TITLE: Up And Down And Back Again (Prologue/6)

AUTHOR: Bellerophon

EMAIL: [email protected]

DISCLAIMER: I don't own them. Please don't sue me. Song lyrics (Up And Down And Back Again) are by Powderfinger.

DISTRIBUTION: If anyone wants it, just let me know. It can be found on fanfiction.net.

RATING: PG

SUMMARY: Edge and Christian's childhood. Kind of.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't know where Edge and Christian are supposed to have come from. I guessed Toronto. That's one of the few places I know of in Canada. I lost my atlas at school three months ago. I'm not sure where I am right now. Anyways, here's the beginning of my fictional history of Edge and Christian.

Come and rescue me

From the waters deep

Careful now don't lose your aim

The road ahead is clear again

I haven't found it yet

1985 Toronto Canada

The two boys sat upstairs, trying to ignore the vicious shouting echoing from their parents downstairs.

"You're never home anyway!"

"You ungrateful shrew, is it any wonder? I come home and you bitch at me! Nag, nag, nag!"

"You leave me at home all day to take care of the boys! It's not a problem with Edge but Christian? Your son is inpossible to deal with! He needs medication or something!"

"Leave Chris out of this and he's your son too!"

Edge flinched. He might've only been eleven years old but he could still tell this was a serious fight. They never got so mean before. He just wished his mom would leave Christian out of it. It wasn't Chrissy's fault he got so crazy sometimes. He was just like that. "Come here, Chris."

Christian was staring obstinately out the door down off the balconey. His eyes were brimming over. He wiped his eyes and backed away from the door to Edge. He crawled onto the bed and huddled up next to Edge.

"Come on, Chris, under the blanket," Edge pulled the blanket over Christian's head to try and block out the sounds from downstairs. Christian was only nine but he could still hear.

"I hate Mom," Christian sniffed as he settled down.

"No, you don't." Edge wrapped an arm around Christian.

"Yes, I do. And she hates me too." Christian sniffed again. "She's always mean to me."

"Sometimes, I think you scare her when you start being all weird. She doesn't know how to make you stop." Edge squeezed his brother, trying to reassure him. "But she doesn't hate you."

Christian didn't say anything. They listened to the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs. "Christian? Edge?" They heard their father's voice. "Any boys hiding under that blanket?"

Christian burst out. "Dad!" He ran to his dad and hugged his leg. "Are you and Mom done fighting?"

His dad ruffled his blonde hair. "Yeah, Chris, we're done fighting." He hunkered down and looked Christian in the eye. "I have to go away for a while."

Christian frowned and shifted from foot to foot. "Why?"

Edge stayed silent. He knew why his dad was leaving.

"Because your mother and I are going to live in different houses from now on." His dad sighed. "I'm moving far away."

"Can I come too?" Christian asked.

"You need to stay here and go to school, Chris." Edge watched his father try and break the news gently to his adoring son.

"I'll leave school, I don't need to go anymore," Christian kept trying. "The teachers keep saying they can't teach me anyway."

"You're nine years old, Christian." His dad smiled at him. "I don't think you're allowed to leave school yet."

"I'm nine and a half, Dad." Christian persisted. "I'll be ten soon. Can I come then?"

"I'm sorry, Chrissy," his dad said. "You have to stay here with your mother."

"Mom doesn't want me here. I heard her say so."

His dad frowned and pulled Christian close. "You behave for your mother. None of your silly games, Christian. And your mother does want you here. She just gets angry sometimes."

"But you said we were going to a hockey game," Christian tried again.

"Hockey's off, son," his dad looked over at Edge. "Look after your brother, Edge. Your mother, well, just look after him for me."

Edge nodded. His father beckoned to him to come closer. Edge slipped off the bed and joined his brother and dad in a hug. It was warm and safe and Edge felt tears come when he thought of his dad leaving. There wouldn't be any more hugs like this.

"You boys be good." His dad stood up and let go of them. He walked to the door and stopped, looking back at the two of them. "Watch out for each other." And he walked away, down the stairs and out the door.

"Why was Dad saying all that stuff? He wasn't really leaving, was he?" Christian asked, confused. He was childishly disturbed by his father's behaviour. It was weird. He tried to shake away the bad feeling in his stomach as he hid under the blanket again.

Edge pulled the blanket off himself, and walked quietly to the window. He looked out and sighed. He thought this might happen. Christian would never understand. "I think Dad's leaving for good, Chris." He looked back to see Christian peeking out from under the blanket.

"Why? Where's he going?" Christian pouted as he looked up at him.

Frowning, Edge turned away from the scene outside. His mother standing fuming in the driveway, his father backing out in his car, probably to never return. He'd forget about them. Him and Chris were going to travel the world, maybe even be wrestlers or somerthing, and then they'd never have to sit upstairs in their room and listen to their parents fight ever again.

"Edge, where's Dad going?" Christian asked more insistantly.

Edge sat on the bed next to his younger brother. He hoped Christian wouldn't have another temperamental fit, and attract the attention of their mother. She was so angry at the moment and he had keep Christian from provoking her more. "He's leaving. He's going and he's not coming back."

Christian just frowned. "Yes, he is. Dad promised to take me the next hockey game. He promised."

"That deadbeat father of yours is full of crap, Christian." A sharp voice came from the doorway.

The two brothers turned and saw their mother framed in the doorway. "When's Dad coming back, Mom?" Christian asked in a trembly voice. He didn't like his mom sometimes. She said mean things to him and yelled at him.

"He's not coming back and don't get into one of your moods about it." His mom said in her nasty voice.

"It's your fault he left. You're always mean to him," Christian whispered, hoping his mom wouldn't hear him. Mom was always mean to him too.

"Well, maybe he deserves it. Your father is plain loser and I hope to god he doesn't come back."

Edge was just sitting on the bed not saying anything, nothing at all to defend their dad. Christian glared at his mom. "He is so coming back! He's gonna come back and take me away from you."

Edge could see his mom getting angrier and angrier. "Mom, Chris is just..."

"Christian is just a naughty little boy who doesn't understand anything at all." His mom glared back at Christian. "You'll never see your father again and just my luck that he wouldn't take you with him." Then she stormed out of their room and slammed the door behind her.

Edge looked down then heard it. That low angry noise that came from the back of Christian's throat. He grabbed his brother before Chris could really get wound up. "Calm down, Chrissy," he ordered. Christian ignored him and began muttering to himself and wriggling around on the bed. Edge did the only thing he could think of doing. He put Christian in the Sleeper hold.

Even if he didn't do it right, Christian still pretended to feel the effects. He tried to break out of it and began struggling slower and slower. No matter what was going on, they would always play this game. Edge grinned and kept him in the hold. "Think about when we'll be wrestling partners and we can be tag team champions."

Christian stopped twisting around and hung his head. He couldn't stop the thoughts that were bothering him."I wish Mom loved me like she loves you."

Edge didn't know what to say to that. He just kept talking. "We'll be on TV and everything. Chrissy, can you imagine it?"

For a second he thought Christian wasn't going to answer. But then Edge heard his soft voice.

"Yeah." Christian hid his face in Edge's arm. "Then I won't care about Mom or anyone else. It'll just be me and you."

Edge smiled even thought Chris couldn't see it. "You and me, bud. You and me."

********