Merry Christmas! Tanoshi Shukujitsu!

THANK YOU CHRISTMAS BREAK!!! XD

Ah- almost forgot to warn you, Al has a potty-mouth toward the end of this chapter. Just twice, but I guess I'm supposed to warn my readers about that, ne?

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"If you're going to try and hit me, forget it," Ed snipped at Roy as the colonel pulled the blond into his bedroom. Roy closed the door behind them and turned to face Ed, who was trying to pretend he wasn't feeling intimidated right now.

"I did not bring you up here to hit you."

Ed twitched his nose and stared at Roy, waiting.

"I did it because I can tell the difference by now."

Ed's eyebrows drew slightly together, and still he waited.

"I can tell the difference between you screaming because you're flat-out angry and you screaming because you're upset or you feel trapped."

Ed set his teeth together, his eyes admitting that he'd been putting up a front.

"And when you get upset, you tend to make a mess of things." Roy's face was much warmer now and he scooped Ed up against his chest. Ed's face remained slightly wary, waiting for admonition for his noncooperation and quick temper downstairs.

"So, Ed, we have to be a team here, OK? I do care," and here Roy squeezed Ed very tightly to his chest, "whether or not Hohenheim takes you away. I care very much. So we can't fight each other." Roy looked at Ed very closely. Ed looked a little uncertain and confused.

"You have to tell me exactly what's going on with you," Roy told him.

Ed looked down and rested his head on the side of Roy's chest.

"I know you feel threatened, but why are you so out-of-control?" Roy wiggled Ed in his arms to signal his impatience for an answer. Ed rubbed his face in Roy's jacket. "You're not getting rid of him," Ed moaned into Roy's shirt. Roy sat down on his bed to ease the weight on his arms.

"Ed, I can't just kill someone-"

"Then you could at least try to arrest him! Or contain him or- or something! First you were just running away and then you wouldn't hurt him and now you let him in the house and you're not even- not even- you're just letting him say-" Ed stopped when he ran out of air, unable to take in any more because Roy was hugging him so desperately hard.

"Ed, I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to scare you, there's no way he's taking you away from me. I'm just scared. With the homonculi on his side, especially Envy, he can do a lot of damage. To the military, to people I know, to me and my career. I'm trying not to provoke him until I know how much power he really has. And-" Roy took a deep breath and loosened his hold on Ed so the blond fell away from him and their eyes could meet, "I don't want Alphonse to blame me because he never got to know his father. I know you don't want Hohenheim near Alphonse, but Al is thinking differently right now."

"Yeah, differently," Ed snorted. Roy pet Ed's hair and the boy shook him off.

"I want to give him a chance," Roy said gently.

"Al, or-"

"Yes, Al."

"But Hohenheim will hurt him!" Ed shrieked startling Roy half-to-death.

"Easy, Ed." Roy rocked him gently and Ed pawed Roy's collar, eager to disprove the idea that he was just freaking out.

"I'm serious! You saw him hit me! Al told you he let Envy kick me." Ed searched Roy's face for a sign that he was on Ed's side.

"I really hope you won't take this the wrong way, Ed, but did it ever occur to you that he's violent because you are?"

Ed set his mouth in an angry semi-pout and stared at Roy. Roy raised an eyebrow and stared back.

"I have a reason. He's just a nutjob."

"You told me to kill him," Roy reminded Ed.

"I panicked! I thought he was going to overpower both of us- and he did and we're lucky Al's such a needy wimp-"

Ed squeaked, more out of surprise and fear then pain when Roy rapped him on the head with his knuckles.

"You've never said anything that mean about Al before!"

"He wants to go and live with that nutjob just because he's the one who knocked up our mother!" Ed argued.

Roy's jaw dropped. After a moment, he lifted a hand, fully intending to smack Ed, but Ed wasn't intimidated at all, reaching up and grabbing Roy's hand to pull it close to his chest.

"He left before either of us was old enough to retain any real memories, Roy. You can't expect me to pretend he's my father."

"You could show a little respect for your mother, " Roy suggested. Ed stiffened, his eyes going wide and serious.

"I- I was! I never-." Ed started to breathe faster, panicking at the thought that maybe he really had just insulted his mother.

"She's the one who m-." Roy cut himself short, realizing he had no idea whether or not Hohenheim had been married to Ed's mother. Ed didn't notice Roy's blip.

"He seduced her. Put all his charms on her and then abandoned her."

"It was her choice, thoug-"

"No one knows that!"

"What about the Rockbells? You grew up in the same town you were both born in, Ed. Use your head. If it wasn't her choice, you would've found out about it sooner or later."

Ed glared at Roy, then caved, cuddling and pressing himself against Roy.

"But I hate him," Ed cried softly.

"I know, Ed. But he's not going to just disappear and-"

"He did once already!" Ed protested, as if wishing the man would repeat the act.

