"Ed, they'll be here any minute."

Ed didn't respond except to move across the sofa even closer to Roy, holding onto him even tighter, one hand wrapped around his sleeve and the other pinning his arm. Roy sighed, placing a hand on the boy's head to ruffle his hair gently.

It had been like this for hours, ever since Roy had made the call to Hawkeye and Silas' office. Ed hadn't said a word, only holding onto Roy like his life depended on it. Roy had carried him downstairs and set him down at the table in an attempt to get them both something to eat, but Ed had refused to release him. Roy had then proceeded to drag the despondent child around the kitchen, trying to scrounge together a meal while Ed held on to his shirt tails like a lost toddler.

It was heartbreaking to watch.

When Roy had finally managed lunch, Ed acted like he didn't even know food was there. He'd kept one hand on Roy and used the other to pillow his head on the table while Roy tried to eat his soup. Roy had found that he wasn't very hungry, either.

Roy had been unable to loosen the boy's grip on him the rest of the day, but now they were about to have company, and he really doubted that Ed would want the others to see him like this.

"Come on, Ed. You can either come with me to see everyone, or you can wait upstairs. It's your call, but you need to decide."

This seemed to be the wrong approach. The demand for a decision made the boy's eyes widen in realization, something aware sparking in their murky depths that had been absent since he'd locked himself in the bathroom. He'd only just realized what Roy had been trying to tell him: he either had to be with everyone or be by himself. Ed looked completely torn, his breaths becoming panicked. He buried his head into Roy's stomach and trembled.

"Ed," Roy said gently, rubbing the side of Ed's golden head. "Come on, Ed, it's okay. It's okay, just relax." Ed didn't seem to be listening, though. His breathing escalated into short gasps and he started moving his lips, eyes squeezing shut like he was having another panic attack. "Hey, hey, come on, Ed," Roy tried his best to soothe, pulling the boy into his arms and holding him close. The child's thin frame was light, but the automail shoulder bit into Roy's chest uncomfortably. Roy wasn't about to deny him this small comfort, though. Not unless Ed chose it. "Just breathe through it, alright? You know where you are. You're safe now. Nothing's going to happen."

The small body shook against his, tears suddenly sliding down his pallid face as he struggled with whatever terrors his mind was feeding him. Or maybe he was just struggling with staying and being subjected to the embarrassment of it, or being left alone after the shock of that morning. For him right now, it was perhaps an impossible decision.

"Edward," Roy whispered, holding the boy's head to his chest and rocking him back and forth as much as the couch allowed. "Edward, come on." Roy took a deep breath, trying to even the shakiness in it for Ed's sake. "You're okay. They're all here for you, you know that. You can stay. I won't make you leave. You know they won't hold it against you."

Ed continued to cry silently, seemingly unwilling to make a decision. Finally the doorbell rang, and Ed stiffened, pure terror shining in his blind eyes. Roy didn't know it was possible, but he clung even tighter, a small whimper making it past his previously silent lips.

Now Roy was the one that was torn. "Ed, I have to get the door. It's only Silas. You know Silas." Roy got up with the boy bundled in his arms, and Ed seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating, regardless of what Roy said. Roy quickly unlocked the door, then headed back into the living room before it could be opened, trying to get Ed as far away from anything that would increase his anxiety.

The door creaked open, letting in the dull moan of wind and tentative footsteps. "Roy?" Silas's voice called out. "Everything alright?"

"Hardly. Bring your bag," Roy ordered tersely.

The door shut then Silas appeared, still wearing his coat and looking mildly concerned, his smile muted like it was more of a reflex than conscious thought to keep it on his face anyway. "Hello, Ed, Roy! All that snow makes for a lovely walk, yes?" His eyes were locked on Ed as he approached, assessing and deciding something before he even reached them.

Roy sat down to give the man better access to his patient. Ed didn't release Roy, though Roy hadn't expected him to. Silas' nearness seemed to distress him rather than comfort, and Ed turned in Roy's arms to bury his head in Roy's chest, hiding his face as if he could escape Silas altogether.

