Chapter Seven: Brian

A/N: Okay, so I had this one written already, but after posting the sixth chapter, I realized I was too hasty with that one and decided to revise this one a little bit before posting…goodness knows it needed it!

Anyway…From where we left off…

Story:

"Brian..." Mandy whispered. "No..."

"Um. Hi." Brian said awkwardly, coming all the way into the room. Though she was nervous, she nearly grinned….it was times like these she knew Brian was related to Levi.

"Why are you here?" Edward asked, taking a step toward Mandy, his scissors clipping nervously. She stood, studying Edward's face. He seemed terrified…yet at the same time, protective. Of what, she wondered. Her?

"Edward, he's a friend of mine. Brian Larson." she said soothingly. "He must have...he must have followed me here. I'm sorry." She turned to look at Brian, narrowing her eyes. He looked down. Mandy returned her gaze to Edward. He looked at Mandy for a long time, and then nodded, his face serious. There was a moment of awkward silence.

"So...wow. You're really Edward Scissorhands, huh?" Brian said at last, trying to break the ice. Edward just looked at him. Mandy sighed.

"Edward, I'll take him out of here. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" She said quietly to Edward, who nodded, staring at Brian apprehensively. Mandy marched over to Brian and grabbed his forearm. The fact that he was four inches taller than Mandy, three years older than her, and the guy she'd looked up to for ages all ceased to matter. Next thing he knew, Brian was being dragged down the stairs by his kid brother's best friend.

"That was Edward Scissorhands!" he remarked, somewhat dazed by his discovery.

"He," Mandy said sharply, "Is my friend. And you scared him."

"I didn't mean to." Brian said, feeling slightly sheepish. They marched out the door and started down the hill. Mandy became angrier with each step. About halfway down, she couldn't take it any longer. She stopped and whipped around to face Brian, who put on the brakes as quick as he could so he didn't bump into her.

"What were you doingup there?" Mandy demanded.

"I could ask the same of you, you know." Brian replied. Mandy's jaw dropped.

"I was seeing my friend!" she exclaimed.

"Your secret friend. You've been lying to everyone. You told Levi that your mom was keeping you at home, you told Jamie that you were going to visit your grandmother, you told your mom that you were hanging out with a sick Jamie...who am I missing? Me? You told me you didn't see anything up there...repeatedly." Brian accused.

"What do you expect? You really think I'm going to tell everyone about Edward?" Mandy cried. "I recall you being the one to tell me that if youhad discovered someone like Edward, you'd keep it a secret, too." Brian looked down at this.

"You could have at least told me." he said quietly. "You know you can trust me."

"I thought I could, anyway." Mandy snapped. Then she sighed. "And about telling…I was going to. At first. I took tons of pictures that night. But when I started talking to him, I realized that maybe that wasn't the best thing for him." Brian stared at her.

"What are you talking about? You've been sitting around telling stories about the guy for ages...practically for your entire life. You run around getting the scoop on him...christ, you even keep that stupid fangirl diary about him. What's different now?" he wanted to know. Mandy took a breath to reply angrily, but stopped. She sighed heavily.

"When I started all that...when I went up the Hill for the first time that night...Edward was just a legend...a fantasy. He even seemed like that when I first met him. But when I started talking to him...okay, when he started talking to me, I realized he's nothing like any of the stories say. He's a real person, not a fantasy. I learned that he's sweet and gentle and Brian...he's terrified of the world. Of people in general. And as much as I wanted to say something to you guys, I…I couldn't just expose him to everyone like that. It would hurt him." Mandy explained. Brian ran a hand through his brown hair.

"Yeah...I get it. And...I'm sorry I followed you. I just wanted to make sure you were all right and, you know, not getting into trouble or anything." he said.

"Why, 'cause I'm your little brother's best friend?" Mandy rolled her eyes.

"No...'cause you're you." Brian smiled. "You're always chasing stories with a mind full of dreams and a heart too big for your own good. You trust everything strange and mysterious because just maybe it's your ticket through the wardrobe." Mandy put her hands on her hips.

"And what, you think that makes me stupid or silly?" she wanted to know.

"Nah. If you weren't you, I wouldn't love you as much as I do." Brian replied, his grin widening. Mandy's eyes copied his grin.

Edward watched from his window as Mandy dragged the tall boy...what had his name been? Brian. That was it. He watched as Mandy dragged Brian from his house. Part of the way down the hill, they stopped, looking as though they were arguing. He appreciated the fact that Mandy was defending him. He knew she didn't mean to lead the boy to his home. Her own look of horror had explained that. And from the way she was yelling at him, Edward figured (with a great amount of relief, to be sure) that Brian wasn't coming back. It was good—Brian made him nervous.

