Gahhh! I've been so bad about updating these past few months! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me for being a horrible author!

Sakura02: Edward let Caden come with them because Caden secretly gave him the puppy eyes. No one says no to Caden's puppy eyes. Haha, Caden will use any excuse to duke it out with Roy.

Thieving Alchemist: Haha, I'm sure if Edward had known that there were psycho killer suits of armor in the lab, he wouldn't have let Caden come along.

Thank you: bored411, SaiyukiSucker, Sexii-chan, Cupcake-chan, and AnaFey20 for reviewing.

"Caden, I really think you should go back to your room." Maria said softly.

Caden stubbornly shook his head and remained seated beside Edward's bedside. He really wasn't hurt that badly anymore. His side still hurt from where he'd been cut, but other than that he was fine. "I wanna see Winry again. She's going to get mad when she sees you all bandaged up like this."

"It's not my fault Armstrong attacked me!" Edward grouched, recalling the ferocious hug he had received when Armstrong had learned about his injuries.

Caden perked up at the sound of the door opening. He ran over and hugged the blonde girl excitedly. "Hi, Winry!"

"Edward, you let Caden get hurt!" Winry shouted angrily, holding the little boy close to her side. "I can't believe you actually took him with…what happened to you?" She screamed, noticing how much Edward was bandaged up for the first time.

"Major Armstrong attacked him." Caden answered.

Winry walked over to Edward's bed with Caden still attached to her. She played nervously with her fingers. "Even without the injuries from Major Armstrong, you still got hurt really badly. It's all because your automail failed you…"

Edward looked frantically at Winry and then at all the pointed looks he was receiving from everyone around him. "N-No! The reason it broke was because I was too rough on it! Your work was flawless as always. Plus, when my arm broke, it saved me from getting even more beat up! So, don't worry about it!"

Winry suddenly grinned brightly. "Of course it wasn't my fault! Now, we need to discuss my fee for coming all the way out here!"

Edward snarled and turned to Caden. "Caden, don't ever trust girls! They're evil, vile creatures that will suck the life from you! Understand?"

Caden blinked and nodded slowly. "Um…okay. I won't try and steal Winry from you if that's what you're worried about, Edward."

"That's not what I meant!" Edward shrieked.

"You mustn't get so excited, Edward Elric." Armstrong said sagely. "You need to nurse yourself back to health. To do that, you need plenty of rest and nutrients."

Edward rolled his eyes. "I know that."

Caden looked over at the almost empty food cart. "You didn't drink your milk, Edward." He pointed out.

Edward turned away to avoid the irritated glared Winry sent him. "I hate milk…"

"That's why you're always going to be short!" Winry howled.

"Shut up!" Edward shouted. "I refuse to drink some opaque white liquid that a cow secreted!" He looked up when he heard the sound of someone drinking. "Caden, don't drink that vile stuff! It's evil!"

Caden stuck his tongue out at Edward before taking another swig of the milk. "You're just mad because I'm going to be taller than you when I get older!" He laughed at Edward's annoyed shout. He looked up just in time to see Al quietly slip out of the room.

After Armstrong left, Winry got to work on Edward's arm. Caden sat in the chair beside Edward's bed and watched Winry working. He felt himself nodding off, Winry and Edward's voices fading in and out as he drifted off to sleep. When he finally woke up, everyone was gone except for Al who had returned. "Where'd Winry go?"

Edward looked up from glaring at the food tray in front of him. "You were asleep a really long time. Hughes dragged her off like a creeper to his house to stay at his place last night. It's already morning."

Caden looked at what Edward was glaring at and rolled his eyes. "Just drink the milk, Edward. It won't kill you."

"I won't drink what I don't like." Edward said, chewing on his food irritably. He glanced over at Al. "It may not look like it, but I am growing. Everyone keeps calling me small, though. You know, Al, you're lucky you have a big body…"

"I didn't ask for this damn body!" Al suddenly shouted, jumping up from his seat just as Winry and Hughes walked in.

Caden looked between both brothers in shock. He'd never seen Al get so angry before.

Edward looked down at his food. "I'm sorry, Al. You're right…all of this is my fault. That's why I want to get you back in your original body as soon as possible…"

"Is there really any guarantee that we can get our bodies back?" Al hissed.

"Of course there is!" Edward said, smiling nervously at Al. "You've just gotta believe me…"

"Believe you?" Al snapped. "What am I supposed to believe in this empty shell of a body. According to theory, humans are made up of a physical body, mind, and soul. Has anyone been able to verify that through experiment, though? When you really think about it, memories are nothing more than data. It's possible to artificially create them. You told me once that there was something you were too afraid to tell me. Maybe you just wanted to tell me that my memories and soul are fake and artificially made. Can you really prove that someone named Alphonse Elric ever existed? What do you have to say to that, Brother?"

