A/N: Hello dear readers all around, this is my first attempt at an FMA fic and so I hope you enjoy. I absolutely adore Roy and Riza and was rather annoyed with how they ended up in the anime right to the movie sigh oh well, that's why we have the power to write, right? To make things happen that we want to happen and that's pretty much the drive of this fic. It's based off of the episodes entitled 'The Bachelor Lieutenant" and "Warehouse 13" which are my absolute fav eps ever (on Flame Alchemist disc, of course ). I own nothing FMA but I really wish I could own Roy...(cuddles Roy plushie) That will have to do. Oh, and the title was based on this song I was listening to the entire time I was writing-Death Cab for Cutie's 'All is Full of Love.' Please R&R.

“All Around You”

By MakoRain

The sun was shining and birds were singing in the lovely spring day that was all around but there sat First Lieutenant Havoc under a tree doing what appeared to be moping. That’s what it looked like from the colonel’s third story Central headquarters office window anyways.

“Does anyone know what’s eating Lieutenant Havoc?”

Lieutenant Hawkeye’s question broke the silence besides the sounds of Colonel Roy Mustang rustling his newspaper at his desk and answered without bothering to turn around.

“Probably got dumped again.”

Hawkeye looked at the back of the man’s head that said this so calmly and felt required to point out something quite obvious in their situation.

“It’s hard balancing this job and a relationship. You have no time and good luck meeting someone worthwhile here.”

Of course, the colonel had an explanation to this ready as always.

“Please. A man should be able to handle both his job and his women. I do.”

Lieutenant Hawkeye refrained from smacking her superior officer upside the back of his head while he sat there smugly proclaiming how easy a love life and job were to balance, instead settling on a quiet chuckle to herself. He did have the decency to look back at her since his hearing was as good as ever but refrained from commenting when he heard the men babbling about something amongst themselves.

“So, Havoc needs a girl. Well, you’ll just have to go find him one.”

Mustang pointed at the three men before him, not including Hawkeye since she was needed for more valuable things than playing match maker amongst the troops as his second in command. Plus, he liked having her close; it made him feel more at ease whenever she was near, though he couldn’t really explain why. He was just used to her having his back… that was it. Even now she was standing behind his chair instead of next to him, comfortable to be helping him behind the scenes; he would always be thankful for that.

“Quit your bickering. Fulman, you’re a capable man. I’m sure you know some cute smart funny girl with a personality for Lieutenant Havoc. Go find her and introduce them.”

Fulman stood with his mouth open, the protest of not even being able to find that kind of girl for himself ready to fall from his lips when Furey added, “She also has to be not likely to cheat on him.”

“Good luck with that.”

Lieutenant Hawkeye swore she heard some scathing remark from the colonel but no one else noticed so she kept it to herself, storing it away to bring it up at a later time when needed.

“Get to it Fulman and report back to me once your mission is complete.”

With a half hearted ‘yes sir’ the man went out the door, practically plowing over Sheska in the hallway. After much begging, she turned him down flat to be Havoc’s girlfriend to easily get this done, using the excuse of a ‘mission’ of more important matters.

Soon the rest of the group followed in Fulman’s steps and left, leaving Mustang and Hawkeye in peace and quite in the empty office. There was paperwork piled on the desk from earlier that week that she swore was due in the records office soon and couldn’t repress an exasperated sigh. Honestly, the man couldn’t get anything work related done on his own without her hovering and pushing him along. It was her place after all, to watch him and make sure the little things got taken care of but sometimes she just wanted to shake him. She settled for scolding him instead.

“Sir, these papers are due in thirty minutes at the records office with your signature and seal.”

“I know, Hawkeye.”

Of course he knew, and yet, there they sat, lacking his name scribbled illegibly on the dotted line.

“I know you know Colonel.” She punctuated this with sliding a pen into his hand and leaning on the desk, watching him sign each and every document with his slanted signature.

He usually couldn’t stand someone hovering over him like the way Riza…Lieutenant Hawkeye did but she was once again an exception on an extremely short list of exceptions. Roy robotically scratched his name into each piece of paper until the pile was dwindling to nothing and he slowed down, knowing that he was going to be on time with this, as he always was with his work whenever Hawkeye was watching out for him.

The last few versions of his name became more and more slanted as he looked up to see her looking down at him intently, watching each mark of the pen, nodding her head when each was done and he noticed it made her hair move in its clip until he looked down to see he’d missed the line the last few times, writing through it instead of on it. Oh well, that’s what he got for not paying attention. When had Riza’s hair grown so much? He all of a sudden wanted to see her hair out of that clip, to watch it flow down her back in that shimmering blonde wave and to be able to touch it…

Roy didn’t even notice he was standing up and facing the lieutenant until her crimson eye blinked and he snapped out of his daydream, mentally slapping himself for thinking such things. She was his second in command for Christ’s sake! A loyal confidant and the closest thing Mustang had to a friend ever since Hughes…he didn’t want to lose her, not for something as foolish as a physical attraction. Wasn’t it she that said there was no one worth while in the military?

Riza looked at the colonel and couldn’t place exactly what it was she saw there but it wasn’t something she was given the privilege to witness before. His forehead creased lost in thought while his mouth did a faint little curve upwards, the nicest smile Roy…Colonel Mustang had ever shared with her. It was a welcomed sight coming from this broken man who had lost his best friend and closest companion only months before yet alone with all the burden of keeping track of the Elric brothers on his shoulders. She had the sudden urge to pick up all of this emotional baggage and make it go away, putting it somewhere out of his reach so he could relax for once. But wait a minute, didn’t he just say not an hour ago that he had his job and his love life balanced, so why did he need her help?

The finished stack of paperwork weighed in her arms reminded her of why he needed her to keep him on top of things. There would be no slacking off in Mustang’s work life while Hawkeye was around and she planned on keeping it that way.

“Sir, I’ll just go deliver these to the records office.”

The question to do so was underlying her words and Mustang nodded in approval, watching her walk with the papers stacked in her arms reaching to her chest and he went and opened the door, rewarded with a smile for his gentlemanly behavior which was all he thought of as she walked down the hallway away from him, the thought of her coming back to him a comforting one indeed.

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It rained most of the day while Fulman was off somewhere continuing his quest to find Havoc a girlfriend and the thought made Roy laugh at his desk while Hawkeye sat at her own, looking up from whatever case file it was she had her nose in to eye the colonel.

