New chapter, hooray! I'm starting to get busy, so posts will be a little more spaced out. Also, for the person who asked, yes both boys are in the same "grade". I envision the school like a very small, very rural area school house, where the kids in the "grade" are of varying ages, since there's not enough room/money/teachers to break them up further. Also, Roy taught them both the same stuff since they're just a year apart, so they're at the same level (granted, that level is far beyond the other kids lol). Anyway, enjoy!

The morning light peeked in through the window and bore into Roy's eyes. He groaned and placed his hands over his face, as though that would be enough to send him back to sleep. His head was pounding, and he knew he should have stopped at two beers, but he'd gotten so caught up in talking to Riza that he lost track of the glasses piling up in front of him.

He rolled over, turning his back to the sun and opened his eyes to find someone lying just inches away. He was startled, and then his memories came crashing back. They drank until the bar closed and then stumbled back to Roy's place and then he woke up. But, looking down, he saw that he was naked and knew that much, much more than innocently falling into bed happened.

Riza was still asleep, her golden hair falling around her, hand under her head, and mouth parted just slightly. A bit of drool lingered on her lips, but Roy thought she looked especially beautiful asleep in the morning sunlight. He placed a hand on her head and ran his fingers through her hair, which caused her to stir. Confused, and also nursing quite the headache herself, she opened her eyes and looked right up at Roy.

Her eyes went wide with shock and she jumped back, grabbing at the sheets to cover herself up. "Oh my god!" she gasped and sat up with a wince from a throb in her head. "Colonel Mustang?" She couldn't believe she'd woken up in his bed. She glanced at his bare chest and then down at her own bare body and her face turned red. "Did we…? Did you…?" She looked between the two of them, barely able to form a coherent question.

Roy blinked at her and then laughed. It was all he could do in the situation and it just made Riza even angrier. Her eyes morphed into a glare and she pursed her lips, but Roy didn't stop laughing. "Sorry, sorry," he managed to get out. "I guess we did, huh? I don't remember any of it, but I bet it was great!"

"And extremely inappropriate!" Riza yelled at him. "I'm your nephews' teacher, Colonel! If the principal found out…!"

"Relax, Miss Hawkeye," he smiled, a charming smile that almost made her forget her rage. "It's winter break and we're all the way at my place. We'll wait til afternoon, you leave, and if anyone sees, we'll just say you were dropping off books for the kids. No big deal."

She stared at him a moment longer, as though she didn't quite believe him, but slowly her shoulder relaxed. She leaned back against the bed, placing a hand on her forehead. Roy smirked over at her, but she did her best to ignore him. If anyone found out… she could lose her job!

"Want something to eat?" When Riza looked over, Roy was in boxers and picking a shirt off the floor. He brought it to his nose and took a sniff, thought for a moment, and then shrugged as he put it on.

"Do you do your own laundry?" Riza countered with her own question and raised an eyebrow. Roy smiled over at her.

"Sometimes I get the boys to do it for me."

"'Sometimes?'"

"It's a tough negotiation. Now, eggs and bacon or pancakes?"

"You cook?"

Roy laughed at the question. "You ask too many questions. You want breakfast or not?"

"Alright, alright," Riza smirked and laid back. They might have had an… interesting night, but she wasn't about to uncover herself now. She waited until the door was closed before getting up and gathering her clothes.

She was halfway to the bedroom door when she heard a bang and the sound of two young, excited voices at the front of the house.

"Uncle Roy!"

"Holy shit, Roy you're cooking! Did something happen? Are you feeling okay?"

"Hey! Language!"

"Uh…. English?"

There was a heavy sigh and Roy didn't say anything else for awhile but instead let the kids go on about their sleepover at the Rockbell's. Riza's hand lingered on the door, her mind racing. The kids were home already, and she was half dressed and in Roy's bedroom. She had no idea what to do or where to go and hoped the man was also thinking about how to sneak her out.

