an: the moment quite a few of you have been waiting for! hopefully it lives up to expectations. if not, i'm sorry, but i'm really happy with it so :D

song for this chapter: onerepublic – life in colour

1914

well this is life in colour

today feels like no other

"Hello, Riza," Gracia Hughes greeted warmly, hugging the host tightly after stepping into her home. "How have you been?".

"I've been well, Gracia. Thank you for asking. What about yourself?"

"The same," she smiled, glancing down at her daughter, who had just tugged on her hand to get her mother's attention.

"Mummy?" Elicia asked. "Where's Mia?"

Riza smiled at Hughes' daughter, and Gracia smiled at her eagerness.

"She's inside, Elicia," Riza revealed, crouching to her level. "Let me take your jacket and you can go in and see her if you like? She's in the living room with Uncle Roy."

Shortly after her birth, Maes and Gracia had asked Roy and Riza if they'd like to be the godparents of Elicia. They both readily accepted and returned the favour with Mia. The titles of aunt and uncle came along shortly after that, and it stuck.

At that piece of information, Elicia's eyes lit up and she grinned. "Okay!"

"Aunt Rebecca is already in there too," Riza announced as she eased Elicia's coat gently off her shoulders. Elicia's eyes lit up even more. She was a big fan of Rebecca.

"Yay!" she clapped happily.

"I love this jacket, Elicia. It's very beautiful." She beamed at her Aunt Riza.

"I picked it out myself. I like the flowers on it!" she exclaimed.

"You have very good taste."

Elicia's eyes positively sparkled, and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink in her pride.

"Head on through, Honey," Riza gestured. "They're just in there."

Elicia was a very confident child, not much phased her, however she tentatively walked to the living room and peeked through the door to see who was there waiting for her. When she spotted Roy, her posture straightened, and that confidence returned.

"Uncle Roy!" she cried happily, running into the room.

"Thank you for inviting us," Gracia added once Riza had straightened to stand.

"Thank you for coming. I appreciate it, especially after having to reschedule."

The Elric brothers were out of town for longer than anticipated and then Roy and Riza had to move to Central, so the dinner party she'd arranged with Maes was quickly forgotten about and put on the back burner until they were settled.

"Of course," Gracia announced. "I wouldn't miss tonight for the world," she smiled warmly. "I brought some wine for the three ladies," Gracia announced.

Just then, Maes opened the front door and entered the hallway, shivering from the cool spring air outside, but sighing in relief from the sudden warmth.

"It's getting warmer out there, so that's something!" Maes hugged his arms tight to his body to warm himself before shrugging out of his jacket. "Riza!" he cried with a grin, enveloping her in a tight hug. "How are you?"

"I'm well, Maes," she smiled. "And thank you for the gift, Gracia. I really appreciate it… but, I won't be able to drink it tonight, unfortunately. It will just be you and Rebecca on the wine tonight," Riza revealed, her eyes sparkling as she watched the two of them furrow their brows. Gracia was the one who reached the conclusion first, but Maes was not long after her.

"Are you pregnant, Riza Mustang?" Gracia gasped. Riza nodded vigorously. "Oh, my goodness. Congratulations!" Riza was enveloped in another tight hug by Gracia. Maes joined in as well and the three of them embraced happily in Riza's hallway.

"Another bun in the oven, huh?" Maes asked, kissing Riza's cheek. "Congrats! Where's Roy?"

"In the living room," Riza told him.

Without another word, Maes entered and shook his hand. Riza watched as Roy stood and Maes pulled him into a tight hug. Roy smiled, clapping his back in thanks.

"I'll take this out of your way then," Gracia announced, placing the bottle of wine back in the bag she'd brought with her. "We can save it for after the baby is born. How about that?" she grinned.

"I would love that. Thank you."

"Would you like any help in the kitchen?" Gracia offered.

"No thank you, I'm all right. Make yourself at home," Riza offered, showing her through to their living room where the excited chatter continued now that Maes was in on the secret that she was pregnant.

