"You're not going to like what we found." Hughes placed his empty cup back onto the table, his expression sombre. Gone were the multitudes of pictures he had been showing Ed all morning long, replaced by the same look Roy had seen him wear during the war. Roy sat on the couch with Edward's head resting against his shoulder, her legs sprawled across the rest of it. Hughes had given them a strange look when he first saw the two so close to each other on the couch, but replaced it with his usual 'I knew it' smile, that gave Roy the urge to snap his fingers at his best friend.

"What did you find?" Ed spoke up, her eyes focused on him as she waited for his response.

"Alice, the latest victim, wasn't just tortured and left to bleed out." Hughes handed Roy the file he had had, waiting for him to flip through the pictures. Ed's breath caught on her lips as her eyes fell on the picture that caught both their attentions. Bile rose up in her throat, burning it as she fought it back down.

"They removed her eyes?" Roy asked, though he didn't expect an answer, the picture having already provided it. "They haven't done that before…"

"They're either getting desperate, or they're sending us a message." Hughes shook his head in disgust, before continuing. "According to the doctor, it had been done while she was still alive as well."

"Sick bastards…" Ed breathed, her hand tightening around Roy's arm slightly.

"Any idea where their new base is located yet?"

"We have a few ideas, but it's going to take a while to check them all out, especially since we don't have that many men to help with the search. Riza is currently organizing the search, so you don't have to worry about that." Hughes answered.

"What about the man Ed had provided a description of?" Again her fingers tightened around his arm. At this rate she was going to cut off the circulation in his arm, but Roy let her anyway.

"The only information we have gathered so far is that he was married to that woman from 11 years ago, the one that was used as a hostage."

"He was married to her? Perhaps this is some sort of vendetta?"

"That doesn't make sense. He's been targeting women only, and if this was about getting revenge, it would be aimed at the military or the rebels, both of which weren't in the town when this all started."

"We were here when the first murder took place." Ed spoke up.

"There's no way they would have known we were in the military. We were in civilian clothes, and the only people I told of our military status were Fu and Lydia. This has to be about something else." Roy handed the file back to Hughes. "Anything else?"

"We found cuts similar to the ones Ed sustained, so we're going to assume they have multiple tools, or that we hadn't secured all of the tools they had. Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary."

"Hmmm."

They sat in silence for quite a while before a thought crossed Ed's mind, making her sit upright with a start, pulling both men's eyes to her. "There's more than just two."

"What?" Hughes asked, a frown playing across his brow.

"I just recalled something the bastard had told me when I first came to. He said 'How does she expect me to control myself around you?' I didn't pay it much attention at the time, what with the gaping hole in my leg…" Her fingers ran over the spot metal had bitten into flesh before continuing. "I think there's a woman calling the shots."

"That means we have three psychopaths on our hands." Hughes sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"There was something else. I think he wasn't allowed to kill me yet." Ed bit her lip as she tried to recall everything the deranged man had said to her that night, Roy's eyes focused on her face. "What if the whole reason I was taken and tortured, was to delay our departure? We were going to leave the next day, weren't we?"

"Well, I was planning on getting you out and then taking the whole town by force, but yes, it was all planned for the next day." A frown played across Roy's face as well, as he thought about what she was saying to him.

"I think I was just a distraction. I think their real target is you, Roy." She said as her eyes locked with his. "I think they wanted to make it impossible for you to move me yet, so they had more time to get to you."

"That doesn't make sense, why would they be after me?"

"You're Roy Mustang. Why wouldn't they be? If it's a woman calling the shots, perhaps it is revenge she's after."

"You are a womanizer." Hughes agreed. "And you've had your share of psycho girlfriends."

"This is serious." Roy pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Stop making fun of the situation."

"We are being serious." Ed insisted, her expression stern. "Roy, what if they are after you? We need to get you out of the town."

"And what if you're wrong and you really are their target?" Roy bit back, his tone harsher than he meant it to be, but he continued anyway. "I'm not going anywhere on a stupid hunch that some woman might be after me because I broke her heart, when there's an equal chance that they're after you for destroying something you shouldn't have."

