Ed heard people talking around him but couldn't quite make out the words but it sounded like to people where arguing about something, him? "He should have woken up by now, what is the matter with him." Someone spoke but the voice was unfamiliar to him.

"He should have, but he suffered a major blow to his chest." The other person answered, Ed could guess that he was the doctor.

"Well then why hasn't he?" The voice from before yelled.

Ed tried to move his arm but was only met with pain; he could feel his muscles contracted like they did when he was craving nicotine and he wonder how long he had been out. "What-" Ed questioned trying to move again.

"Fullmetal sir you should not be moving," the doctor's voice commanded fallowed by pressure on his shoulder, enough to hold him to the bed.

"Where," Ed managed to say while he opened his eyes taking in the seen around him. He was in the hospital wing that was in the Briggs fort. "Never mind, what happened?"

"You suffered a major wound to your chest and have been out for almost a whole day," The doctor answered.

"Don't worry about your brother, and Winry, we didn't tell them that you were injured, just that you were needed for a meeting." General Armstrong spoke calmly.

"Ok, cool why am I here, and did we get Scar?" Ed asked rubbing his head trying to relieve the headache that had been building. "Damn, I need a cigarette." He muttered.

"Yeah Buccaneer told me about your habit, here you go." General spoke handing him a pack of cigarettes and a lighter; much to the despair of the doctor.

"He can't smoke here."

"Yes he can!" General yelled sitting on the chair across the room. "Dismissed!" She ordered.

Ed light the cigarette and took a long draw, feeling the chemicals calm his nerves, how was he supposed to quite when he couldn't go a day without even being unconscious.

"Edward," General Armstrong spoke watching Ed with mild entertainment. "What happened out there? The wounds you sustained where not made by a human, and my soldiers reported that there were human like things."

"Chimeras," Ed muttered taking another long draw from his cigarette, "Animals mixed with humans threw alchemic means." Ed stopped looking at her threw his bangs. "It takes a powerful alchemist to create them, the only other time I dealt with them was when I was with Tucker, and that didn't end well." Ed shook his head snuffing out the cigarette butt; then swung his feet to the side of the bed trying to get up.

"Edward, you shouldn't stand." Armstrong spoke standing herself as if to push him back to the bed.

"General no offence meant but I really need to get back to Al and Winry they will be worried." Ed stood but was overcome by a wave of dizziness. "Whoa, maybe I should sit for a while." Ed held his head sitting on the edge of the bed absently reaching for the pack that sat beside him pulling out a cigarette.

"Edward, I thought you were trying to quite." General smiled when Ed lit the end despite her protest. "and don't worry about them I personally told them that we were in a meeting and you would be out of reach for a few days, so they shouldn't come looking for you for another day or so at least. That should be enough time for you to heal and get you dizzy spells under control, you did lose a lot of blood, and meetings you should be in, did you find Scar?"

"No I didn't, I would have thought Kimblee would have told you that." Ed muttered adding absently, "I am trying to quit, but I haven't had one in a day so I am shaky."

"Kimblee is missing and so are his men. I thought that those things where working with him but it didn't look like a human had come through, at least not fully human anyway, so I don't think that Scar was there at all," General Armstrong her face stern. "So this whole mission was a failure."

"Scar wasn't there, he wouldn't enter a town without knowing if there would be no absolutely no military presents what so ever and you weren't really hiding that you were there." Ed ignored the Generals protest and continued, "You wanted me there because I had fought him, and knew his movements but you still did not listen when I told you he would not be there. We are looking for a secluded place and not so full of building." Ed was shouting by the end his rant.

"Ok I understand Edward, but we thought."

"No you didn't think, you didn't take into account what you asked me, Scar is not going to be walking through an abandoned city if it didn't have anything that he needed, and an old mining town would have nothing somebody who is looking for state alchemist or anything to do with alchemy is looking for," Ed was ranting again and could feel his temper getting the better of him. "And don't try this I didn't warn you enough because I did, and you unwillingness to listen to me almost coasted me my life."

"I understand Edward and I am sorry." Ed was taken aback by the Generals word and sat there stunted for a few moments and Armstrong continued. "We will take your account into consideration and try and find another place to look for him, but without Kimblee I am inclined to forget that for a moment and get back to fortifying my fort. Feel free to talk to your bother and friend when you feel up to." General got up to leave while Ed put out the cigarette that he had lit before. "And don't finish the whole pack please; you need to be in to fighting shape for us when and if we find this scar fellow. Oh and before I go, you are to carry a gun with you at all times, we have reason to believe that Kimblee had something to do with your attackers and we would like you to remain safe." Armstrong added as an afterthought and closed the door behind her.

