A/N: Sorry if this one is a little long. I am hoping to wrap this one up soon and Fire Dancer as well.
Disclaimer: Yeah don't own FMA
Chapter Four: Libraries, The Elric's, and Mustang's Panty Raid
Heidi sat in East City's library, in the alchemy section of course, looking around. It looked a little like the one in Central, but had it's own unique flair. The stained glass windows were beautiful and crimson, indigo, forest, and lastly gold shone upon the large oak table. She loved stained glass, it was beautiful no matter if light shone through it. Sometimes she could get lost in the colors for hours just admiring their simplicity, or breaking them down such as yellow and red made orange and so on.
She sighed glancing at her pocket watch, almost noon. She'd been here for an hour setting up. She had to make sure everything was perfect for this one last prank. Mustang was the only one it could happen too. She'd made sure to ask for the most secluded section and go from there. There wasn't really anyone visiting the library today anyway. She'd seen the Elric brothers down the way and said hello before setting up and sitting down.
Being ever the girl that she was she got up and smoothed her dress. It was really the only one she had that she felt comfortable wearing and the hem touched the floor. A sweater was worn to cover the scars of her arms and for once she'd opted to leave her long blonde hair down.
She frowned looking at her feet. Her sandals felt so strange after wearing her military issue boots for so long, well so did wearing a dress. She was so used to pants it wasn't even funny and kind of felt a little naked.
Sighing again she drifted into the books reading the titles that lined the shelves. The word Crimson caught her attention and she paused just staring at it, shuddering involuntarily at the thought of the one with that alchemy title. Instantly her mind was taken back to that night, that horrible, terrifying night. She could still feel the sun's heat radiating off the sand even after it had set, could still feel the sand stinging her face in the harsh gusts of wind. She could still see his face, that smile, that maniacal smile, a smile that used to be so sweet and kind, filled with love.
"They sent you to kill me didn't they?" He asked coming closer.
"Please brother, please just stop this now. We can go somewhere else, some place where no one knows us. I don't want this. This wasn't the plan." She shouted over the wind.
He laughed catching hold of her shoulders. "And what was the plan little doll?"
"Not this, this is insane. Please I love you, just come away with me, I'm begging you. I don't want you to die. I'd be so lost with out you."
He nodded. "I'd be a little lost with out you too, so say we fix that little problem huh?" He clapped his hands pressing the two transmutation circles together.
She shook her head in horror immobilized, voice failing her. His hands grabbed her arms. "I can feel your make up sis, you know what you've got a little more iron in you than I would have thought." Then the pain came. That horrible burning, searing and the flesh upon her arms ripped open, blood splattering every where as she screamed in agony, falling to the sand.
All he could do was laugh and kick her over. His hands touched her again and again, exploding the surface of her body with his talent. "I'll make it so no one will ever touch you, if you don't die first. You know it's amazing seeing the terror in people's faces when they know they're going to explode and it's their own chemistry working against them.
Through the tears, the sorrow, the shear agony of it all she managed a whisper. "I love you Zolf, always will."
It was then that he paused, retracting his hand. "Liezel…" He frowned blinking in confusion. His hands touched her face wiped the tears away. "Little Liezel, my little doll…I-I can't, what am I doing? Liezel-"
A gentle hand ripped her from the memory. "Heidi, are you alright, you look a little pale," A soft voice asked.
Heidi blinked a moment then smiled. She loved the sound of that voice, she could sit and listen to him speak in what ever tone and it would never get old, she'd never tire of it. "I'm sorry Sir, I was day dreaming." She met his onyx eyes.
"Looks more like you were having some sort of waking nightmare. I have been talking to you for at least a minute; I'm not used to being ignored. I don't think I like it much." He replied dubiously. "Care to talk about it?"
She shook her head. "Not really," She looked him over; he was in a rather nice looking black suit, white dress shirt. "You ready?"
He paused a moment then smiled. "You know Heidi we're not in the office or on duty, you can call me Roy."
"Okay," She replied moving from the shelves toward the table. He stopped her by stepping in front of her.
"Wait a moment. I just found something out about you." He said testing the waters. She was neutral, showing no sign of alarm.
"And what would that be?" she asked.
"That today is your twenty third birthday." He smiled turning to the table behind him and lifted a flower. "And I remember you saying you like flowers." He presented her with one blue orchid. They were rare so he'd had to make is with alchemy before coming here. He'd had another memory, a troubling memory where a man he disgusted had given a girl one blue orchid before all the alchemist's had left to begin their work with the incomplete philosopher's stones. He had remembered it because of her smile, a smile so like Heidi's.
Heidi smiled taking the single flower. "It's beautiful, but where did you find it?"
"I had to make it; you looked like you'd like to rare ones the best." He lied. Well he did make it.
