Connected Hearts

by Moonlit Reaper

Sequel to 'Two Hearts'. Five years have passed since Atem and Tea were married and had their twins, but there is a woman who is infatuated with Atem and she is doing everything in her power to take Tea's place in his heart and his life. Will she succeed?

12. Cherished Memories

Back again with another chapter, I am very sorry for the long wait. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and who have waited patiently:

Divintias

Living Legends

Atem-Tea love 4ever

fantasia-49

Koragirl

dancers of the night

Alda MN

Tyrn

Rain On My Heart

takerschick

OkamiTobi

Atem's Sister Atea

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Summary: Five years have passed since Atem and Tea got married and had their twins, Yuki and Kimika, but there is a woman who is infatuated with Atem and is doing everything in her power to take Tea's place in his heart and his life. Will she succeed?

Chapter 12

Gray skies were formed the next morning indicating that there was now a huge thunderstorm outside. Blue eyes opened up to a dark bedroom and the sound of rain dripping against the window. Tea moaned tiredly feeling a little better than yesterday; from both her illness and the encounter from Vivian and the man she was with, Renji. It still bothered her that this man came on to her the way he did and Tea was relieved that Atem came inside to stop him in time...but from the way Atem was pounding Renji so brutally, it scared her to think what would have happened if Joey, Yugi and even herself didn't hold him back. It reminded her of the time when she and Atem were on their first date together, when Renku came and Atem was just full of rage from hearing the awful name Renku called Tea. This time, however, was much worse...Atem's eyes, his glare, his movements all spoke one thing: Kill. Tea understood Atem's anger, but she couldn't let him do something he would regret.

Tea took a glance at the clock and realized that it was much earlier than she thought it was. The red digital numbers said that it was 4:10 am and turning her head again, she continued to stare outside the window watching and listening to the rain fall. It was a calm and peaceful sound that would lull any soul to sleep, but the rain was making her think and reminisce more than putting her to sleep. The rain...it took her back to the night when she first met Atem and everything they have been through that brought them to this point right now. Even when she made the vow of never believing in love again, she had already felt something the moment their hands touched for the very first time. It scared her, but excited her all at the same time. She wanted to run, but embrace the feeling as much of it as she could.

She turned over to cuddle up next to Atem, wanting to feel the warmth of his arms around her as she continued to listen to the early downpour, but she noticed that Atem wasn't laying next to her. His side of the bed was empty and Tea sat up wondering where he went and if he was alright. She didn't have long to wonder since the bedroom door opened and in came her husband carrying the phone in his hand. When he placed it down on the table, their eyes locked with each other. Tea was relieved that Atem's eyes were more calmer than yesterday. She loved his eyes; that beautiful shade of amethyst...they always drew her to him and she could stare at these orbs of his for all eternity. Tea smiled softly and patted the bed for Atem to lay down next to her, sighing blissfully as she felt his warm, strong arms around her.

"Why are you up so early?" Atem asked as he kissed her forehead. With her hand, Tea started to glide it along Atem's firm chest up to his shoulder and back down again in a soothing massaging fashion knowing that this was one of the things that would calm him down and relax him, even if he was not angry.

"I could ask you the same thing...are you alright?"

"Yeah, I couldn't sleep...for about an hour, I just stayed up watching you and making sure your fever was down. Then, it started raining and...I just couldn't relax so I made a few phone calls regarding the company, talking to Yugi for a while letting him know we were alright...and just thinking."

"Thinking?" Tea asked in a curious and confused voice. She wondered if it was about yesterday's unexpected mishap. She didn't want to say anything just yet because she wanted him to mention it first.

"Yes...thinking about our life together as a family. All of the memories we shared...the rain made me think back to the night we first met. Do you remember?" Atem asked as he ran his hand soothingly up and down Tea's arm. Tea took her hand from Atem's chest to bring it over her eyes. Atem thought there was something wrong with her and moved them both to sit up. "What is it....do you still have a fever?" He felt her head, but her fever was gone. So, when Atem gently brought Tea's hand down, he saw that she was holding back her tears and she was also smiling.

