TITLE: Up And Down And Back Again (1/6)

AUTHOR: Bellerophon

EMAIL: bellerophon_666@hotmail.com

DISCLAIMER: I don't own them. Please don't sue me. Song lyrics (Up And Down And Back Again) are by Powderfinger.

DISTRIBUTION: If anyone wants it, just let me know. It can be found on fanfiction.net.

RATING: PG

SUMMARY: Edge and Christian's childhood. Kind of.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't know where Edge and Christian are supposed to have come from. I guessed Toronto. That's one of the few places I know of in Canada. I lost my atlas at school three months ago. I'm not even sure where I am right now. Anyways, here's my fictional history of Edge and Christian.

You drift away so slow

In the ebb and flow

So I landed on my feet

The steadiness is bittersweet

It feels the same when you're pushed

Out and away and into the crush

~7 years later, 1992~

"And pens down. Time is up, please pass your papers to the front."

Edge yawned and rubbed his eyes. That test had been harder than he expected. And maybe studying so late hadn't been a good idea, but he really wanted to ace chemistry. He passed up his paper and gathered his things together. A bell rang, indicating the end of the period.

Leaving the classroom, Edge was joined by a fellow student, Sarah. She was one of the cheerleaders and was also very, very cute. Edge had been trying to find the right way to ask her to be his date to the school dance for quite a while now.

"Hey, Edge. How hard was that test?" She flipped her hair over her shoulder and giggled. "What am I saying? You'll definitely ace it."

Edge ducked his head and grinned. "I don't know..."

"You so will. You're so smart," Sarah smiled up at him. "And don't forget you have football training this afternoon. I, uh, the cheerleaders were all coming to watch."

"Sure thing. I wouldn't forget." Edge cleared his throat, "So I was thinking that maybe we could, you know, go to..."

"Isn't that your brother?" Sarah interrupted Edge and gestured with disdain past him.

Edge looked over his shoulder and frowned when he saw Christian being led from one of the other science labs by a teacher. "Yeah," Edge sighed. It appeared that Christian was in trouble. Again.

Christian was being yelled at by one of the science teachers, Mr Bryson. And it didn't look like he appreciated it. Mr Bryson was gesturing wildly and Christian gave him a wild gesture in return before stomping off, ignoring the yelling teacher he left behind. Edge felt a bit bad, but he really hoped Christian didn't see him and come over.

Unfortunately, Christian spotted him straight away and was heading right for him. Edge could practically feel the disgust radiating off Sarah. Well, this would be an interesting situation. Christian hated Edge's friends and Edge's friends hated Christian. Both parties were spectacularly blunt about it too.

"Oh my god, he's coming over here." Sarah frowned. "I don't know how you can possibly be related to that waste of space."

"Well, if it isn't Mr School Spirit and one of his groupies." Christian came over and stood before them. "Dude, I need to talk to you." He eyed Sarah and rolled his eyes. "Alone."

"We were actually in the middle of a conversation." Sarah crossed her arms. "Why don't you take a number. Better yet, take a suicide pill."

Christian sneered at the cheerleader. "Don't you have a lobotomy to attend?"

Sarah narrowed her eyes at Christian and wrinkled her nose. "Whatever."

When Christian sniggered at the airhead response, Sarah's face soured even more. "Look, Edge, I have elsewhere to be. Why don't you give me a call when this loser isn't around." Then she looked Christian up and down haughtily before flouncing off.

Christian stared after her, contempt evident on his face. "Congratulations, Edge, you've reached an all time low. You're now being chased by some one with the IQ of a goldfish."

"I was about to ask that goldfish to be my date to the school dance."

That made Christian smirk and shake his head. "Allt time low, Edge. All time low."

Edge sighed "Don't talk to me about all time lows. I saw you being escorted from your class, again. What did you do this time?"

"I kinda set one of the desks on fire." Christian saw the look on Edge's face and hurriedly continued. "I didn't even mean to. It was a total accident. All I did was spill some stuff on the desk and on some books. Not my fault if the bunsen burner fell over and set the whole fucking mess alight."

"I bet Mr Bryson didn't see things that way."

"Not exactly, no." Christian scratched his cheek and rushed through his next statement quietly. "I got suspended."

"Again!?" Edge was cut off as a crowd of students walked past. He struggled to stay with Christian. "What are you going to tell Mom this time?" Christian didn't answer. "You are going to tell Mom. Right?"

Christian just shrugged and walked past him.

"Where are you going, Christian?" Edge shouldered through the crowd.

"This guy Jeep knows can get me a ride to the Wailing Axe concert tonight," Christian shouted over his shoulder. Edge pushed against the swarming students to follow his brother out of the building.

"Have you asked Mom?"

Christian reached the parking lot and spun around. "Give me a break. Do I ever tell her what I'm doing?" He gave Edge a cheeky grin. "Plus, after the whole bomb scare incident, I don't think she's too willing to let me do anything. I'm supposed to be grounded, remember?"

"I keep forgetting, considering you're never actually at home being grounded." Edge frowned. "So what am I supposed to tell Mom when you don't come home until three in the morning?"

"Just tell her I've turned over a new leaf and I'm studying for a test at some preppy girl's house. Hey, just pretend I'm you for a night." Christian hauled on his ripped jacket, ran a hand through his unkempt hair and began walking over to a car that had just sped into the student parking lot.

Edge was going to chase after his younger brother but felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see a group of his friends behind him.

"Forget about him, Edge. Your brother is a total wipeout." One of his friends sneered at Christian's back. Edge nodded reluctantly. There was no point arguing with his friends about Christian. Christian and his friends thought Edge's friends were morons. Christian showed his dislike by vandalising their cars, their lockers, their football gear, their school books, hell, even their football field. That sort of thing didn't make for an amicable relationship between the two groups.

