Title: The Final Valentine
Author: Heika
Warning: Spoilers for episode 25 and onward.
Pairing: Gracia/Hughes (ex post facto.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, nor any of the characters used herein.
Author's Notes: I know, I know, this story's been done to death by now. But... I can relate to how Gracia would feel, especially around this time of the year. By my pride as an author, I can't let this opportunity go!

It was another beautiful day in Central. Despite how much everyone seemed to enjoy complaining about it, Central's weather was usually mild and delightful. Especially at this time of the year, where Spring was just beginning and the promise of life was everywhere. Valentine's Day... the one day where the Law of Equivalent Exchange wasapplied to relationships with a vengeance, if such a thing were possible. Couples were either walking arm-in-arm down the streets, or had already retired for more private meetings.

If certain couples had stopped by a completely non-descript house, and peered inside the windows, they would have seen something entirely out of character for the season. A beautiful woman, holding a valentine card in her hand, viewing the text through torrents of tears. Her name was Gracia Hughes, and for her, Valentine's Day would forever be the most painful day of the year.

It had all began years ago, while the Ishbalan conflict was still raging. Gracia had volunteered as a nurse for one of Central's numerous military hospitals, and found herself assigned to the night duty: despite the distance from the front lines, Central's medical facilities were always burgeoning with wounded soldiers, transported from the battlefields when the localpersonnel could no longer keep up with the wounded. Some of the sights were enough to make the girl feel faint and sick to her stomach, but for the sake of the soldiers, she kept doing what she could to make them comfortable and increase their chances of surviving through the horror. She had to be strong when the grown men had long since given up on anything resembling hope. But... she found that to be a terrible burden. She had to be strong, but she had no one to rely on, herself. Her own family lived in the country, and it wouldn't be fair to saddle them with her burdens. So, she suffered on as best she could.

Until one day, in the depths of winter, when she literally bumped into the man that would win her heart. He was a fiery, hyperactive man; unable to sit still for more than a few minutes at a time, and supremely proud of himself and his own abilities. He was on official business, he said, and he didn't have time to bother with a lowly nurse. To which Gracia had responded, "Military business or not, this is still a hospital. You will have to wait for visiting hours to begin."

It was the first time that this man had ever met with a flat refusal. He tried again and again; using threats, pulling rank, and even begging in the end, but all to no avail. Gracia was moved, surely, but not so much that she would bend the rules for a military officer. So, as he didn't want to wait for the hours it would take, and he was quite hungry, he had offered to take Gracia out for breakfast. Originally, Gracia had planned to eat by herself... but one of the patients had experienced a particularly vivid nightmare, and he had found himself sobbing his entire story to the first person that came to investigate... Gracia. He had experienced so much pain, that the nurse could do nothing but listen. She didn't want to be by herself, and she certainly didn't want to have time to think about what had been told to her. So, she had accepted the soldier's proposal.

To the surprise of both parties, they had hit it off instantly. Once they were outside of protocol, they had relaxed their defenses, and found themselves enjoying each other's company. Gracia liked the man's energy and imperiousness; just being with him made her feel energetic and ready to take on the world. And the soldier... he found himself intrigued by Gracia's calm demeanor, even with all that she had experienced. She was like a touchstone for the rest of his life: focused and determined where he was scattered and chaotic. They discussed the nature of the war, their feelings over military service... and gradually, the flow of talk drifted to their personal lives.

They found their half-hour break stretch into two hours, then to three, as they found more connections and more avenues of discussion. They didn't notice the sun as it finally rose into the sky, nor did they hear the bells sound the changing of the guard. They only stopped when one of the waitresses patiently explained for the tenth time that, if they didn't leave promptly, they would be charged with loitering.

So, the soldier offered to take her home, joking that, with the war going on, one could never be too safe. She had laughed and accepted, and the entire walk back to her house was spent in idle banter. It wasn't until she had unlocked the door, and turned to say good-bye, that she had asked the soldier for his name. "Maes Hughes," he had proclaimed, "I'll be seeing you again, if that's all right."

"I don't know" she teased, "With my late shift, I may not have time."

"Oh?" The man adjusted his short glasses, and smiled. "I have the feeling that the Investigation Department will suddenly be much more interested in the state of Central's hospitals. It may even be necessary to get the opinion of the professionals who work there."

