Author's Note: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, and this story is not for profit.

Author's Note: I'd like to thank the people that followed and favorited the first chapter, as well as Anonymous J for reviewing!

Two

"You've been so busy, Mr. Greed. You should really take a break."

Greed didn't need to look up to know that it was Martel that had spoken. The only female in his gang of chimeras, she was also the only person who would suggest something so personal, something the rest of the male chimeras would never dare to do.

"You don't need to take a break from doing what you love." Greed said, looking over financial sheets. He really had accumulated quite a bit of money, which he spread out over banks all around the world.

"Well said, Boss." Said one of the others, a chimera named Roa. "Say, whatever happened to that dancer you sent all those presents to? Did she-"

He stopped abruptly, wondering, since he had never seen her, if perhaps she had turned Greed down. No, that couldn't be possible. But if it were…would Greed be angry at his bringing it up?

Luckily, Greed shot him a toothy grin. "Still in development, pal." Greed really didn't get angry as often as people might think; he usually had to be provoked to it.

"Oh, I see. Shame you must wait so long."

"Not really. Money, women, power. Those all great, but the pursuit is half the fun. Great things take time. People always assume that because I'm greedy I'm also impatient, which isn't true at all. I can wait. There are some things that I've waited years for."

Greed looked up and saw everyone looking at him, listening. He had forgotten that he wasn't speaking to himself. Putting his papers down, he balled his hands into fists and stretched, bringing himself to his full height and rocking on the balls of his feet. He sighed in relief. "What time is it?" He asked no one in general.

"11:30." and "Almost midnight." Were the simultaneous answers from around the room.

Greed laughed, scratching his back. "Just one answer is fine, guys." He glanced around. "I'm gonna head out for a while. Watch over the place… and people better be having fun in here when I get back. I want to hear the music from the street before I even step foot back inside."

"You got it, sir."

Greed left the steps and hurried out through the streets that were still wet from rain.

….

Beth wondered if she would need her coat, but when she got outside she realized that it must have quit raining hours ago. All around her other students were trickling out of the library, which closed at midnight.

She was making sure it was safe to cross both sides of the street when a voice from behind made her turn and jump.

"Hey."

It was him. His legs were crossed and he was leaning against the wall of a building looking extremely comfortable.

"What do you want?" She said, a little squeakier than she had intended.

"I thought it was obvious. I came to see you."

She quietly took a pencil out of her coat pocket. It hadn't been sharpened in a while, but surely she would be able to inflict enough damage to get away if he came near her?

He laughed as if he could read her thoughts. "Oh come on, if you really wanted to hurt me, that pencil wouldn't even leave a scratch, trust me."

"What do you want?"

"Well, I was going to ask if you wanted to come to a party at my place tonight."

"At the 'Devil's Nest'?"

"You remembered! I thought maybe you must have forgotten since you didn't call."

She made a split–second decision. Lunging for him, she curled her hand into a fist and aimed for his face. Before she could even touch him he had her hand above his in the air. But she had been counting on that, and quickly, with her pencil hand, she jabbed the pencil into his throat.

Blood oozed out of the wound but for some reason he had yet to drop her hand.

To her horror, he smiled. Curling his hand around hers, he brought both their hands up to the pencil, which they pulled out of his throat together. "I believe this is yours?" He said, handing the pencil to her, which was still dripping with blood.

"Thanks." She said, and everything went black.

…..

She woke up in the same area where she had passed out. They were still in front of the library, but now they were sitting on a ledge outside of the building. His arm was around her and he was pushing the hair away from her face with cold hands.

"Ah, you're awake. That was some tumble you took."

She rubbed her eyes, feeling a bit groggy. She tried to push him away but he wouldn't let her. "Let go of me." She growled.

"Nah. It's pretty cold outside. If you're not careful you could get sick."

"You're not warm." She muttered, and he laughed and let go of her.

He stretched both his hands along the back of the bench. "Fine, have it your way."

She prodded her head gently, feeling for any bruises. "Where did I fall? I could have a concussion."

