Well, Halloween is coming up. It makes me think of this picture I saw with Roy and Riza in it. Roy was dressed up as a vampire and Riza was in a cat suit. It was a sexy cat suit to boot. She had her hand on Roy's shoulder and he was smirking. I was like, this would be the perfect poster if Ed and Winry weren't in it, and if it wasn't raining candy. The thing that was most wrong was that one of the raining candies was a candy cane. Look it up. You'll go, WTF. That candy is old!

…

"Private Franklin Thomas. A letter of thanks for showing him the true will and strength of a soldier. After writing these letters he took his own life."

Riza stared at Roy and the letter in his hand. It was hard to believe. He had seemed like such a nice guy. He had even saved her from a worse beating from the Captain. The good feeling she had earlier from saving her former co-workers was gone.

Riza looked down. "I . . . I didn't know. I would've never guessed." She said at last, mumbling to herself.

"You did a good job lieutenant. You made him see what was right and how wrong he had been. This came to the best possible ending. All the letters are classified and everyone thinks he killed himself for an unknown reason."

"Yes, I suppose I did." Riza spoke quietly.

Roy stood up. "Are you okay Riza?" He asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine sir." She replied, looking back up. "Its just such a shock to me."

"I'm going to get myself a cup of coffee. You need anything?" Roy asked as he headed for the door.

"I'll take a coffee too." Havoc said just to be hit in the head with a pen thrown by Denny. "Ow, hey! What was . . . " Havoc trailed off with a glance at Riza.

"No sir." Riza said. When Roy left, she got up and approached his desk. Riza picked up the letter addressed to her to read for herself.

Riza Hawkeye,

I didn't know before if you cared about me. You rejected me when I asked you out, but so did every other girl that I asked out, ever since a grenade took half my face in Arugo. You stood up for me and after the Captain struck you, you told him that he disgusts you. That was the true will and strength of a soldier. I thought that by doing what I was, I was showing that I'm still tough and was taking what I deserved. I was a hero, yet all the girls were disgusted by my outside, never caring for the real me that was inside. Instead of not caring, I became just as disgusting on the inside as my outside. I thank you, Riza Hawkeye for showing me what was right and how wrong I had been. You are the ideal soldier.

Privet Franklin Thomas.

Riza set the letter back down. She turned around. Her desk was empty of paperwork because she didn't receive any as she had been working in another office. "If the General ask for me, tell him I've decided to work as a clerk for the rest of the day." She told the others in the room, then left.

This was something that just really bothered her for some reason. He was a rapist yes, and probably deserved what happened to him, but Riza couldn't help wishing she had been there for him as a friend. Someone who helped keep him from going down the wrong path. She understood the insecure feeling of how other people might view a body's scars and ugliness. Riza had never even gotten the chance to thank him for helping her.

Riza entered the office where the two girls were. Here they needed help, being short so many people. She would also tell them about Thomas so they don't hear it later as rumor, but she wasn't going to tell them he was a rapist, to let him be remembered as a kinder man to some at least.

…

That afternoon Roy stood in front of his own desk, a sword he requested rested next to him. He watched quietly as two MPs escorted the Captain, Captain Panzer, into the room. They stopped in front of Roy and the MPs took a few steps back. Everything was still and quiet for a second and then suddenly Roy drew his sword and pointed the tip of the blade at Panzer's throat.

"What? Are you going to kill me for hurting your little girlfriend? How will-" Panzer spat angrily only to be cut off by Roy.

"Please. I'm going to hit you where it really hurts." With two swings of the sword, Roy cut both of Panzer's epaulettes off. "I'm stripping you of rank and sending you back to the academy. You will be retrained and when finished you'll return with the rank of private."

The look on Panzer's face was one of pure horror.

"And as for hurting my subordinate . . ." Roy's sword slashed across Panzer's lower left leg. He screamed out in pain. Roy looked at the MPs. "Get him out of here." He ordered, then looked back at Panzer as he was being dragged away. "Report to the academy as soon as you're out of the hospital."

…

Riza got into bed and Hayate joined her, curling up in the empty spot beside her. Though it was a small bed and it wasn't much of an empty spot to begin with, Riza did still wish someone was there. Someone who'd help her forget all of this. She had to smile a little at the sad humor of it all. Even together she felt they were too far apart.

