Teamwork- Part 2 of 2 Chapters 5-7 and Epilogue (FMA_Big_Bang 2010/201
Title: Teamwork
Author: Seaweed_FMA
Artist:
Genre: Drama, a little Humor
Rating: PG-13 for some violence and blood
Word Count 15,709
Characters / Pairings: Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda. Fuery, Falman, Maes, Gracia, and some minor OCs. Maes /Gracia and some Roy/Riza UST.
Warnings: More Manga/Brotherhood based. Some violence, no real spoilers, set pre-series. The Cow owns the characters, not me.
Summary : When Mustang first received his team, they weren't always such a close knit group. It took a potentially tragic event to bring them all together.
CHAPTER 5: The Bar
Roy had a hard time sleeping that night. He had to find some way to bring his men under his command. He knew intimidation worked when it came to Hawkeye, but that wasn't his style. His intimidation tended to be more subtle.
He knew part of the reason that they were having a hard time listening to him was that they were, for the most part, right out of the Military Academy, and were still young and a little brash. But it was also because he himself was so young. It was hard to take a man seriously that was 3 or 4 ranks but only a few years older than you.
By the time the morning came, he knew that there was only one choice.
Bribery.
Once again Hawkeye had already arrived by the time that he got to work, complete with a cup of coffee waiting for him on his desk. He smiled his thanks to her as he sat down.
The clock on the wall indicated that it was five minutes to 0800 hours when he next looked up from his paperwork. Silently, he wondered if the scare that Hawkeye had put into them yesterday had worked. But he needn't worry. Right at the stroke of eight, they all came in as a group, silently finding their seats, not even groaning at the pile of paper that was slightly taller than the one that had been on their desks the day before.
“Good morning, men.” Roy started, as the took their seats. “I know that this is still a little strange, working a desk job under a new commander. So I want to make you feel more relaxed.” He smiled mischievously over at Hawkeye, who just frowned at him.
“So, here is the deal. It is Friday night, and I am guessing that most of you are pretty new to Central. I know a good bar close by. So, if you guys work hard today, I'll go with you all to the bar tonight, and the first round will be on me.”
That certainly got their spirits up quickly.
The day went pretty quickly for the group, and when 1700 hours came around, Roy stood up as he had yesterday. “Okay, finish up whatever paperwork that you are working on now, and when everyone is ready, we'll head on down to the bar. It is only a couple of blocks away.”
“Sir, I'm afraid I will have to decline your offer. I appreciate it, but I have to get back to my apartment. I have things that I have to take care of there.” There was an audible sigh from the group in the middle of the room. None of them were particularly excited about the prospect of having Hawkeye along with them. She didn't seem like the kind to relax, even after work.
She was the only one who saw the slight disappointment on his face when he turned to face her. “I certainly can't force you to come with me, Lieutenant. But I will be disappointed.”
“I am sorry to disappoint you, sir. But I insist that I decline.”
“Okay. I will see you on Monday, then. Have a nice weekend, Lieutenant.” She nodded, got her belongings together, and saluted her Colonel as she left. He saluted back, watching her leave. As quick as the slight disappointment was on his face, it was gone as he faced the men again.
“Let's go.”
**
An hour later, the first round had been finished, as well as the second round for most of them. For a while, it had been a bit awkward. But eventually the beer won out and their lips loosened. For as well as Roy had read their dossiers, and had learned everything that he could in their official records, he found out a whole lot more as they all sat and talked.
Somehow, the conversation moved to Havoc, and why he had joined the military. He said that he had seen the soldiers as they were traveling back from Ishval. His small town was one of the stops the train made to restock their coal and water and give the men (who could walk) a chance to stretch their legs. Since they were the only general store in town, he heard a lot of stories, both good and bad. But despite that, he had known what he was going to do. He had already wanted an excuse to get out of his little country town, and what better way to do it than to pair it with a chance to help others? He was a crack shot with a gun. He had to keep squirrels and small varmints away from the crops that his family grew in the back of their shop/house, so it seemed like a natural fit.
As they continued to drink and talk, Roy found out that their reasons for joining the army were mostly the same- they wanted to find a way out of their small towns and wanted to help and protect the public. Fuery was the only one who had grown up in a big city- Central, so he was a home town boy- and he had mostly joined because he wasn't sure what else to do. He was so bright that his fairly well to do parents were at their wits end, because he kept taking apart anything electronic in their house.
Roy listened intently. Despite already having finished off a couple of beers, he had been raised in a bar and knew how to hold his alcohol. He wanted to stay sober enough to remember everything that they were telling him. Finally, it felt like he was able to get them to open up and really get to know the men who were under his command.
It didn't take long for Roy to notice that having Breda, Havoc and alcohol together was going to be a recipe for disaster. He knew that they had been roommates while at the military academy, but they also seemed to be drinking buddies and really good friends- they reminded him of the relationship between himself and Maes, and if they were even close to the same, that could be dangerous.
No one was quite sure how the conversation stared, but it ended up with Breda daring Havoc to try to get the phone number of a pretty little blond girl who was sitting a few tables away from them. Havoc, being the testosterone laden, beer filled man that he was, would never think about backing down from the challenge, so he steeled his nerves and approached the young woman.
Despite there being some debate as to how this whole debacle began, there was no argument about how it ended- in a terrible, flaming, downward spiral for Jean Havoc. It seemed alright, at first. The room was busy enough that they couldn't hear what the two people were saying, but judging by the looks on their faces, they both seemed to be enjoying themselves.
That is, until the woman's boyfriend came back.
By the time Breda was up from the table, the yelling and shoving had already upgraded into a full out brawl. Being a county boy, Jean knew how to fight. He was a pretty big guy- tall and well filled out, and he outweighed and out stood the boyfriend by a few inches, though the boyfriend was doing a pretty good job at standing his ground.
As soon as Breda got up, the rest of the group was on their feet as well, fueled by beer and adrenalin. The girl yelled at all of them to stop, but by then Havoc and the other man were on the ground, wrestling and punching each other whenever they had an opening.
It couldn't have been any more than a minute before the bartender and a bouncer were on the scene. If Jean was big, the bouncer was HUGE. He physically pulled them apart and shoved Jean back when he tried to make a second lunge for the man. Breda caught a hold of him as he fell backwards, keeping him from falling and preventing him from starting anything again.
“You guys have to leave.” He said, crossing his arms.
Not wanting any trouble, Roy took the lead. “Yes, sir, thank you. We'll go home, I apologize for the trouble.” He turned to his men. “Let's go.” He said, trying to sound authoritative like he was controlling him men, but with a tiny hint of mirth. They followed him outside, where he was better able to assess the damage. Havoc was going to have a pretty good shiner in the morning, and his lip was bleeding, but the other man looked like he had gotten the worst of the injuries.
“I guess I win the bet, huh Havo?”
With a grin that could only be described as positively radiant, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. It even had a little bit of blood spattered on it, lending credence to its authenticity.
“You lucky fuckin' dog!” Breda slapped his back hard enough for his friend to stumble forward a couple of steps.
“I think this is a good time to break up for the night. I trust you all can find a cab back to the dorms. I'll see you all first thing Monday morning. Have a nice rest of the weekend.” With that, he turned and started on the short walk back to his place, whistling a happy, albeit slightly out of tune song.
CHAPTER 6: The Marriage
After the events of that evening, the office worked much more smoothly. Roy still wasn't convinced that he had gotten the men's total loyalty, but he knew that he had taken a step in the right direction. Loyalty had to be earned by deeds and over time, and he was doing his best to show them that he was a leader that was worth following.
Even as he worked unusually hard in the office, which especially surprised Lieutenant Hawkeye, his mind was elsewhere. His best friend had drunkenly proposed to his long time girlfriend months ago, and the time was quickly approaching for the wedding.
And to add to top it all off, as if he wasn't distracted enough, he and all of his men were transferred to the Eastern Command Headquarters. Roy considered it a demotion by people who were scared of how quickly he was climbing up the ladder at such a young age. And even worse, that made it a lot harder to help his best friend plan his for his wedding day.
Maes had made him the best man- there had never really been any doubt that it would happen. But Roy was sure that Maes had made Riza a bridesmaid just to annoy him. He was so insistent that Roy needed to find a wife, and the bespectacled man was convinced that if anyone would match up well with Roy, it would be her. Gracia's younger sister was the Matron of Honor. She was a nice- if a slightly plain woman, Roy had met her before and they got along well. The rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were friends and coworkers- the wedding party was set.
As time time approached, Roy was able to get time off and train tickets for his men. It was going to be a civilian wedding, but besides Roy and Riza, none of the rest of them were in the wedding, so they were all going to get to laugh at him while he suffered in a tuxedo. And again, he was convinced that Maes was doing this to make his life miserable.