Her big blue eyes left the flower and looked into his. "Thank you Roy, I haven't had anything this nice in such a long time. The last time I was given one of these was for my eighteenth birthday."
"Your welcome," Damn not the reaction he'd hoped for, though he wasn't sure what he had been going for. He moved aside and motioned for her to sit.
Being ever the gentlemen he sat her first, pausing a moment behind her. Her hair was down and it smelled so lovely, even from this short distance. It looked so soft and he couldn't resist touching it once. It really was soft and oh so smooth. To his surprise she didn't flinch away, just sat still letting him run his finger through the golden honey locks.
He smiled after half a minute and took his seat moving his chair beside hers. "You're not a natural blonde are you?"
"Gee what gave me away?" she asked with a smile.
Roy reached out to touch her hair again. "Your eyebrows are too dark, but it's beautiful. What's the natural color?"
He was hitting close, too close, but he was only talking about her hair, it was safe…she hoped. "Dark brown. My like my mother's. She dyes hers blonde too though." She smiled. "Did you come to talk about alchemy or me?"
Roy smiled. "How about both, I have to say I'd have never thought to see you in a dress."
"And why not?" She asked. "I am a girl after all, not a solider all the time."
"True," Roy dropped his hand to the back of her chair. "I still think you're beautiful." That earned him a beautiful smile.
"Such a smooth talker," She pointed to the books in front of her. "If you're good I might let you talk me into a real date Roy."
"Really, well," He shifted in his chair and opened the books for her noting that she still held the orchid in her hand. She held it like it was made of fine glass and could break.
"So this one," Heidi pointed to the first book. "Is the beginnings of sound alchemy...
Heidi and Roy were so lost in discussion they didn't even seem to notice that Ed and Al had been hovering near by listening. "Look at him, bastard thinks he so great."
"Ed it's kind of cute." Al said. "After all those pranks they're getting along."
Ed huffed. "But he doesn't have to keep playing with her hair and flirting like that." Ed pointed to Mustang's wandering fingers tangled in Heidi's hair. For the last hour Mustang had been serious and making small jokes. Ed and Al had watched Heidi do the same keeping pace, but unlike Roy she seemed to be able to keep her hands to herself. Still Ed had to admire the way the Colonel, the bastard Colonel just so he was clear, could focus on the alchemy discussion and manage to flirt at the same time. And their discussion was rather deep, discussing theories, transmutations, and the like. Edward was only annoyed because he wanted to listen to it all with out the flirting. Heidi's alchemy and even the Colonels were interesting.
"Well maybe he likes her and she likes him." Al offered. He sighed. "Why can't we just go ask to sit with them brother? I'm sure Major Kruger and Colonel Mustang would let us and even explain things if we asked."
Al had a point but Ed just didn't want to be that close to all that. "And interrupt the near make out session, I'll pass." He replied grabbing a book.
Roy and Heidi frowned as a loud crash accompanied by a strangled cry sounded from behind them. "What was that?" Roy asked beginning to get up.
"THAT'S IT!" Well that was a familiar voice.
Roy smirked when Edward Elric appeared looking thoroughly disgusted with a book still upon his head. The boy stood tapping his foot positively fuming. "You know Fullmetal there are stepstools you can use instead of climbing shelves."
Ed folded his arms over his chest, for once in his life not retorting to an obvious short comment. "You know Colonel you're being really immature and that's saying something coming from a kid!"
Roy's eyebrow twitched. "Now hold on a minute I haven't done anything…" He trailed off hearing laughter beside him. Both he and Edward looked at Heidi.
"I'm so sorry Ed, this is my fault. I didn't know you and Al would be sneaking around over here given that you don't really seem to like Colonel Mustang." She giggled.
Ed's mouth opened and closed. "You- you did this?"
Heidi nodded. "Yes, it was meant for him." She pointed at Roy giggling some more. "Sorry, so sorry."
Roy sat down casually, crossed one leg over the other with a smile. Ed did look rather ridiculous. "So Ed what were you doing poking around back there?" He'd get to Heidi's prank in due time but he couldn't pass up a chance to pick on the kid.
"I was looking for something." Ed replied pulling the book from his head. "It is a library."
"If you really wanted to hear about this why didn't you just come and ask?" Heidi asked him. "Instead of standing back there complaining to Al about it."
"How did you know?" Ed stammered. He'd been talking so quietly so had Al.
"I'm the Echo Alchemist Edward, I have to be attuned to sound and I hear more than most people. Now why don't you and Al come sit down while I go clean up the mess?" She replied.
Ed glanced back at his brother who was already cleaning up like the helpful person he was. "Al,"
"Coming brother," Al replied setting the stack of books he had upon the shelf.
Ed sighed turning a book around to look at the transmutation circle. "If you like her why don't you just ask her out?" He muttered.