"I've never been here before!" Ed snapped.

"That doesn't matter. You've destroyed so much in the past, maybe they followed you and decided to take revenge here?!"

"Calm down you two…" Hughes tried, but was ignored by the two.

"Are you saying that all the women they had killed were my fault?"

"That's not what I'm saying!" Roy growled. "I'm saying that you're in as much danger as you claim I am, and I'm not running away because you're afraid."

"I never said I was afraid, Bastard!"

"Then what are you saying, Fullmetal?"

She bit her tongue at the mention of her title. He hadn't called her that since last night, and he using it now told her he was close to the edge. They've had many fights before, but this was completely different. With some effort, she shifted herself to the opposite side of the couch, opting to glare at the wall on her side instead of acknowledging his presence. Roy caught the hint, turning back to Hughes.

"I want a protection detail on Ed at all times. Regardless of who their real target is, we're going to catch them. Have Hawkeye report to me, I'll have her sort out the details."

"Alright." Hughes breathed, getting up and moving towards the door. With a lazy salute, he left the two in the cottage to stubbornly ignore the other.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" The two green orbs swirled in the jar as she moved it, her glare focused on the man in front of her.

"Since you already picked your target, I thought you'd like them as a souvenir." Frank responded with a shrug, oblivious to the anger that radiated off the woman like waves.

"You're going to get us caught if you keep doing whatever the hell you want." She growled as she moved past him. After thinking about it, she moved to the display case, placing the jar on the top shelf. "They are remarkable, so it would be a shame to just throw them away."

"I knew you'd like them."

"This doesn't make it okay. You have to start using that small brain of yours."

Frank shrugged as he dropped into the same chair he always occupied. "I heard the military has taken over the town."

"Not completely, but it is going to be a lot harder getting to them now."

"I'll handle it. It's about time I have a challenge, the townsfolk were getting boring anyway." Frank picked up the apple that lay at the top of the basket, his callused fingers running over the same imperfections again. "How long till the equipment arrives?"

"The train should have come today. We just need to have it brought here without anyone noticing."

"That should be easy enough…"

"Setting everything up will take a day or so, but once I'm ready, you're going to have to do your part, and you're going to have to be quick about it."

"What are you going to do when you've taken what you need?" Frank asked, licking his lips in anticipation.

"When I have them, you can do whatever you want with the body."

"Fantastic…"

Edward sat on the couch with one of the books little Tisha had brought for her earlier that day open in her hands, her eyes moving across the pages. It was already late evening, through the day had felt like four crammed into one. A faint muffle of voices could be heard from outside, probably Havoc and Mustang talking, but she didn't really care either way. She had been in a foul mood since Hughes had left earlier that morning, Roy mirroring the mood perfectly as silence fell between the two of them. Ed knew she was stubborn, most of the people around her knew that fact well. Even with that, she absolutely hated it when others were stubborn towards her.

When she recalled the words of the madman that morning, a real sense of dread had taken hold of her heart, squeezing it until she had to fight just to keep her breath steady. Now, whenever she thought of Roy, that same dread took hold. She couldn't quite explain it, but she knew something bad was about to happen, and she wanted him out of harm's way.

Ed was used to lying to people to protect them; she had done it many times before, especially when it came to Winry. But lying to protect Mustang was something she didn't like to do. The man had always been there when she needed him, always stuck his neck out to protect and help Al and her. Why had she lied and tried to get him out of the town? It didn't make sense to her at all. Her feelings for him were beginning to mess with her head, turning logical thinking into messy lies.

There was no doubt in her mind about who their real target was. They wanted something from her, and her gut told her she wouldn't have to wait too long to find out what. The thing that really bothered her was why they had killed another woman if she was who they wanted? And why did they remove her eyes?

