"Are you sure you're up to this?" Roy asked, eyeballing the small bouquet of lilies on the nightstand for the thousandth time with a slight look of disgust as Riza pulled on a necklace. "I know that Doctor Ballard gave you the okay but maybe they could come here?"

Riza straightened her blouse, stepping into her shoes and grabbing a sweater. "I'm positive. We've stalled the meeting of these potential parents long enough. And yes, Roy, I feel fine."

Discouraged, Roy stood from the bed, grabbing her bag before she could even move to take it. They walked downstairs in silence, the quiet only broken when Elysia jumped up at seeing them.

"Auntie Riza, Uncle Roy! How come you're so dressed up?" Elysia smiled, running her hands over Riza's brown skirt, her gaze fixated on Roy's tie as though she didn't understand what purpose it served. "And isn't you supposed to stay in bed? It definitely has been only about one month and Mommy said that you'd hafta stay in here in bed till it's been a whole four months."

Riza smiled slightly, "we are going to see somebody, and my doctor said that it was all right for me to get out of bed for this. But thank you for being such a good nurse, remembering what things I need to do to get better."

Roy nodded and ruffled Elysia's hair. "I promise I'll bring her back okay."

The girl beamed. "Really?"

"Of course," Roy replied. "I think I saw that your mom was making cookies. Why don't you go see if you can help her?" The two watched Elysia scamper off, smiling. Roy stopped at the coat rack, grabbing both coats before trying to help Riza slip hers on.

"You ought to stop that behavior, Roy. People are going to be suspicious," Riza said softly, carefully tugging the coat from his hands and putting it on herself. As she buttoned it, she frowned when she realized that she couldn't reach the lowest button.

"You can't reach those buttons, can you?" Roy chided. "You're almost seven months pregnant and you aren't fooling me. When was the last time you saw your feet while standing?"

The blonde defensively crossed her arms. "That…I…Roy Mustang I am offended!"

"Will you let me do the button, then?" Roy asked.

"If you promise to keep your mouth shut, then you may do whatever you want," she snapped.

Roy contemplated this and then nodded, "Deal." He stopped down slightly and did the remaining buttons before stepping aside to leave her room to pass. As he reached for the door, he leaned just a half a pace closer to her. "Can I say one thing?"

"If you have to."

Carefully, he opened the door. "Maes was right," he mumbled, one hand now resting gently on her side. "You do look beautiful." Comment made, he pressed a quick, chaste kiss on her forehead.

From her position in the kitchen, Gracia snickered as she heard Riza chastise Roy—what if somebody saw—and then the quiet click of her front door closing.

"Hello again Miss Hawkeye, Mister Mustang." The adoption counselor, Patty, seemed beside herself this afternoon, she was in such a pleasant mood. She kept glancing at Roy and Riza's hands, which were loosely together on the armrest as they sat in the waiting room. "I'm glad to see that you're doing so well. It looks like he's been taking good care of you."

Patty had gestured them up and started guiding them to her office as she chattered on, apparently incapable of keeping herself quiet for more than three seconds at any given time. "Now I think I explained this process on the telephone, but basically you'll meet the three couples interested in adopting your child. Are you certain you're feeling up to this? Are you nervous?"

Riza nodded solemnly, her finger's tightening around Roy's slightly. "I am, a little. But it has to be done and putting it off isn't helping anything."

"All right then. Now, they really are all very nice people, honestly. They are all very excited to meet you, too. If you'll just come with me…"

Patty led them to a small room, settling them in. "The first couple is a young one. They just found at that they won't be able to conceive and have been trying to have their own child for over a year."

Just as Patty had said, the first couple was young and they were also both very friendly. The woman was almost in tears as she explained how desperately she wanted a child; the husband had been surprised to learn that both Riza and Roy were in the military.

As Riza and Roy waited for the next couple, Riza shifted her weight uncomfortably. Roy frowned at her, "are you all right?"

She nodded, frowning as well. "It's very sad…that couple wanted their own child so desperately and here I am, I wasn't even trying and I don't want a child…" Riza folded her hands in her lap, gaze focused down at them.

"Well, that's why you're here," Roy said quietly. "You'll make someone very happy."

Presently, the second couple came in, a slightly older man and woman. Their first child, whom they had had young, had entered the state military and been killed in action at Briggs just shy of two years ago. To Roy, it was a shock how widespread military influence was. The husband was apologetic about the whole situation leading up to the pregnancy, and he had been quite open to allowing communication between Riza and the child. The wife, however, was far less accommodating—she was not happy to hear that the mother was in the military and even less comfortable that the biological father was unknown.

