Ed had been keeping an eye on the aura-flow of Brad's office ever since he turned Central Command into a monument. Brad's Core aura was a deep black, which made sense when considering his soullessness, and the people who most visited his office had dark green, sunny yellow, and mossy green auras.

The dark green aura belonged to Solaris, Ed was sure. The only thing Ed knew about the other two was that they kept popping up where he didn't want them to. The sunny yellow one, for instance, had shown up around Greeling's house. And if it were just that disturbingly bright aura and nothing else, maybe Ed could brush it off as surveillance. As is, the aura's appearance came with an array.

The paint used for this particular array so closely matched the color of the porch that it was nearly invisible, and dirt and leaves had been swept over it to further obscure its presence. He hadn't drawn attention to it when he saw it because he didn't know what to think. He hadn't known how to react.

The lack of knowledge was what stopped Ed from alerting Greeling or taking any sort of offensive action. Ed waited until a time when he knew Greeling wouldn't be home and uncovered the array for a better look. That better look burned the array into Ed's mind, and no matter how many times he tried to think of something else, he couldn't. All he could do was draw the array over and over again in hopes that the next time he drew it, the result would be different.

It wasn't, of course.

Instead of finding some fantastical new interpretation of this array, Ed just stared. He had been staring for the past who knew how long and would continue to stare at it for the same amount of time. He stared and he stared, and then he stared some more.

The array was meant to create a chimera.

Ed hadn't seen one in years, and looking at it now, he felt sick.

Creating chimeras didn't just mesh bodies together. It meshed souls. The stronger the soul was, the longer it would take to integrate, but it would integrate. And then the new abomination of a soul would attach itself to the Core (assuming the person used had a Core) and the deal would be done.

Ed could handle all of that. What he wasn't sure how to handle was its location.

Ed knew that Greeling wasn't behind this. Even if he didn't trust Greeling as much as he did, the man was too smart to make such a stupid slip-up. Besides, Greeling's backyard was pretty much for show. He never used it, and it was unlikely even he knew the array was there.

That could only mean Brad was already starting to target those closest to Ed, and Ed hadn't even done anything yet. Even worse, Greeling wasn't like Mustang or his men. He didn't have a reason to get in Brad's way other than Ed dragging him there. Ed hated himself for putting his friends in danger, and he hated himself more for being unwilling to stop.

Protect his friends.

Protect the people.

Protect his friends.

Protect the people.

If he didn't take Brad down soon he would probably have to choose, and if he waited too long, the choice would cease to be his.

Al. Winry. Maes. Gracia. Elicia. Greeling. Namae. Elaine. Mustang.

Everyone else.

Ed stared unseeingly at the array in front of him and made useless attempts not to think about it.

(***Intertwined***)

Ed rarely interacted with Gerard inside of class. Gerard didn't mind because they did interact outside of class. They trained together, and Ed could (and did) spend hours on end just bouncing ideas off of Gerard, uncaring of Gerard's inability to give any useful input whatsoever.

Ed was smart and snarky and had a laughably large hero complex. He had a genuinely atrocious personality that he failed to hide despite being plenty smart enough to manipulate those around him. He didn't spare feelings. All he really cared about were his friends, his family, and for whatever reason, Gerard.

Gerard knew these things to be fact because above all else, Ed was honest.

So when Ed marched into class looking as pissed as Gerard had ever seen him, he was positive he'd be hearing about who and why momentarily. What Gerard didn't expect was for either of those answers to be him.

"What the fuck, Greeling? You didn't think I'd find out about this?"

Ed's hand slammed a piece of paper onto Gerard's desk, but Gerard cared little to nothing for his theatrics. As angry as Ed sounded, there was something off about him. About his eyes.

"Of all the stupid fucking stunts to pull, you're messing with chimeras? They told me you were allied with Brad, but did I listen? No. I fucking trusted you!"

Gerard's eyes narrowed as he bared his teeth with a displeased frown.

