Maes led them up the stairs to his apartment with Reyna bringing up the rear guard. Both men trusted her to take care of the diminutive homunculus should he try to attack them. She hoped Envy had gone home, returning to Father with his tail tucked between his legs in defeat. So far everything was clear which was an extremely good sign. They should be able to evacuate Maes and his family safely and without incident.
From her position in the hallway at the front door, Reyna could hear Maes gently urging his wife awake. She smiled as he sweetly whispered to Gracia, explaining the dire situation in a vague way to extend a sense of urgency yet to prevent her from being frightened. When Maes called out to her, she jumped in surprise then stepped inside the apartment. She had been accidentally eavesdropping using her sensitive hearing to detect an intruder so his voice had been incredibly loud in her ears.
"Reyna, can you get Elicia while I help Gracia pack a few things?" he asked her.
"Of course," she responded happily, managing to keep her steps soundless in her heavy combat boots as she walked into the child's room.
Elicia was curled into a little ball, a stuffed animal held lovingly to her chest. Reyna leaned down to the the tiny form bundled in blankets. She touched the baby soft skin, allowing her fingers to drift over the little girl's pudgy cheek. So sweet and innocent. Her stomach clenched when she remembered this precious child had almost lost her devoted father. Sliding her arms under the sleeping girl, she gathered her, blankets and all, to hold Elicia to her chest.
"Shhhh! It's all right," she cooed when the little girl began to stir and whimper.
"Aunt Reyna? What are you doing here?" she mumbled sleepily, sliding her tiny arms around Reyna's neck.
"You're coming for a sleepover at my house. Sorry for coming to get you in the middle of the night. I wanted it to be a surprise. Go back to sleep," she urged the child.
"Okay," Elicia yawned, laying her head down on Reyna's chest.
Reyna stepped out into the living room to see Mae's standing there with his arm around Gracia's shoulders. There were three suitcases sitting at their feet. Roy was waiting at the open door.
"Are we ready?" Roy asked, checking the hallway for any signs of movement.
"Let's go," Maes announced, stepping out of the door. He positioned Gracia behind him and in front of Reyna.
This time Roy monitored everything from behind to make sure an enemy did not sneak up on them. Maes opened the back door of the car for his wife to get in while Roy opened the front door for Reyna who was holding Elicia. Once they were all inside, Roy ran around to the driver's seat.
"Will you tell me exactly what's going on?" Gracia asked Maes in her soft voice. She was smart enough to know that he had not told her everything.
"No," he replied with a polite finality. "The less you know the better. Just trust me and our friends to take care of you."
"I do, Maes, I do," she responded, a quivering smile touching her lips when he kissed her forehead. She was frightened and did not understand what was happening, but she did not argue.
Then there was silence, heavy and suffocating like a dreary fog. Once they arrived at Roy's house, Reyna led them upstairs to the bedroom where Al had stayed. The boy had never even slept in the bed. She pulled back the clean, unused covers, carefully laying Elicia on the bed before tucking her in.
"Aunt Reyna," the half awake child murmured.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"Can I have pancakes for breakfast?"
"Definitely, but only if you go to sleep like good girl." Under the circumstances, there was nothing wrong with a little bribery.
"Okay."
Reyna turned to vacate the room so Maes and Gracia could get settled. When she was passing Gracia to leave, the woman grabbed her hand, squeezing it with stunning strength.
"Thank you. Thank you for saving my husband," she said before giving her friend a bone crushing hug of gratitude.
"You're very welcome," she returned, hugging her friend in return.
Reyna pulled the door closed behind her to give the family privacy. She joined Roy in their bedroom. He was standing in the bathroom, undressing for a shower.
"Want to join me?" he asked, pulling off his t-shirt to bare his chest as if to give her incentive. "It saves water."
"Yes, I'm sure water conservation is your motive," she returned with a giggle. She undressed as he started the water, waiting for him to get in first. Like a polite gentleman, he held out his hand to assist her with stepping into the shower. Somehow she never had any problems getting in when taking a shower by herself.
