A/N: Hello, I'm back! I'm so glad to be able to write again *flops on bed* I miss my friends. I wrote this for you guys!
Look, if you haven't read my one-shot 'Dream of Christmas' yet, don't read this first! This story is a sequel to that songfic.
Disclaimer: If I own fma, Roy and Riza probably had tons of children by now and the fraternization laws don't exist.
On that cold snowy night, Riza along with her daughter Hailey, went back to her dusty old apartment where she has been living until 5 years ago. As they were walking silently, Riza scanned herself and her daughter and realized their pitiful state. Her bags contained only sets of clothes that will only last them for 2 nights. Also, the only money she has on her was just a handful, suitable for only 4 meals for the both of them. Riza's ex-husband was filthy rich to the point wherein he would fan himself with his own money and make fun of the less fortunate people who could barely afford a single meal.
Riza despised the man to the point of wanting to shoot is brains out every time she sees him. The more he mistreated Riza and her child- her and Roy's child, the more she wanted to leave, and the more she missed Roy.
After years of being enslaved and trapped inside the vile man's mansion, Riza came up with the perfect brilliant plan to escape without her ex-husband's personal guards catching her. Even after thousands of escape attempts that failed horribly, it didn't stop her from trying. Then finally after 5 years, she was able to slip from the evil clutches of the man who made her life miserable.
Riza let out a cry of triumph as she ran as fast as she could, palms sweaty, heart racing, adrenalin rushing in, sweat trickling down her temples, farther and farther away from the mansion. When the said mansion was out of sight, she placed her daughter back on the ground and hugged her tightly. At that moment, she felt as if a huge boulder was lifted from her shoulders and her chest.
With the help of some extremely kind-hearted Xingese elderly, Riza and Hailey was able to cross the great desert via horses under the scorching heat of the sun.
In the midst of the trip back to Amestris, Riza almost forgot about her purple bruises and old and fresh wounds she received during the last 5 years because she knew that paradise was waiting for her back to her own country and she believed that Roy Mustang would be waiting back for her.
She sighed and stopped in front of her apartment. She lifted her free hand and wiped the tears forming in her eyes. As she was about to open her door, someone from the inside opened it before her. It was the landlady.
"Riza? Riza Hawkeye, is that you?" The landlady asked her in a shocked and amused expression.
"Ms. Baskerville?"
"Oh heavens! Riza I never thought you'd come back!" She flung her arms around Riza, a little too tightly. "This apartment has become too dull ever since you left," she trailed off, her arms loosening grip on Riza. "No letter, no sign, no e-mails!" She looked down on Riza with teary eyes and flushed cheeks. "You just left without telling anyone."
Riza smiled sadly at her landlady, feeling guilty about leaving her. "Sorry, Ms. Baskerville. I did tell my boyfriend, though. He was the only one who knew."
Ms. Baskerville eyed Hailey through her golden eyes. Hailey merely smiled at the lady in front of her.
"This girl," she pointed a finger at the 4-year old. "She looks like a carbon copy of you, just minus the eyes."
Riza pulled away from her and picked up her daughter. "Ms. Baskerville, this is Hailey, my daughter."
The lady gasped and struggled to find the right words to say. She motioned the mother and daughter inside and offered Riza a cup of coffee, and Hailey a cup of hot chocolate.
As Ms. Baskerville sat across the two girls, she couldn't help but be curious about their adventures and how the strong and unflappable lieutenant ended up with countless bruises and wounds all over her body. She also noticed how Riza lost a lot of weight, as well as the color of her skin turned much paler as it was before. But before she could ask anything, Riza broke the silence.
"I.. I ran off from Xing a few days ago." Riza started, and continued the story of her adventures, not leaving out anything.
"Oh dear.." Ms. Baskerville raised a marble white hand to her lips.
Riza sighed and let her daughter doze off with her head on her lap, as she strokes her tiny blonde hair. "It's honestly embarrassing for me to be in this state."
"It's alright, Riza."
"Ms. Baskerville?"
