A/N: Hello!

On this occasion we'll start with some of Al's perspective, we couldn't give him a lot of time in previous chapters so now we'll change a bit of that although, unfortunately, this won't be precisely a good moment for him and Pinako.

We hope you enjoy this chapter and as always thank you very much for reading and commenting.

Special thanks to Lady Rini, shinho4869 and Elvenstar146!

See you in two weeks!

Golden and Flame

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist characters do not belong to us. We're just having fun with them.

Chapter 31. Search

Perhaps it was hasty and paranoid on his part, but Al was beginning to worry about his brother and Winry. The pair had left a couple of days ago for Central to do some shopping and then meet up with Roy and Riza, an event that must have happened the day before. It hadn't been long but Al couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness that had begun to accompany him since he had gone to bed the night before and only seemed to want to increase since he woke up that morning. He was certain that the two had arrived safely at Central since they had called home as soon as they were at their hotel as promised but the source of his uneasiness was because Ed had also promised to call him when he was with his parents so that he could say hello to them as well. Al knew that Ed was still working on his old habit of not calling the Rockbell home often to let them know where he was but, even if Ed forgot the call, Winry was with him and she would definitely not let his brother forget his promise.

The day before, as the sky began to darken Al began to eagerly await his brother's call. He had grown very fond of Roy and Riza over the years and it had only increased as they began to become more involved in their environment when it was discovered that Ed was their son. As more minutes passed, Al began to contemplate that perhaps they were all too busy catching up and that Ed and Winry would end up calling him when they were about to go to bed. Although he was disappointed to miss the opportunity to chat a bit with the General and the Captain, he understood that Ed and his parents had to make the most of every chance they could get to see each other since, in their current circumstances, they still had to be careful not to raise suspicions about the nature of their relationship.

However, when Pinako told him that he had better go to bed since it was already late, Al's uneasiness began to creep up on him. He knew he might be overreacting but he was still surprised that he hadn't received a call from his brother or Winry. From the look Pinako gave him on the phone before she went to her room, he was sure she was also somewhat uneasy about the situation but they both preferred not to broach the subject out loud.

As soon as he woke up in the early morning hours of the next day, Al grabbed a book and went to sit in the armchair next to the small table where the house phone rested. Similarly, Pinako brought some automail parts she needed to check to the dining room table from where she was only a few steps away from where Al had been sitting. The two of them chatted casually occasionally, trying not to destroy the normality that reigned in the house, and when breakfast time arrived, Al had no choice but to leave the small table to help Granny prepare breakfast.

Over breakfast the two chatted about the places Ed and Winry must have visited by that point and, in an attempt not to deepen their concerns, they both joked about Winry picking up Ed's bad habits.

By midday, Al could no longer contain his anxiety and decided to call the hotel where his brother and Winry were staying. The front desk clerk asked for a few minutes to go get Ed from his room, but when he heard the sound of someone picking up the receiver on the other end of the line, Al was disappointed to realize it was the same person. The man kindly told him that he had received no answer in Ed's room, adding that he had even dared to knock on Winry's door but there had been no answer either. Al thanked him for his attention and asked if he knew what time the boys had left their rooms. To Al's further discomfort, the man let him know that, although Ed and Winry had not yet turned in their rooms, he did not remember seeing them for almost two days.

With that new information, Al decided to call the Hughes home. The day Ed and Winry arrived at their hotel, Winry had told him that they would probably be going to see Mrs. Hughes and Elicia that afternoon. Honestly, Al doubted he would find the boys there at that time but if Mrs. Hughes told him she had seen them the day before, he could rest a little easier. Unfortunately, the call he made did not yield the expected results because Gracia had not seen the boys since they had come to visit her. Noticing the concern in Al's tone of voice, Mrs. Hughes tried to reassure him that it was probably just a little forgetfulness on their part and that they would check in soon. She also offered to call some acquaintances in the military to ask if they had seen them. Al thanked her greatly before hanging up meeting Pinako's watchful gaze.

"Since when haven't they seen them?" She asked since she couldn't get that question in before Al called Mrs. Hughes.

Al bit his lower lip before answering. He didn't want to worry Granny Pinako any more but he knew he had no choice but to speak the truth. "The hotel receptionist doesn't remember seeing them for the past two days. Mrs. Hughes only saw them the afternoon they arrived at Central."

