Love is: giving someone the chance to destroy you…

And trusting them not to.

She'd lost count of how many chances he'd given her. Any one of those times, she could've (should've, some would say) shot him and walked away from it all. It was what she had been told to do, after all, and Riza Hawkeye did not disobey orders.

But, no matter how often she had been given the chance, she just could not do it. The promise of what lay ahead was too great, and as Roy Mustang fit rather nicely into that future, she would not damage it for herself in any way. Only once had she forgotten that and said that she would lay down her life for him if that was what it took.

He hadn't taken that well. He had raged and yelled, and, at the end of it all, broken down. "Do you have that little trust in me?" he had croaked. "Do you really believe that I would allow you to make that sacrifice?"

Unbelievable pain had shot through her heart at that. "No, you wouldn't," she had conceded.

"We'll see this through, whatever it takes," he had promised. Then, he had turned to her. "I trust you to be there, Riza. Do you trust me to end this?"

She had nodded. "I trust you."

That had been the closest they had ever come to saying those three little words, but it was close enough. They knew there was more to what was being said, and it was risky enough to say what had been said.

And now, as they stood together, possibly for the last time, Riza took Roy's hand and put a gentle pressure on it. He looked at her, and, in unison, they whispered a reminder: "I trust you."

Then, all hell broke loose.

A/N: This is my Valentine's Day fic. Pretty depressing, I know. I just can't write humor right now. At least we know they love each other! (I got that definition of love from an e-card, in case anyone's wondering.)

Also, just so nobody's confused, this takes place before the final battle. For now, you choose whether this is the final of the anime (in which case, you know the outcome) or the manga (in which case you get to make up your own outcome). I might write a continuation of this eventually, but for now, it stands alone. I have to do my homework!

Reviews are appreciated, and happy Valentine's Day! (I still have about 6 hours left!)