The train ride back was unbearably quiet. Everyone wanted to say some words of encouragement but the words never came. Anything that would change the subject just seemed disrespectful to the situation. An hour into the trip Annie almost cried when Dixie started batting her hand at the air as if she could see Gox's ear to play with.

Al wanted so badly to tell everyone that everything was going to be all right but he too remained silent.

At Central Mustang wondered why they were a day late in their return and why the Fullmetal and Dawn weren't present.

Telling the whole story was like living through eternity.

It was disappointing to Mustang that the alchemists didn't have a chance to catch Caradon and he sympathized the disappearance of their friend.

"I understand how you feel about your friend but I don't see how I can be of much help. I'll send a few men to meet with the Fullmetal and assist in the search but I'd wager just about anything Caradon's men didn't leave him in or anywhere near Naunting. Caradon is a man who is always on the move to prevent getting caught. His henchmen probably share that trait and took off with Goxlin, knowing you'd stop at nothing to find him so they needed a place to run."

"I understand, sir." Al said in a low voice.

Mustang wanted to spare a few words of comfort but nothing came. He could only imagine what it must be like losing a friend to a man like Caradon and not knowing whether he's alive or getting fitted for a halo and wings.

New thoughts started to roll through the Colonel's mind after he dismissed Alphonse.

They knew why the boy had been taken the only question remained was what became of it. Was he ordered to be killed and his body left in the desert with no hopes of ever being found? Were Caradon's men hiding out with Goxlin as a prisoner until further orders were given? Had he been taken to Caradon himself? If so, he hated to admit what horrors awaited their friend in the presence of a man like that.

Then the worst occurred to him…

What if Caradon wanted his freedom from the military as a fugitive in exchange for the boys' life?

Roy Mustang could only shake his head and pray that wasn't the case.

'Yoyo Manor'

"So what'd the man in charge say?"

Ren and the others told Brody, Mark and the twins the whole story before Al returned from delivering his message and grief had long since caught on like burs to cotton.

"He's sending a few soldiers to Naunting to help my brother and Chanty but he cant think of anything else that would help except praying that Gox is all right."

"And that he is." Mark said with confidence.

"Then why are we all looking so glum!" Luke said standing up.

"He's right." Lucus copied his brothers' action. "You might as well put it in writing that Gox is fine so why are we sitting on our rumps worrying like a bunch of old ladies?"

"I know just the thing to perk up the mood." Brody announced. "Annie, Dixie and I will get ice cream for everybody right after the twins throw Clen in the pool."

"Ha ha very funny." Clen said, honestly thinking Brody was joking.

"Ok, you go 'round the right and I'll get the left side." Luke said to his brother.

"Rodger that."

"Yeah sure." Clen said. But his sureness of the situation began to waver when the twins started to walk slowly toward him like two cougars after a deer. Beginning to think they were really NOT kidding Clen stood up and backed away. "Don't either of you get any closer. Seriously, don't either of you touch me." But his words fell on deaf ears. When the twins had their minds set on a prank or anything similar it was like talking to a wall.

Still on their slow advance and Clen's slow retreat and unsure about what to do knowing now they were dead serious. He didn't even know why this joke suddenly bothered him so badly. He'd been in the water before so why did he have this kind of fear of it? Since Clen couldn't think of anything else to do… he hissed.

Immediately Lucus backed up as though a rattlesnake tried to strike him.

"Oooo! The big bad kitty kitty hissed at me! Help, I'm in real trouble now." He teased in a sarcastic girly squeal.

Clen's undesired swim indeed lightened the atmosphere for everyone. (Except Clen himself)

The rest of the day was taken easy and no one worried about Gox being ok. On the contrary they wondered when he'd come home. Mark let Dixie sit on his lap and bang the symbol on his drums while he played for lack of anything better to do. Out of curiosity about his skill in the game. Al challenged Lucus to a few rounds of checkers and wondered how Chanty could have ever been beaten by him even at a young age.

Naunting

Ed and the Dawn searched relentlessly for their missing friend. The town appeared to know nothing and even after investigating The Three Sisters they came up empty handed.

The mine proved to be unfruitful as well. They came back with lanterns and picked up everything they found, large rocks, pickaxes, just to make sure they weren't some kind of lever to a secret passage. At the blocked off tunnel the pair wondered if it had been caved in so they couldn't follow. The bubble of that theory was popped when it was reasoned they would've heard the explosion needed to cause that cave in.

Chanticleer created a maiden out of the smooth stonewalls in the larger cave area and it safely brought both of them to the bottom where the search continued. Only a few tunnels were found and most had dead ends. The two that were left open were checked into but after walking for seemingly miles the stone became sand, a mark of where mining stopped where the minerals ran out.

Exhausted after a days search the duo went back to town in the dark. They were certain Gox was alive and all right but why did it have to take so much effort to find him?

Chibi me – YOU ARE SO UNBELIVABLY RUDE!

Me – Rude? I fail to see how I'm being rude.

Chibi me – you added an unnecessary chapter just so you could keep everyone on the edge!

Me – how is that a problem? The chapter you've been so impatiently waiting for is next.

Chibi me – (Too busy scolding me for my faults to realize what I just said)