, tempted to press her on the issue. But since they had just made up last night, he didn't want things to be on shaky ground between them again.

Alex got up and said, "Since you're all done, I'll go ahead and shower now. But are you sure you don't want to wait for me to make breakfast?"

Kaiba replied, "I'll take care of it, and yes, I know you like to eat light in the morning."

Alex smiled and replied, "Good that you remembered. I'll be back in a bit."

She then went into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day, while Kaiba went ahead to the kitchen to see what Alex had, so he could come up with a delicious breakfast for both of them.

Several minutes later, Alex finished her shower and after drying off, she put on a cobalt blue dress with black leggings as well as her necklace and bracelet. She put her hair up in a ponytail and put on just a touch of makeup.

Once she thought she looked presentable, Alex left her room and entered the kitchen to see Kaiba finishing up breakfast. She breathed in the wonderful smell and commented,

"That smells heavenly. Coffee and french toast."

Kaiba turned to Alex and smiling, he replied, "I knew you'd want coffee, and it looks like I was right about the food."

Alex smiled and replied, "I remember having it when I was little. It's been years, though."

As a little girl, Alex vaguely remember having breakfast with her parents and Andy although that felt like something from a long forgotten past. Putting the memory aside, Alex took a seat at the table and waited for Kaiba to finish setting everything up.

After Kaiba took a seat across from her, he said, "Go ahead. Tell me how it is."

Alex nodded and took a bite of her french toast. She happily replied, "It's great. You really should cook more often."

Kaiba replied, "I don't get many opportunities to do so."

Alex replied, "I understand."

As Kaiba began to eat as well, Alex wondered if this is how things could be between them. She could imagine being happy with him and living a normal life. Well, perhaps normal was the wrong word since Kaiba was the president and CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. However, Alex liked the idea of waking up next to him, the two of them talking and bantering, and eating together. But then there was her mission. Alex's feelings towards Kaiba were growing and they were getting in the way of her doing what she thought she had to do.

Then there was that vision with the lady. She remembered her words, that there was another way although it would be riskier. Alex wondered what she meant although this was no time to go into such deep thinking.

Alex soon finished up her breakfast, as did Kaiba. Seeing that they were both done, Alex said,

"Thank you for breakfast. I'll take care of the clean up while you get your things."

Kaiba replied, "I suppose we can get going sooner that way, and it would be best to leave as soon as possible. We don't want to keep Mokuba waiting."

Alex nodded and replied, "That's true."

She then got up and took care of washing the dishes and such while Kaiba went into Alex's room to pack his overnight bag.

A few minutes later, both Alex and Kaiba were all done. In addition to cleaning up, Alex had taken out a small tote bag and put some cookie cutters in it as well as something else. She was planning a surprise for Kaiba, knowing that he would like it.

They met up in the living room and then walked out of the apartment together. Of course, Alex made sure to lock the door and then followed Kaiba outside to where his car was parked. The morning was beautiful, and fortunately, there were only a few people outside. The two of them got into the car, and then Kaiba drove off, heading towards the mansion. They chatted a bit, and Kaiba couldn't help but ask,

"I'm curious, but what did you bring with you?"

Alex smiled slyly and replied, "It's a surprise, but you'll like it."

Kaiba replied, "I suppose I'll just have to be patient."

Alex nodded although she didn't say anything, not wanting to accidentally reveal what she had planned.

Alex and Kaiba made their way towards the mansion, and Kaiba drove the car into the garage. After he parked, the two of them got out, and Mokuba and Roland were there to greet them. Mokuba grinned and said,

"Welcome back. Did you two have fun?"

Alex blushed, wondering what Mokuba meant, while Kaiba shook his head and replied,

"We had lots of fun. We spent the night together, and who knows what'll happen next?"

Alex looked at Kaiba and shook her head, deciding that it was best not to say anything on the matter. She then turned to Mokuba and asked,

"Would you mind helping me, Mokuba? I need another set of hands."

Kaiba replied, "What are you planning?"

Alex replied, "Only good things. I promise. Now I'm sure you'd like to relax for a bit. It'll take us an hour or maybe two."

Mokuba grinned and added, "We'll be back."

