A/N: Once again I have to thank everyone who's been reading and reviewing and my Beta Kristen. Sorry it's taking so long to upload these chapters. I had a little mishap with my computer, had a virus or something and lost the entier Fetch file. Thanks to Kristen I was able to get all the chapters I'd had finished back hugs her a million times and was able to continue on from there. It's also finals time, ewww, so things have been a little slow, sorry for that and thank you for your patience. hugs you all I am working on chapter 18 at the moment and have some ideas for a sequal in the works. That might be awhile in the coming as I have an assignment due with my other school. I'll do my best to upload as much as possible.

Oh and just in case something happens and I don't get to post before xmas, Have Happy Hoildays everyone!!!!!

Chapter Eleven: Little Conspiracy

When Roy awoke the next morning he noticed something peculiar. He was sure he'd set his alarm last night, had remembered doing it but it was off. Frankly he was lucky he'd awoken on time. Another strange thing occurred to him. It was morning and typically mornings in his house, well at least with all three children present were anything but quiet. Al was usually moving around, his metal body clanking, Lily's sleepy slightly chipper voice mixed with Ed's cranky one could usually be heard from somewhere, but no, not today, there wasn't a sound.

Needless to say it alarmed Roy. Sure, he reasoned with him self that all three of them could still be asleep then again he frowned at that. Al couldn't sleep; he didn't know what exactly it was that Alphonse did, some sort of meditation perhaps? But it just seemed eerie and unnatural for the house to be this damned quiet and set his feet into motion.

He got just about to Lily's bedroom door when he heard soft whispers drifting from down the hall. Ah ha! So they were up but why were they being so quiet?

As quietly as he could he inched down the hall careful not to step upon the areas that creaked lest he alert them of his coming. "Are you sure?" Al's disembodied voice asked.

"Of course I'm sure it will be great!" Ed's whispered back and there was a lilt of a maniacal plan. That was never a good thing coming from Edward Elric, it usually meant trouble.

"I'll help," Lily whispered in such a way that it sounded as if she felt she might be left out.

"Of course you will, you'll be the most important part." Ed replied.

"I will?" Lily asked then Roy, even though he was now standing just outside the door pressed against the wall, could see her look of skepticism inside his head. "How?"

"You're the key to making it all happen. Trust me Lily you'll have the pivotal part and it's the simplest piece so you won't have to do much at all. Just be yourself which is wonderful."

Roy bit back a snort. Ed sounded like he was really trying to convince her which truly meant he was up to something.

"Stroking my ego huh?" she asked. There was a soft rustle of fabric. "But you know I'd do anything you asked, you're my big brother and I love you. Besides I feel like it is a cause worth the trouble. I'm in."

"Great so-" Roy took this moment to make his presence known and poked his head into the doorway.

"What are you doing?" He asked loudly, sternly, and tried to keep his expression thusly but it was difficult. His sudden entrance startled Lily so much she yelped, jumped, and tried to hide inside Edward's arms. Ed and Al were startled as well, Al jumping up from where he sat, Ed starting in his bed where he sat up holding his little sister, then gave him a scowl.

"What are you doing sneaking around like a cat?!" The blonde snapped back. Lily whimpered and slapped her hand over his mouth.

The entire scene was quite cute, if not in a comical sense. It was that much harder for Roy not to smile, so he smirked instead and leaned against the doorframe. "I live here, this is my house, I can walk as hard or softly as I chose."

Ed pushed Lily's hand away with his injured hand. "That's not the point! You scared the shit out of us."

"Really do I need to make a run to the market for diapers then?" Roy mused. Before Edward could reply he entered the room letting his eyes drift over his victims quickly, menacingly. "Alphonse,"

"Y-yes sir?" Al asked with a little tremor.

"I clearly remember setting my alarm last night; care to tell me who turned it off?"

"Uh…"

Roy perked a brow and turned to Lily. "Poppet?"

Lily clamped her mouth shut and shrunk against Edward as if seeking protection.

"Uh huh I see, that leaves you Edward, care to tell me?"

Ed simply gave him the same defiant look he usually gave when he didn't want to answer something and knew he might get into some sort of trouble. Well wasn't this interesting, something was definitely going on.

"No? Then care to tell me what is so important that all of you would make me late to work?"

Ed rolled his eyes. "You got up on your own."

"I did," Roy admitted. "But what if I hadn't?"

"We would have woken you up." Lily whispered.

"I see, still didn't answer me? I smell the stench of a conspiracy in the air."

"Conspiracies don't have a scent Dad and even if they did, we aren't planning one." Ed remarked smoothly.

Roy smirked again. "So what's all this about Lily being a pivotal part of a plan? I don't know if I like you commandeering your sister into some haphazard crazy plan. They rarely go as planned."

Ed's eyebrow twitched in annoyance but he said nothing, in fact none of them uttered a sound for a long time.

