Winter Solstice

December 3rd

"You were right, Vee!" a bright and cheerful voice called out from Veronica's bedroom doorway.

"I usually am. What about, this time?" Veronica retorted with a cheeky smile as she rose to greet her golden-haired visitor. Lucy just laughed and pushed a letter into the older girl's hands.

"The letter—it did come today! Here, read for yourself," she said. "Oh, and could you take it to Claire and Sophie once you're through? They're last, this time. I've got to get back, but we really need to talk after you've read it, okay?" Lucy added, halfway out the door already.

"Sure thing," Veronica answered absently, skimming the opening lines of Roy's letter. She sank into an armchair as her blue eyes flicked rapidly across the page. Dimly, she heard her father exchange pleasantries with Lucy as their paths crossed on the front steps. "Well, this is interesting…" she murmured, flipping the page over.

She hesitated for just a moment and spared a glance at the clock. Claire and Sophie shared lodgings across town, and Veronica was certain that they would both be home at this time of the day. Pulling on her coat as she took the stairs two at a time, Veronica rushed out the front door, pausing briefly to drop a kiss on her father's head. He just smiled indulgently at her departing back, well aware that she'd discuss the Mustang boy's latest antics with him once she returned.

Less than twenty minutes later, a slightly breathless Veronica sprawled languidly on the loveseat in her friends' parlor, waving her hand dismissively at Claire's polite offer of tea. At Veronica's insistence, Claire took the letter and read it aloud for Sophie's benefit.

"Wait…that's it? That's really all he wrote?" Claire asked, turning the sheet over and over in her hands after she'd finished. "I can't believe him!" she huffed, tossing the letter down on the coffee table in front of her. Sophie, who was darning a silk stocking in an armchair to Claire's left, glanced up from her work with a wry smile.

"He's skipped an awful lot of details, don't you think?" she asked.

"Bit suspicious," Veronica agreed. "He's been building up to the main even for weeks now, and this is all we get? Talk about anti-climactic." She shifted obligingly when Claire gently nudged her, allowing the brunette to sink down beside her on the loveseat. Claire promptly folded her legs under herself and frowned deeply.

"He went on and on about that play and all those sets last week, and he describes the other kids in almost painful detail," she mused. "But then he barely spends a paragraph on the actual festival? We do all agree that he's hiding something, right?" she asked.

"Oh, yes," Sophie said, and Veronica nodded firmly.

"I'm afraid he's forgotten who he's dealing with, here," Veronica sighed. "A rookie mistake."

"Agreed," Sophie interjected. "But wait just a moment. Madame told me something earlier that you two ought to hear," she added, setting her sewing aside at last.

"Hm? What's that?" Veronica and Claire both looked up hopefully.

"Guess who's coming home for the Winter Solstice?" Sophie said, eyes sparkling.

"No…" Claire breathed.

"D'you mean—?" Veronica gasped, sitting up fully.

"Yep. And he'll be here for two whole weeks," Sophie said, a cat-like little smile on her lips. Veronica's face lit up, as did Claire's.

"Are you sure?" Claire cried. "He's coming for certain this time?"

"Madame got a letter from his teacher just yesterday," Sophie confirmed. "And the train tickets are all booked and everything; Elinor and I mailed them off for her first thing this morning."

Veronica's smile had turned ever so slightly feral.

"Oh, that's just perfect," she said, practically rubbing her hands together in glee. "We'll have fourteen whole days to interrogate him and get to the bottom of this."

"Well, more like twelve, with his traveling time," Claire added pragmatically. "But still…oh, this will be fun. Do the others know?"

"Aside from Elinor, not yet. I'm working tonight, though, so I'll spread the word," Sophie said, grinning. "I'm thinking we should plan a welcome home party for him. We can even invite his school friends."

"Oh, good idea. Put him at ease before we strike," Veronica giggled.

"Poor kid won't know what hit him," Claire sighed in mock pity. The three of them fell silent, each plotting and scheming.

"Ten bucks says he finally kissed her," Veronica said casually.

"You're on!" the other two girls cried in unison.

