Summary: The unthinkable is about to happen, the Gate will be reopened, and old friends will die, while older friends will come back to life. If there was ever a time that Roy Mustang needed Riza Hawkeye, now was that time. Too bad she's busy getting her brain drained by an undead heiress and a zombified Crimson Alchemist. Can Roy save Riza before it's too late? I hope so! Will Riza find a way to bring Hughes back? I hope so! Will Winry crack and open the gate? I hope so! Will there be lemon in later chapters? Well…maybe! (Hehe, this is the worst summary ever!)

Disclaimer: I do not own anything FMA related. I own an imagination and two hands that type.

A/N: I'm adding song lyrics to each chapter because I think it sets the mood and I can do whatever I want. Please review for me. It'll make me happy. Also this is based off the anime after the movie. Just so ya know!

"You and I got something / But it's all and then it's nothing to me / And I got my defenses / When it comes to your intentions for me / And we wake up in the breakdown / Of the things we never thought we could be

Central

Gun after gun was loaded into the cardboard boxes. Mustang took a moment to realize just how serious his now ex-lieutenant was about her job, while she, Riza, sat in awe for the last time of just how nonchalant he had been about his. Blank paper work had been crammed into any and every crevice of the small office that had been once shared by Colonel Roy Mustang and Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. Mustang was now Fuhrer and his second hand woman was leaving the military for good. The thought of her having a life outside of protecting him was a joke to say the least. He doubted she owned clothes besides her mandatory uniform, he doubted she had plans other than battle strategies, and he highly doubted she knew other men besides her fellow comrades of the military.

There was a combination of just the right words that Riza needed to hear to convince her to stay, but Roy was no mind reader. "We'll still need you," Roy stated in his cool deep voice. "I'll still need you," he stated with the same tone.

Riza knew that both statements were true. Mustang was too careless not to need protection and the others were too dimwitted most of the time to not need her guidance. But, it was time for her to go out and try living a normal life. If everyday unskilled civilians could do it, then surely she could do it. Riza sighed sympathetically, "Sorry, Roy, but I think it's time for me to relax a little."

"We'll miss you," Roy said while leaning against the now empty oak desk.

"I know you, Fuhrer Roy Mustang. You'll miss me right up until you hire some new blonde secretary with…big eyes, then you'll forget all about me." Riza was half joking. She knew he would probably never get around to hiring a new secretary, but if he did, she described the new girl perfectly.

"Where will you go?"

Riza picked up one of the last boxes and placed it under her arm. Empty rooms always seemed larger, and the space she was intentionally putting between her and her ex-commander was only making the vast environment grow even more immense. She knew if she didn't leave Roy while there was still time, she never would, and she would have to relive all that emotional agony and torture. She could never touch Roy Mustang. She could never kiss him, never wrap her arms around him, and most of all, she could never tell him how much she loved him. Those were the rules, and they had proved to be for the best. For Riza knew that if she ever confessed her feelings and she lost him, it would be impossible to recover. That's why her new plans seemed perfect. They took her to a place that was too far for her to ever come crawling back to him. Riza repositioned her box a little and answered, "I have been invited to help manage an automail shop with Winry on an island thirty miles out from the eastern coast."

Roy rolled his eyes. Being with Winry meant having Elric-size adventures, a can of worms that caused unexplainable complications when opened. Winry had become the perfect replacement for the brothers. She just couldn't sit still knowing there were adventures still to be had with no half metal blonde to have them. "Well, at least you'll be safe. What am I saying? With Winry around, you'll be back to body guarding in the blink of an eye."

"Or maybe you'll do such a tremendous job as Fuhrer that there won't be any need to protect anyone." It was obvious that Riza was trying her hardest to reassure a crumbling Fuhrer. Usually Riza would shoot down Roy with stinging comments about how without her around paperwork will suffocate him, phone calls will give him premature grays, and Havoc accidents will drive him to suicide.

There was a lingering awkward pause between them. In an un-Riza-like manner, she left her eyes cast down at the floor, and in an un-Roy-like manner, Roy blushed uncontrollably. In an attempt to break the ice, Roy picked up the last two boxes and asked, "This everything?" Riza nodded silently. "Being that this is our last time together in this room, would it be un-Fuhrer of me to ask for farewell hug?" Riza shook her head no and set her box down. As she took a step forward, Roy realized his invite was welcomed, dropped his two boxes to the floor without a second thought, and ran to her with his arms wide open. It wasn't the hug he had wanted to give her. It wasn't a sensual lover's hug. It was more like the hug a father would give his daughter before going off to college. He wrapped both arms around her so tightly that Riza could feel the air being rushed out of her lungs. Riza tried hard to hug him back, but all she managed was two palms placed lightly against his sides. "I'm gonna miss you, Hawkeye. I…um…don't wanna spoil the moment or anything, but…I lost Hughes, I don't wanna lose you. Be careful out there."

