Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or its characters. I do, however, own Henry Fitzwilliam, his family, and the Unnamed Psychologist.

Notes: Thought I'd mention that aside from the collapse of his mental faculties due to recent occurences, Henry's mainly in the asylum for his own protection. He's a potential target for attack and abuse, being accused of having killed one of the nation's war heroes, and he has also been displaying suicidal tendencies. Any crazy in him will have to be evaluated over the length of the story.


Chapter Three:

The next time I went to visit him, Henry had calmed down. It had been a few days, and I supposed that he had had the time to think about what he had done. He was staring into nothingness when I arrived, and the morose expression on his face made me think that maybe this was the day he'd confess the truth of the situation.

"I wish she was here," Henry said in a whisper, before I'd even taken my seat. "I miss her so much."

Sitting down, I listened to him as he spoke. I didn't even need to guide him into a conversation – he just picked it right up, needing no more than a little prodding from me. Occasionally he'd ask me a question, pausing only long enough for a brief answer before continuing in a dazed state.

"I can see her smiling at me now. Like . . . Like . . ." His voice cracked, and he leant his forehead on one hand. When he looked up, his eyes finally met mine. "Did you know I was going to ask her to marry me?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "No, I did not."

"It was going to be in two months' time," Henry said, eyes drifting away again. "That's when I'd have enough money. I don't- didn't want her to live in poverty, so I was saving up so that she wouldn't have to work. That way she'd be able to finally escape that jerk."

My chair squeaked a little as I jolted. The guttural growl that came out of Henry's mouth was eerily animalistic, and I decided that this 'jerk' might be a conversation point left for another time, when events weren't so potent. I knew I'd have to find out about him later, but right now my main thought was keeping Henry on the one track.

"You were going to ask her to marry you?" I queried, trying to lead him back.

The frown that had worked its way onto his face smoothed over, and after only a moment's pause, a dreamy smile replaced it. "Yeah. Then we'd move away to some town away from all of this fuss. She wouldn't have to worry about it all there."

I admit that curiosity struck me then. Well, perhaps not struck, exactly. It had been welling up for some time, as he alluded to problems that I hadn't heard of, and I stopped him before he went any further. "I don't think you've told me about the problems you're referring to now. How about we go from where we finished the other day, and you can let me know all about it."

Blinking, he looked up, almost as though just noticing I was there again. His eyes seemed a lot clearer than before. I was told later that he had had to be drugged a few hours before I arrived, and he was likely still under their affects during the interview. In hindsight, that did explain his less than lucid expression.

For a moment after I asked him to continue from where he left off, Henry looked concerned. "There won't be time for me to explain it all today," he intimated, watching me closely.

"Then just tell me what you can today, and we'll continue from there again next session," I told him calmly.

There was a pause, and Henry grunted, rubbing his face against his hand. "Well," he started, "I don't know about her, but the moment she saved me from that wall, I knew she was special. I mean, how often does a beautiful woman save your life? I had to find out who she was, so I asked a man, and he told me she was 'Lieutenant Hawkeye'. Later, another soldier told me her first name was Riza. Riza . . ."

There was a momentary pause in which Henry took a shuddering breath. His hands gripped at his hair. Soon, when he had regained control of his emotions, the hands dropped and he continued talking.

"It wasn't until the next day that I realised I hadn't even thanked her."