once upon a december
Characters: Riza Hawkeye, Roy Mustang, Olivier Armstrong, Miles and others
Summary: Chaos had just received an entirely new dimension.
Roy Mustang was not happy at the moment. Everyone in the office could see and hear this. He had been at the phone for nearly an hour and it was questionable whether he would leave it alone anytime soon – most of his subordinates would say that he would never let go of it again.
"Previous engagement? You are both cancelling on me, Jade?" he snarled for the eighth time in the past few minutes. "Midwinter is supposed to be spent with the family and that means me. You can't simply go ahead and cancel on me. That's heartless and against the spirit."
Jean Havoc chuckled as he watched his superior's despair. "How about you, Hawkeye?" he asked.
"What do you mean, Second Lieutenant?" she asked as she lowered her pen for a moment.
"He asks whether you got any plans for Midwinter," Breda supplied helpfully.
"I was invited to spend the days with my family," she replied. "If this is all, I'd like to go back to my work now. I want to leave early because it's a long way to the West and I leave this evening."
"Jade, please," the black-haired man went on. "Can't you cancel whatever previous engagement Phil and you have had? I don't want to spend the holidays all on my own just because you decided that you would spend the days at someone else's place…"
"Poor boss," Havoc grinned as he raised his eyebrow. "He should ask the brothers…"
"Oh, so you volunteer to write the reports about the tragic death of the colonel, then?" his best friend asked amused. "I didn't think that you'd appreciate the extra work."
"W-what … no, you aren't supposed to ask whether I can come too – Jade – no!"
"I love the days when the colonel calls her," Havoc chuckled as he scratched his chin. "She is always three seconds from breaking his mind completely and she does this in such an amazing way … someone should give her a reward for messing with him all the time."
"Back to work," Hawkeye ordered as she lifted her gaze for a moment. "I believe that most of us plan on leaving the city tonight, correct?"
"Yeah," Havoc declared proudly. "I am driving back home and Breda comes with me since his folks decided to travel instead of offering their only son a decent midwinter celebration."
"Falman spends the day with his family – and how about Fuery?" Breda asked.
"He is visiting his grandparents," Falman said as he shrugged. "No matter what, Hawkeye's right: we should hurry up and get our job done because we have to leave early."
"…I told you not to tell Phil to get me invited too, Jade."
"Someone really has to give her an award," Havoc sighed as he pushed another file over to Breda so that the red-haired soldier could check whether everything was correct.
The house was situated on a hill with miles of land surrounding it. This was the home of the Hamilton-family, the home of grace and wit. The white house with the green doors could be seen from miles ahead and whenever the family was there, whenever they returned to the place of the origin, their banner appeared on the roof.
"Impressive," Riza Hawkeye muttered as she paid the taxi driver and grabbed her suitcase. "Thank you for driving me up here," she added as she got out.
"Seeing that mansion was nearly worth it," the man said. "Have a good holiday, miss."
She nodded as she headed for the stairs that led up to the door – only to be face-to-face with Nerissa who suddenly stepped out of a shadow. The other, taller blonde wore a black coat with huge golden buttons and her hair was tamed by a red ribbon. Her pace was pale as usual but her cheeks were flushed from the cold – something she was obviously still not used to.
"Hey," she greeted cheerfully as she grabbed her suitcase which had been hidden behind a pillar. "I thought that I should wait for you so that you don't have to face the attack of the kids all alone. Especially the twins tend to be a little bit overenthusiastic when they meet someone new."
"I would have guessed that you would be here earlier than everyone…"
"Under normal circumstances, yes," she said as she grabbed her suitcase and headed for the door. "I had to make a slight detour and go to North City before I came here … I guess that they started to assume that I might not even come this time…" She stopped her tracks and grinned back at her cousin. "A little warning – I got a reputation for having a habit of shocking everyone during dinner. Since it's your first midwinter with the family, I am telling you to big surprise ahead – but to me a favour and take pictures, yes?"
"I have a feeling like you are doing something really, really mean to them…"
"I am dropping two bombs tonight – my husband's identity and the fact that we are becoming parents," Nerissa chuckled as she twirled around. "You will be just as amused as I am when you will see their faces – dear Truth, Kay will throw a fit."
