How Long Is Forever?

AN: This is dedicated to EdwardsAlterEgo who drew a picture on deviantart that inspired this fic. I'm sorry that I have not been working on my other two stories, I have a really bad writers block. I need some ideas if you can help. I have an account on and I will probably transfer any MLP story I have there to this account as well. I will make a one shot for my SRMTHFG fic and one for Jar of Hearts as well. Well enjoy! Oh and here is the link

gallery/33909763#/d4k122z

OoOoOoOoOoOo

3rd Person POV

"You know Ed, my life couldn't be happier right now." Roy smiled warmly before looking at his lover, snuggled up cutely at his side on their dark navy blue couch in front of the fireplace. The fire crackled, keeping Furher and Brigadier General warm. Edward snuggled in deeper before sighing comfortably and softly spoke, " I can't even imagine being without you Roy. You know I love you. I promised you when we got married that I would be with you forever."

" Are you sure you want to take that assignment tomorrow? You know how much I worry about you. I'm still surprised you stayed in the military for so long." Roy sighed.

"Yes Roy. I need some action. I haven't had a hard mission in a long time. I know you're going to accompany me. You always do. It 'll be fine. We handled so many before."

" I know love. But I still worry. In the military, who knows how long forever is. Anything could happen. There are still people who don't like how Amestris is run. I know I've tried to keep this place peaceful, probably the most it'll ever be, but some think we should take over other countries like the Thorn Alchemist. Just promise me you will be careful when we confront him tomorrow alright?" Roy pleaded.

"All right I will. Now lets go to bed. We need to get up early tomorrow anyway.

OoOoOoOoOo ( Forest Few hours outside Central Next Morning)

"All right... Where is he?" Ed grumbled as he strode along through the forest. It wasn't dense but it was large.

"Are you sure the lead was right? We have been walking for a while now and still haven't found him. We got up way too early for this shit." He growled under his breath.

"Now Ed," Roy began, "The lead should be correct but maybe he saw us coming? I think we should spread out. Everyone take a flare gun and sound it when you see him alright? The rest of us will come to you. Get in pairs." Roy quickly grabbed Ed's arm and a flare gun before he started walking off in another direction.

"Hey bastard what are you doing? Let me go I'm not a baby!" Ed snatched his arm away from Roy's grasp. "I know you are worried but was that necessary?" Ed's frown softened and he picked up the pace so he was now in front of Roy.

"Come on. We need to catch this asshole and you need to stop worrying. We can defeat him quickly and go home easy as that. I've been in far worse before with the homunculi." Roy gave a worried smile and hugged Ed.

"I know but I have a bad feeling about this. Just be careful okay?" Two glowing eyes hiding in the trees watched their every move, before disappearing with a slight rustle. However, this rustle went unheard by the lovers.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo (Late Afternoon in the Forest, Near end of forest boundary.)

The couple soon got to the border of the forest. The sun slowly staring to make it's way down when the two cleared through the trees and made it to a small plain outside the copious forage.

"Damn... No sign of him and it's getting late. We should probably head back now. This lead was a bust." Ed sighed he was fatigued from the long trek and maneuvering around brush and tree branches. Roy, who was tiring as well, agreed and the two turned just as a voice shouted out,

"HAHAHAHA! YOU FOOLS!" A giant vine grew from the ground and slammed into Ed hard. He went flying before slamming into the trunk of a great oak tree and lying still, blood started flwoing down his face from the vine's attack. Roy watched with wide panicked eyes, begging for Ed to be safe and turned to see the Thorn Alchemist laughing from the trees.

"I followed you all day to wait for you to tire out and become weak. If I can reduce the Fullmetal Alchemist to an unconcious heap then the Flame Alchemist should be even easier."

More vines emerged viciously from the ground before swinging themselves at Roy. Roy leaped out of the way of one and burned another. He shut his eyes as one got an inch away from his face when the sound and light of a transmutation made him open them again. He turned with velocity to see Ed standing, leaning heavily on the oak, with his hands on the tree causing a root to shoot out and block the vine that has about to hit Roy.

Roy only watched for a second before he snapped again at more vines that were coming out of the ground. He reached for his flare gun, grabbing it and pointing it to the sky. Seconds before he pulled the trigger, another vine shot out and slammed into his hand, effectively knocking the gun away. Roy tried to grab it but was knocked to the side by the same vine.

