Author's Notes and Warnings:This story takes place in Chapter 62 of the manga (with direct quotes) right after Mustang and Hawkeye say their goodbyes but there are also references/spoilers/quotes to older chapters scattered around. This story will also have a lime scene in one of the memories. I'm sure anyone who's read my previous stories can guess which memory :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters.


Colonel Roy Mustang looked around the empty office. Only a few hours ago, the room had been bustling with activity. Now, it was strangely quiet. The Flame Alchemist sighed and shut the office door.

The events of the past few days still seemed like a dream to him. A few days ago, he was still in the game for becoming Fuhrer. Now, he was trapped in a corner with all his loyal subordinates either disabled or scattered across the country.

"Ahh…so it was this spacious."

He never realized how big the room was since he was used to seeing it full of people and bustling with activity. Slowly walking around the office, he replayed the events from the past few days in his mind. Even in hindsight, Roy still found it difficult to believe that Fuhrer King Bradley was a Homunculus and that the military's top brass continued to support him even when they knew what he was. Scanning the room, a feeling of frustration crept over him as he recalled how his subordinates had dedicated their lives to help him reach the top, yet in the end he was unable to protect them from the military conspiracy. Some superior I am, he thought. I swore to protect those under me, yet look at the mess I'm in now. As he passed Havoc's desk, he noticed a faint cigarette smell which still lingered even though it had been almost two weeks since the second lieutenant was last in the office. Roy sighed. He couldn't help but feel partially responsible for Havoc's current situation. If he had killed that Homunculus sooner, Havoc might still have the use of his legs. Looking at the desk, he noticed that somebody had already packed Havoc's belongings into a cardboard box.

Roy opened the box and flipped through the contents. Inside was an assortment of office supplies, cigarette cartons, dirty magazines, and a copy of 'How to Pick Up Girls'. Roy choked back a laugh when he saw the guide. No wonder he had so much trouble keeping dates, he thought as memories of Havoc's many futile attempts came to mind. But then, I wasn't exactly helpful in some of those failures either. One particular memory that stuck out in Roy's mind was an incident at one of the annual military picnics.

---

"Havoc's bringing a girl and I hear she's a real beauty."

"Really? How long do you think it'll take before she falls for the Colonel?"

"I bet 10 cenz that Havoc's going home alone tonight."

"20 says the Colonel can charm her within the first hour."

"30 says she'll leaves Havoc at the first glance of Mustang."

Roy chuckled as he eavesdropped on his male subordinates as they wagered on their superior's ability to charm women. Sitting beside him, Lieutenant Hawkeye was busy playing with Black Hayate though he could have sworn he heard her mutter something about men under her breath. He grinned.

"Lieutenant?" She looked up at him. "Which one of those bets do you think I should support?"

"Neither, sir. You should let Jean keep one of his girlfriends for a change."

"Heh. It's not my fault they flock to me like moths to a flame." Riza didn't answer. Instead, she went back to playing tug-o-war with Hayate. Roy sighed and closed his eyes. He could hear Fuery, Breda, and Falman still placing bets with a few other random officers nearby. "I wonder when Havoc will arrive?" he muttered to himself. As if on cue, he heard the baritone voice of his second lieutenant.

"Hey guys. Sorry we're late. I'd like you all to meet Danielle."

Roy opened his eyes. Danielle was a tall, slim brunette with striking green eyes. She was wearing a white low-cut summer dress that clearly accentuated her ample chest. Roy smirked. He had a pretty good idea why Havoc was attracted to her.

"Danielle, I'll like you to meet Heymans Breda, Vato Falman, Alex Armstrong, Kain Fuery, Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, Maria Ross, Denny Brosh, Riza Hawkeye, Roy Mustang, and this puppy here is Black Hayate." he said as he pointed at each of them.

The girl's eyes widened when she looked at Roy. "Roy Mustang? Colonel Roy Mustang?"

"Yeah…" answered Jean, somewhat confused as to why his girlfriend was asking.

"Oh, I've heard so much about you," she gushed. "My girlfriends talk about you all the time and I must say, they certainly weren't exaggerating,"she purred.

Roy could hear a few snickers from his subordinates.

