Here we go, chapter ten!

And once again, thank you so much people for your continued support for this story! It has turned into a much larger thing than what I had originally imagined, I never really thought I'd be rewriting Brotherhood/the manga! I love to get suggestions about plot twists because even though I may not use them, I find them greatly inspiring, because then I have to find a reason why it's not going to turn out like that. I have so much fun writing this, and because I don't really know what will happen next, I find this so exciting to write!

So thanks, people! You guys rock!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.


Chapter Ten

Roy froze. He could only stare as the thing took Fullmetal's shape. It looked so much like him that it hurt.

"Not so easy now, is it? Not when you're looking straight into the eyes of the child whose life you destroyed. Or are you going to burn me right in front of Edward?"

The thing even sounded like Fullmetal. And it was right, he couldn't just snap his fingers at the thing in front of Ed. Not when it looked like Fullmetal. Not when it meant that it would sound like him. Not when it would feel like he was killing his youngest subordinate.

Suddenly the thing had an automail blade pointed at Roy's chest. It had placed itself so that its left shoulder actually crashed against Roy's outstretched hand. To have lost the kid and just stand here, touching something that looked exactly like him, it hurt so much that Roy could hardly breathe. "So? You gonna let me go?" the imposter asked.

When Roy didn't answer, it shifted its right hand so that the blade was pressed against Ed's throat instead. Small droplets of blood were forming on the part that was touching the skin. "Looks like Daddy is too stubborn to save your life, doesn't it?" It was speaking directly to Ed who was crying silently, looking at it horrified.

"Fine. Take her. But don't you ever touch my boy again!" Roy said, regaining his voice at the threat to Ed.

The thing smirked. "Then I'm going to take these off just in case." It began removing Roy's gloves, smiling at him.

Roy growled.

"So Daddy has some sense after all." It removed its blade from Ed's throat and went over to Lillian Penton's unconscious form, hoisting her up on its shoulder. It turned its head around. "Seems you have a weak point, Colonel, nice to know. See you around." Then he walked off down the street, still looking like the boy that made it hard for Roy to swallow.

"Roy?" Edward asked in between his tears.

Roy readjusted his grip, looking down at him, kissing his forehead. He put his right hand behind Ed's head, his stomach twisted by guilt. He was basically clinging onto the boy in order to stop the tears that were pressing against his eyes. "I'm sorry, Edward. Let's get you patched up."

"Okay, Daddy."

Roy stopped walking, looking down at the boy who was staring up at him with teary, golden eyes.

"You called me "Daddy"?" Roy was confused and may have sounded angry as a result.

"I'm sorry if you didn't want me to. I just sort of thought it sounded right when he said it." He was looking down, obviously disappointed at his reaction.

Roy couldn't really decide. Hearing the fake Fullmetal say it was just hurtful, but hearing it from Ed … when he actually felt like calling him that? And after such a short while and after the whole Penton ordeal? After Hohenheim? Roy had thought that it would come at one point, like maybe after half-a-year at the earliest. But after a week?

But then he realised that with Grant and Lillian calling themselves his parents, how he would like to feel that he made the choice. The boy had probably thought more about who his parents were these last two weeks than most kids did in a few months.

And Roy thought about how he had called him his boy. How they had so much fun with the bath foam. How Ed seemed to rely on him for emotional support and how Roy really just felt honoured to do it.

And so he chuckled and kissed Ed on the forehead. "Call me your Daddy all you want, Ed. You just surprised me a bit, that's all."

Ed looked up at him, smiling hopefully. "It's okay? Really?"

"Yes, you're my boy, after all."

Ed stretched up and kissed Roy on the cheek. "Thank you for saving me, Daddy."

"Of course, Ed. It's my job."

"As our guard?"

"No, as your father." Roy felt funny saying it, but it did feel right. And wasn't as if he really was starting at a blank slate. He knew this kid, he knew his history and he had begun caring for him a long time before he met this Ed. And besides, they felt sort of melded together at an emotional level. They helped heal each other after the incident. They had an incredibly strong bond already.

