A/N: Whoa! Hey! Like I promised, if not Friday, before Monday. It's Sunday, 4 am where I am. I find I do my best writing when everyone else in my family is a asleep and not asking me to do stuff, like chores. I like this Chapter. It's about 500 words longer than I normally do, so YAY! Now, go enjoy it! ;D

Chapter Seven

"Tearing Us Apart"

The funeral was attended by Everett, the Elric family, and only a small amount of Doyer citizens. Evelyn's friends were there, in the back of the crowd. Several people Everett was once friendly with had come with their parents, but even then, the amount of people was discouraging. Everett did notice a woman in the back of the group he didn't recognize, with blond hair and glasses, but he thought nothing of it.

As the man leading the ceremony spoke over the wind that was blowing heavily through the cemetery, Everett's fists were clenched, and his knuckles were white. He left her alone for one month, and she ended up dead. One month. She knew plain well that she was all he had left, and yet, she didn't seem to care. Now he had no one. He had all her money, her apartment, and all of her things, but he didn't have what he wanted and needed the most. Her.

As they lowered Evelyn's coffin into the ground, Everett felt a soft hand find its way into his, and looked over to Genny, who was watching the coffin sink deeper into the ground. Although none of the Elric's knew her personally, they all wanted to be there for him, and he was unbelievably grateful. Genny looked up at him, her blue eyes twinkling with unshed tears. She knew he was hurting, and he could tell she was too. He clenched his other hand tighter, feeling his fingernails break the skin on his palm. He didn't even feel the pain it caused. It was almost like he was numb.

Once the ceremony was over, attendees came up to Everett to give their sympathies. Genny and Sam stood beside him, as he asked them to. One by one, each of them said practically the same thing. He appreciated it, but at the same time, he was panicking on the inside about what was going to happen to him now, and were he was going to go.

The blonde he didn't recognize approached him. She was wearing a hooded jacket now, and her glasses were a little too big for her face, but she was still pretty.

"I hope the best for you, Everett."

"Thank you… um…" Everett was unsure of what to call her.

"Elizabeth." She said. "Just Elizabeth."

"Thank you, Elizabeth."

As the woman continued to say the normal words of sympathy, Genny noticed that her parents had taken a particular interest in the woman Everett was talking to. Her mother pointed briefly, and when her father looked over, his eyes squinted a little. They were out of earshot, about twenty feet away, and they remained there. Genny looked back at the woman in time to see her take off without another word.

"Who was that?" Sam asked.

"I don't know… But I didn't really get a good look at her." Everett mumbled. But something about her… It was like he knew her somehow.

"Everett." Ed said, as he walked over to them with Winry. "Can we talk to you for a minute?" Sam and Genny didn't seem to take the hint right away. "Alone?" They quickly walked away.

"Is something wrong, teacher?" Everett asked.

"Winry and I were talking, and we've decided we want you to stay with us, you know, for as long as you want to… You're a great student, and I don't want you to quit now…" Ed was interrupted by Everett lunging forward, embracing him tightly.

"Thank you, teacher." Everett whispered. Everett felt like he could breathe again. Like a huge weight was lifted off of him. He was going to be okay, he knew that now. For the first time in a long while, he felt assured he had someone to rely on when he needed it most.

"You did what!" Roy said loudly. He was lying in bed with Riza, and she had decided to tell him that she had snuck off to Doyer to Evelyn's funeral. He couldn't believe she had done it, especially without telling him first. And truthfully, neither could she.

"How could I not go? He's our son!"

"But he doesn't know that, Riza!" Roy ran a hand through his hair. "And he's not supposed to!"

"I needed to make sure he's okay!" Riza said.

"Did anyone see you?" Roy asked.

"No. I made sure of it."

"You could have at least told me first…" he mumbled. There was a long silence between them, and then Roy finally spoke. "So, was he okay?"

"Edward and Winry were there with their children." Riza said, not answering his question directly.

"What? Why?" Roy seemed to be taken off guard with that bit of information.

"I asked a woman at the funeral. Apparently he's Everett's alchemy teacher." Riza looked at her husband, whose jaw was practically on the floor. "He's been living in Resembool with them for a month."

