Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Pairing: EdxSerena, AlxWinry on the side

This starts out in Envy's POV, so I'm sorry if he's OOC

She doesn't deserve this pain.

As a matter of fact, no kid does, but Serena's special. Yeah, I know this sounds corny but she really is. For example, the day she banged into me on the street on her way to school. Serena knew right away what I was, could simply tell just by looking me in the eye with those uncannily sharp and laughing blues. But she treated me like a real person, something I'd never experienced before.

I found myself coming back for more, more smiles, more sweet, gentle words. For a long time I was disgusted with myself, starved for affection like some stray cat. But Serena wore me down, and it became habit to drop in on her.

Later on, as Serena grew to trust me, and of all people— or homunculi— Lust, I learned about her home life. Her mother was an empty-headed beauty, caring only for the next party or whatever the hell it is she did, and didn't give a thought to her only daughter. Her father was an alchemist, fairly well known, and he specialized in jewelry. But that wasn't all, no, it wasn't bad enough that Serena had parents who didn't give a damn about her well being.

Her father used her in his alchemy experiments.

I remember that night so well, like it's been burned into my brain, and I see it every time I close my eyes. Serena, lying on her bed, blood soaking into her sheets and through her white nightgown from the alchemy circles and the whiplashes. She choked on her sobs and her own blood as she looked up at me with her frail, tearstained face, reaching out to me.

"Envy!"

I couldn't move.

"Envy, help me! It hurts!"

Like the fool I was, I couldn't move, just stood there staring at her as the blood dripped down her hand. Serena's pleading eyes fastened on mine, begging me to do something, anything, to take the pain away.

"Envy?..."

In the end, it was Lust who appeared and held Serena, not caring about the blood that soaked through her dress and gently soothing our poor, fragile charge until she slept. While Serena slumbered fitfully, we looked at her back. The alchemy circles were carved brutally into her back, some newer than others, but all the same.

Somehow her bastard of a father had gotten diamonds out of her tears. And now, he was trying for a Philosopher's Stone out of his own daughter's blood.

We wanted a Philosopher's Stone, but not like this.

Never like this.

Serena shifted in her sleep, turning her face up to the moonlight. Despite her father's torture, her mother's neglect, she still remained pure. Not innocent— she had been through too much for that. But still, pure.

And I wondered why, despite all that alchemy had done to her, Serena was determined to master it, working day and night to perfect a transmutation circle as her bright silver alchemy lit it up. I would never know, unless I scraped up the guts to ask her. That, I know, I'll never do.

As Serena flopped over in her sleep, I saw something sticking out from the corner of her pillow. Curiously, I reached over and slid it out. It was faded, and wrinkled, and obviously much loved. It portrayed a much younger Serena, with two boys on either side of her and their arms around each other, bright smiles on all of their faces.

There was something familiar about one of those boys…

I flipped the photograph over, and saw three names— two, actually— that brought the world crashing down around my ears.

Oh, shit…

And that's where all of our troubles began.

So…Do you like it? I tried hard to keep Envy in character, but I don't think I did a very good job with him, or Lust either. Please don't flame me, as this is my first Fullmetal Alchemist fic, but constructive criticism is fine.

Review, please!