The Waterstone of the Wise [2]

[scriveyner]

.: Chapter 2:.

London

It was a particularly chilly day to be outside, but Alphonse Elric was dressed warmly. It was dreary, the sky a bleak shade of gray and the clouds heavy with the threat of precipitation. Nearly everyone he could see had an umbrella with them in anticipation that the skies would open up at any time. There was no doubt that it would rain, it was only a matter of when.

Alphonse warmed his hands. He had been ambling about downtown, wasting his morning going in and out of book stores and small shops in a vain attempt to lose the tail he had picked up some time in the last few days. At first, he had not been sure that he was really being followed. However, spread over time the dress and mannerism of the pair made them stick out and Alphonse realized that he had been noticed. They were government men, no doubt about it - but the question of the day was which government that they were with.

They had traveled extensively, he and Edward. Years were spent going from one country to another, avoiding political skirmishes where they could and occasionally spending weeks at a time in small villages working for their food and shelter. It was a fascinating and thrilling existence and Alphonse drank it up - he had no memories of his time traveling with his brother before, but he had traveled the length and breadth of Amestris by himself those two long years without his brother and he had loved it. It was fascinating meeting all those people and witnessing for himself the many different walks of life. Of course it was often disconcerting, because he would occasionally run across people who recognized the blond hair and the red coat; but those were the people who filled in the gaps of his memory with tales of the exploits of his missing brother.

Aside from his first impulsive tumble into this strange new world, he and Edward had stayed as far away from anything involving Germany and the Nazi party as they could manage. Noa's warnings had been dire and they had taken them to heart. Of course, that had not stopped interviews with various police and military and country's borders - while they were not actually German they looked it - and Germans were not looked kindly on anywhere.

Being followed was not an unusual occurrence in those days. Alphonse was far too used to being the one spotting it - Edward was too oblivious for his own good; his nose stuck in a book and learning everything he could about their new, chosen world while Alphonse watched the people around him. However, Alphonse had lived in England now almost six years - two of those here, in London - and this was the first time that he had been followed in the city.

Or at least, the first time he had been followed so conspicuously.

No one had approached him yet. Alphonse looked up and down the street at the pedestrians. Despite the weather and the looming threat of rain, the sidewalks were full of people. He had stepped from the flow of traffic, his back to the concrete wall that framed the large steps that led to the museum behind him. They were following him because they thought he was German; and he was unemployed after graduating from university despite staying in the country. That was enough to raise suspicions in these dark times. Alphonse had been trying not to let it bother him, especially since Sofia had yet to notice them. She would be the one who would get upset on his behalf, and would take it upon herself to confront the men, regardless of the consequences.

She was a spitfire, his wife. Alphonse could not help but smile. Sofia was very much like Edward in a lot of ways, and one of the biggest was that she would not brook anyone's nonsense when it came to Alphonse. She had long golden hair, wide blue eyes and a face that called to mind their lost childhood friend. Sofia had been the only person in the History & Mythology lecture who had dared to sit beside him, and when she had smiled at Alphonse he knew he was lost.

Alphonse had never bothered to mention to his wife that the night he graduated from Cambridge he had been approached by the SIS. Given his language skills, his visa, and the fact that he "was" German, they wanted to employ him as a double agent. Alphonse had declined them, of course. Both he and Edward had sworn to each other that they were going to stay out of this world's politics and affairs and just try to live out their lives in peace and anonymity.

There was another reason besides that Alphonse did not want Sofia knowing or approaching these men. That was the fact that if they were not following him because he was German, they were following him because he was an Elric. And that was a prospect a thousand times more dangerous then just the suspicion that he was a member of the Nazi party.

Most of the time, when someone sought out an Elric they would go after Edward. After all, he was well-known in occultism circles as the son of Hohenheim of the Light; and their father's legacy in THIS world brought its fair share of trouble. He did not know the man, all that remained for him of Hohenheim's legacy were a few fuzzy memories from his childhood. Edward, however, was less than impressed with their father and was never shy in voicing it. He had lived with Hohenheim for some time in those two years apart from Alphonse, staying within Germany when he studied rocketry.

Because of that, it was almost as if Alphonse did not exist. Edward of course liked that they came after HIM, he would do anything to protect his little brother. He would shoulder the world just to keep Alphonse safe.

