First time readers of my works! Please note that I have Edward (and sometimes other characters, depending on the story) swear. Sometimes it's excessive. If this isn't something you want to read, please press the back button and exit the story. Thanks! FullmetalBitch xx
What if a general and his Animal escaped Central Command before they were arrested?
Three weeks after Promised Day…
Ed and Ayala walked up the familiar street, their eyes automatically finding the Hughes' house as they headed for it. Maes and Gracia had managed to convince Ed to leave the hospital room Alphonse was recovering in for half the day, using Elysia to bribe him out of the room. The fact that Al had joined the Hughes' in coaxing Ed out of the room had added to Ed's initial annoyance but the irritation had disappeared when Elysia had come with her mother that afternoon for a visit and began babbling excitedly about having a whole morning with her big brother and Ayala. Gracia had taken him aside while Elysia was entertaining Al and told Ed quietly that she knew he felt like they'd all ganged up on him to get him out of the hospital for a few hours and that she was sorry they kind of had but she really appreciated the help and Gracia's genuine gratefulness had been enough to melt away any lingering annoyance Ed had felt.
As they had promised, Ed and Ayala arrived at the Hughes' house just on 9:00am and knocked on the front door firmly. They heard rapid footsteps rushing for the front door and it opened to reveal Elysia's excited face. "Big brother Ed! Ayala!" she squealed in greeting, glomping immediately onto Ayala before she let go so she could wrap her arms around Ed as best she could.
Ed decided to make it easier for her by crouching and scooping the little girl up and hugging her back as tightly as he could manage. His left arm twinged a little from the healing injury caused by it being impaled on the rebar on Promised Day but it wasn't enough for Ed to let go of Elysia. "It's good to see you as well, Elysia. Ayala says hello and that she hopes you've been good for your mother," Ed told her, passing on Ayala's message dutifully.
Elysia pulled away from the hug so she could look down at Ayala and bobbed her head in a nod. "I've been good!" she assured the golden wolf, who made a show of scrutinising Elysia, as though looking for signs of deceit before she nodded, showing she believed the little girl.
"Elysia, let Ed and Ayala come into the house!" came the call from Gracia from somewhere inside the house.
Elysia gave them a guilty look before she squirmed out of Ed's grip and grabbed onto his left hand so she could start tugging him inside. "Come on, big brother! Mummy wants to talk to you!" Elysia told him excitedly.
Ed grinned at her enthusiasm as he allowed himself to be pulled forward, leaving Ayala to be the one to nudge the door shut once more. He barely managed to get his shoes off before Elysia was once again tugging on him. They stumbled into the kitchen and found Gracia and Lilith in there, Gracia washing up the breakfast dishes. "Hey, Miss Gracia. Hey, Lilith," Ed greeted, not bothering to pull his hand free of Elysia's grip.
"Hello to the both of you as well," Gracia said, turning to give both him and Ayala a warm smile.
"Hi, Ed," Lilith greeted, rubbing up against Ed's flesh leg before she nodded respectively to the wolf and offered her a greeting that Ayala returned just as warmly.
"Thanks again for agreeing to look after Elysia for this morning," Gracia said, giving Ed a grateful look as she placed the last cup in the dish rack to dry and wiped her hands on a hand towel that hung on a hook just above and to the left of the sink. "I really appreciate it. Usually I wouldn't mind having her with me while I'm shopping but I've just got too much to do and would rather get it all done as quickly as possible," Gracia explained, already looking a little overwhelmed at whatever it was she had to do that morning.
"It's fine, Miss Gracia," Ed assured her. "Al was right. I probably needed to get out of the hospital for a little while and do something that has nothing to do with him. Besides," Ed said, nudging Elysia, "it's never a burden to look after this kid," he said with a grin that widened at Elysia's bashfulness.
Gracia smiled at them both. "I should be back by lunchtime. Maes is planning on having lunch at home today so if you want to stay and join us before you head back, you'd be more than welcome to do so," Gracia told him.
"If Chester doesn't tell me I should get back to the hospital by that time, I'll stay," Ed promised her.
Gracia gave him another smile before she crouched down in front of Elysia. "You behave yourself for your brother, alright?" she said. "I should be back just before lunch so that I can get something ready for you and your father but if Lilith hears from Ed that you've been misbehaving, I won't buy the dessert I'm planning on getting," she warned her.
"I'll be good, I promise!" Elysia was quick to swear to her mother, her eyes and tone as earnest as they could possibly be.
Both Gracia and Ed shared a smile at Elysia's sincerity. "Very good," Gracia said, cupping Elysia's cheek and rubbing it affectionately before she straightened once more. "I'll just get my purse then I'll be going. Don't worry if you hear a car pull up in front of the house just before lunch. I'll be calling a taxi to bring me home so I don't have to carry the shopping all the way," Gracia explained as she started moving out of the kitchen and towards the living room where Ed assumed her purse was being kept.
"No worries. Thanks for giving me the warning," Ed said as he and Elysia accompanied Gracia, followed closely by the two Animals.
Gracia gave a nod as she gathered up her purse and slipped the strap over her shoulder, readying herself to leave. "There's food in the fridge if you guys get hungry while I'm gone. Other than that, I don't think there's much else I need to tell you. Elysia knows her routine in the mornings. It hasn't changed much since you were staying with us," she told him, heading for the front door. "Let Lilith know if something happens and you need me to come home right away," she added.
"I will do, Miss Gracia, but I don't think there'll be anything for you to worry about," Ed told her. While small, petty crimes had been on the rise since Promised Day, larger crimes had actually been on the fall so Ed wasn't worried about being called in for an emergency mission or there being someone stupid enough to try and rob this area. Even before Promised Day, the area of town the Hughes' lived in was considered one of the safest ones so Ed's concerns were non-existent.
"Alright," Gracia said, her shoulders relaxing slightly at Ed's words. "I'll see you in a few hours then," she told them, giving Elysia a hug before she wrapped Ed in one.
"See you soon," Lilith said, rubbing up against Ed's and Elysia's legs as she passed them by to get to Gracia's side.
"Have fun, guys," Ed said, giving them both a smile while Elysia waved to them from the front door. Gracia and Lilith gave Elysia their own wave before they got through the gate and started heading for their usual grocery and shopping stores. Ed let Elysia watch them up until they turned the corner and disappeared out of sight before he tapped her on the shoulder. "How about we head back inside, huh? What do you want to do first?" Ed asked her, using a light hand on her shoulder to steer her inwards. "Is everything okay?" he asked Ayala through their bond, having noticed his wolf was watching the street intently.
