(And here’s the beginning of the epilogues… My actual comments are at the bottom, please read this chapter with an open mind: All of this I had planned to some degree begore posting the last chapter.

As always, I don’t own Ed, Edd, and Eddy… Though don’t so many people wish they did?)

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The Secret of Edd- Epilogue 1

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They headed over to the gate, struggling to all stay together… The sight amused him in some dark way, and he couldn't help chuckling in a slightly hysterical fashion. "And up Eddy's going to go, huh? Let's see if I'm psychic… Oh, wait… I already am, aren't I…? I had this dream before, right? I…" He shook his head, and floated down to where Eddy was watching Ed and his dream-self. "Eddy, hold on to Ed, not the railing! Or you're just gonna go up there!"

*********

"Double D, wake up! Double D!"

Edd became aware of Ed's voice, and the fact that he was being shaken. //Is Eddy there too, maybe? In my bedroom… Maybe it was all a dream…?//

He had a strange sensation as Jonny and Kevin seemed to talk to him, but he wasn't hearing them with his ears. //No, that's not possible… So just… Go away…//

"Double D!" Ed repeated, beginning to sound annoyed. Then again, how often did Ed ever sound annoyed…? Not too often, if Edd's memory was correct.

"Double D, wake up…" That voice was Marie's… Marie's..! And Ed wasn't yelling about Kanker Sisters being 'bad for Ed', which meant…

"It… wasn't a dream…?" Edd whispered, slowly opening his eyes.

Ed, Marie, and Sarah's faces were right before him, lit up enough for him to see expressions… Beyond their heads he saw treetops and a lightening sky. The three of them glanced at each other sadly, and Marie shook her head.

"No… it wasn't, Double D…"

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to keep his nose from running, or eyes from watering. "What…" Edd shook his head, then sat up, opening his eyes again. "What time is it…?"

"Uh…" Ed looked around.

"'Bout… Eight-fifteen." A voice almost identical to Edd's own commented to the right. Edd glanced over, and saw Trip wave the giant watch at him. "This fell outta your pocket…"

"Right…" Edd blinked a few times, then licked his lips. He noticed Kevin and Jonny off to the side, glaring at him. "What…?"

"Oh, that…" Ed sat down in front of him, scratching his head. "Kevin, it wasn't a big deal for, he didn't need to sleep, but Jonny…" Edd looked puzzled. "Uh… Apparently you were thinking at them in your sleep, the whole time… You were having that… that dream…?"

Edd looked down and nodded, then sighed. "I… I see." //I'm… I'm sorry, you guys… You couldn't wake me, to end the dream?//

Kevin rolled his eyes, sitting back in the shade. "Jonny was asleep himself, so he just sat there hearing you scream the whole night… And I tried to get you up a few times, but got bored after the fifth try, or something… Apparently I was better at putting people to sleep than waking them, huh?"

"Okay…" Edd sighed again, then slowly stood up. "Okay." He glanced around the group, to see Edward, Maria, Lee, Rolf, and Edwardo were working on opening and handing out cans of… peaches. "After we eat… Do we head back, and… Try to explain to our parents what's happened…?"

"Like they'll believe us…" Sarah complained, popping a peach slice in her mouth. She swallowed, then met Edd's gaze. "What've we got to prove it to them…? The government guys will probably just come and lock us up out in Area Fifty-One or something…"

"Yeah, think about it, Double D." Jimmy remarked as he accepted a can from Lee.

Edd nodded, and went over to take one himself. "So… Let me think. That would certainly be the case… If the government were to find out." He nibbled on one of the peaches, thinking.

"How would you avoid that…?" Jonny asked. "With your dad…"

//So we bring this to my mother, instead…// Edd replied as he chewed.

Jonny and Kevin's eyes widened, and Kevin nodded. "Yeah, that'd work, I think… Didn't she want to tell you anyway?" He got a few confused glances from the group, and he explained, "We talk to his mom, not his dad."

"Hey, uh… Sarah…" Edward sounded a little awkward, and everyone looked over at him. "You said, before, how you guys would prove that… Right?" She nodded at him. "How 'bout we come with y’all?"

"What…?" Ed blinked. "Don't you guys… Want to go home, though?"

Edward glanced at Maria, then Trip and Edwardo. "It's not a big deal for me or Marie-'Maria', I mean, we do this kind of thing all the time… Vanishing for a couple days? My parents won't think much of it."

Marie looked over at Edd, then at Edward. "Really…? I had the feeling Double D's parents would be a little more protective than that…"

"They are… But, I suppose after six years of that…" Edd and Edward met each other's eyes. "They got used to it, huh?" Edward nodded, then they looked at the other doubles.

Edwardo looked thoughtful. "Actually, it would probably be a good idea if at least of us went back… But neither of us will. Boy, but are your parents going to think the worst… Heh heh…" He began snickering as Trip looked heaven-ward and muttered something under his breath.

"Why would it be good for just one of you to go back? To explain where the other is…?" Nazz wondered, and felt only more confused when Trip reddened and Edwardo laughed louder. "What?"

"Well… Heh. My parents tend to get… worried… Whenever Ed and I are… alone…" Trip was nearly glowing red, and he glared at Edwardo, who still laughed. "You see… They think that Ed and I are, uh… together…"

Almost every kid there gave Trip, then Edwardo, then Trip again open-mouthed stared. "What?!? How-How the heck did they get an idea like that?!? Because there's only the two… Of you…?" Edd trailed off as he realized that the same was now true for him, then frowned as Trip looked away, his whole body beginning to turn red.

"No… They got that idea because… We told them that." Edwardo said, leaning his elbow against his knee, then resting his head against that. "And before you ask, we told them that because we are."

A clamor of exclamations and questions rose up, while Ed and Edd only looked at each other for a long, slow minute. "Ed…" Edd remarked after another glance at the two doubles, "Forgive me, but I don't think I'll be able to look at you the same way again… Together?!? As a couple!?!" He asked Trip, who only moaned, and buried his head under the hat. "My… Goodness…"

"We-elll…" Edward said slowly, after a good look at Maria. "That is, with out doubt, weird. I'd say a little more, but with this new… Discovery… Yeah." He blinked once or twice; looking about as bemused as Edd, then cleared his throat. "ANYway, now we know they can come too. So…"

"Yeah. Let's… Let's go." Edd was shaking his head as well, giving Edwardo another glance; the boy grinned and twiddled his fingers in a bizarre wave. Edd groaned. "Let's just go, now."

*******

After that, the group went about picking stuff up, and deciding on a direction to walk in… After all, they weren't in the Gate clearing, they couldn't even be certain they were in the right forest… But Edd and Marie, ad the otherworldly werewolves all had a feeling that they were.

Ed and Edd very carefully avoided physical contact for the next while, and were both careful to stand near their girlfriends while walking; Edwardo kept laughing about the whole thing, and Trip eventually turned a normal skin color again.

It was about when his skin actually lost the red tint that Lee stopped walking, staring. "Hey…" The rest paused, circling around to see what her concern was. She focused on Trip, then Kevin, and appeared confused.

"What?" Trip asked after a moment, also puzzled.

"Uh… Is it just me, or do you two have the same skin color?" She asked, scratching the back of her head.

"…So…?" Kevin was about as confused as Trip or Lee. She sighed, and reached into her pocket.

"So… isn't your skin supposed to be pale?" She explained, and pulled out a round, metallic object.

"Yeah, it is… Wait. The same color as his?" Kevin turned to hold out his hand, and compare it to Trip's. They were the same color. "Huh…?"

"Here… Lemme see something… Hold this in front of your face, okay?" Lee asked, opening the object and holding it towards him.

Kevin held it in front of him and looked in it, then at her. "Now wha—WHOA!!!" He looked into the mirror again, and his eyes widened. "How the…"

"What the heck is going on?" Sarah asked, going up beside. "What's weird?"

"…Sarah… Look in the mirror, at the angle I'm holding it." Kevin's voice was oddly monotonous as he continued staring at it.

"…I see… You… And some trees back there… The sun light through the trees…" She looked confused when Ed, Edwardo, Trip, and Rolf all suddenly crowded around, staring. "What!?"

"Sarah, vampires don't have reflections." Ed explained, examining Kevin. A moment later, he stepped back, very confused. "…Kevin. You're… human…"

Kevin was slowly nodding his head, with very wide eyes, as he put a finger into his mouth. A moment later, he looked at Ed, and commented, "My fangs are gone…"

"Uh…" Edwardo swallowed, looking around. "This isn't supposed to be possible, right? A vampire's a vampire, and stays a vampire forever, or 'til they're staked, or go out in… sunlight…" He stopped as he noticed what Kevin had realized a minute ago; they were standing in a pocket of sunlight. "This… Is very freakish."

