Ladies & gentlemen... whether you like it or not... I have returned...

Yes, back from the dead. (sorta) Been through a privet hell for the past several months. Off the bat, this in not an "action packed" chapter, but it will help get the ball rolling. And it will have a bit of romance. Enjoy.

(Legal crap, blah, blah, blah. I don't own anything. Something, something, you get the point.)


Head Shot!

It had been nearly thirty minutes since the group had returned home & the rumble of thunder had settled overhead, light sprinkles of rain have begun to fall. Signaling that heavier showers were on the way. A single light from the living room of the Rockbell home can be seen from a short distance. They make a quick jog to the front porch just as the rain started to fall in a heavier pace. Ed directs Shockwave to stay out of sight & points to the side of the house.

Ed knocks on the door & hears Den barking on the other side. To Ed, this was a comforting sign that he was finally home. The door slowly opened to Granny Pinako standing before them as Den's tail started to wag with excitement. "Well, it's about time you came home, runt."

"Who are you calling a runt? That's like the pot calling the kettle, black." Ed retorted, gritting his teeth.

"Well, come on in out of the rain. I'm sure you three are tired."

They walked inside, Ed & Lust removed & hung their respective trench coats by the door while Wrath removed his boots at the door, (which surprised both Ed & Lust that he even thought of taking them off,) and went to sit in a reclining chair that sat in the corner of the room. "Edward, did you want me to wake Alphonse to let him know you're home?"

"Nah, that's okay granny. If he's asleep, I can surprise him in the morning."

"Alright... But just so you know, we're running short on guest rooms. So, a couple of you will have to sleep out here for tonight until I can figure something out."

"That's quite alright, I don't mind sharing a bed with someone else." Lust proclaimed with a sultry tone as she wrapped her arms around Ed from behind. He stood somewhat frozen in place, feeling his cheeks flush slightly as Pinako raised an eyebrow to the scene in front of her. "Well, I'll let you decide among yourselves for tonight. You know where the extra blankets are. Just keep the noise down." She said before climbing the stairs up to her room, seemingly knowing what might be in store for the young man.

Ed looks over to Wrath & sees that the boy has already fallen fast asleep. "So, would you like to show a lady to the guest room?" Ed only wished that she would stop teasing him like this. Sooner or later, his hormones are going to get the better of him. Feeling somewhat defeated, he lead the way to the room. Passing the kitchen & the bathroom along the way, they walk to the back of the house where the guest room was located.

Lust takes Edwards left hand & gently pulls him to the room as she flicks the light switch & closes the door behind him. She turns to face him, a seductive smile crossing her lips, making the awkwardness of the moment run high with him. "So, are you going to stay with me tonight?" She asked coolly. He rubbed the back of his head with his right hand. "Um, not to seem like I'm not interested, but shouldn't we at least go out once or twice?"

"Edward, we've been through hell & back just recently, traveling through boundaries that would make our modern scientists orgasm with pleasure. And we've had our encounters every now & then before 'they' came. Granted, I know most of them were not on good terms & I am sorry about that..." She released his hand & walked over to the full size bed & sat down on the edge. "I do have to admit one thing about you. Your resolve is much higher then any other man that I've met. Most men would do anything to have a one-nighter with someone like me... And as much as I temped you, you still held yourself back from giving in."

Edward looks at her wholeheartedly & with a light smile. "I appreciate the compliment." She turns her head slightly to break her eye contact with him, taking off her gloves & tossing them aside. This surprised him on some level & more as she appeared to look more vulnerable at this moment. "But the one thing about you that struck me the most, is the way you looked at me. By that I mean, during our time together, you've treated me like I was a person & not as some sort of villain or a freak. You were just you."

Ed walked over & sat down next to her as she turned her attention back to him. "Look, I know that we've had our differences too, but I'm looking past that because you alone changed my outlook on you. You proved to me that you are your own person & deep down, you can be pleasant to be around. Which, I'm sure is biting at the ass of Dante & Envy right about now. Wherever they are? And if you still want to, I'll... see if there is a way to make you human." She gave a light smile as a tear escaped her & quickly turned to lean in & kiss him. His eyes widened at the sensation. He never expected his first kiss would be with a former adversary of sorts.

When the kiss broke, he looked into her eyes & saw a tender side of her as she gave the same smile from before. "Thank you, Edward." Ed gave no initial reply to what she said. He looked as though he was lost in his thoughts for a moment before deciding to take a "leap of faith". He surprises her with a kiss this time & following up by putting his hands on her waist & pulling her close as she wrapped her arms behind his head. Lust shifts her weight & climbs into his lap, giving him smaller kisses as she worked to take his flak jacket off.

