Reshuffled and Dealt

Ok, so first of all, thanks to Devious Lil Devil(missed you last time) and cuylerjade. I'm glad you like this version as well as the other. This chapter is depressing as hell and I keep crying, it's a miracle I got it done. Second last one though.

Chapter 9(got it this time)

There was a crowd waiting for their turn to board and Al came running over, followed by Hawkeye and Havoc. “Well?”

“Well what? I’m here, aren’t I?” A cart rushed by and the suitcase was tossed on top, balancing precariously.

“Major Elric, I have been assigned a firearm for your use.” Clear, crisp words from the First Lieutenant and she handed over a shining gun.

The blond turned it over in his hands, examining it. “Is it loaded?” The corner of her mouth tugged upward and she showed him how to open it, the safety, and gave a few tips on aim. “Huh. Like this?”

The muzzle pointed at Al’s foot and flared with a loud crack. The younger blond screamed and grabbed his foot, trying to stem the flow of blood with his hands. All around them, soldiers hit for their weapons and yelled orders from their superiors only added to the chaos. Finally, Riza and Jean got the injured boy sent to the hospital and the older Elric was dragged off for questioning.

“What the hell were you thinking? Firing your weapon like that!” The General stalked from side to side.

“It just went off by itself. I’ve never held a gun before, how was I supposed to know?”

“You shot your own brother!” Roy stepped in, a hand on his alchemist’s shoulder to keep him from going after the older General.

“Sir, Fullmetal has no experience with firearms. He should never have been assigned one. I was not given the orders and as such did not have a chance to counter them. We apologize for this inconvenience but the younger Elric will just have to stay here until he has healed. He is obviously in no condition for battle and our train is ready to leave, waiting only for Fullmetal and me to board.” A firm grip drew the smaller alchemist up and forced him into a bow. “We must be going, Sir. Please excuse us.” An annoyed hand waved at them and the door closed loudly behind them.

“Get your hands off me.” White gloves slapped at pale skin.

Roy sighed and ran a hand through his bangs. “What were you thinking? You shot Al; Ed is going to kill you. I thought you didn’t know how to use a gun? That was pretty good aim, no kickback either.”

The tips of his gloves were examined while the shape-shifter stalked the hall. “He was a liability, not made for war. And of course I can use a gun, I’m not stupid.”

The brunette stopped suddenly. “You did it on purpose, set it up to look like an accident and sent Al home to Ed.”

Gold eyes rolled at him. “Finally. Fuck, I thought you were supposed to be some kind of big-shot political genius.” Heavy boots stomped down the hall, leaving the officer behind. “Let’s go. The faster we kill these idiots off, the faster I’m back.” Roy hid his smile and followed as ordered; so the big bad killer did feel something.

***************

The train was hot and dusty, filled to the limits with men and women, jittery with anxiety at the prospect of fighting for their country and bored by the endless hours of unchanging scenery. Envy got bored within the first hour and commanded an entertainment committee, directing them to move seats around until he was happy with the cleared area. Wrestling and sparring occupied the soldiers for the day and evening brought music and dancing. The officers tried to stop it at first but let it go on as tensions rose, deeming it relatively harmless.

Even Riza let herself be drawn in by the charismatic grin the blond alchemist sent her and let him teach her a complex dance with simple steps. There were many graceful arm movements and sinuous glides of the hips and every woman wanted to learn, crowding around while the men lazed to the side and drooled.

Finally, their leader flopped over beside Jean and was handed a beer from the stash they’d snuck on. “Where did you learn that?”

Full lips tucked into a faint smirk. “I’m almost 500 hundred years old, I know a lot of things. It’s a dance from Andry, a celebration, something fun. Everyone learns it.” Blue blinked at him in surprise. “Even guys. Here,” His hand waved to include Amestris in general. “Everything is so restrictive. Nothing is just for fun. I think I might take Pest somewhere better, somewhere away from that.”

“Have you talked to him about that?” The look he got made him laugh a bit. “Doesn’t matter. It’s good to see you thinking of the future, man.” A friendly hand patted the long blond hair and the taller blond wandered off to chat, leaving Envy to think by himself for a minute.