"No, it's just..." Tea stopped in mid-sentence so that she could wipe a tear that started to slide down her cheek. "...I was thinking about the same thing before you came in," she said with a cute, watery laugh that made Atem's heart flutter as if there were wings attached to it. Just watching her smile makes all of the anger he feels disappear. He still had a bit of rage from what happened when Renji tried to have his way with Tea. His mind was in a deep fog as he fought against that man. He was only focused on trying to get rid of the one who upset his wife and if Tea didn't stop him when she did, then Renji would be dead at this very moment.

Seeing the look on her face as she stopped him from breaking away from Yugi and Joey made him realize just how frightend she was...not from him, but what he would have done had he not calmed himself down and think through his actions. Also, he was thinking of the twins, he didn't want Yuki and Kimika to see their father fighting so brutally and he was glad that they were inside the stables while this was happening.

Atem took Tea back into his arms, holding her as they both propped up against the headboard, resting on their pillows and watched the heavy rainfall in a comfortable silence. No matter where they were, whether it was outside or right here in their bedroom, or even when they weren't in the same place together, whenever it rained, both Atem and Tea would just stare and remember the reason why they were together. As if the rain held a hypnotic force on them. Atem took his left hand and placed it on top of Tea's left hand smiling as he looked at both of their wedding rings. How they both shimmered, even in the the dark.

"I'm thinking of taking the day off," he replied softly. Tea turned from their joined hands to Atem's face with her eyes showing a bit of surprise, but also relief of him staying home with her.

"You are?" she asked.

Atem nodded. "Yeah, because of the thunderstorm today....but mainly I just wanted to be home, not thinking of or dealing with the public eye, the company or anything else that would set me off to a point where I can't control my anger," Atem then turned to meet Tea's eyes knowing all along that she was staring at him. Those big, beautiful ocean colored eyes of hers always made him feel so much better.

"Mm, okay...it is coming down hard. There's no pre-school for the kids today, I didn't want them going out in that weather anyway," With his right arm draped over Tea's shoulder, Atem ran his hand up and down her arm. He suddenly started to chuckle lightly causing Tea to look at him in curiosity and amusement as to what her husband was thinking about. "What are you laughing about?" she asked.

He shook his head and sighed deeply. "Oh nothing, just thinking about the day we first brought the twins home from the hospital," Tea giggled and cuddled up more into Atem's chest as she thought of that day too. She can still remember it so clearly and she closed her eyes to relive the moment in her head.

Flashback

It has been a week since Tea gave birth to little Yuki and little Kimika. Atem was anxious to get his family out of the hospital so that he and Tea could get their twins adapted to their new home. Coming inside after the car ride, Tea opened the door sighing peacefully at the feeling of being home with Atem following behind her carrying Yuki and Kimika in their car seats. At the moment, the babies were sleeping away and have yet to open their little eyes. Closing the door softly, Tea walked around to get a good look at her babies, smiling and staring at their slumbering, tiny faces.

"Welcome home, my precious ones," she whispered. At the sound of their mother's voice, Yuki and Kimika both opened their eyes seeing her and also their father who was carrying them. They also let their curious eyes roam around the house causing Atem to chuckle.

"I think they want us to give them a tour, honey," he said. Tea giggled agreeing with him. Atem was like a professional tour guide as he explained which room was which and what the purpose for the room was to the twins. After the first floor was taken care of, they all traveled upstairs where the tour continued. After being hospitalized for a week, Tea felt like she was getting a tour of their home herself. Going from room to room, they now ended up inside of the master bedroom.

"And this is Mommy and Daddy's room, see that big bed right there? That's where you two were created," Tea gasped and hit Atem's arm very hard causing him to laugh out loud from his wife's brutal hitting.

"Ateeem!"

"What, I mean it's the truth, right?"

Tea just shook her head while blushing fervently knowing that it was true and that her husband was right. So, gaining her composure, she shook off her blush, turned around and walked out of the room, but stopped first to turn back to Atem with a smirk that she picked up from him that he would have for her.