A couple of days before the wedding, they all boarded a train and took to their small cabins- Havoc and Breda sharing one, Fuery and Falman sharing a second, and Roy and Riza sharing the third- on her insistence, she wanted to be close enough to protect him. This was the perfect opportunity for someone to take advantage of him being out of the safety of Eastern Command to hurt or kill him. If course, this gave the rest of his men full license to cat call and whistle at him, getting to share a private cabin with the beautiful, if more than slightly scary Lieutenant. All Roy could do was roll his eyes at them and shoo them off so he could get settled for the long ride back to Central.
He groaned when he walked in and only saw one bed. “Well, it looks like we are going to have to take turns sleeping then.” In the corner was a small molded plastic chair, the only other place to sit in the small cabin- this was disturbingly familiar. “You can take the first round. I'll wake you up after a few hours.”
“Thank you, sir.” She put her suitcase in the storage area above the bed and laid down. It was surprisingly comfortable for a train, though it didn't compare to her mattress at home. Roy settled into his seat and looked over at her.
“What is it, sir?”
“Sorry. I guess I so rarely get to see you in civilian clothes. I forgot how unflattering those military uniforms are on a person's figure.”
“Be careful, sir, that could be taken as bordering on harassment.” She tried to sound serious, but he could hear the slight amusement in her voice.
Roy bowed low, as low as he could in that chair. “I apologize, Lieutenant Hawkeye. Forgive my rudeness.”
“I will... this time, sir.” She smiled at him. For a moment, there was a bit of an awkward silence. “A Cenz for your thoughts, sir?”
That was enough to break him out of his stupor. “Oh. I guess my mind was just wandering.” He smiled slyly at her. “I should stop staring. You forgave me once, but I may get slapped if I can't get my meandering eyes under control.”
“That is probably for the best, sir.” He averted his eyes down, away from her.
“Yes.” A knock on the door was actually a relief for Roy.
“Sir?” Jean Havoc popped his head in. “I was wondering if you two perhaps wanted some lunch? The food car just opened.”
Hawkeye turned to her commanding officer. I'm fine, sir. I just want to get some rest, I'm really not hungry. You can go ahead.”
“You sure, Lieutenant?
Yes, sir. You two go eat something.”
“I can get you a sandwich for later.”
“That would be nice, sir. Thank you.”
“Okay, rest well, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you, sir.”
**
The evening was perfect . It was cool, with a slight breeze that fluttered the flaps of the tent that the small wedding was being held in. As the best man, He was already at the front of the tent with Maes and the Justice of the Peace when the bridal party entered from the rear. It was the first time both Maes and Roy saw the two women in their dresses.
“Wow...” They both said it in unison when Gracia came in, with Riza trailing behind, holding her long white train. They were beautiful, a perfect pair in the pure white wedding dress and the deep bold red of the bridesmaids. The bridesmaid's dresses were sleeveless- with a high back and a low, dipping front. It hugged every soft, supple curve of her body. She must have talked to Gracia before hand about the dress. He hadn't even thought about it- how she would have to be so careful when she was out of her uniform, it just made him admire her more.
The bridal party walked up to the front and paused while Riza pulled Gracia's veil back, then took her spot with the other bridesmaids. Roy didn't even realize that he had been staring at her until Maes elbowed him. He smiled at the groom and took his spot as well.
The wedding was short, with a small speech by the justice of the peace before the presentation of the rings. They gave their vows and exchanged rings, and at the end, Maes leaned in and gave his new bride a soft, gentle kiss. Roy smiled at his best friend, not surprised when he saw an equally large smile on Riza's face.
“Hey, sir. Nice tux! Breda slapped Roy hard enough on the back that he stumbled forward a step. Not being in the wedding party, the rest were dressed nicely, but only Roy had to suffer through wearing a tuxedo. He cut a rather dashing figure, and he really didn't mind- he was definitely getting the eye of many women, but was far from the most comfortable thing to wear, and it was still going to be a while before he could get out of it.
He endured the good natured ribbing that his coworkers gave him. He was glad to see that they were comfortable enough with him that they felt like they could give him a hard time- it was a happy day. When he looked at Maes and Gracia dancing together, their first dance as husband and wife-how intensely joyous they were, he knew that this was the best day of all of their lives.
When the music ended, it was time for the bridesmaid and groomsmen to dance. Usually the matron of honor would dance with the best man, but since she was already married, and there was an extra bridesmaid, Gracia's sister danced with her husband. That left Roy to dance with someone else. When he found out who it was, he looked over to Maes, who just shrugged and smiled, then went back to dancing with his new wife.
“Sir, we don't have to do this, if you don't feel comfortable with it.”
“Don't be silly, Lieutenant. It is protocol, after all.” He smiled and offered her his hand, which she gladly took.
They moved like a slowly flowing river, smooth and graceful,- each one two halves of a greater whole. They shifted, ebbed and flowed in a perfect harmony. Both of them were caught up in the moment, so they didn't notice that some of the people dancing had stopped to watch them, almost as if they had never seen such a perfect pair of dancers before.
Art by Yhlee
“Gracia, look.” Maes nudged her very gently. “Those two dancing. I would swear that they were made for each other.”
“Maybe they were, love.” To anyone else, it just looked like two soldiers who made a good dancing pair, but Maes knew Roy well enough to see that he was truly happy, which was very rare with him. There was something special between them, there was no doubt about it.
CHAPTER 7: The Case
It didn't take too long for things to settle back to somewhat normal after their trip to Central. Things were pretty quiet in East City for a while. Almost too quiet for Roy. He had a feeling that something big was going to happen.
And unfortunately, he was right.
Maes made it a habit to call Roy at least a few times a week- or every day if he could. At first he told his best friend about their wonderful 2 week vacation to Aeurgo and the sea, which he had always wanted to see, but neither of them had been out of Amestris before. After a while Maes was back to his old tricks, asking when Roy was going to find a wife and settle down and take a nice long vacation.
“What about that Hawkeye girl? You two certainly seemed to be hitting it off at the wedding.”
Roy could only imagine the smile that Maes was wearing all the way over in Central. “Hughes.” He said while he rubbed his eyes. He called him Hughes and not Maes was because it was one of the few things that actually ANNOYED Maes Hughes. He always called Roy by his first name, unless they were at work, and even then only when they were in front of superior officers. But Roy on the other hand, only used his first name when there was no one else around, except maybe Gracia.
“Hughes, I already told you. She is a friend from years back. Her father was my alchemy teacher. She is more like a sister to me than anything else.”
“I don't think anyone dances with their sister like you were dancing with her. People would... talk.”
“Hughes..”
“But that isn't why I called.” That was a shocker to Roy, usually there was no other business other than to annoy him.
“So, why did you call then?”
“There have been some murders here in Central.” There was a pregnant pause. “Usually the military doesn't get involved, but this is different. Whoever it is... they have been killing women in the military, both officers, and civilians who work in military offices.”
Roy couldn't help but look over to his side, where Riza was working hard on a pile of papers, When she noticed that he was looking, there was the briefest moment of surprise, and almost happiness, but in a split second it was replaced by a frown. “Tell Major Hughes to hang up and let you get back to work, sir.” And as fast as that, she was back at work.
“... Have you been listening to anything that I have been saying Roy?”
“Oh, sorry. I was... distracted.” He immediately regretting saying that. Maes was smart enough to know what hat distracted him.
“Yes, I am sure that your Second Lieutenant is quite a distraction for you.” It was easy to tell that he was smiling while he said that by the tone in his voice.
“She is fine, Hughes. So what was so damn important that you had to bother me at work?”
“The murders, they had been going on for over a week, but a few days ago they mysteriously stopped. Since we had been very actively pursuing this, we think that the killer or killers may have moved onto another town. We doubt that they have just up and stopped, after killing a dozen women in less than ten days. It is more likely that they have traveled to another big town. We have already called the Northern, Southern, and Western Command Centers. We doubt they would go north because of the hostile environment and the fact that snow leaves footprints. We are guessing they either went south or more likely, east.”
Roy took a moment to take this all in. He could see why Maes would guess here. Eastern Command was known for being more lax than the other command centers, and there was a rumor that quite a few people were on the take from various organizations. That had been one reason why Roy had been transferred here, to try to passively root out the source of the corruption. He still considered it a demotion, punishment for rising through the ranks so fast. He was sure to stagnate here. But perhaps this was what he needed to get back to Central. A nice case like this could get him seen by the right people.
“So far all of the women have been in uniform, traveling to or from work, and we know it has to be the same person or people, because we have deliberately kept it out of the papers, so there couldn't be a copycat killer. We don't want anyone else getting any idea about this.”
That was why he hadn't heard about it before. But why hadn't Maes mentioned it in any of his phone calls? He had sounded tired lately, but he figured that his new wife had been keeping him up. Perhaps he had been stressing about this case, but didn't think that it was important enough for him to know about it, at least until now.
“I assume that you have have already sent copies of the information that you have gathered so far to me?”
“It should arrive within the next day or two at the latest, by private courier. It is safer to send it from person to person and keep the military out of it. Looks less suspicious. So it should come directly to your apartment.”
“And of course, there aren't pictures of you and your new wife on your honeymoon in there, right?”
“Hey, I had to make some sort of cover story, right?”
