Warning: if you are triggered when reading material that contains mild sexual assault, you might want to skip the portion marked with an asterisk. It's not explicit, but it may upset some readers that are uncomfortable with situations such as the one described later in this chapter. I will brief you at the beginning of the next chapter. The end of the situation will also be marked with an asterisk. (*)

Vanessa and Ed watched the doorway for a while until they were sure that Mustang was gone before they stirred again. Vanessa's wrists were starting to ache from being pinned to the wall. She seethed through her teeth quietly, finally breaking the silence.

"Here, let me get that! Sorry." Ed moved to Vanessa quickly and placed his hands on her wooden restraints. Blue sparks snapped around her head as she was released. She lowered her hands and rubbed them, keeping her head down. Ed watched her carefully as she moved to sit on her mother's bed. She plopped down, fixing her gaze to the photo on the dresser again, refusing to make eye contact with him.

"Look, I'm sorry that I yelled at you, I just saw your books and assumed the worst." Ed admitted remorsefully. She dropped her head and let out a heavy sigh. "Its fine. It's no less than I deserve." She chuckled to herself before continuing. "There's nothing anyone could do to make me feel worse than I've already made myself feel. But Mustang..." Her words trailed as she slowly moved her eyes to the door. "He doesn't deserve this." Her fingers traced the textured lines of the ink stained on the back of her hands. Ed noticed the bruise beginning to show on her wrist. He winced slightly remembering how he grabbed her with his metal hand.

He figured there was no point to apologize to her again, he knew she would just say she deserved it. Instead he moved to the bed and sat next to her. His hands dropped between his legs, and they both stared at the floor for a moment before she spoke again. "You know, my mom would kill me if she found out I had a boy in here." She laughed as Ed's face began to turn beet red, his eyes widening.

"W-why would you say something like that!?" He asked her frantically. She continued giggling for a moment before responding. "To lighten the mood, silly." She smiled at him. His gave her a dumbfounded look, still confused at her dark humor, as he watched her fall backwards onto the mattress.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She smiled to herself, she felt like she could breathe again now that her secret had been discovered after so long. Like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She could feel Ed still watching her lay there, and it was starting to bug her. She leaned up quickly and grabbed his arm, pulling him down next to her. "H-hey! What are you-" He stammered, falling back and propping himself up on his elbows.

She opened her eyes just to roll them at him. "Oh will you just shut up and relax?" She giggled at his nervousness. He stared at her for a moment before finally letting out a breath and reluctantly laying next to her. They both laid their hands across their stomachs and stared at the ceiling fan above them. They shared a silence for a while before Ed finally spoke, an annoyed tone to his voice.

"Shouldn't we get going soon..? I don't think the Coronel wants us to stick around too long." He waited for a response from her, but she was quiet. He moved his head over to look at her, just to discover she was sleeping.

Instantly his expression dropped. He groaned loudly and slid a hand down his face. He glanced over at her between his fingers to see if she had awoken from the noise, but she hadn't moved. He sighed, and laid next to her for awhile thinking about what to do next. Ed continued to stare at the ceiling fan, feeling his own eyes began to droop. He knew she was tired and didn't want to wake her up, but Mustang was expecting them back soon. Eventually after trying to make up his mind, he closed his eyes and fell asleep next to her.

Ed woke up suddenly, the subconscious thought of his responsibilities looming over his mind. He jumped up quickly when he realized he was alone in the bed, and the room was empty. He hopped up on his feet and sprinted out of her mother's room and down the hallway, back to Vanessa's room. He skidded to a stop in the doorway, grasping the frame to prevent from falling over. He let out an audible sigh of relief when he was greeted with the sight of her sitting on her floor.

She had clothes and books scattered around her, along with some small boxes. Her lamp was now back to its original spot on the nightstand, illuminating the entire room, with its soft, golden glow. She held some folded clothes in her hands, and was reaching over to set them in the suitcase when he appeared suddenly. She gave him a quizzical look for a moment before her mouth turned into a smirk.

"You thought I took off didn't cha'?" She dropped the clothes in the suitcase and crossed her arms. "You were asleep for quite a while; that's not very responsible Edward." She grinned at him. "I could have been almost to Xing by now!" She joked. Ed bowed his head and crossed his arms. "I bet you wouldn't even of made it halfway across the desert!" He laughed. He stepped over to where she was sitting, and put his hands on his hips. He looked down at her, stern now.

