AN: ok not much to say except that I am adding some plot and some more sadness.

Ed woke suddenly, a cold sweet covering his violently shaking body, from his dream. "Brother?" He heard Al's calm voice from across the room. "Brother you ok?"

All Ed could do was shake his head as he grabbed his automail leg bringing his knee up against his cheek. He felt the bed he was sitting on sink as his brother sat beside him; Ed shook his head again when he felt his brothers hand rest on his back. "Brother talk to me, you're shaking."

"I'm fine Al," Ed spoke his voice soft so that he would wake Winry who was asleep on the other bed, he saw that Al didn't believe him so he spoke again. "Really Al, just the same dream that I have been having for years, nothing I'm not used to."

Ed started pushing the blankets off his body, as he did this he could feel his brother's eyes on him and his dream flashes threw his eyes. Those cold dead eyes stare at him, the eyes were supposed to his mother's but turned into a monster that plagued his every dream, instead this time those eyes are accompanied by his brothers voice, "How could you do this to me, brother, how could you lie to me? Do you want to join mom?"

Ed shook his head trying to clear the voice and image out of his head, only then did he relies that his brother was trying to talk to him. "Brother you shouldn't get up," Al had his hand on his shoulders now holding him down against the bed. At the sound of his brother's voice Ed looks up and meets his brothers gaze, Ed eyes were full of fear, Ed shook his head again and stood despite the hand trying to hold him down.

"I'm gonna go get some air," Ed mutters grabbing his jacket absently checking his pocket for his ever present pack of cigarettes.

"You know you don't have to lie anymore and you can ask for a cigarette you know." Al spook and Ed froze dead in his movements, his hand pulled slightly away from his body. "You sure you're ok Ed, you seem distracted by something?" Al asked handing a cigarette to Ed as well as the lighter he will need.

"Stop asking me if I'm ok, I'm fine, ok Al," Ed snapped grabbing the items that Al held out for him, he took a deep breathe closed his eyes only to be greeted by the image of his mother's transmuted body that seemed to imprint itself on the back of his eye lids at the moment.

"Ed! Keep your voice down you don't want to wake Winry," Al said with surprise in his voice, Ed must have a lot on his mind, "Go and calm do then come and talk to me, remember that you only get 2 more today." Al warned as Ed headed out the door.

"Yeah, yeah I know," Ed sighed already dreading the day that is to come. He walked absently up the stairs deciding that he would have the least chance to see anybody and he did not want to talk to anybody.

He reached the 7th floor and looked out over the snow covered land that seemed to change in look every time he chooses to look at it. As he took another draw for his cigarette his mind began to wander back to his early conversation with Al. He never meant to snap at his brother but he voice sounded too much like the dreams that haunted his sleep. He knew he should tell Al about his dreams but he didn't know how to tell him. How could he tell his little brother that he still remembered the horrible face that they had created when they committed the taboo?

"I thought you would be up here." He heard a voice that snapped him out of his thoughts; he turned and saw Winry watching him with calm eyes.

"Hey," Ed muttered turning around so that he was leaning on the railing, watching Winry as she walked over and mimicked his position. "Sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't I was already half awake, and actually it was Al that woke me," Winry answered and laughed at Ed's suppressed face, "When you shut the door Al tried to take a step back and tripped over my tool box. He can be a klutz sometimes but not as much as you."

"Hey, I'm not that bad," Ed grumbled and laughed despite himself and could feel himself relax, he looked over at Winry who was staring off into space. He never thought of her as anything more than a childhood friend but with this situation with Kimblee, he knew that he would kill to keep her out of his troubles.

"You're staring at me, what are you thinking?" Winry asked smiling.

"Nothing, important," Ed said quickly looking away, crushing end of the cigarette under his foot.

"Yeah, then care to tell me about that dream you had?"

Ed stiffened and looked over at Winry, "I don't know what you're talking about." Ed lied hoping that she would leave it at that but knew she wouldn't.

