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word-scribbless · 4 years

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Family part 1

This is my first Gibbs fic I’m posting! I intend to do more parts but I’m not there yet!

This is a gibbs x female reader it also includes an OC, Cori

Masterlist

Part 2

(Italics mean the character is signing. In most cases, they are speaking as well, except for Cori.)

———————

Gibbs and y/n had been seeing each other for the past 5 years. She was a linguistic specialist at the FBI who had consulted on several cases with NCIS. Gibbs would never tell Fornell, but he was beyond greatfull everyday that he brought y/N into his life.

Their relationship started off slow. Gibbs was a functional mute as usual, but Y/N had a way of reading him like no one else could. She understood that he would never stop loving Shannon, but helped him see that he didn’t have to stop loving his first wife in order to fall in love with her. Y/N understood all too well what losing someone felt like. Her fiancé had been killed during a deployment as a marine while she was deployed her self as an interpreter in the navy years ago. She had never felt the need to fall in love again until she met Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

After 3 years of dating they decided to officially move in together. Most of Y/N’s belongings had lived there anyway. So for the past 2 years they had been living together and were happier than either had been in a long time. The month before they had ended a long weekend trip together by getting married, just the 2 of them and a witness from the courthouse. They hadn’t told anyone yet, but it really wasn’t anyone’s business but theirs as far as they were concerned.

Y/N was sitting at her desk at the FBI working on finishing some paperwork when her phone rang.

“Y/L/N” she answered out of instinct without looking at the caller id

“Liar” she heard Gibbs say with a laugh, referring to her name being Y/N Y/L/N Gibbs now. She chuckled. “you busy?”

“Hey you! Sorry, instinct” she smiled “No I’m just finishing some paperwork, you need me?” She asked

“Yeah” Gibbs sighed. “I have a girl here, about 10, she won’t talk or let any males near her, but everytime she says no, she signs it.” He explained. “Our victim was her foster mom... so we need to talk to her but I’m the only one here that signs and she won’t let me near her. Ziva is sitting with her now but she’s not talking. I don’t wanna drag Abby out of the lab if I don’t have to.”

“I’ll be right there J. Let me just tell Fornell” Y/N said, already standing in front of her boss’s desk. “I knew I shouldn’t have introduced you to my best agent Gibbs” he yelled with a smile. “Get outta here”.

“Thanks boss, call if you need me.” She said as she left.

When Y/Ngot there she saw ziva sitting on the curb next to a little girl wrapped in a blanket with tears in her eyes. She walked over and approached slowly signing as she talked, even to ziva.

“Hey ziva.” She greeted before turning towards the young girl. “and hey there, I’m Y/N. Can I sit with you both?”

“Yes” the girl signed and mouthed back.

“Can you tell me your name sweetie?” Y/N asked

“Cori” she spelled “this is my name sign” she said making a signal for her name.

“This is ziva” Y/N sighed

“I know” cori responded “I can hear but not talk very loudly or too much. I was in an accident when I was younger. Can you tell her I said thank you for sitting with me?”

“Sure, would you be okay if I talked what you signed so we can all talk?” Y/n asked

Cori nodded. Y/n explained and ziva smiled “you’re welcome.” She said.

“I work for the FBI and ziva and her team work for NCIS, they’re like police but they help people who are in the navy like your foster mom.” Y/n explained.

“Do you guys have to ask me a ton of questions?” Cori asked.

“We’ll have to talk to you, but we want to make sure you feel safe too.” Ziva said.

“Ziva’s boss” y/n said before pointing over her shoulder at Gibbs talking to tony and McGee “Gibbs, the one with the silvery hair, he speaks sign language also. Would it be okay if he came and talked with us too?” She asked

Cori curled up a little bit signed “ he’s a good guy?”

” a very good guy” ziva said with a nod. Y/n added “yes! he used to be a marine and now he helps people as a NCIS agent.”

“You trust him?” Cori signed to Y/N.

“I married him” y/n laughed causing ziva to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “So yes, I trust him very much.”

This made Cori laugh and nod “okay I’ll talk to him.”

“Ziva can you go get Gibbs?” Yn asked

“Oh you mean you husband?” She questioned sassily

Y/n rolled her eyes “yeah him. I’ll tell you more about it later!”

Cori giggled “she didn’t know you were married?”

Y/n shook her head. “No. She knew we were together, but we got married by ourselves about a month ago” she said with a smile. “Gibbs is very nice, but not much of a sharer most of the time.” Cori nodded at this.

“Thank you Y/N” she whispers and signs causing Y/N to nod, happy that she trusts her enough to use her voice.

“Hi there Cori I’m Gibbs” Gibbs signed and said as he walked up to them and sat on the curb.

“Hi, I’m sorry I wouldn’t talk to you before.” Cori signed

“No need to apologize, I can look a little scary” he said, making both Cori and Y/N laugh slightly.

“Your wife says you’re really nice, I just haven’t known many nice men.” Cori admits with a sniffle.

Gibbs raises his eye brow to y/n at the word wife causing y/n to smirk shyly. His face softens at cori saying she didn’t know any nice men. He could only imagine the things this girl as gone through already.

Cori explains her story and what happened to her foster mom. She opens up to Gibbs quickly and is even okay when y/n has to step away to answer a call from Fornell.

“What’s going to happen to me?” Cori asked Gibbs. He is surprised to hear whisper her words as she signs them.

“Well let’s take one step at a time. You’ll come back to NCIS with us for now because we have some more questions and want to make sure your safe.” He explains.

“Okay” Cori nods

“It looks like y/n is probably going to have to go back to her work, would you like to ride back with ziva?” Gibbs asks

“Can you come with us please?” Cori signs, looking worried.

“Of course” he says.

Gibbs gets ziva set up in the car with Cori and goes to check in with Y/N before he drives them back to NCIS.

“Hey, you gotta get back?” Gibbs asks

“Yeah, Fornell has a case he needs an interpreter for and says it’s gotta be me. Will she be okay?”

“Yeah, she trusts me now. I’m gonna get her set up with Abby when we get back hopefully.” Gibbs explains.

“Alright, I’ll try to get back over as soon as I can. This has to be so scary for her.” Y/n said remembering what it felt like to lose her parents at a young age.

“She’ll be okay. She’s strong, I can tell because she reminds me of you.” He says rubbing her arm gently.

They usually didn’t do PDA but he could tell where her mind was.

Y/n smiled. “That explains why she trusts you then.” She says, making him smile.

“Alright I need to get back, but I should warn you that the whole team is gonna know we’re married by the time you get to head quarters. I’m sorry I just was trying to get Cori to trust you.” Y/n explained.

“That’s alright, I’m glad they’ll know. I hate not wearing my ring at work.” He said smirking “see you soon. Be safe.” He leaned in And kissed her cheek.