"You think I'm in leagues with Brad?"

"What am I supposed to think? I found this in your backyard!" Ed hit the paper again. "I stuck up for you, and this is how you repay me?"

"Ed, I didn't—"

"I don't want to hear any of your fucking excuses! I'm done being manipulated, and I'm done with you! You come near me again and I swear to the Gate," Ed fisted a hand into Gerard's fur vest and violently yanked Gerard close enough to whisper, "I know you're innocent. I trust you, and I need you to trust me back."

Then he shoved Gerard just as violently back and turned to take a seat on the other side of the room. Namae, Alphonse, and Winry were quick to join him, all whispering questions of what that was about, while Martel took Ed's vacated seat. Martel leaned over to get a better look at the paper Ed had oh-so-nicely delivered, and Gerard looked with her.

It was, in fact, an array. Gerard didn't have enough experience with alchemy to say what kind of array it was, but he could bet Ed hadn't been lying about it being linked to chimeras.

Gerard flipped the paper just enough to see that there was writing on the back before laying it flat on the desk. Solaris took the free seat on his other side a moment later.

"I see you and your pet had a falling out. Poor thing. Not that I didn't see this little catastrophe a mile away. He's too good and you're too you. Though I must say I didn't expect you to start working with Bradley behind my back. Naughty boy."

"I'm not working with Brad."

Solaris didn't even pretend to be surprised.

"No? That's too bad. I was looking forward to working with you again."

Gerard grit his teeth and held his temper very firmly in check as he tapped on the paper in front of him.

"Why was this outside of my house?"

"How should I know? You're the one who put it there." Solaris pulled away as Gerard turned to her, no doubt sensing the danger in his demeanor. She continued with a faux-placating, "And if you didn't, there's nothing to fear. After all, I hear the elder Elric's got a real knack for figuring out he's being deceived."

Solaris winked and stood, dragging a long fingernail across Gerard's desk as she made her way back to her spot beside of Mustang. Instead of grabbing her and ending her sorry life where it stood, Gerard folded the paper and stuffed it into his vest pocket for later examination.

Good things to those who wait.

Waiting, sadly, was a nightmare. He felt the note burning a hole in his pocket just as much as he felt Ed's dismissal of their relationship in the empty air around him. Ed's whispered assurance let Gerard know that he only wanted their images separated for the public, but to what extent?

Was Gerard supposed to accept Brad's proposal and spy for Ed? Were they to discontinue their sparring sessions and only meet in back alleys to exchange information? It had been obvious for a while now that Gerard would end up being a major player for Ed's side, but he hardly thought he would be doing it from not Ed's side.

It was smart. It was strategic. Gerard respected Ed's ability to utilize him, even if he didn't like how. Or maybe it was less that he didn't like how and more that he didn't like his obnoxiously idealistic view of Ed being tarnished by human nature.

Either way it set Gerard's teeth on edge.

When Gerard got home, he immediately started searching for the array. Once he was actually looking for it, he started berating himself for not spotting it sooner. It was painted a shade of brown barely darker than the wood of his porch, and it was covered with dirt and leaves.

It was a trap.

Whether it was intended for actual use or had already served its purpose by being seen by Ed, Gerard didn't know. What he did know was that people had been to his home, invaded his personal space, and he wanted them dead.

"Roa!"

Roa appeared seconds later, and Gerard kicked the array as he said, "Clean this up. I want the house on lock down and someone on guard twenty-four seven. Got it?"

"Of course."

Gerard didn't look at Roa as he stormed inside and up to his room. He didn't open Ed's note again until the door was shut behind him, and even then it was only after checking the shadows for signs of Selim. On the front of the paper was the same array he now knew was painted in his backyard. On the back, however, was handwriting so bad that it could have been written only by Ed.

This is on your back porch. I don't think Brad would use it on you, but that doesn't mean anything for your crew. If he's already targeting you this might be too late, but here's to hoping it's not. I'm about to do something that'll really fuck with Brad. He's going to come after me hard and fast, and no one siding with me is safe. If you really want to get out of Brad's crosshairs, now's your chance.