The very thought of the loss of Hughes immediately caused Roy to hug tighter and a tear to swell in Riza's eye. No amount of time was enough to erase the thought of their beloved fallen comrade.

At that very moment Riza had been reminded of her dreams. For the last two weeks, Riza had met with Hughes in her dreams. He spoke to her as if he had never left. The conversation was the same every time. Riza explained her days to him, and he answered as if he had been there himself. Riza attributed it to her memory of Hughes being so vibrant that she knew how he would respond, but something seemed so real about this dreams. She hoped that once the stress of being a military dog was put aside, the dreams would come to an end. A part of Riza wanted those dreams to remain, but she knew they were unhealthy.

I'm not the one who broke you / I'm not the one you should fear / What do you got to move you darling / I thought I lost you somewhere / But you were never really ever there at all

The Rockwell Residence

"Thank you for stopping by Mr. Kimblee. I appreciate your help. Tomorrow we'll have to talk more," Winry said to what appeared to be a customer as Riza entered. Riza caught eyes with him as he left. He was so familiar. The name Kimblee stung her ears, but she could not put a finger on where she had seen him. "Mr. Kimblee, this is Riza. She's a friend of mine who has come to stay with me for a while."

"Will she be helping you with your research?" Mr. Kimblee asked.

Before Riza could inquire as to what exactly Winry's research was, Winry stepped in front of her and said, "Oh, no, no, no, Riza will be much too busy with her own work. She doesn't have time to get into the senseless ramblings of a deranged lunatic like myself."

Mr. Kimblee laughed along to Winry's embarrassment. "If you're a deranged lunatic, what's that make me." Mr. Kimblee tipped his hat to Riza, "Nice meeting you, Miss Riza, perhaps I shall see you around."

Riza was still caught in a daze. Those sly eyes and that cocky grin were so familiar, and yet she knew that she had never met him. Maybe she just missed her Mustang so much that she was jumping at the chance to replace him with the first dark haired arrogant man she came across. "Perhaps. Nice meeting you Mr. Kimblee." The stranger left the shop, shutting the rickety wicker screen door behind him. "Is there something I should know? What research?"

The boxes under Riza's arms were snatched quickly from her. It was obvious that Winry was trying her hardest to avoid the subject by getting her hands busy, but the holes that Riza's eyes were burning into her back were enough to get Winry talking. "The man who was just here, his name is Zolf J. Kimblee. I met him a month ago. He asked me for directions to some estate across the bay. He noticed the photo of Ed and Al in the den, and…I dunno, I just spilled!"

Riza followed Winry as she paced back and forth, trying to justify her story as she retold it. "Spilled what exactly?"

"Everything! About Ed and Al getting stuck on the other side of the gate, and about how I had just begun research to find a way to open it back up. Kimblee is very smart. He says he knows things about the gate, and an equivalent exchange that could bring people back from the dead." There was a tone of longing in her voice that Riza recognized. She wanted more than anything to bring Roy back from that remote outpost. However, she was brought back to reality when those armored men came through the gate and Roy went off in that balloon. She knew that his first duty was to the people, and then his men. That's why he accepted the position of Fuhrer, and part of the reason Riza quit. Riza finally realized that what she wanted was just impossible. What would it take for Winry to realize the same?

"Listen, Winry, I'm saying this because I consider us friends, Ed and Al are gone. The gate is gone. Can't you just accept that…" It was obvious from the expression on Winry's face that she was dedicated to her new cause.

And I want to get free, talk to me / I can feel you falling / And I wanted to be, all you need / Somehow here is gone

The Sugiyama Estate

Kimblee finally wiped that vague expression of a first meeting off his face and let his memories sweep over him. He knew exactly who Riza Hawkeye was and pretending he didn't was the performance of his lifetime. He could only pray that Mustang wasn't close behind. However, his plans were going exceptionally well. Winry was the perfect accomplice. The people he worked for knew how to create the gate in this world. All he would have to do is set up bread crumbs leading Winry straight to it, which would keep her busy while he went after Riza for the kill.

