People cry, not because they are weak. It's because they've been too strong for too long.

**********

For once the white place greeted her as she fell asleep. In more honest terms Aiden had passed out after having worked too long. Maes and the military had been keeping her up more and more, it was only a matter of time until she was floored. Thankfully it had been at home and in bed rather than at work and moving. Wouldn't that have just been difficult to explain.

Aiden woke up in bed. She was gasping for air and it took several minutes for her to calm herself. Except her stomach didn't settle. Her footsteps were sloppy as she booked it to the bathroom and heaved up her dinner.

"I don't..." she said slowly, sitting back and wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Was that a dream?" She narrowed her eyes as her mind went blank. "What was I dreaming about?"

Sleep never came back and by the time noon rolled around Aiden was exhausted. Her eyes drooped every so often and when questioned she would wave off her subordinates. At some point Aiden had migrated to her office with a fresh stack paperwork. It was never finished.

Aiden woke up after the sun had gone down. She stretched, yawned, and ran a hand through her disheveled hair before realizing that it was now down to her jawline. A quick shuffle through her desk drawers and Aiden retrieved a hair band from a small pile, kept there for when Katy, or Riza that one time, lost theirs. She tied her dark locks into a small bun, letting the strands that were too short fall free. She wasn't picky about her hair.

There was still hours left and only a few papers to do. So she sighed, picked up the nearest writing utensil, and read through the documents. Time ticked by and Aiden was satisfied when she signed the last one. It didn't occur to her until she was halfway through writing her last name that she was using a pencil. She cursed and erased the signatures from the documents before doing them over again in pen.

The finally finished paperwork on her desk was abandoned for the night as Aiden shrugged on her coat, turned off the lights, and left her office, noting how her team had left as well. The hallways were well lit but barely anyone was around. A stationary guard saluted her as she passed and she returned the favor. She turned a corner and paused before eyeing the open office to her left. The lights were still on in there as well.

Her watch told her it was nearing midnight and she sighed. Curiously, there was no one in the team office. It looked like everyone had finished for the day. Aiden turned to Roy's office. It wouldn't hurt to look before turning off the lights. If he was there then she'd leave them on.

She knocked softly and entered when there was no reply. The office itself was sparsely covered if one ignored the few boxes sitting in the far corner. It looked just like her own, except she didn't have any boxes. Aiden looked at the desk sitting in the center of the room. She raised an eyebrow. What was he doing?

She cautiously crept forward until she was staring down the sleeping form of one Roy Mustang. Of course he'd fall asleep on paperwork, Aiden thought mutely before remembering that she had done the exact same thing. The exit was right behind her and she turned to leave only to be stopped by a mumbling.

Aiden looked back at Roy. He mumbled something else and moved ever so slightly. From her vantage point she could see his face twist into a scowl. She tilted her head in concern. Was he having a nightmare? Her stare was directed between Roy and the door once more before she moved back to the desk.

"Roy, wake up," she stage whispered. There was no reaction aside from the clenching of his fists. Aiden's voice became slightly louder. "You're having a nightmare, Roy. You have to wake up." Roy's arms pulled closer to his body. Aiden placed a hand on his shoulder.

Her back connected to the ground and Aiden's breath left her lungs. A hand wrapped around her throat and her hands immediately latched onto the wrist, trying and failing to release the tight grip. A weight settled on her hips and she could only kick her legs helplessly. Tears blurred her vision but Aiden could clearly see Roy above her, straddling her hips, eyes hazy and sleep induced.

"Roy," she choked out. "Stop it." There was no response. "R-Roy," she squeaked. His hand only tightened around her throat. "Please."

With no other option Aiden looked to the side for something - anything that would help. A thick book had fallen off his desk. She reached out with a hand, grasped it tightly, and swung. The book hit its mark and Roy was jerked off her form. Aiden choked in a gasp of air and coughed. She stood on two shaky legs and wobbly ran out of the office.

Roy came back to awareness and was able to see a vague outline of a form beneath him before something struck his head. His head snapped to the side, followed by his body. Whoever it was coughed and from the corner of his eye he saw them reach up to their throat. Then they were on their feet and out the door before he could ask what happened and who they were. Roy tried to follow them but stumbled as his head throbbed. He closed his eyes tightly and reopened them to stare at the floor.

Something gleamed in the moonlight that drew his attention. A pair of glasses and a hair tie were strewn on the floor. Roy reached down and picked them up to inspect them. The glasses weren't Fuery's, Riza didn't leave her things in his office, and they sure as hell weren't his or any of the others. They belonged to whomever that person was. And he would find them.

Aiden made it a point to avoid any contact with other soldiers as she made her way out of the command center. Her hands were still shaking when she closed her apartment door and they were still shaking when she reached up to touch her neck, eyes following the movement in the mirror. She stood there for a moment until her legs gave out. Aiden knew he didn't mean to hurt her, the man was having a nightmare! But his actions shook her to her core. A hand reached up toward her neck again and she paused the movement. Then her hand curled into a fist and she held it against her chest.

A shower did nothing to quell her tears or shaking. It certainly didn't stop the fear rolling off of her in waves. The warm water did however sooth the bruises on her back that were beginning to form. Except it burned her throat whenever she turned around. There was nothing she could do about her reopened shoulder wound aside from wrapping it once more. She must've hit the desk before she hit the ground. Pity, it had almost finished healing. She ran a hand down the almost invisible scar left behind from the encounter with the Ishvalan. At least that one healed with no problems.

