A/N: Oh boy, you guys... I'm so sorry. Highschool is uber time consuming,. I barely had time to get this chapter down on paper. X-X... Anyway, I hope you forgive me. next chapter will be up quicker. I promise! After all, Thanksgiving's coming up, so that's a week-long vacation for yours truely ;D

As the afternoon sun hung over the Central City marketplace Nikki pushed her way, as politely as possible, through the bustling crowd while carrying a paper bag full of groceries in one arm. This proved to be a difficult feat.

She glanced down at the shopping list and felt a bump on her arm. She looked up some to apologize and shook her hair from her face, her purple eyes darted back down to the list, blinking a bit as she heard the approaching sound of rowdy children, plowing their way straight through the crowd. Nikki looked over her shoulder as the people behind her parted and the children darted towards her.

A soft 'eep' escaped her as a hand grabbed her own, pulling her up onto the curb just in time to avoid the spirited boys.

Nikki sighed and crumpled the shopping list in her hand some, moving wisps of hair from her face once more. She shivered gently as it ran over her cheek, sliding off the arm of her glasses.

"You alright?" asked a rather smooth, male voice. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Nikki shook her head. "Oh, no. I'm fine." She looked up into the silver eyes of 14-year-old Russell Tringham, a smile playing on his face.

Russell was tall... Well, compared to her and Edward, at least. He had golden blonde hair which hung in his left eye and was sort of brushed at an angle so that the rest of his hair hung over his right ear. His attire consisted of an almost pale lavender button-up shirt with a breast pocket on the left side. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up towards his elbows. A pair of black suspenders ran up his chest, hooking round his shoulders and attaching to the back of his black slacks.

"The name's Russell; Russell Tringham." He smiled again, sliding a hand out of his pocket and offering it to her.

Nikki took his hand after tucking the shopping list away in her own pocket. "Nikki Tucker." she replied meekly, and with a half-smile. She was half-shocked by the velvetiness of his voice. After all, he was her age.

Russell nodded and squeezed her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Nikki's smile grew a bit and she blinked as a younger boy, about twelve or so, shifted and stepped out from behind Russell.

Russell looked at the boy and then smiled, releasing Nikki's hand to clap the rather timid-looking boy on the shoulder. "This is my younger brother, Fletcher."

Fletcher looked up at Nikki, silver eyes sparkling dully. "Hello..."

Nikki smiled at him, holding the groceries in front of her and wrapping her arms around the bag. "Hi."

Fletcher, like his brother, had golden blonde hair, though it was much less tame. It stuck out in every direction, hanging over a forest green band around his forehead, which had two earflaps hanging from it. Attached to these flaps, were two halves of a buckle, though the buckle was undone. He also wore a white t-shirt with a high collar, closed up by three strings. Running from his left shoulder to his right hip was a forest green buckle that held up his lopsided pair of matching green pants.

Fletcher cleared his throat and twisted his fingers shyly. 'It's very nice to meet you.."

Nikki giggled a bit and shifted the groceries in her arms. "It's very nice to meet you too, Fletcher."

Russell blinked. "Here, let me take this..." He pulled his other hand from him pocket as he reached out, taking the bag from her. "Is there any more shopping you need to do? We'll accompany you."

Fletcher nodded in agreement.

Nikki stammered. Too many kind gestures had been thrown at her at once by this... Russell. "Um... Well... I still have to go and pick up allergy medicine..."

Russell nodded. "Alright, then." He smiled. "To the pharmacy." And with that, he headed down the sidewalk.

Nikki blinked slowly and watched, before glancing at Fletcher. He must've felt her eyes on him, for he snuck a glance at her and immediately looked away.

This caused Nikki to giggle. She put her hands on her waist, leaning forward slightly to try and catch his gaze.

"How old are you, Fletcher?"

Fletcher looked up, a bit surprised by her question. "Wha-? Oh... Twelve."

Nikki smiled. "Hm... Twelve, huh?" She giggled and rested a hand lightly on his shoulder. "Come on, hun... If we don't hurry, we'll lose your brother... And my groceries." She winked a bit, her glasses sliding down her nose.

Fletcher nodded and smiled.

Nikki felt his muscles relax just before she took her hand from his shoulder. They both walked down the street after Russell, Fletcher determined to keep pace with Nikki.

2 hours later...

A knock echoed through the quiet street as a buggie clicked along the cobblestone road outside Lt. Colonel Hughes' house. There was the sound of a chair screeching across the floor inside over a mix of conversation and, a caution to be careful from Maes.

Outside, the Elric brothers looked at one another, then at the door. Ed blinked and their eyes traveled downward to rest on little Elysia, who was standing on her tiptoes with both hands clutching the doorknob.

Edward grinned and put his fists on his waist. "Well hey there, kiddo! Boy, you sure have grown!"

Elysia cocked her head as Glacia opened the door a little wider. "Oh! It's good to see you boys. Welcome back!" She smiled.

Al inclined ever so slightly and rubbed the back of the helmet. "Well, it's really good to be back Mrs. Hughes."

Ed nodded. "Yeah," he laughed. "You can say that again!"

Glacia smiled. "Please, please... Come right in." She stepped aside, pulling on Elysia's shoulder gently to guide her back as well, leaving room from Ed and Al to walk inside.

The brothers walked into the hallway as Glacia took the traveling trunk from Al, holding it with both hands as she deposited it near the coat rack.

Ed rested his hands on his waist and looked around. He blinked and looked at Elysia as she ran past towards the back door.

Maes stepped out of the kitchen. "Yo, Ed!" He said enthusiastically, slapping Edward hard on the back.

