AN: Another week, another chapter. We are nearing the climax of this story, so stay tuned!

Just a heads up: Next week's chapter may be late because I am on a hen weekend and its Super Bowl Sunday next week. Hopefully I can find time during the week to get a chapter written up, but unfortunately I can't promise it! I will absolutely try my best!

Enjoy!

ROY

The wind whipped at Roy's hair as they rode towards the city. The road in front of them was quiet. A few people still lingered, travelling from the small town inside the castle walls to the city nearby. None paid attention the pair as they rode. There was no chance of recognition either, it was past midnight and they had each pulled their cloaks tightly around them.

The city was the opposite of the quiet road they had just left. It was lively as people enjoyed the comforts of the local inns and bars. Christmas' bar was packed out the door as they approached – Roy expected nothing less if he was being honest – but Elizabeth led him around the back of the building to the stable next door to it. It was deserted, aside from horses left to rest for the night.

The door to his aunt's bar flew open and Roy had to bring his hand up to shield his eyes from the light. Someone stood in the door way, but Roy had to close his eyes, unused to the bright light.

"Roy?" he heard his aunt's gravelly voice call into the night.

It was so full of hope Roy felt his heart sink as he remembered this was not the man she wished for. He couldn't help but feel comforted by his aunt's voice though. He hadn't heard it in so long. He had been so busy back home with rebuilding Ishval that he hadn't had the chance to see her in months. It was approaching a year since the last time he saw the woman who raised him.

He lowered his arm and opened his eyes fully as the adjusted to the light. Christmas' grin widened as she stepped out the door. She approached her nephew and pulled him into a bear hug.

"Hey… Chris." Roy was unsure what name to call her by, always going by her alias at home. So, he opted for simply using her name.

"It's good to see you," she grinned, pulling back as if to look at him properly.

"Likewise," Roy replied, truthfully. His face softened as he looked at his aunt, cementing his plan to visit her again when he returned home.

"Come in, come in." She ushered them through the back door of the kitchen. Chefs worked around them, paying no mind to the two new visitors.

As he walked into an empty lounge area Roy discovered Christmas' bar wasn't unlike the one he knew back home. Everything was decorated similarly, right down to the same colour of wallpaper and carpet. A few things were different, but if Roy hadn't already spent his life there growing up, he wouldn't have noticed. It was odd, to see something so familiar, a place he could call home, so far away from it.

It was welcoming.

"What can I help you two with today?" She motioned for them to sit on the couch next to her armchair. They were both grateful for the fire, sighing slightly as the warmth hit them. It wasn't cold that night, however the brisk wind left them with a chill.

"We were wondering if you had any new information regarding the resistance," Elizabeth began. "We leave for their hideout the day after tomorrow."

Christmas laced her hands together, resting them on her lap. "There has been no new chatter. I'm sorry. A few leads popped up here and there, but turned up nothing new. Only what we already know."

Elizabeth nodded, looking slightly disappointed.

"Do you know anything about what they might use as a portal tie? Maes theorised that since they are moving between two worlds, they need something significant from both worlds to tie the portal to."

Roy watched as Christmas leaned forward in thought. After a few moments of deliberation she answered Elizabeth.

"I have heard of something. A few mercenaries like to chat about a stone the group use to amplify their magical power." Roy could feel his face drain of colour as the realisation dawned on him. "A lot of them are very interested in it and its power. There is a plan to steal it, however I don't know how successful that might be."

"The philosopher's stone."

Both Christmas and Elizabeth turned to look at him. "You know about this stone?" Christmas inquired.

Roy nodded. "Yes. Back home it was used by the same group to amplify alchemy and their own powers," Roy explained after seeing Christmas' confused expression. "The group of assassins in this world, who head the resistance, are people I knew from my own world. However, I knew them as homunculi, humans created by man using the philosopher's stones. The homunculi were based off, and are copies of, the members of the group here. They each held a stone at their heart. By destroying the stone, you destroy the homunculus."

"So it should be easy to find then and destroy?" Elizabeth asked. "At least we have someone who knows what we are looking for."

Roy shook his head. "The stones are created from the souls of human beings." Elizabeth visibly paled at the revelation. Christmas' face donned a frown as she resumed leaning forward in thought. "The amount of power it take to destroy it depends on the number of lives that went into creating it."

"That's… horrible." Elizabeth whispered.

"I agree. However, I would have expected nothing less from that group. They need to be stopped," Christmas added firmly.

