Before anyone brings it up – yes the medicine in this chapter is a little anachronistic. Well, some of it is. One of the medicines I use actually DID exist at the time, from what I can tell – the other didn't, but I needed it for the scene.
I figured it's okay because clearly Amestrian medicine is far more advanced than anything we had in the early 20th Century, so they probably have access to medications that we didn't, because alchemy would've sped things up.
With that said, enjoy the chapter!

. . .

"We have to find him!"

Ed yawned, flipping his hair over his shoulder. "I'm telling you, he's long gone. You should've seen this coming."
He fixed his eyes on Al, who was pacing back and forth in front of him and noticeably distressed. He frowned.

He would never admit it out loud, but Al wasn't the only one who had dared to get his hopes up. Ed himself had flirted with a fleeting thought or two that maybe this would be the time. Maybe this time, he would stay. Maybe this time, Al was right. Maybe this time, it really would be a fresh start.

Those fragile hopes had of course been dashed when the boys had woken up this morning, only to be informed by Pinako that Hohenheim had left.

Again.

He tried not to think about it. Al. He had to focus on what was best for Al. He had to be strong for him, be a shoulder for him to lean on, just like he always had been.
Poor kid hadn't even been old enough to remember when Hohenheim had last left. Ed wasn't a complete asshat; he knew how hard this was on Al.

Down the hall, a door opened just a crack. Ed's eyes flicked over to it.
"He's gone, you can come out now," he called. Al ran from the room.
"Hey- Al!"

The door opened, and Envy emerged. So, that bastard had finally left.
It was about damn time. He had finished off his food late last night, and he was hungry. He just barely caught Edward running after his brother.
Into the kitchen. Great.

He seriously considered going back to his room. He didn't want to deal with this right now.
His stomach disagreed. Groaning, Envy steeled himself to deal with yet another stupid human mess, and entered the kitchen.

By the time he got there, the brothers were already screaming at each other.
"Al, come on-"
"No! Leave me alone! You wanted this, you wanted him to leave! You were talking about it the whole time he was here!"
"Al-"
"It's probably your fault! Don't you think he heard you saying that you didn't want him here?!"
He sank to the ground.
"I hope you're happy. It's not like it matters what I wanted, right?"

Envy couldn't help but notice that at Alphonse's accusations, Edward's face paled. A moment later, he stormed from the room, leaving Envy alone with a sobbing Al.
At first, Envy decided to just ignore him. He was here for a reason, and it wasn't to deal with whatever the hell this was. He had gotten involved in enough Elric drama already, he wasn't doing this again. He went to the cupboard and opened it.

Something tugged at his gut. He cringed.
He had come to recognise this feeling, the longer he had spent with the Elrics. It was, he supposed, whatever broken scraps remained of his conscience. And as much as he wanted to, he couldn't just ignore it. He had learned quite painfully that this wasn't the kind of tug that went away by itself.

"He didn't want him to leave," he said, without even turning to look at Alphonse. The crying silenced.
"What?"
Gritting his teeth, Envy whirled around, and gestured at Alphonse with the box of cereal he had just picked up.
"You should apologise to him for saying that; at least, if you want to get back on good terms with him. You know as well as I do that the Pipsqueak never really wanted that bastard to leave."

Confusion crossed Alphonse's face for just a moment, before he buried himself in his arms again.
"What do you know about it?"
Envy opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again.
He had been about to say 'because I didn't want him to leave either'. But that wasn't true at all. At least, he was sure if he said it enough times, he could make it so.

Instead, he simply shrugged. He brought his cereal down to the table, and started eating it dry.
"You don't have to listen to me. If you'd rather keep fighting with him, be my guest."
They fell into silence for a time, the only sound the crunching of Envy eating.
Eventually, Al joined him at the table. He had wiped the worst of the tears off his face, but he still looked utterly miserable. He sighed, resting his head in his arms.

