Author's Notes: Wow! I'm sooooooo late!!!! I'm really, really, really sorry folks!!!! I've had a crazy time, but I've been writing non-stop for like three days straight, and I've got some great stuff lined up so I won't be late next time! I'm only posting this for now though, since otherwise it would be like 4,000 words, and that's waaaaaaaaaaaaay too much for one chapter – so I'll just update again really soon with a nice long chapter, longer then this! And just to warn you; this chapter sorta jumps around, sorry if it's confusing...

Oh! I'd like to Wish Pickles the Great a very happy birthday!!! This chapter was going to be a present for you, but then it got insanely long and I had to cut it into pieces. So I donno if you still want it, there isn't any fluff like I promised, that's coming later…- Maybe you'll just get two presents…But either way; Happy Birthday!

Also; A big thanks to my awesome beta reader Yoky! Oh, and sorry in advance for any type-os I probably made. Yoky's not my editor, so don't blame her! It's just a little late at night, be glad you got an update at all…

-oo00oo-

Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc was bored. Somehow he'd gotten trapped into the job of staying late at Central to lock up.

He slouched slightly as he strolled down the empty hallways, rattling the knobs on doors to make sure that they were locked. On each door was a sliver plaque with a name in black print on it. Havoc read each one aloud to entertain himself.

"Major Alex Armstrong." He droned in a dull voice. He gave the door knob a quick jiggle before moving on.

"General Derek Collins…locked." He groaned. Couldn't somebody forget to lock their office for a change? That at least might spice things up a bit.

"Colonel Roy Mustang." Havoc felt a surge of jealousy as he read the name. The colonel was probably with one of his many girl friends. He could just see him; curled up on a couch with some blond in front of a roaring fire, sipping eggnog. The thought made him sick.

Grumbling about how unfair his love life was, he rattled the dull silver knob with more force then was necessary. There was a click and the door swung open.

Havoc stepped into the vacant office. Moon light filtering though a window outlined a heavy desk and leather backed chair.

Glancing over his shoulder to make sure that he was alone, Havoc tip toed across the office. He wasn't sure why he chose that particular style of walking, but it was fun. He began to hum mission impossible under his breath. Half way across the room; he dropped to his stomach and pulled himself to Mustang's desk using his arms. Who said locking up couldn't be fun? He pulled himself up to his knees and slid open the bottom desk drawer and began to dig through its contents, looking for Mustang's address book.

He pulled out several coffee mugs with the dregs still in them, and something pink and lacey. Havoc snorted loudly. The colonel really should know better then to leave things like that lying around. He set the mugs atop the desk and stuffed the piece of underwear into his own pocket before continuing his search. After several more minutes of looking, he at last pulled a small black leather book from the depths of the drawer. He was going to beat Mustang at his own game and steal one of his girlfriends for a change. Cradling the object gently in his hands, he carefully opened the book and began paging though it.

The first names of girls had been scrawled in Mustang's messy script, and across from each name was a phone number. Havoc grinned evilly. Pay back time. He sat down on the desk and picked up the phone, humming to himself as he dialed.

There was a click as someone picked up on the third ring.

"Hello baby doll." Havoc said in what he hoped was a convincing impersonation of Mustang's voice.

"BABY DOLL?!" a deep voice boomed from the other end of the line.

The blood drained from Havoc's face. "Sorry, wrong number!" He slammed the phone down and took several deep breaths. Getting pay back could be hazardous. He chose a second name and dialed again.

"Hello?" A girl answered, her voice soaked with a rich southern accent.

"Hello…Susie May?" Havoc asked, checking the name again.

"Yes…Who's this callin'?" The girl asked.

"Oh, this is-" Havoc tried to make his voice sound deeper. "This is Roy."

"Roy?" Susie sounded confused.

"Oh, you know – Roy Mustang."

"Oooo! Mussy-kins!" She squealed. "Why does your voice sound funny?"

"Oh, well I ah-" Havoc didn't have to explain. Susie May plowed right on.

"So, where ya'll callin' from sugar?"

Havoc took a minute to enjoy how wonderful it sounded to be called 'sugar' before he answered. "I've got some bad news baby. I have to stay late at the office…do you think you'd like to go out with a friend of mine, just so you won't have to be all alone?"

