Author's Note: A few reviewers already demanded more, so here's more! Lol. I had a thought of how to continue this and that thought was what I started to type out, but after a couple of pages, my mind just took off and I kept typing away in what would probably equate to throwing crap at a wall and seeing what sticks… So, I'm really hoping I did a good job. My mind aflame with sudden creative energy, I just barreled through this with not much editing, other than the standard spell-checking proofread, trying to get my ideas out before I forget about 'em.

Disclaimer: If I did own something, wouldn't this somehow be canon?

Chapter 2: Progress

'Oh, I should have known better. Those two rapscallions. Ugh… The things I do for some people.' Eddward thought miserably as he stood in the visitor's entrance of Peach Creek Juvenile Correctional Facility. It was going to be his sixth visit with Marie, a person he was quickly becoming comfortable calling a friend, as surprising as that was to him. Sadly, he had yet to convince his parents to have a word with the legal authorities in charge of the Kanker case. Parents, he figured, seemed to be a stubborn bunch. But he wouldn't give up just yet. He would keep visiting her and engage in more conversation. Perhaps proving that she wasn't a harmful person after all would be beneficial to his case.

But at the moment, he was thinking more about the latest monkey wrench to be thrown into his plans. It took all he had to drag Ed and Eddy with him all the way here in hopes that all three Kankers could get a visit from all three Eds. He thought it would be good if all the hatchets could be eventually buried. Also, there was the fact that a small part of him thought that Marie would be impressed if he got everyone to at least start talking. He was sure that Lee and May were just as lonely in jail as Marie was. What he wasn't sure about is why he began wanting to impress the bluenette…

His mistake, as it turned out, was simply letting go of his two friends when he reached the youth prison. Eddy immediately socked the 'sockhead' in the face, yelled at him about how much he didn't want to talk to Lee Kanker, and stormed off. Ed simply ran for his life, as he harbored more of a fear of the somewhat goofy May instead of a grudge.

He was immediately reminded of Eddy's irrational anger when Marie's face turned from pleasantly expectant to concerned when she got a good look at him. "What the hell happened to you, Double D? Your eye's blacker than your hat! Ya want me to yell for the medic?" she asked. Edd knew he was making steps forward in this growing friendship, as some of the Kankers' previous antics didn't exactly pay too much heed to their physical health…

"Sigh… Eddy happened. I wanted to surprise all three of you by bringing Ed and Eddy here to get them to actually talk things out with your sisters, like how we did. But Eddy… didn't take too kindly to my insistence. His stubbornness, I dare say, might be the death of him. I thought he would've learned that after that horrible incident with his brother." Edd explained, shaking his head.

"Oh, that guy… I remember us returning the favor for what he did. Lee decided to 'charge him some interest'. Heh…" Marie said with a smirk, her way of attempting to lighten the mood.

"Yes, well… It's rather unfortunate that your… uhh… generous favor must go unappreciated, at least for the time being. I sometimes fear that I give some people more chances than they deserve…" Edd lamented with a sigh. Marie frowned.

"It'll be fine, Oven Mitt. Don't kick yourself over crap that they did. If Eddy wants to stay away, then fine. I'm assuming that Big Ed's just shy?" Marie asked, more for clarification. May had been sorely missing her tall, dumb lump. But like Marie, her eyes were also opened to some facts of life. May was hoping to at least have a chance to apologize and try to tell him how she felt without getting overexcited.

"Indeed. He just ran off as soon as I let go of him. The poor oaf… Considering his demeanor and current intellect, I do worry about what might happen if his fear of May might fester into something bigger. After all, his sister, Sarah, doesn't particularly like him all that well…" Edd pondered.

"A general fear of girls?" Marie pointed out.

"Exactly." And it was then that a certain loud, harsh voice screamed out from somewhere outside the doorway of the Visitor's Room. And it was getting louder…

"…AND IF DOUBLE D WENT THROUGH ALL THIS TROUBLE TO GET YOU TO DO SOMETHING NICE, YOU DO IT! UNDERSTAND, YOU IDIOTS!?"

With that, two familiar figures crashed through the door of the Visitor's Room, having been tossed into it. It was a thoroughly thrashed Ed and Eddy. Stomping into the room was little Sarah, glaring at her hated brother and his greedy friend.

"NOW APOLOGIZE TO DOUBLE D AND TAKE YOUR SEATS, DAMMIT!" Sarah screamed at the two, heavily panting. A few seconds of everyone staring at her later, she immediately calmed down and turned to Edd. "Hi, Double D! I hear you're trying to help the Kankers. I gotta say, that's really nice of you. I thought I'd help you out…"

Double D was never sure about Sarah, as her moods changed at the drop of a dime. But in some instances, it would appear that her former crush on the young prodigy never really did go away. And it was something that Marie noticed in this instance.

