Thanks for all the reviews!

Warnings: Marital Angst, mentions of Ed/Winry, mentions of character death.

All mistakes are my own.

Chapter 5

Five years ago he'd been nothing. Master always used to said so. Master always said to watch and not to say anything. So he did. He'd learned a lot in the dark, in his secret places, watching Master and Master's friends. But he had been a secret, always in the shadows where no one could see. He liked it in there, in the dark, in the quiet. No one but Master looked for him there. Master took care of him. Master showed him things in the dark, amazing things, beautiful things.

But now his master was dead. So now he was the master. Black man said so.

He liked Black man. Black man didn't make him come out of the shadows. Black man didn't make him give up his beautiful things; the things Master had taught him. He got to make more things too, like Master; out of the things Black man brought to him. Sometimes the things screamed. He didn't like that so much. But sometimes they just sat and let him make them into new things. That was better. That was more fun.

He liked fun.

Black man liked fun too.

So he made more things.

Being Master was fun.

xx

Ed drifted slowly from unconsciousness. He didn't want to wake up, but his body was relentlessly forcing his mind upwards; a diver from the black abyssal.

He was lying on his stomach; a pillow smashed into his cheek and the mother of all headaches knocking on the back of his skull. He lifted his arm, touching where the throbbing was worst and the soft contours of linen met his probing fingers.

The heavy whisper of snoring broke the silence beside him and Ed shifted to look.

The sudden movement had the ache in his skull lashing fiery whips down his spine as the room began to tilt crazily. Edward hissed through clenched teeth while everything around him grew hazy and grey. He was fighting to stay conscious, but it was a losing battle. Beside him the breathing deepened and Ed heard a familiar, sleepy, voice, one he couldn't quite place with the world shifting on its axis. "Hey, are you awake?"

Whatever answer he might've made was lost to the darkness that wrapped him up and dragged him back down to the abyss.

.:xXXx:.

This was a good evening. Had been a good evening. The kids were in bed and Ed had Winry to himself for the first time in what felt like forever. He wasn't ready to admit aloud that he'd missed her, but he had and he was enjoying the press of her softness against his side as they snuggled on the sofa. He'd been wondering if he'd get to enjoy this tonight, after their argument earlier that afternoon.

His son, because apparently whenever the boy did anything Winry didn't like his genetics were predominately Elric, was using his Alchahestry to full effect. Edward found it thrilling. Winry was somewhat less pleased, especially when their three year old son was using his new talents it to tie his sister's hair into knots. But they'd made up and Ed was blissfully taking in the peace. He glanced down at his wife to find her gazing expectantly up at him; waiting for his reply to her question, which he'd missed.

"Huh?" Edward cleared his throat. "What did you say?"

His wife, who typically didn't like repeating herself, sighed. "I said I was just wondering how Ling was doing. We haven't heard from him since he became Emperor of Xing."

Ed nodded; a little confused as to what brought the Emperor of Xing to Winry's mind, but content in understanding he would never truly grasp her mental processes. He answered. "Al said everything was okay when he was over there last year." It was a little odd. He didn't even think Winry cared about Ling, if she remembered their one meeting almost five years ago.

"But that was a year ago." Winry protested. "He hasn't been in Xing since he and May got married."

"Well, yeah I guess, but Ling would've dragged us to Xing if he needed anything."

Winry frowned. "It's been a long time. Don't you want to see your friend?"

"Ling was such a pain." Ed laughed dismissively. "He can send a letter if he misses us."

Winry was quiet. "Do you think they've made any breakthroughs in Alchahestry since Al was over there?"

It was Ed's turn to frown, but in confusion. Since when was Winry interested in Alchahestry? She tolerated it for his sake, but she'd never liked to talk about it. Said it gave her a headache. "Maybe. I mean, it's possible." He looked down at her and shrugged. "But Al can handle the Alchahestry if he needs to. He's the only one who can really learn it. I'm only a theoretician anymore." He tried not to sound defensive about the last bit. It still rankled, going from one of Amestris' best to a desk bound bookworm. He didn't regret it, but he still disliked the consiquences.