They arrived almost two weeks later, after too long on the hot train. Sand flew everywhere and all officers were taken off for briefing. Areas were assigned and soldiers showed up as their regiment moved out. Every alchemist was given a group of fifty and an area to protect. Though, protect was just a word, the area was for clearing of all rebel factions, regardless of method used; stones were handed out with the encouragement to use them.

“Alright, let’s get a move on here. The sooner we’re done, the sooner we go home.” Envy led with a careless air, leaving his backup far behind while he darted back and forth. The fewer witnesses, the better as far as he was concerned. If he couldn’t use alchemy, he had to make it look like he was and just be fast enough to not need to. He trapped as many as he killed, taking prisoners and penning them for later.

His areas were cleared in days, the rebels often just abandoning anywhere he was assigned to in favor of battling less efficient alchemists. His rank grew faster than he could keep up with, especially with the heavy losses taken in other areas, leaving men without leaders. His original fifty men grew to over seven hundred in the first two weeks and he passed command around, letting them lead themselves because he couldn’t care less. The seeming disregard only drew more to him and the numbers grew.

Three weeks after they arrived, Roy’s group hit the edge of their territory, brushing against Envy’s. A brief break seemed like a good idea and they settled for a slow dinner and a few drinks. Half way through, a chill ran down the homunculus’ back. His head shot up and stared to the East, towards the main military base. “What is it? Ed?” They were always careful to refer to him by his taken name.

A hoarse whisper. “Gate. The Gate is open.” He hopped up and started to run, followed quickly by Roy, Riza, and Jean. Their Lieutenants gathered the men and followed as quickly as they could get the vehicles going. Envy easily put miles between himself and the other officers, letting his gut guide him to the array.

A lone man sat beside the glowing circle, staring into the center. The Gate rose there, huge and black, the edges glowing as it opened slowly. A swift kick snapped the alchemist’s neck but the array continued to glow, the doors still opening. The blond tried not to look but his face was drawn around and he stared in terror at the small form sitting in the dark light.

“What do you wish?” A wide grin and the empty mouth flashed.

Envy scrambled away, putting as much distance between them as possible. “Gate, Gate, Gate, Gate.” He couldn’t stop whispering the word, name really.

“You came from me, I created you. Don’t you want something? Why did you call me?” A roll and the small being stood, walking forward.

“Nothing, go away. I didn’t call you.”

“What will you give me? You’ve seen me and must pay the toll.” Harsh panting and the blond pushed back further, eyes scanning the area for something, anything.

They lit on a rebel camp, silent and dark while black clad soldiers edged along, inching closer to the military base. There were enough to wipe out the commanders and effectively stall the entire operation. “That! I’ll give you that, so go away!” Soft laughter and he was on the ground again, Gate still hovering before him.

A squeal of brakes and engines came to him and he bounded over the small hill, waving for them to stop. “Gimme the stone.” He spotted a few other alchemists who had followed, curious, their men left to guard their posts. “You too. Hurry up!” He pried them away from any who would not give them, his methods effectively encouraging cooperation. “Stay here.”

Short legs worked hard to bring him to the top of the hill and he checked again; Gate still there, sacrifice still there. A deep breath and he swallowed the stones, letting the power run through his veins. Lookouts were dispatched efficiently with a quick swipe of the blade and he slid alongside the center of the group, stalking them on feet softer than a whisper.

Power was concentrated in his hands and he brought them down as hard as he could, driving them into the ground and forcing it to open in a deep cavern. The rebels at the edges fell, screaming and chaos reigned. The ones at the front turned back and were slaughtered in their confusion, blades flying through cloth and skin.

The men at the rear turned back, running until they met a violet eyed demon, blood still dripping from his arms, laughter ringing in the air. They were ripped apart, screaming about the devil. Guns, blades, even a grenade thrown in desperation had no effect, any wound healing on contact, the one to give it dead before it disappeared.

Finally, a glance told the homunculus the Gate was gone, the array faded to nothing. Relief made his legs weak and he shifted back and settled to watch the moon, letting the silver light wash him clean. He answered Roy’s hesitant call with an invitation to come.

The brunette gagged as he approached and focused only on the blond sitting in the middle of the carnage, blood covered and panting. “Envy, why? Look at this.”

“The Gate was open. Sacrifices must be made. We’re past capturing. Tomorrow, I will start to exterminate them all and we will be done.” He rolled to look up. “I’m going home.” There was nothing to say and Roy walked away without trying.