Pinako sighed heavily. "Those kids..." She glanced at the phone before returning her gaze to Al. "Do you have the number of the hotel where Ed's parents must be staying?"

Al shook his head. "Ed didn't know if they were staying at a hotel or if maybe they were staying at Mrs. Hughes' house but she didn't tell me anything about them so we can rule that option out."

Pinako patted him on the back. "There's no point in worrying. If anything had happened to them I'm sure Riza would have called us right away. We have no choice but to wait."

"Yes, Granny." Agreed Al even though he knew neither of them would heed Pinako's words.

Al and Pinako continued with their same activities waiting for the phone to ring again. An hour later it did but it was Mrs. Hughes who, unfortunately, told them that her acquaintances had not run into Ed and Winry. Later, as they were beginning to eat dinner despite the non-existent appetite in their stomachs at the time, the phone rang again, causing Al to get up as quickly as he could from his chair so that he could stride over to the little table where the device was located, not caring about the tugging he could feel in his legs from the suddenness of his movement that his body was still not quite used to.

"Hello?" He asked almost breathlessly from the haste of the movement.

"Good afternoon, Alphonse." Riza replied on the other end of the line.

Al let out a sigh. He had hoped it was Ed and Winry calling but if it was Riza that could be a good sign couldn't it? Trying to control his voice so as not to give away his concern, Al said. "Good afternoon Miss Riza, how's it going over there?"

Riza was a little slow to respond which didn't seem like a good sign to Al. "The meeting we had to attend was a success. We were able to get them to allocate a larger budget to the Ishval rebuilding project." She paused for Al to respond but the boy did not. She sighed and continued. "That's not what you want to know is it? Alphonse, I wouldn't want to worry you but do you know anything about your brother and Winry?"

The tension in Riza's tone of voice let him know that she already knew the answer to her own question but still Al answered. "No, at least not recently. They were supposed to call us when they were with you but they never did. The last time they did was when they arrived at their hotel and that was three days ago."

"That's what I was afraid of." Riza said regretfully. "Edward was supposed to look for us around Central Command but they never showed up. Roy and I wanted to believe that maybe they lost track of time now that they were dating but something wouldn't let me rest assured. We thought they would look for us at the end of our meeting today but they didn't." She sighed heavily. "I should have heeded my instinct and looked for them from that first moment." She concluded with a tone full of regret.

Al wanted to reassure Riza by telling her that surely Ed and Winry were perfectly fine and it was just an oblivion on their part but he wasn't able to do so when he himself couldn't believe in such ideas. Biting his lower lip, Al confessed. " Granny Pinako and I are worried, Captain. Perhaps I was hasty in doing so, but I called Mrs. Hughes to see if she heard from them but she hasn't seen them since the afternoon of three days ago. Even she called her acquaintances but no one has heard from them. It's as if they've been swallowed up by the earth."

"That's not good." Riza muttered to herself though Al managed to hear her. "Alphonse, I'm going to ask you to contact me upon any information you might learn of okay? Roy and I will look for them around here. I'm sure we can get some support from Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong and some of his colleagues. I promise we'll find them and call you as soon as we know anything."

"I understand, Captain. But wouldn't it be better if I went over there? Granny Pinako can stay here and then you'd have someone else in Central who can help you without someone in the military being alarmed at your interest in finding someone who no longer works with you."

On the other end of the line, Riza closed her eyes momentarily before answering. Of course she would like to have as many people and resources as possible to search for her son and Winry but it wasn't prudent to do so. Although Al was much healthier than when he had just regained his body, his physical condition was still not very good plus, if someone was really behind Ed and Winry's disappearance she couldn't risk Al when there could be a chance that someone might want to harm both Elrics.

After a sigh, Riza replied. "I appreciate that, Alphonse, but we'll figure it out."

"But-"

"I know you are also very concerned about your brother and Winry but, until we have an idea of what is really causing this situation, it is not wise for you to come to Central. I know I ask a lot of you by making you stay at Resembool but we have to protect you too, Alphonse. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you."

"I know my body is not yet fully recovered but I have my alchemy and I feel I am ready to defend myself physically. Nothing will happen to me... I can't stay here while Ed and Winry may be going through difficulties." He said with such a sad and worried tone that Riza's heart squeezed again.

