Should I come out of hiding to say hello? Because I feel like I'm gonna be pelted with tomatoes as soon as I do.

I am so sorry for the wait, guys. To be honest, I discovered three things which distracted me from writing: BBC's Sherlock, Doctor Who, and Tumblr. Oh, sweet Pete, I love them all. Expect a Johnlock fanfic from me in the future- I'm in the middle of writing one.

However, it has come to my attention that I have received a BUNCH of reviews from some very kind and hug-worthy people. A huge thank you to: ChibiRoni13, CarpeDiemForLife, Manic-Mania, JessTalksAlot, Engelhaft Albtraum, DidiMaze, xxDancing-With-Starsxx, JustForgettheWorld09, Hope Diamond, Alice J. Nightshade, Panda Bandit, Sam R (I made a lot of dying whale noises and high pitched squeals whilst reading your reviews, I'll have you know. Thank you so much!), deafield, Laya14, The Phantoms Serenity, XxBookXxWormxX, NatashaKat, Mimi, Guest, Serenitea8, dionne dance, and all of the people I talked to on Tumblr about this story. Also, thank you to whereisbueller for the messages! I'm not trying to sound cliche, but you all seriously make my day. I become a snot rag of joy when I read your reviews. Thank you- I mean it.

This chapter is un-Beta'd, but let's all appreciate the fact that Christine Writer puts up with me and my sporadic updating all year.

I own a Doctor Who calendar, but alas, I do not own Edward Scissorhands.

Without further delay, here's the new chapter!

September sped away like a bullet, leaving me in the middle of October with no recollection of how I'd gotten there. But you know what? I didn't mind all that much.

"Lucy, wake up!"

Okay, I minded a little. Getting up for school was the bane of my existence.

Throwing a pillow over my head, I pretended not to hear Ellie's voice. Shhh, small child. Let me savor these last few minutes of sleep.

Of course, there was no such luck. I barely had time to register my door being flung open before a hyperactive Ellie jumped onto my bed.

"LuLu, get up!" she ordered, bouncing up and down. I groaned.

"Stop." It was a pitiful excuse for a command. Hey, I was tired.

"I don't think so." Ellie giggled, adding more force to each jump. I think I growled in frustration. Can't be sure.

"Please, cause motion sickness somewhere else." I half-moaned, half-yelled. The jumping stopped, but Ellie stayed on the bed.

"Come on, it's time for school." she urged, shaking my shoulder. I scoffed from beneath the pillow over my head.

"What time is it?"

"Seven."

"…I'm up."

I was out of the bed and in my closet before she could scoot away, glasses haphazardly shoved onto my face. I had fifteen minutes to get ready, which didn't give me the option of a shower.

Well, at least I took one yesterday. I mused, snatching a long-sleeved blue shirt from its hanger and finding my last clean pair of jeans hiding just a few inches below it. It was a wonder I didn't rip them when I pulled them on. I guess that was just a special skill. Lucy Monet- smooth dresser. Granted, I left my pants unbuttoned by accident and didn't notice until I was halfway through putting on my sneakers, but that was beside the point.

I emerged from the closet, half a new woman. All I had to do was take care of the necessities.

"Ten minutes, Lucy!" Mom called from the kitchen, the rustle of cabinets accompanying her voice.

"I got this!" I responded, rushing into the bathroom and splashing my face with cold water. Who needs coffee when you've got hypothermia?

Drying myself off, I brushed my teeth at the speed of light and went to work on my hair. I had recently found a friend in hair gel. Good stuff, I tell you.

Hair spiked and smelling decent, I made my way into the kitchen. Mom sat at the counter, a thermos of coffee in hand and a newspaper in the other. I grabbed a pack of Pop-Tarts from the box and joined her.

Me trying to unwrap the little demons was about as quiet and polite as white noise. Mom gave me a look of annoyance as she sipped her coffee and read.

"Sorry." I whispered, finally unearthing the wonders that were the Pop-Tarts and shoving half of one into my mouth. Dang it, I hated blueberry.

We sat in silence for a few minutes before Mom finally murmured, "Well, it looks like the weather will be nice on your birthday this year, at least."

