Adult-FanFiction.org : Gundam, Beyblade, DBZ, FMA

A Little Light of Love	By : squallstorm Category: Fullmetal Alchemist > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 7987 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
Disclaimer:
I do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters.....I'm just
playing with them.

Author's
note:

Thanks
to ZaKai for reading through this chapter and finding all my many
mistakes. My collection of Doujinshi that I use for payment is
getting low.....must start looking for more totally angsty stories,
right ZaKai!!! XD

(1)
I haven't found any supporting historical facts to back this up...so
I take a creative license

(2)
As far as I know, the middle names have never been mentioned...so I
take a creative license again XD

(3)
I have no pictures of this ship so I will be...taking a creative
license...again...dammit!! LOL

Chapter
6 – Version 2.0

The darkness pressed
down on him, coating him in inky night. Pulling his knees in close,
he wrapped his small, skinny arms around his legs and he began
humming to keep it from touching him, oppressing him. Little worms
of worry heaved and squirmed in his belly making him hum louder and
begin to rock.

Not
this again, the
older Ed
thought desperately. He looked down at his younger self, the kid
looked as scared as he felt.

A hallway stretched out
before him. Wall sconces lit as if by magic, vanished into the
distance, offering a faint wavering light and lighting nothing but
the immediate area round them. The marble floor on which he was
sitting was quickly getting cold. Unsure what he wanted to do, stay
or walk down the hallway, the small boy waited.

A whisper of sound
beckoned him, calling his name. Pulling his knees under him, the
smaller Ed listened for it again. It sounded so welcoming and full
of love. It would be nice if he could be with that voice for a
while...the darkness was scary.

No,
no, no, noooooo! Wake up! I don't wanna see thissss...
The older Ed shook his head at what he knew would come next.
Please...wake
up...

Fainter this time, it
called him. It was moving down the hallway away from him.

Upset and frightened
that it would leave him alone in the darkness, the small boy got to
his feet. Tottering down the hall, he broke into a run.

“Wait,
I'm coming! Wait for me,” his small voice called.

Idiot!
Don't go! Stay here, with me! The
elder Edward ran after his younger self intent on catching him.

The hallway stretched
out in front of both the young boy and the man, the sound always
beckoning them forward. The older Ed could see the child become
scared and worried. His little legs could not keep up with how fast
the sound was going. Sobbing, the small boy tried to run faster. A
chubby hand scrubbed at the tears in his eyes.

Stop!
Ed
finally over took the boy and jumped in his path, blocking his access
to the light.
I won't let you see! The
child ran right though his transparent body making the man cry out in
denial.

“Edward....”
that sweet voice whispered his name. A light was becoming visible at
the end of the hallway, growing in strength. In its light his mother
stood, holding out her arms waiting for her child.

Nooo.....
The
Elder Edward turned unwillingly, towards the voice. Like honey and
kisses, that voice. His chest constricted painfully.
Please...stop...I can't...I-I'm sorry...mother...

Hiccupping large
breaths, the child slowed. His mother! She was whole again.
Smiling wide, his chubby hand wiped at new tears of happiness.

“Edward...Edward.
Edward, wake up. We're here.”

His mother's voice
suddenly deepened and became rough. It was so different from his
mother's that it drew him away from the dream. “Huh...!”
Edward's eyes snapped open. Disorientated, Ed lifted his head from
the car door he had been using as a pillow and looked at the speaker
who had a hand on his shoulder and was curiously looking at him.

“Are
you alright?” the speaker asked, concerned by the lack of
response and dazed look Edward was giving him.

Frowning,
Ed rubbed his forehead with his auto-mail hand, the coolness of the
metal helped to dispel the dream. “Sorry, console
generale. Yeah,
I'm fine. Just a bad dream.”

“I
see. Well this will cheer you up. We've just arrived in Rome. Have
a look.”

Ed sat up in his seat
and looked out the car window. The buildings were close and the
street narrow. The car made a slow, sharp turn uphill and continued
on. The buildings were fantastic. Even the new buildings were old.
Ed studied the facades in wonder. The colors and the beauty
were....breathtaking.

“Wow...”
whispered Ed in awe of the sheer loveliness of the city.

“Yes,
it does do that. Did you know that this city is almost three
thousand years old?”

“Wow...”
repeated Ed a little softer this time. Was it possible that a city
could actually last that long? As far as he knew Armitis
didn't have any city older then 150 years.

The
console
generale smiled from his seat beside the young man and felt a wave of
affection wash over him.
He sort of felt like he was a distant uncle to the young man.
Hohenheim,
you have a strong, smart boy here. I envy you,
thought Giuseppe, picturing his old friend.

They had traveled for
three days from his estate in the country side to come to Rome. The
journey had been hard on Ed and his battered body. These luxury cars
weren't good for long drives and certainly not for someone suffering
from abuse at the hands of his own government. Out of consideration
for Ed's injuries, they would stop early each night so that Ed could
lie down and rest in one of the many Inns along the way.

The car turned down
another road and drove into a wide open square with a large water
fountain in the middle. Naked water sprites danced in happy abandon
as they filled the water basin below them with their jugs. The white
marble, male and female bodies were perfect in there life-like
rendition, which made Ed blush a little to look at them. He'd never
seen so many naked pieces of 'art' until he came to this world.

Nearing the other side
of the square, Ed looked out the front of the car and noticed stacked
sandbags, armaments, and barbwire stretched across wooden frames to
close off the street. (1) Soldiers motioned the car to stop and the
driver presented documents to be inspected. The car was checked for
contraband and identities were confirmed before they were satisfied
that everything was in order they were waved on.

They moved deeper into
the city; barbwire and soldiers started to become a common sight. Ed
noticed the citizen's somber, cautious attitude as they moved about
their activities. Ed sat back and let his gaze fall to his lap. All
of a sudden he didn't want to see anymore of the city.

They were stopped three
more times before they arrived at a pleasant stone, two-story house
in an upscale part of town, with a large heavy gated fence
surrounding the grounds. The car pulled in the manicured, half
circle driveway and stopped in front of the entryway.

“This
is my residence while I'm in town on military matters. You can
stroll about the grounds if you feel like stretching your legs. I'll
just be a moment, and then I can take you to the waterfront residence
I set up.” Giuseppe told him as they stood in front of the
house.

Ed nodded, and strolled
off around to the back of the house. The garden there wasn't vast,
but it was mature and well taken care of. Ed wandered around the
stone paths for several minutes until he grew tired of the exertion
and had to sit on a granite bench he found. He was anxious to see
Al, and make sure he was alright. Plus he wanted to get to Egypt as
soon as possible before their lead dried up and vanished in the
ancient sands. So far they had wasted seven days on this little
'adventure'.

The console generale
emerged from the back patio door several minutes later. He stood
there, on the raised deck over looking the garden for a moment;
looking for Edward amongst the vegetation. He knew of Edward's
touchiness about his height, but it really WAS hard to find him
amongst the plants. He decided that it would be just as fast to walk
the garden looking for him as it would standing here straining his
eyes.

