AN: I couldn't have uploaded last week if I wanted to because I had literally no time to write D: But I am back now!

I am winding the story down now, there should only be a couple of chapters left. I have said that to myself before though xD There are still a few more story lines to finish up and then I will be done! How crazy is that!

Enjoy!

Both Roy and Riza were loath to leave their bed once both had awoken. It was midnight when Riza woke up, being the first one to do so. They had slept for around fourteen hours. Riza felt like she could sleep for eight more. Roy woke shortly after her. She knew, because his grip on her waist tightened and he sighed into her hair, tickling her neck.

"I would say good morning but that doesn't seem appropriate for this time of night," she greeted him, a smile gracing her lips.

"What time is it?" Riza noticed, with delight, that his voice was thick with sleep and it was adorable to hear him speak.

"Twelve eighteen."

"We only slept a couple of hours?" he asked, confused.

"Twelve eighteen in the morning."

"Ah."

He shifted behind her, rolling onto his back and stretching. "Why am I still so tired then?" Riza rolled over as well, turning to face him.

As he stretched, the duvet cover lowered and Riza noticed an old cut on his abdomen. She would have noticed anyway, because once Roy began to move, he hissed in pain, his hands lowering instinctively to the wounded area.

Propping herself up on her elbow, Riza lifted his hands gently and inspected the cut. It had been a deep one, she noted with a frown, but it was on the mend now. In human terms it looked weeks old, but the skin was still tender. Roy flinched at her touch. It would definitely leave a scar.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Roy nodded. "Yeah. It was a stupid mistake but it could have been worse." Riza sighed to herself.

"How did it happen?"

"The fight was… carnage. There were people and wolves everywhere. It was hard to tell who was on whose side when I was in the thick of it. I noticed a Hunter charge at me when it was too later. She slid underneath me and sliced at my wolf's stomach." Riza paled. He placed a hand on her cheek and smiled reassuringly. "I'm all right. My skin is made of tough stuff."

"Knowing that still doesn't ease any worries."

His smile dropped. "I know."

"Is that all that happened?"

"Apart from the one on my forehead, yeah."

"Good." She lowered her head, resting it by his shoulder. Roy remained on his back, staring up at the ceiling. One of her hands remained on his stomach. She traced the ridges of his abdomen, smirking when he shivered. Before she could continue, he grabbed her wrist and removed it from his body.

"Please don't," he requested politely. "It tickles." Riza chuckled to herself. Instead of her sudden mischievous streak taking over, she placed her hand on the shoulder opposite her, draping across his chest. "Thank you very much."

The pair lay silently in the darkness. Roy's mind rewound to yesterday – two days ago? He didn't know at this point – and their altercation with the Hunters. Rebecca had found him after seeing Riza leave. The brown wolf fought by his side with a ferociousness that Roy didn't think he would ever see. Rebecca was a feisty character, but that was something else he had witnessed. She had his back though, and that would be something he wouldn't forget. He ensured the favour was returned.

Riza's mind contemplated the events of yesterday from her perspective. She thought about her grandfather and if he had woken up yet. After visiting him briefly he had fallen asleep, Pinako had briefly told her on one of Riza's return trips with the wounded. The old witch had reassured her that she would keep an eye on him in between patients. As an afterthought, she remembered her father was still with Grumman. He hadn't seen any of the action so there was no cause for concern there. After everything that had happened between the two, Riza felt almost afraid to sit down and face the man. However, the more she thought about it, the more she felt the need to. The events they had just witnessed proved that time was fleeting, even for supernatural beings in this current world. It would be a big regret of hers if he passed without them both addressing the elephant in the room. Finally, her thoughts turned to her new friend, James. She wondered how he was doing and if he was taking care of himself in the aftermath.

"What are you thinking about?" Roy murmured, turning his head to face her.

Riza stopped herself before answering with her automatic response of "nothing". Her mischievous streak had returned. "Just someone I met yesterday."

"Oh?" he asked innocently, bringing a hand up to grasp the one resting atop his left shoulder. "Who did you meet?"

