A/N: Alright! I'm still alive! And here's another chapter! Though most people probably aren't reading this anymore...That doesn't really matter to me though. See, I finally got my muse back for this story and thought up a relativly decent plot! The best part is, after the next chapter, that plot starts to unroll! Slowly, but it's there! Yay!


Exactly two weeks had passed since the Elric brother's first came to the therapy sessions. At the last meeting, much to Roy's annoyance, neither of them showed up. There was no mention of them either, save for a brief 'they won't be attending today' from Bradley.

Roy thought it was rediculous.

They had already disturbed the setting once, ruined the order that had been placed upon the meeting's that everyone (himself included, though he wouldn't say that out loud) relied on to get through the rest of their week, and then they hadn't even bothered to show up. Almost ten minutes had gone by at this meeting and neither had shown up. Again.

Mustang sighed through his nose, more than a little annoyed, when the door swung open in the middle of Breda talking (complaining) about his new neighbor's doberman. The heavy-set man was more than a little upset over it, especially seeing as there was no fence and little yard between their houses. He'd barely left his house since the family, the Joneses, moved in four days ago. Almost skipped the meeting too, because the dog was out in it's yard.

The conversation stilled though as the door opened, once again revealing the two blonds. Today, though, the shorter of the two didn't seem as reluctant to come in.

"I'm really sorry we're late, Mr. Bradley. We had some...trouble...on our way out." Alphonse's mouth pulled back in a small, tight smile. It was obviously forced, especially seeing as it fell away moments after it was plastered there.

Shrugging his brother's hand off his shoulder, Edward stalked across the room to the chair he had sat in the last time he was there; one that placed him directly across from Roy. "Stop apologizin' Al. I told you it wasn't your fault."

The taller of the two tilted his head down slightly, light blond bangs falling in front of his eyes, as he crossed the room to sit beside his brother. Roy could swear he saw the boy limping. Before he was able to say anything on the matter though, Bradley had sent everyone one of his famous no-worries smiles and had started the talk back up.

"It's not a problem, boys. Maybe after Breda here finishes what he was saying, you two can tell us about what made you run late and kept you away last time?" Bradley questioned, eyes gliding from the Elric brothers back over to said former Second Lt.

The amusement that had been sparked when they first came back into his room dissapeared when Breda sunk back into his chair, arms crossed over his chest, and shook his head. "Nah, 'm fine. They can go on and talk if they went." And it was obvious that he wasn't going to say another word about his dog-troubles with the two newbies around.

Bradley's smile didn't even flicker. Roy assumed that he'd long gotten used to every one closing up on the smallest whim, sometimes going so far as not uttering a single word in over several meetings. "Alright. So, what happened that you two were late, Alphonse? Nothing's wrong, is it?"

Alphonse squirmed in his seat as everyone's gaze, save Riza's unseeing one, swung onto him. "N-no sir, nothing was wrong. I just fell asleep and brother didn't wake me up." He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand nervously as he spoke, something Roy could tell right away was a nervous tick of the boy's.

He could also tell that there was something not quite true about what he was saying. It didn't sound like a lie but there was just this thing nibbling at the edges of Roy's mind. Something that just didn't add up the right way. Which, really, he scolded himself, made no sense because all the kid had said was that he had 'overslept'.

"Last week was my fault." Edward threw in casually. There wasn't any further explanation from the short-statured boy. Instead, he just shoved one hand in the pocket of his rather baggy looking black pants and leaned back in his seat.

After that, silence reighned over the room. Bradley seemed content to just let the group work the kinks out without his guidance.

Roy was pretty sure that their host (not a councler, because he didn't actually need therapy) found it all horribly amusing.

As the silence wore on, the air in the room got heavier; thick with the tension everyone was no doubt feeling. If the others felt anything like Roy did, it was that they didn't want this stranger to hear all of their secrets without first divulging some of his own.

Several minutes passed before Riza let out an irritated sigh and leaned foreward in her seat. "This is ridiculous." She turned her head in the general direction of the Elric's chairs, after frowning at where she knew Roy was sitting, and nodded at them once. "I have to apologize for my companions. They aren't the most sharing or trusting bunch."

Roy snorted softly to himself. It wasn't like she was a bundle of trust either. The sniper hadn't exactly been an open book when their little get-togethers started, after all.

"It's fine, ma'am. Brother's probably just as bad as they are, and it's not really like I can blame any of them." That small, tight smile had flitted onto Alphonse's face again. "Although, that might be unfair to everyone else here." The smile lightened considerably and laughter sparkled to life in the taller boy's eyes. "My brother can be really immature sometimes."

"Hey!" The golden haired boy jerked in his chair, swinging his head around to scowl at his younger brother. "Who're you calling immature, Al? You're the one that keeps bringing home all those stray animals!"

"Because they need a home, Ed!" Alphonse crossed his arms over his chest, the slightly baggy purple tee-shirt he was wearing rumpling underneath of them. A small pout formed on his face, though even Roy could tell he was just teasing the older boy.

And just like that, tension was broken and everyone seemed ready to talk. Not about anything big, nothing revealing. No. But they were at least willing to give the new comers a chance to open up to them first.