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)

33. Arrest

A/N: Hello!

Before we go with today's chapter we want to add a clarifying note that we forgot in the previous chapter hehe:

About Madame: Although that might sound like it, no, Madame did not find out that Ed was her grandson through her own information network. Chris found out because of a letter Riza delivered to her shortly before the Promised day along with one for Roy (near the end of chapter 20). In that letter Riza shared her discovery with her by asking her that, if she died in the events of the Promised day, to please get the other letter to Roy. Madame never opened it and decided to burn it when she learned that everyone had made it out safely because she imagined that the contents of the letter might be painful for Roy to have to read what might have been Riza's last words to him (indeed, it was a farewell from Riza to Roy where she also told him about Ed, of how she had verified that he was their son and the last talk she had with their son since, in case the worst happened, Riza didn't want to take that secret to her grave by preventing Roy from learning the truth since she didn't know if Ed would approach his father or not).

We couldn't find a way to include this explanation in an organic way into the story so excuse the somewhat long initial note hehe

Now let's get to the chapter! We hope you enjoy this chapter and as always thank you very much for reading and commenting.

Special thanks to shinho4869, Elvenstar146 and Lady Rini!

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 33. Arrest

Ed and Winry knew something was wrong. The blond was waiting for his father to break the terrible silence that had descended to inform him what was going on but when there was no response and because of the strange tightness that was beginning to eat away at him, he decided to intercede.

"What's wrong?"

Roy removed his hands from his face to meet his son's concerned gaze. Seeing the look on his father's face, Ed froze. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but it was something very serious and probably related to his mother, because only when something delicate happened to her or him his father wore that kind of expression.

The black-haired man inhaled deeply. "Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong just informed me that some military members apprehended your mother on charges of fraternization."

Ed clenched his hands into fists. Seeing this and at Roy's words, Winry took one of Ed's hands to relax the tension the blond was putting on his hand to squeeze it in support.

"Besides, there are warrants out for you and me." Roy continued.

"And how the hell is this all happening so fast?"

"I don't know. All I know is that that asshole Archer must be making use of all his possible resources to speed this up."

"We need to go get her out of that place."

"Definitely, but not at this very moment."

"What the hell do we have to be waiting for? She's there alone in a cold, terrible, uncomfortable prison. I know from my own experience that those places aren't exactly a luxury room." Ed mentioned as he recalled his experience in Briggs' prison. "It's no place for her."

"I know and I agree with you, but it's not yet time for us to show up."

Ed started to get annoyed, let go of Winry's hand and walked over to the desk behind which Roy was standing to face him. He placed his palms on the surface of the piece of furniture giving a loud slap without breaking eye contact.

"We can't stay here in the comfort of this place and leave her in that terrible place to her fate." Ed said annoyed.

Roy understood his son's annoyance, but he had to make him understand the situation that currently stalked them. If it weren't for his own son being involved, he would probably immediately launch himself after Riza without caring about the consequences, but now he had to act wisely for Ed's welfare and protection. Definitely, despite being barely a year since he knew he had found his son, his inner parental chip had begun to work.

"Edward, I understand your discomfort, but don't forget that the military is on to us as well." Roy replied in a calm voice.

"Are you afraid and would rather hide here behind your mother's skirt?" Ed growled.

"Ed!" Winry scolded him.

Roy's gaze hardened. Being a father was definitely not easy. He began to inhale and exhale deeply. He couldn't lose control but his boy was doing everything he could to make sure he did.

"I can't just stand idly by when I know my mother is there alone."

Roy stood up to confront his boy. "And you think going in there to get locked up is going to help her in any way?"

Ed folded his arms. "But being in here won't help her either." Growled the boy. "My mother is in there because of some absurd law that could take her life. I have to do something whether you like it or not." The blond turned around to start heading for the door.

"Ed! Wait!" Winry pleaded.

Before Ed could reach the door he was yanked by one of his arms to turn him around and face the General, who placed both hands on his son's forearms.

"Do you think I like this whole situation your mother is involved in?! Do you think I'm capable of leaving the woman I LOVE to her fate?!" Roy spat. "I'm just as desperate as you are, the last thing I want is for your mother to go through all that... I hate that she has to suffer because of me, but I always end up doing it.

"Obviously this whole thing Archer is putting together is to get to me, to get my job and do whatever he wants to do. Unfortunately, you and your mother are being involved in this terrible persecution, do you think I'm not aware of all that this is going to entail for her? The military is still too sexist and with all of this they are not going to stop seeing your mother as a slut who was sleeping with her superior in exchange for moving up the ranks, even though she has time and time again proven her worth. Not to mention that her life and yours are going to be on the line during this whole process."

The black-haired man exhaled heavily to regain control before looking his son straight in the eye again. "Let me make one thing clear to you, Ed, I don't regret having you, I never would. What I do regret is not doing it under the protection of a marriage so that way you and your mother wouldn't have had to go through so much suffering. I promise you that I will do everything I can to get you both out of all this and to cleanse your mother's name, but to do that I need to have a plan. I can't go in and get arrested without one, not when her life and yours are at stake. That's why I'm asking you to be patient and help me save her and yourself by staying here. It's the same thing your mother would ask of you if the roles were reversed because our priority is you." He inhaled deeply before softening his gaze. "Please, Ed, for too long we have not been there for you to protect and love you, let us do that now, my son."

Roy finally pleaded with his son before pulling him to him in an embrace that took the boy by surprise but after a couple of seconds returned. Winry, seeing that things had calmed down after the heated argument between father and son, decided to leave the room to give them that moment of comfort that they both needed in the face of the difficult situation they found themselves in.

"You're a manipulative bastard, you know that?" Ed said jokingly after a few minutes, breaking away from the embrace to look Roy in the eye.

Roy laughed lightly.

"For the time being I'll do as you ask, but on one condition." Ed said with a serious tone.

"You say."

"You know perfectly well that by now I've lost a mother and a father." Ed clenched his hands into fists. "I don't want to lose another mother and father, much less now that we're giving each other a chance to get to know each other. Promise me that won't happen. I care about my mother's life as much as I care about yours. So, as I told you before, I want both of my parents by my side, understand?"

"You know perfectly well that right now I don't want to miss being by your mother's and your side. So I will do my best." Roy smiled.

"You better." Ed sighed. "When do you plan to report to the headquarters?"

"Tomorrow. Today I have an alibi that they won't find me due to it being my day off, but if I don't show up tomorrow, they'll think I've escaped and that could make Riza's situation worse."

Ed nodded.

"Today I'll get busy calling for backup, gathering information and reading this damn law from head to toe. I've got to find some loophole that will get us out alive."

"Agreed. Winry and I gave it a quick read but I think we'd better get back to it in more detail. There must be something we missed."

"Maybe another perspective is needed. Let me check it out. For the moment you should go clear your head and look for Winry, I think she left the room a few moments ago."

Ed looked around and realized that his father was right, Winry was gone. Somewhat hesitantly, he bit his lower lip before answering. "Okay, I'll get Winry and go get that snack you mentioned. I'll hurry up and come back and help you."

"We have a deal."

Roy went back to take a seat at the desk to continue preparing to create a plan while Ed left the room in search of Winry.

When Ed went downstairs to the first floor of the house after following a hallway he found the kitchen where Winry was preparing some ingredients to bake a pie. As soon as she saw her boyfriend, the blonde stopped her movements and approached him.

"Please tell me you didn't get in a fight with your father."

Ed smiled. "No, we came to an agreement, so we're good."

Winry sighed in relief. "I'm glad, I was afraid that, since you two have the same temper, you'd blow this house to smithereens." Joked the blonde.

The blond shook his head from side to side. "Not like it would have been that big of a deal. But I still have a hard time having to wait around here doing nothing when my mother is incarcerated and my father is going down that same road tomorrow. That's why I was driven out of my mind by my father's attitude in not allowing me to get involved."

Winry took Ed's hand and squeezed it gently. "Ed, understand that your father is desperate about what is happening. He doesn't want you or your mother to be in danger. That's why I understand his insistence that you be patient because he doesn't want to expose you, because he really loves you."

Ed cracked a smile. "Yes, I know, Win." He pulled Winry closer to him to hug her. "After all this discussion I now understand his reasons for wanting me away from all this, but I can't help but worry. I know he's not going to let anything happen to my mother or me, but I also know he's capable of sacrificing himself for us. And that's what scares me."

