Hey guys. Sorry for the late update. My roommate has gotten very sick and her girlfriend and myself have been having to keep an eye on her. Seizures are a scary thing and we're trying to figure out the big question WHY, as far as them happening. Many of these chapters were made possible because of her wonderful ability to make a great sounding board and telling me "Yunnora...No. Just- No.".

And just an observance I've made over the last couple of chapters you guys seem really split on Kevin and Edwin. While surprising I have to admit it makes for great comedic inspiration. You guys are just awesome so thank you for putting up with my slow updating butt.

Enjoy!


Edd sat curled in his seat at the airport terminal, the smell of lemon cleaner assaulting his senses as the shadow of a man he thought he would never see again fell over him like the moon would over a dark horizon. He refused to look Edwin in the face. He was still shocked from the news he received earlier about his mother, still in utter disbelief that all he knew for the last month had suddenly been taken from him; chucked out the window like it was yesterday's garbage. Hell, he was still in shock to having been found. For goodness sake he didn't think it was possible and yet here he was. He now felt silly for thinking otherwise. Edwin was an intelligent man. Of course he'd find a way of discovering Edd's whereabouts.

Edwin had promised him just that in the last email they shared, the older man promising he would find Edd and bring him back home- kicking and screaming if he had to. Edd hadn't taken the threat seriously and made it a point to again speak to the man he once called his. At that point in time he had thought he needed to move on, to do away with the past completely in order to start a new; but there were no exceptions when it came to running from one's past. Edd could run but he couldn't outrun his past forever.

Edd's legs were tucked to his chest, his hands picking nervously at his nails as Edwin took a seat beside him. Their plane tickets were in hand.

"Eddward."

Edwin's voice held that velveteen familiarity to it and Edd hated how relaxed his body became to the sound of it.

"The plane shall be arriving soon. Rest for now."

Edd wanted to say no, to argue back and fight but exhaustion had been slowly creeping up on him, forcing his eye lids down as if they had heavy weights tied to them. He shifted uncomfortably, attempting to turn his back on Edwin but the older man was having none of that. He grabbed Edd carefully and practically drew the smaller boy onto his lap. Edd smacked Edwin's chest with his bare fist but it did little damage. Edwin held on tight, forcing the smaller boy's head to rest on his shoulder and quickly incapacitating him.

"Calm yourself. You need sleep in order to function. You will be jet lagged otherwise."

Edd's hand stilled. Curse him. Edwin was right.

The sound of Edwin's steady heart beat lulled the sockhead into slumber against his will. He remembered how things used to be, how sweetly moments like these were shared between them. He missed those moments terribly. Even now as he drifted slowly, the horrible news of his mother floating off into the distance like a forgotten memory, he felt safe and secure. The only word he could use to describe the feeling of warmth that surrounded him at that moment was home. He felt so at home, so right, in Edwin's embrace. This was how it used to be, so isn't this how it should be? Well nothing is ever quite that easy and Edd knew this. Deep down inside he knew things would never be as simple as they used to be. Not now, not ever.

Edwin cradled Edd close like a mother would a child, caressing the boy's hair from his eyes. It wasn't like Edd at all to leave his hair fluttering about. He must have been very tired to miss that little detail. Edwin tucked the loosened strands back up into the beanie.

He stared down at the tired soul sleeping in arms, overwhelming joy and contentment filling him to the brim. They weren't out of hot water yet but he had Eddward back. That was all that mattered. Soon they would be back in Peach Creek where they belonged and everything would go back to the way it was.

Sort of. They still had to contend with Eddward's mother, the selfish twit, and handle that walking stick of dynamite.

Not even an hour after taking off with Edd did Edwin receive a panicked call from the neighbors. They had found Edd's mother, Bernice, lying unconscious on the front porch of her house. They had rushed her to the hospital and was currently under observation. The leading doctor had run some scans and tests to ascertain any further damage to the idiot woman's body but so far everything seemed in working order. When he grabbed his ticket from the service desk he had cursed up a storm, nearly making the woman at the counter faint from the withering look he shot her.

And it didn't help that Edd was refusing to speak to him.

He didn't bother telling Edd fearing it would only push the boy closer to that catatonic state of shock where even his words wouldn't be able to bring him back. Edwin had to be careful. Eddward was, in retrospect, fragile. His state of mind was clearly hanging in the balance and Edwin would see to it that no further harm would come to him. He would do his damnest not to let even the selfish actions of Edd's own mother deterred him from making a recovery back to the life he knew.

