Disclaimer: As usual. But I would rent Charlotte and her dad and all the other OC's. Anyone interested?
And yes: It's still just something I came up with after thinking about Hawkeye's family on her mother's side.
Warning: Lust and Wrath will be very, very OOC - but also very funny

Leroy held Charlotte's small hand while he looked at her. Usually, she was such a strong and tough woman that it hurt him to see her in such a fragile state. She looked like she had died and someone brought her back to life. She held his hand with all the power she had and there was a moment of complete silence before she finally started to speak. "This was close," she muttered before she sat up to lean against the headboard. "Probably the closest I ever came to death."

"All of us were very worried and … well … many of us will investigate this incident," he said as he kissed her hand. "You were lucky that you nearly poisoned yourself with that oyster…"

"Doctor Knox already told me," she sighed. "Clumsiness can save lives…"

He smirked at her. "Well, is there something I can do for you, dearest darling?"

She nodded. "Yes," she said and strength returned into her voice. "I need to talk with Ben."

"Knox." Kay's voice was cold as ice as she made her way towards the doctor who sat on a bench in the garden while he smoked.

He turned around to frown at her. "Can't say that I wasn't surprised to see you here,Hamilton," he stated. "I thought that you lost it in Ishbal. You looked like hell whenever you needed my help, didn't you? And now … now you are one of the most popular generals in Amestris. How did I call you? The Walking Heart Attack?"

She glared at him before she held out her hand. "Can I have one too?" she asked sweetly.

"I thought you stopped smoking during the war," he stated while he held out a cigarette.

"Yeah, but it was just because there was already enough smoke," she said and grabbed the report. "You know, it is interesting that so many people are working together…"

"I find it more interesting that you teamed up with Mustang. Didn't you think that he was overestimated,Hamilton? I can remember something like that…"

"Yeah … but I can't afford to be that picky, Knox," she muttered while she took a flint from her pocket. "The whole affair is too complicated for my liking. I was always a fan of the shortest connection between the victim of a crime and the person who tried to kill said victim. But in this case, I have no idea who would have an advantage of getting rid off Llewellyn. She is popular!"

"Couldn't that be the reason why someone tried to kill her?" the man asked. "Many people are very jealous since she is known for her popularity. She has many friends and supporters. To kill her is for some people an easy way to make sure that she doesn't try to overthrow Bradley…"

"Probably," she said. "Well, I will wait for the result of the investigation at Leora. Bye-bye, Doc."

"Bye-bye,Hamilton," he replied, "and be happy that no one else than me remembered that toxins are your forte. You would have faced some serious problems since you would have a motivation. Try to keep your cover for the next weeks,Hamilton. It would get ugly if you don't."

She saluted ironically. "Well, I will try to keep my head low," she said. "It was nice to see you."

He watched her back as she left and a small smile appeared on his face. Well, it had been really nice to see her again since she looked much better than she used to during the war.

"Failure!" Lust yelled at Envy and her anger increased with every passing second. "You didn't kill her! She will recover in the next two weeks! You didn't even slow her down! You just warned her! She will know that we are trying to kill her! How could see even survive? Didn't you tell us that it was the best plan you ever had? Well, I see what I get from trusting you!"

"Calm down, Lust," Wrath said annoyed.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" she screamed at him. "I could kill him! I said that I would take care of Llewellyn but this failure said that he would be able to kill her!"

"Why is Lust angry?" Gluttony asked innocently.

"She has probably PMS," Wrath muttered – and regretted it instantly as her nails pierced his shoulder. "I HEARD THAT!" she shrieked at him. "WRATH, WATCH YOUR TONGUE!"

"I have a dark feeling about this case," Maes stated as he talked with Riza. "Don't you feel it too? I believe that it could have something to do with a dark secret in your family."

"Well, there is something nice about family secrets. They never stay secret," she said dryly. "We could start this investigation by searching for something in their past. They are my grandparents but I know nearly nothing about them. I believe that there could be something interesting."

"You know that it could ruin them if they have dark secrets," Maes said. "And you can't want that they get in trouble. But … I believe that you are like Ben in this aspect. The truth is more important than everything else, isn't it? But sometimes … sometimes you find something you never wanted to know." He looked at his cousin who stood on the other side of the room. "I just want to warn you, Hawkeye. He didn't know that he was adopted."

"Adopted?" Riza stared at him in disbelief. "Which kind of woman would give up her son?"

"He doesn't know. He wanted to ask my aunt, his adoptive mother but she died before she could tell him. She just said that his mother had no other choice and that she cried. I believe that Ben isn't even mad at her. He just wants to know where he came from." He sighed. "I didn't want to scare you, Hawkeye, but sometimes, you have no idea how dangerous your own past may be."

She shook her head before she looked right into his eyes. "I don't care. Whoever tried to kill her might be back," she said. "And even if it could hurt me, I need to know the truth. There are many questions no one ever answered. Secrets … by now I can see why Kay hated them that much as a child and why she tries to uncover them as an adult…"

"I see," Maes sighed. He understood perfectly why she wanted to now the truth. All the five Hawkeye-girls, starting with the eldest, Nerissa, and going down the line to the youngest, Serena, had had a childhood full of secrets. He remembered Kay as a curious little girl who always wanted to know everything and never cared if it was her business in first place. To him, it was no question why Riza wanted to uncover all the secrets in her family.

Roy who was watching them from the other side of the room while he talked with Jade frowned. When exactly had his best friend started to talk with his aide in private? The poor colonel had never known that they were close and know they seemed to be involved in a very important conversation. Maes looked worried at Riza who looked as stubborn as ever. Suddenly, Roy couldn't help but hiss as Maes patted Riza's shoulder before he made his way to Edward, Winry and Alphonse who had still some trouble with understanding the situation. Roy was still mad at his best friend. How could Maes dare to touch Riza's shoulder? 'I really should break up his feet and stick them on his head,' the Flame Alchemist thought darkly before he froze. 'Crap, I sound like Fullmetal! What the hell is going on with me?'

He met his cousin's green eyes and he knew what she was thinking: 'Poor Roy … he is such a failure that he is jealous whenever a man has actually the nerve to speak to Riza without making a fool out of himself. It's really a sad creature he became lately…'

"Stop thinking like that!" he hissed at her.

She frowned at him. "What the hell are you talking about, Roy?" she asked. "I thought about calling Mama to help us. Did you become paranoid lately?"

"Probably," he said and glared at Riza who had bent down to speak with Laila and Elicia. "Jade, you were always the only one who could explain feelings to me. So … what's wrong with me?"

She barely looked at him. "You are in love, fool," she stated. "But you are afraid of rejection. I am really disappointed that you didn't figure it out on your own, Roy. You are Flame!"

"There is no need to scream at me," he stated. "Really, Jade, insubordination is nothing compared to your behaviour! You act like a spoiled little brat! You are worse than Fullmetal."

She glared at him before her hand lashed out and she slapped him. "Roy, try to organise your own life before you mess around with mine! It annoys me that you are too stupid to confess!"

I thank everyone who reviewed or put this story as a favourite.
I am really grateful for this feedback.

And merry Christmas everyone out there!
There is nothing special I wish for this year ... just some reviews.
And with reviews I don't mean flames, dear RoyEd-fangirls. As you could read in the summary, this is Royai. That should explain the lack of RoyEd.

AvaEobane