WAIT! I updated chapter 6. I added more stuff, because I just didn't think it was complete. So read it before this one!

ROY

It has been over a month since someone had heard of Riza. For one whole month, Roy had kept his cool about it, occupying himself with his work and his future projects for the country, but there hadn't been one day when he hadn't thought about her. Every day he would wonder where she was or what she could be doing at the moment. In the beginning, he blamed himself and told himself he deserved it and waited for her return patiently. However, by the third week, anxiety was setting in to him and he was barely able to hide it from the others. Everything from the beginning had been too strange for his taste. He knew Riza Hawkeye like no one else and if he knew better, nothing from this disappearance made any sense.

Riza Hawkeye had a style to everything she did. There was a motif to her actions that allowed him to predict, most of the time, her next moves. It was true that the clues she did leave behind made some sense, but it just couldn't quite completely fit in for him. It wasn't like her at all to leave without telling one of them in person and it had been too short notice. She knew he was the kind of person who worried about his subordinates and he knew she would never do anything to burden him with worries. That was one thing she definitely hated the most. This is not right.

Roy's instinct were screaming at him, telling him something was awry. One thing he had learned from his past experiences was that his instincts were frequently right. This time it concerned Riza and he was not about to put her at risk by not answering to these instincts.

"Havoc," he called from inside his office. A few seconds later, he came in. "Close the door behind you." Roy could see how the serious tone of his voice was putting him on alert. "I need you to get me a list of all the investigators and their profiles from the Investigations Department. Don't tell anyone what you're doing or who you're doing this for. It has to be kept on the down low."

"Can I ask you what it's for, sir?" Havoc asked.

"I'm going to pick some people to form a search team," Roy said calmly. Havoc stared at him, deciphering what he was saying.

"For Hawkeye, sir?" he asked uncertainly.

"Yes. I have a bad feeling about her leave. It's been too long and we haven't heard from her all this time. Something is wrong and I'm going to find out about it. I need to make sure she's all right. When I know at least that, I can rest assured and wait patiently for her to come back when she wants to."

"But sir," Havoc paused, uneasy, "what if she is okay and finds out you've sent people out to spy on her?"

"I know Havoc," Roy said firmly. "That's why I need a professional team, the best one at that. God knows what she'd do if she ever finds out about this. She'll probably march in here with her gun to shoot me." Roy grimaced with a faraway look on his face as he imagined her cold look.

Havoc chuckled and said, "At least she'd be back." Roy couldn't help but smile at the thought.

"Just remember to keep this a secret, Havoc. Who knows who my enemies are, even in the military. I don't want anyone to target her, do you understand?"

"Ay, chief. Don't worry about it. I'd never put her in any danger either. I'll come back with those files soon enough." He saluted and left.

If he simply wanted to form a professional team to spy on her, then he could've easily walked in the human resources department himself and take all the files he needed, but this was not the case. Something was telling him Riza was not on a regular leave and he needed to be careful with his next moves. If something happened to her, then I need to find out who's behind it. He couldn't risk using the team to go out to look for her. If she had been taken, then the people who had done that would definitely be watching them to see if they would react. The best way to act natural in this situation is to be ignorant of the situation. There was also one thing that took years for people to gain when it came to Roy Mustang, and that was trust. Roy liked his two assistants, but it did not mean he trusted them completely.

Roy went back to doing some paper work, when there was a knock at his door.

"Come in," he called. Brandt came in quietly.

"Sir, General Sarzoft is here for the meeting."

"Alright, send him in."

General Sarzoft was in his mid fifties. He had salt and pepper hair, a thick moustache and a rounded belly. He had been one of the two generals sitting with him at his table during the night of his one month anniversary party. One topic that always came up at every one of their conversations was his daughter, Jennifer. There hasn't been one time that he hadn't forgotten to remind Roy of his beautiful daughter. Indeed, his daughter was very beautiful, with long dark brown hair, a perfect etiquette and good manners. She was nothing short of perfect for the political world and the perfect candidate for the first lady of Amestris. Everyone knew her father was desperately trying to set them up, but Roy had never lost to any of his advances. He made it clear, without being impolite or forceful, that he wasn't interested in finding a partner at the moment.

Roy was putting all of his focus on the important issues of his country and trying his best to keep up with the population's expectations. Because of this effort, he was proving to be a very good leader up until now. However, his achievements also had a downside, which consisted of the never ending spotlight on every aspect of his life. When he could, he would use any reason possible to cancel unimportant interviews or press conferences. After all, he already had so little time to himself.