Y/N had been back at work for a few hours working on Fornell’s case when she stopped to call Gibbs.

“Yeah, Gibbs” he answered

“Hey me too” she joked back

“Hello Mrs. Gibbs” he said with a smile in his voice. “I was just about to call you after I talked to Abby”

“Mmm I love hearing you call me that. Need to call me back?”

“Nah I’m good, I need to talk to you about something important.” He said turning down a hall where he could be alone.

“Okay shoot”

“ Cori needs a place to stay while we work on her case. I talked to the social worker and she said that if we had the right clearances one of us could....”

“Yes. I’ll bring by the paperwork that proves I’m an emergency foster parent. Call the social worker and get yours started, don’t forget to tell her I have mine. It’ll make it easier.” Y/N quickly blurted. She had gotten emergency qualified when one of her nieces friend’s single parent had been admitted to the hospital.

“God, I love you!” He responded right away. In awe of how selfless his wife was.

“Ditto marine” she responded

“You’re positive this is okay?” He checked

“Yes! Ask cori her favorite color. I’ll take her shopping later, but she at least needs fresh sheets that are all her own. I’ll pick them up on the way home, and I’ll get the stuff to make my lasagna while I’m at it.”

“ I’m a lucky man” he answered

“Don’t you forget that” she laughed “I’m lucky too Jethro. I’ll see you at home okay?”

“Yup love you”

“Love you” she said hanging up the phone smiling at how amazing the man she loved was.

#ncis x reader #jethro gibbs imagine #leroy jethro gibbs #gibbs x reader #gibbs imagine #ncis imagine #ncis

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what-a-messsss · 3 years

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2x2 rewatch

Eeeeehehehehe, why the fuck am I laughing this hard when I realized it was the roadkill compost episode? That is not in the least funny, it’s actually pretty gross, but I’m literally paused 3 seconds in chortling to myself so hard that I’m having to wipe away tears. ...I think the stress is getting to me. Anyway, back to fictional Wyoming!

It’s actually a pretty genius business model, to be honest. Taking a sadly repeating resource and using it to enrich the soil? Tough work, no doubt, physically and mentally, but a smart and very niche thing. I hadn’t thought about the fact that cleaning up roadkill would have been part of Walt’s job as a deputy. Lucian said in S6, in his fantastically circuitous way, that it had been 10 years since he and Walt had worked together (if I remember correctly). Which... wait, is that right? Had Walt really only been sheriff for 4 years when the show started? Which is a single term, before Branch ran against him. I think I’d had the impression that he’d been sheriff for longer than that. Or is my math just super borked? (A very real possibility.) Who were Walt’s deputies before these three? Branch has probably been a deputy for a while, Vic was hired a few months before the show and it isn’t clear for Ferg but it’s implied at least a chunk longer. So who were his deputies for the rest of those 4 years? (Aaaaaand this is how I grow OCs. Shit.)

She names the roadkill? Eeeeeh...

Branch, you douchecanoe. You are very clearly not welcome in her home anymore; the fact that she hasn’t moved the spare key isn’t a fucking invitation to break in and invade her privacy, oh my gods I hate you so much. This is predatory behavior. You need to either go through official channels with the department to do a wellness check or FUCK RIGHT OFF into the deepest reaches of hell. Excellent plan, fucking off.

Henry, I adore you beyond measure. “Thanks-taking.” Vic... Seriously? “God, you people really hold a grudge.” Somehow, I think they’re kind of entitled to, what with all of the wars, genocide, stolen land, racism, broken treaties, and the like. Get bent.

Genuinely, Henry’s dry as anything sass is quite possibly the best thing about the whole show. We didn’t get nearly enough of it during the later seasons. And his little smiiiiile at having made Walt chuckle, oh my heart.

The “Hands up!” O.o “Hands down!” little comedy gag is totally sold by KS’s face, haaaa. And Ferg’s bafflement, but collected response to those truckers thinking he was a rentboy was solid.

I kind of have to applaud that sex worker’s gumption to just try to take off in the truck. Not the best thought out plan, to be sure, but gutsy.

Ok, Branch has just had a line establishing that they’re not in Absaroka, and then Vic and Ferg look annoyed/confused when Walt tells them to cut the sex workers and customers loose, but then Branch finishes with, “Absaroka County wishes you all a fine evening... at home.” So are they in Absaroka, or not??

Kudos to Walt saying, “Which will allow you to get out of here. If that’s what you want.” Not falling completely into the savior complex bs is good, and acknowledging that she is an adult who can make her own decisions, even if they’re ones he would wish she wouldn’t is good. ........If only he could extend that same courtesy to his own daughter.

Branch, wtf. It’s a felony to even have burglar’s tools. Legit, it’s a felony punishable with up to 3 years in prison or up to $3k, or both. Unlawful entry is 10 years and/or $10k, and I’m pretttttyyyyyy fucking sure you don’t have a warrant to be in Cady’s house. FUCK OFF. You giant douchecanoe. (Min and I also have a headcanon that the random coloured empty frames are Branch’s fault, because they don’t really go with any of the rest of the decor, and we hate them. So we decided that when he saw the Andy Warhol style print she had that he got those for her and she just never got around to taking them down after they broke up.) And isn’t tampering with someone’s mail a federal offence? You are the worst.

Aaaand then Walt calls the Collettes showing Ross Lanten’s wife video of him with prostitutes “interfering in his marriage.” Okaaaay. Because helping get a woman and kids out of what has several hallmarks of an abusive marriage is “interfering,” I guess. Not the happiest about that word choice, I’m not gonna lie.

Aaaaaand then Whitish is super racist, and I hate her. Henry handles it with grace, but fuck, I cannot imagine how wearying that must be. And Branch makes obnoxious and offensive assumptions (playing to his strengths, natch), and Henry once again demonstrates how he is also the Actual Best.

Nobody has heard from Cady recently, but the tiny little hesitation Henry has before he confirms that he hasn’t heard from her either is so good. LDP is so good. Just from that, it reinforces how much that bothers him, and that he’s worried, but also that he really doesn’t want to talk to Branch about any of it.

“If you do, will you let me know?” “I most certainly will not.” Such a classy way to basically tell Branch to fuck off and get wrecked.

A lady threatening Henry with a knife and I should not be focusing on how great he looks in a vest, but heeeeere we are. (I do love that brown vest.) And even after she is drunk and rude and racist and threatens him, Henry’s look when she says that she knew the dead man still has concern and compassion in it. Waaaaaah.

