Stave Two Part Four: Forgotten Love

When Jack stepped through the classroom doorway, he found himself on a moonlit country road in a tree-filled park. Just ahead of him, at the end of the road, was a very familiar two-story building. Jack's face lit up as he started walking hurriedly down the road to the house, his heart swelling in his chest. Yugi appeared alongside him from the trees, glowing brightly as he smiled.

"You know this place, I take it?" the Spirit asked the champion.

"Of course! This is Martha's house!"

Jack was hit full-force with the smell of something delicious cooking in the kitchen and the sounds of excited chattering and laughter as they entered the house. Yugi and he went down the hall and into the dining room, in which several children, including young Jack, Yusei, and their friend Crow Hogan sat around a long table, shoveling large mouthfuls of homemade apple pie into their mouths. Jack was about twelve years old now, and he looked much happier here than he had in the school. He sat between his two would-be brothers, Yusei and Crow, and was intently engaged in a thumb-wrestling war with his fiery-haired friend.

"Ha! Gotcha!" young Jack gloated as he pinned Crow's thumb down on his fist. "The thumb-wrestling champion reigns supreme!"

"Ah, come on!" Crow grouched. "Best six out of nine!"

"Seriously, Crow?" Yusei laughed, leaning around Jack to look at his friend. "Why don't you give it a rest?"

"No way!" Crow declared, his mischievous gray eyes shining with determination. "I ain't giving up until I beat this guy, darn it! I'm gonna prove that Jack isn't good at everything!"

"Good luck with that," said the tween Jack smugly, propping his feet up on the table and leaning back in his chair so that it was only standing on two legs. He was so caught up in feeling superior that he didn't notice Crow swing his foot out and kick one of the chair's legs. Jack's eyes popped open wide and he let out a high-pitched yelp as he and the chair went toppling to the floor with a loud CRASH.

"Are you alright, Jack?" Yusei asked through a grin as the other children laughed hysterically. Even the real Jack couldn't help but chuckle as his former self grabbed the edge of the table and pulled himself up, glaring at Crow, who was rolling around in his chair and laughing like a hyena.

"Well," Crow gasped, clutching his sides, "you're certainly good at falling!"

"You're gonna pay for that!" tween Jack growled as he threw himself at the orange-haired boy. The two friends began battling it out of the floor, laughing and shouting as they wrestled and punched. The other children stood on their chairs and chanted the boys' names, egging on the fight; all except for Yusei, who just shook his head and rolled his eyes at his friend's behavior as he turned back to his unfinished slice of pie.

"What on Earth is going on in here?" Martha, the kids' foster mother, exclaimed as she poked her head into the room. Jack felt his twinge with guilt as he saw her dark skin, mop of shoulder-length dark hair, and her kind, warm dark-brown eyes set in a round, slightly wrinkled face. Martha had loved him like a mother loved a son, and Jack hadn't even said goodbye when he left Satellite.

The two fighting boys froze in the middle of their fight. Jack was on top of Crow, his knee in the other boy's back as he pinned his arms behind him.

"It wasn't my fault, Martha!" the blonde boy said innocently. "Crow started it!"

"It's never your fault!" Crow complained as he struggled against his friend's grip. "Lemme go!"

"You knocked my chair over!"

Crow laughed again. "Heck yeah, I did! And I don't regret it, either! You should've seen the look on your face-"

"Alright, that's enough you two," chided Martha, wiping her hands on the apron she wore over her brown housedress as she entered the room. "Jack, let Crow up before you snap the poor boy's arms. Really, you'd think you two would be nice to each other on Christmas Eve!"

"Sorry, Martha," both boys apologized as tween Jack jumped up and helped his friend to his feet. Martha put her hands on her hips and sighed, shaking her head as she turned to Yusei, who was quietly finishing his pie.

"You know, Yusei, it would really help if you would intervene once in a while! They are your best friends, after all."

"I find it easier not to get involved," the raven-haired boy stated simply. "That way, I don't have to worry about them beating me up."

