Journey HO!
Chapter 1
Phage groaned as his back popped again. Being 50 really sucked, he decided. Man he was getting old. Two laughing ten year olds whizzed past him, both laughing maniacally. I wonder what those two are up to…
'Trust me; you really don't want to know.'
Are you sure about that Smithie?
'Yes, very sure'
Alright, just like my grandkids doing something they probably shouldn't be doing! Wow, there's something I never thought I'd be able to say…
'What? A sentence involving the words my grandkids'
Yeah, thinking back to 30 years ago, when I first showed up on the farm…I never would have thought that all of what has happened would happen. I mean look at everything that has come to pass over the last three decades.
'You're right. For once.'
Thanks Smithie, that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy in side.
'Well the warm and fuzzy statement would explain several of your medical problems over the years.'
Shut up, I'm gonna go get some lunch.
Phage McDougall entered the large kitchen to see his ten year old grandchildren raiding the refrigerator. He groaned inwardly and shook his head. Silmarion was the taller of the two; she had long golden hair and golden eyes just like her father Edward Elric. The other girl was rather petite and had short blood red curls that barely reached past her shoulders. Her name was December, more so for her snow white skin then anything else. December had the same shocking blue eyes as her mother, and to Jack's horror, her vocabulary as well.
"Shit! Where did all the Jello go, Silly?" December exclaimed loudly.
"I don't know Dess, it's kinda hard to know about something that you weren't there for!" 'Silly' replied seriously.
"Now how are we going to pull off the prank? If there's no jello, what are we gonna use? I mean, we can't just make some right now, what if one of our parents walks in? They'll expect us to eat it, and I'm not in the mood for jello! I need it for the prank, not consumption!" 'Dess' whispered furiously, losing her previous volume.
"Well, maybe we'll just have to postpone this prank for now. We can come up with something different later." Silly sighed.
"I should hope so, because if you had carried out any pranks then I would be forced to tell your parents." Phage told the two girls laughingly.
Both turned towards him with wide eyes. They quickly ran out the second exit to the left of the refrigerator on the opposite side of the room from Phage. The old man smirked, and walked over to the still open refrigerator. He pulled out some jello that he had hid behind a large jar of baby spinach leaves.
Phage kicked the door closed with a sock covered foot and pulled a shovel like spoon out of one of the wooden drawers before heading towards the counter. He pulled up a barstool and sat. I'm sooo mean…he thought, scooping out some jello and shoving it into his mouth. Hmm…He thought, Jello doesn't really have a flavor does it? I mean, usually it's referred to by color. What kind of Jello do you want? I think I'll have some red Jello! While Phage was thinking about Jello colors he hadn't noticed his daughter walk in.
Amelia, now a healthy age of 27 was even more elegant and beautiful then she had been before. Her body hadn't really changed, but her style had grown slightly modest since she had given birth to December. She wore a long eggplant colored dress that had a turtleneck collar. Her hair was now considerably longer and would have reached the floor if the woman hadn't put it up like she did every day. Her shoes were pointed suede high heel boots that went up past her knees. Amelia's style in makeup had grown much better as she had learned what colors accented her features better. She tapped her boot sternly and looked around the kitchen before her eyes settled on her father.
"Hey Dad have you seen December? I've been looking for her everywhere, and I told her yesterday that we needed to go shopping this afternoon." Amelia rested her elegant hands on her hips.
"Yep, she and Silly were planning a prank that involved Jello. I hid it behind the spinach so they didn't find it and gave up. When they saw that I had been in the kitchen the entire time they were discussing their plans over by the refrigerator, they disappeared through the other door. I don't know where they are now." Phage licked his spoon until it was free of Jello and returned the empty jar to its place behind the spinach.
"Dad, you know Mom doesn't like it when you put empty boxes and stuff back in the refrigerator." Amelia groaned sternly.
"I know, but he doesn't know that I've emptied this jar." Phage winked at his daughter.
"Whatever, tell me if you happen to find Dess, alright?" Phage nodded, and Amelia left the kitchen.
Hugh stood in the pasture, brushing down the cows. They had needed it. It was summer time again, and so everyone was busy. Though, Phage had insisted that his son-in-law didn't have to help, Hugh had ended up cleaning the cows. He couldn't help it, everyone was working, so what was the fun of lounging around inside by yourself?
"So that's why your big toenail is missing on your right foot? Wow, I've been wondering for a while." Hugh looked over to Jimmy.
The man was smirking proudly. He and Steven had gotten married two years ago, after keeping their secret for so long. Hugh looked fondly at the couple; they really were cute together, even though they were polar opposites. He guessed that Jimmy was the light to Steven's dark. They just fit together somehow.
"Yeah, it's an amazing story really. Most people wouldn't think that the story of how someone lost a toenail would be all that interesting. But trust me, some of the people I've told end up getting really into the story. It's scary isn't it?" Jimmy laughed, he patted Jelly on the head and she grumbled at him in response.
The blonde male ignored her grumble and looked over to the orchard where Edward had just exploded for the third time that day.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT THEY HAVE TO BE LOOKED AT THROUGH A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO ACTUALLY BE SEEN!"
Hugh covered his ears, "Man, he needs to get a control on his temper."
"1) you know that will never happen. 2) In actuality he isn't really short anymore. The guy is six foot one." Jimmy commented, looking over the golden haired tempest.
"Yeah, scary isn't it?" Hugh glanced over at Jimmy.
Both of them broke out laughing, but continued on with their task.
"Ed calm down, he didn't actually go that far." James took the alchemist into his arms and kissed his forehead in the soothing way he inevitably practiced every single day.
"I know, but if I didn't explode like that, they would think I was sick or something." Ed replied in a whisper.a
"You're right, now let's keep going there is a lot of work to do." James released his mate.
Together they finished harvesting all the lemons they could from the tree they were working on and headed for the seed making room. Once they had unloaded they're burden, the two made sure that any completed seeds were crated up and labeled for the appropriate store. As they were about to head back out, the door to the room swung open.
"Daddy!" Silly ran into the room, and immediately latched onto Ed's now human left leg.
"Yessie!" He replied.
James smirked at the word. The couple had agreed to answer their daughter the same way she had talked to them. If she called them 'Daddy' or 'Mommy', then they would reply in the same baby tone. So far, it had worked in getting her to stop talking baby talk. But Silmarion still had her moments.
"Can we go to the movies today? Pleaaaaase!" Silly whined.
"No, we have a lot of work to do Silly." Ed answered.
"But that one movie, with that one guy is finally out!" She pleaded.
"Oh wow, can you be anymore descriptive?" Ed walked out the door, with Silly still clutching his leg.
Silly had wrapped her arms tightly around the appendage, and when it started to move, she wrapped her legs around it too. So now, Ed was walking back towards the orchard with a ten year old weight strapped to his left leg. Joy.
