Well, we're here once again for the third chapter! This one is all about a dream that Edward has. The reason? I thought it would be a good way to shine some light upon the truth of what happened to Edward. The reason behind the reason, or should I say the truth beyond all truths? I'm tired! I stayed home from school too days because of overwhelming exhaustion so I was dreaming a lot...

Anyways, yeah, this is included in the chapter, but of course there's a lil' RoyEd sprinkled in here too! And from this chapter onward they can focus more on their feelings...and maybe... –gasp- make a confession to each other? No way! Oh yeah... the dream is in italics. I had pressed enter twice to separate it better from what's going on in the present, but won't let me do that either...and it would get too tacky and weird with a lot of page dividers.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. They belong to Hiromu Arakawa. I have nothing witty to say because I am too terribly exhausted and sleep deprived to think straight. Bed... a single word never sounded so good right now... that and sleep... oh… and money or shopping... more FMA for me...

Chapter 3-

The snow continued to fall from the ominous sky, though now barely visible since the sun had disappeared over the horizon, making its usual evening exchange with the moon a few hours past. The temperature only dropped since the afternoon, allowing the multiple snowflakes to stick to the frozen ground and each other, building upon the already growing pile of snow. East Headquarters seemed to have no signs of life, all officers either working silently into the late hours of the night or returned to their homes where families awaited their safe return, worried only until the face of a loved one was seen, seemingly shining upon entrance, exciting sluggish relatives, allowing pleasant dreams to follow.

Tick Tock Tick Tock… a small silver pocket watch ticked silently, nearly inaudible in the otherwise silent office. Lights remained dim; a single candle was lit, flickering in the darkness. Numerous papers lay strewn across the floor, the point where they originated being a tall cedar desk. A few more sheets fluttered off a large pile of papers that needed to be sorted and signed, catching the draft from the window. Amidst the fallen papers lay an arm, two arms to be precise. Upon them rested a head, right temporal fitting atop the shape of an elbow. Ebony hair seemed to be kept in a messier fashion than usual from the various positions the head had been in; a few knots visible here and there. Eyes remained closed; eye lashes delicately caressing a face, showing signs of light slumber. Small stubby hairs began to appear as night fell, only now surfacing and becoming visible by the use of a naked eye.

Colonel Mustang found himself using the important documents, the ones due the next day that he put off of course, as a pillow, the result being surprisingly comfortable. The previous three days were bothersome. First an unconscious officer was found and then he had to be brought in. The man didn't find a wink of sleep for the few days since he spent his hours deep in thought; occasionally returning to the infirmary room Edward was staying at in order to assure his well-being. This of course was all done while the younger boy was asleep. He couldn't allow him to realize the great Flame Alchemist was losing sleep over his injuries. If he ever was caught though, a quick insult about being a child or the boy's height would always allow Mustang to have a quick and easy escape.

Roy slowly opened his eyes and looked at the pocket watch awarded to each state alchemist. He drowsily pressed the top of it to open the timepiece, gazing at the numbers inside. One AM…it's that late already? The man yawned as he stretched his arms above his head, trying to release or at least loosen the knots he felt in his back. I haven't been out that long after all…it looks like this candle still has a bit of wick in it… His eyes traveled back to the papers upon his desk, softly moaning as he saw the result of his procrastination in full bloom. When he was Fuhrer that would be one of the first things to go- masses of unnecessary paperwork.

Mustang placed his hands on his desk, pushing a few of the vile sheets of white to the side. Documents seemed unimportant at the moment, or in his case more unimportant now than they ever did. It was once o'clock in the morning and he was exhausted. Surely they could wait anther few hours. Riza wasn't anywhere to be seen at the moment, most likely at home with Black Hayate. That in itself was a relief; there were no bullets or a gun to threaten him with. The Colonel gazed at his picture of Hughes for another of many times he had done so over the course of time the teenager was in the same building as him.

Down the hallway, after a few turns to the left or the right, another room remained occupied for a third night. Bed sheets draped over a metallic leg and part of a torso, the other three limbs apparently stretched out as far as the muscles or nerves would allow, an arm of flesh dangling off the side of the bed. Blonde hair lay untidily fanned out over a pillow and the upper portion of the bed, a few strands covering a young boy's lashes, longer ones nearing a partially opened mouth. A small dribble spot remained moistened upon a pillow as the boy continued to slightly drool, very much in a deep sleep. He shook a little as his mouth and nose produced a sound, the soft snoring disrupting any silence.