"I think so," Ayala said, her eyes still on the street for a few extra moments before she turned to follow Ed before Elysia could notice. "I thought I felt someone watching us but it must've just been a curious neighbour or something because there's no one out there," she told him as he shut the door behind them and locked it, just in case.
"Okay, good. As long as you're sure," Ed said, making it sound more like a question. Ayala gave him a nod and Ed relaxed. "Good," Ed said once more before he turned his attention back to Elysia, who was spouting off ideas of what they could do. "Hey, El?" Ed called, getting her attention and stopping the running list of activities. "I reckon we just start with one, okay?" Ed said, laughing slightly.
"But I don't know what to do first, big brother!" Elysia whined. "I have too many ideas in my head!" she told him.
"Fair enough," Ed said, trying not to laugh at the exasperated look on Elysia's face. Ayala had no problems with showing her amusement, though Elysia didn't notice it or the slightly admonishing look Ed was giving his wolf. "However, we're going to be here for a few hours so we should be able to do quite a few things you want to do," Ed reminded her, "so how about you pick something you really, really wanna do and we'll start with that?" he suggested.
Elysia's eyes lit up in delight when Ed reminded her that he'd be here for quite a few hours. "Okay!" she squealed in delight but thankfully not at a pitch that would hurt Ayala's ears. "Can we start by playing hide and seek?" she asked him, eyes wide and pleading. "Ayala can be 'it' first!" she suggested excitedly.
Ed looked down at Ayala, whose head was tilted in curiousity. "What do you think?" Ed asked her. Elysia was unashamedly begging the wolf, using the most lethal set of puppy-dog eyes she had in her arsenal.
"I think that I would be okay with being the seeker to start with," Ayala told him, grinning sharply at him.
"Ayala agrees," Ed told Elysia, who gave another squeal of delight as she jumped up and down with happiness.
"Yay!" Elysia exclaimed joyfully. "You gotta count to twenty, okay, Ayala?" she told the wolf, who gave a nod of agreement. "You can start counting when big brother Ed and I are outside the room," she said and again, Ayala nodded. With the agreement given, Elysia grabbed Ed's hand and started pulling him towards the kitchen. "Come on, big brother! We gotta hide!" she told him.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" Ed laughed before he glanced back at his wolf. "Remember, count to twenty," he told her, a small grin on his face when she gave him a flat look in response.
"You better hurry up because you're nearly out of the room," Ayala warned him, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "One…"
"Quickly, El! She's starting to count!" Ed warned Elysia, voice a tone that got Elysia riled up and caused her to tug harder on Ed's hand.
"Let's hide, big brother!" Elysia said, trying to pull him towards the outside door. Ed laughed before he scooped her up and carried her outside before they frantically started looking for a hiding spot good enough for them to evade Ayala as the wolf's countdown continued in Ed's head.
The sound of a soft knock on the front door got the attention of everyone currently in the Hughes' home. Ed and Ayala looked in the direction the knock was coming from with suspicion while Elysia looked up with excitement from her colouring and a squeal of, "Mummy!" on her lips. She went to rush to the front door when Ed grabbed her and stopped her. There was something wrong with the situation but Ed couldn't put his finger on it.
"Did you hear a car pull up?" he asked his wolf quietly as he held a finger to his lips, giving Elysia the universal sign that she needed to stay quiet. She must've picked up the seriousness of the situation because she nodded and stayed quiet.
Ayala shook her head. "I haven't heard a car pass by in the last ten minutes and Lilith isn't who I'm sensing outside," she told him, getting to her feet and into a semi-protective stance.
"I can't sense Lilith at all so she's not close by to the house," Ed told her as another knock, this one firmer, sounded.
"Big brother?" Elysia whispered nervously. "Is it Mummy or Daddy?" she asked.
"I'm not sure, El, but don't you worry. I'm about to go find out," Ed told her, pulling her off his lap and setting her next to Ayala. "I'm sure it's nothing so I'll be back in a couple of moments," he promised her. "Stay here with Ayala," he said, giving Ayala an apologetic look when he got levelled with a very unimpressed expression from his wolf.
"Be careful or I'll hurt you," she hissed at him as Elysia nodded. There was a flicker of fear on Elysia's face that Ed felt a wave of guilt roll through him in response to but he'd apologise for worrying the little girl later.
Another knock sounded at the door, this time coming urgently and Ed stood up. "Coming!" he called in as casual a voice as he could manage in that moment. Making a gesture for Elysia and Ayala to stay, he started heading for the door. He'd almost gotten into the hallway when Ayala's call of, "Ed, stop!" brought him to a complete and not a moment too soon.
The sound of gunfire and splintering wood soon filled the air, causing Elysia to shriek in fear. Ayala was quick to pull Elysia to the ground before bodily covering her while Ed hit the ground, putting himself against the wall and covering his face with his arm as bullets slammed into the staircase that sat opposite to the front door. As soon as whoever it was outside ran out of bullets, the sound of heavy boots kicking at the bullet-ridden door replaced the sound of gunfire. There were shouts from outside, likely from the neighbours, but Ed paid no attention to them as he slid over to his adopted sister and wolf before he pulled Elysia to her feet and grabbed her shoulders so her focus would be on him. "Ayala is going to take you to your room and help you hide. You stay there until Ayala or I come and get you, okay?" Ed told her, speaking rapidly as he heard the wood of the door start to give way.
Elysia had tears streaming down her face and her big, green eyes were rapidly filling with more. "What about you, big brother?" she cried, whimpering slightly at the sound of another kick landing on the door. From the groan the wood gave, it wouldn't be too long until the door was kicked in completely.
"I'm gonna teach whoever that is why it's not a good idea to mess with my family," Ed told her, giving her a small kiss to the forehead. "Go with Ayala," he urged, pushing her towards where the wolf was waiting to escort the little girl. Elysia wrapped her arms around Ed's neck and squeezed tightly, forcing Ed to pry her hands off him gently. "Go," he told her, letting go of her and giving Ayala the nod to start pulling Elysia towards her room by her dress.
"Don't you dare get hurt before I get down there to help you out," Ayala threatened as she pulled Elysia away from the room and towards the staircase that was now peppered with bullet holes. Elysia seemed to realise that she needed to go so Ed wouldn't have to worry about her and was now rushing up the stairs with Ayala close behind her instead of trying to get back to Ed.