"Uh, yes, well… Thank you, Sarah. I wish you weren't so rough on them, but I suppose some things never change in our little slice of Earth." Edd said, giving the little redhead a friendly smile.

Sarah grinned at him. "Glad to be of help! See ya later, Double D. HEY! GUARDS! DRAG OUT THE OTHER KANKERS TO THE VISITOR ROOM, WOULD YA?! AND DON'T LET THOSE EDS LEAVE!" she yelled as she left the room and headed out.

"So… The little firecracker's my competition, Double Dreamboat?" Marie playfully asked, giving him a wink, even though it looked more like a blink since one of her eyes was still hidden behind her ever-present bangs.

"Uh, no, not really. Sarah's too… temperamental for me…" Edd muttered, awkwardly fidgeting with his fingers. It wasn't like Sarah didn't have any good qualities, of course. But he had to admit that her infamous anger made her a bit of a wild card as even he felt her wrath a few times, despite her apparent preference of him.

"Are ya sure about that? Seems like she'd help you get more of a backbone." Marie teased, deciding to play with her favorite boy a little.

"Hah!" Eddy rudely cut in as Edd flustered. "Double D and Sarah? Yeah, right! Guaranteed, she'd punch his head off if he tried to kiss her and she's not in the mood, even if they were dating!"

"Oh, Eddy, don't badmouth sweet baby sister! She could still be here! Somewhere… like the Invisible Boogeywomen of Elron 7!" Ed panicked, grabbing Eddy by his head and shaking him.

"Can it, Lumpy! Jeez… We got bigger problems than that little twerp…" Eddy grumbled, turning his attention to a glaring Double D and a seemingly neutral Marie.

"So nice of you to finally join us, Eddy. Now, if you'll just take your seats, our healing process can begin. This rift between us can do no good for anyone in the long run. We must—"

"No good? You kidding me? We haven't been attacked, ambushed, shanghai'd, or even physically hurt since they got put in this can! To me, that's good!" Eddy snarled, getting in Edd's face. Marie glared at Eddy, really wishing the bulletproof barrier wasn't there so she could get the hardnosed shorty off of her only friend that wasn't a relative.

"No, Eddy, that's NOT good! Now sit down!" Edd snapped back, the stern way that he said it coming as a shock to Marie and even Ed.

'Maybe Oven Mitt's growin' a little backbone after all.' the bluenette thought. However, Eddy was unfazed by this.

"What're ya, delusional?! Or are ya finally the puppet of some blue-haired tramp? Really, who naturally has blue hair?!" Eddy growled.

It was then that Marie (and Ed) were surprised again as Edd grabbed Eddy by the front of his shirt, lifted him up, stood up, marched over to another cubicle, and slammed his ass onto the chair in a sitting position.

"Let me make myself perfectly clear, Eddy… Or shall I say… SKIPPER…!" Eddy flinched and shrieked in embarrassment at the use of his dreaded middle name. "Sure, the Kanker Sisters have been thorns in our sides ever since we first stumbled into the woods that fateful day. Yes, they've teased us, captured us, and… did things to us. Most of which were unwelcome at the time. But let me ask you something… How would you like it if you had to spend all of your teenage years locked up in a facility like this because of your con-artistry? At our current age, you should consider yourself quite lucky that none of our cul-de-sac friends have considered reporting you for your constant fraudulent activity, as it does strike up the possibility of you becoming a full-fledged criminal! If you don't think you deserve jail time for scamming our fellow youth, then the Kanker Sisters don't deserve jail time either! Now, there's a young girl who's been very lonely and in need of a familiar voice to comfort her. You will sit there, you will listen to her, and you will be nice! AM! I! UNDERSTOOD?!" By the time Edd finished his speech, he was right up in Eddy's face, poking his chest with a finger.

"…Yes, Sockhead… I mean, Double D!" Eddy gulped and turned himself around to face the bulletproof window, awaiting his redheaded nemesis. In the past, Edd had gotten upset a few times about a few schemes… but Eddy never seen a rage of this level. Not even the brief period of insanity Edd had that one day when he couldn't get a shower could top this.

Edd felt like he was about to hyperventilate as he sunk back down in his seat, Marie staring in silent awe. He fumbled with his phone. "I can't believe it… I… I snapped… I fully snapped… I…"

"There, there, Double D. You're ok. I think you did what was needed. That was… My God, that was amazing!" Marie said, in a soothing tone at first, but her excitement over how bold and steadfast Edd was had taken over. When she usually fantasized about life with her chosen boy, she didn't mind the idea of being the tough one in the relationship, but it was good to see him start to stand up for himself.

