A/N: I watched the final episode again and you know what I deducted… Roy and Riza like apples, especially red ones. Geez but this chapters late because I had a soccer tournament and tryouts for high school going on, I also got a bad boo-boo on my knee and it really hurts! And I am exhausted, sorry that I make up excuses.

As Life Was Before

Dinner at the Smith's was usually a happy get together of the family and a time when the whole family could discuss Everyone's day. Tonight though the Smith's and their two guests were dead silent, at the square dining table Hawkeye sat next to Tommy and Mr. and Mrs. Smith sat beside each other, which left Ben and Roy to be dinner partners.

As they were eating Roy couldn't help but feel eyes watching him. He looked up from his pasta and saw everyone else was concentrating on their own meals, silently eating. He went back to his eating and felt the presence yet again, this time he looked to his side and saw the young boy gaping at him.

"Yemph?" Roy said through a mouth full of pasta.

"Why do you have an eye patch? Are you a pirate?" Hawkeye started coughing because she started to laugh while she taking drink of tea.

"Are you okay Riza?" Tommy said looking concerned.

After Riza was done with her cough fest Roy answered the little boy, "I got this eye patch in battle and if I was a pirate I couldn't be a Colonel."

"Oh sorry," he said apologizing bashfully.

Once dinner was finished Roy pardoned himself and started to leave. Riza ran after him and caught him before he got in to the escort's car. "Lieutenant," he said.

"Colonel?" she said confused.

"What is it?"

"Sir you never explained why you're here, as a matter a fact you haven't explained anything."

Roy yawned and said nonchalantly "The reason I'm here Hawkeye is because I am the one inspecting the fort."

"Shouldn't you be in Central?"

"Hawkeye I have another day of inspecting to do. How about I come back tomorrow and we can talk. And if you must know I'm here because I have other business to attend to and I wanted to come here to see my favorite lieutenant." He said grinning. Riza was glad it was dark so he couldn't see her blush out of embarrassment. "But don't tell Havoc that," he said in a mock whisper, "Because you know he'll throw a fit." He started getting in the car, "Until tomorrow then." Riza snapped into one last salute watching him go down the country road, out of sight. She trudged back up to the house sadly, the first time they had seen each other since her injury and he had barely talked 10 words to her.

The next day Roy came back for dinner, he and Riza went outside to eat since Molly thought they could have some alone time. Riza watched Roy eat his sandwich on the ground as she stood leaning on a tree in the orchard, she couldn't get what he was up to.

"I sure am glad Mrs. Smith let us eat out here, last night I thought it couldn't have been colder, the conversation I mean." Roy said before taking another bite.

"Sir may I ask how Central is doing?" Riza said abruptly trying to get all of her questions answered. She had guessed that since Roy was there it meant her time in Eureka was up.

"Central?"

"Yes, I've gotten a few letters but they're not too detailed and I know whatever is going on politically right now is not simple."

"Well," he said and started to explain "at the moment there is a power struggle between parliament and the military. After the bombing some people wondered if it was parliament's fault for letting enemy soldiers in. So that gave an opportunity for the military to try and get power back. At the moment it's tied, but we're running out of time since all of our neighbors who have usually feared our strength, are trying to take advantage of our crisis."

"What side are you on Sir?"

"Military of course, the new Fuhrer we picked is much better than Bradley since he isn't trying to start wars and wants to focus on other things. But Like I said Parliament and some of the population thinks that if we have power again that there will be more wars. But the military and another part of the population think we were better of with the security of us, even if it was a bit oppressive."

"So why are you here Colonel? Shouldn't you be in Central fighting politicians not inspecting backyard forts?"

"I don't need to be worried about that, I have people on it. What I'm here for, is while all of the other higher-ups are in Central crying about who gets the crown, I'm going to be fixing our boarder problems."

"I thought you wanted the crown."

"I still do but who says I might not get a promotion out of this if things go right." He said with his know all smirk.

"What's next for you Colonel?"

"I'm going with other diplomats from the military and parliament to Creta's capitol to try to discourage them from taking any action against Amestris, I'll be gone for a couple of weeks and then I go south to Aurego to do the same thing. Luckily all three countries don't get along that well so an alliance from hell isn't probable.

"You sound busy," she said softly and continued on slowly. "Sir I would hate to sound selfish, but am I another reason why you came to Eureka."

"Well of course, I wanted to make sure you were recovered and well." He said inspecting an apple.

"And to take me back to Central?" she said worried about what the answer would be, the longer she talked to him the more she was confused about her situation. She had thought when she would be sent back to Central she would get a notice or call from the Colonel. She didn't expect him to come in person, but she had been on leave for six months now.

"No," he said flatly looking straight at her.

She stared shocked for a few minutes and then stuttered out "b-but why? Why can't I help you with your mission? I need to help you with your mission!" she said talking louder losing her calm demeanor. "Sir I have to be—"

"Stop," he said cutting her off and stood up he took a deep breath and continued on, "You have no place on my mission. You are to stay here until I say."

"But Sir,"

"No buts," He said firmly "I have my mission and you have yours."