Suddenly Lily spoke up but it wasn't to tell him what they had been talking about. "Daddy, I'm hungry and Ed won't let me change his bandages for him."

Now that was a good point but Al could change them, only Al wouldn't because his hands were leather gloves and he not only couldn't really wash them, but he was afraid of hurting his brother. Al had been all over the doctor in the hospital about preventing infection which was important.

Oh well he was sure he could winkle their little plan out of one of them later on, perhaps Lily. She'd never lie to her own father, she'd said so herself. Then again keeping secrets between siblings was something cherished and sacred.

"I'll get breakfast going while the three of you think of what might have happened to me if I had awoken late and you'd been too busy planning to remember to wake me." He said firmly then turned on his heel for the door.

"Lt. Hawkeye wouldn't have hurt you too much." Edward muttered.

"That's what you think." Roy replied and on his way out he heard Al whisper softly.

"I told you we should have waited until he went to work."

Despite the fact that Anise was unaccounted for, Edward was at home, weak, and in pain, and Roy wasn't allowed to work on the case anymore he walked into work with a smile.

Havoc's cigarette fell from his mouth. "Uh… something up Chief?"

Roy nodded happily as Maes looked up from the file he was holding and Riza brought him a cup of coffee. "Yes there is."

"Well that can't be good, he's finally gone insane." Breda muttered.

"Not at all Breda," Roy replied lifting the cup of coffee to his lips. He smirked before he took a drink. It tasted great this morning meaning that Hawkeye had made it and not Havoc.

"Then what?" Havoc asked. "You're starting to kill me here."

Roy sighed happily as he carefully placed the cup of coffee upon Fury's desk. "My children are conspiring." He said proudly. "One of them, probably Lily as she's the quietest, turned off my alarm this morning."

"And that's a good thing?" Breda asked and scratched his chin where there was ever present stubble resembling half of a goatee. "You really are nuts."

"And what are they conspiring?" Maes asked with a smile. Of course Maes would see how great this was, why this would make Roy Mustang happy. Roy was after all great a planning, concocting sneaky brilliant things, and wasn't a Colonel on his way to the top for nothing. He gave credit where it was due since Roy obviously felt that this was a little of his influence.

Roy shrugged. "I don't know, but it was great. I could have been harder in my interrogation but I think I'd like to see what they're up too and I don't think I have ever seen Al jump that high before. Besides any plan of Ed's that involves him as Lily put it 'stroking her ego' and worth her trouble has to be interesting."

Maes snorted. "Great you're rubbing off on them; the world will no doubt come to an end by night fall."

"Speaking of Edward, Sir," Riza interrupted. "How is he?"

Roy sighed. He wouldn't betray Edward and tell of his nightmare and after last night he was sure Edward had lied to him earlier in the day yesterday about being awake. But his reasoning behind why he'd lied Roy wasn't certain.

He slipped his hands into his pockets and wet his lips. "Not good," He'd not really elaborate further on that but just slightly. "He's playing at feeling better at least when Lily's in the room. The medicine makes him tired so he's slept a lot. But I think he'll be okay soon, at least since he was sitting up with Lily in his lap this morning." That must have been enough because there was a contemplative silence for a short while.

"Hughes told us he was still in the building when it exploded." Havoc said. "That he was burned."

Roy nodded confirming what Maes had said to be true. "Yeah, some cuts and bruises, but other than the burn nothing too major."

"Unless you count psychologically." Riza said softly. "Even thought Edward is a strong person it can't be an easy thing to know who did it or the fact that he was so set upon catching her to protect you and Lily and failed."

"He didn't fail," Roy replied sternly. He wouldn't let anyone say the kid had. Edward had tried his best just like he always did and it was in yet another truly selfless act. Ed had put himself on the line for him and Lily, he'd never let anyone tell him or let Edward go a day thinking he'd failed them in some way. He'd never let him feel what he'd felt, especially now.

To change the subject he focused upon the large stack of paper work resting upon Riza's desk. He would have groaned at it, but since he had been ordered to back off the case, he didn't have anything else to do. "I'll take those off your hands Hawkeye. Hughes, how are the interrogations coming along?"

Maes perked a brow and Riza lifted the heavy stack of papers and folders, making her way toward him. "Roy-"

Roy met his amber eyes with a challenge. "You slip Edward and Alphonse information all the time. The least you could do is slip some to your best friend."

Maes sighed adjusting his glasses and ran his hand through his hair. "Later," He promised.

That was enough for Roy and he motioned for Hawkeye to follow him. He knew she'd want to talk to him personally, probably about several things, most importantly how things went here at the command center in his absence.

