Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any related characters.
A/N: This fic stems from a conversation I had with a classmate. She told me a story about her cousin: A man that was quite the Cassanova in his youth. He was later blessed (cursed) with two extremely beautiful daughters. As a former womanizer, he knew full well how men prayed on attractive young girls. The knowledge absolutely tortured him when his daughters began to date.
Of course, my mind immediately went to one Roy Mustang (quite the ladies' man himself), and how he would cope as his own daughter discovers love.
Introducing Overprotective!Roy. Humorous and saccharine-sweet scenes lie ahead. On the cuteness scale, I would rate it as… "Disney." You have been warned.
The joy in his eyes the first time he held her was proof enough: Roy Mustang adored his daughter with an intent, quiet ferocity. Riza would never forget the way he reverently whispered her name into the swaddling cloth: Beth, their beautiful daughter. Tangible evidence of their love.
Roy joked he always had a way with women. Raised in a brothel, he understood the gentler sex in a way few men could claim. Beth was no exception. Roy absolutely spoiled her. When his daughter was still young, he spent his lunch breaks buried in his old alchemy books. Later, he came home to transmute flowers and dolls, ribbons and tiaras to amaze and delight his beloved daughter. Roy ensured Beth's childhood was a pink, fluffy paradise.
In return, Beth worshiped her father. He was her everything.
Even after their son, Maes, was born, Roy shared a special bond with Beth. Though she showed no aptitude for alchemy, she did have a talent for strategy. Beth learned chess at an early age. It was only a few short years before Roy no longer had to let her win. As her game matured, he quite enjoyed the challenge of playing against his quick-witted daughter. It soon became clear she would follow in her parents' footsteps and become an officer. Roy was thrilled.
It was quite a surprise the first time he caught a young man ogling Beth. She was then sixteen, just entering the bloom of womanhood, and newly-enrolled at Central Military Academy. Roy had always thought her beautiful. She shared his exotic features: Sharp onyx eyes framed by messy black locks. Her crooked smile was just as snarky and disarming as her father's. As Beth grew, she took on her mother's figure: All soft curves draped over compact muscle. In short, the girl was stunning. It seemed only natural to Roy that others think the same.
However, nothing could prepare him for the wayward attentions of his newest staff member.
It was the smallest of things. In the flurry of an especially busy week, Roy forgot to bring his lunch to work. Riza sent their daughter to fetch it for him. When Beth arrived, she found her father doling out orders to the fresh-faced Sergeant Brigham. Roy rather liked the young man: all youthful zeal and open-faced honesty. Beth politely greeted the new officer and promptly deposited the brown bag on her father's desk. She leaned over to give Roy an affectionate peck on the cheek.
That's when he saw it. Brigham's eyes on his daughter's ass. They lingered there, hot and hungry. The young man stole a glance at his superior and knew he was caught. His cheeks reddened. The poor boy was mortified.
Roy managed to restrain himself until Beth left the room (Riza would be proud –he was sure of it). Coal-black eyes fell on soft hazel the moment the door clicked shut. The boy veritably quailed as his superior's gaze pierced him like so many knives. Roy felt a momentary pang of regret that the boy had to die so young. Such a shame. And he had so much promise.
He quietly reached for his gloves.
"S-sir?" the Sargent's voice quavered as the General pulled on his signature trappings. Brigham's mother had begged him not to work for the infamous, dangerous Flame Alchemist. She said it would be the death of him.
He hated it when she was right.
"I can explain, Sir. I – "
"Sergeant," the General clipped.
"Y-yes, Sir?"
"Don't move."
"Please, God - "
SNAP.
Brigham's eyes bugged as a tiny hair of flame zipped away from the General's fingers. It traced a zigzagging path, leaving a quick, bright trail in its wake. In mere seconds, the flame reached its intended target. There it exploded, a hairsbreadth away from the sergeant's crotch. The young man let out a terrified mewl as he watched his manhood so threatened.
Mustang smiled darkly, eyes glittering. "Dismissed."
Sergeant Brigham requested a new assignment that very afternoon.
