Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist… though that would be really awesome…. It belongs to our lovable Sensei –bows- thank you. This fic plotline, however, is mine.

Writer's note at the bottom

Chapter 2:

It was a moderately long walk back to the place the two called 'home', one that had been in silence, although it was not because of any sort of tension. Roy smiled at the building, in was a small house yet it was warm and pleasant.

Truthfully, it was the house that Roy had moved into upon coming to Central so long ago. Riza had come to live with him not long after the Fuhrer's death. It had happened so subtly that the two hadn't even noticed the change. At first, she would be over often, tending to his wounds. In time, she had gained a spot in his home, in his bed. Her clothes began to appear around his residence, along with Hayate's things. The closer they became, the longer she would be there, eventually spending more time at his house then at her own. On one occasion, watching her as she read on his couch, Roy had realized that she was more like his wife then his girlfriend. And on that thought he went to her, asking her if she would want to move in with him, making it official. She had agreed eagerly, giving him one of her lovely smiles.

Roy smiled, remembering the event so vividly. Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to enjoy having her live with him for very long, soon after Alphonse had appeared and Roy had left to carry out his obligation to the brothers. Riza had understood of course, hiding her feelings of anxiety from him so that he would not regret doing what he needed. She could see it in his eyes, knowing his spirit was still broken, that this might change him better then she ever could. He had left her there, alone in his doorway, running off to wait for the inevitable.

He frowned momentarily thinking about how she must have felt, how she must have worried. He was taken from these thoughts though when Riza took his hand, lacing her fingers with his; she smiled and unlocked the door. He returned her smile and looked into the room, it was the same as it had always been save a few new photos and trinkets. She had kept it the way he had left it, creating the sense that he had never left. The thought had comforted her when she would lie in his bed at night, feeling cold without his warmth beside her.

The two wear greeted by a cheerful black and white dog, he was a bit bigger then Roy remembered, now fully grown. Riza kneeled to pet him, knowing he was probably hungry; she had barely been home for several days now due to recent events. She moved towards the kitchen, Roy following suit.

"Are you hungry?" She asked Roy, opening one of the cabinets and pulling forth Hayate's food.

He nodded eagerly. "Yes."

After placing a bowl of food and the floor for Hayate, she opened the refrigerator. "I suppose I'll start dinner." She said softly. Roy watched her for some time before he looked down at Black Hayate who smelled him contently. He petted the dog's head, Hayate's tail patting the ground lightly.

"You still remember me, boy?" Roy spoke softly, Riza smiling though her back was turned to the two.

Hayate barked softly in response, licking Roy's hand. He smiled, petting the dog's head as the room filled with the scent of cooked meat. Riza proceeded to set the table as Roy played with Hayate. She filled the plates with food and placed them down on the table.

After, she walked over to Roy and Hayate, "Roy." She whispered softly in his ear, "Come and eat."

He turned and smiled at her, following her to the table. He sat in his seat across from her, watching as she picked up her fork and cut a piece of meat before digging into his own dinner. He shoveled it into his mouth hungrily; it had been a long time since he'd gotten a home cooked meal, much less one of Hawkeye's. She laughed lightly at him; he acted as if he hadn't eaten in days, even weeks. He grinned up at her for a moment before continuing.

She took his plate after he finished, cleaning the table. He stood up, helping her wash dishes. They finished the whole process quickly, enjoying each other's company. Roy took her hand and led her into the livingroom, sitting her down on the sofa. He sat down next to her and she leaned into him, laying her head on his chest, snuggling up against him. Roy laid his head on top of hers. They were silent for a long time, taking pleasure in each other's warmth. Riza listened to Roy's heartbeat, closing her eyes, forgetting the world outside of the cozy house, forgetting everything she'd seen that day.

It was her voice that finally broke the silence, "Roy." She spoke his name softly, the word so familiar on her tongue. It had been so long since she had called him "colonel" or "sir"; she preferred it this way. "…I'm sorry."

Roy moved his head slightly, hoping to glance at her expression without any luck. "For what?" He spoke softly.

"For everything… for not coming to see you... for-"

"I understand… I wouldn't have wanted you to see me as I was…"

"I was afraid, afraid that I couldn't..." She clenched his shirt lightly, attempting to get even closer to him.

Roy stroked her hair softly, "I understand." He reassured her, he knew how it hurt her when there was nothing she could do, how weak she felt. He held her tighter and fiddled with the clip to free her hair, succeeding and letting it fall over her shoulders. He ran his fingers through her tresses, sighing softly as time ticked away. They lay there for an hour, possibly longer. They had lost track of time, counting heartbeats instead of seconds.

