A/N: Whoa. Another chapter! A little shorter than the first, granted, but still! *does tiny victory dance* Anyways, I didn't manage to get in a very clear picture of what Bryn looks like in the first chapter. So here:

Name: Bronwyn Gale.

Age: 14

Hair/eyes: Hair is normally dark brown, but she got bright red streaks in it. Eyes are dark brown.

Clothes: Black and (bright) pink short-sleeved jacket, skinny jeans, black high-top Converse shoes.

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, but I do own Bryn and any other OCs that might be in here. Also, any reference to brand names or celebrities or anything is pure coincidence (as in, I don't own them, either).

Just Her Niece

Right as I was in mid-bite, the doors to the cafeteria swung open loudly, causing both of us to jump. I looked over and….

Armstrong. Major Alex Louis Armstrong. He spotted us and walked over, smiling.

Thankfully, his shirt was on. For now, anyways.

"Hello, Lieutenant Hawkeye," he greeted Riza cheerfully. The Major paused briefly and looked at me, making me feel self-conscious. I shifted in my spot uncomfortably. "And who might this be?"

"This is my—"

"Daughter!" Armstrong cut in dramatically "I knew you and the Colonel were up to something! Oh, what a beautiful day this is!" And at that moment, I swear, I saw little sparkles floating around him. Like the air around him was shimmering. No joke.

"Major!" Riza gasped, a blush growing on her cheeks. I could tell she was trying to hide it but failing miserably. "She's not my daughter!"

Then, Armstrong ripped off his shirt, did some heroic sort of pose and cried out "But of course she is! The art of recognizing families has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!" I looked away quickly to spare myself from any mental scarring the man might inflict. It's funny when he does it in the anime or manga, sure, but in real life? It's just downright awkward.

"Besides," he added, pulling me up out my seat "She bears many of your traits! So quiet and emotionless. Yet look at her hair! It's dark, like the Colonel's." Armstrong laughed loudly and ruffled my hair with his large hand. It was all I could do to keep from falling over. "She's also quite beautiful, which comes from both you and the Colonel!"

"Heh," I smirked, my cocky attitude taking over "I am pretty damn sexy." The Major smiled widely, about to speak again when I interrupted him "But I'm not their child. Riza is my aunt."

If Riza wasn't such an emotionless person, she probably would've sighed in relief at my amazing save. Instead her shoulders relaxed and she massaged her temples. I guessed she must've been thinking about how bad it would be if Armstrong spread it around that I was their child.

There was a pause, and then Armstrong cried out "Nonsense!" Then he skipped (I swear it's true) out the door, a trail of sparkles floating behind him.

Riza groaned loudly, digging her nails into her temples now.

"Headache?" I questioned, picking up my plate and placing it in the sink.

She looked at me in frustration. "That's an understatement, Bronwyn."

I just grinned back at her, turning my attention to the unattended jacket lying on the table. "Er…he forgot his jacket…"

The Lieutenant sighed and shook her head disapprovingly before snatching up the large military jacket and walking briskly out the door. She didn't bother telling me to follow her. I ended up half-jogging to catch up.

We walked quickly down the hallway back to the office; I kept my half-jogging pace. Riza's a fast walker.

Once we reached our destination, Riza opened the door harshly and shut it loudly behind us, causing the men in the room to jump. They were all standing around the Colonel's desk, but they moved aside when we entered. The Colonel didn't jump, though. He just looked up from the paper he was writing on, his expression faintly surprised.

"Welcome back," he greeted us casually. His onyx eyes flicked back and forth between us before stopping on me.

I guess I must've looked pretty shaken because he said "What's up with you? You look like you've seen a ghost." A pause. "You haven't seen a ghost, have you?" Yeah. That would be fantastic. As if this day could get any weirder.

"No," Riza sighed "We just ran into Major Armstrong down at the mess hall." She said it like that explained everything, which it basically did. "He's convinced that Bronwyn here is our child, sir. Something about 'us being up to something'."

