A/N: A continuation of my Resurgence series. Last part for the team Greed stuff.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Something wasn't quite right, but Greed couldn't work out what exactly the problem was. He stood in front of Darius and Heinkel and Ed, ready to make his boss-speech for the day and everything felt… off.

His expression soured a bit as he looked his crew over again. Up his head went as he mulled over Heinkel and then up again a shade as he moved on to Darius. Nothing out of sorts there. Then his head lowered as it always did when he looked at Ed.

Except instead of staring Ed in the eyes, Greed's landed on his nose. "Hold on." He raised his hand, inhaled deeply, and mulled it over. That couldn't be right. Yesterday morning and last night he had done the same thing as usual and his line of vision had been on Ed's eyes.

He must've messed the routine up somehow so Greed did it again with the same result. He put his hands on his hips and raised an eyebrow while looking mildly offended by the turn of events.

Damn. Either he was losing his touch, or Ed done fucked up and grew in his sleep.

Greed grinned, reached out his hand, put it on the top of Ed's head, and pushed it down an inch. "Problem solved."

A few seconds passed before Ed's face turned beet red and he screeched, arms and legs flailing around. Birds scattered from the tree tops. "What the hell, Greed?!"

He swiftly moved ahead so he could dodge Ed's wrath. Greed chuckled. He couldn't shake the grin off his face. Damn, he had heard some of the people in the towns they visited talk about teenagers growing overnight, but he had always thought they were exaggerating. He hadn't realized that something like that could actually happen. A quick glance back had him moving even faster as he saw Ed stomping closer. He moved faster.

Ed's appetite had picked up recently too. It took effort on all their parts to keep Ed fed and happy. Ling always wanted to eat too. Food was a relatively new concept to Greed. He didn't have a lot of solid memories to begin with, but the ones he had never included him eating. They mostly focused on his old crew, and given how Envy and Pride never ate, he had put two and two together. He only felt hunger pains because of Ling. Because, he shared a body with a human.

While he enjoyed eating, he wasn't at gluttonous or greedy for it as Ling. Initially, Greed had thought Ling wanting food all the time was a lack of self control, but after feeling their body weaken whenever it had been a while since they ate, made him rethink that line of thought and realize Ling's motivations for always wanting food might have a biological reason behind them. Greed had taken to making sure Ling had his fill of whatever he wanted to inhale.

'I told you it would happen to Ed sooner or later.' Ling's voice held a satisfied, I-told-you-so tone to it.

Greed hated that tone and wanted to argue just to spite Ling, but seeing it happen right in front of him was convincing enough. Ed's face had started to thin out around the cheeks, and his jaw started to look more masculine. There were other changes too. Ed was putting on more muscle and now… now the brat had grown taller. Why couldn't humans come out already grown instead of small and helpless and deceiving? It was bad enough the other two towered over him. What if tomorrow Ed was taller than him?

His grin fell and Greed gasped a little at that thought.

Ling laughed.

Greed made a face. Out of all things, the goddamn kid had finally hit puberty.

"Greed, I'm gonna kick your ass when I catch you!" Ed's voice cut through his thoughts and cracked in that oddly ear-splitting way that only a teenage boy's could.

He covered his body with his shield and tore off through the forest. He could hear Ed running behind him at first, then the footfalls fell off until nothing. Greed slowed down and stopped. His first mistake. He barely had his footing when a red blur tackled him to the ground. Before he could get his bearings, Greed was on his back with Ed staring down at him, looking as mad as ever.

"You ever push my head down again like that, I'm gonna rearrange every cell in your body." Ed lightly smacked Greed's chest and his scowl deepened. "That was a dick move and totally uncalled for."

"Maybe but who gave you the right to grow in your sleep?" Greed heard Ling sigh and tsk at him. Once the words were out, Greed wanted to take them back, rearrange them, then shove them back out of his mouth.

Ed scrunched up his face then shook his head. "What the–" He pushed Greed back against the ground, harder this time. "That doesn't even make any sense. It's not like I can help what my body does when I'm sleepin'."

It was a dick move, and if Greed could take it back, he wouldn't because no matter how much Ed complained, his teasing kept the kid distracted from falling into another funk.

Five days since that night when Greed decided to climb into bed with Ed and keep him warm. Five days of doing that each night and Ed not moping around. Maybe Ed might be mad at him now, but it was better than the alternative.

Greed reached up and lightly flicked Ed's nose. "Got your blood pumping, did I?"

