Chapter 16: Probable Cause

Ed felt as if someone had ripped his brain out and replaced it with cotton; his eyes seemingly cemented together as he struggled to pull them open. With a shaky breath, he blinked drearily at the floor that rested in front of him.

He started to move, to push himself up so he wasn't lying face down on the wood, but his automail arm sent waves of searing pain that nearly knocked the wind out of him.

"Don't move," Al's voice came from somewhere in front of him.

"Just… stay there. Don't strain yourself, we'll figure this out," Al said, his voice shaky. He was relieved to see Ed conscious and breathing, but he was still terrified for his brother and didn't want his impulsivity to make things worse.

Ed grunted in response and opted for closing his eyes again, letting his forehead rest back on the wooden floor. Everything that had happened was starting to come back to him, and his mind was a torrent of conflicting emotions.

"It'll be ok," Al whispered in an attempt to sound reassuring, a poor attempt seeing as his voice cracked as if he were crying. Ed knew Al was physically incapable of crying the way he was now, but the metal suit creaked and quivered, nonetheless.

Did it hurt? To cry tears that would never come?

"Everything will be ok, someone had to have heard us, someone will come for us, it will be ok," Al repeated.

Ed wasn't sure who Al was trying to reassure, but he couldn't help but scoff at Al's words.

No one was coming.

No one cared, not about him at least.

With a deep breath Ed pulled his human arm underneath him and pushed. His hand trembled under the weight and Ed nearly lost his balance and collapsed again, but he managed to roll himself onto his side.

"Ed!"

"It's ok," Ed gasped, his eyes seeing white. His breaths came in quick bursts for a moment, until everything came into focus again.

Laying on his side he at least had a better view of the room, and of Al's body hung up on the wall like poorly made taxidermy.

The thought alone made him shiver, and he winced as his body screamed back at him.

"Ed if you say it's ok one more time-"

"You'll punch me or something, I know," Ed interrupted, gritting his teeth together. He didn't want Al to get upset with him, not while it felt like he was swimming through molasses or that his head had been ran over by a train. Not while they both were stuck there, unable to do anything.

He heard Al huff indignantly, but he knew his brother was just worried. After all, things had certainly gone to hell.

His body hurt, so much so that he couldn't even pinpoint where the pain was coming from. He likely had a concussion, his ribs were probably broken, and he knew his automail arm was toast. But past that, he could hardly decipher what was going on.

After a long while of attempting to assess himself, he realized Al was saying something to him. However, through the thick fog that had settled over his eyes and brain, he could barely keep himself conscious enough to listen. He thought he heard Al apologizing and wished he could pull himself together enough to let him know, let him know it wasn't his fault.

It was Ed's.

He shifted his weight slowly, but his automail arm was trapped underneath him at this angle and the small movement left him gasping in pain. He could tell Al was yelling at him, likely urging him to stay still and take it easy. He just…couldn't…piece it together.

His stomach twisted with nausea when he attempted to make eye contact with Al, so he instead closed his eyes in hopes that the feeling would pass. He could feel the sticky warmth around his stomach and knew that Hohenheim had likely irritated the deep cut he'd received from his fight with the other alchemist.

You've really done it now.

Ed knew things were looking bleak for him. If he didn't receive medical treatment soon, he certainly wouldn't be walking around anytime soon.

Maybe it was for the best.

The thought left him uneasy, but a part of him was relieved. Maybe this was it, this would be the end of things. He could finally rest, be at peace.

"You couldn't even do that properly."

Ed let his eyes crack open as tears bubbled up and spilled down his cheeks. He wasn't sure how he had tears left to cry, but they dripped against the wooden floor regardless.

"-ok Ed!" Al's voice cut in and out and Ed could hear the frantic tone ringing through the metal helmet.

Hohenheim was right.

Ed choked back a sob, his ribs straining with the effort adding a fresh hint of pain to the jumbled mess that was him.

Nothing he'd done today had gone to plan.

Nothing had worked out.

Al's panicked voice at the back of his mind was only proof to the suffering he continued to cause other people.

Ed re-opened his eyes and forced himself to move his head until Al's fiery red eyes burned into his.

"-y awake Ed!" Al cried, the wall shaking as his brother's armour quaked.

Ed opened his mouth to say something, say anything to make up for the pain his brother was in. However, his body caught up to him and his vision blurred before darkness took him once again.

"Thank God you're here," Hohenheim rambled as he pushed the door open to let them through.