"You really think I would have just watched as a lady fell on the ground and hit her head? I'm not that unsophisticated. "

"So you caught me?"

"Sure did."

The thought of him holding her made her want to pass out all over again. She stood up to leave.

"You can thank me later, I guess."

"I'll be going now."

He got up with her. "Hey wait! Isn't it customary to give a guy a kiss when he does something noble?"

"Who told you that?"

"Past experience." He said as if it were obvious.

He was wearing a different outfit tonight than when she had danced with him at the ball. He still had the fingerless black leather gloves, and the black boots and pants. But instead of a long black coat he was wearing a fur-lined vest and a black shirt underneath which left both of his muscular arms quite bare.

She had been well aware of his height, but looking at his muscular arms now for the first time she knew that outfighting him was simply not an option. And of course, the fact that he had pulled a pencil out of his neck and didn't even have a scar had to mean something.

"What do you want?"

"You." He smiled.

She stared at him, face completely stoic, and his smile slowly faded.

"Well, er, short term I wanted you to come with me tonight. But after what just happened, you might not feel up to it, so how about you let me walk you home? The streets can be mean at this hour to a pretty lady like you."

"I'm fairly sure that you are the type of reason why women are afraid to walk alone at night."

"You've got it all wrong, sweetheart. I would never hurt a woman. That's just not the kinda guy that I am."

She was feeling a little dizzy still. Whether or not what he was saying was true, without assistance she probably wouldn't be able to protect herself if she encountered any other dangers, thanks to her headache.

"Ok."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. But you have to agree to tell me why the pencil didn't hurt you, and why you told me at the ball that you weren't human."

"Deal. But I'll wait until we're at your door just in case you don't keep your end of the deal."

"Whatever." She muttered as they made their way back to her house.

When she told him her address, he told her he knew a shortcut, but halfway through their walk she realized they were taking the long way around.

The corner of his mouth crooked upward when she voiced her suspicions. "It depends on which way you look at it. And this way you've learned a new way to get home in case you can't go your usual way."

"I'm not really sure I would ever say to myself, 'Hmm. Today I think I'll take the dark way through all the back alleys that that creepy stalker guy showed me.' She said. Looking around, she really was glad of his presence. He was taking her through some areas of the city that she had never seen before and not really ever wanted to see to begin with. And although he looked as rough as any of the suspicious characters that they crossed, she knew that, at least for the moment, he wouldn't hurt her. He was on her side, and he looked as if he could probably hold his own against any of these people.

In fact, in the short time since she had met him and spent time with him, she had never met a man who was more full of contradictions. At times he was both gallant and indelicate, gentle and violent, humorous and dark, selfish but well-aware. Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, she watched as he stepped over a puddle and then reached up to touch a hanging sign over a shop. It was strange. He was like someone who was not exactly stuck somewhere between boy and man, but someone who was fully fledged with bits of both.

She turned quickly away but he caught her glance. "What?"

"I'm just wondering…what are you?"

He jerked his chin towards the doorway. "This your place?" He asked, ignoring her question.

She looked and saw that they were at her apartment. She lived in a small apartment above a candy store.

"Yes."

He smiled. "Then I guess I can tell you now."

"Well?"

"Aren't you gonna invite me in first?"

"NO!" Beth shouted. Then she looked around, hoping she hadn't woken anyone. She hadn't meant to say it so loudly. "No." She whispered more quietly this time.

He twisted his finger in his ear as if he were trying to clean the sound out. "Sheesh. No need to screech. I was just asking."

"Sorry." She said, actually meaning it a little. After all, he hadn't really been rude. He was actually very polite, albeit persistent. He was forcing her to be the rude one, and she hated that.

"Fine. You go to the library a lot?"

"Every night." She replied, wondering where this was going.

"Every night? Who the hell in their right mind would go to the library every night? Or any night, for that matter…" He leaned his elbow against the doorframe, his head in his hand.

She shrugged her shoulders, surprised at how hurt she was by his comments. "I like to learn."

"So go to school or something."

"I can't. I'm under contract as a dancer for my two managers. I have practice everyday."

"So go to night school or something."

