Acknowledgment: My sincerest thanks and heartfelt apology goes to Bookwrm389. I swear, I'm going to write nothing but RoyAi fluff after this project! Also, a shout out to ssadropout for being one heck of an observant reader. XD

"Umm… Sir, I'm very sorry to have to break it to you this way but… you have a son. And he may be dying…"

Those days in Eastern Command were, without a doubt, the happiest in Roy's entire life. His eyesight was restored, his alchemy was even better than before due to his visit to the Gate, the Ishvalans were slowly making their way back to their sacred home in the desert and being integrated throughout Amestrian society. And most of all, he was now with the love of his life, the only person he ever wanted to be with as he made his way to the top.

Yes, it felt wonderful knowing that after so many years of doing only well, he was finally doing good. But there was one thing still that needed to be done, and for that, Roy would have to make a trip to Central to get his Aunt's permission, as well as his mother's ring.

Four months after his promotion to Lieutenant General and Hawkeye's transfer, he made his journey, saying it was business related so he could surprise her. Maybe she suspected something, maybe she didn't. She certainly didn't press the matter when he insisted she stay behind to oversee the lazy men he was leaving back east.

It took exactly a week, two days to get to Central, three days spent with his Aunt and sisters who teased him mercilessly and praised Hawkeye highly on taming the Mustang and another two to get back. He was sure his face would fall apart if he kept smiling at this rate as the train came to a bumpy halt, but picturing Hawkeye waiting for him at the station made his smile even wider. His eyes scanned the crowd for her face, the familiar golden hair, the all too often worn, anxious look when it came to his well being.

He didn't find her. Instead of Hawkeye, he spotted Havoc waving him over, cigarette in mouth. The smile on his face slipped slightly as he made his way to the First Lieutenant only to be told that Hawkeye was feeling a little under the weather and so couldn't come herself.

"His name's Maes, Sir – Maes Hawkeye. And he was born shortly after you transferred to the border. He's not yet eight but he's a very bright boy."

Hawkeye looked white as a sheet as she entered his house that evening. When he first saw her enter, he wanted to wrap her in his arms and tell her he loved her and then proceed to go down on one knee and ask her to marry him. However, her pale face, red eyes and slightly feverish skin made him blurt out instead "Are you okay?"

And just like that, in the space of a single sentence, his world quietly, without any theatrics, came to an end.

"I'm pregnant."

The words erupted from her mouth, but they didn't just vanish into thin air like words are supposed to. No, these two words grew to invincible mass and weight until they occupied the entire room – the entire world - suffocating both of them where they stood. They chased each other around Roy's mind, not making any sense and yet making perfect sense at once. How could that be? was a stupid question to ask. He had after all, been just as responsible as she. When did you find out? also seemed redundant because he knew she must have found out very recently. Hawkeye didn't keep things in for long and her ashen expression clearly stated that she was still in shock at the discovery. So finally, he settled for asking "How far along?"

"Six weeks, give or take."

All thoughts of rings and marriages were forgotten as he stumbled into a chair, trying to absorb what she'd said. Hawkeye, in turn, didn't seek the support of a chair or sofa. Pale and scared as she clearly was, she stood her ground, facing the situation like she faced every obstacle in life, on her feet, on her guard.

Suddenly, the woman standing before him was a stranger. He couldn't decide if he should ask her to sit down or hug her until he could make that scared look on her face go away. Never in his life had he ever felt awkward around Riza Hawkeye so it took him awhile to realize that was what he was feeling now. Awkward around Riza Hawkeye.

It was a mark of how well she knew him that she uttered the next words, knowing he would never have the strength to.

"What are we going to do about it?"

"Captain Hawkeye has done a fine job of bringing him up, if I may say so, General. But she was always adamant about not informing you of his… that is to say, she made it very clear that anyone who wanted to be a part of Maes' life had to pretend he never had a father. And no one was in a position to argue with her. Well, Caption Havoc tried, but you know how that always ends."