"Great." I drawled through a mouthful of Pop-Tart. I said I hated blueberry; I never said I wasn't gonna eat it anyway.

Mom smiled despite her disgust. "Anything special you want to do?"

I shrugged. "I'll think of something. We've got what, a week?"

She nodded. "If it helps, Ellie has suggested Chuck-E Cheese's."

Even though I knew she would never, ever put me through that, I shot her a look. She giggled.

"There are just days when I don't like you." I murmured, shoving the last bite of Pop-Tart into my mouth. She shook her head, still laughing, then checked her watch.

"Time to go. Ellie! Come on!"

"Okay, okay, geez." my little sister huffed, exiting her room with her backpack and jacket in hand. She stuck her tongue out at me when I passed her to go grab my own from my closet.

"Meet us in the car, Luce." Mom called to me. I heard their footsteps leading out the door.

Snatching my messenger bag and a jacket, I went to do the same.

"I love school. I love it." I groaned quietly when I nearly tripped on the front steps for the fifteenth time. Offering a glance toward Edward's mansion as I hopped in the car, I hoped the day would fly by.

Yeah, like that ever happens.

Did I ever mention that I hate math? Because it's true. I hate it. My body freaking burns with the flames of hatred.

The match that sparked this fire came in the form of a pop quiz given during the dreaded class known as "Pre-Calculus". The flames rose when I failed it. Well, back to my usual C average, I guess.

"Come on, it's not that bad." Sarah cooed, rubbing my back. We were sitting at the lunch table, just the two of us, and my forehead had become best friends with the plastic surface as soon as we plopped down. Thank goodness Ezra had been sick today and Jenica had lunch detention. Well, not that lunch detention (given for showing up late one too many times for Pre-Calculus, no less) was a positive thing, but a part of me was glad that I could express myself freely, without having to make sure I didn't talk. Yep, I was still clinging to my 'don't talk to strangers' policy. No new developments there.

"Says the math whiz who aced it." I shot back at her, words muffled. Sarah scoffed.

"Calm down. It was worth what, five points?"

"Ten."

She chuckled, albeit quietly. Gee, thanks for thinking of my emotional state, Sarah. Always there for me, you are.

Things were quiet for a moment, as I wallowed in self-pity and she munched on a few French fries.

"Well," she said through a mouthful of deep-fried potato. "At least the day is halfway over. Then you can see E-"

"Hey, Tink!"

No, no.

"Ignore him." Sarah said quietly, looking straight ahead. She was trying not to make it obvious as to what she was telling me. I didn't respond, but just kept my head on the table. Go away. Please.

No such luck.

"What's wrong with my little fairy here?" that raspy voice got closer. Then, without warning, a weight settled on the bench beside me. I gulped.

"She has a headache." Sarah replied quickly. "And she needs space if she wants it to go away."

There was venom laced in every word. I didn't move. Maybe I could pass as a statue.

"Doesn't look like it's working, Tink." Jeff whispered conspiratorially in my ear. I winced at the feeling of his heated breath. Gritting my teeth, I lifted my head. The area around us had gone silent at the start of Jeff's commotion. Looking around, almost everyone was attempting to appear uninterested in what was going on. Still, curiosity won out, and their eyes kept darting to the scene.

Please, look away. I begged them. Jeff obviously loved the attention.

"You know what?" Sarah threw the rest of her fries onto her tray, standing up. "You are absolutely right, Jeff."

Um, what? I squinted at my cousin, trying to figure out her game. Sarah refused to meet my eyes as she tossed her lunch into the garbage, wiping her hands on her jeans. Then, turning back to us, she smiled.

"Really?" Jeff smirked, an unpleasant, crooked grin. I fought the urge to gag at his attempt to look ruggedly attractive.

"Yep." Sarah ran a hand through her hair, a mechanism I recognized as a stress-reliever. "So, why don't I take her to the nurse? Fresh air is obviously not doing her any good."

And before I could blink, my arm was being jerked out of its socket as Sarah pulled me from the table.

