I DID IT!!! I GOT THROUGH CHAPTER TEN!!! -faints- You can not imagine how stressful this chapter was for me. As I wrote it, I was faced with the challenge of whether or not to end the whole thing. And I chose not to. I know some of you will be angry with me, crying out, "How much longer are you going to drag this out?!" or other such curses of indignance and frustration, but I promise it won't go on for more than two or three more chapters. My brain is being drained by this like a virgin by a vampire. Don't ask. It's 12:35 in the morning. I don't want to think right now.

Ok, so I have to work later this morning ((ie: 12:00 in the afternoon, less than twelve hours from now)) and I'm am dead tired but I don't wanna sleep. Is that stupid? And another thing; I've become horribly addicted to the show 'Storm Hawks'. I highly recommend it. Not because it's amazingly complicated or intelligent or heart wrenching or anything like Fullmetal Alchemist, but because it's funny. I kill myself laughing at the characters and how stupid some of the stuff is. STORK IS AMAZING!! I'm obsessed with drawing him. Lovely lovely merb that he is. PS: He's got the same hair color as Envy...cool.

Well, now that I've sufficiently wasted a large amount of your time, here it is. Hope you like; please review; even negative "YOU SUCK" reviews are welcome.

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The Fullmetal Alchemist's otherwise blissful sleep was rudely interrupted by a loud banging against the hotel's aged wooden door. Groaning drowsily, Edward Elric wiped the sleep from his eyes and sat up. The homunculus beside him slumbered on, undisturbed. Lucky bastard.

Then it dawned on Ed. Had his plan worked? He'd followed through to the best of his abilities, only losing his cool a couple of times, and only for short periods of time. And judging by how Envy had reacted to the invitation to stay, the alchemist had probably been successful. Ed would have to thank that boy in the mess hall. Giving into the desire he'd only just discovered he'd had had made the experience much easier; at least for Ed.

Another knock pounded against the door, this time followed by deep voiced commands that Ed didn't quite catch. Damn it, who was here now?

Pulling himself from the bed, Ed found his pants and belt, put them on, and answered the door. And to his surprise, Ed found himself facing not only Mustang, but a fleet of policemen as well.

"Uh…colonel?" Ed asked curiously, "What's going on?"

Roy eyed Ed critically, a look of solemn tedium on his face. "We had a call in from your friend at the library," the Flame Alchemist explained, "She says you were 'forcibly removed from the building by a red haired stranger'. She says she'd never seen the two of you together before."

The blond blushed faintly. Right; Envy had been fairly pushy in the library. That stupid prick needed to learn something about being discreet. Stumbling on his words, Ed said quickly, "Well, yeah, I…I mean she kind of…she could have been overreacting, right? It's…it's no big deal."

"So then why are you in a hotel room, Fullmetal?" the colonel pressed coldly. "You gave no notice of your absence."

Ed glanced momentarily over his shoulder. Shit, shit, shit!! The alchemist suddenly found himself praying for Envy to wake up. At least then Ed wouldn't necessarily be caught with a homunculus.

Acting on Ed's silence, Roy continued, undaunted. "The clerk downstairs says that you came in with a young woman, several inches taller than you, who was quite…passionate with you. He also says you paid on your military account after specifically requesting a single bed. Care to explain, Fullmetal?"

"It's not…I mean…So maybe…I'm sixteen you asshole! Mind your own business!!" Damn it! Ed cursed himself violently. Stupid fucking temper. There was no way Mustang was going to let that slide. And there was definitely no way the colonel was just going to walk away now.

The darker haired man frowned at Ed's outburst, but gave no comment. Instead, he looked over his shoulder at the five officers who accompanied him and said, "Move in. We have to make sure this isn't worse than it seems." Smiling darkly at the stammering Ed, Roy hissed, "This had better just be a teenage fling Fullmetal, for your sake."

Ed flailed slightly, trying futilely to stop the policemen from pressing on. When he was clearly not getting anywhere, the alchemist pushed ahead of them, standing at the end of the small hall that separated the entryway from the main room.

"Look, she's sleeping," Ed offered quickly, "Could we just leave her be for now?"

One of the officers - the one with the bushy mustache - shook his head. "I'm sorry son. The report filed leads us to believe you were forced here. We have to speak with the woman in question."

