She hated late nights. They bored her. They made her mad. They never existed until she got caught up working under obnoxious Mr. Mustang. He was fine as a friend. But a collogue? Never. All he did was stall. Stall and annoy her. And make her do his work. Sometimes, she would get fed up. She wished she had the same lack of respect for him as the rest of his subordinates had. She would throw the papers down and tell him she refused.

But she couldn't do that. She respected the man too much.

She slammed down the last sheet on his desk and huffed. Done. Only an hour and a half late. She groaned. "I hate late nights." She vowed silently that she would get him back the next day. But she knew she wouldn't. Quickly, she grabbed her jacket and walked over to the door.

A clicking sound. A low zap. Darkness. "Damn." All the lights in the building were off. She grabbed her gun cautiously and clicked off the safety. Something wasn't right. She was sure about it.

She inched forward, trying to gauge how far away from a wall she was. Over judged. She stumbled forward. "Damn."

She reached out and rested her palm on the wall. Perhaps she could just inch her way to the door… Footsteps running up behind her startled her.

"Who-" They were closer then they sounded. She was sent flying to the ground with a body on top of her. Moonlight shimmered in through a window, outlining his face in a dim white light. He grunted. "Sorry." He muttered. He reached out a hand to help her up.

Gloves? That voice? "Colonel?"

"Lieutenant?!" He instantly took a step back. He had ran right into her. He shivered. Good thing she hadn't recognized him at first.

"What the hell is going on? And why are you still here?" She asked, bringing her gun up. Her back hurt.

"No idea. I was leaving when I saw someone come in. I didn't recognize them so I followed." His voice was tense. "I lost them, then a few minutes later the lights went off."

"Are we the only ones here?" She asked, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

"I think so. I also don't think they know we're here."

"They why'd they bother with the lights?"

He paused. "Good question."

Several hallways away someone shouted an order. Another voice responded, sounding hesitant. Based on their footsteps, they were getting closer. "I don't give a damn! You go out, find the problem, and get the lights back on!"

She blinked. "They didn't turn off the lights?"

Car doors slammed outside and a few more people shouted to each other. The footsteps got closer.

She felt something touch her arm and instinct took over. She clutched her gun and slammed it on the thing touching her. She heard Roy grunt and remove his hand. She sighed. "Sorry, Sir."

"Damn. That hurt!" She covered his mouth.

"What was that?" One of the voiced asked. Footsteps got closer.

Again, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the office. Moonlight leaked in, making it easier to see. "Sir, what are we going to do?" She pulled his hand off her arm and frowned.

Cautiously, he looked around the doorframe. The men walked past. He sighed with relief. "I don't have the slightest idea what to do, what they are looking for, or how many there are."

More footsteps came running down the hall after the other two. Four of them? A slight clanking made her stiffen. All with guns. He looked at her and sighed. His black eyes looked like gapping holes in his face and the moonlight illuminated his cheekbone.

"We should go after them."

"Are you insane!?"

"No, Sir."

He stared at her. She was never the one who suggested chasing the enemy.

"What are we going to do once we find them? Shoot them?"

"Well we can't let them wreak havoc on Central command center!"

This time he covered her mouth. Footsteps outside the door. "Who's there?" He asked. The moonlight showed he was carrying a gun. He pushed her behind him.

"Ah, Collin. Did you find someone?" He pointed the gun at Riza.

Roy looked dumbfounded for a second. "Uh… Y-Yes." He muttered, his tone serious. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward viciously. She winced.

The man chuckled. "How do you always manage to find the pretty ones?"

"Luck." Roy smirked. She dug her nails into his hand as she tried to pry it off her wrist. He deserved it.

The other man walked over to her and put a finger under her chin. "Hey, pretty lady. What're you doing here so late?"

She tightened her grip on her gun. She click of metal betrayed her. He frowned and yanked the gun from her grasp.

The man stepped towards her again and looked her up and down. "You sure are pretty." He commented. Lifting a hand, he brushed her bangs to the side. "What'da say? Later tonight, if you manage to get out of this alive…"

She lifted a hand and smacked him.

"Dammit!" He lifted his gun and jammed the muzzle into her gut. Her knees buckled, the only thing holding her up was Roy's hand around her wrist.

"Bitch." He grumbled. His finger moved to the trigger.

"No!" Roy shouted. The man turn to him and glared.

"What, you want her that bad?"

She coughed and pushed herself to her feet. She felt like throwing up.

"Y-Yes." Roy glanced at her.

The man laughed and swung a fist out. He hit her on the cheek and she slumped against Roy's side.

Thank God her reputation hadn't spread outside of the office. Otherwise, they'd be shocked to see her beaten so easily. And that bastard would feel awfully damn proud of himself for beating the devil woman of Central.

