April 16th, 1965
"Well?"
"Patience," Ren laughed at Ethan's impatience. "You know you could confirm this on your own."
Ethan shook his head, though he couldn't keep himself from bouncing just slightly on his feet. "I'm too biased. We need a more objective opinion." Yes, his wife had been exhausted the last couple of weeks, and hungry too. Yes, she'd missed this last month, but that had happened before. He didn't want to get his hopes up more than they already were. "Besides, I'm used to delivering babies. I've never tried to confirm a pregnancy before." He didn't want to do something wrong with such a delicate process!
Ren shook her head and grinned up at Lia, who was sitting at the edge of an examination table in the Elric clinic, looking just as amused as she pulled her shirt back down from her midriff to cover her slender waist. "He's a little too eager if you ask me."
Lia giggled. "Humor him. I think he's afraid to believe me."
Ren put away the stethoscope. "Well you really need to pay more attention to your wife's hunches," she teased, "and put some credit in your own skills, Doctor Elric. There's no doubt she's pregnant."
"I told you," Lia grinned, smacking Ethan lightly on the arm with one hand.
Ethan's grin spread so much it heart as the words of confirmation sunk in. Pregnant. "Wow…" he breathed, then his eyes focused on Lia's face, and with a laughing whoop he hugged her. It was all he could do not to hug to hard! "Fantastic!"
Lia hugged him back. "We're going to be parents!"
"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?" Ethan asked as he kissed her warmly.
Lia grinned through the kiss. "Once or twice."
"At least take it to your office?" Ren commented with obvious amusement.
Ethan felt his face flush slightly, but his mood was too good to be dissuaded. "How do you think we got here?" he teased. Lia was pregnant. He was going to be a father. Could life possibly be better?
Lia poked him in retaliation. "Behave! Or I'll spoil our surprise and tell your parents before you get the chance."
Ethan stepped back. "All right, all right! I'll be good, promise." As he took a moment to breathe, a thousand other thoughts and questions bubbled up in his mind now that the critical fact was determined. He looked at Ren. "When are we due?"
"I'd say early to mid December," Ren smiled. "So you've got some time to get things ready."
There was certainly a lot to do! Not that he and Lia hadn't already discussed a variety of things in the theoretical. Now, suddenly, reality made them much more pressing. "Great!"
chuckled as she stood up.
"By the end, it will seem like too much, I promise," Ren replied with a knowing grin. "At least on your part. He might not be ready."
Ethan took the teasing easily, smiling back at Ren when she nodded his direction. "Oh I will," he said. "I'm looking forward to every bit of this."
"That's because you're not the one falling asleep between classes in the teacher's lounge and craving strange foods already," Lia pointed out. "Yesterday I had the weirdest urge to put mushrooms on ice cream."
Ethan suppressed a shudder. Okay, so there were some things even he wasn't really interested in trying. "Did you?" he looked at his wife.
Lia shrugged. "I didn't have any ice cream, so I had to settle for putting them on salad."
"I'm sure your fellow teachers would appreciate that fact if they had only known," Ethan chuckled, putting one arm back around his wife.
"Probably," Lia agreed. "Though Larissa, in the math department, had a baby last year, and she was just as bad. Nikki, who teaches Continental History, is due in August. And at least two of the other teachers our age have little ones who aren't in school yet. The boys don't like to gab with us about it much for some reason," she winked at Ethan. "Even old Mrs. Fenkleman likes to talk about when she had her kids, and when her daughters had theirs."
Ethan twitched. "I had Fenkleman in Senior Composition!" He really didn't want to think about old teachers that way on too intimate a level. At least most of the other teachers Lia spent time with were closer to their age and had replaced some of the old ones that had retired since Ethan graduated.
"Sorry, sweetie." Lia kissed his cheek. "I should get going though. I promised your Mom I'd help with dinner."
Ethan let her go regretfully. He didn't want to work until the end of the day. How was he supposed to focus in the wake of such amazing news? "I guess I'll see you later," he promised.
"Why don't you go with her?" Ren suggested.
"Really?" Ethan tore his eyes away from Lia to look at her, hopeful.
