A/N: For all review responses see bottom.

Disclaimer: Edward unfortunately, will never ever be mine. *tear* Here's chapter 12... I really hope I haven't lost my special touch!*begins to tremble nervously* I really feel like I've fallen out of the rhythm of things, so I'll apologize in advance for this chapter.

"If we're fighting, we're both losing
we're just wasting our time
because my scars, they are your scars
and your world is mine…

We all bleed red, all taste rain
All fall down, lose our way
We all say words we regret
We all cry tears, all bleed red"

As soft as a light drizzle of snow, vintage images sprinkled down into a white void of nothingness. Tattered, yellowed and torn the discarded photographs were all the same; a man and a woman in their wedding finery, stood with unblinking hollow eyes and rather grim expressions. Suddenly a strange metallic noise echoed in the void, and hundreds of rusted scissor-hands attacked the photographs. They snipped the pictures into disfigured paper dolls as more pictures continued to flutter down. A bright light appeared and the paper snow melted into an eerily white and glowing hospital room.

On a bed in the center of the room laid a woman with sickly thin appendages and a bulging stomach. Her skin was see-through and stretched tightly across her bones, and her lovely face was twisted in pain. Around her stood a smiling older woman gently petting the pregnant woman's matted blue locks and humming a soothing tune. Standing next to the older woman was a vaguely familiar man in a rumpled suit and a hungry gleam in his madness ravaged eyes. On the other side of the bed, grasping the pregnant women's clenched hand, stood a panic stricken man with a wild mane of ebony hair. Fear was swimming through his saddened chocolate brown eyes, and his demeanor was so utterly distraught, he looked as though he was burning alive.

The whole scene was as if someone pressed the pause button on a movie; everything was almost perfectly still. A shrill cry broke the stillness and the room exploded with movement. "GET OUT! All OF YOU! " A doctor hollered as blood began to spurt from between the thin woman's legs. Her flesh began to split as her anguished cries filled the air; what looked like tiny shears poked through her womb. "What the hell is that thing?" The doctor gasped. A tiny creature with cadaver white, stitched-together skin, curly black hair, and sharp metal scissors sewn to his tiny little arms crawled out dripping with his mother's blood. Another creature, the first one's perfect twin, crawled out immediately after. They looked at their mother with wide expectant dark brown eyes.

"Dispose of these revolting monsters," The doctor growled with disgust, "They're obviously not human. Freaks of nature, they are. Spawn of Satan." The twins sliced the nurse with miniature scissor hands as the desperately tried to claw their way back to their mother. "Please don't. Don't take my babies." The woman on the bed whispered feebly as blood continued to gush from her child induced wounds and her stick-like harms flailed, desperately trying to retrieve her stolen infants. The babies' sobs for their mother echoed in the crimson splattered, brutally white hospital room until the hefty nurse smothered them with her chest and they went limp and silent. The large woman then dragged them away to be destroyed and there was a disturbance in the universe as the ancient bond between mother and child was eternally broken. As a result, the world crumbled away into oblivion.

Suddenly Kalypso's eyes burst open, with her heart thundering like a herd of wild horses and the ability to breathe nearly impossible. She wiped the beads of sweat from her brow and glanced at the angrily blinking red numbers on her alarm clock. '3:32, guess I better wake up Edward so we can leave before an angry mob forms outside our house.' Kalypso gazed at the sleeping man lying oh-so peacefully next to her. 'But it seems like such a crime to wake him…' She gently caressed his scars and freshly made wounds, then lightly pecked him on the cheek. "Good morning, Edward." A smile small disrupted the calm sea of his face and his eyes fluttered open. He looked around then tilted his head in confusion. "…But…why is it still dark?"

"I thought we should leave before the townspeople wake up."

He nodded as a small pout formed on his scarred lips and waves of sadness clouded his bottomless eyes. Carefully she helped Edward out of bed while he squeezed his eyes, silently suffering through the unbearable pain. 'I hate those horrid people and what they did to him. He is so battered and bruised he can barely move. I'm just glad none of his bones were broken.'

