Phoenix was sitting by a small fire she had made and was eating an apple she had stolen from earlier. She started to get tired and fell asleep. She had no dreams that night but she did have a small quick flash of the gate. She woke up the next day and she was upset because now she really knew and felt there was no way back but she kept on saying to herself it could be worse and that put a smile on her face.

Everyday felt like an hour. Everything would go by so fast some days more than others. It seemed like every day she saw Ed, Al, Trisha, Winry, or Pinako the day would go at a normal pace but on days where everything was normal the days would feel like hours. She just figured whatever held her here wanted her to stay but also wanted something to happen faster and sooner. Phoenix made friends with some of the children in town and would play with them sometimes and every now and again she would see Trisha come into town. Trisha would smile and wave hello to everyone; even Phoenix. Phoenix always felt like telling her about what would happen or even hug her but that was not up to her to decide, who gets to live and who gets to die; that was fates job.

Phoenix saw Edward and Alphonse grow up right before her eyes and she tranformed to many time to count.

One day time went by really slow. The air was nice and Phoenix decided to take a walk by Ed and Al's house. She walked down the all too familiar dirt road to their home and on her way she transformed into herself. As she walked with a smile on her face and a gentle breeze blowing against her and her robe she didn't see Ed or Al playing outside as usual. Phoenix went up to their door with a curious face and knocked. No one answered the door. So she decided to look into the windows and once again no sign of anyone. When she walked back to the front of the house she stared at it an as she did she came to a realization. She was almost thrown on the ground by the thought of what has happened. So she ran and ran and kept on running straight for the cemetery. She thought to herself screaming the words in her head "This can't be... I knew this would happen but... not...now...not today."

Phoenix ran and ran until she came to the gates of the cemetery. She was late. Phoenix leaned on the gate as she saw Ed and Al sitting and crying by the grave of their dead mother.

Phoenix finally moved after a few minutes of reflecting on how great Trisha was. She was one of the strongest women she had ever seen or at least emotionaly. She raised her children while waiting for her husband to return. She never saw that day when her family would be reunited and have their happily ever after.

Phoenix walked slowly to Ed and Al. She looked down at the grave and never said a word to either of them. Just stood, stared, and felt their pain. When the sun started to set Phoenix said to both of them that it was getting cold so Ed and Al stood up without speaking with tears stained down their face and walked in front of Phoenix. They walked all the way to Pinako's house without saying a word.

Phoenix never looked at Pinako when she answered the door and no smiles were exchanged but Pinako took them in and Phoenix left to go back in the woods and live there until the next part of the story was going to begin. She visited Ed and Al more often in the next three years but as they grew older she couldn't see them more and more because she didn't want them to know her as a promient influence but she wanted them to know that she was there for them.

One day it started to down pour and Phoenix couldn't stay in the woods anymore because it was being flooded out from all the rain. So she went to Pinako's house to ask for shelter. Pinako obliviously agreed and let Phoenix stay the next few nights. Phoenix stayed in the extra room used for patients that needed to stay over night for their auto-mail. The room just happened to be next to the room Ed and Al were staying in. It was raining extremely hard that night but when she heard muddy footsteps she knew exactly what the boys planned to do.

Phoenix looked out her window and saw two small figures running toward the river. So she quietly walked down the stairs into the bathroom and climbed out the window. She had turned into an older women with a poncho and rain boots on and ran toward the river. When she got there there was a crowd of people and they were in awe at what a common housewife had just done. Izumi, Edward and Alphonse's teacher, had just used alchemy to make a wall to keep the flood waters in the the river. Izumi had turned around and found two little boys on their knees asking her to be their teacher. There was a short conversation but in the end she agreed to teach them.

Izumi and the boys walked right through the crowd and left while some of the men stayed behind to make sure the wall didn't come down and the rest of the people soon left. As for Phoenix she stayed a good distance away from Izumi and the boys because she didn't want to mess with Izumi; no one did. That night Izumi visited Pinako and they talked all night about Ed and Al leaving but the end result was clear; they would leave in a week to start their training.

The week went by very fast all that went on was normal things like Pinako teaching Winry how to work on auto-mail and Winry, Ed, and Al would go outside and play. Phoenix would leave the house and walk into the town sometimes but never in her true form since she didn't want Izumi to see her. A week went by and Izumi, Sig, and everyone else went to the train station. Phoenix did not. Well not at first, she kept her distance. Izumi, Sig and the boys boarded the train and seated next to a window on the side to the train station walkway so they could wave goodbye. Phoenix boarded the train a few minutes later once again as an older woman with a basket, a small flower hat, and a pretty blue flower dress. She sat diagonal from the boys and looked out the window most of the time. The train started to move forward when everyone had boarded the train and the boys waved goodbye to Winry and Pinako as they left the station. Phoenix watched the scenery change once again from rolling fields to green farm land than to more populated cities. She would sometimes look at the boys, Izumi, and Sig but sometimes Izumi would look in her direction and Phoenix would look straight out the window, scared of her gaze.

