Maes, Glacier and Elisha Hughes, a true-to-life representation of the perfect family, were standing by the door way, looking ahead as Riza Hawkeye, their guest for one day, hailed a taxi cab. Before stepping in, she turned around and faced the hospitable lot who took care of her during her short-lived "vacation".

"Glacier, thank you very much for accepting me into your home."

"You may come back anytime, Riza."

She turned to the little girl and smiled. "Elisha, always be a good girl okay?"

"When are you coming back, Riza-ne-chan?"

She chuckled. "I really don't know… but I'll visit you again, I promise."

"Don't hesitate to call if you're having any more problems with you-know-who." Maes reminded him with a smile.

"Thank you very much sir. And I'm sorry for all the trouble."

He shook his head. "No, it's okay. You're welcome here anytime."

"Thank you, sir."

After a deep bow, she walked to the cab and left. She's nervous about going back to work. In a way, she's not really prepared to act normal with Roy. He's right, it's impossible to be casual when you've just confessed your love the night before. It's unfortunate, though, that they can't go on freely with their feelings like most people. There are rules to follow, senior officers to appease… they need to avoid any serious consequence that might root from every action. But nevertheless, it was comforting to know that the man she deeply cared about loves her just as much.

When the cab stopped in front of Central Office, her heart began hammering violently against her chest. Easy now, she told herself, that man in there loves you.

x0x

"Heyyy, Havoc…" Breda asked, worriedly looking at a very preoccupied Lt. Jean Havoc who had been staring outside the window for nearly an hour. "Heyy!"

"Well," Fuery began, "I don't know if it's just me, but it feels as if everything is getting worse."

"I wonder what's wrong…" Falman mused, watching Breda circle around the chain-smoker like a vulture. "You should stop that, it's annoying."

"Exactly my point, but look at him! Barely moved a muscle. This is amazing guys, try it. Perhaps we can make some money out of this guy… put him in Ripley's Believe It Or Not or something."

"I wonder what happened to Hawkeye…" Fuery mumbled beneath his breath.

x0x

Mustang have paced the hallway several times but still wouldn't get tired of it. He kept moving from his office to the other room which Lt. Fuery and Co. (and Hawkeye during her "transfer") occupied. Still no sign of Hawkeye. Was he tricked again? She promised to go back to work, but it's almost lunchtime and she's yet to be seen.

Hawkeye took another glance from the corner of the hallway and swallowed every urge to laugh. She watched the colonel march back and forth near her previous workplace, scratching his head every now and then in absolute irritation. He's waiting for me, she thought with a suppressed giggle. He's actually waiting for me!

Pressing her back against the wall, she gave herself a moment to savor the uplifting thought before assuming the icy demeanor she was known for. Walking toward the colonel, she gave a salute and shouted, "1st Lt. Riza Hawkeye reporting for duty, sir."

Her voice was loud enough to startle the colonel, two 2nd lieutenants, one sergeant major and one warrant officer.

Roy and Riza silently stared at each other for a minute or two, while Fuery and the gang (excluding Havoc) watched in bewilderment. Havoc was staring, too, but not at the entire scene. His eyes were glued to the lieutenant, barely noticing the cigarette which had long slid off from his lips.

"You're late!" Mustang said, finally getting a grip on his senses.

"I'm sorry sir."

He frowned. "I'd like to have a word with you inside my office."

The man who looked like a strict, irritated colonel walked to the said office, and the woman who looked like a brave, I-don't-take-crap lieutenant followed him. When the door had closed, Fuery and Co. (again, excluding Havoc) unanimously let out a sigh of relief.

"What was that?!" Falman mumbled.

"I'm not really sure…" Breda answered.

"Well at least Havoc here is back to his senses..." Fuery turned to Havoc, whose face was all red. It's quite noticeable, also, that his mouth was left gaping at the scene they had just encountered. "Havoc… are you alright?"

Breda knocked on his forehead, as if knocking on a door. "Hey, have you lost your mind or something?"

Havoc blinked and started his way back into their office. Breda's eyes narrowed into slits as he eyed the lieutenant with suspicion.

"I think I know what's up with that guy."