Ed glowered, and his eyes searched Greed's. Then something happened. Realization dawned in those golden eyes, and he suddenly pulled back and got off Greed's stomach. "Yeah… whatever…" Ed brushed himself off and started walking. He waved his hand once and casually called back, "Don't do it again or there's gonna be a Greed smear across the forest." He waved his hand out as if enacting where exactly Greed's bits and pieces would land.

The tone of voice had been too calm and no longer held any real bite to it. Greed scowled. It felt like he was getting off easy. He waited until he only saw part of Ed's ponytail as he moved through a patch of bramble. Greed sat up. His eyes narrowed a little. Ed's reaction left him puzzled.

Darius stopped in front of him, grabbed his arm, and pulled him up. "There you go, boss."

Heinkel laughed as he walked by. "Looks like he's learning."

"It's about time," Darius chimed in. "Maybe we'll get some peace and quiet now."

Greed's frown deepened. What the hell was that supposed to mean? He knew Heinkel was talking about Ed, but what could the kid learn that would be so damned funny? "Learning what?"

"How to not let you get under his skin," Heinkel said as he disappeared through the brambles.

He stood alone, trying to work out what had just happened. Greed stood there for a few seconds and huffed as that thought settled in, then tore off after his team. He was their leader and should be in the front where he could keep them safe and Ed couldn't ignore him. When he caught up to them, there was a treeline ahead and he could see his team through the trees, standing there with Ed wildly gesturing to Darius and Heinkel. Greed slowed down then stopped.

"I don't know if there's another way around that won't be goin' in the wrong direction. We gotta be able to get back to Central when Mustang's ready. We're supposed to lay low until Spring then go back. I don't wanna be too far away by then." Ed threw his hands up the air out frustration. "We've been going to this way for too long to have'ta turn around now."

"You think you can make it across without getting sucked in?" Darius gave Ed a skeptical look.

Heinkel stood there with his arms crossed over his chest. "He's right. We'll be walking through it and lose you along the way."

"I said I'd fix it and make it safe," Ed groused. "You guys act like I don't know what I'm doin'."

"What's going on." Greed tromped past his team and pushed through the trees.

Ed grabbed a hold of his coat to hold him still. "Slow down, Greed… there a swamp there and it probably has sink holes all through it."He sighed then glared at Darius and Heinkel. "As I was saying, going around is gonna take too long. I have my alchemy and we'll be fine…"

Greed stared at what was in front of him as Ed's voice faded into the background of his thoughts. The clearing gave way to a muddy, swampy area that spanned for miles. Even at the edge of it, the ground felt soft underfoot and there were deeper mud pits that littered the ground. Ed was right. If they went around, who knew where they'd end up, but he didn't like the idea of making his team wade through it. "You got your alchemy." He grinned. "Go ahead and show us what you're gonna do with it."

Ed walked up next to Greed and stretched his arms out behind his head. "I think I should see how bad it is first. Might not need to do anything if the mud only goes down a bit."

"Yeah, do that. I wanna know how deep and how long this goes." Greed looked over the expanse of the swamp.

"Alright." Ed bent down near the edge, closed his eyes and focused, then clapped his hands together and touched the ground.

The mud parted for a seconds before starting to run down and topple on into itself. Greed grunted. That looked like a damned death trap for anything with a pulse.

Greed looked his team over, eyes moving from Heinkel to Darius, then to Ed—only this time he adjusted to match Ed's new height—then frowned. They all had pulses. He would probably be fine, maybe, but the rest of them? Greed wasn't so sure. "It's too risky." None of them had more than one life in them. If he got stuck, he could take his time, working his way out. Not that he would have to with his shield. The swampy ground was nothing to him. Sink holes could swallow humans and chimera, though. "We'll go around it as much as possible."

Then Greed's mouth twitched with amusement when it occurred to him that one of them might have to carry Ed if the ground got too soft. Even if they stuck to the edge and went around, Ed had less body mass and heavy automail, so he would struggle the most with any sink holes. Carrying Ed was practical, though maybe a bit dangerous if any of them tried.

Ed squinted. "It's not that risky. I can make it so the mud'll stay put until we get to the other side."

"What happens if there's a weak spot? You always say alchemy is equivalent exchange then what happens if your wall starts fallin' apart?" Already he could see a few weak points where Ed had demonstrated with alchemy. Greed knew it had only been a brief demonstration, but even still, he didn't much care for the idea of them being in the middle of it and getting buried.

"Then, we'll all be swallowed whole," Ed said matter-of-factly.

