A/N: So this one isn't as long as the last one, but I didn't post in December and feel kind of bad about it. Chapter 5 will be posted relatively soon, like in the next couple of weeks, and hopefully will be at a satisfactory length. I apologize for the wait. Also, I've thought about changing the point of view to maybe first or third. What do you think? If you want to let me know your thoughts on that, please message me. Either way, chapter 4.

You woke with a start; your heart was racing and you were covered in a cold sweat. You shot forward as panic swept through you. You looked around at your surroundings as you clutched at your racing heart and tried to steady your erratic breathing.

I'm fine. Everything is fine. I'm in the hotel room. You told yourself. You looked over at the sleeping Elrics. They were still there. You weren't alone. It was all just a bad dream. No. That wasn't just a dream.

"Alison?" Al's voice cut through the silence like a sharp knife, startling you. "Are you all right?" He asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." You tried to assure him. The suit of armor moved; standing up and walking to the space that separated Ed's bed and your own. "Alphonse… do you sleep?" You asked softly. He was quiet for a moment.

"Well… sort of. I can't physically sleep, but I've learned to let my mind rest by going into a deep meditative state." He replied. "My mind can rest but I can still remain alert to certain disturbances."

"I see. I'm sorry if I disturbed you." You said apologetically. Alphonse sat down, rather roughly on the side of his brother's bed; the sudden addition in weight causing Ed's body to bounce off the bed.

"Huh? What? What's going on?" Ed nearly jumped out of his bed. He looked around, confused as to what was happening.

"Are you sure you're all right." Alphonse asked, ignoring his slightly startled brother. You looked down at your hands and stayed quiet for a few moments. Ed immediately caught on that something was bothering you, and Alphonse wanted him to be aware of it. Hence, the sudden awakening. Ed turned to sit on the edge of his bed without a word and waited for you to answer his brother.

"I remember everything." You said quietly. "About how I came here."

"You remember passing through the Gate?" Alphonse asked.

"Not just that. Even everything before I fell unconscious. I thought I had passed out, but I remember now. My head was killing me. And I went into the garage and went to unlock the door to my house. And then my head started pounding and there was this high pitched ringing in my ears and it felt like my ears were bleeding." You put your hands to the sides of your head, recalling the pain you had felt. "I collapsed. My head was spinning and my back started to get hot, like I was being burned. I managed to raise my arm enough to pull on the door knob and lean my weight onto it enough to open. I was able to crawl into the hallway leading to the garage. My back felt like it was on fire. I could barely move; the pain was unbearable. I started feeling sick to my stomach. The burning sensation from my back enveloped my entire body. Every muscle, nerve, vein, bone, and tissue was on fire. I was certain I was about to die. Then I began vomiting. It wouldn't stop. I could barely see anything, my vision was so blurred. I threw up more than I knew was in my stomach. When I was finally able to stop, I looked down and…" The brothers noticed how your hands started shaking uncontrollably. "There was blood… everywhere. I'd been throwing up my blood. And I felt blood flowing from my ears and my nose. There was so much blood... So much that I was able to know that there was no way I could be alive from losing so much. It covered the floors, covered my hands and my clothes… And then, as I lay there, staring at this puddle of blood… an eye appeared in my blood. It seemed to just twist out and make itself known. It was black and emotionless. All I could do was stare at it, horrified. A void seemed to open up around it, and these long, black arms reached out from it. As the hands touched me, I watched my body seem to disintegrate. I was pulled into the void. But the void wasn't black on the inside like it had been on the outside. It was white and I felt myself travelling through this tunnel thing. I felt my mind being bombarded with so much information I thought my head would burst. I couldn't fight the current I was travelling on. But the tunnel ended at a large door. I looked around and the tunnel was gone and I was surrounded by nothing. Just an endless white void. I looked at myself. The blood on my clothing and my body was gone. The pain was gone. I was actually quite positive I had died. The door opened slowly. I couldn't see what was inside, but without my consent my body began to move forward. I stepped into the darkness. The pain on my back resurfaced and I fell to my knees. A light enveloped me and when it faded, I was in the woods. I realized my bag was still with me. It had been on my shoulders the entire time, and I guess that's how it made it through the Gate with me. The next thing I remember was finding the strength to shrug the heavy thing off before falling over." You brought your hands to your lap, tugging at your pajama pants. You opened your mouth to continue but nothing came out but a choked sound. Tears formed in your eyes. As embarrassed as you were to be crying in front of the Elric brothers, they didn't say anything to make you feel worse. "I'm worried about my family." You managed to say. "Surely they found that pool of blood. They probably think I was brutally murdered or something. I don't know how I'm still alive… but I just wish I could let them know that I'm okay."

