A/N: Same warnings pretty much as before, do I have to say them each time? I feel like you have all caught on now. Thank you for your reviews! They really make my day. I read them when I am feeling sad. Sorry this part took a so long. School is a terrible place that crushes your soul... At least it's not a short chapter.

My Brother's Keeper

"It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light."

-Aristotle Onassis

The nurses had switched the location of Edward's IV line after he had ripped it out. It was now located in the crook of his arm, which hindered his movement even more, but they said he had caused some damage to his hand and it would be painful and incredibly difficult if they tried that area again. He was still only mainly receiving fluids and antibiotics, as morphine was off the table due to his head injury. The painkillers they had him on only worked to barely take the edge off and Edward found it very difficult not to wince in pain every time he tried to move anything. Al was constantly trying to make Ed more comfortable, but nothing seemed to help. After watching Ed struggle to feed himself lunch, Al was desperate to distract his brother from his injuries. He had begun to read to him, but Edward seemed distracted and only listened halfheartedly. After a few minutes of this, Ed cut his brother off midsentence.

"Al, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course, brother! What is it?" Al shut the book he was reading and set it to the side. He was eager to help in any way that he could. Ed bit his bottom lip for a minute, thinking over what he was going to say in his head.

"Do you think you can get me some red fabric? I want to transmute my coat… I don't think they're going to find my old one… But I would like to have it." Edward finally admitted. He glanced away, not meeting his brother's look.

Al surveyed him for a moment. Ed was still too pale and he still had dark circles under his eyes, even though he had been sleeping for most of his hospital stay.

"Do you feel up to transmuting that?" Al asked quietly.

The corner of Edward's mouth turned up in a slight smile. "I think I can manage it. It's simple"

Al still hesitated. "Will you be alright while I'm gone?"

Ed rolled his eyes and turned to look at his brother directly. "Yeah, it shouldn't take too long. I'll probably just sleep while you're out."

Al finally seemed slightly less anxious about leaving Ed alone… it would be good to do something to feel more useful in this situation. After all, there was so much that Alphonse found he couldn't help with. He wasn't there when his brother was captured, he couldn't save him, he couldn't even find him, now he couldn't do anything to help his brother heal faster and he wasn't even able to do something like cut his hair for him. Most often, Al found himself at a loss and it was beginning to wear on him. He didn't like having to sit still any more than Edward did.

"Alright, brother. I will be back soon."

Ed let his eyes close as he gave a slight nod. With a last glance at Edward, Al quickly went out the door, grateful to be of help.

Ed was so tired. Maybe he could let himself sleep instead of doing what he was planning on doing. It was always hard when it involved lying to his little brother. Edward shook his head and let out a sigh. He forced his eyes open and glared harshly at the ceiling. Damn it all.

For the second time during his hospital stay, Ed yanked his arm roughly to the side and ripped out his IV line.

The nurses were really going to hate him for that.

Hughes hadn't been able to bring himself to eat anything for lunch. He had just sat and stared at his disappointing salad for nearly an hour, before giving up and heading back to his office. He noticed his receptionist was still away at lunch and he would have some time to himself to think things over. He would appreciate the moment to get his thoughts together. Since this whole thing had begun, he felt like he was working nearly nonstop and when he wasn't actively working, he was thinking about working. As it was, he and his staff had carried on working through the weekend without missing a beat. He promised himself that he would take some of his vacation days as soon as this was all over. For now, he could just focus on the task at hand.

Jaysen Pace was set to meet him in his office in less than an hour. Originally, Hughes had only contacted the man to inform him of his brother's death. Records indicated that the two men hadn't been in contact for nearly ten years, so Hughes had no reason to believe that Jaysen knew anything about his brother's actions or whereabouts. Surprisingly, Jaysen Pace had been adamant about speaking to Hughes face to face and so he had agreed to the meeting. Even he wasn't entirely sure what to expect though.

Maes was so lost in thought that he wasn't able to fully process what he was seeing when he opened the door to his office and found Edward collapsed on the floor, propped up against his desk. He blinked at the boy in confusion. Surely, the sleepless nights had finally caught up to him and he was hallucinating.

