AN: Sorry, would have updated yesterday but it was my Nephew's birthday.
Thank you: Thieving Alchemist, Cerisabeth, YesMyLord666, Knight of Balinor, AnimeRomantic4Ever, Happy, Riza Hawkeye fan, ChocoChip101, DeathKiki, and Lt. Gungirl
One week. It had been one week since Roy and Riza had met in the café. One long, agonizing week of not knowing what had happened to her. When Roy tried to call her the phone would ring off the hook. Sometimes he would be sitting at home, and the phone would ring once and then stop. He was certain that it had been her but he had no proof. Then one day out of the blue, Roy finally received a call from Riza.
On the phone she sounded calm but distant. Something had obviously happened but as usual Riza acted as if it was nothing.
They met in the same café and sat at the same table but things were different. There was no playful banter between the two or any fond memories suddenly resurfacing. Riza had to focus all of her energy on keeping her head up.
"Please tell me what's wrong."
"It's nothing. I've just been feeling sick lately."
Roy didn't believe her. Memories or no memories, Riza had a stubborn streak and it always seemed to show its self whenever he was trying to help her. He knew that it was more then a sickness and he had a hunch that she knew it too but unless she gave in and fessed up, there wasn't much that Roy could do.
"Have you been able to remember anything else?"
It was almost too much work to so much as shake her head. "I'm going to remember everything; I've already promised you that. I haven't been feeling well and I thought that if I saw you things would…"
"Things would what?"
'Things would go back to making sense'
Riza looked up at the clock on the wall and she stood up; shakily. "I'm sorry, I have to go. Hannah is coming home from school and I need to be there."
Roy went to get up as he spoke "I'll drive you there."
"No, that won't be necessary."
He knew that what she really meant was, she was afraid that William would come home early or that somehow he'd see them. Roy felt as though he and Riza were secret lovers, having to hide from her husband's vigilant watch. At any moment they could be caught and if they were, they would pay for it dearly. That wouldn't be so bad if Riza was actually in that life and if their roles had never been altered. She was his loyal subordinate and she was meant to stay by his side at all times, not by William's.
After school, Hannah found herself in a state of near isolation. Though Riza had tried with all her might to stay not only awake but to keep her balance, she ultimately lost and had to spend the next several hours upstairs in bed.
It was times like this that Hannah found herself wishing for either a dog or a sibling. She didn't have many friends and even when she was around them at school, she somehow felt just as lonely as when they were not there.
When her father returned home from work, he went straight into the kitchen and began preparing dinner. She managed to keep her distance from him for a while and she fended off her boredom with a book but soon the silence of the house proved to be too much and Hannah entered the kitchen.
At first William did not notice her standing there. He took down the pill bottle from the cabinet and he sighed heavily as he spoke to himself "If only you'd behave…"
Once more he took out 4 large capsules from the same bottle, opened them, and poured its contents over Riza's food. He then mixed it in well so she would not notice. William knew exactly what effects this drug could have on a person and he could already see it taking its toll on Riza's body. Still as it worked to weaken her physically it would also weaken her ability to concentrate and without that, no more memories could ever be recovered.
Then he saw Hannah. She looked at her father with sheer terror as her mind worked to connect the dots. She was always such a bright girl. William smiled as he brought his finger to his lips and made the motion of silence. Hannah backed out of the kitchen slowly, not daring to turn her back on her father.
That night at dinner the only one who had an appetite was William. The medication that Riza was unknowingly consuming made it difficult for her to so much as lift her fork. Her head was pounding as her mind filled with a thousand disjointed thoughts. Hannah knew what her father was doing and it troubled her but with her father continuously eyeing her she couldn't say anything.
"Hannah is something wrong?" questioned Riza. Even in this state she was able to notice that Hannah had yet to even touch her plate.
"Yes, Hannah. What's wrong?"
She knew by just her father's look alone that if she were to say anything something bad was going to happen to her. She let her head drop and she mumbled something about feeling nauseous before bolting out of the dinning room.
Again after her meal, Riza began to feel worse. Hannah offered to help walk her upstairs as now simple movements such as these had become far too tiring on her body. At any given moment she could simply collapse and possibly never wake up.
Hannah placed Riza in bed and as soon as her head hit the pillow she was out. Hannah remained in the room. She watched as Riza slept and she thought back to how Riza had been when she first came home from the hospital and how much fun they had. This was no way for either of them to be living. Hannah began to shake her.
"Wake up! Wake up! I know you're not dead yet!"
Riza stirred slightly but still did not wake.
"Get up! Please get up! Come on!"
Hannah began to speak softer and closer in her ear "If you get up we can go away. We can go anywhere you want. I've heard about this place called Rush Valley, I don't know much about it but I like the name. We could go there. We could go anywhere, just please get up." Her voice had reached its high point of desperation. Then she saw Riza's lips moving and she listened carefully.
"I didn't steal them, Father. Mr. Mustang gave me these earrings."
Riza was in the midst of a dream and Hannah could not wake her. The dream did give her an idea, though. When Mustang had come to the house and given Riza his card, Hannah had seen it. As Riza slept soundlessly Hannah went on a hunt through Riza's dresser drawers for Mustang's card. When she found it, she walked out of the bedroom.
When her father had gone to bed and he was certain that Hannah was asleep, she snuck down stairs. She crept quietly into the kitchen, with Mustang's card in her grasp. Hannah didn't want to give up her mother but she knew that if Riza stayed there any longer, she was going to end up dead. The only one who could save her now was Mustang.
Hannah moved the stool underneath the phone and climbed on top of it so she could reach the phone. She dialed the number and the phone started to ring.
'Pick up, pick up; pick up!'
The light turned on. She held her breath. She heard a voice.
"Hannah, who are you calling?"
She dropped the card; her father had caught her. He approached her with that all too calm smile. He hung up the phone.
They were family, weren't they? First Riza had tried to leave and now his own daughter was calling to sick the military hounds on him. Why did they try so hard to escape the happiness that he was so generously giving them?
He placed a hand on his daughter's trembeling shoulders. He bent down to her level and said "You love your mommy, don't you?"
She nodded.
"And you love your daddy, don't you?"
Her nod was more hesitant but she couldn't deny that she still loved him.
"And you want to keep your family, don't you?"
"Yes."
He removed his hand and reached down to pick up the card that had fallen. He ripped it in two and then turned back to his daughter.
"I think it's time that all little girls be in bed."
Hannah took her cue to leave but he held her back by her wrist.
"Goodnight, Hannah."
