Hello, everyone! I am back with another chapter! This story has been quite the journey so far. Thank you all so much for the response this story has gotten! All of you are beyond wonderful!

I still do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. That's probably for a good reason.

Roy's heart pounded in his chest. He couldn't have possibly heard Havoc correctly.

"Sir, you…you have to cauterize the wounds."

No. There had to be another way to stop the bleeding. He couldn't do that. He couldn't burn Ed.

He was startled from his thoughts when the Second Lieutenant gripped his shoulders and shook him violently.

"Colonel, you have to snap out of it! He's not going to make it much longer if he keeps bleeding. That's not even taking into account if something vital was hit. He won't make it to a hospital like this. This is the only chance he has!"

"Do…it…."

Both men snapped their gaze to Ed. His voice was so weak. It was obvious he was doing his best to follow Havoc's orders of staying awake; however, he wouldn't be able to keep that up for much longer.

Despite the agony present in those golden eyes, the Colonel could see understanding in them as well. His youngest subordinate accepted what he had to do. His youngest subordinate would forgive him.

That didn't make it any easier.

"Hold him down," he ordered.

Havoc and Breda each took hold of a wrist and shoulder, pinning them firmly to the ground. Riza straddled Ed's automail leg to keep it in place, her hands gently adding pressure to the flesh one to keep it from moving too much, but not causing Ed any more pain.

Roy hesitantly removed the bloody shirts covering the kid's stomach. He stared at the stab wounds. If there was any upside to the situation, it's that they were all inflicted close together, just above Ed's belly button. It wouldn't take as long to burn them all closed.

He snapped.

Everything moved in slow motion as the flickering flame got closer and closer until it kissed the bloody, mutilated skin.

Then Ed screamed.

The kid instinctively thrashed to get away from the searing pain, but didn't go anywhere thanks to the officers holding him down.

Roy could vaguely hear Havoc and Breda's voices, but it was like hearing someone speak while wearing ear muffs. He had to do his best to block out the voices. He had to block out Ed's tortured screams.

He had to remain focused.

Time couldn't have passed any slower while he watched the wounds close. The stench of Ed's burnt flesh assaulted his senses, but he had to ignore it. He couldn't let anything distract him. He couldn't let this go on longer than it had to.

"Almost done," he said, not sure whether he was trying to comfort Ed, his subordinates, or himself.

He adjusted the flame to the final wound that had to be cauterized. As quickly as he could, he burned it shut.

He let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding when he finished. Ed's screaming stopped and was replaced with ragged breathing.

"Breda, go and make sure a car is ready to transport him to the hospital," Hawkeye told the Second Lieutenant. "We have to get him there as quickly as possible."

Breda rushed off to do as he was told.

The Colonel didn't even notice the exchange between his subordinates. Without thinking, he moved closer to the nearly lifeless teen.

Ed blinked a few times, his gaze unfocused.

Roy's breath hitched in his throat when he saw what was underneath the kid's eyes. Tears tracked their way through the blood and grime that caked Ed's face.

His youngest subordinate was tough. In the years Ed had been under his command, he had never once seen the kid cry. Of course, there were things that would upset the young alchemist. He may have locked himself in his dorm for a few days or screamed in a fit of rage, but he never cried. All of this time, the Colonel had secretly hoped he would never have to see it.

Now, not only was he seeing it, but he caused it.

He cradled Ed to his chest and gently wiped the tears away. Ed's eyes widened at the gesture. He might have been close to passing out from the pain, but he could still understand the strangeness of his superior's behavior. The man brushed away the sweat-soaked bangs that clung to his forehead.

"Hey, Fullmetal, it's done. It's okay. You're going to be okay."

Ed let out an unintelligible, agonized groan in response. He couldn't speak. It was taking every ounce of the remaining strength he had not to pass out.

He was under orders not to do so, after all.

Roy winced when he realized Ed couldn't even respond to him. The torment still present on the kid's face was crushing him with every passing second it remained. He leaned down and pressed a tender kiss to Ed's brow.

"I'm sorry, Ed. I'm so, so sorry."

He wasn't sure if he would ever be able to forgive himself for causing the kid this much pain.

"Sir."