He finally found Edward
sitting on the granite bench in the middle of the garden. The bench
was tucked into a vast flowering vine that created a green canopy
over whomever choose to sit there. It was no wonder that he had a
hard time spotting Edward from above.

“Edward...I
just checked in with my office staff. They have yet to hear from the
officers I sent to fetch Al.”

“WHAT!”
screeched Ed, launching awkwardly to his feet, his fists clenched at
his side. The fear for his brother had been held at bay by the hope
that he'd meet him here in Rome, safe. Now that was no longer an
option, Ed had to fight his terror of losing his brother all over
again, just like when he was ten. “You said that he'd be here!
I TRUSTED you!” he accused. His heart beat fast in his chest.
It felt like it would bust through his already cracked ribs and fall
to the floor. His whole body began to shake with the need to do
something.

“Calm
down, I'm in the process of looking for them now,” Giuseppe
soothed, holding out a hand to Ed's shoulder.

“Fuck
you!” Ed screamed at him, totally irrational now, stepping away
from the outstretched hand. “My little brother is missing, and
you tell me to be calm!”
Ed cut the air with his auto-mail hand, and his chest heaved. “That
freak could be cutting him up as we speak! I'm outta here...”
Ed shoved his way past the console generale, walking back towards the
front of the house and the road.

“Wait...Edward!
They're probably just in—”

The rest of whatever the
console generale had to say was lost as soon as Ed rounded the
corner. He strode down the driveway heading for the street. He'd
look for Al himself. He was the only one who could—

“Edward...wait!
Stop, you've got to listen.” Giuseppe ran after Ed, who
seemed to pay him no mind. “EDWARD JOESPH ELRIC! (2) Stop
this instant!” he bellowed, using his parade ground voice.

Ed slowed to a stop. He
hardly ever told anyone his middle name. He hated it. It was just
another way to prove that his father had in fact told this man all
about him and Al. The console generale came up along side grabbing
onto Ed's shoulder so he couldn't leave. He tried to turn him
around, but Ed wouldn't give him that. At least he had stopped.

“Edward...”
Giuseppe murmured, trying to be consoling. “They're probably
just in transit. They'll report to me here, as soon as they can.
Please don't worry yourself. You're in no condition to just go
running off like that...won't you come inside and have some supper?”

“Can
you take me to my room on the waterfront?” asked Ed instead,
his eyes glued to the ground. He just wanted to be away from
everyone. He needed time to think, to brood, to worry, and to heal.

“Of
course.” Giuseppe was disappointed, but he understood, the man
was upset and wanted to be alone. “But you must promise me to
stay out of sight. The Seniore is still looking for you. His men
will be watching the ports and train stations as they try to find
you.”

Ed nodded his assent,
and turned away from Giuseppe. He walked back towards the car and
got in. Giuseppe sighed, this was why he let his brother have the
children while he focused on his career. Children were vexing. He
walked back to the house and had his butler summon his driver, while
he made a quick call on the telephone.

Ed stewed in the car.
He was so pissed, so worried, and so scared....if--no...WHEN he saw
Al again he was going to make sure he went home and stayed there.
This was too much for him. His nightmares were coming back due to
all his worrying—well, they never really went away but... He
wanted to be able to work with out having to watch out for his
brother.

The
console generale re-emerged from the house, and got in the back seat
with Ed. They sat in an uneasy silence as they waited on the driver.
Ed was fuming. He couldn't believe that he trusted this guy AND he
had to continue
to do so because he had no other option. With no papers, no money,
and no way to find his brother, he had to rely on him.

The driver emerged,
putting his military hat on as he ran down the steps. The driver
nodded apologetically to Giuseppe through the window and got in the
car. The driver whipped the car out of the driveway and into the
road, quickly heading down to the waterfront.

The thirty minute car
ride was pure torture for everyone. The silence was thick with
unshed anger. The driver felt as though the young, blond man was
soon going to explode, so he made sure to take the fastest route to
their destination. When he finally pulled into the covered car park,
he was quite glad to see the back of that man. As the blond slammed
the car door closed and stomped towards the interior the driver
slumped over the steering wheel, glad he was still alive.

Giuseppe
watched as Edward slammed the door shut. Another
good reason why I didn't have kids,
he mused. I
don't have to deal with temper tantrums.

“Okay,
we can go now,” he told the recovering driver.

On
the other side of the door, Ed had collapsed on the floor. He
bit on his flesh finger to keep himself from totally loosing it. The
pain helped to focus his thoughts somewhat. The worse thing was that
he was stuck here, he couldn't even help search for Al.

Okay...okay...there's
no point in going crazy here...I just need to calm down...I need a
cup of tea... Ed
thought and then laughed aloud at himself dissipating some of the
anxiety he was feeling. He carefully got to his feet and walked
over to the kitchenette. He wasn't much of a tea drinker, but he
noticed that when ever someone was stressed they got tea, so maybe
there was something to it. It was worth a try.

He scoured the
kitchenette for the kettle, found it and filled it with water,
placing it on the stove. As the water came to a boil, he surveyed
his surroundings. The small apartment was well furnished with large
and comfy looking furniture positioned in the sitting room and a
small eating area with a well used wooden table. The front door was
down a short open hallway, and there was the door to the car park at
the other end of the open room. A spiral stairway led upstairs, to
the bedroom, he supposed. The place was small, but it had a nice
feel to it. Ed walked over to the window and peeked through the
blinds at the street below and the harbour beyond.

In
the background the kettle begin to whistle loudly, but Ed didn't hear
it. He tried again and again to focus his mind by going over their
scant information about the bomb and the leads they had found but his
mind kept bouncing about. He perched on one of the large chairs
positioned by the window. Sighing, he titled his head so that his
braid fell over his shoulder. Pulling the tie off the end he ran his
fingers through the entire length. Once it was combed to his
satisfaction he flicked the hair to drape down his back and just sat
back staring at the dust motes drifting though the muted sunlight.

The
smell of burning metal reminded Ed about the kettle he had put on the
stove almost half an hour ago. He got awkwardly to his feet and
quickly turned off the gas to the stove, and placed the ruined kettle
in the sink to cool off.

“I
guess tea is out,” Ed muttered to himself. Sighing out loud,
Ed decided the best way for lots of time to pass quickly while he
waited, and not go stir-crazy, would be to sleep. Plus he would be
able to heal that much faster. He just hoped he wasn't plagued with
nightmares.

He
made his way up the spiral stairs to a loft bedroom. A large double
bed with a feather down comforter on top was positioned in the middle
of the room. Ed peeled off his rumpled, bloody dress shirt and let
it carelessly fall to the floor. The bindings on his ribs had
started to chaff his skin; he scratched it as hard as he dare,
digging the nails of his flesh hand into his skin.