"Elric has been… his…. teaching him?" Roy fumbled for words. "I…"

"Roy, be nice." Riza said.

"He doesn't get to teach my son alchemy…" Roy grumbled. "That should've been my job."

"You can teach Lily." Riza reminded him.

"Yeah. Though, I guess if someone had to teach him, at least it's someone I can trust… Elric was pretty good." Roy sighed.

"That's probably the most adult thing I've heard you say for a while…" Riza smiled faintly.

"Thanks." Roy frowned.

"He looks just like you." Riza said softly. Roy's eyes grew wider, and he almost looked surprised. "He's perfect. He keeps his hair a little longer, and he's taller and thinner than you were at his age… He's so handsome, Roy. If only you could've seen him."

"Just like me?" Roy repeated, in a whisper. It was a weird feeling to know that you had a little clone of you walking around out there, with no clue of who you were.

"Hearing his voice for the first time was amazing…" She paused. "He's very polite and kind. And he seemed to be very friendly with little Genevieve."

"Ed's daughter?"

"Yes, they were holding hands for most of the funeral." Riza couldn't help but smile.

"Great." Roy growled. "I just realized something…"

"What?"

"In order to take in Everett, Elric must've been informed that he was our son. The military is very careful about that sort of thing."

"So?"

"He did it anyways." Roy mumbled.

"Proof that he likes you, or at least, our son." Riza said.

"Or…"

"Roy!" Riza snapped. "This is Ed we're talking about. He's an adult now. I don't think he has any ulterior motive."

"You're right." Roy sighed. "I don't know…" Roy was about to continue when their bedroom door began to creak. A little eight-year-old appeared, carrying her stuffed dog. "Lily?"

"Lily, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Riza sat up straighter. She shook her head. "What is it?"

"I had a bad dream." She whimpered.

"Come here..." Roy scooted over in the bed, making room for her little body in between him and Riza. She ran to the bed, and crawled up by Roy's side. Her black hair had been put into a braid by Riza before she went to bed. Unlike Everett, Lily had Roy's black hair and eyes, but besides that, she took after Riza.

She snuggled up against Riza, leaving Roy alone on his half of the bed. Riza kissed Lily good night, and turned off her light. When Roy went to turn off his, he heard panting by the edge of the bed. Lily's dog, Kiwi, a granddaughter of the great Black Hayate, was sitting by the edge of the bed, her tail wagging a mile a minute.

"Get up here." Roy patted the bed, and the little dog jumped up. She walked right past Roy, and curled up in a ball at Riza's feet. Sighing, he turned off his light and put his head against the pillow. It was barely five minutes later, when the side of his face was slapped by the back of his daughter's hand. How could she possibly already be asleep?

"Riza?" Roy whispered.

"Hm?" she mumbled sleepily.

"I'm going to go sleep in Lily's room tonight." He sighed. A wife, a daughter, and a dog in the same bed was just too much for him tonight.

"Okay." Riza said. "G'night."

Roy was able to find his way to Lily's room in the darkened hallway. He turned on the light, and was greeted with peridot walls, which was a little blinding after being in the dark. Her twin sized bed was a little small for him, but he had learned rather quickly that it provided a much better night's sleep than the couch. Only problem was, Lily only slept with one pillow. Roy usually used two.

Grumbling to himself, Roy stumbled back out into the dark hallway, now slightly lit by Lily's room, and made his way into the only empty room in the house, where extra pillows were being stored in the closet. The room had been painted by Riza in an uncharictaristic shade of dark blue, which was very unlike her. She usually enjoyed more neutral tones. It was also completlely empty, no boxes of odds and ends, no furniture… He had asked her about it, and she always responded the same. "I don't know. It makes me feel better." Roy had always thought it had something to do with Everett. Ever since she had given him away, she always kept one room empty. It was one of the reasons they decided to move out of their two bedroom apartment.

A smile came across his face. His son looked just like him… How great was that? Of course, he had his mother's brown eyes, but still. Riza had spoke about him like he was the greatest thing she had ever seen. With looks like his father, he wasn't surprised. He was probably the center of attention for the girls his age. Roy remembered he had been at fourteen, before he moved in with Master Hawkeye.

