Hello readers! Thank you for reading and reviewing my last chapter!

Okay, so in the beginning of this chapter, it can be a little confusing with the italics and the normal so here's a little clarification: For the fist part, italics are what's going on in Ed's dream and the normal print are his thoughts. Once he wakes up, normal is speech and stuff and italics are thoughts or memories.

So, hope you love reading this chapter!

"Brother!"

Who is that? Sammy? Terry? Kyle?

"What is it Alphonse?"

Alphonse? Who's Alphonse? And…where am I?

A young boy, about eight or nine, came running towards him. He had a round and youthful face, big golden brown eyes, messy sandy blond hair, and a big smile on his face.

"What is it Al?" Ed asked as he watched the boy pick up his pace.

Wait…this can't be me. I'm so…so little. And my arm, I have my arm and my leg. Am I dreaming?

"Brother! Mom's making stew tonight!"

"Really?!"

"Yeah! I saw her making it. Let's get home soon, I'm starving."

"Me too!"

Mom? I don't know who that is. Did I…I wonder if I ever had a mom. I wonder if I ever had a dad.

The two small boys began to run up the quiet road, both wearing identical goofy smile.

"Hey Al."

"Huh?"

"I'll race you there! First one there gets first helpings!"

"Brother I don't know why you do this to yourself." Al said as he let his head droop slightly so he could hide the sad smile that appeared on his face.

"What are you talking about?"

"You always offer to race me but you never win!"

"I do so win! I've won oodles of times!"

"Really? Name one."

"Uh, well…I'm not a magician Al! I can't just whip things out of nowhere!"

"So you're saying that you can't remember a single time?"

"Ugh! Al! Just because I can't remember a time doesn't mean that I haven't!"

"Well here I thought you had a great memory."

"I do have a good memory! I just don't feel the need to remember every single victory I've had over you! I don't want to re-see your embarrassment."

"Oh why thank you Ed. You're so kind." Al said sarcastically.

"I try. But come on! There's the house-."

My home?

"Let's race these last few feet!"

"Okay, okay fine Ed."

"On the count of three."

"One."

"Two."

"THREE!"

The two boys shot off at full speed down the road and towards a white, two-story house. The two boys were neck in neck; laughing and screaming with excitement as the front door came closer to them. Al reached out his tiny hand in an attempt to reach the front door first, but at the last second, Ed swatted his hand away and touched the door.

"Yes! I win! Ha, Ha Al! You lose!"

"Only because you're a dirty cheater." Al muttered as he brushed off his dirty pant leg.

"Mmm! I can smell the stew already! Let's get inside!"

Ed opened up the front door and jumped inside.

"MOM! We're home!"

"Hello boys!" said a loving voice that came from the next room over.

"…Mom…" Ed mumbled in his sleep.

"Mom! I just totally beat Al in a race!"

"Just barely." Al said while giving his brother a look.

"Mom are you making stew?"

"Hmm, maybe. How about you come in here and see."

Ed quickly kicked off his extremely dirt sneakers off before he bolted towards the kitchen.

"Here Ed, taste it. How did I do?"

Ed quickly sipped up the broth from the ladle and smiled; it was delicious. Ed turned his head to look up at his mother and-.

Ed's eyes flew was staring up at the ceiling in his living room. Due to the small rays of red sunlight that made its way into the living room, Ed reasoned that it was just passed sun up. Ed made a move to sit up, but the searing pain all over is body told him to stay on the floor.

God damn Kimblee…How does someone get their jollies from beating up kids? Guys such a complete ass.

"…Maybe I should have just let that man take you years ago so you could live happily-fucking-ever-after with your damn brother."

Ed quickly sprung up from his spot on the floor, despite his body's extreme protests.

"Brother…?"

Ed, don't believe that bastard. He's just trying to make you confused. Ed told himself.

"Right." Ed muttered to himself as his head began to spin. "Can't even trust that bastard as far as I can throw him."

