A/N:

This is all several years after graduation, not being in Anubis house or with any mysteries, and will contain OCs. Still staying? Good, because there is no reason not to at least try this. It's not so AU from HoA and will still have our favorite characters; just not in school or Anubis.

There will be four books, each with two main characters, who will either be together or not. How will it end for the first one; Patricia and Eddie? I can't tell you that; where's the fun in that? XD

This will be rated T for some cusses and, well, just to be sure.

Chapter One

The Sidewalk Downtown

To anyone else, perhaps even a bystander going the way these two were, it would have been nothing that one would put into a romantic, tragic, or dramatic tale. In fact, there was nothing at all. While on the sidewalk ready to cross the street, two adults in their mid-twenties gave short but eventual observing glances at the person next to them, not even aware who the other was. Behind their simple black umbrellas that sounded the rain hammering down, the two had different faces, different reactions. But all the redhead did was widen her eyes at sight of the male, and the guy smirked upon seeing her reaction.

They crossed the street when they were allowed, along with the other people beside them, but they both knew only each other; more than knew, actually. And when they realized the sidewalk across the street was where they diverted to different streets, they gave each other curt nods and separated. That's all it was, nothing messed up, right?

Wrong. To the actual adults in their mid-twenties, it was way more than that. Especially to Patricia Williamson. To her, it was a whack in her face.

Patricia quickened her pace, glad she had worn comfortable sneakers today, feeling her heart pound like she had just run a marathon. Today had been a very simple day, having just finished her shift at a café half an hour ago, and she had gotten a few good tips. But that one moment, that instant she made eye contact with that super familiar guy, everything shifted.

It had been forever since she had that experience of feeling so weak, so stupid, and so unable to control her emotions. It had been just as long since seeing him. Oh, God, that brought back memories-unwelcomed memories-that made her want to scream.

At the door to her apartment, she put her umbrella down and leaned it against the wall for a moment. Her room was upstairs and this was only the long, red walled hallway, but she needed to be frozen for a moment, to lock all of that in her head.

It freaked her out to think of him, even today, after six years. So much has happened since all those years ago, both good and bad. And now that he was back, she felt like everything was crumbling, that if he was here, he would ruin it all. It was a terrible thought, but she had no idea what to think of that boy who stole her heart and later broke it.

He's supposed to be in America; he told me! Why would he come back? Patricia argued with herself, clutching her head as if it would explode if she didn't. She grabbed her umbrella when she heard the door right behind her open and got out of the way of a woman coming in. She headed upstairs and to the left.

The second she entered her apartment, she let her umbrella and coat drop to the floor, staining the carpet with the remaining cloud's tears from outside. Carol would give her hell for it, but there were bigger things than Carol's OCD when it came to a wet carpet going on at the moment. She'd understand, especially when Patricia explained it all.

The only real person she trusted herself to confine her problems to was her strict yet generous roommate. Anyone else would either be a stranger or someone from school she hadn't heard from in years.

And there was no way Jon would hear of this. If it made her so stressed, so frantic, it was obviously more than seeing an old friend again somehow.

"Carol?" Patricia called out into the silent apartment. She hated the silence right now. She needed to hear another voice, a way to take her mind off of seeing him.

"Shower!" her roommate answered, obviously, in the bathroom.

"At four in the afternoon?"

"I have that interview in three hours," Carol explained, and her exasperated tone reminded Patricia that this had been mentioned several times to her before. "I want to be ready."

"Oh, right," Patricia answered dully. The interview was nothing; if anything, it gave the place to herself for several hours-and for even more if Carol got the job as an art teacher at an elementary school. She loved Carol; since their college years, they were roommates and became friends immediately, even though they were near total opposites. Still, now they were best friends who shared an apartment. But at times, she needed time to herself. Although perhaps those were one of those times she needed the girl around.

There was no more responses from her roommate, and Patricia gave up, at least until Carol was done. There was much she wanted to say, but she was able to wait for a few minutes. She landed on the couch and searched for the remote, unable to let the silence linger on anymore.

