Author's Note: I think I'mthe most active person in this section as of the moment. Whee!

Genre: horror/suspense/drama/scewed romance
Pairings: none this chapter (implied Jenny/Dan)
Chapter's Rating: PG-13 for cursing
Chapter Summary: Jenny's tired of Edward avoiding her. So, she heads on over to his place to find out what's up. She doesn't like what she finds.

No Need for Apologies
Chapter One: Roll Call
By: Mazzie May

Jenny seriously considered chucking her cell phone across the room. She huffed, angrily running a hand from her hair line back to the nap of her neck. She angrily removed her boots, phone still in hand, cursing.

Edward didn't answer. Again!

"Fucking, damn…!" she forcefully threw her boots into the closet, and began to angrily pace her living room. Who did he think he was? Hell, who did he think she was? This was total crap. She tossed herself onto the old, gray couch and sighed. She drummed her fingers on the side of the couch for a moment.

When this first started, she'd been worried. Things were a little awkward, but functioning after the chance meeting at the cemetery. Lately, for the last week or so, he'd been avoiding her, avoiding everyone, like the plague. They'd make plans, and he'd cancel. Then he just started making up excuses not to go anywhere. Now, he just quit answering his phone.

It was just so bizarre for him to do this. Well, it'd been a good chunk of years since she'd seen him, but as far she remembered he wasn't like this. "You know what…?" she mumbled sitting up and heading for the kitchen. She scribbled a quick note across the pad on the fridge for Clara.

She was going to go over there.

After dashing a few X's at the bottom, she reread the note and cursed, crossing out the Dan's name and writing Edward's just above it. No one knew that Edward Steinjer was Daniel Burroughs. Well, except for her. But she didn't make a habit of brining up that knowledge. She usually called him Edward still. Calling him any variation of "Daniel" made him twitch and withdraw further. So, she usually refrained.

Placing the pen back on top of the refrigerator, she headed out the door.

--

As Jenny made her way down the sidewalk, hopping over child-made slops and piles of discarded driveway snow, she decided she hated nature: spring aggravated her allergies and the cemetery ruined strolling; summer was too hot, and since she refused to wear revealing clothing, she nearly died of heat stroke every year; fall meant chores and working and painstakingly crossing off the days on the calendar until both of "those days" and; winter was just irritating and troublesome. She was never a fan of the cold, and winter was just a slap in the face.

Screw Mother Nature, she thought, rubbing her hands together, then breathing into them. Kay's house was easily within walking distance of Clara's, but with the storm dumping a good nine inches on the city the night before, the better part of an hour was added to the fifteen-minute trip. Dammit it all, I—

"Eep!"

Jenny halted at the high-pitched noise of distress. And just in the nick of time, too; she nearly plowed through a hopscotch zone. It was cute; the four little girls that lived in the house just down the block from Kay's had pushed enough snow away to reveal the sidewalk. Then, outlined a hopscotch square and one those lines packed the snow a few inches high, the boundaries were raised.

The small sound of protest had come from the mini-architect closest to her. She smiled down at the pig-tailed girl. "Sorry Amy."

"S'kay," Amy smiled.

"Jeanie!" Jenny smiled. Turning, she bent down and scooped the two-year-old who got real close, but just couldn't say her name right. "Lookie wat we make!" She pointed a small, yellow-gloved hand at the hopscotch square.

"Mmm!" Jenny hugged the girl and then swung her down. "Very nice, Lacey. But I gotta go now."

Lacey squatted down and got a big handful of snow, blinking big brown eyes at her. "Where?" She started to put the snow in her mouth, but a hand hiding in a blue glove smacked the white chunks from Lacey's grasp.

"Don't," Stacey ordered. The eldest of the four, she had to be bossy. "Daddy says not to."

"Aww, play nice," Jenny said gently. She looked around. "Where's Nancy?"

"She's sick," Stacey said, walking around to the other end of hopscotch zone.

"Oh. Tell her I hope she gets better." She patted Lacey on the head. "I gotta get going now, though."

"Wanna play?" Amy asked. Jenny opened her mouth to decline, but closed it with a sigh. Looking around at the cute little girls in matching snow suits and jackets, she just couldn't bring herself to say 'no'.

"Alright, but only one time, okay?" They cheered.

--

Jenny fixed her hair outside of Kay's door. What had been one round of hopscotch turned into a tournament; she and Lacey versus Amy and Stacy. She and Lacey won. Now, she was a bit of a mess. Though, she didn't know why she worried about fixing herself up. It was only Dan, after all. Okay, more like, 'It's Edward, after all'. She could stick her head under a lawn mower and he'd still tell her she was beautiful if she asked him to.

Giving up on her hair, she knocked on the door. It took a few minutes, which annoyed her, and she brought her hand up to pound on the door, when it quietly opened a crack.

