Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal alchemist but I do own my own characters in there.
Summary: This is like a prequel to the sequel the other son. Parker is a sixteen year old that is afraid to become close to anyone whilst fighting everything his brother tries to achieve. His brother has seemed lost since the death of there pops and recently has done the worst that anyone could possibly imagaine. After summoning the Jin into their world, it seems that it's the last draw on those forces that are trying to take him down. Parker though tries to reach his older brother so that he could find the good that hasn't been taken away. How could he do that though whilst trying desperately not to fall in love with the mysterious Jordyn Pasteel and throw his dead beat father off his back?
A/N: Please, please, PLEASE review and let me know how I'm doing. I'd like to know how it is and if there are improvements I need to make so any reviews woudl be great. Thank You!
Chapter Two
There was so much blood.
Eyes widening as huge as saucers, Parker tried to keep himself from screaming out loud unless he wanted whoever was still there to hear him. Crouching down besides his Aunt, he could have sworn that she was still alive. He needed to vomit though and the sight wasn't helping. Picking himself up, he quickly made his way further down, starting to shake when he realized that all his relatives that were at home were now dead.
He moaned.
Why hadn't he been here? Why hadn't he come to save his family? Scrunching his eyes closed, he tried to will everything to be a dream. He was a stupid helpless eight years old though and no matter what he was thinking at the moment, everything had to have been clear to him the moment he saw blood seeping through the cracks in the door. He shivered involuntarily and froze in place.
"Papa!"
He grabbed onto the only parent that had been there for him through thick and thin and managed a small smile that didn't reach his eyes at the relief that his papa wasn't dead yet. That meant that there was still time to save him.
"Pa...rker. Ba…baby w…what are you….doing here?" It took a moment for Parker to understand him and then he put a finger to his papa's lips. If he kept talking, there was no way to save him.
"Don't worry papa, I'm gonna save you." He quickly moved some strands of hair to the side of his face irritably whilst grabbing a few of the healing antidotes that they carried in case they couldn't get a hold of Ed. Edward wasn't the main focus of their lives since he and papa split so it was a rather inconvenience at most days. "Why isn't it working?"
He tried to keep the surprise out of his voice and the man that had raised him for all his eight years looked up in such sympathy that Parker found himself shaking his head in silent rage and holding his hands to his ears. He didn't want to hear what he had to say, especially if it had anything to do with death. Shaking himself out of it, he pushed some gauze to the wound where blood was cascading in small rivulets on the wooden floor. He let out a gasp, trying to keep his feelings in check. It was about as convincing as trying not to imagine how much Edward hated his guts.
"Please, don't go, I still need you," he cried out.
The man smiled broadly as much as he could although he kept wincing from the pain of it all. Damn it, who was it behind this? He had enough of this! He couldn't understand why fate would be so damned cruel to take his various family members both blood related and those only related through years of knowing his parents. It hurt but not as much as this.
"You can't leave me papa! Dad! Dad! Daddy papa needs you! Please!" He paused to moisten his dry lips before abandoning his attempts to call the dead beat father that was never there in the first place but always had found the time for his eldest son. "Spencer! Spencer papa needs you! I need you, please!"
He buried his head in his papa's blood stained shirt knowing unless he knew how to use the ability to close the wound; he wouldn't be doing anything but watching his only parent die. The one and only parent that was there for him and the only one that mattered, was going to die because he couldn't do anything by himself.
"Please papa, you're alright. Just hold on. Please hold on," he begged.
The man gave him such a loving look that he almost dissolved into tears again. Then his papa put a hand on his face and caressed it so lovingly, he almost forgot for a second that his papa was dying. Papa was strong and was a very good alchemist. He never gave up on the belief of it all just because his sons had the forbidden power. He could feel tears prickling his eyes and fought to keep them from coming. He couldn't cry, not now.
"Ba…ba….by I l...lo….ve ….y…you. Be…go…od f….or …me."
