Roy finally got a hair tie with the help of Alphonse rather than Edward. Roy's plight was taken a little better and gently with Alphonse, who actually laughed at the situation.

"I guess I kinda know how that feels. Except I can't get bigger or smaller. It's something that can't be controlled. Don't worry, Colonel, your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks, Alphonse; and thanks for the hair tie."

"You're welcome sir. Ed has them lying around the house all the time. He keeps making them because he's too lazy to go back upstairs sometimes." He said with a chuckle.

Edward made a face as Riza looked at the three of them.

"I have to send in your work excuse so that the Fuhrer doesn't get on my case nor yours. How long do you want me to put it in for?"

"A week?"

"Colonel, I highly doubt that Dr. Striker will find something within that time."

"Well if you know so much about me, Hawkeye, then put in what you think is good enough." Roy growled, crossing his arms on the couch.

Riza sighed and knelt in front of him.

"Sir, I'm just trying to help things go smooth… Don't get huffy."

"Don't talk to me like I'm a child, Riza." He growled, glaring at her. "I am your superior officer and I'm in a bit of a dilemma."

Riza breathed in and stood up, ignoring the last part of his statement. Things would be easier if you didn't act like a child on top of everything else. I honestly can't take him seriously sometimes… she thought as she put her jacket on.

"I'll be back after work. Play nice."

She left the house and Roy scoffed.

"Is that supposed to be a joke? 'Play safe'," he mocked. "She's such a woman."

"Why the hell are you still here?" Edward said, looking at him.

Roy looked up. "You weren't even listening to the conversation, were you?"

"The Colonel is going to stay with us until Ms. Riza gets back from Headquarters." Alphonse chimed in. "You should listen to people better, Brother."

Edward threw his hands in the air in dismissal and walked toward the stairs.

"I'm taking a bath. That lab makes me feel like I got something on me."

He trudged up the stairs and Alphonse looked at Roy but saw that he was dozing off. He was going to say something sarcastic but he wasn't as skilled with the Colonel as he was his brother so he didn't say what he wanted.

"Colonel, are you tired?"

Roy opened his eyes wide in confusion and waking and then yawned.

"Yeah… the doctor said the pills he gave me should keep me from regressing when I sleep. But I'm just tired in general…" He leaned over on the arm of the couch. "Maybe you can teach me how to make a hair tie when I wake up…"

Only when Roy's face was very lax did Alphonse put the blanket over him. He was used to doing it for his brother and he smiled on the inside.

Edward was drying off his metal arm and leg extensively after his very invigorating shower that he got. Even though he was reckless about everything else he had to do with them, he never wanted them to get rusty since it would effect whatever would come next on his journey. Winry always complimented how his stuff was never rusted… just broken to bits or missing completely. But damn it, they were never rusted.

He gave a satisfying sigh at his leg and moved his arm a little. He was about to crawl into bed when he heard something. The Colonel was still there because when Riza came to get him, he was still asleep. Edward went to the door and looked out into the hallway. He heard it again and went down the stairs to check on Roy.

He got down the stairs and turned the lamp on as Roy moaned in his sleep. Edward stood over him for a second to make sure he was hearing things right when Roy let out a forlorn moan and turned, throwing his hand over his face. He was sweating profusely and acted like he was burning up. Edward looked at his hands and put his flesh hand on Roy to see how hot he was. He was boiling… He put his metal hand on Roy's forehead and Roy moaned a little.

"That feels nice…" he moaned.

"You're burning up, Colonel…"

"I know…"

"This isn't good. I need to call Hawkeye."

"No… Aspirin… I just need some aspirin…"

Edward sighed and went back upstairs to get a couple of aspirin. He came back down and got a glass of water for him from the kitchen, going back to the living room. He stopped short of the couch and gave a small tsk.

"Aw, Colonel…"

Roy, despite the pills, had gotten younger. He looked ten, maybe eleven at the least. Edward didn't think it was alright for him to take the pills so he shook him awake. Roy's eyes opened slightly, heavily.

"Colonel, I think we need to take you to the hospital."

"I'm fine. I'm just so hot… and so tired…"

He moaned again and what looked like small trail of light fluttered across Roy's body from his head to his feet and Edward gave a slight gasp. Before his eyes, the Colonel had degressed into a child of about six or seven and the sweat that was there before was five times worse now.

Edward didn't know what in the world to do. He'd never seen something like that happen to anyone in his life. The shock of just watching how quickly everything happened in a few short seconds was enough to keep him standing there looking like an idiot with the water glass in one hand and the pills in the other. He tried to comprehend it but every time he tried, he couldn't grasp the concept. It wasn't until a short cry sounded that Edward was jerked out of his shock. He looked down again as Roy sniffled and another short cry came out.