"We've wasted enough time already, Mustang's probably pissed by now, so we'd better get going." She huffed at him, her arms still crossed. "Well I'm not done packing." He seethed in annoyance at her. "Whaddya' mean you're not done?! We should have been long gone by now!" He shouted. Vanessa, unaffected by Ed's shouting, shrugged again. "Well, I'm not done. And you're the one to talk, you slept longer than I did." Ed rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily, defeated. "What time is it anyway?" Vanessa sat up and crawled over to her nightstand and pulled a drawer open. She reached in blindly and felt around until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out her alarm clock, it had been hastily thrown in her drawer to silence the alarm at some point. She flipped it over in her hand so it was facing her. "It's 1:13 in the morning." She informed him flatly. Ed gasped, making her glance up at him.

"What?! Are you serious, it's that late already?!" He shouted frantically. He dropped down and started grabbing her clothes and belongings in fistfulls, throwing them carelessly into her suitcase. "H-hey, cut it out!" She stammered. She clasped her hands around his wrists to stop him. "Just relax okay?" He locked eyes with her. "Go call Mustang and tell him you let me sleep or something! Tell him we are on our way- actually, ask him to send someone for us, I really don't want to have to walk all the way back, my leg is still killing me from earlier!" She let go of his hands as he stood up again. "Fiiiine." He whined. He really didn't want to call Mustang but it would probably be better than waiting until they got there to explain themselves.

Vanessa watched as Ed left the room, and listened, as he drug his feet reluctantly behind him until she heard him decend the stairs. She looked down at her suitcase; now a disheveled mess, and sighed to herself. She stuffed the loose pieces of clothing inside and closed it. I guess this will have to do. If I stall any longer, Mustang might kill us both.

She stood up and walked to her closet. She pulled her black leather jacket off of the hanger and put it on, before turning off the light and heading out the door.

As she approached the stairs, she could hear Ed's voice echoing from the kitchen. She stopped to listen, but as soon as she did, his conversation was over. She frowned slightly when she heard him hang up the receiver, and made her way down the stairs, carrying her suitcase with her. She gripped the railing and squeezed when she felt her leg beginning to throb. Ed soon met her in the middle of the stairwell when he saw her wincing in pain. She hadn't even noticed him approach her. "Here, let me get that." He said smoothly. She didn't respond to him, but nodded as he took it from her grasp. What a gentleman. She thought sarcastically. She frowned at herself immediately. Why am I so mean? He's just being nice. The devil and angel continued bickering in her head as she followed him down the stairs.

They were back in the kitchen before Ed spoke again. "Well, the Coronel was sleeping when I called him. He can't call a car for us right now because they are all still looking for Scar and there isn't any free cars available." Vanessa groaned at his words. "Better get going then..." She mumbled disappointingly. Ed led the way over to the door and opened it for her. She walked silently over to him, reaching her hand mindlessly over to the now-fixed light switch, and clicked it off before stepping out the door.

Ed walked behind Vanessa as they traveled back to East Command. He kept one hand in his pocket, the other holding her suitcase that he had swung casually over his shoulder. She could feel him watching her again, and she was starting get annoyed. She slowed down until she was walking next to him.

"Something bothering you?" He asked. "No." She simply replied, even though he knew different. He shrugged it off and glanced at her leg. "How's your leg doing?" He asked cautiously, knowing she would go on the defensive. "It's fine." She said flatly. "I can see that it's not, your limps getting worse. If you want to take a break then just say so." He argued. She huffed at his words. "I said I'm fine. Let keep going." She grumbled. Between her leg, the cold, and being tired, she was beginning to feel crabby. She just wanted to make it back, and go to sleep.

