It's here! Finally! The 25th chapter! I have been looking forward to writing this chapter for so long and now I've finally done it. Yay for me!

Thank you to all of the people who have read and/or reviewed. You guys rock!

Thanks goes to Roku for editing. I heart my editor! And a huge thank you to my brother for helping me devise the fight scenes in this chapter.

Chapter 25

Mission Impossible 2

(-Hughes-)

Hughes stood in the Fuhrer's office, sweat dewing on his forehead as King Bradley asked him about his investigation into the fifth laboratory. Hughes was nervous but kept his calm. He almost backed down completely though when Bradley brought up all of Hughes's suspicions about there being corruption within the military. But then the older man smiled at him and told him he was joking and that he was giving Hughes his permission to fully investigate this matter.

"Yes sir!" Hughes saluted his superior with a relieved smile of his own.

"I think this investigation would go a little smoother though if you spoke to Doctor Marcoh. You must have some questions for him."

Hughes started, "But Doctor Marcoh was said to have been murdered. Last I checked you can't question the dead."

Bradley just waved that aside, "That was all just a cover up. Doctor Marcoh is alive and well and has been in protective custody for quite some time. We only spread the rumors of his death so that anyone after him would be disinclined to search for him."

"Oh." Hughes managed a nod. "Where is he now?"

Bradley gestured to his secretary who was silently working at her desk. "Ms. Douglas is the only one who knows the doctor's whereabouts at any given time. It's so that if I were to be captured by enemies I would be unable to tell them where he's located. She will set up a time for you to meet safely with him later."

"Thank you, sir." Hughes said.

(-Taylor-)

Here I was, at the Hughes residence yet again. This time there were less children running about, thank God. Gracia had been very accepting of me staying with them and Elysia was just excited that she could play with my hair again. I spent most of the day hanging out with her and her mom. Gracia asked me a lot of questions about my family and I answered all of them accordingly. She was an easy person to talk to and, even if my mother was very different than her, she reminded me of Mom.

The day went smoothly. Elysia kept calling me her Sissy and that sent sparkles to my eyes. She really was as adorable as Hughes always raved. While Hughes was at work, I spent time with Gracia and Elysia. The three of us baked an apple pie. Well, Elysia was mostly the taste tester and I was barely any help but Gracia showed me all the steps on how to make it. I'm sure if I tried to I wouldn't be able to recreate her masterpiece. I sucked at cooking and whenever I tried to cook anything it just ended up burned. But I paid strict attention to everything Gracia told me.

It had turned dark outside when Hughes came home. I was sitting on the couch in the living room. Elysia sat beside me, her big eyes watching every movement of my hands as I drew in a sketchbook Gracia had kindly given me. I considered drawing my best talent and everyone who had seen my work agreed that I was an excellent artist. I didn't get my skills overnight though. I had been working on my drawing abilities for years. Now, drawing came naturally to me. One of my best friends, LeFay, told me one time that watching me draw was like magic and that I could make a blank piece of paper come to life. I thought she was being too considerate but I loved it when people complimented me like that.

My hand stopped it's stroke as I remembered LeFay. I missed her dearly along with Amy, Ragan, and all of my band geek buds. I wondered if I would ever see them again.

"Why'd you stop? Are you finished?" Elysia asked me.

"Oh," I looked over to her and smiled, "Almost." I went back to the drawing. I had completed it when Hughes walked in.

"Honey, I'm home!" he shouted, making me laugh.

"Welcome home, darling. How did work go today?" Gracia greeted him, stepping out of the kitchen.

"It went great." he kissed her cheek. "What about here?"

"Daddy!" Elysia cheered and ran to her father.

"There's my little bundle of sweetness!" Hughes grinned and picked her up. She giggled happily, "And how was your day, Elysia?"

"Sissy and I played all day. We helped mommy make a pie. And Sissy drew a pretty picture and said she would teach me how to draw."

"She did?" Hughes asked with a smile. He walked over to the couch and sat down with Elysia in his lap. "Mind if I see?"

"Sure." I said and handed him the sketchbook.

Hughes took one look at it and laughed, "That's a real talent you got there, kid. It looks exactly like them."