"Yes?"
"How much do I have to pay for my rent for the past 5 years?"
"Well- er, umm.. It's about 10 million cenz- b-but you don't have to pay for it anymore!"
Riza's eyes widened. "N-no! I insist."
"Riza," she sighed. "The truth is, there's already a couple who bought your unit." She looked down on her palms, like a child being scolded. "I'm sorry, Riza. I never thought you'll be coming back so- so I.." Her voice was trembling.
"No, it's fine." Riza said half-heartedly but managed to convince her anyway. "Actually, I barely have enough money to feed the both of us. The clothes we brought are only good for 2 nights. I don't think the military will accept me once again, since I left without warning and I had a child with my commanding officer."
"Wait what? Commanding officer?"
Riza ran her fingers on her daughter's cheek and smiled slightly. "Hailey is my child with Roy, Ms. Baskerville."
"Goodness, so that's why those eyes seemed familiar. So, does Roy know about this child?"
"Well, no." Riza could feel the tears building up again. "I was about to explain everything when I met him but-"
"You already met him?"
"Yeah but he didn't let me explain and asked me to go.."
Ms. Baskerville felt even more guilty. Riza had no money, no clothes, no job, and no place to stay, and she even has a daughter to take care of. A daughter of her age still has a lot of needs and it will surely give Riza even more headache.
"How about if you call Rebecca and ask for help?"
"As much as I want to call my best friend, I'm not sure if she still has the same contact number and address as she had 5 years ago." Riza sighed in defeat. "Even if she's still living in the East, I don't have enough money for a train ticket."
"Riza, I want to help you so bad.." Her words sounded so sincere. "But I don't have enough cenz here to buy you a train ticket." Now she felt useless for being unable to help a friend.
"It's alright, Ms. Baskerville." Riza offered her a sweet assuring smile.
Ms. Baskerville teared up, stood up, approached her and gave her a hug. "Oh Riza, if only that smile could make you earn money, you'd probably be the richest person in Amestris." She kissed the top of her head and cradled it in her arms. "You are so brave, Riza.. So brave, indeed."
Riza pulled away from her gently and smiled at her again. "Thank you, Ms. Baskerville. I think I'll just visit Madame Christmas's bar on the next city. She's the nearest person I can get help from." She hugged the landlady and gathered up her sleeping daughter and their bags in her arms and got out of the main door. "I'll see you again!"
Riza sighed and started to walk on the snowy ground under the freezing weather. She pulled up Hailey's hood and her own to shield themselves from the cold. When she was about a block away from her old apartment, she felt a hand grab her lightly on the shoulder.
"Riza," the voice said, which she knew was Ms. Baskerville's.
She turned around to see her former landlady handing out a pocketful of money to her. "Ms. Baskerville?"
"Riza, this is the only money I have, that I have been saving for the past 7 years. I know it's less than what you currently have but I hope it can help you a lot. Use this to pay for a cab in going to that bar. It's better than walking under this blizzard."
Riza was speechless and astounded with what she heard. This lady gave all the money she had with her. She wouldn't dare to take it but she knew that the lady was just trying to help her and her child. Tears flowed down her flushed cheeks while her knees almost gave out. She adjusted Hailey on her left arm and raised the other one to hug Ms. Baskerville.
"Riza, I hope you'll get through with all the trials you are facing right now. As soon as you start living comfortably, let Hailey's father know everything."
She pulled away and wiped Riza's tears. "Show the world how strong you really are."
"I will." Riza smiled.
"Take care, Riza." she ruffled Hailey's hair and smiled bigger. "Take care, Hailey." She then turned around and walked back to the apartment with mixed feelings.
"God, if you do exist, please take care of them both."
A/N: cool. Here's the first chapter of the sequel! Well actually there's a reason why I didn't make this the second chapter of my one-shot fic.. Anyway, it's kinda personal so i apologize. I'm not sure when I'll be posting the next chapter but I'm sure it's gonna be sooner! Please drop your reviews, thank you!