Rating: Teen for cursing and innuendo. The usual.

Summary: A Life as We Know It AU where Roy and Riza become guardians for Elicia after her parents die. No greater catalyst in Roy's life than the death of Hughes and here he has no choice but to dedicate himself to parenthood instead of revenge.

AN: This was a request that turned into a WIP that turned into a submission for 2017 Royai Week Prompt: Day 3 Catalyst. I swear, this one is edited, chaptered up and already uploaded and ready to go. It's complete and I'm just cleaning up some older fics to clear the way to work on others.

Catalyst

Chapter 1

Tragedy

Roy sat awkwardly in the lawyer's office and did his best to keep his emotions under control. It was easier to maintain decorum when in uniform; there was something about the crisp gabardine and ceremonial accessories that made him maintain military protocol despite his internal desire to break down and just mourn the loss of good man. A better man. A man more worthy of a good life than him. His best friend.

The uniform always managed to allow him to hide inside it's protective shroud and that was nothing new. He felt it the first time he ever put it on; the swell of pride, the honor and pageantry, the conformity. He used it to find his own strength, to forge his way and mold himself and he also used it to deflect the blame for his actions. Now he struggled to not use it again to absorb the blame, this time for costing Maes Hughes his life.

He stood up and went to the window, folded his hands behind his back and tried to chase away the tears beginning to form. He just needed to get through one more official engagement for the evening and then he could shed this uniform, along with all the protections and standards it represented, and find a bar to drink away his pain. First the wake, then the funeral, now this 'urgent' meeting with Maes's lawyer. This day was never going to end.

Riza felt Elicia's hand squeeze harder as she readjusted the car sear through the opened car door. She bent down to the little baby girl and said, "It's OK. I have to talk with the lawyer about something and I'll come over and join you and Hayate in the park. You can trust my grandfather, he's weird but he's a grandpa. Grandpas are always funny and weird right?"

Grumman chuckled and made a goofy face for the baby who was tired and fussy. Riza talked with her like she talked to her dog, the poor girl was trying so hard.

Riza braced herself as Elicia started crying again. She was still reeling from the news that her friend Gracia had been murdered when the hospital called. She didn't know Gracia had left her name as an emergency contact, but it made sense, all her other friends were hardly capable of taking care of a baby. "This is important, I think it's about you. OK?"

"Go." Grumman said and reached out and shook a pill bottle, a makeshift rattle. He watched the baby focus on it as well as the dog. "Not for babies or puppies, just old men."

Riza looked up at her grandfather who was apparently going to entertain the baby with his medication. She didn't want to look too closely at the label to find out which medication it was. "I think she'll settle down if you drive a little."

"I know more about babies than you think Riza." Grumman chuckled as she closed the door.

Riza sighed. "Know more than I do."

"Miss Hawkeye?" The lawyer, a Roger Colerain, stepped out of his office building and looked at the woman on the sidewalk. He opened the door for her, trying to illustrate his impatience. "We are waiting on you."

She took a deep breath and tried to not snap at the man. It wasn't his fault she didn't know that much about babies and had to stop at the store for diaper rash medication. It was an affront on her professionalism, she was never late. Still, she wanted this over with and the sooner the better. "Sorry sir."

Colerain held the door long enough for her to get in the building and then let go, hurrying past her. "My office is down the hall."

Riza watched him rush down the carpeted hallway and took slightly smaller strides than she normally did. His attitude was screaming how inconvenienced he was and it was beyond rude. So she made him wait as he held the door open to his office and stepped inside slowly, it was then that she noticed there was someone else waiting. She recognized him from photos all over the Hughes home. It was Maes's best friend, the man he so desperately wanted to set her up with. "Sorry, I didn't know someone else was waiting on me."

Roy watched the lawyer huff dramatically and circle around to his side of the desk. He wanted to be the asshole Colonel right now and rip into him about his less than professional demeanor, but he needed to be level headed for whatever this was about, he owed that to Maes. "It's not a problem. I'm Roy, Maes's friend."

"I'm Riza. I am friends with Gracia." She said and shook his hand. She almost corrected herself and said 'was' but the lawyer opened up a folder and they both sat down.

"As you know, Mr. and Mrs. Hughes were very dedicated to their daughter." Colerain said and pulled out a packet of papers and sit it down in front of the two. "In the event of their death they made provisions for little Elicia. They left custody of her to you."

"You who?" Roy asked and leaned over the paper as the man's eyes darted between him and Riza.

Riza looked at the paper and saw it typed out in bold back ink: 'Custody of Elicia Hughes would be shared between Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye until she was 18.' She stared at it. Taking Elicia after the news of Gracia and Maes's death was one thing, taking her for 18 years...

"He never said anything about this." Roy said and looked up at the lawyer. His heart almost stopped. Custody of a baby? His best friend's baby? Maes knew damned well he was barely a functioning adult, why the hell would he do this to his kid?

"Unfortunately there may not have been a time to discuss this with you since it was drawn up less than two months ago." Colerain put a pen on the paper. "People always think they have all the time in the world."

Riza read that line again. "Shared custody?"

"Mr. Hughes believed his friend to be the most suitable father, Mrs. Hughes felt you to be the best option as a mother. They argued and came to an agreement that shared custody would be best for their daughter and also both of you." Colerain explained.

"That's...so fucking like Maes." Roy said and sat back in the chair. Holy shit, the man was trying to shove him together with this woman even in death!

Riza looked at Roy. The man who had been asleep drunk on the Hughes's couch on more than one occasion when she visited. "I know nothing about babies or this man."

"Mr. and Mrs. Hughes left the house to Elicia, which she will inherit upon turning 18. In the meantime they felt it best for their daughter to be raised in the environment they created for her." Colerain said. "There may have also had some questions about the health violations of your apartment Colonel, and the spartan and minuscule size of your apartment Lieutenant."

"I have to take that shit from him, not you." Roy snapped.

"Spartan..." Riza rebuked that.

"I am not here to argue about this, just get the paperwork signed." Colerain took out letters the deceased had written and handed them to each of the people opposite of him. "They left you letters explaining their choices and wishes. Each parent had their reservations about the other's choice, and the compromise was in choosing both of you for the task. You will inhabit the Hughes home together and provide for the child. There is ample room for each of you to live separate from each other while still being together to be the parents this little girl lost."

Roy reluctantly took the letter, knowing he would cave reading words from his best friend. He looked over at Riza who wore a similar look on her face. He took a deep breath and focused on the letter and started to read, hoping it wouldn't drive tears from his eyes that he had been holding back all day.