"Come on Al, hurry, we have to get to that basted so I can deliver my report!" Edward exclaims with a scowl as the two brothers dash through the streets the gentle rain falling steadily around them. soaking through Ed's hair and clothing and bouncing off of Al's armoured body with soft pittering sounds as the raindrops echo off of the metal.
"Brother if you had of finished it earlier like you were supposed to we wouldn't have to rush like this," Alphonse points out with a slight sigh as his voice echoes ever so slightly. A phenomenon that Ed had long since grown used to.
"Oh shut up! I was busy with research on where to go to next to look for the stone," he huffs slowing down ever so slightly to skid around a corner before picking the pace back up and continuing on down the Baren street. Only one or two other people were out the rest all seemed to have the common sense to stay indoors during this autumn rain.

The brothers were now about two blocks away from central headquarters and Edward was starting to feel the fatigue from running almost the whole way there. Slowly bringing his pace to a brisk walk as he pants in order to try to get more oxygen into his burning lungs he pauses to glance around the almost empty streets. His brows knitting together as he swivels his head around.
"Hey, Al? Did you... did you hear something?" Ed calls out still slightly out of breath.
"Hear what brother?" He responds calmly.
Ed frowns tilting his head inquisitively.
"I could have sworn I hear a cry?" He mutters narrowing his eyes. Forgetting about the report which was now also soaked by the rain and would probably need to be re-written he walks closer to where he had thought the noise had come from.
The sound of a young child crying out pierces through the air and his eyes widen slightly. With a slight surge of panic at the most pitiful sounds of the cries. he sprints towards an alleyway where he suspects the noises were coming from.
"Al we have to help them, what if their in trouble!" He says as he runs to the mouth of the alley.
"Brother wait!" Al exclaims as he jogs after Edward.
Ed stands to stare down into the rather dark alleyway. His eyes staring sadly at the small basket quite a few feet into the alley. Walking up to it he crouches down and holds onto the side carefully pushing the raggedy, threadbare, faded lilac blanket aside to reveal the face of a small baby. Their facial features scrunched as they scream and cry for attention, for help, and for their mother. A rabbit-like teddy is in the basket next to them in similar condition to the blanket. Raggedy, broken and looking like it had seen better days with one of its eyes only held on by a thread.
"We should take them with us, I don't see anyone around hear and it's not safe for a baby to be alone like this," Alphonse says quietly.
"Or we could call Hughes, we don't have the space to look after a baby in the dorm room," Ed mutters asks he thinks about it.
"But brother it's pouring down, they might get terribly sick if we don't take them with us," Al argues. The baby crying out loudly screaming out for anyone.
"Ok..." Ed whispers as his herat aches at the sudden thought that maybe this baby is like them, abandoned, motherless and alone, he had Alphonse to keep him company but this baby didn't have anyone or anything.
Edward reaches out and scoops the baby up into his arms carefully. He holds them close with his flesh arm and carefully retrieving the blanket and bunny he hands the bunny toy to Alphonse and takes the blanket carefully wrapping it around the baby to preserve what little warmth they had.
"You poor thing, it's ok, everything is going to be ok now." He whispers calmly to the baby gently rocking her.
"Come on Al. Let's get that report to Mustang," Ed says quietly his sad eyes observing the small baby cradle in his arms.
"Hush now little baby, I've got you, your safe now," he continues to softly whisper to the child to attempt to calm it down and stop it's crying. As they continue the walk to central Ed keeps up the soft toned whispers as the baby eventually calms down. No longer crying but rather instead softly babbling as they looked up at Edward with their large eyes. Ed smiles as he observes the amazing colour of the baby's eyes. An almost opalescent mixture of hazel and amber flecks swirling in a pool of the most gorgeous gold that Edward had ever seen. And the baby's face was round and slightly chubby as one would expect from a baby, but the longer Ed looked at the young baby the more he thought that they would probably grow up to have rather defined cheekbonesor maybe a softly curved jawline.
Smiling down at the small Child he uses his gloved flesh hand to Brush the small scraggly tufts of dark reddish hair back from the baby's pale and lightly freckled forehead.
"You are at a beautiful little baby, who would ever be so cruel as to leave something as wonderful as you in that dirty alleyway," he whispers hugging her close to his chest and slightly wrapping his red coat around her so that she might be at least a little warmer.