Walking
over to the en suite bathroom, Ed looked at what had been stocked for
his use. Giuseppe had mentioned on the car ride to Rome that he
would have an apartment fully stocked with all the toiletries and
clothes Ed would need until Al rejoined him. It looked as though he
wouldn't be disappointed. He was glad, because the scruff on his
face had grown in quite a bit, although it would never be a full
beard, the side burns however, were getting quite bushy.

The
simple act of shaving, brushing his teeth, and combing his hair, yet
again, cleared his mind. It was a waste of energy to worry when he
couldn't do anything....at least for now. Clean shaven, with a fresh
mouth, Ed felt close to human again. Looking at the tub he debated
the virtues of having a bath now, but ultimately decided against it.
Turning back to his reflection, he tested the bruise on his chin. It
was turning a wonderful shade of yellow-brown.

His
split lip had grown together, but the seam was weak. Often times, in
the morning, he would move it too much and re-open the cut. He ran
his tongue across the hurt, tasting the faint metallic taste of
blood. Next, he lifted his long bangs to reveal the gash on his
forehead. He hissed at the sight of it. That would definitely leave
a scar. The cut was near the hair line so he could hide it pretty
easily.

Al
would probably freak out when he saw yet ANOTHER scar on his body.
The thought of Al chastising him for his recklessness made his heart
lurch; the worry he had successfully pushed aside threatened to
return full force.

“Shit...”
He left the bathroom for the bedroom. Ed pulled back the comforter,
throwing it to the floor. The crisp white sheets looked cool and
inviting, perfect for this warm May weather. Undoing his belt and
pants, Ed let the garment pool at his feet, and left his boxers on.
He kicked the clothing to some corner of the room and sat carefully
on the bed. He pulled the top sheet out from under his legs and
wriggled down until he was lying on his back.

His
hair billowed around him and the pillow. He swiped at it, annoyed
with it suddenly. Pulling it to one side, he turned his and closed
his eyes. The afternoon sun shone on the far wall as his mind
drifted. Soon his breathing slowed and he drifted into an uneasy
sleep.

- - - -

Ed stalked down the
corridor, pissed off that he had to come to Central in the middle of
an important investigation just to see Colonel-bastard Mustang. He
didn't have time to waste here helping the colonel-bastard in his
quest to become Fuhrer, he had to restore Al.

Ed threw open the door
to Mustang's office and stomped in. Mustang was nowhere in sight.
He continued to walk forward past the desk to look out the window.
He could see his house standing atop a hill in the sunlight next to
the military barracks.

“Edward,
there you are. I have a nice cold glass of milk, would you like it?”
His mother entered the room carrying a tray with a cup and a clear
glass bottle of milk.

“No
thanks! I got to see Mustang bast-” Ed said as he turned to
address his mother.

“Colonel
Mustang,” his mother corrected him. Giving him 'the look' that
said she knew he was about to say something mean.

“Yeah.”
He grinned at his mom as she turned to leave. “Now Edward, I
want you to play nicely with Winry, her parents just died.”

“I
will!” Ed assured her.

He left through the back
of the office, the wall vanishing, onto the grassy field. The strong
wind blew his braid up and off his back and tugged at his long red
coat. He turned all the way around before spotting something on a
far hill. He walked towards it.

Mustang appeared along
side him matching his pace. “With such short legs, Fullmetal,
how could one ever get anywhere?” Roy smirked down at him as he
strode away. Furious, Ed tried to catch up but no matter how fast he
trotted he can't match Roy's long legs.

Cresting a large hill,
Ed saw a vast pit full of people and all of them are naked, bloody,
and very dead.

Major Armstrong grabbed
his arm then, twirling him around. “Get down there, Fullmetal
Alchemist, and clean up your mess. They are citizens of Lior and
their deaths are a result of his actions.” The major shoved Ed
down the hill. Rolling end over end Ed landed heavily on top of the
rotting, sweet smelling mess.

Pushing himself off the
cold bodies, Ed fought the fear and revulsion at the bodies touch on
his skin. He heaved, the contents of his stomach try to escape his
throat. Scrambling off the pile, Ed panted, sweat dripping down his
face.

Al clanked and squeaked
as he moved towards the bodies, the metal plates grinding together.
Always eager to help out, Al was doing Ed's work. He lifted a
child's body up into his massive metal arms.

“Hey,
put that down. You don't have to do this,” Ed murmured at him
as he looked out over the sea of bodies. “This is my job.”

“How
can I? It's me,” said Al. “Why'd you break me,
brother?” Ed looked over at the body Al's carrying in his arms
and saw Al's fleshly body ripped to pieces, piled high. Tears spring
up in Ed's eyes as he looks at his brother's body drip blood onto the
mass of corpses.

“I'm
sorry, so sorry...Al, God, I'm sorry...” he cried, falling to
his knees. “...Aah!” Edward's gasp woke him from the
dream as his eyes slowly open. A single tear leaked out of the
corner of his eye, soaking the already wet pillow. He was covered in
sweat, making the loose hair stick to his face and back. He lay
there staring up at the ceiling in the now dark room; the noise and
light of the street waking him even further.

He listened intently,
certain he heard a noise inside the apartment. Minutes pass with
nothing heard but the bustle of the late night commerce outside. Ed
pulled the damp hair off his slick body, pilling it up on top of the
pillow. Laying there, in the dark, Ed went over the dream again. It
seemed like he was having feelings of guilt about a lot of things.
Must be because Al was currently missing in action. Ed closed his
eyes.

A muffled crash and a
yelp drifted up from the downstairs living area. Ed sat up in bed
and strained his ears to hear more. He could hear the intruder move
about down there, whispering to someone else. Swinging his leg over
the side of the bed, Ed crept over to the stairwell and looked down
through the railing. He could see someone moving around the kitchen.
The small stove light the only illumination.

Ed gathered up his hair
and looped it around his finger, tying a knot at the base of his
neck. If there was going to be a fight he didn't need it getting in
his way. The second intruder came into view as he entered the
kitchen as well. Both of Ed's 'visitors' moved about in the small
kitchen, making him wonder what they could be looking for.

Ed placed his weight,
slowly on the first riser of the stairs, taking his time transferring
his weight so the step wouldn't squeak. In this way, he made his way
down to the main floor. The two men were talking in low voices,
murmuring to one another. Ed strained to hear what they were saying,
for once he was taking his time before he rushed into a conflict, Al
would have been proud of him. He couldn't afford to make a mistake
while he had these broken ribs.

Once on the main floor,
he hid in the shadow of the staircase and listened again to their
conversation. He was still too far away to hear them very well, so
he sneaked around behind one of the large pieces of furniture, moving
towards them so he could make out what they were saying to one
another. His metal foot caught on the power cord for a lamp as he
passed and it jerked on the side table. Ed froze. The two men
stopped what ever it was they were doing to turn towards the sound.

“Did
you hear that?” the larger of the two asked the other. Ed
didn't know what was said because the speaker was using Italian.