Riza paused before replying. "Give me three days, Alphonse. If in three days we don't hear from Edward and Winry I will send someone for you myself. I promise that, in the meantime, I will keep you informed of any progress we make. What's more, you'll be the first to know of anything that reaches me."

Al paused as he evaluated Riza's words and she could hear tapping sounds that were probably generated by Al hitting the phone's speaker with a finger. "Okay. Three days. Not one more." Relented Al with some regret.

Riza thanked him for his understanding and the two exchanged some information and the necessary contact phone numbers to stay in touch with any information they could get regarding Ed and Winry.

After saying goodbye, Al hung up the phone feeling a heavy weight on his shoulders. Despite the growing concern of the last few days he had held out hope that everything was fine and that it was just Ed and Winry had been off visiting less crowded places or something like that but now he knew that his fear and worry had every reason in the world to exist. He hated having to sit still when the one thing he wanted most was to catch the first train to Central but he knew that, at the end of the day, Riza was right to be cautious about his intervention in the active search for his brother and Winry. However, that didn't make the wait any easier to bear.

Sighing heavily, Al turned around to meet the watchful gaze of Pinako standing in the dining room doorway. Now he would have to convince Granny Pinako to trust Riza's plan of action and hope along with her that they would soon hear from the boys.

Riza hung up the phone and put a hand to her chest as she clenched it into a fist. Tears wanted to well up in her eyes but she tried her best to keep them at bay knowing she didn't even have time for that. It was time to act.

Inhaling deeply to keep her composure, Riza walked over to the door of her room and stood there for a few seconds listening intently. Hearing no footsteps or any other noise that might give away the presence of someone in the vicinity, she left her room and crossed the hallway to give two soft knocks on the front door. As soon as her hand moved away from the door, it opened and she entered without hesitation finding herself face to face with Roy Mustang. He only had to watch her for a couple of seconds before pulling her into his arms tightly.

"Havoc is already aware of everything. All it will take is one phone call for him to come help us." He told her softly without separating from her.

"Won't it look suspicious?" Riza asked despite how grateful she was for Roy's quick action and Havoc's imminent support.

"Don't worry. Breda and Fuery will take care of everything while Havoc takes a couple of days off for a date. Plus they offered to give him some advice over the phone if Havoc feels like his date is going to leave him like the others."

Riza nodded her head unable to form words. Roy broke away from her and pressed a kiss to her forehead before speaking again. "Relax. We won't give up until we find them. We're not going to lose him." He said as he brought his hands to Riza's shoulders.

Riza inhaled deeply, before smiling slightly at him. Roy was trying to reassure her but she could also notice how worried he was at not knowing the whereabouts of his son. "We're going to find them." With a look full of determination, she added. "Let's go."

Roy nodded and, after making sure no one was in the vicinity, Riza left the room while Roy made a quick call to Havoc to confirm that the teenagers' disappearance was a fact. After that, he left to focus on the mission he and Riza had. They had to find Edward and Winry as soon as possible.

Both Roy and Riza had gone outside in civilian clothes to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to them while they made their inquiries.

Riza had been searching around the hotel where Ed and Winry had stayed asking people in nearby businesses if they had seen people with the characteristics of the teenagers. This first search was almost fruitless but Riza got a lead from a couple walking by who were under the impression that they had seen the youths sitting on a bench the night after Edward and Winry arrived at Central. Unfortunately the couple didn't know what had become of the youngsters as they had left the park before them but at least Riza had one more piece of information to begin to form a timeline of what the youngsters did before they disappeared.

Noticing that the sky was already almost completely dark, Riza resigned herself to limit her investigations to a few calls to her acquaintances before they went to bed because there were less and less people in the streets and, therefore, less potential witnesses. She did not like the idea of letting more time pass but there was no other option.

Discouraged, she made her way to Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong's home. She knew that he would support her without hesitation and that she could make her calls from his home to make her interest in the search for Edward a little less conspicuous. Also, perhaps Alex's perspective might help her find some detail she might have missed because of her current level of stress and worry.

For his part, Roy did his own thing in the vicinity of Central Command hoping to find any civilians who had noticed the youths the day before but his search was fruitless. He honestly did not have much hope of getting any clues in the area he was investigating since everything seemed to indicate that the disappearance of the teenagers had occurred the day before he was supposed to meet them.

Sighing, he decided to return to his hotel. Before entering his room, he knocked on Riza's door to check if she had returned but, as he imagined, she was not back, surely continuing with the search or perhaps she was already at Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong's home as she had mentioned she would do before separating outside the hotel.

