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For the swear words: I'll try to use less of them. Most likely I won't cut them out completely, but I promise to use less of them.

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.


A FATHER THAT'S NEVER PRESENT

Chapter 9
The son of the two fathers

No… it just… can't be. It can't.

"Edward..?" the man in front of him said, sounding a little relieved but also pretty shocked. He smiled exhaustedly.

Ed couldn't help but just stare disbelieving. His mind wasn't accepting it. His mind wasn't accepting the fact that his life was turning upside down again.

What should I do!? What can I do!? It's HIM! I… I can't deal with this now. Oh god, what should I do…!?

And with that thought he slammed the door shut. It just felt to be the easiest way to avoid facing the things just now. He grabbed his head and fell against the door. He slowly let his feet lose focus and ended up sitting on the floor. He howled.

No, no, no… This isn't happening. This is a dream. A very, very weird and scary dream. God, I want to wake up. I want to wake up to the reality… Must be the first time.

The doorbell rang again and Ed swore that he heard someone behind the door sigh. But maybe it was just his imagination. He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure about anything anymore. It was like he was dreaming. Nothing felt realistic.

"Brother, did you open the door?" Al ejaculated.

Ed tried to answer but he soon found out that he couldn't make any voice. He didn't remember how to talk, how to move or do anything in that matter. Only breathing seemed to be still in his control, but it was heavy. He was so shocked. His mind was screaming but he couldn't show it. His body felt calmed… though his mind certainly didn't.

The doorbell rang again.

"Anyone there? Excuse me?"

Ed's body shrugged. He closed his eyes. He heard people walking towards him and Winry's yelling voice upstairs, but he didn't understand the words. They seemed to communicate on a different wavelength than he did.

"Brother…!? Are you OK?! What is it?" He felt someone next to him. He had no idea where he was, everything was so weird. What a nightmare.

He let out a small groan.

"Are you hurt? Is he hurt, Roy, do something!"

What is happening…? Whatever it is, it can't be the thing I'm imaging. Maybe accepting the adoption drove me crazy. Yeah, that must be it.

The doorbell rang again.

Ed felt someone lifting him up and saying something. He didn't know what, the voice was so familiar, but at the moment it seemed to come somewhere far away. He didn't react, he just was. Everything around him just… was. Everything seemed to go on in a slow motion. He could hear his heartbeat. The ticking of the clock. The breathing around him.

He felt being put down to the couch he had been sitting just a moment ago. Just a little moment… No, it felt like years…

Then his mind decided to give up fighting against the shock and just shut everything down.


The doorbell just kept ringing.

"WE'RE A BIT BUSY IN HERE, CAN YOU PLEASE WAIT A SECOND IN THERE?!" Roy found himself bellowing. Then Ed became limp.

"Oh god…"

He searched for the pulse… yeah, it was there. And breathing was OK as well, just pretty heavy. He found no injuries. The only thing that seemed to fit was shock, but he had no idea where the kid could've got that. Maybe he got too shocked because of the adoption? But… why did he react so much after it? It didn't make any sense.

The doorbell rang again. Then Roy realised where Ed had been when the shock had hit him.

No… it can't be… or can it?

"Alphonse, your brother seems to be OK, he's just in a shock. I'll go and open the door, just make sure he's OK. Try to wake him up." With that he stood up and ran to the door. And opened it.

There was a hesitant looking man. Long golden hair, glasses. Long brown coat. Roy blinked.

"Who are you?" he asked. Though he thought he already knew the answer. The answer that would explain everything, but what also could drive everyone in troubles. And ruin the adoption. He tensed.

"Hohenheim Elric. Was that my son? Edward?"

That was the time when Pinako pushed Roy away from the doorway and took a look at the man.

"Hohenheim? Long time no see. What brings you here?"

"I came back and found my old house burned down. There's only a black half-burned tree left and some of the foundation. So my second choice where to go would be this place." He smiled sadly.

