Worlds Collide

A/N: Amethyst-eyed Koneko, I make no promises with Ed. Aideen's coping, yes. Russell's making progress on his own mourning, and Fletcher can only do so much to help him, so the time he might spend with Aideen won't be so bad for the brothers. Orion117, thanks, glad you're still reading and liked the bit with Hohenheim. Leave it to Nicholas to be court jester.

Oh, and for those of you who enjoy art, my friend, drew this pic for For Her. For Him. It's at her deviantart account: http://wantingmemories.deviantart.com/art/Damn-It-64452450

Chapter 64

Improving Relations

Three months later

Roy held Ed’s hand as they stood—yes, Ed stood with a mostly functioning automail leg—in the room with Aideen, watching as Raine squeezed a tube of gel on their daughter’s pale, swollen stomach. Aideen shivered at the sensation.

“Cold, isn’t it?” Ed asked, a knowing smile on his face.

“Very,” she answered. “I know every time it’s going to be. It still doesn’t help.”

“Well,” Raine said, gently rubbing Aideen’s arm, “let’s see if the little one will be more cooperative today.”

Roy smiled despite himself. As though the baby—his granddaughter—was being purposely stubborn, the last sonogram had revealed nothing but her body tightly curled onto itself, her back facing the awaiting observers. Really, Roy knew the little girl would be named after her father and uncle, but with the way she seemed to be rebelling against her mother and her family from inside the womb, he wondered if she should have been Edwarda.

“Ready Aideen?” Raine asked the girl.

“I think so,” she said. Raine began moving the wand over Aideen’s stomach, spreading the gel in a thin layer. Roy hated the idea of his little girl pregnant, especially since her mood swings seemed to be worse than Ed’s had been, morning sickness was still an occasional occurrence, usually brought on by some foods that made her completely nauseous, and she had to take iron, as she was becoming somewhat anemic.

The screen behind her began displaying a strange blueish white image on its black background. Squeezing Ed’s hand, Roy remembered when it had been his husband on the table. Apparently, so did Ed, as he moved his hand from Roy’s and slid it behind the older man’s back. Roy, in turn, wrapped his own arm around to Ed’s side, improving much more at not to react to the noticeable absence of the right arm. The nerves never healed enough to accommodate the replacement of Ed’s automail.

“Ah, there we have her,” Raine said, pointing to the little knotted looking body on the screen. “She’s a bit small for her age, but we know she’s healthy.”

As though moths drawn to the faint glowing light from the monitor, Roy and Ed came closer, Roy tracing over the small body with his finger, Ed looking on in awe, then both moving to hold their daughter’s hand and arm.

“When you say small, does that mean anything about her health?” Ed asked, and it was obviously a question Aideen had on her mind as well.

“Not any more than it means you’re unhealthy because you’re a shrimp, Baby.”

“Who you calling a shrimp?” Ed asked, eyes darkening, though there was a slightly different tone in his voice. Roy suspected it was not being called a shrimp himself that Ed was getting defensive about.

“Relax, Ed. If she’s short, so be it. You two will have plenty in common,” Roy said, earning a hard pinch to his side, at the lovehandle he wished he didn’t have.

“You’re an ass.”

“I thought I was a bastard.” Roy turned to see Ed smirking at him. To wipe that expression off his face, Roy bent down and placed a quick peck to the smaller man’s lips.

“I swear, your parents are the only ones who can make bickering and cursing one another lovey-dovey,” Raine said, to which Aideen laughed. Roy couldn’t even describe how good it was to hear her laugh, for more than just the sheer lack of that laugh for so long. The fact was that Aideen’s laugh was practically infectious if she found something especially funny, not to mention how easily it filled a room.

Then, the focus turned once again to the tiny thing on the screen. “I just can’t quite picture you calling this little one Phillis,” Raine said.

“Nikki,’ Aideen corrected. “Dad was playing around with names to call her. Nikki kind of stuck.”

“It was less of a mouthful,” Ed explained. “I mean, I don’t go by Edward very much, and I couldn’t call my own granddaughter Phil.”

Roy looked at the image, deciding that, yes, Nikki would suit her just fine.

