You Belong to Me
Chapter 26
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Disclaimer: I don't
own Sabrina or Fullmetal Alchemist.
Yay!
This is my new favorite chapter.
to me. I hope you all enjoy it half as
much as I did.
Chapter 26
“
all this?” asked Pinako as she hurried into
“Alex says you want some sort of meeting?”
looked up from his desktop and quickly glanced at his mother before giving his
attentions to the two lawyers seated before him.
desk in a frantic, distracted manner.
“And I want you do draw up the papers that will absolve the company from
having to pay any more ‘financial rewards’ unless he ponies up something in
return, got that?”
him to catch their nod and then he went back to rifling through the papers,
waving one hand negligently in dismissal.
“Yes, mother, what can I do for you?” asked
“You called a meeting,” reply Pinako dryly, arching an
eyebrow at him.
“That’s not until Hughes gets here—where the hell is that
paper,” growled
now going through his desk drawer in his search.
“Are you all right?” Pinako asked, moving to stand in front
of his desk and eying him suspiciously.
“I’m fine—Alex,” barked
button. “Is the third quarter report out
there with you?” He continued to rummage
through his desk and then his desktop as he listened for his assistant’s reply.
”No sir, did you want
me to print you another copy?” Alex asked.
“Ah! Found it!”
jabbed the intercom cutting Alex off without another word and he fell back into
his chair with a fwump and began to review the
numbers it contained. Sticking out his
tongue,
highlighted a few points to go over with the accountants later when he had
time. Maybe he should have Alex schedule
that or else he’d never remember or get the time to do it on the fly.
“
“Hmm? Oh, mother,
what are you doing here? The meeting’s
not until Maes gets here. Come back
then.”
second page. He heard the door to his
office open a moment later and then the rise and fall of voices as his door
closed again. With his office now empty,
towards his credenza cabinet behind him where his eyes caught sight of the
trophy and photo Edward had left in his office.
He couldn’t quite see the contents of the photo from where
it had ended up, facing the room, but Roy knew that if he just stood from his
chair and walked but two steps he’d be looking at Edward mid-jump with that
wonderfully dynamic sword flashing and be lost.
But to not look at it was like a slow burning acid eating away at the
back of his mind. He knew it was there
and that it was calling for him to touch it, hold it, stare at it; he wanted to
memorize Edward’s look of serene concentration and the way the lights made his
hair shine. It was only because he had
such a strong will that he was still seated firmly in his chair.
--
By the time Maes arrived at one,
himself, even getting some substantial work done and off to other desks to
disseminate around the office. He was
grateful that he could get this meeting started and out of the way.
company and make plans for the very likely expensive hit to the bottom line he
was about to get tagged with.
Maes was sitting at one of his chairs at his conference
table, talking lowly with his wife who had come along with him.
mother to make their appearance. Normally,
been chatting with Maes and Gracia trying to make them feel welcome and
soliciting their favor, but he didn’t have the will to play those games today.
picking away at some numbers on his computer and waiting to lay out all his
plans and finally be rid of this ugly chapter in his life.
He could sense the looks he was getting from the conference
table and didn’t care to acknowledge them in away way.
done playing.
was almost time for Edward and Winry’s flight to be taking off.
life together. With them gone, there
could be no way that Maes would try to drag her back.
“Okay,
we’re here,” Pinako said, pushing the door open for the two lawyers that
followed her in.
“Good,” said
standing and flicking his pen amongst the papers.
walked towards the table, motioning his mother and the lawyers forward.
began. “I’m calling this meeting to
inform you that the merger is off.”
“What—!” growled Maes, rising from his chair in shock.
“
admonished Pinako, looking scandalized.
“What’s the meaning of this, Mustang?
the table, planting one hand against the table top and pointing a finger at
other.
“I’ve decided that basing this partnership on a wedding
isn’t in the company’s best interests and have taken steps to absolve the
current merger proceedings to date and if you would sign these papers—”
pulling fat stacks of paper from their cases and sliding it across to Maes with
a pen on top. “We can move quickly and
efficiently.”
“What the hell,
his hand up in confusion.
“Dear! Language,”
scolded Gracia.
“Sorry,” Maes murmured.
“Was it because I teased you too much?
You know, if you didn’t give me those bathrooms, I wouldn’t have really
have pulled out of this merger.”
“
I think an explanation is in order,” Pinako demanded.
turned his attentions to her, seeing utter incomprehension on her face.
“I’m fine, mother. If
you would just sign, Maes,” said
turning back to Maes with an expectant look.
“Was it because I kept calling?
to push your buttons,” said Maes.
tight. He hadn’t gotten the sense that
any of Maes’s bullying was anything but serious and he didn’t buy this half-assed
explanation.