"So you don't want to do anything?" Edward blinked at the accusation in his wife's tone and the sudden leap the conversation had taken.

"What are you talking about?" He shook his head. "I'm learning everything I can about Alchahestry and helping raise our children. Isn't that doing something?"

"I meant…" Winry cut herself off. "Never mind."

Now Ed was thoroughly confused. He thought they were having a nice, calm conversation about Ling. Why was Winry disappointed in him all of a sudden? What had he said?"

His wife slid off the couch, turning to walk upstairs.

"Winry." He called after her, really and truly baffled. "What's wrong?"

She sighed, so softly he almost thought he'd imagined the sound. "Let's just go to bed." She said over her shoulder before disappearing up the stairs, leaving Edward to wonder what he'd done to offend her this time and where his nice quiet cuddle on the couch had gone.

.:xXXx:.

Fuehrer Roy Mustang stared down at the golden-haired man, his dark eyes searching the body, the face for any signs of consciousness. But the former State Alchemist slept on, oblivious to Roy's silent perusal. Roy thought perhaps he had simply imagined the sounds and movements.

It would be just like Fullmetal to yank his chain that way, Roy mused with a small amount of humor. He frowned. The oldest Elric was no longer a State Alchemist; he wasn't any kind of Alchemist anymore. But Roy couldn't get the title out of his head.

Fullmetal was Edward Elric, no matter how much he had changed or grown up. And the man sleeping in the hospital bed had changed.

Roy considered the sleeping form of the formerly Fullmetal Alchemist.

It was strange seeing him after so long. Roy barely recognized this limp pile of limbs as the same tenacious teenager who'd helped turn Amestris on its ear. Somehow, the golden hair he remembered from five years ago had gone dull, lost some of its luster.

Roy shook his head. He must have taken a blow to the head within the last four hours. He was thinking crazy thoughts. How could hair be any brighter or duller than itself?

The door opened quietly behind him. Roy didn't need to look to know it was Riza. She came to stand beside him, staring down at Edward.

"Sir, the Ambassador is settled in and is asking to see you."

Roy nodded and smirked, pulling his coat and hat from the chair next to Edward's bed. "Well then, I'd better get going. I wouldn't want to start an international incident, would I?"

"God forbid, sir." was Riza's deadpan reply. They shared a brief smile between them. Roy would be the last person in the world to start a political incident, international or otherwise.

"Watch him Major." Roy sighed before he left, fitting his hat over gel slicked hair. "Make sure he doesn't get into anymore trouble."

Riza smiled again, this time it held a little more genuine humor. Her salute was still crisp and sharp as the leader of her country left the small hospital room, to the four State Alchemists waiting to escort him to his destination.

Riza turned to Ed. Half of his face peeked out from the overstuffed hospital pillows. That half was relaxed in sleep. Edward should have looked peaceful, but his face was changed.

Riza sat and studied the unconscious features, comparing them to the memory of the boy she hadn't seen in too many years.

Edward's face was at once the same and yet fundamentally different. It carried none of the impish mischief she remembered from five years ago. Lines creased his forehead and the corners of his mouth where none had previously impressed; deeply ingrained from worry or stress. They didn't suit his face. Whatever had happened in the five years since they had seen one another, it couldn't have been pleasant; which was an odd thing to extrapolate, since last Riza had heard, Edward was settled in Resembol with Alphonse and his wife Winry. Riza would have expected him to have lines from laughter, not frowning.

Ed shifted unconsciously under her scrutiny; burrowing deeper into his pillow and looking a little more like the teenager she remembered.

Riza smiled fondly and sat, slipping her heavy coat off to hang over the back of the chair and settled in for a night of waiting and watching.

XX

The Armstrong estate had served Roy well since the insurrection five years ago. Then, it had housed the army and tank necessary to turn the tide of his revolution. Now, it served as a fortress, a secret safe-house for the Dracman Ambassador. And, if there were no objections, the man may stay in the estate for the remainder of his visit.

Roy took the steps two at a time, hoping that he had not in fact, facilitated an international incident. Despite his flippant words to Riza, he wasn't so much of a fool he wanted to wade through that political nightmare, at least, not on his first day.

