Fetch

Chapter Four:

It was Saturday when Ed and Al’s train pulled into the station. They’d called ahead for once to let Roy know they were on their way. Lily was so happy she could barely sit still and she was trying her best. After her aunt had left she knew what life while her Daddy was at work during the day would be like without Ed and Al. She didn’t really like it, but she always found something to do and she couldn’t wait to tell her big brother’s about what she and Bandit had done yesterday in the study.

She saw Edward in the window, he stood and stretched like he did often after sitting for a long time and reached for his suit case. Al pointed to them and waved. Then Ed waved too and she looked up at her father. Roy smirked and nodded. “Go get them,”

“Thank you,” She said and took off from the bench.

Ed caught her up in a hug as he stepped off the train. “Edward will you marry me?” She asked with a smile.

Ed pulled away with the strangest look she’d ever seen. “You missed me that much huh?”

Lily nodded. “But will you?” She really hoped he would say yes. He was so nice to her, he and Al both were but Ed… Ed was different. She could touch him and he was warm, he whispered silly things to her and never made her feel like she was nothing or small. Al didn’t make her feel that way either, but Al didn’t hold her or whisper to her. Sometimes it was almost like Al was afraid to touch her. He was good to talk to and a great listener, but it just wasn’t the same.

He smiled ruffling her hair. “Sure, but you have to grow up first.”

Lily beamed and ran to Al. “I missed you too big brother.”

“I missed you; it’s kind of boring with just Ed to talk to.”

“Hey!” Ed bit.

“So what happened while we were gone?” Al asked as Roy came over.

“Lots of things, I fed a squirrel right out of my hand, my aunt left after two days of staying with us. I got to spend a whole day with Daddy in his office. That was nice because I got to see everyone. Oh and they came for dinner the day that you left too. That didn’t make Aunt Anise very happy. I met one of Daddy’s friends who works here, oh and…” She sighed sadly. “I had a mouse named Tristan, but he died and we buried him in the front yard. He was small and brown with black eyes like me and Daddy.”

“A mouse?” Ed asked. “A real mouse?”

Roy nodded. “Yeah, a real mouse.”

“I’m sorry Lily, what happened?” Al asked.

Lily didn’t really want to talk about it, but since it was her big brothers she supposed it was okay. She wanted to tell them everything. “Aunt Anise threw a pillow and him and tried to step on him. He wasn’t moving when I ran into the study to have Daddy stop her from killing him. I didn’t know anything was wrong until I went to get him something to eat like Daddy said.”

“Let’s go home boys and don’t worry about the mission report until Monday morning. I don’t think I could read it tonight.” Roy said.

Lily giggled. “That’s because Riza made him stay late at the office to finish all his paper work. She sent Havoc to get me yesterday and I got to help Fury and Falman with the filing. We also ate dinner in the mess hall.”

“Sounds like you’ve been busy.” Ed said with a smile. “So do I get to have my pillow back?”

Roy snorted. “Not likely, she slept with it every night and when she took naps. She even brought it to the office yesterday for when she wanted to call it a night.”

Ed looked at Lily and sighed. “Fine, I’ll just take yours.”

By the time they reached the house Lily had told them everything she and Bandit had done that week then let Ed wander off to take a shower. She did as she was asked and didn’t say a word about Hohenheim, just like her father had asked. He said Ed might get upset and he would have a talk with him later. Al was sitting with her in the living room playing chess.

“Al, I said a bad thing to my aunt, I think that’s why she left.”

“What did you say?” Al asked after moving a piece.

“I told her I hated her. But I don’t know if that’s true.” She replied softly. She sat back picking at the carpet. There was so much she didn’t understand. On one hand she really wanted to love her aunt because she was her aunt and that’s who’d she known mostly for the first part of her life. But the things she said, the way she made her feel sometimes she knew were wrong on some level. The things she said about her Mommy didn’t match what her Daddy said. And the things she said about her Daddy didn’t match with how he treated her either. It was so confusing and she’d always wanted to be with her Daddy. With him she felt like she belonged, she felt like she was home with him, she loved him and he always told her he loved her so much, more than anything.

“She’s just so mean. She said she was sorry about Tristan, but if she was sorry then why did she try to kill him in the first place? She said she was sorry about what she said about my Mommy and Daddy, but if she was sorry why does she always say them and repeat them? I can’t make sense of it at all.”

“She’s two faced Lily, there’s no way around it.” Ed replied softly as he entered. “Some people put on one face for others to see, like a mask, and when people go away they take it off and show you their real face.”

