Pain makes you stronger
Heartbreak makes you wiser
And fear makes you braver.

**********

The night out was one of the best decisions she'd had in a while. It'd been too long since Aiden had been able to let loose, forget the world, and laugh and joke with her friends. Kain started on his drinks with stories they knew well enough to join in and retell their own point of views. They took turns going around spouting nonsense. No one mentioned the two people missing, but they all shared the thought that they'd drink for them. When the games began Riza and Aiden teamed up against the boys who failed miserably at whatever game they decided to play every other half hour. 

And as time passed and their fellow patrons dwindled to just them, the group decided it was time to leave the bar. They separated at the door, Kain, Falman, and Breda heading to the dorms the military provided, Riza following them because her apartment was in the relative same direction. 

Roy took in her flushed cheeks and wobbly frame. "Come on then," he said as he prodded Aiden's side. "Let's get you home."

"I can walk home just fine thank you very much," she huffed as she proceeded to trip over her feet.

Roy rolled his eyes and laughed. Aiden pouted and held out a hand for help. As they strolled down the deserted street both people found the silence comfortable; there was no need to speak. Above them, dark clouds rumbled and the light pitter-patter of rain signaled the beginning of a storm. The temperature dropped and she began to shiver as the rain poured down. A long black coat was set over her shoulders and she turned to stare up at Roy who immediately looked away.

The rain fell harder and Aiden grinned, grabbing his hand and taking off down the street. He didn't question it as they acted like teenagers and splashed in the growing puddles and kicked water at each other. Her small giggles turned into laughs when she slipped and took him down with her, his laughter joining hers. They laid on the sidewalk in the rain until their laughs died down and they pulled themselves to their feet. She smiled up at him and they headed down the street.

When they reached his house he pulled her inside despite her protests that she could get home on her own. Like hell he was going to let her leave in the happy drunk state she was in, not to mention the rain and the hour.

While he was away doing something, Aiden looked around the place she'd been a handful of times before. On the mantle of the fireplace, she spied a picture. It was the one she'd taken a year ago when they'd all decided to go out for dinner. Major Armstrong was in the back cooking while Kain sat at the bar in front of him and chatted. At their table, Riza was handing Breda and Falman (who sat on one side) chicken wings while looking at Jean who had been making a terrible joke. On the other side of the table sat Roy and Maes. Roy was smiling at something she couldn't remember and Maes was grinning and laughing. Aiden herself wasn't in the picture, she had been behind the camera laughing at how she'd managed to get a photo of Maes rather than the other way around.

Moving on from that one, she noticed more pictures along the mantle. One showed the time Jean had slipped in mud during a party and them laughing at him, another showed when Roy had been promoted to Colonel. She was surprised to find a photo of her curled up on a sofa fast asleep in the old Eastern Command office. There were more but she paid no attention to them.

A towel was placed over her head, pulling her away from the photos. Aiden smiled up at the man again. "Hi."

He returned the smile with a gentle one of his own. "Hi." They were silent and she looked back at the photo of herself. "Hughes took that one a few years ago. That was the time you stayed up for a week straight on a murder case until you crashed. I'd never seen you look so determined to catch a suspect. Or so tired. We worried about you when you refused to sleep."

They'd been working a kidnapping case at the time. A young boy had been stolen away from his mother by his father. They chased him from the Western edge of Amestris until they were able to corner him in East City. The father had been arranging transport across the desert into Xing where they wouldn't have been able to find him. It was by sheer luck that one of the kids Aiden helped out saw them head into a building in the slums. From there they surrounded the building and the man was in irons before he could say anything in his defense.

She'd run herself ragged trying to catch the man and find the boy so he could be returned to his mother because she knew all too well what it was like being separated from her child. And it wasn't something she'd wish on any parent. Aiden had been the one to return the boy to his home, receiving many thank you's and well-wishes from the mother. When she returned to the East she'd all but collapsed on the couch and didn't wake up until noon the next day. After that it took her a few days to get her circadian rhythm back on track.

Aiden glanced at him, curiosity shining in her eyes. "You did?"

He didn't answer the question and instead changed the subject. "You need to take a shower before you catch a cold."

Her alcohol-addled brain didn't question why he didn't answer her and she tilted her head at him. "But I have no clothes, and you need to shower too."

He smiled and gently led her up to the second floor. "You can borrow some of mine. And I'll take a shower in another bathroom, there are two." He spoke slowly as if he were speaking to a child.

Yet Aiden grinned and nodded all the same, walking into the bathroom. The heat of the shower warmed her up from the chill of the rain, but it made her sleepy and combined with the alcohol in her system, she was ready for bed. She dried her hair, slipped on the t-shirt and pajama pants, and stepped out the door to see Roy waiting for her. 

"Follow me."

"Okie-dokie." He led her to another room down the hall and before he could open the door she asked, "Where are we going? Are we going on an adventure? Is this the room to the wardrobe to Narnia?"

He stared at her in utter bafflement and opened the bedroom door. She frowned upon seeing the bed and not a magical world, but that disappointment morphed back into drowsiness as he pulled her forward and sat her down on the bed.