The weight on the bed shifted slightly as Ed moved to sit down next to you. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on your back; a gesture that was meant to be comforting but it did little to do so. Still, the sentiment was appreciated.

"Dammit…I'm sorry." You said as you wiped the tears from your eyes. You rarely ever cried in front of someone. You'd grown up with boys, and hearing 'cry baby' whenever you started to cry over something as a child, conditioned you to never let people see you cry. It had been ingrained in you as a display of weakness. "I'm acting like a big baby." You said with an attempt at a smile.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. You're upset and worried about your family. It's okay." Alphonse replied, trying to comfort you.

"I know. I just… I hate crying. I feel like a big cry baby when I do." You said as you wiped away any remaining tears. "I grew up with a lot of boys, and of course if you cry in front of young boys they'll tease you and call you a cry baby. So at a young age I was taught to never cry in front of people and to always keep up this strong image. So I don't cry in front of people because I feel that I appear weak when I do. Not to mention it leaves me with a horrible headache. It's just best to avoid the action all together." You said with a light laugh, making an attempt to lighten the situation.

"Alison…" Al started, worry clear in his voice.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be upset. I know I'll get back. Everything will be okay." You said with a smile that you hoped didn't look as fake as is felt. "I'm sorry for waking the both of you. We should go back to sleep, considering the early train we have to catch in the morning." You said, making it clear that you didn't want to discuss the matter any further.

That following morning...

The earliest train out of that horrible town was at eight o'clock in the morning. The three of you boarded the train that morning and left that town behind. You felt like maybe you would like to sleep, but you couldn't manage to do so. Not to mention the seats were far too uncomfortable to fall asleep without waking up with an aching back or neck.

"What?" You'd caught Ed staring at you, looking a tad bit confused.

"Your clothes; I've never really seen a style like that before." He said.

"What? Does it look weird?" You asked pulling at your shirt and looking at your attire.

"No, it looks…um… good. I've just not seen a style like that before."

"Well, I made the outfit myself. When Gracia bought me some clothes, I honestly couldn't find much that was appealing to me. And this morning I just decided to use alchemy to make my own. I know enough about making clothing and used influences of fashion from my world." You explained.

"Speaking of alchemy…" Ed started. "We should probably discuss about what happened last night." He said, looking serious.

When you and Ed had returned to the hotel, not much was said about what happened. At least not to you. Al was immediately concerned, taking note of the mark on your cheek and your bleeding hand. When you were in the bathroom cleaning yourself up, you heard Ed and Al talking, but didn't pay much attention to what it was about. You were fairly sure Ed was telling him about what had happened.

"We've come to believe that the only ones that can transmute without a circle are those who have seen or been through the Gate. You remember now about coming through it." Ed said.

"I think it was the fight that triggered the memories. Or at least allowed them to be released and come back to me in that dream. I suppose it was a matter of preservation that caused it." You told them.

"That would make sense. But… there's a few other things I'm curious about." He began. "You've had no previous knowledge of how alchemy works, so how do you think you are suddenly this good at it?" He asked.

"I'm not entirely sure. What I remember from the Gate is having my mind filled with what seemed like an infinite amount of knowledge. When you started to show and teach me alchemy, I felt like I already knew it. But I couldn't access the knowledge. I know it sounds strange, but when I transmuted during the fight with those…things, I suddenly knew the right circles to use, the right formulas, the make-up of the wall. And now, when I look at something and decide to transmute it, I know what to use. I honestly don't know any other way to explain." You told them. "But despite my sudden knowledge of this science, I believe I should still research and practice it instead of just relying on sudden bits of knowledge." The boys nodded in agreement. It would do you no good to get overconfident in your abilities and then in another fight, your mind going blank and having nothing to go on.

"Another thing, they said you were a valuable resource, and I assume they were referring to the circle on your back. How they gained knowledge of it, I'm not sure. But I'm also curious about your blood." You knew that topic was coming up. You lowered your eyes and looked at the wound on your hand.

