Chapter 2: Three Years Later

"This must be the place."

Ignoring the curious stares they were receiving from the civilians passing them along the street, Riza Hawkeye and Jean Havoc met each other's questioning looks before they looked up at the sign of the small shop hanging in front of them.

"Rockbell Automail, huh." Jean read out loud, rolling the end of cigarette he had around his mouth. "Yeah, this is it. I remember that Boss always used to talk about a mechanic friend of hers named Winry Rockbell." He mused out loud.

"Havoc." Riza was trying very hard not to let her annoyance seep into her face as she narrowed her eyes and slanted a disapproving glare at her companion. "Hasn't the General told you thousands of times to stop smoking those cigars? You realize that those things could end your life early, you know." She deadpanned, clenching her fists when Jean just shrugged and smirked back at her.

"Yeah, he might have mentioned it. But I figured – you know – since the Chief's not here anyway." He chuckled and, still ignoring the vein that was almost popping out of Riza's forehead, he strode forward and casually pushed through the shop's main doors.

They paused near the front of the shop, taking in its small, albeit homey, interior and the numerous, unfinished automail arms and legs that lay scattered practically all around the shop's furniture. Frowning slightly, Riza strode forward towards the small counter and began ringing the small chiming device on the table to get the shop-owners' attention.

"Is anybody home?" Riza called out uncertainly as she glanced around again, searching for any signs that anybody was in the shop. After a few seconds, she heard a warm, familiar voice calling back out to her in reply.

"I'll be right there!"

Riza and Jean turned around just in time to see a tall, blonde man hurriedly making his way towards the front of the shop. When he got closer however, and she and Jean finally recognized who he was, Riza's cautious expression softened into a genuine, friendly smile.

"Alphonse." She greeted the 18-year-old warmly, watching as the expression on Al's face seemed to still for a moment in mild surprise before he suddenly grinned and came bounding towards them, throwing his arms around Riza in an exuberant hug.

"Hawkeye! Havoc!" He exclaimed cheerfully, laughing sheepishly when Jean smirked and reached down to give his blonde hair an affectionate ruffle in greeting. At the infectiousness of Al's smile and laughter, Riza couldn't help laughing as well as she hugged him back for a few seconds before she pulled back, settling her expression back into a cordial smile.

"It's nice to see you too, Alphonse. I'm happy to see that you're doing well." Riza gave him another fond smile, noting how healthy the young man looked, especially when she thought about the last time she had seen him – malnourished and practically starved to death after Edeline had recovered his body from the other side of the gate.

"Thanks." Al blushed at her acknowledgment and gave a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "Nee-chan and Winry kept bugging me to eat five times a day when we first got back." He admitted.

"And good thing they did too, look at you! You grew taller! Would you look at that." Jean teased as he rested a hand flat on the top of Al's head, pretending to measure his height. "I only hope the Boss grew out as well, I can't imagine she'd be happy you being taller than her now."

"Maybe you should see her for yourself." Al's golden eyes creased with laughter as he smiled back at them. "Anyway, what are you two doing here? Is Colonel Mustang with you?" He asked curiously.

"We're here to speak to your sister, actually. Is she home?" Jean answered, glancing over Al's shoulder.

"And it's actually Brigadier-General Mustang now, Al." Riza told him, causing the young teen's eyes to widen slightly in surprise. Riza chuckled and answered his unspoken question. "He was promoted just after you and Edeline left three years ago."

"I see. That's great! Please do give him my regards." Al gave them another earnest smile. "Winry is just out of the house right now buying groceries but Nee-chan should be out back as usual, fixing up some of the engines. I'll bring you there." He told them as he gestured them towards the door in the back that led to a small garage.

"Fixing up some…engines?" Jean asked curiously, arching an eyebrow.

