Chapter 4: Four Years Later

Princess Sango

4 years later…

Riza sighed as Roy and Rachel were going over alchemy techniques. She didn't approve of the it, because alchemy at a young age is something that leads to the thinking of Ed and Al with death. She guess that many more would be willing to try if they happen to go through that, but kind of think of it, it doesn't matter what age you start at because Roy, Ed, Al, and Tucker all tried to mess with life. Hayate was laying peacefully sprawled out on the floor in a sleep only he would know of.

The door swung open and Ed and Edmund, Ed's son, walked through the door. Riza smiled at the little boy before turning to Ed, "Children aren't permitted in the office."

Ed's eyes shifted to Rachel and Roy and pointed a metallic thumb at them, "So why is Rachel here?"

Roy looked up from what he was doing, "That's unfair Ed, you know I can't leave Rachel at home or send her off to school like your son."

Ed grabbed his son by the collar of his shirt before he could run off and try to cause mischief, "He'll behave Riza. Right?" He gave his son an unwavering glance.

Edmund's golden eyes hit his father's for a minute, "Yes."

Riza sighed, "So you're hear to chat or do you have real work to do here?"

"I have to drop of my reports. You know, about the stone search and the gate," Ed said and pulled out his folder and placed it on Riza's desk. Edmund had quietly crept to where Roy and Riza were and watched them go through simple transmutations. Edmund smiled and pointed at the circle, "I can do one too, can I show you?"

Ed held onto his collar then, "Time to go you."

Edmund pouted, "But we just got here! I don't want to go back home!"

Ed sighed, "Look we can go somewhere fun, I don't have to go back home until tonight."

Edmund was still pouting though, "There's going to be no one to play with."

Ed was slowly getting mad when Rachel tugged on her dad's sleeve, "Can I play with Edmund daddy? I really want to play now."

Roy was unsure now, Ed usually gets mad easy and Rachel seemed to be in between girly-girl and tom boy. Roy looked up at Ed and he shrugged, "I don't mind, I'll take them to a park or something."

Roy sighed, "You better take care of her, Fullmetal, she gets badly hurt and you're dead."

Ed smirked, "Okay, I'll just send her back with a couple cuts."

Roy held up his hand, ready to burn him to a crisp, "Fullmetal…"

Ed held up his hands, "I was just kidding. Come on Rachel, Edmund, oh Roy you're going to have to meet me at the train station." He made sure they were both ready before taking their leave.

Riza turned back to the report Ed had left here, "Do you want it now sir?"

Roy shook his head, "Riza, I'm looking for Rachel's parents."

Riza's back straightened and immediately became alert, "Why would you do that? You're both happy right?"

"We are but you know…I feel guilty. Like she should know who her parents are. She knows me as her father, but when she learned the word mom from another kid saying it, and asked me what it is. I didn't have any clue how to describe it, but I told her that her mom was away," Roy spilled to Riza.

"I don't think you'll find them," Riza whispered and then also added, "And you shouldn't have told her that her mom was away." Riza felt a twinge of guilt, because it was all so true, her mom was so close, and that he wouldn't find them, because the two people in this very room are them. This guilt came back from time to time but she knew that no matter what, Roy wouldn't know.

"What makes you think that?" Roy asked as he started to clean up the area Rachel and him were working at.

"It's just a feeling sir. You tend to think you will know everything but when it all comes down to it, you can't know everything. We only know her birthday but other than that we have no clue what town or anything among the essentials. A baby born out of wedlock would make it twice as hard, seeing as the child might not have been birthed at a hospital or with a doctor. It just seems too hard sir," Riza answered with a cool head.

She had always wondered if Roy knew how well they could, the three of them, pull off being a family. After all, when Rachel had grown enough to walk and talk on her own, people started saying how much Roy and Rachel looked alike. Smiling, Riza would agree, but then some people would pull her into the picture as well. They happened to notice the color of her eyes and linked her with them. Then she would dream about it, becoming a huge family as they joked about it, but she knew it could be real, if they both dropped out of the military.

