Chapter 5

Monday morning her first stop was Mustang's office to tell Ed and Al good bye before they left on their assignment. She walked into the room, freezing in her tracks when she saw a seven foot tall bald man with his shirt off. Oh, what a view! She had not seen this many muscles since she had attended a body builder's competition. Her eyes were wide and staring when he turned to look at her with his piercing blue eyes. She assumed he had lips but they were covered up with a big blond mustache. And what's the deal with that single curl?

"Who is this?" he inquired in a deep booming voice.

"First Lieutenant Flynn Brogen, sir," Flynn announced.

"Oh, I see. Major Alex Louis Armstrong, ma'am," he rejoined. He bent down on one knee in front of her which brought him eye level with her.

Flynn screamed when he unexpectedly grabbed her, pulling her against his chest which was as hard as a brick wall. She relaxed as much as she could so he wouldn't accidently crush her.

"Easy there, big fella. She's a little thing and you're, well, you. They don't call you the Strong Arm alchemist for nothing," Mustang reminded him.

"I promise I'll take care of the Elric brothers on this mission and bring them back safely to you!" he informed her with a theatrical and dramatic flare.

Flynn would have said something in return, but she couldn't breathe. Armstrong – Strong Arm. Hmmmm, really? Took a real genuis to come up with that one. He finally let her go just as her body began to go numb. She almost fell, but Ed had stepped up beside her and put his arm around her.

"I have no doubt they'll be perfectly safe," she wheezed, trying to breathe.

"I'll miss you, Sis. Don't worry. We'll be fine. Especially with him around," he said, nodding toward Armstrong who was now getting his shirt back on.

"Oh, Ed," she sighed, putting her arms around his neck. She moved to kiss his cheek but contacted his lips instead when he turned his face. "You little sneak!"

"See you soon," he assured her, smiling broadly.

Flynn felt tears begin to build so she did not want to make this a long drawn out thing. She hugged Al which didn't feel quite so silly when the cold steel hugged back.

"Good-bye you two. Hurry back," she sniffed, rushing from the room. She walked the few feet to her office, holding back the tears.

"Are you okay?" Hughes inquired, getting up from his desk.

"I will be," she replied.

Flynn was surprised by her strong emotional reaction. She had only known them for a short time, but they were easy to get attached to. She felt a hand on her shoulder and was shocked to find she was crying.

"Can I tell you about the cutest thing Elicia did last night?" he asked, looking down at her with a smile.

"Sure." She was even willing to endure one of his stories to distract her. She sat down to listen as he excitedly launched into his narrative of the latest and greatest event of his little angel.

By Friday, Flynn was as tired, stressed, and irritable. Ed and Al still weren't back yet. Jean had been staying with her every night and getting sleep with him around was not an option; at least not for a few hours after getting into bed. She threatened him that they would start going to bed at seven if this was going to be an every night occurrence; it wasn't like they were sleeping anyway. She estimated that she should be able to get to sleep soon after ten if they did that. But, of course, by that time, Mustang would start making noise with his girlfriend for the night so she still wouldn't get any sleep. It had almost become a competition of who could be louder during sex with the two neighbors. She would be the clear winner she thought because her boyfriend was noisier than she was during sex, and she had always been one to let her man know just how much she was enjoying him.

Lieutenant Colonel Hughes stared at her as she walked into his office. "You look like hell," he said.

"Thanks, boss. You're a self-esteem builder," she snapped. She dumped her purse out on her desk, grabbing a small cylindrical shaped device that made a humming sound when she turned it on.

"What's that? That's not a –"he began to be abruptly cut off.

"No, it's not one of those!" she yelled, as the sound grew to a high pitched whine. "This is for you." She held up the device for him to see as it made a loud crackling and popping sound while a blue arc of electricity jumped between the two metal prongs at the top.

"A tazer?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes. Remember my second condition for taking the job? Seems you've forgotten it, and I need to remind you. You've been about to drive me crazy. Now, don't get me wrong. I love your family and your stories are sometimes funny and entertaining. But your obsession sometimes gets to be a little much for others to take," she said, putting the small device in a special hidden holster strapped to her leg.

"Did you get those files I asked for?" He swallowed hard as she demonstrated how easy it was to grab the tazer from under her uniform.

