1. Once the Elric brothers had their mind set on something, there was no way to make them change their stubborn minds. This was something that Roy Mustang had to learn the hard way. He had tried to convince them to stay in Amestria, but the brothers had insisted on returning to Germany, destroying the portal as they went. Roy returned alone to Amestria, feeling slightly defeated.

He hadn't had the easiest ride recently. Ever since the death of his best friend, Maes Hughes, everything had been going downhill. After finding out about the homunculi's plans, he had ended up killing the Fuhrer, King Bradley, to help save his country, although he had lost his eye in the process. Unable to hide from everything he had done in the past (including killing the Rockbells in Ishbal), Roy had given up trying to continue life like nothing had happened. In one last attempt to make things right, he had left his post to bring the brothers back, although he came out defeated. They were gone and there was no longer any way to bring them back. It was just another failure to add to his list.

He had been aimlessly wandering around the streets without a destination for a while now, looking over the past few months, trying to make sense of them so that he could find his next move. He couldn't spend the rest of his life in regret. He had to find some way to get back on track and make up for all he had done somehow. But he didn't know where to start.

Finding nothing else to do yet, he decided that the best thing to do would to go to the Lieutenant and tell her all that had happened. He needed to talk to someone, and she was probably the only person still awake at this hour. He had been carrying the burden of letting the Elrics leave for over a week now, and it was about time he got in touch with her after their rough departure.

He walked into a phone booth and typed in her number. On the third ring, he heard the phone being picked up.

"Hello?" a man's voice called. Roy paused for a moment, startled.

"Is…is this Riza Hawkeye's residence?" he asked in a cautious voice.

"Yes."

Nothing more followed the 'yes'. Roy stared at the phone, wondering who this man was and why he was at her house. "Is she there? Can I talk to her?"

"Sure. Hold on a second."

Silence came from the other line. Roy waited impatiently, tapping his fingers on the side of the wall. At last, the voice he had been expecting to pick up came.

"Hello?"

"It's me," he said simply. "I wanted to tell you what happened with the Elric brothers."

He thought he heard a groan from the other end of the line. "Why didn't you call me a week ago when you came back?"

"I've been under a lot of stress. I didn't feel like talking to anyone. I wasn't ready."

"But you are now?"

"Yes."

She sighed. "This isn't a good time. Can I talk to you tomorrow?"

He waited a moment, debating to ask the next question or not. "Who are you with?"

"Goodbye, Brigadier General." He heard a click and she was gone.

He slammed the phone down on the reciever, wondering how much had changed in the week he had been gone.