Once he was back in his room, Roy let out a heavy sigh as he leaned against the door of his room. He was trying to maintain a strong, reassuring facade so as not to upset Riza even more (though he knew she was probably imagining what was really going through his mind) but it was becoming difficult to keep his true feelings bottled up inside. He wanted to run out and shout his son's name everywhere hoping that someone could give him a clue as to his whereabouts but he knew that would be highly inappropriate and compromising but the distress he was feeling was disturbing him more than he would like to accept causing him at times to have to stop for a few moments to concentrate on regularizing his breathing.

He knew Ed was someone extremely capable of defending himself and his loved ones but his paternal side kept reminding him that he was still very young and, above all, not indestructible. The boy seemed to be handling the loss of his alchemy very well but now Roy couldn't help but curse the fact that now his son would have one less resource to protect himself.

Relax, Roy. You're not going to gain anything by getting like this. You've got important things to do instead of spending your time thinking about things that won't lead you to find your son.

Running a hand over his face, Roy peeled himself away from the door and went into the small bathroom of his room to soak his face with cold water, trying to regain his focus on what he had to do.

As soon as he finished drying his face, Roy made his way to his bed to sit on it to subsequently pull out his small alchemist's journal where he also included (in coded form) the phone numbers of friends and allies he could fully trust. Clearing his throat, Roy began to make a few calls in the hope of finding some useful information about the possible whereabouts of his son or, failing that, to have a few more people who could subtly join in the investigation.

With the time elapsed he could turn to a police report or directly to the military but, although several corrupt officers had been removed from office, Roy still didn't quite trust them to entrust them with such a delicate task as locating Edward and Winry, especially considering that there were still rebels who missed the old regime of Bradley and who resented Edward for his direct involvement in the events of the Promised Day. Alerting the military or the police of his disappearance could end up having the opposite effect to what was desired as there might be people who instead of helping them, might cover up the tracks of whoever was behind it all.

With those thoughts in mind, Roy began calling his acquaintances at Central starting with Gracia Hughes who told him that she had already spoken to Alphonse and a few acquaintances but had nothing new to contribute at the moment. Roy thanked her for the time she was taking to find anything that might help find Edward and Winry and said goodbye after giving her the phone number of the hotel he was staying at and his room number so she would have no trouble contacting him in the next few days.

The next call he made was to Dr. Knox who, despite his usual sullen tone, also offered to make inquiries at the city hospitals. Despite being a doctor affiliated with the military, Knox had his contacts within each of the hospitals and small clinics in Central and, if that wasn't enough, he now had the support of his son, who had become a resident at the main hospital in town. Although Ed was no longer in the military, Knox didn't seem surprised by his interest in finding him, telling him that he wouldn't like it either if, now that there was relative peace, something "as simple and casual" as a kidnapping happened to the brat after he had committed the idiocy of confronting a monster capable of devouring everything around him. Maybe it was his paternal instincts but Roy didn't agree with the "simple and casual" part but he appreciated Knox's cooperation just the same. The doctor might be a grumpy man but he was certainly a valuable friend and ally. As soon as all this was resolved (Because it will be resolved, it won't be long before my son is back with us), Roy was willing to share his secret with him as he was sure that he was a man he could trust and that, should the need arise again, he would have his support without having to be careful to cut back on the data he provided so that his relationship with Riza and Ed wouldn't come to light.

Knowing that Riza had most likely already spoken to Alex Armstrong, Roy decided to call Charlie and Richard. Both were currently in the East but occasionally did missions in Central so it didn't hurt to give it a try with them. Unfortunately, neither had been in town in the last few weeks but both agreed that if Roy required more members in his investigation they would travel there at his request. Roy debated for a moment whether or not to accept their offer but, after realizing that they were not as closely tied with him and Riza and would therefore draw less attention, he finally agreed and was grateful that Charlie would take the first train the next day to get to Central while Richard made his inquiries in East City in case Ed and Winry ended up being taken there.

After his call with Richard, Roy called Breda using his old code to find out if he and Fuery had discovered anything new in the last few hours but there was no news from their end, making it no option, for the moment, but to wait for Havoc to arrive in the morning to continue investigating in the vicinity.