He looked to his First Lieutenant, her voice startling him. He had nearly forgotten there were others there with him.

"He still needs to get to a hospital immediately. We don't have time to wait for anyone else to come in. We're going to have to carry him out ourselves."

Roy nodded. Ed shouldn't be moved at all in his condition, but they didn't have a whole lot of options if he was going to survive. It was a miracle he was alive now.

He carefully slipped his arms under Ed's back and legs to hoist him up in his arms.

"I'm sorry, kid," he muttered when the young alchemist cried out as his shattered knee was jostled.

Checking to make sure he had a good hold on the kid and wouldn't have to move him more than absolutely necessary, he led the way out.

"Colonel, where's Jonathan?" Havoc asked as the three were practically running up to the sanctuary.

Roy's eyes widened. He remembered the man stumbling toward the library as his flames consumed him.

"He probably passed out in the library," he responded. "I'll send someone in to get him later."

He couldn't get himself to waste any more thoughts on that murderer. Ed was his only concern at the moment. The three rushed through the sanctuary until he came to a sudden stop…until he felt it.

Someone was manipulating the oxygen atoms in the air throughout the sanctuary.

He'd done it himself more times than he could count. He adjusted the oxygen levels in the air to create and control his flames. It was second-nature to him.

That's how he knew they were in serious danger.

He scanned the destroyed remains of the sanctuary. At least their forces had been successful in getting all of the injured soldiers out and to safety. He just hoped no one else was left in the Sanct.

"Colonel?" Riza asked, noticing the troubled look on his face.

Jonathan must not have been unconscious as he had assumed. He didn't understand how he was still awake, or in any condition to attempt alchemy for that matter. He was the only living alchemist to master flame alchemy, but he wouldn't be surprised if there was some other variation of it in those ancient books in that library.

Assuming it was a similar practice to his own, he racked his brain for anything Jonathan could use to create a spark.

If there was no spark, there couldn't be a fire, but then he remembered.

The lanterns.

One broken lantern would be all Jonathan needed. He looked back to the previously hidden doorway. An orange light was creeping up the stairs.

"Dammit!" he swore.

They weren't going to make it out in time. Even if they made it out of the sanctuary, the grass in the courtyard would catch fire.

He glanced down at the kid in his arms before making his decision. Wordlessly, he handed Ed over to Havoc. His Second Lieutenant looked up at him, concerned. The Colonel wrapped his arms around his subordinates just before the flames engulfed them.

*break*

Breda just drove one of the cars to the entrance of the Sanct as the last of their forces exited through the main gate.

"Is that everyone?" General Grumman asked as he approached the Second Lieutenant.

Breda saluted when he saw the General.

"Almost. The Colonel and Lieutenants Hawkeye and Havoc should be coming out with Major Elric any second now. Fullmetal is—"

Breda was cut off when an intense wave of heat and blindingly bright flames erupted from the Sanct. The flamboyant colors of the garden that had surrounded the compound had been reduced to ashes and a raging fire took its place.

The gate was completely blown off its hinges, nearly hitting the Second Lieutenant and General. Falman and Fuery were at their side in an instant.

"Where's…." Fuery started to ask, but trailed off when he saw the horror on Breda's face.

"They're still in there."

Unconsciously, he moved toward the burning Sanct.

This couldn't be happening. Roy Mustang wouldn't let himself or any of his subordinates perish like this. Ed…Ed couldn't have suffered through everything he did only to die before making it out of that hell that had been his prison.

Strong arms had to hold him back from getting closer to the roaring flames. He vaguely heard Falman talking to him.

"Breda, you need to calm down! Maybe they—"

"Look!" Fuery shouted while pointing to where the gate used to be.

Three dark figures stalked through the flames, getting bigger the closer they got to the main gate. Coughing and ragged breathing could be heard as they made it out of the flames.

Now the Second Lieutenant could see that it was actually his four comrades. Havoc was carrying Ed while Riza had Roy's arm slung over her shoulder. The Colonel looked like he was about to pass out any second.

Without hesitating, he flung open the door to the backseat. He and Falman rushed forward, the Warrant officer helping Hawkeye carry the Colonel to the passenger side.

"How is he?" he couldn't help but ask as he looked down at the kid in Havoc's arms.

