A/N: Hello!
What happened to Ed and Winry? Stick around to find out ;)
We hope you enjoy this chapter and as always thank you very much for reading and commenting.
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Golden and Flame
Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist characters do not belong to us. We're just having fun with them.
Chapter 32. Complications
Although his body was asking him to continue "resting" Ed began to become aware of what was happening in the real world, noticing that he was on a soft surface. With some difficulty at first, Ed opened his eyes and blinked several times to begin to focus his gaze and then looked around, discovering that he was lying on a bed in a room whose only illumination was the dim moonlight coming from a small window at the top of one of the walls of the room. He sat up and put his hand to his head trying to remember what had happened. As he did so his gaze came across Winry lying on a bed that was a few feet away from his own, so he immediately stood up and walked over to her, verifying that she wasn't hurt.
"Win, Win, wake up please." The blond shook her shoulder to try to get her to react. To the naked eye he couldn't see any injuries, but until Winry confirmed it to him he wouldn't be completely reassured.
Winry began to stir and slowly opened her eyes. "Ed?"
Ed took her hand. "I'm here with you, are you all right?" He asked worriedly.
She nodded and sat on the bed, Ed seized the opportunity and sat next to her.
"And you?" The blonde asked as she began to examine him with her gaze to see if he didn't have any injuries.
"I'm fine, especially now knowing that you are." Replied the boy leaning down to kiss Winry's forehead.
Winry gave him a slight smile before sweeping her gaze around the room they were in. "Where are we?"
"I don't know, Win. I just woke up a little while ago and all I thought about was making sure you were okay."
Winry began stroking Ed's hand with her thumb almost unconsciously. "What happened to us? I remember some strange guys surrounded us and all of a sudden I felt a thump and from there I don't remember anything at all." The blonde said, confused.
"I remember the same thing." They both paused and began to check their pockets and purse in Winry's case. Ed got out of bed, found the light switch, turned it on and went to the door to find it locked as well as the small window the room had. Unable to open the door, he kicked it hard. "Damn it! We're locked in!" Frustrated, he checked the time on his pocket watch. It was 5 am.
"We're kidnapped, aren't we?"
"Yes, but this is strange. We're not bound or gagged. We weren't robbed of anything but the things that could help us escape."
Noticing the tension in the boy's shoulders, Winry stood up and walked over to Ed to hug him. "What's really important right now is that we're okay and together."
Ed returned the gesture, allowing himself to forget for a moment the worry he was feeling. "Yes, you're right." After this he gave her a small kiss before guiding her to the bed to sit down. Without letting go of her hand he said to her. "I promise I'm going to get you out of here, Win."
She shook her head softly. "We'll both get out of here together." She leaned against Ed's shoulder and he put his arm around her.
"We'll get out of here, together." He repeated.
After a few minutes of being in that position and feeling the warmth and security Ed provided, Winry allowed herself to fall asleep on her boyfriend's shoulder. Ed, on the other hand, realizing that the blonde had fallen asleep, decided to stay awake to watch over her sleep. Although their kidnappers had not harmed them other than the blow that knocked them unconscious, he could not let his guard down, much less if the person he loved most in life was in danger. So he used the time to analyze everything that had happened so far trying to think who could be behind all this.
He could no longer perform alchemy but maybe they wanted to use him for his knowledge about it because who could they ask for money in return? Legally, he was an orphan, no one outside of his closest friends knew about his biological parents and if they really wanted money, why not extort it from him from the beginning knowing that as a former state alchemist he would have a considerable amount saved up during the 4 years he was in the military.
The young man tilted his head slightly to look at Winry. No doubt she was a prodigy at creating automails but she was so generous and kind that there was no reason for anyone to capture her the way they did. Although the guys who did this to them might have no qualms in those respects so he couldn't rule out that possibility entirely.
Also, considering they had captured them at the same time, another possibility opened up. What if Winry had been kidnapped for the purpose of getting their hands on him?...
Ed clenched his free hand into a fist for a few seconds as he stared at the ceiling before releasing the pressure and sighing. The uncertainty was making him anxious. Calm down, Ed. Don't lose your head now, not when Winry's life depends on you. He inhaled and exhaled deeply to calm himself as his sensei had taught him. Then he turned his head and as he looked at Winry's sleeping face he relaxed a little. For her he was capable of doing anything, and he would do whatever it took to fulfill his promise to get out of this situation together. Sooner or later it would be revealed who the hell was behind all this and especially for what purpose. I only hope that all this gets resolved soon so that Al, Granny, Mom and Dad don't have to worry. Without realizing it, Ed began to doze off, though without letting himself drift off into the deep sleep he had enjoyed over the past few days.
A few hours later, the subtle sound of the door opening and footsteps made Ed alert. He kept his eyes closed and tried to relax his breathing so as to appear asleep to the eyes of the person who had entered. He heard something being placed on a table that was in front of the foot of the bed that was free and again the footsteps went to the door. At that moment, Ed opened his eyes a little to see who had entered, he wanted to take the opportunity to attack and try to flee from there along with Winry, but she was still sleeping and after everything that had happened he didn't want to wake her up rudely. Besides, if he was honest with himself, it would not be a good tactic to attack without having at least some information about his captors. He had to wait a little longer.
His subtle observation puzzled him for a moment given that the person who came out of the room was a lady. Could it be that she is one of our captors or perhaps she is a hostage who has to obey our captors? I need to find out more.
Once the door was completely closed, Ed opened his eyes fully and pulled out his pocket watch with his free hand to check the time, which read 10 am. He turned his gaze to the table where he heard the lady had left something and noticed that it was a tray with what appeared to be a couple of sandwiches accompanied by a couple of glasses of orange juice. Apparently it was lunch for the two of them and, honestly, it looked appetizing.
Soon after Winry began to stir and slowly opened her eyes. After a yawn she removed her head from Ed's shoulder to rub her eyes and then gave the blond a warm smile. "Hi, Ed."
"Hi." Ed replied leaning down to kiss his forehead.
"Did you get any sleep?"
"I just dozed a little. A few minutes ago a lady came in and dropped off that tray of food. I pretended to doze off to see if anyone else came in." Mentioned the boy pointing to the table with his head.
Winry brought a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "A lady?"
Ed nodded. "That struck me as odd too, maybe she works for the people who captured us or she's another hostage. I don't know. Right now I don't want to make any rash moves, I want to try to find out who is keeping us here and everything I can from them to find a way out."
"Yes, I agree with you." Winry leaned her head on the blond's shoulder again. After a sigh she continued. "Only now I'm worried about Granny, Al and your parents. They'll probably start to worry when they don't hear from us."
Ed sighed. "I know, I hope we can find a way out of this soon."
A few minutes passed like that until Winry stood up as she looked intently at the food. "It looks like they didn't prepare them long ago, do you think they're poisoned?"
Ed moved to one side of Winry to observe the food closely. "If they didn't kill us last night, I wouldn't understand why they would do it now and more so if they are planning to extort us in some way or another. But I still wouldn't trust them."