Nazz looked over into Kevin's face, studying it. His eyes were hazel colored again, the odd contours of his face gone. Even his skin had returned to the pinkish color of a few days ago… they hadn't noticed this the night before, or in the poor light earlier when Kevin and Jonny had been muttering about what they could do to wake Edd up already… "Kevin…" She said slowly, leaning near him. The wide-eyed look on him was a little cute, though she wasn't sure was he was scared… It seemed like he should be happy. "I think… Kissing will be a little easier, now…"

He opened his mouth, then smiled and rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed. "Heh… Yeah, it should be…" He glanced up and felt his hair. "It's still long, though…"

"You look good with long hair, actually…" She commented after a moment's thought. "Better than with the shaved thing you had before…"

"That's why I was always wearing the hat… Don't need it now, huh?"

The two stepped closer, and Edwardo rolled his eyes. "Honestly, now, at least we're decent enough to be in private… Anyway. Double D. Uh… Is there anything else we ought to know, before heading to your neighborhood?"

"Um…" The normal kids looked around, shrugging. "Not that I can think of… Though…" Edd frowned again, looking inward. "We'll have to talk to… Eddy's parent's, separately…" He breathed a few times, focusing on just letting the emotion go by, not… thinking about his dream, or anything.

"Yeah…" Marie looked awkward, then tapped his shoulder. "We should get going…"

*****

They gathered up all of the things, and began walking through the trees. Unlike the long periods of walking that had occurred in the other world, 8-3-2, it only took a minute or two for them to come across the path way to the gate clearing.

"This way to the cul-de-sac…" Kevin muttered after a minute, and they turned left, following after him. All in all, after 5 minutes they emerged into the playground, blinking.

"There's no cops, or anything…" Jimmy noticed. "That's probably a good sign, right?"

Edd didn't answer, and Jonny shrugged. "Probably… No cars on the road, either…"

"Let us go to the path, for now…" Rolf suggested. "So that the other world people are not seen, yet."

Kevin and Rolf took the lead, with the kids looking around, puzzled at the lack of any activity.

"It looks like just some normal day… This is weird…" Nazz noticed, thinking. "Jonny's parents were the last people to see us, though… Maybe everyone's there?"

No one answered, as all of them were thinking as they walked slowly along the fence. Birds chirped in the trees, a dog barked on some other street, cars could faintly be heard in the distance on the thruway. But in the cul-de-sac itself, there was nothing… No people talking, no animals crying or making noise at Rolf's… Cancel that, one of the roosters began crowing. The kids began to relax, thinking about how they would explain this, when a voice suddenly began yelling out.

"Hey! Ed! Where did you get to?! Double D's still at his house!!"

Every single kid stopped dead in their tracks as they heard that voice. A completely impossible voice. Eddy's voice.

"I'm hallucinating…" Edd said slowly. "Because I could have sworn I just heard—"

"E-Eddy…?" Ed whispered. Edd now nodded slowly, looking at his friend. Ed stared down the path in the direction they had come, turning extremely pale.

The other kids turned to look, and gaped as well.

Down the path, far nearer the road than they were, was Eddy. He was wearing his normal clothes, and was standing about where the fence to Edd's house was, looking around in confusion. He noticed them, and started coming over.

Jonny, Kevin, and Edd had a quick, mental conversation, ending in them knowing that they each saw the same thing, and realizing just how unlikely it was. //When he gets here… We'll be really subtle and ask simple questions, such as if he's talked to Tony lately, and see if he's telling the truth…// Edd decided.

"Do you think… Tony was lying, about it being a nothing universe…?" Jimmy finally suggested hesitantly as they watched the impossibility approach.

"I doubt it… But... maybe…" Ed shrugged, and the Eddy-looking person reached them.

"Oh, Double D?! Hey, I thought you were still in your house… Ed get you early… or… something…?" The boy trailed off, staring at May, Lee, and Marie. "U-Uh… Heh… Hey, Lee… You guys…" He stepped back once, looking at the kids faces again, and noticed the two Maries… And two Eds… And three Edds. "Wha… Wait a minute. Did you guys go without me, or something?!? Come on! I come up with the scams, remember?! We were gonna go together, and I was gonna come up with something to scam the kids from the other universes with… And you two go without me and bring them here?!"

Ed and Edd, and everyone else, had just stared silently at Eddy the whole time.

Kevin finally decided to speak and sum up what he was sure everyone felt. "What the @$%@ are you talking about, Eddy? And aren't you dead?"

Edd slapped his own head with a hand and looked up. "Or don't be subtle, Kevin…"

"Huh?" Eddy asked, blinking. "Since when was Kevin involved in this, anyway…? He's not taking any of our money!"

Ed looked over at Edd, then down at Eddy. "Uh… Eddy…? Aren't you supposed to be… Gone? You flew up into another universe that didn't even exist, so… How are you here?"

"…Uh…" Eddy blinked again, then looked at Edd. "Aren't you supposed to be explaining that flying's impossible or something?"

Trip and Edwardo exchanged glances with Edward and Maria, and the four stepped back to huddle for a minute; the other kids began to look confused, too. Sarah got annoyed with it.

"Look, Eddy, did Tony go and fake you going up or something? Where's he now? Is this still part of that game, 'cause me and Jimmy, and everyone, are really getting tired of it!" She exclaimed, stepping forward and looking him in the eye.

Eddy rolled his eyes and was about to push her away, saying, "Go away, Sarah, and go—Wait… Tony? What about my brother?" He then paused, looking at her. "And when did anyone tell you his name?!"

"Um…" Edd and Jonny exchanged another glance. //He… This is very strange, I'm not seeing anything about the last couple of days in his memory, Jonny…//

//Neither do I… Kevin?//

//I still can't read minds, you two… But he's not doing the things that he usually does when he's lying, or scamming us.// Kevin remarked, looking Eddy over.

//Since when could you tell…?// Edd wondered, then sighed. //I'm going to ask him about everything, and… 'Encourage' him to answer them honestly. So could you check to see what his responses are, Jonny? //

//Sure thing…// Jonny nodded, and they both looked at Eddy.

"Eddy… Has Tony contacted you lately…? I mean, other than the box he sent you with the baby stuff in it…" Edd asked aloud, looking puzzled.

Eddy had a similar expression on his face, and he shook his head. "No, he hasn't… Double D… When did you hear his name? Usually I just call him my brother, and my parents never talk about him anymore…"

"It's a long story. Um… I don't know. Eddy, does the word 'werewolf' bring up any thoughts in particular? Or 'vampire'?" Edd continued, tapping his lip thoughtfully.

"Ed's movies…? Double D, don't tell me he's got you believing them now, too…" Eddy said slowly.

//Jonny?!?// Edd thought, staring at Eddy.

//He's… He's not thinking of anything that even seems at all like anything that's happened… He's really just thinking about movies, and Ed watching them, and the idea of you, 'Mr. Science buff', going and believing them… And ways to scam people, but… This is really weird.//

//So it seems… One more thing…// "Eddy, what's today's date…?"

"Uh…" Eddy looked up, thinking. "I dunno… the third…?"

"'The third'…?" Edd echoed.

"Yeah. August 3rd, I think…" Eddy nodded slowly, then noticed Edd's expression. "Now what?"

Edd looked at Kevin, then Jonny. "Um… August 3rd, unless I'm mistaken, was the first time we actually used the gate, Eddy… That was what, one, two… A few days ago, anyway. Don't you… Remember any of it? Going through, seeing the… The flying chicken, or Kevin as a vampire, or…" He trailed off as Eddy gave him an unusual smile, and backed up.

"Uh… Double D, unlike you guys, I haven't been through it yet… I didn't even know if it worked! What do you mean, a few days?!?"

"Jonny… Is he…" Edd murmured, seeing no reason to keep going between mental and verbal speaking.

"…Double D… He's convinced that he's telling the truth… I mean…" Jonny frowned, studying Eddy for another minute. "Or he thinks he is very strongly…"

"Huh." Trip commented suddenly. They all turned towards him. "Y'know… I could've sworn one of those last zombies we fought gave this big bruise across me arm, but it's not there… No mark, nothing. Isn't that weird?" He looked up, giving them a mild look.

Edwardo leaned over, then examined his own arms. "Same here… It's almost like I never got them in the first place… No ache from the remains of a cut, no pink mark, just… Perfect skin, existing there."