Roy finally glanced at the clock; it read nine twenty-four. He hadn't realized how late it had gotten. He stroked Riza's back lightly, pulling her from her daze.

"It's late." He informed her. "We should go to bed."

She nodded her head against his chest in agreement and moved to stand. Once on her feet, she helped Roy to his. The two went off into the bedroom. Roy grabbed a clean pair of boxers and a white tee shirt then headed for the bathroom. A moment later, Riza heard the sound of running water. She went into her dresser and found a pair of blue pajama pants and one of Roy's shirts and proceeded to change. After, she moved to sit in the bed, glancing at the bathroom door before picking up her book and waiting for him to return.

Roy stood in the shower as the water rushed over his body. He sighed softly, breathing in the steam as the water washed away his troubles. His mind ran through the day's events. "Edward Elric." He muttered the boy's name, remembering back over the time he had known him. Ed had changed so much over that time, he had become a selfless young man, so different from the naïve little boy Roy had met so many years before.

Roy ran a hand through his hair; he had changed as well. The fact that Riza was just a door away was evidence enough. His hand ran over his left eye, two years, he thought. It had been two years since he had lost vision in that eye. Two years of being reminded of his foolishness through that eye. He wondered if it was his punishment for all he had done in the past. But then what was Riza? His reward for his effort to make things right? No, it was simpler then that, it was love. He shut the water off and closed his good eye. "Riza..." He muttered softly, grabbing his towel and wrapping it around his waist.

Roy ran his hand across the bathroom mirror, clearing away the water that had collected on it. He just stared at himself for a few moments before proceeding to dry his hair and chest, changing slowly. He picked up his eye patch, looking it over for a moment; he figured Riza would want to clean it. On that notion, Roy opened one of the drawers under the sink, pulling forth: white medical gauze; he wrapped it over his eye in silence, securing it to his head. He could remember when she would do it for him, insisting that he couldn't always leave the patch over his healing eye. He chuckled softly; she had always been so concerned about him.

Riza listened to his footsteps and his muttering (though she could not make out any words) as she flipped a page of her book. After a moment the door opened and she turned her head to see Roy standing in the doorway. He held his uniform and patch in his arms, placing them in a chair by the bed. He then moved to join her. Riza smiled, moving towards him as he lay down on the bed and pulled the covers up over them. Black Hayate took that as his cue and jumped up on the bed, lying down at their feet. He immediately closed his eyes, yawning before drifting of to sleep.

The two laughed softly at the pup then turned to look at each other. Roy smiled as they grew closer. Leaving one hand around her waist, he put his other hand to her cheek. She gave him a soft smile and closed the gap between their lips starting a long, passionate kiss. He shifted even closer, her hands moving around his neck. For what felt like hours, they kissed, finally breaking for air. Riza pressed her forehead against his, breathing deeply.

Roy smirked, "I missed that."

She smiled at him, "oh, really?"

"Yes." He responded softly, "And di--?"

She put a slender finger to his lips. "Everything."

He only smiled in return and kissed her finger before she removed it from his lips. He took her hand in his, rubbing it gently. Her hands were so soft, nothing like typical gunner's hands. Yet Riza was no typical gunner, she was a woman as well. This Roy knew well, though in the past there were times when he would forget. He heard her sigh softly, moving closer to him, finding shelter against his chest and under the covers. He released her hand, shifting slightly to turn off the light. He brought his arms around her after, resting his chin above her head. He heard Hayate grunt softly in his sleep and shift the bed slightly.

"Roy." Riza spoke at a whisper.

"Hm?"

"I'm relieved… so happy you're back."

He expression softened. "…Yes."

And after there was silence, so much that each could've thought the other had drifted into sleep. Only their breathing gave them away to each other. In this time Riza's mind fled though many thoughts. She felt so safe in his arms, even though she'd always felt like she needed to protect him. Her mind slowed, wandered over old memories of him, finding itself back in the midst of the war. She was younger then, unaware of the knowledge she had now. Unaware of the role he would play in her life.

"…Roy?" She spoke his name so softly, sweetly, loving every time it left her lips.

He shifted slightly, "Yes?"

"Do you remember when we met?

He smiled into her hair, "how could I forget…?"

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((And end chapter! Heh, this chapter was pretty long… about 1900 words. I know, it seems like weird place to end but the next chapter is gonna be a flash back of their first meeting. And sorry guys, I wanted to put this up Wednesday but… I had a bit of writer's block on the last two paragraphs… sucks does it? –sigh- anyway, I hope you like this chapter, I had fun writing it, though it took a lot of time. I put a lot of thought into it so I'm hoping you're satisfied. THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE REVIEW! Oh, and thank you to those who review my last chapter. You were all very kind -.- ))