"Thanks, Jeff!" she called over her shoulder, linking her arm with mine. I quickly pulled my messenger bag to my shoulder and followed her lead.

"Anytime!" Jeff called back. I cringed.

"Thank you." I whispered to Sarah, as we exited the cafeteria. She just nodded in response.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just see if we can get to English before the bell rings." she winked.

I don't know why English and Chemistry always seemed to pass by in a blur. They just did.

It could be the fact that I used that time to think about Edward, but I doubt it.

Speaking of which, you're probably expecting me to have had some kind of revelation in which I revealed my true feelings of extreme love and attraction towards my best friend. But that hadn't happened, and I was pretty sure it wouldn't, well, ever, despite what Sarah had been hoping for. Edward was my handsome best friend for whom I would do anything. Nothing more, nothing less. See? We were so friend-like that I could refer to him as handsome and not feel weird about it…I think.

Speaking of weird, I will admit that Edward had been acting a little off toward me since that movie night about a month ago. Something about the way he looked at me was less…I dunno, just less. Almost like he was pulling back from me. It was a little depressing, but I wouldn't ask. I'd just wait and see if he wanted to tell me. Who knows? Maybe he just doesn't like Disney. I could totally understand that.

Then why did it bother me so much?

The bell rang.

Depressing thoughts could wait. Art class, here I come.

Free days are happy days for Lucy.

"Okay, guys, I've got a bunch of projects to grade, so just…draw whatever comes to mind." Kristin sighed, walking into her office and shutting the door behind her. Jenica snickered from my side. I raised a brow.

"She dropped her lesson-plan book thingy in a puddle this morning." she explained, grinning from ear to ear. I smiled in amusement.

Well, hello there, beautiful. I thought, gazing at my sketchbook. Flipping through my drawings, I finally managed to find a blank page.

Not before Jenica had caught a glimpse of something, apparently.

"What was that?" she asked, leaning over my shoulder to get a better look at the page. My brows furrowed in question. "Can you flip back?"

I shrugged, then nodded. What could possibly be in here th-

DANG IT.

Before I could stop it, my hand had flipped to a quick sketch of Edward's profile. It was rough, with no color or shading, but it was very obviously him. Well, his face. No scissors were in sight.

But…Jenica had no way of knowing about his hands. So, it was cool, right?

"Who is that?" she questioned, eyes wide in curiosity. I wasn't sure I liked that. Quickly, I wrote on the drawing:

A friend of mine.

"Oh, does he go to this school?" she continued. I shook my head, flipping back to my blank page and, hopefully, implying that the subject was no longer open for discussion.

"Hey, sorry." Jenica drew back, holding up her hands defensively. "I didn't mean to offend."

I offered her a tight smile that was meant to say, "It's alright", but probably came off as "I want to kill you slowly." Either way, she didn't probe further. I didn't complain.

Yes, yes, yes! Home. Sweet, sweet home of mine, with your air-conditioned beauty and sense of relaxation.

Overdramatic? Yep. Do I care? Nope.

I flopped onto the couch as soon as I saw it, breathing in the scent of clean cotton. No one else had gotten home yet, so I saw this as an opportunity to be as weird as possible. That includes couch-flopping, yes.

Unburying my head from the cushions, I decided to make myself a snack, and then head over to Edward's. Hey, maybe I'd make him something, too. Pft, what was I saying? Of course I would. It was an unspoken code: you have food, you share that food. Okay, this rule did not apply to desserts, but otherwise, it was golden and I intended to follow it.

Stumbling to the kitchen, I flung open the cabinets in search of deliciousness. Nutella greeted me from behind a box of Fiber-O's. Sandwiches it was, then.

As I put the little slices of heaven in plastic bags, I wondered if Edward liked the food I brought. Sure, he ate it, but he was a polite person in general. That's just what you do when you want a person to not hate you, isn't it? Eat their food and not look the gift horse in the mouth?

Dude, calm down. My mind snorted. You're freaking out over Nutella sandwiches.

Okay, it was pretty pitiful, now that I thought twice about it. I had to laugh at myself as I grabbed my jacket and breezed out the door, and the smile remained on my face for the duration of the bike-ride to get to the mansion.

