Flames of Power

You guys, I entirely give up on this dumb schedule. I really do. I'm not a fan of it. I'm sorry this is so terribly late and blah blah blah... except that I'm not. I think that it turned out well. Hohenheim's part was a little off, and then ending went a bit quicker than it should have, but I like the way that it turned out, and I hope that you do, too.

This story is based roughly off of the song Daddy's Little Girl (mind=blown, amirite?) by Frankie J. I would recommend listening to that song, either before, during, or after reading this. I've listened to it a lot recently (especially in trying to capture the right elements for writing this story, but I don't think that I did it justice) and there's still one part that makes me cry, thinking of losing my Daddy.

QUICK QUESTION. IMPORTANT. PLEASE READ AND/OR ANSWER: For my big story, a lot of Roy's trust comes from the nickname Chief. And I can't for the life of me remember it that is actually what Havoc called him, or if he called Ed that, or if Breda called him that... basically, I want to use Chief as a nickname, but only if it's legit. I wouldn't mind Boss, but Chief sounds loads better. :p Does anyone know if that's one of Mustang's nicknames?

ONE-SHOT 04: Daddy's Little Girl

Summary: Moar of the gender-bended Edward stuff. Anyway, Edwina has had two fathers in her life. And how badly it hurts her to see them both go. Based off of the song Daddy's Little Girl by Frankie J.

Rating: K+ - T for curse words

BTW, I don't own Roy, Ed/Edwina, the song Daddy's Little Girl. Heck, I don't even own this computer that I'm writing on. None of it is mine.

She remembers the first time that her father left. She was young—very young at the time. She knows that she shouldn't have been out there since her mother and father were sharing an intimate moment right then, and they deserved the time to themselves.

But that didn't stop Al having to go potty. And she wasn't about to let her little brother go out there all on his own. What if the monsters got him between the hallway and her parents? She couldn't just leave him.

So, like the good big sister that she was, she took her brother's hand and led him out into the hall.

She wasn't surprised to see her parents up at all. They were always up before she and Al. Her mom liked spending the morning until about eight in a robe, curled up in the big armchair with her favorite book, another few stacked beside her. Sometimes, if she spotted she or Al watching her, she'd invite them up, and she'd put down her book in favor of theirs.

But her dad also liked spending the morning in his pajamas. He liked lighting the fire place, grabbing some of his alchemy notes, and seating himself on the couch where he could study and still listen to Trisha read to their children.

So, why weren't they being normal? Sure, her mom was usual. Kind of. Her eyes were really wet when she looked at them in surprise, her smile was sad when she said, "and you brought your brother out here? You're such a good big sister."

She smiled at the innocent compliment, as she and Alphonse stared at their father.

Hohenheim didn't say a word to either of them. He hardly looked at them. He only nodded at Trisha and took hold of the door handle from where he was standing, in front of the solid oak door.

She stepped forward, past her mother, ad released Al. "…Daddy?" she asked curiously. Her foot caught and she stumbled forward, managing to catch hold on Hohenheim's pant leg. "Where you goin', Daddy?"

Hohenheim plucked her off of him. He looked up at Trisha, nodded, and opened the front door. He strode out of the door, closing it solidly behind him.

"D-Daddy?" asked Ed quietly, to the door. She looked up at her mother, who looked away from her as if she was ashamed. "Mama? Where's Daddy going?"

Trisha just puffed out a breath and crouched in front of her. "Honey, baby, Daddy has to go away. He won't be back for a while. But he will come back." She promised.

Though Edwina watched her mother, and wanted so badly to believe her, even she, at the ripe age of four years, knew that her father wouldn't be coming home.

A few years later, tragedy struck. Trisha passed away. A few years after that, as if the household needed more tragedy, it struck yet again. A life-changing transmutation that threw Edwina and Alphonse into what they came to know as the Gate of Truth occurred in their basement in an attempt to get their mother back.

That faithful night, and that faithful day afterward, brought upon them two of the most important people in their lives, though perhaps they wouldn't realize so until years later. But starting from day 1, when Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang and Second Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye waltzed into their lives, Ed saw a strength that she wanted. From that day onward, she would strive to be like them. She would strive to be like the strong mother and father that they would eventually make themselves out to be.

She remembers the second time that her father left. She wasn't so young anymore-it had been twenty-two years since her real father had walked out on her. She knows that she shouldn't be there, because her new father needed to rest to get better, though no one thought that he would.

That wouldn't stop her from going there, to be right at his side before he passed on.