Ed himself moved into the hallway, placing himself firmly between his wolf and little sister and whoever was on the other side of the door. Just as Ayala's tail disappeared up the stairs, the door caved in, unable to take the treatment given to it any further, and a hyena burst inside followed closely by a severely pissed off looking middle-aged man who looked slightly familiar to Ed. He was armed with a pistol that looked like it was from the military but he wasn't dressed in a uniform. In his other hand was a second handgun, one Ed was willing to bet was still full of bullets. The hyena had its teeth bared and a low, threatening growl was sounding from it but it didn't move to attack Ed, likely waiting for the order to come from its human before it did.
"You!" the man snarled, eyes burning with anger as they locked onto Ed, who was now standing in a fully defensive stance. He could feel Ayala's worry but he pushed back on their bond, telling her to worry about getting Elysia safe.
"Me," Ed snapped. "Who the fuck are you?" he asked, eyes flicking between the two threats in front of him.
"I came to this house expecting to find that damned lieutenant-colonel's family, not you," the hissed, not bothering to answer Ed's question. "It was his fault Fuhrer Bradley's plans for us were stopped! If he hadn't stuck his nose in business he had no reason to be looking into, I would've been immortal by now and helping recreate this world so it would be better!" he growled, aiming the gun at Ed's chest. Ed didn't flinch at the movement. "But you! You're the one who stopped the Fuhrer! You're the one who made it so we couldn't become immortal! And Hughes cares for you almost as much as he cares for his kid and wife! Him coming home and finding you dead will be just as good as if it were his wife's and daughter's corpses he came across!" the man declared.
The repeated mentions of immortality and Bradley sparked the memory that Anahlia had shown him while he'd been in that unknown town up north and under the care of the doctor and his wife he still didn't know the names of. The person in front of him was the general who had shown General Armstrong and Anahlia the white abominations that were going to make up the immortal army the Fuhrer's inner circle would use to take over the world. The hyena certainly looked like the same Animal, just with matted and filthy fur.
"And you're that bastard general who was dumb enough to think General Armstrong would be interested in turning her back on her country and family and showed her those abominations you bastards were cooking up," Ed snarled, clapping and creating his blade. "I heard you were crushed under the rubble of Central Command," he said, wondering how the man was here if he had been.
The disgraced general gave a snort of derision. "Trevor and I managed to escape in the chaos," he told Ed. His hyena – presumably Trevor – growled in agreement, taking half a step towards Ed. "We've been forced to live on the streets ever since, unable to return to our home since it's being raided and searched through by Investigations. We've been planning our revenge ever since we saw Hughes had survived Promised Day since it was his fault our plans ultimately failed!" the general informed Ed.
Before Ed could say anything in response to the general's insane words, the man jerked his chin towards Ed, which seemed to be the cue his Animal was waiting for. The hyena launched himself at Ed, teeth bared as it lunged for his throat. Not wanting to outright kill the Animal despite the fact that his human's plan was to kill Elysia and Gracia, Ed shoved it aside with a blow from his left arm, knocking it into the hallway wall and grimacing slightly at the hole he'd created in doing so. He backed up before the hyena could recover, making sure neither of them could try to go up the stairs, something the general certainly noticed.
"You're not here alone, are you?" the general asked, his voice gleeful. "We didn't think we saw Hughes' kid leave with her mother this morning but we assumed she was with a neighbour or at a friend's house for a playdate while her mother was out of the house. We were planning on lying in wait until they came home but if you're here with the kid, that'll work just as well," he said, sounding thrilled that at least one of his original intended victims was still here. "Trevor, don't worry about dealing with Elric. Get upstairs," the general barked at his Animal.
The hyena once again headed for Ed, moving to knock him aside so he could get past Ed and up the stairs. Ed didn't make it easy for him, striking out with either his legs or his arms to stop the hyena from getting passed him. The general growled in annoyance as his Animal was continually stopped by Ed. He threw the empty gun to the ground before he fired off a shot, trying to take Ed down but the alchemist managed to dodge it while stopping the hyena from taking advantage of the gunshot. Bracing his arms in a crossed position in front of his chest, Ed stopped the hyena from knocking him down and threw the Animal back into his human, causing both of them to go down.
The hyena recovered first and rushed Ed, lunging at him, teeth gnashing as he tried to bring Ed down once more. Ed tried to bring his right arm up to stop the hyena but the Animal attacked his left side, making it so that if Ed tried to block with his right arm, he'd have to turn enough to allow the general to get past him if the general tried. Not willing to take that risk, Ed blocked his left hand and winced when the hyena's teeth closed around his arm and tore through the flesh and muscles. Before the hyena could bite down with the phenomenal pressure that species could exert and break Ed's arm, Ed punched him in the face with his right hand, cutting a gash into his head from the blade and causing the Animal to let go.
Sensing who he'd been hoping for behind him, Ed kicked the hyena, putting him between himself and Ayala, who didn't hesitate. Throwing herself at the wounded Animal, Ayala went after him with a ferocity that Ed admired. Her teeth and claws slashed and tore at whatever part of the hyena she could hold onto, causing the creature to shriek with pain and his human snarl as he got hit with the sympathy pain. The hyena gave as good as good as Ayala did, however, and Ed felt his own sympathy pain flare in response to the injuries the hyena managed to inflict on his wolf.
When the general raised his gun, aiming it for Ayala this time, Ed clapped and slammed his hands against the wall, sending alchemic energy racing down the wall and for the general. The older man was more agile than Ed had given him credit for and managed to duck out of the way of the spikes Ed had created from the walls. A little annoyed by this, Ed didn't give up however and immediately clapped once more, this time hitting the floor and sending alchemic energy racing along the floorboards so he could try and capture the general's feet. He managed to capture one of his feet but the bullet that splintered into the floorboard where Ed's right hand had been made him abandon the transmutation before he could finish encasing the general.
Feeling his irritation grow at the general managing to avoid his attack, Ed decided to abandon the use of his alchemy – the hallway really wasn't the best place to be transmuting anyways – and going on the immediate offensive. Throwing a punch with his left hand, Ed forced the general to duck awkwardly to avoid it without breaking his leg. The general retaliated by swiping out at Ed with his free leg, forcing Ed to jump over it to avoid having his legs swept out from underneath him. A sharp pain to his right hip told Ed that Ayala wasn't having an easier time than he was against her opponent.
