Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.

WhispersOfWings: Thank you, really. I know I sound like a stalker-y/freak-person thing… (Yeah, I'm good at english), but I really appreciate everything. Especially the comments.

DarkWinxGirl: Thanks for the messages. Love the reviews you've been leaving, I really love having such a dedicated reader and reviewer.

w-MuSiClOvEr-w (just saw you recently…)

Dash24zappshift (you as well…)

DaPandaGirl (Thanks! Happy Holidays to you too!)

And whoever the guests who were nice enough to leave a review… PLEASE leave a name so I can give a proper thank you.

Now to everybody else… Hey.

I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY

I didn't have time to write because I was in the Philippines and I'm so jet-laggy (is that even a word?) because the times difference is so big and I'm really super sorry…

Moving on:I've been thinking…. Should I continue the story?

I was thinking of including the Elrics, and some slight EdWin. Like, not enough for them to be added as a coupling in this story, but enough for you to know they're one of my favorite pairings.

I was also thinking of having Edward (without alchemy) and Al (in his body) finding out about the research and eventually being forced to try and use it to save someone they love. Or Riza's journey to becoming a state alchemist…?

Ooh! I could maybe make that another story, as a sequel…?

I don't know.

I'm tired, I'm back in my regular time zone… (which is a fucking 10+ hour difference! I'm not going to tell you the actual difference 'cause then you might figure out where I live...)

Review/comment on your stance on the idea, because I really want to know. Remember, I check my story stats every nine hours or so. I can't really move on until I get enough ideas, or enough people to agree/disagree (or support) with what I just proposed.

Just one more thing to mention, when I start a new story (which I will, soon, I promise), I will continue to periodically check the stats (reviews/follows/favorites) of both stories. And that goes for all the stories I post from now on.

And Chapter 19 begins...

Riza wove her way through the marble columns, ignoring the sensation of scraping skin against stone. Her feet positively ached, but the burning pain was dull in comparison to the fury coursing through her veins.

She was out for blood.

Riza was in an extremely volatile state, preparing to blow at a certain lunatic who had a tendency to dress as the opposite sex. Her anger was snowballing as she sprinted into the building. Roy was barely keeping up, too flustered to fully comprehend what was going on at the moment.

It was all happening so fast. One minute he'd been shattering his heart as he prepared to shatter hers, and the next she'd slapped him in the face. When he'd hastily tried to explain his inexcusable behavior, she'd paled and then set out on a murderous rampage.

Which led them back to where they were now.

Riza stomped in through the main hall, as Roy tried to clear his head and refocus his thoughts.

He, suddenly having come to his senses, tried to hold her back. She resisted, tugging her arm back as she continued to pull him along. He dug in his heels, and at this moment, he realized just how strong Riza really was. Maybe it was the adrenaline, or the concentrated rage, but his tactics were proving to be much less than successful.

She was slowed down, sure. But stopping? Yeah, uh huh, no.

Roy had her heels dangling from two fingers, and on the other hand, his fingers were entwined with her delicate ones.

The pads of her fingers are kind of calloused Roy noted out of nowhere. Probably from handling guns for so long.

He out his palm against her shoulder, soothing her for the moment. She slowed her irritated strides, relaxing into him.

"Whoa, whoa. What's got you so upset?"

Riza was breathing heavily, not due to any strain on her body, but because of the emotional stress she was enduring at the moment.

"I'm going to go murder the Fuhrer." Riza deadpanned.

Roy held her close, and she slumped into him as her sudden burst of energy drained.

"He's an asshole. A complete and utter asshole who should burn in hell. No, hell is too good for him... "

Roy looked down at her, as she mumbled her rantings into his chest. He smoothed her hair, as her angry tirade aimed at Grumman.

"Let's go kill him," Riza declared, grabbing his hand once more. He sighed, knowing he'd lose either way, dutifully followed her with his head hung low.

Now we're really gonna get it.

With their fingers interlocked, Riza kicked open the door leading to the dining room.

The grand doors swung open, revealing Roy's subordinates (Maes isn't really one of his subordinates yet but you get the idea) and a nervous Fuhrer.

They were seated at a long table, the Fuhrer at the far end. Rebecca was still crying into Havoc's shoulder, who was tearing up himself. Maes was seated opposite of him, head buried in his hands. Kain and Breda were discussing something somberly over the table, solemn looks on their faces. Falman was offering Maria a handkerchief, and she sniffled into the square of fabric.