But Ed wouldn't let them get past him, not this time. Planting himself firmly in place, the blond refused to move. For the first time in his life, Ed prayed to anyone that Envy would get up. Even a distraction would have been great.

From the bathroom, Ed's prayers were answered. Behind the door Envy had so callously closed the night before, a frightened and demanding mewing could be heard. The police officers glanced at one another before one moved to open the washroom door. As soon as it was opened, the cat darted out, seeking its owner.

Roy watched from the entryway, frown deepening. "Isn't that the cat you had in your room, Fullmetal?" he asked.

"Yeah, it is," Ed nodded, lifting his foot to let it scoot past him, "The girl's his owner." Oh, please, let the cat wake Envy up.

Once again, the bushy mustache cop addressed Ed. "Son, were you keeping that animal in the bathroom?"

Ed nodded quickly.

"Why? That's not safe for it."

Oh shit, animal cruelty charges. "It was just for the night," Ed stammered, "W-we weren't going to leave it there. We just knew that it…it was possessive of her."

The colonel smiled derisively. "And so it didn't like you making love to its owner is what you're telling us," he sneered.

"Th-that's not it!" Ed blushed.

Then, from behind him, he heard the voice Envy had chosen last night when he'd spoken to the clerk. "Actually, that is it," the soft female tone corrected. "We had to put him in the bathroom so he wouldn't bother us."

Ed spun around and saw the pretty red haired girl Envy had picked for a disguise the other day. Inwardly, the alchemist heaved a sigh of relief. Thank God the bastard wasn't as stupid as he looked.

The policemen glanced at one another before a different one asked, "Ma'am, could we talk to you please?"

"Certainly," Envy smiled compliantly.

Roy, looking less impressed than ever, motioned for Ed to come with him. Apparently, the colonel wished to speak with his 'subordinate' elsewhere.

Glancing once more at the shape shifter, Ed shuffled reluctantly after Mustang. Once they were in the hall, Ed said defensively, "You see? It's just the cat's owner."

"What's her name?" Roy asked flatly.

Ed's face flushed. Shit! He knew this tactic. He'd ask Ed what 'her' name was away from the girl, and then ask the same question away from Ed. This was not good. He had to pick something Envy would pick, but what?

"I-it's Carmen," Ed muttered awkwardly.

The colonel nodded. "I see. And how long have you known her?"

Glaring at the taller man, Ed shot, "What are you, my dad?"

"Answer the question, Fullmetal."

Ed couldn't decide who he was angrier with at the moment; Envy for his lack of discretion or Roy for his intrusive tendencies. Besides, since when did Roy care so much? Why did his life have such bad timing?

"I've known her for quite a while now," the blond answered, "Since before the homunculi if that's what you're thinking."

Roy gave no response to the blatant shot. His face remained placid and unaffected. "Thank you Fullmetal," the colonel nodded, "Now, if you'll please stay here…"

This was it! Roy was going to go tell the cops what to ask 'Carmen' and totally screw the whole thing over. Damn it all! What was he supposed to do? He had to distract the colonel somehow.

"Roy!" Ed called out before the man could re-enter the room. "I-I need to ask you something."

Turning around with forced patience, Mustang replied, "What is it?"

"Wh-why do you care so much?" At least he could be honest. Maybe then his distraction would also be significantly helpful.

The Flame Alchemist frowned in confusion. "What do you mean, Fullmetal?" he asked back.

Ed couldn't meet the other's gaze. "I-I mean, why are you so worried about what I'm doing? It's…not like you." Why was he getting flustered over this?! It was just a question right? Was he afraid of Roy's answer?

The blond could hear Roy's approaching footsteps, could see the man's shadow advance nearer to him. Placing a gloved hand on Edward's shoulder, Mustang whispered, "I'm worried about you Ed. You've been acting strange lately. Armstrong sees it, I see it, everyone sees it. But you won't tell us anything. We had to call that psychiatrist from a few days ago to find out just what you were up to."

Looking up into Roy's openly concerned gaze, Ed could feel his face pale. They'd called Gerard? Shit! How much did they know?!

"Carmen's a homunculus, isn't she?" Roy pressed softly, "What are you doing, Edward? Why are you getting involved with these people? Why aren't you letting me in?"

Ed didn't know what to say. This was much more confusing than he'd first expected. Roy wanted in? Why? To what? "Roy…I…it's not something you would understand." The blond couldn't find the words he was searching for, couldn't think of what to tell the other man.

