PLEASE READ READY, STEADY, GO! FIRST, IT IS THE PREDECESSOR FOR THIS STORY. THIS STORY CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR READY, STEADY, GO!

Also, exciting news for everyone; this has turned into a FULL FLEDGED SEQUEL! I'm actually really excited for what this story has entail for you guys!

It was a normal day at the Elric household. Edward was out running errands, leaving Johanna happily at home to finish some chores. She didn't like walking all the way into town, not that she was quite ready for the hustle and bustle of the market either. It was a small town, Resembool, people noticed things.

They noticed how sickly she still looked, they noticed how young she was. They noticed how Edward and her were living together but were unwed and they never stopped talking about it. Johanna frowned, placing the plate in the dish rack to dry.

"I hope I'm not such a burden." She muttered, gripping the edge of the sink quietly. A nudge came at her legs, it was Den. "Oh! You must have let yourself in." She muttered, glancing at the doggy door on the back door. The locked doggy door.

"No, we did." Edward said from the doorway, knocking on the door jam quietly. Johanna smiled, turning around quietly. She waved at Edward, removing her apron from around her neck.

"We?" Edward smirked at her, stepping to the side. To her surprise she found Heinkel and Darius waiting in the living room. "Oh! I didn't expect any visitors!" Johanna bowed at then both. "The house is quite a mess!" She muttered, embarrassed.

"We didn't come for your house, Jo." Heinkel gruffed.

"Yes, a certain General said you'd come back from the dead. Heinkel here didn't believe him."

"Neither did you." Heinkel growled back. Darius made a face, a face of agreement, and belly laughed.

"But here you are, girl! Walking and talking!" Darius clapped a giant hand on Joanna's shoulder, nearly taking her down with it's force. Thankfully Edward was there to hold her up. Darius gave an apologetic smile, lifting his hand from her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, it would seem I'm not at full strength yet." Johanna apologized. "Doctor Knox says it shouldn't be too long now. I've put on a lot of weight since I… well, since I came back." She choked out, her throat feeling tight. She cleared her throat, putting on a tight smile. Heinkel returned her smile with one of pity and he moved around Darius, gently grabbing her shoulder.

"You look much healthier than a dead person." He told her, earning a bitch face.

"Thanks, lion." She growled, though her growl gave way to a small laugh. Heinkel ruffled her hair, standing back to his full height. "Your boyfriend here tells us you're quite the cook, is that so?" Johanna's eyes lit up and she grinned at her guests.

"I've been practicing!" She told them happily. "Oh! That must mean you're hungry! Let me get some dinner started!" She told them, dashing back into the kitchen.

Edward watched her go, a smile on his face as she began to dig into the icebox. Heinkel sighed, moving to the couch. He picked up several prices of clean laundry, placing them back in the basket from which they came, before sitting on the couch.

"Yeah sure, just make yourself at home!" Edward groused playfully. Heinkel sighed, removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"She didn't know we were coming, Fullmetal?" He asked Edward.

"It's Edward now, and no, I didn't tell her." Edward sighed, leaning against the wall behind the couch.

"Why not?" Darius asked, offended.

"Because if I told her you guys were coming, she'd feel like she had to go into town. She hates it there." Edward told them simply, a painful smile on his face. "She hasn't told me as much, but I can tell. She hates going into Resembool because people stare at her."

"What? Why?" Heinkel growled, stiffening in his seat. Edward shrugged.

"There's a lot of… expectations." Edward started. "They think she's strange because she came back so…" Edward couldn't say it, he hated seeing her that way, thinking of her how she was, so sickly, so sad. "She was so ill when she returned and the town's people couldn't help but talk about her. Talk about us living together."

"Those bastards." Darius muttered. Heinkel glared at the floor beneath his feet.

"If I can hear them talking, I know Johanna can." Edward sniffed, looking at the door. From inside the kitchen he could hear the sounds of food cooking, pots and pans being filled. He couldn't help but smile at the sounds of life that filled his house now where it had once been so quiet.

"You protect her too much." Heinkel said finally. Edward's eyes widened and he turned to look at his old friend.

"What."

"I agree." Darius chimed in.

"You can't keep her holed away, Fullmetal."

"It's Edward! And I'm not doing that-"

"Are you sure?" Heinkel continued. Edward stopped in his tracks. "You should've given her the option to come. She has to learn to grow if you want her to get better." Heinkel scolded him. "Hurt is part of the process. It helps us learn and grow and without that we'd be a stagnant naive mess." Edward paused for a second, thinking hard on what Heinkel had said.

Maybe he's right. Maybe I should make her go out more. Edward thought with a frown. "I never realized that I could be holding her back." Suddenly he felt terrible, guilt washed over his face.

"Don't beat yourself up over it, some growth she needs… some… not so much."

"Has she performed any alchemy since being home?" Darius asked finally. Edward sighed shaking his head.

"She doesn't even want to talk about it. Every time I bring it up-"

"That's a boundary that shouldn't be tested." Heinkel told him.

"if she's not ready for alchemy then why is she ready to hear people talk about her!"

"She's not a child Edward. People talk, it's something that will continue to happen so she'll have to get used to it, but I think your want for her to do alchemy is selfish." Heinkel said, finally letting it all out. Edward froze. "Tell me, why does she need her alchemy so badly, Edward?" Heinkel asked, using his name.

