ATTENTION THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN EDITED AND YOU MAY NEED TO RE-READ

I hope that you are all enjoying the story thus far. I am still working on it as often as I can and I finally have this chapter at the length it should have been from the very beginning and I apologize to all of my readers for doing this as it is very unprofessional and I will avoid doing this again in the future.

Thank you:

Chain-Of-Souls, MILL Qs, YesMyLord666, Nini97, Eli White, xXRedPokerGirlxX,writer's legend, Useless on Rainy Days, Mcrtrix , Miekaoo, Guest, InsecureLemon, Aninhaloka, DrHendo, Krymsyn Vyxyn, Fmalover07, The Jade Empress, Guest, anon, XxXPeaceReaperXxX

"There are some people, who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other."- Douglas H. Everett

Sarah sat there with her hands on her knees; Hayate watching her for any signs of movement.

She now knew why Riza was so drawn to Mustang. He held a power over her that few would understand, unless they too had once been held captive in such a situation. The relationship which existed between them was not of love but of pure dominance.

As a child, Riza had wanted her father to pay her even the smallest ounce of attention. When she was handed to Roy after her father's death, she had taken it upon her self to do all that he asked of her and in that small way she'd still be following her father's command.

Still seeking his approval.

It was a tragic circle that few had been able to break away from and those who had were the ones who received help from an outside source.

Christine had been the one to help Sarah. She had made her realize that she needed to get away from her father…away from the guilt that he had burdened her with.

She knew then and there that she would not be able to do the same for Riza. Roy was different than Sarah's father or Christine's husband; he knew some of the deadliest tricks and had ensnared the fair and lovely Riza...her Riza.

"My Riza?" questioned Sarah silently to herself "No...not mine; never mine."

There in that old and tattered diary lay a first hand account of Roy's possessive nature and it had been told in such a forgiving and accepting way.

Sarah took a long, deep breath and held it there tightly in her lungs, until she felt comfortable finally releasing it.

"Oh Riza, if only you'd use that clever mind of yours and realize what a horrible situation you're in." Mused Sarah to herself

"You knew that I would come here tonight. You made sure that I would be aware that you and Mustang would be attending dinner tonight with Brigadier General Richter. You wanted me to see this and change my mind about him."

Sarah let out a strained laugh and one could have easily mistaken it for a cry of pain. The noise, even left her to question what it was meant to have been.

"I can't change my mind about him. I won't. Not when I can read right through your words and find the real truth of the matter. Even if you can't admit to it, even if you can't see it; it's all right there."

Her fingers were trembling and it unnerved poor Hayate.

She gave Hayate a halfhearted smile; trying to ease his discomfort and her own. This all meant so much; too much to take in all at one setting.

Riza knew that she was stalking her and there would surely be no hope for recovery. Riza would never put up with someone following her around, even if it was only to protect her; to love her from afar.

Riza had lead her there tonight in order to show her that Roy was no threat to her...or perhaps that hadn't been Riza's idea. Perhaps Mustang had told her to do this; told her to make him look good so that Sarah couldn't stand a chance at freeing Riza...his Riza. Perhaps the whole diary was apart of Mustang's elaborate plot to keep Riza for himself.

Yes! Yes, that was it! Mustang had uncovered evidence to suggest that Sarah was watching Riza and that she knew of their relationship. Not wanting the whole thing to blow up in his face, he told Riza to find a way to get Sarah in her apartment and to distract her with a fake diary that he had Riza make and write things down just the way he wanted them to be written. Then...

"Oh no..."

It finally dawned on Sarah. Waves of nausea and panic began to weep over her now starkly pale complexion.

"Then after he'd get me to think 'what a wonderful man he is', I'd leave the apartment and there would be Brigadier General Richter and the Military Police waiting for me..."

She could only nod her head along to the unpleasantness of the situation. That was it. That had to be it. Mustang was behind all of this and once more he had beaten Sarah without even trying.

Sarah was a shy, homebody sort of woman. She was never meant for a military life. After meeting Riza, Sarah's bold nature was finally brought to light but that boldness had made her reckless and a reckless and half-crazed woman was far too easy to catch; particularly for a man like Roy Mustang.

"My Riza...his Riza...my Riza...his Riza...Riza"

Perhaps Riza could never be with her but she still deserved so much more than Mustang. Someone kind and attentive; someone who wouldn't use her.

Sarah could not save Riza from Mustang in the way Christine had saved Sarah from her father.

No, no it would never be that simple.

