AN: I don't own FMA or any related characters - and I don't own the pink lunchbox as well. I just own the idea.
Attention! Time skip! Some ages are given in the chapter but for more information...
Riza & Serena: 32 & 31
Jade, Phil: 32
Roy, Maes, Nerissa: 33
Nick, Victoria: 13
Laila and Cai: 14
Owen: 17
Seri3991 (chapter 162): 0.o What in the world...? I have a bad feeling about this... That Yuri guy is taking Greed home when he's drunk... Alright, instead of pissing him of, who's gonna save him?
Nerissa: Not that I actually like him but being molested while drunk has to be really bad. So, I am taking care of this. See you later, guys!
Ava, smallest country in the world.
Ava: Taiwan?
I thought Ed was gonna put his horrible naming skils to use and call Trisha something else.
Winry: He wanted but my wrench … convinced him.
Now I'm at chapter 152; the one when I started reviewing! Oh goody, no more computer for the rest of my holiday...
Ava: I'd so die.
Whoever's going to save Greed, I'm following.
Serena: Nessa already went to work on this
Greed: C'mon, I don't really fight women-
Izumi: *transmutes and kicks*
Greed: Ahaha! Impressive... And just who might you be?
Izumi: Me? I'm... A HOUSEWIFE!
Abigail: Aww… the good old days…
Does she still say that? That's the best line ever in the series, apart from one of Edward's lines.
Jade: It's my favourite quote.
*sniff* Nina... It would be too heartbreaking for Ed to call his child Nina...
Roy: And no one wants angsty-emo-Ed.
*runs off to where Greed and Yuri are heading* I'M COMING GREED!
Greed: *from far away* about time! That hot blond chick is killing my date!
mangagirl135 (chapter 162): Vicky! We're burning the barbies tonight! Or do you want to destroy them in some other abhorrently violent manner? Because if that's what you wanna do, I'm good with that. :D
Victoria: Let's kill them French-Revolution-style!
Yes, I am back! Sorry I've been away, but I've been busy times ten lately. So I'm gonna make it up by not missing a single chapter from here on out! *determined face*
Ava: I know the problem
And also by amusing everyone but Ed by calling Ed a puny brat incessantly. (Hey Ed, you're a puny brat!)
Lynn: I … I am … no-not … laughing *breaks down laughing*
Vicky, I command you to get better soon so that those crazy loons in your family don't drive themselves insane with worry.
Victoria: I am doing my best!
And then we can kill Ed. Actually, maybe we shouldn't kill him. He does make for good comic relief. Sometimes. Maybe we should just develop the most painful method of torture we possibly can because torturing Ed is just too much fun to abandon by killing him. So guys, I want your opinions. What does everyone think the best method of torturing Ed is? (C'mon, don't be shy!)
Kay: Milk, lots of milk.
Ava, you do a magnificent job as always, and I shall see you soon!
Ava: Until next time.
Lyra out.
Ava: Back to the match.
For the mission, Agent Stevens got new clothes instead of her old uniform. Agent Maria Ross who was responsible for the equipment if her fellow agents handed over a pair of fingerless gloves which had been inspired by Jade Mustang's old uniform, wide black pants and a black, xingese-styled shirt and a red jacket to make it look less like a uniform of the Amestris Fire Lion.
"This is a level 11, right?" Maria asked while she brushed back a strand of her dark hair. "So you get a weapon. The AFL may have a no-killing-policy but in case of a level-11-mission, you are allowed to ignore this in favour of staying alive. Your own life has the highest priority, understood?"
"Yes, madam," the brunette said calmly as she looked at the weapons in the shelves. "It makes sense."
The rules of the secret service were complicated and just a few agents truly understood how the system worked. Ranks were difficult to give but everyone knew how many successful missions the top ten had finished in the last few years and that the head of security had this position for a reason even though Serena hadn't entered this kind of battlefield in a long time everyone could estimate that this was more a matter of responsibility than a matter of lacking skill. Serena had chosen to stay in the background as long as she had enough agents to fulfil their missions but everyone knew that the ageless blonde would be the first to enter the battlefield if a mission would be potential suicide.
