2,600 words exactly...you're welcome! It only took me forever. It's been a busy week. Review please, I love the feedback from you guys!

I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, but I do own Sapphire Mustang, Kenny Mustang, the Emerald Alchemist, and all original stuff blah blah blah.


By the time he turned twenty, Ed was sure he was going to detest trains. Scratch that; he hated train already. Was there really no other mode of transportation besides locomotives, cars, and horses? Why hasn't someone invented some kind of high-speed flying machine? The birds had flying down pat. Maybe, if someone would just design a structure like a bird, with big wings, and put a couple engines on each side…

He would even accept a faster, smoother train with more wiggle room. It was one thing to share a compartment with his brother, albeit he was a giant walking suit of armor, but it was a whole other ballpark to share a compartment with three other people. Especially when one of those people is the man he despised most.

Ed, Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye, and Major Armstrong had caught the very next train (leaving forty-five seconds after arrival at the station) to Central, where the military prison was located. From what Mustang had told Ed so far, the Emerald Alchemist hadn't been talking—at all. He assumed that the Lieutenant and Major were tagging along to help interrogate him. Just look at Armstrong; one glance at him could make the most tight-lipped squeal. Although, Hawkeye could be pretty intimidating when she wanted to be. This was basically all the time.

Ed yawned and lifted his legs as to lay them on Mustang's lap, who scowled at him. Ed turned red and leaned against the wall instead, closing his eyes. Whoops. It was almost automatic of him to lean on Al, or put his feet on him on long train rides.

"Wake up, Fullmetal," said Mustang curtly. "As I was saying, if we can get him to talk, I get to question him first. It'll probably just be about his research on the Philosopher's Stone before and after his resignation. But after I get that done…" Mustang looked out the window but didn't finish.

Hawkeye informally patted his knee as best she could with Armstrong slumped on her, deep asleep. "Sir, you do what you need to. Alexander and I can always…look the other way." Ed noticed that she said that last half of her sentence knowingly, and met Mustang's gaze. They shared a less-than-formal look, one of good friends or close family.

"Well, wait," said Ed indignantly, "don't I get to interrogate him too? I'm the one who did the assignment and apprehended him."

Mustang broke away from his look to glare at the boy. "Yes, but it's neither your place nor role to interrogate prisoners. You didn't even complete the assignment."

"What?"

"You didn't bring Sapphire to me!"

"All you said was find her—"

"Yes, not kidnap my niece!"

"It's not like I knew she was your niece!"

"Be that as it may, you disobeyed an order!"

There was a soft rustling, and the two, noses nearly touching and screaming, turned to look at Hawkeye. The rustling had been her shifting to put a hand on her holster with blue eyes narrowed dangerously. The two fighters slid away from one another and, comically mirroring each other, crossed their arms, huffed, and shook bangs out of their eyes. After a moment and a long tension-filled silence, Armstrong wriggled in his sleep and mumbled, "No, Olivier, don't hit me again."

They reached central just as dusk was settling over the city. From what Ed could distinguish from Mustang's ranting over Armstrong's storing on the train, the prison was near the northern sector of the city. Without delay, Mustang called for a black military call, and they piled in (Armstrong with some difficulty).

Because he was a Colonel, Mustang explained on the way, Ed could go into the high-security prison, but was dismayed to find out that his title of State Alchemist was inadequate to gain a visit by himself. In other words, he couldn't come back to beat the living tar out of the alchemist.

At the front desk of the prison, Mustang flashed his pocket watch and said, "Colonel Roy Mustang, State Alchemist. I'd like to speak with the Emerald Alchemist, Emeril Langley."

"Will these three be joining you?" the burly attendant barked back at him.

"Yes."

"Was there an interrogation meeting scheduled?"

"Well, no but…I'm a Colonel," Mustang finished lamely.

"Very well. Go through that door." He pressed a button on a switchboard, igniting a light and buzzer and opening a door to their left. As they trooped through, a guard came, nodded to Mustang, and led them to the cell.

They passed dozens of guards and hundreds of cells until the designated cell door appeared. Looking it over, Ed realized that it was a foot thick. The guard punched a passcode in the pad on the wall and the door swung inward.

A thin figure sat hunched in the dark corner, his green tattoos bright against the orange prison jumpsuit. His beard and hair were even longer and more knotted than when Ed saw him last. A quick glance around the room showed Ed two security cameras, a thin mattress, and a revolting-looking toilet.