"That would mean leaving practice early and my mangers definitely wouldn't allow that."

"What are they, your bosses?"

"Pretty much. They make all my decisions for me."

"I would never let anyone boss me around. Being your own boss is the best thing in the world."

"Good for you."

"Hmm. What are your bosses' names?"

"Errol and Adaline. Why?"

"No reason. "

"Okay…" She thought he might answer her unspoken question as most people would at such an obvious grasp for more, but he just stared back at her, arms crossed, looking somehow both bored and amused at the same time. "So…what about the library?"

"Oh, right. What do you know about alchemy?"

"Not very much. Nothing at all really."

"Well, since you won't let me inside, I'll just tell you this: Read about it. Mainly the forbidden parts."

"…Alright."

"Heh heh. You'll see what I mean. And then you'll let me inside, because you'll really be curious then. Trust me."

"Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't exactly have a trustworthy face."

Laughing he tried to pinch her cheek, but she swatted his hand away. "Stay beautiful, doll. Don't ever change."

Turning away, he waved his hand goodbye without looking back.

…

The librarian, who knew her very well by now, raised his eyebrows when she asked for any books he had on alchemy.

Most of the books he gave her were generic, introduction to alchemy for beginners and the like, and Beth found it to be mostly dull reading.

When she brought them back to the librarian, and asked for the juicy, forbidden stuff that alchemists weren't supposed to do, he glanced over his shoulder quite nervously and then said very loudly, "No we don't have any books about training horses at the moment, but I can have some ordered as soon as possible." And then, leaning down close to her, he whispered, "Those books are forbidden for civilians, the only place you can find something like that is from the military's archives, or if you happen to have a friend who collects rare and forbidden books." He face softened when he saw how hers fell at his words. "Cheer up, Beth. What would a nice girl like you want with something like that anyway?"

"I don't want to use it. I'm just looking for answers. I guess now I need to make some shady friends."

The librarian frowned; he was clearly as upset at her disappointment as she was.

But the next night, when she went back to the library and asked to collect the books she had put on hold, and went to one of the tables to start studying, she noticed a book that she had not requested in her pile.

The cover was dark blue, and had no title or name of the author.

A note fell out when she opened the first page.

"You're a nice girl, and you've been coming to my library for years now. And any time books are shared, that normally constitutes some sort of friendship, right?" It was the librarian's handwriting.

She glanced up from the note towards the librarian, who winked at her and then went back to stamping books as if nothing had happened.

She smiled to herself, and swore to never turn a book in late again.

…..

"So did you take my advice?" Days later, he was leaning against the same spot where he had met her last time, outside of the library late at night.

"I did, actually."

Sliding his foot down the wall, he pushed himself off and stepped into rhythm with her as she made her way through the streets.

"And?"

"Well, there was a lot of stuff in the book, most of it I didn't really understand, but I read one interesting chapter, about beings called Homunculi."

He rubbed his hands together enthusiastically. "Oh boy, now we're getting somewhere."

She stopped in her tracks and turned to look up at him. "It can't be true, can it? That you're a homunculus?"

As she had noticed usually happened when he was asked something serious, he appeared flustered for a moment. "What do you think?"

They locked eyes for a moment, before she finally looked away and started walking again.

"I don't know." She said, not looking at him anymore but still feeling his gaze on the side of her face. "I mean, I know that those things are forbidden, that they were myths to begin with. But…"

"But?"

"…I also know what I saw. I saw you heal more quickly than it would be possible for a human to do. And of course, there is the symbol on your hand."

"You noticed that?"

"Of course."

They were at her apartment now; they stopped in front of her doorway after climbing up the steps.

"So are you a homunculus?"

"Yes."

Her keys jingled as she unlocked her creaky door. "So you're a monster."

"Hey, hey, hey. " Putting out an arm against the doorway he blocked her path inside. "That's not a nice thing to call someone."

"Well, aren't you?" She said quietly, putting a hand on his arm and trying to gently nudge it down.

His skin, which was usually cold, was warm to the touch; she realized that right now her hands were freezing. When she touched him she felt his bicep twinge just a bit, and to her amazement, he got out of her way.

