Hey guys! Finally got a bit of motivation and managed to get out another chapter to for the increasingly soap-opera-ish fanfic. Thanks for reading, reviewing and putting up with my writer's block! :D

Chapter 22

"Hey Flame."

Roy paused as he heard himself hailed by a familiar, unpleasant voice. The Colonel turned to see none other than the Crimson Alchemist standing at the threshold of his office. Thankfully the man knew better than to actual enter the office considering the looks he was getting from the man's staff. Riza looked ready to shoot him just for breathing. Roy tightened his grip on his papers when he turned to face the other man. "What do you want, Kimblee?"

"Just letting you know Archer's missing today's training with the unit." Kimblee smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets, the rolled up sleeves brushing his jacket. "He'd tell you himself, but he got busy all of a sudden." Kimblee whistled. "Something about a gang murder downtown involving alchemy. Tons of paperwork."

"That I'm sure you had no part in." Roy practically snarled. Kimblee was practically bragging the way he stood and smiled.

"Nope. I've been a very good boy." Kimblee smirked and turned on his heels with a deceptively friendly wave. "And now that I've done my job, I'll be leaving."

"Be sure not to come back."

Kimblee snickered as he heard the office behind him burst into activity, obviously discussing his visit. That was fine, they could gossip like hens all they wanted. Kimblee was just happy part one of his plan was complete. Archer was a vital part of his schedule for the evening, and he doubted the obsessive man would appreciate an unexcused absence on his record.

The Alchemist had taken to heart what Tucker had shared with him the other day when Kimblee was on the brink of giving Archer up. The giant chimera had shared that Archer liked Kimblee but was unable to cope with those feelings and was confused. The soldier's head was muddled with thoughts of how it would affect his work life and aspirations for power. He was torn between two very important aspects of his future and didn't know which way to turn.

Things had finally clicked into place for Kimblee.

He almost hit himself for not realizing it sooner! Kimblee could care less about his rank or what other soldiers thought of him so it never occurred to him that Archer would be worried about such things. Though, he really should have considered that earlier when one remembers how hard Archer was working to earn ranks and progress forward. Kimblee smiled to himself as he looked up at the clock; Archer would be leaving to instruct his unit in about two hours. Not that he was going, of course, Kimblee thought to himself.

His plan was fool proof. Kimblee would corner Archer in a room he had prepared ahead of time to keep the man from escaping again that was far away from the military base. Once he freed the man of all concern for his rank and the opinion of his peers, they would have sex. A lot of sex. Kimblee had months of abstinence plaguing him that Archer was going to relieve.

Whether he wanted to or not.

Kimblee whistled to himself. If Archer proved to be more stubborn than he anticipated, the Crimson Alchemist would hit him in the head and continue on without him. Harsh, he knew, but the man had it coming for all this damn playing hard to get! Archer was going to accept his own feelings for the alchemist one way or another. Kimblee smiled. It was going to be a gloriously good day.

Archer sat at his desk browsing the usual paperwork and humming to himself slightly. His secretary had brought him a cup of tea (that he hadn't had to ask for, no less) and the office was running smoothly today. Kimblee seemed to be sulking less than usual which gave Archer hopes for rekindling their somewhat friendship. He did hate to admit that he missed the man stumbling underfoot, but it could not be helped.

The man looked up at the clock after a moment and realized he had a set of papers to deliver before the hour was out. He stood up from his desk and nodded at his subordinates before heading out the door towards the end of the hallway. Delivering the papers took no time at all and Archer was soon headed towards the training fields. He wanted to check some of the equipment before he got back to the office and planned the training routine for this afternoon's session.

He was unaware, however, of the eyes watching him from the air ducts of the building.

Marta smirked to herself as she watched "Lieutenant Colonel Archer" walk down the secluded hallway and towards the outside. Things couldn't have gone better if she planned it and him leaving the building would make things so much easier. Using a hostage to draw out and disable Kimblee was a less honorable tactic, but then again- the goal was to make the bastard suffer. Following along slowly in the ducts, Marta made her way towards the side of the building and waited for her chance in the shadows.

