Maria Ross ran into the rec room in the main building, looking for General Mustang. He was still just relaxing, playing with the Major. She stopped and saluted him, "Sir, I just saw Lieutenant Hawkeye. She seemed to be in some sort of trance, and I think she's in trouble. She just walked into the ocean with all her clothes on and started swimming far too far out. I tried to call to her twice, but she wouldn't answer me. She might kill herself."

Roy jolted. Riza was strong. She had just proven to him how strong she was; that was all the show was, wasn't it? She had something to prove and she took it out on him. Why would she turn right around and resort to something like this? It wasn't in her nature nor fit the morning. It was calm out, and she was...suicidal?

He dropped the game and ran out to the ocean. Riza wasn't in sight, but that didn't mean she had gotten far; she would be hard to spot in an ocean, as she was small in comparison. He ran over to the boating rentals and flashed his identification at the owner. "General Mustang, I need a boat." With that, he stepped into a prepared boat, and proceeded to push out the small sailing boat. It pushed out quickly in the seaside wind, but rocked terribly.

Looking around, there was still no sign of Riza. According to Maria, she was just swimming from shore, so surely he should look farther out first? He maneuvered the boat with some difficulty, and it didn't move as fast as he would have like. "Hold on, Riza. I'll come get you." He looked for what felt like far too long. She was in for five minutes before he had gone after her, so she had been swimming for fifteen minutes now. How long could she last? She wasn't the best swimmer.

Skirting up and down the coast in front of the beach, he finally found her, long after he had given up hope of her survival. She didn't see him; she was talking to herself and could hardly keep afloat. He moved right up next to her and as she stopped swimming and allowed herself to sink, he grabbed her and pulled her into the small boat. She was unconscious. Letting go of the controls of the boat, he checked her breathing and pulse. They were both shallow and quick.

Looking back at how far she'd come, he judged it to be about a mile and a half. Farther than she had ever swam before, he was sure. She didn't stir on the way back, and once he returned the boat, he carried her into the building and dialed for a hospital. She looked to be in bad shape. It was too bad they couldn't get her to an Amestrian hospital, but Brittania was said to have some of the best medical professionals as well.

He rode with her in the ambulance on the way to the hospital and filled out the documentations necessary. She remained unconscious while they pumped out her lungs and put her on a heart monitor and oxygen tank. He was allowed to sit with her while she healed.

It seemed like months, but as the day progressed, her heart stabilized and she was taken off the oxygen and her lung capacity had returned to normal with minimal scaring. Still she did not wake up. Finally, at twilight, as Roy was told to leave due to the end of visiting hours, she stirred, just a finger, then a lip. She didn't open her eyes, but she did whisper. "Roy... Roy betrayed me with Rebecca."

Then it all made sense; the yelling, the implication, the slap, the allusion to Rebecca, the drastic measures. Did he really mean that much to her? Did she mean that much to him?

Then he stopped dead; he had lent his room to Havoc so that he wouldn't keep Breda awake with Rebecca. Roy had stayed out late to make sure no wild fires were started, so he didn't know what had gone on exactly, but it sounded like Riza had met Rebecca leaving his room when she was returning. It was so simple a mistake; how had it turned into this?

Riza felt somewhere deep in her subconscious that she was safe. She didn't know how she knew, but somehow, there was an overwhelming feeling that she had come home. Home. Where was that, exactly? Was she in her childhood house back on the estate outside of the small bustling town? She breathed in, trying to smell the old dusty furniture and the blankets she had used since she was born. She didn't smell them, but she did smell something familiar. The apprentice. Her father's apprentice was in her room. Why was he there? For some reason she wasn't mad. He had no reason or right to be there, but it wasn't a problem.

She tried to move, and found she couldn't. That was strange, but not alarming. A beeping sounded somewhere. An alarm clock? No, it wasn't that; her father's house didn't have electricity. It was old and was never electrified. So she wasn't in her father's house after all. She struggled to open her eyes. They were so heavy that she had to struggle, breathing in a little deeper; there it was again, that smell. A crack of light filtered through her eyes and she slowly focused.

A pressure in her hand made her notice she was in another's company. After a moment, she recognized General Mustang. Him! What was he doing in her room while she slept? No, the light was too bright for her to be in her condo. So where was she? Then she recognized why there was no smell before; she was in a hospital.

Mustang said something and a nurse came over and fiddled with a control next to her, checked her pulse, and left. Slowly, she noticed her surroundings. She was in a hospital, hooked up to a series of monitors, and Roy Mustang was sitting next to her.

"What happened?" she asked him, trying to remember anything that had happened in the past two days which might have resulted in her winding up in a hospital. He looked so serious and so worried. But why? Was she badly hurt? How long had she been unconscious? Were they in Amestris?

He let go of her hand and shifted to face her better. She tried to sat up, but just couldn't. He cleared his throat. "Riza, you went swimming and nearly drowned." It all flooded back to her; the confusion, the anger, the despair, and the swim. And the hand which pulled her out of the ocean. "You had swum out so far that I almost didn't find you in time to rescue you. You're not too strong a swimmer, and I suppose you didn't realize that. You were fully clothed, and with so much drag, you were about to drown."

Riza smiled; he still though her motives pure and innocent. At least he cared one way or the other that she was alive. But that didn't mean she meant anything to him. "I knew I would die." He looked at her as seriously as anything, but before he could ask why, she continued, "I didn't think I would, but I couldn't deny that fact. I didn't want to die, but it seemed to be the most calming option at the moment. I'm sorry to have taken your time away from you... And thank you."

His face remained hard, but his eyes melted. "At least you're safe now. But why did you do it?" His gaze did not falter, and Riza felt herself obligated to give some sort of response.

He might not love her as she thought he did, but he did save her life. She owed him that much at least as a professional courtesy. "Sir, I thought we were steady, so when I returned to our condo, I was surprised to see Rebecca leaving your rooms. If that's who you share your bed with, that's your business, and I won't be bothered by it one way or the other. At any rate, I lost my head, and went for a swim. I simply swam out too far. I'll be more careful in the future."

So that was why. She had been heartbroken. Roy couldn't decide what to feel. She hadn't tried to kill herself, and she loved him enough to want to live with only with him. "Riza, I lent my room to Havoc for the night so that he wouldn't disturb his roommate." Riza realized her mistake and her face lit up red. It made sense; Havoc had gone missing at the same time Rebecca had, even if she hand's seen them leaving together, Rebecca had never said who she had slept with, and Roy had really not understood why she was so mad, and then saved her regardless of her tantrum. As her thoughts clicked into place, he leaned down and kissed her on her very bright forehead. "I love you."

"So you weren't interested in another? You just didn't stay on the beach?" She needed confirmation.

"I really am interested only in you. And alchemy." She laughed softly. Even now, he could make her laugh. She had always loved that about him; his sense of humor. She stopped to cough and was reminded of her state as the heart monitor sped up. Roy shot her a smirk like there was a reason for it other than the laughter. He may have been right.

They stayed right there and spoke of lighter topics for the next couple hours. Riza regained her strength and sat up to eat as her medications wore off. After a while, Roy left, and she noticed that he had left her the book she had been reading on the train. She was nearly done, and could finish it before sleeping. She turned to the last page she had read and a note fell out. She reached to get the white slip and saw that it was a note. 'Riza, there's a ball for the officers in two days. If you're out of the hospital, will you go with me? I'll see you tomorrow for the verdict.'

I think I was trying to be all mystical or something, but to be honest I have no idea. Kind of like the rest of this story. Well, read and respond.