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.

So, Ebola is freaking me out, I've got a test every day this week, and I think the universe hates me.

Not much has changed.

First of all, thank you to:

Masuchi

magicalcow

Hotaru Kai

TheFlyingLionFromNarnia

yache

fullmetalscully

Second, MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Haha, just kidding. Halloween was like, five days ago. (At least, it was when I started to write this chapter.)

I was the TARDIS for halloween, and one of my 'friends' and her boyfriends (Yeah, boyfriends) went around and told everyone to call me the re-TARDIS. (She's not even my 'friend' anymore.)

Oh, and my other friend, (the british one) told all the sixth graders that I was being a train. (Y'know, because of the light thing that I wore on the top of my head...)

Question: who has a problem with Roy and/or Riza being called 'babe?'

Or Roy STILL not knowing who Grumman's granddaughter is?

READ THIS! IT'S IMPORTANT!

I know I was REALLY unclear about this, but Riza's fire doesn't hurt her. Same with all other flames.

At least, not without her consent. She can withstand the pain that comes with fire to a more extreme extent, though burns won't ever fade. Though, she does heal much faster when it comes to fire-related injuries.

Also, I don't think I'm gonna do a sequel. I'm just going to combine it into this story because let's be honest; who's going to go to all the trouble of going to my profile and check out another story?

No, no. Not going to ask that of you guys.

So, thanks for reading this unnecessarily long AN and R&R!

Havoc held his jaw and winced.

The skin was blackish-blue, a bruise blossoming roughly the size of Roy's fist.

Sure, the slap hadn't been too bad. Then Roy had uppercutted him and punched him square in the jaw, which was a whole other story.

"Sorry," Roy muttered, handing over the ice pack to Riza, who then turned to Havoc and pressed it to his tender skin.

Riza glared at him, earning a guilty look from Roy.

"I... Um... wasn't thinking straight..." he lamely explained.

Havoc snorted.

"You're never thinking straight when it comes to this one," he said, jabbing his thumb at Riza. "Remember that one time when we ran into Riza in town wearing a dress, and you thought she was going on a date? You got soooo upset that you-"

Roy rushed forward, clapping his hand over the smoking-addict's mouth.

"How 'bout we not share that story with the class?" he hissed.

Riza read only one thing in his eyes: mischief. So, naturally she played along. She quirked her eyebrow at him, sauntering over to him. She wasn't really sure if one would call it 'sauntering.' More like overly-ridiculous walking and swaying of the hips. Finally she added the cherry on top, pursing her lips in a more feminine way.

But she didn't expect Roy to blush all the way up to his hairline and stare like a teenager just starting 'the changes.'

Not that she knew what that looked like anyway...

His hand feel to his side, as Riza fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Roy..." she half-whined. "I wanna know..."

"Please...?" she pouted, even going so far as to jut out her bottom lip.

Roy's face was probably the most hilarious thing Havoc had seen all day.

FLASH

And for the second time in less than 24 hours, the new couple was blinded by the Maes' camera.

"Aww shit!" Roy swore, rubbing the white light out of his eyes. Riza was holding her head between her hands, waiting for the spots to fade from her vision.

They were dancing across her line of sight, and she sat down to pinch the bridge of her nose.

"Maes... please tell me you didn't catch that stupid expression on my face..." Riza asked, dreading the answer she knew was coming.

"Yep."

"Hey, I thought it was pretty hot," Havoc piped up from behind her.

"OH, THAT IS IT!"

Riza had both her arms around Roy's torso before he could actually harm his friend. (The man she also considered to be one of her brothers who took pride in egging on her 'boyfriend.')

"Roy," she chided as she stroked his hair. "Shh.. Yeah, it's okay. Jean was just joking. Uh huh, he didn't mean it..."

"You're my Riza," he stated stubbornly into his shoulder.

Riza mouthed at her two friends over his shoulder: Go.

Jean Havoc pulled at Maes' hand, dragging him out of the room before Roy's explosive temper made a reappearance.

Oh, he is so whipped.

"I love you, you know that?" Roy asked as he rose from her shoulder to kiss the tip of her nose. She giggled, the inner female finally emerging.

"Yeah, I know." She admitted with a smile. "But I love you more."