If she really wanted to break Riza away from her unfortunate situation. Roy Mustang would have to die.

Sarah stood up and smoothed out the bed spread. She looked out the window and though she could not see anyone in a military uniform on the streets below; she knew that there would be no way for her to escape. She'd go wherever they took her, then when the time was right, she'd kill him. She'd free Riza.

Before leaving the apartment she knelt down and held Black Hayate close to her. She'd always wanted a dog.

"At least...at least she trusted me enough to be near you." and that small thought made her smile.

Maes Hughes heard this gentle murmur from the mad woman's lips. He couldn't believe that Riza had been willing to allow her stalker into her apartment. It was a bold plan and now it was time for him to do his part.

He waved his wrist, signaling for the Military Police to move forward.

"We're here, General," Said Roy as he carefully pulled up next to the sidewalk outside of Riza's apartment building.

"Careful!" Barked Brigadier General Richter from the back seat, "Just because I allowed you to drive my car, Mustang, doesn't mean you can go knocking it around against sidewalks and denting it as you see fit!"

"Yes, Sir." Roy missed having his own car. When he had his own car there were never any grumpy old men giving him orders on things he already knew very well how to do. More importantly, he felt it best that they get inside and quickly. Hughes was already inside and Roy wanted to be sure that things had gone smoothly and he was sure Riza did as well. He paused for a moment as he parked the car as carefully as he could manage to do, so as not to cause the General to have a conniption. He looked over to his side and eyed Riza, who remained silent and ready to move at any given moment.

There were many things that could and might still go wrong because of this and yet she had volunteered her own home to be used to catch a stalker.

The plan had begun simply enough when Riza had finally informed Roy of her suspicions about Sarah being her anonymous sender. Knowing that Riza was always far more pragmatic in her thinking, yet just as determined as he was to find this "anonymous", he instantly trusted her judgment. The trouble was if they wanted Sarah out of their lives, they'd need solid evidence. The best way to obtain such proof was apparent; they'd have to catch Sarah in the act. The trouble was up until this point Sarah had managed to elude Riza's sharp shooter vision and would have remained invisible had she not made a point to converse so eagerly. The other problem was they would need time to get Hughes on board with what was going on and to have him detain her.

That was when Riza stepped forward with her own idea. She'd set it up so that Sarah would think she would be out of her apartment for the night and tempt her with the thought of walking inside. There were risks and holes in this plan and they both knew it. Roy had tried to convince her not to do this. He had tried to convince her of danger that may ensue but she knew it and her mind was already made up. She was always so stubborn, especially when it came to protecting him. It was one of the many reasons why he loved her.

As for why Brigadier General Richter became tied into their plan, it was because while arresting a low ranking member of the military could be done with a fair amount of ease, getting them dishonorably discharged and tried for their crimes was another story all together. The whole process could take months, unless there was a higher up with an invested interest in getting this over and done with in a timely fashion. The higher up in the ranks they were the better.

Brigadier General Richter was like Roy, in the sense that the two of them were idealists. However, while they were both idealists, Brigadier General Richter held his ideas captive in the past. He dreamed of having the military return to its old way of thinking. Roy was headed towards Amestris' future and what the prospect of change may bring. Still there was a part of the General's thinking that even he had to agree with; there were far too many military officials in Central that didn't belong there for one reason or another. Sergeant Colt was one of them.

Brigadier General Richter had gone with Roy and Riza, so as to be able to validate their belief that Sarah was up to no good. Unfortunately, Brigadier General Richter had recently been developing some slight vision problems, which was the reason why many were quietly urging him to retire. It wasn't that he could not see but rather it was a case of double vision. Somehow he had managed to drive himself to and from Headquarters without getting an accident but Roy still didn't feel comfortable having him driving, so he had kindly insisted upon being the one at the wheel. The General had begrudgingly agreed.

So there they were now, sitting in the car hoping that this would all work out for the best. At the very least, Roy knew that Sarah had been in the apartment. He had told Hughes, that if she had not been there on his arrival that he was to call him.

"I still can't believe that you got you're Lieutenant to agree to this" The General spoke to Roy as if Riza was not present; he was not the first and most likely would not be the last.

"Actually, sir it was her idea."

The General only hummed a bit at this and said, "That was a very bold decision, Lieutenant. Let's hope it works out in your favor."

Once they were outside of the car and inside the building, Roy lead the way with Riza behind him acting as his shadow.

