Chapter 13: Red Ribbon

It was strange, everything went on like normal and somehow it gave Edward a sense of peace. He really started to believe that he could put it behind him and forget about it. The only thing new was Roy's bandaged hand. He could guess and assume right on what had happened to his hand, but he never asked because he knew Roy wouldn't tell him the truth. Their silence on the matter was enough for the both of them.

Sometimes within the last two days he could almost feel the man's anger, but knew it wasn't directed toward him. Lily and Al noticed it too but they had the good sense to keep quiet. Lily did ask how her Daddy had hurt his hand but Roy simply told her not to worry about it. It didn't exactly quiet her concern but she let it be with a perked eyebrow and a soft scolding that he should be more careful.

She came to him, upset one night, said she couldn't sleep. So he'd let her crawl up into bed with him where he dared to ask what was wrong. She knew something was going on and it had something to do with her Aunt. She told him many things before falling asleep, one of them being that she hoped everyone would be better soon because she hated the sad, heavy air that hung within the house. Ed hated it too for he'd come to know what living several days consistently in happiness felt like. It was like being at home when his mother was alive and he was loathed to lose such a thing. Before going to Ariss being here was, in this house with Roy and Lily and Al, it was like the sun coming out after a thunderstorm. He'd had hope again.

Although he hated to stay in bed today, he hated the thought of going back to the infirmary and he really didn't want another lecture from Hohenheim, like that man had the right to lecture him. That hadn't gone over so well and in the process he'd managed to upset Lily. She actually called him an idiot and a big baby, told him to shut up and get his ass back in bed. That had been a little startling. He'd never been lectured by a seven year old and definitely not one that looked and sounded very much like Mustang.

He did get up to go to the bathroom and poked his head into the study just long enough to see where everyone was. Al was gone but Lily and Hohenheim were here, working on grammar and punctuation by the looks of it.

"Ed!" Lily said happily. She even looked happy and well. She wore her red sweater and pretty red ribbon in her hair to match. "You missed lunch. Al made you a sandwich and left it on the counter."

Ed assumed it would be safe to enter the study and sit down so he did. He sat beside her and instantly she scooted closer, hugging his auto-mail arm. "Okay, where is he?"

"Your brother said he needed to run a few errands." Hohenheim replied.

"Oil for your auto-mail, something about a buffer, a book from the bookstore since it's due to be there today, and something from the bakery. He just left not too long ago and promised to be back before Daddy got home so he could help me make dinner."

Ed hadn't even really thought about his auto-mail lately. He was glad Al remembered and smiled. "Well I could stay down here so you won't be alone after he leaves." He nodded to Hohenheim.

Lily shook her head. "No, I'll come visit you in your room. I have some questions about tomorrow anyway."

Ed grinned, he couldn't help it. As far as he could see his plan was perfect. All he had to do was get Lily up to HQ tomorrow afternoon and hope Riza and Roy took the bait. It would be done subtly and thanks to Al nabbing a few of Roy's old journals they'd found from in a box in the hall closet, Ed had mimicked his hand writing pretty convincingly. Riza's had been more difficult and it had taken Al some time to snatch something of hers from her desk.

As long as everything went as planned the invitation from Riza would get slipped into a stack of paperwork for Roy and the letter from Roy would be carried to Riza via Lily.

"You really should eat and go back to bed Edward." Hohenheim said softly. "You're still a little pale."

Ed didn't argue for once and headed to the kitchen. He ate then climbed the stairs to his bedroom. By the time he sat upon his bed he was too tired to pick up the book Roy had lent him to read and simply lay down. He remembered thinking that Lily might be wrong about Doctor Hiasen. As far as he could tell he was getting better, he was still tired and weak, but he felt better. Of course he knew part of that was because Roy had been slightly spoiling him but firmly making him take his medicine, the nasty shit which had a god awful aftertaste.

Lily walked Hohenheim to the door with smile. "Are we going to do more alchemy lessons tomorrow Teacher?"

Hohenheim nodded. "We will, I thought maybe we'd try something a little different since you seem to be able to handle the very basics well."

Lily smirked. "Of course I can, my Daddy's the Flame Alchemist and my Mommy was an alchemist too."

Hohenheim chuckled as he put on his coat and opened the door, letting in the chilled breeze. "That's true; well I will see you tomorrow. Tell Ed I said bye,"

"I will," Lily promised as he walked outside. She shivered but lifted her nose to the air. Other people in the neighborhood had fires going and it smelled so nice.

