A/N: Well I was going back though this on here trying to get myself back into writing for this story and found that I had forgotten to post part tw of chapter four. I apologise profusely for this. beats slef in the head many many times So here it is, the missing piece of the story and hopefully now things will make a little more sense.
CH 4 pt 2
Monday came so fast Roy didn't know where Sunday had gone. He had a stack of paper work so damn high he didn't even know if he'd make home on time and he'd still not told Edward about Hohenheim and to further darken his mood, it was raining. It was so dark outside the street lights were on. He just bet it was going to be a lovely day.
Suddenly his office door slammed open with Edward dripping and panting. "It's official, I'm dead!"
Roy blinked a moment. "Mind telling me why?"
Ed marched in and pulled the report from his coat, placing it upon the desk then he took off his coat and it looked like he was having a little trouble in doing so. But as soon as it was off Roy could see why. There was a screw missing from Ed's auto-mail arm and one of the cover plates was lose. "I can't even find a replacement and I don't know what happened to the original. Winry's going to kill me. I've been to every hardware store and the auto-mail store, did you know they're closed on Monday, who closes on a business day?!" Ed sighed. "One of the wires is messed up too that's why I can't move my arm very well. Al's back at the house looking with Lily but-"
"So that's why I didn't see you at breakfast." Roy muttered. "Well do you want me to call-"
"NO!" Ed snapped. "Winry will kill me."
"How did it happen?" Roy asked calmly.
Ed winced. "I slipped getting out of the shower."
Roy sensed there was something Edward wasn't telling him. "And?" Suddenly Ed blushed.
"I just slipped; it was right after you left."
Still not telling him everything, "And?"
"And I slipped again trying to get up."
Roy smirked. "There's something else isn't there?"
Once again Edward winced and he was blushing so red he was about to turn purple. "Lily ran in."
Roy tried, really tried to hold back his smile. "And?"
"You're sick…"
Roy snorted. "I just need to know what I'm going home too."
Edward glared. "What do you think happened, she gawked at me with her slanted eyes and smirked just like you and then she told me ever so sweetly 'You should be more careful Ed, you might hurt something,' then she ran away."
Roy couldn't help it, he just couldn't, he laughed. It was the way Ed mocked Lily making his voice sound like a little girl, what had been said, all of it.
"Oh shut up!" Ed snapped.
Roy sighed, clearing his throat. "Has her tutor arrived yet?"
"I don't know, I left as soon as I figured out I had a problem. Al said he and Lily were going to look in the hall and upstairs."
Roy nodded, becoming serious. "I see, well," He reached for the mission report. He read it over and set it aside. "Looks good,"
Ed blinked. "What no lecture, are you feeling well?"
Roy sighed. He really should tell Edward now before he went home and found out on his own… "I'm feeling fine Edward,"
Ed jumped up. "Great! Glad to know it, I promised Lily I'd hurry incase it started to thunder today, bye,"
Before Roy could utter another word Ed was out the door. He started to go after him but his phone rang. What did he do? Ignore the phone on what could be an important call or chase after Edward? He picked up the phone. "What?"
"Hey Roy,"
"Hughes let me call you back I have to go after Edward." With that he slammed the phone down and hurried from his office. He ran, he really ran down the hall, and down the stairs, out into the rain but Edward was no where to be seen. He sighed turning to go back inside. Well it was going to be one very long day.
Lily sighed as she stood. "Is this it?" she asked holding up a screw. It looked like one of Ed's.
Al rose from his place upon the floor. "Yeah, that's great Lily, where was it?"
"Under his bed," She replied with a smile. "I wonder how it got there?"
"Well he did get his arm caught when we were in the mine." Al replied.
"Oh," She smiled, holding the screw out to him and looked at the small alarm clock upon Ed's dresser. "Oh no my Teacher's late," As if that had summoned him, the door bell rang. "That might be him!"
"Lily don't run,"
"I'm okay," She called as she hit the stairs. "You should come too Al."
"Coming," She could hear his metal body clanking along the way as she yanked the door open. There standing soaking wet was Hohenheim Elric with a small smile.
"I'm sorry I'm late Lily, I had to walk this morning. Can you forgive me?" He asked.
Lily nodded, taking his free hand as the other carried a black brief case a lot like her father's and pulled him inside. "Daddy left the coffee on, would you like some?"
