Author's Notes: I admit it. I'm really horrible at updating. And with the latest manga chapter (Ch 83) hinting at an epic battle right around the corner I'm even less motivated to update this story. :(

Anyway, spoilers up to the beginning of Chapter 78.

"So why exactly are we having dinner at the Armstrong's?" asked Riza as they drove through the wet cobblestones towards the outskirts of town.

"Because your grandfather invited us?" Roy answered, keeping his eyes forward, watching the road. Riza shifted in her seat beside him.

"I know that," she huffed. "I mean why are we meeting my grandfather at the Armstrong residence? I know the two are old friends but if he wanted to see the two of us why didn't he just meet us somewhere near HQ like he used to? "

"What can I say? Your grandfather can be quite unpredictable." Roy shuddered as he recalled how the Lieutenant General had dressed up as an old woman the last time he saw him. "Besides, you don't want to disappoint him by not showing up do you?"

Riza didn't answer. Instead, she looked out the window at the passing scenery. Roy sighed and continued driving. He hated keeping information from her but until they found a way of knowing when a Homunculus was nearby he had no choice but to keep her in the dark.

When they arrived at the Armstrong estate fifteen minutes later, someone was already waiting for them at the door.

"Ah, Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye. I'm so happy you two could come over," greeted Major Armstrong.

"Good evening, Major," Riza answered as they entered the front door. "How are you doing?"

"Quite well, thank you. General Grumman and my father will be coming down shortly. Unfortunately Mother and my little sister Catherine are away on a trip, so it'll just be you two, General Grumman, Father, Olivier, and myself tonight."

"Great," grinned Roy as he took Riza's coat. "That means we can get right down to business."

Riza looked at him. "What business?"

"He means we can talk about military stuff without boring my mother and my sister," answered another voice. Everybody turned around to see Olivier walking towards them carrying her sword.

"Ah, sister. I was wondering where you were-" began Armstrong. Olivier looked at him with contempt.

"I was practicing my swordsmanship," she replied as she handed her sword to a maid.

Glancing at Roy and Riza, she added, "Father and General Grumman are waiting in the dining room." Then, without another word, she led them to the other room.

"Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye, what a pleasure to see you two again," said Lieutenant General Armstrong as they entered the dining room. "I'm so glad you could make it."

"The pleasure's ours," Roy answered as he shook the General's hand.

"How was your trip, Grandfather?" Riza asked General Grumman. The old man chuckled.

"Not as comfortable as I would have liked, but I've had worse."

"Anyway," interrupted General Armstrong. "Now that we're all here, let's eat!" He waved his hand at the servants who promptly retreated to the kitchen and returned seconds later carrying platters of food.

"So how are you enjoying your new position in Central, Major General?" asked Grumman as he poured himself a glass of wine.

"It's rather bland," she answered in a bored tone while a servant placed a plate in front of her. "I believe some of the generals are still suspicious of me after what happened to General Raven. They probably think I'm too ambitious but I'm slowly gaining their trust."

"Well you are rather young to be a general, my dear," replied her father. "Perhaps it's time you set-"

"Don't say it!" Olivier snapped.

"Really, Olivier. You're not getting any younger," commented her father. "Your mother and I thought that after all that time in Briggs you would've found someone by now."

Olivier slammed her fist on the table. "This is the reason why I don't come home more often!"

"Father, sister, please. We have guests," pleaded Major Armstrong but the two ignored him and continued arguing.

"I just want what's best for you."

"This is what's best for me. If you want grandchildren that badly then go bug Alex or one of my sisters."

Roy grinned at the last part. While Grumman had teased him several times in the past about hurrying up and marrying Riza he at least didn't bother them about giving him great-grandchildren. Then again, he glanced over at the old general and noticed Grumman whispering something to Riza that made her cheeks flush.

So much for that thought.

He leaned over towards her and asked, "Do I even want to know what you two were whispering about?" Riza shook her head and looked up at Olivier and General Armstrong who were still bickering.

"Change the subject," she whispered.

"To what?" Roy whispered back.

"Anything," she hissed.

Roy coughed and everybody turned their attention towards him. "Speaking of Briggs, what's going on up at the Northern border?" he asked.

Olivier looked away and scoffed. "The Fuhrer's been anticipating a full-scale assault from the Drachmans once word spreads that I'm no longer at Briggs. He's already put the entire Central army on stand-by to head up North at a moment's notice."