Lily guessed that made sense. Her aunt was nicer when certain people were around. Ed yawned and sat beside her upon the floor. “So did you do anything else while we were gone?”

Lily shook her head. “No, I told you everything. What did you do?”

“Looked at a mine, it was dull and Al got stuck.”

Lily imagined Al getting stuck in a hole and almost giggled. As funny as that was it wasn’t. He couldn’t help it. So she smiled. “Did it hurt?”

“No,” Al replied. “Your move Lily.”

“Hey, when are you two going to teach me how to play this?” Ed asked.

Lily smirked. “I told you, you should ask Daddy. He’ll teach you.”

Ed waved her away. “Don’t want to bother him.”

“Or you don’t want him to beat you.” She replied moving her next piece. “Did you know I beat Breda?”

Ed winced a moment then shook his head. “No, you didn’t tell us that.”

“I did, it was fun.”

“I haven’t played with him yet.” Al said moving again.

Lily gave him a smile. “You should.” She caught hold of Edward’s hand as he began to get up. She didn’t want him to go. “Where are you going?”

He smiled down at her the way he always had, so kindly. “I’m going to write my mission report and take a nap so we can play later.”

A little down heartedly she nodded. Ed had to do important work like her Daddy and she shouldn’t keep him from it. At least they were home now and she still had Al with her. She wouldn’t be lonely and Al was fun to play with and talk to. They just had to be quiet because her father was upstairs taking a nap too. “Okay,”

“Don’t look so sad, we’re back and not going anywhere until we get new orders.”

Lily didn’t know about that. Not with her new tutor coming on Monday. Ed wouldn’t be up at the HQ all day and her Daddy had told her that Ed didn’t like his Dad very well. “You promise?”

Ed scratched his head. “What’s with you, you act like we’ll leave and never come back?”

“Promise Edward.” She insisted, getting to her feet.

“Okay I promise, jeeze calm down.”

“I am calm,” She muttered turning her attention to the game and retaking her seat. Well no she wasn’t, she was scared and she knew it. She didn’t want to have to say good bye again. She was always saying goodbye, everyone and everything always left her.

“Right, well I’ll see you in a little bit.”

Lily’s black eyes followed him from the room then she sighed. “What’s wrong?” Al asked.

“Nothing really,” she muttered and moved again.

She and Al finished their game and put it away quietly. As they went back to the living room she looked up at him. “Al, if you don’t sleep do you take naps?”

“No, I guess I kind of meditate to give myself a rest.”

“Oh…” She frowned. “I don’t understand how you got in there.”

“It’s complicated and hard to talk about. Ed and I did something we shouldn’t have with alchemy and we paid with our bodies. We’ll get them back someday, don’t worry.”

Lily knew about the laws of equivalence, it was one of the first things she’d read and something her Daddy had made sure she knew. “I don’t mind, I like you the way you are but I don’t like that you can’t eat or sleep like everyone else. It seems like it might hurt.”

“It’s not so bad. What do you want to do now?”

Lily looked out the front window at the porch swing them looked Al over. Hmm… “Can we just sit outside for a little bit? You can make the swing stronger right?”

Al lifted his helm to the window. “I don’t know Lily, Colonel Mustang may not like that.”

Lily nodded, she certainly didn’t want to make her Daddy angry. “Well then we can sit on the steps or in the yard. It’s nice out today.”

“It looks nice, you can tell me what it feels like and we can figure out what shapes the clouds are. Ed and I used to do that.”

Lily found a nice soft patch of grass in the front yard, not that all of it wasn’t soft, but this one was near Tristan’s little grave and she wondered if he could see the clouds too. Al lay down next to her and pointed with his large metal and leather hand up at the blue sky that was clouding over slowly. “Look a dog.”

Lily smiled. “And there’s a chicken,”

“Where?”

She pointed a little to the side on the left of the dog as the breeze blew a cool air. “Right there,”

“What’s it feel like?”

Lily scooted closer, resting her head upon his steel arm. “The wind is cooler than it has been, almost time for a jacket. The sun is warm and the ground is hard, but the grass makes it softer. Kind of like a pillow of goose feathers.”

“Lily, don’t rest your head on me I’m too hard.”

“No, you’re not, you’re nice and cool.” She rubbed her cheek against his arm. “You’re soft too, smooth like a spoon. Really Alphonse it’s okay. Even though I know you can’t eat or sleep or feel you’re still here. Maybe that’s selfish, but I would rather have you here like this than not at all and you said you were going to fix it right?”