The Fuhrer noticed the seething blonde in the open doorway first.

He nervously scrambled out of his chair, knocking it over by accident. The noise, startling the others, made their eyes first travel to the Fuhrer sort-of-cowering against the back wall.

He was looking at the open doors apprehensively, and the others could guess who he was looking at.

Either a heartbroken Roy, or a lifeless Riza. Maybe even both.

Then they followed his nervous line of sight, which lead to...

Not what they were expecting.

Well, at least they'd guessed the people right.

They hadn't anticipated was flustered, bewildered Roy, holding a pair of heels the same stunning red as Riza's dress. His white shirt was slightly ruffled, and he looked as if he'd accidentally run through a bush. (Which, he technically had done.)

What they really hand't expected was the state of the woman holding his hand.

Riza was positively fuming.

She had her fists clenched at her sides, and the sounds she made resembling an angry bull.

Riza dropped Roy's hand.

She marched over to the other end of the table, slamming her palms down on the table.

The silverware rattled, as did the fine china plates and crystal glasses.

Wow. He's really going out on this dinner, Riza thought offhandedly. Her eyebrows drew back together as her thoughts returned to the problem at hand.

His fault; he shouldn't have laid out the steak knives.

"You… Bastard…" She ground out at the man on the other side of the room.

The size of Rebecca's eyes grew tremendously.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now? God, I should've know you'd sink to something so low! What kind of asshole subjects someone to making a choice like that?! And then you had the nerve to practically sell your own granddaughter!" Riza growled out.

Damn. He told her. The Fuhrer mentally cursed himself for not having thought of this possibility. Of course Roy would think of telling her in secret. And Riza was pretty much guaranteed to react like this.

Well, it's not like she wouldn't have found out either way...

Maes looked at Roy, alarmed.

"You told her?"

"No," Roy answered sarcastically. "She's just read my mind and figured out the exact terms of a deal I never told her about."

"Well I'm sorry for asking," Maes huffed.

"Sorry. I'm just a bit annoyed right now," Roy said, smoothing his hair back.

"I apologize for using your Colonel like that, Lieutenant, but I needed a successor for the position of Fuhrer and I had to be sure if he was the right man for the job," The Fuhrer said, explaining his logic. Not like it mattered to Riza.

"You cynical old man," Riza said, throwing a steak knife at his head.

She missed by just barely an inch.

Deliberately, of course. Riza Hawkeye didn't miss if she didn't want to.

The knife quivered back and forth, buried at least two or three inches in the wall.

Maria stood quickly.

"Riza!" She exclaimed. "That's the Fuhrer you've just tried to kill!"

Though, she has a semi-legitimate reason...

"Don't worry. She won't seriously make an attempt on my life," Grumman assured the room.

"No promises, old man."

"I'd like to see you actually try and murder me."

"I- If I wanted to- I could- I'm gonna- Argh!" Riza ended her sentence then, knowing her words would be lies if she continued.

"See, I told you so," The Fuhrer said smugly.

"Don't get too cocky now. I never said I had anything against removing a few fingers."

The others watched this exchange, as comebacks bounced back and forth. Riza kept the sharp retorts coming at a steady flow. The Fuhrer disregarded most of them with ease.

Both Maes and Roy had adopted a very perplexed look, and with good reason.

Have they even spoken to each other before? Roy thought, trying to recall an time when they had. Has she ever spoken to him? Like other than through reports? I don't think she even met him when he came around to my house the other day.

The Fuhrer gulped nervously when Riza promised she would shoot a finger off if he ever did something that affected her Commanding officer ever again.

He knew that all bets were off when it came to her Colonel Mustang. that was a line he planned on never crossing again.

"Well excuse me for trying to get my granddaughter in a healthy relationship!"

"No, you're not excused! Your granddaughter is able to make her own decisions!"

"Wait, wait, stop for a second," said Maes from the side. "This whole deal was a test to see if Roy was able to make sacrifices for the greater good, and to set up your granddaughter?"

Grumman considered it for a moment. Riza snorted.

"Don't you dare try and say it wasn't."

"I wasn't going to!" The Fuhrer protested. "I was just going to add that I wanted to test how much this man loved you!"

"And maybe I wanted a grandchild soon…" He muttered softly under his breath.

The whole room stopped and stared. Riza, lucky for her, was being paid no attention.