"Ed," he voice dropped into her serous tone leaving no trace of the laugh that had been there before. "I know you had a bad dream and if you won't tell Al about it tell me." When she saw that Ed had shaken his head to telling her that he didn't want to talk about it she pressed on. "This is the very thing we asked you not to hide, I pretty sure that your dream has something to do with your smoking and telling us may help you quit." She was nearly yelling at his stubbornness.

"Winry…" he spoke softly again in tone that only she and Al could bring out of him, his defiance and fire gone from his voice replaced with calm and caring. "I know but," He paused looking over to her. "but I don't know how to tell you."

"Start from the beginning."

"You're not going to give up are you," Ed smirked, "Did Pinako ever tell you what she found in our basement after Al got his metal body?" Ed saw Winry shake her head so he continued. "What we brought back was nothing like are mother, it was, well," Ed hesitated trying to figure out how to describe the creature to Winry. "Well, it looked like a skeleton with black skin and the head turned around so that the neck looked broken." Winry looked shocked with the description. "Well I have a reoccurring nightmare about the moment the thing looking at me, except the thing talks, sometimes about not being able to save her, or like last night Al telling me that I am worthless because I lie to him about something, this time about my smoking," By the end of his description he had tensed.

"Ed," Winry spoke softly putting her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

Ed shrugged her off, "No pity," he tried to snap but couldn't get his voice to fall into the tone he would normally use.

"Ed, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed so hard."

"No, I've wanted to tell someone for a while but the only person who I could was Al and I will not bring that up with him." Ed's Voice dropped into his normal defiant tone.

"Oh Ed, I'm sorry I didn't know you were no a date with your girlfriend." Kimblee spoke coming out of the elevator, "I'd say that I would come back later but I can't, we need you down stairs for a meeting that you have to be in otherwise…" He cut off looking over at Winry his eyes shining with the threat that he had been holding over Ed's head since Winry was brought here.

Ed stepped in front of Winry pushing her back into the railing slightly, "Fine by me but I would like to take Winry back to our room first so she can stay will Al," Ed's voice carried a threat of his own that Kimblee caught with a smile.

"Of course, you shouldn't leave her alone," He turned and hit the button to the elevator to head down to the meeting room. "We meet in an hour."

"That damned bastard," Ed swore grabbing Winry's hand firmly as he steered her to the stairs.

"Ed?" Winry spoke softly trying to keep up with Ed who despite the fact that he was the one who wasn't taking care of himself the way he should, was keeping a fast pace down the stairs.

"Hmm?"

"Can we slow down a little I can't keep up with you when you're mad?" Winry was panting.

"Sorry," Ed muttered slowing his pace enough so that she could keep up with ease.

When they got to the room Ed slammed the door open, startling Al who had been resting against the wall by the bed. "Brother?"

Ed looked back at Winry who was gasping for breath, "Winry, are you ok?"

"Yeah, how are you not panting?"

"I am but I've gotten good at hiding, I've had to, because I choose to hide my smoking." He said in a matter of fact tone of voice. "Either way Al I need you to keep an eye on Winry. I don't want any of Kimblee's men coming to talk to her, not with the bastard's threat."

"You know I will but why?" Al asked looking between the two of them.

"I was called into the meeting room for some form of meeting that I need to attend, though I hope that General Armstrong and Major Miles will be there." Ed answered walking over his suitcase to grab his jacket, he had been walking around without it for the moment because he hadn't grabbed it.

"What do you think it is about?" Al asked.

"I know, but I can't tell you," Ed said putting is jacket on. He put his hands into his pockets fingering his pocket watch bumping into his lighter as well though he handed the lighter to his brother, "Here Al."

"Thanks…" Al hated it when his brother had to keep secretes from him, even though it was his job. "Be careful don't do anything reckless."

"Sure thing," Ed smirked walking out of the room and down the stairs to the meeting room that he knew was about Scar, and how he was thought to be in the area. Ed was scared because last time he had seen Scar was when Winry had pulled a gun on him and nearly shot him. Before Ed knew it he was in front of the meeting room. He took a moment to steady his racing heart and pulled the door open to another boring meeting.