Hi everyone! Thanks a bunch for your reviews last chapter. I wanted to get this to you sooner but...school.

In case anyone cares, my first week of school sucked. It was hot and filled with so many stupid people and I kept getting pounding headaches from the said stupid people and work. :( Did not like it.

Here you go though. Thanks again to my beta Dani-Chan. :)

Edward didn't know what to expect when they finally reached the remains of his old home. He didn't even know where to even picture where he might have lived. But seeing this…

His house seemed to have once stood at the edge of the small town, only a few healing trees surrounded where the house once stood; no next door neighbors. Ed could only imagine how calm it must have been to live here but a location like this had its draw-backs; like not having a neighbor to see the smoke and flames quickly as your house burned to the ground.

A small forest floor sat where Edward's house once sat only a few years prior. Long, untamed grass sat in patched, saplings sprouted up and out of the ground, butterflies and bumble-bees floated lazily in the summer sun. It was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time.

"What do we do know?" Ed asked in an emotionless voice, his face blank.

No one answered; Ed was glad since they all knew what they had to do know. Wait for Kimblee to give them a call and then string them along just a bit more. Ed was tired of not being able to control his own life and once he got a hold of Kimblee again, he'd make sure that Kimblee knew this for a fact.

The dull vibrating that was sent up Ed's arm and in his shoulder was hardly worth Ed's noticing now. Sighing slightly, Ed gritted his teeth, and answered the phone.

"What?" Ed snapped.

"Tut-tut Eddy. No manners? You keep up with that attitude and I just may have to do something to keep you in line."

Edward gulped and shook his head. No. He had to keep his head; lives were at stake here. This was not just some twisted version of phone tag or hide-and-seek. It was real and he was dead serious.

"Sorry," Ed muttered, feeling bile rise in his throat at the single words to the man who had made his life hell.

"Better. Now, go into the forest that's behind your house."

"Huh?"

"Did I stutter? Go back there. And leave your little crew behind."

Ed looked at the others; a large ball of nerves began to crawl around the pit of his stomach. Everything about these directions screamed a horrible foreboding but…if this was what Kimblee wanted him to do, then he'd do it. For the kids.

"Fine. How far back?" Edward asked quietly, hoping the others would not hear.

"Oh…just a bit. There's a clearing a after some trees and brush but it should only take a few minutes,"Kimblee said; his tone sounded disgustingly entertained. "And I will know if you bring your Daddy or your wittle brother with you."

Edward instinctively looked up and turned around, searching for anything that may be a spy for Kimblee. He saw nothing and only heard a cackle on the other end of the phone.

"Oh you can look all over but you won't find them!" Kimblee laughed into the phone. "And remember, go alone or you can say 'bye-bye' to the kiddies."

The line went dead after this. Ed glared back into the forest and thought for a moment. This would be a perfect opportunity for Kimblee to ambush him but…wouldn't the others hear if he was being attack? They were only a bit away and if Kimblee was telling the truth, they should be able to hear him yell or something.

Just do it, Edward growled to himself. Do it and get it over with.

"What did he say?" Izumi asked.

"He told me to…to walk into the forest there until I reach the clearing," Ed said, motioning towards the wall of green. "Alone. He said he would know if you guys went."

"You do realize that's suicidal right?" Roy asked, looking at him as if Ed had gone insane.

"It doesn't matter!" Ed yelled. "I have to do it!"

"He could just be playing with you brother," Al said quietly. "He could just be stringing you along-."

"I KNOW, AL!" Ed yelled angrily as he began to stomp off towards the forest. "But I can't just stand around and NOT do anything!"

"Wait," Hohenheim said calmly as Ed began to step into the overgrowth. "You should still be careful. We can't let you just go out into…who knows what alone."

"But I can't-."

"Just yell something every few feet," Hohenheim continued. "Just yell that you're okay. How long did he tell you to go?"

"Just into this clearing," Ed sighed as he ran his fingers through his ragged hair. "He said it was close but…who knows."

"What should he yell if there's trouble?" Roy asked.

"How about 'Help'?" Ed supplied angrily, getting annoyed with the time they were wasting.

"Alright," Hohenheim said heavily. "But be careful."

"I know."

Edward ripped open an opening in the dense foliage with his right arm before he stepped in with his left leg and began to plow his way through. He was worried slightly when he realized how much sound the plants seemed to block out and muffle but he wasn't that worried; he'd been known to yell awfully loud.

"Edward?" he heard his father call out.

"I'm fine!" Ed yelled, feeling a bit like a little kid. But he knew he would have to be on his toes. He was stomping so loudly through the forest that he wasn't sure if he would be able to hear anyone else sneak up on him.

After every step, Edward felt his nerves escalate, thinking more and more that Kimblee would be hiding in the bushes, ready to sneak up on him and attack at just the right moment; like a hunter stalking his prey. But in all reality, he was Kimblee's prey. Kimblee was just playing with his food, letting him think that there might be some possibility that he could actually save them…

"…ed…ard…" said a muffled voice

"FINE!" Ed yelled loudly, hoping the others heard him.

Finally, Ed pushed through the last of the dense wall of greens and almost tumbled into the clearing. The clearing was just a small circle of oddly empty space, about the size of a backyard swimming pool. Feeling a small amount of annoyance flood his brain, Edward gripped his phone and glared at it, daring for it to ring.