"You don't have any other appointments this afternoon," Ren pointed out. "I can cover any walk-ins for the next hour. Go home. Besides," she teased. "It's not like you can get fired for skipping out a little early."
She was right, of course. "Thanks," Ethan replied gratefully and then turned, grinning, back to his wife. "Let's go."
It only took a couple of minutes to get ready to go and leave the clinic. "I'm glad we're not driving," Lia giggled as she took his arm. "I'm not sure you're calm enough."
"Well aren't you excited?" Ethan asked, in playful defense of his own good mood.
"Of course I am," Lia said. "That's a silly question. I'm ecstatic! I'm just also very tired," she grinned as she said it, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked. "And I'm hungry," she admitted a moment later.
"Do you want to stop for a snack on the way home?" Ethan asked indulgently. Anything his wife wanted she was going to get!
"Maybe a little something," Lia nodded. "It's nice and warm today. How about some ice cream?"
"You're cooking dinner by yourself?" Edward asked, surprised to see Winry alone in the kitchen when he walked in after getting back from Headquarters.
"Not entirely," Winry smiled at him as she chopped fresh vegetables and added them to the lettuce already in the large salad bowl. "Lia's making her chicken and spinach casserole, but it's already in the oven. She had to run out for a bit to take care of an errand."
"What errand?" Ed asked curiously. He sniffed. The casserole did smell good!
"Something vague and reportedly of little consequence," Winry replied with a smug expression.
"You think she's with Ethan then," Ed replied.
"I'd place bets on it if I was a gambler," Winry nodded confidently. "Otherwise I would have expected her back at least half an hour ago."
"Well, do you want some help?" Ed offered, looking around at what still needed to be done.
"I'd love some." Winry kissed his cheek and nodded towards a large loaf of bread. "Could you butter that and add whatever herbs you want? It'll go in the oven next."
"Sure thing." Ed moved around her to get at the food, though now his curiosity was piqued by Winry's confidence that they would have some news when Lia and Ethan got back. He had sliced the loaf in half long-wise, buttered, and herbed when the he heard the door open in the entryway. He heard soft voices; definitely his son and daughter-in-law. "Showtime," he grinned at Winry, who chuckled.
"Lia, is that you?" Winry called out.
Ed stifled a laugh and started putting up the herbs.
"I'm back," Lia replied a moment later. "Sorry I took so long."
"We were beginning to think neither one of you was going to show," Ed couldn't help commented without turning around.
"Oh really?" Ethan commented, as his footsteps reached the edge of the kitchen. "I'm home early."
"We were expecting it," Winry chuckled as she turned around.
Ed glanced over his shoulder at his son, who stood there, one arm around Lia, looking slightly perplexed. Ed just couldn't keep it in any more. "You have something you want to tell us?"
"Well yeah," Ethan replied before he paused, then laughed and shook his head.
"You knew?" Lia looked between them, with a smile that spoke of disappointment at not getting to spring the surprise, but pleasure anyway.
"In this family how could I not?" Winry replied as she abandoned the salad and hugged them both at once. "Though it might be better to say I was highly suspicious than that I knew for certain," she admitted then as she stepped back, giving Ed room. "This is wonderful! So… when is the baby coming?"
"December," Lia smiled as Ed got his hug. He wasn't going to miss out! "So we have a while to get everything ready. Assuming Ethan doesn't hyperventilate before then," she teased, looking fondly at her husband.
"Hey, I thought I took the news pretty well," Ethan chuckled as Ed slapped him on the shoulder.
"Okay, so you did," Lia acknowledged with a playful tilt of her head. "But I don't think I've ever seen a guy so happy at the news."
"Most of us were caught off guard the first time," Ed laughed. Ethan had been campaigning for it. There had been no secret they were ready to have a family, so Lia's being pregnant was definitely a delight, but not a surprise. "Congratulations."
"Thanks, Dad," Ethan grinned. "At least we'll get to surprise Lia's parents."
"Which reminds me, I should go call Mom!" Lia vanished out of the kitchen.
Winry smiled as she turned back to the food. "Why don't you two set the table?"
"I don't think that was a hint," Ed smiled at his son.
"Me either," Ethan agreed.
