This chapter sucked all the life out of me, I hope you know. I edited it briefly. Sorry if I didn't catch all the mistakes… I just want to get this uploaded. Thanks for all your reviews and support! I love all of you… I'm going to curl up and sleep now for a million years—at least.

Disclaimer I don't own FMA or any of its characters

Oliver Cooper and Louis Tichs are my characters though.

Chapter 5

Ed ran to the nearest trashcan and threw his head in, spilling the contents of his stomach. Oliver picked up the phone… "Hughes, Did they say where they were taking him?"

"They…. They said there was a rehabilitation camp… in the mountains…"

"Mmmhmm" Oliver nodded with a sigh, "It's what I figured… Hughes, I'll call you later…"

"Wait! What's going on?! Cooper! Oliv-" Oliver He hung up the phone.

Ed stood up wiping his mouth, "That bastard! Leaving me all alone like this!" Tears finally pooled over and spilled down his cheeks, "Tch… Idiot… I can't believe…"

"What's going on?" Al asked very confused

"What did he do Ed?" Oliver asked standing up.

Ed wiped his face, "That idiot kissed me before the train left… It was hardly anything… but I worried over it the whole trip."

"Roy got arrested…?" Al asked panicked, "For kissing you in public?" He pointed to Ed.

Ed nodded

Oliver shook his head tutting, "irresponsible…"

"Al!" Winry called from upstairs

"Coming!" He called back, "Fill me in later…" He got up and went upstairs…

Ed's voice was hoarse and frightened, "we have to get him out! We have to go to the Fuher! We can explain it all, they'll understand…"

"I don't think so Ed…" Oliver said sadly, his hand over chest.

"I mean… just given the circumstances…. What if they let us stay together… just a little longer…"

"Ed…" Oliver repeated

"Then after I have the baby, we'll go our separate ways. We'll split up…" Ed's voice was cracking and his lip quivered holding back sobs. "Yeah, they will, they'll do that…"

Oliver's voice was snappy, His fingers curled around his locket, "Stop! Louis has been gone for 17 years! If they were going to change their policies they would have done it by now!" Oliver took a deep breath.

"But can't he renounce me? He will! He'll do it… then he can get out!" Ed said answering his own question.

"Shut up!" Oliver said frustrated. "Don't you get it? Even if they do renounce their sexuality, they wouldn't be let go… The government wouldn't gain anything that way… They try to break them down…"

"So did Louis ever?"

"I already told you… No… he's smarter than that… but he's seen it happen to others… and afterwards, they were just broken down… gone, submissive… they are obeying orders under false pretenses…"

A deep voice rumbled, "Ohh thanks hon you think I'm smart." Ed's eyes snapped around trying to find the source of the sound.

"I've always thought you were smart you know that…" Oliver replied softly smiling now; a soft pink blush spread across his cheeks.

Ed stared at him. Oliver's head bowed, his hand was pressed to his chest, "What…?" Ed mumbled mostly to himself.

The phantom voice spoke again, "I just like hearing it. Oh, Ollie! I found more papers on space transmutation… I'll read them to you!" The voice cleared its throat, "The molecular spa-"

Oliver's blush turned brighter, "Shhh… No, Louis, I'm not at home…"

"Oh? I thought I heard you talking… but I figured you were rambling to yourself again…"

His whole face glowed red, "Shhh! Louis Please! There's someone I want you to meet… Edward Elric…" Oliver slipped the chain of his locket off his neck and held it in his hands so Ed could look.

Ed stared at the locket, "uhh… Hello… Louis?"

There was a theatrical gasp from Louis, "So you are real! I didn't believe Oliver when he said He had made a friend with Roy Mustang's boyfriend of all people. Never would've guessed he's even gay. It is very nice to meet you Ed. I've heard a lot, as you can imagine, I worried my beloved little olive had become delusional…"

Oliver barked back, "Shut up! I hate that name! I'm 33 years old! Don't call me that!"

"You don't look a day over 20." Louis cooed back.

"How...? What?" Ed asked stupidly

Oliver smiled, "Alchemy."

His eyes glowed with fascination and curiosity, "How does it work?"

