Wood splintered and rained down onto the floor, covering it in shattered bits of brown. A figure sat perched on a desk, legs crossed, and appearing less than happy. The figure scoffed as a man came and cleaned up the mess.
"That's the fifth chair this week, Master. Would you mind keeping the furniture in order?"
"They're my things and I am entitled to destroy them if I see fit to do so. Now leave. Your presence has become an annoyance."
The man bowed to his master, leaving moments later as the figure on the desk stood and began pacing. How could they have lived? They even managed to regain what they'd lost! The person grabbed another chair preparing to throw it before an idea struck their mind.
"You! Come back!"
The man returned immediately, expression neutral. "Yes Master?"
"Which of them are ready?"
"Only two. Which one will you summon?"
"Hm…" A sadistic smile crossed pale lips. "I think you know who. He'll finish the job rather quickly."
"Very well Master."
Treena's face showed confusion as she stared at the paper in her hand, coffee in front of her on the table. "This makes absolutely no sense."
"What makes no sense?" Alfons asked as he joined his wife at the table, coffee in hand.
"This news article. Read it for yourself." Treena passed him the newspaper, still frowning as she sipped from her coffee.
"Missing Children Across Amestris?" Alfons' brow furrowed as he read the headline and he looked to his wife who seemed troubled. He decided to continue reading the article, needing more than just a headline to understand the situation. "Disappearances reported across Amestris by several worried parents who've woken up and found their children missing from their homes. Reports say that in every case so far, no trouble had happened the night before, compelling the children to run away. Even more disturbing is the fact that nothing seems to be missing from the rooms of these children and it seems as if they just walked from the house silently. Not much is known at this time but authorities advise parents to make sure their children have no intent to leave home and up their safety precautions. Civilians have been asked to report any suspicious characters seen in or around their homes. More details shall be made public when received and at the discretion of the Amestrian government."
Alfons put the paper down near his coffee, looking as perplexed as Treena had but moments ago. "This makes no sense."
"At least you agree with me," she said, still sipping her coffee.
"How do all of these children just up and vanish without a trace? And with no struggle or anything?"
"I know. It makes me sick to even think about what demon could've lured these children from their homes." Treena set the empty mug down onto the table and fingered the ceramic surface with worry.
Alfons knew that look, recognized the way she moved her fingers along the mug. In all honesty, he was scared too. If these people could just go into anyone's home and steal away their children, who could say that it couldn't happen to any of them. That train of thought seemed to strike both adults simultaneously as Treena stood from her seat and crossed the room to the phone.
"What're you doing?"
"Calling the others. I need to make sure all of them know as well. We can't have any of the kids going missing." Alfons left her to her call, walking to the rooms of his children to make sure they were still at least in the beds, if not asleep. He had known before how children seemed to have the oddest sleep habits, such as falling asleep on trains or in cars but he realized this even more so when he became a father. His children seemed to have the habit of waking up whenever their bodies or minds decided sleep was no longer important, whether that meant waking at nine in the morning or one in the afternoon.
Feeling better now that he knew his children were safe in their beds, for once both staying asleep even after their parents had awoken, he returned to the kitchen as Treena placed the telephone receiver back where it belonged. "Well?"
"Ed, Al, and Roy knew, being in the military and all. Mia was over at Winry's house and told me she'd make sure none of the kids went missing. She said she'd be super Mia. Honestly, I'm worried they'll mistake her for a child and take her as well."
Alfons chuckled as he once again sat at the kitchen table. "Well, if her looks don't get them, her demeanor will. That woman still acts like she's ten."
"You didn't know her as a teen and trust me you didn't want to. Mouthy, arrogant, loud, and frankly, quite annoying," Treena said as she walked to the refrigerator, grabbing what she needed for breakfast. A soft smile graced her lips as something else crossed her. "But, she was and still is a great cousin. She fought with us all that time we were with Ed and Al and even though the two fought, I know she cared dearly for Ed as well as Al." Treena broke off as she felt her husband's hand touch her shoulder. She craned her head to glance behind her, returning his soft smile.
"You went through a lot, you, Mia, Ed, and Al. Then Erin joined up with you and she experienced much of what you all did. Now look at the lot of you. You have two children whom I know you love dearly, Mia finally has a steady boyfriend that I think may become something much greater in her heart. Ed and Al are both fathers as well and even though I've heard that Erin never wanted a family, the greatest treasure that woman has is her husband and kids. You've all paid a hefty price and now, you've attained something incredible."
