Edward Scissorhands the Novelization

by HoldMe07

I'm a big fan of Edward Scissorhands and this is my attept at turning the film into a novelization. I DO NOT own Edward Scissorhands - that is the property of Mr. Tim Burton.

Edward Scissorhands

Based on the film by Tim Burton

Chapter One: The Story of Snow

Kimberly Boggs, or Kim as her friends knew her, looked at the white flakes of snow as they passed her granddaughter's bedroom window. At least, that's what she wanted her granddaughter to think.

What she was really looking at was the gothic, old mansion on top of the hill, which stood there, isolated.

Old memories flashed through her mind. A huge wooden door, cobwebbed staircases, robots that were no longer working and buckles all linked to something that she still remembered.

A tender voice left her lips.

"Snuggle in, sweetie. " She said, as she hobbled over to her 8-year-old granddaughter, who was lying in a bed much too big for her. "It's cold out there."

"Why's it snowing, grandma?" Asked her granddaughter. "Where's it come from?"

Kim knew this question would come sooner or later. She had told her own daughter the story when her daughter was eight.

She decided to fob her granddaughter off.

"Ooh, that's a long story, sweetheart." She tapped her granddaughter's hand. "Go to sleep."

"But I'm not sleepy." Whined the granddaughter. "Tell me, please."

Kim knew when she was beaten and, as she was tucking her granddaughter in, saw a pair of sharp, steel hands in her mind.

"Now, let me see. I guess it would have to start with…scissors."

"Scissors?" Kim could tell from her granddaughter's tone that she was confused. She smiled. She was going to get a whole lot more confused.

"Well, there are all sorts of scissors. There was even a man, who had scissors for hands…"

"A man?" Again, the granddaughter was confused. "Hands, scissors?"

"No, Scissorhands." She tried to get her bearings and pointed out the window behind her. "You know the mansion on top of the mountain?"

She saw her granddaughter gave a visible shudder.

"It's haunted."

"Well…" Said Kim, taking a deep breath. "An inventor lived in that mansion. He invented all kinds of things, I suppose. He even invented a man. He gave him a heart, a brain…everything." She thought of the shears of metal again. "Well, almost everything. You see, the inventor died before he could finish the man he invented. So, he was left up there, incomplete and all alone."

"He didn't have a name?" Enquired the granddaughter.

"Of course he had a name." Kim smiled, remembering. "His name was Edward."

Meanwhile, in that same mansion, in the attic, a wild-haired figure looked out of the window, reminiscing.

12th April 1985

5:49AM

Before it had even hit 5:50AM, Peg Boggs hit the button to turn off the alarm as so not to wake her husband, Bill.

The reason that Peg got up so early was because she was an Avon representative. Everyday, at 5:50AM (or round about that time), she woke up and got ready to start work.

She picked out her nicest pastel colours. It was a nice lilac/lavender colour and it went with her pillbox hat, which was also lilac.

She smiled as Bill moved in his sleep but gave no indication of waking up. She picked up her shoes and passed her son's room.

Kevin Boggs was at that age where you brought up a topic; he never gave up on it. She smiled but shook her head as Kevin swung his arm over the bunk bed. Ever since the age of 9, that's what he tended to do.

Peg picked up her car keys and took one look around the spacious living room before leaving the house, being careful not to wake the boys up.

Peg got into her pastel-yellow Mustang and drove up the road to her first customer: Helen.

Helen was a rather large lady with red hair. She spoke with a Southern American accent. Her lousy husband had left her for a much younger woman and their kids had gone off to New York and Milan, respectively.

She still had rollers in her hair when the doorbell rang.

As always, it was Peg.

"Avon calling!" Announced Peg, the professional smile was already on her face.

"Weren't you just here?" Asked Helen.

"No, not since last season." The smile was still on Peg's face as she continued. "Today, I've come to show you our exquisite new line of soft colours in shadows, blushes and lipstick. Everything you need to accent and highlight your changing looks."

Helen found this comment funny.

"My changing looks?" Helen let out a laugh, Peg joined in. "That's good."

"Well, it goes that saying and I also have a complete selection of your old favourites, those tried-and-true products we've all come to depend on year-in and year-out." Replied Peg, still smiling although she knew what the answer was going to be.

"Come on, Peg." Said Helen, being serious since she opened the door. "I never buy anything from you, you know that."

"I know." Sighed Peg, her smile dropping since Helen had opened the door. "Bye, Helen."

Peg had to endure this almost every day. She looked down and shook her head.

Her next stop was Joyce, the neighbourhood flirt.

Joyce, despite being married, was after any male with a pulse. She had a full head of ginger hair, which was lighter than Helen's. It was also always put up into a bouffant look.

Her current target was a dishwasher repairman.

"You know, you didn't have to call me, Ma-am. You could have taken care of this by yourself."

"I could?" Joyce let out a coy laugh. "I don't think so."

"Yeah, you see, it's easy…" He pointed into the depths of the dishwasher. Joyce had to come round from her vantage point, which was ogling the repairman, to see where he was pointing. "The food trap's clogged. That's all. You see that bolt here?" He pointed to the object in question. "You just unscrew this, OK? And out she pops."

Joyce decided to deliver her seductiveness card.

"You know, on TV, they say you repairmen are a lonely bunch of people. Housewives get lonely, too. Although, you may not realize it since they haven't made a commercial on the subject."

Despite being given this nugget of information, the repairman didn't appear to be interested.

"And then you take this and put it back in here nice and easy. Be careful not to force it, because it fits in there by itself. And then, you screw this back on."

Thankfully, for the repairman, the doorbell rang. Joyce ran over to the kitchen window.

"Oh, no. Who could that be? Will you excuse me for a moment? Now, don't go anywhere. I'll be right back." She winked at him. "This is fascinating. I wouldn't want to miss a moment of it."

Joyce opened the front door to find Peg, smiling her professional smile and holding up her cosmetics bag.

"Good morning, Joyce. Avon calling."

From the look of Joyce's face, Peg could see that she wasn't happy.

"Why, Peg, have you gone blind? Can't you see there's a vehicle in my driveway?"

While Peg looked to see the repairman's van, she could hear Joyce's long fingernails, which were varnished pink, drum against the doorframe.

Peg turned, still smiling.

"Oh, yes."

Joyce delivered a smile of her own. An impious smile.

"Well, I'm surprised you don't realize that means I'm busy."

And, without another word, Joyce slammed the door in Peg's face.

After what seemed like hours, Peg finally found a potential buyer.

"Okay, now, we should decide on lipsticks. Okay, dear, which one did you like best? There was the Winsome Wahini, which looked charming on you. Or the Bahenie Bliss?"

The potential buyer was a girl, no older than her own daughter, Kim. She had blonde hair and was still wearing her nightie.

She was currently painting her toenails with one of the products.

"I like 'em both." She said, while chewing on an already-worn piece of gum.

'Finally, we're making progress.' Thought Peg. "That's great."

As she was placing an order on her form, she heard the girl say something that made her heart sink.

"You don't think I actually have any money, do you?"

Peg did a double take at this as though she thought the girl was winding her up. It turned out she wasn't.

Peg sighed as she looked at the next person on her list. Esmerelda Emerson. She looked through the window to see the religious fanatic on her organ, playing another mournful tune.

Peg shook her head and walked to her car, just as some kids passed.

"Ding, dong. The Avon Lady." Mocked one of the kids.

Peg groaned as she entered her car and placed her pillbox hat and cosmetics case in the seat next to her.

"It's just not my day."

Relaxing in the driver's seat, Peg noticed that the wing mirror wasn't straight so she turned it…and made a wondrous discovery.

On top of a hill, isolated from the rest of Suburbia, was a huge, but old, mansion.

Knowing that she wasn't getting anywhere with her current surroundings, Peg turned on the engine, turned the car around and went to the end of the street. But she didn't stop there.

She carried on going, past the shabby gates, which held up two statues, and went up the steep hill. Every now and then, she saw scratches on tree trunks and deep indents in stone.

Peg hoped that the car could make it up the steep hill. The car wasn't made to take this much altitude.

Finally, she made it. A butterfly passed her, as if to tell her to follow it. She did so and was surprised at what she saw.

The garden was festooned with hedge sculptures. From Elks to a Loch Ness Monster to the main feature, a huge hand reaching up to the sky.

"Oh, my goodness." Gasped Peg. "Oh, it's so beautiful."

She was so distracted; she almost missed a figure looking at her from an upstairs window. She only caught a glimpse as it moved before she could see it.

"Hello?"

She walked up to the door and knocked the door with the huge knocker. She turned briefly when a bird took flight.

After a minute of no one coming to answer, Peg opened the door with the hope of not feeling as though she was imposing and was greeted with nothing.

The inside was completely cold and the floor was caked in dust. Peg poked her head around the door before entering.

"Hello?" She said again, hoping that whoever lived here could now hear her.

To the left of her was a staircase and to the right was a bunch of machines that looked as though they hadn't been turned on for years. The room, in which she was in, was nice and big.

As she turned round to look at the machinery, she heard a faint sound. It sounded like…scissors?

She turned around, almost missing the shadow of the figure, which had come to see who it was. Upon seeing her turn in its direction, it fled.

"Hello? I'm Peg Boggs. I'm your local Avon representative." Said Peg, as she made her way up the first flight of stairs. "Hello. I'm sorry to barge in like this but you have no reason to be afraid."

As she reached the first landing, Peg reached three doorways. One led to a bathroom, another led to a bedroom and the third one led to the attic.

"Ooh, this is some huge house, isn't it?" Exclaimed Peg, believing it to good to keep them talking…whoever they were. "Thank goodness for those aerobics…" Her voice caught in her throat. "…Classes."

She had finally reached the attic.

'Oh, Father. What do I do?'

The figure in the shadows watched as the lady in the funny clothes looked at her surroundings. No one had ever been up to the mansion, let alone go inside. It watched as she drew her attention to the fireplace…his bed. She spent a long time there, looking at the clippings that it had collected over the years since…his father hadn't woken up.

It's 'fingers' twitched involuntary, causing the woman to turn in its direction. It realized it had been caught out. It had no choice but to show itself.

"Hello? Hello, why are you hiding back there?" It heard her say. "You don't have to hide from me. I'm Peg Boggs, your local Avon representative and I'm as harmless as cherry…pie…"

It heard her swallow her words as it moved closer with its….hands.

Peg was starting to get a little worried. Bill knew she was working but he didn't know where she was. And Kevin? What would happen to him if she…?

She tried to think about the Avon Handbook to see if they had any advice people in these situations.

"Oh, my. I see I've disturbed you. How stupid of me! I'll just be going now."

She turned to leave, only to hear words that sounded innocent and kind.

"Don't go."

She looked at the figure's appearance, which were mainly buckles and leather and other sorts of materials. And, on the end of either arm, were scissors that had been attached.

'Did he get involved in some sort of accident?' Peg went for the non-offensive question. "What happened to you?"

The figure raised his 'appendages' and snipped them.

"I'm not finished."

"Uh, put those down, please. Don't come any closer…just please." She watched as he put his 'hands' down and suddenly it came to her. "Those are your hands? Those are…your hands. What happened to you? Where are your parents? Hum…your mother? Your father?"

An emotion hit the figure's memory. It was sadness.

"He didn't wake up."

Peg nodded, understanding, and went no further along that line of questioning. It was upsetting the poor thing.

"Are you alone?" She watched as the figure was trying to register what she was saying. "Do you live up here all by yourself? What happened to your face?"

Peg reached out to touch it, only for the figure to raise its hands gently in defence. She brought her hands back.

"Hmm, you know, I won't hurt you. But, at the very least, let me give you a good astringent and this will help to prevent infection."

She smiled as she indicated, on her own face, where she was going to put this lotion. The figure kept its eye on her, wary. Does she have anything in there that might hurt him? And what was this 'astringent' she was talking about?

Peg popped back up from riffling in her bag and pulled out a bottle and a cotton ball and, after tipping some of the liquid onto it, applied it to the figure's face.

For someone who was very wary, it kept very still. Even when she asked what its name was.

"What's your name?" Asked Peg in a motherly tone. 'I hope they gave you a name, you poor thing?'

"Edward." Said the figure, keeping his mouth still so she could apply the liquid around that area.

In his opinion, the liquid stung for a little while then became soothing.

Peg looked at her handiwork before putting the used cotton bud in her jacket pocket, placing the bottle of astringent back in the cosmetics bag.

A sudden thought came to her.

"Edward? I think you should just come home with me."

On the way down to her car, Peg pointed to the topiaries and congratulated Edward on a fine job. He didn't speak much but, when he did, he was very polite.

Edward tried to keep very still when he and Peg drove back down to Suburbia. Although, there was one time when excitement got the better of him.

A boy, no older than 12/13, had just belly-slid onto a slip-n-slide. Edward pointed out in excitement.

"Ooh." Cried out Peg.

"I'm- I'm sorry." Said Edward, retreating into a sad move, feeling as if Peg was going to tell him off.

But she didn't.

"No, don't be. You go ahead and look. You have every reason to be excited."

Edward looked around the area. He got a little too excited at someone mowing the lawn, only stopping to sort his leg out. Edward tried to have a closer look but hit his head on the top of the car door.

"Oh, are you OK?" Asked Peg, concerned. Edward looked at her. "Are you OK?"

Edward nodded and carried on looking out the window. He passed two women, who took one look inside the car and went their separate ways. He attempted to look out the window again but was worried he might bump his head.

At Helen's abode, the phone rang in the kitchen. Helen still had her hair in rollers from washing her hair.

She entered the kitchen and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

Her friend Marge, or Margie as she was sometimes liked to be called, was on the other end.