"Thank you." I smiled and accepted the sketchbook back.

"I know! You should draw a picture of my daughter! Wouldn't you like that Elysia?"

"Yeah!" she cried back.

I smiled, "I promise to draw a picture for you then."

"Dinner is served." Gracia had come back into the living room to inform us.

"Great! I'm starved." Hughes put Elysia back on the ground. She ran into the kitchen and Hughes chuckled.

Hughes stood up and asked me, "So, was there a specific reason why you didn't want to go to Rush Valley with the others?"

Crap. I forgot that underneath Hughes's cheery exterior there lived a cunning fox. Of course he would be suspicious about me.

"I, uh, just wanted to look into something in Central." I tried with a nervous smile.

He studied me, "And what exactly would that be?"

I deliberated. I couldn't warn him of his impending death. That could throw everything off. No, I had to wait for now and deal with it when the time came. "I'll let you know when I find it."

He nodded, "Okay, but if you need any help don't hesitate to ask."

I blinked, "Thank you."

Dinner was an ordinary event. Well, to anyone else it would be but I saw it differently. I saw this amazing family enjoying one another's company. It was evident how close they were. It made me feel like an outsider at times but Gracia's accepting personality and Hughes's cheery one drew me in. And Elysia kept looking up at me like I was the most amazing thing. This family was made up of sweet, loving people. It made me miss my family all the more.

What was my family doing right now? Were they sitting at home, eating dinner like this? Had they forgotten me? Or, were they sad now? Had my disappearance made it impossible for them to be happy? How much pain and grief had I made them suffer?

Stop it, I scolded myself. Thinking about home is just going to make you miss it more and make you feel guilty and all it would accomplish is you crying about it. You've got bigger things to worry about. You hear me Taylor?

Aye, aye, Captain! I thought back.

Then I realized I was having a conversation with myself in my head and felt stupid.

After dinner, it was late enough to go to my room for the night. I took my sketchbook with me and hoped to draw some before I went to sleep. Some time passed and I got up from the bed to go to the bathroom for the last time before I called it quits for today.

When I came back out of the bathroom I was thirsty and wanted to go to the kitchen and get a glass of water. I was about to make a turn down the hall but then I caught voices. I stopped and peeked around the corner.

Gracia stood in the doorway to Elysia's room. She whispered to someone inside and I could tell she was talking to her husband. Hughes must have been tucking in Elysia. I should just go back to my room and leave them to it.

I turned to go but I halted in my steps as I heard Gracia say, "Just be careful, Maes."

Those words…Weren't they the same words that Gracia told Hughes the night he died? If they weren't they were eerily similar. If she was saying that then he must be leaving again. And all of this couldn't be a coincidence. Tonight had to be the night that Hughes died.

What do I do? What do I do?

Just calm down.

How can you tell me to calm down when Hughes is about to go off and get himself killed?

Panicking won't solve anything.

Then what else am I suppose to do?

Sneak out and follow him. Duh.

That's when I shook my head. I was having more head conversations with myself. That couldn't be healthy. But I had to admit, I gave myself some pretty good advice.

I went back to my room to use the window to make my escape.

"Oh, I forgot I'm on the second story." I said as I looked out the window. I opened the window and searched for a way down. A tree stood close enough. I could shimmy down it. Easier said than done. I broke a few branches and fell the last half of the way down but I didn't break any bones. Yay for me!

"Now what?" I asked myself. I was outside but how was going to follow Hughes without him knowing? He was going to be driving a car. I couldn't tail him by foot.

"Wait, the car!" I said. I went to the car and got into the trunk. I didn't close it all the way but held it open by an indistinguishable crack. No, it wasn't comfortable and no, this probably wasn't one of my best ideas but it would do for now.

I waited for a few minutes and was rewarded with the sound of footsteps coming towards the car. Luckily, Hughes didn't notice the trunk and got into the car. The engine started up, making me jump at the loud sound. Then the car pulled away from the house.

So what do I do when I get there? I asked myself. I received no answer.

(-Taylor-)

The ride to candy mountain was not smooth at all. Okay, we weren't going to candy mountain but the point is riding in a trunk isn't as comfortable as you'd think. It was bumpy. Never, ever was I going to do that again.

