Day Three - Christmas Eve: Results and Traditions.
The heat of the night had been forgotten by the next morning. Serenity woke, free of any episodes in the bathroom, and remained lying down for a few minutes. She was comfortable. Her head was resting on Kaiba's chest; what she had been using as a pillow as he used the one on the bed. Both of her arms were tucked up against his side and she smiled softly. He had both of his arms wrapped around her and she felt safe.
She gently snuggled just a bit closer to him and smiled more. Suddenly, however, she felt him let go of her. She peeked an eye open and saw him pull out his phone. She frowned as she saw him pull up an e-mail that held charts and graphs. He must not know I'm awake. She thought to herself with an eye roll.
"We had an agreement." She said sternly. She felt Kaiba tense and he swiftly hid the phone. He cleared his throat and then looked at her innocently. "Oh Seto. I saw it." She said, rolling off of him and onto her side. It was hard, with such a small bed, but she made her point.
Kaiba chuckled and rolled over to hold onto her again. "I'm sorry." He whispered, kissing her cheek. "It was just one message with the head of R&D. You see-"
"Yeah yeah, some special new toy which will change gaming forever…blah blah blah…" She muttered, but then she smiled and turned her head to give him a peck on the lips. Kaiba smirked a bit and the two sat up. Serenity stretched and then scooted her way past Kaiba and off the bed. She was about to head to the bathroom, but paused.
She thought about the pregnancy tests she had bought the other day. She bit her bottom lip, and remembered hearing something about the best results coming in the morning. She sighed and turned around, grabbing her purse, where she had hid them, and then went towards the door again.
"Hey. Are those the-"
"Mokuba. You really don't want to finish that sentence." Kaiba threatened. He was sick of Mokuba's fascination with Tampons. Serenity just giggled a little and then slipped out of the room. She walked down the hallway and discreetly pulled one out of her purse. She walked to the bathroom slowly staring down at it with a heavy heart.
"Morning Serenity!" Mai's bright voice greeted her. Serenity gasped and shoved the pregnancy strip back into her purse.
She looked up and smiled brightly at her oldest friend. "Hey Mai!" She greeted back and then giggled nervously. "I was just heading into the bathroom…get all cleaned up and ready. You know." She said, nodded quickly, and then slipped into the bathroom. Mai looked at her with a raised eyebrow and then shook her head. She turned around and walked back into Joey's and her room.
Joey was dressing the kids, laughing as they made silly faces at each other. Mai sat on the bed and gently crossed her legs, one over the other. "Well it's true." She said, proud of herself. She flipped her luxurious blond hair and gave Joey a long look. Joey, on the other hand, just looked confused.
"What's true?" He asked looking at her briefly before concentrating on the kid's clothes.
"Serenity. She's pregnant." Mai said with a confident nod. "Isn't it exciting? She and Kaiba are ready for a baby I think." She said with approval.
Joey was just shaking his head furiously. "I told you before. She wouldn't let that creep touch her." Joey said.
Mai just looked at him for a moment. "You do know they live together….right?" Mai asked slowly.
"Well yeah. But in a mansion. There's plenty of rooms for them to not share." Joey said stubbornly.
"You don't honestly believe that do you?" Mai asked, aggravated. She knew Joey was closed minded, and stubborn, and oblivious…but even he had to see where Kaiba and Serenity's relationship was.
"Sure I do. And even if they did have…" He paused looking at his kids. "Which they didn't, and won't." He continued, knowing Mai knew what he was implying. "They aren't ready for a kid. They aren't married." He said with a nod of his head.
Mai rolled her eyes. "Don't be so old fashioned Joey." She said and then shook her head. "So you don't believe me do you?" She asked, getting aggravated.
Joey stubbornly shook his head and Mai sighed. "Fine. I guess we'll all just find out soon enough." She said. She stood with a huff, and stalked out of the room, talking the hand of her daughter and bringing her with her.
Joey shook his head and sighed, brushing his son's hair. "Your mother doesn't know what she's talking about. Auntie Ren and her boyfriend aren't going to be together much longer. Nope…four years is enough…" He said and then his son looked up at him with a hint of confusion.
"But Daddy. Auntie Ren's boyfriend said he loved her. And she loves him. Shouldn't they be together?" He asked, but Joey shook his head.
"No no no no no…" He said, then picked up his son and walked out of the room as well.
Serenity quickly locked the door behind her once she slipped into the bathroom. She took a calming breath and then closed her eyes slowly. She then slowly looked down at her purse and withdrew another test strip with a shaky hand. She held it carefully, like it would break if she handled it took rough. She then sighed and shook her head. "This is ridiculous. I'm not pregnant. I can't be. We always made sure that…well…there was that one time…" She muttered softly.