"Hi, it's Margie." She announced, quickly moving into the main gossip of the day. "I was standing outside, talking to Carol, and Peg drove by. She had someone in the car."

Helen, like all the other girls on the block, was intrigued with this piece of news.

"Did you get a good look?"

"No, did she say anything to you about bringing a guest…or something?"

"She didn't say anything." Said Helen, still upset about being woken up at sun-up. "She rang my doorbell at the crack of dawn, this morning."

Margie was a little disappointed by this lack of news.

"No, OK. I'll meet you on the corner. Right…bye."

Marge hung up, leaving Helen to try Joyce's number…only to get the engaged tone.

"Damn!" Cursed Helen, as she placed the phone on the cradle and begin to take out her rollers.

'This place is…beautiful.'

Those were the only words in his brain that could sum up such a stunning Suburbia. Edward looked at the pastel-coloured houses, only paying a little attention to Peg as she guided him to the front door.

"Here we go, dear. This is the house. And you can just go right in and make yourself at home. OK? And, just well, have something to eat or drink. Whatever you…" It was at this point that Peg noticed that Edward was looking out towards the neighbouring houses. Carefully, she touched his arm and got his attention. "Here, dear. Here you…this is the front door, here. Here we go, right in here."

Peg opened the door, letting Edward enter first. He looked around the living room with a smile on his face.

Despite being slightly clinically white, it looked comfortable.

"Here we are. So, oh, this is the living room." She said, pointing out the spacious room around him. She pointed towards a corridor. "And, back there, the bedrooms."

Again, she noticed that Edward's attention had been drawn to something on her cabinet. "You want to see the pictures? All right." She pointed to a man with a receding hairline. "This is my husband, Bill. He's a bowling champion." She cursed herself silently. 'He's been up in that mansion for all his life. Maybe, he might know what bowling is.' "Do you know what bowling is?" She looked at Edward's face, seeing nothing registering. "Bowling? No, well, here they are, down at the lake, fishing. I think Kevin looks a little glum because they didn't catch anything that day. And here's my daughter, Kim."

Edward cast his eye to a Sears photo and was taken away by Kim's beauty. In his mind, he could hear angels singing. Kim had long, blonde hair with sky-blue eyes and an off-the-shoulder dress. Another showed her in a nice prom dress with a teenage boy in a pastel-green tuxedo. They seemed to be a great item.

"She a senior, now, if you can believe it." From the sound of Peg's voice, Edward could tell that she was proud of her daughter. "She's camping in the mountains with some friends but she'll be back in a few days so you can meet her, then. Isn't she beautiful?"

Edward couldn't keep his eyes on the picture of Kim. He gave a small nod.

"And that's my family." Smiled Peg, pointing to another Sears photo of the foursome, which involved Bill with one arm around Peg and a paternal hand on Kim's shoulder. Peg had her hand on Kevin's shoulder. "Come on, I'll show you the rest of the house. Then, you can freshen up and make yourself at home. OK? That's the kitchen, over there. You can help yourself to anything you want to eat or drink." She looked as Edward prodded at some ornamental grapes. "Those are grapes."

And, upon discovering what they were, Edward seemed satisfied and joined Peg in the corridor.

The corridor to the bedrooms and the bathroom was slightly less roomy than the living room. It led to six different doors. Four of them were either side of Peg and Edward and one, being the bathroom, was at the end of the corridor.

Peg had opened the door nearest to them and looking for some clothes for Edward.

'It mustn't be nice for Edward to wear that getup.' Thought Peg. 'Although, maybe that's what's keeping him all together.' She looked around the little cupboard. "Let me get you some towels. Then I'll see what we can find for you to wear. You know what? I think I have some of Bill's old clothes in here." She came out with a white shirt, some grey trousers and some suspenders. "This is perfect. Here. These should just about fit you."

Suddenly, without any warning, the phone rang. Edward raised his head in panic, looking for the source of noise.

"Oh, no, no, no." Said Peg, as she placed the clothes into Edward's outstretched arms. "Don't be alarmed. That's just a phone. Now, you go into Kim's room and put those on and I'll be right with you."

And, leading Edward to Kim's room, Peg headed off into hers to answer the phone.

Edward, feeling slightly out of place, looked around the room of the 16-year-old's room and was amazed at what he found.

Dropping the clothes onto the dresser, Edward saw a mirror covered in magazine pictures and articles, just like near Edward's bed back at the mansion.

'The mansion.' Thought Edward with a sigh. 'Why wasn't I found sooner?'

He noticed a figure, not unlike himself, looking back at him. He touched the reflection, which was doing the same thing. His blades touched the glass and he recoiled slightly and tried again. It happened the second time. Edward brought his hand back, which involuntary twitched and caught just under his nose, which started to excrete blood.

He turned towards the bed and placed his 'palm' onto it. It wobbled, he moved with the motion. He tried it with his blade…big mistake. Water spurted out and hit him in the face. Slightly worried, he brought a toy dog over the puncture and it held…for now. He kept his eye on as he sidestepped towards his clothes.

He looked down at the clothes, picked them up and put them on the floor, feeling it easier to put them on that way.

First, he started with the trousers, which he did by placing his blades in the belt hoops and pulling them up.

He beamed at his achievement.

Meanwhile, in Peg's bedroom, she was on the phone to Margie.

"No, no. Scissors. Scissors. That's right. Well, he was born up there…or something." She heard Margie ask 'Have you seen him before', to which she replied. "No, I don't think he's been off the grounds before today." Again, she was interrupted by Margie saying 'you're kidding. How'd you get together with him' to which Peg, upon hearing a rapid sound of snipping, decided to cut the conversation short. "I'll talk to you later, Margie. Bye-bye."

She put the phone down, ready to leave. The phone rang again. Peg, giving a deep sigh, walked over and turned the dial to 'answering machine' and headed off to Kim's room

'This thing is a…ugh….'

Edward couldn't find words to finish his sentence as he tried to fit the shirt over him. His vision was slightly impaired by the shirt and his blades were trying to grab the sleeves, which they couldn't.

He was relieved when he heard Peg's sweet tone. He ceased the snipping of his blades.

"I'm sorry, Edward, I didn't…" Peg watched with pity at Edward's predicament. "Oh, dear. May I help you with this?"

"Thank-you." Replied Edward, who watched as Peg pulled the shirt down from his head, revealing a) his wild, black hair and b) his little cut.

"There you go. Oh dear, you've cut your face. Let me get that right off." She picked up a tissue from the dresser and dabbed at Edward's face. "Does that hurt?"

"No." Said Edward, telling the truth because Peg had a heavenly-like touch.

"No? Good. Now, let's get you dressed." She pulled the shirt at the back. "There we go. Very fine."

After an embarrassing situation of having to do his flies up, Peg led Edward over to the wardrobe. In the wardrobe were Kim's different assortments of clothes including an off-the-shoulder white dress.

Also, in the wardrobe, was a mirror. Edward flexed his blades as he looked at the final result.

"You look fine. Just fine." Edward was trying to think of what the men did in those catalogues.

'Now, I remembered they beamed and held their braces. Shouldn't be too…'

He put his blades around one of the braces, which upon touching, snapped. "Oh, dear."

Outside, the girls, after a quick phone round, which involved Joyce having to rifle through her clothes for something presentable, were all meeting up and heading over towards the Boggs's abode.

Margie sighed as Joyce was rushing off. She turned to see Helen, who was just closing the front door.

"Come on, she couldn't wait for you."

"I've got rollers in my damn hair." Replied Helen to no one in particular.

In the rumpus room, Peg and Edward were sitting down. Edward was watching, as Peg was sewing up the broken brace with thread.

Peg had just tightened up the brace and was looking for something to cut it with.

"Okay. Now, what did I do with my sciss…?" She looked down at Edward's appendages. "Would I be offending him if I… Edward, um, would you?"

She indicated the thread, which he cut without a look of hurt on his face. "Thank-you."

Edward gave a little smile. He was happy to lend a helping…ahem…hand to Peg.

"You know, I have a doctor friend, who I think, could help you."

"Really?" Edward didn't know how to take this news. They had only just met and she was already going out of her way to help him.

"Yes." Peg looked at his face. Here and there, there were little bumps from previous scratches and cuts. "Now, I can help with the scars. I just want to consult the big Avon Handbook before doing anything."

Peg gave Edward a warm, motherly smile, which he returned.

It was dark. Dads, husbands and mothers were returning from work. Bill had picked Kevin up from school and they were returning to their house.

However, they weren't expecting Edward.

"Kevin, get behind me." Ordered Bill, who had ushered Kevin behind him.

Edward looked around the room. Where was Peg? How was he going to explain?

Finally, Peg came in, upon hearing the noise.

"Edward, the table's set so if you wanted to…" Her eyes went from Edward to Bill and Kevin. "Bill, Kevin. Welcome home. Now, before you say anything, this is Edward. Edward, this is my husband, Bill, and our son, Kevin."

Edward looked from the real version to the pictures on the cabinet. Peg understood at what he was getting at.

"Yes, they are the same as in the picture." Smiled Peg before turning to Bill. "I think we'd better talk."

And, leaving Kevin with the new houseguest, Peg and Bill headed down the corridor and entered their bedroom.

After a while, Kevin found the nerve to speak.

"Hi."

At suppertime, with Edward at the bottom end of the table, with Peg and Kevin both side and Bill at the top of the table, they were all sitting down to Peg's specialities. It was a nice roast dinner. Meat, carrots, peas, potatoes and bread, which was on the side.

At the moment, Edward had found a new obstacle…peas.

They weren't big enough to pierce and too small to pick up. Each time, he tried to put the pea to his mouth. And, each time, it jumped off his blade and ended up on the floor.

"Kevin, it's not polite to stare." Peg looked over at Kevin, who was mesmerized at the blades, which were the substitutes for fingers. "Think how it would make you feel if someone was staring at you."

"I wouldn't care." Replied Kevin. "I would be glad of the attention."

"Well, I would care." Said Peg, who was starting to get fed up. "So don't do it!"

Bill had decided to change the subject, as not to upset Edward.

"This must be quite a change for you right, Ed?"

"Edward, dear, I think he prefers Edward."

"Sure." From the sounds of his reply, Peg could tell that he wasn't listening 100%. "So what have you been doin' up there in that big, old place? I bet the view must be spectacular, am I right, Ed?"

"I was just…" Started Peg, getting no further as Bill interrupted her.

"See all the way to the ocean, I bet?"

"Sometimes." Replied Edward, having given up on the peas.

"Bill, could I have the salt and pepper?" Asked Peg, finally happy to get her word in. "Salt and pepper, please? Thank-you."

"Man, those things are cool. I bet they're razor-sharp. One karate chop to a guy's neck…"

Edward didn't know what a 'karate chop' was but, from the sound of Peg's voice, he could tell that it wasn't a good thing.

"Kevin!" She said, sternly. "Edward, would you like some butter for your bread?" Upon seeing him take a portion off the butter-tray and applying it to his bread, Peg was impressed. "Great."

"Thank-you." Said Edward, kindly.

A sudden thought hit Kevin's teenage brain.

"Can I bring him to Show and Tell on Monday?"

Peg had finally got annoyed.

"I've had enough."

Finally, Edward had managed to eat something. He gave an appreciative smile to Peg.

After a nice supper, followed by a nice little chat, Peg was now tucking Edward into bed. His hands were at an odd angle so a) he didn't puncture the waterbed and b) so he didn't hurt Peg.

"You think you can sleep?" She said, as she tucked the covers in. "Things feel strange now, but soon you'll feel right at home. Good night."

"Goodnight." Edward smiled back, which disappeared as Peg left and wobbled the waterbed slightly. Plus, he was sleeping next to an eerie looking clown.

Peg got undressed and placed her nightie on. She got into bed and sighed.

"Do you really think Edward's going to be alright…here?"

"Peg, sweetheart, I think Ed's going to fit in perfectly. Heck, he's got us as…parents."

Peg smiled and kissed her husband on the cheek before going straight to sleep.

The next morning, in the rumpus room, Peg was applying concealing cream to Edward's scarred face.

"The light concealing cream goes on, first. Then you blend and blend and blend. Blending is the secret. Uh-huh."

From the look on Edward's face, she could tell that this was going over his head. Or maybe, she had applied the hairclips too tight.

"More concealing cream for you? Your complexion is so fair. Now, this has a touch of lavender in it. Give it a try here. Close enough."

However, instead of giving it the look she wanted, it made Edward's complexion slightly scarier. Her next face made Edward seem like he had done something wrong.

"Hmm, I have another idea. We'll cover up the scars and start with a completely smooth surface."

Yet, it had been a long time since she had used this make-up and it was hard to get a smooth surface. Despite putting it on Edward's face, she had to whack it on.

"Ooh, darn this stuff!"

Outside, while Edward and Peg were in the basement, Bill had decided to cut the hedges, which were in need of doing.

Kevin and his friend, Max, were up in the tree house. The tree house hadn't escaped the pastel colours and was a sky-blue shade. They were listening to the baseball coverage on the radio.

"Hartley into the windup and the strike one pitch. Swung on and missed strike two. If it's a hit, the club has 12 hits. But they still have 11 on the scoreboard and it's 3-1. 0 and 2 the count to Warren. Now they change it to 12 hits."

Bill, who was going slightly deaf in his right ear, walked over slightly to the tree house.

"Turn it up, Kevin. I can't hear it." Kevin turned the volume slightly. "Kevin?"

"Hartley's strike two pitch is hammered." Announced the radio.

"D'ya hear that, Mr. Boggs?" Asked Max.

"No, make it louder."

While all this was happening, Edward, who was just recovering from the make-up, had came into the garden and, upon seeing Bill cut a couple of branches off the hedges, did the same to one near by.

