Summary: Roy has two women on his mind. Riza goes for her doctor's appointment. Hughes and Rebecca gently prod their friends in the right direction.

Dedicated to sometimeschill who gave me the prompt that began this journey.

Title for fic and Lyrics in chapter name: Unexpectedly by Jason Chen!

Chapter Three: "Oh, were we ever meant to be?"

Roy turned around, a small smile on his face. Vanessa leaned against the counter.

"What?" he asked. She arched her eyebrows and he sighed. "I'm meeting her for a drink after I close up."

She rested her elbows on the counter and leaned forward. "Do you still love her?"

Crossing his arms, his eyes narrowed. "Don't you have work to do?"

Smiling innocently, she said, "I have a break and I want to spend it with you."

"Annoy me, you mean?" He shook his head and sighed loudly. "I don't know but I'm happy to see her. We were happy together. "

"You were miserable after you broke up. She must be keen that she came here to see rather than calling or messaging you."

"I don't know what she wants." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "I've not thought about her in months."

"Riza have something to do with that?"

Roy glared at her. "Riza and I are friends."

And now Riza was pregnant. Maybe she would get back with Liam? There was no point in harbouring any illusions about their friendship changing. Besides if they did go there, they could ruin everything.

"Excuse me," one of the customers called, "Can I have a jug of water, please?"

Roy dipped his head. "Of course, ma'am." He went behind the counter and filled a jug with tap water. Vanessa watched him, a smile playing about her lips. "Stop looking at me like that."

"Stop grousing." Her smile widened. "Decide what you want, Roy-boy, and go for it. You deserve to be happy."

Roy was distracted for the rest of his shift. He got a dessert order wrong and dropped an empty plate on his toe. It still smarted twenty minutes later. Two women occupied his mind. He kept checking his phone to see if Riza had messaged him and he kept wondering what his ex-girlfriend wanted. Vanessa's words kept playing on his mind. What a day it had been?

Get it together, Mustang. Today is nowhere near as bad as Riza's has been.

He heaved a sigh of relief as he turned the closed sign on the door at 11 pm. Vanessa delivered the tea tray to the one table that remained occupied. He didn't mind that the couple wasn't ready to go yet. After messing up their dessert order, it was the least he could do. Besides, it was rare that all tables would be cleared on time.

Roy went back behind the counter and took out his phone. No other message from Riza. He typed "Good night. Try and get a good sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

He smiled as it beeped almost instantaneously.

"What did I ever to deserve you as my best friend? I promise Becca has been taking care of me. She made that appointment, so I might be a little late."

Best friend. Friend. His chest tightened a little. No, I'm being stupid.

There was a knock on the door of the restaurant. Roy looked over and he could see a silhouette on the other side. It must be Katie. He crossed the room and opened the door. She was casually dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a loose top. She looked stunning. His mouth went dry.

"Uh - come in." He gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'll just be a few minutes. Would you like tea or something?"

"Yes, please," she said.

"I remember how you like it."

Her eyes widened a sliver. "Do you now?" She giggled into her hand. "I've really missed you."

His heart sped up and he felt a surge of affection. He missed her too.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Until you remember how much of an ass I am."

"It's a good ass." She winked and his mouth dropped open. She laughed again. "You should see your face right now, Roy Mustang."

He laughed too. Katie could always make him laugh. It was one of the things he had loved about her. Two could play at that game though.

He wasn't sure what possessed him but he leaned in and whispered, "Stop sexually harassing me at work."

She gasped softly and for a moment, he thought she was going to close the distance between them and kiss him, which would have been entirely inappropriate. He jerked back, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"I'll get that tea." He whirled around and went behind the counter.

Katie. He had thought he was going to marry her once. He was head over heels. Chris, or Katie's parents for that matter, weren't too thrilled that they were getting so serious so young. Her parents always welcomed him though. He was sure they liked him but they thought they need more life experience instead of settling down. They were probably right on reflection and that was why they decided to end their relationship before they started college. That way they could focus on their studies.

Vanessa sidled up beside him as he prepared the tea. "Hey, lover-boy." She touched his arm. "Are you sure you don't want me to shut up shop?"

"No, it's alright. You go home. Katie is going to have some tea."

She inclined her head. "I gave Table 4 the bill."

"Thank you. See you tomorrow, Vanessa."

He watched as Vanessa went to greet Katie. His eyes narrowed. That woman was almost like a sister to him. She better not be bothering Katie. He sped up in his task. But before he could save Katie, the couple from Table 4 came up the counter to settle the bill.

