I am so happy that the last chapter was so well-received! And as for yesterday's four chapters in one day, that's actually a personal record for me. Since I've kind of moved into the territory of cliffhangers or at least not entirely satisfying ends of chapters, I would just like to say that I'm not withholding any chapters, I post them almost the minute that they're done, so I do not plan on torturing you people with how I end my chapters and make you wait, I just need to write them first!

Chapter twelve

Ed felt tears land on his head as he let his own tears soak through Mustang's T-shirt. "I'm so sorry I let you think I was dead, I had to keep you safe," Ed said urgently, still afraid that Mustang would be angry with him.

"It's okay, Ed, it's okay. You're here now. You're alive." Mustang placed a kiss on his forehead and Ed just squeezed him tighter, so happy to actually be hugged by him. To not be dead. To finally not break the hearts of everyone he cares about.

Roy didn't know what to say. Ed was alive and safe. His boy was alive. He was breathing and healthy and here. In Roy's arms. He couldn't remember ever crying happy tears, but god, was he now. Roy had questions, of course, but those could wait. He only needed one answer right now. "Ed, are you okay?"

"Now I am."

Roy hugged him even tighter. Oh, how he had missed that voice.

Roy heard shifting from the couch behind him, and he smiled even wider.

"Dad? What's going on? Who's that?" Al said groggily.

Roy let Ed gently disentangle himself from the hug. Ed peeked over Roy's left shoulder to look at his little brother. "Hey, Al," he said softly.

"Brother?" Al said disbelievingly.

"Yeah."

Roy heard a lot of frantic movement before he suddenly saw Alphonse throw himself at Ed in front of him, making the two boys crash to the floor. "BROTHER! YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"I'm sorry for scaring you," Ed said, hugging Al tightly. "It was the only way to keep you safe."

"I thought you were dead," Al sobbed as Ed gently stroked his hair. "We buried you."

"I know. I was there. I'm so sorry for putting you through that."

Roy sat there, smiling at his two boys. Al cried for a long time.

"But how are you alive? The pathologist said that there was no doubt."

"I'll tell you everything, but I'd like to sit up first."

Al got off of Ed and moved up on one of the camp beds. Roy sat himself up too and put an arm around Al. Ed looked unsure as to where to place himself, so Roy grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to sit on his lap, and so Roy was able to hug both of his boys while they also hugged each other. And he wasn't going to let go of them for a very long time. Ed might be both too big and the port of his automail leg was digging into Roy's thigh, but he didn't care. It didn't matter. Ed was alive and Roy was finally able to hug him.

"Okay, so it began with Ishbal and that attack," Ed began. "They kidnapped me and tied me up and brought me to this cave. There was this General, Freeman, I've later learned, and he told me a lot of stuff, but I don't remember most of it, the doctor guy drugged me. Anyways, I thought they'd kill me, but Fredricks stopped it. He has this no-killing-kids policy, and the doctor didn't want to torture and kill me either, so they faked it. I woke up in a car with Fredricks driving. He told me that the doctor had made a fake head by using some of the limbs they'd cut off the other soldiers, and he'd taken some blood and then shaved my head and used alchemy to make that thing you found, Gen – Dad."

Roy felt something stir at the back of his head at the choice of words. "So I didn't imagine it. You really did say goodbye," Roy said quietly, squeezing Ed closer to him. Hearing Ed call him that really meant a lot to him.

"Yeah. I helped Fredricks put you back in your bed, he was tasked with dumping the head thing and you." Ed looked up at him apologetically. "I didn't want to help them, but this thing is big. I need to stay dead until we have caught them. Otherwise I'll be putting everyone at risk. There are people placed everywhere in the military that don't want you to give the Ishbalans their holy land. They're basically a large group of racist bastards."

"But what happened after you left my house?"

"Fredricks dropped me off here. He brought me to what turned out to be a group working against these anti-Ishbalan jerks. I've been staying with Greg for the last week now."

"So why did you kidnap us?" Roy couldn't understand what exactly that had changed in order to go to such drastic measures.

Roy saw the boy look straight up at him with those golden orbs that he'd never thought he'd see again, and they looked scared, hurt and angry. "Because I remembered something at the last minute tonight. They're gonna frame you for my murder."

Roy felt shivers go down his spine as anger surged through him. "They're what?" He forced himself to speak calmly. "How could anyone believe that?"

"They've been building a case against you for the last week, you were going to be arrested today."

"On what grounds? What evidence is there?"

