April 28th, 1984
Ian wasn't expecting the enthused embrace he got as he closed the door on the costume trailer. "Not that I'm complaining," he said as he looked down in wonderment at Bonnie, "But what did I do to deserve a hug?"
Bonnie straightened up, dropping her arms, and returning to a much more normal distance, though her face was bright with happiness. "I got the job! Your Grandfather loved my designs, most of them just the way they are, and he wants to give them to his production team immediately! He's going to take ten designs. I'm supposed to go over there with him this evening to speak with his on-staff design team."
So for a good word and delivering a portfolio, Ian got a hug. He could live with that. He also couldn't help grinning back. He hardly ever saw Bonnie smile that broadly. Not at work certainly. "That's fabulous! Congratulations." He refrained from the I told you so. That never went over well with women.
"Thanks." Bonnie turned and reached up, pulling Ian's costume for the next scene down from the rack. "It's a great opportunity, even though I'm going to be working nearly double hours for a while to make sure that gets done. Here you go," she handed him one of the least flashy costumes Ian was wearing for this film. It was street-clothes for his character: black jeans, a stylish black leather jacket with chrome accents, and a vibrant electric-blue t-shirt. His footwear for this was a pair of black-and-blue hi-top sneakers. "Let me know how the jacket fits, I made an adjustment to the shoulders last night. I noticed that the shirt you were wearing yesterday was pulling across the back of the shoulders, so I made this just a little wider to accommodate your shoulder muscles."
"I didn't even realize my shoulders had gotten broader," Ian admitted. He supposed it made sense. Given the number of shirtless scenes in this movie he had been working out more than usual, and it was surprisingly physical to rock-out on stage take after take.
"Then it's a good thing I pay attention," Bonnie retorted. "Go, get dressed," she shooed him towards the dressing room.
"All right, all right boss," Ian grinned. "I'm on it."
May 2nd, 1984
"Central has never looked so good," James Heimler commented as he watched out the train window. The city came closer, and soon they were streaking past the outer walls and into the city itself. The train slowed down, and he got glimpses of many familiar sites.
"You won't hear me disagreeing," Jean Stevens grinned. "I can't wait to see the kids."
"Not your wife?"
"Her too," Jean chuckled. "But I'll have to wade through the tide of hugs to get to her."
"Is that why half your luggage is presents for the family?"
"Isn't that why we go away?" Jean asked with a shrug. "If I didn't come home with something from Xing, the kids would be terribly disappointed."
"Aren't you spoiling them a little?"
"I was off in a war zone for two months. They might never see me again. I don't think it's spoiling to bring something back with me." Jean gave him a knowing smile. "Wait til you have kids. You'll understand."
"Let's not get too ahead of things," James chuckled, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "When I left, I'd just gotten a girlfriend. I think we'd like to enjoy dating before we start talking about kids."
"Wise choice."
They sat in companionable silence as the train finished its trip, pulling finally into Central Station, with its loud press of people waiting to get on the train, or waiting for family and friends to get off. Today, it was mostly the latter, staring eagerly at the train that had come straight from Xing, full of military personnel returning home.
He didn't know if she would be here. James knew someone in the family would be there to pick him up, but he didn't necessarily expect it to be Krista. She might be in class. His sister was probably working. It wasn't like they weren't extremely busy here right now, and Trisha was working the Syndicate clean-up.
"There's your swarm," James grinned as he spotted Noelle Stevens and the four children standing in the mob.
"Looking better than ever," Jean leaned over to get a better view and waved. In the crowd, one of the children spotted them and shouted, then they were soon all waving excitedly before the train pulled to a stop with them just out of view.
As soon as the train stopped, everyone was getting to their feet, grabbing duffels, and crowding into the aisles to get off the train.
Home. It was a nice place to be.
James let Jean out first, and waited a bit until the crowd thinned before making his way down the aisle and out onto the platform. He looked around the pressing crowds for a familiar face, knowing someone would be here. Further down the train, Grandpa Ed, Grandma Winry, Great-Uncle Al, and Ted were getting off. Someone would be here to pick up the family.
"James!"
He turned when he heard someone shouting his name, hoping it was for him. He was hardly the only James in Amestris.