"Ed, he's not going to go anywhere. He really wants- his kids...back." Roy knew a moment of true sympathy for Van Hohenheim.

"I'm not his." Ed's voice was pitiful as he clutched the front of Roy's shirt, trying to escape from the world by hiding in Roy's arms.

"You have to be someone's, Ed. Whose are you?" Roy said logically.

"I'm yours!" Ed sniffed in a just-barely-indignant tone of voice. Roy froze. Ed felt it and looked up. After a moment, his eyes went wide and round and he tried to shove himself away from Roy.

"I was right, wasn't I? You really don't want us here, do you?" The bitterness in Ed's eyes was overpowering and Roy grabbed the blond's ear, not necessarily because he was offended, but more because it was the easiest thing Roy could grab Ed by and keep him mostly still.

"I never thought I would hear you say it, that's all, Ed." Roy's voice was calm, but as he folded Ed back into his arms, stinging tears began to leak out of his eyes.

'I'm yours...' Roy felt Ed push his head against him, listening to his heartbeat.

"Hohenheim's still down there," Ed stated. Roy groaned. Falling backward onto the bed and bringing Ed with him, he said, "I guess he's not going to disappear, is he?"

Ed sniffed angrily. "Not while Al's all over him down there."

"Edward, what if, for a little while, we called a temporary truce with Hohenheim? What if he lived nearby, where Al could visit and where we could keep an eye on him."

Ed chewed on his tongue for a moment, then sighed.

"It would be better than having him stalk me, but what about the homonculi?"

"He wouldn't send them after you if you visited every once in a while with Al, right? Furthermore, I could set up secret military surveillance on his house. So sooner or later, he would be arrested... If he didn't go berserk and..." Roy's grim face made clear the end of his sentence.

"He might," Ed said.

"But if we pull it off..."

"Al would still be angry."

"But he wouldn't know I was the one who got Hohenheim arrested."

"You and I are the only ones who would set the military on him," Ed countered.

"What about my entire group of subordinates in the living room?"

Ed considered that. "He'd be suspicious of all of us, then."

"Well I don't have any more ideas! Work with me, Ed!"

"I'm just saying your plan's not perfect," Ed grumbled.

"You can't win 'em all, Ed. We should go down soon," Roy added with a sigh. "And this time you have to behave yourself."

"Neghg!" Ed snorted, turning his head away from Roy. The Flame patted Ed's hair, then rubbed it, then tangled his fingers in it and turned Ed's head back around. Ed submitted, letting Roy stare into his eyes for a moment before Roy let go of his hair. He knew Roy was trying to make him understand that 'behaving' was important, that he was just telling Ed to behave to hear his head rattle. Ed shrugged at Roy and shook his hair out of Roy's grip, sighing.

"If you could just refrain from screaming, yelling or hitting, I would be very proud of you," Roy said slowly, as if speaking to a small child.

Ed glared at Roy.

"What?" Roy asked.

"You say that as if you think I can't do it."

"I haven't seen you do it yet," Roy teased. Ed opened his mouth and threw back his arm, then froze. Roy tried not to laugh out loud by pressing his lips together very tightly. Ed didn't know what to do with himself or how to vent his anger on Roy. He stayed stock-still for several seconds, until Roy took pity on him and picked him up, setting his feet on the ground. Ed huffed and headed for the door.

"Ah-," Roy meant to stop Ed before he stomped out into the living room and blew his top again. Ed whirled around.

"I'll show you!" he uttered shrilly.

"Please do, then." Roy smiled, extra-wide to show his support of the frazzled blond, who tilted his nose up into the air and headed downstairs. Roy followed right behind.

"So there you two are. I was wondering if you'd jumped out a window," Hohenheim drawled.

"Not likely," Ed retorted, his voice chilly, but not quite icy.

"You took long enough," Al snorted.

"In a hurry, Brother?" Ed's voice dropped and he smiled a cat's smile. Roy quickly took hold of the situation.

"Edward has agreed that if you lived somewhere nearby, he and Alphonse would come and visit. Could you take up residence somewhere here in Central for a few months while the boys get to know you better?"

Hohenheim sighed, obviously bored out of his mind.

"If that's what it takes." He stood suddenly and turned to walk out the front door, saying, "I'll send you an address within the week."

It sounded ominous.

No one in the room spoke a word until Hohenheim was out on the street. Then Breda let out the breath he'd been holding and Jean, Fuery, and Mason all followed suite.

"You let him go, Sir?"

"Just for now, Hawkeye. We need him to let his guard down a little. So he's not so dangerous when we arrest hi-"

Ed elbowed Roy in the side, but it was too late.

"You're planning a trap for him! I knew I couldn't trust you- either of you!" Al yelled. He lurched to his feet and skittered toward the door. Jean jumped up and grabbed the boy, who began pounding on Jean with his fists.

"OW, dammit! Alphonse!" Jean yelled.

