Disclaimer: I don't own FMA.

AN: Hello everyone! I know this update is overdue...for some reason it feels like it has been longer than a few weeks. Life has been a little crazy the past several weeks and because of the nature of some of those goings-on it was rather difficult for me to get into the writing frame of mind. If the last chapter felt at all off, that is likely why, and I plan to take another look at that chapter just in case. No major changes, but possibly some additional fine-tuning. Anyway, guest reviews for the previous post can be found at the end of this one.

(Character/codename reminder: Riza/Loki...Roy/Tyr/Mr. Sexy Voice...Becca/Freya...Havoc/Dagr...Breda/Ymir...Falman/Mani...Grumman/Odin/The General...Ross/Hel...Fuery/Sig...Elicia/Little One...Olivier/Ice Queen)

I hope you like the chapter! :)

Sanctum (Part 1)

Riza sat up straight and stretched her neck, one hand absentmindedly reaching up to rub a particularly tense muscle along her spine. It was late in the evening, approximately twenty-four hours after the shooting at the Hughes' home, and she had been putting the finishing touches on a few pages she would be including in Elicia's new passport. In the seat next to her at the counter, Fuery was busy building a false trail for anyone looking for Mustang's niece, as well as planting electronic records in various databases to anchor her new identity. In addition to the passport, they were giving her a driver's license, transcripts, work history, and university identification card.

It was quite possible all that work was unnecessary, and she knew they did not exactly have the time to spare. However, one of her favorite and most boring mottoes was 'better safe than sorry,' and she felt it applied in this case. That, and forgery was fun. She wanted to ensure that Elicia could pass through any country, even those with the resources to verify the more sophisticated security measures. Since next step of the process was to change the photo, which required a little document surgery, she shut her eyes briefly, giving her already strained eyes a break.

The attack on the Hughes family had been difficult for all of them to accept, and managed to put the group at large even more on edge where Kimblee was concerned. The reasons to despise him kept piling up and they had now seen first hand his lack of respect for human life, which made the idea of him with a weapon of mass destruction even more horrifying.

Elicia was handling everything surprisingly well for having lost her mother and been thrown headlong into the controlled chaos of their team. It helped that Mustang was an excellent supportive uncle despite his own pain in the wake of the incident. And he was nearly able to hide it perfectly, but Riza could see the cracks, noticed the way his face fell slightly when he thought no one was looking.

The members of both teams were attempting to make the young woman feel welcome while simultaneously giving her space. Falman, on the other hand, chose to launch into a detailed and graphic explanation of why her mother felt little to no pain based on the range of the shot, size of the bullet, location of the wound, and the swiftness of her death. Elicia cried, and Falman was unceremoniously banned from saying anything. Ever.

Fortunately, Riza had received good news from Olivier: Hughes was still alive, still stable. They were not planning to wake him anytime soon, there were guards at his room around the clock, and Director Armstrong had even gone in person to make sure security was tight. The shooting had affected her friend more than she had expected, as Olivier was the most unflappable person she had ever met.

Opening her eyes Riza pulled herself from the reverie and returned to the present, filling her mug with coffee in the hope of avoiding the headache she could feel coming. The kitchen was full of chatter, with Havoc and Breda goodnaturedly bickering about details for Elicia's fake life. Around an hour into hers and Fuery's work, the guys had volunteered to help, and ended up providing more entertainment than any real assistance.

"I still say we make her something cool..." Havoc was in the middle of telling his friend. "...like an astronaut in training, or a member of the Olympic Curling team. This is a once in a life time chance."

"No, no, no...god you are an idiot, dude." Breda had an expression on his face that begged for help, but their audience simply chuckled.

"Common practice dictates that her occupation should not be anything that would stand out," Falman interjected from his perch at the table where he had been reading. "She is much too young to be involved in any astronaut program."

"Geeze, Vato, thanks for kicking a man while he's down," Havoc retorted, before once more rounding on Breda. "Okay, so astronaut might be conspicuous, but no one even knows who's on the curling team. Seems like a safe bet."

"Except that Elicia probably doesn't know what curling is," Heymans replied.

"Everyone knows about curling. It's only one of the coolest sports of the winter Olympics." Havoc paused. "Pun not intended, but I liked it."