Edward rolled onto his side, grunting quietly as he did so, metallic limb hitting him in the side of the face. His slumber began to lift as his dreams became more vivid and real. Things he would rather not remember began to surface in his thoughts, little by little showing the true light. Everything remained unorganized and scattered as images rapidly blurrily changed beneath his closed eyelids.

"Hey Al…it looks like we're screwed here…" Edward said as he gazed at a large passenger train, thick black smoke rising from its smokestack. The locomotive's wheels were trapped in a huge pile of snow, front end lodged in it as well. The blonde scratched his head and turned his gaze towards the large suit of armor standing next to him, very much hating the fact he had to stretch his neck backwards to look at his little brother's head. "You know…this is no ordinary snow pile…" His eyes slowly traveled across the ground, an aggravated expression crossed his face, instantly noticing that there was little to know snow where he stood. "Either someone moved that snow there or the weather is really screwed up."

Alphonse responded with a "Mmmhmm…" as he pondered the reason for the delay. He knew that Edward, though for once he did not say so, felt a sort of relief that he was able to take yet again another detour and arrive at Central with his reports at the last possible minute possible. He silently sighed as he questioned why he had to look after the older brother. "Do you think it was just a coincidence? I mean, it did snow a lot here or at least the people in the other town said so…"

"If it was a coincidence then why would a pile become that large?" Edward asked, approaching the white snow. "I don't know about you, but I never saw a snowstorm before that dumped everything in one hill, leaving the rest of the ground nearly untouched. This was definitely put here to stop the train. And the fact that it was our train…" He removed his white glove from his flesh hand and reached out to touch the white solid substance. "Something's definitely out of the ordinary here…" Feeling his hand suddenly become icy, the blonde removed it quickly and replaced it into his glove.

"But Brother…" Alphonse tried to grab the young alchemist's attention. "How can you be sure that whoever…or whatever…did this was after us? There were a lot of cars and people on that train. How can you…?"

Edward held out a hand to stop his younger brother from speaking any further and shook his head. "No Al, no matter how you try to look at this it's too obvious. Out of all the trains that left the last town and went in this direction ours happened to become trapped. Whoever did this had to have been watching us and been paying close attention to the different lines running out of the station." He clapped his hands together. "No matter, this won't take very long anyway." The boy reached both hands before him and planted them against the snow mound. The pile began to shrink in size as steam rose into the air. Edward lightly smiled at his own brilliance to turn the solid into a gas, just speeding up the natural process a little bit. "There, that should just about do it. Now all the conductor needs to do is continue with his travels just like he was supposed to."

Alphonse remained silent for a moment, observing his older brother. He seemed to be in a more cheerful mood than usual for someone who hated to go to a military establishment, one that Mustang worked at especially. "You melted that snow pretty quickly." He found himself speaking aloud more of a thought than a statement that directed towards the state alchemist.

Edward quirked a brow as he turned to face Alphonse. "Yeah? So what? It was simple alchemy. Even a beginner could have done that one." He shivered as he pulled his red coat more tightly around himself. In a way the boy envied his younger brother for having a body made of steel. No matter how cold the metal may become he would never feel any chills or cold.

"So what?" Alphonse repeated incredulously. "Ed, we have to get to Central, you know that. You have reports to file and the colonel will be waiting for you."

"And your point?" The blond asked in response, a smirk appearing on his face.

This was what Alphonse was prepared to look for. An ulterior motive the older boy could not hide. He sighed. "Don't tell me Ed... you're planning something…"

"Aw Al, you know me," Edward grinned, closing his eyes and rocking on the back of his heel. "I'll be good, I promise. Besides, I'd rather have to deal with that Mustang for an hour than have to be there for an entire day due to 'punishment' for disobeying a direct order..."

"For some reason I'm not so sure…" Alphonse thought to himself as he didn't look away from the obviously scheming boy.

