Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.

Hey guys! What's up? Hope you liked my last chapter, I thought it wasn't too bad. I hope you all keep reading, and I promise to update whenever I can. I know this chapter doesn't make much sense. But hey, hang in there. If you've got any questions, I'll be sure to answer/explain in the AN in the beginning of the next chapter.

By the way, I never really thought this out before I started planning this story, but in my mind, RIza was alway like, fireproof. So, I'm not sure how that's gonna go yet. If it does happen that way, I apologize.

WARNING: THERE MAY BE SOME KILLING/VIOLENCE IN THE CHAPTERS THAT FOLLOW, SO IF YOU'RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT, THEN YOU SHOULD STOP READING NOW.

Special Thanks to:

WhispersOfWings

TheFlyingLionFromNarnia

DarkWinxGirl

6Poppy

softball91

Once again, thanks for the love, and I hope to get some R&R from you. (Oh, and I'm sorry I changed the cover image. It was bothering me.)

I promise to try and make my chapters longer from now on.

Wha...Where the hell am I?

Riza's eyelids fluttered. She cracked an eye open, only to find herself in a dark, stone room. It was chilly, and Riza suddenly realized why.

She wasn't wearing a proper shirt from the waist up.

Riza sat up, groaning as she felt her stiff muscles groan in protest. She looked down.

She had on layers of gauze bandages, wrapped tight around her torso. She was wearing a loose shirt over that, and a robe over the shirt.

Of course, the back was bare from all three.

The bandages had been carefully wrapped around the ache she could feel deep in her stomach. Whoever had cared for her injuries had been sure to avoid covering anything up. Well, anything related to alchemy.

It wasn't until a second later that she noticed the chains holding her to the wall. And these weren't handcuffs. These were old-school shackles. Heavy iron, a hole just the right size for an old-school key. One on each wrist. A couple of feet of spare chain on each. And the open windows were a good 20 feet away.

Guess I'm in a warehouse or something.

And each was connected to the the heavy iron plate nailed into the wall her bed was leaning against.

Riza was in a bed. In an empty, stone room. And was chained. To a wall.

I am going to burn these sick bastards to the ground. She stared down at her bound wrists. She scowled, a single tear dripping down her face.

She thought of Roy, and whatever lucky girl was getting his attention right now. Whatever woman had captured his attention right now. And how he probably wouldn't even notice she was gone for a week or so.

She spoke quietly, her voice steady.

"Even if I have to burn with them."

And then, she began to plot her escape.

Hughes didn't know how much longer Roy would last.

He was cracking already. It had only been a day since Roy had dropped the I-might-be-able-to-possibly-find-Riza bomb.

The first thing everyone had demanded he do (as well as they themselves), was to get some sleep. They were all worried, to put it simply. But they all figured they'd be a lot more rational if they weren't fighting consciousness.

For 'protection,' they'd all decided to try and be with someone at every minute of the day. Even when it was time to sleep.

Roy had ended up staying with Maes while Gracia and Elicia went to stay with family in the countryside.

It had taken Maes four hours to realize Roy hadn't taken off the gloves.

Pacing, Roy walked in circles around the phone. Waiting for his contact to get the results in. Waiting for someone to zero in on his Riza.

I am going to kill them. Rip them to shreds and burn them to pieces. No, that'd be too good on them.

"Roy. Roy. Roy!" Out of nowhere Maes' hand was on his shoulder. Roy spun around, fingers poised to snap. His eyes widened with surprise, then shame, once he realized what he'd almost done.

"Maes! I'm.. I'm so sorry. Really, I just don't know what to do without her..."

Maes smiles, and clapped him on the shoulder.

"I know. can't imagine what I'd do if it was Gracia. When you love someone-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What the hell are you talking about? Riza is my friend. I care about all of my friends."

Maes was seriously wanted to slap the guy.

He was just so... stupid.

"I mean, I do care about Riza. A lot. She's like, my best friend. Besides you of course. I trust her. With my life. I mean, why else would she be my bodyguard? I really do care. She-"

"Jesus Christ, would you shut up? Goddamnit, you are such an idiot! Riza is in trouble. She could very well die."

Roy stiffened. He wasn't quite ready to hear that yet. And, it was likely that he never would be.

"Roy, I am your best friend. And Riza is your best girl. And no," he added, seeing the look on his face. "You don't get to argue with me. You love her. And I am not going to watch you play this stupid game anymore."

Maes sighed, punching him in the shoulder.

"She might never come back. This time, we can't rely on her to save us. Now, it's our turn."

"You need to stop this. If you keep running from how you feel about her, you might lose her. I know you've made up your mind about Riza. I'm not blind. So you just need to say it now. If you can't accept it, can't get your head in the game, we won't be the ones to pay the price. Riza will."

Roy sank into the couch, putting his head in his hands. He was growing more angry by the second.

"I love her. Fine," he spit out, looking up.

"But that won't bring her home Maes. That won't save her life. Even if she does make it home, what good does that do? I love her. And that doesn't change the fact that she could die because I couldn't catch a damn killer!"

