Student and Teacher, a fullmetal alchemist fanfic

I didn't give half a rat's ass about what was happening to me. I didn't give half a rat's ass that I didn't know his name but knew he was at least 7 years my senior. I didn't give half a rat's ass that I was handing over my virginity to someone I'd never see again.

All I cared about was feeling loved, and feminine and just being me (for a change) for one damn night. My partner didn't seem to mind that I was so intoxicated with alcohol I didn't even have the manners to remember his name (good, because manners are not my forte), he just seemed to mind if I moaned too quietly.

Just for tonight, I was going to do this and not for Al, not for my reputation (not that my female-self has any); just for me. Just for tonight, nothing was going to matter to me; just this stranger in front of me and the rest of the world was going to be ignored.

Just for tonight, Edward Elric was going to disappear from the world and Edeline Elric would live.

Just for tonight.

I awoke the next morning with a hangover from Hell, a slightly painful womanhood and still in that hotel room with my partner from the night long gone; good, I hate the clingy types. I got dressed (thank Truth it was still too dark out for anyone to see me) and walked all the way home, slipping in the back entrance. I know it's stupid to sneak into my own house, but hey, are far as anyone knows the only people living here is a 17-year-old male high school student with no family in Central City.

Who knows what would happen if anyone saw a girl walk in plain as day?

I glanced at the clock (4:37am) and decided to rest a little before preparing for the day. I dozed off and woke up again at the sound of my 6:00am alarm and got ready; wrapped my chest in bandages to hide the bust, dressed in my school's male uniform (black jeans/jacket, white button up shirt, black slacks/socks), made a lunch, braided my hair, hopped on my bike and left at 7:00am.

It was as if Edeline Elric had never come out to play, as if Edward Elric was still a virgin and having an ordinary day just like the one before; good, that's the way it's supposed to be. I don't want people thinking that Edeline Elric ever even existed; I hate her so much.

I arrived at the school, parked my bike in my usual spot, took my helmet off and as usual, someone from my gang of friends ran over to greet me; this time it was Lan-Fan.

"Hey, Edward!" Lan-Fan waved at me as she ran over, excitedly.

I turned around and smiled at her as she stopped in front of me, "Hey there, Rice-chan, how are you?"

Rice-chan is the nickname I gave Lan-Fan when we found out her name meant 'cold rice' in one language and 'orchid fragrance' in another. She is often teased by bullies, but if they so much as mention it, I beat them into the ground; no one is allowed to upset or make fun of Lan-Fan for her name because it is a very good name and we (her friends) wouldn't want it to change for the world.

"Oh, I'm good, Edward," Lan-Fan shrugged sorta, "did you have a good night's rest."

No I didn't. "Of course I did; you know I sleep like a log."

"That's good to hear," The dark-haired girl said, dark brown (almost grey) eyes shining, "Ling-kun, Mei and Fuery are already here."

I nodded, smiling; Ling Yao was her not-so-secret crush, Mei Chang his half-sister and Kain Fuery the head of the radio club at school (which I was on). We were all good friends and hung out a lot, but I wouldn't be able to pick out a best friend from any of them; if I was forced to pick a best friend it would have to be Winry Rockbell (she's the only person who knows my true gender and name in the entire school/city).

"Hey there, Edward," Ling greeted me, his eyes forever closed and black hair clean, "wanna hear about the latest gossip?"

I scoffed, "What are you, some sort of stereotypical girl?"

Ling laughed at that, "Yeah, yeah, this is all coming from the midget with a braid."

I saw red, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE'D BE TOO TINY TO WORRY ABOUT HAVING HAIR BECAUSE IT WOULD BE TOO BIG TO FIT ON HIS HEAD AND HE WOULDN'T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT DROWNING IN IT BECAUSE HE WAS AS SMALL AS THE AIR PARTICLES HE NEEDED TO BREATH?!"

As usual, the crew laughed at my out-burst; I do NOT like being called SHORT! It's like a trigger word for me and the only person who would never laugh because she understands why it's a trigger word isn't here, damn it.

"Oh, screw you lot!" I growled and pouted at them.

"Anyway," Ling laughed, "the gossip I have to spill is you're getting a new homeroom teacher because Mrs. Hughes is pregnant."

I smiled; Gracia Hughes is the best teacher you could ask for and her husband Maes Hughes who is always coming to the school just to show off pictures of her on at least one of their many dates will make the best father that kid could ever have.

"Really, she's pregnant?" I asked, "That's amazing news!"

Mei nodded in agreement, braided strings of black hair hanging from the buns on her head while her green eyes shined, "I heard she and Mr. Hughes have been trying for a child for years, they deserve this and I bet our substitute teacher is going to be awesome!"

Furey nodded in agreement, "Hopefully."

Lan-Fan added, "Remember the last substitute we had?"

I shivered at the memory; Frank Archer had been half-insane and always looked at the female students like Lan-Fan and Winry as if they were pieces of meat and I also caught him looking at me and Ling a few times in the same manner. Damn, was I glad when the assistant teacher Mr. Focker finally noticed that and reported it to the rest of the staff; Archer was out of here as soon as word got out.

"Come on now, Lan-Fan." Ling giggled, since he hadn't ever noticed Archer's staring, "I'm sure no one could be as boring as Archer."

Lan-Fan blushed like wild fire and stuttered, "I-I guess n-not."

It still scared me a bit how self-conscious Lan-Fan told/showed me she felt around Ling; she is the best girl in the karate club at what she does and can sucker punch a pervert without a second thought but as soon as Ling appeared on the scene, she'd be reduced to this self-conscious, stuttering, ashamed girl who hated herself whenever she said something she considered stupid.

It scared me so much because I was afraid that one day I'd be reduced to that and it'll be Winry, or Mei, or even Riza Hawkeye who look at me and see the Kickboxing King turn into her Royal Shyness or something even more embarrassing/weak than that.

We hung out the front for a bit, waited for a few more friends to arrive (Winry Rockbell, her cousin Riza, Russel and Fletcher Tringham, Heymans Breda, Riza's boyfriend Jean Havoc, Vato Falman) and then the bell rang so we all headed straight for our homeroom. We took our seats and waited.

Eventually, the head teacher came, appearing in all his King Bradley glory.

"As I'm sure most of you know, Mrs. Hughes will be away for a while due to being pregnant so you're going to get a substitute teacher. And you don't have to worry, girls, I've made sure he wasn't a thing like Mr. Archer." He stated with his eye-patch on.

At the sound of that, practically all the girls in the class room physically relaxed.

Bradley smiled, turned his head towards the door and said, "May I present to you your new teacher, Roy Mustang."