Most of the kids began to look over themselves for a minute, all bringing up similar comments. Edd looked rather bemused for a minute, staring at Eddy.

"Oh, shoot… He IS telling the truth! August third! Eight three…" Kevin's eyes had widened, and he turned quickly towards Edd. "That explains why I'm human again, doesn't it? We're before I ever got bit… 'Cause… When Eddy tossed the controller down to me from the roof, I tried to put the number in, and I put 'Eight-three-two-oh-oh-one'… Double D, that's what Eddy's saying—"

"-The date is…" Edd stepped back, staring upwards. "I…" He pulled the remaining controller out of his pocket, not really sure when he had put it in there, and studied it for a minute. "Creating a hole through space and time… Of course… If you can define the end coordinates for three dimensions, what makes the fourth impossible to control…?" He began laughing, and sat down suddenly. "So none of it even happened…! Edward, you and I have never met, you realize that?!"

Edward looked down at him, and Edd kept laughing. "And Marie and I never kissed… Kevin never got bit, the Kankers were never controlled, and Eddy never died… And… And I didn't turn into a wolf…" He ended with a whisper, low enough that Eddy couldn't hear the end. "Everything's… okay…"

"Holy cow…" Jonny and Kevin noticed the absolute release Edd's mind was feeling, compared to the night before, and couldn't help but laugh or chuckle as well. "So how do you even have the controller, if it didn't happen…?" Kevin wondered thoughtfully.

No one answered him as the group slowly began to realize what this meant; No one was dead, or hurt, their parents hadn't been worrying about them for hours… Tony wasn't off scheming some new way to mess with their lives, zombies weren't about to come attacking them...

Edd began laughing, whether out of sheer happiness or the expression on Eddy's face, they didn't know. Sarah and Jimmy jumped around hugging each other, Nazz, and anyone who came close enough. Jonny and Kevin, after a glance around he group, could help but laugh at this situation too; Ed, Rolf, and the Kankers did as well.

Edwardo and Trip just grinned at each other (Trip made faces at both Marie and Maria, as unable as Edd to tell them apart), while Edward smiled and leaned back.

"Guess we don't need t'be here and help explain, huh?" He asked Edd, glancing at Eddy.

Eddy just stared at the group, blinking. "Uh… What the heck's going on now?"

"Well…" Edd smiled, sighed, and looked up at Eddy from where he still sat on the ground. "That… Will take a while to explain. How about Ed and I try, though…?"

********

Marie, Lee, and May were talking together, Marie finally asking just what it had been that May and Lee hated her enough to do 'all of that'… They began walking off, only for Marie to and wave back at Edd.

"Double D, I 'll talk to you later, 'Kay? I've got some 'family bondin'' to do…"

May whistled and waved at Ed in turn. "Yeah, you two, Big Ed…!"

While Eddy stood there, staring in shock as his best friends grinned and waved back, Lee pouted towards him. "Uh, guys…?" He whimpered, wondering nervously if Lee was going to come chase him, and if Ed and Edd had bought themselves a free day, without him, again… Lee frowned at his expression, then shrugged hopelessly and ran after her sisters (where she probably glared at them for a few minutes while walking).

Kevin stretched, then looked down at Edd. "So, that's it, huh…? We just head home now, and no one ever knows what happened, or that anything weird's been going on?"

"Mmm…" Edd hummed awkwardly, getting to his feet. "Obviously there are differences, but… If we don't want our parents to suspect anything, perhaps you should take this back?" He reached into his pocket, then pulled out Kevin's hat. As Kevin stared at it, confused, Edd explained, "I took it just before we left the cave… And until you go cut your hair, wearing this should at least cover… that…"

Kevin accepted the hat, confused, and ran a hand through his hair. He blinked, then grabbed a bunch of it and held it out to see. "Oh, yeah... It's still long..."

Edd nodded. "So that you don't have to explain how it grew so quickly? Now then, Ed, how about we get something to eat, then try to explain all of this to Eddy?" Edd straightened his own hat and smiled again.

"Trust me, I could really use it…" Eddy's voice sound faint, and they looked over to see that he was slouching slightly. Noticing the stares, he laughed weakly. "So… What the heck did I miss…?

"It started like this…" Edd began, walking towards the fence to head to his house.

**********

Kevin and Nazz found themselves walking into the cul-de-sac, then standing there. Nazz looked up, watching clouds go by for a few minutes; Kevin watched her.

"Id… I didn't really mean what I said, before, he last time we where here…" She commented, and looked at him.

His eyebrows rose slightly, and it was his turn to gaze at the sky a moment. "What… that you didn't like me?" This was a calm comment as he thought back… or forwards, when he really thought about it. The idea hurt his head, so Kevin turned to meet her eyes. Her face had reddened, and he truly grinned for the first time since he had become a vampire. "Nazz?"

"Yeah…" It was an answer to both questions, he realized. "So…"

"I guess I should be glad Marie hooked up Double D, at least… You always tend to be nicer to him than me, anyway."

"Wh-What? I am not!" Kevin started laughing and Nazz blushed redder. "Kevin!"

"When did you ever let me flirt with you, or anything? But when those guys went all quiet and stammering, you always giggled at them…" He retorted, his eyebrows raised again.

"But, I wasn't…" Nazz froze as she considered that comment, and she thought. The Eds had always seemed to go strange colors when she saw them… Was that, perhaps, not the way they had usually acted? "Oh, Kevin…"

He had returned to cloud gazing while waiting, and with a look off to the side he saw Ed and Edd pulling Eddy into the cul-de-sac. //I hope that's really Ed and Double D, though… Eddy's be in for a shock if it's 'Edwardo' and 'Trip'…!// He smirked, then jerked as Nazz's face suddenly appeared before his. "Uh, Nazz?"

"…I guess I should say sorry, Kevin… If I knew you liked me liked me, I would've been more serious… I thought it was just you competing with the Eds, or… I don't know what I thought it was. I…"

"Whoa, hold on…!" Kevin waved his arms before him, stepping back. "I usually wasn't being serious, and I prob'ly acted the same either way… Don't go saying sorry when it's my fault…!"

"Hmmmm…" Nazz considered this for a moment, then smiled. "Well.. Okay. Look, I'm starved, how about we go get something to eat from my house…?"

***********

Sarah, Jimmy, and Jonny hung out in the alleyway a few minutes later than the others did. Jonny finally groaned and began walking off once the other two's hugging got to be too much, though.

"Hey! Where are you goin'?" Sarah exclaimed, waving at him.

"You don't have to go, Jonny!" Jimmy added.

"I-I know, don't worry. It's not like anyone's gonna kidnap you guys now, so…" Jonny responded, smiling happily at them. When the two seemed satisfied and returned to hugging, he turned around and let a frown appear. A few minutes were spent while he walked up towards the construction site, humming under his breath.

A piece of wood off to the side caught his eye, and Jonny froze. //Hmmm…?// He walked over and picked it up, turning it around in his hands.

Part of this long conversation with Tony came to mind, and Jonny frowned.

//"You mean... Someone else was Plank?"

"Is Plank… …whoever else was in there... It'll probably still work for the other person, or people, that use."

"So... that thing's real?" Marie asked. "And ya said, someone else did the whole 'psychic focus' thing through it?" Tony nodded. "Who?"

"...I don't know…"//

The piece of wood dropped out of Jonny's hands. He saw Tony standing before them, nodding to Marie's question of whether Plank was real. //" It'll probably still work for the other person… probably still work… other person…"//

Jonny's eyes opened slowly as the comment echoed in his mind. //He wasn't Plank… Plank was someone else altogether… Plank… IS someone else!!!!//

Thanks to the conversations he'd had with Kevin and Jonny, he know understood how he could send thoughts specifically at one person, and not let anyone else hear them. Remember this, he looked slowly around him, feeling for the familiar piece of wood. A moment passed, and mentally he yelled, //PLANK!!!!!!///

An infinitely familiar voice came into his mind; A childish voice, a boy's voice, one different from any of the cul-de-sac kids. That he had believed Tony to be Plank seemed silly now, as he 'heard' the voice that, now that he thought of it, he had known for most of his life. Only a single comment came, for now, but it was all he needed to hear.

//…Jonny…? I'm… here…//

***********

Edward and Maria were lying on the bulldozer in the construction site, and were, surprisingly enough, not kissing.

Maria was on her stomach, legs up in the air as she looked off in the direction of the trailer park. "Not a whole lot different... Did you notice?" She remarked, slowly and thoughtfully.

