"Edward." Came Mustang's calm greeting from his desk. His subordinate walked in and took a seat in the chair presented to visitors, crossing his leg over the other casually.

"I have a question." Edward stated.

"If it's about my love life, Edward, I'll tell you now that it's none of yours, or anyone else's, business." Mustang said just as sternly. He knew that sending the report to Flora through Edward would spark something between the two. His plans, always precise in their structure, always pulled through. It was so easy how he could manipulate Edward into doing, and sometimes feeling, absolutely anything he needed him to. At the same time, by getting the two of them together, it would also give Edward more incentive to stay in the military in order to protect his new mate, and that favored Mustang's militant plans. Of course when Hawkeye pointed this out, Mustang had cleverly averted her eyes. He glanced up at Edward and smiled, expecting to see the blond blushing.

But he wasn't. Edward simply looked confused and slightly annoyed. "What?" Edward asked, "What would I care about your love life? Do you even have one?"

Mustang mentally cursed.

Mustang tried his best to seem nonchalant in bolting his head upright to look at Edward straight in the eye. He had expected to be confronted for advice on how to keep a relationship in the military secret, like he and Hawkeye. It was an obvious second step for Flora and Edward. At least, that was the step that Mustang took with asking for advice from Hughes.

"I—" Mustang bluffed, "It just seemed like you were having lady trouble. That's all. You always seem to."

"I came to talk to you about Flora." Edward said, his brows furrowing.

Now Mustang was confused. "What about Flora?"

"She said you talked to her about the Gate." Edward stated, "About sacrifices. I want to know why you're willing to spill just about everything about your alchemic sacrifices to Flora, but won't talk to me about them. I'm the one who has my alchemy back, I'm the one that needs guidance on sacrifices."

"And why can't you just accept the fact that you can do alchemy again?" Mustang said as he rubbed his forehead, annoyed and forlorn at Edward's pure resolve. "Why can't you just be happy—"

"You know I can't." Edward snapped, "You know I'll never be happy, I'll never feel guiltless, and I'll never stop weighing my actions. You know that. You're in the same boat as me!"

Mustang got up from his chair and went to the window while Edward calmed himself down. If he told Edward of the toll he paid, he knew he'd never be forgiven. He watched as Hawkeye walked down the concrete path to his office. He had asked her to come to work an hour late because she had complained of a headache. Also, because they needed to spread their times apart of when they get into work.

"Well?" Edward said, "What did you tell Flora?"

"I told her about being blind." Mustang said calmly while Hawkeye's eyes glanced up and met his.

"Then why was she so…nice to me last night?" Edward countered, "She handmade me this chocolate milk drink. Actually cared about my health."

"She's always cared about your health." Mustang pointed out, "She's your doctor. If you die on her, she doesn't get paid."

"That's not what I meant." Edward continued, "Every time I looked away, her eyes softened."

"She likes you." Mustang smiled as he turned from the window, satisfied that the conversation was turning to something more promising. Hawkeye had given him a disapproving look before continuing inside.

"I know that." Edward scoffed, "I'm not worried about that. I'm worried about what secrets about me she knows from a certain General."

Mustang was abashed as he stared down at the blond, "You're not getting flustered…"

"Why would I?" Edward countered, "My relationship with Flora is my business…Why? What did she tell you?"

"Nothing." Mustang bluffed.

"Well." Edward growled as he got up from where he was sitting and glared at his commanding officer. Mustang realized that he shouldn't have underestimated Edward's ability to be professional. The kid, to him still twelve, had grown up to be a man. And a man that could keep a secret. Mustang had become so accustomed to hiding his affairs with a certain woman that he forgot that Edward had picked up the habit as well. Edward continued, "Since it seems that you and Flora are gossiping girlfriends now, I'll ask you to not give anything about me away. That's something I'd like to tell her in my own time."

And then something occurred to Mustang, "And her secrets?"

Edward shrugged, "She's so innocent, I doubt she has any." Well, Mustang thought as he watched Edward saunter out of the office, nodding to Hawkeye on his way out, it looked like Edward still had a few habits to pick up.

Edward continued through the corridors sullenly, annoyed, somewhat confused. Mustang was keeping something from him that he wasn't keeping from Flora. Something vital; something important. He turned another corner, and then another, and finally a third, before he heard a familiar, "Oh, Edward!"

"Good afternoon." Edward said calmly as Flora stood before him, a pile of reports still in her arms. "You're taking those to Mustang's?"

"Yeah. They are errors in these reports." Flora explained while she shuffled them to one arm, and then to another, "It's chilling how barbaric some of the doctors were…"

"I'm sure." Edward said as he reached forward and took the pile smoothly. Flora didn't even protest, only accepted. "Listen, I need to speak to you."

"About the reports?" Flora asked, "Or about something…else?"

"Something else." Edward said while he took his free arm, his newer arm, and gently turned her around so that they were walking away from Mustang's office. "It's about your conversations with Mustang."

