AN: Continuation from Chapter 19.

Hope you enjoy!


Caught in the Crossfire

"Does Riza know you're with me?"

"If she doesn't, then she's an idiot."

"Roy." Maes clicked his tongue to scold his tipsy friend. Roy asked if they could catch up with drinks at the Hughes' residence so that Maes wouldn't have to leave his family and Maes agreed, not knowing that this was what he was agreeing to.

A pissed off Roy who is drowning his emotions by the bottle.

"Stupid boy's gonna get himself killed."

Maes frowned at him. He knew about Ed deciding to take the State Alchemist Exams and was utterly confused with Roy's abject refusal. From the few conversations he had with Izumi about the Elric brothers, it was no small feat that the formidable woman insisted on pushing the brothers' limits. It showed trust and respect for the potential Ed and Al had. "He didn't sign up for a war. Even you actively recruited people into the program way back when."

"Izumi gets called to missions every so often —"

"And you trust her. Trust your own son."

"She's more than capable of handling herself."

"And Ed isn't?"

"He's a boy!"

Maes slammed his fist down on the coffee table to get Roy's attention. "He wouldn't be allowed to apply for the exam if he was some boy." He shot an apologetic look at Gracia, his beautiful and beloved wife, hovering by the doorway behind their drunk guest. She most likely heard their heated exchange.

Gracia gestured to her ring finger then raised her hand to her ear, thumb and pinky fingers extended to look like she was making a call. Called Riza.

Maes shot her a smile and nodded. Count on his lovely wife to know and do what was necessary despite being a room away. She waved at him before disappearing from the doorway, presumably to tuck Elicia in then calling it a night.

"You told me he passed with flying colors," Maes continued, turning back to their conversation.

"He did," muttered Roy. "Damn it."

The written stage of the State Alchemist Exams was done and Ed was among the handful who passed. Roy told Maes about how he received an advanced copy of the list this afternoon. "When would the results be sent out?"

"By tomorrow, with invites to the second stage. Though I'm sure Riza would have told Ed by now."

Roy said it with such contempt that he shot back, "As any mother, any parent, would. She'd definitely show how proud she is too."

Roy finished the rest of the bottle in his hand.

"It wasn't that long ago that you were bombarding me with pictures of Ed and Al for every accomplishment. Or even when they weren't achieving something. Just piles and piles of pictures."**

He grumbled, "You got as good as you gave. It was only supposed to make you stop showing me pictures of Elicia. Didn't realize it would backfire."

"Backfire?" Maes scoffed. "I treasured each and every picture you showed me. Always a surprise when Riza's in the frame, Gracia and I even made a game out of it."

When Roy didn't reply and continued to stare blankly at the empty bottle, Maes continued, "Finding Riza."

"Why on earth?"

"I'm assuming you have photos where she's the subject instead of the boys, but you don't take them out of the house or give to anyone." He moved to the corner of the room where Gracia lined up all their photo albums and took one from the leftmost side.

Maes opened the album in such a way that it faced Roy. He had looked at the photo so many times he knew what he was looking for even if it was upside down. "Sometimes though, she's accidentally in the photos when the boys are the subject."

Roy scooted closer to squint at the photo.

It was of Ed having Al in a headlock with both boys grinning from ear to ear. Riza, clearly unaware that she was in frame, was looking on with both concern and amusement.

"It's the first time I've ever seen her so… unguarded. She didn't know she was in frame, and neither did you by that look on your face."

"I had these developed but…" He nodded. "Yeah. I never noticed this before."

"She's got motherhood down to a T. What made you stop taking photos?"

"Didn't stop. Just stopped giving you extra copies."

"Oh?" Maes closed the album and moved it out of the way. "So who's taking photos of Ed celebrating for getting through the first round of the exam?"

With a frown, Roy cracked open another bottle.

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"So brother really passed?" confirmed Al.

"I'm cleared for the next stage?" asked Ed.

"Now remember, this isn't officially released until the letter comes in."

Ed and Al nodded, both of them bouncing on their feet with excitement like when they were kids.

"Yes," smiled Riza, extending her arms out. Both teenagers jumped in and she let the warm feeling settle in her chest as both of them wrapped their arms around her waist. "Congratulations, Ed."

When they released one another, Al patted Ed on the back. "Congrats."

"I was thinking of having a celebratory dinner over the weekend. Once the letter arrives."

Ed blushed. "I haven't passed yet, mom."

She raised a brow at him. "Do you know the passing percentage for this year's written portion?" She refused to contain the pride in her voice. Not waiting for either of them to answer, she continued, "27%. Only 27% of those who took the exam passed."

"I expect there would be more to get cut after the next stage?"

"Still, we have to appreciate and celebrate each win since life has an odd way of burying us when we lose," she said in a tone that brooked no argument.

Riza wasn't certain if she and Roy ever told the story of his State Alchemist Exam, but it still remains to be one of her bittersweet memories. After he got through all stages of the exam, he became the youngest State Alchemist at the time and General Grand had refused to grant him any vacation time.

She and Roy had been separated then, with them exchanging letters every step of the way until she grew too impatient and chased after him all the way to basic training. She still sometimes wondered what would have happened if she didn't grow impatient.