Ed sat there for a moment thinking about what had happened, trying to recall the fight but couldn't seem to recall anything. So instead he got up and paced around the room looking out the window, only to find that it was dark. He absently wonders where Kimblee and his men could have run off to, and if they knew that Scar would not be there. The pain in his chest reminded him that he shouldn't be walking around but couldn't bring himself to sit still. Ed looked around trying to find the equipment that he had when he was fighting, came up empty except for a gun that was placed by his bed; he picked it up and felt the cold metal in his hand that seemed to snap his mind back into focus better than anything else could. He put the gun in the holster he found beside it and hooked it on the belt of his pants. Heading to the door, grabbing the pack and lighters as he went deciding to go and find his brother and Winry.

As Ed walked he found himself lost not used to exiting from the hospital wing, Ed paused and found the stair case looking at the floor number he realized that he was on the 4th floor and the barracks where on the ground floor. He entered the stair case and headed down, beginning to pant after descending only a flight. "Damn the wounds are worse than I thought." Ed mutters continuing down the steps till he reached the bottom floor, sitting down to catch his breathe. Wondering what he should do about the situation at hand. Ed didn't know but something in his gut told him to get Al and Winry out and back to some place where he could control what was going to happen next, and the only place he could think of was back in Resembool.

When he had caught his breathe he left the staircase and headed to his room with his brother, when he got the door he overheard them speaking. "Ed has been in that meeting awhile I hope he hasn't lost his temper and gotten himself into trouble again." Al was talking but his voice sounded close to the door, probably sitting beside it in order to stop somebody from getting in who was uninvited.

"Our Ed, yeah he is probably in some form of trouble, I just wish that he could come and talk to us, at least to let us know he was ok." Winry's voice came from farther away from the door, more than likely on her bed resting against the wall.

Ed smiled to himself putting his hand on the door and pushed it open, only to be greeted by Al's fist a centimeter from his face. "Brother!" Al yelled pulling his arm back.

"Yes, it's me now please tell me you didn't attack everybody who walks through the door, because that would be bad." Ed laughed with a smile on his face. "Good to see you to Al."

Al grabbed Ed into a hug and laughed with him, only to hear Ed grunt in pain. "You ok brother?"

"Yeah, got a nasty hit sparing earlier today, what have you been up to?"

"Nothing how is your arm?" Winry asks getting up and grabbing him into hug.

"Yeah, my arm is ok, my leg to," Ed held her for a moment, when Winry pulled back and smacked him. "Hey what was that for!"

"What happened to you Ed, your stiff and you smell like smoke!" Winry was hurt and Ed could tell that she didn't like being lied to.

"I'm stiff from a spar like I had said and yes I should hope I smell like smoke because I do smoke." Ed snapped angrily, then paused seeing the hurt in her eyes. "I'm sorry, it's just," Ed stopped again thinking back to everything that happened. There was no way that he could get them to leave without telling them what had happened, but he didn't want to. "We have to get out of here, umm… I want to get you back to Resembool Winry; I think that you should tell granny that you are ok." Ed lied quickly grabbing his bag to get it ready, passing Winry's bag over to her.

"Ed, I could just call her, and that is not the full story and I know it." Winry snapped looking over to Al for help, "Al come on help me."

"Did something happen Ed?" that was all Al said his voice filled with worry. Al could see that Ed was scared but he didn't want to tell them what he was scared about. "You need to tell us. You can tell us."

"Al, I-" Ed started, looking over at his little brother, he could almost see the tears that would have been on his brothers face. "I know I can talk to you, but I don't know. Al, Winry, can we just leave, I need you guys safe."

Winry and Al both froze not sure what to say anymore, Ed was never this way. "Ok Ed, we'll go." Winry voice was soft pulling both the boys out of their thoughts. She could see something was bothering him, she looked at him trying to figure out what was worrying him and that's when she noticed that he had a gun holster. After going to such lengths to hide that he could shoot, something must have happened and very serious for him to be this scared.