He was the only James whose name Krista would be shouting as she pushed through the crowd and threw her arms around his neck.
James dropped his duffle on the ground and pulled her close for the best kiss he had ever experienced.
"Welcome home," she gasped when their lips finally parted. Her face was flushed, her smile beaming. "Nice to see you're still in one piece."
"I promised didn't I?" James chuckled. "I always keep my word. So, are you here to pick me up?"
"Yes, I always hit on boys at the train station," Krista quipped. "Actually, I caught the bus from campus. I just got out of class half an hour ago."
"That's all right." James reached down and picked up his duffle again. "We can catch a bus to the barracks, and I'll drop my stuff and change. You will have dinner with me tonight, right? I do believe I owe you a fantastic date."
"I think you do," Krista smiled. "Anything I can carry?"
"This is all I've got," James shrugged, nodding at his duffle. Much as he had teased Jean, he did have a present in there for his girlfriend, but he'd have to pull it out when he got home. It was a pretty batiked silk scarf in blues and purples. He slipped his arm around Krista's shoulders. "Let's get out of here. I've been in uniform so long it's started to feel like a second skin. I'm not sure it'll come off."
"We can't have that," Krista agreed.
They left the train behind together.
Ted tried to quell the jealous monster inside him as he watched James and Krista kissing on the train platform. He looked away, and by the time he looked back they had gone. Jean Stevens and his family were also having a rambunctiously enthusiastic reunion.
He tried to find somewhere to look where there weren't romantic reunions happening, but it was difficult. Finally he just focused on his grandparents and Al, who were standing beside him. They slowly moved through the push towards the exit.
"Dad! Over here!"
Ed's head turned, his pony-tail swishing as his eyes lit on Ethan. He grinned and waved, and they all moved in that direction.
Ted followed along behind carrying not only his own duffel, but Grandma Winry's suitcase as well.
Uncle Ethan caught up with them as they came out of the worst of the crowd, and snagged suitcases from Grandpa, and took the spare one from Ted. "I've got the car parked in the second lot," he informed them. "What I get for getting here five minutes after everyone else."
"Busy afternoon?" Ed asked as they crossed the drop-off lane and moved out into the lot.
"Aeddan's team has a soccer game," Ethan nodded. "I dropped him off and came straight over. So where to first?" he asked.
"HQ," Ed answered. "We might as well report in first and get the chat with Rehnquist out of the way."
"Works for me," Ted commented. He could walk back to his quarters in the barracks from there easily enough.
"Headquarters it is," Ethan nodded as they reached the car and he opened the trunk. "You'll want to brace yourselves. They've been working, but the place still looks like sometime tried to blow holes out of it."
Since they did. Ted had heard about the mess, but he wasn't sure what he'd think when he saw it for himself. Central Military Headquarters had always looked like an impenetrable fortress. At least until now, when the enemy had been able to launch weapons from a distance and wreak havoc.
He ignored the general conversational chatter as he stared out the window of the car. They passed the Hospital, and Ted couldn't help but wonder which room Clarina was in, or if she was even still there. By now her family might have taken her home. He didn't know exactly when her auto-mail surgery would be either.
Two girls, and I'm dumb enough to lose them both.
Ted averted his eyes until they finished passing. He only looked up again when they pulled through the gates to Headquarters, and his gaze was drawn to the large construction zones and numbers of workers swarming over the gaping maws of damage done to both the Assembly Building and the Military Headquarters itself. Half of the alchemist officers looked like they were completely gone, if he was noting the layout properly.
Ethan pulled up outside HQ and stopped. "I'll take your stuff on to the house," he told Ed and Winry. "I'll be back after Aeddan's game."
"Sounds good."
Ted got out with everyone else, shouldering his bag. "Where should I report?" he asked, not sure if his uncle would actually know. "My usual office isn't exactly there anymore."
Ethan smiled. "They've temporarily moved those offices to the third floor of the west wing."
"Thanks." He might as well report in first and get it over with. Ted knew he had two weeks of leave coming. He just didn't know what he was going to do with it.
"What did you do, write me a novel?" Rehnquist asked as he took the thick sheaf of papers from Ed's hands.
