Hello! Thank you for reading so far!

Enjoy chapter 2 :)

The blonde awoke to the sound of loud mattering and surprised gasps. He groaned.

"Are you sure it's him?"

"He's supposed to be dead!"

"Well obviously he's not Jean"

"But-"

"Would you shut up?"

Edward opened his eyes, noticing small crowd of familiar faces gathered around the armchair he was lounging in. They immediately silenced, waiting for the teen to say something, anything.

"Now now Edward, did you forget your manners?" a cocky looking Roy was sat at the back of the kitchen, peering through the crowd surrounding Ed. The teen glared.

"Shut up, my head screams when you talk"

"Some things never change..." the Colonel ignored the powerful glare he was receiving from the blonde and averted his eyes back to the newspaper in his hands. He wasn't paying much attention to the text; he found Edward's irritation far more entertaining.

"Hey Winry, any chance of some breakfast?"

"Don't you 'Hey Winry' me! How can you think of food at a time like this?"

"I'm hungry!"

"You're always hungry!"

"So would you be if you'd been living on rations!" the grouchy teen got to his feet, rubbing his eyes tiredly, trying his best to suppress a yawn. He began to notice the surprised looks he was receiving, and they began to irritate him.

"What?! Haven't you finished looking? Is there something on my face?"

"Looks like you got taller chief!" Jean smiled, reaching for his precious lighter.

"Did you think I'd still be a runt when I was eighteen?" he smiled. Ignoring the angry looking mechanic, Edward pushed his way through the small crowd. He'd finally found the person he had been looking for.

"Hey Al, did you miss me?"

The younger Elric replied by catching his brother in a tight embrace. Ed stepped back to admire his growth. He couldn't help but wonder if his eyes were deceiving him. The brunette looked similar to the younger version of himself, even wearing his hair in a short ponytail. Edward looked to Roy, who was drumming his fingers on the table casually.

"Has he been behaving himself?" the blonde smirked as he removed his jacket, watching Alphonse glared quietly.

"Of course" the Colonel smiled, "Much better than you ever were"

"Nonsense! If every kid turned out like me, the world would be a better place!" the teen pulled out a chair opposite Roy, taking a seat beside his brother.

"More than one Edward... I don't like the sound of that, the thought alone gives me the chills" Ed glared as he helped himself to a slice of toast from the rack, frowning as he saw the others approaching.

"Can I at least eat first?"

They stood silently, absorbing the blonde's growth, minds bursting with questions eagerly. Ed turned, hearing Pinako emerge from the workshop, the usual black pipe held between her fingers.

"Nice of you to join us Edward" she smiled; smoke beginning to fog the room. Pushing her glasses further up the bridge of her nose, Pinako approached the teen, scanning him from head to toe.

"I see you've grown... at last"

The teen replied with a growl. The old lady was certainly an expert at winding him up. Before Hawkeye could utter a word, the blonde hushed her before she could speak.

"Yes, I'm back. No, I'm not dead, and yes I got taller." Reaching for the a drink of water, the glass barley touched his lips when the Colonel spoke.

"I'm glad you're here, there some-"

"For once, we both agree on something!"

"I'd like you to look at something; we've just finished a mission-"

"Figured" Roy glared. "What? I kind of guessed you're not here to socialise..."

"AS I was saying, we found some arrays, I'd like you to take a look" Roy placed four photographs onto the table, pushing them closer to Ed. The blonde inspected them curiously.

"We ruled out human transmutation, but I thought it would be best to check with the... expert"

"Do you want my help or not?" the teen snapped tiredly.

"Look Colonel sarcasm, I could be doing other things right now! If you want a second opinion, how about you learn some manners first" there was a pause.

"Ok, Edward, would you kindly look at these photographs and give me your opinion?"

"Of course Colonel, now let's get down to business" the teen said, rolling his sleeves to his elbows and adjusting his tight collar.

"I must say Chief, you really do scrub up nicely" Jean smiled with a cigarette between his lips. Ed looked down at his own attire, reminding himself that he needed a change in wardrobe. "Wearing suits now huh?"

"It was the fashion there" the blonde smiled, knowing full well the others had no clue as to where he was referring too. "It was lent to me by my father; he insisted that he wouldn't be seen with me wearing a fluorescent red jacket..."

"You saw dad?! How is he?" Ed rested a hand on his brother's shoulder, fearing if Al didn't calm down he would end up bouncing through the ceiling.

"Geez Al, calm down! We don't want you having a nosebleed..." he smiled, "he was fine when I last saw him"

"You mean he's not..."

"He couldn't come back even if he wanted to, his pride wouldn't allow it" he laughed, "He says that his position is too important"

"Position?"

