Chapter Five: It's A Matter of Trust

-----

Ed looked at his reflection in the mirror and frowned. It wasn't an unhappy frown, really, or even a moody one (which he was famous for by now). No... this was one of thoughtful consideration as he looked over his body. His ribs had filled out, and most of the old scars were much less prominent. As for the fresher cuts, well... thanks to the doctors treatments, they would probably fade altogether. The one above his eye was already almost gone. With a sigh he finished undressing and stepped into the waiting bath. Maria had run it for him, insisting that after being bed-ridden for nearly two weeks, he needed to have a nice good soak.

He sighed and leaned back against the side of the tub, closing his eyes in relaxation. It did feel nice. And it smelled nice, too... like some sort of flower. He sat quietly for a few minutes with his eyes closed before he began to get bored. He glanced up, admiring absently the decorative wallpaper... painted bubbles... blue and white... very interesting.

Eventually his eyes slid down to a big red plastic bucket that sat next to the tub. Curiosity got the better of him, and he moved over to take a look over the edge of the tub. The bucket was filled with toys. Ah yes, hadn't Al mentioned something about the bath toys? Probably when he was still dillusional from all of the medication he'd been getting... Ed reached down slowly and picked up a plastic dolphin. Then he sat back against the wall of the tub and looked at it.

What was he supposed to do with this thing? A puzzle he could understand. Or a board-game or card-game. Those things had an objective to them. But this... He let go of the toy and watched it float, resting his chin on his knees.

Once... a long time ago... he'd had toys. There were memories of teddy bears, trains and tracks, bouncing ball and building blocks. They were distant, but there nonetheless. Yes... once he had known how to play with those toys, too. He'd been able to create something out of nothing, just like any other child.

-----

"What are you making?"

"It's a castle. And the knights are gonna come and protect it."

"Are they?"

"Yup, cuz there's a special treasure inside..."

-----

Ed blinked and sat up, his eyes still on the floating toy. A tear rolled down his face and he picked it up again. Al believed that there was nothing he could do, that Edward couldn't, but he was wrong. Al could do it. Al could make-believe things. There were lots of things Al could do that he couldn't. Like trust people for one. Like let go of the past and move on. Like smile and forget everything bad that had ever happened. Like... play with a toy.

Ed stared at the dolphin. If he pretended that it was read, and alive... and that this bathtub was the ocean... then maybe...

Maria, who was changing the sheets on Ed's bed, jumped at the sound of a sharp crash in the bathroom. She hurried to the door. "Ed?" she called in concern, trying the door only to find it locked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," came the angry reply, and with a sigh Maria stepped back. She finished changing the sheets and bedding, and soon Edward came out of the bathroom, clad only in a pair of loose-fitting pants. He walked over to his now neatly-made bed and collapsed onto it face-first with a sigh. Maria noticed that his hair, although wet on the ends and around his face, was mostly dry still.

"Hey Ed?" she asked. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Mm?" he said without moving.

"Can you let me wash out your hair?"

"No."

Maria frowned. "It's not going to hurt," she said.

"I don't care."

She was getting slightly frustrated - not necessarily from the fact that he was refusing (since she knew he would right from the start) but from the simple answers. "Please Ed? It won't take long, and I bet it will feel better afterward," she pleaded. He turned his head slowly to look back at her out of the corner of his eye. His options passed through his mind lazily. He could refuse, which would probably result in a struggle later on when Maes was home to force him to let her wash his hair... or he could let her do it now and get it over with, avoiding all of the stress and wasted energy.

"Fine," he stated simply. Maria had to consiously keep her jaw from dropping at his response.

"What?" she asked in shock. She hadn't actually expected him to agree.

"I said fine," Edward replied smartly. "You can wash my hair if it'll make you happy." He rolled over onto his back and sat up, locking his eyes on her. "Or did you change your mind already?"

"No, no!" said Maria quickly, waving her hands in front of her. She smiled. "That's great! Let me just put this stuff in the wash and I'll take you downstairs." She set the basket of dirty linen by the door and then turned to get the clothes and towels from the bathroom. As she pushed open the door she heard it knock gently against something on the floor. She closed the door partially behind herself to see what was there.

One of the toys - a dolphin to be exact - lay in a broken pile beneath the wall, which it had obviously not-so-accidentally collided with very forcefully. That explained the sound she'd heard.