Hearing the question in his voice, Al chuckled and answered him with a grin. "Nee-chan insists on helping Win out in the shop from time to time but unfortunately, she's nowhere near as good a mechanic as Win is. So as a compromise, Win agreed that Ed could be in charge of helping customers with anything that's not automail related. Like fixing up automobile engines and motorcycles and stuff. She's getting really good at it too." He told them as he ushered them out back.

"I thought Edeline spent most of the last three years in Xing learning about Alkahestry?" Riza inquired.

Before he had sent her and Havoc to retrieve the Fullmetal Alchemist, Roy had ordered Riza to do a background check on what exactly Edeline had been doing for the last three years. As it turns out, they discovered that the 19-year-old alchemy prodigy had been invited by Emperor Ling to study alkahestry in Xing under several renowned masters. Riza knew that Ed had only just returned to Resembool fairly recently, so she was surprised that the young genius had somehow managed to find yet another hobby to occupy her mind with.

"Oh, she did. She just got back a few weeks ago but Nee-chan's always been a fast learner. Winry taught her how to fix up the engines and she picked it up right away. She's been holing herself up in the garage ever since." Al finally stopped when they reached the garage and paused by the doors, turning back to him them another smile.

"Anyway, go on ahead. Let me just prepare some tea and refreshments, please head on back to the living room later on with Nee-chan for them." He told them. Before Riza could say anything else or at least inform him that refreshments were unnecessary, Al had already turned and walked back into the house.

With a sigh, she ignored Havoc's questioning look and pushed open the garage doors, blinking as she was suddenly bombarded with the mixed, overpowering scent of metal, oil, and gunpowder.

Wincing, she held her breath and glanced around, noting the various automobile parts that lay scattered along the floor before her attention was drawn by a loud, familiar curse nearby. She turned toward it, staring at the sight of a pair of grease-smudged legs sticking out from underneath the bottom of a large automobile. Long, shiny blonde hair lay sprawled all over the floor beside the pair of legs. The strands of hair were also stained slightly with a bit of engine grease but otherwise still gleaming as brightly as Riza remembered three years ago. When she saw that one of the legs was, in fact, automail from the knee down to the foot, she knew they had found her.

There was no doubt about it – the person cursing and grumbling under the automobile was Edeline Elric.

The Fullmetal Alchemist who had quit their team three years ago.

"Edeline?"

No response.

"Hey! Boss!" Jean tried to get her attention this time but to no avail as the young blonde seemed to be more concerned with continuing to mutter under her breath and repeatedly tinkering with the engine.

Frowning, Riza crossed her arms over her chest and decided that she was done playing nice.

Plastering a knowing smirk on her face, she took a deep breath and let out a loud, angry shout that sounded suspiciously like the very same tone that Roy had once used to shout at Edeline many years ago when she had first joined his team.

"MAJOR ELRIC!"

Apparently, that seemed to do the trick.

The suddenness of Riza's shout seemed to have startled the young girl under the car so much that she suddenly yelped and sat up with a loud, painful 'THUNK', followed by a growl and a stream of interestingly creative expletives.

"What the flying fuck—Oww! Who was—how—whoever the hell you are out there, you'd better run for your life!" Edeline growled.

Stifling an amused smirk behind her hand, Riza rolled her eyes and waited until Edeline Elric had finished grumbling about her head and slowly slid out from underneath the automobile. When she saw both Hawkeye and Havoc's standing figures looming over her, however, she frowned and blinked blearily up at them in confusion. Very slowly, one of her hands moved to brush back her sweaty blonde hair away from her grease-smudged face while her other hand reached up to remove the thick goggles over her eyes.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye? Is that you?" She blurted out, her golden eyes growing as wide as saucers.

Riza didn't bother correcting her as those same eyes drifted over Riza's shoulder to stare at Jean behind her. "And 2nd Lieutenant Havoc." The shock on Edeline's face suddenly melted into a curious smirk. "What are you two doing in Resembool?"