"Silly, we've been through this before, you can stay on my leg all day but I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing regardless. So you can just sit their if you want, but I'll make no guarantees that your Mother and I will randomly start making out in the middle of work." Ed told his daughter.
"EW!" She cried, jumping off of his leg in mid stride, the girl ran off towards the house.
"Nicely done, come up with that on the spot?" James asked, pulling more fruit off of a tree nearby.
"Well, the idea came into my head when she started clinging in the seed maker room. But the opportunity hadn't presented itself until now." Ed responded.
"Ah, I see said the blind man as he picked up his hammer and saw." James winked at his husband.
"Whatever."
Silly groaned, she couldn't find Dess anywhere. She walked down the spiral stair case from the room she shared with Dess in the attic. Her bare callused feet enjoyed the sensation of the soft carpet as she walked. Silly had a habit of going everywhere in the valley with no shoes. The girl despised shoes, and only wore them when she saw fit, which was close to never. She walked down the stair case outside her parents' rooms and past the living room into the den where she knew her Grandfather would be.
Sure enough when she entered the room her grandpa looked up from a book he had been reading near the fireplace, "Grandpa?"
"Yeah Silly? What's up?" He asked, setting down his book on the end table next to him.
"Where's Dess? I'm really bored, and I can't find her anywhere."
"Did you check that secret place you always run off to every day?" Phage queried.
"No, I haven't. Thanks Grandpa!" Silly was about to leave the room when her grandpa stopped her.
"Wait, I think your Aunt might have found her and taken her shopping. Supposedly they were going out sometime today?" Grandpa didn't look up from his book this time.
"Oh," Silly looked down at the floor disappointed, "I guess I'll just have to figure out something else to do. Maybe I could go hang out with Auntie Lumina!"
The small girl left the room and Phage smirked. The girl that had so long ago helped him remove weeds that had invaded the plot where Smithie now stood. How amazingly she had stood up to the task of becoming Amelia's, and now Silly's auntie. Phage truly adored Lumina, she was one of his closest friends, and he really appreciated her. From what he understood Lumina and Mark had started a few years ago. But when he tried to approach Mark about it, he wouldn't ignore him and quickly change the subject. Phage rubbed his temples with his rough hands. As he did so, he felt several of the knuckles in said hands pop and then let out a resounding creak. C'mon, I'm not that old!
Silly walked into the gorgeous villa without knocking on the door. Ever since Romana and Sebastian had died, Lumina had been more lenient it would seem. The woman now owned the villa and everything in it. She had told Silly that anytime she wanted to come over, she needn't ask, or knock on the door. The small girl hurriedly leapt up the stairs and walked gingerly over to her Auntie's private bedchamber.
"Auntie Lumina! Are you home?" Silmarion called.
"Yes! Come in!" A cheerful voice replied from the other side of the door.
Silly smiled, opening the tall door with a grunt. She scurried inside and climbed up onto the bed, and into her Aunt's lap. The woman grinned at her little visitor, tucking a stray lock of hazel hair behind one ear. Silly adored her Aunt Lumina. The woman was always kind and welcomed her into the villa. Once, Silly had run away from home in the middle of the night after a fight with her parents, and Lumina had let her stay at the villa with her. The woman hadn't even made her go home until the next day.
"What is it that you wanted from me you cutie?" Lumina questioned playfully.
"Dess went into town with her mom today, and everybody else is working. So I have nobody to play with. I thought that I could come over to your house and we could do something together!" Silly explained.
"Is that your way of saying that I'm a last resort, huh? Because that's awfully rude you know!" Lumina pretended to be insulted.
"No!" Silly shouted, squealing with laughter as her Aunt tickled her.
"Well, what else are we going to do, if not have a tickle war?" Lumina asked.
"I don't know! But I don't want to have a tickle war!" Silly squealed.
The two ended up spending the afternoon reading books and painting each other's toe nails. Silly was no longer bored, and Lumina had a great time in the company of her 'great niece'. In actuality she was only 13 years older then her great niece's mother. Lumina had decided on walking the girl home so that she would be home in time for dinner.
The two reached the farm at around 6:15. Lumina followed Silly into the house and through the living room into the kitchen. There was a whole crowd waiting for them. Now that James and Ed had come home, and Amelia had gotten married there was a substantial crowd of people living on Myishi farm. This crowd included the following: Phage, Jack, James, Ed, Silly, Amelia, Hugh, Dess, Steven, Joey, Mark, Matt, Jimmy, and Timmy.
"Hello Lumina, would you care to join us for dinner?" Phage chirped.
He's in a good mood today, Lumina thought. Her eyes lingered on Mark for a few seconds and she made up her mind. She wasn't ready to be around him yet. She couldn't take it.
"No thanks, I think I'll just go home, and cook myself some dinner thanks." Lumina gave Phage a meaningful half-smile.
Phage caught her message and told her, "Oh, okay."
Lumina was about to leave when Phage called to her, "Do you want me to come over later?"
Lumina paused and caught the real message Phage was giving her. Are you okay? Lumina knew that he was worried, but he hid his concern around his family by acting casual. He didn't want Lumina to lose her privacy that she was so entitled to. Lumina nodded to him, and left. She hadn't wanted to tell Phage about what had happened between her and Mark, but she knew now that it was inevitable. Phage would probably want to kill Mark very slowly and cruelly, so Lumina would have to find a way to convince him not to. That's going to be difficult, knowing Phage and knowing what Mark did…Lumina thought, collapsing on her bed back at the villa.
Chapter 2
Lumina sat on her bed back at the villa, as expected she heard a quiet knock on her bedroom door. She knew that Phage would come over; he wanted to know what was upsetting her. He hated to see her so upset. Usually if everything had been fine, then she would have joined Phage and his family for dinner. Eating dinner at the McDougall household was always extremely enjoyable. You could sit at the table and not say anything, and everybody could be around you talking amongst them, and you would still be amused. The things they talked/argued/rambled about were highly entertaining. The room would be filled with activity even after the meal had finished, often the whole family would sit around the table talking for hours afterwards. It was quite relaxing, and even a complete stranger could feel at home caught up in the jovial crowd. But Lumina had turned that down that night, for a reason that she would only share with Phage, her closest and oldest friend.
"'Mina, tell me what's wrong." It was a statement of what the woman would do, not a question or a command but merely fact.
"You've heard that Mark and I dated for a while right?" Lumina looked up at her friend whom was still standing before her at the foot of her bed.
Phage's brow furrowed in confusion. The man came to sit cross legged in front of his friend on the king sized bed. His bare feet rested gratefully on the silk comforter. He looked at Lumina seriously, questioningly. Over the years, they had learned to communicate through looks and gestures. It only proved to the outside world even more how close these two beings were to each other.
"We…broke up." Lumina said softly.
Phage gave her another look, without saying a word.
