Sensing his movement, Riza walked to the bed and kneeled down beside it. "How are you feeling, sir?"

He was sober now, or at least sober enough to sort out what had happened that night. He remembered going to the bar, he remembered being thrown out and… he remembered being helped home by his First Lieutenant. 'I guess I owe her an explanation…' he thought, realizing just how much he owed to her for this night alone. 'It's the least I can do.'

"Hawkeye…" he began, speaking quietly, "it's Hughes. Ever since he died I just… I… Maes… he's dead and it's all my fault, it's all because of me! Everyone I love gets killed, Hawkeye… it's all my fault… it's all my fault!" His voice was trembling, and his eyes were stinging. He looked away from her, determined not to let her see him without his usual composure.

"Sir…" she gazed at him. She didn't know what to do, what to say… She bit her lip and sat down next to him on the bed. He sat up and looked into her eyes, tears pooling in his own. She didn't say anything, and he took a deep breath before continuing.

"I miss him so much Hawkeye! He was such a good man, such a good friend and such a good father! He loved his family so much and he tried so hard to get me to the top… it's all my fault! If I hadn't been worrying about my stupid promotion… or if I had been in the office doing my job… he could have reached me! I should have been there! If I had been there, I could have done something … anything! He would still be alive. Oh god..."

His entire body was shaking. Riza made up her mind and pulled the colonel towards her, placing his head on her chest, and holding him as tightly as she could. She kissed his hair and told him it would be ok, that it wasn't his fault, that Maes was in the wrong place at the wrong time… Roy was very surprised by this gesture. He put his arms around her as best he could and began to cry in her arms. 'This has been eating him up for so long…' Riza thought to herself, stroking his hair and cradling her superior.

He stopped crying abruptly and looked up at his subordinate. "You… you're not going to die on me too, right?"

This question surprised her. "I… I don't think so sir, probably not."

"Would you die…for me?" He looked at her very intensely, almost accusingly.

She thought it over. "Yes." Of course she would, she thought, she'd do anything for him.

"No!" he cried angrily, "no! That's why Maes is dead! I'm not worth it! Please don't say you'll die for me…"

"Sir, would you die for me? Or Havoc? Or the Elrics? Would you have died for Maes?"

He looked at her, defeated. "Of course I would…."

"Well then? Can't we die for you?"

"It's not the same," he said, angrily looking away.

"Sir…" she said quietly, "it's… you can't help but be willing to die for someone you love."

He looked right at her. Had Riza Hawkeye just admitted she loved him? 'Only one way to find out I guess…' he thought, moving his lips closer to hers. She turned away, and his lips made contact with her cheek.

"Sir," she said sadly yet sternly, "we can't. Not now. You have goals… you're going to be Fuhrer, right?" She smiled at him. "I'm sorry." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

He smiled back at her, taking her hand in his own, "I understand."

They looked at each other for what seemed like an age. "Well," she said, "I guess I'd better be going…" She looked out the window and saw it was still raining.

"Lieutenant," said Roy with one of his signature smirks, "I can't allow you to go home in this type of weather. Why not stay here?"

"Sir I couldn't possibly…"

"Hawkeye. I know. But I'm asking you, as your superior, to stay here out of the cold. I'll take the couch."

"But-"

"No buts. I insist." She sighed, defeated. And he smiled at her. "Let me get you something to sleep in." He went into his room and got her a long shirt and a pair of flannel pants. "You can change in my room, I'm gonna go make us some tea, ok?"

He winked at her, and she smiled as he walked to the kitchen. She shut the door to his bedroom and sat down on his bed. 'So this is Roy's room…' she thought quietly to herself. She began to unbutton her shirt when the door burst open.

"Actually, why don't you go ahead and use the bath? You must be freez--" he stopped mid-word, unable to finish his sentiment for a number of reasons. The first was that his shapely young subordinate was in a state of undress, the second was the immediate barrage of bullets that accompanied his unwelcome intrusion. He ran out of the room, and stood, panting in the hallway. "So, err, feel free to use the bath."

Riza smiled, 'at least he knows I'm still not going to put up with any of his nonsense.' Her gaze rose to the bathroom door, and she decided to make good on the colonel's offer and take a bath.

She reflected on this for a moment. She, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, would be naked, in her superior officer's home. A wicked grin crossed her usually serious face, and she marched towards the marble tub.