It was perhaps because of that inclination that Alphonse had grown apart from Edward. He was not a child any longer, and he did not need to hide in his brother's shadow. They had been together far longer than apart, and Alphonse wanted to learn what sort of man he was without his brother around. It was perhaps provenance that the curator had recognized Edward and offered him a job, as that led to the brother's congenial parting of ways.

He missed Edward dearly; but Alphonse did not need Edward nearly as much as Edward needed him. He pursued his studies in the histories of this world; he met Sofia and their courtship led them all across Europe despite the tumultuous era they lived in. They had been married now nearly three years.

In all that time they had lived peaceful, anonymous lives. Outside of the SIS, Alphonse had never been approached by anyone else. They were watching but not interfering. Sofia got a job as a filing clerk and part-time tour guide at the museum and Alphonse continued his studies. He had a fascination with Greek and Egyptian history in particular, and he tried not to let the familiarity of their long and rich tradition of alchemy override his other studies.

He still studied the art, how could he not? Alchemy was deeply ingrained into his blood, same as Edward's. It had been a sacrifice to step through that door into the abyss, into this world where alchemy was nothing more then a memory to him. There had to be a spark of something, otherwise there would not be such a rich tradition of the science in all these ancient histories. Alphonse had even published a few speculative papers, circulating them about the occult underground of London under the alias "Chrysopoeia," theorizing on the existence of the flow of energy and its direct relation to any given alchemist's ability to perform a transmutation or, to create the Philosopher's Stone.

That particular stunt earned an aggrieved phone call from his brother, which still made Alphonse chuckle. The fact that such a small theoretical paper - published by hand, in limited quantities, nonetheless - made it from the London underground across the pond to Connecticut let him know that his brother was still as deeply entrenched as he ... regardless of how much he chastised Alphonse for it.

But alchemy was merely a hobby, now. Today he had an interview at the museum for a lower-level position, as there were several available in both the Grecian an Egyptology departments. He had been halfheartedly looking for a job for a while, it was hardly fair for Sofia to be the only one working so hard. Although the papers he had published in historical journals had brought some healthy commission, the country was turning more and more toward the possibility of war and he needed something far steadier to support her if the worst were to happen.

He had been standing against the promenade for a while now. The men who had been following him were lingering across the street, trying not to stand out in the crush of gray and brown. One had, in fact, lit a cigarette.

Alphonse stared unabashedly at them. They were too far off for him to see their faces cleanly; which was a mistake on his part. Now that they knew HE knew, they would be far more subtle in their efforts. Alphonse sighed and looked up the stone stairs that led to the museum itself.

Out of the blue someone grabbed Alphonse's arm roughly. Alphonse jerked his arm back in response, adrenaline shooting through his system and prepared to fight; but the person did not yank him toward the cars on the street like he had anticipated, instead pulling him sharply toward the stairs. "Hey!"



The man was dressed similarly to Alphonse, a heavy, dark coat obscuring most of his clothes. However, unlike Alphonse he was not wearing a hat, his brown hair damp from the misty air. "Don't look back," the man muttered to him, half-dragging Alphonse up the stairs. "You're being followed."

Alphonse could have laughed at the sheer ludicrousness of the situation. He let the strange man pull him up the stairs, and once they were safely through the door to the foyer of the museum he yanked his sleeve away. "Of course I'm being followed," Alphonse said, then winced at the way his voice echoed in the cavernous hallway. "I was handling, it, thank you-"

"Handling it by staring directly at them? Because that's not the dumbest thing I've ever heard or anything."

"Hey!" Alphonse growled indignantly. "Who the hell do you think you are, you-"

"Al!"

Alphonse glared at the man a second longer, memorizing his face in case he wanted to punch it later. He understood occasionally Edward's tantrums - he had always, always had to clean up after his brother when they were young - and he had a much better rein on his temper then Edward ever would. That did not mean that he didn't want to unleash hell on the people who aggravated him for whatever reason. Satisfied, Alphonse turned and put a smile on for Sofia, who was jogging across the hall toward him.

"Sofie!" Alphonse said, opening his arms and she ran right into them with a laugh. "Sorry, I'm a little early, but I wanted to beat the rain."

Sofia had her long hair done up in an elaborate bun and whatever she had been doing she was a bit dusty. Alphonse could not help but smile though, when she took a step back and beamed at him. "Today has been dreadfully dull," she informed him. "Here, since you're early I'll just take you right in and maybe they can put you to work today!"

