In that moment, as he was holding that photograph, a wave of dread and realization flooded him; the intensity and strength of it so powerful that if he were standing, he surely would have been brought to his knees.

There, plain as day was Riza, standing off to the side as he broke his handshake with one of Ishval's most renowned priests. And though he had just finished acknowledging the man before him, his eyes were on her and hers on his; hers holding an expression that he could only describe as love.

And his… His face mirrored hers.

But how…?

He reached back in his memory and greedily pulled at it, drawing it into his mind. He remembers every detail of that day; down to the very moment he broke that handshake. But as he struggled to recollect the moments that proceeded after that, he found that he could not.

Because the more he struggled against it, the more it hurt, and the more frustrated he became.

The proof was in the picture. She was there. Standing beside him as if nothing were wrong. As if she hadn't perished on the Promised Day. As if she hadn't been gone for five long and grueling years.

Brushing his fingertips over the photograph, he searched his other memories, discovering that many of them were full of distorted and hazy images.

Had that been her? All of it? All of this pain and cloudiness that practically filled these past five years?

All of it had been her…

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Roy reluctantly pulled himself from his deep thought and allowed his hollowed glance to find the softened and knowing golden eyes of Edward Elric.

"Do you believe us now," he asked quietly, eagerly.

Blinking slowly, the gravity of it all hitting him at once, Roy numbly nodded his head. "Can I-Can I see her," he murmured more weakly than he intended to.

Edward's face twisted in pain and he was about to shake his head when Roy felt his heart sink, his face no doubt reflecting what he had just felt. Shutting his mouth and clenching his jaw, Edward considered the question before quietly muttering, "You can try…"

The sound of his heart beating in his ears was the only thing keeping Roy bound to this world. Because at that moment, his thoughts were elsewhere.

He was terrified. Terrified that she would reject him because of his actions; because honestly, he wouldn't blame her.

He kept replaying that moment in his mind over and over again. Hating himself even more every time he played it through. She had looked at him so lovingly, so hopeful. And then… And then when he instinctively raised his fingers to her, her expression had fallen and the light in her eyes had dimmed.

He felt like a monster…

Blinking slowly, his surroundings came into focus around him… And he realized that he was there, sitting beside her bed. Roy felt his heart skip a beat, his mouth becoming dry and clammy.

Suddenly he was at a loss for words. Opening his mouth, he promptly shut it, his mind completely blank. He couldn't turn back now, though. He was here.

She was here.

The longer he remained silent, the more of her features he took in. And yet, the more her features melted away.

It wasn't just anybody lying before him. It wasn't an abominable creation pulled together by alchemy. And it certainly wasn't a failed attempt at human transmutation.

This was Riza Hawkeye, the woman he always had loved.

Suddenly her name instinctively escaped his lips, rolling off his tongue like it was the most natural thing he could ever say. Realizing what he had done, he swallowed thickly and waited.

A beat later her ear twitched, and he knew that she was listening, though she did not attempt to open her tightly closed eyes.

He whispered her name again, pleading for her to acknowledge him.

And when she had willed herself to look up at him, he saw that her expression was as hollow and lifeless as his had been, causing all of his feelings of remorse and regret to come crashing back to him.

Without another thought, he slid off the chair he had seated himself on and rested his hand on hers. Then, he began to pour his heart out, the words flowing freely from his mouth as he appealed to her, saying anything and everything he was feeling, experiencing, thinking.

At last he finally said those words… Those words that reflected his desperation and deepest fear. "Please…," he said as he bowed his head and took a shaking breath, "I can't lose you again…"

The pause that followed seemed to last an eternity, causing the knots in his stomach to tighten. He was losing her… He was losing her again-

"Roy." Her hand slipped out from beneath his, causing him to flinch. He was losing her…

Feeling a light pressure beneath his chin, he passively allowed the force to guide his face upward until his eyes were met by eyes of saffron.