Wanting to finish this fight so that Elysia and Ayala were no longer in danger of being killed, Ed lashed out again, throwing a left hook designed to force the general to either take the blow or duck around to his left, where his face met the right uppercut Ed had thrown the moment the general moved to dodge the first strike. The hyena let out a yelp of pain as Ed's hit connected and the general's angered and pained shout created a primal instinct of satisfaction that ran through Ed. The blow hadn't been strong enough to knock the general out but it was enough to daze him enough that Ed was able to alchemise him to the floor and take his gun away from him without any resistance. He slid the gun across the floor, making it clatter into the one the general had dropped earlier, sending both guns skittering further away.
Another burst of sympathy pain, this one minor in comparison to some of the others forced Ed's attention to the still-brawling Animals. Ayala had the hyena mostly pinned to the floor but one of his legs was still free, causing the scratch Ed had felt just before. Using alchemy, Ed captured the leg before he had Ayala move, allowing him to encase the rest of the hyena in much the same manner as he'd done to his human, though he transmuted a small band that wrapped firmly around the hyena's muzzle to prevent him from biting someone. With both enemies now captured and unable to break free, Ed sighed and sat back against the only bit of intact wall still in the hallway.
"You good?" he asked his Animal, watching as she limped her way over to him.
"I'll live," Ayala said dryly. "None of my injuries require immediate attention," she said. Since Ed had received the sympathy pain, he knew that she was telling the truth. "I can hear sirens approaching. We should probably get Elysia and meet whoever they are out the front," she told him and Ed gave a nod just as he started picking up the faint sounds of the sirens himself.
"Good idea," he told her, groaning as he picked himself up. Though mainly covered in bruises and small to moderate cuts from the hyena's claws from Ed's attempts to stop the attacking Animal from getting past him, the bite to his left arm throbbed awfully and Ed could still feel blood trickling down from the jagged tears in his flesh. "Let's go get her," he said, stepping over the trapped hyena and heading up the stairs.
Ayala limped dutifully behind him. "I helped her hide in her toy chest," Ayala said as they approached Elysia's bedroom door which was closed now. "I dragged her blanket over there and she got it in so she was as comfortable as she could be," she explained as Ed opened the door.
"Good thinking," Ed praised her as he crossed the floor to the wooden toy chest that sat underneath Elysia's window. Knocking on the lid of it softly with automail hand to create the distinctive sound he normally did when he knocked on the front door, Ed opened the chest only to be knocked backwards when Elysia launched out of the box and into Ed's arms. "Hey, you're okay," Ed said, trying to soothe the little girl. "We're all okay. We've got the bad guys downstairs and everything's fine now," he told her, keeping his voice calm and low to try and calm her down.
"I-I thought y-you were h-hurt! I-I h-heard s-so m-much f-f-fighting!" Elysia sobbed, clinging to Ed to the point where Ayala was starting to wince from the extra pain Ed was in as Elysia clung to him tight enough to cause some of his very recent injuries to flare in pain.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, Elysia," Ed shushed her, stroking a steadying hand up and down her back to further calm her down. Ayala pressed up close to Ed and Elysia so she could nuzzle the little girl's cheek in her own attempts to comfort Elysia. The sounds of the sirens was growing closer and Ed started gathering her up so he could carry her down the stairs. The movements caused Elysia to whimper and tightened her grip on him. "Hey, hey, we're all good. We just need to head outside now because the military police are going to be here soon and I need to tell them what happened, okay?" he told her.
Elysia sniffled. "Will Daddy be with them?" she asked, voice trembling with tears.
"I'm not sure, El. I don't know where he was working today or if whoever took the call about there being a fight here would've recognised the address as your dad's and told him," Ed said. "I can tell Leo that your dad needs to come home now and also let Lilith know, if you want?" he asked and felt her nod against him. "How about while I do that, you let me take you outside, okay?" he suggested.
There was another sob, quieter this time, as Elysia tried to calm herself down now that her brother was here and was telling her that they were safe. "Mkay," she murmured in agreement.
"Okay," Ed agreed, shifting slightly so he could get up easier with Elysia still in his arms. "I want you to press your face into my neck and shoulder, okay, Elysia?" Ed asked as he stood slowly, adjusting his grip on Elysia so he was carrying her more with his right arm than his left. He felt her bury her face like he'd asked and he nodded to Ayala to lead the way.
The wolf did as she was asked and trotted out of the room with Ed and Elysia right on her heels. Ed had his left hand on the back of Elysia's head, ready to keep her from looking at the destroyed hallway or bound criminals to stop any further traumatization. She didn't need the person who attacked her home and fought her big brother haunting her dreams and Ed didn't want her to see the hyena and develop a fear of them because that happened to be the Animal who attacked her brother's wolf. The hyena tried to make some sort of noise as they stepped over him but Ayala shut him up with a ferocious snarl and feral glare. The general was too busy trying to escape to notice they were passing him by.
As Ed had promised to do, he contacted both Leo and Lilith as they headed out of Elysia's room. He gave them a very quick rundown of what had happened but not before assuring them both that Elysia was completely unharmed but shaken by what had happened. The foxes were understandably shocked by Ed's report that someone had broken into the house and Ed felt strong flares of anger and protectiveness through their bonds with him. They promised him that their humans were getting lifts back to the house as they spoke and would see him, Ayala, and Elysia in a matter of minutes. The next thing Ed did was contact most of the other Animals he was bonded to who would've sensed the fight and gotten worried about him to assure them he was fine and that he'd give a proper explanation later. Most of them agreed to wait but Ed could tell Chester would not wait for forever for that explanation and neither would Nala. He wouldn't be surprised if Nala and Mustang turned up at the house when the Hughes' did and for once, Ed didn't think he'd be annoyed to see his commanding officer.
When Ed walked through the busted front door, he was greeted by the sight and sound of military cars and an ambulance screeching to a stop outside of the Hughes' home. Ayala's hackles went up as she snarled at the approaching officers and their Animals but didn't otherwise move to do anything else. "If you've got someone with you who's proficient in wood alchemy, there's an ex-general and his Animal inside the house bound with the floorboards," Ed reported as he carried Elysia, who was now watching everything with wide eyes. "If you don't, give me a couple of minutes and I'll give you a hand in getting them out," he said. "Oh, and there's two handguns – one's got some ammunition in it but the other one's empty. They're close to the door," he added.
"Fullmetal, sir, are you okay?" one of the soldiers asked and Ed waved off his concern.