She ran through everything work related as soon as they stepped into his office and shut the door. He had a meeting after lunch, normal everyday run of the mill staff meeting and since it was due to start a little earlier than usual, because there was another meeting following it, he'd have to call his daughter and tell her he wouldn't be able to make it for lunch. He hoped she'd forgive him.

Finally Riza sighed and sat upon one of the sofas making it was time for them to speak of other matters. However she gave him the 'get to work' look. Roy smirked and casually lifted his pen and they both knew he'd be pretending to work.

"I know you want to catch her yourself sir, but Major Hughes is right, you should focus on the children and let us handle it for now. I think it's time you took your own advice to the Elric's and let someone else help."

Wise as always but certainly not what he wanted to hear. "She did something to Edward, Riza." He replied as calmly as he could. "He won't tell me and neither will Hughes and I'm not just talking about her trying to kill him."

Riza nodded but didn't say anything and somehow he felt as if she knew and just like everyone else she wasn't going to say.

"You know you can stop protecting me from myself or who ever else you think might get in my way."

She smiled a rare smile. "If we don't who will? There are other things I wish to speak to you about, some along the same lines."

Roy sat back trying not to glare at her. For the love of… She was supposed to be his right hand and help keep him informed. He couldn't help but feel a little betrayed. Clearly she read that and sighed.

"I think since Edward is your son now it might be best coming from his mouth and not ours. Not so much for your benefit but for his. He'll tell you when he's ready and not afraid. Which brings me to one of the things I wanted to speak to you about. How is he, really?"

Yet again wise and full of reason, did she ever do or say anything dumb? He sighed. "Like I said before, he's not good."

"I remember, but… I suppose what I am asking about is his mental state. His father suddenly coming back into his life, him deciding you over him which by all means is not a bad thing and I agree with his choice, gaining a little sister, his goal, Anise's stunts and treachery… the explosion and everything else in his life. Roy, seriously I'm worried about him."

So was he, truth be told. "I'll take care of him." He said softly.

"I mean no offense, but why?"

"Because I love he and Al like they were my own, because I want too." He replied without a second thought. "Because I can there are not ulterior motives."

"I didn't think there were," She smiled. "Now how's Lily?"

"Upset, naturally. More perturbed with Edward for not letting her help take care of him but Ed doesn't want her to see his arm. No one's told her who caused the explosion but I really don't think we have too. I think she knows but she's more concerned about her big brother getting better at the moment."

Riza was quiet a moment. "Would it be alright if I came over this evening? I would like to see them."

He smiled. "You might have just saved my hide Hawkeye, since I won't have enough time to finish this paper work and make it home for lunch with them. I would have Havoc go pick them up but I don't think Lily wants to let Edward or Al out of her sight for awhile and I need him, Breda, Fury, and Falman helping Maes." She nodded indicating that she'd pass his wishes/orders along.

He sat back. "Honestly Riza, I'm waiting for her to make her next move and it will be a wrong one. When she does she's finished."

"You have no intention in helping her?" When he didn't reply she nodded. "Then she truly is done for. I'll see you in a few hours." She stood saluted and was gone, leaving Roy alone to first make a phone call home, then get as much of this work finished as possible before the meetings this afternoon.

Edward lay still, refused to look Hohenheim in the eyes. He was only letting the man change the dressings because Roy asked; otherwise he'd have made Al do it. He didn't need him, didn't want him to do this, just wanted him to leave him alone. He was very aware of the rotting flesh still upon his father's body and he didn't want him to die, but he didn't want him here, trying to take care of him.

"Alphonse told me last night you had a nightmare. Are you alright?"

Ed shrugged. "I'm fine," Now that he thought about it, he couldn't remember Al even being in the room. His brother must have stayed away to take care of Lily in case she awoke and got scared. She hated loud noises and he knew he'd screamed. Or maybe Al had stayed away because Roy had come.

"Edward, I don't know what went on while you were away-"

"Doesn't matter and it's none of your business. I couldn't tell you even if I wanted too, its military business." Ed replied shortly.

"I see," Hohenheim said softly. "I'm glad you're safe now. I'll see what I can do for this burn, to lesson the scaring and pain."

"Don't have too," Ed muttered.

"Edward, I'm scared for you."

"Just finish this up and go finish teaching my sister." Ed bit. He didn't want to hear this, it made him feel so guilty and he didn't want that. The bastard had no right to make him feel this way.

"Edward,"

Ed glared at him. "You're hurting me. Every time you touch me or speak to me it hurts. Al might need you and I'd never deny him anything but I don't. I look at you and I see Mom and how much she needed you." It was then that he began to cry. "I want to hate you but I can't and it's so confusing and it hurts. I don't like you but I don't want you to die."

Hohenheim wiped the tears from his cheeks. "I'm sorry Ed,"

"Just make me one promise, one that you will keep."

"Anything,"

"Don't hurt Al, don't leave him again."

"I'll stay as long as I live." Hohenheim promised.