A/N: Oh my goodness! I'm sorry everyone! I didn't plan on waiting this long to update! Time goes by too fast! So sorry! I've been busy/lazy lately! I won't hold you back from reading any longer! Enjoy the chapter that took three weeks to write... ;D

Chapter Eleven

"Illuminated"

"What are you doing here?" Everett said, as he watched General Mustang come into the room. He was getting ready to leave, having discharged himself. He was finishing putting on his t-shirt. The older man, his father, didn't stop until he was about a foot away from him. Everett quickly realized he was about two inches taller. Just as Everett began to speak again, Roy raised his hand and slapped him, hard enough to make him fall back onto the bed. "What the hell was that for!"

"For making your mother cry." Roy growled. It was a strange thing, calling Riza his mother. While she was in fact his mother, it felt still felt weird.

"She deserved it." Everett said, saying it even though he knew it wasn't true.

"No! She wanted to keep you! I convinced her to give you up, so if anyone deserves your anger, it's me! Not her! Do you understand!" Roy angrily grabbed Everett's collar. He looked into the familiar brown eyes, which for a moment looked terrified. Then the boy's hand grabbed Roy's wrist and pushed it away.

"Get off of me!" Everett snapped, as he stood back up. "I just want to be left alone."

"Why?" Roy asked, still a little mad.

"Gee, I don't know! Maybe because I just found out the parents I've missed for the past twelve years aren't actually my real ones! Maybe because I've thought I was an orphan, while you and my mother have been playing happy family! You gave me up to protect yourselves, and I was the one who had to pay for it!" Everett shouted. "I was a mistake, so you chose to cover it up and ignore me."

"You were not a mistake!" Roy said. Sure, Everett wasn't planned, but Roy never considered him a mistake…

"Then why didn't you keep me!" Everett asked angrily. Roy stood silent, unable to come up with an answer right away. "That's what I thought."

Everett grabbed his coat and left the room, walking very quickly. Roy followed him, grabbing his arm in the busy hallway.

"Why don't you get it! I don't want anything to do with you!" Everett yanked his arm away, and began running down the hall, leaving Roy standing there.

Roy felt like he couldn't move. He hadn't expected the encounter to go well, but he had no idea it would go as bad as it did. He understood that Everett was confused and angry. He had every right to be. Roy only wished it had gone better. Roy noticed that most of the people in the hallway were looking at him, causing him to grumble angrily. He wished everyone would mind their own business. Everett might not have been in this situation if that damned rumor hadn't reached him.

Riza was still waiting out in the car when she saw Everett walk out of the hospital, clearly angry, and get into a car, which Al had brought over to the hospital for him. He was already driving? And how did he afford a car like that? Not even Roy could afford a luxury car like the one Everett was driving. She looked over at the ignition of Roy's car, and felt around for the keys Roy had given her when he told her come out here. She scooted over to the driver's seat, and started the car. Roy would just have to wait for her to come back. She watched Everett pull out of the lot, and she followed. She made sure to keep a good distance away, so not to be seen.

She soon realized where they were going. He was heading towards the train station. She had a feeling about where he was going from there, but she wasn't sure. All she knew what that she was going to follow.

She parked the car several spaces away from him, and stood several people behind him in the ticket line, making sure she was seen. She heard him buy one ticket for West City, and she did the same.

He entered the train, and she did as well. She sat at the other end of the car for a few minutes after the train started moving. The only people in the train car at such a later hour were two business looking men, her and Everett.

She stood, and took down her hair, since it was beginning to get cold. She slowly made her way over to where Everett was sitting. Her heart was beating abnormally fast, she was nervous at what he would do, what he would say to her and if he would yell or not. When she was able to see him; he was looking down at the State Alchemist pocket watch in his hands, and looked like he had been crying. She couldn't turn back now; she was on a train for god's sake. She cleared her throat, and Everett looked up.

"I knew you were following me." He said softly.

"I… I just wanted to talk to you." Riza mumbled. She never was a person who mumbled, but it was something about the situation that she was in that made her a completely different person. "Can I sit with you?"