"I have no idea." You said softly. "I was just as shocked as you were. And your assumptions last night aren't any different than what I could come up with. But I have a question." You looked at them. "What the hell were those things?"

"They're… called homunculi. They're creatures created by alchemy; artificial humans. But they're much stronger than humans, and appear to be immortal and nearly indestructible." Edward explained. "We've had run-ins with them before. They're interested in us because of our research."

"So, since I possibly have a connection to the Philosopher's Stone, they're interested in me?" You asked. Ed nodded. "And they'll be back, won't they?"

"They'll bide their time. And they'll plan. I don't know when or where…but, yes. They will be back." Ed said solemnly.

"And they'll find me no matter where I am, correct?"

"More than likely."

"So… no matter where I go, I'm not safe." Ed nodded.

"I'm sorry… We got you involved in our mess." He apologized.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. You both gave me fair warning when you offered to let me come along. I knew the risks and chose to do so anyways. Besides, I believe I have an advantage, wouldn't you agree?" You said with a smirk as you showed your bandaged palm and wiggled your fingers.

"You seem to be taking this well." Al said, seeming a bit surprised at your optimism and acceptance of the situation. You shrugged.

"There's really no other way to take it. If I get mad or scared or upset, what will that accomplish? All I can do is accept it and try to be prepared for the next encounter." You replied. "In times of trouble, I can't waste time feeling sorry for myself or wishing things were different. Doing that gets nothing done and in the end nothing will have changed. But if I accept it, and expect the worst, and take action, I have a chance to change the outcome, perhaps even making it come out in my favor."

Central really was a nice city. Growing up in a small town, there wasn't much around. You'd been to large cities before, but never really got to enjoy them like you did here. Instead of staying with the Hughes family, the three of you stayed in a rather nice hotel that had special boarding for State Alchemists. The room the three of you stayed in was a suite and had separate bedrooms, so you were able to have your own room. It was just a normal hotel suite, nothing extravagant. It wasn't like a penthouse suite after all.

The monster let out a deep growl, demanding it be fed immediately, or else those around it suffer.

"Ed…" Al said with a sigh. "Go get something to eat."

"M'fine." Ed grunted out, sounding grumpy. Possibly from not having eaten for several hours.

"I can manage on my own. Go get something to eat. And you should take Alison too. I'm sure she hasn't eaten since you either." Al said. "Besides, when the library closes in a few hours, most of the restaurants around here will be too." Ed grumbled something under his breath. "Just go." Al said with a little more bite as he picked his brother up and shoved him along towards the door. Al sighed. Why did his brother have to make things so difficult? All he was trying to do was look after him… and maybe perhaps by some chance get him to interact with someone around his age of the opposite sex other than Winry. Edward could be so antisocial. Al was more social than he was, and he was in a huge suit of armor, giving off an atmosphere of intimidation.

Edward had walked back to the hotel. It had been a couple of weeks since the incident in the last town. And also the kiss he shared with Alley. They hadn't kissed since, but would catch one watching the other every so often; quickly looking away as a light blush appeared on their cheeks. He wouldn't deny (at least not to himself) that the kiss had been very enjoyable and he wouldn't mind experiencing it again. It was his first kiss as an adolescent. Kissing Winry on a dare when he was eight hardly counted as a first kiss. Especially with the dramatic spitting and wiping of the mouth that usually accompanies an eight year old boy getting kissed by a girl. Ed didn't spend that much time around Alley when they were in Central as they had been the past couple weeks. Or at least not as much time as Gracia and the Lieutenant Colonel probably did. She had taken a liking to the Hughes family and they had of her. So quite a bit of time was spent at their home. Edward and Alphonse were usually busy in the library or helping out around head quarters. Sometimes the brothers would go a full day without seeing Alley; coming home late after being forced out of the library when the librarians were sick of sticking around past closing for them again, and she would be asleep in her room. Sometimes if they came home late she would still be up, reading usually. And even though they seemed to neglect her and would leave for head quarters without a word in the morning, she never said anything. She never complained or seemed upset. When they returned they were always greeted with a smile and a genuine interest in how their research had gone.

When Ed returned to the hotel room he found you on the couch with a notebook, sketching something. You looked up and smiled.

"Where's Al?" You asked.

"He's still at the library. He kind of kicked me out." Ed said with a lop-sided grin.

