The Shining

Chapter 2

The House of Horrors

"Use the Shining to make the pancakes better. I can help draw the wheels." Maes Mustang chirped authoritatively as he pushed his plate of breakfast over to his Dad and gave him a napkin and crayons to work with.

Riza smirked as Roy started to sketch out a transmutation circle to do just that. Their son referred to the alchemic glow as "The Shining" thanks to something Pride had said. Then there was the fact that he was just five and anything circular was a wheel. Roy had given up trying to correct him and simply let the boy have his innocent description of his talents. It was better than calling it magic and one day Maes would be old enough to understand what alchemy was. Until then, it was the Shining and they'd just pretend it was another one of their codes and 'wheels' also worked a little better than "transformer circles". She was glad he was such an intensely curious and creative boy, it made the situation so much easier to swallow. At least one Mustang still retained innocence.

Roy rested his elbow on the table and placed his chin on his hand. "What would you like today?"

"A Chimera."

Roy frowned. Fucking Pride. "Riza, sweetheart, maybe we should thinking about getting Maes a little brother or sister to play with. Someone not named Tommy?"

"He has Hayate." She said and the dog wagged his tail as he laid next to her feet at the stove. "Or are you just not seeing past the idea of making that new sibling?"

"It's going to be a long winter..." He smirked at her, it had been a while. Leave it to them to have a child who had an uncanny knack for walking in on them during or before sex. It flustered Riza more than him, but that was really all it took to kill the mood. He winked at her and gave her a grin hoping it would be enough to start her thinking about where they might sneak off to.

She returned the smile, letting him know that the attention would be more than welcome if they could catch a break. Unfortunately it was impossible to go unnoticed by Pride or Envy and one of them always pointed Maes in the right direction to interrupt their affections. She wasn't sure if they were planning to drive Roy insane with this hell on earth or the lack of sex with his wife. He raised an eyebrow at her and gave her his best seductive smirk, asking if it was a possibility this morning. She pointed the spatula at the pancakes on the table. "Make the kid some chimera pancakes before your mind drifts to the gutter and you make something inappropriate instead."

He stuck his tongue out at her and continued to draw a simple transmutation circle that would turn flat pancakes into a three dimensional chimera. A hotel with 300 damned rooms and they couldn't find one away from prying eyes. He was getting tired of sex in the shower and bathroom, it really limited his moves. Married and still trying to hide their sex life, wasn't that a kick in the ass?

"I thought you fixed the gutters?" Maes asked.

Riza chuckled as Roy chose to distract his son with a winged lion 3-D pancake creation instead of explaining what the statement meant. If they weren't currently being sequestered in a haunted hotel in the snowy mountains by two enemies, this would be a rather pleasant situation. Life hadn't exactly been what she had fantasized about when she and Roy had been 'dating' but she was still happy to be by his side. Something he could never understand because he only saw failure when he looked at the circumstances that lead them here.

The first two years of marriage had been good, even if he was constantly apologizing for ruining their careers, humiliating her and letting everyone down. They had only known adult life in the military, but she adjusted to life without it much easier than he did. He didn't realize how attached he had grown to his titles and how much he took his privileges for granted. It took a while for him to grow used to the fact that the titles of 'husband' and 'father' meant much more than any stars on his shoulders or pocket watch. Now he had found a cause again, the homunculus were beginning to circle and he was ready to protect his family from whatever they were planning. She wished he had his gloves and could roast Pride into a pile of ash, but she had learned that they were going to have to make due with what they were given these days. Unfortunately it meant suppressing panic every time Maes went to a shadowy corner to find his 'imaginary friend'. Knowing Pride was so close to their son had the effect intended, they both played it safe and didn't take unnecessary risks.

"Storm Warning came across the radio this morning." She said and saw him tense but not look at her. She was going to kiss Fuery next time she saw him for his ingenuous way of communicating with them. Though taking a job with the National Weather Service was probably a dream job for him. "Blizzard out of the North probably will hit in the next two days."

