BWinner's Note: I know I said I would be more proactive in my chapter updates, but writer's block slapped me in the face. This took me way longer than I wanted to start. However, I do think I am close to wrapping this particular story up. One, maybe two more chapters tops. For any readers that have stuck it out with me, thank you so much for your patience!

Breaking Point - Ch.9

Roy awoke far earlier than he wanted to; he was alarmed at first to feel the warmth of another person beside him before he came to his senses and remembered last night's incident. Riza's willingness to comfort him, probably beyond her own level of comfort, touched him. A smile spread across his lips and he held the woman closer to him; it felt so natural and he savoured having her in his arms. It was during a moment like this though that he ached to have his sight back, to be able to see her peaceful sleeping face in the morning light. He was grateful that day would be coming soon.

The woman in his arms gave a gentle murmur and nestled herself deeper in his embrace, and his soft smile broadened at the feeling. For a long while all Roy felt was the gentle rhythm of her body's breathing before she slowly shifted and he felt her prop herself up on the mattress.

"Good morning," she greeted softly.

Roy could sense a timidity and uncertainty about her. It shouldn't have come as a shock to him really, Riza was not a very forward person emotionally, and the lead up to their romantic intentions towards one another had been rather rocky. Roy also knew that even though Hawkeye wasn't a stickler for protocol, after all she was this particular rule breaker's subordinate, there were still some lines she didn't like to cross.

"Good morning," he returned with a gentle smile.

"I trust you slept well," the blonde added.

"Thanks to you I did." The statement might have been considered a little forward, but it was the truth.

Nothing more was said, and instead Roy felt the bed shift once more and realized that she had gotten out of it. It didn't take long before he heard water running in the kitchen and understood that Hawkeye was busy working on breakfast. While it stung a little that she wanted to run away so quickly, he understood that it would take more time before they would be completely comfortable in prolonged situations of intimacy.

Breakfast was eaten in moderate silence, and when Roy finished he stared unseeingly into the coffee cup gripped between his two hands. Today was going to be another hard day, and it would likely result in another hard night. However, it was one of the last things he had to do in order to tie up the loose ends of his conscience. Going to Hughes' grave was difficult the first couple of times following his death, but Roy hadn't dared to face Gracia. His ambitions were part of the reason that she didn't have her husband, and why Elicia didn't have her father.

For all of the pain Roy put them through, they deserved closure. As Maria Ross was soon to be officially instated back into the military Gracia deserved to know that her husband's true killer was not at large somewhere, and that she could be at peace with such a fact. That thought alone fueled Roy's resolve and helped push some of the cowardice he felt to the back of his mind.

"Riza, I need you to call Mrs. Hughes for me. Please, ask her if she has a time to see me this afternoon." Roy cursed the fact that his voice shook a little with his nerves.

"Are you sure that's wise?" his Lieutenant's skeptical voice retorted back. She never missed a beat, and seemingly knew what he intended to do. Before he had a moment to counter she continued. "Not to throw this in your face, but last night you did tell me that you thought it might have been a mistake going to Hughes' grave being in your current emotional state. I don't want you to go through the same pain and frustration."

"I don't feel I really have a choice right now," he ground out, his voice holding a more commanding edge. "Maria Ross is soon going to be returning to active duty, and I think Gracia deserves to know that her husband's killer isn't still at large. She needs to know the military wouldn't be careless enough, or cruel enough to let a killer remain free for its own selfish gain, my selfish gain at that. It's my responsibility to let her know just what is going on and I've shrugged it off." This was not up for discussion.

"You've been in the hospital!" she shouted in exasperation. "Colonel, I understand your frustrations, but you need to be less hard on yourself."

Roy pursed his lips and took in a deep breath; she never was one to follow orders she felt went against his greater good. Granted he knew she had a point, but he wanted so badly to get these painful affairs over with. Not only did he need to do this out of a desire to put such uncomfortable things behind him, but he also knew that he would be seeing Doctor Marcoh soon; Roy wanted nothing to hold him back from his plans of the Ishval Policy once his eyesight was returned to him. That included any uncomfortable conversations regarding the events of the last year. Of course, there was always the lingering thought in the back of his mind that he wouldn't be able to look at the woman's face as he relayed this information to her. If he were truly honest with himself, he was doing this in such a hurried manner out of pure cowardice.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, if you don't make that phone call, then I'll find someone who will," he announced. It was an unfair thing to say to be sure, but Roy was determined for this to happen.

