Housework

Supper and a body

In the morning, Roy again found breakfast waiting for him on the way to work. He smiled and thanked Tammy for her efforts and even managed to choke some of it down. She really needed some help there. He urged her to get dressed and bundled her up in an old coat of his. They headed for the office, Roy not wanting to leave the two alone again. Once thy arrived, he shuffled them past Hawkeye, ignoring her glare and silencing her protests with a glare of his own, and settled them on the couch in his office with the promise of visiting the library once he got a bit of work done. Within an hour, he was bored and found himself staring at his girl. She was sitting quietly, fidgeting slightly but not making any noise. Her eyes were fixed on the window, watching the clouds pass by, lost in her own thoughts.

“Tammy.” No response. “Tammy.” Nope, not even a flinch. “Hey you!” Ah, there we are. A smirk passed over Roy's face, “If you won't tell me your name, you have to answer to the one I give you, you know.” She looked down, cheeks flaming, and clenched her hands together. “Ready to go to the library? I need some coffee anyways.”

She looked up and a bit of eagerness showed through. Roy stood and opened the door, motioning her through and following after. He pointed her back to the main entrance and stopped to talk Havoc. “Did the shop call?”

“Yeah, it's not a problem. They can have it ready by tomorrow afternoon and it can be delivered any time after that.”

“Excellent. Have them deliver it as soon as it's ready.” He turned and followed his ward, whom he found waiting patiently outside the doors. Roy guided them to the Library and introduced Tammy to the librarian. He let her roam a bit while he flirted with a few new recruits. Once she had a few books, he led her back to his office. There, she settled onto the couch, pulled her friend from her pocket and they began reading quickly. He watched the odd sight, a tiny girl with a little piece of metal in her lap, reading some of the most advanced alchemy texts available, then realized he had forgotten his coffee.

The alchemist rose and opened the door, calling for Breda to get him a decent cup of coffee, from the mess hall, not the stuff Fuery made. Roy settled back into his chair and slouched, hoping if he slid under the desk, his paperwork would disappear. He peeked back up. No luck. He started slowly dragging his pen across the bottom of the papers. An hour passed, then two, the only sound that of Roy's bored sighs and papers shuffling quietly. Suddenly, a shadow fell over the desk. He looked up with a jolt, having forgotten all about Tammy sitting silently on the couch. She stood, head down, hands clasped behind her back, and shuffled her feet.

“Yes? Are you bored?” Shake. “Hungry?” A shake to that one too, but not as quickly, maybe it was getting time for lunch. “What is it?” She looked over her shoulder at the little pile of books, stacked neatly on the couch. “Don't like those ones?” She waved the flesh hand in front of her in a slashing motion. “Finished? You're done with them?” Nod. “Want new ones?” Nod. “I'm afraid you'll have to wait a bit, I can't take you right now, I'm behind as it is. Why don't you go ask Havoc to take you for lunch? We can go back when you return.” She shifted around for a minute, then walked back to the couch and sat. Roy sighed, she was kinda stubborn. Alright, he'd just finish this pile, then they could go for lunch.

Between Hawkeye's uncanny ability to sense him nearing the end of one pile and producing another and Roy's own slowness, it was well over an hour before he was ready for lunch. Tammy was showing distinct signs of hunger, fidgeting a bit and shuffling around in her seat but froze every time she noticed him watching her. When he finally stood, she watched him like a little hawk, standing immediately when he motioned her to do so. Roy lead the way, motioning for the office to join them. They filled their trays, Roy carrying both his and Tammy's, allowing her free rein to choose as she liked, telling her what to get for him. They claimed a table, seating the small blond between Roy and Fuery, the least threatening of the group. The other men sat around them, eating and joking, ignoring the tiny stranger in their midst.

While they ate, the rumors that had begun in the library washed over them. Mostly, they consisted of Roy having an illegitimate child, with a few ranging into the pedophilia range, but no one really listened to those. This was Roy Mustang, the biggest womanizer in the country after all. Roy ignored them but noticed his ward huddling down into her seat and not eating.

“Eat your lunch. You need it to grow.” Ha, that got a reaction. A quick glare, but food started disappearing. 'So, size is an issue is it? Have to remember that.' He finally noticed what she had for lunch; noodles, sauce, more noodles, and juice. 'Guess noodles are the thing to make.' He smiled to himself, it was nice to know what to feed this new member of his household. The rest of the day passed uneventfully, with more books and noodles for supper.

The next day passed in much the same manner, except that the Colonel instructed Havoc to take them to Hughes' house after work instead of home. He had talked to his friend that afternoon and been invited to come for supper. They arrived just after 5:30 and Elysia was just finishing her after-nap snack. Roy introduced Tammy and Gracia gave her a treat as well. While Roy chatted with Maes, Elysia grabbed her new friend and dragged her outside to play. Which mostly consisted of crawling on Ed and asking why he was in her mommy's clothes.

Supper rolled around and Tammy was seated beside Roy. She quietly watched Elysia play with her potatoes and waited for permission to eat. It was an old habit, and a cautious one. Roy noticed she wasn't eating and motioned for her to get going with a nudge to the metal arm. She jumped and scooted her chair away before catching herself. Gracia immediately inquired as to what as wrong, and didn't she like the food? Gold eyes went wide and she started nodding frantically, eating a few bites. It was never a good thing to upset friends of the person in charge.