His next call was delayed a bit by his own indecision. Izumi and Sig Curtis were good people but Izumi was downright scary when she put her mind to it. Along with Riza it could be said that they had become good friends with the Curtis couple but Roy wasn't sure how Izumi would react when she learned that the elder Elric was missing. Putting aside her fury, he knew, thanks to Al and Ed, that the woman had lived several years with health problems stemming from the human transmutation she had made so he also feared causing her physical harm by giving her worrisome news.

Realizing that Izumi might suffer more if he delayed the inevitable and faced with the tiny possibility that Ed and Winry might have ended up going to visit the Curtises, Roy ended up making the call. To his surprise, he was not scolded by her as he had feared. Despite the obvious concern in her voice, Izumi remained composed and informed him that she and Sig would be going as soon as they could to Central. At Roy's suggestion that they should stay at home in case the youths ended up showing up in Dublith she assured him that she had someone she trusted who could make sure to keep an eye out for the boys if they ever set foot in the city.

After finishing the last call, Roy did a mental review of the people he had contacted. No doubt he had already communicated with the people he trusted the most but he realized he was still missing someone: Madame Christmas.

Since Madame's old place had been blown to smithereens, Roy had heard from her and the girls almost every two months except for the first letter he received that arrived in his hands about two weeks after the Promised day, which was meant to let him know that she had arrived safely in Xing and that she had already met with Vanessa and Madelaine (the other girls had traveled to Aerugo and Drachma to get more coverage of the neighboring countries and thus take the opportunity to learn how things were going in those countries while they remained outside of Amestris).

Although, with a lot of patience, it was possible to make and receive phone calls from Xing, neither Madame nor Roy wanted to make use of this communication method knowing that such a call could attract unwanted attention especially when Amestris was going through a stage of restructuring. Therefore, they had to settle for keeping in touch through letters, although these were very brief and coded so they basically just let the other know that they were well and where they were.

During that period of correspondence, many times Roy was tempted to write to Madame about Ed. He knew that she would be extremely happy to hear the good news and that she deserved to know since Madame was his mother and had supported him through thick and thin. Besides, although she had respected his and Riza's wish, he was aware that Madame had also spent the last few years keeping her hopes and desires high that she would be able to meet her grandson.

However, the fear that his letter might be intercepted along the way and decoded stopped Roy on each of those occasions. He felt very bad that he could not allow Madame to be part of his bliss at such times but there was no other choice. In the meantime he let Madame know that, when they could finally meet face to face, he had something very important to tell her, which was why, in the letter he had received last month, Madame had implied that she would be back in the country very soon while leaving him, in coded form, a telephone number from Amestris.

Roy looked carefully at the page in his diary on which he had written the number Madame had given him. He was not certain that Madame would answer a call to that number since, for security reasons, she had not written to him about an exact date when she would be back in Amestris but it was worth a try.

After leaving his journal once again on the nightstand in his room, Roy dialed the phone number as a slight feeling of guilt welled up inside him. He had wanted to call in previous weeks to hear from Madame since he missed her and was happy at the thought of seeing her in person soon but recently he had been somewhat swamped with work and had not taken the time to make his inquiries. It could be that Madame was already in Amestris and if that was the case Roy would feel bad about looking for her because he needed something.

He is your son and her grandson, she will understand. Remember this is Madame. Besides you need all the help you can get to find Ed and Winry and she has always had the best information network in the whole country.

Roy shook his head slightly to concentrate on the current task. When Ed was back with them (because he was going to be) he would introduce him properly to Madame, in the meantime he had to concentrate on acting normal as, although he had checked that the phone line to his room was not tapped, he preferred not to risk giving his mother clues as to the true relationship that bound him to Edward.

As Roy was about to hang up after getting no answer, a raspy voice made itself heard on the other end of the line. "The Scarlet Flower."

Being able to hear that voice after so many months stole a slight smile from Roy. "Good evening, does this mean I can make a reservation now?"

"Of course, Colonel. How nice of you to remain loyal to our little establishment. Allow me a moment while I go through the schedule to find the best time for you."

"Sure."

About a minute passed before Roy heard a noise that indicated to him that Madame had picked up the phone again.

"Don't tell me you don't have any appointments available. Because if you do I'll have to settle for just going for a drink when I get off work."

Madame laughed. "Easy, Roy-boy. The girls have confirmed that the communication is secure." She sighed before softening her tone of voice a bit. "Gosh, who knew I'd miss my brat's voice so much, General."

