Bang. Bang. Bang.

There was first a clinking sound of the metal knife meeting the tile floor and then the thud of a body close behind it. Then, silence. It was as though the room had sucked out all the air and was holding it back. No one moved a muscle or even dared to breathe. Then, slowly, the boys turned their gaze to the woman holding the hot gun.

Riza was the first to breathe and then everyone else did so. Edward came forward and checked on the woman, lying with three bullet holes torn into her body. There was no pulse.

He wanted to turn and let them know she was dead, but it seemed obvious, and he didn't feel like he could speak. Riza Hawkeye had just saved his life. Then again, Riza Hawkeye had saved many lives and shot that gun many times, but this seemed different. Her back was straight, her mouth was in a thin neutral line. But her eyes were narrowed and hardened with an intense fury that one would not easily be able to put into words.

Behind her, the Colonel had collapsed and his eyes were closed. Edward was unsure if he was awake or not, but he didn't look good either way. They had to get that antidote and fast, but his feet felt glued to the floor.

This all felt like hours, but in fact was only a few seconds. With a rush, the room filled with air again and Riza was turned, both hands resting on the Colonel's shoulders as she questioned whether he was awake. He didn't respond, and she couldn't be sure, so she turned to the boys and shouted, "Go find an antidote or a doctor, or something! Now!" Her voice was hard, but under it, they could tell there was heavy emotion.

The Elric brothers snapped into action and ran out of the room. Edward directed his brother to check the upstairs laboratory while he checked the one on this floor. While the boys were gone, Riza moved the Colonel from against the wall and onto her lap, so his head was laying on her. She brushed her fingers through his hair and tried to calm her anxiety.

"It's okay, it's going to be okay. Okay?" She wondered if it was legal to be saying the word 'okay' as much as she was. It felt wrong, the word having lost meaning on her tongue almost immediately. "You're going to be o-." She stopped. "You're going to be alright."

Mustang stirred and slowly opened his eyes to gaze up at her. "I'm… good," he managed out, but his face was twisted in pain, and Riza knew he was not, in fact, good, because he was about to go through exactly what she'd gone through the week before. Except, this time, the poison went directly into the bloodstream and was much more concentrated. He didn't have much time.

"Please, Colonel, rest," she asked of him. "The Elric brothers are going to find that antidote and when we give it to you, you'll be just fine."

"I love you." he croaked out and Riza almost wanted to hit him, but there was no one in the room, so they were safe. She sighed and glanced around before leaning down and kissing his forehead.

"I love you too. Now, shut up."

As she lifted her head back from his, Alphonse Elric came crashing into the room followed closely by Edward.

"We found it!" Alphonse shouted, and hollow, destroyed room echoed his voice back. Startled by his own voice, he dropped the volume. "I checked the properties of it with my Alchemy. It seems to be the right thing."

"I knew they had an antidote," Edward said proudly as they approached the two adults. "They always do, they can't be that stupid not to!"

Alphonse produced a needle and stuck it into the vial. He drew up some of the thick liquid and tapped the thin point. He then knelt down and pulled back Roy's sleeve before plunging the needle into his skin. Roy groaned, not liking the feeling of the cold metal entering his body, but the antidote was administered and the needle was gone before he found the will to complain. He almost immediately felt better, but still didn't feel he could get up on his own.

Riza sighed with relief, noticing some color returning to his cheeks. "Thank you," she said to the boys who nodded back and went to check on the woman's body. Riza stayed with Roy and moved her fingers through his hair.

The Elric's took their time exploring the hospital and examining the dead woman. By the time they came back to show Riza what they had found, Mustang was back up against the wall looking exhausted, but alive and well. He still appeared a little weak, but he was conscious and that was enough of a win for them.

"Poison, antidote, and a few other weapons," Edward said as he poked and prodded the spoils. "And also this." He opened a note that had a few circles and squares, and just a couple of words. "This dot looks like it's the King, and this one is the Queen. The Queen is crossed out and then there's an arrow pointing down the page from where the King is."

They sat in silence for a moment, pondering what it was. Riza was about to tell them to keep it and they would crack the code later when Roy spoke.

"Code names," he said softly, taking the note. "I am the King, as the leader of my team. Lieutenant Hawkeye, my right hand, is the Queen. They are assuming with her gone, I would step away, and they would have a much clearer path to the throne." He set the note down and looked at the three others gathered around. "I can't say they were thinking in the wrong direction."

"You'd really leave the military if Lieutenant Hawkeye died?" Alphonse blurted out and Edward elbowed him. Had the question come from Edward, Roy would have scolded him as best he could in his state, but Alphonse wasn't trying to get under his skin.

