AN: I don't own this. This is post-movis so beware.

Never-changing

She watched as the mysterious alchemic gate sealed shut in the sky before her eyes with a slam that rocked the earth around her. A slight movement caught her eye and when she looked carefully she saw it was none other than her Colonel Roy Mustang. With a quick snap of his fingers a spark ignited setting the gate aflame. Within moments it exploded sending shrapnel and bits of other material raining down on the people around her including herself. Almost as soon as the battle began with the mysterious enemy from beyond the gate it was over. Broken pieces of armor lay scattered around the ruins of the street, soldiers leaned on torn sandbags for support and nearby building lay in crumpled pieces of rubble. Riza had seen this before - as a soldier she had been involved in war a few times before. But she knew without a doubt that they would rebuild as they always had before as long as they had the right leadership.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye," a voice called out interupting her thoughts.

She turned around quickly partly embarassed of being caught off-guard to come face-to-face with Jean Havoc. "Yes, what is it?"

Balancing an all-too-familiar cigarette in his mouth, he smiled knowingly and simply nodded his face toward a figure a little ways off. She followed his line of sight to Mustang who was walking with a slight limp and covered from head to foot in dirt and ash. Reaching out she embraced Havoc warmly and took off towards her former commanding officer.

Havoc stood there and watched her retreating form knowing all too well that Riza was doing what she was for personal reasons not professional. How she and Roy ever managed to think that they could hide their relationship from the rest of them was beyond him. Breda appeared at his side chuckling as well. "Think they'll ever get together?" he asked curiously.

His companion laughed aloud. "No doubt about it - knowing Riza she'll have him within a month."

Riza on the other hand kept running toward him not even stopping enough to see what was in front of her. Her boot caught on a piece of wood sending her sprawling onto the rocks in front of her. A jagged edge of one caught her in the side causing her the bleed and slowling her down. Before she got up however a white gloved hand reached out to help her up. Looking up she found herself looking into Roy's smiling face. Accepting his hand, he immediately pulled her up off the ground and into his arms. They stood there for several minutes neither of them willing to pull away. It had been so long - all they wanted was to stay there so close that they could feel the other's warmth.

But after a while Riza pulled away and looked into his eyes studying him carefully. He seemed the same appearance wise but she knew by looking into his soul windows that he was different. The flame for life was still there but it was nothing more than a dull flicker. Instead it was clouded over by clouds of despair and sadness - sign of a normal soldier's life. "You've changed, haven't you, Roy? Do I still know you or are you going to be lost to us all over again?"

He nodded his head slowly acknowledging that he heard and understood what she told him. "Yes, Riza, it's true that I've changed but I believe that my old self is still here. I've been burying it for two years causing more harm to myself than anything. Sometimes I feel like I'm still a stranger to myself. That's part of the reason I came back."

"But is this still you? Because if it is, I want to continue staying by your side."

Roy's countenance softened at her timid yet frim statement. How he had gotten away with leaving her behind was beyond him - all he knew was that he was blessed beyond measure to have her. "I'm the one who's changed - not you. I don't want to put you through dealing with me all over again."

But she didn't listen. Instead she embraced him warmly once again as reassurance. "No, Roy. You're here and I don't ever want you to leave again. I blew it last time by not coming with you. I don't plan on making the same mistake twice."

He pulled back and studied her expression carefully. Her jaw was set and her eyes shined with determination. How could she be argued. Ever so quickly he tipped her chin up brushing her lips with a kiss so quick both would have missed it if either of them blinked. Lowering his voice he asked her, "Do you really mean that?"

She snapped to attention and saluted him. "Yes, sir. I mean that with my life."

He laughed heartily and took her hand in his own. "Then what's first on the to-do list today?"

As they walked off hand-in-hand, spectators could only grin as they heard her say, "Well, first up is a report about today..."