Winry nodded and the two decided to go back to sitting on the bed, alert for any sounds they could detect from outside.
After a couple of minutes, the door opened giving way to two ladies. One of them was carrying a pitcher and a couple of glasses while the other was carrying changes of clothes apparently for Ed and Winry.
"Wow, you''ve woken up." Said the young lady carrying the pitcher.
Ed immediately stood on guard shielding Winry with his body. "Who are you people? Where are we? What do you want?"
"Take it easy. All in good time." Said the lady carrying the clothes, flashing a seemingly friendly smile.
"Tell me, what do you or your boss want? Or are you also kidnapped? If so, we can-"
"As we said, all in good time. You'll soon find out what's going on. In the meantime you'd better have breakfast, take a bath and change."
The lady who carried the clothes left them on one of the beds. "We got these clean changes of clothes. Please eat, we don't want you to starve. I know you don't trust us, but I assure you the food is not poisoned. I made it myself and believe me I would get in serious trouble if I dared to touch a single hair on any of you, especially the handsome boy." She said as she winked at Ed which the young man reciprocated with a frown.
"This room has a bathroom included, it's the door over there. You'll find towels and everything you need to get cleaned up in there. We'll see you in a couple of hours." Commented the other lady before turning around and leaving the room followed by her companion.
"Wait." Ed said, but was completely ignored by the ladies who locked the door as soon as they left the room.
"Apparently we have no choice but to wait." Said Winry after getting up to check that the door was locked.
"Yes, it looks that way. I only hope it's true that we'll soon find out the reason they're keeping us here." Ed replied with a frown as he crossed his arms.
The serious and annoyed effect at the situation didn't last since at that moment Ed's stomach began to growl.
"Looks like someone's hungry." Winry said in a joking tone.
Ed blushed. "You can't blame me, I've gotten used to having an early breakfast at Risembool." He replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you think it's true what they said about the food?"
Ed's stomach growled again, making Winry laugh slightly.
"Well apparently your stomach wants to find out. We can try some and wait a few minutes to see if there are any side effects." Suggested the blonde.
"Okay, but I'll start so that in case it has something it's only me that has to deal with it." Said the boy with a tone full of determination.
"Wouldn't it be more because you're already starving?" Winry asked with a teasing tone.
"No, of course not."
Seeing the determination in the blond's gaze, Winry smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Okay. Come on, wash your hands and try a small bite."
Ed obeyed, washed his hands and ate a bite of the sandwich, finding that the food tasted good plus he couldn't sense anything unusual about it. They waited about 15 minutes and seeing that nothing was happening, decided it was safe to consume, so both boys ate what was on the tray. After a while, they decided to take turns taking a bath, deciding that Ed would go first. When he got out, he gave way to Winry and while she was bathing he sat on one of the beds.
As Winry continued with her bath, the door opened and the same ladies who had appeared earlier re-entered the room.
"Well, we're glad you're ready now. Where's your friend?" One of them asked Ed.
"She's taking a bath. Are you finally going to tell me what's going on here?" The blond questioned trying to keep his voice in a calm tone.
"That's what we've come for. Come with me." Said one of them.
"I'm not leaving Winry alone." Ed protested.
"She won't be left alone, I'll wait for her and as soon as she's done I'll take her with you." Replied the other lady.
"I don't know you, I can't trust-"
"Come on, boy, we told you, we won't hurt either of you."
"But if anything happens to her-"
"Yes, I can imagine you're going to threaten us but there's no point in that. So don't waste any more time and go with my friend so that you know once and for all what's going on." Replied the lady who would wait for Winry waving a hand in a dimisive manner.
Before Ed could protest he was grabbed by the wrist by one of the ladies. "I hope you don't think of attacking me because, believe it or not, I can defend myself quite well." Warned the woman dragging Ed towards the door with a smile on her lips which the boy reciprocated with a frown.
As they left the room, Ed saw a hallway where there were several more doors along it, maybe about 5 which were probably other rooms similar to the one he had been in until recently.
The boy was directed to the one at the end of the hallway. The lady knocked on the door, and hearing a 'Come in' opened the door and stepped aside to let Ed in. As soon as the boy entered, the lady who escorted him closed the door. Undeterred by the fact that he was locked in again, Ed scanned the room, which appeared to be a study with a bookcase at the back, a desk, a couple of chairs in front of it and behind the desk sat a stout lady with black hair and a rough expression.
Ed crossed his arms. "So you're the ringleader who ordered us to be kidnapped, aren't you?" He asked in a harsh tone.
The woman, who was smoking, stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray on the desk before standing up and giving the blond a stern look.
"Watch that tone, brat." The woman warned.
"Why should I care what you tell me?" Growled Ed. He was getting tired of not getting any answers as to why he and Winry had ended up in that situation.
The woman pounded a fist on the table. "Because, you idiot boy, I'm the person who raised your dumbass father. I'm Chris Mustang. Your grandmother."
Ed froze and his mouth dropped open. He would never have thought that the black-haired woman in front of him was no other, and no one less, than his own paternal grandmother.
"You're... you're my... my." Ed began to stammer, pointing one of his fingers at the woman.
Chris smiled, "I told you boy, I'm your grandmother. I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances but the opportunity hadn't presented itself plus your clueless father hasn't deigned to visit me." She joked at the end trying to erase any remnants of tension left over from the beginning of the conversation.
"Wow. This... I really wasn't expecting this." He said in a surprised and somewhat confused tone at the revelation he had just been given.
"Actually, neither did I." Chris laughed. "Come on, have a seat boy, we've got a lot to talk about."
Ed nodded and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the desk under the watchful eye of Chris, who couldn't help but look at him from head to toe as she sat down as well.
"I'm sorry I brought you here the way I did but it was necessary. I couldn't wait for that father of yours to deign to introduce me to my long lost grandson. At least I hope he has already told you about me or at least made some mention of me."
"Hmmmm, yes, in fact, during the time I was living with him after the Promised Day, he mentioned to me that the only family he had besides my mother was you. Although I really would have appreciated it if we could have had a more casual meeting so we could have gotten to know each other."
"As I told you, it was necessary. Don't think it's just a whim of mine that I brought you and your girlfriend along like this."
"So?" Ed raised an eyebrow.
Chris sighed. "A couple of days ago I found out that the relationship concerning you, Riza and my boy has come to the attention of some members of the military, so they've started to take matters into their own hands."
Ed was surprised a little in the process. "You mean-"
"Exactly, those military people have discovered that you are their son and are mobilizing this matter by taking advantage of the fact that Grumman has not yet modified the penalties for violating the anti-fraternization law. Last night, when my people went after you, they noticed that a couple of idiots were already following you."
"Wasn't it always you guys?" Ed asked incredulously.
Chris shook her head. "My people have been watching you from the instant you set foot in Central. They came to you when they realized those idiots were trying to harm you. That's why they first took it upon themselves to knock them out when they took you 'hostage'." She said making quotation marks with her fingers at the end. "Though I must admit, my allies were naive to believe that they would come out of their encounter with you and Miss Rockbell completely unscathed." She added in a voice that denoted a certain pride.