The children laughed again and nodded in agreement. Tween Jack and Crow had already engaged themselves in an all-out poking war behind Martha's back. They both stopped abruptly as Martha turned to face all of the children.

"Well, anyway, you all know what tonight is, right?"

"Christmas Eve!" the orphans cheered.

"That's right! And you know what we're going to do next, right?"

"Games!" they all cried as they got up and surged into the living room, tween Jack and Crow fighting to get there first. Martha just laughed and shook her head again as she began clearing up the table.

"Your foster mother is such a kindly woman," Yugi commented when he noticed Jack watching her sadly. "And such a hard working one, too."

"She's the best mother an orphan could ask for," replied Jack gruffly.

"I wonder if she gets anything out of all her hard work. It's so hard to keep all these children happy and healthy, you know. What would be the point in it if she gains nothing from it?"

Jack glared at the Spirit. He didn't like having his own words used against him.

"Is it such a worthless thing to bring someone even a small amount of happiness, Jack? Even if it's only once a year?"

"She gave us no small amount, Spirit!" Jack snapped. "You don't understand. Martha had the power to make us happy or unhappy, our burdens heavy or light. Martha brings herself as much happiness as she gives us, and she gives it freely, not just once a year! She finds happiness in making others happy, Spirit, so her hard work has its own reward! That's what makes it priceless!"

Yugi raised an eyebrow at him, and Jack bit his tongue when he realized he had told Goodwin the exact opposite thing earlier. Feeling flustered and guiltier than ever, Jack made his way to the living room, where he found the orphans playing a game of Charades. It was Crow's, and the other children were shouting guesses as the young teen acted something out.

"It's a person!" one boy cried, and Crow nodded, grinning his mischievous, toothy smile that so often asked for trouble. The orange-haired boy began strutting about like he owned the place, his feet marching and his arms pumping powerfully at his sides, wearing a look of self-satisfaction and importance.

"Seto Kaiba?" one girl asked.

"Hey!" tween Jack protested. "Kaiba isn't like that!"

Crow shook his head again. As he raised his hand into the air, one finger pointed at the ceiling, and ran in circles around the room, Yusei burst out laughing.

"It's Jack!" he said through his laughter. Crow nodded enthusiastically as the other orphans, and even Martha, all started laughing again.

"I do NOT act like that!" tween Jack protested angrily, his voice rising over the hysterical laughter.

"Actually, Jack, ya do!" Crow informed him with a playful grin. "I should video tape you sometime just to show you how ridiculous you look!"

"Alright boys, settle down," said Martha as tween Jack made to charge at Crow. Crow smirked at his blonde friend as he sat down on the couch. "You're turn, Yus'!" he said, and Yusei jumped up as the other children cheered and encouraged him to give them a tough one. He stood before the group, and then gestured to himself.

"It's a person?" one boy inquired, and Yusei nodded. He slapped an imaginary card on an imaginary duel disk with a flourish.

"It's a duelist!"

Yusei nodded again, and then made a show of fitting something onto his head.

"That looks like a crown!"

"Is it Chazz Princeton?"

Yusei crinkled his nose and shook his head. He moved his hands over his hair, trying to spike it up more.

"Joey Wheeler!" Crow called. "He had messy hair!"

Yusei smiled, but shook his head again.

"C'mon, Yus', give us another hint!" exclaimed a girl, and other children echoed her. Yusei thought for a moment, and then he pulled off his jacket and swung it around his shoulders like a cape. Then he did an Egyptian dance, his arms crooked and pointing opposite directions as he made jabbing motions with his hands.

"Oh! Oh! Is it Pharaoh Atem?" Crow cried. Yusei shook his head, but his eyes were big and eager as he gestured with his hands to guess again. Crow's guess had been close.

"I know!" tween Jack cried. "It's Yugi Muto!"

"Right!" said Yusei with a bright smile. The real Jack looked over at Yugi, who was watching the game with amusement in his eyes.