Do I remember what Walt did to his hand? Was that something from this episode that I’m not remembering right now, or are they actually having some intra-episode continuity and that bandage is him still recovering from the start of frostbite? [Dang it, my Xbox controller just pooped out. Now I have to go swap it out for the other one and stick this one in the charging dock. But I’m so cozy in bed with my jar o’ tea and everythinggggg. Boo.] ... [It has been long enough since I wrote that last bit that my Xbox has shut itself down twice in the interim. Oops. I’m super great at focusing.]

Fuck, that “I was some place I shouldn’ta been” hits hard. This whole seen in rough.

Aaaahaha, why is the fact that Ferg is also standing there looking at Walt when he wakes up so much funnier than if it had just been Vic? And his little grin. And Ruby with a mug of his toothbrush and such for Walt! Rubyyyyy! (Holy shit, the fact that they have this little set up is alarmingly adorable, and I heckin’ adore Ruby.) And then she sasses Branch, and I just want nice things for her.

Walt’s “If you want,” to Ferg came off to me more like, ‘waste your time if you want to,’ (though that could well be my own issues projected” but I’m proud of Ferg for running with it. And I do appreciate Walt calling the sex worker a lady.

Of course, he pulls Henry into his bs, getting him to solicit a sex worker. Why does Henry put up with him? I’m sorryyyy, but the pointing is so awkward and I cringe so hard, but what else is he going to do, I guess? And how does he recognize her anyway? Did Walt take a picture of her before letting her go, or something? It doesn’t seem like he even got her name, to pull up a picture from a rap sheet, sooo... Why am I even worrying about it? And at least Walt doesn’t think that it’s not rape just if it’s a sex worker.

The flashback scene sure hits hard, too. Damn. I’m trying to remember the last time I saw anybody other than Vic actually pull on a glove in consideration of fingerprints. I think there might have been one time or something, but nothing comes readily to mind.

For all that I rag on Walt for just collecting his assumptions and taking them to the bank, there is heavy irony with him now laying out the reasons he’s not arresting Whitish, because there is reasonable doubt in the form of the Collettes.

Ooooooope, and then Branch brings up Cady. I sure this can only go really well. Aaaaaaaaand of course Walt has one of his Longmire Epiphanies and just walks off in the middle of the conversation, such as it was.

Does a college registrar’s really have your birth certificate on file? I’m pretty sure I didn’t have to submit a copy to mine, but I also don’t really remember? But that seems weird.

Ah, the bandage was about the frostbite. I appreciate the continuity.

Hmmmmmm, Cady leaving her phone at home when she drove to CO seems unlikely. It seems unlikely as a generality for her generation, and on practical levels (directions to the precinct and such?), and just... That’s pretty hard to buy. If I don’t want to talk to somebody, or even a bunch of people, I’d ignore calls or even block numbers, but her not taking her phone gives the impression that there is literally nobody that she would want to talk to, and that plays into this really weird bit of characterization void that the writers fell into of Cady just not knowing any single person other than her dad, Henry, Ruby, Branch, and Ferg, and I guess Vic. As if she just doesn’t exist outside of her relation to one of them. She doesn’t want to talk to any of the 6 of them, so there is not a single other person on the planet who she would want to be able to talk to/have them contact her? There’s not a single other person on the planet that she knows who if they called and said, “I have an emergency, can you talk/help?” that she wouldn’t want to be available for? Bullshit. The entire rest of the series when she’s onscreen is showing how much she cares. She’s a fucking Hufflepuff, and she’s not going to leave her damn phone at home while she drives 6 hours away into another damn state. If you so desperately need to that she’s not even seeing his call, have her leave it in her car when she goes into the Denver station. Like, unless she has a second phone that she did take, I’m not buying it. Even as an attempt at “she’s so caught up in her mother’s murder now, oooo, Longmire tantrum and singular focus’ characterization. Just, boo.

#Longmire #cady longmire #walt longmire #Henry Standing Bear #The Ferg #Branch is such a tool #episode commentary

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usopp-writes · 6 years

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This fanfic is inspired by the song: We are family by Keke Palmer. The OC is one I rp on my multi-muse blog and one I’ve written a fanfiction about.

@one-piece-24 I’m tagging you, bc you are such a great friend ^-^

Casey had been an official member of the Whitebeard crew for only three weeks now. Those week had been used to find her place and catch up with her brother Ace. She had been put into Curiel’s division, the tenth. It had shocked most of them, especially Ace, Thatch, Marco and Izo, as they were closest to her.

To Casey it made perfectly sense. First she could learn a lot from him and he wouldn’t treat her too softly as the others would do, as they were still treating her as a little girl and not a young woman. Secondly, he was the musician and Whitebeard knew how much Casey enjoyed music and she sang too.

“Hey commander.” Casey smiled to him, as he was sitting at the piano in their practice room. He hummed, as she came to sit next to him, placing a sheet in front of him. “I was going through the pictures Izo has taken over the years along with him, when suddenly a text came into my mind. It’s not perfected, but I believe this would be the song of the crew.”

It was her first time to even write a song, but this just felt right. Curiel read it and a soft smile played on his lips. “It’s lovely, Casey. Just a few things need to be changed to make it flow better and then we need to add the music. So let’s get to work.” He looked at her with a proud gaze. She grinned back and for the next hours they polished the song.

It was the end of the month and the crew had anchored at an island to do a celebration for all who had birthday that month. Since the crew was big, it was more practically this way. Only the commanders and the captain got their birthday celebrated on the day - unless something came up. Casey had gotten a mixed celebration as it had been her birthday and welcome home party.

Now said girl stood with the musicians singing the usual birthday songs. Then a loud HAPPY BIRTHDAY came from all and after a small gift exchange (each division giving one gift per birthday ‘kid’), Casey got the attention of all. “My dearest family. I can’t imagine a better day to give you this song I wrote and perfected with the help of Curiel. I hope you will love it as much as we do.” Silence fell over them all and she started to sing.

“We are, we are Not your ordinary fami-mily But we can all agree that We are, we are Close as close can be.”

Ace’s eyes widened, as he let the words sink in and all around surprised face looked at Casey, as Curiel played the song. The two were the only to know this song and melody.

“So it don't matter what it looks like We look perfect to me We got every kind of love I feel so lucky indeed They can keep on talking It don't matter to me cause We are, we are family.”

Izo smiled softly and handed Haruta a handkerchief, as the twelfth division commander sniffed, touched by the words. Ace’s eyes was also watery now, as he could feel the love and care from his sister.

“We are are are are (We are) We are are are are (We are) We are are are are (We are) We are, we are family, family, family We are, we are family So what? We don't look, we don't act We don't walk, we don't talk Like you do So what? If we hang just to hang Ain't no shame We gon' do what we want to.”

Marco let out a chuckle, as the words did sound something like a pirate would say, but also what they all thought. He smiled proudly at her, as her song so far truly summed up their family.