Morning was bright and hot and Riza appeared at the Fullmetal camp to find half gone and the other half with orders to leave within the hour. By the time she got back to her commander, they had been gone over two hours and reports were already coming in of fighting in the West, South, and North. They moved fast, taking anything with a weapon out and leaving any alive penned to be dealt with later.

Roy organized clean-up crews and sent them out as soon as they were ready to collect prisoners and with messages for Envy; Come back. They were ignored and the slaughter continued, casualties adding up hourly. A week later, an exhausted and heart-sick band stumbled into the main base with news; it was over. The main group started arriving by noon and kept coming until evening. The Flame Alchemist wandered the camps, checking for his subordinate and finally one of the last in had a letter.

The young man gave his report quickly and handed over the paper. Major Elric was fighting and had an attack of some kind. He was shot three times, got up and killed anything moving. His orders were to remove any and all threats within the hour and were followed carefully by his Lieutenants. The Major then told them he was leaving and to give this to no one but General Mustang.

The letter was short and simple, only two sentences. ‘Finished up, last area. Pest needs me, gone back.’ It burned in seconds and was more than he’d expected to get.

*************

*Day after Envy left*

Ed woke to a darkened room and wondered vaguely what time it was. The clock beside the bed said ten but that couldn’t be right, it should be light out by now, and he never slept this late. He rolled and saw Cain sitting beside his bed, head in his hands. “Cain?” It sounded like he was crying. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Ed.” Soft gasps and the brunette wiped his face quickly.

The blond frowned at him and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. “Where’s Envy? And Jean? I thought it was his day to stay home today.” An easy grin. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

“Don’t get up, Ed. Please.” The blond frowned again but stayed on the edge of the bed. “They’re gone. There’s a civil war going on, Edward. On the edges of the country. They’ve all gone.”

“What? Why?” His eyes widened then went blank. “They called the alchemists. Roy, Al, and Envy took my place. Didn’t he?” Dark hair nodded miserably. “I’m going after them. He can’t do alchemy, they’ll find out and” He struggled a bit and finally got to his feet, swaying as he balanced himself.

“Ed, you can’t. You can barely get out of bed, you can’t use alchemy either, and you have to take care of the baby.” Firm hands pushed at his shoulders, knocking him off balance enough to fall to the bed. “You and I have to stay here, and Breda and Falman were both left to mind the office.”

An arm covered the defeated gold eyes; no matter how much he wanted to go, he could barely stand. “You were all in on it.”

“Yes, we” the doorbell rang and he stopped. “I’m really sorry, Ed.” Light steps took him down the hall and the stairs to open the door. “Miss Winry, what can I do for you?”

“Well, you can give me a hand with this stubborn brat. He’s certain Ed is mad at him.” Cain peered around her to see Al standing at the base of the steps. “And you can just call me Winry.”

The cast was eyed. “What on earth happened?” The blond boy’s face flamed and he looked away.

“Someone had an accident, never even made it on the train.” Laughter brightened her smile but he could see the relief under it. He supported the taller man up the stairs to see Ed sitting at the kitchen table. “Hey, Ed.”

“Oh, hey Win. Not mad anymore?” They hadn’t spoken since she tried to beat him to death when he told her he was pregnant.

She blushed and shuffled in the entrance. “Aw, Ed, I wasn’t really mad, just a bit upset. It was a shock, ok? I made you something.” He looked up and waved her in; the way to Ed’s heart was definitely presents.

“It’s a crib, with folding legs and adjustable sides. There’s a mobile and a bunch of attachments for toys and stuff. See?” She sketched a picture for him and they admired it while Cain helped Al into the house and sat him at the table. Ed didn’t even look up.

“Brother.” Not even a flinch. “Brother, I’m sorry.” He was ignored completely and fell silent, staring at the table.

“Ed, at least let him apologize.” Winry prodded his arm and was swatted at lightly.

“Don’t push it, you’re on thin ice as it is.” A sharp grin and she blinked at him in shock; it had been years since Ed was this angry. “I have no time for traitors.”

A soft whine from across the table then silence again. Sandwiches were handed out and the four ate quietly. “Ed, you can’t do this. Aren’t you even curious as to what happened?” Cain propped his elbows on the table and stared across the expanse that felt larger than it was.