"One night, I had just finished painting and I had planned on visiting Muffy. I hadn't seen her in so long, and she was one of my longest friends after all." The woman stared down at the bed, her fingers fiddling with the comforter, "I don't blame her, and we're still good friends after all."
"'Mina, what happened?" Phage whispered.
"I walked on them, in the middle of…" Lumina choked out a strangled sob, she couldn't finish her sentence, she just couldn't.
Phage's eyes darkened considerably. His hands gripped the comforter he was sitting on tightly. He looked up at Lumina and his glare only grew in ferocity at her next words.
"The next day I confronted him about it, and then we broke up…"
"Lumina, I'm going to take you into town tomorrow, just the two of us. I'm going to get this off your mind, and make you realize how amazing you are in every way. I'm sorry Mark couldn't see that. If you'll excuse me, there's someone I need to talk to." Phage told her.
He gathered his best friend into his arms, and held her close to him. Phage could feel her snuggle against him, sobbing hysterically. His anger flared and he couldn't wait to get home and take Mark to hell and back. No one, absolutely no one did something like that to Lumina and got away with it. Phage was so furious it took all of his will power not to leave Lumina right then and brutally maim Mark.
"Phage…" She rasped, the tears she cried leaving her voice weak, "Please don't hurt Mark. I know what he did was wrong, but he still doesn't deserve to be beaten. He's a good person; he's just made some mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes, right?"
Phage held Lumina even closer at her words. He immediately thought back to the night that James told them everything about what had happened while he was away, and what he had done and thought. If what James hadn't earned him a beating, then what Mark had done most definitely didn't make him deserving of one either. He pulled away from Lumina and gave her a promising look, he wouldn't beat Mark. That he could promise, but giving him a broken arm or nose, he couldn't.
"I'll be here tomorrow morning about ten, okay?" He asked, and when Lumina nodded with a grateful smile, Phage left.
"Mark, can I have a word with you?" Phage all but growled through clenched teeth.
The younger man looked at him curiously but nodded. The rest of the family looked confused but continued talking as the farm hand followed Phage out of the room. The older male led Mark out front of the house.
"I have a question for you." Again the same growling tone left throat.
"Alright, are you okay?" Mark asked.
"Better then you will be in a few minutes." Phage could see the fear on Mark's face as he continued, "Did Lumina mean anything to you? Was she just some fling? Well if she was, she certainly didn't think that about you!"
Mark's eyes widened as he received a brutal punch to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Phage didn't strike him again, waiting for him to answer.
"I…I wasn't thinking, Muffy…" But before Mark could say anything more, Phage kicked him in the ribs.
"Muffy wasn't the start of this Mark, and you know it!" Phage screamed.
The family had walked outside, concerned about Mark and what was happening.
"Phage, stop this!" Jack called.
"He cheated on Lumina! This scum got her to fall in love with him, and then he goes and fucks another woman!" Phage shouted angrily, his voice dripping with venom.
"Control yourself, that doesn't mean that-"Jack stopped at the look that Phage gave him.
Phage kicked Mark again, sending the younger male a couple feet. Mark gasped, turning over he coughed blood up onto the ground. The sounds he made as he laid on the ground retching up more blood were disgusting. Phage seemed not to be affected by it, and Mark was in shock at Phage's words. She was in love with me?
"She never told me…" The first words that Mark had uttered since Phage had first punched him.
Everyone looked to Mark, their eyes filled with concern, though no one dared move towards him. December felt tears entering her eyes, and Silly quickly took hold of her cousin, turning her eyes away from the violence.
"Phage, stop! I told you not to hurt him!" Everyone turned at the sound of Lumina's sobbing voice.
Phage could feel himself go numb at the heart-wrenching tone that Lumina had used. He felt her rush past him to Mark's side. Mark raised his head enough to look at Phage fearfully. Lumina took Mark in her arms and kissed him deeply.
"Are you okay?" She asked him.
"I'm fine, and…Mina, I'm so, so sorry…I shouldn't have-"
"Shush now, it's alright." Lumina silenced him with soft words though the love in her eyes was enough of an answer.
Phage walked off of the farm, not really sure of what he was doing. He had no idea what led him to the beach at that point in time. Nor did he know what it was that lifted his gaze to the heavens. It was as if his subconscious thought he might find the answer there. Well, right now he was still clueless. Maybe he'd get it eventually. He had hurt Mark even though he had promised Lumina that he wouldn't. Phage was just as bad as Mark in the way they had both hurt Lumina. He hated himself at that moment, not only for hurting Lumina but for not listening to Jack and exposing his grandchildren to something like that. What would they think if they saw their grandpa hurting their uncle Mark? Phage sickened himself; he couldn't believe himself at that moment.
"It's an amazing night tonight, friend." A familiar voice spoke at Phage's side.
"Really?" Phage asked in disbelief.
Phage couldn't believe what he was hearing; it was almost as if he could hear Rock talking right next to him. He happened to know that was impossible, having been present at Rock's funeral just last year. The older man had died from a brain tumor, that had long since been developing, but no one had been aware of it. Then one day, he had a sever seizure that would have killed him had Hardy not walked into the bar at that particular moment. But no matter what any doctor did, they couldn't help Rock. The tumor had been growing for too long, without any medical attention. So the tumor was at a point that the best neurosurgeon in the world couldn't do anything even if he tried. But there was Rock standing right next to him, it would seem, because Phage was looking into those happy go lucky eyes at that exact moment.
"Shocked to see me?" Rock asked seriously.
"Why shouldn't I be?"
"You have every reason to be surprised, I am dead after all." Rock laughed, slapping his friend on the back.
Phage managed to calm himself down after a few long minutes and asked, "Well, why are you here?"
"I don't think I really know. But I think that you might, so why would I be here Phage?" Rock questioned, staring his friend straight in the eyes.
"I…I did something, friend. I've done something I shouldn't have." Phage looked down at the sand.
"Why don't you tell me about it, hmm?" Rock suggested.
Phage and the ghost of one of his best friends and counselor, and told him everything that had happened. When he finished his tale, Rock surveyed him for a while, not speaking at all.
Rock clapped his hands onto both of Phage's shoulders and looked him square in the eye then said in all seriousness, "That was really stupid, my friend."
Phage blinked stupidly at his friend for a moment. That wasn't what he had thought the ghost was going to say, and suddenly he glared at Rock.
"Thanks, I kinda already knew that, smart one." Phage growled.
"Oh," Rock had a blank look on his face for a moment and then he said, "Sorry."
"Thanks, that makes me feel better."
"The best thing you can do right now, is go back and apologize. If your family and Lumina won't forgive you at first, don't worry. Just apologize again tomorrow, wait for time to do that healing thing. Everything will work out. Look at the family you have, my friend, that's one pretty forgiving family if you catch my drift." Rock winked at his friend.
