This chapter was the hardest to write. I some how had to get everything out in the open bout her fears without taking her too much OOC. (Like I Haven't already killed everything the character was about on the show…) So I used a little bit of advice from a friend and made her talk to Hayate. I have a dog and I do the same, so why wouldn't Riza do it too? So enjoy! I don't own FMA… blah blah blah…
Chapter six/seven- Only you can make this worth it
"Hayate, you're my most trusted friend; I would never tell anyone else the things I've told you. You know I love him, but am I ready to be with him permanently? He likes to flirt and date many women I don't know if that would change if I married him. He says he would settle down, but would he stop chasing other women and stay with me? I don't know what to think anymore. He did this to me, but I also have to think it's partly my fault for not stopping him before this happened." She paused, petting her dog's head slowly. "But what do I do? Am I ready to be a mother? I've always wanted children, but I never saw myself actually having them; especially with Roy. Now that it's happened, I couldn't see myself with any other man. Oh Hayate; what have I gotten myself into this time? Can I dig myself out of this hole?" she stopped, her voice becoming a whisper. The bedroom door opened and she sat up in surprise.
"Riza, we need to talk; we need to get some things out in the open." he said, walking in and sitting on the bed next to her. "I heard what you said to Hayate and kill me if you must, but I have answers to almost everything you've asked him." he said, as her eyes became daggers for a moment before she let him speak.
"Fine; but you have to stay here with me tonight. If you must go into work tomorrow, you still have that uniform in the back of my closet." she said, scooting over and letting him lay down with her. He wrapped his arms around her smaller shoulders and held her close, launching into his explanations and answers to her questions.
"I can't tell you if you're ready to stay with me, but I know I'm ready to be with you. I've only chased women this long because I got bored with them easily. They were the same thing, one after the other. The woman I wanted was mysterious and unpredictable; she could be smiling at you one second, scolding you the next. I love her and I think she loves me back…" he said, whispering in her ear. "If you had wanted to stop our secret dates before you did, you should have told me. I wouldn't have said anything other than thank you for the wonderful nights and the memories. Nothing else would have been brought up about them. Hey, do you think Hayate would have warned you to stay away from the wrong type of men if he could?" he said, pushing hair out of her face.
"You mean the wrong type of men like you?" she said, never missing an opportunity to pick at him.
"Maybe he should have warned you to stay away from men like me. But you know there is more to me than what meets the eye and invites the gossip. You know the real me; the real Roy Mustang who would never let one of his subordinates get hurt for reasons within his control. Most of the people at the office think I sit at a desk all day and sign papers. You know I do much more than that." he said, letting her turn over in his arms. She pulled his arms up near her chin and kissed each forearm, letting him know she was still listening. "I know you're ready to be a mother; every action you take says it. At the office, you're the one who runs it. My name might be the one that signs all the papers for the unit, and I may look like I have control over what happens there, but you're the one who keeps everything in order. You set up every system we use, filing, commands, and duties. Everything; we wouldn't run without you and your stern love. I think you've gotten yourself into something that can be resolved. We've gotten into this together and we should take every step in each other's arms. Do you see what I'm trying to tell you? I can do this and so can you; you just have to give us a chance." he said, stopping to listen for her answer. He heard her sniff and she turned over to look at him with tear stained eyes.
"I think everything you said was exactly what I needed to hear. I've never really had someone love me like you do; sometimes I don't know what to think. If you seriously think you're ready to settle down, then I am too; and I want to stay with you. No one else will be the father of this child; you and only you can make this worth it." she said, tears streaming down her face. He kissed each of her tears and held her close until she fell asleep. He had big plans for the next day and he needed all the rest he could get.
Roy decided not to go to work the next day since it was Friday and they always left early on Friday's. He got up and went to his apartment to get some clean clothes and take a shower. He made a phone call, and packed some of his things in a suitcase before he went back to Riza's, stopping to buy some Daffodils on the way. When he got back she was still in bed, so he let Hayate out in the back yard to run around. He began fixing her breakfast, putting the flowers in a vase and their breakfast on the table. She came out of the bedroom a few minutes after he had gone outside to throw a ball for Hayate. She stood at the door, watching him play with her dog; she could imagine a little boy or girl running around with them, trying to catch the ball before Hayate did. Roy would pick up his child and spin them around, kissing their cheek and tickling them. Riza sighed; this was what she wanted from the beginning of their friendship almost twelve years ago. He glanced over at the door and saw her standing there as Hayate jumped up to get the ball out of his hand. He stumbled backwards as the dog grabbed the ball, sending Roy flying into the glass on his butt. He stood up and gingerly rubbed his sore bottom before walking over to her at the door. He gathered her in his arms and kissed her, smelling her sweet perfume as it radiated off her.
