Disclaimer: I don't own any Yu-Gi-Oh. But I know a guy who knows a guy who can get you some...

Special Note(s): This chapter takes place the night before the previous chapter was "published" (in story, it's currently Thursday, April 12). Also, in this story, the relationships between the characters will be slightly different. For example, Joey has never met Yugi, or at least never been introduced to him. And Joey's dad is from Boston, which is the only explanation I have for why Joey has that bizarre accent. I don't know why Joey has it and Serenity doesn't. Blame 4Kids. Some things just can't be reconciled... Oh, and lastly, after the divorce, Joey's mom didn't move out of Domino with Serenity, just to a different area of town. Joey and Serenity attend different schools. I think that's all for now. Enjoy!

The No Good, Very Bad Night

"Serenity? Wait, what? I can't hear ya. You're cuttin' out." A green, frequently broken down pick-up swerved violently on the road, almost taking off the side-mirror on the car beside him as the driver sped past. The pounding rain obscured the dark highway ahead, and with the brightest light source only being the near full moon that was hanging in the sky, it didn't help the teenage boy behind the wheel that he already had one headlight out. And at least one taillight, damnit.

"/-Joey- ... -crazy ... afraid- ... maniac-... -help ... won't belie- ... monster- ...shoot- .. apitated head- ... here-... hear me?/"

Joey's little sister, Serenity, called him right when he was on his way back from a delivery to some geezer and a kid that lived out in the country. Not only had his brat bit him when he handed over the bag, the guy didn't even bother tipping him before he slammed the door in his face, and on his way out of the dude's horse-poop infested front lawn, he'd tripped over a rake, splitting open his lip on some rusted farming equipment, and landed in some stale hay, nursing a possibly broken a toe. His shoes were being held together by some measly superglue, and weren't all that great for foot protection. He knew he should have put down the cash for some new sneakers by now, but utility bills didn't pay themselves, and he couldn't go four days without a shower again, no matter how much fun it had seemed at first the last time they lost the water. But an unexpected phone call from Serenity on his cell phone made him forget all about his typically misfortune filled night. Joey had no idea what was wrong, but he was driven to protect his sister, and wouldn't let the weather, his job, or that little arrow hovering over the red empty line on his gas gauge stop him.

"Serenity! I'm turnin' around right now! I'll be there as soon as I can!" Joey shouted into his phone, hoping that she could hear him over the static. The phone cut out in the middle of his sentence, and the line went dead. "Freakin' storm!" He slammed on the breaks, and made a sharp and very illegal turn, narrowly avoiding a three-vehicle accident as the sound of several car horns pierced through the darkness.

Joey knew if he went the speed limit it would be at least twenty minutes before he reached his sister's (and mother's, he apprehensively reminded himself) place. They lived out in this little suburban community safely located on the outskirts of town, the kind where everybody had to have a basketball goal, and people left their boat and jet-skis parked in the driveway to make sure everyone knew they owned them. He hated places like that, but he grudgingly admitted that it was probably the best for Serenity. It wasn't like she could live with him and dad. That was a nightmare he wouldn't wish on his worst enemy.

"I'm comin', Serenity..."

"Hey Joey, it's me. You're gonna think I'm crazy, but I was afraid I left my jacket in your truck the last time I saw you. I looked everywhere for it like a maniac, and finally with Duke's help, I found it under my bed." Serenity Wheeler smiled kindly at her best friend Duke Devlin, who was seated on her bed, playing with a worn-out action figure. "But you won't believe what else I found! Remember that little toy monster football player you used to love? The one that can shoot its decapitated head? I found it! You thought you left it here a few years ago, remember?"

"Serenity, do you remember you have a test tomorrow?" Duke prodded, pointedly glancing at his watch. He carefully tossed the little yellow monster onto her pillow. Duke was sweet and smart, and very affectionate. Serenity always felt so lucky to have him as a friend. Though he was a grade above her, he would regularly cancel any other plans he had to spend time with her. Tonight, he had volunteered to come over, even though he knew her mom was away, just so that he could help her study for a final tomorrow.

Serenity held up a finger to shush him, which he immediately obeyed. "Anyway, Joey, I just wanted you to know it's here in case you were still wondering. All right, well, I love you, and I'll talk to you later, okay?" Joey didn't respond. "Joey? Can you hear me?"