Her eyes flickered back and forth, searching his grief-stricken face. Then her lips tugged upward in a smile as the light once again returned to her eyes. "I've always been here… And I always will be."

And when he heard those words, he truly and irrevocably believed that: no, he never really did lose her.

This was Riza Hawkeye, the woman he always had and always will love.

Wearily opening his eyes, Roy fought to recollect where he was and how he got there, blinking slowly as he scanned the part of the room before him. Oh right, he recalled as he yawned widely; he was at the Rockbell residence-

He froze when he realized that there was a pressure against his back, though a small smile crept across his face a beat later. Just to confirm that he knew who it was, he twitched his leg slightly, feeling something soft resting atop it, confirming his hypothesis. From time to time, it, as she not-so-affectionately referred to the tail, would escape the confines of her pajama bottoms and find itself lying across his leg, as if she were subconsciously trying to find another way to make sure he was close.

That, among a few other things, were all just small quirks he had discovered in such a short amount of time and subsequently found endearing, although she begged to differ…

It was hard to believe that it had been two months since he had lost his memories, and every day since then had been a constant struggle against himself and what he knew to be true. The one, unwavering constant, however, was her.

Despite his confusion and constant frustration with himself, Riza had never once left thought of leaving again. Even though he often found himself thinking she had every right to leave him behind after he had initially reacted, time and time again she proved him wrong by continuing to remain at his side as she too recovered.

Like Alphonse when he was first returned to his body, her soul was predisposed to occasionally leaving hers as well, only to return a short time later. Oftentimes during that period, however, it would seem that she would seek him out until she found him, resulting in her crawling into bed in order to remain close to him. Unfortunately this movement resulted in her reopening the wounds on her back, as he would often wake up with the back of his nightshirt stained with as much blood as hers.

He had insisted many times that she was more than welcome to share a bed with him in order to eliminate the issue altogether, but she, and Alphonse, stayed adamant when it came to her sleeping separately from him.

For her it was a matter of feeling comfortable with herself and her body. Although Roy insisted that it was fine, she still remained uncompromising, saying that it would only happen once her body was returned.

For Alphonse, it was a matter of making sure she didn't stretch and pull her skin to the point of opening, but given the past two months' history, it was relatively ineffective. It seemed that no matter what he or May did, it would only take one of them to let their guard down before she would disappear, only to reappear in Roy's bed next to him. But now that her spirit had grown stronger, the only reason for her to be doing this now as because…

Slowly and cautiously moving away, he carefully rolled over and watched her for a few moments. His movements did not seem to faze her, as her side continued to rise and fall with the same rhythm it had been before. He admired her long, blonde hair and the way it framed her shoulder and back before being fanned over the pillow she was resting her head against. And as he watched her, he realized once again how difficult it was knowing that he lost five years of this; well, technically, three years of waking up next to her.

Reaching up, he lightly tapped her shoulder. She did not stir, breathing as evenly as she had been before. He did it once more, and again there was no response.

He supposed that he would have to resort to desperate measures again. Taking a deep breath, he held it for a few seconds before releasing a small puff of air. A beat later her ear twitched, flattened out, and then resumed its position.

He tried again; this time with a harder blow. Again it twitched in agitation, just as she began to stir. Attempting to hide the smile he felt forming on his lips, Roy squeezed his eyes shut to feign sleep. When he heard her roll over, he opened them again and smiled, his onyx eyes peering into saffron.

"Good morning," he said, his voice still thick from sleep. "Funny how we always seem to wake up at the same time."

For a brief moment she smiled at the remark, though it quickly turned into a frown. "I'm sorry," she muttered, "I thought I would be over this by now."

Shaking his head, Roy said, "There's no need to apologize, Riza. You know that I don't mind."

"Well, at the very least-" She cut herself off and groaned as the sheets behind her shifted in response to moving it. Rolling onto her back and laying her forearm across her eyes, she sighed heavily in self-loathing. "Maybe a belt would fix that issue," she muttered dishearteningly.