"It was certainly worth one," Ed replied from his chair on the other side of the desk. Al and Winry sat beside him to either side "In fact, I may have to consider acceding to the publishers' requests for one more Allan and Harry Edwards novel."
"Oh really?" Rehnquist smiled wryly. "So what I'm holding is the draft to a best seller instead of an undercover mission report?"
"Don't those count as the same thing?" Ed asked innocently.
"I didn't say you could go back to spending your life in front of that typewriter," Winry pointed out.
Ed hadn't mentioned the novel idea to either of them yet. Al just looked amused. "Well it'll be a little while before I can really start anyway, isn't it? We won't be home more than a few weeks before we're off to Creta."
"There is that," Winry conceded.
"I'll read this in detail later," Rehnquist set the papers down on his desk. "I've already gotten anything that wasn't classified from the reports sent back to me the past few weeks. What I'm really interested in, at the moment, is this plane you've brought back with you. They're already taking it off the train in its cargo boxes and having it brought here to go in that warehouse where everything else you're the expert on seems to be stored."
Al chuckled. "Well that does seem to be a good place for it."
"That's why I wanted to talk to you today," Ed said, getting down to business, and feeling more anxious. "I want to know exactly what the government thinks it's going to do with that plane."
"And this is why I wanted to talk to you," Rehnquist nodded soberly, "Since that probably won't be my decision. I'm retiring. I wanted to ask your opinions about my potential replacement."
"Me?" Ed asked, startled. "Why me?"
"Because you always tell me exactly what you think."
Jean Stevens wasn't sure he would be able to budge from the dinner table by the time he finished the amazing "welcome home" meal his wife had prepared. All of his favorites - literally all- had been part of the meal. They had started with a salad covered in his favorite creamy white dressing, followed by garlic-roasted beef, baked turnips in butter, fresh soft homemade bread rolls, fried mushrooms, bacon wrapped dates, and dessert was a huge blackberry-raspberry streusel pie.
Very little of anything remained. Jean couldn't even pretend that was because they had a family of six; after months on Xingese military rations, he had quite happily decimated seconds or thirds on everything. Thank goodness I don't have to get in my dress uniform tomorrow. There was just nothing better than being home, surrounded by the lively chaos of his wonderful family.
"Daddy?" five-year-old Amelia tugged at his arm.
Jean smiled at his youngest daughter. "What is it, Peanut?"
The small girl shot a quick look at her older sisters before blurting, "Did you bring anything home?"
"Amelia!" Julia stood up so quickly that her chair nearly toppled over. "We all agreed not to ask!"
"You might have said so but Melia and I never agreed," Lillian pointed out with a smirk. "Besides, if Melia hadn't asked, I was about to."
"No, no, no," Julia waved her hand dramatically. "We were all going to wait until after dinner, just like I had scripted it!"
"Girls!" Jean might have tried to scold them, but instead he started laughing. It was just so good to have his children around him again. "It's all right, Julia. With the looks everyone's been giving me I'm impressed you all survived this long without asking about the treasures tucked away in my bags."
"I told them not to beg you for presents," Noelle smiled as she patted Amelia's head. "You all did well waiting this long, thank you."
Julia deflated in her seat with a sigh, "But I had it perfectly planned out! All everyone had to do was follow the script!"
Lillian rolled her eyes, "It's technically after dinner so what's wrong with the timing?"
"But we're supposed to be in the living room!" Julia sighed again with a hand on her forehead, "It was going to be perfect! Mom and Daddy were finally going to be together on the couch for the first time in forever!"
"Why don't we move to the living room and leave clean-up for later?" Noelle suggested with a smile. She held out a hand to Jean. "Would you be interested in joining me on the couch?"
"I would hate to ruin a perfectly written script," Jean agreed, smiling at his wife as he took her hand, though he had to fight not to grunt as he got to his feet.
"I wouldn't call it perfect," Jay commented wryly as he also got up from the table. "Maybe 'pretty good,'" he added, grinning at Julia.
Julia held up a finger in her brother's direction, "Nope, I put too much work into this for it to be only 'pretty good'. Come on girls, we need to get our surprise first!"
Noelle laughed as the girls' chatter faded, "They're so happy you made it back in one piece."
