Disclaimer: Don't own FMA (or Gilmore Girls).
Author's Note: Yay Christmas chapter! Really, it's only here because it covers a few things all at once and it's CUTE. That's pretty much it. And yes, you read that disclaimer correctly. The Gilmore Girls crossover continues in this, but only because in the future I'm going to need some non-military characters particularly women, and these guys work nicely. In other words, they are here because I'm lazy, and will only pop up when necessary. Ummm yeah that's it. Merry Christmas everyone!
Chapter Three
It was Christmas Eve, and snow was just beginning to make its presence known. The gifts had been wrapped – the old fashioned way, Riza insisted, whereas Alphonse wanted to try using alchemy – and tied with gold bows, impeccable; nothing less was expected of the stern second lieutenant.
As such, she was currently fixing Al's tie (everyone knows that the tying of ties is a feminine skill, after all). "Aunt Riza," he whined, trying to wriggle away. "Do I really have to wear a tie?"
She raised an eyebrow, and he was instantly still, letting the officer do her work. A few moments and tugs later, she was satisfied. "There, don't you look handsome?"
"I guess," he mumbled and went to find his coat.
Riza shook her head as she slipped her own on; she'd grown very fond of her young charge, but boys – even young ones – were certainly not her area of expertise, particularly not ones she couldn't threaten by firing a few rounds without social services showing up on her doorstep.
Soon, they were out the door – each with a present tucked under their arm and overstuffed duffel over their shoulder – and trudging through the light covering of snow to the Hughes residence.
Riza reached forward and rang the doorbell, only to hear Gracia call out, "Come on in!"
The pair exchanged a brief look, shrugged, and did as instructed.
The living room was all ready for a party, garlands draping down banisters, a wonderful tree lit and ready for decorations and the distinctive scent of shortbread and gingerbread cookies creeping in from the kitchen.
Gracia emerged presently, wiping her palms on her apron. "Early as always!" she smiled, and wrapped Riza in a friendly hug before doing the same to Alphonse.
"I thought you might need some help," Riza offered, handing her present to Al so he could slip them under the tree.
"Oh, no, you're a guest. And I'm afraid we've got everything under control for once." She abandoned the apron and stood thoughtful for a moment. "Though, you could watch the eggnog to make sure the boys don't spike it. We have youngsters attending this year."
Riza couldn't help but laugh. "I think that's one mission beyond even me."
"Oh, well, at least try. I have some extra tucked in the back just in case," Gracia giggled.
Soon their coats and bags were hung, and Riza was sitting near the table, prepared to reach for her sidearm should anyone try to contaminate the precious holiday beverage.
Mustang and Edward showed up next, and instantly the two young boys were running about the house, ties loosened and hair thoroughly ruffled.
Roy approached Hawkeye, and as disarming as his smile was, and as handsome as he looked all gussied up, she couldn't help but frown when she saw him eyeing the punchbowl full of eggnog. "Don't even think about it, sir."
"Aww, come on, Hawkeye," he whined, pulling up a chair to sit with her. "I know you like your eggnog with a generous helping of rum."
"This is true," she agreed. "But the boys?"
He grumbled, "Unfair."
Rolling her eyes, she ladled him a serving of the beverage. "There, if you must you can intoxicate yourself one cup at a time."
"It's just not the same," he sighed, gratefully accepting her offering and pulling a small flask from his pocket. "But I suppose it'll have to do."
The rest of the guests – including all the men from Mustang's team and one large, sparkly Major Armstrong – arrived, and eventually, Gracia managed to herd the Elrics back into the living room and hand them a box of ornaments to hang on the tree.
Their task was mostly complete when Roy made his way over to admire their handiwork. "It looks good," he told them, ruffling Ed's hair. He went to do the same to Alphonse, but instead found the boy sniffling a little and rubbing at his eyes, gazing forlornly into the box. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I dropped it," the younger Elric mumbled pointing inside at the pile of splintered gold glass, the remains of the tree-topper.
"Well, let's fix it then, shall we?" He patted the boy comfortingly on the shoulder before digging around in his pockets for a piece of chalk. "Ah, here we go," he said, handing over the little white stump.
Al dropped to his knees and set about drawing the circle on the ground and Mustang gently set the broken pieces in the center. "There," he said. "Looks like you're ready."
The boy easily transmuted the ornament back to mint condition, and Roy hoisted him up in his arms so he could put it on top of the tree while Ed wiped the chalk off the floor.
From her vantage point near the refreshments, Riza watched this exchange and smiled, casting her superior officer a knowing look as he approached her in search of another helping of eggnog.
