Title: Mail
Author: Spirix

Genre: Angsty/Fluff… Flangsty?
Rating: T for Teens
Pairing: Edward/Roy

Summary: "I have become just like both of our fathers... how could I?"

Disclaimer: I hate this part; it just reminds me of my lack of owning such a great story

Headline

Roy Mustang found himself trapped to his desk. He didn't mind though. The more he had to do, the less he had to think, to feel. After Riza died and left him alone Roy found himself with a new sense of urgency or need. He needed to reshape his country. He ignored the voice that said he was just distracting himself. That wasn't true. This was the job of the Furher. He was a ruler and rulers always put their countries first.

Plans and documents littered his office. There were work orders for building of more railroads to unite the small out of reach places as well as more roads. Roy signed his name with a flourish on one such document before reading over the notes on the city's hydro reconstruction. A hard winter had cracked a good deal of the cheaper pipe systems along west side. It took almost the entire spring and summer to replace them all.

Roy didn't even hear the door open to his office, he was that engrossed. If anyone had something important to say, they would write it down and put it on his desk, it was just that simple. He made everyone do it. No one was allowed to see him short of a diplomatic appointment.

The sweet scent of spring curled around him and Roy lifted his head. His mousey-haired Colonel was fixing a bouquet of freshly clipped flowers on the end-table by his office door. The man's name was Ben Fisher. He still didn't talk unless he needed to, the ultimate professional but since Hawkeye died last fall he went out of his way to keep things in order.

Mustang noticed that he always had a welcoming and competent looking office without any effort on his part. The Colonel was his only constant now. He would come in every day and put all the papers scatter haphazardly around his office in sorted piles for state affairs, military affairs and foreign affairs, then he would even arrange them in order of importance then chronologically. Roy felt like a jerk. This man worked so hard yet he couldn't bring himself to tell Fisher as such.

Roy just couldn't find the words to speak to anyone on any level unless it was business matters. He sighed quietly as he watched the man gather his discarded notes that he threw in crumpled balls earlier. Colonel Fisher never pushed for conversation. Roy was thankful but a part of him was also sad. Maybe he, the most powerful man in Amestris, should make an effort to at least get to know his people, one soul at a time.

"Fisher, come have a seat. I wish to speak with you."

"Yes Sir."

Fisher neatly placed the papers on the coffee table by the couch and came over to sit in one of the chairs facing his desk. He excelled in discipline and manners, the perfect soldier and secretary in one.

"How long have you been my secretary, Colonel?"

"Ten months and fourteen days Sir."

He was efficient and precise too. Roy almost felt bad on how unreceptive he had been to the young man in the beginning. He complained to himself about having a boring secretary but now things were different. Roy didn't dive into just how different; he feared his mind would crash under the weight.

"That is a long time for us to work together without knowing one another. Tell me about yourself Fisher."

The thin man blinked grey-blue eyes at him. He was surprised and it was the first real expression Roy had seen on his face. A long moment passed before the man answered.

"I am 28. I have a small home outside the city. My wife and I have three children, all boys."

Roy blinked and allowed himself a smile. It felt good. He thought he had forgotten how.

"That must be a handful. How old are they? You can relax."

Fisher sat back in his chair but that was the only sign that he gave of relaxing. Roy wondered if he had blinked yet since they started their conversation.

"Yes, my wife calls them little demons. They are five, four and two. We wanted them close together in age so they could grow up together. Brothers should be close. If you will excuse me Sir, the new bridge contractor will be calling shortly."

The brown-haired man go up, saluted and left the room. The Colonel knew him too well. Roy could feel the blood running from his face. Fisher said it was ten months… so that meant almost a whole year had passed since Riza conceived a child. He screwed up his face and tried to breathe. It took several moments with clenched fists grinding into his face to calm his shakes.

Finally calm he stood up. His eyes were dry but that meant nothing. Summer was coming to a close outside his window. He observed the city and wondered how a whole year had passed and he didn't notice.

Brothers should be close.

The thought kept pulling at him but he couldn't respond. He went over to the bouquet and pulled out a Lilac. Those bloomed in early spring so he wondered how they happened to be in his vase. His newest State Alchemist would be the source. She was the Bloom Alchemist for a reason. Her specialty was medicinal remedies but her hobby was floral arrangements of her creations. Every lobby had a fresh display every Monday, even if it was just a single flower. Some people requested something potted and she was on it like there was nothing else in the world more important. Her energy was astounding.

Roy smelled the flower and thought about how many new people were a part of his world and easily he let go of the originals. He picked up the phone. He was long over due to make this call.

Hughes was watching his beloved daughter paint a picture when his phone rang. It was unusual for him to get calls in the middle of his day off but he let it slide. Elysia looked too cute for him to be distracted by silly work.

"Maes! Stop staring at your daughter and answer the phone. You know how much therapy she is going to need when she gets older?"

He chuckled and blew a kiss to his lovely wife. She was carrying the newest edition to the family. The bundle was another sweet, wonderful baby girl and only a few months younger than Amber and the twins. The three girls could grow up to be like triplets. Hughes began to gush about how cute they would be going to school together in matching outfits and how they would sneak out at night to have secret sleep-over parties with one another. His face suddenly hardened. Alphonse's little son would have to go. There was no way he would let his little princess grow up with some player child, the womanizer.