But the colonel wasn't about to give up. "Ed, you could get hurt. You told us yourself; these homunculi can't be trusted. They're dangerous creatures Ed. Please, I'm begging you, don't face them alone."

"Roy…" Ed shook his head. He was hurting the colonel by keeping things from him, he was scaring the older man. And Ed had had not inkling of this. Finally, Ed gathered up the strength to meet Mustang's eyes. "You have to trust me," he pleaded, "This is something no one can handle but me."

Mustang shook his head adamantly. "No, Fullmetal, I can't just leave you…"

"You have to!" Ed insisted, "I promise, I wouldn't do this alone if I knew I didn't have to."

Sighing heavily, Roy's shoulders fell. "If you say so," the colonel muttered, turning away from the younger man, "But if anything like this ever comes up again, you inform me first, alright?"

Ed smiled faintly. "Sure, I'll try to remember that."

Roy gave no answer as he walked away and into the hotel room. Ed could hear the other man talking to the police officers, hopefully dismissing them. And, sure enough, the five uniformed men shuffled out one after the other, each one casting a final glance in Ed's direction. Lastly, Roy walked out, stopping in the hall to stare at the blond.

"Take care of yourself," Mustang mouthed silently.

Nodding his understanding, Ed saluted Roy casually. The colonel smiled and returned the gesture, slowly turning to walk off down the hall. Ed sighed and fell against the wall across from his room's door. Good lord, why couldn't things just go easily for once?

"You alright, chibi-chan?" Envy's voice purred from the doorway.

Ed looked up and met the homunculus' mocking stare. The shape shifter had reverted back to his preferred appearance and was leaning against the doorframe, the kitten nestled in the crook of his left arm. Ed's breath hitched in his throat and he found himself more than a little frustrated with the man before him.

Snarling under his breath, Ed hissed, "Are you stupid?! They could have still been here!"

The homunculus shrugged elegantly. "Come now, chibi-chan, you don't think I checked? Besides, I'm surprised they left so soon." Smiling cynically, Envy added, "What did you do? Give your colonel what you gave me?" However, just like the last time the shape shifter had made such an implication, there was something underlying the cynicism; fear.

"Hardly," Ed scoffed, "Unlike you, I've mastered the idea of speaking to people." Best to ignore that odd wavering. Then he wouldn't have to drive himself mad wondering why Envy would be afraid of Roy's involvement.

Envy smiled and walked into the hall, successfully pinning Ed against the wall. "I'm glad," he muttered next to the alchemist's ear, "I don't think I'd be too happy if you were cheating on me."

"What's there to cheat on?" Envy couldn't really think there was anything between them. It was just a game to him, wasn't it? Suddenly, Ed was more than a little concerned over Envy's vocal hesitation.

Kissing the blond fondly, Envy answered, "That hurts me, chibi-chan. And here I was thinking I was more than just a toy for you."

Ed frowned. "You? Yeah right. I can do better than you." Ok, so his plan was no longer going so well. Given, it wasn't in effect, all things considered. But then, it hadn't seemed to deter the homunculus any either.

"Fine," Envy snorted, stepping away from Ed, "If that's what you think, why don't you go find this 'better' individual?" The shape shifter had turned away, his near bare feet padding softly back towards the room. And there was that underlying fear again, this time accompanied by pain. What the hell?!

Then it hit him. Gerard had said this, hadn't he? Envy felt some sort of subconscious desire to have Ed all to himself. Thereby, the concept that Ed would be with anyone else frightened and hurt the homunculus on levels Envy probably didn't even understand. The idea made Ed blush. So Envy really did want Ed; weird. But what was he supposed to do about it? It's not like he wanted anything to do with the psycho…did he?

Pausing in the doorway, Envy looked over his shoulder at the pondering blond. "Know this though, chibi-chan," he scorned, "No one will please you the way I do."

Ed blushed in spite of himself. "Sh-shut up!" Ed shot quickly, tripping over his words, "Y-you don't know that!"

"No? Well then, have fun missing me when you realize you're wrong."

There was that damned subtle pain again. Damn it! Why couldn't the shrink have been wrong?! Wait, why did it bother Ed so much? Why did he care if he hurt the homunculus? The bastard was his enemy, no matter how good the sex was. And, at least by the sounds of it, Envy seemed suitably deterred. So then…why was there a horrible twisting feeling in Ed's stomach?