Roy was indeed freaking out quite a bit. He hadn't expected the kids home so soon, or maybe he had slept in later than he originally thought. Either way, he had to try to get Riza out without the boys noticing. They already seemed rather suspicious that he was cooking breakfast, something he rarely did.

"Why don't you guys go back outside and make some snowmen?" He asked. They gave him a weird look.

"Isn't breakfast almost done?" Edward asked, standing on the tips of his toes to peer into the pan on the stove. Roy pushed him back irritably, knowing the kid was much more perceptive than he gave him credit for.

"Who says this is for you?" the man asked.

"You're making eggs, bacon, and pancakes for just yourself?" Alphonse asked suspiciously, also trying to see what was on the counter. He had an easier time than Edward did, being just a bit taller than him.

He felt bad that Riza wouldn't get the enjoy a nice breakfast but knew nothing could be done. "Go set the table," he grumbled, and the kids did so, though they weren't sure what they had done to attract his ire. They sat and ate, and Roy was unable to keep himself from glancing over at his bedroom door, though he tried to be a little less conspicuous. He also tried to think of a good reason to get the boys out of the house so he could help Riza escape without them seeing.

"Hey, can you go back to the Rockbell's for me?" he asked as they cleared the table. He set a few slices of bacon aside for Riza, though he claimed they were for his lunch.

"Why?" Edward asked, raising his eyebrow.

"I need… sugar." Roy thought up as he positioned himself in front of the cabinet the sugar was in. Edward frowned at him and Roy could tell he was doing a very bad job of making himself sound less suspicious.

"For what?"

"We're just out, I want to have some before I need it."

"Can't you just go into town?"

"The Rockbell's are closer."

"So you do need it now!"

Roy smacked his forehead with his palm, his temper beginning to flare. Why, oh why, could his sister have not had obedient children, instead of these two who questioned his every move!? He then took a breath and exhaled, telling himself that he loved his nephews very much and no, he didn't actually want to set them on fire. He just needed them out of the house, now.

"I want to bake a cake, okay?" he finally came up with. "To, uh, celebrate."

"Celebrate what?" Alphonse asked, his ears perking at the sound of a delicious dessert.

"Winter." Roy finally decided as his mind went through how the hell he was going to get a cake put together. He didn't even know how to make a real cake!

Edward looked like he had many more questions for the man, but Alphonse was sold on the cake. He grabbed his jacket and took his brother's wrist, spewing excitement by the way he bounced up and down. "Come on, brother, we have to get that sugar! We're going to get cake!"

Looking into his brother's eyes, Edward realized he wouldn't be able to question their uncle any further. He glanced back at Roy, who was smiling innocently and narrowed his eyes at him. He knew he was up to something, but his brother was already dragging him out the door.

"We'll be back soon!" Alphonse called and Roy let out a very heavy breath when the door slammed. He ran to his bedroom and threw the door open. Riza had been standing there and she placed a hand on her head when she saw the coast was clear.

"Well, that was… exciting," she decided as she pulled on the rest of her clothes and checked to be sure she had everything. "So, do you even know how to make a cake?"

"No. I was planning on suddenly falling sick if I didn't have everything we needed. And if we do have everything, I'll just use Alchemy." Roy admitted as they crossed into the kitchen. Riza rolled her eyes and found a pencil and paper and began taking down some notes. After a moment she thrust the paper at Roy.

"It's a cake recipe. Hopefully, you have everything you need." Riza sighed. "You know you can't use Alchemy for everything, right? I mean, really, baking a cake?"

Roy laughed. "I specialize in flame Alchemy," he admitted. "So, my cooking usually ends up… burned." Riza caught herself between a laugh and a surprised look, so she sort of wheezed out a hitched breath.

"Flame Alchemy?" she asked, her eyebrows raised and a shocked expression on her lips. "That's rare."