Roy poured some syrup over the pancake winged lion so Maes could chow down without having access to the sticky substance. So the Elrics managed to convince Armstrong to assist us? Probably didn't need much convincing to come down here and mock me, that bitch is going to really rub it in. "Why don't you let me go hunting this afternoon? I know I'm not as good as you are, but I'd like to take a walk and clear my head before we're snowed in."

"Dad, Mom hunts better. Can you show me how to make wheels?" Maes dug into his pancake creature and put gooey pancake in his mouth. "Tommy says you are scared to teach me. If I learn I can fight the hedge animals. Those bushes hurt."

Riza put her spatula down as Roy looked up at her confused. She forgot to tell him that the hedge animals had scratched Maes up pretty bad. She just didn't want him to fly off the handle and start setting the topiaries on fire. "Tommy got a little rough with his toys."

"I'm going to go check the furnace." Roy said flatly and stood up. Goddamn Pride.

"It's not time, Daddy." Maes whined. "Stay and play with me? Show me how to use the wheels."

Roy sat back down as the kid took the napkin he had drawn on and tried to activate it with his tiny hands. Confronting the monster could wait, it's not like anything would come of it. "Ok, first we have to start by you telling me the ingredients to the pancakes. You have to know what things are made of before you can use the Shining to change them. Ok?"

"Eggs, batter and love."

Riza wished they could be having this conversation in some suburban house in Central. Maes would be playing with Elicia Hughes during the day, Roy would be at work and she could be enjoying every minute of this perfect family of hers. Instead she was going to have to worry about him going to the basement and screaming his head off at the shadows and threatening to stuff Pride in the furnace and cremate him. He didn't deserve this. "Eggs are in the batter, Maes."

"Syrup." Maes said. "Batter and love."

"What's in the batter?" Roy asked and dipped a napkin in his coffee cup to wet it, then wiped off some syrup from Maes's chin.

"Flour, eggs..milk and sugar."

"How does the batter change from liquid to solid?" Roy asked and the boy gave him a smile.

"Fire." Maes said and grabbed his father's hand. "Will you give me your gloves someday? Will you teach me how to make the fire?"

Roy glanced to Riza. They had already agreed that there would be no more Flame Alchemists and they would not condemn his son to carry that burden. It was so hard to tell him no, because he so desperately wanted to pass something on to his son that was clearly was his birthright. He knew that it was going to be impossible to keep the kid from asking or trying to figure it out. That was years from now, he had plenty of time to contemplate that. For right now all Maes Mustang knew of alchemy was that the Shining and the Wheels combined to make magic happen. "I don't have my gloves anymore."

"Tommy found them!" Maes said excitedly. "In room 237 with the melting lady! She's going to need a doctor soon, she's getting really mushy in that bathtub. He said her name is Rust."

Roy stiffened and he looked up at Riza. They were taunting him now though his son, the homunculus were toeing a dangerous line.

"Lust?" Riza asked, afraid that the name out of the past was just a coincidence.

"Yup. That's it. She's different now, not like the other lady with the darker skin and red eyes...this lady has big boobies and black hair. She needs her nails done."

Roy's breathe caught in his throat. So now Pride were trying to lure him up there with his gloves? That and the temptation of melting every one of that little shit's eyeballs for putting his son through this? Of course Envy was having a blast shape shifting and he should have figured it was only a matter of time before he changed into Lust too. Though her image wouldn't bother him at all. That Ishvalian woman, however, was still way too fresh a memory. He had been avoiding that room, just one glimpse of his past standing there with her melting skin dropping to the floor had froze him in place. The smell of her charred flesh and hair, the skin sloughing off, the pads of her feet popping and crackling like bacon as she walked through the puddle of blood towards him. He felt Maes's hand on his again, clutching his hand as it has involuntarily started to twitch as he recalled the horror that awaited him in Room 237. He jumped as he heard that popping sound again, the sound of fat boiling and exploding, and realized Riza was just cooking bacon. So much for his appetite.

Riza wondered what the homunculus were up to. She turned the bacon again and looked at his face, a reflection of his struggle in his eyes as he stared at the stove. He refused to tell her what he had seen up there the first time and had simply clung to her in the shower as the water hid his tears. It was enough to make her want to march up there and empty a few magazines into whatever homunculus was torturing her husband, but she had to play along. All she knew was that if she didn't seem scared of this prospect than the homunculus would think she wasn't afraid of her husband. "Roy, please. Go hunting and I'll go check the room."

