Day Four – Christmas Day - Part 1: Breaking the News.
Kaiba woke up early. As it turns out the e-mail he had gotten the day before was rather important. His time off was putting things behind. It would only take an hour or so to help get the company back on track. But the problem was Serenity. He peeked at his lovely girlfriend, still sleeping peacefully in the early morning. He softly lifted her arm from his middle and tried to shimmy out of her hold. However, Serenity groaned. He paused, making sure he didn't wake her up.
Slowly he continued and after what seemed like hours made it off the bed without waking her up. He grabbed his phone from where Serenity hid it, poorly, and then walked into the living room. He paused, cracking a smile when he saw all of the presents under the tree. Most everything was for Joey's kids. The adults had a few of course; he had even brought some, without Serenity knowing. So, he put the phone in his pocket and then slipped outside to his car. He shivered, noting that it had snowed the night before and quickly got out the bag. He wasn't a scrooge, in fact he rather enjoyed Christmas. He had even bought something for Joey, Mai, and their kids. Mostly because Serenity said they were having problems affording presents for their kids.
He walked back into the house quickly and then quietly shut the door behind him. He added his presents to the tree and then sat down on the couch. He pulled out his phone and started working. He noticed the sun starting to peek up an hour or so later and then heard the squeak of a door. He looked up, and quickly put his phone away, thinking it to be Serenity, but then he saw one of the kid's coming out. He looked around, suddenly feeling awkward, and hoped for a way out.
David, if Kaiba remembered correctly, slowly walked towards the tree with his eyes wide. "It's Christmas…" He said with a hint of wonder in his voice. Kaiba looked at the tree and nodded a little.
"Aren't you going to open your presents?" Kaiba asked, unsure of how to make conversation with the six year old. David looked at him with shock and appall.
"I can't do that." He said shaking his head quickly.
Kaiba looked at the presents and then back at the kid. "Why not?" He asked, pulling out his phone again, now that he knew it wasn't Serenity.
"Well because. Don't I have to wait for the others?" He asked, turning to look at the presents again.
Kaiba smirked a little and shrugged, putting the phone down again. "Well…how about…you open one, and then wait. They'll never know." He said with a wink.
David gasped and then ran forward towards Kaiba. "Which one can I open?" He asked quickly. Kaiba leaned forward and grabbed a present he had brought for the family. He held it out for him. David took it slowly and then shook it. "What is it?" He asked, looking at Kaiba; Kaiba laughed a little.
"Open it and find out." He said pointing to the present. If he remembered correctly it was a remote controlled helicopter. David tore open the wrapping paper and held the box in front of his face.
"Woah!" David said loudly, immediately set down the box and opened it up. He took it out and then held it up to Kaiba. "Can you get it to work?" He asked. Kaiba hesitated a moment, and then took it from him. He had already started, he couldn't just back out now. He quickly got the helicopter working and handed it back to him. "Thanks!" He said, and then immediately got sucked into playing with it.
Kaiba watched him for a moment and then looked back at his phone. "You know, you're not as scary as I thought you were." David said as he looked up at the helicopter floating in the air. "You're kind of fun. I guess I see why my Auntie loves you so much." David said, glancing at Kaiba for only a moment as he spoke, then looked back up at his helicopter.
Kaiba smiled a little and nodded. Little did he know that from around the hall Serenity had been peeking in on the whole encounter. She smiled at what she saw. He had put down his phone and made David feel special. She slowly wrapped her robe around and looked down at her belly. "Maybe he won't be so against all this…" She whispered, and then walked out of the hallway to the other two.
Kaiba smiled at her and she smiled back, but made her way to the window and watched the sun just peak over the horizon. "It snowed." She said softly. She slowly turned back and sat next to Kaiba on the couch. She watched David go back into the kitchen and continue playing with the helicopter.
Serenity leaned against Kaiba and curled up, still feeling cold. He held onto her and slouched against the couch, looking at the lights on the tree. "So how did David get his hands on that, hm? It looks expensive." Serenity said in a whisper.
Kaiba gave a little shrug. "I…must have accidentally left a couple of new products from work underneath the tree." Kaiba muttered, taking a gentle hold of her hand and stroking it affectionately. "I might have accidentally left something for you too." Kaiba admitted. Serenity looked up at him quickly.