"Oh, come on now, Edward," Silas said gently, the smile on his face as soft as his words. "Sorry I never exactly bring a good time, but my visits aren't that bad. I'm just going to check your pulse, alright? Oh, did I ever tell you how our polka festival went?" Silas slipped a hand between Roy's chest and Ed's wrist and Roy tried not to breathe too much while the man prattled on about some sort of music contest he'd apparently discussed with Ed before. The flow of the story seemed to relax Ed a bit, his grip on Roy loosening almost imperceptibly as Silas continued his tale. Apparently it wasn't enough, though. "Ah, bit elevated, isn't it?" Silas observed of his pulse, hand releasing Ed to rummage in his bag, coming out with a needle.

Roy couldn't say that he liked the idea of doping Ed up again, but he couldn't let the boy make himself sick like this.

"Okay, Ed, I'm going to give you something to relax you a bit. You're going to feel a small pinch, then it'll be over, alright?" Silas said aloud, deftly sliding the needle in and out of Ed's bicep before the boy could react.

And react he did. He bucked in Roy's arms, new panic making him cry out. "Don't! Don't send me away . . . please . . . please, Mustang," he sobbed, the words tumbling out like water from a dam, the desperation in them making Roy's heart shatter. "Please, no no no, don't send me away, I'll do anything," his voice faded. "No . . . I don't want to wake up there . . . Mustang? Mustang—"

Did he honestly think Roy would just drug him so he could ship him off to some orphanage?

"Ed, I'll be right here when you wake up. I promise," he said, holding the boy tightly against him. "Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"No—n-no," he whimpered, eyes sliding shut as the drug robbed him of his strength. "Please . . . let me stay . . . please . . ."

"You can stay. I promise."

Whether he was satisfied or just couldn't keep his eyes open, Roy wasn't sure, but the boy nodded off, the anxiety on his face and the grip he had on Roy's shirt the last to go.

Roy released a tremulous sigh, standing up with his bundle, but pausing before heading up the stairs.

It seemed wrong to just drop him off in his room and leave. Ed had all but attached himself to Roy's side since Archer's visit. What if he woke up on his own? What if he had nightmares?

What if he woke up and thought Roy had abandoned him?

"He should be fine on the sofa," Silas pointed out with a small smile, packing up his bag once again. "He might rest better with you close by. Tranquilizers help a lot of things, but sometimes the nightmares still get through."

Roy nodded, all too willing to keep the boy nearby. Just in case. He turned and placed him on the sofa, situating his blond head on a pillow and tucking his blanket around him.

"Jim," Roy said, brushing a few golden locks out of Ed's face. "Will you stay the evening? I'd appreciate it if you could be here when he wakes up."

The small doctor smiled knowingly. "Certainly. May I use your phone? Marcy's going to kill me for changing the hospital's scheduling again, but there are perks to being irreplaceable, eh?" he said with a grin, disappearing into the kitchen.

It didn't take much longer for Roy's team to arrive, trickling in with food and plans and expressions locked in varying degrees of concern to anger. Hawkeye would have already told them why they were there. Roy directed them to the living room, where they gathered around the coffee table and unpacked more Xingese takeout, all eyes inevitably landing on Ed's resting form in a pitying, worried way that Roy knew the boy would hate if he were aware of it. Roy just sat himself beside the sleeping child and tried to pretend nothing was out of place.

Finally, all that was missing were Armstrong and Havoc. Hawkeye informed him that Armstrong was in the field, and Fuery said that Havoc had been waiting on an important phone call and had said that they should start without him. After cheerily consuming Armstrong's portion of the meal, Silas disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Roy alone with Fallman, Breda, Fuery, Hawkeye and Ed's lifeless form.

"You all know why we're here," Roy began, twirling his fork in a bowl of noodles he didn't have the appetite to consume. "Archer will be back tomorrow. They'll take Ed away, lock him up and do who knows what to him. We can't let that happen." He turned to Fuery. "Did you bring the information?"

The smaller man put his half-finished meal aside and dug through his bag, pulling out several thick tomes. "Falman and I pulled everything we could find in the library. We cross checked it with Ed's records, and it turns out that everything Archer's doing is completely legal."