"I also heard that you can create flames with your bare hands. Do you think you could you give me a demonstration?" she asked.

"Well…" chuckled Roy. "I don't exactly use my bare hands but I'll be more than happy to give you a demonstration." He shot her a sexy smile while trying to ignore the death glare that Hawkeye was giving him.

Danielle beamed. "Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed as she seized his arm and pulled him up from the bench. "Let's go over by the lake in case anything goes wrong." Turning back to Havoc, she said "We'll be back in a bit, Jean."

Havoc didn't say anything. He just stood there with his jaw dropped watching as they walked off towards the lake. Behind him, Breda was grinning as he collected his bet from Falman, Fuery, and Brosh.

---

Roy laughed at the memory. Ah Havoc, at least you eventually learned not to introduce your girlfriends to me. He dropped the book back into the box. Havoc's parents should be arriving later that day to pick up his belongings.

As he started to walk around the room again, his foot kicked something. Looking down, Roy realized it was one of Black Hayate's chew toys. Looking closely at it, he realized that it was a chew toy that Fuery had bought for Hayate just over a month ago. Roy smiled as he recalled how fond Fuery was of Black Hayate. After all, he was the one who rescued the dog from the freezing cold and found it a home. Although, Roy thought, Fuery always did have a soft spot for animals in general.

---

"Sorry I'm late," Fuery said nervously as he entered the office. He was clutching a shoebox in his arms. Everyone in the office looked up from what they were doing to stare at him.

"What's in the box?" asked Ed as Fuery walked by him. "Sounds like there's something moving inside."

"A squirrel," replied Fuery. Looking up at his superiors, he continued, "I found it on my way to work. I think it must have fallen off a tree and hurt itself."

"Sergeant Fuery, this is a military office, not an animal shelter." remarked Hawkeye as she dropped a pile of paperwork on the colonel's desk. Roy eyed the massive pile and silently groaned. Ed snickered.

"I know. I'll take it to the animal shelter at lunch," replied Fuery guiltily.

"As long as it doesn't distract you from your work," replied Roy as he turned his attention back to the report Ed had just submitted to him. From the corner of his eye, he watched as Fuery breathed a sigh of relief and sat down at his desk with Black Hayate sniffing curiously at his feet.

"Hey, can I take a look at it?" asked Al.

"Sure." Fuery lifted the lid of the shoebox a little so Al could look in. A little grey squirrel stared back at them with a pair of frightened eyes.

"Aww…it's scared," said Al. Without warning, the squirrel jumped at him. Al screamed and fell over backwards, landing on Ed.

"Get off me, Al! I can't breathe!" cried Ed while the squirrel jumped off Al and started running around the room with a barking Black Hayate in hot pursuit.

The door opened and Breda walked in carrying two steaming cups of coffee. "Here's your coffee, Havoc," he yawned as he shut the door with his foot. He took another step forward before he noticed a blur of grey running up to him. "What the hell?" The squirrel latched on to Breda's pant leg and started climbing up his uniform. "Argh! Get off me you little rat!" yelled Breda. Then he noticed Black Hayate was also running towards him, baring his teeth.

"Hayate! Stop!" shouted Hawkeye but the puppy didn't listen. Instead, he lunged at Breda, trying to snap at the squirrel which was now perched on Breda's shoulder. Breda screamed and tripped, spilling the coffee all over his uniform. Meanwhile, the squirrel had jumped up onto the bookshelf behind Breda and was now scurrying to the other corner of the room.

"Damn," muttered Havoc. "For an injured rodent, that thing sure can move."

Roy had watched the chaos unfold with mild amusement but just then, the squirrel took a giant leap from the bookshelf and landed on his desk. It skidded across the polished mahogany surface before ramming itself against the pile of paperwork, causing the pile to tilt and spill onto the floor. Unfazed, the rodent simply got up and ran off to hide under the couch. Meanwhile, Hayate slipped on the scattered papers and slammed against the side of the desk, knocking down even more paper on the puppy. Soon the sound of Black Hayate's whimpering filled the office. Roy clenched the sides of his chair. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Hawkeye! Get a hold of that dog of yours! Fuery! Catch that damn squirrel! I want that rodent out of my office NOW!"

