Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist
Chapter 1
Take Me Back to the Beginning
It was still early morning and the streets of Paris were just starting to come alive with the bustle of another busy day in the famous City of Love. Alphonse walked shoulder to shoulder with the strange girl, his mind too busy to even think about asking her a single question just yet. There were too many to choose from. Lucky for him, she spoke first.
"He's handsome, your brother is. I can definitely see what the attraction was." He looked at her, confused.
"You've met Ed?" She quickly shook her head.
"No, no, no, But thanks to her, I can see his face as clear as day in my head." She paused and looked sideways at him before adding "But if I were to choose the best looking brother, I'd have to disagree with my sister."
He blushed slightly before realization struck him. He grabbed her by the arm, stopping her.
"You're her sister? Then – you know…" Her expression changed to a look of despair.
"I have no idea where she is, that's why I'm here." Whatever glimmer of hope he had disappeared with her words.
"But, that song…how did you know everything?" She sighed and started walking again.
"I think we both know that my sister is much more powerful then she appears to be." She tapped her temple with her forefinger "Her immense power never ceases to amaze."
"So she's still alive?" The woman shrugged.
"Your guess is as good as mine. Oh, I guess were here, right?" The familiar scent of fresh baked bread and pastries snapped Alphonse out of his thoughts.
"What are we doing here? You can't be here!" He grabbed her arm again and started pulling her back the way they came.
"Whoa whoa, what's with the hostility? That's your place right? Yours and your brothers?"
"Yes, which is exactly why you of all people can't be there. What if Ed sees you? He's broken enough as it is, and you look so much like…." The sentence died on his lips as he slowed to a stop a few blocks from the bakery. Without looking up, he finally asked "What's your name?" She paused before finally answering.
"Evelyn Mon- oh, you already know my last name" he let out a short sarcastic laugh.
"Yeah, I know it." He finally turned to make eye contact, and saw for the first time how defeated she looked. Immediately feeling guilty, the 21 year old tried his best to calm himself and speak calmly.
"Look, I'm sorry, it's just... It hasn't exactly been an easy 3 years, ya know?" She shook her head in earnest.
"No, I really don't. I told you that's why I'm here! My sister is calling out to me from wherever she is in desperation. The only thing I know is that this was more than just an affair." She looked close to tears at this point. She sighed before composing herself and continuing. "If such a thing as true love exists, this was it. So I need to know everything that happened" He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity before sighing and continuing to walk down the street. He nodded for her to follow and she did.
"it all started on my 18th birthday"
Paris, France 1927
"Come on birthday boy, pick up the pace! You know how Claire gets when we keep her waiting!" The blonde 22 year old flashed brilliant smile at his younger brother, who was having obvious problems with two massive bags of flour.
"I'm trying Ed but I just can't seem to get a grip on these damn- CRAP!" Ed looked back just in time to see his brother fall flat on his face. It was funny until both bags hit the sidewalk, causing one to split open, white powder exploding everywhere.
"Al you klutz! Look what you've done! Do you know how expensive those are?" Al stopped rubbing his head and yelled right back.
"No Ed, I have no idea! Even though we've owned the bakery for 3 years, I have absolutely NO idea how much a bag of flour costs!" a crowd was starting to gather but neither brother seemed to notice.
"Hey, you think 'cuz your 18 now you can just mouth off whenever you want? Respect your elders!"
"Shove it old man, I've got better things to do today then kick your ass." He pushed past his "elder" brother and kept on down the street. Ed dropped to his knees and pointed a shaking finger at his retreating back.
"Who are you and what have you done with my sweet baby brother?" Al rolled his eyes.
"Enough with the dramatics, Claire's waiting remember?" This seemed to bring him back to reality as he sprinted to keep up.
