Family

Chapter 2: Nothing will change

Strands of blonde hair blew in the strong gust of winds that blew upon Central City. A storm was coming to greet the young man who seemed older than his 16 years. His blonde hair and golden color eyes stood out in any crowd while his short stature made him hard to find anyways. He laughed happily when his little brother came out of nowhere and tackled him to the ground.

"You were supposed to tell me when you got back!" Alphonse said in mock annoyance. He slowly got up and dusted his shirt and pants off with his hands. A happy smile graced his features when his older brother, who was a bit shorter than him, got up and gave him a hug.

"Sorry, Al. I got caught up in some stuff. We need to talk in a more private place than the train station." The blonde, Edward Elric, said quickly. Both boys fliched when the massive muscles of one Mr. Armstrong gathered the boys in one big hug that nearly crushed them.

"Such happy reunion! Edward! It's been months since we last got to see you!" The strong man exclaimed, and both Al and Ed shared a secret smile.

Edward pulled away from their host, and smiled up at the very tall man.

"So, got any food we could eat? I'm starving!" Edward said, ready to put the past behind him for the moment and look at the future.

"C'mon Al." He said, beckoning his 15 year old brother to follow the smiling Armstrong down the street.

After a fine dinner had been served and Edward had been welcomed into the Armstrong's huge home, both boys had went to Ed's room for the night. Edward sat in a wooded chair while Alphonse leaned against the bed board.

Brown hair and grey-goldish eyes looked up imploringly at his older brother.

Edward sighed as he collected his thoughts.

"What is it, brother? You've been quiet tonight, something's bothering you." Alphonse pushed, and his hands wringing his shirt bottom together showed how nervous he was.

Edward sighed again then leaned back in his chair. His face spoke volumes to Al, the news wasn't going to be good.

"I guess to make a long story short. Dad, that crappy guy who left us without a word all those years ago, just up and died. He had ANOTHER wife who is on her way here to meet with us for who knows what reason. Probably something useless." Edward gritted out, his eyes closed to keep his inner thoughts his own.

Al paled and it took his mouth a few tries to get the needed words out.

Another? No way! I thought he loved mom!"

"Yeah right, like when he loved us enough to disappear when you were barely able to walk. He was a great father." Edward retorted back sarcastically.

The room was silent for a good thirty minutes, each boy lost in their own sea of thoughts.

A slight rustle was all Alphonse heard as Edward pulled out a small letter with neat, typed writing on it. He handed it to Al who glared at it, and ripped it in two!

Edward looked on in surprise.

Al was usually the level headed one.

"I don't care about what he left! I don't want to see someone who took mom's place to him! I don't want to see-!" Al's voice cracked and a small sob was heard.

Edward quickly crossed the distance that separated him and his brother. He wrapped his good arm around Al's shoulders and let him sob quietly onto his shirt.

"Don't worry Al. Nothing's going to change. I won't let anything change." Edward promised.

It was one he would see through to the end.

Joyce Summers sat straight up in the train, reading a small novel that she had borrowed from her eldest daughter. Her eyes looked straight at it and her hands made no move to turn the pages. The open window of the train caught her hair up with the wind and she didn't seem to notice it.

Hours passed and she fidgeted yet didn't seem to really be seeing anything. He dress was black with red splotches on it, and a small purse of black completed her ensemble of mourning. The chatter and banter that was on the bus seemed to whirl by her without ever touching her. She felt nauseous and nervous, yet outwardly she seemed lost to the world. Which she was.

A soft hand on her shoulder alerted Joyce to the presence of a man in train uniform.

"Miss, this was the last train here. We've finished unloading the passengers, all except for you. Do you have a place to stay tonight?" The man asked, and Joyce blinked up at him a few times.

"Unloaded?" Recognition flitted though her face.

"Oh my! Sorry, I'll get off immediately. I was out of it, huh?" She murmured, then proceeded to leave the train.

The man sighed then hefted up her forgotten luggage.

"What a space case." He said.

Five days had passed since Edward had returned from his hometown to Central City.

The two brothers had been unusually grim for the past days and Armstrong was at a loss on how to handle them. He though well of the two boys and had sheltered them but he didn't know what was wrong.

Edward flexed his right hand and sighed as he still felt nothing. He was starting to dislike his arm very much and he sighed when Al walked into his room.

Edward plastered a tune to his lips and tried to look nonchalant. Al didn't fall for it and went over to his brother to clasp his shoulder. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Tired."

"You shouldn't exert yourself so much brother. You don't have to keep up."

"Yes I do Al. It's my responsibility to protect you. If I don't train then something might happen that I could have prevented. We can't rely on alchemy for everything." Edward said smirking, he knew his brother couldn't argue with him on this.

"Fine, fine. Pass out training then. Just don't expect me to drag you back here." Al said jokingly, and Edward returned the gesture.

"Well, thanks for the permission."

Both boys looked up, grim expressions on their faces as they heard the front door open and a annoyed Armstrong tell the woman at the door to go away.

"Funny, they've been at it for a while." Edward murmured, his eyes downcast.

"Nothing will change." Alphonse reminded him, and both sighed in relief when they heard the door close.

Until they heard a voice echo throughout the house.

"I have to talk to them." Came a woman's voice, and Al felt his stomach drop.

"Nothing will change." Ed reassured him.