A/N: Thank you for all of your wonderful support so far, it encourages me to write. Please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 3

Ed stared miserably down at the shattered remains of his automail arm. This was definitely not good. He and Al were now seated in Mustang's office, having just explained their run in with the serial killer to their superior. Mustang sighed and rubbed his temples.

"So let me get this straight Fullmetal" he began, "You didn't see his face, nor can you give me an accurate description, other than he was male and slightly taller than an average man." Ed just continued to fix his attention on what had once been his arm, leaving Al to answer the question.

"We're sorry Colonel" he said soberly "But he came at us from behind, we were distracted. Brother and I managed to hit him a few times, but before we could do anything more brother's automail got damaged." Roy frowned turning his attention back to the blonde Alchemist. Before he could make any further remark, Hawkeye interrupted.

"It's alright Alphonse. You and Edward are safe that's all that matters." She said calmly, her tone warning Mustang not to antagonise the boys any further. Roy sighed once more.

"Fullmetal, you need to get that arm fixed. Call that mechanic of yours and get her to come down to central as soon as possible." Ed's head flew up at this statement.

"Bring Winry here? Can't I just go back to Risenbool?" He asked. Mustang shook his head.

"You two are the only witnesses we have of this man. You aren't going anywhere." He stated forcefully. His tone of voice only succeeded in making Edward angrier. The boy stood up in a rush, advancing on Mustang.

"You can't do that! I'm not one of your lap dogs, I can't be or..." however his sentence was cut short as with a resounding thunk the ruins of what once were his index, middle and little finger clattered to the floor. There was silence for a moment as the occupants of the room simply stared at the shattered metal on the office floor.

"I'll go call Winry." Ed muttered quietly, picking up the broken digits before turning towards the door.

"Wait." Edward turned to meet Mustang's gaze.

"Havoc said the killer gave you a message. What did he tell you?" Edward hesitated, moving his gaze to floor before turning it back on to the Colonel.

"He said... he said; ask those dogs if they got my presents. Tell them I sent them three." There was silence for a moment before Mustang nodded.

"Alright. You can go now." Ed nodded opening the door and walking out, holding his metal arm in place with the other. Al said goodbye to Mustang and Hawkeye before following his brother, closing the door behind him.

"Lieutenant?" Mustang asked as soon as the door had closed.

"Yes Sir?"

"Call everyone together, including Hughes. It looks like we have a problem." Riza nodded, then saluted Roy and left the room in search of the others. She couldn't help but feel that this case was something more than it seemed.

The day was drawing to a close, and so far the investigation into the serial killer had not progressed. Mustang slammed down the last file on the case, his head pounding. Riza glanced up from her own work to look at him. She suppressed the urge to say something to him and returned her gaze to the paper's before her. She hated seeing that look in his eyes. He was suffering, taking the words of the killer as a personal challenge. It was already beginning to take its toll on him and they had barely even started.

"Havoc, Breda have you found anything?" Mustang asked, his voice strained. The two officers's glanced up, shaking their heads solemnly.

"Sorry Chief, nothing new." Havoc replied. Roy cursed under his breath before standing up and storming back into his own office, the door crashing shut after him. Hawkeye looked up once more and caught Hughes' eye. He flicked his head in the direction of Mustang's office and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Riza shot him a glare that caused him to flinch and return to the police reports spread out before him. Riza finished reading her document then stood and walked up to Roy's door. She knocked, but received no response. However, she had expected this so she simply turned the handle and walked into the room.

Roy was sitting at his desk, his chair facing away from the door, allowing him to stare morbidly out of the window. Riza didn't need to see his face to know that he was brooding. She approached the desk cautiously.

"Sir?" she ventured tentatively. Roy made no reply; he just continued to stare as if he wasn't even aware of her presence. Riza paused for a moment, unsure what to say next. It was never a good sign when Roy ignored her completely.

"What the hell is he doing?" Riza started, not expecting Roy to speak. His tone was distant, contemplative and she knew better than to interrupt his thought process.

"Three victims, all women between the ages of twenty and thirty five with no other connections between them. Then he goes after Fullmetal because of his connections to the military just to tell us he killed those women. But why damn it!" Roy turned and slammed his hands on to the desk, causing Riza to jump. He began pacing rapidly, venting his frustration as he voiced his ideas.

"He just wanted to get our attention, get us to chase him. He deliberately killed those women as a message. Their deaths could have been prevented, if we had only caught on to this sooner."