"I guess I don't have much of a choice." Everett sighed. Riza took the window seat across from him. Neither of them knew how to start a conversation. They sat there in an awkward silence, watching Central disappear in the sunset. Riza watched him, pulling on the sweater she was wearing.

"You drive a very expensive car for a boy your age." She said after an hour of silence.

"Yeah, I guess." Everett said. "Evelyn left me a lot of money after she died."

"You call her Evelyn?" Riza asked.

"Most of the time I did." Everett said softly. "I never really considered her my aunt. They take care of you, and love you. She didn't do either of those."

"Oh, I'm sure she loved you." Riza frowned. Everett looked at her directly, for the first time since he yelled at her in the hospital.

"No. She didn't. She never wanted kids; I was just a burden to her."

"I'm sorry." Riza looked down at her lap. "We didn't want to give you up, Everett, I promise. But, with everything that had happened before you, I just didn't think I could raise a baby. I've kept you close to me every day since I gave you away." Riza pulled at the necklace on her neck. She unclasped it, and extended her palm to Everett. He gently took the necklace from her.

"It's a locket…" he mumbled, opening it. "Of me…"

"Alice, your mother, gave that to me. She sent me a picture of you on your birthday every year." Riza smiled. "We have always loved you, you know. Not a day has gone by where your father and I haven't mentioned you, or wondered about how you were doing."

"Am I a lot like him?" Everett held the locket tightly. Things were getting to a point where he suddenly had so many questions for her, his anger was still there, but it was being covered by curiosity.

"You're just like him. Even the way you act. It's almost scary." Riza laughed. "You certainly are a Mustang." Everett heard the last name, the last name he should've had. The woman sitting in front of him was his mother, the mother he should've known. Was he being given a second chance to have a family? One where he didn't have to worry about being the responsible one? Hearing her laugh and seeing her smile was like a wakeup call. She wanted to know him; she wanted to be a part of his life. His father did too. He had been pushing it away since he had found out. He had always been smart, and very conscious of others, and he knew he was only hurting them, and himself, further by pushing everyone away. They had done what they thought was best. The locket he held in his hand was enough to tell him they loved him, much more than his Aunt ever had. Life was staring him in the face, giving him another chance. It wasn't going to slip through his fingers this time.

"I was going to go to Edan. I want to be angry at them, for leaving me. For dying. But…" Everett held back tears. "But I can't. Why can't I be mad at them for not telling me?"

"Everett…" Riza frowned, and moved next to him. "It's okay." She put a hand on her shoulder, not sure if he wanted any further contact.

"I need to ask you something." Everett turned to her.

"Anything."

"Did you ever regret giving me up?"

"Every day." Riza answered truthfully. "We didn't want to take you back after giving you to Alice and Ben. They wanted a baby so badly. We couldn't take that away from them and live with ourselves."

"I don't even remember them." Everett said.

"You were so little when they died. It's understandable." Riza frowned. Their silence returned for a while.

"I shouldn't have gotten so mad at you." Everett said. The sun had now set outside, and the car was being lit by dim lights. "I don't usually have a temper."

"You were upset. Who wouldn't be."

"I shouted at Genny… Even though she had nothing to do with it." Everett realized that she probably wouldn't want to talk to him for a while. It would probably be best if he didn't go back to Al and May's when he got back to Central. "I'm still going to Edan, so you might want to catch the next train back to Central."

"I'd like to come with you, if you don't mind." Riza said. Everett seemed surprised at what she said.

"I—uh… No, it's okay, I guess." Everett nodded.

He was happy that she asked. Maybe this would work out in his favor after all.

Winry had been listening to Ed's conversation over the phone with an upset Genny. Something had happened, and she was worried about what it could be. She waited for him to put down the phone before asking any questions.

"So, what was all that about?" she asked.

"Everett figured it out. He knows about Roy and Riza being his parents. He ended up yelling at Genny." Ed sighed.

"Oh no, are they okay?"

"I don't know. Genny said Everett left the hospital after fainting, and he never came home. She doesn't know where he is."

