The Shadows of the Past

by Golden Flame 611

When 17-year-old Riza, recently enrolled in the military academy, gets pregnant by Roy, she must make the difficult decision to separate from her baby to protect him from the military and the consequences of breaking the anti-fraternization law. Years later, unaware of her son's whereabouts, he would return to her as the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. (Parental, Royai, EdWin)

20. Arrangements

A/N: Hi!

After all the drama from the last chapters, we now bring you a chapter that is more of a transitional one. We'll have some canon moments mixed with new scenes about Roy and Riza so we can reach the Promised Day.

We hope that you enjoy the chapter and please, don't hesitate to share your comments, suggestions, hypotheses or anything about our story :)

Special thanks to Hellwyrm, shinho4869, dragonball256, Guest and nagi92! 3

See you in two weeks!

Golden and Flame

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist characters don't belong to us. We are just having fun with them.

---

Chapter 20. Arrangements

The next few days after Riza revealed the truth of her family relationship to Edward were very difficult for her. Her rational side had been scolding her for having been so reckless and selfish in revealing the truth to the boy because deep down she was aware that she did not deserve her son for abandoning him, much less after all the blood she had on her hands, while her maternal and sentimental side applauded her actions. As much as Riza had tried to avoid it, as much as she had tried to bury those feelings, they finally exploded resulting in her revelation to Edward.

Now Riza was really worried about how things would now turn out. Edward had not shown the hatred or disgust that she expected he would direct at her upon being told the truth, but neither had he shown joy, although that was completely natural in the circumstances in which they had found themselves as it was more than normal for the boy to be confused and to have doubts about his true self and his real parents. She noticed that Edward, within reason, had tried to begin to come to terms with the fact that she was his mother but she noticed that he didn't seem to accept that Roy Mustang was his father and, above all, he didn't seem to believe that Roy loved him deeply despite not knowing him, which broke Riza's heart because, if there was a chance that Edward would recognize them as parents, maybe that wouldn't happen with Roy because of her, for not having allowed him to be a part of his life.

Riza wanted to run to see Edward, she wanted to hold him close, hug him, tell him how much she loved him and above all apologize for all the bad things that had happened to him for abandoning him. However, she had to resist, knowing that he needed his own space to come to terms with things, plus she had promised him that she would not impose herself on his life. Luckily, for both Edward and herself, the boys had ventured north, which would obviously give them both time to think things through more clearly and, more importantly, give Edward the space and time he needed to make a decision regarding her and Roy. She couldn't help but have some fear that her son's decision would be contrary to what she hoped for but, even if it was, she was willing to respect it.

On the other hand, she couldn't stop thinking about Roy. Now that she had located her son she knew that she had to inform him immediately, she didn't want to make the same mistake of years ago by hiding Edward's existence from him. Unfortunately, given their current circumstances, it was not possible to have a private conversation with him because she knew they were being watched and she did not want to give those monsters any more tools to keep Roy at bay and, above all, not to expose Edward's life any further. Although she felt guilty about holding back the discovery she had made, she had no choice but to wait for the opportunity to arise as time progressed. It made her extremely anxious but she hoped that very soon she would be able to tell him the truth. In the meantime all she could do was imagine Roy's reaction when he found out that the boy he had been teasing about his height for the past few years was none other than his own son.

---

The Elrics' departure for the North coincided with the reassignments of positions for the entire Mustang unit, which had been a drastic change for all the members but especially for Roy. He knew that his impulsiveness had led him to all this disaster, putting at risk the lives of each of his subordinates, who for him represented more than his coworkers, they were his friends, but, above all, he had put in greater danger the most important person in his life: Riza. That was what weighed on him the most, so he had focused on trying to plan something, with Grumman's help, to recover each of his members, but above all to recover and protect Riza.

The two had agreed to keep their contact to a minimum to avoid endangering each other, the same happened with the other members of the unit who tried to take advantage of the fact that they were in different parts of the country to gather information and allies in a silent and subtle way for the final battle that they knew was coming. The irony of it all was that Roy and Riza received information more often from the other members than from each other despite being in the same city. They only limited themselves to professional greetings the few times they ran into each other at the command and a few coded messages they exchanged through Madame Christmas.

For his part, King Bradley was incredibly calm and so casual and routinely demeanor that no one, outside of the higher-ups, was able to intuit that there was something going on behind the scenes. He did not threaten Riza directly, quite the contrary, he treated her like all the other subordinates he had and, were it not for the fact that she knew the truth and that the Führer himself had confronted her, Riza would believe that she was dealing with an ordinary person.

In itself, the move to the Führer's office had been somewhat difficult because of the change in responsibilities and because of the secret that Riza knew was hidden behind the calm facade of the country's leader, but she dared say that that had not been the most complicated thing about her reassignment. In fact, surprisingly after so many years, the most difficult thing for Riza was maintaining her professional facade during the early days of her new job. The last talk she had had with Edward and what that might mean for how she would interact with him in the future absorbed her mind so much that she now had to constantly remind herself to focus on her duties. It wasn't easy to do, but Riza forced herself to do it because, with the revelations and new enemies that had surfaced in the last few months, she feared that Bradley or one of his henchmen would catch on to her strange behavior and find a way to discover where it originated from.

Therefore, during her workday, Riza strove to satisfactorily accomplish her tasks while trying not to let the internal debate that constantly followed her be reflected in her features. After finishing, and once at home, Riza allowed herself to let her guard down and let her thoughts arise freely, letting Black Hayate's closeness and affection help her calm down. She was concerned about her relationship with Edward and how to find an opportunity to tell Roy what she had discovered. The situation had become quite complicated in the military so she could not visualize any close possibility of speaking alone and safely with him to tell him that Edward was their son.

Also, although she had always been fond of the boy, now that she was aware that Edward was her son she could not stop her maternal instinct from tormenting her. She knew that Edward and Alphonse had learned to care for each other very well, but now hundreds of questions filled her mind, questions that she had previously believed to have no reason to ask, trusting that her son was safe with a loving family: Will he be all right?... Will he be eating properly?... Will he be warm enough?... When will I be able to see him?...

It was several nights like this, where she didn't even get a good night's sleep, but little by little Riza was adapting to her reality, managing to keep thoughts about Edward hidden as much as possible. However, when at last her mind had managed to calm down a bit, she found herself involved in a new disturbing experience.

Bradley worked diligently, although on some occasions he would leave last minute work or reports for Riza to attend to and subsequently bring to his residence to finalize with his signature. On one such occasion, at about 10 p.m., Riza arrived at the Führer's residence and was received in a friendly manner by the first lady of Amestris, since her husband was not at home. In that short conversation she shared with the sweet lady, Riza realized that she, like all the people of Amestris, was unaware of the true nature of the highest ranking man in the country. She could not help but feel a little sad for the lady, as she was very attentive, sincere and friendly.

As they exchanged words about the documents she was carrying, Riza suddenly felt a shiver run through her from head to toe, a kind of presence that made her activate all her sniper senses at the same time as her heart rate accelerated. Before she could find out more, Mrs. Bradley greeted her son, Selim, lightly scolding him for being out of bed at such an hour and introducing him to Riza as his father's personal assistant. Although she had been disturbed by what she had sensed behind his back, Riza, like the good soldier she was, did not allow her uneasiness to be easily noticeable and greeted normally the little boy who, at first glance, looked like a friendly and loving child to his parents.

Calm down, Riza, maybe it's just your nerves playing tricks on you. Riza thought, although a part of her could not quite believe it because her senses of what was going on around her had saved her life on more than one occasion.

After Selim was sent back to bed, Mrs. Bradley continued to talk about her son, letting Riza know that the boy was adopted but came from her husband's side of the family. At this mention, Riza's mind immediately began to recall the Colonel's words about Bradley having no family having been raised practically as a lab rat and that homunculi cannot reproduce. Again her heart skipped a beat.

