I am so sorry for the long wait, but here I am, at last, back with a new instalment! Every time I looked at the review count I felt guilty, and I finally got around to writing it! I've had the first two pages of this sitting in my laptop since November 2006, and that made me feel even worse. Nevertheless, here it is, a new chapter of 'Of Life and Love'. May it be enjoyed as much as the last one!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters that you might recognise. The names of the children are my idea though.
Roy grinned when Hughes shoved a photograph of Elysia his face. "Finally, I shall have revenge!" he thought triumphantly.
"Look! Look at my beautiful baby girl! You know she's turning six soon; isn't she lovely!" Maes crooned.
"Yes, yes, she's very pretty. Looks just like her mother." Roy retorted, reaching into his pocket with a smirk. "But won't you just look at Edward! He's positively glowing, I've never seen him look more beautiful!" he gushed.
Actually, Roy really did think that Ed had never looked more beautiful than he did, now eight months into his pregnancy. He'd just never made it known to anyone but Ed. He grinned as Hughes backed out of his office, a scared look on his face. "Revenge is sweet." Roy thought with no small amount of satisfaction.
He went back to studying his photo of Ed. It was taken only a few weeks ago. Ed was smiling into the camera, his hands resting over his stomach, now heavy and swollen with child. Roy looked over at the framed photograph on his desk. It was a photo of him and Ed on their wedding day. Ed had maintained that he refused to be "fat" on his wedding day, but he wanted their children to be legitimate, so they had been married a scarce three months after they had got engaged, regardless of the wide ranged opinion of many that it was too early. In the photo, Ed and Roy were sharing their first kiss as a married couple. Roy smiled at the memory. Ed was just showing a slight bump, still small, but big enough to be noticeable beneath his clothes.
"Sir?" Riza stuck her head in the door. She looked at Roy, who was staring with a goofy grin at his wedding photo, and then at the pile of paperwork that had grown in size from the neglect it had suffered since the colonel's engagement to Edward Elric.
She sighed. She could point her gun at him and make him get it done, but it would be a waste of time. Roy would be unlikely to get any work done at all until Ed had the baby. And that was if they were lucky.
There were new betting pools circulating Headquarters, seeing as their marriage had put an end to all the old ones. Bets were now running on gender, looks and height of the new Elric-Mustang child. Hughes was adamant that it would be a boy with golden hair, brown eyes, and would be tall like Roy.
Havoc and Furey were certain it would be a girl, again with golden hair and brown eyes, but small and petite like Edward.
And so the bets came rolling in. there were countless variations on whose looks the baby would inherit. The winner stood to win twenty gold coins if they were right, until Riza had her say. "Twins; one boy and one girl." She announced. "The boy will be tall like the colonel, with Ed's looks, but the girl will look like Roy, but will be small like Ed. She'll be a fey child." The stakes rose, and Riza was set to win fifty gold coins if she was right, or at least the closest.
"What can I do for you Hawkeye?" Roy asked her.
"Go home sir, you're not achieving anything here." She said with a sigh.
Roy was out the door in a flash. He'd wanted to go home ever since he'd arrived at work that morning. He hated leaving Ed alone, just in case something happened while he was away. He was thankful that Winry would be coming to stay until Ed gave birth.
He drove home and let himself inside. "Ed? I'm home love!" he called.
"You're kinda early aren't you?" Ed asked, heading down the stairs.
Roy ran to meet Ed in the middle of the staircase. He lifted his tiny, delicate husband easily into his arms. Pregnant or not, Ed was still pretty light. "Riza let me leave, after she told me how useless I've become." At Ed's pointed look he amended, "Well, even more useless I've become."
Ed looked up at him, confused. "Ever since we got engaged, you're the only thing I can think of for more than thirty seconds." Roy explained, earning himself a passionate, much craved kiss.
Roy carried Ed into the living room and placed him on the couch, amazed that the fiery blonde hadn't made a fuss; even though the strain of pregnancy tired the smaller man out easily it didn't usually stop him from throwing one or two snide remarks his lover's way. He kissed his lover gently. "I love you." He whispered into Ed's ear.
Ed shivered at the sultry tone of Roy's voice. "I love you too, bastard Colonel." He whispered back.
The couple cuddled on the couch, occasionally allowing their lips to meet in a sweet, gentle kiss. After a while, Ed spoke. "Al went to pick up Winry from the station. They should be back soon." Winry had returned home after the wedding, promising to come back before the baby was born.
"That's good; I won't have to leave you alone when I go to work."
Ed snorted and punched his lover's arm lightly. "Idiot, it's not like I'm alone that often, Al is always here!"
"For which I am eternally grateful." Roy retorted. "At least he'll keep an eye on you and make sure you don't do anything stupid again." Ed had the decency to look guilty.
FLASHBACK
Roy came home from work to find the house empty and his fiancé of only two weeks nowhere in sight. Roy's eyebrows creased with worry, it was unusual for Ed to be absent when he came home from work. He shrugged, maybe he and Alphonse went to get groceries, and the suit of armour practically lived with them anyway. He had his own room and did most of the cooking, claiming that his brother had to eat right during his pregnancy. Roy was happy to have the younger Elric around, seeing as neither he nor Ed could cook overly well.
