Hello! I had this idea for a Halloween two-shot, so I hope you enjoy it!

I just have to say that I could not have done this without Akarri! She helped me write this little tale and had some excellent input. I highly suggest checking out her stellar fanfics if any of you haven't already.

Neither Akarri nor I own Fullmetal Alchemist. It's probably best if it remains that way.

The chilly fall air whipped through Riza's hair as she stood in line at the ticket booth. She almost stumbled over when something ran into her legs.

"I'm so sorry, ma'am!" a young woman desperately apologized as she grabbed her child's shoulders. "She was so excited for the festival that she bolted the second we got out of the car, I almost couldn't keep up!"

The First Lieutenant smiled warmly.

"It's quite all right!" she assured. She knelt down before the young girl. "What are you supposed to be?"

"I'm a witch!" the little girl giggled.

She was practically bouncing in place, causing her pointed hat to fall off. Riza picked up her hat and placed it back on her head.

"Well, you're a very pretty witch! I'm sure you'll get lots of candy tonight!"

"Since she's so eager, why don't you all go ahead of us?"

The girl now looked up to the boy standing next to Riza. Her eyes gleamed at the sight of an automail hand.

"Wow! Are you a robot?"

Much to Riza's surprise, Ed just laughed and gave the girl a thumbs up.

"Yes I am! Robots are pretty cool, aren't they?"

The child nodded vigorously. Riza straightened up and placed a hand on Ed's shoulder as the two took a step back.

"What do you say?" the young woman asked as she and her daughter took their new place in line in front of the two.

"Thank you!"

Riza grinned and turned to Ed.

"That was very kind of you."

Her grin widened a bit when she saw a slight blush creeping up his face. Before he even had the chance to mutter some sort of response, Ed stumbled forward as one of the boys behind them got shoved into the young alchemist.

"Sorry!" the kid said, not even glancing back to Ed.

Ed grumbled some acknowledgment of the apology before moving slightly closer to the First Lieutenant. Riza peeked back behind them. A group of three boys had filed in line behind them. Two of them looked to be just a couple of years younger than Ed.

"Quit pushing me!" one complained. "You're going to get us kicked out of line! We won't even get in the festival!"

The corners of her mouth quirked into a frown when she looked back to Ed, a part of her wishing he could have the same care-free spirit the boys behind them had. A part of her wished they were actually here to participate in East City's Halloween Festival.

"He's right you know." Riza glanced back when she heard the third boy in the group speak, noticing how much older he looked than the rest. "You better start behaving, or Ellen Drake will get you next!"

A chill ran down Riza's spine, and it wasn't because of the cold autumn wind. She and Ed stepped closer to the ticket counter as the line moved forward. She felt Ed stiffen beside her, knowing he was thinking the exact same thing.

How could someone joke about that?

It only happened a couple of years ago. Colonel Mustang's unit hadn't even been assigned to investigate the initial case, but nearly everyone at headquarters in East City had heard about it.

A call came in on Halloween night from a man saying his girlfriend showed up at his door covered in blood and holding a knife. Apparently he'd shut and locked the door instantly to make the call. By the time military personnel arrived, she was gone.

Ellen Drake and her son's bodies washed up on the shore of the lake just ten miles west of East City a couple days later.

Riza would never forget hearing the story from the officers that interviewed Ellen's boyfriend. Apparently, the two had been dating for a while. He took her to dinner the night before Halloween, and she brought up the idea of them getting married. The boyfriend didn't think it was a good idea at the time because her son had just transferred schools and was struggling to adjust and he didn't think such a big change would be good during this time for the kid.

The next night, he had just gotten home from work when Ellen showed up at his door covered in blood. He claimed that she admitted to killing her son so they wouldn't have to worry about him and they could be together for the rest of their lives. Understandably, the boyfriend called the authorities immediately.

Riza recalled seeing the crime scene photos and reading the autopsy reports from the briefing just a few days ago. Ellen's son suffered ten stab wounds before his body was dumped in the lake. The First Lieutenant still got angry every time she thought about it.

He was only fifteen. He was Ed's age…and his life was so cruelly ripped away from him by someone he trusted.

According to the reports, Ellen simply drowned. There were no marks on her body to indicate any sort of struggle. After the interview with her boyfriend and reading the coroner's report, the investigators concluded that Ellen Drake threw herself in the lake to drown after truly realizing what she had done.

Riza barely suppressed the shiver as she and Ed stepped forward.

How could any woman do that to her own child?

She wished the story ended there.

A few weeks after the murder, an officer from the investigation leaked a few of the crime scene photos, one of which was just of Ellen herself taken when military personnel arrived at the lake once the bodies were discovered. She was just lying on the ground, her once light blue dress dirtied by the lake water. Despite the dress being completely drenched, the dark red spots staining the dress were still visible. These photos circulated in newspapers across East City for weeks.

Riza really wished the story ended there.

