Author's Note: Dark Yugi: I'm so glad you're liking the story so far! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did!

Please review!

"My dearly beloved if I am to die today and never see the sweet face of you I want you to know that I am no great man and am lucky to have such a woman as you." -Wild Bill Hickok

Cecelia felt the icy claws of fear beginning to take hold of her as she started her descent into the valley. This was either going to be very helpful or an absolute waste of time. There was no in between. On top of that, She wasn't dressed for mountain climbing. She just felt lucky that her shoes were comfortable, although that didn't stop her back from hurting. Oh the joys of pregnancy... Now that she thought about it, the symptoms had mostly left her alone lately (thank God). It was like her body understood that her husband was in danger and had backed off accordingly. Well, most of the time.

She was very careful as she made her way down into the valley, testing almost every step before she made it. It took more time than she wanted to admit, but she finally got on solid ground. As abruptly as her confidence had began over making it down the mountain, they ended as soon as she saw swirling white-gray mist creeping toward her and dozens of voices whispering to her, ordering her to turn back. Her confidence dropped to half of where it once was, but like any lady of good breeding she never showed it. Instead she straightened her back, squared her shoulders, turned up her nose and started walking. The mist curled and wrapped around her, and the voices grew louder and more insistent, but she refused to listen to it. The mist suddenly took the form of people. Many of them she didn't recognize, but there were a few. She walked through the ones she didn't know and around the few she did.

As she neared the center of the circle, she felt nervous anticipation and fear battling it out for control of her body. When last she reached the final layer of the circle, shock came from out of no where and took complete hold of her as she felt a presence nearby that was as familiar to her as breathing.

"Maximillion." She breathed, almost too quietly for herself to hear.

Then, as abruptly as her fears began, they ended as soon as she felt her husband there with her. The ghosts and whispers suddenly didn't matter anymore, and she watched little balls of brilliant light converging in the shape of a person's body. She held her breath and squeezed her hands together until finally, her love appeared.

"Max..." She whispered. He turned around to face her.

"Oh Cecelia... My darling. I've missed you so much.

"I missed you too." She said quietly. When she realized that she was actually talking to him, she broke out into a smile. She reached up to stroke his cheek, but her hand went right through him, and it dampened her spirit more than she wanted to admit. He smiled at her.

"I know. I wish I could touch you too." He reached his own hand up to try and wipe a tear from her cheek, but it didn't work. "My love, I'm so proud of you. You've come so far and done so much. I'm touched that you would go through all of this for me."

"Maximillion, I would go to the ends of the earth for you. You know that."

He smiled at her. "Yes. Yes I do."

Her thoughts suddenly grew dark, and she looked down at the ground. "What can I do, Max? How can I save you and bring you back to me?"

"Do what you've been doing. You're already well on your way to stopping Dartz. Just stick with Yugi-boy. He'll get you through the rough parts of this journey."

"That's all?" She asked, surprised.

"If there's ever anything else that you need to do on your own for the good of the whole, you'll know when the time is right. Trust yourself."

"You know I'm not good at that."

"Well you're going to have to get good at it for both of our sakes." He said, gently. His eyes flashed down to her belly, and he laid a phantom hand on her stomach.

"You must keep yourself safe. You must keep our little one safe. The baby can't be put in danger, so you can't be endangered. I can no longer protect you, and even Yugi-boy can only do so much. You must be careful, my darling. Promise me that much."

"I'll do everything I can." She promised.

"I love you both so much. Hopefully this will all be over soon and I'll be able to hold you in my arms again."

A tear sparkled as it ran down her cheek.

"I'm scared, Max. What if we don't win and I can't save you?"

He reached up once more to stroke her cheek. If she concentrated hard enough, she could have sworn that his hand was really wiping her tears away.

"You will save me."

"But what if I don't?" She pressed.

He clasped her hands in his own. "I'll always be there with you, Cecelia. Even when I'm not here I'm never far away. Whenever you miss me, just remember all the things we've done together and all the things you love, and I'll be there. My heart is always with you."

He pulled her into an embrace, and then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Farewell my love. I'll see you very soon." He promised.

With that, he burst into dozens of white lights and disappeared.

Cecelia stood there in surprise for a moment or two, and then her hand went to the locket around her neck and the other rested on her stomach. She loved him so much. More than life itself. And she wasn't going to stop until he was back in her arms. She rubbed her stomach, as if it were a lucky talisman. Maximillion just had to be back before she had this baby. He just had to. She would never give up on him. He was her everything, and they were going to be a family no matter what she had to do to to get him back.