Marie lay on the hood of the old retro van, scowling up in the sky. Lee was inside sitting in the driver's seat painting her nails; May was jumping around on the waterbed. Although the van was usually frequented by the Eds, the Kankers had learned of its existence themselves, having been lead there by a giant star some many Christmas's ago.

Angrily, Marie reached out and banged against the windshield to get Lee's attention. Seeing her sister look up, she angrily asked "What the hell are we doing here stupid"?

"Ah quit yer yapping. Don't you wanna spend some quality time with those boyfriends of ours?" Lee asked as she went back to painting her nails. Inside, May put her own two cents into the conversation.

"Yeah Marie, it'll be fun!"

Rolling her eyes, Marie leaned back against the hood. Idiots.

Although she loved messing with Double D, the truth of the matter was that Marie had grown up a bit in recent years. While no one really associated the words grown up with the Kankers, it was still the truth. She didn't feel the need to constantly torment the boys, unlike Lee and, to a lesser degree, May. Sure, she still got a kick messing with Double D, she had other things to do with her life other. She no longer had the need to utterly torture the man.

Sadly, the same couldn't be said about Lee. Over the years, the oldest Kanker had become the most similar to their mother, in terms of life choices. She was frequently out half the night, dated dumbasses just to boss around (although such relationships had the average life span of a week), and was lucky if she made it to school three times in a week. Furthermore, she had become MUCH bossier, although her sisters were never ones to follow blindly to begin with.

May was relatively the same. She was considered the nicest of the trio, but still struck fear into the hearts of all (except Jonny, who really only feared Lee. Though he did dislike all three). She chased Ed like when they were kids, and often tried to kiss him.

Marie was, for lack of a better word, the most level headed of them. She had gone on some dates, even had a brief relationship or two. Yet she had time of day for jerks, and had kicked them to the curb without hesitation. She wasn't like Lee who kept them hanging on for fun. Nor was she May, who still believed that one day the Eds would magically fall for them.

Marie was many things: she came off a bit full of herself, was easily bored, extremely crafty, and was totally unafraid to speak her mind. Yet above all, she was realistic: she liked Double D a lot, and even got a kick out of making him flustered. But she knew full well the feeling wasn't mutual. Yet that didn't mean she had to constantly make his life a living hell

Well, can't make life TOO boring, now can we? Her trademark smile spread across her face. Unlike her sisters, Marie actually had 2 classes with "her man". There would be plenty of time to mess with Double D all year. No need to spend her free time in some stupid dump in an attempt to further antagonize the Ed.

And yet, that was exactly what she was doing, curtesy of Lee. Marie felt her lip curl in irritation.

From inside the van, May let out a girly giggle. "This thing is so fun! Why don't we come more often?"

Marie rolled her eyes. "We live in a dump stupid. Why the hell should we spend our time in another one?"

Suddenly, Lee saw Ed, Edd and Eddy round a corner. Smiling like a wolf, she said "Quiet girls. It's showtime".

It hadn't taken the Eds long to find the Kankers. Edd had figured that they would have been at the old van, Lee knowing that it was a favorite of Eddy's. In a last ditch effort, Edd tried to pacify his friend, "Eddy, surely we can work out a deal to get your tires back!"

Eddy rounded on him. "No deals sockhead! Not this time! We've been putting up with this crap for years! It ends today!" Ed was grabbing onto his shoulder, trying desperately to stop Eddy from advancing, but it was no use.

Edd thought back on earlier, and how Marie had granted him a respite, of sorts. Granted, she had still had her "fun", but it did show that the Kankers, (or Marie anyway) could be reasoned with. Somewhat. He also remembered how their antics were now juvenile more than anything. (With the exception of Lee). It was a long shot, but Edd truly believed diplomacy was the best option.

"Eddy, be reasonable! I'm sure that we could find some common ground-"

Yet it was no use. Eddy continued his march until he was right in front of the retro van. By now, the Kankers had gotten out and were regarding the Eds, coy smiles on their faces.

Edd noticed, a bit to his surprise, that unlike Lee and May, Marie's smile seemed to be a tad forced.

It was like an old western, with each Ed facing his corresponding Kanker. Ed was shaking uncontrollably, Edd was starting to sweat profusely, while Eddy continued his angry glare. Lee was the first one to speak, "Awww, aint they so adorable when their upset, girls?"

