Chapter One

Carly woke up screaming. She'd drifted off again and had a nightmare. Carly checked her clock. It was only eight o'clock.

There was a knock at the door. Carly got up out of her bed, putting on her glasses and went to answer the door. Behind the door stood Jack Atlas looking sexy and moodie as always.

"Hey Jack. What's up?"

"Crow kicked me out and Yusei just stood there. Can you believe the nerve on them two?"

Carly sood there dumbfoundly at the door. Jack walked right past her and into her living room where he sat down and made himself at home.

"Errr, what are you doing?" Carly asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm crashing here."

"Errr, Ok." Carly said, not minding Jack staying, but knowing she had no choice either. Carly sighed and moved over to the kettle. "Do you want a coffee?" She asked.

"Yes." Said Jack as he began flicking through the channels.

Carly made him a coffee and herself one, gave him his without recieving a thank you then sat down at the table. She was still disterbed by her nightmares.

Jack watched Carly out of the corner of his eye. He wondered why she sat over there and din't sit next to him, questioning him as to what his problem was. Jack wasn't interested in dealing with Carly's problems though, as he had his own. jack turned to watch the tv.

Half an hour or so later, Jack looked back over to Carly. She had only taken a sip of her coffee and had left it to go cold. She was still sat there starting off into space.

Jack felt annoied by what he was going to do next and he let it show in his tone. "What's the matter with you?" He questioned.

Carly blinked a few times then looked over to him dumbfoundly as if he'd said something in a different language. "Errr, what? I mean pardon."

"Didn't you hear me the first time? Why do you look so gloomy?"

Carly looked from Jack down to her coffee. "Oh, gloomy, errr..." Carly wasn't sure what to say in respone. She had been going over and over the things that she had dreamed about in her head and very time she did go over them, they were always disterbing. "I...Jack can I ask you something." Carly asked looking towards Jack.

Jack turned away to look at the telly. "I guess your going to anyway." He said.

Carly was silent for a moment, reviewing his lazy sitting possition on the sofa. She wondered how he could be so lay back and relaxed after something like the Dark Signers happened. Carly closed her mouth, not sure if to say anything at all now that she saw she'd ruin Jack's mood (even though he was already in a foul one).

"Never mind." Carly said turning to face her coffee again. The truth was, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to know the answer or not.

Jack, hearing her answer, grumperly turned off the telly and came to sit at the table with her. "What?" He asked.

Carly looked up at him. He saw the sadden and fear in her eyes and wondered what was causing them. "What is it Carly?" He asked more gently. He did still care about her even though he was a moodie grouch, and the only reason he was nice to her then was because he did care about her and didn't like seeing her down and hurt when she was normally cheering and lifting his spirits up. Seeing her sad reminded him of a certain time he didn't want to remember.

Carly looked up to Jack sitting besides her. She felt touched that he'd actually turned off the tv and come to sit next to her as if she was more important. She gave a small smile of appreshiation, but it wasn't as jolly as normal. Again Carly wondered if she wanted to ask.

"It's just..." Carly looked down to her cold ugly coffee. "There's these dreams I keep have. Dreams where I'm dueling you and we're on D-wheels. I'm on a red and black one and your on your normal white one. I'm not sure where we are, but it's this place that seems to be just a wasteland of rocks and stone. But there's this strange purple wall thingy that goes around us and sorts of guides us as if it's like a racing track thingy." Carly looked up to JAck to see his face was stone faced. He was looking down at the table with a distant look on his face now. "JAck?" Carly questioned.

Jack looked up to meet her eyes. "Anything else you can remember from your dreams?" Jack asked.

Carly looked back down to her tea. "Well, it's kinda weird how I dream. Because the next thing I know, I'm not in that wasteland thingy with you anymore, I'm in some sorta libeary on the top floor of a skyscraper or something and I'm in a duel with this man with red hair and who has these psychic alilities. I...I dreamed I lost and that I was frown out of a window." Carly looked up to Jack who looked uncomfrtable."I...I died that night." Jack wonuldn't meet her eyes. Carly felt something horrible twist inside of her. "Then...Then I came back to life a dark signer to... to get my revenge on him, didn't I?I...I killed him." Carly looked down to the table, absolutly destroyed by Jack's lack of reaction. She hoped it wasn't true, but she had a feeling it was. "Please, please tell me Jack did that really happen? Please." Carly begged.