"Hey, hey now," Alphonse said. "I haven't got the job yet."

"Excuse me," the man said, and Sofia glanced over at him in surprise. "I'm looking for Evelyn, do you know where I can find her?"

"We're going down to her office now," Sofia said, giving the man an uncertain look. Then a hint of recognition crossed her face. "Oh, OH! You must be Rick." She stepped away from Alphonse and held her dusty hand out to him. "I'm Sofie Elric, I work for Evie."

"Pleasure," the man now identified as Rick said, taking her hand delicately. "And this is your husband, then?"

"Alphonse Elric," Alphonse said, the distrust still in his eyes. He was waiting for Rick to say something about his tails, but the man did not say a word. He did, however, catch Alphonse's eye and nod a little.

"Rick O'Connell," he introduced himself.

"Rick!" A new voice joined from across the foyer. They all looked over as a woman hurried across the tile. Alphonse recognized her as Sofia's boss, Evelyn O'Connell. "Sorry, I'm running late." She was pulling on her coat as she hurried, then stopped and looked at Sofia and Alphonse. "Oh, oh my," she looked for the clock on the wall.

"I'm terribly sorry, I'm early," Alphonse said.

"No, it's quite all right," Evie said thoughtfully. She looked at Rick, who just looked confused, then nodded her head. "Why don't the two of you join us for lunch? We can do the interview then, if you don't care."

"Uh," Alphonse looked between Rick, who did not look enthused by this idea, and Evelyn, who seemed to like this plan just fine. "Sure, I guess?"

"I'm a complete mess," Sofia announced, brushing dust off of her shoulders illustratively. "I'm not fit to be seen by the public, Miss O'Connell"

"Oh, that's ridiculous," Evie said. "Sofie, you're perfectly presentable. And please stop calling me that, you make me feel far too old." Evelyn turned to Rick. "Did you make Jonathan drive you again?"

"Someone had to get his hung-over ass out of bed," Rick said. He was still giving Alphonse a wary glare. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Evie, I mean we can always wait on lunch-"

"Rick, stop being rude." She shoved his chest with one hand, then turned. "Is your coat in my office, Sofie?"

"Uh, yes ma'am."

"Seriously, my name is EVIE," Evelyn said, grabbing Sofia by her arm and dragging her off. "Let's go get it, I'm starving, where do you want to go for lunch-?"

The women left Alphonse and Rick standing still in the foyer of the museum, Evelyn's voice echoing behind them. Alphonse watched them disappear down a corridor with a bemused smile on his face, then realized that Rick was giving him a concerned look.

"So," he said. "Any idea why you're being followed?"

"A couple," Alphonse admitted.

"Like?"

Alphonse gave the other man a dark look. "Try 'living in London while German,'" he said sharply.

"That isn't the SIS out there," Rick said, his tone mirroring Alphonse's. "They look like Mussolini's men. Want to try again?"

"Fascists?" Alphonse said, surprised. He glanced back at the doors, but they were heavy, solid wood. "I honestly have no idea why they would be following me."

"Honestly."

Alphonse narrowed his eyes, he did not like the insinuation of Rick's tone. "Honestly."

The men were saved from further discussion by the reappearance of their respective wives. Sofia had put her coat on, and had retrieved a hat as well. They were both talking in animated terms about a recent dig at Sesebi, Sofia talking with her hands as always, her blue eyes bright with excitement.

Evelyn looked to Alphonse as they drew close. "Sofie tells me you're an expert in Egyptian alchemy, is that true?"

"Hardly an expert," Alphonse murmured, giving Sofia a look, which she grinned smugly at. "It's more of a hobby, really."

"Well, I shall have to have you look at some codices that we've recently recovered," Evelyn said. "Do you read hieratic?"

"Not particularly well," Alphonse admitted, holding his arm out for Sofia to take. "I haven't had much practice with it, I'm afraid I would not be much help."

Rick opened the door for Evelyn, who was still talking. "Well, nonsense. I can read the hieratic, but I would definitely welcome your insight on the terminology."

Alphonse nodded, not paying that much attention to Evelyn's words as he scanned up and down the street. The two men were no longer across the street - they were waiting at the base of the steps, leaning against the promenade. Rick saw them at the same time, stepping to the other side of Evelyn to put himself between her and the men. Alphonse put his hand over Sofia's on his arm and squeezed it, and she looked up at him, concerned. "Al?"