"A man helped me yesterday, like Rebecca did with you. He was a big help." The grip on her hand tightened involuntarily. "He helped me through a lot."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yes," Riza emphasised, watching in amusement as the vein on his neck pulsed. Her poker face had never been so strong. "He was especially helpful when I was feeling particularly lonely –" Suddenly, Roy spun, shifting atop her body, cutting her off. Riza laughed as he lifted himself off her, but enjoying the feeling of both their bodies pressed together. "You are so easy to bait."

"Maybe," he replied, his voice dropping in tone. It had shifted, taking on a throaty quality that stirred in Riza's stomach. Her toes curled in response. He continued his movements, dropping his face so he could kiss her throat, right up to her ear. "Can he help you with that?"

"Oh no," Riza purred, grasping the waistband of his shorts. "Only you can help me with that."

With a giggle and a growl, the pair tangled themselves in the sheets.

Roy kissed Riza's cheek as the pair lay panting on the bed. That had been exciting and Roy wanted to go for round three, but that wasn't the direction he had intended the conversation to go. The little minx had gotten to him, but he wasn't going to complain. The way that woman did things sometimes… She would be the death of him.

Speaking of Riza, she jumped out of the bed and headed silently to the bathroom. Roy watched her go, admiring the way she moved. She held herself with such a grace that he envied it. She hopped right back into the bed once she was done, curling into his body.

"That was not how I imagined the conversation going by the way," Roy chuckled.

"Are you complaining?" she asked indignantly, but the smirk on her face told Roy she was joking.

"Never." They had returned to their previous position, before the fun had started. Roy lay on his back, one arm around Riza's shoulder and she hugged into his side.

"What would you say to having kids?" she asked.

Time seemed to slow for him as Roy craned his neck to look down at her. He gazed into her brown eyes seeing nothing but love there.

"I don't know," he sutured. "It hasn't been something I have thought about."

"Okay." Roy squeezed her shoulders at the sound of her disappointed voice.

"I haven't thought about it, but that doesn't mean that the prospect of having a child with you doesn't appeal to me instantly." He smiled as Riza's face lit up. "Of course I would want to. Who wouldn't want a kid werewolf running about in here?"

"I haven't thought much about it either, but after yesterday…"

"Life seems very short, even for us?"

Riza nodded. "I'm only twenty one but it doesn't look like we will have a normal, human life ever again."

"Is this just your way of asking me to sleep with you again?" he asked sardonically. Roy laughed when a pillow hit him in the face.

"No," she replied, sticking her tongue out at him. "It doesn't have to be today, it doesn't have to be a year from now. I just wanted to know your thoughts."

"I would love to Riza. I didn't have any brothers or sisters, I was an only child, and I know you were too." She stiffened slightly at the mention of her childhood, an automatic reaction. "So I would love to start a big family with you. Or, even if you just want one child that is fine with me too. As long as I'm with you."

"Thank you," she whispered, feeling tears well within her. God, she loved this man so much. It always seemed too good to be true that they were together. Now, the prospect of starting a family felt her with a longing that would not be sated until she held their child in her arms.

"Is this why you were asking about decorating before we fell asleep?"

Riza nodded. "I want to make a home for us here. We are well protected. We are with our own kind. But if you want to move back with your Aunt then that is fine with me too. We can make it work."

"I am happy either way. As long as I am with you."

Those words made her happier than Riza thought possible.

The clean-up effort was reaching its tail end when Riza returned to the site of the fight. The Hunters had brought ten smoke bobs with them into the forest with the intention of killing them all that way. As she picked her way through the trees Riza's eyes scanned the forest. It had rained briefly during the night while she and Roy slept but there were still blood stains on trees near the training fields. Her nose wrinkled as the smell of vomit reached her. It was old, which made her stomach lurch. Pressing on quickly she changed course for the valley.

Not many people were about when Riza arrived. She noticed Breda enter his office and made a beeline for it.

Breda's office was incredibly well organised. Bookshelves lined one wall which were filled full. Wherever there was a space, a book was crammed into it. Loose pieces of paper were categorised into desk trays ranging from "future ideas" to "timing logs" for each exercise. There was one window in the room, a large one which covered the wall opposite the door. It offered an excellent view into the valley below. Peering out Riza could spot the obstacle course he had designed at the far end of the valley.

"Hey," she greeted quietly, stepping through the threshold. They had all been through a lot and she didn't want to startle the man.