“Yeah,” Al said softly with a little bit of hope in his voice. “I’m glad too, and I don’t think its selfish Lily. If it is then I would be too, because I want to be here with you and Ed.”

“Hey do you think Tristan’s okay?”

“Your mouse?” He asked.

Lily nodded. “Yeah, Daddy never talks about stuff like that and I’ve always wondered where people go after they die, animals too.”

“That’s one of those things no one knows until they get there. But he’s probably playing with other mice somewhere happily.”

“Do you think our Moms are happy too?”

“I hope so.” He sighed.

“Me too,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “Thank you for living with us Al and for being my big brother.” She snuggled closer. “Promise me you’ll be careful while you’re away from me and Daddy. I don’t want to say goodbye forever.”

“Lily,”

“Please, I always say goodbye.”

Al sat up, picking her up and setting her in his lap. “Then we’ll make a new rule. We won’t say goodbye because Ed and I will always come back. Brothers and sisters look out for each other, we’re all we’ve got.”

Lily shook her head. “That’s not true, you have Daddy and Riza and Uncle Maes too.”

“You’re right we do, I guess friends are family too.”

Lily nodded. “Yep, that’s what Daddy says.”

After dinner Ed found Roy in the study pulling a book off the shelf. “Bring it to me Monday Edward.” Roy muttered.

“Why not now?” Ed asked a little confused as to why now wouldn’t be a good time to hand in his mission report.

Roy smirked in that annoying way. “I might forget it on my way out.”

Ed shrugged. “Well I don’t have it with me.” Roy only nodded, setting the book back upon the shelf and pulled down another. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for a book to read to Lily.”

“Oh,”

Roy turned his head. “Something wrong?” He frowned “Where are Lily and Alphonse?”

“Under the kitchen table, well Lily is. Al’s looking for her.” Ed replied scratching his head.

“And you don’t want to play with them; what, are you too old? Surely you could find the smallest hiding places.”

“Don’t call me small!” Ed bit, clenching his fists. He just had to say it, couldn’t go too long with out… Ugh!

Roy chuckled, looking back at the shelf. He pulled another book down and walked over to Edward. “Here, I’m not sure what your tastes are, but I think you might enjoy this.”

Ed looked at the book and frowned. “What’s it about?”

“Read it and find out, so you wandered in here for a reason.”

Ed sighed, he’d never really asked Roy for anything, well not directly unless it involved information on the stone. “Lily said to ask you…” He really didn’t like that amused look upon Mustang’s face.

“Go on,”

“Will… would you mind teaching me to play chess?” There it was, out and over with.

Roy smiled a real honest smile at him for once, probably the first time ever. “I wouldn’t mind at all. Let me get Lily to sleep first, then I’ll meet you in the living room.”

Ed stood blinking for a moment, then nodded, not sure what to say just yet. Roy passed him, resting his hand upon his shoulder for a moment before leaving. Suddenly Ed smiled a little. Mustang really wasn’t so bad and after a year or so, he was just figuring out that the man really did care. He would have to to take them in and put up with them and then name them the older brothers of his daughter.

Roy was always there as well. He was there that night, there again when he’d been sick after going on a mission, there when he’d been beaten up; hell, he’d even been there when he’d gone after Winry and Barry the Chopper had almost killed him. It seemed like every time he was in serious trouble Roy always came.

He was always helping too, in little ways Ed didn’t always notice. He knew that Roy corrected his reports then typed them up before sending them in to Central. He didn’t have to do that. They didn’t have to be typed up; someone in Central did that. Roy always sent someone or came himself to make sure that they were back and had somewhere to stay, had eaten and such. And he always let them hang around when there wasn’t anything to do and they were just bored and needed a break from research. Of course he didn’t mind lecturing Ed either.

Then there was what he was always doing, keeping watch on any leads for the stone and passing them his way. He was helping them reach their goal, to get their bodies back. And now the man was going to teach him how to play chess. But then what was Mustang getting out of all of this? Fights, stress, and bad attitude? It wasn’t exactly something Ed would want if their positions were reversed. In the beginning Roy didn’t even know them, didn’t owe them anything and as Ed saw it they owed Roy more. And through all of it Roy had been… he’d been… He’d been more of a father than his own had.

That thought just infuriated Edward to no end. His father should have been there, if… if he’d been there then none of this… No, his mistakes were of his own making, but… Who cared about Hohenheim, he didn’t need him. He had Al and Lily… and Mustang. He also had Pinako and Winry too, the Hughes.