Needles to say, neither Roy nor Riza was pleased with this couple. It was clear to Roy as Riza politely excused herself that she was somewhat upset. Patty had time to pop in, and unlike her usual self, she was frowning. "I'm so sorry," she said quietly. "The woman had said she was all right with the fact that you worked with the military…is Miss Hawkeye all right? She seemed a bit upset."

"The woman was a little rude and I don't think Riza's feeling very well anyway. I know that this whole process is making her nervous."

"Ah…are you certain she's up to seeing another couple? They've traveled all the way from Dublith," Patty sighed. "I'm sure if she isn't okay then we can reschedule…"

Riza was just entering the room, slightly ashen. "They've come a long way…I'm all right."

That said, Patty took her leave from the room, saying she'd send the next couple in shortly. Instead of conversing, the two sat in relative silence. It was Riza who first reacted to the couple in the doorway—her jaw dropped slightly and for good measure she blinked several times to clear her vision. Roy was a few moments behind her, and he was just as shocked when he realized who was waiting to speak to them.

"Mister and Misses Curtis," the blonde stammered. Riza was acutely aware of the cold glare that Izumi was directly pointing at them.

"So it's true then. I thought I might have remembered your name wrong," Izumi said quietly. "Apparently not. It's your child, then? The two of you?"

Roy choked on the sip of water he was drinking and Riza could feel the color draining from her face. "N…no," she mumbled, her gaze shifting quickly to the floor. "I was…ah…" she clearly seemed to struggle with wording what had happened. "It wasn't consensual and…"

"It's all right," Izumi finally said, her voice somewhat gentler. "I get it." The dark haired alchemist's gaze softened considerably as the entire situation sank in, and she sat down. "You might be partially responsible for Edward getting involved in the military, but it has always been very easy to forget that you have lives outside of those uniforms."

Roy was sitting silently and Riza had bowed her head, looking nearly ashamed. Closing her eyes and swallowing hard, she mumbled, "You and quite a few others."

That evening, Roy sat and puttered around with some of his neglected paperwork from earlier in the day and Riza sat quietly in bed, staring at the notes she had acquired from the earlier interviews. For the most part, the two worked in relative silence; every once and again she would turn a page or Roy's pen would scribble across the dotted line as he signed whatever form it was that he was working on.

The silence continued diligently until Elysia popped her head in, trying unsuccessfully to balance a tray with three cups on it. Both adults saw the impending disaster and started to move to take something from the girl; Roy got there first and shot Riza quite a nasty look for getting up. Tray now safely removed from her hands, Elysia beamed. "Auntie Riza, we made you hot cocoa! You, and Uncle Roy, and me too!"

Riza smiled tiredly and patted the bed beside her, scooting slightly so Elysia had room to sit. The girl took a half-full cup of hot chocolate from the tray Roy was holding and skipped over to Riza's bed, handing the cup over. She proceeded to do the same with both her cup and then, taking the tray from Roy, handed him his cup. Finally, she climbed up onto the bed and scooted so she was comfortably next to Riza. "Auntie Riza, can I feel if the—"

Without a word, Riza stopped the child with one hand and nodded. Excited, Elysia scooted off the bed and placed her cup on the floor, again climbing back on. After a relatively long process of stretching, smiling and staring, she put both of her small hands on the blonde's swollen stomach. For a few moments, there was silence. Roy watched, completely uncertain of what Elysia could be doing; Riza watching with a look of tired amusement.

After a few minutes of the silence, Riza took the girl's hands and resituated them, slightly lower. At this, Elysia let out a little squeal and clearly pressed her hands harder against Riza's stomach. "Oh! Oh, Uncle Roy come feel this, you hafta feel it!" She jumped out of the bed and ran over to Roy, grabbing one of his hands in both of hers and pulling him along with her as she hurried back to the bed. "Feel, feel!"

Offering the sharpshooter an apologetic look, he did as the three-year-old requested and placed one hand on Riza's stomach. Puzzled, he looked at the mop of golden-brown hair beneath him, completely at a loss for what she wanted him to feel. Glancing up, he saw a slight grimace of pain on Riza's features, and opened his mouth to inquire as to its presence when he felt a sharp kick against his hand. Startled, he snatched his hand back, holding his wrist, coal-black eyes darting between the child and the woman in the room.

