Summery: Three years have passed. Lucy and Zarraq have not returned, and for a year there has been no negotiation. Elysia's been fighting, Leo's grown up and Alphonse is a state alchemist. Things have changed considerably, and things are strained. Finally the siblings have returned... united closer than they had ever been before. But once they have returned... are the cracks that are revealed created by them or uncovered?

AN: This is basically an attempt at the first chapter, I just want to see what you guys think of it, and the story line :) And thank you ubergriff500 and Corn-dono for encouraging me to carrying on!

Over Time

Time. It's a strange thing. A phenomena. Over time, wounds heal, people change, politics develop and landscapes shift. Time can feel as though it's going faster or slower. Or, most strangely of all, a year can pass, and in that time it can feel as though the individual days have gone past too quickly, but the year itself felt far longer than it was in reality.

This was true for Edward. Three years had passed. Originally, he had thought that the years had passed quickly, now reflected back, he felt as though it six, even nine, years had passed.

A lot had changed in Central in those three years. The children had grown up significantly. Not only physically, mentally as well. For Edward personally, it was a strange thing to see. Elysia developing into that awkward stage between childhood and puberty, Leo becoming more of a little person that a simple toddler, Alphonse becoming a state alchemist… being a seventeen year old… adolescent? Boy? Man? Edward felt like an old man seeing his brother in his position not all that long ago.

He leaned back in his chair and looked up. Three years. It had to have been longer than that… He had been on so many missions, a lot of them to areas where he had heard that Theodore Fuller was in, but he never saw him… or her. He sighed heavily. Where was she? What was she doing? Was she and-?

"Fullmental!"

"ARGH!" all of a sudden there was a sweeping sensation in Edward's stomach and his head felt light, as he lost balance on his chair and his body succumbed to gravity… he hit the floor. And hard.

He looked up, his hair falling in his face, squinting in the bright lights of the office. Directly above him stood the little too trigger friendly colonel Riza Hawkeye, looking very displeased. Edward tried not to make a face.

"What?" he asked innocently, not moving. He was suddenly very glad Black Hayate wasn't in the office, he'd have been covered in dog slobber by that point.

"Stop day dreaming and get on with your report."

"But Falman and Breda were there as well!"

"Don't drag us into it!" complained Breda, "we're already on our reports!"

"Yeah but can't they just use yours?!" Edward pushed himself onto his hands and looked at his colleagues for the past… too many years, (eleven almost but he didn't want to admit that to himself just yet), "they're going to just be the same."

"More perspectives, Elric," sighed Hawkeye, "look I don't make the rules, and I think they're stupid too. But they all know I'm the one who makes sure you do your work, so I get the heat if it's not done."

"What about Mustang?" grumbled Edward, getting to his feet and picking up his chair.

Hawkeye jabbed her thumb over her shoulder. Mustang had his chair facing away from everyone else. He was sniggering, and there was a smell of burning coming from the vicinity.

Edward sighed and rolled his eyes. Mustang was not a good example. He glanced quickly at Hawkeye's golden band on her left ring finger. Two years previously, she and Mustang had married. It was something everyone had been half expecting, but almost dreading at the same time. Edward just wandered how the two coped with each other.

Then he remembered the way the two would repeatedly enter the office. They would forget that there were others in the room, Mustang would inevitably have his arm around her waist, while one would be whispering in the other's each. They would more often than not lean in to kiss, then become aware of everyone else, where Hawkeye would jump away from her husband, straighten her uniform and hat, and becoming immediately very professional. Meanwhile, Mustang just swaggered in, his usual self, but under no circumstances were the others allowed to bring up what had just happened.

This cycle was repeated every morning since the two had arrived back from their honeymoon. It was strangely sweet, endearing, and every inch what the couple were like themselves.

As Edward settled himself back into his seat to go back to writing his report, his mind drifted to his current relationship. Three years, almost to the day, (their anniversary had been two days previously) he and Winry had been together. Then six months before their third anniversary… the arguments started.

He frowned. Three years… again there was that mark again. Three years. Three years ago, on the day previously, Lucy… Chaandi… Tash… their friend, their family member, had left them with her older half brother Zarraq Nabeel to go after a terrorist, traitor and another of her half brothers (this one on her father's side), Theodore Fuller. So Lucy would have her revenge… so she could bring him to justice.

