A/N: We are soooo sorry this chapter took so long! Please accept our sincerest apologies, but life got in the way of our ability to update for a little while. We're back now and hoping to resume updating at least once a week.
This chapter marks the first time we have caught up to the series and takes place just after the fight with The Freezer in episode 1.
December 1913
"You're lucky Lieutenant Hawkeye carries around a case of dry gloves to keep your stupidity from getting you killed," Hughes said with a smirk as he watched Roy wring the water from his uniform jacket.
The hour was late and the two had returned to Central Headquarters after the defeat of The Freezer at the hands of none other but Fuhrer Bradley himself.
"I don't think he would have killed me." Roy said with a small shake of his head. "He didn't seem interested in killing anyone besides the Fuhrer."
"Strange, isn't it? McDougal was always the perfect soldier back in Ishval. Can't imagine what made him decide to turn traitor after all this time."
Roy made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat and hung the still damp jacket over the back of a chair before sinking into it himself, exhausted after the long day they'd had.
"When are you headed back East?"
"Not for a couple of days at least. My team still has a few loose ends to tie up here."
"Oh, really?!" Hughes said, a sly look crossing his face. "Then since you'll be here for it, you've got to come to my place for my New Year's Eve party! And you can see my super sweet adorable Elicia again!" Stars seemed to shine in his eyes as the man appeared to become possessed. "And I refuse to take no for an answer! And definitely extend the invitation to the rest of your team!"
Roy thought about it, but couldn't see any reason to object. It wasn't often that he and Hughes had been able to spend time together after they had been stationed in different places since the war ended nearly five years before. He hoped that might change soon. Rumor had it there would soon be a vacancy in Central that he hoped to transfer into.
"We'll be there," Roy promised. "Assuming no one else decides to try to destroy the city and kill the Fuhrer between now and then."
The Hughes Home, 1913
The night was cold, but certainly not dark as Riza and the others approached Maes Hughes's house. Lights decorated the streets due to the recent festivities, giving parts of their surroundings tints and shades of mostly red and green. She gazed about with quiet admiration. She and the others made their way into the apartment building in front of them. They followed Roy up a couple flights of stairs until they eventually came to a stop in front of a door with a wreath on it. Riza smiled softly, realizing the wreath was homemade as a craft due to the very childish touches of pink and yellow and blue ribbon tied to random pieces of it. Elicia obviously got to design the decoration.
"Interesting wreath." Havoc said, an eyebrow raised.
Roy smirked. "Better not let him catch you speaking in that tone about his daughter's things." He turned away and knocked on the door.
Riza and the others heard the thumping of feet, a muffled concerned voice, then the door knob clicking as it was pulled open. A little girl stood before them dressed in cute Christmas-themed pajamas. Her hair was tied in pigtails atop her head. Her green eyes lit up as they caught and held Roy's then Riza's.
"Uncle Roy! Auntie Riza!" the child squealed, throwing her arms up in the air.
Riza smiled and swerved in front of Roy to grab and lift the child. "She's all mine first, Colonel." She gave Elicia a hug. Elicia giggled happily.
Havoc, Breda, Falman, and Fuery all wore shocked looks on their faces. They'd never seen Hawkeye behave as such.
"What's with the 'Auntie' and 'Uncle' thing anyway?" Havoc mumbled under his breath.
"Hughes has her calling any adult in her life that. Give him long enough and you'll soon be 'Uncle Havoc.'" Roy chuckled as he and the other men followed her inside. "Hey now, don't keep her all to yourself, Lieutenant."
Hughes poked his head out of a door further down the hallway and grinned. "Roy! Glad to see you were all able to make it."
"Wouldn't miss it, Major," Breda responded with a smile.
"Did I hear you say Colonel Mustang and his team are here?!" an overly exuberant voice asked from inside the room before the head of Alex Louis Armstrong appeared above that of Hughes. "But where are the Elric brothers?"
"Already off chasing another rumor of the Philosopher's Stone, no doubt," Havoc said as he shrugged out of his coat.
Hughes ushered them all into the room where a few other soldiers from Central and some of Gracia's friends were already chatting.
Roy watched Riza as she carried Elicia into the room, cradling the small toddler in her arms and he couldn't help but smile. Riza would be a good mom, he mused. It was a shame it would never happen for them.
"Now tell me who your favorite is, Elicia." Riza whispered mischievously. Elicia snickered while looking over her shoulder at Roy and said, "You, Auntie Riza!"
Hughes smiled warmly at his daughter. "Isn't she the cutest?"
"Sure, she is." Havoc said, his tone altered due to the fact that he was still a little freaked out at the sight of Riza hugging a child and teasing about Roy. They seemed closer than usual.
Hughes glared, an odd flame burning in his eyes. "What's that tone, Second Lieutenant?!"
Havoc jumped. "Oh, no, I'm sorry! She really is cute!"
"You're darn right she is!" Hughes said loudly. Gracia came over and placed a hand on his arm. "Now, now, dear. You're getting all riled again. You'll scare the company away!"
Hughes chuckled and seemed to be happy once more. "I'm sorry, I just get so caught up in my kid."
