Roy had been expecting a call in the wee hours of the morning. Even if there wasn't any news on the case, just an update, something- from Hughes.

They'd gotten home around midnight. Ed had grabbed a brief shower- it'd taken awhile to scrub the dirt and blood off himself, Roy had assumed- but the boy had made an appearance in the kitchen, looking cleaner, but exhausted.

He'd managed to coax the boy into drinking half a cup of tea- with a splash of milk disguised by copious amounts of honey- before convincing him to head upstairs, because it was investigation's department, and there was nothing he'd be able to do anyways.

Roy had fallen asleep downstairs on the couch, waiting for the phone call from Hughes that never came. He woke up at 3:13am with a sore back from falling asleep slumped over. He slogged upstairs, still just as exhausted and frustrated as when he'd fallen asleep.

He noticed a light creeping under the door of the other bedroom- Al's room- and he frowned, lightly knocking on the door.

"Come in." Al's muffled voice replied.

Roy did. Al was seated in the center of the room cross-legged, various research reports and open books spread out on the floor around him.

"Is everything okay, Colonel?"

"Yeah. I was just heading to bed and noticed the light was on. Wanted to make sure you were alright." only now, it was dawning on him that Alphonse didn't sleep. When he'd first begun staying at Roy's home, he'd turn his lights out at night, but as he'd grown more comfortable, he'd taken to quietly reading and doing small tasks at night.

"Oh yes, I'm fine. Colonel... is brother okay? I saw him when he came in- he was covered in blood. And I know he's not hurt, but he wouldn't talk to me about it. He just went right to bed. He only keeps things from me that are bad. Horrible, even. Because he doesn't want to upset me. But I notice. This has something to do with the ladies that keep getting killed, doesn't it?"

Roy sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. How was it he always underestimated Alphonse Elric at every turn? When he'd first met the boy- an eleven year old with a soul trapped in a suit of armor who passed the written state alchemist's exam- to now- the perceptive child sitting on his floor, reading during the day and night because it was physically impossible for him to sleep.

He was too tired to come up with a decent lie. And besides, the way those quiet soulfire eyes bore into his own, he knew Alphonse wouldn't believe it, anyways.

"Yes, Alphonse, it is. Hughes and I have been trying to keep your brother out of it- but tonight he found a body. Hughes is handling it. In fact- I'm expecting a call from him anytime now. If the phone rings and I don't get it- will you get it for me?"

"Of course." Alphonse sounded much cheerier at this- he just liked to be kept in the loop, Roy realized. Knowing Ed, he tried to shield Al from anything not related to them getting their bodies back- he felt the military issues were his cross to bear, and his alone. It wasn't true- Alphonse was more than willing to help his brother- but Ed felt it was his responsibility, his duty, as the older brother to keep Al away from such things.

Still, that wasn't a problem he could solve tonight anyways. And with Alphonse awake and ready to answer the phone, he was free to go to bed. The day had been exhausting.

"Thanks. Goodnight, Alphonse."

"Goodnight, Colonel."

Roy quietly shut the door behind him and started towards his room. He was about halfway down the hall but stopped past the door of Ed's room when he heard a muffled whimper. He paused, sighing, before he palmed the door open and stepped into the darkness quietly. Ed was curled beneath the blankets, but after a day as hard as this, it wasn't hard to see the kid was probably going to have nightmares.

Ed was wrapped in the sheets, his blond hair strewn about behind him on the pillow. His hands grasped at the sheets and he squirmed slightly in his sleep, a half-sob half whimper breaking the quiet of the night as his legs twitched restlessly.

"Easy, Ed. It's alright, buddy." Roy picked his way over beside the bed, his earlier exhaustion forgotten.

In the early days, when Ed had first been healing here, he'd learned that during nightmares, speaking to Ed could calm him down adequately. He understood the fear of being in the dark and alone- hearing someone talking to you made the darkness less lonely, and not nearly as terrifying.

"I know. You had a real rough day today. We all did. But you the most, probably." Roy was beside the bed, now, and he reached over, gently brushing the boy's bangs away from his face. Ed's breathing had slowed slightly, and his face was no longer screwed up in distress, though he was still breathing fast and his fingers still worried the sheets slightly.