Hating himself as the words left his mouth, Ed called, "Envy! Don't go yet."

"Why not, chibi-chan?" Envy scoffed, leaning his frighteningly tempting body heavily against the doorframe. "I thought you could do better."

Ed tried not to think about just how gorgeous Envy looked, regardless of the bored stare and slumped posture. Instead, he kept a mild frown on his face. "I can," the alchemist replied, "That doesn't mean I can't at least see this through to the end."

Sighing and rolling his head to one side, Envy snapped irritably, "What end? You won the game chibi-chan. What more do you want from me?"

The blond was caught off guard by Envy's callous statement. Not only had the homunculus admitted to the whole mess having been some kind of 'game', but he'd also made his pain much more evident. Ed hadn't known how much the whole thing was going to effect the other, and found himself oddly ashamed of what he'd done. Suddenly his mind was questioning just who the real villain was.

"What do you mean, 'I won the game'?" Ed pressed.

Seemingly getting more frustrated with every word the alchemist spoke, Envy looked around himself angrily. "What do you want me to say chibi-chan?" he demanded, "You won! You saw through it all and successfully messed with my head. You took my plan and threw it out the window, just like you have with every other angle I've ever taken with you! Sometimes I just…" But the homunculus didn't finish. Instead, with his free hand, Envy knocked a significant hole into the hotel wall, jarring the kitten awake. "I'm leaving," the shape shifter spat.

Ed went against his better judgment and caught Envy's arm. "That's it then?" the blond challenged, "You're just going to run away? Is that what you do? When things don't go your way, you run? It's no wonder I won."

"What are you implying, chibi-chan?" Envy hissed viciously, knocking Ed's hand away.

Staring the angered homunculus down, Ed retorted, "I didn't run from you Envy, and I never will. That's why you lose. Just because you showed an upper hand did not mean I was about to pack up and leave. Just because things weren't going the way I wanted them to didn't stop me from trying. But you? As soon as I turn the tides, you turn tail and run. You're just like a child."

Ed regretted his words almost as soon as they left his mouth. Envy's foot connected solidly with the smaller man's chin, knocking Ed backwards into the hall. Right…Envy was still Envy, regardless of the situation.

"Watch who you're calling a 'child', chibi-chan," the shape shifter snarled, "You're the one at our mercy. If that person didn't want you so much, I'd have killed you by now."

The alchemist regained his footing quickly, having fought Envy before. "Don't lie to yourself," Ed shot fearlessly, "You're suffocating your own emotions, and the only result is self-inflicted pain!" Why was he so concerned with helping the bastard? Why did he feel the need to get this point across? Whatever it was, Ed knew he had to try, if only for self-preservation.

"Is everyone my fucking psychiatrist?!" Envy practically screamed. "I am so sick of people telling me I have problems; that I'm 'suppressing emotions'. I am not hiding anything! I do not have a problem! And I do NOT WANT YOU!!"

Clearly frightened by the flaring tempers, the kitten leapt from Envy's arms and skittered away into the hotel room. The homunculus cursed, turning quickly to walk after the terrified animal. Why did he show so much concern for that thing? Why did he want it with him so much? Shaking his head, Ed followed after the two of them, still debating whether trying to calm Envy down was worth it.

The alchemist found Envy lying on the floor, looking under the bed. His face was a mask of frustration and exhaustion as he patted one hand gently against the carpet. The shape shifter's left foot rocked back and forth, apparently something Envy's body did in subconscious annoyance.

"Come on Chibi-chan," Envy grumbled, "I don't have time for this."

Ed heard an irritated 'meow' from beneath the fair sized piece of furniture. Clearly, the cat still felt put out, if not frightened of its owner. And, evidently, Envy didn't have the time to mess around; at least not the patience.

Getting to his feet, Envy spat angrily, "Fine! If you want to stay here so bad, you stay here. But I'm not coming back for you!" He then kicked the bed angrily and turned away, only to come face-to-face with Ed; which didn't seem to make things any better. "Did you still want something?" Envy demanded coldly.

"No," Ed muttered, "I guess not. After all, you've given up."

The homunculus walked up to Ed, standing just close enough to accentuate the height difference. Bastard. Staring down at the blond, Envy snarled, "I'm not giving up, chibi-chan. You just won this round."

"And every round before it," the alchemist retorted defiantly.