"Be prepared to run," he murmured to her in French. Sofia's eyes widened in surprise, but before she could say anything the two men stepped away from the wall and put themselves in their path.

"Alphonse Elric?" The taller of the two men asked, the cigarette still hanging from his mouth.

Alphonse nodded his head once. "That's me. What do you want?"

"Come with us, please." The men had Italian accents. O'Connell had a good eye, they had to be Fascists.

"You know my name, but I don't have the good fortune to know yours," Alphonse said, discreetly slipping Sofia's hand from his arm. She clutched at his sleeve for a moment longer than was necessary, but let him go.

They had talked about this, early on in their courtship. That there were people out there who were too interested in him and his brother, and there might come a time when it came back to bite them in the ass. Sofia did not want to believe him, but she did trust him.

Sofia knew most of it. She knew that he had an unusual childhood, and that he and Edward were exceptionally close. That he was an orphan, that he was from far away and that he had missing gaps in his memory. However he had conveniently left out the bits about being from another world. That was just too much to ask anyone to believe.

"I believe that you have mistaken this for a request," the shorter man said. He had moved his arm slightly, to reveal a small handgun masked mostly by his long coat.

"Rick," Evelyn said sharply.

"We don't want any trouble," Rick said, his tone even. Alphonse glanced over at him in surprise.

"There's no trouble to be had, buddy," Tall Guy said, giving Rick a dismissive look. "This don't have anything to do with you, just keep moving."

"It's all right, I'll handle this," Alphonse said. "Just take Sofie and I'll be fine."

Rick shook his head once. "No, see - I have this thing." And then he calmly whipped his coat forward, pulling a small hand-gun from his obscured shoulder holster with the movement. "I really hate Fascists."

Alphonse had already begun to duck as Rick moved, shoving Sofia forward. Evelyn grabbed Sofia's arm and yanked her down the remaining stairs as she shouted out. "Jonathan!"

A roadster that had been sitting parked in front of the museum since before Alphonse had got there roared to life, but that was something he only noticed in the background. Rick shot the shorter man before he had the gun out of his holster.

The taller man did not seem perturbed by the turn of events. "Do you really think we would be so unprepared?" he asked. The gun-shot had caused pedestrians on the sidewalk to scatter, screaming from the area - but there were several men in dark coats and hats who stood out by virtue of the fact that they were not running away.

"What do you want with me?" Alphonse demanded.

The man cocked his head to the side. "I thought this would be obvious," he said. "We want the Philosopher's Stone."

The words actually caused Alphonse's heart to skip in his chest.

The Philosopher's Stone.

Alphonse managed a snort of derision. "Well, I don't have it. Good luck finding one, though, given that they're just a fairy tale."

"I think we both know that it's more than that," the man said softly. "You and your brother are the key that unlocks this decade-old mystery, Alphonse Elric. Either you will come with us peacefully or we will kill everyone here."

Rick took two steps forward and grabbed the tall man with his free hand, slamming him back into the wall as he did so. "I don't like you, and I don't like that you're including my wife in that threat," Rick said, jamming the muzzle of his gun under the Italian's chin. "So maybe you should call off your stooges so we can make a clean exit, and you and your buddy Alphonse here can catch up later."

The man said something quickly in Italian, and Alphonse looked around in consternation as the other men in black dusters and brimmed hats started pulling handguns out from under their long coats. Rick slammed the guy back into the wall again but the damage was done.

There were enough of the men that this was going to get messy very quickly. Alphonse did not hesitate any longer. They needed him alive, after all. It was only a few steps down and the speed gave him momentum as Alphonse slammed his right fist straight into one of the approaching man's face. The suddenness of his maneuver brought the others in closer faster, and he did not look behind him at the retort of Rick's handgun.

"Rick!" Evelyn shouted from the car. She and Sofia had brought down the roll-top, and the car was purring, still in park. Two more men approached Alphonse and he brought them both to their knees easily, one with a snap-kick to the face and the other a short combination of moves that his master had taught him many years ago. The two men hit the sidewalk hard, and then it was Rick who was yelling.

"Get in the goddamned car!"