It was promptly smacked clean off, however, when I pulled up to the gate.

Of three things I was absolutely sure.

One, I should never be a ninja.

Two, Edward was in trouble, because a giant white van with bold letters proclaiming 'Mikey's bug and rodent trappers' parked in front of the mansion didn't bode well for an in-hiding urban legend with scissors for hands.

Three, The Nutella sandwiches were gonna get soggy before Edward and I could eat them.

The third thing wasn't especially pressing, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't bum me out just the tiniest bit. Oh, come on. It was Nutella.

I don't really remember getting off of my bike, or how I managed to cover a distance of about a mile in ten minutes. I don't recall how I ended up making it to the attic without being spotted.

I do remember, though, the look of relief on Edward's face as I did.

"Edward?" I whispered, tiptoe-ing into the space where we had shared so many secrets and heartfelt conversations. There was a rustle, and I nearly tripped out of fright, before Edward shuffled forward.

"Lucy." he half-murmured, half-questioned. The fear that had creased his brow now smoothed into something more pleasant. I felt like dancing, because this was the most normal behavior he'd shown toward me in over a month.

Instead of putting on a display of flailing limbs and nauseating rhythm, I looked around cautiously.

"Where are they?" I asked softly, listening for sounds of chatter.

"The East wing." Edward replied quietly, motioning to it with one blade. I nodded, running a hand through my hair. So, no immediate danger. Good, but I wasn't about to sit right down and pretend that no one might walk in on us before we could hide. The only thing to do was leave.

"Okay, we've gotta get out of here before they see you." I murmured, looking over my shoulder. No one.

"Where will we go?" Edward questioned, stepping forward despite his confusion. I fought a smile at that. He trusted me.

"Um, my house. Unless you wanna go somewhere else." I added quickly, checking over my shoulder again. All clear.

He shook his head, stopping only a foot away. The back of my neck heated at the closeness, but I ignored it.

Just a friend. Just a friend, Luce. I chanted inwardly, hoping he didn't notice my cherry-tomato face. Attractive.

"Okay, then." I cleared my throat, turning to leave. "Let's go."

"Yo, Mikey," a tinny voice shouted. "Get'a load of this here staircase!"

I think I fainted a little. Can't be sure. Staggering back into the attic, Edward and I stared at each other with wide eyes. Well, the front door was out in terms of escape.

"Pretty big," another voice joined the first. The man whistled in appreciation. "Sure don't make them like that anymore."

They were getting closer. I gulped, looking frantically around the room. The window! Wait, no. We couldn't just jump out of a window...not without breaking our legs, anyway.

"Wonder what's up there?" the first voice remarked, footsteps accompanying each word. We had to hide, then. No place to escape.

Edward seemed to be on the same page. I looked up to find his gaze flitting toward the corner he normally took shelter in. It would be a stretch, but maybe, if we huddled together…

It had to work.

"Come on." I whispered urgently, rushing to the far side of the room. Edward was close behind.

"Hey, Mikey, there's a whole other bunch'a rooms up here!" that annoying, tinny voice held a smile in it that made my skin crawl. Edward sunk to the floor, crouching as close to the wall as he could possibly get. I spied my painting propped against it just ahead of him, nearly broke a toe in my haste to grab it, and drug it over. Hopefully, it would be big enough to cover us.

I just had to sit really, really close to Edward for it to work.

No biggie.

Sinking to the floor, I pressed myself against his shoulder, hoping that would be enough. Of course, it wasn't. Shoulder-to-shoulder didn't work when the painting was about two feet in length and the two people hiding behind it were practically grown adults. Sighing internally, I hesitantly moved to drape myself over Edward's shoulder, awkwardly angling my arm away from his lap as I rested my cheek on his upper arm and placing my shoulder a little ways behind his back. Edward stiffened at the closeness. My face felt like it was on fire again as I tried to not breathe. Call me crazy, but the idea of panting heavily due to our awkward position and my nerves was not something I wanted to do.

Calm down, Lucy. I told myself, giving in to my need for air and inhaling deeply. It might've helped- I dunno.