Bella Sugiyama stood at the top of the stairs. Her regal poise and finesse called for Kimblee's immediate attention. He spun around to meet her gaze from the foot of the staircase. This was his boss and his personal savior. Her and her twin brother, Shall, were the ones who brought him back from the dead using a new alchemic technique called cerebral exchange. "How has the girl progressed?" Bella asked in her metallic tone. She was a work of art. Her body was sharp as if it had been cut from stone, and her severe a-line haircut chiseled out her face. Bella's nose came to a sharp point and her cheeks were so hallowed that people wondered if she ever ate. Kimblee knew that her emaciated appearance had something to do with her being somewhat…undead. Her brother; however, was bright and exuberant in both personality and physique. Shall still had pale skin accented by dark hair, but there seemed to be a presence of soul to him that Bella lacked. The paintings that lined the walls of the manor told stories of the Sugiyama family being happy. Bella smiled and she seemed healthy and alive. Kimblee was told that he would understand things in due time.

"I've given her all the bait I possibly could. She has become fanatic with finding the Elric brothers. Framing her will be a cinch. And, you were looking for another test subject for cerebral exchange?" Bella nodded. "Her name is Riza Hawkeye."

A sort of twitch sparked across Bella's face. Her smile was as haunting as it was confusing to see. "Whose grave will we be robbing?"

"Maes Hughes."

I have no solution / To the sound of this pollution in me / And I was not the answer / So forget you ever thought it was me

Central

Roy Mustang sat at his empty desk, in his old empty office, in front of a newly emptied bottle of gin. However, after years of binge drinking, the Flame Alchemist was in no way inebriated. His senses were still as clear as ever. So when Sheska came flying down the hall toward his office, he could hear every footstep. He slid the empty bottle into the top drawer and looked at the door tentatively.

Sheska threw open the door with one hand and tried hard to balance a stack of files in the other. "Sir! I'm sorry for coming in unannounced, but I have to show you something."

Roy rubbed his temple. Whenever Sheska had discovered something it was usually followed up by everyone at Central freaking out over a new investigation that sent them on a wild goose chase. "Private Sheska, I'm actually quite busy."

"Oh. I didn't realize you were busy. Although I should have guessed after Fuery said you were busy drinking yourself into an early grave because you missed Hawkeye so much."

Roy doubled up his temple stroking. Was it that obvious? "Okay…make it quick."

Sheska tossed her stack of books on Roy's desk. "Here are the military records on all of our officers, where they sleep, what they eat, who their parents are, everything!"

"I'm aware that we do this, Sheska. Are you getting to a point?" Roy was perfectly content with doing exactly what Fuery had predicted. But at the same time, he was anxious to have something to take his mind off of Riza.

"I have a photographic memory, sir…"

"I know! Just get to it!"

Sheska straightened her glasses and tried again, "I don't forget things, sir. Which is why I was stunned to find this." She opened one of the books up to the file on Zolf Kimblee. Roy looked it over. Lieutenant Colonel Zolf Kimblee, the Crimson Alchemist, war criminal, Ishbalan war veteran, and currently lives in exile as punishment for treason and the murder of some of his superior officers. "Doesn't this seem strange to you?"

"This all seems to be in order. I remember him. He was with us when we tracked down Scar. You know he was the guy who gave him that scar. He snapped on us."

"Yes, but that doesn't get you exile. You get execution."

Roy rolled his eyes and shut the file. This was a disappointment. He had some of the smartest and bravest men working under him, and they bring him a file on some reject psycho alchemist who was exiled. "If you're so concerned about the trial, I'm sure we have case files on this kind of thing."

"I've read those, sir." Sheska cracked open some more folders and showed him the case. "It says that those killed were simply caught in crossfire between him and Scar. He was exiled based on his war crimes during Ishbal. But that's not where the mystery ends. We have no record of him ever having a mother."

"So the kid's an orphan, what's your point?"

"Sir, I would have remembered something like this. You've got to believe me."

After the day Roy had, this sort of nonsense was not what he needed. Sheska had always been the oddball of the group. She was fascinated with the thought of outer space aliens. That was enough for Roy to consider most of her theories crackpot. However, she did have a photographic memory, and this was not the sort of thing that she would forget. But he didn't know her well enough to believe her. He knew that the scribes who put together those records were the military's finest and weren't a part of some conspiracy that only involved one person. Out of all the people to go through the records to protect, Kimblee would not have been one of them. He was a whisper amongst the army that was forgotten about long ago. "Listen, I don't know what you want me to do about this, Sheska, but I could not care less about your own private investigation into the life of a guy like Zolf Kimblee. He's exiled. If you're afraid he's out to get us, don't be. The military checks up on people like this. I'm sure he's still in exile on whatever island we shipped him off to."