"C-Colonel?"

"My head…" he said sickly.

Edward looked at the pills in his hand and used his metal hand to break one in half. He knelt down next to Roy and held it out for him.

"Here. Take this, it'll help your head."

"I don't like pills."

"Yes you do. I promise it won't hurt you. Trust me, alright?"

Roy nodded slowly and opened his mouth. Edward stuck the pill in his mouth and then helped him to drink the water with it. Roy made a disgusted sound and turned over away from him.

"I'm tired."

"We need to call Hawkeye, Colonel. I know you don't want to but I'm kind of at a loss here."

"Mkay…"

Edward sighed and went to the phone to dial for Riza.

Thirty minutes later, Riza was at the door of the Elric's apartment and knocked on the door. Edward opened it and she walked in, going straight to Roy. She saw his smaller frame and turned to Edward with a bewildered look.

"What… what happened?"

"I don't know. He changed before my eyes, Hawkeye… Are you sure that doctor gave him the right stuff?"

"I watched him do it with my own eyes…" Riza went over and knelt by the couch, touching Roy's shoulder. "Colonel? Colonel, can you turn and look at me for a second?"

Roy didn't want to but turned over to look at his subordinate. Riza smiled kindly at him and touched his face, feeling how warm he was.

"Is your head better?"

"A little…"

"Do you want to come home with me? You can sleep in the bed and be a little more comfortable… Plus, I can monitor you better."

"I don't need your help…" he mumbled, turning back around.

Riza sighed. "Colonel, please don't act like this. Something is wrong and tomorrow I'm going to call that doctor and figure out what's happened, but as for now, you need to be carefully looked after. Not that you boys aren't doing a good job." Riza said, turning back to Edward. He just nodded his head. "But, sir, the boys are tired. If you come with me I can make sure you get no worse. Can you handle that, Roy?"

They were silent for a moment when Roy nodded his head slightly and Riza stood up. She looked at him for a moment and though she knew she may get shot later for it, she stuck her arms under his body and lifted him up. To her surprise, he didn't complain but the heat of his body next to hers made her frown in concern. He was fast asleep against her and looked at Edward.

"I'm going to have to let someone else in on this little secret. I'm thinking maybe Havoc because I need you and I to go back to that lab. There is something more happening here than the Colonel. I think this was done deliberately and I want to know who did it. I don't want him to go back there until we have something solid to work with as well as a true batch of that serum that actually works."

"Agreed but um… I hate to say this but… do you think Dr. Striker is right? I mean, what if it is a good idea to let him get to a baby before we do anything else? I know it would be degrading and I don't like that doctor anyway, but it makes more sense to let it run its course and then get something to make him go back to normal."

"We'll discuss it tomorrow. I'm going to have that doctor do a house call. We're going to take him and bring him here so that he can fully assess Roy without distraction. His blood work should be back anyway. But I was thinking to have Havoc watch Roy."

"Havoc? Really?"

"If Maes were still here I would have him do it but…"

"I think we may need to move him somewhere else."

"Not until we are sure about this… but if it's true, where do you suggest?"

"Not Risembool. That's the first place they'd look…" Edward snapped his fingers. "Dublith. He can stay with Teacher."

Riza nodded. "If the conclusion is that, then that's where we will take him. But as for now, I know Havoc acts like an idiot, but he's actually pretty good with kids. I'll see you tomorrow."

Edward nodded and followed her to the door.

Riza took Roy to the car and drove back to her house. She carried him up the stairs to her bed and set him down gently. She grabbed a rag and wet it with cold water and wrung it out. She put it to his head and he jerked at the coolness, opening his black eyes.

"Riza?"

"Shhh, go back to sleep. I'm just trying to cool you down a little."

He closed his eyes again and she silently dabbed the wet cloth to his forehead.

"I heard what you said." He said softly. Riza stopped and he opened his eyes again. "Do you think it could be an attack against me?"

"I'm not 100% percent, Colonel, but the fact that the doctor was supposed to give you something and it did the opposite, either he did it or someone else did it. Don't worry though, I'll find out."

Roy smiled a little and snuggled in the covers.

"I know… You're the best, Riza…"

is dr. striker acting like he doesn't know what's going on? or did someone else do it? will they let roy regress all the way to a baby? dah! so much to figure out! oh and when roy got mad, if you notice, when people reason with children, they go to their height so that's what riza did and roy didn't like it