Edwina felt totally out of place here, in this place of death. Maybe because, for once, she wasn't a patient. She was visiting a patient, who wasn't Al after he'd finally gotten out of his armor.

No, because that was ten years ago, and there was no trace of Al's emaciation on his body. This time, it wasn't Alphonse.

"He probably won't make it through the night. We've done everything that we can. If he was supposed to live—if he had the energy to live—he wouldn't be in this situation."

Now, Ed was 26, had a husband with his arm around her waist supporting her, and faced the very real possibility that her surrogate father could die.

The nurse at the front counter smiled at them sadly. "Major General Mustang?" she guessed.

Ed swallowed the anxious lump in her throat and nodded heavily.

The nurse smiled again. She stepped out from behind the desk. "Follow me."

Ed tracked slowly after the woman. She really didn't need the nurse to lead her; she'd come to visit nearly every day. She could have walked her way to his room blindfolded.

"The cancer really hit him last night." The nurse started, glancing backwards at the troubled surrogate daughter. "He's not expected to see tomorrow. It'll be a miracle if he makes it to sunset.

Ed nodded again, solemn and hurting. She didn't want to think of that. She didn't want to think of the man's heart stopping, of the hospital staff coming in and covering him with a white sheet, as if he'd never done anything for them.

She didn't fail to notice the Ishbalan nurse, who stayed by him and helped him often. Ed knew that there was a kind of loyalty behind her actions, bred from all that he'd done—and hadn't been forced to do by higher-ups—for her people.

The nurse looked backward at her. "He's been asking to see you." She whispered.

"Is that why you called?" asked her husband Winter, squeezing her waist tightly.

"Partly. We've called his other staff members in, but we called you first." The nurse turned to the couple. She nodded to the room to her left.

Ed glanced in, winced, and looked away. She didn't want to see him dying, on that bed.

"You may stay as long as you like, but try not to wake him. If he has any chance, it'll be through lots of rest."

Winter smiled at her passively. He squeezsed Ed's waist again and slowly dragged her in.

Ed stumbled once, but then walked on her own. She slumped into the chair closest to his head, resting her flesh arms on the bed and laying her chin on her arms.

She watched the man sleep, somehow finding a comfort in his breathing. She shook her head at the man, and sniffed pathetically.

"…Ed?"

She turned to look at Winter. The automail engineer smiled reassuringly at her.

Her heart caught in her throat. Tears filled her eyes. She felt so miserable. Ten years ago, she wouldn't have felt this way. Seven years ago, she wouldn't have felt this way. Five years ago, maybe the smallest inkling of love had erupted in her heart. But now was the first time that she admitted it to herself. She loved Roy Mustang.

"It's funny…" she giggled deploringly, hiding the sad smile in her sleeve, "it's taken him almost dying for me to realize this."

"Realize what?" Winter asked quietly.

"That," she had meant to tell him. She meant to say that "I love him". She knew that he would understand, anyway. She did love him, but would never want to be with him. Yuck, no. That felt too much like incest and pedophilia. Sure, she wasn't a child anymore, but besides the unhealthy glow, Roy didn't look that different from ten, fifteen years ago. It made her feel like she was still sixteen, when she looked at him and saw how he hadn't changed.

And she knew that Winter knew that Roy Mustang was incapable of taking another place in her heart—Roy was her father, more than that bastard Hohenheim had ever been.

Her heart caught in her throat suddenly as she admitted that to herself. She couldn't take losing another father. It wasn't fair, dammit! "That I can't do this."

She stopped, covered her mouth as though she thought that she'd puke, and then ran out of the room. She heard Winter call out for her, but she didn't stop until she reached the waiting room.

"Edwina!"

She came to a halt at the voice, starting. She looked up.

There stood a woman who had very nearly taken her mother's place. She looked tired beyond belief, she looked as though she were one of the living dead. Her eyes were rimmed with red. But she still stood there, in civilian clothes, blonde hair a little unkempt, brown eyes sad and horribly, horribly wet.

"…Hawkeye…" It took Ed a moment to collect herself. She didn't want to look so pathetic, not in front of such a strong woman.

Riza smiled at her and held her arms out. That very nearly broke her.

She stalked forward, then jogged, and then practically dashed right into the woman's arms. Riza held her tight, whispering to her.

"I-I can't do this! It's not fair! Of everyone in the world, why him?!" she gasped into Riza's shoulder. "Me! Let it be me! I'll take his place if you just told me how…"

Riza rocked her a little, pulling her closer to her and further from the prying eyes of the surrounding patients."Shh, Eddie…You know he wouldn't want that…" she kissed Ed's forward, as though it was something that she did every day.

