Author's Note: Woo boy, I'm back with another fic.

This one was actually inspired by a dream I had (It was one of those dreams where I woke up then tried to fall back asleep and recreate it xD). Since it was a spoopy time of year too, Halloween also inspired me to take this fic further, so here we are!

I am really excited by this because this idea has been lingering in my mind for about a year, but I had no real way to go about it and turn it into a decent story.

I hope you all enjoy!

"Do we really have to hang around here and wait for this asshole?" Rebecca Catalina asked. She ran her hands through her brown hair, tossing it to the side in an effort to remove it from the front of her face. She was exasperated, Riza could tell. It was understandable, Riza felt the same way. But she had a duty to fulfil.

Riza bent down to tie her shoelace, giving them both some time to rest. She had noticed it had come undone a few minutes ago, but made no move to tie it. She simply couldn't be bothered. But she had tripped so many times now it had become extremely irritating.

Rebecca flopped down onto the forest floor next to her. She stretched out, lying back on the pine needles.

"I mean, I get it. I know why we're doing it. But he's such a dick."

Riza snorted in amusement. "You're right there," she mumbled, joining her friend to lie on the ground. Gazing up through the trees was a beautiful sight. It was late afternoon, the sun was beginning to set, casting a golden glow through the canopy above. The forest was illuminated in colour. It was autumn now, Riza's favourite month. The golden brown leaves on the oak trees surrounding them fell silently in the gentle breeze. Pine needles swirled around them on the ground, shifting in the wind. The scent of the forest was strong. Riza took a deep breath, taking it in, and smiled.

"God, I love the smell of the forest," Rebecca remarked, as if reading Riza's mind.

The latter smiled. "I was just about to say the same thing."

"If I could move out here full time I would. Could you imagine the snow in the winter?" A contented sigh left the brunette.

"Why don't you?" Riza asked, turning to face her friend. She studied her carefully, awaiting her answer. As Rebecca contemplated Riza's question, her gaze flittered through the leaves above them.

Rebecca was older than Riza by two years. They had met when they were children, having lived in the same neighbourhood. Riza would take long walks in the summer to try and escape the oppressive walls of her own home. Her father was a tutor and would often forget about Riza and concentrate on his students. He was strict, both as a father and a teacher, expecting nothing less than perfection.

One afternoon, when things had gotten too much for her, Riza had left the house and ran to a spot in the park nearby which was secluded. It was hidden through the trees, buried away where no one would ever find her, unless they came looking. And Rebecca did.

Riza knew Rebecca's reputation from school. She would always help those who had been bullied, often standing up to the bullies herself. She was fearless, and Riza admired that. She had always wished she could do the same to her father.

"Hello? Is someone there?" Rebecca called softly into the overgrown vegetation.

Riza jumped, not expecting anyone to have followed her. Gasping, she held her breath and wiped away her tears, hoping she would go away.

There was silence for a few moments, before branches shifted and someone approached her hiding spot. Riza's heart quickened, desperately looking for somewhere to run to and hide.

"There you are." Rebecca offered a warm smile. It was too late now. Pushing aside the last of the branches, Rebecca crouched in the grass in front of Riza. "My name is Rebecca, but you can call me Becca if you want." Her grin was almost infectious. "What's your name?"

"Riza," she replied in a whisper.

"Nice to meet you Riza. You look upset, is something wrong?"

Riza shook her head a little too quickly. Rebecca raised an eyebrow, easily being able to tell something was off. But she didn't push it.

"Well if you ever want to talk about it, let me know. For now, I'll keep you company."

Riza didn't particularly want the company, however she found herself enjoying the fact that someone had cared enough to follow after her and see what was wrong. Rebecca nattered away to fill the silence, chatting about school and the teachers she liked. Riza found herself enjoying the brunette's company very much.

Every time Rebecca saw Riza at school after that, she would always give Riza and smile and a wave. She never pushed about what had upset her, and Riza appreciated that. She knew the story now, and the two had quickly become friends.

