Hey, my first fanfic! Apologies for the fact that everyone is horribly out of character and that it kinda goes all over the place. I may do a re-write after I've finished. Read and review (please)!

It had finally happened. After years of a long distance relationship, Carly had finally decided to call it quits. Jack couldn't understand WHY she would do something like that, everything had just clicked into place after he'd gotten back. They'd been so...well, he supposed "happy" was the right word for it. He just didn't understand what had happened! The past two weeks had been a tug of war between Carly wanting him and then turning around and telling him to get lost. Heaving a sigh, he came to a realization- he did not understand women.

"What's eating you, Jack?"

Yusei was watching his friend with an amused, if not bewildered, expression. Why? Because Jack's expression had gone from wistful, to upset, to confused, and now he was just sort of slumped over on the bench. Since Yusei couldn't read his friend's mind, it just looked amusing. Having just realized this, Jack stood up and his expression changed to a haughty one.

"Nothing is 'eating me.'"

Yusei raised an eyebrow before turning his attention back to the duel runner he was working on.

"Whatever you say, Jack."

Jack, as Yusei very well knew, did not like to talk about his feelings. He rarely opened up to anyone about how he felt or what he was thinking, and one of the few people Yusei knew about was Carly. Carly...who had just dumped Jack. Thinking about it from Jack's perspective, he probably felt humiliated.

At least, that's what Yusei thought. He heard his friend grumble and his footsteps as he started to pace. After about two minutes of this, Jack stopped pacing.

"I don't understand it, Yusei. I'm the King! Me!"

Now this was a rare sight: Jack Atlas, flailing about in his confusion.

"Why would she not want to be with me?"

"I dunno. Have you tried asking her?"

"She won't even talk to me!" Jack growled in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. "I just don't get it."

Yusei sighed and turned around to face his friend. He patted Jack on the shoulder and smiled.

"Well, sometimes these things just happen, I guess. I don't really know," he admitted. "Why don't you go out for a bit to clear your thoughts?"

Jack hated to admit it, but Yusei was probably right. He wasn't going to solve his problem by moping around the garage. Digging his hands into his pockets, he strode out of the garage and started to wander around. He just didn't get it. Women practically threw themselves at him, so what made Carly change her mind? He mulled it over for a few minutes and all it did was make his head hurt. He would never understand women.

He hadn't really been paying attention to where exactly he'd been going, and somehow he'd managed to wind up in a park. There were people milling about, children tugging along their parents and couples walking hand in hand across the brick that surrounded a large fountain in the middle as well as people lounging on the soft grass just beyond the brick walkways. There were other people too, street performers really, entertaining the passersby. Suddenly feeling exhausted, Jack slumped backwards onto a bench and let his head fall back.

That was when the fiddler started. It started as a few notes while the musician tuned the fiddle, but then it started into a lively jig. Looking up from his slump, Jack saw that the fiddler was the only performer standing next to the fountain, her body bobbing in tune to the jig she played. As time went on and she continued to play, a couple other performers, a guitarist and some dancers joined in, as well as a drummer. The fiddler didn't seem to care, only now her bobbing had turned into a dance as her fingers flew up and down the fiddle. People started to stop and watch her and the performers who'd joined her, even Jack got up from his slump to get a better look.

Soon, the area in front of the fountain was crowded beyond recognition as the fiddler and her makeshift troupe continued to play. The entire crowd was clapping in time to the jig and that never threw the fiddler off the beat. She kept playing, bobbing and dancing as she drew her bow up, down and across the fiddle. For some strange reason, Jack found he couldn't stop watching her as she played, almost as if she were weaving a sort of charm or spell that entranced the entire crowd. The fiddler (who had been playing with her eyes closed), nodded to the two other musicians, and they finished up the jig smoothly and almost in unison. The gathered crowd applauded and the fiddler took a bow, gesturing for the other musicians to follow suit. People went up in small groups and threw money into the empty violin case at the bottom of the fountain's steps, the fiddler thanking them as they did so. When the last group willing to give had left, she walked over to the guitarist and emptied the money into his case, a smile gracing her lips as she told him something Jack didn't quite catch.