It was their anniversary. They had had a bit to drink and had decided against their usual precautions. It was a wonderful night of passion and love. In the morning they talked about her going to get 'the morning after' pill. But Serenity never really liked pills. That's why she wasn't taking birth control. That's why they had been careful, except for that night two months ago…Of course she told Kaiba that she took it, knowing his opinion on children, and she didn't think anything would come of it.
She shook her head swiftly. She clenched the test strip in her hand and then walked towards the sink. She put her purse on the sink and looked at herself in the mirror with determination. She closed her eyes, took one final deep breath, and then took the test. She gently placed it on the sink and re-read the instructions. "A few minutes…" She said as she rolled her eyes. "They can't be more specific?" She asked, aggravated because she wanted to get this all over with.
She sighed and decided to take a shower while she was waiting. She turned it on, and stripped down as she waited for it to warm up. Then, she bathed quickly. While she was in there she let her mind wander, thinking about what she would do if she were pregnant. "Seto would be so angry…" She whispered as she gently put a hand over her belly. She closed her eyes and felt her chest constrict at the thought that he might be so angry he left her.
"No…He wouldn't." She said swiftly. She finished the shower quickly and then turned it off and slipped out. She grabbed a towel from the rack and tied it around her. She loosely tied her hair up, intending to blow dry it later, and then walked towards the sink. She saw it lying there, and knew the answer would be displayed. She took a step forward, but then stopped.
She crossed her arms over her chest and then shook her head. "This is ridiculous. It's not a big deal." She said, but she was lying to herself. She reached a hand out, but then quickly drew it back to herself. Suddenly she heard a knock on the bathroom door and she jumped. "Occupied!" She said loudly. She was glad of the distraction. But the knock persisted.
"Serenity it's me." Mai's voice rang into the room. "I know." Was all she said. Serenity turned and faced the door with dread. Slowly she walked towards it and unlocked it. Mai slipped in, and quickly locked the door behind her. She looked at Serenity, still wrapped up in a towel, and then gave her a hug. "It'll be ok." She said.
Serenity looked to the sink and then pointed at the strip. "I couldn't look." She admitted; glad to finally have someone to talk to about her situation. Heaven knows she couldn't talk to Kaiba about it. Mai nodded and confidently strode to the test strip. She reached out and looked at the result. She then turned and looked back at Serenity who was hugging herself in distress.
"Serenity…" Mai said, in a serious tone. "It's positive." She smiled brightly and giggled. However, she saw Serenity's reaction and her smile faded. Serenity cupped her hands over her face and slowly sunk to the floor. Tears ran down her cheeks immediately and her body shook with tremors. "Serenity?" Mai asked confused, tossing the strip into the trash.
She knelt down by the girl and quickly wrapped her arms around her. "Serenity dear…what's wrong?" She asked, holding her close. Serenity said something, but Mai couldn't understand because it was hidden beneath layers of crying. Serenity sniffled a little and lifted her head from Mai's shoulder.
"It's Seto…He…he doesn't want to have kids. He thought I took a pill…I lied…" Serenity said through her tears. Mai reached out and grabbed some tissues then gave them to her. Serenity took them and blew her nose. She took another and wiped her eyes a bit.
"Oh Honey…" Mai said and stroked her back. "He'll be fine. He loves you. Joey and I weren't expecting kids either. But look now. We have three." She said brightly, she was trying anything to get Serenity to stop crying.
"Joey and Seto are opposites Mai. He and I have talked about this…Because of everything that happened to him when he was a kid." Serenity explained and then blew her nose again.
"But…don't people like him want heirs….or something…" Mai said, shaking her head in confusion. Serenity shook her head again.
"He was going to give everything to Mokuba and his family when he retired." Serenity said. She let go of Mai and leaned back against the wall, adjusting the towel so she stayed covered. She slowly stopped crying, but still looked as depressed. She slowly took her hair out of her ponytail and let it fall around her and stick to her body. "I don't know what to do." She said slowly.
"Well…you're going to have to tell him." Mai decided to start with the basics. She knew Serenity's mind must be racing, and she wanted to help by making simple decisions. Serenity looked up quickly and shook her head.
"No…no no. You don't understand. Seto gets this look…when he's angry. It's never actually been at me. But I've seen him on the phone with people at Kaiba Corp and it's scary. If he finds out I'm pregnant he's going to make that look at me!" Serenity shouted, and then remembered they were only in a bathroom. She shook her head and quieted down. "He's going to hate me." She whispered.
