Yes, it's an update... Last one was what, early May...? O_O I'm apologizing right now for the long waits, with both this and the explanation story... Other than making a great number of excuses about why, updating's about the only thing I can do...

Anyway, I was as annoyed with the difficulty of telling the various doubles apart as you guys were, trust me, so I decided to come up with some nicknames for them... 'Maria', 'Trip' (Triple D), and 'Edwardo', (or 'The Big One'... A joke for any of my friends who ever read this.)

Disclaimer: This is a Fanfic. That suggests that this is a fiction written by a fan of the chosen topic(s), and not by the topic(s) owners, creators, or distributors. As I am the writer of this fan fiction, it is highly doubtful that I am the owner, creator, or distrubutor of Ed, Edd, and Eddy. If I were, the new episodes would currently be being shown, this story would probably have been produced in the form of a film, and viewers everywhere would have discovered what lies beneath Double D's hat. I legally own no part of the original characters, though I am responsible for the creation and appearence that the following characters have: Tony, Edward, 'Trip'(2nd Edd), 'Maria'(2nd Marie), 'Edwardo'/'The (Big) One'(2nd Ed), Tom, Will, Robbie, The personalites of the parallel universe kids, The personality behind Plank, The appearence/behavior of Edd's parents, the concept that Edd was a werewolf, that Marie was one and that Kevin became a vampire, and just what the Secret of Edd is...

Thanks to Specter for all the information on supernatural creatures... I needed the kids to get into one more battle before getting to the hospital, so that the next chapter is when they are there, so I used one of the creatures you mentioned... Probably not they way that they usually are, but I wanted to update this NOW...

ALSO: Don't try the stunts performed in this story at home, kids. Now, on to the fic!!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* The Secret of Edd Part 9 Half 2 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Kevin stood at the mouth of the cave, looking out. "Hmm..." He frowned. //At least he's gone now...,// the boy decided, then looked to the sky. //But... Why did he want me to delay them...?//

He paced further back. //'No one would ever bother Nazz and I again'....// Shadows crept into his eyes. //How could he guarentee that, if he can't even delay the others without help...?//

Kevin paused, then looked over at Nazz. //'Decieve herself'...? No, she.. Would truly WANT to go back...// He crouched down, clutching his head. //My queen...? No, her name is Nazz! Tony... He called her my queen, I never...// His mind tried to sort through the jumble of thoughts frantically. Who was he really? The vampire, or... The boy? Now he shook his head frantically, shaking slightly.

Nazz still lay on the bed of moss, blond hair arrayed about her head. The gold strands caught the limited light in the cave, and Kevin's eye. He looked over at her.

"You... wouldn't want me to protect you at their expense, would you?" His voice, though changed by the fangs, still possessed a gentle tone. He glanced outside, sitting back. "Much less if it meant helping Tony..." His eyes closed. //It seems... My feelings for Nazz aren't changed, no matter what Tony thought would happen...// He swallowed slightly, nearly cutting himself with the fangs. //Am I still a boy, even now...? What shall I do now, then...?//

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

Ed and Rolf's direction seemed to have been correct, for after about two hours, there was a cliff rising up above them. The strange thing was that none of the kids remembered ever seeing it before, in any of their three worlds. Although it wasn't too tall, it was extremely steep, and would require a good deal of strength to climb...

"What's that up there?" Jimmy's voice rang out as the group all looked. Still a bit of a ways from it, they could see a dark indentation near the cliff's top.

"That looks promising..." Edd commented, one of his eyebrows raised into his hat. His mind raced as he judged the distance up. //About... One hundred feet...//

"Well, we can't all go chargin' up there..." Marie remarked. The others looked at her, and she shrugged. "It IS a cliff, y'know..."

Even Ed, the non-bullying one, frowned, nodding. "She's right, most people can't get up that..."

Edd tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps that's just as well... I had hoped to speak with Kevin alone, anyway."

"What?!?" Several of them exclaimed, crowding around him. The doubles looked at each other, bored, and wandered off towards the cliff. They stood around, looking upwards at the rock, trying to find the easiest route up.

"But... Why?" Jonny was asking.

"Going alone?!? That's really dangerous, Double D, we don't know what he would act like if you just went up there!!" Jimmy exclaimed.

"How could you even climb up there, anyway?" Lee wondered. "It's not like you're all that strong..."

Edd frowned, listening to their views, then regarded them all seriously. "...Because Kevin's sudden change truly concerns me. The first day here, he was fine. What caused his nature to take so long to change...? Besides... Jonny, you said that not only you couldn't hear Kevin's thoughts, you couldn't hear mine either.. Correct?" Jonny nodded silently. "There must be something to that... And I need to find out what it is."

Ed frowned as well, crossing his arms. "So you'll try to reason with him, Double D? He's a VAMPIRE now, it's not gonna work. They're really possessive, and they--"

Edd cut in, in a dry voice. "Ed... considering vampires in that light, what do you know about werewolves? That they're violent and blood-thirsty on the full moon...? I think your sources may have some faults."

Ed fell silent, looking off to the side. Rolf now spoke up. "Double D, you and Kevin were not friends before all of this, and Rolf does not think that you had become good friends in the last few days..."

"......" Edd shook his head, and glanced up at the cave. "Good friends...? Perhaps not. But Kevin and I have a great deal more in common than we had thought, and I think he realizes that as well...."

Everyone waited silently for his next comment. Edward's voice drifted over from the base of the cliff, where he and 'Marie' were standing together, pointing up at something. 'Ed' and 'Edd' also looked up, and nodded their heads.

Back where the others were, Edd sighed, and then looked around the group. "I don't expect that you'd understnd why I need to go up, or that I could explain it anyway... But I do need to talk to Kevin, for at least ten minutes, before any of you follow me up.. Can I at least have that, to try and understand what's going on?"

The others looked around at one another. "Ya sure you won't want back up? I'll feel bad if if ya get pushed out o' the cave by him an' fall all the way down...." May remarked awkwardly.

Marie glared at her sister. "That's really not the kind of thing to say, May..."