Winry squeezed Ed in her embrace. "You'll see it'll all work out in the end. We'll read that absurd law as many times as it takes until we find a way for all of you to come out all right." The blonde leaned in to deposit a tender kiss on the boy's cheek and then began caressing it with one hand.

Ed turned his head to kiss Winry's palm. "Thank you, Win, I don't know what I would do right now if you weren't by my side." The boy leaned over and tenderly kissed her forehead. "Definitely my father and I are very fortunate to have two amazing women by our side who keep us from losing the floor."

The blonde laughed. "I'm very flattered that you put me in the same rank as your mother."

"You are. You and she are the most wonderful women I've ever met, obviously next to my mother Trisha. Come to think of it, I'm a lucky guy, I have 2 sets of parents who love and procure me. Well... more like 3 because even though she's an expert at kicking asses, my sensei and Sig have been like parents to us as well." Ed mentioned smiling. "Plus I now have a beautiful girlfriend." He mentioned before lovingly kissing the blonde's lips.

Winry smiled broadly. "And I'm lucky to have you as a boyfriend." She kissed her boyfriend tenderly before pulling away. "Come on, help me bake this pie so we can get back to our research as soon as possible."

The boy nodded with a smile and without letting go of his girlfriend's hand, they headed to the kitchen counter to continue baking. Neither of them really had the appetite to eat anything like they had told Roy, but getting busy preparing and baking the pie would give them a brief respite, allowing them to forget about the complicated situation they were facing.

---

When Riza heard from Roy's own voice that Edward was safe and sound, she felt a great relief and the only thing she wanted to do was to run immediately to her son's side to hug and kiss him, besides she wanted to make sure with her own eyes that her son was all right. It wasn't that she distrusted Roy, but as a mother she wouldn't be 100% relaxed until she saw her son and, taking advantage of the fact that they would be in a safe place, she could take the opportunity to spend some time as a family and why not? Even steal a few kisses from the man of her life.

Those were Riza's first thoughts until Roy mentioned to her that it was urgent for her to meet with them since there was another problem. Roy had used a very serious and even tense tone, which meant it was something really delicate. So her original plans to pamper her son and Roy would have to be put on hold until the other issue was resolved.

After hanging up the phone, she made her way to the address the General had pointed her in, which was the new main location Madame had at Central. Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong offered to accompany her part of the way since he had to go to Central Command. The two were chatting like good friends during their walk, but they hadn't gone more than 5 blocks when a couple of military officers approached them flashing their IDs.

"Captain Hawkeye?" One of them asked.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" Riza replied in a neutral voice, putting on her mask of professionalism as always.

"Please, you need to come with us. We have a warrant for your arrest."

At this, Riza internally shocked, taking extreme care not to reflect her surprise to others. But what the hell?

"May I know on what charges this warrant is for, Corporal?"

"Yes, madame. On charges of breaking the anti-fraternization law."

Anti-fraternization law. Is this what Roy wanted to inform me urgently? It would make sense from the tone he used, but this means he and even Edward are in danger. Riza took a deep breath trying to make it look as natural as possible without letting the great worry that was beginning to eat away at her show.

"And what are you basing those charges against the Captain on, Corporal? I can tell you guys are new around here, but the Captain has an impeccable record, not to mention that she's one of the best elements we have in our army." Interjected Alex, who immediately became concerned at the situation that was unfolding before his eyes.

"We regret that we cannot give you those details, Lieutenant Colonel. Those are in Colonel Douglas' possession, our instructions are to apprehend Captain Hawkeye, Brigadier General Mustang and former State Alchemist Edward Elric."

"Also General Mustang? On what charges?" Armstrong asked.

"General Mustang due to the same as the Captain, Sir, while for Edward Elric his charges are derivative of those the General and the Captain are currently facing. " The corporal turned to Riza. "Captain, you are well aware that under these types of proceedings you cannot intervene in the investigation and arrest of the alleged culprits, so any cover-up or deliberate omission on your part may affect your legal situation greatly. So, could you tell us where we can find General Mustang? We know that you both attended the meeting called by Führer Grumman together."

Riza shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Corporal." She replied calmly.

There's no doubt we've been found out, Roy. At least you're safe for the moment and I have no doubt you'll do your best to protect Edward.

"Captain, I repeat that you may have further charges against you if you do not contribute to this investigation."

"And I again tell you that I don't know where he is. As you can see I am in civilian clothes as both the General and I had the day off. So I have no reason to know where he would be spending his day off, Corporal."

The two corporals sighed and one of them approached Riza with handcuffs. "Captain, may I?" He mentioned making the signal to indicate that he wanted to place the handcuffs on her.

"For God's sake, Corporal. The Captain doesn't need you to put those things on her." Armstrong reproached.

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Colonel, but it's protocol."

"But-"

Riza placed a hand on Alex's arm. "Don't worry, sir. I know the protocol perfectly well." She stepped forward and held out her arms to be cuffed.

"I'll take care of getting you a lawyer, Captain, because this has to be resolved."

Riza nodded. "Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel."

"Captain, we should get going." Mentioned one of the corporals.

The blonde let herself be guided by the military men who ushered her into a vehicle to head to Central Command under Alex's watchful eye.

It can't be that their secret has come to light. None of us would be able to tell on them. We all support the General's cause to improve the country and above all they are our friends, we appreciate them and would never betray them. Who the hell found out? Alex shook his head to clear his thoughts. I must tell the General immediately.

Alex turned around and began to walk back to his mansion, keeping an eye on his surroundings to make sure no one was following him. He had to contact the General as soon as possible.

---

As soon as Riza arrived at Central Command closely escorted by her captors, instead of taking her immediately to a cell, she was taken to an interrogation room. The room was small and consisted only of a table and a couple of chairs placed facing each other, an environment that the blonde knew perfectly well from the number of times she and her team had to interrogate all the suspects they apprehended on their missions. She waited for her captors to leave and close the door before taking a seat in one of the chairs. She had to think about what she would say and how she would act. She had to remain calm, things that she knew perfectly well how to do by putting on her mask of neutrality and professionalism, but that in those moments she was internally afraid that she would not be able to maintain that facade, not when uncertainty was invading her knowing that the lives of the most important people in her life was at stake. It would be difficult but she would do her best as she would do everything possible to protect them one way or another.

After a few minutes the door to the room opened to reveal Colonel Henry Douglas, who was carrying a folder under his arm. He sat down across from Riza and placed the folder on the table in front of him before staring at the blonde.

"It appears at last your affair with your superior has been discovered, Captain." He began to speak obnoxiously so Riza had to hold back a grimace of disgust at the words and the man who had spoken them.

"It's about time that idiot Mustang had his temper lowered. Just as he rose quickly for his age, so will he fall. It's a real shame that a person as beautiful and intelligent as you allowed yourself to be seduced by him or unless you did it in exchange for your position-"

"Sir, I would appreciate it if you would respect me and take care to point out the evidence you have against me." Interrupted the blonde.

Douglas only laughed bitingly, letting on how much he was enjoying this situation. "Wow, you've got some guts, Captain. I hope all the money and comforts Mustang gave you are worth it now that you're probably going with him to the firing squad, not to mention that your bastard son might have the same fate. I wonder if Mustang had the pants to at least provide sustenance for that boy when he was just a little brat. Though well, maybe his little bastard is simply one of the many he must have around the country."

After those words, Riza felt her blood boil. She clenched her hands into fists, squeezing so hard that her knuckles turned white and in that moment she was thankful that she had left her hands under the table so they couldn't be seen by the jerk in front of her.

"Sir, I repeat, I would like to know the evidence they are using to pin these charges on me." Riza said, doing her best not to sound as irritated as she felt. She wouldn't give that jerk the luxury of having him get on her nerves because, even if Riza wanted to give him his comeuppance, they were both aware that any fuss would simply complicate the situation for her.

"You'll know soon enough, Captain, though I recommend you testify at once so that perhaps you have a slight hope that the sentence won't be facing the firing squad."

Riza shook her head. "I'm afraid I won't testify to anything until my lawyer is present."

Douglas sighed heavily. "That's a pity because if you are encouraged to testify at once it could perhaps save your life."