Envy looked him up and down as he ate.
"If you ask me, the real problem here is you gotta learn to stand up for yourself before it gets to this point."
"Huh?"
"I heard what you said, about you feeling like it doesn't matter what you want. You're right, it doesn't. Because it doesn't matter to you. If you don't prioritise yourself, the hell do you expect anyone else to?"
"I do prioritise myself," he snapped, finally looking up at Envy. Envy simply shook his head.
"No, you don't. You prioritise yourself about as much as the Pipsqueak prioritises his automail. I'll ask again; if you don't put yourself first, why should anyone else?"

He stretched his arms behind his back. "That's why you don't get what you want. You're too busy making sure everyone else has what they want. Keep up like that, you're going to be miserable."
"Yeah, well I'd rather be miserable than selfish."
"What if I told you it's okay to be selfish sometimes? I knew a guy once; most selfish prick in the universe. You'd think someone like him would end up sad and alone, right? Except he wasn't. Somehow, he had more friends at once than I've had in any of my four hundred years. If friends are what you're worried about, don't be."

Al chuckled humourlessly.
"I know who you're talking about. And you're right, he didn't end up sad and alone. He ended up dead."
Envy shrugged. "So does everyone, eventually. If there's one thing I've learned through all this, it's that even Homunculi can't escape that; not forever. Doesn't really matter how selfless and giving you are, that's still coming for you someday. Unless you're banking on an afterlife, but I get the feeling you're not really the type."
"Not really, no."

Envy fixed Al with a calm, serious expression.
"Look; do you know why we're named the way we are?"
"Because you are the thing you're named after?"
"That's not the only reason. We're supposed to be physical representations of the sins all humans have. Pride, for example; you and the Pipsqueak thinking you could beat God at his own game and bring back the dead. Wrath; the way the Pipsqueak acts when people call him a Pipsqueak. Lust-"
"Yeah yeah, I get the point. But if you're trying to say those things are good…"
"I'm not," he said decisively, surprising even himself. "I'm saying they're normal. Everyone wants things, Tin Can. And there's nothing wrong with asking for what you want."

Al rubbed his temple, the beginnings of a headache forming. "I can't believe you're still calling me 'tin can'."
Envy scrunched his nose up. "Yeah come to think of it, it's kind of dated now. Why'd you have to get your body back? Now I have to come up with a new nickname."
"You could just use my name."
"No."
"Okay…"
"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about," Envy pointed out. "You folded straight away; over something as basic and unimportant as me using your name. You're so willing to give up everything, even control over your own identity, just to keep the peace. And then you wonder why stronger personalities like Edward walk all over you. He's not scared to ask for what he wants; he doesn't like what someone's calling him, he's gonna make sure they know that. You should learn that from him."

He got up. "Anyway, I've definitely had my fair share of Elric drama for the day. Therapy session's over. Make up with your brother or don't; it's not my business, Tin Can."
"Alphonse."
Envy's eyes widened slightly; he turned to look at Al, who had fixed him with a slightly snarky expression. He grinned.
"See, that wasn't so hard, was it? Fine, Alphonse. Nickname to be determined."
He headed back towards his room, realising the conversation had given him just as much to think about as it had Al.

You are what you're named after.

Was he?

In the end, it was Ed who ended up seeking Al out. He found him on the couch, deep in thought.
When Al looked up, he could already see the contrition on Ed's face.
"Stop," he said, before Ed could even get a word out. "I know what you're about to say, and it's not your fault."
"No, you were right. The whole time… He was here, I was telling him to get lost. I shouldn't be surprised he actually listened to me."
"That doesn't change the fact that I was really unfair to you. I was angry, okay? And I took that out on you. And I shouldn't have." He rested his chin on his hand, staring at the wall. "I'm supposed to be better than that."

Ed's brow crinkled. He sat down next to Al.
"Why? Why should you be better than that?"
"Because I'm the good one! Everyone knows that. I'm not supposed to lose my temper and scream at people; that's you."
"I'm gonna ignore the implied insult there…"
"Who said it was implied?"

Ed chuckled, punching Al on the shoulder.
"You're human. A human who's been through a hell of a lot. Stop holding yourself to such a high standard. Besides, who raised you again?"
"Hm, you're right. Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised I'm turning out like you."
Ed scruffed up Al's fringe, leaving him to brush it back out of his eyes. "Look, it's going to be okay. We'll get through this just like we always have. Together."
"Together," Al agreed.