Pinako raised her eyebrows. "What kept you away all this time? A lot of things have happened, and trust me: most of them are not good ones."

Hohenheim looked at his feet. "I'm sorry I left. I'm so sorry. I got enemies. Dangerous ones that were too big threat. I didn't want to endanger my family. But now they're away. I'm free. No threats. So I wanted to see my family again."

"What kind of enemies?" Roy spat out.

"Roy, behave. Things need to get talked through. Come in Hohenheim."

"Thank you, Pinako. And as for the enemies, I can't tell you. Very secrets things." He sighed.

He's going to take my family away… the family I almost got! Damn it!

Roy gave Hohenheim a mean look and lengthened his steps. He arrived to Al and still unconscious Ed before the others.

"How is he?" he asked as he sat down and laid his hand on Ed's cheek.

"I haven't managed to wake him up just yet. Is he really OK?" Al asked silently.

"It's just a shock and he has the right for it. But I think we have a problem."

Then Hohenheim and Pinako arrived.

"Edward… is he OK? He was fine just a while ago. What happened?" Hohenheim asked worriedly as he expedited to get to Ed. Then he glanced at Al. "Are you… Alphonse? Or?"

Al sighed. "Father..? What? Wait…You recognize me!" Roy could hear excitement in the younger teen's voice. He wasn't exactly thrilled about it. Not at all in fact.

That was the time when Ed moaned.

"Ed? Are you awake?" he immediately asked as everyone turned their heads.

"Mmmhnm." Ed stirred his eyelids. Then he opened them. Slowly.

"Roy..?" he moaned. He sounded tired.

"I'm here. Are you OK?" Hohenheim glanced at him. Roy was sure that he was figuring everything out already. The man didn't seem to be stupid.

"I think the adoption thing was too much. I'm imaging things. Please, don't put me in a mental hospital… or I'm going to kill you…" Roy shivered. The teen had just let everything out without even knowing that he did. And he was thinking that he was crazy…

His mind must be really messed up.

"What adoption?"

"We'll clear things in a moment, I think you deserve to know what's been going on for the past 15 years, but can we at first make sure that he's alright? Thank you", Pinako said.

"Roy… the fancy man is still in here… Why does it look like people are talking to him..?" Ed grabbed Roy's hand and squeezed it hard.

"It's because you're not imaging. It's your father." He hated admitting it… at the moment he believed that the man would just be their imagination.

Ed laughed. "That's so funny, don't play tricks with me. You know that I hate it…"

Hohenheim touched Ed's cheek gently. Ed almost jumped up out of his realisation, which he wasn't admitting to himself.

"ARGH, IT JUST TOUCHED ME, TAKE IT OUT OF HERE! MAKE IT GO AWAY!"

Hohenheim tried to calm him down. His voice was soft and confident, and Roy found himself hating it. He hated how the man seemed to be a good father after all. He wasn't going to accept it. "It's OK, Ed, I'm back, you're not imaging. It's OK."

Ed shook his head. "No, no, no. I'm imaging. Go away." He trembled.

"He's in a shock. In it it's normal to refuse the reason what produced the shock. He'll believe it if we just give him a while", Roy said. He stroked Ed's hair and saw the envy on Hohenheim's face. He felt pretty pleased about it. He knew the fight was on.

"I can try to hold him, maybe it would help."

"I think that's a good idea. Hand him over to Hohenheim Roy."

"Excuse me? He's already out of his mind, and you're asking me to give him to someone who he thinks he's just imaging? How do you think he will react?" He snarled.

"Then you can keep his hand or something." Roy felt furious. But he did as he was asked to. Ed didn't take it well.

Ed started fighting against both of them. Mostly against his real father, but anyway. He screamed.

"Calm down, Ed. It's OK", Roy found himself repeating all over again.

I just want to grab him and take him away of this situation. I can't stand hearing him screaming out of fear. I've never heard him doing that before.


"ROY, HELP ME! HELP ME!"

