Disclaimer: Of course, I own nothing.

Rating: M, this chapter only

Warnings: yaoi, fluff, slight angst, PORN!!! Yes, there is a little bit of porn in this chapter, and I don't want any whining about it. You have been warned and I'm only jacking the rating up for this one chapter, as it probably won't happen again. It's small and can be skipped without losing any of the story.

Child: 5 years

A solid weight landed on his stomach, jerking him upright and shoving the air out of his lungs. An arm wrapped around the little form sitting on him while he coughed. "Sweetie, that hurts. Don't do that, please."

"Sorry, Daddy. Did Daddy Envy come too?" Dark eyes changed in excitement, flashing through a rainbow of colors to land on violet.

He grinned up at her. "No, sorry. He's not home yet." Their Teacher's voice floated up to them, calling them for breakfast. She was gone like a shot, leaving him gasping from her leap off his stomach.

By the time he dragged himself down, the table was set and food was being put out. He was half into a chair when the whip like voice froze him. "You! Get firewood. No slacking." A deep sigh and he stood again, only to hit the floor to avoid the flying spoon. "And no whining!" Quick scrambling brought him to the door and he called for Cat to come too. "Catherine, sit down. Let your lazy, good for nothing father do some chores for once."

"What? Hey, I never got to eat without chores!" Another spoon flew at his head.

"And you still don't. Get moving." Faint grumbling but he was off and back in minutes with a large armful of wood. The rest of the household was seated and eating and he grabbed a plate quick.

"Hey, Cat girl, want to go out and spar a bit after breakfast? You can show me your alchemy." She grinned brightly at him and wolfed down her meal.

"Done!" The plate was put in the sink and she ran off to change.

"What are you going to do?" Izumi watched him carefully, waiting for a response.

A brief shrug and his dishes joined his daughter's. "Just a few tests, aptitude mostly. Nothing complicated."

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The yard was still the same; fenced, mostly cleared with a few trees and a small garden in the corner. The pair stretched, moving through the beginning forms and warmed up a bit, their Teacher watching them from the porch. "Ok, babe, let's see what Teacher Izumi taught you this year."

"Yay!" She darted forward and threw herself into the air, small leg flashing out. He blocked and she used his arm as a push off point to land a pair of hits to his chest and shove herself back. A roll landing and she was moving forward again, tiny fists hitting his arms and sides.

"Good girl. You've gotten much stronger." Not that it hurt, but it stung a bit, and her speed increased every time they practiced. And the grin was a bit eerie, really, as if she couldn't get enough, was truly enjoying herself. "Ready?"

She grinned wider, small pointed teeth reminding him of her father. Again, she whipped forward, leg slamming into his side, but this time he used her momentum to toss her over a shoulder and landed a hit to her stomach. It was shaken off and another attack launched, only to be captured and pinned against the larger body. "Daddy! No fair!"

"Nothing is fair, baby girl. And I wanted to hug you!" He proceeded to snuggled her furiously, ignoring the kicking and squealing. She was finally released and laughed adorably up at him, thrilled to spend time with him.

They settled in seated positions. "Make me something?" A happy nod and she clapped and pressed her hands to the ground, pulling a short staff from the flat ground, hardly making a depression around her but he noticed faint ripples moving through the entire yard. Light flared around her and Ed stiffened, eyes widening. Not only was it red, but he remembered that feeling of power, and the chill that had always traced his spine around it slithered down his back.

"That was very good, sweetie. Can you help me?" He sketched a simple array, and placed his hands on the edge. "Here, put your hands like mine and push power in, ok?" She frowned a little and placed her hands. He pushed and felt only his own power flow through the lines. "From your tummy, you can feel a little tug there." Her eyes brightened and he felt a wave of power join with his and he forced it through the lines, the reaction light turning a bright purple as the colors merged, then a brilliant ruby. "Ok, enough." It didn't stop. "Catherine! Stop it."