Oliver laughed nervously while rubbing the back of his neck, "I don't… I don't actually know…"

Louis cleared his throat, "The amulets are synched, they're made from the same metal, they're twins and therefore connected as one forever. Underneath the pictures inside the lockets are engravings of transmutation circles. Very specifically designed to transmute sound waves from one end of the locket to the other allowing us to communicate. They're mere toys… made for children…"

Oliver smiled, and tut affectionately, "So smart…"

There was a pleased, "mmm" reverberating through the locket.

"So… I saw its eyes open… I mean Louis' eyes open in the picture…"

"It just means he's listening… that he's using it… One of my pictures on his locket does the same thing…"

A loud "HEY!" Resonated through the locket. Before it went silent Louis' eyes closed in the picture.

"Is he alright…?" Ed asked worriedly

Oliver nodded snapping the locket closed and placing the chain around his neck. "Yes… he just had to go because the officers were checking in on him… I doubt Roy is there yet… but we'll talk to Louis again later tonight and ask if he's seen him… maybe you'll even get to talk to him…"

Ed grumbled, "I'm gonna give that idiot a piece of my mind…"

"Don't even get me started," Oliver said clenching his jaw. He took a deep breath, "Anyways… we should go to my cottage… We can distract ourselves with research and wait up for Louis and hopefully Roy without bothering Al and Winry."

He nodded in agreement, Ed went upstairs and knocked quietly on the door to Alphonse and Winry's bedroom. "Al?"

There was a loud wail that could've only belonged to Trisha, the baby continued to scream, "ED!" Winry growled angrily from the bedroom.

"SORRY! I'm going to the clinic" he said before running down the hall.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Once at Oliver's cottage Ed fell onto the couch with a comfortable sigh. Oliver brought him a few papers, "Here… these are for you..." They were all about the transmutation of space.

"Hey… Oliver, Louis was talking about a paper he found…? If he's in a slave camp… why is he reading…?"

"Hmm? Oh you're probably thinking manual labor… see where Louis and Roy are, they are forced to research alchemy... Louis claims to be quite comfortable…" He got quieter, "At least… as comfortable as one can be when forced to stay in a place… He was able to convince the warden to give him his own study… and of course… he's the one who managed the one day every 5 years… He's too valuable an asset for them to displease…"

"What about Roy? He won't-"

Louis' deep voice resonated throughout the room suddenly, "I saw Roy! They stopped by my study while escorting him to his cell… I requested the colonel be allowed to study with me, I told them a man of such high ranks deserves a study, not a cell. I said he could share with me… they went to ask the warden…"

Oliver had excitement in his tone, "Then it's a sure thing!"

"Wait he said that they had to go ask the warden… you can't say it's a sure thing, we don't know if it is yet!" Ed said sadly, he didn't want to give his hopes up, knowing his luck things would go bad.

There was a loud clanking sound coming from the locket… then an unfamiliar voice spoke, "He's been granted stay… but only because the Warden want's you working… if you haven't made progress by tomorrow then we'll-"

Louis' voice interrupted hastily, "I know… I know…" he cleared his throat

There was a clanking sound again and then silence.

"Louis? It's good to see you- You look well…" Roy said. His voice sounded far away, like he was on the other side of the room.

Ed's sighed with relief, "You idiot!" he yelled

Roy's voice again, "Wha-?"

"It's Ed!" Louis said through the locket…

"Ed and Oliver…"

"How? Wait…? What?"

Oliver smiled, "C'mon Roy you don't really think we could go five years without talking to each other… I can't believe you seriously believed that…"

"I think I would die of boredom…" Louis mumbled

"Anyways now that we're all together… let's go over the plan…"

"The plan?" Ed asked

"Yeah… what plan?" Roy sounded cautious.

"Well we're getting to that…" Louis chided

"Be patient…" Oliver said to Roy and Ed

"So, this base houses nearly 200 alchemists…" Louis said, "It's pressed up against the side of a small stone plateau… about 20 miles east from Resembool…"

Oliver pulled out a map to show Ed what Louis was talking about, Louis went on explaining, "It's structurally weakest on the west side right where the wall connects to the mountain, our cell just so happens to be on the second floor on the far west side of the building nestled against the side of the mountain… That's where Ed and Ollie come in…"

"What?" Roy said sternly, "No… they're not going to break us out of jail… especially not Ed…"

"Umm excuse me, I do as I very well please…" Ed said defiantly

"Not while you're carrying my child!" Roy snapped back

"How the hell do you two even talk… you're always arguing…" Louis said breathlessly.