Edd smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be fine..." He looked past Ed and Rolf to the doubles, particularly to Edward. "What do you think?"

"'Bout you headin' up alone? If he's anythin' like the Kevin I know, yer doomed. Hope that he ain't." (Edd nodded, cringing slightly; the experience with the knife had NOT been enjoyable.) The group all began to head for the cliff. "But if you were askin' 'bout a route... That's the thing. It'd only be possible for one of US to get up, from what I saw..." Seeing the others look confused, Edward gestured at himself, both Eds, both Maries, and the Edds. "Y'know, US..."

"...The werewolves, you mean..." Jonny commented, for everyone who didn't know what Edward was thinking.

"Oh..." Sarah looked up, at the cliff as they stopped, about 30 feet from it. "Yeah, I know I couldn't get up there..." Jimmy nodded his head, while Rolf looked up critically.

"Rolf could climb this... Perhaps." He amended as a breeze picked up.

Edd glanced at Edward. "...I think I'll manage to get up... But you'll all give me the chance to talk to Kevin first, right?"

The others nodded, some rather hesitantly, while Edd smiled at Marie. "Don't worry, I'll be down soon."

"Well, don't be TOO quick comin' down, or she'll have a reason to get worried..." May repeated, earning another glare from Marie.

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

As Edd approached the cliff, looking up at it for a moment, the others all sat down to wait, Ed pulling out Edd's watch to track the minutes on. They began to talk after Edd started climbing, watching him nervously.

"I still think he's gonna fall..." May muttered to Lee and Edward. Lee shrugged, while Edward shook his head.

"Nah, I think he finally got what I'd been tellin' him... You know how we werewolves are shown in movies a lot o' the time?" The two nodded. "We really can do something like that. I tried to teach 'im how to do it, but he didn't seem to get it before... If he does now, then climbin' a little cliff like that is nothin'." Edward leaned back, then closed his eyes. "An' if it weren't for the wind, I'd probably be able t' hear to what they're sayin' up there..."

Edd just climbed to the entrance, and went into the cave.

Lee blinked underneath the mass of hair, then noticed Edward's ears. "Uh..." They were pointed, and covered in fur, sticking out from under the hat.

Edward grinned, literally wolfishly. "I'm keepin' an ear or two out, to make sure Double D's head doesn't go crack against any walls or anythin'..."

"Can you hear what they're saying...?" May wanted to know, her eyes widening in curiosity.

He shook his head. "Nah, I'm not changed enough fer that... But I can hear both their voices..." He glanced up. //That Kevin kid's voice is different... and that girl's not sayin' anything... hmmm....//

Marie kicked at a rock. "'Hate sitting down here when Double D's up there alone..." She muttered.

"He's not really ALONE, you know..." 'Ed' commented dryly from where he and 'Edd' were at. Marie glared at him, and he grinned. "I mean, if there was no-one else up there, and we could hear him talking out loud? I'd feel worried about him..."

"Oh, shut up..." 'Marie' complained. "Don't you ever stop talking?"

'Edd' blinked, and he turned towards her, then lifted a hand to his ear. "What's that..? Silence...? Ed, I don't think you're talking right now...! Guess you shut up sometimes after all..."

'Ed' grinned at him now, and laid back, ignoring the glares that both of the Maries were giving him and 'Edd'.

"Hmm.... Hey, Ed?" Sarah asked, sitting up.

"Yeah?" Both of them replied, and then looked at each other.

"...You guys DO need nicknames..." Jonny told the three other-world doubles.

Some of the others nodded, and Sarah looked over at Ed again. "So... How much time's gone by so far?"

"Mmm..." He looked down at the large watch in his lap. "Three minutes so far..."

They were silent for a moment. "...Nicknames, huh? And what nicknames would you give us, dare I ask?" 'Edd' asked curiously.

"Hmm.... Well, there's three Double D's in all--" Marie murmured.

"I'm not called Double D..." Edward growled, one ear still pricked up towards the cliff.

"--Then there's two Eds, and two of us..." She glanced over at 'Marie'.

"Yeah, there's Edward, then Double D... How 'bout you be Triple D, or just Trip for short?" Lee suggested.

'Edd' blinked. "'Triple D'...? Where, exactly, would that third d come from...?" He wondered, looking around the group.

Lee shrugged. "Does it matter? You're the third one of you that we met, so..." She shrugged again, then turned towards the look-alike of her sister. "But waddabout you...?"

Marie and 'Marie' exchanged glances. "Uh..."

"I kinda like my name, ya know..." 'Marie' complained.

"So... What about Maria?" Jonny suggested. "It's Mary in Spanish, but it sounds like Marie..."

'Marie' looked up thoughtfully. "Maria, huh? Okay, I guess... Better than somethin' like... Double M, or anythin'." She grinned over at 'Triple D', who shook his head irritably. "Tri-ip..." She drawled, her grin becoming more like a wide smirk.

Edward raised his eyebrows to within the hat, and leaned forward. "Hey, 'Maria', yer not flirtin' with him, are ya...?"

'Maria' glared over at him, and grinned again at 'Trip'; He rolled his eyes.

"Leave me alone, will ya? It's not like we can get ta know each other very well, being from different worlds..." Trip muttered. 'Ed' looked at him, concerned.

"Now what we need is one for 'Ed'..." May said, looking between the two Eds.

'Ed' now turned up to the sky beseechingly. "No, don't... I don't want you guys callin' me somethin' stupid like... Edwardo, or anythin'... I'll just take off my coat so you can all tell us apart."

Sarah crossed her arms. "That won't work, I know I'LL get really annoyed with always saying 'Ed!' and having both of you answer... So help us come up with something!"

The normal Ed grinned sheepishly, and tried asking "So why don't you not yell?" Sarah simply glared at him.

'Ed' blinked, staring at her. "...You might look like my sister, but you sure don't act like her..." He said slowly, then shook his head. "Well, how 'bout 'The All-powerful-Knowldegable-Ed'... Or... 'The BIG One', The One fer short... Or somethin."

