Funeral
Funeral
Mustang-Rockbelle-Elric Residence
10:00 pm
Alphonse felt terrible calling Granny this late, but at least she was used to it. Still, he had been forced to wait until Ed had gone to bed; Ed had been up longer than Al had expected. Usually these days Ed was in bed (though not asleep) by eight because he didn't like leaving the boys alone. Tonight, he left them with Winry, and had just been wandering around the house.
Technically, Ed was still up, but he was in the Study with Dad so chances were in Al's favor that he could make this call without Ed finding out. They'd both had their journals out after all. Granny picked up on the third ring and AL slumped, realizing how much he had wanted to hear her as soon as he did. "Hey Granny, it's Al."
"Al? What has your brother done now?" Granny asked. "Wait, where's Winry?"
"Ed hasn't done anything, and Winry's fine she's with the boys right now." AL said, before taking a deep breath. "Listen Granny…did you keep any of Hohenheim's personal journals? Not his research journals, his personal ones, that were up high on the top shelf? I know Mom always told us to leave those ones alone."
"I. Yes, I kept them all, as well as several of his research books, I guessed you boys would want them someday no matter what you said then. Why?"
"… Have you ever heard the name Flamel?"
"Isn't that what Ed calls the mark you boys wear?"
"Yeah." Al said, wondering what Ed was thinking of that at this point before deciding not to borrow trouble.
"It's the only time I ever heard of it was you boys." Granny said. "What's going on Al?"
"Hohenheim had a wife. She found and talked to Ed today. He's really upset." Al sighed and looked around to be sure no one had entered the room or hallway. "I was hoping if I could read his journals I might find out something about this."
"Do you want me to send them to you?"
"…I think maybe I should come visit. I'll bring Mei so you can meet her." Al bit his cheek for a minute "I'm going to wait a few days…I need to make sure Ed is okay, and that it's safe for us to travel. Dad may insist on an escort anyway with everything that's happening."
"That reminds me young man. Next time I do not want to find out my grandchildren and great grandchildren are in danger from the newspaper." Granny yelled. "When is the funeral? I am coming and you kids will not freeze me out of your problems."
Al cringed. He wasn't sure if any of them had called Granny when Rose died. Everything had moved so fast then. Instead of trying to remember he just apologized and promised to call as soon as he knew. He hung up just before a door opened upstairs and rushed to his room.
Winry had seen him, but decided not to worry about it as she carried William downstairs and to the study, she barely bothered to knock as she opened the door, interrupting the conversation. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but Will here doesn't want to go to sleep and he keeps trying to wake Yu."
"Hand him here." Roy said, as he reached for the baby. Will frowned but reached for his grandfather. Winry smiled gratefully.
"Okay, well I'm going to go lie down with Yuery, don't let William stay up to late." She said as she kissed the baby's forehead and the Ed's cheek before rushing back out of the study so the baby couldn't decide he wanted her to play with him instead.
William looked like he was going to cry for a minute then began chewing on his fingers and looking around the room he had never before entered. Ed smirked at the boy, ruffling his shaggy brown hair. "He's teething" Ed stated with the veteran wisdom of a second time parent.
"Clearly." Roy pulled out a bottle from his bottom drawer and poured a small amount of amber liquid into his glass before dipping his finger and rubbing the baby's gums. Ed laughed at the baby's insulted expression. "I think he wants you now."
Ed reached out for his son, and William dived for him. He rubbed the baby's back in slow circles as he swayed, letting the child play with the ends of his hair. Roy smiled at them both, as Will laid his head on Ed's shoulder and started singing along to the song his Daddy was singing. Soon the child had fallen asleep, Ed sat back down and grabbed his journal.
"Are you going to put him to bed?" Roy asked as he reopened his own journal.
"Nah, not yet. I haven't been spending enough with him the last few days." Ed whispered, feeling comforted by the familiar weight of a child in his arms.
"We need to talk about it at some point, and I didn't want to disrupt his sleep pattern if you become upset."
"I know better than to yell with a baby in my arms, I only did twice with Yu." Ed replied, and sounded insulted.
"It's a sensitive topic Ed, I expect it to be upsetting, but you can't just let it fester." Roy sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. " If you don't want to talk about it with me, at least find someone to talk to."