Waving her off he returned to looking out the window where the rain wasn’t letting up any but office hours were coming to a close and so Mustang got up from his desk and walked to shrug into his coat. Hawkeye was there, waiting for him with an umbrella of her own and with a smile they headed down the halls to the downpour below.

The streets were smartly deserted on a rainy Saturday afternoon as the two walked down to the parking lot where the car waited. Lieutenant Hawkeye automatically headed for the driver’s side but was stopped with Roy’s hand on her wrist hovering above the door knob.

“Lieutenant, I think I’ll drive if you don’t mind.”

She looked up at him curiously, or as far up as she could with an umbrella obstructing her view. Instead of arguing as to why he would want to drive, Riza only asked, “Are you sure, sir?”

A nod of his head in the affirmative was the only response she received and so headed for the passenger side of the car. Once they were buckled in, Mustang started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, trying to remember which way to take to Hawkeye’s apartment instead of asking her directions like a typical male. Not wanting to inform him without being directly asked as to where to go, Riza averted her gaze from the rain-slicked streets to the steering wheel, watching as the colonel moved his gloved hands over the circle while navigating the car in a more or less correct direction of her residence. The thought of Roy in the rain trying to use his flame alchemy popped into her head and she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face when he yelled at her for kicking his legs out from under him then going on to save his life.

Roy looked over at his first lieutenant in the passenger seat of the car and couldn’t get the picture out of his head as to how wrong this was. Usually she drove him around, so why was he driving? He needed the car for tomorrow night; he had a date and didn’t want them to walk all the way to the theater. That was the reasoning his mind went through but it didn’t even sound genuine in his head. Riza’s smile caught his attention and realized he didn’t really get to see her smile that often, not in the line of work they had. She looked so peaceful and happy smiling that he wanted to know what it was that she was thinking, maybe he could join in on the inside joke.

But he never got the chance to ask as her apartment complex came into view and Roy directed the vehicle to her side of the street, pulling up close to the curb to avoid the chance of her stepping in any puddles. Wait…why would he care about that?

Soon she had her hand on the door, moving towards the door to exit the car when Roy moved over, leaning a bit into the passenger side to wave goodbye or something before she turned around and was face to face with the colonel, their noses almost touching.

Moments passed that felt like hours while they sat a breath apart before Mustang had the decency to lean back to his position behind the steering wheel which he now held firmly in his hands.

“Have a nice day off tomorrow, Riza.”

She blinked at how informally he addressed her but she liked how he said her name, how it naturally fell from his lips. That’s the only reason she did what she did next… it had to be.

“As well for you, Roy.”

There was that half smirk, half grin again that could annoy the hell out of her and yet make her relax at the same time. How could it be that one facial movement could have her overthinking so much? With that last thought pushed to the back of her mind, Riza closed the car door and headed to her doorstep, umbrella in hand, watching as Roy watched her get into her apartment safely before driving off into the rainy night.

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The next day held no signs of rain without a cloud in the sky and sunlight peering through the closed drapes of Hawkeye’s bedroom window.

“No, stop that.”

The covers moved around her and she tried to make herself more comfortable.

“You’re so bad.”

She giggled in her sleep, lost in her dream.

“That tickles.”

It was Sunday morning which was her day to sleep in but here she was technically up a full hour before she had to be all because of a dream…and a puppy not helping any under the covers licking at her toes.

Black Hayate didn’t see anything wrong with this and the fact that Riza’s dream had been very pleasant was the only thing keeping her in a good mood to not punish the pup. He went through his morning routine of commands before breakfast and she sat at the kitchen table, holding a cup of coffee she rarely sipped from, instead thinking of her dream. It was a bit hazy but she remembered being very pleased with who she was with and what they were doing…more so as to what he was doing to her. Hawkeye sighed and instead of dwelling on the dream and only a dream for the morning, she got dressed and went down to the market.

It was a nice enough day that she wore a sleeveless top and a conservative skirt for once instead of those regulation uniform pants with her hair down and smiled a bit as she noticed males eying her as she passed. She knew she was pretty but she had to hide most of her feminine qualities underneath that uniform that showed nothing of her curves and that clip that hid how long her hair had grown since she had been assigned to Central at Colonel Mustang’s side. It was her day off after all and so she deserved to relax a little.

The fruit was fresh this morning and while she was deciding between apples and oranges, a tall figure walked up beside her. Choosing to ignore it at the moment, she went to step aside until his hand shot out and landed on her shoulder. Checking her reflex to flip him over (there was no need for her to be attacked in broad daylight) she turned on her heel and cam face to face with…

“Fulman?”

His hand dropped from her shoulder as if the contact with her skin had burned him before turning an astonished face on her.

“Lieutenant Hawkeye…is that you?” His baffled expression had her torn between feeling complimented and being insulted.

“Yes it is.” That was a better alternative to the other options.

“Wow, I mean…how are you today, Lieutenant?” Fulman scratched his head in an awkward nervous sort of way before joining her side as she walked on to another vender.

“I’m fine, thank you. What are you doing here, Fulman? Don’t you have duties today?”

He stopped shifting from foot to foot long enough to look her in the eye before words actually babbled from his mouth.

“Actually Lieutenant, I’m here on a mission.”

“And that would be?”

“Finding Havoc a girlfriend, ma’am.”

Riza stopped and blinked at the major for a few moments before recalling the colonel’s ridiculous request of Fulman yesterday. She didn’t think he would actual follow through with it, and it seemed he hadn’t…yet.

“Alright Fulman, carry on then.” And with that she walked away, heading towards some cucumbers when a hand was on her shoulder once again. He better not hope he’s that stupid, she thought as she turned around to see none other than Havoc.

“Lieutenant Havoc.” She had recovered herself well enough to not sound as shocked as she was to see him. Why was he there?

“Lieutenant Hawkeye, ma’am. How are you today?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

There was awkward silence as Havoc stood in front of her, looking really nervous for some reason. Just before she could walk off with a ‘good day,’ he was by her side.

“Let me carry those for you, Hawkeye.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” She replied guardedly, not wanting to think exactly what Havoc wanted on her day off of all days.

They walked to her apartment in silence, the sounds of their footsteps on cobblestones and the occasional bird chirping the only thing filling the uncomfortable lack of communication. Finally, they reached her apartment, and just as she was about to escape into its safety with her groceries, Havoc spoke. Of course, he had to speak now.

“Lieutenant Hawkeye, it would give me great pleasure to take you out on a date this evening.”

