Fullmetal Alchemist: Solitude

Chapter 6: Little Angel

Two big, round eyes gazed up into her soul, at least, that was what it felt like. Olivier held a blanket-covered bundle in her arms, and all wrapped up in the blanket was her baby.

Yes, she was a mother now, as impossible as it seemed. If she weren't currently holding the child in her arms, she would never have believed it.

"I can't get over how cute he is," admired Miles, standing over her. Olivier smiled in agreement.

"He's the perfect combination of both of us," she said.

"We sure make some attractive kids," Miles said. Olivier ran her fingers through her son's thick white hair.

"His hair is so beautiful and white. It reminds me of yours," she murmured. Miles knelt down beside her.

"It does, doesn't it?" Olivier turned to face him, and they leaned in closer…

BAM! The door to the office flung open, crashing into the wall. Everyone in the room jumped, and the baby gave a startled cry. Olivier glared at the intruder.

"ALEX! You almost made the baby cry! How dare you!" Her brother stood in the doorway, his smile pressing the boundaries of his face.

"I apologize sister – but I am just so excited to met my nephew!"

"Just don't be so loud next time," said Miles. "You'll make him cry." Alex more or less ignored Miles, and made his way to where Olivier was sitting. He bent down to get a good look at his nephew.

"He's so cute!" He exclaimed. "He will make an excellent Armstrong!"

"He will," agreed Olivier.

"Can I hold him?"

"No. With your bloated muscles, you'll only manage to squish him." Alex looked momentarily defeated. Olivier felt slightly bad. Clearly the pregnancy hormones were wreaking havoc in her ice – cold system if she actually felt this way about her brother.

"Don't worry Alex. Once he isn't so fragile you can hold him."

"Thank you, Olivier! I certainly wasn't expecting that from you."

"Neither was I," said Miles.

"It won't last long," assured Olivier. There came a knock on the wall from outside.

"Yes?" Asked Miles.

"You have another visitor," responded a soldier from outside the open entranceway.

"Send them in," said Olivier. Izumi Curtis entered the room.

"Oh my – Olivier! You actually had it!" She exclaimed.

"Well of course I did!" Laughed Olivier. "I didn't have a choice in the matter!"

"I know, I know," said Izumi, approaching her friend. "It just seems so surreal." The baby gurgled when he saw his godmother. Immediately, Izumi's heart melted.

"I'm in love," she said. "Can I hold him?"

"Of course," said Olivier, handing the baby to Izumi. She cradled him gently in her arms, gazing down with immeasurable love and adoration in her eyes. Olivier could see just how much Izumi wanted a child of her own, and it was clear as day that she would be the greatest, most caring mother in Amestris.

"He's amazing," she murmured. "You've been blessed."

"She's actually acting motherly now," said Miles. "Can you believe it?" Izumi and Alex laughed. Olivier crossed her arms, a smirk across her face.

"I know, I've grown soft. But that won't change my ways as a general."

"Has Grumman ordered you to take maternity leave?" Asked Alex.

"He has, but we never received that message. You know how precarious Briggs can be, especially with weather intercepting certain signals…"

"Why did you return to Briggs so quickly after delivering?" Asked Izumi. "Wouldn't it have been easier to stay at the mansion?"

"We never do anything the easy way," muttered Miles.

"We both planned to work after he was born," answered Olivier. "It was just sensible to return."

"I feel like he'd have a more normal childhood growing up at the manor," said Alex.

"That's probably true," agreed Olivier, staring at her child. A momentary silence embodied the room.

"Wait," said Izumi. "You never told me what his name is."

"Edward Alphonse Armstrong," answered Miles.

"You named your son after my delinquent pupils?"

"We wanted to name him after someone we both admire, or two someones I suppose. It turns out that those boys are the two we admire most. After all, without them, none of us would be here," he continued. Izumi smiled.

"I wonder what they'll think of that," she said. "Anyway, Edward looks perfectly healthy, even though he's a month premature."

"The doctors said he was fine. A little small, but that's to be expected," said Olivier. She closed her eyes, remembering labor. Babies were a bad idea, for that reason alone, if nothing else. It hurt more than her injuries after battling Sloth. However, in the end, the results were worth it. Her son was absolutely adorable. Despite her aversion to children, she found herself loving Edward more with every glance. He was an angel in her life. His face was round, and he seemed to always be smiling. His skin was somewhere in between hers and Miles', leaning more towards the tan side. Atop his head was this puff of Ishvalan – white hair that just begged you to run your fingers through it. His eyes, though, were his most startling feature. They were blue, just like hers, but deeper and even more beautiful.

Edward had brought a level of peace into her life she had never before known, much less expected. Her career was still important, but her son was rivaling that priority. Along with bringing out her deeply buried maternal instincts, he brought her closer to Miles. She adored him, and perhaps was growing to love him. Anyhow, no longer did she view him as her subordinate, but as her equal. Glancing around the room at her lover, their son, her brother, and her best friend, she realized that she had never been happier in her entire life than she was at this moment. There was simply nothing more she could ask for: she had everything she wanted. How she had lived before, all alone, she would never know. She did know one thing for sure though, and that was that she would never return to that lonely world.

"You okay?" Asked Miles. "You're spacing out."

"Yes, I'm fine," responded Olivier. "I'm just thinking."

"Always a dangerous pastime," he smiled. Olivier batted him gently.

"Only for you. I was just thinking about how wonderful my life has become. Honestly," she turned to face Alex. "If you hadn't had that party, none of this would have happened." Alex's face flushed with this unexpected praise.

"Why thank you. Even though it wasn't my doing."

"We still haven't figured out who drugged us," said Miles. "Not that we've put much effort into the investigation."

"Let's end it all together," murmured Olivier.

"Really, sister?"

"Yes. Personally, I prefer it this way."

"I must agree," said Miles. "That drug was the best thing that ever happened to me." Olivier smiled, and looked at Izumi.

"Can I have him back?"

"Sure," she said, handing Edward to Olivier. "Miss him already?"

"Yes," admitted Olivier. Edward made a cute gurgling noise as he snuggled back into his mother's arms.

"Are you alright being the godparents?" Asked Miles suddenly.

"Absolutely. I love him already."

"He's going to be heartbreaker when he's older," said Alex. "I can see it."

"You never know," said Olivier. "He might take after me and be cruel and unforgiving."

"I hope not," said Alex. "There has to be some member of the family who likes me."

"He'll like you just fine, Alex. Don't worry about it," said Miles. "I'll make sure he's respectful." Miles leaned over to Edward and smiled. "He's so fragile."

"In a few years he won't be," said Olivier.

"Until then," said Miles, playing with his son's hair and causing him to laugh. "I'll protect you." Olivier smiled.

"Thanks Miles."

"Well, I don't know about you," said Izumi. "But I'm starving. Why don't we go get something to eat?"

"Sounds good Iz - …" Olivier was cut off as alarm sirens began to ring, echoing throughout the room and building. All four were immediately at attention. Edward began to cry. Olivier held him closer to her.

"Miles, go see what's happening," she ordered. Miles was at the door in an instant. He saw some soldiers sprinting toward the office. Finally, they reached him.

"What's going on?" He demanded. The soldiers breathed heavily.

"Sir," one spoke, to Miles and Olivier both. "We have an emergency!"

"Then spit it out!" Commanded Olivier, her protective instincts kicking in.

"It's Drachma! They've violated the armistice and are attacking Fort Briggs as we speak!"