"You did good though. You were scared- I know you were scared- but you stayed calm. Calmer than me, in fact. When I saw you come in covered in blood- I thought I was going to faint. I was scared I'd lost you all over again."

Roy paused mid-way to brushing Ed's hair from his face, realizing his hand was shaking. He took a deep breath to steady himself before he continued, reaching down to gently brush Ed's golden locks aside, more as a gesture of affection now than to be able to see Ed's face.

"I'm proud of you, Ed. Of how far you've come- you've always been a brave, stubborn little brat- but seeing you grow up into the alchemist I knew you could be- I never knew how rewarding that'd be."

Ed let out a long breath- he was no longer panting anxiously. Roy cracked a slight smile. Ed was relaxing- yet again it was proof that just talking to the boy was enough to calm him down. With Ed's face relaxed, he wiggled his toes beneath the blankets and shifted slightly, snuffling into the pillow. it was cute, almost. Roy couldn't help but smile. Ed looked so much younger while he slept.

He pulled out the chair he kept in the corner of the small bedroom, sitting down heavily and blinking.

"You don't have to be so strong you know. You're only a kid. You don't have to hold the weight of the world on your shoulders. I mean, I understand trying to protect Al, but you're human- you're just a kid. You aren't alone. You have me. And the team. Just... try not to be such a hero, kid. It never got me anywhere."

He sighed, leaning back in the chair. The weariness that'd been slowly stalking him overtook him once again, settling deep into his bones. He'd just rest his eyes for a moment, and then head off to his own room for the night...


"Hey. Hey Roy, wake up! Hey!"

"Brother, you really should be nicer..."

"This IS nice Al! I made him toast! I don't just do this for anyone!"

Roy peeled his eyes open to see Edward, clad in black jeans and a loose-fitting T-shirt, with his hair in pony tail and a plate full of toast in hand, with Al behind him in the doorway.

"Besides, he's the one who fell asleep in my room!"

"...in my house." Roy groused, reaching up to scrub an eye with one hand. The crick in his back felt much worse, now.

"You're awake!" Al chorused, sounding pleased.

"Eat this toast. I made it myself cuz you pretty much died in the chair."

Roy opened his mouth to yawn, only to have a piece of toast shoved in his mouth. He started coughing.

"Brother!" Al scolded.

"What? I'm feeding him breakfast. That's what you're supposed to do!"

Roy coughed, spitting out the toast slice in one hand and swallowing the bite in his mouth.

"Yeah, it's good. Chewy, though..."

"That's cuz I put peanut butter on it." Ed beamed. "We're out of bread, by the way." he looked a little sheepish.

Roy frowned, becoming more awake by the second. "Why do I smell smoke?"

"We put out the fire!" Alphonse chimed in, trying to be helpful.

"Don't tell him that!" Ed protested.

Roy frowned. How was it 2 alchemist protegees couldn't make toast without nearly burning his house down?

Still, he had bigger things to worry about. "What time is it?"

"Noon. You pretty much died in the chair, like I said. And Alphonse found a cat, and I don't like it, but he put it in the living room anyways."

"It was raining! I couldn't leave it!" Al protested.

"Wait, noon!?" Roy was stumbling to his feet.

"Yeah."

"What about that phone call? Did the phone ring last night? Did Hughes call?"

"Nobody called except Hawkeye. She said we could stay home from work today cuz she heard about what happened." Ed took a bite on his own piece of toast, frowning.

"Of course she did." Roy made a mental note to thank her later, stumbling into the hallway and into his study and going for the phone. It was nearly noon, and Hughes hadn't called? Something was up.

He dialed the familiar number and waited.

"Detective Hughes here." Hughes sounded half dead.

"Hey." Roy tried to keep the irritation out of his voice. "I was expecting a call from you. Maybe not news, but just an update of some kind since last night."

"Sorry. I haven't been home. I've been chasing leads."

"All night?" the silence on the line and the lack of cheer in his friend's voice confirmed his guess to be true.