"I'm fine. Just a bit bruised and in need of a couple of band-aids," Ed told the woman. Her disbelieving look was not surprising but still annoying for Ed to see. "Seriously, the worst I got was a bite and it's probably not even that bad," Ed said.
"Do you want to have the ambulance officers look you and…" the soldier trailed off as she realised she didn't know who Elysia was or what relation she was to Ed.
"Elysia," Ed supplied, "and yeah, I'll get them to do that. If you lot need an alchemist's help, you can wait until after they've cleared me," he told her, surprising both the soldier and Ayala.
"You're actually going to let someone who isn't Havoc or Alphonse look at you outside of a hospital?" Ayala asked him, gaping at her human in shock.
Ed scowled at her as the soldier gave a nod and moved to continue with her duties before they headed for the waiting ambulance. "Just because I don't think these injuries are serious enough to warrant a hospital visit, it doesn't mean I won't get them checked out. I have no clue what that hyena has been eating and would rather get that wound cleaned ASAP," he informed his wolf through their bond, a touch of haughtiness. "Besides, I don't want Elysia to avoid hospitals if she's hurt just because I do. She doesn't know how to tend to an injury like I do," he added almost casually.
"You're such a good big brother," Ayala teased, causing Ed to flush and glare at her.
"Keep that up and I won't be buying you any of your favourite cuts of steak for a month," Ed threatened, grinning when Ayala gasped in betrayal. Turning to the ambulance officers and noting both of them looked a touch wary, Ed nodded to them. "You can patch up my arm and check that Elysia's okay," he told them, a hint of warning in his voice.
"Yes, sir," one of them said. "If the two of you would like to sit on the stretcher, we'll get started," he said, nodding to the aforementioned stretcher, which they'd pulled out of the ambulance in anticipation of an unconscious or severely injured patient being in the house.
Ed did as he was asked, placing Elysia on the stretcher first before he climbed up beside her, sitting so she was on his right. She clung to his right arm immediately and was watching the two ambulance officers with far more wariness than she would've if the events of the past few minutes hadn't have happened. Ed locked eyes with the female ambulance officer and looked significantly at Elysia. The woman nodded, having gotten Ed's silent message and immediately smiled at Elysia, crouching slightly so she was eye-level with the six-year-old. "Hello," the woman said cheerfully, "my name is Kelsey. What's your name?" she asked the little girl.
Ed kept one ear on Elysia's and Kelsey's conversation as he turned to the male ambulance officer, who was readying his small kit. Keeping his voice low, Ed said, "I need you to try and block her view as much as possible." The male officer looked around and Ed jerked his head almost imperceptibly towards Elysia, who was still speaking with Kelsey.
The officer gave a nod before he put himself so his back was towards Elysia and Kelsey but so he was still able to reach for what he needed in his kit. "My name is Harry. Can you tell me your name, sir?" Harry asked as he carefully pushed Ed's sleeve up so he could get to the injury.
"It's Ed and don't worry about doing the check for concussion. I wasn't hit in the head," Ed told him. Harry gave a small snort before he nodded, looking apologetic. "Don't worry about it. I would've assumed I had been as well if I was in your position," Ed assured him. Ayala's glare wasn't as forgiving and Harry felt himself treading carefully around the wolf, who had taken up position next to Ed but so she could still see Elysia as well.
Harry worked in silence, only murmuring questions about Ed's pain levels and to get permission to do something medically related while Kelsey kept up the continuous chatter with Elysia to keep the little girl distracted from what was happening with Ed and what was going on in her house. Asking questions like, "what school do you go to?" guaranteed Kelsey a long, detailed, and enthusiastic answer from Elysia and gave Harry the moments he needed to move in order to clean Ed's injury properly, exposing the injury to Elysia's line of sight for a few moments only for Elysia to not notice anything due to her excited talking. Ed was mildly impressed with how well these two worked to get Elysia's mind off of what had just happened and her attention off of Ed enough for Harry to do what he needed to.
It only took ten minutes after Ed had sent the message to Leo and Lilith about what had happened for the first of them to turn up with their human. Maes nearly fell out of the car in his haste to get to his daughter and Leo was just as quick in his movements. Their eyes locked onto Ed, Ayala, and Elysia still on the ambulance gurney and they bolted for the trio. "Elysia! Ed!" Hughes called frantically as he raced for them.
"Daddy!" Elysia cried out in delight. Kelsey was quick to move out of the way of the approaching Hughes so he could sweep his daughter up in a tight hug.
"Are you okay, princess? Is she okay?" Hughes asked, first his daughter then Kelsey.
"I'm okay, Daddy. Big brother Ed and Ayala made sure I was!" Elysia told him.
Kelsey took the opportunity to answer Hughes' question with a bit more detail. "She's completely uninjured, sir," Kelsey told him. "I'd just finished checking her over when you arrived. There's not a scratch on her," she said, giving Elysia a friendly smile that the little girl returned brightly.
Hughes sighed in relief as he hugged Elysia close once more. "Thank god," he sighed, kissing her temple. "What about you, Ed? How are you holding up?" he asked, trying to peer around his daughter to look at Ed.
"I'm fine, Hughes," came Ed's predictable reply. "Nothing but minor injuries that only need cleaning out," he added.
"Big brother Ed told Mr. Harry that he got bitten!" Elysia told Hughes, not understanding why her brother groaned when she did so.
"Ed?" Hughes asked, voice tense.
"Yes, fine, his damned Animal tried taking a chunk out of my arm but I am fine," Ed emphasised. "Seriously, it's not a bad injury. I don't even need stitches for it!" he exclaimed. Harry cleared his throat pointedly and Ed glared at him before sighing, feeling Hughes' questioning look on him. "Fine, stitches are recommended but not absolutely needed," Ed admitted.
"You should get the injury stitched," Hughes said, voice filled with concern and Ed sighed again.
"I'll get Doc Overland's opinion this afternoon when I'm back at the hospital," he told Hughes, who must've accepted that answer since there wasn't a follow up one.
Harry finished bandaging up Ed's arm so Elysia wouldn't see the injury and moved away to pack up his kit and deal with the rubbish, giving Hughes his first proper look at Ed and breathed a small sigh of relief. Though there was a clean, white bandage wrapped from his wrist to halfway up his forearm and Hughes could see a few cuts along his arms and tears in his shirt and jacket which likely lined up with further scratches, all in all, Ed didn't look that injured. Ayala's fur was matted with blood but it was all mostly on her belly and under her chest, which explained why Elysia hadn't said anything to Hughes about Ayala being injured.
