Riza woke up slowly, groaning softly. Her head felt like it was splitting apart. She tried to open her eyes but the light was too bright. She raised her arm to her face but was met with resistance. She fought it, but the hand tightly grasping hers didn't relent.
"It's ok. Just rest, Riza."
"Colonel, what happened? My head…" She winced as she tried to open her eyes again.
"Colonel?" She repeated, after not getting a reply. "Can you turn the light down?"
Rebecca was coming back with two cups of coffee for her and Roy when she heard Riza's voice. She stopped in the doorway with the largest grin Roy had ever seen.
"Rize, you're awake!" Rebecca smiled again, looking relieved. She put the coffee down so quickly one cup splashed to the floor. She didn't care.
"What the hell is going on, Rebecca? the Colonel won't tell me and the only thing I know is that it's bright in here." She was starting to get frustrated.
"Let me close the drapes." Now she knew why Roy was so pale. Mustang hadn't been a Colonel for a long time.
She blinked slowly. It still hurt, but it was manageable. Her eyes adjusted to the dim hospital room. Colonel Mustang sat on one side of her, leaning forward and holding her hand. Rebecca stood slightly behind him, her smile wavering.
"Did we win?" She didn't remember how the battle ended but she knew what it felt like to lose one. Riza pulled her hand out of the Colonel's quickly, surprised at the impropriety, and felt the gash across her forehead. The pain seemed to radiate all around her skull. And most of the rest of her.
She did a quick inventory like the soldier she was-all limbs intact, innumerable bruises and cuts. Nothing seemed broken except for ribs. She'd come out of battles with worse but she hated broken ribs. They messed up her aim and she felt at least 4.
"What's the last thing you remember? You took a pretty good bump to the head." Rebecca did all the talking. She'd seen the way Riza had pulled away from Roy. Something was wrong with her.
What a strange question. "We were in the tunnels after fighting those white...things. Envy was pretending to be you after you ran off." She sighed. "Please don't tell me I let him get the upper hand on me, sir." She knew he'd at least gotten a shot in but when she felt for the damage to her neck there was only a scar, long healed but much larger than she expected.
"That's the very last thing you remember?" Roy's voice was dark.. Rebecca put a hand on his shoulder but he shook her off.
"Am I missing something?" She looked at her best friend and her superior. "I am. What's the last thing I'm supposed to know, sir?" He was worrying her.
He pushed himself up from his chair, sending it skidding a little and narrowly missing Rebecca. "I'll be right back, I should get the doctor." He guards appointed to monitor Riza Mustang's hospital room saluted the Fuhrer, who just waved them away dismissively.
Even the nurse gave him a salute, and he gestured again to indicate that it wasn't necessary. "She's awake."
The woman beamed, a mirror of Rebecca's relieved smile. "Let me fetch the doctor, your Excellency."
"Wait." He stopped her. "She...she seems to have forgotten some things. I'd like to speak to the doctor first, before he goes in." She nodded, confused, by went to find Dr. Knox as fast as her feet would carry her.
He stood in shock for a moment as everything hit him, properly hit him. Had she really lost 6 years of her life? Of their lives?
"She called me Colonel…" he muttered under his breath. He glanced behind him, the soldiers still standing there, pretending not to look at him, hands still at attention. "Put your goddamn hands down." Roy turned the corner and, finding the nearest restroom, splashed water on his face. She was just disoriented, that was all.
The doctor was lingering outside, waiting for him. He'd insisted that Knox be her doctor. He wasn't deferential, wouldn't split hairs just because he was the fuhrer. He appreciated his no-nonsense, callous approach.
"I should really go look at her, what's exactly the matter? The nurse informed me Riza had forgotten something?"
Roy nodded. " She said her last memory was from over 6 years ago." Knox's brow furrowed.
"She's been unconscious for 3 days, Mustang. We knew there could be some damage."
Dr. Knox watched Roy Mustang's hands tremble in clenched fists. "But will she remember?"
Knox sighed. He was half mad, and he didn't have an answer for him yet.
"Let me go and see, maybe she didn't lose as much as you think. I can't give a diagnosis based on an exhausted husband." He followed Roy to the room, knocking on the frame first to get her attention.
"Hello, Dr. Knox..." Riza said, looking up from her conversation with Rebecca. She winced a little as she tried to sit up. "I've been asleep for 3 days?" Knox nodded. "Sir, what's been going on while I've been unconscious? You look like you did in the war." She put a few pieces together just from looking at him. "You haven't stayed here this entire time, have you?" He rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture she knew all too well. That was guilt. "Sir! Shouldn't someone be going after the Homunculi? And who's watching the Elrics? Scar?" There was too much to do for him to just sit there and do nothing.
