"Lieutenant?"

The woman tensed up at the sound of the voice, in a fluid motion as though she was expecting a attack pushed the bottle of antiseptic and packets of bandages into the corner and threw her sweater over them. The knob turned and the door creaked open; the woman turned around quickly with panic written all over her face but when she saw who was behind the door, her expression relaxed. "It is just you." Her voice soft; filled with relief, she pushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. The newcomer entered the pantry where she had taken refuge in and closed the door behind him, "Yes, it is just me. Are you alright?" his voice fell into a concerned whisper. The lieutenant turned away from him; Havoc moved closer and placed his hand on her left shoulder to which the lieutenant cringed; he let go quickly but at the same time adjusted himself so that he was facing her. "Why didn't you tell us about this?"

The burn marks could be seen clearly; they were small red marks and it was obvious that there was more than one that etched into her skin. "It isn't important." She replied with a small voice, "These are cigarette burn marks! I smoke, remember? What made you think I wouldn't recognize them when you tried to pass them off as insect bites?" Havoc injected in harshly, his face close to hers, she had a strange expression as though she was trying to hide but it was not working. The lieutenant looked away from his eyes, "I…" Havoc pulled away, he did not mean to force the answer out from her; but he needed the truth ever since the colonel…no, Roy mustang left for an unjustified vacation, and HE arrived into the picture, she had been acting strange and distant even if HE was not around; Havoc had not seen her smile, not even once. "What have the general done to you…?" Havoc pushed his question; he thought he saw her shiver slightly at the sound of his name. When she did not answer; he grabbed her right arm and shook it, "I need to know the truth, Hawkeye…" Even though her head was turned away, he saw it; a single drop of tear fell from her eyes. "Lieutenant…" Havoc had known her for a while now, not as long as Mustang but long enough to know that she was not a woman to shed tears easily. He raised his fingers and rubbed the tear stain from her cheeks, she turned slightly and glanced at Havoc, "I am sorry, but I can't…"

Havoc had to let it go, she was not going to let up, and her insistence lasted the rest of the day; they left the pantry earlier and he offered to get her a packet of ice to reduce the stinging sensation of the burn marks but as expected she refused. The lieutenant left the main room, leaving Havoc in thought on the black leather sofa. His eyebrows tightly knitted together; he was going to keep closer watch on the lieutenant and the general. "Roy Mustang… why…" the rest of his words drowned by his deep thoughts.

It did not take long to figure what had been happening behind closed doors, in the next couple of weeks; she returned with scars and bruises. And Havoc could only watch with an ache in his heart, he confronted her about his theory that the general was abusing her and she had admitted to it unwillingly. But when he tried to convince her to stand up against him, she refused again and again; and her reasons had been ambiguous.

It was months into the days of the general arrival; when he overheard a conversation between an angry Marcon and the lieutenant. He was right outside the oak doors when he heard her shout, in much pain as much as he could tell. Followed by a scoff and mumbled whispers; and another scream, more horrifying than the one before; Havoc burst into the room and what he saw never left his memory in the days that would come. "She needs a doctor." He heard himself shout over the room; General Marcon glanced at the newcomer and went back to the chair as though nothing had happened. He had the calmest tone even though there was a person bleeding profusely over the carpet; Havoc rushed towards her and drops next to her, 'Lieutenant! Hang in there!"

"Right. Take her away, and get someone to clean the carpet too." He said and spun his chair around to face the window behind him; ignoring Havoc fierce glare and the woman he despised; blood flowing down from her back staining her uniform maroon red.

The doors flung open and Havoc rushed the lieutenant to the medical centre three floors below; she was still conscious but was rather faint. She could hear his voice calling her, telling her to hang on. And she was indeed hanging on to her consciousness, what happened was a blur. She felt it make contact with her body, the vase that was always at that corner of the room; the vase that Roy…No, Colonel Mustang did not favor when he was here…it was then she heard Havoc say it, "I will tell Mustang about this, don't worry."

She felt as though she was ready to bounce up from the stretcher she was lying in, but every part of her was in pain even so, she could manage her words properly though gingerly, "Please…no, Don't say a word to him…pl..ease."

Havoc watched as the nurses wheeled the lieutenant into the emergency room; and when the door slammed close he slumped against the wall and down to the floor. Finally, he realized the reasons for the lieutenant insistence; she must have been threatened with Roy's life. And that if she ever spoke to anyone about the abuses, the general would hurt Mustang.

Ooooo

"Hello, General Marcon office." Havoc spoke to the receiver with a dead pan voice; as though he was a tortured voice recorder.

"Havoc? It is Roy here" Havoc swore that he could have dropped the phone in surprise. "Mustang?"

"I…did anything happen?" A stone dropped into havoc stomach, how could he have known… he had called at the most curious timing, the lieutenant was injured and she was in the ward right now.

"Havoc, is Ri…no; lieutenant alright?" There was an impulse right there and then, Havoc had all the heart to tell him the entire monstrosity of the general, and that the lieutenant was in critical condition. But he remembered the look of her face when she begged him not to tell Roy; he could not tell him anything… "No" he answered with a cold tone that did not sound like him at all.

"That's good. Thanks" With that, the connection ended. Havoc threw the phone on the table in anger, and he slumped onto the general's chair; anger and frustration reeked through his soul.

Days never went without pain or agony

She returned without qualms

With expression plain and neutral

Her companions' watches,

Praying that their protector would return.