I don't own FMA.

However, Sierra, Shelly, Ken, Jeff, Jill, Joseph, Elizabeth, Charlotte, and Julie are all my creations along with the plot.

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Roy rummaged through his refrigerator trying to find something decent to make dinner. He vaguely wondered why he'd let himself become so dependent on Riza for meals.

Julie took the time to meander around the apartment. She stopped and stared at the framed photograph of him sitting in an unfamiliar office with his subordinates standing behind him. Julie imagined her self standing where the woman she detested stood. In the photograph in her mind her hand was on his right shoulder and a ring sparkled in the light of the flash. She looked over at Roy and quickly slipped the photo into her oversized bag.

She smiled at him when he cleared his throat for her attention a few minutes later. "Well, it seems I don't have anything edible here. I hope you don't mind going out."

"Not at all," she gushed and pulled open his apartment door. Roy put on a light coat and followed her out. He was attempting to lock the door with his keys when he remembered Sierra had a locksmith change it while he was at HQ. He explained the situation to Julie and dug the new set of keys out of his pocket.

Schiezka sat in Jean's dorm wondering how to tell him Riza had been injured. Actually, it wasn't a matter of how, but when. With Jean grumbling about not being able to do anything she hadn't gotten anything in but a hello. She took his conversational attitude as good sign. He'd seen the doctor and been informed that he could return to work in the morning.

When he mentioned that he couldn't wait to have a free breakfast again she interrupted him, "Uh, Jean?" He stopped talking. "Kain told me Scar broke into Roy's apartment last night. They're fine-it's just Riza's been put on medical leave now. She took a bullet in her leg. She'll be out for a week or two."

Jean clenched and unclenched his fists a few times before saying, "Roy's gonna kill that guy."

"I can't take it anymore!" Ed shouted, throwing up his arms as he walked out of the bathroom with Denny behind him. He stopped and spun around to face his 'shadow.' "We're going back to Central HQ, and I'll convince them I don't need a bodyguard. Ed led them to the nearest train station and booked the train that left in an hour. They would be back at Central mid-morning.
People might have mistaken them for a couple if not for the disgruntled look on his face.

"It's so lovely out tonight. It would be such a waste to go home. Let's go for a walk in the park," Julie said looking up at him with pleading eyes.

Roy sighed and let her steer him away from the path to his apartment. He hated the way she kept looking at him like he was her date. That's how she was treating the assignment—like a date. She hadn't even shown up in her uniform, and on top of that she hadn't even gone for her wallet to pretend like she was going to pay for her half of the bill. Not that he would have made her since he could get reimbursed by the military, but Riza would have argued until after he'd paid the bill.

Back at his apartment he fumbled for the proper door key again. Once inside his apartment he took his old key and chucked it into the nearest trash bin. He quickly went through the usual night motions-got his drawstring flannel pants, shirt, to the bathroom, pull aside red shower curtains to make sure no on was hiding there, brushed his teeth, and started to pull his shirt off. Until he saw Julie perched on the toilet from the mirror he was looking in. "I'm going to change now," he told her and glanced to the open bathroom door.

"Okay," she replied.

Roy waited for her to exit the room, but she didn't move. "You can wait out there." He pointed to the hall.

"I'm supposed to stay with in the same room as you at all times."

"I know, but-"

"No exceptions. Sorry, those are my orders," she said with no remorse apparent on her face.

"Well, Hawkeye and Havoc both stood outside the room while I changed," he said, pointing to the hall again. "You could just close your eyes, but then someone could sneak up on you, so why don't you just go out there for a minute."

Julie crossed her arms, got up, and stood against the wall next to the bathroom. She'd never imagined her would actually be shy. She took a make-up mirror out of her pocket and used it to peek into the bathroom while he changed.

"Hold it a minute, will ya?" Jeff hollered to the person pounding on his door. He tied his robe closed and stuck his eye to the peep hole.

"What took you so long?" Ken asked when light finally spilled into the hallway.

"You do realize it's four in the morning, right?"

"I had no idea," Ken replied flatly as he barged into Jeff's apartment.

"What happened to you?" Jeff asked as he finally noticed his friend's appearance.

"The sewers are pretty grimy," Ken answered.