"We said we weren't getting gifts for each other." She immediately protested. Kaiba shook his head.
"I know. But…I wanted to give you something. And I'd rather do it now before any one else comes out." Kaiba admitted. He leaned forward and grabbed a small box he put under the tree. He held it in front of Serenity and then watched as she took it and slowly began unwrapping it.
A long velvet box was underneath and she slowly popped it open. She gasped loudly and her eyes sparkled. She pulled out a tennis bracelet and Kaiba put it on for her. "How'd you even know? I was at the mall…alone." Serenity said, still gazing at the piece of jewelry that probably cost more than her mother's house.
Kaiba smirked. "I have my ways." He said lightly, and then gently stroked her hand again. Serenity kissed his cheek and looked down at the bracelet again.
"Well, I don't know how you found out. But thank you. Now I have to make it up to you." She said, looking up at his face, but Kaiba shook his head.
"No. We agreed not to get anything. You don't owe me anything." Kaiba spoke and then looked down at her, smiling a bit. Truth was Serenity was never alone. He worried about her safety far too much for that, so he had her tailed by security guards at all times. They were very good at not being seen. As for her present, it was a simple matter of instructing the men to also keep watch of what it is she paid attention to.
Serenity rolled her eyes and then kissed him again. "Well thank you. It's wonderful." She whispered, and then leaned her back against him so she could look out the window. "It's so beautiful…" She whispered and held onto his arm as it wrapped around her. They were quiet for a while, and Serenity wondered if now was a good time for her to break the news about their baby. She wanted to do it before the others got up.
Kaiba, coincidentally, was considering popping the question. He was holding the small square box in his hand, the one Serenity couldn't see, and he was looking at it tentatively. He opened his mouth to say something, but heard the pitter patter of small feet, and two kids ran into the living room, followed by the rest of Serenity's family. Mokuba trailed at the end. Kaiba quickly stuffed the ring back into his pocket, and he and Serenity quickly sat up.
The festivities began as the kids ripped into their presents first. Joey, knowing that Kaiba had brought them more presents, looked over to the man. Kaiba just shrugged, and decided it was go against the whole point to make Joey do anything for him. He watched the kids go off and play with their new toys, and then the adults settled in for their more serious gift giving.
Mai moved aver and sat next to Serenity, where she quickly noticed the tennis bracelet. She gasped and snatched her hand and pulled it close to her. "Oh my…Serenity…it's lovely." She said, pulling Serenity's wrist up to examine it closer. Serenity giggled a little and then shook her head.
The gift exchanging was much more low key for the grown ups. Still, every one had a good time, including Kaiba. That is, until Kammi spotted Kaiba's present for Serenity. She was quick to start up another argument. "I don't think it's reasonable to accept such…flashy gifts. People are going to think things." Kammi said, looking at Kaiba tersely.
"No Mom. Only you think that." Serenity responded. "Besides it's nothing compared to the…" Serenity suddenly trailed off. For her last birthday Kaiba had bought her a new car. It had cost a small fortune. She had decided not to tell her mother about it when he got it, and she had almost let it slip.
"The what? What else did you sleep with him to get?" Kammi asked, leaning forward.
Serenity closed her eyes and sighed. "Mom it's not like that!" Serenity shouted, sick of all this fighting. It was Christmas day.
"I don't care. People are going to think you're just sleeping with him for his money. I'm not so sure you're not. But whatever the case is, you're better than that." Kammi said making the rest of the room groan.
"God, Mom…Why can't you just accept that he and I are in a relationship because we actually love each other?" Serenity insisted. She rolled her eyes and then turned away. "So much for Christmas…" She muttered quietly so only Kaiba and Mai heard her. Kaiba gently put his arm around her and closed his eyes. This would be the last time he let Kammi make Serenity feel bad. No matter what Serenity did to try to convince him otherwise. He was sick of her feeling guilty. They were happy, that was all that mattered.
"Why…don't we just get to the toasts…?" Mokuba suggested, trying to ease the tension. But, over the course of the last few days it's risen beyond repair.
"Why don't we leave this afternoon?" Kaiba whispered into Serenity's ear. To his surprise the girl nodded. He was expecting more of a protest to the family oriented girl. But he was glad, regardless.
