Des. AU. When Al and Ed did their transmutation the second time, something went wrong, but their bodies were restored, though only as they were as they were learning alchemy. They hardly remember anything, only the fact they did this, that their mother was dead, and that Ed had made Colonel Roy Mustang promise that if something happened, he would take Al to live with him and his fiancee, Alex. So, when they find out something did infact happen, how will they react?
The phone rang very early in the morning, making a formally sleeping Roy Mustang roll over and turn on a lamp to grab the phone,
"Mm..Hello?" He mumbled into the phone, rubbing his left eye.
"Colonel?"
"Havoc?"
"Yes sir."
"Is there something you needed?"
"Yes sir! Fullmetal and his brother have been brought into this hospitol...only they're not like they were earlier." Roy sat straight up, breaking the hold his sleeping fiancee had on him, causing her to stir.
"Are they alright?"
"Better then normal actually...Sorta?"
"I'll be right there." He hung up the phone, noticing his fiancee waking up.
"Go back to sleep, it's ok." He leaned over and kissed her.
"Is it Ed and Al?" She was perceptive, or had really good hearing. He nodded.
"Are they alright?" He shrugged. The boys had come to stay with them a few times, and they were both around the Central command HQ enough for Alex to know them rather well. She loved them both like they could have possibly have been her own children. She rose from bed, and she started to get dressed.
"If you see them, I do too." Roy knew good and well that it was ok to argue with her sometimes, but if he picked this time, he would lose. He sighed and he stood. The sun hadn't even come up yet. How could they need something now? He grumbled and he got his pants off a chair, and he pulled them over his medium length legs, and he pulled on a jacket, as she emerged from her bathroom with her hair pulled up and baggy sweat like pants on. He hardly ever saw her like this, and it made him smile at the sheer humanity these kids brought out in her. She was sweet to him, yes, and she loved him very much, but her way with these brothers was insanely amazing. She truely cared for these kids. She looked at him, and she smiled nervously.
"I'm sure they're alright, baby." She nodded and she crossed her arms, and looked at her feet. He swung his arm over her shoulders comfortingly and they left for the hospitol.
As they entered the hospitol, they were greeted by Lt. Havoc. He saluted Roy and he spoke,
"Sirs, they're this way." They followed Havoc, and they walked into a room where they were floored by what they saw. It was infact Ed and Al, but they were barely 6, if even that.
"How did this.." Roy stammered.
"We have no idea, nor do they." Ed stirred as someone spoke,
"We aren't sure if they remember anything. They didn't seem to rememb-"
"Roy?" Ed spoke. All eyes darted to him.
"Edward." Roy spoke.
"What happened to us?"
"We're not sure Ed. Did you do the transmutation?" He nodded.
"It worked, it fixed us, but like we were before we ever did anything really.."
"How old were you then?"
"I was 5, Al was 4..I guess a better word is are. Where are we?"
"A military hospitol. Do you remember anything?" Ed shook his head, and he yawned.
"I don't like it here.." He looked around, and he reached for Al, but he couldn't reach him. He almost fell out of his bed reaching, till Alex swiftly got to him and grabbed the back of his shirt to pull him back to his bed. He swiftly turned his head, and he looked at her, her dark eyes met his golden ones and his welled with tears.
"We...we're back to the beginning."
"Ed, this isn't nessicarily a bad thing."
"How?"
"You don't remember anything, so, you might could have the childhood neither of you got to have." Ed froze. He'd not thought about it that way.
"We have no where to go, I guess we could go back to live with Winry..."
"Brother, you made them promise to take care of me, so they can take care of you too." Al spoke for the first time all night. All eyes went to him. He sat up, and he looked to his brother,
"Al, we can't impose that on them. I asked them to take you, and they still can, but I can't make myself live there. Equivelent Exchange. That's too much."
"Ed, not everything in life is Alchemy." He looked back to Alex. Alex reminded him a lot of a mother, maybe not like his, but he'd almost didn't remember his own to be honest.
"But.."
"If you want to live with us, you can."
"I'd owe too much.."
"She said not everything is alchemy, brother. Just trust her, I do." Ed looked into her eyes, and she smiled lightly to him. He couldn't help but smile a little bit back, but he wouldn't let himself give in that easy.
"I..still don't feel right."
"Stop being stubborn! It's the closest thing we have to family! I know you know you don't want to live with Winry! She'd hit you with wrenches and Pinacho wouldn't stop her!" He smiled, Al had a point.
"...Alright." Al started to protest again, then realized what Ed had said.
"Alright! Really brother?" Ed nodded. Al smiled widely. Ed looked up into Alex's eyes again,
"You're sure?" She nodded.
"You swear you won't leave us like she did?" He asked an entire register quieter, to where only she and Al could hear. She felt her eyes well with tears and she smiled,
"I promise." He nodded, and he collasped onto her lap and let his face rest on her leg.
