A/N: Hello! Sorry for the delay, but we're back in business now, so with no further chatting, this is your chapter seven. Enjoy:)

Oh, and the Oh-how-lovely Voice is still there:)

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One prize, two contestants

"OK, OK!" Roy shouted in despair. He was sitting in his house and being constantly nagged by the stupid voice. He rested his forehead on his hands. "OK, I do love her, I admit it!"

"Good," said the voice. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

"Will you now leave me alone?" Roy pleaded.

"Hehehe, of course not. I want to see how the great playboy and womanizer Flame Alchemist finds himself a steady girlfriend."

"That sounds familiar," said Mustang. "Have you by chance met a Maes Hughes?"

"Well, actually no. But I still support his point of view."

"Oh. I understand. So what do you want from me so that you will get lost forever?"

"Why are you like that? I'm friendly, I give you pieces of good advice, and what do you do to show me your gratitude?"

"And what about your 'sweet revenge'? Was that a friendly one too?" pointed Roy.

"Um, that was an insignificant episode in our relationship," announced the voice quickly. "But I simply want to help you, because you don't have anyone to discuss the problem with. Well, there is Sheska, but I don't think that you would want to talk to her about this."

Roy sighed. "I guess I'll have to give up fighting you for the time being."

"Wise boy."

"Thanks."

But he still didn't know what to do to take his aide back. She was occupied by Havoc all the time…he wouldn't even get a chance to talk to her. But he wanted her back. So he had spent the whole night thinking of a solution. And it seemed that he'd finally found one.

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"Have you ever wondered how it would be if we weren't in the military?" asked Havoc out of the blue, when he and Riza were alone in the office.

"If we weren't in the military?" repeated the first lieutenant, kind of confused by his question.

"Yes. I mean, you know, what we would be doing and so on."

Riza thought for a short moment. "I don't know. I've been in the military since I remember; I can't imagine doing anything else," she answered finally.

Havoc frowned slightly in concentration. "Why have you joined the military?"

Riza blinked, not sure what to say. She didn't want to admit that the only reason of her becoming a soldier was the colonel. She didn't think that Havoc would be satisfied with the answer. So instead she said: "Well, I've always wanted to work in the military. It was my childhood dream. And I'm very glad that it has come true," she smiled.

"Wow," he said, impressed. "Good for you that you have fulfilled your dream."

"How was it with you?"

"It's not an interesting story," he shrugged. "I just came to the conclusion that being a soldier is the most suitable job for me. I've never been good at math and the like, but I've always enjoyed playing war and throwing balls at the aim. I've been quite good at it, I mean my hit ratio. So I joined the military, and that's all."

"It can be assumed then that you were designed to be a soldier."

"Maybe," he smiled. "But I'm glad that I've done it."

"Why?"

"Because," his gaze softened, "I have met you, for example."

"So you consider it a good thing then?" she said playfully.

"I definitely do."

They looked at each other and grinned.

However, they were interrupted by colonel Mustang, who happened to open the door at this very moment. He glanced at Riza and glared at Havoc. Both of his subordinates immediately stood up and saluted, and then Riza announced:

"We have received a report, sir. It claims that Scar is no longer in Central City. He has been spotted at the north. We can cancel the investigation for the time being."

Roy pressed his lips together. Great. His plan was ruined. Obviously, he wanted Havoc to take care of the investigation, which was quite a big issue, so that he wouldn't have much time to spend with Riza. That would create an opportunity for the colonel to get closer to her; but now that Scar was gone it wouldn't work.

"Good," he said nevertheless. He didn't want to reveal his plans to them. But there was still one thing he could do to save his situation. "Havoc, go and take care of the patrols. Let them know that they can stop searching."

When the second lieutenant left to carry out the order, Roy addressed his aide:

"Riza…" he paused for a moment before continuing, "I want to ask you a question."

"What is it, sir?" in her opinion, he sounded more than suspicious.

"Would you like to eat lunch with me today?"

She stared at him, sort of taken aback. She was silent for a moment, but she finally managed to answer:

"I usually eat lunch with Jean, sir."

Roy cursed mentally, but didn't give up.

"Couldn't you make an exception today?" he raised his eyebrows like a pleading child. She recognized that face. She'd seen it many times when she tried her best to make her superior do his paperwork. During all those years she had developed immunity to this face, so this wouldn't work on her anymore. Nonetheless, she answered, slightly shrugging:

"Well…I guess I could."

