Music Lover's Alert: If you enjoy listening to music while you read, I recommend "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak. I also could not think of a good name for the chapter, so that's what I'm using!

Chapter 20 Wicked Game

-Three months after Janet's birth-

Serenity wandered into the main TV room of the Kaiba mansion with Janet in her arms and a sigh on her lips.

"Still no Seto?" Mokuba asked.

"Yeah," Serenity said with numbness in her voice. "Can you hold her for a minute?"

Mokuba nodded and took his tiny niece into his arms. Her perfect little blue eyes reminded him of Seto before he took over Kaiba Corporation and became a ruthless businessman. Mokuba smiled at Janet and she smiled back. "Hey! I think she likes me!" Mokuba looked up and saw that Serenity had taken off her shirt and now wore a funny bra with a removable strip of fabric covering each breast.

"Of course she likes you! You're the sweetest man in the world." Oops! Serenity thought, I should not have said that. It's true, though.

Mokuba sighed and handed Janet back to Serenity. "If that's so, why can't I find a sweet girl like you? Do they all think I'm gay or something?"

Serenity released a clasp on her bra and presented a succulent pink nipple to Janet. "Well, all of my co-workers thought you were my husband until Seto showed up at the hospital. Then, they were all over you. What happened with them, anyway?"

"They could not agree on who saw me first, so they made a pact not to date me in the end."

"That's odd."

"Tell me about it. I was hoping that I could date all of them and see who I was most compatible with, but apparently that would compromise their sisterhood or something."

Serenity stared into space thoughtfully for a moment while Janet sucked her teat. "You know, I've always been on good terms with the other girls at work, but something about being married sets me apart from them. They never ask me to go shopping or otherwise socialize with them after work. I think I probably know less about single women than you do."

Mokuba chucked a little. "Come on! There has to be some secret, profound insight you can offer me about all this. Think back to when you were first dating Seto."

Serenity leaned back and closed her eyes. Memories poured though her head as she tried to think of some advice for Mokuba. There wasn't much she could offer, but one thing stuck out in her mind. "Mai told me that you need to let go of the past and move forward, but Tea told me that you should always give someone a second chance."

"Who was right?" Mokuba asked, confusion creasing his brow.

"I followed Mai's advice at first. That's how I got over Tristan and fell in love with Seto, but now I'm starting to wonder. With Seto gone all the time…" Serenity tried several times to finish her sentence, but every time she opened her mouth to speak, she swallowed her words right back inside. Her emotions built up so much inside her that her milk became sour. Janet let go of her nipple and let out a wail of despair. Shocked, Serenity stared down at her daughter as if she had grown a second head. She let her breast hang free, oblivious to her surroundings.

Mokuba came up beside the girls and wrapped his arms around both of them. His touch seemed to soothe Janet, but as soon as the little one was quiet, Serenity started to cry.

Mokuba made soothing noises and spoke softly. " I'm sure Seto will get some more time off work soon. He's just going through some tough times with the company."

Serenity sniffled. "No. I got fat and he doesn't want to be with me anymore."

"That's ridiculous! You've already lost most of your baby weight by breast feeding. You'll be back to normal in another month or two."

Serenity sniffled again. "You noticed?"

"Of course I noticed! Serenity, you are the most beautiful woman I know. Even-no, especially-when you were pregnant, you were still prettier than anyone else I've ever dated." Mokuba kissed the outside corner of her eye and tasted salt from her tears.

"You really mean that?" Serenity asked.

"Yes."

Before he knew what was happening, Serenity had turned towards him and pressed her lips into his. He had dreamed of this moment since he was thirteen, but he had given up on that dream when his brother proposed to Serenity. Now, he wasn't sure whether he was asleep or awake. Figuring that he must be asleep and that his actions would have no consequences, he kissed her back with the passion he had kept bottled up inside over the years.

When they at last pulled away from each other, Mokuba said, "I love you, Serenity. I always have and I always will."

Serenity smiled, and the child in her lap smiled as well. "Will you take care of me and Janet no matter what happens?"

"Of course I will."

"Oh Mokuba! Why didn't I just marry you in the first place?" Serenity said, her olivine eyes glistening.

That statement snapped Mokuba back into reality. "My brother-I could never do anything to hurt him. He loves you. He really does." Mokuba felt that he was on the verge of insanity. How could he have let his guard down like that?

"I love him, too. I just don't know if he wants me anymore," Serenity said, her spirit falling once again.

"Of course he still wants you. Seto doesn't just change his mind like that. He's loyal. Look, I'm sorry. I've just made things worse."

Serenity dropped her head to her daughter's tiny forehead. Her long auburn hair covered her face like a curtain. "I'm so confused!"

"I just want to see you happy, Serenity. If it helps, just forget what happened here. Seto will be back soon. Things can go back to normal," Mokuba found himself blubbering helplessly.

"But Mokuba, I've fallen for you. I can't forget. Every time I see you from now on, it's going to be different."

"I could move out," Mokuba whispered.

Serenity jerked her head up and looked him in the eye. "No!" Stay here. I'll love you whenever Seto is gone and love him whenever he is here. That would be OK, wouldn't it?"

"I don't know. I suppose we could try it."

Serenity leaned towards Mokuba and kissed him again. This time, the kiss was tentative and exploratory. Mokuba returned the kiss slowly and consciously, memorizing the feeling of her lips against his in case he never got another opportunity to touch them. His heart pounded rapidly as if he was in high school again and he had just learned that she was willing to study with him.

The two of them caressed each other for a long time, carefully balancing Janet between them. They eventually settled into a comfortable position on the spacious white leather couch and tried to sleep. Janet, being the baby that she was, quite literally slept like a baby. However, Mokuba and Serenity merely pretended to be asleep while their minds raced with worries and fears.

Sometime before dawn, they heard Seto enter the room. It was unmistakably his footsteps, his scent, and his breath. Mokuba and Serenity froze solid, unsure of what else to do. Janet seemed completely undisturbed by the arrival of her father. Seto planted a kiss on each of them and then left the room as quietly as possible. Mokuba and Serenity remained motionlessly awake for the rest of the night, each contemplating what they would say to him when they next saw him.