"Huh?" Roy asked.
Ed lifted his eyes to the Colonel. "Well make up your mind, you like her or you don't."
Roy smiled. "It's not that easy kid, not with her."
"So have all of these pranks really been to get rid of her or because you like her?" Al asked. "Fury said you were upset that Lt. Hawkeye was transferred and that's why you were doing all of this. But you've been playing with Major Kruger's hair for awhile."
"How long have you been spying?" Roy asked.
Al lifted his hand in defense. "No it's not like that Colonel. Ed said you would be here today talking about Alchemy with the Major. We were curious that's all, but Ed didn't want to interrupt."
Roy was quiet. He did like Heidi and had decided to quit these little games. He did want to ask her out despite this nagging feeling he kept having. In some instances he thought he'd seen her before, in others he just felt that what he ever it was that was bugging him was impossible. Besides if there really was something he needed to know about her Maes would probably dig it up in due time if she didn't tell him first. He was kind of surprised that Heidi was letting him in so quickly, letting him touch her. He could tell she was still a little uncomfortable with it and he did get the feeling that she was letting him do all of this for more than just the sake of the unit and work. It was like she wanted it, wanted to be touched but was afraid.
"So where were we?" Heidi asked retaking her seat.
"How about you tell me what that was all about?" Roy said looking toward the shelves.
"Oh well that was my final prank. I think it's time we stopped though since nothing is going as planned. I don't want anyone to get hurt. You can find other ways to try to get rid of me." She smiled picking up a set of his notes.
"And what if I don't want to get rid of you anymore?" Roy asked. Ed groaned.
"Then I'd have to say one that's a relief and two, I'm glad." She replied.
"Great now ask her out, get it over with, and explain this to me." Ed said impatiently as he pointed to the book. "I don't understand this."
Heidi glanced at Roy. "I'll think about it and have an answer for you on Tuesday," She turned to Edward. "Let me see Ed,"
Roy smiled. "Well that was easy, thanks Ed."
"Mm," Ed grunted and waited for Heidi's explanation.
After such a nice weekend Saturday and Sunday both spent in the library with Heidi and the Elric's, Roy was ready to return to work. He'd spent more time learning all the facets of sound alchemy, how it was pulled off, what it took, then explaining to the boys and Heidi about his own. It was nice, really nice. Heidi had given them a demonstration, however small, with a book. She'd simply pulled on her glove, after Roy returned it of course, spoken a word and knocked the book over. The amplified noise brought an annoyed librarian to hush them, but it was still fascinating and very complicated.
In all of that time Roy had been thinking about his memories, the flower, Heidi, and Zolf J. Kimblee. There had to be some sort of connection between her and that murderer. He just wished he knew what it was. That was who he had seen in his memory, that's who'd given Heidi the blue orchid. But why? Were they friends, lovers? He shuddered at that thought.
He'd tried to bring up the subject of the war to try and ease some information from her, but she always side stepped or made it clear that she didn't want to talk about it, it hurt too much and why reopen old wounds?
So he'd come up with a plan to find out since she wouldn't tell him on her own. He couldn't wait anymore; he had to know what her connection to Kimblee was. He had to know if she was like him.
Heidi sighed looking at all of the paperwork around them then checked her pocket watch. "I can't believe there's so much, nothing happened over the weekend."
Roy nodded signing away at his current report. He'd purposely obtained extra paperwork so this would happen. He needed her here late tonight, needed her out of her apartment for at least an hour. "It has to be done today. I need you to stay and file it, you don't mind do you?"
Heidi shook her head. "No, if it's done today then there will be less tomorrow." She lifted her next report. "I can have it done in about two hours if you want to go."
"Don't you have something to do tonight?" He asked looking up. "You don't have to so this alone; most of it is my work after all."
She smiled signing her name. "I don't mind and no I didn't have anything planned other than to finish the book I was reading, so it's really no bother at all."
He yawned. "Okay, well I'll just finish up. Thanks Heidi,"
Roy met Havoc, Fury, Falman, and Breda outside Heidi's apartment at seven. He'd had to go down to the housing office to obtain her address and spare key with the excuse that Heidi had to stay late and needed him to check on her new dog. Then he'd had to convince his men to join him on this little search.
From the outside the apartment, looked really nice, blue curtains stood open in the open windows, blowing in the night breeze. Roy wondered what the inside looked like; a girls apartment sometimes told a little story about the girl. Well he was about to find out.
"Sir, are you sure we should be doing this? It's breaking and entering." Fury said nervously.
Roy pulled out the key with a smirk. "Is it now?"
"She didn't give you her house key." Havoc said lighting a cigarette. "I thought you'd gotten the hint last Friday."