He took Alex's hand and led the way inside. Alex whispered to him the surprise she had planned, and Mokuba readily agreed as the two of them headed into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Kaiba decided to go to his room and try to relax although he had briefly considered getting some work done. But then, thinking about how displeased Alex and Mokuba would be over that idea, Kaiba decided against it.

Alex and Mokuba arrived in the kitchen, and Mokuba told the kitchen staff to take a break, as he and Alex wanted the kitchen to themselves. Once they were alone, Mokuba commented,

"This is a really great idea, Alex, and I was curious about how you make them."

Alex grinned and she took out the cookie cutters from her bag. She replied, "I don't usually share my recipes, but since it's Seto's birthday, I figured why not?"

Mokuba teased, "So you're calling him Seto now?"

Alex blushed a bit and replied, "He insisted. It was one of his wishes for today, so yeah."

Mokuba nodded, and as the two of them set things up to begin making the cookie dough, Mokuba said,

"I'm happy you two made up. I was worried when you ran off."

Alex smiled apologetically and replied, "I'm sorry about that. I just couldn't handle staying there. I was going to message you when I got home, but then you know what happened."

Mokuba replied, "It's ok. Besides, it was really Seto's fault that it all happened, but he fixed things."

Alex replied, "He did."

Deciding to focus on the task at hand, Mokuba asked, "So how do we make these cookies?"

Alex replied, "Well, we need the ingredients and the right balance for them."

She then explained how to make the cookie dough, as it was important just to get the right combination of ingredients so that the cookies would taste perfect. As the two of them talked and cooked, they were having fun. Alex didn't know how it started, but she suddenly felt a bit of flour on her nose. She looked at Mokuba and teasingly asked,

"Did you do that?"

Mokuba looked off to the side and replied, "Do what?"

Alex laughed and tossing a bit of flour at Mokuba, which hit his cheek, she replied, "You totally did, and that was payback."

Mokuba replied, "Oh, it's on."

Alex and Mokuba began to toss flour at one another, trying to hit the other while at the same time, avoiding getting hit. They were having fun and laughing. In fact, they were making quite a bit of noise that during their battle, Roland entered the kitchen and asked,

"What's going on?"

It was then that he was hit in the face with flour although he couldn't tell who had hit him. Regardless, Roland smiled a bit and grabbing some flour, he threw it towards Alex and Mokuba. Alex turned to Mokuba and asked,

"Truce? And then we team up?"

Mokuba nodded and replied, "Let's do it."

Alex and Mokuba joined forces, and they threw flour at Roland. Suddenly, the three of them engaged in a battle, with Alex and Mokuba on one side and Roland on the other. They were so preoccupied in their battle that they had no idea how much time had passed.

Meanwhile, Kaiba wondered what Mokuba and Alex were up to, so after asking one of the maids where they were, he headed towards the kitchen. Once he arrived, he was immediately hit in the face with flour. Mokuba and Alex looked surprised, and they both pointed to Roland and said,

"He did it!"

Roland shook his head in denial when Kaiba got a mischievous look on his face. Getting a handful of flour, Kaiba threw it towards Roland and somehow, it became a three versus one battle.

After a while, they were all tired and decided to stop. Alex laughed and said,

"I'm so sorry about that."

Mokuba shook his head and replied, "Don't be. We've never had that much fun."

Alex looked to Mokuba and replied, "Which you started, btw."

Mokuba looked innocent and replied, "Really? You could have chosen to ignore it."

Alex smirked and replied, "I never back down from a battle."

She shook her head and looked around the kitchen, which was a mess. Then she looked at herself and saw that she was a mess, too. She commented,

"I should clean this place up. I wish I'd brought an extra change of clothes."

Kaiba had calmed down and replied, "The staff will take care of the clean up." He turned to Roland and said,

"Will you take Alex to one of the maids and help her get cleaned up?"

Roland, who was covered head to toe in flour but yet retained his serious expression, replied,

"Of course, Mr. Kaiba."

Roland then motioned to Alex to follow him, and Alex did so. They looked around for a nearby maid, and once they found one, Roland passed on Kaiba's message to her, requesting that Alex be given a spare change of clothes while her current outfit get cleaned. Alex then followed the maid to get cleaned up and change into a set of clean clothes.

