Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal alchemist.

THREE

The skull ended up being a fake but even then there hadn't been any more murders since then. It was surprisingly quiet since then without any strange disappearances as well. Ed knew it was only a matter of time and that it was just the calm before the storm. Anyone that killed children was really sick and didn't just stop like that. No, they needed somebody to come along to stop them. He remembered Barry the Chopper and knew that it took intervention to stop his senseless murders of woman as well.

Since then Haydyn had turned a year old and was babbling more. She was walking and attempting to make words that he could understand. He didn't get her often though. Most thirteen month olds weren't as smart as her and they didn't imagine things. Or so Ed seemed to think. When she played, she liked to do so alone and Ed was worried that her being with only parent was making her turn out weird. He even shared that to Knox as he was always there to listen to his ramblings no matter how stupid they seemed to other people and sometimes, even to himself.

"Ed, it looks too early for her to have an imaginary friend but from the way you explained it, that is what she seems to have. It's eerie and I think you should watch her for now."

Ed just nodded.

"Imaginary friend huh? That could explain why her vocabulary has been oddly good for a thirteen month old as well."

Dr. Knox just looked at him.

"How so? Whenever she's here she hardly talks and doesn't show off any abnormality you have seen but you know her best." He knew it was true even though Ed may disagree. He was the girl's daddy. He had to know her more than anybody else.

"Like I said it doesn't happen all the time but the other day she was in the backyard and I was watching her. She was digging in the dirt so I just assumed she was playing as usual but I didn't notice that she was creating a complicated transmutation circle with the stick in her hand and if that was bad enough, she tips her head to the left and goes, 'yah papa.' That just creeps me out!"

Knox stayed silent for a moment. It was weird that something like that would happen but didn't the other children that ended up murdered have parents that had died as well? Hell he didn't know about the others but Mika had claimed that her parents would talk to her. It couldn't be that bad but she needed to be watched more closely. Pausing, he gave Ed a look before he decided to ask the question that was on his mind no matter how fearful it may be.

"What was the circle? What was it?"

Ed sighed.

"It was the same exact duplicate as the one on Roy's gloves. Can't you see why I'm worried? She's talking to invisible people, which makes me more convinced that it's something to worry about AND she is drawing her papa's circle."

All Knox could do was stare. It scared him to think that Haydyn was doing any of those things but he decided that it wouldn't be a problem at the moment. Yes, they should definitely watch her but she was not heading in a wrong direction. She could however could have made an imaginary friend in order to cope with whatever it was she was going through. Little kids did the weirdest things but not like this.

Whatever it was, he only hoped that she grew out of it and fast.

It appeared to only worsen as she got older and once she didn't even want to go to her grandpa's house yelling, "Papa say no go." Ed was really worried and called into work to get it off claiming that he was sick just to talk to the girl.

He sat her down and watched how she was now calm. Her hair was pulled to the top of her head in a ponytail tied in a green bow and she had a matching shirt with a jean skort complete with green flip flops. She was the definition of cute and only made him all the more worried that she would be a heart breaker like her papa. She was too young to think about that though and he had bigger fish to fry. Namely who she was talking to. She was twenty months old by now and was talking a lot more. Hell it scared him because she talked like a normal three year old and had a clear understanding of what he was saying on most days.

"Tell me Haydyn, who are you talking to?"

She smiled and put a finger up to her mouth.

"It a secwet," she told him with a small smile.

Like hell it was, he had wanted to say. He knew it was scaring him and she didn't seem to understand that she shouldn't be talking to invisible people. Didn't she see that? The ones that were murdered also had had one or both parents that were murdered as well. He would have to look it up but he was sure once the person was dead, they stayed dead. They didn't leave their spirit behind and talk with their child nor did they try to protect her. No he had to stop thinking it. Why would Haydyn be using the flame symbol in the back yard so much? He had to remove it several times and each time he did, Haydyn looked like she was going to pout. Of course that was before she said, "you're ruining papa's magic to keep us safe dada."

"It's not a secret Haydyn. I want to know why you are doing this. Do you want to scare your daddy? She shook her head. "Then why?"

"But daddy I not do anything. I keep us safe with papa's circle."

Ed's eyes nearly popped out. He eyed her but she refused to budge. What was it about a circle and the murders? Sighing he scooped her up and took both their coats making sure to put them on her before placing his own on himself. She looked confused, her eyes only lighting up when he grabbed her hand and took a walk down the street. Did that mean they were going to visit Uncle Alphonse? She didn't know but she didn't want to talk.