"I want to help!" Ed said, "I'm not going to have this baby and raise it by myself…"

"Of course no-" Roy tried to interject

Oliver cleared his throat interrupting Roy, "It's settled… Roy calm down… I would never put Ed in direct harm… or have you forgotten that I'm his doctor..."

There was a disgruntled sigh, "Fine."

"Can we get on with the plan…?" Ed asked irritation creeping into his voice.

"Yes," Oliver said, "as you know I've been working with combustibles… I can easily, make Roy a new pair of gloves… with a bigger radial explosion, then eventually after enough research Ed will be able to teleport them into the building… It's obvious what happens from there… We'll rendezvous, and then make a clean get away… there's a small fishing village to the north-west, so we plan to head there…"

"We have a house already… It was my childhood home… I know the town will welcome us, and nobody has lived in the house for years… it was passed down to me in my grandfather's will."

There was silence then Roy's irritated voice broke the tension, "How long have you guys been planning this?"

"Well… a long time obviously" Louis said… "If we had figured it out sooner… I would've broken out already…"

"Besides… we don't have it all figured out… we still need to learn how to transmute space."

"Wait… the plan is to make gloves for me? Did you plan on me getting arrested…?"

"Well… I wouldn't say planned it… more like planned for it … and that's the plan I came up with if you did… if you didn't I was just gonna learn to teleport on my own, I'd send him bombs, then Louis and I would go from there… we have hundreds of different scenarios.."

Roy sighed irritably. Louis chuckled, "Hey… at least we have a strategy… it's better than not having a plan at all... Oliver and I have an enormous amount of free time…"

"Anyways… we should all get busy…" Oliver said. Ed nodded eagerly.

Oliver began work on Roy's gloves. Louis did research for his deadline due the next morning, and Roy read countless research papers about the transmutation of space to Ed. It was quite fascinating, the alchemist learns to transmute an item to another place using the empty space between molecules in the surrounding area.

"You need two transmutation circles one for where the item is coming from, and another where it's being transported." Roy read. This was the third research paper they had gone through. Roy paused and sighed, "Ed… it's getting late… you should get some rest…"

"No…" came the blonde's reply. Ed was glad Roy wasn't able to see the condition he was in, He had large bags under his eyes, strands of hair strayed in front of his face. He squinted trying to clear his bleary eyes, "I need to get you out…"

"The prison is still gonna be here tomorrow… and the next day…"

Ed growled, "I won't be able to sleep, thinking about you in there."

Roy sighed, "Hey... What I want most… what would make me happy would be knowing you and our son are getting some rest."

"Tch. You don't know it's a boy…"

"Ed… just get some rest…"

"Just read." Edward said unenthusiastically

With a heavy sigh Roy continued, "When, transmuted, the molecules collapse in on themselves then expand into the extra space. This will often times result in an audible pop." Roy must've read for about 45 minutes before he heard soft even snoring. "Ed?" He said softly… no response…

Roy gave the locket back to Louis and then attempted to sleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ed woke up late the next morning. He heard Oliver and Louis talking in the next room. There was a loud knock on the door. Ed groaned while standing up and answering the door. It was Al. "Brother… how are you… I was worried… I have no idea what's going on…"

Ed yawned, "It's fine Al… I'm fine… Roy was just arrested… and now he's in a camp-" Ed spent maybe about 35 minutes explaining everything to his little brother. He left out the details of the jailbreak though.

"So…" Al said quietly… "That's why Oliver was researching explosives… he's gonna break them out of jail…" He was quiet before looking at Ed, "Brother, I don't want you to have any part in this… It's too dangerous…"

Ed didn't say anything. He just avoided Al's eyes. "Brother. I know… that this is going to make you upset… but I'm only thinking of what's best for you and your baby…" He took a deep breath. "If I find out that you have any part in this, I'll call the authorities…"

Oliver suddenly appeared in the room, "If you know what's good for him you won't."