He even added a little bow that had Riza smiling but not enough to actually consider dating a colleague. Havoc was nice enough but she worked with him every day. What if it didn’t work out and she would have to see his face in the office, they wouldn’t be able to avoid each other. This was the main reason she was against dating anyone in the military…it made things much too complicated. Even if she could give reason to it, she would never be able to give her all to him, not when a part of her was somewhere else.

“Havoc, I’m sorry but I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

That had to be the record on going from a smile to frown as Havoc looked dejectedly at her before trying to walk casually away without saying another word with his tail between his legs and what was left of his pride. She couldn’t let him leave like that; she was a human being after all and so called out his name. At least that made him stop and turn around so she wouldn’t feel obligated to chase him to give him a decent explanation.

“Havoc, I’d like to offer you an explanation.”

He wasn’t looking at her anymore, instead muttering something about ‘just like Grace.’ Who the hell was Grace?

“It’s quite alright Lieutenant Hawkeye, I understand.” His voice held a hint of bitterness that she didn’t feel she deserved. All she had done was turn him down for one lousy date for crying out loud. It’s not like she broke his heart, unless he was that fragile. He didn’t belong in the military if that were the case.

“I don’t think you do.”

Havoc then had the nerve to cut her off with a wave of his hand, an all too familiar gesture she was used to and accepted from only one person and one alone. She was too stunned to run after him and beat him down. Her guns were inside so that was out (she felt no need to carry them on her day off). With a sigh, she opened the door and went inside to her ever empty apartment and closed the day on her day off, cleaning her guns for comfort.

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“Colonel Mustang, I have completed my mission.”

“What?” It was too early in the morning for this, with the singing from last night’s theater date still ringing through his slightly vodka soaked brain.

“My mission sir.”

At the colonel’s blank look, Fulman went on to explain.

“To find Havoc a girlfriend, sir.”

Ah, yes, now he remembered. “Oh, and who is the lucky lady?”

“Riza, sir.”

“That’s nice.” Wait a minute…either Roy’s hearing was off or he had heard her name.

“What?”

The glare Mustang gave Fulman caused him to stand straight at attention and salute as he said more clearly, “First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, sir.”

“That was not your mission objective, Fulman.”

“But sir, you said…” Oh great, now he’ll start babbling.

“I said to find Havoc a cute smart funny girl with a personality. Not Lieutenant Hawkeye.”

“Colonel, Riza is all that.”

Yes but that’s not the point! Mustang’s mind screamed and he had to move or he would light something on fire. Pacing the office helped a bit…not much, but it was enough to keep from yelling louder at Fulman.

“Lieutenant Hawkeye, Fulman, is a woman Havoc could never handle. Did she agree to this?”

The last question was an afterthought, something he never should have voiced but he wanted to know, oh he wanted to know if Riza would go out with someone in the military…especially of Havoc’s status.

“Well…”

Before Fulman could answer, the office door opened and in walked Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, complete in standard navy uniform and hair clipped back. Damn how Mustang wanted to see her in a mini skirt. The men stood in awkward silence, no longer able to talk about her with her being in the room like that and she picked up on how quiet they became by breaking the silence with a question.

“Did I miss something, gentlemen?”

“No ma’am,” Fulman said quickly, making a mad dash for the exit while Mustang glared at him from behind.

Traitor. Roy had half a mind to snap his fingers and fry him but the other half was on this new predicament with Riza…Lieutenant Hawkeye. Why was it that he couldn’t keep that simple fact straight anymore? Mustang ran his hands through his hair as inconspicuously as possible while turning to face his desk and look out the windows, not wanting to face Hawkeye at the moment.

“Colonel?” she asked, looking from the door which Fulman hastily exited to Mustang who looked a bit…stressed.

“So, how was your day off, Lieutenant Hawkeye?”

Why, why why did he have to ask that? He didn’t want to know, for it had to have been yesterday that all of this had happened, unless it was right after he dropped her off that rainy day. Had it been that night? The questions nagged in his brain but Mustang tried to ignore them, stuffing his gloved hands in his pockets for a sense of self control.

Wonder what happened…did Fulman do something stupid again? Hawkeye thought as she walked closer behind Mustang before answering calmly.

“It was fine, Mustang…thank you for asking.”

Should she give him the common courtesy by asking him the same thing? It was his day off after all too, he probably did something, eligible bachelor that he is. That last thought forced Hawkeye to shake her head furiously, not wanting it in there ever again. Thankfully he spoke again before she could decide.

“That’s nice…nothing out of the ordinary?”

His voice held an edge of panic that only he could hear and all that she should be hearing was the calm collected Mustang inquiring about his subordinate’s leisure time, or at least he hoped. She was awful close to him, always standing a couple feet in some vicinity around him. Even now he could sense her, inches behind him and so he didn’t turn around, waiting to hear her answer before moving again.

“Come to think of it sir, I did have an encounter with Lieutenant Havoc in the market. He seems to be doing better.”

Why did she say that? To maybe point out that she had a social life too? But with Havoc? No, not with any other military officers, she didn’t need that drama added to her life that was already more complicated than she would have liked.

Mustang closed his eyes, trying to think past her sentence. So they had been together on Sunday. Well, Fulman did his job, but that didn’t mean the colonel was going to let him get away burn free.

“Then Fulman completed his mission I take it?”

That was something she hadn’t expected.

“I would not know sir, I suggest you ask him yourself.”

All of this guess work was fraying at Hawkeye’s patience and that was saying something, seeing that her superior officer and the man she swore to protect would do anything and everything but she’d never completely lose her patience. He was sure testing her today though.

“Earlier, before you had walked in, he had announced his mission complete. He found Havoc a girlfriend.”

Hawkeye was going to make him say it, wasn’t she? Was this punishment for looking at her every now and then, thinking thoughts that she would have probably shot him for more times than he’d like to admit? Roy decided the best way to finish this was cold and detached, stick to the facts, business as usual, which held even after he turned around and faced her, practically sitting on the desk to not be so close to her.

“Well, congratulations to Havoc for finding a girlfriend and to Fulman for completing his individual assignment.”

Riza really had no idea why he was looking at her so cold, so detached, so business as usual but it was more than that, it was like he was hiding everything from her. His eyes were hard, black as obsidian, shining with guarded emptiness instead of the fire deep within him that kept him going even after Hughes’ death.

“Sir…are you alright?”