The group moved into the kitchen and Kammi got out a bunch of wine glasses for the group. She then pulled out the champagne and began pouring it. Serenity then pulled her glass back when it was her turn. "Umm…I'll just take sparkling Apple juice or something." She said, not wanting to drink now that she knew was pregnant.
Her mother frowned and went to pour into her glass again. "Serenity, its Christmas. Let's just make a toast; we don't have to fight about this do we?" She asked sarcastically. Serenity pulled the glass back again, however.
"Really. I don't fee like drinking." Serenity said, closing her eyes and wanting to just slip away.
"Serenity, just take the drink." Her mother said tersely. Serenity shook her head and placed her free hand on her forehead.
"Mom, I don't want a drink." She said, feeling herself about to break.
"Well why not?" Her mother asked glaring at her.
"I just don't want one. Can't I not have a drink?" Serenity asked, shaking her head. She slowly lowered her hand and took a hold of Kaiba's, needing to squeeze something. She felt him clench at how tightly she squeezed, but she didn't care.
"Well I'm just wondering because it seemed like you had plenty to drink last year." Her mother said, and that made Serenity cross the border.
"I don't want anything to drink because I'm pregnant!" She shouted, and then gasped. Her eyes widened and she listened to Kaiba's glass shatter as it fell to the ground. She looked up at him and saw nothing. No emotion, he just stared in front of him. She knew that was a bad thing. She closed her eyes tightly and then spun out of the room. She grabbed her coat and then stormed out of the house.
The others were left kind of stunned. Mokuba looked up at Kaiba and Joey suddenly started glaring. "You bastard! You got my sister pregnant!" He shouted as he slammed down his drink and went to attack Kaiba. He was stopped by Mai and Mokuba. Kaiba slowly looked over at him and then shook his head.
"Excuse me." He said, and then slowly followed after Serenity. He heard Kammi burst into tears behind him, but he couldn't give a damn about her at the moment. He threw his jacket on and then put on his shoes and walked out into the snow after Serenity. "Serenity!" He called out and started jogging after her. He saw her heading to the same tree that they went to the other day, and was a bit relieved when she came to a stop at it.
He slowly approached her, and looked at her with a deep frown. Serenity wouldn't look up at him, and she just leaned back against the tree, face down to the snow. She hadn't put on her coat yet, and loosely held it in her hands. Kaiba looked at her a moment longer and then grunted a bit. He snatched it from her and then spun her around and put the jacket on, a little rougher than he intended. "You're going to freeze." He muttered in his cold tone.
Serenity held the jacket tightly around her and nodded. "Thanks…" She whispered. Kaiba didn't do anything and then just stepped back. He crossed his arms over his chest and then kicked the snow.
"Serenity…" He started and then shook his head. "Damn it Serenity! What the hell?" He asked her louder, and meaner, than he intended. She flinched and then sniffled a little. "How…" He started, and then shook his head again. "How…" He tried once more, but it didn't seem to work. "How?" He decided; she would know what he meant.
Serenity slowly looked up at him, and then brushed away some of her tears. "Well…we had sex." She explained with a little shrug. Kaiba scoffed a little and jammed his hands into his pockets.
"I know what we did Serenity! I meant…how did…we always used protection. We were careful…" Kaiba said, still trying to process everything. He looked down at the snow and then kicked it again, trying to get some anger out.
Serenity took a deep breath and then sniffled again. "I lied to you….when I said I took the pill after our anniversary…" She admitted, purposefully avoiding his eyes. "I just…I hate pills! I didn't think anything would happen…" She whispered, wiping some more tears away.
"Well obviously you were wrong weren't you?" Kaiba asked rhetorically. Serenity just nodded, and leaned back against the tree.
"I'm sorry. Seto I'm sorry!" Serenity said loudly, and looked up at him imploringly. "I should have taken it, I know…but…I didn't. And…and now we have to handle it." She said, sniffling one last time before refusing to cry any more.
