There are so many theories out there about what's under Double D's hat. This one is rather dark. And if you want a sequel (you'll understand when you get to the end) I'll try to write one. Please R&R, as in Read and Review! Enjoy!

Double D had never assumed they would come back for him. But there they were, standing with his mother and father. His face went blank and he turned around, walking away quickly. But his mother saw him.

"Eddward!"

He paused and looked back. Ed and Eddy were staring at him in confusion. Double D's face looked weird. Like he was in pain, but trying to hide it. Double D, unable to disobey the voice of authority, walked over to his mother and father.

"Yes, Mother?"

"You remember Dennis and Mary?"

"Yes, Mother." I remember how they hurt me.

"They would like the chance to talk with you," his father said.

"No. I don't want to talk to them."

"Come on, little scientist," Dennis said fondly.

"No."

"We brought you cookies."

"No amount of bribery will convince me to forgive you."

"Forgive them for what?" Eddy demanded.

"None of your concern, Eddy," Edd said lightly. "Now. I believe I shall go to your house and do my homework."

"Homework? Lame," Eddy snorted.

"I want to read comic books!" Ed shouted.

"Once we are done with our studies, we can read all the comic books you want."

"You, read comic books?" Eddy asked suspiciously.

"I can indulge my friend every once in a while."

Ed and Eddy both knew something was wrong, but when Ed opened his mouth to ask, Eddy whispered for him to wait. They stood there staring at him as he turned his back on his parents and the two strangers and walked away. They didn't call for him to come back, so he didn't.

They went and did their homework, but as Double D put the finishing touches on his Algebra 2, Ed looked up from his reading that he was struggling through.

"Can I ask now, Eddy?"

"Yeah, I think we can ask now," Eddy said with a nod.

"Ask what?" Edd asked distractedly, putting an x where it was appropriate.

"What's wrong, Double D? You never read my comic books," Ed said, staring hard at him.

Double D's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "It's nothing, Ed. I just want to indulge my friend. I do that sometimes."

"Yeah, usually when you're upset about something and want to forget," Eddy challenged.

"Don't push it Eddy. I'm not ready to talk about this. I don't know if I'll ever be ready."

"Comic books?" Ed asked.

"Yes, Ed, let's read comic books. I'm all done, and you're done, too, I see. Eddy can finish his history essay then join us."

"History's stupid," Eddy mumbled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Double D's attitude stayed strained, and he seemed tired in school, like he wasn't getting enough sleep. Then one day, something happened that had all of the kids worried. Edd wasn't in school. The cul-de-sac kids gathered at one table.

"Where's Double D-Ed-boy?" Rolf asked.

"How should I know?" Eddy demanded. "Sockhead's been acting really weird."

"Ever since the strangers showed up, Eddy!" Ed exclaimed.

"Hey, I saw them. A man and a woman, right?" Kevin asked, sipping on his milk.

"Yeah. They said they brought cookies for him, and instead of takin' 'em, he said something like, 'You can't bribe me with that. I'll never forgive you.'"

"Forgive them? For what?" Nazz asked curiously.

"He would not talk about it, Nazz!" Ed lamented. "But he never reads comic books, so we know he is upset."

"Comic books?" Sarah snorted. "Double D doesn't seem like the kind of person to read comic books."

"Exactly the point, Sarah," Eddy said. "Right after he said that thing about the bribes, he voluntarily said he wanted to read comic books. That means he doesn't want to talk about it. Or even think about it."

"Where could he be?" Jimmy asked.

"He would go to the library!" Ed said excitedly. "That is where he told me he would go if he missed school!"

"Then you two dorks better go to the library and find out what's botherin' him," Kevin said simply.

So straight after school, that's what they did. They found their friend reading through a huge psychology text book.

"Whatcha readin' there, Double D?" Eddy asked, not really interested, but it was the best opening to the conversation he could think of.

Edd jumped violently and slammed the book closed, getting a shush from the librarian.

"Oh! Eddy," Double D whispered. "How are you? How was school?"

"Lonely, without you," Ed said softly; even he knew to be quiet in a library.

"Oh. Well, I had a headache this morning and Mother called the school to tell them I wouldn't be in today. She let me come to the library provided my headache disappeared, and it did."

"C'mon Sockhead, you think I'm gonna buy that lame excuse?"

"I did have a headache, Eddy," Double D said with a frown. "I've been having them quite frequently lately."

"Is that why you haven't been feeling well?" Eddy demanded. "It has nothing to do with that Mary and Dennis?"

"I…I didn't say that," Eddward muttered.

"So it does?"

"Eddy, I really don't want to talk about this."

"I don't care. We're all worried about you."

"No, Eddy."

"Double D—"

"No, Eddy!" Double D bellowed.

"Eddward!" the librarian gasped as every head turned to look at the hatted boy.

"I'm leaving right now, Mr. Hathaway," Edd said politely, then grabbed a small sack and stormed out.

Ed and Eddy followed. "What's in the sack, Double D?" Ed asked as they caught up to him in the library parking lot.

"A sandwich from Mother. I skipped lunch," Edd said curtly.

"Can I have it, Double D?" Ed asked eagerly.