As his papa took his last breath and his eyes closed for good, Parker let out a horrified scream. This couldn't be happening. Not his strong papa that could do anything! He fought in the war of Ishbal and came out unscathed although he never forgot it. He fought tooth and nail for his love for Edward until they couldn't do anything more and got a divorce when Parker was two but it didn't cause his papa to break down because he wasn't weak like that. Now he wasn't going to die because he wouldn't leave his sons all alone with nowhere to go.
"This had better be important brat-"
Edward observed the scene and suddenly realized he messed up. He couldn't have messed up though because it couldn't have been his fault. He wouldn't admit it even though he had the proof right here. Parker stopped calling him out of his own needs when he was five and Ed had missed his birthday party for five straight rows, in fact he had never bothered showing up to any of them because he had always been so busy. Now he should've realized that when Parker called him now, it was very important. Still he couldn't believe he had ignored it to finish one of his missions and now Roy was…
"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded angrily.
"I did, what part of daddy papa needs you don't you understand?" Parker asked his sarcasm back in full force although he knew it wasn't the time or the place for it.
"You could have said, papa is dying and needs you now," Ed snapped as though it was the eight year old's fault for not telling him the urgency.
"I tried calling Spence when you didn't come but he didn't either-"
SLAP!
He couldn't say he was exactly shocked because this hadn't been the first time that Edward had hit him. He looked back to his now deceased papa and found though that it was his fault. He should have been home. He shouldn't have gone away claiming that he didn't want a birthday party because his daddy wasn't going to be there. Because if he was here then papa wouldn't have been dead now.
"I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? He's dead Parker and it's your entire fault!"
All his fault.
It was his entire fault for a lot of things. According to Edward, the first was being born. Parker stared aimlessly at the ceiling wondering why his life was so complicated. He lost his father before he had even been born so that hadn't been much of a tragedy but since he was eight, he lost so many family members both by blood and by default that it wasn't even funny. Sitting up, he wondered if by not being born, not only would his pops not have died but maybe Spencer wouldn't have have been so corrupted. He sure thought it was funny to tap into the Jin's world and bring about more evil than the world could tolerate. He also proven time and time again that not only was he evil but that Edward dearest still had hope in his eldest son and not an ounce of love for his youngest.
"Hey Parks?"
Looking over, he saw that things were becoming worse again way too fast. All it took now was for someone to finally put the fine pieces together and to realize that he was an Elric. His dad would be so proud of the fact that he denounced him so readily and decided to use his middle name as his last but he knew the people here wouldn't be so happy. The Elrics were already proven to be evil.
"What is it Stephen?"
"You're mad and I understand. Hell I know that you don't want anyone that doesn't need to to be sacrificed for a better cause but don't you think you're being a little unfair? Jordyn could handle herself and she has been alone for so long that she has only counted on herself before. She's willing to become one of us so that we could bring the supreme world ruler down. Can't you sympathize with that?"
He could sympathize with a lot of things. He could even come to understand how much it felt being alone in a cruel world. He didn't nod though and could tell that Stephen was losing his patience. What would he do if they found out that he was an Elric? They wanted to dislodge one already and it didn't help that Parker had once thought that his brother had been right. Hell he killed so many people when he was fourteen and he was blind, dumb, and stupid. Closing his eyes against all the memories that threatened to spill into his consciousness, he finally nodded.
"Okay," he whispered. "Don't let her out of your sight on missions though you understand? I'm not going to be the reason she dies okay?"
Stephen nodded and turned to leave, greeting Gracie on the way out. She just nodded before entering the room, seeing her cousin was in fact more dejected than usual. She smiled a small smile before sitting on the edge of the bed.
"What is on my dear cousin's mind that all of us can't detect?"
"Can it Gracie, I'm not letting you into my mind. It's not a pretty thing."
Confused by his cryptic mumbo jumbo, she frowned for a second before pulling him into a hug. She felt him stiffen as if through shock and could only feel her heart pull. He wasn't used to hugs because the only one to give them ones had been dead for eight years now. He didn't know love because the ones that loved him betrayed him so many times that he was most likely afraid that it would happen again. He didn't get close to people even though he was afraid of being alone because he feared that he would lose them and thought it was better being alone than seeing them die over and over again.