"As I said, I prefer to wait until my lawyer is present."

Douglas nodded and began taking notes to include in his paperwork. "I'm only going to tell you one thing, Captain. The evidence that has been presented against you and Mustang is irrefutable. So if I were you, I wouldn't have any illusions about getting off easy on this." Douglas gave her a sly smile before finishing writing and then standing up, carrying the folder with him. He opened the door and instructed his officers to escort Riza to her cell.

Once in the solitude of her cell, Riza lay down on her bed for a moment and closed her eyes. Hopefully that bastard Douglas was joking, how could it be possible that they had discovered our secret and what evidence would they have in their possession? Maybe that idiot was just trying to pressure me to get information out of me that could compromise Edward, Roy and me. No one else outside our circle is aware of all this, so who could have found out and how did they do it? Roy, please ensure Edward's safety. She sighed heavily to try to regulate her breathing which had started to accelerate. It's not easy but I have to try to stay calm so I can think clearly. I have to find a way to save Edward and Roy's life. Why the hell couldn't I wait for Roy? Why the hell did I enlist? Why just now that we have our son back and Roy and I have given ourselves a new chance does this happen? Is it that neither he nor I deserve to be happy because of all our sins?

Riza sighed heavily again. She knew why she had done all that and it was also quite clear to her that there was no use thinking about the 'what-ifs' but she couldn't stop her mind from having those thoughts. She only hoped that Roy and Edward could come out of this whole situation unscathed, their son didn't deserve to be condemned for his parents' actions or rather HER actions. Besides Amestris needed Roy as Führer, but given the current circumstances, it worried her to think that if they got out of this alive, Roy's reputation would take a serious hit.

Riza kept thinking about everything that had happened since she had found out that Edward was her son, trying to figure out who might have found out about their connection. Up to this point, she was almost certain it was someone who hated Roy but, unfortunately, at this point the Flame Alchemist already had too many enemies to be able to get it right about who it was. She continued with her thoughts, because she was hopeful that her mind could give her some idea to counterattack.

---

During the course of the afternoon and most of the evening, Roy, Ed, Winry and Madame spent the time reading all the information they had available and the new information they were receiving. From the anti-fraternization law to all the cases where charges were filed for this circumstance. It was too much information, but that didn't stop them from continuing their search. Unfortunately, so far, the only times when there was no execution of the people who fraternized and of the product of that relationship, involved at least one of them giving his life in return, as it happened with Catalina's brother. Roy didn't hesitate for a second to give his life for Riza and Ed's, but, for the first time in a long time, he didn't want to die, he knew he didn't deserve to live or even be happy, but now that he had his son and Riza by his side, what he wanted most was to continue enjoying all that. It was selfish, he knew, but he couldn't help but feel that longing to be by his family's side. But... if there was no other solution, he would not hesitate to sacrifice himself for them.

It was 3 a.m. and Ed and Winry were beginning to nod off, something that did not go unnoticed by Roy and his mother. Roy stood up and gently moved his son's shoulder.

"Ed... son." Roy whispered.

Ed raised his head and looked at his father before rubbing his eyes. "Oh... sorry."

Roy shook his head. "You have nothing to apologize for. Come on, you and Winry go get some rest, it's already too late."

"But... how do you expect me to go to sleep right now?" Ed protested.

"Son, you guys have been working so hard since Madame brought you here, you're exhausted. Your bodies are begging for rest, so you'd better go to sleep. Once you regain your energy you can go on."

"You look exhausted too and I don't see the slightest intention in you to go and rest. Besides, I want to help you and Mom too."

"I know, but believe me, it's better to rest right now. I promise I'll go on for another half hour and go to sleep."

Ed sighed. "What time do you plan to leave?"

"Since Madame has some clothes of mine around here and I'm in uniform at Command, I think I'll be able to leave a little later, maybe about 7:30 or 8 in the morning."

"You'd better heed your own advice and get some rest too, at this rate you're not going to get any sleep."

"I'll just finish up with a couple of sheets and go. Now go get some rest."

Ed dropped his shoulders resignedly. "Okay, but seriously, just those papers and you're going to rest."

The boy stood up and looked at Winry to ask her with a glance to join him so they could both rest. Before leaving the two boys said goodbye to Madame and Roy. Winry left the room first and as Ed was starting to close the door he stopped and addressed a few words to his father.

"Dad?"

"Mmh."

"Don't even think about leaving here without letting me know. I know I'll be up early but if I should happen to fall asleep, please wake me up."

Roy cracked a slight smile. "Okay, son, I won't leave without telling you."

Ed nodded. "Good night."

"Good night, Ed."

When the door closed, Madame Christmas took a long look at her boy's expression, which denoted happiness at what Ed had asked but at the same time showed concern, uncertainty and even a little fear.

"He's a good boy, maybe a little more stubborn than you were when you were that age, but he has a good heart." Chris mentioned.

"Yeah, he really is an amazing boy." Roy said with a smile.

"That's why you mustn't give up Roy-Boy, we're going to find a way for you, Riza and Ed to get out of this situation alive." Chris said with determination. "Because I can see in your eyes that you are increasingly contemplating using Catalina's case as a reference in yours."

Roy ducked his head. Undoubtedly if there was one other person who was capable of reading him like a book besides Riza, it was his mother.

"Even though I am aware that tomorrow you will practically go and turn yourself in, I will not rest until we find that loophole that will get the 3 of you out of that mess because I am not willing to lose my boy or my daughter-in-law or my grandson."

Roy raised his head and looked his mother in the eyes. In them he found concern and fear but also a lot of motherly love and determination. Although on the outside Chris might appear to be a rough and surly woman, deep down she was anything but. Although she did not give him life, throughout his life she had shown him her motherly love in a thousand and one ways, and, despite the terrible things he did in Ishval, she still loved and supported him.

"I know you're not going to give up until you find the solution, but just in case-"

"Don't even think about it, boy." Chris interrupted him.

Roy sighed, walked over to Chris and wrapped her in a tight hug surprising his mother, who after a few seconds of hesitation she returned the gesture just as forcefully.

"I will do everything in my power to see that we all get through this safely but I don't plan on leaving here in a few hours without telling you how much I love you and how very grateful I am to you." Roy began to say in a soft voice. "I don't think I've ever told you before, but I really appreciate you so much for loving me and taking care of me all these years when I really didn't deserve it."

Chris smacked him gently on the back of the head. "Of course you deserve all that, and most of all, you have the right to be happy. I understand that Ishval has scarred you, but also don't let go of how much you, Riza and even Edward have helped the country. Besides, you know perfectly well that I've always known you're fond of me, Roy-Boy, even though you always forget your old aunt." She said jokingly.

Roy shook his head, cracking a small smile. "I'm sorry for how inconsiderate I sometimes am to you, but don't ever doubt how much I love you and that to me you are my mother, not just my aunt. You have never abandoned me and you have given me everything I have ever needed, that and much more. If it wasn't for your support in my studies, I could never have gone to study alchemy with Riza's father and without that I may not have met the love of my life and I may not have such an amazing son like Ed. I love you, mother." He said with great sincerity before kissing her on the cheek.

Chris was surprised, Roy hadn't kissed her since before the war. She placed her hand on one of his cheeks feeling the incipient chin that was beginning to appear. She didn't consider herself a sentimental woman, but in that instant she couldn't help but feel a certain nostalgia as she remembered the little 4 year old boy who had just lost his parents crying his eyes out in her arms until he fell asleep. The hard nights of nightmares that followed that incident and how little by little Roy was moving forward becoming a cheerful, smart, mischievous, and kind-hearted child until he became the man she had in front of her. A man who had lived too many things for his age, things that no one should live, events that would have ended anyone else's life completely. However, with hard work and dedication he had picked himself up, he had continued to fight for what he believed in in order to end all the injustices in his country. A man who despite appearing to be a man without morals, a womanizer and egomaniac, was in reality the opposite, a loyal, dedicated and loving person. She knew that everything that was her boy and the fact that today he was still in front of her, was thanks to Riza Hawkeye, a girl with such a big heart that she had sacrificed too much for the welfare of her son. She cracked a slight smile. She really was proud of her boy, of her little boy because even though in her hand she could feel the stubble starting to grow on that cheek and even though she knew she was already a grandmother of a teenager, she couldn't help but see her boy as that little boy who would sneak into her room at night to sleep beside her.