"/-Inity...-ound now-.. be there... can!/"

"Uh-oh." Serenity Wheeler held the ringtone blaring phone out to Duke. "It cut out on him. I think he might be headed over here."

Duke looked at her fearfully. "Are you serious? Crap." Off Serenity's look, he hurriedly tried to elaborate. "It's just, he hates me."

Serenity took a seat next to him on the bed, and placed a hand on his thigh in concern. "He doesn't hate you, Duke. He just loves me very very much. He's protective of me."

Duke glanced down at her hand on his leg, and covered it with his own. "Ah, yes. Protective love: The love that compels to kill."

Shaking his hand off, Serenity frowned lightly at her friend. "I wish you and Joey could get along. You're the two most important guys in my life."

Serenity's heart warmed as Duke instantly perked up. "Really? Most important, huh? That's a pretty short list."

"Yep. My brother, and my best friend. You guys are it." Serenity never felt comfortable talking about her father. She loved him, but it was just too painful. She could see in her brother's eyes, what kind of man he'd become. Mom was right. If only she would realize that it didn't make loving her father despite his flaws, wrong.

"Right... friend." Duke echoed sulkily, turning his head away from her.

"Best friend. You're the best I've ever had, and the best I ever will have, Duke." Serenity had discovered along the way that Duke was a complicated sort of person. Sometimes she felt like she knew him, and others he would have a complete mood swing, and refuse to discuss why, leaving her grasping at straws for something to say to make him feel better. She found that espousing about his many virtues seemed to do the trick most of the time. Maybe it was an ego thing. Boys were strange.

Duke shifted closer to her on the bed. "You know, Serenity, I think that we're more than just friends..."

"Yeah. Best friends."

Duke sighed, stood up, and walked towards the door. "Look, if your brother's gonna be here, I should probably go."

There he went again! Why did all of the perceptive and sensitive boys have to be so moody and unpredictable? "Duke, you don't have to leave. I'd really like your help with this algebra for tomorrow..."

Duke stopped at the door, and looked back at her with a knowing grin. "You're right. What would you do without me? I shouldn't be afraid of what your brother thinks."

Serenity smiled sweetly at him. "Exactly. Joey's nothing to be scared of-"

A loud scraping noise suddenly erupted from what sounded like the outside wall of the house, sending Duke bolting for her closet.

"Hide me!"

Serenity jumped, but calmed down when she caught sight of Duke trying to scramble into her closet. It had two doors that pulled apart to open in the middle, and Duke's upper body was sandwiched inside, trapped halfway in do to his haste to find cover. Clothes were falling off her hangars onto his head, and gave the illusion that he was struggling to try on some of her dresses.

Serenity turned away, and tried not to laugh. Poor Duke, she thought. "That sounded like it came from outside. You stay here; I'll go check."

"Wait! ...You're gonna leave me here all alone?" He asked, in his most pathetic voice. He was making his way back out of the closet, but his right leg was pinched in between the doors, and an assortment of multi-colored halter tops were wrapped around his neck.

"Don't worry, I'll be right back. It could just be Joey. You know how fast he drives sometimes."

Duke hurriedly threw some of the shirts off, having just noticed what Serenity kept smirking at. "That's true. At the speed he goes, it would only take one good ramp for him to soar over traffic for miles."

Serenity lowered her lashes teasingly. "Think so? Did you learn that formula in algebra?"

"Joey plus car divided by lazy cops times Serenity to the tenth power equals liftoff. It's towards the back of the book. Most teachers don't get to it in a single school-year, so I'm not surprised you haven't heard of it," Duke said matter-of-factly.

Serenity's peal of laughter was interrupted by a repeat of the scratching noise from outside.

Duke's eyes widened, spooked. "Um, if that's your brother, he sounds pretty mad. He's probably seen my car. Maybe I should just stay here."

Serenity was spooked as well. "Maybe you should." She turned to go.

"Serenity! Wait." Duke was halfway back in her closet, trying to exit from a different angle, but this attempt seemed just as fruitless, when he merely popped an arm out, clutching a handful of clothes.

