In Times of Peace

Chapter Eleven

Shopping Again

Ed decided this time he would come with them when Winry took the boys shopping. He had made sure that his Dad and Al didn't mind babysitting the younger two, then they were taken to town by the driver.

Once again, they stopped at the café for lunch before they were to do their shopping. Yuery would be attending a private school this year instead of the tutor he'd had last year, so he needed uniforms as well as some new play clothes. Will would be staying under the tutor this year, but he needed new shoes, and his pants were getting tight.

If possible, they received more stares than they had last time they had come into the café. Edward did tend to stand out, even when he was trying to blend in. There were very few people who shared his exact coloration, and none other than himself that had regularly appeared in the papers since he was a teenager.

He ignored the looks and his family followed his lead. The waitress was the same as the last time they came in, she seemed relieved they had returned even after dealing with that reporter. Ed and Winry didn't hold the waitress or café responsible for what had happened. They couldn't have predicted that a famous mother was going to be harassed that day.

Yuery was still bothered by the way everyone looked at them. It felt like wherever they went out somewhere people were always staring at him. He pushed his glasses further up his nose but did his best to follow his Dad's lead and ignore everyone around them.

They finished the meal without an issue and headed to their next stop. A shop that sold school uniforms. Yuery was quickly fitted, before Winry took William next door to look for new shoes for him and Ed crossed the street with Yuery to look for play clothes.

Ed was tense the whole time Winry, and Will were shopping alone, despite having the driver tail his wife and son in case of trouble. Ed was confidant in his ability to defend Yuery. As he was finishing up the payment at the register, the reporter Tracy as she introduced herself, came up to attempt to ask him questions.

"Look Lady. We've already told you to back off. We already sued you. What more do I have to do to get you away from my sons because if you need a jail cell to keep you away then that is what I will do." Ed said to the woman.

She pressed on anyway, demanding to know the story of Yuery's real mother as she put it. "Mom is my real mother. She loves me. My first mom died to keep me safe. I got a little scar, but she died altogether. I don't remember her, but she loved me."

"That is enough." Ed said angrily. "You will leave my wife and children alone."

"Are you threatening me? The people have a right to know!" the reporter demanded.

"No. The people have a right to know that their Fuhrer is doing everything he can to keep them safe and happy. They have a right to know the political plans of the leadership." Ed said with a frown. "They do not have the right to know what my seven-year-old son remembers about a woman who died when he was three months old."

"They have a right to know how a man who had made clearly bad choices plans to make good choices for the people." She said. "How are you to run the country when you can't run your life? A few years ago, Dante Flamel wrote all about you to several papers. How you managed to have three sons by three mothers when you were just a child yourself. How can we trust your judgement?"

"Dante Flamel was insane. She didn't know me, no matter what she claimed in her stories. We met exactly twice before she wrote that article. Both conversations were brief." Ed said while mentally cursing the woman. She was dead and still causing him grief.

"But you don't deny that she was right." She said with a smirk.

Ed looked down at his son, who was staring at the woman with large eyes. "I don't deny my children, no. I love them. Yuery's mother, as he knows and told you, died when he was three months old shielding her baby. William's mother died when he was only a little bigger than that when a group of men kidnapped her to make an example of what they thought of my father. Winry is my wife. I love her very much; she was my best friend when we were children and helped me through some really dark times. She loves our sons and daughter equally. There is no dark secret here."

"What about the rumors of William's paternity?" she pressed.

"William's birth records, all birth records, are a matter of public record. I'm sure you've already looked." Edward said coldly.

Before the woman could say anything else Ed took Yuery's hand and walked out of the shop. Outside Winry and William were waiting, so Ed ushered them quickly toward the car. He was visibly angry, though Winry refrained from asking anything the question was clear in her eyes. He shook his head, and muttered "Not here."

As soon as they got in the car, Yuery said. "Who's Dante Flamel?"

"What?!" Winry demanded, her eyes wide as she turned to her husband. The woman was dead and buried, how could she still be a threat?

"Apparently Dante's editorial about me is that reporter's source material." Edward said with a sigh. "I suppose I should be grateful she never seemed inclined to bring up the Potters."

"What are you going to do about it?" Winry asked in concern.

"We already sued the paper once; I'll do it again. I'll sue over every article she writes about my sons until she is broke or fired or both." Ed said. "I would love to just punch her for hurting my kid, but she hasn't done anything to them."

"Is Dante ever going to go away?" Winry asked with a sigh as she stared out of the window. "Isn't there anyway to discredit her?"

"I'll have to talk to Al." Ed said with a frown. "I have an idea, but not unless Al's on board as well."

Winry nodded as they pulled up to the house. They grabbed the various bags from the shopping trip and went inside, immediately greeted by their younger two children. Winry lead them upstairs to unpack the bags and put the younger ones down for a nap while Ed went in search of his brother and father.

Al and Roy were in the library when Ed walked in. Something in his expression told them they had a problem. Ed was quick to assure them that Winry and the boys were fine. Then he sat between them "That reporter is quoting Dante as her source material for these rumors she's starting."

"Dante." Roy growled as Al closed his eyes suddenly looking exhausted.

"I…have an idea on how to shut this down. I need to clear it with you first" Ed said.

"What are you thinking?" Roy asked.

"Announce that Hohenheim, our birth father, was her husband. That she was still bitter over his affair with our birth mother, and she decided to target us with her aggression instead of her husband." Ed said. Claiming his mother was nothing but an affair left a bitter taste in his mouth, even though he had long assumed it to be so inside his mind.

"I can see how this could work." Al said thoughtfully. "Our father and Edward share an uncanny resemblance. It was the source of her ire. I think this would be better received coming from me rather than you or Dad Brother. I wouldn't want anyone to accuse you of making things up."

"Share the photos. Just this once, share the photos to prove it." Ed said unhappily. It was his plan, but he still didn't like it.

Al nodded before leaving for the study. He intended to get started right away on a first draft of the statement. Ed just frowned as he took his brother's place at the table, no bothering to look at what AL had been researching. Roy offered him a brittle smile, and a calm assurance that everything would be fine.