A/N: Sorry for the disturbingly long wait. Every time I got somewhere with it, it was deleted and or not accepted by the stupid browse button to upload on here. sigh As usual, I own nothing but my Dark Ed, and even that could be argued. So after the wait, enjoy.

BTW- If it wasn't for you reviewers that kept reminding me to kill my computer for the new chapter, I would never have been able to upload this. It's all to you. Thank you so much!

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Chapter 5- Don't
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Roy Mustang relaxed into the fine leather seat of the car once his house was out of sight. He reached into his pockets and pulled out his alchemist gloves. Sighing heavily, he pulled them on and flexed his fingers.

'Okay…I feel better now…slightly.'

"I know you hate leaving your gloves off, Sir, so why did you do it?"

The question broke through Roy's hazed mind and he looked up to see his "date." The sweet tone of the luxuriant blonde turned into a hard, clipped voice of his first lieutenant as she viciously pulled the long wig from her head. Roy glared weakly at Hawkeye before giving it up. His mind was too preoccupied with other matters.

"I needed it to look real. Al's too perceptive, like and unlike his brother. If I had left my gloves on, he would've noticed that something wasn't right. He would follow us, suspecting something…something I don't want him to…at least, not yet."

Hawkeye keenly looked over Mustang's frazzled features before quietly murmuring, "Forgive my intrusions, Sir, but what exactly is bothering you?"

Roy smirked to himself and looked out the window at the bleak city surroundings. "And since when is it in you to pity someone, Lieutenant?"

From the reflection in the window, he saw Hawkeye glare at his turned-away face and straighten her back. "Sir, excuse me if you got the wrong impression, and also excuse me for saying so, but if you think this is pity, you are seriously malnourished in that department."

When no rebuttal came forth from the Colonel, Hawkeye also looked out her window and continued her train of thought. "I'm merely curious to know why you're taking such drastic measures to ensure that Alphonse does not know what you are doing. That and what's making both you and Ed so out of alignment. But…that is just what I would like to know, of course."

Roy's eyes smoldered at the image of Edward's motionless body and his peculiar behavior for the last few days. He hesitated to tell the lieutenant, but knew that he had to tell someone. Why not tell someone that he trusted at least? He closed his eyes and gently rubbed them, turning back to Hawkeye.

"If…if I can put you in my utmost confidence, which I can and have, I…might as well tell you."

Concerned as well as intrigued by the Colonel's attitude, Hawkeye turned back to Mustang and steeled herself for the invisible blow that wouldn't touch her. She wouldn't allow it to. Her composure was her life and she didn't feel like giving it up quite yet, especially to something that her Colonel trusts her with. Breathing slowly, she waited for the impact.

Nervously cracking his knuckles, Roy watched his hands' movements. After a pregnant pause, he glanced at Hawkeye and saw her processing every possible answer for his behavior. He sighed again and swiped a hand through his hair, looking back to his first lieutenant.

'She'll never be able to guess…'

"Alright…for the sake of my own sanity, I hope I'm not right. But…I have reason to believe that there's something seriously wrong with Edward."

Hawkeye slowly blinked before comprehending. She raised an eyebrow accusingly. 'No…Ed's not like that. Nothing can be wrong with him…Maybe…maybe it's the Colonel.'

"What gives you reason to believe that, Sir?"

Roy's gaze sharpened to a knife point. "Lieutenant, don't you dare believe for one goddamn second that I made this up. If, for any reason, that I am wrong, I will take the responsibility then and only then. And until I am proven wrong, you will not give me reason to believe that I cannot trust you. Are we clear?"

Hawkeye blinked slowly as her brain rushed to come up with a reply before it dawned on her.

"I don't want to see that bastard!…What I meant was I don't want to see him right now."

'No…it was so obvious. That day…he was so adamant about leaving. Something's off, but…what? Ed…Mustang must be the reason then…but…'

She never thought of any such a problem arising in Edward. He seemed so normal…to an extent. She sighed and looked back to the Colonel. Roy gazed back, weariness softening his hardened eyes. Hawkeye instantly felt a chill run down her spine.

Mustang opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't quite figure out what he wanted to say first or how to phrase it. The concept was simple enough but it was dangerous territory and he had to be careful how he said it to anyone. He shut his mouth and looked around the limo, unease settling into his mind.

"Sir?" Hawkeye called softly, a trickle of panic seeping into her thoughts.

Mustang took a deep breath and looked back at his first lieutenant. "FullMetal…" He stopped, not liking the sound of Ed's "official" name. He tried again. "Ed…"

'No,' he shook his head. That didn't feel right either. He needed…no…wanted…to use his name…his real name. Ed deserved at least that much from him by now.

"Edward…" Roy paused, letting the name roll off his tongue. It just sounded…right. A small smile came to his face before his dreary thoughts took hold and made him frown.

