A/N: this is my favorite story because it's a lot of fun to write. so far, i've seen that i keep laughing at jesse.... poor guy. well, hope you guys are enjoying this as much as i am!

Jesse was sitting on the pier again. He had to avoid Jim because Jim said he would probably be with Adrian again.

Jesse punched his knee to stop himself from crying. Why did Jim go back? What was he doing?

He looked up and shielded his eyes from the sun.

Midday.

He sighed and looked at the water again. It was as beautiful as Jim's eyes. Suddenly, Jesse slapped his cheeks with both hands and got up.

"No! I won't be depressed today! I will do something!" He decided he would take a run back to the dorms and find Jaden and enjoy his day.

---Jim---

He sighed and raised his hand. It had taken him almost all morning to finally get up the courage to knock on that dreaded door.

His hand, instead of knocking, pushed on the handle. It gave and the door opened.

Jim poked his head in, only to find Adrian collapsed on the sofa in the corner. He had to do it. Now or never.

"Adrian?" he asked, standing just out of Adrian's reach.

"What?" the red-head replied. His cold eyes fell on Jim. "Something you need?"

"Can I talk to you? Or do you want to be left alone?"

"Start talking or I'm throwing you out the window."

Jim sighed and took a deep breath. This was coming out, weather he liked it or not, and this time, Jesse and Shirley weren't going to save him if Adrian jumped. "I'm sorry. Jesse just proved to be a kinder person. Don't take it into offense."

"Why should I? I didn't care what happened to you anyways."

"Well, can I ask why you took me in like that?"

Adrian closed his eyes for a second. He reached up and dragged himself off the right side of the sofa, towards his desk. He pulled out a draw and was rummaging around inside. After a few seconds, he pulled out a different drawer and found what he was looking for. "This wasn't something I wanted to show you. All the same, here." Adrian shoved a folder into Jim's chest and his cold eyes met Jim's calm ones.

Jim let the file fall open in his hands and his eyes widened.

It was Jesse's record. It showed Jesse in the major accident in his youth. It had a lengthy description of his year and a half in a coma. It described his family life.

Jim looked up. "When--?"

"I was bored one day." Adrian sat on the sofa again. "I found out everything about all of you. I know about your accident, with Shirley and your eye. I know about your mother's illness, your dad's reputation for being strict and violent. I know everything. Jesse's was the only record that's incomplete. For nearly a year, he went off the grid and those records show no sign of him. But mostly, his mystery turned me off."

Jim swallowed. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"So, I looked into Axel's file. Clean as a whistle. I tried talking to him on the boat, he just slammed his door in my face."

Jim quickly looked up at Adrian.

"And then there was you. Ah, the mysterious James Crocodile Cook. All that the records publicly state is your accident. They don't tell me much else about you. They talk about your father's ups and downs and the times you ended up in the hospital for it. The times your mother got deathly ill. But nothing on you." Adrian's smile spread like cold ice that was thickening and becoming unbearable. "So, I wanted you. I wanted you all to myself. I didn't want anyone to find your heart."

"So, that's why you wanted me? That's why you watched me sleep in the sun for three days? On the ship, you spied on me?"

"In a way," Adrian said, a smile becoming a frown. "But for some reason, once you met Jesse, your heart became something different. I couldn't help but notice that you had a smile for every time Jesse cracked a joke. That's why I forced you to take those drugs, those drinks. I made potions and elixirs to keep you here, in my room at night. I wanted you to be my own and not belong to someone else."

Jim felt cold settle in his bones. He'd been in love with Jesse long before he knew it! Was that why Jesse seemed so eager to spend time with him?

"Now, your hearts gone. It's been removed from you."

"What does that mean?"

Adrian's smile was sad. "It's when someone touches your soul and you become attached to them. You give them a piece of your heart."

Jim felt the folder slip from his hands. He was shaking. "Jesse.... took a piece of me?"

"Along with some part of your memory. Read the file. Enjoy yourself. I don't care anymore." Adrian was staring out the window. "He loves you better anyways."

---Jesse---

Jaden was dragging him away.

How had that happened? How had Jesse gotten himself into this fiasco?

Atticus smiled and picked up Jesse's other arm. The duo dragged the blue-haired boy away from the dorms, where Hassleberry, Syrus, and Zane were standing.

"C'mon, it's not that bad, Jesse!" Jaden said, smiling brightly. "It's a lot of fun to dress-up."

"Dress-ups fer girls!" Jesse protested. "Why do you want me to dress-up anyways?!"

Atticus smiled. "Because we're throwing a party tonight. It's going to be so much fun! All we need to do is teach you to walk in heels."

Jesse stared at Atticus, wide-eyed and fearful. "No! No! No! I won't wear a dress! NO!" Jesse started to struggle.

"Too late!" Atticus hit Jesse just hard enough to knock him out.

---Jim---

He was lying on the floor with Shirley. The room was quiet and dark. The curtains kept the sun out and Jim just wanted to be alone. It was scary. Hard to imagine.

Jesse had suffered a major blow to his body during the accident. His body could only handle dueling for so long. It was because of his eyes. Something had happened to change his brown eyes blue. Since the accident and Jesse's coma releasing him, Jesse couldn't last through survival dueling because after duel four or five, he would lose his breath and would collapse from exhaustion by duel six.

Jim tried to picture Jesse's smiling face as he was back then.

There were pictures of Jesse, his mother, his half-sister, her mother, and their father after the accident. The sister had come out unscathed. The father had two broken legs and a broken arm. The two mothers had been badly injured and were hospitalized, Jesse's mother passed away in the hospital, but the other mother had survived. Jesse had been impaled through the head, just under his left eye, and through both legs.

Jim shut his eye tight. No, not that image.

But the image of Jesse during his entrance exam to the Final Destination Academy for Dueling swam up.

His bright, bit, blue eyes full of excitement, his blue hair ruffled from running back and forth, his powder-blue jacket and pants, his pure white boots, his big smile. It was all just like Jesse was now. Bright, happy, full of wonder.

There was a knock at his door and Jim sat up. He slowly opened the door and then shut it tight again. "Go away, Atticus."

"Aw, c'mon! I was just coming to ask if you were free tonight. Jesse and I wanted you to come to the Slifer dorms for some well-deserved partying!"

Jim's eye widened. Jesse was going to party? What was that all about? He opened the door a crack and stared at Atticus. "Why?"

"Well, bro, it's because Jesse wants to show you something!"

Jim sighed. "Fine, what time?"

"Seven. It's in an hour. So, bring Shirley!" Atticus disappeared, out of sight.

Jim closed the door. A party? He looked at Shirley. 'Maybe I should go.'