"Let me take care of you," he said, picking up the shampoo bottle. "To say you've had a rough day would be a gross understatement."
Reyna groaned in appreciation as his strong fingers massaged her skull, working the soap into myriads of bubbles. She closed her eyes, ducking her head under the water to rinse away the shampoo. Next he scrubbed her back, rubbing the tightness from her shoulders while soaping her up. Then he moved on to the rest of her body, taking his time, keeping his movements slow and gentle. She found his intimate attentiveness extremely relaxing rather than sexually arousing. Perhaps it was because he had only pure intentions behind it, wanting to soothe her mind as well as her body, after the miserable day that had gone on for way too long. Tonight had reminded them both how quickly and easily they could be torn apart from each other again.
"Why don't you go on to bed," he suggested when he saw her yawn. "I'll be out to join you soon."
Ten minutes later when he emerged from the shower, Roy found her sitting on the bed wrapped in a fluffy white towel. He had expected her to already be asleep. Her eyes were unfocused as she stared straight ahead without seeing anything. She was preoccupied with her thoughts and did not notice when he sat down beside her. Water droplets fell from the tips of her short hair, splashing onto her chest and back where they trickled downward raising goose flesh in their wake.
"You're going to catch a cold," Roy murmured, using the towel he had been drying his hair with to soak up the water from her chest. "You should dry off and get dressed. You'll get sick."
"I don't get sick, Roy," she murmured in a low, almost weak, voice. She chuckled lightly when he started to vigorously dry her sopping wet hair. She reached up to seize his wrists to make him stop because the rough movement was shaking her head and making her a little dizzy. "Don't worry. I'll be fine."
"I hope so," he returned, leaving the towel draped over her head like a hood. Holding the edges of the terrycloth together at the bottom of her chin, he pulled her forward to kiss her lips. He pressed his forehead against hers in an endearing display of affection. "I can't bear to lose you again."
"You won't. I'm not going anywhere. Wherever you go, I'll be right there beside you," she promised, sliding her hand along his side. She bit her lower lip to stifle a giggle when he grunted and recoiled from the light, ticklish touch. "Oh, Roy, you're just so sensitive."
"Yeah, well, you better not let that secret get out. That's just between us," he whispered, kissing her again.
"Your secret's safe with me," she whispered, gliding her fingertips down his rib cage.
"Dammit, Reyna, that tickles," he growled, lowering his lips to the sensitive spot just behind her earlobe. "Two can play that kind of game, you know."
Reyna giggled when he wrapped his arms around her body in a bear hug, pulling her against him. She inhaled sharply as his tongue touched the vulnerable area just behind her earlobe. She bit her lower lip to restrain a moan after he nipped her there enticingly then placed a delicate kiss on the hypersensitive skin. Her body leaned heavily against his, her head falling neatly into the comfortable place between his neck and shoulder. "Mmmmm, that just wasn't fair, Roy Mustang."
"All's fair in love and war," he mumbled, immediately regretting it when he felt her body tense. What a tragically poor choice of words to ruin a wonderful moment.
"Yes, I suppose it is," she agreed, her tone grave. She sat up, giving him an apologetic smile for suddenly becoming so serious. Stroking his cheek with her thumbs to relax his strained facial muscles, she pressed a chaste kiss to his lips.
"Are Maes and Gracia all right?" he asked, allowing her to extract her arms from between their bodies so she could slide them around his neck.
"Yeah, they're fine. I promised Elicia pancakes for breakfast," she said with a smile, hugging him tightly then releasing him.
"You better get to sleep then. Are you going back to the Fuhrer's house as well?" he inquired, lifting the sheet as a sign for her to crawl underneath. He pulled the wet towel from around her body, flinging it into the bathroom.
"I need to get dressed," she protested when he pulled the covers over her.
"No you don't. And stop avoiding the question," he ordered her, tucking the blanket around her to warm her up.
"Yes. To be with Selim of course," she answered, closing her eyes. It felt good to lie down.
