Disclaimer - Kym Rooker is my own creation. Jean Havoc belongs to Fullmetal Alchemist.
I...just can't help but do this. I've been craving like crazy to do a Jean Havoc/OFC for a long time now and I'm going for it. Kym Rooker took a number of times to perfect and I'm quite pleased with this character.
There will be spoilers from the manga/anime, so be ready folks! I tweaked some to include my character, but I think they worked well.
Rated M for violence, adult scenes and language.

Spring 1914:

Quickly realizing how warm it was in East City, Kym Rooker shed her winter coat and stuffed her gloves into her bag. "I need to plan these things out more," she muttered to herself, quickly moving out of the way as more people exited the train, seeking out their loved ones or heading to waiting vehicles.

After receiving permission from Major General Armstrong for a much needed getaway from the cold North, the Alchemist soldier left with only her shoulder bag and coat. She was used to being on her own before taking on the life as a military dog. She had lived through the war - the Ishval Civil War - as a small child. Keeping her dark shades on, no one would have guessed she had Ishvalan blood in her veins. Her brown skin stood out against the crowd of white Amestian people, but her light brown hair allowed her to blend in.

Walking past a small crowd of people waiting for their rides, Kym headed down the road, hugging close to the buildings to avoid getting hit. The city was the same way it had always been - large, busy and held the military command base. It was here she resided while studying to receive her Alchemist Certification in Central City- without revealing her Ishvalan bloodline trait - and stayed for a short time, making a request to be transferred to Fort Briggs, North City's large Fortress that separated Amestris from Drachma, the neighboring country.

First stop was a local inn to check in and get herself settled. As she waited for the desk clerk to finish with a customer, she noticed the newspaper had a rather interesting title:

Local murders baffle officials; military personal targeted.

Picking up the paper and reading the article, she was feeling even more relieved to have left her uniform behind. However, hanging from her waist, was her Silver pocket watch. The symbol of a State Alchemist. The one thing she always carried on her, no matter where she went.

"Miss?" The desk clerk gave her a smile as the other person left to their room.

Placing the paper down and stepping forward, Kym returned the smile and asked, "Room for one please?"

"Okay and for how long?"

Rooker thought for a moment. "Well, I'm not really sure, to be honest." She folded her hands - hiding the tattooed circles on her palms - and leaning against the desk. "But money won't be an issue."

The desk clerk nodded his head and glanced down, noticing the flash of the silver chain of her pocket watch. "Okay, but just be careful, Miss. Somethin' bad goin' on for military folks," he warned in a low voice for only her to hear.

"I'm used to taking care of myself, but thank you for the warning." Kym nodded her head and received a key.

~K~K~K~K~K~K~K~K~K~

"You must be new in town or I wouldn't have noticed you before."

Kym raised her head from her paper to see a tall man standing before her, cigarette dangling from his mouth. "Just here to get away from work." She answered honestly, not letting herself drop her guard. The spring air was a welcoming feel for the half-Ishval woman as she took a seat outside of a local deli a few days later. "You seem like a welcoming person, being the first to talk to me since I arrived."

The blond shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "It doesn't hurt to say 'hello' to a pretty lady every now and then. Right?"

"I guess not," she answered back, returning the smile, but continuing to keep her guard up. The man seemed awfully kind. Maybe too kind, she thought. He was dressed in Military blue uniform - same as hers - and smelled like an ashtray. He was rather attractive at first glance, but Kym didn't want to give him too much attention. She had been reading up on the reports of the military murders and was keeping her guard up while in the city.

"Where are you from, if I may ask?" He seemed rather curious about her, her dark skin certainly did stand out among the fair skinned people he was used to seeing.

Rooker pushed her dark shades up her nose with her index finger, making sure to hide her red eyes. "Up north."

The man whistled and nodded his head. "Talk about a climate change, then."

"Sure is a big change." She was remaining polite, but there was an uncomfortable feel between them. She wanted him to move on, to be honest.

He smiled again, his lit cigarette twitching as his lips turned up. "Well, I certainly don't want to be taking up your time, Miss. Enjoy your stay here." With a nod of his head, he headed off down the sidewalk to a waiting car.

Watching him carefully, Kym noticed a young teen wearing a red coat and a tall armored person waiting by the car, calling to the soldier. "Let's go, Second Lieutenant! I don't have time for you to flirt!"

"Yeah, yeah," he waved off the boy's yells as he neared the car. "Just welcoming a visitor."

The teen crossed his arms and frowned. "Looked more like flirting to me," he muttered.

"Brother. Please." The armored person pleaded.

Kym Rooker smiled to herself as the three climbed into the vehicle, still continuing to bicker at each other. "Another military dog, hm?" She muttered to herself, taking note of the silver pocket watch on the boy's waist. "Kid's awfully young, too."

~K~K~K~K~K~K~K~K~K~

The next day:

Taking a cigarette break after dropping the brothers off at Shou Tucker's house, Jean Havoc picked up a sandwich from the local deli and looked over the small crowd sitting outside. His blue eyes noticed the dark skin and shoulder-length light brown hair again, sitting in the same spot she had before. The newspaper was laid out before her on the patio table, a cup of tea holding the pages down from the breeze. You again.