"We've discussed this...the best winter Olympic sport is obviously hockey."

"No way, man. Figure skating is way better...they're so damn graceful." When he said the last word, he made a flourish with his hand, similar to those frequently done by figure skaters or dancers.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Havoc?"

"I have to go with hockey," Becca added, entering the kitchen and taking a break from her own work, which had involved packing their equipment and acquiring anything else they might need. "There's just something magical about a bunch of guys skating around, scoring goals, and beating the shit out of each other." She grinned.

Breda looked at her for several seconds. "You should probably marry me...I'm free right now if you have time."

"Dude..." Havoc turned to him, hands and shoulders in a 'what the hell' gesture.

"Come on, man. You had a crush on Hawkeye while we were chasing them. Like an actual crush...don't pretend you didn't." After Breda spoke both women looked up at Havoc, eyebrows raised.

"God you're a dick."

"I know."

"Am I to understand that I was your second choice, Jean?" Becca took a seat next to the blonde woman, who tried to bite back a smirk, and crossed her arms.

"Not what I'm saying at all." He glanced at Breda, silently asking for help, but the other man just shrugged with a grin the size of Montana. Havoc turned to look at the two women, his mouth hanging open as his mind raced to determine what to say. "See, the thing is...Okay, Hawkeye, you do awesome things with guns, and rappel down buildings...Which is all pretty hot and impressive, but you're also kinda scary sometimes."

Riza tilted her head to the side, eying him. "So Becca doesn't do awesome, hot things?" She elbowed her friend. "I think you're pretty hot."

"Thanks. I think you're hot, too."

"Okay, ladies." Havoc interjected into the conversation. "'You're kinda putting words in my mouth here, cause that's not what I said."

"Well, what are you saying?" Becca was having a difficult time hiding her smile as well.

"Well, Bec...you're..." Havoc suddenly looked toward the empty staircase near the entryway. "What's that, Roy? You need to talk to me right now? Sure thing, man. Anything for a friend..." With that he practically ran out of the kitchen and up to the second floor, making good his escape.

"Coward!" Breda called, chuckling and strolling after his friend.

"Done!" Fuery gleefully declared in that moment and leaned back in his seat with a yawn, having finished cementing the backstory for Elicia. "And now, I'm gonna go pass out."

"Night, Kain," Riza smiled. After he left, she gave another smile and looked at the brunette next to her. "Aww...Havoc really likes you. He was all deer-in-headlights just now."

"I know. We did torture him a little, but it was so much fun." Becca grinned once more. "He's a mega dork. And he's not a criminal...this is uncharted territory."

"It's good for you."

"Hey, that's my line."

"I'm borrowing it." She glanced at her friend, who gave her a well-known look. "Rebecca Mae Catalina, if you ask me if I'm okay one more time, I will hurt you."

"That is not my middle name."

"Only because your parents sucked and didn't give you one," she teased.

Becca laughed. "Then I'm lucky I have a friend that loves me enough to middle-name me anyway." She paused. "You know I only ask because I care. It's just been crazy...the Stone, Denny, your Dad's deathaversary, the shooting..."

She nodded. "I know. I promise to tell you if I'm not okay."

"You better." The brunette then stood and made her way to the door. "Night, Riz."

"Night."

Once she was alone Riza returned her focus to the passport, working steadily for a while longer. She flipped the photo page over and carefully peeled apart the paper and the laminate, using another substance to breakdown the adhesive. Then, she double checked that the security measures had not been compromised since on that page alone there was a guilloche that would overlap the photo, special watermarks, and images that varied in color depending on the angle, among other things. Satisfied nothing was damaged, she placed the photo they had taken of the young woman and fine-tuned the edges with a sharp blade. Finally, with a deft touch, she removed the old photo and replaced it with Elicia's covering it with the thin sheet that resided between the photo and the page. She had just applied a fresh layer of a quick-drying adhesive and set the page under a book to stabilize it when she saw movement nearby. Looking up, she saw Elicia standing in the doorway to the kitchen, appearing slightly uncertain. A redness lingered around her eyes and she appeared fatigued, implying that whatever sleep she had gotten throughout the day had been restless.