"I guess it depends on who you ask. But no, we aren't monsters. No more than you humans are."

She went inside, expecting that he would follow, but he just stood there, so tall his head almost touched the top of the doorway. "So are you going to invite me in?"

"What are you a vampire or something? Do you need an invitation to come inside?"

He grinned, ducking his head and stepping inside, his footsteps surprisingly quiet despite his boots. "Nope."

He was probably thinking the same thing that she had just realized: that he had wanted her to specifically ask him to come inside, to show that she wanted him to.

Making her way through the house, she set her books down, and then went to boil some water on the stove for tea. "So…are the other things true as well? Chimeras and resurrection? Philosopher's stones?"

"Yep. All of it. Must have been some book you got there." He went into the living room and sat on her sofa, stretching out his long longs and putting his hands behind his head with a yawn. In this homey environment, she thought, he somehow managed to look even more menacing than usual. "Nice place ya got here. Kinda small for my taste, but I guess it still looks pretty classy. How's a lady as young as you are afford a place this nice?"

"I'm glad you like it." She said sarcastically. "And I don't. It's not actually mine; it's my managers'. They own it and I just live here. They pretty much own me, too. "

"How's that?"

"Everything I do is for them. I practice all day and then do performances. It all goes to them. All the money and such."

"You could always stop, ya know."

"I'm under contract. I can't stop."

"Ah." He said. He looked around for a bit. "Hey, look at that!" He pointed up to the wall, where chirping overhead was the exotic bird from Xing that he had sent her. "You got my presents. I was worried they maybe got lost in the mail or something."

Still in the kitchen, stirring some sugar into the tea leaves, she scowled. "Of course it was you who sent them. I had forgotten to ask."

"Looks like you liked them." Turning his head back and forth, he scanned the room. "Where are the rest of them?"

"In that box over there in the corner."

"What? Why?!"

"I don't want any of them."

"How come?"

Walking slowly, so as not to spill the steaming cup, she said, "Well first off, they are too expensive. Second, and most importantly, they are from you."

She sat down the sofa as far away from him as possible, but in one easy movement he slid over to her side right next to her, resting his arm around the back of the sofa behind her shoulders and sitting so close she could see her reflection in his eyes.

Don't panic. Don't panic. Just go with it, it's just the person that he is. No respect for peop-

"But you kept the bird." He said softly in her ear.

She hoped he didn't hear her very nervously clear her throat before she spoke. "Well," she began, just as quietly as he had, "the bird and I are friends now. I named him Timmy. So…" she looked down at her tea as she trailed off.

"Where's the cage? The cage was more expensive then the bird was."

It was true; the gilded ornate cage the bird had arrived in was in the box with the rest the presents. Timmy the bird was now in a larger, more comfortable (but uglier) steel cage.

"I thought it was cruel. It doesn't matter how beautiful the cage was, it was still a cage. And a small one. Why try to disguise it? I let him out mostly now, I only lock him up when I'm gone for a while."

He gave her a strange look, as if he were thinking hard about something. "Hmm."

"Isn't there some kind of rule?" She kept going at his confused gaze. "I mean, aren't what you are…"

"…a homunculus…"

"…right. That. Aren't you supposed to be secret? Wouldn't the alchemist who created you be angry that you are telling me all of this?"

"Maybe. I could care less. He's not my boss anymore and I make my own choices and do what I want. I don't live by any rules."

There was a long silence as they sat for a while and listened to Timmy chirp.

"Listen, Mr... I don't belong in your world. This crazy stuff, it's dangerous and I don't understand it. I appreciate…everything, but please, just leave me alone."

"I'll leave."

"Thank you."

"But first…" Picking up one of her hands, he blew on it for a bit before rubbing it between both of his own. "I noticed when you couldn't keep your hands off me earlier that your hands are freezing."

For a few moments he sat there and rubbed her hands. A little while later, it looked like he might be trying to move lower, so she jumped off the bed and ran into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Greed looked around, no one to talk to now except Timmy the bird. "Guess I'll show myself out then."