That was when something in her pocket vibrated. She nearly jumped, since it was sounded more like a bombing in her room when it sounded. When she realized what it was, Patricia groaned, thinking, Yup, I'm losing it.

She took her phone from her left pocket and read the name of the person calling her.

She sighed, though she expected this. She had the same phone number for years, and she had no problem with it-emphasis on had.

Patricia almost didn't answer, but she thought it rude. After all, the more she thought about it, she knew she was exaggerating over these few seconds they met after seven years. She was thinking this would change her life-yeah, right! She knew better, she was stronger than that. She almost thought she had lost it there. She almost smiled and clicked "accept," right at the moment she went into the bedroom she shared with Carol. She sat at the edge of her bed, feeling the soft purple blanket Carol gave her their college years, when they first met.

And even though she accepted to call, she commanded herself not to reply first. Let him speak, just to make sure what she saw was true and not a messed up hallucination. Or maybe it wasn't him…just a coincidence. Perhaps it was Jon inviting her out; a way to get out and relax-

"It's been a while, Yakker," said Eddison Sweet finally, and for a moment, she went back in time when he called her that all the time. It wasn't even an insult to her after the hundredth time, when they finally became close. She even smiled at hearing his voice. So it was him, and she was not fantasizing and losing it.

"And you still haven't changed," Patricia replied.

"I haven't planned to," Eddie said. "But things do happen unexpectedly, which is why I'm calling. I wouldn't have called if I didn't see you a while ago, even for a second."

Patricia was silent, sort of distracted. She wanted to throw the phone out the window at this very moment but stopped herself. She instead looked outside at groups of people with umbrellas or running ragged to their homes running soaked wet without umbrellas. They had stories, too; probably not as insane as hers. But somewhere, someone might have a story similar to hers. An ex-boyfriend coming back into her life in a surprising and in a rather unwanted way. She wanted someone to talk to about this, but with someone who would understand her predicament. Surely, she wasn't considered going mad for a whole damn second of eye contact with an ex; just conflicted.

"That was you, wasn't it?" he asked nervously, with a worried chuckle. She still did not say anything, wondering what was going through his mind while she was giving him a sort of silent treatment. "Wait-oh, shit, if that was Piper-"

She returned to reality with a laugh, almost not wanting him to know, but she just couldn't. "No, that was me. I'd think you'd be able to tell us apart even a little, Eddison," she said with a sneer. The name always made him cringe, so of course, she said it, though she peered over her shoulder in case Carol heard. She shut the door just in case.

"Yeah, but…you know, it's been a while. Though I don't really notice any change since the last I saw you," said Eddie. "You looked great, from what I saw."

"I was sweaty from walking and working an extra shift and I didn't even bother my hair today; nice try on the sympathy stuff. But I'll let it slide," she pointed out with a victorious grin. She imagined his sheepish expression and wanted to laugh.

"Well," he recovered after an awkward moment that Patricia relished, "that wasn't even what I meant; not that you looked hot or whatever-"

"Thanks," Patricia said dryly. She enjoyed this bugging him; it was one thing she missed from him.

"I just meant it was good to see you around again," he growled, losing his tolerance just like that.

Patricia shrugged in agreement, struggling not to laugh once more. "I suppose." For a moment, there was a silence she would not cave into. She opened the door and checked the bathroom. The water was off, but the door was still shut. She didn't have very long.

And yet there was a lot going on in her mind. She gave up with a moan. "So, what brings you back to the land of Hogwarts?"

Eddie chuckled. "Hogwarts? Yeesh, I thought you hated when I referenced those books," he said.

"I'm sure you wouldn't know any other references. But anyway, I thought you'd still be in the states. You said-" Patricia said but cut herself off. She didn't want to think back to what happened in Anubis house-ever.

"I said what?" Eddie asked curiously, but when he said, "Oh," his darkened tone was his answer. They didn't say anything for a long time. It was a darker silence, not so much awkward.

"So what are you doing here?" Patricia pushed on, for the third time having asked this. And she did want to know.

Eddie did not reply, and she almost called out his name again, wondering if he just left her dangling here like an idiot. That did sound a lot like her ex-boyfriend. Patricia opened her mouth only to be interrupted when Eddie said, "I just wanted to come over for a few months. Do I really need a reason to?"