Her daddy just didn't understand why she was doing what she did. She didn't either but when she wanted to tell him more, her papa told her that daddy wouldn't understand. He didn't understand because he didn't understand the dead like she did. She wished her papa was still alive but she was happy to see him. She knew that daddy woke up wishing he were alive as well. He wouldn't tell her anything about the dead children around the country and the only thing he didn't mention was a circle to keep her and daddy safe over and over again. She was told to stay away from grandpa's house no matter what for now and that her grandpa would understand. He had lots of work to do anyways. Papa was smart and funny, she didn't know why he died on her but he was here with her now wasn't he?

They were in the apartment and Haydyn slipped in, hugging the kitten before giving her Uncle Alphonse an even bigger hug. He looked happy. She knew he was because he was making a difference by helping helpless babies like her. She tipped her head to the side and allowed a small smile to grace her lips. Papa was allowed here too. That was good. He couldn't help her in grandpa's house and she didn't understand but he said she would later. She didn't like how papa thought she was too little to know these things.

Auntie Winry came over and she hugged her with the same amount of strength as she had done with Alphonse. Alex was taking a nap so she chose not to bother him. She saw Uncle Al frown from what daddy told him but didn't pay attention to it too much. Papa said that they were worried because they didn't know. Papa told her to try to act normal but she didn't know how. All she knew was papa somehow died but he was still here talking to her. She discovered it one day when they had found the little girl Mika and found that she could suddenly stand on her own. She was having problems too. Her daddy was sure happy then.

"Hey Haydyn. Is it true that you're talking to your papa?" Aunt Winry asked.

Haydyn nodded before seeing her papa frown. Was she not supposed to let her Auntie know that? Oops.

"What does papa say?" Uncle Al prodded. She looked down a moment before shaking her head.

"I no tell."

They looked at her weirdly before Al put a smile on his face and pat her shoulder. She knew papa didn't want them to know because they couldn't understand. She couldn't say what they wanted to hear and even though he was okay with her telling daddy, he shouldn't know everything as well. She blinked in confusion.

"Why can't you say anything Haydyn? If papa told you something, we would listen. He tells you some important things right?" Aunt Winry continued.

She didn't believe in papa before he died though. She and Al didn't want papa to be with daddy until after papa died and then they saw. They saw how happy he made daddy. Daddy would never be happy without papa and they were hoping that meant he could see papa again. It couldn't happen and that's why papa wanted her to say little as possible. Because papa was only keeping them safe and then he would go back to being gone.

"Papa is gone." If anything it made daddy sad to hear her say that.

But papa was sad whenever daddy was. She remembered whenever daddy was asleep. Papa couldn't touch him like he wanted to either because he just went right through. He couldn't tell him he loved him either because daddy couldn't hear it. She wished that it was daddy who could see papa but for some reason it was only her. Why? Papa said because her soul was young and that they had no evil that they could believe. When you're older, there was less trust, less innocence, and more skepticism. That was why daddy couldn't see him.

"Papa love you dada." She watched her daddy break down without a stray thought. He was wanting to hear that right? Even though he had died, she knew he wanted to know that he didn't hate him beyond death.

"How could you see papa Haydyn. Did he tell you?" Papa disappeared though and Haydyn didn't know what to say anymore. She shook her head, her big midnight blue eyes looking wide and innocent.

She heard Winry sigh.

"Ed I think she has an imaginary friend. Don't fret. She never saw her papa because he had died when she was less than a day old. She can't say what he even looks like-"

"Papa have dark hair. Like mine. He has dark eyes. He taller than dada. My papa in the army." She knew she shouldn't have done that but underneath it all, she wanted her daddy to believe that papa really did love him. Because he cried every night wondering if he hated him for the fact that he got to live while papa died.

She didn't want daddy to think that any longer.

Later, Ed left Haydyn in Al's care deciding it would be best to see Dr. Knox again. He could say that he was a little shock a little bit but only because the girl had flat out described the flame alchemist in only a way that a small girl may. She wasn't even three years old and yet she had a good vocabulary. Why would the flame alchemist appear to his daughter now of all times? He didn't understand. Why would children be killed off as well? They didn't deserve to die any more than Roy deserved to have never held his baby.