Roy entered the kitchen, and found a note in Alphonse's handwriting.
Colonel Mustang,
Ed found a lead on a Philosopher's Stone that didn't require human lives and I couldn't stop him from leaving. I'm sorry, I tried to tell him to forget about it for now, but he wouldn't listen to me. It would be worse if he went alone, so I promise I will keep him, and the baby, safe, and will bring him back to you in one piece.
Alphonse Elric.
Roy dropped the note on to the table with numb, shaking fingers. Ed had left on a mission. Ed had left. Ed was pregnant! How could he be so stupid?! He was not only risking his life and Al's but their baby's too! Thank God for the small mercy of Alphonse being there to protect him!
Roy raced out of the house and back to work immediately. "That IDIOT! I'll kill him!" he raged. He sped back to Headquarters so fast it was a wonder he made it in one piece.
"Sir? What's the matter?" Hawkeye asked.
"Is Edward all right?" Furey asked.
"Nothin' happened to the boss did it?" Havoc demanded.
"No, Edward is fine. The little shit decided to take off after a lead!" Roy snarled. Furey and Havoc backed away from him. After all, he had his gloves on. All he needed to do was snap his fingers and they'd all be charcoaled.
"Fool." Hughes commented. "Not a wise thing to do in his condition."
"No, ya think?" Roy snapped sarcastically.
"Calm down sir." Riza said, forcing him to sit. "What do you want us to do?"
"I want them located. I don't care what it takes, just find them!" Roy said with a forced quiet.
Hughes, Hawkeye, Havoc and Furey moved instantly, and when others hesitated, Roy leapt to his feet. "I want them found, now!" he roared.
They never found Ed and Al; they turned up on their own. They walked through the front door two weeks after they disappeared, dirty and tired, but seemingly no worse for wear, Ed's automail was gone and Alphonse had a human body. Nevertheless, Roy had Ed at the doctor before they could say 'Fullmetal Alchemist'.
END FLASHBACK
Ed and Al had never talked about what happened in those two weeks, and Roy had never asked. He knew the Equivalent Exchange would have been great, and figured he was better off in the dark.
Now, Ed's guilty look made him smile and kiss the smaller man lightly on the nose. "Don't feel bad, you're here, and you're whole, and that's all that matters." Roy told him.
"Still, I'm sorry I made you worry." Edward said quietly.
"I know, just don't do it again." Roy replied, unconsciously tightening his hold on his husband. "I couldn't survive without you."
Ed simply kissed him in reply.
It wasn't long before Al and Winry returned to the train station, and they found Ed asleep on the couch in Roy's arms. Winry "awed" quietly at the sight and Al smiled. Roy looked up from watching Ed and smiled a greeting at his brother-in-law and the blonde girl who was practically their sister. "Winry, how are you?" he asked quietly.
"I'm fine thanks." Winry returned the smile with one of her own.
"Well, Ed won't wake up for a while, I'm fairly certain Lieutenant Havoc would like to see you." Roy told her, and the girl blushed. Winry had been seeing the Lieutenant ever since Ed and Roy's wedding, and it seemed to be going well so far, now that Roy had stopped stealing Jean's girlfriends… for obvious reasons of course.
"Well, maybe I'll go and see him while Ed's sleeping." Winry said quietly. "I'll be back soon.
When she was gone, Al looked at the Colonel. "So, hows the office betting pool going?" he asked.
"You mean the one they think I don't know about?" Roy asked with a smirk and Al laughed. "At the moment it's fifty gold coins for the winner. Personally, I'd like to see Hawkeye win back all the money Hughes scored off the last one."
"What does she think?" Al asked.
"Twins. That's all I know about it though. Even if she gets their looks wrong she's set to win a fair amount." Roy replied.
"Well, it won't take long to find out now." Al said softly, watching his sleeping brother with a small smile.
As it turned out, 'not long' turned out to be a week and a half. Ed was walking into the living room when it began.
"Al!" he called urgently, and both his brother and Winry came running. "What's the matter?" Al asked him worriedly, spotting his brother bent double and clutching his stomach.
"Whaddaya think Al? THE BABY'S COMING!!!!!" Ed screamed, the kind of scream he normally reserved for people who call him short.
"Umm, okay… Winry, call the Colonel, I'll get him to the car and we'll go to the hospital." Al said, helping his brother towards the front door.
Winry ran for the phone and dialled the Colonel's office number. Havoc answered the phone. "Hi, it's Winry." She said.
"Oh hey, Winry." The Lieutenant replied. "Say, I had a great time the other night…"
Winry cut him off. "So did I Jean, but now is not the time. I need to talk to Colonel Mustang. Ed's in labour!"
"Right, gotcha! I'll patch you through." As soon as Roy received the call in his office, Havoc went running through the office yelling the news at the top of his voice.
Roy couldn't discern the words through his closed door as he took Winry's call. "Is Ed okay?" were his first words.
"He's fine, but he's gone into labour. We're about to take him to the hospital now." Winry replied.
