June 5th, 1973

As the two brothers stood over their fallen enemy, Allen turned to Harry. "It looks like another job well done, brother. What do you say we turn this fellow in and go for brunch?"

Knock knock.

"Who is it?" Edward looked up from the typewriter. "You're interrupting a very important scene here."

"Oh really?" Urey asked as he poked his head in, looking amused. "Well then I won't stay long. I'll just drop these books off I finished," he said, dropping three heavy tomes on Ed's desk. "And let you know that Granny said since you were late, I got to eat your lunch."

Ed glanced at the clock. Okay so he'd lost track of time again. But this book –his fourth now- was due to the publisher soon. Good thing this was the last scene. "Oh, she did not."

"Want to bet?" his seventeen-year-old grandson grinned broadly.

"If you did, I'm adding three miles to our run this afternoon," Ed stood, and stretched. It was going to be a quiet summer. With Trisha and Roy graduated and State Alchemists, it was just Urey and Ted around for alchemy lessons, like they were all year. The book done, he wouldn't be starting on another one immediately. He wasn't entirely certain what he wanted to do with the next one. He needed to consider his material.

"Come downstairs and find out," Urey chuckled.

"All right, I'm coming." Ed followed Urey downstairs. It wasn't an idle threat, but he doubted Urey had been at all intimidated by it. After the past couple of years of training, the boy was turning into a crack fighter, just as Ed had always figured he would, given time and experience. He was growing into himself too; taller than Ed –unsurprisingly- and broader in the shoulders. He was solid, but that was more in comparison to Ed, and Urey's taller, leaner brothers; he looked more like his Rockbell grandfather, the way Aldon did, though a little more-so; stocky for an Elric, but not compared to most guys it made him… reasonably average.

Winry smiled at them both as Urey and Ed came down the stairs and crossed the living room to the dining table. "It's about time you got your nose out of that typewriter."

"You can't rush genius," Ed grinned at her. His sandwich was, as he anticipated, right there on his plate where it belonged.

"Is that what they're calling indulging your ego with thinly veiled fictional adaptations of your real life adventures these days?" Winry asked as she finished pouring glasses of water.

"Very funny." Ed sat down and examined his lunch. Roast beef sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo, and fresh sliced apples. Such a healthy, tasty looking meal. "Lunch looks great."

"You're lucky we left you some," she teased.

"So Urey was telling me." Ed picked up his sandwich and took a bite. He swallowed before continuing. "Because he's got nothing better to do this summer than steal his grandfather's food." Actually, Ed had no real idea what Urey was planning to do with his summer other than alchemy. He was going into his last year of high school, and after that, he'd be off to University where-ever he decided to go. Summers of freedom would be in short supply after that.

"It keeps us both on our toes," Urey grinned around his own food. "It's not like I've got anything better to do."

"Perfecting your transmutation technique comes to mind," Ed countered. "What, don't you have any regular summer plans?"

"Like you ever had regular summer plans?" Urey scoffed.

"I did once… when I was a kid." Okay, so that was decades ago, and back before his mother had died. "And for decades once I had kids," he added with a chuckle. Summers as a father had been far more satisfying than summers as a teenager.

"Yeah well, that's a ways off on my end," Urey pointed out, and the touchy note in his voice told Ed not to press. Not at the moment. Dating was always a hit or miss subject with his grandson, mostly because Urey's success on that count was still just as hit or miss.

"Good thing," Ed replied, shrugging. "So I was thinking this afternoon we'd work on that water-to-gel transmutation for-" he cut off as the phone rang.

"I'll get it." Winry hadn't sat down yet, so she went over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello, Elric Residence."

Ed kept chewing as he watched Winry's face, looking for a clue as to who was on the other end.

Startled, then slightly serious. "Oh, good afternoon, sir. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Sir?

"Yes, he's right here." Winry put one hand over the mouthpiece. "Edward, it's for you. It's Rehnquist."

"The President?" Urey looked up, startled.

Ed wasn't feeling much less surprised. Alan Rehnquist had never called his house personally, ever. Ed couldn't remember the last time he'd had someone from his office call either for that matter. He swallowed and went over and took the phone from Winry's hand. "Hey, Alan. What's up?"