“Of course I am, why wouldn’t I be?” Mustang accompanied these words with a shrug as if to say nothing could be wrong, but then why was he acting like this?

Before she could get the words out however, there was a knock at the door that caused both the colonel and first lieutenant to step away from each other as if they were doing something wrong.

“Okay, let’s get this reporting business over with…” Edward Elric mumbled walking into Colonel Mustang’s office which just so happened to be one of his most unfavorite places. By the looks of things, it was a place no one wanted to be at the moment, judging from the faces and postures of his fellow officers.

“Maybe I should just come back-”

“That’s quite alright Edward, I was just on my way to retrieve some more paperwork for the colonel.” Hawkeye responded smoothly but all too quickly for Ed’s comfort, watching her bustle past him and out the door.

“Okay, Lieutenant.”

Well, Ed was lost, but that wasn’t the first time in the goings on of the military. Still, he caught a glimpse of something in Mustang he had never seen before…something like anxiety? Over what? Ed followed the man’s line of sight to the closed door and cursed to himself silently. I knew I shouldn’t have interrupted.

“What was that?” Mustang snapped, hearing part of what Ed had said aloud. That man has the hearing of a dog.

“Nothing, sir. Colonel, is everything alright?”

Ed was given a view of Mustang’s back as he turned to the window once again, ignoring the younger man’s question completely.

“You have a report to make, Elric.”

Sheesh, this military stuff has someone in a twist, Ed thought to himself before doing his duty for once. “Yes, sir.”

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Ooooo, that man could be so testing sometimes! Riza thought, walking down the hallway at a brisk pace and not noticing an oncoming person until it was too late. Papers were flying and fluttering down around the two as they lay in an undignified heap in the middle of the floor, making Hawkeye curse silently and apologize out loud while the young man continued to fumble about with bits of ‘sorries’ here and there.

“Havoc?” Hawkeye asked, finally seeing the man’s face after the run in.

“Lieutenant Hawkeye, sir, I mean ma’am…I mean, here, let me help you up.”

He offered his hand which Riza gratefully took, brushing the dust off of her uniform once on her feet to look presentable again.

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

“Do-don’t mention it, ma’am.” Havoc stuttered bashfully and…was he blushing? What in the world? Ah, that reminded her…

“I hear you have found yourself a special someone. Congratulations.”

That made his face turn redder than before if possible. “You really think so, Lieutenant? Gosh, I’m flattered.”

Oooookaaaayyyy then…

“I wish you and this woman happiness, Lieutenant.”

With papers finally in hand, she turned off and started walking down the hallway once again until she almost ran into-

“Alphonse?”

Thankfully he stopped himself and her along with him, placing his hands on her shoulders to cease the pain of colliding with the metal suit of armor.

“Hello Lieutenant Hawkeye. How are you doing today?”

“Fine, thank you.” He really was a nice kid, until he started looking guilty of something as he did now.

“What is it, Al?”

“Oh, nothing nothing at all.”

“Tell me you didn’t smuggle another kitten in here. You remember what happened last time.” It was a rather funny memory come to think of it, watching the colonel and Full Metal battle it out. Roy got out of control as always…Colonel Mustang, that is.

“No, of course not, I promised I wouldn’t.”

“Good…then again I will ask, what would you like to ask? I can see the question in your eyes.”

Alphonse had the decency to look abashed and lowered his head, letting her know full well she was right on the dot. And yet he still denied it.

“It’s nothing really, none of my business.”

He really was the worst liar imaginable. Of course he was no match for her ‘no more games’ glare, to which he crumbled in record time.

“It’s just…Riza, you look unhappy.”

She felt her eyebrows rise in surprise before she could control the reaction to his caring words. Hawkeye let her guard fall back into place, however, wanting to know how Al could tell but not wanting to give him more to think about either. He really was a good kid with too much on his mind already.

“Thank you for your concern, Alphonse, but I’m happy. I’m at a job I love, doing what I love for the man I lo-ok after.” Oh no, that was too close…what was I thinking? What was I about to say?

“Speaking of the colonel…”

“He’s all yours.”

Hawkeye turned around and looked down to see Edward exiting Mustang’s office. How ironic those two boys were, brothers together till the end. It was almost touching…almost, if it weren’t for Edward being in the military ranking above her. No personal attachments, even if these boys were where they didn’t belong on a quest that could only bring them more danger the farther they went. Ha, no personal attachments…

Riza shook her head to clear her thoughts, getting over cluttered again with nonsense that lead to bad judgments while Ed’s eyes stayed on her.

“Lieutenant, are you okay? You seem a little…pale.”

“See, I told you.” Al had to add in, making it noted that he did have an original thought before his brother picked up on it.

“Boys, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I told you, I’m fine.”

“Maybe you’re getting what Mustang has…he doesn’t look too well either. You two should just call it a day and go home to rest.”

Ed looked over at his brother who was nodding merrily at this idea.

“Thank you for the concern, boys, but I’m feeling as healthy as ever. Now, if you’ll excuse me…” Hawkeye tried to maneuver past them and Ed was no problem, it was Al with his size that got in her way, blocking her from the safety of Mustang’s office door.

“Just think about what I asked, will you Riza? And don’t lie to yourself…you’re almost as bad at it as I am.”

With a smile and a nod, Al followed after his brother who was calling him further down the hallway, always following Ed to the end. It brought a smile to her face as she let her hand rest on the doorknob until Al’s question came back.

Am I happy?

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The day with its overcast sky reflected the mood Hawkeye was cast into for the rest of the office hours. With Mustang mindlessly going through paperwork again, she was given time with her thoughts. She still wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not; too much thinking was a double-edged sword after all, leading to missing the obvious or breaking apart something that was so simple and perfect to begin with until it’s nothing but a pile of rubble.

Soon the rain started, and Hawkeye took her ever faithful place at Mustang’s right hand…well, more like right shoulder as she stood to the side while he continued on with his work. It made her proud to see him working so hard; he really would make a great Furher some day.

“Hawkeye, are you alright?”

Roy’s voice broke through her clouded mind and reached the anger at its core, his words all too familiar today.

“Why does everyone keep asking me that? Do I not look alright?”

It was the most she had showed of her impatience and vulnerability towards him in a long time, not since the tragedies of earlier. She didn’t want to bury him with her burdens, not when he had so much to bear already.

Mustang had the decency to look taken aback at her sudden words but didn’t help any when he went on to ask his next question.