Ed moved his arm up and gripped onto the coffee table. He didn't want to lie on the ground, completely unprotected, any longer than he already had to. Now Ed tried to focus on what woke him up. It was early on a Saturday. The house was quiet as was the rest of the street.

What was I dreaming about?

Ed tried to remember what he had just dreamed but the details were slipping from his mind like water held in cupped hands.

I was in it. But…but it wasn't me. Or at least not a me that I remember. And there was another boy. I can't remember his name. He called me something…what was it?

"Brother!"

"…you could live happily-fucking-ever-after with your damn brother."

"…no. H-he can't be right. I mean…how could I forget about having a brother?"

I could forget I have a brother the same way I forgot the first 10 years of my life.

"Just ignore him Ed," Ed muttered to himself as he pushed himself off of the floor and into a standing position, "you were tired, slightly drunk, and just got the shit beaten out of you. You could have even imagined it. That's it. You're messed up little mind just made it up."

Ed forced himself up the stairs, down the hall, and onto is mattress. For hours, it seemed, Ed lay there, trying to fall asleep. Whenever he felt himself finally falling to sleep, his mind began to wander back to those few words that shook Ed to the core.

"Could I have a brother?" Ed wondered aloud as sunlight began to pour into his room through the curtain-less window.

Ed glanced over to the small lump on the other mattress. Terry was sound asleep, but Ed didn't want to risk him overhearing any of his ramblings.

Ed slowly got up and rummaged around into his book bag before pulling out a notebook and a pen. After scribbling a note to the kids, that he had gone out and would be back later, Ed ripped the paper out of the note book and placed it on his pillow. He couldn't think here, he needed to go somewhere else.

"Hey Roy." Jean muttered as he prodded the unconscious body with his foot.

He didn't respond.

"Roy." Jean hissed again but to no avail.

Jean repeated this process two more times before he changed his plans. Jean brought his foot back and before smashing his foot into Roy's shin.

"Ow! Dammit Jean!" Roy hissed as he rubbed his soar leg. "What the Hell was that for?"

"I wanted to talk." Jean whispered as he looked around at the other unconscious figures.

"'bout what?" Roy mumbled as he rubbed his eyes.

"About what you said in the car yesterday. About Ed and why no one's allowed to come inside his house."

"Oh…right." Roy said, seeming very much awake now.

"Come on. Let's go outside." Jean said as he stood up and began moving towards the sliding door that led to the back porch.

Roy stayed were he laid for a moment, thinking.

Should I really tell him this? I mean, I know Ed trusts Jean but…I don't know if I feel comfortable telling jean someone else's business.

"Roy, get out here." Jean muttered once he saw that Roy had not moved from his spot on the floor.

Roy let out a small sigh before getting up and maneuvering around the unconscious bodies to the back door.

Roy and Jean sat down on the old bench swing, the cool morning air quickly waking Roy up. The two sat in the silence for a few minutes, neither was sure as to how they should start this.

"So…what happened with Ed?" Jean asked as he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket.

"Err…" Roy started.

"Okay. When did it happen, how about that?"

"Well, it happened…let me see," Roy muttered as he counted back the years in his head, "it happened four years ago. When we were 12."

"And what happened?" Jean asked.

"Well…first of all. I don't even know if Ed knows that I know this. So don't go around telling people this."

"Well it all depends on what it's about. I mean if it's something extremely illegal, we should probably go report it."

"No. Ed might not know what I know, but I don't think we should go around messing with his life when he doesn't want us to."

"Fine, fine. So what the Hell happened?"

"Well…it all happened one day during the summer. A day just like this…"

Ed walked down the quiet street, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. There was only one person who he could even think about talking too right now, but he couldn't bring himself to walk to her house, wake her up, and ask her to help him with his own personal drama. So he kept walking straight, not sure of his destination. All he knew was that he needed to get away. It was times like this that he really wished he had a car so he could travel far away.