"Fine, but when they get older and ask 'where do babies come from?' I will leave that question for you to answer, my love. Well, come on now, we have one last room to show our little ones. We don't want to keep them waiting," she said and giggled leaving to go inside the nursery where the babies will be.

Atem stood behind and watched as Tea left out, feeling a little nervous after what she just said. He then looked down to the twins who were looking up at him oblivious to what went on between their parents just now. "Oh boy, why do I feel like she might be right?" he asked while walking out of the room to join Tea inside the nursery. Shaking off his thought of the possibility that he could be telling the twins about babies in the near future, Atem now presented Yuki and Kimika to their room.

"And now the final room in the house, the nursery," Atem placed both of the car seats down on the large table and pushed back the handles to get a better look at them. Tea came over and kissed both of her children.

"Daddy built this room especially for you two," Tea replied.

"What do you think guys?" As soon as Atem asked this, Yuki and Kimika both let their eyes scan the whole room. Atem chuckled seeing the way they were moving their heads around and turned to Tea. "See honey, they're so excited, they're speechless," This caused Tea to laugh as she went to pick up Kimika while Atem picked up Yuki. Holding their daughter and watching Atem holding their son made Tea feel so elated and happy of her new family. When she went to see Renku last week at the prison, it was the closure she needed to finally move on with her life...and she was glad, because if she just ignored the call, Tea would not have been able to let her feelings out to Renku. She would not have been able to tell him how much he hurt her in their relationship, how he and Rachel hurt her and Atem, how much pain they caused...it all finally came out and he had no choice, but to listen.

That chapter in her life has ended and Tea is focusing on what was in front of her. The sounds of little crying broke her out of her thoughts and Tea looked to see Yuki and Kimika grabbing her and Atem's attention for something they wanted. Atem bounced Yuki a little in his arms getting him to calm down seeing Tea doing the same thing with Kimika.

"Hmm, are these wet cries or hungry cries?" Atem asked smiling.

"Well, since they were already changed before we left the hospital and they just woke up, I would have to say that these are hungry cries. I need to go get their bottles ready, do you think you can handle them until I get back?" Without even giving her a direct answer, Atem kissed Tea as she handed Kimika over in his arms.

"You don't even have to ask, I have them," he said. Tea quickly went to grab the bottles, so while she was doing that, Atem worked on calming down his crying children. He went over to one of the two rocking chairs next to the window and sat down hoping the back and forth movement would quiet them down just a little. "Shhh...now, now kids, calm down," he whispered. His soothing voice was able to bring down the crying to little whines and eventually, peaceful silence. Their little eyes stared at up at Atem making him smile, proud to know that he is their father. Knowing that he was holding two treasures that were apart of him and Tea.

"You know...I never thought I would be sitting here holding the two of you right now. To tell you the truth, I never even expected to fall in love...but when I met your mother, it was as if an angel was sent to me. Mommy didn't expect it either, in fact, she was hurt by someone very much," Yuki and Kimika both blinked their eyes as if they could understand what Atem was saying to them. Atem just continued rocking in the chair. "You guys don't need to know that, it's all over now...your Mommy and I got married, and we have you two now." As Atem was talking to the twins, Tea came back with their bottles, but she stopped to listen at the door. Smiling from the scene she was watching.

"I may not be the perfect dad to you...and I might make some mistakes, but just know that no matter what, I will always love you and protect you," Atem leaned over to kiss Yuki's forehead, "My little warrior," then he turned to Kimika to give her a kiss, "and my little angel...two more reasons for me to wake up every morning," Atem just stared at the twins when he felt Tea's hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he found her smiling beautifully to him...just the way she looked on their wedding day. "Hey, how long were you standing there?" he asked. Tea giggled and kissed his cheek.

"Long enough to hear your first heartfelt talk you had with the kids," she said while taking Yuki in her arms and giving one of the bottles to Atem for him to feed Kimika. She then sat in the other rocking chair beside Atem and fed Yuki's bottle to him. "You may say that might not be the perfect dad, but you are already a wonderful father," she said. Atem looked up from his daughter to his wife and softly smiled.