"Everyone is on it. Don't worry, R...Lt."
"I need a couple minutes of your time and then I'll let you get back to yelling at him." Knox promised, as Roy and Rebecca retreated to the other side of the room while the Dr. looked over her wounds.
"She really doesn't remember anything. I slipped and said something about Jean. She was shocked I gave him another chance. Thank god I didn't mention how high up in the ranks you'd moved him." Roy noticed she had pocketed her wedding ring. Always a smart one, Rebecca. Until they knew exactly what was going on it was safest to work with only what Riza 'knew'. Roy wore his ring around his neck and he made sure it was tucked safely under his collar. Riza's had been placed in his care when she'd been admitted and he'd been rolling the silver piece of metal around in his palm for 72 hours. He'd seen the men come in regularly to give him updates but after the first day they realized it was fruitless. He wasn't going to move until his wife did.
And now she had, but there was a different woman behind her eyes. He probably did have the same haggard look he did in the war.
"Dr. Knox...Rebecca...Colonel…" Riza got their attention. "I would appreciate not being treated like a fool. Doctor, how did I end up here?"
"Car accident. Someone ran you off the road, they're still looking for the party responsible. The motive remains unclear. Most likely political."
"You're here because I was in a car accident!?" Her eyes flashed angrily at the Colonel. "Do you have any idea how irresponsible that is?"
"I promised you everything is being taken care of." He gestured to the obscene amount of flowers surrounding the large room. "Plus they've all been in and out to see you and remind me that the country's not falling apart."
"Sir, did it really only take 3 days for you to become simple? How did you ever function without me?" She was furious he'd abandoned his post, and at such a critical time.
He had to fight to leave the room again. He couldn't function without her and that was kind of the problem.
"From what I understand, Mrs-Ms Catalina and...Colonel... Mustang have explained you've lost some of your memories." Knox stumbled over their names.
"Yes, but that doesn't make me an idiot. Guards outside my room. I heard boots click and saw shadows of salutes. Rebecca was wearing a wedding ring until a few minutes ago, I feel like I've been here before. How. Much. Did. I. Forget?" She was done being lied to. She was in pain, she couldn't move without her ribs and her head deeply protesting, but that didn't mean she was going to let this go. Her back was evidence enough of what pain she could endure. Being deceived, however, was a different matter.
Rebecca looked at Roy for an OK and he nodded. "Riza, you've only been out for 3 days but from what you've said….that fight, that was 6 years ago Are you sure that's the last thing you can think of?."
Riza's anger was replaced with confusion. "That can't be." She declared like a fact. She picked up a discarded newspaper and showed her the date.
The former Lt Hawkeye was finally lost for words, though Rebecca took it back quickly. News about Riza was right below the fold.
MANHUNT UNDER WAY FOR ATTEMPTED MURDERERS OF MADAME MUSTANG
"You hit your head, in the accident. We were worried something like this could happen. It's possible for you to regain your memories." Knox explained slowly, not wanting to share anything the Fuhrer wasn't ready for her to hear. She'd been Mrs. Mustang for years now and it was hard to slip back to Lt. Hawkeye. That's who she thought she was, though, and he would respect Mustang's wishes as long as they didn't hinder her recovery.
"I guess I have some catching up to do…Rebecca, please tell me you didn't marry Havoc." She smiled guiltily and put the ring back on. "Long story."
"Colonel, did we...did we win? Is Bradley gone?" His nod was barely visible. "Homunculi are long dead. Ed and Al are safe. They got their bodies back. They visit every chance they get."
She was dumbfounded, but thrilled. She wondered if Ed had managed to grow at all, and what Al looked like in the first place. They had to be so grown up by now…. how did they finally beat the Homonculi? If they were gone, who was in power? All this information was overwhelming.
"Here, something for the pain." She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't realize she was clutching her chest. Damn ribs. She felt like she was being stabbed every time she moved and would be almost as useless at the Colonel on a rainy day until they started to heal. "You'll remember everything in due course, I'm optimistic." The promise was more to her husband than to Riza herself and both Roy and Knox knew it.
"I'm going to go call Havoc and let the team know, I'll be right back." He went over, fully intending to lean over and kiss her, but stopped short, instead touching her shoulder. "Glad to see you awake, Lt.".
He didn't call Havoc.
"Elric residence." Winry's voice was still perky, though she was as fatigued as the rest. No one had really slept since Riza's accident. "Roy! Any news?" They'd dropped formalities a long time ago. Sometimes Roy called Ed Fullmetal, but only when he was annoyed. Otherwise they had become a strange little family. Al had returned from Xing with May a year ago and until earlier that week, everything was sort of ideal.