Maria picked up the pieces and set them on the bathroom counter. Then she scooped up the laundry and headed back out into the bedroom. Edward was busy shuffling through clothes for a fresh shirt from a drawer they had recently put a few new things into for the boys. It was a long-sleeved t-shirt he eventually emerged with. Taking all of the laundry, Maria headed down the hall. When she returned a few minutes later to find Ed just finishing rubbing cream on his shoulder, she was empty-handed and smiling.

"Come on," she said cheerfully, and Ed followed her (slowly) down the hall to the stairs. It had been two days since Dr. Rockbell had proclaimed him well enough to get out of bed, and he'd only actually gone downstairs once since then. That had been the night before, to the kitchen for a few minutes for hot chocolate. Even though he'd been there for almost three weeks, Ed had no idea what the house was like other than his bedroom, the kitchen, and the hall and stairs in between.

"It's just down here," said Maria, flicking on the living room lights and walking through it to a hall on the other side. Ed glanced warily at the doors they passed, until finally Maria stopped at one on the left. She opened the door and stepped inside, and once the lights were on, Ed followed. His eyes widened in surprise. It was a small barber shop - obviously not used very often, but meticulously clean.

"What kind of house IS this?" Ed asked, trying to sound rude but ending up just sounding slightly annoyed.

Maria just smiled and motioned to a chair in front of a sink. Ed walked slowly toward it and with a scowl on his face, he sat down. "Just lean back here," she said, laying a rolled-up towel around his shoulders. He did as told, and found that the sink was shaped for his neck. Rather disturbing really. Most of his hair cuts just involved taking scizzers to his head at one of the foster homes they'd been in.

Maria was gentle while she worked, however, and despite himself Ed found himself relaxing He stared at the cieling through half-lidded eyes and wondered vaguely how many people had actually had their hair washed in here. Eventually she turned off the water and dried his hair with the towel. He sat up in the chair and waited for her to finish fussing.

"Hm..." she said thoughtfully.

"Hmm what?" asked Ed.

"Your hair is getting pretty long in the back," she replied.

"Hair does have a habit of growing," he said smartly. She cringed at his sarcastic tone, but didn't reply. Instead she set to brushing out his hair. Eventually she set down the brush and began to braid the back, earning her a curious look from Ed, who tried to turn to see what she was doing. She could only do a few folds in the braid, since his hair wasn't actually that long - the longest pieces in the back only came down to his shoulders - but when she showed him in the mirror he gave her a skeptical look and hopped off the chair. He walked to the door, leaving the braid in place, and Maria couldn't help but smile. Apparently he didn't mind it that much after all. She dried her hands and followed him out of the room.

"When are they coming back?" Ed asked. Al had gone with Maes and Glacia to get some groceries, but they had left over an hour ago.

"I'm sure they won't be much longer now," Maria replied. "Do you want to watch some TV?" They had made it to the living room, and Ed glanced toward the large black screen without much interest.

"I don't care," he said.

"Well what do you want to do?" she asked.

Ed hesitated slightly, thinking, and then replied "I don't care." Maria sighed in exhasperation.

She flicked on the television and Ed sat down on the couch with a quiet sigh. He was looking at the floor, at the walls - anywhere to escape meeting her eyes. Either he was pissed off and glaring, or he was quiet and wouldn't talk to them - wasn't there a happy median with this kid? She set the remote down next to him and he looked at it before eventually reaching out and, using one finger, flicking the channels.

Maria watched the TV screen absently as he continued changing channels, lost in her own thoughts. She snapped awake as, with a sudden click, the screen went dark. She glanced at Ed, who was resting his chin on his knees, staring at the blank screen. He stood abruptly.

"It's too loud," he said simply, heading toward the doorway. "And it hurts my eyes." With a sigh, Maria followed him out passed the front door and into the kitchen. He glanced around briefly, and then walked to the door on the other side. Much to his surprise, it was a descending stairwell.

"What's down there?" he asked.

Maria was glad that he was at least showing some curiosity about his surroundings. "Some storage rooms," she replied. "And a few other rooms, I think. I don't know - I usually avoid having to go down there."

"Oh." Ed sighed and turned back to the living room. There he pulled back the curtains of the window slightly and rested his chin on the sill. He stared absently out at the swirling snow.

-----

"Everything sleeps in the winter. The snow is like a beautiful white blanket that sparkles and shines."

"I think it looks like fun." The sound of laughter, soft and familiar.

"I suppose it's that, too. Edward... will you make me a snow angel..?"

-----

Ed inhaled sharply and lifted his head. "What's wrong?" asked Maria.