She stopped. "What?"

Duke's hand was shaking an emerald green silk shirt. "Do you think I could borrow this? "It would really bring out my eyes," Duke's muffled voice asked from inside her closet.

Serenity rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, shook her head, and left the room.

"Serenity? Sereniiityyy... I'm not kidding..." She was gone. He heard the front door fly open and bang against its hinges from the wind. She must have left it open a crack.

Duke examined the shirt more closely through the space between the two doors, taking note of the 100 percent silk verification on the tag. "Oh, she had better hurry up, or I'm totally stealing this shirt."

"I sure hope Joey gets here soon," Serenity whispered, as she went around to the side of the house. She hadn't realized that the rain was driving so hard until she became soaked and the door nearly flew off its hinges when she came outside. Arcs of lightening lanced through the sky every once in a while, and the further she walked from the warm light shining through the glass in the living room window, the more she wished she'd thought to bring Duke with her. Or at the very least, an umbrella.

The noise sounded more like a slamming than just scraping now, and she was sure that as soon as she turned the next corner, she would be face to face the horrendous source of the screeching. Steeling herself, she waited a beat, then jumped around the corner, her heart in her throat.

She ducked right in time for something long and white to swoop down at her head through the rain, which let out a scream as it ran along the aluminum siding, before it swung back up towards the roof.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding..." Serenity grumbled, crouched down in the mud. "Look like it's a good thing Joey's coming out after all." She could only imagine how silly Duke would feel once she told him what they had both been so panicked over.

Avoiding the loose gutter that had come unhinged from the roof due to the rain, which she would have to ask Joey if he could fix since he was the best handyman she knew, Serenity moved to go back inside, only to hear a different noise coming from the bushes behind her.

What... what is that whimpering?

She quickly turned around, only to see a blur of fur outlined in the rain as a large black shape tackled her against the side of her house.

A bolt of lightening struck nearby, and everything went dark.

"Serenity!" Joey dashed through the front door, which was ajar a few feet, fearing the worst.

When he'd pulled up to the house, none of the lights were on, and there was a strange car parked in the driveway. He'd quickly pulled a flashlight out of his glove box, and barreled for the home of his sister and mother. When he'd reached the front porch, to his horror, he got sight of a trail of blood with the light.

"Serenity!" he called again, following the blood on the carpet through the house. His knees were shaking, and he was sure he might be sick to his stomach if he didn't find his sister soon, and see that she was safe.

"We're in here!" a male voice shouted to him, muffled by the bathroom door.

Bracing himself, Joey shoved the flashlight into his pocket, took a deep breath, and kicked in the bathroom door with all of his strength.

"AAaaahh!"

The small room was illuminated by a single candle, sending warm orange light bouncing across the white tiled walls. He entered to see Serenity, the candle creating a halo of light around her red hair, bent over the sink.

"Serenity, are you o-"

A hand reached out from the behind the door, and pushed him into the bathtub. "What the hell, man?!" A boy his age with long raven hair pulled back in a ponytail emerged from behind the door Joey had kicked in, clutching his nose with one hand.

"Duke!" Serenity chastised, helping her brother out of the tub, "Joey was just worried that something was wrong, weren't you Joey?"

The two boys stared each other down, and the candle flickered when a breeze blew through the house from the open front door.

"Ow," said Serenity, applying something to her arm. Joey belatedly noticed that the blood trail led to her, and ended on the spots that were still dripping from her wrist.

"Oh geez! Serenity, what happened?" Joey rushed over to her, and yanked his flashlight out to better view the wound. Duke squeezed around him to stand on her other side. The beam of light made it clear that not only was Serenity bleeding, but she was soaked from head to toe, and her clothes were clinging to her body. Joey narrowed his eyes at Duke, who took the cue to back away from his little sister.

"Oh, the gutter's loose outside, and I went to check and see what all the racket was, but on my way back in, the neighbor's dog surprised me." Serenity held up her arm, and there was a nasty-looking bite mark just under her hand. Some of the teeth marks were bleeding, and it looked very painful, but Joey was impressed to see no tears running down his sister's face.

"Where's mom?"

"Still at work," Serenity replied, and seated herself on the closed toilet as Joey took over rubbing alcohol on the wound with cotton balls. Duke slumped against the wall angrily.