Phage nodded, grinning, "I'll do that. See you later?"
"I'm afraid not, my friend."
"Why not?" Phage asked despairingly.
"I only show up when you really need me, AKA when you screw up big time." Phage frowned at this but Rock continued anyway, "But I'm not inviting to you to screw up in the future just to see me, I'll be really ticked. You should try your best not to do something really stupid on a regular basis. Heaven's pretty, enjoyable if you get me."
Phage blushed, giving his friend a look that clearly asked if he was joking. Rock winked at him smirking, before he disappeared into the night breeze. The red-head sighed, looking up into the night sky. Time to head home, Phage thought. He stood and walked down the beach towards the path that would lead him back to the farm.
When he got home, he could see Jack sitting in the armchair facing the door. His mate had been waiting for him. The usually cheerful brunette was now shooting poison arrows at him all with one look of death. Phage grimaced, before approaching his love. At Jack's held up hand, Phage stopped. He waited for Jack to speak.
In a voice calmer then Phage had expected, his mate spoke, "What did you think you were doing?"
"Nothing, I had no excuse for my actions. I do not expect you to forgive me at this instance, but I am very sorry for not listening to you when I should have. Before you tell me, I know I will apologize to Lumina and Mark both. Neither of them deserved that, and I will tell them how sorry I am after I find them. I am going to talk to December and Silmarion tomorrow about what happened and explain to them everything that went on and apologize to them as well." Phage noticed Jack's shock at his words.
"How did you come up with that on your own, my irritating idiot?" Jack questioned threateningly.
"I didn't, I had help from a close friend."
"Oh, Phage…" Jack looked at him wistfully.
"Rock visited me and as soon as I had explained to him, he promptly told me and I quote, 'that was really stupid, my friend'." Phage saw Jack grin at this, "He helped me sort out things."
"Ah," Jack didn't say anything else, but he moved out of the room and down the hallway leading to their bedroom.
When Jack saw Phage move towards him, he said firmly, "Sit."
Phage wasn't about to ask why, but he did ask this, "The comforters are still in the hallway closet right?"
"Yup." That was all Phage heard his mate say before a door slamming was heard throughout the house.
The 50 year old groaned at the sound his back made when he stood. He made his way to the hallway where the two-door closet was located. Phage opened it to find a large stack of numerous comforters. He picked up his favorite and closed the closet doors before walking into the living room. It was a good thing that the living room couch was extremely comfortable; otherwise Phage would not have gotten any sleep that night.
Chapter 3
Phage so far, had been smacked at least four times that day. He would know because he had been counting, and all smacks had been rather painful. His face was very red by now, and the large handprint on his right cheek would most likely not fade for some time. Everyone in the valley had heard of what had happened, and to say the least, he was hated by everybody. Being hated by all the people that lived around you was not a good thing. Especially in the valley this was a bad thing, because then there was pretty much nowhere to hide from the disappointed glares. This was definitely a punishment that he deserved. No one was talking to him, and if they did it was clear that they were restraining themselves from saying harsh things. Phage doubted if they would be that harsh, after what he had done.
Just that morning, Mark had received a visit from Hardy, who quickly and efficiently assessed his vitals. It would appear that Mark had a broken rib that had pierced one of his organs and had caused internal bleeding. This would explain the blood that he kept coughing up so frequently. Phage, felt like crap, and was currently wallowing in self-pity in the pasture.
It was dangerous to linger on the farm, but Phage was fully prepared for any further slaps or angered remarks from anyone. Lumina was the only one whom had not smacked him or uttered hateful words. However, she had not spoken to him at all, or really looked at him. Clearly, she thought it would be best for the rest of the valley to settle down before she said anything. Phage was fine with that except for one thing: Mark's status had been marked as critical, and he might or might not survive. The farmer had quickly sent him to the best hospital he could, and ordered the best doctors that money could get. Phage had been afraid to visit the younger male; he doubted that he would want to see him.
It would seem that even the cows didn't like him at the moment, because unlike they usually did they were not circled around him; they were lying on the opposite side of the pasture from him. Just great, he thought, even the cows hate me. Phage had sincerely apologized to every single person of the valley including Mark and Lumina more than once but still everyone wasn't over what had happened. He often wondered if anyone would ever forgive him.
To save himself from cold looks and awkward silences Phage no longer attended family meals. He would quickly dart in and out of the kitchen to get small amounts of food when he was hungry and didn't sleep inside the house unless was absolutely necessary. No one seemed to mind this arrangement; in fact most of the family rather preferred it this way as did Phage. It was sad really that only a few days ago he had been loved and his presence had been enjoyed by people, now he wasn't loved and nor was his presence enjoyed or wanted. Phage had crossed a line, and if Mark didn't survive he doubted if anyone would forgive him.
At sunset, Phage decided it was probably time to find a comfortable spot on the ground to sleep. If the family ever loves me again I think I'll sleep outside anyways, thought Phage, I've gotten used to sleeping under the stars…its nice. Phage would have gotten to sleep very well if the sudden arrival of hysterical sobs hadn't woken him up. He rubbed his eyes and looked around blearily for the cause of the noise. Phage soon found that it was Lumina who was crying so loudly. She was wearing all black, as was the rest of the family standing around her. What was going on? What had happened that was making Lumina cry so much? Why the hell was everyone wearing black? Phage stood up and walked cautiously towards his family. When he was a couple feet away from them he stopped.
"What happened?" Phage asked.
"Mark's funeral was today." Steven said calmly.
"His…funeral! Mark died and nobody told me!" Phage spluttered, gazing wildly around at his family…he couldn't believe them.
Phage hadn't been at the funeral, or even known that Mark had died. No one had told him. Even though Phage was on the farm every day, he was right in plain sight and quiet easy to reach, no one had bothered to tell him? What the hell? He took a few steps back; Mark had died because of him? Tears pressed against his closed eyelids. His hands curled into angry fists. Blindly he ran off of the farm…he had killed someone. Not only had he killed 'someone' but a member of his own family. What kind of cruel and unusual punishment was this?
The thought of suicide crossed his mind but he immediately threw it out. Suicide was out of the option, sure everyone probably hated him but that was no reason to go and kill himself was it? No it wasn't. He sighed, and put his face in his hands. Quiet sobs racked his frame as he fell to his knees. This time, there was no ghost comforting him or giving him advice, there was just the cruel cold wind washing over him. There were no reassuring words from Smithie entering his mind; no one came after him because he wasn't worth chasing after. Phage was still in slight shock that all of this had happened. What was wrong with him? Why hadn't he just screamed at Mark for a while instead of handing him to death? Why the fuck couldn't he keep his temper in check? Phage hadn't noticed the full moon pulling the tide over him. He continued to kneel there crying over his stupidity and the death of Mark. When the first wave touched his knees, he looked up. He didn't want to move, why not let the tide take him? Who would care?