There would be definite words shared with Bernice the moment they got back to Peach Creek.

Edwin didn't feel himself relax until he heard Edd's gentle snoring. He sighed, wrapping his arms around Edd's figure and holding him as close as he possibly could. I've missed you so much. His fingers curled into the dork's shirt, unbeknownst to Edd.

"I'm never letting you leave like that again. Ever."

He caressed his fingers across Edd's little cheek, pressing his lips to Edd's forehead as he murmured in a soft hushed tone.

"This I promise you."

Edd stirred, moaning softly and the sound reverberated through Edwin like the hum of a harm.

"I never should have let you out of my sight." He closed his eyes, memories of their fight flashing back to him. "I could never make up for that. From now on I will protect you and serve you as you rightfully deserve. I will never let another harm you."

Edwin felt the edges of exhaustion hit him as well. He hadn't rested properly in hours, not since Caesar had called him with the startling news of Edd's whereabouts. There were still things to do. As soon as they got home Edwin was determined to get Edd to the hospital where his mother would be waiting. Once he shared some not-so kind words with her and then they could finally go home to their awaiting bed. Edd would of course go with him, even if he had to lock every damn door in the house.

Really, Edwin hadn't slept well since the night Eddward disappeared. Even when he received an email from the sockhead stating he was safe, he hadn't slept a wink of true sleep. Every night was a battle to even close his eyes. It was near impossible to just ease his worries enough to force his body to shut down. This made it hard to function like a normal person but by some miracle he had managed. It was hell though. He had grown too used to sleeping with the sound of Edd's soft snoring to just drift as easily as Bernice could, knowing Edd had just up and split in the middle of the night. That thought had haunted him relentlessly. He struggled with nightmares depicted of his tiny lover dead somewhere in a gutter. In those dreams it frightened him most of all to never be able to reach Edd in time before the light in his eyes was stolen by some unseen assailant wielding a knife, or a gun or whatever unimaginable weapon his mind could conjure.

With him now here, cradled safely in his arms, Edwin knew he could finally rest; but he pushed himself not to fall asleep just yet. He would save that moment for when they got home, where they could lock the world out for the moment and just be.

The speaker above them called out the number for their flight and Edwin was remiss to waken Edd.

The sockhead wasn't easy to rouse but when he did he snapped to attention, wiggling out of Edwin's grasp in an instant.

"Come," Edwin said, slipping his hand quickly into Edd's before he could go far. "Our flight awaits."

Eddward wanted to take his hand back but the warning squeeze he received was enough to make him take pause. Now was not the time nor the place to be making a fuss.

Edwin grabbed his bag and they walked hand in hand to the terminal gate, one more eager than the other to leave this place. They waited for what seemed like forever as the woman took their tickets, smiling that tacky grin all flight attendants do, and wished them a happy flight. Eddward turned on his heels, whipping his head back in desperation. He did not want to go and yet he had to. He knew he had to. But…

Kevin.

His heart sank.

His chest rose and fell as a sob threatened to take over him. He didn't even have a chance to speak with him, not the way he wanted to. There were still a great many things left unsaid between them, things Edd needed Kevin to hear.

His eyes watered, even as a hand came to fall on his shoulder.

"Come. Let us depart from here."

And never come back, were the words that hung unsaid in the air but Edd could hear them as well as he could taste them. They were bitter and stale on his tongue as he tried to swallow them down. There was a glimmer of hope that maybe Kevin would come rushing into stop him like actors do in cheesy romance movies. He felt silly but he stilled hoped against hope that Kevin would be there at the last minute, stopping Edd from taking that fateful step into the hall leading to the inside of the plane. Hoping… hoping…hoping…

Tears fell against his will, down his face, staining the collar of his shirt and dampening the sharp blue hues of his eyes. While in his head he imagined Kevin going after him, planning it all down to the moment they kissed, the truth was that Kevin never showed. He had no intention of ever doing so and Edd's heart broke upon realizing that fact.

Massive engines howled like wolves in the night as their plane took off, departing from John F. Kennedy international airport, scaling over a sea of lights that dressed the city at twilight. So he flew from that place and from the man that hated him, and yet had completely and utterly stolen his heart.


Well there you have it guys. Don't think this is the end. It's really far from it.

Let me know what you love, what you hate, what you suspect. I love hearing it. So-

Ttfn, ta-ta for now!