"What is wrong with you?!" Roy asked, surprised that this man was pushing this far, and with this much force. "Your granddaughter should be able to make her own choices, find who she wants to be with!"

"I'm sorry, I really am! But regardless of this little bump in the road, the deal is still on."

"You've gotta be kidding me…"

"Don't force your granddaughter to be with me, Grumman," Roy began to warn darkly. "If it saves Riza then… I guess I'll cooperate with you for now. Anything for her. But that poor girl you're forcing me onto, deserves to be her own person! She doesn't need you throwing random guys at her, or you trying to get her to have children!"

I'm not shoving any random person at my granddaughter...

…And Riza was back to blushing furiously and trying to melt into the floor.

"Believe me Colonel, I'm not pushing you at her for no reason. I truly believe you'd make her happy, if you two really dated. You'd be a good husband for her, and I've decided to try and help get that going. Besides, I also want you as a grandson-in-law. You're a decent man, though your ego could sometimes use a good deflating. other than that, I see not problem with you joining the family."

"…."

"YOU CYNICAL OLD MAN!" Roy yelled over the table. "YOU"RE SUCH A SELFISH BASTARD!" Her reached for Riza' shoulder, seeing as she'd stopped moving, and it was beginning to worry him. Just a second away from comforting her. Less than an inch now...

"I was just trying to help my granddaughter," The Fuhrer said simply.

"I don't need your help!" Riza burst out.

Complete.

And.

Utter.

Silence.

Riza's words hadn't yet sunk into her own mind. And in the moment, she had completely forgotten her friends' presence in the room.

"I was fine the way me and Roy were! I'm fine with the way we are! I love him, an he loves me! I know that for sure now."

She tools a few more steps forward, now less than a food from her grandfather.

"You want me to date Roy publicly? You want grandchildren?" Riza asked, stalking over to him. "You wait. You let whatever supposed to happen, happen like it was meant to. You can't meddle in everything, Grandfather. You can't just keep doing this. You've made my friends unnecessarily concerned, and you've dumped a whole load of shit on Roy. They're good people, you know. Amazing, wonderful people who really care about me. And you took advantage of that. You treated them like they're unimportant, and Roy like he was your puppet. And I am not okay with that."

The Fuhrer looked somewhat remorseful now. But, he was not going to apologize for what he'd been trying to prove.

"I appreciate you trying to help me. I know you're concerned about me, and you just want me to be happy. But grandfather," Riza said putting a hand on his shoulder. "I can take care of myself. If I want to date Roy, which I do, I should be able to make that choice on my own."

He nodded, understanding her point.

Now that she'd gotten that out of her system, one thing became very clear to her.

They weren't alone in the room.

Riza was now aware of the many pair eyes on her, and winced at the decision she'd just made without even meaning to.

They knew.

The truth had spilled out of her mouth, before she'd had a chance to choke it down. The secret she'd kept buried from the people she cared about most, even though she herself had only found out fairly recently.

They know, Riza thought, horrified.

She slowly turned.

Rebecca, her limp hands and alarmed look.

Havoc's slumped shoulders.

Breda's shattered glass.

Maria stood, her chair toppling in a fashion much like the Fuhrer's chair had just moments ago.

Falman's silverware clattered on the marble floor.

Kain's hanging jaw.

Maes was stuttering, wringing his hands together.

And then there was Roy.

Roy's hand was frozen in the air, from when he'd reached out to hold Riza. To brush her bare shoulders, just so she would know he was there.

His eyes were huge, two white, perfect circles with dark, black pupils smack in the middle.

Riza stood, sheepishly next to the Fuh- No, her grandfather. She had the look of a guilty child, one who'd just been caught doing something naughty. Shame, almost. (It was an expression often worn in the office, though the roles were usually reversed.)

If Roy hadn't been too busy being utterly and completely bewildered, he would have been fawning over how cute it looked. (She was absolutely bashful and humiliated at the same time. She was practically red from her toes to her hairline.)

Her only remaining relative (presumably) was wearing a satisfied smile.

That's….

That's...

He's her- But I thought….

And she knew…

But how did they- Why didn't I- Why did he make the-

Huh?

Roy was in a state of complete disbelief.

Confusion.

"What. Just-" Roy began to ask when Riza interrupted, mortified. She knew what he was going to ask. They were two part of a whole, and she knew him well enough to know what was going on in his head.

"Yes. I'm his granddaughter."