Roy walked with hurried steps and wondered just what sort of fight Sarah must have tried to put up against Hughes and the very real possibility that she might have arrived there still armed. After all Riza was also a sniper and she was armed to the teeth at any given time.

He also found himself wondering about what could have held her attention inside of Riza's apartment for so log, after all it did take some time for Hughes and the military police to arrive. Did he even want to know what she had been doing?

Riza was wondering much the same thing. She hoped silently to herself that her message had been clearly received and that some part of Sarah was still thinking logically.

As for Brigadier General Richter, he was trailing behind as his double vision began to act up again. Of course he didn't want anyone to know about it and so he said nothing...that was until something else caught his attention.

"Have you been here many times before, Colonel Mustang?"

Both Roy and Riza stopped and turned to face the General. "What do you mean, sir?" questioned Roy

"Well considering that this is Lieutenant Hawkeye's building don't you think she should be the one leading the way?"

In truth Roy had not been thinking of that. He was simply so used to being the leader. He'd protect Riza from the front and she would watch over him from the back. They had learned from the events in Ishval that it was the best way to keep each other safe.

"yes, of course." He signaled her to go on ahead "Show the way, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir. My apartment is right this way."

It seemed to satisfy Brigadier General Richter but it felt rather unusual for Roy. It seemed for now, he'd be protecting her back...like he had so many years ago.

When they neared the apartment they saw Sarah kneeling down in the hallway. Her hands were cuffed behind her and an officer stood at close range, not daring to move his loaded gun away from her head. Her head was hung low and her hair fell towards her face.

Roy smiled at Hughes as he approached them. Roy introduced Brigadier General Richter and then said, "I'm glad to see that everything went so well."

Hughes' response was unusually solemn and he did his best to keep his voice down. "It went a little too well. It was almost as if she knew we were coming."

"Don't be ridiculous. If she knew that coming here would get her arrested, why would she even come?"

"This isn't over, is it?" Thought Riza, all the while monitoring Sarah's movements. As if she were able to hear her thoughts, Sarah turned her head to face them.

The officer with the gun to her head began warning her not to move but she ignored him, focusing solely on Roy. She smiled, clenched teeth showing and Riza recognized that she was doing all she could to bite back the overwhelming rage that was burning inside of her.

She couldn't imagine what was fueling her hatred towards Roy. Riza had laid out the whole truth, right there for her to see. Roy was a good man and she…she was nothing to fawn over. There was no reason to become obsessed with her. She was nothing special. She was just an ordinary human full of flaws. What had she even done in the first place to make this girl feel so possessive of her?

Roy glared down upon her, feeling the satisfaction of having so easily captured her and having her there down on her knees. Riza could feel the invisible friction between the two and while she trusted Roy to maintain his composure, she could not say the same for Sarah. She appeared ready to lunge upon him.

With one hand feeling over the trigger of her gun, she positioned her other hand upon Roy's shoulder causing him to instantly break off his heated stares with the prisoner. She gave him a look that to the others was indecipherable but he knew very well what it meant and so he turned away from Sarah.

Sarah, however, continued to glare at him. Her head was full of wonderfully awful things.

"So that's Sergeant Colt, then?" Questioned Brigadier General Richter. "Don't worry; my testimony alone will be enough to earn her a dishonorable discharge. As for the evidence that you have of her other crimes, you should be able to get her sent to prison for at least a year or two."

He paused for a moment and turned away from Roy, "We don't need filth like her in our military."

Sarah took offence to being referred to as "filth" but she couldn't help but to laugh. He called her filth while speaking to a man like Roy? Oh the bitter irony.

At hearing her laughing, everyone's nerves rose for what could she possibly find so amusing at a time like this?

A look of disgust came over the General's face, "She's insane. You did the right thing, Lieutenant Hawkeye. It would seem that you're bold plan was a success."

"Thank you, sir." She wished that it really had been a success; that Sarah would have faced reality and understood it. Unfortunately it seemed that Sarah's mind was far removed from any reality that Riza knew of. She doubted very much that anything could be done to reach her. Removing her from the military was the only thing to do.

As Riza, Roy, and Brigadier General Richter walked off, Sarah found herself with her mouth a gape, "What?" was all she could say.

Hughes gave the order to have her stand, as they too began making their way out of the building. She went limp as her thoughts began to intensify and swirl around her.