When the water lapped at the hem of his shirt he came to his senses and leaped out of the rising water. Phage hurried up the shore and landed in the soft grass. He had almost done what Amelia had done twenty years ago. The man had almost let himself be taken by the rising waves.
Grudgingly he walked back towards the farm, his jeans soaked through with sea water. Phage didn't want to go home, after all the ground in the turtle swamp was much softer and more comfortable. But oh well, he guessed he would have to go back sometime. The red head took in his surroundings with a neutral face. His eyes must've looked glazed over for he no longer cared about what was happening around him. Phage hadn't really realized that he had walked into the house, or into the kitchen for that matter.
He walked with hunched shoulders towards the fridge where he pulled out a single bottle of milk and one carrot. Phage turned and had almost reached the door when a soft voice stopped him.
"Phage, why don't you eat with us tonight?" Lumina invited.
"As long as everyone promises not to glare at me I'll eat with you." Phage replied tonelessly.
Silly and Dess looked down at the table guiltily, as did some of the other farm hands. It appeared that they all were feeling bad about having shut him out the past several days. That made him feel slightly better.
"We promise." Jack told him.
Phage put on a fake smile and took his usual seat at the table and set down his milk and carrot. He then started serving everyone like it was just any other night at dinner. Then, Phage served himself and started shoveling food into his mouth like there was no tomorrow. He hadn't eaten this kind of food since before he had done what he had done to Mark. Phage hadn't even noticed that no one around him was eating, he just continued on with his plate. When he had finished what he had served himself, then he gobbled up the carrot he had taken out of the fridge and guzzled the bottled milk he had also taken.
Phage leaned back in his chair, sighing in contentment. There was no growl of a still mostly empty stomach following his dinner tonight. The man looked around at his family and saw that no one was eating.
"What's wrong with you guys? I mean, you're all staring at your food like it's gonna do tricks!" Phage exclaimed.
"Phage, Honey, can I talk to you in the other room for a minute?" Jack asked him calmly.
"Sure." Phage followed his husband out of the kitchen, through the living room, and into their bedroom.
It had been a while since Phage had been in his and Jack's bedroom.
"What is it?" Phage asked.
"How can you be so cheerful after what we put you through?" Jack choked out.
"Easy." Phage told him, "Like this!"
Then, Phage gave his mate a large grin that he now meant. Jack laughed at the comment but still didn't feel all that reassured.
"Okay, I don't really know about your feelings, brunette babe, but I still love you." Phage said casually.
Right now Phage was still a little uncertain about the rest of his family acting so suddenly ashamed of their actions, but he knew for certain that he still loved all them. He stood up and wrapped Jack up in his arms. Jack returned the embrace, crying against Phage's chest. They stayed like that for a long time, if time even existed at the moment. Neither was really sure if reality would be there waiting for them or not. If it was, then whatever, if not then….WOOT! Phage pulled Jack away from him and pulled the brunette's lips to his. Phage kissed his mate long and hard, attempting to wash away all of his husbands anguish and pain with that one kiss. Jack sighed and no longer looked despaired but did not look happy. Phage hated to see his mate like this. He thought for a moment then picked up Jack and carried him to the bed.
Pulling out Jack's favorite lotion Phage set to work on massaging his feet, then back, then chest and shoulders. Every once in a while he would take a break from the massaging and kiss Jack deeply and gently. At the sign of Phage's mate calming down, he paused in his ministrations and spoke softly:
"I'll go tell the rest of the family that we're going to bed now and that they should leave us alone for the rest of the evening."
Jack caught Phage's subtle suggestion and smiled. The red head left the room and Jack felt happy for the first time in several days. His worries were forgotten and so it appeared, were Phage's. Soon his lover reentered the room with a mischievous look flaunting itself on his lips…lips that not too long ago were on his skin and…
Jack gasped as Phage teased him and did wonderfully awful things with his tongue. Bliss overtook his mind and he no longer was thinking rationally, or remembering to restrain his vocal cords. Hopefully his grandchildren didn't hear anything…
…James and Edward were currently staring at the door, wondering what to do. James wanted to go downstairs, walk into his parents' room and transmute the walls, floor, door, and ceiling into soundproof material. But James couldn't, just the thought of his parents…well, er…doing it made him want to throw up. It wasn't long before another moan could be heard from downstairs.
"That's it, I'm going to go make them shut up!" Ed announced, to many grateful grunts echoing through the walls around them and from above them in the attic.
James said quietly, "Edward, we should just try and sleep, don't go down there…"
"Love, don't stop me, with their catcalls there is no way I will never sleep." Ed told his mate.
James shuddered and let his husband leave their bed and their room. He had experience with an extremely sleep deprived Ed before. It wasn't pretty. Damn it, Ed without sleep was just plain frightening! Ten minutes later the moans of ecstasy had stopped, and Ed walked back into the room. His left eye was twitching violently.
Cheers and thankful applause surrounded them as Ed replied, "It was scary, they didn't stop shagging even when I walked in and transmuted the whole room and their bathroom soundproof! The array was loud and colorful and they were STILL going at it!"
James's face turned a shocking green and Ed commented, "Yeah, the array looked about the same color your face is right now actually."
Ed's reward for that statement was a vomit coated chest.
Three days later, all was forgiven, though the 'Mark' subject was still a touchy one. Lumina and Phage had gone into town, finally just as Phage had promised Lumina was treated like a princess. The woman had been given a full makeover, been treated to the best hair, nail, and makeup salons and came home even more gorgeous then when she had left that morning. It was too bad that Mark wasn't around to see it.
Business kept going as well as usual. The valley had finally calmed down, and according to the letters that Ed was getting, Al and his boyfriend would be visiting soon with VERY good news. Phage definitely wanted to know what that good news was, but Ed didn't have a clue what was going on. Jack didn't care about any news, he was just happy to get to see Al again. There was one thing that Phage did know for sure, and that was that Ed definitely did NOT like Al's boyfriend whoever it was.
Now that things were getting back to normal Phage suddenly wondered what he was going to do with all the money the farm was making. Unknown to his family, Phage had close to half a billion dollars in the bank that hadn't been used or put aside for anything. The farmer's family knew there was a substantial amount of money in the bank, but they had always figured that it was there incase of an emergency (AKA Mark's medical needs) but had no idea how much money there really was. Phage sighed, he'd tell them eventually, but right now, it was strictly on a need-to-know basis. His family didn't need to know, so they didn't. After all, what could happen?
Chapter 4
Roy Mustang was not a happy alchemist. His beloved boyfriend Al Elric had decided it was time that he met 'the family'. Why couldn't Roy just stay in central while Al went and did what ever it was he did with his family? The flame alchemist was making small sparks with his special ignition gloves, trying to show his mate the immense irritation he was feeling.