"That would be nice." Hohenheim replied as Al entered the foyer.
Lily turned around as Al gasped. "Al this is my teacher but you already know him don't you…" She frowned. "What's wrong?"
"D-dad?" Al asked hesitantly.
"Hello Alphonse, it's nice to see you again."
"How-"
"Daddy hired him as my teacher," Lily said softly. She hoped that Al wasn't mad and she knew she should probably leave them alone as her father had said there probably wouldn't be any lessons today anyway. Ed and Al needed to face their father. "He answered his ad in the paper. Um…I'm going to go get the coffee. The living room is over there. Please don't be mad Al, Daddy said you wanted to find him and-"
"I'm not mad Lily," Al said softly. "Do you need some help?"
She shook her head. "No, you should talk to him." She ran into the kitchen as quickly as she could relieved that her big brother wasn't angry, but then what was he? Happy or sad or what?
When Lily entered the living room with Hohenheim's coffee she smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. Al and his Daddy were talking peacefully, Hohenheim smiling. "Here, I can't reach the sugar even with the chair."
"That's fine Lily, so Alphones and Edward are you big brothers now? Are they taking good care of you?"
Lily nodded. "Yes," She sighed again. "I don't know when Ed will be back but Daddy said he wouldn't likely be happy with you being here. Is that okay?"
"It is," The man replied.
"Brother will calm down Lily; he just has to get over the shock first." Al replied patting her head. "I'm glad Colonel Mustang hasn't said anything before now. I just hope he stays out of the line of fire until tonight. He works so hard as it is."
Lily smirked. "You mean when he's not taking a nap?"
Al chuckled. "Yeah,"
Edward shook out his coat when he entered the Mustang residence, shivering. It had gotten a little colder this morning and the rain was getting worse, in fact it was raining cats and dogs and he kind of wanted to take Lily out to play in the puddles in the street. There weren't many cars that passed through here during the day and she certainly liked to play in the dish water when they did the morning dishes together. Al could come along too as long as he didn't get too wet.
Man this arm was really beginning to bother him. He just had to get it fixed tomorrow before Winry found out. The last thing he wanted was her wrench flying at his head again.
He heard Lily giggle in the living room and smiled to himself despite this morning's little incident. At least she seemed to be okay, eh what was he worrying for?
Never in a million years did he expect to see what he saw when he entered the living room, his greeting dying upon his lips. Lily sat upon…his lap…
"Hello Edward, you've grown."
"I think he looks a lot like you Teacher." Lily said with a smile.
For a moment Edward was stunned. Was that…Could it really be…"YOU BASTARD GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" He shouted, bolting for Lily and snatching her up. He quickly deposited her and punched his father square in the jaw. "After all this time you show up here and make yourself at home with Lily?!"
"Edward!" Lily snapped. "Stop it, that's not it."
"Brother!"
Ed was so steaming with anger he couldn't stand it. How dare he?! How dare he?! "What were you going to do come and let her get attached then abandon her just like you did us?! It wasn't enough to do it to mom that you have to do it to Lily too?! GET OUT!"
"Brother, Mustang hired him to be her tutor, it's his decision." Al reasoned.
"WHAT?!" Ed screeched.
"It's true Edward, I had no idea that you boys were staying with him." Hohenheim said quietly.
Ed shook his head. He didn't care, no he did care. How could Mustang do this? Is this why there was no lecture this morning? It had to be! He thought Roy was…was his friend and then he goes and pulls something like this? Oh he was going to kill him! He didn't even tell him!
"You didn't even show up to her funeral!" Ed snapped.
"I didn't know,"
"And you didn't bother to call or write or anything damn it! You just left! You left us alone. I won't let you do it to Lily, she doesn't deserve it!"
"Brother that's not…He's not here to do that, just tutor her." Al tried again.
"Ed," Lily said softly taking his hand. "I'm fine and we found the screw to your arm. Let's go fix you okay?"
Lily sounded scared, Ed was scaring her and that was something he didn't want to do.
"Lily in a minute," He said more quietly but he'd not lost the edge in his voice.
"No big brother it's not what you think!" She shouted. "It's not, I heard he and Daddy talking when Aunt Anise was here, he left because he's sick and didn't want you, Al, and your Mommy to watch him die."
