Games without Frontiers

Chapter 17: With Just One Whisper, You Tell Me Everything

Rating: PG

Soundtrack: When Your Eyes Say It – Britney Spears

The phone rang, jangling Roy's already frayed nerves. He opened one frazzled eye and peered at the clock, then tumbled out of bed and padded into Riza's living room.

Hayate gave him a half-hearted bark as he croaked a sorry excuse for a greeting into the phone.

"You know, one of these days I'm going to finally tell everyone what a romantic sap you really are."

"Oh, God. You're calling here at three in the morning?" Roy tried to yell, but his head felt as if it were going to explode. The questions from the auditors, as well as Riza's bad humor and absence left him feeling as if he'd been run over by a truck.

"I wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't important."

"Well, it better be good."

"You're needed here, Roy."

"Maes, what?" Roy tried to clear the sleep-sand from his head, but that just made the pain worse. "Wait. How did you know to call me here?"

"Please. You weren't home. Where else would you be?" Roy could hear Maes' muffled voice talking to someone in the background, then he came back. "I just – I've already had my share of this. It's your turn now. I need you here as soon as you can get on a train."

Roy's brain finally kicked in when he heard the strained flavor in Maes' voice. "What's going on? Is it Scar?"

"No, you obsessed idiot. Just...it's Riza, and–,"

He didn't need to hear any more. He was dressed and calling for Dennison within the hour. Then he thought about it and called Hughes back.

"It's three in the morning and this better–,"

Roy yelled over Maes' voice. "How am I going to explain not being there for the auditors tomorrow?"

"Roy?" Hughes mumbled. "Spastic...I got it covered."

"Should have known." He threw the phone down, then winced, mentally apologizing to Riza and protectors of phones everywhere.

He had to wait one hour for a regular train, but that hardly signified. What had happened to Riza in Central that Maes had to call him at an obscene hour? While he waited, he asked the sleepy Dennison a question.

"Sergeant, did you notice anything...out of the ordinary with the First Lieutenant?"

Dennison yawned. "No, sir. She was rather quiet, but that was all."

"Hmm." He bent his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, willing the headache to go away.

The sun was just rising as he made it to Central. He'd thought about going to Maes' house, but thought it best not to disturb the wife and child. The last thing he wanted to hear this morning were the piercing tones of a four year old child. Regardless of how enchanting said child was.

He realized his decision was wise when he saw Maes asleep across his desk. He sat down and considered his options for a moment. Then he held up a hand – without glove – and snapped.

Maes' glasses shot three feet into the air before he caught them. That was a new record. It was a wonderful thing to behold. Glasses skewed, he looked across his desk at Roy's waving hand with a wild-eyed and crazed glare. "Evil bastard."

"Good morning to you to, sunshine." He grinned with all of his teeth as he gave time for his friend to collect himself. "Do you need to go and change your trousers?"

"I wish I knew the kind of alchemy that would seal your mouth shut."

"There's only one thing that can shut my mouth. She's about oh-so-high with blond hair, brown eyes and this crazy little mole on her–,"

"Okay, that's just a bit too much information, thanks!" Maes shuddered. "It's like hearing you talk about my sister!"

Roy laughed. He thought it smart if he kept his real worry to himself for a moment longer. He sat back and crossed his arms behind his head. "So, what am I doing out here all bright eyed at this time of the morning?"

Maes slid a folder across his desk. "We'll get to that in a moment. I need you to review this first."

He took a moment and looked through the file, thoroughly confused and wondering why the name sounded familiar. "All right, Maes. I came here because you told me that something was wrong with Riza, and you have me staring at a folder about some girl named..." His tongue scrambled to a halt inside of his mouth as the name became blindingly familiar.

"Alchemical research, my ass," Maes was saying. "You forget I read the body of your work. I know your little codes." He crossed his arms and grinned.

"Fucking snoop."

"I may not be a State Alchemist, but I do know the difference between a code word for lithium and a full-on babble about the great love of your life." He put a finger on his chin. "Or is that lust of your life. I'm still not sure about that."

"But–why? How did–?"

"Oh, come on, Roy! Couldn't you have been less obvious? I noted the dates of the entries. And, seriously, Lisa Falcon?" Maes shook his head, still laughing. "You might as well have drawn a heart with your initials in the middle."

"I was younger then."

"Yeah, but...we are matching spark and flame?" Maes shuddered in mock horror. "I'm still not sure if I want to catch your cooties."

"Now that you are through humiliating me, you can tell me why this name is on this file?"

"Not humiliating you, Roy," Maes said, serious now. "Just reminding you of a few things before you read this folder completely."