Riza took out her headphones and gave her a small smile. "Hey, Elicia. Hungry?"

A tiny grin appeared on her face in return and she shook her head as she glanced over the array of items on the counter. "No, I just couldn't sleep. Mind if I join you?"

"Please do." She gestured toward the other stools. "Have a seat." Standing to refill her mug, she lifted the pot and added, "Coffee?" The younger girl nodded so she filled another mug and passed it to her, sliding the cream and sugar toward her should she want some.

They both sipped quietly and then Elicia's curious smile grew as her eyes again roved over the counter. "What are you doing?"

"Making you a passport."

"What, like forging one?"

She chuckled and set her coffee down the check the photo page, finding that the adhesive had set. "Yes."

The teen's eyes widened a touch in surprise, as if she had anticipated a vague response as opposed to the truth. "That sounds hard...and kind of illegal. Am I gonna be arrested?"

"It can be hard to make a good one." Riza smiled as she gathered the various sheets of paper and the outer cover, lining them up in order to stitch the booklet back together. "One passport is made of around sixty different materials. They have a bunch of security measures like RFID chips, holograms, watermarks, special stamps, certain types of fibers, images that only show up under specific wavelengths...it's a pretty long list." She paused while she worked. "You won't be arrested, though."

Elicia was silent for short time, drinking her coffee and staring off into space. Suddenly, she asked, "Riza, did your Mom die?"

She froze for an instant and then, picking up her mug, she said, "Yes."

The sadness in her expression intensified. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

She neatly secured the ends and set the document aside. "Elicia, it's alright. You just surprised me, and that doesn't happen often."

The teen watched her, as if trying to decide if her question had upset her. "I'm sorry...I just...I keep seeing her lying there...blood on the floor. That's why I couldn't sleep. And I feel like I should have done something. And everyone's been so nice...it's not that." She cleared her throat and took another drink. "When most of them look at me, they see the poor kid who just lost her Mom and they watch me with their sad eyes waiting for me to burst into tears. But the way you act, the way you talk to me...it made me feel like you understood. It was sympathy, not pity." She took a breath. "And I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have asked, but..."

"It's okay." Riza sipped her coffee. "She died when I was fifteen, but she had been sick for three years. Cancer...she collapsed in the kitchen." She looked away at nothing in particular. "Her body just couldn't fight anymore."

"I know Uncle Roy lost his parents, so he understands, but I don't want to make him worry more than he already does." She paused, reaching for her mug. "Do you know what happened to them? He never talks about it."

Riza hesitated. "Yes."

"He told you? Dad wouldn't tell me."

"It's not my place to say anything, Elicia. If he wants to talk about it, he will."

She nodded. "That's fair. I guess I get it more now...the not wanting to talk about it." She raised her mug to her lips. "Thank you, Riza, for telling me about your Mom."

"You're welcome."

They sat in a comfortable, thoughtful silence for a short time, and then: "What's curling?"

Riza laughed. "I'm sure Havoc would tell you all about it."

"He asked me if I wanted to be on the Olympic curling team. And then he asked me about my stance on zoology...his words."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Don't worry, you don't have to know about either of those." Riza's suddenly eyes jumped to the doorway when a series of muffled sounds came from the hallway, and then she placed the passport in Elicia's hands mouthing, 'keep talking.'

The teen's eyes grew wider. "Uh...I got an A on my History paper."

"That's great! What was it about?" She stood and moved around the counter, slowly dimming the lights to decrease visibility to put the newcomer's at a disadvantage.

"Ancient Egypt...the customs, religion, politics...you know, all the fun stuff." Elicia's eyes followed her nervously and she had stiffened in her seat.

She pulled a knife from the block and set it on the counter within easy reach, slipping one hand into a cabinet to activate a silent alarm that would alert the rest of the team. "How about that science paper? I know you worked hard on that one."

As Elicia replied, she guided the teen to stand next to her, their backs to the fridge. "Oh, right. I got an A on that, too. I really love those Punnett squares."

"That's wonderful. And that math exam coming up?" As she spoke she counted the steps she heard, judging the distance: they sounded like boots, the heavy-duty variety, and the paces were slow but approaching their position. She could not tell how many there were, but she highly doubted they were friendly.

