Cecilia sat at the back porch of the small gray farmhouse watching the Elric brothers as they got one last spar in before the long train ride they would be taking today. She watched perplexed, C.C. didn't understand a lot of things and being little she never got good answers to any of her questions so for the most part she and Dodo had to figure out things on her own. Like why was Al always in a suit of armor and sounded hollow? Why was mama always sneaking in and out of the house when it was really late? And why did the boogey man look like a palm tree and sound like the wicked witch of the west?

Full of questions and empty of answers C.C. looked up at the Elrics, Ed was sitting on a tree stump wiping sweat off his forehead and talking to Al about central and something about getting stoned? No about a stone, apparently it was magic or something. C.C. stood up and walked over to them still holding her buddy Dodo tight.

"What's a Philosopher's Stone, Ed?" The little girl ask a slight whislty thanks to the fact that she was missing her two front teethed looked up slightly shocked that she could hear their whispering all the way from the porch. Of course her mother could hear them from odd distances too so it didn't shock them too much.

"It's a magic stone C.C. to bring peace to the world," Ed laughed nervously. C.C. put on an angry pouty face biting her bottom lip flaring her nostrils and squinting her small brown almond shaped eyes.

"Liar!" she yelled. "Now tell me what it really is!"

Edward and Alphonse were at a loss. They couldn't tell her the truth and they couldn't lie to her. So Ed simply got up and walked back to the house slinging the towel over his shoulder without saying a word. Al suddenly realized that his brother had just fed him to the dogs he nervously glanced over to C.C. back to the door back to C.C. over and over again.

"Eh, oh no BROTHER!" Al shouted.

"Sorry Al! I gotta pack," Ed called backed followed by and earsplitting WHAM! "Ms. Ella ! Why'd you do that!"

"Your shoes! My clean floor , Edward Elric and why aren't you packed you're going to miss your train!" Ella yelled C.C. and Al also walk to the house slowly Al wiping his feet on the rug and C.C. taking off her jelly sandals careful not to also get on the tall redheaded woman's bad side.

"I-im sorry ok! Just put the frying pan down!"Ed screeched voice cracking a tad. Ella put the frying pan down and sat at the table to enjoy the rest of her tea. Ed scrambled to his feet and went upstairs to gather his things to pack them up.

"Mama don't get to mad at Ed , he's just a stupid boy," C.C. stated. Ella smiled at the young girl who was clutching her stuffed animal around its neck.

"I know sweetie but still I wish he would try ," She sighed. "So Al you say all your goodbyes?"

"Yes ma'am thank you for letting us stay here again," Al said politely.

"Not a problem , you boys are welcome anytime you're in the area, "Ella sipped her tea and picked up the paper.

"Another murder huh?"C.C. stated quite bluntly as she watched her mother read the paper.

"It's nothing you need to worry about , Sweetheart , and how did you learn about that word?"Ella asked.

"Butt face says it a lot," She stated reaching across the table to the fruit jar and grabbed a banana and asked al to pretty, pretty please peel it for her. Ella sighed, for the most part C.C. liked people but there must be something about Roy she really, really didn't like. Ella never understood this; Roy spoiled the child, taught her how to ride a bike and offered her ice cream almost every time he was home. C.C. never had met her real father , she never really seemed to care and she never pulled the 'you're not my real daddy' card on Roy. C.C. just ignored him for the most part or gave him a smarta** remark you any question.

"You shouldn't call him that, he's good to you and tries his best to be a good father to you," Ella scolded the child. C.C. mad a pouty face and glared at her mother with her big almond brown eyes.

"I still don't like him," C.C. stated taking a chunk out of the banana. "And I don't see why you married him."

"Because I love him ,sweetie."

"Why?"

"Because he's nice , and sweet an-"

"Lies."

"C.C. I'm not lying."

"Yeah you do all you grownups do is lie and give me really dumb answers!"C.C shouted.

"Cecilia! There is not shouting in my house!" Ella scolded . To that C.C. gave her a raspberry and ran up stairs as Edward was walking down with his small suit case.

"What's her deal ?"He asked as Ella rubbed her temples and shook her head. Ed then looked at his metallic brother for an answer to that Al shrugged.

"It's nothing, Ed, just C.C. being cranky again , how late did you boys let her stay up last night?"Ella asked, of course the Elrics didn't know about her alter ego and she covered by saying that she was going to bed early and let the boys watch C.C. until she got home.

"Ten … maybe eleven," Ed admitted sheepishly , knowing that C.C.'s bed time was nine o'clock and not wanting to get in anymore trouble with the colonel's wife. Ella just continued rubbing her head, and thinking of ways not to lose it on the boys who were good at heart but weren't the best decision makers.

Roy mustang sat at his desk twirling around in his swivel chair like a child would procrastinating on his paper work. This would normally be frowned upon by his lieutenant but seeing as she had taken the day off for personal reasons he decided it was the correct time to act as a child.

"Colonel really?"Asked the temporary second in charge lieutenant havoc.

"Yes havoc really" Roy sighted continuing the swirling.

"It's not appropriate , boss."Breda sighed .