Edd stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and dug the sandwich out of the back. He unwrapped it and handed it to his friend.

"Here you are, Ed. Ham and cheese with a single leaf of lettuce."

"Oh boy! Oh boy!"

Ed had it gone in a few bites. Double D resolutely walked back to the cul-de-sac, ignoring Eddy's persistent questions. He was stopped by Kevin as soon as he got there.

"So Dorky, did ya get it outta him?" the jock asked Eddy.

"Nah. All he had was some lame excuse about getting headaches."

"I did have a headache this morning!" Edd spat angrily. "And for your information it—"

"Eddward!"

The boy froze and gripped his head as another headache slammed into him.

"Auntie Mary, go away," Eddward growled.

"Come now," Dennis said; all of the kids in the cul-de-sac were watching, and naturally assumed that he was Double D's uncle. They were proved right at the next words.

"Uncle Dennis, go away."

"We want to talk to you."

"No. There's nothing you can do to convince me to forgive you. I haven't gone to the police, and that's as good as you're going to get, but if you don't leave me alone I will go to the police and tell them the whole story."

The two adults' demeanors changed suddenly, a creepily dark aura surrounding them.

"You're too much of a coward to do that, you little brat," Mary laughed. "We just want you to keep your trap shut. Do you know how hard it was to find you and your 'parents'?" The kids shifted. There was something odd about how she said 'parents'…

"Yes. I did that on purpose. I told my lawyer that I wanted to be as far away from you people as possible. In fact, I still have her number. Let me just run in and call her."

Dennis grabbed the top of Double D's hat and the boy immediately grabbed the bottom edge to keep it on as he was lifted into the air.

"Don't even think about it. Now, your precious 'mommy' and 'daddy' left you some chores to do. I suggest you go do them, pathetic little bitch!"

With that, Edd was dropped unceremoniously to the ground, where he sat and adjusted his hat, his cheeks hot. Nazz helped him up after the two adults had gone.

"What was that about?" she asked as she brushed him off.

"Nothing you need to worry about."

"C'mon Double D," Eddy growled. "That was weird."

"You'll treat me differently."

"Why would we do that?"

Edd went really quiet before pushing past them. "Just leave it alone. Please?"

"No, dude. We want to help," Nazz said gently.

"Look, I'm not going to tell you. But please, if you know what's good for you, keep away from my aunt and uncle. They're more dangerous than you think."

They watched as Edd walked to his house and unlocked the door.

"What was that police stuff about?" Sarah asked, sounding frightened.

"Yeah, and why would somebody his age need a lawyer?" Jimmy asked, grabbing her hand.

"This son of a shepherd is confused," Rolf said with a shake of his head. "Double D-Ed-boy is not the kind to associate with such filth as those adults are. They smell of alcohol, and it is no party that we are at right now."

"They're nothing like his parents," Kevin said thoughtfully. "Maybe they're distantly related?"

"But an aunt or uncle is a sibling of one of the parents," Jimmy said.

"Who cares?" Eddy spat. "He ain't tellin' us, and I wanna know why."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Eddy struggled in the man's grip, assaulted by the stink of alcohol. Rolf had been right. The other kids were hanging back as something sharp was pressed against his throat. It was dark and they had trailed the two adults to a clearing in the forest. There was soft sound of a throat clearing.

"Uncle Dennis, put Eddy down."

"There you are. I was just going to send your Auntie to get you."

"Put him down."

"Or what?" the man challenged.

Double D's face went blank. "They never found the gun, you know."

"Yeah, they blamed me for stealing it."

"You didn't."

"How do you know?"

Double D reached up and grabbed his hat, pulling it back and reaching in. There wasn't a single sound outside of nature as he pulled out something that none of the kids had ever seen outside of TV and pictures.

"You stole the gun?" Mary asked in shock.

"Daddy always said I needed to defend myself. Now, let Eddy go, or you're going to the hospital. Or the morgue, depending on how good my shot is."

"You have no bullets," she growled, though she sounded hesitant.

"Dad only used two. He kept one in the chamber at all times. That means I have five left. One of them is bound to hit something vital. Now," Double D said, the full moon lighting up his steady form. "Put. Eddy. Down."

Dennis obeyed, going so far as to lightly brush him off and pat his shoulders as he sent him to the hat wearing boy. Eddy scrambled behind him. There was something deadly about Double D. It wouldn't do to make a snarky comment at this point.

"Leave here. Never come back. Either of you."

They slowly left and Double D kept the gun trained on where they had gone for a good minute before storing the weapon in his hat again.

"You okay, Eddy?"

"You have a gun?" Jimmy asked quietly and Edd turned to look at the kids. They were staring at him strangely.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Double D looked reluctant then sighed. "I'll explain tomorrow after school. For now, our parents are looking for us. It's supper time. But you can't tell anybody about this. Okay?"

They nodded. The next afternoon, they were all in the candy shop. Double D had purchased each of them some chocolates and jawbreakers. They walked to the woods and sat down in that same clearing from last night.

"Alright Double Dork, what's going on?" Kevin demanded, sucking a red jawbreaker.