---

Roy chuckled as he remembered the moment. It had taken the office half an hour to catch the squirrel and even then it was only because the rodent had decided to hide inside Al's armor.

As he walked past Breda's desk he noticed the garbage can was full of half-eaten junk food. Ugh, thought Roy as he looked at the contents in the can. Some of that stuff must've been in his desk for months. He needs to stop eating this stuff if he seriously wants to still fit in his uniform. Roy paused for a moment, trying to remember the last time Breda had gone on a diet.

---

Roy sighed as he sat back down in his chair with a cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. He took a sip of coffee and opened the newspaper, grateful for a little time off. Around him, his staff was finishing up the last of the paperwork for the day.

"Done!" exclaimed Havoc as he dropped the file he was just reviewing on top of a small pile on his desk. Stretching a little, he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling before looking over to one of his co-workers. "Hey Breda, don't we get our military fitness assessment results today?" Roy looked up from his paper. He had forgotten about the assessment.

Breda scowled at Havoc. "Don't remind me. The just changed the military requirements this year so I'm not looking forward to what they're gonna say about me." He turned his attention back to the form he was filling out. "Besides, Fuery just went to pick them up."

A few minutes later Fuery walked in with an armful of manila envelopes. "I've got the fitness evaluations!" he shouted and passed each of the sealed envelopes to its respected owner. Breda snatched his and ripped it open. "Here you go, sir," said Fuery as he handed Roy his document. Roy skimmed through it while his subordinates began discussing their results.

"Hmph," grunted Havoc. "The report says I'm in perfect health, but they highly recommend that I quit smoking. Fat chance," he muttered as he reached in his coat pocket for a cigarette.

Fuery spoke up. "Mine says I'm in good shape too, though they suggest I work on building some more muscle." He looked up at Falman. "What about yours, sir?"

"Just that I'm a bit below average fitness for a soldier and that I should do some more cardio exercises," replied Falman. Everybody looked over to Breda who was clutching the report like he wanted to rip it apart.

"What the hell?" cursed Breda. "It says I should go on a strict diet."

"Really?" laughed Havoc.

"Here." Breda thrust his report at Havoc.

"The doctors say that your body mass index would put you under the category of obese and they highly recommend you lose some weight before serious health conditions develop," read Havoc. He looked up at his friend. "Well, they do have a point.They also want you to come back to discuss a proper weight loss strategy and exercise program."

"That's a bunch of bull," cursed Breda indignantly. "This is all muscle." He flexed his arms.

Havoc smirked. "That's some pretty impressive beer muscles you've got there, Breda." Everybody except Breda and Hawkeye snickered.

"I guess that settles it," grinned Roy. "Starting right now you're going on a strict diet, Breda. No sweets, junk food, or high cholesterol foods till your next physical exam. That's an order, Lieutenant."

"This is not fair, sir!" cried Breda. "It's ribs night at the pub. The guys and I have been looking forward to this night for weeks!"

"Aww…Cheer up, Breda," said Havoc as he wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulder. "Falman, Fuery and I can enjoy the ribs on your behalf."

Breda glared at Havoc. "I hate you." Havoc laughed.

Suddenly the door opened and Ed walked in eating a hot dog with Al following behind him. "Hey guys, you gotta check out the hot dog vendor outside," said Ed with his mouth full. "He has the best chili dogs in all of Central." Breda groaned and buried his head in his hands. Ed looked at him curiously. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Full Metal, perfect timing," called Roy. "Your military fitness results have come in." He pushed Ed's assessment towards him. Scowling, Ed ripped open the envelope and read its contents.

"What the heck is 'calcium deficiency'?!?"

Roy chuckled. "It means you need to drink a glass of milk every day. I suggest you drink two if you don't want to mistaken for a pre-schooler."

"I'm not drinking anything secreted from a cow and you know it, Colonel!" yelled Ed, slamming his fist on the desk. He glared at Roy but before he could go off on another short rant Hughes walked in carrying a large package.