He thought about walking up and joining her, but thought against it. He didn't want to freak her out, but he quickly saw a shimmer of the silver chain of the watch and his heart dropped. She was a State Alchemist. No... she was a State Alchemist in a city where a murderer was. Havoc snuffed out his cigarette on his shoe and stashed it away for later, heading over to the table. "Miss? Remember me?"

Kym recognized that voice and inwardly groaned. Hells bells. She raised her head, but saw a concerned expression on his face this time, the lit cigarette no where to be seen. "You look awfully worried. Lose your cigarette?"

He cracked a smile and shook his head. "No, I haven't. I see you have the pocket watch?"

Feeling adrenaline rising in her stomach, Kym folded up the newspaper and was getting ready to run when he raised his hand to stop her. "I'm not here to pick a fight," she warned softly to not bother those around them.

"And I'm not either. I just want to warn you. Mind if we step over here?" He motioned toward the car he had yesterday. "Please?"

Rooker tilted her head slightly with a serious expression. Her red eyes narrowed behind her dark shades, wondering if she could trust him. He did have a genuine concerned look on his face. Inhaling a deep breath, Kym exhaled it as she nodded. "Okay."

The Second Lieutenant lead the way to the car and held the front passenger door open for her. Rooker slipped in and he quickly slipped in on the driver's side, his sandwich still in his hand. "I can tell you're having a hard time trusting me because you don't know me, but my concern is your safety right now."

"If it's about these murders - "

He cut her off. "It is. The person who's committing these murders is targeting State Alchemists." His blue eyes pleaded for her to trust him. "The papers are not saying it since they don't want to reveal that information. Last thing we need is fear-driven people pushing non-state alchemists in the direction of the murderer."

Reading his face carefully, Rooker still couldn't lower her guard. "How can I trust what you're saying?"

He exhaled a heavy breath. "Do you know Roy Mustang?"

"Roy? Yes, I know him." Probably more than you do, pal.

Jean flashed a relieved smile. "He's my commanding officer." He could see her shoulders relaxing at hearing Roy's name. "I want to help you."

Sitting back and grasping the newspaper in her hands, the dark skinned Alchemist bit down on her bottom lip and thought deeply. Some time away from the cold north was turning into a bizarre series of events. The soldier did say he knew Roy Mustang and he did look genuinely concerned and worried, especially since he saw the silver chain of her watch. "Alright, but if you're jerking me around, buddy..."

He raised his hands to show no harm and smiled. "Don't worry, Miss. I've been around Roy enough to not fuck around with Alchemists."

"Well, true," she admitted. "Quit calling me 'Miss', though. Name's Kym Rooker."

"Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc," he held a hand out and she shook it firmly. "I can drop you off at his office before I go pick up the other Alchemist."

She raised a brow. "The little dude I saw yesterday?"

He laughed and popped a cigarette into his mouth, lighting it. "Yes and don't call him 'little' within earshot. Kid flips out completely when called that."

"I'll work on remembering that, but I tend to be bluntly honest at things I notice."

He glanced in her direction as the vehicle headed down the road, the lit cigarette bobbing up and down in his mouth. The woman beside him held the silver watch in her hand, staring at the etching on the front. "Been an Alchemist long?" Anything to get her to talk, really.

"Been studying it since I was eleven or twelve. Became a State Alchemist five years ago," she sighed softly, trying not to reveal too much without giving herself away.

Bobbing his cigarette a little more, Havoc glanced at her once more from the corner of his eye. "Are you at least armed, just in case?"

"Besides my alchemy?"

The blond nodded his head. "Yes."

Kym thought it over and realized she had left her gun in a locked box within her wards at Fort Briggs. "Well, shit...," she muttered. "That's in my lock box."

Jean reached down at his holster and handed her his firearm. "Here."

She took the weapon and looked at it. "Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to give me your weapon."

"I have another and I'll work it out with Colonel Mustang so you can use mine until you go home." He gave her a nod, using a free hand to push her hands towards her body. She could feel the calluses along his fingers against her hands and wondered if he was a hard military dog - like her. "My job is to protect the innocent people of this country and you're an innocent person in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wouldn't want your vacation to be ruined by a murder."

Touched for his kindness, Rooker gripped the weapon in her hands before tucking in securely in her belt. "I'm well aware of the murders that have been happening and I'm used to protecting myself, Second Lieutenant. I'm not used to others helping me."

"Well," he sighed as he pulled into a parking spot at Headquarters, "I'm not a real bright man, but that I can tell." He eyed her for a moment, seeing her eyes flicker behind the dark shades as if they were burrowing into his soul. He stiffened and straightened himself. "But since you know Colonel Mustang, this should be easy for you."

Kym huffed softly, her arms crossing in front of her chest and Jean caught a glimpse of a circle tattoo on her palms. Transmutation circles? "Nothing is easy for me. You're a soldier; you should understand that."

Right. You don't seem to like taking anything easy, he thought with a frown. "C'mon, then." He led the way as they entered the building and made their way to Roy Mustang's office. Havoc quickly noticed Rooker was hanging back from him, keeping a weary eye on every person they passed. You are a paranoid person.

