Wow, I am sorry for the small wait. This is a long chapter to make up for this. Wow, the ever looming presence of sex. But I think both Taylor and Kenzi are falling in love. But that's just me. I kinda wanna hear who you guys think it is that is after Lockert blood. REVIEW PLEASE! Enjoy Kenzi's point of view as they trek through the snow and cold!

Songs I've listened to/thought of: "My First Kiss" by 3Oh!3 featuring Ke$ha (I don't know, Kenzi does think about what happened between them in the hotel. So I figured this fit...even though she's been kissed before.)

"When You're Gone" by Avril Lavigne (Just because Kenzi talked to Taylor)

"Brothers" by Vic Mignogna (For when Ed gets to Briggs and is called short. It just reminded me of Brotherhood.)

"Over and Over" by Nelly and Tim McGraw (The chorus mainly is the reason why I say this one. It just fit.)

I kept my eyes on the sky as we trekked, looking for any sign of some spontaneous blizzard that would force Ed and I to get some shelter. When I didn't have my eyes on the northern sky, I looked to my feet as we walked. Ed was in front of me, making a path with the knowledge that the wind would cover our tracks behind us.

Being like this made me think. It made me think about last night, as regrettable as it was when it ended. I've never felt so alive as I did in that hotel room as his touch ghosted and trailed on my skin, letting it linger. The taste of him still on my lips. His hands lightly feeling my skin. Everything from his touch to the way those ember-like eyes looking to me sent electricity through my system.

"Just a few more miles and Briggs soldiers should see us," Ed said, breaking into my day dream.

"Miles?" I looked to him, displeased. "How long have we been walking?"

"Miles," Ed responded.

We hadn't talked much since last night. I didn't care, but I had a feeling he was rethinking about his actions last night. Hell, I was replaying it over and over in my head, slowly coming to the realization that it was turning me on.

I groaned with response to Ed, now wishing there was a blizzard coming. I wanted to be close to him like we were on the train and how I woke up. I loved being huddled close to him, sharing the body heat that he gave off. Considering what Taylor's been telling me, I couldn't go much further than that without going against her wishes.

After a few more miles, Ed stopped. Since I wasn't paying much attention anyway, I ran into him. He looked back to me and smiled before he looked back straight ahead.

"There's Fort Briggs," he said with a hint of happiness in his voice. "We made it faster than I thought."

"Faster?"

"Yeah, usually there is some freak blizzard or something that makes you stay a little longer in the snow before you reach it."

I looked toward the intimidating fort, suddenly glad the Ice Queen was there. She was merciless when it came to near about everything. No wonder Taylor had gone to her when she needed extra training.

The fort looked like a castle among a vast world of white and desolate wasteland. It made me wonder how Dracma could even plan to attack with something like that fort standing there with General Armstrong at command. I often heard that there was the rest of the world and then there was Fort Briggs world. The tall, large brick wall was armed to the teeth, ready to strike when intruders came. The large doors made it seem like it was bigger than it already was. I looked to Ed, who seemed to be off in some memory or day dream.

"Come on, we better get going before soliders try to kill us or there some freak blizzard. Both could happen at any time."

"Are you fucking crazy?"

"No, but Armstrong is."

I blinked a little at how fast Ed had said that. He turned around to me, those inticing ember eyes staring back to me. I was getting lost in them with memories of the night before replaying in my head.

Before anything happened between us, Ed turned around. "Let's go," he said, his voice with a hint of disappointment. "The snowfall's gotten thicker."

I looked up to the grey sky as he mentioned the snow. The snowflakes had gotten thicker just in the time we'd been standing there. I looked around as Ed took a few steps toward the Fort. Over toward the east, I saw what looked like an abandoned mine entrance. It looked like it had seen better days; not to mention it was at least a few miles away. I looked to Ed, wondering if he's been over toward there before.

"Ed, is that a mine shaft over there?"

Ed stopped and turned to me as I nodded my head toward where I was talking about.

"Yeah."

"Why would a town be that close to Briggs?"

"The town is miles and miles from that opening when the mine shaft ran. It's still like this on the other side, so don't even think about going near there."

I felt my muscles twitch a little when he said that. "How would you know?"

He sighed. "I just do. That mine has been abandoned for a very long time."

I dropped it, feeling the aura that he didn't want to talk about it. I was more than positive it was one of the mineshafts that he got that scar in. It started to become more apparent as he talked about it. I even saw his hand start to twitch to hold his side where his scar was. I tried not to focus on it as we got closer and closer to the entrance of Fort Briggs.

"Come on, Kenzi, you're dragging behind."

I'd been dragging behind for the last mile and a half. My legs felt like rubber, I was exhausted from walking all day with hardly a rest, and now, a nap in the snow sounded like the perfect thing at the moment.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," I said as I stepped in his shoe prints to somehow keep up.

Just as we'd gotten closer, enough to see the rigid details of the fort. Dry, cracked wood gated the entrance into the fort while rigid, deep gray bricks sealed what was inside from intruders of every kind. The towers, where soldiers were put on twenty-four hour watch created a night in the middle of the day. At the same time, as Ed and I saw the massive fort, we heard yelling and then a few shots fired. I hit the ground immediately, scared as all hell I was going to be shot by a crazed woman and her army for the Amestrian military.

I looked toward Ed, who stood up from the snow to yell. "Hey! General Armstrong! It's Colonel Elric! Please stop shooting me, I actually have orders to stay alive!"

After another shot, Ed and I were pretty sure it was toward him, there was silence for a moment.

