A/N: Hi again everyone Yusuke343 here and on behalf of The New FMA and myself, We want to say thanks to all of you who have reviewed thus far. The next chapter wont be out for AT LEAST 2 days. Maybe more. We need a little more time to get more chapters fixed from their original version.

Disclaimer: Neither of us own FMA.

Hey, Jayson, my name's Edward - but please, just call me Ed," Ed said with an apologetic smile as he offered his left hand. Jayson shook it. "But you do realize what you did, right?" Ed asked, once again serious.

"Well, if by that you mean that I unleashed a new homunculus, then yes."

"So," Ed said, slightly surprised, "you are aware of their presence among us."

"Yeah," Jayson said darkly, gaze distant, as if looking into the past.

"Well, that sure makes things a bit easier…" Ed sighed as he sat down in a chair by Jayson's bed.

"Say," Jayson said, blinking and looking around the room, "where's Jacque?"

"She's in the shower," Winry said as she straightened his bed sheets.

"Is… is she… ok?" Jayson asked nervously, face creased with concern.

"Other than a few cuts and bruises, she's fine," Winry told him with a smile.

Jayson sighed with relief then sunk back down into the pillows on his bed. He was starting to feel much better…

"Are you two related?" Alphonse asked curiously.

"Yeah, we are - she's my little sister - she's two years younger than me," Jayson said warmly.

"What about your parents? Where are they?" Al asked. Having not had parents very long himself, he was always eager to hear about other peoples' families.

"Dead…" Jayson said bluntly. "They died a long time ago."

The young girl, refreshed from her shower and toweling her blonde hair dry, stopped short as she heard her brother's voice. She quietly made her way towards the open door - no one noticed her.

"So, how have you two survived all these years, then?" Ed asked.

"Three," Jayson corrected, "I did - rather, I do - have a brother, you know."

"Err, right, sorry," Ed mumbled. "Anyway, how did you three manage to get along without your parents?"

"Alchemy," Jacque said as she walked through the door and made her way to her brother's bed. Ed fell out of his chair in surprise - he certainly hadn't expected her to pop out of nowhere like that…

"Feel better, Jacque?" Winry asked, laughing.

"A little, thank you," Jacque said with a smile.

"I'm so glad to see you're safe!" Jayson told her.

"Are you kidding? You were the one without an arm or leg!"

"Brother," Al whispered as he leaned in towards Ed, his voice filled with amusement, "who do they remind you of?"

"Yeah, I know…" Ed whispered back solemnly.

A knock at the front door silenced them all.

"Come in!" Winry called out as she got up to greet the guest.

"Hello, everyone, hope I'm not interrupting," a blonde-haired woman in a military uniform called out.

"Good morning, Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Alphonse called out cheerily.

Ed stood gaping in the doorway. "Hello…" What on Earth is she doing here? he thought.

"Fullmetal, sir!" Hawkeye said with a salute, "I am under orders from Colonel Mustang to escort you back to Central, sir!"

Edward groaned.

"Err… who is that?" Jayson asked.

"Oh, yeah, Lieutenant Hawkeye, this is Jayson and his sister Jacque," Ed said quickly, "now why exactly does the Colonel need me all of a sudden? I thought I was on vacation!"

"Hello, Jayson; hello, Jacque," the Lieutenant said with a small bow before turning towards Edward. "Why, Edward, did you forget?" she said quietly.

Edward gulped. He didn't like that tone of voice. He racked his brain for something, anything, that would prompt the Colonel to send for him. Suddenly, with a gasp followed by an even louder groan, he remembered.

"The State Alchemy exams…!" He sighed. "Man, this is going to be a drag…"

"Jayson!" Jacque whispered hurriedly to her brother, blue eyes wide. She tugged on his shirt sleeve.

"I know, Jacque," he whispered back. "Um, Lieutenant Hawkeye?" Jayson called out apprehensively.

Hawkeye turned to face him. "Yes?"

"Um, if it's ok with you, could we come to Central, also?"

"Why?" Ed asked quickly, arms folded.

"We were originally planning on taking the State Alchemy exams now, anyways, but then… well, you know…" he explained nervously, fidgeting with the bed sheet.

"Yeah, I know," Ed sighed. "Although I really don't think that you two want to be dogs of the military, especially now."

"We have our reasons, Ed." Jayson told him, looking him straight in the face.

Ed met Jayson's gaze, reading the look in the boy's eyes. So much like himself…

"Sir?" Hawkeye asked quietly.

"Fine," Edward sighed eventually. "It's ok with me if it's ok with you, Lieutenant."

"But Edward! They still need time to recuperate! Especially Jayson! He just had auto-mail surgery!" Winry shouted, Alphonse nodding his agreement.

"I'm actually feeling much better, Winry!" Jayson reassured her as he shakily and painfully got to his feet - one foot now being auto-mail, of course.

Ed just shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, then, it's settled," Lieutenant Hawkeye told them. "We'll leave tomorrow morning. I'll go phone the Colonel now to let him know."

"Yes!" Jacque squealed as she high-fived her brother. Unfortuantely, without thinking, Jayson did it with his auto-mail arm.

"OWWW!" Jayson screamed. He howled with pain. Winry and Alphonse rushed over to tend to him as Ed sighed and left to pack. Lieutenant Hawkeye just chuckled as she dialed the Colonel's office to let him know that she and Edward - along with a few others - would be arriving on the next morning's train.