He heard an agitated sigh and then the phone being lifted off the receiver. The conversation between the two women was short and curt with Riza only informing Gracia of Roy wanting to discuss something with her. Luckily, he didn't hear any protests or arguments coming from his Lieutenant, which meant he was in the clear for a meeting.

"She said she can meet with you around three o'clock."

Roy nodded at the statement, relieved she didn't follow it with another protest. The remainder of the morning was quiet. Roy opted to stay inside and listen to the radio allowing himself to relax as best he could before leaving, and he excused Riza to be able to get caught up on some personal matters. The chatter of radio hosts and gentle drawl of the music went almost unnoticed by Roy as he turned over in his mind what he would say to the widow of his late best friend. If she asked him how it happened, just what was he going to say? He didn't think he could bring himself to tell her the information that homunculus had shared with him.

The Colonel was eventually rescued from his thoughts when Hawkeye returned and announced that it was time to go. As with the drive to Hughes' grave, it was silent in the car; only this time it was slightly more uncomfortable. Roy kept his head up and his unseeing gaze ahead in an effort to give off the impression of more confidence than he currently felt. When the car came to a stop he took a deep assuring breath and waited to be guided to the door.

The short walk from the car to the front door of Mrs. Hughes' residence felt like it could almost be a walk to the gallows. There was just such a heavy feeling in his gut about what was going to be discussed, and he still wasn't entirely sure what he was going to say if she asked how it happened. Hawkeye gave three short raps to the door and there was some shuffling from within before Roy heard it open.

"Good afternoon Colonel Mustang," Gracia's soft voice greeted.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Hughes, thank you for taking the time to see me," he returned politely.

Riza helped him inside and he was led to a sofa and sat down. Roy noted almost immediately that he didn't hear the cheerful voice of Elicia anywhere in the vicinity; perhaps Gracia knew how serious this conversation was going to be and sent her to a friend's or relatives for the afternoon. Regardless without the rambunctious youngster around this would be somewhat easier.

"I felt that I had to come here to talk, or more specifically that I had to give you closure," Roy got directly to the point, albeit in a slow tone. "I don't think anyone ever came and explained to you just what happened regarding the death of your husband. I have to admit, that's my fault. Not many people know this, but I had been working to take down corrupt government officials for many years, Brigadier General Hughes was one of the men who was determined to help my goals become a reality," Roy paused for a moment, a feeling of dread pooling in his stomach with the next words he was about to speak. "Maes died trying to pass on vital information to me regarding the corruption of this military and of the danger about to befall this entire country. Unfortunately, the people responsible for that corruption got wind of his intentions first, and they pursued him. It was shortly after his death, before Maria Ross was cited as the murderer, I was made privy to some information regarding his murder, and the fact that she couldn't possibly have been the one to do it. I'm not sure if you were listening to the radio during the battle that occurred only weeks ago, but Maria Ross is alive. I faked her death, and I smuggled her out of the city to protect her. I'm telling you this because while it isn't public knowledge Maria Ross is soon to be officially reinstated into the Amestrian Military." He stopped now and waited for some kind of reaction from his friend's widow.

The woman in question took in a rather shaky breath. "I get the impression that there's more to the story than what you're explaining. I certainly hope you wouldn't come all this way to inform me that my husband's killer is at large."

"No, ma'am. Rather, it's the opposite. Through continual personal research regarding corruptions in the military, I did track down Brigadier General Hughes' murderer, and I pursued him," Roy paused and considered his next statement very carefully. "After a fierce battle, I watched him take his own life. I understand all of this information is likely a shock to your system, but I felt I had to inform you. I could not allow the wife of an old friend, and brave soldier, to be kept in the dark with such important information; or to believe that we would return a murderer to military service."

"I-I see," was all he heard her say after a minute.

"I'm sorry, Gracia. I'm sorry I wasn't able to notify you sooner, but you have to understand I couldn't let this information get into the hands of anybody, not even the wife of my dearest friend and military comrade," he stressed.

"No, I understand Roy, and thank you. It's just… who was responsible?" Her voice was timid and quiet, almost as if she felt this wasn't a question she should be asking, for any number of reasons.