"It's always got to be so formal with you, doesn't it, Fullmetal?" Rehnquist chuckled wryly on the other end of the line.

"Yeah well, old habits," Ed grinned. Winry was rolling her eyes at him. "Anyway, what's going on?"

"I'd like you to come to Central," Rehnquist got to the point. "I have a matter I'd like to discuss with you and your brother that's of some urgency. I need to pick the brains of some subject matter experts and frankly, you're it."

And something he clearly didn't want to speak about over a phone line. "No one taps phones in Resembool," Ed pointed out. "But if it's that important, I suppose I could make a jaunt up there for a couple of days. How soon do you need me?"

"Yesterday, which is when I found out about this."

Vague, yet mysterious; it had Ed's curiosity if nothing else. "I'll catch the next train," he promised.

"Thank you, Ed." Rehnquist sounded rather relieved. "I knew I could count on you."

"Because I'm reliable?"

"Because you can't keep your nose out of everyone else's business and you can't resist the open invitation to find out what's up."

When Ed hung up the phone, Winry was still looking at him expectantly. Urey looked like he was dying of curiosity.

"So, where are you harrying off to this time?" Winry asked, resigned.

"Just Central for a few days," Ed promised. "You can come along if you want you know. Rehnquist wants to talk to me and Al about something. I'd bet my arm and leg it's got to do with alchemy."

"You're not allowed to bet limbs anymore." Winry sat down at the table. "And as much fun as that could be, I think I'll stay here and enjoy the quiet. I've got two pieces I need to finish this week and I promised Art and Deanna a night of babysitting tomorrow so they could have a little night out to themselves," she smiled at that. Ed couldn't blame her, their great-granddaughter Rhiana was an absolutely adorable one-year-old.

"So how long are you going to be gone, Grandpa?" Urey asked, clearly wondering how this would impact this summer's alchemy schedule.

"Not more than a week or two," Ed replied. He couldn't imagine it being longer than that, and that was a long estimate. "Say, I have an idea. Why don't you and Ted come along?"

"Really?" Urey perked up immediately. Well, what teenage boy wouldn't enjoy a trip to Central?

"Sure. I can't see your folks minding if I get the two of you out of their hair for a couple of weeks," Ed grinned. He wasn't sure Aldon and Cassie would know what to do with only Callista home and Reichart next door. Ian wasn't due home to visit for another month, when his current filming schedule gave him a break long enough to come home for the end of June until early August. "I'll ask them before I get tickets. There's a train on the schedule coming through tomorrow I think, so you'll need to pack light, and pack quickly."

"I can do that." Urey promised, gulping down the rest of his food without further ado.

"Just don't choke before you get to it," Ed chuckled, returning to his seat and his lunch. He was sure the boys would be able to come along, and that they'd probably learn a lot on this trip, or at least have a good time. Ted was eleven, a great age for a harmless little adventure. Still, he wondered, just what was it Rehnquist wanted to talk to him and Al about specifically that he couldn't discuss with someone else?

Ed had a couple of ideas, but he'd really rather never have to touch on those topics as realities ever again.

June 6th, 1973

There was something comforting in falling flat on her face on her own pillow in her little set of quarters in the officer's barracks, Trisha Heimler thought, as she collapsed on her bed at the end of another long, arduous, but fairly boring mission. She'd been out of town for nearly two weeks trekking around after some official who wanted to check the air quality in the mines and mining towns north of West City along the southernmost edge of the range. There had been a lot of testing, collecting very specific air samples, and a lot of results and paperwork… and one small cave-in that hadn't injured anyone.

I never want to smell coal again. Why couldn't it have been gem mines, or silver mines? At least it was done. She'd gotten all of her paperwork finished on the train ride back, even though she'd gotten home after ten at night and wouldn't be able to turn it in until the next morning. It lay, neat and ready to go, with the rest of her work.

A good hot shower and a hard scrub had gotten the last of the scent of coal and sulfur off her, at least so she hoped. Now she was clean, she was home, and she was hungry and ready for a relaxing evening in the company of someone she had missed.

