Chapter 6

"This one?"

"Oh, I don't know..."

"How about this?'

"It's... too big."

"Ah."

Al, Terra, and Ed peeked at the rings in their glass cases and the jewelery store owner tapped his foot impatiently on the hardwood floor. "Just a minute, please!" Roy said.

"How about..." he suddenly remembered that Riza was very fond of emeralds, and squinted at one that he was looking at. "I know you'll like this one!" he exclaimed, pointing at it. Ed and the others oohed and aaahed, agreeing that it was absolutely beautiful, and Riza scrutinized it. "I love it! It has a pretty white gold band..." Roy grinned, but Riza's face fell when she saw the price tag attached. "It's... uh...expensive..." she sighed.

"How expensive can it be?" Al asked, kitties looking over his metal shoulders. "Yow! That is expensive! I don't think even you can afford it Ed!" Ed was busy in a corner with Terra, however, and didn't hear. "Eh?"

"Nothing Ed..." Al sighed, suddenly thinking of Winry and sighing deeper. "I wish I wasn't so... metal..." The kitties sighed as well.

"Aw, it's nothing I can't afford."

Since Al was incapable of bugging out, Ed did it for the both of them. "W-what? But that's!"

"Half a mil, that's alright."

"Two hundred and fifty thousand, Roy! I can't ask you to spend that much on me..."

"I'm getting two, and I told you, it's nothing my paycheck can't cover."

"H-how?"

"I get Colonel's paycheck, plus State Alchemist funding, and I get a lot more funding than you, Fullmetal."

"Gah! That's way too much money!"

"Did I mention I inherited my family's fortune too? Just got the papers in the mail!" he flourished the paperwork at him and Ed took it.

"Let's see... 'I, Leroy Mustang, give the entire family fortune to my first born son, Roy Mustang, on the day that he turns thirty', blah blah blah blah blah, too much legal junk for me." he said, tossing the papers back at Roy. "Hey, careful with those, pipsqueak! They're worth more than you ever will be!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SPECK SO SMALL THAT AN ATOM COULD COULD ROLL OVER IT AND NOT NOTICE?"

"You," Roy said simply, handing a check to the owner.

He slipped the ring on Riza's finger and grinned proudly. "One thing you can count on, the wedding ring will be much better than this one."

"But what about the other one?"

"I'll wear this one, but I can't wear it on my finger..." he put it on a chain, put it around his neck, and slipped it inside his shirt. "I can't wear it openly, in case, you know..."

She put her finger on his lips and smiled. "I understand, okay? It's okay."

"Any place special you guys want to go to kill time?"

"The park, the park!" they cried.

"Strange choice, but... alright."

"Wow, I haven't come here in a long time, have we Al?" Al shook his head and followed WCC Inc. as they padded around the park in a giant kittie parade. Roy looked around the park a bit and located Maes ona park bench with his wife, Gracia.

"Maes!" Roy waved to catch his friend's eye and Maes waved back. "How's your date going, Roy?"

Riza looked at Maes suspiciously, but then remembered that it had been him who had helped them out on the first night and relaxed. "Well, if you must know, we're engaged," Roy said proudly, and Maes nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "See? I knew you couldn't stay single forever. You owe me fifty bucks."

"Fifty bucks!"

"Yep, a cold fifty. Remember when we were in high school, Roy, and you and I made a bet that you would either stay single for the rest of your life or pay up a fifty to me if you didn't."

"Even I don't remember that, Maes!"

"And I told you Breda would always be afraid of dogs, so you owe me another twenty..."

"What!"

"That's the bet we made in middle school."

"Gah! That's seventy dollars!"

"Well you were the one who agreed to bets without thinking, I mean, who can possibly stay single when you see Riza every day in the office, right under your nose? You do know Jean has a crush on her as well, don't you?"

"Uh..."

"Better get that straight with him, buddy."

"You know I can't tell anyone..."

"She's engaged, isn't she? Let him know, but without letting him know you're the one engaged to her."

"Oh, right... Waitaminnit, you had this planned out already, didn't you?"

"Maybe..." he said, casting a sly look at Gracia. "Gracia has such an inventive mind, I didn't know what idea to pick first; she's the perfect little angel..." he exclaimed, hearts floating in the air.

"O-kay, so where's Elysia?"

"Elysia? She went to a friend's house, she's the most adorable little angel."

Roy sighed and ran a hand through his hair, urging Riza to keep an eye on the teenagers in case they did something stupid.