Jonny smiled. "Well, The One works, because there's only one 'd' in your name... so, One-D."

'Ed' glared at him, then shook his head again. "'One-D'...? No! That's so..." He trailed off, looking disgusted.

Maria shrugged. "Guess we'll have to go with 'Edwardo', then..."

'Ed''s eyes widened, and he shook his head. "No, absolutely not! That's stupid too!"

"Do you have a better idea?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah, just call me Ed!" The rest of the group shook their heads while Trip grinned, and patted his friend on the back. "'Edwardo' after all... Sorry, bro."

Several of the kids laughed at the expression 'Edwardo' made. "$#% that..." He muttered, glaring at the ground. Jimmy, Sarah, and Jonny exchanged horrified looks at the swear, then burst into laughter again.

Marie got a concerned expression on her face, and gazed up at the cave. Squinting, she thought she saw a figure standing up there. "Hey, Ed..?"

"Another minute..." Ed replied.

Edward tilted his head again, and listened more intently than before. Both of his earspricked up, and he closed his eyes. "...Double D's still concious, if that makes ya'll feel better."

Everyone looked up. "What are they saying...?" Jimmy asked in a near whisper.

"...Can't make out the words, they're talkin' quieter than before... I'd have to change further, and I don't have other clothes with me..." Edward muttered. He blinked, and looked up. "...They stopped."

Marie's eyes widened. "'Stopped'? Why?" She squinted, looking for the figure. There was no longer any sign of it, simply the shadowed indentation of the cave.

Ed looked down at the watch, and counted off the last seconds. "...Ten minutes. His time's up."

Several of them immediately stood, and started towards the cliff. They all stopped at the sound of Edd's voice. "You guys don't need to come up, I'm on my way down!!" He yelled. They looked up, and saw his head poking out of the cave.

"Perfect timing..." Ed commented, smiling. Their eyes all widened as a giant bat swooped out of the cave over Edd's head, who looked up quickly. A shape was in it's claws, and most of the group watched it fly over them, and slowly go down to land.

"Wa...Was that...?" Jimmy said slowly, watching the bat go down to the ground a little distance to the west.

"Nazz!!!" Sarah exclaimed, pointing. The bat landed gently, and was laying a person carefully on the ground.

The younger kids, Rolf, and Ed ran over. (Edward, Trip, Maria, and Edwardo followed slower, glancing at Edd's descent as they walked.) It WAS Nazz, and the bat transformed into a human before them. He then glanced up at them.

"Kevin...." Rolf whispered, staring with the rest. The boy's complexion was paler than ever, and his hat was missing. It revealed his visibly longer red hair, forming the traditional vampire widow's peak on his head. The fangs, though they didn't protrude too far, were very noticible to them, and his eyes seemed... Reddish, rather than the old hazel color. His clothes had rips in them... Probably thanks to his two transformations into a giant bat.

Sarah swallowed, then walked over to him, and knelt down next to Nazz. The older girl lay there serenely, appearing asleep. The young redhead looked back up, and said challengingly, "You didn't hurt her, did you?"

Ed and Rolf tensed up, standing just behind her, while Jimmy and Jonny went to the side, standing near Nazz's feet. Edward and the others came up behind, watching with interest.

Kevin's eyes narrowed, but he stayed where he was and shook his head silently, then focused on something past them. The group glanced back. Edd was walking over, a serious expression on his face.

"Don't worry, you guys. It's fine, Kevin is still going to help." He explained, glancing down at Nazz's sleeping form.

"Yeah, he better..." 'Edwardo' commented.

"...I didn't have to come down here, you know... so don't start." Kevin warned him, then glanced over at Edd. "All right?"

The kids all looked around, silently voting. Most looked uneasy about Kevin, but they nodded their heads to let him stay.

"All right, then..." Ed murmured, then caught Kevin's eye. "But no more pulling that kind of thing again, got it?"

Kevin simply nodded, waving his hand slightly and glancing at Edd again. The sock-headed boy looked up, shaking his head. //Why, oh why...//

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

//Well, it would seem that I finally can do Edward's 'trick'.// Edd thought. Ed had also mentioned it, telling Edd about Edward and Eddy's fight back in the trailer park. //Good thing, too...// He pulled himself up further, giving the claws protruding from his hands a wry smile. "I would probably have fallen off by now, otherwise...// By using the combination of the sharp claws and the gripping ability of his own hands, he had managed to keep pulling himself up, surprisingly quickly and easily.

A moment more of climbing up, and he nearly slipped as his hand reached above to find only air. //Whoa!!!// He gripped the rock hard, then pulled himself up to the edge, and looked in. It was a cavern, filled with a blue- green moss that seemed to glow, lighting it up. Lying a little ways in was a blond figure he recognized as Nazz, and just before him; A pair of legs.

Edd's gaze trailed upward. the legs gave way to shorts, to a shirt, to--

"Hello, Kevin." He greeted, in a tone much like the one he would have used back on any normal day in the cul-de-sac.

Kevin crossed his arms, looking down at him. One eyebrow arched high, and his eyes narrowed. "...Hi."

Edd glanced down at the rock, then back up at Kevin. "...Could I come up? This isn't the most comfortable position to speak in..." //Ow.// Part of the cliff jabbed him in the chest as he spoke.

Kevin looked annoyed still, but he backed up a few feet. "Why did you climb up in the first place? For Nazz...?" A challenging tone entered his voice. It was wasted on Edd, who shook his head, and pulled himself onto the ledge, then stood.

"No, not purely... I actually came to get both of you."

Kevin blinked, and the offensive stance he'd adopted vanished. "Bo-Both of us? Me too...?" He looked confused, then his eyes narrowed slightly. "Why?" The sarcastic, challenging tone returned. "So I can help you all to deal with the zombies again?"

"No..." Edd shook his head again, meeting Kevin's gaze seriously. "Considering, it didn't seem right of me to leave you and Nazz behind... We're still going after Tony, and after that... Most likely returning to our worlds. That would leave the two of you stranded here."