After a long, sleepless night, Riza prepared to go to work. There was no longer a reason to look appealing and she didn't bother putting on a skirt and make-up. She put on pants and boots and put her hair up with the barrette and soon she left.

She was almost at the door to the office when she noticed Roy walking towards her. He looked happy and well rested as he approached.

"Oh Lieutenant. Perfect. There's some-" Roy's happy and almost smug voice trailed off now that he stood in front of her. It was clear to see the bruises on her face when he was this close to her. He bowed his head at this reminder of his failure to protect her. He had let her and her father down. He could have easily stopped this if he had just listened, but he had been juggling so many different things and somehow had allowed her to drop.

Worst of all, Riza, the woman he loves had gotten hurt because of him and her beautiful face was now a beat up reminder. The one thing he loved staring at the most now pained him to even glance at. It was a cruel punishment for his lack of trust in his lieutenant. He should've taken her word for it and hated himself for not doing so.

"Never mind." He mumbled.

Riza looked at him, a little concerned, then went inside.

…

"How am I going to take my stuff with me?" Brooke cried from outside the house.

"I don't care. Just don't come back!" Roy shouted, tossing the last of her stuff outside. He slammed the door closed, then collapsed onto the couch. He started to relax and rest. 'Its good to have finally gotten rid of her.' Roy thought.

…

The next evening Roy looked around his home. It seemed so empty without Brooke. Not that he wanted her back, it just seemed so boring and lonely now. He wished he had Hawkeye over. Instead of sitting around, he decided to do something about it.

Roy hopped onto his motorcycle and rode off to Hawkeye's apartment building. A moment later, he stood in front of her door, knocking.

The door opened and Riza stood there, wearing a rode. "Hello sir."

"I hope I'm not intruding Lieutenant." Was Roy's response in greeting at the sight of what she wore. "May I come in?"

"Of course." She let him in and closed the door. They settled down on the couch together.

"You should know that you can call me whenever you like. Brooke won't answer it."

"Oh? How did you get her to agree to that.?" Riza asked.

Roy smirked, not about to tell her the truth. She might decide to say they should stop seeing each other. "How do you think? I'm the man, she's the woman. I told her and she listened."

Riza's eyes narrowed a little. "Why didn't you do this before then?"

"Oh, I'm sorry Lieutenant. Is the timing of my ideas not suiting you? Well then, its your turn. Go ahead, lets hear yours. I'm eager to hear what you've come up with." Roy said to make a point.

Riza looked away from him. "I won't call you?" She mumbled.

"What?" Roy asked, not understanding what she had said.

"I won't call you. That works just fine."

"Don't! Don't be like that! I didn't come over here to fight with you." Roy said, turning his hurt into anger. He stood up. "I don't bust my ass just to be with you for you to be making smart ass remarks at me."

"You wanted to know what I came up with, that was it. I have been avoiding calling you if I could, apparently you never know or you would've been angry a long time ago." She said calmly.

"My ideas are supposed to allow us to spend time together. I try to come up with something that you'll be happy with so I can be with you and you with me. If it was up to just me I would screw it all up and just be with you, but there's two people in this relationship and you're more sensible than that." Roy said, forcing himself to calm down.

"I know sir." Riza said after a moment. "I know all of that. I'm tempted to ruin everything just to be with you at times also, but you are just as sensible."

Roy smirked again. "Sometimes." He agreed. "I'm sorry for snapping at you." Then something hit him. "Damn! Can we not get through a day without fighting or having to say we're sorry?! Its because we have to keep our relationship a secret. Its putting all this extra unnecessary stress on us. Well, no more! I promise to never yell at you again, to try my best to understand you, and to treat you better. Just like I've always done until we got together, except now I'll treat you better . . . er? Yes, betterer." Roy finished his rambling speech dramatically, striking a pose at the end with his hands on his hips and his chin held high.

". . . Yes, me too sir." She said, having to appreciate his promise if not his awkward, dramatic end to it. Riza got up and slipped her arms around him in a hug.

Roy was caught a little off guard, but returned it. He came a long way from having his heart skip a beat every time their hands brushed against each other when she handed him something.

…

FFF loved Thomas. I made a rapist lovable . . . What do you all think about Thomas?