Anywhere You Go Let Me Go Too

First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye walked down the bleak corridors of the East City HQ. The steady rhythmic beat of her military boots the only sound that could be heard. Her arms were full with paperwork that needed a much needed signature from a certain Colonel. She gave two efficient knocks on the door of the office before entering.

The office was darker then it should have been for that time of day. The sun shone fiercely against the blinds that covered the large windows on the far wall. The First Lieutenant sighed heavily, clearly in her absence her colleagues had made their escape and the office now stood quiet and empty. She moved to the end of the room to place the papers on the Colonel's desk with the other piles of work awaiting his attention. It was then that she realised she wasn't as alone as she first thought.

Behind all the paper work that was stacked on his desk, sat Colonel Mustang. He sat slumped, his head resting on his arms on his desk, asleep. For the second time in too short a time gap in her opinion, the Lieutenant sighed heavily. It was by no means the first time that she had caught her Colonel in the midst of his work asleep. But this had been occurring a lot more frequently then usual she couldn't help but note.

"Colonel?" said the Lieutenant as she placed her arm load onto his desk. The Colonel made no response to her voice. She took a moment to look at his appearance. His military jacket was draped across the back of his chair, his immaculately white shirt ruffled from his sleeping position. He lay with his face down on his arms so that she unable to see his expression but she could tell by the soft mumbling that he wasn't in a peaceful sleep.

"Colonel Mustang?" she said again, placing her hand on his shoulder to shake him awake. As soon as she had placed her hand on his shoulder with the lightest of touches, the Colonel abruptly sat himself up with a start. She jumped from his sudden movement and retracted her hand before composing herself.

The Colonel groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. The Lieutenant was now able to see his face and she was shocked to find it to be a stark change from when she saw him that morning. Dark circles underneath his eyes were prominent against the paleness of his face. It was now all too clear to her that he had not been sleeping properly for a while now. She kicked herself inwardly for not noticing this sooner.

The Colonel rubbed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair when he became aware that the Lieutenant was standing next to him, quietly observing him.

"Are you alright Sir?" the First Lieutenant asked, her voice calm and efficient as always.

"I'm fine Lieutenant" he answered her after a moments pause. He then stared blankly at his surroundings though he took none of it in. The Lieutenant continued to silently observe him warily. This blankness in his eyes over where he was and what he was doing seemed to be a recurring development and she wished deeply that it wasn't. She couldn't help but worry over his health, thinking back to when was the last time she saw him eat, wondering when he had last had a full nights sleep. She passed her anxiousness over him as nothing more then her loyalty to him.

Without looking at her, the Colonel stood himself up and retrieving his military jacket from his chair proceeded to the office door.

"Sir?" she inquired as he past her. Her voice giving away a slightness of the worry she felt and she had to check herself.

"I'm just going for some fresh air, I shall be back in a moment" he said, his voice a monotone. It was as if his words were an automatic response to her voice and he had put no thought into the words.

She could do nothing but watch as he left the office, the door closing behind him. The office had never seemed so big and empty then it did to her just then. And she felt an emotion that she hated to feel. Helplessness.

From underneath the trees, we watch the sky

Confusing stars for satellites

I never dreamed that you'd be mine

But here we are, we're here tonight

Singing Amen, I'm alive

Singing Amen, I'm alive

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

We'd see the day that nobody died

And I'm singing

Amen I, I'm alive

Amen I, I'm alive

She had waited too long. She knew she had even when she was still in the office, checking the face of the clock at regular hourly intervals. Mustang had never come back to the office and she knew exactly where he had gone for him to be so long. But it wasn't until everyone had gone home and the night staff had come to relieve her that she had gone to get him.

Now she walked down the darkened streets, her long black rain coat wrapped tightly round her. The night air was moist, making the lights in the distance a hazy glow. She didn't have to walk far to get to her destination. Drunkards stumbling onto the streets accompanied by boisterous laughter before the door swung closed confirmed to her that she had the correct destination.