Roy's smirk faded. "I did get it. Havoc there's just something I have to check on, something she's not telling me. It's important."
Havoc frowned. "You think something's up? Are you sure this isn't just some panty raid?"
"Like a spy?" Breda asked.
"Panty raid?" Fury and Falman asked.
Roy sighed. "Look let's just get this over with, don't make a mess and Havoc put out that cigarette, she doesn't smoke and she'll know we were here if there's smoke in her house."
Havoc tossed his cigarette to the ground and followed his commander up the walk to the front door.
"Won't she be home soon?" Falman asked when Roy turned on the light.
"We've got some time, she's filing." Roy replied getting a good look around. Damn, even his apartment didn't look this good. The living room spelled classy with sleek dark blue furniture, a white carpet, a cherry oak coffee table freshly polished, with matching side tables, and white lamps. There were two paintings upon her walls, a small writing desk also made of cherry oak, and a large bookshelf filled with books. He noticed that on the coffee table was the book she'd been reading and the orchid he'd given her on Saturday. It was in a white vase. He could see a rather nice looking phonograph in the corner with several records set up too. The place smelled nice too, not like cleaning supplies, but fresh like the outside.
Roy ran his gloved finger over one of the side tables then looked at it. Hardly any dust at all, meaning she'd cleaned very recently, probably yesterday. "Fury I want you to keep watch at the window, Breda look in the writing desk and don't mess anything up. Look for anything that looks suspicious or out of the ordinary, any photographs even."
They nodded and Roy motioned for Havoc and Falman to follow him through the rest of the apartment.
The bathroom was nice, so was the hall closet. There was a dinning room off the kitchen and what Roy assumed was the bedroom and a back patio with a large sliding glass doors. This really was a lovely place, better than where he'd picked to live off the park.
"Damn she's so clean, even my girlfriend isn't this clean." Havoc muttered peaking into the kitchen. "Whoa,"
Roy turned around to see what Havoc's problem was. Falman had turned on the kitchen light. The damn room was so clean it practically sparkled. Was Heidi a neat freak or something or was she just that damned bored and lonely?
He decided to peak around to see what she kept within the room. There were common kitchen utensils, plates that had a floral design along the edge; the kitchen table was a good strong one. Roy was begging to see that Heidi seemed to like cherry oak as it was a common theme. She seemed to like the colors blue, white, and in the bathroom was a very deep shade of green.
"Call Mom and Dad. Call Ivan and tell him about weekend." Falman read aloud.
Havoc and Roy turned from the Icebox to see the man reading from a message board that hung over the sink. "That all she wrote?" Roy asked.
Falman nodded. "I didn't know she had a boyfriend."
"She says she doesn't." Roy muttered. "This Ivan guy's supposed to be some friend of hers." He sighed. "Well I guess the bedroom's left."
"Sir I really don't think we should go in there." Falman said. "That's worse than just snooping around."
Roy gave him an annoyed look. "What are you afraid she's got some chimera guarding the door? A woman's bedroom isn't that scary."
Havoc snorted. "Well it depends on what it is the girl's got in there sir. Some women's bedrooms are pretty scary."
Roy smirked. "True, Breda," He called.
"Yeah Colonel?" the round man asked.
"Find anything?" He asked as Breda appeared.
"Just a bunch of letters from her parents and some guy named Ivan."
Roy's eyebrow quirked as he tapped his chin. "Grab one from Ivan, don't care which. Then meet us in the bedroom."
"Yes sir," Breda replied.
"So what are we looking for sir?" Falman asked as Roy flicked on the light switch in the bedroom. This room was red, black, and white. It was an interesting change from the rest of the apartment. There was a large queen sized bed shoved against the far wall, a beautifully carved vanity that held photographs in sliver frames, and one rocking chair near the window.
"We're looking for photographs, anything that doesn't fit with her, or looks like it doesn't fit to what you know of her." He replied. He couldn't very well say 'look for evidence of Zolf J. Kimblee,' that would raise some alarm and if he was wrong he'd regret it later.
Quietly he made way to the dresser to look at the line of photos. How odd, he thought picking up one with her and two people. These must be her parents but she looked nothing like them. Oh her mother had blonde hair and blue eyes. Still Roy had met a few people who didn't look like their parents but someone else in their family before. They looked happy.
There were some more of her parents and one of her and an attractive looking young man with short brown hair, gray eyes, long hook nose, they were both in uniform. They stood in front of a jeep on a sunny day. Must be this Ivan character, he thought.
He came across a small bottle of perfume and smelled it. Yep this was what she used to be sure, it smelled simple and delicate, light, not too flowery, and not some old lady scent. It was kind of sandalwoody and yet not, but very nice none the less.