The car made two stops. The first one was at Central HQ. And I did not find this out by my X-ray vision. I peeked out of the crack in the trunk. I knew that this wouldn't be where Hughes died so I stayed safely in the car. I waited for what seemed like hours. Probably were. I had just about decided that he wasn't coming back and that I should get out and find him when I heard someone coming back. I couldn't tell if he was the only one or if someone was with him. All I knew was that someone had come back and the car was moving again. The car was driven somewhere. I have no idea where.

The car stopped and I waited for a minute. Then I opened the trunk. The coast was clear and this looked like the place so I crawled out. I shut it back quietly and scanned the area. The car was parked by what looked like the hotel where Sloth brought Hughes to meet Marcoh. Or so he thought. I was pretty certain that he would get out good enough on his own so I wasn't concerned with that. What I needed to do was find the payphone. I went down the street I thought he would take and after a couple minutes I found it.

"That was easy." I mumbled to myself. Then I knocked on my head, "Knock on wood."

I didn't feel comfortable just standing here out in the open so I walked across the street where a cluster of trees were located. I hid behind one, putting on a ninja persona as I attempted to blend into the darkness.

I'm gonna die, I thought. My heart rate began to pick up as I comprehended what I was about to do. I'm just going to get in the way and there's going to be another dead body along with Hughes's. I'm not a ninja no matter how much I try to blend into the darkness. I can't pull this off.

Beside my many doubts, there were also scenes playing through my head of after Hughes was murdered. All the smiling faces I had seen here in Amestris would be somber with mourning. Gracia would lose her love and little Elysia would cry for her daddy.

My fists tightened. I can't let that happen. I may be scared but that's not going to stop me from doing what is right. I have to get Hughes out of this. Alive.

Even with the pep talk, my stomach curled in on itself in trepidation. I tried to visualize the times when Ed and Al were in perilous situations. How they fought through their fear and against their enemies. They were strong. I had to be more like them.

Suddenly, I heard the sounds of people running. I peeked out from behind the tree. My heart leapt up into my throat. Hughes and Ross were running down the sidewalk, aiming for the payphone. Hughes got there first and picked up the phone and rummaged in his pockets for some change. A picture fell out of his pocket and Ross glanced down at it with an emotionless expression.

My breaths came faster and faster and I was close to having a panic attack.

Just stay calm. You can do this. Be a big girl.

But I'm afraid.

What are you more afraid of? Envy? Or losing Hughes?

I frowned at myself. I already knew the answer to that.

Across the street, Hughes hung up the phone angrily. Ross suggested that they leave and Hughes agreed. Ross turned around but then froze as Hughes pulled a knife out on her.

Crap! This is happening too fast! I'm not ready!

Ross faced him and ran a hand across her face. A small light flashed on her cheek. Then, so fast my eyes couldn't follow it, Hughes struck out and slit her throat just as she was pulling out her gun. Hughes muttered something and went to leave. Then Ross stood back up.

Ready or not! Here I come!

Gracia now stood where Ross had been, making Hughes hesitate. Gracia held a gun in her hand, preparing to shoot. Neither of them saw me from my position across the street.

In the blink of an eye, I clapped my hands together and touched the ground beneath me. I reached out with my alchemy, trying to feel the elements in the pavement under my hands. Blue sparks ran out from under my palms and traveled to the two of them. I moved the concrete near them and shot it out. I had aimed to hit the Gracia look-a-like but I messed up. Instead of hitting Envy, it shot out in front of him. It still stopped the bullet though, which was more than I could have asked for.

"I did it? I did it!" I cried.

"What the hell?" Envy's voice came out of Gracia's mouth. On the other side of the rock formation Hughes took a step back, startled.

Oh, crap. What do I do now? I didn't plan this far ahead!

"Go with the flow." I told myself. There was a fire hydrant next to me and I touched it after clapping my hands. I created a spout aimed at Envy. Amazingly enough, it worked. A gush of water sprayed out and hit Envy, sending him into the building behind him.

"Hughes!" I shouted at him. He snapped his attention over to me. "This way!"

As to be expected, he was shocked to see me. He ran over to me though, knife held ready in one hand. "I assume you found what you were looking for."