Ed put a hand to the back of his neck. "They were at fault for showing up like that." Growing serious and returning his hand to his lap, he asked. "But how could anyone outside our circle possibly know about this?"
"I don't know yet, but I have my people looking into it."
"Are my parents aware of all this?" Ed asked with a tone full of concern.
"Regarding your disappearance, they are both aware and are moving heaven, sea and earth to find you. Whether the military has discovered your secret, I'm not sure. Although everything seems to indicate that they haven't the slightest idea."
"And how can you be calm without warning them? They are in danger!" The blond said exalted.
Chris held up a hand to signal Ed to calm down. "I know waiting under the circumstances can be quite a nuisance but in the current situation, discretion and stealth are of the utmost importance. During these months I have maintained some contact with your father through correspondence. Obviously we have been careful to keep the communication brief and coded since, as you yourself realized, Roy-boy and I have taken care to keep our kinship from public knowledge." She cleared her throat a little before continuing. "In the last letter I sent him, I gave him to understand that I was close to returning to Amestris." She saw that Ed wanted to open his mouth to intervene but she calmly silenced him with one hand. "These are precautions you get used to taking when you've been in this business for years. I'll tell you about your grandmother's adventures later." She said with a slight smile. "Anyway, the point is that I'm aware that your parents must have arrived at Central on the first train this morning. I'm holding out hope that your idiot father will deign to visit me now that he's in town but either way, I have one of my girls trying to keep track of him and, first chance she gets, she'll try to let him know I want to see him as discreetly as possible. It may not be the quickest way to contact those two but the less attention we attract the better."
The boy stood up abruptly. "I have to do something, what if they get caught before your message gets to them?" Ed clenched his hands into fists.
"Let's hope that's not the case, kid. But at least you're protected here. You're the key piece to this whole thing, and most of all, I know your parents first and foremost want your safety. So don't rush into anything that might backfire. We must wait for the right time."
Ed exhaled heavily. "I don't like to stand idly by especially if someone I care about is in danger."
"I understand, but you must realize that the best way to help your parents is to stay here. No one in the military knows about this house, it's one of a few I have all over Amestris for my information network, which is why it's not registered under my name, plus they must think I'm still in Xing, since I managed to infiltrate back to Amestris without needing to use my real name, but using an alias." She paused slightly. "The best thing you can do now, is wait. I know you barely know me, but I ask you to trust me, I would never hurt you or your girlfriend. After all you are the hero of this country and most of all, you are my grandson, my Roy-Boy's boy." Chris cracked a small smile at the end looking straight ahead at the boy.
Ed couldn't help but smile at the diminutive Chris was using to refer to the mighty Fire alchemist. Maybe when all this was settled, he could use that to tease his father a bit.
After reasoning out the words his newfound grandmother had said to him, Ed sighed and dropped into the chair he was previously occupying. He hated the thought of having to stand by and do nothing while his parents were at the mercy of the military men who had discovered their secret but there was no other choice. If he was honest with himself, at the moment he had no idea what he could do to prevent the weight of the law falling on his parents so he would have to confide in Chris about the best course of action under the circumstances.
"You know..." The woman's voice brought Ed out of his thoughts. "At first glance you don't have any distinguishing features from my boy, but if I look at you closely, like now, I can see that you inherited his nose, his chin and, most of all, his smile." Chris let out a laugh, perplexing Ed. "I don't know anymore if it's just time as such or if I'm getting old, but looking at you I can't help but remember when your father was your age or when he was a kid. Although I must admit that at your age, Roy was a little taller than you."
"Hey! I've grown a lot this past year. Besides I'm practically my father's height already." Ed protested slightly as he plopped back down in the chair, causing Chris to laugh.
"Well, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit. I saw little of your father at the time because he was in your mother's hometown 'learning alchemy' although I have my doubts about that. He was probably more likely spending his time planning how to woo Riza, if he hadn't already done so." Chris replied amused.
Ed couldn't help but be somewhat curious to learn more about his dad in his youth and his relationship with his mom during that time. "You think so? So he told you he was in love with my mom?"
"He didn't say so until he left for the academy, but I was aware that there was something between them from the way he talked to me about her in his letters and every time he came to visit during his apprenticeship at Mr. Hawkeye's."
"I see. I had a hard time thinking of that pair having such deep feelings but it seems the universe conspires to make me accept it." Ed mentioned jokingly.
Chris smiled, "Well you are the living proof of those feelings. I must admit that when I first heard about you I wanted to pull your father's ears for being irresponsible even though I gave him that talk..."
Ed turned pale. "Ehh I understand what talk you're referring to so I wouldn't want to repeat it. I had more than enough with my father."
Chris laughed. "Okay. My point is that I know how much they both love you and how much they have suffered from not being able to be with you. Because of their work, both of them have been forced to wear masks to show a totally different version of themselves. Only those of us who are close to them are the privileged ones to really know them for who they are. So don't go by appearances and rumors, not everything is what it seems."
Ed nodded. "I understand. I'm finding out more and more about them and that pleases me because I feel like I'm getting to know them more with each passing day. I think I'm getting better about dealing with them as my parents but I can't say I'm completely done getting used to it. "
"I think the simple fact that you are allowing them to start taking on the role they have longed for all these years means quite a bit to them."
At that instant someone was heard knocking on the studio door.
"Come in." Chris said.
As the door opened, the lady who brought Ed to the studio appeared accompanied by a couple of other ladies.
"Madame, Claire just called to confirm that the two of them already went into Central Command. From what she could observe the general behavior of the military and officers shows no change so it is highly probable that we still have a few days to act as it seems that the military in the South have not finished the necessary procedures to process the case and send it here. Would you like me to accompany her?"
Chris thought for a few seconds before shaking her head. "For the moment let's leave it at that, Vanessa. We can rely on Claire's report regarding the timings so we'll stick to our plan of discretion. If she fails to contact Roy directly, I trust he will contact me between now and tomorrow. Especially..." She glanced at her grandson. "When the kids don't go to see them."
Ed sighed almost imperceptibly. Although he had barely met her, he wanted to believe in his grandmother's plan of action since, if their secret was not yet in the public domain, they had a chance to act discreetly to avoid further exposing his parents. However, he didn't like the idea of having to worry his parents in this way since he was sure that when they realized that he and Winry weren't arriving at the appointed time they would start to worry plus it wouldn't be long before they discovered that they hadn't spent the previous night at the hotel they were staying at.
Ed was snapped out of his thoughts by Vanessa's reply to Chris, "Okay, Madame. I'll keep an eye out in case Claire calls us again later in the day."
Madame didn't have time to make another comment on the matter.
"Oh my goodness, Vanessa. You didn't tell us that Roy's boy was just as attractive as he was, although come to think of it that was to be expected. I guess the blonde hair is because of Elizabeth, right?" One of the women accompanying Vanessa began to say. Followed by the third companion they approached Ed and began to invade his personal space to look at him closely and squeeze his cheeks lightly.