Ed hadn't noticed Hughes' eyes scruitinising his injuries since his attention was now on his Animal since Harry was finished patching up his arm. "Ready for me to heal you?" he asked her, nudging her shoulder with his boot.
"I suppose you can," Ayala said before glaring at the boot that he'd nudged her with, "and if your foot touches me again, you'll lose it," she snarled threateningly.
"Message received and understood," Ed said with a chuckle before he clapped softly then held out a hand towards Ayala. "Heal!"
Green light forged a path between Ayala and Ed's hand and Ayala resisted the urge to scratch at the itching sensation she could feel as her wounds healed up at a pace far faster than they normally would've. Elysia's attention was grabbed by the green light and she watched with a mixture of fascination and concern as Ayala's injuries healed. "Thanks, Ed," Ayala said gratefully, standing up and shaking herself as though ridding her fur off excess water once the healing was complete.
"You're welcome," Ed said, giving her a small scratch behind the ears.
"Is Ayala okay?" Elysia asked, her eyes filled with worry as she finally noticed the blood still on the wolf's fur.
"Yeah, she's fine," Ed told her. "She only had a few scratches and stuff but we decided to heal them now since they were on her belly and would make her uncomfortable when she slept," Ed explained. It wasn't even a complete lie. Ayala's injuries were a little more severe than Ed wanted Elysia to believe but they still weren't anything more than an annoyance to the wolf.
Elysia seemed to believe the response if the massive, relieved grin she gave Ayala was anything to go by. "I'm glad you're okay, Ayala!" Elysia told the wolf honestly and causing Hughes' eyes to widen in the way that they always did when he thought Elysia was being absolutely adorable.
Thankfully, the sound of two more cars approaching saved them all from what usually followed Hughes' eyes widening like that. Looking up, Ed wasn't surprised to find a frantic Gracia and Lilith climbing out of the taxi, Gracia's arm laden with the few bags she held of shopping she'd managed to get done while Mustang and Nala stepped out of the other car. Ed felt both Animals' concern for him, Elysia, and Ayala but he was quick to send a reassuring warmth through the bond, telling them he was fine. He was just happy that they would be able to see him immediately so he wouldn't have to reassure them until they saw him next.
Gracia and Lilith were the first to reach the ambulance, to absolutely no one's surprise. She bypassed her husband and wrapped Elysia in a tight hug. "Are you okay, Elysia?" Gracia asked, letting go of her daughter so she could check her over with her own eyes.
"I'm fine, Mummy! Don't even have a scratch on me, right, Kelsey?" Elysia said proudly, turning to the ambulance officer who was still standing near the ambulance with her partner until they were called to check on the general Ed had trapped.
"That's right," Kelsey said, giving Elysia a smile.
Mustang and Nala joined them just as Gracia turned to Ed and said, "what about you, Ed? Are you okay?" Nala and Lilith were watching him expectantly from beside their human, though Ed knew the only reason Nala wasn't as close to him as possible to look him over herself was because Elysia and Ayala were in the way.
"Totally fine," Ed said. "Worst injury was this," he held up his bandaged forearm up as if they hadn't noticed the bandages as soon as they spotted him and Elysia on the ambulance, "and it wasn't even that bad," he told them.
"He has to get his and Al's doctor to check the injury out when he gets to the hospital this afternoon to see if it needs stitches since it was recommended he get them," Hughes immediately told Gracia and Mustang, knowing full well that Ed wasn't going to and from the scowl on Ed's face, Hughes was absolutely right.
"Oh, Ed," Gracia said softly, eyes filled with concern, "what happened? All Lilith told me was that someone broke into the house and you fought them?" she said, looking at her Animal, who nodded in agreement that that was what she had said. After all, that was basically what Ed had told her.
"I'd like to know that for myself," Mustang said. It was only the fact that his eyes were filled with worry and a small amount of fear as he took in Ed, Elysia, and the scene filled with military police around them.
As Ed tried to figure out how he could give the Hughes' and Mustang the details of what had happened without scaring Elysia, Kelsey and Harry shared a look before Kelsey spoke. "We normally don't do this but because Elysia has been so brave for us, we were wondering if it would be alright with you if we showed her how the siren and everything in our ambulance works?" Kelsey asked before Ed could start speaking.
Gracia and Hughes exchanged a glance before they took in Elysia's excited and hopeful expression. "That sounds wonderful! What do you think, Elysia? Do you want to do that?" Gracia asked, giving her daughter a big smile to try and hide the fear and shock she still felt.
Elysia nodded enthusiastically, causing the adults around her to either chuckle softly or grin at her. "Yes, please!" she said, looking between Kelsey and her mother.
Kelsey gave her a smile as she reached for her hand. "Then how about you come with me and we'll show you everything?" she said, a friendly sparkle in her eyes.
"Okay!" Elysia exclaimed happily, grabbing Kelsey's hand and allowing herself to be led away. A pleading glance from Gracia had Lilith following Elysia so she could keep an eye on her for her understandably paranoid human.
Ed waited until he could hear Elysia asking questions about whatever caught her attention before he launched into the quickest and most detailed report he'd ever given, starting from the bad feeling he'd gotten when he heard the first knock up until Hughes arrived. "I don't know the general's name but he's the one who showed General Armstrong those white abominations and his Animal is a hyena named Trevor," Ed said, finishing his recounting of what happened.
"That would be Lieutenant-General Timothy Eldredge," Mustang said, an undertone of disgust in his voice as he glared at the Hughes' house as though he could see the general from here. "We assumed he and his Animal had been caught in the worst of the collapse and were waiting to be identified at the morgue but we were obviously wrong," he said, giving Hughes and Gracia an apologetic look.
"It's not your fault, Roy," Gracia assured him before she turned to Hughes, who had been standing there stunned and pale ever since Ed had revealed what Eldredge's plan was. "Just like this wasn't Maes' fault either," she said, gently grasping Hughes' hand and squeezing it. "The only person to blame for this is the man who tried to attack us today," Gracia said firmly, looking between both men with a stern expression on her face, "and no one else. Do you understand me?"
Both Hughes and Mustang gave a nod, though Hughes paired it with a, "yes, dear," for good measure. Gracia looked pleased with their responses, as did Leo and Nala. Ed was just amused to see both of them looked like almost like chided children and his amusement was obvious if the unimpressed look on Mustang's face was anything to go by. Just as Mustang opened his mouth, likely to snark something at Ed, Gracia grabbed Ed in a tight hug, earning herself a startled gasp from the blonde, who hadn't even seen her move to hug him.