Ed snorted. "Is that so, that's the line of crap you fed Mustang huh? Playing on his parental sympathies. You look pretty damn good for some one who's supposedly dying."
"Edward stop it please," Lily begged. "Don't do this, he's your Daddy."
"I don't have a father." Ed snapped. "Especially not him!" He pointed to Hohenheim. "If you're staying I'm going! Al come on."
"No," Al snapped. "I'm staying with Lily and Dad."
Edward blinked in astonishment. "What?!"
"I'm staying, you may not want to be around him but I barely remember him. I'm not losing time with him."
"Fine," Ed replied more than a little hurt. He started from the room but Lily caught a hold of his arm.
"No, Ed please you promised never to say good bye!"
"Let go Lily,"
"No,"
"Let go!" He snapped and fully regretted it when he looked into her eyes. It was the most tragic wounded look of betrayal he'd ever seen, her big seven year old heart shattered right before his eyes and she backed away. "This isn't goodbye," he breathed. He couldn't deal with it; it hurt too much to watch the tears begin to fall down her pretty little face. So he turned and ran upstairs to get his things and left, slamming the door behind him.
Lily sat numbly beside Al for a long time. Al was talking to her but she didn't reply, she couldn't… Ed promised, he promised never to… Everyone always said good bye, they always left just like her aunt said they would. No one would ever stay. She knew this wasn't her fault but he still left. He said it wasn't goodbye but he took his suit case with him…
"I'm going to my room now," She whispered and ran upstairs, grabbed Ed's pillow from his bed then ran into her room snatching Bandit from her pillow and crawled under her bed. Under here nothing could hurt her, nothing could get to her. She was safe and she could block everything out. No one could leave if they couldn't get to her and if she didn't come out she wouldn't meet anyone new.
She curled up, hugging Ed's pillow and Bandit close and just cried.
Sometime later Al and Hohenheim both came into her room. Al was the one to find her first. "Come out Lily, please?"
"Go away big brother." She whispered pushing his hand away.
"Lily what would your father say if he came home and found you under the bed?" Hohenheim asked. "I think he'd be pretty upset."
Lily turned away, burying her face in Edward's pillow. She could smell him as if he were right with her now.
"Lily, come out please. We'll play chess or read a book. Please don't stay under there all alone. I can't reach you under there." Al said softly. "Brother will come back; it may just take him a little while. He gets upset sometimes and needs to go somewhere to think."
"He took his suit case Al," she snapped. "He's not coming home! Don't lie to me!"
"Lily,"
"Everyone leaves just like she said; even if it isn't my fault they will always leave."
"Lily please come out. I won't leave." Al tried.
"GO AWAY!"
She heard Al sigh and get up. "I'll be down stairs if you need me."
When Roy got home the house was quiet, in fact it was deadly silent and he just knew something was wrong. "Lily, Alphones, Edward?" He called.
"In here," Al's voice called.
Roy followed it to the living room. Hohenheim was still here and he looked a little grim but Lily wasn't anywhere to be seen neither was Edward for that matter. He expected to find a brooding steaming teen just waiting to ream him. "Well it's rather peaceful, what's going on?"
"It is far from peaceful I'm afraid." Hohenheim said with a voice full of regret and sadness.
"Lily's under her bed and won't come out and brother left." Al replied.
Roy sighed, setting his brief case upon the floor. This was not one of the scenarios he'd pictured today; the ones that had given him a head ache with worry. "I see, well… Al, why don't you start dinner for me and I'll have Lily down in a few minutes."
"Yes sir," Al replied softly.
"You can stay Hohenheim, Ed needs to get used to this, he's going to have too."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Hohenheim asked.
Roy smirked. "Probably not but Lily needs a good teacher and Ed needs to move on. Excuse me," He sighed and headed up to his daughter's room. Like they said she was curled up under her bed and it was the saddest thing he'd ever seen.
He lay down upon the floor and reached under to brush her soft raven hair from her eyes. "Poppet, wake up." Her puffy red eyes opened slowly.
"Daddy, Ed left."
"I know baby,"
"He's not coming back,"
Roy's heart ached as she spoke so numbly. This was his fault entirely and he knew it. He never imagined that this would affect her or that Edward would leave. "Will you come out?"
"It's better here." She whispered.
"Better under your bed?" he asked and she nodded. "You know what would be better than staying under your bed?"