That was it. May jumped up and ran toward Ed, shouting "Give us a kiss, Lamp chop!"

In a heartbeat, Ed was off, bolting in terror. "I am not Lamb chop! I Am Ed!" He shouted before disappearing behind a corner.

That left Edd and Eddy. Turning toward Lee, they saw that she was snickering uncontrollably. That was it: with a snarl, Eddy shouted at her, "Where the hell are my tires, trailer trash?!"

Edd gasped, fully aware of the horrible mistake Eddy had just made. By the look on his face, he reckoned that Eddy realized it too, but it was all too late.

"What da hell you just call me, pipsqueak?!" She asked, her voice raising several octanes. The fake flirt was gone, replaced by a blood curling anger. Ever since they were kids, Lee had grown to be much more threatening and short fused. It didn't take much of anything to set her off, and woe be on to the person who did.

As Ed had once put it, Eddy was about to learn a life lesson he was sure not to forget.

Nervously, Eddy backed up a couple of steps, "Umm, errr, w-what I meant was", the sound of Lee cracking her knuckles made him stop talking. With a final gulp, he turned tailed and ran, shouting at Edd, "Ruuun Sock Head!" Lee ran past Edd, intent on catching her victim, "Where ya going, Romeo?" she asked with a steel voice. Eventually, both disappeared from sight.

With a start, Edd realized that he was alone. With Marie. With a sly grin, she walked toward him, prompting Edd to back up.

"N-now j-just one second M-Marie." Inwardly, Edd cursed his stuttering: Kankers could smell fear. "Don't y-you think we've had q-qu-quite enough childish p-p-pranks for one d-d-day?"

Aww, I'm making him nervous. How cute. Marie favored Double D with a gasp of mock shock. "Double D! You mean you didn't like my little gift earlier?" Seeing how Edd was on the verge of a full breakdown, she continued. "Oooh Pumpkin! I'm sooooooo sorry.Why don't we kiss and make up?"

Edd knew Marie wouldn't really kiss him: yet he had no intention of finding out what she really had in store. He bolted, running as fast as he could. From experience, Marie knew that Edd's full speed was barely more than that of a powerwalk, so she casually followed him.

With a wicked grin, Marie said, "Game on, Oven Mitt."

Edd didn't need to look behind him to know Marie was gaining. Physical excursion was never his strong suite; his doom was all but assured. Rounding a mound of trash, he quickly looked behind him to check if he could still see Marie. By doing so, he failed to see the old engine that was right in his path.

Too late, he tripped and went sailing, landing in a mud filled depression several feet away. Ouch…..

Warily, he tried to get up, but slipped and feel back into the filth, landing on his caboose. Normally, Edd would have freaked out after landing in such a slime hole, but he was surprisingly calm. As it was, Double D was simply top exhausted at this point to care.

I should have INSISTIED to Eddy that we take another course of action. Willingly walking toward the Kankers? What were we thinking! Curse my timid disposition! Edd knew that he really didn't have anyone to blame for this mess but himself. No one had forced him to go to the junkyard. And now here he was, covered in only god knew what.

Looking down, Edd saw this his favorite tie was completely mud stained and soaked through. "Oh, look: my favorite tie ruined. Perfect way to end the day Eddward" he noted with dry sarcasm. He was so tired that he didn't notice the figure standing right behind him.

When Marie found Edd covered with mud, she had almost laughed out loud. Yet as she got closer, she saw that the teenager wasn't freaking out as he normally would. Instead, he just sat there, with a world weary gaze plastered to his face. If they had been younger, this would have been the point when Marie went for the kill, but not this time.

As she looked at Edd, she couldn't help but feel…..guilty. The hell? Guilty? Me? Marie knew that it was the truth however.

Earlier, Marie had had her fill of fun. The look on Edd's face when he opened his locker had been priceless. But that was supposed to be it. She never meant to go another round in making him uncomfortable. Yet here he was, laying in a pool of mud, noticing that his tie, his favorite tie, was ruined. Marie realized that everything had finally went a bit too far.

Way to go, moron. Silently, she tried to blame Lee and May, but she knew deep down this was as much her fault as theirs.

Edd noticed Marie standing over him, and the fear suddenly found him again. He tried to form a coherent sentence, but couldn't. "N-Now Mar-M-Marie, su-sure-ly you-you, I mean, umm…." Edd knew it was useless. Marie Kanker had got him again.