"You know, sir," she remarked casually, "you'd make a wonderful father."
He startled a little at her words, more than a little surprised to realize that they might even be true. After a moment's hesitation, he shot her a grin, "And you'd make quite the mother."
The doorbell rang and they both called out simultaneously, "Come in!"
"Hello, hello!" a jubilant voice rang out, and a dark-haired woman burst through the door, a little girl – a perfect miniature of her mother, around Al's age – in tow.
"Lorelai!" Gracia squeaked, running to give the woman a hug. "You made it!"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world," she beamed, moving to hug Riza. She caught sight of the charming lieutenant colonel. "Oh, who's this?"
"I'm sorry. Lorelai, this is my commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang. Sir, this is Lorelai Gilmore. She's the one Gracia and I meet for lunch in Stars Hollow every Wednesday."
Lorelai cast a slightly flirtatious look toward her new acquaintance. "And this is my . . . where did she go?" The trio looked around the room – where there were many military men already significantly inebriated – to find the younger Gilmore shyly introducing herself to Al. "That's my daughter, Rory."
More pleasantries were exchanged, and Roy excused himself to check on Ed.
"Well, he's certainly attractive," Lorelai commented, watching him walk away.
Riza shrugged a bit uncomfortably but otherwise didn't respond.
"It's no wonder you like him so much," her companion grinned.
"He's my commanding officer," the blonde corrected. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"Yeah, right," Lorelai grumbled and set about finding some spiked eggnog for herself.
The party continued merrily, and eventually most of the men were passed out on various surfaces throughout the house. Maes brought in an old gramophone and began twirling Gracia around the room. Havoc soon spotted Lorelai and claimed her as a dance partner, dodging as Al and Rory tried to teach one another to dance, but just wound up spinning round in circles until they were dizzy.
Roy sat down beside her with a groan. "Quite the party, isn't it?"
She nodded, chuckling when she spotted Edward snoring on the couch, using Breda for a pillow.
Mustang watched Al and his partner thoughtfully for some time, nursing a hot cup of coffee. "Do they remind you of anyone?" he asked finally, remembering a much younger Riza clumping along in her mother's high heels.
She glanced at him briefly. "I suppose so. That was a very long time ago."
"Do you still remember?" he queried, finishing off his coffee. "How to dance?"
"Of course," she smiled. "Is that an invitation?"
"Maybe."
And soon they were cheek to cheek, spinning expertly around the other couples, both literally and figuratively.
"Show off," Havoc scoffed, dipping Lorelai in an effort to show them up, but her 'spazzy' dancing skills (her words, not his) in conjunction with his limited coordination when inebriated resulted in them falling to a tipsy, giggly heap on the floor.
Roy sent a smirk in Havoc's direction as the music slowed, leaving them to merely sway from side to side, a friendly distance between their bodies; familiarity.
The clock struck twelve, signaling that it was Christmas at last, and the children – the two that were awake, that is – rejoiced and ran about the room, sending a 'Merry Christmas!' in the way of anyone who looked mildly coherent.
"Merry Christmas, sir," Riza whispered, drawing close for a moment to lay her head against his shoulder. His arm tightened around her waist, but she soon wrenched free, kneeling beside Edward to gently prod him awake.
It didn't take long to bundle the Elrics up once more and gather their things.
"The party was wonderful," Riza told Gracia, glancing over briefly to see Maes unloading the leftover cookies on Roy. "Are you sure you can handle these characters on your own?"
"We'll be fine. This isn't the first time they've gotten smashed here, you know."
Riza smiled and bade her friend farewell with a hug. After a few more goodbyes and well-wishes for the holidays – prolonged by Maes – Mustang, his subordinate and their young charges were out the door and on their way home.
Hawkeye finally managed to get the Elrics settled down and tucked into bed when she walked into Mustang's living room to find him spreading out blankets on the couch.
"I told them to go to sleep or all they'd get is coal," she said, bending to help him.
"Are you sure you don't want my room?" he asked, eyeing the couch. "This can't possibly be good for your back."
She shrugged, working at unloading the presents under the Christmas tree – which they'd managed to attain and decorate earlier in the week. "Can't be worse than Ishbal."
She always said that when she couldn't come up with a better response. He figured it was because it was always true. "All right," he sighed. "Can't say I didn't offer."
"Thank you, though," she said, rifling through her duffel for her toothbrush. "For letting us have Christmas here this year."
"Of course. Wouldn't want the boys to have to celebrate the holidays apart, would we?'
