A/N: Wow... 3 chapters in 48 hours? New record! Keep reading guys, and thank you so so much! It means a lot to me and I promise other fics will be updated soon!
The plane ride took about ten hours, maybe eleven or so. Eddie stepped out of the taxi that had brought him to his mother's old house that she still owned. He had called her the previous night asking her to leave the key in the plant out front for him, and if he could borrow the house for a while. Of course she said yes, luckily for him. Grabbing his bags out of the car, he tipped the taxi driver and waved as he drove off. "Well, here's to a new life for now," he said, looking at the house still unsure he did the right thing. The blonde boy felt a hand on his shoulder as he turned and smiled at who it belonged to. "It really means a lot that you came with me, you know," he told them.
"Well I know what you've been going through, and I'm here to help. Thank you, for letting me come. Not only me, but Carlyle too." Behind the figure next to him stood a little boy at the age of eight with dark brown hair and the same eyes as his mother. He held tightly onto his mother's hand, particularly shy. He and Eddie had only met just yesterday, but he knew that they would get along from everything his mother had told him.
"It's really no trouble at all," Eddie answered. "I'm looking forward to getting to know Carlyle more, as well as you, Victoria." The girl gave a laugh and a smile, earning a smile back. Eddie grabbed the key and unlocked the door, carrying some of the bags in with him. "Home sweet home," he spoke as the two followed in behind him with their bags. He and Victoria had planned this the day after they came home from the hospital. The girl had packed their bags that night, and had them set and ready for Eddie to pick them up after he left.
"Wow, it's beautiful," Victoria told him. It was big, oh yes. Big and beautiful inside and out. It was really no wonder that Eddie's mom hadn't sold the house. It was too nice to give away really. "Don't you think, Carlyle?" The boy smiled and nodded, looking around. Eddie was glad they liked the house. He certainly always had.
"Yeah, it is, isn't it? Let me give you the tour. After all, I grew up here." Victoria and Carlyle happily followed Eddie as he showed them around. It was early in the morning, around 6am. Most of them had slept on the plane. Eddie however, unfortunately wasn't able to get any sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about Aria the entire time. Every time he got her out of his mind, something brought her back. He hated it beyond compare. It was literally killing him inside knowing how she felt, and yet, he left anyways. It was for the best, wasn't it? Ugh, he just didn't know anymore.
Eddie showed them both his old room where Carlyle would be staying while they were there. He seemed to like it fairly well. It wasn't very big, but there was a twin bed, computer and desk, a TV, and toys that Eddie had when he was younger. It was a good thing that his mother didn't throw them away after all. Once Eddie showed Carlyle the room, he was lost in his own world leaving just the two young adults on their own. "C'mon, I'll show you one other room," Eddie told her. It was his mother's old room. There was a queen bed, TV just like the other, bureaus, a dresser, vanity, and closet.
"This room is pretty," Victoria told him, looking around. She walked over to the bed and sat on the edge, running her hand over the sheets and blanket. A smile played on her lips, looking back up at the boy. "Is this our room?" Eddie smiled back at her, sitting on the other side of the bed as she was.
"Yes, actually." He was just glad that she didn't find this whole thing awkward. He didn't really think she would, but then again you never know. Eddie stretched and let out a sleepy yawn. The girl beside him giggled, looking into his eyes.
"You're tired," she confirmed. Patting the bed with her hand, she continued. "Go on, rest. I'll go out and get groceries while you sleep," she offered very kindly. "Carlyle won't bother you unless it's an emergency. I'll be back in a jiffy, okay?" Eddie nodded during another yawn as the girl laughed again and left the room. Lack of sleep soon took over the boy and he feel into an uneasy slumber. While he slept old memories came flooding back to haunt him.
The car pulled up to the house after slamming on the breaks and parking. Patricia grabbed Aria out of her car seat and urged her to run inside after unlocking the door before Eddie could even park. The redhead ran inside after her daughter and yelled for her to go to her room. She didn't want Aria to see any art of this although she had already seen enough. Eddie came charging inside after her, angered by the previous said argument. "You always have to be right, don't you Patricia! This isn't about us anymore, it's about you! You're the one who said that you wanted to get married in the first lace and I proposed to you because I thought I loved you. I guess I was wrong about that."
Patricia was already hurt by words previously said. A few tears escaped her light blue eyes and slipped down her cheeks. "Well if you don't love me anymore then why don't you leave?! No one's making you stay! I never said I needed you anyways." Eddie gave her a fake smile, gritting through his teeth.
"See, it's that kind of attitude that got us into this argument in the first place!" Patricia whipped around to face him, hurt and angered by his choice of words.
"So I'm always the one to start things, am I? Last I checked we've had plenty of arguments that you've started!" Eddie slammed his hands over his face in grief.
"I can't put up with anymore Patricia. You're not the same girl I thought you were. You've obviously changed since high school. You're moody, clingy, you don't trust me when I'm out by myself, I can't put up with you!" Tears continue to flow from her eyes as she harshly wipes them away.