They walked for awhile longer before Ed suddenly jogged ahead of her. "Hey, check it out!" She stopped, confused and watched him run up to a building with an "open" sign posted out front. It looked kind of sketchy, but Ed didn't seem fazed by it. A bar of some kind, the only place around that was open at this time. She could smell the scent of greasy fried food and hamburgers, making her stomach growl. "You coming?" Ed caught her attention again when he called out to her. "Shouldn't we keep going? We are already super late." She stated. He shrugged at her. "So what? Since we're already late, might as well right? Besides, I already talked to Mustang so he knows we're coming." She stood defiantly with her arms crossed. "C'mon!" He laughed as he approached her and grabbed her hand, dragging her inside. She felt a smile creep across her face at his child-like demeanor.

It was pretty dark inside the bar, and smokey. Ed led her through the loud crowd, some turning their heads at the young teens in the bar at this time of night. There was plenty of laughter and hollering surrounding them, and Vanessa could feel her head began to throb. The intense scent of alcohol wasn't helping either. This is the last place she wanted to be, but she was hungry. Ed pulled her all the way up to the bar and signaled her to sit down. She grabbed a bar stool and sat down carefully, glancing around cautiously as she did so. Ed carelessly plopped down on the stool next to her and signaled the bartender. A large, masculine, uh, woman? (Vanessa couldn't figure out which) waltz over to them, raising an eyebrow.

"Isn't it past curfew? The hell you kids doin' in my bar?" She asked, cigarette held between her teeth. She had a rough voice, probably a result from years of smoking. Edward reached into his pocket, hand brushing Vanessa's thigh as he did so. She felt heat sweep across her face, but tried to ignore it. He pulled out his pocket watch and showed it to the bartender. She quickly snatched it out of his hand and carefully looked it over. She exchanged glances between him and the watch, before shrugging and tossing it back.

"So you want food? Cuz' I can't sell liquor to minors. Dog of the military or not." She leaned forward and rested her elbow on the counter. "Ya know, unless your coin tells me otherwise?" Ed just grinned at her and waved his hand. "We'll just take some menus, thanks." The bartender reached under the counter, pulled out some menus and handed one to each of them. She then grabbed some glasses, scooped up some ice, and set them on the counter before grabbing a pitcher and pouring water into them. When she was done, she wiped her hands dry with a towel, then hollered at some patrons at the end of the bar getting rough with each other, her booming voice making Vanessa jump in her seat. As she walked away, Vanessa let out a deep sigh. Ed placed his hand on her back, catching her attention.

"You alright? Never been in a bar before, huh?" He laughed. He must of failed to notice some of the bar thugs eyeing her up and down like she did, even after he placed his hand on her back. She hunched lower in her seat leaning towards him. "I really don't feel safe here Ed, can we just go? I'm really not that hungry." She spoke quickly and desperately, hoping he would hear it in her voice. But his own confidence made him oblivious to the shady scene around him, either that or he just didn't care. "Let's just get some food, then we'll leave alright?" He tried to sound comforting, but she could still hear his ego humming through his tone. She sighed again defeated, rested her chin on her palm, and stared at the menu in front of her.

Eventually the lady came back and took their order. She didn't realize how hungry she actually was until she had placed their plates in front of them. She remembered how she was suppose to go get dinner with her mom earlier that day. But instead, she was sitting at a questionable bar with some boy she had just met, in the middle of the night. They were about halfway through eating when Vanessa felt the need to use the bathroom. She hadn't gone since before she snuck out of the Command Center and couldn't hold it anymore. She felt embarrassed but leaned over the counter to get the bartender's attention.

"Excuse me, where's the bathroom?" She questioned the lady. She stood up straight and pointed to the end of the counter, smirking. "Around that corner. Don't get lost.." She replied slyly. Vanessa swallowed hard and looked to Ed, who was still stuffing his face. "I'll be right back Ed." She informed him, while standing up from her stool. She vaguely thought about asking him to come with her, but changed her mind quickly when she realized he would probably just tease her or think she was weird. "I'll be here!" He mumbled through a mouth full of food. She rolled her eyes at him playfully and turned towards where the bartender had pointed earlier.

She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand as she began to make her way through the crowd. One of the drunk men stumbled into her suddenly, and she pushed him away roughly, picking up her pace. As she continued to make her way through them, she heard the group with the drunk man laughing obnoxiously, some of his friends cat calling her. She cringed at their voices and finally arrived at the bathrooms. She rushed inside, locking the door behind her. She rested her back against the door, taking a moment to breathe, when a loud bang erupted behind her, making her squeal. She heard them laughing behind the door after they banged on it and froze in place, until she heard their voices fade.