Roy rolled his eyes. “Of course. I will inform my men, and will brief them as soon as the information arrives.”
“I have spoken with some higher ups in Eastern Command, and they agreed with my recommendation to put you in charge of this investigation. Personally I think they are all too lazy to do it. They are afraid that they won't be able to solve it and it will reflect badly on them. This is your chance to come back to see me in Central. You solve this case, and you could be the youngest Colonel in Amestrian history, with a nice big office here in Central Command.” Maes knew just what carrot to dangle in front of his nose to make sure that he would bite.
“Okay. I will advise you when I receive it.”
“Oh,, don't worry. I'll be calling back soon. Talk to ya soon, Flamey!” Before Roy could protest, the line went dead.
“Sir? Is everything okay?”
He turned to Riza and gave her a little smile. “Yes. Major Hughes just informed me that there was a rash of murders in Central, and that the killer or killers may be coming East. It looks like we have something big coming our way. This will be the perfect chance for our team to take on our first real challenge.”
“You mean besides trying not to die of laughter at the sight of you in a tux?” Havoc quickly added “Sir?”
“Yes.” He ignored the barb. “Apparently they are killing women officers and civilian women in military offices.” He turned to Hawkeye. “I know that you are capable of defending yourself, but for now, I want you to travel to and from work in at least groups of two, a male companion would be preferable.”
She thinned her eyes at him. He said she was capable, but it sure didn't sound like he believed it. “And what about when I am not at work, sir?” She asked, anger rising in her voice.
“If you are out of uniform, you should be fine. All the women who were killed were in uniform, according to Hughes, going to or from work.” He sighed. “Please, I don't want to lose anyone on my team. I know you don't like it, but it is only until we either solve the case, or until we know that the killers are in another city.”
“Yes, sir.” It was annoying, but deep down she knew that he was doing it for her own good. “I have a friend, she lives in the dorms as well. She works under Colonel Grand. I will walk with her.”
He tried to hide his relief. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive herself. “Thank you, Lieutenant.” he turned to his men. “So far they have only been killing females, but I still want you all to be very cautious as well. Travel in groups when you can, and don't do anything that would leave you open to attack, like stumbling home drunk.”
“Yes, sir.” They all answered with a salute.
“I have some paperwork being sent to me by Major Hughes. As soon as it gets here, I will give you all a formal briefing. We are officially on this case as of this moment. So no talking to anyone outside this office about it. No girlfriends, family or anyone else. This stays here. As you were. Back to work.”
**
The papers arrived that night, and the next day, Roy had his formal briefing on the case. At the end of the briefing, he gave them their assignments.
“Fuery, you are going to do some phone tapping. I know it is a needle in a haystack, but we need any information that we can get. Falman, you go down to the library. I want all the information I can about serial killers. We need to know how they think- get in their heads so we can know what they are going to do next. Breda, you go with Falman. That is a big job, and it will take a couple of you.” He turned to the last two members of his team. “You two are the best when it comes to guns and covert ops. I need you two to be my eyes out on the street. This is very dangerous. You two need to stick together. If you separate, you're as good as dead.”
“Yes sir.” They replied in unison.
“This is very serious. People have been dying, and it is my intention to get these monsters off of the streets and either into a dank jail cell, or hanging from the gallows. From now on, we need to be serious and professional. This could be a great opportunity for all of us, to not only come together as a team, but to show the Amesterian military that we are strong, confident soldiers. Dismissed, and good luck.” He stood up from his chair, ramrod straight, and saluted them all. They all did the same, then went their separate ways. He sat back down and sighed. “Be careful, all of you.” he whispered.
**
“So far, nothing.” Havoc grumbled. He couldn't smoke while on assignment, and it was making him cranky. They had been out for the better part of a week, and they had found absolutely nothing. There hadn't been any confirmed deaths from the killers in any city. Western and Southern Command were checking in daily with Roy and his team, but so far everything was quiet.
“I wonder if they just ran because Hughes and his team were getting too close?”
“We can't assume anything, Lieutenant Havoc. We still have quite a bit of ground to cover today. That's a long enough break.”
They both put away their small canteens and put their guns at the ready. A serious facade replaced the pouting one of a moment ago on the blond's face. “Let's go.” He said softly.
There were plenty of back alleys and old abandoned warehouses to search in the slums on the south side of East City. That is where they found themselves as the sun starting to fall behind the buildings of the town. Roy had told them that he wanted them to stop before nightfall each day, since working at night was much more dangerous, but they had one block that they wanted to finish before they gave up for the day.
“Stay here. I am going a little bit ahead to scout out the next alleyway. You guard my back.” Riza whispered softly to Havoc. He nodded and cocked his gun, his eyes scanning the growing inky darkness.
Riza had only traveled a few hundred feet down the thin alley when she heard a soft noise from behind her. Immediately she turned just in time to see Havoc slump down into a heap onto the dirty ground. “Havoc!” She yelled as loudly as she dared. Her gun at the ready, she ran towards where he was, but she only got a couple of steps before she felt a dull thud into the back of her skull. Stars filled her vision and pain overwhelmed her. She stumbled forward another step before dropping her gun and falling to the pavement, losing consciousness before her head hit the ground.
**
Normal Roy would be home by nightfall- either out on a hot date, or just at home appreciating a fine brandy and some nice, relaxing music.
But on this night he nervously paced the room. He had heard back from everyone except for the two that he was most worried about, the two out on the streets. It was hours past nightfall now, and he hadn't heard from them. He was sure that something was wrong, but East City was large, and he had no way of knowing where they were. He needed to stay at the office in case they called.
Midnight was approaching when the phone finally rang, but when he picked it up, it wasn't who he expected.
“Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang?”
“Yes.”
“This is Doctor Meyers of the East City General Hospital. We have one of your men here, a Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc and he was insistent that he needed to talk...”
“I'll be right there.” He didn't let the man finish, he slammed down the phone, grabbed his coat, and headed out the door to the motor pool, to grab a car.
A few minutes later, he screeched to a halt in front of the emergency room entrance, not bothering to park the car before he ran inside to the nurses' station.
“Where is Lieutenant Havoc?” He demanded.
“Visiting hours are over, sir. If you would like to come back in..”
He pulled out his pocket watch. “This is a matter of utmost importance.” He said, annoyance rising with each syllable. “I need to see him. It is a military emergency.”
She frowned at him, but looked at her paper. “241, sir. Down the hallway, take your first left.”
“Thank you.”
He rushed down the hall, not even bothering to knock on the door before he barged in. There were a couple of nurses in the room, bandaging some minor wounds- scrapes from falling onto the dirty, littered alleyway. He had a bandage on his head. One eye was so swollen that it was totally closed, and he had big purple bruises all over his face and neck, he assumed that it continued down to the rest of his body as well.
“I need to talk to my subordinate alone. It is a military matter.” The nurses finished their bandaging and then left, closing the door behind them.
“Havoc, report. Where is Lieutenant Hawkeye?”
“I... don't know, sir.” His voice was rough and slightly slurred from the pain medication that he was on. “We... were ambushed in an alley. Hawkeye went to scout the next intersection, and I held back, trying to protect the perimeter. I was hit on the head from behind, and when I didn't go down, they jumped me and kept hitting me until I was finally subdued. I saw Hawkeye turn towards me and yell my name, but then she was attacked as well, and that was the last thing I remember. When I woke up, I was here in the hospital.”
“I need to know exactly where you were, Havoc. We need to find her before it's too late.”
“We... were in the warehouse district, around Wood Street, taking the search alley by alley. She went ahead to the next intersection, and that was when we were ambushed.” A heavy sigh escaped his lips and his voice fell. “I am sorry. I failed to keep her safe.” He tried to sit up, but he grimaced in pain. “I think I am out of the game for a bit, sir.”
“Thank you, Havoc. I will find her. You just rest up and heal. We need you back.” Roy turned and left the room, his long coat fluttering behind him like a cape. Jean leaned back and closed his eyes. He almost felt sorry for those guys when Roy finds them.
Almost.
**
A couple of quick phone calls and a car ride that seemed to take forever later, he met the rest of his men at the edge of the warehouse district.
“I don't have to tell you that this has to be done quickly and quietly. We need to find Lieutenant Hawkeye. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that we wont find her alive.” He paused for a moment to let that digest, but he knew that they already knew the dangers of what they were getting into.
“Fuery, you check the north. Falman, you check the west. Breda, you check the east, and I will check the south.” He knew that he was giving himself the most dangerous part of the warehouse, and the most likely place where Hawkeye was. Wood Street was in the south, though he had no idea if they were keeping her anywhere close. He figured that they wouldn't want to drag her far, so it was highly likely that she was there.
“Shoot twice and then once in the air if you find her. That will be our signal to meet back up. We will meet back up here in two hours if the signal is not given. If you are not back in two hours, then we will consider you as a prisoner as well. Go... and.. good luck.”
The men split off their separate ways, desperate to find their fellow coworker, solider, and friend.
**
Roy knew that the two hours was close to being up- hell, it might have passed already, but he wasn't ready to give up yet. It had taken quite a while just to get this deep into the southern part of the warehouse district. He was getting close, he could feel it.