"I agree. I will do everything in my power to help." Roy replied, resolute. He wouldn't let what happened to his world happen here. He didn't know what this group wanted with a stone, but it wouldn't be anything good. Another mystery he could add to his ever growing list, was how they got a hold of one. Was it created in this world? Was it brought over by the homunculi after they were created? As the list of uncertainties grew, so did Roy's frustration.

"Do you know any other information about this stone that may help us?" Elizabeth asked. Roy didn't miss the disgusted tone which overtook her voice as she asked about the stone.

"Maes told us it takes an unimaginable amount of power to open a portal. It is something no one person should be able to do. With the stone, however, it would be possible."

"So that is definitely how they are doing it. Would you be able to destroy it?"

Roy's memory of his fight with Lust sprang to his mind, making him shudder slightly. "I have done it before. I could do it again."

"Roy," Chris stated, bringing his attention to her. "You said the homunculi were created from this stone, that is was essentially their life force." Roy nodded, although it wasn't a question. "Am I to understand that by destroying the stone you would likely be killing another human being?"

Silence descended on the room as Christmas' words sunk in.

Granted the homunculi weren't human, when he killed Lust in his rage he had still taken life from another living being. He wasn't proud of that fact, however she had threatened the lives of those he loved and cared about multiple times. He had sworn to himself he would protect them at all costs. That act still didn't excuse his actions, and he carried her death with him on his conscious along with all the others he had murdered in Ishval.

"It could come to that, yes," Roy said finally. Christmas shut her eyes, hanging her head. "Although, it may not."

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked quietly.

"Stones aren't primarily used in the creation of other living beings. They can be used as the name suggest, just as a stone. They can be found in both solid and liquid form. My guess would be the resistance have at the very least one stone in their possession. If all members practice magic then one stone would be enough to help them out with portals."

"So we might be all right then?" The hope in her voice was deadly clear.

"We might be all right."

"Strong emphasis on the 'might'?" Christmas asked dryly.

Roy nodded. "I don't want to have to kill anyone. However these people are threatening the lives of people I care about. I will do whatever I can to protect them."

Christmas stared at him for a long time. Roy's gaze didn't waver and he matched hers strongly.

Christmas sighed. "Yu certainly sound like my Roy-boy," she smiled, almost sadly. "Just… Do what you can to bring him home. Please."

Elizabeth nodded firmly. "Absolutely Chris. You know I would." His aunt only nodded in response.

"Would you like anything to eat before you go? I can get something cooked up for you in no time."

Roy looked at Elizabeth, who shrugged. "We would love that. Thank you."

"Does Chris know the whole story about what happened to… Well, me?"

The pair had left the city to head back to the castle. They had opted for walking, rather than at pace, in no real rush to return for the night. They still had one more day before they left for their mission. Elizabeth had stated she wished to rest as much as possible and train before leaving. She had invited Roy to train with her once it had gotten dark. The team would ride out to an empty training facility within the forest which the royal family owned. Elizabeth had instructed them all to sleep late so they could train that night.

He had accepted, hoping to show her he was capable of protecting himself. He also hoped to get the chance to fully show off his alchemy. He wanted the team to know he wasn't a liability.

"Yes. I told her. She visited when she heard you had been blamed for the attack on the Queen?" Elizabeth's jaw set as she finished her explanation, still appearing angry over that fact.

"She heard about that?" Roy asked, surprised. "I guess is shouldn't be surprised," he said to himself. "She has always been resourceful."

"Yes."

Roy eyed her from his own horse. Her answers had been short ever since they had left Christmas' bar.

"Are you all right, Elizabeth?" When she didn't answer his concern only grew. "Elizabeth?"

She sighed loudly.

"I'm all right. I just don't like the idea of this mission resulting in the plotting of someone's death. That's not who we are."

She was right, of course. He didn't like it either. Lust's death had been both the result of his own anger and his fierce desire to protect the people he cared about. The same would have happened to Envy if Hawkeye hadn't stopped him.

"I know. I don't like it either."

"'But it is something that must be done', is that what you are going to say?" She snorted humourlessly. Disgust passed over her features.

"No… Not at all." Roy stopped his horse, turning his attention to her fully. Elizabeth did the same and both horses nickered in protest, however remained quiet. "Listen, I killed one of the homunculi back home. I am certainly not proud of it and I carry that death with me, the same as I do for the people I killed in the war I told you about. The homunculus was called Lust and she had already tried to kill me and Havoc, before she went after Hawkeye and Alphonse. I killed her to protect the people I care about, yet her death still haunts me, like the countless others.