With a sigh, she laid the book next to her, unable to focus on the romance novel Tisha had thought she'd like. Her mind was a mess, and right about now, she would have loved to have a relaxing bath. Glancing at the door, she decided to risk it. As quietly as she could, she placed her palms together, pressing them against the small table that was stood next to the couch moments later, turning it into a pair of crutches. With a deep breath, she got to her feet, wobbling unstably as she positioned herself with the crutches, almost falling over in the process. Ed bit her lip as she began moving, barely keeping upright as the weight of her auto mail leg flung forward.

After what felt like an eternity, she finally made it to her room, her focus set on the drawer that held her clothes. Getting it open turned out to be just as challenging, the old drawers hard to open when you were stable on both feet, not to mention when one could barely keep oneself upright. With a grunt, they finally slid open just enough to access the clothes that lay on top. Without looking at it, she pulled out the top dress and underwear, hopping towards the bathroom.

After an immense struggle with various bandages, Ed finally made it into the warm water, a sharp hiss escaping her lips as her leg touched the water. It didn't take long for her to become completely relaxed, letting her mind wander as every muscle melted. A warm bath could be like magic after a hard day.

Roy opened the door as Havoc saluted him one last time, before closing it again, his eyes scanning the room slowly. He had figured Ed had made crutches or something of the sort when the faint light of an alchemic reaction had lit up the windows, so it didn't surprise him in the slightest when she wasn't where he had left her. For some strange reason he couldn't explain, or perhaps didn't want to, he still felt anxious at the very thought of not knowing exactly where she was. Fingers moving through raven hair, Roy made his way to her room, the wood underneath his feet creaking with each step.

Her drawer stood open, a piece of what he could only assume was a dress hanging from it. Shaking his head, he moved to the bathroom, his hand gripping the handle tightly, the urge to fling the door open almost too much to bear. Instead, he knocked on the door slowly, his ear pressed against it to hear her response.

"Edward, are you in there?"

Silence. The anxious feeling that had been building up in his chest threatened to suffocate him, forcing him to swallow hard and take a deep breath. Perhaps she hadn't heard him.

"Edward?"

Again, nothing. Biting his lip hard until he tasted blood, he flung the door open, his other hand ready to snap and incinerate anything that threatened her. The door hit the wall with a loud thud, startling a very naked Edward, her head snapping in his direction. He stood there in the doorway, his eyes focused on hers, though he could see her whole body out of the corner of his eyes. Ed stared back for a moment, until a shade of red he had never seen crossed her cheeks, her hands trying to cover her exposed body as she hissed at him.

"What the hell? You bloody pervert, get the fuck out!"

Roy started to turn on his heels, only to stop, his eyes taking in her face one more time. He had known her long enough to know when she had been having a nightmare, the telltale streaks of the tears still on her cheeks. Without hesitation, he moved over to her as she tried to cover her body even more, reaching for the towel. His hand stopped hers, his fingers wrapping around her wrist gently. Onyx focused on gold, the rest completely forgotten.

"Are you alright?" The concern in his voice startled her, her glare faltering slightly.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You had another nightmare, didn't you?"

"How…"

Without thinking, Roy wrapped his arms around her, completely oblivious to his clothes getting wet, as well as her absolutely shocked face. "It's alright. You're safe here."

"Roy, let go of me…" Her sentence was interrupted as Roy lifted her body out of the tub, her arms wrapping around his neck instinctively. "What the…"

"Let's get you dried off, you'll catch a cold."

Without another word Ed let him help her, eyes focused on his face as his fingers brushed against her skin while he silently replaced all her bandages, a look of pure concentration replacing the smug smile she had come to love.

Ed lay in her bed, her fingers entwined with his as he held her against his chest, his every breath against her neck sending shivers down her spine. There was so much she wanted to say to him, so much she needed to say, but her stubborn nature had made it impossible to do so. After he had pulled her out of the cold water – She must have been asleep quite a while – they hadn't said a word to each other. To her relief, he had slipped in bed next to her, holding her tightly, but she still had so much to say to him.

