Chapter 4

The metal plate rose higher, and higher. Ed looked around, he looked up and for the first time realized he couldn't see the roof, it was just black. Like it went on forever. Ed looked around, still clinging to Roy, he asked, "Where is this thing taking us!"

Roy didn't answer he only shook his head and held Ed closer.

Ed blushed, he hated being comforted. He hated it a lot. But he was sad, and scared, and worried, and it was good to know the Colonel was there for him, "Hey, Roy?"

"Yes, Fullmetal?" Roy asked, looking down at Ed.

The blonde blushed dark red, he opened his mouth to speak, but all he could say was, "I lo-…uh…I think it's a about to stop…the floor, moving, I mean…" He answered, chickening out.

"Hmm…" Roy said a few moments later when it jerked to a stop, not expecting it, Roy fell to the ground, Ed falling on top of him. Bright lights went off around the room and the two realized they were in what looked to be a living room. Ed crawled off Roy and stood up, hugging his coat around himself. To the left was an old couch, a boring pattern with dull colors and what looked to be dog or cat scratches all over it.

They could see another room, looked to be a kitchen, complete with a kitchen table, refrigerator, sink, and all the normal kitchen things.

Roy stood up, "Well…what do we do now, since you're the expert on this other world."

Ed looked around, not looking at Roy, "I'm not sure…I guess…we find who ever lives here…this must be the place were that guy that Hughes was talking about lives…"

Roy nodded and ducked into the kitchen, "Ed. I think you'd better come take a look at this."

One of the kitchen walls was covered in alchemic symbols; papers were tacked and taped to the walls, more papers scattered the floor and kitchen table.

Ed put down the thing he was looking at and came to Roy's side. The two stared at the wall, "Wow…who ever lives here's pretty smart, huh?" Ed asked, smiling cheesily.

"Either really smart…or incredibly stupid. Let's go, Fullmetal." Roy said, finding a set of small, slim stairs that led into the ground.

Ed followed after, "You know, you should really stop calling me 'Fullmetal'. My names Ed; and I think we're far enough in this relationship for you to call me that…" the younger said as they continued down the stairs.

"Uh-huh…sure…" Roy said as they came to ground level, they had ended up at a long corridor. Thousands of rows of doors lined the hallway.

Ed looked down. Nice answer…,he thought to himself before trying to open a door, except when his hand reached for the knob, there was nothing. Like an illusion; nothing to back it up. "Roy…"

"I know…there's something not right around here…" Roy said as he reached for a knob, which like all the others, wasn't there. "Someone's hiding something."

Ed nodded as he continued down the hall. Every door they got to was like all the others.

When they got to the end of the hall, there was one door left. Roy reached out a hand to open it, "If this isn't it…then…I don't know where we go next…" He said.

When his hand got close to the knob, he saw it was just like all the others. "Were stuck, Edward…"

"IF THERE'S NO DOOR, I'LL MAKE ONE!" Ed said, quoting himself, and pushing his hands together.

"Ah…Edward…" Roy interjected.

Ed pushed his hands to the wall, and nothing happened. He sighed, "Damnit…"

"No alchemy, remember?"

"Who cares about alchemy? I'll still make my own door…" Ed said as he started to get frustrated and began to kick and hit the wall. It was helping much.

Roy pulled Ed back and the two fell on the ground, Ed sitting on Roy's lap. Roy's arms wrapped around Ed, "Don't hurt yourself…"

"I'M NOT JUST GONNA—"

The wall in front of them started to break open, into the shape of a door. A hidden door.

Ed's mouth fell open. Roy acted as if he figured something along those lines would happen pretty soon.

A man with shining glasses stood in the newly-made door way.

"TUCKER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!" Ed yelled as he jumped out of Roy's arms and pointed a finger at the man.

"I could ask you the same thing…why are you in my laboratory?" Shou asked in a whispery voice as he looked back and forth from Ed to Roy and gestured into the room behind him, which was probably his laboratory.

"What are you hiding, Tucker?" Roy asked in a hostile voice, standing and taking a step forward in front of Ed.

Ed pouted, he could protect himself…

Shou took a step back, "Let's not do anything violent. I'm merely studying…you may come in and take a look around, just as long as your quiet. My wife is very sick and my daughter is asleep."

"Nice place you got here…how many people have you killed you get this rich?" Ed asked as he picked up a shiny object.

The three had made their way back up the small stair case and back in to the living room.

Roy glared at Ed before looking back to Shou, "He's kidding."

Shou smiled lightly, "So…why have you two come here? Or did you just end up in my lab by chance?"

"Actually," Roy said, walking closer to Shou, "our friend Maes Hughes told us to come and see you. He said you have been practicing a kind of magic that may be of some help for us…have you ever heard of 'alchemy'?"

Shou didn't move or say anything. Ed accompanied Roy, "Come on, we don't have long to wait. There's a portal connecting our worlds, and we gotta get it closed so we can go home! Now chop, chop!"