"I think you do," Patricia said. "After our little fight."

"Things have changed, Patricia! How 'bout that?" Eddie countered, his fury growing in his tone the more she challenged him. But he faltered after a pause. "I mean, not all of it, just that I'm coming back here. It's a place I sort of remember and wanted to visit for a while."

"Well, I remember Anubis house but don't really go there anymore for visits." Patricia groaned. How long would this conversation carry? "Can you-?"

The door opened, and Carol Shyler came in wearing a towel over herself, her blond hair smattered over her shoulders. As she saw Patricia with the phone, the realization she cut in came as shock on her face.

Though Carol already realized, Patricia gave her raised eyebrows and gestured at her to shoo away. "Give me a minute, 'kay?"

"I have to get changed!" Carol half protested, half whined. She was about to search in her drawer when Patricia smacked her available hand on the top of the dresser.

She went over to the dresser on Carol's side of the room and pulled out a random handful of clothes from the each of the three drawers. "Hold on, Eddie," she said while grabbing what she came across. She hurled them onto the floor in front of Carol and again shooed her by shutting the door.

"Sorry, I just had to get something for my roommate," she informed him.

"No worries. …But look, maybe we can talk for a bit? Just about some stuff? Clear things up between us?"

"What things? We made it clear before graduation!" she hissed, her hand in a vice grip at her phone.

"Trisha, there's not a bra in here!"

Patricia closed her eyes and made a mental note to question why she was best friends with this girl. Eddie laughed on the other side. "I just want to talk later…when we're-you're alone," he said jokingly, and she could imagine a smirk that crossed his face. "I want to let you know how things are going…as friends. Is that so hard?"

Patricia hesitated. That was almost a plead, from Eddie. That was not common. Though the idea was not something she ever dreamed of, she suddenly didn't see anything wrong with it. "Yeah, whatever. Where to?"

"My place? An apartment I just got. I'll tell you the address."

She wrote down the address and made a small noise when she finished. "I'll see you then," Eddie said.

"Maybe," she snapped before slamming her cell phone shut and tossing it on her bed. She stood a moment and took all that happened in mere minutes into her head. She rubbed her face against her hands sharply, trying to make sense of it all, but it just hurt to think. Then she remembered her roommate and knew that there was no way to put this behind her when Carol was so nosy…

Patricia opened the door and as expected, Carol was standing right there, a curiosity in her eyes that the blond couldn't let go. "First, before I ask, remind me to bring clothes into the bathroom from now on," she said with a wrinkled nose.

"Lesson learned for you."

Carol nodded, but then stared her straight in the eyes. "Well, who was that? On the phone?"

"It," she began, not sure how to explain it. But her roommate gave her that blinking, blank look that showed off some sympathy to shoot out when ready. She gave a defeated sigh. "It was Eddie."

"The American boy, right?" Carol asked, and Patricia nodded.

Carol didn't respond for a moment, tilting her head a little. "You…seem a bit stressed."

"Hell yeah," Patricia said. "But I don't want to talk about it," she added, seeing Carol's look that the girl would listen to anything-anything-that someone needed off their chest. Whether she would remember it or if she actually would care in the future was none of Patricia's concern at the moment. And Patricia knew she would; she didn't talk much, but was a better listener.

"I'll be right back. I need a drink," Patricia grumbled. "But just stay, and maybe we'll talk about this-if there's anything to talk about." She rolled her eyes to give off the idea she was more dispassionate about this than she really was and left Carol in their room. She grabbed two Colas from the fridge and drank hers immediately. There was a lot she had to say, but what would her roommate think? Anyone would have thought she was going crazy over nothing-because she probably was.

A/N:

Yes, my name is Carolyn, and the OC's name was done on purpose. The only reason is that I had a BFF named Patricia and wanted to parody it a little.

If anyone is wondering, all the main characters are the age of 24, or at least somewhere right around that. Oh, and I'm not British, so if I make some sort of error in dialogue on how they talk, just feel free to mention it since it would be a big help. So review if you please-at least something would be nice! :)