“Is
he awake, do you think?” the smaller one asked. Ed noticed
that the voice was unmistakably female; which surprised him because
her body was more man-like in shape.

Ed crept further into
the shadows, careful not to catch any more of his appendages on
further obstacles. If he could make to around the room and grab one
of them, he maybe able to get rid of them without a fight.

“Edward?
You up?” the smaller one called out in English.

Oh
no, not HER, thought
Ed. He banged his forehead on the arm of the chair he was currently
behind. He just couldn't get a break. “Here.” He stood
up from his hiding place, startling the two 'intruders'. “Why
are you here, Valeria?”
he asked a little unkindly.

Valeria smiled at him,
oblivious to his rudeness, entranced with the view before her.
Edward looked like a wild thing, his hair was tousled and sticking up
in places, but somehow, it made him all the more beautiful. The only
bad thing about her view was the bindings on his ribs, and of course
the missing limbs...without that....ah if only he was whole then she
would really want to eat him. She grinned at her wicked thoughts.
She'd have to say a lot of Hail Mary's after this.

“Valeria...”
the man beside her warned.

“Oh!
Gino, relax,” she admonished. “Look, we bring
dinnertime.” She swept her arm toward the kitchenette. The
counter was covered with crockery, a fresh loaf of bread, and two
bottles of wine, one white and one red. “We told that you no
eat yet. Tell to bring AND keep company. Gino say he have to come
too.” She made a face at the man beside her as she said the
last bit. As Gino didn't speak any English he didn't respond to the
jibe.

Ed looked at the massive
amount of food and realized he hadn't eaten since breakfast. His
stomach rumbled its displeasure at being ignored all this time which
everyone heard. Gino looked disgusted that he had to listen to
someone else bodily functions as Ed and Valeria shared an embarrassed
smile.

“I'll
just go get some clothes on. Be right back!” Ed ran up the
stairs as quickly as he could. He didn't want to wear his old
clothes so he went through the dresser drawers looking for the
promised changes of clothes that were to be provided to him. He
found the pants in the first place he looked. He pulled out a pair
of brown dress pants and slid them on. They were a size too big, so
instead of sitting on his waist, they fell to rest on his hips.

“Whatever.”
He looked for an undershirt he could throw on. Looking through all
the drawers until he finally found one in the top drawer. The white
tank top was a little hard to pull over his head but he managed to do
it despite his injury. He next undid the knot in his hair and ran
his fingers through its length, snagging on some tangles. He growled
at his hair as his stomach growled at him.

“The
hell with it...” he grumbled and left the bathroom, returning
downstairs. Gino and Valeria had set the table and turned on more of
the apartment lights, making the room cozy in the electric glow.

“Oooh!
Pretty! Your hair loose,” Valeria commented from the kitchen on
his return. Ed just nodded, not trusting himself to be pleasant
around her, and sat at the table with Gino. He grabbed a piece of
bread and jammed it in his mouth. Valeria placed a casserole dish on
the table, full of warm, tasty smelling pasta. “Let us pray.”

- - - -

They had been on the
road now for four days and everyone was getting very grumpy. It
didn't help that no one spoke English or German, so that all the
millions of questions Al had were left unanswered. The few words
he'd been able to pick up from Isabella were insufficient to carry on
a proper conversation. Plus their 'escorts' didn't look like they
wanted to be talked to.

Both of the soldiers
were sitting up front now, having moved there early into their trip.
Leaving the back seat to Al and Isabella, who was currently laying
down on the seat asleep. Al stared out the window at the trees
passing by in the night, the faint light from the headlights casting
weird shapes and illusions for him to look at.

He wished he knew what
was going on. Why did they have to travel all day and night? Only
to stop for meals and bathroom emergencies. Where were they going in
such a rush? Is it because he beat up Macy? And if so why they let
him bring Isabella?

Al wondered what Ed was
doing right now. He hoped, yet again, that Ed hadn't hurt himself.
All that blood made him worry though. He kept replaying the scene in
his head, he was sure he had heard something crack in his brother's
body. Whenever Ed got injured he became super high maintenance, and
Al had to do everything for him. Although, he should probably worry
more about his own situation right now rather then an unknown status
of his brother.

The soldiers murmured to
one another. Al looked at them from his position behind the driver.
Both of them were in their thirties and Al had noticed that the
driver had a wedding ring, but the passenger didn't. The driver was
especially nice to Isabella but had little regard for Al, so maybe
the guy had kids at home. Just the same, he watched that guy closely
for any inappropriate behavior towards her. Al wouldn't let him be
alone with her and she was also mistrustful of the kindness, if the
way she clung to Al was any indication.

The other man...was just
quiet. He didn't interact with Al or Isabella. When he talked with
the driver it was in monosyllables. The driver seemed to be used to
it and didn't take offense, at least from what Al had seen so far.
This waiting for something to happen was draining. He hoped that
they were coming close to their destination. Then he might be able
to get some answers.

- - - -

“ED-WAARRRDD!
Wake up time!” Valeria called from downstairs.

“Mmugpheh...”
Ed burrowed deeper into the pillow fighting the growing wakefulness.
He smacked his lips. His mouth was like a foul, pasty jungle. The
wine had gone down REALLY well last night and his head was still a
little off. All he wanted to do was sleep the day away.

The second night that
Valeria and Gino had come over for dinner had been much more
comfortable. Gino had even warmed up to him when Valeria had gotten
the cards out to play some poker. By the time they left for the
night—around two A.M.--Gino had finished off three bottles of
wine and Ed had gotten through one and a half. Valeria had nursed
her glass all night laughing at them and their attempts to argue in
different languages.

It had been another hot
night and he had kicked off the light top sheet. He was currently
taking up the whole of the double bed; arms were spread wide as were
his legs. His boxers were stuck to his body as he continued to
perspire.

“EDWARD!
UP! You have guest!” Valeria called again. It sounded like
she was standing at the base of the stairs.

Ed sat up in bed, bleary
eyed. “Whoa...” The room spun crazily. He kneaded the
palm of his auto-mail into his forehead and slowly the room stopped
moving.

Ed
could heard Valeria talking with whom ever was downstairs. The
visitor's reply was lost to him. “Ah! He drink too much. Ha
ha! Wine too strong,” came Valeria's loud comment, making him
winch. Ed blinked a few times. Hey
that's an insult,
he thought slowly. He worked his throat into life, swallowing a few
times, as he tried to get rid of the pasty feeling.

He
flopped back onto the bed. “Oaf!” Oops!
I forgot about my ribs.... His
eyes slid close once more and sleep was within reach.

“Edward...Edward,
wake up you wanted downstairs.” Valeria gently shook Edward's
shoulder.

“Na....na...naaa.”
Ed intoned with each movement. “No thanks...” He
swatted at her hand lazily. She yanked on his ear next, hard.
“HEY!” Ed sat up in bed again, glaring at her.

“Well!”
Valeria placed her hands on her hips, matching his angry glare with
one of her own. The glare lasted all of five seconds before Valeria
broke down and laughed.