"Edward…he…damn." Roy shakily ran his hand through his hair. "I don't want to accuse him of anything, but…I have my suspicions."

Hawkeye blinked, slowing her thought process to hang onto every word that was said for later use. When nothing else was said, she internally huffed. She cleared her throat and looked away from Mustang.

"Meaning no offense, Sir, but get to the damn point."

Her irritation brought Roy's thoughts under control. When Hawkeye got antsy, it gave everyone a reason to worry. He cleared his own throat and focused on Hawkeye, not really seeing her. In his mind's eye, Edward was gazing back at him, waiting for him to speak. It helped to ease off some of his tension.

"Alright…just, please, don't tell anything I'm going to tell you to anyone, especially Ed. He's in an unstable condition. I get the feeling that he…"

--

Immediately after opening the bathroom door, Edward was overshadowed by a hulking suit of armor that was quickly coming closer. Eyes wide in terror, Ed let out an inaudible yell and tried to hide back inside the bathroom. Alphonse blinked at the chibi-looking person that had made a sound quite resembling a squeak and nearly ran into the rapidly closing door. Al pushed it back open like it was nothing and let out a jovial laugh as Ed clinged to the doorknob in utter confusion.

"Brother!" Al scooped up the dazed FullMetal in his plated arms and squeezed. "When did you get home?! I've been worried!"

Ed let out a few rasping sounds and pounded on Al's shoulder, begging to breathe. "…Can't…air…want…"

Al loosened his grip and saw the red face of his brother, swiftly panicking. "Ah! Brother, I'm sorry! I was…I was just excited to see you." He placed Ed on the floor, making sure to support him in his light-headed state, and grinned.

"Be excited…for…air," Ed wheezed, trying to shrug off Al's helping hand.

Al reluctantly took back his hand and pouted. "You're not being fair, Brother."

Ed snorted and edged around Al's frame. "Oh…I'm being plenty fair…to my lungs."

Al rolled his eyes and sighed, leisurely following behind his brother down the hall. Ed went to turn into his room when he stopped, hand poised above the handle. Looking back at Al, Ed looked him up and down before slipping into a train of thought. Al waited patiently, still unsure of the peculiarities he sensed in his brother but not wishing to bring them to light at the present time. Ed finally glided out of his reverie and smiled up at his brother. Al, slightly nervous, smiled back and scratched the back of his helmet.

"You know, Al…the hospital food…well…it wasn't quite food. And since I haven't eaten anything…"

Al caught on to his sly suggestions and shook his head. "You want me to make you something?"

"Bingo!" Ed called out brightly. "I mean…you don't have to make anything fancy. Whatever you want to do is fine by me."

Al raised a skeptical brow and folded his arms. Ed visibly flinched at his countenance but the look rapidly fled from Ed's face. "Anything in particular or I can make what I feel like?"

Cheekily, Ed replied, "Anything!" And just as fast, his eyes got wide as he caught the drift of Al's question. "As long as there's no milk. And no spinach. I hate rabbit food. You got that?"

Al relaxed and nodded his head. "Alright. It'll probably be ready in twenty minutes." He moved past Ed with a purpose and disappeared into the kitchen.

Ed's shoulders drooped right as Al disappeared down the hall. He rubbed at his temple with his mechanical hand, welcoming the cold touch as a soothing gesture, and silently entered his room. Glass from the mirror still littered the floor and caught whatever light filtered through the window, refracting it along the walls. Sighing in defeat, he slumped onto his knees and started grouping the shards into piles that were shoved off to the side. Halfway through, the chore became exhausting and Ed sagged against the wall with his knees bent and legs far enough apart, wanting a brief reprieve.

Almost to the point of dozing, Ed's head lolled to the side and caught sight of a piece of glass that seemed to be sucking in the light unlike the other pieces around it. He squinted at the shard and almost made out the shape of a heart. Curiosity won over the battle with sleep deprivation and Ed seized his chance. Reaching out, he struggled to pull it closer to himself and finally got it to the point where he could pick it up. Puzzling over how it broke in such a fashion, Ed turned it over and over, gazing at the uniqueness of the glass piece. It truly was shaped like a heart, no matter how deformed it might be with one top higher than the other and the point at the end curving slightly to the right.

Ed looked at himself in the mirror and hardly baulked at seeing his "reflection" looking back at him with a slightly pissed expression. Ed grimaced and leaned his head back against the wall, lowering his hand with the heart to hang limply between his legs. Closing his eyes, he watched in his mind's eye as Dark Ed walked out from behind him and sat on his bed, hunched forward and leaning his elbows on his knees. Opening his eyes, there sat Dark Ed, glancing over Ed's current state and taking in the room.

Ed rolled his eyes and sneered, "What?"