"I don't know," Rebecca shrugged. "We never seem to settle long enough in one place. Theirs is always something happening," she grinned.

Riza snorted again. "Sorry about that, Becca."

The brunette, shrugged again and sat up. "Hey, it's not your fault. If I didn't want to, I wouldn't tag along. Yet here I am."

Riza sat up, shaking pine needles out of her blonde hair. She pulled her ponytail out, letting her hair spill over her shoulder. It caught the sunlight, turning it golden. Rebecca followed suit, removing the sharp leaves from her hair.

Returning her hair to its former tied up state, Riza thanked Rebecca. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me too. If I wasn't, I don't think I'd ever see you," Rebecca teased, nudging Riza's leg softly with the toe of her shoe.

The duo stood and continued their walk. A few metres down the path they came to a break in the trees. They stood at the edge of the cliff, admiring the view before them. The forest opened up to a small viewpoint, overlooking the lake below. The sun caught the water as it rippled in the breeze, shining brightly. They watched as the trees swayed in the breeze on the other side of the lake, mixing browns, golds, and greens together.

The wind was stronger now they were out of the cover of the trees. It whipped at their hair and t-shirts. Rebecca huffed in annoyance as it threw her hair over her face. Disgruntled, she tied it back loosely. Although it was autumn and there was a chill in the wind, both Riza and Rebecca didn't feel it. They were never bothered by the cold much nowadays anyway.

"Some view, huh," Riza commented. It really was gorgeous. They pair hadn't been staying here for long. Riza couldn't get over the beauty of it. Now that she had arrived, she didn't want to leave. The forest truly was her home. But she knew that their visit wouldn't last long. The pair of them would be on their way again in a few months, even weeks.

"It's more than "some view", it's gorgeous. It makes me want to stay," Rebecca added wistfully.

Riza shot her an apologetic smile. "I know."

"Anyway," Rebecca announced, changing the subject. "What are we going to do about our latest pain the ass?"

Riza chuckled, turning from the view and heading back down the path. "I honestly don't know how to approach this, Becca."

"What? You mean you don't know how to approach someone and flip their world upside down?" Rebecca asked teasingly. She grinned and nudged Riza with her elbow. "Neither do I, Riz. How about you just knock on the door, deliver the info, then book it out of there and leave him to deal with it himself?"

Riza shot her a look.

Rebecca shrugged. "Worth a shot."

"I wish it were that simple…" Riza sighed. She felt truly lost in how to deal with her latest situation. Luckily, Rebecca was there for support, both moral and general. Riza didn't think she would be out here if Rebecca hadn't come along.

"Hey," Rebecca soothed, noticing the change in Riza's mood. "We'll figure it out. We always do," she smiled. Riza remained silent, but was thankful for the support. She racked her brain for an idea, for anything that would help her, but came up blank. "Let us both sleep on it," Rebecca suggested as they reached the edge of the trees. Their small cabin was about a mile away now.

"We just spent a whole day walking in the woods trying to clear our heads and come up with a plan," Riza reminded her. "We've come up with nothing." Rebecca sighed. Riza didn't know if it was in defeat or frustration. Probably a bit of both.

The duo had been so lost in thought that they didn't hear the approach of two other people.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" A male voice asked, very rudely, from her left.

Raising both eyebrows at the tone of voice, Riza turned to face the newcomers.

Forgetting her spike of anger at being spoken to so rudely, she felt the blood drain from her face. She hadn't expected to see him so soon. She had made sure they had both been careful, that they hadn't been seen when moving about the forest. But now she had blown it.

"Well?" Roy Mustang asked impatiently.

Riza took in his features. His face was the same as she remembered from her childhood. He hadn't changed a bit. Well, she thought, except from his horrible attitude. His black hair was still spiky, but in less of a goofy way. His dark eyes flashed in irritation. They held no recognition for who she was. She relaxed slightly. At first, Riza had been hopeful Roy wouldn't recognise her. It had been ten years since they had last seen each other. She had news to deliver to him that wouldn't be easy to pass on. It would be better, she thought, if he didn't know who she was.

