Bad Idea

A/N:Thank you for all of the favorites/follows/reviews (especially the reviews)!! You guys are great, and please let me know what you think in the reviews. I promise to reply fast was as soon as possible.And now, let us continue the story.

Chapter 17: A Visit and Too Many Drinks

While Roy was being bothered by Havoc and the others, Riza quietly left the building and went to her apartment to feed Hayate. As she sat his bowl of food on the floor, the phone rang.

"Hello," Riza said as she answered the phone. She wasn't sure who it would be, since she's not usually home at that hour.

"Oh good, you're home," Alice said. "Have you eaten or cooked yet?"

"No, and why are you calling me now," Riza asked. "You know I don't usually come home for lunch."

"I know, I guess I'm just lucky," Alice replied. "I hope you're hungry."

"What are you planning this time," Riza asked in annoyance.

There was a thump on the door, as though someone had kicked it. Riza rolled her eyes as she went to open the door.

"I got all of your favorites," Alice said with a smile. She walked into the apartment, carrying four large bags of food. "I got us the best Xingese takeout in Central."

"And you decided to bring it here," Riza asked. She sighed, and said, "I guess I should be thankful, but it would be nice if you gave me a warning."

Alice shrugged. "It was an impulse. Besides, I try not to bother you while you're working, so I couldn't have given you a warning." She pulled the boxes of food out of each bag. "I tried to separate it, so I think these are yours," she said after getting everything out of two of the bags and sitting all of that food closer to one side of the table.

"Everything you do is an impulse," Riza replied. "I'll get the plates and silverware."

"No need," Alice said, "I brought chopsticks, and we don't really need plates for this."

"Fine." Riza sat at the table and began opening the food containers. "So, what's the occasion?"

"Occasion for what," Alice asked as she sat down on the other side of the table.

"You being here," Riza replied before eating.

"I'm offended by that," Alice said, slightly jokingly. "I don't need a special occasion to visit you."

"I know, but I also know that you always have a motive for everything," Riza said. "Your whims usually have a meaning."

"Not always, but I did miss you," Alice replied as she began eating. "You know, I might stay in Central for a while."

"Are you sure that that's a good idea," Riza asked in a bit more of a serious tone. "It's not safe for you to keep sneaking in so often."

"That's not why I'm here," Alice replied, now partially faking her positive mood. "Besides, I'm not dumb enough to go there every day, so it's not like it'll be that often."

"Sorry," Riza said. "I shouldn't have brought that up."

"Ri, you don't have to apologize. I've accepted it, and moved on," Alice said. She smiled at Riza. "So how's your day been?"

"The same as usual," Riza said. "Although, for some reason the Colonel actually did his paperwork without complaining about it."

"Oh? That's weird," Alice said.

"Yeah," Riza agreed. "I don't really care about the reason, as long as he's actually working."

"Maybe he just got laid," Alice said. "That tends to make people more cheerful."

"How do you know that he was cheerful," Riza asked, raising an eyebrow.

"This is Roy we're talking about," Alice replied, "if he's not bitching about work, he's cheerful about something, and it's probably sex-related."

"You're probably right, but I'd rather not talk about that," Riza said.

"Fine, but if there's nothing more interesting to talk about, I'm going back to that subject," Alice jokingly said.

"So why are you here," Riza asked.

"I'm here to have lunch with you," Alice replied. "Man, you must be working too hard; I think your brain is going soft." She laughed.

"I meant here in Central," Riza replied in an unamused tone.

"So, what do you think happened with Roy to make him so oddly cheerful," Alice asked.

"I don't know, and I don't care," Riza replied. "What are you planning this time?"

"What makes you think that I'm planning anything," Alice asked as she finished her food. "I just have a few business matters to handle here."

"Business matters," Riza asked, not believing her.

"Yes, I have quite a few jobs to do here, so I'll be here for a little while," Alice dismissively replied.

"So does that mean that you aren't working with the Elric's anymore," Riza asked.

"No, that's one of the business matters," Alice said. She got up and started cleaning up. "You should get back to work. You don't have long."

"Fine, but I'm not letting you off the hook that easily," Riza replied, helping her clean. "Come on, I'm not leaving you here alone."

"Ooh, secrets," Alice excitedly said. "So what are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything," Riza replied while putting Hayate on his leash. She opened the door. "I just don't like the idea of you staying here alone, poking through my stuff."

"You're no fun," Alice said with a slightly pouty tone as she walked out of the apartment.

"Not everyone has much to hide," Riza said, walking behind her. "You, however, are still hiding something from me, but not for long."

"What makes you think that," Alice asked.

"I know you well enough to know when you're hiding something," Riza replied.