"Well excuse me for being concerned! Call me a jealous moody bitch why don't you? And like I said, no one's keeping you here! I don't want to be with someone who has to 'put up with me' anyways! Leave, Eddie! Just get out of here, I can see you want to! Go!"
"You know what, I should call you a jealous moody bitch because that's what you've become! That's exactly what you've become! And you know something else, I will leave. I'll go right now, if that's what you want." Patricia collapsed onto the couch now with waterworks pouring from her face. "Is that what you want, Patricia? Is it?!" The redhead couldn't control herself anymore. Little did they both know that Aria had been watching and listening to this whole thing.
"I said leave, Eddie! I can't have you with us anymore, not me or Aria. You've changed as well," she replied between sniffles and harsh breathing.
"Fine, I'm going." Eddie reached for the door and pulled it open. "Hope you're happy now." His back turned to leave; Patricia couldn't bear to watch. Aria's little eyes went wide at the sight of her father leaving.
"Daddy!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, running out into the room as fast as her toddler legs could carry her. But it was too late, and Eddie was gone after the door slam. Aria's heart was shattered along with her mothers, and streams of tears flooded down her face as well. "Daddy!"
Eddie shifted uncomfortably in his sleep, although the memories kept coming back. When they would end, he didn't know. One thing he did know was that they were real, and real dreams are the worst kind.
"Aria!" The girl was running down the street in the pouring rain, not even wearing a coat. Victoria got out of the car as well and she too called Aria's name. "Aria come back here!" They had no idea where she was going as she was running the opposite direction. "Aria!" Finally the girl heard him, and whipped her head around to face them. Their eyes met for a brief moment before her Father noticed the car coming right at her. "Aria watch out!" The little redhead whipped back around in an instant. All you could hear was the start of a scream before everything fell silent. "Aria!"
Eddie snapped awake in an instant. He was sweating and his breathing was rapid. He checked the time frantically, trying to calm down. Forty-five minutes. He had only been asleep for forty-five minutes. God the dreams were so real. Like they were happening all over again. Once his breathing slowed, Eddie headed down the hall to check on Carlyle. "Hey buddy," he said, sticking his head in the doorway. Carlyle greeted him with a smile and hello.
"Are you okay, Eddie? You look like you've seen a ghost," the young boy mentioned. Eddie hesitated, soon acting like it was a joke.
"Oh, yeah I'm fine. I'm just going to take a shower before your mother gets back, alright?" Eddie saw the boy nod and headed off to the bathroom to shower off the nightmares. His shower was longer than usual, estimating about 20 minutes. Mainly he just stood there, thinking about things. Once he got out, he wrapped himself in a towel and cleared the mirror of steam. Eddie looked at himself in the mirror a moment. Suddenly, a voice from inside him spoke out.
"Look at yourself. Who are you anymore? You're pathetic, trying to forget about your past. Did you honestly think you could leave you're old family behind and get by with this new family you're trying to make? Pathetic. You're sad, Eddie. You always have been and you always will be nothing more than a mistake. A great big mistake in the life of society. How could you do that to Aria? How could you stand by and watch her heart rip into two pieces as you walked out on her for the second time?" Eddie didn't want to listen to these voices, but they only got louder.
"Look at yourself! You're a heart breaker, Eddie. That's all you've been to them. A cruel, foul, murderer to their souls. When are the lies going to end? 'I love her, I'd never leave her, she's my everything.' LIES! All vicious, foul, disgusting lies! When does it end, Eddie? When does the crying of a child who's lost everything end?" The blonde, furious with these voices, left the room immediately, going to get dressed. It was true. Everything was true. He broke Aria's heart without meaning. How could he ever go back now? How could he possibly face her again after this? Would she ever forgive him? Who knows?
Back in England, a week had already gone by and Patricia was a wreck. Aria refused to even come out of her room. She would only come out to use the bathroom and when she ate she took her food with her. Joy had come back and confessed that everything Eddie said was true. The redhead felt awful. She honestly didn't know what to do, how to go on, or what was real anymore. Her whole relationship with Joy was built off lies and manipulation. Patricia wouldn't even look at Joy the same way she used to. They only spoke on occasions, and Joy has had to get a job. Meanwhile, no one really knew how much Aria was had only really been eating one meal a day, which was dinner. Every other meal she ate she threw up right after. She was practically starving herself half to death. It was a very serious manor, and no one even knew about it. As for Patricia, her matter was even worse. She had started doing something again that she hadn't done since high school.
One night, after everyone was asleep, Patricia woke up from her slumber and headed to the bathroom. She opened the draw of the counter and pulled out her razor. With a shaky hand, the girl brought the tool to her wrist and slashed her skin with one quick harsh swipe. Tears of pain flowed from her eyes as she let out a slight scream, watching the blood begin to trickle. Another slash on her other wrist meant another whimper of pain. As the blood ran down her arms, the tears fell onto her skin, causing it to burn but she didn't care. There was one other thing that she was keeping from everyone. Aside from cutting, that same night, Patricia found out that she was pregnant. What the hell was she to do now? The redhead collapsed onto the bathroom floor and left her wrists to bleed, bandaging them when they finally stopped.