Minutes later she said goodbye to Mrs. Bradley and headed for the exit of the large mansion through a long corridor that ran alongside a huge garden. Due to the hour, much of it was in darkness, being only slightly illuminated in some sections from the dim light of small lanterns placed along the corridor.

As soon as she was out of sight of Mrs. Bradley, Riza decided to pick up her pace a little. She had a bad feeling and it was tightening her chest, so she wanted to get away from that place as soon as possible. With every step she took, the more she felt she was getting closer to a hypothesis that she didn't want to accept as real.

Bradley has no blood relations and that feeling I felt minutes ago when that boy appeared behind me I had felt it before, it was with... No, it can't be possible... That boy is...

But before she even reached the middle of the huge hallway, she felt that unpleasant feeling again and immediately froze when she heard a voice.

"So you found me out." Said Selim Bradley, who was cornered in a section of the hallway behind Riza's back. "That's too bad. My mother sometimes talks too much."

Beads of sweat began to slide down Riza's forehead, however, she tried to regain her composure. She would not indulge that monster by showing him the fear and nervousness that were rising in her as a result of his worrisome presence.

"I sensed a menacing presence a few moments ago... something familiar. At first I couldn't remember where I felt it, but now that you are behind me I remember it clearly. I had this same feeling when the homunculus Gluttony was behind me." She paused slightly and asked determinedly. "Selim Bradley, what are you?"

Selim seemed unfazed by Riza's words, so he simply smiled. "Considering the circumstances, it is very brave of you to question my identity, Lieutenant Hawkeye. You had great judgment in not drawing your weapon, as you are not skilled enough to defeat me. Though I must tell you that I will not lay a finger on you as long as you keep quiet about this."

"How kind of you." Riza replied wryly, she was tense at the danger she was in facing this monster disguised as a child, but she knew that any information she could get would help her to know what they were really up against. "Are you a homunculus like Gluttony?... No... I feel a different sensation with you, different than I felt with Gluttony."

"Yes, it's true that Gluttony and I are the same in many ways, but I feel offended that you consider me within the same category as him."

Suddenly shadows with tenebrous eyes began to emerge from Selim. "I am the first homunculus. My name is Pride." Selim replied dropping his sweet and tender voice to give way to a more grim and distorted one, as the shadows around him gained the shape of hands reaching out in Riza's direction.

"The first homunculus... What do you mean by that?"

"Just what I said. Nothing more, nothing less. You really are brave, Lieutenant Hawkeye. You're planning to get all the information you can from me, aren't you? Impressive, why don't you join us?"

The shadows began to close in on Riza, slowly circling her wrist and left hand.

"You must be joking. What you're looking for are pawns not allies."

"Hmm, what a pity! So..."

Selim began to manipulate his shadows to tighten their fit on Riza's hand and wrist, at the same time as another small hand reached around her neck. Riza shuddered as she felt the pressure mostly on her neck.

Easy, Riza. It's just an empty threat so don't give it the pleasure of seeing you in fear. This monster is not going to stop you from continuing to fight to protect this country from these monsters. Especially when you have to protect Roy and Edward.

Suddenly, the shadow around Riza's neck slowly and menacingly approached her right cheek, until it slid over it to generate a slight cut.

Trying to maintain her composure, Riza replied firmly. "Your threats are useless. After all, what would you gain by killing me now?"

"You are absolutely right." Selim began to slowly retract his shadows. "But you know what will happen if you talk about this to anyone, don't you? If you do, Colonel Mustang and your other friends won't get away unscathed." The shadows disappeared the eyes they had and began to surround Selim enveloping him almost completely in darkness. "I will always be watching you from the shadows." And having said this, he disappeared.

When she felt that the shadows had moved away from her, Riza turned quickly to check if Selim had already retreated. She scanned her surroundings but couldn't see anything, so she finally allowed herself to let out the air she hadn't realized she was holding while observing her wrist, where the mark of Selim's shadow's strong grip had remained. She then carefully ran her fingers across her cheek discovering that it was bleeding slightly. With no more time to waste, she resumed her walk to her apartment, keeping her guard up the whole way. She always did, but now, with what she had just witnessed, she would not take any risk and contrary to what one would commonly do at night, she decided to transit through the streets with less illumination, always keeping her weapon at hand.

When she reached the door of her apartment, she felt a slight relief that vanished almost immediately when she opened the door and saw two fearsome eyes watching her carefully in the darkness, making her heart race again. Alarmed, she turned on the lights in her apartment to discover that there was no danger whatsoever since it was only her loyal four-legged friend. Sighing, she entered her home, closed the door and leaned against it, letting herself fall into a sitting position, her elbows placed on her knees and leaned her head on her hands, inhaling deeply to try to calm herself, as the words of the homunculus kept echoing in her head. I will forever be watching you from the shadows.

Hell, we really are facing monsters. The country is being manipulated by them. We are all in danger.

Seeing his mistress's uneasiness and injured hand, Black Hayate approached her squealing lightly to get her attention as he curled up next to her. Riza noticed this and stroked him gently.

"I'm fine." She replied in a low tone trying to reassure the little dog, but mostly to reassure herself.

Come on, Riza, it's going to be okay. You can't let yourself break. You can't let yourself be intimidated like that, not when there's still so much left to do.

Riza began repeating those words to herself like a mantra trying to reassure herself. Just as she was beginning to regain her composure, the phone rang, which upset her again and put her on guard. With some trepidation, she walked over to the table where the device was located and hesitantly picked up the receiver to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Good evening, Madame. The flowers you ordered are ready to be sent." A cheerful, carefree voice answered but unmistakable to her despite her vain attempt to disguise it. She knew Roy could become childish at times and, although she would never openly admit it in the near future, she had liked that side of him ever since she first met him. Unfortunately, at the moment she didn't feel in the mood to play along with his game or to answer him with a sly reply. Besides he shouldn't contact her because they would probably be watching them just as Selim had warned her. She had to protect him from that monster at all costs.

"I didn't order flowers."

"Okay, I'm sorry... I got drunk and bought too many flowers. I'd really appreciate it if you could help me by taking some." Roy replied in a normal tone, dropping his act.

Riza noticed that the colonel wasn't drunk as he claimed, which relieved her since he was still recovering from his injuries. Also, hearing him speak naturally, she was also relieved to know that he was okay and his voice in these uneasy moments was serving to reassure her. Without realizing it she let out an almost imperceptible sigh as she brought her free hand to her forehead.

Roy managed to hear Riza's sigh and her lack of response told him that something was wrong with her. "What's wrong?" he asked with a tone full of seriousness and concern.

The question brought Riza out of her thoughts but she couldn't articulate a response in time.

"What happened?" Roy insisted as he didn't receive an immediate answer, which was worrying him.

Riza, focus, you can't tell him anything, at least not at the moment. You have to keep him out of harm's way.

"Nothing, sir. It's nothing." She replied.

"Really? Are you sure?" he asked skeptically. He was sure something was wrong with her.

"Yes, sir. I am sure... About the flowers, I don't have a vase. Thank you for calling... Colonel." Riza tried to answer in the best neutral tone she could although she knew that wouldn't convince Roy, so as much as she wanted to keep hearing his voice and especially having him around, she immediately hung up the receiver so as not to let him ask any more questions. It was dangerous for the two of them to be communicating and now it was even more so with Selim watching them closely.

Black Hayate had stayed by her side the entire time since she had arrived at the apartment after sensing her owner's uneasiness. As soon as Riza hung up the phone, she sighed and heard her pet whine lightly to get her attention. She bent down and began to pet and cuddle him, while a faint smile graced her lips. "How come he has such good timing?" She asked the noble little dog.

For his part, Roy was too uneasy about the call he had just had with Riza. He was aware that it wasn't convenient for them to keep communicating directly these days so as not to expose the other, but he couldn't help but miss her too much. Not having her by his side day in and day out was weighing on him and not only in a professional sense, but also in a personal one. They had an unspoken agreement that they would not pursue anything romantic in order to focus on their goals for the country but sometimes it was hard not to give in to temptation. Since the day of Hughes' burial, they had begun to open cracks in the walls they had built for themselves by indulging in the occasional caress and kiss, but now, given their current circumstances, that wasn't convenient.