Treena couldn't help but turn around and embrace this wonderful man. She knew she had made the right choice when saying yes to his proposal and even more so, her worry was erased when she saw what a kind, loving father Alfons was to their children. She couldn't have asked for a better man to live the rest of her life with.
Treena nodded her head, smiling warmly. "You and our children are the best thing I could ask for, which is why I'm worried. What if they take our kids? I can't even stomach the thought of losing them, let alone the possibility of never seeing them again. It's just something I can't bear."
"I know honey. I'll will keep them safe and so will you. You've nothing to worry about." Alfons bent down and placed a soft kiss to her lips, breathing love and confidence into her.
"Go wake up the kids and I'll get breakfast made."
Alfons nodded, heading first to Lorelei's room to find her making some strange concoction. "And just what in the world are you making?"
"I made mud pies!" She said brightly holding up a cake pan filled to the brim with what looked like mud, rocks, and a few earthworms.
"Well, mommy's making breakfast so I think you better go wash that out before mommy finds out you used her favorite cake pan for a worm farm."
"It's not a farm daddy! I said it's a mud pie!"
"Okay. Now go wash it out."
"Okay daddy."
"Mia, I don't know how many times I must tell you that my cookware is not body armor."
Mia put a finger to her lips, attempting to shush her cousin as she ducked behind the couch, peeking out every so often. "Be quiet! You'll get me caught."
Treena raised an eyebrow as her cousin once again peeked from behind the couch. "What exactly are you doing?"
"Hiding from the fiercest warrior this land has known," Mia said, making hand gestures for dramatic effect. "She cuts down men, women, and children without care for who they leave behind. She'd strike me down without a second thought."
Treena fixed her with a disbelieving stare. "And what do they call this oh so fierce warrior of Amestris?"
"Most dare not utter her name but she is know only as, Lorelei the Terrible."
Treena shook her head. Of course her daughter was a fierce warrior who took the lives of many and was hell bent on ruling the world. She should've guessed that right off the bat. "I'll let you know if I see this warrior."
Mia nodded running from behind the couch and making a dash for the kitchen. She didn't make it in time as Lorelei leapt from behind the kitchen table and jabbed Mia in the gut with what looked to be Treena's wooden spoon.
"Take that human scum!" Lorelei shouted, smacking Mia in the face with the spoon.
"You were once human too!"
"Nuh-uh! Humans are stinky!" she shouted, giving Mia a good final solid whack to the nose, Mia howling in pain. "Uh-oh! Are you okay Auntie Mia? I didn't mean ta! Honest!"
Treena walked to her daughter and retrieved her spoon. "How about putting away the armor and helping your Aunt find some tissue to stuff in her nose?"
"Yes mommy," Lorelei said without so much as a fuss. She returned every bit of cookware to the kitchen then disappeared into the hallway. When she returned she held a whole roll of tissue paper and set about fixing up her aunt. Maybe she'd be a doctor someday.
"Is it broken?" Mia asked, trying to glance down at her own nose without so much as a mirror. "Didja make me ugly you wiener?"
"No! You were already pretty weird looking Auntie!"
Treena had to give her points for that quick and clever comeback. She stifled a laugh as Mia growled while stuffing tissue into her nose.
"Oh yeah? Well here comes the tickle monster!" Mia said, fingers tickling her and causing her to roar in laughter.
"Ah! Stop! Bad monster! Bad!" Lorelei managed between her bouts of raucous laughter.
"Okay. Enough you two. It's time for me to go to the store so you think you can watch the kids Mia? I shouldn't be gone long but I do have to swing by the factory and pick up Alfons."
"Sure! Don't worry! Nothing'll get past me! I'm like an iron fortress!" Mia was flexing and didn't even noticed Lorelei sneaking up behind her until it was too late. Mia flew across the room as her sides were grabbed and she yelped.
"Iron fortress huh?" Treena said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
"Stuff it Treena."
"I'll see you two when I come home," Treena said before turning to Lorelei. "You keep an eye on your brother and make sure he gets his nap got it? You know how cranky he gets."
Lorelei saluted her, looking as if she were all business. "Can do mommy! Gavy's a butthole when he doesn't nap!"
Treena chuckled lightly before pressing a quick kiss to Lorelei's forehead. She drew her into her arms whispering, "Stay safe."
"Stay safe." And with that Treena exited her home.