"Good morning Riza. Did you sleep well?" he asked, walking with her to the table and pulling out her chair. She smiled at the food before her and smelled the flowers.
"I slept quite well, thank you, except for the back pain that keeps getting worse." she said as he put some of the food on her plate.
"Eat up. We have much to do today; you're gonna need all the energy you can get." he said, pouring her a glass of milk. "Don't tell me you're like Full-Metal and you don't drink milk?"
"Oh no. I love milk; I think Edward's crazy for not drinking it. It's probably the reason he's so short." she said, laughing along with Roy as he almost dropped a piece of fruit on his lap.
"I've never heard you say anything like that about Full-Metal. You've always been quiet when I teased him." He said, picking up some eggs.
"I never said anything because I knew he might come after me one day like he did you. I couldn't watch your back and mine when he was around." she responded, getting up to take the pills she got from the doctor. He smiled again and continued to eat, letting her sit back down and finish eating. When they finished he refused to let her do the dishes; he gathered them up and washed them, drying them and putting them away where they belonged. She had gone to her room to put on more appropriate clothing; when she came out, he almost didn't know what to think. She didn't look as pregnant anymore; the way her outfit hugged her body you would say she looked close normal. Roy went to her and hugged her, letting his hand travel down to her stomach; it was still swollen and round. She laughed at his momentary panic and told him she had already thought of many different ways to hide her bulging belly, but it was becoming more and more difficult. They left the apartment and went towards downtown to get some food for dinner; Riza walked a few steps ahead of him as she did her shopping, letting him carry the basket of food. Many people did double glances as they walked by, but neither of them noticed; they were having too much fun to see the odd faces people were making at them. They only knew the brigadier general was following around his colonel, who was pregnant. They didn't know she was out of the military for good. The last place they made a stop at was Maes' house where Gracia had made lunch for them. Roy told Riza to stay there and eat because he had to go look in on something at the office really quickly. He left and went to the last shop on his list and picked up what he had called about earlier that day. He walked swiftly to the office, popping his head in and saying hello to the men still there. Many of them had left already; it was close to three O'clock, normal leaving time for Roy. He traveled back to the Hughes' house and ate a sandwich with Elysia, making her smile as they ate their lunch. Riza sat in the living room with Gracia, talking about different types of clothing they were wanting to find and if their child was a boy or a girl. Roy really had no interest in what they were saying, so he took Elysia to her room and played with her for almost an hour. When the little girl began to yawn and stretch, he gathered her up and rocked her until she fell asleep. He laid her in her little bed and closed the door softly as he tiptoed down the hall back to where the women were. Riza smiled and stood up, stretching and yawning also.
"Do I need to rock you to sleep too?" he said, joking with her.
"No, thanks. I could fall asleep just thinking about a bed." she responded.
"Where's Elysia? She should be going down for her nap right now." Gracia said as she began to walk down the hall.
"She's in bed, asleep. I played with her for a while and when she began yawning, I rocked her to sleep like I used to when she was still a little baby." He said, putting his hands on Riza's shoulders. The woman smiled at her two friends and sat back down, motioning for them to sit too.
"Thank you Roy. I knew it was a good thing that Maes brought you over here so often to spend time with her. She's constantly asking if you're coming over to play with her when you come to see him. Now that's she's seen Riza the way she is, she keeps asking if she's getting two little brothers instead of one. I tried explaining that your child wouldn't be related to her, but she still insists she getting two brothers." she laughed, rubbing her stomach absent-mindedly. "I just hope this one is a boy; Maes deserves one."
"He'll be happy if it's a girl or a boy. Another child to show off and be proud of is all he wants." Roy said. "As do I. I don't care if this baby is a boy or a girl. I only hope that if it's a girl, she turns out as beautiful and strong as her mother and if it's a boy, he must be handsome and courageous like his father." he said, smiling at Riza.
"You mean pig-headed and skirt chasing. No child of mine will turn out like you." she said, laughter playing on her delicate features. They chatted for a while until Maes got home, then left to let them be alone. Roy and Riza walked back to her apartment so she could sleep and he could get some work done from the office he had brought back.