"NOOO!" He heard someone shout but he was winded after the blow he received to his side when he heard a sickening CRACK! Wide eyes looked upwards to see Ed flying past, his eyes dilated and filled with fear when he landed with a loud THUD to the ground of the plain just ahead of him. Roy scrambled to his feet when he got caught and tangled up in some dried branch like vines.

"It's over Flame. You and that boy are dead and done." More of the same type of vine grabbed the unconscious Edward and held him up to.

"Say goodbye because this is the last time you will ever live." Thorn laughed maniacally. He turned and walked into the forest. Roy struggled to get out but realized it was useless. He looked at Ed to asses the damage. It was not good. Edward was still unconscious and blood still flowed from the cut on his face, slowly dripping onto the ground where the dirt soaked it up. However that was all he could see and hoped that was all it was. But the Gate and the Elrics never got along and Roy would realize the situation was more severe then he ever thought it was.

"Ed! Wake up!" Roy shouted. He smiled in relief when Ed groaned and his eyes fluttered before opening. His gaze scared him though. Eyes glassy and half lidded, definitely not good.

"Roy?" Ed mumbled softly. "Where are we?" He looked around silently, trying to figure out the answer on his own.

"Ed do you remember the fight with Thorn? We came to subdue him remember?" Ed frowned. His face scrunched in thought before he listlessly nodded. He tried to turn and mewled in pain.

"Ed! whats wrong?!" Roy started panicking. Ed looked and noticed that his right side, that was covered from Roy's view by the thick vine holding him, was bloody, a bit of white jutting out, and his side throbbed.

"It's my side." he panted slightly. "When I took that hit for you, the impact must've broken some of my ribs. My side is bleeding." Ed swayed a little before resting his pounding head on the vine holding him. He was getting dizzy and lightheaded. Roy panicked and cried out,

"Ed! Don't worry; I'll get us out somehow. Can you clap at all?"

"No Roy. I can't reach my other hand. Can't you burn it?" Ed mumbled again, his voice quieting slowly.

"If I wanted to burn us then I can... Wait that's it! I can use my alchemy to send a flare." Roy looked around for a spot empty of the vines trapping them before sending a large spark of flame in that direction, watching as the flare lighted the slowly darkening sky before dying out.

"Now let's hope someone sees it." Roy frowned. He turned back to Ed to fulfill his new mission, keeping Ed awake. Ed was slumped against his vine and seemed to be falling asleep again already.

Roy sighed, "Ed stay awake please." Ed started before leaning on the vine again, eyes less glassy looking. Rustling from the forest made both men turn back quickly.

"Well, well, well." A malevolent voice laughed. The Thorn Alchemist emerged from the trees, a sick and twisted smile painted his face.

"I wanted you to show your weakness to me but I never thought it would be Edward Elric. Oh this is rich!" He smirked and placed his hands on the ground. A pained yelp from Ed made Roy turn, horrified to see the vines tightening into a vice-like grip around Ed. It got tighter and tighter making Ed whimper loudly.

"ED!" Roy panicked and stretched his hand out as far as he could. Ed whimpered and stretched his hand out as well, straining to at least touch his hand, but they could not reach each other. SNAP The stretched out hand fell limp, thudding lightly against the vines. Blood trailed down the pale hand, a small river cascading from the chest where a broken rib had snapped and pierced the weak skin.

"EDDDD!" Roy hollered, tears streaming down his face. Ed's eyes closed and his body slack. Through Roy's shouting not a single response was given. None at all.

Roy stopped. Mind blank. The one fear, the greatest fear of all to the proud and strong man, the Furher of Amestris, became a reality in that moment. Anger, hate, grief, all burned in his eyes, as he turned to the one responsible for this painful situation. Without any comment the fire that matched the hate and anger in his eyes snapped from Roy's hand, causing the bane of his life to become engulfed in flames, but causing his prison to burst in flame as well. The luck of Roy Mustang saved him, as the fire burned his own prison, the vines weakened and with one strong shove, broke, freeing Roy with minor burns and slightly bad scratches. Roy dashed to Ed and with all the strength he could muster, cracked the vine and pulled it apart. Ed slid forward, free of his bounds and slumped into the waiting arms of his lover.

Roy laid Ed down with the gentlest caution, as if he was porcelain and the smallest touch from even the wind, would break the only true love Roy had ever known. He felt the pulse of Ed's wrist, praying to every deity he could think of that Ed would be alive. There! A light pulse almost not detectable. Roy scooped up the fragile man and ran into the trees, placing pressure on the spot in Ed's chest where the rib had pierced it. He ran past the patrol that was coming to help them, after seeing the flare, and they followed swiftly, messaging the men at the meeting area to ready a stretcher and any medical supplies they had.