"Thank you so much for being there to stop that man from acting on his plans," Gracia said, a couple of tears leaking from her eyes as her mind allowed her to visualize what would've happened if she hadn't decided to leave Elysia with Ed today. "I can't thank you enough, Ed. You've saved all of our lives now," she told him, sniffling slightly as she fought to keep a hold of her tears.
Ed didn't get the chance to respond before another set of arms wrapped tightly around him, encasing Gracia in them as well. Ed knew who it was before they spoke. "Gracia's right. If you hadn't been there… I don't even want to think about it," Hughes said, his voice choking with his own emotions. "We owe you everything for saving Elysia and doing everything in your power to make sure she wasn't hurt and didn't see anything that could've affected her in any way," Hughes said, voice almost a whisper as his mind conjured up those images he didn't want.
Ed was doing his best to hug them back but it was a little awkward now that Hughes was hugging him as well as Gracia. "You don't have to thank me for anything," Ed told them, not bothering to hide his emotions despite the fact that Mustang was right there. "Big brothers are supposed to protect their little siblings and I'm just glad I was able to," Ed said honestly. This unexpected fight was one that he was glad he was caught up in. Though he knew Gracia and Lilith would've put up one helluva fight if it had all gone down the way Eldredge had planned it, Ed was glad they didn't have to and if he could go back in time to the day Gracia and Hughes asked him to babysit Elysia today, he wouldn't have hesitated to agree.
Mustang didn't join in on the hug, which Ed was grateful for since he wasn't sure he could handle three people hugging him while he was still on the stretcher and he still wasn't sure where he stood with Mustang after their chat a couple of days post-Promised Day, but Mustang did incline his head in thanks, his black eyes shining with the gratitude he couldn't voice right now. Ed gave him a small smile over Gracia's shoulder, which was about the only thing he could do to acknowledge the thanks without speaking. Gracia and Hughes pulled away from Ed but before they could say anything else, a random soldier appeared and saluted Hughes, Mustang, and Ed. "Fullmetal, sir. We were wondering if you would be able to assist us in freeing General Eldredge from his bonds now," the soldier asked once he'd been released from his salute by them.
Ed frowned even as he hopped off the stretcher he'd still been sitting on. His response was delayed when Elysia or Kelsey turned the siren on, startling nearly everyone and every Animal in the vicinity with the suddenness of the noise. "How come it's taken you guys so long to come and get me? I figured you lot had an alchemist on hand to help you out," Ed queried even as he gestured for the soldier to lead the way. He didn't bother pretending to be surprised that he was followed by Mustang, Hughes, Gracia, and their Animals minus Lilith.
"General Eldredge wouldn't stay quiet long enough for us to inform him that he was being detained. We still haven't managed to actually do so either but we're hoping that releasing him will quieten him down a little bit," the soldier divulged.
Ed's frown didn't dissipate. "Why detained? I thought he was ex-military? Shouldn't you guys be able to arrest him no matter what rank he held if he was discharged from the military?" Ed asked.
It was Mustang rather than the soldier who answered him. "Technically he hasn't been discharged," Mustang told Ed, who looked around in surprise as they approached the busted front door. "Fuhrer Grumman can't discharge a soldier – honorably or not – until he knows for certain whether that soldier is deceased or not," he explained, "and since we were still waiting on a coroner to identify General Eldredge…"
Ed nodded. "He couldn't be discharged," Ed finished and Mustang gave a nod. "So, what? We have to wait for Grumman or another lieutenant-general to arrest him before he can be taken to a jail cell?" Ed asked curiously. He'd never been in this kind of situation with the military before. Normally he didn't go after anyone of a higher rank than him and when he did, Mustang or another soldier of higher than Ed would be with him, depending on where the mission was.
Hughes shook his head as he took in the damage to the door. The bullet holes were very obvious to everyone despite the caved-in wood from where Eldredge had kicked it. "No, the officers here can detain him for questioning despite the fact that he is of a higher rank than them for now. Fuhrer Grumman will either make the arrest or expedite the orders for Eldredge to be discharged so that someone of lower rank than he is currently can arrest him," Hughes explained.
"Oh, righto," Ed said, shrugging a shoulder now that his questions had been answered. Heading into the hallway with the soldier still leading him, Ed tried hard not to notice Gracia and Hughes' reactions to seeing their house in the aftermath of his most recent fight. Rather, he decided to focus on the bound general and it took only a moment for him to wish he'd gagged Eldredge like he'd done his Animal. "Would you shut up for five fucking seconds?" Ed snapped, startling Eldredge enough that he did.
One of the soldiers standing by coughed suspiciously while the other took the opportunity Ed gave them. "Lieutenant-General Timothy Eldredge, you are being detained for questioning in relation of the trespassing of this house, the attack of Lieutenant-Colonel Elric and his Animal, Ayala, and the threat of violence against Colonel Hughes, Mrs. Gracia Hughes, and Miss Elysia Hughes, as well as their Animals," the soldier informed him. "Your Animal, Trevor, will also be detained in a separate room while you are being question in relation to the aforementioned crimes," he added.
Just as Eldredge opened his mouth to argue, Ed snapped at him once more. "You make this anymore difficult than it needs to be and I'm going to knock you out," he warned him, tone waspish.
Mustang sighed slightly while Hughes, Gracia and the surrounding soldiers did their best to not show any of their amusement. "You cannot threaten people when you've already beaten them, Fullmetal. We've discussed this," Mustang groaned.
"Yeah, yeah," Ed said, flapping his left hand at his commanding officer dismissively as he moved around so he was behind Eldredge as much as possible. Crouching, he looked up at the soldiers and gave them a questioning look. At their nod, Ed clapped and looked over at Ayala. "Be ready to go for his throat if he tries anything stupid," Ed said, speaking out lout so Eldredge would hear him. The affirming growl and readied stance Ayala took had Eldredge swallowing in poorly hidden fear while Mustang looked like he wanted to bash his head against the wall. Placing his hands on the floor, Ed allowed the alchemic energy to dance its way across Eldredge's body and pull the floorboards back into their original form.
The two soldiers closest to Eldredge moved quickly and grabbed an arm each, not giving the general any chance to try and escape them. "Thank you, Fullmetal, sir," the soldier who'd come to get him said as Eldredge was pulled away by the other soldiers.
"No worries," Ed assured him, straightening up from his crouch. "What's your plan with his Animal?" Ed asked curiously, looking over at the still bound hyena.
