Been looking forward to posting this one.

Chapter 11 - Days 163-179

Roy watched the stick fly into the distance, disappearing in the undergrowth of the nearby woods. Hayate whirled up dust, dashing after it. The midday sun was beating down, its reflection on the water blinding Roy. He turned away from it.

The lake was big enough to take a small rowboat out to the centre, yet not big enough that people thought it necessary to do so – there was no landing. Roy also had no idea how anyone would carry a boat over, the surrounding trees forming a thick wall around the clearing.

The farmer couple who rented them their secluded hut for the third time now had invited them for dinner. Riza had wanted to refuse. She didn't know what to wear anymore. At home, she could lounge in Roy's comfortable slacks and wide jumpers. Even just now when he peered towards the shore of the lake, he could see her open the lowest buttons of her shirt.

His gaze wandered into the distance again. He would buy her something in town. It didn't even have to be made for pregnancy – Riza was a fantastic seamstress. Sewing would keep her busy and her mind at ease.

Hayate dropped the stick at Roy's feet. He was panting heavily, happily. With a smile, Roy hauled the stick in the opposite direction.

He would accept the invitation, if merely to drive off suspicions. They could pretend that Riza was too tired if she didn't want to come. She didn't like sharing with others. Roy on the other hand was dying to ask someone about their experiences when it came to having children.

"That was quick," he complimented Hayate who had retrieved the stick once more. His tongue hung low, flanks vibrating with how quickly he was breathing. Roy crouched to pet his head. "I think you're ready for a break." Hayate whined. Roy pursed his lips pensively. "Alright," he picked up the stick, much to Hayate's delight, "but only one more – but if your mommy sees—" He chanced a glance over his shoulder. His thoughts came to a halt. His arm sunk.

Amidst the shimmering water, as if floating in a sea of light, was Riza. Roy's eyes were glued to her belly where it curved upwards at the sun. She hadn't just freed it because of the tight shirt, she had taken the shirt off completely. In nothing but her underwear, she had waded into the water, now drifting on her back.

Hayate whined again. Roy absentmindedly threw the stick. Turning to the lake, he wiped his hand on his trousers. Almost within the same motion, he felt for his belt, unbuckling it, all but walking out of his trousers while pulling his shirt over his head.

To anyone uninvolved, his messy trail to the water must have looked by far more heated – and Roy was hot, excruciatingly so – but his descent into the water was ruled by a serene urgency. She looked content. He didn't want to disturb that peace at any cost. At the same time, he wanted nothing more than to be a part of it.

Riza's feet lowered, then her legs when she heard him coming. Roy nearly cursed. A sorry frown creased his brows. Now standing, she tilted her head quizzically. To his surprise, she didn't move towards him. Submerged until her navel, she held out her hands. Roy's heart skipped an excited beat. Her invitations, he always accepted without contemplation.

Riza's hands closed around his. Her eyes flashed up, a soft smile flickering across her lips. Wordlessly, she walked backwards, led him in further. Roy felt as if seduced by a siren. Her gaze was mesmerising – so mesmerising that he gasped in surprise when the ground vanished beneath his feet. She let go of his hands, swimming without turning away, hardly upsetting the water. He followed avidly.

With a strong stroke of both arms, Roy caught up. His hands slid around her waist. It cost him the ability to stay afloat. Riza's smile widened. Instead of compelling him to let go, she weaved her fingers into his hair. He sunk a moment before her. His legs stopped paddling. The coldness of the water constricted his chest. It was forgotten when her lips found his in the murky darkness.

Motionless apart from their lips, they embraced each other weightlessly. Roy dropped slightly faster, using his chance to run his lips down her sternum, holding on once pressing his lips to her belly. He could hear the bubbles she released in a voiceless sigh.

She winced suddenly. His hands twitched. He didn't want to let go, not yet, not ever. Riza's legs kicked, arms waving. Haplessly, Roy released her, swimming up too. He broke through the surface with a gasp for air. His chest heaved, hair dripping into his face. He had to wipe his eyes. About to nag at the interruption, Roy noticed that she hadn't done so on purpose.

"Hey," Riza snapped, then mellowed her tone, "I'm alright, I'm not drowning," she told Hayate. The latter had taken hold of her bra strap, pulling and tearing in an attempt to save her. "Sorry," she said to Roy. He watched with wry amusement as she let herself be dragged to shore. A few minutes of praises and soothing words later, she was allowed to swim back out, calmly and without her head disappearing lest she worry him again.

"What a good boy."