Louis' voice butted in, "I have no doubts the military would take Ed into custody and use him to figure out how to increase the population in a time of need… sort of like a mass production of humans…"

Al was quiet in thought, "Then I'll call Hawkeye and Hughes… They'll side with me on this… I know it…"

"Hell… I've sided with you…" Roy's voice grumbled through the locket.

Ed barked, "Stop… none of you have any idea… I'm due in almost three months and I'm scared shitless." He choked up and took a moment to get his emotions under control, "There's no way I'm doing this alone… I can't… I can't…"

"Ed…" Roy's voice voice said softly. The colonel wanted nothing more than to be there at that moment to comfort him.

"I'm sorry… Roy… Al… sorry to make you worry… but I'm going to help Oliver and we're going to get both of you out of there…"

"Alright then brother… I guess I'll have to keep Hughes and Hawkeye's numbers at the ready." Al stood up and walked to the front door… "I'll see you later Ed…" Al left the clinic and began the walk home.

Ed sat silently. "The last thing we need is Hawkeye and Hughes butting into our business."

"Agreed" Oliver said.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Over the next couple of weeks Ed would jump between Oliver's cottage and his brother's house. Al hadn't yet called Hawkeye or Hughes. He claimed to be waiting for them to actually take action.

Ed was extra cautious as not leak any information on how far along with the plan they were. He avoided the conversation whenever Al would bring it up in hopes of catching his brother off guard Ed would just shut down… locked like a vault. He was well aware his entire future was riding on the success of this plan.

With more and more of his research completed everyday Ed was growing more optimistic. He was now able to transmute things between Oliver's cottage and Al's house… though he only practiced late at night so Al wouldn't be the wiser.

Ed reached the sixth month of his pregnancy. The windy spring grew into a hot summer and Ed liked to spend most of his time reading outside, or practicing outside. His stomach was swollen and rounded. He couldn't have been mistaken for fat now, it was obvious he was pregnant.

Oliver somehow managed to keep a watchful eye on the blonde boy, per request of none other than the colonel. The second week of Ed's sixth month passed. It had been largely debated but eventually the group decided that it was better to break them out sooner rather than later. The earlier Ed was in his pregnancy the better. They wasted no time whatsoever, as soon as Ed felt confident enough (and was able to transmute something a few miles away from him) they decided that it was finally time.

Ed and Oliver began their trek to the plateau. It was nice walk. There was wide path and it was conveniently flat. Ed had no trouble, originally he had been a bit worried about his physical comfort but Oliver assured him that he would have his herbs and ointments on hand for the worst case scenario.

"Is that it up there?" Ed asked, noticing the canyon lit up with a soft pale light.

"Yes… now it has surprisingly low security… but we'd better keep our guards up anyway… we can't be sure what to expect." They walked for a little less than an hour longer before they reached the edge of the cliff that the prison was nestled against. Ed looked down noticing how high up they were.

"How are they going to get up her?" Ed asked staring at the prison that seemed so far below them.

Oliver tugged at some line tied to his backpack, "Rope… They're gonna have to climb…"

"Won't they get caught…?"

Oliver shook his head… "Too high up for the guards to get a good shot… And Louis says that none of the guards use alchemy, nor does the warden…"

Ed stayed quiet looking down at his hands. Oliver watched him, "Are you ready?"

Ed nodded, "Yeah... I just… I have a knot in my stomach…"

Oliver smiled, "You'll do fine… they'll be fine… everything's gonna be fine…" He cleared his throat, "Louis, are you guys ready… have you finished drawing the transmutation circle?"

"Almost." Came the reply.

Ed took a deep breath before he began to draw the familiar lines of the strange transmutation circle.

"Ready…" Ed said.

"We're all set here too." Louis said calmly.

Oliver handed Ed the gloves. He stared down at them. They were black… very beautiful… Whatever or however Oliver had made these gloves, he had done so beautifully. They white gold transmutation circles on the palms. "Here it goes…" Ed said with a deep breath. He put his hands on the circle and I glowed purple and blue… there was a loud pop and the gloves were gone. So was the transmutation circle. Through the locket you could hear the receiving pop.

Ed sighed with relief.