********

Russell walked out of the orthopedic surgeon’s office, grateful to finally have a clean bill of health, so to speak. He could get back to work, and he desperately needed that distraction. Admittedly, he’d been working alongside Fletcher over the last two months, but he wasn’t released to go on missions or do much with the now-complete reconstruction effort. He needed more than the thought of feeling more useful than a resource of information and a research tool.

And, though he didn’t want to admit it, he was growing increasingly petty when the topic of Aideen came up. He’d realized at some point the week before that much of his anger that she was used by Dantehad faded. She was as much a victim as anyone else. More, really, than most, considering she’d been mentally raped and used to commit crimes, including Wrath’s death, not to mention the torture of her own father. No, he’d forgiven her for being used and unable to stop it. Lately, much as he didn’t want to admit it, Russell was angry because his little brother’s attentions were focusing on her, even more so now that Fletcher knew she was pregnant.

And to speak of the devil…

“Miss Mustang!” a voice shouted out from the hallway. Russell groaned. Not only was Aideen here at the same time he was—and he had yet to bring himself to confront her—but it sounded like a reporter was as well, guessing by the tone of urgency and groveling in her voice that Russell had yet to hear from anyone short of the bane of the furher’s existence. "Miss Mustang, what do you wish to say to rumors that Cadet Armstrong wasn't your first experience with another man and your claims that sleeping with him was merely an act between scared friends are false?"

Resigning himself to playing the hero thanks, in large part, to his time with Wrath, Russell ran to intervene, helping to pull the teenager out of the situation while telling off the reporter. After calling the woman a few choice words, Russell pushed the noticeably pregnant teen into another room.

“Thank you,” she said, eyes welling up.

“Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Did that woman hurt you?”

“No,” she said, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. “I do this from time to time. Not to mention that I'm getting so damned tired of those people. We told them the closest thing to the truth they're getting, and they still won't accept it.”

“Sounds infuriating.” Russell was not sure he wanted to have a conversation with her.

“It is.” She sighed, looking at the door, hearing the sound of the reporter being hauled off by security. “I knew we’d have to tell everyone,” She rubbed at the growing rounded bulge over her pants. “but I dreaded those filth more than anything.”

“Well, you’ve not exactly had a good experience with reporters,” Russell said. There were a few moments of silence before she finally broke the quiet. “Where are your parents?”

“Auntie’s trying to help with the nerves in Dad’s leg.” The guilt was still evident in the teenager’s voice. “The automail’s still not working right, and Aunt Winry did everything that she could.”

Despite himself, Russell found himself offering this girl encouragement. “I’ve known your aunts for a long time, neither of them will give up. Your Uncle Al either.”

“Yeah. He’s been looking at incorporating more alchemy into the automail.” She smiled faintly, though her eyes only flickered upwards to meet his. “Thanks again,” she said, barely able to look up at him as she reached out for the door handle, with a sudden gasp she held her stomach. Russell, with no experience at all in this area, immediately placed a hand on the teen’s shoulder.

“Are you okay? Is it the baby?”

“She’s kicking again,” the pale young woman said, and as though she wasn’t thinking about it, grabbed Russell’s hand that rested on her shoulder and held it to her stomach. And much to his surprise, Russell felt it, the distinct pushing from her stomach as the baby within moved and shifted. It was strange to think of, at least, that there was something very much alive inside of the young woman. “Oh!” she said, releasing his hand. “I’m sorry. I’m just so used to doing that. Everyone always wants to feel.”

“It’s quite all right.” Then a though struck him. If his brother, who was obviously blindly in love with her, managed to marry her, Russell could be feeling his own niece or nephew the next time she was in this condition. He would have just felt his adopted niece if that happened.

“Well,” she said, “thank you for rescuing me again, though I really hope this pattern of mine with being rescued stops soon.” She turned the knob on the door, still looking uncomfortable being in the room with him.

“Aideen,” Russell said quietly. “Thank you for letting me feel the baby.”

She smiled faintly as they went their separate ways, Aideen back to her fathers, Russell toward Frank and Kain’s house.

