Chapter Seven

Riza stared up at the stairs leading to the Central headquarters with a firm glare. It had been six months since the accident that had left her wheelchair bound while she went through rigorous rehab. All the while, as he'd promised Roy stayed by her side as much as he could considering their situation. He spent quite a bit of time with her at her apartment and on days he didn't, Riza called Rebecca so as not to look too suspicious. Fuery came by regularly to walk Hayate when Roy wasn't at her place either. It warmed Riza's heart to see her beloved dog get close to Roy as the little dog seemed to realize something had changed.

This was her first day without the wheelchair or crutches as she'd been given the all clear from her doctor and she was determined not to let the stairs defeat her. Slowly yet steadily she made her way up the stairs and heaved a great sigh when she reached the top. A triumphant smile graced her face as she headed towards her office. When she opened the door a series of applause and cheers greeted her as her entire team plus Rebecca Catalina greeted her. Riza covered her face in unnatural embarrassment as Rebecca encircled her friend in a tight hug.

"You did it Riza! I knew you could," She exclaimed as she released her friend. "Don't think this means our girl nights are over though. I know you're surrounded by all these manly men all the time, but you need girlfriends too."

"I promise," Riza pulled her friend back into a tight hug. "Thanks for everything Rebecca."

Roy stood back and watched Riza happily greet Rebecca and their team. A smile was permanently etched to her face as each person hugged and greeted her. When he was the last person, she briefly graced him with the smile she only gave him in private before schooling her features.

"Welcome back Captain," He said with a smile.

"Thank you, sir," She replied with a narrowing of her eyes. "Are you behind on that stack back there?"

Roy chuckled as he turned to glance back at the stack of papers Falman had brought earlier. "As a matter of fact I am. I'm sure you'll get me in line in no time."

Riza just replied with a humming noise as she walked to her desk to settle in for her first day back. Rebecca glanced curiously at Havoc at the exchange between her best friend and her superior. Havoc tilted his head to acknowledge that he'd noticed it too.

"I'll walk you back, Rebecca," Havoc offered and the duo left the office with a wave. As soon as they were far enough away he turned to Rebecca with a giddy expression. "Ok, what the hell was that? You noticed that too right? Did my eyes deceive me or were they flirting?"

"They were definitely flirting," Rebecca narrowed her eyes in thought. "She's never ever mentioned this. I mean I suppose I understand why, but still. I'm her best friend."

"I wouldn't read too much into it," Havoc ran a hand across her back in comfort. "I've known them both a long time and despite everything we've all been through together there's still things they keep just between the two of them. Come to think of it, they've been acting different for a while now."

"Ever since they went to Resembool," Rebecca agreed with a glance up at him. "I definitely noticed it too, but I just thought they'd needed to get away for a bit. The only vacation she gets is when she gets injured."

"That's the truth," Havoc agreed. He opened the door to her office for her and smiled down at her. "I'll keep an eye on them and will let you know if I get any further confirmation."

"Thanks, Jean," Rebecca replied with a smile.

Havoc returned to his own office as his own heart fluttered a bit in his chest. Perhaps he needed to consider asking Rebecca out. Back in his own office the team was quietly working away as was custom when Riza was around. She glanced up at him with a soft smile then went back to her work. About an hour later, Roy came out of his office with a few files tucked under his arm. Riza immediately started to rise, but Roy shook his head before she could.

"Apparently the Fuhrer just wants to see me today for some reason," He reached and gently gripped her shoulder before heading for the door. "Be good while I'm gone boys."

A chorus of replies answered him as he headed down the hall towards the Fuhrer's office. Roy wasn't sure why he was heading toward this meeting alone. It was a normal occurrence, even expected, that Riza accompanied him. The Fuhrer knew she'd returned today. He was her Grandfather after all. Roy was lost in thought as he opened the outer door to the Fuhrer's office and was surprised to see his office door open and his secretary no where in sight.

