A/N: You guys... Where did all our reviewers go? :( So many of you have just -poofed-, but that makes us appreciate the ones who stayed all the more. Sorry about the cliffie last chapter; everything's pretty much cleared up in this chapter, and it's quite fluff-ish towards the end, which I love... OHYEAHGUYS I read so much La Corda d'Oro in the last few days that my eyes started to bleed. I loved it. A lot. Shouko makes my day; TsukimoriXHino, FuyuumiXHihara, and FuyuumiXTsuchiura are my fave pairings. READ IT. IT'S THE KIND OF SHOUJO MANGA THAT MAKES LEX GIGGLE WITH HAPPINESS.

Reviewers? I heart youur faces! Thanks to Angel Nightmare (He does! He does, I promise! He's here, and he's being awesome!), and Charlie (You're so cool for reviewing. Like, if I knew you, I would kiss you~ Well, if you were okay with that...)

Disclaimer: We don't own the Alchemist of Fullmetal. I'm being kicked off, so bye guys. :/

A lick of a flame squeezed under the doorway where Alice had hid herself within the closet, and although it came nearer to her feet than she would have liked, she was unconscious; had she been herself, a brilliant scream would have likely lit the air. In the comfort of a dark sleep, though, Alice was relatively safe from such fear.

Roy had taken the long way to Alice's house, for fear of getting there and not knowing what to say. Doing so put an extra ten to fifteen minutes on the journey there, but he couldn't put his arrival off forever.

At the sight of her house, however, the familiar place that he had become comfortable in, Roy froze before feeling his muscles move without him instructing them to. Ivy had come out of her house, staring in wide-eyed shock before Roy shouted something along the lines of "Ivy, don't just stand there, get the damn fire department!"

Roy didn't check to see if Ivy had left with his words in mind, but instead barreled inside the home of his favorite pianist, as the house fell in on itself by the moment. Fire had never been a friend nor enemy of the man's; as a general rule it was a tool for him. This time was different, however, in that these flames were far from domestic; this fire was wild.

The man looked around in a panic. He didn't see her anywhere. This could mean one of two things. One: she was out; this was unlikely considering that it was Alice. Or Two: she was already consumed by the flames, or buried under rubble. "Alice! Alice! Where are you!" he called out. The flames grew higher and a muffled scream was heard from the other side of a door.

"Alice!" Roy started randomly kicking in doors whenever he came to one, finding nothing at first. He was running out of time. The oxygen in the air was dwindling. Roy could feel it in every breath he took. Every time he inhaled, smoke stung at his lungs. There was only one door left. And that one lead to the closet. Roy grasped the scorching hot brass knob with a gloved hand and swung the door open.

Alice stared, glassy-eyed at the silhouette before her. Though she was staring at him, she didn't really see him. The lack of oxygen to her brain made her senses hazy, as if this was all some sort of devilish dream. It wasn't until she felt two strong arms lift her out of the blazing house that she pieced everything together. She tried to scream, but her throat was raw from the smoke. She could only manage a raspy sound.

A moment later, the fire department arrived. As it turned out, Ivy had followed Roy's instructions. If he weren't so edgy, Roy may have congratulated the woman on actually doing what she was told. But, there were far more important things at hand to be concerned with.

Her house was burning; Staccato was inside; Alice's piano was in flames; every memory she'd made there; everything that had been a part of the woman was going up in smoke. The only thing holding her to this earth was the man who, less than twenty-four hours ago, had sent her running home in terror.

"R-R...Roy." With the single word that was his name, Alice gripped the man tightly as water began to roll from her eyes. Roy blinked once before looking at the woman with an indescribable mix of pity and sadness.

"Alice... I'm sorry..." A sob came out in response to the Flame Alchemist's words before she spoke, her voice ragged and burnt.

"No. I'm s-sorry." Alice was on her feet when Ivy came running over at a full sprint, surely terrified for her friend's well-being, and at the sight of Alice crying, the younger woman burst into tears as well.

"Alice! Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, Ivy. I wasn't burned, or anything. I just... inhaled too much s-smoke." Ivy clutched the other woman in her arms, and for the first time, Alice actually hugged back.

"Alice, I'm taking you home," Roy said decisively.

"H-Home? My home is practically burned to the ground," Alice sobbed loudly. And a thought crossed her mind. "Staccato! He's still inside! No, no, no... You have to save him, Roy!" She latched on to the front of the man's shirt, staring into his dark eyes as hers overflowed with tears.

Colonel Roy Mustang didn't really know what to do in a situation such as this. He couldn't very well risk his life for a cat. And besides, he doubted that the fire department would let him get close to the house, even if he flaunted his title of Flame Alchemist. Roy decided to just go with his gut on this one. He put wrapped his arms around the sobbing woman and whispered, "I'm afraid that I can't do that, Alice." She looked up at him and began bawling. "Ivy. I'm taking her home with me. Tell Charlotte. And you are under no circumstances to call me or show up at my house unless there's an absolute emergency. Understood?"

Ivy nodded, eyes wide. Under different circumstances, she would have teased Alice about possible fornication with the colonel. But somehow, she thought that right then wasn't a good time.