********

Kain was preparing lunch while Frank was out shopping for groceries. It was amazing what the addition of the little girl could do to complete the domesticity of their little home. He found it more than a little amusing that Frank had admitted to understanding why Ed had never held any complaints over being the parent at home. Kain also understood now why Roy often regretted being at headquarters, rather than having an office set up next to Ed and Al’s lab in the back yard. There were so many things to be missed being out in the world and away from his family.

Honestly, now nearly four months into being a father, being “Daddy,” Kain wondered how well he was doing. His father had been a good man, and Kain wondered if he could live up the upstanding man’s reputation. That didn’t even take into consideration that the little girl with the mischievous amethyst eyes wasn’t technically human at all.

But much of Kain’s doubts were set to rest by Frank, not only because the older man lauded Kain’s parenting ability, but that Frank was a natural parent and doubted himself more so than even Kain. The younger man felt that if his husband could be unsure of himself and still be good, so could he.

There was a knocking on the door, and Kain already knew it was Russell. Though the man was keeping a lot of things to himself since Wrath’s death, he did seem to have become attached to Nina, and vice versa. Perhaps it was the fact that she had wrath’s eyes, perhaps it was the simple fact that she was the last one to speak to him, or maybe Russell just needed a bit of that innocence—or at least Nina’s particular brand of it.

Kain opened the door, finding the taller blond rubbing his goatee thoughtfully. Though the long blond ponytail and facial hair suited Russell, the brigadier general couldn’t help but smirk at the younger man’s actions.

“Pensive, Russell?”

“Huh?” There was a smile there, one that hadn’t been there for months. “Oh, sorry. I’ve been a bit confused since my trip to the doctor’s office.” He stepped inside the small kitchen, looking around until he found his usual chair near the stove. “I nearly brought the wrong papers when I stopped off at the apartment.” He slid the small stack onto the table. “Fletcher says ‘Hi,’ by the way.”

Kain smiled. There was a casual ease to Russell when he was at their house which always went unacknowledged, though never unnoticed. If the blond was comfortable here, who was Kain to argue?

He took the documents offered to him. “So these are more of Hohenheim’s notes?”

“Yep. More on how homunculi can gain souls. Even a theory that they can become human if they’ve never swallowed any redstones. And we know Nina didn’t.” Kain nodded, a bit stunned. Human. She could have an normal life, or at least the semblance of one.

“So, why were you so distracted?” Kain asked, seeing that while Russell seemed somewhat troubled beneath his steely green eyes, he was obviously not upset.

“I had to rescue the, as yet, youngest Mustang from a reporter.” Kain said nothing, merely nodded, waiting for Russell to continue. It was no secret that he hadn’t really seen Aideen aside from in passing. “The baby was kicking, and on instinct, she pulled my hand to her stomach.” Russell shook his head. “People need to stop asking her if they can feel if she does that instinctually.” Funny, Kain thought, he sounded protective of the teenager. “And she had been crying, hormones, I think. It just struck me that Fletcher’s head-over-heels for her, and maybe I can manage a little civility.”

“And feeling her stomach had nothing to do with it?”

“Just reminded me that Fletcher liked her.” Russell looked at Kain mistrustfully. “What?”

“Nothing at all.” Kain figured if Russell didn’t want to say it, he wasn’t going to force him. Whatever had gone through Russell’s mind at the moment he’d felt the baby kick had obviously changed his outlook. Kain wasn’t going to press matters to ask why.

They sat for a few minutes, Kain flipping through the research, Russell more than willingly pointing out what he’d found when the clock struck noon. “Well, I guess Nina’s lessons for the day with Nicholas are over,” Russell said. “Today was a good day for her?”

“She’s having fewer bad ones, thankfully,” Kain answered. “Though I would expect that now that she looks nearly ten.”

“When they say ‘They grow up so fast,’” Russell said, leaning back in his chair, “I bet that wasn’t what they meant.”

Kain shook his head, standing again at the stove to remove the soup. “Oh, I should warn you that Nina’s been trying to figure out what to call you all day. She said she doesn’t like Mr. Tringham because there are two of you, though I think she just wants to give you a name like she did Frank and I.”

“As long as it isn’t papa,” Russell joked, though his voice sounded a little pained.

“Russell?”

“What? I never wanted kids. I’ll be a great uncle, but I’d be crap for a father.”