Riza, what's wrong with you? He asked himself in his mind as he continued to hold the earpiece in his hand. Although she tried to speak as neutrally as possible, Roy noticed that she was nervous and he would even go so far as to say slightly scared, which was extremely worrisome. Riza was a very strong and independent woman who didn't scare easily, so whatever had happened to her had to be something very delicate and, with recent events, he wouldn't be surprised if any of those monsters had something to do with it. Damn monsters, what did they do to you? Roy clenched his fist and teeth. If they dare to hurt you they will pay dearly.

Sighing heavily, Roy hung up the receiver and decided to return to his vehicle, which was jammed with flowers because of the information he had acquired through an informant of Olivier Armstrong.

I really need to know what's wrong with you. If those fuckers hurt you and you're badly hurt... He shook his head to get that horrible thought out of his mind. They wouldn't have to. They're not idiots enough to get rid of the only thing that would keep me in their hands and they'd better not... but I'm still pretty sure they did something to you and one way or another I'll find out. I can't let them hurt you because of me, you've suffered enough for me without continuing to pay for my foolishness.

With that determination in mind, he decided that he would find a way to find out about what was happening to Riza. As much as he wanted to run to her apartment to check on her, he had to refrain from doing so, opting instead to head to his aunt's bar to give the flowers to the girls.

---

The next day, Riza hid as best she could the marks Pride had made on her neck with her blouse, with her military jacket the ones on her wrists and, regarding the small cut on her cheek, she thought about putting on a band aid but opted not to because it would probably be more conspicuous.

Her day at the office continued as normal, although she had the impression that Bradley was aware of the courtesy his 'dear son' had given her although he didn't outwardly express it. When it was time for her meal, as she had been doing since her unit had been disbanded, she sat down at a completely unoccupied table in the Command mess hall to consume her food.

During her meal, she was thinking about what she would have to do from now on to guard against Pride's shadows. It frightened her to imagine that she could no longer have her privacy without that monster spying on her when she least expected it, but mostly she worried about the danger she posed to the colonel, to Edward and to her friends. She was so engrossed in her thoughts, that she had not noticed what was going on around her until someone was in front of her.

"Is this seat taken?" asked Roy Mustang, staring at her, carrying under his right arm some papers while with his left hand he held his tray with food. He knew that regularly at this time she took her meals when she didn't have a backlog of work because of him, and while he wished he could talk freely with her alone, he knew this was better than nothing.

As soon as Riza heard his voice, she was surprised and when she looked up she realized that it was indeed Roy who was in front of her. For a few seconds, their gazes met, immediately she could see in his gaze the silent questions he was directing at her. Are you all right? What happened to you? A few seconds later she purposely averted her gaze. Over the years they both knew how to convey many things just by looking into each other's eyes and with their body language. Riza could resort to that resource to try to tell him what had happened with Pride, but she was so disturbed that she was afraid of alerting Roy too much and that because of that the homunculus would make an attempt on the life of the black-haired man or Edward.

Focusing her gaze on her food, Riza finally responded. "No, go ahead."

Roy took a seat and began to eat as he worked through the documents. He had obviously noticed Riza's self-absorbed state, the way she averted her gaze from his and the wound on her cheek. Those fuckers did something to her to remind me of my place. I have to know exactly what happened so I can defend her. I won't stop until I know.

"You seem to be thinking about something Lieutenant, did something happen?" Roy began to question looking closely at Riza.

She continued to eat as if nothing happened even though she was fully aware of Roy's intentions.

"Nothing. How's work been?" she tried to deflect the subject.

Roy sighed internally as he realized the evasiveness Riza was giving him. "How do you think? I lost my best assistant and now I can't escape this crap even on my lunch hour, how's yours?"

"There are several things one must adjust to when starting a new assignment, but His Excellency does his job efficiently and that helps. He never sneaks off to evade his paperwork." Riza said hoping the slight indirect criticism was enough to divert Roy's attention from the talk she was sure he wanted to have with her.

Roy frowned. Regardless, she wouldn't leave him alone to remind him that he had to keep doing his paperwork.

"Something tells me I'm not going to like the direction this conversation is taking." He replied slightly grumpily then changed his tone to a more neutral one. "Why don't we go out and get something to eat one of these days?"

"Isn't that what we're doing right now, sir?"

"That's harsh." Roy snorted. "I'm going zero and two today."

"Zero and two?" she questioned.

"I ran into Major General Armstrong up north in the morning and she turned me down."

If he's mentioning this to me, it probably means that the Northern soldiers may join our cause to remove the homunculi from power. Riza thought.

"Again, Sir?" She played along to cover up the message the Colonel was really conveying to her.

"Yeah, still as cold as ever." Roy said in a defeated tone.

The two were silent for a few seconds. During that brief time, Riza was trying hard not to let the emotions be evident on her face. She had a desire to make Roy a participant regarding their son's discovery but they were in a place that was too exposed to outside ears. However, that didn't stop the worry about what happened with Edward and the guilt for not telling Roy anything from disappearing. Then there was the discovery of Selim Bradley's true nature. She was still afraid because of the threat the homunculus had made to her, so she was evaluating whether or not to tell the colonel what she had discovered. I have to, it is for his own safety and I have the utmost confidence that he will understand my message without the homunculi knowing. Making her decision, she took advantage of the fact that all the other diners were deeply involved in their meals and conversations to begin conveying her message to her companion. Returning her gaze to the front, she gently tapped the cup containing her tea twice against the metal tray to get Roy's attention.

"Speaking of the North..."

Hearing the first knock, Roy thought it was the normal noise of accidental clashing between utensils but perceiving the second and the chatter that was beginning, he immediately understood that she wanted to convey a coded message to him. It was an old code they had created in their adolescence when they lived in Riza's father's house, but where they really found it most useful was when they sent letters to each other during Roy's time at the academy, to prevent his father from noticing their long-distance relationship and thus seeing it as a simple conversation between friends. They weren't sure how his father would react, so they decided not to take any risks and use that code, which they continued to use sporadically on some missions.

Roy focused on the message Riza wanted to convey to him, so with a double tap of his pen against the papers in front of him, he indicated that he was attentive. He pretended that he was still working on his paperwork, while he ate and chatted pleasantly with Riza, when in reality he was writing down all the names she mentioned while trying to memorize them. Once the message was finished, Riza again tapped her cup and stood up to leave.

"Well, I have to get back to work. I'm sorry I have to leave you alone, sir."

"No problem." Roy replied, as he waved his left hand in farewell, not before glancing for a second at Riza, who did the same. Their gazes met in that brief instant and she conveyed a short and clear message to him 'I'm fine, please don't get in trouble' before disappearing from his field of vision.

'I won't, but I hate that you have to be the one who has to pay for my foolishness.' Roy thought before sighing and, seeing that he didn't have much time left of his lunch break, he hurried to grab his things to head to the restroom.

Obviously Roy hadn't expected to discover something so delicate in Riza's message, he knew it was serious but it would never have occurred to him that Bradley's supposed son was also a homunculus, he couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe it. What the hell are we dealing with? He blanched at the thought that the head of the country and his son were a pair of monsters who saw his people as inferior beings, as pawns they could use as they pleased. Oh, no. Riza is in grave danger. If she found this out, it's because she has to live with that pair of fucking monsters. They hurt her to silence her, so she wouldn't tell me anything. Roy clenched his jaw. That explains why she was so agitated yesterday when I called her on the phone. Don't worry, Riza, I'll deal with them when the time comes, but if they ever lay a finger on you again... He clenched his right fist. I'll make sure they don't forget that they shouldn't mess with you.

