A/N: Hey all! So glad you're liking my story! Darn me though I went and started a new one yesterday since this one is finished including edits. It's a Fuery story cause he's such an over looked puppy! Aaaanyways, this chapter is more meanness from me, the plot bunnies made me do it. As usual I beg and plead and bribe(cookies!) for reviews!

The Downward Spiral

Jean Havoc raced towards the hospital the wheels of his car squealing in complaint at his driving but he ignored it. The phone call he'd received just ten minutes ago had brought his heartbeat to a complete standstill it felt like. Ed's in trouble. That was all it took. The conversation only worsened as Maes told him about the attack and how he was now in jail under false pretenses and the attacker taken to the hospital with Edward after faking innocence and claiming to be his father. It felt like there was a chunk of ice settled heavily in the pit of his stomach. The idiot cop hadn't even given Hughes the chance to explain what had happened before knocking him senseless and the story against Hughes was only strengthened with Elric's pocket watch, proving him to be a state alchemist, was missing. His foot pressed the gas pedal to the floor blood starting to boil with hate once more as he remembered how Maes had told him about this man beating Ed's head in with a large rock. Four times. He'd bashed him with the stone four times. His knuckles blanched white as he gripped the steering wheel enraged. If he ever got the opportunity he would get a big rock and see how the guy felt when he was the one receiving the beating. He could guarantee it would be ten times worse than what he'd done to Edward.

The moment the call had ended he'd kicked the girl he'd had over for a romantic evening out without so much as an explanation. He'd just told her go. He doubted he'd ever see that pretty little dish again but Ed was more important. He'd be sure to cry over the loss later when all was safe again. He didn't know why he felt such an urgent rush, like every last second was putting the alchemist in more danger as he gathered the paperwork needed to identify himself and prove the kid was a State Alchemist having no relation with the man who claimed to be his father because the hospital had to be presented proof of identity and guardianship to release a child like Ed but still his gut said to run. Hurry.

He followed his instincts. They rarely proved him wrong. He wouldn't doubt them now. His mind reeled with worst case scenarios as he sped through the streets hoping not to attract any cops with his reckless driving. Apparently the streets were peopled with the stupid cops tonight. How badly injured was Ed actually? Four hits with a rock was a guaranteed concussion but did the skull crack? Had it broken completely? What if there was bleeding in the brain? And then there was the mud and debris that Hughes had said he'd inhaled when his head was forced face first into the ground to keep him quiet. Foreign contaminates in the lungs could wreak a lot of damage.

Havoc shook his head and bit his lip sharply a lump forming in his throat making him choke. He had to stop all this worrying. How could he even let the kid get close enough to cause this kind of panicked thought process? You did it to yourself. A little voice whispered through his head and he found he couldn't argue. When they'd first met the kid did his best to keep him at an arms distance. He'd gotten in the Colonel's hair, annoying him mostly about hooking him up with a nice girl, and been sent off as punishment with Elric to some dusty town. The Colonel had assumed that they would fuss, bicker, and exhaust each other as seemed to happen to himself whenever he was working with Elric and therefore neither would have the energy or time to cause trouble. He'd been partially right.

Elric had made great efforts to keep him at a distance and the relationship just good enough they could get the job done but nothing more. He hadn't particularly pushed for more either. It wasn't until the assignment went pear shaped over and over and they both got into various life threatening situations and had to pull the other out of it that the ice was broken to a placid respect. He supposed it had snowballed into what it was now since that trip. They'd started conspiring every now and then against Mustang, when he stressed them out or they were bored, with menial pranks and exchanged advice on one matter or the other occasionally. Then Ed's voice had started cracking and He'd taking it upon himself to educate the boy in the mysterious ways of women and wooing said women. He hadn't been totally ignorant on the subject but he could hardly have been called educated either. Many a lecture from Maes, or the Colonel if their exploits earned a phone call to him, about his so called corruption of Ed but it was always worth it.

He screeched the car to a halt in front of the hospital, not noticing the taxi as it pulled away, feeling much more in control and calmed by the memories and by finally having arrived. With him here nothing could happen to Ed. The hospital was quiet and cold inside. It had strangely felt warmer outside. He didn't like the look of this place. Everything was white and sterile and the whole of it just felt wrong like there was some fault deep within it. It was a curiosity to him for he didn't get this feeling with other hospitals. He supposed it was because of how Ed had landed here. Ah, there was the information desk. Perfect.

"Excuse me Miss, but I'm here because there was a young boy, his name is Edward Elric he's a State Alchemist but he was brought in under false pretenses after being attacked with a man claiming to be his father. He's really short, long blonde hair that was probably in a braid, long red coat, black clothes, gold eyes, and his right arm and left leg are auto mail, what's his condition and what room is he in?" he explained trying to be succinct but thorough feeling the need to ramble away. The woman gave him a queer look and moved over to her files flipping through them ever…so…slowly. Havoc gritted his teeth trying to hold back his impatience. He wanted to see Edward now.

"Oh I'm sorry Sir but no Edward Elrics have been admitted tonight" she explained putting the files back just as slowly. Havoc threw his head back to stare at the ceiling for a moment frustrated.

"No Miss, listen to me, he was brought in under false pretenses, the man that attacked him claimed to be his father and the officers believed him. He won't be under the name Edward Elric" he tried again. Be patient. Be patient.

"Uh huh, right" she scoffed giving him another criticizing look. Havoc glared.

"You listen to me. You just look at the description of patients, blonde hair, gold eyes, short, auto mail right arm and left leg, what room?" he hissed. The woman straightened her shoulders defiantly.

"that information is confidential. You can't have it" she argued attempting to stare him down. She failed.