"Hughes…" Ed had lifted his head and squinted at the man as if he was trying to bring him into focus. The boy was still wearing his hospital issued shirt and trousers along with a thin white coat that looked very similar in style to his traditional red one. His automail arm hung to one side, but he had wrapped his flesh arm around his middle as if he was trying desperately to keep warm in the tepid room. He wasn't wearing shoes and Hughes could see that some of the bandages that had wrapped around his broken toes were gone. He could now see the cotton protruding out from between each toe and the thin medical tape that was straining to keep them bound together.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" Once over his shock, he crossed the office quickly and knelt in front of the boy. Upon closer inspection, Maes realized that the fabric from Edward's new jacket looked familiar. "Did you transmute this from the hospital blanket?"

Ed glanced down at himself as if he had forgotten what he was wearing.

"Well, yeah," Edward sounded bewildered and slightly out of breath.

"Does your brother know you are here?"

"No, but he'll probably figure it out soon." Ed bent his flesh leg, trying to get it underneath him so he could push himself off the ground. Hughes caught his knee and gave a shake of his head. He couldn't bear to see Ed put all his weight on a foot with mostly broken toes.

"How did you even get here?"

"My room is on the first floor. I went out the window." Ed gave a small, half shrug.

"How did you even manage that? I thought your automail wasn't working right and your toes are broken!"

Edward glanced away at the floor, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I… fell..." He admitted quietly.

Hughes then realized that Edward was holding his arm too closely to his stomach. He released the boy's knee and gently pushed his arm out of the way. Ed didn't resist at all and that was a testament to how lousy the boy was feeling. Maes pulled aside the white coat that was obscuring his view. Spots of red were beginning to soak through the cloth of his hospital shirt and Hughes realized that Edward had managed to tear out at least some of the stitches on his stomach.

Maes studied the spots of red for a brief moment before briskly standing and picking up the phone receiver on his desk.

"Wait, who are you calling?" Edward struggled to push himself off the floor, leaning heavily on Maes' desk.

"Colonel Mustang."

"No! Why?" Ed's foot slipped from under him, but he immediately tried to stand again.

"Because you are bleeding and he is going to have a conniption when they tell him you're missing again."

"It's not that bad! Please Hughes! The Colonel won't let me stay and I need to stay!" He had managed to get his foot under him and push himself into a standing position, but he swayed dangerously. Hughes put down the phone and put his arms out to catch him. However, Ed took a stumbling step back from Maes' outstretched hands. The automail in his leg wasn't bending at the knee and Ed was forced to take steps with his whole leg straightened out. Hughes stopped moving forward; worried he would fall trying to get away from him.

"Why do you need to stay?" Maes asked, with his hands hovering uselessly in the space between them.

"I need to talk to Jaysen Pace! I need to. Please let me stay." And Edward was looking at him with a spark he hadn't seen in a while, but it was short lived as the boy began breathing too quickly.

"Calm down, Ed." The last thing he needed was for Edward to hyperventilate in his office. "Breathe in slowly."

Edward did as he was told and he closed his eyes against the pain in his chest. He wobbled a bit and Hughes cautiously placed a hand at his automail elbow. When the boy didn't react negatively to his proximity, Maes gently placed a hand on his flesh arm as well.

"I'm sorry, Hughes. I just need to know."

"Ed…"

"Are you angry at me?" Ed was staring at him intensely again, but Hughes could see the bit of brokenness there lingering in his eyes.

Without warning, Hughes wrapped both his arms around Edward, causing the boy to jump in surprise, but he did not have the strength to push the man away. Instead he found himself leaning into the embrace and for the briefest moment he felt that he could fall apart right there if he allowed himself to.

"I'm not mad at you, you ridiculous boy. I'm worried about you, not angry… though you are going to give the Colonel a heart attack one of these days with the stunts you keep pulling."

They stayed like that for several minutes, until Maes felt that Edward was really breathing regularly again…Until he felt like he could speak to the child in a steady voice of his own. He loosened his grip and let Edward push away from him. Hughes kept his hands on the boy's shoulders and studied his young face intently.

"Why do you need to talk to Jaysen Pace?" Hughes asked as he continued to hold Edward upright.

"Need to ask him a question," Ed's eyes began to dart around the room, as if expecting the Pace brother to appear any moment.