"Go to sleep," he urged. Roy went to walk away and find sleep in his own bed when Aiden grabbed his hand and pulled him down next to her. He was too tired and they were both too drunk for this shit. "What -"

Aiden burst into giggles as her arms circled around him and she held him tight. "Stay here."

"I can't I have to go to bed."

"Go to bed here."

With a look that only she could pull off, he sighed and nodded in defeat. She smiled, knowing she'd won, and climbed under the covers followed closely by Roy. The second he was under she latched back onto him and breathed in the familiar ashwood and minty scent that lulled her to sleep.

Her grip tightened on his shirt and he glanced down. "I love you, so much," she mumbled into his chest.

Roy was silent for a moment. Then he leaned down and placed a kiss on her head. "I know. I love you too."

He knew she was holding back because of her past and he said he would wait. But damn if it didn't fill him with warmth when she uttered those words. There was no doubt in his mind that they shared feelings for one another. All he had to do was wait.

When he woke up the next morning he pulled whatever was closest to him in a tighter grip. The citrusy scent of oranges slowly woke him up and he stared down in confusion at the head of black hair. It wasn't the fact that they were together that threw him off, it was the fact that she still smelled like her normal self that bothered him. He didn't have any kind of shampoo like that within the house. Did she just use it so often the scent was permanent?

He inhaled deeply and smiled, looking at the window that allowed him to see the dark clouds and rain still pouring. But it seemed to have lightened up a bit since last night. As he came back to himself he noticed how Aiden had her back to him and how she seemed to perfectly fit pressed against him. Her breathing was deep and the soft snores that left her made Roy smile once more. He wanted to stay like that forever, her in his arms as time peacefully passed them by.

But he had no time left when Aiden suddenly breathed in deeply and showed signs of waking up. So he sighed quietly and retracted his arms from her middle before carefully getting out of bed and making his way out of the room. The man made it about ten steps down the hall when he heard a loud thump and a string of curses. Roy turned around and knocked softly on the door before entering. Aiden was on the floor groaning and staring up at the roof with glazed eyes.

She spared him no glance and she laid there. "Fuck me - what happened last night?" Aiden asked roughly. Her memory was foggy at best. "I remember we all went for drinks and then things get kind of wonky from there."

Roy stepped forward and stared down at her, his head tilted to match her gaze. "You were utterly plastered after the sixth round. I tried walking you home but it rained and we got caught up here."

"Wow. I haven't had that many drinks in such a long time. I'm not usually such a lightweight! I'm one of the lucky people who don't vomit at some point. Wine - now wine I have to watch out for. You said I walked? Well no wonder my foot feels like absolute shit."

The words left her quicker than vomit and he was surprised he was able to catch it all. Upside to being herself, there wasn't any nausea after drinking. The downside was that her speech didn't have a brain-to-mouth filter, which led to... well anything really.

Roy held out a hand and pulled her up before wrapping an arm around Aiden and leading her from the room. "Come on, breakfast."

"Thank you."

Breakfast consisted of french toast, bacon, and coffee. Or in Aiden's case milk, because it goes together better than coffee and french toast in her opinion. There was no stopping the milk and short joke directed at a certain teenager they knew. After that they retired to the living room while their clothes from the night before were washed. 

Aiden sat in an armchair closest to the window reading a book she'd picked up in his library listening to the lightening pitter-patter of rain against the window. It'd always been soothing to her, the rumbling of the thunder coupled with the sound and smell of rain. Roy was sitting across from her engrossed in his own book. It wasn't until he heard a light thump that he looked up to see her curled up in his spare pajamas and chair, the book having slipped between her fingers and fallen to the floor. He smiled and observed her for a moment before grabbing the blanket draped over the couch and placing it over her. He lifted her glasses and set them on the table behind them and returned to his seat.

It wasn't until it was well past lunch and he was in the kitchen that he heard her rouse. But hearing her choke and gasp alarmed him and he rushed into the room. She sat hunched over in the chair, gripping the blanket around her tightly as she shuddered. Roy walked closer and settled a hand on her shoulder which she jolted away from. When she looked up he could see the pain, fear, and relief in her eyes before she latched onto him. Lightning struck outside and illuminated the room. He wrapped his arms around Aiden and soothingly rubbed her back.

"Hey," he whispered as she clung to him. "Hey what's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare," Aiden replied weakly, shuddering as a bloody image slipped through her mind. Roy pulled her closer and she was practically sitting in his lap. "It was more of a memory."

"What about?"

"Ishval."

Of course, it made sense. No soldier was without a reminder of that war. For some people it was serious PTSD, others drank to forget or resigned, and some even committed suicide. Even he was no stranger to the hardships of being reintegrated into society after what he'd done in the war. He'd seen Hughes and Hawkeye struggle but he'd never seen Aiden's struggles. At the time he'd chalked it up to her previous military experience that helped her and it wasn't until then that he realized how alike they were in terms of dealing with bad memories. He too often had nightmares about the war and for a short period of time he'd taken to drinking until she and Hughes pulled him from his funk and he was ever grateful for it.