Clearly, Envy didn't find the comment too amusing. The shape shifter took Ed's chin none too gently in his left hand, forcing the other to look him in the face. "I wouldn't get too cocky, chibi-chan. I could still take this one."

Ed knocked the other's hand away like an irritating insect. "Like hell you could," Ed snorted, "If you can't face the fact that you lost because you live in denial, then you'll never win. And it doesn't help that every time things start to look bad, you run." Smiling derisively, Ed added, "Just look at how well you handled the kitten."

Caught off guard by the alchemist's obvious verbal attack, Envy stammered pathetically. And, quite clearly, Envy didn't like not being able to say anything as he swiftly turned his back and moved to leave. However, Ed's words seemed to hit him for a second time as he stopped just as quickly, ensnared by the question posed to him.

"What's wrong?" Ed mocked, "Confused?"

The shape shifter's body tensed noticeably. Ed instinctively went on the defensive. An angry Envy hadn't exactly been what he'd been aiming for, but he'd take what he could get. If he could somehow get Envy to actually think about the shrink's words, to actually consider the idea of 'possessing' Ed as opposed to killing him, then maybe the alchemist would have one less homunculus to worry about. Then again, it could just lead to worse things, but a chance was a chance. And Envy was definitely the one Ed wanted to get rid of most.

Turning around to face the Fullmetal Alchemist once again, Envy snarled, "What do you want chibi-chan? It's not like you to keep me so long."

"I want to talk to you," Ed replied calmly, not allowing his voice to betray the fear that was naturally creeping over him. Ok, it was official. An infatuated Envy was unquestionably preferable to an angry one. And so, Ed would have to talk the homunculus down.

Envy, however, didn't seem to be in the mood for a chat. "Talk fast chibi-chan," he growled threateningly, "I don't have all day to be here."

However, as Ed opened his mouth to speak, the door he had closed behind him exploded into slivered pieces of wood. Dust filled the small hallway and flooded quickly into the main area. Ed coughed heavily, his mind racing in an attempt to discern just what was going on. He heard Envy's voice call out something angrily, but the alchemist couldn't quite make out what was said. And then a heavy, blunt object hit him in the back of the head, sending Ed stumbling forward. His world swam in and out of focus until he finally lost his balance and fell hard to the floor.

Above him, he heard the homunculus cursing impatiently, clearly just as surprised as Ed. But the alchemist's mind was hazing, and he was rapidly losing the ability to pick the voice out at all. As his large eyes involuntarily began to close, he saw the terrified face of the kitten under the bed. Poor thing. It must have been so confused…and then he saw nothing. Ed had fallen unconscious.

After an indeterminable amount of time, Ed awoke slowly, his head pounding painfully. Where was he? What happened? Had Envy planned it all? No, the shape shifter had been just as confused as Ed had been, at least if his shouted curses had been any indication. Ed forced himself to focus, eyes finally managing to lose the fog that had annoyingly clouded them.

The alchemist was restrained quite effectively, his arms tied around behind him, his ankles shackled together. Yet the room he was in looked nothing like a prison, or even a holding cell. In fact, it looked almost like an unused bedroom, the only source of illumination being a faint oil lamp flickering on a dusty nightstand. What the hell was going on?! Just who had kidnapped him, and why? And had Envy been kidnapped as well?

Then the door to the blonde's far left creaked open, a figure stepping through. Unfortunately, the light was near Ed, throwing their end of the room in heavy shadow. It didn't help that they'd cloaked themselves either. Damn intelligent kidnappers.

"So, you're awake," a soft voice noted, "Good. I didn't hit you too hard." And with those short, bizarre, words, the person took their leave, Ed stammering after them.

Cursing his inability to even get a coherent sentence formed, Ed sighed heavily. Ok, so whoever it was wanted him alive. Good enough. Now, what had Envy said? Something about a person wanting Ed alive, and hence, not allowing Envy to kill him. Was that who this was? Then why had Envy been so upset?

As if on cue, the very homunculus Ed was pondering over walked into the room, looking none too happy. "Hey chibi-chan," he sneered, "Still alive I see. And still half dressed."

"What's going on?" Ed demanded shortly, trying not to blush at Envy's unwanted attention. "Where am I?"

Envy snorted uninterestedly. "Like I'd tell you," the homunculus mocked.