"Fine then. You can have her." He turned and walked out.

After he made sure he was a while away, Roy frowned. "Are you alright?"

She grunted. Lifting a hand, she wiped some blood off her busted lip. "Fine, Sir." She whispered. She still felt nauseous though.

"So, Collin. What now?" She asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. As long as people think I'm this Collin guy, I'm going to have to play along. I just pray the lights don't turn on." He released her wrist and looked at her in concern. "Are you sure you're alright?"

She put a hand on her stomach. "Sir, you've seen me wounded many times." She rolled her eyes. "Why would this time be an different? It doesn't even compare to some injuries I've received."

He nodded slowly. "That man… How vile. Saying things like that. I swear to God, I'm glad you slapped him. Otherwise I would have."

She smirked. "You have no idea how good that felt." She clenched a fist and sighed.

"Sorry, but I might have to hurt you at some point." He whispered and seized her wrist again. She nodded in understanding .

He began dragging her down the hallways towards the sound of voices. They sounded angry. She tried to make out what they were saying but it was impossible.

Her eyes were almost perfectly adjusted to the dark, but that didn't mean she had great vision. Several times she stumbled. She requested they stopped to rest when her stomach pains became unbearable. He simply crouched beside her and watched as she closed her eyes and tried to steady her breathing. Finally, the pain seemed to subside and they continued on.

His grip on her wrist was tight. Her hands felt numb but she couldn't risk walking around without having some sort of restraint. The voices were getting louder. They reached them and no one seemed to notice at first.

"Collin? What'd you find?" A deep, gruff voice came up from behind. "Another pretty one?" She was getting tired of being called 'pretty.' Luckily, this man simply nodded and walked away.

Another man approached them with a frown. "I thought the offices were supposed to be empty tonight." He barked. Roy shrugged. "Perhaps she forgot something?"

She snorted.

"Did you say something, miss?" He demanded, taking her wrist from Roy's hand. He lifted it over her head, as if to get her attention.

"No, Sir." She shook her head and glanced up at her hand. It ached.

He tightened his grip and she ground her teeth. "That's what I thought." He released her and walked away.

She rubbed her wrist with her hand and glanced up at Roy. His eyes were gleaming with concern. Concern that would blow their cover. She shot him a glare and he corrected his expression.

Roy approached a man and drug Riza along behind him. "What should I do?" He asked, pulling her forward.

She cringed as the man stared at her. His breath reeked of alcohol. "Bring her with us. We can't let her get out and tell anyone." Roy nodded and led her over to a window. He shoved her down into a chair roughly and bent beside her.

"I think I have a plan. It's a little risky though." She whispered.

He looked at her in confusion. "What might that be?" He asked.

"Let me beat the shit out of these perverts."

He stifled a chuckle.

"What will you do?"

"This." She reached out and slapped him with all her might. She frowned apologetically and ran away from him. There were only four men in the room. She needed a gun…

Roy yelped and sank to the ground. One man ran to his side.

Looking around, she tried to asses the situation. Two men with guns… One with? He lunged at her, a gleaming silver blade in his hand. "A knife?" She ducked and kicked out, sending him to the ground.

The other two men pointed their guns at her. "Damn!" She muttered and a bullet flew past her. Another whizzed by her head. She kicked the knife out of the man's hand and bent down. Wrapping her hand around his neck, she pulled him up and pushed him towards the shooters.

As they were distracted, she lunged and gripped the gun one held. She ripped it away from him and aimed it at all three.

"Let me go." She growled.

They shook their heads. "Sorry, we can't do that, lady." The one who had been drinking commented.

She heard a footstep behind her. Too late. She spun around as a bullet grazed her shoulder. She shot, he fell to the floor groaning. She turned back to the three. One was missing. She looked around. Something tripped her.

She gasped and crashed to the ground. She realized the man with the knife was sitting on top of her stomach, holding the blade to her throat.

"C'mon, pretty lady. Be nice." He smirked. She spat in his face.

"Bitch!" He wiped his face and wrapped a huge hand around her neck. She winced as he slammed her head down against the floor. Pressure on her throat. She reached to the side. The gun was just out of reach… Something stumbled next to her. The gun slid just far enough. She grabbed it and shot. His body feel on top of her, blood splattering her face. She shoved him off with a grunt.

Sitting up, she noticed another man - the man from the office - was standing with his gun pointed at her temple. Roy was standing with a gun to his head behind him. "Bitch. I should have killed you earlier. He moved towards her and pulled her up by the shoulder. He pressed the gun to her head.

Fear pulsed through her. She had miscalculated. Now she and the Colonel were going to die.