I don't really care what you think of me, but I'm your friend, and that means I don't want you to die.

Stay Safe.

Gerard read the note once, twice, and then a third time. Every reading had him zeroing in on the sentence, "I'm you're friend, and that means I don't want you to die." which had him gripping the note just a little tighter until he had to put it down for fear of tearing it.

Ed not only didn't want anything from him, he preferred keeping Gerard safe to making use of his talents. He cared for Gerard's safety more than his own goals; more than his own life, considering he was facing Brad.

Gerard ground his teeth together as he tried to comprehend someone showering him with no-strings-attached kindness even after knowing him for who he really was. He tried to understand offering himself to someone who could really, genuinely use him only to be turned away because they cared about him too much.

Gerard didn't need protection, yet Ed was offering it. Gerard didn't ask for friendship, yet Ed was giving it. Gerard didn't do anything that wasn't in his own self-interest, yet all Ed wanted from Gerard was to stay safe.

Gerard didn't know what it was he felt brewing in his chest (anger-fondness-hatred-gratitude-greed), but it was overwhelming.

Was this what it felt like to be loved?

Gerard flattened the paper and placed a book over it in an attempt to get rid of the crinkles from his earlier folding.

No matter who it was that physically painted the array on his porch, Brad was behind it. And yes, maybe it was Gerard's fault for assuming that Roa or Martel had brought a date home when he felt his Core twinge the wrong way, but it was Brad's fault for fucking with him in the first place.

Brad was the one driving a wedge between him and Ed. Brad was the one threatening to take away not only Ed but the rest of Gerard's makeshift family, too. Brad was the one who was so desperate to maintain his legacy that he was willing to ruin everything for everyone else to get it.

He had used Envy, was using Solaris (who was no doubt using Gordon), and was likely trying to find leverage to use Trisha. This – ruining Gerard's relationship with Ed – was no doubt Brad's way of reeling him in, too.

Well fine. If Brad wanted to get the family together so badly, who was Gerard to stand in his way?

Decision made, Gerard grabbed his keys and made his way out the door. He drove to Brad's house, which was as gaudy and tastelessly decorated as always, and stopped at the park across the street. He turned off his car and waited for the tell-tale red eyes in the shadows.

It was nearly impossible to predict where and when Selim would be looking, but he did perimeter checks three times a day like clockwork. While Gerard didn't know the exact timing, he was patient. He could wait. It took nearly two hours, but when large red eyes finally appeared, Gerard grinned and crooked a finger towards himself.

Selim took all of seven minutes to get from his room to Gerard's car, and by then Gerard had already re-started the engine. Selim stopped at the driver's side window, unamused.

"Uncle Gerard."

"Get in."

"Why?"

Gerard's glasses slid down the bridge of his nose as he glanced at the big, ugly house behind Selim.

"You really want to talk about this with daddy looking over your shoulder?"

Selim's creepy-as-hell blank expression didn't change, but he did walk around and get in the car. As soon as they were a full half-city from Brad's place, Gerard dove in.

"Word on the street is that you and Brad aren't getting along so well anymore. He's too old and you're too young, and that inter-generational gap is just too much to overcome. Any truth to that?"

"You're far from amusing, Uncle Gerard."

"I'll take that as a yes. So, assuming you're ready to spread your wings and Brad's too egotistical to let that happen, what do you say we take him out?"

Selim dropped the disinterested pretense as he turned to fully face Gerard.

"Take him out?"

"Kill him."

Selim stared at Gerard expectantly, but Gerard kept his eyes ahead and demeanor aloof. This was hardly the first time he had enticed one of his ridiculously vain family members to do what he wanted, and there was no way Selim would be the one to out-maneuver him.

Selim's frown said he knew that, too.

"You and Father have been at odds since long before I was born. Why move forward now?"