There was silence at the other end of the line. "Can't I come over there?" She asked after a minute.

"No!" Havoc blurted before he could stop himself. He lowered his voice. "I mean; Nah – you wouldn't like it. It's boring over here, nothing's happening. And you know how they feel about mixing pleasure with work…"

There was a long sigh from Susie's end. "Alright. Where does he want to meet me?"

Havoc punched the air in triumph. "Thanks love, you won't regret this! Now, how does-"

"Havoc!"

Havoc jumped at the sound of his name, dropping the phone and swearing loudly. Swallowing, he turned to see who was there. He thought he recognized the voice, and if he was correct – he was in big trouble.

-oo00oo-

The sound of cracking ice was over whelming.

Roy Mustang reached instinctively for his coat pocket where he kept his gloves. It took him a second to remember that he was wearing a borrowed coat, and that his gloves were sitting back at the Hughes home, blood stained and still damp. Fire would only make matters worse anyway. What good would melting the ice do?

Below them the ice groaned louder.

"We've got to get out." Gracia spoke in a whisper for some reason, as if raising her voice might cause the ice to crack more.

"What about Hughes?" Mustang asked. He kept his voice emotionless, thinking that if he pretended to be calm, he might be able to think more clearly.

Gracia looked up nervously at her unconscious husband. "Is there any way…?"

Crack!

As if in answer to her question; the ice snapped loudly beneath them. Mustang tried to think of some way that alchemy could help. Even if his arm didn't have a bullet hole in it, he didn't have anything to draw a circle with, or the time that it would take to draw one.

"You'll just have to get out; I'll try to save him." Mustang said at last. It was all he could think of, no other plans came to mind.

Gracia set her jaw defiantly, looking surprisingly fierce in the dim moon light that reflected off the snow.

"I'm not going to leave him."

"And Elicia?"

Gracia bit her lip. "Take her back to shore."

"I'm not going to just leave you two here to-"

The ice creaked ominously.

"Do it."

"No. I'm not going to let you-"

"Go now, before it's too late."

"You aren't thinking clearly." Mustang said sternly. "Elicia's going to lose both of you; she almost lost her father, now she's losing her father and her mother. And all because you're too scared to face life without him."

Gracia froze, and then nodded slowly, drawing in a shuttering breath. "Let's g-" the last word was drowned out by a defining snap as the ice gave way completely.

-oo00oo-

Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye stood framed in the doorway, hands on hips. She wasn't smiling.

"What exactly are you doing?" She asked, raising her eye brow.

"Uh…" Without looking away, Havoc's hand found the receiver and set it back shakily on the base.

"I was just…Did you know Mustang forgot to lock his office door?" Havoc tried to deflect blame away from himself by bringing up Mustang's forgetfulness.

"What's that?" Riza asked, ignoring his question and pointing to a piece of white lace that stuck out of Havoc's uniform pocket. Nothing got past her sharp eyes.

"Oh, um…nothing." He shoved the article deeper into his pocket and tried to look innocent.

Her eyebrows knit as she scanned the office. "Have you seen the colonel?" She asked after a minute.

Havoc let out a sigh of relief. She didn't seem to care that he was using someone else's phone after hours.

"Nope…Haven't seen him" He shrugged. "How come?"

Hawkeye looked genuinely worried. "He left to go see the grave of Brigadier General Hughes' some time ago, I thought he'd be back by now." She tried to look behind the door, as if Roy might be hiding there, but she lost her balance slightly on the puddle of water beneath the empty coat rack. She caught herself in time and managed to stand back up gracefully.

"Have you tried calling his house?" Havoc suggested, taking advantage of Hawkeye's distraction to slip the address book into his pocket.

Riza nodded. "No answer."

"He's probably on a date." Havoc hopped off the desk and stretched. "Since you're here, can I cut out?" He could still try and get a hold of Susie May again…

"Yes, but let me come with you, we can stop by the graveyard and check to see if the colonel's still there." Riza gave with office one last sweep with her eyes before turning back to the door.

"Hey! Wait up for me boss! I need my coat!" Havoc scrambled to catch up with her.