"Could I ask him for you?" Hughes tilted his head to try to catch the boy's eye again.

"…No, I need to know for myself." Ed shook his head and Maes tried to not get distracted by the longer strands of hair that swished back in forth at the back of the boy's golden head. "Can I sit in on your meeting?"

"I really don't know if that would be wise."

"Please, Hughes." And then Edward looked so desperate then that Hughes felt his resolve crumble completely.

"Fine, please sit down before you fall." Pick and choose your battles… "You can ask your question, but then you're going back to the hospital right away. Understood?"

Edward nodded, but then eyed the chair in front of Maes' desk warily. Hughes blinked, not knowing what to make of the nervous look.

"Edward?" Maes questioned.

"I-I can stand."

"No, you really can't."

Edward mumbled something with his head lowered that Hughes couldn't make out at all.

"What was that, Ed?"

Edward sighed heavily. "I don't think I can sit."

"What do you mean?"

"There was this chair at the hospital and… I don't know what happened. I couldn't do it. I ripped out my IV, I almost hit the nurse and I did hit Al. They wanted me to sit still and I couldn't do it… It pressed into my back and it hurt and I couldn't breathe with it like that and it was like… I wasn't really there anymore…"

Hughes clenched his teeth. In Edward's limited way, Maes caught on that the boy was telling him that he had experienced a sort of flashback. Hughes knew about flashbacks. How many shell shocked soldiers had he seen go through their own personal hell over and over again? There were times when he watched people he knew scream at the walls and try to strangle their friends when they got too close. He had felt it himself, and he knew for sure that Roy had. Even long after the war, there were still nights when he would receive a late night phone call and have to drive over to Roy's home to make sure the man hadn't destroyed his house or himself. Sometimes alcohol would help to soothe those night terrors away and sometimes it made everything so much worse. Those nights when his best friend shouted at the walls and actually cried and apologized over and over again to people who had been long dead… Hughes remembered those nights too clearly, even if Roy always claimed afterwards that he didn't recollect the details.

"Take a breath. You can sit in my desk chair. It's cushioned and I promise that the back of it won't press against you. Also, I'm going to have Colonel Mustang called, so that he knows where you are."

"But-" Edward started to argue, but Maes cut him off.

"I will have him called after Pace arrives. That should give you enough time to ask your question."

"Thank you," Edward breathed in relief. Maes gave a nod and gently helped Edward take the few laborious steps around his desk and ease into his chair.

Hughes had stepped out to have a word with his returned receptionist and Edward felt the first few pangs of panic. It was stupid, but Ed didn't like being left in the room alone. It felt too quiet. Cushioned or not, sitting still in the chair made him uneasy. He knew he couldn't move well on his own yet. His arm still wouldn't cooperate and his leg jammed up so that he kept having to awkwardly swing it in front of him just to take a step. If he needed to get out of the chair quickly, he wouldn't be able to. He might as well be tied to it…

Edward's heart began to beat too fast… The door to Hughes' office swung open and Edward jumped at the movement. Maes saw the startled movement and quirked his eyebrow at Edward.

"Ed, are you all right?"

"F-fine." Ed tried to stop trembling. When had he started tremoring like that? He felt like he was going to shake himself to little pieces.

"Are you sure?" Hughes scrutinized him thoroughly.

"Yes." Ed sat up straighter, ignoring the pain is caused in his abdomen and willing himself to sit still.

"Good, because Jaysen Pace is waiting outside." Hughes studied Ed for a moment and waited to see his reaction. But Ed's eyes only widened slightly and he gave a brisk nod. Hughes hesitated. "He's arrived early." Maes felt the need to fill the silence. "You need to let me know now if you've changed your mind."

Edward had pulled out his own IV for the second time, tumbled out of his hospital window and then limped the entire way to Hughes' office barefoot with wrecked automail and broken toes; he wasn't going to back out now.