"Come on in, Roy," Fuhrer Grumman called from his office. "Abigail is out on an errand for me."

"Of course. Good morning, sir," Roy said as he set the folders down and reached out to grip the outstretched hand offered to him.

"It is indeed a good morning isn't it? The sun is shining, Riza's back again," Fuhrer Grumman replied with what looked like a knowing smirk. "I'm sure that's good news for you and your team."

"It certainly is. She always keeps us all in line," Roy replied with a smirk.

"That she does. Well, shall we start with the final report of the building collapse?" Fuhrer Grumman asked to get the meeting started.

They worked diligently for close to two hours moving through each topic thoroughly. Roy placed the last folder on top of the short stack that sat in the chair next to him in front of the Fuhrer's desk and prepared to rise. The look on Grumman's face had him sitting back down with a question in his eyes.

"Was there something else, sir?" Roy asked with an uneasy timber.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. I wanted to get your opinion on something," Grumman leaned back in the chair and narrowed his eyes at Roy. "What are your thoughts on the Anti-Fraternization law?"

Roy's heart thudded in his chest. There was no way they'd been caught had they? Grumman wore an expression that Roy couldn't interpret, but he didn't think it was disappointment or anything leading him to believe he knew. No wonder he hadn't wanted Riza to join in on this meeting. Grumman had wanted to ambush him. This was dangerous territory and he wasn't entirely sure how he was supposed to answer. But after a few minutes of thought he decided to go with the truth.

"Honestly? I think it's a bit of an archaic law," Roy replied to the still stoic Fuhrer. "We put these soldiers through an awful lot. Especially those of us who were involved in Ishval and with the whole Father situation. Not all of us can find a civilian like Maes Hughes did that understands and loves us no matter what. That's there no matter what and at any time. That'll pick us up off the floor time and time again. Sometimes that person is another solider and I honestly think it's wrong to deprive them of having that. At the end of the day, I think it just makes for burned out and impassionate soldiers."

Silence greeted him from across the desk and for a brief moment Roy panicked. Had he said too much? Had he shown his hand when he honestly hadn't meant to? Suddenly, a smile turned up the corners of Fuhrer Grumman's mouth and he leaned forward to place his elbows on the desk with his hands grasped together.

"I'm glad you think that, Roy. Because I couldn't agree more," He smiled at the man he'd come to think of as more than just a fellow officer and his future successor. "Abigail wasn't here when you arrived because she was out distributing a memo. I kept the ones for your team here with me."

"Sir?" Roy asked confusedly when the Fuhrer said nothing further.

"I'm getting rid of the law, Roy," Fuhrer Grumman gently replied. "I still have a few conditions. Orders are still orders and must be followed even if it puts a romantic partner at risk. And if civilians are in danger, they and handling the crisis at hand come first. Just as you demonstrated when Riza was injured in the building collapse."

Roy sat stunned as his words sank in. He'd known. Roy tried to think back to their entire time together, but couldn't pinpoint a single time when they'd been watched or even had the slightest hint of having been caught. Looking back up, the Fuhrer was watching him with such a kind and open smile that it honestly no longer mattered.

"I wasn't entirely sure, but I had my suspicions," Grumman replied to the unasked question in Roy's eyes. "Was I wrong?"

"No, no you're not," Roy replied with a sigh. He smiled as he thought of Riza unknowingly working away when everything was about to change. "We've known each other for a very long time. I've loved her a long time."

"Well, now there's nothing in your way. So, take these memos to your team and make my granddaughter happy," He handed Roy the stack of memos then held his hand out.

"I will, sir," Roy gripped the Fuhrer's outstretched hand and beamed as the reality of the situation started to hit him. "And thank you. Truly."

The door to the office closed behind him and a smirking Abigail subtly tried to ignore the giddy expression on Roy's face. With a happy laugh, completely oblivious to the secretary's presence, Roy took off from the office at a run to change his life for the better.