She opened the door to the bar and the smell of smoke and ale assaulted her senses. A wave of laughter like the one she had heard from outside, came from a group that sat in the far corner. A large man with very little hair and a drink stained apron strained around his waist, went from table to table wiping them down with a tatty old cloth. On seeing Hawkeye enter he stopped what he was doing and gave her a beaming smile that only a landlord could give.

"Elizabeth, always a pleasure to see you! Have you come to pick him up?" the landlord said moving around the tables towards her.

"How much has he had to drink?" she asked. Her voice was its usual monotone towards the kindly bar owner. But this tone was no surprise to him, she hardly ever came into the bar and when she did it certainly wasn't for socialising.

"Not as much as he wants me to give him" he answered laughing lightly to himself, "He's over at the bar, stopped serving him a while back so now he's just staring into an empty glass."

She looked to the far end of the bar and there was no denying the distinct blue of the uniform. He sat alone on a bar stool, his body slumped forward on the bar and an empty tumbler glass in his hand. She couldn't quite see his face from the distance she was but she didn't need to. She knew what she was facing. It was the same every time.

"I gotta say Elizabeth love; he started a little early today didn't he? I'm not prying mind, but he's a good man and I hate to see good men like this," the landlord said voicing his concerns, "You're a good lass though. I know you'll look after him, it's why I keep him here till you come and get him."

"Thank you" she said and gave a small smile of reassurance to him.

"Do you need a hand getting him outside love?" he asked.

"No I'll be fine, thank you" Hawkeye replied before moving towards the bar, leaving the landlord to continue on serving.

Mustang made no movement as Hawkeye walked up to him. And she could see that little had changed in his facial expression from when she had seen him in the office. There was only now a haze in front of his eyes, evidence of the amount of alcohol that he had consumed. With gentle hands she reached for the empty glass and took it from his, he gave no resistance to her movements, he just simply continued to stare at the stained and battered bar surface.

"I'm taking you home" she said softly so that no one else could hear except for him. But she doubted that he had even heard her.

Despite her doubt Mustang made no resistance again when she held one of his arms to pull him off the bar stool. She managed to get him to stand fairly easily and moving his arm over her shoulders and one of her arms around his waist, she was able to hold him up. But getting him to walk proved to be the difficulty. His movements were slow, dragging his feet as she pulled him along.

She was slightly relieved when he seemed to notice that he was no longer sitting down. But that was only a slight lift of the head to look where he was going before his gaze drifted back down to the ground. He still had made no sound or even seemed to be aware that she was there holding him up. But perhaps they were both too use to the situation to bother to talk. It would just be another night among many for them not to talk about.

And in the air the fireflies

Our only light in paradise

We'll show the world they were wrong

And teach them all to sing along

Singing Amen, I'm alive

Singing Amen, I'm alive

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

We'd see the day that nobody died

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

We'd see the day that nobody died

Somehow or another Riza managed to get him back to his apartment, the process had been slow but they had made it without any major incidences. Still holding Roy up with one arm, she used her free hand to retrieve the spare key she had and unlock the door.

The whole apartment was dark and she struggled to find the light switch. When she finally did she thought that perhaps it had been better off. The door opened into the living space of the one bedroom apartment, but she doubted you could really call it a living space. Discarded cans and food cartons littered every surface, including the floor. Clothes were strewn upon the small sofa, which took up most of the space alone, leaving little area for anyone to sit. The air was thick and the smell of putrid food overpowering.

Edging further into the room, it didn't take long for them to reach the sofa. As soon as they had, Roy moved away from Riza and collapsed on the sofa. He now lay face down, seemingly not caring what he lay upon.

Hawkeye moved to the door to the left side of the room, which lead to a small corridor to the undersized kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. As she went she methodically picked up the litter in her path. When she reached the kitchen she was faced with yet more destruction rivalling the living rooms.

