A/N: SORRY, it's bring your parent to school not work, my bad. Kind of like the barley thing huh?
Devoted Soldier
Riza tried to pull Tommy's coat tighter around him as they waited for Molly's train to arrive. "You're sure your warm enough," she asked and Tommy nodded vigorously. "Maybe you shouldn't have come."
The Smith men and Riza had gone to the "Train station" in Eureka to welcome Molly back from the city and drive her back home. She had stayed in the city an extra five days. It was a gloomy day and Riza was sitting on the bench with Tommy while Ben and Geoffrey were standing at the end of the platform waiting for the first sight of the train.
"No Riza I have to be her to see mom when she comes off the train."
"Okay," she said unsurely, even though it had been a whole week since his cold, she didn't want any relapses.
"Look Dad, look!" She heard Ben exclaim from their watch post at the platform. Riza could barely see a speck making its way closer to the station. "YAYE!" he exclaimed running over to Riza and Tommy's bench. Tommy and Ben started jumping up and down from excitement.
"Calm down boys," Geoffrey said chuckling and walking up to them "The train will take a few minuets to reach here." Even though Geoffrey was speaking calmly Riza could see the anticipation in his eyes.
The train stopped slowly up to the platform and they waited for Molly to come out. There were very few other passengers and they left the train slowly. When Molly came out she dropped her suitcase and the happy family reunited with a hug and Geoffrey gave his wife a welcome home kiss. Riza watched from the bench and started to feel like a fifth wheel, so she went to Molly's forgotten suitcase and loaded it into the car parked nearby.
After she put the suitcase in the trunk she turned around to see the family walking towards her. She heard them discussing the baby and Molly's sister. The two boys couldn't wait until they could meet their newest cousin.
"Now Riza," Molly said placing her hands on her hips, "you've taken care of my kids for a week and now you carry my suitcase for me. I feel replaced."
Geoffrey stepped behind her and put his hands around her waist, "She could never replace you darling." He said nuzzling her hair "No offense Riza."
"None taken," she said smiling uncomfortably, she wasn't used to people showing affection around her. "I think though we should return back to the house. It looks like it might rain soon."
"I guess your right, besides I want to get home where seats have padding." Molly said rubbing her bottom "It's not enough that I had to care day and night for a baby but I spent the trip on the train on hard wooden benches."
The family got into the car and headed home, but unknown to Riza another person she knew was getting off of the train. A raindrop splattered onto his nose as he got off of the train. He put on his hat and then shoved his hands into his coat pockets shielding his hands from the soaking rain drops.
"Damn, I hate rain," He mumbled looking for the officer the military guaranteed to be there to greet him. A man came up to him and saluted, he must've figured out that he was the Colonel visiting since he was the only passenger to get out of the first class car.
"May I ask if you are Colonel Mustang?"
Roy saluted and nodded.
"Good I'm Second Lieutenant Curtis and I will be your guide."
"Thanks now do you think that we could get out of this rain?" Roy said impatiently.
"Yes Sir!" Curtis saluted and then picked up Roy's suitcase, "If you would follow me to the car," he said before walking to a black military car. "You will be staying with the commanding officer of this fort Lieutenant Colonel Charles Remy." He said once they started driving down Main Street
Roy tiredly sighed "Right."
The next day Molly never came down in the morning and Riza decided to let her sleep. Riza did what she had been doing for the family for the last couple of weeks. She prepared the breakfast and said goodbye to everyone she even made some coffee for Molly, for when she woke up.
Riza heard thumping coming down the stairs and Molly exclaim "Twelve already!" She ran into the kitchen where Riza was and stole the plate and rag and started to clean the dishes.
"Calm down Molly you should probably rest, last night it looked like you were about to sleep on your feet." Riza took the rag and plate back and Molly went and sat down at a chair.
"Your right about that," Molly said as Riza poured her a cup of coffee. "Baby's are bundles of joy but they do cry a lot. I was up night and day trying to quiet the baby down. My poor sister was too weak to get out of bed."
Molly took a sip of her coffee, "It didn't help that I had to spend a day and a half sitting on those hard wooden benches on the train. But don't worry Riza!" she said slamming the cup on the table, "I'll be up in no time at all," She got up and started walking to the laundry room. "how about I do some laundry!"
