A/N: Hello! Welcome to my first Havolina fic, and also my first multiple chapter fic! This is the first of I'm not sure how many chapters, detailing Havoc's recovery and his and Rebecca's behind the scenes work for The Promised Day. It will concentrate a lot on their relationship, with their past together being expounded upon in future chapters. I hope you enjoy it! First, a quick shout-out to my AMAZING friend ochibisniper, who talked me through so many things about this story, and who is directly responsible for large portions of the plot bunnies. Love you tons. Please enjoy, I own nothing!

She remembered sitting in the locker room during the North-East joint training, waiting on Riza to get done with her sharpshooting. She remembered mantling and dismantling her pistol, trying to get her speed to under a minute. She remembered the door opening. She remembered looking up and seeing sandy blond hair, blue eyes, and a cigarette attached to a smile. She remembered that it felt like falling...

Rebecca sat in the hallway of the hospital, staring blankly at the wall, her hands picking at the hem of her shirt. It was a nervous habit, one she'd had for years, one that Riza used to always get onto her about it. If her fingers weren't picking at something, she was chewing on her lips. Right now, she had a stray thread coming off her shirt, and her left hand couldn't stop tugging at it. She blinked quickly, trying to clear her head of the fog. She breathed in and out, attempting to steel her nerves. She nodded once, then stood up.

She immediately sat back down, left hand tugging at her shirt hem once more. Come on, Rebecca, she scolded herself. This is Havoc. Go in there. Just go! Another voice piped up, cruel and unwanted. He probably doesn't even want you there. You two didn't part on the best terms. She knitted her brow. The last time she had seen him was the day before he had left for Central. She had been angry. Roy Mustang was not only taking Riza from her, but Jean as well. She was hurt and upset and hadn't meant to take her feelings out on him but...her hand tugged on the thread harder, finally snapping it in two. She sighed.

"You keep standing up and sitting down, girl, and I'm calling the Psych ward on you." Rebecca looked up. A nurse was smiling cheekily at her from the registration desk. Rebecca forced a laugh.

"Sorry...I'm visiting an ex."

The nurse nodded, seeming to understand.

"He must still be pretty important to you if you'd come visit him in the hospital."

She cast her eyes down. "He never stopped being important to me."

The nurse turned back to her work. "Then stop being a child and go see him." Rebecca snapped her eyes back up.

"It's not that easy!"

The nurse snorted.

"If he's in here, then he could use all the support he can get. Get your ass up and go to him."

Rebecca swallowed. Get up. He needs you, the gentle voice claimed. She nodded. She breathed in and stood up, legs shaking. She cast a glance at the nurse, then walked the rest of the way down the hall, stopping outside his door. Exhaling, she knocked.

"Come in!" a female voice answered. Rebecca opened the door and poked her head inside. Jean was lying in the hospital bed, speaking with an older woman. They both turned and looked at her, a look of slight shock registering on his face and simple pleasantness on the woman's - his mother, if the same blue eyes were any indication. She stopped in the doorway, swallowed nervously, and gave a short wave.

"Hi, Havoc."

The shock quickly left Jean's face and his lips turned up into a small grin.

"Hey, Rebecca."

Mrs. Havoc looked at her son. "Rebecca?" She looked back. "You're Rebecca?"

She nodded. The woman smiled widely.

"It's wonderful to meet you, I've heard so much about you!" She stood and beckoned her in. "I'm Jean's mother. Come in, don't just stand in the doorway." Rebecca tentatively stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She walked farther in and smiled warmly at the woman in front of her.

"It's nice to meet you, too, ma'am." She looked at Jean and the smile became gentler, but she couldn't make herself speak. He also seemed at a loss for words, continuing to stare at her as though he didn't quite think she was real. Mrs. Havoc's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them, until she finally cleared her throat, causing Rebecca to jump slightly.

"Jean, now that you have a friend here, I think I'm going to head back to the hotel for awhile. Just call me if you need anything, okay?" Both Rebecca and Jean began sputtering.

"No, you don't have to -"

"I didn't mean to make you -" She held up a hand and both fell silent.

"Really, you're doing me a favor, Rebecca. I could use a nap." She picked up her purse and walked to the door, opening it. "Take care of him, will you?" She smiled and Rebecca just barely returned it.

"I'll try," she managed to whisper as Mrs. Havoc waved and closed the door behind her. She turned back around. Jean's eyes looked her up and down and he smiled sheepishly.

"Hey."

Rebecca closed her eyes and smiled, laughing a little. "We already did that part." Jean chuckled quietly, matching her.

"Good point. Want to sit down?"

She nodded and walked to the chair his mother had vacated, sitting in it. She put her purse in her lap and swallowed again, her hands back to fidgeting with the bag.

"How are you?"

Jean shrugged.

"I've been better. It's not exactly an ideal situation, being paralyzed."

Rebecca looked down.

"No, I'd imagine it's not. That was a dumb question." She looked back up. "I heard you retired." It was Jean's turn to look away.

"Yeah...I'm not a whole lot of use to the Colonel now."

She felt her insides churn.

"Did he say that to you?" she said, too sharply. He frowned.

"No, I did. He wasn't happy with me retiring, he said he'd cut me loose but that he'd see me at the top. That he expected me to catch up."

Rebecca was surprised. She hadn't anticipated that from Mustang.

"He probably wants you to keep training. Keep your strength up."

Jean nodded.

"I intend to. I hadn't, at first. But I can't give up. Not when people need me. I know there isn't a whole lot I can do, but I can at least try to get better, and help as much behind the scenes as I can. I'll do whatever it takes." He clenched his fist, steadying his resolve. The more he stated his goal out loud, the easier it seemed to be to accept.

There was a light shining in his eyes, a fire burning there that made Rebecca's stomach do flips. She had nearly lost this man.

She had nearly lost this man.

The gravity of that realization suddenly hit her, and she leaned forward, her purse falling to the ground. She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly, burying her face in his chest.

Jean jumped, surprised at the movement, but it was only a split second before he returned the hug gratefully, enveloping her. He had missed her, oh god, he had missed her. He hadn't wanted to admit that, even to himself, but now that she was here, in his arms, the amount of loss he had felt at having to leave her in the first place hit his heart like a truck.

"Rebecca..." he started, but she cut him off.

"I'm sorry." she said, the words muffled by his shirt. Taken aback, he looked down at her head.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, laying her cheek on his chest. "I'm sorry for everything I said, I'm sorry for letting you walk away, I'm sorry, I just..."

"Rebecca, hush." He pulled her, causing her to shift and curl fully onto the bed, lying more completely on his chest and side in a fetal position. He readjusted his arms around her and put his chin on her head.

"I'm not mad. I'm glad you're here. I'm really glad you're here." Rebecca only squeezed him tighter.

"I almost lost you. I almost lost you. Oh god, I almost lost you. I'm so sorry." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm here. I'm right here. There's nothing for you to apologize for." He could feel her shaking and he tightened his grip around her. She closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest again, continuing to mumble repeated "I'm sorry"s while he stroked her back. He knew why she was apologizing. He didn't care though. He didn't care about what had happened between them. None of it mattered anymore. He just wanted to hold her, and not let go. So he held her, kissing her head and her cheeks and finally her lips when she came up for air. He held her, and they talked, and she held him, and they kissed, and they did not separate until well after the nurse told her that visiting hours were over, a knowing smile on her face.

Awww. Please favorite and review! I would love feedback! There's more to come!