December 4th – 15th

About a week after the Harvest Festival, the weather shifted from warm with occasional brisk periods to downright chilly and damp. Bitterly cold winds dashed icy raindrops against the windows and whistled angrily past the eaves. In the mornings, Riza struggled to light the fire in the sitting room with shaking hands and chattering teeth while Roy braved the outdoors to fetch in wood.

Although there were occasional scattered showers and even one little snow flurry, Roy noticed that there hadn't yet been a proper snowfall. At this time of year, back home, everything would be coated in glistening blankets of snow, but here….any sort of precipitation, even the frost, simply melted into an unpleasant sort of muddy dampness by noon. When he asked Riza about it, she explained that they rarely got enough snow to stick.

"Usually it's just very cold and windy this time of year, until about February. Sometimes we get a little bit of snow, then," she said, poking another log into the fire. "But we're still more likely to get cold rain or hailstorms than real snow."

The teens spent their days huddled close to the fire reading, studying, and occasionally listening to the radio. But mostly they kept an eye out for Berthold, who stalked between his study (where a second fire always burned cheerfully) and his lab, pausing only to demand answers from one or the other of them as he passed by. After his latest locked-in-the-basement session, he'd been fixated on particularly difficult lessons, pushing Roy to his absolute limits. He was even spending more time tutoring his daughter, making her translate and then recite page after page of difficult Cretan poetry for him, turning disdainfully cold whenever she got a word or an accent wrong. At a loss, the two children could only assume the foul weather was affecting his temper, study harder, and take comfort in each other's company when they could.

December 16th

After a long and drizzly weekend, the Monday before Roy's winter break dawned cold and clear. He wanted to spend some time outdoors while he had the opportunity, but he knew his teacher would have a fit if he wasn't prepared for his oral exam the following morning. So he resolutely turned his back on the pale wintery sunlight streaming in through the windows and dove into his studies with determined focus.

Roy's grumbling stomach finally roused him several hours later, and he shuffled wearily into the kitchen. What he found there was just odd enough to cut through the haze of exhaustion and incite his curiosity: for the first time in months, Roy's supper was left out for him on a table set for one.

There were no dishes in the sink, and no other evidence that Riza had even been in the kitchen today. Frowning, Roy wolfed his supper down quickly, almost without tasting anything, and tried to recall the last time he'd actually seen her. Not since breakfast, he decided, when he'd made toast while she'd scrambled their eggs. They'd shared a pot of coffee and read in companionable silence over the simple meal (he a heavy chemistry text, she a well-worn 19th century novel that she'd offered to lend him once she finished.) And afterwards, they'd drifted off along their own separate ways, as they often did. But then he'd become so engrossed in his studies that he'd skipped lunch. And that was unusual—Riza normally either called him to eat with her or brought him something light if it looked like he was too busy to take a proper break. Why hadn't she done so today? Could she be avoiding him intentionally?

Roy was forcibly reminded of the earliest days of his apprenticeship, where he'd sometimes gone days without seeing either of the Hawkeyes. Days where he'd only heard faint footsteps echoing down the halls, always moving away from him. Thinking about it now sent a shiver down his spine. Surely Riza wouldn't suddenly regress to that behavior without reason…

So had he upset her somehow? She'd certainly seemed fine at breakfast, if a bit on the quiet side…maybe she just wanted to be alone for a little while? But even on those days where she slipped off on her own, she'd always met up with Roy for the evening meal. Until now, that is. Perhaps she was avoiding her father and not Roy? Hawkeye-sensei certainly had been on the warpath lately. Although that idea seemed highly unlikely given that she willingly sought Berthold out even during his most negative moods. And Berthold never ate together with them anyway, so Riza wouldn't need to circumvent the kitchen to keep from running into him.

Roy sighed. He knew he was overthinking things. It wasn't as though they had to eat every meal together, he supposed…and Miss Riza had left food out for him, so he wasn't exactly being ignored…but it still stung a little. And it was still unusual.

He peered out at the gathering darkness as he washed up after his solitary meal. Would Riza be outdoors, at this time of day? Maybe she'd gone out walking and lost track of time, and was even now finding her way back home in the chilly twilight. Ought he to go and look for her? Roy vacillated back and forth, noting that her coat was hanging in the hall closet and that her bedroom stood open and empty. She wasn't in the parlor or the living room, either. But where on earth could she have gone out of doors without a coat?