"...Is that so...?" Kevin half-smiled, and leaned against the opposite wall as Edd. "I'm glad to know you'll keep going after him... Tony had wanted me to delay the lot of you from meeting up with him for at least another day..." He snorted. "I'm not going to, he treated me like an idiot. So I'm not going to help him... I might as well come with you."

Edd had stood blankly, staring at Kevin. When he finished speaking, Edd blinked. "He... Asked you? He was HERE?!"

"No, he wasn't here, so much, as HERE..." Kevin replied, tapping his head. "He spoke with me... Telepthically, I would guess."

Edd blinked again, then leaned back and frowned. "Telepathically..." He mused. "What exactly did he say...?"

Kevin closed his eyes, thinking of what to tell Double D. The boy seemed to be telling the truth; For some reason, he honestly wanted Kevin to come back with them... //Why not...// Kevin smiled, then let the conversation with Tony echo in his mind. //Here, listen to it..// He thought at Edd.

Edd also closed his eyes, recalling the conversation from Kevin's memory. Seconds passed, and they both opened their eyes. Edd stared at the ground, seeing the situtation in a new light. "I... see." He murmured, then looked up at Kevin. "An interesting coincidence... Both you and I have been spoken to, telepathically, by Tony, and Jonny can no longer hear the thoughts of either of us..."

Kevin raised his eyebrows. "He... Can't?" //No wonder he didn't know about Tony speaking to me in the cave...// He realized slowly. "There must be something to that..."

Edd nodded his head. "So, what do you think? Will you come along with us again?"

"...To deal with Tony and the Dork..?" He smirked, more of his old personality resurfacing. "Definately. Beating up Eddy's become a hobby of sorts, and Tony... Hmph."

Edd frowned. "What did you mean, anyway.. That he treated you like an idiot? That thing back in the trailer park?"

Kevin walked over to the edge. "Well.. You know how vampires are supposed to be, correct?" Edd nodded. "I wasn't fully transformed when you and the Kanker found me, that's why I 've been mostly human the last few days." (Edd nodded again, waiting to ask how there could be a partially transformed vampire.) "Tony didn't know that, and when he spoke to me here, he was expecting a true vampire... I'm not one."

"Why do you say that...?" Edd asked, going to just behind Kevin.

Kevin glanced at him. "You see me standing here, right...?" Edd nodded once again, confused. "The clouds are only partially blocking the sunlight... But I'm standing here."

THAT got Edd's attention. He straightened, and leaned out over the cliff, looking up. The ever-present clouds of this world were there, along with the blanket of smog from the giant factory in the distance. The sun wasn't truly visible, but it was light enough out there that, in any of the sources Edd knew about vampires from, Kevin should have been writhing on the ground. "Um... Goodness. I suppose you're right..." Edd realized slowly, pacing back into the cave. Kevin followed. "So... that's why you've retained your own personality... To a degree, anyway." This last said with a pointed look at Nazz. Kevin turned slightly pink.

"Well... like I said, Tony spoke to me, and this whole time he's been manipulating me, I would guess.. While we were talking, part of me realized what was going on, and I hastened the conversation, then... Something clicked." He paced, then faced Edd again. "Two trains of thought were goin' through my mind, one of 'em saying that 'Nazz isn't my "queen", he doesn't belong to anyone but herself, what am I doing?!?'... Then I began to think more like my older self again, with all the knowledge I'd had in the moments I was thinking completely like a vampire..."

Edd looked over at Nazz. "I'll assume that... It was whatever new instincts that you gained, dominant in you and overriding your conscious mind... Then Tony said something that jarred with the current level of consiousness, and you became self-aware again..." He scratched the back of his head. "Does that sound right?"

Kevin nodded, and Edd gave a slight smile. "Well, let's get going down, huh? I'll get the others to not spring on you, and we can all get going again."

"...Double D, I don't think any of them will accept the idea of me kidnapping Nazz just for the heck of it, and... Explaining that I planned for her to be my queen wouldn't go over well either."

"...Queen...?" (Kevin nodded.) Edd scratched the back of his head. "...Perhaps it'd be better if I didn't ask."

"Probably."

Edd shook his head, and said seriously, "Well... Look, if Nazz wanted to stay with you, I'd... let it go... But, one, you took her against her request, and secondly... I don't think any of us are old or mature enough to be making commitments like that just yet."

Kevin raised an eyebrow. "But Rolf can be engaged already? That doen't seem fair."

"Cultural differences, Kevin! In Rolf's homeland that's a perfectly acceptable practice, but the rest of us are from--" Edd exclaimed, growing rather worried.

Kevin rose his hands in a 'stop' position, and shook his head. "I'm joking, mostly... But you're probably right. I'll wait, and... See about this a few years from now, I suppose."

Edd sighed in relief, checking Kevin's mind to see if he was serious about giving Nazz her rights... Kevin seemed a bit annoyed about it, but he was patient enought to wait. Edd shook his head, glancing out of the cave towards where the others were. "Well, we can either explain to them that you were, um, overwhelmed by the new instincts, which seems to have been the case, or you can go ahead and ACT like a distant, coffin-dwelling vampire... Just don't try sucking on anyone, I don't like the mental image of Ed and Rolf's reaction to that..."

The tension finally broke, and two grinned at each other, Kevin rubbing his hair self-consiously. "Well, I guess I looked the part, hmm?" He glanced over the ledge at the kids, thinking, and noticed Marie looking up at him.

"Indeed, you do... We'll find you an all-black suit," He grinned wider, "Maybe even complete with a cape."

Kevin rolled his eyes, looking over at Edd. "When you met the 'me' of this world, was he wearing at tux...?"

"Well, no..." Edd and Kevin headed back to Nazz.

"So don't belive all the B-movie crud that Ed's taught ya... Obviously a stake through the heart would work, it'd work on just about anything alive... But sunlight killing? Please." Kevin knelt down next to Nazz.

"It WOULD hurt a true vampire, correct?" Edd looked down at her. //Sleeping...? Or...//

"Full sun would probably hurt me too... For now, anyway. But seeing's how it always seems to be cloudy here, it doesn't really matter." Kevin closed his eyes. "You should head out, I'm gonna change and carry Nazz out."