"Ollie, get the rope ready…"

Roy grumbled, "I still can't believe-" before Ed even heard the rest of the sentence the roof of the building exploded. Ed frantically covered his ears. The sound had surprised him. Oliver dropped the rope as small pieces of rubble fell around them. Dust was thick in the air providing them with some cover.

Oliver peered over the edge, his face lit up and a few moments later Ed saw long calloused fingers curl around the edge of the cliff. Louis' dark haired head appeared over the edge and he pulled himself up. Oliver tackled him instantly and showered him with a multitude of kisses.

Ed sat a few feet back from the edge of the cliff. Roy's forehead appeared over the edge then his dark eyes peered over the top of the plateau searching for his boyfriend… trying to make sure he was alright. His eyes landed on Ed and immediately his gaze softened. He pulled himself up and kneeled down beside Edward. He looked at Ed's arms and his neck, just as a mother would examine her child for injuries.

"I'm fine…" Ed said shakily. Relief washed over him again. Roy pressed his forehead against Ed's and gently ran his thumb over the nape of Ed's neck. "I'm fine…" Ed repeated again this time his voice was wavering and tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"Let's go…" Louis said standing up holding Oliver's hand tightly in his own. He was tall. Roy probably reached his shoulder. Ed reached his chest and the top of Oliver's head barely reached his lover's chest. With Roy's help Ed rose to his feet. They rushed over to the tree line where a military grade vehicle had been stashed for their getaway. They pulled the brush hiding it away and all climbed in. Ed was curious as to where Oliver had found such a thing but at this point he was done asking questions. Oliver started the engine. The headlights turned on revealing two people standing in front of the vehicle. Hawkeye and Hughes.

Al had gone along with his plan afterall, "When Al told us more about the prison… I knew something was wrong…" Hawkeye said sternly.

"Move Riza…" Roy barked

"I'm not moving anywhere! You're my colonel... It's my job to make sure you don't fuck up too badly sir…" she said, "Besides you all are going on the run from nothing. This isn't a military funded base. It once was but was shut down due to some human rights violation… I can't explain everything now I just need you all to trust me. I only mean to help."

"We need to return to Central right away. This all needs to be straightened out… and with your help Louis the government can make things right for all of you." Hughes said.

They were all thinking hard. Each had their own reasons.

"I trust them…" Roy was the first to speak.

"Thank you sir," Riza said.

"I do too." Ed said

Oliver and Louis were leaned in close. Whispering into each other's ears. "The government has fucked us over before." Louis said.

"I know…" Oliver nodded, "But this is Hughes and Hawkeye… I trust them… they're friends… I know you've been gone a long time… but surely you remember how close we all were… before Ishval."

Louis was quiet for a long time before he sighed, "Alright… alright. Let's go." Hawkeye and Hughes climbed into the car. "We followed Oliver and Ed here on foot…"

"Al called you?"

"Naturally." Hughes said, purposely forcing himself between Ed and Roy. Roy snarled angrily. "I haven't seen him in over a month."

Hughes teased, "You haven't seen me for a month either."

"Stop bickering." Hawkeye said taking the wheel. She turned sharply and pressed on the gas. They jotted forward and sped off back towards Resembool.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hawkeye drove back to the Elric house. Alphonse and Winry stood in the open doorway. Roy got out of the car, followed by Hughes. Roy held out his hand to Ed.

Edward scoffed, "I don't need your help-" His foot caught on something on the floor and he stumbled, falling. Roy grabbed his hand and wrapped his other arm around Ed's midsection. "You just walked 20 miles. Don't tell me you're not tired." A blush spread across Ed's face as he leaned into Roy. The colonel took the opportunity and leaned down placing a kiss on his lover's lips. Ed ran his tongue along Roy's lips before finally kissing him back. He wrapped his arms around Roy's neck before standing up again.

"I really missed you. You had me worried." Ed whispered into Roy's neck.

Roy smiled wrapping both of his arms around Ed's waist. He held him from behind, "You got so much bigger while I was away…" Roy said, "One month didn't seem so long… but seeing you now… I feel like I was gone for much longer…"

Slowly everyone filed into the house. Al and Winry of course were ecstatic to see Ed in one piece. They all settled in the living room. Hawkeye and Hughes stood to one side while Oliver and Louis took up one couch. Louis sat leaning his head back, his eyes closed. Oliver's head rested in his lap, his eyes were also closed. Ed sat leaning up against Roy who had is hands resting protectively across Ed's belly. Al and Winry sat on the far side of the room near where Hughes and Hawkeye stood.

