A/N: Wow, 15 reviews for the first chapter! I haven't seen a story do so well at the beginning since…I don't know when! Anyways, sorry for the long delay, but here's chapter 2. Enjoy!

Chapter 2-Getting to Know "Samantha"

I stared, unblinking, at Serenity, for what seemed like a long time, but was probably just a few minutes. Then, once the explanation had completely sunk in, I spoke again. "Do you mean to tell me," I began calmly, "that for one week, we have to raise this...this...doll! Like it's real?"

Serenity shrunk back, frightened, and nodded slowly. "It's...to teach us...how to be parents." She took a few tentative steps away from me.

"And how," I started, "is this... doll...going to teach us to be parents?" As if answering my question, the "doll" immediately began to cry. It was so loud, and sounded so lifelike, that it actually startled me, right out of my seat. "What the...!"

Serenity just giggled. "She must need something," she explained. "I'll do it, since you probably don't know how." She carefully picked up the baby, supporting its head as she did so. She then lifted up the shirt that it was wearing, and pressed the circular device on her right wrist to its back. It emitted a loud "beep", and she turned to me. "You have to put the key in first, to ID yourself, then you can figure out what it needs," she said, answering my unspoken question. "Hmm...maybe she needs a bottle." Holding the baby with one arm, she reached down into the car seat, and took out a white, plastic baby bottle. Then, she laid the baby down across her left arm, supporting the head in the crook of her arm. She then put the bottle to the baby's mouth. It started to make a sucking sound, as soon as she did this. "Yes, that was it. She was just hungry." She turned and smiled at me, as she continued "feeding" the baby.

I watched carefully, as Serenity fed the doll its...I mean, her...bottle, taking note of just how motherly she was behaving to her. "Wow," I mused silently. "She really knows what she's doing, here. It's almost like she's done this before...of course, she probably hasn't. It's probably just one of those "female instincts"..." I was brought out of my thoughts by the sucking noises ending, and the baby emitting what sounded like a cooing noise. Curious, I turned my attention to Serenity. "Okay, she's fed...now what?"

Serenity had just set the baby back down in the car seat, when it started crying again. "Oh, no," she moaned, handing the baby over to me. "It's your turn to take care of her. And make sure you support her head."

I glared up at her, as I took the baby into my arms, silently telling her that I knew what I was doing. I carefully supported the baby's head as I lifted up its...her...shirt, just as I'd seen Serenity do before. I then inserted the device (which I now knew was the key) around my right wrist into the port on the back. Just like before, a "beep" sounded as soon as I did this, and I stared questioningly at Serenity. "Now what do I do?"

"Well, you've burped a baby before, haven't you?" Serenity asked.

I nodded, remembering all of the times when I was younger, and I'd have to burp Mokuba, after feeding him his bottle. Bringing the baby up onto my shoulder, I began to pat its...her...back, between the shoulders, with one hand, while still supporting the head with my other hand. After a few minutes of doing this, it...she...let out a burp, and the cooing noise immediately followed. "Okay, she's burped...now what?"

"Well," Serenity said, looking at the manual. "It says that we just need to make sure that she doesn't cry, unless she's hungry, or she needs a diaper change."

Hearing this, I stared at the doll, thoroughly disgusted. "You mean to tell me that this...thing...actually messes its diaper!"

Serenity laughed at this. "No, you just have to change the diaper." She checked the car seat, and pulled out a white, diaper-shaped cloth, with a blue tab on the back. "See? You just switch this diaper with the one on the baby, when it needs to be changed."

I nodded slowly, feeling slightly embarrassed by my assumption about changing the baby's diaper. Then, annoyed that Serenity was still laughing, I glared at her, and she immediately stopped. "Okay, then...we're not supposed to just call it...her..."Baby", for the entire week, are we? Does it already have a name, or are we supposed to give it one?" I asked.

Serenity looked through the book again. "It doesn't have a name for her in here..." She thought for a moment. "Well, we could call her Samantha, what do you think?"

I shrugged in response. "Whatever works for you. Now, are we supposed to dress her in something...other than that?" I pointed at the white shirt that was still on the baby.