"How do I know if you are Edward Elric?" a woman called back. That was Armstrong. I knew it. Never met the woman, but her voice was definitely authoritarian.

"Because the first time I was here, my automail froze up and Sloth had come to Briggs during my stay!"

"Anyone could have done that!"

Ed growled. "My brother was in armor until the day of the Promised Day! His name is Alphonse if you wanted more proof."

"Then you're a soldier dressed like Elric. He's not that tall."

And there goes the ticking time bomb, I thought as Ed tensed up. I had heard about stories of when Ed loses his temper over his height from Taylor. Now I get to find out if they were true.

"WHO YOU CALLING SO SHORT YOU CAN'T SEE IN THE SNOW? I GREW YOU KNOW!"

I heard laughter roar from the fort and it caused me to giggle a little. "Yeah, that's you alright, Elric. Get in here before the girl you're with gets frost bite."

"You're not worried about me?'

"No."

Ed growled and glared as he helped me out of the snow and the large doors opened, which looked like they hadn't been in years. Ed wrapped an arm around me as we walked in. The heat from inside the fort overwhelmed us. General Amrstrong met us near the entrance. Her sword was clasped to her side and she looked so authoritarian standing like that.

"Well, well, well, look what the snow blew in." She shook her head as she looked toward Ed. "I thought I'd never see you around here again, Edward. What kind of trouble did you bring me? More homunculi?"

Ed chuckled nervously. "No, just a girl."

Ed nodded his head toward me, making General Armstrong follow it. She scanned me over as I trembled from being so cold. She stood straighter as she looked to me.

"General Locker's daughter," she shook her head. I wondered what she was going to do to me. "What has your father done this time for you to go into hiding her in Briggs?" Ed and I gave her the same confused looks. She knew without Ed giving her the code. She laughed. "I am not stupid not to know why you're here. Come to my office and we'll discuss this before I have a doctor check the two of you out." She turned to a man with white hair and Ishvalan eyes. "Miles, see to it that the men get back to work and the doctor is ready for them. We can't have a General's daughter dying or getting sick from being out in that cold."

The large man didn't hesitate. "Yes, ma'am," he said before he turned to the men wondering why Ed and I were here. "You heard the General, men! Back to work!"

Just like that, the men dispersed, leaving the two of us with General Armstrong.

She looked at me again as I shivered violently, begging for warmth. "Come on, let's get you two to my office."

She turned around and walked away. Ed and I gave reassuring looks to each other before we followed her. She was silent, inspecting the walls and soldiers of Briggs. When we'd reached her office, she unlocked it and walked in, letting us in before she shut the door. She sighed, placing her sword against the desk, at the ready.

"Tell me, what has Devon Lockert done this time to deserve to have his daughter in hiding?"

I looked to Ed, having no idea how to speak to this woman. She wasn't like Taylor where I could just come right out and say it. This woman was far more intimidating than Taylor was on a good day.

Ed sighed a little. "There is an assassin out there. They'd already shot Tay-I mean, Brigadier General Mera. General Mera sent me with her cousin to come here until they find the assassin."

Armstrong nodded. "I see." She turned to me. "What is your name?"

"McKenzi Lockert, ma'am," I said as evenly as I could through chattering teeth.

She smiled at my failure of an attempt. "Well, Miss Lockert, seems like you're stuck here until I receive word from Taylor." I gave her a questioned look. "Let me at least call her and let her know you've made it here in one piece and alive."

I was beginning to contemplate the alive part. With how I was shivering, alive was going to be stretched a little. Armstrong picked up the phone, said a few codes and was silent for a moment before she spoke.

"Mustang, this is Armstrong. Put Taylor on the phone. No, you bumbling idiot, I am calling because of important business." Ed and I exchanged looks. If Armstrong had the alchemy ability like her brother, there was no doubt she would have found a way to kill Roy. "Mustang, I swear, if you don't put Mera on the phone, I will personally leave Briggs to show you what I can do about your problem with orders." After a small chuckle, she waited for a moment. "Taylor, you sound so gloomy. Yeah, well, stop, there are worse people off than you. Besides, the object of your depression is sitting in my office shivering like a..." there was a pause. Taylor was speaking, I felt my heart pound a little. "I understand. I can allow you to talk to her. It's certainally no problem. Bringing in Devon's family is a new low, even for assassins, I'll be more than happy to hide her for the time being."

Armstrong soon handed me the phone, letting me reach to talk. I gave her a thankful smile. "Kenzi?" I heard the voice on the other line ask.

I smiled, trying to keep the shivering to a minimum. "Yeah, I'm h-here, T-Taylor."

"Still not friends with the cold?"

"H-Hell no," I said as I trembled as my muscles twitched.

"I'll have Armstrong get a doctor to check you out. Maybe you need extra layers or something."

I nodded. "Maybe."

Her voice seemed softer, a little lighter as I talked to her. When I handed the phone back to Armstrong with a "Thank you, ma'am," she took the phone back and began talking to Taylor once more.

"I understand your worry about her, Taylor," Armstrong said. If Ed's jaw wasn't attatched, it would have hit the floor. Armstrong sounded caring. "Don't worry, I already am. Of course, I will." There was another pause. "Oh, Taylor, do me a favor. Please cut off Roy's manhood. He doesn't need it. He probably already has little Mustang's running around." Ed and I got wide-eyed and nearly choked on the air we were breathing. "And stay away from him. No screwing him like a little bunny, no matter how good the sex or anything."

There, Taylor, how do you like it when someone tells you to stay away from someone like that?