"Isn't he?" she swooned a little. Hayate had shaken the water from his pelt, now sniffing the neat pile of Riza's folded clothes. She cringed when he chose them as his bed, curling up in the sun. "Mostly. Oh." She glanced down herself. The right shell of her bra had fallen, the strap torn during Hayate's rescue mission. She took it off completely.

"Let me," Roy offered.

"No, I want to." Riza smiled. He accompanied her to the shore, swimming calmly side by side. Naturally, Hayate got up to greet Riza. She handed him his accomplishment – her bra in need for repair. Tail wagging excessively, Hayate took it to his nest, successfully ignoring her scowling. Roy awaited Riza in the water. His smile widened when he saw hers return.

Not in ten years had he seen her this close to a beaming smile. An almost blithe one.

"Maybe we should buy a house with a pool," he jokingly suggested.

"Or we could come here for as long as the weather is nice." They swam out until they couldn't stand anymore. "It's as if there is no ache in my body – my feet are light, my back, my shoulders." Riza turned to float again, closing her eyes against the sun. "The additional weight is gone."

"Is it that heavy?" Roy asked with concern. His eyes fixed on her belly. He brushed his fingers over its peak.

"I'm not used to being fat…"

"You're not fat," he laughed.

Riza pouted. "I did gain weight though – apart from the baby's. It makes my joints ache when working out. This is so much better." She turned back around, dove in completely and resurfaced, shaking the water out of her face. "All the inconveniences are gone, leaving only the advantage."

Roy gently wiped her hair out of her eyes. "There's only one?"

She fleetly held on to his shoulder to peck his cheek. "You."

Roy grinned. Clearly, she was more than content. It was contagious. It was almost cruel, seeing her now, knowing she would have to be locked up at home again.

"Don't let me limit you to weekends. I can give Havoc a day off to take you here too."

"And let him see your pregnant wife half-naked?"

"We can reintroduce the blindfold," Roy quickly said.

Any more complaints died down when Riza's hand appeared on his ribs. Tentatively, wobblily with the rocking of staying afloat, it traced southward. Roy held his breath alongside her when she disappeared beneath the water, copying his previous action and holding herself to his abdomen. He closed his eyes when her lips tenderly brushed the cauterised wound on his side.

Not daring to upset Hayate again, she returned a moment later. Her hand lingered though.

"I'm sorry." Riza lowered her gaze. "I'm taking so much attention away from you."

"And I give it gladly." Roy cupped her cheeks, pressing a kiss to her forehead before having to let go as not to sink. "Each and every minute of it. I hope you know that I'm not only doing it because of the baby."

"Of course." She returned the gesture. Not holding him allowed her to stay above the surface, but it didn't steady his face. Roy chuckled when she gave it three tries, her lips landing on his chin, the corner of his mouth and finally the centre.

They made a game out of remaining as unmoving as possible, a perfect kiss the goal. It didn't work too well, hardly more than twice. Not that it kept them from trying repeatedly. But when the skin on their fingertips began to wrinkle, they staged their finale underwater, reaching, holding and entangling, never missing once. And they kissed until their breaths ran out.

The embrace was interrupted when this time, Hayate grabbed Riza's hair to pull her to safety. Roy massaged her scalp until dinner, never asking her to give back his shirt in which she had returned to the cabin.

"Roy-Roy," Ellie called. Roy finished instructing Vanessa who merrily carried a big cardboard box full of napkins, cutlery and tableware into the new kitchen. "You forgot to write a label – again," Ellie complained. He took the box from her. Her mouth formed the perfect 'o' when spotting a scrawled letters spelling 'bedroom' on the other side. "Oops," she giggled. With a skip, she took it back and passed him on her way upstairs.

They had an upstairs now.

"Of course, of course." Havoc's voice caught Roy's attention. He kept from rolling his eyes. "It's no biggie, none at all for such a pretty lady," Havoc was flirting. The lady in question smiled charmingly, then left him to struggle with the couch on his own in favour of another box.

"You can let a woman help," Roy dryly noted.

"Says the man who wouldn't let his wife lift a finger," Havoc retorted without missing a beat.

"She's pregnant," Roy argued between his teeth, "and she can't exactly carry much with the bump in the way."

"Off topic," Havoc waved off, "are these really all your sisters?" he panted after Ruby. She noticed, winking at him before disappearing in the house. Havoc sank into the couch that was still on the sidewalk.

"In a way," Roy confirmed. "Now get up and help me bring this thing inside. We don't have all day." They didn't have half a day either.

Riza had picked one of the houses Roy had suggested. In a cloak-and-dagger operation, they had chosen the early morning hours when most people were at work to bring over Riza's and his furniture. Roy had granted himself and Havoc the day off. It was becoming harder to pretendto the rest of the team that Havoc wasn't in on something.