"That mutt should be put down for this," he announced, scowling out the bathroom door, as if the dog could see his withering glare through the walls of the house.

Serenity quickly looked up from Joey's ministrations. "Oh, don't say that. He was only being friendly."

Both boys scoffed.

"It was a love-bite..." she defended quietly.

"Serenity, you're bleedin'," Joey nearly yelled, wrapping a bandage he'd found under the sink around her wrist.

"It was a love-maul," insisted Duke, as usual, blown away by the extent of Serenity's kindness.

As if just remembering that Duke was there, Joey looked accusingly at Serenity's "friend" who was watching the siblings in the candlelight. "And just where were ya when my sista was out there alone in da rain gettin' mauled in da dark, Devlin?" Joey demanded, standing and moving into a fighting pose.

The screeching sounded once again, this time magnified even louder because Joey left the front door open.

Joey dropped his fists, and panickedly whipped around in a circle to find the source of the noise. "What da heck was dat?!" he exclaimed.

Serenity couldn't help a small chuckle, despite the pain in her wrist. "It's the gutter outside. I was thinking maybe you could put it back up after the roof dries."

"No kiddin'? Sure, I would love to, sis." The slightly proud gleam in Joey's eyes faded, and he started rubbing the back of his neck, the way Serenity knew he did when he was nervous about something. "Uh, do ya know what mom's work hours will be this weekend? I don't wanna drop by if she's busy with somethin', ya know..."

Serenity knew that wasn't why he was so wary about when their mother would be home. Joey and mom had an awkward relationship at best. Joey was still angry with mom for leaving, angry with dad for staying, and angry with himself for letting him and Serenity be separated in the first place.

"She'll be working all weekend. Twelve-hour shifts, seven-to-seven, Saturday and Sunday." Joey nodded, but Serenity wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily. "But you know Joey, mom would love to see you if you come by after she gets off work."

Joey turned away from her, and as Duke watched Serenity's face fall, he suddenly felt like a voyeur - some stranger watching a family try to salvage their scattered belongings together after a tornado destroyed their home.

"Maybe I'll check to see if that dog is still out there. He shouldn't be allowed to just run ramp-"

Joey interrupted Duke, and abruptly pushed passed him out the door. "I'll check. You take care of Serenity. Dat dog betta pray I don't get a hold of him." He stormed out of the house, taking the flashlight with him.

Duke gave Serenity a sympathetic smile in the hazy candlelight, but she couldn't find it in her to smile back.

A bolt of lightning etched through the sky as soon as he walked outside, but Joey ignored it. The thunder that followed seemed louder than normal, and only served to agitate him further. "Here doggy. Com'ere, ya rabid little..." Shining the flashlight through the dark wasn't much help, since all it illuminated were the thousands of raindrops that surrounded him as he walked around the side of the house.

He could hear the squeaking of the gutter as it was lambasted by the storm, and decided to investigate there first, since that was the area Serenity was attacked in. He turned the corner hesitantly, instinctively sensing that there might be danger. Upon shining the light a few feet ahead of him, he saw he was right.

A large black dog was standing right in his path with its shackles raised and teeth bared, staring him down. Even with the rumbling and spattering in the background, Joey could clearly hear the furious growling of the dog. Somehow, even through the wall of rain, he could make out the beast's unblinking yellow eyes, completely focused on the blonde boy across from it.

He froze, waiting for the stray to back down. Even though he knew you weren't supposed to look a wild animal in the eye, the urge to do so - to prove to this dog that he wasn't intimidated by it, was too strong. Joey stood his ground, pulled himself to his full height, and locked eyes with the stray.

The dog took a step back, opened its jaws, and let out a chilling howl.

"Joey!" Serenity's voice cut through the air from behind him.

"Serenity, no! Go back inside!" Joey commanded, breaking the dog's gaze to watch as his little sister ran up to him, looking terrified. He automatically moved to cover her from the dog, but when he turned back around, he saw something that made his blood run cold.

The dog was nowhere to be seen.

"Let's go back in. Now!" Joey didn't know where the thing went, but he wouldn't put it past the mongrel to make a trek through the bushes to launch a surprise attack on Serenity. It could probably smell the blood on her since the rain was soaking through the bandage.