“Cause we come from everywhere Searching for ones to care Somehow we found it here We found us a home We are, we are Not your ordinary fami-mily But we can all agree that We are, we are Close as close can be.”

Thatch was just letting his tears roll, as he remembered when he met Casey. The shy, cautious and wild girl surely had grown and while she was still cautious, she wasn’t so shy any more.

“So it don't matter what it looks like We look perfect to me We got every kind of love I feel so lucky indeed They can keep on talking It don't matter to me cause We are, we are family.”

Whitebeard had tears stinging in his eyes, as she truly had captured the essence of his family, about his dream. Pride filled his chest. His little girl had wrote a song that was them. “OK, so the links in our chain makes us strange But really they make us stronger And I wouldn't replace not a thing Mother or father Cause we, Cause we come from everywhere Searching for ones to care Somehow we found it here We found us a home.”

Curiel smiled as he played, noticing how some were crying, others were sniffing, some trying hard not to cry and others just smiling happily and proudly. Casey’s soft voice was strong and filled with so much love and pride that it was impossible not to be touched by her song.

“We are, we are Not your ordinary fami-mily But we can all agree that We are, we are Close as close can be So it don't matter what it looks like We look perfect to me We got every kind of love I feel so lucky indeed They can keep on talking It don't matter to me cause We are, we are family (Family) (We are) We are, we are family.”

As he song tuned out, all started to clap and cheer loudly. It didn’t seem to have an end, as people kept yelling and clapping. Casey smiled brightly, her ears twisting and her tails swaying back and forth, leaving an icy trail on the floor.

When things toned down, her eyes went to Whitebeard, who had tears in his eyes, but he didn’t shed them. “My child that song is perfect. Thank you.” He spoke and all agreed. Soon she found a pair of warm arms around her and she looked at Ace’s tear stained face. “He’s right. It’s perfect.”

She hugged him back, before continuing the party, singing and dancing. As usual the party continued through the night and when the sun rose, Casey dragged herself to bed, happy and feeling completely at home.

“I can’t believe she did that.” Thatch said, as he saw her disappear inside. “Me neither. Our girl has grown up.” Izo sighed, but he was smiling happily. Marco smiled softly, standing next to them. “Casey will keep surprising on. Now it makes sense why Oyaji put her with Curiel, yoi.” They agreed with him, before hitting bed themselves. Casey truly was their sister and it didn’t matter what others said or thought. She felt just the same way.

#writing #fanfic #my own story #it got so much longer than expected #not really pleased with the end #changed it a lot #well #just a song about family #and i headcanon that as the official wbp song

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bluebookbadger-blog · 7 years

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The Price of a Life - Chapter 2

Title: The Price of a Life Fandom (s): Fullmetal Alchemist/Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Summary: I always thought waking up in another world would be a lot more…interesting. At least slightly exciting and terrifying, but it really wasn’t. It was more of a sudden and underwhelming event, that landed me in the company of fiction and its ignorance to modern physics. I thought it was a dream. Boy was I wrong. Characters: SI/OC, Maes Hughes, Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, etc. Rating: PG-13

By the time we had all gotten into the car, and Armstrong gave Lucha back to me, it was almost dark out again. I was so freaking tired, I practically hadn't slept for two days. I had fallen asleep during the car ride, eventually ignoring the Elrics' questions about Liore's miracles until they got the memo that I wasn't in the mood for any more interrogations. Hughes woke me up when we arrived at his apartment building.

Lucha was sleeping around my neck, and not wanting to wake him, I put him into the bin of my things. I seriously just wanted a soft surface to fall asleep on; carpets, rugs, a sheet, anything would suffice as a bed at that moment. My neck and head were more achy than they had been before my power nap, and my ankle was starting to swell.

As for the light problem, it was considerably easier to see now that night had fallen, but the street lamps and lights from homes still made looking at where I was headed difficult. Thankfully, Al's armor was really loud and easy to follow.

At the door to the building, we met Gracia and Elicia, who had apparently just gotten home from the store. Elicia was so cute. I'm not normally a kid person, like, I'd rather sit through 50 Shades of Gray with my parents than watch a Barney marathon with my little sister for three days straight, but her attitude was absolutely contagious. She may have gotten her sandy hair and green eyes from her mom, but her personality was all Maes. The child looked at the Elrics, and I felt a sleep smile tug at my lips at the next words.

"Big brother," She said, pointing at Al, "Little brother," pointing at Ed. This threw him into a tizzy, angrily pointing out that he was the older of the two, prompting Elicia to respond that older meant bigger. Hughes introduced me to Gracia, who was practically my Aunt Megan of this world. She was reserved but kind, asking me some trivial questions about myself as we headed up the stairs to the Hughes' apartment.

The inside was really neat and tidy, kind of like an apartment you'd see in a magazine. Gracia headed to the kitchen to make dinner, a quiche if I remembered correctly, and Hughes led the Elrics and I to our bedrooms. Well, the only spare bedroom. With two beds.

"Um, I guess I forgot that this room only had two beds..." I shrugged at his words, and started walking back down the hallway. "Hey, Mac-"

"They're only staying the night, and I could sleep on a mat of nails right now, so it's really fine that they have the beds tonight." I said with a yawn, calmly trudging back to the den we had passed by earlier and flopping down on the cushioned seat. Of course, this was a bad idea as it a) made my foot hurt ten times worse and b) woke up Lucha, who made the most horrific sound a ferret would make. Elicia came running, and Hughes wasn't too far behind. I hissed in pain but the soft couch was worth it.

"You don't have to sleep out here! The Elrics-"

"Like I said, are only staying the night. Besides...I just need…. a few minutes…." I mumbled, burying my face into the pillow as the Elrics showed up. The 0.2 seconds of sleep I got were enough to allow me to bolt up and go running when Gracia called everyone for dinner.

Their table was large enough to fit eight people, making it easier to find a seat than it was at my own table back at home with my six siblings. The first few minutes of the meal were kind of awkward, I instinctively going to say grace and stopping myself when I noticed Ed watching. I ended up just being quiet for a minute instead of saying anything aloud. Besides, it'd be weird since I knew Truth was out there somewhere.

On another note, the quiche smelled great, and that was saying something since I was pretty picky about what I ate. If the Hughes' weren't being so kind I probably wouldn't eat the quiche and just eat some raw cheese or something from their fridge. (Did they even have fridges here?) It was really good too, and I was not just saying that because I was basically starving and this was the only real food I had since I arrived in Amestris. They had milk too! I had chugged at least three glasses, which provoked Alphonse to tease Ed, who defended his hatred of milk.

"Come on Al, eat up. Take off that armor and relax." The line of dialogue caught my attention, making me look up from my fourth glass of liquid heaven. For a split second I could almost feel the brief, tense glance Ed shared with his younger brother.

