"You're late boss." Havoc duly noted as he saw Ed appear from around a corner. An angry growl was Eds answer. "There's been another victim, it's the fifth now." Havoc muttered handing Ed a file which was getting thicker by the minute. Ed flicked through the file quickly, noting the photographs. The victims all looked an awful lot like herself. "Do you reckon we'll spend another night in the rain over this?" Havoc asked lighting a cigarette. "No. I don't think so. I believe I've been able to trace one of the guys involved." "That is excellent news!" Hughes announced as he strode into the office comfortably. "Hey Ed, wanna see some pictures of Eliza?" Hughes laughed as he grabbed the back of the young woman's coat. "I'd rather not. I've got things- Just because you can drag me from a room doesnt mean you should!" Ed shouted as she was dragged away leaving Havoc to wander towards the window to blow smoke from it. "Did you notice?" "Did I notice what?" Ed asked as Hughes pulled a fresh stash of pictures from his pockets. "The victims, they all look like you. If you looked like a girl obviously." Hughes whispered looking concerned. "Of course I have." Ed whispered, looking at a picture of Eliza eating a slice of apple pie. "I don't want you to do whatever you want to do without back up." "Eh, I don't work like that. That one is actually cute." Ed answered pointing to a picture of Eliza standing next to a pony. "You will on this one. What is your lead?" "I've got Havoc, I don't need your help or supervision. Did she really eat all of that?" "Yeah, she's got an appetite almost as bad as yours. And you will accept my help and supervision." Hughes added, "Fullmetal has work to do, do not distract him Hughes." The colonel interrupted on his way out of HQ. "We were talking about work, Ed has a lead." Hughes said with a grin. "Do you? Well, get on with it. The public's getting impatient for progress." Mustang answered suppressing a yawn. "Yeah, whatever, I don't see you doing any work." Ed growled. She was still annoyed about being chewed up by her superior about the "Quality" of her public apology.
"I do too much work I'll have you know." Mustang retorted suppressing yet another yawn. "Yeah sure, if sitting on your backside all day long can be termed work." Ed spat. "What is your lead?" Mustang asked, now actually yawning. "Some guy, really it might not be anything." Ed shrugged. "Let me have a look at that." Mustang said in-between another yawn. Ed handed him the file, her fingertips sticking to the thin cardboard, really she hadn't even noticed how sweaty her hands had gotten. "That's odd." Mustang muttered looking a little more awake. "They all look like Ed don't they? If Ed was a girl that is." Hughes announced, sounding awfully cheerful. "Yes, yes they do..." Mustang muttered wandering into the office. This made Havoc flick his cigarette from the window and slap the air around his face frantically before his superior looked up from the file. "How about we use Ed as bait?" Hughes asked with a grin, this only earned him a rather dirty look from the short girl. "No, I don't like that. We'll only do it if Ed's lead isn't of any use." The colonel muttered looking at Ed intently. "Why not?" Havoc asked taking a sip of coffee. "Fullmetal can't do alchemy anymore, if something went wrong it would go really wrong. I don't want to risk it." Mustang drawled closing the file. "Let me just get on with it, come on Havoc, let's go." Ed sounded exasperated, the looks her Colonel was giving her were too intent. "No, I'm not sure I want you to work on this anymore." Mustang muttered looking through the file again. "Why not?" Ed growled. "You look exactly like the victims Fullmetal. Until we know more about the motif I do not want you to parade yourself around the capital." "You seem to be forgetting one crucial element to this, I am a guy. These are all girls." Ed huffed feeling sweaty and angry. "They are all exactly your age. They all have exactly the same colour hair and eyes as you and, well, its disturbing." "Please don't forget that I do not have boobs." Ed snatched the file from Mustangs fingers. "Yes, that's true. But I'll put someone else in charge of this either way. I don't want you wandering around the capital on your own at night anymore." Mustang said leaning against the desk to further study Fullmetal. "I am not a girl." Ed groaned rubbing her forehead. "At night, I think I'd mistake you for one you know." Mustang muttered expecting an outburst, instead Havoc nodded and added, "Yeah, sorry boss but you are somewhat, delicate." Instead of shouting at Mustang, Havoc and for good measure, Hughes Ed bit her bottom lips till she tasted copper and walked from the office. "Where you going boss?" Havoc asked as he followed her. "I am going to go investigate my lead." She growled as she stormed from the building. Stomping her feet she left HQ, Havoc close at her heels. "So are you going to tell me where we're going?" He asked as he finally caught up with her. Ed didn't stop, she couldn't help it. She felt her cheeks grow hot and her eyes grow watery. "Not now." She told herself as she tried to avoid eye contact with Havoc. Too late, he knew she was crying, he just knew somehow. "Boss? I'm sorry I said you looked like a girl. Hey, at least you've got a girlfriend. You're doing better than me despite being, you know, adorable." This made Ed stop in her tracks, she didn't know why she did it but she did it either way. "I do not have a girlfriend, and talking about her doesn't make her any more real. Neither does it make me any more real. It just a reminder that everything is a lie and that Al is right and I should just confess but if I did I'd be in more trouble than is good for me and I would be discharged and you know what? Rightly so! I deserve losing my job over this, I have lied to everyone. My best friends at that." Havoc looked confused and decided it would be best to light a cigarette. "Havoc, I need to tell you something. I want you to give me an honest answer." Ed muttered as she dragged him into a dark alley. "Look, if you're confused about whether you like boys or girls, I don't mind." He muttered as the got to a particularly dark bit. "I like boys." Ed said in an angry huff. "Is that why you broke up with your girlfriend?" Havoc wondered squinting his eyes. "No, I never had one to begin with. I like boys because I am a girl."
Havoc looked confused as he stared at Fullmetal in front of him. They stood in silence, in the dark for what seemed like an eternity and then something seemed to click in the tall man's head. He dropped his cigarette from his now limp fingers and tilted his head. "I can see it now." He whispered. "Do you hate me?" "No, I'm relieved." Havoc uttered biting his bottom lip. "Relieved?" "I thought that you were going to confess your undying love to me a minute ago." He whispered staring at Eds chest. "I tie them up." Ed answered, seeing the silent question. "Oh, I see." Havoc whispered, as if someone could possibly overhear their conversation. "I cannot tell anyone yet, but I will. It's this case we're working on. I think the man behind it is the reason I was brought up as a boy. I need to see this to the end." "I see... do you ever wear nice clothes?" Havoc asked, "Nice clothes?" Ed asked back looking confused. "Like dresses? I bet you look nice in a dress." Havoc continued with a far away look in his eyes. "Let's move on." Ed muttered moving away slowly. "Come on boss, you cannot reveal something like this to me and wander off like that." Havoc whined as he followed Ed like a dog. "No one can know yet." Ed said, a silent threat in her eyes. "Oh, yeah, of course. Does Colonel Mustang know?" Havoc inquired as they made their way to the docks. "No he does not." Ed muttered feeling a little sad.