She tossed his jacket to the foot of the bed as he held her close with his right arm while placing his left hand behind her neck as he made a trail of kisses down her neck, past the necklace he gave her & made his way down to her cleavage. She ran her fingers through his hair, surprised at how he just seemed to know what to do as he pulled her shirt out from inside her black leather pants & ran his metal hand up her back. The chill of the cool steel took her by surprise & caused her to gasp at the sensation.

She pulled her shirt over her head, letting Ed take in her choice in underwear with a lacy, dark green bra that just seemed to hug her perfectly. "Dark green... Kinda like your dress was." He noted. "Well, if you don't like it, you can take it off." She replied with a seductive smirk. Ed only gave a sheepish smile as she leaned into kiss him again.

Upstairs, Winry is awakened to the sound of the rumbling thunder outside. She props herself up & adjusts her nightshirt as she looks outside her window & sees a single glowing eye staring back at her. It takes her a moment to register what she was looking at & what was looking back at her. She let out a blood curdling scream before throwing the window open, surprising Shockwave & forcing him to step back. "You oversized, one-eyed pervert! Get the hell away from my window!" She reaches under her pillow & throws a large wrench at his forehead.

(A/N: BOOM, head shot!)

The impact was quite strong, actually causing Shockwave to stumble back slightly. "Now, see here!... I-" His explanation was cut short when he saw Winry pull a much larger wrench out from under her bed. The tool itself was larger than her & with all her might fueled be vengeful rage, she throws the wrench with incredible force & velocity that once contact was made with Shockwave's head, his main systems began to falter. He crash to the ground on his back, making the house rumble from the impact.

Downstairs, Lust was now in just her underwear, straddling Edward with her fingers resting on his belt buckle when the commotion upstairs grabbed their attention. "I can't believe this! Who the hell do you think you are peaking in on a girl when she's sleeping? I never would've thought that an alien robot can be a horny, peeping tom! And you're peeping in on a barely eighteen year old girl! You pervert!"

"Winry, what's going on?" Alphonse's voice made Ed sit up & smile. "Al, this perverted robot was peeking on me."

"Will the two of you keep it down, there are people downstairs trying to sleep."

"What did you say, granny?"

"She said there are people down here trying to sleep. So, shut the hell up!" Wrath shouted, causing both Lust & Ed to butt their heads together in collective frustration. Ed was on the verge of becoming a man & Lust just wanted to enjoy the remainder of the night with someone that she cared for. "Dammit, Wrath." They said in unison. Edward puts his muscle shirt back on as Lust climbs off his lap, feeling defeated.

He got off the bed & made his way to the door. He had just put a hand on the door knob when she gained his attention. "Edward." He turned to face her & what he saw just made him blush. She sat facing him with her legs tucked under herself & spread slightly. Her hands rested between her thighs & was applying light pressure on the bed as her arms pushed her breasts together. But what took him aback more was the sad, longing expression on her face. "Hurry back... please."

He nervously nodded & exited the room as he heard footsteps just coming down the stairs. He walked out & closed the door behind him. "Damn right I'm hurrying back." He walks into the living room to see his brother & Winry just looking at Wrath who points a finger to Edward. The two turn to face him as he gave a halfhearted smile. "Miss me?"

"Edward!" Winry wrapped her arms around around him as did his brother. "Yeah, I'm finally home."

"Welcome home, brother. I knew you were still alive & well, somewhere out there."

Ed was over joyed at the sight of seeing his brother is back to normal. "Yeah somehow I'm..." He cut his sentence short when he noticed something about Al that was very different. Al had a good three or four inches in height over him. "He's taller then me? That is so unfair." They both watch his face fall as depression sat in. "Brother, are you okay?"

"Yeah... I'm fine, Al. I'm glad to see you back into your old body. That grew somewhat..."

"I have you to thank for that, brother. And I have to ask, what is up with big cyclops outside?"

"And why was he peaking on me?" Winry exclaimed.

Ed had to figure how to cover Shockwave's mistake & end this conversation for tonight. After all, he's got a warm bed & a hot woman waiting for him. It's his turn to be greedy & the devil inside was telling him to hurry. "I'm sure there's a big misunderstanding with it all. Let's get some sleep & we can all sit down talk about this in the morning." Al & Winry looked at each other curiously, but saw his point of view & decided to return to their rooms. It was late.