Trisha yawned as she picked up the phone and dialed Roy's number. He was only a couple of buildings over, but she was tired enough she didn't feel like trekking over there if he wasn't in. He hadn't met her at the station, and he hadn't been here when she arrived, so he might be getting ready for her return.

The phone rang ten times before Trisha gave up and hung up. Clearly, her boyfriend was not in his quarters. Feeling a bit disgruntled, Trisha pulled on her socks and shoes and changed out of her loose sweats into something more presentable over-all. She'd go over and look for him and, if he wasn't available, she'd just grab something quick to eat from the little commissary located in the middle of the small cluster of buildings that made up the officers' quarters. A noodle bowl or something would do as long as it was food.

The weather was warm, and a bit humid, as Trisha made her way down the sidewalk and over to Roy's building. Since the quarters for single officers were grouped by gender in the buildings, there were no women in Roy's building, and Trisha didn't have a key, so she had to ring the bell and stand at the door until someone came down and let her in.

As it happened, a second lieutenant who worked under her Dad in Rehnquist's office came to the door. He smiled. "Hey, Whisper. You're back."

"Hi Mills," Trisha smiled back. "I'm looking for Firestorm. He isn't answering his phone. Have you seen him?"

Mills didn't look at all surprised by the question. "He headed out around dinner time with a few of the guys. I don't know when they were planning to be back," he replied apologetically. "You know Central on a Saturday night."

"Yeah, I do." Trisha stifled a sigh. Roy was out, and she had no way of tracking him down unless she felt like hauling all over Central doing investigative work. "So why aren't you out with them then?"

Mills grinned and shrugged. "The truth? My mother decided she's dropping into town to visit me tomorrow and only called me yesterday. I've been having a fabulous evening of panic-stricken cleaning to make my place presentable enough it won't send her into hysterics. She's kind of a neat freak."

Trisha could just imagine some poor woman feinting at the side of unfolded laundry. She chuckled. "Good idea. Well, thanks for the Intel. When Roy gets back could you tell him to call me if it's before midnight?" It was already eleven, but she could hope. "I'm going to grab chow and crash. I just got back and I'm beat."

"No problem. I'll beat him down and make him call," Mills promised. "Take care, Whisper."

Trisha headed towards the commissary, trying not to feel too disgruntled that her late-evening plans had been foiled because Roy was out enjoying himself somewhere with a bunch of the guys. She tried to be above the bit of jealousy inside her that noted that where there were bunches of good looking single officers, there were always flocks of equally good looking single girls – usually in short skirts and tight tops- vying for their attention.

Tonight, Trisha was too tired to care… too much. She'd get comfy with her noodle bowl and a good book, and then get some much needed sleep.

June 8th, 1973

The next day proved to be as uneventfully boring as most first days home. Trisha turned in her report first thing, and then found herself catching up on the few things that had hit her desk while she was gone. There was always plenty of work to share, and by the end of the day her desk was, as usual, neat and empty again. She hated leaving anything sitting if she could avoid it.

When the day ended, Trisha was glad to leave the office. She knew Kane wouldn't assign her out of town again immediately. He was good about shifting folks around so they had a little down time with the exception of emergencies.

Not that Trisha minded her work, but Roy hadn't called back Saturday evening, which meant either he hadn't gotten her message or he had gotten in well after midnight. Then, when she'd tried to check in on him on Sunday, he wasn't in and no one knew his schedule for the day. Trisha had felt justified in disgruntlement at that point. She'd told him when she'd be back. Had he forgotten?

Having not seen him at lunch, and missing him in the office apparently by minutes, Trisha was beginning to wonder. She knew Roy wasn't avoiding her, but lately they didn't seem to be spending nearly as much time together. How often was she really on his mind?

As she neared the doors to the building nearest the office, Trisha finally heard the timber of that familiar voice. Roy was chuckling about something. Picking up speed, she hurried up and stepped out the door.

"-sounds like a fabulous time, ladies," Roy was saying to two pretty girls whose rank marked them non-officers, probably secretaries.
Trisha stopped moving.

