Chapter 19 – The Strength To Forgive

The scene outside Central Headquarters was chaos. Hordes of flashing lights from fire trucks, police and ambulances cut through the smoke-filled, nighttime air. The sound of sirens drowned out much of the noise from onlookers and people pouring from the undamaged sections of the building. Emergency personal swarmed over the scene, fighting to keep the fire from spreading, helping to clear everyone out of the building and attempting to maintain crowd control. Overall it was like someone had stepped on an anthill. Wrath stood at the edge of the crowd of onlookers, surveying the scene with a heavy feeling of dread. Little remained of what had once been the Amestrian Council's meeting room save for a scattered mass of smoking rubble. The rest of Central Headquarters appeared relatively unharmed, though parts of the building near the meeting room sustained damage but. It was impossible to tell how many casualties there were. The only blessing was that few people had been in the area at this time of night. Still, it was safe to assume that the members of the Amestrian Council were crushed beneath the rubble.

He scanned the crowed looking for a familiar head of ash-blonde hair. If she was alive she likely wasn't in this crowed. It had taken him time to get back across the city. On top of which, it was almost impossible to make out the features of those around him in these light levels. Had Elycia been near the area demolished by the blast? There was no way to be sure. The intense anxiety eating at him was startling. Why did he care so much? The thought of his co-worker being blown to bits by a man they had failed to apprehend filled him with a sick horror. He shouldn't have let her go off on her own. He'd known it was a risk with Dominic on the loose. He should have just trusted his gut. If she was dead then it was entirely his fault.

"Wrath!" he heard a familiar voice shout above the racket. He turned and was surprised to spot Envy making his way through the crowed. Wrath started towards him swiftly.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded as he reached the green haired man.

"I came to find you. Roy called us from his office to let us know he's alright. We have a serious problem on our hands though," Envy replied grimly.

"Is Elycia with him?" Wrath demanded urgently. The green haired man blinked in surprise at the anxiety in the younger man's expression.

"Yeah, she came back to the house a short time ago to explain the situation to us. Why?" Envy frowned, a little puzzled. Wrath raked his bangs back from his face as he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. The relief those words imparted was palpable.

"I knew she was headed in this direction when the bomb went off, so I was worried…" Wrath trailed off slowly as an uncomfortable realization began to dawn on him. Envy stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"I didn't realize the two of you were so close," he commented. He couldn't remember the last time the dark haired man had lost his composure over someone not in his immediate circle of friends and family. His emotions were usually guided by a distant practicality with everyone else.

Wrath frowned, hands clenching into fists. How had this happened? When had he gotten emotionally attached to that woman? He wasn't supposed to care at such a personal level whether or not she lived or died. They were coworkers, nothing more. He was an expert at keeping people at arms distance. He couldn't afford to become attached to any more people than he already was. Gaining personal connections only put him at risk for losing them again. Relationships weren't worth it in the long-run. And yet, she had somehow slipped under his radar and become someone he worried about. He'd thought her annoying tendencies would be more than enough to kill any fondness or friendship that might arise between them. Not that fondness was a terribly obvious aspect to their relationship... But somehow her refusal to be put off by his cold demeanor and her persistent, cheerful friendliness had grown on him. He'd started to actually like having her around at some distant level. That was a serious problem.

"Hey," Envy's voice startled him out of his thoughts, "We need to get back to Roy's house. Time is of the essence," his tone was clipped. Wrath shook his head slightly to clear it.

"Right, let's go," he replied.

Upon reaching the Mustang residence, both men were startled to find only Elycia waiting for them in the living room.

"Where is everyone?" Envy demanded.

"Edward and Riza went to join Roy at the intelligence headquarters. Since they were both active members of the military at one time they're better off helping out there than sitting around here. Roy needs all the help he can get from people he knows he can trust," Elycia explained. She was seated on one of the couches, her expression flatter than usual. She looked tired.

"He's going to have his hands full trying to maintain order after this. There are commanders in the military that will be able to keep things somewhat under control, but the government will be in utter chaos. To have both the Council and the Furor taken out in one attack…it's the absolute worst case scenario," Envy's tone was grim.

"The Furor was there too?" Wrath demanded, eyes widening slightly. Elycia nodded.

"The government has been cleanly decapitated thanks to an extremist that we failed to catch in time," she replied. Wrath stared at her, a little taken off guard by the exhausted resignation radiating from her. It was utterly unlike her. Then again, after the events of the night it wasn't surprising.

"Shit," he muttered. They sure had one hell of a mess on their hands now.

"And there isn't anything we can help Roy with at this point. We'd only be in the way," Elycia commented.

"Aren't you a member of the military?" Wrath frowned.

"I'm a secretary, not a soldier," she retorted flatly.

"We need to focus on Resembool now. It's in the most immediate danger with its proximity to the southern border," Envy pointed out. Elycia blinked, seeming to stir slightly from her defeated state.

"You're right. We've got to get those people out of there," she frowned in concern.