"Why are we visiting them again?" Roy asked annoyed, "I mean, couldn't you just take Hughes? After you brought him back to life, I would have thought that you would bring him to see Ed first before me."
"I was thinking about it, but I want you to meet your future niece, and your new family. I mean, we are getting married in December aren't we?" Al looked back at him smirking.
"As far as I know." Roy replied, smirking right back at his fiancé.
"Right. We're going to tell Ed the good news that is Hughes' return to the world of the living. And you're going to meet Mother Hen!" Al exclaimed happily.
"Mother Hen?" Roy asked.
"Yeah, he is really cool. He's Ed's mother in-law." Al explained casually.
Roy ignored Al's previous statement as he was shoved rather unceremoniously onto the farm. The flame alchemist looked around and was caught off guard by a happy cow bounding up to him. His gloved hand at the ready, Roy was fully prepared to snap his fingers and turn this cow into roast beef. Suddenly, something entirely unpleasant and unexpected happened. The Fuhrer Mustang was being licked by a cow.
Loud fits of laughter rung from the general vicinity of the pasture. There stood Ed and James, both of whom were laughing hysterically at the man's severe misfortune. It would seem that Bessie had found a new victim. The old cow had given up hope on Phage, but now she had a lovely new human to enjoy.
The mere thought of Roy Mustang, the flame alchemist on a farm was funny. The actual sight of him on a farm, and being licked by a cow no less was a guaranteed knee-slapper. Roy however did not think this was funny at all. He threateningly snapped his fingers at the cow, a large flame brushed past her ear. Bessie snorted indignantly and stomped the raven haired man on the foot.
Al smartly restrained himself from laughing, and ushered his mate towards the house. Before they could reach their destination however, another attack was launched at the poor Fuhrer. A giggling blonde blob that vaguely resembled a chibi-Ed latched onto Roy's leg. Everyone gasped, waiting for Roy's reaction. At first he didn't do anything but take long deep breaths. Then, he calmly looked down at the creature that had attached itself onto him.
"Who might you be?" Roy asked through gritted teeth. It was evident that it was taking all of his will-power not to drop kick the little girl to the other side of the valley.
"Hiya Uncle Roy!" At this statement the silence wrapped around the entire farm grew thicker.
Roy's left eye twitched as he responded, "Hello….?"
"Silmarion, Silly for short." She answered him.
"Right, now Silly, would you mind letting go of my leg?" It was clearly a command, not a question.
Silly, by instinct realized that Roy was NOT someone that she wanted to mess with. She instantly let go of him, before smiling brightly up at the man.
"Come on, Grandma will want to meet you!" She replied happily, turning to look at Al she squealed, "Uncle Al!"
Al picked up his niece and swung her around, relaxing her onto his hip as they entered the large house. Roy observed the structure and realized that for a family farm, it must be a very rich one. This house was very solidly built and he recognized the architectural work to be the same that had worked on the Fuhrer's previous home. That kind of professionalism did not come cheaply. The building was basically square in shape but soared into the sky, it could easily have three or more floors. It was clearly the largest structure in the valley. There was a tall tower at the far end of the building, and Roy immediately assumed that was the attic. The house was a rich blue color, which was accented by a royal white trim; the roof was a slate grey.
Roy admired the craftsmanship of the inside, and the warm decoration and atmosphere of all the rooms that he passed. It was a good thing that the house was large; after all there were three generations of the family living in there. As he entered the kitchen his first thought was it was very big, just like the rest of the rooms in the house. There was a long granite counter with many comfortable looking barstools sitting underneath. On the other side of the counter was top of the line appliances and cooking wear. The walls were an eggshell ivory color, all except for one which bore a simple yet elegant mural. The mural portrayed a large orchard much like the one on the farm, and if you looked closely you could see children playing in the trees and on the ground eating fruits of a large variety. A good sized worn wooden table took up a considerable part of the room, and could easily seat at least twenty people.
Currently bustling around the kitchen was a man with wild brown hair that looked very much like James's. His features were feminine and soft, and he looked very much like the happiest man in the world. He looked quite at ease preparing a miniature feast, his relaxed blue eyes suddenly snapped up as they entered the room.
"Al, have you gotten taller since I last saw you? I think you have! Come give me a hug!" The brunette man abandoned his place at the stove and embraced Al tightly.
Al returned the hug just as tightly and laughed, "No, I haven't gotten taller don't worry."
"Oh, is this that boyfriend you keep writing about?" Jack looked at Roy, before giving Al a suggestive wink.
Al blushed but nodded, "Mother Hen, this is Roy Mustang, Roy-chan this is Jack."
"Nice to meet you Jack, I assure you I'm taking good care of Alphonse." Roy bowed kindly to Jack and took his hand, raising it to his lips for a soft kiss.
Jack gave Al a meaningfully look. It was clear that Roy was earning a lot of brownie points. Suddenly the clock chimed noon and a rushing sound of footsteps could be heard. A herd of hungry people rushed into the kitchen and took as seat at the table. Roy observed them all laughing and romping around. A cheerful bunch, the group was avidly discussing the day's work so far. Al led Roy to the table and sat down next to Ed and James. The farm hands looked over to Roy, and watched him for a moment. Then quite unexpectedly they pulled him into their conversation as if he had lived on the farm his whole life.
Al grinned as Roy participated in the conversation in as dignified voice as he could. Soon the younger alchemist looked over at Mother Hen and spoke, "Hey Mother Hen!"
"Yes Al?" He answered.
"Roy and I are going to stay around the farm for a couple of days and help out, that wouldn't be a bother would it?" Al asked.
"No of course not! Al you're never a bother and you know that your boyfriend is always welcome here." Jack grinned.
"So Al, what's this good news you were talking about?" Phage McDougall asked curiously.
"Yeah Al, what's up?" Ed asked.
Soon everyone halted their conversations to look at Al and his boyfriend expectantly.
"Well, I revived Major Hughes." Al said finally, he held his breath waiting for everyone's reaction.
"You, successfully brought him back? His soul is attached and everything?" Ed questioned excitedly, gripping his fork.
"Yup."
For a moment there was utter silence. That, however, didn't last long. The room erupted in loud cheers and excited chatter. Ed was so happy he had no idea what to do except to sit there and stare at his salad.
"You should bring him to the farm sometime!" Jack exclaimed merrily.
"Yeah, what Mother Hen said!" Matt shouted.
"I have some other good news as well." Al waited for everyone to settle down.
"Roy and I, are engaged. We're going to be married in December." Al spoke nervously.
"No!" Ed cried, slamming his head down on the table, "I refuse to even acknowledge that thing as a brother in-law. I won't let you marry him!"
"Nii-san!" Al shouted, "You don't control my life! I thought you'd be happy for me!"
"Al! You know how much I hate Mustang! I've loathed him for years, I've tried to tolerate the concept of you two going out, but you two getting married I won't accept!" Ed shouted, he pounded his fist on the table.