Sighing softly, an idea occurred to her. Maybe if he was asleep talking to him wouldn't be considered giving in first. Perhaps, since he wouldn't hear her, it would be considered talking to herself. Biting her lip, she opened her mouth, only to shut it again. How would she begin this conversation? There was so much to explain, and if she didn't do this right, she would confuse even herself. Maybe…

"Our father wanted a boy…"

She lay next to him, focusing on his breathing, waiting to make sure he was in fact asleep. When he didn't respond, she carried on.

"When our mother found out she was pregnant, our father got really excited. He believed that she was carrying his first son. They decided to name me Edward, even before I saw the light of day." A soft chuckle escaped her lips as she recalled the story her mother had told her so many times. "You can imagine the shock they got when I turned out to be their little girl. Mom, being the responsible realist she was, had told the nurses ahead of time what my name would be, in case something happened to her. Unfortunately, that thought had escaped her mind as she held me."

"She didn't care that I wasn't their son. She loved me. When the nurses referred to me as Edward, she didn't care either. If I'm honest, neither do I. I grew up as Edward Elric. Al grew up with his big sister, and he loved me regardless. Until we started going to school. Resembool might be a small town, but there were still quite a few children there. My first day in class, the teacher introduced the new girl that would be joining them."

Her fingers tightened around his slightly as she recalled that day. "By the time I had made it home, I no longer wanted to be a girl. The teasing was too much for me. My mom, she was truly amazing. She didn't hesitate to let me do as I wanted. Al started calling me brother, and from that day, I was no longer his big sister. When you came to Resembool and you mistook me as a boy, I decided to let you. If I was going to join the military, I knew being male would get me further without having to put up with sexism. Don't get me wrong, Hawkeye is amazing. I just wouldn't have gotten where I am today if I had corrected you. I'm sorry."

A soft kiss on her neck made her breath catch on her lips. The mattress shifted until two black eyes stared into hers, a soft smile across his face. "Don't underestimate yourself, Ed. You're a remarkable person, regardless of what sex you are. You got to where you are now because of your determination and strength, not because you pretended to be a man." His fingers brushed her hair out of her face. "You don't have to apologize to me. I'll support you until you're ready to become Al's big sister again."

"Roy…" Ed's fingers moved through his hair slowly, pulling him closer until their lips met, his tongue brushing against hers as they melted together. After what felt like only seconds, though their breathlessness told her otherwise, they pulled apart, a soft smile on both their faces. Hers faded fast though, as she recalled the other things she still had to tell him. "I have to tell you something."

A frown spread across his face at her words. Slowly he moved until he was sitting upright, Ed following suite, unable to look at him.

"What's wrong, Ed?"

"I know I'm really their target."

"I know…"

"Let me finish." When he nodded, she continued. "That man, he said they wanted something from me, something they weren't ready to take yet. And when they took it, they would kill me." Her fingers found his in between the blankets, their fingers lacing together. "I don't know what they want, but I think they'll come for it really soon. And I don't want you to get caught in the crossfire."

"That's absurd. They're going to have to go through me if they want to get anywhere near you."

"I don't…"

"Shut up, Ed." Roy's lips pressed against hers again, though he pulled away almost as quickly, his nose nuzzling against hers. "I told you I love you. Do you honestly think I won't protect what I love with my life?"

"I don't want to put you in danger either. I lo…"

"Didn't I just tell you to shut up? I could have you tried for insubordination, you know?" He smiled as a growl escaped her lips, followed by a soft 'Bastard'. "I won't let them anywhere near you. No matter what you say. Now, you need sleep, so why don't you try to relax?"

Edward let him push her down, his strong arms wrapping around her again, pulling her into his chest as his scent filled her nose. Sleep claimed her, the usual nightmares replaced by a smug smirk and soft honey kisses, a sense of bliss she could lose herself in.

A/N: Yay, I got it done in time. This will probably be the last fluff for a while, so I hoped everyone enjoyed it. Feel free to review and message me, I always appreciate it. Until next time :3