"I love you too, my son, and I want you to know that I am very proud of you. I'm sure, without a doubt, your parents would be too." Chris replied before placing a tender kiss on Roy's cheek and then hugging him again.

"Go get some rest, you'll need it. We'll see each other in a few hours." Chris said, not giving Roy a chance to protest.

"Okay."

Just like that, mother and son each retired to their own bedroom. Roy lay thoughtfully and, although he was aware that in a few hours hell awaited him, he allowed himself to rejoice for a few minutes in the shows of affection he had received from his son and mother until sleep claimed him.

Hours later, Roy was bathed, dressed and shaved, for he would not give those involved the pleasure of seeing him finished. Just as he was coming downstairs, he heard noises in the kitchen and was in for a surprise to find Ed, Winry and Chris there.

"Good morning, General." Greeted Winry flashing a slight smile, trying to lighten the mood, followed by Ed and Chris.

"Good morning everyone." He returned the smile.

"Come on, Roy-Boy. Eat something, you might not get a bite when you get apprehended until who knows when. Besides, Winry and Ed here made this pie yesterday and it's really delicious."

Roy nodded. "Thanks." He took a seat next to Ed and began to eat a little. He really didn't feel up to eating but his mother was right, he had to watch his energy if he wanted to help Riza plus it would give his mother some relief.

The four consumed their food in silence. When they finished, Roy thanked the three and finished grooming himself and grabbed some papers that might be of use to him.

"Be careful and do everything you can to get you and my mother out of this one." Ed mentioned to Roy when the time to say goodbye had come.

"I'll do everything in my power." Roy smiled. "Besides, I know I have the support of all of you and our friends. With some luck and patience, we'll get through this, but most importantly, and let me make it very clear to you, is that you must not get involved in this so that they will finally leave you alone. I swear that your mother and I will do everything we can to make sure you can get on with your life. So please, Edward, promise me that you will be patient and that you will stay hidden no matter how complicated the situation gets. Your life is our priority. Please promise me that, son."

Ed averted his gaze for a few seconds before locking it again with his father's. He tried to challenge his father's gaze with his own but quickly realized he had no choice but to give in to his parents' wishes. "I will." He replied in a resigned tone. "But you and Mom better get back."

"You have my word that we'll do our best to get us all out of this." Ed frowned at his father's words. "Believe me I'd like to assure you that everything will be fine, but there are things that are out of my control. That's why my priority is you and your mother, but I promise I'll do everything I can so we can be together."

Ed sighed. "I guess I'll have to make do with that. Tell Mom that I won't give up and that I'll keep looking for some way to help you from here." He tried to change his expression to a mischievous one. "Also, remember to come back because I need to get more gray hair out of you." The blond said before chuckling lightly trying to lighten the tension that was beginning to reign in the atmosphere.

Roy shook his head before laughing lightly. "You better not." He jokingly threatened before turning to Winry. "I hope he doesn't wear you out, Winry."

Winry smiled. "I'm used to it, don't worry."

"Hey!" Ed protested.

"Take care, Roy-Boy, and you and Riza better get out in one piece." Chris said before hugging Roy who nodded.

"I will do my best. Please don't let Edward do anything foolish."

"We'll do our best too, Roy-Boy." Madame smiled. "And don't worry, if I could with you I don't think I'll have any trouble with Ed."

Roy smiled and squeezed his mother in his embrace once more before breaking away and hugging Winry and at the end drew her son into a tight embrace, who didn't hesitate to return the gesture.

Reluctantly, Roy pulled away from his son and picked up the folder he would take with him before looking back at his family.

"See you later."

"See you later." Ed, Winry and Chris replied with determination.

Roy smiled at them before walking out of the place once he was sure he could join the street without anyone suspicious seeing him.

"He and Riza will be fine, they have to be." Chris said with determination.

"Yes, they will be." Ed and Winry replied as they stared for a few seconds at the door Roy had just exited.

---

Roy walked a few blocks before catching a cab that would drop him off near Central Command. Just as he had predicted, as soon as he set foot in the building he was arrested but before he was taken to the interrogation room, some guards intercepted his jailers showing a paper signed by the Führer himself so that before the corresponding team interrogated Mustang, he was taken to his office.

Once they entered Grumman's office, with his prior authorization, the guards withdrew on the Führer's orders leaving him alone with a handcuffed Roy but, to the black-haired man's surprise, Grumman silently approached him to remove the handcuffs and then sat down in front of his desk.

Grumman sighed. "Have a seat, General."

Roy obeyed. "Thank you, sir."

"Mustang, I assume you already know what charges you're being arrested on." Roy nodded. "Good, so we can save all that. Usually the Fuhrer doesn't engage in interrogation but I'll make an exception due to the fact that it's about you."

"Sir, I apologize but I don't intend to testify to anything until I have a lawyer."

"Good answer." Grumman smiled. "I see you've learned a trick or two from me, haven't you?"

Roy smiled. "Of course, sir. I've had a good teacher."

"Well, let's put that aside. Mustang, I'm not questioning you as the highest authority in the land or as your superior, I'm asking you as your friend." Roy looked at him skeptically. "I promise that whatever you tell me here and now will stay between us. I need to know the truth from your lips to see what we can do for you, for the Captain and for the former Fullmetal Alchemist. If it were up to me I would drop the charges immediately since why should we send our country's heroes to the firing squad? It's totally absurd, but unfortunately I wasn't quick enough to reform the current military laws." Grumman sighed. "They want to see your head roll, especially Archer, because he's after your job and will do anything he can to get it, even if it means involving innocent people. So, boy, I insist, please tell me your side of the story so we can see how we can proceed."

Roy sighed, he knew Grumman had been an ally in the past, but he had some reservations as to whether he would actually support him on this occasion. "Do I have your word on that, sir?"

Grumman raised his right hand as if accepting an oath. "Of course, boy. As I told you, I'm here as your ally, don't think I've forgotten that I have a debt to you having given me free passage to get this post."

Roy stared at him to make sure of the truthfulness of his words and realizing that there seemed to be no lie, he relented. "The conclusions you have reached are true." The general muttered.

Grumman raised an eyebrow. "So, you and the Captain have maintained a romantic relationship all these years behind the military's back?"

Roy shook his head, confusing Grumman. "No, the only relationship we've had since she started working under my command has been strictly professional." He paused slightly. "However, I do not deny that for most of those years and to date we have maintained feelings for each other. I knew the Captain long before we both entered the military. Before she enlisted, we maintained a romantic relationship and Edward was the product of that relationship."

Grumman shook his head from side to side as he put a hand to his forehead. "For heaven's sake, how many times have I told you to marry my granddaughter, boy?"

His superior's comment puzzled Roy. "Sir, I apologize but I believe your granddaughter has nothing to do with this conversation and, as you can tell, the times I evaded her proposal was because, even though Ri- the Captain and I no longer had more than a working relationship, I have never been able to get her out of my heart."

Grumman smiled to himself. "Oh, boy, haven't you heard that you have to tie the knot first before you bring babies into the world?"

"Of course I've heard that and I swear that was my plan but sometimes things just happen. But regardless of the fact that Edward's conception wasn't planned, I don't regret his existence for a single moment."

Grumman smiled. "Okay, now I want you to give me all the details of this whole situation. An approximation of dates you sustained a relationship with the Captain and remind me of Elric's date of birth."

Roy nodded and began to relate the things Grumman requested and those he considered important.

"My dear General, this case is going to be very complicated. The law is too strict." Commented the Führer once Roy finished his story.

"I know, Sir."

"You have to get a good lawyer."

"Regarding that, Sir, I would like to ask for your support to have Second Lieutenant Vato Falman defend our case along with First Lieutenant Heymans Breda. Falman is stationed at Briggs and has been notified about it but I am concerned that General Armstrong will not allow him to come to Central."

"You'll have Falman, don't worry. If Armstrong objects I'll manage, but I'd like to know, why did you choose him?"

Roy smiled. "Because Falman worked for several years under my command so I know him very well and I know that his great memory and knowledge could help us find a way out of this."

"Sounds good. Then count on him and as many people as you need."