"Because he stayed out of my way before this. Now your old man is stepping on my toes, and he doesn't seem keen on stopping. I figure this way we can both get what we want."

"And what is it, pray tell, that I want?"

Gerard scoffed.

"You're a riot when you play coy. You know that?"

"I'm not—"

"You are." Gerard glanced at Selim out of the corner of his eyes just to see the fury burning behind the childish facade. "You forget that Brad was the head of my household, too. I know firsthand what a self-centered, controlling, micro-managing ass-hat he can be. I know you're plenty old enough to be out causing your own brand of chaos, and I know he's keeping you locked away because it looks better for his image if he's a family man."

Gerard watched Selim glare for an entire ninety seconds.

Finally, Selim said, "Suppose Father does have an unfortunate accident. What happens to me then? Mother will hardly just let me go."

"Kill her, too."

"So... what? I can go to an orphanage? I believe I'm better off where I'm at."

"I'll adopt you."

"And then what?"

"What?"

Selim half-sighed, half-growled, already fed up with the slow pace of their dance.

"You would be my legal guardian. What, exactly, would you do with me?"

Gerard snorted.

"Do I look like a fucking dad to you? I'd turn you loose, and you can go do whatever you want. Just don't expect me to bail you out when you get into trouble."

Selim leaned back in his seat and examined Gerard. The brat could be brash and greedy, but he wasn't stupid. Murdering his father the Führer wasn't something he could agree to on a whim. That being said, Selim was his father's son, and that made arrogance an inescapable trait. He believed he could gain control of the situation, whatever the situation was. He assumed that if he watched Gerard carefully enough – if he planned well enough – he could gain the upper hand.

That assumption was based in the misconception that Gerard actually cared whether or not Selim would side with him.

The kid could be a useful ally, and the look on Brad's face after being betrayed by his progeny would be priceless, but it wasn't a make-or-break situation. The point of this meeting wasn't to gain a new pawn but to plant the seed of possibilities.

If Selim agreed, he was an incredible spy with no moral compass.

If Selim declined, he would keep the plan in the back of his mind, ready to switch sides at a moment's notice.

And even if the improbable happened and Selim told Brad that Gerard planned to kill him, it would do no good. Gerard always planned to kill him. He just didn't always feel like acting on it.

"I find your proposal interesting."

"That's because it's interesting."

"But I'll need more time to think on it."

"Obviously."

Deciding their conversation was over, Gerard sped up and rounded the last few corners to get Selim home. Selim reached for the handle as the car slowed to a halt but didn't open the door.

"Tell me: What is it Father has done to finally push you over the edge?"

"He's trying to take what's mine. I don't appreciate it."

Gerard flashed a malicious grin that showed just how much he didn't appreciate it, and Selim got out of the car. He, unlike his father, had a proper understanding of the term "too dangerous."

"Take care, Uncle Gerard."

"Just think on it, Selim. And remember: The Pride goeth before the fall."

(***Intertwined***)

Kain's father was a loving man with a kind heart. He did everything in his power to make sure Kain never wanted for anything, even without the help of a second parent. He encouraged Kain's interests, sympathized with Kain's distresses, and assured Kain that God had a plan for everyone. As long as he kept his faith, he would be taken care of.

When Kain's father died and Kain was forced to join the military to pay for his schooling, his faith wavered. When both his classmates and squad-mates ostracized him for his perceived femininity and odd mannerisms, his faith flickered. When Kain accidentally intercepted a message to the Führer's inner circle outlining corrupt plans for a corrupt system, his faith dampened to near nothing.

Roy Mustang was the oxygen his faith needed to flare back to life.

Mustang saw Kain's knack for electronics and communications as an indispensable asset, and he personally recruited Kain for his unit. Kain didn't have high hopes for the transfer, but Mustang was the first to show him genuine kindness and encouragement since since his father's death. Luckily, reality far exceeded Kain's expectations.

