Rose Petals, Part 2
A Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic by Trevan Higgins, aka "spectre_vampire"

"You should get out of here, as fast as you can," Ed said as he stood up and rubbed his hands together. Rose saw that he had begun to draw something on the floor with some sort of black substance.

Rose was absolutely taken aback by this remark. Why would he want me to leave? She could hardly believe it.

"Hate to ask," added Ed. "But could you take him with you?" He motioned over to where Wrath was still lying, half of his body brunt almost beyond recognition. Rose gulped slightly at this request. She was a bit apprehensive about carrying both her child and the being who had previously tried to kill him.

Not wanting to disappoint, she nodded hesitantly and said, "Sure." But something was still stuck in the back of her mind. "What about you? What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to demolish this place," replied Ed without a change in tone. "I'm going to tear it all to the ground, so nobody gets the idea to make a stone this way again."

"Oh," remarked Rose, with a trace of disappointment in her voice. Somehow she felt he was lying. "Well, whatever happens," she smiled, "I'm sure you'll be able to find your way out when you're done." Ed looked at her, somewhat surprised.

"'Cause you have a strong pair of legs," she continued. "I'll know you'll get up and use them."

Ed paused, then smiled shyly. He remembered the first time they ever met; those were the same words he said to her before he left. He remembered how devastated she was at learning the truth, knowing that her old love would never come back to her. He was younger, more stubborn back then, and was neither sure how to nor interested in sitting her down & delivering a sappy, emotional comfort session. So he told her to move on and find her own path, the same way he & Al had to after their accident. Looking back, he realized he wasn't being very sincere.

Rose moved her arms up and down slightly to create a rocking motion for her baby. He was already asleep, though, so she was careful not to wake him. "Beautiful, isn't he?" She said, not looking at Ed.

"He's wonderful," Ed replied. "With all he's been through, he may as well have inherited your strength."

"Well, all my strength I got from you!"

Ed smiled modestly. "Not necessarily. All I did was give you advice to live by. All the courage was yours alone!"

"Well, then," pondered Rose. "It could be he inherited it from his father!"

Ed scowled. "Yeah, I guess kidnapping & victimizing a defenseless girl makes you pretty brave!" He scoffed sarcastically.

Rose smiled quietly. "Or maybe his father's a renowned State Alchemist."

Ed was confused. "What are you-? You think that-? But, Rose, you were…"

"It wasn't a soldier! I was pregnant even before that!"

"You…you mean…" Ed looked down at the sleeping baby boy, suddenly regaining memory of what happened the iconic night.

A pale moon provided decent lighting for an otherwise dim Lior sky. Rose stepped out of her apartment door & closed it quietly behind her, swiveling her head around to make sure nobody was watching. Casually she walked the vacant streets underneath a starless sky. She had made this trip so many times before, it almost seemed more than just routine, more than just a habit.

She finally found the red wine fountain in its usual spot & lifted her knees onto the pedestal. She gazed down at the clear ruby water. Then she looked up at the night sky. She saw a single grey cloud over the black backdrop and thought about how long it's been since this town saw rain. The combination of the moon's illumination, and a few of the torches that the townspeople had forgotten to extinguish, cast shadows around the vicinity. Rose traced the outline of her shadow on the ground, a black silhouette.

"Aren't you a little young to be wandering out this late by yourself?" A familiar voice sounded somewhere near her. She looked over in the direction of the speaker and saw Ed standing there with his normal street clothes on. Rose was a little embarrassed to be seen in her nightgown, even though it was long enough to cover her & keep her warm.

"Yeah, well, what about you?" She retorted. "Aren't you younger than me? Little boys like you shouldn't be out so late!"

"Who's little?" Ed snapped. "Big words for a so-called 'lady'!"

"You're so cute when you're defensive!" Rose smirked.

"Whatever. So, what are you doing out here anyway? You like to sneak a little red wine every night when nobody's around?"

"Well, not every night, but every once in while." She took one of the cups attached to a string and dipped it into the liquid. Once she had scooped out a considerable amount she brought it up to her mouth and sipped. The wine had a rich, sweet taste to it that she had grown to love. At first, it tasted reasonably sour to her, but now it tickled her taste buds. "Want some?"

"No thanks," replied Ed. "So, the townspeople don't mind that an underage girl is drinking wine out of a public fountain?"

"It's liquid; they never notice," assured Rose. She dipped the cup in again and took another sip.

"So, how does an innocent desert-town girl like yourself feel the need to drink all the time?"

"What?"

"Well, usually, people drink to deal with grief. This wouldn't by any chance have anything to do with your dead boyfriend, would it?"

"You leave him out of this!" Rose interjected, more out of annoyance than anger. "I know how to handle grief! I just get bored when I can't sleep, is all!" She exhaled with an air of contentment. "Besides, why would I have to grieve? Once Cornello is finished resurrecting Cain, we can be together again, for the rest of our lives!"

"You really think Cornello can bring him back?"

"What do you mean?" She didn't quite understand.

"I'm just sayin', you're taking a pretty big gamble trusting in the possibility of a resurrection."

"Don't worry so much! Cornello's a registered miracle worker! If there's anyone who can bring back the dead, it's him!"