"Thank you." He whispered as he closed his eyes agian. She leaned down and she let her lips connect with his cheek,
"Anytime, Edward." He smiled in his nearly sleeping state and he moaned lightly as he was bumped by his brother hopping from his bed onto her other leg, and climbed into her lap and he kissed her cheek and he laid on her shoulder. She smiled, and she kissed his cheek as well, and he fell asleep on her shoulder. As they both slept, she let a tear track slowly form down both of her cheeks, and she smiled as Roy came and knelt by her side, and whispered,
"Never knew you were this good with kids." She smiled, and she turned her head and he let his lips gently glide over hers as he lifted Ed's sleeping form into his arms, and Ed nuzzled his face into the side of his neck as he slept and he hugged his neck. Roy and Alex carried the sleeping boys now under their care back to their home.
Roy handed Ed back off to Alex, as he went into the guest room, and he made up the bed. As he pulled the sheets back, he smiled to himself. He was oddly excited about having two pipsqueaks living under his roof. Did he actually like children? (Gasp!) He hurried, realizing he left her alone carrying two medium sized kids. He walked back into their room, and he smiled widely as he noticed Alex had fallen asleep with them curled up to her sides. He didn't want to wake them, so he covered them with the blanket, and he went and slept in the other room himself. As he moved to close her door, he smiled to himself, like a proud father over his wife and newborn kids,
"I'm a lucky son of a bitch." With that, he closed the door, and he went to his own room to sleep.
Over the next few weeks, adoptions were finalized, but that was after much debate from Winry Rockbell, who thought herself more suitable, but when it came down to just asking the kids where they wanted to go, they said Alex and Roy. No one was really sure why, but they chose them, so they are where they stayed. About a month later, Alphonse sat in the bathtube, while Alex washed his back. He smiled, he was swiftly becoming a "mama's boy" and he would rather be held by her, then walk around on his own. His dark, yet bright eyes shun up at her with adoration from the tub. He splashed water at her, and she smiled, and she splashed him back, she glanced over her shoulder as the phone rang.
"Ed! Can you get that? Or tell Roy to?" Ed looked up from his spot on the floor nearby, watching her, and he took off towards the phone. He loved to answer the phone. He grabbed it and swiftly spoke,
"Hello?"
"Edward?"
"Hi Mrs. Fuery!"
"Hey there, how're you?"
"I'm good! You wanna talk to mom?"
"Yes please."
"Kay!" He took his hand off the phone and place it on a table, and he grabbed the phone closer to the bathroom and he streched the cord to her.
"It's Mrs. Fuery."
"Hello?"
"Hi! Whatcha doin?"
"Hey Ash, I'm just batheing Al."
"I'm bored and Kain's parents have the kids, mind if I stop by and chat for a while?"
"Sure!"
"Ok! I'll be over shortly."
"The door's open." She let go of the phone and it sailed back into a cabinet, causing Ed to jump.
"Sorry baby, didn't mean to scare you."
"It's ok!" Ed got up, and he sat on the closed lid of the toilet and he leaned his head on Alex's head. She looked up at him, as best she could, and she looked back at the 4 year old in the tub. Roy slowly came into the room, and he looked to them, with no words. He smiled to himself and he just watched them from a distance. Ed leaned closer to the tub, and got splashed by Al and he squealed and he hid behind Alex, who in turn got wet. She laughed and she flicked water at Ed, who fell off the lid and onto her back, forcing her head part of the way into the tub. She pulled her head back out, and swung her bangs back to get Ed wet, with a smile on her face.
"Mama! What happened to your head?" Al asked in a concerned manner about the scar on her forehead.
"Don't worry Al, that can't hurt me, it's very old."
"Older then Roy?" Alex gave a hearty laugh,
"Roy's not old!"
"Acts old."
"Thank you Edward." Roy spoke as he stepped into the bathroom, and leaned on a counter.
"Hey Colonel, get lonely downstairs?" He smiled and he nodded. Edward made a face at him, and he returned the face, causing Al to giggle.
"Daddy made a funny face at Edward." He told Alex. Alex smiled, as she lifted the wet child out of the tub,
"I'm shocked." She bumped Roy as she walked past him, to get Al dressed. He slapped her butt as she walked by and Ed gave him a dirty look. Roy put his hands up as to say he was sorry,
"Didn't realize she was off limits." Ed growled and he stalked after his new mom and his little brother. Al came back into the bathroom a few seconds later, wearing a large shirt, and laughing as he flapped his arms around in the sleeves.