The alchemist frowned. The jerk had found his confidence again; wonderful. Fine, Ed would just have to play up the shape shifter's temper again. Shrugging offhandedly, Ed replied, "Oh well. I didn't expect you to know."

"Nice try, chibi-chan," Envy replied coldly, "But I'm not biting. You're not here for me." A sadistic smile spread across the shape shifter's pretty face, striking a chill of fear throughout Ed's body. "No; you're here for someone with much more…interesting things in mind."

Shuddering in spite of himself at the implications, Ed tried to stay calm. "Then why are you here?" Ed snapped.

The homunculus' dark smile remained, successfully keeping Ed on edge. "I'm just taking a mental 'before' picture for later comparison." Envy then laughed forebodingly, turned on his bare heel, and left the room.

Ed's breath had hitched in his throat, not entirely sure of what to make of his situation. Clearly, Envy knew something he didn't, which generally wasn't a good thing. But underneath all those ulterior and enigmatic threats was something mirroring disdain; as if the shape shifter wasn't happy with the development either. Perhaps that was the angle to play. Not that that would be easy, as Envy had adamantly denied the psychiatrist's suggestions. He'd have to play to the subconscious Envy. …Great.

Leaning his restrained body back against the wall he was nearest to, Ed fumed inwardly. Because he hadn't let the damn homunculus leave, because something in him felt bad about letting Envy leave with wounded emotions, he'd gotten himself kidnapped. On a much more comforting thought, Al was still in Resembool; the alchemist's younger brother not due back for another couple of days. At least Ed could assure himself that Al was ok. His own safety, he couldn't be too sure about.

However, Ed's straying, paranoid, thoughts were forced to a halt as a familiar 'meow' caught his attention. Out from under the large, dusty bed on the opposite side of the room crawled the kitten, looking just as frightened as Ed felt. Apparently, it had been thrown in along with the alchemist.

"Hey there," Ed smiled softly, "You're trapped in here too, huh?"

The kitten was clearly calmed by Ed's friendly tone of voice, as it looked significantly happier and trotted over to the blonde's side. Giving another soft 'meow', it nuzzled against Ed's body.

All Ed could do was smile, wishing he could at least pat the creature. "Looks like we're roommates," Ed sighed, turning his eyes back to the door, "And who knows when we'll be able to leave…"

Jumping into Ed's lap, the cat seemed no less thrilled to be with him even with the lack of petting. In fact, the animal seemed like any human contact at all made it happy. The thought was almost sad. At least it didn't tolerate abuse; Ed knew that much from the morning's earlier events.

Then it hit him. Just what time was it? How long had he been out, had he been gone? Had it been long enough to cause a stir? Was Roy out looking for him? Was anyone looking for him? Ed's heart sank as he realized that, even if they were looking, no one would find him. Wherever he was, Envy knew where it was, meaning it was a place the homunculi knew of. And those were difficult to find for anyone who wasn't a homunculus. Which meant his escape was dependant entirely on his own skills.

"Kitty?" Ed asked the furry ball in his lap, "Are you awake?" The alchemist didn't care how crazy he sounded, talking to an animal. It was his only resource.

The kitten looked up at Ed expectantly, as if it needed a decent reason for being bothered. Weird; did it really understand him?

Giving in to the idea that the creature on his lap was possibly more intelligent than he'd first anticipated, Ed continued, "I need you're help. Envy seems fond of you, so I need you to go over to the door and try to get his attention. Do you understand?"

Mewing softly, the cat stood up in Ed's lap and stretched languidly. It then hopped soundlessly to the floor and padded softly across the room. As it reached the door, it glanced back at Ed, as if to check if it was doing the right thing.

"Yes, that's it," Ed nodded, "Now get Envy's attention. He must still be around." Well, that was a long shot, but Ed had to hope. After all, what did he have to lose?

The kitten turned back to the door and began pawing at it, mewing incessantly. Wow, it really had known what the alchemist had wanted. Why had Envy found something so smart just roaming the streets? How had it even managed to get so intelligent? It was still only a kitten, wasn't it?

Outside the door, Ed heard someone curse and walk off, their clacking footsteps growing fainter. But the sound most definitely did not belong to Envy, not unless he was wearing heels. Wait, heels?! The realization hit Ed hard. Envy was almost always working with Lust, and she wore those disturbingly high heels. So Envy had been planning the whole thing! That bastard! Well, Ed would give him a piece of his mind.