Roy managed to get the woman into his car and they slowly went in the direction of his home. Alice seemed to suddenly realize just who it was who was sitting next to her: the man who could make fire erupt from his fingers. She slowly inched away from him. It wasn't that she was afraid of Roy, it was just that she was afraid of the Flame Alchemist. And it just happened that the two were one in the same. So, technically speaking, she was only half-afraid of Roy. Who was she kidding? She was still pretty much scared shitless.

Which left Roy with little more than a sigh on his lips and words that he couldn't possibly say with enough feeling to put Alice's mind at ease. Instead, the man settled for a mumble under his breath, with his mouth right next to the woman's ear, "Please, Alice, if you never speak to me again, trust me just this once."

And Alice, entirely against her better judgment, with her house burning up in the backdrop, did as he said. She was so disoriented that she didn't know where she was going, but Alice Ackerman knew that she trusted Roy Mustang, if not the alchemist that he was also.

The only word she could even force herself to say through the tears was, "S-Staccato..." And with every sob that left her lips after that, Roy Mustang's eyes hit the ground. He wouldn't touch her again, not if she didn't want to be touched.

Any other time he would have teased her, asked her to share the bed with him and then offset such a sentence with a wink; but not tonight. Tonight, Roy Mustang would take the floor without a word, in an entirely different room if she wished it. With the crackle of a home in flames behind them, the two walked, silent but for the convulsing sobs racking Alice's body.

Roy quickly unlocked the front door and ushered the woman in without a word. If she hadn't been so distracted by the events of the night, Alice probably would have commented on Roy's living conditions. His home wasn't plush, exactly, but it wasn't sparse either. The best word that she would eventually come up with would be "functional." He slowly showed the woman to his bedroom. After shuffling through his dresser for a moment, he turned to her and said, "You take the bed. And here." He handed her and old, button-down nightshirt. "You can change into this if you want. The bathroom's through there. Use whatever you need." He turned away. "I'll be in the living room if you need me."

Alice mumbled a thank you, but Roy didn't hear. He was too busy giving her her space. Alice quickly bathed, hoping it would help her clear her mind. As it turned out, all the shower was good for (besides making her smell like Roy) was to have soap mix in with her tears. The pianist tried to sleep after that, she really did. But images kept flashing through her mind.

I really was a stupid child...Only myself and the Flames becoming one existed..."Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. What a righteous day this is." ...It's happening. Oh god, oh god. This time, Daddy won't save you, Alice. This time...

She awoke with a start to see afternoon light shining in through the window. She placed her head in her hands. Despite unknowingly getting a good amount of sleep, Alice was still absolutely exhausted. Her body ached, her head throbbed, her throat itched, and her lungs felt constricted. It took several moments for her to convince herself to get out of bed to get some water.

With a blink, Alice realized it was Sunday; despite it being so, it didn't immediately appear that Roy was there, although he didn't have work today. The woman got her glass of water, and retreated back into the room from whence she came, getting back into the bed she'd awoken from, although not falling back asleep. Instead she laid there, staring at the ceiling, not even touching the water that she had fetched for herself.

Roy came back in from where he had gone (which was just outside for a breath of fresh air), to hear the door to his bedroom shut. Slowly walking towards the room that Alice was in, Roy rapped on the door. "Alice?" His voice was soft. "Are you hungry at all?"

When she didn't respond, he sighed, walking away without another word. The rest of the day passed silently, without either person saying another word (occasional heartbroken word from Alice excluded), until night fell again.

Alice found it easy to fall asleep again; to stay that way was impossible, though. Wretched dreams plagued her rest, and after the third time she was ripped from sleep permanently. Grabbing her pillow, certain she wouldn't be able to sleep again, Alice gently creaked the door open, eyes still stained with red.

Her gaze lit upon Roy, sleeping on the floor as he said he would, and at the sight of him more silent tears leaked from Alice's eyes. She laid her pillow down next to his, and let herself down beside him, facing the opposite way from the Flame Alchemist. With their backs touching, Alice finally felt somewhat safe; and in that, Alice found peaceful sleep.

Roy awoke with a start to the feeling of a smaller, softer frame next to his, and as he turned over silently, he couldn't help smirking at the pianist who had found comfort next to him.

...And, as she had been the one to come to him, Roy Mustang was entirely comfortable with pulling the woman closer and leaving his arm around her as he fell back asleep.

It was early the next morning when Alice opened her eyes groggily to find herself back in Roy's bed. The colonel was buttoning up his military jacket when he noticed the woman looking at him. "Morning, Alice," he yawned. "I figured you'd be more comfortable in here." Alice blinked twice with her mouth open slightly. Roy chuckled lightly. "Go back to sleep. I have to go to work now. If you need anything, call my office, here's the number," he pushed a piece of paper towards her. "If I can't come, I'll send that damn 'brother' of yours." Alice nodded slightly and placed her head back onto the pillow.

"I'll be back, my Alice." Roy gave the sleeping woman a kiss on the forehead before he left for the day.

As Roy Mustang walked into his office, he was approached by Jean Havoc. "Hey, Colonel. I heard that there was a bit of trouble a few days ago with a certain sister of mine." Smoke undulated from the end of his cigarette.

Roy sighed. "She's fine, Havoc. She's staying with me until further notice." Jean raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to let out an inappropriate comment, but his superior gave him a glare that made him keep quiet.

Once the Colonel's back was turned, Jean Havoc smiled evilly. He thought wistfully, i think it's about time that I pay my little sister a visit...