His keen ears picked up a small noise in a building that he was walking past. He wasted no time, finding a way in through a broken window on the side of the building. Roy sneaked through the burnt out husk of the building, as silent as death itself. This building had been abandoned for decades it seemed, and there were parts of it that seemed like they were on the verge of collapsing. He could use that to his advantage, but he would have to be careful, the last thing he wanted was for the building to come crashing down on top of himself and Hawkeye, if she was indeed in here.
It didn't take long to hear some voices coming from down the hallway. As he got closer, he heard a couple of men talking. They must have not been concerned that anyone was going to find them, because they didn't bother keeping their voices low.
“C'mon boss. I wanna have my fun with her.”
“No. We have to keep this one presentable. The other girls were just for fun, but this one...” There was a pause, and Roy could only imagine what the pause was for. “She's got some pretty powerful friends. The flame bastard is this little whore's boss.”
“I wonder if she hid under his desk and sucked him off while he was speaking to his higher ups. I wouldn't put it past the man. He uses women, he spits them up and throws them out.”
“Then why does she continue to work with him?”
Art by Bay115
“Little whore probably can't find anyone else who would fuck her. I mean look at her. She's pretty, nice and busty, but...” There was another pause that almost made Roy rush forward, but he held himself back. Not now. Not yet. “She's a solider, who else would want her but another solider? She's married to her work, she doesn't have time to try to find a man who would actually love her.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right.”
Roy steadied himself. He only heard two people's voices, but he had no idea if there were more people in there who were not speaking. He strained to listen against the wall, but those two were the only voices that he heard. It was dangerous, not having any clue about what he was going into, how many people he was going to have to fight. He knew that he should wait and find the rest of the men, especially because it sounded like they were not going to do anything with her immediately, but he wasn't about to leave her here after he just found her.
Roy sneaked along the wall of the dank, dark hallway until he found the door of the room that he had been listening into. When he put his ear to it again, he still only heard the same two voices. His heart pounded in his chest. He had to save her. This was the moment, before anyone else came in, before... whatever they had done to her was any worse.
He steeled his breath and gave his gloves one last tug before using his boot to kick the door open. Thankfully, he had guessed correctly that the old, semi rusting hinges that were on the door would come loose with only a little force, giving him just enough time to survey the room and take his first shot.
SNAP!
SNAP!
Even though he had less practice aiming with his left hand, the fireballs found their marks while the men were raising their guns to fire. Both of their shots went well wide with the shock of suddenly being engulfed in flames. They dropped their guns and fell to the ground, trying desperately to stop their skin from burning off. As soon as Roy had kicked their guns away, he lessened the oxygen in the fire and they lay there, smoldering and smoking, semi-conscious.
“Lieutenant!” He ran over to her, where she had had her arms tied behind the chair and her feet tied to its legs. “Lieutenant, are you alright?”
“Yes, sir. They didn't do much to me, mostly they just tried to get information from me.” She rubbed her hands and wrists, trying to get the circulation back to her tingling fingers after he untied her.
“Which I am sure that you didn't give them.” He said, more than a bit of pride in his voice. He knew she was strong, stronger than most of the soldiers that he knew, and that it would take much more than this to break her.
“Of course, sir.”
“Can you stand?”
“I think so...” Hawkeye tried to stand up, but she had been tied up tight and left there for hours, and her muscles weren't quite ready to support her weight yet. She started to fall forward, but Roy was there, wrapping his arms around her and holding her up.
“I got you. Come on, put your arm around my shoulder and we'll make it out together.” It was hard not to think about how close she was to him, he could smell the lingering scent of her perfume and the fruity smelling shampoo that she always used. But he quickly shook those thoughts out of his head. Now was not the time to think about such things. He had to get them both to safety.
It was slow going through the hallways of the abandoned buildings- every little sound echoed through the halls. His left arm was around her waist, helping Hawkeye move forward, his other hand was poised and ready to snap at each sound that reached his ears. But no one came, there were no footsteps other than their own until they finally, finally reached the exit and stepped out into the semi fresh air of the dingy back alleyways of Central. He was never so glad to see the filthy, dirty alleyways of the warehouse district, and by the look on her face, Roy could tell that she was thinking the same thing.
Roy raised his gun and shot twice, then once. It took less than five minutes for the rest of the men to get there. “Hawkeye!” They had all met up at the designated time and place- it had apparently been closer to three hours since they had broken up.
“We were about to give up on you, sir.” Fuery said.
“It's good to see that both of you are well.” Falman added. The relief on their faces and in their voices that both of them were safe was palpable.
But there was no time for relief.
“Falman, we have two suspects inside the building. I want you and Breda to go in there, tie them up and guard them. Fuery, get on the radio and call for an ambulance and a police van. “
“Sir, I am fine. I don't need to go to the hospital.”
“It is just a precaution. I am sure you will be out quickly.” The tone in his voice, though lighthearted, had the undercurrent that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
“Yes, sir!” The three other men moved out and Roy led Riza to a group of boxes where she could sit down.
The wait was agonizing. Roy was constantly on guard, poised to make sure that none of the men's cronies were going to show up, and he was concerned that Hawkeye was hiding some injury that she didn't want to worry him about.
The ambulance car came fairly quickly, Unfortunately there was no room for someone else to sit in the back, so Roy had to watch the car drive off and hope that everything would be alright until he got there. But he had other things to attend to. He headed back into the building to make sure that the prisoners were still alive. He had some serious questions that he wanted answers to.
**
When the police arrived to take the men, Roy went with them. He was not about to let something happen to let them get away, not after he had finally caught the men behind the rash of murders and kidnappings. Even though the police kept assuring him that they had it under control, he didn't leave until they had been looked at by the on staff doctor and locked up in separate cells so they couldn't communicate with each other.
Then, and only then, did he allow himself to relax enough to go see how his First Lieutenant was doing.
He headed to the hospital, not surprised that the rest of the group was already there, giving her a bit of a hard time about laying down on the job.
While the rest of them talked to her and ribbed her good naturedly, he stood back a bit, leaning against the wall and smiling, just enjoying that fact that after everything they went through, they finally seemed to be really coming together as a tight knit group, even if he hated that it took this for them to finally become a real team.
Eventually, the rest of them left, and Roy finally walked up to her, pulled up a chair and sat down next to her.
“So, I guess you checked out okay then?”
“Well, you were wrong.” There was a pause. Worry rose inside of him. What was wrong? Did she had some internal injuries? Was there something seriously wrong with her? His mind raced for the brief moment that she paused talking.
“You were wrong, they are going to keep me overnight for observation, even though I insisted that I was fine, and they seem to agree with me.”
Roy let out the breath that he didn't even know that he was holding. Damn her for making him worry, even if it was only for a moment. A smirk rose on his face. “Well, if that's all that I'm wrong about, then I don't mind being wrong.” he chuckled and finally relaxed a bit.
“Lieutenant?”
“Yes, sir?”
I care for you deeply, I want to tell you, but we can't. I don't want to ruin our friendship- he wanted to tell her all of this and more, but he settled for “I... I’m glad that you didn't die.”
A small smile played across her face.
“Me too, sir.
EPILOGUE
Roy looked at the piece of paper again, then back over at his First Lieutenant. “Why in the world are we going out in the middle of nowhere? I'm a Lieutenant Colonel, can't I send a couple of my men on this wild goose chase?”
A small sigh escaped Hawkeye's lips. “This isn't just any old alchemist. There is a rumor that this person is a relative of Hoenheim- an alchemist of some renown. The state wants this man in under their command, they are convinced that he could be a valuable asset to the military.”
“Yes, I am well aware of Hoeneheim.” He said in a drab droll. “That is assuming of course that he actually wants to join the military.”
“That is why they need your charms.” He didn't miss the slightly mischievous smile that she gave him.
“And you are coming with me, right?”
“Who else would you trust to keep you on the right path, sir?”
A smile was her only answer. No one, they both knew it. She was his rock, his anchor. She kept him on the straight and narrow path, the path that would lead him to the highest position in the land. He wouldn't trust anyone else with his life but her.
He looked down at the paper again. “Thirty one years old, from Risembool. Hmm. That is out east. I remember passing through there when we were heading out to Ishval. But I don't remember any rumors about any alchemists then. You'd think that we would have heard of him.”
“Unless he moved there, or wasn't an accomplished alchemist yet.”
“That was only a few years ago. No alchemist gets that good, that fast. I took seven straight years of strict training from your father, and even then I had to learn more on my own.”
Hawkeye rolled her eyes. “Of course because if you can't do it less than seven years, then no one can right?” she said, bemusedly. “Well, I guess we will have to ask him when we get there, sir.” She smiled at him. “What was the man's name again?”
“Edward Elric.”
“I have purchased our tickets already, we leave this afternoon. I suggest that you take the rest of the day off to pack. Lieutenant Havoc will pick you up promptly at 1600 hours. When we get there, we can find out the story of his man, Edward Elric.”
