Disclaimer: I do not own Ed Edd n' Eddy, or any of its characters... You're damn Lucky Antonucci... just know this...

Author's Notes: This is the first of my Director's Cut. What does that mean? Are you gonna go all Richard Donner on our Asses? NO! I won't mess with the one thing that makes this story as good as you like. The heart. I wrote this with a single message in mind, Hope. But with that in mind, I'm older, wiser and better gifted linguistically. So I have come to fix errors, and hopefully by the time I get through, each story will catch you more then before. Also, this is for my followers, who have been so kind to me. I'm not the greatest author in the world. But you guys make me feel that way. And to Arnold Schwartzenegger, who without him, we'd have no idea what an adult version of Ed would look like... no really, think about it...

This is also for Yamimash, who without his both entertaining and scary as hell vids on youtube, would have made it impossible for me to have insomnia enough to stay up and write this stuff. Check out his Stuff.

Ed Edd n' Eddy:

Cure My Tragedy: Director's Cut

How long has it been... years?

Maybe I was dreaming again? Maybe it had been years, since the last scam... the last cashcow that went awry...

The inconcievable horror that I feared would eventually catch up to us. Someone would get seriously hurt, or worse... I... I watched it all... I can still hear Sarah screaming, Rolf and Kevin trying their hardest to pull him from the fire and mangled wreckage... I watched as Eddy... ran away... not lifting a finger to help. The sniveling coward. He was running from blame... He never dropped that damned coin jar! I hope he bought something nice with it! I'm frozen in fear watching as Kevin and Rolf yell to Nazz... they're telling her to phone an ambulance. Johnny drops Plank and runs to help Kevin and Rolf... I was frozen in fear... even Jimmy ran to help Kevin and Rolf... All I could do was watch! Sarah ran up to me, shaking me... begging me to make it stop, she keeps pulling my red shirt, pulling me down to her, begging for the life... of her brother Ed, my beloved friend, my brother... but soon after the ambulance arrive... after the fire department release Ed from between the lamp post and the SUV, he was pronounced dead... the driver of the SUV had gotten out when it first hit Ed and the lamp post, even he tried to help. I had seen it all... and I froze, my brother died, and I still want it to have been me, Edd... Double-D.

I was 11... but on that day, I died...

4 Years Later

Empty pain as I felt the needle press into my skin, the man with the dirty flight cap, in the back alleys of Peach Creek had been scouting me for weeks, he said. He sold the needle to me, 300 dollars. he grinned through rotted teeth, as he told me very precise instructions. As he finished his lesson he looked me dead in the eyes. "This will make you feel like a million bucks." he laughed as he took off. $300 of my money, to make me feel worlds away. All that on this one needle and a baggy full of powder that came with it. I wanted that feeling so bad! I looked at the needle, focusing my vision through bloodshot eyes. He kept his goods in decent repair. With my eidetic memory I had followed the instructions perfect... like I always do. I filled the syringe a quarter of the way full, flicking off the excess, making sure of my measurements. Like a good little scholar... With a deep breath I inserted the syringe, pulling back on the plunger mixing my own blood with the liquidated substance, with a slow push I took in the 'candy' as the man had called it. Nothing happened at first, but then it hit me... You know, that feeling that one never listened to... the one that tells you something is a bad idea. But I had plunged the liquid into myself... I felt the cool sensation take hold as the drug coursed its way through my body. It pumped up the adrenaline in me, causing me to sweat I rubbed my forehead, I felt the weight on my shoulders lift as I dropped to the ground, a euphoric feeling taking hold of me, I reached for beakers and tin cups as I began to see visions of Ed... my good... friend... He waved to me... and I waved back. Distortion and color swirled as I began tasting numbers and hearing shadows. My head began spinning as Ed extended his hand... his face twisting, becoming a vortex with eyes. I could see the world in his eyes... my senses exploring all the possibilities... Light becoming noise, and vampires sparkling in daylight instead of burning, wow I was in deep, then I felt the sickening feeling in my stomach... it made me raise myself to my knee's, violently puking up my lunch. I crawled close to the sandbox where me Ed and Eddy plotted. I saw them sitting there, like the good old days, they were ushering for me to join them... I smiled through the vile liquid taste in my mouth... I was drooling heavily. My body shuddered violently, I dropped face first into the sand, tasting stale crumpled rock and concrete that stuck to my face. The spasming caused me to flop on my back. I violently wriggled as I saw a new figure emerge from the sun. Her hair an Azure Blue, her eyes the same beautiful color. She had Black Wings that extended forever. She looked an angel as she extended her arms to me... I accepted her invitation of death as I passed out...