And in walked the person I'd have to call Mr. Mustang. He had piercing onyx/blue eyes, a clean-shaven, baby-face and dark hair that was worn casually unkempt, falling over his eyes. He was wearing a black suit of sorts (like most of the teachers) and white gloves with transmutation circles drawn on them in red.

I forced myself to bite my tongue because the last thing I needed to do was show a reaction; this was the man I slept with the previous night.

"Hi there, everyone." Mustang smiled at everyone, briefly his eyes landed (and stayed) on me, but then he kept looking along at everyone as if nothing special was there.

If that meant that he didn't recognize me, then I must have the luck of the devil on my side for once, but if not… then I was royally screwed. Not even the teachers know of my true gender, all the papers about my back ground were forged to make it look like Edward Elric had actually been a real person, not the fake name of a girl who wanted to be a boy. If he tells people, I'll be kicked out.

Oh shit.

Bradley smiled and left without a word while Mustang took his seat behind the desk and started taking everyone's names on the register.

After that was done, the bell rang and everyone began to leave for their first class.

"Mr. Elric," Mustang called, "I'd like you to stay behind for a moment so I may speak with you about your behavior."

"Shit." I muttered.

Winry half shrugged, helplessly, "It's your own fault for being so violent, Ed."

I sighed, "Yeah, yeah, like you're one to talk, wrench for brains."

It's true, though. Since I'm "super sensitive" about my height "or lack thereof, as some would say" I often end up in arguments and I'm a rude person in general, so I think if my grades weren't so high then I would already have been kicked out of the school by now. And the worst bit is that this is the moment of truth and I won't have anyone to back me up just when I need them most.

"See ya later, Ed." Winry said as she left to follow Riza and Mei since they had Math.

I waved at her since she was the last person to leave, "Bye Winry, Mei, Riza."

The girls all gave me a last smile and then left the room, leaving me alone with Mustang. He got up from his desk and closed the door; oh shit, now things have gotten serious.

"So, Mr. Elric," Mustang began and turned to look at me, "may I ask why you've come to this school, telling everyone that you're a boy when you don't have the required physical qualities for such a statement?"

I hissed, "I have my reasons, so unless that was what you wanted to talk about, let me get to my Alchemy class already."

"Actually, Mr. Elric, if I'm going to keep your gender a secret, I'd like to at least know your real name." Mustang stated, "If not, then I could just tell the teachers that I know you lied about your gender, or lower your grades to make you repeat the year."

"You're a fucking bastard, you know that?" I hissed at him, but when his gaze told me he was serious, I huffed and folded my arms, "Fine, my real name is Edeline Elric and I was born a girl. There, happy now?"

"Not just yet." Mustang added in.

I glared at him, "What else do you want, Mr. Bastard?"

Mustang chuckled, "Well first of all, for you to call me Roy-"

"Fat chance of that happening." I stated, blunt as ever.

Mustang continued, "-and I wanted to say I was sorry."

This took me by surprise, "Huh?"

"I took something very precious from you, I'll never be able to give it back and I'm sorry for that." His piercing eyes looked sincere, but I knew that they probably weren't, "Your virginity is a precious thing and I stole it from you without a second thought, so I wanted you to know that I was sorry about it and I still am."

I huffed, un-crossed my arms and turned up my nose, "Whatever, just don't think you get to take me out to dinner or for a drink any time soon because I'm not going to allow myself to even start digging that hole for me." Or you.

Mustang nodded, "I wouldn't want you to. I'm over 5 years older than you and I'm not quit prepared to lose my job over a hormonal teenager."

I scoffed, "Yeah, as if I'd ever date someone as ancient as you."

"So it's agreed then." Mustang clarified.

I nodded, "Last night didn't happen; you never met a girl named Edeline Elric, I never met a man named Roy Mustang, they never got drunk and had sex and they never ever saw each other in their life again. Roy Mustang just went to work and met his new pupils, one of which was named Edward Elric and was just like every other student in the class room."

Mustang chuckled, "Ordering me around, Mr. Elric? If I weren't your senior I'd punish you for that."

I blushed like wild fire, scoffed, "Perverted bastard." and walked out the door and down the hallway, heading straight for my Alchemy class.

1 week and a half later, I woke up and the first thing I did was throw up in the toilet, just as I had been doing for the past week. I did that for a little while, but then got over it and began getting ready for school; I wasn't going to miss out on that just because of a little stomach bug and besides I don't think it was anything important. I did what I always did and no matter how long the day dragged on, I still felt sick as a skunk, just like I did the last 10 days.

I was in the hallway when I threw up again. It was empty and just after our first food break. Everyone had already gone to their 3rd classes.

I was sickened by everything that I normally loved on the menu and when my friends looked at me as if I was mad when I told them I wasn't hungry and on a diet (for the 28th time that week), they began demanding who I was and what I had done with Edward Elric until I bought a blueberry muffin and ate it in front of them. I felt like I would be sick just from looking at it, let alone eating it. But the bell rang and allowed me to be somewhat content with only eating half of it.

Since my next class was without my friends in it (you gotta love P.E), I was walking down the hallways alone when I suddenly felt the need to puke all my guts out again and judging from how weak my jaw felt, I knew I wouldn't be able to stop myself this time.

I tried dashing to the boy's toilets, but by the time I reached the door my legs gave out on me at the same time the door swung open and the next thing I knew, I was lying on my side on the floor, half choking on my own puke as it came out of my mouth.

"Oh my God, Ed!" I knew that voice; Mustang, that bastard! He's always around when I need him!

He put his arms under my shoulders and knees, picked me up (damn my smallness and how this sickness was making me weak) and started heading in the other direction, "I'm taking you to the nurse's office right this instance."

"No." I croaked and coughed, "I'm gonna end up puking on you and your damn suit."

"Fuck the suit!" Mustang hissed, "Just worry about yourself! If you need to throw up, go ahead and throw up on me, I'd deserve it for slamming that door into you."

"Bastard." I growled, weakly, "You're going to regret this so much."

"Yeah well…" Mustang turned his head and gave me such a grin, I don't know why, but it made my heart speed up, "you're definitely worth it."

After he said that, I did my best to keep my mouth shut and hold in the puke; it worked until we got to the infirmary and I was finally given a bucket to throw up in. God I felt terrible, but something tells me I really needed to do this. I noticed a hand was stroking my back while another held my bangs out of my face and I heard Mustang whispering words into my ear; I don't know what he was saying, but his tone of voice was so soothing I just, dare I say it, admitted I wanted (almost needed) him to stay here for a while.

I knew he had a few classes to teach, I knew it was selfish and I knew it was unlike me, but just this once, I was going to have to accept it; I was in a moment of weakness, wanted Roy 'Bastard' Mustang for company even if he had more important things to do and strangely enough, the thought didn't scare/sicken me as much as I thought it would.

