Author's Note: I do not own FMA or its characters. This is AU. This story has already been posted within An Apple a Day.

Caught in the Rain

It was a fluke really. He didn't realize what he had until he'd developed the film. They'd been walking down the same street, but she hadn't really registered in his mind. He'd been snapping various shots. He remembered that she'd strayed into one of the shots, but he really hadn't thought about it at the time. He was too absorbed in his work at that point. Or at least his misery about his work.

He wasn't happy, not with his personal life and not with his work. He was a good photographer. His employers never complained. But lately, he just couldn't find that spark that grabbed the viewer in his work. Oh, they were good photos, but that was all they were.

Roy had been in the dark room when he discovered it. He'd been taking down the newly developed film and had stumbled across it. The shot was of a young woman dressed in a raincoat and carrying one of those clear plastic umbrellas. She was pretty enough, not stunning, but she had a nice face. What really caught him about the photo was her eyes. They were an odd color, dark amber with hints of a reddish tone; he wasn't sure what he'd call it. That just added to the effect. Her eyes were a little sad, a little wistful. Combined with the rest of her expression, they made certain you knew this woman was lonely. In fact, she looked as lonely as he felt.

It wasn't that he couldn't find companionship; it was the fact that despite all the girls he'd dated, he'd yet to find a real partner among them. His best friend was married and now expecting his first child, and Roy wanted what Maes had with Gracia, a true partnership. Between that and his dissatisfaction with his work lately he had been feeling pretty miserable lately. But the photo was proof that he still could capture emotion with his camera as well as just the picture.

He made prints of it, and the original went into a silver frame that he kept on his table in the living room. It didn't take long for Maes to call him on it.

"Okay, who is she and why do you have her picture? You never keep pictures of your girlfriends around."

"I don't know who she is. I took that two weeks ago. She's amazing, isn't she? You can just tell she's lonely."

Maes was looking at him oddly. "Roy, if I didn't know better, I'd say you'd fallen in love with a photograph."

He laughed. "I'm not in love with her. That's the best photo I've taken this year though. I would like to meet her one day. She chose the perfect moment to get caught in the rain."

His friend just shook his head. "Roy, if you ever meet this girl, I guarantee you'll end up married to her. You're acting like it."

"Maes, you're crazy."

Theme: Photo/ Precious Junk