The message spread like – incidentally – fire through the ranks of young soldiers: Stay away from the General's daughter, lest you wish to suffer the unloving wrath of his alchemy. So much as look at Beth, and consider your life forfeit. Touch her, and no one will find your body. Not intact, anyway.
For the most part, the message was received. Cadets and officers alike steered clear of Roy's beautiful daughter. Those that treaded too close were promptly reassigned to another post under mysterious circumstances. Beth knew nothing of this. She was far too busy working her way through her military training at the Academy to take note of the young men that surreptitiously eyed her shapely figure between exercises. She was focused. Intense. Determined to make her parents – and especially her father – proud.
Then she met The One.
"Who is this 'Ben' she mentions here?" Roy called to Riza as he read Beth's most recent letter home. Their daughter was currently stationed at Western Headquarters to finish her cadet field training. She was in her final year at the academy, and her letters oozed with youthful optimism.
"I believe he's one of the officers she works under – a lieutenant, perhaps?" Riza replied as she shed her robe and climbed into bed beside her husband.
Roy squinted at the letter. "This is the second time she's mentioned him."
"Roy," Riza sighed. "You wouldn't have to strain your eyes so much if you would just wear your reading glasses." She lay on her side, head propped on one elbow. Her warm eyes twinkled with amusement.
"I don't need them," he replied with absentminded stubbornness. His eyes never left the letter. "Don't you think it's a bit… inappropriate for her to be on first-name terms with her superior officer?"
Riza blinked. "No."
"There are rules for a reason, Riza."
Riza sighed. "Roy..."
"Perhaps I should give Colonel Gantz a call tomorrow. He should know that one of his officers is fraternizing -"
"Roy."
"It's completely inexcusable. Praying on a young cadet like -"
"Roy!"
"What?" he snapped, finally tearing his gaze from the unsettling letter.
Riza fixed him with a lengthy, expectant stare. Clearly she wanted him to realize something.
Roy's brows knitted, a confused expression on his face. "What?"
Riza shook her head and puffed a long-suffering sigh. "Nothing," she said, turning over to lie on the other side – away from him. Her next word came out a muffled growl: "Hypocrite."
Roy harrumphed and set the letter on the bedside table. He scooted over to his wife and pulled her back against his chest. "No matter. Beth has always been too focused for boys." He kissed the back of Riza's neck affectionately.
"Mmm," she agreed, her voice thick with drowsiness.
"Probably just a phase," he muttered into her hair. "She'll forget about him soon."
"Hmm," was Riza's noncommittal reply.
"I mean, she wants to be an officer –"
"Roy," Riza mumbled.
"What?"
"Goodnight."
Roy was wrong. Beth did not forget about Ben. Indeed, the young man's name continued to appear in her letters – and with increasing prominence. Though he did his best to hide it, Roy grew more and more uptight as it became clear that Beth had grown quite fond of her superior officer. Her letters gushed over his kindness, his confidence, and his handsomeness. She was utterly besotted.
"What do looks matter anyway?" Roy asked his wife sourly over dinner one night. His fork stabbed at a spear of asparagus with a bit more force than necessary. "Beth needs someone with substance."
Riza simply shrugged, a knowing smile barely discernible on her lips.
After months of training, Beth finally came home – now a full-fledged private. Roy, being the proud father he was, decided the occasion called for a celebration. A special dinner: All in honor of Beth's completed cadetship. The family set to planning with an air of excitement – it had been too long since all four of them spent time together. Roy felt relieved. He finally had his daughter back. Moreover, Colonel Gantz had intimated that Beth was a rising star – destined for leadership. And best of all, she had not once mentioned…
"Beth dear, do you think Ben would like to join us for dinner?" Riza asked. She glanced up at Roy from beneath her lashes, humor in her eyes.
Roy glared back. Traitor. "I'm sure this 'Ben' fellow has much better –"
"He'd love to!" Beth exclaimed. "We were hoping you'd ask!" She leaned forward to hug her mother.
Beth was too delighted to notice her father, now regarding his daughter with a flummoxed expression as though he had just seen her turn into a Xingese circus performer. Roy had never seen Beth so excited by anything, least of all a boy. And he didn't like the way she used the word "we" like it meant something. This was a disaster. His heart filled with dread. What was happening to his beautiful, clever, independent daughter?
