Edward tugged at the hem of the dress as she stood in front of the mirror, her eyes scanning her reflection. After her shower last night, she had retreated to her bedroom, not really wanting mustang to see her like that. But now she had no choice in the matter. He was going to demand she join him for breakfast soon and since her only pair of pants where now hanging on a wire outside, she had no other option than wearing the pink floral dress she currently had on. Turning around while trying to keep an eye on her reflection, Ed felt a pang of nervousness. The dress tied around her neck, her back exposed completely. She was grateful that despite it being winter, the cottage was quite warm, so she didn't feel that cold in the dress. Not that it mattered, since the only clothes Fu had given her were summer dresses. Ed turned so she was facing the mirror again, her fingers tracing the scars around her auto-mail port. They had never really bothered her, mostly covered by her shirts anyway, but somehow being around mustang, in a dress, she felt embarrassed about her scars. With a quick scan around her room, she grabbed her red coat, the only piece of clothing mustang had saved for her, and threw it on, successfully covering most of the scars. Her eyes moved to her legs, and she let out a defeated sigh. While she could use her coat to cover up her scars on her shoulder, there was absolutely nothing she could do about the scars on her leg. With one last glance at herself in the mirror – God she looked weird – Ed headed out of her room.

The moment mustang saw her, his jaw dropped open, his eyes wide. It took a moment for him to catch himself and return to his usual self, hiding all emotions behind his carefully practiced mask. All but one emotion, that was. Edward glared at him as his usual smug smile played across his lips, his one eyebrow lifted up in an amused look. That bastard could see how uncomfortable she was, and he was enjoying it! Oh how she would love to slap that smug grin off of his handsome face. That would teach the bastard a lesson about messing with her.

Roy pushed a bowl across the counter towards her, before turning back to the dishes he was currently busy with. Ed moved over to the counter, dropping down in one of the chairs in front of it, grabbing the bowl. She moved the spoon around in the porridge, amazed. When had they gotten porridge?

"Fu sent a pot of porridge over this morning, as well as the autopsy report on the girl you found yesterday." Roy spoke up as if reading her mind, with his back turned to her, scrubbing at the plate in his hand.

Ed dropped the spoon back into the porridge, suddenly sick to her stomach at the mention of the girl. She had dreamed of her, having her die in her arms over and over again while she watched. The very thought of it was enough to make her sick. Ed pushed the bowl away from her, before getting up, heading over to the couch, and dropping down in it, her head resting against the back of it with her eyes closed.

Roy eyed the untouched food in the bowl before glancing at the girl on the couch, mentally scolding himself for opening his mouth. Of course mentioning the girl would put her off. He had watched her sleep last night after being woken up by the distressed sounds coming from her room. He knew she was having a nightmare about the small girl, but he didn't know what to do. So he settled for watching her while holding her hand until she stopped whimpering and fell into a peaceful sleep again. Roy had no idea of how long that had taken, but when he finally made it back to his room, the sun had begun to tint the world yellow.

Now she sat on the couch, her eyes closed, obviously thinking about the girl, thanks to him. Roy started moving towards the couch when a knock on the door stopped him short. Ed still sat there with her eyes closed, not bothered about their unannounced guest. So he made his way to the door, swinging it open. His eyes scanned the clearing around their cottage, before landing on a pile of books in a small blue wagon. A smile played across his lips as he finally took in the small form in front of him. A little girl stood sheepishly in front of him, her black hair tied in two tiny pigtails, her eyes focused on the ground, a thumb stuck in her mouth.

"Why, hello there little miss. What can I do for you?"

The small girl looked up at him, bright blue eyes meeting onyx, before she looked down at her feet again, a pink blush crossing her cheeks. Roy noticed how her hand tightened around the handle of the wagon slightly.

"Who's at the door?" Ed asked as she stopped behind Roy, making the girl look up again, this time with a bright smile.

"I brought these for you, big sis." She said excitedly, tugging at the wagon. Roy stepped aside as Ed moved closer, a smile on her lips.

"Thank you! I had completely forgotten about those… How did you know they were mine?"

"I saw you carrying them yesterday."

Ed put her hand on her tiny head, making her smile even brighter as she spoke. "Thank you so much."