Within the hour Lia's parents were notified and reportedly ecstatic. Since Lia was their only child, Ed wasn't surprised. Though by the time Lia got off the phone she had also called Ren, Alyse, Gracia, Cassie, and Sara and dinner was on the table!
"Does anybody want seconds, or thirds," Winry looked knowingly around the table, "Before I put things up?"
"No thanks, Mom," Ethan shook his head.
"Edward?"
Ed leaned back in his chair, comfortably full. "I'm good."
"Umm….I'd like a little more," Lia spoke him, her cheeks flushing for a moment.
Winry chuckled and sat back. "Go ahead. There's no hurry."
Lia refilled her salad plate. Ed noticed that Ethan watched adoringly.
"So," Ed shifted the conversation so Lia could eat without being the center of attention. "Have you given any thought to this kid's room yet?"
Ethan and Lia exchanged a look, and Ethan nodded. "Well, we figure that will depend on where we're living."
Ed felt a moment of confusion. Winry looked just as surprised. "What do you mean?"
Ethan blinked. "Well, I mean, it's not really fair to take up all your space forever right? Especially not if we're going to start filling the place with kids." There was a note of doubt in the assurance.
They don't want to impose. Ed was glad he and Winry had given some thought to the issue. "We were thinking your old room upstairs would be great," Ed admitted, smiling. Tore had moved out a couple of weeks after they all got back, finally getting a place in the barracks. The only thing their foster son had left behind was, alas, Rapscallion.
"It's kind of far from our room," Ethan pointed out.
"That's why we thought you could have the Master Bedroom," Winry informed them, clearly amused by their having surprised the kids again.
Ethan's golden eyes looked like they might pop. "But that's your room."
Lia had paused, fork halfway to her face, looking nearly as stunned.
"It's not going to be too long till I actually retire," Ed reminded his son, trying hard not to laugh. "As soon as that happens your Mom and I are going to be doing some traveling, seeing new places, visiting old friends. We'll be free to spend more time in Resembool with Aldon and Cassie. We'll still be around, but we're not going to be in Central as much. It seems kind of foolish to leave the house empty half the time."
"Besides that, we don't want you to leave," Winry added. "Not unless you want to of course. We don't want to pressure you into anything."
"Oh you're not," Lia swallowed and blurted out. "It's a wonderful offer…" she looked over at Ethan.
Ethan still seemed to be absorbing the idea. "So you'd move where, the guest room?"
"We figured we could take your room downstairs," Ed said. It was nearly as big as their room upstairs anyway. "Then you're close to the baby's room and you have more space."
Ethan looked at Lia. "Well, what do you think?"
Lia smiled. "I think it's a fantastic idea. Thank you so much!" The last was directed at Winry and Ed.
"You're welcome," Winry replied. "We love having you here, and we bought the house because it would be a great place for a family. That's what it's for."
"You certainly seemed to like it," Ed teased his son.
"Well yeah," Ethan grinned. "I love this house. It makes a lot of sense. I'm definitely not going to argue."
"Good," Ed chuckled. "Because I really didn't like the idea of having to consider selling it or leaving it vacant. A home is meant to be lived in." He had grown more attached to this house than he had realized until recently. In a time when he was free to go more places and do what he wanted, he still wanted to know he had that place to return to.
April 19th, 1965
"Are you sure, Mom?" Maes Mustang looked down at the couple of boxes sitting in his entry way. Everything in them had, until recently, belonged to his father.
Riza's expression was resolved. "Everything here is things I know he particularly wanted you to have," she said. "Most of it is alchemy related. It's of no used to me."
Maes almost said it wasn't of used to him either. His father's workshop, even when Maes began to learn alchemy, had always been a place where he was allowed under the strictest circumstance and often with directions not to touch quite a few things or risk being ejected from the room permanently.
Now a lot of those items were sitting in his house. Even more than four months after his father's death, Maes felt his throat constrict and he had to force his expression to remain pleasantly neutral. "Thanks, then. I'll have a look through them." They could go in his lab in the back of the house. "Would you like to stay for dinner?" She did at least half the time.
