Elysia could not have been happier. The last two weeks were the most enjoyable she had ever had and it made her look forward to seeing Edward each afternoon in the park. She loved how he never refrained from cursing in front of her or telling her dirty jokes. Edward really knew how to make her laugh and upset her. He seemed to enjoy provoking outbursts of anger from her on purpose saying he liked the way her eyes flashed as her blood began to boil. She tried very hard not to succumb to his provocations because he did it on purpose but her temper always got the best of her. He especially liked to tease her about Jol Haren. Since the first dinner at the Fuhrer's, her mother and Roy had not gotten the hint that she was not interested in Jol and had continued making her attend more dinners with the shy doctor always present. It was noted by Edward how he was left out of these occasions but he found it rather funny.

"I'm sure Mustang is afraid I'll corrupt the poor guy," he teased one day. "He probably wouldn't want me seeing you either thinking I'd just corrupt you as well."

"It's too late for that," Elysia said laughing. "But it might not be such a bad idea for you to corrupt Jol. He needs to loosen up."

"If I did that then you might like being in his company more than mine," Edward said but not in the joking manner Elysia had been expecting.

It was the first time either of them had said anything regarding their relationship so far. For the last two weeks they just spent time together and casual observers would note that there was nothing out of the usual to indicate that there were any deeper feelings between the two of them. Elysia knew she did have feelings for Edward and suspected he felt the same way towards her but they had never let that be the focus of their conversations. Elysia swallowed nervously and tried to think of something to say. But before she could think of anything Edward bent toward her and kissed her.

It was completely unexpected and had caught Elysia off guard but it felt good. Her heart was hammering loudly and it seemed like that was all she could hear and feel. She thought her heart would burst through her chest, it was beating so hard. But she didn't want him to stop. It wasn't her first kiss, she had plenty experience from school dances with boys from the nearby men's college, but none of those clumsy attempts compared to Edward. Elysia realized with the kiss that she was completely in love with him.

As Edward moved away he said softly in Elysia ear, "I've wanted to occupy your evenings, so you weren't stuck with Roy and Jol but I've had to prepare my staff for departure."

Elysia not fully recovered from the unexpected, but very pleasant kiss just heard his last word. Departure.

"Where are you going?" She asked worriedly, regaining her senses quickly.

"So you would be sad to see me leave?" He asked smiling with a bit of relief that kissing her hadn't been such a bad idea.

"Of course I would!" She exclaimed. "Who will I get to take me out to lunch," she teased. "It saves me a lot of money you know."

"Hopefully not Jol Haren," he said taking her hand in his and they started walking along, their fingers entwined together. "I've been assigned the great task of seeing any Ishbalan refugees out of Xing on a volunteer basis in the hopes of preventing any conflict between them and the citizens of Chenxing."

Elysia found her self speechless with the thought of Edward going away. She had a fleeting thought that this was probably what it was like for her mother when her father was in the military and sent away on assignments.

"How long will you be gone?" She asked when she could finally talk.

"I don't know," Edward said. "I'm going to have to get back to headquarters soon. I have a meeting with Mustang."

Elysia looked up at him quickly. "Will I be able to write you?"

"Yeah," he said. "Send it in care of my office at Central headquarters. The staff staying behind will get it too me. I've got to go...are you okay?" He asked looking at her with a frown. Her mood had changed so drastically it worried Edward.

"Yeah," she whispered. "I'm just worried."

"Worried that I might run away with some Ishbalan refugee," he teased trying to make her smile.

"No," she said smiling a little. "I'm just worried about you."

"I'll be alright," he said reassuringly. "I've made it this far without too much damage."

"Losing an arm and leg isn't too much damage?" She said without thinking. She looked up at him horrified. She hadn't meant to say that and she didn't know how he would take it. She didn't want him to think she thought of him incapable of doing anything without making a costly mistake.

"That's why I like being around you," he said smiling but there was a sad look in his eyes. "You're honest and not afraid to say what's on your mind. I promise, I'll be alright. We're not anticipating anything more than some crying old ladies not wanting to leave their homes. It's a peaceful mission."

"I believe you," she said at last feeling a little reassured.

"Good," he said bending down to kiss her again getting her heart pounding. "I'll see you when I get back," he whispered in her ear.

"Yeah," she said holding back the tears that now threatened to spill. She knew he wasn't lying to her. But he also wasn't telling her everything. Sure they weren't expecting anything horrible to come from a peaceful mission but anything could happen in Xing. People are not easy to predict and she was scared something would happen that would create a disaster out of this Ishbalan evacuation.

She watched him walk away as the tears she had been holding back finally spilled. Elysia had the urge to run after him, give him one more kiss goodbye, just to hold onto him a minute longer. But she knew she had to let him go. She knew she would have no peace while he was gone though but she had to accept the fact that this could be the first of many goodbyes as long as Edward was in the military.