At Ed's words, Roy looked down at the table silently. He had always assumed that Edward didn't actually loathe him, there was some sort of respect for him somewhere inside the small blonde head somewhere. But that wasn't true. Roy wanted to do nothing more than leave the room, the farm and go back to Central City. There he could distract him by leafing through paperwork, and dealing with his duties as Fuhrer. But he needed to be there for Al, he couldn't leave his mate with this kind of a situation. So, Roy sat there, not saying a word as he absorbed the conversation.
"Nii-san, you said that you were over that! You said that you didn't care if I went out with him as long as I was happy. You never meant that at all did you!" Al was screaming now, everyone else was silent as they shifted awkwardly in their seats.
"I did, until you mentioned the possibility of marriage, to that…that thing!" Ed screamed back.
"His name is Roy Mustang, not 'thing' he is my fiancé and we are going to get married whether you allow it or not!" Al was positively fuming.
After that comment, Al stormed out of the kitchen and then, up the stairs. Roy didn't look at anyone or say anything as he too left the room, probably in search of his mate. The whole kitchen was silent, everyone was glaring at Ed.
"How dare you be so mean to Al? That man, Roy was nothing but kind to me when he introduced himself earlier. What has he ever done to you?" Jack asked angrily.
"He's made my life miserable ever since I became a State Alchemist! He's rude, and sarcastic and-"
"-and he makes Al happy!" Jack finished, "I can't believe you Edward!"
Silly looked curiously up at her father, "Dad, what's a State Alchemist? Since when have you been one?"
Ed's eyes turned from anger to shock as he looked down at his daughter. He didn't say anything, and quickly hurried out of the house. The rest of the family continued the meal, but it was not a cheerful or relaxed one anymore. A hushed silence hung over the room like a thick blanket, and no one spoke to each other as they ate. Silmarion, was pondering her father's words. Why had he never told her about being a State Alchemist? What did it mean to be one, anyway?
Ed was angry. He was angry at himself, and Al. Why the hell did Al and Roy want to get married anyway? Why weren't they perfectly fine with just dating? It was bad enough that they got along so well! Not only that; but Ed mentioned being a State Alchemist in front of Silly. That was something he had never planned on doing. He and James had agreed shortly after Silly was born, not to speak of Ed's past and his involvement in the military. They didn't want their daughter to know about the things that had happened. Really, it was in Silmarion's best interest if she didn't know anything. But now, she would be confused and upset if he didn't explain everything to her. Silly didn't like it when people kept things from her, especially if they were things that she had every right to know.
Sighing wearily, Ed ran his hand through his long blonde bangs. His hair had gotten much longer. The braid that he always wore it in was down to the backs of his knees. His bangs were down past his shoulders. When he had sent a picture of himself to Al a couple of months ago, his little brother said he looked a lot like Winry. Winry used to be Ed's auto-mail mechanic, but now that he had his right arm and his left leg back he didn't need auto-mail anymore. So he hardly ever spoke to Winry, and if he did he soon regretted it, because she would usually scream at him for not writing to her for so long. Now he simply didn't write to her, so the whole screaming match could be avoided.
Ed looked up at the now setting sun; he had spent the rest of the day sitting in the forest spring. His stomach growled at him, telling him that if he didn't supply it with food soon, there would most definitely be trouble. So, the alchemist stood up and wandered back to the farm. From the path he could see Silly standing in the middle of the pasture patting Bessie on the head gently. She was obviously thinking. Ed could tell by the way her eyes looked glazed over, and she was nibbling on her bottom lip. Her non busy hand was clenched into a tight fist (a sign that she was thinking about something serious). Ed walked down to the pasture and hopped over the fence. Silly looked up at him and then opened her mouth to speak. Ed beat her to it.
"It was in your best interest for us not to tell you, Silmarion." Edward said calmly.
"What is a State Alchemist, Dad? Why are you one? What do you have to do if you are one? How long have you been a State Alchemist?" Silly was spitting out questions so fast that Ed could barely come up with one.
"An alchemist who serves the state, because I passed the qualification exam, I must carry out all the missions that the military assigns me and if a war breaks out I will be pressed into service, and since I was twelve." Ed answered each question with the same calm air, one hand in the pocket of his usual leather pants.
"Dad, what's that?" Silly asked, pointing to the silver chain poking out of Ed's pocket.
"The silver watch that I received when I first became a State Alchemist, it amplifies the power of an alchemist and is proof that I am a State Alchemist." Ed pulled the pocket watch out for his daughter to see.
Silly took it in her hands and rubbed a thumb over the large hand carved lion emblazoned on the front. She looked up at her father questioningly, it was obvious that she wanted to know more, but she simply gave back the watch.
"Is that all you wanted to know?" Ed asked her.
"Yes…thanks for telling me." Silly ran back towards the house.
"I see that you hadn't told your daughter about your being a State Alchemist. Why not Full Metal?" A familiar and unnerving voice spoke up from behind him.
"That's none of your business Fuhrer Mustang." Ed did not turn around to face the other man.
"I would think it could be, considering she will soon be my niece." Ed did not respond to that comment, and marched firmly in the direction of the house.
"Is pride the only thing keeping you from giving your approval of Al's decision? Or do you honestly hate me so much that you think I will defile your precious little brother?" Ed was staring at the ground with his teeth and hands clenched.
"Al thought that you would be happy for us, you should have seen him on the way here. He looked as happy as a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide. Al was so looking forward to telling you, and then you screamed at him. Is that really how you are supposed to treat one's brother?" Roy queried, coming to stand in front of Ed now.
Edward looked furiously up at his superior, "Excuse me, I'm expected at the dinner table."
"Judging by your performance earlier, I would supremely doubt that you'd be missed." Roy commented as Ed passed him by.
"Shut up!" Ed shouted, "Shut up! Shut up, shut up!"
"Now is that any way to talk to your commanding officer, Full Metal?" Roy mockingly asked.
Ed was screaming, and raging in his mind. He had a wonderful vision of beating Roy to a bloody pulp, and Al cheering him on, but knew that that was all it would be: a wish, vision, and a dream. Everything about the man was condescending, arrogant, sarcastic, and rude. Ed hated Roy so much it hurt; he wanted nothing more then to punch him. But it was Ed's love for his little brother that kept him from doing anything to Roy. He knew that if Al ever found out that Roy had lost an eye, leg, or even received a mere bruise from Ed then Al would be frighteningly angry.
"Stop calling me that, as you can see I don't have a metal arm or leg anymore." Ed said quietly, his whole body shaking with anger.
After that, Ed turned and walked towards the house. He entered and did not head for the kitchen but up the stairs towards Al's room. Jack had set one up for him several years ago upon his first visit. Ed held his hand up to knock on the door, and then thought better of it. He knew where his brother would be. Ed leaped down the stairs and hurried out of the house.