Looking back, Kain understood that Mustang's personal approach had probably been a carefully considered manipulation. Kain needed something to believe in, and Mustang provided. That didn't change the fact that within Mustang's unit, Kain found his safe haven.

Aside from Mustang and Hawkeye, everyone in the unit was an outcast just like Kain. Maybe they didn't look it or even act it, but they definitely felt it. Havoc and Breda hid it best – Havoc by laughing off his hard work and dedication, and Breda by disguising his intelligence beneath an underachieving delinquent facade – but they still felt the constricting expectations of unforgiving societal constructs. They still had to fake it to fit in.

Mustang's unit was where Kain found true friends and finally understood his father's insistence on following his dreams. Mustang gave him purpose beyond just surviving and a goal he could believe in. With Mustang's confidence, intelligence, and cunning lighting the way, Kain regained the belief that he could genuinely help his ailing country become something better.

Within that, Kain also regained his faith in a higher power and the ultimate plan that came with it. If not for the years of neglect and depression, Kain may never have stumbled into Mustang's path or been invited to join his new family. Even if he didn't like all of the twists and turns life took, he felt secure in the knowledge that everything happened for a reason.

That security, however, was not something he could easily share.

If it were shareable, Kain could do something other than watch Falman fall apart under the guilt of getting in Fullmetal's way at the ceremony. He could assure Falman that there was more at work than just bad luck and ease the otherwise unshakeable shame of being the one to inadvertently force Mustang and Fullmetal to bond.

As much as Kain cared about the entire unit, Falman was the one he most related to and thereby most empathized with. When Falman hurt, Kain hurt, too.

So despite Falman shuffling papers and getting coffee around the time everyone arrived at work, Kain saw the wrinkled uniform and tiredness that came with sleeping at a desk. He saw a normally comfortable stance hunched by self-depreciation. He watched gentle, intelligent eyes darken from doubt and desperation, and he could do nothing about it.

They all invited Falman out after work. They assured him of his innocence. They offered to help. They pretended to believe him when he said he'd be leaving in a few minutes. When even Hawkeye told Falman to take a break, Kain knew they had let it go too far. He just equally didn't know what to do about it.

"—stupid, god-fucking… Leave me alone!"

The office door slammed open and just as quickly slammed closed, leaving room only for Fullmetal to slip inside. The anger Fullmetal held for whatever reporter had followed him inside (likely the Earth Alchemist, as all other reporters would have been stopped by security) vanished almost before he finished turning around.

The blonde alchemist offered a sheepish smile while raising a hand to scratch the back of his scalp.

"Sorry about that, I—"

Fullmetal was interrupted by the clatter of a chair scraping the floor and long legs bumping against a wooden desk as Falman hurriedly stood to salute. Blonde brows scrunched confusedly.

"I don't know what Mustang told you, but you can drop the formalities. I'm not really into the whole military official thing." Fullmetal took a few steps closer to Falman as the older man hesitantly lowered his salute. "He told me you were alright, but it's good to see it for myself. I've actually been meaning to talk to you for a while, but time management's never been one of my strong suits."

Fullmetal shrugged half-apologetically while Falman raised a confused hand to point at himself.

"To me?"

"Yeah. I wanted to thank you. You really saved my ass back there."

Falman's eyes widened almost comically.

"I-I did?"

"Yeah. I never would have been able to get back and undo my boxes in time. Without you there, I doubt I would've made it. So thanks."

Kain watched as Fullmetal closed the distance to Falman's desk, hoping against all odds that this could be what snapped Falman out of his spiral. Unfortunately, Fullmetal got distracted from whatever he intended to say by the map on Falman's desk.

"What's this?"

Fullmetal tapped the paper twice. Kain tried his hardest to pretend he wasn't watching as the sudden change in topic only served to make Falman even more flustered.

"It's, uh, it's a map of everything I think the Führer might have had his hands in over the past few years. I haven't exactly finished it yet, and I can't say for sure if it'll lead to anything, but I needed something to focus on. A-a way to help."