"...She WILL wake up eventually, right?" Edd asked, standing.

Kevin nodded, his eyes still closed. "It'll probably take while for her to wake her up, I was planning on her sleeping until all of you left... But, yeah, she'll be fine... Let's get going, I don't think the lot of them are gonna stay down there much longer."

Edd smiled, then went over to the opening, and knelt down. Kevin was right, several of the kids were already coming towards the cliff. //Has it really been a full ten minutes? Huh...// He glanced to the side. Kevin's hat still lay on the rock. //He'll probably want that later...// He grabbed it, stuffed it in his pocket, then turned to reassure the others that everything was fine.

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

After Kevin had come down, and the others relaxed to a degree, Edward and Maria had started saying something about a friend of theirs... Appearently he had a bomb shelter that actually wasn't too far from here, and who knew? Maybe there had been one in this world. Edward and Trip both mentioned meeting the man before, and the four ran off to see about it... Edward's reasoning had been, "It's not like she's gonna wake up yet, Vamp-boy here probably doesn't even know what he'd doing... And we'll be right back."

Lee glanced over at Kevin again. The boy was sitting next to Nazz, (who was still asleep), watching her with a calm look on his face.

Sarah and Jimmy had checked her neck, several times, to make sure he hadn't bit her at some time, then backed away to let him try to wake her up.

Most of the kids continued to eye him suspiciously. Rolf spoke up. "So... Kevin... When shall the Nazz-girl awaken, hmm?"

//What's that, the third time he's asked me?// Kevin thought irritably. He placed a hand on Nazz's head. "...I don't know. I put her to sleep, but I might have tried too hard... I don't think she's going to wake for a little while yet."

//Actually, that was the forth time.// Edd responded dryly. //Don't you think that was a bit of a speech for a 'distant, coffi-'//

//I know, Double D...// Kevin thought-muttered. His eyes shut as he focused on Nazz. //Another... Twenty five minutes, I think? At most.//

Edd nodded slightly to himself, glancing off to the south. //Why did those four run off to some bomb shelter, anyway...?// He wondered, annoyed. //They'd better get back here soon... It's like they can't stand sitting around with the rest of us...// He smiled. //Though I doubt the nicknames these guys gave them helped.//

"...How did you know what to do to put her to sleep, anyway..?" Ed asked.

The vampire opened his eyes and looked up. Ed finally seemed to be sincerely curious, rather than the suspicious interogating he had been doing before. "...Probably because I transformed here..." Kevin replied, then sat up and looked off behind them. //Those four are coming back, you can quit the hissy fit.// Edd glared at him, then looked for the doubles.

Some of the kids also turned to look, and saw the doubles walking back, each carrying... A black bag, it seemed.

"Um... What does transforming here hafta do with anything?" May wondered.

Edd was standing up, and walked towards the four. Edwardo grinned.

"Look't this all this stuff we found, huh? Food, some clothes if we need 'em..." He commented, striding into the group and putting down a bag. The bag proved to be a large amount of black fabric, with stuff thrown into it for carrying around.

Most of the kids looked to see what it was. "Cans, right? Lots of canned food?" Marie asked.

"That, and some fabric for carryin' the weapons in..." Trip added. He was also carrying a bag, and some black clothes.

Edd noticed the clothes, then grinned. "Dare I ask what the black outfit is for? Or more accurately, who?"

Kevin shook his head. "I wonder... That's really very funny." He muttered sarcastically, giving Edd and Trip a look.

"Well, yer clothes ARE all ruined, an' I don't want 'Maria' to be eyeing you all day." Edward commented, smirking and puting down his bag. He pulled a shirt out, and looked around. "Are the rest of you all set fer your clothes?" A few of them who had been wearing the same clothes for a while looked through, and were surprised; There were outfits nearly identical to the ones they normally wore in there.

Trip gave Maria the black outfit, and looked through his bag to find a pink dress. He held it up to himself and grinned at Edwardo. "Hmm? Waddaya think?"

"Ugh... No, Dou--- Er, TRIP... Definately not. Quit jokin' around." Edwardo made a face at the dress, then at Trip.

Maria also grinned, and tossed the outfit over to Kevin. "Y'know, you're not a proper vampire at all... Out in the day--"

"-It's cloudy." Edd and Kevin chorused, then glanced at each other. Kevin shook his head and looked down at Nazz again, Edd simply smiled.

"--Not wearing black, and yer accent... It's not Transylvanian at all. You're supposed to say 'I vonder, not 'I wonder'... That kind of thing." She finished.

"Hmm." Kevin merely replied, giving the black outfit a critical look. He glanced up at Edd, to see the boy trying to hide a smile.

//See? I told you I'd get you an all black outfit!//

//Missing the cape, Double D.//

Edd blinked, then looked at Trip. "How much black fabric did you find, anyway...?"

Trip raised an eye brow. "Good amount... Why?" (Edd grinned in Kevin's direction.)

Kevin looked up at him. "Never mind the cape, Double D." He said, then looked down at Nazz again. //I'd like to know... did you TELL them to find a black outfit?//

//Actually, no, I didn't. Totally coincidence, I'm sure.//

//Or you and your doubles are far more alike than you'd like to admit...//

//And you and the Kevin of this world aren't alike?//

Kevin rolled his eyes. //Now that's an understatement, isn't it?//

Meanwhile the others were silent a moment, trying to figure out what Kevin had meant. Ed scratched the back of his head. "Kevin... What did you mean earlier, when you said that you know more about being a vampire because you transformed here...?"

Their resident vampire carefully resisted an urge to jump up and hit them all in the head for constantly talking to him, then looked up. "Basically...? This world is more... Attuned... to the supernatural."

Edward's eyes widened. The thoughts he'd been having when he first went through this gate came to mind. "You felt that too!?"

Kevin turned to face him, quickly nodding his head.

Edd looked between the two, then around at Marie, Maria, and Trip. The three all nodded at him, surprised, but agreeing with that comment. "Interesting... Seems that a number of us noticed that. Though... I've no idea what the significance of this is."