"Sorry, Edward." I muttered when I felt confident enough to do so without stuttering.

"It's okay." he replied, staring straight ahead. A pang of guilt hit me as I realized how uncomfortable he must be, all due to my stupid idea.

Heavy footsteps echoed throughout the room.

"Tom, get'a look at this roof!" Mikey, I assumed, called to the other man. A lighter set of footsteps joined his as they made their way further into the room.

"By golly, that's a huge hole." Tom breathed, a few thunks indicating that he had stepped closer to inspect the damage. Edward shifted nervously beside me, accidentally elbowing me in the boob in the process. I had to bite my cheek to keep from groaning in pain. Well, at least he didn't seem to notice. The last thing I needed was Edward to feel guilty for something he did by accident.

"This whole place 's a death trap." Mikey sighed, the snap of liquid on wood indicating that he had spit on the floor. I cringed. Edward remained stone-faced.

"Tell me about it, man. Let's go 'n get our stuff outta the van- we gots work to do." Tom apparently smacked him on the shoulder and left, judging by the annoyed huff Mikey gave once his footsteps had faded away.

The room was silent for a moment.

I hadn't heard Mikey leave, but there was no way on earth the man could be that quiet, was there? What if he had spotted us and was creeping toward the painting currently?

A breeze swept through, providing the cover I needed to whisper a quick "gonna look" to Edward, who started when I pulled myself from his shoulder.

To say that those were the longest ten seconds of my life would be a lie, but at that moment, I would've sworn it was true. I didn't even think I was moving as I tried to slowly raise my head over the painting. Soon, however, I discovered that I had been moving at least a bit, because Mikey's hulking form slid into my view pretty quickly- too quickly, if you ask me.

The muscled, un-showered man stood at the opposite end of the room, scrutinizing Edward's bed and the pictures above it. I watched, frozen, as he reached out a sun-worn hand and plucked one of them from his wall, examined it, then folded it up and stuffed it into his pocket. A flash of red, green, and gold told me exactly which one it was.

My lion.

Crap, did I sign that one, or just initial it? Please, let me have forgotten to do either.

Anger asked the fear to dance, and soon, I found myself fuming over the fact that this Mikey had so casually taken one of my drawings given to Edward. That drawing was special- not because of what had been on the paper, but the memories it held. It symbolized the first time we had really talked, had begun to become friends.

And he TOOK IT.

Biting my lip, I flinched at the sound of Tom's voice.

"Mikey, you comin'?"

Mikey turned just as I slumped back into Edward's shoulder.

"Yeah, on my way down."

And with that, he thumped down the stairs with his big, stupid feet. I turned to look at Edward.

"What's wrong?" he asked, noticing my distress before I could mask it. I shook my head.

"I'll tell you when we're safe."

Poking my head above the painting again, I saw no traces of Mikey.

"I think the coast is clear." I murmured, lifting myself from the ground and dragging the picture against the wall. "How should we get out of here?"

Standing, Edward was silent in thought. I rubbed my arms, missing the warmth he provided, but said nothing…because he needed to think. Yeah, that was the reason.

"I know a way." he said softly, almost tentatively. I nodded.

"Okay, let's go."

Edward hesitated. I stepped closer, trying to meet his eyes. When he finally allowed it, there was so much nervousness in his gaze that I had to gulp.

"H-how dangerous is it, Edward?" I asked in a tiny voice. Great, the stutter of doom was back.

There was a pause, before Edward stooped a little in order to see me better. We locked eyes, and then he said those four words that made a cold chill run down my spine.

"Do you trust me?"

I DO!

So, what did you think? Again, I am SO sorry for the wait- I really need to get off my lazy butt and write, because I'd forgotten how enjoyable it was. Also, if any of you want to help me in my quest for cover art, feel free to contribute! I know one special user is working on something for it. I do not know how to art, so I'm letting you guys have creative control on that front.

I wanna hear from you all. Did you like it? Hate it? If you would be so awesomely fantastic as to leave a review, that would be so kind. I love reading them!

Thank you all for sticking with me in what is probably the most rewarding experience of my life. I love every one of you!