"What for? What did you do?" You asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing!" he said, seeming offended. "Why do you assume I did something?"

"Because that seems to usually be the case." You said with a grin.

"He kicked me out because I hadn't eaten in awhile and he was tired of hearing my stomach growl." He said with a huff. "And… he said you probably hadn't eaten in awhile either." A light blush came to his cheeks. "So… do you wanna go grab something to eat?" He asked while rubbing the back of his head.

"Sure. Sounds good." You said with a smile.

"Man, Al was right. Most of the restaurants are closed by now." Ed grumbled.

"What about that one?" You suggested as you pointed at a place that still seemed to be open.

"I'm pretty sure that's a bar." Ed said.

"They probably serve food though. Some bars serve food." You replied. "And if they will allow minors in then I'm sure they have food."

"Minors? We're not minors." Ed said, giving you a strange look. "The legal age of an adult and for drinking in Amestris is sixteen. You're sixteen too, aren't you?"

"Why yes, yes I am." You said, a grin creeping across your face. "In my country the legal age of an adult is eighteen, and even then you can't legally drink until you're twenty-one. So why don't we indulge in an opportunity that I won't experience in my world for several more years and have a few drinks." You suggested as you grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the bar. Ed seemed a bit hesitant, not really having drank much before, but he couldn't make himself protest. Yes, he'd had a beer when he turned sixteen, Havoc, Breda, Fuery, and Falman basically forcing him to go to a bar the night of his birthday.

"Have you ever drank before?" Ed asked after the waitress came and took your food orders as well as your drink orders.

"Yeah. Just because the legal age is twenty-one doesn't mean it keeps people under that age from doing it anyways. I have to say I've never been drunk. I believe I've been a bit tipsy once before. But not drunk. I've had beer and wine and some harder stuff like whiskey. But not much." You told him.

The restaurant wasn't very busy, but it wasn't empty either. Music played in the background from the radio, a few guys who had had a little too much sat at the bar laughing loudly with each other. A few other groups scattered here and there sat amongst themselves and talked and laughed. The beers you were served came in large mugs, giving quite the generous serving. Around the end of the second beer, the food had been eaten and the plates taken away and you started to find yourself joking around with Edward more, teasing him a little even. And he took the teasing very well. You began to giggle more and your head felt a little light. But you were fine. That is until the third large mug of beer was served and you both decided to compete over who could finish their beer first. That had been a tie. So two more were ordered to break the tie. Oh, this would not end well. Much to your pride's displeasure, Edward had won. It was then you realized you were both very drunk.

"Hold on, hold on. Are you telling me, the one called Envy is a man?" You laughed as you spoke.

"Yeah, as far as those things go, he's a guy." Ed replied with a chuckle.

"Wasn't he wearing a skirt or something? I mean, his body I supposed looked manly. He was flat-chested and had some muscles to him. But his wardrobe says otherwise. And he sounded like a sixty year-old woman who has been smoking since she was five." You rested your forehead on your hand as you leaned on the table. "That guy has some serious gender role confusions." You sighed and smiled. "Well, since he can change his appearance at least he can play dress up as much as he wants." There was a short silence before the both of you started bursting into laughter at the thought.

Taking this giggle fest as a sign to leave before anymore alcohol was consumed, Ed paid the tab and the two of you walked… stumbled out.

"It's late. We should head back." Ed slurred his words slightly.

"Will it bother Al if we're slightly inebriated?" Your words were a bit slurred as well. Ed seemed to think for a moment before it dawned on him that if you both returned to the hotel right now, Al would discover quite quickly that the two of you had been drinking.

"Dammit!" He groaned.

"Would he really mind that much?" You asked. You hooked your arm with Ed and lightly leaned on him as the two of you walked, finding that he was sufficient in holding you steady. It was meant to be a platonic gesture; something you would do while walking with one of your close friends. But somewhere along the lines that was lost.

"I guess if it bothers him I'll just tell him it's your fault." He said with a sigh.

"My fault? How is this my fault?" You acted offended.

"You're the one that just had to go to a bar." He said.

"You're the one who challenged me to a drinking contest!"