Edward was on his back, looking off towards the cul-de-sac. He noticed the 'short bald kid', Jonny, running by. //Where's he running to...?// He wondered, then thought, //Hey, yo! Psychic kid!//

Jonny either ignored the yell, or wasn't currently reading Edward's mind... He preferred the second choice, really.

"Tell me 'bout it... Friggin freakish..." He rolled his head back so that his eyes now gazed upwards, and considered the sky for a minute. It was so... Blue, and filled with such soft, white, puffy clouds. After a day or two of constant red, orange, gray, and black skies, the normal sight sickened Edward to a degree.

//Doesn't help that we can't git back there, neither...// Edward sighed. "

So.... After this, do we just head back to our world, and find out if they remember anythin'? 'Cause I really #%^@in' hated that cage..."

Maria pulled herself into a kneeling positions and looked down to consider him for a minute. "What, so you want to stay here until a few of them can come with us, just in case?"

"...Don't like you putting it that way, but yeah." He growled, and leaned back. "'Sides... S'not like we're just gonna head home, and that be the end of this travelin'...."

"Oh?" An unusual tone entered Maria's voice, and Edward turned to look incredulously at her. "You kidding'...?! Other universes, real ones? Who the heck needs t' beat up May's boyfriend anymore? Good luck to 'em! We could go visit other... Other planets, meet aliens, be a god to some of 'ems if we save them, an' a 'bad guy' to the ones that bug us... An' if we make a wrong decision, well, oops! I' that my gate, that lets me jus' travel back in time..?!?"

"Hmm..." Maria looked thoughtful. "Sorta takes the need outta studying for tests..."

The two's eyes met and they both slowly grinned. "Eighteen hundred on SATs...?" Edward slowly said, watching Maria's dimples appear. "Heh heh... Memorize all the questions, sell 'em... At a reasonable price... Or--"

"Lottery tickets! First time some uptight snob who's already got dough wins, we find out the number an'--"

"Go back and buy it for ourselves... Sweet!" Edward flipped off of the bulldozers, his face turning pinkish from excitement. "Let's get Double D t' teach us how those gates're made!"

Maria leapt off as well, and the two headed towards Edd's house, careful to avoid running near the houses; If a person recognized him, things would get difficult...

***********

".........."

Edwardo and Trip were each sitting in different branches of a tree overhanging the alley. They positioned themselves to be nearly impossible to see, then watched Sarah and Jimmy in fascination.

"They haven’t even kissed yet... What little kids..." Trip remarked.

"This's weird... I keep expecting Nazz to come around, and start yelling at Jimmy for cheatin' on her... Then Jonny come in... Heh..."

Trip snorted, and stuffed a hand in his mouth to keep from laughing loudly. His balance was messed up without the hand, and he swayed dangerously.

"Watch it...!" Edwardo hissed. Trip didn't fall, and he sighed. //They didn't even hear that..? They're so... fearless... Somethin'. Sarah'd've been listening to every noise, thinking it was us comin' for her...//

The two had given up on the excited hugging and bouncing about, and were exchanging a quick, hesitant kiss... Or trying, anyway.

"Ow..." Sarah whimpered as her lip got entangled with Jimmy's brace. Jimmy turned white, then bright red, and worked on separating the two of them.

A wheezing noise could be heard, and Edwardo glanced over at Trip with a smirk on his face. Trip's eyes were watering, and his chest heaving, as he laughed silently at the scene below them.

Edwardo frowned, and muttered, "Oh, shut up... Not that funny..." He glanced back down. Separated, Sarah and Jimmy had turned spectacular shades of red.

"Uh, h-how about we got to... My house, and e-eat something...?" Jimmy asked.

"W-Well, Isn't your dad home? Maybe we should go to mine... Ed won't have r-raided the fridge yet, those guys went t-to Double D's..." Sarah tried smiling, but as her skin was the same color as her lips, it was hard to tell...

The two grasped each other's hands even more hesitantly than they had kissed, and began to walk towards Ed&Sarah's house.

Trip fell out of the tree.

"Ah!" Both shrieked, turning to see what had happened. They saw Trip, rolling on the ground laughing, and Edwardo slipping out of it behind him.

"W-Were you guys there the whole time...?" Jimmy asked, while Sarah turned a different red color--one of red-faced anger. (Yeeeargh!)

"Did you see us climb up in the last few minutes?" Edwardo retorted, trying to hold an emotionless face. Trip wasn't trying that yet.

"Y-You think that this is funny?!" Smoke could practically be seen shooting out of Sarah's head as she glared at them. "How could you?!?"

Jimmy smiled, smugly, as Sarah flung herself at the two, regardless of their physical similarities to Ed and Edd. "Good hit, Sarah!" He crowed happily, then ran to join in as well.

"Wh-OW! You're nine years old, and a girl! I can't hit you!" Trip moaned, his voice accompanying a few *whack* sounds.

"How--can you-- hit so hard-- anyway?!?" Edwardo also complained, pausing to hiss each time a fist connected with him. Thanks to the difference in height between him and his attackers, it wasn't long before a blow went below the his belt.... "*#$%*#!@$^!!!!" He screamed.

********

Rolf paused, listening to the cries from the alleyway. "Odd.. What could be happening over there?" He wondered. "No cries of 'help', so it is no Eddy or Urban Ranger... And that there are yells at all means it is not Ed or Double D... Perhaps..." He considered for a moment what he had seen before leaving the alley himself. Jimmy and Sarah had been jumping about joyfully, Jonny standing off to the side, almost everyone else was gone or leaving... but Edwardo-and-Trip had been climbing a tree...

//Oh... Rolf sees.// Rolf nearly bit his lip to keep from laughing, then decided to let a chuckle or two loose. He had seen Sarah's wrath enough times to know better, but evidently the Otherworldly Eds had done something to upset her... And Jimmy.

/At least they are feeling better.." Rolf decided, then looked mournfully at his garden. Thanks to the time travel, a good amount of his weeding had never been done... Well, at least he knew where the rocks were now, and the battles with the zombies were over... He could focus on something important again.

Rolf was about to roll back his sleeves and get some normalcy going for himself when he noticed the people walking around. Kevin and Nazz were walking over to Kevin's house; //No surprise, is that one...// He thought, the glanced around again. Ed and Edd were on Eddy's lawn now, talking to Eddy. The triad seemed important, so Rolf narrowed his eyes to watch hem for a few minutes.

Ed was doing most of the talking, while Eddy listened on in amazement. Rolf frowned while he focused on Edd. He was somewhat paler than usual, and although he did seem to be backing up whatever Ed said, he kept glancing off towards the woods.

//Missing his Kanker-girl already?// Rolf wondered, amused. Considering how many of the boys had, only a week or two ago, been chasing after Nazz, it seemed funny to him how many were now paired up... And that one of them didn't even know this yet.

"So, then you were telling us how weird it was to think of Double D ever growing up in the trailer park, and Double D was still looking annoyed about it... We came up to the river, and, since we didn't want to make any noise, I gently picked up a tree and put it across the river... Or was that the next time we went there...? Anyway, we snuck across to see what it was like.." Ed was telling Eddy, in a more excited voice than Rolf had heard him use in a while. Eddy was listening in growing astonishment, and Edd was looking off to the side again.

//Something has Double D thinking, and it is not simply Marie's absence... He should be happier that Eddy is back...// Rolf shook his head, worried, and walked over.

"--And it turned out that the boy with the cowboy hat was Double D...! And Double D, both, uh.. Got kinda excited at that, and you made a joke or two, he got really emotional, but then I sneezed accidentally and we had to sneak around to the front of the trailer, and, uh... Rolf...?" Ed seemed puzzled at the interruption, but waited for an explanation.

Rolf gazed at the three. "Sorry, Ed-boys--" Ed grinned at that, realizing that this was Rolf's way of welcoming Eddy back; The whole time since Eddy left to hang out with the Kankers, Rolf had only referred to them by name. "But, Double D, could we have a word?"

"Hmmm? Certainly, Rolf..." The two took a few steps away, and Edd looked up. "What is it?"

"That is what Rolf wished to ask... Why are you forever looking off in... That direction?" He pointed towards the woods. "Instead of helping Eddy to understand what has happened?"

"Oh!" Edd reddened slightly, and rubbed his hat. "Eh, I was just checking in with Jonny..." He noticed Rolf's confused expression, and explain; "Remember how Tony told us-or will tell us, depending on one's view of the matter- that he had not, in fact, been Plank?"

"Hmmm... Tony said a great deal, Rolf does not remember it all..." Rolf murmured meaningfully, his eyes twinkling slightly.

"Yes, he was being a narcissistic windbag, wasn't he?" Edd laughed in response, not immediately noticing Eddy's expression.

