Chapter Eleven: Visitors
It was the weekend. Everyone was at home enjoying a lazy Saturday morning. Winry was now seven months pregnant, and she was feeling it. Her feet were swollen, her back hurt, and she was just plain worn out. At that moment she was laying on the couch with Ed laying with his head on her swollen stomach. The baby was kicking and Ed was talking to it. Ever since he had found out that the baby could hear him he spoke to it every chance he could. He never missed a chance to tell the baby that he was its daddy and he loved it very much.
At the moment he was in the process of talking about one of his and Al's many adventures. "And then when we finally got back to Rush Valley to see your mommy she threw a wrench at me! Can you believe that?"
"I only threw it at him because he destroyed his arm again," coos Winry.
"And after that she didn't have the parts to fix it, so she told your uncle Al and I to go into town to pass time. While we were walking around trying to figure out what to do Al calls for me in that way he does when he's found something he probably can't have –"
"Probably a stray animal," interrupts Winry.
"I kind of wish it had been. It would have saved trouble," says Ed, just before the baby kicks again. "You agree with me, don't you?" he coos. Winry giggles just as someone knocks on the door.
"I've got it," says Al, as he walks through the living room. Ed sighs and sits up. "Oh, I didn't expect you guys!" they hear Al say excitedly. "Come on in!" Ed and Winry look at each other before standing up to greet their guests.
"We're sorry to show up unannounced like this." The woman's voice sounded familiar.
"We were just in the neighborhood and thought we'd stop." There was no mistaking that deep voice. Just then Al walks in followed by Riza and Roy. Riza was carrying a small bundle in her arms.
"Oh wow! Welcome!" says Winry, excitedly, walking over to greet them. When she reaches them she looks down at the bundle in Riza's arms. "Aww! What a beautiful baby!"
"Thank you. Would you like to hold her?" offers Riza.
"Of course!" says Winry, allowing Riza to place the baby in her arms. Ed couldn't help but grin at the sight of his wife holding a baby, even if it was that bastard, Roy's. "Congratulations! What's her name?" asks Winry.
"Mae," says Roy, proudly.
"Aww, that's a pretty name," says Winry. Ed walks over to Winry and looks down at baby Mae. She had Dark hair like Roy's, but her eyes were the same copper color as Riza's. She seemed to take after Riza.
"Are you ready to become a parent, Fullmetal?" asks Roy.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?! My name is Ed, or if you'd prefer, Edward. I left that name behind with my resignation!" snaps Ed.
"You'll have to forgive me. I spent four years calling you 'Fullmetal'," says Roy. Winry couldn't help but smile at Ed's rant, but she was also a little sad for him. She often wondered if Ed missed the military.
"Would you like to hold Mae?" asks Winry, offering the baby to Ed. Ed takes one look at Mae and, noticing how small she is, he shakes his head.
"That's okay. You hold her, I'll get something for Mustang and Riza to drink," says Ed, turning his gaze to Roy and Riza. "Is tea okay?"
"Tea sounds lovely, Edward," says Riza. Ed goes to the kitchen to find that Al was already making tea and had a tray set up with five cups, saucers, spoons, cream and sugar, as well as a plate of sugar cookies.
"Oh, I guess you beat me to it," says Ed, not sure what to do now.
"Well I figured that Fuhrer Mustang and Riza would be thirsty after a long trip," explains Al. "I noticed that they brought their baby. What is its name?"
"Her name is Mae. I'm sure you could hold her if you went out there. Winry's holding her now," says Ed.
"I'll see her when I bring out the tea," says Al.
"Go ahead and go now. I'll finish the tea," says Ed.
"Are you sure?" asks Al, unsure.
"Of course I am! Go!" shoos Ed, motioning towards the doorway to the kitchen.
"Okay," says Al, brightly, before leaving the room. Ed sighs as he waits for the water to heat up. He hadn't considered just how small babies were. Then again the last time he'd seen a baby was when Dominck had become a grandfather for the first time. That had been a hell of a day, and Winry only had about 7 weeks left until their baby was due. It had gone so fast!
His thoughts are interrupted by the tea kettle whistling, so he pours the tea and takes it out to the living room where everyone was cooing over baby Mae, who was now in Al's arms. Al's whole face was lit up and he was talking about how soft she was. Ed once again felt a small twinge of guilt, the one he always felt when Al spoke about how something felt or tasted, or even when he was rushing to the bathroom after too much lemonade. Four years trapped in a metal body, four years of not feeling or tasting or sleeping. If he could, Ed would take it all back, but what's done is done, and there is no going back. Of course, Al was back in the flesh now, and while it had been almost two years since he'd been fixed, Ed didn't think the guilt would ever fully go away.
"Here's the tea," mumbles Ed, as he sets the tray on the table.
"Thank you, Edward," says Riza, as she reaches out to take one of the cups. After adding sugar to it she sits the cup and saucer in her lap and stirs it. Ed takes a seat on the other side of Al, and watches as Al and Winry coo over Mae, who was watching them with a quizzical expression. Ed couldn't help but chuckle. She was probably wondering who the two weird people were and why they were talking to her like that.