Of coarse officially she had just gone back to travelling for a while. Not that a half Ishballan half Armestrian girl really answered to anyone. Since meeting Lucy, Edward had found himself meeting more and more mixed people like her. There were very few of them about, but the segregation was being pulled to pieces bit by bit, and mixed little children were beginning to be seen more often than when Edward had been a child.

It was change, and it was a change that was needed for the country. If it wasn't for those children, for people like Lucy, then the separation between Ishballans and Armestrians since the revolt would be have been impossible to break down.

He smiled to himself and put down his pen for a moment, stretching out his arms, rotating his wrists. He could feel the changes coming. It felt good. Only thing missing…

The smile disappeared. He sighed and picked up the pen, and started writing again.

They hadn't heard from Lucy or Zarraq in about a year. When she left they received a letter each about once a month, though they rarely arrived at the same time. Sometimes it could be twice a month, though that was unusual.

For her cousin, her sister, Elysia, these letters were the her only connection to a girl she should have grown up knowing. She treasured each and every letter that came to her, and even at eleven, she would still read the old letters when Lucy stopped sending them a year previously.

Edward frown again. Girl? Lucy was a small slight female, unusually slender, with a tiny build, and was mistakenly thought to be Alphonse' age when she first arrived… but now… she would have been about twenty two. Hardly a girl any more. Even though he hadn't seen her in so long she could only be described as a woman.

"Edward," came a sharp voice. He looked up, a sharp pain shot up his neck, causing him to let out a strangled yelp, "have you heard from Chaandi recently?"

Mustang was the only one who called her Chaandi. Elysia and Gracia called her Tash, as did Hawkeye. The rest of them called her Lucy, simply because they were used it.

As the years had passed, what Lucy had told him, about him hunting her name down being redundant, he had come to realise it to be true. He had thought if he found her name, everything would change. He would understand her better, her reasons would become more obvious, their relationship could have developed.

But it was never going to be like that. His understanding never changed, her reasons were still opaque and their relationship never developed. The last he reasonably blamed on Theodore Fuller, making her leave Central altogether, the former… he realised he had given the idea of a name too much emphasis. It was a label, what you called them to get their attention nothing more. Whether her name was Lucy or Chaandi or Tash, she was the same person, the name meant nothing.

He wished he had realised that before. It took him and the rest of his family loosing her for him to realise this. It was sad. And strangely, it hurt.

"Lucy?" he didn't know why he asked… was he reconfirming that thought that had passed through his head? That names meant nothing? "No… not since last time…"

Mustang frowned. He looked almost angry about this. Was he worried for the girl? Not that it was surprising… she was his niece… in his mind at least. Maes and he were practically brothers, and Maes genuinely thought of Lucy as his daughter. It made sense. But it was definitely a complex relationship. That aside, Lucy never really spent that much time with Mustang. Though Edward strongly suspected it was to do with the fact that Mustang was a reminder of both Blake Fuller, her father, and Maes Hughes, her uncle… both dead.

"Well… tell me if she gets in touch," he told him, then immediately went back to setting things alit, though this time it appeared he was trying to calm himself down.

"Damn pyromaniac," muttered Havoc beside Edward.

Edward grinned, shook his head and returned his attention to the report he was meant to be writing. He couldn't concentrate, but he knew he had to get it over and done with.

*

The line was very bad as Winry spoke to Alphonse over the phone. He was in Xing on a diplomatic mission with the Fürer. Edward and Winry both suspected that he was there mostly for show. He was only seventeen and he was already a very an accomplished Alchemist.

"You're safe though right," Winry practically screamed down the mouth piece of the phone.

"Yeah," came Alphonse's crackled reply, "they have incredibly alchemy here, I've bee-" there came some interference, and the rest of his reply was drowned out for a few seconds, "very helpful."

Winry sighed. "I can't wait for you to get home and tell us about this properly."

Alphonse laughed, though it sounded like an old man's laugh with the interference. "I know. Hey is Edward all right?"

"He's stressed out. They've piled reports on him, and Elysia's been acting up recently."

"Can you blame-" the last few words were inaudible again.

"Yeah I know," Winry sighed when he came back into focus, "but still, getting into fights in school? Shouldn't she be over that yet?"

"She's still Lucy's cousin," he said dryly, "can you see her being very…" Again his words were lost.

Winry was beginning to get very frustrated with it. "Al, this is getting ridiculous now."

"I know," he grumbled, "but it's only for a few more days and-" again.