"Oh, I already ate!" Al said with a nervous giggle, Ed continuing with the usual spiel of how the armor was part of his alchemy training. Seriously, how did people not figure Al was just a suit of armor earlier? The rest of the meal was enjoyed with minimum conversation. Elicia was very talkative afterwards when Hughes officially introduced me to her.

"Sweetie this is Mac, she's going to be staying with us for a while!" He squealed, hugging the pig tailed girl tight. She looked up at me with bright green eyes. I glared at him briefly. I guessed the nickname was a little better than my real name.

"Yay! She's going to play with me right? Mac's my new big sister, right?" Elicia asked her dad excitedly. I had a little sister at home about her age. They'd get along so well, being the apple of their father's eye.

"Anything for my little princess!" I smiled as he fawned over her for a few seconds before she asked him,

"Why is she staying with us?" Hughes laughed, leaning back on the couch. It wasn't the one I had claimed, which was now manned by Captain Lucha who hoarded anything shiny he found in the house under the pillows.

"She doesn't have anywhere to stay sweetie." Hughes was calming down a little. If that was at all possible when he was with his darling girl. Elicia seemed to accept that and jumped off the couch to run up to me.

"Can you play with me?" I nodded and let her lead me to her room. It was mostly pink, with toys everywhere (if this was kind of 1900s-ish, did I have to worry about lead poisoning?). We played tea party, or at least I think. It was part pouring tea for her stuffed toys and part fighting a dragon with me as her knight. As much as I missed being allowed to pretend to be fighting the forces of evil with my own little sister, I had better thing to do. Like return Mrs. Hughes' ring before Lucha swallowed it.

It was another hour of tea party until Gracia came in to put Elicia to sleep. I was kind of relieved, it was a lot of work to keep a kid like her entertained. It seemed that the Elrics had gone to sleep already, or at least Ed had. I was so tired I almost didn't notice Hughes sitting on the couch as I sat down next to him. I picked up my bin of things, hoping to change back into my nightgown to feel some semblance of normalcy in my nightly routine. I just needed to find a bathroom.

"Uh, Hughes." He looked up at me, his hazel-green eyes serious and tinged with concern before returning to their normal, smiling selves. "Where's the bathroom?"

"This way," He beckoned, leading me down the hallway to the first door on my left. It was right next to Elicia's bedroom, and across from the Elric's, so I probably wouldn't get lost finding it in the middle of the night.

Thanking him I set my bin down and looked in the mirror. It was a lot cleaner than the prison mirrors, not covered with grime or any other unidentified substance. I hated the way I looked. My eyes looked as if they were bleeding, a combination of lacking pigment and bloodshot exhaustion. My hair, though still really thick and curly, looked like someone had bleached it to look like calcium powder. My skin looked like Truth's almost, only differing in the small imperfections and dark bags under my eyes.

Taking off my turtleneck sweater, I also noted the bruise's new rainbow of colors; greens, browns, violets, and blues had added to the mix, contrasting starkly with my now paper white skin. I felt so ugly. Shaking the self depreciating thoughts from my head, I put my nightgown on, really wishing I had a change of underclothes but was too tired to ask to borrow some of Gracia's (not to mention her bras probably wouldn't fit me…). My foot was looking slightly better, the swelling had gone down now that I was wearing my orthotics, though a few hours of elevating it would do it even more good.

I took two of the three necklaces I always wore out of the bin, leaving the more fragile third inside. Both were religious, so I guess it would make sense to fit the whole 'Don't use my name because my faith is very restrictive' facade. One was a simple brown scapular, the other a choker Celtic cross. The cross would be visible most of the time due to its tendency to get over the collar of my shirt and stay there, but it was fancy enough to be ignored as a cultural medallion of sorts. The third necklace I didn't want to wear to bed out of fear that I would break it (again). It was made from my great grandmother's rosary, my grandmother's earring, and my mother's necklace she had worn to her wedding. All very important to me, and also very delicate.

Leaving the bathroom, I was greeted with darkness. A welcome abyss compared to the bright lights everywhere else. A light came from beneath another doorway down the hall, presumably Mr. and Mrs. Hughes' bedroom. I found the couch with an extra blanket, courtesy of my hosts, and a towel laid out on the ground, which I discovered Lucha had made his own bed after stepping on the poor ferret. I laid down on the couch, comfortably falling asleep for what felt like hours.

I woke up only half an hour later, feeling restless. I just couldn't stay asleep. There was really no reason to stay asleep I presumed, since I clearly felt rested after only half an hour (maybe an hour, the analog clock was hard to read in the dark). Lucha was still asleep, surprisingly, so I took extra care not to step on him (again).

The house was quiet, the people breathing in the apartment, and the movements of those elsewhere in the complex barely audible. It kind of freaked me out to be honest. I wasn't afraid of the dark, I was almost old enough to graduate high school! But...I did't like being alone in the dark.

I guess I wasn't really alone, Al was awake right? But, I wasn't exactly the type to rush in and 'wake' a guy up just because I was bored. Well, not exactly bored. Something was nagging at the back of my mind but I couldn't quite figure out what it was, but whatever it was, it was going to drive me insane. Needing something else to focus on, I determined that I needed a plan to be the Mary-Sue this world didn't need and that the fans didn't want but needed to save the most lives possible.

In the kitchen I could only find cloth napkins, which was kind of annoying since I didn't want to leave evidence of my knowledge lying around where Hughes would find an interesting timeline describing his death. Frustrated but undeterred, I managed to find a pen in one of the drawers. It seemed ancient compared to modern ballpoint pens. It was a fountain pen, a very pretty one, with a metal tip. There seemed to be lots of pens in the drawer, so one missing wouldn't hurt.

Rummaging through more cabinets and drawers as quietly as I could, I couldn't find any paper. Then I had the brilliant idea to write on myself. My skin was paper colored, and no one else would be able to read it if I wrote it on my leg or somewhere like that, but it would wash off when I showered. Truth new I needed one.

Unable to stay focused, I decided to take a shower at...1:00 a.m. the clock read. It wasn't that hard to navigate in the dark, but finding the black clothes I was lent by the prison was a challenge. They were folded up on top of my necklace in my bin, where I had apparently put them.

I took the bin and the fountain pen to the hallway, taking the first door on my left, hesitating a moment to listen for Alphonse in the other room. I didn't want him to barge in when I was showering, even if he was a suit of armor it'd be super embarrassing. Now that I think about it, he had no reason to barge in, but I was being the weird one by showering at dead man's hour.

I undressed, discovering not a shower behind the curtain but a small bathtub. Better than nothing I guessed. Knowing that the hot water supply was probably limited (and used to bathing restrictions from living with 8 other people my whole life) I filled the tub with the hottest water possible. I liked scalding hot baths, though I would have preferred a shower. I slowly got into the tub, bringing the curtain around halfway so I could see the door but still be mostly hidden from view. It was so relaxing.