He held her waist, lifting her up and spinning her around in circles. She threw her head back, laughing.

In the pure innocence and joy of the moment, both failed to notice Maes' camera flash once again.

Havoc had papers spread out in front of him, a pad in his lap as he jotted down seemingly-relevant information.

The doorbell rang, and chiming sound echoing through the house.

Riza went to answer the doorbell, Havoc and Roy blocking her way more quickly than she thought possible.

"Riza, what the hell are you doing? What part of 'there still might be people out there trying to get you' did you not understand?" Roy demanded, effectively stopping her attempt to slip past him as he lectured her on her personal safety.

"Relax," she sighed, rolling her eyes at their over-protectiveness. She held her fingers up, poised to snap. "Fire, remember?"

"If someone whips a gun to your face, that won't do much," Havoc shot back. She whipped a gun out from the waistband of her shorts, clicking off the safety. She had the barrel of the gun pressed between his eyes, daring him to keep talking.

"I didn't get the position of Roy's right-hand because I have slow reflexes."

She headed towards the front door, pushing past the two men. She took a few steps forward, turning around in second thought.

"And besides, I don't need my hands to burn someone to a crisp."

Her eyes flashed, lighting up her amber eyes a shade of orange that illuminated the dangerous circles.

"Believe me, I can handle it."

She turned around, leaving two stunned men in her wake.

"Sorry," she called out over her shoulder. "Guess I forgot to mention that."

Jean's jaw dropped, and the vein in Roy's forehead bulged. Rebecca spoke up from the other side of the room.

"Anything else you'd like to tell us?"

She paused.

Other than the alchemy circle scratched into Lacey's wall, nothing.

"Nope."

And with that, she resumed her brisk walk around the corner to open the door.

"Well... this is a... surprise," Riza spoke slowly, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her.

Her (secret) grandfather was standing at the door, holding out what looked like a small wooden chest. (Or a large box, however you wanted to look at it.)

And he was dressed as a woman.

That has got to be the most... horrific dress I've ever seen.

Her face was distorted in confusion, and in somewhat disgust. (Not to mention embarrassment. It's like when your dad decides to humiliate you in public. Only, about a hundred times worse.)

God, oh jeez, please stop the torture, Riza thought to herself as she tried to completely erase that image from her brain. It's painful. So, so painful.

He giggled, trying WAY too hard to sound feminine.

"Now dearie, that's no way to greet your grandmother, is it?" He asked, his voice cracking as he broke character and roared with laughter. He slapped his leg, wheezing.

"Oh, you should have seen your face! You looked like you wanted to melt right in the doorway!"

He chuckled, struggling to keep the smile she had inherited off his face. Of course, hers only appeared for special occasions.

Straightening, he handed her the wooden box. He tugged his dress collar, evening it out as she wordlessly accepted the container.

"It's from the dead girl's room. Lacey McGrada. We found her. Here," he said, slipping a bulging manilla envelope out from his cardigan. "This is all the background info we found on her, her brother, and their connections."

He lowered his voice, gesturing towards the locked box. Upon closer inspection, she saw it had a keyhole right under the latch. Unlike most boxes, the lock was actually part of the box, instead of a padlock.

Great, Riza thought tiredly Looks like we won't be able to break the lock off. Unless...

Grumman knew what that look meant.

"I checked before I brought it here. The wooden casing has been modified my alchemy. That wood might as well be steel. Metal plating on the inside, three inches of pure iron. Try and bust into that thing by force, and you might destroy everything in there."

Leaning in closer, he offered a hug, which she suspiciously accepted.

"Once you figure out how to open it, I suggest that you do it in private. I have a hunch that whatever's in there pertains most to you."

"And that symbol on her wall," he murmured "no one's seen it but you and me. I made sure to destroy it before anyone else could set foot in that room."

He pulled away, genuinely smiling at her.

"Bye, darling." The words were so sickly sweet that she blanched.

"Thank you grandfa- grandmother," she stuttered, slowly closing the door.

She fell back on the door, siding down to the floor.

Sh unfastened the strings and pulled out countless packets, paper, photos, and other legal documents.

"Oh, this is going to take forever."

"Dammit, how the hell are we supposed to open this thing?" Havoc raged, jumping on the iron-laced chest.