"Hello everyone!" he exclaimed, "Gracia and Elysia were baking last night and they made this beautiful cake that I just had to bring in and share." He opened the package to reveal a strawberry cake covered completely in white frosting and rainbow sprinkles. "Isn't this a work of art?" gushed Hughes as he began cutting it. "Made by my two beautiful angels. Now I want everyone to try it and I won't take 'no' for an answer."

He handed a generous slice to Breda. "Here, Lieutenant. I know how much you love sweets." Breda took one mournful look at the cake before sprinting out the door while screaming about how unfair everything was.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Hughes, still holding the cake in his hand.

"He just went on a diet," answered Roy, taking the slice from Hughes.

"Oh, that's too bad. Cake anyone?"

---

Roy grinned. He supposed it was a little cruel on his part to force Breda to go on a diet; yet, it did have the desired results. If he remembered correctly, Breda lost approximately fifteen pounds by the time the next fitness review arrived. Although, Roy was sure he probably gained most of it back once he went off the diet.

Roy now turned his attention to his desk. His eyes first fell on the phone resting at a corner of his desk and then to the old picture of him and Hughes sitting next to it. He smiled. That picture was taken not long after they finished the military academy together, back when they still had those naïve dreams of a beautiful future. For Maes, that future consisted of a beautiful wife and many adorable children. For him, it was a country free of strife. Even though it had been months since he last heard his best friend's voice, he could still recall Hughes's voice on the other end of the line bragging to him about Elysia's latest achievement.

---

"Colonel Mustang speaking."

"Roy! Guess what? Elysia did the most amazing thing yesterday. She wrote her own name without any help! 'Elysia Hughes'. Her writing was so neat and perfect too. I'm telling you Roy, my little girl is a child prodigy! She'll be a famous writer when she grows up."

"Maes…I know this all very exciting and new but I'm at work."

"That's ok, so am I."

"Look Maes, if you don't have anything important to tell me then I'm hanging up before Hawkeye pulls her guns on me."

"Aww…looks like she's got you whipped. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. She does seem like the dominating type after all."

"Hughes…I'm warning you."

"Ok, ok. There's been more rumors about your transfer to Central. It seems the brass really want the Flame Alchemist back in Central HQ.

"Really…"

"Yeah. You should be getting an official transfer request within the next few weeks. Anyway, I gotta go. I've got a meeting with Major Armstrong about some mysterious explosions in one of the labs."

"Alright. Thanks for the heads up, Hughes."

"No problem. Oh, and Roy?"

"Hmm…?"

"Elysia wants to be a flower girl so hurry up!"

---

Roy scoffed at the memory. So much for those dreams. Hughes was now six feet under with a grieving widow and child. As for himself, Amestris was under the control of the Homunculi and he was powerless to do anything about it.

Sighing, he moved to the other side of the desk and sat down. His hands started absently fingering the edges of the desk. Roy had to admit, of all the items in this office this desk was his favorite. He had spent countless hours behind this desk, filling out paperwork, planning missions, and listening to his subordinates gossip about the latest news around Central. But then, his fondest memories were the late nights he spent with Hawkeye finishing his paperwork and doing other, more enjoyable, activities.

---

"Here are the last of the papers that need to be checked and signed," said Riza as she dropped a small stack of papers on his desk. Roy groaned.

"Can't we call it a night? We've been at it for hours. Everybody's already gone home for the night so we're probably the last two people at Headquarters," he complained as he wrote his signature on the document he was reading and passed it to the lieutenant. Riza didn't respond. Instead, she just took the paper and sat down back at her desk.

A few more minutes passed in silence save for the sound of rustling papers and scratching pens. Roy's mind was getting numb. The words on the document he was reading were starting to jumble together into one big mess. He looked up to see Riza stifling a small yawn. He smiled. She was getting tired too. Suddenly, an idea came to him.

"Lieutenant, I've finished reviewing these papers." Almost automatically, Riza stood up and walked towards him. However, before she could take the papers from his desk, he pulled her down onto his lap and kissed her.

"Roy! We're still in uniform." she gasped when they finally parted.