'Stay safe.' That was what Treena and Lorelei had always told each other when they parted. It was sort of their mantra that kept the both of them sane when not together. Even if Lorelei was asleep Treena made sure to tell her, knowing that she was replying the same in her dreams. To this day, they'd stayed safe and hadn't missed saying it once. Maybe it would protect them from the disappearances but one could only hope for such protection.
Lorelei went to Gavin's room and found him playing with his toys, his state alchemists hunting down the homunculi. Where Edward had found those figurines no one knew but Gavin adored them. There were claims he'd made them but everyone knew Ed for his tasteless transmutations at the best of times so everyone was wary to believe such things.
"Nappy time Gavy."
Gavin turned to look at his sister. "Nuh-uh. No nappy."
"Mommy said you have to have your nap. I promised mommy you'd nap and I dun want her ta be mad at me."
Gavin sighed. He hated it when she pulled the guilt trips on him. She'd learned from Mia, one of the best at implementing guilt trips in her life. It had worked on nearly everyone with only a single try. She was less fortunate with Treena. Treena had dealt with Mia's antics several times during the past years and she knew very well what her daughter had tried to pull. Sorry, no pony this time kiddo.
"Okay. Didja tell her-"
"Stay safe. Yup," she said with a soft smile. "Nappy time now."
"Warm milk? Helps me sleep."
Lorelei nodded as she tucked her younger brother into his bed and kissed him on the forehead like their mom did. It always made him smile when she did that while their mother was gone. "Be right back."
Lorelei came back only a couple minutes later with no warm milk for her brother and smiled as she confirmed what she thought to be true. Sometimes he asked for milk and slept fine without it, usually within the first few minutes of being left to himself. She knew this was one of the times.
"Rawr! I will get you!" Lorelei giggled, running from her Aunt.
"Nuh-uh! Your legs is too short!"
"SHORT? I'LL SHOW YOU SHORT!"
"Find anything?" Erin asked, placing a small kiss to Ed's cheek as he entered their home.
"Not a goddamn thing. No suspects, no motive, no trace of anyone or anything. We've got no leads and without that, the children of Amestris will be missing for eternity." Ed plopped down on the couch, thoroughly exhausted with what he thought to be a wasted day. Children continued to disappear, leads continued to be nonexistent, and the military was getting chastised for what the public thought to be a lack of work when really it was a lack of information.
Erin joined her husband on the couch, handing him a mug of tea, which he sipped at graciously. "C'mon Ed, you'll find something soon. I know it."
"I wish it were like that Erin but honestly, I stopped believing we'd find anything a while ago. There's no sign of struggle, no forced entry into the homes, no missing items from any of the many homes of the missing children, and what's more is it looks as if they just got up and walked away. The military is damn close to writing it off as runaways."
Erin was infuriated at the thought. "So nearly fifty children just up and ran away from their homes nearly all simultaneously? I highly doubt the public will buy that and you know better than most the chaos that will ensue if they just give up."
"I know and that's why we're all working so goddamn hard. These kids didn't just up and leave. It'll be hard to avoid conflict with the citizens of Amestris if we just write them off as runaways but we're nearly at the end of our rope and the rest is running out quick." Ed sighed, his hand raking through his hair and pulling out the band that kept his large braid tied up.
"You just need to relax for a bit and try again," she said, running her fingers through the long golden locks, separating the braid and leaving his rather long hair quite wavy. "I'm sure something will turn up."
Ed only nodded, concentrating a bit too much on her hand in his hair. Though very many did not know this, he loved having his hair toyed with and even more so when Erin did it. With others it was more like when a cat gets scratched behind the ears but when Erin got a hold of him and those fingers worked deftly through long blond strands, the thought alone was enough to make him hard.
Erin smirked as she saw his eyes slip shut and she leaned down to playfully nip at the tip of his jaw, drinking in the moan that fell from his lips.
"You just love to tease me don't you?"
"Who said I was teasing?" she asked with a smirk as she moved lower to nibble on the flesh of his neck.
A devious grin flashed onto Ed's face. He stood from his seat and winked before racing up the stairs, Erin in hot pursuit. If things could continue this way Erin would be entirely happy with life for as long as it lasted.
Alfons rolled over in bed, absently wondering if Treena was about to prepare breakfast. He grabbed one pillow, pulling it close to his body in a cuddle, smiling blissfully as he laid in bed. Hopefully Treena would make bacon this morning. That would make it even better than it had already started to be.