Roy laughed lightly. "I guess I was overdue for someone to treat me like a kid. I almost thought I lost that right when I got promoted." He inhaled deeply before continuing. "I missed you a lot too, mother."

"What's wrong with you, Roy-boy?" The question surprised Roy a little. "There's something strange in your voice, is Riza all right?"

Roy sighed. The childish part of himself wanted to continue conversing with his mother as if everything was perfectly fine but reality wouldn't let him. Time was crucial. "Don't worry about her. Riza is fine but... she's worried. We both are." He cleared his throat a little. "Madame I need your help one more time."

"I'm glad you are well but perhaps it would be better if you both came to see me so you can talk to me about what you need help with and while you're at it you can have a drink so you can relax a bit. I'd really love to see you after all the time that's passed." Before Roy could interject, she added. "The new place is wonderful, you should see it. We're on New Pendleton Street. Knowing you I know you'll identify the business as soon as you see it."

Roy shook his head even though she couldn't see it at the moment. "No, Madame. I'm sorry but I don't have time for that. There is someone I need you to help me find."

Madame made a slight sound of annoyance at being refused her invitation but Roy made no comment on the matter. He would apologize to her later.

"His name is Edward Elric. He's a boy of seventeen. He has long blond hair tied most likely in a ponytail although he may also have it in a braid. He's a bit of a short boy." Roy went over in his mind the last time he saw Ed and remembered that the boy seemed to be having a little growth spurt every time they met. "No, forget that. By this point he's probably average height for any boy his age." He cleared his throat and inhaled deeply as he had blurted out all those facts without stopping to breathe. "He has golden eyes. Must be accompanied by a young lady about his own age, named Winry Rockbell. Slender build, blonde hair longer and slightly lighter than his and with blue eyes. " Before he could elaborate on what was coming to his mind at the moment, Madame interrupted him.

"Wow, wow. Stop for a moment, Roy-boy. I think you've already given me more than enough information. That Edward guy is the former Steel Alchemist and your former subordinate, right?"

"That's right."

Madame laughed. "Gosh, with the rapturous way you spoke I can tell the boy really matters to you."

Like you have no idea, mother. "Of course. When we find him I'd like you to meet him. I think you two would get along very well." Roy said thinking about how much he would have loved to introduce Ed and Madame from the moment the chaos of the Promised day was over.

"I'll keep that in mind. From what you tell me, I'd love to meet him in person. Besides, it's not every day you get the chance to meet one of Amestris' heroes." She concluded in a more relaxed tone hoping to put Roy's mind at ease a bit.

"So..." Roy began.

"This information is enough for me. Starting tonight I will have some of the girls gathering information about it. I can call you as soon as I know anything but I insist that you and Riza should come to see me. You know that some investigations yield better results when the interested parties are in the same place. That's not to mention that you could fulfill this woman's whim to see that her son is completely well after what happened on the Promised day."

"I'm sorry, Mother, but that's just not possible at this time. I really need to know that Edward and Winry are well so I can think of other things. Call me when you hear anything, please."

"Roy-Boy-"

Roy could catch the slight tone of disbelief and perhaps slight annoyance from Madame before he ended the call. He sighed heavily as he massaged his forehead as the stress of the day was beginning to take its toll on him which was why he could feel a headache coming on. He felt terrible for treating Madame that way but as much as he wanted to see her and the girls, he had no head for a meeting that he knew could go on indefinitely. He couldn't afford a moment's rest, not until he knew his son was safe and sound.

Roy stood up from the bed and took a couple of steps until he remembered something.

"Shit! I forgot to give her my number."

Resigned, Roy picked up the phone again and as he was about to dial, he heard knocking on his bedroom door which, by the amount, was definitely from Riza.

Without thinking, Roy dropped the device and hurried to the door hoping that Riza had discovered something. However, as he opened the door and saw the expression on her face, he realized there had been no luck. Straining to swallow the lump forming in his throat, Roy ushered her into his room and made a point of locking the door before drawing her into his arms.

"Oh, Roy..." Riza began to sob.

Roy tightened his embrace. "I'm sorry I can't give you good news." He inhaled deeply to calm himself. "I know this is very difficult but we mustn't get discouraged. No matter what, we're going to find him. We're not going to lose our son now that we finally got him back."