She waved to Hohenheim as he closed the gate then shut the front door, locking it just as her father had asked her too. For a moment she stood in the foyer looking around. The house was too quiet, just the crackle of the fire going in the study and that she could barely hear. She wished Al would hurry up and come home.

Hmm, oh right she was going to go and talk to Ed about her job tomorrow. She ran for the stairs then skidded to a halt remembering that she'd left Bandit in the study. Well she couldn't very well leave him all alone in there now could she?

Once she had him in her arms, apologizing for making him sit in there all but his lonesome, she scurried up the stairs and down the hall to Ed's room. First she knocked then opened the door. He was in bed where he was supposed to be, thankfully. She didn't know if she could stand to see him faint again. Every time he had she'd been so scared for him.

"Big brother," she said quietly as she crept into his room. He didn't stir so she drew closer and found him asleep. Her shoulders dropped in disappointment. She'd hoped he'd be awake but since he was sick, he needed his rest and she wouldn't bother him. She could go play in her room or take a nap herself until Al or her Daddy returned home then she'd attack them. After all who wouldn't want to play with her, she was adorable. And after dinner if Ed was still awake maybe they could play chess.

She nodded satisfied with that plan of action and placed Bandit with Edward. "You take care of him. I know he's sleeping but he needs company too."

Bandit seemed to agree with her so she quietly left, closing the door behind her and walked down to her room, wondering if she should read or draw. She'd not drawn anything in a long time so she decided that would be best. Maybe she could make something for Edward to help him feel better and then something for Uncle Maes and Aunt Gracia, Al, her Daddy, and finally something for everyone else. She'd not draw a dog for Breda, he was afraid of dogs something she found utterly stupid. She could… draw him something else, maybe a parrot even though she didn't like birds. Fury would get a puppy. She didn't know what Falman liked but she could figure it out later. Jean would get a bat.

Lily smirked as she pulled her drawing tablet from her bookshelf and then her box of crayons and sat upon the floor. Jean thought she was weird for liking bats, said they were kind of creepy. Maybe she'd even put him in the picture and make the bat huge, flying after him with her coming to tame said bat.

Something thudded in her closet and she turned around quickly. "Ed?" She pushed her paper and crayons away and slowly rose. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as another thump came. He couldn't have snuck in, she would have heard him. One foot always fell heavier than the other and she'd learned to listen for him without really even thinking about it. Also her closet door creaked, a sound she didn't like. He wouldn't have been able to get in here without her knowing.

"Al are you hiding, come out this isn't funny." She bit. But somehow she knew Al wasn't in her closet. She would have heard him come home, he would have said something.

Slowly she began to back up. Someone was in her closet or something but who or what? It didn't matter it they didn't belong and it was scaring her. She had to call her Daddy, she had to wake Ed. But she couldn't move, could barely breathe.

"Ed," She wet her lips. "ED!" Suddenly the closet door burst open and a man jumped out. She screamed and tried to run but didn't make to the door, her feet slipping upon the crayons. She fell to the floor with a thud and tried to scramble away. She tried to scream again, desperately hoping Edward would hear her but something covered her mouth and nose. It smelled awful, something sickly sweet. And then she all she saw was her bedroom fading to black.

Ed yawned as he rolled over in bed. He felt something poking his side and frowned, digging for it. Something plushy? He smiled as he pulled Bandit into his view. Lily must have come up and left the raccoon to baby sit him not wishing to wake him. Well he'd better go return it to her and see what she was up too, knowing her she was probably on some little adventure of her own making within the house as she never seemed to fail in finding ways to entertain herself.

When he reached the base of the stair case he frowned. The house was too quiet. Lily knew how to work the phonograph and the radio and often turned it on while in the living room, having it just loud enough that she could hear the music in the study where she usually played. Roy had some nice records that she loved to listen too once her studies were finished. But it wasn't playing and he couldn't hear her talking to herself.

"Lily?" he called. No answer. "Lily!"

Ed checked the living room, the kitchen, the bathroom, and then the study but couldn't find her. It was starting to worry him. He checked the hall closet just as the front door opened and Al came in. "I'm back, oh Ed you're up."

Ed closed the closet door with a frown. "Al have you seen Lily; was she playing in the yard?"