"Fuhrer Roy Mustang," he saluted, "I hope everything is going well with you."

Roy smiled politely and said, "of course General Sarzoft. Please take a seat. I hope you are also doing well, especially with that diet your wife had insisted you go on."

The General laughed out loud. "No, actually I gave up after the second day. My daughter had predicted I would give up after two days and she was right."

"That's a shame. You should really think about taking care of your health, especially since you're not getting any younger," Roy chuckled.

"I know, Fuhrer. I hear it every day from my family," he said with mock exasperation. "As long as I can still do my job, I'm not an invalid." He gave Roy a folder and said, "This is the report for the infrastructures and the advancements of the railroad tracks being repaired in Amestris and the new ones being built in Ishbal."

Roy quickly scanned through the papers. "Were there any problems that I should know about?"

"No, sir. Everything is going well. The news tracks in Ishbal should be done in the next two months."

"Good, the sooner the better. It's going to facilitate so many things, especially the transportation of construction materials and supplies. I want you to keep up to date with the constructions and inform me if there are any major problems. One more thing, I'd like you to look into the missing military cars that have been occurring recently. I want to know exactly what's going on with that and who's responsible behind it."

"Yes, sir. I'll get a team to look into it right away." The General kept his eyes on the Fuhrer and seemed to be hesitating about something. Here it comes.

"Is there anything else you'd like to add, General Sarzoft?" Roy asked knowingly.

"Actually, sir, my wife would like to invite you over to supper at our house when you have the time. I know you're very busy, but if ever you have a free evening, she'd be delighted to have to over. My daughter is also constantly talking about you and how wishes to meet you again. It would mean the world for her if you would come."

Roy had to restrain himself from sighing out loud and clenching his fists. This was exactly the reason why he hated meeting with Sarzoft. He was too direct and blunt in a way that made it hard for Roy to decline the invitation. I feel like I'm the bad guy now. The corner of his mouth twitched in irritation, but he managed to fake a thin smile.

"I'm sorry General. I'm afraid my evenings are also busy. Next week, however, I might be able to have a quick lunch with your daughter if she'd like." Roy saw the flash in the General's eyes and the way he tried to contain his excitement. At least if I eat with her once and then reject her, he'll probably let me off the hook for a while.

"Of course, sir. I understand you're a very busy man. My wife will understand and I'm sure my daughter would be delighted to have lunch with you next week. Which day would be the most convenient one for you, sir?"

"Tuesday at 12:15. I'll only have 40 minutes before I go to another meeting, but that's the only opening I have."

"Of course, sir. It's not a problem. I will tell my daughter to come by around that time." He saluted one last time before leaving the room with a bit too much eagerness.

Roy slumped down in his chair and sighed. "God, he's persistent," he mumbled to himself. I have to tell her directly, if not they'll follow me forever. He didn't want to make an enemy out of the General, nor did he want to be overly friendly with him and his family. Roy had already made his intentions very clear, but Sarzoft had completely feigned ignorance.

In the late afternoon, after the others had already left, including his two assistants that he had dismissed, someone knocked on his door, waking him up from his short nap. Roy opened his eyes and stared at the door for a second before calling out, his hand ready to snap. He relaxed once he saw Havoc's head pop in with the trademark unlit cigaret hanging from his mouth.

"Yo chief!" he gave a weak salute, knowing Roy would have dismissed it just as quickly, especially after work hours. "I was sure you'd still be here."

"How did it go?" Roy asked, getting straight to business. Havoc crossed the room and dropped a folder on the Fuhrer's desk.

"All the best investigators from all the Investigations Departments from all the Headquarters all around Amestris, and all in one folder. Do you know how hard it was to get all of these without getting seen? I almost had to knock someone out, but luckily someone called him and he left before he saw me. You know, Hawkeye would be so furious to find out that there was a security breach inside HQ, by you nonetheless." Havoc grinned.

"By you, actually. Why do you think I used you to infiltrate? So I could keep my hands clean, of course," Roy smirked as he looked through the people's profiles, missing Havoc's scowl. "Good work Havoc. I knew you were the perfect man for this."

Roy closed the big folder and went to retrieve his coat.

"You're heading home, sir?" Havoc asked. Roy nodded. "Alright, then I'll drive you home before I head home myself."