"Hey now," Roy protested as he took her hand and pulled it away from her face, causing her to look toward him again. "You know that it isn't something you can help, so why worry about it? Like I said," he added with a sincere smile, "I don't mind." Then, weaving his fingers between hers and held her hand, he changed the subject as he murmured, "Is there something on your mind?"

For a moment she hesitated, but then sighed, probably knowing that he'd press if she lied to him. "I guess I'm just nervous," she finally admitted. "But I suppose anyone would be."

Giving her hand a soft squeeze, Roy answered, "And you have every right to be. But just remember that today is a trial run; we won't be doing a lot at once. Alphonse will show me how it's done and Edward will be there to supervise. And," he added as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, "I will be there. I always will be." When he saw her smile at his reassuring remarks, he asked, "Would you like to play a round," hoping the change in subject would take her mind off of what was to come. He already knew her answer if he asked her to consider waiting. She had been adamant that today would be the day it all began.

Her smile widening at the suggestion, Riza said, "I would love to."

Rolling over and toward the bed's nightstand, Roy snatched the picture that was on top of the large pile he had placed there. Turning back toward her, he held up the polaroid and playfully said, "Tell me about this one."

She smiled lightly and shook her head. "I've told you about that one a number of times, Roy. Don't you want another story?"

Riza had told him that story eleven times to be exact, but he knew that she loved telling it. And frankly, he loved hearing it.

Rather than try and fill him in on every detail of the time he had missed with her, which would be next to impossible to do in one sitting, they had agreed on a little game that they liked to call 'a memory a day.' In order to 'play' this game, Roy would choose a picture of himself, of her, or the two of them together, and she would tell him what she remembered about that day to the best of her memory. And although it was called a memory a day, most of the time they found themselves getting lost in it, carrying on for hours on end. At this point, Roy felt confident saying that she had filled him in on almost a year and a half of their escapades.

The picture in question was of her sitting in the chair she had helped him pick out to decorate his front living room. In it, she was wearing a comfortable red Winter Solstice sweater with black pants, her legs pulled up onto the chair and to her chest, hiding the sweater's design almost completely. With one brow raised inquisitively, her hot cocoa mug was up to her lips, a small smile painted across her face.

This was his favorite picture of her so far…

When he shook his head and gave her a pleading look, she relented and sighed, rolling onto her side so that she faced him. Pointing at the picture, she began, "This was taken last year on Solstice's Eve, just after we exchanged gifts.

"You had gotten the hot chocolate and seemed so intent on watching me drink it, occasionally taking pictures when you set your glass down, saying that you wanted to remember every detail of our first Solstice together..." She paused for a moment, possibly reflecting on the notion that in the end, he would never truly remember that time together. After a few seconds, however, she continued on as if she hadn't stopped. "But once I had almost gotten to the bottom you ran out of film, so while you went to refill it, I decided to go and clean the cups out. I vaguely remember hearing a clanking, metallic noise when I emptied mine, but got distracted when you came back; you were looking a bit worse for wear.

"After that, you pulled the entire sink and its plumbing apart. At the time I had no idea what you were doing, but you assured me that it would all be worthwhile once you fixed the problem."

"You kept talking about this mysterious 'thing' that supposedly went down the drain, but you never said what it was," Roy said as a smile began to form on his lips. "Tell me, what exactly was it?"

With a light grin, Riza said, "I think you know what it was."

"I don't know," Roy began, "My memory's a bit fuzzy. I think I'll need some help on this one."

She shook her head and chuckled softly. "A ring, dear."

"Oh, that's right," Roy exclaimed as he slapped his palm against his forehead. "Now I remember. So tell me, what did I do with said ring?"

"Like I said," Riza explained, "You decided to keep it until after your inauguration ceremony, because it's difficult planning that and a wedding."

He could feel the smile on his face growing. "I suppose that sounds like me."

Just as she was about to open her mouth to respond, a knock on the door interrupted her. "Come in," she called as she moved away from Roy and sat up, much to his disappointment.