"Reyna, I know he's our child, but has it ever occurred to you that this thing inside of him might have changed him in a way that cannot be taken back? I mean, it could have infected him like a disease or something," he said, getting up from the bed.
"No, Roy, actually it hasn't crossed my mind. He's my baby. I can't even consider such a terrible thing," she admitted, closing her eyes. She felt the bed shift under her signaling that he had come back and was settling down for the night. A sigh passed her lips when he pressed his body to hers under the sheets. He was naked too, and there was something comforting in the skin to skin contact. She sighed contentedly when his arms enclosed her body to hold her tightly against him, her cheek pressing to his chest over his heart.
"Al never even slept in the bed," she said for no apparent reason except to change the subject of conversation. She did not feel like arguing with Roy about her choice to try to get close to Selim. "But I suppose Al doesn't need to sleep."
"No, he doesn't," Roy agreed, draping his arm over her waist. "Since he doesn't sleep, he has someone to do it for him. Ed is connected to him so he does it for him. He eats for him. He feels things for Al that he can't no matter how much he may want to. Ed shares his brother's burden and helps him. And Al allows him to do it."
"What are you getting at Roy?" she asked, opening her eyes to see he that he was staring at her intensely with his emotion laden dark eyes. She shifted uncomfortably, closing her eyes again, but she could still feel the magnitude of his gaze.
"I want you to let me help you. Let me help you carry this burden. Selim is my son too. Allow me to shoulder part of the pain and fear, the anger and worry. You don't have to do this all alone. We're a team. You're my wife first, not just his mother. I love you and - "
Reyna cut off his tidal wave of words by kissing him. She kept her lips pressed to his, kissing him passionately. "I love you too, Roy."
"I won't...I can't live without you again," he murmured, sliding his fingers through her short hair. "Please don't let this destroy you...or us."
"I won't. I won't," she repeated upon seeing the disbelief in his eyes. Her eyelids lowered when he dipped his head toward her to kiss her once more.
"Go to sleep, my queen," Roy whispered to her, kissing her cheek.
"Yes, sir," she responded, nuzzling his neck with her nose. She burrowed herself between his arms, laying her cheek against his heart again. Listening to the steady thump of his heartbeat, she fell asleep.
~...~
Reyna arrived at the Fuhrer's mansion, frazzled and harried but right on time at 7:30 as he had requested. Breakfast had ran longer than she expected because she had awakened late, but she insisted on cooking the pancakes herself. She refused to break the promise to Elicia even if it meant she would be late to see Selim. The door to the mansion opened before she had a chance to knock.
"You look like hell," her father greeted her sternly with a frown.
"Good morning to you too," she snapped, walking past him without looking at him while he held the door open for her.
"Reyna!" Selim exclaimed from the top of the stairs. He ran down to meet her, flinging his arms around her waist.
"Hey, kiddo!" she exclaimed, glimpsing at her father. "Now that's how you tell someone good morning."
"Here," her father said, shoving Selim's book bag into her hands. "Go now or he'll be late."
"Sure thing, Mr. Sunshine," she returned, taking the messenger style bag to drape it over her shoulder. "Come on, time for school. No skipping out today."
"Awwww," Selim whined with disappointment but followed her out of the door without further prompting. He ran ahead of her, opening the gate for her just like a gentleman.
"Thank you, kind sir," she told him, giving him a big smile. She walked through the open gate to wait for him on the sidewalk while he closed and latched it behind them.
The sunny morning was absolutely glorious. The sky was blue and birds were singing. It was the proverbial calm after the storm. She hoped it would stay this way for a while. A mild breeze ruffled Selim's glossy black hair. She could not resist the urge to run her fingers through his gorgeous straight locks that were like Roy's. He smiled up at her cheerfully.
"Reyna, do you mind if I hold your hand?" he asked, grinning broadly at her.
"Not at all," she replied, holding out her hand for him to take it. He certainly had his father's, his real father's, charm.
