Chapter thirty-nine

Ed was lying in bed next to Daddy, hugging him tightly. The big, strong arms around him were holding him tightly, keeping him safe. This was good and nice and warm and Ed loved Daddy so much. And Daddy loved him so much too.

"So how about we take it all away?"

Ed froze. Daddy had spoken, but it wasn't his voice. It was the Roy-thing's voice. Ed tried to get away, but the arms just tightened around him, not letting him go as it crackled with red energy and transformed into the old Ed. One of the arms was now automail and the coldness burned across Ed's back.

"Hello, Ed! Let's give you back to Lillian. You're hers now, after all… She made you this way, so it's only fair that she gets something back for her hard efforts, right? It's just an Equivalent Exchange…" The Roy-thing said, speaking like the old Ed as he sat up, lifting Ed while holding him close to his chest.

"NO! I'M NOT HERS! PLEASE DON'T TAKE ME BACK THERE! PLEASE!"

"Your opinion really doesn't matter, you know…" the Roy-thing said, carrying Ed away. Ed couldn't see where he was being taken and it held him close to its chest, the black tank top pressed against his face.

Ed kept screaming at it, trying to make it release him, but it wouldn't.

Then suddenly it was pushing him down on a chair and tying him to it, binding his wrists and feet. Ed screamed. Then his pyjamas were gone and he was sitting in only his boxers.

"See, Ed? You're back home!" The Roy-thing said, grinning. It transformed itself to look like Daddy again. "Say goodbye to Daddy, Edward!" it said, speaking with Daddy's voice.

"Because now you're getting a Mummy instead!" It was Lillian's voice. Next second, a pair of hands were placed on his shoulders.

Ed began sobbing. It was happening again! She was gonna stick him with the needles until he wasn't him anymore. And they would hurt and burn and she would just call herself his mother as she hurt him and Ed couldn't get loose.

Lillian leaned down and kissed the top of his head before she slipped her arms around him and hugged him. "Oh, Edward, dear! How Mummy has missed you! She has been so worried!" She then kissed his cheek too. "But now we're together again and I'll never let you go! You are Mummy's precious little boy after all!"

"I'M NOT! I'VE SEEN MOM AND YOU'RE NOT HER! YOU WON'T EVER BE!"

"Oh, but, Ed, you're just not understanding this. She wasn't your true Mum, she didn't want you like I do. You and me are going to be so happy, you just need to be prepared first."

Ed felt his stomach twist. "NO! MOM WOULD NEVER HURT ME!" he tried as he sobbed.

Lillian just kept hugging him. "But Edward, I'm not hurting you. I'm preparing you. You're not done yet. However, you have been a very naughty boy, running away like that. Grant was your Daddy and you let Mustang and his friends kill him. That was very bad of you. And you know what happens to bad boys, don't you?"

"NO! PLEASE! PLEASE!" Ed began struggling against the ropes binding his wrists and feet, but he couldn't get loose. They were too tight.

Lillian pulled out of the hug and pushed Ed's head forwards as he screamed. "DADDY! HELP!"

"He's not your Daddy, Edward."

Then Ed felt the needle being plunged into his neck and he shrieked. Pain began spreading and his whole body was on fire and it hurt. It hurt and hurt and hurt! "DADDYYYYYY!"

And Lillian was just stroking his hair, shushing him. "You'll be done soon, my son. We'll be together soon."

Ed screamed.

"Edward!"

Ed opened his eyes. Daddy was looking at him, looking scared.

Ed began sobbing and Daddy sat up, pulling him into his chest so that Ed was leaning into his left shoulder. Ed just kept sobbing, clutching his undershirt, holding onto the safety of Daddy. He breathed in the smell and the warmth. People didn't have smells in his dreams, so knowing that Daddy had his meant that he was safe. It was warm and safe and Daddy was going to protect him from Lillian and the Roy-thing and all the bad people in the world.

Ed just wept as Daddy pressed his lips against the top of his head.

Ed knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore. Fear was still making his stomach twist and he was both hot and cold at the same time. "Can we go downstairs?" Ed asked.

Daddy turned on the lamp on the nightstand. "Of course, Ed. Maybe Rolf would like you to give him a little midnight belly scratch?"

Ed sniffled. "Maybe."

Daddy carried him out into the hallway and over to the top of the stairs, just as another door was opened further down the hall.

"Is everything all right?" Granny asked. "Do you need some help?"

Ed just kept clutching Daddy's undershirt as the tears kept streaming down his face.

"Pinako, you wouldn't happen to have the ingredients for making some cocoa, would you?" Daddy asked. "It's what we usually do when they're like this."

Ed couldn't stop himself from crying, because even though he knew he was here with Daddy, he was still scared and he could still hear Lillian's voice as she kept telling him that he was hers.

"Of course, I'll help you make some," Granny said.

"Thank you, Pinako."

Daddy carried him downstairs and into the kitchen. Daddy sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and Ed just sat on his lap, hugging him.


Roy held Ed close, watching the old woman start to prepare the cocoa. Pinako was wearing a pale green dressing gown and red slippers and Roy was painfully aware that he was sitting there in only his boxers and undershirt. He felt awkward.

And as Roy did these days when he didn't know exactly how to react in a situation, he based his actions on what was best for his boys.

Which meant that he just sat there, stroking Ed's back while hugging him tightly.

"Does this happen often?" Pinako said, looking at Ed who was still crying against his chest.

"Not as much as they used to, it's getting better little by little."

"Can I have a cookie?" Ed asked, sniffing.

Pinako went over to the box in one of the cupboards and pulled out a large chocolate chip cookie. She went over to them and gave it to Ed. "Here, Ed, but only one, it's not good for you to have too many."

Ed took it and Roy used his undershirt to dry Ed's face before the boy ate the cookie. "Thanks, Granny."

"I hope you're feeding him a healthy diet, Roy, he always seems to get sweets when you're around," Pinako said sternly.

"Trust me, I do. I'm an officer used to field duty and that means being in tip top shape if you want to keep people safe. Ed is a very good boy and eats all his vegetables, and ketchup is not one of them."

"Mhm… I only get ice cream and cocoa when things are really bad or when I have been a really good boy," Ed said as he slowly devoured his cookie.

Roy couldn't help but notice that Ed had in his dishevelled state not thought about the fact that chocolate melted, so his cheeks and hands were covered with crumbs and melted chocolate. Roy sighed and headed for the downstairs bathroom. "Let's get you cleaned up, Ed." And so Roy placed Ed next to the sink and got a washcloth from one of the shelves and wetted it before he set to work. Ed had cheered up considerably from the cookie, and giggled as Roy scrubbed his face and hands with the washcloth.

"I love you, Daddy."

Roy pulled him in for a tight hug. "And I love you too, Ed. So, so much."

Roy carried Ed back into the kitchen just as Al opened the front door. "Oh, hi, Dad!"

"Hello, Al, how's the night sky?" Al had told him yesterday that he liked spending the clear nights outside, looking at the stars.

"Really pretty."

"Can we go look too, Daddy?" Ed asked.

"Of course, Ed. We can take the cocoa outside if you want together with some blankets."

And so they did, Pinako scrutinising his every move.