Jack didn't say anything. The longer Jack remained silent the more tears formed in Carly's eyes as she realised two things, one she'd died and two, she'd killed someone.

"Stop the water works. You didn't actually kill him. He survived somehow and went after Akeza again. You didn't kill anyone. He killed you."

But it was too late. The hit had already been recieved and there was no taking it back. Carly calmly got up and went to her room.

Jack stared after her think, "Great."

XXXXX

Carly cried for a long while in her room until she heard banging on her door and Jack saying, "come on Carly this is rediculas. Stop your crying now. I'm coming in."

Jack opened the door and Carly sat up in her bed. "Honestly Carly." He said. "All this crying over nothing. Look, that creeps behind bars somewhere and your safe here, alive. This is why I told you nothing because I knew it would upset you. Look Carly, there's no point in feeling sorry for yourself. Not when it's in the past anyway. What was it you said to me on that tower, to make a new life for myself. Well, maybe you should take your own words and own advise and use them instead of wollowing in self pity."

Carly was quiet, looking down at her hands. "Your right Jack. I should be moving on and forgetting about things that nobody remembers. But you know what Jack." Carly looked up to Jack in anger. "It still hurts. Especially when I know that isn't the only nightmare I've been having. The other nightmare..." Carly looked away from Jack, losing all fight. "It's...It's much worse."

Jack folded his arms and readied himself. "What's much worse?"

Carly was silent for a moment, then she looked up at Jack. "I... After his death, I get flashs of... Of our duel Jack. Of the shadow duel I forced you to be in. I...I did and said some pritty horrible things to you Jack." Carly looked away from him. "I nearly killed you. I'm so sorry Jack."Carly began to cry again. "I'd never want to hurt you. Never." Carly began crying more heavily.

Jack rolled his eyes, not liking being in this awkward situation. "Well look Carly, I'm still here aren't I? I'm still alive so you didn't manage to kill me did you. Besides, you wouldn't have been able to anyway. I'm Jac Atlas remember. King of games. Now stop your crying over stupid things that happened ages ago. We've moved past that." Jack said.

"Maybe you have. But for me, it's like I've only just come out of it." Carly said, looking up to Jack through teary eyes again. "I'm sorry I'm putting you through this again. If you want to leave then leave. I just want to be left on my own." Carly curled up into a ball, hiding her face.

Jack rolled his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. He wasn't good dealing with emotions like this, but he didn't want to leave Carly on her own. Jack sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly put an arm on Carly's shoulder. Carly took the gesture and moved into Jack's chest. Jack wasn't expecting this, but let his arm that he had wrapped around her more. He even moved his other one around her to pat her back.

Carly cried into his arms, appreshating Jack for being there and hating herself for almost taking this away. "I'm so sorry Jack." Was all she kept repeating into his chest.

Jack tried to be patience, but after so long, he pushed Carly back, told her to dry her tears and be strong. Carly nodded her head and wipped away her tears. She was going to be strong, for Jack. Carly looked down shyly at her hands as she thought of something else that she'd remembered in a nightmare.

"Jack?"

"Yes."

"Erm... Is it true that you were going to make it so you died with me?" Carly peeked up to look at Jack. He seemed awkward and his checks blushed the lightest pink.

"Yes." Jack said in his calm moody voice.

"And... Is it true that you said that you wanted to save the person you truely loved-me?"

Jack was silent Carly noticed before he answered, "Yes. I wanted to save a true friend. A firend I'd come to love. As a friend." Jack added.

Jack stood up quickly and said, "It would have been the same for Yusei or Crow if they were a dark signer." And he left Carly's room, closing the door.

Carly lay back down with a small giddy smile on her face. That night Carly slept good.