"I haven't changed my mind." Ed was surprised at how resolute his voice sounded. It certainly didn't match the rolling sensation he felt in his stomach. Hughes gave a nod and stepped out of his office again. He was only gone for a moment before the door was opened and he entered with an unreadable expression on his face. Behind him was a slightly shorter man with light brown hair that was neatly parted and combed to the side. A day's stubble marked his face, but he was wearing a collared shirt with neatly pressed trousers and a jacket. There had been care taken to make sure he gave a positive first impression, but the circles under his eyes gave the story of a man who had not slept in well over a day. And when he finally looked up from the ground, Edward had to steel himself against the glance of sharp blue eyes that were too familiar. Without hesitation, Hughes grabbed a spare chair from the wall and dragged it next to where Edward was sitting. He then sat down at Edward's side and motioned for Pace to sit down in the chair on the opposite side of the desk. But the man missed the gesture as he was staring wide eyed at Ed.

Up to this point, Ed hadn't thought much of his appearance, but judging on the look he was receiving, he realized that he looked terrible. He hadn't thought much about the stitches that still marred his face or his hair that was still uneven in the back. Now it entered his mind like an unsettling itch and he felt much too exposed.

"Please sit down, Mr. Pace," Hughes prompted.

The man then jolted out of his trance and quickly fumbled over to his chair and sat down heavily. Edward felt like he was going to throw up on Hughes' desk.

"Mr. Elric will only be joining us for a short time. I know you wished to speak with him, but I must ask that he be allowed to speak first. Do you understand?"

Pace nodded, but he hadn't lost that wide-eyed expression.

"Edward." Hughes prompted and he gave the boy a nod. Ed felt like there was a buzzing in his brain and he winced at the pain from it. "Ed?" Maes asked looking slightly worried. Edward suddenly sat up straighter and gave a nod to Hughes. But when he looked at Jaysen Pace he found himself shaking his head slightly. The words he wanted to say didn't seem to be there and he gasped like a fish out of water for a moment.

"Why?" The word then tumbled out of Edward's mouth on its own and the boy couldn't add anything else to make himself more understandable. Maes raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Pace's eyes somehow widened more at this and then softened considerably.

"If you want to know why my brother did what he did… I'm not sure." Jaysen Pace's voice was surprisingly deep, but gentle and Edward was relieved that the brothers didn't sound the same. "But I do know that I am really the one to blame."

Edward shifted in his seat and Hughes had leaned forward.

"What do you mean?" Hughes asked in a detached sort of way. He was all serious business now, removing his own emotions from the situation. Jaysen Pace shut his eyes and took a breath. When he opened his eyes again, they fell upon Edward and they remained there while he spoke.

"Warren was eleven years younger than me and our parents weren't the most… stable people... I left home when I was fourteen and never looked back. But I left him there… a few years later I read in a newspaper about a man murdering his wife and then killing himself in his home. The only witness was their five year old son and he had just sat in our old house for days before somebody found them. I… I tried to claim him, but they wouldn't let me take him. I was still too young and he was…there was something wrong with him. Once I was old enough, I tried to become his guardian, but the government wouldn't relinquish him. They said I was ill-equipped to be his caretaker… because he was violent and they had classified him as a danger to himself and others. He was eight then. I tried. I tried, but they wouldn't let me take him home. I had the chance to speak to him and I realized that he didn't know who I was. He didn't remember me. You see, it was my fault for leaving him. You're asking me why? Why he did what he did? I don't really know." Pace finally glanced away and stared at the ground as he blinked several times, determined not to be overcome by emotion.

"I am so sorry," he continued, looking up at Edward again. His eyes were filling with tears, despite his best efforts. "I'm so sorry to you and to everyone he hurt. He was my little brother and I failed him so completely. I know you don't have a reason to, but that's why I wanted to speak to you. To ask if you could find it in yourself to forgive me for allowing this to happen…."

Edward stood up suddenly and wavered unsteadily on his feet. Though surprised by the abrupt movement, Maes quickly stood to join him, placing a hand on his back to steady him.

"I need to go," Ed said hastily and he started to move around Hughes toward the exit. He only took two steps before Hughes had to catch him before he could fall. Thinking the boy was at a breaking point, Maes quickly worked to support him, half carrying him out of his office. At the last moment, Ed turned back and Hughes stumbled to keep him upright.

Ed looked at Jaysen Pace for a long moment, his eyes trailing the tears that escaped down the man's face.