Standing on the front porch, squinting irresolutely into the gloom, Roy had almost made up his mind to dash across to check the barn when he heard a faint noise from above him. Frozen with one foot on the steps, he cocked his head and listened. Had that been…a sigh?

Cautiously, Roy stepped away from the porch and looked up, craning his neck but seeing nothing. So where …? Ah, of course. The attic. There were several pitched windows there that opened onto the roof. For someone who climbed trees as frequently as she did, it'd be a simple matter for Riza to clamber out and settle herself against the slanted roof to…to do what, exactly? Besides be alone, apparently? Roy fought a brief battle with himself before darting up the stairs and towards the semi-hidden entrance to the attic. He'd just make sure she was all right up there, that's all, and then he'd leave her be if that's what she wanted.

Sure enough, he found Riza lying on her back and gazing at the golden-yellow full moon, which was just beginning to rise above the foothills in the east. Glad of his long-sleeved shirt, Roy pushed the window open and leaned out into the cold air.

"Hey, there. Whatcha doin'?" he said.

Riza smiled without looking at him, her teeth a brief flash of white in the semi-darkness.

"Stargazing," she said simply. "Want to join me?" Roy noticed then that she was bundled in an old quilt, a worn and faded one that she evidently didn't mind getting dirty on the roof. He almost asked her whether she was sure it was all right, but reflected that she wouldn't have asked if she'd be bothered by his presence. He shrugged, remembering a moment too late that she probably couldn't see him very well in the low light.

"Yeah, all right," he answered belatedly. Shimmying inelegantly out of the window, Roy carefully picked his way across the roof to sit beside her. She shocked him nearly senseless when she unfurled her quilt cocoon and shifted over in clear invitation. Recovering quickly, he pulled the loosened edge around himself and nestled gratefully into the warm fabric.

Shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip, the two teens looked up at the starry sky above them.

"Wow," Roy murmured. "Even with the full moon, the stars are so bright." He was always a little amazed at how many more stars there seemed to be out here, without the big city light pollution hindering visibility as it did back home.

"Mm-hm. The almanac said there's supposed to be a meteor shower all this week," Riza said softly from his right side. "But I don't know if we'll be able to see much with the moon."

"And it's the first night it's been clear enough to see, too," Roy said. "Too bad. If it's just rising now, it won't set until after dawn."

"I know. But it's all right," she replied. "It's still a really nice view, from up here."

"Have you been sitting out here long?" Roy asked.

"No, only since sunset," she replied. "I was out in the barn earlier, finishing, er…some reading."

"Oh?" Roy said drowsily. She must have assumed he didn't believe her, because she hastened to explain herself.

"There's this spot by the east window, where the sun hits just right this time of year. So even when it's cold out, that sunny spot is always nice and warm. It's a good place to lie and read in the afternoon." Roy felt her eyes on him, though she hadn't turned her head.

"Mm, sounds nice," he said, wondering why she sounded so nervous. "I missed you at dinner, though. I've been stuck in the study all day studying for tomorrow's exam. I've got to do well so I'm allowed to come back," he added with a little grimace.

"You must be excited to go home for the holiday," Riza observed. Roy smiled.

"It'll be good to see my aunt and the girls," he said. "And Aunt Chris makes this amazing mulled cider for the Solstice…I'll see if I can get her recipe for you. It's especially nice to have on nights like this." He shivered slightly, in spite of the warmth of the quilt, and shifted a little closer to Riza. They fell silent for several minutes, just watching wispy clouds drifting lazily across the moon. It was incredibly beautiful.

"You are coming back, aren't you?" Riza asked quietly. Roy, astonished, turned his head to look at her.

"Well, yeah. I intend to, anyway, as long as sensei doesn't change his mind about me in the meantime. I've still got another four months of apprenticeship, you know, according to the contract he arranged with Aunt Chris."

"I see," she said, her expression carefully blank. Roy's heart gave a painful little throb.

He hadn't given much thought to the termination of his apprenticeship, not in months. Not since he'd started to really care. (And just when had that happened, anyway?) But now, with the unspoken loneliness in Riza's quiet question, Roy wondered what would happen to her when he was gone for good. Once his apprenticeship ended, they could still be friends, couldn't they? They could write to each other, and maybe she could come to visit him in Central, and he could come back here some time…right?