Author: Seaweed_FMA
Artist:
Genre: Drama, a little Humor
Rating: PG-13 for some violence and blood
Word Count 15,709
Characters / Pairings: Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda. Fuery, Falman, Maes, Gracia, and some minor OCs. Maes /Gracia and some Roy/Riza UST.
Warnings: More Manga/Brotherhood based. Some violence, no real spoilers, set pre-series. The Cow owns the characters, not me.
Summary : When Mustang first received his team, they weren't always such a close knit group. It took a potentially tragic event to bring them all together.
CHAPTER 5: The Bar
Roy had a hard time sleeping that night. He had to find some way to bring his men under his command. He knew intimidation worked when it came to Hawkeye, but that wasn't his style. His intimidation tended to be more subtle.
He knew part of the reason that they were having a hard time listening to him was that they were, for the most part, right out of the Military Academy, and were still young and a little brash. But it was also because he himself was so young. It was hard to take a man seriously that was 3 or 4 ranks but only a few years older than you.
By the time the morning came, he knew that there was only one choice.
Bribery.
Once again Hawkeye had already arrived by the time that he got to work, complete with a cup of coffee waiting for him on his desk. He smiled his thanks to her as he sat down.
The clock on the wall indicated that it was five minutes to 0800 hours when he next looked up from his paperwork. Silently, he wondered if the scare that Hawkeye had put into them yesterday had worked. But he needn't worry. Right at the stroke of eight, they all came in as a group, silently finding their seats, not even groaning at the pile of paper that was slightly taller than the one that had been on their desks the day before.
“Good morning, men.” Roy started, as the took their seats. “I know that this is still a little strange, working a desk job under a new commander. So I want to make you feel more relaxed.” He smiled mischievously over at Hawkeye, who just frowned at him.
“So, here is the deal. It is Friday night, and I am guessing that most of you are pretty new to Central. I know a good bar close by. So, if you guys work hard today, I'll go with you all to the bar tonight, and the first round will be on me.”
That certainly got their spirits up quickly.
The day went pretty quickly for the group, and when 1700 hours came around, Roy stood up as he had yesterday. “Okay, finish up whatever paperwork that you are working on now, and when everyone is ready, we'll head on down to the bar. It is only a couple of blocks away.”
“Sir, I'm afraid I will have to decline your offer. I appreciate it, but I have to get back to my apartment. I have things that I have to take care of there.” There was an audible sigh from the group in the middle of the room. None of them were particularly excited about the prospect of having Hawkeye along with them. She didn't seem like the kind to relax, even after work.
She was the only one who saw the slight disappointment on his face when he turned to face her. “I certainly can't force you to come with me, Lieutenant. But I will be disappointed.”
“I am sorry to disappoint you, sir. But I insist that I decline.”
“Okay. I will see you on Monday, then. Have a nice weekend, Lieutenant.” She nodded, got her belongings together, and saluted her Colonel as she left. He saluted back, watching her leave. As quick as the slight disappointment was on his face, it was gone as he faced the men again.
“Let's go.”
**
An hour later, the first round had been finished, as well as the second round for most of them. For a while, it had been a bit awkward. But eventually the beer won out and their lips loosened. For as well as Roy had read their dossiers, and had learned everything that he could in their official records, he found out a whole lot more as they all sat and talked.
Somehow, the conversation moved to Havoc, and why he had joined the military. He said that he had seen the soldiers as they were traveling back from Ishval. His small town was one of the stops the train made to restock their coal and water and give the men (who could walk) a chance to stretch their legs. Since they were the only general store in town, he heard a lot of stories, both good and bad. But despite that, he had known what he was going to do. He had already wanted an excuse to get out of his little country town, and what better way to do it than to pair it with a chance to help others? He was a crack shot with a gun. He had to keep squirrels and small varmints away from the crops that his family grew in the back of their shop/house, so it seemed like a natural fit.
As they continued to drink and talk, Roy found out that their reasons for joining the army were mostly the same- they wanted to find a way out of their small towns and wanted to help and protect the public. Fuery was the only one who had grown up in a big city- Central, so he was a home town boy- and he had mostly joined because he wasn't sure what else to do. He was so bright that his fairly well to do parents were at their wits end, because he kept taking apart anything electronic in their house.
Roy listened intently. Despite already having finished off a couple of beers, he had been raised in a bar and knew how to hold his alcohol. He wanted to stay sober enough to remember everything that they were telling him. Finally, it felt like he was able to get them to open up and really get to know the men who were under his command.
It didn't take long for Roy to notice that having Breda, Havoc and alcohol together was going to be a recipe for disaster. He knew that they had been roommates while at the military academy, but they also seemed to be drinking buddies and really good friends- they reminded him of the relationship between himself and Maes, and if they were even close to the same, that could be dangerous.
No one was quite sure how the conversation stared, but it ended up with Breda daring Havoc to try to get the phone number of a pretty little blond girl who was sitting a few tables away from them. Havoc, being the testosterone laden, beer filled man that he was, would never think about backing down from the challenge, so he steeled his nerves and approached the young woman.
Despite there being some debate as to how this whole debacle began, there was no argument about how it ended- in a terrible, flaming, downward spiral for Jean Havoc. It seemed alright, at first. The room was busy enough that they couldn't hear what the two people were saying, but judging by the looks on their faces, they both seemed to be enjoying themselves.
That is, until the woman's boyfriend came back.
By the time Breda was up from the table, the yelling and shoving had already upgraded into a full out brawl. Being a county boy, Jean knew how to fight. He was a pretty big guy- tall and well filled out, and he outweighed and out stood the boyfriend by a few inches, though the boyfriend was doing a pretty good job at standing his ground.
As soon as Breda got up, the rest of the group was on their feet as well, fueled by beer and adrenalin. The girl yelled at all of them to stop, but by then Havoc and the other man were on the ground, wrestling and punching each other whenever they had an opening.
It couldn't have been any more than a minute before the bartender and a bouncer were on the scene. If Jean was big, the bouncer was HUGE. He physically pulled them apart and shoved Jean back when he tried to make a second lunge for the man. Breda caught a hold of him as he fell backwards, keeping him from falling and preventing him from starting anything again.
“You guys have to leave.” He said, crossing his arms.
Not wanting any trouble, Roy took the lead. “Yes, sir, thank you. We'll go home, I apologize for the trouble.” He turned to his men. “Let's go.” He said, trying to sound authoritative like he was controlling him men, but with a tiny hint of mirth. They followed him outside, where he was better able to assess the damage. Havoc was going to have a pretty good shiner in the morning, and his lip was bleeding, but the other man looked like he had gotten the worst of the injuries.
“I guess I win the bet, huh Havo?”
With a grin that could only be described as positively radiant, he pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. It even had a little bit of blood spattered on it, lending credence to its authenticity.
“You lucky fuckin' dog!” Breda slapped his back hard enough for his friend to stumble forward a couple of steps.
“I think this is a good time to break up for the night. I trust you all can find a cab back to the dorms. I'll see you all first thing Monday morning. Have a nice rest of the weekend.” With that, he turned and started on the short walk back to his place, whistling a happy, albeit slightly out of tune song.
CHAPTER 6: The Marriage
After the events of that evening, the office worked much more smoothly. Roy still wasn't convinced that he had gotten the men's total loyalty, but he knew that he had taken a step in the right direction. Loyalty had to be earned by deeds and over time, and he was doing his best to show them that he was a leader that was worth following.
Even as he worked unusually hard in the office, which especially surprised Lieutenant Hawkeye, his mind was elsewhere. His best friend had drunkenly proposed to his long time girlfriend months ago, and the time was quickly approaching for the wedding.
And to add to top it all off, as if he wasn't distracted enough, he and all of his men were transferred to the Eastern Command Headquarters. Roy considered it a demotion by people who were scared of how quickly he was climbing up the ladder at such a young age. And even worse, that made it a lot harder to help his best friend plan his for his wedding day.
Maes had made him the best man- there had never really been any doubt that it would happen. But Roy was sure that Maes had made Riza a bridesmaid just to annoy him. He was so insistent that Roy needed to find a wife, and the bespectacled man was convinced that if anyone would match up well with Roy, it would be her. Gracia's younger sister was the Matron of Honor. She was a nice- if a slightly plain woman, Roy had met her before and they got along well. The rest of the bridesmaids and groomsmen were friends and coworkers- the wedding party was set.
As time time approached, Roy was able to get time off and train tickets for his men. It was going to be a civilian wedding, but besides Roy and Riza, none of the rest of them were in the wedding, so they were all going to get to laugh at him while he suffered in a tuxedo. And again, he was convinced that Maes was doing this to make his life miserable.
A couple of days before the wedding, they all boarded a train and took to their small cabins- Havoc and Breda sharing one, Fuery and Falman sharing a second, and Roy and Riza sharing the third- on her insistence, she wanted to be close enough to protect him. This was the perfect opportunity for someone to take advantage of him being out of the safety of Eastern Command to hurt or kill him. If course, this gave the rest of his men full license to cat call and whistle at him, getting to share a private cabin with the beautiful, if more than slightly scary Lieutenant. All Roy could do was roll his eyes at them and shoo them off so he could get settled for the long ride back to Central.