Alphonse turned to see that Rick had already done so, exchanging his likely out-of-ammunition revolver for a musket. As he was distracted, one of the men attempted to grab him from behind, but Alphonse slammed both of his elbows into the grunt's solar plexus, and sealed that deal with a sharp kick back. Then he was running, his trilby lost to the wind as he leaped to the vehicle. He barely had one foot on the bumper when the man at the wheel accelerated and the car surged forward.

Sofia and Evelyn both grabbed him by the back of the coat, helping him up and over the back of the car as Rick stood upright, seemingly unconcerned by the sway of the vehicle and the rather maniac driving of the man named Jonathan. Alphonse tried to get up but Sofia held him down, and when he looked up at her, her large blue eyes were both worried - and pissed.

Rick sat down in the passenger seat. "They're not following us," he relayed over the back seat. "What the hell was that about?"

Alphonse sought Sofia's hand out and twined their fingers together. "They are after me, they think I've got the Philosopher's Stone."

"The Philosopher's Stone," Evelyn repeated, shocked. "The one that can turn lead into gold?" She shook her head, the wind whipping her tightly coiffed hair into a frenzy. "There's no such thing!"

"Yeah," Alphonse said. "There isn't." He bit his lip, glancing over his shoulder back at the cars as they passed them. No one seemed to be pursuing them; but he did not have time to share everything. "But my father, and to an extent my brother, they both are experts on the Stone. If... if it were possible to make one, they would know how."

"So they came after you," Sofia said. "I knew it, I can't believe it, I knew your brother was bad news-"

"This isn't Edward's fault!" Alphonse's voice came out louder and harsher than what he intended. Sofia had always had a vague, disapproving air when it came to Edward, and now was not the time to set her straight. "We have to get back to the apartment," he said. "There's something important there, if they knew to find me at the museum they know where we live and I need to get to it before they do."

"Are you out of your mind?" Rick said. "They'll be waiting for you."

"It's that important," Alphonse said. "Watch Sofie, I'll go-"

"For fuck's SAKE," Sofia shouted. Alphonse looked at her in shock, she rarely swore. "If you're going back there I'm going with you, Al - I don't know quite what this is about but I'm not letting you go anywhere alone."

Alphonse squeezed Sofia's hand. "I'm sorry," he said.

She tilted her head in close to his, and her eyes were solid. "And once we get this important thing, you are going to tell me everything, Alphonse Elric," she said. "All of it. No more lies."

~ * ~

The street seemed quiet as Jonathan pulled the car onto it. "What is it at your home that is so important?" Evie had asked as Jonathan drove them haphazardly down the side-streets and main thoroughfares of London. They did not appear to have any pursuit, but the way that the man drove ensured that if there was any method of pursuit, they were turned around somewhere completely lost.

"Two diaries," Alphonse said, his amber eyes narrowed as he thought about them. "Travelogues, really. They're a lot more than they seem, and in the right hands they can be very, very dangerous."

"I've seen those," Sofia said, smacking Alphonse's arm. "Your brother's. They're complete nonsense, why would anyone want those?"

"Just trust me," Alphonse said. "We need to get them before the Fascists do. I don't know how much damage could be done with them here, but I'd really rather not have that on my head. Ed will kick my ass."

"What's in those travelogues that the Fascists find so important?" Rick asked, methodically checking the ammunition in each weapon he had and then holstering it.

"Many things," Alphonse said as evasively as possible. "Most of them would be indecipherable to a layperson."

"So the key to creating the Philosopher's Stone, then?"

"One of many," Alphonse said, not startled that Rick had put it all together. "One that needs to be destroyed."

They had ridden in silence from that point on, Sofia's hands wrapped around Alphonse's right arm tightly. He patted her hands awkwardly with his left one, but she refused to release his arm, as if he would run off and leave her behind if she dared to release him. He smiled grimly and covered her hands with his left one.

Jonathan parked the car across from the building that housed their flat. Alphonse extricated his arm from Sofia's grasp as they got out of the car. Rick had girded up for war, several pistols holstered and a musket slung across his back. Alphonse was suddenly quite glad that they were on the same side.

And then the light from one of the windows in their flat came on. Sofia grabbed Alphonse's sleeve, not in fear but in anger. "They're in our HOME," she growled.



"Stay here," Rick told Evie and Sofia as Alphonse crossed the street. Alphonse did not have to count the pairs of footsteps behind him, he knew that Evie and Sofia followed them instantly.

