Worlds Collide

A/N: Finally, you're all going to know who Stephen is. At the end, I'll have a little post with the hints. Don't yell too much when you find out. I had one reviewer who did all on her own. Oh, and this chapter will jump around a bit.

To my reviewers: Nomme de Plume, I wanted to do a double lemon and have one scene be really hot and passionate, the other, not so much. Glad you liked the lemons, though. kuragari75, I wanted poor Ed to finally feel wth his automail, and it made the sex scene fun to write, and to sort of gloss over the distance in their relationship. Yes, the plot still moves on. Big time, this chapter. michelle, rim is (let's see if I can spell this) analingus. Tongue play, basically. (Still debating how I'm going to write that. I never wrote a love scene of any kind before my InuYasha story, and it pretty much coincided with when I was writing it for For Her. For Him. I'm still learning and breaking down insecurities.) To make it easier to find out all of these terms, I figured out a lot by going onto the writers section and post a new story. You don't have to actually post, but each of the terms writers tag at the end are there for selection, with an explanation. Made things MUCH easier when I tried to figure out what each of them meant when I first started reading a few months ago.

Chapter 14

Battle

Amestris

Two years later

Roy stood on the battlefield, trying not to spend his time watching for Ed and focus on leading this battle. He caught a glimpse of the short blond, giving commands to several troops, though the older man knew full well that his husband would wind up going off on his own. He always did, refusing to kill, but rather trap the enemy. Though if there was ever a time when the younger man was tempted, it was surely now, as the Drachman army had discovered tunnels which began near the border of their own country and directly into the heart of Central, directly to the path of the couple’s children.

The fuhrer barked out orders, discussed with his generals and colonels, and fought doing his best to protect his men and keep casualties at only the minimum. Like it or not, he was cursing Ed’s father, not for the first time. The very tunnels that had allowed the Drachman army to enter Amestris were created when Hohenheim Elric had formed his first philosopher’s stone, burying the town that still laid beneath Central. The tunnels that had his family, his country in danger were “that bastard’s”—as Ed so affectionately called his father—fault. This war, which had nearly been over after a year and a half of fighting, had practically been won until the country of Drachma realized the tunnels which laid beneath their border.

There had been a part of Roy that had hoped that by being diplomatic, he would be able to avoid using his gloves again for warfare. But now he was adding onto his death tally, not only by his own actions, but also by those of his orders. He was ordering others to kill. But this wasn’t the time or place to think about it. Those were for moments alone, moments with Ed when the blond would force his problems out of him.

He’d sent Havoc and Breda’s troops into the underground city to flush the Drachman troops out from behind, thanking fate that the army of Drachma seemed to have never found the ruined metropolis lying beneath Amestris, instead taking the direct route to the city above.

Fuery, Falman, and some of the others more accustomed to desk work, but still capable of holding their own were left to fortify the major buildings, all of which housed civilians. He trusted Falman, who had become practically a brother-in-law since moving in with Raine, to protect Aideen, who was probably still steeling herself against the fear and worry, and Nicholas, who was probably trying to watch from somewhere within the building, despite his broken arm from a tree-climbing incident a few weeks before.

Roy snapped his fingers, trying to ignore the screams as best he could, realizing that while he’d aimed mostly for the men’s lower bodies, some would still die, others would be badly injured, it was the best he could do. War was ugly. Only so many compromises could be made before they became too much, before they became impossible.

Again, he snapped, seeing Al working to establish barriers and protection. It had been at Ed’s insistence that his little brother not participate in the actual fighting, but work to protect the troops in one way or another. Ed’s words had been that he didn’t want to see his brother’s eyes become empty. As protective as the fuhrer had always been, he couldn’t help but agree. For someone like Al, a civilian who had no business fighting at all, it would kill him inside, destroying what made him who he was.

Armstrong was in the distance, hurling rocks at break-neck speeds into the approaching troops. For a moment, the fuhrer pitied the men falling under the nearly bald general’s attacks.

Everyone was fighting brilliantly, and the fuhrer truly believed they could win this battle. His only fear was at what cost.

********

Munich

Edward sat beside Wrath at their dinner table, looking anxiously over at the twenty-year-old.

“You want answers,” the brunette said, “and I don’t have them.”