"And you're the one who agreed to it." He said with a smirk. You shoved him playfully, the act causing him to stagger a little. He laughed and came back next to you and put an arm around your neck, playfully. During the several weeks you'd been around Ed you'd never seen him like this. Granted he was drunk, but he seemed so much more relaxed. His laugh and smile seemed genuine and he seemed to really be enjoying himself. The playful arm around your neck fell to your shoulders, stayed there for a little bit, before falling to your waist. With the help of a little liquid courage Edward wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you closer to his side. You looked up at him to find him staring at you. There in his eyes was something so familiar but at the same time foreign. Within only a few blurred moments you both had ducked down in an alley way. You found yourself pinned against the wall with an eager mouth against yours. Oh, how you'd been craving this over the past couple of weeks. His kisses tasted like beer, but you supposed yours did too. A warm tongue found yours; you brought your hands to his face and pulled him closer, if that was possible. His hands found your hips and pulled your body against his with so much evident lust and desire it made you gasp against his lips. You felt his lips turn up in a satisfied smirk and bit his lip in response before pulling away from the heated kiss. You attempted to catch your breath. The lack of oxygen mixing with the abundance of alcohol in your body making you light headed. You wrapped your arms around his neck, one hand weaving through his golden hair. You buried your face in the crook of his neck and began laughing.

"What's so funny?" He asked, sounding a bit out of breath himself.

"Everything is so unexpected with you. You always manage to surprise me." You chuckled. You sighed against the hot flesh of his neck, noticing the way it made him shiver. "It's nice." You whispered as you began to place light kisses along the side of his neck. Ed felt his body reacting and through the haze of the alcohol knew that the two of you needed to stop or it would be very difficult for him to do so later. It was too early in your…. Relationship? Could this be considered a relationship? Yes, Edward found you incredibly attractive, the growing bulge in his pants was evidence of that, and he found your personality attractive as well. You were smart, kind, funny, and you didn't seem to care about the state his body was in or Al's lack of one. You were accepting of everything. Even when he accused you of lying and told you to leave you accepted his decision and left with parting words of luck. Edward couldn't deny to himself that he was really beginning to grow feelings for you. Feelings that he'd never really felt before. It wasn't like a crush. It was different; more mature it seemed. But were the two of you in a relationship? As in dating, or boyfriend and girlfriend? How did you view this? What did you want? Was this just a physical thing, or something more than that? He didn't think you seemed like the type to just have a physical relationship with someone. But did he want a relationship? A better question; could he handle one right now? He barely saw you as it was. But then again, that didn't seem to bother you. Not to mention his goal to return his brother's body to him. Was there time for a relationship? So many questions ran through his inebriated mind as he realized he was thinking about this too much right now. Ed mentally shook the thoughts away. He'd think about it later, when he was sober. But right now, he needed you to stop that wonderful thing you were doing involving your tongue and his ear. That felt far too good. Doing something farther than this in a dark dirty alley way seemed inappropriate. So if he didn't stop this now, he'd find it incredibly difficult to do so very soon and would have an even more difficult time walking back to the hotel. He pulled back just enough to kiss you again, swiping his tongue against yours before pulling away. Even in the shadows of the night the blush on his face was visible.

"We really should head back. Before…." He trailed off, not really knowing of an appropriate way to say 'we need to stop because I'm getting a little too aroused and might not be able to walk back like this if we keep going.' But he didn't need to say anything. You just let out a light laugh. Your tongue darted out to lick your lips and shot him a look that wasn't intended to be seductive, but it in no means helped alleviate his current problem.

"All right, let's head back. Maybe we can pass as sober in front of Al." You said with a grin.

You woke up the next morning close to noon. Any chance of a hangover gone due to your youth and the gracious amount of sleep you were able to get. You made yourself presentable and walked out into the den. There you found Edward sitting on the couch reading a book. He looked over his shoulder when he heard your footsteps.

"Hey!" He said with a smile. "Wanna get some lunch?" He asked.

"Sure, but don't you have to be at work?" You asked.

"No, it's the weekend." He said.

"Oh. I guess since I haven't been in school I've begun to lose track of the days." You said with a sheepish grin. It was then when it hit you; you'd been gone for about a month now. You seemed to have adapted to all of this quite easily. It was actually a little unsettling. There was nothing wrong with being able to adapt to sudden changes, but this was a whole other ball game. You hadn't moved cross country and had to start over at a new school or move off to college and live away from home. No, you had been taken from your world by some unknown force and thrown into another while your family was left with no idea as to what happened. And what were you doing? Drinking at bars and going to lunch with a cute guy and sitting in a hotel room or wandering around town or spending time with a family you barely knew. You should be out looking for a way home. Not…getting this close.