Finished with her performance, she placed her fiddle back into its case and secured the latches. Of course, not everyone had been pleased with her performance. A couple of guys who were obviously looking for trouble approached her as she finished packing up. Jack moved a little bit closer, his eyes never leaving the fiddler. She didn't look up at the men standing in front of her, but she spoke.

"Show's over, lads," she told them.

Her voice was tinged with an accent, but her tone was smooth and a little bittersweet.

"You have a lot of nerve, coming here."

"Do I?" She sounded sarcastic.

"Yeah, you do you penniless bitch."

He kicked her fiddle case out of her hands which surprised her a little. The guy continued, a cocky, haughty tone filling his voice.

"I really hate people like you. People who can't be bothered to get a job and actually work. You're all a waste of life."

Apparently, that caught the woman's attention. She glared up at the men in front of her, and rose to her feet, but what happened next was not something she was expecting. Jack grabbed the man by the back of his collar and pulled hard, causing him to fall backwards onto the bricks.

"Hey!"

One of the guy's friends rushed to help him, only to get socked in the stomach, winding him. The guy who had fallen backwards stumbled back up onto his feet and managed to punch Jack in the jaw, only to get decked in the face and stumble backwards before falling back onto the ground. The other friend, who'd been watching almost horrified, started to rush at Jack. That was when he felt something trip him up and he fell face-first onto his friend. He looked over his shoulder to see the fiddler smirking at him with a look of deep satisfaction on her face. Jack grabbed the only one still standing (and still trying to catch his breath) and lifted him off of the ground.

"Now then," Jack glowered at the trembling man. "I think you owe the nice lady an apology."

The man nodded furiously.

"Well?"

The man looked over at his shoulder at the fiddler who was standing there with her arms crossed.

"S-s-sorry," he stuttered, terrified.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you," she quipped, still smirking.

He swallowed and glanced nervously at Jack who glared at him.

"Sorry we called you a...uh...a waste of life, ma'am. Please forgive us."

She raised an eyebrow before waving her hand dismissively and walking over to pick up her fiddle case.

"I'll think about it."

Jack dropped the man back on the ground and glowered down at him.

"If I ever catch you here again, you won't have a chance to apologize," he growled. "Now beat it!"

The group scrambled to their feet and practically ran out of the park. The fiddler watched them as they left and chuckled softly, shaking her head. She was fairly tall for a woman, maybe around 5'9" or so, with long honey gold hair she'd pulled back into a loose bun with a few strands hanging in her face and eyes. She was wearing a worn pair of blue skinny jeans, black riding boots and a white camisole that she covered with a worn brown leather jacket. A small Celtic cross hung around her neck on a silver chain and her left ear had three piercings.

She slung the fiddle case over her shoulder and turned to face Jack.

"Well, you lads here sure know how to show a girl a good time," she chuckled, smiling warmly at him. "Thank you."

She didn't wait for a reply and picked up a bag she'd left sitting by the steps, getting ready to leave.

"Hey! You can't just leave!"

"I can't?"

She looked back at Jack, a mocking look in her green eyes as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well correct me if I'm wrong, but I've already thanked you, haven't I?"

"After I took a hit for you?" he shouted. "I take a hit for you and you just walk off? Some gratitude."

The fiddler sighed and muttered something under her breath.

"Stop complaining. D'you live far from here?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because yer goin' ta have an infection in that fat lip of yers if I don't clean it out!" she snapped, her accent getting thicker. "So where d'you live?"

Jack sat on the couch in the upstairs of the apartment grumbling to himself. He'd reluctantly brought the fiddler back with him, and she stood in the kitchen wetting down a clean rag with hot water. She wrung out the rag so it was damp and sat on the coffee table in front of Jack.

"Hold still, this is goin' to hurt a little."