Maes was speechless.

"I love her so damn much Maes. It hurts. I have to live with that every day. She was so close, and every day, I had to live with that. Knowing that I had an angel so close. And every time I'd get too close, I'd make myself back out. Because I can't burden her like that, I won't take my chances."

"Roy, you are being so stupid. Just by talking to her, by being near her, won't do any damage."

Roy snapped.

"I'M A MONSTER, MAES!" Roy roared, slamming his fist down on the table. "I MADE HER SUFFER EVER DAMN DAY BY JUST KEEPING HER AT MY SIDE! SHE HAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL, AND I'M THE ONLY THING HOLDING HER BACK!"

"I'm a killer. Remember what I did in Ishval? Monsters deserve hell. But instead, I got an angel." He rubbed his forehead.

"You're not a monster, Roy. You're a man." Hughes moved closer to his friend.

"Just a man who fell in love with a woman." He rubbed his back, silently wondering how much better the situation would've been handled if Gracia had stayed.

Ring!

Roy was already holding the phone to his ear by the time Hughes had stood up.

"What's the situation?" He demanded, not bothering to be polite at a time like this.

"We've located the car."

Riza couldn't risk any fires yet.

If her captors weren't in the building, there wasn't any point.

If she had to die in the fire, so be it. But she was going to take revenge for her friends. And besides,

Roy could finally get a bodyguard that could do their job right.

Someone who could actually get him to do his paperwork without threatening with a loaded gun.

Someone who could get him to remember not to pick a fight when it rains.

Someone who could get through a month without having him risk his life at least once.

A person who would lay their life down before his.

Riza was full of regret.

Not just because she hadn't shown him the tattoo all those years ago. Not because he had struggled through the secrets of fire alchemy alone. It was because she'd never even said she was sorry. Sorry for all those moments she'd been in the way of his dreams.

He was trying to become a Fuhrer. She'd promised him that she'd get him to the top.

And she wasn't ever going to see him to his rightful place.

But, those were the only things she regretted about her time with him.

"Why, darling, I see you've woken up. How do you like your new room?" The familiar voice broke the silence. Riza whipped her head to the door, where the blonde woman was leaning against the doorless-doorway. (Yeah, the chances of it being a warehouse were only growing.)

"I'm so sorry. I totally forgot to mention, my name is Lacey," she said in a sickly sweet voice.

She was wearing just a plain t-shirt and jeans, though the collar was splattered with blood. And still, she looked pretty.

"You are a despicable human being. What kind of sick person does this?" Riza demanded, walking as far as she could without yanking her wrists out of their sockets. The woman blatantly ignored her accusing glare. The one that could freeze Havoc in about half a second.

"So, you remember how you got here? Anything at all?" She inquired, swiping her finger along the window.

"Pity. Too cheap to even provide windows."

"You will burn to hell for this. I will make sure of that," Riza lashed out, suddenly forgetting she was practically connected to the wall. She cried out in pain.

"Tch, tch, tch." Riza rolled her eyes. That seemed to be her catchphrase.

"Darling, don't go and make making empty threats like that. It's quite unbecoming. You'll only be wasting your breath in the end. Unless he's got a faulty reputation, I'm pretty sure he can't set fires from more than 15 miles away. Besides, your precious Colonel can't save you if he can't find you, now can he? "

"Peter will take care of him before he gets close enough to do any damage to our plans."

Lacey looked Riza straight in the eye and smirked.

"And you're no threat at all without your silly little guns. God know how someone as incompetent as you ended up protecting someone as important as Colonel Mustang." Her eyes twinkled with something Riza couldn't quite place.

The second both her and her accomplice are in this building I will burn it in a way that would put the Colonel to shame.

She took a moment to reconsider.

Or, I could get rid of them one at a time.

Roy stepped out of the car, and was followed in suit by Fuery, Falman, Maria, Havoc and Hughes. Breda had stayed behind to look after Rebecca, who'd gotten sick in all the commotion.

Roy was still wearing the gloves.

"This is where the signal was traced to." He pointed to a block of several manufacturing warehouses.

"Her car has to be around her somewhere. We find it, we find the killer." For a few seconds, all that could be heard were the echoing footsteps as the rag-tag group of 6 made their way through the winding passages between the buildings.

"Umm, sir?" Maria piped up. "Remind me, why did we not bring reinforcements? Colonel, I know you have a bit of a death wish sometimes, but really-"

"Death wish?" he stopped and turned to look at her. "I do not have a death wish." Maria almost wanted to laugh at the defensive, almost-pouty look on his face.

Riz, you sure can pick 'em. Hold onto him, alright?

"It's because they've got Riza." The small party flinched.

"And in hostage situations, it has been proved that going in with guns blazing is not a smart idea."

"Yeah, 'cause you're the king of those," Havoc muttered under his breath.

Maes snickered.

"Anyway," he continued, silencing Maes with a glare. "I think the smaller the force, the easier it will be to slip in unnoticed. Sooner we take down that bastard, the sooner Riza's safe again."