Figures. Roy thought. The more people he sends in the bigger the bloodshed.

"Anyway, I've been meaning to talk to you about the 'annual joint training', General Grumman," continued Olivier. "I've discussed it with Mustang a few days ago about scheduling it within the next two weeks but since Briggs is on the verge of another confrontation I'm proposing that we postpone it till further notice."

What?

"Well if you think it's for the best," answered Grumman as he took a bite of dinner. "However, if your men need more backup I can send some troops to Briggs."

"That won't be necessary. "I'm confident that with Miles and Buccaneer leading the forces, they can keep casualties to a minimum...at least on our side."

Roy looked at her, confused. "But what happens if the Central army decides to take over? They don't have experience fighting the Drachmans-"

"As long as my men can finish the battle before it begins that won't be a problem."

"But…" began Roy again. Olivier gave him an icy look before turning her attention back to Grumman.

"Anyway, while I'm certain we'll win an easy victory up at Briggs I'm a little concerned that the Fuhrer could be leaving Central vulnerable."

"Oh?" asked Grumman. "Why do you say that?"

Olivier leaned forward and grinned slightly. "As we both know, the Central army's attack and defense capabilities are already nowhere near as good as either the Northern or Eastern armies. Combined with the fact that the generals have been constantly sending in parts of the Central army to different corners of our country to fight means that the army in the capital is starting to get a little thin. Any enemy who is aware of this could use this weakness to attack Central."

Everybody stared at her. "Attack Central?" repeated Armstrong. "That's impossible."

"Not necessarily," chuckled Grumman. "The only reason why Central's been relatively free of conflict in the past is because it's situated in the heart of Amestris rather than at the border."

"Excuse me, Major General," interrupted Riza, "but who do you suspect will launch an attack on Central? All the enemies I can think of are currently engaged in battle with the military at the border."

"Actually, Hawkeye," replied Olivier, "I'm concerned that the threatis from inside the country. All this constant fighting is starting to become unpopular with certain parts of the population and their numbers are constantly growing. Any ambitious individual or group could use the border disputes as a distraction in attempt to overthrow the government."

"So you're concerned about a possible coup," Roy commented. He was starting to understand what Olivier was planning.

"But with the Homunculi in Central it'll be impossible for anyone to launch a surprised attack. They would know about it before planning was completed," Riza noted.

Everybody was silent for a moment while they pondered her question. Finally Grumman spoke again.

"That's true, Riza. I suppose the only way an attack could be planned out is if the planning was done outside of Central."

"But a Homunculus was spotted up North," argued Major Armstrong.

"Which means the planning might need to be done outside of the country," finished Grumman.

"Assuming they're confined within our borders. Something which seems unlikely," added Olivier.

Roy listened silently as the two generals continued debating possible ways of communicating. He frowned slightly when he noticed Riza sigh in frustration. It was clearly going to be one long dinner.

--

Two hours later…

Roy let out a loud sigh as they finally drove out of the Armstrong estate. "Phew…glad that's over with." Riza didn't answer. Roy looked over at her and noticed she was lost in thought as she watched the rain fall against the window.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, why?" She turned towards him.

"Well you're were quiet for most of dinner."

"Sorry. I've had a lot on my mind."

Roy looked at her for a second before returning his attention to the road ahead. Taking his left hand off the wheel, he placed it over her right. "Don't worry. We'll get through this together."

"I know," she said softly and he noticed her smile.

They didn't speak again till he drove up to the front of her apartment. Riza waited for him to shift the car into park before leaning over and giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Goodnight," she whispered in his ear.

"Goodnight," he whispered back.

He watched as she quietly opened the door and stepped out. However, instead of shutting the door behind her she turned around and looked at him, a playful smirk on her lips.

"Oh, and don't even think of sleeping in like you did last year," she warned. Roy chuckled at the memory of Riza trying creative ways to get him out of bed that day.

"To be honest, we didn't exactly 'sleep in'," he smirked. "And you know how much I like to press the snooze button."

Riza laughed quietly. "Just make sure you're on time for the parade. You don't want to disappoint all your adoring fans do you?" She blew him a kiss and shut the door. He watched her walk up the stairs and slip in through the door before he finally drove off.