"It was before Winry's parents died, back when she lived right next to Ed. But it was after her parents had been shipped out, so she often stayed at her grandma's house. But that day, her grandma had to leave for the night so she stayed at her own house. Winry was afraid to sleep in that house by herself so me, Riza, and Ed slept over.

"It was…really fun. We all crashed around sun up, right on her back porch in our sleeping bags. But a few hours later, I heard something. I realized that someone was yelling. Then I realized that Ed and Winry were missing. Riza was still asleep so I got up as quietly as I could. I walked over to the hole in the fence and tried to see what was going on.

"Ed and Winry were standing on his back porch. I couldn't quite see who was yelling, but after a while I reasoned that it was Ed's foster dad. Winry was crying and it looked like she was pleading with him. Ed looked worried and angry and scared all at the same time. Apparently Ed wasn't supposed to be at Winry's house that night. I don't know if he was grounded, if Kimblee didn't want a co-ed sleep over, I have no idea. Ed must've snuck out of his room and went to Winry's. Kimblee was yelling that Ed was in so much trouble and that he was going to call Winry's grandmother that she had boys spend the night over when there were no adults over. It must've worried Winry because she was just a wreck."

"Then what happened?" Jean asked, deeply intrigued by the story.

"Kimblee said some stuff that was way below the belt. I don't quit remember what he said, but whatever he said ticked Ed off. Ed lunged at Kimblee and tried to pound his face in."

"Typical Ed." Jean said with a small smile.

"Yeah…well, Kimblee grabbed him and threw him to the ground. And then…"

Then Kimblee proceeded to stomp all over Ed. Roy thought, his mind drifting back to that horrid day from long ago.

"Then Kimblee kicked Ed a few times…"

More like a ten times.

"What?" Jean said in disgust. "He actually did that?"

"Yeah. But that's not all. Needless to say, Winry was extremely upset over this and started sobbing and screaming loudly. Then Kimblee turned on Winry."

"W-What did he do to her?" Jean asked quietly in a tone that said that he wasn't even sure if he wanted to here the rest.

"He grabbed onto her arm and told her to shut the Hell up before she woke up the whole damn neighbor hood. But she couldn't stop. So Kimblee…"

Roy closed his eyes in and attempt to bloke out the high-pitched scream that seemed to be stuck forever in his mind.

"…Kimblee tightened his grip on her arm and…threw her."

"What! Threw her?! W-Where! Was she alright?!"

"Let me finish." Roy said quietly. "It seemed to me, that he meant to throw her over the porch railing but she seemed to have fought back. So, instead, she ended up being thrown across the porch and into the corner."

"W-was she alright?"

"Yeah. He sprained her wrist during the struggle. And she whacked her head against the porch but besides that, she was fine.

"Then Kimblee realized all the sound he had made and ran to make sure he didn't, I don't know, kill her, because she wasn't exactly moving right away. He picked her up and I saw him moving towards the gate between the yards, so I quickly ran back to the porch and pretended to be asleep.

"He placed her back into her sleeping bag and waited for her to wake up. It only took a few minutes. Once she was awake, Kimblee gripped her head, looked her straight in the eyes, and said…'If you dare run and tell your little grandma about what just happened, well, let's just say that your little friend Ed won't be able to play for a long time'. Then he went back and I guess he took Ed inside."

"You got to be kidding me?" Jean asked in a quiet and shocked voice.

"I wish I was."

"Well…what do we do?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what do we do about Ed of course! He's being abused! We can't just sit here and wait for him to get the shit beaten out of him!"

"Jean. We can't just barge into someone else's lives that we don't know that much about."

"Then…what can we do?"

"We wait. Wait until Ed asks for help."

"Ed? Ask for help? You do realize that that will take, like, 50 years?"

"Yes. But until that day, we just shut up and pretend we don't know anything, okay?"

"Right."

Little did the two teens know, but the day they were waiting for would come sooner than they originally though; a lot sooner.

So what do you think is going to happen? People are finding out the truth behind Ed's home life...this can only mean trouble.

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review for this chapter! :)

-FSK