"Tony?! What..." All three turned to look at him, and Eddy frowned. "What does my brother have to do with this...?"

"Hang on, Eddy..." Ed met Edd's eyes. "Double D... Is Jonny going to the trailer park...?"

Edd nodded slowly. "That's what I was... asking him about, before. I agreed that it doesn't hurt for him to do so." In a quick explanation for Rolf and Eddy, he continued, "Jonny went to look for Plank."

"...! This, you thin, is safe?" Rolf asked after a short pause. "What if..."

"We did travel in time, from all accounts... So reason states that if Tony is still alive, he would be as Eddy is, and retain no memory of the incident..." Edd remarked.

"'Sides, Marie and her sis'es are gonna be there too..." Edward's voice suddenly put in, as he and Maria walked up. He gave a grin to Edd, but tried to keep in from growing suspiciously large. "By the way... You lost your controller, right?"

"Uh, yes, I did... Why some items were changed, yet physical attributes weren't, I don't yet know but-- Yes, I lost it."

"And you're gonna have to make a new one...." Edward's fingers were tapping together as Maria tried to smile reassuringly from the side.

Edd's right eyebrow vanished above the hat's brim. "Edward, you're coming across like Eddy... What is it that you want?" Off to the side Eddy mouthed Edd's comment as he tried to grasp the 'two Edds' concept again.

"Can we have a gate too?" Maria went for bluntness, and hoped that Edd would try to see their reason for why.

As she hoped, he decided to be polite; he neither asked why nor mentally probed for the reason; Edward decided to supply one, just in case.

"So that we c'n have a party, wouldn't that be great? The whole lot o' us, and him," a quick jab of a finger towards Eddy, "Karaoke set... Vampboy can try an' woo his 'Queen of the Night' an' all.."

"Aside from the sheer lack of a vampire in our group, if you've forgotten, that would be a good idea... In fact..." Edd paused, mentally planning for a few seconds. "Ed and I will finish explaining to Eddy in a... a few hours, then we can accompany you two to your world, and help build a gate there--with more of us it shouldn't take an entire day-- and from there, well... Can I assume that you have the same general mental capabilities as me?"

"It's not like I'm stupid..." Edward leaned forwards, and his face was in shadow as he glared at Edd. Before Edd could protest the comment, he continued, "I'm a genius, too, okay?"

"ER... All right. Well, anyway, if we build the gate in your world, can you correctly, and completely, memorize the process as to go o and show Trip and Edwardo?"

"What?!?" The other five kids asked simultaneously, and Edward moaned, "Do I ever get to sleep?"

Edd frowned. "If you're worried, you could simply sleep now... Remember the differences in time that I described?"

"But why do we-- Look, I really don't wanna go an' make small talk wi' 'Edwardo' while Trip's off flirtin' with Marie-er, 'Maria'..." Edward went on. He studied Edd's face, and realized that arguments would be useless. "Tch, fine... Darn you."

"Y'know, I totally love how ya go and ask him if he's as smart as you, an' let him sign me up fer a few hours work..." Maria commented dryly. "You think I'm incapable of anythin' 'cause he's a guy, an' I'm a girl?"

Edd jumped back, staring. "Wh-what?!? No, I meant nothing of the kind, I swear!" Off to the side he noticed Rolf making a stealthy escape, and envied him. "It was just that I--"

"And you wanted us to teach Trip and Edwardo 'bout the gates, since you don't wanna deal with them, since it's, ya know, them?" She continued.

"I have nothing wrong with homosexuality, trust me! It's just--odd--with it..." Edd trailed off, wishing someone would back him up. This just wasn't being a wonderful day, when it came to insulting people unintentionally...

"Just what...?" Maria had folded her arms, waiting.

"It's... It's me. It's odd in was I can't begin to describe. Myself and Ed?! I... It's platonic love I have for my friends, and the thought of those two being... intimate... when I look in a mirror and could see one of them... It's a bit much, on tip of everything else."

"Ah." Maria nodded slowly, apparently satisfied with his explanation. "Though... He's bi, you know."

********

Eddy was very seriously considering fainting by this point. The presence of these doubles seemed to prove that Ed, Double D, and the other kids had really been on some big adventure that he had no memory of. He was fine with this, though, and so far Ed's story had made sense, mostly... But he must've missed something along the line. Were these people talking about what he thought they were...? The idea made his face turn greenish.

Off to the side, he saw Rolf sneaking off, and the 'Edward' kid looking upward pleadingly. //So he's the Double D from living in the trailer park with the Kankers? Jeez, he's not the sort to mess with...//

"And, uh... How do you know that?" Ed had finally asked, his voice rather faint. Eddy noticed something odd about it; Ed sounded smarter. He had during the whole explanation, actually... So whatever had happened to these guys, it had really happened.

Maria was rolling her eyes at the hopelessness of the kids before her. "He was actually flirtin' with me, why else d'ya think Edward's gettin' so worked up about it? Edwardo kept going' all quiet, too, since they were so p-peeved with Trip."

"...Oh..." Edd, as well, had that whispery 'That's-great,-now-if-you-don't-mind-I-need-to-faint' tone to it. Eddy shook his head.

"Uh, I don't really know what you guys.. And girl, not gonna put you down for being a, uh, lovely looking young woman, like Double D there did," Eddy 'schmoozed', earning glares from both Edd and Edwardo; Jeez!, It was creepy how similar they were... "But I could really use a full explanation on... What-the-heck's going on?!"

For a moment they thought Eddy had made a single statement and gotten unusually emotional, then they noticed where he was staring. Trip and Edwardo were walking towards them, carrying in their arms a wriggling bundle each. A moment's study showed that that the 'bundles' had hair sticking out of them.. Sarah and Jimmy's hair!

All five stared. Trip and Edwardo in their own world were the not scammers; they beat people up and worked out in their spare time... And they looked, for perhaps the first time in their lives, beat-up. Trip's hat had a rip in it, both sported cuts, bruises, and at least one black eye each, their clothes were ripped up; Actually, Edwardo was lacking the green jacket or striped shirt, and was left only with a tanktop.

The only parts of Sarah or Jimmy that were visible were hair, eyes, and noses; Everything up to and especially their mouths were simply smothered in ordinary duct tape.

"These belong to you." Edwardo deadpanned, dropping Jimmy on the ground. (Although Jimmy squeaked, the placement was unusually gentle for Edwardo Trip followed suit with Sarah, and controlled an urge to kick her.)

"What... Did you guys do to Sarah and Jimmy...?" Ed asked.

"And what the #$^@ happened to you two?" Edward continued.

Trip glared at the air, while Edwardo looked at Ed. "We forgot that she wasn't my sister and wouldn't have the same... sense of humor."

"Sarah beat you guys up good! Jeez..." Eddy seemed unusually amused until both turned to glare at him; The expressions on people so similar to his friends made him wince. "Are you guys 'Trip' and 'Edwardo'?"

Trip looked down, at him, his eyes narrowing. "That's what we're being called... And it's none of your business." The Edd-look-alike turned to Edwardo, and in a slightly brighter voice, asked, "You wanna come with me? I'm gonna go snooze on one of those benches by the gate..."

Ignoring the others' confused expressions, Edwardo yawned. "Great idea..." The two walked off, their travel followed by a number of different people.

Tired of being wrapped up, Sarah began rocking and making a high pitched sound-- She was probably telling them 'Let me out!'.

*********

"So have the two of you even really kissed yet? I mean, when he wanted to kiss you...?" May was asking.

The three sisters were walking slowly on the woods path, relaxing. They just planned to head home, eat, get some of their missing sleep, and go visit people later. That Plank had been left outside of their home never came to mind; After all, they had traveled back in time, so it had never happened... Right?

"We've tried to, but... We keep getting interrupted." Marie sighed, the 'dreamy' look coming across her face. "First Kevin comes by, saying you two kidnapped some people--" Her sisters turned red, but said nothing. "Umm... And that time on the stairs, Tony just suddenly pops up outta nowhere..."

"That's it?" Lee asked, concerned, as Marie trailed off with sparkly eyes. "Just twice?"

"Hmph." Marie folded her arms and looked upwards. "It's not like we'd be... be groping each other, or anything.. I means, It's Double D! He's got standards!"

"Ed and Eddy don't?" May retorted, yawning innocently when Marie glared at her.

"...Eddy doesn't even remember any of it, anyway... Figures. Just when I get my man to appreciate me..." Lee's lip trembled dangerously as she complained, but her hair covered any emotion her eyes might have revealed.