“Eh—what?”
The look on Edward's face just made Valeria laugh harder. His hair
was sticking up at a ridiculous angle on one side of his head and
with one eye half closed the other fully open and the slack jaw, she
couldn't take it and closed her eyes as she laughed.

“Grr...”
Ed swung his legs over the side of the bed and went in the bathroom,
locking the door and throwing open the taps to the tub drowning out
the laugher.

Eventually
the sound of Valeria's mirth faded when she went back downstairs to
be with the guest and he sighed. Another
day of doing nothing, going crazy, and drinking the night away I
guess,
Ed mused. This inactivity was killing him. With the tub barely half
full, Ed got in and quickly washed his body, lathering it up with the
lavender soap he had found here. He filled up the wash bucket and
dumped it over his head, soaking his hair, thinking that he'd wash it
later tonight. Deciding he was clean enough for whoever woke him up
so damn early in the morning, Ed got out of the tub and wrapped a
towel around his mid-section not bothering to wipe the water from his
body yet.

Back in his room, Ed got
a fresh pair of clothes; piling them on the bed. He could hear
Valeria talk the ear off of who ever was there. He shook out the
clean pair of boxers and slipped them on under his towel, he then
used the plush towel to dry the rest of his body and then wrapped his
hair in it. He next put on his pants that settled on his hips rather
then his waist and pulled a tank top on over the towel in his hair.
He rubbed his head vigorously to remove the excess water and went
back to the bathroom for a brush. Combing the length to the base of
his head he wrapped a tie around it and went downstairs to meet the
visitor. As he descended the stairs he could hear Valeria again.

“—Well,
I like him a lot, but he's so overprotective of me. I can't do
anything with out him asking me a dozen questions abo—Oh!
Edward, about time.” Valeria turned in her seat at the kitchen
table as she heard his alternating tread on the stairs. He stopped
half way down looked at the table, where Valeria and Giuseppe were
sitting, while Gino was standing near the rear door, holding up the
wall.

Giuseppe sat with his
head down, looking into a cup of tea and not meeting Edward's eyes.
Frowning, Ed wondered if something happened. He gasped as he
remembered. Al, something must have happened with Al! He took
another step and stopped as Giuseppe spoke.

“Edward...”
He still would not meet his eyes. Ed's heart beat faster in dread,
and he squeezed the railing. What had happened? “Edward...your
brother...” Giuseppe looked up, a huge grin was plastered on
his face. “We've got him.”

Sighing, Ed clutched at
his chest, and sagged. Unused adrenaline made him feel shaky and
weak with relief. “DON'T DO THAT YA OLD GEEZER!” he
bellowed at Giuseppe causing those seated at the table to laugh at
Ed's reaction. Ed came down the last few steps and took a seat at
the table. “So, when'd you hear?”

“Early
this morning, around 5 A.M. I got a call from my men. They haven't
been able to call before this because they were travailing through
the country side and the phones don't go out that far. They should
be here later today if all goes well.”

“Thank
God! Why didn't you come over sooner? What time is it?” Ed
looked at the clock on the wall. It was just after nine in the
morning.

“Well
I heard from Gino that you were pretty drunk last night. He told me
he had to put you to bed,” explained Giuseppe.

“Yeah,
Gino says lose some weight,” Valeria chimed in.

“He
did...I don't remember that...well anyway, that means we can get on
with our mission,” said Ed.

“Ah!
I don't want you to go!” Valeria pouted. Ed waved off her
protest. He certainly wanted to get away from her.

“More
importantly, when can we leave? We've already missed our boat to
Egypt and I can't go out to get new passage, does that mean you'll be
taking care of that? Al's got all our money, I can pay you back when
he gets here.”

“Don't
worry about that. Your passage will be taken care of. Let's just
make sure Alphonse is alright before we book anything okay?”
reasoned Giuseppe.

“Okay.”
Now that he knew Al was okay, Ed wanted to leave as soon as he saw
his brother. But he knew he was just being antsy.

“I'm
sending Valeria out to get some groceries for tonight; I think a
celebration is in order. I'll be back this evening after I take care
of some business. Rest up until then, you look horrible.”
Giuseppe stood and motioned for Valeria to do the same.

“Gee,
thanks...” It was true though; his head had started to throb
with the beginnings of a headache from all the excitement.

“Valeria
will be back around two, Alphonse should be here around...”
Giuseppe checked the clock. “Two thirty-ish, give or take.”

“Okay,
see you later.” Ed waved as they left out the car park door.
He had about five hours to kill and though he was really happy about
his brother being found he was still dead tired. He decided to wait
down here and sleep in one of the comfy chairs. Pushing himself up
from the table he walked over to the seat and grabbed a pillow from
the chair and sat in its place. He lay his head back and almost
immediately fell asleep.

- - - -

Al was awoken by the
sound of the car door slamming shut. The car had stopped in front of
an impressive house. The driver and the other soldier were standing
in front of the car talking to a man who he guessed was well into his
fifties and bald. The soldiers nodded and pointed back to the car,
where the bald man looked at Al.

Al sat up in his seat
and blushed hard at being caught staring. The bald man dismissed the
soldiers with a salute and they went inside the house. The man
walked over to the car, smiling at Al as he approached. Al moved
away from the door as he opened it.

“Hello!”
the man said warmly. “My name's Giuseppe, how do you do?”

“Ah....f-fine
and you?” Al stammered. The man smiled at him again and caught
sight of the small girl lying on the seat still asleep.

“And
who's this?”

“Her
name's Isabella. We....ah....well....she s-s-sorta—why am I
here? And where am I? Who are you?” Al asked, the curiosity
was killing him.

“Ah,
yes. Well, my
name Console
Generale Giuseppe Vittero and you're at my
house in Rome. Your patron had me step in and rescue you and your
brother from the Seniore—”

“My
brother? Is he alright!” Al interrupted, eager to find out
what he could. “How are his ribs? Did he break anything?”

Giuseppe
held up his hands begging for patience. Goodness, but these boys
were impatient, it was surprising how alike they were. “You
can ask him yourself. Come inside and stretch your legs before we
head over to see your brother.”

“Okay!”
Al turned to Isabella and gently shook her. “Isabella? Wake
up, we're here.” He knew that she wouldn't understand all of
what he was saying but that wasn't the point. She stirred somewhat
and then sat bolt upright, blinking at Al and Giuseppe. Al turned to
the man still standing by the car door. “Could you tell her
that it's okay, that we're safe...I don't know enough Italian yet.”

“Certainly.”
He knelt down to better see the girl. “Isabella, my name's
Giuseppe, I'm a friend of Alphonse and his brother. We were just
going to go inside for a moment to stretch our legs and then head out
to see Edward,” said Giuseppe in Italian.

“Can
I see my mom?” The small girl rubbed her eye, her bottom lip
pouted slightly.

