Disclaimer: I confess! I own nothing! It all belongs to the creators of FMA.

Author's Note: Okay I claim the first Havoc/Rose story on the first Havoc/Rose story ever! I know this pairing isn't canon and that they never even met in the story line but I'm allowed to take some liberties. I also don't know if the military kept rebuilding Lior after the movie but I'm taking some liberties there. By the way, Falman is working there like in the movie but Mustang, Riza and Havoc are there on some kind of inspection. I re-promoted Mustang back to a Lieutenant Colonel, it's a long story but please…it'll be explained in one of my other stories. I named Rose's baby from the anime Shawn because I really, really like that name.

Finally…if you don't like Rose or Havoc/Rose as a pairing that is no good reason to Flame me. If you don't like it please just leave the page, I don't need, want or enjoy your Flames. Read and Review if you like it though, I love feedback! Thanks!

Under Star-Filled Skies

The military were not to be trusted; Rose had learned that the hard way. But she found herself liking the soldiers that she had met, the soldiers who were rebuilding Lior.

She had watched all of them over the weeks they had been in Lior, hardly being able to bring herself to speak with many of them at first but after time she had learned that they weren't going to hurt her. Many of them were kind and her study of them, privately of course, had led her to realize that many of them had good hearts under their blue uniforms.

The man with the white hair and the squinty eyes was always kind to her and several times she had caught him pausing in his work to watch the playing children with a faint longing in his eyes. She couldn't help but wonder if he had ever had children of his own at some point in time and if he had what had happened to them. When he caught her watching him he would smile kindly and go about his work without saying a word but whole conversations could be read on his face. It was only after several weeks that she had learned that his name was Falman.

Another man of interest was the new Lieutenant Colonel. He was a tall man with an eye patch who often reached down, without noticing it, to touch the stripes on his shoulder as if he couldn't believe they were really there.

Equally of interest was the young woman who faithfully followed the Colonel around, almost unwilling to let him out of her sight. Rose had found herself in conversation with the woman once and had learned her name was Riza. She had even gotten a reaction from Riza when she had commented quietly that Riza must love the Colonel very much. Riza had blushed but didn't deny it.

The most interesting of all was the one who had introduced himself as Havoc. She couldn't explain what it was about him that interested her but he had woken up a part of her that she had thought was dead.

She knew falling in love was dangerous. Love would only burn her and men would always use her but for once she didn't care. Like a moth danced around a candle flame always drawing closer to it she came closer to Havoc, ready to jump back at the first sign that he was going to hurt her but it never came.

Instead he smiled at her and talked to her. When he wasn't on duty he helped her take care of the children, playing games with the older ones while she watched after the little ones. When it was later and it was dark out they'd sit on one of the walls, watch the stars and talk. He told her about his life and the places he had been; places like East City that she had never even heard of until recently. She told him about what Lior was like before the attacks.

He talked about his family, his father who had left when he was eight, his mother and her store and his two older brothers. She told him about Kain and her parents. Sometimes when her son had nightmares he would come find them, curling up on his mother's lap.

At times like this she knew she could love Havoc for the rest of her life. He never got annoyed when Shawn interrupted them, he would just move their conversation to more friendly topics. He never questioned her about Shawn's father, he just accepted Shawn as he was.

Rose always felt a pang knowing that he'd be leaving Lior soon, that he'd be going back to Central and all of the intrigue there, the happenings in the military and the speed of the city. For all she knew he already had a girl there, a girl he had never bothered to mention.

Several times she had thought about asking him to stay but knew that Lior had nothing to offer a man like him, nothing to hold him there. The only thing that held her there was that it was home but even then she knew she wouldn't stay for much longer. This town had too many memories in it, memories that woke nightmares in her and had given her too many sleepless nights. As soon as the rebuilding was done she was heading back to Rezenbul and the Rockbells, the only family she had left.

They were both like those "Ships in the night" that poets talked about. They were together for a time, occasionally bumping into each other but with the first hints of dawn they'd drift apart again. Still, someday she hoped to meet him again whether it was in Central City should she ever have need to go there or Rezenbul if he ever had a reason to be there. At most they might share a smile of faint recognition but that would be enough she felt.

A smile was all she would need to remember talks under the stars and a love that would never grow because it would never be acknowledged. Still, even if it was only a crush as it was called, it was enough to prove to her that her heart wasn't dead and that it was healing. And for now she had talks under a starlight sky and that was enough.

Fin.