Ed sighed, he didn’t know what Roy wanted and maybe he’d never know unless he asked and then he’d be lucky if Roy gave him a straight answer, but he could be more tolerant and less of a pain in the ass.

Roy met Edward in the living room and sat down opposite of him after pulling one of the arm chairs over. “You rearranged the furniture.” Ed muttered from the sofa.

“Actually Anise did, I just haven’t changed it back.” Roy looked around for a moment. “I really don’t like it.”

Ed smiled. “I can help you move everything and with any luck we’ll find another mouse for Lily.”

Roy sighed. “Uh, I really hope not. I’d rather she had a dog or cat honestly, but don’t tell her that.”

Ed snickered. “Before dinner she said she’d love to make a pond in the back yard so we could have an Otter.”

Roy sighed, again holding his face in his hands. “I suppose next she’ll want chipmunk.” He shook his head, leaning over the table to set up the game. “And she returned your pillow by the way.”

Ed’s amber eyes looked up. “She did, how can you tell?”

“She’s got pink sheets on her bed and yours are blue.” Roy smirked. He really needed to tell Edward about Hohenheim, but he didn’t want to lose this. He didn’t want to lose this time with Ed or send him packing. He rather enjoyed having Edward here.

He set the last pieces down and pointed to the board. “Okay, this is how it’s set up. When you move a pawn for the first time they get to move two spaces forward and can take another piece diagonally. For instance.” He moved some pieces, two of Ed’s and two of his, and used Ed’s pawn to take one of his own. Then he explained how all the other pieces moved.

Ed scratched his cheek. “It seems so unfair that the queen can go where ever she wants and have all the power and the king can’t really do much.”

Roy smirked. “Says a little about some people doesn’t it?”

The boy frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

Was he really about to have this discussion with Edward of all people? “Have you ever watched the way Gracia and Maes interact sometimes, or even the way you and Winry-“

“Now before you go there Winry and I are not dating.” Ed blushed and was just about the color of his red coat.

Roy smirked wickedly. “I should hope not after promising Lily you’d marry her when she grows up.”

Ed winced. “You heard that?”

“Of course, don’t worry she’ll probably forget or let you out of it… I think. I’m not sure about that one. It’s a little hard to guess certain things about her since I haven’t… Anyway my point was and my self included because if you’d known Sable and a little with Riza… Men are sometimes intimidated by strong women if not down right frightened of them. There are days Riza scares the hell out of me.”

He could tell Ed was thinking about Winry when he winced. “What was your wife like?”

Roy sighed keeping his eyes off the picture upon the mantel. “She was lovely, kindhearted, had a good sense of humor, nearly always positive about everything.” Good grief he was married to her two years and dated her a year before that. They’d shared everything and she’d been the better part of him so why was it so hard to describe her? Because sometimes words just weren’t enough… That was something she’d always say.

“Sable was like a sudden open window in a room where you’re suffocating. She was sunshine, but if you pissed her off…” He smirked remembering a time when he’d done so. “She was down right scary when angry and it took a lot to really push her. Lily’s got her temper though hers is on a shorter fuse I think, shorter like mine.” Now that Roy thought about it and he laughed. “You know when Anise was here after we buried Tristan, Anise came in to talk to Lily. Lily did exactly the same thing I used to do when I was little and angry.”

“What?” Ed asked with a smile.

“She screamed into a pillow then threw it and then she yelled.” Roy scratched his head. “I don’t do that anymore,”

“No, now you just snap your fingers and shoot fire at people.” Ed said sardonically. “I think I prefer Lily’s method better, less running.”

“You’re pretty fast when motivated.” Roy mused. He could tell Edward tomorrow about his father. Tonight he just wanted this. It was almost like they were friends, really friends and it was too nice to spoil.

When Roy went to check on Lily before bed, after one very long game of chess, Ed picked up on it so damned quickly; he didn’t find her in her room. He checked his and she wasn’t there. He was about to check Al’s room when Ed sighed. “Guess she’s sleeping with me again.” He heard Ed mutter before the door closed.

Roy shook his head and entered his own room, glad to have his bed all to himself again. He loved having Lily curl up beside him, but it would be nice to stretch out and take the whole bed with out worry of hitting anyone or rolling over someone. But suddenly he had a thought. Should he let Lily sleep with Edward after... They were just kids, nothing would happen, and he trusted Ed. Lily was too little to know about things like that anyway. He’d gently put a stop to it when she got older if she didn’t grow out of it.