An image of an extinct reptile, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, entered Edward's mind. He calculated that this hedge would be big enough to incorporate that.

In one of his ears, Edward could hear the commentary to the baseball.

"It's going way back. It's gone. It's out of here. It is history."

While turning it up, Kevin cast his eyes in the direction of Edward.

"Dad, look."

Bill and Max turned their attention to the other side of the garden. Edward had managed to cut, and shape, the hedge into a T-Rex.

"Well, I'll be darned." Muttered Bill.

Edward looked pleased at his work and slightly pleased at his crowd.

Bill walked towards the topiary genius and carefully placed his arm around Edward.

"You like doing this?" Bill looked around the garden. Several hedges still needed attending to. "How would you like to do the others?"

Edward gave another smile, which Bill interpreted as 'yes'.

After that slightly catastrophic incident with the concealing cream, Peg had retreated to the bedroom to check on the answering machine. She was a little surprised when it went back to the beginning.

"They filled the whole tape."

She sat and listened to her neighbour's voices coming from the machine.

"What's going on over there, Peg? Call me." Said one voice, only to be replaced by a totally different voice (and message). "Hi, it's Margie. Who is he? Call me. Oh, by the way, I hear it's pouring rain in the mountains. You think the kids are OK?" That message went, only to be replaced by Joyce's. "Hi there, darling. The gals are getting all in a tizzy about your secret visitor. You can't keep him a secret forever."

Peg gave a little amused sigh as she continued to listen to the missed calls.

In the sunshine, while Bill was watching the bowling on the portable TV, Edward was shaping another hedge into the figures of the Bogg family.

"Boy, its just wonderful, Ed." Said Bill, turning his head while the commercials was on. "My God, you've got the whole family in there, don't you?"

Edward looked at his masterpiece and smiled. His smile turned to frustration as he got a leaf caught in between his blades. He tried to use his other blade to poke it out.

Kevin could tell that Edward was having trouble.

"Edward, come here."

Edward followed Kevin over to a hosepipe. Even Edward, who had learned before, was a little worried.

The same thing was going through Bill's mind too.

"No, no, no." Said Bill, catching Kevin and Edward's attention. "That's a terrible idea, son. Go to the garage and get the oilcan. We don't want him rusting up on us now, do we?"

Edward had a little inkling that, what Bill just said, didn't sound right but decided to shake the water off his blades. After a few minutes, he could feel the blades getting stiff.

Peg, who had finished listening to the calls, had come for a piece of sun, only to be surprised by the many topiaries in her garden, much like the ones she saw in Edward's garden.

Her eyes were drawn to the most recent finished article.

"Oh, Edward. You did us? Oh, Bill, its us!"

"Yes, it is." Said Bill, who was distracted by the bowling.

"Oh, Edward…"

Before Peg could congratulate Edward further, the local Christian nut, Esmerelda Emerson, interrupted the three of them.

"It's not heaven he's from." She said, hurting Edward slightly. "It's straight from the stinking flames of hell. The power of Satan is in him I can feel it. Have you sheep strayed so far from the path?"

"We're not sheep." Replied Edward, walking towards Esmerelda, trying to explain.

"Don't come near me." Retorted Esmerelda, feeling sick and backing away as though he was a vampire.

As Edward headed back to Peg and Bill, he raised his brow, as if to say 'what was all that about?'

"That's right. Go on! Get outta here. Run!" Said Bill, sarcastically.

Before Peg could comfort him, the front doorbell rang.

"Edward, don't you listen to her." She managed to say in a caring, motherly tone.

"Don't worry about her, Edward." Replied Bill, referring to Esmerelda. "She's just an old, lonely loony. That's all."

A familiar pink-nail varnished hand put her hand around the doorknocker and rapped the door again.

Finally, Peg answered the door. Even when she was off-duty, she gave her professional smile.

"Hi!" Called all the women. Joyce decided to head the conversation. "You're all hidin' in there like a bunch of ol' hermit crabs."

"Hi, Joyce." She looked around at the group of women hanging around her front door. "Hi."

"Shame on you, keeping your unusual guest all to yourself." Replied Joyce, raising an eyebrow. "We think that's mighty selfish of you."

' Shame on me? I don't keep flinging myself at men.' Peg gave a much politer, and some might say agreeable, argument. "No, it…it's just….things have been a little hectic around here. That's all."

"Oh, that's sweet of you to want to correct the situation. What time does the barbecue begin?"

Peg was a little thrown by this.

"Barbeque?"

"Well, you intend to show your guest hospitality by introducing him to your friends, don't you?"

Margie cut in.

"I'll bring coleslaw."

That prompted all the other women to offer to bring things. However, Joyce's voice cut over all of them.

"And I bring the Ambrosia Salad. What time did you say it was?" She gave Peg a little wink. "About five?"

"What time? Uh, Bill…"

Before anyone could cut in, Esmerelda made herself known, although staying well away from the Boggs house.

"He has been sent forth to tempt you. But it's not too late. You must push him from you. Expel him. Trample down the perversion of nature."

"Did you hear that? He's a perversion of nature. Isn't that exciting?"

Two people showed their disappointment at this remark. Peg glared slightly, dropping her smile and Esmerelda hissed and scratched her nose and walked off.

"See you. Bye-bye." Said the women.

Peg watched as they left before calling out her husband's name.

"Bill? Bill?"

Upon telling the boys the situation, they were setting up for the 5:00 barbeque. Edward was helping Peg in the kitchen with the salad, while she was doing the devilled eggs.

"I've always said that you really can't have a picnic or a barbeque without devilled eggs. They're just…the best. They make the thing." She turned around and noticed that, what was once a lettuce head, was now a neat pile of lettuce leaves. She let out a chuckle. "Oh, dear, Edward. That's wonderful. I didn't know you chopped the whole thing."

His blades had calmed down but were still going. In fact, when he had moved his hand up, he cut his cheek.

"Oh, all right. It's just a nick." She pulled some kitchen roll off and dabbed at his cut. "There's no need to be nervous. You know, Esmerelda won't even be here and the rest of the neighbours are really very nice." Said Peg, lying slightly. "There's no need to be nervous. They're so eager to meet you. You just have to be yourself."

That confused Edward a little. He rested his arm against the wall, as not to hurt himself or Peg as she scrapped the lettuce into a bowl.

"Myself?"

"That's right. Just your own sweet self."

That triggered something off in Edward's memory. It involved…cookies.

18th June 1979. 9:28AM.

A tin opener pierced the top of the lid and, upon doing a 360 job; it revealed a pink substance inside. Apart from that, there was a cookie machine in operation. Three or four robot-like figures were making shapes in the dough, which the hand had tipped out of the bowl. There were many inventions at work, including a lettuce cutter.

An elderly gentleman in a striped suit, being supported by a cane, came into the room, via the stairs.

He had a thin moustache, which went with his figure. He was getting on in life. He had outlived his own wife, who had unfortunately passed away of pneumonia three years ago.

Even he was feeling the hand of death approaching. They had not thought of having children.

He smiled in amazement as the sprung hand hit the bowl, tipping another mixture of dough onto the conveyer belt and smiled as different shapes pressed themselves into the rolled-out dough.

However, it struck him, as he took a cooled-down cookie heart out of the box and held it up to the lettuce cutter.

He let a smile spread across his wizened lips.

'I can make a son.'

With the song of Blue Hawaii going through the speakers, everything was in full swing.

Kevin and Max were talking to Edward.

"Hey, Edward, play paper, scissor, stone with us."

"Play scissors…what?"

But, before Edward could be involved in this confusing game, which was new to him, a neighbour put a comforting arm around him.

"I've got a doctor friend that might be able to help you."

While this was going on, Peg and a few of the women were standing around the family topiary.

"Aren't they incredible?" Said Peg. "And he did them just like that."

And she went into a non-mocking impression of Edward's blades going at full-pelt.

Joyce and George Monroe entered through the back garden gate. Joyce was holding a bowl of her special Ambrosia Salad while George was friendly towards his mate, Jack, and his kids.

"Hi, Mike. How're you doing? Hello, Jack. Hi, kids." Finally, much to Joyce's relief, they came upon Edward. "Hi, George Monroe."

He put his hand out to get a handshake, only to see a pair of shears coming to shake it. He backed out of it, quickly.

"Whoa! That's a hell of a handshake, you got there, Ed." He looked around the garden and managed to catch a glimpse of…. "Harry! Harry! I saw you on the golf course, last week. You got a dozen of the melons…"

Edward felt a little downhearted. He had only done what his father had told him to do in etiquette.

His spirits were lifted when Peg came over with a large bowl of dips and chips.

"Are you OK? Do you want something to eat? Are you hungry? Do you want a cracker?"

While Peg was feeding Edward a cracker, Joyce and the girls were near the buffet table, talking.

"He's so…different. Completely different." Sighed Joyce.

"No kidding." Replied Margie.

"He's so mysterious." She added. "Do you imagine those hands hot or cold? Just think what a single snip could do?"

"Or undo." Quipped Helen, who got a laugh from the group.

In the middle of being fed a cracker with sour cream and chive dip, Edward felt a hand slap his back, hard.

He almost choked on the cracker. Peg shook her head and put on her face, which meant 'oh, you boys' and walked off to serve some other guests.

"Eddie. The guys and I were talking. We'd like to invite you to our card game on Friday night. Would you like that?" George saw Edward nod. "Only thing is, you can't cut."

This joke was lost on Edward, although he did feel as though he was being made fun of. He decided to give a little smile, just to be polite.

Later, getting onto 5:55PM, Edward was helping Bill with the barbeque by placing the kebabs and peppers onto his blades and rotating them over the portable barbeque.

An old man, must have been coming up to his late 60's, walked over to Edward. Edward could have sworn he had seen him somewhere before. Unbeknownst to Edward, he had. This was the same man, who had been out mowing.

"I have my own infirmity. Never did me a bit of harm. Took some shrapnel during the war and, ever since then, I can't feel a thing." He knocked on his leg, which sounded hollow. "Not a damn thing. Listen, don't you ever let anybody you have a handicap."

Joyce interrupted him. Upon seeing her, the old man rolled his eyes and walked off.

"Who's handicapped? My goodness! Don't be ridiculous. You're not handicapped. You're the…what do they call the…? Exceptional. My name's Joyce. And I noticed that you have not tasted any of the Ambrosia Salad that I made especially for you. Allow me."

Sensitively, Joyce scooped a large helping and placed it into Edward's mouth. Once it hit Edward's taste buds, he found it delicious.

"Mmm." Was all he could say.

Soon, after noticing that Joyce had managed to get over to the guest of honour, other women walked over and helped him to eat their specialities. Joyce felt a little disappointed.

"You must try this." Said Tinka, another of the local gossips.

"You must try this." Offered Margie. "It's my mother's recipe. Let him chew, for heaven's sakes."

Edward nodded at the lusciousness of Margie's food. Whoever her mother was, she was a genius.

"With your green thumb, Edward, I could sure use your help." She continued.

"Me, too." Cooed the other housewives.

"I want a row of angels." Informed Margie.

"I'm sorry, ladies." Lied Joyce. "But he's promised to come to my house, first. Haven't you, Eddie?"

"I did?" Edward tried to say but couldn't because his mouth was full of different foods.

Upon hearing this, no longer wanting to be near Joyce for the rest of the barbeque, the ladies sighed and walked off, just as Bill was making his way to Edward.

"OK, everyone. Grab your plates. Soup's on!"

Again, this lingo confused Edward.

"I thought it was shish kebab." Was what Edward was trying to say but it sounded muffled because of the food he hadn't swallowed yet.

"What?" Replied Bill, who was feeling slightly sorry for Edward.

"I thought it was shish kebab." But, although swallowing a bit more food, Edward found himself mumbling again.

"Yeah, it is shish kebab. It was a figure of speech, Ed. You've got to learn not to take things too literally."

Later, that night, after digesting that mouthful of food, which swallowed altogether didn't taste that nice, Edward was going over what Bill said.

That reminded him of the days when his father, the inventor had taught him etiquette.

12th August 1979. 3:32PM.

After finding an old picture of their nephew, Sean, whose face was going to be the face of the inventor's new son, the inventor started to set straight to work. First, he started by illustrating in a big A6 book of the different stages of what/ how he was going to build his boy.

The first few pages were of a metal body, which went onto show organs being put in and skin being placed onto the metal. The final stage was a fine-looking man in a tuxedo, which had been fashioned after the photo of Sean.

After two or three months of applying a heart, a brain, skin, eyes, a nose, a mouth and ears (not forgetting the body), the inventor had stopped and, since the boy, who he had named Edward, was like a toddler, although looking like a 19-year-old boy, he had decided to teach him etiquette.

"Let us pretend that we are in the drawing room and the hostess is serving tea. "Now, numerous little questions confront us. Should the man rise when he accepts his cup? May lump sugar be taken with the fingers?" Asked the inventor to a detached Edward after an incident where Edward had fallen over.

"Hmm, no." Replied Edward, who had only just learnt to talk two weeks ago.

"Is it good form to accept a second cup? "Now, should the napkin be entirely unfolded or should the centre crease be allowed to remain?" It is easy to commit embarrassing blunders such as etiquette humiliation or discomfort."

The inventor gave a little chuckle, which was lost on Edward, whose blade snipped spontaneously.

"Hmm, yes. Boring." The inventor looked in the bookcase beneath Edward and pulled out a book of poetry. "Let us switch to some poetry. 'There was an old man from the Cape, who made himself garments of crepe. Asked, "Will they tear?" he replied "here and there, but they keep such a beautiful shape."

Again, he allowed himself a little chuckle. Astoundingly, he noticed that Edward was trying his best to place a smile on his face.