Serenity already had an idea. "I think the teacher said she had some clothes for the babies up front. I'll go pick something out." She then headed for the front of the room.

I sighed, as Serenity headed up to the front of the classroom, to pick out something else for the baby to wear. Having nothing better to do while I waited, I picked up the manual from her desk, and began to read through it. It basically described the behavior of the baby, and how it was supposed to compare to the behavior of a real baby.

After a few minutes, Serenity returned with a small, pink jumper. "I think this looks perfect for her. What do you think, Seto?"

I glanced up from the manual, and examined the jumper. Shrugging, I replied, "I guess it'll do, for now." Then, I added, in a dangerously low tone, "And it's Kaiba to you, Wheeler."

Serenity carefully picked up the baby, and dressed her in the jumper. She then turned the baby so that she was still supporting it, but also so that I could see her in it. "Isn't she cute?"

I stopped reading the manual again, and looked up at the baby in its...her..."new" jumper. "Yeah, sure, whatever," I replied boredly, rolling my eyes, and turning back to the manual. Then, suddenly and without warning, the baby started to cry. "Oh, great. What's wrong with...her...now?"

Serenity put the key into the back as she'd done before, to ID herself. The "beep" sounded, just as it had the past few times we'd done this, which, I'd read, it was supposed to do. She pulled the back tab of the diaper off the baby, and it...she...immediately stopped crying. She sighed, and turned to me. "It looks like she needs a diaper change. Will you do it?"

Sighing also, I set the manual aside, and took the baby from Serenity. "I guess I can, since I just finished reading that section of the manual, anyways." Setting the baby down carefully on my desk, I removed the diaper she was already wearing, and set it aside. Then, I took the other diaper from the car seat, and attached it, back tab first, to the baby. It...she...cooed, immediately after I did this. "Okay, diaper's changed," I said. "Oh, and I found out that it...she...will make that cooing noise, any time after we've taken care of her."

Serenity smiled. "Aww, that's so cute..." She then thought of something. "We have a problem. We need to be together to take care of her. How are we going to do that?"

I nodded slowly, having thought of that dilemma, myself. "Well, we should spend the week together," I began, "but since I don't want to spend an entire week with the Mutt...I mean, with your brother..." I quickly corrected myself, "then how about you stay with me, at my mansion?"

Serenity's eyes widened at my suggestion. "What? You...you're...inviting me...to your mansion?"

"That is what I said, isn't it?" I replied coolly. "But, since this is for our project, I don't want you telling your brother about it. I really don't care to spend an entire week with that dumb Mutt." I'd muttered the last part to myself.

Serenity sighed. "Okay, okay. Should I meet you somewhere after school, then? And what am I supposed to tell Joey? He's going to wonder why I won't be home for the next week, you know."

I nodded. "That sounds fine. I'll inform the chauffer that there will be one extra passenger this afternoon. As for your brother, just tell him that you're working on a school project, and that you'll be spending the week with your partner. If he asks who your partner is, tell him it's me, and that he's not invited to come over. Do you understand?"

Serenity frowned. "Um, I'd like to keep you alive for this, so I think I'll just tell him that my "partner" doesn't have a phone. Is that okay?"

I sighed, not wanting to upset Serenity, but at the same time, not wanting the Mutt to know about this. "If this will make you feel better, you may feel free to call him each night, and let him know that you're doing fine. Okay?"

Serenity nodded. "And I should probably call on my cell phone, so that he won't suspect my calling from a number that he doesn't recognize."

I nodded, also. "That's a good idea. Now, I'll give you about an hour to go home, and gather anything that you may need, such as clothes, and supplies for the project, or any other assignments that you may have to work on." I pulled out a notepad, scribbled something down on a clean sheet, tore it off, and handed it to her. "There's my number, call me when you're ready to go."

Serenity giggled. "I can't wait; I'm going to be living in a mansion for a whole week!" She hurried back to her seat, looking as though she'd just won the lottery.

I groaned, massaging my forehead, as I returned to my own seat, the baby still on my desk, in its...her...car seat. "What have I gotten myself into?"