Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.

And They're Off

Two days later, Roy stood watching the sunrise in the middle of the desert. He had slept fitfully yet, fortunately, dreamlessly. He woke Kain so that they could get an early start and take advantage of the morning before peak temperatures were reached which would necessitate another resting period. They packed up their small tent and blankets and started off without eating breakfast: it was better to snack a little as they went to keep their strength up. They walked in silence for a while, and then:

"So, Kain," Roy began. "Do you like your specialty for our cover?"

"It's great! I'm a communications major, so at least I know what I'm talking about. And you sir…er…Roy?" Kain caught himself; he was still getting used to this whole first names thing.

"I'm a chemistry major," Roy replied. Then, with a little trademark swagger coming into his demeanor, he said, "And I'm flattered that everyone thinks I can pass for a college student."

"Um…aren't you a grad-student, though…in your cover?"

"It still counts! A grad-student is still a university student, after all."

"I think Vato's cover is in graduate studies too."

"Well, I'm not as old as him. But, yeah, his specialty is history. Specifically Xingese, but he knows so much that he could probably believably pull-off just about any subject."

"True." After a moment's thought Kain added, "And I think Heymans' is mathematics, right? He's definitely smart enough for that."

"Yes. And Jean is business management, since he has all that experience with his family's store."

"I forgot about that! And what about Becca and Liz? I never heard what theirs are."

"Ah…Becca is nursing, because of her medical knowledge. And Liz is foreign languages; she speaks at least two languages in addition to Amestrian."

"Oh, wow! You know, they're fun. I really…" Kain was there, and then suddenly he was no longer walking next to Roy, and a cry of pain was heard trailing off. When he looked down, Kain was rolling down a sand dune, already almost at the bottom. Roy carefully followed him down to make sure he was alright, and to help him back on his feet. As he neared, he saw that the younger man was clutching his right ankle, his face a scrunched expression of pain.

Shit. Shit. Shit. "Kain?! Are you ok? You weren't bitten by anything were you?" They had recently passed a rock formation sporting all kinds of crevices that would be perfect for housing scorpions or spiders. Reaching Kain, he helped him sit up and tried to pry his hands away from his foot so he could take a look.

"I don't think so," Kain replied. "But my ankle hurts like hell." His voice was strained; he was clearly in a great deal of pain. Roy attempted to examine the ankle, and Kain flinched at any and all movement. Nothing appeared to be hanging at an odd angle, nor did he see any protruding bone, but that did not necessarily rule out a break or a fracture. Standing and walking up the side of a dune to get a better vantage point, Roy looked around, checking the position of the sun and the status of the weather. The sun was not quite at its peak, they still had a couple hours at least, and the skies looked mostly clear for much of the expanse surrounding them.

Walking slowing back down the dune, he said to Kain: "We need to try to get you up. Don't put any weight on your foot just yet." He stooped down so Kain could put an arm around his shoulders and use him as a crutch to stand; this only made the pain more intense. With Roy supporting most of his weight, Fuery attempted to stand extremely lightly on his injured limb, with disastrous results. He lost his balance, nearly dragging Roy to the ground.

"I…I can't do it. I'm sorry, sir…Roy. I'm such an idiot." Roy eased Kain back to a sitting position on the ground and walked a few paces, removing his hat and running a hand through his hair, trying to formulate a plan.

"It's ok, Kain. These things happen. We'll figure something out." There was no way he could finish the rest of this trip if he had to half-carry Fuery: they would never make it.

"I can wait here if you need to go for help or something," Kain said somewhat apprehensively.

"There's no way I'm going to leave you in the middle of the damn desert while I go for help. We travel together." Despite the attempt to rid themselves of anything military, Roy's words had the ring of a final order. Walking back up to the top of the dune, he took another look around, surveying the area and anything he could see. Very quietly, to himself, he muttered, "Shit." They were still too far away from the landmark on their route to reasonably make it there, and any wrong turn or injury in the desert could be a death sentence if not handled properly.

Turning around, he looked to the north: off in the distance, he could just make out the ruins of Xerxes. Catalina and Jackson should be there today at some point, at least for the hottest part of the day, which lasts a few hours. Fuery's best chance would be to get him to a medic, such as Catalina, to see what needed to be done. And, with a couple other people that could rotate through helping Kain, they had a much better shot of making it to Xing. The only other issue was that the desert can play tricks on you as far as distance is concerned. His calculations told him he should be able to do it, looking at the ruins made him wonder: they could be further away than he thought.

Returning to Kain at the bottom of the dune, Roy removed the tightly packaged tent from among the things he carried, dropping it on the ground. It was about the only thing he could get rid of in an attempt to help them move quickly. Looking at Fuery, he said, "Come on, let's go." He stooped down once more to allow Kain to put his arm around him for support, and helped him stand. When they reached the top of the dune, Roy pointed north, "Do you see the ruins in the distance?"