"That's not necessary Havoc. I can drive myself home."

"Sorry chief, Hawkeye's orders. The Fuhrer always has to be accompanied, especially when he's outside HQ. I'm just following protocol, if not I'm dead." Havoc gave him a knowing look.

"I get it Havoc. Fine, drive me home, then you go home too."

"Don't worry, you don't have to tell me twice."

In the quite hallways heading to their car, Havoc asked in a hushed voice, "Do you really think something happened to her?"

Roy thought and hesitated a bit, then said "I can't really explain it, but I just have a feeling."

"Well, I'd say that's good evidence enough. You and Hawkeye are practically telepathic." Roy chuckled and they walked in silence for a while before Havoc added under his breath, "I just hope you're terribly wrong, sir. Because that would mean we haven't done anything to find her for a month."

Roy's muscles clenched and his heart ached with dread. "I hope so too." I hope I'm really wrong this time too.

The next day, Roy called in Havoc again and gave him two separate folders. "Can you find me these two men and send them to my office discreetly? They're in Central, so it shouldn't take you too long to find them. It would be better if they came when all the others are gone."

"Wow, these two guys are good. You really picked the best, didn't you?" Havoc commented before he saluted and left.

Roy spent the rest of the day waiting for it to end. He only stopped fidgeting in his chair when he heard the knocks on the door.

"Come in," he answered. Havoc came in followed by two other men. They formed a straight line in front of his desk and saluted. "At ease soldiers." When Havoc was in the presence of other soldiers, he always acted like the perfect soldier himself, which always secretly amused Roy.

"First Lieutenant Ryan Dorse and Second Lieutenant Victor Golsby, I'm sure you two are wondering why I've summoned you." He looked at them and confirmed his assumption by the look on their faces. "I've seen the work you two have done in the past two years and I have to say I was impressed. First Lieutenant Ryan Dorse, you've uncovered the four year old case of the famous serial murder of children that was never solved and that was dumped on you in the hopes of discouraging you from prying into other matters. However, little did they know you would have everything solved in just two months. You proved to everyone that you were quite the inquisitor and a very good one at that. Second Lieutenant Victor Goldsby, last year you looked into the military's finance department for a mission, but found something else. Huge amounts of military funds were missing and you tracked down that money till you found the culprit, a high ranking official with influential powers. But you didn't succumb to their threats and back down from it. You brought him to justice and sent him to prison for embezzlement. I liked how you stood by your convictions."

Roy paused and studied them. All three were listening carefully, keeping quiet. "I called you here because I have a new mission for the two of you. After the ball a month ago, Lieutenant Colonel Riza Hawkeye took a leave of absence for an undetermined period of time. Before she left, she left her dog to a friend and called her landlord a few days later to tell him she would be away for some time and that she would continue to pay her rent until she came back. I haven't heard from her in a month and I don't know where she's gone, but I need you two to track her down and confirm her safety for me. Your identities must be kept a secret and your presence must not be detected by her if you do find her. Let me warn you ahead of time that her instincts are very sharp. The slightest mistake or unnatural behavior could give you guys away, so be diligent. No one except Captain Jean Havoc and myself can know about this mission, am I understood?"

The two officers saluted.

"Do we just have to find her make sure she's alright, sir?" asked Dorse.

"Yes. That's if you can find her. I believe something's happened to her, but I don't have any lead or evidence that confirms the assumption. That's why I need you two to look into it for me."

"Yes, sir." They both saluted stiffly.

"Dorse will be in charge of this mission. Havoc will give you the briefs of the mission with detailed information. If you find anything, report back directly to me in person. If I'm unavailable, then report to Havoc and he'll bring you two to me as soon as possible. If we're both absent, then come back another time." Roy glanced at Havoc and he nodded. "Do not make any calls, they can be tapped."

"Yes, sir." They saluted again and left when Roy dismissed them.

Havoc smirked and said, "That went well. You should've seen their faces when I told then the Fuhrer was looking for them. Oh, the excitement!"

"I just hope they're as good as they're thought to be."

"We'll have to wait and see."

The rest of the week passed without any news from them. Roy tried to wait patiently, but he was boiling up with anticipation inside. One month and one week. If Hawkeye really is okay and is just doing this to get me, then I'll... I'll... arg!

The next week, Roy got an unexpected visitor.

"Sir, Miss Jennifer Sarzoft said she has an appointment with you," Royce said, standing close to the door.