"Who cares? We been standing around here too long, let's get going soon." Lee grinned. "Just picture Eddy's face when we're done with 'im..."

Sarah also grinned at this... In fact, most of the people there did. Edd made little effort to hide his smirk, while Jonny frowned.

"...You guys aren't going to REALLY hurt him, are you? But him up, I can see you doing that, but---" Jonny hinted at them.

"Ah, spoil our fun, huh?" Trip complained. "FINE, fine... Just 2 or three broken bones..."

"And some missin' teeth." Edwardo added.

May scratched her head, and slowly said, "I'm more worried about Tony... He'd be a lot harder t' beat up, if he can just stand there and tell us t' not move..."

The group contemplated this for a moment. Kevin glanced down, then stood. "...Nazz is waking up."

"What?!?" Everyone looked down at Nazz as well. Hereyes fluttered, then opened.

"Huh...?" She whipsered, blinking a few times.

"Nazz!!? Sarah and Jimmy ran over to her immediately. Jonny, Ed, and Rolf followed, forming a circle with Edd and the Kankers. The doubles watched curiously, staying out of the way, and Kevin slunk back, now eyeing the black clothes.

"Sarah? I... What happened..?" Nazz sat up slowly, looking around at the group, confused. Her eyes focused on the doubles, then on the cliff above them. "Where are we?"

"Um, well..." Jimmy made a face, glancing up at the cliff. "We're half-way to the hospital...?"

"More than half-way." Edward put in.

She looked are at them as Ed asked. "Are you all right, Nazz?"

"I think so..." She moved her arms and legs to make sure everything worked all right, then met Ed's gaze, and repeated, "What happened?"

"That's hard to explain.. .What's the last thing you remember happening?" Marie questioned, sitting down next to the blond.

Nazz looked up at the sky as the rest of the group started to relax and settle down. "Umm... I was going into the cave while on watch with Ed, to, uh... See if Double D had toilet paper..." She and Ed's faces began glowing red at the reminder of that conversation.

"Anything else?" Ed quickly stammered, before anyone had a chance to ask 'Toilet paper...?'

She looked thoughtful, then shook her head. "No, that's it." The brightness of the sky, or at least what seemed to be bright for that world, caught her attention. "This isn't morning... H-How long have I... been asleep?"

The rest of the kids looked at each other, with a few glancing over at Kevin, and Marie said, "Well, ya see..."

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

//Huh...? They...// Tony's eyes shot open, and he stared in the direction of the cliff, for about the 40th or so time that day.

"Why have some of them been moving? You're supposed to be delaying them!" He asked angrily... And got no answer.

//Why is the vampire not answering...? Those four from the other universes moved in this direction and lingered for some time, then returned to the group...// Frowning, the 20-year old sent his mind out, and into that of one of the kids. //...That miserable little... He's rejoined them?!? Why?!?//

"Damn it!!" He stood abruptly, throwing the food in his hand away to the side.

"Whoa!! Jeez, Tony, you almost hit me!" Eddy exclaimed, shielding himself.

"That was the point." Tony growled, now pacing around the rooftop.

Eddy sat up, watching nervously. //That was... th-the point...? Oh, man... Don't tell me he's ticked! There's no way I could get out of this NOW...// He swallowed, remembering the many times he'd been beat up. //Without Tony, there'd be nothing to keep those guys from being after me now... If he gets mad and Throws me out, or off... What would I do then? Suck up to them, say he was controlling me, yadda-yadda...?//

Tony overheard his brother's worried train of thought, and shook his head. //Idiot... But why don't I calm him down for now...//

"Sorry 'bout that, squirt... Looks like part of my plan didn't work, your vampire 'friend' still has free will."

"Who, Kevin...?" Tony nodded, and Eddy nodded, sighing in relief. //So he's just mad about that, not me...// "So, uh... Does that mean he's not delaying them?"

Tony nodded again, wondering when his younger brother's brain would develop, and turned back to the cliff. "They'll be coming this way as soon as they explain what is happening to that girl." //Then now there's only that one delay and test, then I shall simply have to explain it to them... Pity.//

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

"WHAT?!? Kevin WHAT?!?" Nazz was exclaiming in a mix of shock and fear. The people who were still around shushed her, and continued explaining what had happened. Edward was looking in one of the bags, pulling out every food item he had found... Cans of peaches, freeze-dried strawberries, jerky... Food that lasted for a good amount of time. He pulled out one of the strips of jerky, and walked around handing some to anyone who wanted it.

Edd stepped back and stretched. //She's taking this... Not too well, but I suppose it could be worse... And I don't blame her, considering.//

With the realization that she had been kidnapped by KEVIN, who was now a VAMPIRE... Nazz's eyes were now very wide, and she stared at the redhead, almost not hearing what the others were saying.

//...Well... She's not doing too bad, actually. Remember how she was before? At least she's talking now.// Kevin commented slowly, picking up the black outfit.

"We came after you, Double D climbed up to talk to Kevin, and get you and him down... We don't know what they talked about, but he came down after, Kevin flew out and put you down... And we all waited around until you woke up." Jonny told her gently, watching her reaction carefully.

Nazz sat there breathing for a moment, thinking. She couldn't see Kevin anymore, as he had walked off, behind one of the large boulders nearby... "...Then... why did he... Kidnap me?"

"Double D said that it was because, um..." Jimmy was saying quickly, then looked up. He frowned a moment, then turned to Edd. "What exactly did you say?"

"...'That Kevin only reacted that way because there were a great many new instincts to be dealt with, and he was overwhelmed'..." Edd repeated slowly.

Rolf frowned at Edd. "New instincts, yes... Do you believe that Kevin is now in control enough that we do not need to watch his every move?" Ed and Edwardo seemed similarly concerned about this.

Edd nodded. "Yes, I do... If his coming down here and not coveting Nazz like she is a... belonging of his isn't proof enough, then what is?"

"Maybe he's just patient, and wants to wait until we trust him...?" May wondered. Edd rolled his eyes.