“I just thought you might be happier.”

Again with the happiness. Instead of giving in to the urge to shake him by the shoulders and demand what the hell did her happiness matter, nor pacing the room to show and relieve her nervous tension, she settled for crossing her arms over her chest, patting the trusty handgun at her side holster.

“Happier for why, sir?” She sighed, her only sign of impatience at the moment.

Roy blinked, not wanting to look hurt at her innocence of what he already knew, that she couldn’t trust him to consult with on the matters wounded his pride a little. Was she trying to protect him? Well, she always protected him, but this was of a different matter…didn’t she think he could handle the truth? He wanted to be there for her, but with all the thoughts of her running through his mind and her playing naïve, she was making it damn hard on him.

“How long have we worked together, Hawkeye?”

“About four years, sir.”

“Do you feel you can trust me, after all this time?” His voice was wary, and she didn’t know if she should answer but it was automatic, out of her mouth in an instant.

“I trust you with my life, Colonel.”

Roy sighed, running a hand over his face. She would always play the faithful soldier, the dutiful officer who would do whatever her superior told her to, but he wasn’t asking his soldier…he was asking his bodyguard and close friend.

“Then please, just tell me what’s going on?”

Riza looked at Roy, this man whom she had known for years and yet had never seen this vulnerable towards her, in regards to her, for her. It was a nice side to see of the Colonel Roy Mustang known as bachelor, arrogant, egotistical but a damn good leader. A man she admired being under. Wait, that sounded wrong.

Her eyes blinking away these thoughts, she focused once again on him and smiled faintly.

“I’d tell you if I knew, Colonel.” Believe me, I would.

“Okay Hawkeye, have it your way.” He said with a sigh, sitting down at his desk which had a fresh stack of papers awaiting his signature. His work was never done.

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“Colonel!”

The door to Mustang’s office slammed open with the force of his trusty soldiers especially assigned to him. By trusty soldiers, we mean bumbling idiots tripping over themselves to get inside the safety of the office before slamming the door shut and collapsing at their designated desks.

Hawkeye threw out a hand just in time to stop the pile of papers Mustang had just finished from flying everywhere at once. He had the same idea as their hands landed on the pile together, both ignoring the other to take in the sight before them.

The two superior officers eyed the party calmly, blinking while they started to breathe normally again before she decided to break the silence.

“Is everything alright?”

Lieutenant Havoc looked up from his hands that were holding his body up on the desk from collapsing quickly trying to cover up his exertion. Mustang had to hide an eye roll at that.

“Don’t worry….R-R-Riza…we have it…under…c-c-ontrol.”

Her eyes narrowed at how informal the wheezing man was being and felt heat resonate from the hand now resting next to hers on the stack of papers. The paper grew hot under her touch and she tapped his fingers, letting him know this, not wanting the newly finished papers, or herself, or the others, to burst into flame and turn to ash with the rest of the office.

Quickly his hand went away to the safety of his pocket where it would most unlikely shoot flames at Havoc. Thankfully, she was left to deal with blond that had hair she just wanted to smooth down every time she saw him.

“You’re hyperventilating, Havoc.” Riza looked at her watch to see what time it was for reference and stated calmer than she felt. “At eleven o’clock at night.”

“That’s right. Why are you two still here?” Furey spoke up for once, the only one not out of breath for being so small and running faster than the rest. He probably got good use of those legs in high school escaping bullies, Hawkeye thought riley while eyeing the little man. He was more of a kid than a man, with his thick rimmed glasses and boyish face. It was a good thing he was smart or he would never make it in the military.

“The colonel was finishing his paperwork.”

“Then why are you still here, Lieutenant?”

“To make sure he finished his paperwork.” Hawkeye stated matter-of-factly, and the men shut their mouths, knowing it was the truth. The colonel never got anything done if he didn’t have to unless Hawkeye was there, watching him like a hawk, so to speak.

“Great, then you can help us too.” Fulman said, standing straight and tall now that he wasn’t about to pass out from whatever it was that had the men running to their leader.

“Help with what?” Mustang asked before Hawkeye could voice the same thought.

“Colonel, there’s something out there.”

“What?” Mustang asked in a bored voice, wanting to get this over with so he could take Riza home. To her house. And himself to his. Yeah, that’s what he meant.

“Ghosts.” Furey said, partially hiding behind the bulk of Brada to disguise the fact that he was shaking like a leaf.

“Please. What ghosts? The dead stay dead, Furey.”

Mustang waved the thought away with his hand, not wanting to think about the dead, not tonight.

“But Colonel, we saw it. We saw the haunted warehouse.”

“Warehouse 13.” Fulman added in a hollow voice.

“A warehouse 13, huh? I’m pretty sure that according to the records the military has only twelve warehouses.” Hawkeye pointed out, breaking through with reason.

“There may only be twelve now, but sometimes a thirteenth appears.” Brada said smugly, shaking his head at her before turning to the rest of the group who dutifully went into full blown theatrics.

“They say this warehouse shows up on the old execution grounds where thousands have been killed.” Fulman said.

Brada took over again, this time making slashing motions with his hands, as if he were the dead digging through the ground himself. “They say when darkness falls the building rises from the bloodsoaked soil.”

“And you can hear the ghosts of the executed clawing their way to the surface. Slash. Slash.” Furey added helpfully, leading to the group to actively become the living dead and annoy Mustang accordingly.

“Did you ever stop to think that it’s because you live in this state of fear that you imagine seeing things? Your minds are playing tricks on you.” Mustang mused, trying to make his men think logical for once instead of like the pansies they were being and shrugged at Hawkeye who had been wise in keeping quiet during this exchange.

“Doesn’t anything scare you, sir?” Brada asked in awe.

With a quick glance at Hawkeye out of his eye, the colonel answered bravely, “Of course not, I’m a trained alchemist after all.” Looking at her revolver at her side, Mustang thought about that for a moment. Unless it was Hawkeye and her guns I was up against.

“We look at things in a rational manner and there’s nothing rational about ghost stories.”

By this time the colonel was walking over to the closet, grabbing his and Lieutenant Hawkeye’s coats. After helping her into it, he shrugged into his own and headed for the door. But of course they weren’t left alone as the group of children followed them down the hallway, twittering away about ghosts.

“We saw it with our own eyes and we’re not the only ones. I’ve heard stories all over headquarters.” Furey mumbled pitifully behind him, getting on Roy’s nerves even more if possible as Hawkeye had the nerve to grin at this silly conversation. If her smile wasn’t so cute he’d reprimand her for it..

