A. N.: Sorry for the long wait everyone! Here's a new chapter. It's shorter than usually, but I'll try to update soon for the next one :)

Riza groggily woke up the next morning. She hadn't slept well last night so she was feeling a little more tired than usually. She sat up in bed and stared at the wall. She couldn't figure out if yesterday's incidents were just a dream or reality. I'm going crazy, she thought, he left yesterday morning. Stop trying to please yourself with these imaginations. She laughed, thinking about the way she had reacted when they had reunited. I'm sure he would have laughed. She looked at the clock on her night table and her eyes shot out. Damn it! I forgot to put the alarm! It was seven thirty and she had to get to work by eight. It was very unlike her to forget these kind of things, nonetheless wake up so late. Usually she would wake up a little bit before the alarm went off and just rest in bed until it did. She jerked the covers off of her and ran to her private bathroom. It didn't take her long before she was ready and heading downstairs.

She briskly walked towards the dining room, hoping to grab something to eat before she left. But the closer she got to the room, the more she felt something was off. All the voices she was hearing meant everyone was awake and downstairs. This had never happened before. It was always her who was up first, with her grandfather and sometimes a few of her uncles and aunts. But the kids were always sleeping in as much as they could. She approached the doorway with much curiosity, only to gasp, jump away and hide behind the wall when she saw what the commotion was about. With her back against the wall and her breath held in, all of yesterday's incidents came rushing back. Roy was sitting in the middle of the table with everyone around him. Even Cecilia, her quiet four years old cousin, was staring at him with wide curious eyes. Riza could hear them asking Roy a bunch of questions, which he happily answered, because most of them concerned their relationship.

"So, in just one day, Riza became your girlfriend?" one of her aunts asked, with much anticipation, Riza had to add.

"No, of course not. Riza and I have known each other for over ten years. We just never had the chance to get things started." Roy answered cooly. However, his answer had made everyone explode with even more questions.

Riza's head was peeking out from behind the wall, observing the interrogation between her embarrassingly animated family and a laid back Roy, who was obviously enjoying all the attention about their newly formed relationship. Riza growled and sighed. Why did Roy have to make things more complicated for me. So much for my breakfast. Before she could do anything else, Cecilia had her finger pointed at her, just like the first time she had come down. Everyone's attention was now on her and they rushed to bring her into their circle of questions. Urg, why? Why do you always have to see me, Cecilia?, she thought to herself. The fastest ones to get to her were obviously Matthew and Amy. They tried to drag her into the room, but Riza yanked both of her arms away.

"I have to go to work or I'll be late," was all Riza said before she dashed out of the house. She didn't know how Roy could handle all of them, but she would have felt overwhelmed by their persistence. Her family was the stubborn type that refused to back down until they knew everything. She knew that if she had given them a chance to start, she would have definitely been late for work.

As she quickly walked to work, she kept thinking about yesterday and felt her cheeks flare up in embarrassment. She couldn't believe what she had done and she was sure Roy had been shocked as much as she was now. Then it suddenly came to her. She had forgotten about Roy. She had left him all alone at the mercy of her family. She stopped in her tracks and felt bad about what she had done. As she was hesitating whether to go back and rescue him or to let him handle it on his own, someone behind her said, "Did you forget something?" Riza turned to her side and saw Roy.

"Roy. I'm really sorry about everything this morning. I didn't expect everyone to react so fast." Riza was worried he'd be angry at her, but he laughed and said, "Well, I am the almighty Fuhrer. Who wouldn't want to see me immediately after they knew of my presence. They were quite amusing. But, I was a little hurt when you just left without saying anything to me." Roy mocked pain and Riza smiled at him.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to get away from them quickly. I didn't mean to leave you like that. I reacted without thinking," Riza tried to explain.

"Don't worry, I know. I totally understand what you did. I would have been scared too if I was in your place." Roy took Riza's hand and started walking with her. "You need to get to work right? I'll accompany you."

As they walked hand in hand, Riza remained silent. Roy knew something was bothering her. She kept staring down and he knew she was deep in thoughts.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked casually. Riza looked up at him, then back down. He knew she had something to say, so he waited.