"Okay... lets.. see..." I opened my eyes again... everything was blurry again. I was alive. And I was in bed, in my room... And it was a mess. Someone had raped my book shelves for something. "Okay, looks like everythings in order.", hold on, I knew that voice... I shot up and saw the estranged Marie Kanker. I flew out of bed, instantly finding myself cornered beside my studio desk. She had grown up, She still dyed her hair blue, but had learned the art of layers, and actual makeup application. Neither of which answered what she was doing in my room! and how I got back here? "What're you doing here!?" I yelled backing into the corner of my room. She stood up in a bolt. "Whoa! Calm down! the Drugs are still running through your system. Your conscious that's a good thing, but you need to take it easy! So-" before she uttered another word, I vomitted a clear subtance and dropped down catching myself before I fell face first into it. I backed away allowing centripetal force to carry me away, leaning me against my bed. I writhed in agony for a few minutes while Marie sat in my desk chair observing me with fiercely concerned eyes. Those mystical Blue Eyes... Was she the Azure Angel I saw?

I felt the pain leave me and the shuddering stopped. My body had worn itself out. I looked to Marie, who had tears in her eyes. I looked down, realizing why. She was holding the needle in front of her, for me to see. "Why? Why Eddward?" she called me Eddward? She never calls me Eddward... Years of being her 'Hubby', her 'Man' even a 'Bo' at one point, but never... 'Eddward' What did this mean? Marie then did something I never expected, she toosed the needle in the trash and ran over to me and embrace me, hugged me. It wasn't the crushing hug of obsession, it was the hug of genuine care. She was lovingly hugging me. She raised her teared up eyes at me, her mascara running, the tears reflecting the glitter on her face. My God, she had become so beautiful, how'd I never notice? She got up and walked to the door. "I'm gonna get you cleaned up." She left me to myself... Left me with the hallucination of Ed... his smile, his wave. It brought a tear to my eye. Maybe for one sick moment, at least for me... I had brought Ed back to life... at least in my mind.

I hadn't seen Marie or any Kanker for awhile. From the gossip, Lee had been sent to Boot Camp after the incident, once again, just gossip. While, Marie and May put more effort into their schoolings. When Lee had returned, she was changed and no longer tormented children and became a sort of guardian to May and Marie, really to everyone on the Cul-de-Sac. I tended to stay away from everyone. But whenever I went to school Marie was always said to have been in the library still reading new books. She had become very quiet preferring to be alone then within a crowd. At some point, Lee broke into the Basketball team, and May became a straight A's student, ranking with me, and Jimmy. Oh wow, and about Jimmy... about everyone...

Marie had returned, a fresh towel in hand. I heard the sound of running water, she had started a shower. "Your parents have left, I told them you were sick. I think they bought it, and that I'd take care of you until they returned. They don't know you 'dosed." I sighed. I had Overdosed... I made a mistake... I never make mistakes... But I made this one. I lifted myself up, but my legs had become extremely heavy. Like lead weights or brick shoes. Almost as though sensing my problem, Marie dove to me and helped me to the Bathroom. "How did you know what to do?" Marie didn't look at me, "How did you find me?" she grimaced, it was probably my breath. "I scoured your shelves for the right book." I grinned. I knew that book may come in handy one day. "I'm sorry about the mess, it took me awhile to find the right one." And still, I think I would have been better off dead. "...thank you..." I forced myself to say. Marie only looked away from me. "You don't mean it." She said, my heart cracked a little. We finally reached the Bathroom. She helped me to the toilet and sat me on there. She looked at me seriously, but also nervously. "Clean yourself up, I'm gonna make something to eat and come back in five minutes." I looked up to her. "Why? Why did you help me?" She never answered.

I had finished my shower, took me all five minutes. I quickly used my toothbrush and mouthwash... took me three times to get that bile taste out. I was stepping out as she walked in, I instinctively reached frantically for a towel, but came up short as I tripped on myself, and fell down again, this time hitting my head on my own bookshelf. "Goddamnit!" I yelled, as Marie quickly came to me and helped me up. I felt my head and realized I had cut my forehead open. She helped me to my desk chair and went to the first aid kit under my bed, clever girl. She opened the medicine box and retrieved the rubbing alcohol, cotton swabs, and bandages. I looked at her face again. She had been crying again, but had cleaned off the make-up to be more presentable, though the glitter remained. Her face was flawless, like a porcelain doll. She pressed a big ball of cotton doused in the alcohol against my for me, this is occassion to scream. But in my current condition, I barely felt the sting, but it still made my eye twinge. She grinned slightly, chuckling to herself, rubbing the rest of the blood off and sticking a smiley faced bandage on the wound. She backed up slightly, turning away, and I quickly remembered I was in my birthday suit, quickly covering my shame. Marie smiled more and looked me in my eyes, with those deep blue eyes. "When you feel able, come down and eat."