"This is not your fault Sir!" Riza interrupted sternly, attempting to drive his thoughts in a different direction.

"You couldn't have known what was going to happen Sir; you should not be blaming yours..."

"If I wanted your opinion Hawkeye, I would have asked for it." Roy snapped before turning and sitting heavily down in his chair. He dropped his head into his hands, attempting to block out the headache that was getting worse the more the thought about the case. Riza sighed, attempting to not take his words to heart. She walked over to stand behind Mustang, who was too preoccupied to notice her movements. She reached out and ran her hands through his hair, curling he strands around her finger tips. Roy sighed contentedly at the comfort he felt from her touch. He reached out and took her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it.

"I'm sorry" he whispered, turning around so he could look up into her eyes." She allowed herself to smile softly before reaching out with her other hand to smooth down the unruly strands of hair.

"You're giving yourself a headache." She stated matter of factly. He nodded mutely, not bothering to deny it. Riza smiled once more, then bent down and placed of soft kiss on his temple. She lowered her eyes to meet his gaze.

"Roy, you have to stop blaming yourself for things that are out of your control. We will figure this out but forcing yourself to be accountable for these death's is not going to help." She whispered kindly. Roy gazed back at her for a moment. He squeezed the hand he was still holding and then smiled.

"I don't know what I would do without you." he whispered, leaning in and kissing her. Riza smiled back but jerked upwards when the door burst open and Hughes rushed in. Roy frowned at the sudden interruption. However, the determined look in Hughes' eye stopped any reprimands that came to mind.

"What is it?" he asked as Hughes approached his desk. Maes was carrying a set of papers that he laid out on Mustang's desk.

"I found these police reports. At first I thought they looked familiar, but then when I took a closer look, I realised they weren't familiar. They were identical." Roy picked up the first document and began to read. His eyes widened at what he saw.

"This crime scene is virtually identical to those of the three women we found." Hughes nodded and began to explain.

"Yep. Three men spaced out over the last six months. All mutilated, killed in exactly the same way as the latest victims of the serial killer. The police never saw the connection on this one." He gestured towards the first file.

"The first victim, Roland Tanner, was part of known gang of criminals. The case was closed as an act of gang warfare." He picked up the next file.

"The second victim, Matthew Waterson, was a drug dealer. With no witnesses and no one who seemed to even acknowledge that they knew him, the police closed the case; simply stating that a fight over his stash had got completely out of hand." Hughes picked up the last file.

"However, the third was entirely different. The victim was a business man, Simon Keel. While the victim was found in the same condition as the previous two, the major difference is that a witness saw a man, dressed in dark clothes who was slightly taller than average fleeing the scene."

"The same description that Fullmetal gave us." Mustang murmured, Hughes nodding in agreement. Roy frowned then placed the file back on his desk.

"We need to talk to that witness." Hughes grinned.

"I thought you'd say that. I called in a few favours and if we're lucky we can meet him tonight." Roy nodded.

"Good work Hughes." Maes grinned and left the room. Roy sighed tiredly and rubbed the back of his head. He turned to Riza.

"Go on home Hawkeye. The other's can leave as well; you've all done enough for one evening." Seeing that she looked as if she was about to protest, he held up his hand.

"Maes and I can will continue to research and see if we can speak to the witness." He walked over to her and hugged her tightly. She drew back and stared at him critically.

"You're working too hard." She muttered. Roy laughed lightly, kissing her forehead.

"I won't work too hard, I promise. If I come round after we're done tonight, will that make you feel better?" He asked, using his most persuasive tone.

"No" Roy frowned. Why did that never work on her? Riza couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. She drew away from his grasp and walked towards the door. Before she reached the door she turned and fixed Roy in her gaze.

"You had better get there before I fall asleep. I will not be happy if you wake me up." She replied, her tone icy but a smile in her eyes. Roy smirked as she saluted and walked out of the office.

At the sound of the bell above the door ringing, the red haired woman at reception looked up. She smiled at the familiar figure.

"Hey there Lieutenant. Here to pick up Hayate?" she asked brightly. Riza Hawkeye smiled.

"Yes, thank you Jessica." The woman nodded and disappeared in to the first room on the left. As soon as she had gone, the door on the opposite side of the room opened and a dark haired man walked out, bringing with him a large cardboard box. He smiled when he noticed Riza.

"Good evening Lieutenant. Rough day?" Riza laughed.

"I could ask the same of you Adrian." She stated. Adrian pulled a face.