“Well, I’m not going to spoil what Nina decided on, but I think you’ll be okay with it.” Kain began ladeling out the vegetable soup Frank had made and he had only heated up. “Stay for lunch?”

“Do you have enough?” he asked.

“Would I have asked?”

Russell rolled his eyes as Nina came bursting from the living room, Nicholas behind her, wearing a light sweater.

“What’s the shirt say this time?” Russell asked.

Nicholas looked at him with a grin. “This one’s innocent, I swear.” Kain looked at the two curiously. “Russell happened to notice one day at headquarters when I was visiting that he could read the writing on my undershirt through my white dress shirt. I do it to irritate my parents. Sometimes to give them a laugh.”

Nicholas rolled up the sweater and held it beneath his chin and pulled down the baby blue shirt beneath. It read “Uncle in Training.”

“Aideen’s not so sensitive about it, so I figured it was okay with her, and since I’ve got a double date for lunch, I figure this could help me win points.” He grinned. The two older men exchanged labored expressions, while Nina smiled up at Nicholas.

“I think he’ll make a good uncle, just like my Uncle Russell.”

Kain had to say that for the first time in a long time, the state alchemist looked pleasantly surprised.

*********

Fletcher jogged up the steps of the Mustang home. After some prodding on Aideen’s part, he’d gone over his research from the east and uncovered a few plants that might work to help the regeneration of Ed’s nerves. Fletcher would have done it anyway, but he’d seriously doubted that he’d be able to find it among his research. Aideen, however, had been certain she’d found something ages ago that with some additional tweaking could manage to help her father.

She had poured over documents and research when she could, but had been obviously afraid to overstrain herself. Fletcher knew that if it wasn’t for being six months along, the teen would have devoted herself entirely to the research. The pregnancy was a major strain on her, but Fletcher couldn’t help but be grateful for the little girl on the way. If it wasn’t for Nikki—he’d been told of Ed’s name for the unborn baby a few days before, agreeing completely with Aideen that it was perfect—he knew the young woman would have exhausted herself with her research and trying to make retributions for the sins Dante committee with her body.

He had been told at the front gate to go ahead and enter the house, as both Ed and Roy were going out for lunch, while Aideen had returned home to rest. Still, as he opened the oak door, Fletcher lightly rapped, calling out.

“Aideen?”

“In the study,” her voice said quietly in the empty house.

Fletcher made his way down the hall, stopping as he made his way to the doorway of the study, finding Aideen seated on the sofa, one hand rubbing idly at the swollen stomach, the window letting in a glow from the sun making her hair glow blue-black in the light and her ivory skin was nearly incandescent. She was looking over a large album, her bottom lip drawn in between her teeth. The gold-brown eyes looked up at him, the expression on them unreadable and muddled full of so many emotions that Fletcher was at a loss to determine each one.

“Hi, Fletcher,” she said, the faintest color coming to her cheeks as she saw him. The blond didn’t have a huge ego, but he felt a sense of pride that he was able to bring out such a reaction in her.

“Hello,” he said, walking over to the sofa, glancing down at the large book on what remained of her lap including the rounded stomach, a photo album. Watching her, Fletcher had a flash of what it might be like to be with her, to have been the one to have gotten her pregnant. Then, he shook his head, unfortunately much too noticeably, as his higher functioning mind groaned in shame at the more primitive thoughts that had flashed through his mind.

She tucked her hair behind her ear, eyes twitching as she was obviously trying to read his face and the reason for his head shake.

“Sorry, mind was elsewhere.”

She smiled knowingly, such a small and gentle little grin. “I seem to be doing that a lot more, actually.” Her hand moved down to her stomach. “Nikki doesn’t like me to focus on anything too long.”

Fletcher took a seat beside the raven-haired teen. “I think that’s pretty common.”

“Not for me.”

“Not for your dad either, but I think it was the same for him.” Fletcher looked over at the Aideen, his hand brushing with hers as he laid his fingers on the photos in the album. Both of them moved as though struck by something hot, but not moving it from the book. They hated to admit it, but there was so much still unsaid about one another.

“Family pictures?”