Riza had informed them of what she'd been told (though, she had failed to mention exactly who her source had been) two whole days ago.

Roy had thrown it down the stairs, out a window and even attempted to burn it.

Literally nothing.

Then he'd almost passed out of exhaustion and exasperation.

Riza had practically carried him to bed, giving Maes the time of his life as he snapped pictures.

So now it was Havoc's turn to fill his role as Riza's-older-brother figure.

"I didn't even dent it!" He cried, pulling at his hair. He sat on the back of the couch, his knees around Rebecca's shoulders. "How the hell are we supposed to-"

"SHHH!" Maes shushed him loudly (an oxymoron, really), holding the receiver of Roy's phone to his chest, an attempt to block out any noises.

"Watch your language! My sweet, little innocent daughter might hear you!"

"Daddy, what does he- he..ll mean?" Elicia inquired over the phone, struggling through the curse word.

"What? Oh, nothing, darling. Just, pass the phone to mommy really quick, okay?" The death glare Maes shot Jean had him toppling over Rebecca and onto the floor.

He began explaining what the game plan for the next week or two was.

All 9 adults would stay in Roy's house for the next two weeks, at the very least. Riza and Roy were not to be left alone in the house, a psychopath possibly hunting the two and all that.

Everyone else was able to leave the premises to get food and supplies, so long as they had a partner.

Yesterday, Rebecca and Jean had gone out and collected Riza's clothes.

Today, Kain, Breda, and Falman were venturing out to gather their necessities.

And that was all they had planned out so far.

Rebecca, not having noticed the commotion yet, stood to show Maes her latest design. (It was her break from digging through the endless heaps of paper, and she'd decided to resume her work on Riza's 'wardrobe choice.')

As fate would have it, she tripped, landing right in Jean's lap. (Yeah, yeah. It's stupid, I know. But I don't know how else to start this relationship.)

She quickly straightened their limbs out, untangling their arms and ignoring his heated cheeks.

She walked over to Maes, showing him the newest design. He frowned, taking the pencil she'd also offered and flipped to the next page. He quickly produced a rough sketch of a modified version of Riza's dress.

She looked at it thoughtfully, and returned to the couch to continue sorting through Lacey's work papers.

Havoc carefully read through Peter's, trying to find anything useful. After a few minutes of silence, Rebecca shot up out of her seat.

"Look at this! See right there?" She asked pointing to a line of text on the paper currently being examined by Falman.

"Right there. She used to be a surgeon at a Central hospital facility!" Falman nodded, remembering what he'd noticed about Riza's treatment.

So... she was quite experienced in that field, he thought, half-pleased that his assumptions had been correct.

The other half was horrified that someone that... mentally unstable had been operating on innocent people.

"And was a top-quality surgeon too," Havoc said, reading over her shoulder. His eyes widened.

"Whoa, look at that paycheck! If they'd been living in that dump of a warehouse for years, where the hell was all that money going!? It sure as hell wasn't going towards anything other than food, or any luxuries. I mean, for god's sake, they were reduced to stealing Riza's car! What a rookie mistake!"

Breda's head bobbed in agreement.

Roy, having just entered the room, turned around, having found the sudden urge to continue looking through the mess of papers on his kitchen island.

"Looks like she was fired a couple of months ago, after about three years of working there."

"According to this, part of the reason why was because she was bi-polar, and was unsettling for many of her patients nd co-workers."

Fuery held up another paper, an inventory of things they'd found in a room assumed to be Peter's. (They being an investigative team that Maes insisted they could trust.)

It wasn't much, just some old journal and a few rudimentary weapons. A handgun and a set of knifes.

In the wardrobe they'd uncovered in his room, there had been a single framed picture lying on top.

Their mom.

Or, what they assumed was their mother. Riza had explained her theory, and they'd all agreed it sounded plausible.

"Hey guys, let's see if we can find his journals! Maybe then we could figure out what they did with all that money!" Kain said, holding up the picture.

"All the stuff from his room was packed up together, so it's gotta be in the living rooms somewhere."

After searching through the stacked boxes, Maes triumphantly held up a worn book.

He flipped through the pages, throwing it down in irritation after scanning the book.