Ed didn't bother waiting for them to answer before she stood up, stretching her long legs out with a satisfied 'hum'. Afterwards, she shook her hair carelessly out of her face and then raised two very slender arms up behind her, tying her thick blonde mass of hair up onto the top of her head in a ponytail that trailed all the way down until it dangled by her waist.

Jean was blushing and was openly gawking at her, and even Riza couldn't help staring, marveling at how disturbingly attractive the young alchemist seemed to have become over the years.

The last time she had seen Edeline, the girl had only been sixteen – barely an adult by any standards but gifted enough that puberty had already decided to generously grace her with enough curves for her to be seen as a petite young woman. Now, however, Riza noticed that Edeline had finally grown a few inches taller – not as tall as Riza but tall enough so that she probably wouldn't deserve being called 'shorty' anymore by the rest of the team.

She no longer kept her hair in a tight braid but left it loose, allowing the long blonde strands to flow freely against her waist. Her facial features seemed to have changed too, though what exactly was different, Riza couldn't tell. All she knew was that the shape of her face seemed softer now, definitely more feminine, and the hard, jaded expression was finally gone from her eyes, replaced with a softer, mischievous sparkle.

As though reading their thoughts, Edeline smirked at their dumbfounded expressions and walked over to a nearby worktable, bending slightly to reach for a small white towel and using it wipe the engine grease from her hands. If she noticed the way Jean's head titled slightly as she bent down, no doubt to catch a good glimpse of the 19-year-old's bottom, Edeline paid it no attention. However, Riza certainly noticed the action and her fist clenched, the vein on her forehead beginning to throb. She glared warningly at Jean from the corner of her eye but he barely noticed, too busy enjoying himself by staring – no, more like ogling – Edeline's scantily clad form.

To be honest, Riza really couldn't blame him.

Instead of the black leather pants she was usually seen wearing around Central HQ, Ed was wearing a very short pair of tight black shorts that clung snugly around her hips. Both her flesh and automail leg peeked out from outside a pair of heavy black boots, while a white, dirt-stained tank top hugged her torso, tight enough so that its hem ended about an inch above the white skin of her waist, and with a collar low enough to reveal a scandalous amount of cleavage.

"Oy. Havoc." Ed's snickering voice broke their gaping stares at her and caused the said blonde man to stiffen and hastily flick his eyes back up to meet her eyes.

"Didn't anybody ever tell you it's rude to stare, shit-head?!"

Edeline was still smirking as she stared at both Riza and Jean's flabbergasted expressions in amusement, stifling another snicker when Jean had reddened at her words and hastily averted his eyes from her chest.

"Sorry, Boss! I uh—" Ducking his head sheepishly behind his shoulder, he let out a nervous laugh and moved to stand behind Riza, wincing when she just grunted and shoved him away in annoyance. "—just a little moment of weakness, won't happen again." Jean gave her a wide, all-too-innocent grin and winked.

"Heh. Breda always did say you were a boobs-man. I guess he was right." Edeline drawled to herself as she made her way over to them, tossing the now dirtied white towel back to her worktable before she grabbed the water bottle beside it, poured some of it over her head and face for a few seconds to rinse off her sweat, and then took a long, satisfying swig.

As she did this, the water had dripped down to her tank top, drenching the white material even more and causing it to cling most obscenely to her chest but Edeline didn't seem to care. The loud, dreamy sigh of satisfaction she let out a few seconds later after she had finally quenched her thirst was very suggestive – almost orgasmic, even, and casting a look at Jean's uncomfortably red face beside her only confirmed Riza's observation. After she had poured the rest of the water over her face again, Edeline finally tossed the now empty water bottle aside and turned around to face them.

"Sorry about that. You guys kinda caught me at a bad time, I'm all greasy." She arched an eyebrow at the way Jean was purposely avoiding her gaze and turned her attention to Riza, giving the older woman a genuine smile this time. "Anyway, it's great to see you two. What brings you here anyway? I seriously doubt it's only because you missed me." She teased.