Like a baby learning to walk, he guided him.

"That's right. Go ahead and smile. It's funny. That's right."

Although scary at first, Edward managed a weird smile.

Suddenly, a van pulled up…

Edward was awoken from his memories by a van's engine. Maybe, it was just someone being dropped off at his or her house.

Outside, a camper van, painted black with go-faster flames, pulled up outside and the side door slid open, revealing five teenage kids.

One of them was Kim. She was looking a little wet and dishevelled from being up the mountains.

Her friend, Denny, was at the wheel.

"OK, guys. We're home. Shh."

"I can't believe everything's still sopping." Complained Kim.

"I can't wait to take a shower." Sighed one of Kim's friends.

"And wash off the mildew." Added Suzanne.

A burly jock-type wrapped his hand around Kim. He was the same guy as the one in the prom picture.

This was Jim.

"If my parents set the alarm again, I'm screwed. I'll have to sleep in the yard…again."

"I told you to call to say we're coming back early." Replied Kim.

"Did you?" Asked Denny.

"No, he'd rather complain." Sneered Suzanne.

"How else can I be the centre of attention? You didn't call your parents." Replied Jim.

"They don't run their house like a police station. Bye. Thanks for driving, Denny. See you later."

Kim and Jim gave each other a kiss.

"See you later. Bye."

Jim still had his arm around Kim's shoulder.

"Don't forget your arm." Teased Kim.

"Oh, yeah." Smiled Jim, as Kim let herself out of his grasp.

Jim watched Kim as she walked up to her house, only getting distracted by Denny.

"Come on, Jim. Let's go."

Jim jumped into the back with the others and the van was off.

Kim placed her keys in the key dish next to the door and headed across the living room and into the corridor.

Edward saw someone…a female someone enter the room.

She looked familiar.

Edward raised the covers so only his eyes, forehead and hair (not to forget his Scissorhands) were showing.

Kim was, at first, completely oblivious to the fact that there was a man, with scissors for hands, in her bed.

She started stripping down to her vest and jeans. She walked over to the mirror, feeling as though she had a spot on her face.

That's when she saw Edward.

Edward hadn't heard so much noise but, when he did, he punctured the waterbed with panic and drenched himself.

Kim had managed to leg it out of the room.

Kim's screaming had managed to wake everyone up. Peg and Bill, who was just starting to reawaken, came out into the corridor in a daze.

"Mom, there's a murderer in my room! Go look. Go look." Wailed Kim. "A murderer with an axe. He tried to kill me."

Edward, who had come to see if Kim was OK, only caused more panic.

"Ahh! There he is! He's going to kill me!"

Bill led Kevin, who had come to see what the fuss was about, back to Kevin's bedroom and led Edward into the bathroom to get him cleaned up.

From Peg's bedroom, Peg was trying to calm Kim down.

"Honey, that was Edward."

"Edward? Why're you calling him Edward?"

"Edward's come to live with us. There's nothing to be upset about. No, its OK."

Bill, who, after drying and cleaning him up, had led Edward down to the rumpus room and was pulling out a bed from the sofa-bed.

"We'll have you set up here in a minute. Look, we've got a queen-sized bed, here. How'd ya like that? It's all made up and everything. There you go." He looked and saw Edward, standing stock-still but shaking. "What's the matter? What's wrong? She gets you nervous? You've been cloistered up in that castle too long. You don't know anything about the wonderful world of teenage girls."

Bill led Edward over to the bar, where, placing Edward onto a stool, he started to take out two glasses and pour some brown liquid.

"They're all crazy." Bill continued. "Here. Straighten that out."

"What is it?" Asked Edward, who hadn't been taught about liquids that you could drink.

"Lemonade." Lied Bill, who looked up the stairs to check if the girls were coming down. Really, he wasn't supposed to be drinking. What with his health and everything. "I don't know what it is." He said, still referring to teenage girls. "They reach a certain age. They develop these gland things. Their bodies swell up. They go crazy."

Edward, taking a break from trying to pick the glass up with his blades, looked up with a quizzical look on his face.

"Glands?"

"Yeah, glands. I'd try not to think about it." Bill placed a straw into Edward's glass.

Edward, thanks to this new tool, managed to suck it up into his mouth…quite fast. That turned out to be a mistake.

The liquid in question, which later turned out to be whiskey, started to sear Edward's throat.

He looked up at Bill and he started to wheeze.

Bill took this message the wrong way.

"Good, isn't it?"

Meanwhile, in Kevin's room, Peg and Kim were talking quietly. Kim had calmed down after his little chat with Peg.

Peg was wrestling with sorting out the bed, talking to Kim and trying to place Kevin's arm under the covers.

"Now, you stay in Kevin's room, tonight. Tomorrow, we'll fix your room right up." Said Peg, who was helping Kim take Kevin's skateboard off the spare bed.

"Mom, why'd you have to bring him here?"

"Oh, honey. I couldn't have left him up there all alone. You would have done the same thing." Said Peg, hoping that that would end the dispute. It didn't.

"Why does he have to stay here?" Repeated Kim.

"Oh, my goodness, Kim. I'm surprised at you. He can't help the way he is. Have a little sympathy."

"I do have a little sympathy." Replied Kim.

"Well, then, you can come downstairs, say hello…" Peg said the next phrase without thinking. "Shake his hand."

"Shake his hand?"

"Well, not literally. Goodness, you scared him half to death." Sighed Peg.

" I scared him to death?"

And, taking her mother's hand, Kim was led down to the den.

' I thought Bill had promised to lay off the drink. What with his health problems and everything. I do hope Edward's alright.'

Peg could smell the whiskey from where she was as she led Kim down the rickety stairs to the bar. She smiled as she saw her husband and Edward sitting at the bar.

"Hi, Bill. I just wanted you two to have a proper introduction. Edward, this is our daughter, Kim. Kim, this is Edward, who's going to live with us."

Kim watched as Edward towered over her. He didn't look too happy. In fact, he looked like he had drunken a glass of whiskey without stopping. Out of his mouth, a straw was dangling.

"Hi." Said Kim, meekly.

"H…H…" Edward didn't get any further as he passed out.

Suffering from what Peg later told him was a hangover; Edward was in the back garden of Joyce's. The sun wasn't helping with his current condition.

"Eddie." Called Joyce, who was serving real lemonade. "Thirsty?"

Edward, upon hearing the word 'lemonade' felt a funny taste in his mouth, which he ascribed to the lie that Bill had given him.

After a reluctant Kim and a helpful Peg had helped him up and sent him to the bathroom, Peg had later had a go at Bill for giving Edward whiskey.

"Kisses, hush up." He heard Joyce say to her little yappy Chihuahua. "Quiet now. I can hardly hear myself think. Momma's precious little baby girl."

Although his vision was a little impaired, Edward was sure that he saw Joyce give her dog a little kick.

"Wouldn't you like a nice cool glass of lemonade?"

"Lemonade?" Repeated Edward.

A sudden feeling left Edward's stomach, came up from his throat and projected out of his mouth.

Later that day, Edward had joined Kevin at the teenager's local school. As it was a hot day, the sprinklers were on.

After the bell rang, Kevin and Edward entered the classroom to a class full of chattering children.

However, upon seeing Edward, they all settled down.

"One karate chop to a guy's neck…" Started Kevin. "…And it's all over."

Edward posed like a karate expert, showing off his blades. All the kids gasped in unison.

"They're the sharpest things in the world. They can hack through anything. And…"

Kevin held up a piece of red A4 paper, which he passed to Edward.

Placing it in his palm, Edward went manic with the paper until it ended up as a people-chain.

Everyone cheered as Edward took a bow.

At lunchtime, walking with Jim and Suzanne, Kim was bringing up the subject of the topiaries.

"I think they look weird. They give me the creeps."

"You should see the clown in Ms. Peter's yard." Added Suzanne.

"Kim!"

A voice came out of nowhere. Kim looked over to see a tall figure with wild black hair and blades in substitute for his fingers.

"Oh, no." Muttered Kim, bringing her school books up to her chest.

"That's him?" Asked Suzanne, who had been informed at school and was now a little intrigued as well as scared.

"He's calling you, Kimba." Taunted Jim, using the pet name he gave her.

"Stop it." Replied Kim, not wanting to draw any more attention to herself.

"Edward." Marge called to him. Edward turned a little before turning back to Kim. "You forgot your cookies."

"Don't worry, Eddie." Called Jim, who was using his strength to pick a thrashing Kim up. " She's waiting for you."

"Stop." Laughed Kim, who had managed to let herself go and was walking off with Suzanne.

Jim gave Edward a look, which meant 'she's mine'.

It was suppertime at the Boggs abode. Suzanne and Jim had been invited over by Kim. That had proved to be a new challenge for Edward because Suzanne was a little wary and Jim kept his eye on Edward, who was currently cutting the meat for everyone.

"Bill, do you know what Edward told me?" Asked Peg. "He had lunch at Jackie's today."

"Really?" Replied Bill.

"She's just had her kitchens completely redone."

"I'll be darned."

"New paint, new cabinets, new floors." Replied Peg. "New microwave, new Sonnet dishwasher."

"Yeah, isn't that wonderful?" Said Bill, slightly envious of Jackie.

"Isn't that something?" Peg turned from Bill to Jim. "Jim, didn't you tell me your mum has had her kitchen done, too?"

"Yeah, my dad's just bought himself a bunch of new toys." Answered Jim. " Big screen TV, CD player, VCR with four heads."

"My goodness sakes!" Beamed Peg. "I wonder what its like to be that rich."

"No, they keep things pretty much locked up." Informed Jim. "My father has his own room for his stuff to make sure I can't get in and use it. He's so cheap he won't even help me buy my own car."

"Well, he probably wants you to pay for it yourself. I agree with him. It builds character. You'll appreciate it more." Talking up to the end of the table, he directed his attention to Edward. "Speaking of money, I understand you're not getting paid for your gardening, Edward."

Peg sighed. She knew this was going to come up sooner or later.

"Now, Bill, Margie made him cookies today."

Bill gave a sigh, placing his fork on his plate and looked at Peg.

"Sweetheart, you can't buy the necessities of life with cookies. You can't buy a car with cookies, am I right, Jim?"

"Ah, that's true, sir. You can't." Replied Jim, giving him a smile.

Edward carved off a piece of meat and was about to hand it over to Suzanne.

"I can't eat that. He used his hands. I don't think it's sanitary."

Feeling slightly hurt, Edward moved the meat over towards to Kim. However, instead of putting it on her plate, he placed it in her lap by mistake. Jim gave a little snort of amusement.

"I…I'm sorry." Stuttered Edward as he sat back down, ashamed.

"Honey, you want me to help you clear that up." Asked Peg.

Feeling as though she had been made a fool of by someone who had scissors for hands, Kim placed the meat onto the plate.

"No, that's OK. I'll be right back."

And, leaving the table, Kim went to the bathroom. Peg patted Edward, comfortingly, on the back.

The next morning, while one of the housewives was hosing the leaves out of the drainpipes, Edward was finishing off a ballet dancer in her front garden. However, a fluffy dog soon distracted him.

A spark of inspiration got Edward's blades starting up and he was soon going crazy on the dog's fur.

When the housewife turned around to see what the noise was, she noticed something new about her dog.

It looked like it had been shaven in places.

"Alexis?" She said, turning off the hose and bending down to greet her dog. "This can't possibly be my Alexis. She looks so beautiful. Look at you, sweetheart. She's gorgeous. Thank-you."

Edward was pleased to see his good work making someone happy.

Word soon spread around about Edward's new skill. The neighbourhood women had brought, or bought, dogs down for Edward to trim and groom.

" He won't be long." Informed Peg to a long line of women with dogs. " She just needs to decide on the style, and then it will be fine."

Meanwhile, the woman in question, Joyce, was informing Edward on what style she wanted her Kisses to have.

"I was hoping for something big and bouffant- kinda like mine. Don't you worry, Kisses. You'll be so pretty."

Edward snipped a piece of hair off Kisses' fringe. Joyce let out a gasp of excitement. It had been pretty quick and precise. He did it again and again, until Kisses looked like a miniature lion.

Joyce was impressed.

"Eddie, is there anything you can't do? You take my very breath away. I swear, look at this." A sudden thought came into her head. "Have you ever cut a woman's hair? Would you cut mine?"

Before Edward could answer, or object, Joyce pulled over a lawn chair and sat down in it.

If truth be told, Edward hadn't cut hair. Men or women's. All he knew was that he had to be careful. Placing his blades, carefully, underneath her chin, Edward inclined her head one way, then another, trying to find the best angle to cut.

Joyce found the whole experience…exhilarating.

When Edward had finished, her hair was springy and short.

"That was the single most thrilling experience of my whole life."

Soon after that, the women that had been queuing to have their dogs groomed were now queuing, and pushing, to get their hair cut by Edward.

Edward thought the queue was never going to end. He even had a little trouble cutting a small piece off the top of one woman's hair.

Finally, they were all done. There was only one customer left…Peg. He grabbed the feather duster, brushed the hair off the seat and held out his hand, carefully. Peg smiled as she took it and sat down, awaiting his services.

" We're getting the head of the company!"

Peg and Edward were sitting in Peg's bedroom. Peg was placing some more concealing cream on Edward's face. She was finally getting the texture just right…at least she thought she was.

"I'm home!" Called Kim.

" Hi, honey, we're in here." Replied Peg.

Kim rushed down the corridor, just stopping in the doorway.

"Hi! What did you do to your hair?"

"Edward cut it. Isn't it wild?"

From Kim's point-of-view, Edward looked even more scary than usual. His face was completely white with concealing cream with his two eyes the other things that hadn't been covered up.

