The next morning Chessy woke early and decided to go for a run. She slipped out of bed, leaving an exhausted Seto asleep. Getting dressed quietly she slipped out the front door and began jogging through town. This was something she had missed and something that she never thought she would have again. She was running, not paying attention, when she slammed into a very familiar brick wall. She was on her back on the hard sidewalk before she knew what happened. "Ow, crap that hurts." she said as she sat up slowly. "Geeze Malachi, you would think you would move out of a girl's way."
"You ran into me." he answered, offering her a helping hand. "It's good to see you Chessy." He pulled her up and into his strong embrace. "God I've missed you." He pulled away, but kept her hand in his. "You want a coffee?"
"You aren't still mad at me?" She asked as he led her to their favorite coffee shop on the corner.
"After you left your parents explained everything to the town. Macon became more of a social pariah than he already was. Chess I am so sorry for the way I treated you after. You needed someone and I ditched you."
"No," she said as they sat down "No, Mal, I hurt you. I didn't mean to hurt you, but I did. Trust me when I say I have hated myself for years for the way things happened. I wish things had happened differently."
"Me too, babe, me too. But hey, I'm getting married." He smiled at her, "her name is Sherry, from New Orleans. I met her at Mardis Gras about three years ago."
"That is amazing! Mal I am so happy for you!" She smiled widely, "Seriously, dude, that is great."
The two talked for hours feeling like they were back in highschool again. Drinking coffee and eating pastries. She looked at the watch on Malachi's arm and gasped. "Oh man, I've lost track of time. I need to get back home. No one knows that I went out this morning. I bet they are going nuts."
"Come on Doll, I'll walk you home." The two stood and began the long walk to her home arm in arm. "I have really missed you Chess, I feel like we missed out on so much. If Macon hadn't come into the picture where would we be?"
"I don't know," she answered, putting her head on his shoulder. "It's very possible we would be just like Marcus and Sasha, married with a baby on the way. On the other hand, we could have been like so many others and hate each other by now. I never wanted to stay here, I have always wanted to leave Cordelia. You love it here, Mal, your whole world is here. Not mine. My whole world is in Japan."
"I guess that means you got the job with Kaiba Corp that you have always wanted." Chessy blushed.
"How did you know?"
"Babe, that's all you talked about was Kaiba Corp and their programming. Sammy wanted to work for them and after he died you became a little obsessed. I remember you begging me to get you to New Orleans the day the KC office opened there." They walked up the long drive together. "I hope Japan is treating you well."
"It is, I love it there. I have friends, I've joined a dance studio that specializes in aerial dance. You know I have always wanted to try that." She smiled. "I have even met someone who is the polar opposite of Macon. He treats me amazingly well and truly cares for me." She had her hand on the door as Seto threw it open.
"Holy crap!" Malachi said "You're Seto Kaiba." But the man had his eyes glued on Chessy.
"Good Morning," she said, standing up on her tiptoes and kissing the angry man before her.
"You had me worried sick. Where have you been Francesca?" Seto demanded as she pulled away.
"I went for a run and literally ran into an old friend." She smiled up at him. "Seto Kaiba, meet Malachi Walker." The two men shook hands while silently sizing each other up. "Mal and I have been talking over coffee." The men stood face to face, both knowing what it was to love the girl in front of them. "Oh, Mal, I would love to meet Sherry while I am still in town. I don't know how long we will be here, but I hope to meet her before we leave."
Malachi smiled. "Absolutely, babe, she will be in town Friday night. If you will still be here, we perform covers at dad's bar on Friday nights. It will be our final performance until after Sasha has the baby. We would love it if you would join us." He watched as her face lit up.
"Absolutely." She turned and hugged him. "Now if you will excuse me, I need to shower and change." She danced away leaving the two men to size each other up.
"You've got something special there, and she loves you." Malachi said to the CEO. "She talked about how well you treat her, and she deserves it. Take care of her." He turned and began walking away.
"I will." the man answered, shutting the door.
Chessy walked out of the bathroom to see Seto sitting on the bed. "You scared me." He said not looking at her. "I woke up and you were gone. Your parents had no idea where you were and neither did I."
"I'm sorry," she replied, looking at the floor. "I truly didn't intend to be gone for that long. Mal and I were talking. We haven't been able to talk since we were teens. I kind of lost track of time." She walked over and sat on the bed beside him. "I didn't think I would be gone so long."
He put his hand on her thigh. "I'm angry, but it's all at Macon. Not you." He put his free hand on her face and kissed her. "I'm angry that I have to worry about him hurting you.'" He stood. "Now that I know you are safe, I am going to New Orleans to the office for a few hours. I want you to stay here and enjoy your time with your parents." He leaned down and kissed her deeply.
Seto
He sat in an empty office at his building. It was a plain room he used whenever he was in town and would probably be his home for the next few weeks. Maybe longer, he didn't know yet.
He looked at the security footage on his laptop. It hadn't taken him long to back hack the camera system once he discovered the camera and audio recording equipment in the light fixture above her bed. It captured only the bed, nothing else in the room and the thought of that made his stomach turn. If Macon logged in to the system then he would know she was home. But it meant that Seto could catch him and keep him away from her permanently.