"Fuck, its blank! He never even wrote in it!"

The others sighed, slumping in defeat.

What now?

Roy came rushing in, holding several documents.

"That money you were talking about earlier? I found two of the places it was going. This seems to be a payoff to some sort of private photographer."

He squinted, reading another letter.

"And this one is for surgical equipment."

"What. The. Hell?"

Riza gripped the small key tight in her fist, as she check once again to make sure Roy's bedroom door was locked.

She exhaled, opening her hand to look at the small trinket that lay flat in her palm.

The key was mocking her, daring her to open the box.

She swallowed, trying to wipe the moisture from her hands onto her shorts.

Whatever is in that chest... It can't be that bad.

It was the time for the truth.

Finally, she sat on his bed, hands barely shaking as she reached out to out the key in the lock.

She eyes her trembling hands, wondering when she had begun to weaken. She closed her eyes, imagining she was holding a gun at the shooting range. When she opened her eyes, she gave a smile of satisfaction.

Her hand was steady as the key turned and the lock clicked.

When she grasped the lid and lifted the carved wood, she found folded charts and old papers. Digging through to the bottom, she found several old books, and what upon further inspection, appeared to be a diary.

Lacey's diary.

Riza opened to the first page, and began to read.

December 18, 25 after

Peter's gone again.

I think I've upset him.

My job at the hospital, he tells me, is pulling me far away.

I tell him it's good, that way we can save up faster.

He tells me it's a waste of time. I hate it when he says that. He also wants me to quit.

But I won't.

Then we yelled. A whole lot. When he stormed out, so did I. I'm not going to just let him show me up again. So I ran from the house, our big, empty house, during the night. He went to one of the other buildings, brought his knives with him. (I think he's gonna try and punch a wall out again.)

So I'm decided be a good sister, because he's an extraordinary bother. Most of the time.

I went to buy some bandages.

Oh, that reminds me! The strangest thing happened! When I went to check out, the cashier girl asked me if I was excited for the new year.

"Yep," I'd answered honestly "I can't wait for 26 after to start!" She gave me a strange look after that, and rushed me out of that pathetic little store.

Can't wait for Christmas!

After the first entry, Riza was thoroughly disturbed.

Lacey's multiple personalities seemed to be shining through in each sentence.

First calm, then uncultured, followed by an air of snottiness. (Or sophistication, same thing in my eyes.)

And what was this whole 'after 26' shit? What year was that supposed to be?

Riza continued through the entries, pausing to think as she finished one of the stranger ones.

April 29th, 26 after

We celebrated the anniversary today.

I miss her.

Daddy finally showed up today.

It's been almost a year since we saw him last time. He says we're doing good, and we've sent more money than he ever expected us to be able to earn. He said he's proud of us. Peter got really happy, and Dad showed us the list of possible candidates. That's what he calls her. The candidate.

He said the most likely candidate was a woman in West City. He's not sure yet, but he says it's a promising lead. We celebrated all night, and he gave me his new theories.

I lost my job, so I guess I'l have to waitress to start saving again for this year.

I told him we'd have the it finalized soon soon. I gave him the funds for this year.

He promised to send us a letter if he needed more money to track her down.

He hired a new photographer.

The other one was too conspicuous.

Once we finish the circles, we have to call him.

When he gets the girl, (or just the skin, we can work with either one) we're gonna go to the grave.

I sure miss Mommy.

Can't wait to see her.

Riza was confused, to put it simply.

So she read on.

August 14, 26 after.

We finished.

I tried to draw the circle on my wall, but it didn't work.

So I changed the overlay.

We tried to bring back some dead roses. It worked.

Now, we just need the fire notes.

After all, fire is life, fire is creation.

We need the research of the life alchemist: Berthold Hawkeye

And it's the last thing we need to bring Mommy back.

The world seemed to run in slow motion.

The leather book fell from her hands, and flopped on Roy's bed.

Riza's eyes widened, and her fingers twitched as her whole body froze.

She could feel her heart beating in her chest, slowly traveling up to her throat. Her mouth tasted like copper. She'd bit her lip so hard it had started to bleed. She closed her eyes, leaning back on the headboard of Roy's bed.