"About yesterday," Riza started hesitatingly, "I'm really sorry you had to see me that way. It wasn't a good day for me and I know I acted inappropriately", referring to her outburst of tears yesterday. As they both remained standing there, she suddenly felt that she had difficulties breathing and couldn't meet his eyes. Roy stayed quiet for a few seconds, that felt like an eternity for Riza, until he spoke gravely.

"Honestly Riza, the last thing I want from you is your apology. Stop saying you're sorry for everything you do." Roy gently grabbed her shoulders to make her look at him, "I didn't fall in love with Lieutenant Hawkeye, the perfect soldier. I fell in love with you, and everything about you. No matter what you do, I'll always support you like you did for me. Before you're a soldier, you're a human, a woman. And it's normal to cry and to be happy when the time comes. I'm happy that you feel comfortable enough to be able to show me those feelings. Don't keep them bottled up inside. If you need someone to share them with, I'll be there no matter what." He ended it with a cheery grin, which made Riza smile in return. It never ceased to amaze her how Roy always knew what to say to cheer her up. She was glad Roy didn't judge her from her actions the day before. Even when he had told her he loved her, she still had trouble believing it was really happening.

"Thanks Roy, for accepting me," Riza said quietly. Roy smiled and took her hand before they started walking again.

When they reached the book shop, Riza didn't even have the chance to open the door before her manager came bursting out.

"Riza! I'm going to miss you! Why? Why do you have to leave me now?" He was whining, all at the same time hugging her tightly and laying his head on her shoulder. Riza was taken aback and tried to pry him away, unsuccessfully, for, his grip was too strong and she didn't want to hurt him. But her manager suddenly leaped back, almost two meters away, when he saw the darkened face of the Fuhrer. He quickly lowered his head and dramatically bowed many times, profusely apologizing.

"Fuhrer, sir! I did not know you were still here. And with Riza?" he looked questionable at her, then back at him, "I'm sorry for my rude behavior, sir. Would you like to come in for a cup of coffee or tea?"

Roy, still with a displeased look on his face, said "You know, you shouldn't suddenly jump on women that way. It's offensively rude to their partners." Roy was ruthlessly glaring daggers at the poor man who had jumped on Riza and hugged her tightly.

"P- p- partner?" was all the manager could stumble out of his mouth. Riza pitied the man, who had ticked off Roy. Before Roy could burn more holes into her manager with his gaze, she decided to take control of the situation.

"Don't worry about him, sir. He's just in a bad mood," earning her a look from Roy that she ignored, "How did you know that I would be leaving soon? I haven't told anyone about this yet."

The manager cautiously answered, "Your grandfather just called and told me you had to quit because you were moving away. And he told me to tell you when I saw you that he'll be waiting at home for you."

When had she properly bid her manager goodbye, they both walked back the same way they had come from. Riza's heart felt heavy with guilt. Her grandfather had called her manager to tell him she would have to quit. What Riza felt bad about the whole situation was the fact that she hadn't yet properly spoken to her grandfather about all of this, but he already knew she would be leaving the house soon. She had selfishly avoided all the questionings, only to force her grandfather to reach out to her through another person. She should have explained everything to him the moment they had come back yesterday night.

Roy knew Riza was sad from the way she walked to the way her eyes looked distant. He was the one guiding her, while she walked at a slow pace almost aimlessly.

"Don't worry too much about it Riza. He'll understand when you explain everything to him." Riza looked up at him in surprise. She hadn't expected him to know what she was thinking about. Then again, he was the only person int he world who understood her best.

"You don't think he'll be angry at me?" Riza asked him.

"No, but he might feel hurt that you still haven't explained anything to him."

Riza sighed heavily. "I guess you're right."

After a moment of silence, Roy spoke again. "You know, Riza, I'm not here to force you back to central with me. If you want to stay here, I'll accept your decision. If you come back, you're going to be a soldier again. But if you want to stay here and lead a normal life, I'll understand that too."

"Are you saying you don't want me to come with you?" Riza teased him.

"No! I do want you to come with me and be by my side. But what I want the most is for you to be happy. If you're truly happy here, then I don't want to force you into doing something you don't want to. I want what's best for you."

"I know Roy. I was just joking," she paused before she continued, "As much as I like it here, it's just not the place for me. I feel more at home with everyone back in central. I miss my old life. And I especially miss being with you."