"...But... You were making him like you... Is that really what you wanted him to remember? It worked for Ed and May because Ed went with us, but Eddy--" Marie began commenting.

"Oh, shut it!" Lee exclaimed, but smiled. The three grinned and laughed for a minute or two, then continued in silence. They paused when the quiet was slowly interrupted by pursuing footsteps. "...The heck?"

"Don't mind me!" Jonny's voice called up the paths, and they turned. The boys was jogging up the path towards them, and continued past once he reached them.

"What.. Where are you--" Marie began.

"To your house--I want to find Plank!" Jonny called behind him, still running.

The girls exchanged glances. "Plank...?" Simultaneously they turned to see him vanish behind the trees. "Hold it!!" One yelled, and all three chased after him.

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

Kevin stared at the bowl, watching bubbles of cheese occasionally explode as it rotated around.

Nazz walked by, smiling brightly, and he watched her tentatively. "Doesn't it look good, Kevin?"

"Uh..." He looked back into the microwave as the macaroni and cheese continued bubbling; probably not a good sign. "It's... yellow..."

The remark confused her, and she stopped searching for the missing plates, the smile shrinking from her face. "So?"

"It's just... Yellow..." Kevin avoided her gaze, thinking of how to explain it; telling a girl that he'd gotten used to think of 'food' as being a red (or in exceptional cases green) liquid would probably be a bit awkward.

Nazz frowned, and joined him in watching the bowl spin. By now the microwave had probably been on two or three minutes too long... She didn't notice. "Would you prefer green and purple fuzzy macaroni, or something? This is quick and warm, which would be good after we all slept outside last night..."

"I know..." //But I didn't even sleep, at all! I was... busy...// He groaned softly. //Man, this stinks... What've I got to do to make food seem less weird, so I can eat it...? Unless...!// He blinked, then turned to her. "Nazz, would, uh, would there be any tomato soup, anywhere? Just... I'm not in a 'cheese' mood..."

She paused, and stared at him. Her eyebrows rose as his discomfort became noticeable, and she nodded slowly. "Yeah, we've probably got a few cans around..." The wooden spoon in her hand seemed to wave at him as she went over to investigate the cupboards. "Actually, I think that's a pretty good idea, soup would be nice and warm... And probably healthier than mac'n'cheese..." She smiled, and opened the door to the microwave, pulling the bubbling dish out.

//Phew... Did not want to explain that one...// Kevin decided, relaxing and glancing through a cupboard or two for the soup.

"Though I wish you like my cooking enough to at least try it..." Nazz continued, as she solemnly pushed the food into the trash.

//…!!! Busted…// He thought, and his head hung down to avoid Nazz’s accusatory glare.

*********

Jimmy hummed softly to himself as he pushed the cookie tray into his miniature, ‘Ezbake’ style oven. Once satisfied that they were in, he turned and smiled at Sarah. "My mom bought me a new once, after that… problem…"

She nodded, putting down a few napkins and two milk-filled cups. Putting the milkjug away, she commented, "Yeah, Ed and… Eddy… They really wrecked your old one, huh"

"Yep…" The two sat quietly, occaisionally looking in to check the cookies, or sitting back to admire the view out of the window.

Jimmy studied his fist for a moment, looking it all over, then examined the rest of his body. There were reddish marks all over, but other than that he looked fine. "At least they didn’t put that tape all over our hair, that would have horrible…"

"Ick…" Sarah shuddered in agreement, and glanced over herself as well. Looking up, she blinked a few times. "Hey, Jimmy? Why did this get put in here, and not in your room?"

He gave her a weary look, and fingered his brace uncomfortably. "There’s a smoke detector right here, so if cookies start burning, I don’t end up throwing it through the wall, or the floor…"

She ‘oh’ed, then looked out towards the hall. The doorbell was being rung. "Jimmy?"

"No idea…" Jimmy, as bemused as she, got up and walked towards the door. "Sarah, make sure my cookies don’t burn, okay?"

***********

Edward leaned into the doorway, his finger holding the doorbell down. After a few seconds he gazed sleepilly at Maria. "So, why, exactly, don’t I just open the door?"

"Impolite… What if his parents are home? …And ya might wanna let go of that…" Maria rolled her eyes as he noticed that the doorbell was constantly sounding and he pulled his hand away. "Why, then, didn’t we just go to Double D’s house?"

"Igh…" He groaned, and resisted the urge to push the bell down for another minute. "’Cause both his buds were shakin’ their heads for us not to, and lookin’ at my shoes funny…"

Maria didn’t answer, as the door finally opened. Edward nearly fell in but managed to grab the wall in time, and pull himself upright.

Jimmy blinked a few times into the sunlight, and looked up at them. "E-Edward? Maria? Umm…"

"Yo…" Edward asked, and with a groan straightened so he no longer was lying against the doorway. "’Sup?"

"Um…" Jimmy looked between the two of them a few times, confused. "Not much… Why are you--?"

"Hou got a couch or something I can hang out on? ‘Cause I need t’sleep, badly…" Edward explained.

"Me too… We were gonna stay at Double D’s house, but appearently that’s a bad idea, so…" Maria continued, giving Edward a glance. The two, seeing the bemused expression on his face, made little pouty expressions. "Aw, c’mon…"

"I… I guess so, you can come sleep on the couch… But you two are just resting, tight? Not—"

"Not takin’ over yer house, no. ‘Just need some sleep." Edward smiled slightly, and walked in gratefully as Jimmy backed up to let them in.

**********

"—And so we came across you, and as I’m sure you can remember, were all quite confused about your living state… And from there you saw what happened." Edd concluded, and both he and Ed watched Eddy to see his final reaction.

"…Wow." Eddy sat back onto the couch, crossing his legs before him. He stared off at something, thinking, then looked back up at them. "And… All of this in the future… That’s not even going to happen anymore?"

"Yep… Weird, isn’t it?" Ed replied, making himself comfortable as well.

"You’ve got no idea, Ed…" Eddy rubbed his forehead, and looked between the two. "Honestly, you guys aren’t pulling anything on me?"

Edd smiled, and held one hand out, over his heart. "Swear it, Eddy."

"Whoooo…" Eddy leaned forward, and examined Edd a minute. "So… You’re a werewolf. And so is Marie. The two of you are hooked up; Ed’s with May, but both of them are human. Kevin and Nazz are gonna be serious now, with no hope for me to cut in, and he was a vampire a few days in the future… How’m I doing?" The both nodded at him, but before either could comment he continued. "Sarah and Jimmy, they’re the only ones as young as each other, so no surprise… Rolf’s engaged, appearently, the four kids that look like you guys and… Marie… are coupled up, not goin’ there… Oh, and Jonny is off looking for Plank, who was-but-wasn’t my brother Tony… And we don’t know where he is in all of this."

"An odd way of summing it up, Eddy, but yes. And you’re alive thanks to the time travelling effect, due to Kevin’s mistake…" Edd considered this a moment, and Eddy waved his hands the moment he realized where Edd was going.

"Nuh-uh, no way, Kevin so did not save my life, Double D… I never died, remember?!" When both Edd and Ed smiled at him, Eddy’s face turned reddish. "And besides! He’s going out with Nazz, the girl destined for me! I’m not forgiving that!" He stood abruptly, thinking. "You guys are fine with helping me sabotage their ‘relationship’, right? I mean, of course you are, a couple days of time traveling isn’t gonna break up the Eds… and besides! You both have girlfriends! No way would either of you be so cruel as to leave me, Eddy, without one!"

Ed and Edd exchanged amused glances through out this conversation, poisitioned as they were on the very opposite sides of Edd’s couch. "I don’t know what you’re getting so worked up about, Eddy… There’s always Lee." Edd remarked, his face turning white as he tried to keep from grinning. Ed bit his lip for the same reason.

Eddy whirled about, looking at Edd. "S-Say what?! There’s always Lee for what, Double D?"

"Well… You’re the one that kissed her, Eddy." Ed remarked, and both began laughing as Eddy’s face turned colors rapidly.

"K-k-k-k-Kissed her?!?" Eddy’s voice rose in a squeak. "I kissed her?!?"

Edd’s face turned innocent again, and he looked at Eddy evenly. "Well, yes. In the trailer park, that’s what Kevin, Rolf, Marie, Jonny and I all saw you did, Eddy. If I remember your exact words correctly… I asked you what you were doing, conspiring with the enemy, and what had come over you… You replied with—"

"’Love has come over me, Double D, nothing more than love’" Ed and Edd chorused.