"Coming from the world's greatest mother, that means a lot," Once feeding time was over for the twins, Atem and Tea settled the babies down into their new cribs smiling and watching as they both fell fast asleep. "What do you think they're dreaming about?" Tea leaned against Atem's chest thinking about his question.

"Hmm, I don't know. My mother always told me that when babies smile in their sleep, it means that they are dreaming of angels. Maybe...maybe both of our parents are visiting their dreams, do you think so?" Atem could feel himself getting a little emotional from what Tea said. He never thought of it, but maybe...just maybe his parents along with Tea's were looking down on their grandchildren and also visiting them in their dreams. It's a possibility that they could be there right now. Atem embraced Tea without taking his eyes off of their sleeping children as a small tear managed to escape his eye.

"Yes...I do."

End Flashback

"To this day, I still think our parents visit the kids' dreams...sometimes Yuki would ask me what my father was like and if he was anything like him. I would say, 'Son...your grandfather was a gentle, strong and kind man who put others before himself...and you know something? I think part of his spirit rests within you.' My parents....I know they would have loved Yuki and Kimika, especially my mother. I see her sometimes in Kimika, that bubbly spirit she always held for me and Yugi," Atem was speaking with this faraway look in his eyes.

Tea knew exactly how he was feeling because she could see her parents in her children too. So, she could see where he was coming from. The room was silent again, both still thinking back to all of their past memories together with the twins. From the moment they said their first word, to when they took their first steps and even from when they petted their first horse. They both talked until the first rays of the sun started to appear in the sky.

Checking the clock on the night table again, Tea noticed that it was five after six and that Atem was now fast asleep on her chest. She started stroking his golden bangs down to his cheek and over to his lips. It was then that she noticed something from the corner of his eye, something that was giving a off a little glimmer from the light shining in the room. Taking her hand, Tea wiped it away only to realize that her finger was wet and she knew; it was a tear that was leaking out of his eye. She then noticed another one starting to form and this time, the tear rolled down his cheek.

'He's crying...in his sleep?' she thought as she wiped his tear away. She wondered what it was that he could be dreaming about...and then if hit her. What if he was dreaming about his parents? He did have a glint of sadness in his eyes from their conversation and as they continued talking, the more it was noticed. Tea kept Atem in her arms and even though he was sleeping, he knew that she was comforting him with her warm embrace from the way he was holding her. With one more kiss, Tea closed her eyes as the morning breeze lulled her to sleep.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

"Mommy, Mommy! How about this one?!" It was a few days later, the day of Yuki and Kimika's fifth birthday. Since they woke up this morning, the twins have been feeling excited for this day to come. Tea was sitting on her daughter's bed and watched as Kimika showed her the pretty dress she wanted to wear. Kimika insisted on picking out her own clothes and Tea thought to herself on how fast her children were growing up. Kimika was wearing a pink sleeveless dress with a bright yellow sash along the waist area. The dress was decorated with glittering butterflies so when Kimika twirled around, it would looked as if the butterflies will come to life.

"Oh sweetie, you look so pretty in this dress," she said. Kimika giggled and ran over to hug her mother so tightly, happily knowing that her choice of what to wear was perfect. Tea laughed seeing her daughter's excitement, but she had yet to find her son. So, just when she was about to call his name, Yuki came inside with a sullen look and a little pout on his face as he sat down on his bed without saying a word. While Kimika was picking out her shoes, Tea walked over to see what was the matter with her little warrior.

"What's wrong, honey?" she asked. Yuki looked up at his mother as his face turned into a frown.

"Mom, do I really have to dress up? I want to be able to play with my friends today and I can't do that in yucky, dress clothes." Tea giggled and kissed her son's forehead. She knew how much Yuki hated dressing in formal clothing, especially when there is no need for it. He was just like Atem when he had to dress in his suits for work. Kimika came out from finding her shoes to run up to her brother.

