Perhaps I should have named this chapter 'The Big One'. This will be the last 'past chapter' as in this one you will finally find out why Roy and Riza gave up their baby. This however does not indicate the end, so I will update but it might not be for a little while. Anyhow, I am sorry ofthere are spelling and grammer mistakes, I have been rushing a bit. FMA isn't mine.
Past
'Edward, what are you doing here?'
'I could ask you the same question Miss Hawkeye, but there is another one I would like to ask first.'
She took a deep breath and waited for him to let it out. There was no point in denying her pregnancy as she was so far gone now her stomach was greatly swollen. She was warmed by his gentle smile but knew he would say something in a snide voice soon. It wasn't that he was cruel but rather it was his favoured way of showing affection.
'Shall we go find a café and get some tea? I am here alone after all.'
After blinking once or twice she laughed quietly to herself before nodding and saying, 'I would love a cup of tea Edward, but let's go to my house shall we?'
Although they had been talking for a good half hour he had still not questioned her on her pregnancy. He told her all about Winry and Grace and Al with maturity and calm. She had never really spent time with Ed outside of the military and she was delighted to admire the man he had become. He had come home to find he had a daughter he knew nothing of but he took to his role naturally. She began to lose concentration on what he was saying as her mind wandered to Roy.
'I'm afraid my curiosity has finally boiled over. Why are you here Miss Hawkeye?'
'I quit the military Edward, I live here now.'
'But the military was your whole life.'
'But I have another life on the way. The military was my life Edward but I didn't want it to always be so. Now I have something else to live for. I note you haven't asked me about my pregnancy.'
He appeared to blush slightly and he put down his cup, 'It really isn't any of my business so I didn't ask. I'm sure Winry will be delighted to…'
'No, Edward she cannot know!'
At first he looked as if he were about to protest but then he lowered his head and nodded, 'The baby is a complete secret I suppose. After all I was never meant to see you. Can I know why this must remain secret?'
'I suppose I am just superstitious Edward. Until the baby is born and I know he is safe no-one is to know a thing.'
'I take it the father knows and you haven't killed him?' he asked but with a laugh.
She laughed along too and the conversation about the child ended there. As he was on a schedule he took his leave soon after that after congratulating her. She watched him walk away from the house and realised how very fond she was of him. That impatient young lad had become a man out of their sight. Winry was truly lucky to have him by her side.
As she was about to close the door the postman arrived with a letter in his hand. Her heart warmed even more at the thought it might be from Roy but when she saw the handwriting she knew it was not him. She thanked the postman and took the letter into the kitchen to open it.
To a dear Riza Hawkeye,
I must admit when I saw you leaving I was worried I would never find you again. Thankfully the man left in your place was careless in his security. Now I have found you and the baby once more. Mustang will have to do better in hiding you.
Yours truly, Adams.
All the warmth that was once within her was sapped away by the cold that reached all the parts of her being. Being quick of mind she ran to the phone and called Roy's home number. He did not appear to be in. Her next phone call was to Gracier but she had not seen him.
'There has been some bother at Headquarters. The man who was employed to replace you has been assassinated.'
After putting the phone back in its holder Riza ran to the bathroom and vomited with what could only be absolute fear.
She had eventually found out where Mustang was and to her relief he was on his way to see her. She had spent most of the rest of the day looking out her window to see if anyone was out there but she was quite alone. When she heard the door open and his familiar footsteps enter she ran into his arms to try and calm her nerves. Since she had received the letter her body had trembled and now only his safe embrace could stop her shaking. He held onto her tight until she no longer shuddered. When she pulled away he kissed her between her tearful eyes and stroked her hair.
'You know who Adams is, don't you?'
With a guilty sigh he nodded his head. He could not bear telling her the awful truth but he knew he must. She would not be happy if he told her a lie just to try and stop her being so scared. Riza was far better at handling things if she knew what she was dealing with. He led her into the living room and sat her down whilst he sat on the coffee table in front of her. He put his hands on her ever swelling belly and pictured his son growing inside of her. All at the same time he was full and delights and fears.
'Adams was an assassin many years ago. One of the traits if an assassin is that they are hard to detect and he was no exception. After many years investigating the case we finally caught up with him but to our horror he was merely a child.'