Her words had made his heart soar and his grip on her hand tightened. The truth was, he really wished from the bottom of his heart that she would come back with him. But he didn't want to make that decision for her. Hearing her say that she wanted to be with him brought him extreme joy. When Riza stole a glance at Roy, she chuckled to herself when she saw his expression. His face had brightened up, plastered with a huge smile, and even a little tint of pink of his cheeks. He looked like a high school boy who just had the girl he liked confess to him. Honestly, you're such a child Roy, Riza thought to herself. She knew perfectly well why he was all pink and giddy. But she was thankful that he had respected her and let her make her own decision. She decided not to say anything about it, so it would not hinder his 'manly ego'.

Slowly but surely, they arrived back at the house and entered quietly. The house was quiet. The kids had all gone to school and her aunts and uncles were probably at work or off to do some errands. She quietly made her way towards her grandfather's office, followed by Roy. She knew he would be waiting in there. Whenever he had things on his mind, he would always shut himself in his office for a while. She gave a few light knocks on the door and waited.

"Come in," she heard her grandfather say.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see that all four of her uncles were present, although it didn't show on her face.

"I'll wait outside," she heard Roy say behind her.

"No, it's okay. You can come." Riza assured him.

When they were all seated and served tea, that her grandfather had insisted they did, Riza was the first one to speak.

"I'm really sorry I hid all of this from you. I know you've taken me in and cared for me for all this time. I shouldn't have returned your hospitality with lies-"

"Riza, dear, we already knew from the start that you had hidden things from us. We knew you weren't ready to tell us and it's alright. We're your family now and we want you to know that. We wanted to let you tell us about yourself when you were ready, that's why we ignored it. But now that everyone in the house knows about you two, we think it's time that you share your story with us," her grandfather said quietly.

Riza looked at everyone, who just stayed quiet and waited for her to speak, then turned to Roy. He nodded slightly, encouraging her to speak. By then, her guilt had increased a tenfold and she knew they deserved an explanation. She recounted her life to her uncles and her grandfather, from her childhood all the way to the present. She had explained her long relationship with Roy, how it started when they were just children and he was her father's apprentice. She recounted her military training after her father's death, then her recruitment to the Ishbal war and how she ended up assigned under Roy when that said war ended. She continued to relate how she volunteered to go to the western front, purposely excluding the reason she had done so, as to not have them blame Roy. She finally told them the real story that got her to the state they had found her. All the time she was telling her story, everyone, even Roy, were listening intently, absorbing every word she was saying.

"So that's what really happened. I'm a Captain in Amestris' military army and that's how I've spent my life up until now."

When Riza was done, none of them said anything. They were all trying to integrate everything she had just said. They knew she had been hiding something from them, but they hadn't expected it to be this big. They couldn't believe the hectic life she had led all alone until now. Each second that passed by made Riza grow more and more uneasy. Why aren't they saying anything? Oh no, this is bad. Riza didn't know what to say, but she was sure they would all be angry at her for one reason or another. Roy, feeling her nervousness, took her hand in his. That simple gesture calmed her down and she waited patiently for someone to speak.

"Wow, I can't believe you've been through all of that. For such a young lady, you've lead a very, unusually eventful life. I didn't know you've been through such hard times." Riza's uncle, Harold, said.

In the end, all of them had around the same reaction of disbelief and amazement. It ended well and they had all decided it was best to keep the details to themselves and just tell the others about her part in the military. Their conversation continued, which consisted of them asking questions to either her or Roy and they would answer as best as they could. At one point, Riza's grandfather asked Roy a rather personal question that made Riza wish she had a wall for her to hide behind.

"What are your feelings towards my granddaughter Mr Mustang?" Her grandfather was staring him in the eye, scrutinizing every move he made. The old man's stern look left no place for jokes or light answers. He was determined to find out if this man was just fooling around with his granddaughter or if he was truly sincere about her. Everyone was now staring at Roy, anticipating his answer. Roy knew he was not asking him as a Fuhrer, but as a man to answer him.

Without a moment of hesitation, he said "Sir, if you are worried that my feelings for Riza are not sincere then you are wrong. I have loved her for a long time and will love her for the rest of my life. I promise you that I will treat her right and cherish her for as long as I live."