I slipped under the water for a second, the tops of my knees forced out of the water so I could lay down. I opened my eyes for a split second, not fond of being blind to the world. Everything I saw was red. I was bathing in blood, the water was thick and crimson.

I sat up, gasping for air and restraining a scream. The water wasn't red, there was no blood, I was fine. I got out of the now cold water, drying myself off with the floor towel in my haste to get out of the bathroom. Putting my underclothes back on, I sat for a few minutes on the bathroom floor. The tears had stopped, but my breathing was still hitched and my heart rapid.

I was so scared. I was digging my nails into my palms until they started to bleed, my own blood triggering the memory of the blood that was on my hands a night prior. I had helped kill someone. I was responsible for a human being's death, someone died because of me. I heard my deep, labored breathing, but didn't feel the usual squeeze of an asthma attack, just deep, empty breaths echoing softly on the tile floor and white walls. White walls and white floors, just like the blood splattered walls and floors of the prison. Soaked in the blood of someone I helped kill, someone I made bleed.

It took a me a moment to realize someone was softly knocking on the door. I did my best to collect myself, my eyes puffy and my face red as I picked up my things, threw on my clothes, and turning off the gas lamp, peeked out the door. It was Elicia, thankfully, half asleep and holding a blanket.

"I have to go potty…" She said, yawning and rubbing her eyes as I got out of her way. I didn't even care if I was being rude or weird anymore - I just needed to get away from there. Still having a small panic attack, but able to breath normally again, I laid back down on the couch, pulling the blanket over my head. I waited for sleep, and none came. I heard Elicia leave the bathroom and go back to her bedroom.

What felt like days later, sunlight began to leak through the window shades in the kitchen, and I heard movement in the Elric's room. Hughes was the first up, I could hear him cracking his back and neck as he shuffled to the kitchen. He could use a chiropractor from the sound of it…

The smell of coffee soon wafted through the apartment, alerting me that I should try to look presentable. I still had the fountain pen in my bin of now dirty pajamas, and I needed a notebook or something like Al's 'list of stuff to eat notebook' and Ed's 'philosopher's stone research' one.

When I came into the kitchen, Hughes was having coffee and reading a newspaper. Literally thought he was my Uncle Matt for a second there, except the mountain climbing gear was missing. I slumped into the seat next to him to read over his shoulder. He didn't seem to mind, or at least he didn't notice.

There was a small article mentioning a certain Yoki who was convicted of stealing government funds, another that announced the upcoming State Alchemist Examination with the upcoming Assessment mentioned on a smaller note. I did see a quick flash of a wanted serial killer with a cross-shaped scar on his face as Hughes turned the page, but wasn't able to read any farther into the article as he seemed to finally notice me sitting there.

"Oh, sorry Mac, haven't finished my coffee yet. You want some?" Somehow, I felt that he was implying that I needed it from his slightly worried expression. I probably still looked like Death incarnate, maybe worse from the crying episode earlier. I shook my head at his question anyways.

"Nah, I'm good." I got a glass from one of the cabinets (I knew my way around the whole den and kitchen after my midnight expedition) and filled it with water from the tap. It tasted weird, as everything here was old and weird, but it was better than coffee. I was not a coffee person, or a tea person for that matter.

"Sleep well?" He asked, flipping a page of the newspaper. I halfheartedly glared up up at him as I laid my head on the table. Did I really look that bad?

"Nope." I sighed, examining the table cloth. It was pretty, and rather clean considering Elicia's table manners. And it was red. Scrunching my face up I turned to look at Hughes again. "Can I ask you something?" He looked up, folding the paper shut slowly as he nodded. I looked away from him, examining the gold embroidery on the edge of the table cloth. "How do you live with-"

"Holy crap we're going to be late!" Edward yelled, rushing out the front door. His hair, from what I could tell, was messily braided, and the boy only had his automail arm in jacket sleeve.

"Thanks for everything Mr. Hughes!" Alphonse noted, keeping Ed from tripping over Lucha.

"Oh, and tell Gracia that quiche was amazing!" With a few more blurted goodbyes and thank yous, the Elrics unceremoniously exited the apartment by slamming the door shut behind them. I snorted in amusement, putting my head back on the table. Who would have of thought those two would be late for anything?

"You were saying?" Maes inquired, tapping my shoulder. Sitting up, I looked back at him, no longer in the mood to discuss how he coped with what he did in Ishval. Thankfully, before I could get a word out, Elicia's sleepy giggle caught both of our attentions.

"Daddy! Are you staying home today?" She asked with a yawn, Gracia slowly emerging from the hallway behind the little girl. Hughes laughed, his serious demeanor disappearing faster than snow in July at the sight of Elicia's bed head and sleepy smile.

"Sorry sweetie! Daddy has to go to work, but I'll try to get home early okay my darling angel?" Elicia giggled as her dad scooped her up and hugged her close. I needed to figure out what the hell I was going to do to keep the story the same, but save unnecessarily lost lives.

There wasn't much I could do for the people in Liore, the little civil war down there was going to happen whether people fought over Cornello or not, and it was kind of a key to keeping Ed and Al on their little quest that would bring them right back to Central. After "The City of Heresy" episode it would go to...something anguish? I may have a pretty good eidetic memory, but I needed triggers for this stuff to be clear, I couldn't just pull a list of character deaths from my pocket you know. I would need something to write on and set up a timeline so I could plot out my next move.

Breakfast was really nice, by which of course I mean eating something that was not cereal after 4:30 a.m. (a rare occasion in my house back in the waking world). Hughes left in the middle of it, late for a meeting or something to that effect. I had almost forgotten that McDougal used alkahestry, not alchemy, and that Hughes would report this to Mustang. Oops.

Still, this was probably only episode two right? So, basically Ed and Al sitting on a train and backstory time, which meant I had few obligations and concerns for the next day or two. However, on his way out the door after bidding his wife and daughter goodbye, Maes gave me a stern look.

"You do need to try and find some work, I marked off some jobs I thought you'd like in the paper." He said, mock saluting me. "Good luck, Mac!" I scowled but picked up the newspaper. It was from the day before I guessed, since Gracia brought a new paper in soon after Hughes left.

Elicia was excitedly eating her scrambled eggs, talking to Mrs. Hughes with her mouth full and being chided for it. They were such a wonderful family, I really had to find a way to repay them (and not just by hopefully saving Maes' life).