"Trying to take off Al?" Roy asked with a smirk. He bit his lip, in a shy manner and he jumped on Roy. He wanted to be held, and Alex was talking to Ed. Roy lifted him swiftly, tossing him in the air a bit. He giggled, and he locked his arms around Roy's neck. He nuzzled his face into the side of his head, and he whispered in his ear,
"I love you daddy." Roy felt his eyes well up with tears that he blinked back, and he whispered back,
"I love you too Alphonse." He smiled widely and he squeezed Roy tighter, as Alex dragged Edward back into the bathroom, as he fought to get away,
"I DON'T WANT A BATH!" Ed screamed,
"You're stinking up my house!"
"AM NOT!"
"ARE TOO!" Al chimed in.
"Traitor!" Ed called Al, as Al smiled, and smushed his face into Roy. Alex lost her grip on Edward and he darted down the stairs, as she heard the door open and close. Ash was here. Edward didn't know that, and there were a few screams from downstairs and a boom. Collision, sounded like.
"Owwwww!" Ed called as he got up.
"I'll get him." Roy said, handing Al off to Alex. Al more then willingly jumped from Roy's arm's to Alex's. He cuddled his face into hers and he hugged her three times as tightly as he had Roy. Alex leaned on the counter, as Roy brought the fighting Ed back upstairs, followed by Ash. Al waved to Ashley, who smiled and waved back,
"DON'T DO THIS TO ME!" Edward screamed as Roy removed his shirt, he reached for Alex, and Roy removed his pants,
"Edward, it's just a bath."
"NOOOO!" He squirmed, then consented once he hit the fresh, hot water. He sagged in resolve and he gave a blank expression,
"I got him if you three wanna go downstairs."
"Alright, thanks Roy. Edward, behave."
"I will." He smiled sweetly at Alex, she smiled back, but she knew he would pull something. Alex, Al and Ashley all went downstairs, and sat at the dining room table. Al sat in Alex's lap and had a glass of milk, which his brother hated. They all talked, or drank, til they all jumpped when they heard a yell, and someone fall. Sounded like Roy.
"I should go up and look, but I'm not sure I want to.." A few minutes later, Ed came downstairs, dressed for bed, and he sat on his mother's other knee, and made a funny face when Roy came downstairs.
"Roy?" He was soaked.
"Stupid runt pulled me in." Alex tried not to laugh,
"Maybe you needed a shower too?"
"Shut up." She smirked, and he excused himself to go shower himself. Alex looked back to Ed,
"What happened to behave?"
"I did..for a little while." He got thumped in the back of the head, and he leaned on his new mom. He shut his eyes and before long he was sleeping soundly on her shoulder, followed slowly by Al, after finishing his milk. Ashley smiled at her friend, and she sleeping boys,
"I've known you a long time, and I never figured a few things."
"Like what?"
"Like the fact you'd actually be a mother, and a good one at that, and the fact you'd end up with Col. Roy Mustang." She smiled,
"I like kids, I just was very unsure of having my own, problem solved, completely and utterly, and I love Roy, I'm not sure why. I was never with someone quite like him before, but it's been a challenge, but a pleasent one."
"I'm sure." She smiled, and Ashley glanced at her watch
"Oh, Damn. I need to get home. Lost track of time, thank God the kids are with their grandparents, but Kain gets off soon." Alex nodded, and she stood, a child on each shoulder. They walked to the door, and Ash stepped outside, getting chilled to the bone by the cold.
"You really are a good mother."
"Thanks Ash. You are too. See you tomorrow?" She nodded, with a smiled and she left. Alex walked upstairs, and noticed Roy had fallen asleep on the bed, while he was getting ready for bed, and she covered him up, and kissed his face. She then took Ed and Al and placed them in their own beds, and she kissed each one at least twice. She then went back to her own room, and she snuggled in next to Roy.
In the middle of the night, Alex awoke to a tug at her blanket. It was raining outside, and a loud clap of thunder had awoken Al. He looked up at her with his large doe eyes, and she turned over and spoke sleepily,
"Baby what's wrong?" His big eyes filled with tears and he spoke in a trembling voice,
"The..the..loud woke me." Alex made a 'I see' face, and she lifted the trembling child into the bed, and he crawled in the bed, and he looked over to Roy, who rolled over and opened groggy eyes.
"Al?"
"Thunder scared him." He nodded and he moved himself to accomdate for the child. Al snuggled into his mother, and he shared her pillow, and they were all almost asleep agian, when they heard a loud scream from the other room, and then feet clanging and padding down the hall, and their door open and close, and someone jump on their bed.
"Ed?"
"I'm scared!"
"Aww, Ed, come on." She opened the covers and he started to slide in near Roy, but he gave him a look. Alex rolled her eyes, and she moved herself more towards the center of the bed, and he crawled into the bed behind her, and he wrapped his arms around her neck. He was asleep almost immiediatly. She smiled, and she felt Roy slide in behind Al, and she grasped his arm with her hand that wasn't on Al. He leaned over Al and kissed her, and he kissed Al on his way back to his spot, and the entire bed was sleeping within a few moments, the rain outside forgotten.