It didn't take much for Roy to get the OK to take off a few days to go up north with Edward. He'd never taken vacation time before, and as there was no crisis going on at the moment…he was set.

Roy was determined to get Ed out of Central. Really, going north was just a random decision; anywhere away from everything that had happened would do. He had some questions for the boy, and Roy didn't think he would answer them unless he was far away.

First and foremost, Roy had to know who had sold Edward. He couldn't shake the hunch that the blonde knew, and just wasn't saying. The only reason for this would be because Ed didn't feel safe—he thought whoever it was would come back if he said anything. So hopefully getting Edward away from Central (and presumably the man who had sold him) would make him more comfortable.

Second, there was something wrong with Alphonse. Edward used to be close to his younger brother, which made sense—they had lost pretty much everyone but each other. But now, Ed never mentioned Al, and Roy hadn't seen them speaking since the day Edward was found. Considering the blonde had just recently given up his ability to perform alchemy for his brother, this lack of communication was even stranger. Add that to the terrified look Roy had seen on Ed's face when Alphonse was in the room, and…well, Roy didn't know what it added up to. Which was why he had to talk to Edward about it, preferably away from Al.

Sighing at the thoughts swirling around in his head, Roy checked his bag—he had everything he needed—and went to pick up Edward.

He didn't precisely rush to the hospital, where Ed was supposed to be waiting, having been discharged that morning, but Roy did get there fairly quickly. He wanted some answers, and, hell, why not admit it? He wanted to see if he could make the boy smile again. Roy had never really thought about how enjoyable Edward's irritating remarks and cheeky grin were (in fact, he had often wished the boy would just shut up) until they were gone, replaced with the nervousness the blonde could not seem to shake.

"I'm here to pick up Edward Elric," he told the nurse at the desk. Odd, he had expected to see Ed in the waiting room…

"Oh, he's down the hall, in an empty room—room 107," she said, gesturing. "His brother came, wanted to discuss something with him in private."

"Well," Roy murmured, pushing away from the desk, "that's unusual."

Reaching room 107, he stopped, leaning close to the crack of the door, and listened to the voices inside. He couldn't make out specific words—but he could distinguish Ed from Al, and hear the frantic tones of the former…

"Please leave!" Edward begged, as far away from Alphonse as possible in that tiny room. "I'm not going to say anything!"

"Oh, don't worry," his brother answered, slowly stepping forward and causing Ed's breathing to falter. "I know you won't…provided that your own safety is enough of an incentive."

"It is," Edward said, desperate to get Al to leave. "I don't want to go through that again…" he failed to suppress a shudder.

Alphonse grinned nastily. "As much as I want to believe you, there's just so much at stake right now. I can't have you blabbing. So, I thought I'd give you a little more motivation. I'm not blind, Brother." Ed winced at the word. "You're doing well, not talking to anyone…except Mustang. And, you know, should something slip out…he would be able to make life pretty hard for me."

"I told you, I won't—"

"Shut up!" Al snarled.

Roy's mind was a blank—he heard that last bit clearly enough, Edward promising not to do something and Alphonse yelling at him. Only one thought was coherent: What the actual fuck?

"Now," Alphonse continued, composure regained. "I don't know how close you are to him—not that close, certainly…you can't even let anyone hug you…but he should be a good target."

"No!" Ed gasped, unable to stay silent.

"Yes, Brother. I'm not going to do anything to him—unless you talk. If that happens, well, I'm sure that lovely…" Al sidled up to Edward as he said this, cupping his brothers face and causing Ed to cry out, eyes wide with a fear beyond words. "…muscular body of his would be quite popular with your old friends, don't you agree? His alchemy might be a problem, though. He won't give it up so easily, no, I'd have to cut off his hands first. No hands, no snapping his fingers in those gloves of his. Maybe once he was broken in a little you could watch him be taken like a whore—"

"NO!" This time, Edward screamed. Swiftly, eyes shining with anger, Alphonse punched him in the stomach, causing his brother to double over, moaning.

That was enough. Roy didn't know exactly what was going on in there, but it wasn't good. He tried the door—locked. He stepped back, leaned forward, ready to break it down…

"Oh, look, Brother, someone's coming to your rescue." Alphonse said, as the doorknob rattled. "Don't forget what I said."

He opened the door to see Mustang about to force it open. Without a word of explanation, he walked away.

Edward was still on the floor. Roy watched Al depart, wanting desperately to chase after him, ask him what had happened and what had he done—but no, he needed to make sure Ed was okay.

Evidently, he wasn't. When Roy bent down, tears were streaming down the blonde's face. "Edward," he said, placing a hand on Ed's back, "what in the world was that?"

Edward had to think fast. He couldn't tell Roy the truth, couldn't put him in danger like that. Deranged as Alphonse was now, he still knew Ed…still, apparently, remembered the confession Edward had made about Roy.

No, he couldn't let the man get hurt. And so Edward made something up.

"Stomachache," the boy said weakly. Immediately Roy was alert—that was easily the lamest excuse he had ever heard. "I was just talking to Al and it started hurting. That's why I screamed…"

"Uh huh," Roy said, helping Edward to his feet. "And why did Alphonse just leave then?"

"He knows you're angry with him," Ed explained slowly, "and he thought you would blame him, and didn't want to deal with it, so he left."

Alarm bells went off in Roy's head left and right. This was wrong, so wrong. Edward was absolutely petrified of his brother—Roy could see it in his eyes. But why? He hadn't really been alone with Alphonse since he was sold. Roy had a vague suspicion he knew what had happened, but couldn't believe it enough to acknowledge the possibility that Al had—no, it was impossible.

He hoped.

"C'mon, then, Ed." Roy paused, then took hold of Edward's hand. The boy looked up at him, confused but not seeming uncomfortable. That was good, then—hand-to –hand contact was apparently not threatening. It was a start. "Let's get to the train station."