"I think I can feel reasonably confident in saying that yes, Kevin is trustworthy, and all of you at least owe him the benefit of doubt. Something about the entire concept of hearing a person's thoughts gives me my reason for feeling this way..." (Several kids 'Oh'ed, and he continued. "Kevin is going to help us, and he is NOT going to do anything to Nazz without her consent." This last he said staring at the blond, and he repeated, "He is sorry about that, Nazz."

"I..." She looked down at the ground, then gave a little half smile. "I guess I could take it as a compliment, that of all of us he'd... take me... It's just so wierd..."

Marie coughed, and when everyone looked at her, she spoke. "Okay, this is all real nice, but where did Kevin GO, anyway? I don't see him."

Everyone started looking around, and stared as he suddenly emerged from behind the boulder. He was in the fully black outfit, black pants, shoes, and long-sleeves... He walked over, and smirked at Edd.

"Happy now...?" He asked Edd, then glanced over at Maria. "I'm sure you are, or you 'vill be'..."

Edd rolled his eyes, and stood up. "Well, I had thought it funny..." //You still need a cape, you know...// He thought to Kevin, then looked around. "Let's get going everyone. From what Kevin told me before, Tony wasn't expecting us for another day. Let's keep things from going his way, and see if we can't learn what the point to all of this was."

"If there even was a point, and it isn't just him on a power trip or somethin'..." Trip commented.

"Right... If any of ya'll suddenly had the ability to manipulate people to do whatever you told them, you might go a bit nuts..." Edward grinned at May and Lee, who simply made faces.

"Anyway..." Jonny stretched, and looked to the north. "So, it's that way?"

"Yeah, that's where he is... About a mile north of here." Kevin said, then started walking. He paused next to the bags, and glanced back at Edd. "...I really don't need a cape, Double D."

Sarah looked confused. "Did I miss something? Why do you two keep glancing at each other like that?"

"Eh... I had jokingly told Kevin that we would find him a black outfit, complete with a cape, so he could really look like a vampire..." Edd shook his head, and started walking north. The rest of the group followed behind. "That's all, really.."

"So you told him something would happen, and it did...? How many times is that?" Marie wondered. Edd shrugged, and they fell into silence for a few minutes.

****

Edward stared ahead, squinting. //Is something up there...?//

Jonny heard that, and looked ahead as well. "I think I see something ahead..."

Kevin nodded, and commented, "...Zombies, of some kind. And... There's something else further back there."

Most of the group jumped, and strained their to see. After a minute, the rest could see a good number of creaures coming up and forming a large circle around them. However, they were different from the previous zombies... These ones were SKELETONS.

"Fascinating." Edd remarked, picking up his walking stick.

"Some practice...?" Kevin murmured, looking up at the grinning crowd. Like Edward, he could notice the three or four large creatures, waiting in the background. //Now what are those...? They'll need to come out of hiding before I can tell.//

"Everyone watch yourselves.. I think these guys will be easier than the zombies, but they'll hurt more if they hit you." Ed called out, readying the large piece of wood he'd been carrying. The younger kids grouped up again with their spears, and the more experienced werewolved transformed partially.

"This is getting so old..." Sarah complained as the skeletons lunged forward.

*****

CRACK!!

Marie swung a spear through one, and it shattered.

"Yeah, take that, stupid things!" She told it loudly.

"Marie! Watch it!!" Lee's voice exclaimed.

Marie turned to find another skeleton about to hit her. "Whoa!!" The stick in her hands came up to block it.

A rock crashed into it's head, and the skeleton collapsed. Marie met Lee's 'gaze'.

"Move it, will ya? Keep standing around like that, we'll have to keep watching yer back!" The redhead complained.

"Yeah, and we've gotta watch our OWN backs!" May continued, then frowned and went to help Ed and Rolf with a group of them.

Marie shook her head. "Oh, these guys are nothin'... Don't worry about it."

"'Specially with all of them helping out..." Lee muttered, gesturing at the doubles and Kevin. Edwardo was proving to be as strong as Ed, while the werewolves and Kevin were faster and stronger than the humans...

Edd swung at ones body, then joined the two Kankers. "Are you two all right?" He asked, looking around. Most of the skeletons left were being wiped out by the very people Lee had referred to.

"Yeah, we're fine..." Marie smiled at Edd, then looked past him to the north. Her eyes widened, and she stepped back. "Holy..."

"What the heck...? What are those?" Lee asked, brushing her hair up to reveal equally wide eyes.

Edd turned around again, to see most of the others also back up, staring. Three large creatures, about twice the size of any of the kids.

"Golems..." Ed said slowly, staring at the creatures. Edward nodded.

"Yeah, that's gotta be what they are. Great..." The three creatures didn't advance, but stood there, watching the group.

"Umm... Why aren't they attacking us...?" Nazz wanted to know, as all the kids closer up backed away to group up again.

Edwardo studied the three for a minute. "Well.. They're not real monsters, they're made by someone, usually to guard something... All they know is their instructions and how to fulfil them."

"That's a boring life... Jonny muttered. "They're made from clay and magic...?"

Edd blinked, and looked at Jonny. "Magic...? Does magic even exist?"

Maria snorted, and walked over to Edd. "You're a werewolf, right?" He nodded. "And so are a few of us. He's a vampire, and you can read my every thought if you feel like it. Now, how do you explain all of that with science?"

"...You don't." Rolf nodded at Maria, then looked at Edd. "She's right, in Rolf's old country there were those who used magic frequently... Perhaps they weren't capable of making these.. Things.. But It does exist."

"Well, then..." Edd stepped closer to them, and stared up. "Then someone must have created them, and for some reason... Somehow Tony comes to mind." He closed his eyes, and listened to the golems' very limited thoughts.

//Guard the way...// All three were thinking at once. Edd repeated it out loud, opening his eyes.

"What, was that what they're thinking?" Marie wondered. Edd nodded back at her, and focused again. Jonny did so as well.

//Humans do not pass, unless they know How.//

"Um...." Jonny stepped up to Edd, staring up, confused. "Isn't one way to pass just walking around them...?"