After she was sure they were gone, she finally used the bathroom. It was kind of grungy, and she had laid toilet paper across the toilet seat just to be safe when she used it. When she went to turn the faucet on, it sputtered before spewing out yellow-tinted water. Vanessa figured it would be more sanitary to just wipe her hands on her black shorts she had changed into after she woke up earlier. She thought about wearing pants but would rather not of had the material rubbing against her bandaging. She sighed to herself before opening the door and headed out of the bathroom.

As she left the bathroom, she was hoping to be greeted by Ed, waiting outside the door so they could leave; she had been gone for awhile. But instead she was instantly surrounded by a group of guys that were hanging out by the back door next to the bathrooms. She instantly felt her stomach sink as they set eyes on her. She swallowed hard again and tried to push her way through them, but failed as they shoved her back.

"Hey, let me through!" She demanded, trying to sound as intimidating as she could, but they ignored her. "Sorry little lady, we didn't see you there. Aren't you a little young to be in a place like this at this time of night?" The leader of them stepped up and grinned at her, his yellowed teeth and bad breath putting her off. "Look, I'm here with a state alchemist, so back off." She growled. She began to panic when they moved in closer. "You mean that little shrimp at the bar?" They sneered in Ed's direction, but she couldn't see him over the crowd, which meant he couldn't see her either.

(*)They must of been watching us for a while, how else would they have known that I was with him? She thought about yelling for him, but there was no way he could have heard her cries. She darted her eyes around, trying to find a way to escape, but before she could seek a way out, one of the men grabbed her arms from behind. She went to scream but she clasped a hand over her mouth. He leaned into her ear and she felt his ragged breath on her neck. "Shhh.. You could do much better than that little shrimp anyway." She struggled against him as he pushed her towards the back door next to them. The leader walked over and opened it courteously for them, which made her stomach knot up even more.

She kicked her feet up, trying to hit the thugs that were surrounding her, as she was now carried into the alleyway. They backed up, laughing at her desperate attempts to fight back. "If you wanted a real man, all you had to do was say so." The leader sneered at her as she was pushed up against a wall by the thug who held her. They held her arms up on each side as the leader approached her until he was face to face with her. "That little boy couldn't please you like I can." She felt her eyes widen in fury at his words.

Before she could even think about it, she spit in his face. "Get the hell away from me you sick freak!" She snapped. As soon as the words left her mouth, he slapped her hard across her face, causing her head to fall to the side. Her bangs draped over her eyes, thankfully blocking her view from them, but not for long.

The leader grabbed her chin and pulled her head up right to face him. He had wiped off her spit and by now, he was angry. "You're feisty, I like it!" He chimed, his glare turning into a sickening grin. He suddenly pressed his lips to hers, still holding her head in place. Her eyes shot wide, and she flailed her body against him, but there was no pushing him off with his friends holding her down. She tried to scream but it was muffled from his mouth pressed on hers. She could hear him moaning in excitement as he brought his hands up to her shirt. He grabbed it, and ripped it down the center roughly, exposing her chest. The man pushed his hands under her bra, and she felt the others grabbing her legs and moving their hands up to her shorts, attempting to undo them.

She refused to quit struggling, even though she failed to fight them off. Using her alchemy suddenly crossed her mind. I could fry these bastards right now! She moved her eyes up to her hand. She pressed her thumb and middle finger together to snap, just how she saw Mustang do, just how she did when she had done it before, but for some reason, she couldn't do it. Flashes of her father flooded her mind and she couldn't push them away, and all she had to do was snap her finger. I can't do it... Why? Why am I so scared? I don't care about their lives, so why can't I do it?! She felt tears swell up behind her eyes, but refused to let them fall. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction. The feeling of their grimy hands on her body made her skin crawl, making her flail around more. At this point, she'd just wished she died under that building with her mother.(*)

"Hey!" She heard a familiar voice boom throughout the alleyway. The sound of his voice made a tear finally fall from her face in relief. They all shot their attention over to Ed, who was now sprinting up to them. He dropped the suitcase next to his feet and brought his hands down to the ground. Blue sparks lit up the dark alleyway around them, a couple of the thugs watching in awe. Their amazement was cut short when giant stone pillars flew at them from Ed's place on the ground, violently colliding with their faces. The leader jumped back just in time, as it flew between him and Vanessa. She felt the wind whip past her face as she stood there in shock. When the stone pillar dropped onto the ground and crumbled, is when Vanessa finally dared to move again.