"I don't know what happened at work today but Ed's not in his right mind. He came home all beat up, and when his brother tried to get him medical care he panicked and stuck him in the wall with alchemy."

Roy glanced over at Riza who was looking as equally perplexed as he was.

"I was going to call for help when you two happened to show up," Hohenheim said, choking up. He motioned for them to follow him, and they walked up the stairs. "There were letters and everything on the floor, I think…" Hohenheim made a sorrowful noise, "I think he might have tried to take his life."

Roy's eyes widened but he didn't say anything, not wanting to believe anything Hohenheim was saying.

Hohenheim paused outside the door to what must have been Edward's room. "Please be careful with him, I know he's not in his right mind but he's still my son."

Mustang felt a cold weight settle in his stomach at those words.

Hohenheim was surely lying to save his ass, Mustang was certain of it.

And yet…there was a small part of him that wondered if there was some truth to his words. After all, when Ed left the site earlier it'd had him thinking similarly.

Wasting no time, Roy threw open the door to the room and his face went white.

"Mustang!" Alphonse shrieked from where he was plastered to the bedroom wall. "Mustang please, please help him please."

His words were a panic induced mantra as Roy's eyes fell upon where Ed was laying. The boy was pale, his automail arm laying under him at a weird angle and his breathing efforted.

His shirt was still torn from where the alchemist had gotten him early, and bright red blood slowly seeped onto the floor where he lay.

"Edward!" Roy rushed forward, falling to his knees ungracefully and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hawkeye call for a medic now!"

Riza faltered for a moment, tears welling up in her eyes at the sight before her. She caught Mustang's panicked glance and within seconds was moving, nearly ripping the phone off the table where it lay at the bottom of the stairs.

Roy felt for Ed's pulse, heart sinking when he felt how weak it was. Edward needed medical attention as soon as was possible. Roy quickly pulled off his jacket and began to press it to Ed's abdomen, hoping to stop some of the bleeding.

"W-will he be ok?"

A small voice echoed from across the room.

Mustang was so caught up in his worry for Ed that he'd nearly forgotten about Alphonse.

"Al I'm sorry I can't get you out of that right now," Mustang started, his voice quivering. "I'm sure Ed will pull through this," he answered honestly. "Hawkeye is calling for a medic as we speak."

He didn't mention how worried he was for how Ed would be if he did pull through this. How worried he was for what awaited the boy on the other side of things.

"Thank you."

Roy turned, startled, as Hohenheim spoke, kneeling beside him. He placed a hand on Ed's side in what seemed to be a hopeful gesture.

"I'm so glad you two showed up when you did."

"Don't listen to him!" Alphonse shrieked, the shrill tone reverberating through the small room.

"Now Al-"

"He did this!" Al screamed, "He hurt Ed, he's been hurting Ed, Mustang you have to believe me please!"

If Mustang wasn't already aware of what had been going on, the sheer desperation and despair in Al's voice would have been enough to convince anyone.

Roy froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, but thundering heels against wooden stairs pulled him out of his catatonic state.

"A medic is on it's way," Hawkeye interrupted as she appeared in the room once more. She took stock of everything going on and her eyes fell to Hohenheim, who was kneeling next to Mustang.

He was frowning with what seemed to be concern, and his hand was gently place upon Ed's side. However, when he looked up at her, his eyes were full of hatred.

No amount of self-control could hide the animosity he was feeling at the moment. Especially not from her.

She'd seen that look all too many times, as her father would insist that what he was doing was for her own good. How his voice would echo compassion and concern, but his eyes would reveal how he really felt.

Riza shifted her eyes to Mustang, whose hands were shaking as he attempted to keep his subordinate, no, his teammate, alive. If Ed's health wasn't at stake, Riza knew Mustang would have Hohenheim in shackles by now.

She supposed the task fell to her now.

"Van Hohenheim," Riza stated coldly, taking pleasure in the shiver that she could see trickle down Hohenheim's spine.

"You are under arrest for the attempted murder of State Alchemist Edward Elric."

"What-"

Hohenheim spun around, his eyes wide with fury. "How dare-"

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law," Hawkeye continued, motioning for him to stand.

To her credit he stood, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction as the cuffs clicked into place against his wrists. She continued to read him his rights, but her eyes were fixated on Edward and Roy.

Ed was still unconscious and didn't appear to be near waking any time soon. Hawkeye just prayed that the medic arrived in time.

