Thank you for the review as always, Nuzha! (I stopped using insta since I wanted to focus on studying, sorry -. But thanks for asking anyways) But hope you enjoy this chapter too!


Chapter 11


Roy and Riza's hearts dropped instantly they heard the words from the golden-haired boy. Riza gulped, forcing herself to calm down and think rationally. "Edward, come in first, and fill us in."

Seeing the boy not moving, she dragged him in and sat him on the sofa. As she went to the kitchen to boil water for tea to calm the boy down, Roy questioned as he retrieved the note pad and pen he keeps on the coffee table. "When and where did it happen?"

"J-just thirty minutes ago, after the flea market ended. We went to the park," He replied weakly, his hands clenched in fists, shaking. "I-I needed to use the washroom, so I went to the public restroom, a-and sh-she said she would wait outside."

Riza placed a mug of peppermint tea in front of him, and sat next to him, placing a hand on his back and asked softly. "And?"

Edward took a shaky breath, and drank his tea in sips. After he felt less agitated, he spoke. "Right when I got out of the restroom, I saw two men knock her out, a-and carried her to a black car parked right outside the entrance of the park. It was dark and there was practically no one. And I tried to go after her, b-but," He banged his fist down and roared. "God dammit!"

He dug his fingers in his hair, pulling it. "There was a third person! He fucking knocked me out by hitting my head!"

Roy jotted down the notes down, and looked at him in the eyes. "Fullme-" He stopped, and continued cautiously. "Edward, calm down. Do you remember-"

"CALM DOWN!?" Ed shrieked. "Winry's kidnapped and God knows what they're going to do to her, and you're telling me to fucking CALM DOWN!?" He panted, then continued bellowing. "You fucking bastard! You don't know shit! You don't even know how it feels like, having someone that important to be taken away from you! And you want me to calm down-"

"Edward!" Roy cut him off sharply. "I do know how it feels, and don't even make me remember of it. So calm down, you panicking won't do anything."

Ed growled, but crossed his arms and glared at him, not saying a word. Roy continued, "Do you remember their faces?"

"I couldn't see their faces since it was really dark, but the first two were tall. One had dirty blonde hair and was slim, his noise was pointy; the other one had black hair and was bulky. I didn't see what the third one looked like, but his figure was short and fat."

"Alright. Riza, report it to General Alberts." He handed her his notebook and Riza nodded, and she walked towards the phone.

While she was talking to Ida, Roy sat next to Ed and placed a hand on his head, patting it lightly, and murmured (as comforting as he could). "We'll find her."

Edward buried his face in his hands, his body shaking slightly. "I'm so useless… I can't even keep her safe. I can't even protect the person I love." He let out a cynical, scornful sneer. "What a failure I am."

"Edward…" Roy frowned harder, then sighed and pulled him in for a short, awkward hug, patting his back, then pushed him away to look at the boy in his eyes firmly. "Get a grip, Edward! How are you going to face her once we find her?"

The blonde haired boy just stared at him, eyes wide and mouth agape. Roy continued, "Listen, kid. I know exactly how you feel right now, and sulking now wouldn't do a damn thing. Look, I know I sound harsh right now, but…" He stopped and scratched the back of his head, not knowing how to continue.

"…You suck at comforting people, ya know?" Ed spoke and looked up, his eyes looking less despairing and more determined. "But I suppose that's how you talked me into joining the military. Thanks man."


"Duly noted, Riza. I'll report it to General Alberts right now, and I'll call you back when I have a reply. We'll have the MPs to organize a search party for Miss Winry Rockbell right away."

"Thank you, Ida. Goodnight, then." Riza said and hung up. She turned to the sofa, walking towards it and sat next to Ed. "I already reported it to the Western headquarters, they're organizing a search party right now."

"…Thank you, Colonel." He didn't look at her, but his voice sounded less hollow, she noticed as she turned to Roy and sent him an appreciative smile.

