Part I: Chapter IV:

Nostalgia

Maes was furious.

How could Roy be okay with this? How could Roy be okay with what Winry had to do? How could he have let her? How could he have let her go through with something as horrible as taking two automail limbs off of her dead best friend's body?

How could he? Maes stomped through the hallways of Central HQ, not even thinking twice about the angry vibes he gave off. 'Honestly Roy...she just lost her best friend...to her other best friend at that.' Maes's mood darkened even more as he vividly recalled the interrogation with Alphonse Elric. He and the others present were clearly shaken up afterward. Maria and Denny were oddly quiet, strange enough coming from those two of all people. The Major, as expected, looked entirely brokenhearted. Him? He just wanted to throw up.

He thought Alphonse loved his older brother. At least, that's what everyone else thought as well. That's what everyone in the COUNTRY thought, or rather, would think, as this somehow hadn't blown up in the news already. Though, to be fair, news about the death of any person in the military that is still under investigation, is usually kept under tight wraps.

But to think that the "person in the military" in question was Edward...Maes felt tears prick his eyes as he recalled every moment he ever had with the golden-eyed, gifted child, with his equally gifted, sweet-hearted younger brother.

'What the hell do you think you're doing here, Lt. Colonel Hughes?'

'Brother. Be nice...'

'Thank you...for helping Ed and I, for looking out for us...I really appreciate it.'

'Um...Hughes, do you have a moment? I...have something for you...or rather...Elysia...'

Maes stopped walked and looked out the window for a moment, lost in his thoughts. He remembered that day Edward had timidly walked in his office. It was quite strange to see Edward act so timid, almost foreign...A faint, bittersweet, smile made its way on to Maes's face...

Maes was looking through a criminal file for his most recent case, one that he had been stressing over for more than a week. His daughter's birthday was tomorrow, though, and thankfully he had bought plenty of presents beforehand. He also would try to somehow ask for a day off...though, he already knew that was next to impossible to do. That, however, did not mean he would stop trying...

He rubbed his eyes when a sudden knocking startled him. "Come in." He replied, a bit of the tiredness and fatigue creeping up on him. Though that was soon replaced by surprise when he saw the person at the door, holding a small package wrapped in shiny pink wrapping paper and a purple, satin bow. "Ed? Well, this certainly is a surprise." Maes smiled broadly, his typical shit-eating grin stretching miles off his face.

The thirteen-year-old's face turned red as he spoke. "Um...Hughes, do you have a moment? I...have something for you...or rather...Elysia..." Edward looked down and held the small package out towards Maes, steam practically coming out of the boy's ears.

Maes couldn't help but drop that grin into a genuine, kind, fond smile. He walked over to Edward and placed a hand on his head, startling him. "Thanks Ed," He started, ruffling the young prodigy's hair. He then proceeded to take the package out of Edward's hands. "I'm sure Elysia would love whatever you gave her."

Edward turned somehow even redder. It was kind of hilarious. And comical. Like something out of an anime. "Well, you see..." Edward cleared his throat. "I know her birthday is tomorrow, but me and Al have to catch a train later today...so we won't be able to come. Instead, we decided to get a present. Um...the package has clothes. From the both of us."

"Clothes?" Maes raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming Al picked most of them out." He pointed out, amusedly. Edward wasn't exactly known for his fashion sense.

"Hey, shut up!" Edward protested. "My sense of style is AWESOME. And at least Elysia likes it..." He muttered that last part under his breath.

Hearing that last part, however, Maes was sure all his happy feelings were skyrocketing. "Elysia likes your sense of style? If you don't mind, I would like to see for myself what's in this package."

Edward scowled. "Whatever, you annoying family man! You better give it to her!"

"Of course, of course, I'm only teasing. But I have to look first, or else she might wear whatever you got her in front of everyone..."

"So you're saying you're never gonna let her wear it!?" Edward yelped, eyes flashing.

Maes laughed as he carefully opened the package. He really was only teasing Edward. He didn't mind if his beloved Elysia liked Edward's sense of style...well, it might have bothered him...a little. What he saw inside was...well, unsurprising, but surprising at the same time. Maes took out a small, Elysia-sized red coat with a familiar black insignia on it. Underneath the coat was a small black T-shirt and black pants. The T-shirt had small sparkles littering the entire thing. Maes raised an eyebrow at Edward, who now looked like he was on fire.

"W-well...you see..." Edward stuttered. Maes prided himself on making the most stoic and stone-faced people the most flustered, and Ed was no different, seeing as how it was so hard for him to explain why he wanted to dress up Maes's daughter like a mini-him...minus the sparkles.

Because god-forbid Edward Elric of all people would be caught wearing sparkles.

To make it easier on the now-teenager, however, Maes decided to relax him a bit. "Calm down, Ed. I'm not going to kill you, I just like seeing you squirm a little." Maes gave a hearty laugh. "I just want to know why your brother let you go through with this."