Ed sobbed and nodded, almost breaking Riza's heart.

"Honey, hush now…" Riza purred, her eyes becoming hopelessly wet once more. "He'll be in a better place soon…" God, how it hurts to say that, though… "He won't be hurting anymore… He'll be with Maes again, and your mother…"

"No! Make him stay!" Ed felt like a hopeless, needy little child, but she didn't care. She needed this; she needed her mother. But even more than that, she needed her father. She needed her dad.

Riza rested her chin on her head (relieved that Ed wasn't a midget anymore, otherwise how her neck would ache…). She rubbed her back gently.

It took several minutes for Ed to calm, and by that time, several of Mustang's staff were only feet away, offering as much support as they could.

Ed sniffed and pulled away from Riza. The young women stod there, silently supporting each other at the potential loss of a loved one.

Finally, a small voice coughed. The men shuffled over, each offering their condolences.

Riza smiled sadly at them. "Jean, Vato, Heymans, Kain… you heard."

The men nodded solemnly. "Do you think he'll pull through?" asked Jean hopelessly.

"I don't know. I pray that he will."

"He's strong. He'll do it. He's done it every other time," Kain said reassuringly, though both women knew that he didn't believe what he said.

Ed clenched her fists. She gnawed on the tip of her tongue in annoyance. She coughed then, realizing that she had left someone behind. She turned to go find her kind young husband, unbelievably relieved to find that he'd found his own way there. She didn't really want to go see Roy dying again. Not right then.

Winter dropped into a chair and Ed took the seat beside him, clutching his hand. She watched the others drift in around her, apparently also unwilling to see Roy's weakness. They waited patiently. Maybe for a nurse to come and say that Roy was either awake or dead. Maybe for something else.

It was Alphonse and his wife who came next, rather than a nurse. The two had much farther to go than the rest of them; Al lived in a town about a three hour's train ride from Central, which apparently didn't have too many trains that passed through. He was actually lucky that he'd arrived when he did. According to him, if the hospital had called 20 minutes later, he wouldn't be able to make it until the following Tuesday, when the next train was scheduled to come through.

His wife Mei was the little Xingese girl that had clung to Al ten years ago. She rubbed her swelling belly affectionately, four months into her first pregnancy.

Ed stood when she saw her brother and his wife. She offered Mei her seat kindly, rather choosing to drop into one beside Al.

"How is he?" Al pressed immediately, leaning forward on his knees.

Ed shrugged, scrubbing a hand through her wild bangs. "They don't…" she blew a heavy breath out of her nose. "They think he'll be gone before n-nightfall…" she muttered.

Al nodded, going over the information. He rubbed his face. "He's not improving?"

"He got worse last night. He's sleeping now."

"Why are we out here, then?"

Ed glanced his way. She bent over, breathing, "I couldn't stand to see him like that…"

"Oh. Oh… Ed, that's not the real him, you know..."

"Thanks, but I'd rather remember him strong." Ed murmured.

Al smiled a little. "I know. Me too. But I would rather see him before he's dead. It's one thing if you're away… if you didn't go to see him when you were in the other room, though…?"

Ed sniffled and shook her head. "Stop it. Dammit, Al, I know! I just… I can't…" she gasped feebly.

Al shuddered a breath. "Right. Sorry, sister…" he muddled deploringly.

Ed looked up when a hand touched her shoulder. A nurse stood there, smiling sadly. Ed's heart dropped.

"He woke up." For a second, that was all that she heard. He woke up. Roy was awake! "He's asking for you. Would you like to see him?" asked the kind nurse fondly.

"He's already asking for me?" Ed was astounded. Was she the first thing that had come to his mind? Secretly, she hoped so.

"The lot of you." Well, that worked, too. "We might have mentioned that you were all here…" she coughed into her fist and smiled sadly again. "He… really doesn't have much time left. If you want to see him, do it now."

Ed and Al both stiffened momentarily. They glanced at each other, and then at the others. "Ahh… yeah."

Roy was very weak when they all trudged into his room, but he still gave them the strongest smile that he could manage. His narrowed, glassy black eyes lighted a little. He shifted a small bit when he saw them. "C'mon, why all the long faces? It'll be alright. It's just a little stay. I'll be out by tomorrow."

Ed winced, feeling Winter's arm slide around her. 'Does he even know that he's dying? Or—' No, there was a kind of understanding behind his eyes. There was knowledge.

