Embers And Envelopes

** Chapter 9: Rush ** Riza woke in the arms of her Colonel. Now, that's not to say that wasn't a nice place to wake up. Just unexpected. It also wasn't the place she remembered falling asleep in. Her survival instincts kicked in, and she woke without fully opening her eyes. Riza felt hands gently petting her long hair, and the feel of a body supporting her. She vaguely remembered a bath, Havoc, and a doorbell ringing... Shit. Havoc. Judging by the light streaming in the window, it was morning, and he must have left hours ago. She shifted slightly in her position, getting a grip on her surroundings. After a moment, she fully opened her eyes and found inky black pools looking back at her. "Hi," he said softly. Riza found herself upright in his arms, her legs over his thighs and his arm around her back, holding her against his chest almost as one would hold a child. Her long hair was down and her robe was tucked neatly around her, and she suspected it was his handiwork. "I woke up in the night and moved you around," he remarked after a moment. "You seemed uncomfortable against the wall and it was my turn to hold you." He leaned down and brushed his lips over hers, murmuring. "You look so beautiful when you sleep..." At the touch of his lips, Riza froze. Dear God, why couldn't he just quit? But part of her was leaning towards him, begging her to kiss him... "Stop," she said, quietly but firmly as she pulled away. "You know this isn't right." Roy allowed his head to fall back, holding her tighter against him. "I know, Riza! I know, I know!" His voice turned helpful. "Leave Havoc, come back to me. You could if you wanted to. You could come with me, move in with me, live with me, leave the Military and marry me -" At once, Riza pushed him away. Hard. "How dare you insinuate such things!" she hissed angrily "What makes you think I want to marry you? Marry anyone? And leave the Military! I've worked for years to get where I am now-" "And you could marry the Fuhrer and make it all worthwhile! The First Lady of Amestris," he interrupted. "It's treason to say such things, Colonel," she said stiffly, accentuating the title. "It'll happen in time," he promised fervently. And for a split second, she believed him. But then she came to her senses. She shook her head violently, physically removed his hands from her, and rose from her bed, stretching. He watched her with amusement, loving the way her robe clung to her small frame, and the perfect curve of her ass... All at one, Roy leaped from the bed like a man revived, and in two seconds was across the room. Riza gasped in surprise as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. He held her to him, her back pressed against his chest tightly. "Please, Riza," he whispered into her ear, warm and soft, and she felt herself weaken at the sensation. "Tell me you love me." "I-" she began and then stopped. "No, Roy." "But you do!" he insisted, still whispering. His hands wandered to the knot on her robe and untied it, murmuring to her all the while. "You do, you know you do." Riza inhaled sharply as she felt his hands on her bare skin. He caressed the tight plane of her stomach, the curve of satin hips, before moving one hand up to stroke the soft skin beneath her breasts, while the other moved lower on her torso. She cried out as he touched her, and the combination of his soft caresses and his voice in her ear. His finger slipped between her legs, and against her conscious will she spread her legs slightly to allow greater access. His whispering became more passionate as he fervently told her how beautiful she was. Roy was in heaven after a long stretch of hell. She was back against him, where she belonged. His was his touch, it was him making her cry out like that, not Havoc! He was loath to admit it, but her preferring Havoc to him was more a sting to his ego then anything else, but she was coming around.... And coming she was. His hand moving so deftly between her thighs was doing things she could barely articulate and before she knew what she was doing, she'd reached her peak. Riza let out a loud, long cry like a woman possessed, and collapsed backwards against Roy, shaking. Her body trembled in spasms, and she turned to face him, pressing her face into his collar as she slumped weakly. Roy held her, supporting her. He kissed her hair feverishly, his hands wandering her body like they had minds of their own. Once she'd finally come around, Roy lifted her chin to look into her eyes. They were clear and sparkling and bottomless and a place he could lose himself for hours. Instead he kissed her softly. "C'mon," he said wickedly. "We have work in an hour." And he didn't even wince when she hit him in the shoulder. ** It was another peculiar day, no one could deny it. When Riza entered quietly, a half hour late, and made straight for her desk, no one thought to question it. But when Roy entered at her heels, jovial, with the fresh aura of victory, well, even Fuery could do the math. Roy sauntered into his office with a bright "Good morning!" and Riza anxiously sat down, unpacked her satchel, and dug into the mound of papers she procured. Havoc had watched the scene bleakly. What had they been fighting for? If Riza was going to give up and go back to the Colonel, why had they tried so hard? Poor Havoc, Breda had an idea to take him out that night with the rest of the men, for drinks. The other man certainly looked like he could use it. When he stopped by Havoc's desk to throw out the suggestion, Havoc had begun to refuse but then stopped. "Yeah, sure," he said absently. An unlit cigarette dangled from his lips, and his eyes were empty. "Good man," Breda said brightly, cuffing him on the shoulder. Meanwhile, Riza was fighting with herself. The day was less then a quarter over and she was feeling violently ill. Her head was reeling, her stomach was in an upset, and an untouched stack of papers prevented her from leaving. She'd started to feel sick on the way to work, but wouldn't allow herself to stop. Roy poked his head out of his office door. "Lieutenant, I'll need you in here, I'm expecting Major Elric," he practically sang. Instantly, everyone focused on their own papers, not trusting themselves to look anywhere else. "Yes, sir," she managed to say. She stood up, but as soon as she was erect she felt the sensation of falling. There was a darkness rushing towards her, and with a sigh of relief, she succumbed to it before she hit the floor. ** Author's Note: Hmm...I'm sure you all know what happens next....right?