She held his jaw in one hand and dabbed at the small cut in his lip with the other. He winced at the slight stinging and this didn't escape her notice.

"Sorry."

"It's fine."

They sat in silence for a minute or two before the fiddler cleared her throat.

"So."

Jack looked at her, half glaring.

"I'm, uh...well I'm sorry for yellin' at you back there in the park. I did get a tad rude with you, even though you did help me." She smiled a little. "You'd think my mum would have brought me up better'n that."

She withdrew her hand and examined the cut before getting off of the coffee table and placing the used rag in the sink. Jack watched her as she did, still sort of half glaring, and it made her feel a little uncomfortable. She looked over her shoulder to see Jack studying her legs. She smirked.

"Enjoyin' the view?"

"WHAT."

Jack flushed a furious red, embarrassed. She looked away and chuckled softly to herself, any nervous or uncomfortable feelings leaving her thoughts. He was, after all, just a guy. It was Jack's turn to feel uncomfortable, having been found out by the fiddler, and he coughed a little awkwardly.

"So, do you have a name?" he choked out.

"Isn't it customary to give your own name first before askin' a lady's?"

Jack opened his mouth to yell again but she looked over her shoulder, a teasing expression on her face.

"I'm just kidding. You can call me Jane."

Jane shook her hands to get the water off and wiped what was left off on her pants. She sauntered back over to the coffee table and sat down, leaning on her elbows and resting her jaw on the palms of her hands.

"And how about you?" she asked.

Jack looked at her, flabbergasted and a scowl immediately formed on his face. He leaned back and crossed his arms, looking away haughtily.

"If you don't know who I am, it's your own loss," he answered sharply.

"Really?" she asked, playful sarcasm filling her voice. "It's a shame, then, that I can't thank you properly."

She was mocking him. She was actually mocking him. The King. This girl really had a lot of nerve. Of course, Jane did know who he was. Who didn't in this day and age, know about Jack Atlas? She was just having fun teasing him to get his reaction, mostly because she'd never expected the "Master of Faster" to be a hot-headed egoist.

There was a click as the door leading down to the garage closed and Yusei entered the kitchen/ living area.

"Hey, you're back."

Yusei did a double take when he saw Jane before looking over at Jack and raising an eyebrow.

"And you brought a friend."

"I didn't bring her here, she followed me."

Yusei sighed and shook his head. Why couldn't things ever be easy when Jack was involved? Even though it had been almost four years since the Crimson Dragon had gone, trouble still seemed to follow the blond duelist around like the plague. He really didn't even want to ask about the honey blond sitting on their coffee table. Jane waved at him and smiled.

"Hullo! Sorry to barge in on you like this. This oaf here got himself into a fight and I would've felt bad if that fat lip o' his got infected." She nodded at Jack. "So I made him bring me back."

Yusei nodded numbly, trying to process her story before looking at Jack again. Jack pointed accusingly at Jane.

"She started it!"

"As I recall, you were the one who threw the first punch and almost knocked that wanker out cold."

Jane got up from the coffee table and sauntered around to the kitchen counter where her belongings were sitting in a messy heap.

"Well, I won't impose on you lads any longer, so I'll be on my way."

She waved at Yusei before whisking out the door, bag and fiddle slung over her shoulder. Jack gave a 'hmph!' before crossing his arms and grumbling about something under his breath. Just once, Yusei would like to go one day without someone showing up or something happening. But he lived with Jack, so that was sort of out of the question.

It had been three days since Jack had met Jane, and, much to his annoyance, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Well, her legs at least, even though he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the fiddler for the past few days. He didn't even understand why. She was cheeky and pushy and annoying! She rubbed him the wrong way and still all he could do was think about her. The only upside to this was that it made him forget how annoyed he was that he let Carly dump him (he heard she was getting ready to leave for America with some photographer. That REALLY pissed him off). He sighed and swished the alcohol in his glass around once or twice. His head was starting to hurt again.