Roy gave a small nod of his head. "Thank you, sir." He paused before looking straight ahead at the Fuhrer. "I would also like to ask a great favor of you, Sir."

"What is it?"

"If all of this gets complicated, please take First Lieutenant Catalina's brother's case as a reference." Roy mentioned before pulling from inside his jacket the folder containing a copy of the file to pass to Grumman.

Grumman raised an eyebrow as he began to read the document. "Do you know what it means to you if this case is used as a precedent, Mustang?"

"I'm fully aware, sir, and I'm more than willing to proceed with it for the sake of saving Riza and Edward's lives."

Grumman could see the determination in the General's gaze, so he decided to agree to what the black-haired man was asking as he let out a sigh. "All right, boy. I really hope we don't have to go that far, though." He paused slightly. "I'm sorry I can't invite you to a game of chess but I'm afraid I have to ask your jailers to come get you."

The General nodded. "I thank you for all your support in this, sir."

"I will do my best, after all I would not want our country's heroes to be killed."

"Thank you, Sir."

At that moment there was a knock at the door. When Grumman gave his permission (after quickly re-cuffing Roy) the jailers entered and took the black-haired man to the interrogation room.

Grumman remained thoughtful for a moment. I wasn't wrong after all to think you were attracted to my granddaughter, Mustang. He smiled to himself. Wow, now it turns out I'm even a great-grandfather. You didn't waste any time. Now, I need to think of a way to get you out of this whole situation but without my parentage coming out for everyone's sake.

---

After a long wait in the interrogation room and just when Roy thought he had gotten out of the interrogation with Douglas, Frank Archer himself appeared in the room with a smug smile and demeanor.

"How's it going, Mustang?" He greeted smugly causing Roy to use all his self-control not to hit him right then and there with all and handcuffs.

The General kept his gaze and posture steady, showing no signs that Archer's presence was disturbing him.

"Do you no longer greet your old friends since you are a General? Or are you too depressed at the thought that you, your bitch and your bastard will probably all be executed together like the beautiful family you are?" Archer said with an obvious tone of taunting and delight.

At that, Roy clenched his hands tightly into fists until his knuckles turned white and stood up abruptly slamming the wood of his handcuffs on the surface of the table.

"Shut your mouth, Archer! I remind you that you are addressing a superior and you owe me respect unless you want me to court-martial you!" Snarled the General.

Archer laughed cheekily. "Your behavior only confirms that it's all true, well it's not like I didn't already know, because the evidence speaks for itself."

"What do you want? If I remember correctly, you're not an investigator, you're a damn war instigator."

Archer began pacing the room, placing his hands on his lower back. "What do I want? Mmm good question, General. I guess it can all be boiled down to wanting the law to be upheld for the welfare of the country."

"Yeah right, especially you are going to seek the welfare of the country by looking for any excuse to start a war." Roy was furious, he knew he shouldn't get upset, that was what Archer wanted and he was getting it, but he couldn't help but feel an extreme urge to strangle him.

"Sometimes war is the only solution, General." He replied, smiling.

"And what's a damn war supposed to solve? Don't you care about the collateral damage of a war? The lives that are lost? No one wins in war."

"Oh, of course there are winners, General. Have you forgotten how Amestris came to be?" Roy frowned more as he recalled the countless wars that had happened in Amestris because of a conceited being like the homunculus. "But anyway, since we have differences of opinion on that subject, I'd rather move on to the one at hand." He stopped his pacing to stand in front of Roy observing him with the same triumphant smile on his face. "You are talking to me about the welfare of the country, aren't you? Then I wonder how you can achieve that welfare by sleeping with your subordinate and having a bastard with her?" Filling his smile with malice he continued. "Apparently all those sluts you have been seen with were not enough to satiate your carnal needs, weren't they, my dear General? Who would have thought? The model soldier falling into the nets of a womanizer, or could it be that she's always been a whore under the façade of a respectable woman?"

Roy's blood was boiling. Definitely what he wanted most at that moment was to have his gloves on to scorch that damned idiot. But he had to remain calm and collected. It might not be the time, but at least he wanted to make sure he defended Riza's honor.

"Archer, I demand you respect Captain Hawkeye and stop stalling already, what are you up to?" Roy said as he looked at him sternly.

"Me? Nothing at all, General." He said with extreme sarcasm before he started laughing. "Well, I must admit that this whole situation gives me the enormous joy of watching a snotty asshole who has gotten this far by boot-licking or maybe sleeping around with the daughters and wives of top brass, fall the same way he rose by screwing around with his whore of a subordinate."

"ENOUGH!" Roy shouted upon hearing the derogatory way he was referring to Riza.

"It's all right, General. Since you will surely have no more pleasures in this life, I will indulge you and tell you what you surely want to know. I have irrefutable proof that that bastard Fullmetal is a product of your sick relationship with the Captain." Smiling machiavellianly, he pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket and tossed it on the table for Roy to examine.

Roy gave him a hard look before reviewing the document with some difficulty due to the restricted movement of his hands because of the handcuffs. After a few seconds of silent reading, internally he was surprised to see that this paper was a copy certified by the medical department of the military of a DNA test performed between Riza, Ed and him, which clearly indicated the kinship between all of them.

"As you can see, the evidence is irrefutable. Since your bastard inherited almost everything from his mother he was able to go unnoticed for all these years, but I think that was enough deception." Archer said at last with a mocking tone.

The general was still trying to understand how the hell Archer had been able to get a blood sample from Edward. He understood that he and Riza's samples could have been obtained by the tests that the military itself required every so often for the military but in Ed's case, being so young and not quite a military man, it wasn't mandatory.

"How did you get this?" The general asked coldly.

Archer glanced at the bottom edge of the door to make sure no one was on the other side of the door and once he was sure of that his smile widened before answering the black-haired man's question. "I can't believe, General, that you so quickly forgot that our esteemed former Fuhrer King Bradley was very keen to keep you on a short leash. You knew Pride didn't you? He was in charge of investigating your and the Captain's every move."

Hearing Pride's name, Roy's jaw clenched as he remembered how that homunculus had attacked Riza and Ed as well as the thought that he had invaded her privacy and peace of mind. It made him want to lock him up even against Mrs. Bradley's wishes.

"Pride overheard a conversation from the Captain where she said Edward Elric was her son. That produced curiosity among all of us so Kimblee was assigned the task of getting a blood sample from that brat to verify it."

Roy gave him a hate-filled look. "I highly doubt the homunculi really trusted idiots like you and Kimblee enough to tell you what was going on with us."

Archer's smile faltered for a moment. "I take deep offense to that, General. But I have to agree that those fuckers didn't know how to appreciate soldiers as valuable as us."

"So how did you-"

"Patience, General." He gave a dismissive glance at the small room they were in. "It's not like you have much to entertain yourself with being here." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Kimblee was asked to get a sample of Fullmetal's blood. Though I have to admit, that idiot got a little out of hand on that one occasion in Baschool, since he almost killed your little bastard."

The black-haired man formed fists with his hands.

"Oh, don't bother, Mustang. After all, your bastard is still alive isn't he? Well... for the moment." Archer ignored Roy's angry glare at him to continue his story. "The homunculi almost took his philosopher's stone from Kimblee when they found out what he had done. Kimblee had no choice but to duck his head and continue playing the homunculi game if he wanted to continue to see everything in the front row but that didn't mean he was going to pretend nothing had happened. As he was a frequent visitor to the Führer, it was not difficult for him to discover the folder Bradley had started to form of you. When he remembered how much he had been reprimanded for almost killing Fullmetal, it all began to make sense. So he took it upon himself to follow up on the blood tests since the homunculi lost interest in that way of controlling them when your bastard son disappeared after Baschool.

Perhaps the homunculi didn't see the importance of this valuable information but Kimblee did and that's why he trusted me to report to me on the progress of the investigation. It's a pity he can't see the fruits of his own labor but at least he gave me enough weapons to follow up on this case. It was quite a long process for my liking because I had to wait for the next military medical exams as well as the time it took me to make some trips to verify data but at the end of the day everything is yielding the expected results." His smile widened even though it looked like his face would split in two. "So now here we are, finally getting justice for breaking such a delicate law, General. I'm afraid you'll have to find a replacement for your post in the East. Now the only unfinished business is to find that bastard of yours so we can execute you all at once."