“
you really should explain. This is so
sudden,” Pinako said, looking like she might jump out of her seat and check for
fever any moment.
“I’ve said I’m fine, Pinako.
Drop it,” snapped
turned away and looked expectantly at Maes.
“It’s alright, Alex, I know he’ll want to see us.
okay?”
looked up at the new interruption to see his sister talking over her
shoulder. He frowned.
a minute! What are you doing here?
“Ah,
there you are,” said Winry, limping into the office and ignoring his shout.
“Goodness, should you be walking dear?” asked Gracia,
looking worriedly at her as she moved towards the conference table.
“Oh, it’s no problem,” Winry said, waving it away.
dressed in a dark suit with a loose bowtie hanging down his chest and a warm
grin for everyone in the office.
“Son! When did you
get home?” asked Maes, smiling widely at his boy.
“I know, Winry called me back early, and I’m glad she did,”
said Al, coming along side of Winry and throwing an arm about her shoulders and
drawing her to his side.
“Hold on, where’s Edward?” demanded
He rounded the conference table and stalked towards his sister.
“Who’s Edward?” asked Maes, bewildered.
“I think it was that boy who danced with Winry that time,”
said Gracia, still seated at the conference table and smiling at her husband
and son.
“I suspect that he must be at the airport by now.
coyly making a big show of looking at her titanium wrist watch.
“You let him leave?” asked
“How could you let him leave? He
was in love with you!”
“This guy was in love with you?” asked Al, raising an
eyebrow at Winry. “I didn’t hear this.”
“No; remember hon?
slowly.
“Riiiiight.
twists and turns I can’t hardly keep it straight.”
“Don’t worry, dear.
I’ll draw you a map later,” Winry teased.
flirtatious wink.
growled threateningly. “I assumed you
cared for him like he cared for you. You
should be with him!”
“I can’t leave my husband to go play with a boy-toy; shame
on you Roy for even suggesting it.”
Winry’s eyes sparkled with humor as she looked at
“Husband? What?”
sputtered Pinako.
“So, apparently, as Winry tells it, this guy Edward has
loved Winry from afar since they were all kids, and since Winry was only being
Winry, she got swept up in his charm,” said Al, squeezing Winry to his side.
“But then Roy got all protective of the merger and took
advantage of the fact that I had broken my ankle and used that time to ‘take
care of Edward’,” added Winry. Her voice
took on a mocking tone as she spoke of
handling of Edward and she rolled her eyes.
“I like this part, though,” said Al, taking up the story
again. “He goes and takes Edward away so
that he can have him all to himself so that he’ll fall for
“What! I didn’t,”
protested
“Yeah, but I think maybe you tried to buy some sex from him
and it backfired,” finished Al, laughing.
In the end Al was—had been—just as much a playboy as Winry was a
playgirl. He knew how these things
worked after all.
was furious! His fists shook at his
sides at the assumption that he had to buy sex—that he’d buy it from Edward!
crossed the distance between them, and punched Al squarely in the chin, sending
him reeling to the floor.
“Al!
yelled Winry, staggering a little as Al almost toppled her too.
“Ha ha!
I told you he loves him! I was
right!” crowed Al triumphantly from the floor.
He pointed at
unmindful of the bloody lip
had given him.
sprawled below him.
“
like a chastised child. Suddenly Alex
came into his office carrying a suitcase and an envelope.
to his feet by Winry in a most unsteady manner.
“What’s that?” asked
feeling like he had somehow lost all control of this day.
suspiciously.
“Some essentials for your trip, sir,” replied Alex.
of the door, Alex reached out with one of his bear-like hands and steadied Al
and Winry, even offering a cotton handkerchief to Al to take care of his lip.
“My trip?” asked
thoroughly gob smacked. “I’m not going
anywhere… You went to my place?
“Yes,” said Alex, beaming at him with those damned sparkles.
brilliant mind for the first time. You
even organized your underwear by color.”
jaw dropped at the audacity of his assistant.
“How did you get into my place?”
“I gave him a key,” Pinako said.
whirled around to stare at her in astonishment.
“Well, I do believe that Edward’s flight has already left,”
said Winry, glancing at her watch again.
“I guess you’ll just have to catch up with him on the other side of the ocean.
make all your connections. I had Alex
re-book your flight, so even leaving after Edward, you’ll have less holdovers
and should—hopefully—get there in lots of time to ambush him.”
Alex held out the envelope for
could only blink stupidly at his sister with a slight crease of confusion
marring his brow. “Wait—what...?”