Mustang flinched, but quickly regained his composure and smirked. "Damn. It seems as though we've been found out, Lt.." The guys snickered and I chuckled a little myself. Yeah, like I was their offspring. Maybe if I could make something burst into flames with the snap of my fingers or if I actually knew how to work a gun, then yeah. Otherwise, no.

Riza gave him a look "Colonel, please be serious about this. If Armstrong spreads this around, you'll be fired! Both of us will!" The men looked more serious now and stopped laughing. She was right. I remembered there being a strict 'no fraternization' law in the story. If the rumor spread to the higher-ups, Riza would probably be fired. Mustang might remain in the military, but he'd probably be moved down a few ranks. Ouch.

Mustang seemed to be taking this in as well. He ran a hand through his messy black hair, letting out a shaky breath. The man turned away for a moment, obviously thinking things through. It was then he saw the abnormally large military jacket hanging on Riza's arm.

"Is that..?"

"Armstrong's? Yes," Riza replied.

He furrowed his brows for a moment before looking at me. I let out a sigh before he even gave the orders.

"Bronwyn, is it?"

"Bryn, please."

A smirk crept onto his lips. "Right then, Bryn, you are to return the jacket to Armstrong. While you are there, you will convince him that you are not our child and—"

"Whoa," I interrupted "Let me get this straight. You're sending me to Mr. Shirtless-Sparkly-Muscles-Guy to give him his jacket and convince him I'm not your kid…..ALONE!" I really wasn't in a hurry to see the sparkles again.

The Colonel blinked in surprise, like he thought I was some perfect little obedient girl. Nu-uh. I don't think so.

"Well, when you put it like that…I suppose I could go with you." I simply replied with a look that came from somewhere in the 'that's what I thought' family.

XoXoXoX

I stayed close to the Colonel as he rapped twice on the Major's office door, shrinking farther behind him with each knock. My fingers dug into the stiff material of the Major's jacket, which I now clung tightly to my chest. I REALLY didn't want to see those sparkles again.

After two knocks Mustang paused, about to knock again when the door swung open. I winced.

"Oh, Colonel Mustang! Good evening!" Armstrong boomed. He loomed over us, his pale blue eyes fixing on me. "Hello again, Miss…?"

"Gale," I heard myself say. My voice was awfully squeaky. "Bronwyn Gale. B-b-but Bryn is fine."

Armstrong looked confused. "But aren't you the Colonel's—"

"Major," Mustang interrupted "Bryn is NOT the Lt. and I's daughter. She is Hawkeye's niece."

They both went silent after that, and I quickly realized they were waiting for me to say something. "Uh, yeah," I nodded "Not their daughter. Hawkeye's niece. And uh…jacket." I held out said jacket to the muscular man, my arms trembling furiously. Damn, I never thought he'd be this intimidating….and he's not even trying!

The Major's blue eyes narrowed slightly, as though he were weighing the odds of us telling the truth.

"Look," I burst out "My hair is dark, sure, but it has red in it." I had bright red streaks in my hair, making it look redder than its usual dark brown. I was surprised that no one here thought that was odd. "And sure, I may bear a few of their traits, but that's just a coincidence! I'M JUST HER NIECE! NOT HER FREAKING DAUGHTER!"

Both of the men stared down at me in surprise; I'd been pretty quiet up until now. I was surprised, too, though. I normally kept quiet around strangers (even if they did come from one of my favorite mangas, they still counted as strangers). I guess falling into a totally different world does that to a person.

Finally, Armstrong spoke. "Hm. I suppose I shall believe you." The Colonel and I sighed in relief. "BUT MY SUSPICIONS SHALL REMAIN!" And with that, he let out a chorus of laughter before grabbing the jacket from my hands and returning into his office, closing the door behind him.

I stared at the door for a few seconds before realizing my mouth was open and closed it quickly. I turned my attention to Mustang, who was still staring at the closed door in disbelief.

"We should've seen this coming."

"No kidding."

A/N: Ahhh….I had to stuff Armstrong in here….I just HAD to…xD

Review please! ~Sketch