"I know the rules," Jane said and it was the truth. She had been a member of the secret service from the first day for she had been mentioned as especially loyal to her country in one of the letters the late Silver Star Alchemist had written her twin sister and therefore she had been invited to join the secret service even though she had had the potential to be a leader of the special forces of the western army – one of the most prestigious positions in the army and one who had been previously held by heroes like Jonathan Llewellyn who had been Fuhrer of the country later on in his career, Charlotte Llewellyn who had been first lady and vice-Fuhrer later on or Bendix Llewellyn who had been leader of the whole western army and who was a minister now.
"It's good that you know the rules," Maria said as she handed over a box. "I had Rebecca checking your file and I guess that you will remember some of those guns. Sure, we had our mechanics make some modifications to improve them but it shouldn't be too different from what you are used to."
The brunette woman smiled thinly as she took the box along with the rest of the uniform. "See you later, Maria," she said calmly. They had been roommates at the Western Military Academy and even back then, they had never said goodbye when they left for a mission. Maybe it was because they never wanted to face the risk that it could have been the last time that they had seen each other. Maybe it was because they don't cared if they added it to their growing list of regrets that they had never had the chance to say goodbye.
"See you," Maria said as she closed the box.
It was the evening before Victoria's and Nick's birthday when Roy's phone rung. "Chancellor Mustang," he sighed while he wondered if Ling was going to inquire about his son once more.
"Elaine Hamilton, re-elected head of the Cretan Secret Service speaking," an unfamiliar voice announced calmly. "We want to take out some guys who are hanging around on your territory and before we violate the peace treaty, I rather ask if we are allowed to capture them and bring them back to Creta for the interrogation."
Roy froze. Up to now even Serena who had always stuck to the rules had never asked if she had the permission to catch any criminals in Creta or Aerugo. "As long as our secret service isn't working at the same case, you have the permission to catch those guys on our land, sure," he said and tried to sound as relaxed as possible. "Which group are you talking about if I may ask?"
"Cretan mafia – a group of maybe ten men who have been a problem for our country for far too long," the woman replied. "But this time, we are going to catch them all."
The chancellor remembered what Catherina had said about the agents of the Cretan Secret Service: they had the same ambition as the Amestris Fire Lion when they had been under the command of the Diamond Fist because true to her nickname, Elaine Hamilton had been a great leader with wisdom far before her age. Nerissa had compared her to Lynn– just a slightly luckier version because whileLynnhad died upon finding the truth, Elaine had merely lost her memory. Still, Serena had mentioned – and Roy was agreeing with his often troublesome cousin-in-law there – that it was difficult to say which fate had been worse. For Lynn, it had been over after some minutes of pain while Elaine had suffered for twenty years before she had pulled herself out of the darkness. Maybe, short and painless was better than a long and painful time of agony.
Nearly every story starring a Hamilton-woman was a story of pain and loss.
Elaine had wanted to heal a broken country and lost mind and sanity in progress when she went too deep under the surface and everything around her blew up, literally.
Nerissa had wanted to be respected and appreciated for her skill and her journey to respect had led her astray and when she had tried to kill her sister in her madness, she had lost everything.
Kay had been too proud and yet too caring – and this had been her death. She had given up everything she had had in Amestris to avoid her loved ones being killed and died when she had been unable to kill Envy in Riza's disguise … which had been predictable from the beginning for she had always cared the most about her cousin who had been the closest to her.
Lynn had been the unlucky one and as much as it hurt Roy to admit it, he had known how she would die one day from the first day that he had met her. Death had always loomed above her head, ready to strike. Sure, she had challenged it in the end when she had messed around with secrets too dangerous and too dark for her to carry but it hadn't been a surprise.
Serena carried the fate of a woman who had always loved too much – and this had been the reason why she had been condemned to silence for the longest part of her life. Her poor little heart had never been able to stand the pain of loss and therefore she had grown cold and silent a long time ago.
Laila had always carried the seal of the unwanted, the expendable in her mind. It had never been a real seal because she had never been unwanted but she had carried the seal nevertheless. She was an odd girl with the brightest smile that outshone her darkness and maybe, just maybe,Roywondered what she would have become if she had gotten the chance to be Kay's daughter. He still had no answer.