“What is this, a children’s slumber party?” He asked aloud and Hawkeye was the one to answer him.

“Well, sir, if they are living in fear, they most certainly are getting less work done. Their lack of a spine reflects on you, Colonel.”

When she’s right, she’s right, Roy thought before addressing his staff again.

“You superstitious nitwits need someone to give you a reality check and it might as well be me.”

“Really boss? Did you hear that guys, the colonel is willing to help us with our midnight stake out.” Brada said proudly, beaming behind Mustang.

“He’s a noble leader, always looking out for his men.” Fulman gushed, making Roy blush a little to Riza’s amazement.

“What a relief, if the colonel’s with us there’s no way we’ll be in danger.” Furey added with a thankful sigh, wiping Roy’s blush away and replacing it with a look of astonishment.

“Wait a minute, what stakeout?”

Now Hawkeye had to hide her smile, holding the colonel’s finished papers in front of her face.

Brada, always ready to defend his case of this warehouse thirteen stated, “Our mission is to prove whether or not warehouse 13 is real.”

“And you said you would give us a reality check.” Fulman added, throwing the colonel’s words back in his face.

Dumbfounded, Mustang mumbled, “Well, yeah, that’s what I said…”

With tears in his eyes, Furey proclaimed, “I have to go by there every night on my way home and it’s eating away at my insides” and on and on he went but Roy had stopped listening, trying to make his eye stop twitching. How the hell had Furey gotten into the military in the first place?

Lieutenant Hawkeye looked at Furey pitifully, giving the colonel her most apathetic look while motioning at the sobbing man before him. He is one of your men, after all, is what her eyes said and he was caving, she could see it.

“All right, fine. Go get your car, Hawkeye and I will lead you there and clear up this fairy-tale of the ghost warehouse 13.” Looking over at Hawkeye, he smirked and said, “You didn’t think you were getting out of this, did you, Lieutenant?”

“Of course not sir, I’m just not sure what I’m needed for.”

“To keep me from losing my patience and making my men disappear to never be seen like this warehouse13,” Roy answered calmly, so much so that Riza had to look at his face to note that he was joking. Of course, one never knows with Colonel Mustang.

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Nearly half an hour later the troops make their way to the military warehouses, Mustang unhappy the entire ride there.

“Damn it, I still don’t have to see why I have to go along on their stupid little midnight ghost hunt.”

Neither do I, Hawkeye thought as she listened to the colonel complaining while driving them onward.

“Because they admire you more than you realize.” We all do, she added silently in her head, keeping her eyes on the road so as not to glance at him and give any hint at to how true her words were.

“What good is admiration from other men?”

It was a good thing the colonel was leaning against the window and paying no attention to her side of the car as her eyebrows went up…or so she thought since he was peeking at her out of the corner of his eye. Surely he knew he was admired by women as well…how could he not, seeing that he was surrounded by them on a regular basis, Hawkeye thought more bitterly than she should. She had no reason to be jealous, she told herself. It was always her that was by his side, protecting him, there until the end which would be a hell of a lot longer than if she wasn’t there every step of the way.

“They’re soldiers. How are they going to deal with living breathing people when they are afraid of the dead?” He grew quiet and she looked over, his gaze somewhere ahead of them in the distance.

The street lamps along the sides of the road threw his face into alternating shadow and brilliance and she caught sight of that look again. He was thinking of something that was pleasant and yet not, Riza deciphered, his face taking on a wistful yet pained expression. It was hard to tell in the changing contrast.

She was right as Mustang kept his eyes on the road, thinking of his good friend Hughes while trying not to look at her. It was almost as if he was there, telling Roy to stop debating this admiration for Riza and to just go for it. He was always the one to help him along and obtain his goal. Best not stop know, Roy thought, a ghost of a smile on his lips.

“Like I was saying, it’s always a lot scarier dealing with the living. Give me a ghost to talk to any day.”

That same small smile stayed on the colonel’s face Hawkeye noticed until their party joined them at the warehouse ground entrance, where his men were shivering in what she hoped was the chill night air and not fear over something that didn’t exist.

“This is ridiculous! Five grown men and one woman (Roy gave Riza a look to note he included her) trying to sneak a peak at a ghost on their night off.”

“By ridiculous you mean scary?” Furey said, hiding behind Fullman. Hawkeye shook her head at this remark. She never would understand that boy.

“Well it means a lot to us you coming out, Colonel.” Brada complimented, as if that could make up for this mess.

“I’m sure it does. Let’s just hurry so I can sleep.”

There was no sound but the wind whispering through the trees while the group walked along the route to the warehouse yard. As they moved onward the path got darker and darker until they found themselves plunged in complete darkness with no lamp posts lit. It was at that specific moment that the wind decided to howl and rustle the leaves, scraping at their feet along the ground and casting shadows eerily along the buildings when the moon decided to pear through the cloudy night sky.

“Oh yeah, did I tell you that the lights are out from this point on?” Furey said in a small voice, barely heard above the sudden gusts of wind.

Mustang looked around, Hawkeye watching him observe the darkened surroundings before losing his patience and cursing “What the hell has the maintenance staff been doing?”

The warm glow of a lantern was produced at the colonels’ angry outburst with a smug Brada announcing, “And Brada said, let there be light.”

I could do the same thing to you, make you a human torch, Mustang thought bitterly as he took the lantern and Furey shrieked at his side. Roy rubbed his temple, trying to remember that once this was done, he had something else to take care of. A glance at Riza reminded him how much he was looking forward to that something else.

“It’s just a shadow, you moron.” He said, giving in to his urge to hit Furey upside the head, hoping that would shut the young man up once and for all.

“Yeah calm down, shadows can be your friend, Furey. Look, I’m a cute little puppy dog.” Fulman said, babying the younger man and making a shadow of a dog from his hand until the flames jumped and made big monster like shadows in the puppy’s place. As the group of men started screaming, Hawkeye shook her head, truly not understanding how these boys could be under the colonel’s private staff. As if reading her thoughts, Mustang spoke.

”Stop freaking out! How did I ever get such a pathetic staff?” He grumbled over his shoulder, making sure to give Riza a nod of his head to show he did not include her in this idiocy. He really didn’t need to; she knew what he meant as always and kept pace next to him while the boys lagged behind.