"Get your hands off her." Roy growled.

"What are you going to do about it?" The man beside him asked. She blinked and stared at them in shock. The man must have been the one named Collin. In this darkness, he actually looked just like the Colonel.

"This." Roy brought his hands out of his pocket a snapped. The room was illuminated with a large red flash and he sank to the ground. His screams filled the room.

The two men with gun both stared in horror and took aim, but it was too late. Another snap sounded and they fell to the floor.

The man holding Riza gasped. "What are you!?"

Roy walked towards them and extended a hand. He poised his fingers. "I am Colonel Roy Mustang, State Alchemist. That woman you're about to shoot is my Lieutenant and someone very dear to my heart. Do not think you will get away alive if you hurt her anymore." He took another step.

He pulled Riza in front of him, the gun still pressed to her temple.

"A human shield? You are pathetic." Roy advanced towards them. The man jumped back. Riza stumbled. Roy lunged. A shot rang out and she slid to the ground. Roy stared at the gun. His hand was directing it at the ground but the other man's hand still gripped the trigger. He smirked. "Whoops."

Roy growled and pulled the gun from his hands. He aimed and shot at both of his legs. He screamed and sank to the ground. Roy kicked him away from Riza's limp body. Rage burned in his eyes. "Die." He shouted and snapped. The man's scream echoed throughout the building, leaving Roy with a satisfied grin on his face.

Roy spun around and bent down. He examined her body closely. He pulled her jacked to the side. He couldn't see any wounds… He rolled her over and clenched his fist. Her mid-back was stained with blood.

"Dammit…" He reached under her brought her body up into his arms. "Okay Lieutenant. I'm going to call an ambulance. You just hold on." He glanced down at her. Her face was blank. Devoid of any feeling. Until she opened her eyes weakly. Her eyes were glazed over, but there was a slight smile on her lips.

He laid her down gently on a bench and picked up the phone. "Dammit!" He shouted. The power was still out. He picked her up and rushed to the door. Outside, the air was brisk. He could feel more and more blood staining her back. She was going limp, her body turning into deadweight in his arms.

Finally he reached a payphone. He laid her down again. His fingers fumbled in his pocket for come change. Shoving it in, he picked up the receiver a dialed. A quick call for help, and he slammed the phone down. He bent down and looked her over. Her breathing was shallow and her pulse was weak, but she was alive. Blood began staining the concrete around her.

"Please Lieutenant, don't die." He whispered, grabbing her hand and squeezing it between his.

She groaned. "I-Is that an o-order, S-Sir…?" She opened her eyes to slits and peered up at him. She was on the verge of passing out.

"Yes, it is."

She closed her eyes and smirked. "V-V-Very w-well then."

_______

Two days later, she opened her eyes and peered around. She couldn't remember exactly what had happened. All she knew was that her back ached and she felt extremely stiff. And groggy.

"So you're awake?" She looked up. A familiar face was smiling down at her. "Fuery…?" She blinked and smiled.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, looking up at him weakly from her bed.

"Visiting you, obviously." He grinned. "You sure had us worried. We didn't know if you were gonna make it through." He paused. "Oh, I've been taking care of Black Hayate, is that alright?" He asked.

She smiled and nodded. Pain shot through her shoulder and she grimaced. "Yeah, it's fine. Where did you get a key?"

"The Colonel. Well, I better go, Havoc told me not to take too long. We have a lot of work to do without you there to back us up." He chuckled and walked over to the door. "Feel better, alright?"

She nodded and watched him exit.

She chuckled and stared up at the ceiling. She jumped when someone grunted and yawned beside her. She looked over and watched in confusion as Roy got to his feet and stretched. "Sir?" She raised a brow.

He turned to her. A wide grin spread across his face. "You're alive!" He commented happily.

"Of course I am. It was an order, after all." She wanted to get up and stretch. He smirked and pulled his chair closer to the bedside.

"What happened?" She tried to tilt her head. "Ow.." She cringed.

"Well, after I lunged, he shot you and you kinda passed out. Then I had to carry you around like a maniac and call an ambulance. Scared the shit outta me when you passed out, I gotta admit." He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He looked terrible, she noticed.

"Then you got surgery and have been unconscious since." He shrugged and sat back. There were dark bags under his eyes and his chin was covered in stubble.

"Sir, please don't tell me you've been sitting her waiting for me to wake up this whole time." She sighed and closed her eyes.

"What will you do to me if I say I have?"

"I'd call you a damned fool. But I appreciate that you were concerned enough to do that for me."

"Well then. Leave out the 'damned fool' part and I would feel at all bad about admitting it." He winked.

She smiled and rolled her eyes.

Not proud of this. At all. :/

Review, please?