They drove in silence down the darkened, empty city streets as they began their endless journey into exile. Sleepy Edward began to nod off just as the sun began to ignite the early morning sky. Even Kalypso's eyes began to droop as they were waiting at a seemingly never-ending stoplight. It was apparent that not even something as depressing as leaving home forever could keep exhaustion from plaguing those up at the unbearably early hours. 'People just shouldn't be awake at this hour… even if the quiet is just absolutely fantastic!' She yawned to herself.

The nightmare from last night was still fresh, vivid, and ominously creeping at her conscious mind, threating to consume every thought. The infants with their father's brilliant, saddened brown eyes were still boring into hers, pleading for answers unknown. They're desperate cries for salvation, were still loud and echoing around in her head, and her blood was still dripping, oozing, and warm. These images were now scars on her subconscious, begging for evaluation, but she fought them hard; trying to ignore them in attempt to stay focused and awake.

Abruptly sirens sounded off in the distance and it startled Kalypso out of her internal fog, but luckily, Edward was undisturbed. 'I hope I wasn't speeding!' She looked in the rearview mirror and sighed with relief. 'I would hate to begin our journey with a ticket! I wonder… if it wasn't the cops, then what's going on? It doesn't exactly sound like a fire truck or an ambulance. I hope there hasn't been a jail break or a robbery…from the buildings, this does not seem like the nice side of town…' She pulled up to yet another stoplight and was just about to lock the car, when she heard the doors being opened. Frantically she started to scream, "I don't have very much money! Please don't hurt us! I'll do whatever you want! Just please…"

"Just drive." A voice commanded. She shakily looked in the back seat at her assailants and to her disbelief the crazy-eyed man from her dream was sitting next to a blonde-haired woman with bright green eyes. Kalypso's lisping, quiet voice cracked with emotion as she uttered the simple phrase, "Mom?"

The equally startled older woman looked at her daughter and glassy diamonds trickled silently down her rosy round cheeks.

"Mom, where have you been? Are you ok? I'm so glad to see you! But why are you here?"

"Kalypso! Oh Kalypso my baby! I'm so sorry; I thought I lost you forever!"

"What are you talking about? And who's that… wait I know you, you're the government man that tried to take Edward!" He briefly looked at Kalypso then turned away and mumbled something incoherent in response.

"Don't mind him; his meds make him a little out of It." her Mom replied for the estranged man and then asked a question of her own, "Pumpkin, Who's Edward?"

All of this commotion woke the dozing Edward up and he cringed at the sound of unfamiliar voices. Disoriented, he looked in the backseat and saw a woman that looked similar to his beloved and the evil man from the hospital that tried to send him away. The woman curiously waved to him.

"Mom, this is Edward. Edward this is my mother."

Awkwardly and warily, trying to avoid as much discomfort as possible, Edward twisted in his seat and shook the woman's extended hand. For just a second he marveled at the novelty of it. 'My, very first hand shake,' he thought with a smile. Thinking he was smiling at her, Kalypso's mother widened her lips into a large sparking grin. "It's nice to meet you too, Eddie. I can't wait to hear all about you."

Edward nodded shyly and he tentatively turned around and slunk back into his seat. Kalypso's mother frowned and waited expectantly to hear more about the mysterious man she suspected was her daughter's boyfriend.

"Mom, Edward's a little shy. I'll tell you all about him in a bit, but first I want you to tell me everything that's happened since you left! Why did you leave in the first place? What did I do to deserve you abandoning me like that? And most importantly, why did you break into my car with a crazed man at 4 in the morning? Hold on, before you start talking, let me pull over and we can chat more comfortably." Kalypso slowed the car and started to pull into the nearest coffee shop when her Mom nearly gave her a heart attack.

"NO! KEEP DRIVING! WE CAN'T STOP NOW! Freedom's so close I can taste it." Maniacally she looked into the distance and her eyes were singed with unadulterated insanity. "THE CRAZY POPO WILL NEVER CATCH US ALIVE! I'd much rather die than go back to that hell! I told them I would never wear a strait jacket again, they laughed and called me a crazy whore…But who's CRAZY NOW?" She threw her head back and cackled in an unnatural humorless way; the sound produced was about as pleasant as nails being grated on a chalk board. A very startled Kalypso violently swerved onto the highway and looked in the mirror at her mother. "Mom, are you ok?"

"Yes sweetie, why wouldn't I be ok?"

"No reason. So are you ready to answer my questions?"