Fuery nodded, "Yeah." His voice was still tense and tinged with pain, Roy's plan was not going to be easy on the younger man.

"Liz and Becca should be getting there in the next few hours. We have to make it there before they leave, so we need to haul ass. I know I'm asking a lot, but it's the best shot we have to help you. If you really need to rest, let me know. Let's go."

They set off, moving as quickly as they could with Roy supporting much of Fuery's weight. The sun rose higher, the day continued to grow hotter, and slowly, so very slowly, the ruins grew closer. At one point the wind picked up, blowing Roy's hat clean off his head. He paused, but it was flying away, and he had no chance of catching it. His exhaustion was increasing as well: he just kept his eye on the ancient buildings on the horizon and hoped they would make it.

Liz was back in her sniper's nest on top of an abandoned building in Ishval. Gunfire was everywhere, but she did not care. Screams and explosions rent the air, shrapnel rained down, and every now and then she heard Kimblee's maniacal laugh. Another explosion came from her right, this one much closer. They no longer startled her; they had become the soundtrack to her life.

Liz heard two more explosions, these so close that the floor beneath her vibrated. She strained her ears, listening, and heard the crack of gunfire nearby. Suddenly, the sense that something was very wrong saturated her entire being. She could not explain it, but her gut was almost never mistaken. Footsteps approached her from behind, slow and methodical. She felt the muzzle of a firearm being pressed firmly to the back of her skull. Picking up the pistol she always kept handy when in the nest, she quickly spun and…

Elizabeth woke suddenly, her consciousness jumping from sleep as if she'd just been doused with ice water. She was sitting up, her unloaded pistol aimed at nothing, and she could already feel tension growing in her neck from restless sleep. Despite her whereabouts and the heat, she was drenched in a cold sweat. I really hate the fucking desert.

Grabbing her bandana, she dabbed at the moisture on her face. The recurrence of her dreams is what she feared at the prospect of the crossing to Xing. Thus, she removed all ammo from her pistol before lying down, putting the empty firearm under her pillow where it would normally be, and had Rebecca hide the clip. Looking over at her friend, she was relieved to see her still asleep.

Now fully awake, Elizabeth frowned slightly: it sounded like the wind had picked up substantially since they arrived at Xerxes. They placed their tent in between a couple stone walls in the hopes of shielding themselves from the elements. She rose, deciding that it was perhaps a good idea to check on the weather since, in the desert, it can change quickly and violently.

Silently exiting the tent, she noticed it was near midday and the heat alone felt catastrophic. With the wind dancing among the ruins, she could immediately tell that something was brewing. Elizabeth climbed to the top of a tall pile of rocks nearby and saw a sand storm or a thunderstorm on the horizon. At this distance, it was difficult to tell which, and neither was particularly beneficial. Taking out her binoculars, she tried to see if she could tell which it was, but it was no use. She was just about to turn back toward the tent when movement in the foreground of her vision caught her eye.

Elizabeth moved the binoculars and adjusted the focus: she saw two figures approaching semi-quickly. One was limply noticeably, and the other was helping them along. They were both wearing khaki colored clothing, like her, and the only reason she'd seen them was the black splotch (presumably hair) on one figure's head. She attempted to improve the focus once more, and the best she could do was make out spiky black hair. Coming from the south? Elizabeth would bet that it was Roy and Kain, and apparently they'd had an eventful trip.

Quickly descending from her make-shift crow's nest, Elizabeth ran back to the tent, making no attempt at silence on her re-entry. She shook Rebecca awake, saying, "Becca! Where's my ammo?!"

"What's going on?" Rebecca voice was thick with sleep and she rubbed her eyes with her hands.

"Can you anchor the tent and get our stuff inside? We've got a storm coming. And two people are approaching from the south. I think it's Roy and Kain, but I'm not positive." While she said this, Elizabeth scrambled to grab her pistol, bandana, and goggles, to throw her long-sleeve shirt back on, and wrap the bandana around her head. "And Becca?" she said, making eye contact with her. "One of them is injured."

Recognizing the emergent status of the situation, Rebecca awoke entirely, taking her friend's magazine from its hiding place. "Ok. You sure you want me to stay?"

"Yeah, secure our stuff. I'll bring them here if they're friendly." With an only partially-amused smirk she added, "I could use a brisk jog anyway. I'm a little wired."

"Ishval dreams?" Rebecca set about prepping her medical bag.