She sucked in a deep breath as her eyes darted to the leader, who now stood tall with his knife brandished. "Why don't you stop with the fancy alchemy and take me on like a man?" He barked. With the other thugs now out of the equation, he was now challenging Ed. Ed pulled himself up from the ground and locked eyes with the assailant, a smirk plastered on his face. "That'll be even easier than using alchemy!" He boasted. Suddenly, they charged at each other. As they closed the distance, the leader of the gang swiped at Ed's face. Ed proceeded to lean to the side swiftly, turning his torso and placing his hands on the ground. He flipped himself over, dodging his attack by doing a round-off, landing behind him. Before the leader could turn around to face him, Ed used the momentum from landing, to kick him full force in the stomach with his metal leg.

The leader stumbled back, gasping for air. He was closer to Vanessa now, who was still frozen in place. He held his stomach and glared at Ed, who returned to his fighting stance, waiting for his next move. After the leader had gained control of his breathing, his eyes darted from Ed to Vanessa, and with one quick motion, he sprinted in her direction. She reacted, bringing her arms up to catch his wrists, before the man could bring his blade down to her. She was quickly losing the battle of holding his wrists in place, as he was much stronger than her. Before it reached her chest, Ed appeared, grabbing his arm and twisting it back violently, causing the man to scream in agony. She got a glimpse at Ed's face briefly, his expression furious. Ed pulled him away from Vanessa and flung him in the opposite direction.

As the leader collided with the brick wall behind him, he collapsed his head, the wind being knocked out of him again. Ed followed him and grabbed his hair, and yanked it down, slamming his face against his knee. He continued to knee him in the face a few more times, before Vanessa couldn't handle it anymore. She wanted to see this guy rot in hell, but didn't want to watch Ed send him there.

"Ed, that's enough!" Her voice caught his attention. Still angry he seethed, grasping on to the man's hair for a moment before releasing his grip and dropping him to the ground. Surprisingly, he man was still conscious, all though he seemed to be missing some teeth now. He scrambled away, by now his men were starting to stir. They all retreated, but not before the man shot Ed a vengeful glare before limping away, disappearing into the shadows of the alley.

Vanessa slid down the wall were she stood, letting her legs collapse from underneath her. She tried to control her breathing, still blinking in disbelief at what had just happened. Ed rushed over to her side and kneeled down next to her. He reached his hands out to her, quickly retracting them when she flinched at his movement. He was worried, and not sure how to comfort her in a situation like this. He reached for her again, this time slower, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. He pulled her back up with him until they were standing.

Her body was trembling, and she didn't want to be touched by anybody. She backed up from him quickly, before locking eyes with his. Ed's hurt expression made her heart break. He was the only one around that she could trust, but for some reason she was terrified of him. Maybe it being that she had just been groped by strange men, or that he was about to smash someone's skull against his leg, she wasn't sure. But as she stared into his eyes, she felt like she could see his soul. He was sweet, and nurturing. She could see that he wanted to protect her. The walls around her started to feel like they were closing in, and she desperately wanted to escape.

Suddenly, she threw herself into his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck. She buried her face in his coat, just like she did the day before. He pulled her in tightly, feeling her heartbeat thud against his chest. "I'm sorry." He whispered into her ear. "I should have listened to you earlier, I'm sorry I was so careless." He cursed himself. "It won't happen again. I promise." He told her sincerely. She stayed in his arms for awhile, until she felt herself finally relax.

He held her until she finally pulled back. She felt the cold breeze against her chest as she pulled away. She immediately pulled her jacket closed and crossed her arms covering herself. Her tank top was a tattered mess, and she felt ashamed that Edward had to see her like that. She blushed and turned her head away from him. "I can fix it." He paused, cautiously raising his hands to her chest. His cheeks were slightly red as well, but he knew he couldn't leave her like that. She winced slightly at his gesture. "If you'd let me. I understand if-" She cut him off. "It's fine. Do it." She glanced at him and swallowed, looking away again, before slowly opening her jacket for him.