Despite the hindrance posed by the handcuffs, Roy managed to grab Archer by the jacket and faced him harshly. "Shut the fuck up! Stop involving innocent people in this conflict you apparently have with me, asshole!" The black-haired man spat. "This is between you and me, Archer. Riza and Edward have nothing to do with it."

Archer shook off Roy's grip. "Yeah, you're right, this is between us. It's about time they realized you're actually a fraud, Mustang. Also don't try to make me the villain in this story. YOU are the one responsible for getting more people involved." A subtle hint of pain passed momentarily across Roy's gaze so Archer considered himself well served for the moment. He glanced at his watch before resuming speaking. "My, it's getting late. I'd better allow you to be moved to your suite." He said at last in a mocking tone before leaving the room.

Roy slammed the table hard with the wood of his handcuffs. "Damn you, you bastard!"

Within minutes, the general was taken to the command cells, where he found Riza sitting on her bed with her head down and a pair of metal handcuffs on her wrists. When she heard noises she raised her head and as soon as she saw Roy she stood up.

"General." Riza said immediately, seeking Roy's gaze asking only one question. Is Edward okay?

"Captain, I'm sorry to have to greet you under these circumstances." The black-haired man gave a slight bow and answered her silent question with his onyx gaze. Don't worry, he's safe.

Riza sighed in relief. She remembered Roy telling her over the phone that Edward was fine, but hearing it from his voice wasn't the same as seeing it in his face and gaze. Of course, as a mother she would want to confirm it herself, but given the circumstances and for her son's own protection, she would have to settle for what Roy told her.

Within the chaos they were both experiencing, at least they were lucky that Roy was assigned the cell next to Riza's, plus the two of them were completely alone since there were no other prisoners in that area since they had recently been transferred to Central Prison.

Roy was thrown a flimsy blanket and the jailers withdrew, leaving the cell area under the protection of the guards at the entrance of the place. When Roy heard no noises he approached his cell door and looked to his right where he found Riza hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

"I'm sorry, but I swear I'm going to get you two out of all this." Murmured the general.

"You know perfectly well that all this wouldn't be happening if I had told you from the beginning about my plans to join the military." Murmured the blonde.

"But this wouldn't have come to light if I didn't have so many enemies. If only I had kept you from my side after the war..." He sighed heavily. "But I've always been a selfish, greedy bastard." Mentioned the black-haired man giving the bars a thump.

Riza sighed. "Don't forget I would never have left your side. We promised to improve the country and we were aware that it wouldn't be an easy road... there's no point in blaming ourselves now. Our priority is that Edward comes out of all this unscathed."

Roy snorted slightly to brush aside the part of his bangs that was falling over his eyes. "You're right... Don't worry, he's protected and promised to stay there. He sends his regards and asked me to tell you that he loves you and will do everything he can to get us all out of this."

The Captain smiled. She imagined how hard it must have been for Roy to get Edward to stay in the shadows. She allowed herself to bask in the warmth and encouragement of her son's words for a few seconds. Then she inhaled deeply before speaking.

"Were you able to find out how much they know?" Riza asked quietly.

Roy exhaled heavily. "They know everything. Those bastards Bradley and Pride started an investigation while you were in their custody and that investigation ended up falling into the hands of Kimblee and Archer. They picked it up and during these months, Archer gathered as much information as possible concerning the three of us..." Gulping and bracing himself for what he had to tell her, he added. "They have a DNA test."

Riza froze at that moment. She had a faint hope that they didn't have such hard evidence and were only relying on assumptions that they could disprove, but with a DNA test involved, there was no possible way to deny it and Edward's life would be on the line.

"B-but how did they find out and manage to get a sample of Edward's DNA?"

Roy told her the details Archer had told him. Riza stood thoughtfully trying to remember her past actions. To her mind came once again the memory of that night in a public phone booth that she had used to communicate with Pinako to clear up a doubt that was gnawing at her. Damn, I was so careless, I allowed my feelings to get the better of me at that moment and now because of me I have endangered the lives of Roy and Edward. I should have trusted my intuition and not blamed that uneasiness on the truth that would be revealed to me.

Given that the silence had been prolonged, Roy understood what was going on in Riza's head. Due to his limited movement because of the handcuffs, it took Roy a while before he was able to slip one of his hands slightly outside the bars of his cell. He wasn't able to cover the distance to Riza's hand resting on his own bars, but the noise he made caused Riza to raise her eyes and focus them on Roy's hand. Realizing his intentions, she moved her hand closer and, taking advantage of this, the black-haired man placed his hand over Riza's to give it a light squeeze.

"It's not your fault, we didn't know about Pride's existence and even if we did, I probably would have reacted the same way you did. So don't even think about blaming yourself anymore. I need you to be strong and focused on what's ahead. Our friends and family are aware and I have no doubt they will support us getting through all of this."

Riza placed her other hand on Roy's and squeezed it gently. "Thank you for never leaving me alone."

Roy smiled slightly. "The grateful one is me, because despite everything you have continued to stand by my side."

The two remained for a few minutes like that, trying to comfort each other and taking all the energy they could to face what lay ahead. A complicated path awaited them, but being together they would fight until their last breath to emerge victorious, their main objective being to safeguard the life of their son.

---

Meanwhile, the same day of Roy's arrest, Havoc took it upon himself to contact the Curtises (who had just arrived that day to Central) to inform them of the current situation of Ed and his parents, so the couple offered to investigate on their own, saying that, being civilians, they would pass more discreetly in front of the eyes of the military so they would also try to meet with some of the people who were subjected to similar trials as well as their lawyers to try to find a clue as to the best legal course of action based on the accounts and experiences coming directly from the mouths of those involved.

On the other hand, over the next couple of days at Madame Christmas' shelter, the remaining members of the Mustang team along with Rebeca were arriving taking great care to avoid being discovered. Falman was the last of the team to arrive, after enduring a heated argument with General Armstrong over his permission to support Roy and Riza as their lawyer, despite having received direct permission from Führer Grumman.

"Wow, dude. I seriously feared the General had sliced your neck." Breda commented jokingly.

"Tell me about it." Falman replied in fright.

"And why exactly did the General hold you back? Because you were going to defend General Mustang?" Fuery asked.

"Partly, but more like she was furious with the General."

"Why?" Everyone in the room asked in unison.

"Because she couldn't believe that he could have romanced the Captain, let alone impregnated her, not to mention and let me quote the General's words 'that she couldn't believe that a runt like Ed and a womanizing idiot like Mustang could even be related to the Captain as she deserves better'. I repeat, General's words, not mine."

Havoc and Breda let out a laugh while Ed scowled.

"Runt? Who does that General think she is? I understand her referring that way about my father, but about me?" Ed commented indignantly.

Ed's comment elicited another guffaw from those present.

"You sure made a good impression on the General, Ed." Winry joked.

Ed folded his arms. "Very funny."

"So what did you do, dear godson, to earn the Ice Queen's hatred?" Rebeca asked.

"Come on, Rebeca, don't you know the General?" Havoc commented. "The only one she holds in high regard and has been trying to recruit for years is Hawkeye."

Rebeca sighed. "You're right, Havoc. I'm sorry Ed, but maybe the simple fact that you're Mustang's son takes quite a few points off you in front of the General."

Ed merely nodded his head. He would definitely have to ask his father what had happened with the General when all this had blown over.

"Well, but in the end the General will support the Captain and the General if required, right, Falman?" interjected Fuery.

Falman nodded. "Yes, although she said she'd do it for Hawkeye, since she's the only one worth saving, but since all 3 come as a package, she'd also support the General and Ed."

"Wow, she really earned the title of the Ice Queen for a reason." Havoc joked.

"Oh, by the way, she asked me to tell you that you're an idiot and that she now understood why you made that indiscreet call to her the other time. That maybe for now she could let it go but that the next time it occurred to you to ask her something of that sort, she'd look for your ass and take it upon herself to personally butcher you even if she had to soil Armstrong's precious sword with something as vile as your blood."

Havoc paled and swallowed the knot that had formed in his throat as the others kept laughing.

"That's definitely something the Ice Queen would say." Breda commented with a chuckle as she slapped Havoc's back.

