AN:- I know there are possibly people who hate me for not updating as religiously as I should have but I'm in exams and sneaking some time to be good to you people, my readers. I need to put in a few more, AKA two or three for the most, filler chapters to really get where I want t get but I don't like half-assed filler chapters so ima try to make them somewhat important to the story. Edward goes back to school in this chapter so we'll see some of Bella. =) Enjoy!

It was a bleak day and Elizabeth couldn't seem to shake the ominous feeling that hung over her as she sat in the kitchen with Riley who was struggling with the Calculus homework that he had left for last minute in favour of going out with some girl. Studying the absent way he stared out of the window with a tense set to his jaw and shoulders, she couldn't help but think that he felt it too. With a heavy sigh, he twirled the mechanical pencil a few times before letting it slip away and fall unto the pages of his textbook. 'I remember buying him that a few years ago,' she thought to herself, linking the battered, pale rose and red plaid of the pencil's body with a memory of a fifteen year old Riley pouting and insisting that he had never seen a pencil like it and that he'd be the only boy he knew who was 'comfortable enough in his sexuality to own such a pansy coloured pencil' and that he had to have it.

"Today," he began in a low voice, holding his breath for a while before going on, "I feel like something shit's gonna happen." She didn't even have to heart to tell him off for his poor choice of words as she nodded in agreement. Then, quite suddenly, something click with both of them.

"Edward!" they gasped in unison, standing abruptly, all forgotten. In a mad scramble, they ran up the stairs to his room. They flung the door out of the way and the sound of the door hitting the wall caused Edward to yelp and start so sharply that he fell right out of bed.

"Edward!"

"Dammit, Ed!"

The both of them rushed around to help him struggle back into bed. Edward looked from one to the next, feeling disgruntled and worriedly irritated. He baulked at the thought that something might be grievous wrong with either of them and, frantically, mouthed incoherently what he hoped were words of urgent questioning.

"Thank God you're ok," his mother said, slumping down unto the bed beside him. Riley, however, opted to fall unto the floor in a exhalation of exhaustion.

"Yeah, no shit. You almost stopped my ol' ticker." Riley scowled briefly.

'What's going on?'

Now, he was beyond the point of confusion as he all but broke his neck to look between them swiftly. He only stopped when he efficiently put a crick in his neck. Hissing and cradling the now useless body part, he waited for one of them to fill him in. The sense of something bad that they brought in with them permeated his sheets and his skin in a weird slimy way. Was this what they were talking about?

"We were afraid that something had happened to you." His mother spoke first, looking him over with large eyes fraught with worry. He stared into them for a moment, wondering why they would think such a thing. "We had this bad feeling…"

"Understatement of the century, mother dearest," Riley interjected in a sarcastic tone.

"Hope at last!" Elizabeth erupted suddenly. Her sons looked at her with large incredulous eyes, perhaps, even fearing for her sanity. With a blush which did all but give her boys a heart attack. 'She never blushes anymore!' Edward thought in wonderment. "Riley managed a sentence in proper English and without cussing like he was dragged up and not brought up."

"Thanks bunches for all of the faith, Mum." Riley lightly poked her ankle, successfully nicking his finger on a sharp edge of her coral anklet, "Fuck!"

"Riley Anthony Masen!" He barely had time to register his full name and link it to 'trouble' before his head flew forward under the force of her clout. "you do not under any circumstances use that atrocious word in my presence ever again or so help me God I will rip you a new pair!" With a groan, Riley cupped his crotch, already feeling a dull throbbing pain that was not anywhere near pleasant in his nether regions.

"Mum!" he moaned, looking pleadingly at her and reminding Edward of his father's pout in the hospital last week. He found it kind of fun to watch them interact on a regular parent-child basis instead of the usual animosity that flowed between them.

"Don't you 'mum' me!" she sounded near hysterics if Edward was being honest to himself and he couldn't help but snicker.

"What are you laughing at, retard?" Riley spat in his direction carelessly, his glare hard and murderous. Edward hiccupped a sob at the sudden change in his polarity and Elizabeth gasped, horrified. Slowly, Riley came to realize what he had said, his eyes growing large and frightened. Clumsily, he rose, stuttering, "I-I-I'm so-I'm so-Edward…" He backed away cautiously, still seeming terribly frightened before their astonished gazes. "I-I…" With a sharp yelp, he fled from the room, the sound of him knocking into tings on his way out of the house echoing. Silently, Elizabeth moved over to rub the crick out of Edward's neck, telling him about his father's business trip.

"What did I say? What did I say?" Riley chanted over and over again to himself angrily. It hadn't been much and he knew he was over-reacting but he was still panicked. It had been harsh and cruel to say something like that to Edward after being so good to him but it still seemed like nothing compared to what he had done the last time Edward had laughed at him. Riley shuddered visibly at the thought, his mind locked on the image of Edward's fresh blood and the little boy huddled in a pool of excrement. "What did I say? What did I say?" His stomach churned a bit and he vomited to the sounds of Edward coughing in his ear. He didn't go home.