"No,"
"Going to see Edward. I think I might know where he went. Do you want to come with me?"
Lily shook her head. "No, it hurts Daddy, he promised and then he just left."
Roy stroked her head. "Okay, well I'm going to go see him. I think he might be hurting too. Is there anything you want me to tell him?" She shook her head. "No? Nothing at all?"
"No,"
He smiled. "That's a little harsh considering you want to marry him someday. Do you hate him that much?"
"I don't hate him…I just don't know what to say." She replied softly. "He made his choice. I can't change it because I want him to come home." She pulled something from a pocket in her dress and held it out for him. "He needs this."
Roy held out his hand and she dropped a screw there before turning away. He smiled sadly and eased up then got to his feet. Well at least she understood some things. "I'll be home soon; Al's making dinner so at least come down when it's finished, please?"
"What ever,"
Ed sat upon his bed staring out the window into the rain. He'd even opened his window just so he could smell it. Lightning flashed and thunder sounded, rattling the window and he had to wonder if Lily was hiding in the study, if Al had made the tent for her again and was standing guard. He shouldn't have left like that, but…Damn it he… How could his father just be sitting there, knowing that they lived there and expect everything to be fine? The bastard had left them! He didn't get to come back and play father with them now, not after everything, not after Mom! And he certainly didn't trust him around Lily she got so attached to people so quickly. What would happen to her if that bastard decided to up and leave or never show one day?
And what about Mustang? Why didn't he warn him, or have the decency to tell him? He thought they were friends and for a moment or two however brief this weekend…he felt like he was home, that Roy was like a second father. It felt like he had a place with Lily, Al, and Roy, all of them just fit right and he'd been happy. Al was happy too, he laughed more, wasn't brooding so much or reading so much.
A soft knock sounded upon his door and slowly with out thinking, Ed got up and answered. Well he couldn't say that he was all that surprised to see Roy standing there and he did have a few things to say to this bastard. "What?!" He snapped.
Roy sighed. "May I come in?"
"Why?"
"Because I would like to talk to you, isn't that obvious?" The man asked.
Ed stepped aside and let Roy in before closing the door. "What do you want?" Roy looked around before he turned to him.
"Just talk, I'm not here to make you come back so let's get that out right now."
"Good because as long as he's there I'm not." Ed said firmly. He went to his bed and flopped down. "Lily-"
"Let's not talk about her at the moment." Roy interrupted. "This isn't really about her."
Ed blinked a moment. "Fine what do you want to talk about?"
"You're being difficult,"
"You were the one who came here." Ed bit. Now that he had Roy right in front of him he didn't know what to say.
"All right Edward, I think I can allow you to be child this once." Roy began. "You can hate me, be angry all you want for hiring your father to tutor Lily. I didn't do it to piss you off. I did it because I wanted the best possible teacher for my daughter and he was the first to respond. Hohenheim didn't even know you and Alphonse were living with me. I did tell him but I didn't tell him anything else…" Roy frowned. "Well that's not entirely true. I told him that your mother passed away. The rest I left alone."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Ed asked more calmly than even he expected. "You had all weekend and this morning."
Roy sighed again. "You're right I did. I didn't this weekend because of my own selfishness. I had time with you and Alphonse, real time and it was like we were-"
"Friends," Ed finished.
"Exactly, not enemies, not just co-workers, and not just tolerating each other. And I did try to tell you this morning." Roy smirked. "You really can run fast when you want too Edward. Hell I hung up on Maes just to run after you, but you were gone. I'm sorry I let you get away and I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I had more of a chance." Roy paused and to Edward it looked like the man was struggling with what he was going to say next. Roy's obsidian eyes met his intensely, burning into him.
"Over the last two years that I've known you and Al, I keeping hearing the same phrase, 'We're all we've got,'. As great as that is I wanted to prove you both wrong. I wanted to give you both a place to call home, some place safe to come back too. And it's not true Ed, you and Al aren't alone. My staff, me, Maes, the Rockbells, and now Lily, we're here, we've all just been waiting for you two to realize that and let us in and help when you need it. Like it or not you're still just a kid and you can't do everything by yourself. And maybe I partly hired him so he'd see what he's let happen, maybe that's wrong and probably shouldn't stick my nose in it but when have you ever known me not too?"