He looked up at her and felt too tired to put on a show for the audience. This was a nice breakfast, he really wanted to keep it that way and not storm off after being an asshole to his wife. It was an act, but it still hurt them both. "It's my job."

Riza turned off the burner. It was the little details that would sell the monsters in the shadows on their performance. They knew she was more than capable of holding her own in a fight against Roy, so she couldn't play the part of a fearful wife. They knew she had watched his back, protected him and made sure he didn't make foolish decisions, so by removing the flame from the stove she effectively removed any threat from his hand sketching out that new transmutation circle on the napkin. She just had to keep telling herself it was just another mission. Unfortunately it meant he had to suffer alone with the memories, flashbacks and nightmares that kept him walking these halls at night.

"Daddy, please don't get mad." Maes said softly. "I thought you'd want your gloves."

Riza didn't have to act as she held her breath and bit her lip. Maybe they could play the game, but Maes didn't deserve to be in the middle of this. She saw Roy's face and knew he was fighting the same emotions. They really needed to end this soon.

"I..." Roy felt that tiny hand on his again, those worried eyes that no five year old should have to show to anyone. He smiled down at his son. "Maybe you and I should start your alchemy lessons. You're spending too much time playing with Tommy."

"Really?" Maes said hopefully. "Tommy also said you didn't want to teach me because I was an accident."

And once again, the air was sucked out of the room as two parents froze in place because of words they never wanted to hear come from their child's mouth. They both looked at him as he poked at his pancake monster.

"Tommy said...I was a mistake and I ruined your life. So you don't want me to have your gift."

Roy felt that tiny hand squeeze, prodding for his father to say something to explain his imaginary friend's statements. Dying to hear that Tommy was wrong, even though his memories and the pictures in the photo album told a different story. Pictures of a time when he had been important. Roy bent down and placed a kiss on the kid's head. "The moment your Mom told me we were going to have you was one of the best moments of my life."

"Why would Tommy say that if it wasn't true?"

Roy looked at Riza who was still frozen in place, her eyes telling him that she just didn't have any explanations for their son anymore. That the kid did nothing but ask questions and it was getting harder to paint a happy picture on the truth. To hell with it, at this point he wasn't in the running for Father of the Year anyway. "Tommy's Dad doesn't love him because he only cares about his job. Tommy is jealous of you and he's trying to make you as miserable as he is." Fuck You Pride, I can play this game too.

Riza thought that was a little harsh to tell a five year old, but on the other hand she hoped Pride was listening. She watched Maes perk up, happy to hear the information from his father who he idolized. "It's true Maes, your Dad was so happy when he found out we were going to have you. We love you very much, you didn't ruin anything."

"Tommy does say a lot of mean things." Maes sighed.

"I haven't taught you alchemy because you still don't know how to read." Roy watched him mull that over.

"Then I'll study really hard." He said and smiled up at his father. "When I grow up I'm going to be just like you."

God I hope not. Roy gave him a weak smile and looked to Riza with his apologetic eyes. "Time for me to get going or I won't be back by noon."

The hike into the hills was a welcoming break from the rather demanding guests of the Overlook Hotel. Envy, Pride, Boilermaster 2000 and the five hedge chimera were always doing something or wanting to chat. It was worse than having voices in your head, it was like running a daycare. So this trek into the hills with Riza's rifle slung over his shoulder was nice. The cold didn't bother him as the white parka did it's job to protect him from the Northern chill. Ah, the silence was just amazing.

"Hey, Mustang!" Ed put his hands in his pockets and grinned. "You carrying the guns now?"

Roy shook his head as he turned toward the figure sitting on fallen tree that was blocking the old logging road. Leave it to him to be the one to ruin the peaceful silence. Today, however, it put a smile on his face to see the young man again. To know that his team had never forsaken him. "Well Fullmetal," Roy pushed his hood off and looked at the kid. "It was the best excuse I had to come out here."