As she waited for him to come back she heard the tinkling of a bell as someone walked in. She glanced up, then recognised the person as one of her customers, a victim from the bombings near Charlotte three years previously. She waved at them to wait a moment. "Al listen, I've got a customer, I'll call you tomorrow all right? Ed should be here too."

"Great! Talk then!"

"Bye, Al." She hung up with a sigh. She missed Alphonse, he was one of the few people who could put more control over Edward, especially during their arguments. Which were getting more frequent themselves.

She hated it. She wanted the days when they were unconditionally happy back again. Somehow she doubted that was going to happen any time soon. They're instability had been going on for a year, and things when they had called a truce were hardly the same again.

As she greeted her customer, she vaguely remembered what Gracia had told her about rough patches that a lot of couples went through. But this was different. She couldn't explain it, but it was different. Something under laying what ever they did. She just wished Edward would tell her what was going on. Though for some reason he seemed to be refusing to.

She pushed these angsty thoughts to the back of her mind as she discussed what was needed with the man (who had lost an arm in the blast).

'One day,' she thought mildly, 'one day he'll tell me and we'll go back to how we were.'

*

Elysia was in the car with her mother, Rose and Leo. Again she had to have been picked up from school. She had a bloody nose, black eye and she could feel a bruise forming on her side. It was the first time she had come out of a fight with more than one bruise or cut. Then again, it was one of her more violent fights. The other boy had come out far worse than she had.

She kept quiet, knowing if she spoke she'd be in for another argument with her mother. She couldn't explain why she was so angry, or why she had allowed him to bother her so much, all she knew was that that boy had been irritating and he needed a punch.

In the front Gracia and Rose spoke in low voices, neither looking back at her. Gracia was tired of Elysia getting into so many fights, but there was very little she could do. Grounding her, telling her off, threatening confiscation of items… none of them worked on. She still got into a fight the very next day.

"Ely," whispered Leo next to her.

She looked at the seven year old boy. He was a sweet child. Big purplish brown eyes, smooth light brown skin, a little lighter than his mother's and a sweet smile. He had grown up with her for a big sister and was therefore understandably worried.

"Yeah?"

"You ok?"

"Just bit bruised," she shrugged.

"Why did you get into a fight with him?"

"He was being rude," she said shortly, "I didn't like what he was saying."

She didn't want to tell the poor child that her classmate was being rude about people from Ishbal and Lior. While a lot children in her year objected to such talk, she was the only one who took it was an attack on herself. She was well known for having Rose and Leo practically being her aunt and cousin (almost a brother and second mother) as well as having an absent big sister, or cousin, who was half Ishballan. And still some of the more racist children would direct such crude, rude propaganda towards her. Resulting in both children going to the medical room and Elysia being sent home.

The eleven year old girl could not stand it. It was hardly as though the whole year was treating her in such a way, it was just a few choice members of her year. But it still riled her.

Seeing her angry again, Leo scooted closer to her, and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. Suddenly Elysia felt about seven or eight years old again, with Leo hold her like he was so young. She smiled down at him, and touched his downy black hair gently, then rested her temple on his crown. Leo always knew how to make her feel more normal again. It could be a word, a touch, a sound- but he knew how. Elysia was grateful for that.

Gracia glanced back for a moment. The little girl looked incredibly battered for a girl her age. Gracia had thought that she would never have developed like that, she had always been calm as a child… now she was getting into fights daily, and the teacher's weren't entirely sure of whether or not to label her a bully.

But sitting there, head resting on Leo's, the girl looked almost angelic. Elysia somehow reminded Gracia of her father more with every passing day. She wasn't sure what it was. She had his eyes, but that was about it, almost everything else was Gracia's. Yet there was something she sensed about the young girl. Her sense of loyalty? Justice? Righteousness? Maybe all three… it was there, the same as Maes.

Perhaps that was why she was fighting, Gracia had begun to think. Perhaps the fact that so many foreigners were coming to Central meant that racism of scared adults was rubbing off on the children and Elysia was fighting back. The little never girl told her mother why she fought, she simply sat there in silence, taking the telling off, not once saying a word as to why.

At first Gracia thought it was children teasing her about the lack of a father. Soon it appeared not to be the case. Elysia was quite popular in class, no one seemed to care that she only had her mother as a parent. That aside she had the famous Winry Rockbell picking her up, or even the Fullmental Alchemist, and now the newest Azure Alchemist… both Elric brothers had made a name for themselves, and every child in Elysia's school was aware of that.