Shou cleared his throat, "Well…actually, I've been studying alchemy for a while now. Trying to make it work.

A few months back, an odd woman came here, just as you did. She asked me to help her with a huge project that would ultimately save all of Germany, and possibly the world. I agreed, but after talking with my wife, I left to go tell her I had changed my mind; that I could not help her. This was the time when my wife got sick. Plus, I couldn't leave my daughter, Nina, alone, she's still very young.

When I went to tell the lady the change of plans, before I got to tell her anything, I was swapped with paperwork. There were lots of odd charts and mythical sounding legends. It all seemed so unreal, but she said it would work. I kept reading over the pages, and the more I read, the more it made sense. The more…interesting it sounded. I wanted to try. I wanted to be able to do alchemy.

So when I was allowed to leave, I was supposed to give the papers back, but I didn't. I took them and ran. I yelled back at her that I was quitting, I'm not sure, but I believe she called me a 'son of a bitch' and threw something at me. Gave me quite a big bump on my head." Shou reached back and patted the back of his head, "My wife told me to go give it back, but I told her this could help her. I can fix my wife now. With out alchemy she will die. We moved here, inside this mountain-house, that I created with alchemy, so no one would find out about what I was studying. Now some people know, like you guys. I was afraid someone would try to steal my work. You're not going to take it, are you?" Shou asked in probably the most innocent sounding voice a man his age could handle.

Ed and Roy looked at each other, Ed started to speak, "Human transmutation probably isn't a very good idea…"

"We aren't going to take your alchemy," Roy promised as Ed sent him a thoughtful glance, "but you will help us, won't you?"

"I…I'm not sure…I'll give you my answer tomorrow. You can both stay here tonight. There are two guest bedrooms in the back, down that way." Shou pointed down a short hallway, about five doors, "I'll see you tomorrow. I have to tell my wife we visitors."

Ed and Roy sent fleeting glances as they walked to their rooms. When Shou was gone, Roy kissed Ed on the forehead, "Good night," he said before opening one of the doors and entering in. Roy's room was pretty simple, boring bed, boring wallpaper, empty dresser, and no windows. They were inside of a mountain after all.

Ed's room wasn't much different.

Ed sat on his bed and kicked off his shoes, he started to take off his coat when he remembered that was all he was wearing. He curled up under the blanket, and stared at the wall for a moment. Since this thing with Roy had started, this would be their first night apart. Ed felt so…alone. He closed his eyes and sighed and slowly drifted off into sleep.

Ed awoke a few hours later; the room was freezing cold; he looked down and realized he had kicked the blanket off. He started to pick them up when he got a dry feeling in his mouth. He blinked a few times and started out of his room. He walked as quiet as possible through the small underground (I guess you could call this underground…?) house. He found what he guessed was the kitchen, he opened the fridge; I guess I'll just help myself… He thought as he picked through the fridge, "…what is with every house can ONLY have MILK to drink? They can never have any water or some tea or something OTHER THAN MILK!" Ed ranted to himself quietly before just closing the fridge, sliding down it, and sitting on the floor; he sighed heavily and looked down at the floor.

"Can't sleep either?"

"Wha?" Ed looked up to notice Roy sitting on a couch and sipping on a cup of, presumably, milk.

"You can stay in my room if your lonely, Fullmetal. You know I don't mind at all." Roy cooed as he sat the drink down and walked slowly over to Ed. He came behind the shorter of the two and wrapped his arms around him; he whispered the last three words before his tongue flicked out and licked Ed's neck.

Ed shivered and blushed, "I…uh…wasn't exactly lonely…but I would…uh…rather stay in your room…mine's really cold…"

Roy smiled and said, "Well…we'd better go now. We've got a long day tomorrow." Roy grabbed Ed's hand and started to pull him into Roy's room.

Although, they didn't exactly go to sleep right away…you can guess what happened until around six in the morning. Which, by the way, around six in the morning was when Nina woke up for school, so she had quite a little treat next door.

~Chapter End~

A/N:

Finally I finished this chapter! I knew for soooo loooong basically what would happen in this chapter, I was just too…ah…lazy, I guess, to just sit down and actually write on any stories! ^^

Please review and tell me how it's going so far~! If there's anything, anything at all, that I need to fix, please tell me! CX

Much thanks to all my readers~! XD

~~~MESSAGE TO ALL MY FELLOW YAOI OBSESSED PERVERTS~~~

I've been getting a few reviews asking for 'M' rated chapters…and as much as I would really, really, REALLY love to write some, I wanted to keep this as a 'T' rated story…but! I do have the first chapter of the 'Deleted Scenes' story up now! ^^ With all the 'deleted' smex scenes from this story! It is called: "C.O.S. Deleted Scenes", if anyone is interested! The chapters go in order with these chapters, picking up right were these leave off! ^^

'Kay! I shuddup now!