Author's Note: Here it is guys! Chapter 10! I hope you all enjoy it! It is a little longer than the majority of my chapters, so I hope everyone enjoys that as well.

I really enjoyed writing this chapter, and I'm sorry I didn't get it out sooner. And as always, I appreciate you guys pointing out any errors there are in this, even though I did skim through this one this time, I probably missed something.

Thanks for reading! =)

Roy shoved his hands into his pockets in an attempt to keep them warm from the frigid night air that surrounded him. Wanting nothing more than to get home and warm himself up, he quickened his pace from an almost casual stroll to a brisk walk. It didn't take Roy long to walk the last few blocks and ascend the steps to his doorway; unlocking the door, he entered his sanctuary and shut the freezing air out. Releasing an exhausted sigh, he removed his military jacket, ran his hand through his black hair; ruffling it up a bit, and walked into his living room. Throwing the blue jacket into his chair, he crouched down by the fireplace, snapped his gloved fingers, and ignited a soothing fire. Roy grunted; approving his own work, and sat down on the nearby couch.

Now having time to finally just sit and think, Roy realized that he hadn't thought a single intelligent thing since he had left Central Command. That made him smile; a nice walk alone had finally done him good for once and had actually cleared his typically busy mind. But now that he had realized his own good fortune, he couldn't stop all of his previously forgotten worries from flooding his mind once again.

Images of a despairing Ed sitting solitary in Roy's own office flashed before his eyes. An aching sorrow immediately hit Roy squarely in the chest following the all too recent memories of seeing Ed look so defeated.

Trying to calm himself, he tried to stop seeing the blonde's sad face; and failed. He ran his fingers trough his hair angrily, "Why do I care so much?" he growled to himself.

He knew he wasn't going to get an answer from the anyone but himself, and the answer would only be obtainable in time. This frustrated the dark haired man to no end, because Roy didn't like questions that could only be answered when you waited. That was not how he operated; he always had to work for answers, and that was just how he liked it. Now this, this, was a thing that was out of his control. It involved feelings, and that scared Roy. Feelings were unpredictable; you couldn't know when they would strike, and make you vulnerable. The uncertainty of the whole situation discomforted the man, and made him fidget in his seat; frustrated.

He had to find Alphonse. For Ed's sake; and in turn, his own. He knew that these longing feelings would subside if he could just see Edward smile again. To see him curse and lose his temper. That's all Roy wanted, to see him back to normal.

To see him happy.

Happy? Roy was dumbfounded by these new desires that surfaced in his mind. He wanted to see Edward happy? Since when did he start to care so deeply for the blonde? Roy couldn't put his finger on it. It seemed to have just simply snuck up on him gradually over time without him noticing. It was as if it was a natural progression in his life that he just laid down and accepted unknowingly. This displeased him; he didn't want to feel this way towards Ed. He couldn't, even if he wanted to. Edward was his subordinate. And still at a mere age of 18; that was 12 years younger than Roy himself. He shook his head at how wrong everything about the situation was. Edward was too young, he was under his command, and on top of all of that, they were both male. Gays in Amestris were not always looked upon with acceptance, in fact, most of the time it was frowned upon. Roy hated that fact, but it was how society was right now, he couldn't change that. But Roy was assuming too much now; Ed was probably as straight as an arrow, not giving him a single thought. While Roy was home pining and filling his mind with depressing thoughts on how things between them couldn't possibly work.

Looking at the clock he groaned; he didn't have time for this. It was already nearly midnight, where had the time gone? Glancing at the fire, he realized he must have been deep in thought much longer than he had originally assumed because the amber flames were now dim embers. He shook his head, annoyed with himself at how he squandered his precious time. He now didn't have time to shower and wash away the five days of dirt and grime on his skin like he had originally planned. Roy sighed, disappointed that he would have to sleep in his own filth another night. But he need sleep first and foremost, so he ignored his craving for a cleansing shower and headed upstairs.

Roy dragged his feet wearily as he climbed the wooden steps; he was more exhausted than he had originally thought. When he finally made it to the top, he went straight to his bedroom. Stripping himself of the rest of his heavy uniform he was so accustomed to wearing, he felt as if a dead weight had been lifted from his body. Finishing the removal of his clothes, and being left only in his boxers, Roy slunk into his bed. He let out a sigh of relaxation, and drifted off into a much-needed sleep.

Ed stared at his now empty plate; what was wrong with him? He didn't understand why he was so...essentially, depressed. His spirits weren't even this low when he had lost Al's body the first time. At least then, despite being crushed by his failure to his mom and brother, he was still able to bring back Al's soul from the gate. He was able to do something for Al in the meantime while they searched for a way to get back his brother's actual body. But now? Now he couldn't even do that. Al was missing, body and soul. It was just too much to comprehend; not being ably to "bring him back" this time. This time, Ed didn't even know where his brother was, and he didn't know where to start looking. He was lost without Alphonse; lost and helpless.

