AN: i love these character i promise and i couldn't resist doing a part 2 and 3

Roy recklessly barrelled through the gap in the wall, only to be hit by a wall of heat. He recoiled on instinct, eyes peering through the dust desperately for his wife.

Where was she?!

The fire was almost upon him as he ventured further in. Roy snapped his fingers, removing all the oxygen from the air around the fire, causing it to slowly shrink in size as it begun to burn out.

"Fuery!" he barked through the earpiece. As he'd spoken to his wife in the car Roy had made a mental note to promote the kid just based on this breakthrough. "Get the fire brigade here, now!"

"Already on it, sir!" he replied. Roy could hear him furiously hitting switches before relaying the General's words back to the fire chief, stating that if he didn't get his team to the warehouse as soon as possible, they would have to "deal with the General's wrath".

Roy was impressed with Fuery's boldness.

Just as he was about to take another step the flames fanned out once again, pushing past his oxygen barrier. They dissipated out into nothing as they interacted with Roy's alchemy, however the heat caused him to step back.

Shit! Riza is in here!

He'd begun to panic. He needed to act, needed to move to find her –

But he couldn't just go charging in. Not anymore. He had a son at home who Roy had promised he'd bring his Mummy home safe and sound. If Roy ran into the fire only to die himself, Maes would be left with no one. That thought constricted his throat and caused him to choke on more than just the black smoke billowing out of the hole he'd created in the wall.

"Sir!" he heard Havoc call. Whirling around, Roy ran towards the direction of the Captain's voice. It was in the opposite direction of the flames, so he would be safe, Riza would be safe.

Right?

"Over here!"

Roy stumbled to a stop in front of his wife. She was slumped against the dirty wall, hair matted, face bruised with old abrasions on her cheekbones, coupled with a split lip. One leg was outstretched – that must be the dislocated knee – and –

She was lying in a pool of her own blood.

A large pool.

There was a smear as she'd obviously dragged herself along the floor and Roy followed it, finding another pool about five metres away.

Roy's knees crumbled and he hit the flor painfully, landing in that deep, red, pool.

It's just like the Promised Day.

Those nightmares still plagued him, so it looked like this was fresh fuel to add to that fire.

"Riza?" he whispered, throat catching as the soot from the fire blew over towards them.

"We need to go," Havoc urged. He was sat beside Riza, holding the back of her neck in his hand as his other gripped her bloody one tightly.

Without hesitation, Roy lifted Riza into his arms, cradling her body against his.

He didn't even know if she was still breathing, still alive.

"Come on, Riza," he chanted as they ran towards the exit. "Stay with me," he pleaded. "This of Maes. He needs his mother. Fight for him. Please."

Once outside Roy disregarded every thought of the burning building behind him. All that mattered was the woman in his arms. Ever so gently, he laid her on the ground and brushed her hair out of her face. He lowered his cheek, tilting her chin back, agonising over whether he would feel her breath on his skin or not.

It was there. Barely.

Roy let out a strangled sound of relief. Wiping away his silent tears, he gripped her hand and looked up frantically for the paramedics he'd ordered to arrive as soon as they did.

"Roy?" a quiet rasp called to him.

His head snapped down and he looked at his wife. This wonderful woman who had kept him on the right path, who didn't put up with his shit, and who had opened him up to love over the years…

He couldn't lose her.

Not his touchstone, his constant.

He refused.

"Hey," he greeted in a whisper. "Hey, I've got you. It's going to be okay."

"I'm… Hurts…"

"I know, honey, I know," he sniffed, tears falling down his cheeks. "I'll make sure you're well taken care of, I promise. The paramedics are running over now. Just rest."

"I…" Her voice hitched. "I don't –"

"Don't talk like that," Roy begged, brushing her matted fringe off her face. He left a smear of blood on her forehead. "Think of Maes," he added, suddenly very desperate. Her eyes were drifting and unfocussed. She wouldn't be awake for much longer. "Think of our son. He asks for you every day. "When will Mummy come home?" he asks, and I don't… I never know what to tell him. But I promised I would bring you home to him so please, hang on." Roy bowed his head, squeezing his eyes closed, making more tears fall onto his wife's form. "I don't know what I'll do if you don't," he admitted.

"Sir, please move back," the paramedic commanded.

"Maes," Riza mumbled.

"Yes, Maes," Roy encouraged. The paramedic gestured him to continue.

"Keep her talking," he commanded as he worked to help Riza.

"Maes came home from school today with a picture he'd drawn for you. He wouldn't let me see it, he wanted to save the surprise just for you."

Roy's heart had broken in two as his son explained the situation with a toothy grin.