What was Haydyn doing though describing him accurately? Did she see his picture? That had to be it because there was no way his daughter was actually seeing the dead alchemist. It just didn't happen. Sighing, he knocked on Knox's door, happy when he opened up. He noticed that the younger Knox wasn't there but decided not to say anything about it. She still wasn't opening up to her Uncle Marcus though and that had Ed bothered. She screamed whenever he had come close and Knox had taken to taking care of her. Him or his wife. What was Marcus's problem though? He seemed to hate that as well but he couldn't blame the girl.

"Hey."

"Haydyn described him. I don't even remember showing her his picture but she got it right. She said he had dark hair and eyes, was in the military even. She didn't know that because I tend to avoid telling her. Hell Knox what is going on-"

"I think I know what the issue is. It is a thing not well known by alchemist though. It is ancient and you probably would find it hard to believe. A child loses her mother and months later to even a year and suddenly the child can see her and even talks to her. It has been untested because only the child can see who it is. It does go away but my guess would be because of a sudden incident and alchemical energy is so big that all of a sudden they get to see their lost loved one. Maybe Haydyn can too. I know there's been a lot of recent alchemical reaction and they are based around the murders-"

"You mean an alchemist is murdering these poor small children?" Ed hated the idea that some person would be going around injuring them on purpose but knowing now that it was possible that they knew alchemy it would be a whole lot worse.

"They didn't tell you that?" Knox looked surprised. "Those cuts weren't just done with a knife. They are too straight. Knives usually leave jagged tears in the tissue but I saw neither in any case that I have been doing-"

"What about some type of protection circle? Now that I think about it, it's similar to the Flame's alchemic circle but it's also different as well. Haydyn has been real upset whenever I dig it away but whenever I come to see what she is doing, she always places another one and says that papa told her to so that we can stay safe. So is there any-"

Knox shook his head in a wry grin.

"You're asking someone who isn't an alchemist Edward. Try your brother, hell, try the girl's nana. One of them would be able to know. I have no knowledge of an-wait what does it look like again." Ed was surprised by the complete 160 in which Knox suddenly took. He took out a thick volume and leafed through the book before coming to a circle which Ed noticed greatly. His daughter had been drawing that for months.

"What is that?"

"Mustang told me about it. He was studying alchemy longer than you have and one thing he said was if all other security fails, this seal wouldn't fail. I have a hidden hunch that whoever is trying to break in has been using alchemy as well. Can you explain anything else which would be able to get children that had previously been safe in their bed? Damn either Haydyn really is smart or that damned man is trying to protect you guys even after his death." Ed found tears falling from his eyes at hearing that. He fell to his knees knowing that there wasn't a doubt the depth of love Roy would do in order to keep him safe. He had done so in the past as well.

"Why would he be here though? Why can't he just rest in peace and leave me to protect our daughter? Does he trust me at all…?"

"Ed I think what he doesn't trust is the monsters out there trying to kill her. Be reasonable. He wouldn't have given his life for your daughter if he hated you." Knox quickly reassured him.

"That's what Haydyn said," Ed realized with a start. "She said papa loves you dada. Did she know? How can she be so smart? I know that she was having problems with development before this even happened so why is she suddenly so smart? Why does it have to be her that gets to see Roy? Doesn't he realize how much I miss him? That bastard! Even dead, he can't stay in the ground. I'm sorry, I really am but I don't want him to care anymore. I want to hate him but I can't if he makes me love him so much more than I already do. What would he be succeeding in doing by creating the seals anyways?"

"It is much peskier than you may believe but children are the innocents of the world. Somebody believes that by using the blood stained by the innocence, they can create an alchemical power far evil than anything you could believe.-"

"Worse than Dante?" Ed questioned.

If this sick monster was worse than Dante, what were they using children for again? Oh yeah, because they were the innocence of the world and they needed a certain number to obtain immortality. Sounded like a stupid romance novel to him.

"Why would the seal come into play though?"

"I think you should start listening to Haydyn and let her keep the seals up. An evil being with more evil running through his veins. This person needs the blood of innocence to stay alive. I can't believe this. Ed do me a favor and keep Haydyn safe. Do me that favor okay?"

Ed nodded.

That was the only thing he could do that would not only make Knox happy but Roy wouldn't be able to rest it seemed if Haydyn was hurt. Roy couldn't be happy if his baby was being targeted. Ed managed a small smile at that. Even if he couldn't see Roy, the man was still there to keep everything from falling apart.

God he missed the man dearly. If only he were alive.

A/N: Please review and let me know how it is.