And then he coughed.

. . .

"Crap," Winry said, when Ed informed her the next day that Al had come down with a cold. "That idiot. I knew this was going to happen; didn't I say this would happen?"
She, Envy, and Ed were all standing in the kitchen; Al was upstairs resting. His illness wasn't particularly bad yet, but no one wanted to take that chance with how fragile his immune system was.

She started rummaging through her stores, pulling something out. Envy leaned over, reading the label.
"White Pine and Tar, huh? I wouldn't have gone with that, but sure."
She bristled. "Why not?"
"You're a doctor, right?"
"Automail mechanic," she corrected.
"Which requires medical knowledge. So for all intents and purposes, you're a doctor. I'm going to assume that means you know what's in that stuff?"
"Of course I do; it's chloroform."
"Exactly. That's just gonna knock him out. It's not actually going to fix anything. The whole principle behind this stuff is 'you can't cough if you're unconscious'. Personally, I'm not a fan of that."

She put her free hand on her hip, glaring at him. "Okay smart ass; you've got my attention. What would you suggest?"
Envy paused, then spent a moment ruffling through the bottles.
"Here," he said, throwing something at Ed, "give him some of this."
Ed looked at the bottle. "Diphenhydramine?"
"It's usually used for allergies, but it's the closest you've got here. He's still gonna feel like hell, but it should help a little. Plus, he'll still mostly be able to function."

It wasn't long before he noticed both Ed and Winry were staring at him.
"What?" Envy asked, growing uncomfortable.
"You… seem to know a lot about this stuff."
He shrugged.
"I had a stint at a pharmacy once. I learned."

All of a sudden Winry was right in his face.
"You have a background in medicine?" Her eyes were sparkling.
"I guess? Not really. You definitely know more about medicine than I do; I personally just wouldn't be a fan of being knocked unconscious for days."
"How the hell did that happen?" Ed asked. "I can't imagine you were stalking a potential victim at a pharmacy."

"No, you're right," Envy said. "It started with biology, actually. Had to learn that for obvious reasons."
Well, reasons that were obvious to Ed. Envy wasn't sure if Winry had been given a rundown on his powers; he wouldn't be surprised if she had, due to his habit of causing trouble, but he also didn't have his powers.

"Anyway," he continued, "That was back when Greed was still around. Geez, that takes me back. He and I got stuck in this one town for a while; we were on a… mission," he said, choosing his words carefully. "And we both ended up picking up jobs, to keep up appearances."
"Let me guess," Ed said, "He worked at a bar?"
"Yeah; how'd you know?"
"He seemed to have a penchant for it."
"And I worked at a pharmacy," Envy finished. "It seemed like a useful skill at the time, to go along with the biology."
He cringed silently at the reminder of why it had seemed useful. He had assumed that wound had closed; he supposed not.

Winry looked over the bottle one last time, before rolling her eyes.
"Fine, Mister Pharmacist. I'll give you a shot, we'll see if this actually pans out. If not, we're doing it my way."
She stomped upstairs to apply the medicine. Envy sank to one of the kitchen seats.
It wasn't until Ed spoke that he realised he hadn't left.

"You were close, huh?"
Envy glared at him.
"Aren't you worried about your brother?"
"Not particularly," Ed said, flopping down into another chair nearby, "Two of the best doctors I know live in this house!" He flashed his automail arm at Envy. "They're the ones who gave me these. Al will be just fine if those two have anything to say about it."

Envy rolled his eyes, staring at the ceiling.
"I assume you're referring to Greed. No, we weren't particularly close. He did abandon us; though that shouldn't have surprised anyone; he was like that."
"Yeah, I'm not buying that."
"Why the hell not?"
"Because," Ed answered, his tone completely level, "You're getting angry talking about it. Clearly when he left, it affected you at least a little."