I can't… I'm so sorry Ed…

"PLEASE! PLEASE, HELP ME, WAKE ME UP! WAKE ME UP, THIS IS THE WORST NIGHTMARE I'VE EVER HAD!" Tears were falling down Ed's face. Alphonse had frozen. Winry had arrived and froze in the stairs. Pinako was going to her.

I can't take this… I can't bear hearing him scream… I can't let him down, he trusts me!

"OK, THIS IS ENOUGH! Enough!" he yelled. Hohenheim let go.

"It wasn't working."

"Nice that you realised it as well! Now, maybe you'd better back away a little." He gave an icy glance for him.

"There's no reason to be that rude! He's my son! I repeat, mine. No matter you've been in here, trying to adopt him! He's my son!"

"No, he's not! He hasn't been your son in 15 years!"

"Stop it, you two! Stop it! You're freaking him out! Don't you think he has had enough already? He doesn't need you two fighting!" Winry yelled and pushed Roy away. She hugged Ed tightly. Ed seemed to hug her back.

"Winry, take me away from here… I don't care where, just take me away." His eyes were anguish and Roy felt bad.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, I don't know what got into me…" he whispered. Hohenheim lowered his head out of shame.

"Winry, take Ed and Al upstairs. I need to have a few words with these two. Privately."

"OK, granny… Al, help me."

She and Al dragged Ed upstairs. Pinako waited for the door to shut before she turned to see the two men.

"OK, have a seat, both of you. What you just did was unforgivable. I know that both of you are a little shocked as well, but it does not, I repeat, IT DOES NOT give you any rights to start fighting in front of a kid that is already in a big shock. Never, EVER let me see you two doing it again. And now, I think we need to tell what has happened during the past 15 years, and I'm going to need Roy's help to fill the spots I don't know."


Ed felt relieved when he realised that he was in his own, familiar bed in Resembool again. He grasped his blanket and curled his body. He knew his eyes were still wide, he could feel it. His mind was racing.

This isn't real. It just isn't.

"Ed, are you alright?" he heard a soft voice. Winry.

"I don't know. This is a dream, right?"

"I'm sorry to say this, but it isn't. Accept it. Please." She stroked his hair.

Ed tried. He really tried. But he couldn't.

"I can't. It's not true. It just isn't."

"It is, brother. I know it shocked you, we almost got a new father, you already accepted the idea and now you don't get it, but you get your old one back. Isn't it nice? I always told you he would come back."

Winry looked at the two of them. "What are you planning to do? Are you just going to kick other away?"

"We can't do that."

"But you can't have both of them! They're going to kill each others… it won't work. You have to choose."

"But I don't know what our real father is like!"

They fell silent again. Thank god, Ed thought. He was slowly trying to accept the fact that his father was back. But it was hard.

"He can't be back", he whispered.

"He is, brother. What should we do? We can't kick him out without giving him a chance."

Winry clapped her hands together and smiled. "I know! Give them time… a month or two or three or whatever to try to prove which one would be better father to you! Then both of them would get a chance, you don't have to make your decision right now."

Al lowered his head. "Our father wasn't happy about Roy. He's our legal guardian now that he's back. I don't think he'll let Roy adopt us even if he'd fail."

"Just tell him that if he wants the best for you two, he'll fight fairly and let you have the father you want to have."

"I'm not sure if he'll listen!"

"Then disappear. If he managed to do it, you can do it as well."

Al thought about it. "But what about you?"

"Me? If you have to disappear, I'll come with you, of course!" She smiled.

Ed moaned. "Don't cut me out of your conversation. I hate to be ignored."

"It's a bit hard to talk about it with you when you don't believe that our father is back."

"Then I'll imagine. So, what was Winry's plan?"


So, this was today's update. It's pretty hard to find time to write a chapter when I have to use so many hours at school. But I managed.

Review people! I love reviews... I'm so amazed by the fact how many I've already got them. But I want more! Pretty please?