A/N: I brought Holly back! :D Don't remember her? I don't blame you if you don't. She's a character I also used in one of my older Royai fanfics, 'Keeping it Bottled Up'.

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. If I did, then Holly would be born (and she's the only thing I own in this).

099. "Welcome home"

Riza Mustang stepped quietly as the ever noisy world would allow her into her small house. She'd been forced to stay at work late that night; an occurrence that normally wouldn't have been unusual, thanks to her lazy superior, but she'd been getting home at a somewhat decent time for a few years now.

She silently discarded her standard military boots by the doorway, setting them next to two other pairs of shoes. Then she carefully slid out of her military jacket, placing it gently on the coat rack. Riza tiptoed her way into the hallway, pausing when she heard the soft murmur of voices. Her hand instinctively went to her holster, where it hovered, ready to grab her gun in an instant.

But Riza recognized these voices. One was deep with some rough edges, while the other was soft and innocent. Her hand floated away from her holster and rested at her side.

Sneaking carefully down the hallway of the house, her sock covered feet shuffling along the carpeted floor, she peeked into the room that's door was slightly ajar. Light was streaming into the dark hallway through the small space between the door and the wall. Looking in, she couldn't help but smile softly at the scene laid out before her.

Her husband was sitting on their six-year-old daughter's bed, talking quietly to the small girl as she sat across from him.

"…In fact, Mommy should be home any minute now," he was assuring her confidently, stroking her long raven-black hair. She gazed back up at him, her dark amber eyes shining. That was when Riza—not being called the Hawk's Eye for no reason at all—noticed that her daughter's nose was red and puffy, as were her eyes. 'She must've been crying,' the blonde thought guiltily.

"But," Roy suddenly added, "She won't be pleased to see you awake at this hour."

"B-but," the girl blubbered. "I won't get to see Mommy!" Riza fought the strong maternal instinct inside of her that was screaming at her to burst into the room and hold her daughter and assure her that everything was okay.

A gentle smile graced Roy's lips as he gently laid her down in her bed. "C'mon, Holly," he reminded her. "You'll get to see her in the morning."

Holly opened her mouth to protest, but broke out into a large yawn instead. She stifled it awkwardly before glaring at her father. "Promise?"

"Promise. I'll even tell you more about Fullmetal tomorrow night for a bedtime story, if you behave."

Holly held his gaze, her dark caramel eyes obviously suspicious before she physically relaxed and curled up in her bed, dragging the quilt over her body with a small hand. "Better keep your promise," she muttered into her pillow. "G'night, Daddy."

Riza's heart melted as her husband leaned down and left a light kiss on Holly's forehead before turning off the light and exiting the room. The woman moved away from the door when he moved towards it, so that she wouldn't startle him.

"Ah!" Roy whispered once he was out of their daughter's room and had shut the door behind him. "Riza."

"'Welcome home, Riza! Did you have fun working overtime at work?'" She mimicked his deep voice, before switching back to hers. "Yes, sir. I had so much fun drowning in the paperwork that you neglected to finish."

Her husband winced slightly, taking her hand in his and guiding her to the couch in the living room. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap gently. "Sorry," Roy murmured. "I just…I still can't believe it, you know?"

"No," the blonde chuckled, snuggling into his warm embrace. "I don't know. Care to enlighten me?"

"I mean," he backtracked. "It seems so…surreal. Like a dream, almost. I can't believe we made it this far. Hell, we have a child."

Riza fully understood what he meant. The idea of her being a mother—let alone the wife of Roy Mustang—was rather unreal to her. There were many times at work that co-workers accidentally called her by her maiden name, 'Hawkeye', and she forgot to correct them. When she and Roy first started dating, he even had his moments where a 'Hawkeye' or 'Lt.' slipped out when they were alone. Not that she was one to talk. It had taken her forever to break the habit of calling him 'sir' or 'Colonel' when there was no one else with them. Even now there were times when she was frustrated with him that a 'sir' would casually slide off her tongue.

"I know," she agreed, her features softening as her husband gently touched the scar that rested on her neck. It was a cold reminder of exactly what they had survived through; of all the odds they stood up against, of all the evil they struck down.

"Stupid Fullmetal," Roy growled lightly. "We never would've been dragged into that mess if it weren't for him." A small laugh escaped Riza's lips at this.

"Honestly, Roy," she said, smiling. "You should really give him more credit."

"Why?"

The woman ran her fingers through his silky black hair as she leaned forward and left a light kiss on his lips.

"If it weren't for Edward, I wouldn't have this to look forward to every night after work."

Roy grinned widely and tugged her back in for a slower, deeper kiss.

"Welcome home."

~Owari~

A/N: Please review! ~Sketch