They watched as she brushed away the stray lock of hair that was falling into her eyes, leaning against the automobile behind her and crossing her arms over her chest. Unknown to Edeline – or, as Riza mused to herself, perhaps Edeline did know but just didn't care – crossing her arms had inadvertently pushed her breasts up a bit higher. Although she still wasn't exactly sure why, Riza began to grit her teeth in anger at the way Jean's eyes had dipped down again – not even discreetly – to ogle at Edeline's chest.

"Well, while we did miss you—" Riza began once she had managed to gain a semblance of control over her irrational anger at Jean's pervertedness. "—unfortunately, we're not here just to play catch up, Ed. We're here on official military business, on behalf of the Brigadier General." She admitted, watching as Edeline uncoiled her hair from its ponytail, letting the damp strands back down.

"Brigadier General?" She asked blandly.

"Mustang." Jean answered her, rolling his eyes at Ed's naiveté. "Geez, kid. Don't you read the papers anymore? Roy was promoted to Brigadier General shortly after you left the team." He explained.

"HEY!" At his words, the confusion on Ed's face instantly flared into righteous anger and she snarled at him, her eyes flashing. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A KID?! I'M NOT A KID! I'M NOT SHORT ANYMORE!" She raged at him.

"Well I do have to agree with you there, Boss." Jean's grin widened and he looked positively smug as he leaned back and deliberately let his gaze roam up and down her figure. "You are most definitely not a kid anymore."

"Screw you." Ed scoffed back easily at him, rolling her eyes.

"I would love to."

"WHY YOU PERVERTED ASSHOLE—"

"Anyway." Riza interrupted another round of Ed's furious tirades as she deliberately placed herself between them and shoved them away from each other as far as humanely possible. "Is there somewhere we can talk in private, Ed?" She asked, glancing back towards the shop.

Her eyes still narrowed as she glared at Jean, Ed reluctantly met Riza's gaze and nodded before she turned around and led them back towards the shop. Once they were back inside, they followed Ed into the living room where evidently, Al had already finished setting up the tea, along with a few biscuits, on the table.

"Make yourselves comfortable. Let me just take a shower and get changed really quick." Ed told them, not bothering to wait for a response as she trudged up the stairs.

As soon as she was gone, Jean plopped himself down onto one of the couches with a sigh of exasperation. "Man, this sucks." He huffed pathetically before he glanced at Riza out of the corner of his eye. "I should be back home, getting some really hot lovin' from my girlfriend right now, you know. It's just like the General to send me out of town this weekend. It's like he makes it his personal mission to ruin my love life." He complained.

"I fail to see how your love life, or lack thereof, is any of my concern." Riza didn't even bother to glance back at him as she answered in a deadpan voice, her gaze impassive as she took a sip of her tea. "Besides, you're better off without her. That woman is just using you as a rebound again."

"Rebound for Mustang?" Jean snorted and shrugged, leaning back against his seat. "Maybe she is, maybe she isn't. But to be honest, that's happened one too many times for me to care at this point." He paused to consider her words before frowning and turning to glance at her again.

"Speaking of the General…Why didn't he come with us today anyway? I remember that he was particularly adamant that he wanted to be the one to get the boss back into the team." He asked curiously.

"He was called in by the Fuhrer for an emergency meeting this morning." Riza didn't miss a beat as she answered automatically, ignoring the way Jean's eyebrows rose at her quick response. "He called me early this morning to tell me to go on ahead to Resembool without him. He'll just meet and brief us when we get back to Central." She explained.

"Wow…Emergency meeting, huh? No wonder he looked so pissed when we left." Jean allowed one of his eyebrows to lower but cast the remaining arched one towards her, giving her a curious look. When, after a long moment, he did nothing but continue to stare at her, Riza finally snapped.

"What?!"

Jean jumped at her sharp reaction. "N—nothing, it's nothing, really! It's just that…Well—" He let out a nervous laugh and backed off, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. "—I was just trying to figure out how you still manage to do it." He began uncertainly, pausing when he saw the way Riza's shoulders tensed at his words.