Ed watched them climb the stairs before turning his attention to Wrath. "Goodnight, Wrath." He said in a monotone voice. "Yeah, whatever." He replied coldly. "Dick." Ed thought as he walked back to the guest room. His hand had just grabbed the door nob when he felt another hand firmly grab his left shoulder. "Edward..." The familiar female voice called out when he then realized he forgot to cover his right arm & cautiously turned his head to see Winry standing behind him & seeing a dark aura emanating from her.

On the other side of the door, Lust never left her spot on the bed when she heard the voice across the threshold. Her mind began to think that maybe the young girl knew that she was in here with Edward or maybe it was his arm. He did forget to cover it.

Edward can feel the levels of fear build inside the pit of his stomach. "Edward, what happened to the arm I built for you and..." Her head rose as her eyes stared at him awestruck with wonder & delight. "who built this wonderful replacement for you?"

"Huh?" He blurted.

"It's so streamline & almost seamless. It actually looks more like a normal arm with metallic skin & the joint areas are illuminated, giving it character & looking even more high tech! Edward, this is a masterpiece!"

"Um, it's not that special. It does its job."

"Ed, this is truly art at its finest... You should appreciate the craftsmanship more."

"It's not like I don't, but-"

"Good... So, please Ed, let me take it apart to see how it works, I promise I'll put it back together the way I found it!"

"Absolutely not."

"Edward, this is a huge jump in Automail technology. All I want to do is study it."

"Tell you what, you can talk to the giant monster who built it or the one-eyed giant that you assaulted out back can probably show you. Other then that, I'm going to bed. We'll talk more in the morning." He opens the door, slips inside & locks the door. She stood there feeling dejected & saddened by his attitude. Worse yet, she smelled something around him. A fragrance that was sweet & alluring. "Edward, you dick..."

Inside, Ed continued to face the door for a moment, quietly smiling. "I did it... I got him back." He turned around & saw Lust bending her index finger, inviting him over with a seductive smile. He shyly obeys & approaches her. "Alright, time to finish what we started." She said in the most alluring tone as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck & pulled him close for a kiss.

She adjusts her legs & lays down on the bed, pulling him down with her. He stared into her eyes, seeing a softness that he never would've imagine. She reached over to the lamp that sat on the nightstand & turned switch, darkening the room.

Within an hour, the storm had passed & the full moon had begun to reappear from behind the blanket of clouds. Filling the room that Ed & Lust occupied with its pale light as the two continued to make love. Doing their best to keep the natural noises that come with it down a few decibels.

In the kitchen, Wrath was in the midst of raiding the fridge as he was looking for anything to make a late night sandwich. "Leftover chicken, spaghetti, some cheese & a little lettuce." He puts chicken on first, followed by the spaghetti, a slice of cheese & one piece of lettuce. He sits down at the table & begins to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

(A/N: If that is what you want to call it?)

Morning came, 8:30 to be exact. Winry walked down the stairs, wearing black pants & a gray tank top as she walked into the kitchen & saw the mess of food on the table. She closed her eyes as he left eyebrow twitched slightly as the anger began to build, knowing full well who the culprit was. Outside, Wrath had bandaged Shockwave's head with two large band aids that he made & stuck them on the dent on Shockwave's forehead.

"WRATH!"

The familiar voice was all too haunting to the Cybertronian she assaulted last night. She storms out of the house & catches him hiding behind the large sitting robot. "Wrath, clean your mess, right now!"

"Um, in a minute." He nervously replied.

"Wrath, clean that mess right now or I'll do to you what I did to him last night!" The boy scuttled into the house catching the cold, stern look on her face before she turn her attention to the robot looking at her. "And what are you looking at you pervert?"

"N-nothing..." He turned away, hoping she'll leave him alone. She walks back into the house leaving him to his thoughts while she supervises the boy's cleanup efforts. "Here I am, a renowned scientist. Respected amongst my peers. I sit here, terrified of something that I should consider to be a being lower then myself, and yet, she is so dangerous & threatening. This must be what 'fear' is..."

Inside the guest bedroom, Ed stirs under the blankets as the commotion in the kitchen fills the house. He rubs his eyes when he noticed that the woman he spent the night with was nuzzled close to him. He couldn't help but noticed that she looked like an angel when she was sleeping after he experienced the side that can be a devil at night.

He nudged himself away, doing his best not to wake her & puts his pants & tank top on before sneaking out. It was much easier then he would've guessed with Winry supervising Wrath while his brother was standing in the doorway to the kitchen trying not to show any amusement out of the scene. Alphonse catches his brother out of the corner of his eye & sees Edward waving him over.