It was close to midnight when he walked through the door of her parents home. Her father was sitting at the kitchen table with a bottle of whiskey half gone. "Why you sneakin' in so late?" He asked, his words slurred. "My girl deserves better than you. Better than Macon."
"I agree." Seto answered. "Your girl deserves the world, and someone to give her that. It's not me, I work too much, I'm hardly ever not working even when I'm home." He sighed. "But for some reason, she loves me. And as long as she does, I will be here." He took the bottle from her father. "Go to bed, Charlie, it's late."
"Take care of my baby." Was the last thing Seto heard as he walked to the bedroom he shared with his love.
He stopped outside the door because he heard her laughing. The sound waa almost musical to him. "Yeah Mokie, I'll have him call you when he comes in. I wish he would hurry up. Gators walk after dark and the roads can be dangerous." He opened the door and she smiled. "Yes Mokie, it cools down and they start moving. But your brother just walked in. Yeah I'll tell him. Night." She paused. "I love you too, Mokuba."
"Tell me what" he asked sitting on the bed beside her.
"That you are supposed to be on vacation. He got your million emails and texts today. But he is intentionally ignoring you. He said everything is fine and that you should, and this is a direct quote, 'spend time with his beautiful girlfriend. The company is not going to go bankrupt while he is gone. I got this'" she laughed. "He knows you very well."
"Yes, he does," Seto murmured as he traced the outline of her blue satin nightgown around her thigh. "So why are you still up?"
"I was waiting on you." She answered looking up at him. "I wanted to make sure you came back to me in one piece."
"I will always come back to you." He said kissing her. He stood and went to shower. When he came out she was still awake sitting on the bed. "Why are you still awake?" He asked, sitting on the bed opposite her. "I'm home, it's good. Go to sleep."
"It sounds stupid, but I can't sleep alone here. It makes me feel anxious. Like I'm going to panic." She looked over at him as he grabbed her hand. "I need you here beside me so I can sleep."
"Then let's go to sleep." He replied moving the blankets out of his way and lay down. He opened his arms for her and she snuggled into them against his chest. "I won't work late like this again." He said burying his face in her hair and breathing deeply. He felt her body relax against him and her breathing slow.
"You don't have to change for me." She said in a whisper. "I don't expect you to change anything for me."
"Go to sleep" he muttered against her hair. "It's done, it's over, I love you. Goodnight."
She rolled over to face him. They were now eye to eye. "I love you too." She kissed him and slowly moved her body until she was on top of him never breaking the kiss. Instinctively his hands slid up the nightgown and he found her panties missing.
"Naughty girl, I like that."
They lay in bed snuggled together after her on his arm with her head in his chest. "That was fun" he whispered and she laughed. "So, can I ask, why were you still a virgin when we met? Not that I am complaining. I'm just curious."
"I told Macon that staying a virgin until marriage was important to me. I very obviously lied." She shrugged. "The thought of him with me in that way….makes me ill."
"What else did you lie to him about?" He asked running his fingers up and down her spine.
"He thinks I'm infertile. In reality I had an IUD put in when I was 17. I refused to have his children. I love kids, but I couldn't bear having to carry his. I would have killed myself."
"Would you consider children with me?" He asked, looking down at her.
She looked up at him. "Yes. I would. I want children. At least three. But not right now. Being married is a must before babies."
"I think we can manage that." He said picking up her hand and bringing it to his lips. "But I do have a request. One has to be a redhead little girl. Preferably one that has green eyes and looks just like her mom."
"I'll see what I can do about that." She said with a laugh.
The next morning he awoke and again she wasn't in bed. The familiar panic rose in his chest as he jumped out of bed. He was standing when he saw a flash of blue. He looked out the window and saw her sitting with her back to the house in the pasture. He dressed and walked out to where she sat. He could hear her talking to someone. "Great guy. I wish you could meet him Bubba. I know he was your hero." Seto heard her sniff. "But you were right, man is he intense."
"Who is intense?" he whispered in her ear and she yelped. He laughed as he straddled the concrete bench and pulled her to him. She was looking at a headstone.
"Gee I don't know," she replied with a smile. "Seto Kaiba, I would like you to meet Samuel Delacroix. It's all his fault that I work for you, and everything else that has happened between us." She blushed remembering the night before. "I can remember watching your duels as a small child. Sammy was a huge fan of yours. He thought you were brilliant. I can remember the duel at Battle City, where you lost to Yugi. Sammy was red hot. I imagine if he had been able to get to Japan, he would have kicked Yugi's butt. I had never seen him that mad." She smiled and laughed a tear escaping her eyes. "He is the reason I wanted to work for your company. He believed in KC so much that even after he died I had to see if he was right. He was, Sammy was usually right." She stood and walked over to the headstone. "He is the whole reason I let Macon own me like that. Sammy had died five years before, Mama had to bury him here. She couldn't bear the thought of him being alone at the cemetery. So I let Macon have me, so that she could be close to Sammy. I was prepared to stay until my parents died, then leave. Then I turned 18 and he started coming into my room." She turned her face from him. "I couldn't stand it, his body pressed against mine, the way he touched me. I knew that I couldn't live like that. So I made a plan. I was biding my time, going to college and working my butt off to graduate early and make an impressive resume. If I hadn't heard back from KC I would have taken another offer. I had so many." She smiled, "I still get offers. I think one company has quadrupled their offer since I came to Domino."