Ed watched Roy as he came closer and sat upon the bed beside him. "He said he was dying, but he looks just like he did when he left." Ed muttered.
Roy nodded. "I noticed that as well. He looks the same as the last day I saw him ten years ago. I only knew him briefly even then. It's not like I approve of what he did to you Al and your mother. I don't get it even now, I couldn't just leave like that, but at some level I understand not wanting Lily to have to watch me die. I don't think I could do that to her but at the same time I won't want to waste a minute with her."
Ed didn't know what he was doing or why he was doing it, but he just needed… He found himself burying his face in Roy's uniform, his arms clinging to the man and he was crying. "That's what makes you different from him and he'll leave again. He will! I can't let him in again it hurts too much."
Roy's arms wrapped around him gently but even to Edward they felt strong and reassuring. It was really odd, he used to think he hated Roy, wanted to get away from him as much as possible because he was an arrogant egoistically ass who didn't care about anything but reaching the top. But Roy wasn't those things, well he was but he was more.
"I don't want him to do that to us again. I don't want him to do that to Lily either. It's not just about me or Al anymore. He'll hurt her too. I can't let that happen."
"Then don't," Roy said softly.
"How?"
"How should I know Ed, you're smart, you'll figure it out and I can't answer this one for you or order you around on this one. You're going to have to find this answer on your own." Roy replied, shifting a little. "Here, Lily sent this."
Ed lifted his head to look and almost smiled, taking the screw from Roy's hand. She'd tried to make him calm down today, tried to… He lifted his eyes to Roy's not inclined to move in the least. "Is she okay?"
Roy took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "If you consider her curling up under her bed with your pillow and refusing to leave okay, then I'd say she's fine."
Ed winced, looking away a little shamefully, guiltily. He should have known better than to leave like that after he'd seen that look in her eyes. What a great older brother he made. He knew her being under her bed wasn't because of the thunder, it was because of him. Shouldn't Mustang be lecturing him about that?
"Is he living there?"
Roy snorted. "No, Ed even I'm not that cruel."
Edward knew he didn't want to be hurt again. He knew he didn't want Lily to get hurt or Alphonse, that much he was sure of, but how to keep that from happening unless he kept a close eye on Hohenheim? He didn't really think his father was dying, not when he looked so well and he did want the truth, he was tired of people jerking him around.
"Can I come home?" He asked hesitantly. He felt Roy's hand beneath his chin, lifting his face.
"You don't have to ask Edward. Your room is still there, Al and Lily are still there. And your father is still there. I'm not going to make you talk to him or tell him anything. All I ask is that you at least try to get along while he's there during the day to tutor Lily."
Ed nodded, knocking Roy's hand away and rested his head against his chest. "You know Al and I could have tutored her."
Roy chuckled. "Your writing skills aren't the best Ed…And you've got a job to do, a goal to reach. You can't always be there everyday. I'm not saying you can't help."
"She must hate me for leaving."
"Actually she said she doesn't." Roy replied. "She's just upset. She'll come out when she's ready."
"I told her it wasn't goodbye."
"She's seven Edward and to everyone especially kid's actions speak louder than words. All her life people have been telling her it wasn't goodbye and as much as she does understand it still feels like people leave her. That's why I stopped saying it to her. Even Riza, Maes, and Jean stopped after awhile. For Lily it's always about people visiting her and never staying. So I suppose when it looked like that wasn't going to be the case anymore she clung to it. It's okay, though. She knows you're upset and she knows you're hurt."
"I didn't mean to-"
"Believe it or not, everything you do affects someone somewhere. We don't always get what we want and things rarely turn out the way we want them too." Roy said gently, letting him go and rose from the bed. "Now, I'm going to go home and see if I can get Lily to come out long enough to eat. You come home when you're ready if you want too. Do you still have the key?"
Ed nodded. It was so strange. How could Roy be so… "I'll come now," He wiped his face on the back of his hand and chanced a smile. He was far from all right, but he felt strangely better. He still felt terrible and he needed to fix what we could and he only knew one place to start. "Roy," He used his name to make sure what he said was heard. "Thanks, for everything."
Roy smiled. "I didn't do anything, hurry up. I'm starving and I'm a little curious to find out if your brother's cooking is better than yours."