An extra flare and it cut off, as it a tap had been turned off. The blond sat, his hands still on the array, head hanging. The little doll was grabbed gleefully and the little girl ran to show it to her Teacher. Ed stumbled to his feet and knelt in front of his daughter. "Sweetie, I have something very important to ask you." She nodded at him, clutching her new toy. A shaky breath moved long bangs and he looked into her eyes. 'Please, let me be wrong.' He would have prayed to anyone for this wish to be granted. "Did En, Daddy Envy ever give you anything red, like candy or stones?"

Dark eyes flickered nervously. "Daddy said it was a secret and I shouldn't tell. He said you would be mad. Are you mad?" She watched him with worry on her face and bit her lip.

Strong arms pulled her in tightly and he buried his face in her hair. "No, baby, I'm not mad at you." Tears tightened his eyes and he closed them to try to prevent Cat from noticing. Izumi pressed a hand to his head until he let go, then swung Cat up into her arms and took her inside, leaving him on the porch. He just sat, staring at the door, and suddenly it caught up with him. He puked over the edge of the porch, long bangs dangling in his face while he heaved. The wood under his knees provided no answers, no matter how long he stared at it, and he stood and walked, following the street until he hit the outskirts then moved on to a path into the trees.

Once he deemed himself far enough away, he stopped and leaned on a tree, taking deep breaths. His head tilted back and he screamed, letting his frustration and rage wash over the leaves and dissipate into the warm air. Again and again, until the shortness of breath dropped him to his knees. "Why? Envy, Envy, why? Couldn't we just be free of it? How could you do that?" The tears fell freely now, soaking his shirt and dripping from his fingers. He sobbed himself into exhaustion and lay on the ground, staring up at the waving branches.

It was dark when he stumbled back, face washed in the lake and clothes smoothed out. As always, Cat was thrilled to see him and raced around, demanding he spar with her and read her a story before going to bed. Careful questioning filled in the details; two small stones were given once a year, on her birthday, right before bed, when Ed was cleaning up a bit. She said they tasted funny but Envy insisted she eat them anyways. Little arms hugged him tightly and a high voice whispered she loved him and he cried more, holding her until she fell asleep.

A chair in the kitchen provided a place to collapse and he dropped his head to his arms. "I told you, but you wouldn't listen." The steady voice came from behind him and he didn't budge. "Monsters beget monsters, but you insisted." His eyes narrowed to tiny slits of gold and he sat up, turning to face the woman who had been a second mother to him.

"A monster. You think my baby is a monster? Fine. Sorry we inconvenienced you. I'll take my monster and leave." He stood and walked to the door only to run in Sieg. "Excuse me, please."

"Sit down, Edward. Izumi does not mean it." The blond stared at him in amazement; it was the first time he'd ever heard the huge man oppose his wife. He backed up and sat down again. "Sit." Dark, serious eyes were on his wife, who stared back at him, eyes narrowed. She sat and the three of them looked at each other. "Catherine is not a monster." That was all, just the one statement, and his wife had the grace to blush.

"Of course not. That's not what I meant." She looked at the table.

Ed watched the scarred wood as if it would move if he looked away. "I know. I'm sorry, I over-reacted." They sat in silence, thinking about what to say. "I need to see Envy. There must be a reason and I want to know it."

"Cat needs to be trained. She can stay here, if you want." She looked up. "Edward, have you considered that he might not come back?" She was the first to say anything to his face and he flinched.

"No. He'll be back. He promised, and he's never broken a promise to me before." He looked up and met her eyes. "Can she stay until school starts? That should give her time to learn the basics and I can continue lessons at home." Another shivery breath and he stood again. "Hopefully, he'll be back by then. I don't know what I'll do then, but I'll figure it out." A few steps brought him around the table and he carefully wrapped his arms around the slim shoulders and hugged gently. "Thank you, Teacher." His eyes moved to meet her husband's. "Sieg." His arms were patted and he let go, patting a huge shoulder as he passed.