Eventually, I had hacked up everything my stomach had to offer and when I looked up it was 1:49pm.

"Shit, I missed two whole classes." I muttered, whipping my mouth with the back of my sleeve.

"Actually we both did." Wait, Mustang's still here?!

I turned my head and there he was in all his teacher-like glory. I scowled at him.

"You bastard; that means you didn't teach anyone anything today!" I growled, "As soon as you dropped me off in the infirmary you should have gone to your damn class!"

"You're one of my students, Mr. Elric," Mustang stated, "and I am not a man who abandons his students."

"Yeah right," I scoffed, "tell it to the people who care. Like Bradley and the other teaching staff."

"And you." Mustang added, making me growl, "Don't even try to pretend you didn't need someone you knew and trusted, Mr. Elric."

I scoffed, "Whatever, just go get your damn lunch, bastard, I know I won't be able to eat for a week."

Mustang shrugged, "Whatever you say, Mr. Elric. I'd like to see you at the end of the day in my classroom, though."

"What?" I groaned; damn him, "But I have groceries to shop for!"

"Then I'll see you in my classroom after school at the end of the week." Mustang stated.

I glared at him again.

Mustang gave me a look that left no room for arguments and I sighed; I'm too sick to give less of a damn about fighting an argument I'm already about to lose. I nodded and Mustang actually smiled at me, like, a real, gentle smile. He turned to the nurse, told her I was to stay here for the rest of the day to recover and after a final smile my way, he left me alone, thinking but one thing to myself:

What the fucking hell just happened?

I could not fucking believe this.

"Are you fucking serious?!" I exclaimed in shock, not afraid to shout in my female voice.

"As serious as a Drill Sargent." Mustang nodded.

I gawked at what he held in his hands for a minute longer and then took it; it was a wrapped box and I had no idea what was in it. I'll just have to change that, then…

"Mr. Elric, I'd actually prefer it if you opened that at home," Mustang placed his hand over my own and it made my body do funny things like feel all tingly and my heart picked up speed, "and wear it at 6:00pm."

So, there are clothes in there, huh?

I scoffed and turned up my nose, "What is this, a late 'Sorry I fucked you' make up present?"

"You could say that," Mustang smirked, "if that is what you want it to be."

I growled as my face turned red, "Fuck off, bastard."

"You called it." He shrugged, "Just make sure you're wearing those at 6:00pm, okay?"

I sighed, "Fine, I'll wear them at 6, but don't expect me to actually go out into the city while wearing them. Edeline Elric is the fictional person, not Edward Elric, so she should stay in the world of fiction."

"Oh, I understand that feeling completely." Mustang told me, turned around and headed for the door, "Goodbye, Mr. Elric."

"Bye, Mr. Bastard." I waved sarcastically and after making sure he had gone one way down the hall, I went the other way.

At exactly 6:00pm, there was knocking on my door. I wasn't stupid enough to actually put whatever bullshit cloths Mustang gave me on (nor was I stupid enough to undo my bandages), so I was still being Edward Elric at the moment and it was safe to open the door.

And there stood Roy Mustang in all his suit-wearing glory as if he was something special.

"What the Hell are you doing here, bastard?" I hissed, "Scratch that, how the Hell did you get my address?"

Mustang raised his eye brow at me, "It's on the school's data base and besides, didn't you say you'd wear those cloths I gave you?"

I scoffed at that, "Please, I know a trap when I see one and I wasn't going to let myself get dragged down that hole. Why are you here?"

He halfheartedly shrugged and offered me a slip of paper; I read it and my heart stopped for a moment:

This was a ticket to the Alchemy Museum in Central; you have to pay at least 10,000 cenz just to get in for an hour and this is an all-evening pass.

I stared at Mustang as if he had just handed me the keys to the world and if I didn't hate the bastard, I would have hugged him.

I needed to know, "How-"

"I have an old friend at the Museum who owed me a favor." Mustang said, "So when I told her I needed evening tickets for two, she made me pay only a 4th of the regular price for the both of them and after warning me not to screw up, let me go get you. I also knew how enthusiastic you were about Alchemy, so since you hadn't been feeling well, I decided why not be a nice bastard instead of a cruel one."

I just stared at him and then said, "If you weren't a bastard I think I'd hug you."

He blinked, laughed and said, "Just go get changed and make sure you call me Roy today, alright?"

"Al-alright, Roy." I said, surprised by how nice his name sounded coming from my tongue and that I was stuttering, "W-would you like to c-come in?"

"I'd be delighted, Edeline." He smirked, walked right past me and into my house.

Holy shit, the guy who took my virginity was in my house and about to take me to a place I considered Heaven.

"Make yourself at home," I began, "but don't touch my food."

With that, I ran up the stairs, into my bedroom and after ripping the wrapping paper to shreds, I opened the box and gasped. I couldn't believe it, I really couldn't believe it; for the first time since I was 11, I was holding a dress in my hands and not just any dress but a red one (that and black are my favorite colors). I stood up and held it out in front of me to take in how it looked;

The skirt on it was probably a little over knee-length and hid my thighs well, but not so much my Automail left leg or right arm with not even straps to hold it up. There was a black blouse in the box along with thick black tights and at the bottom were a pair of short white cowgirl boats and wrist length white gloves. Oh dear Truth, I hope everything fits.

I changed into the cloths and stared at myself in the mirror; I gulped nervously. Now I knew why Lan-Fan always felt so self-conscious around Ling; this wasn't a place I felt I belonged. I was at my best when in a kickboxing match or sitting down at a desk with a test in front of me about Alchemy, but preparing for a "date" and being a girl about it; it felt so unnatural I felt sick to my stomach and yet I still wanted to be able to do this.

What? This is not just Edeline Elric's first date, but it's Edward Elric's too. Neither of them have ever even shown romantic interest in anyone, let alone been on a date and both of them were teenagers.

"Ed?" Mustang called, "You okay up there?"

I gulped one last time and decided to stop stalling; Edeline Elric maybe a girl but she had some characteristics of Edward Elric and one of them was being able to swallow fear easily. So, I swallowed my fear, gave myself one final look in the mirror and sighed.

"Yeah, I'll be there soon, I'm just not really sure what to do with my hair." I admitted.

Seriously, how should I wear it; braided, down, high ponytail, low pigtails? Damn it, why did I ever grow my hair out anyway? It looked better short and was easier to deal with!

Suddenly, a memory of my mother and Winry came to mind; I smiled, happy to finally have an idea of what to do. I got two hair bands and tied my hair up with them both; first at the top of my head while letting my bangs free like Winry's and then near the end of the ponytail like my mother's.