Edward stood up abruptly from his bed. "That's what you've been keeping bottled up inside this whole time?" He walked out of the room without waiting for an answer.

"Edward, wait up!" Caden shouted, chasing after Edward through the hallways. He finally caught up to him just as Edward was going up to the roof. He followed Edward over to the railing of the roof. The two stood there and looked out over Central City. "Are you okay, Edward?"

Edward just put a hand on Caden's head and said nothing. When he heard Alphonse walking up behind them, he finally spoke up. "You know, Al, I'm feeling a little out of shape since we haven't sparred in a while."

Caden watched as the two brothers were suddenly fighting. Well, Edward was fighting and Alphonse was trying to get a word in edgewise until they both finally collapsed. He stayed back by the railing while the two brothers talked to each other. Once they'd bumped fist together, Caden walked over and leaned over the two of them. "You guys are weird."

"Shut up and get down here, kid." Edward yanked Caden down so he was laying beside both Edward and Alphonse. The laid there in silence for a few minutes until Hughes called them back into the hospital, demanding an explanation of everything that had happened at the lab.

Edward told most of the story, drawing pictures of the symbols and two strange people they'd seen at the lab. He hesitated when he held up the drawing of the male. "I don't remember anything after this guy knocked me out."

"What's wrong, Caden?" Hughes asked kindly, noticing how Caden was shaking.

Caden rubbed his arm irritably. "He's the one that killed my dad. I'll never forgive him for what he did." He blinked when he felt a hand on his head. He looked up into Hughes's serious face.

"Don't ever go down the path of revenge." Hughes said quietly. "If you do, you should dig two graves; one for your enemy and one for yourself. Do you understand, Caden?"

Caden nodded slowly. "Yes sir."

Hughes smiled and patted his head. "Good."

They were all so absorbed in talking about all the new information they had discovered and what their next possible move should be, that none of them noticed the door opening.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." A tall, dark haired man stood in the doorway, grinning at all of them.

Caden looked first at the man and then at the shocked looks on everyone's faces. "Edward, who is that?"

"That's Fuhrer President King Bradley!" Edward exclaimed.

Bradley chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. "At ease, gentlemen. There's no need to make a fuss. Major Armstrong, I hear you've been doing quite a bit of snooping into military command. Edward Elric, you're searching for the Philosopher's Stone, aren't you. How much do you know? A great deal depends on your answer." The air was tense for a beat until Bradley began laughing.

Caden shuddered. Even though Bradley was making it sound like a joke, there was something about the man that bothered Caden. There was something not quite right about him. He flinched when he felt a heavy hand on his head. He looked up and was greeted by the grinning face of Bradley. "Yes sir?"

Bradley simply smiled at him and straightened. "I feel you are all individuals I can trust, so I'm giving you this order for your own safety. I will not allow you to stick your necks into this any further or to speak of this to anyone. This is a case where we cannot tell friend from foe, even in the military. Trust no one. You must be discreet in your actions and assume the entire military is your enemy. However, when the time comes, I will call on you. Make sure you're prepared." He looked expectantly down at Caden. "Is that clear, Caden Hawkeye?"

Caden nodded slowly. "Yes sir."

Edward looked at Caden curiously. He had never heard the little boy being so stiff and formal before. He was going to comment on it when the sound of people shouting for Bradley reached them from the hallway.

Bradley chuckled and slipped over to the window. "I slipped away from my pesky bodyguards earlier. I must be off now. Goodbye."

"He's weird." Caden said as Bradley disappeared around the corner of the hospital, his laughter still coming in through the window.

Winry poked her head into the room. "What's wrong with all of you? Even the guys outside are acting weird. I got those tickets you wanted, Edward."

"Where are we going now, Edward?" Caden asked excitedly, eager to get out of the hospital.

"Dublith." Alphonse answered, pointing to the town on a map.

Winry squealed in delight suddenly. "Rush Valley is right before that place! It's the Mecca for all auto-mail mechanics! Edward, take me with you!"

"I don't see the harm." Alphonse said before Edward could say something snippy to Winry.

"Yay! Winry is coming with us!" Caden cheered while Winry rushed off to call Pinako.

The group was on the train bright and early the next day. Caden was still half asleep and barely had the energy to wave goodbye to Hughes and the others as the train pulled out of the station. "Why're we going to Dublith?" He asked.

"Well, Ed and I talked and we decided it'd be best if we went and talked to our teacher." Al said. He looked nervously over at Edward. "We're going to get killed when we get there."

Caden's eyes widened. "Why would your teacher kill you?"

"I'm scared!" Al whined.

"Just deal with it!" Edward snapped.