"She's awake. But lost a huge chunk of her memory. Can you bring Maes? I can't leave the hospital but I want to see him."
"Of course, I'm on my way now."
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Roy sat on a bench down the hall,, far enough from the guards and Riza so he wouldn't be heard. Out of respect the entire hall had been cleared for the family of their ruler. Winry passed him his infant son, and Roy wrapped himself tightly around him. It was a surprisingly emotional sight and caught her off guard. He buried his face in the blonde hair of the baby, breathing in his scent. She knew the room because she'd had Maes there 10 months ago. That bit gave him hope, though not enough.
"She doesn't remember him. She doesn't know...she doesn't know I'm the Fuhrer. She doesn't even know we got married." Winry gently took the baby back and bounced him lightly to try to calm him. As soon as he'd touched his father Maes had started to cry. Like he knew how much pain he was in. Roy put his head in his hands. "The best moments of my life."
"Roy, you need to sleep. I'm going to drive you home. I'm assuming Rebecca, Jean, Al, May, or Gracia are already here?"
"I'm not leaving. But yes, Rebecca." Winry nodded. That was good. According to the informal schedule they had started to form Al was set to take over in a few hours. but she doubted Rebecca would leave Riza now that she was awake. A moment later both she and Knox emerged. Not caring if he was willing to accept the affection, Rebecca wrapped her arms around Roy. He tried to shake her off again but she refused.
"She'll get there. I swear, she will. You've been through too much together for her to forget."
Why did they think he was losing his mind, practically in public? They'd been to hell and back, at least twice. She'd stood by his side while they built Amestris back up. They were finally able to tell their loved ones about them.
Elicia had even kicked him in the shin, possessed by the spirit of her father for not telling her that Uncle Roy was in love. And with Auntie Riza! He'd finally gotten up the nerve to ask her to be his wife. They'd gotten married, they'd had a baby. Grumman passed away and left Amestris to Roy.
But as far as she was concerned, they were still fighting for their lives. Havoc was still paralysed. The Elrics were still children. Bradley was still in power.
"I gave her something to sleep. Her injuries aren't as bad as I predicted. Mrs. Havoc, Mrs. Elric, please see that the Fuhrer rests as well. She'll be out for at least 8 hours. And I'll give you the same drug if I have to. This country can only function so long with your subordinates at the helm." He didn't apologize to the wives of the men in question. Mustang was ruling Amestris for a reason.
"Roy, I'm staying, she won't be alone in case she wakes up. Go home." He opened his mouth to protest and she cut him off. "So help me god I will carry you to the car myself." He was too tired to deal with the battering from every side. They were working to wear him down.
"I'm going to exile all of you." Roy mumbled.
He stood, unsteady. Letting his feelings get the better of him had used up the last of his energy, but reached out for his child. He had Roy's eyes but everything else about him was Riza. He even gave him her same stern look sometimes, something that never failed to make them laugh...
She'll remember. She'll remember.
He didn't seem to realize he was thinking out loud. " The important thing is, Riza's alive. She's alive and she's ok. But she needs rest, and you can't help her in this state." Her own wedding had only been a few months ago and even though Riza was already married, she was Winry's maid of honour. Roy stood in for her father; glaring at Ed like a proper protective father in law as he walked her down the aisle. This was hurting her too...they were the closest thing Winry had to parents. Ed and Al, too, though the former wouldn't admit it. He refused to let one moment tear apart so many lives.
She'll remember.
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Roy collapsed face down onto the bed as soon as he got home, burying his face in her pillow. Winry had continued to remind him throughout the drive that Riza was ok and that they would all help her regain what she lost.
"Roy, you haven't stopped saying "She's alive" and "She'll remember me" since we left the hospital."
"Thank you. Dismissed." Winry placed Maes next to his father and ignored the command, rolling her eyes. He was in worse shape than his wife at this point. The grumpy baby curled up against his father, almost as if to comfort him. Roy stroked his hair until they both fell asleep. The baby had a cold...it was the reason Riza had gone out, just a quick trip to the store. The last thing she'd said was to wait to start making dinner until she was home. He'd promised not to burn the house down. Terrible last words.
When she was sure they were both asleep, Winry started to make the calls. Ed, Al, Jean, Falman, Fuery, Gracia, Christmas….she cursed herself for not setting up some kind of phone tree.
xxxxxxxxxx
Riza tried, but couldn't fight Knox's knockout drug long. She drifted into a deep sleep, flashes of memory standing in for dreams.
