Enjoy this chapter! It's important! ...poorly written, but still important none the less:)

Chapter 25 - Shotgun!
Felix seemed to disappear for the raminder of the day and on top of that, they had picked up on a tip about the escaped lunitic that they had been trailing. Apparently an old thieves camp in the city's neighbouring forest was being rebuilt and there had been reports of people heading in and out of the general area for the last few days. The man with the long hair was one of them.

Satisfied with how things went, everyone decided to head home; it was only four in the afternoon but, having suficent information to report back about, calling it a day seemed like a good idea.

"That's 3,000 Cenz that we've spent on cabs all day...I'm going to be broke if this keeps up." Ed stuffed his wallet into his back pocket. It was 1,200 Cenz to get back and forth from the Rockbell's home and then they spent another 700 Cenz getting to the dock.

Al smiled. "Well it's not like we were wasting it." He looked at his father over in the phone booth. "Hey, brother..." He poked him in the shoulder. "Dad seems to be in a good mood...did something happen?"

Ed shrugged. "Not that I know of." Truth be told, it was because he wasn't giving him the cold shoulder, and the new lady friend possibly.

"There." Hohenheim exited the booth and closed the door. "The cab should be here shortly." He looked at his two sons and Aria. Ed and Al had grown up considerably since he had last seen them and this new girl was quite nice, though she did seem to look kind of young.

"Aww, one of the tulip bulbs is sprouting." She smiled at the little nub sticking out of the top. "I'll have to put these in the freezer when we get back. Do you think they'll have room?"

Al nodded. "Yeah. Pinako has a big deep freeze in the bacement, I'll show you when we get home."

The older man smiled at the youger ones. Despite his past, this was the last life he would live, it was best to enjoy what he had while he still had the chance. This new lady friend, Gertrude, was also a good thing to look forward to. He smiled happily as he turned his eldest son, Edward. Examining the look on his face, it seemed as though Ed had something he was thinking about. "Ed?" The young blond turned his attention to his father. "What's on your mind?"

Ed blushed a little and turned his gaze back to down to the road, as to avoid his father from noticing the enevitable red cheeks he had. "Nothing in paticular..." Ed placed his hands in his pockets, yet again, to check on the little box he consealed.

"You sure?" He double checked. Ed nodded. "Alright."

"Hey, I think that's our ride." Aria stood up and pointed to the vehicle coming down the road.

"Shotgun!" Ed said allowed.

Hohenheim smiled. "Damn..." He had missed it.

Ed sighed in relief, fearing if he were to sit next to one of them, they might question what he was carrying in his jacket. He watched the car pull up alongside of the road and park for them. Ed quickly stepped around the front seat and hopped in. Hohenheim got in behind the driver and Al and Aria walked around the other side of the car.

Being the gentleman he was, Al let Aria get in first, she smiled and thanked him. Al then got in, closing the door behind him. As the car began to pull away the driver didn't notice the man quickly approaching the vehicle from behind on foot. "Hey!" He yelled, but to no avail, they didn't hear him.

Felix fumed as the taxi, with Aria inside, pulled away. "That little bitch!" He yelled in frustration. He had heard multiple reports form aquaintences around town that they had seen her, but now he knew for sure that she was here. He frantically looked around for a vacent cab he could take to follow them, but there was nothing.

"Something wrong Mr. Crowely?" A voice sounded from behind him, it was a little man's voice, kind of raspy and strange sounding. He was wearing a burlap cloak that covered his entire body and he was leading a white horse down the street by it's reigns.

"Yes!" He declared. "My wife took off on me! She's in that cab." He pointed off in the distance.

"Mr. Crowley...won't you ride my white horse?" He led the steed in front of him. The animal whinnied a little as it looked at Felix.

"...?" He didn't think that the little cloaked man posed any symbolic meaning, but this was truly a gift from above. The claoked man nodded and smiled beneath the shade of his hood. Felix reached in his pocket, pulled out a few bills and then threw them to the ground. "For the trouble." He spoke as he mounted the horse and sped off after the quickly fading cab.