Jean was trying to answer, but couldn't get any words out between fits of coughing. By the looks of it, Ed was having an even worse time breathing. The Second Lieutenant stumbled toward the car.

Breda helped keep the young alchemist as steady as possible as Jean climbed into the backseat. It took some adjusting, but they got Ed stretched out across the seat, leaning against Havoc's chest.

"We have to go!" Riza practically yelled as she jumped behind the wheel.

Breda quickly shed his jacket and tossed it to Jean, who gratefully caught it and wrapped it around the trembling teen.

The second he shut the car door, it sped off toward Freyvale.

*break*

Riza had to force herself to keep her eyes on the road. She kept glancing at the Colonel in the seat next to her and Ed in the rearview mirror. Roy fought to stay awake, but his energy was completely drained. Very much unwillingly, he was pulled into unconsciousness.

He had used the array on his gloves to form a shield with no oxygen around their group as the flames consumed the Sanct, while maintaining the oxygen levels within the shield so they could breathe. It wasn't just a simple transmutation. It had taken all of his energy to keep up that shield so they could sprint through the burning Sanct as he had to adjust the oxygen atoms with each and every step they took.

It was quite impressive to see, but getting out of that compound wasn't their most pressing issue.

She risked another glance at Ed.

"Chief, you need to stay awake," she heard as she saw Havoc gently prodding the kid's face.

By some miracle, his other wounds hadn't opened again; however, he still had lost a lot of blood. Then there was the fact he could be bleeding internally if Absalom nicked one of his organs. He had to stay conscious.

"…'m tired…."

"EDWARD ELRIC DON'T YOU DARE FALL ASLEEP!"

The First Lieutenant almost didn't recognize her own voice. Jean was noticeably surprised. He wasn't sure he had ever seen Riza look so…panicked.

She saw Ed's eyes widen. Those golden eyes still threatened to droop shut, but he made more of an effort to keep them open. The car was filled with a tense silence the rest of the way to Freyvale.

Relief threatened to flood her veins once they were in the city, but they still had to make it to the hospital.

"Sorry…." Ed breathed as he finally slumped back against Havoc, unconscious.

"No!" Jean shouted. "Chief, wake up! Hawkeye, can't you drive any faster?"

"We're almost there!" she snapped back, trying and failing to keep the hysteria out of her voice.

"Fullmetal…."

Roy was finally coming around. It took much more effort than it should have for him to turn around in his seat to get a look at his subordinate. The concern was evident on his face.

"He's…going to…be fine. He…has to be."

Riza forced herself to focus on the road. Narrowly missing the pedestrians walking through the parking lot, she pulled up to the hospital. She hadn't even stopped the car before the Second Lieutenant threw his door open.

Jean wasted no time in jumping out of the car and hauling Ed up into his arms. He raced inside, practically screaming for a doctor. Once one of the nurses caught a glimpse of the tortured kid, more doctors and nurses than he could count swarmed them.

Ed was taken from him and placed on a gurney before being rushed into the nearest operating room. He made to follow, but a few nurses stopped him.

"You need to see a doctor," one of them said, looking at the dried up blood crusted around the wound on his head. "You probably have a concussion."

Jean stared down the hall to the room the doctors and nurses took his young comrade. He sighed and reluctantly allowed himself to be led away.

Ed was going to make it. Ed was going to be okay.

He had to be.

He couldn't imagine Mustang's team, the team that had now become his family, without Ed.

*break*

"Sir, General Grumman and the rest of our unit will be joining us soon. They're making sure those injured in the sanctuary are transported here and being taken care of. All of them survived. They were just knocked out in the explosion. There were no casualties at all aside from Jonathan and Jeremiah."

Roy looked up from his sleeping subordinate to the First Lieutenant who just entered the room. She grinned fondly at him, noticing how exhausted he looked.

"You should get some rest, sir."

He almost smirked at her. She was one to talk.

He turned his gaze back to Ed when the kid slightly stirred; however, Ed showed no signs of actually waking up.

"He's not going anywhere," Riza tried to assure him. "If you go rest, he's still going to be here."

"I'm not leaving him."