Havoc shrugged. "I've heard the stories."
"And seen the pictures," Fuery added in an undertone. He, too, was watching the exchange between the Colonel and the Lieutenant. It was strange now, knowing what he knew. He wondered how they had all missed it for so long and if he was the only one who knew. He'd never said anything to anyone about what he had heard that night in the West a few months prior, and he never would.
Meanwhile, Roy gave Elicia a mock offended look. "Really, now? She's your favorite? Even though I brought you this?" He reached into his pocket and produced a small stuffed dog.
Elicia gasped and reached for it, forgetting Riza completely. "Oh my goodness!"
Riza chuckled and relinquished the child to Roy. "Someone came prepared. I'll remember this later, Elicia!"
Elicia ran up to Roy to examine her new present.
Hughes laughed and came to stand by Riza. "Can I get you something to drink, Hawkeye? Elicia will be going to bed soon so the adults can finally talk the way they wish."
Riza smiled. "Sure, I'll have whatever you're having."
"Can do!" Hughes cheered. He grabbed beers for the others during his trip as well.
11:45pm came quickly. They were within minutes of a new year.
Elicia, who had been insistent that she could stay up until midnight when her mother had tried to put her to bed earlier in the evening, had fallen asleep on the couch, curled up between the Colonel and Lieutenant with her head resting in the lap of the latter.
Gracia smiled softly at the sight and came to lift her daughter from Riza's lap. "Sorry about that, she can fall asleep anywhere. I'll put her to bed before all the cheering at midnight wakes her and we never get her back to sleep."
Hughes looked lovingly on as his wife disappeared from sight, carrying their sleeping daughter to her bed. He wasn't sure how he'd gotten so lucky. "Aren't my wife and daughter just the most wonderful and beautiful girls you've ever seen?" he asked of no one in particular.
"They're quite lovely," Major Armstrong agreed.
Hughes laughed and turned to look at his best friend. "So, Roy, when are you finally going to get yourself a wife?" he teased.
"When you stop asking me that every time you see me."
Havoc stood and stretched. "I'm going to go grab one last smoke before the New Year. Anyone want to join me?"
Breda shrugged and stood as well. "I'll come keep you company." The two departed the room.
Riza chuckled and looked around at the drinks. "It looks like everyone could use a refill. I'll grab those, you can relax Hughes." She said this because once she mentioned more drinks, Maes had begun to shift in his seat to go fetch them. She smiled at him and excused herself.
"How kind of her." remarked Armstrong, his pale cheeks a little rosy due to the amount of alcohol he'd already consumed that evening,
Hughes nodded. "Being a host is so exhausting! And none of you jerks even offered so it was left to the lady!" He said, smirking and glancing at all except for Roy.
Roy rolled his eyes and stood. "I'll see if the Lieutenant needs any help."
"Don't be gone too long, Colonel, or you'll miss the countdown," said Brosch.
"I'll do my best."
Fuery watched from his seat in the corner as the Colonel followed after the Lieutenant, stopping in the doorway to allow Gracia to pass as she returned from putting her daughter to bed. The sergeant's eyes wandered around the room, but everyone else had returned to their conversations. He couldn't help but wonder how they were all so oblivious to what was right in front of their noses.
Riza was standing in the kitchen pouring a couple of cocktail ingredients in a few glasses when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned. "Oh, I'm glad you're here. I didn't think about actually having to carry them all back out there." She smiled.
"That's why I'm here. Hughes was kind enough to give the rest of us a guilt trip about letting you carry them by yourself," he explained as he pulled his pocket watch out to check the time. "Although...it looks like there's only a few minutes left in 1913, so I may just spend the rest of it in here before I carry these back..." He smirked.
Riza gave him a knowing look. "Feeling dangerous today, are we?" she murmured quietly so no one else would hear from the other room. Then she shrugged. "It's almost a good way to end such a long year. How about you make yourself useful with something besides staring at me and help make a drink or two?" She gave him a wink.
He shrugged. "I've probably just had a bit too much to drink," he said as he took a spot beside her at the kitchen counter and started to assist her.
She made a tsking noise with her tongue and looked over at him, shaking her head. "Someone can't hold his liquor?"
"Or perhaps I'm just using that as an excuse to live a bit dangerously tonight."
They worked in silence for a moment before they began to hear a jumble of excited voices coming from the next room before they all joined in unison to begin the countdown.
"10...9...8...7...6…"
Roy stopped what he was doing, setting aside the drink he had been working on. He turned to Riza and put an arm around her waist, pulling her body against his as he joined the countdown, speaking the numbers softly. "5...4...3..2...1….." He kissed her, pressing his lips firmly against hers as the people in the next room cheered and shouted 'Happy New Year!' to each other. Roy could care less what was happening in the next room, though. All that mattered to him at this moment was the two of them alone in the kitchen at the start of 1914.