"Her plan? NO! Not her plan! It was Roy's plan…all off it was his doing! He pinned it on her but she never wanted any of this. He forced her into a war, he burned her back, and then he made her write it all down to make him seem like a decent man. He wants me to leave him alone and then…and then he'll do just what Christine's husband did to her. I can't let him do that! Not when I have a chance to save her! But what…what if I'm wrong about this? What if I'm wrong about all of it? Christine…please…please help me."

Several Hours Later (around 11 am)...

Sergeant Sarah Colt had been arrested and charged with trespassing, breaking and entry, invasion of privacy, and fraternization. She was also, much to Roy's relief, charged with arson after the store clerk stepped forward to identify Sarah as the one who moments before Roy's car was destroyed, had bought a rather large box of matches and had been visibly distressed.

Shortly after she had been arrested, she was brought in for questioning. The interrogation had been executed by Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. During the interview Sarah was pensive and distant.

When Hughes presented to her one of the letters that she had sent to Riza and brought it side by side with the paperwork that Sarah had filled out the day before, her face did not change. She merely glanced over it. She saw the familiar slanted letters and the crunched together "m's". She felt over the letter and for a moment she wished that she could have ended it then and there.

Hughes pulled the letter away from her reach but before he could begin his round of questioning, Sarah did something which took him aback. She confessed to everything. Her voice barely raised above a faint whisper. Hughes had never heard of a stalker actually admitting that what they had done was wrong. They were volatile, obsessive, and deranged but what Hughes saw sitting before him was anything but. She sat with her head lowered, one hand pulling on the opposite sleeve and altogether she looked like a lost child.

Still Hughes had kept his guard up; criminals could be very deceptive.

"Why did you take things this far?" He asked

She collected her thoughts, trying to get everything into the right order, "There are very few people in this world who would understand why I did what I did and you're not one of them, Sir. My trying to explain any of this to you would only add to your confusion."

He had then asked her 'why she was so willing to admit to what she had done and whether or not she felt any remorse over her actions'.

"I promised someone that should anything go awry, I would take full responsibility for my actions."

She would not say who she had promised.

As for whether or not she fully realized just what sort of problem's she had been causing, that one was debatable.

She was to be held in a cell for the night but there was strong talk cycling that she might be placed under house arrest until her trial could commence.

Still there was something about Sarah that didn't sit right with Hughes. Yes, she was guilty but he felt that there was more to it. She was different than the man who had been stalking Gracia all those years ago.

He was sitting inside the Investigation's Department Office at his desk. Sheska was off to the side organizing files and trying to put them away without the papers falling out of their folders.

As she did so, she continued to make her apologies with a meek whimper in her voice.

"I'm very sorry, sir. You know that I always do my best to be here on time but my mother actually asked the doctors where I was and so I really had to visit with her. She normally can't remember that I even exist and so I had to go but then next thing I know..."

Hughes had repeatedly told her that it was perfectly alright. He himself had been late many times before due to Elicia getting sick. Although, with Elicia the sicknesses were common ones, colds and such but for Sheska's mother...well...it was different.

As Hughes was about to approach this rather stressed out assistant with the latest and greatest of his daughter's photos; a knock was heard at the door. It was loud enough for Hughes' ears to pick it up but it lacked the normal hardy force that a soldier's fist could produce. Whoever was on the other side was clearly not s member of the Investigation's Department or they would simply walk in; they were also, more than likely, of a lower rank.

"Who is it?" called Hughes

"It's Second Lieutenant Maria Ross, sir. May I speak to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?"

"You already are Lieutenant but why don't you come on in and we can speak face to face. I've got some wonderful new pictures that you just have to see!" It was no surprise to Hughes that Lieutenant Ross had not recognized his voice; they did so rarely come face to face with one another.

She promptly entered the room and saluted him. Her face was tense; it was evident that something was troubling her. Sheska gave her a small salute but sensing that she had come on a serious matter, she did her best to make herself invisible and returned to tending to her work.

"I'm sorry for bothering you, sir," she began and Hughes felt strange to hear such a thing being said to him. Those who did not know him very well always were so formal. "It's just...I was just informed by Major Armstrong about what happened."

Hughes nodded gently for she knew exactly what she meant and why she was so stirred. Major Armstrong had been shocked by the news and had done his best to rationalize how he had not noticed that something was wrong with Sarah long before. Sheska knew that it was impolite to eavesdrop but she couldn't help herself; much like she had known that reading would be bad while working at the library, yet had done so anyway.

"It was my fault. I should have done something to stop this."

"There's no need to blame yourself for your subordinates actions."