"We?" the hard edge in Wrath's voice caused both Envy and Elycia to glance at him.

"Yes, we. I care about Winry and Elsie you know," the blonde's tone was indignant.

"We don't need your help," Wrath stared at her coldly. Elycia's expression grew incredulous. Even Envy's eyebrows rose.

"Are you kidding me Wrath? What is your problem?" she demanded defensively.

"You are the problem. It would be better if you left," the harshness of his tone only sharpened the stinging words. Elycia's jaw dropped slightly.

"Wrath," Envy's tone was reprimanding. The dark haired man glanced at him in surprise, then his expression darkened.

"You're taking her side?" he demanded sharply. When Envy continued to stare at him with a flat expression, Wrath's hands balled into fists. Then without another word he turned and stalked out of the room. A moment later they heard the front door slam forcefully. There was silence for a moment as the room's two remaining occupants stared after him, attempting to wrap their minds around the dark haired man's sudden outburst. Finally Elycia shook her head slowly.

"He's like a PMS-ing teenage girl," her tone was filled with a mixture of disbelief and anger. The green haired man snorted.

"That's one way of putting it," his tone was dry. Then he turned to glance at her, expression growing more serious. "You need to go talk to him," he informed her. Elycia stared at him with raised eyebrows.

"You honestly think that will help the situation?" she demanded incredulously.

"In this case I think you're the only one who can truly knock some sense into him," Envy replied.

"And why is that?" She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Because the two of you share something in common," Envy stared at her grimly. Elycia blinked in surprise at his words, and then abruptly grew still as she grasped his meaning. Her gaze dropped to the floor after a moment, expression growing unreadable.

"…I see," she stated finally. Her tone was hollow.

Wrath was pacing up and down his hotel room, attempting to untangle himself from the emotions knotted up inside him. This was not good. He wasn't at all sure what exactly he felt for Elycia. All he knew was that for whatever reason she was managing to completely destroy the wall of calm he usually managed to keep between himself and the world. He had somehow come to enjoy her company, despite her unique ability to piss him off. But now things had progressed too far. He shouldn't have panicked like he had when that bomb had gone off. And he was well aware that his actions moments ago at the Mustang residence hadn't been the least bit rational. He just couldn't tolerate the idea of having to continue to work with her. She was completely screwing up his well-built defenses. She wasn't worth this. They had nothing in common. She would never be able to understand him, and he had no desire to attempt to understand her.

The sound of a knock on the door brought a halt to his pacing. He stared across the room for a moment, expression guarded. He had a pretty good idea as to who was on the other side of that door. Reluctantly he crossed the room and pulled it open. Sure enough, Elycia was standing on the other side, her arms crossed.

"I came to talk. Let me in," she demanded. Her expression was unreadable.

"I don't want to talk," his tone bordered on hostile.

"I don't care," there was an uncharacteristic edge to her voice. "Dammit Wrath, I've put up with your prickly attitude for the last few weeks. You owe me a conversation at the very least." Without waiting for a response she pushed past him into the room. He turned to stare after her incredulously. Then his eyes narrowed, feeling a wash of anger. He'd put up with her pushiness thus far, but this crossed a line.

"You just can't seem to take the hint. I don't want anything to do with you," his tone was harsh as he glared at her. She came to a stop in the middle of the room, turning to face him with crossed arms, fixing him with a flat expression.

"Look, if you just found me annoying and truly wanted nothing to do with me, I'd understand that. But I don't think that's what's going on here," she informed him bluntly. "Want to know what I think? I think you're scared. You're afraid of getting close to anyone because you don't want to risk getting hurt again like you did when your mother died," her tone was accusing. For a moment Wrath was lost for words, reeling from the unexpected yet insightful accusation. Then his eyes flashed dangerously.

"Get out," he ordered, his voice low and steely. To his frustration, rather than being intimidated by his threatening tone she raised her chin and fixed him with an almost murderous glare. Past the anger he felt a prick of surprise. He couldn't remember actually seeing her angry before. It was somewhat startling.

"Oh get off your high horse Wrath. Do you honestly think you're the only one with scars?" she snapped, "I know your brother murdered my dad," her tone was ruthless. Wrath's eyes widened and he stared at her blankly. The shock which crashed over him in a wave effectively extinguished the anger simmering inside him. It was a moment before he could find his voice. She…what…?

"How?" he demanded finally.

"He came and told me himself," she replied, voice still clipped with irritation. He continued to stare at her, hardly believing what he was hearing.

"When?" he demanded incredulously. She stared at him a moment before her expression wavered. Without a word she turned away from him, walking over to stare out the window as she attempted to recompose herself. She let out a slow breath.

"It was about ten years ago," she replied finally. Wrath blinked. Wait… she'd known this for the last ten years? He shook his head.

"Why would he do that?" he asked. She sighed, shoulders slumping slightly.