Maes's words, however, had the opposite affect he intended it to, judging by how his face had somehow become a few degrees hotter. "Screw you, Hughes..." Edward muttered. He then took a deep breath and spoke, the stuttering reduced to a bare minimum. "W-well, you see...I went to your house one time...because we were invited by Ms. Gracia, and, well, I was wearing my coat that day...since, you know, for some reason, I don't know...I never wear it at your house...I wore it that one time, and Elysia noticed...she said she liked it. Like, really liked it. She got all excited and began talking about it and everything, and next thing you know she asks me to make her an outfit but with...you know, sparkles and everything...and well, Gracia told her that we had to go...because we had to go...and she was all disappointed...so I mean...I well, if...I was just thinking maybe if she liked it that much, she would appreciate it as a surprise birthday gift...you know?"

Scratch his previous statement. The boy stuttered once, but the rambling was set to level one-hundred. In order to make sure Edward didn't hyperventilate, Maes patted his head once more, snatching Edward out of whatever train of thought he was currently riding on. He gave a large smile, reassuring the boy. "Thank you, Ed. I'm sure she's going to love this."

Edward looked up slightly as Maes continued ruffling his hair, than turned away, hint of a smile on his face. He meant to hide it, but Maes noticed it. "Well, anyway. I'm going now, so bye."

Maes grinned. "Bye, Edward."

Thinking back on it now, it never did come up whether Elysia loved the gift or not...

Roy knew who was in front of him the moment the door slammed open. It wasn't hard. He barely looked up from the paperwork in front of him, and instead gave a stoic greeting. "Hughes."

"Roy." Maes gritted his teeth, anger seething. Roy knew why he was here. Maes, the ever-loving family man, was most likely pissed off he didn't stop Winry from going to see Edward in the...morgue.

Before Maes could acknowledge this fact, however, Roy beat him to the punch. "She's strong."

Maes stared, expression not softening in the slightest. "She's only just turned fifteen, Roy."

"So did Fullmetal. She knew that. She knew who was involved. I was the one to inform her about what the Investigations Department wanted her to do, that's true, but she deserved to know. You don't think Winry is kept in the dark, enough?"

Maes hesitated, Roy could tell by the flickering contemplation that briefly passed through his friend's emerald eyes, than he spoke. "I know that. But, that doesn't change the fact that what you did to her was cruel."

"Don't shoot the messenger." Roy remarked.

"Roy..." Maes warned, getting rewarded with a sigh from Roy.

"Look, this is as hard on me as it is on you, okay?" Roy forced through his teeth. "And I realize that what I did to Winry was horrible, I won't deny that. But..." Roy faltered, thinking back on everything that happened these past two days. Not that there was much to remember. Two days ago, he was told the horrible news that his youngest subordinate was found dead. Killed, they had said. When he heard this, he felt this deep, gnawing urge to track down the killer and bloody murder whoever the killer was. Burn them. Incinerate them. Smolder them until all that remained was a pile of ashes. And he would make sure to do this all slowly.

Fullmetal's death just filled him with a pure rage. Nobody touched one of his subordinates. And they sure as hell weren't allowed to take them away from him permanently. He remembered plotting how he was going to kill the murderer. 'First, the eyes. Then the mouth. Then maybe I'll burn off their right arm and left leg...ooh, the poetic justice that would bring...' Sometimes he would openly write and mutter these kind of thoughts aloud, earning him a few looks from his team, but they quickly looked away, most likely plotting their own ways of revenge. Judging by his Lieutenant's face, however, he would most likely have to give her first dibs. She looked ready to empty every gun in her arsenal-scratch that, the entire military's, and fill the murderer with bullet holes. 'Oh, but if she did that, there would be nothing for me to burn...' He then came to the genius conclusion that they should all take out their revenge at the same time.

Everything stopped when he found out who the suspect was. Al. Alphonse. Alphonse freaking Elric. ...What?

They found out the day after the incident, which was yesterday afternoon. All his plans of revenge were gone, only to be replaced with this thick numbness that reverberated throughout Roy's entire soul. Throughout his entire team's souls. Throughout the entire military's souls.

Roy didn't realize Maes was speaking until he said his name. "-okay, Roy." He repeated himself when he realized that Roy obviously had zoned out. "It's okay, Roy. I just..." Maes sighed. "...I'm going home tonight...this is just too much for me to handle, and..." Maes stopped himself, Roy could tell. He had a feeling the emerald-eyed man was going to say something, but prevented himself from doing so. "...nothing. Never-mind. Bye, Roy."

Roy didn't say "bye" back.

When Maes first saw his baby girl, Elysia that night, he was hit with a sudden feeling of deja-vu. No, that wasn't right. Coincidence? Irony, most likely.

Elysia was parading around the house, wearing the outfit she had gotten for her birthday two years ago. From the Elrics. The one Edward had given.

To say it didn't hurt would be a lie. In all the frantic rush that happened these past two days with Investigations heading down there, silencing the media, handing out the case...Maes forgot that eventually...he was going to have to tell his beloved wife and daughter the death of a boy who they considered family as well.