"Can we get going I want to leave as soon as we can, there is a train leaving tonight and I would like to be on it." Ed was back to packing not looking at his two companions. "I'm sorry, I just…"

"We understand brother," Al spoke walking over to Winry to help her buckle her tool box.

They were all packed when somebody knocked on the door. Ed stiffened and looked over to the door and went to answer the door to Falman, "Hey Falman, did you need something?" Ed asked moving to block the door from his view.

"You are needed in the meeting room," Falman spook looking over his head at the bags on the bed. "You going somewhere sir?"

"Yeah, I need to go home and I would like to talk to granny, also there is something that might help me with my mission back there." Ed spoke matter of factly and stepped out into the hall. "Can you guys be ready tonight?"

"Yeah, Ed be careful." Winry was quiet and went back to pack her bags.

Ed waved back at her closing the door and fallowing Falman. Greet now how am I supposed to tell Armstrong that I am leaving. Before Ed could think about what to say he was standing in front of the door. When the door was opened there was nobody there but General Armstrong. "I thought this was a meeting?"

"It is, for the 2 of us, thank you Falman." Armstrong wasn't mad but there was something on her mind that needed to be said. She motioned for Ed to sit down, and Ed did so nervously looking around the blank room. "Fullmetal, we have reason to believe that Scar is hiding in an old abandoned house in the mountains. With this information I would like to send you and a couple others out to check the place out." General Armstrong spoke.

"General with all due respect I would like to take a leave and head back to Resembool with Al and Winry and get them someplace safe. Then I could come back and help up here, but I also need to get back to Colonel Mustang." Ed was nervous as he spoke hoping not to release the wrath of the women in front of him. He could almost laugh, the only other women to scare him so much was his teacher.

"That is fine. I almost expected you to ask something like that. Don't worry about the search and as you know, we already know all that you could tell us, I was just hoping to have your fight on my team." Armstrong looked over to a jittery Ed and smiled. "You know, you don't look like much at all."

"Yeah, I guess I just expected a different response to my question." Ed smirked, trying to settle his nervous, this time without having to use a cigarette, but his hand moved absently to his pocket that held the pack he was giving earlier. I could have one, but that would be my 3 a day limit, though it's not like Winry would now anyway. No he could think like that, somehow Winry would find out, and he was Sirius about quieting. Damn it why are these things so addictive, he yelled at himself.

"Just have one, you look like a nervous wreck, and it's not like you can keep your wits about you the way you are now. Your brother and friend will need you at the top of your game." General reasoned, with a wave of her hand, "Get going, the train leaves in about two hours and it will be an hour long trip to the city alone."

"You know, most people would be yelling about me being too young to smoke, but you," Ed smirks lighting one as he spoke. "You encourage it."

"Not encourage Ed, but I can't see the point it trying to stop you, when it is your decision, we bout know your to stubborn to be told what to do. Now get going!" She ordered with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Ed smiles as he got up and left the meeting room walking slowly to his room, he stopped at the door and took a long draw from the cigarette in his hands and snuffed it out, placing it back in the pack. Closing his eyes he opened the door again to be greeted by Al's fist, only this time it connected and Ed hit the wall with a loud thud. He heard Al yell dimly threw the pain that radiates threw his chest. His hands absently moved to his chest and gripped his cloths; as he tried to control his breathing and bring it back to a normal calm pace. He felt someone come over and touch his shoulder. Without thinning he leaned into the hand hoping to draw some comfort from its warmth.

"Ed what happened to you?" Winry asked surprised that Ed was acting so childish, normally he would be yelling at her for touching him. "You're shaking."

"Brother?" Al couldn't believe that he could hit Ed that hard.

"I'm fine," Ed panted trying to stand. "We have an hour to get to the train, let's move now!" Ed snapped the pain only reminding him of the treat that loomed over all their heads. "I promise to tell you everything when we get on the train and away from here." When he got to his feet he swayed before he was able to catch his balance.

"Ed you can barely stand let alone walk, we can wait a little longer." Winry tried to reason; helping him to his bed so he could sit.

"No!" Ed yelled slamming his hand into the bed. "I'm ok, it's only temporary, I'm fine. Please, let's just go." Tear dotted in his eyes.

"Brother, ok." Al muttered grabbing there bags. "We can go."

AN: Sorry it took so long to get this out; I kinda got hit with writers block. But here it is.

Enjoy!