I gave myself one final look in the mirror and nodded, "Okay, I'm coming!"

I walked out of my bedroom door, down the stairs and watched as Mustang stared at me. I felt my nose start turning pink and then it spread to the rest of my cheeks. Damn it, he shouldn't be able to affect me like that.

"What?" I growled, "Do I have something on my face?"

Mustang smiled at me, actually smiled, shook his head and simply said, "Just the definition of beautiful."

I scowled at him, "Shut it with the pick-up lines, Mustang, they aren't going to work."

He tutted me, "Don't call me that, this isn't a date between Edward Elric and Mr. Mustang today; this is a date between Roy and Edeline and as such, we shall call each other Roy and Edeline."

I growled, "Whatever, Roy. How are we getting to the Museum anyway?"

He chuckled, "Only one way to find out, Edeline. Come on."

I finished walking down the steps and followed him out of my house and after locking up, I took the shotgun seat in his car. It was a quiet drive, relaxing actually. The windows were down and I was allowed to get a face-full of air while watching from the corner of my eye as Roy focused on what was happening in front of him.

At some point, I think I started to doze off, but I didn't mind that much. I can't think of a single moment in my life that I've ever felt this relaxed and calm; I think I'll enjoy it while I can.

"Everything's so small when you're on top of the world
It's hard to understand what's still yet to unfold
Pretending to be who you're not is a waste of what you've got" Roy began to sing.

Hey, I knew that song.

"Keep dreaming, keep dreaming, keep dreaming
Keep on, keep believing" We sang together.

"We are the kings and queens of hearts that break
We may fall in between the cracks
Living life like it's just a game of blackjack
I don't know how but we always find our way back
Looking back when I was just a little girl with a big dream living in a lonely world
It seems life is impossible so believe that you're unstoppable
Hey!" I sang this bit on my own.

"We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are into loving

We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are built for loving

O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh" We sang together

"It's hard to see the light when you're caught up in your life
You're scared and insecure cause now it's fight or flight
Can't think of giving up
You don't know how much you're loved" Roy continued.

"Keep dreaming, keep dreaming, keep dreaming
Keep on, keep believing" We sang together.

"We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are into loving

We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are built for loving

O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh" We sang together

"We are stars and" Roy took this one.

"We are open-hearted" I took that one and we continued on like that.

"We're stars"

"You know we are"

"Yeah, yeah"

"We are stars"

"We are stars"

"We are stars"

"We are"

"O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh

We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are into loving

We are stars and
We are open-hearted
We are lovers
We are built for loving

O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh
O-o-oh oh oh oh oh oh" We sang together

I smirked slightly, "You actually like Virgina To Vegas?"

Roy shrugged slightly, "Not particularly, I just think that when they sang with Alyssa Reid they sounded better than normal."

I snorted, "What a girly choice of music."

"Oh yeah?" Roy smirked at me, "Then how come you knew it so well?"

I shrugged and gave him the truth, "It was my mother's favorite song. I was always more into Skillet, Avril Lavigne and others like that, but my mother made sure I knew at least one not so punky song. Only one I really liked to be honest. What about you, twinkle toes?"

He chuckled, "I grew up with my ante and 11 foster sisters; I think that explains everything."

I spluttered and stared at him in shock, "11 foster sisters and an ante? Where were you-" I stopped myself; he wouldn't mention his parents if it was a touche subject, "living? Like, a mansion or an apartment? How did you all fit in it?"

"We lived down East for a while," Roy stated, "then when I finally got my job as a teacher I moved out to live in Central. I had studied there and made a few pen-pals, such as a Mr. Maes Hughes who when he told me his wife was taking a break from teaching due to pregnancy, I could take her place."

"Oh, you're friends with the Hughes?" I questioned, intrigued, "How do you handle his picture bombs?"

"Not as well as you kids do, probably." Roy laughed and then pulled one of the leavers, "By the way, Edeline, we're here."

I looked out the car window and indeed, here we were. If I didn't have any control over how I expressed my emotions, I think I'd be acting like a fan-girl right now. I opened the car door and walked out the same time Roy did and we entered the Museum side by side. As we walked around the exhibits, I was surprised with how empty the place was.

"It's like we're the only ones here." I noted.

Roy shrugged slightly, "I guess people just had other things to do."

I sighed, "If the country start thinking that way, then I'm afraid I won't be able to learn Alchemy in school."

Roy laughed at that, "You have a one-track mind, don't ya, Edeline?"

"I'm an Alchemist, what do you expect me to think about?" I questioned, "Barbie dolls and make up? Ugh, those things are disgusting."

"Well, you never know, those things do hold a lot of chemicals and elements in them, just like everything else around us." Roy stated, "Who knows? Maybe you'd be interested in making them."

"Actually I did make a doll using Alchemy, once." I stated.

Roy looked at me in surprise, so I continued, "It was mine and my brother's first time at trying Alchemy in front of someone, so we wanted to make it special. We made a doll for our friend Winry using Alchemy, but she ended up crying for some reason. Even when I ask her, all she ever tells me is that it looked scary while it was being formed and I know that girl doesn't scare easily."

Roy chuckled at that and then full out laughed, making me look at him as if he were mad.

"What?" I demanded.

He eventually got his breathing under control and said, "As soon as I could use Alchemy and my sisters knew, they kept giving me little hints to what presents they'd want me to make for them on their birthdays, but they never asked for dolls, thankfully. I swear to Truth, I ended up spoiling them rotten."

I smiled, "I bet it got lonely sometimes since you never had any brothers around to prank your sisters with."

Roy chuckled at that and I felt my face softening; he had a really nice laugh and smile. Wait, what the fuck were you just thinking, Edeline Elric?! What the actual fuck?! I felt my face start turning red once again and turned my head to the left and gasped.

The next hall was a collection of legends on how Alchemy come to countries all over the world!

Now, don't get me wrong, I know they were probably fictional like fairy tales and fables, but for some very strange reason, I still loved them. So I knew where I was going next.

I tugged gently on Roy's arm and used my head to direct where I wanted to go, "You okay with a few fables and listening to my scratchy voice reading them all out?"

Roy smiled at me and shook his head, "Read as loud as you want to, but don't bring the house down."

I giggled and started heading for the section and looked at the first offered story; The Eastern Sage from Amestris. This is the legend of how my country got it's Alchemy, but that doesn't mean it's my favorite. But I never said I didn't like it, either.