“We’ll stop freaking out when things stop being so scary. Wait, don’t leave us Colonel!”

There was a rushing sound and soon the two officers leading the group were surrounded by the shuddering staff, clinging to random parts of Hawkeye’s and Mustang’s uniforms. Hawkeye tried to nicely remove the random hands while the colonel practically threw their hands back at them, almost knocking Brada over in the process.

The First Lieutenant almost had to resort to that level of force herself with Havoc gripping her arm and moving down to her hand. Shaking it did nothing to loosen his grip and so she tried another approach, squeezing it until she could feel his bone pop and he let go as if he burned her. The look from Colonel Mustang could have done just that if Hawkeye hadn’t taken the lead and walked ahead of the group, stopping in front of the last warehouse.

When Mustang reached her, he ignored her and instead turned to the empty lot next to warehouse 12.

“This, Ladies, is the twelfth and final warehouse. And over there is nothing but open space. So where is your phantom thirteenth warehouse?”

“Maybe it’s a warehouse like a werewolf and it needs a full moon…” As soon as the words escaped Furey’s mouth, the clouds parted to reveal a full moon that had the men shrieking like little girls which earned him another slap upside the head.

“Give it up, Furey.” Mustang said through clenched teeth, wanting this hell to just end with the shrieking and the make believe ghosts. Idiots.

Hawkeye looked ahead of the group to the next set of warehouses lined in front of them; A, B, C, D and so on. Hmmm…it wouldn’t surprise her really if that’s what they saw.

“Gentlemen. Take a look over there. That letter B looks an awful lot like the number thirteen.”

The others glance in her direction, blinking a few times in the dark to focus.

“I guess I see how you could make that mistake.” Brada announced, braver than need be.

“So you misread it thanks to the darkness and your own fears,” the colonel stated, coming to stand by Hawkeye and give her a half smile, his silent thank you to her for taking care of things as usual. All of this was lost on the others, as most things were.

“I guess that’s better than the alternative.” Fulman said, scratching his head while nervously looking around.

“I told you it was a figment of your own imaginations.” Mustang stated, once again pointing out that he was right and had been all along.

“But what about the ghosts?” Furey shuddered beside him, really pushing the colonel on his last nerve.

“They don’t exist either, Furey.”

“Oh good. Starting tomorrow I can take my normal way home again.” He sounded so relieved that Hawkeye felt better for the boy, but still smiled with the colonel’s sarcastic remark.

“We are all happy for you. Can we go now?” Mustang’s eyes landed on Riza and she could swear there was a twinkle in them…or maybe it was a trick of the light. That’s right, just a trick of the light, like Fulman’s dog shadow and the phantom warehouse thirteen. There was nothing special behind that look or Roy’s half smile, nothing at all.

The men’s bickering was a slight buzz behind the colonel, his thoughts on the woman at his side and soon to be other places until his eyes landed on the empty lot and noticed something…not right. He stopped abruptly, peering at the dirt and commented to the group at large.

“You see that?”

“See what?” Furey asked, never paying attention as usual.

“Fulman.”

“Yes sir.” Fulman dutifully got on his knees in the dirt, looking closer and seeing that indeed the ground had been most recently dug in. Moving the earth around a bit he produced something that made the others gasp.

“Yeah, it’s a bone.” Before the boys could fully freak out, Roy tried to pull them in with some sense of logic that hopefully would not be lost on them.

“Pull it together. Even if this was where they executed people, they would not have buried them here. This is more likely the work of a murderer. I think this bone is more likely the evidence of a crime that someone would have liked to have forgotten. But what killer in their right mind would sneak onto military soil to dump a body?”

As Roy continued to ponder aloud, Hawkeye took the bone from Fulman and studied it further while the boys were in a rush to follow orders.

“Our mission objective is to identify who our victim was, where they came from, and, if we can, how they died.”

“Colonel,” Riza called from the sidelines, bone still in hand. “That won’t be necessary.”

The boys dropped their shovels and looked at Lieutenant Hawkeye expectantly as she shed light on this murder mystery.

“I can answer your questions.”

The boys gasped behind Mustang, while he just raised an eyebrow in Hawkeye’s direction. There was no way she could hide something this big, not his…First Lieutenant.

“The victim was approximately ten pounds, purchased from the poultry counter at the local market in Central at a bargain for two dollars a pound as my dinner last night.”

“Then why would a bone…?” Furey mused just as a small figure walked out of the shadows and made him shriek and jump about a mile in the air before Roy could smack him again.

The closer the form got, the more shape it took on and soon could be seen as none other than Black Hayate, holding yet another bone in his mouth leftover from his breakfast that morning which was actually Riza’s left over dinner. He calmly walked among the men still in the dirt, almost falling over with their shovels as the young dog dug a hole and dropped his bone in before covering it up with a few shakes of his hind legs. Seeing his master, Black Hayate scampered over to stand at Hawkeye’s side, her smile turning to a look of wonder as all eyes turned to her dog and then to her, scaring the pup into hiding behind her legs.

“Well, I can’t say I was expecting that.” Mustang said softly, his eye twitching with the waste of time that had been tonight. At least it was done as the group walked ahead of Roy and Riza, casting glares in the small dog’s direction on their way home.

“I don’t understand their problem, he’s just a pup,” Hawkeye said, giving a little nod of her head to signal Black Hayate it was time to go and he started walking softly beside her, Mustang on her other side.

“He did cause more trouble than was needed,” he replied, looking down at the dog and smiling none the less…it was just so damn cute and he was a dog lover after all.

“It could also be that you overreacted,” Hawkeye said, turning from the black of the pup to the black of Roy’s eyes, shining in the light of the momentary moon. She had to look away and remember to breathe before she could concentrate again.

“Over react? How did I over react?” He stated with dignity as the trio climbed into the car, Roy taking control of the driving once again as she slide in the passenger side, Black Hayate getting the liberty of riding in her lap even after all the trouble he caused. Lucky dog, Roy thought. Oh great, now I’m jealous of a dog. How low can I go?

It seemed Roy had a ways to go to reach bottom as he pet the dog absentmindedly and drove while Riza sat quietly on her side of the car, watching him. He really was a good man. He’d make a nice father some day. Where had that thought come from? She closed her eyes, trying to think of anything but how kind and gentle her superior officer was being to her dog sitting on her lap. Roy pet his paws and got dangerously close to her knee, making her look at his hand and then back up at him when he finally noticed what he was doing and moved his hands away slowly. She needed to get out of this car…fast.