Of course he was curious, but asking would feel like forgiveness. But the look on Al’s face when he called him a traitor had torn at his chest. “Alright, what happened?”

A slight smile and his younger brother answered readily. “Envy shot me. He was playing with his gun, getting instructions from Lieutenant Hawkeye on how to use it and shot me in the foot.” Ed started to laugh, giggling into his hand. “It’s not funny! It really hurt and I had to go to the hospital and stay there all day too.” Given how paranoid Ed usually was, laughter was the last response he’d expected.

“Ha, ha, no, Al. It’s a present, for me. He sent you back to be with me, so you wouldn’t have to go.” Everyone’s mouth worked soundlessly. “What an idiot.”

The ice was broken, and even if they weren’t forgiven, at least the pregnant blond would speak to them. The next two weeks were spent fixing the last little things before baby time, setting up the nursery, final touches to the painting, making sure enough clothes and accessories were present. Then it was down to waiting; Al, Winry, Falman and Breda visited daily, bringing presents every time. Needless to say, they were welcomed with open arms.

Two weeks later, Cain heard a crash from upstairs. “Ed?” He started upstairs and was half way up when he got an answer.

“Cain? I think it’s started.” Soft coughing and loud gasps had the brunette running the last few steps. Ed was sitting on the floor, the drawer of the dresser pulled out beside him. “Yeah, definitely started.” He started counting quietly between pains, panting softly.

‘Oh shit, he’s a month early.’ Cain immediately called the office and had Falman bring a car around, then called Elsha’s office to let her know so she could meet them at the hospital. “Ed, when did it start hurting?” He dialed the hospital to let them know they were coming in early and was beyond grateful he’s installed a phone upstairs.

“I dunno, sometime this morning, I guess.” A low grunt and more panting. “Why does this hurt so damn much? Auto-mail was better than this!”

A quick smile and the brunette hung up. “Don’t start, this is just the beginning. It’ll get a lot worse from here.”

Ed groaned and reached up for a hand. “Hospital, now! Elsha said I could have anesthetic and not feel a thing.” He smirked for a second before another contraction caught him. “Wait! Locket, need my locket!” It was spotted on the counter across the room and Cain grabbed it and handed it over. A quick scan between contractions provided nothing to use to cut himself with before he realized he couldn’t open it anyways. “Ok, need Al. Tell him to open this and put blood on it, ok?” A dark brow rose and he scowled in annoyance. “I’m serious!”

Cain just nodded, rolled his eyes, and helped the round body down the stairs carefully to the waiting car. Al and Winry met them at the doors and were banished to the waiting room with Vato.

Surgery started well, the blond going under happily and with no problems. The baby was delivered smoothly and the uterus removed before his vital signs started to drop. They finished quickly, dropping the anesthetic levels as quickly as possible and still almost lost him when his lungs failed.

It took nearly twelve hours before he woke up, weak and disoriented. Regular coughing and a pervading weakness were the main complaints and he asked to see his daughter constantly. They refused, stating he might be contagious and had to stay in isolation. The truth was, there was something, wrong with the little girl. They weren’t sure what, maybe the head was too big, the limbs at odd angles, the facial features disarranged, but Ed was deemed too weak to withstand a shock to his system like that.

The other question he had was about his locket and whether Al had used it as demanded. The answer was yes and so he waited impatiently, watching the world fade with his sight. The coughing became more common, more harsh and hollowed out. Antibiotics, surgeries, blood transfusions, nothing worked, and finally he was too weak to even lift his arms. Waiting was the only thing they could do; people came and went, saying goodbye and what a beautiful baby he had.

Six days after the delivery, a call came to the office. “Where is he?”

“This is Warrant Officer Falman. To whom may I connect you?”

“Edward Elric, idiot.”

“I apologize sir, but Edward Elric is in the field at the moment. He can not be reached at this time.”

“Look here, I’m standing outside the house and no one is here. Where is he?”

“Ah, you are looking for Mrs. Elric? She has been transferred to Black’s Hospital following the birth of her baby girl.” The official story received a faint snort and a sharp click as the line was disconnected.