Roy blankly followed, to caught up in the strong possibility that Ed may still die and made it to camp just as that heartbeat that kept him running, faded into nothing.

"Save him please!" Roy cried as he handed him to the ambulance that arrived seconds before they did and watched helplessly as the medics performed CPR and hooked him up to IV's. Roy was guided into the ambulance and once he sat down, passed out from the fatigue of the day's events.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Roy woke up to the sound of beeping. He slowly opened his eyes, only to close them again when the blinding whiteness of what he was sure was a hospital room, made his eyes burn from sheer exposure. He waited a moment before opening them again and looked around to see another bed next to him. A blond haired man was asleep, a respirator covering his mouth, bandaged all over and an IV poking out from his left arm. Roy shot up out of bed and sat next to Ed's side. He looked at the chart that was in front of his bed and searched for the stats.

Stats: Vitals are stabilized, returning to normal, still needs help breathing, fed by IV, most injuries healed, comatose -7 days. On life support.

'Comatose' the word echoed in Roy's head. He had been comatose for a whole week, and Roy himself had been asleep for the same amount, but at least he was awake now and not in a coma. He held Ed's small left hand, becoming thin from not eating and stroked it thoughtlessly. Roy's grief stricken face turned to Ed's and silent sobs tore through his body, fat tears falling onto Ed's pale hand.

"Please Ed. Wake up." He sat there until a nurse came in and started fussing over him, now that he was awake.

"Mr. Elric has been comatose for a full week, the longer he stays comatose the chances of him waking become smaller. So far, it is about a 15 % chance of him ever waking up. He will live otherwise but it may be better to take him off life support because of this." She sighed.

Roy shook his head. "I must believe that there will be a chance he wakes. I cannot live without him. He must wake up and I won't kill him myself. I just can't"

The nurse smiled sadly and walked off to check on other patients. Roy stared at Ed's limp figure and clutched his hand again.

"Please Ed. Wake up for me. You promised me you would be with me forever. When does the Fullmetal Alchemist ever break a promise?" He started to cry but this time, on Ed's face for he hovered over his husband and kissed him softly on the lips before resting his head his body.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ed was in a place of darkness. He could not see. Nor Hear. Nor Touch. He was smothered in darkness and that alone scared him. Ed never liked being alone, he feared it. When Mom died, when Maes died, when Al almost died, every time he feared being alone. He huddled close to himself, trying to block out the feeling of overwhelming loneliness. Suddenly, he heard a voice, he looked up to see little droplets of light hit his face. Droplets of shining light coming from above.

He reached out, the words becoming clearer.

"Please Ed. Wake up for me. You promised me you would be with me forever. When does the Fullmetal Alchemist ever break a promise?"

Roy!

Ed reached higher and higher, following the sweet voice, the love he felt in those words. He woke up.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Ed blinked, the brightness dimmed down and he looked at the sleeping figure on his bedside. Roy still had tears falling down his eyes but was asleep all the same. Ed smiled sweetly and nudged Roy with his good hand. Chuckling when Roy grumbled and groaned from his dream state.

"Excuse me sleeping beauty. Pardon me for interrupting your nap." Ed teased.

"Roy jumped and stared at Ed for a few seconds before immediately hugging the man and holding him close.

"Ed! Never scare me like that again. You've been in a coma for a full week and I was worried you were never going to wake." Roy smiled and held Ed close, slipping in beside Ed on the hospital bed. Ed smiled gently before wrapping Roy's arms around him.

"You know nothing could keep me down. I cheated death so many times. I am surprised that I was in a coma but that explains all that black." Ed described the feeling before sighing.

"At least we both survived."

"Yes but for now. You did die for a little bit and I was terrified. I thought that the forever you promised would end right there." Roy whispered.

"I know. I always wondered myself Roy. The day I made my vows with you the thought that always ran through my head because of our profession. How long is forever?"

The End

AN: I never thought I would finish. This took me so long to write. I will post this to Deviantart and Fanfiction. I am going to post my other stories to deviant too and the story on my fimfiction(ponies) to both accounts as well. I hope to write more soon. I am placing DBMH and WM on hiatus till I figure out what to do next. I will continue to write other fics till I do though. Happy Late Valentines Day!