---

A couple of days later, Riza was doing her paperwork when it was time to prepare and serve King Bradley his tea. She was quietly going about her task as she only exchanged words with the Führer for what was strictly necessary, but this time the homunculus had other plans in mind. Bradley began to ask her about her opinion as a human of how she felt about the leader of this country and his son being homunculi, which she answered as truthfully as possible being careful not to sound offensive. As much as Bradley bragged about being a homunculus and how he would not stop belittling humans, she was surprised by the manner and tone he used when he proudly mentioned that he had chosen his wife. Could it be possible that this monster has feelings for his wife? But before Riza could delve into those thoughts, Bradley pulled her completely out of her train of thought.

"Mmm perfect as always, Lieutenant." Bradley said as he delicately picked up his cup of tea and glanced discreetly at Riza, who was arranging the teapot and other utensils on an elegant tray. "By the way, Lieutenant, did you hear about the events at Baschool?"

Without stopping her task, she shook her head. "No, sir."

"Oh, I thought perhaps you were informed since one of your former colleagues recently moved up North."

Moved, yes, of course. Riza thought wryly.

"And not to mention that the Fullmetal alchemist and his brother went to the North as well."

"My apologies, your Excellency, but both Lieutenant Falman and all the rest of us are busy adjusting to our new posts. As for the Elric brothers, they have always been that way, they do not report in until report due date." Rize replied in a neutral tone. She knew Bradley wanted to find out if the members of the old Mustang unit were still keeping in touch and she wasn't going to indulge him in getting the information he was hoping for.

Bradley placed his mug on the desk. "Oh, I see. So, I guess you didn't hear that there was an accident, where a mine collapsed and at least three men are missing." He paused slightly and focused his gaze on Riza. "One of them is the Fullmetal alchemist."

Hearing the information, Riza's heart stopped and her hands shook slightly for a second, despite her attempts to maintain her composure to keep Bradley from noticing. Edward.

The day before Riza had started to feel uneasy out of nowhere and she didn't understand exactly why. It was like a feeling, something tightening in her chest, but with Bradley's statement, it all made sense now. Could it be possible that something bad had happened to Edward and she felt it now that she knew he was her son? It can't be possible. Edward is a boy who loves to get into trouble but knows how to take care of himself very well. Surely he's fine or, what's more, maybe this information is false. Yes, that must be it.

"I don't think that's possible, Sir. Edward is a very skilled alchemist. Knowing what he's like and the extreme weather in the North, he probably took shelter somewhere and hasn't reported to command." Riza replied calmly, trying to recover from her initial shock.

The Führer looked at her for a few more seconds before laughing lightly. "You're right, Lieutenant, that clueless boy probably forgot to report back."

Riza only nodded her head as she picked up the empty cup used by Bradley. "Can I get you anything else, sir?"

"No, that will be all. Thank you, Lieutenant. You are dismissed."

She gave a slight bow and left the office to head for her desk, while Bradley stealthily followed her with his gaze and smirked.

Once Riza left the office, her thoughts began to overwhelm her. I have to confirm this information with Falman. It's probably a mistake but I won't be calm until I know what happened.

Later, she was able to communicate with Falman after they both validated their respective codes they had previously created in the unit for their missions.

"Hi, Vanessa! How's your vacation going?" began Riza from a phone booth that was located in a high traffic area hoping that, being a place frequently visited by the city's inhabitants Selim wouldn't feel the need to spy on her in a situation that could probably be categorized exclusively as personal matters. Either way, in that case it was more likely that the homunculi would prefer to tap the call so she spoke in a different tone of voice hoping to throw them off.

"How are you, Elizabeth? How nice to hear from you!" replied Falman, who surprisingly had been able to make his voice quite high pitched making him pass easily for a woman. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, you know dealing with the usual customers. And how are you? I hear there have been quite a few tourists in the Northside lately."

"You're telling me. I can't always walk around as much as I'd like because everything is so crowded. It may not stay that way for long, though. Recently there were explosions in an old abandoned mining town around here. I don't remember its name, but that seems to be causing some of the tourists to leave here for fear that there's something strange going on around here."

Despite not being all that familiar with the North (she barely knew some of the geography surrounding Rivière and North City), Falman's description was enough for Riza to realize he was referring to Baschool. Apparently, not everything Bradley had told her was a lie.

Placing a fist above her chest as her heart raced, Riza tried to keep her conversation 'casual'. "Well, I guess you'll have more of a chance to explore the surroundings this way, friend. I mean, this way you won't have to worry about all the restaurants and stores being crowded."

"Yes, indeed, although I'm afraid I'm not entirely happy about it. You see, a few days ago I was reunited with the daughters of a family friend. I was looking forward to being able to chat more with them but..." Falman's pause caused uncertainty to grow inside Riza. "They left suddenly. It seems that the incident in that village discouraged them from extending their stay. Especially the older one. The younger one just sent me a postcard to say goodbye but I got the impression that this time she would not travel together with her sister."

Riza knew how to interpret Falman's message, realizing that Edward's disappearance was true. She froze momentarily and her hands began to sweat. My son... what if he's badly hurt or worse what if he's...? No, he can't be, he has to be okay. He's a very smart boy and if he's survived a human transmutation, he can't let himself be killed by something simpler, right?

"Elizabeth, are you still there, dear?"

Riza inhaled deeply before answering. "Yes, I'm here, sorry. It's a shame your friend's daughters had to leave so suddenly." Unconsciously her tone became softer as her only way as she could not openly express her concern. "I hope you can see them again soon."

"Yes, I hope so. Besides, they have my number, so I don't think it won't take them long to give me a call. Surely the older one, curious as she is, decided to explore the surrounding area on her own before joining her sister. She's a very independent young lady so I wouldn't be surprised if she took some liberties." Falman cleared his throat to continue to maintain his tone of voice. "With how well she gets along with her sister, I don't think it won't be long before they get together."

Trying to cling to Falman's words that all would be well, Riza replied. "You are so right, my friend. I only hope that with the incident they won't have any inconvenience traveling."

"So do I. You haven't heard from the other girls?"

"Not much, really. With how much they love to travel and with wars everywhere, it's made communicating with them complicated. You don't know how much I miss gossiping with them."

Falman couldn't help but smile slightly. He knew the Lieutenant was carrying out her role just as he was, but he couldn't help but be surprised as her impersonation was almost opposite to the way she usually behaved.

"Oh, that's too bad. I'm just the same way." Riza noticed how Falman had to move the device away from his mouth for a few seconds before speaking again. "Excuse me, but I have to leave you I have some business to attend to before my train leaves for my next destination."

"No worries. It was nice to say hello to you. Take care of yourself."

"You too, Elizabeth, see you soon."

And with that they ended the communication. Riza was very worried to know that Edward was missing but, in a way, Falman's words made sense to her rational part. Besides, unfortunately, as much as she wanted to go north at that very moment to try to find Edward, she couldn't do much given her current situation and instead of helping she might endanger more people.

Resigned, she shook her head to focus. He's fine, Riza. He's a strong boy. He won't let himself be defeated so easily. With that thought in mind, she decided not to torture herself any more for the time being. It wouldn't be easy to shake off the feeling of worry and fear that her maternal instinct was causing her to be unsure of her son's whereabouts, but she would have to have faith that everything would work out in the end.

---

A few weeks later, Rebeca visited Riza at Central, which filled her with joy because since her move to Central, Riza had not had a chance to visit her dear friend and had spoken to her very little.

"Friend, please, you should already catch an attractive and rich gentleman so you don't have to work anymore and by the way find out if he has siblings or friends that you can introduce me to." Rebeca said jokingly as the two enjoyed a coffee in a small coffee shop.

Riza smiled slightly. "You never change, Becky."

Rebeca returned the smile. "You know me, I'm not giving up, since back East I haven't managed to get a good match. Maybe now that you're at Central you can introduce me to some good suitors."

"Sorry to disappoint you but I haven't met anyone."

"Oh come on, Riza, you haven't met anyone or you haven't wanted to meet anyone?"

"And how can I if I don't have time?"