Archer turned the corner of the building only to be yanked by the neck backwards into the bushes next to the building. There was something soft and warm around his neck (an arm he believed) bent in an unusual fashion holding him tight to a firm body. With round, soft breasts. Safe for the knife point digging into the underside of his chin, it was not all that unpleasant. "Ms. Marta, I take it?"

"Huh, so the traitor told you my name did he?" Marta sneered and pushed the knife in just a little closer to draw a single drop of blood. "Not that it matters much, Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer."

"Ah, so introductions won't be necessary." Archer smiled pleasantly over his shoulder, eyes trying to see her face. Her eyes were fierce with a bloodlust Archer had only seen on the battlefield and her lips were pressed into a scowl. It was the epitome of a battle hardened soldier with the soft touch of a woman. Archer was smitten. "It is nice to see you again."

"Silence." Marta hissed and pulled back on her haunches to get the man on his knees. "As of right now, consider yourself hostage."

"That is a shame." Archer smirked. "I had been hoping our second meeting would be more congenial than the first."

"Don't bother with the smooth talking or charisma. I've known your type before and it won't work." Marta dragged him up and kept close to the wall. She had an exit planned in the back. "I'm going to use you to kill Kimblee and that's all there is to it. Speak again and you die."

Archer had to think on his feet as the two walked backwards. The woman was far stronger than she looked and the knife was still at his throat. Making General would be an impossibility if he was dead. She pulled him tighter against herself to conceal them when a few sergeants passed by on the sidewalk. Archer swallowed thickly as his skin burned in every place where their bodies met.

The lack of control of his own body was infuriating, yet he couldn't help but enjoy the rough treatment by such a figure. It was exhilarating and Archer couldn't help himself. "You're rather beautiful up close."

"What did I just tell you?"

"It was merely a compliment, Ms. Marta." Archer took a chance and struck his elbow in her side as hard as he could to flip himself around. She reacted quickly enough and had the knife at his throat yet again. "What are you trying to pull? You really think you can beat special ops?"

"Of course not," Archer shrugged and felt the knife scratch his chin. "I happen to find you attractive, and since that does not happen often I felt I should express it."

Marta growled and slammed a fist in the man's gut. The exhale of air was instant and he very nearly doubled over. "Do not patronize me."

"I would never." Archer wheezed out and looked up. He was surely losing his mind, but he had a few good reasons to do what he was about to do. For starters, it would distract the woman from Kimblee. Second, she was going to kill him anyway when this was all over so what did he have to lose? Third, it would probably distract her from the killing part entirely.

So Archer went for it, consequences be damned.

Kimblee was starting to feel like his life was a broken record when he was once again hunting around the building for Archer. It's not like his plans couldn't be postponed for an hour or two since it was going to take all night anyway, but it would be nice to actually find the man where he was supposed to be. At least this time, a soldier had seen the man walking outside. That saved Kimblee the trouble of searching the building. When Kimblee rounded the corner, he had been expecting to see a great deal of things. Bushes, shadows, sergeants running around, a dog maybe?

Archer kissing that bitch Marta while she had a knife shoved in the man's shoulder?

Not so much.

It wasn't even a normal kiss either. Archer had his tongue in her mouth and his leg between her thighs. Kimblee wasn't sure what he was more angry about at the moment. It was a white noise had settled over his entire being torn between ripping apart Marta for stabbing Archer or placing all his pretty explosive alchemy seals on Archer for kissing that woman instead of him. With jealousy and over-protectiveness swimming together into his head, the result was strangely euphoric and Kimblee was experiencing a new sort of anger.

"Hey." Kimblee shouted not caring in the slightest who saw them. It's not like it matters much when the alchemist had every intention of blowing many things up. "What the hell is going on?"

"Shi-" Archer managed to catch himself. "Kimblee?" He ventured as he looked behind him. His shoulder was aching from where Marta had stabbed him (my she was feisty), but a new chill had run down his spine. This wasn't like the incident with Mustang where it was clearly an accident and by the look on the other man's face – he was beyond pissed. "Just stay calm, Kimblee."