Just as he was settling into his bed, a shrill scream tore through the house. Alfons bolted from his bed, not even bothering to put on pants as he rushed to his wife's side.
"What's wrong? Is everything okay?"
Treena was on the floor in front of Gavin's bedroom door, eyes wide and fearful. She remained silent before she all but jumped up from the floor and rushed to her daughter's room.
"Treena!" Alfons tore after her, not thinking to check his son's room to see what had Treena so alarmed. At the moment, the thought present in the front of his mind was only of her well being.
Treena sunk to the floor again, her eyes hollow with grief.
"Treena, what in the world has gotten into you?"
She didn't speak a single word. Treena only raised one arm, extending a finger to the door that led to Lorelei's room. Alfons was puzzled by this but still decided it best to check the room anyways. His own eyes widened at what he'd seen.
The room was in perfect condition. Every toy was in it's place, every bit of bedding set perfectly onto the bed as if no one had ever slept in it. The small desk was completely orderly, every book, pen, and paper where it should rest. None of these things were alarming as they'd had the children clean and organize their rooms the previous night before bed. It was the lack of a child in the bed that was making his heart stop completely.
He looked down as a small shattered noise escaped from Treena's mouth, tears flowing down her cheeks. She still refused to utter a single word, staring into the empty room with the flowers painted carefully onto the walls and the tiny hand prints Lorelei had put there herself. Treena's eyes widened as another thought occurred to her and just as before she sprinted from her spot on the floor, this time in search of her phone.
Alfons didn't tear after her this time, instead lingering back for a moment before slowly and quietly following her.
Treena held the phone tight against her face, silently praying for someone to answer.
"Hello?"
"Ed!" Treena shouted out frantically, not even giving Edward a chance to form a response before going on to the point of her call. "Go check up on Heather and James now!"
"But why? I'm sure they're just fine."
"Just do it goddammit!" Treena snapped.
"Okay," Ed said, pulling away from the phone a bit. "Erin, go check the kids."
"Why?" she heard Erin say in the background.
"Don't ask questions and just do it!" Treena shouted, so loudly that Erin heard her from where she stood in their kitchen.
Treena waited for a moment, hoping against everything in her being that she was wrong.
"Treena, what's going on? Is something wrong?"
Treena didn't answer as she heard the scream come from through the receiver. Her worst fears had been confirmed. "Call Al and tell him to check Sara's room."
Ed was frantic now, wanting to go check on his wife but he still wanted to know what had Treena so on edge. "Just tell me what the hell is going on!"
Treena sighed heavily. "Your children are gone, Ed."
Ed froze for a minute before replying. "And how would you know this?" he asked, voice suspicious.
"Because Gavin and Lorelei are gone too! Call Alphonse and see if Sara is missing. I'll get a hold of Roy."
Ed's breath caught in the back of his throat before he muttered a quiet, "Yeah, okay.", then hung up the phone.
Treena felt as if her heart was about to shatter as she dialed Roy's number, Alfons sitting silently at the kitchen table.
"Hello?"
"Roy, go see if Alex is still in his room."
Roy seemed to catch on much more quickly then Ed had and rushed to his son's room, cursing fiercely when he wasn't there. He returned to the phone, anger pounding within him. "I'm guessing your kids are missing as well?"
"Yes," Treena said, noting the 'as well' added to the end of his question. "I've already called Ed and he's no doubt already contacted his brother by now and found Sara missing."
"Shit. Looks like the rumors are true. It looks as if Alex just got up and walked away."
"It's the same for my children and I'm assuming the same for the rest. Get Riza and come over immediately. I'll make contact with the others so we can have an official meeting about this tragedy."
"Can do." Roy pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated that a military officer such as himself was unable to protect his child. "I'm sorry Treena. I knew we should've put some security around everyone's houses but I was idiotic enough to think I could handle this on my own."
"This isn't your fault Roy. This is the result of some sick, twisted bastard's actions. I know you would've prevented this if you could so don't go blaming yourself. I'll see the two of you soon."
"They're all gone aren't they?" Alfons asked, heart heavy and eyes dulled with pain.
Treena nodded solemnly. "Every last one of them from what I can tell." Treena felt a new wave of sadness wash over her. Not only were her children missing, but so were the ones of everyone close to her. Soon, her sadness was replaced with rage, seeping through every pore in her body until her eyes burned. "Whoever did this will pay."