“Yeah. I just couldn’t make sense of the anything I looked at, so I went through the family album.” She turned and pulled a piece of paper over, putting it on top of a picture of Roy throwing a snowball at Ed while the twins laughed on. “I wanted to put this in, too.” Aideen’s fingers traced over the sonogram picture, over the tiny body of a baby girl that finally looked like a baby, rather than an alien lifeform or nothing more than a backside—from the last one Fletcher had seen.

“So she decided to show herself for the photo this time.”

He found himself drawn to that image in black and white. It could have been his. If he hadn’t turned Aideen out that night, that could have been his daughter. “I wonder what she’s going to look like. I mean, will she have black hair, brown, blond? What color eyes?”

“Anxious to see her?”

“But still terrified of what to do when she gets here.”

“You’ll have your family to help you.”

“I know.” Her hand was moving over a photo, covering enough of it that he couldn’t exactly see the image. Wrapping his fingers around hers, he pulled them off of the photo, seeing one of Roy and Ed while Ed had been pregnant. They were on this very sofa, Roy seated against an arm of the furniture, Ed resting between his legs and sleeping against the older man’s chest as he, very much awake, was running a hand over Ed’s swollen midsection.

Taking the initiative, Fletcher leaned back against the armrest, laying his leg along the back of the sofa, holding her hand all the while. She looked at him, eyes wide with shock.

“Scoot back,” he said. “If you don’t mind.”

“No, I…” That faint pink color re-appeared. “Okay.”

Slowly she eased to a position that turned her sideways on the sofa, her back much too tense, as though afraid to rest against him. “If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.” It was a few moments before she leaned back against him, body resting against his, melting against his chest.

She moved around a bit, tensing once again as his hands wrapped around her, fingers splayed over her stomach. “I’m just going to hold you,” he said quietly. “You’re okay.”

“I know that,” she answered just as quietly. “It’s you.” Again, her body relaxed, head moving back to rest on his shoulder.

“Do you think your fathers and brother would appreciate an extra hand on your bedroom?”

“Probably,” she answered, actually allowing herself to get comfortable in his arms. “It will be strange to be up in the guest room, but it’s got two rooms and just makes more sense.” She sighed against his chest. “But it will be nice to have a bedroom that isn’t purple. That used to be my favorite color, but as I got older, it wasn’t. It was hers.” Fletcher waited for her to try to cover the revealing statement, but she didn’t. It appeared they’d moved to a point where she was confident enough in Fletcher to make this small confession.

“You don’t have to answer if it’s too hard, but that night…” She became a tight ball of muscle again in his arms. He debated not finishing this thought, but he needed to get past this, or holding her like this might be all he’d ever have. Though he could live with that, keeping her in his arms forever, the idea that they had an opportunity at more was something he needed to chance. “That night, it was Dante who kissed me, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“I could tell.” As though sensing her mother’s discomfort, Nikki began shifting and rolling beneath his hands. “Not soon enough, unfortunately. I knew something wasn't right and I'd contacted your father, but never anticipated that Dante was in there.” He moved his left hand up to touch Aideen’s right cheek. “I’d wanted my first time kissing you to be my first time kissing you.”

Aideen turned to look up at him, as he tilted his head down, pressing their lips together lightly, as much as he could manage at this angle. Her lips were full and soft, hesitant, but never pulling back. The kiss ended nearly as soon as it had begun, leaving Fletcher wanting more and fearing he had taken things too far too soon after everything she’d been through.

“She went to you,” Aideen said, as she looked away from him again, “because she knew how much I… liked you.” She turned in his arms as much as his stomach would allow and once again looked at him. “So the reason you pulled away was because you knew it wasn’t me?”

“If it had been you that night, or at least felt like things were right,” he said, carding his hand in her hair, his heart leaping in his chest that she hadn’t pulled away, but instead leaned into his touch, “I would have had much more difficulty controlling myself.” His hand lingered over her stomach, getting the message across all the same. “Just like I’m having problems not kissing you again right now.”

She looked up at him expectantly as he brought their mouths together again, his lips memorizing hers before he allowed his tongue to trace the line of her lips before they parted and his tongue enjoyed each curve of her mouth, her smooth teeth, the sweet taste of her tongue as it ran against his. He pulled away again and wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to settle against his chest as he ran a hand through her hair with one hand, felt the baby settle beneath his other.

