"Claudia? Wake up, Claudia," a voice called to Becky across a sea of field of black. Becky moaned but discovered that she could not open her eyes. Awareness slowly seeped in to Becky's brain. She could feel strong hands on her shoulders in a slightly painful grip. The world was rocking back and forth in a slow, hypnotic motion. Sluggishly, she realized she was being shaken.

"Claudia, this is no place to rest." The voice was crisp and commanding. Becky opened her eyes only to shut them again as the sunlight blinded her. The hands that had been gripping her shoulders released her. Raising a heavy arm, Becky opened her eyes under the cover of her hand. The pain in her eyes slowly ebbed away as did the spots of black dotting her vision. Finally, her vision cleared. A woman knelt next to her, the crisp blue uniform catching Becky's eye first. Her blonde hair was flipped up onto the back of her head and secured there by a brown hair clip. Brown eyes regarded her calmly but with the slight hint of concern. Becky stared in shock.

The woman before her was Riza Hawkeye.

"You're Riza Hawkeye!" Becky blurted before she realized what she was saying. Riza gave her a strange look coupled with concern.

"Did you hit your head, sir?"

"No, no. I'm fine." Becky felt her blush tinge all the way up to the roots of her hair. She couldn't be any more mortified. Riza frowned but nodded. She stood, extending her hand to the still furiously blushing Becky. Becky took the hand and stood, brushing off the dirt from her pants. Riza stooped and picked up the clipboard she'd left on the ground where Becky had been laying. She brushed some of the leaves off of it before looking back at Becky.

"Colonel Mustang wished to see you. I suggest getting there as quickly as you can. He's in one of his moods." Hawkeye snapped a quick salute, which Becky promptly returned. Turning swiftly, Hawkeye made her way back to where ever she had intended on going in the first place. Becky watched her go for a moment before surveying her surroundings. Central gleamed under the sunlight. The tree Becky stood under was not far away from Central Headquarters. Becky felt a grin alight on her face. She couldn't believe it. She was standing in Central. She made her way inside only to find herself utterly lost. Becky saw a large man walking past her in a military uniform.

"Wait!" Becky ran after him, desperately trying to catch his attention. The massive man stopped, turning toward her. Becky froze. The man before her was heavily muscled with a large, blonde mustache as most of the hair on his head. The only other piece of hair was the single cowlick adorning the center of his head. Becky faltered.

"Armstrong?"

"Hmmm. And you must be Claudia, the Quantum Alchemist," Armstrong regarded her for a moment before pulling her into a rib-crushing hug. Tears spilled down the big man's face. Becky was blinded by several purple sparklies that glinted in her eyes at the same time.

"Augh!"

"Claudia! So long has it been since your return to Central! How I have missed your company!" Armstrong gushed. Becky struggled weakly in his arms, her lungs screaming for air. Suddenly, a great torrent of air flooded her lungs as Armstrong released her.

"It's nice to see you to, Armstrong," she wheezed. Armstrong looked at her concerned.

"Has something happened to cause you to lose so much energy? Perhaps you should work more on your daily training."

"Yes, because something is clearly wrong with my training when I can't stand straight after one of your hugs," Becky replied acidly, "But you're probably right."

"What may I help you with, Claudia?"

"I can't find Mustang's office," Becky answered sheepishly. Armstrong nodded in understanding. He drew a map of Central Headquarters and pointed out the best path the Mustang's office from where she currently was. Becky thanked him and endured another one of his hugs before finally stumbling away. She was still cradling her cracked ribs when she opened the door.

"Claudia! Are you hurt? Is there something I can do?" Becky was immediately greeted by a short, young, black-haired boy with wire glasses. He looked at her with genuine concern as Becky tried to straighten. A black dog rested its front paws on her leg. It whimpered in what could have been concern. Becky smiled, picking up and petting Black Hayate between his ears. She looked up at Fury and smiled.

"I'm fine. I just had to endure two Armstrong hugs but other than that, I'm fine."

"Yeah, because those are the perfect hugs to try and endure," A man replied sarcastically from the corner. His feet were on his desk and smoke curled around his head in a lazy ring. Blonde hair stuck out in a casual indifference. The cigarette in his mouth identified him immediately to Becky. She grinned at Havoc as she passed Black Hayate to the man next to her.

"GAH! Get it away from me!" Breda dropped the dog and cowered on the filing cabinets. Becky stifled a laugh as Falman emerged and tried to convince Breda to get down. She turned her attention back to Havoc.

"I happen to like Armstrong hugs," she retorted over Breda's whimpers of fear, "They're just a bit more painful than one would like them to be." Havoc laughed, extinguishing the cigarette in an ashtray. He stood and walked over to her, the smell of smoke clinging to him.

"What did you need?" Havoc asked, "And will you go out with me?"

"First off, Mustang asked for me to be here and secondly, no. I'm much younger than you." Havoc sighed heavily, his expression a mask of mock anguish as he wandered back to his seat.

"Mustang is through that door. Be careful, though. Sounds like him and Full Metal are at it again," Havoc warned before taking out another cigarette, "You know what that's like." Becky grinned before making her way to the door Havoc had indicated. She could hear the shouting inside it.

"I don't need a bodyguard!"

"Please, Ed. Try to understand that your safety is a large concern of mine."

"You know damn well that I don't need to have a chaperone when I need to get my automail check over!" Becky opened the door to Mustang's office. Colonel Roy Mustang sat behind his desk, his hands folded. He was looking over his hands at an irritated, bad-mouthing, blonde-haired boy with a red coat. Mustang had glanced up when the door had opened. He smiled his trademark smirk.