Kim gave Peg and Edward a smile. The very first smile that Edward had seen from her. She left the doorway and went down the corridor to her room.

Peg directed her attention back to the phone, where the head of the company was now talking to her.

"Hello. Oh, I can't believe I'm talking to you in person. This is such an honour. Yes, he's right here. Great. So, then, you know all about it. Aha. That's exactly what I've been using. Well, I've had a little trouble getting it the right consistency. Yeah, right, just a little."

Edward, meanwhile, was trying the concoction. He didn't like the smell of one of them and couldn't get it off his blade.

"I'll try that." Continued Peg. "Well, what imaginative suggestions! I sure will. Thank-you so much. Bye-bye." She put the phone down and knelt down in front of Edward. "No wonder, she's head of the company. You know, she started out as a sales representative just like me. I've always wanted to talk to her but, until now, I never had a reason. Thanks, Edward."

"She had some ideas?" Replied Edward.

"You bet she did." Said Peg. "Uh-huh."

"Uh-huh." Smiled Edward, thinking of all the possibilities.

At the Southgate Mall, Helen and Edward had drove down to sharpen Edward's blades, which were beginning to look a little blunt.

However, who he hadn't expected to see there was Kim with her boyfriend, Jim. He watched as they flirted with each other before entering the van.

That brought a saddened Edward back down to Earth.

"Edward, we're here." Notified Helen. "Come on, let's get you sharpened up."

Later that afternoon, after getting his blades worked on, Helen dropped off Edward outside Peg's.

"I'll get that." Said Helen, helping Edward open the door. "Bye."

"Bye." Replied Edward.

Funnily enough, he saw Kim and Jim outside. Kim was rifling through her purse for the keys, while Jim was trying to find another way in.

"Do you have it?"

"No, I can't believe this." Kim looked across the lawn to see Edward. "Do you have a key?"

"No." Said Edward, truthfully. Peg had neglected to do that.

"I could have sworn I put it in here, somewhere." Muttered Kim, shuffle through her purse, again.

"Well, we're stranded." Sighed Jim, who was starting to get disappointed because he wasn't going to get any action with her.

Without any warning, Edward placed his index blade into the key slot and wiggled it about a little before achieving what he, and the couple, wanted.

The door swung open.

"Wow! Thanks." Beamed Kim, who actually gave Edward a huge smile.

Edward felt a tingle of pride. He had actually made Kim smile.

A hand slammed itself onto Edward's back. It was Jim.

"Ed, what a job. Good job. You didn't break it or scratch it or anything." He smiled, wickedly. "Hey, be a pal and yell when Peg pulls in, huh?"

Edward's pride had suddenly been replaced by guilt.

The next day, on national TV, Edward and Peg were on a talk show. Edward was wearing a black jacket and trousers with a white shirt over his buckled body. Peg had got dressed up in her usual Avon Representative outfit. A poodle and topiary were the only things that were on the stage.

The talk-show host was in the audience.

"Quite a story, yes?" Said the talk-show host, once Edward, with a little help from Peg, had finished his story. "Any questions for Edward?" Several women raised their hands. Most of the audience were women; only a few men were in the seats. He walked over to a woman nearest the aisle. "Yes, let me get way over here. Stand right up."

"What's been the best part of your new life here in town?"

"The friends I've made." Said Edward, having to incline his body towards the microphone.

"Any other questions?"

Another woman, one with white hair and old in looks stood up.

"Have you ever thought of having corrective surgery or prosthetics?" She asked. "I know a doctor, who might be able to help you."

"I'd like to meet him." Replied Edward, calculating that this was the third time someone had offered to introduce a doctor to him.

"We'll give that name after the show." Informed the talk-show host. "That's very nice. Anyone else? Yes, stand right up."

One more woman rose from her seat, clearly confused by Edward's answer.

"But if you had regular hands, you'd be just like everyone else."

"Yes, I know." Said Edward.

"I think he'd like that." Replied the talk-show host.

Another blonde woman raised her hand.

"Then no-one would think you were special. You wouldn't be on TV or anything."

For once, Edward was stumped with that little truth.

However, Peg came through for him.

"No matter what, Edward will always be special."

She took one look at Edward and smiled, who felt moved at her words and smiled back.

"More questions." Announced the talk-show host. "Stand right up."

"Your work is so interesting, distinctive and unique. Do you have plans to open your own beauty salon?"

Edward's blades twitched on his knees with anticipation. He had given it a thought a couple of times.

"Ah, now there's an idea." Replied the talk-show host. "Anyone else? Yeah."

He stepped over to a quite large woman, who was obviously flustered.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

In the Boggs household, Kim, Jim and Kevin were watching Edward's TV debut. Kevin and Jim shared a look.

"Sure he does, right, Kim?" Teased Jim.

"Right, Kim?" Added Kevin.

"Great, now, you've got him started." Moaned Kim.

"Knock it off, bubble-butt." Said Jim, hitting Kevin in the arm.

"You did it." Retorted Kevin, who rubbed his arm in reply.

"So?"

They watched the TV as the camera cut to Edward, who was a little unsure of how to answer this question. Of course, there was someone he liked. But did she like him?

"How about it, Edward? Is there some special lady in your life?"

On screen, Peg gave a little smile, which disappeared as she saw Edward's worried face.

'Do I tell them?' Thought Edward. 'With Peg, Kim's mother, right next to me. How will she take it? How will Kim take it? How will anyone take it?'

Edward slowly made his way towards the mike. If his hands were real now, they would be sweaty. At the moment, his hands, or rather blades, were twitching something crazy.

Everything happened so quickly. Edward had cut the cable on the mike and had received a hug shock; making him and the chair he was sitting in, go backwards.

"Uh, everything's all right. We'll take a break and be right back after these messages."

Kevin and Jim were in states of laughter. Whether it was Edward getting shocked or the chair tipping backwards, nothing Kim said made them calm down.

"Why are you laughing? He got hurt."

"It was a little shock. What do you care?" Retorted Jim.

"A little shock?" Replied Kim. What had happened to the Jim she knew from junior school. The sensitive one that had protected her from the other monsters, who were the jocks and the geeks.

"I wish we'd have been taping that." Said Jim, sitting upright. "I'd give my left nut to see that again."

All Kim could do was worry.

The Paramedics slid Edward's still smoking body onto a strecher, which they then proceeded to place in the back of the Ambulance. A crowd of worried women watched as Peg got into the back and the Ambulance drove away. Later, at the Hospital, surrounded by get-well-soon cards and flowers, Edward sat with a large nurse, who was scruntinizing him as he gently sawed the top off a soft-boiled egg and carefully dipped with the point of one finger. She looked down at the notes and raised an eyebrow before looking back at Edward.

" If I were you, I'd stay away from electricity. You're lucky the juice wasn't more powerful."

Edward ripped the paper napkin as he patted his mouth Things like this needed to be done carefully, even to himself.

" Yes." He replied. 'Trust me to get electrocuted by a microphone in front of millions of people. Kim's probably laughing right now.'

" I guess you also have to be careful of magnets." Noted the Nurse. Edward nodded. " Your clothes must need an awful lot of mending."

She shook her head but gave a sympathetic smile and stood up to leave.

" There's a Doctor people keep mentioning to me. Someone - you know - that could help me..."

To explain further, he lifts his slightly smoking "hands"

" I've never heard of anybody like that. Not connected to this hospital." Again, the nurse felt some sympathy as Edward bowed his head, resigned. This was the answer he had expected. Trying to lighten the mood, she nodded towards the bedclothes. " Try not to rip the sheets or we'll have to charge you extra." She turned, only to see a small crowd of reporters there. " That bunch of vultures. They'll eat you alive if...I'll deal with 'em, you watch." Opening the doors, she squared up to the reporters. " Out of the way. This is a private room and the patient is resting." She pointed a finger at them. " Now, if you don't leave, I'll call hospital Security. I don't know how you got in here 'cause you're not supposed to be. And, with a slam of the door, she returned to the patient's room and gave Edward a wink and a smile.

After recuperating for a couple more hours and getting to know Sandy, the helpful nurse, Edward and Joyce were making their way down to the new salon.

"Aren't you excited?" Asked Joyce. "Oh, this is just so thrilling. It's just perfect. It's just what we've been lookin' for. I wanna call it 'Shear Heaven'. Here, we are." She opened the door for him and they entered a spacious room, which was already filled with salon equipment. "Now, along here, I'm going to put a row of new mirrors." She led Edward, who was taken everything in, around the salon. She took him to the back wall and spread her arms out. "And, back up here, a whole row of new cosmetics."

Edward, upon Joyce's leaving, spread his arms out, imagining. He felt an arm place itself around his.

"Peg could see cosmetics."

"Yeah, sure." Said Joyce, half-heartedly. She led him to the main counter. "And this is where we wash the hair and where I stand when I greet the customers. But back through here is what I really want to show you."

Joyce led Edward into the back room where mannequins, the mains and the supplies were. While Joyce was distracted, Edward made his way towards the mains, a little intrigued.

"No, honey, don't!" Said Joyce, who grabbed his arm and pulled it away before he hurt himself. "That's dangerous. What I need from you today is a decision I want to help me make. You just sit right down there."

And she pushed him into the leather recliner. Edward watched as Joyce reached into her bag and pulled out two pieces of long material. To lighten the mood, Joyce put Tom Jones' With These Hands.

"I have some smocks. Would you like me to model them for you?"

"Yes." Said Edward, whose voice didn't seem 100% sure.

"This is my favourite." Said Joyce as she flaunted with a yellow lacy smock. She walked around Edward and brushed it up against his face. "Because it's yellow and what it's for is to catch those little trimmings that fall down your neck. Then, there's this old purple one that you just sorta drape around you like this."

Edward gave a big smile.

"I like that one."

"Oh, Eddie, you're trembling." Said Joyce, seductively. "So am I." Sitting with her legs either side of him, Joyce started to manipulate Edward's blades into undoing her top and sensually rubbing her arms.

However, what she hadn't counted on was the weight of both of them on the recliner, which tipped.

Edward, too shocked for words, left the salon.

"Edward! Edward, you come back here! You can't do that!"

Noticing the Boggs' car outside a nearby restaurant, Edward entered the place and looked around for them.

He heard Bill's tone from behind a wall.

"Velcro. Velcro, sweetheart, that hangs on the dashboard."

"I've never seen that." Replied Peg, honestly.

"Sorry, I'm late." Apologized Edward, who waited for one of the family to move up. Starting to accept him more, Kim hitched up and left him a space. He smiled and sat down.

"Hi, Edward." Smiled Peg. "Sorry. We had to go ahead without you. Here you go."

She passed Kevin a menu, who passed it to Kim, who placed it against the serviette dispenser.

"So, Edward." Spoke up Bill. "Did you have a productive day?"

'I'm not too sure how to answer that.' Thought Edward, who then decided to tweak the truth a little. "Mrs. Monroe showed me where the salon is going to be." He looked at Peg and smiled. "You could have a cosmetics counter."

"Wouldn't that be great?" Smiled Peg, thinking of all the good possibilities.

"Great." Replied Bill to both Peg and Edward.

"And then she took me into the backroom where she took all of her clothes off."

Bill took little notice but Kim and Peg looked a little surprised while Kevin was trying to keep his amusement in.

"Edward, I can't tell you how pleased I am." Announced Bill. "I'm just as pleased as punch. This whole beauty parlour business is going to teach you volumes. There's nothing like running your own business. I've never done it, myself. But, from what I gather, it's the greatest satisfaction a workingman can have. So, I guess the bank's going to be your next step, huh?"

"The bank?" Asked Edward, a little unsure of how a bank worked.

"Yeah, take out a loan. Get yourself started. Nothing to worry about. What with your talent and reputation, it's going to be a snap."

Edward smiled with pride and excitement. He was beginning to love living down here.

However, despite what Bill said, getting a loan wasn't going to be a snap. Peg and Edward were talking to the bank clerk while two security guards were doing safety checks on a vault behind him.

"No credit. No record of jobs you've held. No savings. No personal investments." He double-checked the paperwork. " No social security number, you may as well not even exist. There is no collateral."

"Yeah, I know." Replied Peg. "We already have a second on the house. But don't the testimonials make a difference? Did you see here, the Mayor's wife can't wait to become a client."

"We simply can't do it." Sighed the bank clerk. "Now, get yourself a social security card. Establish credit and buy yourself a car. You have a side to advantage. You can get one of those handicapped placards, no problem. Park anywhere you like."

This seemed to pleased Edward but not Peg.

Outside the bank, Peg and Edward had a little chat.

"I can't believe it. Really, it's just an outrage. Don't you worry about it. This isn't the end of it. We'll get your money from somewhere."

Kim wasn't having a nice with Jim like she had wanted to. They were talking about stealing his dad's stuff.

"But that's breaking and entering." Argued Kim.

"Look. My parents have insurance up the rear, OK? What's it gonna cost them? A little hassle, that's about it. In a week, my dad will have a new and better everything." Replied Jim.

"We can't." Said Kim.

"Look, there's a guy who'll give us cash for this stuff." Informed Jim.

"Jim, I don't want to."

"Don't you want us to ride around in a van like Denny's, and we could be by ourselves when we liked? With a mattress in the back?" Jim thought this would bring Kim around. She had a few more questions.

"Why can't you do it?"

"'Cause my father keeps the damn room locked and we need Edward to get us in."

"Well, can't you take the keys like when he's sleeping or something?" Kim, Jim had to admit, brought up a pretty good, but stupid, argument.

"Look, you don't understand. The only thing he holds tighter onto is his dick. C'mon, Razorblades'll do anything for you."

"What do you mean? That's not true." Snorted Kim.

"Oh, no? Why don't you ask him?" Retorted Jim.

"That's not fair."