"So he told you?" Flora asked while they walked. She was relishing the feel of his hand on her lower back too much to notice his expression. Which was a sly smile.

"Yeah." Edward said, "He did."

Flora stopped and glanced up at him, "What else did he tell you?"

"Nothing too important." Edward bluffed, "It was mainly what was concerning me that he told me."

"That's it?" Flora asked, "Just that one thing?"

Edward's instincts shot up, "…Yeah. Only that one thing. Why, was he…supposed to tell me more?"

"No." Flora flushed. And it wasn't because Edward was so close.

So, Edward realized, all in all, Mustang was keeping a secret from Edward, something vital, while Edward was keeping his past secret from Flora, incase she would reject him, and now it seemed that Flora was keeping something else from Edward. Something else that was, by her expression, very vital. His head hurt.

"We should have dinner." Edward finally confirmed absently.

Flora's flush deepened, and Edward found it amusing that asking her on a date could have this effect on her. He smiled cockily down at her as she squeaked out a, "Dinner?"

"A date." Edward confirmed, "You and me. No missions, no James, no talk of military things. Just a simple date between two adults that happen to enjoy each other's company." He watched as Flora seemed to smile and his own grin widened.

"That would be nice." Flora whispered.

"Then I'm picking you up at seven." Edward said as he smiled down at her and escorted her to Mustang's office. Flora followed silently behind, until of course they were almost to Mustang's door, to which she stopped and Edward had to turn around with an inquisitive look, "Something wrong?"

"Why are you asking me to dinner, Edward?" Flora asked, quite abruptly. At this moment, Mustang and Hawkeye had opened the door and heard her question, and they looked shocked, then looked to Edward for his answer.

"I told you." Edward reassured, "We just enjoy each other's company. And it would be nice to have a proper dinner when all of our previous plans have been ruined. Wouldn't you agree?"

Then Mustang and Hawkeye looked to Flora.

"No." Flora said, her eyes narrow, her lips tense, "No I wouldn't agree. Anything you wanted you say to me you could have said to me last night. "

"Last night?" Hawkeye asked.

There was still a standoff as Flora stared at Edward as though he had already committed some type of crime. She flicked her eyes to Mustang but all he was doing was staring Edward down, as though the blond needed to take action immediately if this was going to have some type of peaceful resolution. Edward stood still as he tried to recalculate his plan.

"You just want to know something." Flora said, "You just want to know some type of…secret. Don't you?" By this point, other members of the military had arrived for work, including Armstrong and Alphonse, who were just as confused as everyone else. A crowd had gathered as Flora's confrontation with Edward became more known to the early morning military. There was no way Alphonse could help his brother out of this one.

"I timed it badly. I apologize." Edward finally conceded. "Yes. I wanted to talk to you about some…business stuff." He confirmed as he glanced around himself, not wanting to actually reveal what this business stuff was to the other patrons, "But—"

It was too late. Flora had very promptly placed her pile of files in Alphonse's hands and walked sternly away, popping her hips to demonstrate just how much she couldn't be stopped now. Edward stood defeated as everyone else left the scene, quietly mumbling.

"Damn." Edward whispered.

"Yeah?" Mustang asked, "And for what reason?"

Edward sighed and he leaned back against the wall, thinking as fast as he could, while Alphonse approached with his hands full. "Brother?" He asked, "You asked Flora to dinner? Just to get secrets? That's a little manipulative."

"I thought…" Edward thought, though he realized his thinking wasn't exactly helping him, "I thought I could kill two birds with one stone."

"Ah yes." Mustang noted sarcastically, "Nothing says romance like wiggling top secrets from someone before proclaiming your undying love to them. Works every time."

"I'll fix it." Edward stressed to Mustang, who nodded, because he knew he had to fix this. Pissing off a fellow state alchemist just wasn't going to do. All of the state alchemists needed to be as tight knit as possible, top of their game, have each other's back, and betraying one? You might as well betray the entire military. Then Edward looked at the clock behind Alphonse's head before glancing at his brother, "Why are you here so early, Al?"

"Oh!" Alphonse said, "I'm on my way to the train station. Winry is coming in. She called last night and said she'd go through Central on her way home and she might as well take a look at your leg."

"Double damn." Edward snipped.

"Despite your relationship Winry has always been professional." Hawkeye scolded, "You don't need to worry about seeing her. It's been a full year anyway."

"It's not Winry I'm worried about." Edward said as he went into Mustang's office to deliver the files he had been holding for the past three to four minutes. "It's Flora."

"Certainly she isn't malicious." Hawkeye continued, "Mustang, you would know best."

"Why the hell would Mustang know best?" Edward countered, "What do you know about Flora that I don't?" He glanced outside and sure enough, he could see Flora walking down the sidewalk he himself had used this morning, rubbing her eyes.