"Yeah. I'll be back." With that, Elizabeth sprinted from the tent to go meet their visitors, gun in hand. Reaching the remnants of the outer wall that surrounded the city, she paused to look for the two individuals. She began to cautiously run in their direction after catching sight of them again, making sure to watch her foot placement and keep her firearm in front of her. As she got closer, Elizabeth slowed: both their heads were angled down, looking where they were walking, and she still had not seen their faces. Finally she spoke: "Ok, guys, hands up."

One person raised a right hand, the other a left, and both finally looked up at her. Elizabeth sighed in relief: it was Roy and Kain. Holstering her weapon, she closed the distance between them at a run.

"Hey, Liz. We are glad to see you," Fuery greeted her. "I…" He did not get to finish his sentence because Elizabeth interrupted him, holding up a hand to stop him.

"We can exchange greetings when we get back. Looks like a sand storm coming behind you." Walking behind Fuery, she removed his backpack and slung it on her shoulders. Looking up at Mustang, she said, "Switch sides with me. You look like you've been walking like that for a while." He merely nodded, too tired to speak if it was not necessary. Taking Fuery's right arm, she wrapped it around her shoulders, putting her left arm around his back. Mustang's own right arm ended up below hers. Sharing a look, they started moving in sync, almost carrying Fuery.

Picking their way through mounds of sand, they finally made it to the ruins, and travel from there to the tent was marginally easier. The wind was whipping around them, shifting their clothing, and pushing and pulling in various directions. When they reached the tent, Rebecca helped them ease Fuery inside, and then the rest followed. Roy collapsed on the opposite side of the tent, Elizabeth sat next to him after setting Kain's bag near the entrance, and Rebecca immediately set to work examining Fuery.

Grabbing her own water bladder, Elizabeth handed it to Mustang, telling him, "Here, drink. Becca put some electrolyte mix in it or something." He accepted it gratefully, nodding his appreciation, and slouched out of his own pack, which she moved out of the way. Elizabeth heard movement behind her and turned around. Fuery was frantically searching his bag and pockets for something, muttering indistinctly. Finally he said, "No! It's gone!"

"What is?" Rebecca asked, still trying to examine his leg, a process he was making incredibly difficult.

"The transmitter! I dropped it. Crap! I brought that for when we get to Aerugo."

Elizabeth looked at him and inquired, "How important is it, Kain?"

"Well, if we want the best surveillance I can set up, we need it. Otherwise, I will be somewhat limited, and I'm not sure I can get one there."

"What does it look like?" She shared a look with Rebecca, who shook her head wide-eyed, realizing that Elizabeth was contemplating going back out to retrieve the device.

"Small and black, various knobs and buttons, retractable antennae."

Elizabeth deliberated for a moment, deciding if it was worth the risk. Anything to get Grumman back, right? Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and, pushing Mustang back to the ground she told him, "Don't worry, I got it."

"No, I'll go," he persisted, voice hoarse.

She turned her gaze on him, astounded that he would go back out there considering his obvious, and extreme, exhaustion. "Don't be stupid, Roy. I mean, you're halfway dead. Anyway, the brunt of the storm's not here yet, and I may have an idea where he dropped it." Ok, only that last part was a lie. With absolutely no more ado, she was outside, goggles on, sand whipping around her face. Grasping her 'lucky' bandana tied around her neck, she pulled it up to cover her mouth and nose: inhaling sand can be incredibly dangerous.

Elizabeth ran back the way they came, searching the ever more obscured ground for the little black box. By the time she found it, she had reached the edge of the ruins and the thought crossed her mind, Well, I may die, but at least I found the damn thing. Standing up and grasping the transmitter tightly in her hand, she looked about. Visibility was decreasing rapidly, the wind was whistling in her ears, and the sun appeared to be nothing more than a fuzzy, yellow-brown blob.

Running again in what she was fairly certain (and hoping) was the right direction, she managed to make it back to the alleyway between old buildings where their tent was located. There, her ability to see dropped to practically zero, and she moved toward the tent with one hand on the wall to her left to guide her. After walking what she thought was 100 feet, Elizabeth still had not bumped up against anything at all, let alone a tent.

"Shit!" She shouted aloud, worried that she may not get out of this storm before the very worst arrived. Suddenly, Elizabeth felt something brush against her thigh. She stuck her right hand out, searching for the canvas of the tent, and a hand wrapped around her wrist. She was pulled down into the tent, landing on her side, both partially next to and on top of Mustang, while Rebecca closed everything back up. Elizabeth was dimly aware of the fact that her back was pressed up against his chest and that, because of how she landed, his arm was around her. At least she was flushed from her little run, so no one would notice if she blushed.

Whipping the bandana from her face, she coughed several times, sending even more sand everywhere. She removed the bandana covering her head as well and, tossing the transmitter rather forcefully to Fuery said, "Fucking desert."

"Don't mind her, Kain," Rebecca interjected. "I've noticed she gets a little cranky in places with lots of sand."

