Okay, so I have a lot of explaining to do. I, as you all know, have not updated in FOREVER, but I have REALLY good reasons. The computer died. I wanted to have a funeral, with a proper burial and everything, but mom said we'd get more money if we sold it for parts. So we did that instead.

So, here I am, at my friend Melinda's house, thanking the deities that she has a floppy disc drive in her computer. The old old OLD computer that I use to type my stories on is so old that it doesn't actually have a thumb drive. Its so OLD, its not even black or white—its GRAY. So, Melinda's computer is truly a godsend, as now I can actually update! WOOT! I've been answering your reviews on my mom's computer, which, coincidentally, does NOT have a floppy disc drive. (It does have a rotating screen, though…)

I suppose I could have typed up more than one chapter, though…but this one was a bit hard for me. (And I did do a lot of new stories...)

So, yeah, here it is and here you go! :D

Chapter Twelve
Explanations

"Ed!" Raegan and Roy cried out at the same time, Raegan breaking his salute and taking a step towards the collapsed form.

Roy shot him the most venomous glare he could muster and Raegan froze from the sheer fury that it contained.

"Don't. You. Touch. Him."

Raegan gulped as he realized that maybe, just maybe, it might have been a bad idea to molest a guy that he hadn't seen in two years. Roy walked over to Ed and knelt down next to him.

"Edward?" Roy's voice was soft and his fingers were gentle as he lifted Edward slightly so that his head was resting on the Colonel's hand. "Edward, wake up."

Edward didn't stir.

"Come on, Ed, it's time to wake up."

Nothing.

"Oy, Ed!" Raegan called to Edward from where he was standing, ignoring the evil glare he received from Roy. "Time to eat, get your lazy magic-working rear out of that cot!"

"Nrgh, alright, Rae, just a second…" Edward mumbled lightly. Roy's eyes widened.

For another short moment, nothing happened. But then, Edward's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly.

"Waitaminute, why aren't you dead?!"

Raegan snorted. "You haven't changed much, have you?"

Roy snarled, his metaphorical hackles rising. "Answer. The. Question."

Edward glanced at Roy as Raegan cleared his throat nervously. "Uhm, right, well, there I was, on the side of the cliff by the stone river—"

"Stone river?" Roy cut in.

"The place down by the industrial compound." Edward explained.

"—and there Trinity was, his gang behind him and that dirty, no good Snick standing there as his right-hand man—"

"That low-down dirty rotten traitor, should have gotten rid of him the day he stole that candy and didn't share, you know that's the first sign of fading loyalty, when you don't give what you have—"

"Edward. Let Raegan finish. You can rant later."

"—and Trinity was all "I'm gonna mess that perdy face o'your's just like you scarred up mah cheeks" and then he did that really fast move thing, you know, where he's in one spot one second and right in front of you the next, and he slices my face up! Right through my eyebrow and down to my chin…this'll never go away, you know—"

"Raegan." Edward was beginning to loose his patience with Raegan's tendency towards circuitous explanations.

"Right, sorry, so I do the whole dramatic backwards fall—right into the river! And, of course, everyone assumes I'm dead, 'cause who could survive that, yeah? Hell, even I thought I was dead for a bit there, but I ended up being carried all the way down to Norswire, that little town way down south, you know? So I figure, well, everyone's either dead, run off, or going to die soon, so why not stay here a bit? I ended up joining the military, 'cause they were willing to take me, you know? Most people just don't take in urchins, not trustworthy, they think, isn't that a laugh, Ed?"

Edward scowled and Raegan's almost constant smile faltered. He cleared his throat to cover the uncomfortable quiet in the room.

"Erm…so…yeah…two years of training, and here I am…"

There was a bit of an awkward stretch as Edward and Roy scowled at Raegan, and then Edward spoke.

"Why did you do that?"

Raegan's face immediately turned serious, and his posture straightened, a sign that whatever he said next was going to be completely truthful.

"Because I really did miss you, these past two years in military training."

Edward sighed. "Raegan, we can't be together anymore. For one, you're in the army now, and our age difference at the moment is actually illegal. And also…" Edward faltered for a moment, glancing at Roy for strength and resolution. When he looked back at Raegan, his gaze was determined. "You gave me up the instant you decided to stay in Norswire rather than finding me and letting me know you were still alive." Ed took a deep, shaky breath. "I thought you were dead. I really did. Do you know how much that hurt? Do you know how much it hurts now, to know that you chose to let me feel this way?"

"Eddy—"

"No, Raegan, no. Just don't."

Raegan's eyes went a dull, gray-green color and he nodded slowly. "I understand."

Edward exhaled deeply, looking down. "Good. Roy, I'm gonna go…up to the tower, alright?"

"Of course, Edward." Roy watched as Edward walked out the door before turning to Raegan.

For a moment, they were both silent. Then Raegan spoke.

"Look, Colonel, I'm not going to chase after him." Raegan sighed, looking down and away. "He's right, I was wrong. I have no right to chase him now. So there's no need to worry."

Roy's eyes narrowed for a moment, then he nodded, satisfied. "You just keep that idea firmly planted in your brain, Private, and we wont have any problems. Come with me and I'll show you around."

They left the office together, and Raegan reflected on the fact that he had no doubt earned himself the most unpleasant tour possible.