Al set the bags he carried down upon the floor and closed the front door, dropping their key in the bowl that rested upon the small stand by the door. "No I just go home. She was in the study when I left."

"She's not in there." Ed replied, heading for the kitchen. "And she's not answering me."

"Well maybe she went to her room to take a nap." Al replied. "Or maybe she's hiding; she's hid from us before."

That was a possibility but that was when they were all playing hide and go seek. They knew she was hiding then. "Help me look,"

Al called for her, they both called for her as they checked every nook and cranny, every possible place she could hide and fit into on the ground level.

Ed ran up the stairs. "Lily where the hell are you?!"

"Lily come on this isn't funny, come out." Al called. "I'll check Roy's room,"

Ed nodded checking his room. She wasn't there. "Lily!"

He met Al in the hall. "She's not in there; I just checked my room too."

They both hurried into Lily's room and stopped just inside the door way. Her drawing pad lay upon the floor, looked like it had been stepped on, her crayons scattered everywhere, some crushed and there were little crayon marks marking the wooden floor. The red ribbon from her hair lay off to the side. Her closet door was wide open.

"I'll check under the bed," Al said worriedly.

Ed shook his head and knelt in front of the mess. Lily would never ever leave such a mess. He swallowed reaching for the ribbon, seeing a few strands of her long black hair still tied within the knot. Ed felt his heart shudder to a stop as he picked up the slip of silky red material. Oh god…

"Al…" There had been a struggle… Oh god.

"What?"

Why hadn't he heard her? She would have screamed for him, she would have. Why hadn't he heard her? Why? She could scream louder than he could, he'd heard her do it once at the park. Oh god… "S-she's… not here." He held up the ribbon guiltily with a trembling hand.

Al froze, gasping. "But that's… the front door was locked."

Ed sat there, staring at the ribbon for a moment then bolted for Lily's window. It was unlatched and he shoved it up looking out upon the back yard. The ladder was out of the shed, lying upon the ground. Someone had… someone had gotten in the house and stolen her right under his nose in broad daylight! How was that possible?!

How did this happen?! HOW?!

"Brother?" Al voice trembled.

Ed bolted from the bedroom, slipped upon the hallway floor and fell just before he reached the stairs, hitting his burned, still healing arm upon the banister. He gasped in pain but ignored it, scrambling to his feet. He had to find her! He had to find her before Roy came home and found her missing! He never should have taken a nap, never should have left her alone! Roy was going to kill him!

Roy opened the front door with a sigh and thoughts of making dinner. He'd no sooner stepped inside before a body collided with his, nearly knocking him from his feet. "Whoa hey," He said with a smile and dropped his brief case to take Ed's shoulders for that's who it was. He'd sort of expected it to be Lily but having Ed do this was nice and just as welcome, though he wished Edward had stayed in bed like he was supposed to.

His smile faded as Al came running down the stairs and Edward stood there with a horrible expression of dread, panting. Where was Lily? His eyes looked but she wasn't in sight. "What's wrong?"

"I-I just," Ed stopped to take a breath. "And she's," He held up the ribbon Roy had helped Lily put in her hair this morning.

Roy stilled, staring at the ribbon then back at Edward, he was crying. Why was he crying? Why was he giving him Lily's ribbon? Why did he look so guilty and scared? Where was his baby?! "Ed…"

"I shouldn't have left, but she was fine and in the study with my Dad. Ed was upstairs asleep and I locked the door." Al squeaked.

Roy shook his head. They were not telling him Lily was missing, they weren't, they just weren't! "Where is she? Is she hiding?"

"We've looked everywhere-"

"I shouldn't have taken a nap. Someone got into her room, the ladder's… " Ed breathed backing away. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'll find her I swear!"

They… were. They wouldn't lie, never about something like this and he knew it. An icy chill crept over Roy's flesh, a fear worse than he'd ever felt before in his life clenched his heart in a vice like grip, threatening to squeeze the life from him. He dashed up the stairs, taking them two at a time. "Lily! Lily!" No no no no no NO! This wasn't happening he'd just gotten her back!

Roy burst into her bedroom and looked around frantically, finding only signs of a struggle. He ran to the window, remembering Ed saying something about the ladder. There it was lying in the back yard and not in the shed where he kept it.

He heard Ed and Al running up the stairs and into the room. "I'm sorry Roy, I didn't even hear her."