"Hello Riza." He sounded as exhausted as he looked. Dark circles surrounded his eyes and the way he moved was sluggish. The man had clearly been awake for a lot longer than was necessary.

"How are you doing?" she asked carefully, studying his face for any reaction.

"Feeling like shit but otherwise fine."

"Go and sleep. I can take your spot."

Breda shook his head. "There is still so much to be done. There are still bodies to be moved to the burial site. The hospital needs ingredients from the forest for healing potions. We require bandages still. I've sent out a party of three to retrieve some from a hospital in Boulder but they aren't back yet –"

"Breda," Riza interrupted him. With every word he appeared to look more and more defeated. "Go and get some sleep. You are of no use to anyone like this."

"I can't –"

"Sleep. Go. Now." Her gaze slid over to a few pieces of paper that were beside him on a table. "Is this what needs to be done?" Admitting defeat, Breda's shoulders sagged. He nodded. "Consider it done. Now, go. You deserve it."

Thanking her quietly the werewolf slipped out the door. There was a crack and the sound of paws thundering into the forest.

Turning her attention to the numerous pieces of paper, Riza set herself to work.

Picking up the top one, it read: "ingredients". Below was a list of plants that were required for the hospital. Riza was not familiar with the names, never mind what flower they might be referring to. The next didn't have a title but it was a list of names. Ten names. With a sinking feeling in her stomach Riza arrived at the conclusion that this must be the identities of the people they lost.

A knock at the door broke her concentration. Two young men were at the door. She recognised them as the Elric brothers. The older one – Riza wasn't sure who was who – had saved Roy's life during the fight apparently. One particularly angry Hunter had leapt at him while his back was turned to fight with another. The boy had grabbed the Hunter with a vine spell and pulled him back, proceeding to punch the man in the face.

Riza would always be thankful to the boy for that.

"We would like to help," the younger brother announced from behind his brother.

"Yeah. Havoc told us to speak to Breda." He looked around the room.

"I sent him home to sleep. I don't think he has had any since the fight." Both boys paused in their not-so-subtle search. Two sets of eyes slid over to her, their faces concerned. "Riza Hawkeye," she greeted with a smile.

"This is Alphonse," the older one announced, hooking a thumb behind him. "And I am Edward. People just call us Ed and Al." He shrugged. "Whatever you prefer is fine with us."

"A pleasure to meet you both. As of where to start, I am not entirely sure. Breda said this was everything that needed to be done." Edward walked over to the table to examine the paper. He picked up the ingredients list, thankfully. She wasn't sure how he would react to see the list of names of the dead. If Riza to guess, she would say Ed was about fourteen or fifteen. A teenager didn't need to see that. "I am afraid I am not very good with plants so I don't think I will manage that one."

"We'll take it," Edward announced. His eyes were already scanning the paper. "Come on all, the hospital needs more healing potions."

A look of determination came over the younger brother. He seemed relieved to have purpose once more. "Right."

Without a goodbye, the two brothers left her in Breda's office.

The rest of the morning went by fairly quickly. Riza busied herself with the task of clearing up the forest. Rain would do the job just fine but it was summer and the heat was beginning to pick up and Riza really didn't want to leave any piles of vomit to get cooked by the sun. She almost added to the list during the job. Almost. It was safe to say she declined the lunch Roy brought her a couple of hours later.

An unexpected visitor entered Breda's office while the pair were chatting. As soon as Berthold entered the small room, all conversation stopped. She hadn't expected him to seek her out. To be fair, he had been pretty much non-existent in her life growing up that it was still a shock seeing him in the flesh anyway.

"May I speak with you Riza?" he asked.

Her first instinct was to decline. He was why she had been unhappy as a child. However, the adult part of her mind told her to accept. They needed to discuss what happened. Riza needed closure on that part of her life and it was the only way she could finally put that painful part of it behind her.

So she nodded.

"I'll catch up with you soon, okay?" Roy announced, leaving his chair. Swallowing an unexpected lump in her throat, Riza nodded. Before going, Roy approached and kissed the top of her head. Without another word, he left to return to the hospital.

This was it.

Steeling herself, Riza lifted her gaze to meet her father's.