*********

Nicholas leaned against the post outside the restaurant, Victor running up the sidewalk. “I couldn’t find parking. Sorry,” the dark-haired boy said, slightly out of breath. “So, where are our dates?”

“They’ll be here in a minute,” Nicholas answered, his smile easy around his long-time friend.

“So, how do we decide which one we get? You said siblings, right? Do you already have one in mind, do I get first pick?” It took all Nicholas had not to laugh outright at that.

“I was thinking that I’d take the brother and you get the sister,” Nicholas said, watching the surprise on his sister’s face. “I mean, I’d have taken both, but they didn’t like that idea.” Then, he smirked. “Unless you want the brother.”

“No! Damn it, Nicholas. I assumed sisters. So sue me.” Victor folded his arms across his chest.

Nicholas quirked an eyebrow at the other teen, but the two walked in side by side, taking a seat at a table.

It was an odd silence from Victor, who usually managed to carry on a conversation with a brick wall.

Finally, much to Nicholas’s relief, the blond brother and sister entered the restaurant. The sister then brother came up to Nicholas and kissed him on the cheek.

“Penelope,” Nicholas said, “this is Victor Lombardi.”

“He’s cute,” Aaron, the brother, said. “You’re lucky, Pen.”

“Excuse me?” Nicholas said, mock-insulted.

“Oh, you know you’re adorable.” Nicholas grinned, enjoying the flattery, even if he was a little put off by how over-the-top Aaron was behaving with him, leaning close enough to kiss his cheek and trying to tickle Nicholas’s neck. He’d tried to tell Aaron to keep things subtle, but it was obvious that the older man hadn’t listened.

“Well,” Nicholas said, “how about a little lunch?”

Lunch was awkward at best, Aaron seemingly unable to keep his hands off of Nicholas. Apparently, there had been no need to wear the shirt because he needed no help with the blond man. Maybe it was the fact that Aaron was older, or that he was more flamboyant than Nicholas even on his worst day, but Nicholas could see Victor was tense throughout the meal.

It only got worse when Aaron began tickling at the hair at the base of Nicholas’s neck. “So, what are you doing tonight?”

“Oh, damn it,” Victor said. “I’m sorry Penelope. I’m sure you’re very nice, but I have to go.” Victor tossed some money on the table and stormed out.

Confused, Nicholas followed behind his friend, making apologies, but knowing he probably wasn’t going to see either of them again, at least not to date. He stepped outside and ran after Victor. “Victor, what the hell happened in there?” Victor didn’t answer and continued walking. “Victor!”

The darker complected teen turned around and looked at the blond. “He was all over you. I keep telling myself I’m okay with it, Nicholas, but watching him today, I just… I’m sorry Nicholas. I just couldn’t sit there.”

“I thought you didn’t have a problem with me dating men too.”

“I didn’t. I don’t.”

“Well that sure as hell didn’t seem like you’re okay with it.”

“I don’t know, Nicholas. I’m trying. It’s just, are they always like that? You know, guys when they’re interested in you?”

“No more than when a girl is interested and they sometimes get enthusiastic.” Nicholas shrugged.

“And you just let it happen?”

“Felt good,” Nicholas said, again shrugging. “But it was getting uncomfortable back there.”

Again, there was silence between the two teenagers before Nicholas stood by Victor, bumping shoulders. “Well, at least to end this date, it was you who was horribly rude and not me. Headlines aren’t going to read: Fuhrer’s son causes scene at restaurant.”

Victor rolled his brown eyes.

********

Ed held Roy’s hand as they walked into their house, wishing he’d received better news about his arm. The nerves simply seemed to be dead, and Raine had suggested that he consider how to cope with the idea of not having his arm and looking into a good prosthetic. Aideen had offered to go home, allowing the two men to eat a quiet lunch together before coming home.