Now readers, I'm sure you've been rather confused up until this point, so let me tell you what the famous Elric brothers have been up to for the past 4 years. They're quest to find the uranium bomb was a success, but not without making many enemies within the country. Their only option was to flee Germany, luckily for them, Alphonse Heidrich had left whatever money he had to Edward (Which, considering several research grants, was anything but small change) So with money in their pocket, endless possibilities and Ed's automail quickly deteriorating, they decided to do the only thing that made sense, become engineers. This was all fine and good except for the fact that the entire German army would give anything to have Elric blood on their hands, and starting any kind of auto shop seemed all to obvious a move for a part mechanical man to make. After deciding the The City of Love was the perfect place for two handsome young bachelors (Edwards words) to hide in plain site, all they needed was a front. The last place the military would look for two "dangerous" male fugitives, would be a cute little Parisian bakery. After finding a location, and leasing it, realization dawned on them...neither could bake. So they did what anyone would do in their situation... Hire the first pretty young red head who could speak english. This is where we find our heroes now, 3 years later, on their way to see said red head at their cover up bake shop.
Edward finaly caught up with his brother as they rounded the corner and ended up right in front of The Taboo Bakery (Ed had a grim sense of humor). He gulped and glanced at his brother.
"You go first." The younger man quickly shook his head in disagreement.
"Age before beauty, besides, Its not fair to me to die on my birthday." His brother began protesting, but Al's eyes wandered to a poster wall the the right of the bakery. Fresh flyers for the "Dixie Club" had recently been put up. Withough noticing what he was doing, Alphonse made his way to the dazzling display, in search of her. Ed finally stopped talking long enough to notcie his brother had found something a LOT more interesting then his rant.
"Ok this is just sad. You've never even met her and she's already got her claws in ya." Al was rudely brought back to reality (His fantasy was obviously much more fun) with a start. Realizing what had happened, he blushed furiously and stammered,
"No! I mean... she's just... so pretty... and.. well..." Ed was laughing pretty hard by this time, but Al realized something.
"Brother...You don't think shes pretty?" It was Ed's turn to stammer.
"Wah..? I didnt say- I mean...Any man with a pulse can see she's a knockout Al." He gestured to the disputed poster which read "All American Music and Dance, Featuring Vargas Girls and Headliner, Baby Jayne. The Sweetest Little Crooner This Side of the Mississippi"
"Wait a minute... You've been to the Dixie before, havent you Ed?" The older brother blushed slightly and nodded.
"Yeah... But she wasnt there that night. Some cute little blonde who couldnt sing to save her life made me cut the evening short." Silence ensued while they stared at the provocative poster, untill the elder Elric had a brilliant idea.
"Hey, we could go there tonight!" He said, pointing to the date on the poster "Wow, she's performing on your birthday, its like destiny." He punched his brother in the arm playfully and started back towards the bakery. Al let this sink it for a moment before blushing and running after his brother.
"W-w-wait a minute! I never said I wanted to go!"
"Oh please Al, you've got drool all over your shoes." He scoffed "We're going." As far as he was concerned, that was the end of it. Although, as soon as he opened the door he was quickly put back in his place, which was on the floor with a rolling pin upside his head. Al cowered in fear as a dark aura peered from behind the counter.
"Oh COME ON! Why does it always have to be in the head!" Ed got to his feet, nursing his wounds. "You know lady, we own this place and I could fire you any time I want!" The dark aura dissipated leaving behind a young woman with long wavy red hair and striking green eyes.
"Then who would you have to run your 'bakery'?" she laughed, using airquotes at the use of the word bakery. "Eh, mon homme peu de métal?" Steam started to seap out of Ed's ears as Al slowly approached the counter and placed the bag of flour in front of the woman as a peace offering.
"Here you go Claire. I'm sorry, I know you needed two bags but I had a bit of an accident." He smiled sheepishly and pointed to the small bruise on his forehead. She stared at him for a minute before her attitude did a complete 180.
"Oh! Don't worry about it for one more second mon amour!" She grabbed his face with both her hands to inspect his 'wound'. "Etes-vous d'accord?" As Al assured the woman he was fine, Ed finally hit his breaking point.
"Don't start babying him! How many times do I have to tell you, HE'S A MAN! And his face has seen a lot more damage then what a sidewalk can cause!" Ed stompped over to them and tried to pry his brother out of her loving clutches. "Come on Al, we've got work to do."