Which lead onto the other reason. Perhaps she was sick and tired of people equating her to the famous alchemists. Which made no sense as she made no effort to lash out on those who she considered family.

Which was when Gracia came up with her latest theory of Elysia standing up for her sister, Tash. A half Armestrian girl, who was no longer with them for the time being and Elysia being the girl she was bragged about her travelling big sister. The dark skinned, short, slightly built big sister.

She shook her head, and concentrated hard on the road. They were almost home. She had already resolved not to tell Elysia off yet. This was the first time she had come home with multiple bruises, instead of one. Either her opponent was strong, or she had held back. Either way, Elysia's pride had also been hurt.

'Tash… come home… soon,' Gracia thought, forlornly, as they turned into the drive of their old home, 'we miss you.'

She parked the car, and one by one they each climbed out.

*

It took Edward till twilight, but he had finally gotten up to date with all of his report writing. He could finally go home. But with Alphonse on a mission he really did not feel like going to an empty apartment. Instead he made a beeline for Winry's shop.

The woman had taken no room mates since Lucy had left, it was as though she was saving that room for her just as Gracia was. More than that, the room had become a guest room for her, and she was bringing in enough money not to need a tenant. Sometimes Edward would stay there if Winry was in a bad mood. Other times Alphonse would stay, just to get away from Edward's odd bouts of neuroticisms.

Edward found Winry in her work shop, tinkering over her 'automail eye' project. It had progressed significantly since Lucy had seen it, but it was not ready just yet.

Edward walked around and wrapped his arms around her waist, putting his head on her shoulder. She jumped in his grasp, then relaxed and smiled.

"Work over?" she asked softly.

"Yep. All up to date with my reports. Hawkeye is very happy with me."

"Good…" Winry sighed, put down her tools and turned in her seat to look up at Edward.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him gently. He returned the kiss quite happily. Though when Winry pulled away from him smiling, his returning smile was not quite meeting those golden eyes.

"What's up?" she asked, her hands resting on his shoulders.

He looked surprised. "Nothing, why would anything be wrong."

"You just seem a little distracted that's all."

"I'm not distracted," he frowned, "I've just been at work all day."

She shrugged not wanting an argument and turned her attention back to the eye.

Edward scowled. 'And she says I'm distracted,' he thought mutinously. "What about you?" he asked.

"What about me?"

"I walk in, I get a kiss, then you turn all your attention to back to your work," he tried to sound reasonable, but he could not get the whine out of his voice. He hated it when Winry did that. She had all day to work, she could take a break to spend time with him.

"Not all my attention," retorted Winry, "I just want to finish up."

"You can finish up later!" his temper was rising. He had never been any good at controlling his anger. "I'm here now, I won't be for long."

Winry stopped, put down her tools again and stared straight at the wall in front of her. "Is that a threat?"

"Is what a threat?" he sighed exasperatedly.

"You won't be here for long- if I don't have all my focus on you you'll leave me?"

"What! Where the hell did that come from?!"

"It sounded like that to me!" she turned around, "you can't always have it your way Ed! I have to work as well you know!"

"I'm employed by the state, Winry," snapped Edward, "you're employed by yourself- don't compare me to you!"

"Oh so because I'm self employed my job isn't as important."

"That's not what I said! It's just dif-"

"How is it different?!"

"It- it- it just is!"

"That's a ten year old's answer, Edward," she growled, "grow up."

"Grow up? Grow up! Don't tell me to fuckin' grow up- I grew up a long time ago!"

"Not a sob story…" she rolled her eyes, "you know what? I don't want to hear it. All right? I've had enough."

"Enough of me," he snapped, he stepped away from her unable to keep the glare from his expression. "All right fine- I'll go."

Winry stared at him, as he turned away she grabbed his sleeve. "Ed pl-"

"Not now," he growled, "I'll be back later."

"Ed-"

"No!" he yanked his arm out of her grasp, stormed out of them shop not looking back, and headed off in the direction of Gracia's house.

Winry sat stock still, staring at his back, getting smaller and smaller as he left. She didn't quite understand what had happened. How had they grown so far apart? Was it that secret? Was it her fault? Had she really given up on him all those years ago? Was it something else?