Thirty minutes later, Roy and Katie left the restaurant. He only had some cups and teapots to wash as well as counting the day's takings, so it didn't take long. He locked the door and turned to Katie. The streetlight was shining down on Katie, almost giving her a halo.

She took his arm. "Where to, Mr Mustang?"

Roy's breath caught in his throat and he coughed. "Uh - how about we go to The Scholars? It's about a ten-minute walk."

She arched an eyebrow. "The Scholars?"

He sighed and spread his palms. "It's a college bar, Katie, hence the name."

"Since when do you use the word hence? You swallowed a dictionary, didn't you?"

"Oh, shut up." He bumped her shoulder. "I didn't miss your teasing." He turned to her, his face serious. "It's so good to see you, Katie."

"Same." She met his gaze unabashedly.

His face flamed and he broke the spell. "We should get going before we miss last orders."

They walked in silence, arms linked but neither dared look at the other.

"How is everyone?" Katie asked.

He shrugged. "Hughes is the same except he's madly in love with Gracia. She's lovely, a really sweet woman. You'd like her. I don't know what she sees in him at all."

She laughed. "You're so mean to him."

He made a scoffing noise. "He deserves it. You don't know the half of what he puts me through?"

"What about Riza?" Her voice sounded strange. There was something in her tone that he couldn't make out.

He turned to look at her. "She's doing great." It wasn't entirely true but it wasn't like he could tell Katie. "She's living off campus with a friend, Rebecca. It was good for her to move out of home for the year. You know what her dad's like."

He was babbling now. Shit, shut up now, Roy.

"Yeah, I guess we're lucky to have a supportive family."

His eyes widened. Did she somehow know? No, there was no way she could know.

Katie didn't seem to notice his confusion thankfully.

"So have you and Riza hooked up yet?"

He suddenly stopped and stared at her, his mouth open a fraction. "Uh -uh," he stammered. "Uh no. Not you too. We're just friends."

Her eyebrows went up. "Really? Just friends?"

"Yeah," he said, brows furrowed, "How about you? Are you seeing anybody?"

She shook her head. "I was seeing a guy for a few months but we broke up at Christmas. You?"

"Just been dating really. Nothing serious since you."

Her expression softened. "Really?"

His face warmed and he looked away. Starting walking again, he said, "I guess I am just having fun. I didn't want to get serious with anybody."

"I get that," Katie replied. "I was the same for a long time. But I never felt the same about anyone else since you."

Roy didn't know what to say to that and the pair went silent again until they arrived at the bar.

"Here we are." He gestured for her to walk in before him.

When he walked in, several of the patrons waved at him. Smiling, he waved back.

"You're popular here."

"Not really. I just know some people." They walked up to the counter. "Beer?"

"Sure, whatever you're having."

Roy ordered two beers and the pair went to find a table.

Riza's knees were weak as she left the doctor's office. Rebecca was beside her to hold her hand, both metaphorically and practically. The doctor confirmed what she already knew but did a blood test just to be on the safe side. She kept her head averted as they exited the waiting room. She felt like everyone was looking at her, that they knew she was pregnant. She knew it was ridiculous but she felt like she had a neon sign pointing at her.

"Do you still want to go to class?" Rebecca asked.

Riza nodded. "It's best not to let my grades slip. Wallowing isn't going to help me. I need to decide what to do. In the meantime, I have to concentrate on class and make sure I pass the semester."

She sounded more confident than she actually was. She was terrified about bumping into Liam. She knew she had to tell him, she owed him that. He was a pretty decent guy and she was sure he would help her out if she needed it but she couldn't be sure. Liam could simply run away from the problem. She didn't have that luxury.

They walked out into the car park. Riza didn't even notice them arrive at the car until her friend squeezed her shoulder. She sat in the passenger seat and Rebecca squeezed her hand before starting the car.

Riza turned on her phone. She had turned it off that morning not wanting to talk to anyone. She grimaced when she noticed two calls and two messages from Roy.

"By the way, Roy told me to tell you to ignore his messages and calls," Rebecca said with a knowing smile. "He rang me earlier when he couldn't get through. He was just worried about you."

"I shouldn't have ignored his first message this morning."

"He said he'll talk to you later."

Riza nodded. "He's been such a good friend through all this." She turned to her Rebecca. "You too. I don't know what I would do without you two!"

The other woman made a scoffing noise. "You would do the same for me if it were the other way around." She patted her arm. "Whatever you need, you ask. Just remember it the next time I'm lax with the cleaning."

Riza smiled as Rebecca started the car. The brunette's tidiness left something to be desired and was one of the few bones of contention in their living arrangements. She turned to look out the window and only half listened to her friend prattle on about the celebrity gossip she read in the magazine while in the waiting room. Riza appreciated her attempt at distraction but her mind was too full to be swayed.

