Author's Notes: Whew! I'm really close to being late with this update! I've been working like a mad person! I know I said maybe Valentine's Day for my next update, but that was a maybe, and in this case it didn't work out. Sorry!!!! I got busy!!! Anywho - thanks very much to Nanyoky! My beta reader!!!! And one more qucik thing; you'll notice that nobody uses seat buckles in this chapter. That's not cuz I don't think they're 'cool', it's just an attempt at being canon, since I didn't think they had them in Amitris, although I could be wrong...
-oo00oo-
Fifteen minutes later Mustang and Hughes stood by the front door, waiting for Gracia and Elicia. Roy was dressed in a simple dark blue cotton shirt and trousers that Hughes had found buried in his closet. Hughes had also found a spare winter coat for him to borrow, and already the worn wool was itching at his neck where his bare skin touched it. The stiff collar of his shirt didn't quite come up high enough to protect against the rough material.
Hughes, impatient to get going, had wanted to wear his uniform, but changed into fresh clothes after Roy had pointed out that he had gotten blood on it from carrying him all the way home.
Mustang, his thoughts drifting to the river and Riza once again, looked up when his ears caught the song of singing; it was soft, but quickly growing louder.
"-Jingle bells! Jingle bells! Jingle all da' way!!!!!" Elicia came springing down the steps as fast as her short legs could carry her, singing at the top of her lungs – which was quite loud for someone so small. She was dressed in a fluffy white dress with green and red polka dots, and on her feet was a pair of delicate shoes covered in red glitter. She stopped at the last step, hopped onto the floor, and spun around in circles until she reached them.
"Look daddy! Look!" She exclaimed gleefully, stopping suddenly and nearly toppling over.
Hughes' eyes lit up at the sight of his daughter. "You look beautiful Elicia! He bent down and scooped her up. "You're beautiful just like mommy!" Elicia beamed and looked over her father's shoulder at Mustang. Her grin faded.
"Why aren't you smiling?" She asked, her little face knit in worry.
Roy was caught completely off guard. He hadn't even been aware of his expression
"Daddy says everybody should smile on Christmas." Elicia said seriously. "You should too."
Mustang remembered his promise to himself to enjoy that night and put on what he hoped was a convincing grin.
Elicia sighed dramatically. "It's okay for now…." She said, nodding in approval. "But you need smiling lessons."
Hughes laughed. "Isn't she the most-" He was cut off by Gracia, who appeared at the top of the stairs in a bright green dress, a cherry red coat slung over her arm.
"Ready to go?" She asked, leaning over the banister.
"Yes – wait!" Hughes set Elicia down quickly. "I want to take a picture!" He pulled a camera from its place by an umbrella stand. "Okay." He said, holding it up and looking through it. "Everybody stand at the landing of the stairs." He waved his arm at the landing to illustrate what he meant. Gracia stepped down to where he pointed, pulling Elicia up to hold her. Mustang stepped away awkwardly, but Hughes waved his hand towards his family. "Where do you think you're going?!" He asked, still looking through his camera.
"Oh…I – eh…" Mustang stuttered. "I didn't think you wanted me…"
Hughes sighed exasperatedly. Mustang was sure he'd rolled his eyes behind his camera. "Of course I want you in the picture. Now, if you'll just stand next to Gracia…" Mustang followed the instructions, standing slightly behind the woman and on her left.
"Good!" Hughes exclaimed. "Now, if you'll all move a little to the right - no, my right, and – "
"And smile!" Elicia piped in. She already wore a big grin that Mustang remembered from the many pictures Maes had shown him.
"Alright" Hughes fiddled with several of the knobs on the camera. "Three, two…one!"
There was a click, then a bright flash. Slowly the light faded, Hughes came back into focus, grinning broadly. "Perfect! Now if we can get one of Elicia by the Christmas tree-" He began winding the camera up to take another picture.
"Shouldn't we get going?" Gracia asked. "It's already late and…"
"Okay, okay." Hughes sighed and set the camera back down, then helped Gracia into her coat.
"Me too daddy!" Elicia begged. Hughes chuckled and held up a little dark blue coat while Elicia mimicked the motions of her mother and slid each arm into its sleeve.
"Shall we?" Hughes asked once he'd finished, opening the door and holding it for Gracia and Elicia. He waved Mustang out as well, then stepped out himself closed and locked it.
Elicia skipped ahead down the little walk, stopping when she reached the big iron gate. At last the adults caught up with her and Hughes pulled back the heavy latch. As soon as he had, Elicia rushed forward again and up to the old fashioned black car that had been parked against the brick wall that ran along their property. Since no snow covered it, Mustang guessed that it had recently been driven.