Dark Ed focused back on him and gave a sardonic smile. "So you're talking to me out loud now? Don't I feel special."

Irritated at the fact that he had spoke out loud, Ed swiped his hand through his hair and ground his teeth together. "So what if I do? It's not anything off your back, now is it?"

Dark Ed seemed to contemplate the question before shrugging. "Either or, I'm here because you wanted me here, Ed."

Ed raised an eyebrow in consternation. "Really? Well, golly gee…"

"Can the cynicism, sweetheart. We, or more precisely, you have a problem." Dark Ed's eyes hardened over with seriousness.

Ed snorted and hunched his elbows on his knees as well. "And what would that be? Is little Timmy stuck in the well?" He asked in squeaky voice.

Dark Ed stood up from the bed and walked up to Ed, leaning over to place his hands on top of Ed's arms. Ed almost pulled away in shock at feeling a soft warmth radiate through Dark Ed's hands. Dark Ed smiled softly and said lowly, "Your brother's almost done and you're not even done with all this." He gestured at the glass still covering half of Ed's floor. "Not to mention that you need to do something about that." Dark Ed gently turned Ed's flesh arm over, making the cut on his arm obvious.

Ed let out the breath he had been holding and drooped even more against the wall. "Shit…I totally-"

"Forgot. I know. I was trying to tell you earlier but…you wanted to do things your way. That's fine and all, but sometimes you need some help." Dark Ed slowly pulled away his hands and stood upright. Ed stared up at him in wonderment and Dark Ed looked down on him in kindness. "I'm always here. That'll help." He nodded at the heart in Ed's hand. "You just have to look for me to find me. But I never have to look for you…" Dark Ed gradually vanished and Ed was left alone to face the world outside his bedroom.

--

"Wait…so you believe someone is watching Edward?" Hawkeye sat back against the seat, stunned.

Mustang calmly nodded his head and grimaced. "Yes, I believe so, hence why I'm using stricter tactics to protect him. But the underlying motives are still unclear…"

"So this person…how long do you believe that this has been going on, considering the out of hand situation we are now facing?"

"Honestly, that could be anyone's guess. But…taking the sudden attack into account…I would have to say that Ed has been watched for a good amount of time. It's not often that Edward is completely alone like he was. It's probably the case that the stalker has found a few opportune moments but wanted to be completely sure."

"Then what action do you wish for us to reciprocate, Colonel?" Hawkeye became professional in a heartbeat, her eyes cold as ice watching the slight fidgets of Mustang across from her.

"For now…I just want the security around Edward to double. I don't want him to be alone like he was if we can help it. But I don't want him to suspect it. We don't need a temper tantrum on our hands as well. Just as the stalker watches Ed, we will watch and wait for him to slip up."

Roy's anger swelled and he tightly closed his hand into a fist. Hawkeye watched the action with a raised eyebrow and didn't comment. She nodded curtly and leaned forward in her seat. Mustang reined his rage and focused back on the task that he had to complete.

"Yes, sir. It will be arranged as you see fit with your recommendations on the surveillance team." Hawkeye's countenance softened as she caught a glimpse of the agitation that Mustang was trying to hide. "You really care for him, don't you, sir?"

Roy immediately looked at Hawkeye with a glare, about to deny the feelings she was charging him with. When no words came out, Roy gave a small pout and turned to look out the window. "Whatever…" he muttered to himself, barely loud enough for Hawkeye to hear.

Hawkeye let out a giggle and shook her head. "Pardon me, but don't you think you should tell him, sir? Everyone else has pretty much known except for our little firecracker. It might help, don't you think?"

Roy snorted as he rolled his eyes, glancing at Hawkeye out of the corner of his eye. "And how would that help the so-called "firecracker" that just might blow up in my face?"

"Well, for one, it would give you the excuse to stay near him more and not have to give false reasons for your closeness. Not to mention, you would guarantee that he would not be alone, per your request."

Mustang raised a skeptical brow and waved his hand. "Drop the matter for now, but I won't put it out of mind."

Hawkeye smiled in triumph and looked out the window. "Of course you won't, Colonel."

The limo slowed to stop outside of the eerie hospital built more than one-hundred years previous. Mustang moved first and opened the door, sweeping out onto the road with the air of a haughty noble. He reached back into the car and Hawkeye delicately placed her hand on top of his. She stepped out of the car with grace and looked up the dimly lit windows of the building with distaste, taking a step forward. The limo pulled gradually pulled away to turn around and park on the opposite side of the street.

"He'll probably wonder about the clothes," Hawkeye muttered, fondly remembering her pants that were left at home.

"Let him wonder," Mustang settled, walking up to stand beside his Lieutenant. "Our attire has nothing to do with the reason for our visit."