Three days later…

"Where is he?" Edward Sr., helplessly, watched his wife wear the tiles with her angry and exasperated pacing. He had news on Riley's whereabouts but she hadn't given him a chance to say anything, going on and on about various punishments for making her worry about him. He took the chance of ignoring her to pull out his phone and scroll through his messages. 'ah, there it is…'

Dad, im ok. Stayin gavin's 4 a cupl days. Tell Edward n mum im srry. I wasn't thinking. N da I luv em. Bye.

"How could he do such a thing!" Elizabeth shrieked, coming to a mad stop in front of her terribly exhausted and potentially confused by her reaction. She watched him expectantly, as if expecting an answer for their son's sudden bout of 'stupidity' - as she called it so lovingly. Wordlessly he passed the phone over to her and lay his head down on the counter, the cool marble healing the fever heat he felt on his gaunter cheek; Chicago for two days had been brutal with all of the running around. He placed a weary hand over his hair at the crown of his head, filtering the thinner strands through his fingers. He needed rest and good food.

"How long?"

"Hmm?" He lifted his head to peek at her from between fallen locks. He needed a haircut, as well.

"The text." She was awfully quiet, something he had come to relate with hard thinking.

"I got it when I landed earlier but it was sent the day I arrived. The last day you saw him, right?" he mumbled into his sleeve, his eyes already drooping, "What time is it?"

"It's six," she replied, holding his hand in his hair, "I have to go wake Edward up for school soon. You should go get some sleep."

"I probably should," he echoed, shallowly. His snuggled deeper into the harder countertop as she scratched his scalp, "Are you going to get him this morning?"

Elizabeth chuckled and he swore it to be gold. "Yes, I mss him and yes, he is grounded."

"He won't complain." Edward Sr.'s voice slurred drunkenly in his haze.

"I guessed as much," his wife sighed, her face possibly a frown but he couldn't see through his lids.

"Don't tell him I ratted him out."

She could do nothing but laugh at him as she trotted away to wake her kids. She couldn't help but feel tense after leaving Caroline's and Elizabeth's rooms to wake Edward. He hadn't been in school for a while and he was surely behind even with the things his teachers emailed her but she was mostly worried about how the other children would treat him. He had been bullied, that much was obvious, though never physically - mostly taunting and jeering. There hadn't been much that she could've done about it, the principal and teachers always blowing it off as 'the antics of little children'. They were thirteen. They should have enough sense by now. The door squeaked open and she saw her son sprawled out across his bed in the wrong direction, mind you, his good leg dangling off the edge and the other curled up protectively just enough to stay on the sheets. And he snored! Elizabeth couldn't stifle her giggles.

"Fibblegasbit!" He shouted out suddenly, sitting straight up like a post before flopping back limply. She full out laughed and not just politely. Elizabeth belly-laughed like she hadn't since she was young, tears budding in her eyes and her stomach aching with the effort. That woke Edward up for sure, albeit slower and groggier than his previous stint. Her daughters grumbled past her, disputing who got the bathroom first. Her son watched her strangely, waiting for her to return to normal. It was strange for him. He had never seen his mother laugh so freely and loudly before but when she snorted, he jumped and giggled a bit himself.

Taking deep breaths (and after a couple tries) she regained enough composure to tell him that he had to go back to school today. 'school? Oh man…' He made a face that was typical of all young adolescents when school was mentioned as it usually went, Elizabeth scolded, "Don't you give me that face, mister. Now hobble into that bathroom and get clean. Be sure to use the rails. He made another face. Edward hated those stupid rails. When his hands got soapy they slipped straight along it. What was the point of safety rails if they turned out to be a safety hazard? But after being admonished, he got up, grabbed a crutch and did as he was told. Edward showed carefully, not wanting to all and hurt himself but half-wishing something would happen so he wouldn't have to go in.

After his shower he took his sweet time getting dressed to the cacophony of his mother making breakfast and separating his sisters. He was belting his pants when he heard a large thump on the roof next to his window followed by quiet cursing. There was frantic scrabbling and a large palm slapped itself down on the window pane. Frozen by terror, Edward slowly backed up, hopping on his good leg until he hit the bed and tumbled down onto the linen. His heart rate sped up along with his breathing and he fumble to get a grasp on his crutch. When Riley's face appeared, however, instead of some crazed murder, Edward breathed a large sigh of relief before glaring, acidic, at his foolish brother. Shaking his head, disgruntled, Riley pushed up the window and pulled himself through it.