Sighing Roy opened the top drawer and began poking around. He took off one of his gloves and set it down to get a feel for the clothing he was touching. Who knew if he'd get an opportunity like this again? All of her underwear was made of soft cotton and all were a different color. "Hmm…" He said holding up a rather interesting looking pink pair. This one was silky.
'Absently' he slipped it into his pocket and moved on opening another drawer. There just had to be something here, some clue.
"Colonel, want to know bra size?" Havoc asked with a chuckle.
Roy frowned. "Lieutenant this is not some panty raid. This is serious… What is it?"
"32 C."
"Well that's pretty," Falman said making both Havoc and Roy turn from what they were doing. Falman was looking in the closet. He pulled out a nice black dress. It looked smaller than what Heidi wore and wouldn't you know it, the skirt was short, really short.
Fury sighed nervously and looked down the street toward HQ. He saw a familiar figure with blonde hair walking. The figure stopped to speak to someone and pet a dog. He gasped. "Colonel she's coming!" He cried running to turn off the lights.
Roy slammed the drawer he'd been looking in shut. "Damn that paperwork should have taken her hours. Falman put that back, Breda the lights, we've got to move now."
Breda who had just entered with a random letter scrambled to get the lights.
Fury ran from the living room. "She's so close we can't go out the front! I knew this was a bad idea Colonel, she'll be so mad."
"Quit freaking out Fury!" Roy snapped, smacking him over the head. "We'll just go out the back." He pointed to the back patio doors and all of them hurried to get outside.
"Now what?" Breda asked as Roy closed the door.
Roy turned to be greeted by a large concrete fence and another apartment. Damn! He felt his pockets for chalk to make a transmutation circle. He could make a door in the fence like Ed did…He didn't have any chalk. "Hide," He replied hurrying under the bedroom window. His subordinates followed his suit, there was some muttering and Roy glared at them to be quiet since the bedroom window was open.
Heidi frowned, seeing a smoldering cigarette in her walk. She knelt to take a look at it. It looked like the brand Havoc smoked, but what was he doing around her place?
She shook her head getting up and headed for her front door. From the living room window she noticed a light on inside. She always turned off the lights before leaving…She smiled. Some one had been in her residence and she bet she knew who it'd been. There was really no reason why the Colonel should have had that much paper work. They had better not have taken anything or else.
When she went to open her door she found it not closed all the way and pushed it open. If they were still here and hiding she'd just make it seem like she'd not noticed then catch them.
Sighing she went about her normal evening routine. She turned on the living room light, started a record, and went to her bedroom. She took off her boots and uniform jacket. As she untucked her shirt she noticed her closet door open and one white glove resting upon her dresser. It had a tell tale red transmutation circle printed upon it. Heidi smiled shaking her head.
Quietly she went to her back door and opened it to let in the fresh air, there really was a nice breeze from the North today and it would be nice to get it in the house. There was a scraping sound near by, like someone was moving their foot in the dirt, and she smiled, knowing who ever was with Roy was still here. There was only one place to really hide, under her bedroom window. She was about to walk out upon her patio and confront them when her phone rang and she hurried to get it.
"Hello,"
"Hey kiddo happy late birthday. I tried to call over the weekend but you never picked up." A soft voice said.
Heidi smiled sitting at her dinning room table. "Well that's because I wasn't home Ivan. I was at the library with Colonel Mustang and the Elric brothers. It was really nice and thanks for trying to get a hold of me."
"What did you do in the library?" he asked sounding annoyed.
She laughed. He was always pushing her to go out and do other things. "We were studying alchemy. You know Edward and Alphones are very intelligent, I didn't have to explain much at all."
"Yeah I don't get the alchemy bits of your life, so what else is going on?"
Heidi sighed. "Well Colonel Mustang had so much paperwork, more than normal and as usual he was whining about it, put if off and such."
"You helped him again didn't you?" He asked with more annoyance.
"I don't get why you have a problem with that. Anyway it all had to be filed and I made him go home. I don't think he realizes that I can get that sort of thing done faster alone and quickly at that." She yawned. "But after all that work I'm a little tired. Do you mind if I call you tomorrow after I get off?"
"Nope, I'm off all day actually."
"Okay well I'll talk to you then, night,"
"Night Heidi,"
Heidi smiled hanging up the phone and eased into her kitchen. Turning on the cold water, she pulled a large pot from her cabinet and filled it.
As carefully as she could, with out sloshing the water upon the floor, Heidi made it to her bedroom and poured the water out the window. Several gasps and a few startled shouts sounded and she laughed setting the pot upon the floor, then she leaned out her window with a smile. "Evening Colonel, gentlemen, find anything interesting?"
All of them looked up at her, the Colonel and Fury being the two most soaked. They were surprised, wet, and pissed. But the Colonel smirked. "Not really,"
Heidi nodded slowly looking him over. She caught sight of something pink sticking out of Roy's pants pocket. She wet her lips trying to keep the smile from her face. "You know Colonel I really don't think pink is your color."
