Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, and this story is not for profit.
A/N: I want to thank everybody who favorited or followed the last chapter. Especially everybody who reviewed the last chapter(Anonymous J, as always, and Panic, and safire08). It may sound cliche guys, but seriously more reviews=faster updates(The more detailed the better!)
Four
Beth woke up with a start. Gasping for breath, she looked over at the clock on the wall. She was late for rehearsal.
As she ran to the studio in the dark morning light, she couldn't help but play her dream over and over again in her head. It was the same dream, or rather nightmare, that she had every time she unwillingly let herself fall asleep, although it wasn't exactly a dream. It was a memory.
Greed. She thought to herself. The wizard from Drachma told me to find a man in Dublith named Greed.
"Find the man in Dublith named Greed. Then you know what to do." Those had been his exact words.
Beth shook her head to herself. She had already met so many men in Dublith, none of whom had that name.
And then there was him. Her nighttime visitor, her library walker.
She didn't know his name yet. She hadn't asked, and he surprisingly hadn't volunteered it.
She had, in fact, been putting off asking him. Because...what if he was Greed? She didn't know what she would do. Remembering the shiny look in his eye and the way he had spoken to her, she had to admit that the name would fit him well…But he was a homunculus. The wizard had told her to find a man in Dublith named Greed. Regardless of how she felt, she couldn't put it off anymore. Next time she saw him, she would ask him what his name was.
When Beth didn't see him for the next few weeks, she felt almost guilty, remembering that she had been a little rude to him last time(understandably so), but the feeling was quickly overcome by the all-encompassing feeling of relief that soon overshadowed it. He was anything but a regular man; there were days when she had seen him everyday for weeks and then days where she never saw him at all.
But this was the longest he had ever been gone. Two whole months since the incident, and she hadn't seen his face sense. It felt as if a weight on her chest had finally been lifted; she could relax and hope that maybe he would leave her alone now. She wasn't as afraid of him anymore, but still. The last thing that she wanted was to get dragged down to his mysterious and dangerous world of crime and alchemy. And now at least she wouldn't have to find out what his name really was.
…
When she got home that night, there were dozens of roses waiting outside her door.
She told herself not to be irrational, they could be from any one of her dozens of fans who came to her performances. But those hopes were shattered when she came out of the library the next evening and Greed was there waiting for her.
"Did you get the flowers?"
She stepped around him carefully, but he matched her stride.
"Yes, I did. They were beautiful. But I don't understand why you sent them."
"Someone told me that you should send flowers when you've offended a woman."
"I seriously can't believe this is the first time you've offended a woman."
He ignored her. "So you liked them then?"
"Sure. But you know, if you've offended someone, you could always just say 'sorry' instead, and save yourself some time and money."
"I'll remember that. Now, can I take you out for some tea or coffee or something? I've noticed you like to have tea after you come home from the library. "
"No thank you."
"Alright. We can have some at your place then, I guess."
"On second thought, coffee out would be nice." She said quickly.
He laughed and threw an arm around her, leading her down a different street.
….
She could never get used to the casual way that he touched her. It was often and constant. Being raised an orphan herself, she had never been used to physical affection. She now found it was both unnerving and comforting.
He chose a place in North Dublith, a late night café that had tables and chairs outside where customers could sit outside and gaze out at the glow cast by street lamps and the lights wrapped around the fountains.
When the waiter brought the menus and she looked at the prices, she started to protest.
"I can't afford any of this."
"As if I would let a woman pay." He said, and then asked the waiter to bring them three of the nicest cups on the menu each.
"To be honest…" she said hesitantly, "I would figure you would be a little stingy with your money." Beth held her breath now as she waited now for him to laugh and say something like, "well my name is Greed but that doesn't mean I don't spend money now and then," thus confirming her suspicions, but he said no such thing.
"Why?" He said smiling.
"You seem like someone who loves money?" Hint hint. She hoped he would take the bait.
"You're right and wrong. It's not the money that I love so much. It's the things that I can buy with it. I love to have a lot of money so I spend money on things that I enjoy buying. Like right now. Treating a beautiful woman to coffee is a pleasure." He said, reaching across the table to cover her hand with his own.
She had waited and waited for him to say something, but now she had no other option. It was time to ask him once and for all.
"Can I um…ask you something?"
"Yep."
She took in a deep breath. This was the moment of truth. "What's your name?"
He laughed. "I didn't even realize I hadn't told you yet. Strange."