Al, breaking her reverie, suggested Ed's favorite dish, "How about we just have stew?" He shrugged then teased, "Brother's scared of counting chickens before they hatch."

"Stew it is, then."

Riza moved to the kitchen to get started on the new dinner plan when Al asked, "Is pop still working?"

"Al, don't," hissed Ed. "It's fine, mom, I know he doesn't care."

"That's not true. He's your father." Her footfalls felt heavier than normal, each thud against the floor ringing in her ears like beating drums.

"If he only acted like one," muttered Ed.

Riza made it to the kitchen without much thought, refusing to give Ed a response to that comment. With a sigh, she grabbed a pot and some ingredients willy-nilly. Stew, right. Stew.

She put back the lettuce. Why did she grab that?

She felt more than heard Al approach her side. "How can I help?"

"Chop the carrots, please."

They worked in silence for a time with coordinated movements around the kitchen so they didn't bump into each other. After the horrific oyster stew incident wherein both Elrics had allergic reactions, Riza had stuck to making non-seafood stew ever since. When Al learned how to wield a knife in the kitchen, he often offered to help out.

Now, however, with tensions running high in their household, she knew Al only offered to help to ease some of the pressure from Ed's retort about Roy.

She took a deep breath as she unearthed the beef from the sink. She had been defrosting it in the hopes that Roy would come home early and finally push through with their overdue monthly steak night, to no avail.

Refusing to let the meat go to waste since she already defrosted it, and not wanting to have a steak night without her husband, she pulled Roy's favorite knife and started cubing the beef for their celebratory stew.

"I'll call you in an hour," she said, finally recovering enough to face Al after they've seared the beef and the aromatics that Al chopped up. Now they had to wait for the broth to boil.

Al gave her a tentative smile before leaving the kitchen, followed by two sets of footsteps going to their rooms.

Ed waited for Al? Riza fisted her shirt, unable to grab anything else that wouldn't break or shatter. She could understand Ed's dream and disappointment, Al's confusion and need to placate… Roy's fear.

What she didn't expect and couldn't accept was Roy to be acting the way he was though. Barely talking to any of them, avoiding them as much as possible in their own house, even going as far as turning his back on her in their bed.

Weren't they a team? Why was he drawing this out? They were never the kind of couple who held things back… until now.

Why did her husband throw her into this situation with no form of support? Why did she suddenly turn into a punching bag caught between her husband and their sons?

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"And here I thought you showing up in full uniform to pick up an examinee from the written exam would already be the topmost of the rumor mill. Was wrong."

Riza felt her jaw tense but she turned to face him nonetheless. Fueling the 'rumor mill' further by blatantly ignoring her superior officer and husband was something they couldn't afford. "Hello, sir," she said, just to remind him where they were despite her civilian clothing.

Roy narrowed his eyes. "Taking a day off to drop off and pick up an examinee?"

She fought the urge to fiddle with her wedding and engagement rings blatantly exposed, as she was wont to do when not in uniform. "My son," she said, almost spitting out the word. "The psychological exam only lasts an hour." He knew this, of course, she just couldn't seem to stop trying to throw her spite in his face. "I have to drive him back to school after."

"He skipped school again, I see."

"Not that it's going to create a large dent in his grades. He's at the top of his class." In case you've forgotten.

She balled her hands into fists, fighting the urge to lash at him. These days, their conversations felt suffocating with all the things she was forced to leave unsaid. Constantly tiptoeing on the line between keeping the peace and making both sides feel heard, Riza was all but ready to explode.

She reeled in her bubbling temper once she had taken full stock of him though. Dark rings beneath his eyes, gaunt-looking jaw. Even Roy's military uniform didn't look right, despite Riza knowing it was still well-fitted to him. "You haven't been sleeping well."

He looked momentarily shocked at the offer of the olive branch. He opened his mouth to speak, hesitating for a second —

Riza felt her heart sink to her stomach. Take the step, we have to communicate, she urged in her mind. I'm always here. Always got your back too.

"Mom!" said Ed, bounding up toward them with a large grin. He stopped at an arm's length when he realized it was Roy who accompanied her. "Pop," he acknowledged, his grin diminishing.

"How was it?" asked Riza, trying to get some semblance of family normalcy.

Out here in public, inside military headquarters no less, Roy would be forced to play out his part.

Ed raised his hand and crossed his fingers. "I got a little excited talking about master Izumi, but mellowed down for the rest of it."

"Good luck," said Roy, his voice rough and low like he forced out the words before heading toward the door Ed just came from.

"Is he still mad?" Ed directed his stunned eyes at her. "What did he want? Why is he going there?"

What are you doing, Roy? "He was checking in on you." In a way. She snapped herself back into the present. "How about some lunch before school?" she asked, refusing to tell Ed that Roy should have been in the exam room as a witness. As Head of the Program, it was necessary for him to get an idea of each candidate regardless if they made it to the final stage of the exam or not.

She forced a mask of calm to wash over her. Roy did not stand as witness to Ed's test today. Why didn't he?


AN: **Thank you, Trout (Guest review), for the suggestion of Roy bombarding Maes with pictures of Ed and Al. Incorporated it as a tidbit for now, hoping to write a full-blown one-shot once inspiration strikes.

'Til next time!