Roy shot him a look of surprise and frowned. Suddenly, it came to him that he had indeed made plans with her the last time he saw her father. Right. I have to eat lunch with her. This is going to be long. "Yes, you can send her in."

Jennifer walked in, flawless and with elegance as usual. She wore a simple sleeveless beige dress that ended at her knees, with a modest v-neck. Her long brown hair was left down and lightly curled. Her makeup was light and natural. As she walked toward his desk, he notice how her hips were swaying a little too much to be natural. Working her charm already. She smiled beautifully at him and he returned it.

Roy stood up and went to greet her. "It's a pleasure to meet you once again Miss Sarzoft" Roy gave her a polite kiss on both cheeks.

"The pleasure's all mine Furher Mustang, and please, call me Jennifer," she replied, keeping her eyes on him.

"Then I insist you call me Roy, Jennifer." Roy gave her his infamous smirk, which made her smile bigger. "I'm afraid we don't have much time for our lunch today, so we'd better get going now. There's a small coffee shop down the street that makes the best salads and club sandwich. Will that be alright with you?"

"Of course, I think I know which one you're talking about."

They walked out of his office to see all the men staring at them. How discreet. "We'll be heading out for lunch. I'll be back before 13:00 for the next meeting." As he crossed the room to exit, he saw Havoc give him a weird look. He frowned at him, but Havoc averted his eyes and pretended to know nothing. What was that supposed to mean? He knew they were probably all going to gossip like little girls the moment he left. Roy was used to it after all, since he had always been surrounded by beautiful ladies and jealous men all his life.

Roy's chauffeur drove them to the little coffee shop where they picked a table inside, hidden from the view of the people outside. The chauffeur waited in the car parked on the side of the building, while two men in uniform stood near the entrance. Roy knew there were some undercover officers out there, looking for any suspicious people, but he didn't exactly know where they were. All Hawkeye's doing.

Roy ordered a club sandwich with a side of salads, while Jennifer ordered a salad and a soup. Everything was going smoothly, with Jennifer doing most of the talking. A lot of it was about her and every aspect of her life, but sometimes, she would ask his opinion or praise and admire him. Roy easily kept the facade that masked his boredom and listened to her. If I don't stop her soon, I'll go crazy. They had already finished their lunches and it was already 12:50. I have to get back in five minutes! Luckily for him, HQ was only a few seconds away by car.

"I'm sorry, Jennifer, but I am expected in ten minutes at a meeting. I have to be back at Headquarters in five minutes." Roy gave her his most apologetic look.

"Oh of course Roy. Don't let me keep them waiting." Roy got up and paid for the bill before they headed back out and into the car.

"I'm sorry that I can't escort you back home properly, Jennifer, but my chauffeur can bring you back home safely."

"It's alright Roy. I have my own chauffeur waiting for me at HQ. I can get back home by myself." Roy smiled at her. "I'd like to thank you for having lunch with me, Roy. I really enjoyed myself. I know you're busy and I was so happy to learn that you would put some time on the side for me." Here it comes. "I think we should see each other again when you have some more free time. I'd really like to get to know you better." She put her hand on his and smiled sweetly.

Roy turned his hand, took hers in his own and gave her a light squeeze. "I'm sorry Jennifer, but I'm not really looking for that kind of relationship right now. My priority is our country at the moment and I have to focus on my work. I hope you can understand this."

At first, Jennifer was shocked to have been rejected. It's probably the first time she didn't get what she wanted. Her eyes had watered quickly, but she had also hidden it quite fast. She smiled to the side and removed her hands from his.

"I understand Roy." She looked at him again and asked quietly, "we can still be friends, right?"

"Yes. Friends." That's all we'll ever be. Their stop came and Roy helped her out of the car. Jennifer thanked him one last time before she walked away with her personal chauffeur.

At least I'm done with that. He sighed and walked briskly back to his office. Brandt and Royce were already waiting for him, while the other men were nowhere in sight.

"The others are finishing up their lunches at the cafeteria," Royce informed him, probably having seen his eyes scanning the room for them.

"Sir, when I came back from lunch, I saw two officers coming out of this room. They refused to tell me their names or their reasons for being there. I think they might have been looking for you, but-" Brandt said, but Roy cut him off mid-sentence.

"That's okay. They'll be back. We have to go now or we'll be late," Roy said quickly. Why did I have to be gone today of all days! Roy was not showing it, but he was very frustrated for the time he wasted at lunch and for the possibly valuable information he had missed.

