AN: Wow…this chapter is one of my longer ones. Ok, just for those who may not like fluffy writing, this chapter is…well. Very fluffy. As for the dates down below, later in this chapter, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT YEARS TO PUT! FORGIVE ME! dodges all sorts of items that Flava-sava will throw So…read and PLEASE REVIEW! LOTS!

Chapter Eight

Riza laid in his arms again. This time, she sighed in content. She thought back to what had taken place only minutes earlier. She felt Jean shift in his sleep. She looked up at the soft, pointed curve of his chin. She continued to rest her chin on her arms, looking up at him from his bare chest. Jean grinned. Riza arched an eyebrow. What is that man dreaming of now…?

"Like staring at me…?" Jean chuckled opening one eye to stare down at her.

"So you are still awake." Riza smiled softly.

"Well…I don't sleep too well when I have people staring at me." Jean grinned. He pulled her up and kissed her. Riza melted in his arms. They pulled away from one another needing to breath.

"Do you still, wish I were him?" Jean asked averting his eyes.

"Him…? Roy?" Riza asked. She received a nod in response. "No. I never did. And now, I loved him. Jean, I really did. But, now…I look at you and, I don't know. It's different. I still love him. But, I think…my heart is mending slowly. Because, because of you. Without you…I'd probably have killed myself by now. God only knows I've thought of it. Stared at that nozzle so many nights…"

Jean held Riza tighter to him. He closed his eyes and sighed. He was content with her, right here, right now. She was everything to him. Everything he ever wanted. All the past girlfriends, all the blind dates, all the mishaps…everything, could not compare to the love he held for this woman. Right now, this woman in his arms was god sent. He could never imagine making love to any other woman for the rest of his life. When he tried, his stomach turned and he felt sick.

"Thinking?" Riza asked softly.

"Mmm…" Jean nodded in response.

"About…?" Riza prodded. She wanted to get into this man's head. He truly had an interesting intellect. It wasn't all about sex to him. She was both puzzled and mesmerized by him.

"About how I never want to sleep with any other woman for the rest of my life." Jean responded keeping his eyes closed.

"Jean Havoc…" Riza said with warning in her voice. "Are you proposing to me?"

"I suppose…in a way, I am. I love you, Riza Hawkeye." Jean opened his eyes. Instead of seeing the steaming angry woman he suspected he would, he saw a grinning Hawkeye.

"Then…I suppose, I should accept. What do you think…?" She teased.

"You're serious!" Jean shot up into a sitting position staring at Riza in surprise.

"Yes…" Riza said slowly, now a bit unsurely. "You weren't…joking were you?"

"No! I just…wow. I didn't…think you would ever…"

"What? Want you? I wouldn't sleep with you if I didn't, Jean. You've been there, through everything. Since…Roy was taken from us. I have grown to love you too. You opened my eyes. I am not alone anymore. I have you…and you have me." Riza responded and gently touched Jean's cheek softly with her knuckles.

"Wow…" Jean looked down and then back up at Riza. "So I guess…to be proper…I should ask the right question. Riza Hawkeye, Will you marry me?"

"Yes, already!" Riza giggled very uncharacteristically and tackled Jean.

The two laughed joyously. They stayed up half the night planning for the small things and the big things to come. Jean held Riza tightly and kissed her deeply. Riza looked up at Jean. She looked determined about something. Jean questioned her silently with his gaze.

"We have to stop Avarice. We have to put Roy's…no. That thing to rest. Can we, tell Roy? He would have wanted to be the first to know."

"I wouldn't have it any other way. Hell, he's probably gleaming up in heaven now! Jumping around and celebrating with Hughes." Jean laughed at the ridiculous picture of two of his closest friends jumping around on top of white clouds, drinks in hand, celebrating.

"You know…I can see that. Strangely enough, I can." Riza laughed herself at the idea.

Riza stood over the two graves. Each grave marker baring the names of each of her beloveds. The one to her left read, 'Brigadier General Roy Mustang. Leader, friend, and family to all around him. August 25.' The one to her right read, '1rst Lieutenant Jean Havoc. One hell of a partier, one hell of a friend. July 16.'

Riza fell to her knees. She buried her face in her hands. She felt smothered. She couldn't breath. She began to cry out, but couldn't. Something stopped her. The flowers she had brought with her lied to her side. She was choking. She felt like she was falling.