"Okay, Jack, your turn!" Martha said, nudging the blonde to stand up, but he hardly noticed. He had just seen something behind his foster mother, something that filled his face with barely concealed excitement. The real Jack followed his gaze and saw a young girl's face peering in through the window, motioning tween Jack to come outside. Jack felt as though he had been kicked in the stomach as his heart began to thud against his ribs.

"No way..." he gasped.

"Actually," tween Jack was saying as he backed out of the room, his eyes never leaving the window. "I have to, um, go to the bathroom. Someone else can go first. I'll be right back!"

Tween Jack turned and practically ran out of the room in the opposite direction of the bathroom. Yusei and Crow's eyes followed him out, and then they both glanced back out the window. When they heard the front door slam shut, the two boys gave each other knowing smiles.

"Jessica," they both muttered before laughing together.

"Jessica..." the real Jack breathed. He stood frozen in the living room for a millisecond before shooting through the door after his former self.

Jack burst out onto the porch just in time to see himself running into the trees, pulling a girl with strawberry blonde hair behind him. The champion raced after them as they weaved their way through the forest, whispering and laughing excitedly. His heart was thudding in his chest as he plowed after them, ignoring the icy branches whipping at his bare arms and tearing at his shirt. This was actually an easy feat, since he was only seeing a shadow of his past. The only pain the champion could feel was the crushing sorrow he felt in his heart.

Jessica...

Jack came to an abrupt halt as he came upon a small clearing. His former self and the girl he had seen earlier stood at the center of the clearing, embracing tightly.

"How did you get away?" young Jack was asking.

"I told Nana I left my book at the park," Jessica replied, pulling away and giving tween Jack an adoring look. She was exactly how the real Jack remembered her: long, silky strawberry blonde hair that cascaded over her shoulders like a waterfall, freckles dotting her pink, rosy cheeks, electric blue eyes full of life and energy. Just seeing her again was tearing his heart apart; he wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

She pulled a small package from the pocket of her jacket and handed it to the blonde boy, smiling sweetly. "Merry Christmas."

"Jess, you didn't have to get me anything-"

"Oh just shut up and open it," Jessica interrupted, shoving the package into his hands, still smiling. Tween Jack took it and, after weighing it in his hands for a moment, pulled the ribbon off the box and opened the lid.

"Whoa," he muttered in amazement as he pulled a simple black pendent out of the box. "Where did you find this?"

"I found it at the dump," Jess replied, watching the blond nervously as he turned the medallion over in his hands. "I cleaned it up a bit of course. Nana helped me repaint it and get the dents out of it, although she never knew it was for you. She also gave me a leather chord to replace the chain, because the chain was rusty and gross. I know it isn't much, but when I saw it I thought of you, and, well..."

"It's great!" exclaimed tween Jack, admiring the gift as he raised the chord over his head and put it around his neck. The real Jack touched the pendent that hung around his own neck. It was the very same one.

Young Jack looked back up at the girl, that same admiration still in his eyes. "Thank you, Jess, this is... incredible! But I don't have anything for you..."

"Oh, that's okay, you didn't have to get me anything-"

"Hang on," interrupted the blonde, putting a finger over her lips, a warm smile on his face. "I think I just thought of something..."

Tween Jack cupped his palm around the side of Jessica's face and leaned his head forward, his eyes closing, his lips parted. Jessica also smiled as she tilted her head up towards him. Both of them were still smiling as their lips met.

The real Jack turned abruptly away from the scene, clenching his fists as his body began to shake. "No!"

Yugi was standing before him, giving him a plaintive look. "What's wrong, Jack?"

"I... I can't watch this," Jack said in a strangled voice. He felts as though an old wound in his chest had been punched back open. He could feel it throbbing painfully around his heart. "Not again," he uttered. "Not again, please."

"You must, Jack," said Yugi softly. "It's for your own good."

Yugi took hold of Jack's shoulders and turned him around to face the clearing. Jack finally raised his eyes again and found the scene had changed. The younger Jack was taller and more masculine looking, and his face was losing its youthful childishness. Jessica had also grown up, but the deep circles beneath her eyes, her pale face now lacking its rosy touch, and her sad, dull eyes made her look much older than she was. This was not how Jack wanted to remember his Jessica, so depressed and hurt. Why didn't I see it before? he asked himself.