Rebeca snorted. "You're not fooling me, time is not a pretext. First you were Mustang's assistant and now the Führer himself, how do you do it?"

Riza arched an eyebrow. "What are you implying?"

"I'm... nothing. I'm just tallying up your latest bosses." Rebeca replied with an amused tone.

Riza couldn't help herself any longer and reached over to give her a gentle punch on the arm playfully as the two laughed. They both knew that given the current circumstances, a little humor wouldn't hurt at all plus Riza really missed her friend's witticisms.

"Hey, Riza, I think now would be the perfect time for you to get yourself a boyfriend, so maybe you can get yourself out from under the extreme surveillance of you-know-who. It would be the last straw if you didn't even have enough privacy to have a few kisses with a beau." Rebeca said in a low tone of voice, so that only Riza could hear her.

Riza sighed. "Like I told you, I don't have time for a relationship..."

"And especially if it's not about Flamy, right?" Rebeca interrupted her, using an amused tone as she wiggled her eyebrows to emphasize her words.

"Flamy?" Riza asked incredulously at her friend's witticisms.

Rebeca laughed, "Come on, you know who I mean."

Riza laughed lightly as she shook her head from side to side. She really had heard a lot of nicknames over all those years, but she had never heard that one to refer to Roy. "You're hopeless, Becky."

"Oh, come on, you have to admit it's a clever nickname. But back to our main topic, Riza you're young, beautiful and with a big heart, I'm absolutely sure if you set your mind to it you'd have a whole troop of men after you." Rebeca lowered her tone of voice again and continued more seriously. "Besides, it's been years since your last relationship. I've told you before and I'll tell you again because I care about you: he's not going to quit his job and I see you're not either, not to mention that that good-for-nothing jerk has turned the page on his life and has become an inveterate womanizer. Riza, I want to see you happy." As she said her last words she placed her hand over Riza's and squeezed it lightly in support.

Riza knew that Rebeca sincerely wanted her to be happy and she understood her contempt against Roy, since her friend did not know the truth behind Roy's reputation as a womanizer and as much as she wished she could enlighten her on that, she could not.

"Thank you, Rebeca. But I'm really fine like this. Besides I'm not alone, I have Black Hayate with me." At the sound of her name and as if he understood the conversation, the little shiba inu lying under the table barked, which made the girls giggle. "And for your information, I'm not looking for a relationship with... how did you call him? Ah Flamy."

"That's what you say but I'm sure your heart says otherwise despite all these years and my insistence."

"Even if it did, there can't be anything serious between him and me or with anyone else, because I simply don't deserve to be happy."

"Of course you do. Regardless of what you were forced to do in that horrible war you've gone ahead doing everything you can to make amends for your mistakes. So enough of torturing yourself so much."

Riza thought about Rebeca's words for a moment and couldn't help but imagine Edward and Roy by her side, and even Al, whom she had grown fond of over the years as she had Edward before she learned his identity. She really wanted to tell her friend that she had found her son, but she knew it wasn't the time, so she had to resist the temptation.

"Thank you for always supporting me, but now is not the time to pursue my happiness. There are a lot of things to do but maybe when this is all over we'll see." Riza replied offering a sincere smile to her friend.

Rebeca sighed. "That's what I wish, friend, that someday you will find that happiness and joy that you deserve so much even if you deny it."

The two friends continued to enjoy their drinks and conversation until it was time for Rebeca to leave to return to the East, but not before leaving her a message hidden in Black Hayate's collar, which Riza took care to pass on to Havoc so it could reach Roy, who was hiding in the blond's room. Riza could tell he was there by the scent of his cologne and, although she wanted to see him, she pretended not to know he was there because she wanted to avoid giving Bradley and company tools they could use against the two of them.

---

A month before the date marked as the Promised Day, Riza met with Madame Christmas at her establishment to exchange information and details about the coup they had been planning. During these last months, she continued to work diligently under Bradley's watch, occasionally getting the odd sighting of Roy in the quarters. Since it was dangerous for the two to meet to exchange information, they relied on their friends in the unit and on informants from Roy and Madame Christmas. Riza had had contact with Chris Mustang via telephone and coded letters using her alias of Elizabeth. On this occasion, it was the first time she would meet her in person, as the final details of the plan they were orchestrating required it and since it was too dangerous for Roy himself to do so, the task had been entrusted to her mother.

In order not to expose herself unnecessarily by going to the meeting, Riza took advantage of the ability she had detected that her little shiba inu had to detect the presence of homunculi. Thanks to that, she could tell that as the Promised Day approached, her after-hours vigilance had been diminished. Bringing her faithful friend along, Riza entered Madame's bar through the back door to be greeted by one of the girls who worked there who greeted her effusively and led her into an office where Chris was smoking a cigarette.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Elizabeth." Chris Mustang mentioned as she stood up, stubbed out her cigarette and extended her hand to Riza.

"The pleasure is all mine, Madame." Riza replied as she took her hand.

"Please have a seat." Chris said motioning with her hand toward the chairs in front of the desk.

Riza nodded in thanks as she sat down.

"Well then, let's take advantage of all the time we can. Let's get down to business."

Madame began to share with her all the information Roy had asked her to investigate, receiving during the talk some observations from Riza, which she would pass on to him later.

At the beginning of the conversation, Riza was a little nervous about dealing in person with the woman who was practically Roy's mother. She wasn't so sure how much the woman in front of her would know about what had happened between her son and her, and, if she did know, Madame gave no clue about it. However, as their conversation progressed, Riza became more comfortable conversing and exchanging ideas with Chris, so much so that, before long, Riza realized that Roy's mother was a very intelligent, astute, strong and capable person, so now she knew where Roy had learned those qualities she had always admired.

Once they finished their conversation concerning the plans for the coup, Madame decided to take the opportunity to get to know Riza better.

"Elizabeth, if you don't mind I'd like to ask you a few personal questions."

Riza tensed slightly at the request, but knew that sooner or later the subject would come up. "Okay. Go ahead."

Madame took a sip of her drink before continuing. "Roy-Boy told me some time ago what had happened between you two."

Riza, inwardly, couldn't help but smile at the affectionate way Madame was referring to her son who was by no means a little boy anymore but, despite Chris showing a certain hardness on the outside, she could perfectly understand how much she loved her boy and that no matter how old he was, to her he would always be her little boy, just as she herself couldn't help but think of Edward in the same way.

Riza took a sip of the tea Madame had offered her. "How much did he tell you?"

"Enough to learn how deep your feelings are for my boy and for... my grandson." She whispered at last.

Riza was surprised to hear those words. She didn't know exactly what to expect from Roy's mother but she definitely wasn't expecting that statement. Besides, from her words and the way she looked at her, Riza had the impression that Madame must have been aware of the decisions she had to make to protect Roy and her son.

Riza bit her lower lip before responding. "I... I'm so sorry I had to hurt Roy like that... but at the time it was the only way I could think of to protect them." She said with a sincere tone as she looked Chris in the eye.

Chris could see in her gaze her sincerity and great pain, the same pain she had seen in her boy's eyes the night he had confessed her grandson's existence to her. Chris reached out to stroke Riza's arm as a gesture of comfort.

"I understand everything that happened. As I told you, from your actions and the look on your face I can see how much you loved my boy and that you still do, as he still loves you." Madame replied quietly as she cracked a small smile. "I only hope my boy didn't get naughty with you, because if he did I will see to it that I remind him that I didn't raise a scoundrel."

Riza smiled, "No, not at all. He's always been a gentleman to me, he's never done anything to hurt me. You did an excellent job raising him."

Madame laughed. "I'm glad, though I wish I had done a better job so he wouldn't have been such an idiot as to let you go." She said with a slightly sad tone.

"It wasn't your fault. It was actually all my doing. Unfortunately I didn't make the best decisions at the time and not only hurt myself, but also the two most important people in my life."