The following Halloween, another body washed up on the shore of that very lake. The victim was fourteen-years-old and had ten stab wounds to his stomach, just like Ellen Drake's son. She had been foolish to think it might just be a coincidence.

Last Halloween, just a year ago, there was yet another victim. The kid was only sixteen. After interviewing the victims' families, military personnel learned that both boys had been taken at East City's Halloween Festival.

"Is everything all right?"

Riza looked down at Ed, the young alchemist staring up at her curiously. Tickets now in hand, the two walked through the entrance to the festival.

"Everything's fine," she assured automatically.

Ed glanced around through the sea of people walking around to the seemingly endless tents and vendors, but the First Lieutenant held her gaze on the teen for just a moment longer. She put a hand on his shoulder to get his attention and leaned in so he could hear her over the roar of the crowd.

"Just stay close to me. Do you understand?"

Ed nodded instantly, knowing better than to disobey an order from Lieutenant Hawkeye. She now joined him in scanning the crowd.

A few friends of the second victim came forward a couple weeks ago. They all reported seeing a woman in a light blue dress with red stains wandering around the festival. They didn't speak up initially because they said they didn't think anything of it, but eventually decided to report it.

Riza understood their hesitation. Perhaps they partially felt responsible for their friend's death. The last that they saw him, he was heading to see the magic show the festival put on every year and they lost him in the crowd. Once the killer had set his sights on their friend, there wasn't anything they could have done, but she knew that didn't make them feel any better.

There was another part of her that thought they might have hesitated because of how ridiculous it sounded. After talking with some of the vendors present at the festival, only a couple saw a costume with those kids' description. Apparently, very few people saw the woman. Either someone simply had a very sick idea to dress up as Ellen Drake for Halloween and decided to make a quick appearance at the festival, or it might be a bit darker than that.

They might be looking for a copycat.

Considering both victims suffered the exact same fate as Ellen Drake's son, that was a possibility.

Children weaved in and out of the crowd, causing Riza and Ed to nearly stumble on a number of occasions. She caught sight of Breda trying to navigate through the crowd as well, briefly making eye contact with her. He gave a slight nod in their direction, and she returned the gesture.

Nothing yet.

General Grumman put the Colonel in charge of catching the killer, adamant that there would not be a third victim this year. Military personnel was already stationed at the lake just outside of the city, enough to secure nearly the entire perimeter. Several other officers, including the Colonel, were surrounding the outside of the festival in hopes of catching the killer before they even had a chance to get to the lake.

Both Second Lieutenants Breda and Havoc were ordered to investigate within the festival, along with Riza and Ed. She glanced back down to Ed, noticing it was odd to not see him in his trademark red cloak. She inwardly. Ed must have thought it just as weird to see her and Breda in civilian clothes.

"What the hell?" she heard Ed mutter.

"What is it?" she asked, trying to follow his gaze.

She couldn't see anything, and Ed wasn't answering her. Without a word, he bolted through the sea of people.

"Ed!" she instinctively yelled as she tried to follow him toward a stage at the north end of the festival.

She successfully kept track of the teen for a while. She briefly glanced at the stage when a man walked onto it.

"All right, everyone!" the announcer addressed the crowd. "Our show will begin in just ten minutes! I hope you all are ready!"

Cheers resounded throughout the sea of people, and even more shuffled closer to the stage. Unfortunately, this made it more difficult to follow Ed. She eventually made it to the edge of the crowd, this being the last direction she saw Ed heading….

…but he wasn't here.

She spun around, trying to catch a glimpse of the young alchemist.

"Ed?"

She ran along the outside of the crowd, hoping to see a kid with a long, blond braid.

"Lieutenant?" someone hissed.

She turned to see Breda, immediately grabbing his arm.

"Have you seen Ed?" she asked.

The Second Lieutenant's eyes widened, but he shook his head. Riza's heart pounded in her chest. Havoc soon joined the two and he instantly noticed the worried looks of his comrades.

"Where's the Chief?"

Riza swallowed with difficulty, her throat seeming to close up.

Ed was gone.

*break*

Ed swerved through the excited crowd, paying no mind to the clamor around him.

How could no one else hear it? Are they just not listening? Are they too oblivious from their own happiness to notice it?

He caught it for only a fraction of a second, but he was sure he heard a child's scream. It was so brief and quickly obscured by the roaring crowd, but something deep and instinctual chilled him to the core when he heard it. It was a scream of panic and fear. He knew he agreed to stay by Hawkeye's side, but he didn't have time to wait for the others to hear it too. He had to act immediately.

I can't lose my only chance to do something!

One quick glance behind him confirmed his worries that she wouldn't be able to keep up now that the crowd was streaming against him to get closer to the stage, but he just needed to check. He'd be right back. No harm done.

The horde of people thinned as he reached the edge of the festival grounds that were lined with colorful tents. That color faded with the bright energy of the crowd as he ducked past them, eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary.