*************

Envy’s nose twitched as he stood staring at the huge building; death hung over the dark walls and sunlight on the windows gave the appearance of eyes staring out. ‘What the hell kind of hospital is this?’

The doors opened easily under his hand and a lone receptionist guided him to the Elric room. Two sets of instructions were given, one to Edward’s room and one to the baby ward, where his daughter was being kept under surveillance. Baby first and he stepped onto the silent floor; something felt very wrong here, there were no cries from the babies, no bustling of nurses moving them to and from their mothers, no fathers watching like he’d always seen in other hospitals.

A look into the room and he had his answer; tiny forms lay still, barely moving and he could smell their sickness, lingering under the strong scent of antiseptic. A soft mewl and he focused on a little blond head, huge blue eyes watching him closely. He blinked at her and took in the odd appearance; not too bad, better than he’d hoped for at any rate. Of course, he’d though he would be here to fix it immediately too.

Oh well, he had time now. A quick check down the hall and he slipped into an empty room to force a stone up into his mouth. It was wiped down and crushed, the powder pooling in his hand while he snuck into the room and scooped her into his arms. Red trickled over soft lips and she swallowed, shifting in his arms until her proportions evened out.

“Good girl. I’m going to see Pest, but I’ll come back later.” A minute was taken to touch the soft cheeks and silky blond hair. Clipped steps approached and he slipped out, closing the door behind him and darting down the hall and up the stairs.

“Al?” A weak voice, so weak, followed by hollow coughing. Dull gold opened slowly and looked towards the opening door. “Is he here yet?”

“Yeah, Pest. I’m here.” A start and the brunette realized his blond couldn’t see him, even though he was staring at him. “Feel ok?”

“En.” The word was a sigh, pleased and the small form relaxed visibly. “You came. I waited for you.”

A small smile and Envy reached out to hold the small hand laying on the covers. “I said I would. Just relax, rest so you can get up and help me with the baby. She’s cute, looks like you with my eyes.”

A slight frown. “Didn’t you talk to Al? He was just here, he can’t be far.” A brief sound, no real meaning attached and the blond sighed. “Envy, I’m not getting up.” He swallowed and tears gathered in his eyes. “I can’t see, my body is shutting down. We think I might have something like what Mom did, she wasn’t much older than I am now when she died. And I forced it so much when I was younger. Guess I did more than a few stupid things then, huh?” Dark hair shook quickly and a watery smile was directed up towards the older man. “Yes, Envy. It can’t be helped but I wanted to wait for you.”

“No, no, no, you can’t! What about me? You’re just going to leave me here, with a baby?” The small hand was tossed on the bed and he stormed out, slamming the door behind him and ignoring his name being called.

“Envy! You’re here!” Al stood just outside the door, holding a cup of coffee in each hand. “When did you arrive?”

“You knew! You knew he was, was, DO something!” Sad, calm eyes stared into wild purple. “Why won’t you fix him?”

“Envy, he can’t be fixed. We tried everything until he asked us to stop. He just wanted to wait for you to come back.”

“You two are supposed to be geniuses!” Slim hands cut through the air. “You were supposed to take care of him!”

Blond hair shook at him. “It’s too late, Envy. His lungs are almost completely ruined, his heart won't hold much longer, he only survived this long by waiting for you come back.”

“Then, then replace them! Use mine, I’ll just fix myself later, I’ll make them work, I” Firm arms wrapped around him and hugged tightly, holding him still.

“No, Envy. It’s too late for any of that, all his organs are failing quickly, it was just too much.” The thin form stopped fighting, standing in the circle of arms, shaking. After a minute, he was released and nudged towards the door.

“Fuck that, he can just wait forever. I’m not going back.” Bare heels dug into the floor, squeaking as they inched along. “It’s not fair!”

Al growled at him and jabbed a sharp finger into his back. “You need to grow up, and get back in there or Ed’ll hate you as much as he does Dad.” The slim blond pushed the protesting brunette towards the door, ignoring the beginning hysterics.

“I am NOTHING like that asshole! How dare you! I” He was cut off abruptly.