"Who? My best friend is running his own country all the way across the desert and we don't have the phone lines yet…not that I could talk about something this sensitive over the phone anyway. Winry is hurting too. Al…I've burdened Al enough. I can and will find a way to live with the fact that I failed yet another person who trusted me to take care of them. "
"I was talking about the reason we jumped on the express train, but yes we need to talk about Rose too. He funeral will be Monday, Grumman called personally after dinner."
"Okay. Well, I had hoped it would be soon. I want her honored." Ed replied, before frowning. "Is the media going to be there? The media is going to be all over this aren't they?"
"I'm afraid so." Roy replied. "The news of her kidnapping and death as well as her relationship to this family has been the speculation of the media for weeks now. Unfortunately, I do not believe we will be able to keep them away, but I will ensure they do not question you and the boys."
"Thank you." Ed replied gratefully, "I don't want to talk about that Dante woman. I tried to convince myself she was lying…but I didn't really know him well enough to know if she was, so…it's over now, he's dead, it doesn't matter."
"It hurt you. It matters. I can't fix it, but it matters."
"I can't let it matter." Ed's greatest fear in regard to fatherhood had always been repeating his birth father's mistakes. He worked hard to ensure that he was not comparable to Hohenheim, but he worried constantly. He did still belong to the military, though he had been assured over and over, there was a chance that one of their borders could be attacked, or an uprising could occur, and that would take him from his family for months if not years. In the end, was he really any better than the man he hated? He worried about constantly.
Monday
Rose's Funeral
Cemetery
11:00 am
Granny had arrived the day before, as had Sig and Izumi. Ed was still refusing to speak to his former teacher, and therefore they had stayed at a hotel. Now they stood a row behind Edward, and he could feel her eyes on him, but he was not going to apologize.
Roy and Riza stood next to him on the left, Winry on his right. Al and Mei stood next to Winry. Winry held William in her arms and Yuery was standing between her and Ed. The ceremony was rather short compared to the ones received in the military cemetery, but it was longer than the civilian ones. It had been decided that since she was the mother of Edward's son, she would be buried in the family cemetery as if she were his wife, instead of the civilian one. Ed had no protest with this idea, she deserved the honor in his opinion after everything that she had gone through.
He and Roy and Riza were all of course dressed in their dress uniforms. Somehow, Winry had managed to find black suits for both boys over the weekend, or perhaps it was his Dad , because Winry hadn't gone anywhere as far as Ed had noticed, though he had made a point of sleeping whenever the boys were napping so it was possible he had missed it. Al and Winry were also dressed in black, but Mei wore the traditional robes of her people, a deep scarlet silk gown.
Once the funeral was over, he was forced (by tradition, not anyone else) to stand at the head of the procession line to accept the condolences of the attendants. It had been decided that they would be not be allowing anyone into their home, therefore, they would be driving to a banquet hall, not their house after this. Ed just wanted to take the boys and go back to bed, but it was expected of him to attend.
Russel and Fletcher were in the line, much to his surprise. He hadn't seen or spoken to either of them since Russel accused Ed of ruining 'their' reputation. He had no desire to fight with the other boy at Rose's memorial however, so he just nodded to their murmured condolences and let it go. It wasn't going to be that easy, but he could hope.
A few people later found the woman claiming to be his birth father's wife also offering her hand and sympathy. It was almost enough to break through the careful mask that Ed was holding in place. She leaned in and whispered "When you're ready for the truth Izumi knows where to find me. Your sons deserve to know at least."
Ed bristled, it sounded like a threat to him, not one that she was using, just that she knew about Yuery, which was serious because he couldn't just have her arrested. "There is nothing that you can tell me that could impact my sons."
"There you are wrong, but you'll seek me out soon, I'm sure." She replied before moving so he could greet the next person.
Once the long line had completed, finishing with a very emotional General Alex Armstrong. It was all Ed could do to retain enough dignity to NOT run from the man's attempted hug. Instead he said in a very panicked and rushed tone "General, don't! You'll crush my son!" Ed even spared a moment to mentally apologize to William for using him as a shield. Roy was not as fortunate, Yuery had abandoned him a few minutes earlier in favor of Riza, so was on the receiving end of a bone crushing hug.
After Roy managed to extract himself from Armstrong, with as much dignity as he could muster given the situation, they made their way to the car to join the others at the banquet hall. Riza and Winry were already in the car with Yuery, Al and Mei were with Granny in the car ahead of them, along with Gracia and the girls.