"O-ok brother" he slowly tried to slipping out of her grasp while she said things like "Il est tellement mignon!"
"Yes yes, he's freaking adorable, now lets go!" He said as he succesfully freed his brother, making their way through the back kitchen to the stairs, all the while Claire throwing insults at his back such as "Petite crasse!" Ed shook his head in frustration.
"We should really just fire that damn woman."
"But she already knows what kind of business we're running Ed, and she's really not a bad person, honostly." Ed rolled his eyes.
"You just say that because she dotes on you like your some kind of cute little injured puppy she found on the street."
"Dont say that brother, she cares about both of us, shes just harder on you because she can tell you need some structure for once in your life." Al made his way downstairs as Ed stopped in his tracks, royally pissed off by this time.
"So she thinks shes our surrogate mother or something? Shes barely 3 years older then me! If that crazy bitch thinks shes gonna run my life, she's got another thing coming." Al just laughed and said.
"What are you gonna do? Transmute her feet and put them on her head?" He clapped his hands together for emphasis. Ed just scoffed and pushed past his brother into their office.
"You've turned into a real funny guy, you know that?"
The office itself was nothing special, it consisted of a desk, two armchairs and massive amounts of books that lined the walls. The elder brother walked over and reached under the desk to pull a small lever. He grinned at the sound of gears working and watched two of the book cases move apart revealing a door. Al pulled a small key out of his pocket to unlock and open it, and the Elrics entered their top secret workshop. The decent sized basement like room was filled with workbenches, tools, and tons of parts of many sorts. In the middle of the room up on a lift was a brand new Isotta Fraschini. Ed walked over to a wardrobe in the corner and pulled out a couple pairs of coveralls. Throwing one to his brother he took off his coat to change.
"Alright enough of your smart ass mouth, if you wanna get done in time to see your girlfriend tonight we gotta get working." He went to put his auto mail arm in the sleeve when there was a soft 'ping' sound as a screw hit the floor. Neither brother moved...untill..."Damnit Al! Thats the third time today! How hard is it to put in a screw?" He was flailing his arms like crazy and Al was afraid his entire arm might fall off.
"I'm sorry brother, but you know auto mail isnt my forte." Actually, neither of them had ever really mastered the art of auto mail. Which was a problem considering Edwards condition. The entire idea of becoming underground engineers was from the necessity of keeping Ed working properly. They never really grasped it but they knew enough so that he didnt completely fall apart, and as they researched simple mechanics, it grew to aviation and engine work. The boys, who had always been quick studies, quickly became experts, and once they did a few odd jobs around town (secretly of course) news of their exceptional work quickly spread. Since they were trying to keep a low profile, they didnt ask to many questions about their customers and the customers knew not to ask them any in return. The car the boys were about to work on was for an obviously well off customer (which is good becuase they needed to buy some more flour -.-) who was scheduled to pick it up at 10:30pm tonight. Al checked the clock as he begged his brother to sit still.
"Come on brother, we only have 6 hours to finish, so sit down and shut up." Ed was about to protest when he saw the time.
"Ok, just do it right this time ok? You dont want my arm to fall off and embarass you in front of the lovely Ms. Baby Jayne do ya?" Al blushed and pushed his brother off his seat.
"Yeah yeah, let's just get this done, alright?" Edward laughed and mock saluted his brother.
"Yes sir!"
By the time 10pm rolled around the brothers had finished the work on the high profile car and we're just putting the finishing cosmetic touches on it. Ed threw his polishing rag over his shoulder and threw himself into a chair in the corner. Sighing, he checked his old silver pocket watch.
"He's late" Al looked up.
"Only 5 minutes, relax Ed." As he spoke, a red light in the corner started flashing. Ed stood up and walked to the right side of the car lift.
"Speak of the devil." Al went to the intercom (His own idea/invention) and pressed the call button.
"Claire?" Moments later her Parisian voice filled the shop.
"La côte est clair mon amour." Ed rolled his eyes at his brother.
"Translation please, Romeo." Al crossed the room to a crank on the opposite wall with a smirk on his face.
"She said the coast is clear" He started to turn the crank and the ceiling above the car started to part, revealing the night sky, and a man is a newsboys cap.
