Hey my wonderful readers. Thank you to the few that reviewed. I'm thinking that this fic should be ended soon. What do all of you think? I can keep it going if you want, but if you feel that there should be an ending, feel free to tell me.

Aria glared at Roy from her spot on the black leather sofa on the far wall of the room. Roy sat calmly at his desk, doing paperwork. He had finally gotten Aria into his office to talk to Ed, and he wasn't letting her go so easily. She was going to talk to Full Metal even if it killed her, which he hoped it wouldn't. She was good company and an interesting person to talk to.

"Why do I have to be here? That bastard wronged me. I shouldn't have to be near him," Aria growled.

"Calm yourself. He won't do anything to you here," Roy said. "He just wants to talk to you. He's been trying ever since you moved to Central. I played along with you up until about a month ago. I kept telling him that you were busy or out of the country and I wasn't sure when you'd be back. However last month I finally snapped and told him he would be able to meet with you today."

"I could blow you up right now."

"What did we say about calm?"

Aria's eyes flashed. She wasn't at all happy. She clapped her hands and slammed them onto the carpeted floor. A flicker of fear flashed across Roy's face. In an instant his desk was a bunch of splinters. He had never truly seen the extent of Aria's power, and he was happy that it had never been directed it at him.

"Try something like this again with me and it'll be your head instead of the desk," Aria spat.

"Calm down my doll," Roy soothed. "Such anger doesn't suit a girl like you."

If reasoning with her didn't work, Roy was going to try praising her. It was the last resort he had.

"What did you call me?" Aria whispered in fear.

"I called you my doll." Roy explained. "That's what you are to me. You were Bradley's tool, his prized weapon. Now, you're my doll. My Pinocchio of sorts."

"How?"

"You were created from an empty shell. Life was breathed into you and your breaths came, as naturally to you as they had in your old life. Just like Pinocchio, you were taken away and you endured many hardships and trials. After all that, instead of returning to your father like Pinocchio returns to his, you came to me."

"You make me sound like some prize to be displayed."

"In a way, you are. You're a prodigy, the only alchemist who survived the red water treatments. You should be shown off to the world. After all I like to show off the things I-"

Just as Roy was about to finish his sentence, Ed barged into the room. He stopped, panting, sweat dripping off his forehead. Aria's breath caught in her throat. She hadn't seen Ed in so long, she had somewhat forgotten what he looked like. He had become more handsome than she last remembered. He had also grown as well.

Aria stood up and walked over to Ed. He drew himself up to his full height and faced her. He towered over Aria. She gasped a bit when she saw this. She reached up to his face and slapped him. She slapped him so hard that that sound echoed in the room, down the hall, and out the window. A red mark in the shape of Aria's hand was left on Ed's cheek. He didn't get mad or do anything violent. Instead, he burst out laughing.

"I thought I would have gotten worse, much worse," Ed laughed.

Aria smiled a bit. He was just like Roy. The two of them were to stubborn to even consider the thought but they were like twins. Roy, stubborn and wilful, he always needed to be in charge. Ed, stubborn and rash, he always needed to be in control. Aria suspected that night in the desert when she had gotten lost had been one of the scariest nights of Ed's life. He didn't have control over whether she would live or die. It must've been traumatic to him.

"Well Aria, this isn't too painful was it?" Roy asked.

"I'm not sure. However, I do have things I need to do. It was nice seeing you again Ed," Aria smiled.

She turned and left the room. The smell of her perfume lingering in the room. Ed was shocked. He wasn't totally sure that all of this had happened. The only thing that assured him of it was the throbbing pain in his cheek. When he moved, he heard a gentle rustle in his pocket. Aria had slipped a note in his pocket. She had probably done it when she was slapping him. He couldn't let her slip away from him. He was going to do anything to get her back.

"I gotta go. I promised Al I wouldn't be long," Ed apologized.

Roy nodded and dismissed Ed. Ed nearly sprinted out of the room. He'd have to do something to make it up to Aria but he didn't know what. That was the problem. What he would do for a girl that he'd been waiting for, for years. Then it hit him. He just needed to get to Aria's house before she did. He looked at the paper she had given him and continued his run. The page had her address and phone number on it. It wouldn't be hard to find her.

It took him a half hour of sprinting to get to Aria's house. His jaw dropped when he saw her home. It was a mansion. Ed knew Roy had funded it but he didn't think the man's pockets were that deep. He doubted that Roy's house was anything like this. Remembering he had a mission, Ed ran for the front door, jumping over the gate. He ripped a page out of his personal notebook and pulled out his pen. He quickly scrawled out a note and then stuck it on the door. He quickly ran away from the house so that Aria wouldn't see him. That meeting would go badly. He needed to make it up to her on his own terms.

Aria walked down the walkway that led to her house. She was about to pull out her key when she saw a note attached to her door. She picked it up and read it.

You weren't looking for a man when you fell for a boy from the city.

Meet me at the Stardust, tonight at seven o'clock. Wear formal clothes. The reservation is in the name Elric. I hope to see you there.

Ed

Aria didn't know how to react. She wasn't sure if she should be mad or if she should be happy. Somehow it was a mix of both emotions. Her mind stewed over the idea of having dinner with Ed. It surprised her that he had chosen the most expensive restaurant in all of Central.

Unlocking the door, Aria walked inside and immediately heard laughter. She walked towards the source of it, which happened to be the dinning room. She was surprised to find Karlin and Al, deep in a game of poker. From what she could see, Karlin was winning by a lot. She smiled at the sight.

"Hello there," Aria called.

The pair turned and looked at her. Karlin jumped up and ran to her big sister. She gave Aria a bear hug. Al waved, not quite willing to tackle hug anyone, especially not a girl that had been declared as his own flesh and blood brother's.

"Sorry to leave so soon but I have to get ready. I have a date tonight," Aria announced.

"Really?" Karlin asked, surprised. "He must really be something."

"Oh, don't worry, he is."

Al had a worried expression on his face. This was not good. Ed was supposed to woo Aria and get the girl and they would all live happily ever after. Somehow though, this was not going according to plan.

Well, there you all go: a new chapter. Hope you enjoy. Everyone who wanted Ed to get slapped got their wish. Tell me what you think.