“She
wants to see her mom...” He told Al. “We'll see what we
can do.” Giuseppe told the girl. “Come inside.”
He stepped back giving the two room to exit the backseat. Al arched
his back, popping the tendons as soon as he was out with Isabella
hovering by his side. Al reached down and caught her hand and led
her, behind Giuseppe, into the house.

- - - -

Ed
awoke with the sun blasting through the window at full force directly
on his chosen chair, making him hot and uncomfortable. Grumbling, Ed
removed himself and walked over to the kitchenette's icebox for a
glass of juice he'd seen there last night and poured a generous
helping. Draining the glass in three gulps, Ed banged the cups on
the counter, sighing loudly as the cool liquid traveled down his
throat.

Looking
over at the wall clock, Ed saw that it was already 2:24 in the
afternoon. Good, that'd mean his captivity would soon end. He was
not doing well with this inaction. Drinking too much alcohol seemed
to be a side effect of that.

Refilling
the glass, Ed replaced the juice and grabbed his drink, sitting at
the table. He picked up the cards left there from last night and
shuffled them lazily. His foot began to dance on the chair rung; the
only outward sign of his impatience.

After
fifteen minutes of idle card shuffling and glancing at the clock, Ed
had enough of sitting around. He climbed the stairs to the bedroom
and went to the bathroom to relieve himself. While he was in there,
sighing, Ed heard the back door open. Quickly finishing up he ran
downstairs to see who had come, Valeria or Al.

“Oh...it's
you...” Ed mumbled from the bottom of the stairwell.

Valeria
pouted at him to be greeted so rudely.

“Have
you heard anything yet?” he asked.

“Are
you going to help me?” Valeria demanded, her anger improving
her English exponentially. She thrust one of her shopping bags in
his direction by way of explanation.

“Ah!
Right...” Ed came and took her shopping and moved it to the
kitchen. He began to empty the bags for her, placing all the fresh
produce and loafs of bread on the counter. In the next bag he found
an especially weird looking....fruit? “Hey, Valeria, what's
this?” He showed her the item in question.

“Ah,
that's eggplant, very yummy.” Ed looked at it. It didn't look
like an egg, least not one he was familiar with.

“Is
it a fruit or a vegetable?”

“Vegetable.”
Valeria kicked off her shoes finally and came over to him, taking
the veggie from him. “You cut it like this,” she drew a
line on the purple flesh, “and then you do all kinds of good
thing to it.”

Ed
nodded, somewhat skeptical. He left Valeria to the kitchenette, as
it was too small for two people, plus he was clueless here anyway.
He resumed his seat at the table and shuffled the cards again as
Valeria began to make what ever was on tonight's menu.

The
clock slowly moved through the seconds and minutes on its way to
three o'clock and there was still no sign of Al or Giuseppe yet.
Wonderful smells started to emanate from the kitchen, reminding Ed
that he had yet to eat today.

Ed
tiptoed up behind Valeria and looked over her shoulder to see what
she was up too. She had cut the celery and carrots into sticks and
was currently chopping up a cucumber into medallions. There was
chicken, cut into cubes, frying on the stove and pasta waiting to be
cooked beside a large pot of water. Ed made his choice wisely, the
carrots were unguarded. His hand wiped around Valeria's body to grab
a fist full of the sticks.

“NO!”
Valeria screeched at him. She twirled around and made a grab for the
carrots. Laughing Ed danced nimbly out of reach and stuffed one of
his booty into his mouth. Grinning like a Cheshire cat as he ate it.
Valeria's lip curled in disgust. “No more! I got knife.”
She waved the knife so he could see for emphasis.

Ed
stuffed another carrot stick in his mouth, chewing loudly, just to
get her going.

“Why
you...” She took a step forward. Ed just raised his eyebrow,
daring her to call the bluff. She came out into the living area
after him. He back peddled behind the table as she followed him and
he went through the kitchenette grabbing some cucumbers this time.

“ARGG!
Stop that!”

“HA
ha! Yum, these are really fresh heh!” Ed stuffed in a
cucumber, chewing with his mouth open for her to see. She came after
him again and he retreated to the other side of the table once more.
The sounds of a car pulling into the car park halted Ed's play and he
turned to stare at the door. Valeria took the opportunity to snatch
back her missing veggies from Ed's limp hand, clicking her tongue as
she passed.

Ed
could hear Al's soft baritone voice talking with Giuseppe from behind
the door. Valeria was chopping loudly in the kitchen as she mumbled
to herself but Ed paid her no mind. The door opened and Giuseppe
walked though carrying items for tonight's feast.

“Good
afternoon Edward,” Giuseppe greeted him. Ed stepped forward,
looking around the console
generale for
Al. The man moved into the apartment placing his dishes on the
table. The door stood empty for a moment more before Al stepped
inside. Ed smiled at his little brother and he quickly looked him
over for any visible injuries and could find nothing obvious.

“Good
God, Ed! Look at your face!” The bruise was turning all
yellow now but it was still quite impressive as it covered most of
his jaw.

“Ah,
ha! Well it is getting better.” Ed hid the bruise behind his
hand. “Here let me get that.” Ed came forward to take
the casserole dish Al was holding. Just as Ed took hold of the dish
Al was knocked off balance from behind. “Wha—”

“Isabella,
be careful,” Al chided, and turned around to lift the girl into
his arms. Isabella's head tucked into the crook of his neck as she
stared at Ed and his auto-mail arm. When their eyes met, Isabella
turned her head away. “As usual; you scare the kids.”
Al smiled at Ed in apology.

“What's
that?” Ed asked his tone hard, pointing to the girl in Al's
arms.

“What's
that?” Al quoted. “Ed, how cruel, treating a human like
a thing.”

“AL!
She's not a kitten!” Ed growled at his brother.

“Boys,
this isn't real—” said Giuseppe, trying to break up the
argument before it started. From his position in the kitchenette he
could see the two siblings tense up. Valeria stopped her frantic
chopping to watch, open mouthed.

“She
was in trouble, some guy tried to rape her!” Al half yelled,
upset that they had to do this now in front of an audience. Isabella
inched higher in Al's arms, burrowing her face into his shoulder.

“Fine,
so you saved her, but why is she HERE?” snapped Ed, not liking
where this was headed.

“She
got separated from her moth—”

“Al...”
warned Ed.

“I
couldn't leave her there with that guy!” Al said desperately,
tears threatened to spill down his face. Ed always made him so
emotional whenever they fought seriously. Ed frowned up at his
brother, mad that he was about to cry. “She could come with us
to—”

“Oh
NO! Get that idea outta your head right now!
It's too dangerous for a child to be around us! Plus, I want you to
go home to Germany, I don't want you getting hurt! This is my
responsibility, not yours.”

“What
are you saying? I'm not leaving! I'll just follow you. You can't
make me leave!” Al's voice got shrill and cracked. “Who
will take care of you? You're useless with out me!”

“W-what?”
Ed sputtered. “As if I want a KID around me! You're—”
Ed's fisted clenched, shaking with anger.