The laughing and the chanting coming from across the bar didn't help, either. He glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see a bunch of college students binge drinking. Instead, there was Jane, downing a shot of what looked like whiskey with at least ten empty shot glasses in front of her. There was a guy sitting across from her, obviously ready to pass out, with the same number of shot glasses in front of him. Jane set down the empty shot glass in her hand triumphantly, but Jack could tell she was fairly drunk even from across the bar. He rolled his eyes and looked back at his glass. It wasn't any business of his what that idiot street performer did in her spare time.

He heard a loud thump from the same area and a large amount of laughter. Looking again, he saw the guy had fallen out of his chair and onto the floor and Jane with a smug look on her face...right before she fell on the floor, too. Sighing, and knowing he was going to regret this later, Jack got up and walked across the bar. Jane had rolled over on her back and was laughing as if she'd heard the best joke imaginable. Jack knelt down next to the drunken woman and lifted her up back onto her feet.

"Hey, Jackie!"

She latched onto his arm with an almost insane grin. Jack looked down at her, a little startled. This was the woman he'd been thinking about for the past three days? Wondering for second time about what he'd gotten himself into, Jack reached around the fiddler and slung her fiddle and bag over his free shoulder. Her grin faded into confusion and she looked up at him.

"Are we leaving?"

"Yes," he answered curtly.

Jane let go of his arm and promptly fell back onto the floor before she started laughing again. He glared down at her, but she apparently didn't seem to care.

"Jane," he said sternly. "It's time to go."

"Oh, don't be such a wanker! We're all having so much fun!"

Something just snapped. Jack grabbed Jane sharply by her arm and pulled her to her feet, dragging her out of the bar. She protested weakly, mumbling something about "picking up her tab." Jack paid it no mind and didn't stop until they were out on the sidewalk.

"Where do you live?" he demanded.

"Live?"

Apparently, Jane thought this was very, very funny and started laughing again. She shook her head back and forth.

"I don't live anywhere!" she said finally, when her laughing fit was over.

Jack scowled and grabbed her by her shoulders, convinced she just couldn't really remember because of the alcohol.

"I. Do not. Have time. For this," he growled, sobering her attitude up. "Where do you live?"

Somehow, though she was terrified, the grin made another appearance.

"Anywhere and everywhere!" she shouted, throwing her arms up banzai style.

Jack stared at her blankly, finding it hard to stay angry at the drunk woman when it was highly possible that she actually didn't have a place to stay. Heaving an exhausted sigh, he let go of her shoulders and did a facepalm. She really did annoy him. The drunken blond looked at him curiously.

"Hey, Jackie."

She poked him in the shoulder, and he looked at her, annoyed and raising an eyebrow in question.

"What's so interestin' about your hand?" she asked innocently.

Jack grabbed her by the arm again and started back to the garage with her in tow. This was the second time he was bringing her home, and he was pretty sure he didn't even like her. There was something wrong with this picture. Luckily, the bar they'd been at wasn't too far from the garage, so she wasn't able to make too much of a spectacle out of herself, though this was one of the most embarrassing things Jack Atlas had done. Ever.

Pushing open the door to the upstairs living area with Jane clinging to his arm again, he placed her belongings on the floor next to the door before dragging her over to the couch and setting her down. She looked at him drowsily, her happy drunk time being over, and she parted her jaws in a yawn.

And then she sort of, well... Jack didn't really know what to think. She kinda flopped over on the couch. He propped her back up and she groaned in protest. Jack helped her out of her jacket and her boots before she flopped over a second time. He lifted her legs onto the couch and covered her with a blanket. How was he going to explain this?

"Jack?"

Jane was looking at him with drowsy eyes, her face still flushed from the alcohol. She gave him a watery smile before closing her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered before drifting off to sleep.

He watched her sleep for a few moments, her face devoid of all mockery and her smug attitude. She almost looked like a girl, but only almost. He sighed for the fourth time that evening and shook his head before heading upstairs to his room.