I smiled wryly at him, "You could say that."

"I'll kill you for that!" Envy shouted out and we looked his way. He had gotten out of the steaming water and had changed form. His was in his usual guise and boy was he not happy.

"Time to run!" I told Hughes. I clapped my hands one last time and touched the water still streaming out. I wasn't really sure how to do it so I went by feel. I tried to super heat the water. It worked more strongly than I had intended and steam exploded everywhere. It had the intended affect of hiding Hughes and I.

I grabbed Hughes's arm and dragged him down the street. I could barely see in all the steam but I managed to hold onto him and run in a direction away from the homunculus.

We made it out of the mist cloud and didn't stop there. I let Hughes take the lead and followed him down a series of winding streets. Hopefully, Envy had lost us and wouldn't be able to find us. We ran a little farther just in case.

I lost track of how many blocks we ran. My sole focus was running for dear life. The farther away we got the more I couldn't believe this was happening. I had actually done it. I had saved Hughes! Now if we could only get to a safe place I would be a happy camper.

We couldn't run forever. Well, I couldn't anyway. My lungs were burning and my legs were aching but that I could live with. I couldn't live if my heart burst.

"Stop! Please!" I panted.

Hughes slowed down to a stop and turned to me. He was breathing heavily but nothing more. I felt like I was dying. I held myself up barely, leaning against a wall. We were in some alley somewhere in Central. It didn't really matter to me where we were, as long as Envy couldn't find us.

"Ugh. I think my heart is going to explode." I moaned.

"After you catch your breath I'd like for you to answer a few questions."

I glanced back up at Hughes. His face was the most serious I had ever seen it. Those green-gold eyes of his gleamed with suspicion. I also took note that he hadn't put his knife up yet. Meaning, he didn't trust me.

I swallowed deeply and nodded.

"Who are you really? What's you're part in all this?"

His questions made me laugh for some reason, "I'm exactly who I told you I am. My name is Taylor Riley. As for my part in this, I don't really have one. I'm kinda just along for the ride."

He looked me up and down, "Those were some smooth moves back there."

I shrugged, "I guess I picked up a thing or two from Ed and Al."

He didn't even smile, "How do I know your really Taylor?"

His question confused me. Sure I would understand it if we hadn't have seen Envy back there but we had. He saw that I was not Envy. There's no way that I could not be Taylor. Then again, Hughes didn't know a lot about the homunculi. For all he knew, there could be more that had the same power as Envy.

"Okay. I need to prove to you that I'm Taylor then." I stated. "The first time I met you I was rude and stormed off in a tantrum. Sorry about that by the way. I was in a bad mood that day."

Hughes arched an eyebrow and his lips tugged up marginally. But he remained wary, "Tell me why you're here."

"I came here to save you." I said simply.

"I'm flattered that you care so much but I'm used to this kind of thing. I can take care of myself."

I shook my head, "Not always Hughes. If I hadn't have intervened Envy would have killed you. He turned into your wife and that made you hesitate long enough for him to take the shot. But Envy didn't know that I would be here to stop him."

"Envy is its name."

I nodded even though it wasn't really a question, "Envy is one of the seven homunculi. As you saw earlier, he can change into anyone he wants. The other six have different abilities but all of them are just as dangerous as he is. Envy wanted to kill you tonight because you've been getting too close to the truth. That's why Juliet Douglas lured you to that hotel tonight. So they could ambush you."

"You seem to know a lot for someone who's just along for the ride." Hughes commented. "How do you know so much?"

I sighed, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." I pushed off of the wall and walked past Hughes. He took a step back, watching my every movement. "I think we should be going. They're probably tracking us down as we speak."

"Why did you save me?" Hughes asked.

I stopped and turned to look at him. He stood in the same spot, eyeing me uncertainly.

"You're a good guy Hughes. A good father. A good husband. I couldn't stand to see you die. I know how suspicious you are of me right now, but I really mean it when I say I'm on your side. The homunculi have been after me for awhile and Ed and Al have been protecting me from them. But now I'm not the only one their after. They'll come after you again and again until they kill you. And I can't let that happen. I'd never forgive myself."