"Good point. Let me help you get rid of it." replied Roy as he continued kissing her. He could feel her beginning to relax in his arms as he slowly began unbuttoning her jacket. When the last button was finally undone, he slipped the jacket off her and tossed it onto the floor. Meanwhile, Riza had already removed his jacket and was now working on the buttons of his shirt. Roy chuckled at her eagerness. Once his chest was exposed she began leaving a trail of kisses across his chest. Roy groaned in pleasure as he quickly lifted her up and placed her on the desk, scattering the remaining paperwork onto the floor in the process. Riza lifted her arms so he could remove hertop, revealing her black lace bra underneath. Roy grinned as he noticed she was wearing his favorite bra before pulling her in for another kiss.

"The door's not locked. What if someone walks in?" she asked as she nibbled on his ear.

"Then they can enjoy the show," he replied as he slipped the bra straps off her shoulders. He laughed as Riza hit him on the shoulder for the remark. "Hey! I'm sure they wouldn't mind learning some tips from the famous womanizer, Roy Mustang."

"Bastard," she murmured as her hands reached down to unzip his pants.

---

Roy shook his head. Now was not the time to be thinking of such steamy thoughts. They would have to wait till he was back in his own apartment. The last thing he wanted was for some random officer unexpectedly walking into the office and finding him with a massive hard on. Trying to clear his thoughts, he looked over to the chess board on his left. Falman had returned it to him before leaving Central for his re-assignment in Northern Headquarters. Roy smiled as he remembered the day he received the chess set. Lieutenant General Grumman, his superior during his years at Eastern Headquarters, had given it to him as a farewell gift along with an interesting proposal.

---

"Checkmate!" Roy proclaimed as he dropped his knight on the chess board.

General Grumman stared in disbelief. "Aaaahhh…I finally lost!"

"I finally beat you." grinned Roy.

The general smiled as he took out an old notebook from his pocket and tallied up the score. "Mustang's record of 1 win and 97 losses and 15 stalemates. This win is special."

"I'll gladly take that win." answered Roy as he carefully placed the chess pieces back inside the board. When he was done, he got up and headed towards to the door. "I better get back to work before Lieutenant Hawkeye tries to hunt me down." The general picked up the chess board and followed him.

"You know, Colonel, have you ever thought about taking my granddaughter as your wife? She'll become the future Fuhrer's wife and you'll make this old man very happy. Besides, you two would make an excellent couple."

Roy rested his right hand on the door knob and frowned. The old general was really persistent. "Don't think too far ahead, General. However, I do have some subordinates that I would like to have transferred with me to Central."

"Sure, take them," replied General Grumman as he handed Roy the chessboard. "Take this too. It'll be useful if you ever find yourself in trouble."

Roy took the chessboard and grinned. "You have my thanks."

---

Roy laughed quietly. Riza would have been furious if she found out that her grandfather had offered her hand in marriage to him. However, he had to admit 'Riza Mustang' did have a nice ring to it. When all of this chaos is finally over, I probably will take up your offer, sir, he thought as he opened up the set. But until then, I still have a battle to finish. He took out a few pieces and set them on the desk.

"The Fuhrer may have taken away my pawn, my knight, my rook, my bishop, and my queen. But while the king can still move…"

He looked at the king piece for a moment before turning it over and unscrewing the bottom. Inside was a rolled up piece of paper.

"…It's still too early for a check-mate."


Author's Notes:I decided to skip Roy's memories of Ed and Al because I couldn't think of any item that would trigger a memory except maybe a bean plant next to the window but that's just silly. At least I gave them both cameos in a few of the memories. :P As for Falman, I spent weeks trying to think of a good memory of him but in the end all I could think of were some really corny Barry the Chopper ideas. So rather than writing a bad Falman memory that could ruin the story I opted to just remove it completely. He's a fairly difficult character to write a good story for.

Also, for anyone who's interested. I also have an M rated version of this story which involves (much) more steamy details of Mustang's memory of Hawkeye. I chose not to put it into this story because I wanted to keep the story T-rated and because I liked ending the memory at that part. However, if you're interested in reading the lemon, send me a PM.

Thanks to Jack Bauer Reborn (who is now a Maes Hughes fan) for editing the story and suggesting a variation of the memory of Breda and food.

Comments and criticisms welcomed.