I finally found the classifieds, seeing the jobs Hughes thought I'd be interested in circled with black ink. Work wanted at a local bakery? No. I was an awful cook. I guess I could make, I don't know, pepernoot cookies but even those weren't that great compared to my cousin Rose's baking. She could really bake well. Another job was looking for help managing a little grocery store here on Main street. It was close enough to walk to, so I guessed that would be my destination for the day.

The other jobs Maes picked out were mostly odd jobs; fixing roofs, making deliveries, stuff I couldn't really do with my skill set or resources. There was one farm hand opportunity, but it was on the outskirts of the city, and I didn't want to trouble the Hughes with anything else. My talents as a backyard chicken mother, wasted in a 1910s alternative universe of Germany. At least the grocery job seemed to pay in czens, not eggs or corn (though I would work for food, who on earth wouldn't?).

It was about 9:00 in the morning when I finally left. Gracia and her daughter were going to the park, then stopping by the grocery store to walk me home if I wanted them to. They were so sweet, how was there nothing wrong with a family as perfect as this? Oh yeah, the dad is shot dead by some guy disguised as the wife. Wonderful.

Gracia had let me borrow one of her purses, one big enough to fit the fancy dancy Certificate in, and to fit a small towel and Lucha in. He was sleeping more than usual, which was next to impossible since he already slept all the time when he wasn't hungry. Weird ferret. Cute, but weird. I hoped he wasn't sick.

People kept staring at me on the way there, making me highly self conscious. Some part of me was screaming at them that I wasn't a murderer, another part was making my face turn a red to match my new eyes, while a third was looking for the sign that read "Main Street Grocery".

I kept bumping into people, the sun blinding me every time it reflected off a window or occasional passing car. It seems like it'd be cool to one day wake up and be albino or even leucistic, but it really wasn't. Especially in the whole normal treatment department. And seeing department. And basically almost every aspect of yourself.

When I finally did see the sign, I briefly checked to make sure it matched the address in the ad before ducking inside. It was a quiet little place, very homey and local. There was a bunch of fresh fruits and vegetables on some benches outside, and inside there were various boxed and canned foods. There was a small fridge of sorts in the far right corner, only containing some juices and milk, as well as being right by a whole stand of wine and other alcoholic beverages. At the front desk there was a young guy, not my type, but handsome and sort of sexy. When I asked about the open position he looked a little startled.

"I'm sorry, did you read the fine print?" He asked, his deep voice nervous. I was so confused by this. Taking out the newspaper ad I had clipped out, I showed it to him.

"What fine print?" He ran a hand through his blonde locks anxiously. "Can I speak to your manager, please?" The guy - his name tag read Albert - nodded and went to a back room. There weren't many people at the store, but an old lady was waiting for her money to be taken. I was no expert in czens, but it couldn't be much harder than working in retail, right?

The woman had thick glasses, so she probably wouldn't notice that I wasn't an employee. Standing behind the counter, which had a convenient list of prices, pretty similar to the one I had used during my time at farmer's markets. Those things were so much fun to work at, except for the days when it was really windy. Those tents could kill someone if they went airborne.

She was buying nine apples, a jug of milk, and a loaf of fresh bread. It smelled so good, like, 'grandpa just pulled it out of the oven' good. Each item's individual price was marked down in neat handwriting. It was strange not weighing the apples, but they were marked down for 3 cenz per apple and 6 cenz for every three. I didn't know what the dollar equivalent of that would be, but it seemed pretty reasonable. I rung up the cost of her items and counted out the money. It was pretty similar to most money, though, I did have to sheepishly ask her if one of the coins was worth 10 or 5 cenz. The back room's door opened just as I bid the woman goodbye.

"What do you think you're doing?" A woman's voice asked. I was surprised that she was shorter than me, but the lady was still terrifying. Her dark hair was tied back in a bun, and her blue eyes seethed with irritation. "Albert says you're here to apply? Are you not literate?" I was so confused. What fine print? Why was everyone so huffy about me trying to apply for a job?

"I am entirely literate ma'am, in multiple languages" I said, though I doubt I'd find anyone speaking the FMA equivalent of German, Irish Gaelic, or Latin. Well, maybe not Latin. A 12 year old in a Catholic school can only parrot so many Gregorian chants. With a nod, I quickly moving to the other side of the counter. Damn, she was scary. Everyone in this world was either scary or really sweet, there was no in between.

"Then you should be aware that the ad does say, 'Ishvalans Need Not Apply'." Great, and here I thought we were over treating the minorities and the Irish like shit. I restrained a glare, looking at me feet.

"I am Drachman, not Ishvalan, ma'am." Geez, I mean, the hair and eyes were kind of similar but I looked like Snow White Extreme incarnate. Was it common for Ishvalans to have pale skin suddenly? Had I already screwed something up?

"Oh? Then get out. Immigrants aren't welcome in my store."

"But-"

"Out!" Okay, I get it, there's a bias, no need to be rude about it. I guess I forgot this was set in the early 1900s. In my world that meant segregation, discrimination, and jazz. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like I'd be enjoying any Louie Armstrong or Jelly Roll Morton here. Wait...Louie Armstrong...I wondered if the Major could play a trumpet...

I stood outside the store for a while, envying Albert - it seemed as if he had been just hired that morning instead of me. I should have headed out when the Elrics left. The store manager - a Miss. Reich from what I overheard - was about to usher me down the street with a broom so I headed off. It was best I explored my new surroundings.

Lucha woke up around this time, poking his pink nose out of the satchel to surprise any passing kids. I really wished I had a hat or something, since the starring returned in full force with the early afternoon lunch break setting in. I needed somewhere to occupy my time with. Gracia and Elicia weren't planning on visiting the grocery shop until the evening - I guess they really thought I'd get the job.

Why would Hughes send me somewhere that wasn't accepting immigrant workers? It hit me that I wasn't just an immigrant (or rather, not an immigrant really at all). I was an Honorary Citizen, and whatever that was, Hughes probably thought it'd help me get hired, or maybe he was hoping I'd have to live with him and be Elicia's big sister forever, but I was hoping he wasn't that mean. I basically sprinted back to the shop, which I discovered was a mistake when my ankle rolled and I knocked down a few people on the sidewalk.

"Sorry, sorry…" I murmured as I tried to reorient myself. The light of the sun was really bright now, making everything look like a fiery kaleidoscope. A hand gently tugged at my own and helped me to my feet. "I'm sorry." I said again, knowing full well that I apologized too much. Once my eyes adjusted and Lucha had settled in his nest of fabric, I realized it was Albert who had helped me up.

"What're you doing back here?" He asked, his blue eyes nervously darting to the shop window where he could see Miss. Reich helping a customer at the register while he swept. I rubbed my arm. I had hit the ground hard, but escaped with only a scrape. Lucha seemed fine, peering at Albert for a second before snorting and going back to his nap. He must have been homesick, the ferret never slept this much. I felt around in my bag for a moment before my hand touched the paper.