"What's your name?" Roy asked.

"Tisha." She exclaimed proudly, grinning widely. "I'm five years old, and my big sister Michelle is eight and a half."

Edward reached down to scoop out the books, winching as her wound protested. Stepping closer, Roy took the books from her before moving inside to deposit them, Ed watching him as he moved, her hand resting on top of Tisha's head again. Roy disappeared into her room, so she turned back to the little girl. Her blue eyes stared back at her, a glint in them.

"Big sis, will you play with me? Michelle isn't home to play with me today."

Ed looked around outside, before speaking up "Where's your mother, Tisha? Does she know you're here?"

"Mommy doesn't care what I do during the day," Ed could have sworn she sounded sad, despite the smile on her lips. "As long as I am home by five."

She couldn't help but smile, nodding at the little girl, who jumped up and down excitedly, all shyness forgotten. "What do you want to play?"

Tisha glanced around, suddenly embarrassed. "I forgot my dolls at home."

Roy appeared in the doorway, a couple of aged shirts in his hands, a huge grin on his face. "Fullmetal, turn these into dolls for the two of you."

She thanked him as she grabbed them, dropping them on the ground, smiling at a confused Tisha before slamming her palms together, touching them to the fabric. Tisha let out a gasp as the cloth started glowing, before it started to twist and wriggle, slowly forming the dolls. The little girl grabbed the first doll, inspecting it carefully as she bit her lip, her eyes focusing on every detail. Ed held her breath as she waited for her reaction. When she was young, she and Al had made a similar doll for Winry, but she had cried then, and Ed didn't want Tisha to cry as well. To her relief, Tisha hugged it instead, carrying on about how beautiful it was. Bending down, Ed grabbed the other two dolls, throwing one at a startled Roy, his hands catching it on instinct.

Roy stared at the doll for a second, before glancing at a smirking Edward. "If I have to play with dolls, then you do to, Sir."

He ran his hand through his hair, before moving into the living room, dropping down onto the carpet. Tisha ran over as well, wagon completely forgotten, Ed right behind her. The three of them played together, Ed stealing glances at Roy every now and then, amazed at how good he was with the little girl. It was almost like he was right at home with the two of them there, like they had known the little girl all their lives. And then it hit her. Tisha was a lot like Elisia, except for the eyes and hair. When the little girl had gotten over her shyness, she even sounded like Elisia, straight down to the way she called him Uncle Roy.

Ed walked her home later that afternoon, as Tisha hopped next to her, hugging her new doll fondly while holding Ed's hand. The sky was beginning to darken, but Ed barely noticed, instead focusing on Tisha as she carried on about how much fun she had had that day. After a short walk, they stopped in front of a run-down apartment, most of the windows cracked.

"Big sis, will you play with me again tomorrow?" Tisha asked as she squeezed her hand, not wanting to let go. "Maybe Michelle will come too, and then we can all play together…"

"Of course I will, as long as your mother says it is okay." The little girl bounced up and down excitedly at Ed's words, before letting go of her hand. Running up the steps, she stopped in front of her door to look back at Ed as she spoke. "I'll come by in the morning to pick you up, so wait for me, Alright?" Tisha nodded before swinging open the door, disappearing into the building, leaving Ed standing in the road.

Pulling her coat around herself tightly, Ed headed back to the cottage, shivering slightly. While Tisha was next to her, she had barely noticed the cold wind whipping through her hair, but now without the ball of energy to distract her, it became painfully obvious that this winter was going to be a freezing one. Her eyes scanned the horizon as the last flames of light started to die down, making her pick up her pace. She wasn't afraid of the dark, but just like she didn't want Tisha to walk home alone, she didn't want to be alone outside in the dark. They were no closer to figuring out what the murderer wanted, or how he picked his targets, and she didn't want to tempt fate. She was doing enough of that staying in the same building as Mustang.

Biting her lip, she had to admit that the day had been really pleasant. Roy had been an absolute wonder with the little girl, and he had even seemed content. Ed couldn't remember ever seeing Roy look so comfortable. If she had been an outsider, she would have mistaken the three of them for a happy little family. She couldn't help but wonder what he'd be like with his own children. Roy would probably make a wonderful dad. Not like Hughes, of course. He wouldn't carry around stacks of photos and shove them in everyone's face. But he would probably be a proud father, and spoil his children while still being strict. There was no doubt in her mind, his children would become decent people, that even she would be proud of.