"A monster," was all Roy could think to reply with at first. "He was what we alchemists call a homunculus, he was an artificially created being with powers beyond the scope of a regular human or alchemist, and he did terrible things. There were seven of them, named for the seven deadly sins of man, and they were working with a very powerful alchemist to try and destroy this country. I feel a need to stress though, that even though there is some restructuring to do in the military, you are safe. Fuhrer Grumman is a capable and extraordinary man, he's working to round up the corrupt higher ups in the military and put them on trial. This country is moving in the right direction again."

"I believe you Colonel Mustang," she stated with confidence in her voice. "May I ask now, how you're doing? I see bandages on your hands and seeing Lieutenant Hawkeye assisting you here confirms the rumors I've heard around Central about you being blinded in a fight."

"I'm doing much better than I was," Roy admitted. "The injuries to the rest of my body healed to the point where the hospital released me; Lieutenant Hawkeye has been staying with me to help me around the home. I was given some more hope as well, there's a doctor who believes he can help me with my sight."

"Wow," he heard her gasp in astonishment. "That's incredible, I hope it works out."

"Thank you," came his soft reply. Roy fidgeted with the bandages on his hands slightly now, unsure of what else to speak on.

After a rather long moment he finally decided he should excuse himself. He had delivered such intense news and knew that small talk likely wasn't going to happen after the fact. Roy also felt uncomfortable in this household now; while it had been nearly a year since Hughes' passing the grief still felt thick in the air. Gracia didn't seem offended by his need to leave early and helped escort himself and Hawkeye to the door. Roy was about to step out when he felt someone grab his sleeve.

"Before you leave Colonel Mustang," Gracia's gentle voice halted him. "If you feel in any way that you are responsible for the death of my husband, please don't. My husband was a passionate man who only wanted what was best for his country, and he saw you as a person who wanted the same. He was happy to support you, and I know that he would never want you to blame yourself."

"Again, thank you, Gracia," Roy gave a humble nod of his head in the direction her voice came from.

Roy felt his legs shake slightly as he and Riza walked back to the car. When they finally made it back to his apartment, and the doors were closed, he took the woman in his arms as his trembling worsened. Even though that meeting with Gracia had gone well, his nerves felt shot. Riza seemed to be taken aback at first as Roy felt her stiffen when he grasped her, though after a moment he felt her arms slowly wrap around his waist and she gently rubbed his back.

"I'm sorry," Roy stated after a moment. "I thought for sure she was going to yell at me."

The woman said nothing and merely continued to hold him in a soothing embrace. However, their tender moment was cut short when the phone rang, and Roy reluctantly let Riza go in order to answer it. After what seemed like a very brief conversation she came back and took his hand in her own, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Sir, that was Breda. Doctor Marcoh will be arriving in the morning. It's finally time." There was an obvious smile in her tone.

Roy let out a relieved sigh and allowed a ghost of a smile on his lips. The burdens on his mind were slowly being ebbed away, and he could finally picture himself moving forward. "Finally, some positive news in this mess I've made for myself. Just please Riza, help me sit down."

Swiftly and quietly she wrapped her arm around his waist and took him to the couch. He sank hard into the piece of furniture and leaned his head back. He felt so overwhelmed and conflicted right now, adrenaline from both fear and exhilaration catching up to him. One thing was very much for certain in his mind though, and that was he wouldn't have been able to do any of this with out the strength and support of his Lieutenant, no, the woman he loved. His Queen.

"You need to be there," he said after a rather long silence. "I need you to be in that room when Doctor Marcoh helps me. I need you to be the first thing these poor tired eyes see when my sight returns."

He heard a noise from the woman next to him, something that sounded as if she were about to protest his statement. Instead her hand gently came to rest over his own before she softly replied, "of course, Roy."

The night looming ahead suddenly didn't seem so terrifying.

TBC…

A/N: I did some heavy editing in this chapter regarding what Mustang tells Gracia about Hughes' death and Maria Ross returning to the military. Like an idiot I forgot that Ross came back of her own volition to try and take down the higher ups with Mustang on the promised day, and that she freaking outed herself on the radio. DERP. So, I've corrected things slightly regarding those events. I also chose to put a little more ownness on Mustang regarding how he feels about Hughes' murder. After all Mustang did figure out that Hughes was trying to pass on some important top-secret information to him before he died. Hopefully this makes a little more sense now in terms of connection to the Brotherhood story line.