Finally the fated night arrived. The doorbell rang. To Roy (who had been waiting in a chair near the foyer like an animal lying in ambush), the sound was like a solemn death knell. He drew himself to his full height in an attempt to look every bit the General he was, and strode to the door. He pulled it open.
And there he was, standing tentatively on the front porch: The boy that threatened to take his precious daughter away from him. Roy stared down at the youth, whose eyes widened when the door opened so suddenly. Roy veritably filled the doorway with his imposing presence.
The boy shifted nervously from foot to foot under the scrutiny. He had blonde hair, shorn close in military style. He wore a neat suit and carried flowers in his hands. But that was not what drew Roy's gaze. It was his eyes. They were an exotic yellow-gold, sharp and intelligent. The shape, the color – they were all too familiar. They looked just like a pair of eyes he knew, long ago…
"No," said Roy. And he slammed the door in the young man's face.
He turned and stomped out of the foyer.
"Riza? Riza!"
"In the kitchen," his wife's voice drifted from the back of the house.
Beth was just coming down the stairs as Roy stalked by. She was outfitted in a simple dress for the night, her black hair pinned elegantly in a knot at the base of her neck. Had Roy not been so upset, he might have taken a moment to enjoy his daughter's beauty. However, he had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.
"Daddy, was that…?" Beth looked up to see the empty foyer. "You didn't…" Beth gasped and glanced back at her father, who was now mumbling seditiously under his breath. "You didn't let him in?" she breathed. Beth flew down the remainder of the stairs towards the front door. "Dad, what is wrong with you?"
Roy pointedly ignored his daughter, brushing past her with a surly growl. He needed to talk to his wife. He had quite the bone to pick. He found Riza in the kitchen, contentedly chopping some lettuce for dinner. "Riza, what the hell?"
"Hmm?" She seemed far too innocent. Studiously so.
"An Elrich? An Elrich?"
Riza did not bother to look up from her work. "Maes, stay out of the fridge," she said distractedly.
Their teenage son froze, hand already halfway to the refrigerator door. He let out an agonized cry. "Mom, I'm starving," he whined. Maes had grown nearly four inches in the past year, and was destined to overtake his father in height. The poor boy was in a constant state of hunger.
"Wait for dinner."
"Nngh!" Maes tromped sullenly – as only a teenage boy can – to his mother's side, perhaps hoping to filch a few wayward scraps. Riza squeezed his arm affectionately before placing another bunch of lettuce on the chopping board.
"Riza," Roy wheedled, perturbed that his wife seemed unconcerned about the crisis at hand. "What is an Elrich boy doing on our front porch?"
Riza sharply slapped her son's hand, which had somehow made its way into the bread basket beside her. "Maes, no. You'll ruin your appetite."
The teenager groaned something about his stomach eating itself and child abuse. Unmoved, Riza returned to the salad.
"You knew about this, didn't you?" Roy accused. "You knew he was an Elrich and you didn't tell me."
"Maes, would you go upstairs and get the good dishware from the cupboard?" Riza said serenely. "The one your great grandfather gave us for our wedding. Don't forget the candle sticks and the gravy boat."
Maes moaned, looking every bit his father when confronted with a high stack of paperwork. He deliberately dragged his feet as he set to the task. Roy was certain he heard the words "slave labor" before the teenager disappeared around the corner and up the stairs. He would have to talk to the boy about his attitude. Later.
"Riza," Roy said sharply. "Answer me."
His wife finally cast a weary glance in his direction. "Of course I knew he was an Elrich. You should have known, too. You met Ben when he was a boy, remember?"
"No," he replied mulishly. But he knew she was right. She always was, after all. In fact, now that she mentioned it, Roycould vaguely recall meeting Fullmetal's spawn a few – maybe ten? – years ago. Ed had called one of them 'Benny' – the eldest, if he remembered correctly. The name was short for Abenthy, a famous alchemist Ed apparently admired. Roy remembered thinking at the time that it was a stupid name.
Come to think of it, he still thought so.