As he held her that night and they both pretended to sleep, he couldn't keep the earlier one-sided conversation from running through his head. Once she had declared the question as taboo as anything in the world could be, he had slowly, calmly, evenly proceeded to tell her and himself why they could not have the child.

Logically speaking, there was no room for a child in the future they had planned. He may be of a high enough rank to support a family, but that didn't necessarily mean it was a good idea. Hawkeye would have to take leave from active duty, there would always be a baby to worry about, and at the end, when the democracy he envisioned – they envisioned – finally came around, the child would be left parentless. And how could he – they – do that to a child in good conscience?

She had stood there, by the hat stand, silently listening to everything he said, not offering a single word of her own. After what felt like hours, he was all talked out and all she did was nod, only once. She must have forgotten that he knew her just as well as she knew him, and so, he could tell she had a lot more to say. Why she didn't, he couldn't understand, and the cowardly part of him was even a little grateful that she had chosen to stay mute on the subject. Because deep down, they both knew that she had it within her power to convince him otherwise. That if she as much as parted her lips to say she wanted the child, he would give in, all logic be damned.

Maybe that was the reason she didn't utter a word as she hung her coat and made her way to the kitchen to heat up the dinner that both of them had pushed around on their plate without eating later that night. Maybe she didn't want to be the hand that forced him into this. Which just showed how much she was willing, had always been willing, to give up for his cause. And a large part of him hated himself that night for taking away the one thing he knew Hawkeye had desired for so long now. Anyone who knew her well knew her motherly streak, and in an ideal world, he would have her sit at home and do nothing but bless him with a whole brood of children. But as they both had learned, such a world didn't exist, and all they could do was face it together, taking all the consequences of it with them.

Tomorrow, he vowed as he felt her faint breathing next to him, he would make an appointment to take care of the problem. And then he and Hawkeye would try to move past this thing. The ring he had obtained from his Aunt had lain forgotten in his coat pocket, but maybe tomorrow, after the procedure was taken care of, he could finally propose to her and they could try and find a new normal. One that didn't hurt so much.

"But Sir, Maes is in a coma right now. Two weeks ago, the Captain found him in his room, unconscious and with blood pouring out of his nose. She rushed him to the hospital where they found out a vessel in his brain had ruptured due to unknown causes, and he had to be put into a medically-induced coma so they could operate on him as soon as possible."

He made to get out of the car as soon they found a parking spot behind the clinic. He figured a private clinic would be better for the job than the hospital where everything went on record. Not that what they were doing was strictly illegal, but if Roy had anything to say about it, it would be taken care of as easily and discreetly as possible. The surgeon who ran the clinic was known for her experience as well as kindness, and he had no doubt Hawkeye would get the best treatment possible. If nothing else, he would make damn sure of that.

"Sir, I'd like to go unaccompanied," she said just as he was about to open the door. Her voice betrayed no emotion, and he was strongly reminded of the Hawkeye he had known in Ishval, the one who barely spoke, and when she did, only in simple words that could mean anything.

"Don't be ridiculous, Captain, I intend to be there with you every step of the way."

She had looked at him then, with the eyes of Ishval, and he found himself physically flinching. She was silently trying to communicate how hard this was for her and how much she needed to do this alone. And if he could do anything for her, this would be it.

"Please," she whispered, that one word breaking through all his defenses. He slumped down in his seat, defeated by her one word request. He did, however, lean over to brush his lips lightly to her forehead before she exited the vehicle and made her way to the clinic.

"Be safe, Riza… I love you."

"But now that the operation is over - with complete success - they can't seem to get him out of the coma. They don't really know why he's still asleep, but they say he should have woken up by now, and we're all very worried. The Captain has taken leave from work and spends all her days at the hospital, and when she can't, usually Captain or Mrs. Havoc watch Maes."

After what had felt like days of waiting alone in the car, he spotted Hawkeye finally exiting the back door of the clinic and making her way to their vehicle. She didn't say a word as he drove them to his house except to say she would be grateful if he could drop her off at her own flat instead. Not knowing what else to do, he complied and watched her disappear behind the simple wooden door, not even bothering to say goodbye.