Hughes took in my words and finally sighed. Scratching his head, he muttered, "You sure are a strange kid."

I smiled, "Thanks."

He chuckled and walked over to me, "I'll buy what you've said for now. But once we get to a safe place your going to answer the rest of my questions."

We stepped out of the alley and looked out at the street. Not a soul but the two of us. "So what do we do now?"

Hughes opened his mouth to answer but then everything went to hell.

Something landed in between us and a shockwave sent us flying back. I rolled across the pavement dizzily. When I stopped, I focused my blurry vision to where the thing had landed.

The blood in my veins turned to ice. The thing was actually a person. And it wasn't any person. It was him. The guy who had chased me the other night and had stolen my map. He was back.

The man must have jumped from one of the nearby rooftops and had landed where he was now kneeling. The sword I had seen strapped to his back was now embedded in the ground. There was a crater around the double-edged sword. How on Earth had he caused that?

His head lifted and our eyes locked. I gasped but he showed no sign of surprise. All he did was simply stare at me. Then he stood and pulled his sword out of the ground. I thought he was about to come attack me but he showed his back to me and went after Hughes instead.

Hughes had already gotten up and had drawn one of his knifes. But what good could a tiny knife do against a hefty sword like that? My eyes were glued to the two of them as they fought. The mysterious man tried to cut down Hughes but Hughes jumped back just in time. He couldn't dodge the second attack. The man was able to cut his forearm. Not severely but enough to where his sleeve was covered in blood. Hughes grimaced slightly and changed his hold on his knife and countered. But he didn't get a chance to do the man any damage. This guy was fast. He swiftly leaned out of the way of Hughes's first attack and then his other.

The man put some distance in between them, going to the middle of the street. Hughes took advantage of this and threw his knife at him. The man didn't pause for a second. He ran towards Hughes while simultaneously slicing the knife out of the air and brought the sword back on a downward stroke to cut Hughes. He did all of this holding the sword one handed. The thing must have weighed a ton but he wielded it like it weighed nothing. At the last second Hughes got out of the way. But he left himself open and the man went right into jabbing his elbow into Hughes's stomach. He gasped and was knocked back into the building behind him. The man shifted his sword and went in for the kill.

I didn't even think about it. I clapped my hands and touched the building to my right. This was the same building that Hughes had been knocked into so I was able to transmute it. I moved the brick in the building to form a cocoon around Hughes. The tip of the man's blade stopped a centimeter away from the cocoon's hull.

The man paused and looked over at the unwanted interruption. There was no annoyance in his expression. No emotion at all. And yet, I felt extremely vulnerable in my position. Would I be able to stand and ward off his attacks? Or runaway perhaps?

He had no intention of coming after me though. He simply told me, "You can't stop me," and focused back on Hughes. He placed both hands on the grip of his sword and grunted as if using force. Suddenly, the blade of the sword emitted yellow sparks of lightening. They crackled and engulfed the blade fully. The man reared the sword back and shot it into the cocoon. The blade slipped into the rock with ease, the electricity moving to cover the hull of the cocoon. Then he pulled the sword back out.

My heart stopped. On the edge of the blade was blood. Hughes's blood. The cocoon crumbled from the energy of the electricity and revealed Hughes. Hughes now had a gun and opened fire on the man. He had a huge gash on his shoulder but it wasn't as serious as I had feared. I had no time to take comfort in this. The man danced away, not a single bullet hitting him. He was a blur as he moved. I didn't even catch his movements when he had moved behind me. I suddenly felt this presence behind me. I had no time to look back. He took hold of the back of my neck with his free hand and lifted me with strength far greater than a human.

"Don't interfere." he warned. Even now, there was no anger in his voice. I began to wonder if this man had a soul. He definitely wasn't human.

He spun me around in a fast circle and launched me off in a direction. That direction happened to be at Hughes and I collided into him, knocking him to the ground. We laid in a heap for several moments, my head spinning.

There's no time to catch your breath. He's coming after you. Move! a voice in my head screamed. I rolled off of Hughes and we both began the difficult task of sitting up.

The man was a few yards away, running towards us. When he got close enough, he slid into a swing that was sure to decapitate both of us.