I had put on a clean work shirt, black and red, and shorts, jean. Fixed myself with a baseball cap instead of the skull cap. And I walked slowly down the stairs, I felt my balance return over time. I reached the bottom no problem. As I rounded the corner and saw that Marie was cleaning up the cooking instruments she had used, she turned to me and invited me in. "I hope you're okay with Macaroni and Cheese..." I smiled. "Thats fine.", it was hard to stomach the food, but I did. Marie made good Mac and Cheese. Afterwards I felt way stronger than I did before. I hobbled into the living room where Marie had set up her sleeping bag, a reading light and a copy of The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice. "Your staying the night?", Marie looked up at me. "Yeah, why? Got a problem with that?" I walked forward. "Marie... why... why'd you save me?" Marie looked at me for the longest time, a single tear dropping down her cheek. I stammered, she had been crying this whole time, but I hadn't seen it first hand, my heart sank, I felt lower then low... Then... she layed the hardest slap on my face I think she could have. "You are so... Fucking Selfish!"

I backed away slowly, almost losing my balance again as she stared, her hands now cupping the lower half of her face. A look of absolute horror in her blue eyes. "I saw you... you were reaching for things that weren't there! I saw you drool! That crazed far away look in your eyes as you began puking up your food! Then the shaking! Oh God the shaking! I saw your eyes role backwards into your damn skull! You were dying! You would have died! If I hadn't heard you crying..." She paused on that. She trembled now, her sadness had reached a pinnacle. "for Ed! How COULD YOU! Don't you know?! What you mean to... What would Ed think?" she had screamed louder then I had ever heard her before. Now it was replaced with sobbing sadness. It took me a moment. "I... just wanted to make it stop... to finally... do something about... my sin..." I managed to get out. "My bullshit reason, I was a coward, I was the coward who stood there and watched his 'best friend' die. I'm not worth staying here. I'm not worth losing..." She walked up to me. "I'm not worth saving." I cried, tears flowing from my eyes, sniffling. She put her hand on my cheek, rubbing my face where she slapped me. She looked at me, tears flowing free from her eyes too. This was something I had never seen in her before... she was bearing a side of herself to me I would never, could never forget. "I didn't want to lose you." Marie walked away from me.

"And... I know what its like... To feel the hopeless. I've done the exact same thing as you... I was addicted to it." I looked at her, I couldn't believe it. She smiled as she pulled a sleeve up on her arm, revealing cuts and puncture wounds. "For six months, I dosed up, I cut myself. If only to have felt alive for a moment, I told myself, anything was better then feeling like a freak. Then one day, I had to much of a good thing in the junkyard, the world started to fade. It's funny, how your brain registers dying as a euphoric experience, I wanted it so bad... like you. I thought how much happier I'd be, how much happier everyon would be, if I just was 'gone'. And... at that moment, it was Ed... who found me... Ed, who took care of me... he saved my life. He showed me kindness." More shocking news! Ed actually saved Marie's life. "He looked over me, I owe him my life. I became happy because of him. And I couldn't let the same thing happen to you. I would have died if Ed hadn't been there that day..." She smiled, I could only guess the warm thought of Ed's unforgiving kindness covering her like a blanket. I walked up to Marie. I took her head in my hands and stared into her beautiful Azure eyes. She took my arms... and in that moment we kissed...

This was not the disgusting kisses I used to suffer from the Kankers... This kiss locked me and Marie together forever. This moment... frozen in time. I ran my fingers through her soft hair, She grabbed my shirt tight pulling me in deeper. Her lips tasted of cherry lipstick. We broke the kiss and stared deeply into each others soul. Though he had died, though everyone had changed... it was Ed... in this last act to me, had brought me and Marie together.

...Ed had saved me...

Author's Other Notes: Okay, hopefully I have corrected most of my grammar issue's. I also noted how some peeps felt this was rushed, and admittedly, the idea took alot of thought, the execution was sorta thrown out there with minor tweeks. Well This one is still my favorite personally. Now for me it is a bit more complex in the narrative, at least a bit more descriptive.