He grabbed her un-injured arm, accidentally dropping his flashlight in the process, and flew back into the house, slamming the door behind him.

The pitch black didn't alleviate his fears, and when he felt more than saw something swiftly move towards him in the dark, he struck out with his fist, and made contact.

"Aggh! Oh, come on!" Duke yelled, angry.

"Oops," said Joey, mildly.

"What happened? Are you guys all right? Joey?" came Serenity's frantic questions from beside Joey. He tightened is grip on Serenity's arm comfortingly.

"I'm fine, sis."

"I'm not!"

"Do you think it ran away?" asked Serenity, carefully moving towards where she believed the sofa to be in the dark.

"Oh, man, I think my nose is broken."

"I dunno. We probably shouldn't go out there 'till the power comes back on, at least." He followed his sister, and sunk down onto the couch beside her.

"What? You mean that dog? It was out there, and you guys left the door wide open, again, so that it could come in here and maul me?" Duke was stumbling around off to the side of the room. "Is leaving the door open a Wheeler family trait, or were you two just born in a barn?"

"I never understood why people say that," Serenity said from beside Joey, "I mean, Jesus was born in a barn."

"Huh. That's true," Joey agreed.

"Jesus was born in a manger. There's a difference," Duke argued, from another room.

"Oh yeah, farmer brown? What's the difference?" Joey challenged, craning his neck to locate Duke.

"So, does that mean Jesus would go around leaving doors open everywhere he went? You think someone would have said something to him. Or maybe that would have been sacrilegious..." Serenity pondered to herself.

"I don't know, I'm not a farmer! That's not really my area of expertise." Which was true. Duke was much more interested in the metaphysical world. He dabbled in tarot cards, palm reading, astrology, that sort of thing. Duke was a devout agnostic, but he still considered himself a spiritual person.

Serenity laughed, contemplating the discussion. "Hey Jesus! You left the door open again! Oh, by the way, thanks again for curing my debilitating leprosy..."

"Well maybe ya should keep your trap shut, if ya don't know what you're talkin' about," said Joey arrogantly, delighted to one-up Serenity's "friend."

Duke was in what seemed to be the kitchen, and a noise like tape being ripped up sounded from somewhere near him. "Okay, fine, whatever."

The lights flickered back to life at that moment, to everyone's relief.

Joey and Serenity both turned on the couch to see Duke in the kitchen, standing wide-eyed in front of the open refrigerator, mid-chug, gripping a half-gallon of milk. When he noticed that he was suddenly in plain sight, he guiltily put the milk back in the fridge, and lightly kicked the door closed.

"I, uh, didn't want it to go bad," he explained sheepishly, holding his arms behind his back.

Serenity got up and stretched. "Thank goodness the power's back on! I was worried that Duke and I were going be trapped here alone in the dark all night."

"Don't worry sis, I woulda let that happen over my dead body..." Joey directed the last part towards Duke, who flinched in response.

"You know what, I'm gonna go put out that candle in the bathroom. Wouldn't want anything to catch fire..." Duke flusteredly left the room.

"No, we wouldn't want that," mumbled Joey, smirking maliciously.

Serenity gasped loudly. "Joey! I almost forgot! I'll be right back!" By the time Joey jumped up after her, she had already run into her bedroom.

"Is he gone?" Duke asked, emerging from the bathroom.

Joey took a step towards him. Duke backed away.

"Here it is! Your football player guy, you remember, right, Joey?" Serenity skipped over to him, holding up a six-inch action figure.

Joey took it from her, and examined it. "Oohhh yeeaah..." He held it up to Duke. "Ya ever played with one 'a these, Devlin?"

Duke eyed the little yellow monster warily. "I was more into, um..."

"Dolls?" Joey suggested scornfully. Serenity elbowed him half-heartedly.

"No. Actually, I ... I was quite the skilled seamster in my youth."

"Seamster?"

"It's like a seamstress, only it's a boy," Serenity supplied.

Joey couldn't believe his ears. "Dat's open ta debate..." he said under his breath, shaking his head at the dark-haired boy.