Fullmetal picked the map up, and Kain saw hundreds of red dots forming seemingly random lines and figures within a near-perfect circle around Central. Golden eyes stared hard at the paper as though the line-up of the incidents scratched at something just beyond his understanding.

Kain felt sorry for Falman as Fullmetal seemed to forget that they were in the middle of a conversation, completely content to just stare at the map. After a few minutes, Falman tried to re-initiate.

"It's-it's slow-going. It was the first thing I could think of that, uh, that might lead… somewhere," Falman whispered 'somewhere' with a hopeless breath, "but if you think there's a better path to take—"

"No. No, this is good. You're onto something. Actually, can you go back further? Like, way further. And wider, too. If you could do this back to five or six years before the Ishval Civil war started and spread it out over all of Amestris, I think we could really have something."

Fullmetal held the paper closer to his face before flattening it back out on the desk as though a change in perspective would help him figure it out.

Falman re-drew Fullmetal's attention back by asking, "You could do this yourself, couldn't you?"

"Probably. Do you think it'll take too much time to do alone?"

"No. No, it's just that I..."

Falman glanced around the room, and Kain offered a discreet, encouraging nod when their eyes met. Falman hesitated before straightening his posture and focusing back in on Fullmetal, far more determined than before.

"You're smarter than I am. Aren't you?"

Fullmetal shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe. What's it matter?"

And just like that, whatever dam of emotions Falman had been keeping to himself broke. Falman took a firm step forward and did something Kain had never expected of him: he yelled.

"Because I almost got you killed! Because I – I made it worse. I distracted you and I just… I ran. I ran and left you to deal with the chimeras on your own! If I could-could contribute to this fight against the Führer in ways that you couldn't then I could maybe – maybe – start to feel okay about what happened, but you're smarter than me! You can do everything I can do, only faster."

Fullmetal hurriedly held his hands up to stop Falman's rant.

"Woah there. The hell are you talking about? You got the chimeras to separate – they're a fuck ton worse in a pack, trust me – and got Al the info he needed. You played to your strengths, and that's all anyone can do."

Falman tossed his hands up, for once uncaring of the scene he was making. Kain felt his heart break as he heard Falman say, "Maybe I don't want my strengths to be running away!"

Fullmetal had no such sympathies.

"If you honestly think that you sticking around unarmed would have made you less of a distraction then Mustang's giving you way more credit than you deserve. I mean, do you think that anyone else would have been okay out there with me?"

"Mustang would have—"

"Mustang's an alchemist who's pretty much trash without his gloves. Now you look around this room and tell me who here is useful without a gun." Fullmetal didn't wait for Falman to actually respond before continuing, "Exactly. So shut up and focus on what you can do instead of what you want to do."

"What if you had died for me?"

"Then I'd be dead and you'd still be working on this geographic profile. And that's what matters. Because right now we're chasing our tails trying to catch up with Brad's agenda, and the only shadow of a lead that I've seen is right here."

Fullmetal splayed his hand on the map.

"I may be capable of doing your job, but we don't think the same. Backtracking what Brad has done geographically to figure out what he'll do next is the last thing that would have occurred to me. So don't give me that bullshit about me being worth more than you or whatever the fuck else. I've got your back, and I'm glad you've got mine. So let's move past what we can't change and focus on what we're about to do: Kick Brad's ass. Sound good?"

Falman stared at Fullmetal disbelievingly before the tension visibly drained out of him. Kain breathed a sigh of relief as Fullmetal held out a hand for Falman to shake.

Falman took a moment to stare unsurely, like he wasn't quite sure he was really allowed to accept. When Falman finally reached forward, his hand was shaking. Fullmetal closed the distance with a confidence as bright and purposeful as Mustang's. Even from across the room Kain could see the way Falman's all-consuming guilt crumbled to make room for Fullmetal's easy acceptance, and he knew that if Fullmetal asked Falman to do anything—anything at all—

"It'll be an honor."