"You're late O'Maley." Ed said as he turned the crank beside the car, lifting it to the alley above. The man laughed as he threw ramps underneathe the cars tires.
"Sorry Ed, but I was planning on paying Ms. Claire a visit. But she wouldnt let me inside." He said in a thick irish accent. Ed brought the car down on the ramps and started retracting the lift back down.
"You're wasting your breath, She's saving herself for Al."
"T-thats not true! Stop spouting lies brother!" The two older men laughed as O'Maley climbed into the driver seat and started the car. He peered his head out the window.
"Heads up you two." He dropped a parcel of money out the window into Al's awaiting hands. "See you gentlemen tomorrow!" He started to drive away but stopped and looked out the window once more. "Oh! I almost forgot! Happy birthday little man." He threw another box to the brothers and then drove off into the night. Ed closed the roof as Al opened his present.
"Well? What did the happy Irishmen get you?" Al opened the small velvet box to reveal a gold pocket watch with a Ford Model T etched onto it.
"Oh wow, this is really nice!" He handed his present to his brother.
"Yeah it is. That guy never ceases to amaze. Sometimes I wonder why Claire wont give him the time of day." He looked at his brother and smiled. "But then I remember she's a pedophile who only has eyes for you." He ruffled his annoyed brothers hair and opened the watch to get a better look, he then realized the time. "Oh, we need to go make ourselves presentable. Don't want to keep your date waiting." He handed Al back his watch and started for the stairs "You should wear that tonight." Al followed his brothers up the stairs past the bakery to their apartment. It was small but it had a nice veiw, and they really didnt need that much space to live. The brothers went to their respective rooms to get ready, Al, having never been to any kind of club before was getting more and more nervous by the second. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Claire yelled up the stairs to them.
"Dépêchez-vous les garçons! I need to lock up!"
"Alright alright, we're coming. Dont get your panties in a bunch." He knocked on his brothers door. "Come on Al, The Queen B as in Bitch is getting angry."
"Qu'avez-vous dit?" Ed laughed as Al stepped out of his room.
"You shouldn't tease her brother. It's not very nice."
"Aw, come on Al, don't be such a downer. We're going out tonight! We never get to have fun!" And with that he bounded down the stairs to the angry French woman.
Al sighed and followed his overly excited brother down the stairs. Edward and Claire were busy exchanging insults when he made his appearance. Claire took one look at him and gasped.
"OH! Tu es si beau! Where are you two off to all-" She looked Ed up and down skepticaly "Dressed up?"
"What was that look for?" Ed fumed, Al stepped in before more rolling pins were thrown.
"He's taking me out for my birthday." He smiled sheepishly at her.
"Qu'est-ce qu'un frère belle âgées!" She ruffled Ed's hair.
"Watch the hair lady!"
"Where is he taking you mon amour?" She smiled unknowingly as the brothers exchanged guilty looks before Ed decided to bite the bullet.
"Well...I... I mean we decided to check out the scene at the Dixie Club..." Claire smiled and blinked at them for so long they werent sure she had understood their english. Until there was a snap and all hell broke loose.
"Vous prenez mon homme gentil petit pour aller où?" She produced a wisk from out of nowhere and started chasing Ed about the bakery.
"It's really not that big of a deal Claire. It's just music and drinks." He tried to calm her down to no avail.
"Do you think I don't know what goes on there?" Ed escaped behind his younger brother, hissing at the woman. "It's no place for Doux petits garçons." Ed had had enough, He grabbed his brother by the arm and started to make his way out the door.
"For the last time, he's a man, not a 'sucrés petit garçon'. And we're going to watch scantily clad woman dance provocativly while pretending they can sing! We'll see you tomorrow Claire, have a LOVELY evening!" They boys left her standing there in complete shock as they started their way to the club.
"Don't you think that was a little harsh Ed?" The elder Elric shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged.
"She'll be fine. We'll just buy her a something nice and make you give it to her." Al sighed before a small smile creeped onto his face.
