-.-.-.-.-. notes -.-.-.-.-.-.-

I do not own FMA, nor do I wish to.

italics are inside thoughts.

OK people. I've got two more after this that are pretty much done. And the last one is going to be one of my favourites. If you don't like it, well, keep it to yourself. I am not motivated by negativity.

Also, my constant reviewer has not reviewed my last chapter and i'm sincerely worried about her. I hope she's doing ok.

Truly and honestly i hope all of you are staying safe and sane during the pandemic, and for my american readers i hope you are ok during everything going on in the states. PM me if you need an internet stranger to vent to.

-.-.-.-.-. story -.-.-.-.-.-.-

Al had questions. Questions Ed would not be able to answer. He'd tried half heartedly this morning and had only been able to voice one before she gave up and directed him to Mustang.

"I knew this day would come. You'll have to ask him these questions." She looked resigned to it. He's going to kill me. "Go, it'll be ok. He had to know eventually."

It was oddly melodramatic and Al hadn't wanted to be the messenger for Ed's big reveal but he was tired of waiting. Being thrown back into a body that was fully matured and having no idea how to deal with things, man things, was frustrating.

So here he was in Mustang's office, fidgeting under the General's gaze.

"What would you like Alphonse?"

"I, uh. Have some questions about becoming a man."

Mustang had clearly not been expecting this and Al waited for him to stop choking on his coffee and get his thoughts in order.

"Why can't you ask Ed to help you with this?"

"I just can't. And I need help because Winry and I have a date coming up and I'd like to know how things work and how to tell if she likes what I'm doing and what I even should do and how-"

"I thought Ed liked Winry."

Al rolled his eyes, "That is not the case."

The general watched him with suspicion but Al barreled ahead, "My body went through puberty by itself at the gate and I was thrown back into an 18 year old body that's mostly fully developed and i don't know what to do and i feel disconnected so i really need your help, pleeeeease?"

"I thought Ed was 18. you are 16."

"Please?"

He waited as Mustang rubbed his temples, he seemed reluctant but it looked like he wasn't going to turn Al away.

"Ok. But after i answer your questions, you have to answer mi-"

"Deal!"

Mustang was clearly surprised at how fast Al agreed to the terms but Al had decided that the man deserved answers, plus he really needed this information and it was his sister's fault to begin with, sort of, so he had no qualms about throwing her under the bus especially since she knew it was coming.

-.-.-

Roy couldn't figure out why Al had come to him for this. Ed was a grown ass man, he should be able to help his little brother out. Though, his ego puffed up, he definitely would be the "professional" in this situation. Especially if Ed had lost Winry to his little brother. He'd thought for sure with the amount of blushing FullMetal did when he teased the boy that they were an item.

Roy answered all Al's questions over the next hour and a half, suspicious the entire time about Hawkeye's absence.

Al thanked him and started to hustle out of the office.

"Stop."

Al stopped.

"Sit back down please."

Al trudged back to the chair.

"If you are 18. Then Ed is..?"

"22"

Mustang couldn't hide his reaction. "22! But he's so tiny!"

Al smirked, it was his favourite joke, "Yeah."

Silence fell as Mustang waited for the rest of the explanation. It was mumbled but the effect was the same.

"Women are generally shorter than men, so that's why…" Al drifted off, hoping he didn't have to explain anything else.

Ed was a woman?! A thousand thoughts and feelings slammed into Roy's head at once, denial, hospitals, height, untrustworthy, age, bandages, liar, anger.

Mustang was staring at Al but no longer seemed to notice his existence and it startled Al when the General suddenly stood up and walked out the door. Ed was probably dead meat, but on the other hand, he'd gotten what he needed for his date.

And feeling like he should hang around for a while to avoid whatever was going to happen in the dorms, Al wandered out of the office and sat down next to Havoc, "Hey Jean, what can you tell me about women?"

-.-.-

It'd been over two hours since Al had left and Ed had practically paced a trench into the floor. Mustang was going to kill her, no doubt about that. It was the 'when' that was causing her agitation.

She was so lost in her concern that she didn't hear the very thing she was listening for until the last minute and as the door flew open she spun on her heel, startled.

They stared at each other for a moment but Ed could see the fury below the surface and straightened her spine, she could handle this, she was FullMetal. Luck was on her side. But just in case she'd opted for the tank top with no chest wrap in the hopes that he'd be his usual pervert self and get distracted.

Unfortunately her luck was on a downward slope and she saw that his igniting gloves were on when he moved his hand into the air, reflexively jumping into action.

*clap* *slap* a dome appeared over her.

"What the fuck are you doing FullMetal?"

"Are you kidding?! You're wearing your gloves, I'm not coming out until you've calmed down."

"What?! Are you a five year old? Get out here and face me before I melt that shield to the ground."