"They've got witnesses swearing to have seen us arguing and there's the fact that they've found your fingerprints on the murder weapon. They must have got them when you were unconscious. And that bastard Freeman has testified to me confiding in him that you've been hitting me repeatedly these last few months," Ed sounded both disgusted and awkward when he said that last part.

Roy honestly didn't know how to react. To suggest that Roy was abusing Ed and was actually willing to torture and kill him was sickening. "How the hell dare he! And after he ordered them to kill you. To torture you," Roy hissed. There was no doubt in his mind, he would burn Freeman for this. He would have done it anyway for ordering anyone to hurt his kid, but suggesting that Roy was the one who had done it?

He hugged them both closer, calming himself down.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Ed said quietly.

"Ed, don't be sorry. These people were going to torture you before they killed you, I'm just lucky that Fredricks showed a speck of decency."

Otherwise you'd be rotting inside a cell before long, Roy, and Ed would really have been gone.

"So I guess I'm a fugitive," Roy sighed.

"Yeah. Sorry for that. We didn't know what else to do to keep you out of jail." Ed sounded awkward and a lot more subdued than normal.

"Don't be sorry, Ed, I'd rather be a fugitive and know that my boys are safe than inside a cell and framed for your murder."

"But if I only hadn't let them take me in the first place! It's my fault! And I let you two believe I was dead and I saw what it did to you! I saw you yesterday! I put you two through so much pain and now you're fugitives as well!" Ed was looking at them tearfully.

"Ed, don't you dare say that! You were put in an impossible situation and you've done exactly what I would have. This isn't your fault! I'm just thrilled that you're alive. We both are."

Ed leaned against Roy's chest and Roy could see the pain and fear that had been building up inside the boy reveal itself as tears.

For the first time in his life, Roy saw Ed sobbing. Ed was shaking with every emotion he must have felt this last week and he was looking like the kid he was. He was a child that was dealing with things that not even grownups should have to deal with, and he had been separated from the people he loved while doing it.

Al, empathetic as always, began crying too, and Roy just held them both tightly, muttering words of comfort.

He still couldn't believe that it was his Ed he was holding. That Ed was alive. That his boy was sitting here on his lap. But there was no question that it was Ed. The voice alone gave him away. Then there was the way he acted around Al. One couldn't fake that. And Al would have known immediately if it was a fake, he knew his brother better than anyone.

Roy was just a bit sad that the rest of the team couldn't share in on this knowledge without putting everything into jeopardy. Well, they weren't going to believe one word of the accusations against him. Neither would Führer Grumman. But with such compelling evidence, there was still the fact that Roy would still face some time in prison until the accusations against him were dropped. The Führer wouldn't be popular if he let the accused killer of Edward Elric walk free, and the new regime was built on trust. So no, Roy would just have to stay hidden and help however he could. But at least he had both of his boys by his side now.

Which made him feel very lucky despite the circumstances.

Ruth Beavers knew she was an old lady, but she was proud to be so. She kept herself in excellent shape and was out for her usual morning stroll with Maurice, her Dachshund. She knew that it wasn't a good idea to be out walking due to her vision, but she was stubborn and the weather was finally clear for the first time in days.

She was very fond of this particular forest, even if the rain had been pouring down so that the track was muddy and Maurice would certainly need a bath when they got home.

The forest was quiet and she hadn't met anyone else, probably because people generally didn't walk here after it had been raining so heavily. Besides, she had decided to try a new path today. She removed the leash from Maurice's neck, he was a well behaved dog and knew to come when called for. It was easier to manoeuvre herself on the slippery path that way, now that she had both hands free.

Maurice obviously caught a whiff of something up ahead, and leapt playfully forwards. Ruth smiled at him, wondering if he had finally found himself a spot worthy of his morning toilet break.

Maurice disappeared down a little hill next to a little stream that had been made by the recent weather, and so Ruth followed. She was a pensioner, she didn't have anywhere she needed to be after all.

There was no rush.

She found Maurice sniffing at a mound of soggy mud that had clearly been washed down the side of hill.

Then the dog barked and began digging into the mud. Ruth went curiously forwards. Maurice rarely barked after all. The dog kept digging and barking, revealing an odd rock of some sort. Ruth squinted at it, it had an unusual colour after all.

She leaned forwards to touch it, when she saw what it actually was.

Maurice hadn't found a funny-shaped rock like she had thought, but a naked corpse with its head and left leg missing.

Oh, and I haven't asked about it before, but I really hope you people don't have a problem with the fact that I use British spelling and words and then suddenly have Ed and the others speaking American? It's just that I can't exactly imagine Ed threatening somebody with "I am going to kick your arse!"

So I really hope that you people don't find it annoying!