Kaiba opened his mouth to say something but then nodded. He sighed and then looked over at her. She looked so scared, and guilty. He opened his mouth to say something, but then closed his eyes. He was still to angry and surprised to handle this calmly. We had agreed we wouldn't have kids. We talked about it as soon as we started getting intimate with each other. Kaiba thought to himself bitterly. How dare she just decide to not take that pill without telling me? He continued in his head. She betrayed me…
He turned away from her and shook his head. "I can't do this Serenity. You knew how against all of this I was. How could you be so selfish as to not take one damn pill for me?" He suddenly spun around on her again and glared at her angrily. He saw her flinch and his heart clenched a bit. He was scaring her. He tightened his fists and took a deep breath. Yelling at her wouldn't change anything. It would only make things worse. "Have you seen a doctor? When did you find out?" He asked in an as calm voice as he could muster.
Serenity slowly looked up at him and then shook her head. "Yesterday." She then answered in a whisper. Kaiba closed his eyes and sighed a little. He quickly thought of some possible courses of action, and much to his shame, ending things with her did cross his mind. However, he quickly dismissed it as soon as it popped up. Serenity was the one he wanted for the rest of his life. Regardless of what was inside of her.
He suddenly grabbed her hand and then started dragging her to the car. "Where are we going?" She asked quickly as she stumbled to keep up. Kaiba didn't respond. He just walked at a fast pace to the car and tore the keys from his pocket. He unlocked it with a click of a button and then approached the passenger door. He let go of Serenity and jerked the door open for her. Taking this as a clear sign she promptly sat down. The door was then slammed and Kaiba walked around the other side of the car and got into the driver's seat.
He looked at her as he shut his door, with more force than before, and then frowned. He roughly reached over and buckled her seatbelt before she had a chance to move, then he put the keys in the ignition and bolted off.
"Where are we going?" Serenity repeated, shyly looking over at him. Kaiba still said nothing. He seemed far too intent on the road in front of them. Unaware of what was happening back at the house.
!
"My daughter! My perfect daughter! She's a whore!" Kammi shouted as she collapsed on a chair and started crying in mourning for her daughter's soul. She buried her face in her hands and wept as her husband went to comfort her.
"Ma…" Joey said slowly, wanting to defend Serenity's honor, even if he himself was infuriated at the situation. "She ain't a whore. You shouldn't say that about her." He said, his voice surprisingly calm. Mokuba was surprised. After his initial outburst Joey seemed to be handling the situation well. As for himself, Mokuba was more than pleased at the news; he was going to be an uncle! How great was that?
Kammi suddenly looked up and glared daggers at Joey. "This is all your fault! Ever since she went to that stupid tournament she's done nothing but try to be like you and your father. You were a terrible influence for her! She only met him because of you!" She shouted angrily. Joey, everyone in fact, looked shocked at her attack on her son.
Joey, used to being rejected by his mother, just shook his head. "You know what Ma…me and Serenity, we don't need ya." He said quietly as he looked to Mai who was trying to keep the kids out of the situation. "Come on Mai…let's pack up." The two started walking to their room and Mokuba looked at them and quickly followed.
"You can't leave me here with them." He pleaded, and Joey cracked a smile.
"Get your stuff. Might as well get my sister's and Kaiba's. We're not coming back here." Joey said and then he and Mai quickly gathered their things. Mokuba set to work on the rest, however, quickly became distracted when he came across a certain bag of recently acquired feminine products.
"Heh…guess she won't be needing these." He said as he discreetly stuffed them into his bag.
The car was silent. Neither had anything to say to each other. Well, Serenity did, but it seemed Kaiba would be giving her the silent treatment for some time. So she stopped asking where they were going. Instead she placed a hand over her belly, leaned back against the seat, and wondered what would happen next. She gazed out the window and watched as countryside faded away to an urban city. Her hometown.
"Hospital. Where is it?" Kaiba suddenly asked. He knew she would know. He was well aware of her medical past. Serenity snapped her attention towards him and then silently pointed directions to where he should go. She had suddenly lost her voice in Kaiba's overpowering presence, something he had never fully projected on her before.
When they arrived he pulled the car into a parking spot and then turned it off. But he didn't move. He gripped the steering wheel and looked straight ahead to the sliding doors of the main entrance to the hospital. Serenity looked at him and then slowly reached her hand over to place on top of his. She felt him tense for a split second until he relaxed. He then turned his hand and held onto hers softly.
"Let's go." He said, letting go of her hand and getting out of the car. Serenity took a big breath and then followed after him. Hand in hand they entered the hospital.
Merry Christmas everyone! Part 2 will be up tonight after I finish things with my family! I hope you all enjoy your holidays! 3