Rebecca had met with him at a function at his home earlier on in the week to scout out what he was really like nowadays. Roy was completely self-absorbed, spoilt, and barely spared her a glance. Even when Rebecca had tried to strike up a friendly conversation with him, he looked down on her and dismissed Rebecca without a second thought. But Rebecca had stayed nearby, listening in on conversations for anything important. It was safe to say Rebecca didn't like him.

The brunette recovered first. "Excuse me?" she asked incredulously.

"I asked you who you were. I'm waiting on an answer."

Wow, what an asshole, Riza thought to herself. She already knew this was the case, but hadn't come face to face with him beforehand. Rebecca had, not that Roy would have noticed or remembered.

"And why do we have to answer to you?"

"Dude, come on," his friend urged. "Leave it alone." Riza quickly looked him over. His dark hair had been spiked up at the front, with one errant piece of hair disobeying the gel holding it up. He had stubble and his glasses caught the afternoon sun as it had begun to set, momentarily blinding Riza. She blinked the light away, removing her gaze from him.

"No, this is private property and you are trespassing." His face was smug. I wanna punch it.

Roy's friend sighed beside him, spinning his tennis racket absentmindedly as he waited for the interaction to be over. He was clearly used to this kind of thing happening.

"Really?" Rebecca asked, mock fear in her voice. She turned to face Riza and the blonde had to do everything in her power not to burst out laughing at her fake expression. "We better run back to the house we have rented then. Do you know which one it is?" She returned her attention to the two men. "The one next to the old barn?"

The smug look dropped from Roy's face and was replaced with a scowl. "How come I haven't seen you before then?"

"Do you like to creep on everyone who rents out the houses on your aunt's estate?"

Riza couldn't help it. She snorted so loudly it hurt her nose. "I'm sorry," she giggled to Rebecca, attempting to get herself under control. It was a struggle. But it was so satisfying to see Roy's face turn a light shade of pink in humiliation. About time he got taken down a peg or two.

What was funnier was he opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out. He floundered for a few moments before glaring at them both instead as Riza continued to laugh quietly.

"That was funny Bec," Riza congratulated, finally getting herself under some kind of control.

"Thanks, I was pretty proud of it," she grinned.

"Whatever," Roy huffed, folding his arms. "Don't be causing any trouble around here," he warned. "Or my Aunt will hear of it and you will both be out of here so fast –"

"Yeah, yeah," Riza turned waving his pathetic warning off. "You do that champ." Riza didn't need to turn around to tell his mouth was hanging open. It must have been because he had no reply.

"Adios," Rebecca announced, bidding them both farewell before jogging to catch up with Riza.

They could hear Roy muttering to himself in anger as they walked away. Something along the lines of "idiots", "weirdos", and "who wears just a t-shirt in October?" It was all very childish and it entertained them both greatly.

"You all right man?" Roy's friend asked after a few moments. Riza could hear the amused inflection in his voice.

"Yes," he snapped before stomping away back to the main house.

Riza giggled to herself again. "That was brilliant Becca. Totally caught me off guard."

"I figured it was about time Roy was taken down a peg or two. He is so stuck up and spoilt it is insufferable."

"I thought you might have been over exaggerating slightly when you told me what he was like, but woo boy, you really weren't kidding."

"Put it this way, I was in his company for a solid…" Rebecca thought to herself for a moment. "… Hour? He didn't even recognise me today."

"And how long ago was that, pray tell?"

"Two days ago."

"Yikes."

"Yikes indeed," Rebecca agreed. She raised her arms above her head, bending slightly to each side to stretch off after their long walk. "It was a good idea to see what he was like before we properly interacted with him. I mean, he dismissed me completely because I wasn't someone important, but listening to him being so smarmy and braggy… It took every ounce of my being not to turn on my heel and leave." The brunette looked pointedly at her friend. "You owe me for that. That was an hour of my life I will never get back."