There was a finality to his tone that stopped his First Lieutenant from further convincing him to leave. She knew there wouldn't be a point. The Colonel probably felt like it was his fault Ed was even here.

She winced as she remembered Ed's screams from Roy cauterizing the wound. She felt bad enough for holding him down, forcing him to endure the excruciating agony. She couldn't even begin to imagine how Roy was feeling.

He was the one who actually burned the kid.

Although, it was necessary to save Ed's life. Somewhere deep down, Roy knew that, but a part of her knew that knowledge didn't make him feel any less guilty. She knew he still felt guilty about burning her back, and she was a full grown adult who asked him to. Having to burn Ed….

As much as she wanted to stay and wait for Ed to wake up, she knew Roy needed to be alone. She could come back later.

Quietly, she left the Colonel to check in on Jean. She grinned to herself, wondering if the Second Lieutenant would be terrorizing one of the nurses about letting him visit Ed like the last time.

Roy continued to stare at his subordinate, as if he would disappear if he looked away. He watched Ed's chest rise and fall.

"The knife nicked his small intestine and caused some internal bleeding. Burning the wounds shut bought him some time, but I'm honestly still surprised he made it here."

He shuddered as he remembered the doctor's words. It reminded him of how close he came to losing Ed.

He had been in Havoc's room when a nurse notified him that the kid could have visitors. Without hesitating, he ran straight to Ed's bedside, barely getting a glimpse of a few nurses shoving Jean back down on the bed and threatening to sedate him if he didn't rest.

He wasn't surprised in the slightest that Ed wasn't conscious. He was pleased to see that his flesh leg had been put in a cast and that the rest of his injuries had been taken care of. He pulled up a chair next to the kid's bed, and that's where he had remained for the past few hours.

He closed his eyes.

"Colonel?"

Actually, he must have dozed off because Ed was now sitting up in his bed. He was torn between throwing his arms around the kid and hugging him in relief and strangling him for scaring him so bad and putting everyone, including himself, through hell these past twenty-four hours.

Then there was the fact that Ed was sitting up. He certainly shouldn't be. He nearly ordered his subordinate to lay back down out of habit, but figured this was probably the most comfortable position for the kid now that he was awake.

The wounds on his back were now properly treated, but it still couldn't be comfortable to lay on it. His stomach was an absolute mess from the burns and the fact that the doctors still had to operate on him to stop the internal bleeding. There was just no way for the young alchemist to comfortably rest.

"Is everyone okay?" Ed asked.

Roy wasn't surprised in the slightest. Of course his subordinate would be concerned about everyone else but himself.

He managed to nod.

"The entire congregation made it out, including the guards. Lieutenant Hawkeye informed me that the military suffered no casualties during the raid."

"What about the fire?"

"No one aside from us and Jonathan were still in the Sanct when it burst into flames. Jonathan perished. I'm pretty sure he meant to and tried to take out as many people as he could with him."

The kid was visibly relieved, but still a little tense.

That's when Roy realized his arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes were narrowed at the young alchemist. Ed was awake. He could finally see that his subordinate was okay.

Now, they had a lot to talk about, and the kid definitely knew it.

Ed took a deep breath. He stared down at his lap, fiddling with the sheets on the bed.

"Colonel," he hesitantly began. "I'm really sorry. I know I messed up. Just let me explain—"

His superior interrupted him before he could go on.

"Why did you give yourself up?" Roy demanded.

The Colonel was obviously pissed, but his tone was surprisingly calm.

"Your cover would have been blown."

"So you blow yours and Havoc's to protect mine?"

Ed didn't have a response to that. After a moment of tense silence, he finally spoke up again.

"Corinthian looked like he was ready to kill you and Hawkeye. I didn't want any of you to get hurt."

"Dammit, Fullmetal! I'm your commanding officer. You're not supposed to protect me. You shouldn't have had to suffer through what you did. I should have been in your place!

"Then what do you think would have happened?" Ed couldn't help but raise his voice. He finally looked up to meet his superior's gaze. "You told me that Zayne led you and Havoc to the transmutation circle. He knew you were from the military and could help him. If mine and Havoc's cover remained intact, do you think he would have trusted us enough to show us that?"

The Colonel glared at his subordinate, unable to come up with an answer.