Mai shook her head and put her hand on Serenity's shoulder. "Honey…he can't hate you. I've seen the way he looks at you. He loves you. He might be upset to begin with, but I promise you…he'll get used to it. He'll like it. But you have to tell him." Mai urged. Serenity looked at her, and then nodded slowly.
"Just…don't say anything until I tell him ok? He should be the first one to know. Well…besides you and me." Serenity said slowly. "And please don't say anything to Joey. He already dislikes Kaiba…this will just make it worse." She said pleadingly. Mai, having already told Joey, just nodded.
"Of course honey…" She said slowly. She kissed the top of Serenity's head and then stood, and helped Serenity up to her feet. "Finish getting ready. It is Christmas Eve after all. It's time to celebrate." She said with a laugh. Serenity just nodded slowly and then went to close the door after Mai left and locked it behind her. Serenity then finished getting ready, and blow dried her hair.
She took one glance at the trashcan and nodded a little bit. "I can figure this out." She said slowly, and then walked out of the bathroom. She joined the rest of the family for the Christmas Eve festivities.
As the night wore on tensions began growing. Apparently Kammi hadn't recovered from her and Kaiba's argument, and kept trying to pick fights. Joey wasn't helping either, as he was being competitive and kept challenging Kaiba at whatever game they played.
Fights broke out left and right, and Mai, Mokuba, and Serenity tended to stay out of everything. Regardless, every one was on edge. It was a rough afternoon. "This isn't going how I wanted it too." Serenity finally confessed to the other two as they tended to the kids.
"What did you expect? You stuck my brother and your brother in the same house for more then two hours." Mokuba said as he continued building legos with David. Serenity sighed, and then nodded. She suddenly stopped and looked around.
"I don't think we brought any chocolate eggs." Serenity said suddenly. "I really want some…" She muttered, Mai looked over at her and then smiled a bit. The three suddenly looked into the kitchen where Kaiba and Joey were shouting at each other again. Serenity just shook her head and then looked at the clock. "Hey! It's nine o'clock!" She said loudly, to get heard over their shouting. "Joey!" She shouted again. She suddenly jumped up, leaving the other two at a loss of words.
Joey, who was standing up to Kaiba at the moment, turned and looked at Serenity. "What? Nine? Already?" He asked, and looked at the clock. True enough, it was nine at night. He immediately walked away from Kaiba, not caring about their argument, and approached Serenity. "Ready sis?" He asked, Serenity nodded quickly.
Kaiba slowly followed, wondering what was so important it had to draw Joey away before he crushed him. The two siblings walked over to the piano and Serenity sat down in front of it, causing Kaiba to smirk a bit. He loved to listen to Serenity play the piano. It was something she was very good at. In fact, he was so pleased with how she played he often had her play at his business parties to show her off.
"What are they doing?" He asked Mai as Serenity started playing a popular Christmas song.
"Oh…they did it when they were kids, before their parents got divorced. Every Christmas Eve at nine they'd sing Christmas songs together. They started up again after they were reunited just after your tournament." Mai explained as they two started singing. "It reminded them of how things were before they were separated." She finished, and Kaiba could see how much it meant to them. Joey was willing to just walk away from Kaiba. That must mean it was important.
Additionally, he knew how much Serenity looked up to Joey. When they first started dating she often talked about how much she missed her brother while they were kept apart. How her mother had often stopped her from calling him and only when the time of Serenity's operation gave into her spending time with her brother. It was only then, after nearly ten years, they finally got to be a family again.
He may not like Joey, but he loved Serenity enough to understand their bond. If he and Mokuba hadn't been able to see each other for ten years he'd drop anything for him too. Well…not Serenity. He would just bring her along. Mokuba walked over to him and stood next to him. Kaiba looked at his little brother and smiled a bit. He still looked like a little boy to him. Even though he was now a striking adult, Kaiba would never look at him any different.
"They're kinda like us…aren't they?" Mokuba asked as he shrugged. He watched Mai stand and then join the two siblings singing. Kaiba nodded and ruffled Mokuba's hair.
"Kinda." Kaiba said lightly, and then the brothers joined the others. Kaiba didn't sing, but he did put his hands on Serenity's shoulders and actually enjoyed the next hour where Joey and Serenity continued their tradition. Kaiba noticed Kammi come out of the hallway and watch her two kids. She glanced at him, and then looked away, unwilling to participate.
So there may be some tension. But right now Serenity wants to spend time with her brother. I won't stop that from happening. Kaiba thought, and he looked back at the music.