Victoria was the youngest Hamilton-woman and probably the only one without a visible curse. She was unique which made her always a little bit lonely but still, she was the only one without a dead or an estranged twin. Her twin brother was still alive and pretty much her best friend. And she was the first Hamilton-woman who had a male twin who had lived. Elaine's twin brother had died ten days after his birth and all the other Hamilton-women had had twin sisters.
It was just past midnight when Victoria awoke from her very pleasant dream to see a dark shadow dropping on the carpet in her room. She gasped while she switched on the light. "Nerissa," she said relieved as she recognised her aunt who smirked widely.
"Vicky," the blond woman said amused as she crossed the room. "Happy birthday."
"Thanks – but did you have to wake me up?" the birthday girl asked exhausted. "I was sleeping…"
"I like to be the first one to congratulate," the older woman said amused and it wasn't the first time that Victoria had to remind herself that Nerissa was – for all her experience on the battlefield and all the cruel things that happened to her in the past – sometimes still a child at heart which made her even more unpredictable. But sometimes, she was just soft and it was hard to remember that she never truly changed because even though she was sometimes like a precious flower, she was still dangerous.
"It seems like you managed to reach this goal," Victoria said slowly while she raised an eyebrow.
"You are too serious, Vicky," Nerissa said softly while she held out a little box.
"Maybe this is why we are working that well together," the girl replied, never missing the beat. It was true that especially Catherina who had had a special relationship with Nerissa and her sisters from the day they had been born saw a strange repetition of something that had gone wrong before but worked suddenly when Nerissa and Victoria interacted with each other. They were both too smart for their own good and sometimes, Catherina mentioned that the equation would never work now, that so many of the old variables had been erased, but somehow, Nerissa and Victoria managed to keep the equilibrium Nerissa and Kay had failed to achieve.
"Probably, yes," the blonde said before she sat down on the floor. There was no question needed how she had managed to break into the chancellor's house at night because everyone knew that she had been in the shadows for far too long to be seen if she didn't want to be.
Victoria rolled her eyes while she unwrapped the present. It was a necklace with matching earrings and as the girl looked at her aunt, she realised that the older woman wore nearly exact the same jewellery. The plain necklace with a silver ring and a locket and the plain silver studs were typical for Nerissa because they never betrayed her as a member of a rich family.
"When I was fourteen, Catherina bought me my set," the aunt said softly. It was rare for her to mention her chaotic and troubled youth but whenever she did, she mostly mentioned Catherina who had been her mentor and mother-figure for many years.
"Thank you, Nerissa," Victoria said friendly.
"Nah, even though Serena claims this place as well, I am still the awesome aunt, right?"
"Sure thing," the girl said amused while she changed her earrings and put on the necklace.
"That's what I thought," Nerissa giggled before she disappeared into the night once more.
Jade was always a good guest on birthday parties. She usually brought her famous cherry pie and some well-chosen gifts. For Nick's and Victoria's birthday, she came a little early with the intention to help a little bit around the house while she dragged Claudio, Allen and Mia along but they were quickly drawn into the conversation between Nick and Owen while everyone else hurried around. Some of the guests – obviously Jade wasn't the only one who had wanted to help – were already in the living room where Victoria sat on the couch. She was still pale but she had recovered from the flue and her smile was back on her face.
"…honestly?" Jun Li chuckled. Her black hair was partially braided and held up to some kind of bun on top of her head by silver chopsticks.
"Yes!" Cai said as he smirked at her. "It's true, really!" he ran straight into the tree!"
"That's hilarious!" Elicia giggled while she smoothed her blue dress.
"I agree!" the redhead laughed. Her usually wavy and wild hair had been straightened and this made her look older than the fourteen years she had by now. She wore a xingese-styled purple top with wide black pants because this was how she liked it and how she felt comfortable.
"Hi," Jade said as she sat down. "Who are you laughing about this time?"
"Some guy from Cai's and Laila's class at the university," Jun Li said. "We all met him at one point and therefore we like to talk about him."
"He isn't the smartest out there," Cai stated drily.
"And somehow, he still believes that he is the greatest guy out there," Elicia rolled her eyes.
