I know, I said I'd publish this Friday *shame* I think I'll be sticking to weekly chapters from now on, publishing a new one every Monday.

Anyway, enjoy!


"I need to talk to the Colonel." Ed's mouth was set in a thin line. Al and Julin's encounter with the homunculus had put him seriously on edge. It didn't help that he'd come home bearing new information and theories in regards to getting Al's body back. "We should visit him in the hospital."

"I want to talk to him, too." Julin spoke up. She had to find out if he was really serious about her becoming a state alchemist. It had been gnawing at her constantly. She also wanted to see how Lieutenant Havoc was doing. His wounds had been pretty severe. Ed glanced at her, puzzled.

"What business do you have with the Colonel?" He narrowed his eyes. Julin almost snickered aloud at how suspicious Ed was being.

"We can explain on the way," Al tugged on Ed's good arm. "We should leave soon if you really want to go, I'm not sure how long visiting hours last." The trio waved farewell to Winry. Julin felt kind of guilty that Winry always seemed to be left out of the loop. She decided she'd take a walk with her that evening to spend some more time with her. After all, Winry planned to return to Rush Valley the next day.

Julin and the Elrics walked from the hotel room and started down the stairs. "So, what's the deal with you and the Colonel?" Ed was awfully testy. Julin decided she couldn't blame him. He did have a lot on his mind.

"Well, you heard the story of what happened. I used alkahestry on his and Lieutenant Havoc's wounds. I guess he was pretty impressed. Anyway, as we were leaving, he said something to me about becoming a state alchemist."

"He what?" Ed jerked his head in her direction so fast Julin was surprised it didn't snap off his neck. "Are you sure?"

Julin put her hands up in defense. "Of course I am." She frowned at Ed. "I'm just not sure how serious he was. And I'm also pretty sure he doesn't know that healing is about all I can do."

"Well, serious or not, I don't think you should even consider it." Ed's response was so vehement Julin was tempted to hide herself behind Al's arm, but she stood firm.

"And why not?" She wasn't sure if she even was considering it, but she didn't appreciate Ed telling her what to do with such finality. Ed heaved a heavy sigh.

"Look, Julin, being a state alchemist isn't all it's cracked up to be. Take it from me. You know what they call people like me? Dogs of the military. When you become a state alchemist, you become nothing more than a tool. Look at what happened in Ishval. Is that really what you want for your life?"

"Is it what you want for yours?" Julin turned his question back on him without giving an answer. Her tone wasn't hostile. She was genuinely curious, especially given his heated reaction.

"I'm not doing this for me." His voice was soft, resolute. "The only reason that I agreed to become a state alchemist was because the Colonel promised me that he'd help me find a way to get Al's body back. It gave me a reason to hope again. But you? You don't need that. Everything that you want from your life you can get without becoming a state alchemist, so don't throw your freedom away."

"Ed-" Julin didn't know what to say.

"Well, here we are!" He cut in brightly, turning up the walkway towards the hospital. His message was clear enough: That's all we need on that topic for now. Julin glanced up at Al who only shrugged in response. With a sigh she turned and followed Ed into the hospital. If nothing else, she was still curious as to whether the Colonel's offer had been legitimate.

As they checked in at the desk, a dark haired, bespectacled man in a military coat greeted them. "Hi Ed, Al! And who's your friend?" He turned to smile warmly at Julin.

"Sergeant Fuery! It's been a while. This is Julin." Al introduced her.

"It's nice to meet you," The Sergeant held out his hand and Julin reached to shake it. "I'm Sergeant Kain Fuery."

"It's nice to meet you, too." She smiled. Nearly everyone she'd met so far had been nothing but kind to her, and completely blew her preconceptions about firm, stringent military personnel out of the water.

"So," the sergeant turned to walk with them after they'd all signed in, "Are you here to visit the Colonel?"

"Yes, and Lieutenant Havoc. We thought we'd come pay our respects. The Colonel saved us at the last second!"

"We probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for him," Julin admitted with a shudder. She still hadn't fully processed the fact that she'd come so close to dying. A glance at Ed's face revealed his lips once again set in a firm line. The thought of losing Al had really upset him, but he was trying his hardest not to show it.

"Are you also dropping by for a visit?" Ed turned to the sergeant, quick to change the subject.