It was hard to enjoy lunch with so many guilt-ridden thoughts going through your mind. You tried to pay attention to what Ed was saying, but your mind kept drifting to your own world; wondering how your family was doing and how you were going to get back home. You thought of Edward and Alphonse, of the Hughes family, and noticed how close you'd grown to these people in such a short amount of time. If you stayed, your feelings for them would only grow stronger… and that would just make leaving harder on not just you, but these people as well.

"Fullmetal, sir?" A young soldier approached Edward at the library. Ed looked up at the man from the large textbook he was reading. "Phone call from Colonel Mustang, sir. Booth number three on the east side of the library, sir."

"Thanks." Ed said with a sigh. The soldier saluted before going about his business. "Great, what does he want now?" Ed mumbled to himself. "I'll be right back Al." Alphonse waved dismissive hand in response, far too wrapped up in his own research.

"What do you want?" Ed asked bitterly as he spoke into the receiver.

"That's no way to speak to your commanding officer." The smug voice on the other end spoke.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm a bratty kid; I don't respect my superiors, blah blah blah. I'm busy, what do you want?" Ed spoke with disinterest and sarcasm.

"Are you planning on going anywhere sometime soon without telling me?" Mustang asked.

"Why would I? You've had me stuck here for two weeks doing paperwork! If you would leave me alone for five minutes I might be able to find a sufficient lead to actually follow up on!" Ed barked into the receiver.

"That's interesting. Hughes was just here and he told me that Gracia called earlier. She said that your young lady friend stopped by their house earlier. She thanked Gracia and said that she was leaving for awhile. Any idea what that's about?" The Colonel asked.

"No, but I'll let you know when I find out." Ed slammed down the receiver and ran to grab his brother.

By the time they made it to the hotel you were already gone. Nothing was missing except your belongings. On the coffee table was a note.

Dear Edward and Alphonse,

I apologize for the rude and sudden departure. I'm afraid I cannot continue to travel with the two of you. I'm afraid that my presence and my current situation may hinder your goal. You have both been so wonderful and kind to me; the last thing I want to do is get in your way. I wish both of you good luck in your journeys. Thank you for all you have done for me.

Sincerely,

Alison Rigby

You'd managed to make a little money doing a few repairs and chores with the help of alchemy around Central. With that money you were able to buy a ticket to somewhere up north.

"Where ya headin'?" An older woman sitting across the aisle from you asked. It took a few moments to register that she was speaking to you. The particular car you were in was fairly empty.

"Oh, I'm heading to…Dale." You said after taking a glance at your ticket. You hadn't really paid much attention to the location. You asked for the first train out of Central and it happened to be the small town of Dale.

"That's quite a ways from Central. Do you mind me asking why you're going?"

"Um… not really sure. It was kind of random." You said with a sheepish grin.

"I'm going to Dale to visit my cousin. He owns a clothing store there. He makes all of his merchandise himself. He does a wonderful job on the men's clothing but… well, he's an old man and doesn't really know what young women like you like to wear now a days. Your clothing seems pretty fashionable, maybe you could teach him a thing or two about women's fashion." The woman laughed. "May I ask where you bought your clothes?"

"Oh, I made these myself." You replied.

"Oh my! You did? How wonderful!" If this woman was any sweeter she'd give you a stomachache.

"Yeah. I actually use alchemy to change my clothing. If you know enough about making clothing and alchemy, it's very easy." You told her.

"Are you visiting Dale or planning to stay for awhile?" She asked.

"I'm not sure. Probably staying until I decide what to do next."

"Well then, I would love it if you met my cousin. If you can impress him with your skills I'm sure he'd give you a job!"

"Oh… Thank you. That's very kind of you." You said with a smile. You weren't exactly sure how to respond to this woman anymore. Back home you rarely encountered people like this; going out of their way to help someone else. She flashed one last smile before turning to her window.

"You better bundle up. Dale gets a lot of snow. Not as much as Briggs, but a generous amount. I bet you it will be snowing before we even get there!"

"Snow… that sounds nice." You murmured against your window, your hot breath creating a cloud of fog against it.

A/N: That's it for this chapter. The next one will be out fairly soon. Thank you for your patience!