And so he had parted, dashing to his office so that he could shift his schedule. Thereafter, every day, right as Gracia's shift ended, Maes Hughes would be waiting. They would spend hours together, and sometimes, those hours with Hughes were the only thing that kept Gracia from falling into despair. She didn't even consider the possibility of it being love, however, until one of her coworkers remarked off-hand, "Your boyfriend's here, Gracia. Why don't you leave early?" She had been heavily embarrassed, of course, but she had also been intrigued by the possibility. With the large number of men out of Central, Hughes was a catch worth keeping. And he obviously liked her...

The deal had been sealed that Valentine's Day. Maes had taken her out for breakfast, as usual, but something was obviously different about him. He was speaking even more quickly than usual, his nervousness increasing his talking speed to an incredible degree. Gracia listened on, bemused, as the soldier rattled off their entire history together, then silenced himself as he offered a card to her. It was a homemade affair, decorated with a collage of photos, but that wasn't what made Gracia gasp. She cried as she pulled out an engagement ring from the card, and she barely managed to choke out an 'I will.'

What happened next was a whirlwind of events. Maes had never been the most patient sort, nor had he settled for mediocrity in anything, which meant that the wedding would be perfect, and everyone would hear about it. Those that knew Hughes's tendency to exaggerate often wrote off his bragging as just another manifestation of his overactive imagination: he was only a captain, after all, and not a State Alchemist; where would he get the money for such a lavish affair?

But when the day came, and the wedding began, even the harshest critics were silenced. The entire affair was gorgeous, it was perfect, and the only thing that rivalled the sheer beauty of the event was the beauty of the bride. Gracia was absolutely stunning, and Maes was justifiably possessive during the entire proceeding. Then they were Mr. and Mrs. Maes Hughes, and everything seemed right with the world. Nobody ever found out how he had afforded an event so far out of his normal budget. Rumors would, however, fly for some time.

Their love never diminished: as countless victims of the Maes Hughes Photo Attack could attest, his love for her seemed to grow as time went on, if that was possible. Gracia, for her part, found herself the envy of the entire housewife community; both for the obvious care that her husband had for her, and for the simple fact that her love for him was entirely equal; it was an idyllic life, and the few clouds on the horizon seemed so far off, and so faint. And every Valentine's Day, Maes would give her a card, and they would spend breakfast together, just talking about their lives and enjoying each other's company. Valentine's Day, for both of them, was the best day of the year, and Gracia could only describe herself as 'blessed' on that day.

Then they had a daughter. For months thereafter, Maes Hughes was insufferable; his daughter was absolutely perfect, as he was only too willing to point out, and he showered both of the women in his life with adoration. Some of the more cynical officers wondered if this was what 'death by exposure' truly meant, or if Alicia would be literally smothered. But no, she grew under the attention, and Gracia seemed ever more radiant and happy. Their life was ever more perfect, ever more wonderful. The overflow of these emotions spilled into their interactions with everyone around them: Maes was constantly energetic and charged, pulling superhuman feats of endurance and insight; Gracia was more quiet, more contained, but everyone that counted the Hughes family as friends knew that the welcome at their home was always warmer and more inviting than anywhere else. It was like a disease; any friend who came into contact with any of the three inevitably found themselves happier and more energetic than usual. It was a verified fact.

Then came that fateful day. The day when Gracia's world came crumbling down, when the love of her life was taken away. As she stood before his grave, listening to her daughter try desperately to understand what was going on... she felt numb, for the first time since she had met Maes. She barely registered the drive back home, and no matter how hard Alicia tried, she couldn't get her mother to smile. Gracia went through the motions of life, but she no longer had the drive to truly live again. Her passion, her husband, had been taken from her. That was the sum of her world, and without that love buoying her... she felt empty, and cold inside. Even her love for her daughter seemed muted and false.

And so it continued, until that Valentine's Day. She had been dreading the day for so long, and all during that night, she had been tossing and turning, nightmares plaguing her so that she couldn't rest. Finally, as the sun rose in the heavens, she stopped struggling, and she began going through Maes's notes. She had decided that, if she couldn't speak with him about her life, then she would remember everything that had happened, perched on the same couch that had witnessed so many memories in their household. She went through photo album after photo album, but no matter how cheerful or perfect each picture was, she simply couldn't bring herself to care about them. They seemed like another life, another chronicle that she had no personal part in.