"It is if I say it is," Roy said and to that the other men started twirling in their chairs until second lieutenant Cordelia storm walked in with the day's paper work looking a little too cheery for her current assignment. Since the day Cordi started working at east headquarters no one had seen her not happy while doing the mind numbing paper work she just smiled away , one day the happiness was too much for him to handle and he hauled off and started yelling at her. For a school girl it would have been expectable to cry , but not for a soldier, but Cordi cried like a kicked puppy which The Colonel responded to with a speech on how women should be at home and not in the military. Hawkeye responded to that speech with a gun and well we all know the end to stories like that .

"I have today's papers!" She beamed and the men responded with a Neanderthalsish 'ug'.

"Why couldn't you just leave it downstairs?"Roy sighed as she put the big stack on his desk.

"Sorry sir but that would be irresponsible." She stated.

"Then why can't you just to it?"

"Dishonest!"

Roy grumbled and started grueling paper work and Cordi sat down."So where Riza ?"Cordi asked. Hawkeye and Cordi had almost a sisterly relationship , which mint that Cordi could call her 'Riza' in the office.

"Personal day, she sounded really out of it on the phone."Roy grumbled as he went though his paperwork cussing silently as he went.

"If she was here she wouldn't like that you all were messing around," Cordi said.

"Just shut up and work I swear you like a child."Roy grumbled causing Cordi to pout and continue her duties. Cordi was relatively new to everything and didn't understand the flow of the office. She could also talk someone's ear off with useless senseless babbling which made Roy want to call Hughes and listen to his babbling which sometimes had more point to it then Cordi's, but through all that babbling she was smart . Cordi is an expert tracker and is pretty good with number, which allowed her to move up quickly in the ranks.

Roy wasn't so keen on having her on the team at first but she did do her fair amount of work, which had seemed to be coming in by the truckloads thanks to the Elrics, Scar, and Bloody Mary. If Cordi wasn't there he probably would never get to go home and spend time with his family. She was a big help but she couldn't replace Riza. Riza was well Riza, she had always tried to keep him in line even when they were kids she used to make him eat his vegetables and drink his milk. In Ishvall she kept him sane, back then she was like a drug for him and he couldn't get enough. After Ishvall he had married her keeping everything super hush, back then it seemed like enough for the both of them they had each other. Only when they were alone though, Roy hated not being able to act husbandly towards her in public and he could tell it was hurting her too, every time they'd see a happy couple walking about while they were in uniform Roy could see the pain on her face. They all had what she'd never have with him. About a year later, after some serious thoughts and long sleepless nights he decided to break it off… he didn't want to, but he felt he had to for Riza who had done so many things for him in the past he had to do this one thing for her. He had explained the situation to her and at the time she seemed to understand but he never really knew if she truly did because her true emotions hid under that stoic mask of her's.

Roy took a deep sigh as he continued his paper work, obviously Riza was sick and he didn't want to make it any worse for her tomorrow because he screwed up again. Doing his paper worked proved to be as difficult and as brain numbing as he suspected now thinking of the days after he left. Thinking that she had probably cried herself to sleep , and how lonely she probably was… it made him feel horrible but he carried on signing papers trying not to show his sadness knowing Cordi with all of her female intuition would catch on to that emotion and bug the crap out of him until he came up with some excuse.

Then an even more emotional memory knocked itself into his brain, Ella. Meas had introduced him to her. Back then she was only 19, she was so lost and alone. Roy of course thought she was a mental case and didn't want anything to do with her, but when he sent the poor girl crying and running up the stairs he received a harsh and anger slap from Gracia.

"You are horrible! Saying that to her you don't know what she's gone through! You don't know anything about her! She isn't a sad little crybaby she's the strongest woman I've met! You wouldn't be able to comprehend the horrors we've faced and her still be able to carry a steady head! Hero of Ishvall my A**!"

The words still stung. Back then he was a drunken idiot and just as lost as Ella. Ella wasn't a replacement for Riza though. He didn't need her like a drug, he needed her like air. Her smile was enough to pull him out of any dark hole, her laugh enough to get him through the day. She didn't need to show him his direction, when he was with her he knew it.

Roy picked up the wedding picture putting down his pen and looking fondly at his wife, chuckling al little at noticing the height difference even when she wasn't wearing shoes. Her smile made her look so different from when they first met. Back then she was a single mother barely over nineteen. Her heart had been ripped out of her chest and she thought it was all over for her. He knew to this day that Ella had never fully recovered from the events of Cecilia's birth or the events of C.C's father, but he did know she was getting better or at least he hoped she was.

Riza studied the newspaper clippings, a drug dealer, several pedophiles and a serial killer. All of them on the top wanted, all of them brutally murdered in the same fashion most likely by Bloody Mary… a.k.a. Ella Mustang. This woman who was the bane of her exisistance, a woman who was supposedly perfect was actually probably some kind of insane vigilantly. She smiled slightly thinking of what Roy's face would look after she informed him that his wife was so delusional psychopath with a god complex.

"Tomorrow will be an interesting day," She said to herself.

I AM SOOOO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE!

I just got my computer fixed and wanted to post this. So it's kind of rushed and im so sorry about that thank you for reading and leave a comment pretty pleaaaase! :D