Yet when Marie came closer, he saw that there was no smirk on her face. She was not giggling, nor did she looked at all amused. If anything, she looked concerned and…guilty? Marie Kanker? Guilty? Concerned?

Kneeling down to his level, she offered her hand to him. Edd tried to read her expression, but she had put on a blank mask. He stupidly just sat there, staring at her hand. A bit of Marie's usual Kanker slipped through, for she raised an eyebrow asked him, "You waiting for a special invite or something? Or you just wanna sit there?"

That shook Edd back to his senses. Grasping Marie's hand, he said "Y-yes. Th-Tha- you". As Marie helped him up however, Edd slipped again, taking her down with him. They splashed down in the mud, Marie landing on top of Edd. For a second they flailed about, Edd horrified that he had inadvertently caused a girl to fall into a giant puddle of mud.

"Oh good Lord! Marie, I'm terribly sorry!" Despite everything, Edd was still a gentlemen: he didn't have a mean bone in his body. Seeing how he had dragged Marie into the mud, when she had been trying to help, made him feel greatly distressed and guilty.

"Marie, are you alright?!"

"Just peachy" Marie replied without humor as she wiped a splash of mud out of her face. Although he had been expecting some angry outburst, Edd realized that there was no malice in her voice.

He was about to go on, offering another apology, but stopped when he realized something else. Marie was laying on top of him, just inches from his face. He began to blush at the positions of their bodies, but his embarrassment died down as looked up at her.

For the first time, Edd really noticed Marie, and not just in a superficial way. In every way, Marie had grown, and it showed in her features. She was…..rather attractive. Adolescence had been quite kind to her, bestowing a slim figure that was striking from her head down to her toes.

With their faces only inches apart, he saw how one side of her face was perfectly covered by her hair, while the other side showed off her majestic hazel eyes. He also noticed her slight dusting of freckles, and how they seemed to compliment her blue eyeshadow.

For once, there was no witty remark from Marie. She didn't seem to have her customary arrogance, nor was she smirking coyly. If anything, the fall seemed to have knocked that out of her. As she was right now, she seemed almost…..gentle. Further remembering her earlier look of concern, Edd couldn't help but be confused.

This was Marie Kanker on top of him?

As he starred at her, Edd had flashbacks of the past, and the uncountable number of kisses she had bestowed upon him. A small part of him, tiny as it was, wondered if she would attempt to kiss him right now. Deep down, a part of him thought that such an event would not be unpleasant.

GOOD LORD EDDWARD! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING MAN?! And yet as he thought this, his legs were shaking and his heart was pounding, and none of it was from fear.

For her part, Marie was shocked by the sudden tumble. Although she wasn't afraid to get muddy, she still didn't particular like to be covered in it. Yet her sudden shock quickly melted when she realized that she was on top of Edd, with her face barely an inch away from his. She noticed how his gaze looked soft and thoughtful. The hell? Why is he looking at me like that?

Starring at him, Marie noticed just how handsome he was. His childlike features were disappearing, being replaced by those of a man. A rather handsome man. She couldn't help but faintly blush as she realized just how close together they were. C'mon Kanker. Stop acting like such a girlie she tried to reason with herself.

Yet as she looked down at Edd, she noticed his eyes. They were a deep brown, yet seemed to sparkle somehow. They were the eyes of kindness: even now, laying in the mud with a childhood tormentor, there wasn't a single ounce of hate in them. He actually looked concerned when she had fell. Concerned? About me?

With a sudden shock, that wasn't all she noticed.

Double D wasn't struggling. He wasn't stammering or making any attempt to get up. While his cheeks were slightly roses, Marie realized that they were simply the mirror of hers. She blinked once, trying to make sense of it all.

What the hell is going on here?

Slowly, Marie moved closer to him. Unlike when they were kids, Edd's eyes didn't widen with terror. If anything, he simply was completely still, almost as if he was afraid any movement would ruin the moment.

Almost as if…..he wanted the kiss. He hit his head or something? She was unsure, yet slowly moved her face closer to his, overwhelmed by a wave of affection and desire. A desire to kiss him on the lips; a desire to give a real kiss.

Truthfully, this never had been her intention when she started the day, yet when in Rome…..