A blush crept onto her face at the thought. Pushing open the door of the cottage, she kept her eyes trained on the ground as she made her way to her room. She had to get her sudden embarrassment in check before she faced him. If she had to look into his black eyes right now, she would give away her thoughts, and she wouldn't be able to handle that. To her relief, Roy wasn't in the living room, so she made it to her room without much trouble. Closing her door, she glanced at the pile of books on her bed, having forgotten about them again.

Ed picked up the first one, flipping it open, instantly lost in the pages, all thoughts of a family with Roy, forgotten.

The fish swung from left to right as he headed back to the cottage, the stars shining brightly above him. Roy was grateful for his luck when it had taken him only fifteen minutes to catch two large fish. Not only would they eat something other than rabbit tonight, but they wouldn't have to eat that late either. They had been so pre-occupied with Tisha that he had completely forgotten about having to catch their own dinner, and figured they would eat rather late. But luck was on his side today. First he got to see Ed completely relaxed, despite the terrible night she had had, and now dinner had fallen so conveniently into his hands with little effort. Running his free hand through his hair, he silently pleaded that luck would come in threes when it was good, as well.

Stopping outside the door, he shook his head, a smile across his face. The two girls had been so completely focused on their conversations when they had left earlier, they forgot Tisha's wagon. Roy pulled it inside behind him, leaving it next to the door on the inside, before heading into the kitchen to dump the fish in the sink. It was suspiciously quiet in the cottage, and for a moment, Roy couldn't help but worry that Edward hadn't made it back yet. Quickly running his hands under the water, Roy headed towards her room, slowly opening the door to peek inside; scared of bothering her if she was there.

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he spotted her on her bed, a book open in her hands. She didn't even notice him, instead completely focused on the paragraph she was currently reading. Closing the door behind him, Roy went back into the kitchen. His hands moved on instinct, cleaning the fish before cooking them, as well as a couple of the veggies Fu had sent them. In less than an hour, dinner was ready, a heavenly aroma actually pulling Ed from her book. Roy glanced up as she came out of her room, her eyes fixed on the plates in his hands. Handing her one, he headed to the couch, dropping down in it, their cups of tea already waiting for them.

"Mustang, I've been meaning to ask you something." Ed spoke up as she dropped down in her usual spot, her eyes still focused on the food in her plate.

"What is it, Fullmetal?"

"Where did you learn to cook?" She looked up at him, her eyes fixed on his.

With a shrug of his shoulders, he answered her. "I taught myself. I need to eat and since I live by myself, it became a necessity. Besides, women find men who can cook quite attractive, don't you agree?" Roy couldn't help but smirk as Ed's cheeks brightened, huffing as she stuffed a piece of fish in her mouth. Following suite, they ate in silence, the only sound filling the air was an occasional hum from Edward. Even he had to admit, dinner was exceptionally tasty. Perhaps it was all so much better after the pleasant day they had had.

True, they had done absolutely no work, and if Riza found out, she would undoubtedly threaten to shoot him for being lazy. However, he figured after having so little sleep, they would probably do more harm than good to the case. So when Tisha gave them something else to do, Roy was actually grateful. It didn't hurt one bit that she reminded him so much of Elisia either.

Getting up, Roy grabbed her empty plate before heading into the kitchen, leaving them on the counter for later. Standing against the counter, he watched her as she sat back on the couch, her hand twisted around the cup as it touched her lips, her eyes closed. He stood there for a while, before moving over to the fireplace, slipping on his ignition gloves as he stood in front of the freshly chopped wood. A quick snap of his fingers sent a spark though the air, and seconds later the room was lit by a farm fiery glow.

There was always something spectacularly dreadful about fire. Since it was a constant part of his life, he loved it. But it always brought back memories of the war, and that was something he could really do without. With a sigh he dropped back into the couch, running his hand though his black hair, eyes closed.

"Is everything alright, Mustang?"