He groaned when he walked in and only saw one bed. “Well, it looks like we are going to have to take turns sleeping then.” In the corner was a small molded plastic chair, the only other place to sit in the small cabin- this was disturbingly familiar. “You can take the first round. I'll wake you up after a few hours.”
“Thank you, sir.” She put her suitcase in the storage area above the bed and laid down. It was surprisingly comfortable for a train, though it didn't compare to her mattress at home. Roy settled into his seat and looked over at her.
“What is it, sir?”
“Sorry. I guess I so rarely get to see you in civilian clothes. I forgot how unflattering those military uniforms are on a person's figure.”
“Be careful, sir, that could be taken as bordering on harassment.” She tried to sound serious, but he could hear the slight amusement in her voice.
Roy bowed low, as low as he could in that chair. “I apologize, Lieutenant Hawkeye. Forgive my rudeness.”
“I will... this time, sir.” She smiled at him. For a moment, there was a bit of an awkward silence. “A Cenz for your thoughts, sir?”
That was enough to break him out of his stupor. “Oh. I guess my mind was just wandering.” He smiled slyly at her. “I should stop staring. You forgave me once, but I may get slapped if I can't get my meandering eyes under control.”
“That is probably for the best, sir.” He averted his eyes down, away from her.
“Yes.” A knock on the door was actually a relief for Roy.
“Sir?” Jean Havoc popped his head in. “I was wondering if you two perhaps wanted some lunch? The food car just opened.”
Hawkeye turned to her commanding officer. I'm fine, sir. I just want to get some rest, I'm really not hungry. You can go ahead.”
“You sure, Lieutenant?
Yes, sir. You two go eat something.”
“I can get you a sandwich for later.”
“That would be nice, sir. Thank you.”
“Okay, rest well, Lieutenant.”
“Thank you, sir.”
**
The evening was perfect . It was cool, with a slight breeze that fluttered the flaps of the tent that the small wedding was being held in. As the best man, He was already at the front of the tent with Maes and the Justice of the Peace when the bridal party entered from the rear. It was the first time both Maes and Roy saw the two women in their dresses.
“Wow...” They both said it in unison when Gracia came in, with Riza trailing behind, holding her long white train. They were beautiful, a perfect pair in the pure white wedding dress and the deep bold red of the bridesmaids. The bridesmaid's dresses were sleeveless- with a high back and a low, dipping front. It hugged every soft, supple curve of her body. She must have talked to Gracia before hand about the dress. He hadn't even thought about it- how she would have to be so careful when she was out of her uniform, it just made him admire her more.
The bridal party walked up to the front and paused while Riza pulled Gracia's veil back, then took her spot with the other bridesmaids. Roy didn't even realize that he had been staring at her until Maes elbowed him. He smiled at the groom and took his spot as well.
The wedding was short, with a small speech by the justice of the peace before the presentation of the rings. They gave their vows and exchanged rings, and at the end, Maes leaned in and gave his new bride a soft, gentle kiss. Roy smiled at his best friend, not surprised when he saw an equally large smile on Riza's face.
“Hey, sir. Nice tux! Breda slapped Roy hard enough on the back that he stumbled forward a step. Not being in the wedding party, the rest were dressed nicely, but only Roy had to suffer through wearing a tuxedo. He cut a rather dashing figure, and he really didn't mind- he was definitely getting the eye of many women, but was far from the most comfortable thing to wear, and it was still going to be a while before he could get out of it.
He endured the good natured ribbing that his coworkers gave him. He was glad to see that they were comfortable enough with him that they felt like they could give him a hard time- it was a happy day. When he looked at Maes and Gracia dancing together, their first dance as husband and wife-how intensely joyous they were, he knew that this was the best day of all of their lives.
When the music ended, it was time for the bridesmaid and groomsmen to dance. Usually the matron of honor would dance with the best man, but since she was already married, and there was an extra bridesmaid, Gracia's sister danced with her husband. That left Roy to dance with someone else. When he found out who it was, he looked over to Maes, who just shrugged and smiled, then went back to dancing with his new wife.
“Sir, we don't have to do this, if you don't feel comfortable with it.”
“Don't be silly, Lieutenant. It is protocol, after all.” He smiled and offered her his hand, which she gladly took.
They moved like a slowly flowing river, smooth and graceful,- each one two halves of a greater whole. They shifted, ebbed and flowed in a perfect harmony. Both of them were caught up in the moment, so they didn't notice that some of the people dancing had stopped to watch them, almost as if they had never seen such a perfect pair of dancers before.
Art by Yhlee
“Gracia, look.” Maes nudged her very gently. “Those two dancing. I would swear that they were made for each other.”
“Maybe they were, love.” To anyone else, it just looked like two soldiers who made a good dancing pair, but Maes knew Roy well enough to see that he was truly happy, which was very rare with him. There was something special between them, there was no doubt about it.
CHAPTER 7: The Case
It didn't take too long for things to settle back to somewhat normal after their trip to Central. Things were pretty quiet in East City for a while. Almost too quiet for Roy. He had a feeling that something big was going to happen.
And unfortunately, he was right.
Maes made it a habit to call Roy at least a few times a week- or every day if he could. At first he told his best friend about their wonderful 2 week vacation to Aeurgo and the sea, which he had always wanted to see, but neither of them had been out of Amestris before. After a while Maes was back to his old tricks, asking when Roy was going to find a wife and settle down and take a nice long vacation.
“What about that Hawkeye girl? You two certainly seemed to be hitting it off at the wedding.”
Roy could only imagine the smile that Maes was wearing all the way over in Central. “Hughes.” He said while he rubbed his eyes. He called him Hughes and not Maes was because it was one of the few things that actually ANNOYED Maes Hughes. He always called Roy by his first name, unless they were at work, and even then only when they were in front of superior officers. But Roy on the other hand, only used his first name when there was no one else around, except maybe Gracia.
“Hughes, I already told you. She is a friend from years back. Her father was my alchemy teacher. She is more like a sister to me than anything else.”
“I don't think anyone dances with their sister like you were dancing with her. People would... talk.”
“Hughes..”
“But that isn't why I called.” That was a shocker to Roy, usually there was no other business other than to annoy him.
“So, why did you call then?”
“There have been some murders here in Central.” There was a pregnant pause. “Usually the military doesn't get involved, but this is different. Whoever it is... they have been killing women in the military, both officers, and civilians who work in military offices.”
Roy couldn't help but look over to his side, where Riza was working hard on a pile of papers, When she noticed that he was looking, there was the briefest moment of surprise, and almost happiness, but in a split second it was replaced by a frown. “Tell Major Hughes to hang up and let you get back to work, sir.” And as fast as that, she was back at work.
“... Have you been listening to anything that I have been saying Roy?”
“Oh, sorry. I was... distracted.” He immediately regretting saying that. Maes was smart enough to know what hat distracted him.
“Yes, I am sure that your Second Lieutenant is quite a distraction for you.” It was easy to tell that he was smiling while he said that by the tone in his voice.
“She is fine, Hughes. So what was so damn important that you had to bother me at work?”
“The murders, they had been going on for over a week, but a few days ago they mysteriously stopped. Since we had been very actively pursuing this, we think that the killer or killers may have moved onto another town. We doubt that they have just up and stopped, after killing a dozen women in less than ten days. It is more likely that they have traveled to another big town. We have already called the Northern, Southern, and Western Command Centers. We doubt they would go north because of the hostile environment and the fact that snow leaves footprints. We are guessing they either went south or more likely, east.”
Roy took a moment to take this all in. He could see why Maes would guess here. Eastern Command was known for being more lax than the other command centers, and there was a rumor that quite a few people were on the take from various organizations. That had been one reason why Roy had been transferred here, to try to passively root out the source of the corruption. He still considered it a demotion, punishment for rising through the ranks so fast. He was sure to stagnate here. But perhaps this was what he needed to get back to Central. A nice case like this could get him seen by the right people.
“So far all of the women have been in uniform, traveling to or from work, and we know it has to be the same person or people, because we have deliberately kept it out of the papers, so there couldn't be a copycat killer. We don't want anyone else getting any idea about this.”
That was why he hadn't heard about it before. But why hadn't Maes mentioned it in any of his phone calls? He had sounded tired lately, but he figured that his new wife had been keeping him up. Perhaps he had been stressing about this case, but didn't think that it was important enough for him to know about it, at least until now.
“I assume that you have have already sent copies of the information that you have gathered so far to me?”
“It should arrive within the next day or two at the latest, by private courier. It is safer to send it from person to person and keep the military out of it. Looks less suspicious. So it should come directly to your apartment.”
“And of course, there aren't pictures of you and your new wife on your honeymoon in there, right?”
“Hey, I had to make some sort of cover story, right?”
Roy rolled his eyes. “Of course. I will inform my men, and will brief them as soon as the information arrives.”
