Hawkeye somehow managed to get into her miniskirt, and out the door on time. Thankfully, Hughes had informed her that she wouldn't have to wear it all night, she had a dress waiting for her to change into once the "March of the Bimbos," as Hawkeye called it, was over.

She headed down the stairs to the basement, following the voices of people that were already there. "All female officers, over here, please!" She sighed and took place next to another girl with auburn hair in a shiny knot behind her head, at the end of the line. Hughes looked at his clipboard. "Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

"Sir."

"Over here, you're at the front."

"You're not serious, Lieutenant Colonel."

"Well, come on, let's go!" Reluctantly, she took her new position, and tugged the skirt down to get more coverage. There was an explosion of sound in the next room, people cheering, yelling "Happy birthday!" and more music.

"That's our cue," Hughes said. "Ready, girls?"

"Yes sir!" They all saluted him, including Hawkeye.

"Then let's go!"

They began to march into the party from the side door, where a makeshift stage had been set up to the side of the room. When the girls appeared in the miniskirts, there was some laughter, and lots of cheering and applause. Hawkeye thought she might have even heard a few whistles as she turned to walk down the side stairs and past the Colonel, as planned. Each girl blew Roy a kiss and strutted like a supermodel as they passed him. Except for Hawkeye. Because every girl there was proud and enthusiastic about wearing their miniskirt in front of the Colonel. Except for Hawkeye. Because nearly every girl there was pretty much in love with the Colonel. Except for Hawkeye. She didn't blow a kiss, she didn't walk like a supermodel, she simply walked, like she was instructed to do. As she passed, they made eye contact, and he smirked, his eyes following her all the way down the aisle and out the front door. As soon as the Lieutenant was outside, she was met by Ed and Al.

"See? That wasn't so bad," Ed said triumphantly.

"Okay, Edward, now can I please have some decent clothing?"

He nodded, pointing her towards her office. "In there. Hughes left it on your desk."

She nodded and made for her office, before closing the door behind her. The sun was still setting, and it made the entire room glow with a soft red light. Out her window, the mountains were tinted with a deep, royal purple against the pink sky. The sun was a ruby orb, sinking low into the horizon, behind streaks of orange and pink cloud.

It was so beautiful. Hawkeye felt her heart pound. I wish I could save it, She thought sadly, reaching over her desk to pull up a garment bag with a tag on it. She unzipped it and pulled out her dress, a chocolate brown evening gown with a slit up the side. She pulled out a pair of white gloves.

Making sure the door was locked, Hawkeye shed the rest of her uniform and slipped into a pair of sheer pantyhose and her special occasion heels, before realizing that the dress had no straps. She looked into the mirror and frowned at her bra. After a long moment, she unhooked it, folded it, and hid it in the garment bag, which she hung back up in her closet. In the mirror, something around her neck glinted in the red light. Her necklace. When she'd first joined the military, the Colonel had given it to her, telling her that "All female officers were required to wear a necklace from their superiors as a reminder of status," but Riza had laughed and told him that "Male superiors were not allowed to hit on the female officers."

But she'd accepted the necklace, and had been wearing it ever since. She didn't know why. Silver looked good on her, and the fire opal in the center was just... stunning.

Now, she stepped into the flowing brown organza and satin, noting how it complimented her eye color. She zipped herself up as far as the zipper would go, and laced up the back for the rest of the way, before stepping into her shoes. Then, for once, she pulled the fire opal out from under her clothing and let it rest on top. Finally, after readjusting her hair and pulling on the gloves, she surveyed her reflection in the mirror with satisfaction. "Much better," she murmured.

"I agree," a voice said from behind her.

She whirled around, and her lips parted in shock. "Colonel Mustang!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Roy?"

He sidled over to her desk and took a seat on top of it. "Where did you get that lovely necklace?"

She reddened a bit. "How long have you been there?"

He leaned back, supporting his upper body with his hands. "A few minutes. I didn't see much, if that's what you're worried about."

Hawkeye exhaled. "Yes, sir."

"Roy."