"Let go of me! I hate you! I hate all of you!" Al screeched.

"It's what he deserves, Al!" Ed yelled, not helping the situation. Al raked his fingernails across the side of Jean's face and his ear. Jean dropped Al, who tripped and then reached for the door again. Roy, acting on instinct, snapped his fingers, tendrils of flame shooting in between Al's hand and the doorknob. Ed screamed as Al yelped and drew back. Breda wrapped his arms around Al, pinning the boy's arms, while the elder Elric dropped to his knees, the aftershock of his terror for Al leaving him weak and depleted.

"I'm sorry, Ed, it was just-" Roy was distracted by Al's furious squeals. Ed nodded, pale as candle wax.

"I won't let you put him in jail!" Alphonse wailed. Fuery looked close to tears, his sympathy for Al stronger than the others' for having been closer to him.

"Alphonse, you need to calm down. You can be angry, but you still need to act rationally. Understand?" Roy said calmly, trying to appease the violent kid.

"Fuck you!"

"ALPHONSE!" Ed chastised his little brother.

"Fuck you too!"

"ALPHONSE!!"

"EDWARD STOP SHOUTING!"

"Al, calm down!!" Breda pleaded. Al made a well-placed kick to Breda's shin and the man staggered. Al writhed in his arms, elbowing his chest and stomach. He threw his head back, crashing his skull against Heyman's. He thrashed his way free of Breda's arms and charged Roy.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" he screeched, throwing his hands up aggressively. Ed jumped in between the two and Al shoved him. Ed slapped Al's cheek and suddenly the two brothers were at each other's throats like two dogs.

Hohenheim came flying in the door and a rectangular extension of Roy's floor was transmuted and extended to knock Edward, the dominant fighter, off of Alphonse. Ed flew sideways, hitting the wall with a thud and falling to the floor, all fight momentarily scared out of him.

"Dad!" Al screamed weakly. His chin was bleeding as well as his lower lip and he was weak and shaky with fear.

"So this is my example of good, solid parenting, is it?" Hohenheim's voice was so bitter that Roy instantly knew the man wasn't just taking shots at him. He was truly angry that his sons had been hurt. He pulled Al to his feet, then picked him up, ignoring Al's whimpers of pain. He walked out the door, saying, "Alphonse has already expressed a desire to live with me. I'd rather take him now, so I can see to it that his brother doesn't kill him."

No one tried to stop him, guilty as they all felt, each being certain that Hohenheim's words had been true at least on some level. Ed screeched an inhuman howl after his father, but didn't move from his position on the floor. Once Hohenheim had shut the door behind himself and Al, Roy went to Ed, Breda on his heels and Jean and Riza watching closely. Fuery was crying on Falman's shoulder, somewhat freaking the Warrant Officer out.

"Edward, what's hurt?" Roy asked clearly. Edward replied with a hybrid combination of a high whine and a growl, which made the hair on the back of Breda's neck stand up. Roy took Ed's forearm in his grip and pulled Ed up to a sitting position against the wall.

"I hate my life," Ed croaked, his throat swelling in preparation for tears. The look in Roy's eyes became decidedly frantic, but Ed didn't see. He was the only one in the room who didn't. All the other officers were exchanging worried, edgy glances. Ed's life had always been tough for the last seven years, but up until now Ed had never voiced such a grisly testament to that fact.

Roy had spent the last several months with Ed trying to support him and keep him going through tough times but... this was different. This sounded like Ed giving up, not just getting upset.

"I wish I was dead!" Ed mewled, jerking his arm from Roy's grip. Roy grabbed Ed's shoulders.

"Ed, don't say things like that. This isn't over yet, OK?"

"Shut up," Ed jerked his head to the side, bangs swinging aggressively. Roy opened and closed his mouth silently a few times before slapping Ed across the cheek. The boy instantly rose up to his full height, chest out and fists balled, low but ready to fight. Roy shot to his feet as well, then stood staring down at Ed. After several tense seconds, Roy broke away and literally ran up the stairs and into his room, slamming his door behind him.

"Edward, what the hell was that?" Breda stepped up to stare down the young blond. Ed stepped forward, jaw clamped and almost growling. Breda lunged at Ed, Jean grabbing the red-head's shoulder before he could provoke Ed further. Breda glared at Havoc over his shoulder and the blond gave a small shake of his head. 'No, don't do this.'

"What?" Breda turned to face Jean.

"It won't work on him right now. Leave him alone, at least for now," Jean hissed quietly. Breda exhaled loudly, trying to release some of his anger, then nodded almost imperceptibly to Jean. The two soldiers headed into the kitchen where they would be out of Ed's sight and, if they whispered, out of his hearing range. Ed slumped down against the wall again, spirit robbed of the ability to do anything but sit and wish death on himself and everyone around him.

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Merry Christmas! Tanoshi Shukujitsu!!