Hawkeye inaudibly sighed and started toward the hospital, Mustang not far behind. "Well, whatever the case, I hope he's awake…"

--

Frustrated, Edward pushed off of the wall and hurriedly grabbed at random pieces of glass, paying no attention to the stings and wells of pain radiating from the cuts forming on his hand. He swept the shards under his bed to be collected later and almost forgot the piles, rapidly adding them to the glass-field growing in the shadows of his bed frame. Looking at his hand, the full-blown effect of pain hit him as the random cuts and slices lazily flowed over with his life. Picking out a piece of glass embedded near his knuckle, he flicked it under the bed as well and heard the tinkle of it hitting other slivers.

"It's almost ready!" Al called out to him from the kitchen.

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Ed remembered sending his brother away to fix him something to eat and almost gagged. 'Food just does not sound appetizing…and I don't even know what he made.' A shiver ran up Ed's back and he felt his stomach roil. Frowning at the thought of food, he carefully stood up and walked to his door.

"Yeah…okay. I'm just going to wash my hands." He emerged from his room and had the smell of ground beef waft towards him. He cringed at the smell and backpedaled to the bathroom, pushing the door open with his mechanical hand.

"Well, you should be hungry. I've been cooking for a good half hour."

The sound of Al busying himself around the kitchen and placing the settings was drowned out by the shut door of the bathroom. Ed turned on the faucet and absentmindedly glanced in the mirror. His own reflection stared back. Confused, Ed waved his hand in front of the mirror and watched as his reflection copied him. Definitely lost, Ed looked away from the mirror and started rinsing off his hand with the lukewarm water, splashing some on his arm as well.

After a minute, Ed was satisfied that his hand wouldn't inflame with an infection and turned the water off. About to turn to grab the towel and pat his hand dry, the mirror caught his eye again and still only himself looked back. Disappointed with the mirror, he inwardly complained, 'He says he's my other half…but I don't even know what to call him…'

"You can call me D," Dark Ed whispered suddenly into Ed's ear, staring at their reflections in the mirror.

Ed involuntarily shuddered at the feel of warm breath cascading over his neck and backed away from his other half. "How do you do that?"

D gave Ed a coy smile and reached out for him, running his hand down his arm. "Do what?"

Ed scowled and pulled his arm away from the invading touch. "You're warm. That's not possible," he muttered mostly to himself as he wiped off his still wet hands.

"Anything's possible for me when I'm with you." D took advantage of Ed's half-turned frame to wrap his arms around his slight waist and hold him close, nuzzling his face into the back of Ed's neck.

Ed hissed at the feel of the warm body pressing against his cold back and arched his back away for less contact. "D…" he groaned out, trying to pry himself out of the deceiving grasp of his darker image.

"Brother! Food's ready!" Alphonse' voice carried clearly throughout the house and entered the bathroom, warning Ed of his predicament.

Ed bit his bottom lip and slipped out of D's arms, hurrying over to the medicine cabinet. He pulled the mirror open and grabbed the box of band-aids on the first shelf. Quickly, he pulled three out and tore them from their coverings. D watched in exasperation as Ed's nerves started deteriorating with the amount of time he was spending in the effort of trying to position them right.

"Let me," D said, trying to hide his amusement at Ed's dilemma. He softly pushed Ed around to face him and took the band-aids out of his hands. Ed hung his head and sighed, closing his eyes in frustration. D removed the wax backing of the first band-aid and gripped Ed's hand, bringing it into the light. He expertly placed it over the pad of Ed's thumb and pressed down on the bandage lightly, applying only as much pressure as need be.

"It's no big deal, Ed. Calm down. You're okay," D breathed out gently, applying the second band-aid. "You have plenty of time so don't worry about it. I'll help as much as I can. Alright?" D situated the last bandage and sighed in defeat as he threw away the backings. He looked back at Ed and saw his gaze still trapped to the floor.

"Ed? You coming?" Al called out to his absent brother.

That seemed to snap Ed out of his trance and he turned to the door about to leave. Something seemed to tug at his being, stopping him in his tracks. He looked down at his now bandaged hand and flexed it open and closed.

D crossed his arms and leaned back against the sink, watching Ed's every movement. "What? No thank you?"

Ed raised his head slowly to look at his twin. "Thank you," he replied, no emotion evident in his voice, before he left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

D scratched the back of his head and sighed as he faded into twilight. "Don't shut yourself away just yet, Ed. You have a long way to go."

His words, spoken for his own sake, reached Ed anyhow and nestled itself away in his locked-up mind.

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A/N: So, what did you think? This is just a little filler chapter before the meat of the story. It was just meant to delve into the plot to thicken the relationships between all the characters. Slightly. I wanted to focus mainly on bringing more of D into light...or dark. Whichever you prefer. I live for you reviewers and next chapter will NOT take nearly as long. And it won't be as boring. Sorry about that.