Then, without warning (and to Edward's great surprise), Mandy threw her arms around Brian, kissing him. Edward took a step back, several thoughts and memories flooding his mind at once. One memory stood out for a moment– the last time he saw Kim.

Kim and Edward looked down at Jim's broken, bloodied form on the garden path below. A grim satisfaction set in Edward's face, even as regret began to pull at his chest. Kim was safe. Jim was gone forever. He would never wake up, just like Edward's father. He couldn't look any longer. Edward turned away from the window. Kim followed him. He turned around and looked down into her wide, frightened eyes.

"Goodbye." he said softly. He knew she had to leave him. The people were all coming They wanted to hurt him, and they would want to do so even more after they found Jim's body. Kim's breath quickened as her face became troubled. Suddenly, she leaned up and touched his lips with her own. Edward's eyes widened. It lasted for only a moment, for Kim was so distraught that she threw her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. But it was enough...he had never felt anything like that kiss.

"I love you." She whispered. Edward's eyes closed, his ecstacy completed with those three words. For the first time since his father had died, he didn't feel alone at all. For that brief moment, he was loved again.

Edward winced. Without realizing it, he had reached up to touch the place on his lips where Kim had kissed him with the tip of his finger. But...his eyes darkened...he didn't have fingers. More moments flashed through his mind...Mandy and Brian, Kim and Jim...Kim running past Edward toward Jim, Jim putting his handson Kim's waist, touching her hair, her face. Kim and Jim became Mandy and Brian. Edward suddenly realized how the past was going to repeat itself.

He glanced down at Mandy and Brian, who were now walking down the hill, hand in hand. No...it wouldn't happen again. Mandy was different from Kim. She wouldn't abandon him now, would she? And Brian...he wouldn't stop her from coming would he? No. Edward looked down at the ring hanging on its chain around his neck. Mandy was his friend. Right? The past couldn't repeat itself.

He turned toward the un-touched block of ice behind him. He stabbed at it furiously, clipping blindly, anger, fear, and overwhelming hurt fueling him. Ice shavings whirled around him.

"I thought you made it snow!"

If only it were true. If he made the snow, then he wouldn't be forgotten. He wouldn't be hated. He would be loved. Every time it snowed, people would look up into the sky and think of him. Children would laugh and play and thank him. The elderly would smile and tell stories about him. And his girls would remember him and dance in the snow. And every snowflake would kiss their faces, their hair, their hands. It wouldn't matter that he couldn't touch them with his unfinished hands; in his own way, he still could.

One final stab, and Edward was finished. He walked away without even looking at the finished sculpture. But in the place of the ice block stood a girl. She was not quite Kim, but she wasn't precisely Mandy, either. She was something of a mix between them, her face rounder than Kim's but not quite as round as Mandy's. Her eyes were bigger than Mandy's but not as big as Kim's, and her hair was just between their two lengths. She wore a scrunched blouse like Kim always wore, but baggy cargo pants like Mandy's. In her hands, she held a heart. This heart had a crack right through the middle. The girl was looking at the heart. She was smiling, a smile that was too pretty to be cruel.

Edward went downstairs. He turned off the light in the main hall and went to the library. Mandy had left all her things. This brightened his mood somewhat. He could probably figure out how to watch the movie again. Then he noticed the second movie Mandy had brought (and, incidentally, left.)

"So I was thinking." Mandy said, leaning her head on Brian's shoulder. They were sitting on Brian's couch in his livingroom. He grinned down at her.

"Yes?"

"Maybe you can come with me tomorrow...and I'll introduce you to Edward properly. And we can all be friends." Brian's grin widened.

"Does this mean you're sorry about not introducing us sooner?" he teased. Mandy nodded.

"After all," she said, "You're the only other kid in town with as much of a fascination with Edward Scissorhands as me. Besides, this way I get to hang out with Edward...andyou!"

"Good plan." Brian agreed, kissing the top of her head. At that moment, Levi and Brendan walked into the room.

"Oh." Brendan said, blinking at the couple on the couch in surprise.

"Aw, gross!" Levi moaned. "Mandy! Why him?" Mandy giggled.

"It's a thing. Get used to it." she said. "Or I'll beat you up."

"Right." Levi grabbed Brendan. "Let's...um...be someplace else."

"Jamie's gonna be so psyched!" Brendan said, grinning and flashing Mandy and Brian the thumbs-up as Levi marched him backward out of the room.

The next evening, Brian and Mandy officially went on their first "date." Or, that was the excuse they gave everyone as they made their way up the mountain to see Edward.