The figure stood up and bowed mockingly. "Why hello, Colonel! So nice to see you once again. And you…" The Emerald Alchemist squinted at Ed, cocking his head. "You're the little boy who broke into my lab."

Ed lunged at him, but was held back by Armstrong. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO LITTLE HE'D BE MISTAKEN FOR A FIRST GRADER?"

"Fullmetal, calm down," Mustang ordered. Ed huffed but pulled back and crossed his arms like a child.

The guard turned to Mustang. "To the Interrogation Room?"

"Yes please."

The guard roughly slapped handcuffs on the prisoner and they all walked out to the room.

"I'm going in with him first," Mustang said. "Hawkeye, when I call you, you come. Then, if he still doesn't talk, Armstrong."

"Sir!" the two said, saluting.

"What about meeee?" Ed whined. Mustang didn't even bother to answer him as he went into the little room with the guard and alchemist, while the other three stayed behind the one-way glass.

"I'm going to get right to the subject," Ed heard Mustang's voice from a speaker. "Did you succeed at making a Philosopher's Stone?"

"I don't know!" Langley sang gaily.

"Did you take information from the National Central Library to aid you in your own personal research?"

Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."

"Did you know that the girl you kidnapped ten years ago was Sapphire Mustang?"

"Oh, was she?"

Ed could see that Mustang, who was usually the epitome of coolness, was shaking with wrath already when he didn't get an answer about his niece. He had such a parental protectiveness of her, despite not being her actual father or seeing her for a decade. It was admirable.

"Perhapsss!"

"Did you blind her?"

"That I can honestly say I did not do."

"Don't you fucking lie to me," Mustang snarled.

"I'm not!"

Mustang spun to face the wall, his hand covering his eyes to prevent his company from seeing his frustrated tears.

"I know she's run off."

Mustang flew back and got right in Langley's face. "How do you know that?"

"It's odd that you would leave her in the middle of the wilderness when she's blind. Also that you've not asked about any of the experiments I performed on her. Long story short, I know exactly where and how she's feeling, down to the last centimeter and tear. So, I'd like to make a little deal with you, Colonel. If you drop all the charges against me, I'll lead you right to her and quietly be on my way."

"Absolutely not."

"Oh really? Let's see…" The rogue alchemist tipped back in his chair, grinning madly and looking upward as if concentrating on something. "She is reaching out towards a tree right now, in a forest, and she's panicking, and she's feeling her way deeper into the woods because she's blind. She knows she can't find the way out but she's trying anyway. What a stupid girl."

Mustang tore his hand back as if he was willing it to go the other way and not strangle the man in front of him. "Fine," he gasped. "Fine! I'll get you a pardon and I'll let you go Scott-free to do whatever sick things you want to do. Just take me to her!"

Ed put an arm up on the glass and leaned against it, fascinated at the show in front of him: Mustang losing control over logical thinking and going with his paternal emotions.

Then he realized that the vile alchemist was getting away without any punishment.

"What's done is done, Fullmetal."

"You're just letting him go? What kind of deal is that?"

"He knows where she is."

"He needs twenty-five to life! Or a death sentence!"

Mustang and Ed were arguing the next day as he filled out the necessary paperwork to gain custody of the prisoner. They would worry about the paperwork to get a pardon from the Fuhrer after they had her safe.

"Fullmetal, I think that as a Colonel, I'd know a bit more about making deals with criminals than you. You're just a kid. You wouldn't understand."

"Just a kid?" Ed yelped, his anger rising in his throat. "I'm fifteen!"

"A mere child."

Ed stared daggers at the man. A child, huh? This was a child we were trying to find, he thought. Well, she's fifteen too, but she was the child of Mustang's brother, and he obviously loved her very much. Where was that paternal love now?

"Don't you want to strangle him with your bare hands?" Ed said quietly as Mustang signed the last page and turned the paperwork in at the front desk. "Don't you want to see the man who probably tortured your niece die slowly and painfully? Al's told me she was up every night either going outside to cry or, if she did sleep, which wasn't very often, wake up from violent nightmares screaming 'Papa' or 'Leave me alone.' Don't you want to murder him"

Mustang didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to the window and stared out, no emotion escaping his passive face. To be honest, Ed didn't expect a reply from that bastard.

Ed sighed. "I should probably call Al and let him know I'm coming home." He went to the pay phone to make the call, leaving Mustang at the window, alone with his thoughts.