Pregnant. Pregnant at nineteen. If she went through with the pregnancy, she would have a baby by the time she was twenty.

Her heart wanted to keep this baby but her head told her this was a terrible idea, the worst timing. She was sure that her father wouldn't support this decision and how was she supposed to support a child? She couldn't even support herself. Unlike Roy, she didn't have to work part-time to pay for college as her father was paying for her accommodation and for her college fees. She would prefer if he was providing emotional support than financial support. However, her father had never been that type of man and she had long since resigned herself to it. What would he do when he found out she was pregnant?

"Riza, we're here."

Rebecca's words brought her out of her reverie. Riza had been so preoccupied she hadn't noticed they had arrived in the car park. She took a deep breath and opened the car door. She had to get it together and quit spacing out.

"What are you going to do if you see Liam?" the brunette asked.

"I'm going to tell him I need to talk to him," Riza said. "I don't think there's ever going to be a good time to have that conversation."

Her friend hugged her and whispered, "You're really brave."

Riza pulled away abruptly. "Brave? Rebecca, I'm scared shitless." She didn't mean to be so sharp. She breathed through her nose. "I'm sorry, Becca."

Rebecca dipped her head. "No, I'm sorry, Riza. That was a stupid thing to say."

This time, Riza embraced her instead.

Roy and Hughes sat in the cafe, both with coffee in front of them. Roy sipped his americano trying to ignore the calculated looks his friend kept giving him. He didn't want to give his friend the satisfaction of reacting, so he ignored him. His phone beeped. He picked it up thinking it would be Riza. He was surprised to see Katie's name. He smiled and opened the message.

Roy, how about dinner tonight? My treat.

Last night was good, really good. It had been nice to catch up and he was pretty sure that spark was still there between them. Nothing had happened; He wasn't even sure if he wanted it to or not. Nothing had changed - they were still in different cities.

He frowned and stared at the screen. But there was no harm in having dinner, was there? She didn't say 'date'. And she was only going to be here for a little while.

"Katie?"

Roy's head snapped up and he locked his phone. The sneaky bastard read his phone.

"Since when are you in contact with Katie?" Hughes leaned forward pulling his chair with him. "What the hell, Roy?"

Roy sighed. "She turned up out of the blue last night. She came to the restaurant and we went for a drink afterwards."

"Roy, buddy, why didn't you say?"

"Because there's nothing to say and I knew you would overreact just like you're doing right now."

Hughes tilted his head to the side. "So, what does this mean?"

"I don't know." Roy shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing probably but it was nice to catch up."

Hughes frowned. "Be careful, buddy, you were a real pain in the ass when your heart was broken."

"Shut up."

"And well, Riza-" Hughes cut off suddenly.

"If you could just quit yammering on about that for five minutes." Roy clenched his fists. "Riza and I are friends. End of."

Hughes looked at him with wide eyes and jerked his head slightly. "Behind you," he mouthed.

Roy turned around and saw Riza standing there, an eyebrow arched. Rebecca was laughing into her sleeve. Blood rushed to his face.

"Riza!"

"Hughes, why don't you help me get mine and Riza's orders?" Becca pulled Hughes to his feet and pointed at Riza. "Sit!"

The bespectacled man grinned. Roy rolled his eyes. Those two were incorrigible but he was glad. He did want to speak to Riza alone.

"How did it go?" he whispered when the blonde sat down.

She let out a heavy sigh. "Confirmed it."

He put his hand on hers and squeezed it. She gave him a small smile and his stomach fluttered.

"Thanks, Roy, you're a great friend," she said softly.

His hand still on hers, he continued, "I meant what I said yesterday. Whatever you need, I'm here."

"Don't keep promises you can't keep, Roy."

He meant it. Every word. Riza was his best friend and he would do anything for her. He wanted to tell her but he couldn't find the words.

"Roy, are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah," he said. "Just trying to remember if I locked the front door."

She frowned. "And did you?"

He chuckled. "I think so."

"Good." She pulled her hand away. "Now please distract me from my problems."

His eyes widened. "Um - I don't know. Uh -" He broke off. He couldn't tell her about Katie. She had enough to be dealing with besides his blast from the past. He scratched his head. "Ah, Vanessa is finally going to introduce us to her boyfriend this weekend."

Riza arched an eyebrow. "Well, well, well. I might just have to drop by."

To be continued...

I hope Katie's introduction doesn't scare you away. Tell me what you think of her! (This is a slow burn.)