"The Philosopher of the East by the Early Amestrians." I began, "One day, a large group of travelers came to a great land with lush, green rolling hills and beautiful bands of water. They settled there and called their new land Amestris. At first, it was a small nation, with relatively friendly relationships with all the other tribes in the land from the Ishvalans to the Drachma. But one day, a man with golden hair and eyes came to the Amestrian people, dressed in the robes of a King. He taught them of a secret art called Alchemy; the ability to comprehend, decompose and then recompose any manner of chemical materials. While some Amestrians got it right of the bat, others were unable to use it simply because they weren't smart enough to and became jealous of those who could. These men who could not perform Alchemy encouraged the other local tribes to hate and fear the Amestrians to the point of war. Luckily, the Amestrians weren't dumb enough to actually start a fight with any of the tribes because the man from the East taught them not to. But as soon as they were able to use Alchemy to it's full potential, it became a weapon to fight back against the cruel treatment of the other tribes. The current leader of Amestris thanked the man and asked for his name. The man said 'I have no name, you may call me what you like' and so since he came from the East, he was from that day forth known as the Philosopher of the East."

Roy clapped beside me, "Nicely told, Edeline, maybe you should be a writer when you're older."

I scoffed, "Shut up, Roy."

"What did I say?"

"Nothing?"

"You are the most complicated woman I have ever met."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

And continued on reading the tales of Alchemy from around the world.

Eventually, our passes ran out of time and just as the Museum was about to close, we walked out and towards Roy's car. I didn't realize how tired I was until I sat down and realized my eyes were dropping.

Roy got into the driver's side and as we buckled up, he asked, "So, do you want to go somewhere to eat?"

"I don't know." I admitted, "Though I don't feel like I'm going to be sick, I know I will tomorrow morning. And I'm fairly tired, but still hungry."

"Eating it is then, since I'm hungry, too. Is there anywhere special you'd like to go?" Roy asked.

I shrugged, "I don't mind, really. Just make sure it isn't anything too expensive or fancy since I doubt this is a dress for that kind of occasion and nowhere with milk, either. I hate that stuff."

Roy smiled at me again, a slightly faraway look in his eyes. I loved his smile, it was really nice and calming; it was the kind of smile that promise you that you'd always be safe and cared for by this person, no matter your faults or insecurities. Too bad I'm not worth such a smile nor am I a sap.

"What? What are you staring at?" I asked, suspiciously.

His smile grew slightly wider, "Nothing really. Just your perfect, little-old-self."

An angry tick mark appeared on my forehead, "I'd appreciate it if you refrained from calling me 'little', thank you."

"Sure thing," Roy said, "honey."

If I had been drinking something, I would have chocked on it, "Honey?!"

He burst out laughing and grinned at me as if he were about to apologize, "Sorry, but I couldn't miss the opportunity!"

I scowled at him a debated hitting him for a moment, but just sighed, shook my head and growled, "Shut up and get me something to eat."

After a while of his laughing, he calmed down enough to nod and start up the car, "Yes, your majesty."

We went to a small, out of the way café where no one would know us and didn't have anything with milk in it. We talked for a little while longer and I felt like I got to really see who Roy was; not the stupid and smug teacher at my homeroom desk, not the stoic bachelor at that bar; I felt like I got to meet Roy for the first time and… I liked him.

All too soon, he was driving me home and the dusk was giving way to the dark night sky. I wanted this night to last forever for all the right reasons; for me Edeline, for Roy, for the sake of it. I wasn't ready for it to end when we arrived at my house; but there was nothing I could do to prolong it.

Roy parked the car out-side my house, turned to me and smiled, "I had a good time tonight Ed."

I shrugged slightly, but nodded and smiled, "Yeah, me too."

"Do you want to go out again sometime?"

If I had a drink, I would have chocked, "What?! But, what about your career?! What if someone who knows you or me saw us tonight? Do you think it's worth it?!"

Roy sat there, thinking for a moment, but then he shrugged, "There's nothing wrong with a little dinner and visitation of the local attractions. Besides, we both enjoyed, didn't we? So, why can't we do it again?"

I looked at him as if he was mad and began listing all the illegal things that would come with that, "I am not legally an adult until I turn 18. You are my teacher at school and 8 years my senior. As far as this City is concerned, I am a school boy and you are a free and completely straight bachelor."

"Is that all?" Roy asked.

I looked at him as if he was mad; that casual tone of voice was not the tone he should have been speaking in, but I couldn't think of anymore reasons for us to not work out, strangely enough, "Aren't they enough?! It's not worth it, totally not worth it!"

"Then if you're so sure about it, why does your tone of voice tell me you wish you were lying."

For a long time, I just stared at him. I didn't know how, why or when, but Roy had hit the nail on the head; I wish I was lying. I mean, I'm a teenager and I want to learn what it's like to fall in love and stuff like that, but that's even harder for you when you're a boy in a girl's body who is pretending to be a boy. If that makes any sense. But with Roy of all people? There's no way it could ever work out.

And before I could even comprehend it or notice it happening, Roy's lips were a centimeter away from my own. And I didn't want to push him away, but I had to ask…

"Why?"

It looked like the spell that had been cast on the moment didn't so much as chip, not to Roy at least, "Because I want to see where this will lead us. I want to be with you, Edeline. But if you don't want to be with me, then push me away right here and now."

"But," I breathed in his breath, "I don't want to push you away."

And with that, I dared to close my eyes and the gap; it was amazing. It felt like my senses were tingling with electricity and fire while a wave of awareness crashed over me and all that was running through my mind was Roy. His taste, his smell, the feel of his lips, his gentle fingers running through my hair. He was everywhere, it was like I was caged in his being and I could never escape; not that I wanted to either.

For the first time, in a while, I felt alive.

So, when we pulled away, I wasn't surprised I was panting; he hadn't done anything more than connect our lips, but for me, that had been amazing. Utterly amazing.

Too bad it'll have to end forever.

"Roy," I whispered, "we can't do this."

"Why not? We want to try, don't we?" He seemed so puzzled it made me sick, "I know there are risks, but-"

"But nothing!" I yelled, "Sure, I liked being with you, hell I loved it, but we can't! Not until I graduate or become a legal adult, whichever comes first! Stop trying to convince me otherwise when I know that we'll just end up getting our hopes too high!"

"Why are you so sure we'll end in disaster?" Roy asked me away too calmly.

"Because we will!" I yelled, "I've read all the books about illegal relationships and they always end with the couple being found out and burning at the stake, whispering in their dying breaths about how much they love each other! It's been repeated all the time from Romeo and Juliet to Brokeback Mountain and I'm sick of it! I'm not going to let you or me repeat the cycle; I'm not going to let you get into something as stupid as that nor will I let myself fall and blow my cover like that."