"MAES! PHONE!!"

The father reached over behind his head to try and pull the phone off the wall without averting his eyes. His wife was about to start yelling so he quickly turned around and answered the phone properly.

"Hughes? Come over quickly, I need your help."

Maes heard the phone fall onto the ground on the other end. He quickly grabbed his coat headed and out the door. He knew exactly where he was going.

Mustang let the receiver click. The phone was busy. That was fine because he quickly lost his courage. He couldn't call him. Roy couldn't call anyone. He got up from his desk and paced his office.

A new overwhelming sensation hit him. His mental doors were open to all the things he tried so hard to keep away. Roy couldn't stand the little voice in his head that told him everything he didn't want to hear. The dark-haired man tried to make it to the door but failed. It was too late. The demon inside finally caught up and bypassed his evasions from the truth. All he could see was blonde deaths looming around him in dark cloaks. Mustang leaned against the door, inadvertently barricading the outside from getting in. Cold hands ran through his hair, stealing his breath and making his blood run cold. The voice spoke, but in the end, the voice was his own.

"I abandoned them just like my father abandoned me and his father too. I have become just like both of our fathers... how could I?"

He sobbed and pulled out another lilac from the vase beside him on the table. Roy held it before his face and let the tears run freely. He wished he never knew flower lore. Lilac was the flower of first love.

Al pounded on the front door of his brother's house. When he called earlier that day, the line was dead. That made him worry. His brother would never unplug the phone. Upon approaching the house he gasped to see the front curtains torn. Al could see the gaping holes from the outside.

"Ed!!! Edward, answer the door!!"

No sounds came from the inside. Everyone on the street was at work so he could yell all he wanted. Al would not let something like that get in his way regardless. He savagely beat the opposing door with his fists. The younger Elric had a a really bad feeling from this. Emitting an exasperated yell he rammed at the abused entrance with his body. It feel onto the floor in his frantic wake.

"Ed? Brother?! Are you here?!?"

A groan sounded from the kitchen. Al paused to survey the damage before bolting towards the food riddled room. There were bullet holes in the far wall and the couch. He was sicked at the bloody slashes in the fabric. In the kitchen there was more dishes in pieces on the floor than in the cupboards. Al stepped over the shards to a huddled figure in the corner. Al couldn't think properly, blonde tangled hair slumped against the wall was all he could concentrate on. The hair twitched but he ignored that.

"Edward?"

The head moved in a peculiar way. It was an odd sort of twitch. He passed it off as wind from the open back door. Al ignored examining it with more focus in view of what was important. Edward was alive! Al nearly tripped over the discard phone trying to make his way to his obviously injured brother. Common sense at last kicked in. Al quickly plugged the communication device in and called Hughes. With that taken care of, he was free to go to his brother's side without distraction. The older man was in bad shape. He was curled around something but Al couldn't get him to move. To his further horror there were slices through Ed's shirt where what Al could only guess to be bullets clipped him. None of the wounds looked fatal.

"Brother please. Are you ok? Where is little Amber?"

The house was too quiet. Al could feel his eyes widening. Where was the baby!?

The figure next to him sat bolt upright. Al backed away a foot in shock. Maes entered the kitchen at a run and slide to a stop nearly bumping into Al. Two golden eyes peeked out from behind blonde bangs. But Al wasn't looking at those. The hair twitching from earlier had not been a breeze... no, it had been a pair of golden feline ears poking out between strands. Edward had frantically sound searching cat ears protruding from the top of his head.

"Sir! Open the door!"

Roy blinked his tear crusted eyes. Where was he? The stiff feeling in his neck told him he slept on a hard surface. The hardwood floor prints on the side of his face confirmed that cold fact. The Furher looked around to see his office. The lilac for earlier was crushed into the chest pocket of his uniform coat. The dark-haired man had slept by his office door all night. He rarely received an entire night's sleep in his bed, the floor was just too bizarre.

"Sir, it's Colonel Fisher! You need to read this now!!!"

Roy quickly, well as fast as a bedraggled and rumpled person could, moved out of the way. The door swung open and his loyal subordinate handed him a newspaper in haste. Mustang read the the headline and could feel his soul being shred to fine stripe-like pieces.

Furher's Daughter: KIDNAPPED

Today a letter was sent into the main editor's office with a proclamation that if terms were not met, the daughter of our beloved leader will be terminated. Sources say the penmanship matches no one than rebel leader...

Roy didn't read the rest as he let the paper fall from his finger tips. Kidnapped? KIDNAPPED... and a Hostage!? A rough material was shoved into his outstretched and now empty hands. He gave a confused look to his overcoat before looking at Ben Fisher.

"Come on Sir. I just got a call for the Military Intelligence Department. There is information awaiting your audience. We have a meeting in fifteen minutes."

Still in shock he put on his coat with shaking hands. It took several tries.

"Why do I need a coat? MI is a floor down."

"We are not going into a meeting room Sir. Lieutenant General Hughes said to meet him at this address," he held up a slip of paper, "and not to bring anyone else. I believe the location is familiar to you, since you lived there once."

Roy fingered his flower gently as he walked briskly to the vehicle. Holding the paper slipped he looked out the window. He was going home.

End