Winry was already hobbling towards the lawyers, who, as she
approached, held out a new bundle of papers for her to take.
come here and sign these papers.”
looked around at the people watching him feeling disjointed and apart from
himself. His mind had never been slow to
pick things up, but right now,
felt as if he was missing something so large that he was struggling to pull all
the pieces together in order to understand this situation.
and made his way towards the conference table to see if looking at these
‘papers’ would help his confusion any.
As he approached, Winry began ticking off what which each
paper represented. “This one is to
complete the merger, and this one is to give me the raise I’ll need when I take
over your job.”
“How—how did you find this out?
Did you tell her?” asked
taking the first of the papers absently.
“Winry figured most of it all on her own, and I filled in
the rest.
home,” Pinako said.
Swallowing,
glanced at the paper in his hand and then across the table at Gracia who smiled
at him. Feeling lost, he looked at Maes
and then Al before returning his attention to the paper in his hand.
forgotten frame and trophy, thinking of the owner.
“Just let him smack you up a bit; I’m sure he’ll forgive you
in time,” said Winry, a teasing note in her voice.
“Go,
his mother whispered. He felt the last
of his meek resistance fall away. But he
couldn’t just leave.
What if Edward didn’t want him after all?
He looked at the paper in his hands, not seeing any of the
words. Edward’s smiling face floated
into his mind’s eye and then it shifted to the hurt and betrayed look that hurt
him just thinking about it. How could he
ever hope to make it right again with Edward after being responsible for
causing that look?
“I don’t even know where to find him…”
Winry handed him a pen, pointing to the space he needed to
sign. “You’ll find him because you love
him,” she said.
“That’s hardly helpful,” murmured Roy, taking the pen and
signing first one paper and then the other.
Quickly and with a firm, sure hand, he signed over control of the
company to Winry.
“Here,” said Al, thrusting his suitcase at
“The car’s waiting for you downstairs.
You better hurry.”
took another look at the people in his office, bemused and shell shocked.
held out her hand to him. Taking her
hand,
nodded once, then twice. “You okay with
this?” he asked. “Me and Edward?”
“Of course,
it’s hardly even an issue these days,” said Pinako.
“Right.”
his hand. “Right…well…”
appointment.” Alex opened the door for
him and he was out of the office with Alex following behind.
“Sir, in the envelope, you’ll find your passport and
ticket. I’ve ordered some Euros in
various denominations and you can pick it up at the counter while you check
your bag; anything else you need, please call me.”
nodded, listening closely to Alex’s instructions.
suddenly
felt self-conscious at having him at his elbow.
Turning to the large man,
smiled. “Thank you, Alex.
Quite unexpectedly, though the whole meeting was unexpected,
Alex enveloped him in a bone crushing hug.
an ineffectual protest as he could hear his ribs groan in warning.
altruistic endeavors, and this is one endeavor that will be the most
illustrious of them all,” said Alex, plopping
shoulders.
the force of those large, heavy hands.
“Ah…thanks…Alex.
Please don’t ever hug me again,” said
His suit was now thoroughly rumpled from his treatment so when he
brushed at it he did nothing more then to ease his nerves.
time, it was to find Alex crying openly with a smile.
sentimental but this was a bit much.
Feeling decidedly uncomfortable,
pressed the call button on the elevator, wishing Alex would go back to his
desk. Unfortunately, he remained until
and the doors closed around him.
When
stepped into the parkade and saw Hohenheim standing
beside the back door of the waiting car, he stopped dead in shock.
and waited silently for him to get inside.
As
stared at his driver’s face, he saw that there were a multitude of thoughts
happening beneath the surface, but couldn’t identify the nature, good or
bad. His already tumultuous feelings
were thrown into new disarray as he forced himself forward and into the back
seat.
The slam of the car door echoed through the parking
complex.
front of the car and slid behind the driver’s seat.
car and made his slow careful way to the exit.
burned with the need to say something, to discover if Hohenheim knew anything
of what he’d done to his son. He could
feel the weight of judgment on him and didn’t know if he was just transferring
his guilt onto Hohenheim or if it was real.
He looked in the rear view mirror as they pulled into traffic, finding
that his driver was currently intent on the road and not him.
the subject but not sure how or where to begin.
Edward had said that he’d come out to his father and it didn’t go over
well. How would Hohenheim react if he
suddenly blurted out that within a span of days he had made Edward fall in love
with him, broke his heart, offered him money to stay away from Winry and now
wanted to chase after him to somehow make it up to him?
to Hohenheim.
Just before turning onto the freeway,
caught movement and looked at Hohenheim in the rear view mirror.
before. He was unaccustomed to these
uneasy feelings and didn’t know how to act or what to say even as his mouth
opened uselessly as if to speak up.