"Nothing," he snapped. "Leave me alone." He turned and strode passed her up the stairs to his room. Maria sighed. Every time it seemed like he was starting to open up - even a tiny bit - he closed himself off again.

'Maybe it's just a matter of trust,' she thought. Yes... with a little more time, maybe he would trust them enough to take down his wall. But for that to happen, he would likely need his brothers help.

Up in his room, Ed collapsed onto his bed, his eyes closed tightly, trying to block out everything around him for a while. He felt his heart aching, but he didn't cry. Instead he took his pillow and hurled it against the far wall. Then he slid to the floor and sat leaning against his bed, his knees pulled up to his chest and his face hidden behind them. And there he stayed.

-----

Maria heard the car pull up and she went to open the door. Alphonse was the first one in, carrying a bag of groceries in one hand and a large box tucked under the other arm. He was grinning ear to ear. Maria looked from him to Maes, who came in just behind him. He had an amused smile on his face. The boys personality was obviously contageous - even Maria felt a smile drawing at her lips just looking at him grinning like that.

"Did you have fun?" Maria asked him, taking the bag from him,

"Yeah," he replied, kicking off his shoes. "And look what I got!" He held up the box, which had a picture of the large red car it contained on the front.

"Wow," she said, grinning back at him. "Aren't you lucky." She turned to take a few things from Glacia as well, who thanked her, and eventually they all ended up in the kitchen.

"Is it ever snowing out there," said Maes, brushing a few unmelted snowflakes out of his hair. "But the roads aren't too bad yet."

Al hurried out of the kitchen and up the stairs to show his brother his new toy, and once he was out of earshot Maria turned back to the Hughes'. "So how was he?"

"An absolute angel," said Glacia, smiling. "What a sweet personality."

Maes laughed. "I asked if he wanted to pick out a toy from the discount shelf and he was exstatic," he said. "You'd think he'd died and gone to heaven." Glacia nodded her agreement.

"So how did it go here? You didn't have any trouble?" she asked Maria.

"Actually it went quite well. He even let me wash his hair out."

"Really?" asked Maes in surprise.

"Yeah... although I think he's in a bad mood right now," she added. "He stormed upstairs a while ago - I have no idea what set him off - but I decided to leave him alone and let him cool off."

"I think we can probably expect some mood swings for a while," said Glacia. "Even though they're brothers, their personalities are completely different, and Edward is having a much harder time with this change than Al is."

"Yeah..." Maes agreed quietly. "But don't worry; we've got plenty of time over Christmas. I'm sure he'll come around in his own good time."

-----

Ed was still sitting on the floor by his bed when Al came into the room. "Brother!" Al called excitedly. "Look what we got!" Ed looked up at the red box Al was holding and smile, but not at the toy. Just hearing his brothers voice brought his spirits up. Al, recognizing at once that his brother was in a sensitive mood, kept his grin in place but brought his excitement under control so as not to agitate Ed.

He set the box down on the floor between them and set to opening it. After a moment of frustration on Al's part over the unwilling box, Ed reached over to help.

"Maybe we should just bang it against the wall a few times, and it'll open?" Ed suggested teasingly a few minutes later.

"Are you crazy? That'll just break it," replied Alphonse.

"Well this isn't working," Ed said.

"I can see that, thanks," replied Al. He was getting frustrated with the stubborn thing.

"Let me see it," said Ed with a sigh, picking up the box.

"No!" cried Al, making a grab for it, worried that Ed might actually test out his box-against-wall idea. What resulted was that both boys ended up with a handle on the box.

"I'm not gonna break it," said Ed.

"That's what you said about the last toy we had, and then you threw it out the window!" said Al, using his entire weight to pull on it.

Ed smirked at the memory. "But I hit that doofus, didn't I?"

"That's not the point!" Al huffed. Ed gave one good pull and suddenly the cardboard ripped in two. Al and Ed both fell back onto the floor, and the red car landed - unharmed - between them.

There was a moment of stunned silence before they both broke into a fit of laughter that resounded throughout their room. All three adults looked up toward their bedroom in surprise. The sound brought smiles to all of their lips.

'Yeah,' thought Maes with a grin. 'In his own good time, he'll definitely come around.'

-----

END

-----

Authors Note: I wanted to end this chapter on a happy note, so that's what I did... hopefully it didn't sound too corny. Anyways, please review and tell me what you think of the story so far. Halfway done uploading... that's not too bad, huh? At least with it already written out, we know this won't be one of those fics people start and never finish... and don't take that personally, cuz I've done it before too! Thanks for reading!

Mistress of Darkness