"You have no right to arrest me!" Hohenheim pleaded as soon as her voice stalled. "You don't have a warrant, and I haven't done anything wrong!"

"We have probable cause," Riza stated plainly, her voice void of any emotion as she tried to remain professional and cold. He didn't deserve to see her fear, her anxiety over the situation.

"He's my son," Hohenheim snarled, "And a minor! You can't do anything with him without my say."

Riza had a barrage of harsh words on her tongue when she heard the door slam open downstairs, and instead yelled for the medics.

They were quick to arrive upstairs and started to ask questions about the extent of Edward's injuries as they began placing him in a stretcher. Unfortunately, many of the questions remained answerless, the one able to answer them nonresponsive.

"Will he make it?" Roy asked immediately, shadowing the medical staff intently as they worked to get Ed ready to bring downstairs.

"I don't know sir," one of the nurses said quickly. "We need to get him to the hospital as soon as we can." She motioned to her coworker, and they lifted the stretcher and made their way out of the room.

Hohenheim moved to go with them, but Riza's grip on the metal cuffs behind him kept him in place.

Roy trailed behind them as they began to load Edward up into the vehicle. A military car pulled up next to the vehicle and a few military personnel were quick to start asking him questions.

"Colonel, sir, what happened here?"

"Who is the boy? Is he military?"

"We were radioed about a dispute, surely this isn't the same noise complaint?"

Roy ushered them away and pressed forward with the medical staff instead. He could hear Riza's voice from somewhere behind him and assumed they likely were getting the answers they needed.

"I'm afraid you can't ride with him sir, military or not" one of the nurses said, placing a swift hand on Mustang's chest as he attempted to climb aboard.

"He's mine!"

Roy whipped around as Hohenheim screeched from where Riza was walking him to the other car. "I'm his family!"

Roy tensed up and his gloved fingers pressed closer together. One more word out of the fucker's mouth and he was ready to send him back to the pits of hell he crawled out of.

"I'm afraid the man is right," the nurse who was holding Roy back said. "You can't ride with Mr. Elric unless you're his legal guardian."

Hohenheim flashed a coy smirk at Roy, who wanted nothing more than to pummel the man into the ground.

"Wait-"

"Sir we can't afford to sit here and argue this right now-"

"I am his legal guardian," Roy managed to get out, between the chaos of everything going on, his worry for Edward, and his murderous intent toward Hohenheim.

"You most certainly are not!" Hohenheim yelled while Riza was wrestling with him, trying to push him into the back of the military vehicle. "He's my son!"

Roy shook his head, trying to ignore him. "I'm still his legal guardian," he assured the medical nurse, who was looking at him with question.

"I can have someone meet us at the hospital with the legal papers if you so desire," Roy said with a huff. "But right now, I'm all this kid has, and I'll be damned if you don't let me ride with him."

The nurse faltered for a moment, his eyes flitting between Edward who was still unconscious, and Hohenheim who was being loaded into the car.

"Fine," he said after a minute. "But we need to get going."

Roy mumbled his thanks many times over as he climbed into the back of the ambulance, his hands immediately going to hold Ed's as he sat beside him.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered as the car began to move.

"Please Ed, please be ok."

Alphonse had never been so happy to see Major Armstrong in his life. The alchemist had just arrived and was quick to help pull him from the wall and reconfigure his metal body. Riza stood behind him, and as soon as Al was freed, she was quick to usher him downstairs.

Major Armstrong was concerned and confused but knew well enough to stand down when Riza had her mind set on something. He took a glance around the room and shook his head. When Hawkeye had called him for help, he certainly hadn't expected anything like this.

Poor kid, he thought grimly. You deserve so much better.

"Is Ed ok?" Al asked as soon as they reached her car. He barely fit, but Riza couldn't care less about any extra dents because of him. Not in a time like this.

"I don't know," Riza answered truthfully. "Last I saw he was being ushered to the nearest hospital."

"Is Mustang with him?" Al asked. "I'm just scared and I don't want him to be alone and-"

"Yes Al," Riza placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment before returning it to the wheel while she drove. "Mustang is with him."

The two of them sat in silence for a while as Al processed everything that had happened. He was still in shock and couldn't believe Hohenheim had done the things he had.

And for so long.

How had Ed kept this to himself?

Why had he?

If Al could cry, Riza's car would have been flooded. Al felt awful for not having noticed sooner.