"Try it! I'll just escape through the floor." She knew she sounded childish but she was scared. And maybe being childish would give her some time while he calmed down.

"Ed, I swear to GATE, come out here, NOW!"

"Mustang, you came in here with gloves on ready to murder me. You'll have to give me a good reason to drop the barrier and risk my life."

She heard him take a breath and let it out slowly before responding, "Ok, I promise not to burn you alive. Come out."

Ed grumbled, this didn't mean he wouldn't kill her and burn her remains but at least he'd have to fight her first which gave her a slightly higher chance of survival.

Ok, fine, she could do this. It had to happen eventually. She lowered the barrier and was briefly confused when she couldn't see Mustang before realising the flaw in a 360 degree dome shield. There was no time to tuck or roll and he jumped her from behind faster than she could think, he must have been in the air before she'd even completed the transmutation. His arms went all the way around her and trapped her arms to her sides as his momentum brought them both to the ground on their shoulders.

She struggled and swore at him as he held her down, she had no idea what his end goal was for this situation but damned if she was going to make it easy.

It was easy though, for Mustang. She was quite tiny. It wasn't much effort to restrain her when he already had the upper hand and he took immense satisfaction in the fear he could feel as he handcuffed her. She stopped struggling and he got up, giving her a moment to think about her position. Sure she was still a dangerous fighter, but he was relying on her trust in him and maybe a little bit of fear to keep her quiet.

He smoothed out his jacket and shirt, dusting off the dirt from the fall then leaned over and hauled her up by her shirt collar.

Yep, she was definitely terrified. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and she'd stopped swearing completely. Perfect.

Mustang was still angry despite her subdued position, "Let's go break the news to the team ok?" and dragged her out of the room and down the hall.

Being a weekday there wasn't much of an audience as they made their way through the dorms but once they got to headquarters a crowd had gathered. They could both hear the whispers. Mustang was dragging a handcuffed female Edward across the courtyard? What had happened? Was FullMetal a girl from the beginning? Is this why he's so short? Is that how Mustang gets women?

Ed snickered at the last question and Mustang snarled at her and raised his gloved hand for everyone to see. The crowd scattered and Ed shut up. This was a military state, there would be no trial and if she was in as much trouble as Mustang's anger seemed to indicate… she swallowed the lump in her throat, finally grasping the seriousness of the situation.

Once their audience had dispersed he finished pulling her through headquarters to his office, kicking the door open. Everyone inside jumped to their feet as Mustang tossed Ed into the room. Al was still there and started to run over to his sister but she shook her head and shot him a look of warning. This wasn't going to be pretty.

When silence had fallen completely, Mustang made his announcement. "It has recently come to my attention that Edward Elric is not who he said he was. His name is Edaline Elric and SHE, has falsified military documents and deceived the office of King Bradley and everyone below him. As per the Amestris Military Criminal Code, she will have to serve a minimum of three months in prison."

Ed blanched and Mustang didn't wait for any response from his team, even Al was too shocked to move. The General hauled Ed into his office. This wasn't over.

He closed the door behind them and shoved her toward the couch.

Mustang yelled at her for half an hour, burning out most of his anger, then falling into his office chair.

"I can't do anything Ed. I can't save you. If i'm going to lead this country, i can't just choose which rules i want to listen to. You've fucked up." he sighed and rubbed his face, "This is the minimum sentence, there's not going to be a trial. It's basically a yes or no vote from Bradley. And you're such a high profile person that i won't be able to sweep this under the rug."

Mustang stopped to let out some frustration on a few of his desk items, throwing them across the room before running out of steam and looking her over. "I can't show favoritism. Dammit Ed!" His head slammed into his desk.

"I'm sorry."

"I know. I know you had your reasons, even just working it through my own brain, i get it."

Silence.

"I'm sorry about your arm."

She looked at it, her newly returned arm had turned purple from the abuse. "It'll be ok."

They heard the march of boots from the hall, word had gone around and it sounded like Bradley's team was finally here to pick up the prisoner.

Mustang looked panicked for a second before covering it up.

"Leave your arm uncovered if you can when going before Bradley, it'll make you look weaker and like less of a threat. And try to affect an air of sincere remorse, that you were only doing this to save your brother. And don't-"

His words were cut off as Bradley himself threw open the office door.

Ed watched as the General changed into a completely different person.

Saluting the King "Sir!"

"Report General."

"I learned of FullMetal's deception earlier this afternoon and immediately apprehended her. Since I'm most familiar with her abilities I felt that keeping her here would be the best option to limit her escape."

"Good job General. Thank you for alerting me. It just so happened I was in the office when my receptionist received Lieutenant Hawkeye's call."

If Bradley knew that Mustag was lying, he gave only this sign, an attempt to stab Ed's heart.

