This fic takes place shortly after Brotherhood/the manga. Edward and Al didn't leave on their journey, however, and Winry and Ed aren't a couple. Edward decided to stay in the military and still has his alchemy. He has his right arm and Al has his body back. Also Maes is alive, because I'm in denial.

Warnings for this chapter; Suspense, violence, blood

Prologue; Part 1

Edward's uneven footsteps clipped on the front steps of Central Headquarters, Al's lighter step on the off beat with is own. It still surprised him sometimes, when he looked over at his brother and saw the handsome young man with a smile that melted hearts and eyes that sparkled with intelligence instead of the large, grey armour.

It had been a year since they'd defeated Father and he'd managed to pull Al from the jaws of the Gate. He'd given almost all of himself to do it but they'd both managed to come out of it in one piece.

Well, almost. Ed's automail leg was still a heavy weight beneath him. His right arm was flesh and bone, thanks to Al, but he almost missed the arm Winry had crafted for him sometimes. His arm had been strong, and it was something he could use as protection. Now that he had his arm back, he'd had to learn more practical means of defending himself.

He still had his alchemy, but now he had the awkward weight of a pistol strapped to his hip. Something that Roy had almost completely insisted on when he'd decided to stay in the military. Ed had grumbled for a month, hating the idea of carrying a gun let alone using it. He'd broken, finally, when he'd almost been killed in a confrontation a few months after the war. He'd tried to fall back on his automail blade, only to realize at the last second that he couldn't rely on that any longer. It had almost cost him his life. He'd trained with Hawkeye for a few weeks before he'd been registered to carry the weapon. Most State Alchemists didn't carry them, though they all knew how to use one. Ed had been the only member of the military with no knowledge on how to even fire one properly, let alone reload or aim. Those days were over.

"Brother?"

Al's voice broke through Ed's musing. He hummed as he blinked at his little brother, head tilted slightly in question.

Al chewed his lip and Ed raised an eyebrow at the slight pink tint to his cheeks. "I'm… I'm going back to Resembool tomorrow. I'm going to ask Winry to marry me."

Edward almost tripped on the next step, stopping in his tracks as he stared at his brother dumbly for a moment. Al's nervousness seemed to triple in the couple seconds it took Ed to respond.

"That's great, Al!" Ed said with a grin, ruffling Al's hair. "About time. You two have been giving each other moon eyes for the past six months."

Al flushed darkly and straightened his hair, sighing softly. "What if she doesn't… I mean, it's always been you she looked at. Maybe I'm reading this wrong?" The desperate question in Al's voice made Edward smile softly, a tender understanding in his eyes that was rarely seen.

"Al, she's like my sister… yeah, she had a crush on me for a while but it passed. We talked about it when I decided to stay in the military. We're not good for each other. You two, on the other hand… I can't even imagine a better couple."

Al's face lit up but the mischievous twinkle in his eyes made Ed's suspicion simmer.

"I can," Al said smugly. Ed groaned and continued walking up the stairs, trying to get as far away from his brother as he could before the conversation could get out of hand. He was not talking about this again.

"When are you and General Mustang going to get together? It's painfully obvious you like each other."

Ed's hands were clasped over his ears as he gritted his teeth. He'd regretted telling Al about his crush on Roy the moment it had slipped past his lips. His brother hadn't let him forget it for a second since. He seemed to have it in his head that Roy was interested in him. Edward knew better. Al was a hopeless romantic who believed in love above all things. But there were some things that were more important than a stupid crush. Roy was on his way to becoming Fuhrer. Ed wasn't going to stand in his way. Even if Roy did have feelings for him-which he didn't-he would be stupid to act on them. Edward was 14 years younger than him, a male and his subordinate. Three reasons to definitely avoid a romantic relationship.

Even a purely sexual relationship would be a bad idea, but Edward had no interest in that anyways. Even though Roy stirred a fire inside him in a way that he hadn't thought possible, he didn't like Roy because he was hot. Over the year since the war, Edward had seen a side to Roy that he never had. He'd seen a kindness in his eyes and heard a softness to his voice. Ed always knew he cared for his men but he'd never really considered himself one of Roy's men. It wasn't until the war was over that he truly felt like he'd been accepted into the little family under Roy's command-and as a result, he'd seen a side to him that he never had before.

Roy would be the best Fuhrer this nation had ever seen and there was no way he was doing anything to ruin it.