Ed's eyebrow twitched for a moment then he sighed just letting it go. "It is," He bent over and pulled his suitcase from under his bed and grabbed his coat from the floor.
"Brother," Al cried as Ed walked into the house.
Ed sighed. "Has Lily come down yet?"
"No,"
"I'll be back," Ed replied and ran up the stairs. He set his suit case back in his room and walked down the hall to Lily's room. He'd never really been in here before, just briefly. Just like Mustang said, she was under her bed. For once he was glad he was small, small enough to fit under it.
"Lily," he said, scooting in next to her. She didn't move so he reached for her, resting his hand upon her shoulder. "Lily come on,"
"Ed?"
"Who else do you know who could fit under here with you?" He asked. She turned over, her noir eyes looking him over for a moment. He smiled as her little hand touched his face, her fingers gliding over his skin. "I'm home,"
"But you won't stay; Daddy just went to get you so you could make me come out. I don't want to come out so you can go away now." With that she turned away again.
Ed sighed, moving closer and wrapped his arms around her. It was difficult since he really couldn't move that well, even as small as he was it was still a tight fit and it was a good thing her bed was one of those high off the floor kinds. Mustang must have to pick her up just to get her into bed at night.
"No, Roy didn't come to bring me home; he let me decide if I even wanted too. I just had to get away for a little bit to think that's all. I told you it wasn't goodbye remember?"
"You took your suitcase."
"It's in my room now." This was a lot harder than he'd expected it would be. She was one stubborn kid sometimes. He had to try something else. "You know it's pretty comfortable down here, mind if I stay here with you?"
Lily sighed and turned over to face him again. "You don't have to stay here Ed."
"Sure I do, who else is going to keep you out of trouble?" He asked with a smile.
"I mean it, if you don't want to be here then go."
"But what if I want to be here? What if I want to be with my family?"
"Even your dad?" she asked dubiously. "Because he is my teacher."
"I don't trust him Lily and I don't like him. But I like you and your Dad and Al and this is where you are and this is where I want to be. Even if I have to see him everyday that I'm not away."
"I don't want you to be mad."
"I'm not, not at you or Roy. It's okay. Are you okay now?" He asked hoping she was even though he doubted it. She curled up against him.
"Not really…"
"Then we'll stay here until you are, however long it takes."
"Even if it's forever?"
"Can I get up to go to the bathroom?"
Lily giggled. "Yeah,"
"How about to eat?"
"Yeah,"
"And to play outside?"
"Yeah,"
"And will you come with me?"
"To the bathroom?!"
Ed snorted. "No,"
She smiled and sighed in relief. "Good, I think I can come with you for those other things but it's still thundering right now."
Ed moved out from under the bed and held out his hand. "I won't let it get you and besides Roy and Al are down stairs. With the three of us you'll be the safest person in the house."
It took a moment but she crawled out from under her bed and put his pillow and her little raccoon upon her bed then lifted her arms. Ed smiled and picked her up. "You're getting a little big for this you know."
"Aww don't say that," she smiled.
Roy looked up from the table as Ed came in with Lily in his arms. Thank god for that. He had to admit he was a little jealous that Ed could get her to come out but he'd not been able too, oh well, at least she was out.
Ed's eyes met those of his father's. "We'll talk later," he said coldly.
"Of course, when ever you want Edward." Hohenheim replied.
"What are you cooking Al?" Ed asked, quickly changing the subject.
Roy smiled when Lily wiggled and Ed let her go and she ran to him. Instantly he bent over and pulled her into his lap. "I'm sorry Daddy,"
"It's okay Poppet." He whispered back. "After dinner we'll go into the study and play a game or read. Ed and Al need to talk to their Dad."
"Will you come home for lunch tomorrow? You missed today."
"I know, I'm sorry and yes I will."
Roy was a little annoyed that Edward didn't talk to his father for the rest of the evening, that he didn't make the man stay just basically ignored him. But then again he couldn't really blame him. Ed was really wounded; he'd have to be to cry in his arms like he had in the hotel. But he wasn't going to poke his nose into that subject of Ed and Al's lives anymore. That was their arena now and he knew he needed to step back and let them handle it.
Al was different, Al at least spoke to their father and Roy hoped that with Al's somewhat timid approach Ed would follow his little brother soon. Things were far from over or fixed and he doubted they would be fixed any time soon if at all.