He blinked a couple times trying to concentrate, but it was difficult given she was so exposed. She was... gifted. He didn't fail to notice. He shut his eyes and slightly shook his head, attempting to focus again. He gently clapped his hands and gradually extended his arms until he felt her breasts against his palms. A pause, before the blue light flickered and the threads began to link back together again. He peeked open his eyes to ensure he was repairing it correctly. Ed's face was completely flushed by now. After the transmutation was complete, Ed pulled his hands back.

She let out a breath she had been holding, and relaxed. The heat started to fade from their faces, as the bitter cold settled in. Ed wasn't as bothered by it as she was, her jacket was pretty small, and not very practical for the weather. He was about to pull his coat off and hand it to her before their attention was drawn to the car that had just pulled up at the entrance of the alleyway. Ed instinctively stepped in front of Vanessa, had the thug come back with reinforcements. Instead, a silhouette of a very large man with a rather dapper looking moustache stepped out of the passenger's seat, standing proud.

"Edward Elric? Is that you?" A loud but deep voice resonated from the large shadow. Ed seemed to recognize it, because he dropped his guard. "Oh Major Armstrong, it's just you." He sighed, relieved. Armstrong stepped up to them until his face was fully revealed. Vanessa peeked at him from behind Ed's shoulder. He seemed familiar, she tried to remember his face, but he didn't have the moustache when she had last seen him. She remembered the blonde hair though, even though it was more of a lone strand on top of an otherwise bald head. She definitely knew the signature blue military uniform though.

"What happened here? We heard the commotion from a couple blocks away and thought Scar might be here." Ed crossed his arms and bowed his head, almost disappointed. "No such luck I'm afraid. I-" Ed glanced towards Vanessa as she shot him a look. He read her expression quickly before continuing, playing it off. "I was just showing off my alchemy! That's all." He gave a nervous laugh. Vanessa swallowed hard, relieved. She would of rather of kept this incident between them.

"Showing off our skills to the young lady are we? Well, if it's a impressive display of skill you wish to see..." The Major gripped the center of his uniform with both hands, and pulled back, shredding the formal attire as if it was tissue paper. "Allow me to show you the prowess the Armstrong family has displayed for generations!" Ed and Vanessa shared an exasperated glance as the Major flexed his muscles and posed heroically. She could of sworn he was sparkling in the moonlight.

"Major, is there any way that we could get a ride back to the Command Center? She's got an injured leg and-" The Major cut him off suddenly. "Say no more Edward Elric!" He bellowed. "We would be honored to take you and this lovely lady back with us!" Suddenly, he stomped up to Edward and pushed him roughly to the side.

As Ed stumbled trying to regain his balance, Armstrong scooped Vanessa up like a baby making her blush furiously. She frantically insisted that he put her down, but her cries fell on deaf ears. "Edward Elric I'm ashamed in you, making an injured girl walk all the way back to the Command Center! This is unacceptable!" Edward grumbled something inaudible and followed him as he carried Vanessa to the car. Edward opened the door for Armstrong as he gently set her down in the back seat. He then carefully closed the car door and turned to Ed.

He bent down to Ed's level and whispered in his ear. "This wouldn't happen to be the famous Winry I've heard so much about, is it Edward?" Ed lifted his gloved hands and waved in denial. "Oh, no. That's Vanessa, I just met her yesterday." Major Armstrong stood tall and scratched his chin. "She wouldn't happen to be the one who lost her mother would she? Coronel Roth's daughter?" Ed nodded at him in solemn agreement. "Yeah, that's her."

Major Armstrong spent some time dramatically crying over Vanessa's story before they all finally piled in the car. On their way back, the Major questioned Ed about any intel on Scar, even though he had just as much information as the rest of them. Vanessa learned that Scar was targeting state alchemists for unknown reasons, and that "Scar" was a codename given to him by the military due to the X shaped scar on his forehead.