"You guys OK?" Ed asked, worried that some evil might have befallen the Mustangs since he last saw them. Not having the Colonel in the thick of the battle against the homunculus was a huge hit to their efforts. Ed didn't realize how much he shielded him and Al or just how much the Colonel and his team handled. Even when he was stripped of rank and just a civilian, Mustang had been a valuable ally and continued to work on a way to expose the monsters and take back the country. As much as they butted heads, Ed enjoyed being a part of the extended Mustang family as much as he did the Hughes and Rockbells.

"As well as can be expected." He sighed. "Pride is Maes's best friend and that kills me."

"Envy still there?" Ed asked. Sgt. Fuery's communications had them up to date with all the happenings here at this stupid hotel. Ed didn't want to ask why Mustang had let himself be lured out here, he knew the reason. You did stupid things when you were looking out for your family. Still it seemed like it could be an opportunity that they were looking for. A way to isolate and kill two more enemies and put Mustang back in play.

"Chatty as ever." Mustang mumbled. "Kimblee still in Briggs?"

"Yeah." Ed said. "Scar put him in the infirmary so they have him drugged up beyond comprehension."

"And Scar is your ally. What an interesting world we're living in now." Roy mused. That one had been a little bit of a shocker. Scar was now on their side. Though leave it to Fullmetal to convince an enraged serial killer to have a change of heart and join the team. And what a team it was.

"Not really friends." Ed said. "So Armstrong's on her way with reinforcements. About a day out."

"Good. I guess I'll have to have a psychotic break tonight." Roy breathed a sigh of relief. After this morning he never wanted his son to think his parents didn't love each other and this act of theirs was tearing them both apart. It was time to take his anger out on room 237 and give Envy a taste of what he could do with a box of matches and a magic marker transmutation circle.

Ed pulled the small package out of his jacket and handed it to Mustang. "Your gift from Breda."

Roy smiled knowing his last pair of gloves was in there. The pair that had been bloodied and ripped by Lust, now repaired by Gracia Hughes skilled hands. "Didn't play with them, did you?"

"No. Perv."

Roy chuckled and opened the envelope. He smiled as he looked at the delicate embroidery and the repairs his best friend's widow had done for him. "Thanks Ed."

"You're planning to come out of there alive, right?" Ed said. "I don't want to be visiting Riza and Maes like we visit Gracia and Elicia. You promise me you're not going to make another kid grow up without a father."

Roy's eyes looked into those intense golden ones and he gave him an unguarded smile. "I promise Ed."

"So what's the plan?"

"I have to keep you out of the shadows to keep you away from Pride's eyes so I can only have you come up the main access road." Roy pulled the napkin from this morning out of his pocket, a map of the Hotel and grounds was drawn on it. He handed it to Ed who immediately flipped it over to look at the transmutation circle on the back. Some things never changed no matter what frozen hell or imminent apocalypse was looming on the horizon, he was drawn to the circle like a magnet and Roy worried he wasn't even listening anymore. "Pride will probably be playing with Maes on the playground. Riza will be out there with them so Pride will be hiding in the igloo trying to call Maes inside so he can tell him more 'secrets' and fuck with my kid. As long as Riza is there, he won't show himself. He's trying to feed Maes lies and can't do that if Riza can refute them. They want my kid to doubt us. Envy doesn't show himself to her at all, he's trying to convince her that I'm nuts."

"You sort of are." Ed smirked. "Sane people don't take on homunculus, try and overthrow the government or take up residence in a haunted hotel to do all that. Oh...and then there is the fact that you have to be certifiably insane to invite General Armstrong down here to save your ass. Talk about never living that down."

Roy smiled. "Wait until you meet the topiary hedge animal chimera."

"Really?" Ed thought about that. "I guess it makes sense that chimera could be plant based as well, it is a living thing..."

Roy frowned. He had done the same thing and Riza smacked him for it. Alchemists apparently were easily distracted by the scientific process. "Ed, Focus. Trap Pride in the igloo. Take out the Chimera. Riza will grab Maes and also cover you."

"Where will you be in all of this?"

"I think I'll have a drink with Envy."

"So what do I do with Pride?"