--

The next day…

Roy stared up at the podium, silently wishing the Fuhrer would hurry up with his speech. Fuhrer King Bradley had been droning on for the past twenty minutes about the history of Amestris and Roy was starting to feel an itch at the back of his neck that he desperately wanted to scratch. Unfortunately, as a model officer, he had no choice but to stand still and listen to the Fuhrer go on about his vision for the future of their country.

Stifling a yawn, Roy observed the other people standing on the podium. Olivier and General Grumman were standing to the left of the podium with the rest of the generals while Riza was standing a few feet behind the Fuhrer and his family. Roy frowned when he noticed that she was flanked by several bodyguards.

It almost looks like she's a prisoner.

Riza turned her head slightly and their eyes met briefly before she turned back to gaze at the crowd in front of her. Roy's eyes wandered around the rest of the podium before stopping on the person sitting in front of her. Memories of Riza's coded message came flooding back to him as he watched the little boy fidget in his seat.

Selim Bradley…Can you really be a Homunculus? He watched as the boy turned his head in his direction and smiled. It made Roy's blood freeze. There was definitely something unnatural about the child.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. After the speech Roy quickly excused himself and hid in his office in a futile attempt to finish the paperwork from the previous day. However, his mind was once again preoccupied with other thoughts and he found himself flipping through his journal for the most of the afternoon.

Ok…this makes sense, he thought as he studied the map with the transmutation circle. If they can keep the bloodshed to a minimum up North it won't be enough to activate the circle. The only problem now is how the Northern and Eastern Armies can co-ordinate an attack on Central without arousing suspicion.

As he flipped through the rest of his notes he heard a clock chime. He looked at the clock on his desk. 5 o'clock. I guess I can call it a day. Grabbing his coat, he made his way out of his office and looked around. The hallways around Central HQ were almost empty. Most of the soldiers probably went home early to enjoy the long weekend, he thought as he went through the main entrance and down the front steps of the building.

He was halfway down the stairs when he noticed something black and white lying near a tree ahead of him. As he got closer, it got up and ran towards him as far as the leash would allow. Roy smiled as he watched the little black and white dog try unsuccessfully to break loose from his leash.

"Hey boy." Roy kneeled down and petted the dog. Black Hayate barked and licked his hand. "Sorry but I don't have any treats for you this time." The dog whined and sniffed him to make sure he wasn't lying. Roy smirked. "I promise I'll bring something next time, k?" he told Hayate before standing up.

"Sir!" shouted a familiar voice. Roy turned around and saw Riza running towards him.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye," he called out, "Shouldn't you be with the Fuhrer right now?"

"He's busy attending to a few guests at the moment so I was able to slip out," she said gasping slightly. "There's something I need to talk to you about though, Roy."

Roy looked at her, puzzled. She rarely called him by his first name in public, and never while they were in uniform. "What is it?" he asked.

"Let's go somewhere more private first," she answered, looking over her shoulder. "I found out something important and I don't want anyone eavesdropping on us."

Roy looked around. There were a few people in the courtyard but there were all too far away to listen in on them.

"Please, sir," Riza continued, motioning to him to follow her. "We don't have much time. Once the Fuhrer finds out I'm gone he'll send his bodyguards looking for me."

"Um…ok." Roy went to follow her but something grabbed his foot. He looked down. Black Hayate was gripping his pant leg with his teeth, growling slightly.

"Hayate?"

The dog let go and moved between Roy and Riza, baring his teeth slightly. Riza bent down to pick him up but the dog took a step back and barked at her.

"Shut up you stupid mutt," Riza ordered but Hayate continued barking. She bent down again to pick him up but this time Hayate bit her.

"Hayate!"

"Stop it, Envy," said a childish voice suddenly near them. "He's not going to fall for it."

Roy turned around. There was nobody around.

"Heh. He would have if it weren't for that damn dog," answered a male voice. Roy turned back to Riza and found a slender male with wild hair standing in her stead.

"Envy?" he growled. "So you're the Homunculus who can transform into anything. I should have known." Envy simply grinned.

"I'm impressed, Colonel. You seem to know quite a bit about me despite never having met me in person before."

"I've heard a lot about you from the Elric brothers."

"How is the pipsqueak and tin can doing anyway? I heard they've been missing since that big fight with Kimbley," snarled Envy.

"Envy…" said the voice again. "That's enough."

Roy looked over his shoulder again. The voice seemed to come from behind the tree Hayate was under earlier.

"Who's there?" he shouted. "Show yourself!" Hayate also began barking.

A dark haired boy stepped out from behind the tree.