About half an hour later, Alex finished her shower and put on a purple blouse and a pair of dark blue jeans. Her hair was in a ponytail, and her previous outfit was currently being washed by one of the maids. She then returned to the kitchen to see that it was all cleaned up, with only the kitchen staff present. She waited for either Mokuba or Kaiba to return although she didn't have to wait long, seeing both of them enter the kitchen minutes later. Kaiba then dismissed the staff and said,

"Ok, now that I know what the surprise is, I'm going to be supervising you two."

Alex replied, "Great. Now we have a babysitter."

Mokuba pouted and replied, "We do."

Kaiba shook his head and replied, "You two aren't causing any more trouble."

Alex pouted and replied, "But we were just having fun, and you had fun, too. Admit it."

There was a hint of a smile on Kaiba's face although he quickly returned to his neutral expression. Mokuba turned to Alex and said,

"Let's try this again and then we can have lunch."

Alex nodded happily and replied, "Sounds good."

Alex and Mokuba resumed their baking session, while Kaiba watched on to prevent any more mischief. Alex instructed Mokuba on the perfect balance of ingredients, and after the cookies were perfectly shaped and placed on a baking sheet and put in the oven. Alex set the timer and then said,

"Ok, cookies will be ready and they'll be freshly baked."

Mokuba commented, "Those are the best."

Alex replied, "Totally. What do we do in the meantime?"

Kaiba replied, "We can let the staff back in here. They're getting bored."

Alex replied, "Ok. Man, that was fun."

Mokuba grinned and held Alex's hand, leading her out of the kitchen, while Kaiba instructed the kitchen staff to return and make sure to take the cookies out when they were ready along with preparing lunch.

The rest of the day went by quickly, with Alex spending it with Kaiba and Mokuba. They had lunch together along with the cookies. Then Mokuba gave Kaiba his present although Kaiba didn't open it right away, opting to do so later. Remembering something, Alex took out a small gift-wrapped box from her bag and handing it to Kaiba, she said,

"I got you something, too. Well, it's more like I made it? Since I know you can buy whatever you want, so I thought something unique might make it more memorable. But yeah, open it when you feel like it."

Kaiba took the gift from Alex and smiling, he replied, "Thanks, Alex. Your company is the best gift, though."

Alex blushed and replied, "You should still have something."

Kaiba nodded, and he, Mokuba, and Alex continued to spend the rest of the day together. Before they realized it, it was now nighttime, and Mokuba yawned. Kaiba looked at him and said,

"You should get some sleep, Mokuba."

Mokuba nodded and turning to Alex, he asked, "Are you going to spend the night here?"

Before Alex could reply, Kaiba replied, "Of course she will. It's still my birthday, so Alex has to grant my wishes."

Alex added, "Within reason."

Kaiba replied, "Of course, and I want you to stay here with me."

He gazed deeply into Alex's eyes, and Alex's heart skipped a beat, as she felt only happiness and warmth, being so close to Kaiba. Mokuba coughed and said,

"Ok, I'm going to sleep now, so you two can spend the night lost in each other's eyes. Good night."

Alex blushed but wished Mokuba a good night, along with Kaiba. The two of them alone, Kaiba said,

"I want you to stay with me in my room, ok?"

Alex nodded and smiling, she replied, "Ok. You were a perfect gentleman last night, so I assume that'll be the case tonight."

Kaiba gently touched Alex's right cheek and replied, "I will."

The two of them headed to Kaiba's room and along the way, Kaiba instructed one of the maids to prepare some sleepwear for Alex. Once it was ready, Alex went into the bathroom to wash up and change, and Kaiba did the same shortly after.

As the two of them were in bed in Kaiba's room, Kaiba wrapped his arms around Alex, and Alex asked,

"Did you enjoy today?"

Kaiba happily replied, "It was the best birthday ever, and Mokuba definitely had a lot of fun."

Alex smiled and replied, "I'm happy."

She yawned and chuckling, Kaiba replied, "We should get some sleep."

Alex nodded and replied, "Good idea."

She snuggled to Kaiba and added, "Good night, Seto."

As Kaiba watched Alex fall asleep, he smiled softly and replied, "Good night, Alex, and thank you."

He, too, closed his eyes, soon falling asleep.