Sheska's working speed slowed down upon hearing Hughes' words. 'I wonder what happened...'

"Sir, you don't understand. She came to me long before all of this and told me that she had developed feelings for a First Lieutenant. She didn't give me their name but I should have pieced two and two together. Even if I didn't have a name, I still should have reported her."

Hughes shook his head. He would not place unnecessary blame upon her shoulders. She was feeling guilty enough as it was. What Hughes didn't know was that Maria had already apologized to both Riza and Major Armstrong, for not being as vigilant as she should have been. They had all told her the same thing, of which Hughes was about to say.

"Lieutenant, the only person at fault is Sergeant Colt. She made her choices and no one could have seen where this was going."

Sheska dropped the files in her hands and stared with great confusion at Hughes and Maria, "What do you mean? What did Sarah do?"

Sarah sat upon the cot inside of her small and dismal cell. Iron bars caged her in and cast ominous shadows down upon the concrete floor. There was word that she would not be staying there long. Someone out there believed her not to be a threat. They were going to send her home where she'd be watched over by members of the military police. They acted as if that was some great luxury. It wasn't, though. She was trapped there in that cell and she would be trapped in her home.

She was trapped in herself.

Sarah wanted to save Riza and she would. Men like Roy needed to be put down like the filthy animals that they were. Men like Roy were everywhere, it seemed. Sarah's Father, Riza's Father, Christine's husband, and she was certain that Hughes was like that as well.

Sheska had told Sarah before that Roy and Hughes were best friends. If that were the case then he'd have to be a bastard as well. It only made sense. She wondered if there were any good men in the world; what if all of those "great men" that she had read about in her school's history books, had not been so great at all. What if all of their wives had ended up like Christine?

"What if I never sent those letters? Never tried to speak to her? Never followed them to dinner? Would she be living still or would Mustang have gone and burned the rest of her? Yes. "It was a house fire," he'd say "A terrible accident," the media would agree. My meddling has kept her alive this long. I know it. Be strong Riza, be strong."

Still, there was the matter of the diary and as much as Sarah hated to admit it, she was questioning her own thinking process.

"Did he tell her to write down that he had burned her back but in such a way to make it sound like it had been her own choice? Why would he do that? Would it not have been easier to have her write of a happy life full of simple pleasures and pains? What if the parts about her being carved up by her father and burned by Roy were true? Yes and then he told her to seem like she wanted it; that part was the lie. Though the pages did look awfully worn and it would be a lot to put together and what if I didn't fall for it, what if I had done the sensible thing and stayed home? What if there were no lies?"

Her head was in pain from the weight of her own madness doing battle against her more logical side, and the madness was winning. She ran her fingers through her hair and pulled upon the roots with great anguish. She stooped and rolled up her sleeve to examine her scabbed arm. It was swollen from being picked at again. She thought of what it might be like to be free from her head; to be free from herself. What would happen if she just scratched away at that scab until it was open and bleeding once more, only this time she didn't stop? Would she tear so much into the heated flesh that she might see bone? If she did that would her thought's finally be silenced?

It would never heal, for she did not want it to.

"Did he ever wonder where I went to? Did he even care that I was gone? Is he still looking for me...did he ever even begin?"

Such thoughts shamed her for Christine had done all she could to get her away from her father...anway from Pendleton, and yet there she was still thinking about him and wanting to go back. Christine had helped her; she really had but still she was trapped. She would not or rather could not let her past just die. Her father was toxic and so was that town...and she was thinking of removing a large portion of her flesh? That was suicide. She was contimplating her own death.

She rolled her sleeve down again; not wanting to look at the reality of it all.

"I have to save her from a man I hate and yet I'm not thinking of his death but my own. What is wrong with me? My own death? Is it really that inevitable? Yes...it is...isn't it? But not yet...not yet."

She would kill Roy. She had to. She wanted to. Riza was surely mad at her as it was and killing Roy would only add to her anger but in time the anger would begin to fade. It would go slowly at first and then a bit faster, till it all would dissolve entirely. Then Riza would begin to notice her life becoming easier...better. She'd find happiness alone.

And Sarah?

She'd die either by her own hands or another but she knew it was coming. It would come to her and with it the relief that she had been in need of for years. No more burden and no more shame.

"But not yet...not yet"

Still there was one person in this world that might not be mad at her; maybe not hate her.

"I hope I can at least say goodbye to her..."

Fret not my dear readers; there is more insanity to come.

Next Chapter: Sarah get's a visitor