Madame shook her head. "I think there were many variables that influenced what happened but that doesn't matter now. What matters is what is coming and what you are going to do after it. I am convinced that he has never been able to get you out of his heart and from what I can see neither have you. Maybe when this whole nightmare is over, you can give yourselves a chance to resume your relationship. I understand there are the restrictions of the military but I'm sure you two are more than capable of finding a way to get your way." She smiled slightly. "I think Roy-Boy would love it."

Riza returned the smile. "I would love too, but I don't know yet what the future holds. As you said, I still love your son and I'm sure I can never stop. He has been the only person who has accepted me for who I am, with my virtues and flaws." She inhaled deeply and tightened her grip on the cup she held to speak with a serious tone. "But as much as I want to enjoy his company, I can't but forget my involvement in the war, I can't forget the irreparable damage and pain I caused. It wouldn't be fair for me to be happy when I took all that happiness away from so many people... when I even took it away from my own flesh and blood and the man I have loved with all my heart."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I understand what you have gone through and what you have sacrificed for the welfare of my son, my grandson and the people of Amestris. You and he have suffered too much, so I wish you will soon stop tormenting yourselves with the past. You do not have to give up your own happiness while fighting for the betterment of the country. I'm absolutely sure that my Roy-Boy won't be able to find a better woman than you and moreover one who will put up with him as much as you, because I know perfectly well how troublesome he can be." She mentioned this last with a slight chuckle which was passed on to Riza.

"Thank you for your vote of confidence, Madame. Perhaps later we will reconsider."

"I hope so. But please, my dear, we are in confidence so you can call me Chris, after all you are practically my daughter-in-law, nothing more is needed to make it official."

Riza blushed slightly at Chris' words but couldn't help but smile and feel glad to know that despite not having dealt with the lady before, she already considered her as part of her family.

"Thank you very much Ma..." Chris raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "Uh, I mean, thank you very much, Chris. But in that case I'd also like you to call me Riza."

Chris relaxed her posture and smiled. "Fair enough, Riza." She took another sip of her drink and changed her countenance to a serious one. "Riza... when I first learned of your son's existence I offered Roy my help in finding the little boy with my intelligence network. He refused saying it was better to keep things that way so as not to disrupt the boy's life and when I asked him if you would feel the same way, he said yes. Now that I have the opportunity to meet you in person and see with my own eyes that you are a good person, I want to know your opinion on the matter. He is well within his rights not to interfere in the boy's life just as you have the right to make your own decision. I am aware that at this point my grandson is no longer a little boy, he is quite a young man, but if you wish to know about him I am in the best disposition to help you once this whole mess is over."

Riza couldn't help but crack a slight smile. Madame Christmas was definitely exceeding her expectations by far. Although she knew that she and Roy didn't have a romantic relationship as such, she couldn't help but think of Chris Mustang as her mother-in-law, so, before the meeting, she couldn't help but think that maybe she could be like those dreaded mothers-in-law she had heard about. But she was very wrong. Despite the circumstances, she was amazed at how Chris accepted her as part of her family and even offered to help her find her son behind Roy's back. At that very moment, she was tempted to tell her that she had already found her son, but she knew it wasn't the time and that Roy deserved to know first. She had made that mistake once before and didn't want to make it again.

"I really appreciate it, I really do, but as Roy mentioned to you, I wouldn't want to interfere in our son's life. Maybe later." Riza opted to give the answer she would have given if she didn't know Edward was her son.

Chris nodded. " Okay. I respect both of your decision and I won't push that issue."

After a few more minutes of conversation, Riza stood up and began to give her thanks and farewell to Chris.

"It was quite a pleasure, Chris. Thank you so much for everything." Riza stated with much sincerity.

"The pleasure was all mine, Riza. I'm sorry we had to wait so many years to meet in person. You don't know how much I wanted to, especially when my dumbass of a boy kept talking about you whenever he deigned to come visit me when he was studying with your father." Chris said laughing at the last sentence.

Riza smiled and started for the door.

"Riza." Chris called out to her and she stopped and looked at her.

"Yes?" Riza asked.

"I know that what's coming is extremely dangerous and I'm sure my boy will do everything in his power to protect you and he'd better do it... but I also know that sometimes he can get carried away with his own emotions and to be honest, that worries me because since his friend Hughes passed away, the few times I've seen him I've felt him differently." At this mention Riza tensed a little, because she had felt it too. "So please, I want to ask you to protect him again too."

Riza knew perfectly well what Chris was referring to. She meant for her to protect him from himself. She didn't need to ask her but she understood her feelings perfectly. It was totally understandable as it was a concern born from a mother's heart. Now that she had found her son, she understood even more.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to let anything happen to him." Riza replied with determination. "I'm still his bodyguard after all." She said lightly joking.

"Thank you, Riza. You two better come back in one piece." Chris warned.

Riza smiled. "We will."

---

A week before the date stipulated for the Promised Day, Riza arranged to meet Roy at a warehouse located on the outskirts of the city, which they had used on previous occasions for covert missions. As the date approached, she could tell that the extreme vigilance by both Pride and Bradley himself had become virtually non-existent. So she and Roy decided that they could meet in person to finalize the last details.

It was a Saturday evening when the two met. Riza was accompanied by Black Hayate and, upon arriving at the place, discovered that Roy was already there, sitting on a sand sack and using a huge wooden box as a table while reviewing several papers that were scattered around. They were both wearing their civilian clothes so as not to attract too much attention during their journey to this place. As soon as she saw him wearing one of his fancy suits, Riza couldn't stop her heart from pounding intensely. She had always known that Roy Mustang was a very attractive young man and, despite the years, he still was.

She was silent as she entered the building, but Roy had a sixth sense when it came to her, so much so that as soon as Riza began to approach him, Roy turned his head to meet her gaze. They both smiled. In their gazes were conveyed a million words that could only be understood by them. Relief, joy, concern, anxiety... love.

"It's good to see you, Lieutenant." Roy broke the silence without removing his gaze as he stood up and shook out his pants trying to smooth out the non-existent wrinkles.

"Same here, Colonel." She didn't withdraw her gaze either as she approached him. "I must admit I'm surprised you got here before me."

Roy realized she meant to tease him. At this, his smile widened. He seriously missed this. "May I remind you that I am very punctual when it comes to a date with a beautiful lady."

She shook her head from side to side. As cocky and flirtatious as it sounded, he was right. On the few dates they'd had years ago, he was very punctual. "I'm flattered, but I'm afraid I must inform you that this is a business appointment, sir." She paused slightly. "I hope that by now, you are devoting yourself with this much enthusiasm to your paperwork and meetings."

Roy simply laughed. It had been too long since he had done it naturally, without having to do it to make himself look good to the corrupt generals at Central. Besides, it had been months since he'd felt like he did in those moments because he hadn't had the most important piece on his board by his side. His queen.

Roy ran a hand through his hair. " Gee, Lieutenant, you'll never let me slack off, will you?"

"That's right, Sir."

At that moment, the little shiba inu barked as if voicing his opinion on the matter while making his presence known, which made the two adults laugh. Roy walked over to Riza's faithful friend and bent down to pet him.

"Hey, buddy, how are you? Thanks so much for taking care of her for me."

Black Hayate energetically wagged his tail and barked again in response, then moved a little away from them to stand guard at the entrance of the place, just as his owner had taught him to do. Riza watched in delight the whole scene between her puppy and the colonel. She had really missed being able to see that side of Roy and, most of all, she had missed being able to have a conversation with him.

"Sir, how's your wound holding up?" Riza knew it had been a few months now, but she couldn't help but remain concerned all this time knowing how impulsive and careless that man could be.

Roy smiled. He was glad to know that she still cared about him. He knew she did but it still didn't fail to give him joy that she let him know it.

He walked over to her. "I'm fully recovered, so there's nothing to worry about."

"You sure? Knowing you, maybe you didn't follow the doctor's orders." She said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I followed them to the letter, I had to be more careful with myself because I didn't have my fabulous bodyguard by my side." He took another step towards her, coming within inches of her, meeting her gaze. "But mostly because I had to pull myself together so I could protect the people I care about." He exchanged his sincere smile for a mischievous one. "But if you don't believe me, you're welcome to inspect the wound for yourself."