"…I think I'm gonna be sick…" Edd mumbled, trying to calm himself down.

"Well, first time's always the hardest, Double D." Marie chuckled. "By the way… Thank you."

That seemed to quickly divert Edd's frantic mind for a moment. "Um, for what, Marie?"

"For defending me, silly. You thought I didn't notice that you didn't snap until he called me a tramp? One might think that our visits are starting to be more than just about friendship." Marie grinned, waggling her eyebrows in a suggestive manner. Edd blushed and began hyperventilating. More than friendship? Surely, that wasn't it. He did admit to himself that Eddy calling her a woman of ill sexual repute struck a large nerve with him. But he couldn't have actual romantic feelings for her, right? She's a troubled girl that didn't need any more crap thrown at her and his integrity just wouldn't allow it. Yeah, that's it. Completely sound and logical explanation. There's no way that he had any sort of thoughts of THAT nature toward the pretty bluenette…. Wait… PRETTY?! Where'd that come from? This day was quickly turning into a confused mess.

While Marie silently let her good friend calm down and compose himself, she noticed the arrival of her sisters. Lee and May nodded to her and said quick hellos before sitting in front of their visitors (Ed had chosen to just sit down, not wanting to upset Double D). Naturally, Lee and Eddy started bickering immediately, mostly revolving between Lee's forcible seduction tactics and Eddy's obsession with cash and scams. But it didn't turn into a shouting match, thankfully. Just a ton of snide comments.

As for Ed and May, it was quite the opposite for a while. The two of them holding their phones to their ears, but not saying anything. The both of them appeared to struggle with working up the nerve to say something. Although, Ed's problem was mostly that he couldn't think of anything to say… He knew he should say something. But what was it again…? He forgot… But he knew it was important.

Finally, May stepped up. "Um, Ed…? I'm… really sorry. I never meant to scare you…" she said, quickly and succinctly with this pouty look of guilt on her face that reminded Ed of chickens… for some strange reason that only Ed knew. But nonetheless, it somehow translated to Ed, for the first time, thinking of May as adorable, instead of someone to fear.

"Aw, Ed says it's ok. Ed sorry to see you locked up in an intergalactic prison for space criminals. Hey, is General Zod in there?" Ed randomly asked, once again confusing things with comic book material. Whereas most would just respond with asking what Ed's problem is, May laughed instead.

"You're funny, Big Ed…" she said. With that, Ed started to tell her stories from his favorite comic books. And May, although new to the comic scene, listened intently and chimed in with her thoughts on it. It was a start, at least.

As Double D observed the two conversations while calming down, he figured that this was as good a start to the healing process as it was going to get, especially considering the bullheaded mentality of both Eddy and Lee. At the moment, the two stuck-up leaders were throwing random insults back and forth, apparently having run out of accusations.

"Well… We're all here, I guess." Marie stated, stuck hearing Lee's side of the bickering.

"I told him to be nice… But I suppose some grudges won't quit easily. At least Ed seems to have the right idea." Edd observed, his breathing finally down to a reasonable state.

"Yeah. And May's just letting him talk. I think you had the right idea, getting all of us together like this. If our resident giant egos over there can just calm the hell down, bet'cha anything we can all start again on the right foot. I mean, I bitched up a storm on your first visit, so I guess Lee has to vent too." Marie said with a smile. She'd never have accepted the concept of backing off and trying sincere friendship not even three months ago, but being tossed in prison and made to look back upon the reality of the situation tended to make plenty of people change their tunes. Especially when one's previous behavior proved to have left them virtually friendless and family-less…

Edd was moved by Marie's calm and positive view of his idea. "Why, Marie… You seem to be maturing right before my very eyes. I am quite proud of the progress you and I are making." he praised her, returning her smile with one of his own. A moment passed as the Brainiac and the Punk basked in each other's praise, flanked by the brash chaos of Eddy and Lee and the comic-book ramblings of Ed and May. Edd felt that a genuine friendship may have finally blossomed between the two, like a fine flower in the wild gardens of nature. Marie, on the other hand, thought about the potential for something more. But she learned her lesson now. This time, if it did happen, it'd be something real, something she didn't feel like she had to trap in order to obtain it. One step at a time, she supposed.

"Thanks, Double D. Visit again soon?" Marie simply asked, figuring that it wouldn't be long before the guards would've had enough of Lee's combative yammering.

"Well, it is a Saturday… Perhaps tomorrow?" Edd answered. Marie's eyes widened slightly.