There was another knock at the door, followed by hushed voices, so Gracia excused herself as Riza approached the door.

"Brother, stop fidgeting," a rather metallic sounding voice stated sharply.

"I'm not, Al," another replied. They both sounded so young.

"You are, I'm watching you do it. There's nothing to be nervous about."

"I'm not nervous," the boy spat.

"It's just the Colonel," a female voice replied, her voice hushed.

"I know who it is, Winry," the boy grumbled. "And I'm not nervous!"

Riza opened the door and was slightly taken aback when a large metal suit of armour filled her vision. The metallic voice gasped as the door opened, promptly straightening in posture as he saw Riza. That must be Alphonse. Next to him stood a small teenager. His long bangs covered his forehead, dropping down towards his eyes. Matching his fringe, was a long braid that extended down his back. Edward. The girl though, Riza didn't know. Her long blonde hair was gently brushed to the side in the spring breeze. In her hands she clutched a basket with a cover over it, and from the door Riza could faintly smell cooked apples.

She'd learned about everything that had happened with Edward and Alphonse Elric. Edward was wearing a red jacket and gloves, but Riza caught a glimpse of his automail underneath the cloth. She knew Alphonse was a soul bonded to this suit of armour before her. Riza was fully aware they'd been the victim of human transmutation, but seeing them both before her now made the news hit home even harder than it had before. Edward still looks so young. It was a horrifying thought, and Riza's heart sank a little. They'd been even younger than they were now when they performed the taboo.

Ever since she'd discovered what had happened to them, Riza just wanted to give them both a hug. Roy had told her his plan to keep what they did a secret in exchange for Edward's loyalty to his cause, but he also revealed that he would hate it if the top brass ever found out what happened to them. Alphonse would be taken away and studied while they tried to figure out how it was possible. Edward would be kept under close watch and wouldn't have as much freedom to go out and travel the country to find out what happened to them both. Roy liked to gripe about how much of a headache Edward gave him, but she knew he cared for the two boys, and Riza couldn't think of a better person to look out for them both. She was glad they had Roy's support behind them.

Pushing down her strong maternal instinct for the moment, Riza smiled at the trio warmly. "Hello Edward, Alphonse. Come in," she beckoned. Stepping aside, they both entered her home.

Despite the hushed conversation she'd heard before opening the door, Edward did look rather nervous, but he stepped forward and inside the house. Alphonse ducked carefully and stepped inside, filling her hallway, but managed to clear the ceiling with enough room to move comfortably.

"Good evening, Mrs. Mustang," Alphonse greeted.

"Hello…" Edward greeted, unsure on how to proceed. It felt like he wanted to say something, then stopped himself. "Mrs. Mustang," he finished sheepishly. Riza smiled at him, appreciative of his manners. Obviously, it would take some time for them to get used to it.

"I do apologise," Riza added as the girl entered after them. "But I don't believe we've met before. Roy didn't mention your friend here," Riza announced kindly.

"My name is Winry," she replied. "It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Mustang." She shifted from foot to foot for a moment. "And sorry for turning up unannounced," she fretted. "Mr. Hughes said it would be all right," she explained.

Riza waved away her concerns. "The more the merrier," she replied. There was more than enough food to go around as well, so an extra guest was no problem for Riza. "It's a pleasure to meet the three of you," she greeted. "And please, Riza is fine," she insisted. "Everyone is in the living room just now." Riza directed them to the correct door. "Would you like a drink?"

"Just water, please," Edward replied.

"The same for me," Winry requested politely.

"N – Nothing for me please, Mrs. Mus – I mean, Riza," Alphonse stuttered.

"It's all right, Alphonse," she soothed him. "Roy told me what happened to you both." Edward's spine straightened, his face was stricken. "I'm sorry I don't have anything to offer you instead."

"That's – That's okay, Mrs. Mustang. Um, I – I mean we – would really appreciate it if…" Alphonse trailed off.

"If you didn't say anything," Edward finished. His eyebrow twitched in irritation. Given his relationship with Roy, something told Riza that Edward was annoyed at him for letting their secret slip.