"You haven't done anything that I need to forgive. You… you were a child too. Thank you for talking to me." Then, Edward turned back and staggered the rest of the way out of the office. Hughes shut the door behind them and pretended not to hear the sounds of crying that broke out suddenly from the other side of it. Hughes' receptionist has stood up when she saw them both, but she didn't seem to know what to do. Maes motioned for her to stay where she was and then concentrated on Edward.

"Hughes, I think I'm going to be sick." Ed sagged heavily to the side and Maes gently lowered him to the ground.

"Take a deep breath through your nose, Ed… Let it go slowly out your mouth... Take another breath and let it out slowly." Hughes was kneeling next to him with one hand placed around the boy's shoulders. "You did well," Maes said after a moment.

"I didn't do anything," Ed huffed out after a moment. Hughes tightened his grip around Edward slightly.

"Oh, Ed. You forgave him. That meant everything to him."

"It wasn't his fault." Ed shook his head before taking another steadying breath.

Maes fixed the boy with a stare. "Do you finally see that it's really not yours either? Forgive yourself, Edward. Please stop pushing yourself so hard to make things right when you don't need to."

Edward didn't say anything, but he gave the slightest nod and Hughes smiled.

"I'm sorry he couldn't really answer your question, but honestly I don't think anyone can. Not the way you're thinking anyway."

"I… I just thought, if anyone could, it would be his brother. I thought… how could you not realize what your own brother is capable of? I don't know… I just…" The tremoring had returned and Hughes tightened his arm further around Edward's shoulders.

"Not everyone is as close as you and Alphonse," Hughes muttered quietly.

"But were they close at one point?" Ed quickly glanced up at the man before letting his gaze drop back to the floor again.

"I think something went wrong there very early on. Don't compare yourself to him. You are going to be all right, Ed. Al will be all right too. No matter what you go through, the two of you have each other… and you have me and the Colonel and a lot of other people that are willing to help you. Understand?"

To Hughes' relief, Edward's shaking had slowed down again and his breathing had nearly returned to normal. Edward gave a near indiscernible nod.

"Believe me?" Hughes leaned down, trying to catch the boy's eye.

"Yes." Ed finally answered after a moment.

"Good." Hughes leaned back and loosened his hold on Edward. It was at that moment that he realized that they had company. Havoc was standing a few feet in front of them, carrying a careful grin on his face.

"Hey, Chief." Havoc said as calmly as possible, but Edward still jerked in surprise. He hadn't heard the man arrive either. "Colonel asked me to pick you up."

"Where's Roy?" Maes asked, curiously.

"At the hospital, dealing with some paperwork and I think trying to convince the staff not to restrain Ed to a bed."

"Really?" Edward asked, as he tensed up again.

"Might be a slight exaggeration, but not by much. You haven't endeared yourself much to the hospital staff have you?" Havoc cocked his head to the side, his eyes softened considerably as he took in Edward's state.

"Do I really have to go back?" Ed mumbled, as he gave a small pleading look at Hughes, but the man just shook his head at the boy.

"You've damaged your stitches, Ed. They're going to have to take a look." Maes stood up then, but Edward made no move to attempt to stand. He also ignored the hand Hughes offered him.

"Should I carry you, Chief?" Havoc asked, still with that cautious smile on his face.

"I can manage," Ed grumbled as he attempted to push himself off the floor with his own strength.

Edward managed for exactly one step, before he nearly fell over. Havoc promised not to tell anyone that he had to carry him the rest of the way and Ed believed him, finding himself too tired now to be properly embarrassed.

Roy didn't say a word when Edward was carried into the hospital by Havoc... Though Alphonse didn't give him much of a chance to speak anyway.

"Brother! What were you thinking?" Al had been worrying and pacing himself into a stage of agitation for nearly an hour. By the time Edward finally arrived, Alphonse's frustration had evolved into outrage.

"Sorry, Al. I needed to ask him a question-"

"I know! You told me you needed to! Edward, you could have told me! I would have even helped you." Alphonse's voice broke a little, "You didn't need to trick me. I could have helped. You didn't need to leave like that. You really scared me…And you're hurt again! What happened?" Al tugged at the white cloth, revealing the rest of the blood still soaking through Ed's shirt.

"I just knocked a few stitches loose. It's not a big deal, Al."

"It's not a big deal? It's not a big deal! You -You're a stupid jerk!" Alphonse then suddenly turned and stalked away quickly down the hallway.