"Everett fainted, why?" Winry mumbled.

"From shock, maybe? Gen was too upset to get any details out of her." Ed grumbled. "I should go make sure they're alright. Will you be okay alone?"

"Don't worry about me, Ed." Winry smiled. "I've waited for you here many times before."

"Right." Ed smiled faintly. Winry smiled, and turned back towards the living room. "Hey, Winry?"

"Yeah?" she spun around.

"I love you." Ed said softly, almost as if he was afraid of someone else hearing.

"I love you too. Now go and keep our children safe! If they come back with so much as one scratch, don't expect to sleep here anymore! Go pack some things and get going!" Winry's occaisional bossy self hadn't changed one bit since Ed had married her. And he loved it.

Roy awoke the next morning to find that Riza still hadn't returned. He had figured out that she probably chased after Everett, but he had no idea where she chased him to. It worried him, not knowing where either of them were. Hopefully she would call or something.

He heard a knock come from the front door. He threw on the shirt he had worn yesterday and a pair of pants that had been on the floor since the day before, and rushed to answer it. He looked through the peep hole, and saw familiar golden eyes and hair.

"The hell…" Roy grumbled, as he unlocked the door and opened it. "What are you doing here, Elric?"

"You know, just stopping by. I was on my way to Al's, but I thought I would stop here first, to see how things were. How's Riza?" Ed said quickly.

"I don't know. I haven't seen her since yesterday evening." Roy grumbled.

"She's been missing that long too?"

"Huh?"

"Everett hasn't been seen since he left the hospital." Ed said.

"Great." Roy slumped his shoulders. "That's just great."

"Don't worry, they're bound to show up. I'm sorry he had to find out his way, Mustang. He deserved to be told in a nicer manner." Ed said.

"Yeah, no kidding." Roy frowned.

"Well, I should head over to Al's, I need to make sure Genny's alright." Ed said.

"Hey, Elric." Roy said softly.

"What?"

"Thanks for taking care of him when he needed it."

"That is probably the only time you thanked me for anything, you know that?" Ed grinned. "He's a great kid, you know. He's a much better person than you'll ever be, that's for sure." Roy knew he was just trying to tick him off, but he couldn't help but feel a little irked by the comment. "If I hear anything about him or Riza, I'll let you know, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be here all day." Roy nodded.

"One more thing…" Ed said before turning away from the door.

"Hm?" Roy was still a little drowsy.

"What are you going to do, once everything calms down?"

"I think we'll have to leave that up to him, right?" Roy said. He was talking to someone who knew his own son better than he did, and Roy didn't like it.

"Everett isn't the kind of kid who will go seeking your affection, Mustang." Ed sighed. "Considering the way he was brought up, it's not surprising."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Roy asked.

"Everett's aunt was, from what I've heard, childlike and uncaring. Everett feels like he has to rely on himself in order to do anything. He doesn't go looking for help, because he's grown up knowing he won't get it. If you want him to be a part of your life, you have to tell him straight out, or he'll think you don't really give a crap. Get it?" Ed obviously cared about Everett, more than Roy realized. "That boy has become a part of my family too, so if he gets hurt, you'll be hearing from me."

"Anything else I should know about my son, Elric?" Roy tried not to growl. He wasn't mad that Ed was talking to him like he was an idiot, he was mad that Ed clearly knew more about Everett than he did. It was beginning to embarrass him, even though it was understandable, given the circumstance.

"Yeah, he's allergic to peanuts, and he can play the piano." Ed said plainly.

"Allergic to peanuts, huh?" Roy mumbled.

"Why are you smiling?" Ed asked. Roy didn't even realize he was, and quickly went back to his stoic expression.

"Shouldn't you be one your way to Al's?" Roy asked.

"Right. See you later, I suppose." Ed waved unenthusiastically, and began walking away. Roy closed the door. The small smile returned.

Allergic to peanuts, just like his grandfather. While Roy couldn't remember his father being allergic to peanuts, he remembered being told about it.

Funny how things worked out.