Riza's ochre eyes studied her husband as realization slowly dawned on his face. "Uh huh." She turned back to the lettuce.
"One of Fullmetal's kids went into the military?"
"Yes, I told you that years ago, Roy."
"No you didn't," he replied. But again, he knew she was right. Damn it. "I can't believe Fullmetal would allow that. Hehates the military."
"Being a soldier is different these days. Ed knows that." She set some tomatoes on the chopping board. "Besides, more soldiers are doing public works than fighting. You know that."
"Hmph. Well, I – " Roy stopped as he heard the sound of voices in the living room nearby. Apparently Beth had let Ben into the house. The couple settled down together on the couch, their heads just visible over its high back. An uncharacteristic look of terror stole over Roy's ordinarily poised features.
"Yes. You do have to go out there." Riza answered his unasked question.
Roy sent her a plaintive look. "Can't you come…?"
She smiled bemusedly. "No, I still have a bit more work to do here. I'll be there in a moment." She nudged him with her hip. "Go." The last word was not a request.
Roy let out a long sigh. I've been through worse, he reminded himself. Homunculi and Ishval and nationwide transmutation circles and… His thoughts stilled as the two heads leaned closer to one another. Nope, this was far, far worse. Homunculi paled in comparison. He would rather face a hundred Envies than brave his own living room at the moment. But he had to. He was a General. A war hero. He could do this.
He steeled himself and strode toward the living room.
"Roy, wait." Riza's voice halted him, and he looked back at her hopefully. His wife strode to him, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. Her eyes danced with amusement, and one hand stole into the front pocket of his trousers. "What do we have here?" she murmured. Roy's eyebrows climbed. Perhaps this evening would not be as bad as he feared. His mouth spread into a wicked grin and he leaned his head down to kiss her.
Instead his wife drew her hand from his pocket – along with his gloves.
"I'll be taking these," she said.
Roy groped for them. "Hey – I need those."
She whisked the gloves out of his reach and tucked them behind her back. "You don't need your gloves to meet your daughter's boyfriend. Now, get."
"I'll be the judge of that," he growled darkly. "And don't call him her boyfriend. He's not. He just… isn't." He shot her a fearful glance. "Is he?"
Riza merely shooed him away and turned back to the chopping board.
As Roy slumped out of the kitchen and into the dreaded living room, he could swear he heard his wife laughing at him.
It was awkward. There was no other way to describe it. Awkward… and perhaps a bit amusing. For one person in the room, at least. Maes was thoroughly enjoying himself. His dark eyes danced as he glanced between his father (situated on a recliner as though he sat atop a throne), his sister (who stared adoringly at the young man sitting next to her), and the blonde-haired youth (whose fingers twiddled nervously on his lap).
"How old are you?" Roy snapped.
Beth shot him a look. "Dad…" she said reproachfully.
Ben smiled wanly at Beth and laid his hand over hers. He did not notice Roy stiffen at the unauthorized contact. "It's okay Beth…" He took a deep breath and met the General eye-to-eye. "I'm twenty-one, Sir."
"And already a Lieutenant," Beth gushed. "Colonel Gantz told me that Ben is one of the best soldiers he's worked with." She leaned against the young man's shoulder twined her fingers into in his. Had Roy been holding a glass, it might have shattered.
"Wow, a lieutenant!" said Maes. His sharp eyes stole to his father, hoping he would take the bait…
And of course he did. Roy snorted. "Only a Lieutenant? By his age, I was already a Major."
Maes clearly felt like being facetious tonight. "But Dad," he interjected. "I thought you told me that State Alchemists were automatically given Major status back then. You didn't even have to climb up the ranks to –" In an uncharacteristically wise decision, the teenager stopped when he spied the darkening look on his father's face.
Roy regarded his traitorous son for a long moment. It seemed everyone was plotting against him tonight. "Irrelevant," he muttered.
An awkward silence flooded the room once more.
Thankfully, Riza breezed in, filling the quiet void in an instant. "What are we talking about?" she asked as she sidled up to her husband, deftly slipping a tumbler of whiskey into his palm. Her other hand slid over Roy's shoulder to rest on his chest. Riza's eyes widened as she felt his heart pound beneath her fingers. "Care for a drink as well, Ben?" she asked.