Ed would have suspected Mustang of turning her in, before his tirade anyway, but she knew Hawkeye better than that. If Hawkeye called in the King, then this is what needed to happen.

She didn't want to reveal she knew better though, and reacted with shock to this news of "betrayal."

Bradley nodded at her reaction, he turned to his team. "Please escort FullMetal to the cells." Then he turned and left.

She had only a moment to brace herself before she was lifted at the forearms by two soldiers and hauled out of the office. Mustang saluting the departing head of state.

He collapsed into his chair only after they'd left the outer office.

-.-.-

The decree came a few days later. FullMetal was declared treasonous and sentenced to 6 months in prison while they went through her work and questioned her brother on their whereabouts in the three years they were travelling. Since she'd lied to the government for her own agenda then they had to question all her other motives. Mustang and his team were also questioned, her teacher was called in, as well as anyone she'd had more than a passing conversation with. A further sentencing would be set when all the reports were in.

Hawkeye had brought the news to him and waited while he read it. He could tell she was feeling remorseful after having to call Bradley about Ed's deceit, but this was the best way. If he'd hid it and let her leave then it had come out later, the government would look weak and undermined. Rebellions would start. They'd have to kill her…

Mustang stopped that line of thought. He reassured Hawkeye and to calm his own mind decided to go visit FullMetal, again. A daily event since she'd been dragged out of his office.

It'd only been a week and Ed didn't show any signs of distress but she seemed more and more dependent on his visits to keep her spirits up.

This trip was a little earlier than usual and Mustang arrived in time to see the guard attempting to corner Ed in her cell. She was swearing up a storm and was fending him off with jumping kicks, her hands cuffed behind her. It was clear Ed was winning, but Mustang hauled the guard out of there anyway, 'accidentally' breaking the man's arm in the process.

He dragged the guard into a separate cell and melted the door closed. A medic could come check him out later.

Returning to FullMetal's cell he eyed her closely, "Ed. Tell me the truth. What happens down here, and how often?"

She huffed at him, "I can take care of myself Mustang."

It wasn't an answer and he waited in silence for her to continue.

"I'm fine. Nothing has happened." She sighed, "They've tried, but I'm better than them." another pause while she took a breath to meet his eyes, "Thank you though. That one was particularly … insistent."

Mustang grumbled to himself. This was not acceptable. "I'll be back in a while." and he left, melting the lock behind him, not to seal her in, but to keep everyone else out.

He did not come back and the next day Ed was moved from the basement cells to the "women's prison". Which was just one cell, in the same building as Mustang's office. She'd have to have her hands cuffed or at least one restrained the entire time so as not to perform alchemy. Which didn't really make sense because she could still draw circles but she wasn't about to break the law just to prove a point.

Everyone took turns visiting and keeping her up to date on the proceedings, her brother practically lived on the bench outside and she had to spend several days worth of visiting hours convincing him that this wasn't his fault and would have happened eventually anyway. She was also allowed to read a book a day if someone brought it in and the team took that job upon themselves so she was well supplied with reading material. She didn't see Mustang for a week after she was moved, they'd had to use a saw to get her out of the basement cell, and she learned from Hawkeye that he'd lost a rank for his request. 'Collaborating with the enemy' they'd called it. They didn't, however, report anything in his file so everyone suspected he'd move back up to 'General' soon enough. The loss of rank came with one week of cleaning the dorm rooms and Hawkeye assured her it was better than the punishment they were expecting, which was a permanent mark in his file and cleaning bathrooms for the rest of his career.

Ed still felt bad.

When his visits resumed there was immediate relief on both sides of the bars. A comfortableness that neither one of them wanted to admit to.

The final sentencing came three months later. Hawkeye brought the news to Ed because Mustang was 'busy'. The markswoman suspected it had more to do with not wanting to see Ed's heartbreak.

She read:

King Bradley finds Edaline Elric, The FullMetal Alchemist, guilty of the following criminal charges:

Practising the illegal act of Human Transmutation which carries a minimum sentence of Life in prison.

Deceiving the military, King Bradley, and falsifying documents: 6 months in prison.

King Bradley also finds Edaline Elric's acts while in the employ of Amestris' Military to be evidence of her excellent character, and pardon's the life sentence on the condition that she report her whereabouts to the Military every month for the remainder of her life. She is also required to have a military escort when leaving the country.

Signed,

King Bradley

Ed stood for a moment, then let out a relieved sigh. "I thought for sure they'd hang me for human transmutation."

"You were five!"

Ed shrugged, "Actually nine but rules are rules."

She noticed Ed's eyes travel to the door and sighed. "Yes yes, i'll go get him."

Ed's face turned red and Riza rolled her eyes. They had three months to figure it out or she was locking them both in that cell.