"Didja feel the baby moving, Uncle Roy? Didja? Isn't it cool?" Elysia jumped back, grabbing her untouched cup of hot chocolate and taking a large sip. "That's the baby moving! The baby's moving, and Auntie Riza said that I could feel! She said…she said that I prob'ly wouldn't be able to feel the baby move till she kicked hard enough to hurt her." At this realization, Elysia frowned. "Oh no! Auntie Riza did that hurt? Does the baby moving hurt?"

The large quantity of words that Riza had just listened to took a moment to sink in. Once they had, she smiled at the girl and carefully ran her fingers through her hair. "No, it didn't hurt. But the baby is kicking very hard. I think they know that you're excited."

Satisfied with this answer, Elysia looked at Roy, beaming. "Didja feel the baby?"

Dumfounded, Roy nodded. "Yeah," he mumbled, still apparently processing the event. "I did. They are kicking hard."

Riza, who was clearly aware of how taken aback the raven-haired man was, sighed and looked to the little girl cupping her hot chocolate with a proud smile. "Elysia, thank you so much for bringing us hot chocolate. But do you remember how your Uncle Roy and I were out all day today?" The girl nodded. "I haven't done that in a very long time, so I'm very tired, and I think I will go to sleep soon. And it's getting close to your bedtime too," the blonde added teasingly.

As if he had been hovering out the door and waiting for his cue, Maes walked in, seeing the disgruntled look on his friend's face. "Elysia, darling, it's getting late. You need to go to bed now."

"But Daddy Auntie Riza just let me feel the baby move!" She stamped her foot in defiance, pouting.

"It's late," Maes replied calmly, taking the cup from her with one hand and scooping her up with the other. "And Aunt Riza is tired. Don't you think she looks tired, Uncle Roy?" The bespectacled man shot Roy a look over his daughter's shoulder that clearly implied that the raven-haired man was to agree with him.

"Oh, yes," Roy sputtered, catching on perhaps a second too late. Elysia looked unconvinced, and so he continued. "Really, Elysia. We're both tired—you know I got up very early today so I could get work done in the morning. I think I'm going to go to bed soon."

With the most encouraging voice she could muster, Riza piped in. "I think everyone is tired tonight, sweetheart. We're all going to bed."

It was Riza's comment that caused the child to cave and she sank comfortably into her father's arms, still pouting but resigned to the fact that she would be going to bed. "Give Aunt Riza and Uncle Roy a kiss goodnight."

This was a routine that still got under Riza's skin. The gesture was certainly welcome and very sweet, but something about it left her stomach turning. Even still, Elysia leaned in and pressed a kiss against Riza's forehead, reaching out for a hug as well. Carefully, Riza returned the gesture and then sat back, watching the exchange between Roy and the child. Roy seemed more comfortable with the act, probably a result of spending more than a few nights at the Hughes' in the past.

Maes just nodded at them knowingly as he left the room, closing the door over behind him.

"So…that really was the baby?"

She nodded, smiling. Roy hesitantly placed his palm pressed against her stomach again for a good five minutes, feeling until the movement stopped, and tilted his head, grinning like the Cheshire cat. "I didn't know the baby had started moving. When did that happen?"

"A month or so ago. Elysia has been asking when she'll be able to feel the baby kicking…I was certain that if the child's kicking was at the point of hurting me, then someone else would be able to feel." Shifting her weight once again, she sighed. "She's so excited about a new baby, Roy. She doesn't understand that the baby isn't going to stay."

Roy carefully let his hand rest against hers, taking a seat beside her and leaning back against the headboard. "That's why she's still three," he said softly. "She doesn't need to know now. It's not something she'll understand until she's a bit older or until it's happened anyway."

"I know. I wish she did, though," Riza said softly, closing her eyes. For another few moments, they sat in amicable silence. Roy was nodding off, his paperwork discarded and long since forgotten; Riza was looking at the notes she had taken once again.

"You know," she said quietly, turning slightly so she could see him. Roy groggily opened one eye and looked at her. "I think I've made a decision."

Author's Notes: New chapter! I'm getting a little sad, the story is almost over! I'm planning to write a series of omakes for the end (scenes that I love but just wouldn't fit into the original story, or original versions of scenes that I edited, etc.). Furthermore, I have some little epilogue type bits I want to add. I'm thinking maybe another two, maybe three full chapters before the end. So very sad!

Please read and review!

Oh yeah. I still don't own FMA, either. Just in case you didn't know that.