Madame Christmas had sent some of the girls. Roy hadn't expected her to come as well, but none of the inevitable scolding or lectures he had steeled himself against had happened. In fact, she had yet to return from the bedroom that Riza was still busy cleaning. She had done so meticulously with every room, having felt useless otherwise.

"They sure can carry some heavy weight," Havoc applauded when spying through the window. Two of Roy's sisters had just set the fridge upright in the kitchen.

"Earth to Havoc." Roy snapped his fingers. "The sofa?"

"Right." Havoc licked his dried-out lips. Refocusing on the task at hand, they tilted the couch until it fit through the entrance and into the living room. Next up were the curtains. Havoc deposited them alongside the cornices at Roy's feet. With another in hand, he ascended the stairs to fasten them like Roy did downstairs.

"Alright," Roy said under his breath. The living room and kitchen were now shielded from nosy neighbours. Of course, they still had to make his old kitchen counters fit, cut off a cupboard here, switch the hinges of the doors to the opposite side. Not to mention put the furniture back together. At least everything big was inside. A couple of clothes and notebooks could sit in his old apartment until the end of the month.

He couldn't believe he was moving to a house. Moving in with Riza – his lifelong dream since having left for the academy.

He paid the truck driver, then closed the front door.

For a second, the house was quiet. Just where was everyone?

A giggle led Roy upstairs. The floorboards had dried, polished to perfection.

The bed was under construction. Ruby and Gwen were screwing the bedframe together, Havoc holding everything in place. Madame had chosen the old armchair, leaning back like an empress overlooking the workers. She was stroking her chin, giving just as many comments as the others.

Riza sat among the drawers of the dresser that still littered the floor. Folding clothes into them, she listened to the countless pieces of advice and shared experiences.

It didn't seem to matter to them how merely one of the girls had actually given birth to a child of her own, everyone feeling equally proficient – even Havoc.

"Always leave a towel over your shoulder when you burp it," he was saying.

"Or give it to Roy," Ellie suggested. The girls giggled. Roy's face fell further when he saw Madame smirk approvingly. "Oh, and don't let him choose the name. Remember Sergeant Jerome Alfredo?" They broke into laughter.

"Sergeant…?" Riza's lips curled with amusement. Her eyes found Roy in the doorway, the shirt she was folding hovering. He froze. Slowly, cautiously, he budged. When feeling Madame's eyes spot him too, he ceased sneaking back out.

"I'll start on dinner," he said to justify his escape. Riza smiled. The girls giggled, then shushed each other as Riza got up. She brushed down her skirt.

Almost naturally, she placed a hand on his chest. Roy watched with as much interest as his excitedly whispering sisters did when Riza's hand travelled around him, gently turning him to leave with her. He did, of course. His feet somewhat soared downstairs, arms around her the second she had entered the kitchen.

"Sorry," she avoided his eyes, "I don't know what came over me. That must have been embarrassing."

"Not at all," he nearly yelled. She held his arms above her ribs, leaning into him. "The only embarrassment here are those cackling chickens around the corner." He shot a look to where he had heard his sisters haste after them. Sure enough, they giggled, chattering and gossiping on the way back to the bedroom. "Mm, my love." Roy refocused on Riza.

She smiled when his lips stamped her cheek. "I'm glad we can at least treat them to lunch after all they've done."

"With what you just did in front of everyone, they'll be satisfied for a year, trust me," he tutted. "This is what they live on – I'm just glad it's in my favour for once."

"They're very nice," she said.

"They're annoying," Roy shrugged, "but they're also dependable."

Annoying was the stronger feeling, he found. Riza whisked back and forth with food and drinks, tidying up the fleetly set up table. It stood in front of the couch so that everyone would fit.

The living room was a proper mess. Roy's and Riza's chairs didn't match, the couch was too low for eating, the table too narrow. None of the girls complained. Not about the arrangement anyway.

No matter how much Roy helped, they taunted him – Madame most of all. She didn't need words to do so. Roy had never been gladder about Havoc's presence, who made it a sport to entertain all the girls at once.

"I like your family," Riza repeated when everyone had left. Sawdust speckled the floor. The sun was setting, lunch having stretched. Afterwards, everyone had stayed to make sure that the couple had at least a functioning kitchen and bed. Riza would have to clean again.

"It's less of a ballyhoo when they're not all together," Roy excused.