"I just thought we could go for a short walk. The pile of snow may be gone, but the train still needs to be prepared to take off again. We won't be taking any more time than we would if we stay here standing around like the rest of these passengers." Without waiting for a response from his brother, Edward began to walk away. "It's cold out here, but not too cold for a detour!"

"Hey…Ed! Wait! You said you wouldn't do this!" Alphonse called as he began to run forward after the Fullmetal Alchemist. With each large stride the sound of metal clashing together echoed, bouncing off the trees of a nearby forest.

Edward grunted and made a face as he rolled to his other side, lying on his wounded arm.

Edward stared at the place the large mass of a train once resided, arms crossed before his chest and a placid look upon his face. "It looks as if the train decided to leave without us. Too bad. Mustang will have to wait a little longer for that information." He grinned as he turned to face the younger Elric, braid swinging with his sudden jerk.

"Brother…" Alphonse sighed. "So this is what you had planned from the beginning. I knew you were a little too happy for a return to Central…what am I going to do with you…?"

The blonde continued to grin, feeling proud in his accomplishment. Central was not too far away, at least not far enough to make the walk unbearable. The only problem with treading a trail on foot was the fact that they had to cross through a forest and it was a bit chilly, the crisp winter air already nipped at Edward's neck and face. There was a reason why the mound of snow was able to stay in its perfect uniform shape, being held together from the surrounding temperature. "I'd like to say we're just taking the scenic route. There's no problem with that. Mustang'll never know the difference."

Alphonse placed one of his large hands against his hollow metal forehead, internally sighing, all while thinking, "How is it possible for him not to know…we can't travel as quickly on foot as a train does…"

"So enough of that then." Edward once again decided for both Elrics. "To get to Central we need to cross that forest that the tracks cross through. All we have to do is follow the general direction of the tracks and we should be there in no time…at least by this afternoon…" He paid no attention to the fact that it was still early morning and his younger brother seemed to be growing uneasier by the moment. This was of course, him, the Fullmetal Alchemist that Alphonse had to deal with. If he didn't become accustomed to the way his mind worked and the antics he preformed by now, then there really was no hope left for the younger boy.

"Mmmmnnn…" Edward mumbled silently in his still ongoing slumber, metallic arm swatting at nothing in particular as he flipped his body over to his stomach, head now buried in his pillow. Most of the stuffing was moved to wither side of the pillow, allowing his head to sink into the middle, acting if there was no pillow there at all. The bed made a small springing sound as his body changed position, the four legs slightly shaking due to their overall lack of stability; the boy's automail did not help with the current weight bearing issue. His dream began to become foggier with the following sequences of events, seeming to have several gaps and holes, certain parts of information missing. Flashes of such confusing images sparked in his very alert mind.

"Alphonse…" Edward coughed windily as he grabbed his stomach. He felt as if someone had dealt him a hard blow. It did make sense, considering what happened. "Urrrggg…Alphonse…" The boy's eyes fixed upon his younger brother. It seemed as if the younger boy was dealing with the situation with much more ease, not being able to physically feel any of the damage brought upon his body of armor. Only a few kinks and scratches were visible. The Fullmetal Alchemist surveyed his own body. Truthfully he wasn't hurt as badly as he could have been. His red coat dangled from his form, torn at several areas. "Alphonse…are you…are you alright?"

The suit of armor nodded. "Y-yeah. What about you brother?"

Edward faked a smile and a chuckle, figuring it would be better to feign a story to the boy than to worry him with the truth. "Yeah, I'm fine." Though he said the lie, it was difficult to keep the smile upon his face. His back seemed to have splurged with sudden pain, in a way feeling wet. "Wetness…" Edward thought. "But it's dry out here…could that be…is it…blood?" He moved his metallic arm to reach up his back. With an incredible act of flexibility, the boy managed to reach between his shoulder blades and return his arm to his front side. Sure enough the red liquid dripped off the outstretched phalanges.

"Brother…is that?" Alphonse asked, approaching his puzzled brother carefully. "How did you…"

"Alphonse?" Edward asked softly, twiddling his automail fingers together, watching the liquid slide across the cool metal. "Did you…even see what happened?" He made a fist with his hand, the remaining blood being shot off with the movement. "I didn't see anything as this happened…that means that…what does it mean…?"