So, that's what they wanted me for, Riza's thoughts were sluggish, as she inwardly cursed herself for not realizing it sooner. What else would 'I want my mother back' mean?

Human transmutation.

That's what Riza was. She was a piece in the puzzle of human transmutation.

Riza emotions were whizzing around inside her.

Riza took the journal, and clutching it to her chest, started to frantically pull out paper, looking for the complete product.

And finally, she drew out a large sheet of a paper.

Faint red lines, almost the color of...

Burns. They were going to burn it into my back.

She was going to throw up.

Riza read through the notes on the side, neatly printed in blue ink.

(Notes:) The symbol must be burned into the flame research. The two circles should overlap. The burns need to be exact. Fire is life and creation, and it must be used to infuse the alchemic power into the flesh.

One not was scrawled at the upper right corner.

How do we burn this into her skin?

Riza smiled. So, they hadn't known about the other ability of the array.

Berthold Hawkeye? The life alchemist?

Maybe...

Riza looked at the design, knowing what she was going to do.

Something completely irrational and stupid.

But she had to destroy the evidence.

The circle, she had to put it somewhere safe.

She was going to finish the array.

Complete the hypothetical 'life alchemy.'

She stuffed everything back into the box, locked it, and shoved it under Roy's bed. She buried the key in the bottom of Roy's sock drawer, praying he wouldn't find it after she finished the dangerous attempt.

She snuck into the kitchen, grabbing some disinfectant from under the sink.

Roy was face-down asleep on the kitchen counter.

I'm sorry.

She popped her head in the living room.

"Hey guys? I'm gonna head to bed now. See you tomorrow." She was met by a chorus of goodbyes.

On second thought, she whipped out her trusted pistol, aiming it at Rebecca. Hearing the familiar 'click' of her gun, the room looked p from their work.

"I swear to god, if any of my clothes are missing, altered, or replaced, there will be consequences." Rebecca muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'spoilsport,' but nonetheless agreed.

Roy had rolls of bandages in the bathroom connected to his room. So that's where she was going to do it. She locked locked the door connected to the hallway, and Roy's bedroom door. She inhaled.

I'm gonna do it. Save the data, and burn the evidence. Save my friends the trouble.

Roy's personal bathroom was like that of a hotel.

A large jacuzzi-like bathtub was tucked in a corner, and Riza held herself up on her elbow at the bottom of it. With her hair tied up in a ponytail, she filled the massive-bathtub with ice-cold water.

I have to hurry.

She had the diagram laid out in front of her, and started to concentrate the fire.

She gasped as she felt the small flame make progress on the circle.

Okay, curve it to the left.

The burn line arched over her shoulder blade, and she cried out in pain.

I... can't... wet it... yet...

She barely finished before unconsciousness threatened to overtake her. The towel between her teeth had bite marks that broke the fabric.

She rolled over, and dropped into the water. Her skin hissed, and steam rose up from the surface of the water. She sighed.

She blindly reached out to grab the frail paper, and relaxed as she felt the paper burn in her fingers.

Looking down, she realized blearily that the water was red.

Red.

Very, very, red.

She tried to stand, stumbling slightly.

In the medicine cabinet behind his mirror (one of the three mirrors in the room) she pulled out a bottle of painkillers. She swallowed two, hoping she had gotten the dosage right.

She hurriedly tied the bandages around her chest, tying them tight.

Her shirt was next, and the pain keep Riza on her feet. The agony was fading to a dull ache, but not enough to sedate her. Not yet.

Her shirt came on next, after her bra.

She backed up, accidentally colliding with the rim of the bathtub.

I'm sorry. She prayed, right before her head hit the bottom of the tub.

Instead of red, now she could only see black.

I'm sorry.

That was crap, and I know it.

*sigh*

I promised to try and do better. But I didn't and I'm sorry. Anyway. if anyone was actually pitiful enough to read this, thank you.

If you have any thoughts, good or bad, please PM me, review/comment, and I'll try to respond.

I know it was unclear, so let me add a few things:

-This is set after FMA Brotherhood

-Grumman is the Fuhrer

-No one knows who his 'mysterious' granddaughter is

-Yes, Riza is very OOC, along with everyone else in this fic

Thanks,

-Pyro