"Selim Bradley, what are you doing here?" Roy asked. Well this definitely rules out Envy being Selim then.

"I'm playing hide-and-seek," the little boy answered, grinning.

Envy scoffed. "Those bodyguards they hired are a bunch of idiots. They couldn't even guard a sack of potatoes if their life depended on it," he mumbled. Selim giggled.

"Colonel," said Selim, 'You're the Full Metal Alchemist's superior aren't you?" Roy looked at him, somewhat confused.

"Yes, I am."

"Do you happen to know where he and his big armored brother are?"

"No, I don't."

Selim pouted. "Aww… I really want to talk to him again."

"What did you want to talk to him about?"

"I..umm…I wanted to ask him about…the Philosopher's Stone."

"Really," said Roy, unconvinced. "And why are you interested in the Philosopher's Stone?"

"I heard it can grant immortal life."

"You're still a child. You don't have to worry about dying anytime soon." He eyed the boy closely. "Unless… you aren't really what everyone thinks you are."

Selim didn't answer.

"You're a Homunculus aren't you?" Roy demanded. "You want to know where Edward Elric disappeared to because you need him and his brother to open the Gate."

Envy watched the two with mild amusement before speaking to Selim. "Looks like you're gonna have to drop the act, runt. He's not as dumb as you think he is."

Selim frowned. "Yes, I am. My real name is Pride," he answered slowly. While he answered Roy noticed giant eyes suddenly appearing behind the boy.

"What the hell…?"

He watched, stunned, as the giant eyes roamed around in the shadows. He didn't understand how but the shadow behind the boy seemed to be growing larger. Hayate yelped and hid behind him as small black hands extended from the shadows and slowly creeped towards them.

"I must say, you are pretty smart, Colonel Mustang. I suppose you'd have to be to reach Colonel at your age." Selim took a few steps towards them. "However you can occasionally be a bit of a nuisance."

Roy eyes darted between Selim and Envy. Crap. This isn't good. He was clearly outnumbered. He slowly reached into his pocket for his spark glove.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Colonel," said Envy lazily. "If you were to throw a flame attack remotely in his direction you'll be arrested for threatening the life of the Fuhrer's son."

Dammit. He withdrew his hand from his pocket. "Fine," he said, glaring at the boy. "What do you want from me?" Selim grinned.

"I want to know where the Elric brothers are."

"I told you already, I don't know. And even if I did know, I wouldn't tell the likes of you."

"You do know there's no use resisting us right? You're just going to get yourself needlessly killed."

"And how is that different from what's going to happen to us if we obey you? You Homunculi called us 'human sacrifices' which means we'll die whether we follow you or not." He gripped his hand into a fist. "Given the choice, I rather fight."

Selim shrugged and looked at Envy. "Father was right. He's stubborn too…like the elder Elric brother."

"Meh. He's just like that nosy four-eyed friend of his."

Roy's jaw tightened. "What did you say?"

Envy grinned. "You know…that friend of yours who stuck his nose a little too deep into our affairs and paid for it. I believe his name was Maes Hughes. He saw through my first disguise but the look in his eyes when I shot him as his wife was priceless-"

"So it was you," Roy pulled out his spark glove but before he could properly put it on he found Envy inches away from him.

"Too slow, Colonel."

Roy felt a sudden sharp pain as Envy's fist connected with him. He staggered slightly, gripping his abdomen.

"Sh…" he cursed, gasping as the pain resonated throughout his body.

"Aww…was that too much for you? mocked Envy. "I was hoping you would at least put up a fight." Selim giggled at the comment.

Roy gritted his teeth. "Don't underestimate me!" he yelled. Snapped his fingers, he directed a series of flame attacks at the Homunculus.

"Heh. You need to do better than that, Colonel," Envy laughed as he dodged the explosions. "However," he added, "your little display probably attracted a lot of attention so we better finish this now." In one swift motion he kicked Roy in the ribs. Roy staggered a few steps before finally succumbing to the blow. He watched weakly as Envy walked up to him.

"You're lucky Father wants you alive," he sneered. "I would have enjoyed killing you nice and slowly."

"You bastard. You'll pay for everything," Roy growled, glaring at the Homunculus. Envy laughed.

"I doubt it."

Roy watched as Envy raised his arm over him and brought it down on top of him. The last thing Roy felt was the rough surface of the pavement hitting his face before everything went black.