--- Who I Am ---
"Listen to me! You have to take her. Her life is in danger if I keep her. You know as well as I know that this never should of happened. I have my own family and life to live. I will never forget her, but I need to forget you and this whole mess. Take her, she is your daughter..."
A woman under an oversized brown cloak stood in the rain as the cold winter breeze blew by. She tightened her grip on the pink bundle in her arms as she spoke to the man standing in the doorway of the old Ishbal house. The man was half hidden by the shadows of the night as his arm held open the small door. His red eyes were visible through the darkness as he stared down at the smaller woman and the bundle she held. The wind blew again as the woman tightened her grip on her hood, preventing her identity to be revealed.
"...Please, take her!"
The man hesitated a moment more. The sounds of men running through the mud became louder as the hunters approached the small house. Words of bodily harm reached their ears as the woman became scared. She did not belong in this village and her life was in danger just being there. The man's eyes showed coldness as the woman bowed her head, tears streaking her face. She gently opened the blanket and revealed a rosy checked baby. Running her hand down the baby's cheek, she then leaned in to kiss the innocent child's forehead, leaving a single tear drop on it's face.
"I will never forget you... my little Alexis."
The woman lifted her head and handed the bundle to the man. The man took the baby into his arms and held it close to his body for warmth, covering the small child's cold face. The woman tucked her hand into her cloak and pulled out a necklace and kissed it softly; a silver star pendent on a purple cord; and placed it on the bundle. The woman took one last look at the baby then ran off, just before the man closed the door and the hunting men ran past the small dirt house.
Once inside, the man approached the fire place and sat down in a chair. He pulled back the cloth from the baby and stared into the pink face of a newborn baby girl. He stared at the baby as she began to wake up and coo into the night for her mother. Bright red eyes and a puff of blonde hair sat atop her head. Two strands of silver draped along the baby's face like a frame. Finally, she woke up and began to cry. The sound of crying filling the small hut.
-- Twelve Years Later --
"Morning papa! Morning mommy!"
A small boy, no older then six with short blond and black mixed hair approached the grain staircase in the Fuhrer's estate. He had dark amber eyes and a missing front tooth grin. Sporting his favorite dragon tee shirt and worn out blue jeans, he slid down the railing and was caught at the end by his father who happened to be walking past.
"Morning Ryan."
Roy Mustang smiled as he put his son on the ground and allowed the boy to run of to find his mother. Roy then proceeded to fix his shirt which did not want to be tucked straight into his uniform pants. Giving up to a lost cause, Roy followed his son into the kitchen where he found his wife leaning over the kitchen counter messing around in a small red metal lunch box. He smiled at the sight of his son climbing atop the bar stool to get a better look at what was for lunch. The sight of his blonde angle was nice too as she fixed up the grade schooler's lunch.
"Did you pack my cookies?"
"Yes Ryan, I packed your cookies..."
"Juice?"
"Yes..."
"No crust?"
"No crust..."
Riza replied as she packed everything into the small box then closed the lid. She pushed it across the kitchen island counter and the boy picked it up, jumping off the stool and running to the front door. Roy walked past his running son and leaned on the counter, looking like he just crawled out of the dryer.
"Did you pack 'my' cookies?"
Roy smiled and tried to sound childish which Riza felt was his every day voice. His grin only grew when he received the death glare from his wife. She straightened up and arched her back backwards stretching all her swore joints and muscles. Roy's smile grew when he marveled at how well today's outfit fit her slender form. Of course all his new found fantasies for that night were trampled on as she walked out from behind the island and remained sideways looking at the calendar on the adjacent wall. Her stomach was twice it's normal size. After arching her back once more, she placed her hands on her bulging stomach and smiled.
"Only another month an a half left and then I can get back to normal. And I swear, you touch me again 'Playboy Roy', and you'll be packing your 'cookies' in ice for a year!"
Roy gulped at his wife's threat but still smiled. Riza turned to face him and saw his current look. She walked over and began to straighten him out. She fixed his shirt collar and unbuttoned his crooked buttons, only re buttoning them seconds later. Over the years, she managed to train her nimble fingers to work uniform buttons quite well. She stepped back and sighed.
"Your son dresses himself better then you do. Are you still nervous?"
Riza smiled as she pulled his shirt out of his pants and fixed him up. He had a major meeting today and he had been nervous all weekend. After the shirt was un tucked, Riza managed to tuck it back in perfectly. Before she could move away, she felt a hand push into her lower back and force her to take a few more steps closer to Roy. She looked up into his face just as he placed his lips onto her's. Normally she was the one to break the kiss, but today...
"Ewww! Gross!"
The couple parted and took deep breaths as they looked to the front door where Ryan stood making a grossed-out face.
"Just wait until you hit high school..."
Roy smiled. He approached Ryan at the front door and pulled his Fuhrer's cap off the rack. He dropped it on his son's head and smiled.
"Don't think I forgot today is show and tell. Just don't loose it okay?"
Ryan's smile grew as he adjusted the oversized hat so he could see. He held the hat on his head as he ran outside, lunch box in hand. A military car stood parked in the long driveway with the driver outside smoking a cigarette. Ryan ran to the car and opened the front passenger door, jumping inside and buckling up. Roy approached the back driver's side door, grabbed the driver's cigarette, stomped it out, then got into the car. The driver, Jean Havoc, smiled then got into the driver's seat. Riza approached the window of the car and smiled as Roy rolled it down.
"You know, your never gonna get it back."
"I'm the Fuhrer, I can get another."
He kissed her cheek as she stepped away, allowing the car to drive off.