"Huh?" He asked confused as his men looked at him.
"Hold that thought, I think I know something that will suit you better." She started to pull away then paused. "Oh don't go anywhere, since you're here you might as well stay." Then she was gone from the window.
"Man she's gonna to kill us." Breda whined.
"I told you this was a bad idea, what was she talking about Colonel?" Fury asked.
Roy smiled remembering the underwear. If he should die tonight he deserved it. He was a very wicked man and he was going to hell.
"What was she talking about, what's pink?" Breda asked scratching his head.
Just then Heidi reappeared with something in her hand, something light blue, like her sky colored eyes. "Here I'll trade you," She said pointing at his pocket as she leaned out again.
Roy's eyes grew wide. She wasn't seriously going to give him a pair of her underwear to keep! She turned her hand over and motioned with her fingers for him to fork over the pink pair. Slowly he pulled them from his pocket and she placed the blue pair in his hand.
"Colonel! I thought you said this wasn't a panty raid!" Fury gasped.
Heidi grinned. "Who cares Fury, if he wants borrow some of my clothes he can. Though, I think Colonel, that you might want to make sure you only wear them around the house, your butt is bigger than mine."
Havoc snorted and Roy, blushing in public view for the first time in years, smiled. "I'll keep that in mind."
Heidi sighed. "You know all you had to do was ask Colonel. I would have let you come in and pick anything you wanted."
All of his men laughed at that. Oh She. Was. Going. To. Die! Roy sighed. "Are you done?" He asked coldly. There was only so much humiliation he would stand for.
Heidi shook her head. "You're the one who broke into my house."
"How did you know anyway?" Havoc asked.
"One you left a cigarette in my walk, two the front door wasn't completely shut, three I always turn out the lights before I leave, and lastly Colonel fancy pants here left his glove upon my dresser. Oh and when I opened the door I heard someone's foot moving on the ground." She frowned. "I'm kind of disappointed, your stealth sucks."
Roy sighed. "You weren't supposed to be home yet."
She nodded propping her chin up on her hand. "Mm, I got all that work finished. If you're hungry I'll make you something to eat. The rest of you are free to go anytime, but I do want to talk to you Colonel Mustang." With that she moved back inside and left her bedroom.
"Oh you're gonna get it." Havoc said nudging Roy.
Roy smirked pocketing the blue underwear. She gave them up so he intended on keeping them until she asked for them nicely. "You all might as well go home since we didn't find anything."
"And miss this are you kidding?" Havoc asked.
"This should make news around HQ," Falman said with an uncharacteristically wicked smile.
Roy glared. "This doesn't leave this backyard."
Heidi made spaghetti and had all of them fed. Fury felt so badly about going along with the Colonel and no one was convinced that she wasn't angry with them, that he did the dishes. The rest of them busied themselves with the kitchen clean up. Heidi just sat at the table not letting the Colonel get up. Her blue eyes watched him persistently. It made him uncomfortable and he really wanted nothing more than to escape.
"My good looks aren't going to change for awhile." He said with a smirk after what seemed an eternity.
"I know that, can't I just look at you for awhile? I'd like to have a good image in my head to remember after I kill you and bury you in my back yard." She replied with a soft oh so caring smile.
Roy's smile faded and he sighed. He did deserve this.
Fury, Falman, Breda, and Havoc filed into the dining room quietly. "We went along with it so you'll have to kill us too." Havoc said reaching for his cigarettes. He dropped his hand remembering that this was her house and she probably wouldn't want him to smoke inside.
"I'm not going to kill him guys. I don't want to be rude but could you go home. I need to speak with the Colonel alone." She asked.
"Yes sir, sorry sir." Fury said meekly.
"Thank you for cleaning up." Heidi replied waving them off. "And make sure you actually leave. Don't hang around outside my house all night, it will bother the neighbors and lock the door on your way out."
"Yes sir," Havoc called from the living room.
Heidi waited until the door was closed before closing her eyes and relaxing.
Roy sat forward resting his arms upon her dinning room table. "You're pretty angry aren't you?"
Heidi lifted her arms, pulled the hair tie from her hair, and shook it out. Her head had ached since lunch today, but the pain was forgotten in the excitement. Well it wasn't forgotten now for it was stabbing at her temples saying 'hello I'm still here,' She wet her lips and opened her eyes. "I'm not angry…I'm a little disappointed and a little hurt to be honest."
"For the underwear?" He asked stupidly.
Heidi chuckled. "No that was fun." Her smile fell. "I just never thought you'd do something like break into my house. I mean if you really wanted to come over I would have let you. But this isn't about wanting to come over, this is about you not trusting me enough and digging around where you shouldn't be."