"I'm not talking about this Al, I told you… And definitely not here."

Al smirked but he mimed zipping his lip to show that he wasn't going to say any more on the matter. Edward rolled his eyes as he came to a halt in front of the gates to the higher portion of headquarters. He frowned at the amount of people running around, Generals barking orders and overall chaos. He walked toward the sentry at the gate, sighing when the man straightened at the sight of him.

"Lieutenant-Colonel Elric, sir!"

Edward waved a hand dismissively. "At ease. What the hell is going on around here? Did Grumman blow something up by accident again?"

The sentry shook his head, looking panicked. "The Fuhrer has been put into protective custody and is locked in his office. There was an attempt on his life an hour ago and everyone is still trying to figure out who did it."

Adrenaline surged through Edward, his hands clenching into fists as he turned to Alphonse. "Go back to the apartment. I'll be there later."

Al opened his mouth to protest but he was cut off when someone called Edward's name. They both turned to look through the gate which had been opened to admit them.

Roy walked swiftly toward them, dark coat billowing out behind him as the wind picked up.

"Ed, we've got trouble," Roy said, not bothering with niceties as he jumped right to the point. "Three assassins broke into headquarters and attacked the Fuhrer. We've just had confirmation that they've been sighted in the town just outside headquarters. I've gathered a team and I need you with me."

Ed nodded, turning back to Al to once again try and convince him to go back to the apartment but Al's jaw was set in a stubborn line.

"There are people down there! I can help get the civilians out of the line of fire so the rest of you can focus on catching these guys… Please, Ed, I'm not helpless."

Protective instinct screamed at Edward that Al was still too weak to fight but he wouldn't be fighting. Logic told him Al was right. Unless someone got the people out there was a high chance of civilian casualties. With a pained sigh he nodded sharply.

"Stay out of the line of fire. The first sign of danger, you get out of there. You're as much a civilian as the rest of them and I can't fight properly if I'm worried about you."

Al nodded, following Ed as he stalked off after Roy and his men, already mobilizing toward the back of Headquarters where the assassins had been sighted.

No one questioned Al's presents. He was well trusted by Roy's men and they considered him as much a part of them as they did Ed. He felt a small flicker of relief in knowing that they would all do everything they could to protect Al.

Tearing his mind back to the task at hand, he listened closely as Fuery explained the situation. From his intel, the assassins had been seen only a minute ago disappearing into the market. Ed looked up at Roy when he swore, seeing the concern breaking the corners of his mask. Ed knew the reason for it. He was suddenly very glad that Al was with them.

It was a Friday afternoon and the market would be packed with innocent men, women and children out doing their shopping. There was no way they could open fire into a pack of unarmed civilians to catch three assassins.

"Falman, help Alphonse clear the square as quickly and calmly as you can. We can't let them know we're on to them or they might start shooting and taking hostages. If you spot them, signal for us. Do not engage, do you understand?"

The both of them nodded and Ed tried to push down the protective panic that bubbled up inside of him. He had to keep reminding himself that Al wasn't a child any more and he could take care of himself. He was often better at it then Edward was.

Roy pulled them to a halt just outside Market Square, scanning the crowd with trained eyes. Hawkeye's gun was already at the ready, prepared to take out anyone she deemed a threat.

Ed's hands tightened into fists as Alphonse and Falman entered the square and Roy ushered the rest of his men to the shaded alley between two shops. Edward's eyes never left Al's form, watching him move through the crowd and calmly urge people into the shops and off the street. It only took a few minutes before the street was mostly empty. Edward almost missed Falman's signal and his shout to freeze.

Roy and Hawkeye led the others out from their hiding spot as their guns joined Falman's, trained on the three figures that stood to the side of the street. A small bubble of terror clawed it's way up Edward's throat when he saw how close they were to Al.

Ed's gun felt unnatural in his hands and even though he knew he could hit his target, he still always hesitated before pulling the trigger. He'd fired it a handful of times but he'd never taken a life. He knew that if one of the assassins made a move toward Al he wouldn't even pause to think before he fired. His brother's life would always come before his morals.

Edward skirted out of range when the shots started firing. The assassins had dived behind a fruit cart and were using it as cover as they fired. Ed peeked out from around the building he had ducked behind, taking stock of the situation. His pounding heart calmed slightly when he caught sight of Al once more, relieved to see him safe under cover. He looked like he was fighting the urge to attack but Ed was glad he had the sense to stay put. These men were good shots. He could tell from how close they came to hitting their mark every time they fired. If it weren't for the quick reflexes of Roy and his men, he knew the street would be running with blood by now.