"Oh it will be," the brunette flashed her perfectly even teeth in a bright smile. "So we'll see you tonight?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't make it tonight," Roy replied with his own dazzling smile.

"Awww, why not?" the blond asked, pouting.

"Duty calls of course," he replied. "But I do appreciate the invitation."

"Well maybe some other time then," the blonde sighed. Both girls waved and walked off.

"And just what duty would that be?" Trisha asked as she continued down the stairs and into his line of view.

Roy turned, and his face lit up in a smile again. "To my heart of course," he chuckled, holding out his hand. "I've missed you."

"So why weren't you around when I got home?" The words came out more bitterly than she'd intended to make them.

Roy's smile slipped a little. "I'm sorry, Trish. The guys asked if I wanted to out and it slipped my mind what day it was."

"You didn't call. I didn't see you yesterday," Trisha pointed out. "I even called your folks."

Now he did look guilty. "I'm sorry. Saturday night I got talked into a soccer game yesterday. I just…"

"Forgot I might enjoy watching you run around in shorts?" Trisha commented, managing to smirk just a little at the oversight. "You'd better have played well."

"Well I did score two of our team's five goals, and we won," Roy assured her, looking less nervous as he came closer and took her hand. "We were pretty awesome."

"Is that why those girls were asking you out?"

"What oh, them?" Roy fidgeted. "Yeah, probably. They saw the game and they were out with the lot of us on Saturday. There's some party tonight too."

"Did you want to go?" Trisha asked.

"Well, I wouldn't have minded going, with you of course," Roy added quickly. "I did turn them down."

She didn't like how nervous he was acting. Roy had never been easily ruffled, and Trisha had never had reason to doubt his loyalty. So why was he acting like this? "Yes, I heard you. You were awfully flirty for a guy turning down women and a party."

"Flirty?" Roy's smile vanished. "No, I was just being friendly. There's no reason a guy can't be nice about turning them down can he?"

"We need to talk about your definition of nice."

"Is something wrong?" Roy asked. "I wasn't flirting with them, Trish. Even if I went, it wouldn't have been with them. I have you."

"Right, the girlfriend you forgot was back in town."

"Okay, that's enough." Roy's expression turned to a scowl. "I haven't done anything wrong here. What is up with you?"

Trisha winced, and felt immediately guilty. "I'm sorry. It was a long trip, and I wanted to see you, and you were impossible to find." And I don't like how they were looking at you, or how you were looking at them, even if you weren't going to do anything.

Roy's smile returned and he pulled her away from the doors, where the crowd of leaving military men and women had already turned to a trickle. "Nice to know I was wanted. Come on, let's get out of uniform and go celebrate your homecoming properly, okay?"

That was more like it. "Just you and me?" Trisha asked curiously, letting him lead.

"Just us," Roy promised.

Roy tried very hard not to kick himself as he hurried through showering and changing into casual beige slacks and a medium-blue shirt. How the hell had he forgotten that Trisha was getting back Saturday? For some reason he'd had it locked in his head that her mission was supposed to end on Monday. That was why he hadn't been surprised to see her at work.
Admittedly, the weekend had been fun and full of spontaneity. He hadn't been out with just the guys in a while, and the game had been surprisingly fun. Roy couldn't remember the last time he'd just played a game like that; he'd been so focused on alchemy outside of school for so long.

Okay so basking in the adoration of his teammates and a lot of pretty girls had been nice to, but he hadn't seriously considered taking any of the women up on their flirting or their expressed wishes to go out. Not seriously.

But it must have looked pretty bad to Trisha, he admitted as he combed his hair, pocketed his watch and wallet, and thought frantically about the best place to take Trisha on an impromptu welcome-home date that was also part apology. This should have been yesterday, or he should have met her at the train. That would have been best.

He was still worrying over it when he arrived at her building a few minutes later, and found Trisha waiting outside in a light, simple summer-dress in a brilliant leaf green that fell just below her knees. Her long hair was braided back. His heart flipped the way it usually did when he got to see her in something more feminine. It didn't happen much in the first place, and lately it seemed not at all. "Good evening, lovely lady," he grinned as he walked up. "Waiting for me I hope?"