"No…I thought maybe you did. It came from behind me…"

"If that was the case, then why was my back hit?" Edward questioned the open air. He furrowed his brows as his frustration began to become overwhelming. "Whoever the hell you are, show us in person!" The boy shouted, voice echoing in the clearing. When he didn't receive a response, he began to walk to an area of brush. "Show yourself you coward!"

"Brother…no…" Alphonse urgently whispered. "Don't provoke whatever it is…"

Edward looked at Alphonse when his eyes caught a glimpse of something lurking in the shadows. A pair of beady eyes stared at him through the leaves of small growth, glowing even at this time of day. The face alone made him shudder. This definitely…was not good…

"Ahhhggg…" Edward gripped his side when he felt another attack, falling to the ground. "D-damn it…what the hell is happening?" He bit his lower lip and thought to himself, "Why can't I see any of these movements? Is this person too quick? But that's…that's impossible. There is no way someone could move that quickly, not with the use of alchemy or any other talent…but these…" He removed his flesh hand from his wound and looked at it- more blood. "But these cuts are as real as anything…and they're deep…"

Alphonse ran towards his older brother, metal clinging with each large stride. "Brother!" He reached the Fullmetal Alchemist and held out a hand to touch his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Just…peachy…" Edward responded, lifting his body to a kneeling position. "This guy's tough…"

"Yeah…" Alphonse mumbled. "We should just surrender…"

"What are you crazy?" Edward snapped back. "We can't do that, especially not until we know what his motive is. It looks like he means business. If we surrender, what's to say he won't just go ahead and finish the job while we aren't looking? What do you say about that? Giving up is not the answer…" Edward lifted his younger brother's hand off his shoulder and winced with the movement. "Damn…that last blow really got me…"

Alphonse's hand hovered over the older Elric. "Ed…is this your usual stubbornness or are you serious about this…?" the younger boy thought to himself. "I think I have an idea about how he's attacking you…" The boy sighed. "If there is some way to stop the method then there should be a way to get out of here unharmed…or as close to it as you can manage…"

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Edward asked almost painfully, closing his eyes. "We could have been out of here by now." He awaited a response from the armor, but none was received. "Come on Al, what's wrong? You couldn't have possibly forgotten that easily. Don't worry, I'll listen." He opened his eyes and looked around. "Al…Alphonse?"

"Brother!" The shout came from behind some trees.

Edward quickly rose to his feet and stumbled a bit. "Alphonse!" He darted forward, only to be stopped by another attack, this one cutting his face and part of his neck. Running a finger over the wound, the boy noticed it was almost a straight line, almost as if someone scratched him with a fine nail. His eyes scanned the area, once again not able to see anything except for the large menacing eyes. His heart sank as lugubrious feeling spread through his body. "ALPHONSE!"

Fullmetal ogled into the hiding optics before glaring angrily. "It was you? Wasn't it? You asked for it!" He clapped his hands together and waved his flesh one over his metallic limb, creating an extended weapon, very much like a sword. "Give me back my little brother!" Edward darted ahead towards the eyes before suddenly…

"Fullmetal…Fullmetal!"

Edward quickly opened his eyes as his body jerked, looking full of terror. The coloring of his face faded to that of almost a white, several drops of sweat adding to his distraught look. "M-Mustang?" he panted as he looked into the man's eyes. "Wh-what are you doing here…?"

"Fullmetal…what happened?" Roy asked as he held the boy's shoulders. "I could hear your movements from the hallway. You sounded as if you were in pain."

Edward looked away, taking deep breaths. "Nothing. Nothing happened…I was just asleep…that's all…"

"You were just asleep?" Mustang questioned, still observing the boy's health and appearance. "It looks like you've seen a ghost. Now tell me, what happened?" His dark eyes never strayed or wavered, the same with his stern expression. His emotions for the boy churned within him. Ever since seeing him badly injured the first day, the feeling on never-ending worry would not leave the Colonel's mind. He felt lucky that he happened to be in the hallway at the correct time in this late evening. Any further in the dream and Edward could have become more scarred from the event than he ever could have been physically.