Sure enough, Ed found his brother sitting a ways down the river in the midst of a field of Happy Lamps. Al's spiky hair was being ruffled by a summer's night breeze. His skin was as pale as ever and his grey eyes were a cross between disappointment and anger. If that wasn't enough, there was a big neon sign above his head that said 'Hi, my name is Al and if you talk to me I'll bite your head off!'
Ed sighed and came to stand behind Al, not saying a word. The younger male shifted as to let Ed sit down next to him without damaging the flowers. Ed did so, and waited for his brother to say something. It was a while, probably a good ten minutes before Al began to speak.
"Why?" In that single word were many questions that Ed really didn't want to answer, but knew he would have to anyway.
"Al…"
"Tell me."
"I just don't want to admit that he might be a decent person…I guess. After all those years of him insulting me, giving me horrible missions, and all around making me miserable…I guess I just didn't want to acknowledge him as a person worthy of you. It bugged me that he could make you so happy, and then turn around and make me so angry. You know a little while ago he was egging me on again." Ed didn't look over at Al but knew that he was looking at him.
"You shouldn't let him get to you so much, part of the reason why him and I get along so well is because I don't let his sarcasm get to me. After a while, he gave up on trying getting a reaction out of me, and was actually, well, nice." Al finished, wrapping his arms tightly around his knees.
"Yeah, but you're cute and cuddly. Just one of your 'innocent little kitten' looks, and you could have the whole world under your control!" Al looked sheepishly at the ground at that statement.
"It's true; you could give Bambi a run for his money!" Al only blushed even more when Ed said this.
"Still, I guess I have to approve of it. If I don't, the family will never let me live it down. But just so you know, I'm not happy about it, but I'll accept it." Ed sighed.
Al's face broke out into the happiest smile Ed had ever seen, "You mean it?"
"Yes…" Ed groaned.
Al threw his arms around his brother and squealed cutely in pure bliss, "Thank you Nii-san!"
"Whatever."
Together they headed back to the farm.
Meanwhile, Silly was sitting in the den looking through the history books. She was trying to find her father's name in the military records. Sure enough, she found it. Edward Elric, the Full Metal Alchemist, pg. 247. The Full Metal Alchemist? What kind of a name is that? He has a whole chapter dedicated to him? Oh my god…
Chapter 5
Silly was very afraid. It had been a while since the truth of her father's past had been revealed to her. Al and Roy had been married for about six months now, and Silly now knew from experience that a pregnant Al was extremely frightening. What was worse was that Al, James, and Amelia were all pregnant at the same time. Not only that, but they were all pretty close to the amount of time they had been pregnant, so they were all experiencing the same symptoms at the same time. Al, James, and Amelia were all currently going through mood swings like there was no tomorrow. Just the thought of such a thing could give anyone the creeps, but being their and experiencing the horror was the cause of many, many nightmares.
Silly walked along the one corridor in the large house that pretty much everyone seemed to avoid. It was a good thing, because it had become Silly's hiding place during what she liked to call 'the dark ages'. She turned to a two-panel sliding closet door. Anyone would have thought that it was merely a hall closet, probably with blankets or coats inside. In actuality, when opened, the sliding closet door would reveal a set of stairs that led to the other attic, on the far end of the house. The now eleven year old girl climbed up a few stairs and then closed the door behind her. Darkness enveloped her at the closing of the door, but she had climbed the stairs so many times that she needn't use any light. Silly crawled up the stairs on all fours, just like she had since she was very little. It was odd really that she was the only one to have found this part of the house and used it. Her parents and her grandparents had never mentioned it, nor when she had been there had they ever walked in.
The relieved eleven years old quickly climbed the stairs and ended up in a brightly colored room with comfortable furnishings. Several tall book shelves lined the walls, each one crammed full of thick books. In the center of the room was a cold metal desk, cabinets were the support for it instead of legs. Silly hadn't dared to open the cabinets, and in truth even if she had tried (not saying that she ever had) all of the drawers were locked.
As soon as she had entered the room she had locked the door behind her. When she had first entered the room, playing hide and seek with December, she had spent quite a deal of time admiring the door. It wasn't really all that admirable, or so it would seem to most people. But to Silly it was an amazing piece of work. It looked quite like this:
It was tall and made entirely of metal, and there were many cracks and dents in it. The door knob was wooden, and there were many notches and odd symbols carved into. The side of the door, the one just touching the door jam, was littered with locks of all kinds. Padlocks, combination locks that had the combination written beside it on the side of the door facing the inside of the room, and many keyhole locks that were probably very easy to pick.
Silly sighed and padded over to one of the many book shelves and plucked one thick leather bound book off the highest shelf she could reach. It felt heavy and important in her hands. There was no title on the cover, and she had no idea where it had come from or who had written it. Lifting the large cover and began turning the pages. There was sparse writing in it, and it looked to be a journal of some sort. Even though it was clearly written in English, the terms used and the phraseology was confusing to her. It looked much like her father's handwriting, but she wasn't sure. The writing was cryptic, and there were words that Silly had never even heard of before. The dates at the top of the page would suggest that her father had been fifteen when he had written these notes, if he had written them at all. But the language being use here was way too mature for a fifteen year old, surely. Silly closed the book and set it on the metal table in the middle of the room, not really sure of what to do with it, but not really wanting to put it back on the shelf.
She heard footsteps on the stairs and her head shot up. This was a first. No one ever had found this room, or these stairs, at least while she was up there. She heard the door knob twist, and jiggle. But the door wouldn't budge. Silly had locked all the locks, and waited to see what would happen. Keys were inserted into keyholes, proper combinations were used, and suddenly the door swung open. Silly looked upon the greatly afraid faces of many a people, this group included that she could see: Roy, Ed, Hugh, Hughes, and Steven because he was extremely tall.
Silly sighed, "So, you've finally found my hideout! I've been hiding away in here every time there's an outburst with the pregnant trio."
"Yeah, well it was originally a lab for your mother and me to do alchemic research in, but after you were born we focused more on the farm." Ed explained as he walked in, "I totally forgot about it for a long time, the guys and I were trying to get away from your Aunt, Uncle, and Mother just now."
It was a good thing the room was large and well furnished for in poured: Roy, Ed, Hugh, Hughes, Steven, Joey, Matt, Jimmy, Timmy, Phage, and Jack. So that meant that the only ones still downstairs were the mood swing bunch. Silly sighed in relief as Ed closed and locked the door. Wait, where's December? Uh…oh.
Silly suddenly exclaimed, "Where's December!"
All of guys in the room looked up and shrugged carelessly, "Dunno."
A sudden insane scream echoed from downstairs, "I'm not going to eat a cheese coated grape! I refuse! Get away from me! Heeeeeeelp!"
TBC…