She heaved a sigh and turned her attention back to her work. It was the only thing that kept her distracted from all those questions.

*

Not too long later, Edward arrived at Gracia's street. He wasn't really paying attention to anything. His mind was a blank, his eyes was focused on the floor. He wasn't even aware of where he was until he arrived just outside the large city house.

He stopped and looked up. There it was. Maes Hughes house. The place where it felt like he was at home again. With Gracia, Elysia… and all the others. It was where he felt most comfortable.

But today there was something different about the house he was so familiar with.

Standing outside, looking down at his own hand, was a man. Tall, well built, somewhat bedraggled, a suitcase was on the floor beside him. He was dressed in ripped jeans and a long over coat, mostly seen on travellers. His long black hair was a little unkempt and just brushed his shoulders. As the stranger looked up at the house, Edward got the strangest feeling that he had seen this man somewhere before. He couldn't place where.

Was he local? Hardly… he carried a suitcase.

Then… a client of Winry's? Then why would a client of Winry's be outside Gracia's.

The thinking made Edward's head hurt as he wracked his brain for where he knew the profile from. His memory flicking through picture of all the dark haired tall men he had even met in his life. None were making sense.

Then the man seemed to hear Edward's footsteps, and he turned to face him. In the half light, Edward couldn't make out the man's features. Yet… towards the right of his scalp, something shone… a shock of silver hair running through the black…

Understanding came crashing down on Edward. This was Zarraq Nabeel, Lucy's big brother. For a moment Edward was curious as to where Lucy was, but he would not have been surprised if the girl… if the woman had gone to visit her uncle, her father and finally Harry Davis before she visited the living. Zarraq was his focus point just then; long bedraggled hair and all.

He wasn't sure how to greet the older man. He walked towards him trying to figure out what to say. He'd never really thought to try and get on with him. He was a man who had done his friend harm. It was him who had scarred Lucy, put her through misery during her life. Then again… she had forgiven him, taken him on her hunt for her traitorous half brother, and had asked no one else.

This was when he noticed something strange. Zarraq had looked at him. But he had said nothing. There was no look of recognition on his face. The Ishballan man was the sort of person who liked to greet people he recognised, that much was obvious. He knew so few people because of his life style that the few he did know he liked to acknowledge that he did. So… why hadn't he said anything yet?

"Zarraq?" his voice came out a question. The name felt strange to say. He had only ever called the man Nabeel, his surname. But at the same time, Edward was beginning to wander if this really was Lucy's brother. There was something different about him.

"Yeah…" he said slowly, his features creased into a frown, it was as though he was wracking his brains for something.

"It's Edward," he said slowly, putting his hand out to shake his, "Edward Elric? Your sister's friend?"

Understanding broke out on his face, he grinned happily, almost childlike. Now Edward knew there was something entirely wrong.

"Oh yeah! She told me about you guys!"

"Told you- Zarraq, you met us… you stayed with us."

Zarraq was nodding, but clearly had no idea that this had happened. "I know, she told me that too."

This was starting to scare Edward. "Who's she?"

"Your friend, my sister, Tash."

"You mean Chaandi."

"I mean Tash… but Chaandi Tash Lucy… it's the same girl."

This wasn't making any sense. Zarraq could have started called Lucy 'Tash' instead of Chaandi on their trip. Though Edward was staring to doubt it… the man seemed to have no recollection of staying with them and meeting them. His persona was almost childish, like he was learning everything again, there was not as much of a world weary air about him as there had been previously.

"Zarraq… I think we should go inside," he said slowly, "you have some explaining to do." He began walking to the door and a moment or two later he heard heavier footsteps follow him.

"I know that too… Tash warned me I might… I've got some letters from her for you all… from her."

Edward perked up. Letters from Lucy. It had been so long since they had heard anything from her. The letters were probably a little out of date, but at the same time, they were the most recent they had received from her.

But… did… that mean she wasn't with him?

They reached the door and Edward knocked. A moment later, Gracia answered, wearing an apron looking a little stressed.

"Ah Ed, I thought you'd be coming to night. Elysia's been acting up again and-" she cut herself off.

Her eyes had drifted over Edward's head to work out what was just in peripheral vision. She frowned for a second, quite literally, a worried expression over took her features only to be replaced another second later, this time with a smile. She rushed out of the door way, over to Zarraq, paused for a moment, studying his face, and touched his hair, then pulled him into a tight hug.