As the two brothers and the small baby arrive at the gate to central HQ Ed glances up to the large military building. While no-one was outside he could see how busy it was inside as people walked past windows. He and Al walk up to the building and inside.
Ignoring all the looks they got from other military personnel as he and Al walked through the halls soaking wet and clutching a small bundle of blankets to his chest he walked to Colonel Mustangs office. As Ed stood outside the door with a determined look on his face he let out a slight sigh before opening the door, rather than slamming it open like he usually would Ed carefully opens it and walks in so not to disturb the baby who now slept peacefully in his arms. Al walks in behind him carefully closing the door with a soft click. Mustang looks up from his paperwork and gives Edward a slightly confused look.
"Fullmetal? Finally learning how to open doors like a normal person are you?" He jokes with a smirk. Ed walks up to his desk without acknowledging Roy's comment and he carefully places his report down.
"Shut up Colonel, my report got a little damp in the rain" he mutters while carefully cradling the baby with one arm to hand the soaked report to Mustang. By now Ed's unusually calm and gently behaviour had caught the attention of all of mustangs subordinates.
"Chef, are you Ok you're acting unusually nice to Colonel Mustang?" Jean havoc asks looking up from his paperwork.
"I'm fine I just don't want to wake them up," Ed explains before turning to lieutenant Risa Hawkeye.
"Hawkeye do you have any spare blankets? This one is wet and in need of a wash," he asks while gently rocking the small baby in his arms.
Mustang and his subordinates all stare in shock at the gentle nature of Edward as he cared for the small bundle. Roy stands and walks around his desk his eyes never leaving the baby in Ed's arms.
"Hawkeye go find some blankets and a change of clothes for Edward and the child, Havoc, get some towels for them to dry off with, Furey, get some milk for the child," he orders swiftly, reaching out he looks to Edward.
"May I?" He asks while indicating he wished to hold the baby.
Edward hesitantly nods handing them over. Mustang Walks to the leather couches and takes a seat. Cradling the baby in his arms he carefully removes the blanket from around them and drops it to the floor observing the small baby's figure he keeps a calm demeanour and serious facial expression.
"It would appear that it is a little girl? Where did you find her?" Mustang asks without taking his eyes off the child.
"Its an alleyway about two blocks from hear. She was in a basket all she had with her was the blanket and a rabbit plush toy," Edward explains as Alphonse hands Ed the toy.
Edward sits down next to Mustang and softly smiles down at the child.
"I couldn't leave her there like that. Especially not in the rain... I don't think she has been there that long but she was crying when we found her," he sighs.
"I'll have Hughes do a search for her maternal parents see if we can find out why she was left there. Until then she will need to be put into an orphanage or into foster care..." Mustang murmurs. Ed's eyes widen and he leaps up
"Please Mustang, no! Let me look after her, I promise I'll take good care of her and I'll keep her safe!" Edward begs. At the same time, Hawkeye, Havoc and Furey all walk back into the office. Everyone in the room goes silent frozen in place while waiting for Roy's reaction and answer to the young alchemist outburst.
"Ed I can't... your still just a child," Mustang says quietly.
"Please, colonel... please Roy please I promise I'll keep her safe and look after her," Edward yet again begs his eyes watering slightly. The toy rabbit clutched in his hands.
Havoc hands Ed a towel and Hawkeye places the blanket and change of clothes for the baby girl down next to Roy while handing Ed the change of clothes for him. A spare military uniform. She places a hand on his shoulder and gives him a kind smile.
"Edward, I know you have good intentions and just want to make sure she is safe but you need to think about it, you are a child and you have yourself and your brother to look out for, looking after a baby... that will be hard work and it will mean you can't keep looking for the Philosophers stone," she says. Edward frowns and looks to Al who stood silently by the door then to the baby.
"I know it to will be hard. And I know that it would be easier to let her go to a foster home or an orphanage. But when I found her crying in that alleyway... the cries were so sad and she looked so lonely, like all she wanted was her mother it was like her cries where her way of telling us how painful it was to not know where her mother was or why she was alone... I couldn't leave her like that and I don't want her to have to feel that pain again... I don't...I don't want to abandon her, I want to be able to save her," Edward whimpers staring at the baby with sad eyes.
"Brother, go get changed let the Colonel think about it," Alphonse suggest. Ed looks to his brother and slowly nods.
"Ok" he whispers slowly and hesitantly walking out of the room to go get changed out of his soaking clothing.

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