Roy removed a pillow from the closet, and went back to Lily's room. Hopefully, he was now going to get a good night's sleep. Something he had been without since the State Alchemist Exams started, and ended.

"We're not supposed to tell him, Ed. You know that." Winry mumbled, as she watched her husband pace back and forth in the living room. They had returned from Doyer without Everett. He had decided to stay for a little while, packing up his Aunt's things and selling them, or perhaps giving them away. Sam had chosen to stay with him. Winry was a little wary of leaving two fourteen year old boys on their own, but Ed simply reminded her of all the things they did alone when they were fourteen. Genny returned with her parents, even though she wanted to stay with Sam and Everett. That, her father wouldn't agree to.

"It's not fair, Winry. He thinks he's an orphan… Yet he has two very capable parents living in Central with his little sister! He deserves to know!" Ed growled.

"Edward, it's not our place."

"But…"

"Ed."

"Winry…"

"Stop it."

"Everett's parents are alive?" a soft voice asked from the stairs. Both Ed and Winry whipped their heads around. Genny was sitting on a step, watching her parents through the banister.

"Genny, what are you doing up?" Ed asked. He wanted to be mad at her for listening to them long after her bedtime. But he couldn't. She would have to be told about Everett now, and he wasn't sure if they could trust a twelve year old with such a secret. He just would have to hold back a lot of the details, like the names of his birth parents. He walked over to the staircase, and sat next to her on the step.

"You know what adoption is, right, Gen?" Ed asked. She nodded.

"Everett's parents couldn't keep him, so they had to give him to another family that could." Ed said. "But his adoptive parents couldn't tell him, because if he knew, his birth mother and father could get in trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Genny asked.

"They were both in the military, and it's against the law."

"Oh." Genny said.

"So, we need you to be very careful not to tell Everett." Winry said.

"His real dad is General Mustang, isn't it?" Genny mumbled. Ed nearly fell down the rest of the stairs when he heard that. Winry's eyes widened. The fact that she deducted that was amazing.

"Sweetie, why do you say that?" Winry asked, since Ed seemed unable to speak.

"Because… I remember seeing a picture of him on our picture board. But it was taken down before Everett arrived. Everett looks a lot like him. And dad said that Everett has a little sister. Both General Mustang and his wife were in the military, but they are now married and have Lily. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out." She shrugged.

"God, you're smart." Ed smiled. "Yeah, Gen, you're right."

"I promise I won't tell him." She said. "Good night." She said, before running back up the stairs.

Ed looked at Winry. They were both still stunned that she managed to figure it out.

"How'd she get that smart?" Winry asked, in disbelief. Ed couldn't help but laugh a little, and shake his head.

"I don't know…"

"Ed, we should probably go to bed. We have to pick up the boys at the train station early tomorrow." Winry mumbled after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah, I'll be right up." Ed said, kissing Winry before she went upstairs, and then walking into the kitchen. He looked at the corkboard that was covered in pictures. From his own childhood, as well as Sam's and Genny's. There was one picture in the middle with Everett and Sam by the river. Everett was the only one smiling, since Sam didn't seem to be aware that a picture was being taken. He opened the drawer of the small cabinet beneath the board, and after a little digging, found the picture of Mustang that Genny was talking about. It was taken before Everett was born, and it was when Mustang had that stupid looking moustache, that he had quickly discontinued after the picture had been taken. Riza was behind him, smiling. They had no clue what the future held for them.

"God, Mustang… Your kid is going to be just as screwed up as me." With all the abandonment poor Everett had been forced to deal with throughout his childhood, Ed wouldn't be surprised if he ended up more emotionally scarred than Ed, himself, did. And now Everett had no one left in his family that he knew of. Ed could change the boy's life forever… If only it were that simple.

A/N: Okay, next chapter up soon. :D Oh, and to a reviewer called Music King, it's okay, I understood what you were trying to say! 3 And to a reviewer called DeathBySugarCube, I kind of put what you said in you review into the last part there. It made me go "Huh, that's true, isn't it?" So! All of you reading, go on, REVIEW! And to quote my dad today : "If you're going to smell like something, it might as well be cake." I have no clue what that has to do with anything, I just thought it was funny! AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE ONE THAT HAS REVIEWED! You are all spectacular, amazing, wonderful people! So keep it going!