"Still do it?" She asked flatly.

"You and the General, I mean." Jean hesitated again, looking uncomfortable. "If it were anybody else…If it were me even, after breaking up like that, I…I don't think I'd be able to just go back to the same professional relationship you two have. Or I don't know, I might be able to, but I doubt I'd be able to work as well for him as I used to." He admitted.

Riza said nothing at that, choosing instead to lean against her seat and take another quiet sip of her tea.

"I'm not judging you or anything, alright? On the contrary…I think you're amazing, Riz. Despite the fact that you're not with the General anymore, you're still able to push past all that pettiness and still be there to protect and support him." Jean gave her a small, wistful smile and reached out to give her an affectionate pat on the head.

"You're truly something, Riz. I only wish I could end up with a woman like you." He said softly.

In spite of herself, Riza couldn't stop the heated blush from forming in her cheeks at Jean's words. Jean had always been the only one to ever call her 'Riz', and she realized that she had grown particularly fond of the nickname.

As she thought about Jean's words, she immediately recalled her phone conversation with the General just that morning before they had left for Resembool.

After explaining to her that he wouldn't be able to make the trip with them and giving her further instructions on what to do after – assuming they were able to convince Fullmetal to return – Roy had suddenly fallen silent, and it wasn't until she asked if he was still on the line a few awkward minutes later that he answered.

'Hey…Riza?'

'What is it, Sir?'

'…Do you hate me now?'

'Why would you think that?'

'…I don't know. I guess…after everything that's happened between us, I…wouldn't blame you if you did.'

'…'

'Riza?'

'It's been almost 2 years since we broke up, Roy. Why are you bringing that up now?'

'…I ran into my sister the other day. She asked me how you were. I didn't know what to say.'

'I don't hate you, Sir. And I meant what I said. I made a promise to you years ago that I would protect you and remain at your side. That hasn't changed. I will, and will always, have your back.'

'…Riza…?'

'Sir?'

'…I'm sorry I hurt you.'

'…I'm sorry too.'

It was, without a doubt, the most difficult conversation that Riza had ever had in her life.

She would be lying if she said that the fact that she and Roy had ended their relationship before it even began didn't hurt.

It did hurt, very much.

And if she were to be completely honest with herself, Riza knew from the very beginning that their relationship was just a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. She couldn't blame Roy though. It was neither of their faults, really. After barely six months of being together, going out on a few dates after office hours and dodging the occasional whispers and rumors about them in the office, everything had just…blown over.

Both of their lives, their jobs, their busy schedules, and even Roy's single-minded ambition of becoming the Fuhrer had all gotten in the way and it suddenly became all too easy to blame it on each other.

She didn't really know much about love and dating, she couldn't deny that. She was a soldier, after all. But she did know that it shouldn't have to be this difficult to be able to make time for each other outside of work.

Not if they really wanted to, anyway.

All the stupid, senseless fighting became more and more frequent, their dates became less and less, until Roy finally began to stop coming to visit her apartment. When even their professional duties began to suffer from their strained relationship, Riza finally realized that it just wasn't going to work out between them.

Roy didn't take it against her. In fact, she wouldn't have been surprised if he had been thinking about it the same way she had at the time. They were quite similar in their way of thinking after all – it was the reason they were such close friends.

And close friends is probably the best we could ever hope for.

It wasn't even their failed, short-lived relationship that bothered her anymore.

It was the fact that their ending things with each other had put such a strain on their working relationship.

While it may not have been obvious to Jean, Breda or the rest of their team, the awkwardness and hesitation between her and Roy was there, and she found that she had to maneuver her way around it everyday in the office. How Roy would always hesitate whenever he was on the phone with a date and Riza would suddenly walk into his office to hand him that afternoon's paperwork. How he would always frown when he saw her working over time and staying up late with him, telling her to go home or spend the night with a date or maybe her friends.

