Thanks to those who have read and enjoyed.

I do not own FMA or claim too.

Chapter 20

Northern Truth

Lt. Colonel Thomas is walking down an old dirt road. The smells and sights of his former town bring him much joy. The old homes and fields of his former home are like a breath of fresh air. He looks up ahead and sees the old house that he and his family once vacated. The grass is overgrown and the home is in need of repairs. The door is left open just as he left it the day his wife died. He walks in and has flashbacks of his family playing in the living room. The floor is dirty from rain and the elements of the changing year. Stains of blood are still soaked in the floor where his wife lost her life that fateful day. He kneels and places his hands on her dried blood.

"Dear, I wish you were alive today. I wish none of this ever happened. I wish you could meet our two nephews. I see my sister in them every time I look at them. I hope you can forgive me, I haven't yet killed the man who did this to you. Now I must go do something that I never imagined I would have to."

He leaves his home and closes the door behind him. Even after all those years of being left open the latch shuts like it was brand new. The road up to the cemetery was always something Thomas hated. It was all uphill and a very rough road. No one enjoyed it, not even to visit their family. All the locals that lost their lives would need help bringing them up here. Thomas helped countless people bring their departed family and friends there.

Arriving at the gates to his families resting place he sees an old shack still in tack. An old man used to live there. Jonathan was in charge of this place. He walks over and knocks on the door and that same old man answers.

"Hello? May I help you?"

"Hello Jonathan, it has been a while."

"My god, is that you Edward?"

"Yes my old friend, it's me. I thought you would have long retired from this work."

"Eh, I don't think I can retire until someone else is digging my grave. I haven't seen you since you came to visit your family."

"I need to see my children, if you don't mind."

"Of course not, but why did you come and see me first?"

"I need a shovel."

The two old friends walk across the cemetery and come to the graves of Edwards' family. Their tombstones are still in great condition and the grass is nice and cut around all the graves. Thomas knows that even though this old man is nearing his end the job he has never has gone undone. Thomas takes firm hold of his shovel and starts digging right at Tricia's grave. The dirt moves freely since his automail arms are doing the digging.

"You know me Edward, I don't like to pry into others business but I have to ask why are you doing this?"

"I never saw their bodies. For reasons I cannot tell you I need to make sure they are here."

He continues digging, getting deeper and deeper. Sweat starts falling from his face and this work is a lot harder then he anticipated. Never seeing them dead was always a relief for him but now it is a requirement. He feels the low thud of the shovel hitting wood. Reality sets in even further for Thomas. He shakes away the feeling of nausea and scrapes the loose dirt off his sons' casket. "You don't have to open it." The words of his friend do not reach his ears as he already kneeling down and beginning to open it.

The hinges are hard to open as he pulls with all his strength to see his sons face. After minutes of pulling on the lid it finally starts to come free. The old air escapes the coffin and Thomas opens it the rest of the way.

"Jonathan, you know how my family died don't you?"

"Of course I do, and they were killed by a mad man named Bosely."

"Not who damnit but how?"

"They were burnt to death in a house fire, why do you ask me that?"

"This child is not burnt. He is shot. You mind explaining that to me."

"The funeral was a closed casket. No one wanted to see two badly burnt kids at services. After the bodies were identified as your children they sealed them."

"I bet the son of a bitch that identified them was working with Bosely. That bastard has my kids."

Thomas closes the casket and climbs out of the grave of the unidentified child. He places the shovel next to the grave and starts to walk away.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I got the answer I want, you need to get some authorities up here and dig up the other grave. I'm sure you will find out those two are missing kids."

He hears Jonathan cursing away as this means a lot more work and dealing with dead children was especially hard on him. He knows that he must get back to Mustang. The boys need to know the truth to this. His kids need to be saved from Bosely. The thoughts in his head are spinning at a million miles per minute. He is walking down the path from the cemetery and trying to make sense out of it all.

Damn, why is this so complicated? This war started up here, why is it taking place elsewhere? This should be between me and Bosely. I must be missing a connection here. Bosely had to find out the truth behind Bradley from someone who was close to it all. Ed and Al were both in the other world, and all the files were sealed from anyone without top clearance. They must have known that Ed performed a human transmutation and succeeded in bringing Al back. That makes no sense, Al brought Ed back to life with the Philosophers Stone so he seems the one who would have more knowledge on using the red water. I get putting Al in that armor to make Ed do something horrible like bring Bradley back. Those two boys are the perfect ones to make something like this happen but who would have known this and had the motive to combine the hatred Bosely has the extreme soldiers who hate our government. Maybe I should go check on the boys and see if they might have a clue as to if anyone is left from the time they were fighting against the homunculus.

In central Ed is working with a couple of soldiers to pick up the remaining pieces of armor. Al is leaning against the wall not saying a word. Fallman has arrived and is keeping crowd control from anyone seeing Al that is not authorized. Ed finds a few more pieces and takes them over to Al. Al gives a long sigh and still isn't actually speaking. These times of being apart are a little embarrassing for Al. Ed walks into the hotel room where the three were staying. The beds show signs of someone staying in them and food wrappers are on the floor. There is a small desk in the corner of the room and he starts to go through it.

In the desk is mostly old papers from when the hotel was still in operation. A brochure, a room service menu and a newspaper. Ed starts throwing the junk to floor and hears the sound of a rock hitting the wood floors. He turns to look down and a faint red color is showing through the old papers. He moves the papers away from the object and finds a familiar thing from his past. A small red stone lay on the floor. It's jagged like a rock and no bigger then a fingernail. Ed picks it up and runs to Al who is looking a little more complete but is still missing a few parts.

"Al, look at this."

He hands Al the stone with his back toward the rest of the soldiers.

"Brother, where did you find this?"

"It was in a desk from their room."

"It looks like the incomplete Philosophers Stone that was used by the military years ago."

"Yeah, it seems that besides the red water they are making stone fragments again."

"I don't understand Ed, they are hoping to use the red water to bring back Bradley. What do they need the stones for?"

"I'm not sure yet. We better be extra careful. Both of us know the power these stones hold. I just hope they don't do anything too stupid."