“I have spoken with some higher ups in Eastern Command, and they agreed with my recommendation to put you in charge of this investigation. Personally I think they are all too lazy to do it. They are afraid that they won't be able to solve it and it will reflect badly on them. This is your chance to come back to see me in Central. You solve this case, and you could be the youngest Colonel in Amestrian history, with a nice big office here in Central Command.” Maes knew just what carrot to dangle in front of his nose to make sure that he would bite.
“Okay. I will advise you when I receive it.”
“Oh,, don't worry. I'll be calling back soon. Talk to ya soon, Flamey!” Before Roy could protest, the line went dead.
“Sir? Is everything okay?”
He turned to Riza and gave her a little smile. “Yes. Major Hughes just informed me that there was a rash of murders in Central, and that the killer or killers may be coming East. It looks like we have something big coming our way. This will be the perfect chance for our team to take on our first real challenge.”
“You mean besides trying not to die of laughter at the sight of you in a tux?” Havoc quickly added “Sir?”
“Yes.” He ignored the barb. “Apparently they are killing women officers and civilian women in military offices.” He turned to Hawkeye. “I know that you are capable of defending yourself, but for now, I want you to travel to and from work in at least groups of two, a male companion would be preferable.”
She thinned her eyes at him. He said she was capable, but it sure didn't sound like he believed it. “And what about when I am not at work, sir?” She asked, anger rising in her voice.
“If you are out of uniform, you should be fine. All the women who were killed were in uniform, according to Hughes, going to or from work.” He sighed. “Please, I don't want to lose anyone on my team. I know you don't like it, but it is only until we either solve the case, or until we know that the killers are in another city.”
“Yes, sir.” It was annoying, but deep down she knew that he was doing it for her own good. “I have a friend, she lives in the dorms as well. She works under Colonel Grand. I will walk with her.”
He tried to hide his relief. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive herself. “Thank you, Lieutenant.” he turned to his men. “So far they have only been killing females, but I still want you all to be very cautious as well. Travel in groups when you can, and don't do anything that would leave you open to attack, like stumbling home drunk.”
“Yes, sir.” They all answered with a salute.
“I have some paperwork being sent to me by Major Hughes. As soon as it gets here, I will give you all a formal briefing. We are officially on this case as of this moment. So no talking to anyone outside this office about it. No girlfriends, family or anyone else. This stays here. As you were. Back to work.”
**
The papers arrived that night, and the next day, Roy had his formal briefing on the case. At the end of the briefing, he gave them their assignments.
“Fuery, you are going to do some phone tapping. I know it is a needle in a haystack, but we need any information that we can get. Falman, you go down to the library. I want all the information I can about serial killers. We need to know how they think- get in their heads so we can know what they are going to do next. Breda, you go with Falman. That is a big job, and it will take a couple of you.” He turned to the last two members of his team. “You two are the best when it comes to guns and covert ops. I need you two to be my eyes out on the street. This is very dangerous. You two need to stick together. If you separate, you're as good as dead.”
“Yes sir.” They replied in unison.
“This is very serious. People have been dying, and it is my intention to get these monsters off of the streets and either into a dank jail cell, or hanging from the gallows. From now on, we need to be serious and professional. This could be a great opportunity for all of us, to not only come together as a team, but to show the Amesterian military that we are strong, confident soldiers. Dismissed, and good luck.” He stood up from his chair, ramrod straight, and saluted them all. They all did the same, then went their separate ways. He sat back down and sighed. “Be careful, all of you.” he whispered.
**
“So far, nothing.” Havoc grumbled. He couldn't smoke while on assignment, and it was making him cranky. They had been out for the better part of a week, and they had found absolutely nothing. There hadn't been any confirmed deaths from the killers in any city. Western and Southern Command were checking in daily with Roy and his team, but so far everything was quiet.
“I wonder if they just ran because Hughes and his team were getting too close?”
“We can't assume anything, Lieutenant Havoc. We still have quite a bit of ground to cover today. That's a long enough break.”
They both put away their small canteens and put their guns at the ready. A serious facade replaced the pouting one of a moment ago on the blond's face. “Let's go.” He said softly.
There were plenty of back alleys and old abandoned warehouses to search in the slums on the south side of East City. That is where they found themselves as the sun starting to fall behind the buildings of the town. Roy had told them that he wanted them to stop before nightfall each day, since working at night was much more dangerous, but they had one block that they wanted to finish before they gave up for the day.
“Stay here. I am going a little bit ahead to scout out the next alleyway. You guard my back.” Riza whispered softly to Havoc. He nodded and cocked his gun, his eyes scanning the growing inky darkness.
Riza had only traveled a few hundred feet down the thin alley when she heard a soft noise from behind her. Immediately she turned just in time to see Havoc slump down into a heap onto the dirty ground. “Havoc!” She yelled as loudly as she dared. Her gun at the ready, she ran towards where he was, but she only got a couple of steps before she felt a dull thud into the back of her skull. Stars filled her vision and pain overwhelmed her. She stumbled forward another step before dropping her gun and falling to the pavement, losing consciousness before her head hit the ground.
**
Normal Roy would be home by nightfall- either out on a hot date, or just at home appreciating a fine brandy and some nice, relaxing music.
But on this night he nervously paced the room. He had heard back from everyone except for the two that he was most worried about, the two out on the streets. It was hours past nightfall now, and he hadn't heard from them. He was sure that something was wrong, but East City was large, and he had no way of knowing where they were. He needed to stay at the office in case they called.
Midnight was approaching when the phone finally rang, but when he picked it up, it wasn't who he expected.
“Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang?”
“Yes.”
“This is Doctor Meyers of the East City General Hospital. We have one of your men here, a Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc and he was insistent that he needed to talk...”
“I'll be right there.” He didn't let the man finish, he slammed down the phone, grabbed his coat, and headed out the door to the motor pool, to grab a car.
A few minutes later, he screeched to a halt in front of the emergency room entrance, not bothering to park the car before he ran inside to the nurses' station.
“Where is Lieutenant Havoc?” He demanded.
“Visiting hours are over, sir. If you would like to come back in..”
He pulled out his pocket watch. “This is a matter of utmost importance.” He said, annoyance rising with each syllable. “I need to see him. It is a military emergency.”
She frowned at him, but looked at her paper. “241, sir. Down the hallway, take your first left.”
“Thank you.”
He rushed down the hall, not even bothering to knock on the door before he barged in. There were a couple of nurses in the room, bandaging some minor wounds- scrapes from falling onto the dirty, littered alleyway. He had a bandage on his head. One eye was so swollen that it was totally closed, and he had big purple bruises all over his face and neck, he assumed that it continued down to the rest of his body as well.
“I need to talk to my subordinate alone. It is a military matter.” The nurses finished their bandaging and then left, closing the door behind them.
“Havoc, report. Where is Lieutenant Hawkeye?”
“I... don't know, sir.” His voice was rough and slightly slurred from the pain medication that he was on. “We... were ambushed in an alley. Hawkeye went to scout the next intersection, and I held back, trying to protect the perimeter. I was hit on the head from behind, and when I didn't go down, they jumped me and kept hitting me until I was finally subdued. I saw Hawkeye turn towards me and yell my name, but then she was attacked as well, and that was the last thing I remember. When I woke up, I was here in the hospital.”
“I need to know exactly where you were, Havoc. We need to find her before it's too late.”
“We... were in the warehouse district, around Wood Street, taking the search alley by alley. She went ahead to the next intersection, and that was when we were ambushed.” A heavy sigh escaped his lips and his voice fell. “I am sorry. I failed to keep her safe.” He tried to sit up, but he grimaced in pain. “I think I am out of the game for a bit, sir.”
“Thank you, Havoc. I will find her. You just rest up and heal. We need you back.” Roy turned and left the room, his long coat fluttering behind him like a cape. Jean leaned back and closed his eyes. He almost felt sorry for those guys when Roy finds them.
Almost.
**
A couple of quick phone calls and a car ride that seemed to take forever later, he met the rest of his men at the edge of the warehouse district.
“I don't have to tell you that this has to be done quickly and quietly. We need to find Lieutenant Hawkeye. The longer we wait, the more likely it is that we wont find her alive.” He paused for a moment to let that digest, but he knew that they already knew the dangers of what they were getting into.
“Fuery, you check the north. Falman, you check the west. Breda, you check the east, and I will check the south.” He knew that he was giving himself the most dangerous part of the warehouse, and the most likely place where Hawkeye was. Wood Street was in the south, though he had no idea if they were keeping her anywhere close. He figured that they wouldn't want to drag her far, so it was highly likely that she was there.
“Shoot twice and then once in the air if you find her. That will be our signal to meet back up. We will meet back up here in two hours if the signal is not given. If you are not back in two hours, then we will consider you as a prisoner as well. Go... and.. good luck.”
The men split off their separate ways, desperate to find their fellow coworker, solider, and friend.
**
Roy knew that the two hours was close to being up- hell, it might have passed already, but he wasn't ready to give up yet. It had taken quite a while just to get this deep into the southern part of the warehouse district. He was getting close, he could feel it.