"Did you two plan the wedding yet Roy, huh?" Maes asked eagerly.

"Maes! I proposed not ten minutes ago, give me a break!"

"In the park?"

"Yes, in the park."

"Awww... why didn't you tell me then?"

"We decided to wait a little while, a couple of months."

"Couple of months?"

"Yes, Maes, couple of months.We have to prepare, you know."

"Roy, I know you're parents, especially your mom. They'd jump at this chance, they'd set it up in a matter of days maybe a week or two!"

"I know, but we wanted to set this up by ourselves... my parents can be a little overbearing."

More hearts floated from Maes's head and Roy stepped back a littleto avoid colliding with one. "So, Roy," he started.

"Shut up Maes."

"What are you going to name your kids?"

"SHUT UP, MAES!"

"Aw, come on, what will you name them? What if it's a boy?"

"I don't know..."

"...or a girl?"

"I don't KNOW Maes!"

"Or both? At the same time I mean, twins!"

"Remind me why you are my friend, Maes..."

"Because I'm always one step behind you and love to be annoying."

"Yes, yes that's got to be it. That's the only possible reason."

Gracia decided to let them get to it and walked off to chat with Riza.

"Now between us men, how's it going?"

"Great, Maes, just swell."

"That's good to hear, I was worried that you'd never get married... sigh"

"Well I am, are you happy now?"

"Yes, I sure am. Now about the wedding..."

"Oh God."

"Where's it going to be?"

"Uh..."

"And what time?"

"Um..."

"And who'll be invited?"

"Er..."

"You've obviously got a lot of work to do, so let's start!"

"You sure are enthusiastic..." he grumbled as he and Maes sat down at a park table and Maes pulled papers out of nowhere.

"First of all, where doyou want it to be?"

"At my house I suppose..."

"Mansion?"

"No, Maes, my shack."

"I wasn't aware that you are skilled in sarcasm."

"Well now you are, can we get on with this please?"

"When?"

"I have no idea."

"Our wedding was all day long... ah the marital bliss..."

"I know Maes, I was there, remember?"

"Yeah, you drank all the wine. Said you were bored to death, then got hit by a car while you were drunk on the way home. Serves you right, you self-centered bastard."

"I'm not getting drunk again at this one, okay? Really!"

"Right. Maybe we should replace it with punch just in case... knowing you, you could probably get drunk off that too..."

"Who gets drunk off punch?"

"You could."

"Only alcohol for me, and I don't think I want any for a while..."

"Ahhh... still reliving flashbacks of that car?"

"No, I'm still reliving flashbacks of what Dad did to me once I staggered back home."

"Wish I was there to see it."

"I hate you too, Maes."

"We should make yours a little shorter... maybe eleven to seven."

"That's a long time..."

"Mine was all day, and what did you do, you got drunk."

"I said I was sorry! Besides, I wasn't drunk until the last forty-five minutes!"

"Whatever. So are we pretty much set?"

"Yeah... all we need to do is tell Riza and get set up..."

"Music! We need music!"

"That's already done, Al has his kitty chorus taking care of that."

" 'Kitty chorus' ?"

"More specifically, Wedding Cat Chorus Incorporated, or WCC Inc. Riza already said they could."

"Nice..."

"Yes."

"What should we do next?"

"Ooh! I know!"

"What?"

"We need... TINY MINISKIRTS!" Then Riza slugged him in the back of the head. "And here I thought you were ready to settle down!" she muttered darkly, storming away to sulk on a bench. "Ow... flashback..."

He got up and ran to her quickly. "I'm sorry, Riza! I didn't mean it that way! It was an old flashback of tiny miniskirts! Besides, you were wearing one this morning!"

"Waaah... you're a big meanie, that's what you are."

"Awww... come on..."

"No!" she said, tilting her face away from him. He ran to the other side. "Riza?"

"No!" she said, tilting the other way. "Please forgive me!"

"No!"

He got on his knees. "Pleeeeeeease?" he begged.

"Only..." she got a mischevious look in her eye.

"If it requires me wearing a miniskirt to work tomorrow, I won't do it."

"No, you have to go to work in a doggie suit tomorrow."

"A dog suit?"

"Yes, a dog suit, you big meanie."

"Will you forgive me if I do it?"

"Yes," she said, not entirely believeing that he was taking her seriously. She didn't think his ego would or could take it.

"I'll do it!" he said, standing up and marching back over to Maes to tell him what had just happened. He looked back at her.

"Where do I find a dog suit?"