But even then… it wouldn't be quite the same, would it?

Even imagining their inevitable parting was painful, and Roy shook his head slightly as if to clear it. This time, at least, he would be coming back. He'd only be gone for two weeks. There was still so much he hadn't learned from Hawkeye-sensei. He could spend months, if not years, studying under the brilliant alchemist, and still have barely scratched the surface. If he was a diligent student, then Master-Hawkeye might let him arrange to stay on a bit longer, after his remaining time was up. Until the time for a more permanent separation came, it was better not to get all wound up about it.

Roy slipped a hand through the folds of the quilt until he found Riza's hand, which he squeezed lightly.

"I'll be back before you even notice I'm gone," he assured her.

"Somehow I doubt that," she murmured, half to herself. And then, with slightly forced cheer: "When you get back, I want to hear all about the big city Winter Solstice festivities. Especially about the fireworks you mentioned before. So you'd better pay close attention, okay?"

"You've got it," he said, with another light squeeze. "Now, tell me more about this meteor shower. Where are we supposed to be looking?"

December 17th -18th

Although they'd stayed out on the roof until after midnight watching falling stars, Roy did extremely well on his exam the following morning. So well, in fact, that Berthold gave him a rare smile and even told him to enjoy his visit home. Roy spent the rest of the day packing, hunting for lost socks and trying to tidy his bedroom so that Miss Riza wouldn't feel compelled to give it a thorough cleaning while he was away. Which she'd probably do anyway, but perhaps he could save her some work.

But when he found himself eating supper alone again, Roy remembered that he'd never asked Riza whether anything was bothering her. Once again, he racked his brain for anything he might have said or done to irritate her, and once again he came up empty.

Hadn't they had a good time last night, trying to keep a lookout for shooting stars while the moon rose higher and higher above them? At one point, they'd gone back indoors to defrost a bit and add several more layers of clothing, and yet she'd still thrown half of her quilt over him when they crawled back out on the roof. She'd had no objection to the arm around her shoulder, either, even though the extra layers of coats and mittens meant that sharing body heat wasn't strictly necessary. That certainly hadn't felt like avoidance. And she'd smiled and joked with him when she'd brought in a pile of clean laundry, earlier this afternoon, even congratulating him when he told her his exam had gone well.

So why wasn't she eating dinner with him anymore?

Although she wasn't on the roof when he went searching this time, Riza did turn up an hour or so later, pink-cheeked from the cold, claiming to have been calling on one of the neighbors and deftly evading Roy's cautious questions. It made him slightly uneasy, but he let the subject drop when she curled up on her usual chair and reminded him that it was almost time for their favorite radio program. After all, he was leaving in the morning, and he didn't want to start a quarrel out of nothing or leave her on a sour note.

Early the following morning, Roy collected his bags and trotted downstairs, where he found Riza waiting with her market basket over her arm.

"I made you some sandwiches for the train," she said shyly, gesturing to a small package in the basket. "Do you mind if I walk with you? I need a few things in town today anyway."

"Of course I don't mind! I'm always glad of your company," he smiled in reply.

They arrived at the train station with several minutes to spare before Roy's departure time, although they could already hear the mournful whistle of the approaching train in the distant fields. Riza, though a bit subdued, kept up her end of a constant stream of cheerful conversation until the train pulled into the station. If Roy hadn't been looking directly at her, he would have missed the shadow of sadness that crossed her face. But it was gone the next instant, and then she was smiling and handing him the sandwiches she'd made.

"Thanks. And thank you for coming to see me off," Roy said, accepting the small squashy package.

"Of course," she replied, blushing faintly. Suddenly Roy didn't want to leave. Even if he was only going for two weeks, he was really going to miss her while he was gone.

"I wish you were coming with me," he sighed softly. His words were lost in the groaning and hissing of the steam engine as it rolled to a rumbling halt at the platform. But Riza must have understood the look on his face, because her eyes softened and she smiled a little sadly.

"Have a safe journey, Mr. Mustang. And say hello to your family for us," she said, leaning in close to Roy in order to be heard over the noise.