She looked back at the boy and asked, "Do you… Would you like to stay for the night, Edward?"

Ed turned his head to face her, an unnoticeable yet grateful smile gracing his lips as he nodded. "Thank you, Colonel. You never fail at comforting people, I'm always indebted to you."

"No worries." She reassured him, rubbing his back gently and soothingly. "You can stay in the guest room on the second floor, I'll get you something comfortable to wear."

He nodded and stood as Riza led him to his room, and Roy followed suit.

"Go ahead and take a shower first, I'll stay here in case they call." Riza said to Roy after Edward seemingly fell asleep as she walked down the stairs and sat on the sofa with a notebook and pencil in her hands. "And I'll also have a look into the kidnap." She grimaced, "I have a bad feeling about this."

He looked at her intently, then sighed and pecked her on the lips. "Alright. I'll come down after I finish showering. Don't tire yourself out."

She leaned in to him, then sent him a small, tired smile and nodded.


"General Alberts!" Riza and Roy (out of habit) immediately snapped to a crisp salute when they opened the door to see the General and his two aids next to him. It's seven in the morning, Roy mentally thought.

"At ease, you two." Alberts smiled. "It's been a while, Colonel Hawkeye. And aren't you a General now, General Mustang? There's no need for you to salute."

Riza replied a 'Yes sir' and Roy chuckled slightly as he opened the door wider to let them in.

"Nice shade of eye shadow you have there, Riza." Sugar's lips twisted to an amused yet sardonic smile as she stepped in.

Riza scowled and reached a hand up to touch the dark circles under her eyes. "I can say the same for you, Sugar."

Sugar huffed and asked, "Where's the boy? Is he alright?"

"Edward? He's upstairs, still asleep." She eyed Roy, "He had a rough night. Let him sleep for a little longer before you ask him questions."

"Oh, ok then." Sugar spoke as she sat on the sofa, placing her files on the coffee table. Riza grimaced and sat as the memories of the previous night floated back in her mind.

"Winry…! WINRY!" Came struggled cries and screams from the guest room. Roy and Riza immediately rushed up the stairs and into the room upon hearing the heart-wrenching bawling.

"Edward!" Roy held down the boy who was thrashing while Riza called out to him, desperately trying to pull him out of his nightmare.

Feeling his thrashing become more violent, Roy shook him. "Edward, wake up!"

The boy stopped moving abruptly and stayed still for a while, making the two more worried. They heaved a relieved sigh when he began to open his eyes, and he said groggily. "Colonel…? Lieutenant…?"

She was taken aback for a second, but decidedly ignored it and held his hand in a hand, while wiping the sweat off his forehead with the other hand. She murmured, "You had a nightmare, didn't you?"

Edward widened his eyes in fear and alarm, then squeezed his eyes shut, tears brimming from them. He grasped her hand tightly, trying to find as much comfort as he can, and choked out. "I saw Winry… And she was- They, they were…"

"Shh…" Everything will be fine, she wanted to say, but couldn't bring herself to. "We'll find her." She said instead while hugging him gently, cradling his head. "We'll find her…"

He opened his eyes, studying her and Mustang, then fluttered them close. "Thank you…" He muttered and fell back asleep. Roy's frown deepened at the sight of his ex-subordinate being so broken, and he ruffled the boy's hair lightly.

"Riza?"

"Huh?" She snapped out of her thoughts, and saw the two Generals and her friends looking at her worriedly. "Oh, sorry. You were saying?"

Roy scooted closer to her as Ida said, "We have a few suspects."

"Who?" She asked immediately. "Who are they? Do they work under Dubois?" Her tone grew impatient and angry.

"Well, yes." He replied and placed two photos on the table. One photo consisted of a man with dirty-blonde hair and a pointy nose, just as how Edward described. One had a muscular man with semi long black hair, a cigarette dangling between his lips, and he held a brunette in his arms. "They go by Robert Cade and Leland Gagne, we would see them with Dubois sometimes."