He shook off his concerns and knocked on Mustang's office door.

"C'mon in."

"Chief? We may have a problem." He pointed out, not completely coming into the room. Kym was standing a foot from him, carefully watching three military personal walking by, her eyes narrowing slightly when they looked in her direction.

Roy massaged the headache between his eyes and sighed heavily. "Now what?"

Havoc moved aside and - placing a hand on her back - pushed her into the room. "Another State Alchemist turned up. Alive and well, but I'm not sure how long."

"Was that really necessary?" Rooker questioned, frowning slightly. Jean shrugged his shoulders and bobbed his cigarette up between his teeth.

Mustang tilted his dark head and narrowed his eyes. "Well, I'll be damned. Kym Rooker?"

"Long time no see, eh?" She tilted her head as well, pushing her shades up her nose once more with a finger knuckle. "Was actually enjoying my time away from Briggs when the one who smells like an ashtray turns up and says I could be in trouble because of some murder spree going on."

Roy flashed a small smile and stood up. "Relax, Kym. I'm sure Jean meant all well and good." She gave him a glance and he returned with a small smile. "Truth is, we do have a murderer around here and you would be a perfect target with that chain flashing." He pointed at her side and she looked down at the silver chain showing under her shirt. "Do you have anything else on you that proves who you are?"

Rooker closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath, releasing it heavily. There goes my vacation. "Just my pocket watch. Everything else is back in Briggs."

Humming in disapproval, the Colonel stepped out from behind his desk and motioned to her shades. "You can take them off. You're safe in here with us."

Stiffening her shoulders at his request, she looked around at the few other people in the room. A short, young fella looked up from a radio he was fixing, a round soldier stood by the wall with his arms crossed, a gray-haired gentleman kindly smiled in her direction and a blond woman stood next to Roy's desk. "Yeah, they look like a safe bunch," she muttered cynically.

"It's all right, Rook." Mustang said softly, calling her by a nickname she hadn't heard in years.

Licking her lips nervously, Kym reached a hand up and slowly removed her dark shades, revealing her red eyes. Havoc inhaled a sharp breath and took a few steps back. "Son of a bitch. An Ishvalan."

"Havoc!" Mustang barked. "Don't say that too loudly."

"But an Ishvalan here?" His eyes widened. "She has my firearm, too. I - "

Kym snapped her fingers and sharply said, "If I wanted you dead, I would have done it a long time ago." She reached behind her and handed his weapon back to him. "You can take it back if you want."

Mustang raised his hand, causing Jean to pause when he reached for the firearm. "First Lieutenant Hawkeye, take Kym back and stay until Second Lieutenant Havoc arrives once I'm done talking to him." The blond woman saluted her Colonel before leaving with Kym following behind.

"Oh!" Rooker turned and tossed Havoc his sandwich. "You may want to eat that."

Roy smirked and waited until the door was closed, turning toward Havoc. "Jean-"

"Sir, I didn't know she's Ishvalan. How is she a State Alchemist while being an Ishvalan?" The Second Lieutenant asked, a quizzical expression etched on his face.

Sighing and shaking his head, the dark-haired Colonel waved the blond man over and they stood by the large window, watching Riza and Kym walking to a waiting vehicle. "I met her after the Ishval Extermination and she was already a skilled alchemist. She's not a pure Ishalvan. Her mother was Ishvalan while her father was an Amestris soldier."

"Wait," Jean narrowed his eyes before they went wide. "Her mother was raped?"

"No. The fell in love while he was stationed in the neighborhood she lived in. During the Order of Extermination, he tried to sneak her and Kym out, but were caught. She was eleven with it started and nineteen when her parents died. Only Kym survived and kept her identity a secret during her Alchemist exams." Mustang explained, hoping Jean would understand. "She holds no grudge against me or other State Alchemists for what happened and isn't looking for sympathy."

Havoc felt like a idiot for how he acted. "That explains why her hair is light brown instead of white, like other Ishvalans. Why is she a State Alchemist then?"

"One the surface, she hopes to protect other misjudged civilians." Roy shrugged and pocketed his hands. "I don't know what her plans are deep down, however." He turned and faced his Lieutenant. "Did you notice how cold it got in here when she snapped her fingers?"

"I did, Chief."

"She controls snow and can form it as long as there's moisture in the air."

"Oh! Is that why she's stationed in Briggs?" Jean was starting to connect the dots. Starting to understand her.

"For the most part, but also her commander is far more understanding and tolerant. Heritage and bloodlines are not important when protecting the North side of the mountains. Now," he commanded complete attention from the younger man. "Since you exposed yourself as a complete ignorant moron in front a higher ranked officer of the military, you will be responsible to protect her until I say so while also transporting the Elric Brothers to and from Shou Tucker's property."

Chewing on the end of his cigarette, he thought about getting himself out of it by saying, "She's told me she's used to taking care of herself, sir."

The look he received from Mustang didn't sway his superior's orders. Giving Roy a salute, he left the office and headed back to his vehicle. Good going, Havoc. Good going.

To be continued...