Hughes grabbed my head and forced me to duck down with him. The blade was this close to grazing my head. Hughes used his position to his advantage and kicked the guy's legs out from under him. That threw him off and he came crashing down. But he wouldn't stay down if he was left like that.

Again, I acted quickly and made my inner circle. I slammed my hands down on the road and rippled the cement over the man's hands, leaving them trapped.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Hughes stood up beside me and offered me his hand. I took it graciously and got to my feet wobbly.

"Friend of yours?" Hughes asked me, gesturing to the man below on the ground.

I shook my head, "No. He's just my stalker."

"This guy must mean business, carrying around a big sword like this." Hughes said, looking down at the sword still clutched in the man's bound hand. "Nice going by the way."

"You too." I repaid the compliment.

"You think this is enough to stop me?" the man asked us. Then he stared coldly at me, "My alchemy is not as limited as yours."

The bounds on his hands lit up with electrifying sparks. The rock disintegrated and then he was free. There was a rush in the air and then pain. The man now stood in front of me, his eyes narrowed by the slightest degree. I glanced away from his face and down to my side. The blade of his sword had cut my side and now my blood ran freely, dripping onto the street. I followed the length of the blade and was shocked to find Hughes impaled by it behind me.

The sword was removed and I gasped and clutched at my side. Hughes fell backwards onto the ground, passed out. Red liquid covered his uniform and continued to pour out. More leaked out of his mouth.

My knees gave out and I collapsed. The pain in my side was but a pinprick compared to the horror before me.

He's dead…

"No." I whimpered. I had failed. I had done all of this for nothing. Hughes had died because I couldn't save him. I failed. I failed…

The man stepped around me to peer at the body. There was no remorse in his features. Nor was there enjoyment. He did not kill Hughes for fun but he had no qualms in doing it. This guy…he really did have no soul. He truly was a monster.

"Why?" I asked him, my voice shaky.

"You know as well as I that he was meant to die." he spoke, still looking down on Hughes's still form.

His answer ran sluggishly through my mind. How did he know that Hughes was supposed to die? Could he be from my side of the gate then? Or…somewhere else?

"Why are you doing this?" I asked helplessly. Tears streamed down my face but my face remained frozen in shock.

He turned to me, bloody sword in one hand, "I am doing this because of you. I am here because you are here. Nothing more. As long as more like yourself continue to come here I will remain."

His words held no meaning to me. I was so far gone that I couldn't make sense of it. Even if I hadn't been scared out of my mind I wouldn't have understood.

He walked away from Hughes and towered over me. I stared up at him with wide eyes, a sob hitching in my throat. My shoulders trembled and I felt numb. If I hadn't have been so terrified I might have considered transmuting something to help me. I was even bleeding and I could use my Philosopher's Stone. But I couldn't move if I tried. My body was frozen with shock and fear. I had never experienced such terror in my entire life. Not when I was sucked into the gate. Not when I had drowned. Not when I had been stabbed in the chest. This fear exceeded all others.

He leaned down and touched my chest between my collarbone. His fingertips made contact with a line from my tattoos. As soon as he did, the tattoos lit up in a bright red glow. Abruptly, my skin became searing hot and I felt as if I were on fire. The agony was too much. I let rip a blood curdling scream as my body was torn apart from the inside out.

OMAKE

"You think this is enough to stop me?" the man asked us from where he lay with his hands trapped. "You have not seen the full extent of my power."

The bounds on his hands lit up with electrifying sparks. The rock disintegrated and then he was free. He stood, gripping his sword in both hands as he arched it up towards us. A fierce gleam entered his eyes as he shouted, "Bankai!"

Crickets chirp…

"Um…" I said as nothing happened.

The guy looked at his sword in irritation, "I said, bankai!" Still, nothing happened. "Bankai, damn it! Why isn't this working?"

"I think you're in the wrong anime." I told him.

He stopped his futile attempts, "Is this not Bleach?"

"No, this is FMA." Hughes told him.

"Oh, that explains a lot. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I'll just be on my way." Then he left.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The end

Yes, I know, it's so bad of me to leave the chapter off there. I am a fan of cliff hangers, as you all know.

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