"Thanks. I'll see you soon." Roy hung up the phone, grabbed his coat and opened the door, only to come face to face with Hawkeye and the others. "We're coming with you, sir." Riza said.
"Yeah, there's no way any of us are going to miss this!" Hughes grinned. "The military can do without us for the afternoon."
Roy looked like he was about to argue, but as Hawkeye's hand went to her gun, he smiled. "Thanks guys, I could use the support."
The Central Military Hospital, or CMH, was around the corner from Central Headquarters. Al and Winry took Ed there at top speed, grateful to discover that Roy had thought to phone ahead and warn them of his husband's imminent arrival. Ed was borne away by a host of nurses and doctors, and the doctor in charge, a Captain Jessica Baylor, who had been Ed's doctor from the beginning, assured the younger Elric that Ed was in very capable hands, before sweeping off after him.
Roy arrived not long after they did, trailing behind him a whole contingent of Military officers. Hughes, Hawkeye, Havoc, Furey, Breda and Falman had all accompanied the stressed out Colonel to the hospital to await the news. Roy headed in the direction that Doctor Baylor had gone, hoping to find out how things were going, and a nurse appeared in the waiting room a few minutes later to inform them that Roy would be staying with Edward for the time being.
Hawkeye asked how they planned to be delivering the baby while ensuring minimal risk to Edward.
"Well, there is an alchemic procedure used to ensure that there is minimal pain during the birth. While Edward is under this influence, Doctor Baylor will open his abdomen and remove the child." The nurse explained, before leaving them to wait in silence.
Hours later, Roy returned to the waiting room, looking tired. Breda and Furey were playing chess on a small portable board; Havoc was sitting with his arm around Winry, who dozed against him as he talked quietly with Alphonse. Falman was reading a book in the corner. Gracia and Elysia had arrived a few hours earlier, and Maes was playing with his daughter while her mother chatted amiably with Riza Hawkeye. They all looked up when Roy entered the waiting room. "They're about to begin the delivery." He said wearily. "They kicked me out before Ed did me some serious damage." He added with a wry grin that made the others laugh. They could just imagine an agitated Edward threatening to remove a certain part of his husband's anatomy.
It was another half an hour before a very tired Doctor Baylor entered the waiting room. "Congratulations Colonel, sir." She said with a smile as Roy leapt to his feet anxiously. "You have a wonderful set of twins; a boy and a girl." Every officer's jaw dropped and they turned to look at Lieutenant Hawkeye, who simply smirked smugly and held out her hand. "Not until we see what they look like." Hughes retorted, and the whole group followed Roy back to the room.
"I don't advise that you all stay long, Edward will be tired and should rest.' Doctor Baylor instructed them firmly.
"Don't worry, I'll have them all out of here shortly Captain." Hawkeye replied with a smile, and the other woman saluted her superior officer with a smile before leaving them to their own devices.
They entered the room to find an exhausted Ed sitting up in bed, a baby in the crook of each arm. Roy sat behind Ed so that he could put his arms gently around his waist. "How're you feeling love?" he asked softly.
Ed winced. "A little sore and tired, but really, really happy." Ed replied just as quietly. Roy kissed his temple and smoothed his husband's hair back from his forehead.
"Congratulations brother." Al said with a wide grin, a sentiment that the others quickly echoed.
"Thanks Al." Ed replied with a smile of his own. "C'mere and meet you're niece and nephew."
Al approached the bed and Roy placed one of the tiny bundles in the boy's arms. "Her name is Evangeline." Roy told them as Al stared in wonder at his tiny niece. "Her brother is Alexander."
Riza looked over Al's shoulder and she stroked the thin wisps of dark hair back from the little girl's head. "A fey child indeed." She said with a smirk, holding her hand out again as the others counted coins into her palm.
Ed left the hospital a few weeks later, husband and children in tow, and returned to their home in Central. While he'd been away Roy and Al had set up a nursery for the twins down the hall from the room Roy and Ed shared. He placed Evangeline and Alexander in their cradles and left them to sleep. It didn't take them long to discover that Alexander was infinitely louder than his sister, and they knew that he was bound to have inherited Ed's fiery nature as well as his looks. Evangeline on the other hand, was quiet and happy, always gracing her doting father with bright smiles, which couldn't help but make the usually stoic Colonel smile back with delight at his little daughter. Ed loved watching his husband interact with their children, and delighted in the fact that he finally had a family of his own.
One night as they lay in bed, Roy turned to his lover and asked "Are you happy?"
Ed looked up at his lover and smiled sweetly, making Roy's heart turn over, just like it always did. "Of course I am! I have more than I ever could have hoped for here. I have someone who loves me and we have those two beautiful children who will always be surrounded by love." Ed leaned up and kissed Roy gently. "What else could a family possibly need?"
Roy smiled back and cradled his husband in his arms as he returned the kiss. "Nothing, my love, absolutely nothing."
YAY!!! FINISHED!! It's only taken me what? Two years? At any rate, I hope that this was worth the wait, and hopefully it won't take me this long to write the final chapter. Mind you, anything's an improvement on how long it took me to write this.
Please leave a review, they keep me sane!