Riza knew it was not appropriate to be so close to him as, despite being alone, there was a latent danger that they could be discovered. However, she had no desire to move away, not when they had been months apart having to settle for small glimpses when they crossed paths.

"Sir, you know that would be highly inappropriate. So I'll believe your word." She said feigning anger.

Roy sighed. "That's too bad..." He lowered his voice as he looked at Riza softly. "I missed you so much."

She too softened her features. "I missed you too, Sir."

"Oh, come on, we're alone. Can we at least drop the formalities for a moment, please?" Roy said, slightly annoyed.

"You know we shouldn't let our guard down, Sir." Riza said in a neutral tone.

"The homunculi, like us, must be very busy with their plans. That's why they've left their minions to keep an eye on us, which is very helpful because they're easier to outwit."

Riza sighed. "You're hopeless."

"You know me." He smiled at her again before shifting to a more serious expression. "Tell me, did those scoundrels attack you again?"

She shook her head. "Don't worry, other than continued surveillance no such incidents have occurred."

He raised an eyebrow, incredulous . "Are you sure? I let the Selim thing go because I understood that's what you wanted and it was the most appropriate thing to do at the time, even though what I wanted to do was to go and scorch that brat."

She smiled slightly. "I'm glad you understood my message and didn't follow your impulses. I assure you I haven't had any other altercations."

Roy folded his arms to keep his hands from going elsewhere as he sighed. "I'm really sorry I got you into this whole mess."

"You don't have to apologize. I was the one who decided to go down this path."

"You know I'll never stop feeling guilty for dragging you into this."

"And you also know that no one makes my decisions." She sighed. "Now is not the time for this, let's use the time to go over next week's plan." Riza mentioned, as she slowly walked over to the table and began to arrange the papers she brought with her and the ones Roy had left strewn on the surface.

Roy ducked his head and followed her. "Okay, did Vanessa, Braidykins and Kate confirm their involvement?"

She nodded. "Yes, Braidykins and Kate will meet me at the agreed upon point the night, prior to meeting you. Vanessa will arrive at the party with her friends."

Roy nodded. "Perfect. Now let me show you everything else."

The next hour was spent going over the papers they had brought, sharing conversations they had had with their allies among other things. Once they finished the technical review of their plan, they chatted about a few contingency plans. When they finished, they began to chat about more trivial things enjoying each other's company. At that point, Riza felt the need to tell Roy what she had discovered a few months ago, she had long been dying to tell him but they hadn't had a chance to talk alone and, from what she could tell from Black Hayate's behavior, it appeared that they would not be interrupted by unwanted visitors.

Just as Riza was thinking about how she should begin her recounting of what had happened with Edward, she was pulled out of her thoughts by the colonel's voice.

"Once this is all over, I'll get you and the others back." Roy said decisively as he stood up and walked to a stop in the middle of the place.

Taking those moments as extra time of calm before she had to reveal what she knew about their son, she mimicked him by stopping a couple of steps behind him. "Not only that, you'll also achieve what you've been striving for all these years: you'll become Führer."

"True, as long as Armstrong doesn't decide to start a fight over it."

"We'll see, but I think she's more at home in the North."

He nodded and was silent. He was pensive and Riza knew it.

Taking advantage of the brief silence, Riza decided to bring out what she had been keeping to herself for all these months. "Uh... Roy? There's something that-" She started to say quietly before she was suddenly interrupted.

"Besides, I'll most likely find out the identity of the asshole who took Hughes' life that day." Roy said with an aggressive tone, full of hate and pain while clenching his fists. His entire posture became tense as did his jaw.

Riza was a few steps behind him so she couldn't see his face, but she was sure that the emotions that were seizing Roy at that moment were hate, anger, pain... and a huge desire for revenge. She was terrified to see that in him, especially since she had felt it the night of Hughes' funeral and when Barry had been questioned. She couldn't let her emotions consume him, not a man who had sacrificed so much to redeem himself and bring a better future for his country, not the idealistic boy she fell madly in love with, not the father of her child, not him, not Roy Mustang. It was her duty to keep him on the right path. She had to keep him from self-destructing.

"Remember, we will do justice, not revenge." Riza said in a soft voice, trying to reassure him.

He tensed even more. "The wretch who did this doesn't deserve justice, he deserves hell itself and if it's in my power, I'll give it to him."

Riza shuddered at the venom filled words she heard from him. She took a deep breath and slowly moved closer. She placed her hand on his right arm and squeezed it lightly, which made Roy shudder a little.

"Even if he deserves it, we are no one to decide his fate. We were wrong once and you know perfectly well how it all ended." She paused slightly. "That's why we set out on this path, to avoid further suffering for others. You are a good man with a good heart. Don't let those kinds of negative feelings take over your heart or cloud your judgment. Please don't walk away from the path... you promised you would always come back to me, Roy... don't forget that promise."

Roy inhaled and exhaled heavily as he closed his eyes. He knew. He remembered. She would never let him sink that low. That's why Riza made him promise that night that he wouldn't let those feelings guide him and that he would always come back to her side. He was a little drunk, but he remembered it perfectly. Besides, he couldn't forget that he himself made her promise many years ago to shoot him if he went out of his way.

Gradually he relaxed. He placed his left hand on her hand that was still clinging to his arm and with his thumb began to stroke it gently. After a few seconds, he turned to face her, opened his eyes and watched her carefully. Just as on that night, he could notice the worry, pain and sadness in her gaze, all inflicted on her again by him. Without a second thought, he released her hand and drew her to his chest, clasping her tightly, burying his face in her blonde hair.

"I'm sorry, I'm an idiot... I'm making you suffer again." Roy whispered against her hair. Whenever he saw that expression on Riza he wished he could shake off the thirst for revenge that had been awakened the day of Hughes' death. He really wanted to, but Hughes... Trying not to delve into those thoughts at the moment, he opted to squeeze his eyes shut and inhale deeply to fill himself with Riza's essence.

Riza was surprised at first, but then returned the embrace, squeezing Roy with all her might.

"Don't worry, you're my idiot after all, right?" Riza joked, trying to lighten the heavy mood that had set in.

He laughed lightly and nodded. "Only yours, you can be sure of that."

She nodded and buried her face in his strong chest. She allowed herself that moment of weakness to enjoy Roy's closeness, his comfort, his warmth and his scent. It surprised her that despite all these years he still wore the same cologne he had worn since he was her father's apprentice, but still, with or without the cologne, she could identify his natural scent. For his part, he too allowed himself to enjoy the moment. It all felt as familiar to him as if they were still at his father's house when they were dating. He hugged her tighter wishing to prolong the moment as long as possible.

They stayed that way for several minutes until Roy decided to pull away a little to look at her face softening his gaze as he met hers.

"Riza... you said you wanted to tell me something."

Riza tensed slightly. She wished she could share the news with him, tell him that Edward Elric was the son they had both believed they could never see again, that in these past years they had been close to him without knowing it. As much as she wished to do so, after what had happened, she felt it best to wait. With the amount of emotions that were fluttering around Roy at the moment, she wasn't sure how he would react and the last thing she wanted was to break his concentration. She couldn't let him do that. The battle ahead would require his total focus to emerge victorious and alive.

Riza raised her gaze to meet his and with her right hand began to gently caress Roy's cheek. At the contact, he closed his eyes for a few seconds and rejoiced at the touch.

"It's something I want to share with you once this is all over..." Riza began to say softly as Roy opened his eyes to meet her gaze again. "So please don't die."

Roy placed his left hand on top of Riza's which rested on his cheek. They both knew that the upcoming battle would be extremely dangerous but they would do everything in their power to protect the other and as many people as they could. Still, Roy could see the concern in her gaze.