That had been the answer Greed expected. He could take risks with himself but he'd be damned if he did the same with his team. "Like I said, it's too risky. If there's a chance it could end bad, then we're gonna try something else."

Ed simply shrugged. "Fair enough. We'll go around it then, but we need to make sure we're going in the right direction so we don't end up halfway across the county by the time we're done."

That Ed was even bringing something like this up meant they must have already veered too far. "We're not losin' time yet are we?"

"Nah," Ed gave Greed another odd look. "Been keeping us somewhat going in a circular pattern or at least a zig-zag." He held his hand up near his eyes to shield out the sun and looked over the swamp again. "If you wanna go around we should start left then straighten out towards north as much as we can."

Greed shrugged. "Alright, we'll head left then up as soon as we find a break in this, and if we don't then we'll go somewhere else."

Ed grinned. "Lead the way then, boss."

The entire group went silent. Greed opened his mouth then closed it. That was the first time today they had agreed on something.

"What? You're the boss, right? It's your call." Ed stood there and looked at Greed as if he was waiting for something.

He gave Ed a good once over to see if maybe he had missed something. When Greed only received a curious look in return, he grunted and turned away. "We'll head up that bank since the ground looks more solid there."

This time he insisted on taking the lead, making sure Ed was between everyone. If there were any sinkholes, Greed wanted to be the one to find them before anyone else did.

"Keep alert and don't stomp around. That'll get you stuck," he said, addressing the entire team but keeping his eyes on Ed.

Ed, though incredibly smart, was reckless. Greed both liked and hated that about him. The only thing that stopped him from constantly keeping an eye on Ed was alchemy. The kid was the best he'd seen and plenty capable of taking care of himself.

That didn't give Ed the right to tear head first into any and everything. Greed didn't have much, but Darius, Heinkel, and Ed belong to him, and he took care of his own. Anyone who didn't take care of their possessions didn't deserve to have them. Greed had seen plenty of that in his short existence, and he had thieved what he could from those very same people.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful." Ed crouched down, clapped, then put his hands on the ground to reveal a path closer to the edge of the swamp. "But this way'll be faster and still safe. It'll let us go around while staying as close to the edge of the swamp as we can get."

The small wall barrier that came up was steadier this time. Greed let out a low whistle. He stepped down, and his feet squished through the mud. The rest of them followed, with Ed directly behind him, then Darius, and Heinkel in the rear.

Being on the move constantly didn't allow him to take much with him. Greed had stowed away a few precious possessions in his bag. If they found an abandoned place far away from people, he planned to start a collection of items for himself. He could use it to store whatever he wanted and come back for it after they disposed of his old man.

Ed ducked in front of Greed. "But I should be the one in front in case I need to use my alchemy."

The clouded his mood a little as they walked further along the edge until he saw Ed drop a few feet in front of him. Greed reached down, grabbed Ed, and lifted him up by the back of his shirt. Mud covered Ed from chest to toe, and Greed's mouth twitched in amusement. He'd do his best not to laugh… at least for as long as he could hold it back. Mud holes were a bitch, and the kid was just short enough for them to be a problem.

Good thing Ed had him and Darius and Heinkel to look out for him when he wasn't paying attention. "Be careful,"Greed growled despite how ridiculous Ed looked. "Don't want the mud sucking you down in there."

"Can it, Greed. It won't happen again. I don't need you gettin' on my case about it." Ed snapped, and it reminded him of one of those vicious little stray cats he'd seen around that were all teeth and claws. Greed almost expected Ed to bare his teeth and hiss.

Greed could feel a grin forming on his face before he could even stop it.

He liked Ed. The kid had a lot of moxy for someone so small and beat down by life. Greed heard Ling sigh. This time he grinned, unable to hold it back any longer. Looked like the brat had his own things to say about this. "Kid, you get any dirtier, we're gonna have to toss you into the river."

'You know, if you'd let me talk to him, I can convince him to go along with whatever we want,' Ling calmly suggested as if the words he spoke were filled with wisdom.

Greed called bullshit on that. Besides, he was Ed's boss. He would handle it.

'Suit yourself…'

Greed ignored Ling. He didn't need the brat telling him how to talk to his team. Ed didn't like being coddled. Doing that would only make it worse. It was easier for Ed to hide all that hurt in him when he was angry or challenged, and Greed could take it easily enough.

"You won't throw me in the river when it's this cold out. 'Sides, I can use alchemy to get the dirt off me later. No sense in doin' it now when I'm gonna get muddy all over again."

"The point is that you're not bein' careful enough." Greed ruffled the back of Ed's neck. "Stay alert and quit tromping around."