Before their lips locked, Marie became aware of something else. Laying on top of Edd, she could feel just how "happy" he was by their current positions. This again took Marie back: she had always considered Edd to be attractive, but never knew if he thought the same about her (then again, who didn't find her drop dead sexy?). Now though, it was pretty clear that she had her answer.

Suddenly getting mischievous, Marie gave Edd a wicked smile. Leaning up, she regarded him coyly. "Damn Double D. We're a little happy, aren't we?"

Edd looked up at her, unsure of what she meant. Suddenly, he realized exactly what was happening below his waist, and instantly went red. "Umm, eeerrr, ummmm, I-eeeeeh" Fumbling the words, Edd couldn't form a coherent sentence.

Marie giggled impishly "You're such a dork, Double D" she said as she slowly bent to kiss him. He's so adorable when he flustered….

Suddenly, a crash from behind her caused them both to jump. Ed had just run full speed into a pile of trash, sending assorted junk flying everywhere. Suddenly conscience of themselves, both Ed and Marie slowly got up and walked out of the mud pit. Edd went over to check on Ed, while Marie stood off to the side, cursing her luck. She had been that close…..

After checking that Ed was ok, Edd turned nervously toward Marie. He was still trying to piece together just what happened between them, but saw her turn and walk back toward the retro van. He noted (with more disappointment then he cared to admit) that whatever moment they were having was gone. Ed could tell something was amiss and looked as Double D looked after Marie.

"Are you alright Double D?"

"Y-yes, well umm, y-yes, I think. Maybe" Edd shook himself back to the present and saw that Ed had a lipstick mark on one side of his face. "Ed, are you ok?!"

Ed's bottom lip began to tremble as he remembered the horror that had befallen him. Bursting out, he grabbed Double D. "It was horrible! Kanker got Ed bad Double D!"

Edd tried his best to placate his friend. "There, there Ed. It's, um, over now. Let's go find Eddy."

Walking back to the retro van, they found that the Kankers were gone. Eddy however was stuffed upside inside two of his monster tires, looking quite the worse for wear. To be honest, Edd was surprised Eddy was still in one piece: Lee wasn't known for being light with her beatings.

Seeing Eddy, Ed grabbed Double D and pointed. "Oh, look Double D! Eddy is a car!"

Before Edd could respond, Eddy snapped "Will someone get me out of here!"

After they had extracted Eddy, Edd saw that much of his clothes were bruised and slightly ripped. That said, he had no black eyes and his nose looked unbroken. Eddy, not wishing to go into it, simply growled "Don't ask" before instructing Ed to pick up the tires and bring them back to his place. As they left the junkyard, Edd couldn't help but notice the two tires were still missing.

"Eddy, what about the other two?"

An irritated look came over Eddy's face. "We'll get em later, after the deal is up".

"Deal?"

Not looking around at Edd, Eddy mumbled, "We get two back now, and in exchange we each wash the Kankers laundry for a while.

Edd jumped up in alarm. Laundry?! Kankers?! He couldn't even imagine what that might entail. "Surely you can't be serious! For how long are we expected to do this?!"

Eddy sighed sadly. "Two months". Seeing the look of outrage from Double D and horror from Ed, he elaborated. "Hey! It was either that, or a Kanker trashing! Lucky for me Lee finds me cute enough to allow last minute negotiations". Eddy replied in a voice that was anything but jolly.

Seeing how Ed's attack was self-explanatory, Eddy turned to Double D. "So Marie got you good, huh?"

The memory of what transpired made Edd go beat read. "Um…..yes. One might say that…"

Although it was clear Edd was holding something back, Eddy was too tired to notice. All he could think about was his payback. Screw their "deal". Eddy was going to get his tires back.

Edd was lost in thought. He desperately racked his brain trying to find an explanation as to what happened between Marie and him. He couldn't

That night, Edd wasn't the only one lost in thought. Marie herself was trying to sort through everything, and having equally bad luck. The hell is going on? Was Edd….did he want me to kiss him?

Marie had given up on the idea that Edd and she would ever become an "item". It sucked at first, but she had learned to get over it. She figured if she was lucky, her and Double D would go to a party, get massively drunk, and then find some dark corner to make out. Maybe even second base. But that was it. Sure, it wouldn't had been some stupid fairy tale romance, but it would have been something she could deal with.

Now….she wasn't so sure if that's what she really wanted.