"Then why didn't-"

"I didn't want anyone to think any less of you. People knew of your ambitions, and I guess I thought if they knew, they'd think you were just using me," Riza said, half lying. Truth be told, the idea of Roy using her for his own personal gain scared the absolute crap out of her. She was also ashamed. Ashamed that she'd known for so long and had hid it from him. By the time she had begun to consider telling him the truth, it'd been so long that he might lose his trust in her. That would have undoubtedly broken her heart.

"Why on earth would you-"

"It's part of my job to protect you."

Sigh...

"We're not discussing this again," Riza stated firmly.

Roy rubbed his eyes with his gloved hand (just regular white gloves, don't worry. He's not in any danger of having his eyebrows singed off.)

It then became very clear to Maes (who was still not moving) that this conversation had three possible outcomes.

One: Riza was going to start apologizing while Roy tried to keep her from getting upset.

Two: Riza and Roy were going to start fighting over this stupid topic. Again.

Three: The third outcome… involved a lot of crying and yelling.

Turns out, Maes was right about all three.

"I'm sorry," Riza finally worked up the nerve to say.

"I should have told you."

"Damn right you should have told me!" Roy snapped, genuinely lashing out at Riza, something Maes had never witnessed before. If he had to guess, this was probably one of the only times this had happened. If not the only time.

"I know," Riza said pathetically, letting the tough exterior creep up, and locking the emotions away. "But I just wanted to protect you."

"Oh for fuck's sake Riza! We've been over this! I don't need you to protect me from everything! You're my bodyguard. That doesn't require you to take it upon yourself to shield me from ever problem I'll ever have!"

"But I can still try," Riza said calmly. "And I promise you, as long as I'm still breathing: I'll never stop trying."

"What about me? How can I protect you when you're always throwing yourself in the path of bullets, worrying about the amount of sleep I'm getting, or if I've eaten enough? That's unfair, Riza, and you know it."

"I'm not-"

"I don't give a crap if you think you need my help or not. I need to protect you. I need to protect you, because I love you. If anything happens to you, if you ever-" Roy swallowed, misty-eyed at the mere thought of it. "Died, you'd better be ready to take me down with you. Because if you go, I'm following right after."

"Roy, you don't-"

"Tell me I don't really mean it and I swear Riza. I swear to fucking god…"

He took another step forward, analyzing the look on her face. Her eyes were still stormy and leaking tears, but there was something there that Roy couldn't quite read. At first.

"That's not the only reason why," Roy declared after a moment of silence. "There's something else you're not telling me. Spill."

"It's not," Riza said, defensively. "I'm not lying."

"No, you're not lying. But you're hiding something from me, and we both know that that's not how this works. Besides, I'll find a way to weasel it out of you, so just save yourself the trouble and confess," Roy said.

He continued to press the subject, and she began to crack. Slowly, but surely, she loosened.

Crumbling, Riza started to talk.

Though, very, very softly.

"I didn't want to lose…." Riza mumbled under her breath, knowing that Roy couldn't hear her.

"Riza," he chastised. Well, more like warned.

"I didn't want to lose your trust in me." Riza said louder. "Happy?"

Roy was speechless. And didn't understand the female mind more than ever in this moment.

How the fuck would that happen?

"I wanted for so long for you to love me. Back when I thought it was impossible for you to really care about me. I found out before the Homunculi, and by the time I remembered I still hadn't mentioned it, it was too late. I'd already kept my secret for about a year. I didn't want to plant that seed of doubt in you. I kept postponing it, saying that eventually I'd get around to it."

"But I never did and I'm sorry," Riza finished, biting her lip to hold back the sniffles

It didn't help at all.

She was interrupted in her apologies, as she tried to tell Roy how inexcusable her behavior was.

Roy, alarmed when the first noise had come from her, cradled her in is arms.

She collapsed, and Roy swooped down just in time to catch her.

Keeling, he settled Riza on his knees, as she cried into his shirt.

"I'm sorry," she bawled, keeping her face buried in his chest.

"Shhh… It's okay. It's all okay," Roy soothed, stroking her hair. His fingers combed through straw-gold strand, effectively calming her a great deal. She still squirmed (with inner toil, he guessed) in his arms, restless.

"I didn't mean to keep it from you for so long."

"It's… it's okay," Roy struggled to say. He was hurt. Just a a little.

Did she think I couldn't handle the secret? Did she think I'd use her to my own advantage? A small, doubtful part in his mind asked.