Falman leaned forward. "I called for Ed's records to be sent to us from Resembool, but it turns out that the village hasn't done the proper bookkeeping in years. The Elrics just sort of fell through the cracks. They had their neighbors that watched out for them while their mother was sick, then they left town so quickly after she died. No one asked questions and no one bothered to check. They don't have a legally appointed guardian. As far as the village is concerned, the Elrics were being cared for, so there was no reason to interfere. Alphonse isn't listed as dead or even missing."

"Okay," Roy acknowledged, mulling the information over as he set his uneaten food on the end table. "What are our options, then?"

"According to Amestris law, a minor must be in the care of a guardian or adult that is either blood, or appointed by the state. Otherwise, custody goes to the state," Hawkeye supplied, pushing a file into Roy's hands. "This details the process."

Roy nodded, eyes scanning the first page of the document. It was a mess of technical jargon and terminology and just looking at it reignited Roy's headache. "Have you read this?" he asked somewhat wearily.

"Sir," she responded, taking it back from him. She thumbed through it as she spoke, slim fingers sweeping over the pages as she did. "Basically, we have three options. The first is sit back and do nothing. Edward goes to an orphanage and that's that. Everything's out of our reach."

Just the thought made Roy sick. Ed by himself in a place like that . . . he didn't deserve that. "And the others?"

"The second is you apply for guardianship, but I'm not certain that would help here." She looked up from the files warily. "You would be responsible for him, yes, but there's a catch. Though you're responsible for him, the state can override any decision you make and you would have no legal protection."

"So, if Archer and whoever is pulling his strings wants Ed locked away in some mental hospital, it will happen," Roy answered darkly.

Hawkeye nodded, sherry eyes wary of his brooding anger. "Yes."

He brought up the heels of his hands to massage his eyes, hard enough to see stars when he pulled them away. "Alright, and what's number three?"

The four of them exchanged looks. Roy frowned. "What?"

Hawkeye closed the folder and met his eyes. "You adopt him."

Roy didn't feel as surprised as he thought should have felt. He didn't feel the denial, or the irritation or the helplessness he generally felt these days.

He just felt . . . numb.

"That's ridiculous, Hawkeye," he responded, wondering if his voice sounded as empty as he felt. "I have no right."

"Sir, do you really think that the state's going to give him over to anyone without a fight?" she pressed, something akin to urgency in her sherry eyes. "They would exclude almost everyone else the boy knows." She pulled out another set of manila files. "Izumi Curtis, though married, is chronically ill. Pinako Rockbell is an old woman now. None of us have homes of our own. You're the most likely to be accepted. As a hero of the war, you have clout that none of us has."

"I'm not a hero, Riza," Roy said softly. "Ed would never agree to it."

"He doesn't have to, sir," Hawkeye insisted. "This is for his own good."

Roy looked at the child again, cocooned in his blanket with distress lines creasing his forehead. He reached over to smooth them away with a calloused hand. "There has to be something else . . . something that will make him happy. He deserves to be happy." Roy wasn't sure where the words were coming from, spilling from his lips like water overflowing a cup. Maybe he was just tired of fighting it all. Or maybe he was ready to give up.

Regardless, this was not something he could do. He couldn't. Ed didn't deserve to have to put up with Roy's blunders for any extended period of time. He didn't deserve to endure Roy's failings and shortcomings.

And Roy certainly didn't deserve the kid. That something so precious would be permanently entrusted to him . . . it was unthinkable.

"Colonel," Breda said with a sigh. Roy looked up to see the larger man regarding him sternly over a pile of folders. "With all due respect, stop being an idiot."

Roy blinked. "Excuse me?"

The man looked at him like he was of the utmost stupidity. In fact, all of his gathered subordinates were. "Honestly, you're so dense sometimes. What, exactly, is the alternative? Letting Archer get him?"

Roy frowned. "That's hardly fair, Breda."

"It is what it is," Breda said dismissively. "The thing is, from what I've heard, he's only ever happy when you're right beside him. You honestly think he's going to pitch a fit if we attach some official labels? Give the brat some credit. He's smarter than that."

Roy felt his frown deepen. "I'm not going to make this decision for him." It was too much. Too much to think about, too much to consider.