"Oh, no thank you Mrs. Must… er, Captain Hawk… um, sorry," the young man muttered. "I'm not quite sure how to…"
"Please," she said warmly. "Call me Riza." She nudged Roy to indicate that he do the same.
Nope. Roy fixed Ben with a glare, silently daring the boy to call him anything other than 'General Mustang, Sir.' The young man shifted uncomfortably.
Riza (again) interceded. "Dinner is ready. Who's hungry?" Her hand gripped Roy's elbow like a vice. "Why don't you kids head to the dining room? We'll bring the food out in a bit." She tugged on her husband's arm, practically dragging him to the kitchen. "Come along, dear."
"He's too old for her."
"Only three years," she replied as she peeled the foil off the already-rested turkey. "Not much more than the two of us."
He huffed. "Well, they're both too young to be so serious. You and I waited for – "
Riza rounded on her husband, her eyes piercing. Her lips flattened into a livid line and she leveled a carving knife at his chest. The message was clear: Don't you dare. The long delay in their relationship was still a sore topic for her. By the time they married, Riza was uncertain if there was still time for children. They were fortunate to have two.
Roy visibly shuddered under his wife's withering gaze. Her undiluted fury was a sight to behold. "Never mind," he muttered.
Riza huffed, her fringe puffing up briefly. She turned back to the turkey.
After a long silence filled with nothing but the soft simmerings of their dinner, Roy decided to try again. "He's too short," he murmured, almost timidly. "Like his father."
"Oh please," she said, flaying the breast meat from the turkey with unnerving ease. "Now you're just being childish."
Perhaps another avenue would work. "I don't like the way he looks at her."
Riza sighed. "He looks at her like he absolutely adores her."
"Exactly. I don't like it."
Riza chuckled. "Oh Roy." She transferred some of the meat onto a nearby platter. "You know…" She glanced back at her husband, a fond smile playing at the corners of her lips. "I seem to remember a young man staring at me that way," she said coyly. "And right under my father's nose, too." She let out a gusty, wistful sigh. "Those were the days."
"Hey," he frowned. "I still look at you that way."
"Mm hm."
Roy came behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I do." He buried his nose in her hair.
"Okay." Despite her skeptical tone, Riza leaned back into her husband's chest.
"Stop trying to distract me."
"Stop acting insane."
Roy released a shuddering breath. "This is too hard," he whined, nuzzling her neck in search of some comfort.
"I know," Riza said simply. She reached back to place her hand at the nape of his neck and pull him closer to her. "Just try, Roy."
Roy let out a groan that sounded suspiciously like "no." His arms tightened around Riza's waist. The couple stood for a moment, rocking back and forth in the silent comfort of each other's presence.
"Hey Mom, is there any more – ugh!" Maes moaned as he walked into the kitchen. "Can you guys do that somewhere else? Gross."
Both parents ignored their son. They were long over his outbursts of teenage angst. They knew his apparent disgust over any form of affection would disappear soon enough. Neither of them looked forward to the day the hormones took control of their teenaged son.
"The extra bread is in the pantry, Maes," Riza said. At times her mother's intuition was uncanny. She waited for their son to grab another loaf before she turned in Roy's arms and gripped his face in two hands. "You can do this," she said firmly. "Try."
Roy rested his forehead against hers. "I am trying."
"Try harder," she replied dryly. She released him and shoved a bowl of mashed potatoes into his hands. "Now get out there, soldier."
Roy was not his usual charming self during dinner. Quite the opposite. He simply sat, idly stabbing his mashed potatoes with a fork. He hadn't eaten a bite all night. His eyes were dark and brooding, and his mouth curved in an unattractive scowl. He pointedly avoided his wife's eyes as she shot irritated frowns in his direction every few minutes.
"I'm glad we're all here together," Beth said conversationally. She shared a secret smile with Ben. "Ben and I have some news to share with you."
"Oh?" Riza said. She glanced at her husband. Whatever this 'news' was, it did not bode well for his waning sanity.