Winry in a wedding dress, Riza laughing as she struggled to pin up the younger girl's excessively long hair.
A baby with Mustang's eyes, reaching for her.
A ring dropping out of Havoc's hand and being carried to the Colonel by Hayate.
Her lying in a pool of her own blood, trying to signal the Colonel about something on the ceiling above her.
Hugging a tall boy, practically a carbon copy of Ed.
Waving goodbye to that boy as he crossed the desert.
The Colonel looking at her with glazed over, blind eyes.
Watching Havoc stumble through wedding vows.
A headstone bearing her grandfather's name.
Curling up on a sofa next to Mustang, resting her head on his shoulder.
Him telling her that he loved her.
When Riza woke, the only thing she could recall was Winry's hair.
"Rize." Rebecca moved next to her to perch on the end of her bed. hugged her softly, something she wasn't used to. She didn't like to be touched and thought Rebecca knew that.
Riza couldn't keep the frustration contained any longer and snapped, yelling at her friend, and then gasping in pain. They were still keeping things from her. The guards rushed in along with a nurse.
"Madame Mustang, what's the matter?" One man swept the room while the other motioned for someone outside. Knox came in quickly, and the guards saluted her and stood at the foot of her bed.
Riza looked him dead in the eye, daring him to continue dancing around the truth. "Which is it, Doctor? Lt. Hawkeye or…" It felt strange to say, even if she'd thought about it over the years. "...Madame Mustang?"
He shook his head. That's what happens when Mustang ignores everyone around him. The soldiers had no idea she didn't know who she was.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Roy woke up, groggy,with Maes fussing again. He groaned. "Riza, why are babies so needy?" He reached over and found his wife's side of the bed empty. Everything came rushing back. How did they get him to leave her room? Exile. All of them. They were going to rebuild Xerxes all by themselves. He gathered up the baby and moved to the phone. He assumed that's what woke him but Ed beat him to it. He nodded a few times and hung up.
"Fullmetal, as your commanding officer I order you to tell me who that was." He growled. Riza wasn't the only one falling back on old ways.
"She woke up early and a guard messed up." Ed sighed.
Roy could already feel his blood boiling. "In what way?"
"They called her Madame Mustang."
He had fallen asleep in his clothes so he was ready to leave that second. He clutched his baby to his chest, kissing his tiny, perfect forehead. Riza wasn't ready for him but Roy needed to be reminded he still had a family.
xxxxxxxxxxx
It turned out that Winry and Ed were waiting for him in the living room. Why had Riza given them have keys to their house? They followed him to the hospital, Winry driving and Ed holding Maes. He refused to believe Fullmetal was a better driver than him and insisted Winry be behind the wheel. Ed being such an adult confused Roy.
When he approached the door he noticed that the soldiers had been replaced already, probably terrified Fuhrer Mustang would kill them. They hadn't known...they were just doing their job. But yes, he did want to murder them.
She spoke first.
"Where is it?" She was looking at the pale tan line on her ring finger. Roy pulled it out of his pocket, showing her her wedding band. "So it's true." She said, matter-of-factly. He nodded, pulling the ring and chain out from under his collar.
"It would heat up. Flame alchemy and metal don't mix well." He didn't know why he was explaining that, of all things.
She hadn't called him Roy since they were teenagers, and it was almost impossible to do it now. "They called me Madame. Colonel, what's your rank?"
His eyes stared at the floor underneath him. Seeing her look at him like the old days was too hard. "You asked if we won. We did. I'm the Fuhrer. But everyone knows you're the brains." He tried to smile.
"Did you ask me, or did I ask you?"
His head snapped up. "To get married? I asked you, it took me months to build up the courage."
"Oh."
"Why?"
"I thought I would have first. I was already tired of waiting."
Roy was stunned. He couldn't stay away anymore. As soon as he'd arrived Rebecca, Knox, and the nurse tending to her disappeared. Rebecca had closed the door behind them as well, giving them privacy.
He said down on the corner of her bed, reaching out to her and then hesitating. He had to keep reminding himself that she wasn't his wife, not to her. "Can I have my ring back?"
He slid it on, like the day they were married. She spun it around on her finger, as she always did when she was thinking. Riza didn't look at him for a long time.
"Why...why can't I remember?" She finally met his gaze. No...he hated to see her this way. She looked defeated. It was the look she gave him when she asked him to burn her back. He let go completely and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on hers where he knew it wouldn't cause pain.