"He's a politician, its important he stays until the war-"

"You just left him there?! In the middle of a war! How could you just leave him?"

"Look, I've paid the price for being selfish, and I have the scars to prove it! There are other people's lives at stake; I'm not putting them in danger just to please myself! Do you think I don't wish he was here? Of course I do! I'd switch places just to make you happy!"

"Of course you would! I can't believe you just bailed out and left him there, you coward!"

The blonde stood, towering over Alphonse. His head was lowered, and he looked furious. He tried to control his anger. Al didn't have a clue what had happened those past two years. In reality, Edward had been far from a coward, and to hear that word used against him.... It hurt. Like a knife through his chest. It shattered everything he had accomplished, the pride he'd built like a solid wall.

"Don't you dare call me a coward" he spat, "You have no idea what I've lived through for the past two years, so don't start talking as if you know everything!" "You think I'm a coward? Try growing up in a warzone and see what it does to you." The blonde turned on his heel and headed for the doorway.

"Where are you going?!" Winry called.

"Out."

"What about the picture?" Roy reminded him.

"Later."

As Roy Mustang watched the teen disappear through the door, he wondered if he would ever see him again. After all, it was just hours ago the blonde had appeared.

Edward sighed, inhaling the cool air through his nostrils in a desperate attempt to calm himself. He had pictured his return quite differently to how it actually turned out. He had hoped for a day of much needed rest, but it appeared that stress would be the only thing he'd be receiving today.

Just his luck. Back for just hours, and he had already fallen out with his brother. The one person he'd been longing to see. The blonde wondered if his words had been a little harsh, but quickly erased the thought from his mind. Perhaps it was time to teach his younger sibling how to listen. He couldn't help but smile. It seemed Al also inherited the blonde's fiery temper, although he sincerely hoped not. Hopefully, it was just a phase, one that Edward had been through himself. He liked to think he was slightly more mature than he had been a few years ago. Perhaps he had the gate to thank for that.

Sighing, Ed closed his eyes and leaned back onto the bark of the tree, knees drawn to his chest. If he had never dealt with the gate, Ed could almost guarantee his life would have turned out much smoother. He cursed himself for not realising sooner. There was no excuse for messing with equivalent exchange. If he hadn't known before, he certainly did now, and hoped Al wouldn't be as careless as him.

It was amazing how a single mistake as a child managed to screw him up so badly. Pulling off his right glove, he smiled sadly at the sight of metal. It was nothing like Winrys, you couldn't see your reflection, and it barley functioned. The joints were always stiff; each movement produced a rough sound, like a door hinge in need of oiling. However pleasant the thought of flesh limbs seemed, the blonde knew it wouldn't be the same. He'd grown so used to accommodating the extra weight, and knew all too well that his automail had gotten him out of many close encounters. He had to admit, it could really be a handicap sometimes.

Edward cursed himself mentally. He was turning into an automail geek like Winry. How wonderful.

Winry. He groaned. He knew the topic of automail was bound to come up soon, and the idea didn't sound too thrilling. Of course the mechanic was only trying to be helpful, but it often didn't appear that way. Ed knew it was unlikely, but hoped she would forget.

"Good afternoon Colonel, do you come here often?"

It appeared the blonde had heard him approaching. Roy couldn't help but wonder if he was losing his touch.

"I try not to make a habit of it" he leaned against the tree, looking down at the teen.

"Let me guess, your here to make a truce?"

"You know Ed; you'd make a good detective" he smirked, "anyone ever tell you that?"

"You'd be surprised, I think I remember Officer Hughes say that once... and before you ask, I'm not going into details right now"

There was a brief silence.

"He's sorry you know"

The blonde sighed, opening his eyes to look at Roy gazing down at him.

"I know. But more importantly, how did an unlucky bastard like you get stuck with finding me?"

"I was kindly volunteered..." he muttered, vaguely remembering an irritated Risa raising a pistol to his temple. The Colonel had learned from experience it was better not to mess with the hawk in such a dangerous mood.

"How kind of you to offer"

"Look Edo, I know it's going to take a while for things to go back to normal, but its better if you get it over with"

"By it, you mean... questions, right?"

Roy remained silent. The blonde knew exactly what he meant.

"I know you all deserve to know, it's not every day someone disappears for two years and suddenly just appears again, it's just..." he paused, unsure how to finish.

"There are some things I'd rather not talk about" he looked up, feeling a hand on his shoulder. It was unusual for Roy to be so... friendly towards him, and he wasn't sure how to react to such an act of kindness.

"It's ok you know, they'll understand"

The blonde smiled.

"I hope so"

Sorry if that dragged on a bit! Thank you for reading so far, I never expected such a great response after just one chapter!

See you next chapter :)