"Now you listen to me, I am a man of the military and one of my own was brutally attacked tonight. You will give me the room he's in or I will search this entire hospital and if I have todo that the whole of the military's power will dog your every footstep for the entirety of your life. Now which will it be?"

Don't pull your gun. Don't pull your gun.

The woman gasped eyes wide as saucers and went scrambling through the files dropping all of them in the process. Havoc couldn't hold back the growl of frustration as she floundered about straightening and sorting files until she found the right one with trembling hands. He just had to breathe. Easier said than done.

"Oh, here it-it is. He-He was r-released al-already" she stammered unable to even meet his eye now.

"He was WHAT? With whom!" his heart took off like a shot pounding so hard he was sure it would burst.

"With his father of course. The father was discharged shortly after arriving and then the boy was discharged A.M.A though his condition was stable at the time by the request of his father" she explained with disdain, regaining a bit of her confidence, as if it were a stupid question.

"Get me the discharge papers NOW!" Havoc gripped the counter top, the only thing separating him from her, to keep his hands from straying to his fully loaded gun.

"Did you even read these papers? It's totally bogus! I mean it says here his name is Joe Bloe? He has his home listed as next door, which is an over flow parking lot! Did you even think to ask for proof of identity? Or did you just hand over a brutally beaten child over without question?" he snarled. The woman blinked at him dumbly as he ripped the phone from her desk to the counter in front of him.

With shaking hands Havoc called Colonel Mustang.

0o0o0o0o0

James groaned as he carried the boy into the inn room he'd rented. His body ached, his head ached, and after the way his evening had gone he just didn't have the energy to really carry the boy weighed down by the clunky auto mail. He'd been worried he wouldn't make it to the room when finally he found himself dumping the still unconscious boy onto the cheap bed. The idea of the hotel annoyed him seeming cheap, sleazy, and cliché but he felt it was safer than going to his own home. He wasn't a fool to think that he could keep this up long. He'd have to get rid of the boy and soon. Those military types would have it figured out that the Maes guy was telling the truth pretty quickly and he planned on being in the wind by then. Free of his burden he rushed to the tiny bathroom desperately giving himself a release then cleaned himself up and popped a few pain pills. Once he was relieved and freshened up he went back to the main room and leaned against the wall staring fondly at his prize.

His eyes immediately went to the long thick locks of golden hair. It had been what attracted him in the first place. It was how he'd chosen this boy over the several others that had crossed his path. He frowned when his gaze met the small patch that had been cut and shaved away so that the gash could be fully stitched. How regrettable. It had taken fifteen apparently and there was fear of skull fracture. He grinned at that. He neder did anything half-hearted though it had cost marring that beautiful hair. After a bit more of staring he switched his mind over from the beauty of it all to the logical side of things.

The auto mail was going to be a problem. Even with the quick trip he'd made to his actual home to pick up basic supplies he didn't have anything strong enough to restrain the metallic limbs. His experience with the child earlier that evening had shown him he would definitely need to use strong measures to keep him under control. He was a fighter. Something he didn't appreciate. If it hadn't been for the drug still being in his system and that tacky red cloak tangling so luckily he probably wouldn't have stayed in control. He couldn't afford to make that mistake again. A groan from the kid jolted him into action. He had to have him fully restrained before he woke which could be any time now.

He started with stripping away his shirt and jacket until his torso was bare. Then he grabbed some thing wire and tied his flesh wrist down to the bed post doing the same to his flesh ankle. The wire was very thin and would tear into him terribly but it didn't matter as he'd be dead once he'd gotten what he wanted. Once those two limbs were secure he stood back and contemplated those infuriating metal appendages again. He'd never had this problem before and wasn't sure how to handle it. The boy groaned and shifted weakly then settled again. Time was running out. James grabbed the crowbar out of his duffle bag and wedged it between the arm and the port giving a hard jerk to pop it out. There was the horrible sound of metal grating on metal and the socket shifted, the boy moaned, but the arm remained in place. James glared changing his grip on the bar to increase his leverage and practically fell upon the bar with all his weight twice more. There was a loud wrenching screech as the arm broke free and the boy cried out loudly in pain as the metal appendage fell to the floor.

James stared down on it for a moment enjoying his triumph when there was a slurred shout, the boy suddenly awake, glazed eyes wide with confusion. The attack came too swiftly for him to even defend as the auto mail leg whipped up wrapping around his own slamming him down hard on the bed, his head stricking a post making the room spin. He struggled hard but the kid knew his defensive holds and the leg kept him partially pinned down as they both fought to free themselves. James started to panic thinking himself in a stalemate when he spotted the crowbar fallen not far from him on the floor. He stopped struggling and twisted around reaching desperately for the weapon stretching to the point he was sure his leg would snap when his fingers curled around the cold metal.

He brought it down hard across his midsection drawing a shout of agony from him but his metal leg only tightened its grip like a boa constrictor. His only defense. James brought it down against him mercilessly twice more before the leg went slack releasing him. He scrambled away for a moment feeling a thrill of fear at the boy's effective resistance then was hit by a surge of rage, gave a shout and charged him slamming the crowbar down to his ribs over and over relishing in the cries of pain. Again James never saw the blow coming as Ed kicked out blindly his metallic heel slamming into James' gut sending him flying backwards. They both shouted in pain at the action, Ed's morphing into something between a shout and a sob even as he drew back his leg at the ready to kick if he needed to.

James freaked flying under the bed to evade the threat of a kick popping out the other side snatching up the sedative filled syringe he kept in emergencies and jammed it into Ed's shoulder before he had a chance to try and pull away. The adrenaline of the fight wore away quickly as James stood well out of reach watching silently as his victim's eyes glazed over more thickly, dilated and lost focus before finally closing. He just stood pressed against the wall, confidence shaken terribly and began to second guess if he could handle this kid.

Maybe he should kill him and run while he could.