“But, they can’t get the transmutation to work, even with Envy now wrapped around it. Why?”

“Ask Hohenheim, he’s out drinking with Stephen.” The violet eyes looked at him, lacking the warmth they’d once had. Maybe it had all been a mistake, trying to be together here. Trying to pretend they wouldn’t get caught. "Probably, the woman isn't powerful enough."

“They’re trying again in a few hours. They think the time could be right. And they want one of my rockets ready to be sent through.”

“Congratulations.” That word was so cold, so angry.

“Ulysses, there is an option, you know, we could be together in your world, if we could get it to work.”

“Right, because heaven knows you won’t fight for us in this one.” Wrath stood from the table, pushing the chair so far under it lifted off its front legs and wedged itself underneath. “But you don’t fight for anything.”

“Fighting the fact that the owner wants us out because he heard us making love wasn’t going to solve anything. This world isn’t going to accept us, not in our lifetimes.”

“Because people like you won’t stand up for it,” Wrath practically growled at him.

Edward shoved his hands into his pockets, stepping toward the man he still held feelings for, looking him squarely in, well, the chest to be honest, but aiming for his eyes. “I’ve been working on the rocket to carry passengers. Three, should Stephen want to come since he’s been having problems with HQ or Hohenheim if he changes his mind about monitoring the actions of the Thules here, but I’d hoped that at least two would be able to go.”

“Getting to finally go home sounds nice. I’ll enjoy getting to see Ed and Al again and finally meet the twins.” Wrath was purposely avoiding Edward’s entire reason for suggesting this.

“And, we could be in a world where what we are won’t matter.”

“Well, that will make it more convenient if we decide to see other people, won’t it?” Those sharp eyes watched Edward, waiting for something, but the smaller man said nothing. Edward still held the hope that back in Wrath’s world, the two of them would be able to be together, that once the greatest obstacles were gone, none of this would matter any longer and the fighting would stop. Unfortunately, hope of that seemed to be slowly fading, as with each passing day, Wrath continued to pick more and more fights with the blond, or he at least tried to. Edward was not a fighter, and when Wrath wanted to argue or debate, the blond shut down, went silent.

“Damn it Edward,” Wrath said, punching the wall, cracking the plaster just a bit, “you can’t even fight for us to me?” The brunette stood, watching as Edward sat on the sofa, saying nothing at first, then changing the subject, as he always did.

“I will have to ask Stephen if he wishes to come along to make sure I have the calibrations correct.”

At that, Edward heard their bedroom door slam shut, and he merely closed his eyes and sighed. He knew Wrath still cared, but there was a growing frustration that didn’t seem to ease with the passage of time, and he didn’t know how to correct it.

********

Amestris

“Aideen,” Nicholas called out to his sister as he stood on top of a chair, on top of a desk to see out of a tiny window near the ceiling of the storage closet at the central headquarters.

“Nicholas,” she hissed back at him, “get down here. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“Will not. I’m good at this kind of stuff.”

“Really? Is that why you broke your arm?”

The blond looked down, sticking his tongue out at her, knocking the chair off balance as Aideen clapped her hands and transformed the entire thing into a woven net to catch him. “Thanks.”

“Vato is looking for you. He’s worried you’re going to do something stupid.” She rolled her eyes. “I wonder why.”

“At least I don’t act like an old lady,” Nicholas said, running ahead of her. “Can’t catch me. I’ll get to Papa’s office first.”

“Nicholas, you’re going to run into—” He turned to face her, paying no attention to what she said until he had run head-on into something very heavy. “the barricade.”

Once Aideen was finally beyond the door, Nicholas was sitting on the floor, rubbing an aching shoulder, thankfully not the one to which his broken arm was attached, and an aching backside.

“Come on, you dummy,” Aideen said as she walked by him, then looked over her shoulder. “Now who’s going to get back to Papa’s office first?” She laughed and ran ahead of him Nicholas, while he yelled out something about it not being fair.

The two were only a few feet from their father’s office when they were spotted by Falman and Fuery.

“And where do the two of you think you’re going?”

“Papa’s office,” Aideen answered. Nicholas looked over at her, standing stock-still himself. She wasn’t intimidated by the two men in uniforms; she wasn’t intimidated by anything.