As if another force was pulling her she removed her raincoat and went about clearing the dishes and glasses, putting them all in their rightful places. She didn't really know why she was doing this, it wasn't necessary. Roy was home now, she had done her part and yet she stayed. Later she would tell herself that it was for Roy's own good, and his health with the state he was living in, that she had stayed with him in his apartment. Not truly admitting that she wanted to stay, beyond her own duty, a need to care and look after him that ran deep within her.

Having straightened the kitchen out a little, she moved back into the living room. Roy had rolled himself over and was now lying on his back, one of his arms lay across his face covering his eyes. His feet overhung the arm at one end, the sofa too small to fit his full height. Riza began to straighten out the living room, picking up the rubbish and clearing the modest table that sat in front of the sofa. It wasn't long till she had the room all in order as well.

All the while she had cleaned, Roy ever so often mumbled and moaned where he lay. Riza gathered that he was now sobering up and was suffering the consequences of his actions. She went to the kitchen and returned with a glass of water.

"Sir?" Riza asked standing next to the sofa and looking down at him. Slowly he moved the arm that lay across his eyes and looked up at her for the first time that night. His eyes still retained a slight glaze from the alcohol still in his system but there was now awareness to the onyx iris.

"Here drink this, it'll help" she said, holding the glass of water out to him.

"I don't need it" he rejected, turning his eyes away from Riza. His voice was thick and horse, but there was coldness to his tone that she hadn't been expecting. However she was not perturbed by his rejection, this was just another trait that she recognised in him. Stubbornness, the belief in needing to wallow in self suffering.

"You've had a lot to drink tonight and this will help. So-"

"STOP FUSSING OVER ME!" Roy shouted, interrupting her. He swung his arm out as he pushed him self up, hitting the glass from her hand. The glass crashed against the wall with the force of his hit, and shattered upon the floor.

A silence lay heavy in the air after the piercing shatter of the glass. Both stared at the million glass pieces glittering on the floor. Riza looked to Roy who was refusing to look at her, his eyes down to the ground. A stony glare set upon his features.

Slowly she walked over to the glass on the floor and began collecting up the larger pieces. Her hands shook as she picked up the glass as her emotions boiled within. She didn't know if she wanted to shout or cry and it wasn't a feeling that she liked. She wasn't denying herself the fact that this wasn't the first time he had shouted at her. But never had it affected her on such a personal level, effected her emotions so strongly. And never had he lashed out at her. She blinked back the hot tears of anger and hurt that threatened to escape from the seams of her mask.

She focused hard on keeping her emotions and shaking hands under control so she wouldn't cut herself. Such was her focus that she didn't even notice when Roy came over and started picking up glass with her.

It wasn't till he swore underneath his breath that she noticed him. Startled Riza looked to see blood on his hand where he had cut himself on a large piece of glass. Roy just looked at his hand as his blood flowed quickly from the deep cut on his palm, still refusing to look at Riza. She quickly retrieved a towel from the kitchen before pressing it down on the cut.

"I'm sorry."

She looked up to see his scorching gaze on her now and her heart gave one shuddering thud. At that moment she caught a glimpse of the pain within him and all the hurt and anger she felt flowed out of her. How could she deny him? How could she question him? How could she deny herself her feelings?

"I know."

Closing his eyes he leant forward and rested his head on her shoulder. And that's how they stayed, kneeling on the floor together. His hands in hers on her lap, his head on her shoulder.

Her strength.

His support.

Her reason.

His will.

They're love.

And as we lie beneath the stars

We realise how small we are

If they could love like you and me

Imagine what the world could be

If everyone cared and nobody cried

If everyone loved and nobody lied

If everyone shared and swallowed their pride

We'd see the day that nobody died

We'd see the day, we'd see the day

When nobody died

We'd see the day, we'd see the day

When nobody died

We'd see the day, when nobody died

Disclaimer: 'If Everyone Cared' - Nickelback