With a soft clack, he left the remaining glasses next to the sink. Riza's hands disappeared in the soapy water, submerged until her forearms. His eyes travelled to a folded napkin on the counter. Her wedding ring lied on it, safe from going missing down the drain. A gentle smile plucked at the corner of his mouth.

"I really like them, only…" She handed him a plate to dry. Roy took a clean towel from one of the cardboard boxes lining the wall. He wondered if he could fit the remaining ones in her and his apartment in a single trip Perhaps if he unpacked the spare tyre.

Lost in thoughts, he nearly didn't hear when Riza continued quietly.

"Maybe they won't have to babysit."

He frowned. She made it sound like a statement; a decision they had come to instead of a question. Puzzled, he picked up the dripping plate.

She felt his gaze, pressured to go on. "I think I just…" She stalled again. Her hands busily made the water swash in the sink. "… want to keep it."

"Keep it?"

"Never mind—"

"No, no, I want to understand." He said, drying his plate more slowly. Riza only accelerated, vigorously cleaning the same poor mug over and over. "Would you rather we find someone else to watch the baby sometime?" Perhaps she had realised that Gwen was the sole woman among his family who had had a baby.

"No one, not," Riza struggled, blushing, "not at all. It's mine," she mumbled. "I don't want to give it to someone." Her voice faded alongside the scrubbing. "I want to watch it…"

Roy nearly dropped his plate. One hand flew up to grab his shirt over his heart. She spooked but didn't look. Her blush darkened. Roy meanwhile gushed with love for her, so surprised he literally exclaimed his joy.

Turning off the tap, he picked Riza up. She yelped, dripping-wet hands scrambling to hold on. Hayate barked, jumping at the commotion.

"Careful!" Riza warned. But Roy spun around with her, his body light as a feather, his head soaring.

"Don't worry, we won't have to let anyone watch over our baby but us." He halted to nuzzle her face. Riza glanced aside, embarrassed.

"I just feel… responsible to take care of it myself."

"And you will – we both will," Roy promised. Overjoyed, he soared with her to the bedroom. "Let me take care of you first," he determined. It hadn't gone unnoticed just how stressed she looked. That, and he really wanted to get his love and elation out; shower her with it. Oh, how she could shift the mood. Roy was positively leaking excitement.

"That doesn't sound very safe," Riza dubiously said, leaning out slightly.

Roy grinned. "Not to fret, my dear Captain. Your body is perfectly equipped and the baby sealed in." He wiggled his brows. Riza looked more horrified than turned on. "The books told me."

"I get that, but…" She grimaced. He set her down gently, propping himself up on his side. "How do the people writing that even know?"

"Someone must have modelled for them." He meaningfully played with the hem of her shirt. "Like a thorough doctor's checkup." His eyes gained an eager glint when her prominent belly came into view. "Some telescope or another to gather details."

"And while I admire that and am grateful for those women's sacrifice…" Riza drawled, shuddering.

Roy puckered his lips overdramatically. "Don't worry, it's no telescope I will be using." He hovered over her, brows back to wiggling suggestively. Riza snorted. She giggled at his expression, pushing him away. Not so easily discouraged, Roy smooched her palm that was now conveniently in reach with an overdone smacking sound. She laughed again, wriggling out from under him.

"Let's see what needs to be done before we put up furniture against the wall." She crawled off the bed. "I wanted to repaint this wall before we hang up the mirror." Her voice disappeared around the corner.

Roy sighed. On his side again, supporting his head, he listened her pad into the bathroom across the hall. Always in working mode. How she had survived those first weeks on her own was a mystery to him. He smiled though. She wasn't cleaning out of guilt anymore – she was building up their family home.

He followed her downstairs when he heard her mutter.

"Fire hazard," she was saying under her breath, inspecting a lump of grease sticking to the stovetop. A glance out the window, a nod, and she moved on, apparently satisfied with the ground level escape route. "We're going to have to soften these – pad them maybe," she ran two fingers along the protruding edge of the windowsill, "make them childproof."

Roy clapped his hands. Laying them on the windowsill, he moulded the corner into a curve with alchemy. Riza blinked at his creation. His heart fluttered gladly when she seemed pleased. Easier than thought.

"This here," he went to the wooden doorframe, energised by her allayed concerns, "will be where we cut in his height." He drew horizontal lines. "A new notch every year."

"That's a lovely idea." Riza smiled.

Roy peeked around the corner. "The stairs might just be wide enough to go mattress sliding." She shook her head, summoning protests. But Roy was on a roll. "I can change the entire staircase into a slide."

"I don't think—"

"And this counter," he patted the surface next to the fridge, "could be where his little brother will be conceived."

"Roy!"