He drove aimlessly around town after, and then upon realizing it was nighttime, picked up some dinner. Hawkeye's favorite. He arrived at her doorstep at eight with a bag of takeout, a bouquet of flowers and his mother's ring in his pocket but when he rang the doorbell, no one answered. Using his spare key to enter her tiny flat, he was at first surprised at the darkness. Hitting a light switch revealed Hawkeye, lying on the couch, staring at nothing in particular as a hand rested on her stomach. She gave no reaction that her small living room had just been flooded in warm light and that a man stood in front of her. Depositing the food and flowers on a coffee table nearby, he made his way to the couch and upon failing to form words, just held her. A moment later, she started crying.

When most women cried, they looked delicate and sweet and vulnerable with tears rolling down their cheek as their lips parted softly in polite sniffles. When Hawkeye cried – something he had only seen her do four times in his life – she cried all out. Her eyes become huge and her pupils dilated as tear after tear rushed from her reddish-golden orbs and left thick wet trails down her face. She didn't cry quietly, his Hawkeye. No, she sobbed as though as she was being torn apart from the inside, her voice becoming steadily hollow as her wracked sobs shook her entire frame.

He let her cry herself into an exhausted stupor and then carried her to bed. He removed her shoes, her coat, laid her bag to one side and tucked her in. He was just about to leave for the living room, as her narrow single bed couldn't accommodate them both comfortably, when her fingers latched on to his shirt. Her eyes were still closed, there was no outward sign of her being conscious, but the fingers on his plain white shirt were all the invitation he needed. Fully clothed, he climbed into bed with her, not caring that it was too narrow, not caring that he would squash her into the wall. He lay with for hours until both fell into an uneasy sleep.

He woke to the sound of her retching, and while rushing to the bathroom to help her, he saw the cause of it. The food he had gotten the night before was half heaped on a plate, half dropped on the plain brown table cloth.

Great, once again, he had made her sick.

"General, we're going against Captain Hawkeye's wishes by contacting you, but we… we feel it's time you knew…"

He knew she was planning something. It had been four weeks since she'd actually said more than two words to him. The unit, which had been created for the sole reason of her transfer, now had her busy enough that she had no time to drop by his office. And heavens knew she was too occupied in the evenings to drop by his house like she had done every day before all this had happened.

Yes, she was angry with him, and like always, she was going to get back at him. Very few people in the world knew Hawkeye's angry streak and her ability to hold grudges for long periods of time, but Roy was one of those few who were privy to that information. On his part, he believed he deserved whatever it was she was planning. He had, after all, taken away the one thing she had yearned for more than any other in the world, even though she never said it. But she knew him, understood very well why he had to make such a decision. She of all people should understand…

Her revenge came in the form of transfer papers. As the Lieutenant General in charge of Eastern Command, all transfer work had to go through him and/or his aide as well as the HR division. If Hawkeye was still at her post under him, she would be overseeing transfer work. As it was, the papers for Captain's Hawkeye's transfer to the south left him shell shocked. They had already been approved through the appropriate channels and only needed his sign and seal.

Was that it? Could she really no longer stand to be around him? Did she really despise him that much for what he'd done? He supposed he didn't blame her. But whatever else happened, he would not be the source of further inconvenience to her. If she couldn't bear to look at him anymore, he would remove himself from her presence. She belonged to the East more than he did, her childhood home was nearby, she had gone to the academy here, she even had some friends around these parts. No, he was the reason for all her problems so it would only be fair if he was the one to go.

To this day, he doesn't know what hurt the most, telling her that he was leaving and promising her that he would never try to contact her again, or watching her agree to let him walk out of her life without a word.

"…because honestly, we don't know how much more time Maes has."

End Note: Well, I hope this clears up some of the questions I've been getting. And now it is time to address all my Selims/Prides. I know you all watch this story, and I'd love to hear what you guys think about it! :)