Roy smirked, "Don't underestimate me."

"Okay, I won't then. Good luck on mission impossible, but I'll just get the last laugh when you don't find anything out," Riza smirked. She knew it was impossible, because the people who he was looking for were in this very room. The pang of guilt hit her but she shrugged it off and smiled.

Awhile passed and Roy noticed it was getting late, "Riza, I'm going to have to leave to go get Rachel. Are you okay with it?"

Riza looked up from her work, "Go on ahead, I'll see you tomorrow, I have a few last things I wish to finish."

"Sure?" Roy asked cautiously, not wanting her to get upset with him.

"I'll be fine. I have a gun and Hayate to keep me company today. Trust me, I'll be okay," Riza assured him as Roy opened the door and left. She sighed and turned back to her paperwork. The document Roy had Ed leave for him was there, and she picked it up and leafed through it. She wasn't really interested in alchemy and all that, but Riza was curious about the gate, because there was the theory of two worlds.

Opening the first page though, instead of the gate, as was the report as supposed to be, it was something else. Leafing through there were reports on babies being born to the month that Rachel was born. In horror she dropped the report, shock running through her mind. Riza's mind was going back, she was trying to remember if she made the registration of Rachel's birth private.

Then again, she wasn't sure if even a private record of birth could be found out by the mere fact that it was a state alchemist as well-known as Flame and Fullmetal. She wasn't sure what kind of power that holds. With a steady hand now, she picked it up and tried to find a clue to where Rachel's name might be. Riza scanned each page and soon noticed that all the doctors notes on that mother and child were there also.

Closing it, Riza realized that this report had anything to do about babies check-ups and there births in that month, along with pregnancies check-ups. Riza sighed, knowing that she would have to read each and every one of those reports before she gave it back to Roy. The moment she found the information on Rachel and herself, and took it out, is the moment she would give it back.

Grabbing the file and stuffing it into her bag, she started to finish up so she could leave quickly. Roy wouldn't think much of a report gone missing anyways. It's happened many times, and sometimes they had to redo the whole document. She knew she had to read it fast in order to get it back before they notice, and then before Ed has to do this report all over again.

A couple minutes passed before Riza and Hayate left. Riza hadn't taken the car today, Roy had picked her up because her car had a flat. She began walking to the apartment, feeling perfectly safe. Within ten minutes, she was home and preparing her and her dog's meal. The report that she had borrowed was out of her mind for the night. Coincidently, tomorrow was Riza's day off so she decided to devote herself to that, so hopefully the next day after, she could return it.

Meanwhile…

Roy sighed with relief as he noticed Ed was still at the train station. Getting out of his car he went out to meet them. Rachel smiled and ran to her dad, and he picked her up and ruffled her hair, "Did you have a good time?"

Rachel nodded, "Yeah! It was tons of fun!" She was all smiles and everything.

Roy turned to Ed, "You didn't have to lie about the report."

Ed shrugged, "I thought you should tell her your plans, not me. Does she know?"

"She knows about the plan but not about what's in the report," Roy answered.

Ed sighed and nodded, before hearing the speaker tell them the train was ready for them. Smiling he saluted before picking up Edmund, who was half-asleep. "See you later!" Ed called it over his shoulder, and then boarded the train.

Rachel smiled in Roy's arms, "Daddy, next time Edmund comes here can we play with him and his daddy? Please?" He nodded, but inside he was wondering if this could be either a friendship or even more. Roy could imagine it happening, but the thought of being related in anyway to Fullmetal nerved him. Putting Rachel down, he made sure she went into the passenger seat before going around to the driver's seat himself.

Rachel was soon asleep though, when the car started moving. Roy tried to keep her awake by talking but to no avail, she had fallen sound asleep. Roy sighed and then noticed that he had left a report in his office, the report Ed had made. Not wanting to wake Rachel, he decided to get it tomorrow and headed home.

TBC…