In a bold move that surprised them both, Riza suddenly closed the gap between them, pressing her soft lips to Roy's cheek. A second later, she whirled and darted away from the train station. Roy stood staring after her, shell shocked, until the whistle of the train brought him back to his senses. He scrambled on board and made his way to an empty seat near the back of the car, still clutching the small package of sandwiches that Riza had given him. He stared down at the package for several long minutes, one hand hovering over the cheek she'd kissed, before he shook himself and unwrapped it.

Tucked into the waxed paper folds was a small handwritten notecard.

"Happy Winter Solstice, Mr. Mustang," it read in Riza's perfect, precise script. "May the coming year bring you joy, peace and prosperity. In the spirit of the season, I've hidden a gift among your socks. I hope that it will be useful."

Roy dropped the card on his lap and began rummaging in his bag at once, shoving aside shirts, trousers and pajamas until he found a carefully wrapped package tied with a wide red satin ribbon. Unraveling it with great keenness, he pushed aside folds of tissue paper to reveal a beautifully thick black scarf, hand-knitted from the softest, finest wool he'd ever handled. Stroking it softly, Roy wondered when she'd found the time to make it, given the sheer amount of time they spent together.

And then he remembered those two lonely dinners that had caused him such anxiety, and laughed aloud. Of course –she'd been rushing to finish it without his noticing! Sneaky little minx.

"Happy Solstice, Miss Riza," he murmured, smiling at the wheat fields streaking past his window.

December 18th – 21st

It had been snowing in Central, just enough to coat all the buildings and lampposts and trees in a clean white blanket that glittered in the sunlight. When Roy exited the train station, strings of brightly colored paper lanterns were being strung up along the streets by a small army of volunteers, and vendors were setting up their stalls in preparation of the annual Winter Solstice Faire. The familiarity of the bustling holiday scene was oddly comforting, and Roy knew he was grinning like a fool but couldn't bring himself to care. The low undercurrent of excitement throughout the city was palpable and contagious, and Roy let it sweep him up as he made his way towards the main road where his aunt had told him to meet her. Predictably, Chris's car was already waiting at the curb, and Roy was nearly smothered by the two women inside (Violet and Elinor, this time. Roy suspected that they'd drawn straws.) They'd whisked him off to Chris's bar at once, explaining on the ride that his welcome home party was already underway.

Years later, Roy was able to look back at that night and laugh. At the time, of course, it hadn't been remotely amusing. (At least, not for him—the girls had been very entertained.)

All of his 'sisters' greeted him enthusiastically with oddly intense expressions, but was Ada who'd first noticed his new scarf. When he admitted, flushing scarlet, that it had been a recent gift, he'd been afraid that the sheer volume of Ada's high-pitched squeal had caused him permanent hearing damage. Drawn by the noise (and really, it was a wonder the whole town hadn't been drawn by the noise), the girls who hadn't already been standing at the door quickly descended on him and began pressing him for answers, ignoring his flushing and stammering protests. He felt like a lamb who'd just opened the door to a roomful of starving lions. Several pairs of perfectly manicured hands had guided him into a chair and pushed him none-too-gently into it, and the next thing he knew he was surrounded on all sides.

"All right, enough of this 'subtlety' nonsense," Sophie said briskly, her hands on her hips and her blue-green eyes hard and sharp. "I—or rather, we—need some answers, little brother. Detailed ones," she amended.

"Care to explain this?" Juliet asked menacingly, brandishing a folded piece of paper that Roy recognized as his most recent letter home. Roy fidgeted and swallowed hard.

"We've come to the conclusion that you might have been less than forthcoming in your last letter," Elinor interjected gently. "Perhaps you'd care to fill in some of the gaps, dearest?"

"I don't know what you mean—" Roy protested feebly.

"Oh come, now," Violet scoffed. Even Lucy and Ada rolled their eyes, which was when Roy really knew he was in trouble.

"The Festival," Veronica said slowly. "We want to know what happened at the Festival that you aren't telling us. What are you trying to hide?"

"I—there—nothing happened! I already told you, w-we just…" Roy stammered, looking around as if to find an escape. But it was no use. All seven of his 'sisters' were looking at him expectantly. Even Chris had perched on a stool just outside of their little circle, watching her unfortunate nephew with clear amusement on her face.