“That's
not fair! My body's sixteen, but you KNOW I'm only a year younger
than you!” Al yelled. “Plus, I'm still a better fighter
than you'll ever be.” A single angry tear slid down Al's
cheek. Ed turned away from the look in Al's eyes, and put the
casserole dish on the table. He had been sure that Al would
understand why Ed had wanted, needed,
him to go home. It just wasn't coming out like he had planned.

“Edward,
I have my people searching for her mother. So please, let it go for
now.” Giuseppe reasoned with the elder brother. He wanted to
have a nice dinner with these boys who he looked on as family. So
far the plan was failing terribly.

“Fine,”
Ed spat out. “Be right back.” He stomped up the stairs;
he needed to be alone in order to cool down.

“Sorry
you had to see that,” Al said after a moment to the three
unwilling witnesses to the sibling clash. “He was just worried
about me.”

Valeria
nodded sagely. “He got evil temper.” Al smiled at her,
embarrassed and she turned back to her chopping.

Out
in the car park, Gino decided that it was now safe to enter the
apartment. He slammed the driver's side door and brushed pasted Al
and Isabella to stand behind Valeria.

“What
was that all about?” he mumbled in Italian brushing her ear
with his breath.

“Stop
it, that tickles.” She pushed him back a step. “They
were fighting about the girl and that the younger brother should go
home,” she mumbled back.

“Oooh?”
Gino wondered if, when he and Valeria had kids they would grow up
like these two.

Laughter
from the living area made Gino turn to see Isabella dancing and
singing an old children's song for Giuseppe and Al. They clapped
their appreciation.

“Thank
you, Al, Giuseppe.” The small girl said in heavily accented
English, bowing to their applause. Like all children, she was
blessed with a malleable mind and she was quickly picking up the
words she needed to carry on a conversation with them in English.

The
remaining supper preparations were soon taken care of and they sat
down to eat. Al didn't seem like he wanted to fetch his brother, so
Giuseppe sent Isabella to fetch him.

Isabella
crawled up the stairs on all fours, peeking over the last step into
the loft bedroom. The scary man with the metal arm was sitting on
the bed gazing out the window. She took the opportunity to study him
a little before he could notice her.

Well,
she thought. He
has nice hair. I could comb it for him.
She inched into the room. Through Giuseppe, Al had told her all
about this man. He was Al's older brother and he had lost his limps
in an accident. Since she liked Al so much she was going to give
this guy a chance. Should
I jump on the bed or stand in front of him?
she debated with herself.

Deciding
that standing in front of him was better—for now--then jumping
on him, Isabella stood and walked around the bed standing close to
his knee. She lightly touched his leg for balance as she leaned in.
She motioned for him to bring his ear closer, which he did.

“Supper
ready.” She blew in his ear making him snicker and she smiled
too, before running down the stairs to eat her supper.

Ed
followed soon after, and he stood in front of the table waiting until
everyone's eyes were on him.

“I'm
sorry to have caused a scene and ruin your evening, please forgive
me.” He bowed, letting his hair sweep forward to hide his
face.

“No
need for that, come sit.” Giuseppe motioned him to the empty
seat beside him. Ed stood and took a seat.

“Let
up pray.” Valeria clasped her hands and bowed her head, making
Ed roll his eyes.

- - - -

For
the next two days, the three of them were holed up in the one bedroom
apartment. It was cramped living, but not unbearable. Isabella got
the upstairs bed and Ed and Al pulled out the hide-a-bed from the
couch and slept together. Isabella felt like their little sister,
the way she fit so well with them.

Giuseppe
was working hard to secure their passage on a ship bound for Egypt
and trying to locate Isabella's parents with the small amount of
information Isabella could remember about her parents' travel
arrangements. There wasn't a lot to go on and it was looking grim.
When Isabella would go to bed they would discuss what they should do
if they couldn't find her parents. Giuseppe couldn't take her, but
he could put her into an good orphanage, which Al vetoed. Al said it
was their responsibility to make sure she was back with her parents,
it was equivalent exchange. They had gotten her into this mess.

Ed
had argued against his reasoning. How was it their fault? Al said
that the Seniore had been looking for them, it was the only way what
happened made any sense. Ed had to concede with Al's thinking after
that. Still, they were no closer to a plan of action for Isabella's
welfare.

It
was decided that Al would continue with the mission, it was too
dangerous to split up now, what with the Seniore looking for Ed. Al
would be used as leverage against him if he was caught. Together, at
least they could protect one another.

At
the end of the second day Giuseppe came to see them.

“I've
got good news and bad news. The bad news is that my people couldn't
find any information about Isabella's parents.” They were
sitting at the table, drinking tea made using a new kettle as they
learned the news, while Isabella played with her paper and pencils
upstairs. “The good news is, I got your tickets all lined up.”

“That's
great, thank you, sir!” said Al as he smiled at the man.

“We
have one more request for you, old man.” Ed looked at his tea,
thinking how to word his next question. He hadn't even told Al what
he was thinking.

“Ed!”
Al was mortified that his brother had addressed their helper in such
disrespectful manner. Ed just looked at Al and didn't apologize.

“We
need one more ticket.” Al gasped. Ed looked at him and
smirked. “And we need documents for Isabella. She'll come
with us.”

“I'm
glad to hear it. She wouldn't have done well anywhere else. Let's
see your boat leaves tomorrow....well, I better dash if I have to get
everything ready by then.”

Ed
and Al stood with Giuseppe. Ed presented his left hand, which
Giuseppe took.

“Thanks,
old man.” Giuseppe smiled at the nickname and recognized it
for what it was, a term of endearment. He shook hands with Al as
well before hurrying out the door. After the door closed, Al turned
to Ed, his eyes sparkling. “Better go tell Isabella,” Ed
said.

Al
dashed off upstairs, “Hey, guess what...?”

Ed
resumed his seat, the little twerp had grown on him quite a bit and
he would like to see her back with her parents if he could. When
this was done, him and Al would go to the U.S. and look for her
parents there. That thought made equivalent exchange, they get her
into this, they'd see her safely home.

“ED!
Come pack!” Al called down through the railing. Ed turned in
his seat to look at Al.

“ED!
Come pack, come pack!” Isabella's head appeared beside Al's,
she was grinning from ear to ear. The fact that they couldn't find
her parents was beside the point next to an exciting adventure with
her new best friends.

“I'm
coming.” Ed pushed the chair back and walked over to the
stairs and looked up. Both Al and Isabella were now lying on the
floor at the top of the stairs grinning stupidly at him. “Are
you guys gonna be stupid like this the whole trip?”

“YES!”
Isabella said as she jumped to her feet and danced away. They spent
the rest of the night laughing and packing and enjoying each others
company. They put Isabella to bed late, unwilling to break up the
good mood they were all in. When her head finally hit the pillow she
was gone in thirty seconds flat.