They walked at a leisurely pace, swinging their clasped hands between them. No one took any notice of them as they neared the school. The two of them looked just like any other mother and child, nothing unusual at all. More children began to crowd the sidewalk around them as they came closer to the school entrance. Reyna expected him to shake himself free of her grip, not wanting to hold her hand any longer lest any of his classmates see and tease him about it later. He never did let her go. He held her hand right up to the brick and wrought iron front gates that had looked exactly the same when she had attended classes here.
"Thank you Reyna for walking me to school. I'll see you this afternoon," Selim said politely, taking his bag from her. Halfway to the front doors of the building, he turned back to wave at her. Then he ran into the school with the rest of the children when the bell rang.
"Your son is so polite and cute," a woman standing near her complimented.
"Thank you," she responded but then remembered no one was supposed to know he was hers. "Oh, he's not my - " The words died away in her throat when she looked at the woman who had spoken the words.
Lust, wearing a body hugging black dress, leaned against the brick wall surrounding the school. Her black hair curled around her breasts suggestively as if forming a frame to bring more attention to the crimson red colored Ouroboros tattoo on her chest that was already displayed prominently for the world to see.
"What are you doing here?" Reyna growled through her clenched teeth. "I won't fight you here. I won't endanger hundreds of innocent children."
"Yeah, I counted on that," Lust purred in her sultry voice. She raised her hand, the tips of her fingers extending into blades that tapered into needle like points.
Reyna had worn her wrist bracers with the metal plates hidden under the loose sleeves of her black shirt. Last night had taught her that she should always be prepared for an attack. No longer could she walk the streets holding a false sense of security that she would not be attacked without provocation - her or anyone else she held dear. She used one arm to shield her face and the other to protect her heart. The metal spikes hit the metal plates with a clink, piercing them by a few millimeters but not penetrating the leather. Unfortunately, one blade slipped through her blockade. Ignoring the pain of the pointed knife that sank into her shoulder, barely missing the joint, she swung her arms to break the weapons, shattering them into pieces as if they were made of glass. Lunging forward, she backhanded Lust across the face with enough force that it threw the woman backwards against the brick wall that created a barricade between the sidewalk and the school.
Lust pulled herself out of the indentations her body had made in the bricks. She pressed her hand to her injured cheek while groaning in pain. Then her eyes flew open with anger as if she had just reached a complete realization of what had happened to her. "You bitch!"
"Shut your filthy mouth," Reyna ordered her, springing forward. She clamped her hand over the woman's lips that were painted a garish red color before she could utter another curse word. She wanted to kill her, to rip the woman's lower jaw right off her face and beat with her with it. But she wouldn't. Not here. "I told you before and I will tell you again, I will not fight you here. One day, I will fight you, and I will kill you. But for now, leave."
"Hmph," the other woman snorted with derision to hide her humiliation. She peeled Reyna's hand away from her mouth, then shoved her away. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she raised her nose in the air and flounced off with a haughty air as if nothing had happened.
Reyna stood still as she watched Lust walk away and disappear around the corner. The stinging in her shoulder drew her attention, reminding her that she had been wounded. She realized she had better hurry back to her father's house to treat her injury. The black shirt concealed the fact that she was bleeding, only looking a bit damp on the shoulder. She pressed her hand to the puncture wound to stem the bleeding as she walked fast.
"Reyna!" her father yelled when she entered the house without knocking and ran past the open door of his study.
"I don't have the time to argue with you at this moment! You can be angry with me later!" she yelled back over her shoulder at him on her way to the guest bathroom. She stripped off her shirt, pulling down the thin strap of her undershirt to get a better look at the wound. It would heal easily since the edges were smooth instead of ragged. Gritting her teeth against the pulsating pain, she used her forefinger to probe the gaping hole through her shoulder to make sure that no debris had been left behind. Something sharp pricked her finger so she used her fingernail to scrape out the splinter-like shard of metal.
"Are you all right?" he inquired, appearing at the open door behind her.
"Not really," she answer truthfully, grabbing the edge of the sink as she tottered to the side when the room started to spin. "Father, I need your help."