His mother shook her head, and smiled. "Not tonight. My friend Rebecca is in town and so I'm going out with her and her husband."
"Oh, all right. Have fun then." He gave his mother a hug before she left. Then, reluctantly, he moved the boxes.
The contents were mostly as his mother had described; alchemical components and mixing supplies, books, and a couple of his father's own encoded notes. It was out of one of those books an envelope slipped. It whispered as it fell. When Maes bent to pick it up, he noticed two things; it did not look new, and it had his name on it.
That seemed to be enough invitation. Maes opened the envelope and unfolded the letter.
To my son,
There are so many things in life that ought to be said, and aren't before the situation arises where they may be discussed. This has happened so many times in my life that there are days I wonder I wasn't considered a terrible parent. I have always felt fortunate that you turned out as well as you have, and a certain amount of guilt since your faults are no worse than mine, and I feel like I could have prevented so many of your sorrows if I had acted differently.
But if this letter is in your possession, than I expect I am dead already. Yeah, that's pretty morbid isn't it? Well, the book I am placing this in should come into your hands only after that so it seems like a safe bet. And I'm feeling rather morbid tonight, on the eve of war. I guess I should also rest assured that if you're reading this, you survived, and that in itself is a relief. I hope that before I died, I spoke to you as I ought, but if not, then I only hope you can forgive me, and forgive me after you read this, because it's going to be much more straightforward than I dared to be sometimes; funny given my reputation. The first issue is the war itself here. I know people wonder why I'm going. I've been retired for years. Well since when does that really mean anything? I've been the Flame Alchemist almost since I was old enough to join the military, and I risked my neck to take down Bradley and build a country that stood a real chance of surviving. Amestris is mine, in a way that no one else can claim. Even though I'm not President of the Military anymore, I still made it, and shaped it. So I'm going. So what if I'm an old man? Though the truth is, I'm not entirely convinced I'll survive. I know we'll win. Amestris doesn't lose. If I don't make it to the end, than the people I trust most in the world will do it for me. If I don't make it, there are things I want you to do. The first one is, take care of the family. Your mother will need you, and so will Elena and the children. You are now the head of the Mustang family, and I'm counting on you to hold it together and take care of everyone. They will look to you for direction and support. Don't let the past ruin the future. All we can do when we make a mistake is learn the lesson and push on from there, sure that we have become better men for it. If not, doubt and guilt can destroy everything we've worked for, and even who we are. There are things I have done that I will always regret, and I'm not sure I really deserve the forgiveness I've gotten for them, but I haven't let them hold me back, and I won't dishonor the people who support me by doing that. Neither should you.
Next to Maes, on the desk, the phone rang. "Mustang residence."
"Hello, Lieutenant Colonel Mustang? This is Marcia O'Dell over at the Central Times. I'd like to interview you about President Mustang. If you could -" Oh not again.
He heard a startled objection on the other end right before the receiver settled in place.
"Stupid press." Maes sighed and turned back to his father's letter.
I've noticed, the last few years, that you seem disconcerted with yourself, and withdrawn. Talk to Elena, Maes. Don't let everything you have die because of guilt or pride.
What the heck did he know anyway? Maes almost tossed the letter away. His father was far too good at hitting the mark. Instead he forced himself to finish.
Your wife and children are your most precious resources and gifts. Draw strength from them, and give yours in return. I know you love them, but there needs to be more than that.
Your mother is already asleep, and I should wrap this up before I expound upon things that really don't need to be here. There is one other thing that's important. There are two books, both encoded, that your mother should have given you. The first, unsurprisingly, are my alchemy notes. I'm sure you'll have no trouble decoding them. The second is the personal journal I have kept since I first went to learn from Master Hawkeye. Into it the only thing missing are the pages I will write during the war, which I will leave with instructions to place them with it if I cannot. Hopefully they are there now. Remember I always loved you, and I am still proud of you.
Dad
Maes refused to wipe his eyes. That would be to admit he was crying. He hadn't cried in front of his mother. He hadn't even cried in front of Elena. He stood, set the letter down on the desk, and poured himself a glass of scotch before returning to the desk. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about his father's words. He felt touched that Dad had written it, back before the war, without knowing how things would turn out. He was irritated too, but mostly at himself, for how right some of the things in the letter were… and some that seemed so off. Maes was trying, so hard, to keep the past in the past, but what did that have to do with what happened when a man messed up fresh?
