VACATION WITH THE MUSTANGS

Leroy strode through the halls of the Mustang Family Mansion and called out to his son. "Roy! Roy!" Roy looked up from playing with his cat. "What?" Roy picked up his cat and patted it. "We're going to the beach, and then a theme park. You can bring two people with you. Just two." Roy nodded and put his cat, Belcini, on the floor. "Alright... just two."

"We're leaving in four hours, so hurry it up. Call them, tell them, then pack up." A thought occurred to Roy and he turned around. "Are we taking Alex with us?" Alex Louis Armstrong to be exact, who had been adopted by Leroy and his wife and raised as an older brother for Roy. Leroy nodded and turned on his heel to find his wife, Ilia. Fourteen year old Roy groaned and thought of being stuck in the back of the car with Alex, who would be spouting things that ended with, " 'passed down in the Armstrong family for generations' ".

"Who am I going to invite though..." his thoughts went instantaneously to his best friend, Maes Hughes, who didn't live too far from their mansion in East City. He dialed Maes's number and waited as it rang for Maes to pick up. "Hello? Hughes residence," Maes sighed into the phone. "Maes! It's Roy. My dad said we're going on vacation for the beach, and then we're going to a theme park. I can bring two people with me."

"So you want me to come?"

"Yeah! C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"Uh... sorry buddy, but we were going to a theme park too... the one in West City. Which one are you going to?"

"Who cares about West? We're going to the huge one near the beach, the one that only opens every five years!"

Maes's eyes widened. "No fair! I'll ask my mom and dad. Hold will you?" he put the phone on the table and Roy heard him asking his parents for permission. Maes got back to the phone and said he could come. "Awesome!"

"But who else are you going to ask? Kain is already out of town... and so is Vato!" Maes was referring to Fuery and Falman. "How about Riza, Roy?" Roy audibly gulped on the phone. "You think she'll come? I mean..."

Maes grinned. "Come on, take a chance! You've had a crush on her for ages anyways."

Roy sighed. "I'll try. We're leaving in four hours, how soon can you be here?"

"I'm already finished packing, You can count on me being there in half an hour. See ya!" The phone clicked and Roy was on his own.

Roy put down the phone and forced himself to breathe evenly. Leroy leaned on the doorway and grinned at his son. "Nervous Roy?" Roy glared at him and picked up Belcini who was pawing at his leg. "Maybe." his voice cracked. It had been cracking for a while now. Leroy asserted that it was just puberty kicking in, but Roy was devastated by the state of his voice. "I'm going to call Riza, okay?"

Leroy stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Riza? Hawkeye's granddaughter? The girl you have pictures of in your room?" Roy grabbed his collar. "I told you not to go into my room!" he howled. "What? I can't vacuum my own son's room?" Ilia smacked Leroy in the head with one of her maces. "Owwww..." "You could at least ask our little Roy!" Roy sweat dropped. " 'Little'?"

"Well? Hurry up and call. You don't have forever."

"Alright, alright..." he picked up the phone and dialed Riza's number quickly.

"Hello?"

"Riza! Hi... it's uh, Roy..."

"Hi Roy, what do you want?"

"We're goingto the beachand I'm bringing two people... Maes said he could, and I was wondering if you could..."

"I'll ask my grandpa." She turned from the phone to her grandfather who was sitting in front of a fire reading a book in relative peace. "Can I go with Roy to the beach?"

"Who else will be there?"

"Him and Maes Hughes." Her grandfather's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What? You alone with two boys? I won't have it!"

"Um, my mom and dad are going too..." Roy said.

"His parents are going too."

"Oh, in that case... if it's not too much for Leroy, you can go."

Riza turned back to the phone. "Grandpa said I could go, I'll be there in an hour. Bye!" the phone clicked and Roy stared at the reciever in his hand, unable to believe his luck. Maes was already at their house and loaded his luggage into the car. "So, did you get her to come?" Roy nodded. "See? You haven't lost the spark Roy." Roy shot him a dirty look and sighed at the look of nearly suppressed laughter on his father's face. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing. We'll leave in a few hours, so make sure everyone is here by then, all right?" Leroy tossed him a pair of gloves and Roy gasped. "Pyrotex gloves? But you said-"

"That I wouldn't let you get near any until I thought you were capable enough? Consider it an early birthday present, Son." Leroy smirked at him and walked out to go pack his own belongings, leaving an itchy fingered teenager with a pair of pyrotex gloves.