Ed and his companions all jump when the voice yelled behind them, the voice could only belong to one person and that was granny. Well I guess that I don't have to wait to figure out what she is gonna say about my smoking, Ed thought as he striated up as well as he could without hurting himself more then he already was.

"Hey Granny," Al spoke happily when he saw the hunched over old lady.

"Don't 'Hey Granny' me," she answered with a sharp tone in her voice, "I ask you a question Edward, what do you think you are doing?" Ed looked over to her, and smiled despite the situation, he remembered when he stood eye to eye with her, now she barely stood to his chest. "What are you smiling at boy?"

"Don't call me boy," Ed snapped habitually and quickly regretting it, "I'm sorry." Was all he could think of to say, knowing it wouldn't cover anything but not knowing what to say otherwise. Ed absently took a draw for the cigarette and looked over to the herds of sheep beside them, trying to avoid getting smoke on them.

"When did you start that nasty habit?" Granny asked watching the young man struggle to figure out what to say to her previous question.

"About 4 years," Ed answered feeling he should elaborate he added, "I started soon after taking my state alchemist exam. I took on of my collogues and tried it. I can't really explain it in any other way but I was curious about what they were and how they worked, I got hooked and haven't been able to stop." He snuffed the butt out with his automail hand and put it in the trash bin beside them, then turned to walk to the house.

"Why didn't you stop after the first one? What made you keep trying them?" Granny drilled as she ran to catch up to Ed, Winry and Al fallowing silently behind them.

"Too much stress, I couldn't bring myself to talk to Al, so I held it in." Ed sighed slowing his pace so that she could walk beside him without needed to run. "Smoking helped me calm down. It still does as a matter of fact, though Winry and Al are trying to help me quite."

"You idiot," Granny smiles up to him, "Why are you here anyway."

"That is a long complicated story, that I'm not even sure where to begin telling you." Ed started looking back to make sure Al and Winry were behind them, "There was trouble brewing where we were and I couldn't risk them getting hurt." Ed pointed to his companions, "I wanted to get them someplace safe so they would be out of the cross fire."

"And why here, wouldn't central be a safer place?" Granny asked not quite understanding his thought process, central was the military capital, they would be safer there then anywhere else.

Ed shook his head, "To big of a city, and there is no escape routes if they had to get out fast, out here everybody knows everyone so a stranger would not go unnoticed and the forest is a good escape route." Ed explained knowing he sounded more like a military man in that moment than the boy she knew. They all fell silent and they were almost to the house when Ed remembered to ask, "Can I use your phone?"

"Of course you can," Granny answered turning around to the kids fallowing behind them, "How are the two of you?"

"I'm good, feels nice to be back again." Al said the smile in his voice. "How about you."

"I'm good, still kickin'." She laughed.

"You haven't been too lonely without me?" Winry asks almost shyly.

"No, I miss ya around the house but that is neither here nor there."

Winry could only smile back at her grandmother as she watched Ed walk ahead of them, by the way his shoulders are set he must have been thinking about something.

Ed was only half listening to the others behind him as he scanned the area around them, waiting for something to jump out and attack him, Gah why am I so paranoid, this is a safe place, I don't need to worried about an attack, he yelled at himself with a shake of his head and entered the house, heading straight to the phone.

Ed had dialed Mustangs number and was waiting for him to pick up when the other s entered the house, Ed smiled over to them just as Mustang's voice rang in his ear, "Mustang here." He sounded tired and that thought alone made Ed think about not telling him what he was planning.

"Hey Mustang," Ed spoke softly with a hint of mockery in his voice, earning a huff from his younger and a confused look from granny.

"Fullmetal?" Mustang asked placing the voice, "What are you doing calling from a nonmilitary line, I thought you were in Brigg?"

"Well that is a long story I hope you have a couple minutes." Ed let the mockery fall from his voice as he told Mustang about what had happened, leaving out is smoking habbit, if he was going to tell Mustang it would be in person, he deserved that after all he had on for Ed and his brother. When he was done the line had gone quite as well as Al and the others who had been listening to him speak, though this was only new to granny.

"Seems like you got yourself it a tight spot," Mustang mused and Ed could hear papers shuffling in the back round. "When can you be here?"

"Give me about a week, the Briggs doctors aren't too happy about me being up and walking around while I should be resting, also I have been having trouble keeping my balance lately I'm still a little light headed." Ed answered his voice losing the edge it had when he was explaining everything.

"Ok then," Mustang sighed, "Rest up and be here in a week." He ordered quickly adding, "Do you still have the pistil we gave you?"

"Yes sir."

"Good be on guard," Mustang said hanging up the phone.

"Sir?" Al laughed at Ed as he just scowled.

"Yeah, well, I just don't want to start any fight, not right now." Ed was rubbing the back of his hand, and then added to granny, "I guess you heard everything?"

"Yeah, I heard, did you want me to take a look at your cut," She asked moving over the boy placing a hand over his chest feeling the bandages that were hidden under his cloths. "Well wither you want me to or not I'm going to, take your shirt off."

Ed just smiled at the older women standing in front of him and did as he was told removing his jacket and shirt. He moved to sit down so that she could get a better look at him. While she looked him over he let his mind wonder, why would Kimblee what me dead, I haven't made him my enemy, the only people who are after me is the homunculi and Scar. Scar is hated by anybody in the military Kimblee most of all because he is an Ishvalen. The only ones the homunculus, but that could mean that they are working with the military, but he know that Mustang had no idea about any of that. "Edward!"

"Huh?" Ed muttered jumping as granny applied some hydrogen peroxide on his cut. "What was that for?!"

"I told you I was going to do that," Granny spoke, looking over at the distracted Ed. "What is on your mind?"

"Nothing," He muttered not bothering to explain further.

"Ed this is what we mean by holding everything in, talk to us brother." Al spoke worried about his brother closing himself again.

Ed doesn't say anything else but looks of into the distance, thinking again about the problem at hand. Who did he know that showed up everywhere, when he foght against the homunculi Greed King Bradly showed up to take care of everything, Could he be working with them to? No that could be possible, could it?

"Ed!" Winry yelled snapping him out of his trance, "You ok?"

"Yeah," Ed answered looking over to granny, "Are you done?"

"Yeah, but I think you should rest a little," She spoke straitening up, "I'm gonna make stew, you staying here."

"Stew!" Ed brightened up slightly. "Of course I'll stay."

AN: I got on a writing kick so here's the next chapter, thanks for the reviews.

I hope you enjoy!