“That is Lieutenant Colonel Fuery’s base of operations, Aideen. You can’t go in there.”

“Vato,” Nicholas said, his voice showing just how unsure he was of what to call the man when he was in uniform, “are Daddy and Papa okay?”

“We just heard from the fuhrer… um, your papa and he’s fine.”

“And Daddy?” Aideen asked.

With a warm smile, the young lieutenant colonel answered, “Your papa wouldn’t be fine if your daddy wasn’t.” He patted them both on the head, something the two nine-year-olds hated, but didn’t say to the man who more often than not resembled a large puppy. “Now, you both need to get to the central holding area.” Then, the younger man mumbled, “And I need to talk to my so-called guards who let you slip by.”

********

Munich

“They really want to try to go our world?” Hohenheim asked.

“Yes,” Stephen said, milking a final beer before he went to yet another ceremony at the Thule Society. “But even now with Envy captured and the block broken to the other side, the gate only manages to resemble a small thunderstorm on the floor.”

“The Roma girl isn’t powerful enough with the knowledge the society’s given her. I believe there are only two in this world who are capable of activating that Gate.”

“You and Ulysses,” Stephen said. The man with his head of white and blond hair nodded.

The older man pulled out a pocketwatch. “I believe it’s time for us to go. You are taking that Roma girl from there this evening during the preparation ceremony, correct?” Stephen nodded. “And I will be waiting to retrieve her, to take her to safety.”

“Be kind to her. She hasn’t seen much of that.” Stephen rose from the table and left to return to the apartment, which had turned incredibly cold since the shop owner below them had discovered that the younger couple was exactly that. The owner had realized the influence that the three men had within the Nazi party and said nothing, but asked if they would leave by the end of the month. Wrath had been furious, arguing all the while with the owner, Edward saying nothing, just as always.

Stephen never said a word, but if there was a chink in the younger men’s relationship that didn’t involve the outside world, it was this key difference in their personalities, a difference that became more noticeable with each year: Wrath enjoyed arguing and debating and felt the need to let off steam while Edward merely held in negative emotions, afraid to argue or upset anyone, more so since he’d been with Wrath because he felt there was more at risk, and honestly, there weren’t many openly gay men in Munich as other options.

Honestly, Stephen preferred a good one-nighter, avoiding all of this relationship stuff, occasionally a repeat one-nighter, but never did he try to be part of a “couple.” Give him “good sex” and “goodbye”, and he was happy. Then again, he’d never found anyone to really care about.

He didn’t know why his thoughts kept going to his lack of relationships, lack of real affection for anyone save his mother who’d raised him on his own. Perhaps it was that there was a sense of finality about this night, and that sensation only grew stronger as he neared the apartment, realizing that if this ceremony lasted as long as the previous one, it could possibly be several days long, yet the man had no concern that his dark roots were already beginning to show, that he hadn’t remembered to buy the peroxide blond dye that he’d been using on his thinning hair for nearly a decade.

Though he hadn’t accepted the two young men’s offers to accompany them, he had a feeling as though he wasn’t going to be back.

He’d heard of men feeling this way before they died as well, but at forty-one, he’d have to be taken to Hades kicking and screaming before he’d resign himself to such a fate.

********

Amestris

Ed clapped his hands, then slammed them to the ground, bringing up an enclosure around an entire unit of the Drachman army. He knew he technically had troops to order, and he’d given the commands, but he was well ahead of them, containing unit after unit, avoiding forcing his men to fight. Then, once all of the units were enclosed, Ed would transform the upper walls to powerful magnets, forcing the men inside to remain uselessly trapped to the wall or relinquish every metal item on their body.

It was an effective method, but there would be no heroics for his troops, and he knew there were those who were upset to be left merely cleaning up stuck Drachmans and removing their weapons. He also kept within sight of the Central office, keeping an eye out for any sign of attack. He didn’t know how the other soldiers did it, how Roy did it, having their children so close to all of this.

Perhaps that was what separated him from the true soldiers, that aspect of distancing themselves from their civilian life the moment they put on their blue uniforms. Red coat, dress shirt, or the overly tailored uniform he wore now, he couldn’t stop worrying about his children. Thankfully, it was that same concern that made him so effective in fighting off several units essentially on his own. He didn’t want them getting any closer to his family.