Roy backed away from the window, backed until the backs of his knees hit her bed and he sat, desperately trying to figure out how this was possible. It was broad day light; Ed had been here the whole day… Somehow something clicked in his head and he found one tiny inch of calm amidst the torrent of panic.

"You didn't hear anything at all?" he asked.

"Nothing," Ed cried and he really was crying, the tears glistening upon his cheeks.

Roy nodded for a moment and swallowed. "Go down stairs and sit in the study," He rose, his whole body trembling, but he still managed it.

"I'll find her, I swear!" Ed promised. "It's my fault, I should have been awake."

"And I shouldn't have left!"

Roy couldn't do it, couldn't listen to them blame themselves. It wasn't their fault. He knew it wasn't and he wasn't going to blame them. This house was supposed to be a haven where nothing bad happened, so much for that. He clenched Lily's ribbon in his hand. "Go," It came out harsh, angry, not the way he'd intended it too. Both boys hesitated but left slowly and Roy followed them ignoring their frightened, guilt laced apologies.

He followed them into the study pointed to the sofa and yanked up the phone to call Maes and Riza. There was no doubt in his mind that this was Anise's doing, her move, it always came back to her. She'd do anything she could to hurt him, hurt Lily and by god she was going to pay dearly for it.

Roy didn't know how he managed to speak calmly; maybe it was the anger, the fear, the panic, or his training to handle insane situations under pressure and fatigue, his own personal feelings. What ever it was he was glad for it.

Maes and Riza came with Havoc, the police not far behind. Maes asking for their help to search the city and near as they could tell someone had come in after Roy had gone to work while Lily and Hohenheim were in the study and Edward was still asleep. Ed and Al were questioned, then Hohenheim over the phone, and then Roy, the neighbors. It would had to have been someone who knew the daily routine, been watching, known who was in the house and when.

Maes made the call to Central to alert Hakuro. When he was done and the police had gone, save for a few guards outside, Havoc called Franky in Ariss, figuring they could use all the help they could get. They hadn't been able to locate Anise thus far so really Lily could be anywhere, not too far but anywhere.

It was a scramble to get the train station locked down and pass the information along to every station in Amestris, that's where Hakuro had come in, getting an order from the Fuher to send out people to check every train arriving and departing at every station. Maes and Havoc took care of all the details, leaving Roy with a sense of helplessness. He was the damned Flame Alchemist and here it was his own daughter had been kidnapped and he wasn't allowed to do a thing, to help look for her. He was about to scream!

Riza on the other hand did everything she could to keep Roy in the house, keep him from leaving and tearing the city apart with his bare hands. They all knew how these things went. Someone kidnapped a child and either held them for ransom or killed them or even worse tortured the child and then killed them.

Ed and Al hadn't moved from the sofa, both in shock, but filled with such fright and guilt Roy couldn't even look at them. It wasn't their fault. They all knew Anise had it out for him, knew she was a threat to all of them and they'd not taken any precautions to protect the house, all just sat around thinking it was safe.

Roy didn't think he could take another apology and sat in between the boys. Ed was exhausted, ready to fall over where he sat. Al was trembling so bad he was rattling. "Hush," Roy said gently. "I don't blame you, I never blamed you."

"But she's gone," Al whimpered.

Riza knelt before them. "But you need to stay here and wait."

"What good will that do?!" Ed snapped. "I have to find her; she's my sister I was supposed to take care of her!"

"We'll find her Ed, don't worry." Havoc said quietly. "It's not your fault."

"YES IT IS!" Ed screamed and tried to get up but Roy caught him and pulled his weak, struggling frame against him. He was crying again. "I didn't hear her. I didn't hear her."

"Shhhh, I know, its okay," Roy said softly. "You can't protect everyone all the time Ed, it's not possible."

"Why didn't I hear her?" Ed sobbed. "DAMN IT!"

Roy still didn't know how he was doing it, didn't know how he wasn't ripping the entire city to shreds for he wished he could, but he was calm and soothing Ed and Al as best he could, trying to keep them together. He supposed it was because the last thing they needed was him exploding and scaring them, they'd never really seen him furious, never seen him pushed to his limits. It wasn't a pretty sight to see and he hoped they'd never have to witness it. But he was so close; he could feel the last thread of his sanity beginning to fray.

"I'm going to tear who ever took her apart." Ed breathed.