Fuery and Falman gathered up in front of him. "You do?"

Breda was sporting a mischievous grin when he said, "I think he has the hots for Lt. Frigid."

Fuery and Falman gasped in shock. Havoc rushed back to their side, forcing them to keep quiet, while Breda hooted and jeered at the pathetically infatuated 2nd lieutenant.

x0x

Meanwhile, inside the colonel's office, Roy and Riza took advantage of the privacy by sharing their first, real kiss.

x0x

EPILOGUE

The colonel stormed into Central Office with a serious look on his face. His heavy footsteps caught every attention… including Hawkeye's, who came to work earlier that usual. She turned to Hughes, who had been trailing behind Mustang, for answers but she merely got a shrug.

"Sir?" Hawkeye asked.

Mustang plopped himself into the chair behind his desk, sunk himself deeper into it and closed his eyes.

Hughes handed her a folder and begged her to look into it. She did just that, and was shocked. Inside the folder were pictures of her and the colonel in formal clothes, chatting over a candle-lit dinner. The picture would've been harmless, except for their linked hands resting on top of the table.

"This will make a big fuss in the higher ups." Hughes mused.

Mustang suddenly woke up from his horrifying reverie and snatched the folder from Hawkeye. He grabbed one picture and pressed it against Hughes face. "Look at this," he pointed at his face, "I don't look like that. Look at that dark spot over there. That, my friend is a mole!" He forced the poor man to look at his face and pointed at his own nose. "Look at that, do you see any mole? Do you?!"

Hughes was too stunned to speak.

"And look at that." He again turned his attention to the picture and pointed at what seemed like a woman's chest." Look at those pair of cup A's. Do they look like Riza's breasts to you?"

Riza jumped at the mention of her breasts. "Roy!"

Mustang stood up and turned to her. "Look at the picture, your breast is too small!"

"Stop talking about my breasts!" she snarled.

Hughes stepped in between the two before things get any worse. "Easy... easy…" He said to both soldiers. "I just want you to see the pictures… plus, I'd like to know if it is you."

Mustang doesn't seem to be interested in answering the question so he turned to Hawkeye instead. She first glanced at Mustang, who rolled his eyes in return, and then nodded. "Yes. That was our first date."

"Well, that's all I wanted to know." Hughes said with a shrug. "Now I can cover up for you guys."

"You'll do that?" Riza asked.

"Why not? I played a huge part in this mess, remember? If any of you gets the beating, I get a beating, too."

"We owe you a lot, Maes." Roy said. Hughes dismissed the drama with a hand. "That's nothing. Although…" He leaned closer to the colonel and whispered. "I sure would love to see you marry the lass."

Riza eyed the two whispering guys with suspicion. "Ehem!"

Hughes straightened himself and gave a salute. "Oh well, I should be going now…" he said. "Take care of yourself, okay… and do me a favor… the next time you decide to go on a date, pick a place with more privacy."

There was a devilish smile on Mustang's face. Whatever the joke was, Riza totally missed it. "We will, sir."

Hughes laughed. "Now that's a good girl! I wish Glacier was that obedient…"

Riza frowned upon realizing the other meaning in Hughes' favor. "Lt. Col. Hughes!!"

He let out a loud, hearty laugh. "Just kidding, Lt. Hawkeye…"

When the jolly Lieutenant-Colonel had left, Roy said in a sing-song voice, "We're-all-alone-again…"

Such a baby! Riza rolled her eyes. "You have a lot to do today, sir. It seems all the papers have been neglected during my transfer."

Mustang's shoulders sagged. "Not again…"

Hawkeye shot him a hard look which was more than enough to force him into submission.

x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x0x

I combined the last two chapters since they were too short (and it's pretty useless to keep you hanging since the story is over, anyway). I'd like to thank all the wonderful people who posted their comments, reviews, reactions and yes, even praises. I'm glad you enjoyed reading as much as I did in writing it.

Again, I extend my deepest gratitude to:

Kasumiryumizu

Red's 21st

Unknowncat

Devatron2000

AngelIvey22

winglessfairy25 (thanks for the help)

And to all readers who followed this until the very end… Arigato gozaimasu.