'A child? But how…'
'He was a disturbed child. He had trained himself to be an expert shot and being around 14 years old nobody would have suspected him. The problem was he could not go to jail as he was a minor and not sound of mind. He was taken to hospital to see if they could cure him. He swore he would get his revenge on me for capturing him but at the time he was safely locked away.'
She sat and processed this information as he kept his hands rested on her stomach; it seemed to calm the baby as he stopped thrashing around. She could not remember the case herself and it was likely she had not been with Roy at that time.
'How long ago was this?' she eventually asked.
'Going on a decade now. If the hospital believed he was of sound mind they will have released him.'
'Of sound mind!' she spluttered, 'He has already managed to kill someone to try and find us and he knows about the baby. If he swore revenge…' she trailed off as a horrid realisation hit her. All that time Roy was spending looking out for someone who he believed was stalking him he had been correct. She had laughed at his paranoia and now she was paying the price for it. Tears welled up in her eyes again but Roy soon brushed them away.
'They will catch him in no time Riza. We know his face now and the public are being informed of him as we speak. He cannot hide as easily as he once could.'
Her nerves were wracked so they both retired to bed early. She lay awake for a long time waiting for sleep to come. It eventually did but she was soon woken to the sound of a letter being delivered through the letterbox.
This letter was much worse then before and the one after that was even more so. He wrote reams and reams of how he was going to get her baby the moment he was born and if he could not do it then he would take him away as soon as he could. No matter what the baby would die soon enough and perhaps he would kill her too for good measure. Roy would be left alive to suffer the guilt that their deaths would be his fault.
'Why hasn't he been caught yet?' she cried, 'How can we be sure he isn't outside right now waiting for his chance. There have already been reports of murders and slowly they are coming closer to us'
'He said he will wait until the baby is born so we still have a while to go yet.'
'Just because he says that doesn't mean he's telling the truth! If he wants me and the baby dead he doesn't need to be a genius to figure out killing me now would get it done in one fell swoop.'
'Riza stop this, you are worrying yourself needlessly…'
'I'm worrying myself just enough thank-you,' she choked and broke down into tears again. She had cried nearly everyday with fear now and she hated to do so. He wrapped his arms around her and she welcomed his comforting but she did feel foolish. She knew it was likely to be empty threats but the letters chilled her to the bone. The man was crazy and irrational and was capable of anything.
'Roy, we are going to have to decide what to do if he isn't caught.'
He mumbled a reply which she took as a sign to not talk about it just yet. At times she had acted as if his feelings didn't matter but this child was as much his as he was hers. She knew what to do in her head but whether he would accept it was different altogether.
The letters never stopped coming but the military had no idea where he was. He was extremely clever in his work and did not make enough of a slip for them to find him. The more people were killed the more Riza realised the horrible truth. She and Roy would have to decide what to do now it seemed unlikely they would find the killer before the birth.
'Roy,' she said in a whispered voice, 'we are going to have to give away our son, aren't we?'
Though they had both told themselves it must be so to actually hear the words tore through both of them.
'I have arranged a family to take him in. They have nothing to do with the military and live far away. Adams will not find him there.'
She agreed to this for what choice did she have. She would have her child back as soon as they caught the killer which she prayed would not be long. To try and cover their tracks they would both return to the military as normal and Riza was thankful she had never mentioned it to anyone. Gracier could be trusted and the only other person who knew was Edward. She would have to write to him and say they had given up their son but she could never say why.
'Is it possible we name him at least?'
He swallowed hard and kissed her on the cheek, 'Of course we can.'
Riza let out one final scream and stopped when she heard another cry. That strange, almost alien but heart-warming cry that come from a new born baby. All the pain she had just been through was forgotten as her baby was placed into her arms screaming with all the power his lungs could muster. Roy placed a tender hand on his sons head and whispered, 'Max.'
After fifteen minutes of bliss Mr Wallis entered the room. She had been dreading this moment since she knew it was going to happen but she was not prepared for the pain it caused her. The instant the door shut on her baby she let out a wail of despair and Roy could do nothing but watch.