"I have no idea, Al and May tried everything they knew from Xing to wake you up." She was stiff and awkward as he embraced her, but started to relax into it. He felt right, and she fit perfectly against his shoulder like she always suspected. Like she'd always wanted but could never try, not with the frat laws.
"When did we get married?"
"Almost 3 years ago. I told you, the day after I became the Fuhrer, I would marry you. I meant it, but you were more practical and made me wait a month so we could collect everyone. It was torture." He was still gripping her as tightly as he could without injuring her further and she was slowly becoming more comfortable.
"You know what I do remember? We were just kids. My father had burdened you with so much work you forgot how to blink. Like you were blind." He froze, but she didn't notice, and continued.
"But you looked at me, and it felt like you could see right through me. It was like…" she laughed a little. "It was like you knew I had a crush on you. I avoided you for a week."
"I know, I was looking for you. You were good at hiding." Roy paused. They'd had this conversation already and he wondered how many more stories he would need to repeat.
"I thought I lost you when I got the call you were here. We rebuilt this country. We admitted we were in love. Elicia tried to beat me up. Ed and Winry just got married. You were-" Riza gasped.
"I remember. I had a dream...her hair."
Roy's eyes lit up. There was something there, maybe she wasn't lost for good. She knew the room, too... it could all come back to her after all. He knew he should move slower, he didn't want to shock her anymore. She still barely reacting to him touching her. But this was his family, dammit, and she would slap the hell out of him if he hid the baby any longer. It was a gamble but he had to try.
"I have someone I'd like you to meet, if you're up to it." She wasn't sure who he was talking about, but there was a lot of her life she wasn't sure of so she nodded. Riza wanted to catch up on as much as possible. She wasn't sure it was all real, still, but she'd noticed a few specks of grey in Mustang's hair that hadn't been there before.
He opened the door, and she could hear a quiet conversation with Winry. An "are you absolutely sure?" from the girl and something about Riza killing Roy if she didn't get to meet the mysterious 'him'. She had her suspicions but was still stunned when Roy turned around, cradling a baby like an expert.
Riza burst into sobs and Roy retreated immediately, but she waved her hands in protest, begging him to come to her. The pain compounded her cries, but she couldn't tell if it was from her injuries or from her frustration. This was unmistakably her son, and he reached towards her. His eyes were just like Roy's, with a sparkle and a smile at his mother.
"What did we name him?" But she knew, raising a hand to stop him from answering. "Maes, of course. We named him Maes."
"Do you remember?!"
"No, but it's the only name we would have picked. That is his name, right?" Roy nodded at his wife. She was crying because she had to ask the name of her own baby. She felt like she'd failed him.
Riza was Hawkeye, trying her best to be Mrs. Mustang. It was so much to absorb. but...the baby made it easier somehow. Her sobs ceased, along with a little bit of the pain.. "Can I hold him?" He passed the child to her and she smiled, playing with his tiny hands.
"Hello, Maes Mustang." It was the exact thing she'd said when he had handed her Maes the first time, after the doctors had cut the cord connecting mother and son and before they'd even talked about a name. "Have you been keeping an eye on your father for me?" It was Roy's turn to cry, though silently. He'd had waking nightmares that this moment would never happen. She stared at him with adoration, repeating the same scene from a year ago. Touching his little fingers, brushing his dark blonde hair back. She was entranced by the baby but she could see Roy out of the corner of her eye.
"Please, don't cry. I never know what to do when it rains." It made her extremely uncomfortable. She'd wanted to comfort him the few times he'd been vulnerable but she wasn't allowed to until now. Riza did the only thing she could think of, leaning over and kissing him lightly. It was their first kiss all over again.
xxxxxxx
Ed and Al rushed into the hall, skidding to a stop in front of the gathered group. Havoc stayed behind to keep the country in one piece but insisted Ed come back as soon as possible so he could visit Riza. He had barely seen his own wife for days, but every time he saw Mustang he realized how lucky he was to have Rebecca.
Ed kissed Winry, while demanding an update from Knox while going for the door. Only Ed could be in three places at once.
"It's too fast, what the hell is he thinking?" Rebecca and Winry acknowledged they'd thought the same thing, and as silently as they could, opened the door to peek through. Roy was sitting on her hospital bed, gently stroking her hair while she kissed him. The baby nuzzled against his mother, asleep in her arms.
They were the family they all knew and loved, trying to condense their lives into one moment.
Winry shut the door and Ed smiled, wrapping his arm around his wife's waist.
"Nevermind. They'll be fine." For a small moment Edward Elric believed in God.
Author's note-
A lot of credit to the extremely talented PurpleMaple for convincing me to post this and for getting me back into writing. Thanks, love :)