"Yes, sir. Are you ready to go to the meeting with Mustang?" She picked up the files and walked out of the door without waiting for him. She was ready to get this over with because she was in no mood for Mustang's crap either.

"Well, I see you two decided to grace us with your presence," Mustang said. He was surprised to be met with a stony silence from both of them. "Shall we get started?"

Flynn handed Hughes the files then retreated behind him. Her job was information retrieval and assimilation in addition to finishing all the paperwork he always found a way to avoid. She stared at the floor barely listening to the men in front of her. After thirty minutes, she was so proud of her boss for being able to stick to the subject, then the words "Gracia and Elicia" floated to her ears. A high pitched whine filled the room in seconds.

"What the hell is that sound?" Mustang grumbled.

"Uh, I, uh," Hughes stuttered, drops of sweat appearing on his forehead and upper lip.

"Stick to the point, sir," Flynn reminded him.

"Yes, ma'am," Hughes nervously replied.

Mustang looked around a frightened Maes Hughes to see a very aggravated short red head with an even shorter temper staring at the man's back as if deciding where she should zap him if he continued his story. He laughed loudly. She never ceased to surprise him.

"Hey, neighbor!" Mustang yelled, snorting as he stifled a laugh when Flynn jumped so hard she almost fell off the lounger. He had been sitting on his balcony watching her sleep for about thirty minutes when he decided to have some fun with her.

Flynn growled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She couldn't believe she fell asleep watching the sunset. It was now dark, and she was tempted to go inside to her bed. She only had a few hours before one of Roy's girlfriends would be over.

"Where's your boyfriend?" he asked, leaning over the metal railing of his balcony toward her. The balconies were only about four feet apart.

"He went to have dinner with his parents," she answered, stretching slowly and luxuriantly.

Mustang had to resist the urge to jump over the rail to her balcony and grab her. Dinner with the parents, huh? And on a Friday night. His stomach tightened when he realized that could only mean one thing. Havoc was serious about this woman and went to talk to his parents about her. But that man had never been serious about a woman in his life. Why now? Why her? And why did he care? Without thinking, he grabbed the thin iron railing and vaulted himself over to her balcony. He smiled when she screamed in surprise.

"I like to hear you scream. Makes me happy I'm finally the one who made you do it," he laughed.

"Roy Mustang, you're such an asshole," she snapped, sitting up so he could sit on the end of the lounger.

"But I'm your asshole," he teased, touching her face. Her skin was like velvet under his fingertips. Maybe this was a mistake.

"Roy, you don't belong to any woman. Especially me," she muttered, standing up. Her stomach felt as if a thousand butterflies had taken flight and were flapping like crazy. She tried to distract herself by looking over the courtyard of their apartment complex. The complex was built in a square shape with a nicely landscaped courtyard in the middle complete with a pool, gazebo, barbecue grills, and tables. It was like a park built just for the tenants. She smiled as she watched a little girl and boy playing tag. The little boy would almost have her, but she would slip away just before his fingers could touch her. Another little boy showed up from nowhere and tackled her to the ground. The first boy shoved the second away from her and helped her to her feet.

"What are you looking at?" Roy asked, standing beside her.

Goose bumps covered Flynn's arm as the heat from his body radiated to hers. "These kids that are playing," she answered, watching as a fight ensued between the boys. The little girl grabbed her savior's shirt, attempting to pull him away but he was too intent on beating the other boy's butt.

"Damn," Roy growled when he heard his phone ring. He jumped back across to his balcony.

Flynn was still watching the drama unfold when she heard a loud yell from Roy.

"Meet me out front!" he yelled in a panic from his balcony.

Flynn was immediately worried. What could be wrong to upset him so much? Mustang did not panic. He barely showed any emotion whatsoever, and he NEVER panicked. She ran through her apartment, meeting him in the hall at his front door. He grabbed her hand, and they ran downstairs to his car.

"What is it?" she asked, as he started the car.

"Flynn," he said, taking a deep breath before he continued, "Hughes is dead. He was just found murdered."

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'm taking you to Gracia and Elicia. They'll need someone. I'm going to the scene. I'll pick you up later okay?" He had barely stopped before she had opened her door and was out of the car, on her way to Hughes' apartment.