"You know I can't promise that... " He gently squeezed Riza's hand. "But as I've told you before, I promise to fight to the end to protect you and everyone I can and do my best to get out alive." He smiled slightly. "Besides, I don't plan to die until the country is a safer place for our son. That's not to mention that the position of Fuhrer will be waiting for me sooner or later." Roy looked at her intently. "You also have to promise me to fight for your life." He told her this in a more serious tone.

At the mention of her son, Riza hid her face in Roy's chest. She knew that if he kept looking into her eyes he would discover the guilt and worry she was feeling right now. In a soft voice, she replied. "Fair enough, as long as you do the same."

He smiled. "Then we have a deal. Now, getting back to that subject, couldn't you give me a head start on what you want to tell me by then?"

She shook her head still not taking her face off his chest. "I think I'd better save it for last. You can consider it a reward for all your effort. I still don't know what your first reaction will be, but I'm absolutely sure you'll be glad to know it in the end."

"Can't I change your mind?"

Riza again shook her head as she turned her face away from Roy's chest, earning a pout from him for her response.

The black-haired man sighed. "I guess I have no choice but to wait."

"That's right." She affirmed, pulling her hand away from his hand and off his cheek to hug him again, clinging tightly. We have to survive and to do that you have to be 100% focused on this, it's the best thing right now. Once we get through this, I will tell you about our son and I really hope that by then Edward will have made up his mind about whether he wants us to be involved in his life or not.

Roy returned Riza's embrace with the same strength, breathing calmly as he felt totally at peace by her side, as he had always been. With these months apart, he had realized how much he missed her and would definitely not allow them to spend any more time apart once they were done with the Promised day.

---

The eve of the Promised Day arrived. As had been arranged, Roy met up with Madame Christmas to finish exchanging information at her bar before blowing it up. As they said goodbye, Roy couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic as he listened to his mother talk to him as if he was still a child. What Roy didn't know was that, as he started on his way, Madame squeezed tightly two envelopes that had been delivered to her a couple of days earlier with Riza's handwriting on each one.

Roy watched his mother's distant back for a few moments before inhaling deeply and then grabbing his suitcase containing his uniform to set off on the path that would take him to meet his unit.

When he arrived at the agreed upon point, he cracked a slight smile at the sight of Breda and Fuery after so long, but his smile widened when he saw Riza. Despite seeing her last week, he couldn't help but miss her after being used to seeing her daily for years.

After the respective greetings, Riza asked him for his orders for this mission, to which he simply gave them one: don't die, which the three soldiers including Black Hayate answered in unison with a Yes, Sir and a bark from the canine member.

"Breda, Fuery, get everything ready before you leave and do a perimeter check while I go over a few last details with the Lieutenant." Roy said.

"Yes, sir." Breda and Fuery replied.

"Black Hayate, escort Sergeant Major Fuery." Riza turned to her pet to which her pet responded with a bark.

Once they were alone, Roy approached her and pulled her to him in a tight hug, surprising Riza.

"Sir, but what are you doing? This is highly inappropriate." She said trying to stick to her professional role to attempt to wriggle out of his grip.

"I missed you." Roy murmured in her ear, which made her flinch slightly.

"Sir, it hasn't been long since we've seen each other and I think this..."

"Riza, just for these few moments let's drop the formalities, please."

She sighed and reciprocated the embrace, holding each other close for a few minutes before separating slightly to meet the other's gaze. Roy looked at her tenderly and devotedly, and even Riza could have sworn he looked at her as he did when they were dating, with much love. She knew that the feeling was still latent on both of their parts, but a part of her still felt that he still hadn't completely forgiven her for what had happened with their son and even her mind occasionally reminded her that she didn't deserve Roy's love for all the suffering she had caused him with her lies. However, in those moments, Roy's gaze made her see that all that had been forgiven on his part and that all he wanted in those moments was to convey to her all his feelings of love. Moreover, if she still had any doubt as to what his gaze wanted to convey to her, it was completely dispelled when Roy's hand gently cupped her cheek to caress it. Then he slowly leaned down until he caught her lips with his, kissing her tenderly and gently. She froze at first from the emotions that swept over her, but immediately recovered and reciprocated the kiss with the same affection.

When the two parted slightly for air, they looked at each other intently and both softened their features, giving each other a sincere smile. He was still caressing her cheek and with his arm around her he pulled her as close to him as he could.

"We are about to face a hard battle. Don't forget the order I just gave you nor the promise we made last week about doing everything we can to get out alive." He inhaled deeply. "I couldn't go to the battlefield without telling the most important person in my life what she means to me, how much I love her and that in all this time, I understood many things that have helped me learn to forgive." She shuddered. "If anything should happen to me-"

"Roy, you promised-" Riza interrupted him quietly.

"And I'm going to do my best to keep that promise, but I don't want to go into battle without saying it. I would never forgive myself if I died and didn't tell you how much I love you, have loved you and will continue to do so for all eternity. I have never been able to get you out of my mind and much less out of my heart, although I must confess that there was a brief time when I tried but could not do it. Now I understand that the reason that prevented me from doing so is because you are my soul mate. No one would do or sacrifice what you have done for me and our son, and that is why I want you to know that I hold no grudge against you for that."

Riza felt her heart pounding as a part of her screamed at her. What are you waiting for? He's telling you he's forgiven you completely, tell him you've found your son. Tell him. Do it! She really wanted to tell him everything, but her rational part was silencing her desire by telling her that the shock of the news might break his concentration and, given the imminent danger they were going to be involved in, she couldn't let him do that.

Trying not to let her internal debate show on her face, Riza softened her features a little more to look at him with tenderness and love. "I love you too and always will." She tightened her embrace. "Thank you, Roy."

He shook his head. "No, thanks to you. I don't deserve you-"

He was interrupted when she grabbed him by the lapels of his coat to pull him to her and kiss him lovingly and passionately. He smiled broadly into the kiss, reciprocating with the same surrender as she did.

After a few seconds, Riza pulled away leaving minimal distance between their lips. "Don't forget that we have to survive for us to talk about what I mentioned to you last time." She murmured.

He nodded and kissed her again and again without letting go of the arm that he wrapped around her as if his life depended on it. "I love you, Riza, never forget that." He uttered between kisses.

"I love you, Roy like you can never imagine."

"When this is all over, aside from what you want to share with me, I want us to talk about us and before you say anything to me, remember that if everything goes according to plan, I'll be on my way to being Fuhrer. I think that it will merit that we can modify our relationship." Roy said as he smiled.

She reciprocated the smile. "We'll see. Now all that matters is to focus on the mission ahead." Reluctantly she began to try to wiggle out of his grip but Roy wouldn't let go.

"Wait..."

When she turned to look at him, her lips were again captured by his.

He smiled broadly when they parted slightly. "I need all the energy I can get."

She smiled as she shook her head. "Come on, the guys won't be long before they're ready and you still need to change." She said as she gently placed her hands on Roy's chest, which made him shiver slightly.

He sighed and pouted a little which made her giggle slightly. "One last kiss?"

She nodded. "Just one more and-"

She couldn't complete her sentence because her lips were stolen by Roy's, kissing her slowly, trying to prolong the kiss as long as he could. Once it was over, the two smiled and embraced before Roy, reluctantly let Riza go to change.

"You know you don't need to leave. You've already seen me with my clothes off." He said in a teasing tone.

"Very funny, now hurry up. I'll meet up with Breda and Fuery. We'll wait for you outside."

Roy sighed. "Okay." He replied slightly disappointed.

Riza prepared to leave but first she turned around and gave him a smile which he returned and then went on his way.

When this is all over, I'm not going to let them separate us again, Riza. These months have served to confirm how much you mean to me. How much I need you. I will fight with all my being to protect you and keep you by my side. Hopefully, when this is over, maybe I can feel worthy enough of your love to find a way to make you as happy as you deserve. Maybe I can take Madame's word and seek out our son to find out how he has been and see him happy, but most of all, living peacefully and away from all this world. He sighed as he began to change. But, in the meantime, I have to listen to you and focus on getting to that future.