It took but a few hours for the entire group to gather within the Heidrich household. Everyone gathered in the living room as Treena served some tea, nearly calling out to her daughter for help but catching herself when the memory renewed within her, as well as the sting of pain.
"Who the fuck would do something so goddamn sick?" Mia asked, sipping at her tea.
Treena didn't even bother to chastise Mia for her use of a vulgar word. "I have no clue."
Roy stared into his tea as many thoughts swam through his mind. "And the state of the children's rooms?"
No one spoke but they all knew exactly what he'd meant and with that silent reply he knew that this kidnapper was the same one stealing away many children from their homes all over the country.
"What do we do now?" Alphonse asked, unable to latch onto any emotion in his brain other than the pain and sadness that flowed through them all.
Winry slammed her glass down on the table, sloshing tea around onto the carpet. "We get the bastard and take our children back! That's what we do!"
Treena sighed morosely, leaning down to clean the mess from her floor. "If only we could."
"But we can! Let's track this sicko down and thrash him!"
"If it were that easy don't you think we would've done so by now?" Treena snapped, throwing the rag roughly to the floor. Winry sunk back onto the couch, retrieving her tea and staring into the glass.
"She's right. We've been trying to get a lead on this case for nearly two weeks now and every source has caused us to come back empty handed."
"Then what do you propose we do General?" Russell asked, holding Mia close. Though the two weren't even married and hadn't had any children, they still considered all of the kids part of their family and this whole situation tore at them just as much as the others.
Roy was about to speak until the air went thick and everyone recognized it as something they should be wary of. All eyes were on Mia as her eyes glinted with a triumphant, devious light. She jumped from her seat, one fist raised in the air. "We go on another journey!"
"Mia I already said-"
"I know it won't be easy but haven't we done so many impossible things already, Treena? Everyone in this room has accomplished something no one thought we could and now is the time when we should take action instead of sitting around like lifeless lumps!"
Ed's face took on the same look as Mia's and it was then that everyone knew there was no disagreeing with them. When Ed and Mia were in agreement about something, it was completely impossible to stop them from following through with it. "We all did so much when everyone thought our ages would hold us back! We found the Philosopher's Stone when everyone told us to give up! Roy saved this country by ending the tyranny of a corrupt Fuhrer and we've all accomplished many other feats! C'mon! It's time we get out there and find our kids!"
Treena clenched one metal fist, staring at it for a moment before jumping from her seat. "We better get ready. We leave tomorrow."
"That's the spirit, Treena!" Mia shouted, smiling broadly.
"We'll move out in teams. All of us together is just too large of a group. Mia, Ed, Al, Erin, and I will travel in one group. It's slightly large but we managed it when we were younger. Roy, Riza, Russell, Alfons, and Winry are in group two."
"Just one problem," Roy said, placing his tea cup on the table.
"And just what is that General Manwhore?" Erin asked with a smirk and one eyebrow quirked up.
"Roy and I can't leave the office. Edward may have free reign on his missions but we're a bit different."
Treena thought things over for a moment, a smile flashing onto her face a moment later. "You two stay here in Central. We'll report to you any of our findings and the same for you in exchange. Any information you find is ours."
"Of course. If it's to save the children then how can we refuse?"
"So, Winry, Alfons, and Russell, you three are group two. Scout around for any info you can find and we'll do the dirtier work. Besides Russell, the three of you don't have much fighting skill so you'll be our rumor scouts."
"Well, I don't like the idea of being away from Mia but I think we can cope."
Mia jutted out her lower lip, looking absolutely pathetic in the opinion of most. Russell thought it was the most adorable thing in the world. He crossed the room and pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry baby, we'll be fine."
Erin couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Excuse me. I think I need to puke."
"Ha ha Erin. If I had to deal with you and Ed getting it on every time we stopped to sleep then you can deal with me and Russell together."
Erin went a dark crimson as many eyes flew to her, save for those who knew what Mia spoke of. Roy felt a smile creep up his lips.
"Well, I guess I misjudged you Fullmetal. Seems you were tapping that ass for longer than I thought." Riza and Erin smacked him on the back of the head, both glaring at him, while Ed was being held back by the Als.
"I'll kill him! Let me go now!"
"C'mon Ed. He didn't mean any harm."
"Yeah. Al's right. He's just a manwhore by nature. It's best just to pay no attention to him."
Ed calmed when he saw the look of shock on Roy's face, a smile tugging at his lips.