Rebeca began to clap her hands to get the attention of everyone present. "Okay, let's stop messing around and let's get to work. Remember that 3 lives depend on us."

"Yes, Madame."

After the brief respite that those present allowed themselves to release a little of the tension and worry that was invading them, each of them began to read the documents they had in the room to try to find something that could help them. For the next few hours they were engrossed with reports of fraternization cases and the arduous reading of the anti-fraternization law over and over again.

Ed and Winry did not understand many of the things that came in those documents because of the terminology they used, which in turn caused the blond to despair because what little he did understand he did not find useful in finding his way out of it all.

After a couple of hours where frustration was growing inside the young man, Ed sighed and ran a hand over his face, gestures that did not go unnoticed by Winry who immediately took his free hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Relax, we'll find something, you'll see." She told him quietly.

"I hope so, Win, because otherwise I'm almost certain my father will push for my mother and I to get off scot free in exchange for his life... For the first time in many years I have a chance to have a father figure present in my life. Well the Colonel has long been there for Al and me but... now that I know he's my dad and he knows I'm his son I don't want to lose what we now have, what we've worked so hard to get." Ed tensed at the thought.

Winry moved closer placing her head on his shoulder as she put her arm around his shoulders. "We're not giving up. You and your parents have a lot of people who love you and will do everything they can to save you."

Ed turned his head to deposit a kiss on the crown of Winry's head. "Thank you, Win for not letting me give up."

The blonde squeezed him into her embrace. "I'll always be by your side supporting you."

Ed nodded. "Thank you."

"Come on, Falman, there's got to be something, you know a lot of the military laws, you're a walking library, you must have found something to be able to get them out of all this." Havoc commented suddenly.

Falman sighed. "So far I haven't found a precedent that we can use to our advantage to get the 3 of them out. But..." He paused. "The General made mention to me to reference a specific case to take out the Captain and Ed first."

Hearing this, Rebeca raised her head to look at Falman. "My brother's case, isn't it?"

Falman nodded.

"In all this time I can't believe that damn law hasn't been changed." Grumbled the black-haired woman. "If there were to be a repeat of my brother's case, we know what's in store for Mustang. Dammit! Even if he's no saint of my devotion, I know how much he means to Riza and now to my dear godson." She softened her gaze and looked directly at Edward. "Ed, whatever happens with your jerk of a father, please promise me you won't leave your mother alone because I'm afraid you'd be the only one who could dissuade her from taking extreme measures if all this gets complicated."

Ed's stomach knotted at the thought of that possibility again. "I promise, even though I had already promised my father. But even if I wasn't asked, I don't plan to leave her alone, not now, not ever. We've lost too much time already, I don't want to lose any more."

Rebeca smiled, "Thank you, son. Riza really does have a wonderful son."

Ed blushed and decided to return his attention to the papers he was checking.

"Falman, do you happen to have any knowledge of what happens when those who break a law are war heroes?" Breda asked.

"In the only cases I've checked the laws were either not applied to the full extent of the law or were totally ignored because they were so close to King Bradley."

"As was the case with Kimblee." Fuery mentioned.

"That's right, but to date I haven't seen a case where the anti-fraternization law is involved and we all know that this law is one of the most punishable."

"But it's ridiculous! How can a country even think of assassinating its heroes?" Rebeca reproached.

"I second Becky, besides if it wasn't for the Chief's roll in the hay with Hawkeye we wouldn't have the Fullmetal Chief, who don't forget was the one who ended up kicking that Father's ass." Havoc retorted before receiving a punch from Rebeca. "Hey! Why are you hitting me?"

"Because you're an idiot. Just because you go and roll around with whomever you please doesn't mean my friend did it."

"Then how do you explain Ed's existence? Don't tell me the stork brought him."

Ed couldn't help but blush at the remark as Rebeca shook her head from side to side and folded her arms.

"That's why your girlfriends don't last, because of how idiotic and unromantic you are."

"And who do you think you are to judge me?"

Ed stood up to step between Havoc and Rebeca.

"Hey, calm down! Don't forget that right now the most important thing is to save my parents!" Ed said with a serious tone.

"Yes, Havoc, let's save your poor love life or rather your non-existent love life for later." Breda commented, pulling his friend to sit down.

"Shut up, Breda!" Havoc grumbled.

"Okay, now back to the matter at hand, Falman, so far you're not aware of anything we can do to get my parents out of this mess?" Ed asked.

"Unfortunately, there is no similar precedent. This law is one of the oldest and therefore most rigid. Führer Grumman has it in his plans to update it, but we know that if he asks for its modification precisely at this time his mandate would be at stake since he would be taking sides." Falman sighed.

"That's what the General's enemies are looking for. If Grumman's government falls, Ishval's restoration and all the projects we've worked for to improve the country alongside the General and the Captain would fall apart." Breda commented.

"Damn it! That damn Archer and whoever is supporting him had it all planned out." Edward said in an annoyed tone.

"Come on, Falman, there's got to be something." Havoc said.

"And if there isn't, we'll create it." Breda said in a solemn tone.

Falman exhaled heavily. "I'm delving into one possibility, but I'm still not sure if I can proceed."

Everyone arched their eyebrows looking at Falman expectantly.

"From Edward's age and the dates the Captain was on leave during her military training, I'd like to believe the conception was before she entered the academy."

"Of course that's how it happened. I befriended her in the early days of the military academy, or rather, I tackled her and from there I befriended her and I won't give details of that because that at this time is of no interest. The point is that I was present when she began to feel the discomforts that indicated that the young man over there was on his way." She said pointing towards Edward with a finger. "If I remember correctly, I think it started a month or two after we entered the academy, not to mention that Riza hardly ever went out on the days off we had and if she did it was because I dragged her. So I can confirm that she was already pregnant, what's more, she told me that she had been intimate with her boyfriend who at the time was Mustang."

"Okay, okay, I don't want to know the details of that, please." Ed said holding up his hands.

"Obviously I'm not going to tell you, kiddo, because even I don't know that. Riza has always been very discreet and unfortunately she didn't give me as many details as I would have liked." Rebeca said pouting slightly at the end.

"Well, can we please avoid getting off topic?" Breda interjected.

"The big stumbling block I find, is that Edward's birth certificate is listed as being born in February. With that date the research people will cling to the fact that he was conceived when the Captain was a cadet." Falman resumed the subject.

"But that's not true, I know for a fact. Plus Edward was about a month or a month and a half early, so there's no way he was conceived when she was a cadet. It was definitely before she entered the academy."

"If we could prove that the conception was before the Captain was officially a cadet, maybe we could get absolution for all 3 by appealing that a pre-enrolled person can't officially be considered a member of the military."

"Great, Falman." Fuery said.

"And why the hell didn't you tell us this before?" Havoc asked.

"Because that's what I was looking into just moments ago."

"Well that's settled then, let's go right away and put up our defense to get them released." Rebeca replied.

"Unfortunately, Lieutenant Catalina, it's not that simple. Your word will have no value to give sustenance to our defense." Falman replied.

"You see, Rebeca? For being a scandalous and rowdy person they don't take you into account." Said Havoc in a mocking tone, who immediately received a strong hit on the head from Rebeca.

"Shut up, you idiot!"

"Why can't Lieutenant Catalina's testimony be enough?" Winry asked.

"Because she is known to be Riza's best friend and, unfortunately, the military does not accept testimony from friends or family." Interjected Chris who had entered the room a few minutes ago, but had decided to remain silent to listen.

"Oh, I didn't realize you were back." Said Ed in surprise.

"Being careful and stealthy is my job, boy."

"Rebeca, do you know of anyone else who could attest that Hawkeye was pregnant when she entered the academy?" Breda asked.

Rebeca's expression turned sad. "Not that I know of. I was her only friend at the time and as far as I know, when Riza was at Rivière, she stayed away to avoid being recognized."

Breda put his hand to his chin and went into thoughtful mode. "That's definitely going to complicate the situation. Falman, how many witnesses will we need?"

"According to the case files I've read from the other military laws, 3 witnesses have generally been used."

Havoc snorted. "Geez, this is going to be complicated."

"Not to mention they want to do the trial as soon as possible." Breda said.

"The problem is that they have evidence that convicts them." Said in a despondent tone Fuery.

"Well let's stop wasting time. I've already sent for witnesses by all my resources. Falman, when will you interrogate Riza and my boy?" asked Madame.