Ed stumbled forward and rubbed at his shoulder. He smiled weakly and glanced back at Hughes. "Hey."

Glacia folded her hands in front of her, looking at the Elrics. "Nikki's out back...Why don't you go and say hi?" She smiled.

Ed laughed and grinned, practically skipping towards the back door. "You bet!"

Al cocked his head a bit as he watched Ed, before turning his attention to Maes and Glacia again. "Thank you so much for having us back."

Glacia nodded. "It's our pleasure. You two can stay as long as you want."

Alphonse nodded a thank you and the three of them jumped as Ed let out a scream from the backyard.

Nikki stared at Edward from a bench, sitting between Fletcher and Russell with Elysia on her lap. "E-...Edward..? Is something wrong?"

Edward stared back at her pointing from Russell to Fletcher continuously, his mouth hanging open in a horrified manner. "It-It-It's...!"

Russell smiled and raised a hand. "Hello."

Ed growled and clenched his fists, stomping one foot on the ground before pointing at Russell. "Don't you 'Hello' me, you imposter!!!"

Nikki blinked and looked up at Russell with a questionable look. "..?"

Russell sighed and smiled, closing his eyes and giving her an innocent shrug. "Who knows?"

Ed gaped at him and held his hands down by his waist, palms-up as he slouched a bit. "Who knows?!!"

Nikki held Elysia in her arms, standing up. "Edward, calm down..."

Edward waved his hands frantically at his sides. " 'Calm down'? What'd'ya mean 'calm down'?! These two should be under arrest and here they are sitting in the Lt. Colonel's backyard!!!" He dropped his hands to his sides, hanging his head as he panted... He had said the entire thing in one breath.

Nikki frowned and looked at the Tringham brothers.

Russell shook his head as if to say he pitied Edward and had no idea what he was talking about.

Fletcher, however, liked Nikki too much to lie to her. "We stole Ed and Al's identities in order to gain access to Mugear's laboratory in Xenotime... So that we could create the Philosopher's Stone..." He gripped the knees of his pants with his hands, staring at his boots.

Ed and Russell stared at him in semi-shcok.

Nikki looked at him as well, then over to Russell. "Is that true?"

Russell huffed and glanced sideways, giving a nod. The bangs of his pretty-boy hairstyle fell into his eyes.

Nikki frowned a bit and Elysia blinked, looking up at her. Nikki gave her a weak smile and then looked back at Ed. "Well, that's in the past, right? It's over now and we all need to move on."

Ed stared at her. For a moment, he thought about pressing the subject farther. After all, he and Russell weren't the best of friends, but... There was a sort of dullness to her normally bright eyes and it was all the hint Ed needed to realize that she was saying this for her own reasons, too. "...Yeah."

Russell sighed and rested his hands on his knees, standing up as Elysia squirmed from Nikki's arms and stood beside her. "Well... It's been fun, Niks... But we should get going."

Ed's temple twitched at the new nickname he had given her.

Nikki looked at Russell and nodded. "Where are you off to now?"

Russell shrugged. "Out towards the Eastern Sector, probably. The next train leaves in about 20 minutes, so..."

Nikki smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Russell gave a small smile before hugging her. Having an urge to see exactly how Edward would act, he leaned down, giving Nikki a friendly kiss on the cheek.

Nikki blushed and rubbed the back of her head with a small smile, glancing at the ground.

Edward stared for a minute before his jaw hit the floor. He growled and ignored the rest of Russell's goodbye to Nikki as he clapped his palms together swiftly and dropped to one knee, slamming them into the grass.

Blue streaks of alchemic light flashed from the earth as well as from his gloves. The ground lifted in a prefect half circle as if a large creature were tunneling through the yard directly towards Russell. When the mound came to Russell's feet, a large green and brown pillar shot from the earth and curved, vaulting Russell over the backyard's fence and into the street. Edward grinned and snickered as the ground sunk back into place.

Fletcher, Nikki and Elysia stared at the fence as Russell groaned on the other side. The three of them sweatdropped and then looked at Edward, who was brushing his hands off. He shoved them in his pockets and turned on one heel, walking into the house proudly as he whistled.

Nikki blinked slowly and sighed heavily. She turned to Fletcher and smiled, patting his blonde mess of hair. "It was very nice to meet you, Fletcher."

He smiled. "...Nice to meet you too, Nikki... I hope we see each other again..."

Nikki nodded and smiled. 'I can almost guarantee it."

Fletcher grinned a bit and ran over to the fence, climbing up and over it.

Nikki listened as the two brothers engaged in conversation, yelled goodbye to her from the street, and slowly begin to fade away. She looked down at Elysia, who poked at the mound still present in the lawn. Nikki smiled and picked her up. "Come on, Elysia... Let's go knock some sense into Edward, huh?"

A/N: BAM! Chapta Seven!!! Hope you liked it

Updates: Also, later on in this story, there may be a bit of... Intimacy between Edward and Nikki. It will be in a seperate chapter of it's own if it's inclulded at all. So, I know not everyone's comfortable with this, so please, when you comment simply put a Yes or No at the end for this chapter. If I get enough 'yes' votes, then the ones who vote no can smply skip the chapter. I assure you that you will not miss anything.

I shall also be posting a new prologue/chapter 1 to the story. The prologue, I think, has a bit more meaning and really ties into the end of this FanFic and sort of prepares us all for the sequal. Yes! Sequal! Now, for chapter one, the only thing that really changes is the ending where Nikki arrives at the alley and sees the damage done by Scar. Please look into it and tell me what ya think! ;D
-Tasha