"I was wondering if you were ever going to come back," teen Jack was saying. "I haven't seen you for weeks now."

"I'm sorry, Jack," replied Jessica, rubbing the back of her neck the she always used to when she was troubled or upset. "I... have a lot going on right now. Things are getting worse. Nana's getting sicker every day, and stupid Patrick and his cronies won't help... Everything is getting really bad, and..."

The girl's voice broke, and teen Jack moved forward to put his arms around her. "It's okay, Jess. It'll all work out, don't worry."

But Jessica stepped away from him, pulling herself out of his arms. Jack blinked in surprise.

"Actually, Jack, there's... something else I wanted to talk to you about..."

"Well, what is it? What's wrong?"

"It's just... Jack, I don't think we should keep this up anymore."

"No," the real Jack moaned like a wounded dog.

"What do you mean?" teen Jack demanded. Jessica was blinking back tears, her eyes sparkling in the light that shone from the Ghost of Christmas Past.

"I don't... I don't think we should keep seeing each other," she said softly. "Times have changed. You've changed, Jack."

"I've grown up!" Jack protested. "I've gotten older! But my feelings for you still remain, Jessica! They've never changed!"

"Are you sure, Jack? Lately, it seems as though all you care about is dueling. Becoming New Domino City's new king. And not that it's a bad thing, it's a great goal, it's just… you're becoming obsessed with it, and it's making you forget about what you have here to live for! Face it, Jack, your ambition for fame has replaced me."

"That's not true!"

"But it is, Jack. I can see it in your changed nature. You're engulfed by your passion for fame and glory. You always have to be in the spotlight, the center of attention. I've seen how you've been treating your friends, Jack. It's like they're lesser people, your servants or subjects, like you don't care about them at all! You've become over-competitive, prideful, and just plain mean! Why am I any different from them? How long will it be before you start treating me the same way? Just think: if this had never happened between us, would you try to win me now? I don't think you would. You would say that love is a waste of time, that there are more important things to worry about."

Teen Jack looked down at her in shock, unable to speak. The wound in the real Jack's chest was tearing deeper and deeper; he almost gasped out from the pain it was causing him.

"Spirit, get me out of here, NOW!"

"Wait."

"Face it, Jack," Jessica was saying, tears coming down her cheeks. "You're wishes and dreams come first now. I don't make you happy anymore. I'm just another burden for you, just like I've burdened everyone else. So now, I'm going to let you go. I won't regret it, and I don't think you will either. You'll be free of me. I won't hold you down anymore.

The blonde boy didn't reply. He just gazed down at her with pain filled eyes.

"Say something, you dolt!" the real Jack ordered his former self. "Why doesn't he speak to her?"

Jessica stepped toward the boy and kissed him on the cheek. Her fingers briefly brushed the medallion on his chest.

"Goodbye, Jack," she said, choking back sobs. "I hope... I hope you find everything you're looking for."

She turned and ran out of the clearing.

"Go after her!" the real Jack ordered his former self. The boy made to follow her, but stopped, his expression tortured with confusion and pain.

"Don't be afraid, you dolt!" Jack yelled, his voice cracking. "Don't you realize what will happen if you let her go? Darn it all, GO AFTER HER!"

Teen Jack started walking – in the opposite direction. He had his hands deep in his pockets and his eyes were dry as he left the clearing.


Once bitten and twice shy
I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye
Tell me, baby, do you recognize me?
Well it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me

Merry Christmas, I wrapped it up and sent it
With a note saying "I love you," I meant it
Now I know what a fool I've been
But if you kissed me now I know you'd fool me again

Last Christmas, I gave you my heart
But the very next day, you gave it away

~"Last Christmas" by Taylor Swift
(I know thousands of artists have done this song, but I referenced Taylor's version for this so I'm using her name)