"What's fair got to do with it?" Said Jim. " There isn't any other way."

"There's gotta be." Moaned Kim, not wanting to ask Edward, whom she was starting to grow fond of.

"Look, I've racked my brain." Replied Jim.

'That must've really hurt.' Thought Kim, sarcastically.

"Don't you want us to have our own van?" he asked, placing a bracing arm around her.

"Well, yeah." Said Kim, who was trying to wriggle out of her boyfriend's hug.

It was 9:36PM. A familiar black van with go-faster flames pulled up in front of a pastel-coloured house. There was a light coming from one of the rooms.

Five people piled out of the van, dressed in black. It was Kim, Edward, Denny, Suzanne and Jim.

"Jim, the lights are on!" Exclaimed Kim in a hushed tone.

"They go on automatically." Replied Jim. "They're gone for the weekend, I told you."

"This burglar scared?" Taunted Denny.

"You turned off the alarm?" Said Kim, turning to Jim. "Am I right?"

"Yes, everything, come on." Muttered Jim, who was starting to feel as though Kim's heart wasn't in this. "Let's go. Come on."

They started making their way over to the house. Kim and Suzanne were ahead of the boys.

"I can't believe this is happening." Sighed Kim.

"Are you sure he doesn't know this is Jim's house?" Whispered Suzanne, taking a quick look at Edward, who was unfamiliar with the area.

"He's never been here." Replied, or rather huffed, Kim.

Meanwhile, at the back, Edward was still a little unsure of all this. Jim was trying not to get caught but Edward wasn't making it easy.

"This person stole from you?" He asked, a little too loudly.

"Keep your voice down." Growled Jim "I told you he stole it, all right. Come on, let's go."

"Well, tell his parents and they'll tell them to give it back." Said Edward, innocently, having heard the inventor telling him about stealing before he died.

"Listen, I've already tried that. His parents are like he is." Replied Jim, almost getting fed up. "Okay? Now, you told Kim you'd do this. Well, come on."

Edward had been, momentarily, distracted by an overgrown bush near the front door but had been taken away before he could do anything.

The others let him pass so he could jimmy (no pun intended) the door open with his index blade.

Inside the house was absolutely spotless. Jim went in first and placed a Sears picture of him face down.

They went down a few corridors before arriving at a door, which was separated from the other doors.

They let Edward pass so he could, again, unlock the door and…that's where all the trouble began.

Edward had entered first. The door had automatically locked behind him, separating him from the others, just as Jim had planned.

"The bastard had it wired separately." Smiled Jim. "Come on."

Kim was holding onto the doorknob, hearing worrying scratching on the other end. That must have been Edward, scared out of his wits.

"No, Jim!" Yelled Kim, as the others legged it. "We can't just leave him here."

Jim had no time for this and pulled Kim away from the door, having to try really hard as her hand was holding tight to the door.

When they were outside, Kim momentarily had a chance to head back to the house. Again, Jim wasn't buying it and had to give her a shoulder-carry to the van.

Out the corner of his eye, he could see an upcoming headlight. The police.

Back inside the house, Edward was troublingly trying to grip the doorknob but, with his current handicap, he couldn't.

He heard one vehicle go and another arrive.

A voice, amplified by the megaphone, sounded authoritative. This was Officer Allan.

"WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" He said. "WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DEACTIVATING THE SYSTEM SO THAT YOU CAN COME OUT!"

Edward looked from the direction of the voice to another sound, which was the door unlocking. It swung open.

"Denny, turn around!"

Kim wasn't happy. Jim had purposely done all this to get Edward into trouble. And for what? Was Jim envious with Edward because Edward noticed Kim more than him?

"No way." Said both Jim and Denny.

"Jim, it's your house. They can't arrest you for setting off your own alarm. We'll just them that we freaked and ran."

"I'm not going back there. Okay?" Jim was starting to get annoyed.

And, by the sounds of her voice, so was Kim.

"We have to go back."

"No, because my father will prosecute."

Kim found this very hard to believe.

"His own son?"

"Especially his own son. If Edward tells, I'll kill him."

Kim rolled her eyes and hit the seat of the driver.

"Denny, turn around." She ignored Jim's childish wailings of 'No'. "We have to!"

Edward was slightly blinded by the searchlight beaming in his face. All he could hear was Officer Allan through the megaphone.

"PUT YOUR HANDS UP HIGH IN THE AIR SO WE CAN SEE THEM. PUT YOUR HANDS UP!"

Edward did what he was told. However, it didn't please the police officers.

"He's got something in his hands." The other policeman squinted at the blades, which in fact, were Edward's fingers. "Looks like knives."

Officer Allan sighed. This was all he needed. Another psycho knife-thrower.

"DROP YOUR WEAPONS! I REPEAT, DROP YOUR WEAPONS!" Said Officer Allan into the megaphone. "I'LL ASK YOU ONE MORE TIME. THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING! DROP YOUR WEAPONS. IF YOU FAIL TO DO SO, WE WILL HAVE TO OPEN FIRE. DON'T MAKE US DO THAT, BUDDY. DROP YOUR WEAPONS. DROP THEM! NOW!" Placing down the megaphone, Officer Allan reached into the gun holster. "Looks like we've got a psycho, prepare to open fire."

However, before the police officers could do it, housewives started running out of the house in hairnets and nighties.

"It's OK. Ladies, step back." Said Officer Allan.

"Don't shoot." Pleaded Margie. "Please, we know him."

Officer Allan looked from the women to the figure, who was now close enough to the car to be sorted out.

This obviously was a person that had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. But how had he got into the house.

There was no other choice.

"All right, cuff him."

The only way they could achieve that was by placing the cuffs in the handles of Edward's Scissorhands.

'Poor Edward. What made him do a thing like this?'

Peg and Bill entered the police station and were greeted by a portly 45-year-old police officer.

"But can we see him now?"

"You can see him now but we'll have to hold him in, overnight, for observations." Informed the police officer.

"He had to stay in prison all night?" Peg didn't like this news.

"You can pick him up in the morning."

Peg, or Bill, hadn't been in the police station since Kim had been caught for nicking a stick of lipstick.

In the police interrogation room, which would only fit three people in at the most, Edward was sitting on the bench with his head down. The cap was perched on his head and was saving him from looking at the disappointed looks on Peg and Bill's face.

"Oh, Edward. Hello, Edward, dear." Edward risked a look and saw sadness in Peg's face. "I blame myself."

'Oh, don't go there.' Thought Edward.

"What in God's name was going through your mind, son?" Added Bill.

"Why didn't I set a better example? You saw how I envied Jim's parents, their money." Said Peg, sadly.

"And what were you going to do with that stuff once you had it?"

Peg suddenly remembered the little talk that she and Edward had had.

"Oh, I blithely say 'we'll get the money for the salon somehow.' But I never meant stealing. Stealing's not the way to get it. Stealing's not the way to get anything."

"Except trouble." Sighed Bill. "And you're in a serious heap of that."

"Damn those TV show." Cursed Peg.

"Damn them all to hell." Agreed Bill, shaking his head.

The next morning, while the desk officer was stamping Edward's release, Officer Allan was talking to the psychologist.

"Will he be OK, Doc?"

Being a bit busy with looking at Edward's paperwork, the psychologist took a little time in replying.

"The years spent in isolation have not equipped him with the tools necessary to judge right from wrong. He's had no context. He's been completely without guidance. Furthermore, his work, the garden sculptures, hairstyles, and so forth, indicate that he's a highly imaginative…" He looked at the figure of Edward, unsure of what Edward was. "…character. It seems clear that his awareness of what we call reality is radically underdeveloped."

"But will he be alright…" Said Officer Allan, looking out the window. "…out there?"

But the psychologist was once again busy with Edward's personality profile.

"Oh, yeah, he'll be fine."

And the psychologist walked off, deeply immersed.

Officer Allan directed his attention to Edward, who had been waiting patiently.

"Listen, it could keep my awake all night, worrying about you. Watch yourself."

Edward gave a very stiff nod and walked out of the police station into the waiting arms of Peg.

However, with the latest turn of events, the women of the neighbourhood were gossiping.

"I happened to be up. And I heard this noise." Said Margie. "And…."

She was interrupted by Joyce.

"All along, I felt in my gut, there was something wrong with him."

"It could have been my house." Replied Margie.

"It could have been any of our houses but…"

All the women were interrupted by another female voice. It was Esmerelda.

"I warned you, didn't I?" She said, her voice almost smug. "I saw the sign of Satan on him. You didn't heed my warning. But now you will, because now you see it, too."

They watched as Esmerelda passed with a dark look of loathing at them before starting to speak again.

However, Joyce nodded towards the road and saw a familiar yellow car with two familiar figures inside it.

The women went their separate ways.

Peg and Edward watched as Joyce, Helen, Margie, Esmerelda, and Tinka went off and pulled up towards the house.

"Oh, no." Said Peg, seeing a bunch of reporters. "Edward, you stay here."

The reporters rushed over like vultures to a dead body.

"What do you have to say in your defence?" Asked one reporter.

"Nothing." Replied Edward.

'Quite right, too.' Said Peg as she fought her way to the car door. "He doesn't want to talk to you."

"You have to say something." Added another reporter.

"What?" Asked Edward.

"No comments? No remarks?" Put in another reporter. " I mean…" They had to hurry as Peg was hurrying Edward to the door. "So were you set up? What was going through your mind?" They had to call through the door as it closed on them. "One comment."

They gave up.

While Edward had been safely left in the living room, Peg was on the phone to one of her friends, Lois.

"For goodness sakes, Lois, I'll be seeing you at our Christmas party before I bring you down here for your haircut. Of course, we'll have it this year. We have it every year. Why wouldn't we have it this year?" She knew the answer before Lois gave it to her. She didn't care what other people thought, now. "Well, you may think that, but you're wrong."

'I don't blame you'

Edward heard the door open and he turned to see Kim…with no Jim following her. He decided to keep a stern face, which was hard considering he was looking at Kim.

"You're here." Said Kim, having no disappointment in her voice. "They didn't hurt you, did they?" Edward shook his head. They had only questioned him. "I tried to make Jim go back…" She sighed. "But you can't make Jim do anything. Thank you for not telling them about me."

"You're welcome." Replied Edward, having had no intention of getting Kim into trouble.

"It must have been awful when they told you whose house it was."

"I knew it was Jim's house." Notified Edward.

"You did?" Kim was clearly stumped.

"Yes." Said Edward, truthfully.

"Well, then, why'd you do it?" was all she could ask. The answer would melt her heart.

"Because you asked me to."

Before they could continue any further, a voice that neither of them wanted to hear bellowed out.

"Kimmy!" He gave out a whistle. "Kimba!"

Kim opened the patio door and, to Edward, it looked as though she was going to go into his arms. He clawed his blades down the drapes, for once not caring. He walked off, not knowing what was going to happen.

"Don't!"

Kim glared at him. From her tone, she was not best pleased. In fact, she was seriously pissed off with him.

"What's the matter with you? When are you going to stop?" Jim looked at the retreating figure inside the house. "Look, I did what I could. My old man thinks he's retarded, otherwise he'd still be in jail. What more do you want from me?"

"Uh…" Said Kim, pretending to think really hard. "You could tell the truth."

"So could you." Said Jim. There was no way he was taking the rap. "You were there, too."

"It wasn't my idea." Reminded Kim. "You know I didn't want to do it."

"Ah, but you did do it." Smirked Jim. Kim got fed up and walked back into the house. Jim sighed, clearly getting annoyed. "I don't get why you give such a shit, anyway."

Edward, meanwhile, had waited for Kim to return. When he saw them talking, he had stalked off in a mood, dragging his blades across the walls of the corridors. He left a deep indent in the bathroom door and, after throwing the towel into the bath, started to scrape his blades down the wallpaper

His face looked intense, as did his mood.

He was in the doghouse at suppertime. Peg hadn't been mad with him but had tried to calm him down.

Bill, however, was slightly less easy to get sorry for him.

"Well, we're going to try and help you find a way to replace the towels and the drapes, but our confidence in you, Edward, isn't going to be so easy to replace."

"Dad." Sighed Kim, who felt her dad should lay off Edward.

"Okay." Said Bill, who had decided not to upset Edward or Kim any further. "A little ethics. You're walking down the street. You find a suitcase full of money. There's no one around. No human person is in evidence." He explained this by lightly banging his hand on the table with each word. "What do you do? A) You keep the money. B) You use it to buy gifts for your friends and your loved ones. C) You give to the poor. D) You turn it into the police."

"This is really stupid." Muttered Kim, which wasn't unheard by Peg.

"Kim!"

"I'd keep the money." Replied Kevin.

"Simmer down." Said Peg.

"Edward?" Asked Bill, who was trying to get the subject back on track.

"Hey, why don't we go down to the bowling alley? That'd be fun."

"You're not seeing Jim, tonight?" Asked Peg, who had started to get concerned about the lack of Jim's appearance.

"No." Kim said, moodily. She didn't want to see Jim at the moment.

"You know, we had a really cool Show and Tell, today." Interrupted Kevin. "This boy brought in a box of baby possums. 10, maybe 12. Totally naked. No hair at all."

"Honey, this is all very fascinating but I don't think your father's finished yet." Said Peg.

"Thank-you, dear." Sighed Bill, happy that the attention was going back to him and Edward. "Edward, we're waiting."

"Give it to my loved ones?" Edward said quietly. He hadn't been asked this question before.

"Oh, Edward." Moaned Peg. "It does seem that that's what you should do, but it's not."

"You dope." Replied Kevin, who seemed to have changed his opinion on the subject. "Everybody knows you're supposed to hand it into the police."

He looked at his dad for confirmation.