Lost in his dark thoughts, Maes was startled when Gracia leaned in next to him on the couch, looking at him with concern in her eyes. The two were watching Elysia play with a little steel doll, that looked way too much like Al when he was in his armor, and was "fighting" with a pretend monster made out of cardboard. "Maes." Gracia said softly. "Is something wrong?"

Looking into Gracia's eyes, Maes found it increasingly difficult to hold all his feelings in. All he wanted to do right now was cry into his loving, beautiful, understanding, caring, and beloved wife's shoulder and confess everything. He wanted to hold Elysia close, and hug her forever, afraid that if he let go, he might lose her too. Instead, he forced a smile, and spoke cheerfully. "Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking about how flustered Ed was when he brought me that gift of his. I'm sure if he saw this right now, he would be blushing head to toe." Saying it like he was still alive stung.

Gracia laughed. "I'm sure. But that was sweet of him. We were cleaning the house earlier today. Elysia loves playing around with that outfit, as you know. Since she lost it a week ago, she was devastated, but guess what? We finally found it! It was behind the donation clothes, no wonder. We really need to clean that area more often..."

Gracia trailed off as she hummed, most likely thinking about the donation clothes, and not Edward because she was ignorant to that fact...thanks to Maes.

The man in question just turned to look at his three-year-old Elysia, running around the cardboard box. He watched her throw the Mini-Al doll at the makeshift monster and shout, "Come on, Al! You can do it!" She cheered in her childish voice. Then she clapped her hands and made a whooshing sound, as if to mimic the alchemic ringing sound made anytime Edward transmuted something. "I'll give you suppowt!"

Maes would not cry. He wouldn't.

"Swoosh!" Elysia cheered as she grabbed the Al doll and threw it in the air. "Oh no! Al!" She then turned towards the "monster" and clapped her hands in an angry pout. "You'll pay for this you monster!" She then grabbed a mini staff from under a blanket, and pulled it out. "Alchemy staff...go!"

He watched his daughter play out a scene that the Elric Brother's had most likely been through a hundred times. But they were able to get through all of it with their strong bond.

Elysia charged at the "monster" and then hit it with the staff, but then made a play to fall backwards and drop the staff. "Owie! Al, help!"

Because Edward always protected Alphonse.

"Al? Huh...uh...oh." Elysia looked around and realized her Al-doll was no where to be seen. "Al..." The girl faltered.

And Alphonse always protected Edward.

"...Al?" Elysia called out, sounding like she was about to cry, activating Maes's father instincts. "Oh..." Elysia then ran to him and Gracia, who looked at Elysia worriedly. "Mommy! Daddy! I lost my mini doll!"

"It's okay, Elysia, I'm sure it'll turn up." Gracia reassured the girl. "Let's look around, okay? Maybe you accidentally dropped it under one of the pillows or blankets."

The two then began to search under all the objects that were turned upside down in Elysia's pretend play. Maes just sat, there, unmoving, his heart aching for Elysia and Gracia more than ever. How the ever-lasting hell was he supposed to break it to them? Especially when Elysia clearly loves the both of them this much-

"Is this your doll, Elysia?" Gracia picked up a doll with blond hair and blue eyes, holding a wre-...the doll was Winry. Maes was struck with realization. Of course. He knew Elysia had always had the Winry and Al dolls, as well the Ed-outfit...but, now...it hurt so much for them to be seen.

Elysia shook her head frantically, then hid the Winry-doll back behind the couch. "No! Big Sister has to wait for Big Brothers, and when they come back she has to be angry at them!" She made a childish fist, then held it out to Gracia. "See? Like this!"

Maes would not cry. He would not. He would not. He would not.

"Oh, then..." Gracia scanned the room, then frowned. "Elysia, maybe you shouldn't have thrown the doll up in the air like that." She scolded. "Maybe that's why you lost it so easily."

"B-but I have to find it!" Elysia said frantically. "W-we have to finish the game and...Big Brother Al has to come to the rescue! Because Big Brother Ed always protects Big Brother Al, and Big Brother Al always protects Big Brother Ed!"

Edward always protects Alphonse, and Alphonse always protects Edward. Rather, protected.

Gracia sighed. "Well, I'm sure Big Brother Ed will be fine. Here, how about this. The monster suddenly fell and got knocked out, and both your Big Brothers were saved, okay? Then, tomorrow, you can go look for your Al-doll, okay?"

Elysia hesitated, then replied. "Okay..."

Maes wouldn't cry. He wouldn't, he wouldn't, he wouldn't, he wouldn't, he wouldn't...

He would not-

'Hughes? What the hell's up with you?'

'Mister Hughes? Are you okay?'

He cried.

Nostalgia Definition: "a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations"

Defined from online google dictionary.

A/N: Okay...I know I said this chapter would be about Roy but...I just had to! But I'll TRY to make sure I get into Roy as much as possible! On the subject of Roy's thoughts and his team's, were they a little too...sociopathic?

Hope you liked this chapter, and this is Jewel, signing off!