"I'll just stay here and guard the car, then," Jonathan called after as the door to the flats closed behind them.

Alphonse and Sofia lived in a second-story flat; up a flight of stairs and then to see a door sitting, jimmied open. Rick grabbed Alphonse's shoulder before he could storm through the door, and when Alphonse turned his head to look at Rick, Rick offered him a pistol silently.

And then one of the men stepped into the hall.

These weren't the Fascists. He was dressed in all black, and his head snapped to the group wordlessly. Rick leaned a little forward, aiming the pistol he had just offered Alphonse and shooting the man dead effortlessly.

Alphonse shook his head, declining the proffered pistol as the thief's body thumped to the ground noisily. "Well, that just alerted everyone else," he grunted. "We want one of them alive, you know."

"Sure," Rick said. "ONE of them."

The door flapped off of its hinges a little as Alphonse pushed it aside. There were two other men in the main living area of the flat, they had both turned to look toward the door. Alphonse tossed the pistol back to Rick, took two large steps into the room to meet the first of the men head-on with a heavy right hook.



The man staggered backwards, one hand flying to his nose, which was likely broken by the punch. "What are you doing in my HOUSE," Alphonse yelled angrily.

Rick brushed past Alphonse, pistols in either hand and trained on the second man in the room. "Go on, just try something," Rick said sweetly. "And you'll end up just like your friend in the hallway."

"A ninja's duty in life is death," the one Rick had his bead on said calmly. He looked Rick dead in the eye, and then turned and flung himself through the second-story window.

Rick rushed to the window. Glass spilled outward, onto the ledge below the window, and the man had landed awkwardly on the sidewalk below. He could hear the bones snap in his leg from the window. "We've got a runner."

Alphonse, meanwhile, had his thief face-down on the floor, a knee in the center of the man's back. "Check for the diaries," he called to Sofia, who stood just inside the door with a look of horror on her face at the casual violence that was just displayed.

This was what Alphonse had been afraid of - in all the time he had spent with Sofia, she had never had to see what he was capable of. She had seen him practice, certainly, Alphonse hated to let himself fall out of shape and practiced the martial arts his master had taught him before her death without fail. But she had never seen it used, before.

But Sofia nodded her head sharply, and moved to the bookcase, scanning the titles quickly. "In the bedroom too," she called to Evie. Evelyn nodded her head and moved through the door to their bedroom as Sofia pulled one of the travelogues off the shelf. "Got it."

Then Evelyn screamed.

Rick was already out the window and halfway down the drain-pipe after the man who had flung himself to the street below. Alphonse looked down at the man squirming underneath his knee and was about to slam his face into the floor until he was unconscious before Sofia darted through the door to the bedroom after Evie.

"Sofie!" Alphonse called helplessly. There was a crash and a shattering of porcelain, and Alphonse did as he meant do, knocking the man completely unconscious. Then he was up across the floor and through the door of the bedroom himself.

Sofia was standing over a man in black, who was face-down on the floor. There was a surprised expression on her face at the remains of a gorgeous, painted Chinese vase her parents had given them years ago. "I always hated that vase," she said.

Evie had the other travelogue in her hand, she had grabbed it from her attacker. "Are you all right?" Alphonse asked them both.

Sofia nodded breathlessly and Evie nodded as well. "It'll take more than a bunch of bullies in their pajamas to startle us," she said confidentially. "We've got the diaries."

"Good," Alphonse said. "Now let's see who it is who's behind all of this."

Alphonse dragged the unconscious man out of the bedroom and laid him out next to his friend. They were all dressed the same, in foreign black garb. Alphonse frowned considerably - the garb was Oriental in nature, even if the people wearing them were not. That was oddly disquieting.

Rick came in through the door with a disgusted look on his face. "He got away," he announced, the musket slung over his shoulder. "I don't know how he could move that fast given how badly he was bleeding, but I lost him." He crossed his arms. "Probably crawled into the sewer to die."

The man Alphonse had knocked out shifted suddenly, his eyes opening. Alphonse crouched over him. "Good, welcome back," he said. "Why are you after my brother's travelogues?"

"Your brother," the man rasped, his breath whistling through his broken nose. "We have him."

Alphonse swallowed, his blood going cold. "And that's how you knew to come to me for the travelogues," he completed the man's thought. "Where is he?"