"Well… ok, fine. But it's not a pretty story. Once upon time…"

"Mom!" Interjected Kalypso, exasperated at her mother's childishness.

"What? Telling it like a story seems appropriate. It's less painful this way. So as I was saying…Once upon a time there lived a woman perpetually stuck in a sorry excuse for house, with no car, a dead husband, and no proper job; she was sleazy bartender that prostituted herself just to make ends meet.

She dreamed of a better life for herself and her only daughter, so she secretly started a savings account in hopes of having enough money to get a bigger and better house far, far, far away. Then one clear frosty night, the woman threw a wild party with her closet girl-friends and some strange, but very rich, drunken men. This was supposed to a happy party, a party that would deliver her to freedom.

The rich men were tipping them very heavily for doing dirty, inappropriate things to them, but it was worth it to the woman. If things kept going like they were going, then they could start house shopping in a few days. The better life was so close; the broken women could nearly taste it. But something tainted that evening and made the world crash down around the woman.

She escaped from beneath the unconscious, pants less man and tiptoed through the muck to her daughter's room to see if she was ok, but she was gone! The women got down on her knees and started sobbing. That's when a loose screw in her mind fell out, and she completely lost it.

She wobbled into the living room where her 'friends' were 'working' and flames burned into her very core creating a beast with a metallic thirst for blood. I grabbed a rusty knife from kitchen and let out a cry savage and inhuman, as I charged at the filthy fiends, unconscious and knocked up on my floor. MY FLOOR! They made my baby disappear! They ruined my life! I slashed their good for nothing faces into hideous designs and removed all the shit dangling between their legs! Oh it felt so good! So free! But the beautiful knife attached to my arm was unsatisfied, more it screamed! More! My friends didn't deserve the graciousness of the blade, so I began to stab myself. Oh it felt so wondrous! All the pain and sadness of this God-forsaken life was finally disappearing as my glorious rubies trickled out of the holes in my flesh. Something roared in my ears and I felt myself being sucked into darkness. Almost there, the end is near! Then suddenly, everything stopped and next thing I know I'm bandaged up like a mummy, entangled in a strait jacket, and locked in horrendously cushy room.

As time passed, the madness leaked out of my mind and I returned almost to my normal self. EventuallyI was put in a room for the half-way sane, but I was still not allowed to use anything other than a rubber spoon to feed myself and not allowed near anything even remotely pointy.

Yesterday this man came into little slice of Hell, barely conscious from having a tranquillizer dart shoved into his ass, and babbling on about how a thin blue-haired girl had stolen the experiment that would make his career. In an instant, I knew he was talking about you. Mother's instinct, I guess. I was ecstatic and desperate to find you so we devised a plan to escape and find you. We executed the plan tonight [which worked magnificently by the way] and the fact that we hopped into your car was purely God-given luck."

"I'm sorry Mommy! I didn't mean-my head hurt soo bad! I'm soo sorry please forgive me!" Kalypso began to weep like a small child overcome with guilt, but still managed to stay on the road. "So-so you're ok now right? You didn't KILL anyone did you?"

"It's ok honey! I forgive you, everything's ok now. Your mother's perfectly ok now. And I can assure you! I'm not a murder."

"Do you think the people from the insane asylum are following us?"

"I don't know, but I seriously doubt it."

"Did you really make a savings account in order to buy a new house?"

"Yes! We can start looking for one whenever you want and where ever you want!"

"Why didn't you tell me? You never told me anything, ever! "

"Now sweetie, enough questions… I want to hear your perspective of the story."

"Ok, then. Where do I begin? Hmm..." Her mom got comfortable in her seat while her friend stared out the window and murmured incomprehensible things to his reflection. Edward had been listening on intently, and looked rather shell-shocked from the older woman's gruesome tale.

"While your raging party was making my head nearly cave in with agony, I escaped to the magnificent old castle on the hill. That's where I met and befriended the most unique man in the whole wide world, and his name was Edward.

This incredible new friend of mine had beautifully sad, lonely brown eyes, hands made out of large, rusty scissors and his thin body was almost entirely covered in buckles, studs, and random bits of black leather strewn all to his frightening appearance, he was innocent, super sweet and uncommonly gentle, and could make the most utterly fantastic works of art out of bushes and ice.

