Elicia and Cross-Chapter 6

At the carnival, the place was busy and had more than enough people for Cross’ liking.  He hated crowds but he knew that Elicia and Winry needed some fun so he figured he’d bear it for a while.  Elicia grabbed Al’s hand and dragged him to the merry-go-round.  Ed, Winry and Cross sat on a bench to watch Elicia and Al on the ride.  Winry smiled when they went by but her face fell back into a frown; and it didn’t go unnoticed by Ed.
“Winry?  Everything ok?”
“Not really.  I’m running out of time and options.”
Winry buried her head in her hands again.  Ed began to fidget a little bit; he wasn’t used to dealing with situations like this.  Even Cross sensed something was wrong.  He thought about how he could escape; he didn’t need to stick around anyway.  This was just temporary.  But a part of him hesitated; why?  He didn’t need them; sure they gave him a place to sleep and food but he could find that on his own.  But that little girl, he had a feeling she’d be heart-broken if he left.  Why did she care?  More importantly, why did he care?  He then heard Elicia’s laugh as she and Al came back to Winry and Ed.
“Winry!  You should try to ride it!  It’s fun,” Elicia cried enthusiastically.
“That’s ok, you go ride it.”
“No!  You should ride it!  And Ed, too!”
“I don’t do spinning rides,” said Ed.
“Come on, brother.  Just this once,” Al retorted.  “We’ll sit here and watch you guys.”
Ed and Winry looked at each other and back at the two puppy dogged faces looking back at them.  They finally relented and took their place in line.  They didn’t want to sit on the horses, so they found a carriage seat for the two of them.  Winry sat on the right while Ed sat to her left.  There was barely enough room for both of them so they had to sit very close to one another.  They both blushed and soon the ride started.  Ed happened to look out and saw a blur of faces and it made his head spin even more than it was now.  Winry could tell he wasn’t doing well.
“Hey, focus on me,” she said softly and a gentle smile.
Ed turned his golden eyes toward her blue ones.  He felt his breath had been sucked out of his lungs.  He knew that Winry was pretty but he never really looked at her face this close.  She was more than pretty, she was gorgeous.
“Wow,” he whispered.
“What,” she said back confused.
“Uh, nothing,” he said blushing and look toward the floor.
Meanwhile, Havoc, Breda and Fuery were watching from a far; keeping a close eye on Cross and the people he was with.
“So how do we get him away from them,” asked Breda.
“We could try the treat lure again,” said Fuery.
“No, he’s too smart to fall for the same trick twice,” said Havoc.
"There's too many people around. I'd say we wait till it's the end of the day when they are tired and then we grab him," said Breda.
"We'll keep an eye on them and let you know when to strike," came a familiar voice behind them.
They turned to see Riza and Sheska.
"You sure about that," asked Havoc.
"I think we can handle it. You guys just keep out of sight."
Riza and Sheska went over to a bench that was close to where Elicia and Al were sitting. Cross was in Elicia's lap being petted. Part of him felt a little humiliated but, it sure felt nice.
"You know, my sister likes your brother."
"Yeah?  Well I think my brother likes your sister."
"They need to get together.  And I have a way to do it."
"Oh really?  How."
Riza was doing her best to try to listen in while Sheska managed to sneak away to make a phone call.
"It's about time!  I need an update on your progress!"
It was High Councilwoman Armstrong.
"I'm doing the best I can ma'am. It's hard to keep up with everything. We are getting close to capturing it."
"You better be.  Otherwise I'll be in need of a new assistant."
After she hung up, Sheska made her way back to Riza.
"Where were you?"
"Just taking care of some business."
As the day wore on, Al and Elicia did their best to make sure that Ed and Winry rode rides together.  On the roller coaster, Winry grabbed Ed's hand and buried her face in his chest. On the Sudden Drop ride, Ed kept his focus on Winry so he wouldn't get dizzy.  Cross was getting very confused by it all. Why was Elicia and Al going out of their way to get Winry and Ed together?  It made no sense to him. He also didn't understand why Elicia wouldn't let him out of her sight and sometimes let him lick her ice cream and eat the rest of her hot dog and then scratch his head. Why was she being so nice him?  Havoc never treated him like this. He just thought of him as an object, something to be observed.  As confused as he was, he felt strangely happy. He was happy that someone cared for him like this. Like, he could belong with them. But with him being stubborn and prideful, he felt that he needed to run before he got too attached to them.  It was close to sunset when Elicia decided to she wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel. She of course would ride with Al and Cross while Ed and Winry rode together.  Ed and Winry's car stopped when it was at the top and they could see the view of Risembol.
"Wow, what an amazing view," awed Winry.
"Yeah, amazing," said Ed.  He wasn't looking at the scenery.
"Ed?  Are you ok?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine."
"You've been acting weird all day."
"Weirder than my brother and your sister?  Why did they make us ride those rides together?"
"Yeah, I wonder."
There was a brief moment of silence between them before Ed decided to speak up.
"Do you feel better?"
"What?"
"I mean, you looked like you had a rough day before. Are you feeling better?"
Winry thought about it. Sure the job hunting wasn't a complete success but it's been one day; surely an opportunity would turn up.
"Well, I'm still worried but I can't give up. I have to keep trying."
"You know Al and I can help you if you need it."
"I'll try to remember that," said Winry as she smiled at him. Suddenly her mind shifted to her dream the other night of Ed. Instantly, her face turned red which made Ed confused.  Meanwhile down below, Elicia, Al and Cross where sitting on a bench eating hot dogs waiting for the two lovebirds to come down.