"Well it did bring up some uncomfortable Hohenheim reminders," he shot back. Ed flinched.
"I never thanked you, by the way."
He looked at Ed for the first time, confused.
"What for? Eating your food, terrorising your girlyfriend, or putting your job at risk?"
"First of all, not my job anymore. I retired. Second, Al told me about your conversation with him. I know we fight a lot, but we do talk to each other sometimes."

Envy felt his cheeks heat up. He quickly found himself looking away again.
"Whatever. It's not like I care or anything. I was just getting a headache from the shouting."
If Envy didn't know better, he would've thought Ed chuckled. "Of course. I wouldn't expect any less."
They fell into an awkward silence, and Envy was just about considering leaving when Ed spoke next.

"Anyway, I'm sorry. About Greed. I didn't mean to-"
"You did," Envy said, "Let's not kid ourselves. But I'm not holding a grudge if that's what you're worried about; at least, no more than usual. Like I said, Greed and I had a falling out. And honestly, he kinda had it coming. I always knew that guy was going to get himself killed someday…"
"Really?"
"Yeah," Envy said with a smirk, "I just assumed it would be with a bottle of beer in his hand and a pretty girl on his lap. I'm sure he thought the same. But that just goes to show, life doesn't always work out the way we planned."
"No," Ed said, staring at the homunculus sitting in his kitchen, "No, it doesn't."

. . .

Winry was able to get away with babying Al for exactly three and a half days before he finally snapped. Ed was hardly surprised when it happened; Al had always fought for his independence, ever since they were children and their mother had wanted him to stay with Ed when they were out together. More often than not Al's immediate response had been to rebel and run off, forcing Ed to abandon his plans and search for him for fear of getting in trouble at home. Which inevitably caused a fight, which led to both of them getting in trouble anyway.

Despite the shouting upstairs – the argument one of those rare ones between Al and Winry, rather than himself and Winry – Ed found himself smiling at the memory. He wasn't sure if Al had picked up his rebellious streak from him, or simply from being the baby of the family – but it had always been there, just more cleverly hidden than Ed's own.

His smile turned to a frown a moment later when, no longer content to yell at Winry, Al actually stormed downstairs and made for the door. Ed was no idiot; he was all for Winry leaving Al alone (and would certainly recommend as much to her), but he knew Al shouldn't be outside when he was already ill.
He started to stand, calling after Al in what he hoped was a reasonable Big Brother tone – only for Al to completely ignore him, slamming the door behind him.
Ed turned to Winry, who had run down the stairs after Al, crossing his arms.
"The hell did you say to him?"

Al strode down the path, idly hoping the others wouldn't be too angry with him when he returned. He knew he was taking a risk, but he needed to get out of there for a while; for his own sanity at least. Between Winry, Pinako, and Ed, he didn't think he could take it anymore.
Especially since he was still trying to come to terms with his father's abandonment. He hated to admit it, but the more optimistic side of him was still desperately hoping Hohenheim would return. He didn't want to give up. Not yet.
Even though he remembered how well his stubborn loyalty had gone down the last time, it wouldn't leave him alone.

Not watching where he was going carefully enough, he walked into someone on the path. Staggering back, he apologised profusely as his head snapped up to look at them-

He stopped, noticing an incredibly familiar face that he had never expected to see again.
Lyra?

He hadn't seen the young woman since Dante's manor. For a moment, he was relieved. After what Ed had described had happened there, he wasn't sure if Lyra had made it out alright. Especially since no one had ever heard from her again after that.
His relief turned quickly to fear, however, as he more clearly registered Lyra's face.
Her lips were curled into a warm smile; but her eyes were telling a very different story, two cold stones set into her face as if they had been placed over the eyes of a corpse.
Every single alarm in Al's body went off. Something was horribly wrong.

He turned to run, without even really thinking about it. Not because he recognised the exact source of the danger just yet; while he was aware something was wrong, he couldn't quite pin-point what. His most primal fears had been activated in a way he was very unfamiliar with; having spent the most dangerous years of his life in a metal suit, and in that moment he was a terrified child running to his older brother for comfort.
He heard Lyra clap behind him. Had just enough time to register what that meant. Felt the spark of alchemy and luckily for him, his brain put two and two together fast enough.