"Are they the only ones?" Jean teased, squeezing his wife's hand as he followed them all to the living room. He was glad he had chosen to leave that particular bag sitting by the couch. He raised an eyebrow suggestively.
"Not by a long shot," Noelle answered, snuggling close as they settled on the couch. "I admit that I started counting days when you could come home."
Jean snuggled in beside her, letting go of her hand only so he could slid his arm around her shoulders, bringing them closer together. "Did you wait until after I left?" he asked, kissing her cheek. "I started counting the seconds from the moment I lost sight of you."
"I may have started before then," Noelle grinned before giving Jean a firm kiss. She would have made it longer if it were not for the impatient clearing of Lillian's throat.
"You didn't have to stop them," Julia nudged her sister. She was holding a large book with a shiny blue cover.
"If I didn't, your script wouldn't be followed," Lillian grinned mischievously.
"What do you girls have?" Noelle asked.
Julia gave the book to Amelia and gave the girl a shove towards the adults. "We wanted Daddy to know that we were always thinking of him while he was gone."
"Here Daddy!" Amelia thrust the book into Jean's lap.
Jean took the book and opened it. Almost at once his throat closed with emotion. The book was stuffed full of photographs. Pictures of the kids, clearly mostly by the kids, given some of the slightly interesting angles. That made them all the more special. They were doing things like playing at the park, reading at the library, and even going to the movies. The birthdays he had missed the past few months; and in every one, someone was holding a picture of him. "It's- beautiful." He beamed at his kids and held out his free arm for hugs. "It's perfect."
The girls piled in for hugs. "I missed you so much!" Lillian's voice was emotional.
"Me too!" Amelia added, her eyes filling with tears. "I thought you were going to be gone forever!"
Jean was thankfully practiced at one-armed multi-child bear hugs. "I thought about you every day," he assured her. "I didn't have a camera, but I do have some other proof I thought about you all the time."
"Presents?" Amelia asked, her tears drying instantly.
"Have I ever gone away and not brought presents?" Jean asked.
"You certainly spoil us," Noelle smiled knowingly.
"Oh my goodness, I can't stand the suspense!" Julia waved her hands.
Jay, who was leaning against the wall, trying not to be as uncool as his sister, rolled his eyes. Then he moved forward to drag the bag within his father's reach. "You don't have to dramatize everything," he pointed out.
"What, and be boring like you?" Julia stuck her tongue out.
"What'd you bring us, Daddy?" blurted Lillian, unable to contain herself any longer.
Jean gave his son a look that said don't ruin this for your sisters and then smiled at Lillian. "Well, let's see, shall we?" He opened the bag –which contained only presents- and pulled out the first two items one at a time. He hadn't had the time to wrap anything, but he didn't think they would care. "These, are for Amelia," he turned to his youngest first, holding out a fluffy stuffed panda, and two sticks that were wound with colorful ribbons. "A princess told me that girls in Xing use these sticks as part of their tumbling routines."
"A princess?" Amelia's mouth was in a perfect 'O'. She hugged her new treasures and squealed, "I love them! Did a princess really use these? They're PINK! I love pink!"
"Yes she did," Jean grinned. "Princess Meifen told me herself that they were exactly the right thing." He left his youngest to her delight as he turned to Lillian, who looked nearly as impatient. "For you, my dear,…" he pulled out first, another stuffed panda bear –of a different pose, but same size and clearly by the same toy maker- and a box that –when opened- contained half a dozen different colors and exotic designs of ribbons that could be worn in the hair or used for anything else ribbons were good for. He had known if he got one of his younger girls a panda, he would need two.
Lillian let out an ear-piercing scream of delight as she crushed the panda in a hug, "Oh my goodness, I got one too! I wanted one as soon as I saw Melia's! She's so cute! Can I call her Mei? Does she look like a Mei? I think she does! And I can use some of these ribbons on her and we can match! Daddy, I love you!"