Kimblee looked between the two of them. First things first, figure out where the blame went and decide just how badly Archer needed to be punished. "Did you kiss her or she kiss you?"

Marta hissed with a slight blush to her cheeks. Greed was the last person to be so forward with his misplaced affections and it was having an affect on her head. She whipped Archer back around and replaced the knife from out of his shoulder and back into the chin. "It hardly matters. Because the two of you are going to die."

"I doubt it." Kimblee slammed his hands together. "But at least one person is going to die today."

Archer pressed back into Marta at the accented 'at least' and glare coming from those golden eyes. Kimblee was definitely pissed. "We should move."

Marta dodged to the left and rolled on the ground with Archer when Kimblee shot forward and slammed into the wall. She watched as the color of the wall changed and started to spark with the chemical reaction. He was blowing up the walls of his own base. Every guard in the compound was going to be on them like flies to honey. "Is he crazy!?"

"I've come to find the answer to that as 'yes.'" Archer muttered as he struggled to get up and get as far away as possible. Sure the woman was attractive but he wasn't going to sit here and die for her! Archer, however, did not get the chance as his collar was yanked from the back by a familiar pale hand. "Kim-"

The alchemist didn't give Archer a chance to finish and instead decked him hard enough in the face to send him crumbling to the ground. If he let the man talk he'd forget he was angry with him just like all those other times. Archer needed to be taught a lesson about fucking with his feelings. "Stay down and shut up. I'll be with you in a minute. If you move, I will kill you."

Archer rubbed his now bleeding lip with the back of his hand but did as told. A strange calm had fallen down over Kimblee and for once, Archer realized that for once, Kimblee was not bluffing about his threats. The shock that washed over him was enough to distract him from the fight that had started behind him and all he could do was stare at the grass.

Marta, as a soldier, knew the downfall of those who fought by their emotions. However, she was going to give credit to the shear force and anger that was behind Kimblee. He wasn't mocking her, he wasn't screaming or joking, or even laughing. Marta felt a tiny shiver of fear. This was Kimblee when he was serious. The woman had to stretch farther than normal to dodge a stream of shrapnel from the latest explosion. "Are you trying to take down the entire building?"

Kimblee didn't bother answering.

Archer pushed himself up onto his knees and watched as the side yard of the building burst into fire and pieces of debris. He vaguely heard whistles and rifles cocking behind him and rushing into stop Kimblee and Marta's fight. They were knocked aside like rag dolls between the two seasoned fighters. Archer wondered if he should leave the scene now while he still could, but remembered the alchemist's threat and stayed put.

What a mess this had become.

"Enough!" A loud cry shot out through the field and all motion stopped due to the booming voice.

Archer's eyes widened as he turned to his side and looked up to see none other than Führer Bradley standing there, eyes stern and body dripping with authority. And Archer was on the ground with a split lip and a shoulder wound. He wasn't sure if he was scared for his life or humiliated. "Sir…"

"Quiet Archer." Bradley walked forward to the two heavily breathing soldiers and motioned his arms. "Take the woman into custody."

Marta attempted to run but Kimblee made a dive and caught her leg. If he was going down she was coming with him! The resulting stumble was enough for the mass of Bradley's guard to restrain her. The woman hissed and struggled but went limp when a needle was shoved into her throat. Kimblee didn't smirk as her eyes started to droop shut and that was when she really got scared.

"As for you two," the man continued. "In my office. Now."

As the man stalked off, Kimblee walked back over to Archer's side and held out a hand. There was a hesitation to take it and Kimblee sighed and just grabbed Archer's uninjured arm and pulled him up. He was still angry, to be sure, but seeing that split lip and blood drenched shoulder just made Kimblee tired. "I think I deserve an explanation."

"Perhaps you do." Archer sighed and winced as the pain in his shoulder returned with all of his distractions gone and adrenaline levels returning to normal. "If we are even granted the chance after this little disaster."

For once, Kimblee agreed and followed after the proud man as they walked towards the Führer's office.