"It's okay Parker to be afraid. It's okay to fear things. I fear for you every day. Imagine what would happen if you don't come back one of these days and guess what would happen? It would tear us apart royally and I love you so much-"
"Cut the crap Gracie! The only reason you are here is because you want everything the way it once was. I know and I want the same but you will never understand so don't try. Go back to trying to help the needy and leave me alone. Hell you could even go back to pretending you don't love your adopted brother more than you should and break his heart with your doubt-I didn't mean that Gracie!"
She pushed herself away from him and glared, tears filling her eyes. She hastily wiped them away though and turned to leave when Parker grabbed her wrist from doing so. She knew under some level that he didn't mean it and he only snapped that at her because he was tired and wasn't sleeping enough. She saw the signs enough times to know that he was only sleeping when the exhaustion became too much for him and he couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't help the hurt though that he caused through those words because she did love Langston. Not like the adopted brother she had but as something more and underneath everything she knew it was wrong. Her parents were dead and therefore wouldn't ever find out and she still felt she couldn't do that to them, to their memory.
"That's rich coming from you," she tore out coldly. "At least I don't have a father that ignored my very existence from the moment I was born and a brother that is tearing this country apart and bringing about more executions than anybody even King Bradley had ever done before. I will be almost glad when someone puts an end to his miserable existence because then someone's baby wouldn't die!"
She suddenly realized it was the wrong thing to say and meant to take it back but Parker wouldn't hear of it. He was already taking more things than a normal sixteen year old could and it was her own fault for bringing up his worst memories. She wanted to help him and to take back those awful stinging words just to hear him laugh like old times and joke around. She wanted mostly for him to act his own age but it wouldn't happen because people here grew up way too soon.
"You're right Gracie. You are absolutely right. Maybe if I wasn't born than nothing would have ever happened. Spencer wouldn't spend his time trying to kill every single threat to him and Edward wouldn't have divorced him like he had. If I wasn't born though pops wouldn't have died so cruelly just like your parents had that same day. I'm sorry that my very birth had caused you so much pain. If I could go back in time and fix that, then I know you guys could be so much happier. I'm sorry."
She threw herself around him and tried to comfort him. She knew how unwilling he was to accept comfort like this but she didn't give him the chance to resist. He was so exhausted now and she idly knew that it had been days possibly a couple of good weeks since he really had a good night's sleep. He may be zonked out for an hour's worth at times but he didn't get a full eight hours of undisturbed sleep because of the nightmares that plagued him when he was asleep. Finally he collapsed against her, too tired to fight and she didn't know if she was relieved like she knew she should've been.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he kept mumbling against her and she felt her tears finally flow down her face. He was so broken down by the man that should've been there for him all these years and not only had Edward not been part of his life but he broke him down way too much. He abused him mentally and there were times she believed that the man had abused his other son physically as well. It hurt to hear him so broken like this that she only held onto his tighter wishing that he wasn't like this.
"I don't blame you," she whispered to him when she knew by how quiet he was now that he fell into a fitful sleep. Sweeping her fingers through his soft dark brown hair, she closed her eyes momentarily wishing that it wasn't like this. She was fifteen and she didn't hold as much pain as he did. "I never blamed you Parker because you are like my brother."
It was true because Langston couldn't ever be her brother. Only because she loved him with all her heart and she knew if she continued to do so, she couldn't think of him as a brother.
Only so she wouldn't feel guilty.
"You must be Gracie; I heard so many things about you."
Gracie turned and saw a teenage girl around fifteen, sixteen years old. She was around the same age as Parker, she realized idly. She had long dark shoulder length brown hair and her eyes were a pretty emerald green color. She wore dark pants and a pastel grey tank top above a long white shirt. She had to admit that the girl was pretty, much prettier than Gracie's normal blonde hair and dull blue eyes. She didn't seem to know what true hardship meant, which meant that even though she lost her entire family like a bunch of the people here, she never had to witness anything horrible.