"All right, all right, I owe you," Riza grinned in amusement. "The only reason I sent you was because I thought he might recognise me. I see now there is no chance in hell that he would."

"That man's head is so far up his ass it's a wonder he can see where he is going."

Riza laughed loudly. Becca always has a way with descriptions, she thought as she giggled.

They pair arrived at the cabin, discarding their shoes at the front door. The place was small, but very cosy. The wood fire sat in the centre of the main room, with bay windows surrounding the entirety of the front of the house. They had a lovely view of the forest stretching out in front of them. Riza had wondered what that view would have looked like in the winter, when the snow was fresh on the ground and the forest was quiet. She desperately wished they would still be here in time to witness it.

The kitchen sat to the left of the main room. It was open plan, which they both liked, because when they took turns cooking meals, one could relax on the couch while the other worked and still have a conversation.

Branching off from the main room were two bedrooms, one for each of them. Both bedrooms were small, but they were perfect in size. Both women were never ones for luxury. Convenience was more important. Riza would rather have something small and cosy, rather than large and empty.

"Do you want the fire on?" Riza asked Becca as she headed straight for the bathroom, which sat off the main entryway. Earlier on their walk Rebecca had called shotgun on the bath. Again, it was small, but housed a large bathtub with a built in shower. It had a tub, so Rebecca was happy.

"Yeah, why not," Rebecca called before re-entering the main room. "It reminds me of winters when I was young." She trailed off, her voice wistful as she returned to the bathroom.

Riza hummed in agreement. Although the cold didn't really bother them, they were still a sucker for the warmth. Rebecca loved her hot baths, while Riza loved lounging in front of the fire with a good book.

Riza flopped down heavily on the couch in front of the fire, closing her eyes. She let the fatigue from their walk today wash over her body, relishing in the ache it brought. They had worked hard today. The fire slowly built in the room, turning the darkened room orange. Riza let the colour dance over her eyelids as she rested. She wasn't tired, but it felt nice to relax for once.

"You asleep?" Rebecca asked, returning to the living room. Her wet hair was tied up in a bun and she had her pyjamas on already.

"No, just resting," Riza replied, not opening her eyes.

"Well you can rest after you have had a shower. You're getting pine needles all over the cushions." Rebecca left Riza frowning to go and make dinner for them both. She didn't want to move. She was too comfortable.

Riza dragged herself off the couch and into the bathroom. She quickly showered and joined Becca again in the living room in her pyjamas. Rebecca wordlessly handed her a glass of wine, which she accepted gratefully. The brunette sipped on her own wine as she stirred the sauce they would be having for dinner.

"That smells delicious," Riza remarked, turning the hue lighting to orange so it matched the fire. Rebecca had only turned the lights on in the kitchen, but it was harsh compared to the orange glow the fire had given off.

The small cabin was very modern, surprisingly. It hadn't been what the pair had been expecting when they had been shown the property. They had fell in love with the place immediately.

"Bolognese a la Catalina," Rebecca announced, dishing up spaghetti with a flourish. She poured the sauce on top and added two slices of garlic bread atop the mountain of food. Riza grinned and thanked her. However, she turned her nose up as she caught a whiff of the amount of garlic. She raised the piece of bread critically, eyeing the spread. It was caked in garlic butter. The smell was so off putting it almost made Riza gag. She like garlic, but the amount Rebecca always had was almost sickening.

"Becca, there is enough garlic on here to kill a vampire," Riza joked. Raising an eyebrow at the brunette, she watched amused as Rebecca's gaze flickered between her bread and Riza's.

"Ah!" Picking up the two slices of bread on her plate, Rebecca switched the bread around, plucking the other piece out of Riza's grasp. "Wrong bowl."

Picking up her new food item, Riza studied it. "See now, this is an acceptable amount of garlic butter."

Rebecca shrugged. "It will keep the vampires away," Rebecca grinned, wolfing down her food.

Riza shook her head and ate her own, only now realising how hungry she was.