"Daaaaadddyyyy!" a female shriek, barely muffled by the thick oak door, echoed in the hallway.
Maes opened the door and looked down at Rochelle, who was bawling and holding a doll. "What's wrong, precious?"
"Roy broke my dolly!" the seven year old bawled, flinging herself against his legs and wrapping her arms around them.
"Roy!" Maes bellowed.
"I didn't do anything!" his son shouted back adamantly. He sounded like he was in the living room.
"Then get over here and explain this!" Just what he needed tonight. Maes tried to rein in his temper. He hadn't been home that long. Their family was still readjusting to being all together, and their grandfather had died. It was natural that things should be chaotic.
Roy – no reason to think of him as the younger, or little anymore, much as it pained him – came around the corner clearly already on the defensive. "I was reading a book and she hit me over the head with it! I pulled my book away and the arm came off."
"See!" Rochelle sniffled. "He broke her!"
He could feel the headache starting already. "No, sweetie. It was an accident." Maes gently pried the doll out of his daughter's fingers. "I'll fix it. Now you apologize to Roy for hitting him over the head."
Rochelle gave another dramatic sob, then stifled it and looked at her brother. "Sorry… dufus."
"What did you say?" Maes stared at his youngest. "Go to your room!"
'But it's almost dinner time!" Rochelle stared at him as if he had grown two more heads. Maybe he had. Maes couldn't remember the last time he had yelled at his daughters. Or, for that matter, the last time he had been much of a disciplinarian.
"I said go to your room," Maes growled. "You blamed your brother for an accident and insulted him. Maybe going hungry for an evening will remind you to be nice."
Rochelle stared at him another moment, then ran down the hall and vanished. A moment later he heard her on the stairs, shouting "Moooommmy!" as she ran.
Maes looked down at Roy, who was still standing there. "Something else you needed?"
"Umm, no," Roy blinked. "I just, wow… I've never seen you put her in place before." Then he turned and headed back into the living room.
Maes had just closed his door when there was another knock. At least this time there wasn't screaming. "Who is it?"
"Théa," his middle daughter replied with a giggle.
Maes opened the door again. Théa bounced through the door. "I'm trying to pick a dress," she said with a definite tone as bright yellow skirts flashed around her knees. "Do you like this one Daddy?" She spun, and paused waiting expectantly.
The dress, he noticed immediately, was one of her old favorites. The problem was, it was now far too small. The skirt was inches shorter than it had been, and the buttons looked like they might pop open. "It's a pretty color," he said, "But aren't you too big for it?"
Théa's face fell, then her lip quivered, and she ran out of the room bawling.
Now what did I do? Maes closed the door and went back to his glass, sipping slowly. This was not his day. Really it was a not his day in a several month string of not-his-days. But when they first got home, everyone had just been too happy to be reunited to quarrel about anything it seemed. If this was back to normal what did that say about his home life?
Another knock, firmer and of a different tone; higher on the door. "Come in, Elena."
The door opened and his wife entered, looking concerned. "Maes… did you just tell Dorothéa she was fat?"
"What?" Maes blurted, stunned. "Of course I didn't say that! All I said was that she was too big to wear that dress. It's got to be at least two sizes too small for her now."
"Well she's crying in her room," Elena replied calmly. "You might want to go explain that."
"I will," Maes sighed, and shook his head. "I thought the hormones didn't start until at least ten. If she's sensitive about being chubby now, I don't want to hear her when she's fourteen."
"And if you say that to her, I hope you feel guilty," Elena replied with surprising sharpness.
"What?" He was seriously striking out today. "She is. I'm sure she'll grow out of it eventually."
"How consoling; Dinner will be ready in ten minutes," Elena replied. "You might want to go tell both of your daughters to come down to dinner." She turned and left the room.
Maes finished the last of his glass in a single gulp, folded the letter and tucked it back in the book, and headed upstairs. Now all I have to do is get Roy upset with me. Then my day would be complete.