"He came to see me one evening. I don't think I'll ever forget the look on his face. His eyes were haunted," she trailed off for a moment, then she glanced at Wrath. "He told me everything. He told me about his parents, his time spent as a homunculus and the crimes he committed. And he told me about how he killed my father and why," she swallowed before continuing, "He told me that he couldn't escape his past; that he was haunted by the people he'd murdered in cold blood every night in his dreams, especially my father. He said he didn't expect me to be able to forgive him, he just thought he owed me a personal apology. He wanted me to turn him over to the military to be executed. He said that if I didn't then he'd turn himself in anyway. He was convinced he deserved it. In a way he was right," Elycia said, her eyes sad as she glanced back out the window once more.

"But…he didn't turn himself in," Wrath pointed out, clearly puzzled. Elycia smiled humorlessly.

"That's because I made him promise not to. I ordered him not to speak of it to anyone again," she replied. Wrath's eyes widened.

"Why? Why wouldn't you just turn him in? It's well within your rights to do so," his tone was incredulous.

"I almost did," she replied softly.

"What stopped you?" Wrath demanded. She was silent for a moment. Finally she let out a sigh.

"I just…couldn't do it. The guilt was obviously crushing him. He was punishing himself better than any firing squad ever could. And more than that, killing him wouldn't bring my father back. All it would do was put Elsie and their little girl through the same hell that mom and I had gone through. I couldn't do that to them. I'm not the sort of monster who would strip away a little girl's father for the sake of revenge. And I doubt my dad would want that anyway," she murmured. There was silence for several minutes.

Finally Wrath managed to pull himself out of his daze enough to slowly cross the room and stand next to her at the window. He watched her from the corner of his eye. He wasn't sure how to respond to the shocking admission. He never in a million years would have guessed that she knew Envy's secret from the way she interacted with him and his family. She just treated them…so naturally. He was having trouble wrapping his mind around it. After a moment she swallowed.

"I believe that people can change. Roy has been like a father to me and yet, years ago he killed Winry's parents," her expression was sad. "I talked to her about it one time. She said she couldn't bring herself to hate him for it because she'd come to respect him... Envy knows he doesn't deserve what he has. It's something he has to live with every day. But his family needs him and Elmina doesn't deserve to pay for the sins of her father. So I decided to forgive him," her voice had dropped to a whisper. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears as she glanced at Wrath, but there was a spark of resentment in her gaze.

"But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt every time I see him with his daughter. That there isn't a part of me that's sad and confused to know that the man who murdered my dad in cold blood is enjoying the same life which he stole from me and my mother because I'm allowing him to." The edge was back in her voice. "So tell me, am I weak because I won't take revenge on them? Is it wrong that I've chosen to treat them with kindness instead of hating them for the pain they cause me every time I see them? Is it foolish that I've decided to move on with my life like I know my father would want me to?" she demanded ruthlessly. "I know your past is complicated and that you have your own scars to live with. But do you honestly think that gives you any right to push everyone away just because you don't want to risk more pain?" her eyes narrowed at him, "Quit being a coward," she told him severely.

Wrath stared at her in shock, mind utterly blank as her words sank in. Then without another word she abruptly turned on her heel and walked away across the room. She pulled the door open and then hesitated, glancing back over her shoulder. "Think about what I've said. And then come tell me how you really feel. I'll leave you alone if that's what you want," she told him, her expression unreadable. Then she turned and left, the door slipping shut behind her.

-Author's Note-

Well well…that was quite the admission... Did anyone see that coming?

I'm not sure what to say about this chapter since as far as I'm concerned it speaks for itself. It'll be elaborated on some more later. So I'll just leave it at that.

Next chapter features a switch back to Elmina's POV and some…rather unexpected things take place… *shifty eyes* x'D

MissiB: Oh my word, thank you for the insane number of reviews! That totally and completely made my day! I just kind of sat there in stunned awe as I realized you were reviewing every chapter. XD I'm really glad you've liked it thus far! I'm sorry you now have to wait a week for each chapter... *sheepish* though if I manage to finish it soon I'll be able to start uploading it faster. Oooh! And about AJ and Elmina! Technically they aren't actually related...call it a loop hole if you will, but Envy's human body isn't his original body, so technically he isn't related to Ed by blood anymore...so...AJ and Elmina aren't related by blood. x'D Although, apparently it used to be quite common for royalty to actually marry their cousins. o_O So I guess such things aren't unheard of...

In The Forest: I'm glad you're enjoying the Wrath/Elycia stuff. ^^ And...yeah...Mania...is a jerk. He likes making life awkward for people. x'D

Penelope Jadewing: *chuckles* Yeah, I'd say that that was one of the worst cliff hangers in the story...but...there are worse ones coming. XD You are forewarned!

nettlesnitch92: Yay! I'm so happy people like the Wrath/Elycia relationship! I was a little worried they wouldn't for some reason. And on the action front...well from here on out things just get more and more intense. XD You'll see what I mean next chapter lol.