She couldn't actually believe this. Was that her colonel asking her to eat lunch with him? That man who would never consider her as someone more than his aide?

There's going to be some natural disaster tomorrow.

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"You're with Havoc now, right?"

Riza looked up at her colonel over her lunch. She blinked in confusion.

"Why would you think so, sir?"

"Well, you seem to be quite a well-matched couple," he couldn't believe that he'd actually said that. "And there is some rumor…"

"What rumor?" Riza's eyes were wide open.

"That you are together," he answered as if it was obvious. "Isn't that true?"

"No, it's not, sir" she assured him. He mentally heaved a great sigh of relief. "But I have noticed that you don't like it. My close friendship with Jean, I mean."

"Oh. Is that so?" He pretended not to know anything.

"Yes. It looks as if you were simply jealous, sir," she stated bluntly.

"Jealous?" he repeated, not knowing what to say to that. "Did…did Havoc tell you that?"

"No, he didn't. I've figured it out myself. He just confirmed my assumptions."

"Oh." That was all.

"Well?" she insisted.

"'Well' what?"

"Are you jealous or not, sir?" she demanded.

His mouth opened and closed, and repeated this ritual a couple of times. Finally he spoke:

"Oh, of course I'm not. I'm…I'm glad that you two have fun."

"You don't behave as if it was the case, sir" she pointed out, slightly frowning.

"Hey," he leaned forth to her. "If you are happy, so am I. It's just that I want to make sure that…that you wouldn't leave me with all this paperwork," he laughed uneasily. "You know, we've always worked together, ever since I can remember; maybe I do feel a little jealous." His voice suddenly softened. "But I want you to know that I really appreciate everything you do here and don't you even think it could be otherwise."

She looked at him, into those beautiful dark eyes she used to love.

"Thank you, sir," she said quietly.

He shook his head. "Don't say that, I've just told you the whole truth."

"Then why don't you like me being with Havoc, sir?" She asked again. She needed to have this matter clarified.

"I…I don't know," he lied. He could tell her now… But what if she really did love Havoc? The second lieutenant told him that Riza had had some feelings for him, but what if they are already only a blurred part of her past? He invisibly winced at the thought, but it could be true…

"I guess I'm simply used to having you around," he continued, revealing to her his original assumptions. "You've always been with me, so now I might treat Havoc as a sort of a rival," he laughed insincerely. "That's it."

"Oh. I understand," she managed a smile. But inside she was hurting. That was exactly what she was afraid to hear. So after all she was merely a lieutenant to him. An appreciated one, but still only a lieutenant.

"I'm sorry if you find my behavior offensive," he added.

"No, don't worry about that," she answered a little absent-mindedly.

"So…are you planning on having a serious relationship with Havoc?" he let out his most terrifying thought. "If it's not too much of an intimate question, that is."

She looked at him with a blank face. "I don't know, sir," she answered, gazing somewhere outside the window. "I don't know."

She couldn't notice his alert expression when he heard that.

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"Riza?"

"Jean," she smiled. He caught her walking through the corridor.

"Hello again," he said. "How was your lunch?"

"Not that bad," she answered. It was an insolent lie, of course.

His expression alarmed her. He looked worried.

"What's wrong?"

He gazed at her seriously and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Riza…" he stopped, and then started one more time: "Listen, I know that the colonel isn't happy with our recent relations. I can see that, and I think that you've noticed it too."

She slightly nodded, not knowing what he was driving at.

"So," he continued, "I want to ask of you one thing…" he shook his head. "Don't let him destroy whatever there is between us. It means very much to me, and I couldn't stand losing it now. Please, promise me that you won't let him interfere with us."

Th sincere look in his eyes made her smile a little.

"You know that there is just one me and two of you," she reminded. "I have to share my time between you and him. I'm his aide, after all."

"I know," he nodded. "But remember about what I've just said, OK?"

"I will," she grinned. He really cared for being with her. She had already almost forgotten that it was all due to the bet. He loved her, and she loved him. As for the colonel…

Well, if he wanted an aide, he'll have one. But nothing more, if that's what he wished.

She was unexpectedly interrupted by Havoc's voice:

"You have eaten lunch with Mustang; what about eating dinner with me?"

She looked at him and smiled widely. "Why not."

A/N: I hope it was worth your waiting. If it was not, flame me. If it was, leave a nice review. Anyway, I'm going to upload the next chapter very soon (in the next few days), so be prepared :)

And you know... The day of the Great Trial is coming...