Ed slid inside still holding William, who had fallen asleep on his way down the hill, and Roy slid in after them. Without a word, Roy held out his arms to Yuery who leapt from Riza's lap to his own. "We don't have enough of these." Roy said jokingly, "We are constantly having to share."
"Well, I already have two, maybe it's time to get one of your own." Ed replied.
"Don't give him any ideas please, he already finds enough ways to avoid paperwork." Riza said drily.
"After this week, you will no longer be in charge of my paperwork Riza. Though in light of today's events I think it is in bad form to do this, I am going to at least tell my sons, Edward. Riza will officially be your step mother in the next few months."
"So you finally got around to actually asking huh Dad?" Ed said, "Took you long enough, I kinda figured we were going to have to just arrange the wedding and then trick the two of you into showing up." He was joking of course, as Roy could tell by his tone.
"Yeah well, at least I actually asked her instead of screaming in her face like a baboon until she finally caught onto what I was saying!" Roy growled back, unable to help it.
"I didn't take ten years to ask her though, because I'm not useless." Ed taunted. "Or did she ask you?"
"I'm not useless! You microscopic –"
"Who are you calling so tiny he could be mistaken as his own son?"
"You!"
Before it could continue, Riza calmly pulled out her gun and suggested they calm down before they arrived, and reminded them where they were going, instantly sobering both men. Winry suppressed a laugh, and secretly, Riza was glad to see that their relationship hadn't changed that much. They were still able to tease each other.
Banquet Hall
The turn out was larger than Ed had been expecting. The number of people in the room seemed to have increased since the cemetery, though that seemed unlikely. It was just more compressed, and without the comfort of being in someone's house for this part, it felt too much like a celebration for his tastes.
There was nothing to celebrate. Rose had been brutally tortured and murdered because she knew him. Because she named him her son's father to keep the child safe. It was wrong, everything about this was wrong and Ed had no idea how he was going to fix this, because he'd learned his lesson painfully, Life flowed in one direction. He couldn't restore his son's mother. Her killers had been punished, and it still felt hollow.
Yuery and William, two orphans, stuck with a reckless teenage disaster trying his best not to screw them up. Something of what he was thinking must have shown through because Dad was pulling him aside before they could actually enter the room, and suggested the other go on ahead, with the boys, and that they would be right there.
Roy dragged Ed into the closest bathroom and locked the door behind them before turning to the boy. "Deep breaths Ed. Just breathe. I know this is hard. I know that all you want to do is sit down and scream and that's okay. Just take a minute, get yourself together, because no matter what you're thinking, you did not fail. You did not cause this, and those two kids in there adore you and are lucky to have you."
Ed started to shake his head in denial, but before he could say anything his Dad had him in a hug and was swaying back and forth slightly, much like Ed did for his own kids when they were upset. Ed realized a minute later he was crying again. "They lost everything, both of them, and ended up stuck with just me. How am I supposed to give them what they need? I don't know what I'm doing Dad, I'm making it up as I go, and it seems like every step is the wrong one. I almost drove Winry away a week ago, I tried to help Rose and now her son is an orphan. I couldn't get there in time and Yuery lost everything. We just made William an orphan because he killed Rose and we had him killed, and I'm raising his son as if I didn't do that and how can I ever hope to raise them properly when I didn't even have a proper Dad until after I was a dad myself! Hohenheim was a worthless piece of shit who knocked my mom up and walked away and he did it intentionally! HE NEVER WANTED US! He never loved me. What's wrong with me? I screw up everything and everyone I touch. It should have been me."
Roy, who had been rubbing circles on Ed's back until this last statement, pulled the boy back to look him in the eye. "That's enough Edward. I know it hurts, but never say that about yourself again, never think it again. You are my son, Trisha's son, Riza's son. WE love you. WE want you. Never wish yourself gone like that, there is no comparison, no equivalent for you. I don't give a DAMN what Hohenheim thought. He was a fool to not realize how wonderful the sons he created were. That's him. Not me, and sure as hell not you. You would give anything for those boys. You HAVE given everything for everyone else as long as I have known you, you never ask for anything for you. You are a great father and a wonderful son. Your biggest flaw is you blame yourself for everything." Roy waited for Ed to nod before hugging him again. "And Ed? You would have to do a lot more than say a few misspoken words to drive that girl away from you. She stuck to you this long hasn't she?"
"I guess." Ed sniffed.
"Okay. Now, go wash and dry your face, we need to get back out there before people start looking for us." Roy said as he clapped to remove the wrinkles from his clothes.