"Hey brother, you know who she reminds me of?" Ed rubbed the rolling pin inflicted bump on his head and the thought of a certain blonde crossed his mind.
"Yeah, I know." The brothers took a moment to reminence about the girl they had left behind who was like a sister to them. The sounds of laughter and rousing music broke through their memories. Al's stomache did a somersault and a positively evil smile spread acrross Ed's face.
"Well Petit bonhomme, time to enter manhood." Al gulped and followed his brother accross the street to the Dixie Club.
The club was a single red door with a blue handle and a small sign above that simply read "Dixie". Ed saw the look in his brothers eyes as he reached for the handle.
"Relax Al, it's just girls." He winked at him and then proceded to opened the door. What was beyond the threshold was like nothing Al had ever seen before, if he had to explain it with one word, it would be mesmerizing. There were people everywhere, men drank and talked loudly while waitresses dressed in "unofficial" American military uniforms, flirted and served drinks. The stage was pretty big, but empty for the time being except for a man playing some back ground music on a shiny black grand piano. Ed got his brothers attention and motioned for him to follow. They made their way through the crowd and found a small empty table to near the front of the stage. As soon as they sat down a tall leggy blonde waitress sidled up to their table.
"How ya'll doing tonight?" She put her hand on their table and leaned in seductively. Al thought he was gonna have a heart attack, lucky for him Ed was composed enough for the both of them.
"We're doing just fine, Ms.-?" He leaned in slightly with his question.
"Oh, you can just call me Bridget." She did a flimsy little salute and winked at him.
"Well Bridget, my names Edward and this is my younger brother Alphonse." He motioned to his brother who was busy having a silent stroke and said "We're actualy out celebrating." She looked genuinely curious.
"How exciting! What are you celebrating?"
"It's Al's 18th birthday." He slapped his brother on the back and you would have thought someone had just given Bridget 1million euros for the way she reacted.
"Really? Oh my thats so exciting! Well we'll just have to keep our guest of honor in mind tonight wont we?" Ed nodded in agreement.
"You know what Bridget? I was thinking the exact same thing." He motioned for her to lend him her hear. She bent down (revealing more then Al was prepared for) and Ed whispered something to her while lightly placing his gloved hand on her upper arm. When he was finished she leaned back a little and he graced her with a heart melting smile (which did the trick).
"Thats a brilliant idea!" She said placing her hand on his thigh. "Let me see what I can do." She winked again and then she was off.
"Wow brother, when did you get so good with women?" Ed leaned back in his chair and shrugged.
"What are you talking about? I've always had a way with the ladies." He tried to recline in his chair but quickly lost his balance and flailed a little before catching himself. He settled for clearing his throat and crossing his legs and arms nonchalantly. Al could only laugh at his odd brother, while wishing he had his gift of ease of conversation. Most everything Al said was accompanied with a stutter, lucky for him, most girls found that cute (Not that he knew that though). All of a sudden, scary realization hit him and he became serious.
"Ed...What did you whisper in her ear?" Ed just waved his brothers question off with a-
"Nothing that you need to hear about little buddy." Ed winked and Al almost threw up.
"I'm not your waitress girlfriend. That stupid crooked smile of yours doesnt work on me. Kind of just makes me wanna hit you for some reason." Ed narrowed his eyes. He would have made some sort of smart remark but the lights suddenly dimmed, signaling the start of the show. Bridget sauntered back to them with two drinks.
"You boys looked thirsty, so I took a shot in the dark. Gin and tonic alright?"
"T-thanks." Al silently cursed his stammer as she glided away from the table, but not without one more glance back at Ed, who simply lifted his glass slightly and smiled, which caused her to giggle like a school girl. Al was forced to dry heave again.
"Ok seriously, I'm gonna be sick." Ed rolled his eyes and sipped his drink.
"Stop your whining, its starting."
All the lights in the club went out momentarily, only the stage became illuminated, revealing a single man in an Army uniform and a microphone.
"Gentlemen of the Dixie club, I give you, without further ado, the one, the only, there never will be another," He paused for dramatic effect. "Baby Jayne." the soilder bowed off the stage and the drums started up. A sihlouette behind a shear curtain appeared, bouncing her hips along to the beat.