The man spat something at him in a language that Alphonse didn't recognize. He grabbed the man's face and slammed the back of his head against the hardwood again, leaving him stunned. "Let's try that again," he said. "In a language I know."

"Trovarlo nella città di Firenze!"

"Florence," Sofia said. "He's in Florence."

Alphonse nodded, Italian was one of the languages he already knew. "Looks like I'm going to Florence," he said.

"Do you think he's still alive?" Sofia's voice was quiet.

"If they have him, it's because of the knowledge in his head," Alphonse said grimly. "And brother won't crack just that easily. I might even be able to get to him before then."

"You're not going after him alone," Rick said.

"Damn straight he's not," Sofia said indignantly. "I'm going with him."

"No, you're not," Alphonse said. "You're going home to your family, Sofie, I don't want you involved in this."

"Excuse me," Sofia said angrily. "You are not just dropping me off like some wayward bit of luggage, Alphonse Elric."

"Sofie, this is going to be really dangerous," Alphonse said gently, taking her hand. "Really, really dangerous."

"So?" She did not seem fazed by this. "If you're going into this very, very dangerous situation, someone's got to be there to watch your back."

Alphonse sighed. "We'll talk about this later."

"If by later, you mean on the plane to Italy, then sure."

Evie chuckled and then patted Alphonse's arm. "You're not going to win this, you know."

Alphonse sighed loudly. "That's what I'm afraid of."

~ * ~

If there was one thing about her husband that Sofia both loved and hated it was how extraordinarily stubborn he was. He had laughed about her irritation at his stubbornness before, telling her that if she thought HE was bad, she should talk to Edward on any given day - but that did not matter to her. She barely knew her husband's brother and quite rightly like it that way. Alphonse belonged to her, after all.

"I don't think we should stay long," Evie's husband said. He was leaning out the broken window with a frown. "The man who got away, he could bring reinforcements."

"I've got to get to Florence," Alphonse said. He had disappeared into their bedroom, probably for a bag. He had collected the travelogues from Evie and her and tucked them both into the inner pocket of his coat.

"You mean we," Sofia called after him angrily.

He returned from the bedroom and she realized he had merely fetched another hat, his favorite trilby lost to the wind out front of the museum. "Sofie-"

"No, you are NOT leaving me behind," she said, ramrod straight and fire in her eyes. She had been nothing but left behind her entire life and she'd be damned if she wasn't at her husband's side for this.



"Fine," Alphonse said. She blinked in surprise - he had acquiesced a whole lot easier than she had anticipated. "But you have got to listen to me, okay, Sophie? I'm not kidding about how dangerous that this is going to be."

She nodded, accepting that - for now. She would be damned if she did not surprise her husband at how useful she could be in a tight situation! Alphonse scratched the back of his head and sighed deeply, looking across their ruined home. "So that just leaves how to get to Florence."

Evie cleared her throat. "I think we can help with that."

Alphonse looked over at her, clearly surprised. Sophia shook her head once. "Oh, ma'am, we couldn't."

"What?" Alphonse looked between them, slightly confused.

"A good friend of ours was going to fly us to Cairo," Evie said. "But I we can make other arrangements, and have him to fly you to Florence. No one will be watching our plane, they'll be watching the passenger flights."

"Evie," Rick said.

"Don't stop me, Rick, it's a good idea." Evie nodded her head sharply, certain of her righteousness. "Besides, since they've seen us all together the Fascists aren't idiots. They'll have a reception waiting in Cairo already."

Rick made an impressed face. "All right. We'll lay down a trail elsewhere - see how long we can get the Fascists to follow us, instead of you guys." He pulled a pistol from his holster and tried offering it to Alphonse again. "You'll need one," he said, when Alphonse held up his hands.

"I don't like guns," Alphonse said.

"Well, I'm not afraid of them," Sofia said, taking the gun from a surprised Rick. She looked the revolver over. "Only six rounds?"

"Sofie?" Alphonse asked.

"My older brothers used to take me with them hunting," she said primly. "I'm not a bad shot." She took the holster that Rick offered her, amused. "I told you I'll have your back, Al."

Alphonse put his arm over her shoulders and kissed the side of her head, amused. "You are just full of surprises, my dear."

Evie clapped her hands. "Let's get you two lovebirds to the airfield," she said. "The faster we get you airborne, the faster we can start laying down a diversionary trail!"