"I have to solve this, Roy. This guy- whoever he is- made a mistake. The killing last night- was done by the theater where a political rally was being held. All those spectators watching- someone had to have seen something. There was a sign in sheet passed around, I've been interviewing. We're on interview... 87? Of approximately 150. I can't talk long- one of the candidates who was giving a speech, Susans- she's coming in soon."

"You need help. You've been up for nearly 24 hours straight, you have too many leads to handle and you're not thinking clearly. I can be over there in half an hour..."

"No. You need to stay and keep an eye on Ed. I don't want him involved in this. We're close to a break, I can feel it..."

"Hughes..."

"I can feel it Roy!" Hughes snapped, and Roy paused. Hughes wasn't one to shout normally.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because... the killer's been too rash. He made a mistake. Ed said the victim's pink purse was left behind at the scene. When my team got down there, there was no purse."

"Whose to say robbers didn't just take it?"

"They would've taken the money. Our victim was a school teacher, and she'd just been to the bank. The clerk remembered her cashing her paycheck. And we found it. All 174 cens of bills in that alley. Crumpled up and bloodstained, but all there. They just. took. The purse."

Roy frowned, turning the fact over in his mind. "But if Ed saw it..."

"Then the killer came back and took a souvenir. Between the time Ed found the body and before investigations arrived, the killer came back for a memento."

The phone receiver clattered to the desk as it slipped from Roy's fingers and his blood ran cold.

Whoever the hell this sick bastard was... he'd come back for a souvenir.

Ed hadn't seen the killer, but perhaps he'd still been there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for a moment to strike while Ed had been close by.

Roy picked up the phone again, trying to calm his racing thoughts. Once again, Edward was lucky to escape alive.

"So someone has to have seen it. 143 spectators. 3 Politicians. 14 staff. Someone saw something. Our killer is boxing himself in. I can find this, I just need Ed safe with you and out of the picture..."

"At least let me send Hawkeye. She can help you. Don't tell me you couldn't use a 2 hour nap and some more manpower, because that's a lie and we both know it."

Hughes sighed. "Yeah. Sure, send her over, but keep Ed safe. He was there last night- the killer might've been there, Roy. Watching him."

"I know."

"This killer has been getting more aggressive. I don't want his luck to run out."

"Understood. I'll have Hawkeye and some staff drop by. When you get a break- call me. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Roy." Hughes sounded exhausted but grateful.

"Take care of yourself, Hughes."

Roy hung up the phone and sighed. He was anxious for a break in the case too- the case had become too personal. Part of him resented not being able to go and help himself, but when he thought of Ed being anywhere close to this lunatic again, he knew why it was important to keep away.

"Mow?"

A ball of orange fluff jumped up on the desk next to him and started to rub his arms and purr.

"What the hell!?"

"That's Iggy." Ed frowned, crossing his arms and looking up at Mustang with distaste. "That weird ass cat Al found. I don't like him, he's shifty."

Roy looked down. The cat was rather bedraggled looking, and it's eyes were lopsided, looking in two different directions. It was kind of unnerving.

The cat started to purr like a motor, pawing at his hand and begging for pets. The cat was also drooling.

"Oh yeah. It might have rabies. Hughes have any news on the case?"

"No. Nothing yet. And you're not involved in the case anyways."

Roy frowned, picking up Iggy the cat and setting him on the ground. The cat promptly fell over like a drunk, sprawled out on the rug, and fell asleep.

"Right. When you find him, I want to help hunt him down."

"Ed. No."

"It's personal now!" Ed stomped his foot. "Like it or not, I AM involved, and I'm not gonna sit around like some useless child!"

"I never said you were a useless child. But we could use you elsewear."

"Yeah? Like where?" Ed raised an incendiary eyebrow.

"Here. Helping me figure out how to vote in this damned election this afternoon. And helping Gracia and Elicia. Hughes hasn't been home from the office in awhile, I'm sure Elicia could use a hand with the shopping and you and Al can help with Elicia."

There was a small poof as Iggy the cat farted himself awake before promptly dozing back off again.

"And also- we gotta find somebody to adopt this cat."