"Wait," Roy said and pointed at the brunette. "I know her, I think Penny was her name. I met her at a pub, when Ri- the Colonel and I went to undercover there."

"Now that we're very certain that they're involved with Dubois, we can just wait for the boy, Edward Elric, for him to confirm the two suspects we have." General Alberts said, and turned to Riza. "I'm sorry but can you call him down? The earlier he gives us the confirmation, the faster we can find Miss Rockbell."

"Yes sir," She nodded then hurried upstairs. Once she got to his room, she knocked on the door, then entered, and squatted down next to his side of the bed. "Edward?"

The blonde-haired boy groaned and opened his eyes slowly. "…Colonel? What's wrong? Did something happen?" He abruptly sat up and grasped her shoulders. "Did you find Winry!?"

Riza winced slightly at his grip, so she held his hands in hers and he hastily muttered an apology. She shook her head and started, "We found two suspects, and we just need you to confirm if it's them."

He kicked the blankets off him. "Really? Thanks Colonel!" With that, he dashed out of the room, almost tripping several times down the stairs. "General! You've found the suspects?"

He halted when he saw three people he was unfamiliar with sitting on the sofa next to Mustang. Roy turned to him, and spoke. "This is General Joshua Alberts, Commanding Officer of the Western Headquarters. These two are his adjutants, Major Ida Moore and Captain Sugar Thompson."

"Nice to meet you, Edward Elric." The General extended a hand, and Ed hesitantly shook it, then shook the other two's.

"Well, here are the two suspects. Do they look, or at least seem familiar to you?" Sugar asked coolly, while sliding the photos across the table to him.

Ed looked down at the photo, and his lips immediately twisted to a frown as he glared fiercely at the two faces, his fingers clenched to a fist. He spat venomously, "Yeah, it's them. Those fuckers kidnapped my fiancé. I couldn't really see their faces, but I'm sure it's them. Who are they?" He glared up at her, his golden eyes darkening.

Sugar flinched ever so slightly before narrowing her eyes at him. She opened her mouth to explain, but immediately shut it. He'd go berserk if I told him they work for a serial killer and rapist, she sighed. There's no need to make him more paranoid… She thought bitterly, and spoke. "Two kidnappers, that's all you need to know. Thank you for your cooperation, Mister Elric. General," She turned to Alberts, "It'd be the best if we move tonight, they'll most probably be at 'The Crown'."

The General nodded in agreement as the three stood, ready to leave. Riza hurriedly went to the door, opening it to see them off. Sugar placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "See you there at twenty-two hours."

Riza nodded and closed the door.


"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN BY NO!?"

Roy sighed. It definitely wasn't easy to convince Ed to stay at home while they go to the bar to search for Dubois' subordinates and hopefully, Winry. "No means no, Fullmetal."

"You Goddamn son of a…" Ed growled. "I'm getting one step closer to finding Winry, and you're telling me to stay here!? Are you outta your fucking mind!?"

Roy snapped. He felt all his patience gone, replaced with anger and stress. "Goddammit don't you get it, Fullmetal!? I don't want your anger get the best of you, and let you ruin the plan!"

Ed flinched, completely speechless. The older man ran his fingers through his hair, and exhaled. "Look, I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to sound this harsh; but we really can't risk it, Edward."

"You can come with us, Edward." The two men turned to see Riza standing, leaning against the staircase.

"Colonel, are you-" Roy furrowed his brows.

"Just listen." She eyed Mustang and looked back at Ed. "We can let you come, however, you have to stay with General Alberts, in his car. He won't be going in since he's the commanding officer, so he'll standby outside."

Ed's eyes widened, and seemingly brightened in gratitude. "Thank you, Colonel Hawkeye-"

"But," She cut him off sharply, "If you don't stay still and follow the General's instructions, we'll have to cuff you."