He nodded. "And, bringing a little present." He held up a roll of paper. "We've been looking into the third laboratory, and Lieutenant Hawkeye and I are going to share our findings."

They reached the room and entered after the sergeant's knock was answered by a baritone, "come in." The Colonel glanced up when they arrived, looking surprised to see them standing there. "Al, Julin." He greeted with a nod. "Fullmetal."

"Colonel." Ed returned the greeting abruptly. Julin glanced between the two, unable to decipher their relationship. They were eying each other coolly, but Julin knew Ed respected him in the very least.

"So, Colonel, how are you feeling?" Al broke the tension with his question.

"Better all the time," The Colonel acknowledged. "I just want to get out of this bed and back to work. I don't have time for this."

"You need to focus on getting better, sir." Julin turned, surprised to hear Lieutenant Hawkeye's voice. She stood in silent watch by the door. "Your work will be there when you get back."

"Yes, and probably in piles all over my desk." He sighed, running a hand over his face. "But I'm only recovering this quickly thanks to you, Julin," He added. "So thank you."

"I guess I owe you thanks, too." Lieutnant Havoc finally spoke from his bed against the far wall. Julin had noticed him there, but he'd been silent and brooding up until that point. "I may be paralyzed now, but the docs said if it weren't for you I might not have even made it." He was paralyzed? Julin couldn't keep the shock off her face. She knew it had been bad, but hadn't expected that. "Don't worry about me." He must have noticed her expression. "I'm just grateful that you saved my life."

Julin found herself blushing furiously at their words. "It was nothing, really. I was just doing what I could to help."

"Well, you really proved yourself." The Colonel acknowledged.

"Did you really mean what you said?" Julin blurted suddenly. "About me becoming a state alchemist?" Suddenly every eye in the room was on her. The Colonel was silent for a few moments. Lieutenant Hawkeye was wide-eyed.

"I did." He finally spoke. "Your skills really are extraordinary. I saw you in action. Alkahestry is a very unique skill around here. You'd be an important asset to the military." There it was. That word. Asset. A silent glance from Ed was all she needed.

"Thank you." She began. "For the offer, and for your kind words. But I don't think being a state alchemist is the right path for me." The soft look on Lieutenant Hawkeye's face and the subtle nod from Ed were confirmation enough that she'd made the right choice.

"I can respect your decision," The Colonel actually smiled. "Just remember, if you ever change your mind, the offer stands."

"I'll keep that in mind," Julin responded with a nod, but she knew in her heart that she'd never regret making that decision.

"Sir," the sergeant spoke up. "If you don't mind, we have some information we'd like to share with you." Lieutenant Hawkeye stepped forward and that quickly the subject had changed. He began to unroll the paper on the table by the Colonel's bed, revealing that I was a map of Central.

"With them here?" The Colonel gave a glance to the Elrics and Julin.

"I think they have just as much right to know," The Lieutenant said firmly. The Colonel only nodded in response. "I was counting my steps as we walked through that hallway. I found the location of that doorway." The Lieutenant rested her fingertip on a red circle drawn through the center of the city. Julin recalled the doorway with the strange array drawn on it. She wished she'd taken the opportunity to look at it more closely. "It wasn't exact, since the hallway curved, but I was able to deduce a radius with the lab at the center." She was pointing to the spot above where the white room had been. Al gasped.

"It's the presidential estate! Right above where we found the homunculi!" Julin peered closer and was surprised to find that he was right. Her head was practically spinning with all of this new information. She was trying to piece together everything that she knew, but the information wasn't fitting. She remembered Al's story about how the Fuhrer had killed the homunculus Greed. If he was in league with them, why had he killed one of them? But if he wasn't, why had he killed him without first pressing for information? Ed, Al and the Colonel were all voicing her concerns.

"It's strange all right." The Colonel stared down at the map thoughtfully. Looking up, he continued, "One thing's for sure. The enemy's infiltrated high up the command, so extreme caution is necessary at all times. And Fullmetal. Watch yourself." Ed gasped and took a step back. Julin's stomach was in knots. The more information they turned up about the homunculi, the more she felt the strange feeling at the back of her neck. She'd known something wasn't right from the beginning, and rather than the fear she'd expected to feel, all she felt was a firm resolve to find out exactly what was going on.