"Sewers? What happened?"

"Well, I took your advice to drop a copy of my final manuscripts at her place, but instead of that I got to see her carried away by that man that shot her. I didn't try to take the hulk on, but I followed him," Ken paused to measure Jeff's reaction—a bit of shock and confusion. Jeff impatiently waved his hand for Ken to continue. "There's a city buried under the outskirts of Central, an abandoned city—that's where he took her. I have to tell Roy Mustang."

"Why didn't you just go report it?" Jeff asked.

"Because I'm not sure they'll believe me—I hardly believe me—and all I have to do is take him to her apartment and he'll believe me."

"So why are you here?"

"Which apartment is his?" Ken asked.

Julie jumped and knocked her head against the top shelf of the refrigerator when a knock sounded on Roy's door. She stuck the small glass bottle back in her coat pocket and made her way to the door, hoping Roy wouldn't wake up. She relaxed the grip on her gun when she saw it wasn't Scar.

"How may I help you?" she asked as she opened the door a sliver.

"I need to speak to Roy Mustang. It's urgent," Ken told her.

"I'm afraid I can't authorize anyone that unless you are military personnel. Besides, he's asleep," she said as she closed the door on him. Something ignored the nagging in the back of her mind. She didn't recognize the man she has been talking with Maria and the other women about two weeks ago as the man that had just been standing in front of her covered in dirt. She walked back down the hall to Roy's room and lay down on the bed next to him.

Riza woke up with a pounding head ache. It took her eyes a few minutes to adjust to the pitch black room. She was sure her pupils were completely dilated by the time she was able to make out a small room with a chest at the end of the bed she was sitting on.

She tried to move a hand to message her sore neck, but it never seemed to reach its destination. Her hazy mind sent the signal to her hands again and at the slight movement of her arm something dug into her wrists and waist. She snorted as she fully woke and realized not only were her hands bound, but he'd also tied her midsection to the bars that made up the head board of the bed. Her snort turned into a cough. She took deep breaths through her nose to calm her coughs and thought back to the booklet she'd been given to read about the drug before she took her first mission as a second lieutenant.

When the suspect awakens he or she will need something to drink. This will give you the opportunity to drug the suspect again if need be. This happens because the inhibitor dehydrates the body. Often the after effect will be a dry mouth, coughing, a bloody nose, or vertigo.

Riza continued breathing through her nose until she no longer felt the tickle of a cough in the back of her throat. She started at the knots around her wrists. "Who does he think I am? Some poor country girl?" she asked herself while she strategized an escape, all the while she was slightly distracted by how weak she had been when Scar had threatened her life, but she needed to know his plan so he wouldn't be able to get to Roy.

Roy woke up sweating and coughing. "Something…drink," he spluttered.

Jean gave his ailing commanding officer a glass of tea from the tray Julie had brought into the room before she left hours ago.

"What's going on?" Roy asked after he took a drink.

"Mrow called the office saying you've got what I had, and from your sweating and coughing I'd say that's true. You'll be out of work for a while. We're still-" Jean trailed off when Roy's eyelids began to drop. "Chief?" he called, but Roy was asleep again. Jean sighed and sat down on the plump brown chair. His gaze wandered over to the bedside table the tray of drinks sat on along with a book. His eyes shot back to the royal blue cover. He picked it up and flipped open to the first page.

An apparition of Riza appeared to Roy in his deep slumber. She was wearing the same black, ankle length skirt and deep purple blouse as the day before. She stood across the room from him with a look of disappointment on her face as she stared at his hands. He looked down and found himself holding a gun. When he glanced back up at her he saw that her blouse was quickly taking on a different hue and a line of red liquid escaped from her pale lips. He didn't hear the gun clatter to the floor over her raged breaths.

He caught her as her knees buckled. "This is a dream. This is a dream," he repeated to her over and over as he held her close. He closed his eyes to keep the hot tears from falling, but found he couldn't open them back up. As much as he tried to get his eyelids to lift they only got heavier. His dream vanished with Riza's name on his lips.