"Don't worry, boys," Riza reassured them. "I've known about you two since before you got your automail, Edward." The pair of them shared a look. "I've hoped for a while that I'd be able to meet you someday. How are you both? Are you all right?"

They shared another look. They were surprised by her concern, but her maternal instinct wouldn't rest. At every mention of those boys, Riza couldn't help but think about her own daughter, and how she couldn't bear the thought if something like that happened to Mia.

"We're… okay. Thank you." Edward seemed genuinely surprised and his thanks were sincere.

"If there's anything you need, just let me know," Riza smiled, showing them the way into their living room. They were greeted warmly by her other guests and Riza left them to it, entering their kitchen.

"I brought something along with me," Winry announced shyly as Edward and Alphonse entered to speak to the other guests. "I baked an apple pie."

"Oh, Winry. Thank you so much. I thought something smelled delicious. Would you like to bring it through?"

Winry nodded and followed her to the kitchen.

"Just put it wherever you find a space," Riza told her. "I can't wait to dig in."

"Thank you. I hope it's all right. Edward loves it, but I think he's a little biased." She chuckled, her cheeks turning slightly pink. Riza smiled knowingly, recognising that look.

"I'm sure it will be perfect."

"Would you like a hand with cooking?" Winry offered.

"I'll be fine, but thank you for your offer. Go through and enjoy the company. I've got things handled in here."

"Okay, thank you, Mrs. Must - I mean Riza."

Riza busied herself with cooking dinner, oblivious to what was happening in the rest of her house. She heard laughter in the background as she worked, and it made her smile. She was pleased everyone was getting along. Growing up, she'd never had a house as warm of this. She never thought she ever would. To hear such happiness emanate from her living room as all her guests enjoyed themselves made her heart warmer than any fire could.

Well, except maybe Roy's. He always managed to make her feel safe, loved, and happy. To this day she couldn't believe her luck. The attractive, brilliant, and overall incredible Roy Mustang had fallen in love with sad, lonely, and plain Riza. Sometimes she'd wondered if it had been out of pity, especially after they were first married.

Her father had asked Roy to take care of her on his deathbed. That request still bewildered Riza because Berthold had never shown love or care to her after her mother's death. It was as if he'd forgotten about Riza completely. Riza wondered if it was out of guilt, but didn't hold out much hope for that reasoning. He probably only wanted Roy to protect her body, not her as a person. After all, she'd been turned into her father's own personal notebook. The research on her back was more important than Riza.

Being the gentleman he was, Roy had asked Riza to marry him. Riza had often thought it was only because he'd felt it was his duty, but she hadn't wanted to tie him down like that. So, she questioned everything, because how could she be loved so much by him? It had to be an act. It had to be. He was young, and did the thing he thought was right. In the first few weeks Riza had been waiting for him to come to his senses and leave her, realising he'd made a mistake tying himself to her so young. Her father had drilled it into her that she was useless every day. How could someone so useless be loved by him? Slowly, Roy had chipped away at her walls and broken them down. Riza couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so happy in her childhood.

Then, the bomb was dropped when he'd been called up to serve in Ishval. She'd been loved and cherished for six months, then he'd been roughly pulled away from her. He was going off to war. He could have been killed. Coupled with the hormones from her pregnancy, Riza had spent many days, not just nights, sitting in a depressive state, tears tracking down her cheeks. That was when she was at her lowest.

Rebecca dragged her out of that somewhat. She was taken on days out. They went shopping for Mia together to prepare for her birth. These trips led to lunches out or teas in coffee shops. Before Riza knew it, it was time for dinner. Rebecca invited her around to her apartment for dinner more often than not. Riza had been too tired from their busy days to make it home. Sometimes Rebecca drove her back to her cold, lonely apartment, but Riza always preferred sleeping at Rebecca's. It helped to have some company.

"Hello," Roy greeted as he kissed her temple, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. He broke her from her ruminations, but Riza wasn't going to complain about his more than welcome affections.