Roy heard a lot of clanking footsteps.

"Roy?! Is everything alright?! What happened?!" Al shouted the minute he spotted them.

"It's a long story. Ed is okay, but he needs a bandage."

Roy checked the cut on Ed's neck. It wasn't too bad, but it was still bleeding quite a bit. Not life-threateningly though. Roy pressed the sleeve of his jacket to the cut. Ed leaned his head on his hand, his shoulder shooting up. "That tickles, Daddy!"

Oh god, Hughes is going to have a field day…

He still smiled though. "Okay, Ed, but then we're getting back to the house right away so we can get that cleaned up."

"Then we need to get you cleaned up too. You're bleeding." Ed put his left hand on Roy's right cheek. He held it up in front of Roy. "See?" It was indeed stained with red.

Roy didn't really have any idea about how he looked. When he had woken up, all he had done was check Hawkeye's pulse before he had run to find Ed.

Edward had his arms around Roy's neck. He still seemed shaken by seeing his fifteen-year-old shape.

"Daddy? Am I real?"

If Al had thought that something was odd about Ed's new name for Roy, he didn't say anything.

"What do you mean, Ed? Of course you're real," Roy said, surprised.

"I mean that I'm really fifteen, but I feel like I'm five and I look like I'm five, so does that make me a fake? Am I just a lie?"

"Edward, you're not a fake and you never will be. Someone did something terrible to you, but that doesn't make you any less real. It does not make you a lie."

"You sure?" Ed was looking scared.

"Completely." Roy leaned down and kissed his head. "You're my boy and you're as real as anything."

Ed hugged him tighter. "Thank you, Daddy."

Roy knew that he would have to talk to Ed about what had just happened when the boy had had some time to let it sink in. When Roy had had some time to let it sink in.

"Roy, what happened? We came back to the house and Lieutenant Hawkeye was unconscious and the kitchen was destroyed!" Alphonse had obviously just been waiting for Ed to have been calmed down before he asked what was going on.

"Lillian Penton came after Ed again. I wasn't the only one who wanted her however. There was this … creature, it could change its form. It got away with her." Roy couldn't get himself to tell the whole story right now. He needed to talk to Hawkeye.

They got back to the house where Izumi had already rebuilt the kitchen. She was standing outside the front door, arms crossed, glaring murderously. "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY KITCHEN?!"

"I'll explain everything, but first, I would like to get Ed patched up and looked over. He was attacked by Lillian Penton and an unknown culprit."

"You too, Daddy. You need to get patched up too," Ed said.

Izumi seemed slightly confused by the new name, but she didn't say anything. "The bathroom is through the hallway, second door on the right. There's a first aid kit under the sink. Come into the living room when you're done. And then you'll explain everything. Lieutenant Hawkeye is still out, she is lying on the couch."

Roy only just managed to stop himself from answering with a "Yes, sir!" and instead nodded and thanked her.

Roy carried Ed with him into the bathroom, putting him down on the lid of the toilet. He found the first aid kit and saw that there was in fact blood on both his T-shirt and his dungarees. Roy helped him out of his dirty clothes, revealing that Ed had dried blood half way down his chest. The cut was obviously pretty deep. Roy got a washcloth and poured some water on it before he kneeled down and began cleaning up the boy. He then put antiseptic on the wound, making sure that it was properly cleaned up, before he put a bandage on it. "Does it hurt anywhere else?" Roy asked.

"A bit on my back. I think I hit a stone or something."

Ed stood up and turned around, revealing what was probably going to be a nasty bruise just beneath his right shoulder blade. The skin was still littered with small, purplish spots from the injections, as well as a few green-ish bruises surrounding quite a few of them. Roy felt his stomach twist at the sight.

Roy turned Ed around before he hugged him tightly, kissing his cheek. He just felt a powerful urge to comfort the boy every time he saw what the Pentons had done to him. Ed was hugging him back, his small arms trying, and failing, to reach all the way around his chest. "What's the matter, Daddy?"