Riza nodded against her chest, unable to formulate words at that moment.

"Fuery and Breda are still investigating with the information they can gather from their positions. Havoc and Charlie should be here by noon tomorrow at the latest, while Richard investigates in East City. We even have cover in Dublith." Riza pulled back a little to look him in the eye, curious. Roy took the opportunity to wipe away her tears with his thumbs. "The Curtises are probably coming in the next few days but, even if they do, they say they have someone they trust who can take care of keeping an eye out in town." Roy made an effort to crack a slight smile hoping it would inspire reassurance and confidence in Riza. "Here at Central we have the support of Gracia, Doctor Knox and his son, and Madame."

Riza was surprised. "Madame is back?"

"Yes, remember the last letter I received?" Riza nodded her head. "Apparently I wasn't wrong in assuming she would soon respond on the phone number she shared with me. I've already filled her in on the situation and she'll be putting some of the girls out tonight to inquire around."

"I feel guilty having to ask for her help when we haven't even seen her in person in all these months. Your mother is a lovely woman and she doesn't deserve that we only seek her out when we need her." Riza confessed crestfallen.

Roy sighed and lifted Riza's face with one hand. "It's the same with me. I didn't expect that the first time I would hear her voice after all these months would be because of these circumstances but..." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Ed is priority. Him and Winry. I know I wasn't as attentive as I should have been to my mother but I know she'll understand. I haven't been able to tell her yet that Ed is our son but she realized how much I wanted to find him so have no doubt that with her we have one more valuable ally."

Riza inhaled deeply before replying. "You're right, so when this is all over we need to go see her okay?"

"Of course." Roy drew her back into his arms and breathed in her scent over and over again to try to reassure himself. It pained him greatly to not know of his son's whereabouts but as long as he had Riza by his side he knew they would find him. They would not give up until they found him.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until Roy felt Riza's shoulders begin to shake slightly.

"Riza?"

Riza shook her head against his chest but didn't utter a word.

Roy stroked her hair a couple of times before pulling her away so he could look into her eyes, realizing that silent tears were spilling from her brown orbs.

"I'm sorry." Riza said hoarsely.

"You have nothing to apologize for, love. I understand."

"It's just... every hour that passes is another hour that Edward could be in danger... I can't bear that thought... Our son has suffered too much, he more than deserves to be happy and now this happens... I can't believe it." Riza replied haltingly.

"Neither can I, I never believed that he could be in danger now after everything that happened. It was idiotic of me to assume his safety was assured." Roy said in a self-deprecating tone.

Riza brought one of her hands to Roy's cheek to caress it. "Don't say that, Roy. It's hard to accept what's going on but you're not to blame for anything. It's the fault of the bastards who took our son." She sighed. "I know there's no point in thinking about the whys and hows of what we could have done to stop this from happening but... I'm scared, Roy. Really scared." A couple of thick new tears slid down her cheeks. "I'm afraid of a repeat of what happened at Baschool."

Roy couldn't help but grimace at Riza's last sentence. Of course in his mind the events of Baschool had spontaneously popped up during the day.

At one of the dinners the three of them had shared at his apartment when Ed was staying with him, the boy had ended up confessing to them what had really happened at Baschool, how his confrontation with Kimblee had ended with him being impaled by a metal girder. When Ed had gotten to that part, both he and Riza had let out exclamations of surprise and their faces were filled with concern. Seeing this, Ed tried to change the subject but neither of them were willing to let him.

Resigned, Ed said that one of the chimeras who had accompanied him during the Promised day and another who had stayed with Al had pulled him out of the mine and taken him to a local doctor to recover.

Ed had hoped they would let him finish his tale at that point but the looks on his parents' faces made him realize he could not fulfill his wish, so he simply waited until Riza, in a trembling voice and with some trepidation, asked him what the chimeras had done to be able to get him to a doctor when a beam had pierced his insides.

Ed confessed that he had used alchemy to cure himself. Riza seemed surprised at his words since, despite not knowing alchemy, she knew that medicinal alchemy wasn't exactly easy. Roy, for his part, gulped before asking him if he had by any chance used one of Kimblee's stones to pay for the equivalent exchange that would allow him to sufficiently heal his grievous wound, knowing beforehand that such a scenario was not credible as the Elrics had refused to make use of a philosopher's stone ever since they learned of its terrible composition.

