A/N: You guys, there are NINE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS. :D Check my profile on December 25th for a special Christmas Royza fic!

I do not own FMA.

Twenty-six - Cureless

She watched him as he eased his way into the car's back seat, trying not to let the concern show on her face. He shouldn't even be out of the hospital yet, much less back in uniform and returning to active duty. But when he'd asked for his uniform, he'd given her 'the look,' the one that said there would be no dissuading him.

Roy shut the door, and Riza got a good look at the side of his face. His jaw was obviously clenched, the skin paler than it should have been. If there had been any doubt in her mind that he was in pain, there was no question now.

His eyes glanced her way, and stayed there. "Get that look off your face, Lieutenant."

"I'm sorry, sir." She started the engine, shoulder-checked, then pulled out into the street. With no one else around to hear her, she added, "Can you really blame me for worrying? You know how I feel about this."

"Duly noted, but it's a little late in the game to back out now." Roy folded his arms, staring out the front window. "I always finish what I start, and right now, there's work to do. I'm not about to leave it to someone else."

Riza gave him a sidelong look in the rearview mirror. "Will you at least accept someone else's help with it? I don't want you trying to do something this big on your own, and not have support if it goes wrong."

At last, he smiled, just a little. "What a question, asking if you can come along for the ride. Like I would leave you behind." They lapsed into silence, each with their own thoughts.

"Are we going anywhere in particular?" Riza asked, after a long moment.

"We need to get ahold of the Elric brothers," he answered firmly. "I want to make sure we're all still on the same page. The trouble is finding them in the first place, and then getting Edward to hold still for more than ten seconds." Roy winced as the car drove over a bump in the road, the movement jostling his side; he shifted to a more comfortable position. "When I know everything that he knows, then I'll have a better idea how to proceed with the situation."

"I see."

He glanced across at her, one eyebrow lifted. "Is something still bothering you?"

Her hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. "This is all getting very . . . self-destructive. First, you check out of the hospital before you're even close to being ready, and now you're focussed on getting to the bottom of this latest development. I don't suppose it's occurred to you that everything we've uncovered so far could be dangerous if we pursue it? Not to mention, we know that members of the military high command might be involved; if they decide we're a liability, it won't be hard for them to cut us off."

Still watching her, now almost thoughtfully, Roy said, "And the thought of losing your career has you worried?"

"It's not about losing my career; it's about losing you." After a second of hesitation, Riza pulled the car over, parking along the curb; driving while having this discussion was probably not a good idea. "You're going at this with the same single-minded drive my father used to have about his research. That's one thing that scares me. The other is that a few days ago, I really did almost lose you, and I'll do anything to stop that from happening again."

He was quiet, watching the way she kept her eyes averted from him, and her expression under rigid control. But no matter how impassive she might seem now, her eyes said that she really was afraid that this situation would eat him alive.

"Riza, look at me." Waiting until she turned to face him, Roy made sure to keep eye contact. "I told you not to give up; if I do that now, how can I expect you to keep going in the future? I'll be the first to admit that we're treading on dangerous ground now, but if we back out, then Havoc has been paralyzed and Hughes has been killed, both for nothing. You can't sit there and tell me you don't want justice for them.

"I can't change who I am, and right now, every part of me is saying to get to the bottom of this whole mess. If that's self-destructive, then so be it, but I'm going to make damn sure that I take them down first."

She gazed at him steadily for another moment before saying, "So this is some sort of disease. With no cure."

"No cure. But there is a way to keep it under control, even render it dormant." At last, Roy cracked a smile. "And that's by you staying with me, and making sure I keep a level head." The smile faded. "I won't lie and say it might not be like Hell farther down the road."

Riza gave him a grim smile before turning and putting the car into gear again. "Then it's a good thing I said I'd follow you there." Discussion over, she pulled away from the curb for a second time. There was work to do.

I got nothin', you guys, no witty end-of-oneshot comments. You all know what to do: review, fave, follow, in any order or combination thereof. Love ya. ^^