Roy did as he was told. He started from the back. He flipped past the first page of vital statistics until Maes told him to go back. So he read those with a more careful eye. And made some interesting discoveries. "Her middle name is Flora?"

That got a chuckle from his friend. "Indeed. Though, I'm sure it would be hazardous to your health to mention that to her."

"This is...this is Riza's folder."

"Wow! Fantastic deduction."

Roy growled. "Why is this...other name on it?"

"Well, I'd hate to have someone find this in my office with her real name all over it."

"Why? These are just..." he flipped through a few more pages. "Medical records?" He blinked. "Medical records?" He slapped the folder on the desk. "Why medical records? Is she hurt? Is she sick? Dammit, Maes, why don't you stop playing tell me?"

"Would you calm yourself a moment and read? She's not hurt, nor is she sick. Sick of you perhaps for the moment, but…"

Roy let out a frustrated breath and snatched the folder back. He glared at his friend as he opened it, then looked down. The top page was a record of a physical exam that had taken place the day before. If she needed a physical, why didn't she just take it at Eastern? As he read the details, a cold, prickly feeling grabbed him by the back of his neck.

He read the thing a couple times, then quietly shut the folder. He had no words. And even if he had words, with his heart sitting in his throat, he doubted he could have spoken them anyway.

"Roy?" Maes leaned forward. "Are you all right in there?"

Roy saw the hand waving in front of his face. He blinked to clear his vision and stared at his friend. "She's..."

"Yes."

"I thought – I saw Dennison bring her–,"

"Apparently it was faulty. Or late. I'm never sure about the mysteries of these things."

"Damn."

"Yes."

He ran a shaky hand through his hair. "Riza is..."

"Uh-huh."

"She's..."

"I do believe we covered this."

He looked at his friend. "Why didn't she tell me?"

"Because she just got confirmation yesterday? I told her to stay here an extra day, to ... get used to the idea."

"She doesn't know I'm here."

"No. But, she needs you, Roy," Maes said earnestly. "She's trying to process her own feelings, but is worrying over how you'll react and that keeps getting in the way. And, I think she's afraid to tell you."

Roy blinked. "Afraid?" He frowned. "Yesterday, she threatened to shoot me between the eyes with armor piercing rounds." He blinked in sudden realization. "And that was why."

"She's at my house. Go to her. Let her know this is all right."

Roy gave Maes a keen look. "How do you know that this is all right?"

Maes' mouth turned up at the corner. "We are matching spark and flame." He quoted from Roy's own journal again. "Did you ever change your mind about that?"

Roy looked down at his hands. "No," he said quietly. He looked up with narrowed eyes. "You're too good at this, you know."

"That's why I have the job and you don't."

"You have this job because you have talents only few people know about." Roy decided to get a little back of his own. "You know, if you'd passed the exam, I do believe they would have called you the Son-of-a-bitch Busy Body Alchemist."

He was gratified by the flush that crept up Maes' cheeks. He was made even happier by the slow smile that followed it. "Let's just keep that to ourselves for now, okay? I didn't take that exam for a reason."

"I know. And I thank you for that." Roy stood, and headed for the door. He opened it and stopped, looking back. "And for this."

"She rescued you. Now it's your turn."

He sat in the Hughes' kitchen and spent a few moments thinking about his next moves. Finally, after he'd plotted the steps following this actual conversation, Gracia brought him a tall glass and he stood and headed out of the back door and into the small yard behind the townhome.

He stood in the tiny back stair stoop for a while and just watched her, sitting against the big tree, with a tray filled with a sandwich and a tall glass of lemonade, head bent over the task in her hands. He smiled crookedly. She was cleaning her gun. He watched her meticulous motions, knowing the task for what it was. Whenever she needed to think on a subject, she would clean her gun. It alarmed almost everyone else who watched her. But he got it. Cleaning was fine; loading it was something else.

He took his courage in hand and headed across the yard. She didn't even register his movement toward her. He managed to stand in front of her for a second, until she realized that the shadow falling over her was a human. She froze in the process of checking the hammer, then looked up.

He showed her his glass. "Gracia makes the second best lemonade I have ever tasted," he said in what he hoped sounded like an easy voice. He thought that the last time he'd felt this nervous, he'd been asked to sit in a certain chair, to test his fitness to carry a certain watch.

He watched her think about it, then she calmly placed the gun down and took the glass. "I drank a full pitcher of it about an hour ago. Along with a pot of coffee."

He sat beside her, resting his back against the tree and looking back toward the house. "You don't like coffee," he offered.

He felt her shift a bit, but kept his eyes focused on the horizon in front of him. "What did Maes tell you?"