Roy glanced at his watch. It was technically his second day. Alright, he could handle another war with Dracma.

General Olivier Armstrong was waiting for him at the front door. Roy might've teased her about answering her own door, but he found he wasn't in the mood. Instead he returned her nod of greeting and headed for the Ambassador's room.

He heard the crisp clip of Olivier's boots fall in behind him.

"How is the Ambassador?"

Olivier snorted. "Indomitable. He's been asking for you every five minutes since he woke up. It seems he's grown rather fond of you."

"Funny what saving a man's life will do to his disposition." Roy commented dryly.

"It seems the assassins' plans backfired." Olivier said.

Roy frowned. "So it would seem." Yes, he couldn't have hoped for a better turnout to the night, but something about the situation wasn't sitting well with him. It was stupid considering he'd just survived an assassination attempt. However, he'd learned long ago, not to ignore his gut; except he wasn't sure what it was telling him.

"Ah, my friend." The Ambassador enveloped Roy in a ferocious bear hug the instant he stepped foot in the guest room. "I am gratified to see you are well. I was beginning to wonder if you were not dead since they could not produce you." Roy opened his mouth to speak, but the Dracman continued.

"But here you are, and without a scratch. What marvels cling to you, my friend. You are truly sitting in fortunes' favor this night. It is a good omen." The man nodded finitely. "Amestris and Dracma must fight no more, my friend."

Roy felt his eyebrows crawling up to his hairline, but kept them in place through sheer willpower. "So it would seem." He murmured.

XX

Ed next opened his eyes to brilliant sunlight. Shafts of light poured through the open windows, making his eyes ache and the back of his skull throb. As carefully as he could, Ed shifted away from the windows. He was pleased to discover the room stayed on its correct axis this time. His neck still protested, but not nearly as badly as before. He reached up gingerly again to touch the swath of bandages around his head and throat. A dull pinprick of pain jabbed his arm when he moved it and he glanced over to see a needle nestled in the crook of his arm, feeding him intravenously. Ed frowned. He knew from his time spent in hospitals that tubing in ones arm was never a good sign.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ed spied the royal blue of a military coat. It was draped over the back of the chair beside his bed, but the chair itself was empty. Ed couldn't for the life of him think who the coat belonged to. He hoped it wasn't Armstrong's. He disliked that man's method of treatment. Example of a perfect physical specimen his left testicle.

Ed frowned and tried to think how he'd gotten to the hospital. A good portion of his memory was blank.

He remembered chasing the five idiots who were dumb enough to try beating up an Alchemist. He remembered the surprise attack, the blow to the back of his skull, multiple jarring hits. He remembered something give in his head and the stars burst behind his eyes. He thought he remembered heat, a weird popping crackle both behind and in front of him. Fire. Smelling burnt fabric and the sharp sweetness of seared flesh. He remembered someone calling for him, but whomever was doing the calling got his name wrong. He wasn't the Fullmetal Alchemist anymore. He was just plain old Edward Elric. The idiot.

The door opened and Riza Hawkeye stepped into Edward's room. Their eyes met and hers lit up. A warm smile overwrote the lines of concern etched into her face and she suddenly looked ten years younger.

Ed found himself returning the gesture as the blond woman went over to the empty chair beside him and sat. "Glad to see you're awake, Edward. You had us all worried for a while."

Edward's brow furrowed. "How long was I out?"

"It's been five days since you were conscious last."

Which explained the 'all fluid diet'.

"The doctor said you were lucky you didn't get your head kicked in."

"Hey." Edward mock growled. "Give me a little credit here. I was just biding my time; lulling them into a false sense of security."

Riza just shook her head, but Ed could see the smile at the corners of her mouth. "You're very fortunate the Fuerher stepped in when he did. You both were lucky really."

"Wait, the Fuehrer?" Edward broke into a wide smile. "I didn't see Grumman. How is the old guy?"

Riza lost some of the color in her face and her tone was careful. "You mean you haven't heard?"