It was as though he was guilty that he was the reason Riza was staying so late, and that couldn't have been further from the truth.

The reason Riza always stood beside him was the same as it had always been. She had promised him years ago that she had his back. And that certainly wasn't about to change just because she was now his ex-girlfriend.

"I'm back!"

Riza was startled out of her thoughts when a freshly-showered Edeline came bounding back down the stairs, followed closely by Al. As the two blondes settled themselves down onto the seats opposite theirs, Riza noted that Ed finally changed out of her drenched clothes and was now wearing something more familiar to them – her trademark leather pants and black tank underneath a red, hooded cardigan jacket.

"Are you okay, Lieutenant?" Al was frowning in concern as he eyed the distant expression on Riza's face.

"She's actually a Major now, Alphonse. And while we're at it, so am I." Jean told him, grinning slightly.

"Oh that's great news. Congratulations to the both of you." Al's eyes widened at his words and he smiled warmly at them, his loud exclamation finally easing the awkward silence.

Hastily clearing her throat and shaking her head to rid herself of her lingering thoughts, Riza managed to give the young blonde a small smile. She ignored the strange look that Jean was giving her and turned to Ed again, meeting the alchemist's expectant golden eyes with a resolute look.

"Fullmetal."

When Ed blinked at her, arching an eyebrow in question, Riza decided not to waste any more time.

"We've been ordered to draft you back into the Military."

Edeline couldn't help it.

She laughed.

"Hahaha! Th—that's…hahaha…shit, that's really funny, Major." Ed's shoulders shook as she fell back into her seat and laughed again, clutching her stomach. "For a second there, I almost believed you were serious."

She was still chuckling as she wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up at them again. That was when she noticed for the first time that neither Havoc nor Hawkeye were laughing. In fact, even Al, who was sitting beside her, had stiffened at the serious look at Hawkeye's face and he was eyeing the sniper in suspicion.

"Has something urgent happened, Major? What brought this on?" Al asked in a carefully controlled, polite tone of voice. He folded his hands on his lap and alternated his gaze back and forth between Hawkeye and Havoc. "I've read from the newspapers that there have been a lot of strange alchemy-related murders and incidents within the military but none of them were confirmed. Are any of them true?" He inquired.

"It's…a long story." Havoc began uncertainly, wincing when Hawkeye instantly pierced him with a fierce glare, no doubt as some sort of warning to be careful with what he said. "But yes, our coming here may be related to those murders. The Chief really did send us to bring Ed back. He needs her help with something." He gave both Elric siblings a small grin.

"No."

Both Hawkeye and Havoc blinked in disbelief at Ed's blunt answer while Al winced, shaking his head in dismay.

"What does that mean?" Havoc's left eye twitched and he glared at her, clenching his hands into fists.

"It means you should piss the fuck off." Edeline retorted with a scoff, rolling her eyes as she sneered at him. Then, as though to add even more salt to their wounds, she crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back pretentiously against her seat, propping her legs up on the table so that her boots made a loud thudding sound. "There is no way in hell that I am going back to being a bitch of the military so you can just forget it—"

"Nee-chan—" Al tried to interrupt her tirade but Ed obviously wasn't listening.

"—I've already spent four years of my life serving those stuck-up, selfish assholes—"

"Let me make this perfectly clear, Fullmetal."

Ed suddenly froze at the sound of Hawkeye's low, ominous voice and paled as she looked up, staring nervously at the blonde sniper in dread, and not at all liking the way the older blonde looked as though she was ready to haul Ed's ass out of Resembool if needed to carry out Mustang's orders and bring her back to Central.

"—we promised the General that we would be bringing you back with us to Central one way or another – whether you're willing or not. Now, you can make everything easier and just go with us, or I can knock you out and drag you back by your hair. It's your choice." Noticing the way Hawkeye's hand was hovering dangerously over the gun that was hidden in her holster, Ed swallowed loudly and managed a nervous laugh.