"Maybe," Trisha smiled. Her mood seemed to have improved from earlier, and Roy relaxed. Tonight was going to be fun and relaxing, the way it ought to be. "So what's the plan?"

"I thought we'd eat, my treat of course," Roy offered her his arm. "Anywhere in town you want, just name it."

"That could be dangerously expensive you know," Trisha pointed out with a wicked expression.

"I trust to your good judgment not to bankrupt me," Roy added with a chuckle. Please don't bankrupt me to make up for this. Please….

"Having been on the Cretan side of things for days, I think I'm in the mood for Xingese," Trisha suggested. "How about Golden Wu's?"

Wu's was one of the better Xingese sit down establishments in Central, run by Xingese immigrants, but it was definitely in his price range. "Sounds delicious," he assured her.
Fortunately there wasn't a wait that early in the evening, and when they arrived, they were seated immediately at a table for two, in a corner near one of the small decorative fountains that tinkled into a small pond that held several fairly large goldfish.

Once they had ordered appetizers and their main dishes, conversation turned safely to catching up on anything interesting that had happened the past two weeks. Roy listened as Trisha talked about her rather boring –by her own admission- mine air quality mission. He winced and sympathized in the appropriate spots, and asked a couple of questions. Then he told her about his own mission the week before, that had turned into a firefight when what should have been a routine warehouse inspection turned up a black-market smuggling ring dealing in all sorts of things.

Trisha hung on his every word, and when he was done, she sighed enviously. "You get all the good assignments."

"If you call getting shot at a good assignment," Roy shrugged, trying to make her feel better. "It's not fun you know."

"Yeah, I know." But Trisha's good mood seemed to have slipped away again as she fiddled with her chopsticks. "But you've gotten more than twice the number of missions I have, and they're all far more interesting than anything they've let me do yet."

"I'm sure they're just waiting for something that will really make use of your talents."

Almost immediately, Trisha's eyes flashed with irritation. "Are you saying there's nothing I can do that's useful right now?"

Bad phrasing. "No, just that you've got very specialized talents, and there just aren't a lot of missions right now that can make the best use of them."

"Which doesn't make me very useful, does it?"

I am really off my game this weekend. Roy sighed. "You're talented, Trish, and very useful. It's just that your talents are best for critical missions, and right now things are pretty dull. There was no way we could have known our mission would be any less boring than yours. It was supposed to be."

Trisha appeared slightly mollified. She sipped her iced tea. "Well then as bad as this sounds, I wouldn't mind a little more excitement. Just for a mission or two. Nothing critical."

"I'm sure General Kane will find something soon that makes use of all your assets."

Trisha gave him a slightly amused look. "You better be talking about alchemy, Mustang."

"Of course," he smiled back. "I wouldn't want you sharing the rest with anyone." It didn't matter who flirted with him, Trisha was the most attractive girl he knew, and he liked being the only guy she'd ever dated. The only one she'd ever kissed and, he hoped, sometime, many other first and only.

"Well I'm not interested in sharing the rest with anyone else," Trisha assured him.

Roy's mouth was half-way open to ask –playfully- if that meant she was willing to share some of those with him when the waiter arrived with their food, interrupting the banter. Silently cursing the man for his terrible timing, Roy smiled, said thank you, and patiently began to eat since Trisha was clearly interested in the meal.

Dinner conversation shifted again after firsts. "So how's your family?" Trisha asked, smiling as she nibbled a pot-sticker. "Every time I see Mireia she's grown again and charmed someone else."

"Still growing, and still charming," Roy chuckled. It was a very different experience being big brother to a child almost young enough to be his –if he'd been more foolish as a teenager- instead of Théa and Rochelle, who weren't all that much younger than he was. "She doesn't mouth off at me the way the others do," he added.

"Maybe she just doesn't have reasons yet," Trisha teased him back. "Though if you behave, maybe she won't ever have to." Her eyes danced merrily, then averted as she took a bite of steamed vegetables. "When we have kids, I hope they're as sweet natured as she is."