Across the table, she was looking at him expectantly, her hands balled tightly into fists. He appraised her for a moment, thinking. "Gifre." He finally said. As a rule, he only told the girls and guys of the Devil's Nest his real name. It was safer that way. And it wasn't exactly a lie, because someone else had called him that years ago to begin with, so it was sort of a nickname.
Beth let out her breath. Thank God. She thought. Thank God.
She thought about pulling away now, noticing that his hand still held hers across the table, but he was buying her coffee after all. And as much as she hated to admit it, it was nice to talk to him again. Between her busy schedule, and the regulations that her managers Errol and Adaline imposed on her, the only people she ever spoke to were her fellow dancers, her managers, and the librarian. All of which were cordial and business related. She realized for the first time the nights that Greed came to see her were the closest thing she had had to friendship since she was a child. So she let his hand rest on hers.
"Watcha thinkin' bout?" He said, rubbing his thumb gently over the top of her hand.
"I'm thinking about how lonely I've been."
There was a long pause while he stared at her and she stared at the table, mortified that she had actually said that out loud.
After the waiter came and set down the coffee in front of them, he picked up a cup, not using the handle but grasping the mug with his entire hand even though the cup was scalding hot, took a swig and said, "No chick as gorgeous as you are could be lonely."
"Well I am."
"And why's that?"
"I don't get out much…or see many people."
"Well you're seeing me right now."
"I know." She took a sip of coffee, the pleasant aroa and warmth giving her courage. "Gifre?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"What are we, exactly? I mean…do you think that we could be...friends?"
"Nope."
She yanked her hand back instinctively. "What?"
"I don't want to be friends with you. I don't have friends."
She glared at him over the table, which he kindly ignored.
"Well don't let the coffee get cold."
Sighing, she took a sip of a different flavor. "Now I won't be able to sleep at all tonight." She said, thinking of the caffein she was intaking.
He grinned. "You don't say? Want me to stay over tonight and keep you company?"
She didn't answer. Instead she looked sadly into her cup.
He cleared his throat. "So…uh…how've you been?"
"Okay. Fine. Busy with the dancing."
"When is your next…uh…performance?"
She looked up at him. "Why?"
"I'm looking forward to seeing you dance again. That's what first drew me to you, ya know."
"Hey, I always meant to ask, how come you didn't come to my very last performance?"
"Huh?"
"You came to all the performances except the very last one. Why?"
"Oh, yeah. I don't like endings. It's a little quirk of mine."
"Why don't you like endings?"
"I don't know. They're sad, I guess. I don't like sad things. I'm here to have a good time. Know what I mean?"
"Not really. I think that endings are necessary sometimes. They can be beautiful too."
"I don't think there is anything on the planet as beautiful as you." He winked at her.
"Gifre, if you don't want to be friends, what do you want?"
His voice, which never lost its humorous quality, became slightly huskier. Under the table, he covered her foot with his boot.
"You know."
"I don't want that from you. Or with you. Not ever."
He groaned, rolling his head back. "You gotta lot of nerve."
"How is that?!"
"I'm an all-powerful, practically impenetrable being, who has lived for a very long time. And you're well…" He waved his hand over her.
"What?"
"Like you said. Lonely. An orphan. You obviously need some attention, and here I am willing to give it you."
"I have nerve?! You have nerve. For someone who claims to be a gentleman, you can be a real asshole sometimes."
With that she grabbed her coat off the chair and stormed off.
….
Beth found it unsettling: the direct correlation her quality of dancing had with whether or not she was speaking to Gifre at the moment.
Errol and Adaline noticed how lately she would dance very well for some weeks and then there would be weeks where she did horribly, but the reason as to why the two of them could only guess.
Why she danced better the days after she had spoken to Gifre, Beth herself could only guess. Her thoughts kept returning to the other night, when they had been drinking coffee together and she had suddenly realized, for the first time since she was a child, that she was lonely.
The solitariness of her existence had become a weight crushing down on her that she hadn't even known was there, but after she had started talking to Gifre the weight had seemed to lift, making her lighter on her feet when she danced.
Rehearsal had gone badly today. The other dancers shied away from her in the dressing room and hadn't even said goodbye to her as she put her coat on and left the studio.
Beth couldn't help but notice that the weight when it came back it pressed down twice as hard.
The horrible, crushing, all consuming, weight of loneliness.
Maybe she should get another bird.
Beth knew that after a while the lonely feeling would eventually dissipate. It had before, right?
But still. She seriously started to consider buying another bird for more company. She found herself pacing back and forth in front of the pet store. She'd go up and grab the door handle, and then shake her head and walk towards home, then scurry back and repeat the process.