The boy dared to glare, but nonetheless gulped and nodded reluctantly. He would do anything to get Winry back to his side.

"Alright," She said softly, trying to lighten the mood, "Let's go." She turned, her maroon dress twirling lightly.


Riza immediately saw Sugar and Ida sitting on the bar stool as she and Roy entered the classy bar. "Hey," She greeted, "Where are they?"

Ida looked over his shoulder slightly. "The boss just left fifteen minutes ago with a blonde lady, looking rather pissed, so we had a few MPs follow them in case something happens. His two pawns are still here though, with another one, that ginger chubby guy. You see him? He's currently flirting with two ladies right behind us."

"Yeah, I do." She lowered her voice. "And I assume the black haired man next table to his is Gagne, and the one by the pool table is Cade?"

He nodded. "What's your plan?"

"Play pool bet like last time?" Sugar smirked, "And a kiss as a reward?"

Roy bit back a growl and snapped (not loud enough to attract attention), "Elizabeth, you go to Gagne and I'll deal with Cade. You two keep watch."

The two nodded as Roy stalked away and Riza sat on a stool, which is closest to Gagne, and started observing him discreetly. Finding the fact that he was sitting alone funny, she ordered two drink, one for herself and one for him.

Feeling rather wary about his muscular form, her eyes wandered around her to check whether anyone could possibly pay attention to her, then secretly added powdered drugs she slipped in her clothing, in his drink. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and walked over to him, with the drinks in her hands.

"Hello, Mister." She smiled flirtatiously, sending him a playful wink. "Care for a drink?"

The black-haired man looked up at her, and snorted. "Go away, whore. I don't do with sluts like you."

Oh how wonderful would it be, if she could just smash the glass onto his face, and whip the gun out of her thigh holster and shoot at him nonstop. She felt a vein pop, what the fuck did you just call me!?

Calm down, she mentally thought, and smiled down at him mischievously. "What makes you think that I'm a whore? I'm just a lonely woman who wants some company to drink with. The more the merrier, yes?" She mocked a slight frown, "Though two would be just enough."

He chuckled. "I see. Apologies, then. I'd love to have a drink with a fair lady like you."

Riza handed him his drink, "Gin and tonic. Wouldn't mind, would you?"

"No," He accepted his drink, and wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her closer. "Strawberry pom mojito for yourself? Interesting." He took a sip of his drink, completely unaware that it was drugged, and murmured in her ear. "Tell me about yourself."

She wanted to laugh at his sudden 180 change of attitude, so she settled for a soft chuckle. "Me? There's nothing to talk about me. Why don't you tell me about yourself?"

He laughed. "At least tell me your name."

She eyed him carefully, trying to sense if the drugs have kicked in. She huffed when she realized he needed to drink more to make the drug more effective. "Elizabeth. Not a fan of Gin and tonic, Mister…?"

"Oh of course not, Elizabeth." Gagne took a huge gulp of his drink. "And the name's Lee."

"I see…" She casually said, taking a sip of her own drink. She resisted the urge to move away when he moved closer to her, the grip on her waist tightening.

"Am I boring you out now?" He wrapped his fingers around her hand and placed her drink on the table, while leaning closer till his face was an inch away from hers, their lips practically touching.

"I thought you don't do whores." She murmured against his lips, willing herself to not back away and slap him across his face. Hurry up! She mentally urged the drugs.

She felt a laugh rumble through his chest. "I thought I apologized." His breath suddenly hitched, and she felt his grip loosen.

Yes! It's working! "What's wrong?"

"My hands and legs feel a bit funny." He shrugged it off, "Probably just my imagination."

Riza hummed and stood. "Perhaps I am getting a bit bored. Say," She turned around and smirked down at him. "Why don't we do something fun?"


A/N: Is this counted as a cliffhanger? Hope you enjoyed the chapter, reviews are much appreciated!