"Yuki, if you dress up, then you will look pretty too," she said with a cute little smile. Yuki's eyes were so wide, he could not believe what his sister just said to him. Pretty? Has she gone crazy?

"Boys are NOT pretty! We are tough!" He said while folding his arms and turning away with a tough-guy look.

Tea ruffled his hair a little to get him to feel better and she was successful in bringing a smile on his face. "Yuki, you don't have to dress fancy if you don't want to. Kimika just wanted to dress nice today, you can choose whatever you want to wear," she said making Yuki feel so relieved that he didn't have to wear stuffy clothes.

He gave his mother a big hug and smiled, "Thanks Mom!" He scurried over to find the perfect and comfortable thing to wear for the party that will be taking place this afternoon. As Yuki was doing this, Tea reached into her pocket and pulled out the necklaces that she made from the seashells she found the day her, Atem and the twins left from the beach house that weekend. They were both wrapped in small square boxes. Kimika's gift was wrapped in pink wrapping paper with a yellow ribbon tied around it. Yuki's gift was wrapped in blue with a silver ribbon. She had been waiting for the perfect time to give it to Yuki and Kimika. When she noticed Yuki was finished dressing, she giggled seeing his smile. He was wearing black cargo pants and a blue shirt. He looked as if he was going on an adventure and wouldn't be back until dinner time.

Tea gestured for the twins to come over seeing their curious faces to what she had for them. "How would you both like one of your gifts now?" They gasped as Tea showed them the presents in her hands. Reaching out to take their gift, Yuki and Kimika opened them at the same time. Surprised expressions appeared on their faces as they stared at their necklace.

"Oooo...it's so shiny," Kimika said picking up her pink cone-shaped seashell.

Yuki stared at his gift in utter amazement. It was one of the coolest things he has ever seen. He also took out his necklace, feeling the smooth texture of his orange colored shell. Tea helped them both to put on their gift. "I want you both to cherish your necklace, they're not just seashells, they are what describes your personalities and that is what makes them special....Happy Birthday, my loves," Kimika and Yuki giggled and hugged Tea tightly; thanking her and promising her that they will always take care of their present.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

"So, I heard from a reliable source that you were fighting with that guy from the ranch," Atem was in his study room talking on the phone with Kaiba who called a few minutes ago as he was finishing up the last of his documents.

"Yes, and I suppose that reliable source happened to be my brother?" he asked knowing the answer already.

Kaiba made a small 'hn' noise confirming that Atem was correct in his assumption. "I was making a call out for Mokuba, seeing that he wanted to visit again and I reserved a horse for him and a friend of his. Yugi told me that you almost killed that guy...too bad I missed the action," he said. Atem sighed while rubbing his eyes and reliving what happened a few days ago. It was certainly still bothering him that this joker had the gall and the nerve to touch his wife.

"I don't want to talk about it, just thinking about that man makes me want to kill him," Kaiba was hearing the frustrated, angry tone in his voice from what Atem had to deal with that day at the ranch.

"Hn...now you see why I'm not in a relationship. Too much to handle, too many emotions clouding your mind," he said.

Atem rolled his eyes; of course he would say that, he never even seen Kaiba with a special lady on his arm. He wouldn't understand the feeling until he had the one special person that brought him happiness. He picked up a picture of him and Tea off his desk and stared at it with serene eyes. "When you're in love, you would do absolutely anything in your power to protect the one that gives you a meaning to live. I'm not going to let anyone take away or ruin what Tea and I share," he said placing the picture back down.

"You and your 'feelings'...so, how is she doing?"

"Tea's doing just fine, she's getting much better from her illness. She's with Yuki and Kimika right now, we're planning a little gathering for the twins' birthday today. Why don't you and Mokuba come by? I'm sure the kids would like it if you both came.

"And be aroung screaming, little children with sticky hands? No, thank-you."

"It's not going to be like that, it's just family and close friends, Yuki and Kimika are inviting a few of their little friends. Come on, step out from behind that laptop and have some fun for a few hours," Kaiba was silent for a few moments until he finally answered.

