An: Sorry for the long wait, but this chapter did not want to be worte, I hope you all enjoy Chapter 3 and have a happy and safe New Year!

Chapter 3:

Edward's Point of View:

Deconstruction, Reconstruction and Understanding, they are the three pillars of Alchemy. Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's law of Equivalent Exchange.

This is where I found myself as I was listing to a bunch of old geezers argue back and forth trying to decide if Second Lt. Maria Ross's fate of rather be executed or set free not that they had heard my side of what happen, thankfully Roy had been kind enough, or under Bradley's command, was my spokesperson so they (the old geezers.) could not twist what I wrote around.

My whole body was still in pain, the array that somehow sent me back into the past had taken a lot out of me as well as fighting again Paden, a small country that was always peaceful until an ambassador from the city had been found killed in his room while on Amestris soil. After that all I can remember was that it caused a huge uproar and the two countries were plunged into a long and bitter war.

I sighed as I closed my eyes for a moment, it was just another thing on my list of 'make sure the war never happens and perhaps change a few things for a better future'. Sometimes I just really hated my life.

Opening my eyes now, I glanced toward the military broad, I than saw that the arguments where still going on, tuning them out, I opened the small notebook I had gotten from Roy, it was a small gift to help with the long hours of waiting in the small apartment while Roy was in the office planning his world military miniskirt take over when he reached Fuher.

A light smile graced my lips as I picked up the pencil as I started to as I liked to call doodling, but Al if he was here would of have disagreed with me and would call it working on the latest work of art that no one would see in a lifetime expect the dust bunnies. I had found it a good way to relax and get my mind off things and it reminds me of drawling alchemy arrays. One wrong line or symbol in the wrong place and the whole thing could either take on a different meaning or just plain ruin it or in the case of alchemy, blow up in your face.

Looking down at the drawling, I lightly shaked my head some, it was a small sketch of the older version of the man sitting next to me, the older Roy was sitting at a desk, the uniform he wore was worn and wrinkled as if he had just woken from a nap, a gloved hand was covering his good eye as his black hair was devilish in appearance and falling over the gloved hand and black eye patch, it was a portrait of a man who had just lost the will to live.

Tapping the pencil against the paper, I tried to think of something to write as the title when a light bulb than went off as I than wrote underneath it.

The old solider had lost everything dear to him, sitting in his office; he cradled the side of his face some as his shoulders shook with silent tears as he started to speak.

"Metal. I have lost everything, my best friend, my eye, most of my comrades and my wife of only two short months, how do you continue on when you also lost so much?"

I looked at him as I just smiled faint as I stood to leave the poor man to grieve for the first time in days.

"Simple, I just push on because I know they haven't left me, they are always lending their support even though they are no longer physically here."

With that, I left the room as for the first as long as I knew the old solider; he had broken down and wept. Little that I knew, the older solider would die two days later, a victim of a bullet to the heart because of a coward of an enemy solider.

Roy's point of view:

I had forgotten how boring trails could be, it was like a chess game, long and boring after a few seconds, I had done my part for James since he could not speak, though I have to admit, it was rather funny watching the courts reaction to the new information, covering a yawn, I looked over at James.

The poor man was still on the thin side and I could not blame him, no one knew when he had last had a good meal and with this trial, he hadn't been able to start eating like the doctors had wanting him to, watching his face some, I could see he was also bored out of his skull until pain flashed across his eyes before he closed them for a moment.

'He must still be in pain from his injuries.' I thought as I started to open my mouth to ask him if he was alright but closed it when he opened his eyes and glanced at where the military broad were before turning to his notebook and opening it and proceed to draw in it.

I mentality shaked my head some but I could feel a small smile tug at my lips, I was glad that at least now he was putting something in the book to help take his mind off whatever he had been through, however seeing the drawling of what looked to me a very broken solider came to a surprise to me.

Opening my mouth for the second time to ask him about the drawling, I than saw him tap the page with the end of his pencil until he started to write underneath it.

The old solider had lost everything dear to him, sitting in his office; he cradled the side of his face some as his shoulders shook with silent tears as he started to speak.

"Metal. I have lost everything, my best friend, my eye, most of my comrades and my wife of only two short months, how do you continue on when you also lost so much?"

Metal looked at him as he just smiled faint as he then stood to leave the poor man to grieve for the first time in days.

"Simple, I just push on because I know they haven't left me, they are always lending their support even though they are no longer physically here."

With that, Metal left the room as for the first as long as he knew the old solider; he had broken down and wept. Little that Metal knew, the older solider would die two days later, a victim of a bullet to the heart because of a coward of an enemy solider.

I than raised my eyebrow some wondering if it was a memory of someone he knew or just a story he was now making up to deal with everything, I was about to ask him when the military broad than reached a decision.

Normal Point of View:

"In the case of Second Lt. Maria Ross, we the broad members of Central Command have found the defendant not guilty of the crime of murdering Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes."

The courtroom broked out in cheers some as the case was than dismissed and Maria freed, smiling, Edward than put the notebook into his vest pocket and started to stand when Roy suddenly placed his hand on his shoulder. Raiseing an eyebrow, Edward raised his eyebrow some.

"Stick close okay? Reporters are going to try and coner you for an interview."

Edward nodded as he then followed Roy closely as they both exited the courtroom, true to his word, reporters started to crowd around him and Roy, sticking close to Roy who kept saying that James was not up for answering their questions or gave them a quick no comment, he lead Edward toward a car as they quickly filed in, once the doors were closed, the driver than took off toward the apartment complex Roy lived in so both men could get the rest that they both needed.

However for Edward, the first step toward a peaceful Amestris was over and knew he had many more hurdles to overcome.