TITLE: Up And Down And Back Again(2/6)

AUTHOR: Bellerophon

EMAIL: bellerophon_666@hotmail.com

CATEGORY: WWE

RATING: PG

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 at fanfiction.net

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 sure where I am right now. Anyways, here's my fictional history of Edge and Christian.

In all the hidden pleasures you find

In what you're looking for

I hope that you remember that pride

Comes before a fall

Christian stormed out of the house and down the pavement. He figured he'd be able to stay at one of his friends houses. They'd all been in the same boat at one stage or another. Him coming through through a window at three in the morning wouldn't surprise any of them.

A quick search of his pockets revealed a bag of pot, some papers and a lighter. Christian deftly pulled them out, sat down in the gutter and began rolling some joints up. He lit one up and took a deep pull and thrust the rest in his pocket. That was the shit.

He walked along the road slowly as he smoked. It was nice having a night time walk, the moon lighting up the road eerily. Of course, he couldn't see any stars, their light was blotted out by the lights of the city. But it was a good opportunity for contemplation, walking along with good pot and no one to bother him.

His friggin' mother. God, that bitch would never ever treat him like Edge. He would never be good enough. And his Mom just couldn't understand why he got so angry sometimes, why he got so moody. And it wasn't like she cared, either. He wasn't Edge. Why should she care?

Of course he wasn't as good as Edge. Edge was the perfect son, always working hard at being a respectable member of the community. Of course Mom liked Edge more. Edge was popular with the sort of people who thought vandalism was stupid, who thought drugs were pointless, who passed tests and did charity work. Edge was friends with the people that everyone liked. Edge was the person everyone liked.

And then there was him, Christian. Unpopular, unfriendly, unhappy. People didn't think he was as smart as Edge. But he was as smart as Edge, if not smarter. He just didn't care about school tests. That didn't matter to anyone else though. To Edge, his mom, to all the popular people at school, if you didn't participate, if you didn't work hard, if you didn't run with the good crowds then you were no one. Didn't matter how fucking smart you were if you weren't wearing the right clothes or didn't act the right way.

Christian took a drag and held it before blowing the smoke into the cold night air. Acting like he did, being friends with the people who was friends with, it had its own set of rules. You did whatever the fuck you wanted to as long as it was destructive and hostile. That suited Christian. Suited the way he felt most of the time.

Plus, his friends didn't expect anything from him. Didn't expect good friendship that was deep and meaningful and all that crap. They all had their own problems and didn't expect help from anyone else. In reality, they were a group of loners who had banded together. They hung out together and laughed and clowned around. But Christian didn't expect any lifelong 'Stand By Me' friendships from these people.

That was alright though. Christian preferred things that way. Just meant it was easier for him to walk away from them when he needed to. Life was a lot less complicated that way.

********

Laughing, Christian fell through the broken window to the floor below. His friends landed with a thump on top of him. Pushing each other, they stood up and looked around. The school hallways were dark and unlit. But they could see enough to know where they were. And where they were going.

Christian followed his friends down the hallways to the school office. This little nighttime excursion had been his idea, a way of striking back at the authorities who hated him the only way he knew that he could.

It had been three days since he'd been home.

Christian shook the spray paint can and looked around for a target. He could hear his friends down the corridor laughing as they smashed something. He glanced up and grinned. Perfect. A full sized head shot of Edge stared down at him. It was up in the honour hall of the school because of some award Edge had won. Mr School Spirit.

Christian sneered and held up the paint can and pressed down. Soon there was just a black mess where Edge's face had been. Christian ignored the urge to tear the photo down and stomp all over it, instead he spray painted all along the hallway.

He came to the headmaster's office where his friends were tearing up papers and breaking things. He dropped the paint can and sat in the leather chair in the middle of the room. Closing his eyes, he listened to the maelstrom of noise around him. Until one of his friends called out to him.

"Hey, Christian! What's this thing in the corner?"

He opened his eyes and and looked to where his friend was indicating. Christian frowned as he eyed the piece of red blinking equipment in the corner of the room. That little light had been green when they broke in. He looked accusatively at his friends who had surrounded him. "Who set off the alarm?"

It was then that Christian and his friends heard the distinctive siren of a police car.

**********

Christian sighed when he saw Edge's face. His older brother looked a touch pissed off. Of course, Christian was slouched in the doorway surrounded by two policemen with his hands handcuffed behind him.

"What have you done this time?" Christian frowned at the resigned tone of Edge's voice. It sounded like he just expected that Christian would so something like this. "Where have you been? What have you been doing all this time?"

"That's what I would like to know." A slurred voice came from inside the house.

Edge wiped a hand down his face and gave Christian a look. The policewomen at one side entered the house and into the living room were their mother's voice came from. Police were pushy in this city.

"We caught your brother after he broke onto school grounds and defaced school property." The policeman roughly turned Christian around and began uncuffing him. "We had to handcuff him for resisting arrest. If we chose to, we could also press charges for assaulting several officers.

"Really." Edge gave Christian a look. "Well, thanks for bringing him home."