"You have to gain her trust, Edward." Mustang reiterated, "You can't just...trick her into sharing her life with you."

"I wasn't going to trick her!" Edward snapped, "But forget it. Al, let's go get Winry."

Meanwhile, Flora was walking back to the hospital, rubbing her eyes and thinking about how much of an ass Edward really could be. Of course he just came over for information last night. Why else would he? She entered the hospital to check her shifts, if only to get her mind off the whole manner. Her cheeks were puffy and she continually rubbed them in order to clear her sight.

The head nurse was standing behind the large desk, sifting through papers, when she noticed Flora walk in. "Oh! Flora!" She said, "Someone left a message for you!"

Flora sighed and rolled her eyes, "If it was from Central Command I've never entered this building, ever." Flora said with a venom that made the nurse raise her eyebrow.

"Rough morning?" She said, sarcastically. She was obviously seasoned in patients, and most doctors for the matter, not being in the mood for decency. She had perfectly arched eyebrows and a very strong jaw, perfect for yelling at military personnel, and she kept this hospital running at optimum efficiency. Pissing this nurse off wasn't the smartest thing to do. Ironically, Manse had upset her when he first arrived too. She's a decent judge of character.

"Yes." Flora said, "But sorry. What was the message?"

"It's from a lady named Lettie? Asking for you to meet her and your father at the train station at 9:30."

With a heavy heart, Flora looked at the clock behind the desk. It was 9:20. Without saying a thank you to the frustrated nurse, she bolted out of the office and ran as fast as she could to the train station. Thank god it was still in the central area of Central City, but Flora was still having heart palpitations all the same. She swooshed around people, her normally fluffy hair becoming heavy with sweat. The morning was beautiful, she noted to herself, if only she could enjoy it today.

When she arrived to the train station it was bustling as the early morning fleets arrived. She ran to the platform she disembarked from when she first arrived, platform 5, and there, waiting for her, was her father and Lettie smiling.

She almost cried as she embraced the both of them, for the moment she reveled in their warmth and all she wanted to be was be at home. She started crying into her father's chest and he hugged her tightly as Lettie gently rubbed her back, giving her father a concerned look.

"My dear." Philip said, "Have we given you a start?"

"No." Flora said, rubbing her eyes, "I'm sorry. What are you doing here?"

Philip took Lettie's suitcase and kissed his daughter on the forehead as he walked forward to figure out where they should go to leave the platform. Lettie grabbed her by the shoulders and said, "We decided to surprise you! I know you were a little ill last week and I just couldn't bear you being down here, by yourself, sick. I brought a lot of vegetables so I'll make you a nice stew." And she squeezed Flora against herself.

"Clara." Philip asked Flora, who perked up, "How do we get out of here? Do we take these stairs?"

Clara/Flora breathed in to answer, but before she did, behind her father, on the opposite platform, stood Edward and Alphonse Elric with a beautiful blonde girl, watching her. Edward's eyes were narrow as he assessed who Philip and Lettie were, while Alphonse and the girl only stared.

"It's Flora." She corrected her dad as loud as she could, making him turn around and give her a very alarmed look. Flora wasn't just Clara's fake name, it was the name of her late mother's, a name that Philip wasn't sure he could use anymore. Flora approached him with a smile and she said quietly, so that no one else could hear, "I changed my name when I moved down here. For privacy."

"Why in heaven's name would you need privacy?" Philip hissed, "The only time I've heard of people using false names were dogs of the military. What on earth could you have gotten yourself into?!"

"I'll explain later." Flora urged him, "But for now, please, address me as Flora. Please." And she was stern, a type of stern he wasn't expecting. He raised his eyebrows to indicate that, yes, they were going to have a very long talk.

Lettie, never one to like a scene around her, hustled over and wrapped her arms around the two of them and walked with then towards the stairs without asking Flora if they were correct or not. Her long hair had been painstakingly curled and her cheeks were blushed especially for this trip. She smiled down at Flora, "Well, Flora, do tell us where we should go!"

Flora glanced behind herself and saw Edward still staring at her. Remembering that she was still infuriated, she swallowed hard and turned away from him, following her family.

Edward watched curiously while Alphonse spoke with Winry. "Al." He noted, "They called her by a different name just now."

"Probably a pet name." Alphonse tried, "Or something?"

"She reacted like it wasn't just a pet name." Edward continued, "She wasn't just embarrassed by it…"

"Who was that?" Winry asked, and Edward realized what had just happened. Winry was here, his ex-girlfriend was standing before him, asking him who Flora was.

His face went pink and he shoved his hands into his pockets, muttering something along the lines of 'nothing important!' He walked ahead of them, wearing his military uniform and sticking out like a sore thumb. This was going to be very interesting, in a very terrible way.

It was at about this point when I lost a lot of my momentum with this story like three years ago, so I've pushed forward some of the more interesting bits. J Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!