"Roy," She said stiffly. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"I just came to tell you how good you looked out there earlier."

"Thank you." Her tone was formal and uncomfortable.

"You're welcome," He said, picking up a gilded picture frame off of her desk. "Is this the boyfriend?"

"It used to be, Sir."

"So get rid of the picture, if you two aren't-"

"He's dead, Sir."

"Call me Roy." She ignored his request.

"So how did he die?"

"In the Ishbal Rebellion, Sir, he was killed. He used to be a State Alchemist."

"I'm sorry." But Hawkeye could tell that he was only sorry to a certain degree. The breeze crept in, and Hawkeye could feel the Colonel's eyes on her. She gazed out the window. The sky was now a brilliant purple, and the sun a red jewel that could just barely be seen over the mountain tops. "I'm going back to the party," She told him. "Don't stay in here too long, please."

"That's okay. I'm coming too."

They walked back into the room together, but neither of them said a word. Once they were in, Hughes rushed over and tapped Mustang on the shoulder, distracting him. "Your song, Colonel!"

Roy grinned. "Perfect. I'll be back," He told Hawkeye with a smirk, before following Hughes over to the stage. Hawkeye sat down at a nearby table and took a sip of champagne, watching the people around her.

"Lieutenant." She looked up, and set her glass down on the table. "Hello, Edward."

"Enjoying yourself so far?" Ed said with humor in his voice. She couldn't help but smile. "Did you find Winry?"

That got his attention. "Where is she?" Riza pointed to Winry across the room, dressed in a powder blue dress and diamond earrings.

"Thanks, Lieutenant."

"Knock 'em dead, kid." She laughed under her breath as Ed left her side to go talk to Winry. Suddenly, the music changed, and the lights dimmed. More cheers were heard around her.

"Thanks, everyone," Roy said into a microphone, as music began to play. Red and gold spotlights roved around the room. Riza covered her eyes with a hand as one passed over her. The Colonel continued. "As usual, and thanks to the biggest mouth in his division, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes," He said, drawing some laughs from the crowd. "I had no idea that this was coming, thank you all so much." The music's tempo picked up, and he lowered the microphone, moving his head to the beat. He raised it again. "You all know my song," He laughed. "You all know my name, so let's go!"

"I'm a trouble starter, punking instigator,"

"Hey, Hey, Hey!" The crowd cheered.

"I'm the fair indited, danger illustrated,"

"Hey, Hey, Hey!"

"I'm the firestarter, twisted firestarter,"

"Hey, Hey, Hey!"

"You're the firestarter, twisted firestarter,"

"Hey, Hey, Hey!"

"I'm a firestarter, twisted firestarter!"

Hawkeye watched him, laughing. She had her reasons for never wanting to admit it to anyone, but Roy could really make her laugh sometimes. Sure, she wasn't in love with him, in fact, sometimes, she hated him. But he made her smile, which was quite an accomplishment, even for someone like him.

When the song was over, he sank into a huge, over exaggerated bow, and winked at the females. They all swooned. Hawkeye nearly choked on her champagne laughing. She watched him from there for most of the remainder of the evening, as he drank champagne, and talked to his friends, and drank some more champagne, and then drank something out of a small silver bottle that Fuhrer Bradley handed to him discreetly, and then drank some more champagne...

Hawkeye frowned, standing up and walking over to where the Colonel was standing, (Or, trying to, anyway) and nodded at Hughes and the Fuhrer. "I think he's done for tonight," She said, smiling at them. "I'll get him back to the dorm. Good night, Fuhrer. Hughes."

She took Roy by the arm and led him out of the room, up the stairs, and into his office. She flicked on the lights, and sat him down at his desk. He slumped over and rested his head on the desk, apparently asleep. Hawkeye sighed. She would be, no doubt, his babysitter tomorrow. When Roy had a hangover, he had a hangover. "Goodnight, Colonel." She turned to leave, then stopped, sighed, and looked back at him through the dim light, over her shoulder. "Goodnight, Roy."

"Finally," the colonel slurred from behind her.