"Love you too, sweetie." Jean grinned. He never tired of his daughters' enthusiasm. He turned to his third daughter. "Now, for the young lady. I saw these and just couldn't let them go." He hoped his eldest girl wouldn't mind not getting a panda. He pulled out a Xing style tunic –all the style now, if he remembered at all correctly… princess Meifen had also helped him pick this one out- in a daring red, black, and gold design of swirling fish and floating flower blossoms. The box, when opened, contained half a dozen sets of hair-sticks in a variety of colors, as well as a small folding book that demonstrated several hairstyles that could be done using them. It was a more grown-up present, without being inappropriately mature. Julia was at that in between age where Jean just hoped he had read his daughter right.
Julia sat stunned for a moment before releasing a shriek that did not sound mature. "Oh my goodness Daddy, this is so beautiful and pretty and nothing like what the other girls are wearing and I'm going to look so good!" She gasped and clapped hands to her cheeks, "This will get me noticed!"
"Are you still trying to get Dare to notice you?" Jay asked, nudging his sister in the side. "He's got a girlfriend! Give up already."
"How did you..?" Julia blushed from her neck to her hairline as she sputtered, "What do you know? High school romances are typically short lived so I've still got a chance!"
Jean was fully aware of his daughter's crush –though he had never mentioned it to her. He had also not tried to spoil her innocent fantasies. Dare Closson and his girlfriend had been going out for long enough he wouldn't have called it "short lived."
"He's too old for you anyway," Jay shrugged. "Why don't you just date Brandon? You're in the same class."
"Brandon?" Julia asked as if the idea was foreign. "But… Brandon is Brandon! He's not someone you'd get mushy with! I couldn't date him any more than I'd date you!"
"That's gross," Lillian made a face.
Brandon follows you around like a puppy, my daughter. Some day you will wisely notice him… or not. Jean decided now was not the time for sagely parental advice. "And now, for Jay," he reached into the bag. His son's present was larger, and far different from the things he had gotten his daughters. For one thing, he hadn't bought this one. "I have a story."
"A story?" Jay looked intrigued, if a bit puzzled.
"Your present has a lineage." Jean pulled out a large bulky square shape, which was padded in cloth to protect it on the trip. "After James Heimler and I brought him and Michio back to the capitol, Emperor Mao gave me a gift. It belonged to his grandfather. I'd like to give it to you." He pulled off the cloth, revealing a very old –but very well made- Xingese game board. It stood on thick, rounded wooden feat. He then reached into the bag again, pulling out two lidded, wooden bowls that held the smooth black and white river-stone pieces.
Jay's mouth fell open. "I… wow, Dad." He knelt down next to the board as Jean put it on the coffee table. "It's amazing."
"Wow," Noelle said breathlessly. "This is wonderful! I can't believe the Emperor gave this to you!"
"It doesn't look pretty enough to belong to the Emperor," Amelia stated matter-of-factly.
Jean did not bother to point out the finer points of wood craftsmanship to his littlest daughter. "Best tip for giving someone a ride I've ever gotten," he agreed, smiling at Noelle. "It certainly wasn't his best set, but apparently it's one of his grandfather's favorites. It had been in the family for at least a hundred years. So you'd better take care of it."
"Oh I will!" Jay assured him, touching the wood reverently. "It's incredible. Thank you."
"Thank Mao," Jean suggested, grinning. "He and his wife are going to be staying with Will and Ren Elric for a while in town. She is his sister after all. Though they're coming as civilians."
"I want to go with you!" Julia instantly volunteered. "That would be so glamorous! How do you address a former emperor?"
"Well, I expect you could call him Mr. Xian," Jean suggested, chuckling. He certainly wouldn't be going by fancy titles in Central. Not if he wanted to keep a low profile. "He's coming for a vacation, not a state visit. So you will not be telling anyone he's coming, right?" He looked particularly warningly at his girls. Jay was too circumspect to go blabbing.
"Yes Daddy," all three girls spoke together.
"Did you get something for Mama?" Lillian asked, eyeing the bag.
"Do you think I'd forget your mother?" Jean asked, pretending to be offended. In truth, he had several presents for Noelle, some of which he had no intention of sharing in front of the kids. There was at least one that would be all right though. "Of course I have presents for her too, like this one." He pulled out a small bottle of what was a very nice perfume mingling the scent of camellias and imperial lilacs.
"Oooooo!" Lillian and Julia cooed. "Can we smell it?"
"Smell, but not use," Noelle said with a wry smile. "And this bottle won't leave my bedroom, will it?" She gave a pointed look to Julia.