"All jokes aside, I think we should start packing tonight and get some rest for tomorrow. Everyone can rest here if they like."
"That's fine, Treena. We need to be at the office in the morning anyways so we'll just return to our home."
"Okay. You two take care."
Riza and Roy both stood, Roy more bolting to the door than walking, fearing that his earlier comment may still get him skinned. "You too."
Treena turned to the others. "I have a few guest rooms in the house. Take your pick guys. I will assume that you will be sharing beds with your partners though." Treena smiled as Mia latched onto Russell and Erin went close to Ed's side with a slight smirk.
"Yes please," Mia and Erin said in unison. The two started laughing, the whole group becoming infected by it soon after. This was one of the many reasons why Treena loved these people and chose to call them family. Even in a situation such as this they could laugh and be joyful. Always the optimistic bunch.
"I'm assuming you're all hungry."
"Ooh! Ooh! Me! Me!" Mia declared, jumping up and down with one hand in the air.
"You're always hungry!"
"Shut up shorty!"
"What?"
"You heard me midget!"
"That's it!"
Ed tore after Mia, chasing her all through the house at a speed he was only capable of when pissed off. For some reason that Treena never understood, these two seemed to live to tease and taunt each other. They constantly bickered about height as well as many other things that made absolutely no sense and they seemed to enjoy it despite how much they fought each other because of the remarks.
"Break anything and you're cleaning my house!" Treena shouted, wanting to brandish some sort of kitchen utensil at them, preferably her rolling pin.
She sighed as she moved back toward the kitchen. She wasn't sure how she'd ended up flying into the back of the couch.
Dust flew everywhere, wood splintering off in all directions as all eyes darted to the front of the house. Treena pulled herself up from the back of the couch, cursing as a small bit of blood dripped from her arm. The others stood in turn, Mia and Ed having to peel themselves from the back wall, the blast having knocked them back during their fued. They weren't without their own wounds of course and Erin rushed to Ed as his thigh dripped crimson.
"Ed! Are you okay?"
"It's nothing I-"
A figure appeared in the doorway, not very tall but commanding nonetheless and Erin gasped when the figure came into view.
"Heather!"
Heather turned to face her mother, surrounded by broken wood without a single scratch upon her body. She walked slowly, each step echoing loudly in the silent house, until she stood before her mother.
Erin threw her arms around her daughter, holding her close. "God where have you been? We've been so worried!"
Heather remained silent and still as a board and Ed heard the warning bells sounding in his mind, telling him something wasn't right.
"Don't worry mother. I'll make it all better," she whispered, one hand shooting out to wrap around Erin's neck her eyes glowing a bright red as Erin struggled to breathe. Her fingers clawed at Heather's, trying with all her might to pull them away from her throat. An evil sneer cut across her face as Erin's hands fell from hers and she began to go limp in her grip. A second later Heather jumped back to avoid the transmutation coming directly toward her and stared at her father with malice as Erin gasped for air.
"Who are you?" he growled, standing from the ground.
"Your daughter of course. Don't you recognize me father?"
"You are not Heather!" he screamed, running at her with his arm in blade form.
"DADDY!" she screamed, fear seeming to grip her and Edward stopped short, eyes wide in horror.
The girl smirked and jumped back towards the entrance she'd created for herself. "I come with a message from our master. He wants you all to know the greatest suffering possible and he will be sure to inflict the suffering of a hundred souls upon you all!"
Heather left them, eyes still glowing blood red as she ran from the house and Erin reached toward her.
"HEATHER!"
Ed stood in shock for a moment longer before transmuting his arm back to normal and returning to Erin's side. "Erin! Are you okay?"
Erin still had her arm stretched before her, small trickles of tears dripping from her eyes as she tried her hardest to reach her daughter. "Heather..."
"What... the hell was that?" Mia asked, stuck to the spot where she'd been standing. Russell came to check her over as Ed pulled Erin into his arms and held her tight as she tried with all her might to call their daughter back.
A/N: As for the second chapter of this story... give me a bit. I am always slow (as my readers can obviously tell ^^' ) at bringing in the updates. I had a flood of ideas at the beginning of the year but the plot bunnies have seemed to calm themselves (SPAWN BUNNIES! SPAWN!) As for Love in Silence, I will try to get the next chapter up very soon. Give me a little while to figure out exactly where I might be going with that story. I really need to learn to work these things out BEFORE I start writing DX Love you guys! :3