"I had the best teacher in the world," Roy said with a smile, though his sentence was short and it was obvious he wanted to end the conversation there. "Anyway," he started, moving towards the woman. "I really hope to see you again."

Riza took a step back, a sly smile on her face. "Oh, you will. Almost every day, in fact, when school starts up."

Roy took another step towards her. "That's all?" he asked coyly.

"Of course, sir, anything else would be inappropriate." Riza was backed against the wall, but she was very comfortable there. Playfulness danced in her eyes and her own smile matched Roy's.

The man placed his hand against the wall to her left and took her other hand. "I have to say, I'm not much for formalities."

"Oh, but you're in the military. Aren't they all about formalities over there?"

"I'm a black sheep, you know? A free rider. A-"

And it was in that moment that the door flung open with a "We're home!" from Alphonse. The last syllable died on his lips as the boys looked at their uncle in a very… compromising position with their teacher. The adults looked down at their, Roy with wide eyes, and Riza with a hand covering her mouth.

"Um, did you invite Miss Hawkeye over for cake?" Alphonse asked innocently, the silence making him very uncomfortable. For whatever reason, he and Ed both felt like they had done something wrong, but that couldn't be right since they weren't even home to get in trouble!

"Uh…" Sensing an out, Roy stepped away with a slight laugh. Riza looked on, wondering what Roy was going to say. "Yes. Yes, I did. Now, did you get the sugar?"

Alphonse smiled and nodded, and Roy was grateful for one agreeable child. Edward, on the other hand, pouted and glared. "Bullshit you invited Miss Hawkeye!" He blurted out, much to the ire of his uncle, who thought he was in the clear.

"Edward!" Roy yelled. "What have I told you about swearing?" He didn't need Miss Hawkeye thinking he was a bad uncle, though judging by the laugh she was trying to hide, she found it more endearing than offensive.

The young boy rolled his eyes and looked at the ground. "You told me, 'Don't fucking swear Edward,'" he answered with all the honesty of a typical eight-year-old.

Roy's face turned a bright shade of red as Riza was unable to hold back her laughter. He muttered for the boys to get into the kitchen and get to work figuring out how to make a cake. Turning back to Riza, he expected her to bolt, but she took a step towards the kitchen as well. Seeing his confused face, she smiled.

"What? I'm not going to let you burn down your house since you seem so determined to make that cake." She then waltzed off and Roy stood in shock as she gently helped the boys work with the ingredients.

He couldn't help but stand back and watch as she guided the boys through the steps of making the cake. She helped Edward pour the mix in, and then held Alphonse's little hands as they cracked the eggs. She even giggled as Edward tried to transmute the flour, but ended up getting it all over the kitchen, and themselves, instead. Roy came in and helped a little, but Riza was the real star of the show, and the boys loved it. In fact, while the boys did love living with their uncle, this was the most they had ever laughed in this house. They adored having Riza help and seemed to forget that she was their teacher. Today, she was just a friend.

Roy also found himself dazzled by the usually stoic teacher becoming so lively and fun. Damn, he wished he remembered more of the night before.

"You really should consider a school in Central," Riza said as they stood outside in the chilly winter air. They had eaten some cake and the boys fell right asleep after a day of play and a meal.

"They need to do more of..." Roy waved his hands around, trying to encompass the feeling. "Of that. You know, being a kid. That's not Central."

Riza nodded knowingly. She never intended her comment to be taken to heart by Roy, but every time they saw each other, she felt the need to bring it up. "You're doing a good job," she said. "They love you."

Roy smiled, though he'd never admit how much those words meant to him. "They're good kids. They've been through a lot that they didn't deserve to go through."

Riza shrugged. "We all have been through tough things. We keep going though." She looked like she wanted to say more, but instead, she backed up a step towards the road. "Anyway, see you later, Colonel."

"I'll see you soon?" he asked.

"In the schoolyard!" And then, with a smirk and a wink, she was off.