Roy did not look up from his plate. His fork jabbed at his mashed potatoes.
Ben cleared his throat. "Yes. I've been transferred to Central. I'll be working here under Colonel Brewster."
"And I just got my first assignment!" Beth interjected, her words coming out in an excited rush. "I'll be working under Brewster, too. In one of his peripheral offices."
"That's wonderful!" Riza said. "Isn't that wonderful, Roy?"
The General made a noncommittal grunting noise. His eyes remained focused on his plate.
"And we thought," Beth continued, ignoring her father's reticence, "that considering Ben and I will finally be together in the same place, that…" She paused and shared another look with her boyfriend. Ben placed an encouraging hand on her knee.
Roy's fork pounded into his potatoes with newfound vigor.
"We thought," Beth continued. "That it would be a good time for us to… move in together."
Utter silence. Roy's fork stopped in midair over his dinner plate, hovering like an animal ready to pounce. The quiet stretched, long and roaring. No one dared move – not even the irrepressible Maes.
"Say something," Beth said. Though she spoke to both parents, her eyes searched her father's face for approval.
Riza took a deep breath. This was so unexpected. "Beth, I –" She stopped as she saw a horrified expression bloom on her daughter's face.
"Daddy, no!" Beth shrieked.
Riza followed her daughter's eyes down to Roy's dinner plate. There, etched into her husband's mashed potatoes was an all-too-familiar transmutation circle. Riza gasped, casting her gaze about for an ignition source...
Oh crap. "Maes, quick! The candles – !"
But it was too late. Roy's eyes glinted maniacally as his hand brushed against the dish. A flash of blue light cast his shadow against the wall in sharp relief.
Roy only meant to scare the kid. A tiny fireball, maybe a little explosion was all he really intended. He figured he might singe the boy's eyebrows a bit, but nothing more.
Instead, a pillar of fire engulfed Ben's dinner plate. The young man shouted in alarm and threw himself back from the inferno, tipping his chair in the process. His arms cartwheeled for a heart-stopping moment before he fell to the floor with a loud grunt.
"Cool, Dad!" said Maes.
Ben's flailed as he attempted to untangle himself from his chair. Beth was at his side in a moment, lifting him by the elbow. She shot her father a scathing glance. Roy sat calmly at the table, a triumphant smirk plastered on his face. He was enjoying this far more than was healthy. With Beth's help, the young man finally managed to right himself.
Ben pointed an accusatory finger at Roy. "My father was right about you!"
Roy glowered at the boy with all the loathing he could muster. In his mind, he began to form a list of all the horrible sufferings he wished to inflict upon the eldest spawn of Elrich. All it would take were a few more transmutations, and the hateful boy would be no more.
His mutinous thoughts ceased when Beth stomped up to him, hands on hips.
"Why did you do that, Dad?" she seethed. Hatred dripped from every word. "You could have hurt him. What is the matterwith you?"
"I will not allow this, Beth."
"I didn't ask your permission, Dad! We're both adults –"
"No. You are not an adult. Not yet."
"I hate this! I hate the way you treat me like a child. Ben and I are together, Dad – whether you like it or not."
Roy sputtered. This was not turning out the way he'd hoped. The Elrich boy had turned his beloved daughter against him. "You're too young to – "
"Too young?" Beth shouted. "Too young? You were only a year older than me when you went to the war. You weremurdering Ishvalans before you – "
Riza gasped as she watched Roy's face crumble before her eyes. Beth's accusation shattered him. He swayed on his feet and fell tonelessly into his chair. Riza stepped to his side. "Beth," she warned. "Enough."
Beth had crossed a line. Roy did not talk of Ishval often, but she knew enough of that time to avoid speaking of it in his presence. Yet in her anger, she chose words that cut deep and true. She hurt him – horribly. Purposefully.
"Daddy…" she whispered. Roy's face was ashen, his eyes faraway. He did not look up when his daughter called to him.
Riza shook her head. "Beth… please. Just… give us a moment." She glanced at Ben. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant."
Ben nodded curtly, his eyes momentarily lingering on the silent form of the infamous Flame Alchemist. He'd heard the stories. Now he knew they were true. "I should go," he muttered.