"Yes? You just what?" Lucy asked breathlessly, her blue eyes wide and guileless. She had an innate talent for getting people to let their guard down, and Roy was no exception. Her wide-eyed innocence made Roy soften just a little bit.

"Well, I told you all about that in my letter, didn't I? About the games, and the play, and how there was music and dancing," he said. "After that, we went to the bonfire, and—"

"We?" Three voiced asked simultaneously. Roy cringed. Best to play dumb, he decided. They couldn't possibly know he'd left that little detail out deliberately.

"Um, yes. Didn't I say? I was with Ri—er, Miss Hawkeye that night." Crap! And he'd been so careful not to use just her first name, in his letters. If they knew about that; the teasing would never end!

"Oh?" Violet said, leaning closer and resting her chin in her hand. "So you and Miss Hawkeye went to the festival together, then?"

"W-well, yeah. Just as friends!" Roy added quickly. Not quickly enough. Sophie and Veronica exchanged a smirk.

"Oh, I bet Miss Hawkeye is a wonderful dancer," Lucy sighed, her eyes sparkling.

"Actually, she didn't know how to dance at all, at first," Roy replied, smiling. This felt like a safe topic. "But she's a fast learner. She picked it up pretty quickly, once I showed her the…the basics…" he trailed off in horror, catching his slip far too late.

"You taught her to dance? Oh, Roy, that's so sweet!" Ada squealed. Violet nudged her with an elbow, as if to remind her that such statements might frighten him into silence, even as he clamped his jaw shut, determined not to answer any more of their questions.

But Veronica had been right, before. Roy had forgotten who he was dealing with. It was easy enough to withhold information in written communications, but suppressing involuntary physical cues like blushing, blinking and pupil dilation was far more difficult, and he'd gotten out of practice in the past several months. In the end he cracked like an egg, spilling nearly every detail. In less than half an hour, his 'sisters' knew everything: from a detailed description of the prize he'd won for Riza to the decidedly intimate moment they'd shared sitting by the bonfire after the dance.

Madame, laughing, finally drew him to her side and told him he'd definitely need to work on resisting interrogation, in case it ever came up in the future.

"However, ladies, there is one thing he's still keeping from us," she added, with a final squeeze of her defeated nephew.

"What? What is it?" they cried out, indignant. Madame smiled benignly, dark eyes glittering.

"The kiss," she said matter-of-factly.

"What? H-how'd you even know about that?!" Roy cried out, jumping to his feet. His aunt threw her head back and laughed aloud.

"I didn't. Not until just then, when you told me," Chris explained. Roy's face fell, if possible, even further. "Never mind, darling, never mind," she soothed, patting his shoulder somewhat absently. "You can tell us all about it later. But as for now, isn't this meant to be a party? Ada, darling, go on and let the other guests in, won't you? Everyone should be here by now."

"Oh, right! Yes, of course," several voices spoke at once, and the girls scattered, scurrying to and fro for the platters of food and trays of drinks while Ada hastened to open the door for Roy's friends.

"Besides," he heard her say to Lucy. "We have nearly two weeks to get all the finer points out of him, right?"

Roy blanched. This was going to be a long vacation.

December 21st

Starbursts bloomed in Riza's dark eyes, reflected light from the sparkler she held in one hand. With her lips slightly parted and unguarded delight written all over her face, Roy thought she'd never looked more beautiful. Her eyes flicked to his quickly and then back to the sizzling firework.

Roy just grinned and lit another one right before hers fizzled out, trading her for the spent one.

"They're called sparklers," he explained. "So what do you think? Do you like them?"

"Oh, yes," she breathed. "They're beautiful, Mr. Mustang!" Mesmerized, she watched until the second one was nearly burnt out as well. As the light flickered and died out, Riza turned towards him with an unidentifiable look in her eyes. They noticed how close together they'd been standing at the same moment. And then Riza was leaning in close, and then closer still, with her face slightly upturned…and then—

"Roy. Earth to Roy!" Juliet was saying, waving a hand in front of his face. Roy blinked and tore his eyes away from the display of fireworks he'd been staring at.

"Ah, sorry Jules, I got a bit distracted," he replied a bit sheepishly.

"I could tell," she said with a mischievous little smile. "Did you see something you wanted, then?"