"I had two cats throw up on me today. Need I say more?" Riza laughed once more, then turned her attention towards the door as she heard the familiar sound of barking. Hayate bounded up to Riza, nuzzling her hand frantically. She smiled and attached his lead.

"Thank you. I'll drop him by at the same time tomorrow." She said. Jessica nodded

"See you then" Riza smiled and walked out of the kennels and started down the street. Her thoughts were preoccupied as she began the short walk back to her apartment. Roy was worrying her. He was putting all his energy into finding this killer, especially now that he had attacked one of their own, even if it was Edward. When Roy became completely focused on something, everything else began to pale in comparison, including his own well being. Any setbacks in the case were a personal blow to him and his pride, often leaving him to drown his sorrows at the bottom of a glass. She sighed as she pulled the keys out of her bag and unlocked the door. She secretly hoped that he would turn to her if he felt like that in this instance, but so far that seemed unlikely. Then again, she could understand why he didn't. She could protect him from any aggressor who dared to cross her, but dealing with emotions was not her strong point. She could barely handle her own, let alone someone else's. She would try, but she was afraid she would fail to help him. And that scared her more than she cared to admit. She sighed and flopped on to the couch, black Hayate jumping up and sitting next to her. She stroked his fur absently.

"Well. All I can do now is wait." She muttered to herself.

The telephone rang shrilly through the small house. A blonde haired girl looked up from her work bench and dragged herself across the room to pick up the receiver. Her eyes widened as she recognised the voice on the other end.

Pinako Rockbell glanced upwards as the sound of frantic movements caught her ears. She frowned.

"What is that girl up to now?" She muttered, lighting the pipe that was already placed in her mouth. She didn't have to wait long for an answer. A few minutes later, Winry rushed down the stairs, a large bag on each shoulder. The girl's normally clear blue eyes were almost black with rage. Pinako raised an eyebrow at her granddaughter's appearance.

"Where are you going child?" she asked, as Winry made her way towards the front door. She stopped just before she reached it.

"Central." She stated before pulling the door open and stalking out of the house. The door slammed shut behind her. Pinako sighed and settled back down in her chair, a faint smile crossing her lips.

"What have those boys been up to?" she wondered aloud.

A sudden noise startled Riza wake. She stared blearily round at her surroundings. She groaned as she realised that she had fallen asleep in the sitting room on the couch. She gazed around until her eyes found the clock. It was past midnight. She growled and sat up, making her way towards the front door, throwing it open.

"What time do you cal..." She trailed off and stared outside in disbelief. There was nobody there. She frowned. She could have sworn that a knock at the door had forced her awake.

"Must be hearing things" she muttered, starting to turn around. It was then out of the corner of her eye she spotted something. Riza's eyes widened and she bent down to the ground and retrieved the object. It was a rose. A pure white rose with a blue ribbon tied around it. There was no note, no card to tell who it had come from. Slowly Riza reached out and picked it up. She shivered as a gust of wind whipped round her. Quickly she turned and shut the door behind her. She stared at the flower in her hand.

"It must be from Roy. It's a bit of a strange apology though" she muttered to herself. She jumped as the phone rang. Cursing herself for her own nerves she walked over to the phone and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey Riza it's me. I didn't wake you did I?" Roy's voice sounded anxious. She sighed.

"No, its fine, I was already awake."

"Listen I'm really sorry. Hughes and I just finished speaking to the witness and..."

"Wait" she interrupted "You've only just finished? You mean you haven't been to my apartment?" She attempted to keep the nervous edge out of her voice.

"No, I haven't been to yours. Riza, did something happen?" Riza was barely listening now. She stared at the rose in her hand. What was going on?

"Riza? Riza are you there? What's wrong?" Roy sounded worried now.

"Nothing. I need to go now." She stated, unable to stop her voice from shaking. Roy seemed to hear her change in tone.

"Riza, don't lie to me I can tell something's wrong what's happened? Riza, talk to me damn it!"

"I need to go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Riza, no wait, ple..." she put the receiver back on the cradle, cutting him off mid sentence. Her hands shook as she held the rose in front of her. She didn't know why this scared her so much. It was just a flower. But someone had knocked on her door and placed it there making sure that she would find it. She dropped it on the floor and made her way quickly to her bedroom, sliding into bed and curling the blankets around herself in comfort. She knew she would not be able to sleep tonight.

A/N: Please review, I'd like to know what you think.