"I'm totally ready for that...I'm all up on graphing equations and..."

When the barrel of an assault rifle passed the edge of the refrigerator Riza grabbed it and pulled, jabbing at his neck to collapse his airway and kicking sideways at his knee. A sickening crack sounded and she let him fall, grabbing the knife and whipping it at the next man that appeared. Dropping down she took the first thug's firearm and pulled the trigger when another armed individual rushed into the opening. He fell where he stood.

Riza spun, checking the living room and looking for Elicia, her chest tightening when she could not see her. She moved to the side, using the fridge as a precautionary shield, and then saw the teen on the floor next to the kitchen island, having used it for cover. She helped the younger woman up and, looking around, quickly analyzed their options: they could not escape via the deck or the living room as she saw movement outside and they would have no cover. Unfortunately that left the hallway. It was a kill zone, but it was also a choke point, which she could use to her advantage.

She spoke quietly and glanced at the girl while she checked the weapon's magazine. "I need you to do exactly what I say."

"Okay." Elicia nodded, eyes still wide.

She squeezed off a few quick rounds into the hallway and then spun when sliding glass doors shattered in the living room, dropping the two men near the couch that had just entered. "Follow me, and don't lose that passport." She could make out more gunfire from elsewhere in the house.

"Okay."

She peeked into the hallway, which was empty for the moment and then placed a hand on her shoulder, ears tuned for any sound, keeping her voice low. "If we're separated, get out of the house and head southeast...that way..." She pointed. "There's a boat...Get on it...that's where everyone will go."

Elicia nodded.

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

She felt the teen's hand on her back and cautiously moved into the hall. Not a second later the weapon was shot from her hand, she pushed Elicia back into the kitchen, and jumped for the pistol she kept atop the cupboard above the fridge. Popping one into the chamber she knelt, swung around the left doorframe, and fired, putting one through his neck. Reaching back and grasping the girl's arm she led them to the right down the hall, in the direction of the garage.

Just as they passed the basement someone burst through the door and collided with her, sending her shoulder into the wall. She turned and found a pistol muzzle in her face, raising her hand and pushing it aside just in time for a bullet hole to appear to the right of her head. She shouted, "Elicia, down!" and gripped the weapon, flicking on the safety, twisting it to her left and breaking the man's trigger finger. There was a quiet pop and she kneed him in the groin before kicking him back down the stairs.

"Riza!" Elicia cried, pointing toward the end of the hallway to their left.

With her attacker's pistol still in her hand, she disengaged the safety and pulled the trigger. Two hostiles fell against the wall rather than one and she spun to find out who had fired the other shot. Exhaling in relief when she recognized the Falman, she said, "Thanks."

He nodded, peeking around the end of the wall to check the living room. He started to turn and opened his mouth to speak when his head jerked to the left from the force of a bullet. Elicia muffled a scream.

Riza retrieved her gun from the kitchen and trained one weapon on each end of the hall, her head roving from side to side. They cautiously paced sideways toward the living room, but more gunfire rang out and a body fell before she even had a line of sight on the man that shot Falman. Elicia's grip on her shirt tightened and she continued scanning the area as they moved, waiting for the mystery gunman to appear. Footsteps neared and her finger hovered near the trigger, flexing when the barrel of a weapon came into her field of vision. She knelt to avoid his direct line of sight and lowered Elicia with her, keeping her girl behind her. Before she could shoot out a knee cap Mustang darted down the stairs, firing a few rounds from his borrowed assault rifle and cracking the nearest guy in the head with the butt of the weapon.

"Uncle Roy!"

He ran toward them and reached out a hand to help them both up, also frequently glancing at either end of the hallway. "You okay, kiddo?" She simply nodded, wide eyed, and his gaze moved to Riza. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied and then added, "That's where we have to go." As she spoke, she tilted her head in the direction of the closest side-door. It was at the far end of the hall that ran along the garage, and they would have to cross the open area of the entryway to reach it. They positioned his niece between them and his eyes followed hers to the door in question before examining every inch of space left to get there. They shared a look, making a series of gestures to silently decide how to handle the situation.