"You evil child," Gracia told him off, jokingly, "why didn't you warn us you were coming home." She pulled back, holding onto his arms, "how have you been? Have you being eating right? You don't look it. Honestly… where's Tash? Visiting her father? Wouldn't be surprised to be honest."

Zarraq simply stared at her, unable to comprehend what had happened. "Are you… auntie Gracia?"

She frowned. "Of coarse I am, you know that, don't joke- I haven't seen you for three years."

"Yeah… Tash told me…"

Edward replayed that in his head. "She told me." "Tash told me." Lucy seemed to have told him nearly everything. Told him. That was a problem.

"Zarraq… have you… have you lost your memory?" asked Edward slowly.

Zarraq looked at him. Paused. Then looked at the floor. He seemed to try to stop blushing. "Yes…"

Now that explained everything.

"What?" Gracia pulled back from him shocked, "so… you have no idea who I am?"

"Yes I do!" he insisted, "I know about everyone! Edward Elric is the Fullmental Alchemist, he has a younger brother Alphonse Elric, and they have an automail mechanic friend Winry Rockbell. Our auntie… well… her aunt is Gracia Hughes and our- her-"

"Say our dear," smiled Gracia, "it's just as accurate."

"Our cousin Elysia," he said, smiling shyly, that was odd, it really was like his entire personality had changed, "is aunt Gracia's daughter. Rose is a close family friend and her son is Leo. Mus-"

"We get it," sighed Edward, "Lucy told you about everyone." He nodded. "But you have no memories of your own."

"Not until about a year ago," he admitted.

Edward and Gracia glanced at each other. A year ago… Lucy stopped writing a year before. Could… Lucy's absence of letters be the result of Zarraq's memory loss?

"I woke up… the doctors were sur-"

"Let's carry this on inside," Gracia said suddenly, "Elysia will want to see you, Zarraq, she missed you."

Zarraq appeared surprised. Not all that shocking… he had no recollection of these people and they were welcoming him into their home. He nodded, saying nothing and followed them in.

Edward followed too, pausing in the hall way to call Winry.

"Hello?" she answered sounding confused.

"Win, it's Ed."

"Hi," she sounded a little happier, "listen about earlier-"

Edward was shaking his head as he spoke. "Win I'd love to try and sort this out now, but really we can't- something's come up."

He heard some rustling at the other end, as though she was sitting up. He had her attention. "What's happened?"

"Zarraq's back."

"And Lucy?"

"Not here, and we haven't asked him anything yet. The problem is… he seems like a completely different person…"

"Lucy has that effect on people, and they've been together for three years."

"It's not that… he… he has absolutely no memories."

"What-"

"It seems Luce has filled him in but…" he sighed, "just get over here. You have to see this for yourself."

"I'll be there in ten minutes," she said shortly, "and Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

He felt his face heat as his cheeks flushed red. "I… loveyoutoo," he muttered. As he hung up he heard Winry laughing in the background. He shook his head and waited for the heat in his cheeks to disappear.

He then walked into the living room to see Zarraq sitting on the sofa, in the exact same position he had been the day before he had left previously. Elysia was at his side, chattering very quickly. He looked a little baffled, but completely comfortable. He wandered if Elysia was aware that her adopted cousin had no memories.

"We need to talk to him," Gracia spoke as she stood beside him, looking at them, "he's very confused. He only knows vaguely about us and why, but he has no memories before this… accident."

"Has he told you anything?"

"No… I thought it would be best for Winry to be here as well."

"Not Rose?"

"Not now… Leo's acting like a seven year old, she can barely control him at the moment."

"At least she's got George now."

"True…"

"And Elysia?"

"She knows, she just likes having him here."

Edward nodded, then sighed and moved to sit beside Zarraq.

"Ely, can you give it a rest for a bit?" asked Edward, "we need to talk to Zarraq."

"Oh, ok," she kept quiet but did not move. Edward tried to get her to… to no avail. She simply looked at him, then said, "I have a right to know as well you know. She's related to me, so is he, I had a right to know."

Edward scowled. "Since when were you so smart?"

"I'm my father's daughter," she shrugged, mildly.

Gracia tried not to laugh. It was almost a direct quote from her mother that Elysia had used against Edward. And she had used it to great effect. Edward had no idea what to say. He shook his head and turned his attention to Zarraq.

"What can you tell us?"

He nodded. "I woke up about a year ago…"