Her voice was soft, the complete polar opposite of the Fullmetal he was used to. Opening his eyes, he stared into hers for a second before smiling faintly. "Of course, Fullmetal. I'm just tired. I haven't played with such a little spitfire in a while, so I'm not particularly used to it anymore. Every time I visit Hughes, it's almost bedtime for little Elisia. It's been a long time since I've spent a whole day at their place." Roy stared up at the ceiling, the wood forming patterns where one beam connected to the next. "Perhaps when we get back to central I'll take a day off and spend it at the Hughes's."

"I'm certain Maes will love that. There's probably whole boxes full of photo's he's dying to show you." Ed chuckled as she got up, disappearing down the hall, only to re-appear a minute later, book in her hand. Dropping down into her usual spot, she flipped it open to the bookmark, eyes moving as she took in each word.

He watched her read for most of the evening, to comfortable to even think of doing anything else. The fire was heating up the cottage nicely, giving it an even homier feel. At that moment, he wished he could stop time; make the fire burn forever, just so the moment wouldn't pass. But stopping time wasn't in his list of capabilities. So when the fire started to die down, and evening turned to midnight, Ed retreated to her room, leaving him still sat on the couch.

Edward sat up with a start, eyes frantically searching for the sound she had heard. It took a while for her eyes to adjust to the dark, but when the sound ran through the house again, she immediately knew it wasn't in her room. It was coming from Roy's. Feet hitting the floor, she flung herself out of bed, stopping only to grab her coat as the cold bit into her skin. Pulling the coat around her, not bothering to put it on properly, she turned her auto-mail arm into its usual blade before she opened his bedroom door, peeking inside carefully. Whatever was there could hurt Mustang if she startled it, so she decided being careful was better than being sorry.

Her eyes scanned the room, searching for the perpetrator. Another sound pulled her attention to the bed. There lay Roy, his face pulled into a frown as sweat ran down his brow, his breathing ragged and labored. It hit her, making her move closer to his bed, returning her auto-mail to normal. He was having a nightmare, and by the sounds of it, it was a particularly bad one. Another groan escaped his lips, making Ed frown. What should she do? If she woke him, he could be pissed, but surely having him pissed at her was better than whatever he was dreaming about. Having made up her mind, Ed placed her hand on his shoulder, shaking him slightly. After another attempt, she decided to try a bit harder, gripping his shoulder tightly. What happened next she really didn't anticipate.

Roy's eyes flung open, fear evident in them, as he pulled his hand up, snapping his fingers instantly. Edward fell to the ground with a yelp, her auto-mail shoulder glowing red where the fire had hit it. She didn't bother to look at it though, her eyes focused on Roy instead. She lay sprawled on the floor, her coat tangled around her legs, with Roy towering over her, his fingers ready to snap again. There was no hint of recognition in his eyes, like he didn't know her at all.

Edward took a deep breath, before speaking softly. "Roy, it's me, Fullmetal." Roy kept staring at her like she was an enemy. Biting her lip, she tried again. "It's me, Edward. I'm not your enemy. I'm your friend."

Frowning, his shoulders tensed. After a few seconds, his eyes widened with a look of pure horror and disbelief on his face. The ignition glove fell to the floor, Roy falling to his knees in front of Ed a second later, his eyes frantically scanning her face. "Edward, are you alright? Did I hurt you? I am so sorry…"

"It's okay Roy. I'm not hurt at all." She breathed, moving to get up off the floor. But before she could, she felt two strong arms pull her in. Roy had pulled her in to his chest, holding her tightly, his whole body shivering against hers. It took her a few seconds to realize what was happening, before she lifted her hand, rubbing his back soothingly. They sat on the floor, Roy holding her against his chest tightly, Ed rubbing his back softly, until his breathing returned to normal, his grip on her loosening slightly. She didn't move though, instead letting him decide when he was calm enough to separate from her, almost wishing he wouldn't. It was so warm in his arms, his heartbeat pounding in his chest in a soothing rhythm that she wished they could stay like that forever. Ed pressed her face into his chest, taking in his smell and committing it to her memories.