With a nod, Riza secured her pistol at her back, dumped the extra, and took possession of the nearest assault rifle. Checking the mag, she took a deep breath and broke into a run across the entryway to draw enemy fire, spraying bullets into the living room while Mustang did the same from his position. Her momentum carried her past the wall and she stopped to reload with the extra mag she had taken from the downed hostile, then spinning to lay down suppressive fire while Mustang and his niece sprinted to join her.

Once they had reached her they both squeezed off several additional rounds before she waved for them to follow. She whipped the side door open when they arrived, surveying the immediate area for any forms moving among the trees. Looking back at Mustang she said, "I told Elicia where to go...I'll cover you from here."

"You're not coming?"

She shook her head and glanced outside again. "I have to go back for something. I'll meet you there."

His expression was one of disbelief. "We have no idea how many there are...whatever it is, leave it."

Riza met his eye. "I can't. Go...I will meet you." His eyes confirmed he thought she was nuts so she added, "Trust me when I say this is not an option." She felt to make sure her pistol was still at her back and gestured toward the door with her rifle. "I'll cover you."

He watched her for a few more seconds, possibly deciding if he should just leave or try to persuade her, and then nodded. "Fine."

"I'll be there in ten." They ran out the door and she fired around them, straining her eyes against darkness, until they reached the treeline. Once they did she moved back down the hall, the weapon always at the ready. There were several bodies on the floor, but she could no longer hear signs of combat from anywhere else in the house. The silence was odd. Abruptly, more gunshots started in earnest, as if they were given the order to spray it up. She slipped into the garage, sprinted in a crouch to one end and dropped to the ground behind the rightmost vehicle. Bullets were punching holes in the garage doors, and the dull thud of rounds could be heard from the other side of the wall: she didn't have much time.

Setting her firearm within easy reach, Riza made quick work of the panel on the wall which was hidden by the car. She pushed it aside and pulled out two bags, tearing into one and removing various items. Rapidly, she pulled on the boots in the go-bag, reloaded her weapon from the kitchen, slung the other backpack over her shoulders, and collected the rifle she had appropriated.

Just when she was about to stand, she heard someone force their way through a damaged garage door and instead stooped closer to the vehicle. Lowering herself back to the ground, she checked under the car to count the number of pairs of boots. Her eyes widened and her chest fell when she saw that the General was under an SUV nearby, clearing bleeding. He held up his own gun and shrugged to wordlessly tell her he was out of bullets.

"Shit," she breathed, and then nodded to him. Extending her arm back she drew the pistol she'd just reloaded and held it so he could see it. She listened for the soldiers' movements and then, at the opportune moment, slid it across the floor to him and met his gaze. He nodded again, holding up five fingers to indicate the number of hostiles near him.

Returning to a normal crouch she made sure the bag was secure on her shoulders and exhaled slowly. Then, she exploded to her feet and spun, pulling the trigger and dispatching targets one-by-one. She heard other shots and dropped behind the car, rolling and coming into a crouch at the other end to fire off more rounds.

Between herself and her grandfather they eliminated the immediate threats and she could hear shouts as she raced to help him from the floor. He was shot in the abdomen and the leg, and she knew that if they tried to escape on foot they would be sitting ducks. She pointed at the nearest vehicle and while he climbed painfully into the passenger seat of the SUV she ran to the box on one wall to obtain the keys. Sprinting back to the car she jumped in, threw it into reverse, punched the gas and they flew out the still closed garage door, bullets immediately pelting the vehicle.

Performing a neat 180 she sped off toward the beach, slightly disappointed that several hostiles managed to jump out of the way. They were on the sand, around a hundred yards past the treeline, when someone finally managed to deflate their last tire and kill the engine with a well-aimed shot. Riza exited the car and ran to the other side, helping her grandfather out.

"Just leave me, little queen...we'll never make it."

"Not a fucking chance, General." She pulled his arm over her shoulders and they began to run, and partially hobble, as quickly as possible toward the dock where their escape waited. He fired behind them at intervals, but they both knew more attackers would come.

AN: Hi! Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and have a lovely day! :)

Responses to guest review (in order of posting):

Hermit Crab: Hi! Thank you so much. I'm so glad you like the details and stories they're sharing with each other, and the development of their relationship. Haha and as for Havoc...brownie theft is very bad and he should know better.