Roy almost swallowed his piece of teriyaki chicken whole. It took him several seconds of coughing and a glass of water before he stopped.

"Are you all right?" Trisha asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah I'm… I'm fine." Roy did his best to regain his composure. Kids? Trisha wanted kids? Well, okay so every woman probably wanted them eventually, but he hadn't been expecting to hear that word come out of Trisha's mouth in relation to them again. Not yet. It had been a while. Somehow the topic had seemed far more hypothetical when they were younger. Besides, they hadn't even slept together yet.

"If you're sure." Trisha sat back again. "Don't die on me. I'll be very annoyed."

"Promise," he smiled back as he considered his next bite carefully and tried not to feel stupid for his heart pounding like he'd been caught in an ambush… or stalked by a jaguar. "So, how's life with the drama star?" he asked, moving the topic to her family instead of his. There were no babies living in her parents' house, just James, and her cousin Ian.

Trisha rolled her eyes, but she grinned. "It's not so bad really. I mean, it's Ian. He's talented, popular, and knows it, but he doesn't brag about it, and Dad says he's doing his part around the house, doesn't smart off at anyone, and he's actually good about keeping with school even with the acting jobs. I'm kind of impressed actually. He didn't seem all that serious about stuff when he was younger. I think the only thing that drives Mom a little nuts is he's really popular with the girls."

"He goes out a lot?"

"He brings them home for study dates a lot," Trisha winked. "Not that we don't know anything about that, do we?"

"Nope, not a bit." Roy started eating his chicken again. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised he's got girls after him with how popular his show's gotten. And he's what, sixteen?"

"Next month," Trisha nodded. "Thank goodness he's only melodramatic on set. I haven't had to smack him for setting any bad examples for my little brother." James was almost thirteen and still in the middle school. "I think I'm glad I moved out when I did. Teenage boys are a lot of work."

"You didn't seem to mind me," Roy pointed out.

"Yeah well, you're a different kind of work." Trisha gave him a very intriguing look as she sipped her drink, one Roy couldn't quite place.

"I like to think I'm a nice piece of work," Roy agreed, waggling an eyebrow.

"Watch it, Mustang. Someone might think you have an exaggerated view of your qualities."

The rest of dinner was light, pleasant banter. Roy finished his food without any more near-accidental choking, and without any more references to potential future offspring. When they were done he paid, and they took the long way home, strolling through the main part of town before wending their way back through the warm, pleasant night air.

Trisha had fit herself nicely against his side now, and Roy could tell he was forgiven for his weekend faux pas. His arm around her shoulders, he was very much aware of how good it felt having her there. He caught the light scent of her soap –she rarely wore perfumes- and she smelled lightly of vanilla and Xingese cherry blossoms. The soft glow of moonlight turned her from his very solid, very real, very down-to-earth alchemist girlfriend into an ethereal being.

Roy didn't want the evening to end. Trisha had given him so many curious looks tonight he couldn't quite read but, he hoped, meant that maybe –given her comments earlier- she might be ready to take things a bit further. They had been dating for over three years, and that was it. They'd kissed, cuddled, made out regularly… but they'd be twenty in a few months. They weren't kids anymore. This wasn't high school, and they no longer had to live under anyone's rules and preferences but their own… as long as it didn't hurt their careers.

Their stop outside her building ended with what had become the never-missed kiss goodnight. Long, alluring, and pleasant, Roy enjoying Trisha's body pressed against his for as long as he could keep her there. The warmth of her lips, the tickle of a stray hair across his skin was electrifying. He shuddered, but not from a chill or any discomfort. Trisha didn't seem in a hurry either. Maybe… just maybe…

Trisha smiled up at him as their lips parted. "Thanks for a great evening, Roy. I missed you. Catch you in the morning for breakfast?"

Roy didn't let go of her, or the moment. Not yet. "I ah… well you know," he replied, his voice quiet and low as he met her gaze. "We don't have to say good night just yet. It's not that late."