"Then you just leaned over and kissed her…" Ed grinned. "But me and you had been there a little before those five showed up, and that wasn’t really the first time you kissed her—"

"ENOUGH!!! That’s GROSS!!" Eddy shrieked, jumping back. He gasped for breath as the two started laughing hysterically. "Quit it, you two hear me?!?" When they didn’t, he ran over and grabbed each one by a shoulder. "Quit it!"

"Okay, okay! Jeez, but you’re not much fun anymore, Eddy…" Ed complained, pushing off Eddy’s hand.

"Truly. I thought it was rather amusing, there’s no need for you to become angry—" The two looked at him as he froze.

"Double D?"

"…Hmmm… Oh my…!" Edd’s eyes widened, and he stood up abruptly. There he looked up at the ceiling, thinking.

Eddy waved a hand in front of Edd’s face. "Hello, earth to Sockhead…"

"A minute, Eddy…" Edd’s eyes closed and about 12 seconds later reopened. He wasn’t smiling, but he wasn’t frowning either. The expression on his face would better be described as pensive. "Ed, we should go to the front door, just in case…"

"What’s going on…?" Ed stood up as well, and stretched.

"Jonny and the Kankers found Plank, and Jonny claims that it’s the real Plank, not Tony… But he’s so excited I can get barely anything out of him, and as far as reading minds goes… Jonny’s the best at it, I’m all right, but much better with simple mental communication." Edd frowned, glancing off to the side. "Anyway, Jonny’s agreed to bring Plank here so Kevin and I, and anyone else, can have a better look…"

Eddy shook his head. "You and Jonny have been talking to each other, mentally, across… what? From here to the trailer park?"

"Kevin was involved in this too, but yes, Eddy… How about we go outside to meet them?" Edd’s eyebrows were raised, and the other two nodded.

As they went towards the door, Eddy shook his head while looking at Edd. "Reading people’s minds… Imagine the grades you’re going to get now, Double D…"

Edd didn’t comment, and Ed laughed.

********

Marie looked over at Jonny, who had been skipping the whole way, humming happily to himself. She noticed that he wasn't saying anything outloud, but his expression kept changing as though he were having a conversation with someone… Which meant whatever was being said was telepathic.

//Great… So if it turns it is Tony, only three people would be able to tell… Two, if Kevin can't read minds either. Whoopee…//

She folded her arms behind her head as she walked, and glanced over at Lee. The redhead still had a slightly frown on her face, while May was smiling happilly.

"Lee, do you really want us t’try and get Eddy t’like you again?" She finally asked, her sister’s expression becoming a little depressing. They walked by the gate clearing, and she raised her visible eyebrow when she saw Edwardo and Trip collapsed on different benches, sleeping. //Big babies…//

"Uhh… How would you?" Lee scratched her hair, puzzled.

Marie shrugged. "Well, it’s fer a good cause, maybe Double D’d let us borrow the hypnotizing wheel again…"

May giggled. "But that only works for a little while, remember? When those three came to at our house, they started yelling…"

"Then I’ll just keep using it on him, until he thinks he actually likes me…" Lee murmured, looking upward. "Hmmm.."

"Why not try to just get to know him better, like normal people?" Jonny suddenly entered the conversation, and they all looked down at him in surprise. "I mean… That’s what Double D and Marie are doing…"

Before Lee had a chance to say anything, Marie shook her head. "What, did you read me or Double D’s mind about that whole thing…?" Jonny shook his head, a little too quickly, and Marie rolled her eyes.

"Well, I didn’t mean to, you’re just rather… Loud, sometimes." He tried to explain quickly.

"Yeah, yeah… Lee, I think he’s right, though. Me’n Double D, that night we ran away from the house? We got to talking about how the six of us mighta been together if us three just didn’t chase them… Why not try that first, huh?"

May and Lee both looked thoughtful, and Lee shrugged. "Ah, heck, why not? Can always use the ‘hypnowheel’ later…"

As she nodded her head hopefully they came to the open air at the park, and the four began to walk towards the cul-de-sac’s center.

*~*~*~*~*

"Jeez, almost everyone’s here…" Eddy remarked, looking around. A few people gave him odd glances, still not used to the idea that he was alive, but they stayed mostly where they were waiting.

Edd nodded, and the three walked out to join the group. "Kevin…" The two met eyes, and Edd smiled awkwardly. "I’m sure it’s because your skin was pale for so long, but your face looks.. Rather red."

"Yeah…" Kevin looked upward, and Edd noticed Nazz standing seperately, talking to Rolf. "I, uh…"

"Oh, don’t tell me you guys are fighting already!" Eddy exclaimed, with a tone Edd quickly realized was delight. "Are you?"

"None of your buisness, Eddy." Kevin glanced over at Edd, and asked, "Is it too much, for a guy who was a vampire yesterday to not want mac’n’cheese…? C’mon…"

Edd bit his lip, understanding spreading over his face. "You refused the food…? Oh, dear…"

Eddy’s face had lit up, and he had gone over to Nazz. The three watched as Eddy smiled sweetly at Nazz, and in an understanding tone told her how much he had enjoyed her cooking the time she babysat for him, and that she shouldn’t date a boy who didn’t appreciate her for who she was, and so forth…"

"This is disgusting… I’m shutting him up…" Kevin remarked, making a fist with one hand. Edd’s eyes widened, and he grabbed Kevin’s shoulder.

"No, hold on, Kevin! If you jurt Eddy just because of this it’ll probably make Nazz even more annoyed with you… Let him talk, so she becomes more annoyed with him, and don’t get invloved…"

Ed and Kevin both looked at Edd, confused. "Double D, aren’t we supposed to be helping Eddy and Nazz… Get together?" Ed asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, you’re not gonna be loyal to the ‘Eds’, now that the three of you are friends again?" Kevin continued, but stopped trying to move towards Eddy and Nazz.

"We-eell.." Edd smiled, releasing Kevin’s shoulder. "I never promised Eddy that I would help him, but I did make Kevin a… promise of sorts. Besides, what’ll happen to Lee if Eddy manages to get Nazz to like him?"

"You’re gonna try and pair the two of them together…?" Kevin’s eyebrows were buried somewhere above his hairline. "Okay…"

They glanced over to see Nazz shaking her head at Eddy. "Look, I’m glad you wanted to cheer me up, Eddy, but one of the last times I saw you, you had just kidnapped me! Kevin at least had the excuse of being controlled by your brother, but you weren’t…"

Eddy blinked at her. "B-but I didn’t… Time travel, right…? Th-that never happened…"

"Still… And, besides, here comes Jonny and the Kankers… So can you please just drop it?" She turned towards the four approaching, and Eddy’s head sagged in defeat.

Edd shook his head at the scene. "What’s ironic is that Eddy was being controlled at the time, too… Both of you kidnapped her, and… Oy…" He shook his head again, and looked over at Jonny.

"That looks like Plank…" Ed murmured, shaking his head. "I hope you guys know what you’re doing…"

"So do we." Kevin stepped out towards them, and smiled. "Yo, Jonny."

All of the kids ever seen on the show gathered together in the middle of the cul-de-sac’s oval. Most of them looked first at Jonny, and the object in his arms; Plank.

"It’s not Tony, right, Jonny?" Sarah asked looking at the wooden rectangle nervously.

"He’s not…" Jonny looked down at Plank, and simultaneously spoke mentally and outloud. "You okay, buddy?"

//Y-yes… What do you want me to do…? Talk to Double D?// Plank responded, to Jonny only.

"And Kevin… Just try it, so everyone else feels better about this."

//Okay…// Plank’s awareness focused up and towards the two, who were now being stared at by most of the kids. //Uh… Hi, Double D, Kevin…//

Kevin’s eyes widened slightly, and he glanced over at Edd. Edd smiled, and like Jonny spoke both physically and mentally. "Plank… It’s nice to finally meet you."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Enough. Stupid. Nails." Edward begged the trees around him as he stepped back, looking up. "Marie, waddya think?"

"Looks about right…" She replied, and waved over at Trip and Edwardo. "Ed, Double D, take a look, huh?"

The two also slepped back, admiring the gate. While the three Eds had been satisfied when theirs was simply able to work, these three had built Edwardo and Trip’s so that the inner structure (the random junk from their houses) was covered up in wood, then spraypainted black.

"Smells bad…" Trip remarked, then innocently looked at Edwardo. "Or is that even the gate?"

"Oh, you little brat…" Edwardo swung a fist at him playfully, and cuffed him on the shoulder a few times. "Enough with the smelly jokes, wouldya? I do bath, and all…"

"Mmmm hmmm…" Trip decided not to comment further, and smiled over at Edward and Maria. "Well, this’ll be sweet, and with any luck Sarah and her lot won’t find out about it for a while… So they’ll think we’re leaving them alone for the jawbreakers, still."