After our treasured first encounter, I came home that morning expecting to find a bunch of hung-over creeps passed out in my living room, but instead I found a trashed but empty house that was clearly lacking something.

When I had found that you had left, it totally crushed me inside; I felt entirely abandoned and utterly alone so I ran back to Edward in tears. He comforted me in his dangerous arms, where even though a single motion could have sent me to my death, I felt for the first time in my life, safe.

I stayed with him in his father's decaying mansion—who was an incredible inventor-for a while till a social worker kicked us out. Afterwards, I brought Edward to our house where we stayed together in peace and harmony till a psycho maniac shot my dearest friend while I was at work. When I arrived at the hospital the retarded doctors kept telling me that there was nothing they could do, that Edward's fragile heart had stopped beating and I totally had a psychotic meltdown.

I felt like everything that had ever mattered to me in life had been ripped out of my clutches! But that crazy guy sitting next to you was a gift from God! He worked for the government and had a surgeon fix Edward all up and gave him normal hands. Unfortunately, then he tried to send my beloved away, saying that Edward was now 'government property' and we secretly escaped the hospital.

When we got back home to the neighborhood every one totally freaked out and started beating the crap out of poor Edward-that's why his sweet face is so scratched up. And that's also why we are here; they threatened to kill us if we didn't leave."

"Wow honey… that is really some story."

"You do believe me don't you?"

"It's not that I don't believe you, it's just... you have to admit it sounds a little far-fetched. Your friend over there does look ugly and very 'Goth', but scissors, really? It's just impossible! It sounds he could be a main character in one of those weird, creepy Tim burton flicks you love so much. Not only that but your saying this guy," she pointed to the man still intently have a conversation with himself, "worked for the government and brought Ed back to life? You have got to be kidding me."

Kalypso's face flushed with frustration and fury.

"You don't believe me? YOU'RE the one who told me you whacked some guys' genitals off and then attempted to stab yourself to death and you don't believe ME? If that REALLY did happen why was our house not a crime scene? Why are you not in prison, where you belong? AND HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT MY EDWARD! " She had half a mind to stop the car and clobber her mom.

'She is such a bitch! Has she always been like this, was I just too naïve to realize that? Her story has more holes than Swiss cheese and she had the nerve to question the validness of my story? I can't believe she said that about Edward when he's sitting right THERE!'

"I don't know! I was UNCONCIOUS remember! How dare you raise your voice at me like that young lady! I know you think I'm a nutcase but I am still your mother and you have to respect me!"

"Could have fooled me." Kalypso muttered angrily under her breath.

"And I'm sorry, but honey, have you looked at the fella, his face is all cut up, he looks as if he's never seen sunlight before in his entire life, he has the oddest dark circles I've ever seen, and he has NO EYEBROWS!"

"Shut up! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! How can you talk about him like that? He's perfect and handsome and adorable and right THERE! I'm sorry Edward, but my Mom's being a total bitch right now."

"What did you CALL ME! You are GROUNDED YOUNG LADY!"

"HA! Ground ME? Wow, that's the first time I've heard that since you worked at Sea World and actually CARED! And how the hell are you going to ground me? If you haven't noticed I'm the one driving your GETAWAY VEHICLE!"

"What are you talking about, I have always cared about you and always will… that's the whole reason I'm in this mess, all because I CARED for YOU!"

"Well you sure have had a funny way of showing it! For years I've had to take care of you while you worked through depression from losing your JOB! I lost my childhood at such a young age… I've had to deal with your 'habits' nearly half my life! I bet you don't know this, but I have extremely sensitive ears... I used to lock myself in the closet and lie writhing in agony for hours on the floor as your obnoxious music would play on and on. I was so depressed and constantly worrying about you to so I hardly ever ate!You on the other-hand, didn't ever bother to ask if I was all right! That's another reason I don't believe your bullshit! You've never once checked on me during one of your 'parties'! Not one single solitary time!"

'I thought having my mom back would fix my problems, but wow, was I wrong. She is even worse now than when she was a drunken prostitute. She absolutely nuts! Now I'm harboring two mentally unstable fugitives… can anything else go wrong? I wonder what the future will hold…'

While Kalypso and her mother were working out their issues, Edward stared out the window and began to daydream.