Julia blushed, "I only did that once."
"Once was enough," Noelle chuckled. "All right, now that everyone's gotten gifts, I think it's time for baths."
"But I wanna spend more time with Daddy!" Amelia protested.
"I'll come tuck you in and read you a bedtime story before you go to sleep," Jean promised.
"Me too?" Lillian asked. "Not the story part, the tucking into bed part."
"I'm sure Daddy will stop by everyone's beds tonight for a special goodnight," Noelle smiled. Then, she leaned closer to Jean and whispered, "And then I'll have you all to myself."
Jean kissed her cheek. "And then you can have the rest of your presents," he whispered just as quietly. He could hardly wait to get Noelle alone, but he hadn't made it this long as a father without learning a lot of patience.
He was good to his word too, making sure that all of his daughters got the good night of their choice. Jay got a hug too, but Jean knew his son would be up for a while. The look of excitement as his sixteen-year-old vanished into his room with his new game board told Jean it would be a long time before his son actually got any sleep.
"I thought they would never settle down enough to go to sleep," Noelle sighed wearily when the two were finally alone in their room.
"It's nice to be loved," Jean shrugged, chuckling as he pulled her close, kissing her warmly. He had longed to have her against him all evening. After months of missing her, longing for her, all that was Noelle filled his senses, and he felt a sense of peace and pleasure he hadn't in quite some time.
"It's nice to have you back in my arms," Noelle cuddled closer. "Honestly, I don't need any other gifts than you right here."
"Does that mean you don't want all the gifts I bought to spoil you with?" Jean asked, eyes twinkling.
"Only if you want to give them to me," Noelle grinned impishly.
"I insist." Jean winked and kissed her cheek again before he stepped away long enough to bring out the packages –these wrapped- that he had hidden away so the girls wouldn't get into them. "Though you have to promise not to kill me if I got the size wrong," he added as he set down one particular relatively flat rectangle shaped box.
Noelle gasped as she opened the box, "Oh my goodness, Jean! This is beautiful!" She lifted a white silken nightgown with a red cherry blossom pattern and matching robe from the box. "It looks perfect! How do you always know the right size?"
"I measure with my hands," Jean teased, holding his hands up to demonstrate a small circle that might signify a woman's waist. "I'm glad you like it. It reminded me of you when I saw it, and I couldn't wait to see it on you."
Noelle's eyes turned suggestive, "I suppose I could make that happen right now."
"Months of dreams are about to come true for me then." Jean smiled. There were other presents, but they could wait. This one had so intimately screamed Noelle's name that Jean had felt like she ought to materialize at any moment.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Noelle smiled.
"You to undress?" Jean suggested. "Or do you need help with that?"
"I might let you help," winked Noelle.
"Only might?" Jean knew she was teasing, but that was part of what made their life fun.
"Or I might just start by kissing you soundly," Noelle pulled Jean towards herself and gave him a firm kiss.
Jean wasn't about to complain about kissing. He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly against him once more. There were no words for his feelings; well, there might have been, but they were lost in his unwillingness to disengage his mouth long enough to speak.
Noelle broke off the kiss long enough to grin, "So, you want to see the nightgown?"
"Would I have said so otherwise?" Jean teased, gasping slightly for air. He didn't want to let her go, but he did want to see the reality, which he knew would far exceed his mind's eye. She would be amazing…and then he would have the pleasure of taking it off of her as well… if he bothered. It didn't require removing for him to have the full pleasure of their love.
Within moments, Noelle had donned the strapless, knee length gown and turned in a circle. "It fits like it was made for me! You are amazing!"
Jean tried not to drool as the sight of her sent his heart pounding. So beautiful; so sensual; so delightfully cheerful and seeming innocent in white and cherry blossoms… even as a mother of four. "No," he managed, "You are. No matter where I go, or how long I'm gone… you give me this amazing home to come back to, with you, and our fantastic children." He reached out a hand to her. "No gift can express how grateful I am, or how much I love you."
Noelle blushed with pleasure, "It's the same for me. I'm still so in love with you."
"I should hope so," Jean whispered. "Because a life without you in it wouldn't be worth living."