The door opened, revealing Edward Elric. Without batting an eye at the fact that Roy had been the only one in the room when he had retired for the night, the young man said, "I just wanted to let you guys know that we have everything all set up, so you can come down whenever you're ready." And with that he ducked out and closed the door with a soft click, opting to give them time for any last minute discussion.

Sitting up and turning to Riza, Roy looked her in the eye murmured, "Are you ready? Honestly?"

Taking his hand in her own once again and intertwining her fingers with his, Riza smiled softly and said, "As long as you're there, I'll always be ready."

"Alright," Edward said to no one in particular as he finished filling in a rune in the small transmutation circle he had sketched on the floor. Sitting back on his heels and taking one last look at it, he noted, "I've double and triple checked and everything seems to be in order. It's only drawn for a small reaction this time, so just keep that in mind when we activate it." Looking up at Roy, who was just putting the final touches on his task, he asked, "Almost done?"

"Just… about," Roy said, still in deep concentration. After dipping the fine-tipped brush into the small bowl of red liquid in his hands, he reached up and dragged it across Riza's cheek, making one final red line on her face.

"And how are you feeling," Edward asked as he eyed her next.

Wrinkling her nose at the scent of the blood, Riza admitted, "A bit gross, but I'll live."

Edward nodded in reply as he looked at Roy's flawless handiwork. Aside from drawing two lines on either one of Riza's cheeks, he had also drawn lines and patterns down her arms and hands; anywhere there was skin exposed. That way, Edward had explained, it would be absorbed into her body.

Taking a step forward, Alphonse confidently said, "I'm ready whenever you are."

Turning to Riza, Roy looked into her eyes and smiled as he reached forward and cupped his hand over hers, taking care not to smudge his work. I'll be right here, he silently conveyed with his expression.

Seeming to understand this, she nodded toward him and smiled lightly. Rotating her head toward Alphonse, she said, "I'm ready."

"Alright," the younger Elric replied as he knelt down in front of her. Clapping his hands together, he pressed one thumb against her forehead and held his fingers beneath her chin. A beat later her body tensed and immediately relaxed.

Reaching out, Roy caught her and slowly lowered her down, resting her in the center of the circle. After surveying her and taking one final look, he reluctantly moved away from the center and toward the array's edge. With his eyes still on her, he murmured, "I'm ready."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alphonse nod toward Edward, who bobbed his head in response. Stepping just beyond the boundaries of the array, the young man clapped his hands and drew them apart, golden discharges of energy dancing between his fingers.

After taking a deep breath, he knelt and slapped his hands down on the array.

With a heavy sigh, Roy slowly opened his eyes, only to be met by darkness.

The first thing he registered was that it was still early based on the lack of light that streamed into the room from beneath the drawn shades.

And the second thing he registered was that there was no pressure against his back.

Frowning slightly, he rolled over and saw that the bedsheets were pulled up to the pillow that was next to his. After staring longingly at it, he decided that it was time to get up. Turning back to his side of the bed, he swung his legs over the edge and planted them on the cold hardwood floor. Pushing himself upward, he shuffled around the bed and made his way out of the bedroom and down the hall.

Turning the corner, he saw that the guest bedroom door was open. Making his way over to it, he leaned against the doorframe and folded his arms across his chest. Only letting the scene before him play out a few seconds longer, he cleared his throat, causing the blonde woman seated in the chair in the room's center to jump slightly.

Looking up to see that it was Roy, she freed one of her hands and pressed her pointer finger to her lips to ask for silence.

Nodding in agreement, he slowly stepped into the room and carefully made his way around the blond-haired toddler that had decided the floor was the optimal place to sleep. Walking behind the chair Riza was seated in, Roy put his hands on her shoulders and leaned forward, planting a gentle kiss on her temple. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he rested his chin atop her head and looked down at the small bundle in her arms. "You know, you should have woken me up when you heard her fussing. It's been my turn since the first night they stayed here with us."

