Family

Joyce Summers' eyes widened when she pushed pass the frustrated muscle man and saw two boys near the top of the stairs. She gulped, wondering if they really were who she was searching for. The thought made her feel uneasy and her legs felt like lead.

"So… I'm Joyce Summers. Are you Edward and Alphonse, by, um.. any chance?" She asked, feeling stupid and slow. Really, she didn't want to do this but she had said she would.

Edward pulled his little brother behind him and whispered for him to go back to his room. Alphonse looked worried, but decided to listen and go back.

Joyce sighed in relief when she saw one of the boys leave; she really couldn't deal with the both of them right now.

Edward slowly descended the steps and Armstrong hastily said he'd go make tea, or lunch, or something. Edward wasn't really listening and Joyce just nodded in a daze.

"Yeah, I'm Edward. Who're you, anyways? You've been banging on the door for hours now; I'd have though you would have given up by now."

Edward said, trailing off. Maybe she wasn't the woman from the letter but he didn't want to confront it.

"Well I came here for a reason. I'm Joyce Summers. I was the wife of Hank, or I guess, as you know him, Hoenheim Elric." Joyce said shakily. She walked over to stand before Edward and smiled down at the boy.

She was surprised at his eyes. They looked so odd, and yet reminded her of Hank's so much. She had never told her daughters that their father wore dark colored lens to hide his unnaturally golden color.

She forced a small smile to come onto her face and then she reached to grasp Edward's hands in her own.

She was a little shocked when he pulled away and gave her a cold look.

She was much more shocked when she saw the metal that gleamed coldly on his right hand. Hers flew to her mouth in shock and she stumbled back, nearly tripping on a small table in the hall.

"What? Shocked just because of this?" Edward gritted out. He had left his automail arm bare, no gloves today, since he was with people who understood his past.

He hadn't expected guest who weren't up to date.

"Your hand!" Joyce whispered, feeling sick. "T-that's not yours, is it?"

Edward narrowed his eyes and Joyce wasn't sure if she'd ever feel safe in his presence after a harsh glare like that.

"Listen Mrs. Summers. Loosing my arm isn't your business. But even more so, Al and I aren't any of your concern. We don't care what our no good dad supposedly left us. Were just fine on our own!" Edward nearly shouted, his good hand clenched.

Joyce collected her thoughts and then shook her head.

"I know you have what you need. You have just what my own children have. A mother, and that's the strongest reason for me being here! Where is your mother? A woman who was the reason for my own husband running off, divorcing me, and leaving his own daughters, without ever really getting to know them! I can't believe he would do that, I though it was a mutual thing, our marriage, but I guess it wasn't. He had to go change his name, disappear, and find, some, some woman!" Joyce angrily said.

She didn't notice the color drain from Edward's face, or she the twitch of his right eye. Armstrong, who was about to beckon them over to the lunch room for tea, had stopped short in the hall that connected the rooms.

"You have no idea how false your words are! I don't know why my parents got together and I don't know what you 'knew' about my old man, but what you just!

My mother died waiting for that piece of scum to come back to her! She loved him and cherished him, more that you probably ever could have. She gave her all just to do what she knew was right. So don't you ever blame her for something like this. Maybe it's just your fault. Or just dad's, but since both my parents are dead I really don't want to hear about our little 'families' being left just the same! All I have is Al, and all he has is me!"

"She's dead?" Joyce forced out, feeling shock and a small amount of guilt.

Edward looked to the floor, his anger dwindling a bit to reflect sadness.

"Yeah."

He then raised his head and walked over to the woman.

"There isn't anything for you to do here. Your little plan, to what? Yell at my family, just isn't going to happen. So just leave. Your not welcome near us." Edward gritted out. Joyce stepped a few steps back, her hands shaking as she gained the courage to say…

"Then my plan has changed. I'll adopt you."

note: The reviews were nice, and I think I'll leave it here for this chapter. Tell me what you think. I know I made Joyce seem a little forward right now, but I wanted her to seem to have courage to get through this. Ed's just being himself.