"This is for Mummy, so she'll be the first to see it Daddy, sorry!"

He'd almost broken down there.

According to Maes Mustang, his mother was in the hospital and was very sick. No one could go and see her because she had a special illness that other people couldn't catch or it would make them very sick too. That was the lie Roy had resorted to, because how do you tell your five-year-old son that his mother has been kidnapped? And that his father was doing everything in his power to find her, but, as always, Roy felt he could never do enough?

With that lie, if they did find her and she was alive, it would play out in his favour. If they found her and she wasn't…

Well, that lie would work in his favour too.

Maes' mood had dropped after the first week. He had climbed into his parent's bed one night, hours after Roy had put him down. Roy had allowed it because in all honesty, he needed his son near him. He needed a reminder of Riza, and Maes was the best thing. Their son had his hair colour, but he had his father's long spiky hair and his mother's fringe. His big eyes came from his mother, but his pupils were black, like his. Every time Roy saw him smile it was Riza's smile. Apparently, he had Roy's laugh. Their son – their miracle – was a perfect blend of them both.

For the last two weeks Maes had slept in their bed, seeking the comfort from his father, and Roy wouldn't take that away from him, especially when Roy needed it himself.

"I miss Mummy," Maes had whispered into the dark room.

Roy did break down then. He'd clutched Maes to his chest as he cried, his body heaving. Little Maes joined in too, crying because his Daddy was crying and that was scary, but also because he missed his Mummy.

"Daddy?" he'd warbled, rolling over in Roy's grip. A small hand was placed on Roy's cheek. "Why… Why are you crying?" he sobbed.

"I…" How do I do this? "I just miss Mummy, kiddo. A lot."

"I miss her too. A lot," Maes had admitted quietly. "She'll get better though, won't she? You'll help her feel better? You always do, she told me."

For the umpteenth time since Riza's disappearance, Roy's heart had broken in two.

He had no answer for his son. He'd searched and searched for long hours at work. His days were almost ten, eleven hours long, because he refused to stop looking for her. It wasn't good for his health and it wasn't good for Maes, but Roy had vowed to himself that he wouldn't rest until his wife was found. He made a promised to Riza that he would find her. And he made a promise to Maes that he would bring his Mummy back to him.

"I believe in you, Daddy. You can make her better."

Roy had tugged Maes against him and cried silently as the two drifted off to sleep.

"My boy," Riza murmured to herself, drawing Roy out of his painful memories of the last three weeks.

"Yes, Maes is waiting for you at home."

"I miss him," she sobbed, body shuddering as she cried. Roy closed his eyes against the pain in his chest, her words drawing him back to that night in their bed where Maes had joined him for the first time.

"He misses you too. So much."

"Tell him… Tell him I… Love him."

"Tell him yourself," Roy replied softly, smoothing her hair down.

"I… I don't –"

"You'll be able to tell him. I promise," Roy interrupted, unable to even bear the thought of Riza saying anything else. He forced the possibility out of his mind, not even entertaining the thought. No, this was Riza Mustang. She was strong as hell. They had been through hell together already, multiple times, and this would be no different. He was late, but he would be by her side every step of the way.

"It's time to move her," the paramedic stated. "On my count." Roy backed away to allow them to lift Riza onto their stretcher. He watched on helplessly as his wife was wheeled into the back of an ambulance, desperate to do more, but unable to do anything further. She was out of his hands now.

Roy hopped in the back of the ambulance with them and received no protest.

"I'll deal with this, boss," Havoc stated through the earpiece. Roy had jumped, forgetting it was in there. He blinked as he caught his subordinate's eye just before the doors closed and the siren begun to sound. They were wet, Havoc's expression schooled and under control, but his eyes betrayed his true feelings.

To them all, Riza was part of their little family. To see her like this… It was hard. These past three weeks had worn them all down, even Falman up in Briggs as he called for regular updates and the offer to travel south to help them.

"Thank you, Havoc."

"Tell her she better be awake soon," he sniffed as the ambulance started to move, speeding towards the hospital in Central. "She's been through too much to let this beat her."

Roy swallowed the lump in his throat. "Thanks, Havoc. I'll pass it on." Havoc sniffed again on the other side of the line.

"Fuery?" Havoc asked.

"Yes, sir?" The younger soldier's voice sounded thick with emotion, having heard their whole conversation through the earpiece.

"This place is massive," Havoc stated. Roy wasn't really paying attention to their conversation anymore. He was simply focussing on his wife's slack face underneath the oxygen mask. "Can you drag up the blueprints for this place? I want to see where the fire could have possibly started."

"Right away, sir. Breda, can you head down to archives and look out this file for me? I'll stay on the line for now. Thank you, sir."