"Exactly," Victoria agreed. "Usually, we don't do gossip as you know, Jade, but in this case, we just see no way how we couldn't gossip about him!"
"I see," Jade said slowly as she raised a thin eyebrow. "Anyway, happy birthday, Vicky."
"Thanks," the girl replied politely. "Well, forgive me, guys, but I've to check on my brother."
"He looked really fine when I saw him some minutes ago," the black-haired woman stated.
Victoria's face showed her sorrow for half a second before she caught herself. "That's exactly the problem," she muttered unhappily.
"Just because he wasn't fine the last time he looked like he was, you don't have to worry all the time," Elicia said softly but she knew that it was futile.
"A sister always worries," Jun Li said wisely.
"It's part of our personality," Jade nodded.
"Older sisters are scary," Cai announced.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Phil muttered while Elicia glared at him.
Victoria giggled before she left. She passed small groups before she wrapped her arms around her brother and turned him around so that he had to face her. "Hey, birthday boy," she said cheerfully while she smiled as bright as she managed to. "How do you feel?"
"Good," he replied while he held her close. He wore black pants and a green shirt. "And what about you, Vicky? Do you feel weak or tired? This has to be very exhausting for you."
"I feel great," she smiled. "You shouldn't worry this much about me, Nick."
"Vicky, you are my sister," he said calmly. "It's basically my duty to be there for you."
She rolled her eyes before she sighed. "C'mon, Nick, cheer up and let's go to the others," she said as she dragged him to the living room where the others waited for them. "It's our birthday!"
"Exactly!" Laila grinned as she held out the present for the twins. As usual, she had bought presents for both of them and put them into the same box. "Happy birthday, Nick and Vicky!"
"Thank you," Nick said stoically.
"There, this awesome present is for you two," the blonde said as she handed over the present.
Victoria grinned widely as she clapped her hands. "You're great, Lai!" she laughed.
"I know," the older girl said amused. "Open it, will you?"
"Sure," Nick said as he helped his sister to unwrap the present. As usual, Laila had invested a lot of thoughts and time into the present. Victoria got a new silver hairclip and a short purple dress while Nick got a new tuxedo and a new suitcase.
"Thank you!"Victoriasaid while she smiled at her sister. "That's wonderful!"
"Ah, that's nothing," the blonde said amused. "You will need it sooner or later."
"The dress is ridiculously short," Elicia sighed.
"Since Vicky will wear it with leggings anyway, it's alright," Laila shrugged.
"Victoria," Nick announced calmly, "this is your present."
She smiled brightly at him. "Thanks, little brother," she said as she opened the little black box. Her eyes widened before she twirled around. "Nick!" she cried out. "You shouldn't have bought such an expensive bracelet!"
Her brother merely smirked. "That's nothing," he shrugged.
The red-haired girl stared at the bracelet. It was a really pretty silver one with little diamonds and a – for Victoria's likings untypical – flowery design but if there was someone besides Owen who knew that sometimes, even Victoria liked girlish things but just if they were classy enough. Still, regarding the bracelet, it was obvious that Nick had spent a lot of money on his present but this was normal for him. The twins were really close after all.
"It's beautiful," Riza stated as she leaned forward.
"I agree," Nerissa stated. "It fits you, Vicky."
"Thanks, Nessa," the girl said friendly. "There, Nick! My present for you!"
He glared at her. "You aren't even supposed to leave the house, Vicky!"
"I feel great," she groaned. "There, take it or leave it."
He rolled his eyes as he took the present and opened it. He sighed deeply as he looked back at his sister who smiled smugly. "Cards for the next match, honestly?" he asked in disbelief.
"Sure," she shrugged.
"How … I mean … there were no cards left!"
"I made some calls … remember when I was in hospital for a whole year? Back then, the coach of the Lions was there as well … leg surgery or something equally troublesome. We talked a lot and he said I should give him a call whenever I need cards," she said amused.
"I love you, Vicky," he announced while he twirled her around. "Honestly, I'd marry you if you weren't my sister and Owen's girlfriend!"
AN: Starting today, everyone can ask questions about the characters' background and other things if he/she wants to.
I have a lot of background prepared and I will probably never get to fit it into the story somehow.