When the train came to a stop in the train station at Izumi and Sig's hometown most people started to leave the train and as soon as Phoenix stood up to leave a young man came to her and asked "What is such a pretty lady doing on a train like this?" and Phoenix hesitated under her flower hat and said "I need to go!"

"Why don't you sit with me?" he said and with those words Phoenix realized he was flirting with her. Her chances of getting off the train were slipping away. Than she said "Well this is my stop and your too old for me." Phoenix laughed and walked of the train. The young man was a little shocked because she looked as if twenty-five and he looked about the same age; so how much older could he be for her.

Phoenix shape-sifted many times until they reached Izumi's house and when they got there they entered but Phoenix didn't. She decided to go sight-seeing in her true form, with her blonde hair, blue jeans, white shirt, old sneakers, and gray and white robe. She saw farmers tending to their crops and children playing with each other by streams. Phoenix went down to a stream and dipped her feet in and sat next to a tree and listened to birds sing and the stream flow. When the children started to head home and it started to get dark she headed for Izumi's house.

After a long walk she arrived at the house but she didn't enter not even asking for shelter. She just found a field near her house and laid down and looked up at the stars. She loved to look at all the stars and she thought to herself "I look up at the stars and I think the world is big and I am small, all is one and one is all." She than slowly closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. When she started to dream she once again had a quick vision of the gates but as soon as she saw them was as soon as the image was gone.

The day came after the night and Ed and Al headed with Izumi to the docks with Izumi's friend, Mason. Phoenix knew right away what was going on; Ed and Al were starting their training on the Island. When they reached the docks she turned around after seeing them sail off and headed for Izumi's house. Izumi's house was right next to the meat store that her and Sig owned. Phoenix knocked on the door and no one answered. Than she knocked again and still no one answered. She expected no one to answer but she didn't know if Sig was in the house. It seemed that Sig was out. So she opened the front door and entered. She entered a big room that had a door to the left and a small hallway straight ahead. The house wasn't very big. She walked to a nearby table and sat down. Than waited for Izumi.

It wasn't very long until she heard Izumi and Mason talking outside the front door. Phoenix heard them talking about the Ed and Al and how she wanted Mason to teach them a lesson and watch over them while there on the island. They both laughed after they finished talking and than they parted ways. As soon as Izumi opened her front door she was surprised to find someone sitting at her table. Izumi put a on straight face and started to walk next to the table. She pulled out the chair across the table from Phoenix and said "Why are you here?" with her legs crossed. They still hadn't made eye contact. Phoenix replied with a small smile "I need your help."

"Don't you know it's rude to come into people's homes without being invited?" asked Izumi with her own small smile. "I just need your help that's all." said Phoenix with a smooth voice. Izumi than replied "What makes you think I will help you or at the very least that I can help you?" At that moment both Izumi and Phoenix looked up at each other and made eye contact. Phoenix was a little scared at first because it looked if Izumi had dead eyes but she knew deep down that she was a kind and loving person. "I know you can help me because you have taught Ed and Al Alchemy, you know a lot about Alchemy, and I want to know how to use Alchemy." said Phoenix but when she got to the last part of the sentence she kind of trailed off.

Izumi was a little worried now because she didn't know how a strange girl knew about Ed and Al, about her, or where she lived, or that she knew Alchemy, and now she didn't know what to say. The only thing that came to her mind was to ask how she knew all this stuff and what else did she know, so she asked.

Phoenix looked at Izumi with a worried expression and said "I know a lot! Too much to be exact. I like to think of myself as the watcher of Edward and Alphonse for at least right now. I need your help to teach me Alchemy, to save them... to save myself. I know some of your past and future and a little about everybody else's. I'm not from here and that's all I can say. So will you help me or not?"

Izumi was a little fusterated and scared but she didn't show it. She didn't anwser before a long amount of time went by. Pheonix didn't talk or interup her as she was thinking because she understood that she needed the time. Izumi shook her head side to side and said "Fine, I'll teach you but I must warn you that alchemy is not a force to reconed with. It takes great focous and determination to master alchemy." Phoenix put on a small smile and spoke in a quiet voice "Trust me I know."