"I'll see you out," Beth said quietly. Her sorrowful eyes lingered on her father before she followed Ben from the room.
Riza found her husband in his study upstairs, brooding in an easy chair that overlooked the lawn. On the front walk below them, she could see the young couple, heads bent together in private conversation.
"… just overprotective…" Beth's voice drifted through the open window. "… I shouldn't have…" Her voice sounded thick and wet with tears. Ben stroked her hair and pulled her into a comforting hug.
"It's okay," he whispered. "We knew it would be hard."
"He loves her, you know," Riza said. Roy barely glanced up as she approached. Riza sat on the arm of his chair and ran her fingers through his greying hair.
Roy let out a soft, shuddering sigh. "I… know."
Below them, the young couple embraced one final time. Ben laid an affectionate kiss on Beth's forehead. He bid her goodnight and stepped from her embrace; their hands remained together until the last possible moment. Beth's eyes followed him as he disappeared into the darkness. Then she came back into the house.
"You're going to have to talk to her, you know," Riza said softly.
"I know," Roy said again. He let out a tiny sigh. "How the hell did this happen?"
"Your daughter has grown up. And you haven't. That's how this happened."
Roy leaned his head against his wife's hip. "I want things back the way they were."
Riza smiled sadly, trailing her fingers through his silvery hair. "Things will never be the same. But you and I excel at adapting to new situations."
A silhouette appeared in the doorway to Roy's office. It was Beth. Riza nodded at her daughter, then leaned close to her husband's ear. "Fix this," she whispered before placing an encouraging peck on his cheek. Riza paused briefly to squeeze Beth's shoulder as she passed through the doorway.
After a long silence, Roy heard Beth's quiet, tentative voice. "Daddy…?"
He glanced up at her shadowy figure and beckoned her forward. Beth stepped into the dim light. Roy could see by the streaks across her face that she had been crying. It broke his heart. He held his arms out to her. With a sigh, she stepped into her father's embrace, squeezing into the chair and curling onto his lap – just as she did as a child. Roy held her close.
"Dad…" Beth began, her voice shaking. "I'm… so sorry. For what I said."
Roy shook his head. "I'm sorry, too."
"I didn't mean it. You know that, right?"
"Yes." He sighed, long and low. He seemed have a momentary internal struggle before he added, "I didn't mean it either. To set your boyfriend on fire, I mean."
Beth let out a single, tear-soaked laugh. "Yes you did."
"Hm, maybe just a little," he allowed.
Beth nestled into Roy's shoulder. They sat in silence for a long time. The old grandfather clock in the corner ticked, marking moments filled with unspoken meaning. Finally, Roy mustered the courage to speak his thoughts.
"I didn't think it was possible," he said.
Beth lifted her head. "Didn't think what was possible?"
"I didn't think anyone could love you as much as I do."
A soft smile spread over his daughter's face. "Dad," she whispered. It was amazing how much meaning Beth could pack into a single word. "He does love me. And I love him. But Dad –" She wrapped her arms around Roy's neck. "That doesn't mean I don't have space in my heart for two men."
Roy arched an eyebrow. "Wait a minute. You're telling me you have another boyfriend?"
Beth giggled and slapped her father's shoulder playfully. "Nah, one boyfriend is all this dad's old heart can handle."
"Hey, I'm not old." Roy said hotly. "Old men can't school their daughters in chess. I can."
"Is that a challenge?" Beth leaned back to regard his face. "Just be sure to put on your reading glasses, old man. That's the only way you'll stand a chance!" She jumped out of the chair to fetch the chessboard, her lips spread in a genuine grin.
Riza quietly looked on from the doorway as Roy and Beth began to set the pieces on the board, already engrossed in a conversation about the role of rooks in the latter half of a match. A content smile slowly spread on Riza's lips. Yes, things had changed. Beth was no longer a child. But as father and daughter began what was likely to be another contentious game of chess, Riza knew one thing would remain the same: Beth was their daughter. And she would always be beloved.
I would love to write a sequel to this, and am open to suggestions/requests. Let me know!
Hope you enjoyed!