And I meant it. I knew that illegal relationships always ended badly and though I knew I liked Roy, that's why I wasn't going to risk him. Sure, I wanted to be with him. Sure, I wanted to be able to be a girl and be with him. Sure, I wanted to let it all go, be a girl, be with him and finally be myself without hiding behind a mask.

But I couldn't.

For a while, things were silent in the car. Roy stared out the window and I stared into my lap.

"Tell me the truth, Edeline," Roy said turning to me, making me lift my head and turn to him, "do you want to be a girl?"

"No." I said instantly, "I just want to be myself without people ranting about how unlike my gender I am."

"Is that really your only reason for hiding?" Roy asked.

I shook my head, "I didn't start hiding until I turned 15 and puberty smacked me in the face with the fact that I was a girl. Everyone thought I was a boy, even my old carer did that's why there are any documents at all that tell people I was born male."

"Why change your name, though?"

I shook my head, "I don't know. Maybe because I liked Edward better then Edeline since it sounded tougher and less feminine. Maybe because someone once called me that by mistake and I've asked people to call me that ever since. I forgot the real reason a long time ago, I think."

That was a lie. The truth is, I didn't know how to come out and tell people the truth because we had all gotten so used to the idea of me being a boy named Edward, I didn't know what would happen if I told people the truth. I wouldn't blame Ling if he pushed me away, or Mei if she called me a liar; it would still hurt, though. It would hurt so much, I think I'd rather go back to Resembool then face the possibility of that happening. And that was not something I liked either.

It's pathetic, really. My biggest fear was telling people I didn't have a dick.

"Edeline, if you ever do decide to come out of the closet about your gender, I want you to know you'll have my support."

I gasped and stared at Roy, not expecting that at all, "What would you get out of that?"

He shrugged and smiled at me, "I don't know really. You can tell me."

I gaped at him for a moment, sighed and shook my head, "You just want to see me in the girl's uniform, don't you?"

"Maybe." He said in an overly innocent tone.

I groaned, "Well, even if I do come out of the closet, you'll never catch me in a skirt."

With that, I decided that conversation had lasted a little too long and so, I climbed out of the car and went into my house, locking the door behind me and slumping on the couch in the living room the second I entered.

I have so much on my mind, it's not even funny. But I guess it is time I started thinking about this stuff.

I am so going to regret this in my later life. I'm gonna come out of the closet, everyone is going to hate me and then I'll move back to Resembool. Well, it's better to be done with it now then feel the pain later in life.

"Our next contest is, the handsome young man who's picked just as beautiful a song to play for us today! The one, the only, Mr. Edward Elric!" Mr. Hughes yelled over the mics.

The crouch clapped and I heard my friends' screams and cheers over the sound as I stepped on the stage in a hooded outfit that hid my entire body. I felt my legs tremble and for a moment, I was afraid they'd snap on me, but I held my ground. If I fell now, what would be the point in letting them know what I really was?

I stepped up in front of Hughes and took the mic from his offered hand. He gave me a reassuring glance, his eyes a knowing glint in them (Shit, Roy must have spilled the beans) and turned to the crowds of my fellow classmates, family members and teachers alike.

"Hello everyone." I spoke in my male voice at first, "I've been keeping a secret from all of you for a long time," I stopped for a moment, listening to the murmurs and then spoke, "and I think it's time I revealed it."

The music began and it eventually came to a point where I would have to sing and so I did; in my female voice.

"Grew up in a small town
And when the rain would fall down
I'd just stare out my window
Dreaming of what could be
And if I'd end up happy
I would pray (I would pray)"

Everyone seemed shocked at the height of my true voice, but I didn't let up.

"Trying hard to reach out
But when I tried to speak out
Felt like no one could hear me
Wanted to belong here
But something felt so wrong here
So I prayed I could break away"

I took of the cloak revealing the girl in a dress underneath and sung with all my heart and strength.

"I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly
I'll do what it takes 'til I touch the sky
And I'll make a wish
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget all the ones that I love
I'll take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway"

I felt like adrenaline was pumping in my veins and I saw my friends swaying to the music.

"Wanna feel the warm breeze
Sleep under a palm tree
Feel the rush of the ocean
Get on board a fast train
Travel on a jet plane far away
And breakaway"

I smiled at them and continued.

I sang about the dreams I had of central as a little girl.

"Buildings with a hundred floors
Swinging 'round revolving doors
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me
But gotta keep moving on, moving on
Fly away, breakaway"

And what I was going to do now.

"I'll spread my wings
And I'll learn how to fly
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye
I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway
Out of the darkness and into the sun
But I won't forget the place I come from
I gotta take a risk
Take a chance
Make a change
And breakaway, breakaway, breakaway"

The music ended and with that, I declared the truth to the world.

"My name is Edeline Elric and I was born a girl," I declared, "Edward Elric was my identity when I moved to Central and people mistook me for a boy and I've rolled with it ever since."

I stepped off the stage and ran for the back room where I had been prepping. Not a minute later, all my friends entered the room and I stood up, tugging the skirt of my dress down a little in nervousness. For a long while, everyone was silent and simply stared at me and I looked back at them, blushing for no reason.

Then out of nowhere, Mei sighed and said rather loudly, "FINALLY! It's about time you told us the truth, Ed!"

I was shocked, "You knew?!"

Lan-Fan chuckled as she stood up, "We all found out at some point, Ed. I realized you were a girl when I found out on the one day you decided to wear something other than black and there was blood between your legs."

Ling laughed, "Once I heard you singing while you were in the bathrooms and I noticed your voice was too high to be a boy's. I thought your voice just hadn't broken yet, but about a year later I caught you doing it again and still, your voice was too high. It had gotten softer in fact."

Winry stood up and shrugged, "I already knew since we were childhood friends and all that. Hell, we used to take baths together, so I definitely know you're a girl."

"WINRY ROCKBELL!" I screamed.

Riza also stood up, "Winry once let it slip by accident on one of the letters she sent me when we were children about her best friend that he was a she. Based on those letters, I could tell right away that you were that friend, even if everyone thought you were male."

Vato was next, "I noticed your face wasn't the right shade to be a boy's, it wasn't rounded enough and I noticed you walked like a girl, with a slight sway of hips."

Jean spoke up, "That time you haled me up during our extreme sports trip, I noticed that your hand was really thin for a boy's and I figured it was far more like that of a girl's."

Russell smirked at me, "I noticed how you always get really moody at one point each month and one time during one of your many speeches, I noticed your voice getting high."

Fletcher sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "I hugged you once and noticed you had bumps on your chest and I told Russell, he said that girls are supposed to have bumps so I realized you were a girl."

Breda sighed helplessly, "It was obvious that your monthly stomach pains were normal so it didn't take a genius to figure out you didn't have a dick."

