Hey readers! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I hate to say that I will be leaving you for four days next week and I will not have access to a computer during that time. It makes me sad too. :'( But on the bright side, I have passed 45 reviews and it's already chapter 20! Thanks so much for all you guys have done! And now I'd like to respond to some reviews:

TaIoFoReVeR523- I'm also a big EdWin supporter, but I am gonna have some EdxEJ moments throughout the story. And I'm gonna leave the mystery to you because I don't wanna ruin the story for everyone!

DoctorWhotaliaandtheOlympians- Thanks!

rachLA- Yes Dante is a he, because as I have mentioned before I am following the brotherhood series, and Dante doesn't appear in that series. EJ- You're pretty awesome yourself.

Synk- I'm glad you're liking it! :D

Here's chapter 18!

Chapter 18

"That was way too awesome! Where'd you guys learn to fight like that?" I asked the Elrics', now totally fascinated with their fighting style. Edward, Alphonse, and I were in my room after coming back from kicking Cole's butt. Ed sat on the edge of bed, looking smug (as was his usual face), Al was down at the foot of the bed on the floor with Turk around his shoulder, and I was on the bed in my "I'm listening" pose, where I was sort of on my knees, but not really.

"Our teacher taught us; we've been fighting like that since we were little."

"Is this the same teacher that taught you alchemy?" I wondered.

"Yep; she nearly killed us in the process, but everything we know we learned from her." Ed told me. Jealousy did a loop-de-loop through my heart.

"You okay, EJ?" My head jerked up at Al's voice. I plastered a smile on my face.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I responded, fiddling with my necklace. The clasp had gotten all twisted around and since I was a little OCD, I had to straighten it out.

"Don't you ever take that thing off?" Ed's question stunned me. I fingered the charm, flashes of Mom coming into my mind.

"No. I haven't taken it off once since I got it." I said, sounding a little choked up.

"Who gave it to you? It's beautiful." Al wondered. I smiled sadly.

"It was a gift from my mom; she made me promise something really important when she gave it to me, and that's why I never take it off." I remembered that night all too well, and it would occasionally come up in my nightmares.

"You were pretty awesome yourself back there; I didn't think that one move was physically possible." I blushed slightly at Al's comment. I noticed Ed giving his younger brother a significant look out of the corner of my eye.

"Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"When you have three older brothers, you pick up a few things." I said. I hadn't started learning to wrestle until I was about three, when I was walking and talking and practically demanding that Dad let me wrestle with the boys.

"Wow; that must be hard: being the only girl in a family of boys." I wasn't sure if Ed was being sincere or sarcastic; I just shrugged nonchalantly.

"It used to be, back when I was really little. But as I got older I realized that it wasn't too horrible." I shifted until I sat with my knees tucked up to my chin. I smiled at the two of them. When Ed wasn't getting under my skin, I realized I actually liked having him around.

"So what's your friend Autumn like?" Ed suddenly asked me. I smirked at him.

"Why the sudden interest?" I wondered. Ed looked flustered for a second.

"I didn't mean it like that! She just had one of her friends hand an invitation to me earlier." He handed me the envelope that had been sitting in his pocket. I stared at the blue paper; Ed's invite wasn't mandatory, the lucky dog.

"I almost forgot that was tonight. Anyway, Autumn is one of my more sophisticated friends; she throws a lot of formal events and themed parties. If you want me to tell you the truth, she thinks that you," I poked Ed in the shoulder. "Are possibly one of the cutest things ever. This is weird considering she has a boyfriend."

"Did she actually tell you that?" Ed's eyes were wide, but they went right back to the smug look I wanted to smack off of his face.

"Right to my face; the only reaction I had up front was a look that can only be described as "huh?", but in my head I was making a gag face." I replied, letting out a sigh.

"EJ, sweetie?" Grandma's voice made the three of us turn towards her. She had a bunch of pale blue fabric in her hands, and she had that look that meant I was totally sunk. I flopped backwards and slid off the bed in resignation.

"If I must, I must." I muttered, slumping out of the room. Before I could get too far, I threw a glance at the Elrics over my shoulder, and mouthed "Help me", and then I was whisked out of the room.

~~Elrics~~

"Poor kid; I can't imagine what it must be like being her." Edward stretched his arms behind his head. "You up for a little research tonight, Al?" Alphonse looked at his older brother.

"I guess, if you're sure what you're looking for."

"I've got a pretty good idea. Besides, I saw some pictures of EJ when she was little; made me curious."

Alphonse sighed.

"Brother, EJ's a sensitive girl; if we get into her stuff and she finds out she's probably gonna kill you."

"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Besides, I just took down the b**d that stuck a gun in my face and he's got at least 6 inches and 25 pounds on her; she's smaller than I am!" Ed protested.

"But if EJ hadn't been there fighting alongside you, what would've happened? You couldn't have taken Cole down by yourself a second time!" Alphonse reasoned. Ed stopped short. (I am so cruel)

"EJ's got your back Brother; she's so willing to help you. And she trusted you with the key to her past; if you betray that, who's to say that she'll still fight alongside you?"

Ed's hand drifted into his pocket and closed around the key. Al had a point; Samuels had just given him a free pass to her life. Was he doing the right thing by invading that? What did he have to gain by digging into something that he could never be a part of or understand?

Needless to say, the oldest Elric didn't get to sleep that night. Alphonse had talked him out of going to EJ's fathers' library and asked to wait until tomorrow morning when they might have more time to do so.

Ed stared at the ceiling for who knows how long, before he decided to pull an EJ and go sit out on the roof. The night breeze helped cool him down and clear his head, interrupted only by the lights from down in the valley and the occasional uproarious laugh.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here." Said a voice behind him. Ed turned and saw EJ, the wind sweeping some loose strands of hair across her face.

"I thought you were at your friends' thing." Ed commented, fighting the heat that was threatening to rise in his face. EJ wore a pale blue dress that stopped just past her knees, and her hair was curled, down, and held back with two matching barrettes.

Holy crap, she's pretty- focus Ed; focus!

"Well I was, but some of the boys were getting punch drunk. I figured I should leave before they started throwing innocent girls into the pond." EJ replied sitting down next to Ed. She looked at him.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked. Ed sighed and lay back on the shingles, which were warm from the sun beating on them all day.

"There's just something I have to do, and quite honestly I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing." Ed looked up at the sky, not sure how EJ would answer.

"I think that the right decision all comes from here;" EJ put her hand on Ed's chest, just over his heart. "It doesn't come from here." She tapped his forehead, and then lowered herself down to his eye level.

"If you want me to put it in layman's terms: do what your heart tells you to, even if it's not the answer that your brain is looking for. Instinct isn't always the way to go." She smiled as she took her hair out of its barrettes and ran her fingers through it, and Ed couldn't help himself from returning that smile.

"You have a good time, at least?" He wondered. EJ made that face again.

"If I had to describe it in one word: interesting." EJ giggled, and then let out a sigh. Ed thought she was going to say something philosophical, but her breathing was slow and even: she was out.

"You're so weird, Samuels; falling asleep on me like that." Ed muttered, but he found his eyes closing too.

~~Alphonse~~

When Ed didn't come back to the room, Al set off looking for his older brother, and saw EJ headed for the roof. He had watched the whole exchange between the two teenaged alchemists, and his soul smiled as EJ fell asleep on Ed's chest.

I think this last scene was my favorite one so far. And I should be thankful that Ed and EJ aren't over my shoulder reading this otherwise it'd be the end of me.

Hope you guys are having a great summer and you know the routine!

~~Sady Mordan