Riza brought her hands up under his arms and held the ends of his hair that fell on his neck as she returned his kiss. Even though it was in secret, putting stress on them both, she admired and loved him all the more for being so willing to still be so openly affectionate with her while risking discovery. Perhaps the thrill made it more exciting than usual, because she never wanted to stop kissing him. She found herself pressing against him slightly, letting herself get lost in the feel of his mouth on hers and her body being held in his arms.
He reluctantly broke the kiss after a moment, resting his forehead against hers. "Happy New Year," he whispered.
Suddenly, the front door opened and the two jumped apart just before Breda caught sight of them. "Aw, man, we missed the countdown, didn't we?" he muttered as he looked at them. He sighed when Roy nodded. "Oh well, not like I had anyone here to kiss anyway. I guess this must be where the single people are hanging out anyway. I'm sure Hughes made it awkward to be around him and his wife at midnight."
"Maybe just a little, " Roy said. He glanced over Breda's shoulder toward the door where he could see Havoc entering behind him. "Actually, the two of you are just on time to assist the Lieutenant and I with carrying everyone's drinks back."
Riza hoped to God she wasn't blushing. She realized she must have been when Breda looked at her curiously and asked, "You a little warm, Hawkeye? Maybe you should drink some water." To which she smiled apologetically and insisted she would be fine. She watched as he took a couple of drinks out with him. She eyed Havoc as he came in to help too. He smirked.
"Sure you don't want that kiss for the holiday's sake?" Havoc teased her.
Riza rolled her eyes. "Maybe in your dreams tonight."
Havoc laughed and shrugged. "Your loss. I'm an excellent kisser." He turned to walk out.
Riza shrugged and smirked at Roy. "Eh, I've had better."
Havoc looked back to give her a mock offended look. "You can't judge a person's kissing ability based on one experience. Anyway, I was drunk at the time."
"You're drunk now," she pointed out with a blank expression.
"That is beside the point. And besides," he continued as his brain caught up to what she had said previously about having had better. "Who else have you even kissed to compare it to? You never go on dates. All you ever do is work, go shooting, and take your dog for walks."
Roy struggled to keep a straight face as he listened to the other man's alcohol fueled rambling. "I'd quit while you're ahead, Havoc, before the Lieutenant files a sexual harassment suit against you for taking such an interest in her personal life," he said as he picked up a few of the remaining drinks and carried them with him to the next room.
"I'm glad to hear you think I'm so interesting, Havoc." Riza said sarcastically before grabbing her own drink and following them back into the living area. She took a seat in a chair, completing the circle of friends in the living room.
As the night went on into the early morning hours of 1914, the circle dwindled smaller and smaller as people returned to their homes. Eventually, all that remained were Hughes, Mustang, Hawkeye, and Havoc, who had sobered up considerably over the last few hours.
The four talked, catching up and reminiscing about the memories they shared during their time in Ishval.
"I hope to never see another war like it in my lifetime," said Hughes. "Although with tensions the way they are on the border of Creta, it seems we may be headed that way."
Havoc frowned. "Think they'll call on the State Alchemists again?"
Roy folded his arms and leaned back in his seat. "I hope it doesn't come to that."
It had been five years now since the Ishval War of Extermination, but he still woke up some nights in a cold sweat with nightmares of the atrocities he had committed and seen committed there. He wasn't sure he could handle that kind of genocide being asked of him a second time and he didn't want to see it asked of others like Fullmetal.
Riza sighed and looked at the window of the room with a dreary look on her face. The last thing any of them needed was another full blown war. "I agree."
Havoc looked around the room at them all, regretting that he had asked the question. "Okay! New subject! What are you new year's resolutions?" he said optimistically. "I want a new girlfriend. And she's gonna be hot as hell with big, amazing boobs and gorgeous dark hair. Oh, and she has to be cool with me smoking."
Hughes stared at him a moment, seeming concerned. Then his serious expression broke and erupted into heartfelt laughter. "Man, you're really a piece of work, aren't you?"
"Best of luck with that one," Roy said with a roll of his eyes. "For me, I'm going to work closer to my goal of being Fuhrer. Maybe I can even get that transfer to Central this year."
Havoc snorted. He looked at Riza. "What about you, Hawkeye?"
Riza shrugged. "Mine is the same as last year."
Hughes smirked. "Keep Mustang from getting himself killed?"
She smirked and silently took a sip of her drink.
Havoc laughed. "As if that's anything new!"
"Well, she's succeeded so far," Roy said with a shrug. "What about you, Hughes?"
"I spend too much time at work. This year, I want to make it a priority to spend more time with my beautiful wife and daughter. I don't want to miss seeing Elicia grow up."
"Man, he had to go and outdo all of us." Havoc grumbled, but wore a small smile.
A/N: Thank you all for your patience in getting this next chapter up. Between Joanna's wisdom tooth removal recovery, family evacuating from Hurricane Irma, Chelsey starting back to college, and both of us having birthdays this month, life got a bit crazy. We have a few chapters past this one written and waiting to be edited, so updates should come at least once a week again.
We hope you enjoyed this chapter, particularly the foreshadowing in all 4 character's New Year's Resolutions.
Special thanks to CommunityLord, Pinapples, and RiverRush21 for your reviews!