Sheska sighed deeply and picked up her books. She had never felt more embarrassed. Sheska longed for Winry who would have believed her. Winry would have helped her investigate further. But Sheska was alone now in a military where her talent went once again overlooked. Before leaving the room, Sheska turned to her Fuhrer and stated in an almost whisper, "You know, sir, that island that Kimblee was shipped off to, is the same island that Riza went to live on."

I'm not the one who broke you / I'm not the one you should fear / What do you got to move you, darling / I thought I lost you somewhere / But you were never really ever there at all

Munich (On the other side of the gate)

Alphonse followed close behind his brother, Edward. Alphonse had snipped off his long hair to set himself apart from his older brother. Most of the town was pleased with it. The two scientists were already alike in their manner of dress; it was sometimes hard to tell them apart. "Where are we going, brother?" Alphonse asked. His voice had deepened more since he and his brother had first got stuck on this side of the gate.

Edward grabbed his black leather case of supplies and headed toward the car. He had received a telegram that morning to head to the hospital immediately. He knew he was no doctor, and he was sure that whoever had asked him to come knew the same. However, if someone at the hospital needed his assistance, it had to have been serious. "A doctor sent me a telegram this morning. They need our assistance with a young woman who has been in a coma for the last five months. My guess is that the only reason they've been keeping her alive is out of sheer curiosity."

"But we're not doctors," Alphonse stated while grabbing his bag.

"I know that, but we'll have time to ask questions later." Edward hopped in and started the car immediately. Alphonse quickly laid his bag in the back and hopped in the passenger seat. When Edward was in a hurry, everyone needed to be at the same speed or just forget about it. Edward's level of determination sometimes worried Alphonse. If Ed were to get involved in the wrong thing, it could be dangerous to see how fast he could get things going. However, that's what Alphonse was for, to make sure that he and Edward were fighting for the right causes.

The car ride was bumpy and fast. Ed was sure that if a scientist was needed, it had to be something cool. His male mind kicked in, a third eye, blisters on her nails, or maybe a second head.

Along the way he passed Hughes on the street trying his hardest to woo his beloved Gracia. It was all Alphonse could do not to tell him that in another world they had a beautiful child together. Alphonse knew he would to leave out that part where he was killed.

Alphonse was gripping the side of the rickety old car with all his might as Edward rounded the last corner before entering the parking lot of the hospital. As soon as the engine shut off, the brothers grabbed their black bags and took the steps up to the hospital two at a time. A nurse dressed in white met them in the hall and smiled broadly. The smell of the hospital made Edward a little nauseous. Germany was in a state of upheaval. The Nazis were gaining power, and the division between the Arians and everyone else was becoming even greater. Luckily for the Elric brothers, they had the right combination genes that let them blend in quietly. Because of the turmoil the country was facing, the number of wounded in the hospital had grown. The hospital had held up as one of the few neutral zones in the country.

"We're Edward and Alphonse Elric…"

The nurse extended her right hand to introduce herself and held a clipboard under her other arm, "We've been expecting you all day. Please follow me." The boys followed closely behind the bubbly Nurse Leni Dodd. In between greeting patients and doctors, Dodd attempted to educate the boys on their first patient. "Good afternoon, Doctor Bristow…she came to us after helping a group of Jews…hello there, Mrs. Falke, how's your husband…across to France. She had been complaining of…Mr. Hayner, how's that foot…headaches. We brought her in for a check up…of course, Doctor Putzkammer, I'll be down in an hour…and next thing we knew, she was in a coma. We keep telling ourselves that we're going to have to take her off life support, but," Nurse Dodd finally turned to the brothers. Her eyes were downcast, "None of us can bring ourselves to kill her." After a brief moment of silence, Leni went back to skipping down the halls in her normal excited attitude, "Plus, it's quite a miracle that she's alive at all. We found a strange wound on her chest after further examination. Someone had cut some sort of…Mrs. Werden, your diet does not call for cake…pattern into her chest. One of the marks was quite deep. It just barely met her heart. Quite strange." The boys finally stopped on the top floor where Nurse Dodd opened a door marked Authorized Personnel Only. "Here she is."