Both men had their eyes locked on each other, with a fierce and strong gaze. Riza could feel the tension between them and she didn't dare disturb them. When her grandfather was satisfied by Roy's answer, after a meticulous analysis, he smiled and said to Riza, "You've found yourself a good man Riza."

"Thank you grandfather." Riza was truly happy her grandfather had accepted Roy. Her uncles had no objections either, especially if the head of the family had already given his consent.

Her uncles eventually left for work, having already called earlier to say that they would be late. Riza and Roy stayed to have lunch with her grandfather. After that, Roy told her that Havoc and the others would be arriving soon at the train terminal. They left the house early in the afternoon, taking a taxi to get to the train station. They knew that the rumours were running rampant throughout the town and everyone was probably excited and awaiting their presence. If they had decided to walk to the train station, which didn't usually take that long to get there, they would have been flocked by many people and would definitely never get there on time.

They arrived right on time to see the train pull into the station. As it slowly came to a stop, Riza spotted the old team, always the same, tapping on the glass and waving their arms excitedly from their cabinet. Roy and Riza smiled at their enthusiasm. They saw how the team, of supposedly professional soldiers of the Fuhrer's personal entourage, pushed each other, trying to get off the train first. They wasted no time running towards Riza and gave her a big bear hug. Riza was now confronted by four crying men hugging her from all directions. They only released her when Roy cleared his throat behind them, signalling the time he had graciously allocated to them to touch Riza was over. Sniffling and wiping their tears of joy, they all snapped into crisp salutes and said in unison, "Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye, it's an honor to have you back in the team!"

Seeing Riza's confused look, Roy said "You've been promoted after the war for all your achievements." Then he turned back to the boys and said in a mock anger, "You salute the Lieutenant Colonel, but ignore the Fuhrer?"

"We see you too often. A salute is not needed. You have the rest of the military to do that for you, almighty Fuhrer," Havoc playfully retorted.

"You guys really want to get demoted do you?"

They all laughed and Riza finally felt like the old days she had yearned for were back. She missed the four of them and was really happy to see them again. Suddenly they heard loud barking coming from the train. When she looked that way, she saw a man unloading a cage with a dog. The medium sized cage rattled as the dog barked and begged to get out. Riza's face brightened as she recognized the dog and quickly made her way towards it. When she opened the cage, the dog jumped on her and licked her face excitedly.

"Hello to you too Hayate. I missed you too." Usually she wouldn't have let him jump on her like that, but it had been a long time since she had seen him and she wanted to hug him as much as he wanted the hug.

The men smiled at the touching reunion, except for the sensitive Fuery, who cried. When Riza walked back to them, with Hayate following closely behind, she said to Roy "Thank you for taking care him."

"No problem at all. He was an excellent guard dog and a good companion."

Riza was relieved that Hayate had not caused trouble when she was gone and even a little bit of pride that he had kept up his obedience.

"So what's the plan now? You're coming back with us, right Hawkeye?" Breda asked.

"Yes I am, but I can't leave without saying bye to my family. I also have some things to pack." Riza answered.

"I'm sorry, we don't want to rush you, but the Fuhrer has an important meeting in central tomorrow afternoon so we definitely have to leave tonight if we want to make it back on time," Falman said.

"No it's alright. It's actually better this way. If I linger too long, it'll only make it harder for me to leave," Riza said, with a hint of sadness that hadn't went unnoticed by Roy.

"Are you sure, Riza? If you want more time-"

"Yes I'm sure. Don't worry." She assured him.

By the time they had finished talking and catching up on Riza's story, it was about four thirty and the six of them took two taxis back to her grandfather's house. She was about to bring their team, and good friends, to meet with her family.

A. N.: So in this chapter, I tried to develop Roy and Riza's characters a bit more. I wanted them to be a bit more human and not too much soldier, but at the same time not over exaggerating it. I hope it worked...

I know it's been a long time since I updated (exams...) so I'll try to update sooner for the next chapters. Don't worry, the story will end with all your questions answered. I hate inconclusive endings, so I'll make sure not to do one.

If you want me to answer some questions in the story or if you want to suggest some things, don't hesitate to tell me. I'm always happy to hear from you guys. This is a story for you after all :)