The little man smirked even further. "No trouble at all..." He picked up the bills off the ground and crumpled them in his hand. He gave a slight chuckel and began to walk off in the direction he came in. Extending his arm, he threw the bills in a nearby grabage can and left them there.

"So...what kind of things are you growing in this garden?" Hohenheim asked as Aria was poking through her bag.

She shuffeled though a few of the packages. "Potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots, eggplant, peppers, a couple different kinds of squash...just a few other things, nothing all too special."

Aria placed them in the bag again and sat back on the soft leather bound cushions. She was enjoying the ride, it wasn't eveyday that she got to travel in a car. It was nice. She allowed her right hand to fall to her side on the seat and descreetly brushed Al's hand.

He noticed and smiled, not moving his view from out the front window, then, taking her hand, he gave it a little squeeze.

Ed tapped his foot impatienly on the floor of the car, he could finally see the Rockbell's home off in the distance. That little packae he was carrying felt like a ticking time bomb. Soon he would be home and there would be nothing to worry about. He folded his arms and sat right back in the seat and looked around. His eyes traveled up to the rear view mirror, when he caught something closing in fast on the car. Without hesitation he spoke to the driver. "Go faster."

"What?!" The driver was confused.

"Floor it!" Ed threw another 2000 cenz at the cab driver.

"Uh?" With that sitting in his lap, he pressed the petal almost all the way down to the floor. The engine whirred and the car steadily increased it's speed.

"Brother? What in the world--" Al protested but his sentence was stopped short with Ed hooking his thumb over the seat.

He turned his head to the side to give himself a view out the back window. "Does that guy look familiar?"

Sure enough the three in the back turned around to see none other than Felix, chasing the cab whilst riding on a white horse. "How did he find me?" Aria sunk down in her seat.

"Don't worry, we're almost home." Hohenheim turned forward in his seat.

Al clenched his teeth tightly, not only with anticipation as to wether or not they would make it in time, but also with a great deal of anger. How could this man be emotionally attached to someone who hated him and didn't want him around? Maybe Aria was right, he was just a spoiled child wanting everything. Aria was a beautiful girl, it was no wonder he wanted to keep her; braging rights and what not. He just hoped that they made it to the house on time.

Quickly thanking the cabby, they came up to the house with plenty of time to spare. The four of them headed up the stairs and in the front door. "That was just a little too close for comfort." Aria heaved a sigh. "Maybe I should have just gone back with him...this is only going to mean trouble for your guys now."

Hohenheim shook his head. "Don't worry, he may be rich, but he's not still not allowed to tresspass." Aria nodded. "Let's just not worry about it, come on." He motioned for people to go in the kitchen.

Without anymore words, they all headed in the kitchen to find Pinako preping a roast for supper later on. "What's with all the comotion?" She wasn't angry, just concerned.

"Felix is chasing me...sorry to be trouble." She lowered her head. She had brought a burden on the ones who were trying to help her, all she could hope and pray for was that nothing bad would happen to any of them. She knew how Felix could get at times.

"Well we're not open right now, so if he comes in the house I won't be responsible for what happens to him." Pinako smiled that ever so sweet, yet remotly evil at times, old lady smile.

Al inadvertantly cracked his knuckels and then he stopped to think. "Did we lock the door?" No sooner had he said that when the sound of the front door opening sounded in the kitchen.

"Eee!" Aria jumped behind Hohenheim. "Hide me."

Hohenheim sheilded the girl. "Don't worry, you'll be fine."

Just as Felix rounded the corner, Pinako went and quickly searched for something in the broom closet. "There you are!" He exclaimed as he approached her. "You're coming back with me!" He spoke to her as if no one else was in the room, harsh and cruel; it was as if none of them mattered to him, just getting his pide and joy back was all that was on his mind. He reached out a hand out to grab her wrist but was stopped short by Hohenheim smacking his hand out of the way.