"I just want her to know it's nothing to be afraid of." Edward growled. Heinkel chuckled.

"Or do you wanted to know if she can still do it? Do you want to go back to the gate?" Heinkel pried.

"You're insane, I'd never-"

"You say that, but maybe you miss the power?"

"I don't miss any of that! How dare you insult me in my house!" Edward hissed, trying his best to keep his voice down. Heinkel remained quiet, watching Edward with a sad face. Edward groaned, hitting the wall with his fist. "I don't miss any of that, the only thing in this world I've ever missed was her, I just want her back!"

"But she is back." Darius told him quietly. "Listen, can't you hear her?" He said, gesturing to the kitchen. Edward froze, turning his face to look at the kitchen door. He could still hear the sounds of her cooking and humming from within. It even smelled great in the living room, evidence of their dinner, no doubt. "What part of her do you still miss?"

"I feel like her spirit has been… broken." There was a silence, the shuffling of feet from behind Edward. Suddenly a hand was on his shoulder.

"Alchemy can't fix that, Edward, and you know that." Heinkel told him. Edward groaned, nodding as he did. "She needs your support and constantly triggering her isn't helping-"

"Guys, dinner is almost ready!" Johanna called from inside. The shuffling of feet. "I just made something easy, some leftovers, I hope that's alright." She said, peeking her head around the door frame. "Oh, is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Jo." Edward gave her a smile, one that Johanna returned. "Dinner smells amazing."

"Thank you." Johanna blushed, returning to the kitchen.

"NO!" Johanna screeched, sitting up in her bed. Her heart was pounding, she was wet with sweat. Her nightmares we're persistent since she'd been back from the other side of the gate, even several months later. All Johanna wanted was to live her life without them.

Outside of her room, Johanna could hear footsteps thumping down the hall. Her door opened, revealing a frantic Edward.

"Jo?!" He gasped, studying her room for whatever caused her screaming. Johanna sobbed, pulling her knees to her chest and burying her face in her arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Johanna cried. Edward frowned at her, crossing her room slowly. He sat down on the bed beside her, watching her quietly. "I can't get away from these stupid nightmares!"

"It's okay, Jo." He told her, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her to him.

"Is everything alright?"

"We heard screaming." Darius and Heinkel had now joined the party. Johanna didn't look up at them, but at least by now her sobbing had stopped.

"I can still feel myself being torn apart." She whispered, shuddering. "Every time I have a dream, it's your circle that starts it all." Edward felt his stomach drop, she was referring to the circle he drew to bring her back. Edward frowned up at Heinkel and Darius who watched him with judgmental eyes. Subconsciously, Edward pulled her closer, resting his chin on top of her head.

"I'm sorry." Was all he could muster. He knew it would take time for her to heal completely, but he was starting to get worried about her progress. It took her several months to put on a healthy amount of weight, she never had an appetite, and now she's still having nightly terrors. Even now, she still felt so small in his arms.

He wished he could remember what helped him through his PTSD when he'd gotten back home but it was so long ago and he internalized most of it, which he knew Johanna was not capable of. He didn't want her to anyways, it wasn't healthy.

"I'll call Dr Knox." Edward said quietly.

"No, please don't!" Johanna begged, finally raising her head to look at him. Edward frowned at her. Her eyes were rimmed purple, she was exhausted and it showed on her pretty face. God, how Edward worried about her. "His sedatives don't work and it's late. I don't want to bother him." She whispered. Even though she'd gained some weight back from being behind the door, He had never seen her look so sickly. He felt helpless.

"I'll go get you some water, Jo." Heinkel offered, but Johanna refused.

"No, I'm sorry to wake you, you two should go back to bed." Johanna smiled at them, a forced smile. Heinkel and Darius didn't look to believe her, but they both left the room, shutting the door as they did.

"I don't know how to help you…" Edward said finally, after a long silence. It had happened so long ago, when he drew that circle. Johanna froze, staring down at the sheets at her feet. He sounded so sad, so defeated. She sniffed, running her hand through her hair.

"Just promise me you'll never think about doing that again." She cried, leaning against him.

"I promise." Edward swore. The pair sat in silence for what felt like forever before Johanna spoke again.

"Will you lay with me?" She asked. The question caught Edward off guard and he froze, clutching at her shoulder and tightening his grip around her.

"Wha-"

"Forget it, it was a stupid suggestion. I'm sorry." She whispered, going to turn away. Edward didn't let her, and he held her closer to him.

"No!" He reassured her. "No, of course I'll lay with you." Edward smiled, moving under her covers and laying back onto his elbows. Johanna watched him quietly, following his lead as he placed his head on the spare pillow. To Edward's surprise, Johanna place her head on his chest, timidly draping her arm over hm. He followed suit, wrapping his arms around her shoulder.

"Thank you." She told him, her face on fire. She knew that his face was probably just as red as hers.

"You're welcome." He told her, clearing his throat awkwardly.

After a few minutes, Edward felt Johanna's body relax, her soft snoring filling the room. He smiled, relieved, running a hand through her dark curls. He closed his eyes, but not before kissing the top of her head quietly.

"Goodnight, Jo." He whispered as he settled in.