"Tarzan and Jayne were swingin on a vine
Candyman, Candyman
Sippin from a bottle of vodka double wine
Sweet, sugar, Candyman"
The band struck up, the curtain dropped, and there she was, dressed in a skimpy sky blue sailor outfit with a matching hat and red spiked heels. The boys jaws hit the floor as they both silently agreed that her posters didnt do her justice. Her jet black hair made her bright blue eyes pop, and her creamy skin, which covered her perfect chest, hips, and long legs, just seemed to beg for someone to touch her. She was smiling and showing off her perfectly straight white teeth and started singing;
"I met him out for dinner on a friday night
He really had me working up an appetite
He had tattoos up and down his arms
Theres nothing more dangerous then a boy with charm"
She danced in perfect synchronization with her back up singers as they harmonized with her, but her voice was so powerful and clear that it stuck out easily. Al stared in complete awe and nearly keeled over whe she winked and blew a kiss in his direction. Ed, vigilant as ever, had noticed someting more then her sex apeal (Although it was almost impossible to ignore. Especially when she shook her hips like that...)
"He's a one stop shop, makes my panties drop
He's a sweet talking sugar coated candy man." The song and dance continued, getting more provacative by the second and riling the crowed till the very end.
The starlet bowed and smiled her dazling smile, grabbing the microphone.
"You boys really know how to make a girl feel welcome." She teased, and the all male crowed responded loudly. She tried calming them down before continuing. "Now, I know you're all as eager as I am to continue with the show, but first, a little birdie tells me we have a very special guest with us tonight." with this announcement she looked straight at the Elric brothers. Als cheeks burned red and his eyes became as wide as saucers. She walked forward with her hand outstreched and was promptly carried off the stage. As she glided towards them, her eyes locked on Al's, Ed's earlier suspisions became clearer as he saw a trace of sadness in her deep blue iris's. She approaced Al (Who by this time was clearly having trouble breathing correctly) and bent over, obviously no accident where her cleavage ended up, and asked in a silky voce "Heya big boy, is it by any chance your birthday?" Al pointed a shakey confused finger at himself, clearly unable to form any words, and nodded silently. She smiled at his shyness, in earnest Ed noticed, and softly cuped his face with one of her lovely hands. "What a handsome little heartbreaker you are! I bet you have almost every girl in Paris crying themselves to sleep over you every night!" He tried his best to disagree as she stood up and ran her fingers accross his shoulder and walked around behind him to situate herself between the brothers. "Don't be modest, It's always been a dream of mine to be the envy of every girl in France." With this she dramaticaly tossed the microphone over her shoulder, grabbed Al's face and planted a big kiss right on his lips. The crowed cheered and she finally broke away with a big cheesy smile on her face. She then arched her back and bent over slowly to pick up the disregaurded microphone which had landed at Ed's feet. When no one was paying attention to her face, her smile disappeared and she adressed Ed without the mic
"Fullmetal huh?" Her gaze met his stunned one and he once again saw sadness disrupt her otherwise perfect face. "Such a strange name."
Before Ed could even blink, let alone question her, she spun back around to her audience and adressed the bar. "Ladies! Get these boys another around, they look as if they're dying of thirst!" a "Yes ma'am!" was heard throughout the club "In fact, keep em coming all night. On the house!" She smiled at Al one last time before struting back to her stage, without looking back once, leaving both brothers speachless for completely different reasons. Ed leaned forward and watched the mesmerizing swaying of her hips, millions of questions invading his mind, one in particular being,
"Who the hell is this woman?"
End of the first chapter! Well I really hope you enjoyed it, and now that I have this posted I can finally explain a few things
1. The song in the prolouge is called Love Affair by Regina Spektor. It's really what this whole fic was based off of. It was my sole inspiration :)
2. Thank you Christina Aguilera for Back to Basics. The feel of the songs from this album really fit with the atmosphere I'm trying to create around Jayne, So I may use more of them in later chapters (Fair warning :)
Please R&R, and if you have any questions feel free to ask!
Thanx,
GAIP =]