"It was about Ishval and the time you were shot," Aiden continued. Roy looked down at her in curiosity, not expecting that to be the reason for her shaking. "I know that Maes had been there to save you and that the bullet only hit your watch... But this time it didn't. This time you were gone and I couldn't do a thing!"

He sighed and tilted her chin up with his finger seeing tears threatening to fall. Then he brushed them away and stared into her dark green eyes. "It didn't happen, I'm here."

"I know that but still... Still it seemed all too real." She looked away and stared at the rain hitting the window. "Back home there's a saying. 'A dream is a wish your heart makes.' If that's true then what does that make nightmares?"

He too turned his gaze to the outside world as thunder rumbled above them. "Nightmares are fear given form in a dream and you have no reason to pay attention to them. Sure they seem real at the time, but when you wake up you know that it wasn't and that everything will be okay. And if you don't know then I'll be here."

Her shuddering had stopped and the two sat on the floor as they watched the rain slowly stop and clear up. The next day they would be required to go back to work, but for the time being, they stayed put and enjoyed the others company.

"You said I walked here? What else did I do?" Aiden questioned.

"You really don't remember last night?"

"Nope. Why, did I do something?"

Aside from confessing your love to me, no not really.

There wasn't any medication he could take to lessen the twinge of pain he felt as she said she remembered nothing. But of course she wouldn't, they were drunk. He grinned slyly. "You started babbling in your home language and I think you insulted Breda."

She gaped at him. "What? That's bullshit! I did not!" She flushed and he laughed.

Then both of their stomachs decided enough was enough and they wanted food.

**********

For Maes Hughes the day started out like any other. He woke up at the crack of dawn, showered, dressed, and then made his way downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast and most importantly, coffee. After that, he set out on his morning exercise routine. They both may have needed him separated from the rest of the world, but they agreed that he needed to stay healthy. Which meant small amounts of physical training every morning. At the very least, he needed exercise to burn off any excess energy that he normally would have had he still been in the military and not presumed dead.

And thus they devised a routine for him; a jog through the woods, sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups on the sturdiest branch he could find. He didn't do many of them as he did go out every day. Some days Aiden would join him on his routine when she had a day off and felt like giving him someone to talk to other than himself, and her over the phone. There would of course be chosen days where she would curse having to get up before the ass-crack of dawn but it was worth it for a friend. She knew she'd do it till the end of her days if there was no option.

A light padding behind him made him pause and look back at the track he'd created over time. The stray dog was back. From what he could tell she was a Border Collie, a sheepdog. She'd taken to following him at a distance during his mornings a few weeks ago. Through trial and error, and a lot of pieces of ham and cheese, the two had become best buds. Or so he liked to think so.

Maes grinned and leaned down, "Hello girl!" The dog wagged her tailed and bounded forward. She gave him a big, slobbery kiss up the side of his face. "I know, I missed you too!"

He patted her head a good few times before continuing on his jog back to the cabin. The dog followed close behind and her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she kept pace and enjoyed the exercise. After that the pair sat on the porch steps, Maes sharing his sandwich with her like he always did.

"You know," he said thoughtfully as he turned to her with a frown, "I don't know what to call you." The Border Collie blinked and went back to staring at his food. He huffed a laugh and shook his head before feeding her the last bite.

The dog sniffed around but found no more food. She looked at him expectantly. But he was off in his own world. What was a good name for a dog? Belle? No, that was too common. Honey? Possibly, she was a sweet dog overall. Lucy or Daisy? No those were common as well. He couldn't remember how many times he'd heard children call the same name for different dogs.

Maes glanced at the black and white fur covering her. Cookie? While he was sure that was a good name, it just didn't fit the type of dog that could stare down and intimidate sheep as well as Aiden could Roy. Or vice versa.

Suddenly the dog stood up and chased after a rabbit. It only got away because it's den was nearby beneath an old willow tree. He wasn't sure where the tree came from or why it was in the wrong habitat, Aiden said it was there when she started fixing the house. She said that since there was a lake nearby and they lived in a temperate region the willow should thrive regardless of region. Back on point, the dog was barking into the hole in the ground. Of course, it was doing no good.

Maes sighed and shook his head, dogs will be dogs. He stared at her for a moment longer when he hit an epiphany. "Echo!" he shouted, standing up. "You're name will be Echo!"

The newly named Echo turned to look at him in curiosity. She had no idea what the human was talking about, but she wouldn't let the bunny get away. Maes grinned and whistled and the dog glanced between him and the burrow once more before bounding over to him.

"Good girl!" he praised, earning a tail wag. He turned away from the dog and looked in the direction of Central with a frown. Aiden should've checked in with him after the Gluttony incident two days ago.

**********

All I did was point my magical writer's wand at this chapter and screech "Fluff!" for this to appear. And I bet ya'll thought something was gonna happen this chapter, eh? It's a little short, but I think I did okay.