"Maybe with him we'll have some chance, since with his father we haven't had any luck." Said the third young lady, who had abundant brown hair.
"Oh come on, girls, he's too young for you." Vanessa replied. "But yes, he is Roy and Elizabeth's boy."
Elizabeth? Why do they refer to my mother by that name? Could it be a code name? Ed questioned momentarily until the girls began to ask him countless questions while taking his face in their hands to get a better look at him. At that closeness, the boy couldn't help but blush slightly.
Another pair of girls approached him and in a moment Ed was completely surrounded by them. At that instant Winry, who was being led by the young lady who had stayed in her room to wait for her to come out of her bath, stopped at the entrance to the studio as she saw the scene in front of her. She definitely felt uncomfortable seeing several girls around Ed hugging him and taking in his face for a closer look. No, maybe uncomfortable was not the right word to describe what she was feeling at that very moment. Rather, she felt annoyed and even jealous? In the short period they had been dating, she had never felt this way, but now she couldn't help but feel annoyed as she watched those girls swirl around HER boyfriend.
"Uh... ladies..." Ed tried to get their attention without much success.
"Look at those beautiful eyes. Roy's aren't bad but this color is kind of unusual. I love them." Said another of the girls, causing Ed's blush to intensify.
Winry clenched her hands into fists and frowned. How could these strangers who were surely behind their kidnapping dare to be flirting with her boyfriend?
Chris watched in amusement at the scene of her girls swirling around her grandson. Such a reaction from them was to be expected. For a long time the girls had waited for Roy to break the news that he and Elizabeth would finally be together and tell them they were having a baby. They never expected that the pair would beat them to it and that they would not only have a baby, but a rather handsome young man.
Madame looked up to find Winry standing at the entrance to the studio watching the scene. Chris smiled. Apparently his grandson's girlfriend was suffering from jealousy at the sight of the girls being overly affectionate with Ed.
"Girls! Please, that's enough. Let the poor boy breathe. Besides, I'm sorry to break your illusions but this boy already has an owner and it's the lady standing there." Chris said amused as she pointed to Winry with her head.
All the girls turned to look at Winry. "Oh, excuse me. Why is it that all the handsome lads are either gay or already have girlfriends?" protested some of them, as they started to leave the place while directing smiles at both Ed and Winry. If they noticed the kindled look Winry gave each of them, none of them gave a hint of giving it a thought.
"What's going on here, Ed?" Winry asked.
"Uh... I swear nothing happened." Defensively replied the blond.
Winry raised an eyebrow.
"That's true, Win."
"Then why are you blushing so much?" Winry said earnestly wishing she had her wrench with her at such times.
The accusation made Ed blush even more. He tried to stammer out an explanation but Madame decided it was time to intervene.
Chris laughed lightly which got both youths' attention. "The boy is telling the truth, young lady. I apologize for the misunderstanding. Sometimes my girls can be overly effusive, especially when it comes to my boy's only son."
"Your boy's?" The blonde asked in confusion.
Ed took the girl's hand. "Win, she's my biological father's mother. She's my grandmother."
Winry turned to look at Madame Christmas in surprise. "You... you are General Mustang's mother?"
"That's right. Roy-Boy is my lad. Nice to meet you, Miss Rockbell." Mentioned Chris who stood up and extended her hand to greet the blonde. Winry glanced sideways at Ed to confirm the information she was receiving, who immediately nodded, then she reciprocated the greeting.
"The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Mustang." Winry replied.
Chris smiled, "Please have a seat. Ed and I have to explain this whole imbroglio to you."
Winry nodded and without letting go of Ed's hand both youths took a seat followed by Chris. Once seated, Ed and Chris began to fill Winry in on what was going on.
"So Ed's parents are in danger of going to court martial? Ed is in danger?" Winry asked, extremely concerned.
Chris sighed. "I'm afraid so. That's why I decided to bring you two here. I'm absolutely certain that Roy and Riza's priority is Ed's safety. You'll be safe here."
"But what about the General and Miss Riza?"
Ed felt a lump in his throat. Ever since he had found out about this, he kept worrying about what might happen to his parents. By that point he had been made aware of some of the consequences of breaking the anti-fraternization law but, at this point, were they still exposed to the same penalties? Had nothing changed in the last few years?
"They won't be able to hide, it's not convenient. We need a plan of action, that's why I'm trying to get in touch with Roy discreetly so that together we can see what we can do about it."
"I understand." Winry replied as she gave Ed's hand a squeeze trying to bring him at least some comfort. Having not let go of his hand during the story she had felt the tension become evident in the boy's body.
"Well, we have no choice but to wait, why don't you two take the opportunity to get some rest?"
"Isn't there something we can do to help?" Winry asked, causing Ed to smile slightly. She had beaten him to asking that very question.
Chris smiled as well, pleased at the image she was getting from the young girl. "At the moment I'm afraid not. Some more of my girls are preparing some reports and are compiling the laws and data on anti-fraternization law violation cases. They are very efficient so they will probably have it ready tomorrow or the day after tomorrow at the latest."
"When they have it ready, can we take a look at it? Maybe we can find a way out of this whole mess by going through all those documents." Ed said.
Chris kept her smile. "I guess there won't be any human strength that can stop you two from getting involved. If it were up to me, I'd like to put my grandson and his girlfriend to rest and not go through all this stress but watching you two I realize that won't be the case." She said with a proud tone. "So sure, you can help us with that. Only, while the information is coming in, you'd better get some rest and relax a bit. You're going to need all your energy once Roy, Elizabeth and the information gets to us."
"Agreed." Both blondes replied as they nodded their heads.
With a smile, Chris stood up and made her way to the door. After opening it he explained to the youths where each room was located. Once the teens started walking to head to the living room, Chris returned to her desk and sat down unable to wipe the fond smile off her face. She knew serious things were about to happen but there was nothing else she could do for the moment so, at least for that instant, she would enjoy the feeling of having met her own grandson in person.
For their part, once they were alone in the living room, Ed began to talk to Winry. "Wow, that was a lot of information. I never thought I could be kidnapped by my own grandmother." Ed said jokingly at the end.
Winry smiled. "Well, now it's not a kidnapping anymore, more like a way to protect her only grandchild."
"Yes, you're right." Ed leaned over and kissed Winry's forehead. "But I can't help but worry about what's going to happen now. I don't think I'll be able to bear to stand here idly when my parents' lives are going to be at stake."
Winry took Ed's hand and gave it a squeeze in comfort. "As your grandmother said, we need to wait for them to come so that a plan of action can be defined."
"Win, if our kinship has been discovered, they're going to be court-martialed." Ed sighed heavily. "It took me time to accept the truth but now I can no longer see my life without them... They can be sent to the firing squad. Even I could suffer the same fate because I can't spend my whole life locked up here."
Winry moved closer to Ed and hugged him. "Ed, don't think too much about it. No one knows what's going to happen and your parents aren't going to let you get involved."