Things were going relatively well until the shout of a terrified mother shook the air. Ed's head whipped toward the store as Falman held the woman back, her arm outstretched toward the small girl who had run right into the middle of the fire fight. At first Edward was struck with confusion before he saw what she was running after-her doll.

She grabbed the doll from the ground, completely unaware of the threat that ran toward her. Ed knew he had seconds to act before the assassin grabbed the little girl and used her as a shield. His hands clapped together and struck the pavement at the exact second Al's did.

The ground shifted, the power surging down Edward's arms and into the pavement as he willed the stone to shift and jut out in a thick battering ram. It slammed into the gun hand of the assassin, making him cry out in pain as the sound of breaking bone reached Edward's ears. His gun flew in the air and skidded toward Alphonse as his alchemy did it's job. A large glove of stone lifted the girl from the ground, protecting her from the fire as it deposited her gently at the feet of her mother, who quickly grabbed her and raced back inside the store.

"Alphonse, get out of there!"

Havoc's shout cut through Edward like a dagger and his head whipped around to search wildly for his brother, fear clawing at his insides as he saw his brother scrambling backward, away from the oncoming swing of the sword the assassin wielded.

Ed swore as he dove from his cover, running toward the assassin before he could cut his brother to pieces. His hands poised to clap but he never managed to touch his fingers together before a white hot pain pierced through his thigh and ran up his spine.

He stumbled and crashed to the ground, gasping as his vision blurred. He tried to crawl his way toward his brother, hearing his terrified shouts.

Edward had never been shot before, never felt the screaming agony of having something so small tear his body apart from the inside. He knew pain, but this was different. He could feel his life slipping away from him. He lost feeling in his arms, unable to drag himself any further across the pavement. He could feel the hot sticky blood pooling out from under him. He was bleeding out quickly.

Time slowed down. He watched in quiet horror as Al's arm reached out toward him, a scream of his name on his lips. He watched the wide sweep of the blade as it came down across Al's shoulder.

Bile rose in Edward's throat. Tears slid silently down his cheeks. He could do nothing but stare as Al's left arm landed on the pavement with a thud. The colour drained from from Al's face and for a moment there was utter silence. The world seemed to take a moment to comprehend what had just happened.

The silence broke with Al's scream.

His body hit the ground with a sickening crack as his head snapped back and smacked into the pavement hard enough to knock the life from his eyes. In the seconds before his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out, the dull saffron colour of his eyes made a flicker of life surge through Edward's body.

His fingers curled against the pavement as he tried to pull himself toward his brother, pain lashing out in hot waves. Something was stopping him from moving forward and he just managed to tilt his head so he could see the two people standing behind him.

Ed's lips formed his brother's name, trying to beg them to help his brother, but no sound came forth. He could feel Hawkeye and Havoc's hands on him, swearing as they tried to stop the bleeding from his leg. Breda was unconscious a few feet away, a small pool of blood coming from a bullet wound to his side. Fuery was in tears and looked like he didn't know what to do as he tried to hold Breda's life in.

Edward couldn't see Falman from his position but he could still hear the rain of bullets coming from behind him. He saw the fire lapping at the hiding spot that still protected two of the assassins and he knew Roy was doing his part.

Hawkeye and Havoc's hands were too busy and slick with his blood to fire at the man with the sword and the broken wrist as he grabbed hold of Al's ankles and pulled him behind the barricade. Ed wished they would let him die. The blank, dead eyes of his brother when he'd collapsed on the ground was surely enough to cause Edward's heart to stop. This pain would kill him, so why was he still breathing?

He heard the furious scream that he recognized as Roy. He heard the panicked shouts of soldiers as reinforcements arrived but it was too late. The hail of bullets had stopped. The squeal of tires signaled the assassin's retreat.

Stars clouded Ed's vision. Darkness swam around him. He could hear someone shouting his name but he didn't care. Al was gone. They'd stolen his little brother from him when he'd just gotten him back. He should never have let Al come. He should have protected him.

The only thing remaining was the severed left arm on the pavement, dead and cold.

"Edward, don't you dare die on me!"

Roy's panicked shout fell on deaf ears as Edward slipped into unconsciousness.