"Al, hang on. Wait!" Ed called after his brother, but it was no use. He squirmed in Havoc's arms, but the man held tight.

"Where do you think you're going, Chief?"

"I need to go after him."

"Sure, Chief. I know you'll be running through the halls in no time, but let's get you checked out first." Havoc then turned and walked quickly into Ed's waiting hospital room. Edward wiggled halfheartedly in protest, but didn't seem to have the energy to free himself. Havoc sat him on the bed as gently as he could, but Ed couldn't help wincing when his stomach wrenched from the movement.

"Sorry," Havoc mumbled, but Edward just shook his head.

"I'm fine." Ed insisted, which earned him a small smirk from the second lieutenant. Roy had followed them into the room and was severely scrutinizing the blood seeping through Edward's shirt.

"You're dismissed, Lieutenant." Roy spoke to the first time. Havoc raised his eyebrows and grinned at Ed. The expression quickly fell away as he turned to his superior officer and gave him a brisk nod.

"Yes, sir."

"Mustang, I need to go after Al." Ed meant to swing his legs over the side of the bed, but he was barely able to shift his body slightly to the right.

"No, Fullmetal." Roy stated. He didn't sound angry, but he definitely wasn't completely calm either.

Edward frowned, ready to argue, but Roy beat him to it.

"This is what is going to happen, Fullmetal. You are going to sit and be quiet while the staff checks you over and replaces the stitches you have torn out. Then, once your brother cools down and returns, I will leave. You will not be leaving this room again until you are properly discharged. Do I make myself clear?"

"You don't need to babysit me," Ed sulked.

"The hospital staff would disagree. Do I make myself clear?"

Edward slowly nodded with a deep scowl on his face. He could see that he was in no shape to win this argument.

While Edward's cuts were attended to by a very sour faced nurse, Roy couldn't help surveying the damage for himself. He would have liked to say that once the blood was cleaned up, it really wasn't so bad, but the cuts on Ed's stomach were quite swollen and red. Thankfully, his stitches elsewhere were still intact.

Surprisingly, Edward was able to hold very still while the nurse set to work disinfecting and sewing Ed's skin together again. Edward stared silently at the ceiling throughout the process and barely winced as he was prodded at. Just as the nurse was about to begin bandaging his torso up again, Edward broke the tense silence.

"Could you tell Hughes that Adalbert is across the river and behind the waterfalls?" Edward was motioning to the cuts nearest his heart. The nurse hesitated briefly before continuing her work. Roy stared blankly at the cuts that were soon hidden with gauze.

"You have a map on your chest." Roy had seen it, but it hadn't dawned on him until then.

"Yeah." Edward looked annoyed that Mustang seemed so slow to catch on.

"…Hughes said something about that," Roy recalled a somewhat fuzzy, intoxicated memory from a few nights ago. A list of swear words raced through Mustang's mind rather quickly. In the beginning, he thought he had seen a pattern to those marks, but he had forgotten about them, overcome with thoughts of getting Edward the medical attention he needed. The last thing Ed needed were scars that detailed the whereabouts of a murdered four year old scrawled permanently across his heart. For not the first time, Roy Mustang found he was glad that Warren Pace was dead. His only regret was that he hadn't been able to end the bastard himself.

"Tell him the about the waterfalls." Edward said, ignoring his superior officer's scowling gaze. With a shake of his head Roy brought himself back to the moment at hand.

"I will tell him." Roy nearly choked on the words, not realizing how his mouth had gone very dry suddenly.

"Colonel?"

"Yes?" Roy managed to say in a steady voice.

"I won't leave again."

Roy bit the inside of his cheek as he decided not to make any sort of sarcastic remark. Instead he gave a curt nod. Ed kept his gaze for a moment before letting his eyes drift to the ceiling again where he stared emotionlessly while the nurse finished wrapping his chest, hiding the disturbing map from view once more.

"He was clean," Hughes said loudly as he shoved paperwork in Roy's face. The Colonel had only just woken up and he had yet to consume any coffee. The last thing he was expecting was for Maes Hughes to show up at his door, first thing in the morning, with an autopsy report that he probably wasn't supposed to have taken out of the office in the first place. Roy blinked at the small text, but he was having trouble bringing it into focus.