“You forced Edward away,” Hohenheim said, barely loud enough
to be heard over the sounds of the engine and the passing cars around them.
anger; the righteous anger of a parent whose child was has been hurt.
deflated, letting the seat support his body.
“Yes,” he said, casting his eyes down to the space between his seat and
the front where his feet rested. His
guilt, which until now, he’d coaxed away with rationalizations, hit him at full
force as the weight of what he’d done fully settled on him.
worst kind.
“You hurt him,” Hohenheim said next, driving the ache
deeper.
“Yes,” said
face, and his over shinny eyes. How he
hated himself for causing that look. He
just wanted to make sure a look like that never, ever crossed Edward’s face
again. “I’m sorry.”
patterned seat in front of him.
Questions and doubts; was he doing the right thing?
the middle of a merger? How would he ever
find Edward on his own and could he even hope that if he asked, Hohenheim would
tell him?
“I’m not the one to apologize to.”
“Even still, I’m sorry.
I didn’t want—I didn’t mean for things to turn out like this.
clenched his teeth, making his jaw flex.
Humility wasn’t something he practiced ever.
just how much he cared for Edward. That
didn’t make it any easier for him to say it or admit his culpability in for
what had happen.
“So, what are you going to do then?” asked Hohenheim.
with you?”
“No!”
Hohenheim in the rear view mirror. “No,
I’d…I’m done with manipulation. If he
doesn’t want me, I’ll come back and never bother him again.”
“If he wants you…?” asked Hohenheim, his voice still quiet
and barely heard over the ambient noises; hard and angry.
thought he even heard some doubt in there, maybe some confusion.
“If…if I’m so lucky…”
bowed his head. This was almost
laughable. He was never so unsure of
anything in his life, but never so desperate for it work out.
Edward, to simply be around him, to be able to hear and make him laugh because
he’d said something funny; if there was even a small chance to try and have
Edward love him back, he couldn’t pass it up.
Swallowing hard,
cleared his throat of the sudden blockage.
“If I’m so lucky, I’ll be sure to never hurt him again.”
Hohenheim was silent, watching him closely and then the
road, then back. “You manipulated him
once, what’s to say you won’t do so again?”
“I think…”
manipulation on some level. But…I
promise that I will never go to such lengths again.
faults and love me as I love him.”
Silence met
statement. He didn’t know what to expect
from Hohenheim, but as the minutes ticked by he realized that he craved some
sort of absolution of his crime from Edward’s father.
he hoped… If Edward’s father could
forgive him, it would give him hope that perhaps Edward could too.
The car pulled onto the turnoff for the airport and still
there was no response from Hohenheim. “Hohenheim,
I know it’s a lot to ask, but I would be honored to have your blessing.
Hohenheim glanced at him in the mirror.
I have never seen you like this, Mr. Mustang.
You have never been so impulsive and quick to apologize for anything
you’ve done to anyone. And I’ve seen
some of the things you’ve done.”
Roy opened his mouth to interject, wanting to tell Hohenheim
that he should call him ‘Roy’ now, and that he’d been impulsive once before…maybe,
but Hohenheim continued.
“That my son, seemingly in a short period of time, has made
you realize the feelings of others and empathize—even fall in love—”
regards to a—gay…lifestyle, but I can not deny how you have changed.
They pulled up to the international departures and stopped,
but
frozen in his seat daring to hope that he might have a chance.
“If you hurt him…” interrupted Hohenheim.
“I’ll do everything in my power to ensure that does not
happen,” promised
quickly. Hohenheim got out of the car
then, prompting
to do the same. They looked across the
roof at each other.
Hohenheim pressed his lips and sighed through his nose.
twenty-three.”
“Thank you… Thank
you, Hohenheim!”
steadily willing the knowledge that he was grateful to pass between them.
waved him away. With that,
get checked in and boarded. Anticipation
was hideous and made his stomach roll and he kept repeating the address over
and over in his head. He’d have to write
it down as soon as he could for fear of forgetting, and then how would he find
Edward?
lost.
Check-in was a blur of picking up his Euros and rushing
through security. He was informed that
boarding was already well on its way but that they would hold the plane until
he was through customs. Having money had
its advantages as he was rushed to the front of every line and guided to the
departure gate. Finally he was settled
and the plane was taxing out. He now had
the whole flight to think of Edward and hope beyond hope that he’d be allowed
to be given a second chance.
--To Be Continued—
Very near the end now, bois and girls!
I think some of you didn’t like the last two chapters (not very
many reviews at all!) So I hope that
this one re-inspires your love for this fic.
but I’m fighting them back! I’ll try to
get them out soon ;D
Please review.