She hummed softly in reply but didn't argue with him. "That's true, but when I hear her I just naturally get up. And when I see you sleeping so soundly, I can't make myself wake you."

"You know you'll have to in the future," he replied matter-of-factly, to which she nodded in agreement.

After letting the silence drag out a little longer, he murmured, "She's a lot bigger than her brother was. Must have gotten it from his mother."

Reaching blindly up, she found his cheek and playfully swatted her hand against his in light reprimance. "Don't say that," she scolded softly as she nodded toward the child on the floor, "What if he had heard?"

"You know his temper isn't as bad as Edward's," Roy quietly pointed out as he eyed the young boy warmly.

"Still," she said with a light chuckle, "You don't want to put anything in his mind at such a young age."

"Alright, alright," Roy agreed with a small smile as he hugged her tighter. "And speaking of Edward, what time are the Elrics coming back?"

"I believe around noon or so," Riza replied as she looked back down at the baby girl in her arms, which had begun to quietly fuss.

Seeing this, Roy released his hug and stepped around the chair and extended his arms toward her. Riza looked down at the child and hesitated, still absorbed in the moment. However, remembering Roy's words, she smiled as she gently handed over the small pink bundle.

Grinning as he looked down into the bundle's bright blue eyes, Roy rocked the baby gently, deciding that he looked forward to the day he would become a father.

Because when that happened, they would be able to live moments like this every day. And for that, he could not wait.

"We really appreciate you guys watching the kids," Winry said as she rocked baby Annalise back and forth in her arms, admiring her cooing child.

"Yeah," Edward agreed. "And I'm assuming it was good practice, right?"

Nodding in reply, Riza said, "They were both very good. We're always happy to watch them." And in response to Edward's question, she smiled knowingly toward him. "Any practice or advice is always appreciated."

"Well, you've got, what, two years or so," he asked as he eyed the Fuhrer and his wife, raising his brow at his own question.

"Give or take," Roy said with a shrug as he reached around Riza and draped his arm over her shoulders, which she accepted by leaning into him.

"I figured you'd be moved up to the front of the adoption list, being the Fuhrer and all," Edward observed.

"You'd think that," Roy agreed, "But I specifically asked that we be treated just as anyone else would. It feels more fated that way."

Riza saw Edward nod in agreement. He and Alphonse, more than anyone, completely understood.

It had taken them nearly two years and fourteen 'treatments' to return her body to normal. Save for the flecks of gold in her sherry eyes, her features had been completely normalized. However, they had all agreed that if children were in the future of the couple, it would be better that they not be biological. Although Riza looked and felt completely normal, they had a fear that some of the genetic particles remained and could be passed on, despite the multitude of treatments they had done.

After their marriage three months ago, the couple decided that they would eventually want a child, even if it wasn't their own. May had eagerly suggested adoption and shortly after that the pieces began to fall into place.

"And Edwin didn't ask too many questions, did he," Edward inquired as he looked down at his son, who was sleeping in his father's lap.

"Not any more than he already does," Riza answered with a smile. "He's a very inquisitive young man... Not too unlike his father."

"Yeah," Edward agreed as he looked down at his sleeping son, "But the question about changing your hair gets old pretty fast."

Chuckling, she shook her head, "Honestly I don't mind. I'm just surprised he still remembers."

The memories in question, they assumed, revolved around her ears throughout the nearly two years of treatments. When the child was old enough, he would take every opportunity he could to grab onto them, soon having them deemed as his favorite playthings. When they had finally disappeared, the first thing the young child would ask her was if she changed her hair, seemingly disappointed in the fact that they were gone.

"Yeah, me too," Edward agreed with a nod. Looking down, he noticed that the young boy began to stir. Looking toward Winry, they exchanged knowing glances and small smiles.

Turning back to Riza and Roy, Edward grinned and said, "Well, we should really get going. We have a long train ride ahead of us."

"Of course," Riza answered as she rose to her feet, which in turn invited them to stand on theirs.