Jean moved his eyes from the book to his tossing commanding officer. He smirked and shook his head when he heard Riza's name.
Anyone who didn't recognize the blond alchemist stomping through the halls would have wondered why the crowd of officers quickly parted for him, but those unlucky enough to have seen him when his temper was at it peak (which was just about every time he left Roy's office) didn't hesitate in their actions. A few soldiers even pulled others out of the way. Denny's and Maria's feet worked double time to keep up with Ed's short, but quick, determined stride.

Andrew looked up at the boy who slammed the door shut behind his entourage of two officers and a suit of armor.

"Ah, Fullmetal, have a seat. Brosh, Ross, and Alphonse, is it? Have a seat." He looked Ed square in the eyes. "What brings you to my office?"

"Two alchemists don't need a bodyguard," Ed huffed.

"They don't?" Sierra asked, looking taken aback.

"No, we can protect ourselves," Ed replied.

"That gives me an idea. Fullmetal have you heard about what happened to First Lieutenant Hawkeye.

"No," Ed said and crossed his arms.

Andrew went on to explain about the encounter with Scar. "So if you think the two of you can protect yourselves then I'm sure the two of you wouldn't mind watching Colonel Mustang. Brosh and Ross will escort you to his apartment at 1830 hours. You're free to do as you wish until then. Ross, Brosh you two have some paperwork to fill out."

Ed was surprised by the news about Riza. He didn't complain until after they left his office. He didn't want to be stuck in the same building.

Julie let out a growl of frustration as she hung up her phone. She had planned it out perfectly and that damned pint-sized alchemist had to go and ruin it.

She pulled the framed photograph out of her purse and gingerly took it out of the frame. Soon her scissors were cutting out the blonde sharpshooter from the picture. A couple minutes later she had a picture of herself lined up almost perfectly and taped it into place. She smiled and placed the doctored photo in her box with the others.

"You have to tell someone," Jeff reasoned as he poured his friend another cup of tea.

"I know, I know. When I stopped by the military headquarters I found out a friend of mine returns today. I left a message for her to meet me here," Ken said as he made his hair into more of a mess than it already was.

Denny looked disdainfully at the note Maria held. "Are you going to go meet him?"

Maria glowered at him. "Do you think I'll abandon my post for him?" she asked as she looked at her pile of paperwork.

"No," Denny said sheepishly, but his real question wasn't answered. He wanted to know if she'd go see him if she didn't have to work. His heart sank as he heard her next words.

"I'll give him a call after we escort Ed and Al to Mustang's place," she said, looking up from the form she had to fill out for her travel expenses with the Elrics.

People may say she was oblivious, but they were wrong. She knew he liked her. Why else would anyone want to hang out with a woman that could literally beat them to a bloody pulp? Sure, Jean, Kain, Heymans, and Vato were her friends, but they didn't eat lunch with her every day, volunteer as her sparring partner when Riza was off or on a mission, or go to book signings with her just because she thought the author was a great writer and wanted to meet him. She just decided to take the same route she figured Riza took with Roy—ignore the tension and any other signs that he liked her.

Schiezka's revelation about the new rules and regulations handbook was a surprise to her, but the copy sitting in her inbox confirmed the information.

She looked back at the note from Ken and smiled. She'd have to thank him when she saw him. Competition had definitely given Denny more initiative to try winning her over. Maybe next time she'd let him. Her smile grew as she looked over at him. His expression slowly began to reflect hers.

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A.N.-You know, I hate shower curtains. I'm so happy my shower had sliding, clouded glass door. That way no one can hide in there. I went to a friends house to watch movies once, and his younger brother retreated into the bathtub to read. He'd even pulled the shower curtains closed, so no one would disturb him. When I got up to go use the restroom I made sure to pull back the shower cutrain when I entered the bathroom(we were watching a movie that freaked me out a bit), and I nearly ended up having a heart attack when he was in there. Anyways I decided to end this chapter on a slightly fluffy note. I really hope to have this finished on my next day off of work, becuse my goal had been to have it done by Royai Day, and when that didn't happen I stopped my progress and made two Royai Day fics. I really need to give Sierra a first name, since I'm using everyone elses. I shall dub him Andrew-so I'll go back through and make the proper changes when I post the next chapter. Julie is really freaking me out, did I really write her? This story is almost 80 pages now. Thanks for reading.

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