Alphonse stood back with the nurse, "You go in, Edward. I'm not too interested in seeing a half alive woman." Edward nodded. If truth be told, neither was Edward. It brought back too many memories of watching their mother die. But one of them had to go in, and Edward was the older brother after all. Nurse Dodd smiled broadly at him again. She must have been a volunteer because she seemed no older than seventeen. She had large blue eyes and long blonde hair. She reminded Alphonse of Winry a little, but mostly he thought of how she was the ideal German in the eyes of the nationalists. "So…Leni, that's a nice name. Are you German?"

"Oh yes, Leni is a pet name for Magdalena. My father said it would be wise of me to go by Leni if I were going to be staying in Germany during these…unsure times."

Before Leni could get her last words out, Ed rushed out of the room, almost out of breath, "Al, come in here, you've got to see this."

Leni poked her head in around the corner to look at the boys work. She too had been quite curious about the mysterious patient. "Ed…it's Riza! And that's…"

Ed decided he would finish his brother's sentence, "A transmutation circle."

And I want to get free, talk to me / I can feel you falling / And I wanted to be, all you need / Somehow here is gone

Central

Mustang didn't want to admit it, but Sheska's findings did upset him a little, mostly the part about a treasonous murderer living in proximity to Hawkeye. He knew that if push came to shove, she could handle herself, but he didn't like the thought of her being alone out there. Besides, bad luck usually followed Winry.

Roy grabbed another bottle of gin, a notepad, and a pen. The least he could do is warn her.

Dear Riza, he began. Roy stared at the phrase as if he hadn't just written it. It was so foreign. He ripped out the page from his notepad and began again. URGENT! Again, he tore out the page. He didn't want Riza getting too worried. Attention Riza Hawkeye. Mustang slapped his forehead. This isn't a call to arms, Roy thought.

Roy gazed at the phone in the corner of the room contemplatively. Maybe it was easier just to call her. Figuring out a way to start a verbal conversation did seem a lot simpler. His white gloved hand picked up the phone. For a moment, his brain tried it's hardest to connect his whirlwind of thoughts, to the feelings deep in his heart, to the motionless body containing all of it. However, it was futile. His heart wanted to call her, but the brain was in charge of sending messages to the body, and the brain was telling him not to make her worried during her retirement. She deserved to live a pampered leisurely life.

And I don't need the fallout / Of all the past that's in between us / And I'm not holding on / And all your lies weren't enough to keep me here

The Rockwell Residence

Riza tried her hardest to fall asleep, but it escaped her. Most of her boxes were now unpacked. She had a room that was her own, but it just didn't feel like home, not without her boys a few rooms over. Black Hayate was in the corner licking his paws. She wondered if he missed Roy as much as she did. Images of her pet dog and her military dog playing blissfully outside Central Headquarters were burned into her mind. That dog had always had some sort of spell on Roy.

After a few hours of staring at the ceiling, Riza finally dozed off and had once again fallen back into a very familiar dream.

"Well, Miss Riza, how does the life of a civilian compare?" Hughes asked her.

It was always the same setting, a vast grey land where the only things present besides her and Hughes were their shadows. He looked exactly the same as he did before he died. He wore thin rimmed square glasses, his hair was combed back except for that signature strand that jumped out of its gel confines, he wore his military outfit, and his stature, which was much taller than Riza's, came off as the cuddly big brother teddy bear type.

Maes Hughes was the only person on earth that she could not lie to. Maybe in front of her comrades, she would bend the truth a little, but when they were alone, Hughes transformed into her personal diary. In her dreams it was even easier for her to divulge her feelings. Tonight was no different, "I miss him, Hughes. I told myself I wouldn't, but I do. It didn't even hit me until I realized that it was 10:00 and there was no paper work to be done."

Hughes laughed a little. "I'm sure it Roy at the same time when he realized there was no one yelling at him to do it."

"I was thinking of calling him and reminding him, but I figured he's celebrating his freedom right now."

Hughes placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Remember how I used to joke about Roy needing a wife? Well, I always kind of hoped it would be a girl like you. Then again, if you two ever got married I'd have to wonder what you were thinking. I mean, let's face it, Roy's a mess."

Riza knew he was joking. Hughes and Mustang were practically brothers, and Hughes would never deal such harsh words about his brother. "Well, I guess he'll just have to find someone else to clean him up."

"Listen, Hawkeye, I've known you for quite sometime. All you need is a little time to think. If this civilian life doesn't suit you, I'm sure Roy will welcome you back with open arms."

And I want to get free, talk to me / I can feel you falling / And I wanted to be, all you need / Somehow here is gone."

--Goo Goo Dolls

Heh? Review? Huh? Ya know you wanna!