"Heard what? What are you…" Edward's words trailed off as Riza's face grew somber. "No way." He said, his eyes turning back to his hands, now clutching the blankets. "How?"

"The doctor said it was a heart attack." Riza said. "Nobody suspected."

Edward's head bowed, golden bangs shifted forward to cover golden eyes. His voice was low. "Ornery old bastard. I can't believe he'd let a little thing like that kill him. I always figured he'd outlive us all."

Riza's laugh sounded more like a sob, but when Ed glanced over, her eyes were dry. He reached over and put a hand on top of hers where it rested on her knee.

She smiled, but it was a smile filled with sadness.

"How are you holding up?" Ed asked. Riza just shook her head.

"Ask me that in a few years Edward. I might know then."

They sat in silence, until a nurse came with what she called lunch. Edward was less than impressed with the offering since it was served with milk. Riza shook her head and suppressed a small smile as the nurse tried unsuccessfully to get Ed to drink a little. Ed ate everything else on the plate Riza noticed. Like a starving man. Riza wondered how long it had been since Ed had eaten, but didn't dwell on it. He was being taken care of now. So she filled him in on the last five years worth of gossip. Breda, Havoc and Fuery had all been promoted, Breda twice. Fuery was the Fuerher's personal communications liaison. Havoc was married to Riza's best friend as of two and a half years ago. General Armstrong was engaged to an Ishvalan woman. The rebuilding of Ishval was going well and slated to end before the year was over. Alchahestry was becoming a main staple in the science community, due, in no small part, to the Elric brother's efforts. Roy was named Grumman's successor and had taken over leadership of Amestris a week ago.

Ed got a huge kick out of that. "So the Colonel finally did it." He said, pushing away his clean plate and his untouched milk. "Sure took his sweet time." Ed glanced up at Riza. "What's he planning on doing with it?"

"I can't tell you everything." Riza said. "But I can tell you he intends to keep the agreement with Ishval. He's not going to let Amestris descend into war like before."

Ed frowned. "What about the current system of government? Is any of that going to change?"

"Everything takes time, Edward." Riza leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "Especially change. People like having power and they don't like it when someone tells them they need to give it up, even if it's for the greater good."

"Yeah." Ed nodded. "I guess you're right."

A soft tapping at the door announced Edward's doctor. The man hemmed and hawed over Ed's injury, poking and prodding while making small satisfied noises.

"You're injuries are healing quite well. I'm very sure you're going to enjoy a full recovery."

"Great." Ed said. "Then I'm leaving."

They both ignored the indignant sqwaking of the doctor who was certain Ed needed to stay in the hospital another week at least for 'observation'. Riza showed him out and returned to her chair. "Where will you go?"

Ed shrugged, a little relieved she wasn't trying to talk him out of leaving. He was getting restless, staying cooped up in this tiny room for so long. "I don't know." He shrugged. "Maybe I'll head up north, maybe East to Xing, see what kind of a mess Ling's gotten himself into. I'll probably visit a few people before I leave town though. It's been awhile since I've seen everybody and I promised Mrs. Bradley I'd come over, if the invitation's still good." He mused.

Riza's frown deepened. "Then you haven't heard that either."

Golden eyes flicked upward to meet brown.

"Mrs. Bradley died almost two years ago."

XX

"My Lord." Lan Fan spoke from her place in the throne room, the corner with the deepest shadows. "We have just received a communication from Amestris. Their Fuehrer: Grumman has recently died and Roy Mustang has taken his place."

"What else?"

Lan Fan bowed. "Fuehrer Mustang has sent a personal communiqué. He wishes your presence in Central Command along with the three other border nations for a 'Peace Summit.'"

"A Peace Summit. How very ambitious Mustang."

"My Lord?"

Ling, Emperor of Xing, Lord of the Easter expanse, smiled.

"Tell my attendents to send Mustang my reply, Lan Fan. We're going to Amestris. And this time, I don't think I'm going to wind up in jail."

AN: Here you are. Please review, it makes my heart sing. Roy and Ed will meet and talk actually...probably next chapter; which you will not have to wait nearly as long for.

Until next time...