"I see your guard has arrived. Claudia, I believe you've heard of the Full Metal Alchemist." Becky stared as the short boy turned to glare at her. His gold eyes flashed with defiance and his scowl spoke volumes. Becky felt her heart skip a beat. She loved his scowl. In the attempt to not make the same mistake she'd done with Hawkeye, she turned her eyes to Mustang and nodded.

"I have, Colonel. It's very hard not to have heard of him with an ego his size."

"What was that?" Edward growled.

"Good. Then there is no need for an introduction," Mustang smiled, ignoring Ed completely, "Claudia, you are to escort Edward to Resembool."

"What did you break this time?" Becky teased as she looked at Ed. Ed's scowl deepened.

"I didn't break anything," he snapped.

"So it's a trip to see Winry."

"Shut up."

"Also, we've picked up intelligence that a stone possibly exists somewhere in Leour," Mustang interrupted.

"I thought I took care of that stone and their fraud of a leader." Ed commented. Mustang rose from his seat and stood before Becky. He smelled faintly of charred paper. What Spockles wouldn't give to be where I am right now Becky thought. Mustang handed a manila envelope to her, a grave look on his face.

"This envelope is classified for you and you alone. It explains your mission in Leour." Becky nodded, weighing the envelope in her hand.

"Why don't I get an envelope?" Ed demanded.

"You're expected to leave immediately, Full Metal," Mustang replied, returning to his seat behind his desk. Ed glared at Mustang before turning about swiftly. In anger, he left the room with Becky close behind. Alphonse stood outside the door waiting for his brother. With heavy yet hollow clanking, he fell into step behind them.

"Brother, you do know you're being followed," Al remarked, amusement barely concealed in his tone, "by a girl."

"I know, Al," Ed replied through gritted teeth. He scowled at Becky, not seeming to understand this was not getting the result he wanted, "Mustang assigned us a bodyguard to get us to Resembool."

"At least it's not Armstrong, "Al said reassuringly, "He volunteered."

"I can hear you two in case you were wondering," Becky commented dryly. Ed glared at her and Al gave a shaky laugh. They finally arrived at the train station. It was flooded by people trying to go different places. Fortunately, it helped that Al was a seven-foot tall suit of armor. People scampered out of their way. Ed paid for two tickets as Becky dug in her pockets for money. She imagined being very embarrassed if she didn't have any money. She was pleased to discover that her money had changed to the Amestrian currency. She paid for her own ticket and discovered the Elric brothers had slipped away. Becky scanned the crowd and immediately noticed the seven-foot tall Alphonse. Even though she couldn't see Ed, she knew he was close by. Silently, she followed Alphonse onto the train. So she wouldn't be detected, Becky slid into the seat that Alphonse had his back to, making sure to stay almost directly behind him.

"That was mean, brother," Al said unhappily.

"So what? We lost her didn't we?" Ed retorted, "Now we get to Resembool and not have to worry about an extra body. It's easier this way." Ed laced his fingers behind his head and slouched in his seat with his eyes closed, the picture of relaxed and carefree. Alphonse wasn't convinced.

"She was just following orders. You're going to get her into trouble, nii-san." Ed opened his eyes and regarded his younger brother. He sighed, resting his elbows on his knees and looking at the ground.

"I guess you're right," Ed sounded resigned, "We'll need to apologize to her when we see her again."

"You need to apologize to her, brother." Al corrected. Ed smiled then cast his gaze out of the window. His eyes widened as sudden realization crossed his face. He swore suddenly, eyes flashing. Al backed as far as the seat would let him.

"Brother?"

"That damned colonel! He knew I'd try to ditch her so he gave her that envelope," Edward snarled, "I have no idea what I'm doing in Leour without that envelope!"

"So, we're going back," Al concluded. Ed fumed in charged silence, scowling out of the window. Becky was fighting the urge to burst into peals of laughter. Her stomach ached from holding it in, her cheeks straining from the pent up grins. A few rebel giggles bubbled past her lips. Al noticed and turned to locate the source. Becky moved quickly, staying out of Alphonse's view and of the window's reflection. She took her place next to Ed. Al searched the seat for a moment.

"What is it, Al?"

"Nothing, nii-san," Al replied as he turned around.

"Hi, Alphonse!" Becky replied cheerily. Ed jumped three feet into the air before whipping around to face her.

"YOU! You…how did," Ed spluttered, trying to decide if he was angry or shocked.

"Just in case you hadn't noticed, "Becky remarked, "Al is a seven-foot suit of armor. Even if I couldn't spot you in a crowd, Ed, following him in a crowd is very easy." Ed's face twitched.

"You just call me short?" His tone was dangerous.

"Of course not. I only implied that you were."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT HE'D HAVE TO WEAR STILTS JUST TO TALK TO A FLEA?" Ed exploded.

"You just technically called yourself short," Becky noted, obviously impressed by his lack of noticing.

"She has a point, brother," Al laughed. Ed glared at his brother but the fury in his eyes faded. Ed smiled.

"I guess she does," he chuckled, "So, what's your name?"

"Claudia," Becky replied after a moment's hesitation. She could have sworn that she saw a glimmer or recognition in his eyes but it could have been a trick of the light. Ed nodded in acknowledgement.

"What do you think about sticking around? We could use your help," Ed asked.

"Not only that but we don't want to get you into trouble," Al added. Becky grinned.

"I'm up for it."