"So have you made any progress on your search for the Philosopher's Stone?" Ed slouched in his seat next to Vanessa, slightly annoyed at the Major's question. He kept his chin rested on his fist, his gaze fixed outside the window. She glanced to Ed, then back to the Major, looking for some kind of explanation on the subject. Ed sighed heavily before speaking. "No Major, I haven't." He said plainly. Armstrong was a little over the top, but still pretty observant. He took the sign and dropped the subject.

The rest of the car ride was quiet. Once they finally arrived back at East Command, Armstrong informed Edward that he was going to patrol the city some more. They thanked him for the ride and got out of the car. Vanessa and Ed were greeted by Alphonse waiting for them by the front doors to the building. "Brother you found her! That's great news, I was worried something bad happened." He stood from the spot he sat on the stairs and approached them. He's still wearing that armour? At this time of night? Vanessa wondered.

She decided it was best not to ask him about it, and followed the boys inside. They made their way through the lobby and to the elevators. Once they got on, they rode in silence. Vanessa couldn't wait to get back to her room now, she was exhausted. She was sure Alphonse had tons of questions he was waiting to ask Ed in her absence as well. She hoped that Ed would keep the bar incident a secret at least, especially from Mustang.

A part of her was greatful Mustang had retired for the night; she didn't want to deal with him until she had gotten some rest as well. But a part of her was also worried that he would dwell on the truth he had learned, and change his mind about keeping it a secret. She cringed thinking about the consequences had he decided to prosecute her.

Once they had made it back to her hospital room, Ed turned to Al. "I gotta talk to Vanessa, would mind waiting outside for a minute Al?" He asked. "Sure no problem, I'll wait outside." Al happily agreed, as if he predicted Ed would say that. Ed followed Vanessa inside and closed the door behind him. She made her way over to her bed and plopped down. Ed stayed quiet for a moment, watching her rub her sore leg before speaking.

"I'm not gonna mention the incident at the bar to Mustang." He stated. She silently nodded in agreement, as she kicked her shoes off. The thought of what happened at the bar made her want to take a shower. She looked up and met eyes with him. He smirked at her. "You're not gonna try and run off again are you?" He teased. She rolled her eyes and returned his smirk. "I think I've had enough excitement for one night." She admitted. "Good to hear." He replied. It was silent for a moment before Vanessa opened her mouth to speak. Ed waited, watching her trying to find the right words.

"What's a Philosopher's Stone?" She finally asked. Ed gave her a sad smile. He expected her to ask after Armstrong brought it up in the car, but hadn't prepared an explanation for her. At least, an explanation on why he needed it. That would take some time. "It's a stone that is rumored to bypass the laws of equivalent exchange, enhancing alchemical effects." He explained. She furrowed her brow at him in confusion. "Rumored?" She questioned. "So you don't even know if it exists?" Ed felt stupid for telling her he was chasing a rumor, but it was the only lead he had. Their only chance. "Yeah, basically." He admitted, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"What do you need something like that for?" Ed bowed his head and closed his eyes. "If I explained it to you now, I'd be here all night!" He laughed. She twisted her mouth and pouted. "The short version then?" She pleaded. He rolled his eyes playfully at her before turning towards the door. Before he could grab the door knob, he heard her speak quietly.

"Ed... are you mad at me?" His eyebrows raised and he turned back towards her. "Why would I be mad?" He asked, matching her low volume. She twisted her fingers together and looked off to the side. "You know... for running. Are you mad?" She looked up at him for an answer. He stared at her in surprise, before smiling at her. "No. I'm not mad." His smile dropped in sudden guilt.

"You should be mad at me. I should have listened to you earlier when you wanted to leave. I'm sorry." She gave him a sympathetic look. "It's okay. I guess we both make some stupid decisions, huh?" He chuckled softly at her words. "I guess we'll both have to work on that then." He replied. They smiled at each other for a moment before Ed spoke again. "I'll see you around Vanessa. Good night." He turned back towards the door. She smiled as she watched him leave. "Goodnight Ed. See you later."

*Finished this chapter a couple days later than anticipated, sorry for the wait. Wanted to post it this weekend but it was a friend's birthday so it got delayed. The chapters are getting longer too. This story is pretty slow burning, 20k words and it's technically not even been a whole day! I have part of the story planned out as well, so hopefully no more delays. Anyway thanks for reading! Tell me what you think of the story so far!