"I'm healed though Sir!" She said pleading "I can't even tell I was injured. I can't keep staying here waiting even if I have to force you to take me with you." She said glaring at him.

"Ha Lieutenant try if you want," he said.

She took a threatening step towards him; they were barely a foot apart. She looked at him sweetly and Roy gave her a confused look as she reached up, and grabbed the gun in his holster. "Just like old times." She stated pointing the gun at his head.

"Riza," he said sighing and placed a hand on each of her shoulders ignoring the fact she could disintegrate his head with the pull of a trigger, "When was the last time you shot a gun? Even I can tell you're not ready to let go of Eureka yet." She lowered her gun and handed it back to him. Her thoughts ran rampant she hadn't shot a gun since that day and she had missed. He let go of her and stepped back. "Hawkeye I will call for you when I need you, until then I expect you to stay here. I better get back to where I am staying. After I leave tomorrow we won't see each other for quite some time." He turned and started walking back towards the house. Before he reached the back porch he turned around said smiling slightly "You'll see me off tomorrow?"

She came out of her daze and saluted "Yes Sir."

"Good," he said softly before leaving.

She hardly slept that night thinking of that she had been denied by the Colonel. He had said she had a mission, she thought sitting around Eureka was hardly a mission. There was a time when she had been the Colonel's one and only confident other than Maes.

They had all been happy back then. Riza and Havoc would be by Roy's side as he tried to reach being a Colonel and Maes would bounce into their office every now and then beaming about Gracia his fiancé.

"You should hear here gossiping with her friends about the dress," Maes said leaning on Roy's desk beaming, "they won't tell me anything about it." Then Maes got that adoring look in his eyes, "I bet she will be the most beautiful creature on earth when she wears it though. Don't you think Roy?"

"Lieutenant Hughes if you would pardon me but," Riza said walking up behind him and put more paperwork on Roy's desk. "The Lieutenant Colonel has to do his paperwork now, instead at midnight and I have enough trouble getting him to do it without you being here to distract him. No offense." She gave Roy a warning glare and reached behind her back where her holster was unconsciously out of habit. By then she had Roy trained to attempt to concentrate on some of his paperwork

"Of course not Hawkeye," Hughes said stepping back out of the way seeing Roy wave him away, "I will leave and Roy, don't forget to get your formal uniform dry cleaned before the wedding." He said before bouncing out of the room.

"Sir?" the second lieutenant asked.

"Yes?" he said signing his paperwork.

"Isn't the wedding in another month?" she asked.

"Yes, but you know Maes, he seems to obsess over things like these." He said before opening a letter.

"Aren't you the best man, I would think you would be a bit more enthusiastic for your friend." She waited for a response and looked back to see Mustang intently reading the letter he had opened.

"Hawkeye I need you to book me a ticket to Resembool."

"Sir, Resembool? But that's a town out in the middle of nowhere. Why would you need to go there?"

"I need to right away soon as you can."

"But work just started and you have—"

"Just do it Lieutenant I need you to cover for me while I'm gone."

"Yes Sir." She said loyally following orders.

That was the last day their 'simple' life ended. After the Fullmetal Alchemist entered they had more troubles than ever to worry about. He had come back with a shaken smiling saying that he had found out a way to make their climb up the ladder easier. Maes and she looked worriedly at each other when he told them about the Elric child who performed the biggest taboo in alchemy and survived. The child though destroyed her life with Roy, but without Fullmetal, Roy could've stayed forever frozen in the past.

During the battle between Central and the other world army she had been reunited with her precious Colonel. Over the two years she had thought about visiting him but was afraid at what she would see. The day Roy had quit being a state alchemist he had lost Colonel Mustang. His eye was dull and dead. When she fought beside him that day she saw the old Colonel back. He was no longer a vacant shell. He had a purpose.

Unfortunately later she had learned that it was not her or anyone else who had brought him back to Central. It was the news of Fullmetal. Later she had learned that Edward had returned to their world one last time only to disappear again with his brother. Roy had told her that they returned to a different world beyond what alchemists called 'the gate'. He said that they destroyed any other way to the gate, but he was unable to completely destroy it. She had asked him what Ed had said to him, he merely replied with a smile. "He liked the eye patch."

Once again there was no Fullmetal; she hardly doubted that life could ever be what it was before. Like Maes, Fullmetal became his friend, it was a twisted friendship but none the less it was a friendship. Now both Fullmetal and Maes were gone, both had helped push the Colonel up the ladder of success but now it was up to her and she wasn't doing a very good job.

A/N: wow a whole lot happened in that chapter. I wasn't intending to have a flashback here but I started into it and I couldn't stop! Same with the last four paragraphs. I guessed that since it took Ed almost a year to heal after his surgery that Hughes would be just about married. And I also guessed their positions too. I faked you all out didn't I at that one part with the gun! I am so evil!

ACK! My cat just attacked me! She jumped over the computer chair and attacked my hair, which is long and down so that makes it ten times worse! Maybe it's divine punishment since I'm up past my bed time.