Family
By Henrika
Chapter 4

Henrika- Sorry for the slow update. I am getting ready to move so I may have to stop posting for a bit. In that frame, I will try to post as much as I can before I leave, that hopefully post again once my computer is back up. Nothing as exciting in this chapter as the last, but there will be more Ed moments to look forward to.

Thanks to: Terry McElrath, tir-synni, and pheonix-maker fro reviewing! You guys are awesome!

"There's no overnight cure for this." Roy said as he sat down at the kitchen table, resting his head wearily on one hand. The others followed suit. "

"You're familiar with what happened?" Pinako asked.

Mustang nodded. "I found him in a few buildings like that, waiting to ambush people."

"Hmm."

"Boss is…he…I don't think he realizes that he doesn't have to live like that anymore." Havoc said, chewing thoughtfully on a toothpick.

"It's impossible to just snap back to civilian life. And from what I understand, that was pretty short for him in the first place." Breda chimed in, snagging a leftover piece of bacon from the plates still on the table.

"Yes, that's certainly true." Pinako said. "How long will he do this? Act out old memories I mean."

"It varies by a person and their experiences." Hawkeye responded. "Knowing Edward, he'll manage to repress it in a week or two. The memories though, will destroy him if he doesn't have support and help from the people he knows and trusts enough to let his guard down in front of them."

"He should never have joined the military." Pinako said quietly.

"But he did." Roy couldn't help himself from snapping. "And he managed to restore his brother because of it."

"And look at him now!" Pinako shot back. "That boy will bottle everything up inside of him because he can't stand to share his guilt. He is hurting himself and everyone around him because of that!"

Mustang backed down. "You're right. I should never have suggested that he become a State Alchemist. But the fact of the matter is that he's managed to save a lot of people, military and not, because of his position."

"This argument could go on forever." Hawkeye intervened when the shorter woman opened her mouth to argue. "And none of it will do any good for any of us, right or wrong."

"You're arguing about me I guess?" A voice floated down the staircase and the group turned to look at Ed, who was standing on the stairs, flanked nervously by Al and Winry. He descended the rest of the way.

"When did you wake up?" Fury asked.

"A few minutes ago. Honestly, it didn't take that long for me to regain consciousness." He thumped down the last step onto the floor. "Anyways, I'll settle the argument. I am a State Alchemist and I would have done it regardless of what anyone said if it meant I could get Al's body back. I accepted the consequences of being a dog of the military and I'm paying for it. Equivalent exchange. I wouldn't have had it any other way. Understand?" They all nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Good. Now where's breakfast? I'm starving."

Ed went back to bed after breakfast, ignoring the looks of concern. Al offered to take the military group into town and give them a tour of the countryside. Winry had claimed she had work to do for a customer and Pinako had said the same. Al suspected their real reasons; Winry wanted to look after Edward and Pinako was still upset from that morning and a lifetime of hating the military that had taken most of her family away.

Alphonse led them into Risembool, pointing out various landmarks and memories associated with them. "We always used to play in the fountain. One time, Brother slipped while he was walking around the edge. He looked like a blonde mop and he dripped all the way home. Mom wouldn't let him into the house and he had to stay outside until he dried off." Al laughed and the others did as well, easily imagining the scene.

Lunch was eaten at a local deli and then they strolled through the countryside surrounding the town. "It's nice here." Farman said as they looked over the rolling green hills spotted by the occasional cow.

"It was a beautiful place to grow up." Al agreed.

"What's that over there?" Fury asked, pointing to a blackened place on the hillside, a skeletal mar on the lush countryside.

Al visibly flinched and Mustang wondered what the boy would do to explain, if he would explain, as he himself recognized the spot. The sandy-haired blonde just motioned silently for the group to follow. The military unit exchanged confused looks before starting after him. The walk was quiet, Al refusing to turn around.

They finally reached the blackened ruins. "This was a house?" Breda realized in amazement as he got a closer look.

Al leaned up against the lone tree that had withstood the flames. "It was our home." He said quietly."

"What happened?" Havoc asked.

"We burned it down. Ed and I."

"Why would you…weren't all your memories there?" Hawkeye asked.

"Exactly. We set out to find the stone and we knew," He studied the wreckage. "We knew that we were going to meet a lot of dead ends and get discouraged. We knew that if we came back here after our first failure, we'd probably give up. So we burned the house as a sign of our resolve." He sighed.

Mustang stepped forward and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, squeezing lightly in reassurance. "And your resolve let you have this body again." Al nodded, snapping out of the melancholy the memory had put him in.

"You're right. Hmm." He stepped forward, looking at the timber that had fallen across the center of the ruins. "I wonder if Brother would ever want to rebuild the house."

"You'll have to ask him." Roy said, heading back to the Rockbell home. The others took his lead, Al taking one last look at what had been his home before starting towards the home where his friends and family waited.

Henrika- Hope I lived up to your expectations. Please review and tell me so!