"Darling, I'm home!"

Roy Mustang burst through the front door of the large house and into the living room with a huge grin on his face. He found Riza sitting on a plush armchair, a book open in her lap. She didn't even look up when he entered the room.

"Do I need to remind you that we're on a mission, sir, and that we're not actually married?"

Roy sighed and flopped into an armchair across from her.

"You're no fun, Lieutenant," he whined with a pout.

"And don't forget about the reception tonight," she continued, pointedly ignoring his complaining. "It starts in two hours and we should get there early to scope out the venue ahead of time so we know how to appropriately deal with our target."

Roy groaned again. "I know, I know."

Riza let out a quiet sigh, snapped her book shut, and stood to get herself ready for the event that their entire week of 'married couple charades' was preparing them for. They had integrated themselves in a small, upper class community in order to get closer to the suspected leader of a notorious drug smuggling ring. Disguising themselves as a rich family, with Ed posing as their son, made the mission simple and no one suspected yet that they were actually military officials.

The idea had been General Grumman's and Riza was not comfortable with it at first. Roy, on the other hand, was inwardly excited upon hearing Grumman's undercover disguise suggestion for them. Not the Edward being their son part, of course. He could have done without that inclusion. The colonel was smart enough not to admit any of his thoughts out loud though. Riza would have given him an earful.

"Where are the boys?" Roy asked, suddenly noticing their absence.

"Upstairs getting ready."

Riza set her book down on the end table by her chair and breezed passed Roy to also get ready for the gala. Roy didn't miss the scent that wafted to his nose when she walked by and he grinned, craning his neck to look back at her.

"Is that a new perfume?"

Riza breathed a quiet laugh.

"It might be."

Her response only made Roy grin wider as he watched her disappear into the bedroom and shut the door. He chuckled softly and stood to go to his own room, donning a formal three piece black and gray suit. Just as he was finishing the knot on his black silk tie, a knock on his door halted his actions.

"Come in," he called.

Riza walked in a moment later, hurriedly closing the door behind her, a worried frown on her red painted lips. He raised his brow in question.

He couldn't keep his eyes from wandering over her well built frame covered by a long, high necked black dress. Roy had decided long ago that Riza could make anything look good and the dress she wore at that moment was certainly one of the most flattering pieces of clothing he'd ever seen on her. He knew there were at least two gun holsters somewhere on her person and that made her outfit even more tantalizing.

"My zipper is stuck," Riza huffed, holding her arms over her chest to hold the dress up. "Would you help me fix it, please?"

Ah, so that's why she looked so flustered. If Ed and Al had decided to come downstairs when she was walking to his room it would have been bad.

"Of course, Lieutenant."

Riza turned her back to him and he stepped up to her, lifting his hand to the zipper caught in the fabric at her mid back. He paused at the sight of the tattoo and scars marring her skin and absently brushed his knuckles over her back, grimacing at the difference between the rough scar tissue at her shoulder and the softness of her unblemished skin. Shaking his head to clear his mind of old, painful memories, he fiddled with the zipper a bit, freeing the dress and allowing him to zip it closed.

But instead of moving back upon completing his task, he leaned in closer to her, nose almost brushing her ear, breath warm on her neck.

"You look amazing," he muttered in her ear, his baritone sending an involuntary chill down her spine. "And you smell nice. You should wear that perfume more often. It suits you."

Finally he moved away, turning his back to her while he continued knotting his tie. Riza was thankful he turned around so he wouldn't see the healthy blush coloring her cheeks. She slowly walked to the door and turned slightly in his direction.

"Thank you," she said, her voice quiet and airy.

She then opened the door and left his room to finish getting dressed.

"Hey! Asshole dad!"

Edward's voice rang out from the hall a few minutes after Riza had gone and Roy sighed, walking out of his room to see what the brat was angry about now.

000000

The black tie affair in that little town could have rivaled the military balls Mustang and Hawkeye were forced to attend every year. Extravagant decorations, champagne and wine on every table, waiters serving expensive hors d'oeuvres, the works. It made Roy and Riza wonder if the town was ignoring the fact that the richest one among them was a drug dealer just so they could have these lavish parties. After what they'd seen in just the week they'd been there, they wouldn't have been surprised.

"The rest of the team should be here soon," Riza muttered and Roy nodded, his charming smile never leaving his face. Their act was easy for them and the people bought it without question. Riza squeezed his arm that was linked in hers to get his attention once more. "I think I just saw Fuery."

"Looks like they're right on time then," Roy replied, leading her toward a table in the corner of the large room.

Edward trailed behind them, looking around and hoping the rest of Mustang's team was taking good care of Al. His little brother was staying with them at the house, but he couldn't come with them as part of the family masquerade. His armor stood out too much.