"So no. I don't like it one bit either."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions."

"It's all right."

"No, it's not." She nudged her horse forward into a walk. "Thank you for sharing that with me. You didn't need to."

"I know I didn't, but I wanted you to know how I feel about this whole situation. If someone is threatening the lives of those I care about, I'm sure as hell going to stop them. That includes you and the team here."

Elizabeth smiled for the first time that night.

"Thank you." They rode in silence for a few minutes before Elizabeth spoke again. They had begun to approach the castle gates, which were raised as they made their way closer to the entrance. "Their deaths still haunt me too." Roy looked at her questioningly. "The people I have killed. They were bad people. People who have threatened my own people, people who have tried to kill me and my family, but I still carry them with me."

She approached the stable and opened the stable door for the two horses. Roy was silent as he waited for her to continue, if she even would. He didn't want to push her.

"It was all in self-defence, every last kill, however I still hate taking human life. It hasn't happened to me often, I prefer to have someone to question afterwards, that's what my father drilled into me, but it has happened enough."

She pulled the door to the stable closed, bolting the door before turning to face him.

"I understand, Elizabeth. Believe me. And like me, I'm guessing it is something you don't like to talk about?" She shook her head. "Well then, thank you for sharing as well." He took his hand in hers as they walked, giving it a tight squeeze for comfort as they approached the back of the castle.

It was after midnight and the courtyard was empty. There was very little risk of Roy being discovered. He had ensured the hood of his cloak was pulled close around his head as they passed the guards at the gate. He needn't have bothered. They barely looked at the pair as they entered.

"The guards at the gate didn't seem very bothered by the fact you were out past midnight with someone they couldn't identify," Roy commented. It had been bothering him since he first noticed it.

They had made their way around the main courtyard towards the gardens at the back of the castle. Elizabeth had asked Maes to prop open one of the windows in the private part of the library after midnight. Sure enough, as they walked around they saw a window had been left open.

Elizabeth smiled. "They are loyal to me. They disagree with the action my Father took in the main hall."

Roy frowned. "I don't like that this whole thing is dividing your family, never mind the staff who work here too."

Elizabeth shrugged as she climbed through the open space. "My Father brought this on himself. If only he would just listen –"

"Who would?" A voice asked from beyond the window. Curtains blocked his view to inside the room.

Roy scrambled through as he heard the sound of a blade being drawn.

"Hey, hey, hey!" He heard Maes shout in a panic as he was halfway through the window. "It's just me!"

Roy relaxed as he rounded the other side of the thick velvet curtain.

"Don't scare me like that Maes!" Elizabeth hissed as she pulled back the curtain and shut the window. It was done with slightly more force than was necessary.

"I didn't realise I would be! Who goes into a room and pulls out a sword!"

"I do when someone sneaks up on me. You know we are trying to lay low with Roy here."

"First of all," Maes began indignantly. "I have been in here all night while you two were off gallivanting into the city. Second of all, I have known you since we were children, Elizabeth Hawkeye. Don't tell me you can't recognise the sound of my damn voice?"

Roy let out a laugh as he observed the scene in front of him. It was comical. Elizabeth still had her sword drawn and was waving it about as she spoke. Maes' arms were doing the same. As soon as the sound left his mouth however, they both turned to glare at him.

"What?" They both shouted simultaneously.

"I'm sorry," he replied, trying, and failing, not to laugh. "Nothing is funny," he added slowly, getting his features under control.

Elizabeth sheathed her sword with a sigh. "Just… Announce your presence next time Maes, please?"

"I did! I asked 'who would'."

"You know what I mean," she snapped.

"Okay." He muttered a few words under his breath and waved his hands. Roy instinctively covered his ears the next time Maes spoke due to the sheer volume of his voice.

"How is this?" he yelled, as if speaking into a ridiculously loud microphone. Elizabeth smacked him upside the head after lowering her own hands from her ears.

"What did I just tell you about laying low you idiot?" she hissed.

Roy smiled to himself as the pair argued. He left them to their bickering, feeling his exhaustion getting to him. He made his way to his sleeping area and changed out of his cloak and riding clothes into something more comfortable.

He was glad Maes was still here for Elizabeth. The pair got along well, better than they had in his own world. He chalked that up to them having more time to spend together. From what Elizabeth had told him, Maes was like a brother to her. He was grateful that, no matter what the outcome which came from their mission, Maes would still be there to protect and comfort her.