Riza was fuming! She came into work and opened the door to the colonel's office and found no one there. Not a soul. Not even Edward or Alphonse was lounging on the couch that was there. She clenched her fists and kept her composure as she turned out of the office and looked at the rest of the subordinates.

"Any idea where the colonel is?" she asked them.

Everyone looked up and Jean looked around as if something had startled him.

"Hey, yeah, where is he?"

"You didn't realize he wasn't in?"

"Well, he's usually here before us and sometimes he closes the door and doesn't come out until lunch time, so we assumed he was held up in the office with paperwork." Fuery said, holding a stack of papers.

Riza made a face at the lack of observance that her coworkers had and went to her desk. She picked up the phone and dialed the colonel's number. She waited as the phone rang and tapped her fingers on the desk.

"Colonel Mustang." he said in the phone sleepily.

"Colonel, this is Lieutenant Hawkeye."

"Mmm." he said.

"Is there a reason you're not here?"

"I already called in sick to the Fuhrer, Hawkeye. I don't need you harping on me like some damned gorilla. I'm not a child."

Riza blinked for a second and then leaned on her elbow on the table.

"Well you could have at least let us know too, sir. I don't want you slacking."

"Damn it, Riza, stop acting like my mother! I'm not feeling well, deal with it. Goodbye."

He slammed the phone down and Riza looked at it in confusion and frustration. He'd never spoken to her like that unless she were in danger or if she tried to help him and he was danger. Something was odd...

"What'd he say?"

"He said that he was sick and had already called in to the Fuhrer..."

"Sick? That's never stopped him before. Remember when he came here with pneumonia the one time? We had to literally push him out the door to make him leave." Breda said with a laugh.

The others laughed too but Riza was very worried. She'd have to stop by after work and see if he was truly alright.

***************************

Riza knocked on her commanding officer's door and waiting in the cool night air. It was going to be a bit nippy tonight, possibly icy rain by the way the clouds looked and early darkening of the sky. Roy didn't come to the door and so Riza knocked on it again, waiting for him to open up. She finally heard the lock on the door knob unlock and Roy pulled the door open, it stopping from the chain connecting the door to the wall.

"Colonel?"

"Yes?"

"It's me... can I come in?"

"Yeah, I guess."

He closed the door and undid the latch, opening the door so she could go in. He turned on the lamp and Riza looked around at the dark room.

"Why are you here? I thought I told you I was fine without you?"

"You did but I just wanted to make sure you were really alright. You say that things are fine but half the time you're really bluffing."

He shrugged and went to the couch to lay back down.

He really hadn't felt well and when he woke up that morning, the same sickness that had taken him over the day before was making his stomach rumble in a very menacing way. He'd been vomiting all morning so it seemed. Served him right for eating not one, but two of the cafeteria lunches. Why he had felt that was needed was beyond him... He hated to call into the work over something to trivial as vomiting but since while he was getting ready he had already done it at least three times within an hour, he suspected moving around and getting inwardly emotional about things he could not control at work was not the best course of action to keep his stomach from making loops.

Riza noticed a glass of half drank water on the wooden table in front of the couch and frowned a little. Did he even eat?

"Have you had food yet, sir?"

"I haven't been able to keep much down. The thought of food almost makes me want to hurl again."

Riza nodded a little. "Well, you have to eat something or you will begin to vomit bile and that's not necessarily a better option... So you've been vomiting then?"

"Yes. That's why I left earlier yesterday."

"Vomiting has never stopped you before..."

"I was puking my guts out this morning, three times before I could even get my uniform on. Forgive me if I think I should have stayed home rather than mess up the office with my putrid stomach contents..." he snarled from the couch.

Riza nodded, understanding the situation. She looked around for a moment but thought she should stay with him, maybe make some broth for him...

"Would you like me to make some broth for you, sir? You have to keep your strength up if you want to become the Fuhrer."

"I know, I know..."

"I will make some hot broth for you. At least it's something to eat and it might settle your stomach a little."

He nodded a little but he eventually drifted into sleep and Riza sighed, looking around the kitchen. Did he even have broth?

***********************

Riza had made a medium sized pot of chicken broth and few noodles for texture for Roy and he sipped on that for about two days straight. He hadn't gotten any better after she came to visit him so she brought the papers he needed to sign to his house and he signed them, leaving them by the door for her to get in the morning for work. The second day he had gotten a headache from the Devil himself and didn't sign any papers at all, though a bunch more came through for him.

Roy woke up and blinked at the darkness of the room. He sat up a little, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his head as well as his body. Because of being sick, he felt sluggish and weighed down but now... now he felt amazing! He blinked a couple of times and got up, stretching. He was surprised that his aches and pains weren't as bad as he thought they would be from sleeping on the couch for three straight days. He sighed and went up the stairs, looking at the clock on the way. He woke up way early! He decided a shower was in order and cut across to the bathroom.

He walked in and used the bathroom and turned the shower on. As he got undressed, he noticed he seemed a little more fit than he remembered. He remembered telling himself he needed to try and exercise since the desk work was making him lazy than field work ever did but wasn't there a bit of pudgy skin in his midsection? Roy shrugged, figuring it was from not eating a lot of food these past three days. He continued undressing when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He looked the same but different.

His face was a little fuller and there seemed to be a more childlike quality to him. He shrugged it off as being part of the rejuvenated feeling and got ready for work.

*********************

Roy remembered his pills but thought that he should lay off of them until he got better control over his stomach. He didn't want to risk having to take another three-day vacation with the toilet again. He wasn't really even sure it was because of the pills that he had the stomach issues, although it might have been. For now, he knew they worked and blamed his worship of the porcelain throne to doubling up on cafeteria food that might or might not have been chicken.

As he signed the papers in his office, the door opened without knocking and he knew exactly who had walked in.

"What is it, Fullmetal?"

"Hawkeye said you'd been sick."

"And you came to check up on me?" He looked up. "How sweet of you."

Edward felt his cheeks go red, for that really was what he came in for but he turned away.

"Th-that's not why I cam to see you!" Roy just chuckled. "I came because the Fuhrer wants us to go back to that lab. Dr. Striker said that the military found someone they would like him to test his formula on for the first human trial and wanted us to come and see it to approve its use or not, since we were investigating it and all..."

"Ah, I see. Well, let me finish signing these two forms and we'll go."

Edward nodded and flopped onto the couch.

"So, how'd it feel being off for three straight days?"

"Are you trying to be funny?" He looked up at the teen, who was grinning ear to ear. He sighed. "I should have known..."

"C'mon, Colonel, get a sense of humor... Besides, I know what it's like to get food poisoning from the cafeteria so I know it's no trip."

"I usually don't get sick."

"Did you eat the 'chicken'?"

"Yes."

"That's your problem. I swear it's not chicken."

"Why is Al not with you?"

"Oh, he's in the other room with Havoc and them."

"Then why don't you go in there and join him?"

"Cuz."

Roy's eye twitched but he continued with his work for a moment, finally getting everything he needed signed. He stood up, grabbing his gloves and coat and went to the couch, where Edward was resting his eyes.

"I'm done now. We can go."

Edward looked up and blinked at him. He looked the same but different. He couldn't quite place what it was but it was more in his face and eyes than anything.

"You do something to your hair?"

"No." he growled. "Just get up..."

Edward did as told and followed Roy out the office.

Alphonse looked up as the door opened and the subordinates looked up as well. Havoc noticed something odd but thought it was a trick of light but Hawkeye realized something immediately. As he walked and told everyone where he was going, she knew something was terribly wrong. Especially when he looked over at her fully and gave her a silent thank you for her help the other day.

His smile was too kind.