"That's why I worry, they are capable of giving their own lives for mine and... Win, I'm just getting to know them as parents, I don't want to lose them..." Ed said as he clenched his left fist while with his other arm he squeezed Winry's body to him a little.
"You don't have to believe that the worst is going to happen, quite the opposite. You have to wait and not lose faith. Besides, just like Al and you, they are heroes of Amestris. This country would not be capable of executing its own heroes."
Ed sighed. "I hope so, Win."
"Relax, we'll figure something out." The blonde pulled back a little so she could look into his eyes as she stroked one of his cheeks. "As soon as we receive information we'll go through it in detail until we find something that can help you all. In the meantime let's hope that it won't take your parents too long to receive the message from your grandmother so that we can all together define a plan of action."
"Thanks, Win, I don't know what I would do if you weren't by my side right now." Ed replied with a smile. She smiled back and they both sat together in an armchair, trying to forget for a few minutes about everything that was going on.
The next day, as much as they wanted to avoid it, the tension in Madame's house was beginning to show progressively. Claire had not managed to meet Roy directly as the situation did not allow it. She was about to do so when both he and Riza headed for their hotel rooms but her plan was thwarted when she discovered that other military personnel were staying right there. As there were high-ranking military there, there were guards guarding some doors so she had to desist from her mission that day. At least, from the information she had managed to gather, some of them would be leaving between tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, so perhaps she could make the desired contact on one of those two days.
Mentally reviewing Claire's latest report, Chris found herself drumming her fingers against her desk as she internally chided her son for being so unreachable at such crucial times. With that growing concern inside her, Chris was slightly startled (as was Vanessa, who was also in the study) when the phone rang but felt immense relief when she heard Roy's voice on the other end of the line. Unfortunately the relief was not complete as she could tell that her son was so distraught that he had failed to detect the subtle urgency she wanted to convey in her words, even forgetting to give her a contact number so that she could call him without fear that the hotel clerk would have a direct record of her call.
Exhaling heavily, she asked Vanessa to go get Ed and Winry. She still wasn't certain when she would see Roy and Riza in person but, in a way, she already had a small advance having spoken to him, now it was just a matter of waiting for her scatterbrained son to call her back to finally give her a contact number (although it wasn't necessary now because Chris would see to it that she put him in his place so that he would finally deign to go see her).
As soon as Ed and Winry were seated across from her, she let them know what she had discussed with Roy and how she had tried to make him understand that she needed to see him without it being so obvious since, although the girls had checked the security of the line, they couldn't rule out the possibility of microphones or any spies in and around Roy's room. Noticing the obvious tension on the faces of both youths, Chris tried to reassure them by telling them that surely another call from him would not be long in coming.
Ed sighed. "He's got all year to fool around and just now he gets the idea to go around being a jerk."
"Ed." Winry scolded him lightly. "He's not thinking properly because he's worried about you."
Ed sighed with added regret. "I know."
Seeing the guilt peering into his golden orbs, Winry hugged Ed's arm and leaned her head on his shoulder trying to let him know he wasn't alone. It didn't take long for the blond to lay his head on top of hers.
Chris smiled slightly at the show of trust and affection between the young people. "I know it's not nice but we have to see to it that you and Winry are protected. Maybe they don't know it now but I'm sure your parents will be extremely relieved when they find out you've been safe all this time."
"I guess." Ed said softly still feeling some guilt at not being able to immediately let his parents know where he and Winry were.
"Speaking of relief... I apologize for not offering it sooner but if you like you can use this phone to let your brother and Winry's grandmother know that you're both okay."
At his words, both blondes were startled and broke off.
"Al!"
"My grandmother!" Winry looked directly at Ed. "They must be worried sick... How could we forget about them?"
"Right..." Ed said regretfully. "Al's going to kill me."
"I suppose the surprise of meeting your paternal grandmother might serve as an excuse." Chris interjected, trying to reassure the pair, seeing that they were both starting to show expressions of regret.
Ed bit his lower lip for a moment before responding. "Come to think of it, won't we expose them if we contact them?"
Chris gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. My girls have already taken care of making sure our line is secure. They check it several times a day so there is no danger as far as that is concerned plus I have received no information that any soldiers have arrived at Resembool so it is highly unlikely that they are bugging your home." Ed and Winry's expressions relaxed and they both nodded. "I know it goes without saying, but ask them to be discreet and if for some reason they ask for you, deny that they know anything. It is for their own safety as well as yours."
"Okay, but if I may ask, how is it that you know about my grandmother and Al?" Winry asked, puzzled.
"I have a network of information all over the country and I find out a lot of things, especially things that interest me and before you ask me why I didn't search with those resources for my grandson, it was because Roy-Boy asked me not to. He, as well as Riza, suffered too much after what happened in the war, so my boy decided not to intervene in his son's life. Now that they both know that Ed is their son and that I was finally able to learn the identity of my only grandchild, I'm going to do everything I can to protect my family and that includes you, miss." At that comment Winry blushed. "I can see a mile away how much you mean to Ed and I recognize that my grandson inherited his father's good taste and I'm not just saying that because of the physical appearance, but because of the good heart that I know you and Riza have." She cracked a smile at the end.
"Thank you very much, ma'am." Winry said, still blushing and somewhat embarrassed by the compliment Ed's grandmother had paid her.
"You're welcome. Now I'll go give some directions to my girls while you two use the phone."
"Thank you... g-grandma." Ed said shyly.
Chris nodded, still smiling before there was a knock on the door. "Come in."
"Chris, here's the report we got." Said a girl handing a folder to Madame. "Oh, nice to meet you guys."
Ed and Winry nodded in acknowledgement of the greeting.
"Well, thank you, Madeline."
"Excuse me." Said the girl before retreating.
Ed was thoughtful, he felt like he had seen this girl before, but he wasn't sure. Where had I seen her? Where?
"Ed, is something wrong?" Winry asked as she saw her boyfriend lost in thought.
"Ah, I'm sorry. It's just that lady looks familiar, I know I've seen her somewhere..." Ed let go of Winry's hand to bring it to his chin thoughtfully.
Winry raised an eyebrow watching her boyfriend intently.
Ed bumped his right fist against his left palm. "I remember. That woman is the same one Al and I saw once when my father gave us a ride to our hotel. After he dropped us off, he ran into her a few feet away." He raised an eyebrow as he watched Chris intently. "Every way you looked at it it looked like a date but some time later he told me that those "dates" were his informants. Now with what you've told me, can I be 100% sure that that's true?"
Chris laughed lightly. "You sure are distrustful, boy. But you have nothing to worry about. Roy-boy told you the truth and I'm absolutely sure he's never done anything improper with any of his 'dates'. Besides, believe me I'd be the first person to put that father of yours in his place if I knew he was being unfaithful to your mother."
Ed nodded his head, pleased. "Well, I'm glad to hear it. Even Mom had mentioned something to me about it but I had to be sure. My mother has sacrificed too much for my dad's stupid ass for him to pull a fast one on her."
"Ed! Don't talk that way in front of your grandmother!" Winry scolded him.