The area claimed by the festival ended abruptly as he turned around a tent to look down a dark, lifeless street, as if the energy of the festival behind him sucked it dry. In comparison, there was a foreboding air about it that made Edward pause, hesitant to go out any further. If someone was truly in danger, he couldn't afford to run around blindly through the city.

Edward's attention swerved to the side when the sound of a quiet shuffle caught up with him. A shadow moved through the darkness and he was sure he heard a deep voice grumbling just a little ways off. After sparing only a moment to glance back up at the oblivious crowd behind him in a vain hope to see Hawkeye appear there, he steeled himself and swiftly went further through the buildings and around a corner, quickly obscuring him from view.

He wasn't sure if he should expect the serial killer they were after, or just a lost child that didn't know which way was up, but it didn't really matter either way. Careful to keep his balance through the cluttered alleyway, Edward hurried to get to the next intersection, searching every which way for movement.

He paused and quickly glanced behind him again towards the festival grounds. The glow of the lanterns stretched down the street highlighted building corners, causing the surroundings shadows to appear twice as dark. He could still easily hear the incomprehensible mixture of voices easily, but they too had somewhat faded.

He listened for that voice again, blocking out the festival completely. Edward was sure it was from this direction. It was possible he could have passed someone, he supposed….

Then a gruff mumble caught his ear and he quickly pivoted around, breath held tightly in his throat as he peered into the darkness between the buildings. Edward instinctively lowered himself and crept up behind a nearby dumpster. He could make out a figure in the darkness that had their back turned to him and were crouching down.

Ed paused, hoping to get a better look of the guy before jumping him. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he could better make out the details, such as the long blond hair and the light blue dress. He hesitated, freezing to the spot as he tried to work out what was going on.

The figure then stood up with a quiet, irritated groan, giving Edward a better view of the lean muscle that shown through the dress. He watched silently as they rose a hand to their head to somehow readjust the blond hair as if it were only a wig.

Wearing a light blue dress and a wig and lurking in the city's shadows on Halloween night...

A cold chill ran down Edward's spine as he connected the pieces with ease; this was the serial killer he was looking for, even going so far as to dress for the part.

Before the young alchemist could regather his nerve, the costumed man took a step over something and began walking away, slipping into a thin alley. Edward would have wondered why, but his mind was already wrapped around beating him up. However, he rose from his hiding spot and all thoughts of moving immediately disappeared. On the dirty city ground, where the killer was crouching, remained the limp, bloodied body of a child. The sight winded him, but he somehow managed to step closer until he was staring directly down at it.

A boy, no younger than thirteen, stared back at him, glassy-eyed and stricken with horror. That empty, haunted expression dug into Edward and he felt it pierce his chest. The kid was soaking in his own blood, with what Ed grimly assumed to be ten stab wounds scattered around his torso.

Edward didn't know him, but his shoulder slackened with the weight of guilt.

It was my job to keep this from happening. If I had just been a little more attentive…if I had just been a little faster, maybe…I could have stopped this. It was my job to, damn it!

Fists clenched by his sides, Edward shut his eyes, unable to look upon the grisly sight any longer. But even so, he could still smell the blood and the fearful scream he heard just a minute ago cycled through his ears.

He needed to get out of there. He needed to find the bastard who did this, or maybe get backup, and then—

The sound of quiet footsteps crushing dying autumn leaves hit his ears. Edward's eyes shot open as he spun around just in time to see the same lightly dressed figure spring towards him, wrapping a strong arm around his neck before he could strike back. In the sudden chaos, he tried to break free from the hold by kicking the murderer away. But before he could free himself, he felt a very distinct cold prick on his neck. He kicked against his attacker's chest, and was then released to fall back against the hard ground, an arms length away from the child's corpse.

He looked up at the man, dully noticing the lean muscle that was almost overlooked from a different angle. The man looked down on him with cold, empty eyes that screamed of murderous intentions and chilled Edward to the bone. Almost immediately, every nerve in his body demanded that he run, but a dizzy wave washed over his head, forcing him to doubt his abilities to do so.

"You weren't supposed to see that," the man said, his dark voice mismatching his appearance. "But you'll work just as well."

At those words and the knowing smirk that accompanied them, Edward's mind went blank of all thoughts besides run. And so he scrambled to stand, his movements noticeably hindered by whatever was injected into his bloodstream. The killer didn't seem too worried as he somehow got to his feet and charged disorientated through the alley.

I have to find Hawkeye…I have to tell her….

His feet quickly began to fail him and he tripped twice as he approached the corner that lead back to the festival grounds. He could make out the warm glow and the nearing chatter, so close but way too far. The distant light began to dim, darker and darker until he felt a powerful hand wrap around his wrist, and the light went out completely.

Well, there it is! Part two is already almost complete and will be posted next week before Halloween! Then I'll get back to working more on my other two fics, I swear. Until then!