"Would you believe me if I said I also gave myself up because I trust you?" Ed asked.

That certainly got Roy's attention. His thoughts briefly wandered back to just after he and Riza joined the congregation.

"He trusts you."

A part of him didn't believe Havoc's words. That is, he didn't believe it until he heard it from Ed.

"You've been in the military much longer than I have," the young alchemist explained. "I haven't gone undercover for missions like you have. When the Jones brothers realized the military had infiltrated the Sanct, I honestly didn't know what to do. I don't know if you can believe it or not, but I actually listen to you on occasion." He paused, as if those words would make him vomit. "You've told me I can be reckless at times. I knew I couldn't afford to be with the lives of hundreds of people at stake. If your cover wasn't blown, I thought you of all people would be able to figure out a way to save the mission. You proved me right."

The Colonel opened his mouth to respond, but closed it. He was completely speechless. Ed slightly smirked.

"I don't think you're angry with me at all," he said quite boldly. "I think you're angry that someone nearly ruined this mission and we didn't have many options if we wanted to stop the murders."

Roy stared at his young subordinate. The kid was right. Given the situation they had been in, he honestly didn't know what else they could have done that would have resulted in only two deaths and a few injuries.

Wordlessly, he stood up and moved closer to Ed. The teen's smirk faded when he saw the serious look on Roy's face.

"C-Colonel?" he stammered.

Roy sat down next to him on the bed, gently putting his arms around him and pulling him into a hug. His eyes widened at the sudden gesture.

"You're right," the Colonel admitted. "I'm angry that everything played out as it did, and I'm sorry I took that out on you. We couldn't have stopped Absalom and Jonathan if it hadn't been for you. I just hate seeing my subordinates get hurt. I…you…you almost died."

"But I didn't," Ed interjected. "If I could go back to the beginning of this mission, I wouldn't change anything. I think you're forgetting that we couldn't have stopped them without you, Colonel. You're the one that came up with the plan to evacuate and raid the Sanct. You saved the lives of the entire congregation. In the end, you got me out, just like you promised you would. I said it before and I'll say it again: I trust you."

Roy pulled him in even closer, so his head was resting against the man's chest. Roy planted his chin on top of Ed's head.

"You shouldn't trust me. I burned you."

"You saved my life," Ed corrected.

The two were silent, but it was no longer tense. After a few minutes, Roy finally looked down at Ed. The teen's eyes were closed and one hand was clutching the fabric of the shirt Riza had found for him.

Ed was sleeping peacefully.

Smiling to himself, he carefully moved to lay down with the kid without disturbing him, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. Within seconds, Riza was back in the room. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw Ed asleep in the Colonel's arms.

"He finally woke up?" she ventured.

Roy nodded. She moved closer to the two, her brow furrowing when she noticed Ed slightly shivering. She quickly left and returned with a blanket, covering the injured alchemist.

"How is he?" she whispered.

The Colonel smiled and looked down on the kid. The First Lieutenant couldn't help but stroke the long strands of blonde hair. It seemed to comfort Ed, his face looking even more peaceful than before.

"He's going to be fine," Roy assured her. "His injuries are going to take a while to heal, but he'll be fine."

He was certain she already knew that, but she still looked relieved. Without saying anything, she slid onto the small bed on Ed's other side and draped an arm around his waist.

Ed slightly smiled in his sleep, now nestled in between two military officers that have come to see him as part of their family.

"He might not be so happy about this when he wakes up," Roy chuckled, noticing how content his sleeping subordinate looked.

"Maybe not," Riza admitted, "but these hospitals can get cold. This will help keep him warm. Also, taking into consideration that we almost lost him, I think he can tolerate this."

The arm embracing the kid slightly tightened as she snuggled closer to the two. She gently kissed the top of Ed's head before resting her head against the Colonel's.

Roy grinned at his First Lieutenant, who reciprocated the gesture. It was amazing how she hadn't even talked to Ed yet, but just knowing that he woke up and was okay lifted her spirits.

Soon enough, the two military officers drifted off, just as content as the kid in their arms.

And there's chapter eleven! I hope the parental fluff made up for the cliffhanger of last chapter! We are starting to wrap up this story, so next chapter should answer several questions! Anyways, until then!