"Hello, you," Riza smiled, looking over the timings on the recipe sheet in front of her. She set the kitchen timer for twenty minutes then relaxed against Roy's chest. The last thing was being cooked and in twenty minutes, the food would be ready to serve. This was the first time she'd ever hosted a meal and was slightly nervous. She just wanted everything to go well.

"How are you doing?" His arms slipped from around her waist while Riza turned in his grasp. They settled on her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I'm fine." She was a little bit tired, but not enough to put her off hosting for the night.

"Let me know if you need any help, okay?"

"I will Roy, don't worry." She kissed him softly. The grip on her waist tightened in response. "Everything is fine through here. What about through there?" she nodded towards the living room.

"Surprisingly, Edward Elric is good with kids."

"He's a kid himself. Why wouldn't he be?"

"Because he has a terrible attitude that stinks to high heaven?"

Riza scoffed. "Only to you. He was perfectly polite when I met him."

Roy grumbled under his breath, a scowl forming on his face.

"Maybe if you weren't so hard on him, he would be nicer to you."

"I have been nice," Roy stated defensively. "I gave them the freedom they needed, didn't I?"

"Followed by a smug look and a snarky comment, no doubt," Riza teased.

Roy's scowl deepened but Riza just laughed at him. She pulled away, moving away to cut the last of the carrots.

"Go back to entertaining our guests," she dismissed him with an amused tone. "And try not to make Edward throttle you."

Roy snorted. "I can't make that promise," he muttered.

Riza entered their living room with an amused smile. Laughter made its way through to her and she wondered what was so funny. Roy was scowling at Hughes – what was new there – while everyone was laughing, most likely at Roy's expense.

"And then he was knocked flat on his ass," Maes stated loudly before guffawing, while Rebecca joined in with him. Edward was cackling away while Alphonse's laugh was slightly nervous, like he felt he probably shouldn't be laughing. Gracia just smiled, but her attention was on her daughter and Mia. Riza's heart melted at the sight of Winry sitting on the floor, Elicia in her lap, and Mia by her side as they played with Hayate.

Mia wasn't laughing, though. Elicia was giggling because everyone else was, but Mia's face fell as she looked up at her father, then around at everyone in the room. Riza watched as she climbed to her feet, rushing over to Roy.

"That's okay, Daddy," Mia reassured him. She wrapped her arms around a surprised Roy's neck. "You'll always be my hero," Riza heard her whisper in his ear. It was spoken quiet enough that the rest of them didn't hear over their laughter, but Riza was standing behind the couch Roy was sitting on, so she heard every word.

Roy wrapped his arms tightly around Mia. "Thank you, Mia Bear," he whispered.

"Dinner is served, everyone," Riza announced. Eagerly, their guests made their way to their dining room. Riza hung back and waited for Roy and Mia. He'd hoisted her into his arms and was carrying her through on his hip, rather than walking with Mia by his side. Hayate walked dutifully by their side, looking up at Mia as they walked.

The whole night was a hit. The drinks flowed and all the food was gone by the end of the night. Most of them went back for seconds, stating it was too good to only have one serving. Riza thanked them sincerely, touched. On the inside she was beaming with pride.

"I told you Riza was an amazing cook," Roy announced, kissing her cheek. She turned pink at the compliment and went back to eating Winry's apple pie without saying a word.

"Her cooking is to die for," Rebecca announced, helping herself to a third plate, unashamed.

"Riza, my dear, you're an absolutely wonderful cook, however no one holds a candle to my Gracia," Maes winked. "Sorry."

"Winry's apple pie is great too," Alphonse piped up. "Edward tells me its the best he's ever tasted."

Riza watched, trying to hide her laugh as Edward's face turned scarlet and Winry's cheeks were dusted pink.

Edward coughed in response. "Yeah, it is," he muttered quietly in response. "It's really great."

"Let's not compare and contrast," Gracia announced, keeping the peace. "The meal was wonderful, Riza. Thank you so much."

A chorus of thank yous sounded around the table.