"I need to talk with Miss. Reich again," As tempting as it was to call her something derogatory to let out my frustration, I needed to get on good terms with her. I wasn't taking a job that was halfway across the city, not even if Hughes lent me his car. I didn't even think it was his, the military probably gave it to him for work related purposes.

I finally convinced Albert to let me talk to Miss. Stick-up-her-but and I showed her the Certificate. She seemed pretty impressed, though still a bit reluctant to let me work for her. It took some sweet talking on my part (she was almost as hard to persuade as a stubborn show heifer) but she eventually conceded to a contract. It seemed I'd still be a little curbed by the whole anti-immigrant policy, but I did have myself a job working in the backroom.

They had a bunch of filing cabinets, as well as extra stock. I was informed by Miss. Reich herself of my duties, which involved coming by at dawn to stock the store with the delivery of fresh eggs and milk, as well as to organize the chronological payment records. It wasn't that much compared to my summer job at the farmer's markets, except I wouldn't have to deal with cranky hippies screaming at me for $5 for every basket of blueberries (if they had such a problem with it they should have picked their own). Still, it'd be work.

Dark was falling when Gracia and Elicia finally swung by, picking up a gallon of whole milk and some apples for a pie that Mrs. Hughes planned on making in a few days. Albert was adorable in his anxiety when Gracia asked if a white haired girl had applied for a job here recently. Miss. Reich had to clear up the misunderstanding that I was, in fact, a girl to Albert as I listen to their conversation as I organized some heads of old cauliflower.

"No, she wrote it on the contract and it was on her Certificate of Honorary Citizenship-"

"He's an Honorary Citizen? So that's why you gave him the job-"

"No, Al, she is a girl. I'm sure of it. Ask her yourself." They rounded a corner that was slightly overflowing with green beans. They'd last a few days, granted I fixed the ventilation problem back here, I was burning up it was so hot. It wasn't summer here was it? It was too cold the other night….

"You need something ma'am?" I asked, though it was pretty easy to hear Elicia through the thin walls.

"You're family is here, I think." Miss. Reich said, leaving an awkward gap of silence between Albert and I. "Anything you want to say to Irish, Albert?" I shrugged and avoided eye contact as the poor guy awkwardly struggled to ask me something.

"Yes, I am a girl." I noted his sudden crestfallen attitude as he walked me back to the front and took my apron. Truth, that was depressing. Damn this overwhelming cultural shock. Gracia smiled when I emerged from the back room, Elicia charging me and clinging to my legs.

"Yay! Big sister's here! Can she play with me later mommy? Can she?" The pig tailed girl was just like my little sister back at home. Such a manipulative sweetheart that could murder someone and be ready for ballet by dinner.

"Sure, just - hey, be careful!" I chided as she nearly knocked me over the fruit stand by the front desk. Gosh little kids were so careless sometimes. "Oh, Miss. Reich!" I called as Elicia was all but dragging me after her mother. "Thank you for the job, I'll repay you someday!" I had no clue how I was going to do that, maybe help with saving most of Amestris from the Promised Day? Probably not, considering I could barely get a job and was practically blinded by light. So this was how vampires felt…

The walk to the apartment was quiet, Gracia asking me to retell how I managed to get a job at the store. Apparently Miss. Reich was notorious for keeping immigrants out of her shop, so hiring me was quite a strange occurrence for Gracia to hear. All my life I'd felt that the stories of close knit communities was all a hoax, and now I was seeing my host talking about some random shop owner as if they were the best of friends.

I was never going to get used to this 1900s life, not without a proper shower. This was so weird. Lucha reminded me he was getting hungry by climbing up my sweater to scratch at the neck. It hurt more than it tickled, the bruised skin still sore. I put him back into the bag and held it closed as us three marched up the stairs to get to the apartment.

Inside, I helped Gracia with some bags she had picked up at some other stores. They were full of clothes. Why did people have to be really nice? I didn't know how to respond to kindness that well, or new clothes. I didn't think I had ever worn anything besides handmedowns. The nightgown I had was my Aunt Mimi's, and the slippers were from my older sister. Elicia seemed contented with playing in her room while Mrs. Hughes and I sorted my situation in the spare room.

We moved the extra bed to the corner of the room, creating a lot of floor space. The hardwood floor was a little dusty, but I wasn't complaining. There was a dresser along the wall of room, which we filled with the new clothes. They were kind of old fashioned, but they were pretty. There were a few dresses that we hung up in the closet by the other bed, but most of the clothes were sweaters, button downs, slacks, and a few skirts that also joined the Gown Battalion of the closet.

"Thank you so much for buying me the clothes, I'll pay you back-"

"What is it with you and having to pay people back? I wanted to buy you those clothes, not to mention Elicia will grow into them. Eventually." Mrs. Gracia said as we changed the sheets on the bed - my bed. I really needed to stay focused, I only had a day or two until the Elrics came back and then I had to figure out what the heck I was going to do about the Nina Alexander chimera problem.

"Mrs. Hughes-" She ruffled my hair gently. Goodness this woman was so likable, I hated having my hair messed with but when she did it I was completely fine with it.

"Call me Gracia." I shrugged, puffing up the pillow one more time. It wasn't the same as Timait, but it would do. Yes, I named my pillow Timait; after developing such a special bond with the very thing that you have dreamed upon for years, a name is in order. Okay that was a lie, but I was really missing my pillow back at home.

"Gracia, do you have a notebook or something I could use? I don't mean to impose any more than I already have, I just-" Opening a small cabinet under the sink, she pulled out a small, leather bound book. How in Amestris had I not found it during my rummaging earlier?

"I'm sure you have your reasons, besides, tax season is always a pain. Will this do?" She asked, handing the empty tome to me. It was almost exactly like the ones the Elrics carried around, except more flexible with a strong but with a malleable spine. Perfect for writing down my plans of world destruction or maybe a copy of the Twilight series.

"Thank you so much!" I said as I rushed back to the spare room - my room. Elicia however, caught me as I almost escape to its sanctuary.

"Mac! Can you please play with me now?" How could I say no to that face?

"No." I said, suddenly irritable. When she made the saddest, most heartbreaking puppy dog face, I rethought my decision. "I'm sorry, just a minute." Putting the empty book on my bed and checking on Lucha's sleeping form for any signs of impending death, I went back to Elicia's room.

Okay, so maybe this wasn't the most exciting action packed day of my time here, but I was making progress to building relationships, making contacts, and organizing information that would be pertinent to my near future. All I had to do was play Princess for another hour or two until Maes came home.

Masterlist

#fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchemsit brotherhood #si/oc #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #the price of a life #the price of a life - chapter 2 #bbb writes #bbb #bluebookbadger

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