Flynn heard the screech of his tires when he took off as she was entering the building. She knocked on the door which was answered by a pale and stunned Gracia.

"Flynn!" Elicia cried, jumping into her arms. "Daddy should be home soon. He worked late today." Gracia quickly shook her head to signal her not to say anything; the child had not been told about her father yet.

'Hughes, you idiot!' she thought to herself. Flynn had a sneaking suspicion for a while that he was up to something that he wasn't telling her about. He kept asking for files that had nothing to do with their other investigations. Laboratory number five and homunculi were some of the words that kept popping up but had meant nothing to her. If only she had paid more attention, demanded he tell her what was going on. But then, what could she have done? She put on a happy face she hoped was not too fake as she held the little girl in her arms. She wanted to cry but kept a smile on her lips for Elicia and definitely for the sake of Gracia who was struggling not to crumble at any second.

"I'll go make us some tea. Thank you, Flynn for being here," she sniffed, going to the kitchen.

Flynn played with Elicia to keep the little girl busy which helped the child's distraught mother who was doing an amazing job of not breaking down. She put her to bed around nine after playing with puzzles and dolls and anything else that kept her entertained.

"Oh, Flynn, how can I live without him?" Gracia sobbed, allowing the tears to flow freely. The woman literally cried on her shoulder.

Flynn put her arms around the shaking woman as she wept to mourn her beloved husband. Silent tears flowed down her cheeks as she tried to help Gracia deal with the overwhelming grief. Her shirt was soaked by the time the woman had cried out the tears she had been holding back for hours. They remained on the couch, huddled in each other's arms as they both grieved a very special man.

"He loved you, you know," Gracia said suddenly, sitting up. "He thought of you as a sister."

"I loved him. I couldn't help it. He's just one of those people you have to love," Flynn said, smiling slightly.

"I know what you mean." She laughed lightly as thoughts of her husband flooded through her memory. "Did I ever tell you how we met?"

"Yeah. But I wouldn't mind hearing it again. It's a sweet story."

Gracia thought Maes Hughes was a stalker before he ever talked to her. Wherever she was, he was there too. One day, when he made his daily visit to the flower shop where she worked, she asked him why he bought a single red rose every day.

"I'm giving them to my mother. I told her I found the girl I'm going to marry. I'm giving her flowers so she won't miss me so much when I marry the woman I love," he had said. Gracia was immediately hooked and the rest as they say was history. History. He was dead now. Fresh tears and wails of grief flowed from his wife. Flynn grabbed her, holding her trembling body as waves of anguish and heartache threatened to drown the woman.

"Come on. Let's get you to the bed. You need some sleep," Flynn said, helping her to the bedroom.

"Thank you," Gracia said as she settled into her bed, holding her husband's pillow to her chest. Tears were still flowing down her face as she fell asleep.

A quiet knock sounded at the front door, and Flynn hurried to see who it was. She opened the door to see an ashen faced, rumpled Roy Mustang. She grabbed his hand to pull him into the room. Her arms went around his waist as his drew his arms tightly around her shoulders. Tears flowed down her face as she buried it in his chest. She heard him sniffing and knew he was crying too. Although the overly happy man who was obsessed with his daughter and wife had sometimes been a major source of irritation, they had loved him. Roy was even more attached to the man than he acted because he had known Hughes since the military academy and they were best friends.

"Did you call Havoc?" he asked, running his fingers through her hair.

"No. I didn't think about it. Are you all right?" she inquired, leaning back to look up at his face.

"As well as can be expected after what I saw. It was terrible. There was blood everywhere," he said, pulling her back into his arms, holding her tightly against him more to comfort himself than her. He continued to talk and Flynn continued to listen although she really didn't want to hear it. She prayed Gracia was asleep and couldn't hear anything he was saying. "Are you ready to go home?"

"I'd rather stay here. I'll just sleep on the couch," she said.

"I'll stay here with you if you like," he said, hoping she would say she wanted him to stay.

"I'll be fine. Go ahead. You need rest." She gave him another hug, pressing the full length of her body into his.

Roy did not want to go. He wanted to take her into his arms, kiss her until she could not breathe, and then make love to her. But regretfully, now was not the time and here was not the place for that. He kissed the top of her head and forced himself to walk out of the door.