It was strange how Nerissa and Kay cared about each other a lot more than they cared about anyone else, spouses excluded. Riza had heard from Lynn that Kay and Nerissa had had a huge fight after the war, a fight that might have killed both of them if not for Serena's involvement. The older twins were dangerous, Riza knew as much, Kay had been in Ishbal and the Lightening Alchemist was still rumoured to be among the strongest state alchemists and Nerissa was not weaker than her sister. They were twins and while their appearances were different, their hearts beat in the same tact and nothing that had ever happened could change this.
The door was opened before they could even knock and Lynn appeared in the doorway, dressed in a purple sweater and black pants. Her nose was reddened and she sneezed. "Blasted cold," she muttered before she glared at her sister from hazy purple eyes. "Yes, go ahead and laugh at me, Nessa, I know that you want to. I, the healer, have caught a cold while working."
"I guess that you don't need me to point out how pathetic that is, Lynn?" Nerissa smirked as she hugged her sister. "Get back to bed before dad realises that you ever got up in first place."
"He's out with Kay, sparring and blowing up half the forest," a girl that seemed extraordinarily tall for her age because she was five at most. Pretty red curls fell over her shoulders and purple eyes shone brightly as she approached the group.
"Vicky," Nerissa stated as she bent down to look at the girl. "You grew again."
"She seems to have no other goal since you told her that she has to be taller and tougher before she can join you when you are travelling," Lynn said as she patted her daughter's head. "Well, get in. The butler will get your suitcases to your rooms and we can drink tea together – yes, you can have hot chocolate, Victoria."
"Why are you even still up, Vicky?" Nerissa asked after checking her watch. "It's so late…"
"She has dad wrapped around her little finger and since this is his house, he calls the shots and when she promised him to be everything but whiny tomorrow morning, he allowed her to stay up until everyone is here. Laila and Nick are here as well, still up and awake. I think that they are at the windows to see whether they can spot Kay and dad," Lynn explained smoothly before she coughed violently. "That was my last call, I am back to bed. Vicky, be a dear and show Aunty Riza around. She was never here before. Nessa, we will have tea now."
"Lynn, I want to go back to my schedule as soon as midwinter is over, I can't afford falling ill at the moment," the oldest sister said with a small smile. "Plus, I'd like to change first."
"Do as you please, this is as much your house as it is mine," Lynn said before she disappeared.
Victoria turned the gaze of her purple eyes onto her aunt as a frown crossed her face. "There is something off about you," she declared as she poked Nerissa's arm. "Mom didn't notice but I do."
"God, I hate observant little healing alchemists," her aunt sighed as she bit her lip. "Do me a favour and don't tell anyone, Vicky. I will buy you chocolate."
"Lemon flavoured?"
"Your mother will kill me but, yes."
"You got yourself a deal, Nessa."
"Congratulation for scaring off the taxi driver, Mustang," Olivier snarled as she marched through the snow. "That was pure brilliancy."
"You are quite welcome," Roy replied with a wide smirk. "And I see no harm in a little walk."
"Well, I do," the black-haired woman at his side snapped as she brushed snow off her shoulders. "We are too late, I am freezing and Phil – is your automail okay?"
"We are usually working up North, my automail was constructed for this weather," the taller black-haired man stated amused as he looked ahead. "Don't worry, I am okay."
"It is sickening how you always refer to you and Hamilton as 'we' even when she is not here," Olivier stated drily. "And I think that's even sicker that everyone knows which 'we' you are talking about – because there is no one else you spend so much time with."
"If I had known that you are so jealous, Major General, I would visit you as well…"
"You and your sister are you seriously holding some sort of contest who is sassier?" the blond woman asked sharply as she sent him a glare. "I mean … you are well-respected state alchemists and yet, you both act like the biggest children at times…"
"I object against any statements that claim that I am as immature as my brother," the other woman said. "I mean no disrespect, Armstrong, but – seriously? This is the best you can do?"
"Jade, behave," Roy said as he looked around. "And answer this question … when are we there?"
"A few more minutes," Phil shrugged. "It's not that long anymore – we should be able to see the house pretty soon, wouldn't you agree, oh mature sister of mine?"
"I really wonder how Hamilton puts up with you the entire time," Olivier muttered under her breath before Roy barely managed to push her out of the way as a woman came staggering out of the forest.
"Sorry," the woman apologised as she pulled back her hood. "I didn't see you there, Olivier."