At Ed's denial by the slow shaking of his head from side to side, Roy's face paled visibly. For a moment there was silence until Riza, with her gaze, asked Roy to clarify what had happened as Ed had ducked his head and had not uttered another word. Roy gulped to clear the lump in his throat and took Riza's hand before explaining precisely the likely effect Ed's alchemy healing had had.

That night both parents cried. Riza more noticeably while Roy let only a few tears escape. Ed had an evident expression of regret for causing them that suffering but he tried to assure them that they had nothing to worry about, that everything was limited to theory and that in all this time he had not presented any after-effects of what had happened. When he saw that they were still looking at him with worried expressions on their faces, Ed told them that, although it sounded worrying, in reality it was the best option he had at that moment because if he had not done it, he would have died there.

His words had the opposite effect and Riza's tears became more abundant as Roy pulled Riza and Ed into a group hug to hide his face in Riza's shoulder.

After a few minutes, when they were calmer, Roy and Riza told him that although they felt bad that he had to go through those circumstances and that he had to resort to that method to save himself, they understood that it was the only option he had. Although it was not ideal, they both felt a mixture of emotions that had them in that state but, at the end of the day, they felt extremely grateful to life for not allowing them to lose their son on that terrible day.

And now months later Riza and Roy feared that their son was suffering under the hands of some psychopath and that uncertainty and worry was causing them to constantly recall what had happened to Ed at Baschool, echoing in their minds the fact of how it had all happened in the course of only a few days after the last time Riza had seen him at Central.

Before Riza could see the magnitude of the enormous concern she had unconsciously aroused in him by putting into words the event that reminded them of how close they had come to losing their son and that had spent the last few hours in their minds wanting to take center stage, Roy pulled her to him again so he could bury his face in her blonde hair as he squeezed his eyes tightly shut trying to push away his negative thoughts about what might be happening to Ed right now.

"I'm terrified of something similar happening too." Roy confessed in a whisper before returning his voice to his normal tone. "But we have to trust him. Besides now that deranged Kimblee is history along with the homunculi. We humans can get to do terrible things but I know Ed won't give up easily especially when he has to protect Miss Rockbell. Being our son I know he will go to great lengths to protect her without going to the extreme of doing something foolish because he knows there are now even more people waiting for his return."

"I know..." Riza murmured. "But my heart won't be completely at ease until I have him back in my arms."

"That's why we will do everything we can to find him as soon as possible. With the help of our friends and family we will find him."

"We will." Riza said in a slightly firmer voice to try to give that certainty to both her and Roy.

After a few seconds, Riza pulled away from him but not before giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Thank you..." Riza managed to crack a slight smile. "I'll go take a quick bath and review the notes I have so far." She sighed heavily. "I don't think there's anything in them that really gives us a clue as to where Edward and Winry might be but maybe I can at least start making a timeline and a list of important places to gather more information first thing tomorrow morning."

"Agreed. I think I'll do the same thing too." Roy said, also trying to smile a little to reassure her.

Riza nodded and left to go back to her room which was across the hall from Roy's.

Roy stood for a couple of minutes frozen in place watching the door that Riza had just walked out of. Even if only a couple of doors separated them in these moments of worry he really wanted to be by her side. They were both sharing a common pain and concern and he didn't understand why they had to be apart. They had always worked perfectly well together for military matters and understood each other wonderfully. So... what was the need to be apart when together they had the same interest in solving this mystery as soon as possible? As he had told Riza, they would both find Ed and they weren't going to let anyone or anything stop them. When they were still living in Central and being in the East they had managed to be able to see each other alone without arousing suspicion so, with some care, there would be no problem with both of them spending the night in the same room while they tried to gather as much information that would help them find Ed. For the time it was, the hotel was already practically silent so that greatly reduced the chances of anyone noticing the single instant in which he would be moving from his room to Riza's.

With that resolution in mind, Roy began to undress to get into the shower. Once out and dressed in a clean white shirt and black pants, he quickly brushed his hair and then reached for a pill for the pain that had finally made its way into his head. He passed it without drinking water rushing to grab his alchemist's journal that he had left on his bed. With any luck some of his little notes or some phone number along with Riza's own notes would lead them to contemplate new scenarios they had not yet discovered. The night was considerably reducing the research options available for the moment but neither he nor Riza would stop. They would not stop until Ed and Winry were safe and sound.