Fuery cleared his throat.

"Well, well, Colonel. Seems you're being uncharacteristically calm. And overprotective. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you-"

"Love her." The whole group came to a halt.

Did he just?

Holy crap he just said...

Am I hearing things?

"There I said it. I love Riza. Are we done now?"

One second of silence.

"Whoooo! Told you it'd be in the next two months! HA! You owe me 40!" Hughes crowed happily, and Havoc grumbled as he handed over the money.

Roy froze, and his eyes bugged. He spun around, confronting the gleeful man.

"You made a bet? On me and Riza? What the hell?!"

"Hey, you did the same with me and Gracia! This is only karma!"

Roy sighed. This was going to be a long night...

"So Roy, you finally came to terms with it huh?" Maria inquired, sidling up next to him.

He softly smiled, a faint blush starting to spread through his face.

"Yeah." His face darkened. "If she- no, when she gets out of this, the lucky man who'll get to call her his will have to pass through me first."

What other guy would get to call Riza his?

Maria slapped him in the head. This stunned him long enough for Havoc to punch him in the shoulder.

"You really are an idiot, know that?"

Who the else would Riza love? Other than you, I've never seen her so much as smile at someone she didn't consider family!

"What the hell!? I didn't do anything! Seriously, why is does everyone keep-"

"Colonel, look!" Falman called out, having taken the lead while the team bickered.

"Isn't that Riza's car?" He said, pointing at the vehicle parked in front of one of the warehouses.

"Yeah, it is," Fuery said, walking forward to look at the building. "If you ask me, I'd say that this place has been empty for quite some time."

"Yeah, it looks like one of the old storage factories. Probably the company ran out of business or something," Falman chimed in.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm going in. Anyone with me?" Roy asked, straightening the cuffs of his jacket.

"You know sir, I'm pretty sure you don't even need to ask questions like that anymore," Maria said, cocking her gun. "But remember, we have to be quiet. If we cause too much commotion, Riza's life might be used as a last resort threat. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir," they chimed.

They crept into the building, shuffling against the walls in the darkness. Only the moon shone through the windows.

"Sir, I don't think she's on the first floor. She's gotta be on the second floor, then. We should go there now. And hurry," suggested Falman.

Roy nodded, and they headed up the stairs.

They'd all safely ventured up the stairs, and were back on their toes for about four seconds.

"Well, well. Looks like lover boy is finally here," came a voice from behind them.

Roy turned.

It was a tall man, probably a good foot taller than Roy. And by the looks of it, he was probably physically stronger too. But that wasn't the part of the whole scene that alarmed him.

It was the part where he had an arm around 2nd Lieutenant Maria Ross' throat.

Oh, and the gun pressed to the side of her head.

Whoever was keeping her hostage had given her typical prison food. Stale bread and lukewarm water. How original.

It wasn't until later when the sun had gone down that Lacey decided to step in again.

"Here," the woman said as she kicked something over to Riza. Something small, bundled in cloth.

Riza hesitantly bent down to pick it up, almost spilling her water in the process.

Unwrapping it, she realized it was a small knife, stained with faint traces of blood. Riza examined the sharp edge, still not understanding what the whole point of this was.

"Recognize it? Pretty nice, right? Specially made. Beautiful craftsmanship. Though, it did look much nicer when it was buried in your stomach."

Where should I burn her first? Her hands? No what about her-

"And for sentimental reasons, we'll be sure to use the same one on your precious Roy."

THAT"S IT.

Riza's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed, and the alchemy circles flashed.

Lacey was burning.

Screaming in pain as the fire crawled up her face.

It was consuming her hair, her clothes, her face.

"Wait! Wait!" Lacey pleaded. "Don't you want to know how we knew you had the research?" Riza lessened the flames.

"I'm not falling for that. I don't care how you knew. As long as you pay for the lives you took." Riza growled. The flames flared again, and she screamed in agony.

"Peter's gonna make you pay," she gritted out as her body started to burn up.

And then Lacey suffered the same fate Riza's poor cup of coffee had not even a month ago.

Burned to ashes.

"Now," Riza started, taking out the knife. "Think I can pick a lock with this?" She struggled, trying to get her wrists in the right position. Realizing this obviously wasn't working, she stopped twisting the cuffs around her wrists.

"Aw to hell with it."

Riza concentrated, focusing her energy on heating the chains. She made sure to give herself 6 or 7 feet of extra length to avoid scalding her skin. She brought the knife down, breaking the links.

"I don't care if I have to shoot you in the head, whip you senseless with the chains you burdened me with, or melt you until you scream for mercy. Peter, I am going to kill you."

Hey guys! I know this doesn't make much sense, but thank you all so much. Our story has progressed pretty far, and I hope you've enjoyed it! After this, I hope you take the time to look at the new stories I plan to write. (Yeah, it'll take a while; hang in there.)

Love you all, sorry my logic in this story kinda sucks.

Bye!

-Pyro