Riza noticed Alphonse was writing in a notebook under the table. Not wishing to embarrass him, she kept it quiet, but Mia noticed, to her chagrin.

"What are you writing, Alphonse?" she asked, eyes wide and curious.

"Oh! Um…" He sounded embarrassed. Riza opened her mouth to tell Mia to leave her questions for now, but Alphonse continued anyway. "It's a journal I like to keep."

"What's in it?"

"Mia? Let's leave questions for later, okay?" Riza told her gently.

"It's okay, Mrs. Mus – I mean Riza," Alphonse piped up. "Um, it's a journal of all the food I'm going to eat when… I feel better."

Mia was too young to understand that Alphonse had lost his entire body and Riza appreciated the teen stating he wasn't eating because he didn't feel well, rather than revealing he had no mouth. Mia took it in her stride and nodded without further questioning.

"Brother tells me all the things that are particularly delicious, and I take a note of them in here, so I remember to try them when I get my body back," Alphonse elaborated.

The table awed at his kind statement. Riza felt tears welling inside her eyes. Alphonse was incredibly sweet for saying it, and she was touched.

Roy squeezed her knee in comfort. "That's lovely of you to say, Alphonse," Roy told him.

"Yes," Riza stuttered, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome," Alphonse stated happily. "We'll make sure to come back so I can try your food. If that's all right, of course?"

Roy grinned and patted her knee again under the table.

"That would be lovely," she smiled, blinking furiously. "Thank you."

"Um, Mrs. Mustang?" a nervous voice asked as Riza washed the dishes in the sink.

Turning, she saw Winry standing in the doorway.

"Hello, Winry. Is everything all right?"

She nodded. "Sorry, it just didn't feel right to leave you to clean up by yourself."

Riza chuckled. "That's not a problem, Winry. You're our guest. I wouldn't ask you to wash dishes with me anyway."

"Would you mind if I helped?"

"If you insist," Riza smiled, handing her a dish towel. "I wouldn't mind the company either."

"I…" She trailed off, biting her lip as she took the towel from Riza's outstretched hand.

Riza paused for a second, expectantly. Winry obviously wanted to ask her something, but couldn't quite form the words.

"Take your time, Winry," Riza reassured her as she continued in her task. Soap suds were up to her elbows as she made her way through the mountain of plates they'd used at dinner.

"I'm sorry," she apologised. "I just wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead. I'm all ears."

"Do you… worry about the Colonel a lot?"

"All the time," Riza replied simply.

Winry nodded and Riza saw her swallow. "How do you deal with it?" Her voice was extremely quiet as she wiped the water off the plate and gently placed it on the counter.

Riza paused, cocking her head in thought. She wouldn't lie to the girl and say it was easy, because sometimes it wasn't.

"He's in a position of power, and in the military. He could be called out to war at any moment, but I think I would worry about him all the time regardless of that fact."

"What do you mean?"

"I love him," Riza elaborated. "And when you love someone so much, you worry about them regardless of where they are in their life. Are they happy? Are they healthy? Are they doing okay? I feel the same way about Mia as well. I just want my family to be cared for and happy, so focus on that."

Winry nodded, picking up another plate. She was silent as she absorbed Riza's words. The two worked together quietly as Riza waited for Winry to move the conversation further.

"It's hard," the young girl whispered.

"I know," Riza replied sympathetically.

"I… Sometimes I don't even know where they are. The last I hear from them, they're in East City, then a few days later they show up at my door, broken." The plate hit the countertop harder than Winry intended, and the teen jumped. "I'm so sorry," she stammered.

"Winry, it's okay. Why don't we have a seat?" Riza suggested gently. This was obviously not a conversation to be held over washing dishes.

Letting out a breath, Winry nodded in agreement.

In that same moment, Riza caught Roy walking through with two empty glasses in his hands. He opened his mouth to talk, but stopped when he saw Riza's urgent glare. Behind Winry's back, Riza motioned for him to stop and leave. Mouth parted in surprise, he spun on his heel and left the two of them alone.

"You worry about them a lot, don't you?" Riza prompted once they were settled at the dining table.