Elizabeth laughed at that, which led into another coughing fit. She felt something nudging her back and turned to find Mustang handing her the water. Smiling her thanks, she took a drink and moved to lay flat on her back, one hand by her side, the other hand absentmindedly playing with her grandfather's ring on the chain around her neck.

After a few minutes, Rebecca spoke again: "Hey, Liz. When you're done relaxing over there, can you do something for me?"

This elicited another chuckle from Elizabeth, who replied, "So sorry for slacking. Your wish is my command, your highness." She sat up and took a jar that Rebecca handed her.

"Now that is the kind of treatment I'm talking about," Rebecca grinned and handed her a small jar. "Roy lost his hat at some point and has some pretty decent sunburns on his face and neck. Pass this to him."

"What, I don't get special treatment like Kain?" Roy spoke up, acting miffed.

"You just do what the medic says," Elizabeth replied with a small grin. "Here, take this." He did and, turning back to Rebecca, she asked, "What else do you need me to do?"

"Come help me stabilize Kain's leg. The ankle isn't broken, but it's been twisted badly and should be wrapped to prevent further injury." Rebecca gestured toward where she wanted her friend to relocate. Removing her excessively sandy khaki over-shirt, she carefully moved toward Fuery.

Noticing he was asleep, she commented, "Wow, he's out already?"

"Yeah, I sorta dosed him with a strong anti-histamine so he would fall asleep. He just would not stay still."

"Sneaky, sneaky. Ok, what do you want me to do?" At Rebecca's direction, who had lifted up Fuery's leg, Elizabeth slid her legs under his calf so it would rest on her lap: they did not want to use packs and risk damaging their food or other supplies. The medic set a couple blankets on top on the sniper's legs to further raise his foot, and then indicated that Elizabeth should hold his leg in place with her hands. "Well, this is unexpected," she commented. Then in a whisper, she nudged Rebecca with her elbow and mouthed, raising her eyebrows suggestively, "Wish it was Jean?"

"Oh, hush," Rebecca replied with a smile.

A "What?" was heard from across the tent. Mustang was apparently listening while treating his burns.

Looking briefly in his direction, Rebecca told him, "Oh, nothing. Liz was just asking me a question." The expression she shot in Elizabeth's direction was one pleading her to shut-up.

"You wouldn't be talking about my good friend Jean, would you, ladies?" Mustang responded with a knowing smile.

Rebecca's face reddened and Elizabeth burst into laughter, saying to her friend, "See, Becca, I told you that you two weren't as subtle as you thought. They're men, not blind."

The medic replied with a slight shove to Elizabeth's hands and told her, "Ok, you can move, smartass." Rebecca then took a couple small tablets from her bag and handed them to Mustang, indicating that he should take them.

Elizabeth lay back down, drinking some of her water and resting her eyes. A few minutes later, she half turned her head to add to the group at large, "I think we should definitely stay here for the night. It'll put us behind schedule, but we'll deal with it."

"I agree. Come on, let's go outside for a little while. It's cooled off some, and I won't be able to fall asleep right now anyway."

Rebecca was moving to leave the tent, but Elizabeth stopped her with a hand on her arm, ejecting the magazine from her firearm and removing the bullet from the chamber. "Here, first take this, and put it wherever you hide it, please." Then, noticing that Mustang had also fallen asleep, she asked quietly, "Hey, Becca? Did you dose Roy too?"

"I may have," Rebecca replied, giving Elizabeth a sheepish grin and a shrug. "He needed to shut-it and rest too."

They stepped outside together to give the men some time to sleep undisturbed. "Well," Elizabeth chuckled, as they walked a short distance from the tent. "Do you frequently go around giving people drugs to silence them?…Wait. You've never medicated me, have you?"

"You? No! I would never dose you." They made sure not to stray too far from the tent in case one of their guests needed something, and only returned to grab some food and make sure Fuery and Mustang still slept. When the sun reached the western horizon, the sky began to darken, and the temperature started to drop. Elizabeth and Rebecca decided they should try to sleep as well. They crawled as quietly as they could back into the tent, the medic placing herself by her patient, with Elizabeth between Rebecca and Mustang.

As much as she wanted to maintain her righteous anger toward him, now that he was back in her life, she found it difficult. Thoughts buzzed in her head: Had she been wrong? Is it possible she misunderstood back then? It certainly seemed pretty clear at the time. But he did volunteer to find her grandfather. And, he let her on the team; he did not have to do that. Then there was Grumman's ring, the fact that he had walked who knows how far practically carrying one of his team members to safety, and that he quite possibly just saved her life by yanking her out of the storm. Have an open mind, Liz.

AN: Happy Sunday! This chapter is a bit longer. I hope you like it!