THREE

BANG! BANG! BANGGG!

Riza stood in the middle of the woods away from Winry's house, firing round after round at a rather large pine tree. She had put a nail into the tree and hadn't missed hitting it once. There was now a bullet hole all the way through the tree.

She'd had another dream about the night she left Mustang. It had been two weeks at least since she'd left, but oh how it felt to be wrapped in his arms and kissed warmly all over and to spend the entire night in ecstasy with the man she loved. She hated these dreams that invaded her already fitful sleep. Why had she left everything she'd ever had and little Roy too! She was going to have to confront Mustang sooner or later to get her son back. Why couldn't she have handled it composed and submissive like a military wife should be, but she wasn't cut out to be a socialite and teatime kind of wife. She was a soldier for God's sake! The trust and duty between two officers was more then all the precious things in the world. How could the Colonel… her Colonel betray her like this!

'Because he's a general you silly woman!' Once side of her mind teased.

'He got bored Riza. Just like every other man. After all who would want a tight ass of a wife who hardly smiles and has enough well aimed firepower to destroy a whole regiment?'

'That's not true!' Her other side countered.

'It isn't true! He loves you Riza and would never betray you! Look at all you've been through! You've misjudged him!'

"Obviously it wasn't enough!" Riza shouted and with the snow falling heavily around her she aimed her gun again, but instead of the tree being in her sights she saw Mustang standing there smirking,

'Wife shmife! Riza's at home slaving over a hot stove! The sex was good while it lasted… well she doesn't expect me home for hours… Isn't that right Riza? You will wait for me faithfully at home every night. Listening for me to walk in that door any minute. You're such a good little solider!'

"SHUT UP!" Riza fired half of a clip at the tree and hit her knees sobbing.

"No, no, no, no, NO SIR!" She roared suddenly and started firing again when someone grabbed her.

"RIZA-chan! STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Winry tried to grab the gun from Riza's grasp but Riza in her fury punched Winry.

"BACK OFF! THIS IS MY BATTLE!" She cried the tears still streaming down her face and her hand shaking so much she could hardly make a shot.

'You know it's true Riza. It hurts doesn't it? It hurts to think you love somebody and that they don't love you. Just like…' The Roy Mustang that Riza's mind had conjured was sneering at her.

"WHY? YOU BASTARD!" Riza tossed her gun aside in the snow and collapsed into the snow.

"Of course it hurts… stupid… you didn't think… you didn't give a shit…" She panted as her breathing became ragged.

"Riza? Riza, let's go back. It's too cold to stay out here, and you can't stay out here like… well this. You could hurt yourself!" Winry pleaded sinking down in the snow beside her and rubbing her back gently. Riza looked up when she saw the spots of blood in the snow.

"Winry?"

"Yes."

"Oh crap! You're bleeding!" Riza grabbed her face and examined her bleeding nose. Winry pushed her hand away.

"I'm fine, but you're not! Let's go back inside!" Winry pulled the older woman up out of the snow and taking Riza's gun and sticking it in the back of her belt she helped Riza back to the house…

"So that's how it happened." Riza sighed after reciting her story to Winry and Rose as they sat by the fire both wrapped up in blankets and sipping hot chocolate.

"So that's why you decided to come here then?" Rose asked as she got up and went into the kitchen. Riza nodded. She hadn't known Rose very long but she liked the girl very much. Rose's son then began to cry and Rose left to tend to him upstairs leaving Riza and Winry alone.

"You should consider yourself lucky. At least you still have a chance." Winry whispered looking into the fire.

"At what?" Riza looked at the seventeen year old girl staring into the flames tears running silently down her cheeks.

"Get… Getting him back." Winry whispered and snuggled her face into the blanket. Riza looked confused for a minute and then it hit her like a ton of bricks.

"It was Edward wasn't it?"

"Uh huh." Winry whimpered. Riza smiled gently and touched the top of Winry's hair.

"I'm sure that everyone else's happiness has only made it worse."

"Something like that. I'm okay except at night. I never got to tell him anything… and you…"

"And I got to tell Roy everything and share everything I wanted to share. Winry… if I could help I would if I could do anything to help you feel better or to get him back… you have to believe me I would, but…" Winry looked up at Riza with a big smile on her tear stained face, and her eyes glittered with excitement and scheming.

"You'd do anything to help me? Anything?"

"That I could." Riza nodded.

"Good. Then we're headed out on the next train to Central." Wiry reached over and hugged Riza and then almost skipped up the stairs to her room.

How could Winry stay so happy like that and not lose it? Riza wondered as she sat there alone in the empty room with only the crackling fire as company. As she watched the flames her mind drifted back to a day two winters ago.

… Huge flames blazed merrily in the marble fireplace in the new home of Roy and Riza Mustang. This was their first winter on a general's paycheck and what a winter it was going to be. Roy sat down next to Riza on the plush rug and Riza let him under the blanket.

'So what do you think Riza?'

'Oh well it's all nice,'

'But?'

'But, is it good for a family?'

'Why do you have relatives coming?' Roy asked confused. Riza shook her head.

'No just should the opportunity arise in which you and I decided that…'

'Are you pregnant Riza?' Roy asked grabbing her shoulders dumbfounded. Riza let out a laugh.

'No! I can't be pregnant and work in the military as well as chase you around!'

'Oh good! Well I mean bad, uh not that it's a bad thing but… uh…' Roy stammered and Riza smiled.

'If you want a baby just say so Roy. We've already wasted a lot of time.' Roy shrugged and then gently pushed Riza over so she was lying on the rug and he moved so he was over her and whispered,

'I want a baby Riza. I want a baby right now, with you. I wanna make so many babies that we'll need an even bigger house then the one we've got now, I want…' Roy bent to kiss Riza but she stopped him.

'How about we start with just one. Hmm?' Riza kissed Roy softly and the room increased several degrees but it wasn't because of the fire…

Riza smiled and then frowned shaking her head. Too many memories and she didn't have time to reflect she had to think about what on Earth Winry was planning and she had an uneasy feeling that she knew exactly what it involved.