"What?" Roy managed. Hughes gave the report an impatient shake.

"Warren Pace's blood came back negative for everything."

Roy still blinked for a moment. In the back of his mind he realized he was still wearing his white shirt and military slacks from the previous day. Apparently, he hadn't bothered to change out of them last night. He must have been more exhausted then he thought.

What time was it anyway? He felt like he had only just closed his eyes, when he had been jarred awake by the loud knocking on his door. He had quickly stumbled to open the front door, mostly so that the incessant knocking would stop. His mind had not entirely woken up yet. Hughes sighed in exasperation.

"You told me you wanted to know when the bloodwork came back. You were worried about Edward coming into contact with Pace's blood."

A brief recollection floated through Roy's mind.

"Was that when I was drunk?"

"No… well, maybe a little. You hadn't fallen on the floor yet. I thought you would remember. It's not exactly typical drunken conversation."

"His blood was clean?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Roy managed. While obviously the thought had crossed his mind at some point when he was drinking with Hughes… he hadn't had time or energy to think more about it. Since then he had spent his time being slightly hungover and tired and then he had been preoccupied with thoughts of haircuts and certain alchemists escaping hospital rooms.

Roy stepped aside and allowed Hughes to enter his home. Once Maes was through the door, Roy made his way to the kitchen to start making the coffee he desperately needed. After he shut the door behind him, Hughes hovered in the kitchen doorway, talking mostly for the sake of talking.

"The autopsy report took too long to get back to me. There was a bunch of confusion over who submitted what paperwork and when. Which is a bunch of bureaucratic nonsense. I've been in charge of this investigation for a while now and they said I didn't have the clearance, so I had to redo all the paperwork and present proof that I've taken it over… Roy did you sleep on your couch?"

Mustang turned at the abrupt change in topic and found his friend staring at the couch cushions that were in disarray and the blanket that had fallen to the floor when he had woken up to answer the door.

"I was tired, that was the closest surface fit for sleeping." Roy picked up a piece of paper on the counter and held it out to Hughes. "Fullmetal told me to tell you that Adalbert is behind the waterfalls. I sketched out what I could remember. I don't know if it will be much help though."

Hughes looked confused for a moment as he took the paper. Then realization dawned on him.

"The map on his chest…"

"Yes."

Hughes studied the rough sketch for a moment. "I have some men looking near there, I will tell them to go further across the river."

Roy gave a nod and began searching for a clean mug for his coffee. He was debating whether or not he was feeling up to eating breakfast when Hughes spoke up again.

"Roy, are you going into work today?"

"Later. I was informed I should take the morning off, since I've been nearly useless at paperwork recently." Mustang rubbed a hand over his face and brushed short strands of hair off of his forehead. "I've told Havoc to escort Fullmetal from the hospital back to his dorm when he is released."

"You don't want to be there when he's released?"

"…No. I've had enough of hospitals for now. Besides he seems to get along fine with Havoc." Unable to find a clean cup, Roy began washing one the dirty mugs that had been set on his counter.

Maes mulled over his thoughts for a moment. If Ed was still on track to be released today, then the damage to his stitches might not have been that bad… or the hospital staff had just had enough of him.

"I will stop by to visit him later... Are you sure everything is all right?"

"Yes, why?" Roy asked as he scrubbed a bit too hard at his dishware.

"Just checking… You know… Ed did well yesterday… with the Pace brother. All things considered, he handled it well." Hughes studied Roy's shoulders as they tensed for the briefest moment before he continued cleaning out his cup.

"Did he?" Roy asked, his voice pitched slightly lower than normal

"As well as possible, I think. You would have been proud of him."

Roy began pouring coffee into his cleaned mug and turned towards his friend with a slight smirk.

"You look like shit, Hughes. Stop worrying about the state of the rest of world and get some sleep."

Hughes scratched his head and let out a huff of a laugh. He couldn't think about sleep yet though, he still had a lot of work to do.

"Thanks for that, Roy. I will keep it in mind."

To be continued…

A/N: This took so long. I am so sorry. School is trying to kill me… and then I just got back from London again, so that trip took up time. OK, one more chapter should wrap this up. Please leave a review. I love them.