Bah, you people. You all make me happy, but at the same time I feel awful for not finishing this story for you. Work has been hectic, and I've gone and got myself stuck in a lot of fandoms. Oh boy, Tumblr kills me.

So, the chapter you've all been waiting for. Chapter 9!

I'd also like to thank people for their criticism, I have improved my grammar and spelling ten fold since I last wrote. It's appreciated.

Have you ever had that terrible sinking feeling in your stomach, the feeling you get when something just isn't right? That feeling had settled itself within most of the occupants of the cul-de-sac that very night. Teens lay in their beds, staring at the ceiling, willing it to shift, but to no avail.

Of all the people to get this feeling, no-one felt it stronger than Kevin, it almost made him feel sick it was so overpowering.

Edd..

He was all the jock could think about, such a thought would usually be accompanied by butterflies, a floating, loving feeling. But no, this feeling was awful. And he couldn't sleep because of it. In fact, the only person sleeping soundly that night, was Eddy, snoring away as if he didn't have a care in the world.

The blond boy that stayed fixated in Kevin's mind was also awake. In all honesty, he was terrified. And he had every right to be.

Travis. The boy's uncle, prided himself on the family's name, they were the smartest people, had amazing jobs, and every son born into the family, had a habit of keeping the thick black hair their family carried for generations.

But Edd took on his mother's blonde colour, with his father's thicker locks. Travis was enraged by it, he had even gotten into an argument with Edd's father over it, they hadn't spoken in years until one day, Travis had gotten back in contact and all was apparently forgiven.

Edd saw this otherwise.

Travis reserved his hatred all those years, and took it all out on Edd. Despite his smarts, he was still hated for the genes he carried, hence why he wore a hat so religiously.

Now he was stuck, waiting for the man to deal the damage. It had been an hour since they had gone to bed.

The house was quiet.

Edd's heavy and slightly panicked breathing was all that could be heard, until a creak of the floorboards sounded outside the door.

Then everything went silent, even Edd's breathing had stopped completely. His eyes were wide, staring at the door as it slowly opened, and of course, the man that caused him so much upset was standing on the other side. His steely gaze was fixated on the boy, until he motioned for him to follow, his glare silently telling him 'Or else.'

What choice did Edd have now? If he so much as tried to run, Travis would catch him and make it all worse, if he called for help, adults would believe the horrid man over a hormonal teenager any day. He was stuck.

Quietly, he slipped out of the bed and moved over to his uncle, as if a wounded dog was being scolded and told to get outside. Travis grunted, obviously not pleased about anything right now, he grabbed the back of Edd's shirt, starting to drag him down the hall.

Edd, as he was being dragged, was confused by this. Not only were his parents still in the house, but the man had never been so aggressive at getting to him. It was almost like he was planning something, and was in a hurry to do it.

"I've had enough of your shit, boy." The gruff voice sounded, "You and me, we're going to right this wrong you've put on our beloved family. You started life as a whore, you hang around with retards.. And to top it off, you're a great big faggot." He snarled, though Edd was tempted to point out his contradiction, he thought it best if he stayed quiet, even if he just insulted his best friend.

He had no clue where they were going, but Travis had dragged him outside now. They were heading off in an odd direction, he noticed. Soon, they arrived at the Junk yard. Why did he bring him here?He only had time to briefly ponder on this before he was thrown to the ground, the mud from the rain that previously soaked the earth splattering over his clothes and sticking to his skin.

Edd turned his head, and as he laid his eyes upon the knife in Travis' hand, he realised what he meant, and his heart almost stopped dead.

Travis wanted him dead.

What neither of these males seemed to notice, is one pair of eyes watching them as Travis had dragged Edd through the streets. It was a good job Ed had gone outside to find his comic book that he had lost.

Pages still unfound, Ed knew that Double D was in trouble, so he scrambled off to get Kevin.

"Kevin! Kevin!" The taller Ed shouted as he ran through the other's front door, literally ran through it. Kevin would need a new door.

"Double D is in big trouble!"

Those words being heard, Kevin shot up and ran out of his room, down the hall and jumped the stairs, getting to the distressed Ed. "What do you mean? Where is he?" Kevin's heart was pounding at this point, hoping to God that they wouldn't be too late.

"Travis took him to the junk yard! He was dragging him along with a knife! He will carve him up and eat his brain!" Imagination running wild, the taller teen ran in circles, then charged for the Ed shaped hole where the door used to be. "I will get the others! Ed will help!"

Kevin nodded, and followed suit, if they were going to save Edd, they needed more people. And dammit Kevin would not stop until that bastard got what he deserved.

"Hold on Double dweeb, I'm comin' for ya'."

The junk yard was vast, luckily for Edd. He had managed to run from the deranged man's grasp and was hiding in the crane that he and the other Ed's used to play in when they were younger. His breath was short, his heart would skip a beat with every sound made outside.

"Eddwaaaaard~! Come out and play.. You little shit."