"It sounds like I don't have much of a choice there now, do I?" She kidded weakly.

"You both still remember that nee-chan can't do alchemy anymore, right? Assuming she agrees to go back with you to re-join the General's team, how will she even re-qualify as a State Alchemist?" Al pointed out, drawing Hawkeye's attention away from Ed's nervously fidgeting form.

"The General just needs her help with some alchemy research she conducted for the military three years ago. We think it may be related to the murders. She doesn't need to re-qualify as a State Alchemist." Havoc explained.

"Refresh my memory, what's the research about again? And why exactly am I being called in to help?" Ed asked.

"That's classified information, Boss." Havoc gave her an apologetic look. "I can't tell you any more than that unless you agree to come with us. Besides, I think the General wants to be the one to brief you once you get back."

"I don't believe this." Ed growled irritably under her breath, her face twisting into a scowl. "The nerve of that bastard, thinking he can just up and order me to go back to the military just like that. Why can't he hire some other alchemist to do it?"

"Because it was your research. You're the only one who's able to understand it." Hawkeye deadpanned, causing Ed's scowl to deepen as she cursed and grumbled under her breath again.

"Well, don't I feel special." She scoffed and gave them a pointed look "If this was really that important to him, why didn't Colonel Bastard come with you and ask me himself like he did last time?"

"It's Brigadier General Mustang now, Ed." Hawkeye corrected her with an exasperated sigh. "And to answer your question – yes, he did want to come with us but unfortunately, he was called to a meeting with the Fuhrer at the last minute."

Ed grumbled under her breath, still scowling and glaring heatedly at the carpeted floor as though everything was its fault. "This is ridiculous! I am not coming back with you. I. am. retired. Why does it have to be me?!"

"Because you're the only one we can trust."

As soon as the words had left Hawkeye's mouth, the rest of Ed's expletive-littered tirade about why exactly she had no intention of going back to the military instantly died out and she sighed in defeat.

Knowing that they had her, Hawkeye shared a triumphant look with Havoc before she turned to Ed again, studying the young woman's expression closely. "You talk as if the time you spent with us in the military was so terrible. Don't pretend that you didn't enjoy working with us too, Ed. You were as much a part of the team as the rest of us." She continued, causing Ed to stiffen and hastily look away. "You're the only other alchemist that Roy trusts. It has to be you."

Ed didn't answer.

Instead, the 19-year-old alchemist cursed under her breath and looked up, bypassing Hawkeye's gaze and meeting her brother's identical golden eyes in silent query.

A long couple of minutes passed between the two Elric siblings as they read off each other's expressions, a multitude of ideas and thoughts passing wordlessly between them as though they had their own secret, unspoken language. Then, after what seemed like an hour to Hawkeye, Ed finally rolled her eyes in exasperation but nodded and turned back to give Hawkeye a sullen look of defeat.

Just as she had opened her mouth to speak, however, a loud BANG from the shop's entrance doors behind them suddenly caused everyone in the room to jump out of their seats. Startled, Ed only had just about enough time to sputter in indignation before a tall, long-haired blonde holding a long sword and wearing a pristine, navy blue military uniform suddenly strode into their living room, causing everyone to stare up at her in stunned dismay.

It took Edeline a few seconds to recognize who it was but when she did, the realization hit her like a ton of bricks and her jaw fell to the floor.

"Major General Armstrong?!"

Notes: Positive reception for this story so far, I'm so happy! Oh and yeah, if you were wondering about Edeline's little 'Megan Fox' moment there, yeah. I really did write the scene out that way (giggle). For some reason, in my head, I'm imagining a female counterpart of Ed to be very self-confident and very comfortable with her sexuality. You'll see what I mean in the later chapters.

Oh and a fair bit of warning, I just love Olivier Armstrong. So you'll see a lot of her in this story. ;)