"Think you can make that igloo into an earthen ball and roll him into the hotel? I remember you making something like that when Maes was little, a little earthen hamster ball he could roll around my Mom's bar and puke in." Roy asked and saw the definitive 'yes' grin. It would be good to have his family back, he missed his team more than he realized after they moved into this dreadful place. "Good, get him in the hotel and we'll incinerate that place and send them both back to hell. We'll roll him up next to that boiler so when it goes, the explosion will crack the earthen shell and expose him to the inferno. That body is his vessel, he can maneuver in the shadows with his tentacles but that vessel is his core. If we can destroy that, we can destroy him. Remember, we have to make them use up their stones."

"Sounds good." Ed nodded. Mustang sounded confident and excited to engage the enemy. It was good to hear that again. "Then it's on to Central."

"Damn right. I got a few things I need to discuss with Bradley." Roy said.

Ed nodded and snapped a smart salute. "See you tomorrow, Colonel."

Roy appreciated the gesture more than he could ever express as his heart swelled. "Let's show them what hell really feels like Fullmetal."

"One more question."

"What's that?"

"Is this pancake alchemy?" Ed showed him the back of the napkin.

"I have a five year old." Roy smirked. "You should see what I can do with macaroni pictures."

Ed chuckled. "I'll look forward to it. Sounds like Maes needs some new friends."

Riza sat on the bed with the picture album on her lap. Maes was fast asleep on her thigh and Hayate was curled up at her feet. She looked down at a picture of 'Team Mustang' that they had taken on the steps of Eastern HQ, when Roy was still the King and not the caretaker. She closed the album and looked at Maes. What he had said this morning had been like someone stabbed her in the heart. Maybe it was an accident, but they never felt that way.

She slipped away from Maes and pet Hayate when he looked at her. She pointed to her son and the dog put his head back down, obeying his orders to watch over the boy. Then she made her way into the main area and looked at the keys on the wall. Thinking about this morning made her remember the look on Roy's face, that blank look of horror when Maes mentioned room 237. It wasn't curiosity, it was a need to find out what the hell the homunculus were trying to do to him.

She grabbed the master key for the second floor and pulled away the cookbooks on the top shelf in the pantry for her gun. They wanted her to think that Pride was the only one watching them, which was debilitating enough, Envy's presence had been purposely kept a secret from her. He was trying to push Roy over the edge and he was very aware that she was capable of mending any cracks in Roy's mind. So if she thought Roy was just imagining him, then it would be one more crack in the dam that held back his raging emotions. The guilt, the pain, the defeat. Everything that swirled like a whirlpool in his mind to keep him off balance.

So as she walked out of the caretaker quarters and to the elevator she thought about their tactics. To isolate Roy from her would be the first step, then to fuel his despair with alcohol, flashbacks and Maes's innocent statements would be next. Statements fed to him because he didn't know any better, an innocent child trying to understand the unexplainable in this hotel. To disable Roy they would try to push his wife away from him, his Lieutenant who was always by his side was now having to stand aside and let him take this on by himself.

The bell dinged and she stepped into the elevator. So Envy played bartender at night, that wasn't going to be enough to do more than agitate Roy. Pride did everything he could to remind Roy of his failures, as a father, husband and Colonel. So what was it that the two of them did together when they lured him into this room? She looked down at the key as the bell dinged and the doors opened.

She stepped out onto the floor and looked both ways. Seeing nothing she walked to the west to room 237. Maes had said there was a melting woman in the bathtub. So together they were trying to trigger a meltdown because of what he did during the war? The victims of his fire attacks, the people who haunted his dreams were now part of this waking nightmare. It made her want to cry, imagining the agony he was in. She ground her teeth together and put the key in the door. Damn them, damn these monsters for toying with them like this!

She felt a cool breeze as she went to turn the key and all the hairs on her neck and arms stood on end. Reluctantly she turned to her left and saw them. Side by side. The sweet boyish smile of Selim Bradley and right beside him that evil little grin of Pride. How? They were one and the same! Why did they look like a pair of twins!? She trembled, both of them sent chills down her spine.

Pride smiled. "Have you come to play with us, Mrs. Mustang?"