"You think they're kissing up there," asked Elicia.
Al spat his hot dog out.
"What do you know about that," he asked.
"I read her diary once. She's had some weird dreams about your brother. Especially one involving them in a bed together."
"I think you shouldn't read that anymore. At least till you're older."
Elicia just shrugged it and continued to eat. Cross held a very confused look on his face.  Not too far away, Sheska was doing her best to contain her laughter.
"What an interesting child," she remarked.
"Yes, I just hope things turn out better for them," lamented Riza. "And maybe a certain someone shows them some compassion for their situation."
"You mean that social worker?"
"Did I hear my name?"
Riza and Sheska turned to see Roy standing behind them with two ice cream cones in his hand.
"Are you following me," asked Riza.
"No, I'm keeping an eye on my case. Seeing you here is a bonus for me.  Care to join me for a bit?  I can't eat both of these myself."
Sheska nudged Riza forward.
"What are you?"
"It's ok," Sheska whispered. "I can watch them. And Breda and the others are nearby.  Just go."
Sheska gave Riza another push and then followed Roy to a different bench."
"So what brings you to this festival of fun," asked Roy.
"Oh, places like these remind me of the times I had with my dad."
"He still around?"
"No, he passed away a few years ago."
"I'm sorry."
"No, no, it's ok.  I have to focus on the good memories otherwise I would not have been able to move on."
"That makes sense."
Roy and Riza continued to look at each other. Riza was starting to get worried. She's never been this open about herself to anyone; so why him?  A stranger no less.  And what's with that goofy grin?  Meanwhile, Fallmon and the scar faced man were looking on.
"Are you sure about this," questioned Fallmon. "She's just a little kid."
"If we're going to get it, we'll have to get them both. And besides, if we let her go she tell the authorities and we can't have that."
"I didn't sign up to kidnap children."
"You will do as your told or I will drop you off back at that God-forsaken frozen prison."
Fallmon and the scarred faced man continued to watch Elicia, Al and the creature.
"I'm thirsty," said Elicia.
"Ok, I'll got get some lemonade. Wait right here ok," replied Alphonse as he walked to a drink stall.
This was Havoc and the others chance to grab the creature, but the scarred faced man and Fallmon also took the chance.
"I'm going for it," said Havoc.
"Be careful," said Breda.
Just as Havoc approached Elicia and Cross, he spotted Fallmon just inches away.
"Wait," Havoc cried.
Elicia looked and saw Fallmon grab Cross.  She screamed at him but then, the scarred faced man grabbed her and put his hand over her mouth.  Both Fallmon and the scarred faced man ran off.  Al heard Elicia screams and tried to go after them. Al called his brother Ed to let him know Elicia was in trouble.  Meanwhile, Sheska witnessed the kidnapping and ran to tell Riza.
"Riza!  We have problem!"
"What's the matter?!"
"They took her!  Along with the creature!"
"What?!  That idiot Havoc!"
"It wasn't Havoc!  Someone else has been after them!"
"Is there something wrong," asked Roy.
"I'm sorry, but I gotta go," said Riza as she and Sheska ran off.
Cross was struggling in Fallmon's arms and Elicia squirmed in her captors grasp.
"Hey!  Let her go!"
Fallmon and the scarred faced man look to see Al, Ed and Winry running right behind them.  Ed and Al tackled the man who had Elicia and managed to get her free.  But they kept going with Cross.
"What about Cross," cried Elicia.
Ed and Al quickly ran back towards them.  Winry looked over Elicia.
"Elicia, look at me baby are you hurt?!"
"No, I'm fine."
Just as Ed and Al caught up with them, Havoc, Breda and Fuery were struggling with Fallmon and the scarred faced man over Cross.  Al managed to grab Cross and soon, police sirens began to sound.  Havoc and his men ran one way while Fallmon and his companion ran the other.  Ed and Al made their way back to Winry and Elicia; when Elicia saw Cross she grabbed him and hugged him tight.  A strange feeling began to settle in; she was worried about him and he felt bad for her to be scared.  He actually liked being with this little girl.  How strange for him to find someone to care for him like that. It was more than Havoc ever did.  Winry happened to look up to see Roy Mustang a few feet away from them. A stern look was plastered to his face.
"Guys, wait right here ok?"
Ed and Al watched Winry approach Roy with concerned looks on their faces.
"Look, I..."
Roy held his hand up to silence her.
"I know you're trying Winry. But you need to think about what's best for Elicia. Even if it removes you from the picture."  Tears began to form in Winry's eyes.  "I'll be by in the morning for Elicia. I'm sorry."
Riza and Sheska were watching. Sheska let a few tears shed while Riza approach Roy.
"This isn't fair to them."
"I have a job to do.  Just like you, Councilwoman Riza."
Ed and Al approached Winry with Elicia in Al's arms.
"Winry?  Is everything ok," asked Alphonse.
"Is there something we can do," asked Ed.
"No. I...I need to take Elicia home now. We have a lot to talk about you know. Thanks."
Winry took Elicia from Al and they both headed for home. Cross just sat there with a sad look on his face; he knew something was wrong but he didn't understand what.  Ed, however was getting increasingly mad. He lunged at Cross but Al stopped him.
"This is all your fault!  They had a chance!  And then you came along!"
"Brother, calm down!"
The Elric brothers left Cross sitting there alone.