Chapter 1

The was sun sitting in the west over the city, and a red haired man sat on his fourth floor balcony overlooking a small park. He stood up and walked over to the rail and looked out over the park. Evening time was quiet time for him lately. He had mahogany colored hair covered by a red baseball cap that he had worn since he was a small boy. His green eyes carried a haunted look where they had once gleamed with golden lights and sparkled when he looked at the love of his life. He was muscular but not overly so, his green tee shirt fit snugly on his chest.

He sighed to himself as he turned to go back into his apartment. Something about the birds singing in the park and the sunset pulled his attention and he stopped and looked up at the sky and sighed again.

Four long years, I've been here and I'm almost ready to graduate college. Sometimes I wonder if it was really worth the sacrifice. We could have been so happy, or could we have. Maybe it was all a pipe dream. No, never that, the dork made me see a side of me that even I didn't know existed. He made me happy, but I threw it all away, and for what? I wish you were here. There's no happiness, no intimacy, nothing... no one... Keep calm Kevin you know it was in his best interest for you to walk away.

Misty ice blue eyes were burned into his eyes and no matter how much he drank they would never go away. They stared at him from his mirror every morning. His dreams were filled with drowning blue eyes. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked out over the park, but not seeing anything but blue eyes weeping.

He sat his beer down on the table and heard his phone ringing. Just as he stepped to the sliding door to enter his apartment he heard a thud from the wall to his right. Jumping to the side as glass shattered in the door frame and a bullet whizzed past his head missing by mere milometers.

He ducked and rolled into the apartment. "Oh, shit, not again." He gasped as he crawled over the the table where his cell phone was lit up. He looked at his phone and saw a number displayed there and shuddered. That number hadn't come up on his phone in four long years. Why, now ? Just then another bullet slammed into the wall just in front of him.

A text message came thru on his phone. PICK UP THE DAMN PHONE KEVVIE POO!

Just then the phone started buzzing again. "H, H, Hello?"

"Hello, Keviepoo," a voice whispered over the phone. "I'm going to kill you Keviepoo, and there's nothing you can do about it. You're dead meat, it's just a matter of time."

"Can't we talk about this?"

"Hell no, there is nothing to talk about" whispered the voice, "You destroyed something precious to me, so now you must die" and maniacal laughter was heard over the phone. I'll get you my pretty, if its the last thing I do."

The line went dead, He could hear sirens in the distance. Damn, he thought to himself, I'll have to move again, but they keep finding me. No it's too close to graduation to move now. Just then he heard running foot steps coming down the hallway to his door and a voice calling out "Kevin, are you alright?"

Kevin got shakily to his feet and cautiously made his way over to the door. Careful to stay clear of the door to the balcony. He opened the door to see a spiky green haired man panting and leaning against the door frame.

"Kevin are you alright?

"I'm ok Nat, luckily dumb-ass can't shoot too good. But it was close this time."

Kevin could see the police running down the hall, and opened the door to let them all in.

One office looked at Kevin and said, "Not again, Mr. Barr. Someone wants to frighten you badly. What is this like the fourth time in four months?

"Yes, and he called again. Didn't say much just whispered so its hard to tell the voice. He did say he was going to kill me."

With that said Nat asked the officers if he could take Kevin to his apartment up on the 15th floor. They'd be relatively safe there, and the police could find Kevin there if they needed him.

Nat put his arm around Kevin and led him to the elevators, and they went up to Nat's apartment. Just as the reached the door of the penthouse Kevin's phone lit up with another text message. "Until next time Keviepoo"

They both stared at the phone for a few moments, then Nat led him inside and put him on the couch and covered his shaking form with a blanket.

Just then the phone started to buzz, they both looked at it and Kevin went white under his freckles. Nat glanced at the phone and shook. "It can't be, It just can't be him."

Why can't it be him Nat? I wouldn't blame him for the way I treated him four years ago. I realize now that it could have been handled differently, but at the time I felt I had no choice. It was for his own good. They warned me that he was unstable and that for his own safety it was better for me to leave the way I did If I didn't they would lock him in a mental institution and they had the power and means to do so"

'You brick headed bastard, you should have stood your ground!"

"Well Nat, you pretty much tried to kill me when you found me here three years ago.

"Nah, I wouldn't have killed you, beat the shit outta you yeah! But killed you no, I'd make you suffer in the most horrible way I could think of, and still may. However, I feel you have suffered enough for now."

"No, Nat I'll never suffer enough for the pain I put him thru. I knew he wasn't strong emotionally to handle a break up. Dee was so afraid of being deserted by his friends, just like his parents did. I just wish things could have been different, but it was for his own good. I loved my dork and still do with all my heart."

"Well, what you gonna do?

"I really don't know, but in two weeks when I graduate, I'm going back to Peach Creek to make amends anyway I possible can."

Nat started to say something, but something held him back. "Have you talked to anyone from back home? "

"Just my parents, and they keep telling me its for the best for me not to come home. They say I should just stay here and get a new start."

"Maybe you should."

"No Nat, That's where I made the biggest mistake in my life so I have to go back there to make things right, if not for myself, then for him."