After a couple of minutes, Roy pulled away, his hands on her shoulders. His eyes scanned her body up and down slowly, obviously searching for the burns she had sustained from him. Edward pointed to her auto-mail mutely, the lack of his heat suddenly making it nearly impossible for her to breathe, let alone talk, as Roy followed her finger and silently inspected her shoulder for any damage. She waited until he exhaled slowly, finally satisfied that he had in fact not hurt her, before getting up. A shiver ran through her body, the lack of his heat suddenly making her feel freezing cold.

Mustang got to his feet as well, draping her coat around her shoulders before placing his hand on her back. "You should get some more sleep, Fullmetal."

"Will you be alright now?" She asked, turning to him as she reached his bedroom door, a concerned frown on her face when her eyes met pale onyx. The usual spark that was always in his eyes seemed faded, although she wasn't sure if it was just because of the darkness, or if there was something else bothering him.

"I'm fine, I promise. Goodnight Ed."

Ed watched as he closed the door behind her, not sure what to make of it all. Standing there in the dark hallway, she couldn't help but feel like he had just kicked her out of his room, almost like he didn't want her around. With a defeated sigh she headed back to her room, crawling into her bed while shivering. The night was exponentially colder than it had been that afternoon, so she pulled the blanket tighter around herself, wishing that Roy was next to her, keeping her warm.

After the whole episode with Roy, Ed barely got any sleep. She was vaguely aware of drifting in and out of consciousness, every time waking up to her teeth chattering. When she was awake, she couldn't help but try to listen out for any sounds coming from Roy's room. But everything seemed peaceful now, so she would drift off to sleep again, at least for a little while. This carried on for the remainder of the night, until the sun started to rise, casting lines of orange and red into her room. The colors reminded her of Roy, which in turn made her think of his strong arms folding around her, holding her to his strong chest. Closing her eyes, Ed thought of what it would be like to wake up in those strong arms. She fell asleep with the image of him cuddling next to her, his chest moving against her back as he breathed in and out.

Ed woke with a start again, this time painfully aware that the sound was next to her. Holding her breath, she tried to place the sound, unsure what kind of animal would make the noise she was currently listening to. It sounded suspiciously like someone snoring, but that didn't make much sense to her. What animal made a snoring sound? She lay there, trying to place the sound, when she became aware of the heat against her back, as well as the weight around her waist. She was trapped against the creature. Panic rose up in her chest, almost suffocating her. Taking a deep breath, she slowly turned her head to get a view of the animal that was going to rip her to shreds.

A blush crept across her cheeks at the sight of Mustang, asleep next to her. When had he crawled into the bed with her, and why? She turned around slowly, trying not to wake him up as she did so, until she lay facing him, his arms still resting on her waist. Running her finger across his bottom lip on instinct, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be kissed by him. Edward bit her lip as her eyes took in his face. When he was asleep, he was even more handsome than usual, his features not obscured by the usual scowl or grin that he wore all the time. Now she could see everything, straight down the single gray hair that hung next to his left eye. Her hands moved to his chest slowly, fingers tracing the muscles underneath his shirt. Again she committed them to memory, wanting to remember everything of this intimate moment before it disappeared.

When her eyes returned to his face, her breath caught on her lips, while blushing furiously. Roy was watching her intently, an amused grin on his face, one eyebrow lifted slightly. She was barely aware of his hands moving up her back, until she was pulled into his chest tighter, his lips resting on her forehead. Ed bit her lip hard, drawing blood, as she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart before it burst through her chest.

"I hope you don't mind, Fullmetal. I couldn't sleep with all the teeth chattering, so I figured we could share both blankets, instead of freezing to death." His voice purred next to her ear, making her heart beat even faster, her face burning brightly. It was all she could do to shake her head, making him chuckle softly. "Good. If you're uncomfortable, I can let you go…" She instantly shook her head, quite vigorously, before clenching her fist into his chest. Roy took the hint, pulling her as close as he could before resting his chin on her head. They lay there in total silence, and Ed silently thanked a god she didn't believe in for the cold winter.

Authors note: I actually loved this chapter, even if it felt a bit all over the place. Love this couple so much :3 Anyway, feel free to leave a review and message me if you have any questions or just feel like having a chat :3 Until next time