"Why don't you take a turn, Ed?" suggests Roy.
"Al's holding her," says Ed, trying for any excuse he can find, even if the one he just gave was pretty lame.
"That's okay, brother. You haven't had a turn yet," says Al, and without any warning Al forces baby Mae into Ed's arms. She seemed even smaller now that he was holding her, and she was extremely light. Probably no more than eight pounds, possible nine. She begins squirming and Ed panics, sure that he's going to drop her, but then she stops moving and looks up at him. Her copper eyes seemed to look straight into his soul, much the same way as Riza's eyes.
"I think she likes you, Ed," says Roy with that smirk that always made Ed want to punch him. Ed couldn't tell one way or the other what Mae's feelings were for him, but he hoped that his baby liked him.
"So what brought you to Rush Valley?" asks Winry.
"We were headed to South City for business and thought we'd stop," explains Roy.
"Only after I mentioned it," adds Riza. Suddenly Mae begins fussing and Ed immediately panics.
"I didn't do anything!" he cries, causing Mae to start crying in earnest.
"Now you did," gripes Winry, as Riza takes Mae.
"She's probably just hungry," says Riza, reaches into the bag she had carried in with her and pulling out a bottle. "Do you mind if I use your kitchen?"
"Not at all. I'll help you," says Winry, leading Riza into the kitchen.
"So how is life treating the two of you these days?" asks Roy.
"Can't complain," says Ed, airily.
"I just recently got back from Xing," says Al, cheerfully.
"What's in Xing?" asks Roy.
"His girlfriend,," teases Ed, causing Al to blush.
"Oh really?" asks Roy, with a smirk. "Do tell, Alphonse."
"That wasn't why I was in Xing! I was there to learn more Alkahestry!"
"You're not denying that you have a girlfriend though," points out Roy. "So who is she?"
"Do you remember Mei Chang?" asks Ed. Roy had to think about that. Then it hits him. She was the girl who saved Riza's life!
"Yeah, I know who you're talking about," affirms Roy. "She was just a kid though. Robbing the cradle now, Al?"
"Of course not! She's fourteen," says Al.
"Really?!" asks Roy, surprised.
"She's grown up quite a bit since then," says Ed.
"So how is the long distance thing working?" asks Roy.
"I miss her," admits Al, "but we shouldn't be apart much longer. She plans to become a citizen of Amestris."
"Well I'll be sure to look out for her paperwork," assures Roy.
"And by that he means that he'll make Hawk- I mean Riza do it," says Ed.
"No, I'll have Havoc do it. Riza is still on leave," says Roy.
"Why?" asks Ed, surprised. Riza had never missed a single day of work as far as Ed could tell. She was always the one giving Mustang a hard time for slacking off or missing work.
"Don't you know anything about childbirth?" retorts Roy. "It takes at least six weeks for the mother to heal after giving birth."
"Seriously?" asks Ed.
"In that time she's not supposed to be doing anything strenuous. She had to get the okay from the Doctor before I could bring her on the trip," explains Roy in a tone that suggested that Ed should know all of this.
"Oh. Well that shouldn't be too much of a problem," says Ed.
"Except that she won't be able to work," say Al.
"What's wrong with that?" asks Ed. "I have a job."
"Yeah, but Winry lives for her job. I don't think she's going to be able to give up Auto mail for six weeks."
"You have a point," says Ed. "I'm sure we can come to some sort of compromise when the time comes." Ed was hopeful that there would be a way to make Winry happy, but at that moment he couldn't think of anything. He would have to talk to Dr. Cooper about it.
At that moment Riza and Winry return with Winry holding Mae and feeding her. "How long will you two be staying in Rush Valley?" asks Winry, as she takes her original seat next to Al.
"We were planning on leaving in the morning," says Roy. "I set up a room for us at one of the inns."
"You didn't have to do that. You could have stayed here," says Winry.
"You still could," adds Al. "I can sleep on the couch."
"Thank you, but no. We'll stay at the inn," says Roy.
"Will you at least stay for dinner?" asks Winry.
"That would be lovely, thank you, Winry," says Riza.
"Yes, thank you, Winry," says Roy.
That night as Ed and Winry lay in their bed, Winry decides to ask Ed a question.
"Ed, what do you think we should name our baby?" asks Winry.
End Chapter
A/N: Thanks for reading! Sorry for the delay, but if anyone read my profile you'll know my computer crashed a few weeks ago, and I hadn't wanted to update just in case I got started and my computer got fixed and then I'd have had to start all over. My laptop is now fixed, but I typed this chapter on the loaner computer because I finally had some inspiration! Sorry if it sucks, I guess it's just a filler chapter, but now I have somewhere to go with the next couple of chapters! Shouldn't be much longer until the delivery! As always please review! Sayonara! =]