"No! That's not it!" Riza cried.

Roy then realized he'd spoken out loud.

"I trust you, I trust you with my life! You'd never use me like that, but I had to think about other people! I know you'd never do that, but what about all the other assholes out there? They'd try and use this against you, and make you a disgrace! To them, wouldn't they think it's suspicious if you became Fuhrer after becoming so close to the old Fuhrer's only remaining relative?

"I was selfish," Riza admitted, looking down as she twisted her calloused fingers together. "I just wanted you to not hate me, I wanted that so bad. But now, I guess… I guess I just delayed the inevitable."

"You idiot."

Don't leave me. Riza pleaded silently, hoping he could find it in his heart to eventually start to forgive her.

Riza head shot up at the phrase she had grown accustomed to saying to him.

"Please forgive me," Riza said, her vulnerability shining clearly through her eyes.

"Why the hell would I do that?" Roy asked. Riza felt the tears well up in her eyes, and felt as if something had just impaled her through the stomach.

Roy's eyes immediately widened with alarm.

"No, no no no that's not what I meant!" He insisted, his hands waving wildly as he tried to calm the sorrowful woman who had tears threatening to spill over the edges of her eyes.

"I meant to say that there's no reason for me to forgive you, because there's nothing you've done wrong," Roy lips hurriedly wormed words as her tried to keep that awful expression off her face.

Rejection.

Sadness.

Fear.

Riza was not allowed to ever look like that. Never again would he watch her suffer. Internally, or externally.

"Besides, I don't think it's even possible for us to hate each other," Roy joked, though he was only half kidding.

Riza nervously played with a strand of her hair, not quite believing the part where Roy unconditionally loved her.

Jesus do I have to convince her of this again? Roy groaned at Riza's lack of faith in herself.

"Could you ever hate me?" He asked peering into her eyes. "Could you ever really resent me enough to hate me?"

"No," Riza responded without even thinking, without hesitation.

"Then why would you ever think I could feel that way about you?" Roy asked.

"I… I just thought that-"

"Well you thought wrong," Roy informed her. "You're almost as stupid, if not more stupid than I am, if you think that I'd ever turn my back on you. I am here to stay, Riza. Whether you like it or not."

"Our feelings are the same. And now, we're both idiots."

The Fuhrer was welling up with happiness in the corner, practically beaming at Roy's display of affections.

"Well no, I do believe you've earned yourself the role of Fuhrer," he declared with an air of pride.

Roy, speechless (having forgotten about the whole deal already) and dumbfounded, had Riza hoisting him up before he had fully understood the meaning of Grumman's words.

"That's right, Mustang. In next few weeks or so, I'll be officially transferring my title to you. The process begins tomorrow. Congratulations, boy." Grumman shook Roy's hand, which was limp. The Flame Alchemist was currently staring at their joined hands, then his gaze flitted up to meet the current Fuhrer's.

Then back down.

And right back up.

"Roy?" Riza asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Roy?"

I'm...

I'm the Fuhrer?!

He stumbled back, clutching his hand to his chest.

Wow. He blinked, straightening. That, that really just happened.

"But remember," Grumman warned in a growl, light reflecting off of his glasses dangerously. "You break her heart, I break you. I don't care about the six months. You hurt my granddaughter, you're gonna hurt too. A lot."

Aww shit, Riza mentally face-palmed. He's always wanted to do this. Now he has a reason.

The protective parent-act.

"If I ever hurt her," Roy stated without any trace of humor. "You have my permission to shoot me right in the back of the head. In fact, Riza should have the honor herself."

The Fuhrer blinked.

His lips pulled back, stretching into a full-blown shit-eating grin.

"Well then, seems like we can reach an agreement."

He enveloped Roy in a hug, clapping him on the back.

"Great!"

He then leant in close whispering softly in his ear.

Riza didn't notice.

Lucky for Grumman.

"This is my last push," he said softly. "You have two weeks. Time for you kids to have your first date. Start planning."

And with that, he released Roy, let Rebecca's rapid fire questions fill the air, and Maes' camera clicked just a few more times.

Well...

Maybe a bit more than a few times.

Hey guys.

Thanks for reading, and remember: I REALLY need to know what you guys want me to do with this story next. if you vote to end it, the next chapter is probably the last chapter.

Which, I can't even start until I get some feedback!

Bye,

-Pyro