Ed
and Al went to bed not long after. Finally,
Ed thought as he lay down to sleep. After
an eleven day detour we're resuming our original purpose, to find and
destroy the Uranium bomb from our world.
Once
in Egypt we can pick up the trail and find out where the bomb is now.

Ed
shifted on the bed. With Al in the bed next to him, he hadn't had
any nightmares; which was lucky because if he had cried out in his
sleep he would have frightened Isabella and he didn't want to subject
her to his neurotic tendencies. Ed shifted again. He couldn't get
comfortable. His ribs were healing nicely according to Valeria. He
sighed, he really wanted to sleep on his side but it was still too
uncomfortable.

“Ed...go
to sleep,” Al mumbled beside him.

“Sorry,”
he whispered back. “I can't get comfy.”

“Don't
worry; we're moving again, so go to sleep.” Al turned away
from him, his breathing evening out in no time. Ed closed his eyes
and willed his mind to stop working...which just made it work faster.
After fighting it for two hours Ed gave up and let his mind wonder
where it would.

One
of the weirdest thoughts he had that night was, what if the colonel
had somehow set up this detour for some, as of yet, unknown reason.
The smug look on his face, as Ed always pictured him, was ever
present. Taunting him about his size and abilities.

Ed
let his hand drape over the side of the bed. Now he was frustrated.
Whenever he thought about the colonel he would get antsy. When he
was younger, he'd thought that it meant he wanted to punch him out,
but after going out with Noa a few times, he recognized it for what
it was; a crush.

Thankfully
his own confused feelings for Noa didn't last long after that
epiphany and they had managed to stay friends. Seeing as she had
already seen his 'dream', she probably knew before he did. Of his
few friends in this world she was the closest. They had talked at
length about his feelings for the colonel and her views helped him
feel easy about the strangeness of it. To her, men being with men or
women with women, it was natural, not something to be ashamed of. He
was glad for her acceptance but he still hadn't—wouldn't tell
Al. There wasn't anything to tell, as the man in question was very
unattainable.

Ed
wondered what it would have been like to be with the colonel. Did he
even like men? Or was he strictly a woman type of guy. Ed growled
at himself, this was a pointless line of thinking. He never find out
now. Finally his mind relaxed enough to drift into a light sleep
around 6:30 A.M.

- - - -

The
sun was out in full glory, shining down on the wharf. The smells of
sea water, the salty air and oiled rope hung in the air along with
the smell of sweaty sailors as they loaded the ships bound for all
over the world. The four of them: Ed, Al, Isabella and Giuseppe,
strolled down the quay towards their ship, the RMS Majestic (3). One
of Giuseppe's personal staff was wheeling a trolley of the Boys'
luggage, bring up the rear. Isabella was dragging Al all over the
place, pointing at objects for him to name.

“Now,
Edward, once you're on the Majestic, I think you'll be safe from the
Seniore, so there shouldn't be any reason why you can't enjoy
yourselves on your voyage.”

“Don't
worry about that, old man, we know how to relax.” Ed grinned
at Giuseppe.

“Could
have fooled me...” Giuseppe mumbled under his breath. Louder,
he said, “Well good. Here I want you to have this.”
Giuseppe stopped not far from the ship and pulled out a pack of
letters from his coat pocket. Ed stopped to look at them frowning.
He recognized them as the letters his father wrote to Giuseppe. Ed
frowned and looked up into Giuseppe's face. Before he could reply
Giuseppe pressed another packet into his hands. “And this.”

Ed
looked in the bulging envelope to find a large wad of Egyptian bills.
He thumbed through the stash, mentally calculating the amount of
money he had; he didn't know what the exchange rate was but it looked
impressive.

“Ah--we
can't take this...” Ed passed both packets back to Giuseppe.

“Yes,
you can.” He pushed them back towards Edward's chest. “The
money is from your patron and the letters should go to you now that
your father has passed on.”

“EDDIE!
Look pirate shop!” Isabella screeched across the quay as she
pointed up at the Majestic.

“That's
ship, Isabella,” Al corrected her.

“Ship!
Ship!” she chorused.

“Who
are you calling Eddie?” Ed demanded shaking his fist at the
small girl.

“Edward,”
Giuseppe clasped the young man's shoulder, regaining his attention.
“Good luck. Come back for a visit on your way home, okay?”

“Sure,
thanks,” Ed promised. Isabella crashed into Ed's hip, clamping
onto his leg. She dug her chin into the junction of his hip and leg,
looking up in time to see him winch at the pressure. Ed put his hand
on her head to stop her.

“Isabella,
that's not nice,” Al said as he came along side his brother.
“Sir, thank you for helping us out with our goal.”
Isabella removed her chin and rested her cheek on Ed's hip instead,
looking up at the adults talk, while Ed stroked her hair. Al shook
Giuseppe's hand once more and removed their suitcase from the
trolley, nodding at the porter in thanks. Al walked over to the ramp
and waited at the bottom for the goodbyes to be said.

“Goodbye,
Isabella.” Giuseppe knelt to look at her better. “Take
of these guys for me, okay?” he said the last in Italian.

“Okay!”
She let go of Ed's leg and kissed him on the cheek and then ran over
to stand next to Al.

“See
ya!” Ed waved, strolling over to the ramp and walking up the
bridge to board the large diesel boat. Al and Isabella followed
behind him. They took up a position on the top deck and looked down
on the wharf with all the other ship passengers. They could see
Giuseppe standing in the crowd with the rest of the well wishers.
They waved their good-byes once more as the ship gave a loud blast on
the steam horn. Isabella's scared shriek could be heard over the
loud booming blast, making everyone chuckle at the small girl.

- - - -

On
the ground, a large man stepped out from behind a stack of wooden
creates. He walked over to the Majestic and grabbed one of the
sailors on the shoulder. Startled, the sailor squeaked in fright at
the sight of the looming shadow over him.

“Say
mate, I was wondering if you could help me? I'm looking for the
R-M-S Majestic.”

“H-h-h-he-he....”
The man slowly raised a finger pointing at the boat in front of him.

“This
one?” The helpless man nodded. “Thanks.” The
giant slapped him on the back sending him in to the water between the
boat and the wharf. “Oops! Sorry!” He waved at the
spluttering man floundering in the water. Several people rushed over
to extract the man from the water.

The
giant stepped on the ramp making it sag alarmingly. At the top, the
sailor hesitatingly held his hand out for a ticket. He really didn't
want to end up in the water like he seen that other guy. The giant
fished through his large bag like pocket in his pants and pulled out
a rumbled ticket, he placed it carefully in the waiting hand and
moved deeper into the ship.

Well,
the Seniore would be proud of him. He'd made it to the ship without
beating anyone one up or drawing attention to himself and he did it
by buying a ticket. So now he just had to lay low and make sure the
Elrics didn't see him during the voyage. They wouldn't get away from
them that easy. He smiled vilely as he sought out his cabin.

--
To be continued --
- 5
- 6
- 7
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

A Little Light of Love