Sensing that Joey's macho posturing tendency was about to overtake him (and his manners!), Serenity directed everyone's attention on the reason Joey had rushed over here in the first place.

"Do you think he still works?" She asked enthusiastically, pointing at the troll-like head on the toy.

Without hesitation, Joey aimed the toy at the other boy, squeezed the legs together, and the ugly baldhead shot off and hit Duke right in the eye.

"Dyaghh! God!" Duke spun away from them, holding both hands over his injured eye.

"Yup," Joey said happily, grinning.

"Joey," Serenity said sternly, frowning at her brother. He shrugged sheepishly, and smiled at her lazily in apology.

"Geez, Serenity, I'm really sorry." Joey's brown eyes twinkled mischievously, something that Serenity knew from experience meant that he might be less than sincere.

"Joeeey..." She scolded, crossing her arms over her chest. Despite what his super-masculine image projected, all it took was the almost indiscernible disappointed pout of his baby sister for him to get down on his knees and beg forgiveness.

He sighed, cupped his hands and yelled towards the bathroom, "Yo! Sorry 'bout dat, Dukey!"

"What-the-hell-ever, you ass!" It sounded like Duke was running water in the bathroom. And maybe crying.

Joey shrugged helplessly. "I tried."

Serenity put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know you did, Joey. Thank you."

"No prob, sis. Anything for you." Joey moved in for a spontaneous hug, but before he and Serenity could get their arms around each other, Duke's voice rang out.

"Oh God, I think I can see the blood in my eye!"

Joey and Serenity froze, and calmly extricated themselves from each other.

"Maybe you should go," Serenity suggested quietly.

"Maybe I should," he agreed. Joey reached down to pick up the discarded pop-off head, gave his sister a quick kiss on the cheek, and headed out. "I'll let ya know when I can come by this weekend, 'kay?"

"Thanks Joey. Watch out for that dog on your way out." Just mentioning the dog made her wrist itch where the beast had sunk its teeth into her. The thought of it hurting Joey too made her feel a little sick inside.

"Dat mangy thing better watch out for me. He'll really bite off more dan he can chew then." Joey swallowed his rage when he saw the drops of blood, Serenity's blood, decorating the carpet. "Love ya, sis. Be careful, awright?"

"Love you too, Joey."

With a wave, he left. Serenity watched the front door for a while, wishing that every conversation she had with her brother didn't have to end with goodbye.

"Phew. That was a close one, huh?" asked Duke, who was suddenly standing right beside her.

The pain in her wrist throbbed. "Too close," she replied, not quite able to mask her grouchiness.

Duke grabbed hold of her shoulders, and held her in front of him for inspection. "Oh, I'm sorry Serenity. I meant your brother, not the dog. You're okay, aren't you?"

The tenderness in his eyes caught Serenity off guard. "Yeah. Good thing Joey showed up after all, huh?

Duke frowned. "You know that I would never let anything bad happen to you either, don't you Serenity?" They were standing very close now, but not as close as Duke would have liked.

"But..." Serenity pondered over Duke's question, "what about the dog? I mean, that just happened-"

"Nothing really bad," Duke immediately corrected. He let her go and took a step back. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Something akin to realization went off behind Serenity's eyes, and she observed Duke carefully. He felt his heart pound in his chest when she ran her unwounded hand down his arm, her eyebrows knit together in contemplation.

"Duke?"

"Yes, Serenity?" he asked hopefully.

"Why are you wearing my shirt?

"Soon life will become more interesting." - Fortune cookie
Author's Notes: So there you have it. The actual first chapter. Mainly just a character introduction with an important event that will effect the rest of the story (and one character's life) occurs. I would have liked it to be funnier than it was, but I can't have everything be slapstick if I want anybody to have any depth at all. The fortune cookie thing (er, the relevance - I hope this particular quote related fairly obviously) will make more sense after the next chapter (which is two-thirds done), and I plan to have one at the end of each chapter. Finally, I changed the category from "Supernatural" to "Fantasy" because while it will have a lot of supernatural elements to it, I also want to blend in a lot of fantasy concepts, especially ones that I don't see used very often. Anyway - thanks for reading and I promise things will pick up once I get the characters all introduced. Review, and let me know if I at least got any smirks out of anyone!