Chris laughed again. "I think we'll let it slide this time, don't you, miss? After all Riza would be pleased to know that her boy is looking out for her." Chris mentioned in an amused tone.
Winry laughed, "You're right. Besides, it's the least Ed can do because I get the impression he kicked her a lot during the pregnancy." She commented amused.
"Hey! How would you know?" The blond grumbled.
"I'll ask your mother when she gets here."
Ed only snorted at the amused look on Madame Christmas' face. Father and son definitely know how to pick the right girl. Chris thought proudly and fondly.
"Well, I'll go fix a few things while Roy-Boy gets reported in while you two take the opportunity to call your family. I'll see you guys in a bit."
"Thanks." They both replied before Chris walked out of the room leaving them alone.
The next day, around noon, Ed and Winry were back in Madame's office, waiting to hear from Claire or to receive the long awaited call from Roy. The report Chris had received the day before had already been reviewed in detail by the three people currently in that room, plus they had already reviewed the anti-fraternization law and a couple of cases so, for the moment, they had no more information to work with.
To pass the time together and trying not to be completely filled with worry at the uncertainty of what was happening, Chris had started a nice chat with the youngsters, telling them a couple of anecdotes from Roy's childhood. Then the teens began to tell her a few things about theirs in Resembool. Just as Chris was about to start telling them how she had set up her information network, the phone on the desk began to ring. She motioned for them to allow her a moment and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Can I make a reservation that includes the deluxe package?"
"Sure, the VIP lounge has just been vacated and is available for whenever you want it." Chris replied using one of the codes she had previously set up with Roy to confirm that the line was secure. Using the code right away without the casual chatter his boy usually initiated when he called her made Chris realize the great level of concern and anxiety Roy was going through.
Roy sighed heavily on the other end of the line. "Madame, good to find you."
"Wow, until you finally deign to report in, you better not be hanging up on me until you're done listening to me." Chris replied in a stern voice, which made Ed shiver slightly as it was more than obvious who she was talking to. Apparently his grandmother could be really harsh and authoritative if she put her mind to it.
"Yes, that's right. I'm sorry, I've been really busy and last time I forgot to share with you the number where you can reach me. Also, I need to ask you a favor-"
"Ah, so only when you need a favor do you deign to call me back." Chris interrupted him in a slightly annoyed voice. "Now then, listen to me, Roy-Boy, you get your damn ass to the address I shared with you right away. It's really urgent that we talk and don't forget to bring Elizabeth with you." Chris concluded without bothering about using a more direct and authoritative approach than the previous time. This time she had to make sure that yes or yes Roy would follow her orders immediately.
"But, Madame-"
"No buts, what part of my urging to see you don't you understand, boy? I know you can become very clueless but don't make me start believing my boy turned into an idiot. So cut the crap and come over here right now. It's very important."
Before Roy could reply, Madame hung up the receiver then sighed heavily. Ed was surprised at the manner in which this lady addressed his father and that, going by not being able to hear more than a murmur coming from the speaker, Roy apparently hadn't been exalted by receiving that kind of treatment. She definitely had to be his grandmother, in case he still had any doubts.
"I'm sorry, but that son of mine sometimes gets carried away with his feelings and stops seeing what's in front of him. I hope this conversation will finally open his eyes and he and your mother will come over here. The sooner we can alert them, the better."
Ed nodded and internally couldn't help but chuckle at the way his grandmother had easily put one of the most powerful alchemists in the country in his place.
Roy had gone back to his hotel room for a moment to contact Madame with the idea of scheduling an appointment with her in the hopes that she would have some information regarding Ed's disappearance, but he never would have expected her to respond harshly to him for not heeding his request from the call they had had the night before. He had certainly made the mistake of ending up being somewhat curt with her and not giving her the phone number of the hotel he was staying at but he didn't think Madame would take it so personally. He knew his mother could be harsh when she set her mind to it but she would never make a scene like that unless it was for something very delicate.
Worried and keeping the hope that perhaps Madame had discovered something about Ed and Winry's whereabouts, he left his room without wasting any more time. Luckily, he had the day off and was in civilian clothes so he had spent the entire time looking for clues to Edward's whereabouts. He wanted to call Riza to pass on Madame's message, but she was in another part of town as they had agreed to split up to cover more ground, so he would have to look for her in the evening after his meeting with Madame and when Riza had returned from her day's search.
With a determined stride, he left his hotel and a few blocks further on took a cab where he would ask to be dropped off a few streets before his destination to divert attention in case anyone was following him. Once he reached his destination, he stopped in front of a 2-story place that looked like any other business in the area. He knocked on the back door knocking twice with his fist before pausing slightly to knock again a couple more times. It was a code to signal to the people inside of the arrival of an ally since, although the facade indicated that it was a bar similar to the one Madame previously owned, apparently the business was not yet receiving customers so surely Chris and the girls were being quite careful about whether or not to open the door.
After waiting a few moments, the door was opened by Vanessa, who had previously verified that it really was someone she knew. As soon as Roy entered the place, she hugged him tightly.
"Roy! Long time no see! You don't know how much we've missed you."
Roy returned the hug. "It's good to see you too, Vanessa."
Vanessa smiled. "And where is Elizabeth?"
"She must be or is about to arrive at Armstrong Manor, so I decided to go ahead and call her from here."
Vanessa nodded and took Roy's hand to lead the way. "Let's go to the study. Madame is waiting for you."
Roy nodded and let himself be led by Vanessa to the second floor of the house. They walked through a couple of rooms and just as they reached the indicated door, Vanessa let go of Roy's hand and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a blond boy with golden orbs.
"Ed!" Roy exclaimed immediately jumping in to hug his son who was at first surprised by his progenitor's reaction but ended up returning the hug as he thought about how worried he must have been to think him missing. "Thank goodness!" He pulled away from his son slightly to examine him from head to toe. "Are you all right, son?"
Ed nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, Dad, don't worry."
Roy let out the air he didn't know he was holding as a slight smile of relief appeared on his lips. He had spent the last few hours filled with tension and worry that the gesture seemed unfamiliar to him at first.
Ed looked around for his mother before asking Roy. "Where's Mom?"
"She and I split up to cover more ground to look for you. She should be at the Armstrong mansion by now. I'll call her in a moment because she's very worried about you."
"I'm sorry, but this whole thing really wasn't my idea. But I can assure you that Winry and I are fine." Confirmed the boy.
"I'm glad, I was just going to ask you about her."
At that moment Winry peeked in. "Hello, General."
"Hello, Winry." Roy extended his hand to greet Winry who returned the greeting.
Roy smiled before moving his head in his son's direction. He was so relieved to see him safe and sound. "I guess if you're here you've already met your grandmother, right?"
Ed nodded. "That's right."
"Now I understand why she was urging me to come." Roy laughed lightly. "If I hadn't been such an idiot everything would have been easier." He sighed mentally regretting his carelessness during the first call he had with his mother. "Where is she by the way?" Roy asked.