"Why would I hide anything from my best friend," Alice asked with a smile.

"I don't know, but maybe I'll ask him the next time I have an excuse to visit the prison," Riza sarcastically replied.

"Oh, don't be like that. You know that you're my best friend too," Alice replied.

"Is that just because we're related or because you don't know many others that well," Riza asked, wanting to provoke Alice.

"That's not fair. You know that I'm your closest friend, and not even Roy is as close to you as I am," Alice replied, although she stayed calm. "But, unlike Roy, I'd rather not fuck you," she added with a smirk.

"That joke is old," Riza said in an annoyed tone. She took a deep breath, and said in a more concerned tone, "but seriously… What's going on with you, Ali?"

"What do you mean," Alice replied, genuinely confused.

"You don't stay here often, but now you're traveling with the Elric's, which is way too dangerous for you, and you're staying here for a while, " Riza worridly said. "What's going on with you?"

"Nothing's wrong," Alice replied. "I promise, I'd let you know if there was anything."

"I still don't buy it… but I guess that's good enough for now," Riza said. "Just be careful…"

"When am I not," Alice said with a smile.

"Well," Riza began.

"That was a rhetorical question," Alice said, interrupting Riza.

"At least you own up to it," Riza teased as they walked around the corner.

"Well, this is where we part," Alice said with a smile. "I do have work to do, so I'll see you later." She gave Riza a quick hug before turning to walk away.

"Wait, does that mean you'll randomly show up tonight," Riza asked.

Alice turned to face her. "Well, that depends on where the night takes me," she replied with a smirk.

"I'll take that as a no," Riza said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't worry, you'll see me soon," Alice sad as she turned back around and walked away.

Riza sighed and muttered, "just be careful."

Later that night, Roy returned home from a very long, very exhausting day of paperwork and questioning by most of his subordinates. He hung his coat on the rack next to the front door as he walked into his apartment.

"Oh, hey," Alice said as she walked out of the kitchen, holding a glass of whiskey in one hand and the bottle in the other. "You should get more booze soon." Although she seemed quite normal, she was slightly drunk.

Roy's jaw dropped in shock. "I just got five bottles of scotch. You already cleaned it out?"

"And a liquor store," she added, "and almost Chris' bar, but we left before I could."

"WE?!" He was outraged, yet a bit jealous. "YOU BROUGHT SOMEONE TO MY HOME?!"

"Well, you know how these things go, don't you, Hun?" She smiled, then quickly finished off the bottle before emptying her glass. She looked down at the glass and frowned. "Aw, no more."

"Good, you don't need more," Roy said in an unamused tone.

"Oh Ali, where'd you go," a feminine voice asked when the bedroom door opened. A petite woman of average height with long, wavy black hair and bright green eyes walked into the hallway, completely naked. "Ooh, you found a toy," the woman excitedly said when she saw Roy.

"Who the hell is she," he nearly yelled in frustration.

"Oh, that's um," Alice paused, "wait, I don't remember her name." She shrugged then said, "oh well."

"You're both drunk. I'll call a cab for….um, whatever her name is," Roy responded with a frown.

"Aw, I have to go home already," the woman asked, pouting. "You're no fun."

"Trust me, he can be plenty of fun," Alice said, smirking at Roy.

"Ali, just go to bed," Roy said with a sigh. "You're too drunk to think straight."

"Well, that explains why I was with a woman," Alice sarcastically joked.

"That's not what I meant," Roy said. "Just please go to bed."

"Only if you'll join me," she replied with a smirk.

"Ali, I'm not going to take advantage of you like that," he said with a frown. "Besides, you'd kick my ass if I even thought about it."

"It's not taking advantage of me if I'm asking." Alice moved closer to him, then whispered in his ear, "and I'm asking. Or do I have to say please?"

It took every last bit of willpower within him to keep himself under control while he tried to focus on thinking of a way to get her to sleep. He sighed and said, "Fine, go wait in the bedroom while I call a cab for your guest."

"Don't take too long," Alice said, "or I'll have to come back out and have you right here." She passionately kissed him before going back into the bedroom.

Roy called a taxi for the other woman, and helped her in the car when it got there. After the car drove off, he sighed, not knowing what to do to get Alice to go to sleep. He decided that he may have to lock her in his bedroom alone in order to keep her off of him, but wanted to check on her first.

When he quietly entered the bedroom, Alice was laying across the bed, sleeping deeply. Relieved, he carefully moved her over to make room for himself and pulled the blankets over her bare body. He contemplated putting pajamas on her to keep her from assuming the worst when she woke, but decided not to risk waking her in the process, so he got himself ready for bed and soon fell fast asleep next to her.