"That you needed me." He turned finally at looked at her profile, touched by the midday sunlight. It bounced off her hair, making it look like molten gold. "You want to tell me why?"

They had always spoken plainly when it came to important matters. From the first time she'd shown him his room at the Hawkeye estate until the day she looked for him on the sands of Ishbal, until the day she opened her door – and finally her heart – to him, they never minced words when the stakes were high.

She bowed her head. Her hair obscured her face. He would have given his left hand to have been able to see it. "I don't know how," she whispered.

"Since when have you not known how to talk to me?" He pulled up his knees and rested his arms on them, leaving his hands hanging between his legs.

"Since yesterday."

"Well...what happened yesterday, Riza?"

There was a heavy silence. He waited patiently.

"I didn't plan this. I want you to know that."

Roy's eyebrow arched. "All right..."

From the corner of his eye, he watched the struggle fight itself out inside of her. He wanted to help her, wanted to let her know that he already knew, but he realized that she had to tell him. Only then could they move on to the better parts of this situation. He did move closer, and slowly put an arm around her waist, pulling her a bit closer. She allowed herself to shift and move so that she was seated between his legs, her back pressed to his front, his back held stable by the strong tree. He took in the scent of her hair and waited.

"I'm...scared, Roy."

At that, he realized that there were no more questions about whether he could deal with this. Instinct kicked in; he wrapped both arms around her middle like a protection array. "This from you? Scared of what?"

"This...changes everything." She bowed her head again, ran her hand through the grass. "The ramifications…"

"Riza. Just tell me."

"I'm...p-pregnant."

He held his self from flinching with all of the will he had. He figured that most men took that word for a challenge to their ability to control a relationship. The word sounded like a slap heard round the yard. It was down right, damned disconcerting.

His hand flattened over her midsection. "And how does that change anything?"

Her head flung up and she turned to look at him. "Did you hear me? I said I'm pregnant. I'm going to have a baby. A little one of you."

He smiled where she couldn't see it. A little one of me. She didn't know it yet, but she was going to be fine. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes. And I heard you fine. How does that change anything between us?"

She cursed and looked away from him again. "Roy, don't you get it? The game has changed… again. We're bound to each other now." He felt the deep, deep trembling in her body, and began to slowly stroke her stomach, hoping to still it. She tried again. "There's something that binds us irrevocably together...whether we want it or not."

Roy sighed in relief. That was easy to answer. "Riza. We've been bound together since the day you tossed my shiny new shoes in a mud puddle and told me to get over myself all those years ago."

She looked at him cautiously.

He tried again. "I'm not going anywhere, Riza."

She allowed that with a nod.

"And this doesn't change my plans." He squeezed her gently. "In fact, it gives me a better reason to reach the top."

"A better reason?"

"Now I have a better incentive to change things. I refuse to let any child of mine to grow up in a world like this."

The more he spoke, the more he felt her relax. He refused to let her know how nervous he was about the prospect of being a father. Not yet. Not while she needed to be sure that her decision to have it was all right with him. He leaned his head back and looked up through the branches of the tree at the mid-morning sky. "Now, we just have to figure out how we're going to carry this out."

Her voice had gained some of its usual strength. "I'll have a lot of explaining to do. A lot of lying. I hate lying."

"You won't have to lie. It's a simple thing to omit certain details. People don't need to know everything. Plenty of women in the military have babies. And though it's not the usual thing, it's their prerogative not to name the father."

"So I've been told."

"That much I know is true. And as far as you are concerned, I doubt anyone at Eastern would dare to give you the side-eye. Your integrity is legendary."

She suddenly looked him in the eye. "You aren't keeping details from me, are you?"

He flushed. She was too good. "Well, I do have one small confession to make."

She looked at him expectantly.

"I already knew." He held her tight when she tensed. "Maes told me, because he wanted to make sure I wouldn't hurt you with my reaction." He deflected the brewing irritation in her eyes by saying, "He knows me; he knows you. He cares."

"Humph." He looked and saw the beginning of that smile he was becoming all too familiar with. "A brother. I've heard that you can torture them with impunity."

Roy chuckled, relieved. "I can only tell you that torture by sisters is highly overrated."

She laughed finally, then looked at him. "You sure about this?"

"Are you?"

She was silent for a long while. Then she nodded. "It's crazy. Crazier than everything we've done before. But I'm sure." She took a sip of the lemonade. "Do we have to go back today?"

Roy sighed. "Havoc is there. I don't really relish trying to get the scuffs from his boots off of the top of my desk again. Not yet."

Riza nodded. "Good," she whispered.

Roy rested his chin on the top of her head. Yes. It was good.