In no way, shape or form do I take credit for creation or ownership of the Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (Fullmetal Alchemist) series. The original manga is the property of Hiromu Arakawa and the anime is the property of Bones animation studio.

For the first time in more months that he cared to think about, Roy Mustang entered his former office in Central, his uniform adorned with the familiar epaulets that it once held before his and Riza's ill-fated battle with King Bradley. It was just like old times, excepting that fact that Riza and Breda were the only people sitting in the office, as opposed to his usual contingent of subordinates. Casting a look at the clock on the wall, he noted that while his arrival was earlier than it usually was before his absence, Havoc, Falman, and Feury should all be in the office as well by now. Thinking about his own "early" arrival, Roy thought a silent "thank you" to Gracia Hughes for not only allowing him to stay with her the previous night, but for waking him up this morning, a feat that would have proved difficult for him to do on his own after only getting two hours of sleep.

The review meeting had been long, tedious, and at times painfully boring, but receiving the triple-starred epaulets he'd long gone without, along with a crisp, blood-free uniform at the end of it made it all worth while, even if he didn't leave until almost sunrise.

Part of him had been hoping that Riza would be waiting for him as usual when he exited the building, but casting a glance at the glowing horizon, he had been glad that she was likely home and asleep, she certainly deserved it.

Examining the desks of his missing subordinates, he found them stacked with fresh paperwork that was likely fetched by Riza just this morning, implying that none of them had made an appearance in the office yet. Or if they had, they hadn't stayed for long. Furrowing his brow, he turned to his lone female subordinate, finding her diligently working on the stack covering her desk. For a few moments, he allowed himself the luxury of watching her work, his eyes drawn to the nape of her neck, bared by her usual tidy hairstyle.

Never before had he been one to notice the little things, even with Hawkeye, and yet now he couldn't seem to draw his eyes away from that small area of skin, the gentle curve as she sat working distracting his mind from all other thoughts for long minutes. It wasn't until Breda moved in his chair, echoing a squeak through the room, that Roy become aware of just how long he'd been staring. Shaking his head, he realized that his presence was still unnoticed by the room's other occupants.

"Hawkeye?" he inquired, finally getting her attention. Her head snapped up, quickly followed by Breda, and the pair stood, saluting him.

"It's good to have you back with us, Taisa," Breda said, eyeing Roy's shoulders to confirm his rank. Seeing that all was as it once was, he couldn't help but smile.

"You needed something, Sir?" Riza asked, businesslike as usual, though she too was smiling at Roy, if only a little.

Nodding in response to her question, Roy gestured to the empty desks with one hand. "Where is the rest of our staff today?"

Riza looked at him with one eyebrow raised for a moment and then began explaining. "Sir, if you hadn't noticed, the city is a wreck, nearly in ruins in some areas. Who do you think it falls to for repairing it? The three of them are out with the work crews and will be until lunch."

"And the two of you?" he asked, hoping to feel a little less stupid after this answer than he did the first. Every time he asked Riza something that seemed like common knowledge, it had made him feel bad in the past, and it seemed like the feelings continued presently as well.

"I did my first shift of work last night on the crews, Sir," Breda answered. "I'll be going back out this afternoon."

"Until my request comes back with an answer, I won't be stationed outdoors with the reconstruction teams," Riza explained. "I've requested to join the crews though, as it's foolish to leave me here indoors when I'm fully capable of helping." Anticipating Roy's next question, Riza skimmed over the lone paper sitting on the far corner of her desk, away from the piles of work covering the rest. "Sir, your own rounds of duty will begin tomorrow afternoon with the day crews, directly after lunch. I assume your chief duties will involve alchemy. You'll be joining Armstrong's team of men, south of HQ."

"Armstrong?"

Riza nodded at him. "Yes, Sir. He's helping out with the recovery efforts, as he is still a highly skilled alchemist and he graciously offered his services, something he seems to do a lot, despite no longer being an official member of the military." Seeing Roy's blank stare, she decided that his questions were probably finished. She desperately wanted to smile at his confused expression though; only he could make befuddlement look attractive. "Will that be all, Sir?"

Roy blinked at her a few times before nodding. "That will be all, Hawkeye."

"Thank you, Sir," Riza said as she sat at her desk once more. "I would suggest then, that you get started on your own paperwork, as there is plenty waiting for you. The center stack is the one that will interest you the most and needs finished first, as it all details your return to our office here and the transfer of command of our unit from myself to you."

Her final words gave him pause, and Roy turned to face her again, halfway to his desk. "You were in charge of this unit in my absence, Hawkeye?"

"I was, Sir. However, I will gladly allow you to step back in and take over again."

"And you're still a Chuui? You haven't been given a promotion this whole time?" Something about the fact that she had been in charge of their group for almost two years, three ranks below the one he held now without any rewards of promotion, bothered him. By now, she should at least be on par with the State Alchemists in terms of rank. Surely she deserved at least that much, she was a dedicated worker and damn good at her job.

"Sir, at the risk of sounding presumptuous, I do not believe our superiors wished to raise my rank due to the part I played in the attack on King Bradley. It is quite alright, as they allowed our unit to remain unchanged and saw fit to leave me in charge of it this whole time." The words "while you were away," hung unsaid between them in the tense silence.

Frowning, Roy nodded his head and continued on his way to his desk, settling in to work on his paperwork, his mind still thinking about the previous conversation, and the woman with whom it was held. Riza's ability to survive in adversity was still amazing him, years after they had met, so long ago.