"So, what now?" Edwardo asked them. "Is that all they're thinking?"

"No, their other thought is that 'Humans do not pass... Unless they know How." Edd shook his head, and faced Jonny. "I should think there is more to it than just going around them."

"'Unless they know How'... A password, maybe?" Nazz asked, looking around at the others.

"Well, when in doubt, try the stupid approach first..." Edwardo decided, and stretched. They watched as he walked off of the path, gave the golems about 20 feet of space, and began to walk around them...

THUNK. He hit an invisible wall, and fell backwards. "Ow, drat!!!"

"You okay?" Everyone went over, looking down at him. He sat up, and tapped the air. There was no sign of anything there, but the air was solid. He pushed on it, then grabbed a rock and threw it. The rock went through.

"'Humans do not pass'.. That could be a problem." Edd decided. He went over to it, and put his hand forward; It was solid to him as well.

"Flying over might work... I don't think they could do anything about it..." Kevin murmured, looking up.

"Uh... No thanks..." May made a face, as did a few of the others. "I don't wanna be carried around... Let's see if it is a password..."

Edwardo got up, rubbing his nose irritably, and they walked over to the three golems again. "Hello?"

The golems watched them, but didn't react. Edd scratched the back of his head. "Do you suppose we could just push them out of the way?"

"...Do you want to be the one they start attacking...?" Edward said cooly. "If they're created to make sure no one passes through here, they'll take it VERY seriously."

"Well, then what should we do?" Jimmy asked.

Sarah glared up at the middle golem. "Look, you idiots are in our way!! Move it, will ya?"

"Heh, now that's effective... Yell at them." Edwardo grinned, and sat down.

"Wait a minute..." Everyone looked at Edd, who had an odd expression on his head. //'Unless they know how'... I wonder...// "Golems, move out of our way... Let us pass."

Most of them realized what he was doing, and turned back to the golems, holding their breath. "The test...." Three rumbling voices echoed. The group jumped at the sound. "This one knew the way... The humans shall pass."

"You've gotta be ^#&@ing kidding me..." Trip muttered, watching the three part, opening a path for the kids to walk through. "If Tony's the one that made 'em, why make them that easy to manipulate?"

"'The test'..." Kevin repeated. "That's what they said."

Sarah shook her head. "Why have a test for Double D...?"

"Unless... It wasn't just for him." Jonny and Edd looked at each other, then back at the golems. Jonny swallowed. "Tony can read minds too, and he had some reason for getting all of us to go to the trailer park at the same time..."

Edward shrugged. "Well, how 'bout we get going, and ask him once we get there..?"

"We might as well.. I don't see many other options." Edd decided.

"How about we just use the remote you have, go home, and leave Eddy here...?" Kevin suggested. Edd glared at him, and the vampire shrugged. "A thought..."

"No, let's just go, and stop standing around talking... If we just go home, Tony will probably just follow us and the whole thing will start over again..." Ed decided. He started to walk between the golems, then gestured to the others. "Come on."

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

They walked for about 15 minutes, and came to a large area of ruined buildings.

"The city... Just like everything else here..." Jonny whispered. "Totally destroyed..."

Marie examined a street sign, and pointed. "The hospital's about 4 blocks west of here. Let's go." She led the group now, and after 3 and a half blocks, then slowed down. They looked up from where they stood in the shadows, up at the top of a building across the street.

"Is that... Eddy?" Nazz pointed to the roof. A familiar person was looking out to the south, leaning over the edge.

"...Yes, that's him." Edd looked up as well. "...He doesn't know we're here."

Rolf crossed his arms. "That is quite all right if he does not now... Shall we go up?"

Ed looked at the building, scratching his head. "I don't get it... The zombies were attacking us because we smelled like Tony and Eddy to them.. Why aren't there any here?"

"Maybe Tony scared them off... Or the Dork farted." Kevin remarked out of the shadows. A few kids jumped, he had blended in pretty well.

"Honestly, I doubt Eddy farting would be enough to scare them off... If anything, the smell would have attracted more of them." Edd shook his head. "There's an emergency staircase on this side of the building, we can use that to get to the roof."

The group crossed the street when Eddy's head vanished, and proceeded to climb up the stairs that Edd pointed out. They paused just before the door to the building's top.

"So.... Do we have a plan, or are we just gonna to run up and demand that Tony tell us what's going on?" Marie asked.

Edd shrugged. "We don't seem to have much ability for long, complex plans... Oh, first... None of you should do what he says, or, at least, not simply because he told you to." The kids who had been present during the phone conversation had a sense of deja'vu, and the others nodded slowly.

"I really don't see many choices available to us, as to what we should do... Besides, from what I do see, most of you guys' plan is to go up and beat Eddy up. Jonny and I want to know what Tony was doing all of this for, and what the point of him watching through Plank was... So let's just go up, and find out. All right?"

The doubles nodded, as did Rolf, Ed, May, and Lee. Kevin simply stood there, and Jonny smiled slightly. Nazz looked over at Kevin, thinking, then nodded at Edd. Jimmy looked nervous until he saw Sarah watching him, then straightened, and nodded as well. Marie went over to Edd, shaking her head.

"Wonderful plan, Double D..." She sighed, then grinned. "But, then again, not a whole lot else we can do. So c'mon, 'oh knight', and let's face Tony..."

Edd grinned back at her at the mention of knight. "Knight...? Well, then, 'fair damsel', I believe there's still something I owe you first..."

"Yeah, you do..." The two stared at each other, oblivious to everone else's stares, and leaned together...

The door opened behind them, and the two broke apart to find Tony standing there, looking down. "..And here you all are. It's time."

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

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* End of Part 9 Half 2 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Okay, then... The final real chapter is next, Part 10!! After that is the small army of epilogues I have planned, INCLUDING THE PARTY... I'm still accepting requests for karaoke and who to have sing it... Lyrics are nice, but if you don't have them, at least have the name of the song... Name of the artist is nice too.

I'll try to have the next/last chapter up within 3 months... My record for updating things is really slipping. Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!!! Thank you!