"Wow, you want to spend a whole weekend with me? I guess I'm not the only one maturing here." she said with a certain playful tone that Edd actually chuckled to, now that he was used to the idea that they could simply joke around with each other.

"I suppose so, Marie. Besides, the more time I spend making progress, the sooner I might be able to prove to Mother and Father that what happened was a… misunderstanding…" he said, slightly hesitating when the thought of bending the truth was spoken aloud. Marie could tell he was still bothered by it. He'd always be the proverbial no-nonsense Urban Ranger when it came to honesty. But he was set on helping her despite what he would have to say.

"Well, perhaps if you showed a bit of that backbone that you showed Eddy, that might help ya convince them." Marie suggested with a snicker. Edd gasped in fright.

"Oh, heavens no! I'd never think of yelling at my parents! It's so… dishonorable!" he said, aghast at such an idea. At this, Marie snorted in laughter.

"Oh, Oven Mitt, I didn't mean that ya should yell their heads off! No, I meant that you should… I dunno… show some conviction. Stand up for what you believe in. Don't be a doormat, man! Doesn't mean ya have to go in screaming." Marie elaborated, still snickering at her favorite boy's horror at the idea of doing to his parents what he did to Eddy.

"Hm… I see what you mean… I think." Edd answered, a lot calmer. "Yeah… Be firm in my beliefs… I can do that."

Marie giggled again. "You can be so silly sometimes, Edd."

"Yes, well, I'm afraid it comes with the territory." Edd replied, a goofy smile on his face. Progress, indeed…

Meanwhile, next cubicle over…

"…and tell me again, who's parents got us locked up here, Short Stuff?!"

"Oh, for the thousandth time, I didn't rat ya out! Did anybody really expect my parents to come home early?!"

"Considering how many times your plots failed from something unexpected, I would've figured that you'd be expecting something like that to happen!"

"Wait, with that logic, why would I be expecting that? That actually helped me!"

"I dunno. Just want something to blame YOU for…"

"GRRR! Of all the… I don't see why Sockhead wants us to talk! All that's doing is making us want to kick each other's asses!"

"You sure about that? I'm annoyed and upset, but I'm actually kinda… having fun here." A small smirk from Lee.

"Ya are?"

"Yeah. I like that you're stubborn. Reminds me o' me." Her smirk tuned into a grin.

"That's a little self-centered, don'cha think?"

"This coming from the self-proclaimed King Of The Cul-De-Sac… Heh."

"…Got me there, I guess."

"Well… I suppose I'll let'cha have that title, considering how you finally defeated us."

"Really…? You'd actually call me that?"

"Sure. Whatever. On one condition, of course."

"Uh oh. Here it comes…" A roll of the eyes.

"All ya have to do… was admit that you got lucky."

"Wait, that's it? Nothing insane? No embarrassing stunts or anything?"

"Should I suggest something? I'm sure to think of something to put in this script that is our lives."

"NO, no! That's fine! We don't need some insane subplot that'll most likely end with me in severe pain! Um… Alright, alright. The only reason you're off our asses is because we got lucky."

"Well said, my liege." Lee chuckled.

"Anything else, Queenie?" Eddy sarcastically asked with a huff. Lee grinned again.

"Oooh, I like that… Keep calling me that, okay?"

"Wait… Dammit, this is another gag to get us hooked up, isn't it?!" Eddy was seeing red again already.

Lee grew smug. "Maybe it is, o dear King Of Our Cul-De-Sac."

"Bah! This burg's getting too small for us anyway… We'd all probably move away to bigger pastures anyway…" Eddy grumbled. As if he wanted anything to do with Lee Kanker…

"Oh, calm down, Eddy. I can't be queen of anything as long as I'm in here. Well, maybe I could be queen of this prison, but that'd involve messing with the crazier chicks in here… Seriously, some real loonies in here."

"Yeah, and I'm lookin' at one."

"Only the best loony for you!"

"Dammit, Lee!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: And there's the second chapter. Man, I hope everyone enjoyed this wacky brainstorm of mine. So far, people enjoyed the original chapter, so here's praying that I don't immediately jump the shark! Lol.

The reason why the Eddy/Lee chat ending was mostly just dialogue with no action or description or anything is because they're literally just sitting there, arguing. Besides, I wanted to highlight some of their banter and see how people enjoyed my take on Lee and Eddy being stubborn with Lee being subtly flirty.

By the way, I'm not really sure if I can do a third chapter as quickly as I did this one. Hell, this is the quickest I've ever updated a story with a new chapter and this doesn't happen often, sadly… So I'll see where my creativity takes me. But in any case, please feel free to drop a review. Hell, feel free to throw me some ideas or suggestions if you'd like. Thanks for reading!