"Did you just use your Gate Given Gift to fix your dry cleaning?"
"…Yes?"
"And you've yelled at me for years for doing that." Ed said with a smirk.
"Yeah well, I'm your Dad I'm allowed to be a hypocrite." Roy said, and Ed laughed slightly before using the same array to fix the wrinkles on his own jacket, and led the way back out of the bathroom.
They entered the hall, and either no one had noticed they had been missing or decided not to comment on it. Roy guessed it was the second with the glances at Ed's red rimmed eyes, but elected not to mention it and set the boy off again. He was so determined to be the best, he was going to burn out at this rate, and it was Roy's job to make sure that it didn't happen.
Russell approached again, shortly after Ed retrieved the boys and had sat in one of the chairs near the front of the hall. "Hey, Ed. I just wanted to say I'm sorry. It was really messed up what happened from what I read in the papers. I know I give you crap a lot but-"
"Thanks." Ed said, cutting him off before either of them could be embarrassed. He had never counted Russell among his friends, and that wasn't going to change just because Russell was being decent at a funeral. This was still the guy who pretended to be him on a regular basis to get free stuff and get out of trouble. "Have you thought more about applying for you own license? Instead of you know, using mine?"
"Well yeah, but what if they won't let Fletcher stay with me or something? I am not having my brother dragged into this."
"I know the guy running the program at this point, I think I can talk him into letting your brother stay with you." Ed replied, then he saw Dante approaching once again. "Excuse me though, something stinks here and I need it away from my kids." Ed stood, knowing full well that she had to have heard him but she approached anyway.
"Edward, I know I should have been kinder when I told you but really avoiding Izumi over this-"
"Russell, come walk with me. There are a few things we need to discuss before you can sign up for a spot to take the test." Ed said as he led Russel and Yuery away while holding William.
"He's just like his father you know." Dante said to Izumi who had come up behind her. "The first one's mother was barely in the grave when the second one was conceived, and we're here at the wake for that poor mother and he's already on to another one. I've read the newspapers. They may think it's all very tragic, but I see him for what he is. His father's son."
"He is his father's son. Roy Mustang is one of the most kind and honorable men I've seen have the misfortune of being found by the Alchemist Program, though since he was a child at the time much like Ed, I'm trying to let that part go. You don't know Edward or his hardships. Don't think because you read a couple of articles you know him." Izumi said, not noticing that Roy was standing just on the other side of the archway. "You cost me my relationship with those boys by lying to me Dante, I will no longer call you teacher. They were the closest I had to children."
"Stop sniveling Izumi. It doesn't become you. If you really want them back you can get them, though why you would want anything to do with them I have no idea."
"It is for the best you never had children." Izumi turned and walked away, finally noticing Roy as she went but not pausing to speak to him.
"I had no intention of interfering in this matter, but this is a memorial service, and you are attempting to turn it into a circus. Rose Thomas deserved better than that and her son certainly deserves better." Roy started as he walked over to the older woman. "I am truly sorry your husband mistreated you in such a way, but taking it out on children is unacceptable. I will not have you speak to either of my sons again, If I catch you so much as looking at my children I will have you arrested for harassment."
"They aren't really your children though are they? You only adopted them last year when they were already mostly grown."
"They are my children, and the only thing I regret about that is that I was unable to help them sooner. You may leave now, this is not open to you and you are not welcome." Roy walked away as he casually waved his team to take the woman away.
Ed, meanwhile, had separate from Russell as quickly as he could after giving him advice on the test. He then began wandering around the gathering, allowing people to once again offer their condolences while finding something suitable for his sons to eat. He noticed his dad having that woman removed which pleased him, and he just nodded stiffly when Izumi approached.
He wasn't sure if he should stay mad at her but for now he needed more time to work out how he felt, and she seemed to respect that, though she looked longingly at his sons before taking her leave. Ed wanted to go after her, demand to know why she kept something like this from him, but he couldn't with all these people around. He did see Al follow her out so hopefully Al could get some answers.
Al managed to catch Izumi before she got to far away, Sig holding her around the shoulders to offer her comfort. "Teacher! Wait please."
"Go back Alphonse. I won't be the reason you and your brother fight."
"He wants to forgive you Teacher, he doesn't know how. Maybe if you could just tell me what you know…"
"That's the problem Al. I found out when Ed did. I don't know any of it."