He started to speak but she shook her head. "I'm not leaving because you don't trust me Colonel. I think you could if you tried. I'm not too happy that you broke into my house, but it…" she sighed not sure how to say what she wanted too. "I don't know what you want, what you're looking for, why it is that you seem to dislike me so much. Was Saturday and Sunday some game to you, some joke?"
Roy was taken aback. She really was hurt, terribly hurt. She looked like she wanted to cry and he felt worse than he had before. "It's not that Heidi, I do like you, I have certain feelings for you," He admitted for the first time even to himself which was surprising. Well she was beautiful, smart; fun…He'd been over that a million times why go back over it now? "There's just some things I don't understand. You never talk about yourself, never start conversations. It's like you're hiding something, can you really blame me for being a little suspicious?"
Heidi shook her head. "I am hiding things, terrible things, things I'm not ready to share. Like I told you before I do want to tell you. It's really hard to live like this, it's tiring and I get exhausted sometimes. Ivan pushes and pushes, my parents ask dumb questions. People are always asking things that I can't tell them. I'm trying to live as normally as possible after everything.
"It's just damned difficult to forget when the evidence is printed right on my body. I can't get though a day with out seeing it. I can't get through a month with out feeling the ache, and the images in my head will last a life time. The nightmares bring it all back. But I'm just not ready to tell anyone. I," She leaned forward to prove her point. "Have to be able to trust someone with the information, the truth, everything that is me, or was, or what ever. If I can't then it's better to stay silent and try to be content alone."
Roy reached for her hand. The way she spoke sounded so tortured, so alone. It probably all led back to the war in Ishbal. He understood the pain from that, maybe not hers, but his own. He did want her to trust him, he wanted to know about her, and he knew well enough what it was like to live and have no one really understand what was going on. He also knew what it felt like to be alone. He was alone, surrounded by people all the time, pretty girls, but he was alone unless Riza, Maes, or Havoc were there.
"I'm sorry Heidi, I just wanted in, to understand better." He said softly. He ran his thumb over the top of her hand noting how soft her skin felt, how warm it was.
She nodded. "Thanks Colonel," She looked away. "I don't know how to make you understand. I don't think anyone can understand because I don't understand myself."
"You'll never know unless you try to explain." He replied. "You don't have to tell me now."
"I can't, I really can't tell you every single piece, not yet…" she swallowed. "But I can show you a piece of it, my hell." She stood up let go of his hand and went to the back patio. She closed the door. "That is if you wouldn't mind staying long enough to see. I'll understand if you want to leave afterward so don't feel obligated to stay, no one else does."
Roy turned in his chair reaching for her. "The truth is I don't really want to go home, at least now that I know you're not going to kill me." He sighed. Admitting this was so hard. He'd never told anyone this before and those most important already knew with out asking. "I don't like being alone Heidi, no one but Maes, Riza, and Havoc understand enough to get that." He stood. "They know what I did, know what I saw, know I tried to kill myself for it all."
Heidi nodded she knew about wanting to die, sometimes even now she still wanted to die. "Ivan stopped me from taking my own life when god or natural order decided not to just let me die. I was so close once, so very close I felt so cold," she smiled. "But I was in shock so,"
Roy frowned at that. "Shock, from the explosion?"
She hesitated but nodded. Oh it was no explosion, it was what her brother had done to her. There had been no explosion. That was just a lie to put on paper to hide the truth. Her life now was a lie, but it was hers, that had to be something right?
Roy got up, she was trembling again and he wanted it to stop. "Heidi, what happened?"
"I…" She took his hand having had enough and pulled him into her bedroom. She forced him to sit upon her bed and closed her window and the curtains. If he ran afterward that was fine just as long as he stopped asking questions. She couldn't take them anymore and she couldn't tell him the whole truth, not until she was sure and she wasn't one hundred percent sure of him.
Her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't keep hold of the buttons of her shirt. No one had really seen her in three years and the thought of the same reaction was killing her. "You want to know so help me." She snapped.
Roy stopped her hands, hands that had only managed the top button of her white dress shirt. "You don't have to-"
"Just do it." She interrupted.
Roy smiled. "You know I haven't ever taken the close off anyone I wasn't intending to sleep with."
"Yeah well don't count your chickens yet Mustang, I haven't even agreed to our date." She replied shakily.
"Well it's not Tuesday for a few more hours." She smiled and he touched her cheek. "I wish you'd smile like that more often." She relaxed a little and he got to work on the buttons of her shirt. Her trembling intensified when he pushed the fabric from her shoulders. She looked away as if she was ashamed and removed her shirt entirely.