While still dwelling on his ever-growing depression, Ed was shaken from its grip suddenly when he heard the familiar voice of Hughes.

"Huh?" Ed grunted.

"I asked if you wanted to stay with us tonight instead of going home alone." Hughes repeated.

"No, that's okay Hughes. I'll be fine."

He gave a sly smile before speaking again, "Ed, I know I asked you that as a question, but I really meant it more as, well, an order."

Ed rolled his eyes, followed by a shrug the shoulders, "Fine. Can we go now then?"

"Sure thing. Just let me grab my things real quick, then we can leave."

Edward watched as Hughes walked away and grabbed various things from his desk; mostly folders and then his jacket.

"Ready?" he asked Ed.

He nodded, got up, and followed Hughes out to his vehicle. They both quickly got in to avoid the cold weather as much as humanly possible, and Hughes then promptly started up the car after both men were situated in their seats.

The drive to the Hughes's home was a quiet one. No words were exchanged; only the gentle hum of the engine could be heard.

Ed was surprised that Hughes hadn't said anything, the man typically rambled on for hours; especially when it came to his family. But as they pulled up to the older man's home, Maes shut off the car and didn't budge. Edward knew what was coming now, the talk that hadn't happened yet; the talk that he was surprised Hughes hadn't already begun.

"Can you please just get the pity party out of the way so we can go inside and be warm? I came with you willingly because I knew you wouldn't let me go home alone. So I would prefer you get whatever lecture or advice you have over with sooner rather than later." Ed said flatly; an annoyed expression sitting on his face.

"All I wanted to say that it's okay to feel sad, lost, helpless. You can't always be strong Ed, it's just not possible. Everyone has their moments of weakness, and we know that your brother is yours. And that is definitely not a bad thing, after all, my family is my weakness too." Hughes explained to Ed calmly and empathetically.

"I'm fine. I'm just worried about Al. That's it. We'll find him soon and things will go back to normal."

"Yes, I promise Ed, we'll find your brother. He's strong, just like you. He'll be fine. And that said, we all care about you. We don't like to see you so defeated. And that's not to say that you don't have every right to be upset about this, because you do. I'm simply saying that you won't accomplish anything if you're going to continue to wallow in pity about yourself and what you can't do at the moment. We all know you; we know that you would have had Al back by now if you had known where to look. But the fact is, none of us know where he is, so none of us can do anything to help your brother this instant." he paused, pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, and continued, "Besides, Al knows you too, and he won't doubt for a second that we're looking for him, going to find him, and rescue him. So Ed, chin up, everything will be okay. I understand your grief, I do, but do you really think Al would want to see you like this? No, he would want to see you strong and determined to find him. He would want to see that fire in those golden eyes of yours; he wouldn't want to see the dull shade of gold they are right now."

Taking a moment to process all that Hughes said, Ed sat in the car, eyebrows almost forming a scowl, as he considered how to respond.

Slowly, Ed looked up, and over to Hughes, "Thanks Hughes. I needed that." he smiled weakly.

"No need to thank me Ed, I'm just giving you the little push you need to get yourself back in gear."

"Well, still. Thanks." Ed paused; now sitting next to Hughes awkwardly, not knowing what to say, "guess we can go in now?"

"Yes we can."

Nodding, the teen began to open the door and get out before he was interrupted by Maes, "Oh, Edward, one more thing before we go in."

"What now Lieutenant Colonel?"

"Be sure to show some of your recovered confidence to Roy."

Ed froze, why would Maes bring Roy up?

"Why would I do anything for the bastard?" Ed scoffed.

"I told you, we all care. Besides, I figured you wouldn't want to look weak in front of him. After all, you two are well-known for your heated arguments." he grinned goofily.

"I don't give a crap about what Mustang thinks of me! I know I'm not weak, and you know what? I'm sure he damn well knows it too! You all know it! So I don't have to prove anything to him!"

"Woah now Edward, calm down." Hughes chuckled, "it's alright, I'm just messing with you."

"Damn you Hughes. Are you trying to piss me off?"

"No, just letting you know that you should show Roy that you're doing better now." he smiled devilishly, "you do want to impress him don't you?"

Ed stuttered, blushing slightly, "Mustang? The colonel? Impress him? Why the hell would I want to do that for?"

"I think we both know why, and judging by your reaction, my assumptions have been correct." he smiled again.

"I don't know what you're talking about! You're crazy Hughes!" Ed spat defensively.

"It's okay Ed, you don't have to get upset. I'm just observant, and I've noticed the glances and looks you give him on occasion. There's nothing wrong with that. No worries, you're secret is safe with me" he assured the blonde, winking in his direction.

"Screw you. I don't have a secret to keep Hughes! I don't like that bastard, so there is no so-called secret to be kept!" he spoke angrily.

"Oh Ed! I'm sorry I even brought it up. I was just giving you some friendly advice, being that I'm the man's best friend and all." he smirked.