She smiled a little. "Regardless, it was a generous offer, sir."
He started making his way back to his own room, but stopped momentarily, not even turning to face her. "Besides, it's like reliving old times."
"That it is, sir."
It was the crack of dawn, and despite being out late last night, both Elrics were eager for Christmas morning.
"Riza," Ed whined, tugging on her hand. "Get up, it's Christmas!"
She groaned a little, gazing at him with lidded eyes. This and New Year's Day were the only two days out of the entire year she allowed herself to sleep in, and they were always long overdue. "What time is it?"
"Seven-thirty, now come on!"
"All right, all right," she said, crawling off the couch to put away her bed things.
"G'morning," Roy yawned, scratching his bed-head as Al tugged him along by the hand.
"Good morning, sir," she replied, patting down her own, similarly mussed up hair. "Merry Christmas." She left briefly to put on some coffee, and the Elrics found their spots on the floor by the tree. Joining her commanding officer on the couch, she told the boys to start unwrapping some of their presents, while she and Roy exchanged some smaller gifts – things they'd noticed each other's apartments were lacking and the like.
The boys were delighted to find a collection of comic books from Gracia and Maes, and some action figures and other such things from the men at the office. Ed was particularly excited to find that Roy had given them an IOU, saying he would enroll them in the martial arts class of their choice.
They finally came across Riza's presents to them – two very heavy boxes, tied with gold bows – and tore them open.
"Alchemy books?" Ed asked, lifting one out of the box and examining it.
"These are really old," Al added, flipping through one, sneezing as a cloud of dust puffed into his face.
"Yeah, where'd you get these? This is pretty cool." Ed turned to the inside cover of one, finding the name 'Hawkeye' scrawled into the corner.
Riza smiled, a little wistfully, and explained, "My father was an alchemist." She and Roy exchanged a knowing look and she continued, "These were some of his favorite books."
"An alchemist?" Al mulled the thought over. "You mean like Roy? Was he a state alchemist too?"
Her smile widened a little as she reached forward to ruffle his hair. "No, he wasn't in the military. But I'd say he had some things in common with the lieutenant colonel."
Roy let out a little jolt of mirthless laughter and the boys shrugged, a gesture of I'll-never-understand-adults-ever.
Ed and Al were finally settled, flipping through their comic books in Ed's room, when Riza reached into her duffel and procured a square flat box, tied with the same gold ribbon as the alchemy books. "Merry Christmas, sir," she said softly, handing it to him.
He neatly unwrapped the package to find a handgun nestled amongst red and green tissue paper. Of course he had his own firearms – military issued – but this one was special. He remembered long ago, in a place far from here, a pretty blond thing with strong amber eyes wielding this same weapon at target practice; her first gun. His fingers traced over the old inscription, 'Riza Hawkeye'.
"For when it rains," she said, and added gently, "It's always brought me the best of luck."
He smiled, patting her pajama-clad knee briefly. "Thanks, Riza. Oh!" he jumped up and shuffled into his bedroom, only to return with a rather large box in his arms, a fluffy red bow stuck to the lid.
"Oh, sir, you didn't-"
He placed the package in her lap and she was more than a little startled to find that it wriggled and whimpered. She cast her superior a suspicious look before carefully removing the lid.
Arf!
It took her a moment to register, and in that time the little black and white puppy – the same that had enamored poor Fuery so – leapt from the box and began tickling her face with wet doggy kisses. She laughed, arms wrapping around the little creature as she looked up at Roy in amazement. "How . . . ?"
"You're going to have to share him with Al, I suppose. And Fuery wants to visit him once a week."
"How did you manage to keep him so long without me finding out?" she asked, amazed, as the puppy nudged her for more affection.
"Not easily," he chuckled, sitting down next to her. "You have no idea how much I had to bribe Ed not to tell you."
She shook her head in amusement, watching as the dog nosed around Roy's pockets in search of treats.
"He's paper-trained and everything now," Roy reasoned sensibly. "Wouldn't want the poor thing getting shot at." He reached his hand over to join in hers, lovingly stroking the soft fur. "What are you going to name him?"
Riza seemed to consider this for a moment, fingernails raking over the little snout. "Black Hayate."
"It fits, I suppose," he nodded approvingly.
"Sir?"
"Hmm?"
She twisted to face him, holding the newest addition to her family steady with one hand, the other resting lightly across the side of his face. "Thank you," she whispered, leaning forward to brush her lips against his cheek.
And I originally planned it being a little longer, but decided that was as good a place as any to cut it off. Merry Christmas again!