"It's nothing. It's just that I feel like hugging you when I see what they did to you. It's hard to explain."

"Oh. I think that's a parent thing. Mom would always hug me if I got hurt."

Roy smiled. He was really quite stunned with how much he loved this boy already. He hugged him tighter, cherishing the fact that he was safe, that Roy had been there in time, and that Ed was his. He was actually this wonderful boy's father as of now. And even though it scared him senseless, he wouldn't have traded this for the world.

And he couldn't help but feel excited at the prospect of one day being able to hug Al in this way too.

"But, Daddy? We need to patch you up now." Ed pulled out of the hug and found another washcloth and dipped it in water, coming back to him and dabbing his right cheek. Ed then found the antiseptic and cleaned it up before he bandaged it. He was obviously a quick learner. "I think you need someone else to look at your head wound, though, I don't know what to do about those."

Which would mean that with Hawkeye still asleep, Roy would have to ask Izumi to help him. He had a nagging feeling that it needed stitches.

"Ed? How bad would you say it looks?" Roy leaned his head forwards and felt Ed parting his hair from the source of the angry throbbing in his head.

"You need stitches, Daddy."

Roy cursed inwardly.

Which just had to be when Izumi decided to knock on the door. "Are you done soon?!"

Ed went over to the door slowly, still only in his light blue boxers, and opened it. "Mrs. Curtis? Daddy needs stitches, can you please help him?" he asked, obviously scared.

Izumi's stern look softened considerably. "Yes, I can, Ed."

"Great! Thank you, Mrs. Curtis."

Ed turned around and walked over to Roy, and Roy saw Izumi pause the moment she saw Ed's back. "They did that?" she mouthed to Roy, anger flaring in her eyes. Roy gave a swift nod. Izumi looked ready to murder the Pentons slowly with a teaspoon.

Ed paused by Roy's side, tilting his head forwards and Roy had a feeling that the boy was pointing. "There, Mrs. Curtis."

"Let me have a look, Ed."

Roy felt a much less gentle set of hands part his hair. "Ed, would you hand me the needle and thread?"

Ed fell to the floor and began shuffling backwards until his back crashed against the bathtub, staring at Izumi with wide, terrified eyes. "I-I can't."

Roy was immediately on his feet and scooped Ed up in his arms. Ed was shaking. "Don't wanna see them," he whispered, burrowing his face into Roy's shoulder.

Roy held him tightly. "Then you don't have to."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Roy sat himself down on the toilet lid, still holding onto Ed who's breathing was slowly evening out again. Roy could see why the panic was flaring after what just happened with Lillian, as well as the fact that Ed was dressed pretty much the same as he had been during his captivity. When a woman who was practically a stranger asked him to pick up one of his worst anxiety triggers, Roy would say that Ed's reaction was pretty natural.

"Sh-sh-sh, Edward. It's okay, it's okay." Roy spoke into the top of his head. "Mrs. Curtis, would it be okay for you to stitch me up although I'm sitting here?"

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry for scaring you, Ed."

Ed made a faint sound that sounded like a confirmation of sorts.

Then Roy felt the hair on his head being parted again, and he was soon very glad to have Ed to focus on as Izumi seemed to believe in being thorough rather than nice.

"Alright, Colonel Mustang, you're done. Now I would like a word alone with you," Izumi said after a few minutes.

Ed was thankfully calmed down and had actually fallen asleep in his arms. "I don't think that will be a problem, Ed is out like a light. Thank you for your help." Roy straightened up and turned towards her. "Now what do you want to know?"

Izumi closed the door behind her. "Tell me about Ed. I want to know what happened and what is going on between you and the Elrics. And then I want you to tell me what exactly happened with Lillian Penton, because you're hiding something from Alphonse and it is something that turned you pale as a ghost."

Roy sighed. "You want the long story, in other words?"

"Yes. And you're not leaving here with my boys before you tell me." She crossed her arms.

Oh, shit. I've got competition…