********

Munich

Wrath passed by Stephen in the chamber at the Thule Society, seeing the blond nod beneath the hood of his robe. Hohenheim had Noa; she was safe. If Wrath and Edward were to try to leave now, they could.

Angry as the former homunculus was at his lover, he couldn’t help but wonder if things would merely fall apart back in Amestris or if it could be the start of something new between them.

At this point, Wrath hated to admit it, but either way, he wanted something to change. Their relationship had been stagnant for months now, and whenever the taller man got angry at the smaller, he felt like such a bully. But if there was a chance for happiness, together or apart, he’d give Edward what he wanted: a life in a world that wouldn’t judge him for being gay.

********

Stephen stood outside of the chamber, seeing a dark-haired man waiting for him in the distance. The older spy made his way to the forest, under the pretenses of having to relieve himself, something which nearly all of the men in the group did out of kindness toward the women, to allow them a slightly less used outhouse.

“Captain,” he hissed once he got out of sight of the chamber and any of the society’s members.

“Actually, it’s major now.”

“Well, Major Mustang, what do you want?”

“You said tonight would be a huge ceremony, very distracting. I understand you’ve gotten the Roma to safety with Hohenheim, though he remains unconvinced by the prime minister that he should turn her over to the government.”

With a smile, Stephen said, “Good,” nothing more.

“Good? The things they are doing here, the ideas they are working on, they could keep our country from falling under attack ever again, and you would withhold her from your own government?”

“Yes.”

Mustang was obviously agitated, if not a bit confused. After all, the two men had been compared on more than one occasion. “I am here to inform you that the government will no longer allow you to house the young man Ulysses. We are demanding you turn him over.”

“Are you trying to order me around, Major Mustang? If will remind you that we are the same rank, and I have no need for lectures or orders from you. After all, I still have seniority in the rank of major.” Icy blue eyes narrowed on the former subordinate. “You doubt my assurances that if this information got into anyone’s hands, regardless of country, loyalties or beliefs, it will be in the wrong hands. I see no good that can come of it, and yet they still want Ulysses.”

“That’s right.” A lie, Stephen could spot it in the fellow major’s face.

“They want Ulysses because you told them of him. Are you that desperate to rise to the top, Roy? Really?”

“Does it matter how they know? You obey orders well. Don’t break a good habit.”

Roy turned on his heel and left.

“Son of a bitch,” Stephen muttered, wanting to punch the man, but explaining why he might be covered in blood—because he’d probably break the man’s nose if given the chance—would be just a bit difficult. He realized he had a decision to make. He knew he would never turn over a friend to the government, so he could either take the risk of a courtmartial or go with his two roommates and get the opportunity at a real adventure.

Stephen re-entered the chamber, moving inside to where Edward was setting up the rocket.

“I’m going,” he said.

The blond looked at him, nodding. “I’ll make sure the calibrations are correct.”

Stephen already knew the layout of the rocket, knew his seat would be in the rear of the thing, Wrath’s and Edward’s near the front. He knew where the hatch was that would allow him in before it blasted off into the moved transmutation circle that had been drawn on the ceiling with that serpent Envy surrounding it.

A bell was rung three times, a call that the ceremony was to start. Edward climbed inside the rocket that was supposedly carrying nothing but a message of fear to those on the other side of the gate and began operating it, while Wrath disappeared up the ladders leading to Envy, saying something to the beast that apparently upset him. Then again, Stephen considered, it could be the fact that the two were supposedly once the same type of creature, and Wrath wasn’t the one bound to the ceiling.

With nearly all the Thules out of the room to prepare Noa for her entrance and inevitable activation of the gate, or would-be activation of the gate, in a few moments, they would find she was not in her room, and would be back in the main chamber. This meant the three men had a very short time-frame. He watched as Wrath clapped his hands, evoking a very loud roar from the serpent, but not seeming to kill it, the ceiling lighting up and opening more than wide enough for the rocket. The rocket’s first fuel cells were ignited, and Stephen knew both he and Wrath didn’t have long before they needed to be inside.