It was just after sunset, and the sky cast a red light over everything. Maybe I should get a dog. I hear dogs are good company, she was just thinking, considering really going in this time.
"So all that time you spend reading in the library and you can't figure out how ta open a door?"
Although she couldn't help the instant relief that she felt when she saw him. his normal cocky grin, which always seemed worse when he was wearing his glasses like he was now, made her remember how mad she was.
"What the hell do you want?"
"Ouch. You aren't even going to tell me that you missed me or give me a kiss?"
"I wouldn't do either of those things even if I wasn't mad at you right now."
His hands, which had both been in his pockets, now came up and scratched his head in confusion.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Her mouth fell open as she gaped at him. Was he serious right now? "Last time we met? At coffee?"
He just stared at her over his glasses.
"You were being completely stupid?"
"Doesn't ring any bells."
"But I thought that's why you were staying away! Because you knew I was mad at you and so you knew to stay away."
"Ha ha! That's funny! Nah, I had some business to take care of. That's why I was gone all that time."
"You're kidding."
"Nope."
She turned and started walking towards home. "Well that's just great." She mumbled to herself.
A few strides and he was already walking in sync with her. Damn his long legs.
"So would you like to come see where I live tonight?"
She paused in the middle of unlocking her front door, sure that if she had been drinking something at the moment she would have spit it back out.
"To the Devil's Nest?"
"Yep."
"No thanks."
"How come? It'll be more interesting then staying here tonight, reading or sleeping or whatever it is that you do."
"I doubt that actually, and no thanks. The place where you come from is the last place on this Earth that I would want to be. And it sounds like the name of a brothel anyway."
"Close. It's just a bar, but there are lots of women there."
"That makes it sound so much better."
"You're sassy tonight. I like that."
He winked and then picked her up, his arms around her waist twirling her around the room.
She couldn't hold back a shriek."Ak! Put me down, Gifre! GIFRE!"
He spun them around faster until she finally started shrieking from laughter. Like glowing embers that had just caught fire, the action stirred a long dormant memory into focus. A foggy picture came to her from her childhood, of someone, maybe her father before he had died, twirling her around in the same happy way.
Her face was red and she was soon breathless from laughter.
"I knew a ballerina couldn't possibly dislike being twirled around. "
"You're right." She laughed, still smiling a little.
"Now that's something I've never seen before." He said, pushing a stray lock of auburn hair behind her ears.
"What?"
"Your smile."
She flushed, and he bent down to kiss her, his hand resting against her face.
She knew better this time than to let the kiss last like it had before.
She pushed against his chest. "No."
There was disappointment and irritation in his eyes, which she turned her head away from so she didn't have to see.
"How long?" He said.
"How long what?"
"How long before you stop trying to deny that you're attracted to me?"
"I'm not denying it." As she said it for the first time she realized that it was true. He wasn't the most beautiful man she had ever seen. His eyes were too small and his nose a little too long, and there was the matter of his vampire teeth. But he was very extremely tall, and he had dark hair and muscular arms. Arms that she couldn't forget the way they had felt when she was enveloped in them. Most of all, however, there was just something about him. His confidence, his charisma, that made him alluring.
"Then what the hell is the problem?! Is it me then? You don't like me?"
"No it's not even that anymore, although I thought it was. Of course we are completely different and we have nothing in common, but you're not completely repulsive to me. I mean, I'm not really crazy about you either…It's just what I said. I don't want this." She pointed back and forth between the two of them. "I don't want to be your girl, or anyone else's. I don't want to have sex with you, or anyone else. I'm just better off alone." Not to mention once she found the man called Greed she wouldn't have time for any other man.
"No one is better off alone!" He said suddenly, and then shook his head, as if he couldn't believe what he himself had just said. "It doesn't matter if we don't have anything in common, I'm not interested in that."
"I'm not interested in that either. But I'm certainly not interested in that."
"Listen to me kid, I can see that you're young and inexperienced, but I can sure promise you one thing: I'll show you a good time. Of that you can be sure. You can ask any of the ladies at the Nest: I know my way around a woman's body."
She blushed as she began pushing him with both arms towards the door. "I'm sure you do. But I don't need you to show me a good time. I need you to show yourself to the door, please."
He held up his hands in mock surrender, as he let himself be pushed. "Fine, fine! But you're missing out. We could be showing each other a hell of a time right about now…"
She pushed him the rest of the way out the apartment, and as she closed the door on him she heard him say, "You know where to find me if you change your mind!"
Author's Note: Apparently the name "Gifre" is an old English name that means "greedy man." *giggles at my own joke*