"Well, alchemists like me deal in formulas and absolutes. We don't usually believe in miracles!"

"That's because Cornello's not an alchemist; he's a priest ordained with the power of Leto!"

"Trust me, Rose, people like him aren't all they're cracked up to be! You and everyone else in this town are headed down an unknown road."

"I don't think I have anything to worry about." Rose dipped into the fountain bowl one more time & drank. She usually limited herself to one or two cups, but for some reason she was feeling extra festive tonight. "Oh! I'm feeling a little tipsy!" She rested her head against Ed's shoulder and sighed. "I just need someone to hold me and stay with me & protect me!" She wrapped her arms around Ed and gazed into his eyes. "So what about you? You got a special girl back home?"

The image of Winry's face projected into Ed's mind. "Not really. I mean, I knew her, but we're just good friends. That's all. She's not a girlfriend."

"I see. Too bad." Rose blushed a little as she looked up at Ed with gleaming eyes. "I could be your girlfriend, just for tonight." She raised her head up and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"You sure your dead boyfriend won't mind?"

Rose giggled slightly. "I told you already, tonight you're my boyfriend."

A ray of light cast down on his forehead, waking him. He pushed up with his hands, raising his chest up so he could see better. He still had his gloves on, as well as his black tank top, his red jacket hung on a small chair near a desk. He blinked rapidly to adjust the light in his eyes, and then gasped with a slight state of shock. This doesn't look like the room Al & I rented!

"Hello? Al? You there?" He called. But instead of the usual clank of armor and young boy's voice he'd grown accustomed to hearing, he heard a soft yawn and the shifting of bed sheets behind him. Startled slightly, he slowly turned around him to see a half-naked Rose lying face down on the bed, the sheets draped halfway down her exposed back.

Ed lost his balance and toppled over the side of the bed, landing hard on his back. The floor of the room was pretty hard and painful. He lay there looking up at the ceiling, when Rose's face peeked out over the mattress. "You okay?"

Panicked, Ed rolled over, his hand falling upon his black pants on the floor. The bulge in his back pocket indicated where his State Alchemist watch was. "W-w-w-what am I…I mean, why are you…what the hell happened?"

"I invited you back to my apartment last night," Rose moaned, squinting her eyes and pinching her sinuses. "Please keep it down! My head hurts from the wine!"

How can she be so nonchalant about this? He thought. Frantically, he kicked his legs through his pants, swearing under his breath when they didn't go all the way through. "Dammit, get in!"

Rose smiled shyly. "So cute."

Ed rushed through the door with complete apathy for whether or not he knocked it off its hinges. The sunlight bathed his face fully, forcing him to cover his eyes with his hand. He stuck his chest out, trying to stretch his back out.

"Brother!" A voice shouted. Ed practically jumped out of his skin, even though he'd heard that voice all his life.

"Dammit, Al!" He turned to his brother. "Don't scare me like that! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry, brother. You didn't check in last night or anything! I was just worried, that's all! Hey, everyone's gathered around the cathedral to watch Cornello!"

Like moths to a flame, Ed thought to himself. "Okay, let's go! I'd like to see some of this guy's 'miracles' for myself."

Just then, the door swung open, giving Ed an even bigger shock than before. "Hey, Al!" Rose's voice sounded behind him. "You two going to the cathedral, too?"

"Yes, of course, Rose!" replied Al enthusiastically.

"Wonderful! Well, see you there!" As she ran off down the street she turned back towards Ed and added, "And I especially look forward to seeing you there, too!"

"Hmm, she seemed especially cheerful," Al observed as he watched her skip down the street. "Just what were you two doing all night anyway?" The suggestive tone in his voice made Ed even more uneasy.

"Uh, nothing! Hey, let's go follow her!" Ed quickly blurted out, running off in the same direction.

"Hey, no fair!" Al shouted, giving chase. "Come back here, brother! I mean it! What happened between you guys?"

"So that means…" Ed began, staring down at Rose's (and his) son. He smiled. "Hmm! Well, how do you like that? All this time…"

"Yes," Rose replied. "That's probably why he smiled at you when you rescued me in the tunnel. He must've known before I did."

"But how did you figure it out?"

"He has his mother's skin, but his father's eyes." She looked up at him proudly. "I just thought he'd like to meet his real father one last time! Before we say goodbye…" Suddenly tears began to form in her eyes.

"Something wrong?"

"When Envy stabbed you, I was afraid…afraid I'd never get a chance to tell you! I'd never forgive myself if I never got the chance…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Everything bad I ever did or said to you," Rose continued, full-fledged tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "I was messed up, Edward! So naïve and conceited. You were right, Ed! You were right about everything!"

"Th-that's not true!" Ed interjected. "You taught me more than even Teacher! Things you can't get from an Alchemy book! Things more important!"

"You should hate me."

"Well, even if that's true, I don't! When I saw you for the second time, I was so sure you'd hate me! I wouldn't blame you, you know, if you did!"

Rose wiped away her tears and tried to smile through them. "Nobody's perfect." She leaned forward and kissed Ed's cheek. "You do whatever you need to."

"Not before I say goodbye to my son."