Winry nodded. "They're my best friends," she whispered. "I don't want to lose them."

Riza could more than sympathise with that.

"I don't want to wake up one day and… find out they won't be coming home."

"I understand completely. I'm the same with Roy." Riza eyed Winry carefully for a moment. "You love them, don't you?"

Her face turned bright pink. "I - I - They're my friends," she stuttered.

Riza knew better. There was a deeper connection between the three of them. Perhaps it stemmed from what the brothers went through. Winry had revealed over dinner that she was an automail mechanic, and being Edward's oldest friend it didn't take Riza long to connect the dots. Winry had been the one to attach Edward's automail. She'd seen him and Alphonse through their traumatic past and recovery.

"It's never been easy," Riza began, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. "Especially with Roy in the military. I won't lie and say it has been a breeze, because I do worry every time he leaves for work. However, I trust him. Even though I can't be with him to make sure he's all right, I trust him to look out for himself and I know that he has a solid team behind him. So do Edward and Alphonse. Remember that."

"I'll try… but…"

"It's easier said than done, I know that. Do you feel helpless every time you see them struggling?" Winry's head lifted, expression perking up. "Do you want to help, but don't know how?"

"Yes," she breathed earnestly. She looked delighted to have found someone who understood her.

"You gave Edward the ability to walk again, Winry," Riza stated, sitting back in her chair with a smile. "You've helped them so much already."

"You're right," she mumbled to herself.

"Even if you feel helpless, you just being there will help them," Riza continued. "They might not thank you. They might not even think to. However, they will appreciate it and one day, they'll realise how big a help you were to them."

"Is that what you do for the Colonel?"

"I'll always be there for him when he needs me. You might need to give them some time, but they'll come when they need you. You just need to tell them that."

"Right," Winry nodded, determination in her voice.

"Sorry to interrupt, Lladies," Roy announced quietly and sheepishly as he crept around the door. "Catalina is demanding more wine." He shot Riza an apologetic look as he entered with the same two glasses. "And she's right, Winry. I don't know what I would do without her," Roy grinned at his wife.

Riza snorted. "He can be so hopeless sometimes," she whispered loudly to the teen. "It's a wonder how he even gets by in life," she winked.

Winry's eyes widened considerably. Then she giggled. "I often think the same about Ed," she admitted. "I'm glad he has Al beside him at least. That gives me some comfort at least."

They laughed together then Roy took his leave. In passing he paused before Riza, pecking her cheek.

"Mia is asking for her Mama," he announced. "She says she misses you."

Winry let out an aw as Riza chuckled. "We won't be long."

Roy pecked her cheek then left the room with two glasses of wine.

Riza opened her mouth to suggest joining the rest of them, but she paused. Winry was fidgeting in her chair and it looked like she had some more questions for Riza.

"Did you ever think about following him?" she asked suddenly.

"I did," Riza revealed. "Once."

"If you don't mind me asking, of course," Winry gushed as an afterthought.

"You want to know why I didn't?"

Winry nodded.

"Roy works towards making the world a better place and protecting the two brothers. He's got a good team I trust to keep him on track. However, there's someone I have to protect too. I have Mia," she replied, then a slow smile spread across Riza's face. "And another one on the way too." She cupped her stomach gently, unable to stop the smile from spreading.

"Are you pregnant?" Winry asked.

Riza nodded. "Roy and I have another one on the way."

"Oh, congratulations!" Winry cried excitedly.

"Thank you, Winry."

"Thank you for this talk, Mrs. Mustang," Winry breathed. She let out a long breath and Riza saw her shoulders sagging in relief, like a weight had been lifted.

"Anytime Winry," she smiled fondly. "And it's Riza, please."

"Okay, Riza." Winry's grin was bright.

"And I mean it. If you ever need anything or want to chat, just give me a call."

"I will, thank you!"

"Even if it's to complain about how dumb the men in our lives are," Riza winked. She laughed as Winry's face turned scarlet and she coughed, but she still thanked Riza with a shy smile on her face.