"Hey Edge!"

Edge looked up to see his brother hanging out the window of the derelict car.

"If Mom asks, I'm at a jock party puking my guts out and doing a cheerleader. I'm sure that'll make her happy! And could you not mention the suspension thing?"

Various sounds of derision came from the people around him as Christian pulled back into the car as it peeled out of the parking lot. Edge just turned around and began walking back into the school building.

"Man, I don't how you two are related." One of the guys on the team fell in step beside him. "Must be a pain in the ass having him around."

Edge ignored the comments about Christian. "Do we have Math next? Or is it Physics?" He let his problems with Christian drift from his mind and returned to his school of thought which normally involved school work, sports and girls. It was much easier to think about those things.

********

Edge was jolted awake by a loud noise, the piece of paper he was lying face down on sticking to his cheek. He stretched uncomfortably and checked his watch. Man, it was twenty past two in the morning. Edge rubbed his back and decided that next time he wouldn't fall asleep while studying.

He frowned when he heard noises coming from downstairs. It was Christian, probably coming home from his concert or wherever he'd been. Edge was glad, not for the first time, that he and Christian had had separate rooms for years now. Christian coming home at any hour of night, loud and noisy, occasionally bleeding and bruised, was the last thing he needed in his bedroom.

And there it was. The yelling was starting as their mom confronted Christian about his late night. Edge hoped it wouldn't get too raucous tonight. The last time Christian and Wendy had a big blow out, the neighbours had called the Family Welfare people.

It had amused Christian to no end to think that the welfare people thought it was a threat to take him away from their mom. He'd laughed in their faces and said she'd probably pay them to take him away. Of course, Wendy had done the about face and pretended she was the perfect mother and Christian was just a teenager making a fuss out of nothing. Yeah, right.

Edge sighed and stood out of his chair. There was no way he was going to get any sleep while his brother and mother were fighting. He quietly left his room and sat on a familiar spot on the stairs. He'd spent many a night watching fights from this spot. He couldn't be seen from downstairs but he could see almost everything happening.

Right now he saw Christian standing in a pose of defiance before his mother, jacket pulled off and lying on the floor. Wendy was the picture of parental anger, hands on her hips, staring accusitively at Christian.

"I told you, it's none of your business where I was and like you care anyway." Christian spat out.

"Well, I'm your mother, like it or not, and that makes it my business. Where were you?"

"Fine, you want to know? I went to a concert, got into a fight, beat the guy up, smoked some weed and came home. Oh and before you find out another way, I got suspended for three weeks at school today." Christian crossed his arms, smirking and Edge could almost feel the pleasure Christian got at telling his mother all that.

Wendy just sputtered in outrage for a while before she gathered her wits about her. "That's it, young man. You're grounded."

Edge snorted. Their mother really needed to look outside the conventional when it came to punishing Christian. Being grounded hadn't held him back so far.

"I'm already grounded, Mom." Christian raised an eyebrow. "For an indefinite amount of time, remember? So you'll need to think of another way to pretend you have some authority over me."

"You obnoxious, selfish brat! How dare you talk to me like that!? I am your mother and I deserve to be treated with respect!" Wendy was absolutely fuming. "Why can't you be more like your brother? Edge never treats me this way."

"That might be because he's a pussy mother's boy." Christian added helpfully. Edge glared at him, even though Christian couldn't see it. That was uncalled for.

"At least Edge is well mannered and popular. I've never met a group more rude, disrespectful or distasteful than those you hang around with." Their mother laughed humourlessly. "I suppose that would make it suitable for you to be friends with them. I realise no self respecting people would want to be friends with you."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Wendy. I'll immediately become your dream child. I'll join the football team, just like Edge. I'll become a book munching, preppy jock who plays the part of the perfect son. I'll turn into a useful member of society, respectable and something you can be proud of." Edge swallowed at the sight of Christian then. For a moment he looked immeasurably desolate. "Don't you get it? I gave up trying to please you years ago. I'll never be good enough anyway."

From his hidden seat, Edge frowned. That wasn't true. He knew deep inside that Christian still held out in some ways for approval from their mother. He still wanted it. He'd just become adept at hiding what he thought was a hopeless cause.

Wendy sneered at Christian, finally striking back one way she knew would be effective. "You'll never amount to anything. You're worthless and useless just like everyone says you are. Edge is twice the person you'll ever be. You've followed in your father's footsteps there."

Christian stared coldly at his mother. "You're a bitch. No wonder Dad left you for someone else. I'd do the same thing if I could."

"Your beloved daddy left you too, Christian. Tell me, has he called you recently? Have you seen him lately? Guess you're not good enough for him either."

Christian flinched at that. Edge watched as his younger brother gathered his bravado and pulled his heavy, oversized jacket back on. "Forget this. I'm outta here." Christian began walking to the fron door.

"Where do you think you're going? Turn your ass around right now, Christian!" Wendy shrieked and stomped her foot. "Don't even think about opening that door!"

Christian responded by opening the door, walking through it and slamming it behind him. Edge hung his head and stood up, walking slowly back to his bedroom. Once he was inside, he slipped his earphones back on and crawled into bed.

He couldn't help but feel sorry for his mom. She obviously had no idea of how to deal with Christian, his temper, his attitude, his moods and his anger towards her. She never really did.

And it seemed that problem was going to blow up in all of their faces soon.

Christian didn't come home for three days. And he was brought home kicking and screaming by the police.

******************