"What's a happenin', captain?" Riley said, breathlessly, grinning. He 'oof'-ed when a pair of balled up socks hit his face. "Ok, not in da best o' moods this morning'."

'and I should be when my creep of a brother breaks into my room?'

Edward resumed getting dressed, pulling on a long sleeved jersey before wrestling himself into a polo. He fixed his shoes, stuffing the cushion pads around his messed up one. Grabbing his crutches, he made it about two steps before Riley tackled him. They both staggered but Riley held him tight, apologizing profusely for -and Edward blushed a bit a the thought of what his mother would do to him if he ever said those words- 'being a self-righteous fucktard who thinks more with his cock tan his brain'. 'Yes, Mummy would kill me'. Awkwardly, he pat his elder brother's back but held onto him as fiercely as he could with his other hand.

"Ever realize that this family got way too much drama to be real?" Riley laughed wryly, earning a similar smile from Edward, "We go through so much shit and it all happens so fuckin' fast. No wonder we got whiplash." He shook his head, thumping Edward's back. He didn't buckle as much as he would have. "Ah, nice," Riley appraised, noticing it, "How much do you weigh now?" Edward signed one-hundred-and-fourteen. "How much have you been eating?" Riley was disbelieving. He had never seen Edward gain so much weight in less than a couple months. 'way more than you could ever imagine' Edward grimace slightly at all the food he had consumed but shrugged Riley off. "Alright, fatty get to school. Don't tell mum I'm home or I'll give you a guilt-free wedgie." Nodding furiously, Edward grabbed his *Anarchy messenger bag. It was the coolest part about going to school: his cool beyond cool and awesome bag. His aunt had sent it for Riley but Riley had been going through a 'I'm a man so I don't wear anything with patterns on it' phase. It had been a grace period for Edward. The both of them exited the room together but Riley deviated down the hallway towards his room.

By the time Edward reached the base of the staircase, his sisters had already left for school and his mother was running around like crazy, looking for something. She noticed him after about another few minutes of playing Godzilla and yanked him into the kitchen before promptly throwing down a large breakfast platter in front of him. "Eat." It sure was good entertaining to watch his mother bustle around, putting things together and in that moment, he didn't quite mind having a dysfunctional family if it could've been that much fun.

It was almost half-seven when they left, Edward praying vigorously for the car to run out of gas or even for a second Ice Age, just so he wouldn't have to face those cruel children in Junior High but all too soon they pulled up in front of the ugly grey buildings. There was children everywhere and it only reinforced Edward's loathing fear of the place. Everything stopped when he got out; hopscotch, fighting, jump rope, gossiping, laughing, crying. Everyone stopped and watched him make his way up the walk with small beady eyes holding turpitude. They wanted him. Sweat broke out across his brow under his mane. They wanted him. His arms and legs visibly trembled and it was no fault of weak limbs. They wanted him. His stomach started to clench upsettingly. They wanted him and they had him at their mercy. They were going to maim him for being away for so long. Slowly, after his mother had driven away to his feeble wave, sound began picking up and motion started but it wasn't as before. They were buzzing and staring and plotting. He inched to the door but with each shuffle, they neared him in a great mob. This was promising to be brutal.

Just then, when he thought they were near enough to pounce, the double doors flew inward and out stepped a small but angered figure. She glared at the collective bunch from beneath her tattered baseball cap, pushing up the sleeves of her dress shirt which happened to be male and ten times too large. She adjusted the almost broken belt at her waist before stomping her little safety boots. "Bella?" Edward gasped, partially relieved and mostly surprised.

"Don't you dare mess with him!" she hollered to the seething group who began retreating away from them. She stood, fearless in her makeshift dress, arms and legs spread to block Edward, not even minding that her stood almost a foot above her. He rested a grateful hand on her shoulder and led her, still glaring at them, inside to their home room. Once the door was closed, they surveyed the room. The others present eyes them wearily and Edward wondered if all Junior High Schools were this much of a war zone. Then the strangest of all strange things ever happened; Bella launched herself at him, grabbing him up in a huge hug. He felt her warm palms on the back of his neck and thought of how nice it felt, almost like the way his mother hugged him but still nice. Edward leaned into her and held her oddly to him with a crutch. "Oh my gosh, Edward! It's so nice to have you back!" she gushed then proceeded to tell him 'everything that he missed' and she meant everything, down to what people brought for lunch. Funnily enough, Edward laughed with her and at her extravagant gestures.

Funnily enough, he wasn't a lone soldier anymore and Riley was twice as right. Things did happen fast. His stomach hurt from the whiplash or that could just be his laughter.

AN:- so sorry. But here it is and…

*Anarchy messenger bag:- I saw this bag in the mall, even though it's a knock off cuz it's cheap and loved it so I thought I'd give it to Edward. Exams are done. I'll update weekly. =)