"When I first heard of Roy's arrest from Hughes," Hawkeye began, "I was shocked… and neither of us knew the reason of his arrest. No explanation was given. I went to the Fuher. He was shocked to hear of the arrest and assured me that he was unaware of it."

"Then I remembered that none of the people who took Roy had rankings or names. They just had the plain uniform…" Hughes added.

"With help from the Fuher, we decided that they could've only been phonies. No official had warranted Roy's arrest and so he simply was put as missing. I got a call from Al explaining everything… He told me all about the prison Roy had been sent to and this crazy elaborate plan to bust Louis and Roy out. When I told the Fuher of the facility you spoke of he knew immediately what I was talking about. A few years back it was a state organized prison but it was shut down due to some illegal happenings… We're not sure what exactly was reported happening there the Fuher wouldn't say." Hawkeye paused. "The building was thought to be abandoned." She was silent, "So what I'm saying is… neither of you were arrested on military order… It was all an elaborate set up. We're still unsure but this must mean we have countless moles within the rankings. We sent in troops to raid the building save the alchemists and hopefully get a clue as to who did this."

"On the other hand." Hughes began. "The Fuher said that they instituted a "Don't ask don't tell policy" 10 years before Ishval. He said most of the military was reluctant to reform at first and so that must be why these people were using sexuality as an excuse for arrest. Because most people aren't aware of the new laws set in place to protect people from this type of persecution."

"I was unjustly imprisoned for 17 years." Louis asked incredulously.

"Of course this issue was brought to the attention of the Fuher and he was eager to make it up to the both of you, recognizing you both as important war heroes. He is prepared to give you a house at any location of your choosing. You're both to keep your state alchemy licenses, no research or exams required from this day forward. You're allowed to do as you please… both of you…" Hawkeye said

"As for the two of you," Hawkeye began turning to Ed and Roy, "The Fuher has promised complete protection and immunity from any allegations. You are to return to your position as colonel, and Ed is to remain a state certified alchemist. The Fuher knows of Ed's condition and has granted him maternity leave…. Or paternity leave, whichever term you prefer…"

Everyone was quiet for a long time.

"This doesn't sound so bad to me…" Ed said, "What's the catch?"

"Well, we need you all to come in for questioning so we can figure out who exactly is behind all of this… but other than that nothing." Hughes said.

Silence again.

"I'm fine with this…" Roy said. Ed nodded in agreement…

"Yeah I'm fine with setup…" Oliver said, "answer some questions and gain freedom…"

"When do we head for Central?" Louis asked.

"Tomorrow morning…" came Riza's reply.

"It'll be nice to go home…" Ed said looking at Roy who absently nodded in response. His eyes were unfocused. He was lost in thought.

"Alright… we'll be at the station." Oliver said standing up. He whispered hushed thank you's to Winry and Al, then said quick goodnights to everyone present before he and Louis hurried outside and drove the car to their cottage eager to rest.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Ed and Roy sat on the bed in Al and Winry's guest room. Roy pushed Ed back into the pillows and stared at his boyfriend's belly. He placed kisses all over the soft surface. He mumbled, Ed could hardly make out what Roy was saying, "It's alright…. Daddy's back… Daddy's back…." He stayed like that, his head pressed against Ed's belly, listening. Ed watched for as long as he could before he started to drift off to sleep.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I'm going to crawl in a hole and sleep for a thousand years.

I wrote this instead of my English paper on the Morality of Macbeth… You are all welcome! (this was way more fun to write anyways! No Regrets!)

Really though… writing this… after about 2500 words I got writers block… but more than anything editing took the longest. Oh my god! Did I write this with my eyes closed?!

Please Review or follow or whatever if you liked it. There's more to come it may seem like it's at a dead end... but Ed still has to have the baby. Oh! Do you think it's gonna be a boy or a girl... Roy seems so sure it's a boy, Ed doesn't seem to care either way... so what do you think?