Kevin stood on the stage and received his diploma, He now had a degree in Sports Education, but where was the joy in it. He looked out over the audience there was no one but Nat there for him. Of course Nat cheered as if he were ten people. Kevin grinned to see that but still the sadness overwhelmed him. The face he always had wanted so much to see him graduate wasn't there. Tears fell on Kevin's cheek. He never cried in public, but here they were.

After the ceremonies were over he walked towards his apartment when he heard tires screeching around the corner and saw a dilapidated old van lumber around the corner and speed towards him. The engine roared as it came down the street. Kevin ran towards the other side of the street and leaped into an alley way. He dared not look out to see where the van was but could hear it idling in the street.

"Oh, Keviepoo come out, come out wherever you are, I only want to play a little game with you!"

Kevin held his breath and slowly eased his way down the alley, He knew that if he could get to the other end of this alley his apartment building was just across the next street. If only he had stayed with Nat, But Nat had others to congratulate and he had told Nat that he would be careful and make it to the apartment safely.

Just then Kevin heard a noise and looked up and he came face to face with the barrel of a pistol. The gun was pointed directly between his eyes. The gun never wavered, just closed the gap until he could feel its icy maw against his for head. Then he heard the whisper, a cold cruel whisper.

"Ha, I've got you now Keviepoo"

"D, D..." was all Kevin could stutter, his knees going limp.

What's the matter Keviepoo, where's the big strong jock at now?" whispered the voice.

Kevin's knees shook and his legs were growing weak, but he just couldn't go out like that. He stood tall and never moved his head from the barrel of the gun. "Give it your best shot, if you think it will do any good. It won't change the past, to kill me, It won't make things better, nothing can go back and make things better. So go ahead shoot. I'd be better off. I'd be out of my pain and agony. The heartache is too much."

"What, the way you walked away, how do you feel heartache? How do you feel pain you cold hearted bastard."

"You may not think it, but my heart died that day. It was all I could do. I walked away so that you could be safe and come into your birthright."

"You never loved anyone. And I am not Eddward, though I am your worst nightmare."

"I'm going to kill you for what you did to Double Dee. He loved you and you destroyed him. You knew he wasn't strong with emotions. He fell to pieces when you left, He never got over you. Before he could go to university he started drinking to ease the pain. Then he started the drugs and that nearly killed him."

"No one told me"

"No matter, you're going to die tonight so what does it matter, Tho I do need to know why did you do it? I thought you loved Double Dee"

Tears pooled in Kevin's eyes. "I did it for my Double Dork, I wanted what was best for him."

"Ha, Ha, what was best for him was to destroy him?"

"No"

"Why, you cold hearted bastard, why. Double Dee loved you, You know I hated the idea, but Dee loved you, you were his world, you made him smile."

Just then a cell phone chimed, The gun man reached in his pocket and pulled the phone out, "Yes, When?" Stall them till I can get there, whatever you do don't let them pull the plug."

Kevin stared at the gun, and knew that when the phone call was over so was he. Kevin sighed.

The voiced stopped the phone went back into the pocket. The gun backed off. "I have to go Keviepoo, the parents have made the decision to pull the plug on Dee. I have to go to keep them from pulling the plug. They may have given up but I never will."

"P pull the plug?"

"Yes Double Dee has been in a coma for t years, and they've given up, didn't you know?"

Kevin made a sound like a kicked dog, Tears fell from his eyes. His proud frame took on a slouch as if he had aged fifty years.

"Too late for your crocodile tears now Keviepoo, but I have to go, until next time. Then for you it's game over!"

Kevin heard the footsteps running from the ally and the van sped off into the distance. All Kevin could do was lean against the wall and gasp for air. Just then he heard running foot steps come along the alley and there was Nat,

"Kevin are you ok, what are you doing there, I thought you'd be at the apartment, I thought I heard a gunshot."

"No it was just an old van passing and backfired"

Kevin looked at Nat, but it was too dark to see the expression on his face as he turned away and walked towards his apartment.

When he reached his apartment he opened the door and sagged onto his couch staring straight ahead. He looked up when Nat entered the door that Kevin had left open. "Why Nat, Why didn't you tell me Dee was in a coma!"

"Everyone thought it best not to tell you and his parents have forbidden anyone access to go see him."

Kevin just stared at Nat, Nat looked into Kevin's green eyes and saw the saddest look he had ever seen there. Suddenly rage flared up in the eyes Nat stepped back, he had never saw a look like that in anyone's eyes and hoped never to see it again.

Kevin took one step forward and with a roundhouse right clocked Nat right between the eyes. Nat staggered and fell against the wall. He looked at Kevin and saw him lower his fist, he looked at Nat with the saddest expression and fell on his knees crying. Nat slowly moved over to Kevin and placed an arm around him and pulled him in tight. Nat held Kevin in a vise like grip for a long while. He looked over the red cap and his gaze scanned the walls of the apartment. On almost every surface of the walls were pictures of Double Dee, a couple of portraits, a lot of candid shots of Edd smiling and showing the gap in his teeth.

Nat looked on the opposite wall and there were sketches of Double Dee. "Who drew those?" he wondered.

"C'mon Kevin, lets get up my knees are starting to bother me. Let's move to the couch."