A Brilliant Ed

"What the hell is lumpy doing?" Eddy muttered, a spoonful of cinnamon crisps hovering inches from their horrific fate.

Double D shrugged and flipped open a notebook, where his parents had left him a sticky note reminding him to turn in his homework for that day. Peeling it off and absently folding it into a neat square, he watched the pink blush invade Ed's face as May laid a hand on his arm, "No idea Eddy. I would posit that he's developed feelings for her. It isn't uncommon at our age."

Eddy let loose a low growl, "With a Kanker!? How could he?!"

Double D rubbed the back of his head, "I wouldn't worry about it too much Eddy. If you look at how well they match-"

"Match smatch. She's a Kanker! I'm going to go talk some sense into him."

Before Double D could say anything to dissuade his friend, Eddy had stomped off towards the table where Ed and May sat. May and Ed, oblivious to anything besides eachother, had stood and were now heading towards the cafeteria doors.

"Oh Dear." Double D muttered. He considered walking after Eddy, but another part of him didn't want Eddy's attention on him; besides, Double D was waiting for someone. The doors to the Cafeteria opened, and who else should it be but May's sisters. They moved over to the table where Double D sat, Lee sitting across from the skinny boy in the black stocking cap, the other sitting in his lap.

Marie gave her man a quick kiss, "Hey there loveboat."

Double D smiled, "Oh captain my captain."

Marie giggled, then looked up with Double D as Lee cleared her throat. She looked marvelous, her normal wild nest of hair tamed to soft copper curls that fell around her face and over her shoulders. A dark green graphic tee brought out her eyes, and Double D could hear her legs shifting with discomfort underneath a denim skirt. She met Double D's dark eyes with her own green ones, "So what's the plan for Eddy?"

"Well…we have a basic timeline, but if my time with those two has taught me anything, it's that you can't really expect anything to go according to plan."

Marie leaned forward and rested her chin in her propped up hands, "We're going to "kidnap" cutie here and the big guy. When Eddy comes to their rescue, you come out of the shadows and do your thing."

Double D frowned when he heard Lee let out a sigh. He wasn't used to seeing the most imposing sister seem so unsure, "What's wrong Lee?"

Lee shrugged, "I've been chasing Eddy around for a long time Edd. Unlike Ed, who only took a piece of buttered toast to kick start the process, Eddy doesn't have some quick trick like that. He hates us, and I don't think I can convince him that I do care. Just because you two can get us in the same room doesn't mean he's going to stay in that room."

Marie leaned forward and patted her sisters hand, "Everything will be fine Lee. You know him almost as well as his friends do, I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Do you think Ed and May will be alright?" Lee asked, casting a glance at the direction where Eddy had walked out to follow the two.

"They'll be fine." Double D said, "Ed will stick up for May if Eddy tries being a jerk."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because, Ed was looking at May the same way he does a cute animal, and he has yet to let Eddy hurt a cute creature."

Lee chuckled a little bit, then tilted her head, "So how did you two end up together anyway? You were always so scared of Marie."

Marie laughed, "Would you believe me if I said bugs?"

Lee's eyes narrowed, "You're pulling my leg."

"No, it's true!" Ed said, a goofy grin plastered across his face, "Actually, it was out in the woods behind the trailer park. I was out on my bi-weekly insect expedition, when I ran into Marie."

"He looked so scared, he couldn't move! Then he noticed that I was wearing rubber gloves and these ridiculous looking boots, and he asked me what in the world I was doing."

"She had noticed me collecting things out in the woods for the longest time, so she decided to help me. Every few weeks I'd go out and find some of the most exquisite specimens in glass jars. This time, I had caught her in the act."

Marie giggled, "So, before he could lose his nerve, I put a really pretty beetle I had found in his hand, and he had that exact same grin on his face when he saw what it was."

"It was a Japanese beetle, they're really rare around these parts. It was the jewel that I'd been looking for, and here was this girl that normally set off my flight reflex giving it to me!"

She leaned back and he wrapped his arms around her waist, "We talked for a little bit, and it turned out that even though we don't have a ton in common, we still thought alike, and we enjoyed each other's company. We've been going out ever since."

Lee smiled an exceptionally rare one that didn't contain a trace of malice, "You're lucky Marie, and I think you just gave me the perfect idea to get Eddy's attention."

She stood up and left out the cafeteria doors, leaving Double D and Marie behind to wonder what her brilliant plan would be.