Elicia hopped up on the running board and tugged at the door handle. "I wanna ride in the front!" She begged, trying to open the door.
"You're much too small honey." Gracia explained gently, reaching her daughter and trying to pry her little hands off of the handle. "You can ride in the back with me."
"But I wanna ride with daddy!" She tugged at the handle harder.
"Oh Gracia, I don't see why she can't just this once." Hughes said, helping his daughter open the door. "I'll drive slowly, nobody else is on the roads – she'll be fine!" He lifted Elicia up onto the seat and made sure she was settled in before closing the door carefully, then pulled open the back door and helped Gracia in.
Mustang opened the other passenger door with some effort. He still wasn't used to using his left arm, and the door was heavy. It opened with a squeak and he climbed into the slightly cramped back seat.
Maes started the car and they pulled out onto the street.
They rode in silence for a few minutes. Mustang leaned his head against the cool glass of the window, enjoying the way it felt on his cheek. His headache had never quite gone away, and the cold felt soothing. His eye lids began to droop. For some reason he suddenly felt tired. Through half closed eyes he watched snow begin to fall. Light and fluffy clusters came drifting down. He heard Elicia squeal with joy at the downpour. "It's snowing! It's snowing!" She sang cheerfully.
"Do you think we should turn back? Is it safe to keep driving?" Gracia asked, not bothering to hide the worry in her voice.
"It's only a little snow!" Maes answered, not sounding at all concerned. "I'll be careful."
Mustang enjoyed the next few minutes, which were free of conversation. For some reason the sound made his headache worse, and he still felt guilty, even though he'd promised himself that he wouldn't.
"Where are we going for dinner?" Gracia asked after a moment.
Curiosity momentarily dulled the pain in Roy's head. 'Where are we going?' He wondered. Surely the only places open at this hour weren't suitable to take Elicia into.
"It's a little family run restaurant; they stay open all night on Christmas every year." Hughes answered. "And they have the best pumpkin pie there I've ever tasted! I had some on my way home from Central a couple days ago."
"Oooo! Pie!" Elicia exclaimed. "I could eat a whole pie all by my entire self!"
Gracia and Maes laughed.
Mustang pulled away from the window he rested against and looked out the windshield to see where they were. The dim headlights of the car illuminated a narrow road covered in snow. Trees blanketed in the same white substance lined each side of the street, clearly visible by the light from the moon. Behind them was a steep hill that seemed to stretch on forever. Mustang looked back to the road in time to see black and white object came bounding up from the ditch.
"Daddy! Watch out for the puppy!" Elicia screamed.
Before Mustang even had time to register what she had said, the car jerked violently to the right and he was pressed hard against the door by the force. Trees flashed by the window as the vehicle speed down hill, helplessly out of control. Elicia's sobs mingled with the thuds of branches colliding with the car as it flew past them. The car was bouncing up and down on the uneven ground, making Mustang nauseous. Several times he hit his head, the collision sending a shooting pain through him that worsened each time. On one of his trips up he managed to catch a fleeting glimpse of Hughes. He was slumped over the steering wheel, his glasses askew and blood on his forehead.
At last the trees began to thin; Mustang could see what looked like a large clearing ahead. The hill evened out into flat ground and the car slowed, at last stopping entirely in the middle of the clearing.
He blinked several times, trying to catch his breath. Gracia looked terrified, but gathered herself quickly. "Elicia? Maes?" She asked, trying to pull herself up. "Eh!" She dropped down again.
"Are you okay?" Mustang asked. She looked a little rattled, but otherwise alright.
"My arm, I think it's sprained." Gracia blinked back tears. "What about Elicia?" She asked, forgetting her own pain. "Honey? Can you hear me?"
"Mommy?" Elicia stuck her head up over the top of the seat. Her hair was tangled and tears were running down her red cheeks "Mommy, daddy won't wake up."
Gracia paled. Roy felt the color draining from his own face as well. Those words were so familiar; he heard them in his nightmares regularly. Elicia had said the same thing at Maes' funeral.
Mustang reached forward, putting his hand on Maes' neck, afraid of what he might not find. He waited for a moment, then felt it. A light pulse. A little fast, but that was nothing to worry about considering what had just happened. "He's fine." He told Gracia, who let out a sigh of relief. "Get him in the back seat, and you can drive us home, Mr. Mustang."
Roy nodded. He was just about to open his door when a sound caught his ear. He stopped to listen. It was fait, he could barely make it out. Gracia froze, she heard it too. Even Elicia seemed to be listening.
It sounded like…ice cracking.