"Always making a show wherever you come, huh?" Olivier asked as she grinned widely. "I would have guessed that you outgrew this stage, Kay…"
The redhead grinned as she approached the group. "Let's go to house together," she suggested as she called out to her father who appeared in between of the trees as well. "We were training a little bit – a midwinter tradition. Usually, Nessa joins us but she was not there yet by the time we decided to give it a go – she should be here by now though."
"I hope you really don't mind that we brought Roy," Jade said as she bit her lip.
"Jade, you are Lynn's best friend and when Lynn says that it is okay that you brought him, it is. Plus, we always invite many new people," the red-haired woman said cheerfully. "So, um, let's hurry back before Lynn can freak or something like that."
"I would be more scared that she might decide to do something but resting in bed," the tall man who looked like her male, older reflection stated calmly. "Lynn is terrible with midwinter stress. If we don't get back in time, she might have another nervous breakdown over the seating arrangement … and no one wants that, right?"
"That's why we are pretty happy that you accepted the invitation, Jade," Kay said with a nervous smirk. "You are her best friend and you might calm her down a little bit."
"It's hard being a perfectionist these days," Roy said with a shrug.
"The house is enormous," Riza concluded as she and Nerissa reached the entrance hall again after Victoria's little tour. "Who lives here, normally?"
"Lynn, Martin and the twins," Nerissa replied. "It's too much space for them so whenever I am in the area for a little bit longer, I live here too and before they transferred, Serena lived here with Jade and Phil Tempest, her fellow state alchemists. Lynn and Jade are extremely close friends and I still think that Serena and Phil are romantically involved with each other."
"What does romantically involved mean?" Victoria inquired with the serious voice that seemed to be customary for her because she was a very serious person even though she was just a child.
"Dating, honey," Nerissa replied without batting an eye. "Kay and Lynn are raising their kids in a really progressive way and we were asked to answer all their questions without any lies."
"But can a five-year-old girl really understand what that means?" Riza asked.
"Seeing that Kay caught her daughter Laila with a romance novel last week and that Laila's only half a year older than the twins, I'd say that yes, they are really good informed."
The door was unlocked and swung open as Kay along with a group of people bustled into the hall. The redhead spotted her older twin within seconds and danced over to hug her tightly. "I am so happy to see you well, Nessa," she said cheerfully. "I heard from Lynn that you interrupted your last journey – did something happen on the way?"
"No, I just calculated a few things and figured out that I wouldn't be home for midwinter if I would complete that journey," the blonde said as she fiddled with her blue pullover. "You know me, Kay – I am though and I can live perfectly fine on my own." She halted. "Why is Major General Armstrong here?" she asked, slightly confused for the first time in many, many years.
"She is Llewellyn's plus-one and since I invited him as my closest co-worker and fellow general, I invited her as well because otherwise, she would have been robbed off her midwinter dinner…"
Olivier inclined her head. "It is a pleasure of meeting you, Miss Hamilton," she smirked.
"Um, where is the brigadier general, if I may ask?" the black-haired woman behind Olivier asked.
"Oh, he arrived early and he offered to fetch Nerissa's mystery husband from the train station," Kay said amused. "He is as curious as we are even though he claims to know more."
Nerissa's eyebrows twitched as she stretched. "How about we all settle down for some tea before we finally have dinner?" she suggested but since she was the oldest daughter, her suggestions were always poorly concealed orders.
Shedding off coats and jackets, they entered the living room. Lynn sat on a couch, wrapped into blankets and sipping her tea while a black-haired man who could only be her husband, Martin, sat next to her while a black-haired boy was playing with a blonde girl. The children were Nick and Laila, Lynn's son and Kay's daughter, and Riza had to say that they were adorable.
"It's quite surprising to see you here, Colonel," Riza said with a short nod.
"Silver Hands invited Jade and Lightening was kind enough to extend the invitation," he shrugged. "Let me guess, they are your distanced family you have just met?"
"My father's nieces, yes," she said with a fond smile. "I am curious about all of this."
"Lynn!" the tall black-haired woman who was undeniably related to the colonel squealed as she spotted her friend. "You fool! Did you really have to go and fall sick before midwinter? Seriously, you timing is even worse than mine and that is extremely difficult."
"Oi, get off my case and take care of yourself first," Lynn laughed.
"I got it," Victoria declared all off a sudden as she looked at Nerissa but a firm hand covered her mouth and she had to keep her realisation to herself for a little bit longer.