"Yer welcome… ‘Sides, building you guys one was the only way Double D would agree t’show us how t’make one… So don’t go thankin’ us constantly at the party." Edward remarked, and covered a yawn with one hand.

"Wait, party? What party?" The other three all looked over at him, and he groaned.

"Double D, ‘E wants to have a party, everyone who made it back alive, an’ even Eddy… It’s gonna be at the Marie in his world’s house, tomorrow afternoon by his time." Edward explained.

"’By his time’… About what time is that here?" Edwardo wondered.

"Uh… Lesse. Heh.. You guys are the lucky ones, about 3 in the mroning here."

Trip groaned and sat down quickly. "Why us…? Heck with exploring today, I’m heading home..."

"Me, too… His world’s ‘EightThreeTwoOhOhNine’, right?" Edwardo asked, tossing the empty paint cans into the trashcan they had shoved bits of wood and metal into.

"Right… See you two." Maria walked over and began to press buttons, and activated it. The four watched as it opened normally, and stopped expanding at the gate’s boundary.

"Good to know we won’t kill anyone… See yas." Edward and Maria walked up into it, and vanished from sight. Trip yawned once or twice, and canceled the gate.

"See ya tomorrow, Double D." Edwardo decided, throwing the spray can, and the two began through the woods towards the cul-de-sac.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"And that about wraps it up…" Edd remarked, looking down at his notebook. "Oh, but am I glad the time travle didn’t effect you… These notes ought to be useful, should I ever try to explain how the gate actually works…"

He looked up from where he sat, crosslegged on his bed, and out the window. The familiar car was pulling into the driveway. "Mother and Father home… I should hide this..!"

Jumping lightly off of the bed, he carried the notebook over to his desk and hid both it, and the vaccination, within one of the drawers. As the frontdoor opened below, he considered the sticky note found on the bone.

Dear Edward, Apologies for the incorrect instructions.

You are to administer your vaccine today

-Mother

"From today… Heh. That makes tomorrow the full moon…" He whispered to himself. "I—I won’t take it. Not tonight, not until… I have an opportunity to speak with Mother, and find out exactly what it does…" With that he dropped the note in his drawer as well, and closed it.

"Edward, are you home?" His mom’s voice rang out. He looked up, then ran to his door.

"Yes, Mother, I’m-I’m home." Edd glanced back at the drawer, and mentally amended, //That is… Speak to her, without Father home. But how much should I tell her…? Well, that can wait until tomorrow…//

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, there’s gonna be a party? Here, tomorrow?" May asked happilly.

"Yeah, there is… So we should spend the morning getting it ready, don’t you think?" Marie replied, looking through a box of Christmas lights. "These could look cool…"

"Everyone’s bring food, though, right? We don’t have enough to feed everyone, you know." Lee remarked, brushing her hair.

Marie looked up and nodded. "That’s what Double D said. They’ll all bring stuff, don’t worry."

May sighed, hearts appearing in her eyes. "Then, tomorrow it is… And we can have fun, look at this!"

The two looked over to see her pull out a karaoke system from the closet. "Oh, no, not that thing…" Lee complained. Marie and May had similar dreamy expressions, and Lee groaned. "You’ll just spend the day singing love songs to Ed and Double D…"

"Love songs…" They both chorused, sitting back on the bed.

Lee muttered irritably under her breath, and turned to the mirror to finish with her hair.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

[8/4/2001, in universe 8-3-2-0-0-9]

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"They have a karaoke set, so people can sing…? Ed, if you or Double D go up and start ‘confessing your love’ and all that for the Kankers, I’m gonna lose it…" Eddy remarked, leaning against the fence.

Ed grinned and sat against the fence opposite of Eddy. "If you lose it, will you go crazy? Myabe you’ll sing with us—"

"Would you quit it with that?!?" Eddy’s voice rose to that high squeak again, and he shook. "I’m not gonna go out with Lee, and that’s it! Okay?!"

"Maybe we should see if the whole ‘time travel’ part of the gates work with goin’ to the future, then…" At first Eddy though Edd had said this, but turning he saw Edward walking up the path.

"Hi, Edward… Where’s Double—" Ed began.

"At Marie’s… They said give them another… 30 minutes, then everyone can start heading over…" He collapsed against the fence, and pulled his hat down to shade his eyes from the sun. "So, if yer still here, wake me up, would ya?"

The two stared down at him, then shrugged at each other. "I guess so, yeah…" Eddy decided, then stretched. "Should someone go tell everyone it’s half an hour?"

Ed nodded, and stood up. "I’ll go tell them all, or everyone I see… Nazz, too." He added when Eddy looked about ready to protest. Upon Nazz’s name, though, Eddy nodded quickly.

"Y-Yeah, you should go… She’s still annoyed with me, and, besides… I don’t wanna see Jonny yet. It’s weird, having Plank talking to everyone…" Eddy shuddered. "Why couldn’t it just have been Double D and Kevin going nuts…?"

"That would’ve been too easy." Edward commented.

Eddy glared down at him. "Aren’t you sleeping?"

"..Yep."

"Then don’t talk! Making me look stupid… You’re worse than Double D."

While Ed made for the fence and snuck through it, Edward lifted part of his hat and looked up at Eddy. "That a compliment or an insult?"

Eddy’s face reddened. "An insult, what do you---"

"’Cause if you just insulted me, then I’ve gotta hurt you…" Eddy paled, and Edward hid his smile by releasing the hat’s brim. "But if it was a compliment, then, that’s okay…"

"Uhh…"

"I thought as much." Edward went silent, and Eddy simply stared at the boy.

"Eddy." Eddy jumped upon hearing Kevin’s voice, and looked up at the fance. Kevin was leaning over it, calmly. "It’s like twentyfive minutes ‘til we’re allowed to go over?"

"U-Uh… Yeah, It’s, uh… Yeah." Eddy stammered, staring in shock as Kevin nodded, and greeting Edward with a simple, "Yo."

"Mmmmm…" Edward raised a hand in a energy-less greeting but didn’t move, Kevin shrugged and looked back at Eddy. "See ya there."

"Uhh…" Eddy stared as Kevin’s face vanished behind the fence, and blinked a few times. "He didn’t try to beat me up…"

"He prob’ly didn’t see a need to." Edward put in.

Eddy glared again. "Would you… Just stop talking?! I wasn’t saying anything to you!"

"Then don’t talk around me… Try thinking in your head for a change…"

Eddy made a face at him, then looked up, startled, as a few howls came from the woods. "Wh-what?!"

Edward sat up, and glanced back into the trees. "That was… Double D. They finished faster than they thought, we can get going."

Eddy stared at Edward while the door in the fence opened. "Hey, Eddy, Double D says we can get going…" Jonny was the person to come out this time, followed by Sarah and Jimmy.

"Yeah, that’s what.. He said…" Eddy gestured weakly towards Edward, and shook his head. "Telepathy…"

"What’s the matter, Eddy, it seem weird?" Sarah asked, in a suprisingly kind tone of voice.

"It takes a while to get used to… But let’s get going, Sarah." Jimmy remarked, tugging on her arm. Eddy shook his head, and all the kids in the alley began to head up to the constuction site, to go past it towards the trailer park.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The end of Epilogue1

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I’m sorry about how long it took for this chapter to come out… Part of it was simply laziness on my behalf, part was me trying to decide what should happen when Jonny took Plank back… (I’m waiting for that new episode about Plank’s parents before I actually go into detail about who Plank is), and as for the thing between Edwardo and Trip… Well, can none of you say you couldn’t see it coming? I at the least hinted to that, and considering that I paired the girls of their world up… Anyway. Please don’t flame me for that, I’ll just delete the posts and report you, but keep in mind that those two are from another universe.. Their characteristics don’t necessarilly have anything to do with the Ed and Edd of ‘823009’…

By the way, by the time this chapter is up I’ll have gone back and reposted one or two of the older chapters, in particular the one with the infinately long conversation between Marie and Edd. Remember how it was all ‘Edd said. Marie whispered’ and so forth? Well, I tried to recreate the conversation… I wasn’t able to remember how the whole thing went, but overally it makes a good deal more sense than it did before. That sound good?

There will be another chapter after this one, because I really have no idea what to have these guys sing at the party. As before, any thoughts/requests for their ‘dance party’ are greatly appreciated; think of the ending of Shrek if you don’t know what I mean.

Finally, Please Review!