It was dark out. It was the kind of dark night where anything and everything came out at one at once, both from the shadows of the alleyways and the shadows of the minds. Mustang suddenly thought of the last time he spoke to his brother and niece.

"Yeah, Roy, I think we should go to the P-A-R-K!" Kenny spelled teasingly, smiling at his daughter but winking at his brother.

"No fair, Papa! I can't spell!" Sapphire pouted, stamping her foot on the kitchen floor.

"Try," her father urged. "Like we've been practicing."

"Pee, Ay… Pa… Like Papa!"

"Yes, dear. You're halfway done!"

"Pa… Arr… Kay. Parkay? Park! The park, the park, the park!" she suddenly cried, her blue eyes lighting up in joy.

Her father and even Roy laughed as she twirled around the kitchen, her skirt and hair arcing out, sing "Park, park, park!"

"Well, don't just stand there! Hop on board the Papa Express!" He picked her up and swung her onto his shoulders, and the little family trekked outside and down the street.

As soon as they arrived, she squirmed down and sped off towards the slides, leaving the chuckling brothers to sit and keep vigil.

"I marvel at your ability to parent such a ball of energy," Roy said. "I'd never be able to do it.

"Oh, lord, I know you wouldn't! You'd collapse crying within seconds if you ever had to babysit her!" His eyes crinkled, with humor, began to dull. "It's pretty hard being a single parent. I wish more than anything that Elena was still around. Sometimes I don't think I'm doing such a great job by myself."

Roy's heart went out for his brother, who still grieved for his wife these five years after her death. He gripped his brother's shoulder encouragingly. "We all miss her, Kenny."

"Sapphire doesn't."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"I…just want her to know what having a mother is like."

Don't we all? Roy wondered. He and his brother grew up in the care of Madame Christmas, who, although she technically filled the role, hadn't been exactly "motherly" towards the brothers. He knew that when Kenny and Elena found out they were pregnant, Kenny had nearly died with joy because he had the chance to give his child something he never had.

Roy had to admit for being a young, single parent, Kenny wasn't doing such a bad job. Sapphire was happy, bright, and healthy. What else could a dad want? Shouldering Sapphire, cleaning, bulls, and his element research for the university were all taking a toll on him, though. Roy tried to be there as much as he could, but he himself had obligations to attend to.

The brothers chatted about lighter things after Kenny emerged from his gloom. When the sun finally lowered in the sky, hovering over the tops of the trees and casting them all in a golden glow, Kenny called over to his daughter. "Sapphire, it's time to go home!"

"But Papa—"

"Don't you want Papa and Uncle Roy to make dinner?"

"Can we have hot dogs and fries?"

"Sure thing! Anything for you!" He laughed and swung her onto his shoulders once more for the trip back.

Roy washed while Sapphire dried and Kenny put away the dishes after their meal. Then, Kenny said, "Say bye to Uncle Roy. He has to go home and it's almost your bedtime."

"OK, Papa!" she replied, reaching up to Roy as her way of asking to be picked up. As he lifted her, she gripped him tightly and kissed him. "Goodnight, Uncle Roy. I wuv you!"

Roy's voice hitched. But he gulped and whispered, "I love you too," into her hair. He set her down and almost immediately after hitting the tile, she took off upstairs. He had to quickly wipe away a tear before his brother teased him about getting sentimental. Roy Mustang was not a sappy crier.

"I'll walk you out," said Kenny, opening the kitchen door. The brothers went out, but stayed on the porch lit by the glow of an orange streetlamp, each deep in his own thoughts.

"Thanks," Kenny said suddenly. "For everything. I really appreciate it."

"Hey, you're my brother. You're family. I'd die for you."

"You know, you'd make a good dad someday."

Roy grinned and raised his hands in defense. "No, I wouldn't. I don't have whatever it is you have, Ken." Unanticipated, Roy noticed how tired and old Kenny looked. The light brought out all the wrinkles, dark bags underneath his eyes, and pale lips. "Hey, Kenny, take it easy, OK? You and Sapphire should take a vacation. Go south, rent a cabin, blow off the research for a while."

Kenny laughed wearily. "I'm much too busy. I'll just get to bed early tonight."

Roy nodded, but didn't really accept their compromise. "You take care."

"Sapphire's got that covered!"

The brothers shared an embrace, and Roy took his first steps off the porch. Maybe, he thought. But do you have that covered?

Obviously not, Mustang thought darkly as he stood at the darkened window. Kenny got himself blown up the very next night.