"Is the mutt going to be there?" Atem rolled his eyes knowing where this was going.

"He is..."

"Hm, well in that case, reserve a spot for me and Mokuba. My fun will come out of ticking off Wheeler," After saying a few more words, they both said goodbye and hung up. Atem sighed and leaned back into his chair to rest his eyes. Why was every conversation he had with Kaiba so complicated? Did they even call themselves friends? Well, even though Kaiba was his rival, he did see Kaiba as one of his friends, even if the feeling wasn't mutual.

Atem's eyes opened hearing muffled running that was getting louder coming inside of his study. He chuckled seeing the bright, smiling faces of the birthday boy and girl running up to him with the object of his affection coming in behind them. He picked them both up and sat them on his legs.

"Daddy, look at what Mommy gave us," Kimika said as she and Yuki showed Atem the necklaces Tea gave them.

"Wow, they look amazing, kids...and my little angel, you look absolutely beautiful," Kimika giggled and kissed her father. Atem then turned to Yuki seeing what he was wearing and he ruffled his hair a bit.

"Son, you look like you're ready for an adventure, tell me when you're ready to go and I'll join the mission with you," Yuki nodded and hugged him. Tea came over to sit on the edge of the desk smiling at her family.

Yuki looked from Atem to Tea and back again wondering about one thing, "Is it time for the party yet?"

"Not yet, we still have about three hours to go," Tea said. Kimika and Yuki were still a little sketchy when it came to telling time.

"How long is that?" Kimika asked.

"A six episode, mini-marathon of 'SpongeBob Squarepants'," Atem said making Tea laugh out loud. The twins just sighed deeply and buried into their father's chest where you can hear their muffled voices.

"We'll never make it," they both replied.

Atem chuckled and patted their heads to make them feel a little better, "Hey, don't worry, I know it seems like it's taking forever, but three hours will fly by before you know it. Why don't we start getting everything ready, huh? Can't have a party without supplies," The twins agreed and jumped off of Atem to head downstairs and wait for their parents.

This left the two lovebirds alone for a few minutes. Atem sat back in his chair as Tea slid in front of him on the desk, but he didn't like how far she was from him. Tea saw the look he was giving to her and knew he wanted that close, intimate contact with her. So, taking his hand, Atem pulled Tea into his lap and making her laugh again. He then brought her down so that their lips met as if they were moving in a slow, passionate dance. They knew that once the party started, it would be a rare time before they had some private love time. So, they took in all they could to hold them over.

8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888

It was now almost time for the party to start. Katie, Koji and Alicia came over early to help out and even little Buyo offered his assistance. He was awarded with so many treats, but he didn't eat them right away...he hid them in special places for later. Joey, Yugi and Tristan came over next carrying a bag full of presents for the twins. They were jumping up and down so much, Atem and Tea thought they had snuck a little taste of their cake. It was then that Kaiba and Mokuba came and the twins were happy to see them. Right now they were all gathered in the sitting room. They party was going to be outside where Atem and Tea had their wedding.

Yuki, Kimika, Alicia and Mokuba all came from the kitchen to see everyone getting ready for the celebration. "Is it time now? Is it, is it?!" Kimika asked.

"Not yet, we still have to wait for your little friends to get here," Tea said.

"They're taking too long!" Yuki exclaimed causing an uproar of laughter to fill the room.

Atem picked up the twins and sat them down on together on the empty sofa. "Don't worry, it's almost time before they come. Right now, your mom and I need some photos of you guys to fill the family album. So, give me your best smile," Atem held up his digital camera and gestured for Yuki and Kimika to pose and smile. Yuki gave a silly little face while Kimika gave a pretty smile as Atem took their picture. He even got some with the family and one special photo with him and Tea together with them. After that was finished, Atem connected the camera to the printer and waited until the pictures were developed.

There was only an hour to go before the party started, so everyone sat around and talked for a bit to pass the time. Yuki and Kimika still sat on the sofa with their parents sitting on the end; Atem next to Kimika and Tea next to Yuki with the twins sitting in the middle. Katie and Koji were sitting in the loveseat, Yugi was in one of the chairs, Kaiba was against the wall with his arms crossed, Tristan in the other chair, and Joey, Alicia and Mokuba sat on the floor.