"Good thinking, Kevin." Replied Bill.

"Well, think about it, you guys." Kim said, deciding to stand up for Edward. "I mean, that's the nicer thing to do. That's what I would do."

"We're trying to make things easier for him." Said Bill. "So, let's just cut the comedy, for a little while, OK?"

"I am being serious, Dad. It's a nicer thing to do." Retorted Kim. 'Give it to the police? Like they can be trusted. They arrested the wrong person.'

"Well, we're not talking nice. We're talking right and wrong."

Kevin loved it whenever Kim was being shouted at. He gave a little chuckle, which didn't go unnoticed by Kim.

"Shut up."

"Oh, for goodness sakes." Sighed Peg, getting up to clear away the plates. "No wonder poor Edward can't learn right from wrong, living in this family."

While this little family argument was going on, the Suburbia women were gossiping on the phones.

Somehow, they had heard about Edward's little strop.

"Did you hear what he did to Peg's curtains?" Asked Margie. "It's unbelievable that they're having their Christmas party, anyway? Are you going?"

"I don't think so." Said another woman, Carole.

"He practically raped Joyce, you know, threatening her with those knives of his. It's a miracle she escaped." Continued Margie.

"I have nothing against Bill and Peg but…." Helen had said later to her.

"I know, I know." Agreed Joyce, who was playing with her hair. "They've got that teenage daughter in the house. Oh, those poor things. After what happened to me, can you imagine?"

"What did you say to Peg about the Christmas party?" Asked Helen.

"I said I hoped we could make it." Replied Margie.

"I lied, too." Sighed Helen.

From outside, Kim heard snipping. She walked over and, from her vantage point, could see Edward trimming one of the roses.

'Oh, dad.'

After trimming the roses, Edward was letting the water gently run over his blades so he could remove the thorns from where they were stuck.

At least, the women of the Boggs were being nice to him.

"Edward, did you want to give me that new haircut?" Asked Peg, who was sitting opposite him with only the preparation table separating them.

"Again?" Asked Edward. This was the second or third time Peg had had a haircut this past month.

"Well, yeah. It makes me proud to have you as my own personal hairdresser."

Edward smiled and turned when the door opened. Kevin had returned from Max's.

"Kevin, you wanna play scissor-paper-stone?" Asked Edward, although he knew the outcome. For three weeks, they had been playing that and for three weeks, Kevin had won every time.

"No." Replied Kevin, who had reached into the fridge and had pulled out a diet coke.

"No, why?"

"It's boring." Sighed Kevin, looking down at the blades. "I'm tired of always winning."

"Other people's feelings." Interjected Peg.

"I'll be outside." Informed Kevin, who was glad of the excuse.

"A few manners!" Patting Edward's arm, and noticing how the blades had started to rip most of Bill's shirt, Peg turned so Edward could do his work. "Just never you mind. You just cut away. Cut away."

And, combing down her hair, Edward started to cut.

23rd December 1985. 7:00PM.

While Bill was up on the roof, despite Peg's constant worries, stapling fake snow onto the top and was singing I Saw Three Ships (come sailing by).

Peg, dressed in a red cocktail dress and Kim, dressed in a long white dress with a buckle across her left shoulder strap, were dressing up the Christmas tree.

"It needs something…else." Said Peg, not sure what it needed. "What do you think, Honey?"

Kim looked at the tree and noticed its lack of bells. She looked in the decoration box and picked up a bell.

"More bells?"

"More bells. Okay." Agreed Peg, taking the bell from Kim's hand.

"Mom, do you really think we should be having this party?" Kim felt that was a stupid question. Coincidently, Helen, Margie and Joyce had all rung up and said that they couldn't make it. 'I wonder why that is.'

"Of course, we should be having this party." Answered Peg. "Of course, we do. I mean, it's just what we need to calm things down and then everything will go back to normal." Peg looked at the tree and was running low on bells. "Do you have any more bells, honey?"

Kim couldn't see any in the box next to her. The one she had given her mother was the last one from that box. She had sworn she had seen another little box full of bells over by the cabinet.

As she was looking through for bells, Kim noticed a speck of something hit the patio window. Rising from the floor, Kim edged her way towards the patio door and pushed it open.

Specks of white snow were falling to the ground from somewhere. It couldn't have been snowing because it hadn't been forecast. However, all became apparent when Kim rounded the corner of the house and saw a figure with wild, black hair, going manic on a huge ice sculpture.

Apparently, this was a new skill Edward had discovered when he had managed to shape an ice cube into the shape of a small frog.

Kim held out her hand and felt a drop fall onto her hand. It was cold but exciting. Within minutes, she found herself spinning and performing some sort of ice dance.

It hadn't been the first time. She had done it when she was in her early teens. The play had asked her to do a dance and, after years of ballet, Kim could dance like a natural.

'I must get this just right.'

Edward furrowed his brow in concentration. He was now sculpting the face and he had just the face to base it on. He could feel a presence out of the corner of his eye but decided not to let himself be distracted.

All of a sudden, as he was making his way down, a voice called out of nowhere.

"Hey!"

Edward turned to see who it was and felt flesh touch his blade. He looked at the blade and then at the figure…it was Kim.

"It's just a scratch, Jim, really." Objected Kim.

So, that's who had called out to him. Jim placed himself between himself and Kim so he couldn't let Edward anywhere near her.

" Get her inside. Edward skewered Kim." Lied Jim to Peg, who had just come out to see where Kim had gotten to.

"He didn't skewer me." He heard Kim protest as Peg led her inside before Jim turned on him. He was starting to annoy Edward by pushing him.

"You won't stop 'til you ruin something, will you?" He was pushing Edward towards the gate. "Does it really bug you that she loves me more than you? Just get the hell out of here. Get the hell out! Go! Freak!"

From above, both Edward and Jim could feel Bill's presence rising. But Edward had stormed off, already.

"Hey, Edward, where're ya going?" Called Bill, to no avail.

Kim, despite the cut on her hand, heard Jim's voice and entered the garden.

"Where is he?" Said Kim. This time, she was in no mood for games.

"He tried to hurt you." Replied Jim.

"No, he did not. And you know it."

"Are you nuts? I just saw him."

"Jim." Kim sighed. Although what she was sighing for, she didn't know because, as of now, she didn't even care. "I don't love you anymore. I want you to go. OK? Just go!"

"Are you serious?" Jim felt like laughing. "And lose you to that? He isn't even human."

'He's more human than you'll ever be.' Thought Kim. "Just get out of here! Okay? Just go!"

She let out a sigh of relief but secretly knew that that wasn't the end. She saw the gate open from the side of the house and Bill entered with a huge roll of excess fake snow.

"Dad, did you see where Edward went?"

"Well, I don't know." Said Bill, although he pointed in the direction of the gate. "He just waltzed off down the street."

"Well, we have to go find him." She called into the house. "Mom?"

"Your father will find him, this minute." Said Peg, as she took Kim's wrist and led her back into the house.

"All go into the house." Ordered Bill, throwing the 'snow' to one side. "I'll take care of it. I'll go find him."

Red filled Edward's eyes. This was the last time someone was going to screw around with him. Swiping his blade, he cut the ballerina's leg off Helen's topiary, just as she, Helen, was passing the window.

"Edward, I'm calling the police."

But Edward was passed caring. Again, aiming his blade at the right point, Edward imbedded it into one of the tyres on George Monroe's car.

' "The only problem is…you can't cut." Oh, very funny. And your wife can't keep her hands to herself. See how you like this.'

Looking over the road, Edward suddenly had a wicked thought that he had never thought of, ever.

It was outside the house of Esmerelda Emerson that Edward made topiary of something that he knew that would scare the hell out of her.

'The power of Satan is in me, huh? Well, I'd better share it with you.'

Edward left, just as Esmerelda was pulling back the curtains. She let out one horrendous shriek before taking deep breaths and looking around the area.

Meanwhile, Peg and Kim were sitting on the sofa.

"All that blood, sweetie, and its just a little cut."

Before Kim could reply, the doorbell rang. Peg opened it to reveal Officer Allan.

"Hello, I'm here to see the man with the hands."

"Oh…um…" Peg really didn't know what to say.

"He's not here." Helped Officer Allan. "Thank-you."

Peg turned as Kim rose to see what the problem was.

"Oh, dear…"

Outside Helen's, all the women were converging like gargoyles.

"Helen, did you actually see him?" Asked Margie.

"Yes, look." Said Helen, pointing down to the severed ballerina's leg.

"You see, I told you he was a demon." Said Esmerelda.

"Oh, don't start that stuff again." Retorted Margie.

The police cruiser stopped next to them and Officer Allan poked his head of the car window.

"I'm looking for the man with the scissors." He said, correcting himself from last time.

The women all talked at once, saying stuff like 'He went that way' and 'you have to do something.'

"All right, calm down and go on home. We'll handle it." Sighed Officer Allan, starting up the cruiser again and heading off.

"He's a d…demon." Stuttered Esmerelda.

The women did as they were asked and went off home, leaving Helen to look at her ruined topiary.

Kim was looking out of the front window, seeing if she could see Edward or Bill returning.

"I'm sure your father will find him soon." Said Peg, calmly.

"What time is it?" Replied Kim, looking at her bandaged hand. 'Stupid Jim. If he hadn't of shouted out, Edward wouldn't have accidentally cut me.'

"It's almost eight thirty." Informed Peg. She tried to lighten the mood. "Great party, huh?"

Kim took a seat on the sofa next to her mother, still fretting.

"Where are they?" Kim asked again, adding. "I hope he's OK."

"So do I, honey." Peg sighed, thinking back to the days before Edward. But that filled her with emptiness. "You know, when I brought Edward down here to live with us, I really didn't think things through."

'I'm sure you did, Mom.' Thought Kim. 'He was up there, all alone, with no-one to look after him…until you came along.'

Peg, who had no ability of mind reading, continued.

"And I didn't think about what could happen to him, or to us, or to the neighbourhood. You know, I think it might be best if he goes back up there. Because, at least, there he's safe, and we'd jut go back to normal."

'What? Gossiping neighbours? Nice, cheery Avon Representatives having the doors slammed in their face. I have just lost one male in my life, I'm not going to lose this one.'

Bill entered through the patio, bringing in the fake snow from outside.

"Well, I got as far as the Whitmans' but I didn't see him anywhere."

"Oh, dear." Sighed Peg. "Oh, just…Well, let's go in the car and look for him."

Bill noticed the lack of Kevin's presence.

"Where's Kevin, now?"

"He's at Max's." Replied Peg, who was heading for the front door.

"Oh, for God's sakes." Huffed Bill, who noticed a third person heading for the door. It was Kim. "Where'd you think you're going, young lady?"

"With you guys." Retorted Kim. There was no way she was going to let Bill tell Edward off for something he didn't even do or, at least, make happen.

Apparently, Bill wouldn't allow it. Since Kevin wasn't here, and if Kim did come with them, the house would be empty and anything could happen. Also, he didn't want Edward, if he did come back, to return to an empty house.

"No, you're staying here in case someone shows up."

Peg tried to access the situation.

"We'll be right back, dear."

Kim huffed as Bill closed the door behind him. She couldn't get out because Peg had taken the key with her.

'Breath deep breaths. Count to ten.'

Edward was sitting on the edge of the kerb. Earlier, in his rage, he had slashed and cut at his civilian clothes, which had reminded him of all the people that had cruel and calculating towards him.

An Old English Sheep-Dog bounded down the driveway and sat next to Edward. Smiling at this simple creature, Edward aimed his scissors at the fringe, which was covering the dog's eyes.

A breeze moved the dog's hair and tried to pull at Edward's. Feeling this ill wind, the dog licked Edward's face and bounded off.

Edward felt a familiar light blind his eyes. His eyes opened up, wide, in horror as a searchlight was surveying the area.

"Police!" Whispered Edward to himself.

Picking himself up, which proved to be a little hard, Edward walked back towards the Boggs' where he had previously been banished by some jealous jock.

'I'm home.'

Edward looked through the large window to see if anyone was inside. Someone had just gone into the kitchen.

'Kim?'

Using the skill, which had got him into trouble once, Edward unlocked the front door and let it swing open.

The living room looked spacious. But it was the bad kind of spacious. It felt like the attic back at the castle. It made him feel isolated and alone.

Except, he wasn't alone.

A hand placed itself onto his shoulder.

Edward turned around and secretly he was overjoyed.

It was Kim.

"Edward?" Asked Kim as if this was all a horrible fantasy.

"Are you OK?" said Edward, looking down quickly at her bandaged hand. He had done that and he wasn't proud of it.

"Yes." Said Kim, feeling slightly better that this wasn't an illusion. "Are you OK?"

Edward looked at her, intensely.

"Where is everybody?"

Kim sighed. They were the only people there and he wanted to know where everyone else was.

"They're out looking for you." She looked down at his blades, no longer afraid. "Hold me."

Edward watched as his slightly twitchy shears of metal tried to make their way around Kim's back.

He just didn't want to hurt her.

"I can't."

Kim watched, desperately, as he withdrew his arms and walked towards the window and looked down the street. Joining him, Kim held her body next the leathery exterior of his.

She didn't care and, for what it was worth to get touch by an angel, neither did he. He looked down at her hands and remembered a time when he was almost…complete.

29th November 1979. Dawn.

The sun had come up and was shining down on the nice, lush garden. The inventor had found out that Edward was a keen gardener. He had only turned his back for one minute and had heard manic snipping.

He had looked out of the window to see Edward shaping a hedge into an elk with antlers.

That day, he had been proud.

'Soon.' Thought the inventor. 'You won't have to suffer any longer.'

That day had arrived. True, it was less than 24 days 'til Christmas but, as Edward had made the garden a paradise, the inventor had decided to let Christmas come early for his boy.