The man was speaking the truth. By midnight, he would be "out of there", in a much darker sense than any of them wished for.

Havoc attempted to brighten first. He smiled at his boss cheerfully. "We know, chief. But damn, look at you! A day? These guys must work miracles."

Roy nodded a little, glancing Ed's way. By the tone, Ed was reminded fiercely of Father Cornello. For a second, she wished that he could be here to fix Roy. As if any of his dumb miracles would work, that is. "Yeah…" Roy murmured dismissively. He brought a smile to his lips again, though, in spite of the situation. "They do."

Ed furrowed her eyebrows at the man. She gnawed on her lip nervously, watching the team as they watched their commander. She briefly wondered how they were supposed to go on without their commander. More importantly, she wondered how she was expected to go on without her father. She'd done alright after her real father had left (alright, yeah right. Pssh. She'd nearly killed her brother!), so why was she so worried? She was an adult. Right?

Because Hohenheim never meant this much to you. Not like Roy does.

She coughed once, agreeing with her know-it-all inner self. It was true. Hohenheim stopped meaning anything to her when he'd plucked her from his leg and left. He meant even less when he came back and practically asked them to act like nothing had happened. To act as if he could ever try to take Roy's place.

She looked up when she felt eyes on her. Roy was watching her, his eyebrows furrowed not unlike her own. He smiled reassuringly at her. She started shaking, and tears filled her eyes. 'I'll never see that again…' She briefly felt proud that one of his last smiles had been saved for her, and then ashamed for thinking that way, and then disheartened because it was true.

'You're smiling your last smile, Dad…' she suddenly felt sick again. She almost wanted to flee, but she wouldn't do it this time. Not since he was awake. She cleared her throat, and muttered around the lump nestled there, "it's… it's been an honor."

A muffled agreement came around the room. No one had the heart to top her pathetic speech.

Roy's smile softened, as if he were surprised by her words. His eyes softened with it as he replied, "And it's been an honor working with all of you, as well." Though he said those words to the entire group, Ed couldn't help but notice that his strong gaze never once left her face.

The heart monitor started faltering. Ed blinked a tear down her cheek. She knew what that meant. 'This is it…' For a few brief seconds, she took comfort in the steadily slowing beep of the heart monitor, just as she had taken comfort in watching his chest rise and fall with each breath. She thought that it might hurt him, to feel his heart slowing like that, but no pain etched across his face. No physical pain. Only the pain of understanding.

Roy swallowed and leaned back against the bed. He looked across his men—his family—until his eyes landed on Ed. Roy Mustang's very last words were some of the most truthful things he'd ever spoken: "…I love you guys. I'll see you in the afterlife."

The men around her crumpled when Roy took his last breath. Though none of them showed the obvious signs of a broken team—sobs, anger, tears—they showed it in their own way. Jean lifted a hand to cover his eyes pathetically. Vato passed an anxious, shaking hand through his hair. Riza stood, as if she thought that maybe she could do something, and then sat.

Neither Edwina, nor Winter, nor Alphonse, nor Mei showed any signs of breaking, either. Though she wouldn't admit it, Edwina certainly felt like breaking apart and dying right on the spot, but… thank the Gate that didn't happen.

Winter's arm encircled her waist and pulled her tight to him. She turned and nuzzled into his collarbone, wanting nothing more than to just nestle there and hide away from the rest of the world.

It took a few moments for the weight of the reality of the situation to fall upon them. Riza stood and promptly left, covering her mouth with one hand, clutching her stomach with the other. Her eyes were too wet. Jean stumbled out after her. Heymans just turned away from the body and looked instead to Kain, who struggled to keep his tears from falling.

Edwina started muttering nonsense into Winter's collarbone, not entirely certain of what she was saying. After a few moments, though, her words became all too clear: "I love you, Daddy…. I-I love you, too…"

Winter's arms tightened around her as she spoke those words. He held her tight to his breast when those sobs and words echoed from her against him.

"I l-love you, Daddy! Please, you can't go… Please come back, Daddy… I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know I never said it but I love you!" Edwina begged, looking backwards at the dead body. Her heart broke a million times in a million different places so she turned back to her husband.

She now knew that she would regret not saying it more. Had Roy died, not knowing? If he had, she'd have to come to his grave every day and say it, and even that may not be enough. She shook her head a little, feeling Alphonse's hand squeeze on her arm.