Furey blushed slightly, "Our entire first year had me thinking of you as cute and attractive and for a while, I thought I was gay, but then realized you had the physical qualities of a girl, though you hid it pretty well."

I was shocked. Had I really let all those little things be shown even after years of being a boy?

"If you had all known all this time," I began, "why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Us boys thought you'd call us perverts, slap us and then leave us." Ling chuckled.

"The girls thought you had an important reason for being a boy so we decided not to invade your privacy like that." Mei added.

I smiled at all my friends and nodded my thanks to them, "Thank you all so much."

"No problem, Ed," Jean smiled, "just one question though."

I turned to him but Vato took his line, "Why did you suddenly decide to reveal yourself?"

"I guess I just decided it was time I stopped hiding." I chuckled.

The others all chuckled and smiled at me and for once, I felt safe. No more hiding, no more pretending, no more fears. There was just me, them, Roy and the big wide world waiting for us to go out there and show them what I could do.

And that though, was probably the reason I cried in those damn tears of relief.

3 days later, my back-pack was packed with all the things I'd need for my little trip, I'd gotten all the necessary vaccinations for me and my company and the only thing that was left to do was slip under the radar.

Easy.

I left the note on my bed, throw my bag over my shoulders, left the house (locking the door behind me) and headed for the bus stop in the dark of the night. Luckily, I didn't have to wait long. 5 minutes after I arrived, the bus was here and I was boarding it. I gave the driver my ticket, took my seat and looked out the windows at the streets passing by.

Why was I doing this? I found out I was pregnant.

It was about two days after revealing my gender to school that I felt too sick to leave the house. I let my mind wonder to the night I had shared with Roy (and damn, what a night that had been) and then started thinking about how I've been constantly puking for a while now, then I remembered my period was late. I added it all up, made a pregnancy test and it ended up positive.

As soon as I got the results, I was packing up my bags, writing notes and all those shenanigans and now, here I was.

On a bus heading for the Amestrian border to cross-over into the desert where the ruins of Xerxes were waiting. They're the perfect place to hide, at least until I'm ready to face my friends again. Or tell Roy about it. Or Al for that matter…

When did I start calling him Roy anyway? What happened to Mustang? When did I start thinking of him differently to how I think of my friends or Alphonse? When did my heart start being so fast whenever I thought of him and those few kisses or time together we've shared?

"May I sit next to you, Miss?"

I turned my head to see a friendly but rather looking over-weight woman smiling at me kindly. I nodded and she took up residents in the seat next to me.

"You see to be troubled, young one." She called, "May I ask 'what's up?' as you young ones call it?"

"If you're going to probe into my life, you can at least tell me your name first." I stated.

She gave a grin, "Madam Christmas is what they call me."

I shrugged, "They call me Ed."

"Ed, that's a nice name." Christmas stated, "It can be short for lots of names from Eddie to Edwin, but something tells me neither of those are in your name."

"It's Edeline." I said.

"So, Edeline," Christmas said, "what seems to be bugging you?"

"Nothing important." I lied through my teeth.

"Maybe, but every problem should be discussed and worked out right away, even if it's something trivial." Christmas insisted.

I sighed, "Fine. There's this book I like reading and the author is having a writer's block. She asked for my help, but I don't know what to say to help her out."

"Oh?" Christmas sounded interested, "What's the book about?"

I sighed, "Basically, the main character, Marie, is a 17-year-old pregnant high school student who until recently was pretending to be a boy. And the one who knocked her up was her new homeroom teacher Rex Rotherland."

"My, doesn't that sound complicated." She grinned at me, "Tell me more."

And so, I told her about what had happened in my life ever since Roy came into it; but of course, I changed a few names and stuff like that. Buy the time I had told her about 'Marie' running away, I think I may have gotten a bit too passionate but I couldn't stop.

"But Marie doesn't want to go like this." I admitted, "Sure, she's scared to death about leaving her friends and she feels really guilty about not even telling her brother Alen that she's leaving, but she doesn't feel like she has any other choice. There's no way she'd be able to find the courage to tell everyone she's pregnant and it would be even harder to find the courage to admit who the father is. She just, feels like she can't do it and now the author has everything at a standstill."

Christmas had been quiet the entire time I told her about this 'author friend of mine and her precious story' and then she smiled, took a drag of the cigarette she'd lit at some point, let it go and said "Perhaps, if Marie has the courage to take things into her own hands, instead of running away, she can just tell Rex at least what's going on and see what he thinks of the situation. If he's all for keeping the baby and trying to support her, then maybe Marie should stay in her town and when her friends start noticing the signs of pregnancy, she can tell them the truth when she's ready. But if Rex turns out to be a dick about it and is cruel to Marie over the fact, then she should tell her friends and family about what happened and see if they'll be willing to help her."

"But," I interrupted, "what if they are so disgusted with Marie that they decide to forget about it and leave her to fend for herself, or worst, they tell everyone about it?"

"I don't think her friends will do that to her," Christmas took another drag, "from what you've told me about her friends, they seem to be very understanding and protective people who are willing to give Marie a chance to explain herself before judging her, or anyone else for that matter. Friends like that are hard to come by, so I don't think Marie should try to leave them before trying to talk to them first. And if it turns out that they do betray her trust and try to ruin her life, then she can decide if she still wants to run away."

I looked at Christmas and ran that course of actions over in my head; by now the sun was starting to rise up over the hills in the east, but just barely. I checked my watch for the time and saw it was 5:12am.

If I could get the bus to turn back now, I'd get home in time to get ready for school and face the music, no time left to give me time to think about chickening out, but how do I get it to turn around?

Suddenly, as if to answer my wishes, the bus shrieked to a halt and I never fell out of my seat. Christmas had been fine, she hadn't even moved and I looked out the window to see we'd stopped at some kind of bus station from the looks of things.

"Everybody off now, we've reached the airport." The driver ordered.

I stood up just like everyone else and ran for the exit, looking for something that would get me back to Central as soon as possible.

"Hey kid!"

I turned my head to see Christmas standing near one of those old fashioned bikes with a passenger seat. I ran over to her.

"You wanna get back to Central to fix your little problem now?" She said.

I chuckled nervously, "I guess I wasn't good at hiding how emotional that story made me, huh?"

"Nope and besides, my nephew has told me an odd thing about you here and there and I think he'd be very disappointed if you left him." Christmas grinned.

"Huh?" I was dumb found for a moment.

Her grin widened into a familiar smirk, "My name's Chris Mustang; adoptive mother and paternal ante to one Roy Mustang."

For a moment, all I could do was stare at her, "What?"

She laughed and gestured to the side cart, "Get in if you want to get to school on time."