He dodged just as hands came crawling out of the earth to take hold of him, narrowly avoiding their grasp. He spun back to face her, hands automatically shooting up into a defensive position.
"What are you doing? I thought we were past this! You seemed like you'd changed last time I saw you!"
The smile on Lyra's face widened.
"So you haven't figured it out? Well, that's certainly convenient for me."
Al desperately searched his brain, trying to figure out what she meant by that. What was he missing?
Then something clicked.

"When did you see the gate? You clapped just now. You could never do that before. Even at Dante's house, you were still using circles."
The smile finally dropped to a dissatisfied frown.
"You Elric brothers really are too clever for your own good. Someday, that's going to get you in trouble."
She clapped again, touching the ground and sending more earthen hands. Al barely managed to avoid them a second time, his shirt getting caught for a second before he pulled it free. He started fumbling in his pockets for chalk, or anything at all that he could use.
"What do you want?"
"See, I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. I really was. If I had had my way, this would have been over a long time ago. But that damn brother of yours just had to be stubborn."
"Ed? What are you talking about?"
"Just had to stick to his morals, didn't he? Had to find a way of returning your body without using a stone?"

Al looked down at himself, then back at her. He took a cautious step back.
"How do you know about that?"
She slowly advanced, attempting repeatedly to trap him. He was dodging for now, but he couldn't keep this up forever. And he had yet to find anything in his pockets that he could use to draw.
Even if he could, he wasn't sure he could keep up with someone who could just clap. He had seen that work out in Ed's favour hundreds of times.
Ed. He had to come looking for him eventually… right?

Suddenly, her eyes flicked in a different direction, now staring behind Al. He breathed a tentative sigh of relief; it was Ed. It had to be.
Her expression deepened into something resembling disappointment.
"Ah. I was hoping the information I'd received from Lust was wrong. It seems you are running around with the Elric brothers, after all."
Al turned. He was right; Ed had come for him. But he wasn't alone. Envy was standing frozen to the spot, his face a picture of total shock.

. . .

Envy couldn't think. Couldn't breathe.
Hohenheim had been bad enough; but he would take that bastard back in an instant if it meant he wouldn't have to see her. Hell, part of him, deep inside, was begging the man to show up unexpectedly to save the day.
But then, when had those prayers ever been answered before?

Her attention seemingly having shifted completely away from Al, she sized Envy up from a distance. He felt her eyes on him, and the all-too familiar shame came rushing back.
He had started to feel, after all this time, as if maybe he had escaped her. But just with one single glance, she had stripped away every inch of his newfound confidence.
Did she really still hold so much power over him?

"Envy." The voice was calm, soft, alluring in all the worst ways. He had been trained like a dog to respond to that tone, and even now it hadn't lost its effect. "Forget all of this nonsense and come home. I have a special job just for you; it's tailored to your skill set. Of course, if you continue to behave so childishly, I might just have to give it to someone else…"

And in that moment, he genuinely considered it. The fragile ties he had built to the Elric brothers fell
to shreds on the floor, and he thought of nothing more than walking over to her and re-joining his real family. She had said she had a special task just for him, one tailored specifically to his skills…

His skills. The skills, he was reminded suddenly, that he didn't currently have. Would she still have him, if she knew?
Maybe she would. He didn't really know she wouldn't. Hope flared in his chest; maybe he could still go home.
Edward's voice finally got his attention.
"Don't do it, Envy! She's using you, and you know it! She ran you ragged, had you on the verge of death and she didn't even care! You really think she'll still want you when she finds out the truth?"

"Do you really believe them over me," Dante countered smoothly. Her face was impassive and her voice was still that calming purr; only the glint in her eyes gave away that she was at all curious about this 'truth' Ed had mentioned.
"All they've ever done is attack you and hurt you. All their father has done is attack you and hurt you. I am the only person who has ever been there for you. I would caution you against throwing that away; it's a rough world to face alone."