"I'm sorry I didn't catch a name-"
"I'm Jordyn. Jordyn Pasteel. You know know Thomas Pasteel, the one who went bonkers and killed everyone before killing himself? I guess nobody is free from tragedies these days," she added seeing Gracie suddenly turn sad for a moment.
"I didn't witness anything but the day my parents died, my cousin was there. He saw all the blood and held the only parent that cared for him while they died in his arms. My cousin hasn't been the same since."
Jordyn nodded in understanding.
"I'm actually trying to find Kaiden. You know the one that's a little taller than you and packs such a mouth that people either roll their eyes and wonder why he hadn't learnt manners or are amused by his witty ways of talking and commend him on it."
Gracie didn't really want her bothering her cousin since it was the first time he was getting undisturbed sleep at the moment. She sighed though knowing that the nightmares would get to him again and that he would soon be up and being an ass just as quickly.
"Actually maybe you should wait a few. Kaiden is finally getting some rest and he doesn't get much because of the-"
"Oh no you again!"
Turning around, Gracie couldn't believe that she was hearing this. Couldn't her cousin sleep more than short intervals? If he didn't get himself killed first, then he was going to be getting people killed from exhaustion.
"Hey Kaiden, I don't care who you are but what makes you think that you could act like my babysitter? I don't need one!"
"The hell you don't! You could end up in a worst situation and nobody would be able to help you! We need to work on shielding people as much as possible because I don't know about you but I don't want you becoming the fourth victim to either get stabbed to death or raped. We've had enough of those already!"
He went to turn around and leave when Jordyn stood forward in an angry voice, "You think you are so tough don't you Kaiden? Just because people in the past have been killed or raped doesn't mean I plan on doing so. Do you think I am so weak because I'm a girl that I won't be able to save myself when the time came? Besides what makes you think I'm weak? Who are you to ruin my only chance to get back at the bastard that tortured my mother and sister?"
Parker had indeed stopped then and turned around. He didn't seem to be completely bothered by what she was saying to him and although Gracie knew that Jordyn shouldn't have brought in torture, bastard, and her family into this, she knew that Jordyn was right in a degree. Her cousin had to learn that he wouldn't be able to stop people from trying to join and that there were people that were still going to give their all for a chance to knock Spencer off his high horse. She just wished that Spencer hadn't gone crazy in the first place.
"You're mother and sister was tortured? Did you see it happen?" At her shocked silence he continued. "Do you even know what happens when they catch you? I know you don't understand my reasoning for the things I do but to get supporters on his side in the past, he tortures people by making them watch as he kills people close to them. You're no different. If he wants you killed, it's not going to make a difference nor will he hesitate to take more people that you care for if he wants you with him. As for who I am to do this, I'm one of this sides leaders and I make these decisions based on what we all believe and face it, you aren't going to die because I won't let you."
If there was one thing Gracie hadn't expected it was that. He was gone as fast as the argument ended though and she turned to see Jordyn's dejected look. It wouldn't be the first person disappointed since she had wanted to join as well but Parker had stood his ground the same or worse when it came to Gracie. She thought it was odd though that he was doing it based on what he himself had thought when the rest of the council thought they could use Jordyn effectively without her being harmed. She saw some glimmer of hope that she hadn't thought she would see in a long time. Smiling, she put an arm around Jordyn's shoulders in means of comfort.
"Don't worry; you could change his mind if you prove to him. Prove to them all that you won't be killed by a silly little thing such as Jin, those various vampires, giants, and wolves. Don't back down okay," she told her enthusiastically with a laugh before heading in the opposite direction where Parker disappeared to. He needed time to himself anyways and she wasn't going to argue with him again.
Jordyn may be surprised but Gracie hoped she did exactly as she asked and proved to Parker she wasn't going to break. Please get through to Parker; she thought pleadingly remembering something that hadn't happened in such a long time. If Jordyn did what Gracie thought she was doing, then Parker wouldn't have to be afraid of loss nor would he have to go without love anymore.
Jordyn, I trust you. Teach my brother to love again.