The three of them took their seats at the table, each of them taking in the party around them. Riza took note of all of the exits and windows, Roy eyed the people slowly filtering in, and Edward cared more about the food than the actual mission.

Riza caught sight of Havoc who gave her the signal that the team was in position. She relayed this message to Roy and he nodded, continuing to look around the room, this time trying to find their target.

At last, the drug dealer made his appearance. He would have been hard to miss in his bright red suit with a woman in a gaudy, over the top gown at his side. As soon as he stepped into the room, the team's plan moved into action.

The band began playing and Roy stood, extending his hand to Riza. She accepted his silent request, placing her hand in his and allowing him to lead her to the dance floor where other couples, including their target, were already swaying and twirling to the music.

As they danced, Roy and Riza pointedly moved closer to their target without drawing attention. The goal was to catch him off guard, place him under arrest, and hope to wrap up the matter quietly. If things didn't go quite so easily, that was where Team Mustang and Edward came in. The pre-planned backup would give them an edge as the only guards in the area were at all the entrances.

They missed their opportunity when the woman dancing with their target decided she wanted a drink and led him away from the dance floor. Roy groaned and shared a look with Riza. A new plan was forming in their minds. They followed their target, Riza hanging on Roy's arm and laughing, Roy leaning close to her, a huge smile on his face. They looked like the perfect married couple they could only dream of being.

When he thought about it, Roy was almost sad that their week of pretend would be ending soon and though she would never admit it, Riza felt the same.

They approached the table their target stopped at to pour drinks and Riza let out a particularly loud giggle to gain their attention.

"Oh! You're Mister Aberdine," Riza said, acting impressed. "The one that hosted this fantastic party, right?"

The man didn't seem suspicious and instead turned to her with a pompous smile, clearly full of himself.

"Yes, indeed I am. Richard Aberdine, the one and only."

That was all the confirmation they needed and Riza moved her hand that wasn't attached to Roy's arm, signaling the team, who should have been watching them, that they were about to make their move.

"I'm going to have to ask you to come with us," Roy said, dropping the act and pulling away from Riza. He grabbed a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and moved closer to Aberdine in as non threatening a way as possible. They didn't want to make a scene if they didn't have to.

Aberdine's friendly demeanor evaporated, replaced with an aura of malice.

"What is this? I don't think so, you can't prove anything."

"Indeed we can," Roy replied. "We have all the evidence we need to incriminate you, Aberdine. You confirming your name solidified it. Please come with us quietly and this won't need to get ugly."

Aberdine growled and unexpectedly smashed his wine glass on the table, swiping at Roy with the broken stem. Roy almost avoided it, but the sharp glass nicked his cheek and he winced as blood dotted up from the cut. Seconds later, Aberdine dropped the remains of the glass and punched Roy who was still distracted with trying to avoid the first hit, busting his lower lip in the process.

It all happened so quickly that Riza, who had been behind Roy, wasn't able to prevent the two attacks against her colonel, but she did intervene before he could attempt anything else. Her gun was drawn and pointed at Aberdine's head before he could move another muscle.

Despite the danger and the stinging pain from the cut on his cheek and his bleeding lip, Roy was disappointed that he missed Riza drawing her weapon. He really wanted to know just where she was hiding that gun.

Shouts from around the room let them know that the rest of Team Mustang and Edward had reacted to the fight, taking out the guards and coming to Mustang and Hawkeye's aid to finish the arrest.

"We'll take it from here, Chief," Havoc said, he and Breda coming up to them with their weapons drawn, handcuffs at the ready. As they neared, Havoc saw the blood on Mustang's face and winced. "And yeesh, you should go get that cleaned up."

Roy was about to make a retort, but Riza cut him off.

"I'll make sure he cleans those cuts," she said, grabbing his arm and pushing him away from the scene toward a darker balcony outside overlooking the mansion's lavish gardens. She stopped at a table on the way, plucking a napkin from it and dipping it in a pitcher of water.

It was quiet and peaceful outside, a stark contrast to the party starting up again after Aberdine was taken away. Riza brought the damp napkin to Roy's cheek, dabbing lightly. He made a face and Riza rolled her eyes. He was acting like a child that had fallen from his bike.

"It's not that bad, sir."

"But it still stings like hell."

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips and she leaned closer to him, lightly kissing the cut on his cheek.

"Any better?"

Roy blinked in surprise before grinning and shrugging.

"Yeah...But my lip still hurts."

Riza laughed and leaned in again.

Inside, Alphonse witnessed the tender scene between the colonel and his lieutenant, made a soft 'aww-ing' sound, and quickly turned his brother away from the couple on the balcony before Edward saw them and made a scene.