Roy let his obsidian eyes look her over. There were horrible long and wide pink scars down her arms, across her chest and abdomen reaching below her pants. Some snaked around her ribs and there were probably more upon her back. They looked like burn scars and yet it also looked like someone had ripped her apart too. Just being in an explosion couldn't do this kind of damage to some one, it just wasn't possible. Something else had happened to her either all at once or separately.
In all of this destruction to her body, she was so very beautiful. Why she couldn't see it…No after something like this he knew why she wouldn't be able to see it. Someone had ruined her, at least in her mind and no doubt painfully. "It's just a body, just skin it doesn't make you Heidi and anyone running away because of a few scars is a shallow idiot. There are some things that you just can't change so why hide away? You're gorgeous."
Heidi closed her eyes desperately wanting to cry. How could he see beauty in the monster she'd been turned into? No one else could see passed the shell so what made him so different? He was the womanizer, the one who dated the most perfect, pretty women around. She expected him to be the one most repulsed by her. "They are all over Colonel, doc said seventy percent and I shouldn't have survived at all. Even the field medic was floored since I lost so much blood."
"So what, that doesn't matter Heidi, you matter, not the casing that holds the person inside. You said your parents were repulsed, maybe they weren't. Maybe they were upset to see something this painful happen to their daughter. Does Ivan care about this?"
She shook her head. "No,"
"See, anyone who really cares won't see this." He touched a deep scar upon her shoulder. "You know I know I you're found of the Elric's. Does it bother you that Ed has auto mail limbs?"
Again she shook her head. "No,"
"Does Al's appearance bother you; he never comes out of that armor." He asked.
Heidi smiled. "He can't, it's empty. No child that young could be that tall or that big. He'd sound heavier if there was a body inside. I can see it Ed's eyes sometimes, the sadness when he looks at Al. Something happened to them."
Roy was impressed. Riza hadn't even figured that much out, he'd had to tell her, the same with Maes. "Well if I don't care about those boys's appearance save for picking on Ed's shortness because I love his reactions, why would you think I would care about what you look like? Again I have to ask if you really think me that shallow."
Heidi met his eyes and a tear escaped her. "Sorry," she whispered. "It just hurts so much."
"Physically or emotionally?" He had to wonder, he'd heard that people who'd lost limbs often felt pain, hell he felt a little twinge now and then in a scar along his side. It was muscle damage from being cut.
"Both," she replied.
"And you like the rain?" He asked. She smiled nodding. He sighed and brushed her hair from her face. They were quiet for a moment then he kissed her deeply, and made sure to make her remember it.
When he broke the kiss she was crying and looked simply exhausted. He didn't like seeing women cry in the least so he slipped his arms around her and held her close just petting her hair. Her arms wrapped around him and her head rested upon his shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Thanks for not killing me," He replied. "You're on damage control if one of those guys lets it slip that you gave me you're underwear and you're not getting them back until you ask for them."
Heidi laughed. "You set yourself up for that one."
"I don't how they got in my pocket." He replied.
"Uh huh," she muttered not believing him in the least. She sighed. "You can stay if you don't want to go home. It will be kind of nice to have someone in the house for a change and I'll go on a date with you."
Roy smiled. "Great," He pulled away but she held on to him. "I'll sleep on the sofa, it looked pretty comfortable."
"It is, but the bed's better." She replied. "You can sleep with me as long as you behave. I'd at least like to date you a week before I have my way with you."
Roy chuckled. "Who said you'd be in charge? I have a reputation you know."
"Mm, I know, don't care, now get out so I can change." She said finally letting go.
Roy left her and headed into the living room. He wandered over to the phonograph and turned it off then took a look at her books. Damn she had a lot of fiction and non fiction. Only half of her collection was alchemy and there was one on flame alchemy. It was one he had, one of the more common tomes, but it was interesting that she had it.
"I don't have any clothes for you to wear." Her voice said from the entrance way.
Roy turned to find her in pajamas much like what he wore and not a night gown. "That's fine; I've slept in my uniform before. I don't live that far so I can go home in the morning and change."
She smiled. "How far, I might want to break into your place and steal some of your clothes."
"Two blocks west then one block north, number seven d." He replied.
Heidi nodded. "Well I'm going to bed now. You can come anytime."
Roy left the bookshelf and followed her to her room. She turned off the light and crawled into bed while he sat to remove his uniform jacket, boots, and socks. Then he got in beside her noticing that the window was open again and that her bed really was comfortable. His bed was comfortable but hers was great not too hard and not too soft. Damn no wonder she always looked rested in the mornings, well after she'd woken up and had her coffee.
Suddenly there was a slight tugging upon his arm and he opened his eyes to look at her. She didn't need to say a word, he just moved his arm and let her curl up, resting her head upon his shoulder. And Heidi was out with in a matter of minutes. He smiled, yawning and decided to play with her hair until he joined her in the land of unconscious.