"I don't know." Was all he said, and he left it at that.

"It's late," Riza started after a long moment of silence had passed. "Edward, Alphonse, gather these things and keep them with you. Be sure you have everything, and meet at my house tomorrow afternoon. We'll go over everything and see if we can figure out where the rest of this crew might be hiding. I'm going to bring Colonel Mustang home and be sure there are no lingering effects. Do you mind if I take the rest of the antidote?"

Alphonse passed it over to her and she pocketed it before helping her Colonel stand. She wrapped his arm around her neck and the four of them made their way out of the hospital. The boys turned to go back to their place, and Riza helped Roy get into the car that was parked out front. He seemed a little tired and winded, but the antidote worked just as fast as the poison did. She knew he would be fine, though she couldn't help but glance worriedly over at him as they drove.

Once home, Riza helped lay the Colonel down in bed. "I guess I should have told myself not to do something stupid, huh?" he asked, now feeling a little better, though he was tired from the fight and the late hour.

"You doing something stupid is something I generally account for," Riza smirked as she slid into bed beside him. "But I am glad I didn't lose you to stupidity."

Roy smiled back at her. "I do my best. And thanks for saving Fullmetal. He's a pain in my ass alive, but he'd be a bigger pain in my ass if he was dead."

"I do what I can. You're right, though, he is a very good asset to our team."

Roy shook his head and laughed. "No," he said. "What I mean is, if he were dead, I'd have to do so much paperwork, I'd never get it all done!"

The couple slept late into the day, but they also assumed the Elric brothers would as well. The fight had taken a lot out of all of them, especially Roy, whose body spent the night repairing itself from the shock of the poison. Thankfully, by morning, he both looked and felt much better, and Riza took comfort in the fact he wouldn't have to go through what she'd gone through.

When they woke up, they relished in the comfort of each other's embrace. They didn't feel the need to get up quite yet and let the sound of the birds chirping outside be the only sound to fill the room. Riza didn't know how many more mornings they would have together because they were going to have to return to real life at some point. This was likely to be one of their last, as they would need to go to the Fuhrer to discuss gathering resources to weed out the people trying to take over the country.

Finally, the sun reached a high point in the room, and the two knew they needed to get up and be ready for the Elric brothers to come by. Slowly, they picked themselves up off the bed and changed, but stayed in the room a little while longer.

"I'm sure we'll get an audience with the Fuhrer today," Roy said. "I may not have ever been promoted, but Grumman trusts me and I know if I say it's urgent, he'll clear his schedule."

"Yes," Riza agreed. "And the sooner we get this information to him, the better. Then we can start looking into exactly what is going on and who this group is. I would be sure to explain that they seem more dangerous than most who threaten the country."

Roy nodded in agreement and looked over at the golden-haired woman. "I suppose our little vacation is almost over."

Riza's mouth formed a thin line, as it often did to hide her emotions. "Yes," she said simply. "It appears so."

"Well, what happens in this house stays in this house, I suppose," Roy chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "But I hope that you never again question how I feel about you. You are my faithful Lieutenant, my Queen, my trump card. I owe you so much for the times you've saved my life."

"It is not only my duty to protect you, it is the only thing I would want to do," the woman replied. "And so long as I am at your side, I don't care if all of… this…" She waved her hands, gesturing to the invisible, but ever-present feelings of love and devotion that filled the space between them. "... is not something we can share publicly."

Roy smiled over at her and she smiled back. They would secretly steal away when they could and spend private nights wrapped up in the illusion that they were together. Roy would bury himself in his work and refuse dates from other women, with the excuse that he was truly married to the country. But, he would always come home to Riza, and there was never any doubt about that.

A knock on the door and a barking Hayate broke them of their thoughts. The Elric brothers were there and they would go request an audience with the Fuhrer. As they walked out of the bedroom door, they walked out of their little slice of paradise but held the promise to return when they could close to their hearts.

But, for now, there was something more important to accomplish. As long as any person or group threatened the stability of the nation they loved, they would be there to protect it. It was simple to them; if there was no country, there was no life. And there truly was no life without the other.

Phew, what a fricking week. Tons of work, got a flat tire, inlaws coming today, and I got sick. Thankfully, I have had this written for about a month, so here's the second to last chapter! There is one sort of "epilogue" chapter after this, though this is the ending of the main part of this story. I do have a sequel in the works, but I'm also writing so many other things, that might not be posted for a bit!

Anyway, as always, thanks for the support and love! It's much appreciated!