Edward was looking out at her through the small sliver of space. She blink, dumbfounded, then sighed. She placed her hand against the door and began to push. The door didn't budge. She opened her eyes, and turned her head.

"Edward…" she began slowly, as though talking to a child. "Open the door." She pushed again. He hadn't moved. "Let me in," she said harsher. He continued to just look at her. She took her hand away from the door and leaned her shoulder against it, crossing her arms, narrowing her eyes at him.

Still, nothing. She rolled her eyes, deciding to humor him. "Alright, Edward. Why can't I come in?"

Silence. For a moment, she wondered if he was going to just shut the door, but then, "You shouldn't be here."

Her face remained frozen in the expression of a mother listening to her child, although she did blink. And blinked again. "And… why is that?"

"Just go, okay?" He went to close what little open space was left, but she shot her hand out into it. He stopped before crushing her fingers, much to both of their relief. That…was kind of close. I don't think I'll do that again, she told herself.

"No, not okay." She stepped up to the door frame. "And I wouldn't have to be here if you'd—" she pointed at him. "would come out and play some time." He said nothing. "And, hey, what's up with that?" she continued. "You're making up every excuse under the sun to not see anyone anymore." She rested her head against the door. "What's up with that, Edward?"

Jenny could see the emotion slid over eyes, but his resolve shown through. "You shouldn't want to see me," he replied darkly. That made her stand straight. She turned her head away from him a little.

"What…" Edward never brought up the murders. Ever. Ever. It was something that was not discussed. She didn't understand what was going on. "You don't want to see me anymore," she said, a statement, not a question.

"Is that what it takes to make you leave?" She jumped a little, startled. He'd practically hissed at her. But that's not what sent icy needles down her throat and into her belly. He'd used that tone. The Scissor Man voice.

She swallowed, taking a step back. Guilt suddenly over took what parts of his face she could see. "God, I'm sorry…" he whispered. "Jenny…" He sounded like he was pleading.

She took her hand away from the door, backing down the stairs. "I'm… gonna go, okay? So, don't…"

He opened the door more, stepping out. He meant no harm, of course and she knew that, but the movement was too quick, too Scissor Man and she fell backwards down the last two stairs, screaming, "NO! STAY AWAY!" Her arms were up and out, a position she often found herself in while against either of the Scissor Men.

Seconds ticked by. She breathed heavily, huffing in and out, sweating, her arms shaking from tension. Edward was frozen, one arm out reached, his body still half inside. He retracted his out stretched limb, and slid back into the house the way Dan used to slither from shadow to shadow in the castle.

This did not help Jenny as she tried to calm herself down. Every internal alarm inside of her was going haywire, begging her to make a run for it. Her legs were twitching, her skinning itching to be strained against her muscles in a mad dash to get very far away from where ever he was. But rationale reminded her that this was Edward not Dan. Edward would never cause her harm. Ever, for any reason.

Carefully, she eased herself up. The door was slowly closing, and she couldn't see him, but she did hear, "I'll call you later…"

--

Jenny staggered over the snow, trying to remember how to breathe. It was getting dark. Her mind was reeling and she was having the worst time trying to slow it down. She stopped, leaned against a light post and grabbed the sides of her head, digging her nails into her scalp.

What the hell happened? Edward answered the door, Edward was talking to her, but Dan threatened her. God, what the hell. She felt nauseas. She looked around her surroundings. No one was out at this time a night with it being a billion below. She hacked.

She thought she was over this. Well, maybe not over it, but she definitely thought she had a better hold of her fear than this. That's what she'd been telling herself, anyway. Edward was no threat to her. She could make him do anything she wanted. And on those nights when she had violent memories and she needed to be back in control, you'd be damned if you didn't think she made him do whatever she wanted.

But then, she didn't fear Edward. She feared Dan.

She was going to go home, wrap herself in a big stuffed quilt, and let Clara tell her that she was safe and that nothing could hurt her, fall asleep in her arms and tomorrow morning go back and see if she could find out what the heck happened tonight. Talk to him, calm him down. Something, anything to prevent Dan from reappearing.

"You can't stop this."

Jenny's head snapped up, and she spun around wildly, trying to find the source of the voice. Bobby, her mind screeched. That sounded like Bobby! Impossible, preposterous.Both Scissor Men? No way.But as Jenny finished making thethree hundred and sixty degreeturn, and came to a halt, she knew that there was no one around.

Her fear got the better of her.

She dropped to her knees and vomited.

Author's Note: Before anyone becomes too confused, this is a sequeal. The first story is titled 'Sorry Doesn't Make it Okay'. I would suggest reading that first, but at the same time, it's not required. It's poorly written and I don't know what I was thinking when I typed it. But enough people were pleased (one person in particular coughyouknowwhoyouarecough), that a sequal was in order. This is not a one shot. There will be more chapters.

R&R please. Any commentary appreciated.