As the flames begin to grow, Riza watches Roy smile in satisfaction and return to her from the fireplace. Her apartment is now filled with a orangey glow that paints glares on the windows and warms up her freezing extremities. Even beneath a blanket, and clad in the fuzziest socks she could find, she was still shivering. Luckily for her, a certain Flame Alchemist had decided to stay the night.

Roy settles in beside her, putting an arm behind her head. She leans into him, and sighs contentedly as his warmth seeps into her veins, defrosting her fingers and toes. Riza knows that nights like these are extremely dangerous, and that they are risking everything by staying with one another, but she does not care. Despite the apprehension that seems to lurk in her peripherals, she does her best to relax and enjoy the time she gets to spend with Roy.

"Roy," she starts, "how do you ignore that constant feeling of danger whenever we're together like this?"

Next to her, he stiffens, surprised. "Well, I suppose I just… look forward to the future," he begins hesitantly. "Our future, in particular. It's silly, but part of me still hopes that the anti-fraternization laws will be abolished, or even just amended one day." He pauses, and she knows he is waiting for her reaction and crafting his responses carefully. It's not like they hadn't ever talked about it before, but Riza was surprised he was bringing it up now; it had been a while. Just as when they were young, their relationship was no question. It was obvious what they meant to each other, and neither of them ever felt the need to restate that. For them, the anti-fraternization laws had always been warning fires that they constantly fanned. They had grown used to it, but part of them always felt like every meeting would ignite an uncontrollable blaze that neither of them would be able to extinguish. One day they were going to get caught, and even the renowned Flame Alchemist would not be able to control the resulting inferno.

Riza considers all of this for a moment, until she feels Roy's growing nervousness at waiting for her response. "I suppose that works," she says. "But, Roy, it's a very large possibility that those laws will never be changed. What then? Do we go on skirting around the inevitable for the rest of our lives?" She hates herself for the disappointment she's causing him, but then again, she's always been the more realistic of the two.

"I know you're right, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," Roy replies, snuggling closer to her. "Let's just… forget about all of that for right now. Right now it's just you and me. No laws. No military. Just the two of us." She's so tempted to let his words win her over and surrender to the alternate reality he is creating for them. Is this a game I want to play? she thinks as he wraps his arms around her.

Riza considers her options. Then, "Believe me, Roy, I want nothing more than to just relax and be with you, but… I really think we should consider this seriously." She hates shooting him down like this, but it has to be done. Roy is the smartest man she knows, but even he falls to his own faults.

Roy sighs and unravels himself from her to face her on the couch. She turns to him, drawing her legs in to sit criss-cross style. He takes her hands in his, and presses her knuckles to his lips, warming her fingers instantly. In that moment all she wants to do is surrender all her fears and just be with him, but they could not keep ignoring this conversation any longer. "Scenario one," she begins. "The anti-fraternization laws continue to be in existence for the rest of our careers, and we can't marry until we retire. Which isn't likely to be anytime soon if you become Fuhrer." Saying the word 'marry' makes Riza's heart clench painfully; she had never fully admitted it to herself but that was all she wanted for the two of them. For so long she had gotten by on the notion that they already acted like they were married when they were alone, but getting to act like that all the time would be incredibly liberating.

"Scenario two: the laws are abolished or amended and we can marry as soon as we like, but it hinders your path to become Fuhrer." When he opens his mouth to protest, she continues. "I know that you would try your hardest to balance everything, but it just wouldn't be possible. Especially if…" At her next thought, her cheeks turn red. As a child she had never considered having children of her own, but now that it was a very real possibility for her future, she had been thinking about it more and more. "Especially if we start a family."

What Roy does next stuns her. He looks startled, and considers this for a moment. Then, "Riza, I…" He pauses. "You would still want a family with me? After everything we've done? After everything I've done?" His voice is small, and it takes all of her willpower to keep her eyes from stinging. Instead, she removes her hands from his, and places them on either side of his face.

"Roy." Her voice is firm, unyielding. "Yes. You know as well as I do that we only did those things because we had to. We can't change what we did." She swallows. Usually Roy was the one doing the comforting; this role reversal was nerve wracking for her. "We've been fighting to rectify our mistakes for so long now. Don't you think it's time for something good to happen?" In that moment she understands exactly what Roy is feeling. That's the whole point of what he's saying, she realizes. For a moment she feels ridiculous, and even angry that she didn't immediately understand, but she brushes it away.

"Looks like you've caught on," Roy says, a smile beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth. His fingers ghost along hers, and then slowly remove them from his face. Twining his fingers through hers, he continues. "That's exactly what I'm saying, Riza."

"Ah," she replies. "I'm sorry I didn't understand. I assumed I would, just because of how long we've been together." A brief flash of shame makes its way through her, but she banishes it as quickly as she can.

The laugh she knows and loves rolls from his mouth, and she smiles. "It's all right, Riza."

She cuddles back into him, leaning forwards so that she lays next to him with her head on his chest. Riza knows that they are back to fanning the flames, but for now, she does not care. For now, it's just the two of them. No laws. No military. Just a woman in the fuzziest socks she could find resting in the arms of the man she loves more than anything.

A/N: Leave a review! :)