Suddenly Ed felt a small pinch on the back of his neck, just like a bug bite. Ed swung his left hand back to slap off whatever bug was feasting on his neck but he felt something much bigger than a bug…

As Ed turned around to stare at the form of large man, his vision began to fade into black and he felt his muscles relaxed too much to support his body any longer. Ed tried to reach out to stop his attacker but fell to the soft ground before he could take a step further. As his vision became almost completely black, Ed remembered what his father had told him to do but it was already much too late to do anything.

"Sleep tight…" a deep voice said as Ed went into unconsciousness.

"Ugh…my head," Edward groaned what felt like moments later.

His head felt like it was filled with bricks and he felt like there was cotton pushing on the backs of his eyes. Ed's vision kept sliding in and out of focus but he could tell that he was defiantly not back in the forest. He was somewhere completely different.

"Oh, look who's awake."

Ed tried his best to keep his eyes open so that he could glare properly at the man but found it hard when his vision still continued to go in and out of focus. Kimblee stood before him, dressed formally and looking as smug as ever. Ed then noticed his surroundings.

He appeared to be in some sort of basement, alone except for Kimblee, who stood near what appeared to be a flight of steps. He tried to move his hands when he felt them cramping up but found to his immense displeasure that Kimblee had put hand-cuffs on his wrists.

"Where am I?" Ed spat.

"In a basement," Kimblee responded, looking horribly full of glee, as if Christmas had come early.

"Tell me where the Hell I am right now Kimblee or else I'll-!"

"You'll what?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Throw a hissy fit? You're not really in any sort of position to be making threats now don't you think? You never were actually."

"What did you do to me?" Ed asked quietly, glaring as intensely as he could at the man.

His body still was not responding quite correctly and he felt so exhausted. More exhausted than anyone in his situation should probably feel.

"Simple: had one of my men give you a sedative while you weren't looking," Kimblee said before he let out a small laugh and shook his head. "You were so busy and determined on finding that spot that you didn't even notice my men walking along with you. Unbelievable. Would never have pegged you as that stupid."

"What was I supposed to do? I had to follow along in your sick and twister game!"

"Yes but you could have done it a bit more gracefully."

"Just tell me where the fuck they are!" Ed shouted, feeling as if a cap had been taken off a shaken bottle, his anger flowing out rapidly like foam now that the drug seemed to have dissipated.

"Well this game is so very entertaining to watch but I may have let you seen them if…" Kimblee muttered as he lazily studied his cuticles.

"What?" Edward growled.

"If your little friends would have stuck to the rules," Kimblee finished, staring Ed down, all of his casualness gone, his eyes dead serious and slightly scary.

"Huh?" Ed asked, heart pounding.

"You're dumb girlfriend Winry decided to run to the cops and try and stop me."

"W-what?"

"Yes. And I had to have them be stopped. Fortunately I did derail them for quit a while now," Kimblee said, sounding horribly pleased once more. "I saw the whole thing: I sent one of my men to follow them, they were running in the middle of the street, dark out, acting stupider than you in fact."

"What did you do?" Ed growled through clenched teeth.

"Well…let's just say that's it's so easy to hit a bunch of fool-hardy kids when they're running around in the streets at night."

"Maes!" Winry yelled once she had finally broken out of her shock.

Winry ran the last few feet to the broken sight in front of her. There was blood everywhere and she had no idea whose blood it was. Kneeling down next to Maes, Winry gently moved Riza's collapsed body from off of his chest. She was trying to remember first aid and other medical information that she had learned years ago but…nothing came to mind. Finally Winry moved her hands towards Maes bleeding throat and began to check his pulse with shaking fingers.

Loud, screaming cries of the ambulance someone had the common sense to call got louder and louder as is came closer and closer; it stopped only a few feet away from the group. EMT's quickly jumped from the back of the truck and began to push and shove their way through the group. Two EMT's gripped both Riza and Winry and walked them over a few feet and out of the away.

Winry looked over at the group. Sheska was downright bawling her eyes out, crying hysterically and letting out loud and ugly sobs that probably woke up the occupants of the nearby house. This was understandable; Sheska always seemed rather close to Maes. Riza sat on the curb next to Winry. She looked broken and confused as she stared down at her shaking, blood-

Maes's blood

-covered hands while her eyes poured out tear after tear. Sig was talking to a policeman, looking unusually nervous. Jean lay on his back as two EMT's helped him on a gurney, a neck brace wrapped tightly around his neck. He looked unbelievably pale and scared.

Winry stood there and watched as the two Ambulances loaded their people inside, flicked on their wailing signals, and departed. Tears pored from her own eyes, or at least she had to assume this since her vision was blurring heavily and her cheeks felt moist. But she was numb. Numb to everything except for the horribly faint fluttering of Maes' slowing heart.

Well is he or isn't he? Sorry that I just keep pissing you guys off but...gotta do it; part of the job.

Hope to update again in a week or so but...you never know how busy I'll be in school. I'm so exhausted right now...

Oh, and I'm going to put up another cute fanart pic for this story. I'll put up a link on my account.

Please review!

-FSK