Another loud cry sounded out from inside their house. The policeman raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to go check on your mother?"

"Not really." Christian muttered but Edge reached out and pulled him inside. All three entered the living room and had differing reactions to the sight before them. The policeman rolled his eyes, having seen it meny times before. Edge sighed and sat down heavily, obviously very tired. Christian burst into laughter.

Wendy was lying fully stretched on their couch, a bottle on the floor next to her. She was gesturing wildly and drunkenly, not realising that she was knocking ash all over herself from the cigerette in her hand.

"Edge is such a good boy, I just don't understand how Christian went so wrong." She was being comforted by the policewoman who had also dragged Christian home.

Christian stared at his weeping mother incredulously. "Is she drunk?" He looked back at Edge with malicious laughter in his eyes. "It's like eight in the morning."

"Yeah, I know." Edge looked like shit, now that Christian was looking. "She's been a bit crazy the last few days."

"And people say that I'm the bad influence on you." Christian shook his head and made a 'tsk' noise. "Maybe I should get the welfare people back again."

Edge frowned at Christian. "This isn't a joke, Christian. Look what you've done this time."

"I know," Christian fake pouted. "I made Mom cry. I vandalised school property, more specifically, your butt ugly face. I got arrested. I'll probably be expelled." Laughing, he pointed at their mom. "I turned Mom into an alcoholic."

Edge scowled at Christian. "Do you give a fuck at all about your life?"

"Uh..." The policeman cleared his throat. "Before you start your family discussion, I'd just like to inform you of the consequences of your actions."

Christian smirked. "Inform away, my good man."

Eyeing Christian in disdain, the policeman pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and began reading. "We've talked to the school authorities, Christian. They've agreed not to press charges, however you have been expelled and been banned from being within a hundred feet of school grounds. Should you come within school grounds, the school will be reconsidering pressing charges." The policeman finished reading and looked up. "Do you understand?"

Christian rolled his eyes and muttered sarcastically. "No, I don't understand. I've only been speaking English since I was two."

"He understands." Edge cut in. "Thanks for your help."

"You've gotten off lightly, young man. Don't make the mistake of thinking you'll get away with this sort of behaviour again."

"He won't." Edge smiled politely and stood up, indicating for the policeman to leave.

Christian frowned and felt the familiar anger rise at his brother. Edge was always doing that, always being responsible and making him look stupid. He glared at the police officers as they stood and left before turning back to Edge.

"Now you're even sucking up to pigs." He sneered nastily. "Fuck, Edge, is there anyone who doesn't like you?"

"Apparently there's one person." Edge muttered before walking away up the stairs. He only got halfway up before he heard Wendy start talking angrily. Pausing, he looked back and saw her stumble towards Christian.

"Hey, the drunk can still walk." Christian sniggered.

"You little upstart brat. How dare you treat me like this?" Wendy slurred.

"Well, it's actually really easy when you act like a washed up, drunken, whore." Christian spat out. He heard Edge's intake of breath and knew before she began speaking, that his mother would not like being called those names. But he didn't think she would be as angry as she was.

"Get out," she whispered.

Christian frowned. "Fine. Let me grab my wallet at least."

Wendy shook her head and gestured to the door in drunken anger. "I want you out of my house for good. Pack your bags and get out!"

"...but..." Christian couldn't believe she was actually kicking him out. She wasn't allowed to do that, even if she was pissed as a newt. She was his mother, she was supposed to take care of him. But then again, mothers were supposed to love their children no matter what and she had shown no indication of ever loving him.

"Mom, don't..." Edge trailed off when their mom began yelling again.

"You're no good! You'll destroy Edge just like you destroyed yourself, you bastard!" Wendy kept stepping closer to Christian who was frozen in wide eyed shock. "You're a deadbeat! You're an idiotic fool! You're nothing to me, you hear?! Nothing!"

Christian swallowed back the lump in his throat. He found his voice and began speaking, trying to ignore the cracks in his voice. "Figures, *Mom*. It's always easier to throw someone out than deal with the problem. That's why Dad left, isn't it? Except he didn't want to leave. You made him leave! You drove him away!"

"Don't talk to me about your father. That man was the worst mistake I ever made."

"Dad was a better person than you'll ever be. He's lucky he got out when he did," Christian laughed bitterly. "Maybe I wouldn't be so screwed up if it wasn't for you, Mom. Did you ever think of that?"

His bitter voice was silenced when his mother slapped him sharply, making his head turn hard and leave his cheek stinging.

"I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses! Get your things and leave!"

Christian touched his cheek where Wendy slapped him. She'd never *ever* hit him before. Struggling to hold back the tears, he gave a humourless smile. "I don't want anything from this house." Then he turned and walked out, stopping only to grab his jacket, before closing the door behind him.

Pausing for a moment, Christian heard his mom break down into sobs. Wiping his eyes, he refused to cry at all for her. She wasn't worth it anymore. He took off from the balcony at a dead run.

He was going to find his dad and be part of a family that actually cared about him.

********