Aria was still hiding behind him, being the tallest one in the room, she felt a lot safer with him there. "And just who do you think you are?!" Hohenheim raised his voice. Ed and Al could only watch on from the sidelines.

"Move out of my way old man!" Felix tried to stand up to him.

"Old?" Hohenheim wound up his fist and clocked Felix right in the forehead, knocking him backwards. Hohenheim rubbed his fist, a rather angry look on his face.

Felix tried to regain his composure and stand up, only to open his eyes and see a little old lady with a shotgun aimed directly at his head. "I'd rethink comeing here again...now get!" Pinako cocked the gun.

For a few seconds all he could do was stare in disbelief. Without a second thought, he looked at Aria, a deep scowel on his face. "Don't think this is going to end." That being said, he slowly stood up and headed for the door he came in.

Pinako followed him right to the door, everyone watched on with anticipation. After he was off the stairs, she rested the butt of the rifel on the deck and looked down at Den who was sleeping quietly. "Den...get up." The dog looked at her, a cute puppy dog look in his eyes. "Get him!" And she motioned towards Felix. With great haste, the dog stood up and took off after the intruder.

"So he took it then?" A rather bulky man said as the short cloaked man came back into the camp. He was not accpomanied by his horse, so it was obvious he succeeded in talking to Felix.

"Yes..." The short man said, removing his hood. "We'll have him soon enough. Mark my words, the uprising will take place sooner than we'd hoped." The cloaked man smiled wide with a grin full of yellow teeth. "It will soon be our time to rid this world of the unecessary vermin!" He raised his hands in the air. "It shall be so!" His eyes were wild and full of excitment; his unkempt hair was tied back in a loose pony tail that hung a little below his neck and shook as he laughed. His voice echoed through the dark room and resonated slightly outside the hovel.

The taller man nodded. "Thank you sir...Would you like me to inform the others?"

The litte man smiled. "Of course. My children deserve to know this...tell them that he has accepted the offer as in my preminition." The man placed his hands up to his temples and rubbed them roughly as he winced in pain.

"Sir!" The taller one quickly jumped to his aide.

He held a hand up, making the bigger man stopped in his tracks. "It is nothing...I must meditate...you can deliver the news without me." With that said, he slid the hood back up over his head and headed for the exit.

"Thank you, I will do it with great honor." He bowed, turned and then walked to go see the other followers.

"Oh?" The black haired woman exclaimed. "What's all of this?" She asked as she approached Roy and Riza coming out of the courthouse. Taking note of the wedding band that garnished Riza's finger.

Riza looked to see who it was addressing her. It was none other than someone she attended high school with, try as she might, no names came to mind. The black haired woman continued. "Aww, you got married in the courthouse? How sweet." She sounded condesending.

"Thank you." Riza felt a little uncomfortable talking to her, remembering her school days, this lady was so nosey, nothing got past her.

"I guess a 'shotgun' wedding isn't such a bad thing, I mean, not everyone can get married in a traditional fashion. As is the case with me and my husband." She flashed her wedding ring and gave a hauty laugh. Flicking her short black hair over her shoulder she smiled. "Ta-ta." She waved as she continued walking.

Riza sighed. "...bye..." She knew very well that this was no shotgun wedding, but now that she knew about her and Roy, it was more than likely going to be all over town before sunset.

"And who was that?" Roy asked, eyebrow raised, slightly annoyed.

Riza shook her head. "No one important...Let's go get something to eat." She smiled and headed down the stairs with him.

Sorry this chapter kind of sucks...but I'm sick and can't come up with anything better. And, no worries, Al will get to tear into Felix yet!

Oh! And for those of you who don't know what a shotgun wedding is, it's a wedding that's held when a couple finds out that their going to have a baby. So, to avoid having an illigitamate child, they hold a spur of the moment wedding.

Also...please tell me SOMEONE got the white horse refrence...just one person? Come on! (sighs)
Oh well, tell me what you think!
VVVV