"You want to come up?" Trisha blinked, though she was still smiling. "I could make coffee."

Not quite what he'd had in mind, but it was moving that direction. "Maybe," Roy replied, his arms still snugly around her waist. "I was thinking something a little more… personable."

Trisha looked like she wanted to roll her eyes. "How many more kisses good night do you need?" she teased.

He swallowed. "Enough to last until morning?"

Silence fell between them as Trisha's mouth formed a small 'o'… and it was clear she'd finally caught on to his meaning. It wasn't a make-out session he was asking for. Not this time.
"Well?" he finally asked, when he thought the silence might drag on forever. She wasn't dragging him upstairs, but she hadn't hit him either. That was good, right?

Trisha wasn't smiling now. She sighed. "Roy, you know how I feel about this. We've got…"

"Our careers to think of, I know," Roy cut her off gently. "I'm not saying we'd be careless." The last thing he was ready for right now was an unplanned kid! "But there's no regulation against it, with you and me under different commanding officers." He was sure Kane and Twilight had done that specifically to keep their relationship permissible.

"It's not just regulations," Trisha began. "Or… carelessness. I know we'd be careful. It's just…"

"So, that's a no." He didn't even have to ask further. Trisha wouldn't be hemming over it if she had any inclination to say yes.

"I'm sorry, Roy," Trisha looked honestly apologetic. "I want to wait."

"No one else would mind," Roy pointed out, trying not to sound forceful, or frustrated… given he was definitely feeling a lot of the latter. "We're adults. Why keep waiting?"

"Why haven't you proposed?"

It wasn't the question he'd been anticipating. Roy swallowed again, and didn't quip the first line that came to mind about not finding the right moment. It was true, but it would have been a lie to sound like he'd been planning it out for sometime in the immediate future. He wasn't sure there was a really good –or a right- answer to that question. "Do you want me to?" came out instead.

Trisha gave him a funny look. "Would I be dating you if I didn't?" She stepped back a bit, and he didn't hold her to him anymore. "I love you, Roy. You're my best friend, and the only man I've ever wanted to be with."

"I'm the only guy you've ever dated," Roy reminded her.

"And I'm your only girlfriend," she said just as pointedly. "First and only, and I'm good with that. I've never felt the way I do about you about anyone else, and I can't imagine it otherwise."

"You're not even the least bit curious about other men?"

Wrong line again. Trisha scowled. "Why? You're not interested in other women… right?"

"No, it's not that," Roy recovered quickly. "I just…" seem to be digging myself deeper and deeper into a big cat trap this evening. But how could she be so absolutely certain, and so ready to leap into marriage, and everything that entailed? Probably for half the same reasons you want to sleep with her, his mind taunted. They were adults… they just had a different order for the priority list. "I want you," he said, meeting her eyes again. "Not someone else, not some-when else. I love you too, Trisha. That's why it's hard to keep waiting. Even if I proposed today, it would be months, at the least, before everything was planned, and done. And that assumes there's a good time for it, with our schedules. Married is… well…"

"It takes too long?" Trisha's mouth tightened into a hard line. "Look, Roy. I'm not saying it has to be now. I'm fine with waiting until our lives are a little more established. There's no reason to push things. But there are some things you want that, to get, you're going to have to commit fully. You're welcome to come upstairs for a while, but don't expect more than you know I'm willing to give."

Cold… cold water ran down his soul. Roy tried not to feel like he was being unfairly treated. It wasn't like he hadn't known, he just hadn't wanted to admit it. He also felt a little guilty for letting his hormones get the better of him but, damn it, it was getting very hard to wait! He also didn't think he could sit next to her the rest of the night without thinking about it… and maybe without trying another go. Which meant, it was time to go home.

"I should go back to my place," Roy said softly, letting go of her waist, though he rested one hand lightly on her arm. He felt like a guitar string wound too tight, near snapping. "I'm sorry I asked. I should have known better." He let go of her and turned to leave, catching a glance of Trisha's stunned face before he was walking down the sidewalk toward his building. He walked quickly. Any delay was only going to make it harder to keep his self control.

It was definitely a night for a cold shower.