He had too, she knew. Alphonse had loved Roy like a father. But he was a boy, while she was a girl, and so he was far less inclined to show off his emotions like that. Even if he was Alphonse.

Edwina muttered those words a few more times, to herself more than anything else, because Roy Mustang couldn't hear her pleas. She shuddered, feeling but at the same time not really noticing Winter shake her. She didn't even notice the steady beat of a weak heart.

It was Alphonse who managed to rouse her, rather than Winter. Alphonse shook her arm roughly, almost desperately. "Ed… sister! Look!" he hissed.

Edwina pulled from Winter's chest and looked at him. She was almost frightened—certainly very surprised—by his wide eyed look and the shaking finger that pointed limply at the bed.

She turned to see what had Alphonse so riled up. If not for Winter's arms still trapping her, she'd have fainted.

Narrow black eyes peered at her, dull and hazy from exhaustion but still all too there. They were holding her stare, a little bit widened themselves, probably from her frantic cries. The face they belonged to turned its lips up into what was supposed to be a smile that just couldn't happen.

But it did.

Roy Mustang, stronger than Edwina had seen him in ages despite his recent apparent death, smiled at her gently. He opened his mouth, coughed, and croaked, "I… heh, I guess that the G-Gate didn't want me… not quite yet…"

Her jaw dropped open a bit (she really only kept it as closed as it was by an act entirely brought upon by her sense of pride, otherwise it would be on the floor) and tears—tears of joy, though, this time; not sadness like they had just been—sprung to her eyes and started falling down her cheeks. Before she knew what she was doing and long before her pride could stop her from doing it, she flung herself against the man that had effectively taken his place as her father, wrapping her arms around his neck. "R-Roy! Th-thought you were gonna die…!" she pouted at him.

Roy puffed and managed to slide one arm around her waist, tugging her closer. "Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere, Fullmetal… not yet."

Ed nodded slowly against her dad. She tightened her arms around him, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

How close she had come to it happening again, to losing her father. Roy really was one of the greatest influences in her life. Somehow, he'd managed to weasel his way between the cracks in the ice surrounding her heart, in a way that she couldn't describe.

She shuddered and breathed a heavy breath on his chest, burrowing a little closer sweetly.

Then she paused, wondering if he'd heard. She had to say it again, to him, just in case. What if this was only a freak accident? Sure, he'd been revived, but that wasn't to say that he was in the clear quite yet. She nuzzled her forehead against his chest, and muttered, "I love you, Roy." Suddenly, knowing that he could actually hear it this time, she felt very self-conscious. More than anything, what if he didn't say it back? How awkward would that be?

But how worth it would it be, whether he said it or not? And why did she care in the first place? Dammit, she loved Roy Mustang, and she'd say it again!

She felt Roy chuckle, his breath blowing on the antenna that still stood straight. She was heartened by the words that he whispered to her, holding her close. "I know. I heard. I love you too, Edwina."

Edwina squeezed her eyes shut around the strong emotion welling up in her chest. She repeated it again and, if only for her sake, so did Roy.

The team must have sat there for over an hour, talking happily. Some were still upset at the death experience of their leader—that is to say, Riza, Jean, and Kain—and were unable to hide it. Riza shook in the chair right next to him, Jean continued glancing toward the heart monitor, and Kain cried silently. Edwina claimed her seat right on her father's bedside, kicking her feet as she faced her husband and brother. Not much caring one way or the other for pride, she had her pinky entwined in Roy's. Roy apparently didn't care for pride either, because he didn't once try to pull away.

Finally, one of the nurses had to shoo them all out, because visiting hours were supposedly over. (Ed thought that the nurses just wanted Roy to themselves. A foolish thought at first, but not so much when she remembered how he'd seduced the nurses the last time they'd all been in the hospital without even trying.)

Edwina's final words to him, as she leaned over and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her nose into his collarbone, were something along the lines of, "I love you, Daddy, so don't go and die 'fore I can be here to save you again." Her words were muffled by his hospital shirt, and really only she and Roy could understand them.

Roy chuckled again. He tightened his weak arms around her and kissed her head softly. "I won't, little girl. I love you, too, Edwina." He smiled, burying his nose into her hair, "my little girl."

Erm... *cough* Yeah... So, that's what you've been waiting for! Well? Did it turn out well? I hope so!

Anyway, next time, the chapter will be about Roy and Hughes. It'll be called Of Best Friends and the Way of Things... I think. Something like that.

Please review! I like to know when I'm doing good... or just mediocre... and especially when I need to work on something. Please and thank you!

Until next time,

YAJJ