Her own words ended up betraying her. They achieved their desired effect; Envy was hit instantly by the logic of her words, the pain and anger of Hohenheim's rejection – but something she had said made him stop.
"That's not true at all."
"What?"
He shook his head, having to pull his hair back out of his face.
"You said all the Elrics have done is hurt me. Oh but that makes sense; Lust didn't know, did she? She wasn't around long enough. She wouldn't have told you that they saved my life, even though I was their enemy. That they've done nothing since then but care for me and try to protect me from harm. What would you have said to me if you'd known that? What lie would you have come up with to pull me away from them?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're being ridiculous."
He scoffed. "I don't think I am. You almost had me, too. Thanks for saying that; you've given me the chance to think clearly for the first time since you got here."
He took a step towards her. "That's your pattern. First it's the 'I won't be mad' act. Then you bring up Hohenheim. You threaten me. You've done it every single time, since I was born. My sin, my jealousy; you've been using it against me this whole time!" He grabbed his head as if he could squeeze the emotion out. A hollow laugh escaped him.
"And I've been stupid enough to fall for it!"

He didn't miss the brief flash of pity that went through Al's eyes. He only imagined Ed had the same response.

Dante sighed.
"Fine, it seems you're determined to continue behaving this way. I'll simply do what I came here for." She turned back to Al. Both Ed and Envy reacted violently.
"What do you want with the kid?"
"If you lay a hand on my brother…"
Envy shot Ed a glance, a question in his eyes that was too dangerous to ask aloud.
Can you?
The hopelessness Ed reflected back was the only answer he needed.
No.

Dante clapped again, and this time Al was too slow. He yelped as his hands were pulled back behind him, struggling to free himself to no avail.
Envy was closer. He started running.
Dante shot him a side glance, then pulled something out of her pocket. She lifted it up, brandishing it at him.

In an instant, every bit of energy was drained from his body. The shock to his system made him drop to his knees, panting heavily.
"Damn you," he managed.
"You should have thought of that earlier. I taught you better than that," she chided. She looked over at Ed, smiling.
"It seems you've lost your motivation to create a stone. I would just find another alchemist, but the others haven't been successful with any new leads yet. And thanks to Hohenheim's pathetic attempt to stop me, I was finally able to find you."
All three reacted to the news simultaneously with shock.

"Hohenheim- he- what?" Ed barely managed to sputter out.
He had left… to stop her? Envy's mind was spinning. He had left to stop her!
But where was he? Why was she still here?
His stomach dropped.
Hohenheim wasn't coming. And it wasn't his fault this time.

"So I suppose if there's no demand for a Philosopher's Stone around here, I'll just have to create some." She pulled the thin metal belt from around her waist. With another clap it became a knife.
"How does your brother's death sound to you?"
Ed's voice became a panicked shriek; and the irony was that only Envy truly understood why. Even if Dante successfully murdered Al, she wouldn't get what she wanted out of Ed.
Ed had already started moving; but he was too far away. There was no way. Envy was half that distance. But he couldn't fight; not while that bitch was holding that.

A terrible idea came to him.

Would he really? Could he? The whole reason he was in this mess in the first place was because of his self-preservation instinct, and it was an awfully big gamble. One he wasn't at all sure he could win.
Dante moved forwards to strike. Ed screamed. Al closed his eyes and held his breath.
Envy made his decision.

Using what little strength he had, he forced his shaky legs to support his weight. Just a few seconds… that was all he needed. He couldn't fight; no way in hell. But he wasn't planning to.
He made it just in the nick of time, the weight of Dante's secret weapon so oppressive it almost pushed him to the ground a second time.

He gritted his teeth as a searing pain tore into his chest.

He fell to the ground as the pressure was removed, coughing on the blood rising in his throat. Seconds later, a commotion started right above him as Ed presumably joined the fight.
Envy, however, was unable to focus on any of it. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, and his head was starting to pound in time to it.

A spark fizzed to life in his chest, right where the blade had pierced him. He didn't have the energy to register what it meant.
He slipped into darkness.

. . .

Don't worry, this is not the final chapter! This is not where the story ends. I will tell you when the story ends.
See you guys next time!