The Fuhrer rushed forward, catching her in mid fall before she hit the white tile floor. He swung her up into his arms, taking her to the sitting room to lay her on the couch. After covering her up with the blanket that had been draped across the back of the couch, he disappeared.
Reyna closed her eyes and lay her arm across them to shut out every bit of light. She felt as if her body might float away. Exhaustion combined with the shock of seeing Lust had been hard enough on her. The further strain of being injured threatened to render her unconscious. She heard her father's boots thumping across the floor well before he came back into the room. He could move without making a sound, but she knew was purposely making a lot of noise to alert her to his presence.
"What are you doing?" she asked without opening her eyes.
"I'm treating your injury," he informed her, lifting her slightly to put a towel under her shoulder. He poured peroxide over the area to sanitize it as well as wet down the blood that had dried.
"You're a nurse now?" she muttered sarcastically. She hissed in discomfort when he started dabbing at the wound to clean away the excess blood.
"I'm your father. I'm taking care of you," he replied with irritation tainting his voice.
Reyna could not stop the smile from appearing on her face. She lay quiet and still as he tended to the wound noting that he took great care not to cause her any further pain.
"What happened?" he questioned her when he was done.
"Lust appeared at the school," she answered succinctly.
"The school?"
"Everything is fine. Selim and the other children are safe. I refused to fight her. That's how I got injured."
"Oh," he murmured, carefully removing the wet towel from under her arm. "What happened last night? Why do you look so tired?"
"Envy happened last night. He tried to kill my best friend, Daddy," she said, pushing herself up on her elbows. She winced and gasped from the searing pain that burned through her shoulder. "Things are about to get bad, aren't they? Father is about to make his move, isn't he?"
"Lay down," he commanded her gently, pulling the blanket back up to her chin. He clasped his hands together between his knees, hanging his head as he thought. The only best friend she ever had was that too-smart-for-his-own-good Maes Hughes. A strategic genius, a straight arrow, and an all around good man. Why couldn't Reyna have married him? It wouldn't have made a difference though. He still would have hated him too. If Envy had murdered Hughes, the man would have left a family behind. The two people the man held most dear would have been left behind to pick up the pieces. He massaged the tensing muscles in the back of his neck. Left behind, to somehow survive without the one they loved the most. He knew first hand what a horrible and heart breaking place that was to be. He and Reyna had been left behind when her mother died. He had handled it badly, so badly.
"Daddy?"
"What, baby?"
Reyna reached out to touch his hand. Her fingers curled over his that were laced together. She could not remember the last time he had called her baby with such obvious heart warming affection. "Daddy, will you - "
"Reyna, I want you to go to my study later," he told her, pulling his hands away from hers. He stood to his feet, turning his back to her.
"Yes, sir," she responded dutifully. As usual, the touching moment between them was over in a second leaving her doubting it had ever happened at all. She was sure she would be given a shame inducing speech later. She had shown weakness and been injured; he could not withstand such failure even if it was in his favor as things stood. Tears burned her eyes and trickled from the corners.
"I left some things out on my desk that I need you to tend to. They are unofficial maps of the sewer tunnels under the city. Useless junk really. One map is of a major hub, a secret lair if you will, located under Central Command. Isn't that the most preposterous thing you've ever heard? Since they're not official Central City maps, they're meaningless and of no interest. If you don't mind taking those away and doing something with them, I'd be grateful," he said, pausing at the door before leaving. "But for now, stay right there and rest. Sleep. I don't want Selim seeing you like this. It might hurt his feelings too much."
"Oh, Daddy," Reyna whispered, after the door clicked closed behind him.
She had been wrong. Perhaps he was the one who had shown weakness and was berating himself for it. She could not believe what he had just done. He had willfully committed an act of treason against Father. He was giving her crucial information that was desperately needed to find Father and destroy his nefarious plans. If Father found out what Wrath, his favored son and favorite pawn had done, he would be killed. Tears streamed from her eyes faster, soaking her hair. Her trembling fingers covered her mouth to hold back a sob of both joy and sadness. She had also received another vital message through her father's veiled words. He really loved her after all.