Bushes zoomed by in blurs of green and brown, and made Edward's wrists feel bizarre. It was a phantom sort of feeling, an ache of sorts. He realized this was a due too of yearning, a desire to feel the tickly, rough feeling of leaves beneath his blades. The desire to escape into his imagination, to feel that release as his visions escaped his mind and became reality right before his eyes.

'I wonder if I'll ever be able to do that again.' He sighed. 'But having normal hands is so…I can finally touch! I can feel! I can do things on my own! But my art can be no more and I'm still branded as a monster...maybe it was never my hands after all. What is wrong with me?' As if on cue the foot shaped bruises on his chest and back started to throb. He winced with pain, and tried to change the subject of his thoughts.

His mind wandered to Kalypso and her mother. He reviewed all the knowledge he'd obtained about mother and daughter relationships in his past life; Kim and Peg didn't always see eye to eye, but it was never like this. This arguing they were doing really confused Edward. He flashed back to the day Kalypso ran to him sobbing because her mom had left her. If she was so sad her mother had gone away, how come they were fighting so much now? He knew if his father ever returned to him, he wouldn't want to argue… the joy he'd feel if his beloved father ever came back to him was nearly unfathomable. 'Maybe it's different with mothers…'

A/N: I decided to make the author's note only at the end this time, because I knew it would be ridiculously long. I can't believe I have sooo many AMAZING reviews! I apologize for such a gruesome chapter, but it had to be done. The next chapter will be much more lovey-dovey and adorable, I promise! I won't even bother apologizing for such a long wait [insert lame excuse here] but summer has officially started and I have lots of time to write (and lots of ideas!) I love you all so much; I don't deserve all the nice things you guys say! *hugs all of the lovely reviewers*

MHZutaraFanGirl: Hehehe I will help you! THEY ALL DESERVE TO DIE! It's ok, sappy is good! (it tends to lead to adorableness) Omg meeeee tooo! Thank you so much ^-^

Laya14: Thank you! And yes (:

Quail Sandwich: Woo! Hehe (:

KaylahDemi: Thank you sooooo much!

AshwoodDraven88: Awwww thank you! I'm glad you like it :D

Team : Thank you!Well he did come back, but he's totally lost his marbles! XD Aww I'm sorry for making you cry…but it had to be done. And I'm glad :3 I was worried people would think that's stupid… but I'm glad I did it anyway!

Princess Daisy of the Shire: Hahaha reading that made my day! A hamster army? *shudders at the very thought* So much fluffy cuteness…ahhhhhh! I'm sorry for such a long wait :/

StarKid Loves Harry Potter: I'm sorry if I made you cry :'(

Lyla de Critic: I brought him back! Well at least in body, not mind. Thank you soooo much!

sarahthepirate98: Thank you soo much! I'm very glad you like it!

Larka-chan: Wow! Thank you for sooo many reviews! Thank you soo much for all your kind words! I'm very happy you love my story soo much! ^_^ I'm also glad you like Kalypso, I tried oh so hard to make her as likeable as possible, I'm super glad I succeeded!

Erik-is-my-angel1234: Yay! I'm glad you like it! Here's my update…hopefully the next chapter will be up soon too :3

Mrs Nellie Todd: I was wondering if anyone would catch that! Yes, yes he is! Lol I promise he'll be in future chapters… seeking revenge XD oops I've said too much!

JustForgettheWorld09: Honestly I'm curious to see how it'll turn out too! XD I really have no Idea… suggestions are always greatly appreciated! lol

RaistIsHot: Thank you so very much!I'm glad you like it ^_^

Zee de la Valliere: Thank you soo much! I'm glad you like it. Dark blue of course! Wouldn't have it any other way ;)

Bob: Ok :D

Mama Drama: Well now you know :3

Morning Sunrise 656: Thank you sooo much! I'm glad you like it!

TA-twinArmageddons: Thank you =)

Song lyrics: 'Bleed Red' by Ronnie Dunn.

Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated! They are the fuel that keeps me writing…even if it takes 3 months for one very crappy chapter. *face palm of shame* I'm not sure I like it, and If you guys want I can attempt to re-write it. Please don't hesitate if I EVER mess up a chapter, a character, etc. Bad reviews may kill me inside but they can be essential to growth...