"Finally decided to wake up brother?"

"Yeah. Just wanted to see what all the noise was about." Ed peered around the corner & saw Winry asking Wrath how he got a fork stuck to a spatula to the point where you could not separate them for anything. Al blushed when he saw a familiar dark haired woman wearing one of the robes left for guests. It just covered her figure but did little to hide her modesty as the robe stopped just short of mid-thigh.

She wrapped her arms around his neck from behind & kisses his left cheek. "Good morning, Edward."

Her voice was alluring & seductive. She then turned to his brother & smiled. "My, good looks must run in the family." She releases her hold on Ed & walks into the kitchen trying to ignore the obvious stares from the boy & young lady that paused from the one-sided argument.

"Brother? The robes around here are not that short."

"Probably cut it." Deep down, he didn't really mind as much as Winry might. The kitchen suddenly went quiet after she entered & poured herself a cup of coffee that was conveniently made. Lust calmly walks outside & approaches Shockwave, who was still sitting on the ground. She took a small sip before looking back at him. "And what have you learned from last night?" She asked coolly.

"I don't know what you are talking about." That was an outright lie, but he didn't want to admit to anyone else of his misconduct, despite whether it was intentional or not. "You're fortunate. You at least can walk away with just minor bumps & bruises. If she had her way, she might have taken you apart."

To the cyclops, he would've thought of the homunculus' words to be amusing. But, deep in his core, he felt as though what she said might've held a merit of truth. High above, the large jet that is Thunderwing changes to robot form & lands with an arm full of steel I-beams. He looks at Shockwave, who was just now rising to his feet.

"What happened to you?" The giant ask.

"I had a slight... accident." Shockwave's reply was that of defeat & shame & Thunderwing decided not to dive into Shockwave's whose any further than needed. "More materials are on the way... Let us begin with this." Lust takes a sip of coffee before returning her gaze at the two giants. "Not to interrupt your plans, but if you want quicker progress, you should ask Edward to assist you. He is the most skilled alchemist alive. Among other things..."

The two look at each other as Edward walks outside & stood next to Lust. He rubs the inside corners of hi eyes in frustration of the early morning drama that is now involving him. "Why are you dragging me into this?" He asked. She leaned down to his ear with a seductive smile on her lips. "Think of it like this. The faster they can disappear, the sooner your life can quite down. Out of sight, out of mind."

He takes a sigh in surrender & cracks the knuckles on his left hand & takes a few steps forward. "So... where do you guys want, whatever it is you want?"

"The less conspicuous, the better." The cyclops answered giving Edward the notion that his help would be appreciated just as six light green construction equipment can be spotted coming down the dirt road. They pull up in single file with a front loader leading the pack. The Decepticon badge was very much visible on all six. "Oh great, more pains in the ass." Ed thought.

"Alright boy, where do you want the materials?" The giant asked.

Ed walked out back of the Rockbell property & marks in the grass with his shoe. "Set everything right here." He walks back & watches the giant & the dump truck that was obviously overloaded. "Oh, my aching shock absorbers."

"Quit you complaining, Long Haul and do as he says." He continues to grumble as he dumps steel panels & other smaller beams onto the ground & backs up. Edward shakes his head as he looks at the deep ruts that Long Haul left behind. He turns back to the pile of steel & claps his hands. He places them on the ground & the surrounding area glows in a bright alchemic light as he stands up & waves his hands as though he were conducting a symphony as the material moves through the air.

The sight leaves everyone in awe with the exception of Lust who just took another sip of her coffee while the show continued. The light fades & Edward takes a sigh of relief that he was done after he was finished constructing what was a massive steel pole barn. "There you go..." Edward turns to go back into the house. "Keep the noise down while you're doing whatever it is you're gonna do." His tone was monotone & uncaring as he walked inside with Lust following behind & the door slamming behind her.

Shockwave looks at the structure for a moment. "Well, this is most fascinating. He can preform his ability here & on Cybertron. I need to study this further."

"You'll have your chance to do so soon. After all, he & his brother will be part of my future plans."

"I must ask, how did you convince the Constructicons to join us?"

"After a long conversation, I found that even they are as tired of the current leadership. They & most of the others want change. Also, I have those Desepticons that I recruited a while ago to collect the Micromasters from Gorlam Prime. I will need you to undo whatever Jhiaxus did to them."

"And once I've completed that?"

"Then, phase two... We set the stage for the players."