Just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore, being this close to him was testing her limits, Riza saw her building and sighed inside. The car pulled up to the curb and Black Hayate wagged his tail against Mustang’s hand and soon she was dogless, the little mutt jumping to Roy’s lap and out his car door once it was opened. Traitor, she thought jealously, the dog was getting more times with Roy’s hands than she ever had. What the hell was that? Bad Riza, bad bad bad.

She mentally reprimanded herself over and over as she followed Roy to her steps and walked ahead, turning to see him uncomfortably within her personal space. Riza looked up into Roy’s eyes, no longer hard like obsidian but a nice warm charcoal, the fire within softening them and she felt herself pulled toward him.

Roy couldn’t think as Riza’s warm crimson eyes locked with his, the squirming pup escaping to land at their feet. His first instinct was to step back, say good night to her from a safe distance but just then the wind blew strong and he was against her, looking into those eyes and feeling as if he could fall into them and never be found. It didn’t sound so bad at the moment, her lips so soft looking and mere centimeters away.

Riza backed away as much as she could which wasn’t much, considering the door to her place was against her back. Her head rest against the solid wood, holding her steady and just as she was about to turn around, the wind hit Roy and he hit her, pressing her against the door. As she started to move him back a bit, their eyes connected again and Black Hayate was at her heels, pushing his head against her as if to say “go for it.”

Roy smiled, Riza smiled, and all thoughts of how they worked together, how he was her superior, how relationships in the military being too hard to come by, how much effort it required, vanished with the whisper of lips, a ghost of a kiss that pressed her to the door, enveloping her entire body in its heat. Roy’s arms were on either side of her figure, trapping her against the door but she didn’t care, she had no intent of running, not from him or this love she had for him any longer.

He could see it in her eyes, the same feeling he had been trying to hide for years now that he finally gave into and felt his whole body add to the kiss, his hands in her hair and releasing it from that bothersome clip, letting it flow freely through his hands. She tasted sweet, like vanilla with a hint of rain as his tongue licked her lips and they parted, letting him in to explore more of her, of what he had been denied for so long.

It was as if his fire ignited her entire being, his tongue stroking the flame from her mouth reaching to her heart and soul and she sighed into his lips, his warmth tasting so good. Cinnamon greeted her taste buds as his tongue slid along hers, deepening their connection. How could she have gone on working with this man and not known this?

Eventually they parted, oxygen becoming a limiting factor as they smiled like crazy at each other and then he caught his breath while she was taking air in slowly.

“Riza…may I come in?”

Hawkeye’s smile reached her eyes and her response came out in a shudder of breath.

“Of course, Roy.”

And his smile was against her lips once again, the feeling sensational while his hand found her doorknob and let them inside her house to a most memorable evening of passion and meaning neither had experienced before, this being their first times intimately with the people they loved. Finally, after all of this time.

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The mid-afternoon light spilled through the bedroom window and warmed her exposed skin, something making her shiver with its tickling caresses.

“Stop it, that tickles,” she whispered in her half sleep state, shifting against something solid next to her and snuggling closer while the thing kept trailing across her skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake and whispers along the skin of her neck.

“You’re so bad,” she giggled with a smile on her lips, her eyes fluttering open to blink a form into view.

“You weren’t complaining last night,” Roy chuckled, tracing her arm with his fingers and kissing her neck softly.

“And I’m not now, simply stating an observation, sir.” Riza said, her face betraying her business like tone of voice.

“Now now, don’t be like that, Riza. What happened to the giggling, sighing woman who said my name so blissfully last night?”

At that she took a pillow in her hands.

“That woman doesn’t exist,” she laughed before throwing the pillow at him, hitting him square in the face.

His response was of course to tackle her to the bed and tickle her mercilessly, only stopping to let her breathe. Roy gazed down into her face and brushed some stray hairs away, bending down to kiss her once again. He had no idea how he would be able to stop that from happening in the office but that didn’t matter now as he had her beneath him, smiling brightly to match his own he could feel stretched across her face. This one was different from the others, not forced, not fake, a genuine smile for her and her alone.

“I want you to go somewhere with me today.”

Her eyebrows went up where she was still pinned beneath him.

“I don’t see us going anywhere Roy if you keep me trapped like this.”

“You like it and you know it,” he said before letting her hands go and laying back down on her sheets, her head soon resting against his chest. The smell of her shampoo teased his senses while his hands wandered across her skin with a mind of their own.

“I’ll go with you anywhere, you know that Roy Mustang.”

“I know Hawkeye, I know.”

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The couple stepped out of the car, Riza’s dress catching in the breeze and swishing around her knees, giving Roy a lovely glimpse of her creamy legs. His smile broadened and she walked over to him, both moving side by side at a safe distance. There were glances and smiles passed between that space but they were both in new territory here and didn’t know how to proceed. The festive mood was dampened a bit by the mundane scenery; no one ever likes graveyards, even during the day.

Roy walked purposefully among the dead, making his way directly to his most trusted friend while Riza decided to stay back and give him his time with Hughes. Maes had been a great guy, good father and decent soldier. It still never made sense to her why he had to die, even if she did have the urge to kill him every now and then for distracting the colonel from his ever piling paperwork. Yep, Maes Hughes was a good man taken too soon in the line of duty. Hawkeye was there to protect Roy from meeting the same fate.

The lone man stood in front of his friend’s marker but wasn’t frowning for once. The smile from earlier was still on his face somewhat and he bent down, placing the small bunch of flowers Riza insisted on getting before his tombstone. Standing up, Roy grazed his hand along the rock, looking up to the sky.

“I know you’ve been with me all along old pal, and I know you’ll stay through till the end, just like you promised, leading me to the top. By the way, thanks for your help last night. Of course, I would have done it eventually…you just pushed me into it. Thank you, friend.”

The air stirred around Roy and leaves swirled around, Hughes’ answer and his own way of showing off as Mustang smiled and walked back to Riza along with Black Hayate at her side. The dog deserved credit for last night too and Roy bent down, patting the pup’s head to stand once again before Riza.

The sun highlighted her blond hair, shining like gold and she seamed to glow. Maybe it was the lighting. Maybe it was the day. Maybe it was their love. It didn’t matter, both walked side by side, their hands finding each other in the middle to close that distance and lock it tight, neither willing to let go for the years to come, protecting each other through it all.

As it was meant to be…

The End