"So, how does it feel to turn five today, guys?" Tristan asked.

Yuki and Kimika both looked at each other and laughed. "It feels AWESOME!" they both screamed.

Joey shook his head and laughed thinking about something that happened a while back to when the twins were little babies. He can still remember it like it was yesterday, "Hey Tristan, remember when we first babysat for them? I think they were a year old then, Alicia was with us too," he said. Tristan nodded thinking back to that day.

"Oh yeah, I do remember...and I still have nightmares about it too," he said while everyone laughed again.

Flashback

It was a Saturday afternoon and Joey and Tristan were watching the babies for a few hours. They wanted to give Atem and Tea a break so they insisted that the two go out for a romantic, outdoor picnic and didn't expect them back until tonight. It took a bit of coaxing to get them out since this will be the first time they would be away from their babies, but Joey and Tristan reassured them that they would be alright. Katie came by to check on them, but she had a quick errand to take care of and the guys offered to watch Alicia as well.

Joey and Tristan were handling everything perfectly. They were playing a game with four year old, Alicia when suddenly, one of the babies started crying and they both ran into the nursery to figure out what could be the matter. Going over near the cribs, they both found that the crying was coming from Kimika. Yuki was awake, but he wasn't crying like his sister was. After trying everything they can think of to stop her from crying, there was only one thing left to check.

"You know, what if she needs to be....changed?" Tristan asked.

Joey's eyes were popped open and he pushed Tristan closer to the baby. "Well, check it out," he said.

"Why do I have to check? You check!"

"Because you're more closer to crib, Einstein!" Tristan couldn't argue with him there. So, he slowly inched his hand down into the crib and checked Kimika's diaper. He felt that it was definitely a warm feeling from it.

"Uh...yeah...she needs a change," he said awkwardly. "Now, what do we do?" Joey moved closer and picked up Kimika by her arms.

"Well, I'll take one end and you take the other," he said while Tristan took a hold of her legs and they both hurried downstairs to change Kimika. "Okay, okay, watch your step! Step one, step two, step one, step two, step one, step two, step one, step two!" As Tristan and Joey were going into the kitchen, Alicia looked up from the game and said to herself while following them.

"Showtime!" she ran into the kitchen and found them near the counter.

"Okay, we have to set her down," Tristan said.

Joey looked around the kitchen until he found a big empty pot in the cabinet. He grabbed it and placed it in front of Tristan. "Place her inside there," Kimika was now sitting in one of the bar stools watching what her two babysitters were going to do to her baby cousin.

"Are you guys going to cook Kimika?" she asked in a cute little voice.

"Nah, we're changing her diaper," Tristan explained.

Alicia raised an eyebrow and looked at them both like they were weird. "Oh, then how do you roast a turkey?"

Joey raised an eyebrow of his own as he looked at the little girl. "Alicia, Tristan and I are busy. Tristan, strip her," Taking a hold of the diaper, Tristan removed it from Kimika's bottom. The only thing he couldn't figure out was where to place the disposed diaper. So, he found a container on the counter and placed it inside, sealing it with a lid. Joey seen what he just did and nodded at him.

"Great idea, Tristan, keep it fresh," he said sarcastically.

"Okay, now what?"

"Well, we have to clean her bottom...with what if I may ask?" Joey searched around until he turned to the sink getting an idea. He took the sprinkler connected to the sink and switched it to spray. "Alright Tristan, hold her up while I sprinkle her," Tristan took Kimika out of the pot and held her as he waited for Joey to get ready. Alicia was just shaking her head not believing what she was seeing.

"WHOA, you're missing, you're MISSING!" Tristan said. Joey had aimed the sprinkler the wrong way and he turned down the water to a low pressure, "Right, gently, gently..." Joey gently sprinkled drops of water onto Kimika's little bum-bum. After her bottom was cleaned, Joey turned off the water.