"Whatever you say, boss," Ed snapped back while slowing down.

He ignored the sound of Ling's light laughter in his head and focused on the real problem at hand. Ed walked weird. The kid wouldn't keep getting stuck in the mud if his legs matched in length. Ed was outgrowing his automail and refused to let any other mechanic than his own touch it. That meant they needed to go Resembool and hope that his girl was there.

Greed made a face. Ugh, why the hell did Ed need so much shit?

It felt an awful lot like dating a high-maintenance person. They get one thing fixed and then suddenly they needed something new and shiny in its place. He glanced over at Ed and his expression softened. Going to Resembool might not be so bad. That would solve the problem if Ed needed his automail worked on.

"We should skip finding a place to hole up in and go to your granny's house." Greed nudged Ed. "That way you don't wobble so much."

Ed rolled his eyes. "Greed… we can't go there. 'Least not yet. The military is probably all over the place, looking for us. It we wait until it's close to spring, the better chance we have of not gettin'caught." Ed stumbled and got his right leg stuck in the mud again. Heinkel easily pulled him out this time.

Greed automatically reached out and took a hold of Ed's upper arm while mulling over their options. That was always the reason why going to Resembool was off the table. They couldn't do it yet. They had to wait. The timing had to be right. Greed understood why Ed said those things every time, but he didn't think there would be a good time, and he hated waiting for what he wanted. They were going to have to do it one way or another, whether it was close to spring or not, if Ed couldn't keep up.

"Whatever. If it gets any worse, we're going whether you want to or not. I'm cuttin out away from the edge, and you're comin' with me." Greed grabbed the back of Ed's coat and steered him out of the mud and onto solid ground.

Darius and Heinkel followed right behind them. Greed pushed through the low-hanging tree branches until they were back walking in the trees.

"Greed, we shouldn't be getting too far off our path." Ed pulled out of Greed's grip but didn't turn around.

"We can double up our traveling time to make up for it. Not gonna lose one of you because it's inconvenient to walk around." Greed heard Ed gripe under his breath but didn't catch what he said. So long as the kid didn't try to go back—that's what mattered to him the most. As if to prove his point, he moved a little further from the swamp until they couldn't see it through the tree lines anymore and the ground was no longer muddy but covered with dry leaves and sticks.

Holding up his hand, Greed stopped the group, and his eyes scanned the area. Nothing but forest and trees and… maybe something more. There had been a flash of something gray beyond the small forest. Greed moved closer to get a better look. He grinned. There was a house a little ways ahead. "I see one."

"See one what?" Ed asked in a crabby tone of voice.

"Looks like a house," Darius replied before ruffling the back of Ed's head. "If you want I can put you on my—"

"No way in hell I'm climbing on your shoulders." Ed glared at both Darius and Heinkel. "Any excuse and the both of you are all too willing to snatch me up and carry me."

"You're small and heavy," Heinkel explained, "It's like getting a work out—"

Their words faded as Greed picked up his speed and moved quickly towards the bit of gray and black ahead of them until he came out into a slightly muddy, open field.

They stopped behind Greed—with Ed bumping into his back—to get a look. The house was large with two-stories and front porch, but the roof sagged on the right side and the porch was dilapidated. The paint had long ago peeled away giving the home a gray, ugly hue. Greed grinned. Maybe they wouldn't have to get too far off the direction Ed had planned for them to take.

This was perfect. There was no way someone was living here, and they could fix it up. Well… Ed could fix it up right quick with alchemy and at least keep the wind and cold out. It would be enough for them to hole away in for a month or two.

Greed glanced up at the chimney. No smoke coming out of this one. They had come across a couple other homes tucked away from civilization, only to see gray smoke rising from the rooftops.

"I don't see anyone here—" Greed's words were cut off as he tripped over something and fell face first onto the ground with only his hands stopping him from face-planting into the dirt and wet.

"All that talk about us being careful, and you're the one that trips," Darius added with a snicker.

Heinkel nudged Darius' shoulder. "Don't be too hard on him. He's said plenty of times he's rather it be him than one of us."

Ed lightly bit down on his bottom lip to hold back his laughter, then gave up the game, putting his hands on his knees as his laughter split through the silence. "Damn, you really bit it. What the hell did you trip on?"

Greed stood up, brushed himself off, and glared. "Not another word."He turned back around to see what caught his foot. Sticking up from the ground was a small corner of something metal and shiny. Like the corner of a chest. His eyes lit up. Looked like he might have found some treasure.