"She's in her room, she left us a few minutes ago because it seems one of the girls was about to arrive with a new report so I wanted to take the opportunity to go get another agenda of her contacts in case it was needed." Replied the blond.
"I'll go get her, excuse me." Vanessa replied before heading for the last room in the hallway as Ed, Winry and Roy entered the study.
"Wow, she must definitely be your mother."
"Why do you say that?" Roy asked as he grabbed a glass from the small bar his mother kept in the room to pour himself some whiskey.
Ed smiled mischievously as he sat down next to Winry. "The way she talked to you and the confidence you have to get comfortable and drink alcohol that isn't yours."
Roy took a swig of his drink. "Believe me, I needed that, boy." He mentioned pointing to his drink. "And the way she spoke to me, were you even present at the time?"
"That's right, I could see how my dear grandmother put you in your place." Ed began to chuckle as Roy frowned slightly. "I think I know who else to go to when you're being insufferable, I didn't think there was anyone else besides my mother capable of taking you down a peg or two, Roy-boy." Concluded Ed with a chuckle.
"Very funny, Ed." Roy grumbled before taking another swig of his whiskey. He really wasn't mad at his son, he was so relieved that he didn't mind being the butt of his teasing. "I guess I'd better give your mother a call."
"Wait a minute, Roy-Boy." Madame Christmas said.
"Madame." Roy gave a small nod of his head but couldn't help but fret as he noticed concern in his mother's gesture. "What's the matter? Weren't you supposed to want Riza to come with me?"
Chris finished entering the room and closed the door. "Vanessa already told me where Riza is, but I think I'd better warn you what's going on right now so you can track her down as soon as she's done telling you everything." She said as she set the folder she carried under her arm on the desk.
Winry had a moment's hesitation about staying or not since a very private and familiar talk was coming up but Ed took her hand and squeezed it. He looked at her and implied that he didn't want her to leave, so she remained in her seat.
"What's going on? I guess you had a pretty good reason for disappearing Ed and Miss Rockbell out of nowhere."
"That's right, Roy-Boy, and while I'd like to tell you that I did it to finally meet my only grandson and his girlfriend because my inconsiderate son hasn't deigned to introduce them to me..." She began by directing a slightly accusing look at him. "I'm afraid I found it necessary to act as soon as possible without warning you or Riza because something is happening that warrants it."
Roy felt the relief he had recently felt at finding Ed fade away to be filled by enormous concern. He knew his mother and knew that she would only take that kind of action in extremely delicate situations. A lump formed in his throat.
"Roy, some military people have discovered the kinship between Riza, Edward and you. They have begun the process of denouncing you to court-martial you."
The general clenched the glass in his hand tightly. Damn! He inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Do you know who found out?"
Chris nodded before reaching over to his desk to grab the folder that a few moments earlier Danielle had handed her. "I assume you know him."
Roy took the folder in his free hand and set the glass he held in his other hand on the desk to examine the contents of the document his mother had just provided. Ed and Winry didn't take their eyes off him the entire time.
The black-haired man began to read the report of Chris's information network and when he got to the part he was most interested in, the name, Roy tightened his grip on the document not caring if he mishandled it. "Fucking bastard." He muttered. "Do you know how long ago this all started?"
"The day before the night I had to kidnap these guys. Someone external to the military was already after them so I had to step in. It's not going to be long before they send out arrest warrants for you and Riza, not to mention they'll start looking for Edward."
Roy ran his right hand through his hair as he sighed heavily. "The secure line we long ago connected to Armstrong Manor, is it still working?"
"Yes, I figured we would need it since I know we can consider them our allies."
Without another word, Roy picked up the telephone receiver and began dialing Armstrong Manor while Ed tried to figure out who the hell would have discovered their secret. He couldn't check the document with that information since Roy hadn't released it, so he had to wait for his father to end his call.
As soon as Roy was able to get through to Riza, he felt a slight relief.
"Riza?"
"Sir, what is it?" Riza, as always, kept her professionalism intact.
"I found what we were looking for. Our target is fine except we have problems, serious problems. I need you to come as soon as possible to the address I gave you."
"Are you sure our target is okay? It's a bit contradictory what you mention, Sir." Riza asked with concern.
"It is, I have corroborated it for myself. However, a situation has arisen that we need to attend to immediately."
"Thank heavens he's fine." She sighed in relief and with a softer tone added. "I'll be on my way to the site immediately."
"I'll be waiting for you. Be careful."
"Yes, I'll see you in a little while, sir."
Without further ado, Riza cut off the communication. Roy put the handset back in place and sat down in one of the chairs to examine the information he had received.
"Riza is on her way."
Chris nodded. "This place is secure, but I'll give directions anyway to keep everyone on their toes."
"Thank you, Madame. By the way, could you get me all the sections of the anti-fraternization law and the file concerning the handling of Catalina's brother's case? She's Riza's friend."
Chris sighed. "I've gotten ahead of it all, Roy-Boy. I've even started looking with Madeline and the boys for some loophole we can use." Looking at him with both a serious and worried expression, she added. "I really hope you don't have to use Catalina's case as a precedent."
"If there's no other alternative, I will." Roy replied with determination.
"I know." Chris replied quietly before retreating from the room.
"Who the hell ratted us out? I can't believe one of our people did it." Ed broke the silence as soon as Chris left the room.
"It wasn't any of our people, as you've already said they are people we can completely trust."
"Then who was it and how did they know?"
Roy exhaled heavily. "A damn Colonel named Frank Archer."
Ed was thoughtful for a moment. "Archer... isn't he that guy who was sent south shortly after Al and I joined the unit?"
"It's that same asshole."
"But how did he know?"
"That we don't know yet. But I don't doubt he's using all this to his own advantage."
"What do you mean?"
"Archer is a war-loving psychopath, which is why he was the perfect soldier to help those damn homunculi to spill blood in his name. When we transferred to Central, he temporarily took my place in the East. He has always been after the big posts to gain more control and unleash more wars. We have never gotten along. I know the hatred is mutual but obviously that increased when Grumman removed him from 'his post' and left me in charge of the East again."
"But how come he hasn't been taken out of the military yet? Wasn't Grumman supposed to start a cleanup of corrupt military people?"
"There's too many people to be cleaned out, plus that fucker's pretty slick at hiding his dirty laundry."
"Damn!" Ed paused as he recapped the information he was getting. "Why do you need the file of my... godmother's brother?"
"From what I can see, she's already forced you to call her that." Roy replied with a slight smile to try to lighten some of the tension that was filling the room.
"She can become somewhat persuasive..." Ed began scratching the back of his neck. "Besides, I guess if she asks me to, it's the least I can do after she helped Mom out with me.
"You're right, though that doesn't take away her outrageousness."
They both struggled to laugh a little trying to disperse at least some of the enormous tension that was building up in their shoulders.
"But, back on topic, why do you need that file?"
Roy exhaled heavily. "I don't know if your mom or Catalina herself told you about her brother."
Ed shook his head. In a way he was beginning to understand why his grandmother had prevented them from reviewing that case.
