Author's Note: Dr Shara belongs Auntie Shara

On Monday, Eddward came back to school. His teachers were glad to see him back, but his friends knew that the only reason why he'd be at school was only because they were at school. It was hard to go back to the old grind when his new normal was anything but normal. At Sophia's insistence, they'd start family and individual counseling on Thursday. Eddward respected therapy, but didn't think there was anything in it for him. Talking about his feelings about the tragedies of his life wasn't something he did. He just dealt with it. But for Sophia's sake, he'd go. In the meantime, he would continue to do what he did best, study and hang out with the only people who'd ever let him be himself; his friends.

"Hey, there."

Kevin jumped slightly at the voice coming from the other side of his open locker door.

"'Sup, Edd."

"The sky?"

"You're an obnoxious little shit, you know that?," Kevin said as he closed his locker door and came eye to eye with his cross street neighbor and friend.

Eddward just smiled at him.

"You like it, Daddy," he whispered.

And Kevin went red.

"Seriously, Rockwell!?," he hissed at him as the warning bell rang and the student body clamored to get to class. "We're at school."

Eddward cocked a brow at him as he fell into step with Kevin and they made their way to their shared history class.

"I suppose I could temper my affections for you so as not to muddy your pristine reputation in this establishment," Eddward mused lightly as they turned the corner that led to the history and language arts wing of the school.

"Thank you," Kevin said with a sigh of relief not caring of Eddward was merely being sarcastic. He just wanted him to stop calling him Daddy.

In public, anyways.

"But how would great Kevin Barr know if his broken friend needs help?"

Kevin rolled his eyes as he turned on him.

"Stop it, Edd. You're not broken. You've just dealt with some shit. That's it."

Eddward looked into concerned but hopeful green eyes.

"Oh, alright," he sighed as he walked around Kevin and headed to class.

On Thursday, Eddward went to therapy. And his therapist spent most of the session looking at him in shock. He cheated death, spent his early and very formative years in a strict and very religious household, spent his childhood in a near sickening cycle of bullying and being protected by his neighbors and best friend, only to finally step out of it and into a new sense of self when they all faced an even bigger bully. But in the afterglow of coming into his own with his friends and neighbors, he lost so much. The love and respect of the woman who raised him, his father, his best friend. And now, now he had to deal with losing his home and only because his family was more concerned about what they wanted than what he needed. Oh, and he had to testify for and stand with one of his friends as she sought justice for herself.

"Who's on your support team, Eddward?," Dr Shara asked.

"What do you mean?"

"It's nice to have your friends to lean on, but who exactly can you truly depend on? You're going to need support, too. Grief is never a linear process and even though your move from your grandmother's to your current home was pleasant enough, you still haven't quite gotten over it. Also, the lost of Eddy's friendship. These are two things that, unlike the death of your father, are losses that you have to live with because the people involved are still alive. Grief over your father's death is something you cope with. In time the pain will be a dull ache. Your memories pleasant for the most part. I dare so, though, that if you ever become a parent, you'll have to grieve his loss again, but we can figure out a way for it to be bittersweet instead of bitter. But for now, let's focus on who's in your corner, since you're in everyone else's."

"Well, Marie and Ed for sure."

"Your girlfriend and other best friend, correct?"

"Yes. And my mother. Well, my stepmother."

Dr Shara nodded and took a few notes. As Eddward mulled over who else he had come to depend on in the last couple of years since Eddy walked out of his life, he caught sight of the decorations in the room. Dr Shara counseled children as young as five and adults well into their golden years. So his motif was light and cheery and since it was fall and Halloween was tomorrow, there was the typical kiddie Halloween decorations in the corner were the toys were kept, and the candy dishes in the room were filled to overflowing. But what really caught Eddward's eye, was the pile of mini pumpkins on the corner of Dr Shara's desk. They were all decorated with silly faces versus the usual scary ones that people drew or carved into the vegetable of the season. But one had green eyes made with a glitter pen. The way the eyes sparkled in the low afternoon soon and the goofy smirk the pumpkin reminded him of Kevin.

"Pumpkin," he said absentmindedly

"Excuse me?," Dr Shara asked as he twirled his pen around between his fingers.

And Eddward grinned.

"I have my Pumpkin."

"Who is this Pumpkin?"

"He's a friend."

"A friend?"

"A friend."

The way Eddward was answering his questions let Dr Shara know that there was more to this Pumpkin than Eddward was letting on. And as the boy finally relaxed and leaned back into the couch he was sitting on let the psychologist know that Eddward was going to give these sessions the chance he needed to sort things out. And hopefully Pumpkin would be as down to earth and grounded as the gourd they were named for. It was Eddward needed to get through all the high strung and high tensions in his life.

A girlfriend and best friend were fine, but Dr Shara knew that what Eddward needed was someone who was there just for him. And the way the raven was staring at the pile of pumpkins on his death, he knew that Pumpkin would do just that.

On Friday, the school was all a twitter with excitement because of the holiday and a game against Peach City. But because it was a home game, all the teams had to wear their school gear to drum up hype and support the football team.

But the shock of the day was the fact that Eddward wasn't wearing his beanie. Marie had found him a headband with a shark fin on it and it just fit better without the beanie. But his usual cold disposition towards his classmates was in place so no one made any mention of the scar on his head.

When Kevin saw him at lunch he laughed as he said, "Hey, Sharkie."

"Hello, Pumpkin."

"What!?"

Eddward just grinned as Kevin looked himself over. He was wearing his jersey and letterman jacket. Nothing that would make anyone think he looked like a pumpkin.

Or so he thought.

"'Sup, Carrot Top," Marie snickered as she walked past him to sit next to Eddward and ruffled his head as she went by.

He readjusted his green beanie, fixed his bangs and rolled his eyes at her.

"Nothing. What's up with you, Elvira?"

"Shit," the girl shrugged as she popped the straw into her juice box.

Eddward looked his girlfriend over. Her makeup was darker, but there was nothing all that different about her. She had on a Dead Puppies tshirt, ripped skinny jeans, blue Converse and Eddward's leather jacket. The outfit was typical, but as rumors about her being a witch flew, and the occasional push up bra would turn her chest into something out of a Victoria's Secret catalog, Kevin's nickname for her kinda just stuck. But only Kevin could call her that. But then again, she was the only one who wasn't dealt with when it came to calling him Carrot Top so Eddward figured it was only fair that she would be The Mistress of the Dark.

Lunch went as it always did but Ed noticed the banter between the QB and the swimmer. It was snarky as usual, but somewhat flirtatious. And he noticed Marie wasn't raving at Kevin to stop flirting with her boyfriend.

"You cool, Marie?," he asked her as they ditched the two athletes for their shared algebra class and headed to their own computer class.

"Yeah, why?"

"Kevin."

"Heh. Well, Edd's just humoring him. Red needs to get laid and soon, though. He can't have my boyfriend."

"That's my girl!"

"I could never be your woman, Ed."

"Heh. No one can."