"We should get going," Ed said suddenly, practically herding Al and Julin out the door. "We'll see you later, Colonel. Lieutenant Hawkeye, Lieutenant Havoc." He nodded in their directions.

"Bye," Al and Julin chorused with waves as they were shoved out the door.

"What was that all about?" Al huffed as soon as the door had closed behind them.

"I wanted to go to the third laboratory to scout around," Ed explained. "And it's getting dark, so we don't have much time. Besides that, I was just ready to get out of there." Julin felt her stomach flip-flop. She wasn't sure if she was ready to go back there again.

"I think I'll just go back to the hotel." She decided. "I wanted to do something with Winry before she leaves."

"Okay," Ed sounded relieved. "Do you want us to walk you back?"

"I'll be fine," Julin assured with a wave of her hand. "You two get going." As she turned to go, she heard Ed begin to explain his plan to Al. She hoped he'd find whatever he was looking for.

She used the time walking back in the dusky golden light to think. Just a week ago she hadn't even thought homunculi existed, and now they were a very real threat. The idea that they were infiltrating the military and were even in league with the Fuhrer was frightening. Who was left to protect Amestris? Colonel Mustang and his team and the Elrics? The idea was daunting. If she wanted to help, she'd have to learn as much as she could as quickly as she could.

With everything roiling in her mind, she needed someone to talk to, but she didn't want to burden Winry. She didn't even know if the Elrics would want her to know the whole truth. She hoped Al would be in the mood for a conversation, because it seemed she was in for another sleepless night anyway.

"Hi, Winry!" She tried to plaster a genuine smile on her face as she stepped into the hotel room.

"Where's Ed and Al?" Winry asked, looking up from her tinkering. She was working on a new joint for Ed's elbow.

"Oh, you know them. They wanted to do some scouting around." Julin waved her hand as though it were no big deal. "I thought maybe we could go for a walk tonight, since you're leaving tomorrow. I feel like we haven't been spending much time with you."

Winry shrugged. "You've got a lot on your minds. I still enjoyed being here with you guys." She stood, grabbing a jacket. "I'd love to go for a walk." She led the way out the door.

"Are you sure you don't want to come back with me?" Winry asked once they stepped out of the hotel. "You still can." Julin had already told Winry that she wanted to stay in Central with the Elrics, but this was the second time Winry offered for her to return to Rush Valley with her.

"No thanks, Winry. I miss Rush Valley, and I'd love to see Paninya again, but there's so much here that I didn't get to experience yet! Ed and Al are going to teach me alchemy. I don't want to leave yet."

Winry smiled fondly. "Those idiots do need someone to look after them. I guess it's a good thing you're staying here."

Julin chuckled. "Thanks for sharing Ed and Al with me, Winry." She said sincerely. "I never really had friends like you guys before. I'm going to miss you when you leave." She had come to enjoy their chats, and Winry was one of the people she felt she could really confide in.

"I'll miss you back in Rush Valley," Winry admitted. "Make sure you call and update me. We both know Ed never will." She shook her head with a slight smile.

"I will." Julin promised. It was the least she could do for Winry. She decided to forget her worries for the time being and focus on her friend, because they only had a few hours left.

Julin couldn't remember the last time she'd been so carefree. Chatting and giggling with Winry took a load off her mind. It was nice to just be a girl for once. When Winry left, she'd have plenty of time to focus on everything else.

When they got back to the hotel Winry immediately veered to their room. "I really should get some sleep. I have to leave early tomorrow. Are you coming?" Julin glanced toward the Elric's doorway. She wondered if they'd gotten back yet, and what they'd found out.

"I don't think so. I was planning to do some reading, and I don't want the light to disturb you. Just let me get my book." She followed her into the room and grabbed her alkahestry book from her bed where she'd left it lay that morning. "Wake me up when you leave tomorrow, Winry. I want to say goodbye." It was hitting her just how much she'd miss her friend.

"I will." Winry promised. "Goodnight."

"Sleep well." Julin grinned. She closed the door softly behind her, making her way quickly to the Elric's hotel room across the hall. When she opened the door she was shocked to find that Ed and Al weren't alone. Ling and Lan Fan sat on the couch across from them.

Ed had a particularly conniving look on his face. "I think I have a plan."


I guess this was more of a filler chapter. Don't worry, I have plenty of good stuff in store for Julin and the Elrics :)