"Catalina's brother had a romantic relationship with one of his female classmates at the military academy which led to a pregnancy..." The general inhaled deeply. "Before that event the law was too severe so they were undoubtedly going to be shot regardless of her condition. They set about looking for alternatives, some loophole in the law and what they could find allowed her and the unborn baby to walk free of charges, though obviously she was discharged from the military with no right to anything."
"And what happened to Catalina's brother?" Ed asked with a fear he couldn't hide as he saw his own father's gaze darken.
"His girlfriend and her unborn child were set free in exchange for his life."
Ed froze as he heard that. It certainly explained why his godmother wouldn't talk about his brother or mention anything about his nephew. "What happened to her and her baby?"
"Because of all the stress she experienced during the process knowing that her life was at stake and, later, seeing her partner killed, caused her to suffer a miscarriage shortly thereafter. Catalina told your mother that when she found out you were coming and that's why Riza had to proceed in the way she did to protect both of us."
The boy now understood why his father had requested that file. If the law was as harsh and cruel as they claimed, the firing squad would be the only option for the three of them, but if there was a precedent where the lives of all those involved had not been ended, it would undoubtedly serve to save his mother's life and his own but in exchange for his father's life. He had no doubt that his father would give his life for theirs without a second thought and that was starting to cause a huge knot in his stomach.
"Stop being a damn pessimist. Please take away that suicidal thought." Ed growled as he met his hard gaze with Roy's surprised one.
"Edward, we have to be prepared for any scenario, if something goes wrong there's no point in all of us going through the firing squad. Your mother's life and yours are far more valuable than mine. You are my priority. You are young, you have a lot to live for and enjoy next to Al, Winry, Mrs. Rockbell and your mother."
"And what about you? Why the hell are you always thinking about your death?!" He said as he stood up and placed both palms firmly on the desk. "I know that you and my mother are haunted by your actions from the war and that you have been working to change this country as a form of redemption, even if that path continues with you going to the firing squad. Haven't you ever stopped to think that your death is not going to bring back the lives you took? You are more valuable to this country alive. Do you know why? Because you can save a lot more lives than you took. You can't throw away the chance to do something more for others by letting yourself be killed just like that!" Ed closed his eyes for a moment remembering that those last words were similar to what Al had once said to him. After a sigh, he opened his eyes and spoke in a slightly calmer tone. "But you mustn't be selfish too, what about mom, do you think she'll approve of that 'strategy' if it came to that?... What about me?" At that moment Ed's golden eyes began to glisten from the tears that threatened to well up. "You know better than anyone how hard it was for me to accept a male figure in my life and now that I have one I really want to enjoy it. I want you and my mother in my life. We've already spent too much time apart for you to give up easily now and propitiate a permanent separation."
The black-haired man swallowed the knot forming in his throat again at his son's words. "Ed..."
"Besides you promised you would betroth my mother as she deserves. It's not gentlemanly to jilted a lady, you said so yourself. So don't give me that nonsense. We'll find a way to get the three of us alive together."
Roy stood up and pulled his son into a tight embrace, which the blond returned without hesitation. Winry, who remained silent, smiled slightly at the scene. Seeing Ed openly showing his affection for his father was a sight to behold after all her boyfriend had gone through to accept his origins.
"I'll do everything I can to get us out of this, but just in case I fail-"
"Don't you dare say it... we'll find a way." Ed interrupted.
"Ed, we will but no matter what happens, if for some reason I can't keep my promise to be in your life and your mother's life... please take care of her. That's all I ask of you."
"I will, but you better not give up because she and I want you in our lives."
"We have a deal, my son."
When they broke away from the embrace, father and son shared a smile. Roy picked up the folder again. After his son's words, he had to focus on finding a way to save the life of the woman he loved, his son and his own because, for the first time since the war, he did not wish to die, quite the opposite. He wanted to live to be part of his son's life, to marry and make happy the woman he had loved since his adolescence.
Roy looked away from the document he was reading to look at his son, who still had noticeable signs of worry on his face.
"We won't let him get away with this. Take it easy, Ed. Like you said, we'll find a way out of this mess." He paused slightly. "Why don't you have a snack with Winry? You might possibly find Danielle today, she's fantastic in the kitchen."
Ed raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "Better than Mom?"
Roy laughed lightly. Apparently he wasn't the only one taking care of Riza anymore. "She's good, but your mom is definitely the best hands down."
"You better mean that." Ed said in a tone that was meant to be somewhat threatening but hinted at the tension and concern the current situation was causing him.
Noticing that Ed's expression still revealed latent concern, Winry gave him a kiss on the cheek before speaking. "Maybe going for a snack will help you clear your head a little so that when your mom gets here you can think more clearly."
Ed sighed. "Okay." He stood up and shot his father a look. "Do you want us to get you something? You haven't had much to drink, but if you haven't eaten anything maybe that's not going to be a good combination."
The general couldn't help but feel happy to realize that the boy never stopped worrying about his well-being.
"I'm fine, thank you. Your mother and I had something to eat before we parted on our quest."
"Good." Ed took Winry's hand and headed for the door under Roy's curious gaze.
The scene the black-haired man was watching reminded him of when he himself did that with his son's mother when he lived in Riza's father's house. He definitely had to find a way to get Riza and his son out of danger and hopefully his own life since now that he was becoming a part of his son's life and was resuming his romantic relationship with the woman he had always loved, he didn't want to miss out on anything.
As Edward started to open the door, the phone rang.
Without fully detaching his attention from the document in his hands, Roy picked up the receiver. "Hello?"
"General Mustang! I'm so glad you took my call." Alex Armstrong commented altered on the other end of the line.
The Lieutenant Colonel's tone immediately unsettled the General. "What's going on, Lieutenant Colonel?"
Ed and Winry stopped as soon as they heard Alex's title.
"Sir, I'm sorry to give you bad news but Captain Hawkeye was apprehended a few minutes ago."
"What?! Who?! How?!" Roy jumped to his feet, under the worried and expectant gazes of Ed and Winry.
"I was escorting the Captain down a few streets until we each turned off to our respective destinations. It was at those moments that some military men appeared with arrest warrants out for her and you."
Roy ran a hand over his face as his shoulders tensed even more, gestures that did not go unnoticed by Edward. "On what charges?" The General already knew the answer but he had to be sure.
Alex sighed on the other end of the line. "Fraternization."
"Damn." Roy cursed.
"Sir, I'm afraid to inform you that there are warrants out for young Edward's arrest as well."
Roy exhaled heavily. "Thank you for the information Lieutenant Colonel. I will take action on the matter, in the meantime I hope I can count on your discretion."
"Don't mention it, General. You know you can count on that and my full support. If I find anything that might be of use to you, I'll let you know."
"Thank you, Armstrong."
"See you soon, sir."
The General hung up the phone and dropped back in his chair, as he ran both hands over his face. Damn... Riza. Why do you always have to get hurt because of me? And to top it off, now I'm dragging our son into the mud. I was hoping for a little more time for us to plan our move together, but that Archer bastard is moving too fast.