Riza hit her floor with a start. She gasped and opened her eyes looking around her room frantically. Once her eyes focused, she could see Jean bent in front of her looking very worried. She lunged into his arms. She couldn't help it; she had felt so little, so useless, so…alone.

"JEAN!" Riza cried out as she clutched to the material of Jean's shirt desperately, as though her life depended on it.

"Shhh….shhh…I'm right here. I'm right here…I'm not going to leave you." Jean softly cradled Riza and rubs small circles over her back.

Riza cried into his shoulder. The dream gripped onto her like no other. She looked at the calendar on the wall. She pulled away and wiped her tears away. Something was still tugging at her.

"What day is it!" Riza asked with fear.

"The sixteenth." Jean responded slightly confused.

"Of!" Riza prodded further.

"June…why? Why are you so worried?"

"Oh god…June 16…" Riza paled.

"Yeah…? Are you ok, babe?" Jean asked looking at Riza concerned.

"Do you have to go anywhere today?" Riza asked with fear evident in her eyes.

"Ummm…no. Why?" Jean was utterly lost.

"Good. Stay here, ALL DAY. With me! Don't go ANYWHERE! You hear me?" Riza was panicked. Until the day was over, she would NOT let him from her sight.

"Ummm…ok? I'm lost, Riza. What's wrong?"

"My dream. The grave stone…it said your name. It said, June 16, 1927. I won't let you go. I won't lose you too!" Riza clutched onto Jean again. Jean sighed, now understanding why she was in a panic. He nodded.

"Ok. I promise…I'll stay by your side today."

Ed nodded as he listened to Hawkeye re-tell her dream. Ed had a common understanding as to why this meant so much to her. He just hoped that it would not be leaked any further than his office. Winry sat beside Hawkeye. She nodded in understanding.

Havoc sat listening too. He just hoped to God that Ed would understand and not report them. It seemed a though Hawkeye didn't quite realize that she was telling Ed all about her affairs with him without having to actually SAY it.

"Hawkeye…" Ed cleared his throat. "I will make sure that today anything Havoc needs done will be done around here."

"Thank you, sir." Hawkeye saluted. She realized that she had practically told Ed all about the relationship she had been having with Havoc. She also realized the predicament she put herself and Havoc into.

"All right. Now that issue is settled…" Ed turned to Winry. "Winry, everything you heard in here today remain between the four of us. No telling ANYONE about this conversation."

"I understand. Completely." Winry nodded with a smile at Hawkeye.

"What…? But, sir, I don't…understand? Why don't you report us? It…is quite apparent what has been happening here lately." Hawkeye stood her ground. She knew what was right, and what was wrong. She knew that the relation she had been having with Havoc, involving love or not, was still very wrong.

"Sir, with all due respect, you're pushing it here. We were stupid; we didn't keep certain things zipped up that should have remained so. Don't lose your job over us." Havoc in turn agreed with Hawkeye.

"What the hell do I care?" Ed leaned back in his seat. "I didn't ASK for this damned job. Why the hell should I care if I lose it? Besides, Roy would have done the same. In a way…I guess you could say I'm doing you a favor."

Hawkeye saluted. She couldn't believe that the young man sitting in the seat in front of her was the same Edward Elric she and Roy had known those few years back. She recalled quite well the boys who came to central looking for ways to put right, what went wrong. She admired them both for it. She also admired Winry Rockbell for the pain and suffering she put up with to help those boys though anything.

Hawkeye and Havoc walked in silence to their offices. Havoc reached over and grabbed Hawkeye's hand. He held her hand in his own as they continued to their offices. A few faces looked shocked, a few were surprised, and some where beaming with happiness. Come what may, good or bad, tough or easy, Hawkeye and Havoc were ready to face it. Together.

Ed shook his head. He chuckled to himself. Hawkeye pulled through, as usual. She reminded him of someone he held very dear to his heart. His gaze landed on her as she stared at the door the older man and woman had disappeared through with a smile on her face. Ed admired the way the sun hit Winry's cheeks, eyes, and hair just right…to make her look like an angel. He loved the way the light reflected off of the wall almost making it seem like Winry did, in fact, have translucent angel wings behind her.