"No matter how terrible of a father you'd make, you're infinitely better than what he'd get in the system," Breda said. Clearly with Havoc not present, he felt the need to toe the line in his stead. "So stop with your pathetic pity party and man up, sir."

Roy had never been spoken to like this by Breda. The only ones that ever called him out like this to his face were Hawkeye and Havoc, but now Falman and even Feury were all but glaring at him, challenging him to refuse. Roy stared at them, some feeling starting to course through his gut. At first he thought it might be anger, the familiar burning melting away some of the icy numbness that had previously encased his heart.

Then he realized it was something that had been missing for a while now.

Fire.

Breda was right. He was absolutely right.

"You're right," Roy admitted slowly, eyes rising to meet theirs. He sounded surprised, even to himself, voice almost awed. What was wrong with him? Was he so selfish that he couldn't help but get wrapped up in himself? Had he lost all sense of perspective from being too close to this? Despite Roy's shortcomings and flaws, he was an infinitely better choice than Archer and a state orphanage. "You're right . . ."

"Of course we're right," Breda scoffed. "So just sign the stupid paperwork so we can get this underway."

"We won't have a lot of time tomorrow," Falman piped up, handing Roy a thick stack of papers and a pen. "My friend in the Child Services department can process our request that day to forestall any of Archer's attempts at getting to Ed, but if Archer gets here before the paperwork clears, we'll be sunk until the entire process is complete. And that assumes that Melinda can work a miracle and get her boss to sign off on the case tomorrow. Ed will have to disappear for a couple of days until his case worker calls off their dogs."

"Can she do it?" Roy pressed. If the case didn't go to just the right person at just the right time, Archer would cut them off at the pass, warn all the Child Services personnel of Roy's intentions—accurate or not—, then seal Ed's fate until a proper recourse could be attempted.

Falman offered Roy a smile. "She'll handle it. We've got nothing to worry about on her end."

"But that doesn't change the fact that Ed can't be in this house tomorrow," Hawkeye warned.

Roy blinked, eyes snapping up to meet hers. "What do you mean? We can't possibly move him."

"Think about it," Breda said, voice pitched lowly in an attempt to be soothing, but Roy felt anything but soothed. He felt almost panicked at the thought. "Archer will have a search warrant, and an official order to take Ed with him. He'll just walk in this house and take him, and there won't be a blasted thing you can do to stop him."

"It will just be for a day or two, sir," Fuery assured him. "Just long enough to make sure the paperwork has gone through."

They couldn't do that to Ed . . . moving him like that might very well destroy what little progress they had made. Without the consistency of his surroundings and the little comfort they brought, Roy couldn't imagine what it would to do Ed.

He stared down at the unconscious boy, torn. Both answers were wrong. There were no options that would be easy for Ed, but there was clearly one that would be right in the long run.

It just wouldn't be easy to take in the meantime.

"Where can I take him?" Roy asked softly, voice so diminished it was a wonder anyone heard him.

They each exchanged bewildered glances.

Roy frowned. "You can't suggest things like that and not have a plan."

"Havoc and I don't have room," Breda informed. "Falman and Fuery can't take him in the dorms, either. Hawkeye?"

The blonde woman shook her head. "Given recent discoveries, I think it would be unwise to keep him in a household with a dog. Besides, keeping him with one of us would be too risky. Ours will be the first places they look for him."

They all looked uncomfortable at that. "Yeah, you're probably right," Breda agreed.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Fuery asked meekly after a moment of silence.

"Well, I suppose there's no reason you both couldn't stay with me a day!"

Roy glanced over his shoulder to see Silas standing in the doorway, a cup in one hand and a dishtowel in the other, quickly polishing drops of water off of the glass. He all but skipped over to stand in the middle of the room, blue eyes bright. "Really, it's no trouble at all! I insist! Regina and I would be delighted to have you!"

Roy frowned. "Regina?"

Silas waved a dismissive hand. "Honestly, she won't mind at all. She likes her home orderly, but I don't think she'd be opposed to the company. There won't be a problem!"

Roy looked at Ed. They didn't have much choice, he supposed, and if it came down to it, Ed could be kept under artificial sleep until Roy could get him back to more familiar surroundings.