"Whatever Hughes, I'm freezing now, I'm heading in." he informed him; more calm now.

"Sounds good Ed." he smiled.

Roy woke up suddenly; shaken from his sleep from a disturbing dream. His breathing was a little faster than normal, so he tried calming himself by taking slow deep breaths. A light sweat covered his brow, and he shuddered thinking back on the horrifying dream. Wanting to forget that the dream had ever even existed, he got out if bed and made his way to the bathroom. After relieving himself and washing his hands, he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked awful. His face was strained; and dark heavy circles had imprinted themselves beneath his darker eyes. Examining himself further, he realized how tense his body was, how filthy his hair looked, and how greasy his skin was from the days with no wash. He continued to stare at his reflection with disgust and quickly decided it was time he showered. Taking the few steps to where the shower was, he reached into it and turned the nozzle; allowing the water to stream out of the head. Waiting a few moments for it to warm up, he removed his boxers, and then stepped into the shower.

The sound Roy made upon getting into the shower was one of pleasant relief. The water cascaded soothingly down his tension-filled back; easing the tight muscles. His hand fumbled blindly for the soap as he kept his eyes shut standing directly beneath the water that poured down on him. Once he found it, he washed his body thoroughly; followed by a relaxing massage of shampoo through his black hair. He continued to stand underneath the hot water aimlessly; and just as he decided it was time for him to get out and get ready for the rest of the day, flashes of his dream hit him.

The tragic sound of Ed's screaming voice pierced Roy's ears like a needle. He cringed at the noise; not ever wanting to hear a sound like that ever coming from Ed.

"Alphonse! Nooo! Al! Alphonse! Wake up little brother! You can't be dead! You're not dead!" Ed sobbed into his brother's lifeless body.

Roy could barely bear to look upon the sight; it was too much to handle, seeing Ed so broken and distraught. A tear slowly rolled down his pale face; followed by a constant stream of them. There was no point in hiding it, he was just as distraught as the young man was before him. He finally slowly walked over to Ed's heaving body and laid his hand on his shoulder.

"Ed..." he choked back more tears, "there are no words for how sorry I am..."

"I couldn't save him. He's my brother. Why couldn't I save him?!" he cried out to the world around him.

"I'm here Ed, it's okay...it's gonna be okay..." Roy tried to calm him.

"It won't ever be okay! I can't bring him back. He's gone forever. I failed him. I failed him Roy..." Ed sobbed more, clenching his fingers into the shirt of his brother's limp body.

Roy didn't even know what to say or do. He could only watch as Ed's world crumbled around him. So he did the only thing he could do for the blonde; he wrapped his arms around him, and kept telling him it would be okay; not knowing if his words would eventually ring true or not. Slowly Edward loosened his grip on Alphonse's body, and leaned into Roy. The older man brought him closer and cradled him; comforted him as Ed clutched at his blue-clad jacket. And with the blonde in his embrace for the first time, Roy cried quietly along with him; mourning the loss of Ed's beloved brother.

Roy clutched his chest; horrified by the vivid images of the dream. He hated that dream. Why the hell would his mind even conjure a dream like that? Was he that worried about this situation? Did he really care that deeply for the teen? His eyebrows formed a deep scowl as he rubbed his forehead, trying to figure out the meaning of everything that had been happening to him lately. He was so confused; he didn't even know where to begin sorting out all of his emotions.

He shuddered; trying to permanently forget the images in his brain, but knowing they would probably stay with him for life.

Roy glanced over at the fogged mirror, swiping away the steam, and saw how pained he looked. He didn't like it; he didn't like looking or even being weak. That wasn't him. He was the Flame Alchemist, there was nothing feeble sounding about that title, and he was going to make sure he it stayed that way. He erased the horrified expression from his face, and replaced it with one of his familiar masks; hiding the truth from everyone as he left the bathroom and continued to finish getting ready to head back to Central Command.

Roy walked into Central Command, ready for the day, and ready to crack down hard to find out more information on Al and his kidnappers. He walked down the hallway towards his office with confidence, having a good feeling about today; feeling that they were going to get a break in the case.

Turning the handle on the door, he walked into his office, surprised to see that everyone in his command was already present. He was about to say hi when he stopped himself. Looking around the room, the atmosphere was grim and filled with tension. He saw that Hughes was on the phone, and everyone seemed to be waiting for him to finish on it. And Roy didn't have to wait long for Maes to hang up the receiver.

"What is this all about?" Roy asked cautiously.

"That was one of Al's kidnappers." Maes said quietly.

"What?! What did they say? Did they want a ransom or something? We'll pay it!" Roy asked in disbelief.

His friend gave him a morbid expression before responding, "They don't want a ransom Roy, they want Ed."

Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope the cliff-hanger leaves you wanting more! I will try as hard as I can to get the next chapter out as soon as possible! Thanks again for reading! I truly appreciate it!