"Okay, now we have to dry her, let's use this little fan," Joey grabbed the portable fan and aimed it at Kimika's bottom. Alicia slapped her hand on her forehead. Then, when she was dry, Tristan looked around for an extra diaper, but couldn't find one so he and Joey used the next best thing.

"Hey Joey, how about we use paper towels? Twice the absorption," Joey grinned and nodded.

"Love how you think, buddy," He grabbed the roll of paper towels and used it to spin it around Kimika's bottom like a diaper. It was then that they sighed in relief and placed her down on the counter. "Well, we did it! What do you think, Alicia? Pretty good job, huh?"

Alicia just shrugged her shoulders and sighed, "If you say so," she replied as she walked out of the kitchen. Joey and Tristan wondered what made her leave like that.

"Was it something I said?" Joey asked.

End Flashback

Yuki shook his head in disbelief, "You guys were dumb," he said.

"You put my baby in a POT?!" Tea asked in utter shock.

Atem crossed his arms and shook his head while he was in deep thought. "And I was wondering what happened when we came back from our date," he said. Joey and Tristan were laughing nervously from the way Atem was sitting, as if he was going to jump out from his seat and chase those two around the house. Kaiba smirked and chuckled a bit.

"Wheeler, this just proves how much of an idiot you are," Joey growled and was about to go toe to toe with Kaiba had Tristan had not been holding him back.

"What did you say, rich boy? Let's see YOU try to change a diaper, then we'll see who an idiot is!" Joey wanted so badly to just hit him one time, only one time and he would be satisfied for the rest of his life, but he did have Yuki and Kimika to think about seeing that this was they're birthday party. So, for them, he calmed down and sat back down in his seat.

Yugi also shook his head thinking to himself how things have not changed. Joey and Kaiba always seem to go at each other for no reason at all.

Katie was also in a disbelief, "I knew it...I KNEW I should have stayed around that day. My womanly instincts told me that something was going on and that I had to hurry and get back before you guys did something else, crazy.....like put a little baby in a pot and wrapping her in a makeshift diaper made out of paper towels," Koji was laughing so hard from how his wife was explaining the situation and soon everyone was laughing from the story. It soon turned into more stories of the kids and the happy times they all had together.

They talked for a long while until they heard the doorbell ringing. Atem stood up from his seat and went to answer to see four small children; two boys and two girls that lived in the neighborhood and he gladly invited them inside. Yuki and Kimika were excited to see them all, the children already knew Alicia, but they were introduced to Mokuba. Katie was ready for the fun to begin to she gestured for everyone to come outside so the party could begin.

Tea watched as everyone disappeared outside and turned around to see Atem coming over to her. She met him halfway so that her arms could snake around his waist, smiling as she felt his arms holding with so much affection.

"Our children are so happy," Tea whispered into his chest.

Atem took one of his hands to lift up Tea's chin so that their eyes could meet, "Are you happy?" he asked. Tea smiled and nodded not needing to explain how much because she knew that Atem knows how she feels. "Then, I'm happy...my happiness comes from you and our family. Nothing or no one will ever stand in the way of that, " he said with so much emotion in his voice. Tea reached up and kissed him feeling tears streaming down her face. She is happy, on top of the world if she had to explain it in detail, and it was all because of this wonderful man standing in front of her.

Their kiss was interrupted by the doorbell again. Atem reluctantly pulled away from Tea's sweet lips to go answer the door, but he pulled Tea along with him getting a giggle out of her. When he opened the door, the smile from his and Tea's face disappeared from seeing who was standing at their doorstep.

It was....Vivian.

A cliffhanger? Did I plan to make a cliffhanger? Wow, I totally didn't see that coming, and I'm the one who is writing the story. Anyway let me know your thoughts on the chapter and please readers, I would like to have detailed reviews. I'm not accepting short reviews anymore, I want to know what parts interested you. What was your favorite part and why? What made you laugh, anything you want to write in your reviews, okay? I will update more as soon as I can, Teardrop Lotus signing off.