Thank God she couldn't read his mind, Roy thought, biting his tongue.

"Sparklers," he said firmly, praying that his ears weren't turning red and giving him away. "I wanted to get some sparklers."

"Oh? Souvenirs for your new friends?" she prompted, raising an eyebrow. Roy shrugged in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner.

"The other kids haven't seen any fireworks before. I thought it might be fun to take some of the little ones back to show them," he explained. If the look Juliet was giving him was any indication, she wasn't fooled by the mention of 'other kids' in the slightest.

"Oh, I see," was all she said. "The classic sparklers are nice, but I've always liked Morning Glories the best," she added, pointing at a display of slender cardboard tubes wrapped in brightly colored striped paper. "Those actually change colors while they're burning."

"No kidding? Awesome!" Roy said, reaching for a box. "I wonder how much the flash bombs are, those are pretty cool too…" Juliet just smiled and shook her head.

With his wallet considerably lighter, Roy helped Juliet finish the rest of the shopping while lugging a bulging bag of his own. He couldn't wait to surprise Riza with the fireworks.

December 21st – January 1st

The remainder of Roy's winter vacation flew by. After the Winter Solstice Faire, which he'd gone to with several of his old school friends, he and Chris had had another little dinner party just for Chris's girls, many of whom didn't have any close family. Veronica's father and Elinor's younger sister joined the family gathering as well, and Ada even brought her young son along. Veronica's father regaled them with amusing stories of the criminals he'd helped put away, including a fantastic tale involving twin heiresses, a venomous snake, and a saucer of milk.

After his initial interrogation, Roy's 'sisters' had mostly let the subject of Roy's love life alone, although there was an increase in the number of knowing smiles and raised eyebrows that he received whenever he wore his new scarf. He was certain they hadn't believed him when he explained that the 'kiss' was nothing more than a chaste kiss on the cheek, and that neither he nor Miss Hawkeye had acted any differently after that night. But fortunately for Roy, Sophie had recently started seeing a young man, and so the girls were sufficiently distracted by her burgeoning romance once they'd gotten the details of the Harvest Festival and the subsequent kiss out of him.

It wasn't until his last day that his aunt pulled him aside for a more serious discussion.

"I've started hearing little things, lately, that have made me uneasy," she began, twisting a ring on her thumb as she paced the length of the room. A sure sign of distress, although her voice and expression remained calm.

"What kinds of things?" Roy asked, frowning.

"Political things, mostly," she sighed. "Propaganda and rhetoric. But I've also heard rumors about growing unrest and instability in the Eastern provinces."

"Okay," Roy said slowly, unsure what reaction his aunt was looking for. She stood silently for another moment, looking out of her window. Finally she turned back to face him.

"I realize your teacher's home isn't anywhere near the areas I've been hearing about," she said. "But your teacher's home is still closer to the borders than I'm comfortable with. I want you to promise me that you'll be careful. Keep your eyes and ears open, and you let me know about anything out of the ordinary. The moment you notice it, you understand? Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, ma'am," Roy said solemnly.

"Good boy," she replied, relaxing a fraction. She studied his face before smiling softly. "I know I don't have to tell you to look after your young lady." Roy flushed and looked away.

"She's not my—it's not like that," he mumbled. Chris chuckled softly.

"Your lady friend, then. I'd like to meet her, one day. You make sure she knows she's welcome in my home any time, young man."

"A-all right," Roy said, a little perturbed.

"Now off to bed with you. Your train leaves first thing tomorrow; I'll wake you in the morning."

"Good night, auntie," Roy said, rising and allowing his aunt to pull him into a one-armed hug.

"Good night, brat," she answered affectionately.

A.N. Happy 2014, everyone! I'm terribly sorry to make you wait so long for this chapter, but this year's holidays barely left me enough time to think, let alone write. Thank you all for your patience! I hope everybody had a lovely Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa or Winter Solstice or Whatever-Other-Mid-to-Late-December-Celebration-You-Choose-to-Observe-That-I-May-Have-Missed). And if you didn't, then I wish you a very Happy New Year all the same!

A special thanks to my anonymous reviewers Laurel, Anna and Guest, whom I am not able to PM to thank individually. I appreciate your kind and encouraging words more than you know :)

xoxo Janie