"Tomorrow, Madame. I will try to see what we can do to postpone the trial as much as possible."

Chris nodded.

"Okay guys, let's get moving. We'll meet tomorrow after Falman's meeting. Before I come here I'll take the opportunity to see Riza to find out if she remembers anyone who can serve as a witness and to take her some clean clothes."

"Hmm, Aunt Rebeca, could you also take clothes to my father?" Ed asked, scratching the back of his neck, causing Winry and Madame to smile.

Since they were officers with a lot of merit in their careers, they had left Roy and Riza in the cells at Central Command instead of transferring them to Central's prison, so they didn't need to wear the prisoners' uniform, not at least not until they were sentenced.

"Sure, Ed." Rebeca replied.

"Well... give me a few minutes to get something."

"Come on, boy, I've got your dad's clothes over here." Chris said.

Ed nodded. "I'll be right back." He said in order to momentarily leave the room.

"Wow, Winry, you seem to have softened the heart of the Fullmetal boss." Havoc commented jokingly.

Winry blushed. "Well it's obvious that Ed cares about his parents, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but it's still weird to see that pair so close without so much fighting in between." Havoc said as he started to laugh.

Winry smiled. "Yes, I understand, but even though it was hard for him to accept his origin at first, he is now very grateful to have Miss Riza and General Mustang as his parents. That's why we have to find a way to free them all."

"Yes! We will, so let's get to work!" said Havoc with an optimistic expression trying to transmit his energy to everyone present.

---

The next day, Falman and Breda got permission to have a conversation in a private room with Roy and Riza. When they were certain that there were no hidden cameras or microphones and that there were no soldiers in the vicinity, Breda took out a small kit he carried in his coat to open the General's handcuffs and those that had been placed on Riza to move her to the room, so that no traces of their intervention would remain. Neither of them had asked for it but, honestly, it was a relief for Roy to be able to rub his wrists after spending several days with the continued presence and weight of the handcuffs. Once that was done, Falman and Breda began to ask them some questions.

Riza had her head down as she answered her companions' questions. " Rebeca had told me about this plan yesterday but I'm afraid I can't think of anyone." She sighed. "Many people who go to Rivière do so to go on vacation or are there for a short time as they head elsewhere from there. Not to mention that during that period I tried to remain anonymous to avoid being discovered. The only people I established constant communication with were Edward's adoptive parents."

Breda and Falman nodded. "Well, we'll try to keep digging, hopefully we'll find something." Breda commented.

Riza raised her head to look at her friends standing in front of her. "Thanks, guys."

"We'll get you out of here. You'll see." Breda said with a reassuring smile as Falman nodded his head as a sign of his commitment to achieving that goal.

Roy smiled slightly before changing to a serious expression. "There is something that concerns me more at the moment. They are increasing the pressure to find Edward. We need them to drop the charges against him as soon as possible. If we can do it before the trial, all the better."

At that comment, everyone in the room tensed.

"Sir, we have a week until the trial. Maybe by then we can get you all out of this mess." Falman commented.

"There is no time to waste, Archer is behind this and we know full well he won't play fair. If for some reason he finds Edward, he could hurt him and even Winry. That's a risk I'm not willing to take."

Riza understood Roy's concern perfectly, as she shared it herself, especially when yesterday Archer had threatened them that he would kill their 'bastard' when he found him if they didn't cooperate with the investigation to find his whereabouts. Roy and Riza knew that Madame would keep Edward safe but as parents they could not remain calm. However, Riza was also aware that, for the moment, the only option they had to free their son from all this trouble once and for all, would be to sacrifice Roy. Their priority was their son, but she could not conceive the idea that she would go free leaving the man she loved behind.

"General, let's take the guys' words to heart, maybe we'll come up with something in a couple of days that can secure freedom for all of us." Riza said in a soft voice as she raised her gaze in Roy's direction.

Roy turned to look Riza straight in the eye. "I don't plan on taking any risks, Captain. They already have too much of a head start and the longer this situation goes on it will only continue to get more complicated."

"Sir, we can't act rashly either."

The General inhaled deeply. "Understand, please, I want you and Edward out of any danger as soon as possible."

An awkward silence formed for Breda and Falman who began to look away so as not to intrude on what was certainly not a conversation for their ears. Riza, for her part, focused on Roy's gaze, feeling his black orbs reflect his determination to carry out the plan that would get her and Edward out of harm's way at the cost of his life.

"Riza, please I want you and Edward out of danger." Roy said in a soft voice focusing solely on Riza and forgetting about where they were and the people with them.

"And I want you and Edward out of danger, Roy. I agree that we get our son out of all this as soon as possible, but I don't agree with you that I should be free too, much less when you would have to stay behind to make it happen." Replied Riza in the same way.

"There is no choice, Riza."

"Of course there must be, we just have to be patient."

"And if Edward is captured before then? Archer won't hesitate to make good on his threats."

Riza inhaled and exhaled heavily. "Roy, there has to be another way..."

"Maybe, but there isn't time. Our son's life is in danger."

Riza knew Roy was right because she herself kept thinking that her priority was her son but it pained her to think that she would benefit from being allowed to live while Roy spent the rest of his life in a prison (best case scenario, though extremely unlikely) or worse... dead. Riza gulped, trying to push away the lump that was forming in her throat. It seemed that what Roy was willing to do was the only way out but she couldn't allow it, not when all this had happened because of her for not telling him of her plans to join the military. No longer able to cope with her own sense of guilt and Roy's intense piercing gaze, she averted her gaze, breaking the contact they had both maintained.

"It is decided. Falman, Breda, do whatever it takes to bring this chase to an end. I want Edward and the Captain out of this." Replied the black-haired man in a determined voice.

"Yes, sir." Replied the alluded with resignation, for they feared that Roy's order would definitely end in his own death.

"Still, we'll do our best to get you out as soon as possible as well." Added Falman

"Thank you, but don't forget that my request takes priority."

The men nodded before sharing a glance at each other prior to standing up.

"Sir, we still have a few minutes before the officers come, we'll take care of guarding the door from the outside." Breda said.

Without waiting for a response, Breda and Falman gave a slight nod to their superiors before retreating from the room to give them a few minutes of privacy.

Riza stood up and walked to one end of the room with her back to Roy. Even though it was the only way to drop the charges against her son, she could feel twinges of pain in her heart at the thought of the sacrifice Roy was willing to make.

Roy moved closer to her standing a step behind her observing the tension that had risen in her shoulders and the anger that was invading her. Whether she liked the decision or not, she had to be safe too. He would not give up, he would do anything to keep the most important people in his life out of danger.

"Riza... please understand that it's for the best." The black-haired man murmured as he stepped in front of her and took one of her hands. "I told you, I can't lose you or Edward."

"And I can't lose you." She replied quietly, keeping her gaze on the ground.

"I don't plan to give up. Look at this as a momentary plan of action. With any luck, they won't go to maximum consequences with me so I'll only be a little delayed in getting back to you and Ed's side." He brought a hand to her cheek to caress it tenderly. "Besides, I know that you, Edward and the others will continue to support me, not to mention that after many years of wishing for my own death, it is now the last thing I want. I want to live to be by your side and by our son's side, I already missed several years of his life and I don't want to miss any more."

"I understand and I'm totally fine with Edward being out of this, but I should be the one to stay here."

Roy shook his head. "Neither you nor Edward deserve to be here, all this persecution is because of me, because of all the enemies I've made. You know perfectly well that it's because of me that they started all this and not so much for 'upholding' the law."

Riza sighed.

"Besides, I promised Edward that I would do everything I could to make sure we all got out of this." Roy added.

Riza lifted her gaze and allowed herself to crack a slight smile before wrapping her arms around the black-haired man. "We'll get out of this."

"We will. Whatever happens, don't forget that I love you and our son." Roy said with determination before kissing her on the lips.

"Don't forget that I love you too." The blonde responded as they pulled apart which made Roy smile before hugging her tightly for a brief moment before reluctantly pulling away as Breda and Falman had knocked on the door to announce their entrance, which meant the guards were coming back and in a few seconds the handcuffs would be back around their wrists, preventing them for an indefinite amount of time from the displays of affection they were finally able to share in those brief moments.