Without another thought, I got in and after doing my seat-belt up and putting my helmet/goggles on, we were off.

I got into school on my bike just in time to see all my friends waiting for me outside and as soon as Mei spotted me riding in, they were all cheering and running towards me.

"Edeline, where were you?!" Winry demanded, worry in her tone.

"We were afraid something had happened to you, chief." Jean added.

"I though you could have just slept in a little, it has been an eventful week after all." Vato added.

"But we knew you wouldn't miss a more then one day of school, so when you didn't come in, we started getting nervous." Fletcher added.

"We're just glad you're okay, Ed." Ling finished.

My friends went on and on, but all I did was park my bike, take off my helmet, turn to them after putting it away and smiled, "I'm sorry I worried you guys so much. Come on, let's get to class already."

We all ran into our homeroom class just in time to sit in our seats before the bell rang. Roy walked into the class, smiled at everyone, took registration and after the bell rang again, I made sure I was the last to leave.

"Roy." I called once everyone was gone.

He turned to me and I felt like my stomach was having a tug of war with my intestines.

"I…" I gulped and then looked him in the eyes, "I need to see you at the end of the day, but no one can know I came of my own free will, try to make it look like you called me here, please."

Roy seemed surprised, but nodded, "Sure thing. Can I ask what it's about?"

"You… me…" I trailed off, "A few complications."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion, "What kind of complications?"

"I'll tell you about them at the end of the day." I promised.

With that, I sprinted out the door before another word could pass between us.

After I gave him the news, for a moment, Roy just stared at me, "…what?"

I growled, "Do I need to say it again for the world to hear? I'm pregnant and the kid's yours."

Still, he stood there dumbfound. I sighed, muttered, "I'll take that as a 'this is your problem' and be on my way now," and started heading for the door. I reached my hand for the handle-

Suddenly, I felt him grip my wrist, firmly and tug me towards him. I turned around just in time to feel him slam his lips to my own and I let a sound of surprise escape me. That gave his tongue a chance to get in my mouth and, damn, did it take that chance. I felt his arms wrapped around my waist and his hand cradling the back of my neck, keeping me in place as he dipped us slightly, but I grabbed his shirt, unable to decide if I would pull him closer or push him away. I chose the first option.

I held him close, but pushed to right myself, not willing to just be 'one of his girls' who'll tumble at his feet. I fought his tongue, trying to get above it, not willing to let him get the best of me until we both had no breath left and were forced to pull apart.

For a while, the only sound that could be heard was our panting. Neither of us dared to say a word, just letting the moment linger there for a while.

Suddenly, Roy closed his eyes, let out a sigh and rested his forehead against mine, "What have we gotten ourselves into?"

I also sighed, "I don't know but," I let it linger in the air, before saying what was on my mind, "I don't want to have to face this alone, but I don't want you to get in trouble, either."

Roy smiled at me, softly, "Ya know what? I don't give half a rat's ass about the risks now. I want to be with Edeline Elric," my breath hitched as he continued, "I need you. I wanna be able to be there for our kid, to, even though I won't be able to be public about that until you at least graduate. I love you, Ed." I gasped as his eyes opened, revealing a light of honesty burning in them, "I really mean it."

"You," I gulped as I felt the heat rising from my cheeks to my ears, "you really mean that? Really?"

"I mean it with all my heart." Roy whispered, "Edeline, please, let me be there for you."

I turned my eyes to the ground, "But, the signs will start showing in about a month and what am I gonna do about it then? What do I tell my friends?"

"Tell them anything you like." Roy said, "If you feel you can trust them with the truth, the truth it is then. If not, make something up."

"I'm a terrible liar though." I added.

"Then tell them a half truth. Whatever you believe they deserve, tell them it. They're your friends after all." He smiled at me, "It's up to you to decide if you can trust them with another big secret of yours."

I nodded, smiled and moved to hug him and decided to tell him for the first time how I felt, "I'm not a 100% sure about how much I like you, Roy Mustang but I do know one thing: that I really, really like you and I really need you right now. Thank you so much for everything."

He moved to hug me, "No problem, Ed."

For a while, we just stood there in that embrace and I knew, for the first time in my life since my mother died, that everything…

Was gonna be alright.

5 years later, I'm now Edeline Mustang; wife of Roy Mustang a teacher at Central High School, mother of the 4-year-old Amy Mustang and her 6 month old baby brother, Ryan Mustang.

All my friends got hitched between the span of our graduation and Ryan's birth:

LanFan and Ling tied the knot after dating for 2 years. Alphonse and Winry hocked up 7 months ago. Jean and Riza right after graduation. Mei and Fletcher 1 year ago. Russel and a girl from our school we knew named Rose the same day as Fletcher and Mei. Vato and a girl named Catrina he knew at his university married right after they graduated and already have two little ones running around (Merry aged 1 and her brother Rod aged 2). Breda has been engaged to a woman named Karin for about 2 years now and they're finally having the ceremony. Furey got together with the library's assistant Sheska and are on their honeymoon right now.

And me? As I said, I'm Roy's wife, our first child came out okay and now we have another kid too.

So, what happened to make all this possible? Here's the basic summary:

For a while, everything at school ran smoothly, but then the symptoms of my pregnancy started showing and I told my friends about it. Once again, it appeared I was being so obvious about it that they already knew I was pregnant; when I told them who the father was, that was when they were shocked and demanded to have all the little details, but luckily didn't reject me.

I decided to keep going to school until I could no longer hide the pregnancy no matter how hard I tried; once that time came, all my friends insisted on me staying at home to ensure I wouldn't get looks or unwanted questions from anyone and unfortunately, they were right so I agreed to stay at home. Everyone brought me the school work and helped me do it while I was laid up, Roy even visited me every once in a while and he introduced me to someone.

His name was Knox; he was an old doctor friend of Roy's who'd promise to keep his mouth shut about my pregnancy and how it involved Roy. When Amy was born, she was perfectly healthy thanks to some help from Knox and we made a birth certificate for her (though we kept it and her hidden for a while).

When I finally graduated at the top of the class, it felt like a bolder was taken off my shoulders and I couldn't believe that me and Roy had made it without being discovered, that we were going to be together, finally. That night, we left Amy with Alphonse and Winry and ya know what happened?

Roy proposed to me. With all my faults, with all the things that made me a walking disaster, with all the things that made me imperfect he had accepted me and asked me to be with him forever. Obviously, I said yes and well, here we are now…

In a good house with me having a good job as a local Alchemist that helped people with rebuilding and remodeling their homes, Roy was still a teacher and doing well, Amy was going to start school soon and Ryan was just getting onto the bottle.

And to think, all this happened because I let myself go for one night alone. I sure am lucky.