"We'd hoped you'd assist us with getting him free as well. We've brought a large crate to put him in and may possibly need your assistance in getting him into that," the soldier told him.
Ed gave a nod. "If you guys wanna bring the crate in, we'll get him sorted out now," Ed said. He wanted to get all of this sorted out and the scene catalogued before too long so he could fix the damage done to the house and get back to the hospital where an anxious Chester and likely as anxious Alphonse was waiting for him.
The soldier gave him a nod before he headed out of the house, likely looking for some more soldiers to help him with crate and Trevor himself. Gracia and Hughes seemed to take this time to really look at their hallway and staircase and take in the damage inflicted on it. "I'm a little surprised," Gracia admitted as he eyes flicked from one bit of damage to another. "I don't know whether I expected there to be more or less damage than there actually is," she divulged.
"You should always expect more damage when Fullmetal is involved," Mustang said dryly.
"Hilarious," Ed said, flipping Mustang off. "I'll fix the damage once the crime scene people are finished taking photos and whatever else they need," Ed promised Gracia and Hughes.
"Oh, you don't have to worry about that right now! I know Alphonse must be worried out of his mind about you. If you want to head to the hospital once that Animal is gone, you can," Gracia immediately told him but Ed shook his head.
"It won't take me long to fix this up and Al's not gonna be that worried. I told Chester I was fine and I know Ayala went behind my back to tell Al that I was being honest," Ed told her. Ayala didn't look at all ashamed of being caught. Rather, she looked pretty proud of herself. Gracia still looked concerned and Ed figured he knew what she was thinking. "I won't even make myself tired with the transmutations I'll be doing. They're low level enough that most half-decent alchemists could pull them off," Ed promised her and finally, Gracia relaxed enough to finally give a nod of agreement.
The sound of numerous footsteps got their attention and they all turned to find four soldiers carrying a large crate inside. Everyone standing in the hallway moved so that the soldiers could get through and position the crate with its door open in front of the hyena's face. Ed headed over to them immediately and stepped over the hyena so he would be standing on one of the stairs. Ayala and Nala moved with him and both took up defensive stances opposite Ed and behind Trevor. They both lifted their lips and let out warning growls, daring Trevor to try something once he was released. As he'd done for Eldredge, Ed clapped his hands and placed them on the floor next to the trapped hyena before he started transmuting the wood once more.
Unlike his human though, Trevor decided he didn't want to go quietly and the moment the muzzle was gone and he could swing his head back enough, he tried to bite Ed's right arm. Ed didn't flinch at the movement, nor did he make any moves to stop the attack. The soldiers all took a step forward, as did Hughes and Mustang while Gracia watched, horror filling her eyes but none of the Animals reacted and they soon realised why. Instead of his teeth sinking into flesh, Trevor found himself with a mouthful of automail and a few freshly broken teeth. Yelping in pain, Trevor let go immediately of Ed's arm and Ed finished the transmutation quickly. While the hyena was still yelping in pain, Ed and another soldier shoved Trevor into the crate and securely locked the door behind him.
"Good job," Ed said to the soldier as he straightened up. The noises Trevor was making as the pain kept rolling through him had Ed giving the crate a dirty look. It wasn't his fault the hyena forgot which arm of Ed's was automail and tried to take a bite out of it.
The soldier looked mildly startled at the praise but Ed didn't comment on it since the man was needed to help move Trevor out of the house. "Are you alright, Ed?" Gracia asked, rushing to fret over him once the soldiers were out of her way.
"Of course I am," Ed told her. "He went for my automail. He didn't even scratch it!" Ed said, pulling up his sleeve to show her the unblemished metal that was underneath.
"Good," Gracia said before she pulled Ed in for a tight hug, "but that doesn't mean you're not in trouble for scaring us!" she informed him.
"Sorry about that," Ed said, hugging her back. He felt her huff in amusement next to his ear before she pulled away from him and gave him a smile. "So what are we gonna do while we wait for this area to finish being processed?" Ed asked as they moved out of the way of the four new soldiers who would be collecting the forensic evidence left in the house.
"Well, you and Elysia will need to give your statements while we wait but other than that, I don't think there's anything else we can do except wait," Hughes told him, looking mildly apologetic that there wouldn't be much for Ed to do as they started to head outside now that they weren't needed in the house any longer.
"Ah, don't worry about it," Ed said, nodding in the direction of the ambulance where Elysia, Kelsey, and Lilith were waiting for them. The stretcher was gone and the door Elysia was standing in front of was closed while the other one was open, telling the approaching group that Eldredge was inside the ambulance with Harry checking him over while Kelsey did her best to keep an eye on Elysia and her partner at the same time. "I think we're gonna be kept very entertained by Elysia's recount of her adventure," he said with a grin as Elysia waved at them enthusiastically, bouncing up and down in her excitement to tell her family about how much fun she'd just had.
Hughes and Gracia chuckled in agreement just before they reached the ambulance. They nodded in thanks to Kelsey, who gave them a smile and squeezed Elysia's hand in goodbye before she climbed into the ambulance, shutting the open door behind her so they could leave and get Eldredge checked out at the hospital. Elysia let herself be picked up by her father while Lilith took a seat next to Gracia's leg so the ambulance could leave, which it did only a few seconds later. "Did you have fun, princess?" Hughes asked Elysia as they headed for a shaded spot in the front yard where they could wait to be given the okay to go back inside.
"I had so much fun!" Elysia told them, eyes shining with excitement before she launched into a detailed retelling of her exploration of the ambulance.
Ed was glad to see that her enthusiasm and bright spirit hadn't been affected by Eldredge and Trevor's actions but he also knew that it was likely that she wouldn't process what had happened until later tonight or even in a few days' time. As he listened to his adopted little sister talk about everything she'd learned in the ambulance, Ed vowed to speak with Gracia and Hughes alone so he could let them know that if they or Elysia needed him to help her or them to deal with what had happened this morning, he would be there as soon as he possibly could. After all, that's what family does for one another.
A/N - Here you go! My very first "What if...?"! As you can probably guess from the context of this chapter, these will be scenes that fit in my Spirit Animal AU but with a significant change or two. If you have any ideas for one, don't hesitate to comment it or dm me with it. As I said for my drabble collection, however, I won't write romance and I reserve the right to turn down any ideas or requests I'm not comfortable writing. I hope you enjoyed this one and I'm looking forward to seeing what you thought to it! See you next week!