They were no sooner through the door than Ed found himself being engulfed in his husband’s arms. Honestly, Ed knew his husband was expecting him to cry or drop back into his previous depression, but Ed just couldn’t bring himself to manage it. He’d been anticipating this for a while, had hoped it would never come, but feared it. His daughter was finishing her second trimester, was coping but still terrified. His son was left playing comic relief in attempt to alleviate the tension in the house. Ed just felt that all his tears for himself were gone along with hope that his arm would be restored.

Still, he took the comforting embrace from the taller man, his body melding perfectly into Roy’s as it had always done. They stood in silence for a few minutes, Roy stroking a hand over the high tail of Ed’s hair, while he clung to the suit jacket.

Ed let out a sigh. “Enough of this, Roy. You’ve got to get back to headquarters. You need to get into your uniform.” He gently squeezed his husband’s elbow as they walked by the study, where Ed was certain they’d find Aideen. “Roy,” Ed whispered. “Stay quiet, but look at this.”

Roy stood beside the smaller alchemist, keeping his voice low as instructed. “What does he think he’s doing?”

“Holding our daughter,” Ed hissed back, though he had to admit that even he was taken aback by the fact that Aideen was securely wrapped in Fletcher’s arms, both of them sound asleep. Fletcher had his arm across her shoulders, holding her firmly to his chest while one of her hands reached up and locked itself with the hand at her shoulders, just as the other overlapped Fletcher’s at her stomach. Added to that, Aideen’s dog was laying in front of the sofa, as though showing his own approval.

“I think they’ve finally decided what they are to one another.”

“You are happy about this? After everything she’s gone through, isn’t it too much too soon?”

“She wouldn’t have fallen asleep and be holding hands with him if it was,” Ed said. “Honestly, knowing that he still cares for her, whether anything happens in the future or not, may do her more good than all the therapy in the world.” Ed looked up at the dark eyes beneath the fringe of gray bangs and ran a hand over the pale cheek. They both knew how important that it was to be loved and know that no matter what happened, it was still possible for someone—especially someone they cared about—to still care.

********

Aideen had been unbelievably embarrassed when her dad woke her up for her iron pill and a snack along with it. Aside from the embarrassment at being found in Fletcher’s arms or the fact that she’d nearly kicked poor Flint, who’d found a place at the front of the sofa, while she was sitting up, Aideen hadn’t really wanted to move. She’d felt warm and safe in the older man’s arms.

After talking with her dad, Fletcher had left, giving Aideen a quick peck on the cheek, hands lingering as they held hers.

Now, she stood in the kitchen beside her dad, trying to help him as much as she could in the room that felt as though it grew smaller as she grew larger. Against her own control, Aideen felt her lips turn upward. Fletcher liked her, cared for her in the way she’d always hoped he would.

“Feels good, doesn’t it?” her dad said. She turned to him, quirking an eyebrow. “You look like your papa when you do that.” He chuckled, though Aideen suspected he knew how much she liked hearing that she did something like one of them, as she was still trying to discover what behavior was hers, what was Dante’s, and what she’d picked up from her family.

“What feels good?” she asked, trying not to knock into the nearest chair with her stomach.

“Knowing you have someone like Fletcher. It’s a good feeling, isn’t it?”

“It really is.” She began chopping up some carrots, knowing that her father couldn’t. “Phillip was always as supportive and would have loved me regardless.” It hurt that he was dead, though it didn’t stop her from being angry he hadn’t been able to recognize her the way Fletcher had, but Aideen felt the teen must have known that angry as he might have been, she didn’t hate him. “But, Fletcher…”

“He’s different. I know.”

They worked quickly, but as her dad was making his way to stir the pot of vegetable soup, Aideen watched in near slow motion as his leg locked up and he started to fall. She moved to catch him or at least slow his fall, cursing herself again for not stopping Dante from bringing him to this point. She cursed Dante for using Nikki to open the Gate, as they couldn’t use alchemy without risking her daughter. She knew the transmutation for nerve repair. If she’d just been able to do that, been a third person using her alchemy to help him, maybe he’d have never gotten to that point.

In a fraction of a second, those thoughts went through her mind as she laid her hands on his bare arm, trying to stop him from falling. Her hands, coming on contact with his bare forearm released a powerful transmutation. Circle-less and nearly unconscious, she was performing medical alchemy; she was trying to heal him.