What seemed like forever dragged by as Ed held his breath. Was Lust going to Envy, or simply walking away? Had someone replaced her? Why was it so damn quiet?! Could no one hear the cat?

Just then, the door swung open irritably, the kitten falling forward and between the legs of the entrant; the frighteningly attractive bare legs. Envy swooped down and picked the animal up by the back of its neck, staring it in the face.

"Chibi-chan," he sighed, "Why do you have to keep making a pest of yourself?"

Ed coughed loudly. There was no way he was just going to let Envy walk away this time. He needed answers, no matter what he was going to have to do to get them.

The homunculus looked over dispassionately, eyeing Ed over once. "I'm busy," Envy said flatly, "Do you mind?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Ed shot back.

Envy shrugged and looked back at the cat. "And I'm supposed to care…why?"

Frowning, the alchemist racked his brain. Envy was distant suddenly, which was definitely not a good thing. Something had happened between his last visit and this one. Ed had to push the right buttons if he was going to get anywhere.

"Envy?" the blond quipped, "Why did you name the cat the same thing you named me?"

Faint tension struck the shape shifter's body, only marginally noticeable in the tensing of his leg and arm muscles. But Ed had learned to pick up on those little things. "I didn't name it after you," Envy answered coldly.

Ed tilted his head in feigned ignorance. "No? Then who's 'Chibi-chan'?"

"Look, I don't have time for your crap," Envy snorted, tucking the kitten into the crook of his arm and muttering something to it under his breath. "You sit tight, ok Ed?"

Taken slightly aback, the alchemist called out before Envy could leave, "You called me 'Ed'."

Sighing heavily, Envy turned around reluctantly. "Yeah? What of it?" he asked listlessly.

"Well…you've never called me by my name," Ed replied, as if it was obvious. Why was Envy so weird? Just what had happened? And why did Ed care?!

The homunculus shrugged with that offhanded air once again. "It's been a long day, chibi-chan. I'm tired." A faint smile then crept across Envy's pretty face. "Happy now?"

"I suppose," Ed muttered, "I just want to know who you're handing me off to."

"I'm sorry?"

Oh, that hit a nerve. Ed saw it in the momentary flash of anger that passed over Envy's violet eyes, in the sudden attentiveness in the homunculus' posture. Finally, a reaction worth noting.

Ed continued easily, as if they were discussing the weather. "You know, the one you're working for. I mean, obviously the whole shrink thing was just an act, and, obviously, you're just working for someone. That's the only reason you played up the 'wanting' me angle, right?"

"I told you already; I don't want you," Envy retaliated, "How many times to I have to repeat myself?"

Shaking his head, Ed dismissed the venomous tone. "Oh, I get that," he said calmly, "I wasn't saying you did. I'm just saying that you're simply giving me away to someone else, right? That's why I'm here. You're just another pawn in the big scheme of things. And someone used you to capture me, the opposing king. It makes sense."

Envy walked the span of the room briskly to stand imposingly above Ed. Wow…Envy really did have nice legs.

"Listen closely, chibi-chan," the homunculus snarled threateningly, "You treat me like someone's 'pawn' again, and I'll rip your eyes out. You understand? And another thing, I'm not handing you off; not yet. I'm not done playing with you. There's just another person who needs to use you for the time being."

The alchemist shivered internally at the suggestion. Playing? That was certainly a gentle way of putting it. But Ed couldn't give in yet. He hadn't really learned anything yet.

Ed shrugged defiantly. "It sure doesn't look that way to me. As far as I can tell, you're quite finished, whether you chose to be or not." Clearly, insisting that Envy was losing Ed to someone else was working, and so that was the edge the alchemist decided to use.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Envy growled, obviously forcing patience, "This whole thing is much bigger than you or I."

"Excuses."

That had done it. Ed's insistent defiance and provoking had snapped the last thread Envy had managed to hold in place. Luckily, the homunculus didn't have that many to begin with.

Kneeling down and grabbing Ed by his loose blond hair, Envy forced the other man to meet his eyes. "Get this straight, chibi-chan. You are mine and no one else's. You belong to me, and I…" And then he stopped. The shape shifter's face paled momentarily, the malice intent wavering in his otherwise focused violet eyes. Apparently, he hadn't meant to say any of what he'd just said. And now, Ed had his angle.

To Be Continued...