The meeting Roy had to attend was a discussion concerning the choice of a new general in charge of Eastern Headquarters. The previous one, chosen by Grumman, was retiring at the end of the year and now they had to agree to a new leader. However, Roy was not in the mood for this kind of childish debate at the moment, so he ended up adjourning the meeting until another time when they'd all be ready to properly discuss things with valid explanations and arguments. He received many unhappy and insulted looks, but he stayed firm on his decision.

When he exited the room, Royce and Brandt stood up quickly with surprised looks and rushed to his sides.

"Sir, did the meeting go wrong? Why was is so short?" Royce asked.

"I was expecting them to have their choices of candidates, backed up with intelligent arguments to support them, but none of them seemed to be up to standards. I will not sit there and wasted by time listening to them scream after each other and finish a long meeting without any results, so I adjourned the meeting to give them time to prepare a speech if they have to. God knows they're all squabbling for that position. They better give me one hell of a good reason to put them in charge of Eastern HQ. With the reintegration of Ishbal in Amestris, that choice is crucial," Roy answered exasperatedly. Royce and Brandt looked quickly to each other and did not say another word about the meeting.

Usually, Roy was good at keeping his emotions to himself and hidden from the others, but things were escalating quickly in the past hour and he just wanted to get back to his office.

"Are we heading back to the office sir?" Brandt asked.

"Yes, I've got a lot of work to do." And some people to meet.

When they got back to the office, the men greeted him and Havoc said, "you've got some visitors, sir. I already let them into your office"

"Thank you Havoc." Roy locked his gaze on him and got the slightest nod from him before he looked back down to the papers he was working on.

Roy took quick strides to his door. When he entered, the two men stood up and saluted. Roy shut the door and walked to his desk, waving them off.

"Dorse, Goldsby, sorry for the wait. How did the mission go?" he asked immediately after they had all taken a seat. Roy could tell the news wasn't what he was hoping for, since their faces were somber and serious.

"We didn't find a trace of her, sir. It seems like she left quietly without letting anybody know or without letting anybody see her. We've asked many people in her neighbourhood and her apartment building about her leave, but nobody seems to be aware of it. Her rent this month was paid by cash, sent in an envelop with her name printed on it," Dorse started.

"However, we were able to check her bank account and there has been no activity whatsoever. The amount of her rent, which should have been withdrawn from her account, wasn't there. In fact, her last withdrawal was over a month ago. If she's away on vacation for this long, then she had better have a ton of stashed cash on her, if not, I highly doubt she's having a good time," Goldsby said.

What is going on? Roy couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Sir, there's also something we found out about her call to the landlord. We're not sure if it was just a coincidence or not, but right before she called him, he said that he had received another call that was abruptly cut the moment he picked it up. He didn't have the chance to hear anything."

Roy crossed his hands together with his elbows on his desk and leaned his forehead on them. This can't be happening. "It's definitely not a coincidence. She's in danger." So many things were running through his head at the moment, trying to think of all the little details that he might have missed. However, his thoughts were foreshadowed by guilt. All this time he had preoccupied himself with work so he could forget about her absence. Little did he know, he had been playing right into the enemy's trap the entire time. Despite that big mistake, he could almost hear her tell him that it wasn't his fault. That's what she always says. His heart was pounding fast and he was beginning to feel the sweat. We have to act fast.

"Sir, what's the next course of action?" Dorse asked slowly.

"Find her. Do everything you can to find a trace of her. Look into the things she'd been doing before she disappeared. I need you to find her."

"Yes sir," they answered with a hint of nervousness. Even though Roy wasn't glaring at them, his murderous look was enough to scare anyone in close proximity.

Goldsby dared to speak again, "Sir, the search might take a while though, since we're only two. I-"

"Don't worry Goldsby. I'm going to assemble a team to help you two on this mission. Once again, keep it on the down-low as much as you can. We don't know who's behind it and we can't risk getting found out if they're holding her," Roy said, staring at them hardly.

"Yes sir."

Don't worry Hawkeye. I'll find you and save you.

A.N.: Sorry for the wait. If you read the note in the last updated chapter then you'll know I was busy with exams. I think the story is developing in an interesting way. I actually wish I was just a reader and not the person writing it, lol. I think it would have been more fun to read, haha. Thanks for reading and please review! Anticipate the next chapter!

D