" I know it's a little early for Christmas, Edward. But I have a present for you."

The inventor reached into the red and green wrapped box and pulled out two pink objects.

From what Edward had read in books, or what he was told, what his father was holding now, were hands.

True, they weren't real hands. But they looked just as beautiful.

Edward's hair was flattened down, like in the design book that the inventor had illustrated but still hadn't received his body skin, or, as the inventor had joked once, birthday suit.

That joke, as usual, had been lost on Edward and had to be told that, when a baby is born, it doesn't come out fully clothed. So, that's why they call it a birthday suit.

The inventor trotted over and held the hands in front of Edward. Edward felt as though he was touching heaven when he brushed his blades against the hands.

He smiled at his father, the inventor.

The inventor smiled back. That was too much for him.

Edward had noticed that his father had steadily become weaker as of late but had been told that it happened in life.

The smile dropped from both the inventor's and Edward's face. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion.

The inventor held his heart before dropping to the floor. The hands, which had been Edward's early Christmas present, were accidentally cut, and broken, by Edward's bladed hands.

Edward looked sadly down at the two greatest things given to him.

The inventor and the hands, which had been broken upon falling to the floor.

Edward walked stiffly over to his father, trying to wake him up. He touched his father's face, only drawing blood from his father's cheek.

Edward looked from the still body of the inventor, his father, to the blood on his blades.

'He didn't wake up.'

Meanwhile, in the cold night, Kevin had just left his best friend, Max's.

"See you, tomorrow. Call me, alright." Said Kevin.

"Alright." Replied Max as his mother closed the door.

Kevin felt the cold wind nip at his hands so he dug them as far as they would go into his coat pockets.

The old man, from the barbeque, called out to him from the open garage door. He was sitting in the lawn chair.

"Have they caught him yet?"

"Who?" Kevin didn't know whom he was going on about. Was it Edward?

"Him, that cripple." Replied the old man, using his hands and making them move like Edward's blades. When Kevin, who starting to get creeped out by the old man's behaviour shook his head, the old man shrugged. "Let me know when they do. Let us all know, Okay? Like a good boy."

'Weirdo.' Thought Kevin. 'And who're you to call Edward a cripple? You've got a false leg. At least, Edward isn't afraid to show his…disability.'

"Forget holding her hand." Said Jim. "Picture the damage he could do to other places."

Jim and Denny were in the black van with go-faster flames. To drown away his sorrows, Jim and Denny were drinking anything they could find in the van. Vodka was Jim's favourite at the moment. Denny was going for the more easy option…beer.

"Yeah, that's sick." Replied Denny, who was trying not to think about it. A sudden feeling came to his stomach. This had been his second can. "I feel like I'm going to pass out or puke or something."

"Later." Said Jim, who didn't care a whole lot about Denny's current health. He was more worried that Edward and Kim were making nice. Although, how that could be achieved, he didn't know. And he didn't want to know. "First, take me to her house."

"Come on." Moaned Denny, brushing his fringe out of his eyes. "Don't make me drive."

"Just do it."

From the tone of Jim's voice, he was in no mood for games.

"Jesus, maybe she was right about you." Sighed Denny. If he wanted to, he could have kicked Jim and the drink out of the van. Later on in his life, Denny wondered why he didn't. OK, Jim was his "friend" but something didn't feel right, driving under the influence.

"Just drive!"

"Okay, relax."

'What was that?'

Edward was awoken from his thoughts by something falling. He looked out of the window to see a topiary teddy bear, which he had helped to make, being knocked over by a familiar black van.

'Jim, I might have known.'

Another figure caught his attention. It was Kevin, walking back down the pavement to the house. If Kevin didn't keep his mind on where he was going…

Edward, shortly followed by Kim, left the house. Looking at the proximity of both Kevin and the van, Edward realized that he had seconds to act.

"Kevin." He muttered to himself. 'Someone has already got hurt, tonight. I'm not letting someone else get hurt.'

Without any thought of safety to himself, Edward bolted as fast as he could towards the teenage boy, who was just milliseconds away from ending up in hospital.

He only just managed to knock Kevin off his feet and back onto the path. Or rather, the lawn.

However, while checking on Kevin, Edward found himself in a predicament. As usual, his blades were twitching and he was starting to hurt Kevin.

"Are you OK?" asked Edward. "Ooh, sorry."

"Edward, help." Pleaded Kevin. "Get off me."

"I'm your friend." Replied Edward.

"Stop. Don't. Stop." Kevin kept saying. He could feel the blades scratching into his face. "Somebody help us!"

The noise from the van and Kevin's pleas got the attention of ten or more neighbours. Even, Peg and Bill had arrived back. The noise was pain to Edward's ears. He started to panic even more.

Before Kim could see if Kevin, or Edward, was all right, a drunken arm wrapped itself around her.

It was Jim.

"Hey. What's up, babe?"

"Let go of me." Said Kim, trying to pull away.

Jim pulled her in harder.

"Why?"

"Kevin." Replied Kim, half-telling the truth. She did want to see if Kevin was all right but she also wanted to console Edward.

Peg and Bill broke through the crowd. Bill didn't look happy. In fact, he was furious.

"Hey, get away!" he said, helping Kevin up.

"Edward, come home." Said Peg, who was more reasonable. "Come home."

Peg and Bill led a scratch-ridden Kevin back to the house, leaving Edward to look up sadly at Kim.

Jim had seen this and tackled Edward to the ground, repeatedly whacking him onto the lawn.

"Jim, stop it!" Screamed Kim. "Get off him, you jerk!"

Jim wasn't done, yet. Raising his fist, he was going to knock that innocent look off Edward's face.

Except, in self-defence, Edward raised his hand up and slashed through Jim's leather jacket and drew blood.

Sirens cut through the night air.

Kim didn't know what to do. She didn't want to lose Edward and be forced to a lifetime with Jim.

But she didn't want Edward to get into trouble with the police…again. Closing her eyes to stop the upcoming tears, Kim sighed as she turned to Edward.

"Run."

Nodding firmly, Edward turned and ran, keeping his arms tucked close to his body. As he passed, he saw Esmerelda, who screamed and covered her ears. He also saw Joyce and George, who had a ripped sleeve. He must have caught George in the mix-up with Kevin.

'Good.' Thought Edward as he ran full-pelt back to the familiar surroundings of his mansion. He felt a little woozy and a little sick. It must've been the heat or something.

Peg left the safety of her home to see a lone figure set off up the hill.

" Kevin's all right! It's just the tiniest scratch!" She called out. No one was listening. They were heading to the castle gates. "He's gone! Let's not bother him, all right! Let's just leave him alone!"

Kim was alone with her thoughts, which were suddenly cut short by two noises. Gun shots.

'Surely, he didn't…?'

Officer Allan lowered his revolver and smiled.

"Go on, run." He looked back to see the neighbourhood, or as he was calling them, the angry villagers. 'I'll handle this lot.'

"What happened? Where is he? Is he dead?" were the questions that were shot at Officer Allan.

"It's all over, go on home." Still, they were asking. "There's nothing more to see. It's all over!"

Shaking his head, Officer Allan got into the car and set off back towards the police station.

"Get back here!" ordered the town-folk. "I wanna ask you something. He's in the car. Look at that."

"They don't have him." Said Joyce, her eyes glaring. She looked over to the mansion with determination. "I'm going!"

"Oh, Joyce." Said Helen, following a determined Joyce. "That's not a good idea."

But Joyce, along with most of the others, wanted to see some blood…or, at least, wanted some answers.

Kim had managed to make it up there before them. Pushing open the gate and moving the vines aside, Kim walked around the garden, noticing the topiary hand as centrepiece, which had acquired some cobwebs to it, and entered the mansion.

She just caught a glimpse of a retreating figure going up the stairs. Hurrying as fast as she could, she ran up the stairs, only tripping once, Kim made her way to where her mother had told her about Edward's main room.

The first thing she saw was the hole in the roof. Beams were still visible but most of them were on the floor.

She felt something behind her. She turned to see a figure, looking at his blades, which were substitutes for hands.

Edward looked up and smiled. She had, defying all people, come to his mansion.

"Are they coming?" He sighed when she nodded. This was not her fault. "Did I…hurt Kevin?"

"No, he's okay." Whispered Kim. She would have talked except her emotions were getting the better of her. "Mostly, he was just scared. Edward, I was so afraid." She rubbed his cheek. "I thought you were dead."

From the doorway, leading to the staircase, a voice came from the dark, making them both turn.

"I didn't."

It was Jim….with a revolver! He shot at Edward, just missing him and imbedding the bullet into Edward's fireplace.

When Kim looked at Edward's face, she saw it look like nothing she had ever seen before. This was the face of a person that had been defied over and over again. This time, he wasn't taking any more from anyone.

About to take another shot, Kim threw Jim to the ground. A stray bullet dislodged the support of the roof above Edward and fell down on, and around him.

Knocking Kim aside, Jim picked up a piece of support and walked over to Edward, who was trying to get up with the 'palms' of his 'hands'. Jim took one swipe, knocking Edward back down.

He was about to apply the killing blow when another person hit him with another piece of support.

It was Kim.

"Jim. Jim, stop it!" She ordered, grabbing Edward's scissorhand and aiming it at Jim's throat. "Or I'll kill you, myself."

Edward had managed to look up to see who had got his hand. However, Jim had knocked it aside.

"Bullshit!" Growled Jim, slapping her hard around the face.

Edward had gotten up and was advancing on her to check to see if she was all right. Jim was not best pleased. Picking up a poker, Jim had raised, ready to hit Edward.

"Hey, I said get away from her!"

This tipped Edward over the edge. His eyes, blazing with anger and betrayal, looked Jim in the eye as he pierced Jim's stomach.

Jim's breath caught in his mouth as Edward, the once dear soul, started pushing him back. Surely, he wasn't going to push him out the window.

But Edward had removed his scissor hand already. Jim was still moving backwards until he tripped and fell out of the third story window to the ground below.

Kim and Edward rushed over to the window and viewed the devastation. There, inches away from the centrepiece, was Jim. His stomach bloody from where Edward had pierced it with glass surrounding him.

Edward couldn't bear to look at. He had committed a murder. They both heard voices coming up the hill.

After Kim had taken one look at the many people advancing towards the mansion, she was getting emotional again.

Edward decided to make it easier on her.

"Goodbye."

Kim finally let the tears come, kissed him on the lips, and whispered into his ear.

"I love you."

Edward, upon hearing this, closed his eyes and let it sink it.

When he opened his eyes, Kim was already heading towards the stairs. He surveyed the damage of his home.

Kim hurried back down the stairs, wiping the tears from her eyes and surveying her surroundings. If she didn't have any proof of his 'death', they'd know he was alive and they'd kill him.

Luckily, on one of the shelves, she saw a proto-type scissorhand. Plucking it from the shelf, she made her way outside.

Secretly, she smiled as she heard some of the women scream when they saw Jim's lifeless body.

George saw her on the steps.

"I…is he in there?"

"He's dead." Said Kim. Even lying about his death made her stomach cramp up. "The roof caved in on him." Well, that was true. The roof had caved in on him. But it hadn't killed him. But they didn't have to know that. She didn't want them to know that. She looked at the inert body of her ex-boyfriend. "They killed each other. You can see for yourselves." She held up the proto-type scissorhand. "See?"

"I'm going home." Said Helen after a moment's silence.

Soon, after Helen had said that, everyone had decided to about face and walk off. At first, Kim didn't think Joyce would. But, after an inordinate amount of nudging by George, Joyce gave up and became walking back with him.

Kim decided to stay for a few moments. She didn't know whether to grieve the life of someone who had given her misery (Jim) but she did take one last look up at the window, seeing a sad, lonely figure.

"She never saw him, again."

In front of the warm, roaring fire, Kim took one look out of the window, which hurt her neck, as she had to strain her elderly body to do so.

"Not after that night."

"How do you know?" Asked the granddaughter.

Kim took her glasses off. Under all that wrinkly skin, you could still see the once-vibrant eyes of a young girl, who lost her man on that night.

"Because I was there."

"You could have gone up there." Said the granddaughter, innocently. "You still could go."

"No, sweetheart. I'm an old woman, now." She looked down at her wrinkled hands. "I would want him remember me the way I was."

"How'd you know he's still alive?"

"I don't know. Not for sure." Kimberly Boggs-Newman smiled as she rubbed her head. "You see, before he came down here, it rarely snowed. And afterwards, it started snowing, non-stop. It still is. If he weren't up there, now, I don't think it would be snowing." She closed her eyes, slightly. A much younger her was twirling about in the flakes. "Sometimes, you can still catch me dancing in it."

Later, with her granddaughter finally happy with the story, Kim left the warmness of the bedroom and looked out of the corridor window.

'Goodnight, sweet prince.'

And Kim hobbled down the corridor to the living room. Sitting in his favourite armchair, still recognisable with his little scratches, was her brother, Kevin. He was going on 75, while she was reaching the end of her lifetime.

"Did she settle down all right, Kim?"

"I had to tell her a story." Chuckled Kim.

"What type of story?" Asked Kevin, secretly knowing what it was about.

"Oh, the usual. The story of a lonely prince, a lovely princess and…" Looking out at the mansion through the snow, Kim sighed. "…Snow."

'Abstract art is a wonderful thing.'

Edward Boggs was carving another block of ice into a masterpiece. He had already made sure everything was safe downstairs before heading up the stairs to his latest work of art. After finishing a sculpture of girl dancing in the snow, a couple of birds in the birdbath and kids playing ball, Edward was now on a new type of art.

The ice from what he was chipping off, fell out of the fully broken window and onto the ground, and street, below.

THE END.