Fear rattled in his chest. His shoulder was still bleeding from the puncture wound and his anger is spiking with every single question that the operator insisted on answering so his call could be connected. Usually this wouldn't affect him whatsoever whenever he call Reyna from his home or anywhere else but right now it's infuriated him and the dial tone is making him even more nervous and jittery by the second. However, before the dial tone could finish ringing the sound of a cocking gun fro behind had him completely frozen.

A familiar voice spoke up from behind him and instructed "I need to ask you to put the phone, Lieutenant Colonel". Maes hesitant a little before turning slightly and saw Maria Ross standing with a gun pointing towards him.

"Go on, Lieutenant Colonel. Just hang it up" Maria Ross ordered him once again.

Maes was in disbelief as started to say. "You look just like..." before a fierce smirk formed crookedly on his face. "But you're not! Who the hell are you, lady?!"

Ross merely smiled and smoothly replying "I'm Second Lieutenant Ross, sir. You've must have lost a lost of blood."

Maes scoffed at her. As if I'll believed that, whoever this person is she's underestimating my position as head of investigation and intelligence. "Don't you dare lie, Second Lieutenant Ross has a mole under her left eye!"

Ross looked suprised at first before a chuckle escaped her. She look up and stared at him in eyed and pressed her index and middle finger to the spot under her left eye. "Oh, how silly of me. I should be more careful next time." And a sparkling red light, that look suspiciously like an alchemy reaction, and a mole appeared at the spot she just touched and now she's an exact replica of Maria Ross.

"There, how does it look? Perfect, right." She mocked him.

Shock flooded Maes body at the scene before him, he quickly turn around and place the hand holding the receiver on top of the telephone body. "You've got to be kidding me." He says in a shaky voice. "Please tell me I'm hallucinating and that did not just happened."

"You're a very smart man, Sir. Did you ever wondered how that could have been the cause of your death?" He heard Ross(or whatever she was) talking behind him.

Maes tense as he gave a false exasperated sigh. "Come on, have a heart will you? I have a wife and daughter ('and a lover' his mind whispered) waiting for me and the last thing I'm gonna do is..." before a flick of his wrist and dagger fell into his grip from the sheath in his wrist. He spun around, hand at the ready to throw his dagger at his assailant.

"Die-!" Maes stopped dead in the middle of his attack as he stared at his attacker in shock. There once stood Maria Ross was his wife, Gracia, still in the same position as before with the gun held in an unwavering hand. His breath hitched as he tried to talk in his shocked state.

"Y-You... What a-are you?!"

A gunshot was heard in an instant and Maes Hughes slumped back into the booth from the impact and the pain made itself know the instant his back connected to floor. He could hear Reyna's voice as the connection went through, he desperately reached for the receiver hagging there despite the painful feeling in chest but only for it to be taken by not Ross or Gracia but a young man with a ridiculous hair and skin-tight outfit.

The thing (Maes reminded himself) looked down at him and smirk. "Humans are so pathetic. You foolishly risk yourself for other people. Oh, how weak you pathetic creatures are." And with that he left, leaving behind a bleeding and dying Maes Hughes

Maes struggle to lift his face to face the dark sky of Central City and his eyes, despite still having his glasses on, was getting blurry by every second. Maes struggling to take a breath as he whispers to himself, "Gracia... Elicia... daddy's sorry..he w-won't be ba-ck tonight..." and as his eyelids got heavier, the image of a familiar blacknett with sharp dark blue eyes looking at him so gently bought tears into his eyes. 'Reyna, I'm sorry...I'm truly am sorry.'

His consciousness was slipping and he missed the pair of legs that was suddenly in front of him before darkness completely filled his vision.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The ringing of the phone startled Reyna Mustang out of her musing, she turn from her position facing the window and picked up the annoyingly ringing phone from it's cradle. As if it's a second nature, Reyna immediately knew who's on the other side and couldn't help the fond smile that formed on her lips. Oh, how Hughes had her wrapped around his finger.

Bringing the phone on level with her ear, Reyna subconsciously answered in her usually annoyed tone that most people associate her whenever she talks with Hughes.

"There's a Lieutenant Colonol Hughes on hold for you, Sir. He claims that it's urgent" The monotonous drone of the receptionist voice rang in ger ears the moment the phone was in place.

Huffing, she has to keep up an appearance, Reyna replied. " Of course he does -" before continuing in fake annoyed tone, "- Put him through." As soon as she heard the clicking of the line being connected, Reyna soften her voice before speaking clearly to the stubborn man that would take up all her hours just for a story of her lovely goddaughter.

"Look Hughes, I don't have time for daughter stories. " She said with a tone of finality, fully expecting a full on rant of how there's always time for daughter stories. As she waits, the silent from the other side begins to unnerved her.

"Hughes, are you okay? Hey, hey Hughes?! Hughes?!! Meas, answer m-" The line was abruptly cut as all she hears was static. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as she pulled the receiver down and into her line of sight, looking as if it had all the answer she needed. Returning the receiver back to it's cradle, Reyna sat down on her chair and stared at the phone, willing it to ring again, comforting her that everything is okay and what happened was just a prank that Hughes like playing on her.

Luck, however wasn't on her side, as time passed by no call was made and when Hawkeye came into her office, telling her that it was time to go home. Reyna absently packed her things, grabbed her coat and ignoring Riza's questioning gaze, Reyna walked towards the carpark and hoped that the feeling of unease in her gut was just that, a feeling.

'I mean what could go wrong, Maes has always been a careful guy... he wouldn't stop now would he?' Thoughts swirled around her head, silently praying that everything was fine.