The entire situation was deplorable, but there were simply no better options. With a tired sigh, Roy nodded. "Alright. I'll go pack our things."

Roy had just carefully settled Ed and moved to go up the stairs when the doorbell rang.

Wondering absently if it was more bad news, Roy briefly debated not answering it before dragging himself to the door and pulling it open.

Havoc grinned at him past his cigarette, cobalt eyes alight with excitement. "Sorry, Boss!" he apologized, shouldering past him. "I was waiting on a phone call, and I think you'll be very interested in finding out what about," he assured, flicking his smoldering cigarette butt into a snowdrift before shutting the door behind him.

"What is it?" Roy demanded, as he herded Havoc to the living room with everyone else, too tired and too anxious for games.

Havoc smiled, the expression equal parts proud and bitter somehow. "Did Armstrong ever tell you he was visiting the north?"

Roy shook his head. That hadn't been something the man had ever discussed with him, and since he wasn't directly in in Roy's chain of command, there would be little reason to inform him. "Well, he just sent word with some interesting news. General Armstrong caught one of them."

The room stilled, heads jerking up to regard Havoc with surprise.

A sort of numb shock settled in Roy's head, clouding his thoughts.

They'd caught one.

One of the men that had done this to Ed. One of the men that was responsible for killing the spark in the blond brat, turning burning star into a desolate shell of a human. One of the men that had taken a boy whom Roy had sworn to protect and defaced him with cruelties too much for animals, much less children.

A man that had hurt one of Roy's own.

Finally, someone could pay.

"His name?" The question was short and strangled by the cold fury suddenly constricting Roy's throat.

Havoc seemed to sense that something had changed. He shifted his stance, backing up a barely-noticeable half step. "Nicolai Vasovik," he responded hesitantly. "Armstrong said he'd have answers for you as soon as their interrogation yielded something—"

"No," he snapped, interrupting Havoc with the clipped order. "I want him. I want him in our interrogation room, and I want him there the day after tomorrow."

"Boss," Havoc began carefully, "Don't you think it would be best to—"

"What did I say, Lieutenant?!" Roy snapped. "The day after tomorrow!"

Havoc's eyes widened. "Yes, sir," he responded, the apprehension never leaving his gaze as Roy turned his back on him.

The rest of his team was standing behind him, giving him the same look Havoc did. Roy stopped short, then scowled at them. "You heard me. Whatever it takes, I want Vasovik, do you understand?" His eyes locked with Hawkeye's.

She looked back at him, the apprehension hardening into something colder and more pointed, as if she had made some sort of decision. "Yes, sir," she responded coolly.

Roy brushed aside the suspicion and irritation in favor of the pure loathing he found inside of him, pushing past his subordinates and Silas and heading upstairs to pack.

The next day would be long and trying, but with any luck, the following day would make it all worth it.


First, the chapter: Things are kind of starting to move! If you've read "Someday," there may be a few spoilers there, so sorry about that :'D Should've held off posting that, I suppose.

Secondly: I owe you guys a huge apology. Wow, I kind of dropped off the internet for like, what, a month? More? There have been a lot of things going on, but essentially, it comes down to having zero time. Most of you know I've taken a new job, and it's even more demanding than my last. I've also bought a house, which is great, but as many of you know, moving is stressful. There have also been some changes in my social and personal life-not all bad, but definitely challenging. So all of these things just sort of leech my muse away, until when I finally sit down to write, I end up falling asleep lol.

To those that have PMed me asking if I was alright, thank you so much. That really had an impact on me, and I'll definitely be getting around to replying to those soon 3 As for reviews from the last chapter, I hope you'll forgive me for not responding to each signed one this time around. This'll be the second time since this fic began, but hopefully it will be the last time. I'm just really strapped for time, and I feel like my writing is suffering for it, so I'm cutting some corners this time, but I want you to know that I've read every one of them (multiple times lol) and I can't thank you enough for your support :)

I'm not going to make any promises on updates, but traditionally, holidays have been kinder to my writing habits, so I'm sure I'll be posting around then. So until next time, hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving, or a happy Thursday, if you're not in America ;D

Drop a review if you have the time, and I'll see you next time!

God Bless,

-RainFlame