Official Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa. No profit is being made on this fic!

Lady Deadly Nightshade: This is my first attempt at a FMA fic. It's a one shot that can takes place at any moment after the end of the series. Umm not much else I have to say! Just enjoy and review! Thank you!

Just For Now (There's Beauty In The Breakdown)

The late evening sky was filled with dark ominous clouds that appeared to be threatening the city with a heavy rain storm. A cold, icy wind also blew throughout the city, chilling any inhabitants to the bone that dared to be out of their homes. At the moment, there was an individual who dared to defy the weather as he walked along the green grassy knolls of the graveyard. He was surrounded by gray markers that were placed in a symmetrical design and as he walked among them he could make out the names engraved on the cold gray stones. A soldier rested underneath every one of those markers, a person who had sacrificed everything to protect their family, their country.

He walked for a few more minutes until he came across the grave of his best friend. "Sorry, I haven't visited." He said softly, looking at the headstone which read Maes Hughes. He sat down by the side of the headstone, his shoulder brushed it slightly and he took a drink from the bottle of whiskey he had in his hand. Months had passed since Hughes had been murdered but the pain he felt at the loss of his best friend didn't dwindle with that time. He reached up and touched the black patch that covered where his left eye used to be. "You know, Hughes, I can see all my victims in this vacant eye socket. I see them all the time. They haunt me." He took another drink from the bottle. "Sometimes I see you too." He added sadly and his eye glossed over with unshed tears. "You shouldn't have died! You were always a good man and you had a loving family!" He said angrily. "It should have been me! I should be buried underneath that dirt!" He ranted, hot angry tears streaming down his face. He pressed the bottle to his lips again and took a hefty drink.

"You're wrong." A voice said from behind him, startling him, causing the bottle to slip from his hand where it landed on the grass with a thump. The person who had spoken walked around to stand in front of him and faced him. A pair of intense amber eyes peered down at him.

"Riza!" He said surprised, his voice barely a whisper. He focused his gaze on her, ignoring the half full bottle that was spilling it's remaining contents on the grass.

"You're a good man too, General." She told him sincerely.

He shook his head slightly in a dismissive manner. "I'm not. I've destroyed many lives," He told her defiantly. "And this is my punishment." He added, touching the eye patch on his face.

She knelt down to face him more directly and she lowered his hand from his face and held it gently. It saddened her when he said the reason he lost his eye was because of his past sins, when she still felt responsible for failing him. If only she had gotten there in time, he wouldn't have lost his eye, but every time she said this, he denied it. He was adamant that it was his punishment for what he did in Ishbal. "Sir, you were following orders." She told him reasonably. "That's how it is when you live the life of a soldier."

"Orders?" He said and he smiled sadly. "That doesn't justify my actions to any surviving family members of the people I've killed."

"Maybe not sir, but you had no other option at the time." She gently squeezed his hand before she released it and rose to her feet. She felt a cold raindrop land on her head and she glanced up at the sky. A few more raindrops fell on her face. The rain had started and she didn't have an umbrella. She glanced down at her superior who was without a jacket and deeply intoxicated. "Sir, let me drive you home." She said, her tone held an edge of pleading. "General Hughes, wouldn't want you to stay out here in the rain." She added.

He knew she was right, so there was no point in protesting, besides the rain that was falling on him was ice cold. He rose to his feet, his legs unsteady, wavering slightly.

She rushed to his side when he took a few unsteady steps and appeared like he was going to fall face first onto the ground. She caught him and draped his right arm over her shoulder to support him as they walked out of the graveyard to her car.

Twenty minutes later, they stood in front of the door of his apartment. He had the apartment keys in his hand but he was fumbling with them and unable to open the door. The alcohol in his system was making it hard for him to coordinate the key into the keyhole of the door, which he thought was silly because the door had two keyholes.

Riza watched him for a few minutes and seeing him struggle with the door, plus feeling slightly impatient, she reached for the keys to his apartment with a sigh. "Let me, sir." She said, taking the keys from his hand and before she had finished speaking the door was open. She turned to look at him and saw him leaning against the wall with his eye closed. A small amused smile on his face. She wondered if he had fallen asleep on his feet.

"Sir, the door is open." She said when a few minutes had passed and he was still leaning against the wall as still as a statue. "Sir?" She inquired and stood in front of him, but still no movement on his part. "He is asleep." She said with a sigh. She placed his arm across her shoulders and helped him into the apartment, closing the door behind her with a backwards kick. After she closed the door she headed toward his bedroom.

She figured it was best to put him to bed, considering he was highly intoxicated and already appeared to be asleep. She entered his room and sat him down on the bed, or she tried to. As soon as she set him down on the bed, he fell back, laying horizontally and haphazardly on the bed. She sighed as she glanced at his fallen form and proceeded to remove his black military boots. After she removed his boots, she repositioned him on the bed, to make sure that he would be more comfortable in his sleep. She spotted a blanket near by and placed it over him to ensure that he would stay warm during the cold night. She watched him for a minute or two and when she was satisfied that he was safe, she decided to head home.

She turned to leave and had barely taken a step forward when his hand gripped her wrist firmly. His gripped her with such force that it spun her around and caused her to fall down on the bed beside him, enclosed in his arms. "Sir!" She protested startled, trying to get up from the bed, but she was firmly in his grip. "Sir!" She said again a bit more loudly, but there was no response. "Roy, don't make me shoot you." She threatened, eying his sleeping face. Yet there was no response to her threat, all she could hear was his soft gentle breathing. She gazed up at the ceiling, a frown on her face. Guess I have no choice, she thought to herself. Besides she was warm and comfortable in his arms and as the minutes passed, she felt tired and her eyes began to close as she drifted into sleep. Though just before she gave herself over to sleep, she could have sworn she heard him speak. "Stay with me." He whispered. "Even if it is...just for now."

The End

Lady Deadly Nightshade: Well there you go! I hope you guys liked it! This is my second attempt at writing something since being out of practice for years. Lol!