She was preparing to close the last album, when a piece of paper caught her eye. Carelessly, she pulled it out, but her eyes widened as she saw what it was: a card, home-made and decorated with photos of the three of them. Most of the pictures were lopsided, and dried glue had oozed out from most of them, but to Gracia, it was more precious than gold. Then she opened it up.

"My Darling Gracia,

I've never wanted to think about this, but I'm involved in a case that's incredibly dangerous. It's possible that I will not live to see the end of it. If what my sources say are correct, then I'm not investigating men, but monsters. I'll try my best to stay safe, but I'm afraid that it may not be enough. Even still, the truth behind these monsters needs to be known. I'm sure you can guess why.

I love you, Gracia. I've always loved you, and nothing will change that. You're absolutely perfect, and you're so much more than I deserve. You've given me years of complete happiness, and unconditional love, and so many other things that I don't know where to start or end. I don't want to lose this. I don't want to lose you, Gracia. So promise me that, if my fears come true, that you'll stay safe and keep living. You deserve to be happy, Gracia, and don't let my stupidity stop you.

I'm sure that all of this is for nothing. I'm sure that, just like before, I'll find out the truth, I'll call in the proper authorities, and I'll come back to you. I'll treat you to the best Valentine's Day breakfast you've ever had, and when you ask me what's the special occasion, I'll tell you the truth. Because I love you, Gracia, and the best isn't good enough for you. Then I'll come back, and I'll burn this note, and we'll keep on living. I've never wanted you to worry, and with luck, you won't know how close I came.

If not... I'll have to break our wedding vows, Gracia. We swore 'until death do us part.' I'm not going to let go, no matter what happens. I'll do whatever I can from this side to protect you. Some day, I'll see you again. I promise you, Gracia. Until then, keep living, and look after yourself. I love you.

-Maes Hughes

P.S. Alicia helped me make this card, but I don't think she knows what's inside of it. Isn't she a perfect angel? I can't wait to see her when she's all grown up and married... All kinds of guys will be after her, but until I find one that's perfect for her, she'll have to stay single and stay Daddy's little girl. You'll help me keep her safe, right? There are too many guys like Roy running around, and I won't let her heart be broken by some stupid guy that's not worthy of her."

As she finished reading this, Gracia broke down, and the void inside of her filled with tears. Even with her body tensing and seizing, and with every nerve feeling as though a knife had been jabbed through it, she didn't crumple the note. It was the last thing her husband had given her, and no matter how much it hurt, she wouldn't let go. "Maes..." she whispered, "I love you, too. Why were you taken away from me? What kind of monster could... could do this to me?"

She couldn't go on. She slumped on the couch, staring dumbly at the valentine. The words began blurring through the tears, and she felt the pain of loss more acutely than she could ever remember it being.

"Mommy?" It was Alicia, her cherubic features creased in concern. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

For a long moment, Gracia looked at her daughter. Then, in one motion, she wrapped her in an embrace, crying on her shoulder. "Alicia... Mommy was just thinking about Daddy."

"Did he hurt you?" The question was one of pure innocence: the girl didn't know yet that love could cause such acute pain.

But even still, Gracia could only bitterly laugh. "No, no... Daddy didn't hurt me. He's... I miss him, so much. And today... today was a very special day for him, and for me, too. It's the first time I've spent this day alone since I met him."

"You're not alone, Mommy!" Alicia put her hands on her hips, and pouted. "I'm here!"

Those simple words, spoken with such childlike confidence, awoke something in Gracia. Something that she had been missing since her husband had died. Slowly, gradually, her tears stopped and were replaced by a smile. "Yes... yes, you are here, and you're the most precious thing in the world. Daddy said so to anyone that would listen."

"Really?" The girl smiled. "What else did Daddy say about me?"

Gracia lifted her daughter into her lap, and looked at the cover of the valentine card. "He said that he'd always look out for you, Alicia. Daddy loved you so much that he wouldn't let anything get to you."

"Wow!"

Gracia's smile lessened, and became wistful, as she looked at a photo of her and Maes embracing each other. The low angle suggested that it was taken by Alicia herself; the fact that it was in the exact middle of the card confirmed it. "Daddy... was a wonderful man, Alicia."

"What did he do?"

For one last time, Gracia's eyes welled up with tears. This time, though, they were tears of gratitude for the man who had entered her life, and given her the most precious gift in the world. Carefully, she put down the last valentine, hugged Alicia close, and began rocking, a comforting motion for both of them. "Well, Alicia... this story begins years ago..."