Cat was sad to see him go but excited to be able to stay for an extended visit. She waved from Sieg's shoulders until the train was out of sight. He leaned against the railing, thinking about what he would say and his options.

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Slim fingers slide along the widow sill, looking for the usual ledge he used to pry it open. Nothing; it was flat and well fitted, and he could see the lock turned on the inside. 'What the hell? Now what?' He'd lost his keys ages ago, so the front door was out.

"Envy." The blank voice below him almost had him falling off his perch. Damn, he was getting lazy now that he was home.

A quick drop and he stood in front of his lover, grinning easily. "Brat. Been a while." A pale hand reached out but was evaded and the blond waved him inside. "I didn't expect you to be he.. mmph"

A hard mouth locked onto his, demanding tongue forcing its way in. His hands grabbed to avoid falling and he stumbled back against the wall, caught off balance by the sudden attack. Hard hands stripped his top from him and a solid thigh pushed against his groin. A broken moan slid through dark blond hair as the hot mouth trailed over his chest.

"Damn, Pest, wait, let's AH!" Sharp teeth bit his stomach and he felt blood before it healed. "Fuck, wai" A firm yank toppled him to the floor and his tailbone cracked on the floor. He winced when the shorts were dragged off roughly and the vicious mouth moved over his skin again.

Breath froze in his chest when a nip was placed at the crease of his thigh but only lips and a warm tongue touched his cock and he relaxed a bit. Wet fingers slid between his cheeks and probed lightly before slipping inside. Ok, moving a bit fast there. "Runt, hang on, what's the rush?" His hips angled away and he tried to wiggle a bit but an unnaturally strong hand shoved into his stomach and pinned him down.

"Ok, that's it." One hand tangled in the long hair and forced the blond head up while the other hand hooked in the gap under his metal arm and dragged him up. "What's the matter with you? Calm down, lots of time."

Hot air panted at him and glazed gold stared into his eyes. "Now. Need." Heavy panting kept him from speaking clearly, hands still moving, running over the slim body under him.

There was extra strain on his blond, around his eyes and mouth, but he seemed so desperate, it could be let go. For now. He licked the full lips and they parted eagerly, letting him in to explore. He tried to go slow, but his lover wouldn't let him, demanding hard and fast, hips shoving them into the floor.

Clothes were discarded in a pile by the door and instantly fingers slid into him, turning and stretching painfully. Tiny whimpers were captured and swallowed, the cool hand on his erection making up for the slight pains.

The blond pulled away briefly and violet opened to see him spitting into his hand and slicking himself. He watched, mesmerized, as the wet hand slid up and down the length, leaving it glistening. Pressure at his entrance had his mouth opening in a loud moan, mixing the intense feeling of being full and the harsh stretch from too little preparation.

Ed panted down at him, buried as far as he could push himself, eyes glazed. His far older lover stared up at him. It had never been like this, this desperate, this hard. This needy. It was good, he didn't think they could be anything but good together, but still. "Pest, what's wrong?" His cock twitched, reminding him that now might not be the best time, but he ignored it, running his hands lightly down heaving sides.

Long bangs shook at him and solid hips moved, forward and back, rubbing his prostate firmly. "More." Drawn out and breathy, the command earned a low groan and faster movement. Short nails dug into his sides and he felt the skin give, his eyes rolling while he bucked frantically.

The low sound of skin sliding over sweaty skin filled the hall, panting breaths cooling sweat covered faces. "Fuck, En!" The pet name was savored; the only time he heard it was in bed, and only rarely. Erratic thrusts and drags of the cold hand dragged him after, sharp teeth worrying the spot where the auto-mail started.

The floor was cold and Envy suddenly realized they hadn't shut the door completely. Oops. He tried to reach it but couldn't move with the heavy weight sprawled over him. "Hey, Brat. Door." A sniff was his answer and he looked closer, finally noticing that the dampness on his chest wasn't just from sweat or orgasm. Words were muffling on his shoulder and he wiggled to try to make them out.