His keen ears picked up a small noise in a building that he was walking past. He wasted no time, finding a way in through a broken window on the side of the building. Roy sneaked through the burnt out husk of the building, as silent as death itself. This building had been abandoned for decades it seemed, and there were parts of it that seemed like they were on the verge of collapsing. He could use that to his advantage, but he would have to be careful, the last thing he wanted was for the building to come crashing down on top of himself and Hawkeye, if she was indeed in here.
It didn't take long to hear some voices coming from down the hallway. As he got closer, he heard a couple of men talking. They must have not been concerned that anyone was going to find them, because they didn't bother keeping their voices low.
“C'mon boss. I wanna have my fun with her.”
“No. We have to keep this one presentable. The other girls were just for fun, but this one...” There was a pause, and Roy could only imagine what the pause was for. “She's got some pretty powerful friends. The flame bastard is this little whore's boss.”
“I wonder if she hid under his desk and sucked him off while he was speaking to his higher ups. I wouldn't put it past the man. He uses women, he spits them up and throws them out.”
“Then why does she continue to work with him?”
Art by Bay115
“Little whore probably can't find anyone else who would fuck her. I mean look at her. She's pretty, nice and busty, but...” There was another pause that almost made Roy rush forward, but he held himself back. Not now. Not yet. “She's a solider, who else would want her but another solider? She's married to her work, she doesn't have time to try to find a man who would actually love her.”
“Yeah, I guess you're right.”
Roy steadied himself. He only heard two people's voices, but he had no idea if there were more people in there who were not speaking. He strained to listen against the wall, but those two were the only voices that he heard. It was dangerous, not having any clue about what he was going into, how many people he was going to have to fight. He knew that he should wait and find the rest of the men, especially because it sounded like they were not going to do anything with her immediately, but he wasn't about to leave her here after he just found her.
Roy sneaked along the wall of the dank, dark hallway until he found the door of the room that he had been listening into. When he put his ear to it again, he still only heard the same two voices. His heart pounded in his chest. He had to save her. This was the moment, before anyone else came in, before... whatever they had done to her was any worse.
He steeled his breath and gave his gloves one last tug before using his boot to kick the door open. Thankfully, he had guessed correctly that the old, semi rusting hinges that were on the door would come loose with only a little force, giving him just enough time to survey the room and take his first shot.
SNAP!
SNAP!
Even though he had less practice aiming with his left hand, the fireballs found their marks while the men were raising their guns to fire. Both of their shots went well wide with the shock of suddenly being engulfed in flames. They dropped their guns and fell to the ground, trying desperately to stop their skin from burning off. As soon as Roy had kicked their guns away, he lessened the oxygen in the fire and they lay there, smoldering and smoking, semi-conscious.
“Lieutenant!” He ran over to her, where she had had her arms tied behind the chair and her feet tied to its legs. “Lieutenant, are you alright?”
“Yes, sir. They didn't do much to me, mostly they just tried to get information from me.” She rubbed her hands and wrists, trying to get the circulation back to her tingling fingers after he untied her.
“Which I am sure that you didn't give them.” He said, more than a bit of pride in his voice. He knew she was strong, stronger than most of the soldiers that he knew, and that it would take much more than this to break her.
“Of course, sir.”
“Can you stand?”
“I think so...” Hawkeye tried to stand up, but she had been tied up tight and left there for hours, and her muscles weren't quite ready to support her weight yet. She started to fall forward, but Roy was there, wrapping his arms around her and holding her up.
“I got you. Come on, put your arm around my shoulder and we'll make it out together.” It was hard not to think about how close she was to him, he could smell the lingering scent of her perfume and the fruity smelling shampoo that she always used. But he quickly shook those thoughts out of his head. Now was not the time to think about such things. He had to get them both to safety.
It was slow going through the hallways of the abandoned buildings- every little sound echoed through the halls. His left arm was around her waist, helping Hawkeye move forward, his other hand was poised and ready to snap at each sound that reached his ears. But no one came, there were no footsteps other than their own until they finally, finally reached the exit and stepped out into the semi fresh air of the dingy back alleyways of Central. He was never so glad to see the filthy, dirty alleyways of the warehouse district, and by the look on her face, Roy could tell that she was thinking the same thing.
Roy raised his gun and shot twice, then once. It took less than five minutes for the rest of the men to get there. “Hawkeye!” They had all met up at the designated time and place- it had apparently been closer to three hours since they had broken up.
“We were about to give up on you, sir.” Fuery said.
“It's good to see that both of you are well.” Falman added. The relief on their faces and in their voices that both of them were safe was palpable.
But there was no time for relief.
“Falman, we have two suspects inside the building. I want you and Breda to go in there, tie them up and guard them. Fuery, get on the radio and call for an ambulance and a police van. “
“Sir, I am fine. I don't need to go to the hospital.”
“It is just a precaution. I am sure you will be out quickly.” The tone in his voice, though lighthearted, had the undercurrent that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.
“Yes, sir!” The three other men moved out and Roy led Riza to a group of boxes where she could sit down.
The wait was agonizing. Roy was constantly on guard, poised to make sure that none of the men's cronies were going to show up, and he was concerned that Hawkeye was hiding some injury that she didn't want to worry him about.
The ambulance car came fairly quickly, Unfortunately there was no room for someone else to sit in the back, so Roy had to watch the car drive off and hope that everything would be alright until he got there. But he had other things to attend to. He headed back into the building to make sure that the prisoners were still alive. He had some serious questions that he wanted answers to.
**
When the police arrived to take the men, Roy went with them. He was not about to let something happen to let them get away, not after he had finally caught the men behind the rash of murders and kidnappings. Even though the police kept assuring him that they had it under control, he didn't leave until they had been looked at by the on staff doctor and locked up in separate cells so they couldn't communicate with each other.
Then, and only then, did he allow himself to relax enough to go see how his First Lieutenant was doing.
He headed to the hospital, not surprised that the rest of the group was already there, giving her a bit of a hard time about laying down on the job.
While the rest of them talked to her and ribbed her good naturedly, he stood back a bit, leaning against the wall and smiling, just enjoying that fact that after everything they went through, they finally seemed to be really coming together as a tight knit group, even if he hated that it took this for them to finally become a real team.
Eventually, the rest of them left, and Roy finally walked up to her, pulled up a chair and sat down next to her.
“So, I guess you checked out okay then?”
“Well, you were wrong.” There was a pause. Worry rose inside of him. What was wrong? Did she had some internal injuries? Was there something seriously wrong with her? His mind raced for the brief moment that she paused talking.
“You were wrong, they are going to keep me overnight for observation, even though I insisted that I was fine, and they seem to agree with me.”
Roy let out the breath that he didn't even know that he was holding. Damn her for making him worry, even if it was only for a moment. A smirk rose on his face. “Well, if that's all that I'm wrong about, then I don't mind being wrong.” he chuckled and finally relaxed a bit.
“Lieutenant?”
“Yes, sir?”
I care for you deeply, I want to tell you, but we can't. I don't want to ruin our friendship- he wanted to tell her all of this and more, but he settled for “I... I’m glad that you didn't die.”
A small smile played across her face.
“Me too, sir.
EPILOGUE
Roy looked at the piece of paper again, then back over at his First Lieutenant. “Why in the world are we going out in the middle of nowhere? I'm a Lieutenant Colonel, can't I send a couple of my men on this wild goose chase?”
A small sigh escaped Hawkeye's lips. “This isn't just any old alchemist. There is a rumor that this person is a relative of Hoenheim- an alchemist of some renown. The state wants this man in under their command, they are convinced that he could be a valuable asset to the military.”
“Yes, I am well aware of Hoeneheim.” He said in a drab droll. “That is assuming of course that he actually wants to join the military.”
“That is why they need your charms.” He didn't miss the slightly mischievous smile that she gave him.
“And you are coming with me, right?”
“Who else would you trust to keep you on the right path, sir?”
A smile was her only answer. No one, they both knew it. She was his rock, his anchor. She kept him on the straight and narrow path, the path that would lead him to the highest position in the land. He wouldn't trust anyone else with his life but her.
He looked down at the paper again. “Thirty one years old, from Risembool. Hmm. That is out east. I remember passing through there when we were heading out to Ishval. But I don't remember any rumors about any alchemists then. You'd think that we would have heard of him.”
“Unless he moved there, or wasn't an accomplished alchemist yet.”
“That was only a few years ago. No alchemist gets that good, that fast. I took seven straight years of strict training from your father, and even then I had to learn more on my own.”
Hawkeye rolled her eyes. “Of course because if you can't do it less than seven years, then no one can right?” she said, bemusedly. “Well, I guess we will have to ask him when we get there, sir.” She smiled at him. “What was the man's name again?”
“Edward Elric.”
“I have purchased our tickets already, we leave this afternoon. I suggest that you take the rest of the day off to pack. Lieutenant Havoc will pick you up promptly at 1600 hours. When we get there, we can find out the story of his man, Edward Elric.”