“You know, what you’re doing to Ed is awfully similar to what Dad did to Mom. Whenever he needs you, you take off. You act poorly to people who are important to him and you make him feel bad.” Envy opened his mouth to blast him, then closed it and put his hand on the wall to keep from being pushed more. “YOU were all he talked about for the last month, the nice things you did for him, how much he likes the dragons you drew in the nursery, how happy he was when you were here with him, how excited he was to have this baby and share it with you. How much he missed you.” Al took a second to breath, fighting tears; what he was saying may not be completely true, at least the part about Envy behaving badly, but they were out of time. “You did a good thing, protecting him, and me, like you did, but he needs more from you right now. Please Envy!”

Another push and the white door loomed before him. “Alright, stop pushing. I’ll go back and see him.” He took a few deep breaths. “Bring the baby.”

The blond froze, hands on the slim back. “Envy, oh damn, there’s something wrong with her. Ed, hasn’t seen her yet, we didn’t want him to know.”

“There’s nothing wrong with her, she just needs stones to keep her human form. I fed her, it’s fine. Bring her.” A pale hand reached out and opened the door slowly, stepping into the dim room.

The door closed softly behind him and the pale, pale blond turned to look in his direction. “Envy?” The flesh hand rose and shook, it shook so badly Envy almost started to cry.

“Yeah, Pest. They’re bringing the baby to see you.” The shaking hand was captured and pressed to the pale face, light kisses dropped on the fingertips.

Tears gathered again and slid over thin cheeks. “Really? They wouldn’t let me see her before. Al said she was fine, but, well, just in case. You have to tell me all about her, ok?” Long hair nodded and the brunette crawled up onto the bed, shifting to a naga form to wrap the long tail around the small, shivering body. The slender arms still held shaking hands and delicate fingers combed the dull gold hair. “Hey, En? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I should have but I didn’t want you to worry.”

“I know. I should have been paying attention and noticed. Maybe…” Blond shook against his chest.

“No, En, there was no maybe. Would you have traded our baby for me? I didn’t want that, I just want to see her and hold her.” A slight smile. “And I want you to look after her, alright? Al and Winry and everyone will help you, I promise. Just try, you’ll be good at it.”

Dark hair whipped from side to side. “I, I can’t, not by myself, I don’t know what to do.”

Gentle rocking started and they comforted each other with the light motion. “Just try. Don’t abandon her, don’t let her grow like us, without a father, alone. Please?” Blank eyes pleaded up at him and Envy found himself nodding. His throat was so tight, words wouldn’t come out.

The door opened softly and Al crossed the room on cat’s feet to lay the little bundle in Ed’s arms. “Hey, Brother. Here’s your girl.” A gentle thank you and he slipped away, leaving them alone.

“She’s beautiful, Edward. Her eyes are changing at you, purple, green, blue, brown. Hey, they just turned gold, now she really looks like you. She’s got this bright blond hair, really fuzzy. And her nose is too short for her face, like yours.” He managed a smile, pushing it into the words and got a faint scowl back.

“Hey, you did that! My nose was perfect before you broke it.” A teasing snort and he ran his fingers through the downy hair. “She’s wonderful. What should we call her?”

“Jamila? I like that one. Means beautiful.” They never did decide on a name, just a list.

“That’s kinda strange, maybe we should use it as a middle name. How about Catherine?” His chest convulsed in a coughing fit and a cloth was grabbed from the table to wipe the blood away. The little girl started to cry and the half-dragon calmed her with gentle rocking and soft words.

“Sure, Ed. That sounds good. Here, you hold her.” Strong arms supported both blonds, rocking them steadily against his chest. They chatted quietly, letting the little bundle sleep. “Hey, you know how you always said you liked me?” A contented hum from the man in his arms. “I like you too.”

A bright smile and the blond leaned back to kiss him. “I know, but thank you. I’m glad.” They grinned at each other for a second. “En, after, don’t do anything dumb, ok? No trying to make the stone, no sacrifices, no trying to bring me back. Please? Just let me go, I’ll come back for you. I bet you’ve already heard of this one, but they say everyone is reborn. Do you believe that?” A brief shrug and the brunette buried his nose on lighter hair. “I’d like to, if I can see you again. Is that ok?”

A sniffle escaped. “Sure, Ed. That’s fine. I’ll look for you, ok?” A slow nod and the small body struggled to turn. The older man gave him a hand and let him rest against his chest, listening to soft breathing slow and fade, the uneven heartbeats slipping into nothing.