The older man opened the hatch, watching as Wrath painfully slid down the metal ladders, finally making his way to the floor and into the hatch, Stephen behind him, making his way to the rear of the cramped little rocket.
“No windows in this thing?” he asked, sarcastically.

“No, but it’s targeted directly at the gate.”

A giant rocket aiming for an opening, Stephen couldn’t help, despite the adrenaline rush, but think of the immense amount of phallic imagery in that one.

With little preparation, the rocket burst off the ground, headed, hopefully for the gate and into the other world, or into oblivion.

********

When he awoke, Stephen found himself being hauled out of rubble by solders wearing strange blue uniforms. God, his head hurt. Looking around him in a bit of a haze, he realized his vision was a little screwy too. Blinking, stunned, he looked and saw a figure with a black eyepatch approaching him. Fast.

“Son of a bitch,” the other man, sounding a bit like Roy, said. Then, Stephen found his face making contact with the man’s fist, or the other way around. He was too disoriented to determine for sure.

The punch was a strong one, far stronger than any he’d remembered Roy ever giving him. However, it seemed to have cleared his vision for the moment.

“Tell me, Roy,” he said to the man across from him, “is that how you greet a fellow major?”

“How the hell did you get here?”

“Big rocket, you git, how do you think? And what is the eyepatch for? I know you are rotten with disguises, but have you learned nothing?” Stephen could feel the hands that held him tightening, and watched as Roy’s fist tensed once again. “What the hell is going on?”

“That is exactly what I want to know.” That single dark eye looked at Stephen with so much venom that he honestly believed if given the chance Roy would kill him. He looked away for a moment, seeming to scan the battlefield, and that’s definitely what this looked like, a battlefield next to a foreign city Stephen didn’t know.

“Well, I’ll give you answers, but the others… how are they?”

“What others?” Roy asked, having to turn completely around to look back at Stephen.

“Will you take that bloody eyepatch off? You look ridiculous.”

“I would gladly take it off, or at least give you reason to wear one so we can match, you asshole.”

“You little prick,” Stephen said, finding himself being cut off by one of the soldiers at his sides kneeing him in the stomach.

Then, a young soldier ran quickly toward them. “Fuhrer!”

“Fuhrer? Are you telling me you took out Hitler and beat him to the job?” Stephen gasped out.

Roy didn’t acknowledge him and turned to the young man. “What is it, private?”

“It’s Lieutenant Colonel Elric, sir.”

“Ed? Something’s happened to Ed?” Roy asked.

“Edward?” Stephen mimicked.

In unison, the two yelled out. “Take me to him.”

That earned a quick, angry glare from the dark-haired man. “Since when do you give a damn about anyone, Archer?” He looked to the soldiers. “Bring him with us. I’d like to interrogate him personally.”

A/N: These are in no particular order, just the order I remembered them in.

1. Worked at the circus but didn't do tricks. In the movie, Archer was ringmaster at the circus. (And I don't think he did any tricks, which is why Noa mentioned that.)

2. Tugged at shirt sleeves when discussing sex with Wrath and Edward (my own little quirk from last story)

3. High-up in military intelligence. (The other Archer was in charge of military intelligence after Hughes's death.)

4. Got turned on hearing noise from Wrath and Edward, so possibly gay (Other Archer gay in my story)

5. Dark side doesn't mind killing. (Archer was a friggin' sociopath)

6. Mentions to his ambition and dedication to military. (Though less so than Archer because Stephen can make friends to be loyal to.)

7. Blue eyes (I should have remembered that one first)

8. Blond hair was fake (yeah, but you didn't know that until this chapter.)

9. Likes the idea of one-night stands or repetitive one-night stands (in my story Archer used Roy as a friend with benefits. Which, again you didn't know until this chapter.)

10. Told Roy not to lecture him. They were the same rank. (Essentially what was said in the anime and my last story. Again, this chapter)

11. Hints that he could be a cruel interrogator. (In last story, Roy feared Ed being in Archer's hands after discovering Wrath and the attack on headquarters to get him back.)

Oh, and congrats nette on being the first and only one to post that they thought it was Archer

Now, the issue Stephen's going to have to deal with is why is he so different, and can the others see him that way. (Hell, I waited 14 chapters to reveal it because I didn't know if all of my readers could see him as a decent person)