"Wait Molly," Riza said following her, "You can't do that, we're out of washing detergent." Molly stopped in her tracks.
"I feel like such an outsider," Molly said sniffling.
"What?" Riza said alarmed she had no idea what Molly was talking about.
"I go away and I'm forgotten."
"Oh," Riza said relived she walked over to Molly and tried her best to cheer her up. "You weren't forgotten the whole time I was here I was wondering how you did all of this work and still stayed sane. I was barely hanging on."
Molly looked up and wiped her cheeks "Really?"
"Of course, I thought 'Molly must really love Geoffrey, Thomas and Ben to do all of this for them and enjoy it. I envied you even more every day hoping one day I will find my own husband and family someday."
"I'm sure you will Riza, but do you want to know the key to love I will let you in on what my mother told me." Molly said smiling.
"Sure," Riza said smiling, anything to stop Molly from being depressed.
Molly leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Devotion."
Riza's eye's grew wide she didn't know why that word rang in her head over and over like an alarm bell. "Why devotion?" she said warily.
"Because that's what marriage is basically, of course parts of love is passion, trust, romance and friendship but the reason why I think above all else love needs devotion is because some days there may not be passion or, you fought and hate each other but it's that devotion that's going to keep you by their side, through thick… and thin." Molly looked at Riza with a concerned look on her face, "Riza are you okay?"
Riza snapped back into reality "Oh I must be hungry, let's make lunch and maybe go outside."
"That sounds like a great idea let's have a picnic. I'll get the soap at the store later." Molly said running into the kitchen.
"Molly I told you to rest, I'll go get the soap later."
The two ended up lounging about the whole day until Riza looked at the clock and decided that she should leave and walk to town and get the soap while Molly started dinner.
When she was heading back to the smiths holding a back of soap she couldn't help going over what Molly had said, 'devotion' why did that ring a bell. Then flashbacks of comments people had made to her. "You're scary devoted to that Colonel," she had brushed that off. "You must be quite devoted to that Colonel if you do overtime just to make sure he does his paperwork." And "I think you're the most devoted subordinate here in the East, wait scratch that you're probably the most devoted in the State." She had always thought that being devoted was a good thing especially to your superior.
She was a devoted soldier and that's it, Molly had said trust, friendship, romance and passion were also parts of love. But then she did trust the Colonel with her life. And she could say that they had a type of friendship. As for passion and romance, she had never had any of those feelings towards the Colonel… but she wouldn't mind them.
"I did not just think that," Riza said out loud, scaring cows in a pasture by the road. This wasn't the first time Riza had ever thought about the Colonel in that way. When she first started working under him she had developed a crush on him, it had died though slowly after she had started to really know him and his habits. Like his pride, procrastination and womanizing. Over time she had started to accept his procrastination and pride, she didn't ever think she could accept his womanizing. She trudged up the pathway to the back of the Smith's house.
"Stop it!" she said trying to get her mind off of that certain train of thought, "How about I just don't think of him until I get a call from Central? That sounds like a excellent idea Riza." She said answering herself before she walked into the kitchen of the Smith's house.
"Hello Riza did you get the detergent?" Molly said stirring some pasta on the stove.
"Yes, I think I'll go put it back in the laundry room." Riza said before walking out of the room.
"Riza we have a guest, you might want to ..." Molly stopped talking when she realized her friend had left.
Riza walked from the kitchen and started walking down the hall she paused confused when she heard Geoffrey talking in the sitting room. The phone was in the hall and it didn't sound like a conversation Geoffrey would be having with his pre-teen sons. She crept close to the door and listened closer to the conversation within.
"Here we have little to offer the country other than our apples so of course we are happy to have a fort in our town makes us feel… important." Geoffrey said that.
"I don't think you need the military here to feel important." She knew that voice, it was the voice of the one the only Colonel.
"Colonel?" she said bursting through door that separated her from her commanding officer "What are you doing here?" she asked him and remembering her manners she saluted "Sir."
"Well Lieutenant," Roy said nonchalantly "I am here awaiting a home cooked meal. What are you doing here?"
"What?" she said lowering her hand confused, "Do explain Sir?"
A/N: Muhaha I shall leave it there!
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