The clues all seemed so obvious now that everything was out in the open, and Al couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't seen them.

"It's not your fault," Riza said gently, knowing where Al was likely coming from. She knew her words fell on deaf ears, and she felt guilty as soon as they came out of her mouth.

After all, how could she tell Al not to take blame, when she was over here doing the exact same thing?

Al didn't respond to it, instead taking a deep breath and turning to look out the window.

"Where is he?"

Riza spared a glance over at him, confused. "Ed's-"

"No, where is he?" Al asked again.

"Ah."

Riza turned her eyes back to the road, as she pondered the best way to tell this kid that his father who'd just recently come back into their life was going to be taken away from them.

Even if he had been a shitty father, if a father at all, Ed had spoken of how excited Al was to have him back in their lives.

"He's going away, right?" Al asked after a bit, turning to look at her.

"For now," she said stoically. "But only until he goes to court. We can't detain him for forever, not with having arrested him on probable cause."

"But you will." Al said, anger and hatred leeching into his usually gentle voice. "You'll find him guilty, and we'll never have to see him again."

Riza hummed a response, not sure how to respond verbally. She wanted to tell him that it may not be that easy, and that it would be a long process before justice was finally served. That Ed would likely have to testify against him in court, something she dreaded having to put the poor kid through.

"I hope so," she said after a while. "But right now, all we can do is be there for Ed."

Alphonse nodded eagerly to that, "You're right, I'm sorry."

Riza was going to argue at that, but Alphonse spoke up before she had the chance.

"H-he can't get to him right?" He asked. "Ed's going to be safe at the hospital?"

"He will be," Riza assured him. "He's a tough kid your brother is, I think he's going to be ok. And he's not alone, he has Mustang, and the team, and he has us."

Alphonse nodded again, turning to face the window. They sat in silence once more, anxiously waiting until they got to the hospital.

"I'm glad he stuck me to the wall," Alphonse said after a while, startling Riza and nearly making her hit the car next to them.

"Why do you say that?" She asked, trying to keep the panic from her voice.

"When I got in there and saw Ed…I couldn't straight think any more," Alphonse admitted.

He was hesitant to speak on it, but it had felt as if he were watching himself through different eyes. Whether it was shock, or panic, or desperation, he had acted on instinct more than choice.

He sighed and bowed his head to fiddle with his gloved hands.

"I wanted to kill him..."

Riza remained quiet, not wanting to interrupt.

"And I probably would have killed him."

Riza nodded slowly, daring to release a hand to place on his thigh in what she hoped was reassuring. She didn't say anything, because she didn't know what she could say that would change anything.

"I don't want to admit it, but…. I still kind of want to kill him," Al admitted.

He didn't like the way the words sounded, or felt, but it did feel nice to have it out of his head.

Riza continued driving for a bit, letting the confession hang in the air for a while. Al didn't seem to be guilty about it, but then again, reading emotion from a metal suit was rather difficult.

"You aren't alone in that," Riza said finally, breaking her silence. Soul fire eyes met hers for a moment and she knew Al understood what she meant, because the tension eased, and he turned to look back out the window.

Riza's brow furrowed as she refocused on the road ahead, her lips drawn into a cold frown.

She wanted to kill him too, if given the chance.

A/N: WOW has it been a while. Life has been a blur in all honesty, between graduating college and moving across the country to start a fulltime job, there has been a lot going on. I certainly didn't expect to take this long with this chapter, especially considering where the last one left off, and I am deeply sorry.

I do want to thank each and every one of you for sticking with me and continuing to read, and comment, and be patient with me. I am amazed at how many of you support this work and enjoy it, and am grateful that you're still there supporting it, and by extension me.

I always say it and I always mean it, but I will finish this. I don't know how long it will take, and I hope it doesn't take long, but it will be finished properly. I still really enjoy writing it, and it means too much to me to just abandon or finish quickly to be done.

I rewrote this chapter several times trying to determine how I wanted it to go. I thought about writing it where Hohenheim decided to fight them, but didn't think that seemed reasonable. I wrote one where he begrudgingly let them in and just denied knowing about it, but it didn't feel right either. I think him trying any possible way to manipulate the situation to his favor, that seemed the most like him (in this story at least).

Though the scenes I wrote out of him and Mustang fighting alchemically would have been cooler overall lol. Nevertheless, I know this chapter is a little shorter but I hope you all like it! Thank you again, as always.