After she and Roy led them to the front door and the family of four stepped out, Edward turned back to them and smiled broadly. "Like we said before, we really appreciate it. If there's anything you ever need," he added, "You're always welcome to call."

"We definitely will," Riza said as she leaned slightly against the doorframe, the corners of her lips turned upward.

At that Edward nodded and raised his free hand to brace Edwin's head against his shoulder, but not before casting one last glance toward Riza as he turned away.

It was a gesture she had become increasingly used to. At first she didn't understand the meaning behind this glance when she received it from either Edward or Alphonse. But after she thought about it, she realized that it wasn't a look of scrutiny or judgment. Rather, it was a subtle look of awe and wonderment.

It made sense knowing the boys' pasts. How hard they had worked to make something like this happen. And now that they made it possible, they couldn't help but admire their handiwork.

The look that she gave either one of them in response, much like the one she did at that moment, silently thanked them, because she truly felt that she could never say it enough. After a final wave from both Edward and Winry, she watched as they departed in the car they had called for.

Closing the front door, Riza turned back to her husband and sighed contently, then walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Resting her head against his shoulder, she felt a smile form on her lips as he returned her embrace, pulling her even closer to himself.

After they remained there for a few minutes, listening only to the sounds of their even breaths, Roy broke the silence as he whispered, "I love you."

"And I love you," Riza answered as Roy loosened his grip on her and took a step back. A bit confused, she watched him longingly as he grinned at her, taking in her every feature in the dimly lit threshold, both flawed and perfect; his obsidian eyes staring deeply into brown. Reaching up, he pushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear as he whispered those words back to her again. Then, cupping her face in his hands, he leaned forward and softly pressed his lips against hers. Riza eagerly matched her force against his, her physicality repeating what he already knew.

…

Leaning back against the bed's headboard, Riza inhaled quietly as she held the sleeping two month old baby in her arms against her chest and shoulder, supporting his black-haired head with her hand. She smiled to herself as she exhaled, happy that both of her boys were finally sleeping.

Glancing to her left, she watched as Roy's side rose and fell, his back to her and the door as it always was.

He was tired; more tired than she had ever seen him. Being the most powerful man in the nation would do that to anyone though. Regardless of his position, however, he always found time for them.

She too was tired but she embraced it, because it was a constant reminder to her what her life has become; how perfect it was. For now she was working from home, tending to their adopted son while trying to keep everything in the Fuhrer's office as in order as she possibly could while not being there.

And when she returned to work in a few months, she imagined that she'd be even more exhausted than before. But in the end, that wouldn't matter. Because right here and right now, everything that had lead up to this moment made it perfect.

As long as she had them, she could overcome any obstacle that stood in her way, whether it be memories of the past or challenges of the present. But for now she closed her eyes and allowed herself to finally breathe and rest.

Because after all, she was only human.

A/N: And that's the end. I really hope that you guys enjoyed it and enjoyed the fact that I used this chapter as a 'snapshots' type of chapter (and didn't think it was as scattered as I thought it was). I had thought about doing some one-shots to detail the events between the beginning of this chapter and the end, but I'm happy with how this turned out. Just assume that there were lots of cuddles and awkward ear stages.

This is officially the end of my second multichapter story and now I don't know what to do with myself XD I might turn a one-shot I just published into a Brotherhood AU story, though I'm starting to think of it on a scale larger than just Royai for it, with probably Parental!RoyEdAl and various pairings. If I do, I'll probably change the name from "Shadows" to "Gravity," with a description like: In an act of desperation after being dealt a fatal blow by Van Hohenheim, Pride makes the fateful choice of latching itself onto the closest vessel it can find. This decision, however, forever changes the fates of those involved, as well as the ultimate outcome of the Promised Day.

Otherwise, I welcome all suggestions or prompts because now that it's summer, I have a lot more time to write!

Anyways, this is getting long. So thank you to all that have favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. I truly couldn't have done it without your support! I truly appreciate it and am incredibly honored that you followed this.

So thank you

-TFaHE