"Why?" A sturdy fist slammed into his shoulder and sobs shook them both. "Why?"

"What? Why what?" The fist kept hitting him and tears kept falling. He started to shift forms and was hit extra hard.

"Don't you dare." Wet, accusing amber looked up at him and he blinked down. 'What had he done?'

"Then get off. I'm going to close the door and you can tell me exactly what I did." He shoved and sent the blond sprawling onto the floor. The door shut with a click and he shifted clothes back on, handing Ed his.

"I know what you did." Tears still traced his cheeks but he wasn't sobbing anymore.

Envy leaned on the door and watched him. "You have to be more specific. I've done a lot of things." He tried to smile but his partner didn't acknowledge it.

The blond stood and put his pants and shirt on, wiping his face with the edge. "I know you gave Cat the red stones." Shifting started, forms flashing briefly, only to be replaced in seconds. "Stop it! Stop it. Face me as yourself."

Changing stopped on the slim form, dark hair trailing behind him, amethyst eyes staring straight ahead. "Why?"

"She needed them." Blond shook and he nodded back. "Yes. She wasn't born in human form, Edward. She needs them to maintain her body. She'll die without them."

"No, that can't be true. She didn't have them when… You wouldn't let me see." He stared in horror at his partner. "You gave her something while they stitched me back up, didn't you?" Dark hair moved in a brief nod. "And, and later? Why did you keep giving them to her?"

"She needed them. It hurts if we go too long without enough energy." Blond bangs were shaking again with an edge of desperation.

"Wrath didn't need them, he was fine." His voice caught, a high pitch sneaking around the edges. "She can't need them, she has a soul, she's HUMAN." It was as if he was begging for reassurance, for him to agree.

He could only partially indulge him. "Wrath wasn't born in human form either, and wasn't out of the Gate long enough to start to feel it, but he would have. We all do." His eyes stared in gold, dashing his hope. "She's only partially human, Edward. She seems to have a soul, true, but her body isn't fully human. You know that." A pale hand moved forward slowly, wrapping slim fingers around metal ones and tugging lightly to pull him into his arms. "Humans aren't fast like her, don't heal like her, and don't change like her." A pale thumb stroked a wet cheek and tilted the red face up to look at him. "She needs them. You think I'd give them to her if she didn't?"

The smaller frame trembled and he felt the stubborn jaw tighten against his finger. A hard shove broke them apart. "No! You're lying, you just want her to be like you! Get out!" Thin lips moved and dark eyes narrowed at him. "Just get out! You aren't allowed near her!"

Pale arms that had just been holding him so gently spread and laughter rang in the hall, echoing loudly. "You think you can stop me? She's mine and I'll call her to me if I choose. When she starts to fade, I'll take her." A vicious smile crossed his lips and his teeth sharpened. "You'll never see her again." Smooth steps stalked forward and their noses pressed close, close enough to feel the heat from his skin. "Say it. Say you're sorry and I won't take her. We'll stay here and you can continue pretending."

Long lashes fluttered but his eyes, those stubborn, stubborn eyes, never wavered, not even a flicker. "Go. We don't need you here; we'll get along without you." The blond took the last step, forcing their bodies together. "She loves you, I love you, but we don't need you." The homunculus was stunned enough to allow himself to be pushed out without comment.

It had always been understood that they were fond of each other, they lived together, they had a child! But neither of them had ever talked about love. Almost eight years, and neither had ever said anything. The shock sent the flare of rage dashing away in the warm air and he was left standing on the other side of the door, confused and a bit lost. His hand lifted to open the door again, but he picked up sobbing from inside and hesitated. Maybe, when they calmed down. As he walked down the street, it occurred to him that he was being awfully mature. Must be the parent thing.

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I have no idea how long Wrath roamed around without stones in him but we'll assume it wasn't too long. Aaannnddd, I'm leaving you with that, right there until I get home, some time on the 27th. Hopefully. I just can't survive on dial up for more than a few days. Thank you for reading and have a great holiday! wave wave Bye!