The blond swallowed thickly, hoping against all hope that he wouldn't come any closer, hoping he wouldn't be found. But there were only so many places to hide, and he couldn't run forever.

Almost no-one came to the junk yard anymore, most had forgotten of it's very existence.

Footsteps were drawing closer..

Edd kept silent. Counting out the seconds in his mind. 1.. 2.. 3..

They got closer still.. 4.. 5.. 6..

They were so close.. 7 .. 8 .. 9 .. 10..

They passed.

A short sigh of relief passed the teen's lips as he heard nothing but silence. But then it hit him. Why was it so quiet..

"Found you."

Travis hadn't passed, he had just gone around to the otherside.

Edd cried out and leapt out of the other side of the crane. He cursed his low stamina, if only he had been more like Kevin..

Kevin..

He wished he was here. He was always so brave, so strong and proud. Completely the opposite to what Edd was. They complimented each other perfectly. And as Double D ran through the soaked earth, one step slipping and making him fall into a puddle, he found himself wondering if things would have been different if he had never had been born with blond hair.

Hell, they wouldn't have moved if it wasn't for that fight.

He wouldn't have had it any other way..

If none of this were to have happened, he never would have met Kevin, or Ed. Or any of his friends. And it was as Travis caught up, brandishing that knife up high, ready to strike, that Edd realised how much he loved each and every one of them.

"Any last words, faggot?" The brunette sneered, towering over the fallen teen, knife held ready.

There was nothing Edd could say, was there? In fact, there was something he wanted to say..

"Halt! In the name of the son of a shepherd!"

Edd's mouth hung open. That wasn't what he wanted to say at all.

Travis turned his head, cocking a brow at the small army of teenagers, standing on the cliffside of the junk yard.. And a goat. For some reason.

Kevin stood forward, a large baseball bat in his hands, and that cocky smirk plastered over his face. "You alright, Double D?"

Edd, honestly, felt like crying. The wave of relief, happiness, it just overflowed him. "..I'm okay."

"Alright." He held the bat out, pointing it in Travis' direction. The man had an odd look on his face, one that told that he knew this wasn't going to end well for him. He almost looked afraid.

"Me and you? We got a score to settle.. You hurt the one I love, tried to break him, so I'm gonna break your face as payment."

Ralph then stood forward, pointing a finger at Travis. "You have soiled this cul-de-sac with your impure actions, you have hurt one of our own, and now the son of a shepherd will take his revenge!"

The rest of the teens, every single one of them, nodded their heads. And as Ed stood tall, they all got ready.

"Charge!" "Get him!" "I call his legs!" "I get his arms!" "Let's teach him not to mess with our friends!"

Travis bolted, dropping the knife in panic as he made his way to what he thought was the exit, but only ended up being a dead end. That moment, the usually quiet night air was filled with painful cries, and the sounds of teenagers cheering.

Eddward had stayed sat in the mud, watching for a moment before he let a sigh of relief leave his lips, the gap between his teeth creating a slight whistling noise. He heard another boy approach him, and sit next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Double D, did I do good?"

Tired blue eyes shifted over to the large form beside him, his lips creasing into a smile, "You did very well, Ed. Thank you, friend."

Ed made sure to bring the smaller teen into a hug, waiting, protecting him until he deemed it safe enough to let go.

"I can't believe he fell in the scrap yard and broke so many bones," Edd's father was amazed, watching as they carted Travis away in an ambulance, the mother figure standing beside him, shaking her head. "He's muttering things about goats, hunny, do you think all this fresh air got to him?"

A few yards away, all of the cul-de-sac kids had gathered, celebrating their new found bonds, Ed, Edd and even Eddy were accepted into the group, all past rivalries forgotten in favour of a new and more peaceful playground.

"So, what actually happened? I slept through the whole thing," Eddy felt as though he didn't really miss much, but then again there was no money involved, or was there- "Did you manage to swipe his wallet?" Eddy's face was soon pushed away, by none other than Kevin, who snorted and just sat in Eddy's place.

"Hey, Double Dweeb, I found your hat." He reached out and pulled the black fabric over the blond's head, making said teen laugh, his hand running over the hat he used to wear so often, every day in fact. It was always out of fear, but now that the fear had gone..

"I think.. I'll be fine without the hat now." In that instance, blue met green, a tongue running over and through a gap as both teens simply smiled, fingers inching closer until they managed to intwine with each other, bodies moving just a bit closer until- "You guys really need to get a room, Plank doesn't want to see that."

Kevin allowed his eyes to roll, Edd just placed the hat back on his head, pulling it down as far as he could to hide the ever deepening blush that spread across his cheeks.

"Nevermind, I need the hat after all.."

And there we have it, the end. Sorry for the wait, and I appreciate those of you who enjoyed it, I particularly didn't like this story, since I wrote it a long time ago in my awkward writing stage. But still. It was good to learn from. Until next time.