"I don't know where to begin," Edd sighed. "But what I tell you, you mustn't tell my mother and father. Or anybody. It's not something I like to remember."

"So? What is it?" Eddy asked impatiently.

"My father took the gun that I used last night to shoot my mother in the temple. He then shot himself in the temple."

Silence. "But Rolf is confused," the blue haired boy said. "Your mother and father are well and living at home with you."

"Those are my adoptive parents."

"Your…You are not their real child?" Ed asked with a gasp.

"They are more parents to me than anybody else ever has been. Mommy and Daddy were emotionally abusive to me. They didn't care for me very well. They ignored me most of the time, only feeding me food to keep me quiet. I was lonely."

"So your aunt and your uncle…where do they fit in?" Nazz asked.

"They attempted to adopt me after my parents were dead. They're worse in some ways. They drink too much and actually hit me. One day they threw me down the stairs into a glass vase."

"What happened?"

The kids jumped and turned to see the Kankers standing off to the side.

"Aw, c'mon Marie!" Lee spat. "You weren't supposed ta go and spoil the surprise!"

"Get outta here!" Eddy growled.

"No! I wanna know what happened to my boyfriend!" Marie shouted.

Double D stared at her then did something that he never did. He took off his hat. There were gasps of shock then more silence.

"Whoa," Kevin breathed.

A myriad of scars decorated his head, terrible, jagged scars.

"This happened," Edd said quietly. "It didn't fracture or anything, but the skin and muscle didn't knit together properly when it healed, as you can plainly see. I almost bled out on the way to the hospital. I don't like the scars. They remind me of blood and pain and their drunken arguing."

Marie walked over and knelt down. She pulled her pants' leg up as high as it would go to reveal a long scar up her right thigh.

"Mom got mad at Rod, he's my dad, and they started throwing things. She broke a beer bottle and…and…" Marie went silent for a minute, her face blank then it smoothed into a look of understanding. "I know I can't change what happened, and I know that mine isn't as bad as yours, but I do understand to some degree."

"Eh, Rod was a big jerk," Lee growled. "Mom took way too much crap from him. She shoulda kicked him out a year before she did."

"Bubba was no better," May whispered, looking away. "At least Rod didn't drop her, and Butch didn't drop you."

There was more silence. This new information was so strange and foreign to all the kids that they didn't know what to make of it. They were so used to their own families, who loved them, even if they weren't always sweet and happy. Sure they got grounded sometimes, and other times got spankings, but at the end of the day, they could hug their parents and everything would be alright.

"Why were you reading that psycho book last week?" Eddy asked.

"Psychology, Eddy. And I was just brushing up on my understanding of my OCD."

"OCD?" Marie asked, plopping down beside Edd.

"Obsessive-compulsive disorder. It means things have to be a certain way or else it makes my insides hurt until I fix it. At least, that's how it feels."

"Is it bad?"

"It can be. My case is quite mild compared to how it can be."

"Do you know why you have it?"

Edd looked down. "It didn't start until after I got to Mother and Father's house. Everything had to be neat, had to be ordered, had to be perfect because…"

Marie grabbed his hand. "Because?"

"Because when it wasn't perfect, somebody got shot or broken. So much blood."

The kids just sat there, looking blankly at the ground. Kevin finally shifted. "I got homework to do."

The others unfroze and started leaving. Kevin paused before he left.

"Sorry dude."

Edd nodded, not looking up and soon it was just the Eds and the Kankers. There was no tension between them for the first time ever. Marie sat beside Double D, holding his hand and stroking the back of it with her thumb. Lee and May stood there watching with Ed and Eddy.

"Hey, look Double D," Lee finally said. "If you ever need to talk about this, come ta us. We've been hit and dropped and beaten by so many of Mom's 'boyfriends' that it ain't funny. We get it. If ya need ta freak or cry or just hit something, don't hesitate ta come over. Okay?"

Edd looked up, tears shining in his green eyes. "Thank you. I shall keep that in mind."

"Come on Marie," Lee said, and the two unoccupied Kankers walked away without a single kiss blown the Eds way.

Marie tilted Edd's face to look in his eyes. "See ya around, Double D."

With that, she lightly pressed her lips on his wet cheek. It wasn't a lingering kiss. It wasn't harsh or filled with raw desire and want, like all the other kisses were. It was sweet and made a warm, happy feeling fill Double D. He suddenly didn't feel so bad.

Marie picked up his hat and gently placed it on his head, fixing it just the way he liked it, before she turned and followed her sisters. He stared after her, pondering his new feelings.

"Maybe they're not so bad after all," he finally said, turning to Ed and Eddy.

"Nah, they're still horrible," Eddy said dismissively.

As Eddy led them back to the cul-de-sac, Double D followed behind Ed. He looked back and smiled a secret smile as he thought of Marie. She was a good girl. She had been through some traumatic stuff as well.

Another thought made him bite his bottom lip shyly. Did he dare try to do it? Should he do it? Ed and Eddy would be shocked to hear his thoughts. Horrified. Traumatized themselves! And what was this thought that brought butterflies to his stomach and heat to his cheeks?

Maybe he could get her to kiss him like that again.