After supper was finished, and Tammy had cleared the table, ignoring Gracia's attempt to stop her, she was sent to play with Elysia some more. While she was distracted, Roy started to leave. Tammy heard him and came to the door, reaching for her coat before Roy stopped her.

“No, you stay here for a bit. I have some things to do tonight. I'll come back for you in a couple of hours, so stay here, do as your told, and be good.” The alchemist hung the red coat back up, trying to ignore the fearful look in her eyes. She was glancing nervously at the information expert and fiddling with her pockets. A tug at his sleeve brought Roy's attention down to see the piece of metal being held out to him. By reflex he took it and watched her sigh and straighten her shoulders. She turned back to the occupants of the house, leaving her friend in his care.

“Tammy, “ She looked over her shoulder, “Keep this please. Nothing will happen to you here, you'll be alright.” He put the metal back in her hands and opened the door. “Be good and I'll be back soon.” With that, he left, walking down the walkway to the car. The door shut behind him and Ed was immediately attacked by a three year old girl and her favorite teddy bear.

An hour and a half later, Roy returned to the Hughes home to find his charge sitting by the door. She was mostly asleep, her head nodding and snapping back up from time to time. Her friend was chatting quietly so as not to be heard; Roy could just make out the sounds of his voice but no words. Maes appeared in the hall and waved him in. The alchemist stepped over the girl and followed his friend to the kitchen.

“She's been sitting there since Elysia went to bed, I can't get near her and she won't go to sleep. Pretty skittish.” Gracia sipped her tea and listened to the two men discuss the latest addition to their families. “Are you sure you should keep her with you? Maybe a foster home would be better?”

“No, we do alright. She is skittish, but shes been through a lot. Give her time, she'll adjust. I'll just take her home and get her to bed.” Roy turned to leave and was stopped by a hand on his arm.

“You know, we could take her.” Gracia nodded, “She seems to like Elysia and it might be nice if she had a home with a family. I know you'll take care of her, but still, it's not the same.”

Roy was already shaking his head, “No. She's staying with me. We get along fine, and you said yourself, you can't get near her.” A quick grin passed over his face, “I find myself shockingly attached to breakfast in the mornings.” 'And,' he added to himself, 'he was surprisingly attached to her already.'

An answering smile planted itself on Maes' face, “Well, think about it at least. And she can always come visit us.”

“Thank you for the offer. If she doesn't settle in within a week, I'll talk her about it.” He strode to the door and picked up the drowsy girl, wrapped her in her coat, and carried her out to the car. She struggled for a moment, then went still. The drive home was quiet and they soon pulled up in front of the house. The blond walked up the path and waited at the door. 'I'll have to get her a key soon.' Roy opened the door and was followed in.

He led the way to the living room, motioning for her to follow. The room was practically bare as he had removed the furniture and carpet. There was a large transmutation circle in the center of the room and an auto-mail suit in the center of the circle. The little blond walked around the circle, examining it carefully, then stepped over the lines to peer at the suit. The suit was designed in the shape of a 16 year old boy; slim and about 5'10, Roy's height.

Her head snapped up as she realized what he meant to do. “Theoretically, all we have to do is fuse the metal with the suit and it should respond to the soul inhabiting it. It should be a simple process. What do you think?” She stared at him for a second, then walked around the array again, stopping and pointing at several places for him to change. After the second one, he handed her the chalk. When she was finished, he examined her work, noting the clear lines and simple connections she had added. “Well? Shall we give it a try?”

She chewed on her lip, then reached into her pocket and retrieved the metal. A small array was drawn quickly on the floor and the metal placed in it. She added power quickly before Roy could see what she was doing. The glass protecting the blood seal melted away, leaving a fine dust. The clean metal was held up for inspection, then placed on the suit.

Roy knelt beside the array and took a deep breath. This should work, in theory, but all new arrays were a risk. “Just add power and let me guide it alright? I can't fight you and get this right.” A sharp nod was his response while she knelt across from him. “Ready? Go.” A bright flash nearly blinded him, much brighter than he'd ever produced on his own. 'Focus! Have to get this right!' The flare died down, leaving a shining suit in the middle of the room. The two alchemists watched the suit for movement or any signs of success. Clink. One of the heels moved, dropping back to the floor.

“I can move, I think I'm ok.” The thin voice from before had gained some volume and echoed faintly. The suit stood up, weaving a little before it got used to the new sense of balance and weight. “Everything works.” It turned to Roy and bowed politely. “Thank you very much, for this, and for taking us in and looking after us. We really appreciate it.”

The smaller alchemist threw off her shock and grabbed onto the suit, hugging as tightly as she could. A heavy hand gently petted her hair. There was a murmuring while they talked for a moment, then the suit turned back to Roy. “I should introduce myself. I am Alphonse Elric, an alchemist from Ressembool.”



Notes: Sorry it's so short, I'm too tired to write anymore tonight, but I wanted to post a little something. Thank you very very much to those who reviewed: Anonymouse, ZeldaFitz, Ri, michelle, Lisa, silllk, and Devious Lil Devil. I really appreciate your comments and encouragement. I love red herrings, they make life so interesting, and yes, there will be smut, but it'll take a bit, Ed's not in any condition for fun things just yet. :)