"I told you…I'm fine…" Edward stubbornly responded while closing his eyes, too wrapped up in the pride he was trying to protect. "It was just a dream. We all have them. I forgot what it was about already…" He tried to push the most recent images out of his mind. The dream made sense in some parts, but he was still unsure who the attacker from a few days ago was and exactly the reason for the ambush. But that was the least of his worries. What he wanted to know was where Alphonse was taken too and if he was all right. If his blood seal was broken then…

The Fullmetal Alchemist bit his lower lip at the thought of loosing someone else close to him. That was impossible, it just couldn't happen. There was no way he would allow Alphonse to die, especially while he was still in that body. If his younger brother were to leave him, the boy wouldn't know what to do.

Mustang leaned closer to the boy, allowing his arms to drape over his shoulders. With little warning, he pulled Edward to his chest and hugged him. "I know you're not telling me the whole story. I know you well enough to be able to tell when you're hiding something, as stubborn as you are. I asked you what was wrong. It's your choice whether you want to share or not."

Edward felt his cheeks begin to heat up at Mustang's touch, even if it was just a hug. There was something about it though. It felt much warmer than what he had ever experienced before in the few hugs he had actually remembered. There was a gentleness to it; it was loose enough for him to push the arms away and cuss at Mustang to leave him alone, yet it was existent and strong enough for the boy to feel a sense of security. He halfway closed his eyelids as he bowed his head and rested it against his Colonel's shoulder. "Not…right now…" he final managed to say.

"That's understandable." Mustang responded quietly, checking his words in his mind before they left his mouth. This would not be a god time to rile the boy up over something so trivial as teasing him. "I told you earlier…I was down the hallway if you needed anything, and I won't leave you alone. You're part of this military Edward. The game is that you are supposed to look out for yourself and only yourself, but then again there are quite a few of us who break those rules."

"…right…" Edward mumbled, still feeling very warm. The military though…that's the only reason why we have ties to each other…if I were to leave he wouldn't give me any time of day…

Mustang noticed Edward's silence and gently stroked his back, trying to soothe him. It always seemed to work for him whenever he was under stress. "It's very late Fullmetal, I don't want you to risk worsening your health by lack of sleep. I'll stay in here with you for the rest of the night. Although it may be painful…try to remember those dreams. It may help you in the end…"

"Sure…it's easy for you to say that bastard…" Edward inaudibly mumbled. Remember a fight I failed and almost died from, an attempted murderer without a face, and a lost brother…that's exactly what I want to remember…the things that still do make me a child…

"Fullmetal…?"

"Yeah…Mustang?"

"Is there anything else you wish to tell me?"

Edward shook his head. "Not…right now…"

Mustang nodded and began to loosen his hold around Edward.

"Oh…and…Mustang?"

"Yes Fullmetal?"

"How…old are you…?"

Roy perplexingly looked at the teenager. "And why do you want to know that?"

"Ah…no reason…never mind…" Edward embarrassingly responded. What the hell am I doing? He's going to know something is out of the ordinary now… He frowned. If he had as many thoughts as I do about the matter…then…he would be considered a pedophile…right? But…I'm not a child! Ahhhgg…what am I thinking!

Mustang unwrapped his arms from around and placed his hands on his shoulders, gently lowering the boy to a laying position on his bed. "Goodnight Fullmetal…" After pausing for a moment, Roy leaned forward and placed his lips against Edward's forehead, planting a small kiss. The action took a brief second, allowing the man to pull away and smirk. "Sleep well." He walked to a chair near the bed and sat upon in. staring at the wall to his right, facing away from Edward.

Edward blushed, but he didn't say anything in his defense. The questions still churned in his mind about how he truly felt about the egotistical military officer. But that hug even if it was only to comfort him…it felt nice. And that kiss…it still dazzled the boy, but he supposed it wasn't that bad either. Probably...

End of Chapter 3

Thanks for reading! Well...now we sort of know what happened to Edward, but also...at the same time...we didn't learn much at all. Looks like Ed's feelings are pretty clear though after being stuck with Mustang for a while. But then Mustang... how exactly does he feel?

I apologize for any uploading errors. I noticed in the last two chapters that there were spelling and grammatical errors that were inexistent on Microsoft word, but somehow appeared after the story was launched. I will try to go over the fic and fix all of that.

Anyways, thanks again for reading! And a special thanks to all of you who have reviewed me this far! You're the reason why I am continuing with this! -Smiles-

If you have read, please review. Thanks!