Upon entering the house, Mandy realized something was wrong. The front hall was cold and dark. Usually, Edward had some lights turned on and a fire in the fireplace. She paused just inside the doorway and looked around in contemplation.

"What's wrong?" Brian asked, concerned. Mandy shook her head.

"I don't know." She replied quietly. "Edward?" His name echoed into the vast hall.

"Let's check upstairs. He likes lurking around there." Mandy said, already beginning her ascent. Brian followed. He wondered if their meetings always went this way. Mandy's apprehension told him they didn't. A few minutes of hardcore stair climbing and they reached the attic. Mandy opened the door.

"Edward?" She asked once again. She looked around, hoping to see him hiding behind one of his many ice sculptures. He wasn't, but she saw the new one and walked over to inspect it. Brian followed. He looked into the face of the sculpture, finding it eerily like Mandy's own face.

"Mandy..." he said softly, touching her arm. He had a bad feeling about what was happening. Mandy stared at the broken heart in the hands of the ice sculpture, a cold feeling placing itself in the pit of her stomach.

"I–I think maybe you shouldn't have come." Mandy said, biting her lip. "I don't think he trusts you."

"But if he doesn't get to know me, how will he ever learn I won't hurt him?" Brian sighed. "I've been wanting to meet him as much as you did. I used to dream about coming here when I was kid, but I was always too afraid." Mandy turned to look at him.

"Look, just let me talk to him by myself first. And then maybe he'll be okay with you." she said. She looked down. "I'm sorry, Bri, it's just..." she paused.

"You care about him." Brian finished. She looked up at him, worry filling her blue eyes. But Brian didn't look accusing or jealous. Oh yes, this was why she liked him. Brian understood.

"He's so innocent and pure, and he's been hurt by everyone his entire life. And I think...well...I think I hurt him, too." Mandy admitted. Brian looked at her for a long time. Finally, he sighed.

"All right. But...be careful." He said, leaning forward and kissing the top of her head.

Mandy smiled at him

"Thank you." she said. Brian turned and walked away. Mandy watched him go, then she turned to the shadows.

"Edward?" She called again. "It's all right now...I told him to leave." There was no reply. Mandy reached in her pocket for the flashlight she used to get up the mountain. She shone it around the room, into all the shadowy areas. To her surprise, Edward wasn't hiding there like she'd thought he'd been. She sighed and made her way back downstairs. She checked the sitting room and then the library. No Edward. She looked in all the rooms they'd explored. She even peeked into the master bedroom, though she left quickly, goose bumps rising on her arms.

"Edward!" she cried, seriously worried. She sighed, looking around. She headed back up the stairs and stopped on a landing. There was a light shining into a hallway she'd never noticed before. Mandy took a deep breath and walked down the hallway. She turned and entered the lit room. Leopold exited the room as she entered, moving at a slow pace she'd never seen. In fact, she thought, watching the little robot curiously, he almost seemed sad. She looked up again and saw Edward standing in the middle of the room. He had a faraway look on his face, the one he got when he was remembering things.

"Edward?" Mandy asked gently.

"This was going to be my bedroom." Edward murmured. "When I was finished." He looked directly at Mandy, giving her a jolt. The fierce hunger in his dark eyes seemed to burn her.

"I wish I were finished." he said, longing filling his gentle voice. "Because then I would be a real boy. And if I were a real boy..." here his voice fell as quiet and unsure as the day Mandy met him, "maybe then you could love me."

End Chapter Seven.

That's two in a row. I feel good now.

Never fear! I have the ending all up here taps head. and so all I have to do is write it down! (I really want to finish this….'cos then I'll have ACTUALLY finished a full-length fic…something I've never accomplished in my five years on this site. wince)

To be explained:

Edward's anger: Okay, this is something someone pointed out…in the movie, the guy has an incredibly calm temper. And when the fact that he got angry kinda quick here was pointed out to me, I nearly revised it out, just leaving him hurt and scared. But then I realized that he would get angry quicker…I don't think before the movie, he'd ever had reason to experience anger. And think about it: The whole Kim/Jim experience cut the guy pretty deep…when you fall into a situation just like one that was rather painful in the past, the feelings you felt all come rushing back. Thus; Edward got rather defensive and angry. Wouldn't you?

The flashback: I think I got that whole scene completely screwed up, but I decided not to worry about it just because I liked how I wrote it. So if things fly slightly AU there, sorry….

Mandy and Brian: Yes, I know it was HORRIBLY corny…The sad thing is, I used a real just-formed relationship as reference. So tell that to my best friend, the Rockstar. :P :P :P

I think that's it for now. The next chapter is being written, and I think after the next one, there are two or three…probably three left. So yeah. Probly four chapters left and I'll have finished a fic for once!