It was funny how injuries caused by enemies could heal with no disruption and the ones created by friends were the wounds that reopened. Aiden scowled and left the shower, ignoring her image in the mirror and hungry stomach.

The dreams were blank and while she was thankful for it, Aiden woke up with a hangover-like headache, an understandably sore throat, and she felt as if she'd gained no sleep at all. A glance at the clock on her wall alerted Aiden to the hour and the fact she was three hours late for work. Aiden scrambled out of her bed but a dizzy spell shocked her system and she was sent to the floor. She panted on the floor and held her now throbbing head.

"Mother..." her words choked into a rough coughing fit. A hand reached up to her throat and she gently prodded at the area only to wince and retract quickly. It'd be better to stay home.

There was some difficulty relaying a message to Jack about being sick, but the fact that she couldn't speak more than a few words at a time worked in her favor. She spent the day drinking tea to soothe her aches and thinking up ways to explain why she had bruises around her neck. Assault on a military officer was a high offence and Aiden couldn't just blame someone. Yet she couldn't just say it was an accident, not when the bruises formed a handprint.

The next day Aiden wore a neckerchief to hide the bruising. If anyone asked she would say that it was October and it was starting to get chilly, to which they agreed. She made sure to act the same around her team and smiled and joked with them. She even teased them about letting her sleep so long without waking her. Her vocal chords weren't working properly so she didn't talk when she didn't have to. When she did she went back to her excuse of getting over a small cold.

The only time Aiden did something out of character was when she sent Jedediah (just Jed) to Roy's for the two files she needed. Normally she would go herself or ask Jack when she was swamped with work, but Jack was out with the flu. Jed raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Before long he was back with three more to complete that apparently needed both Roy's signature and hers.

The files were finished in an orderly fashion and Aiden swore that if she had to read one more paper about why the crops had to be harvested late this year she would shoot someone. She groaned and leaned back in her chair.

"Are you done?" Jed asked. "I can take them back if you need."

Aiden thought about it for a moment. While it would be nice to avoid the man for just a little while, she saw no reason to. She could handle him easily. Roy had just gotten the drop on her the night before. Aiden lazily waved her hand.

"Nah, I can do it. Besides," she coughed and shook her head, "it's almost lunchtime." Aiden walked out the door. She poked her head back in and stared at Jed. "If you see Sheska or the other two, tell them that they can go on break please." Jed nodded and waved, pulling out a homemade lunch from his girlfriend.

Aiden snorted and made her way down the hall. A shiver slowly crept down her spine as she neared the door to Roy's room. She frowned and tried to shake the feeling but it remained persistent. There was no reason to worry though, she could handle it.

Riza opened the door and blinked in surprise at seeing Aiden there. "Oh! Hello, Aiden," Riza smiled warmly. Aiden returned the gesture.

"Hey, Riza. I just came to give these back to Roy." The three folders were held up in Aiden's grip.

"I was actually coming to get those. Roy accidentally sent along the wrong papers. These ones are yours." Riza swapped Aiden's folders for the ones she held.

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "He hasn't done that in a while. Is he okay?"

Riza sighed and shook her head, "He seems distracted. I'll have to ask him about it later."

"Oh, alright." Aiden turned and almost made it around the corner when Riza called out to her.

"The scarf looks nice but you may want to wear it under your coat."

Ah yes, the dress code regulation declaring something about loose cloth. Aiden gave a thumbs up as she turned the corner and went back to her own office.

The next three days passed all the same. Aiden hadn't seen Roy during that time and she was strangely thankful for it. Jack returned to work, not before Jed sprayed both him and his desk down with a cleanser. Her days were spent with paperwork and fidgeting with the scarf. Even loosely tied any touch was an annoyance.

The nights were spent restlessly tossing and turning in bed and rereading the journal when sleep couldn't find her. Maes called twice during that time. Once to check up on her and the second time to inform her that he was running out of his favorite cereal. Aiden promised to bring more on the weekend.

Riza did invite her out to lunch during that time and inquired about the neckerchief, to which Aiden gave the same answer as the others.

"It's October, it gets cold in Central. You can't tell me you haven't noticed?" Aiden questioned in retaliation.

Riza nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off her friend. Then she smiled. "Of course I've noticed," she said, "it just doesn't bother me much."

Aiden reached down and scratched Black Hayate between the ears as he faithfully kept watch for danger. Then she tiredly rubbed at her eyes. At Riza's questioning look, she waved her hand in dismissal.

"It's fine, my contacts are just acting up. And if I'm honest, I'm a little tired as well."

"Contacts?"

"Yeah, I wear glasses. Didn't you know?" Riza shook her head in the negative. "Wow. Well now you do," Aiden shrugged. She reached into her coat to pull out her glasses and frowned when she met an empty pocket. The result was the same in the other one. "Oh great," she groaned. "I lost them."

Riza smiled and gave a small laugh at her distressed friend. The lunch finished and the women bid one another farewell. Aiden got to head home for the rest of the day to finish whatever chores she may have. Riza went back to babysitting her commanding officer.

Roy was sitting at his desk, surprisingly still working. Riza narrowed her eyes dangerously, where was the literal and metaphorical fire? Jean caught her gaze and he shrugged. Somehow Roy hadn't burned any of the paper work either. The Lieutenant sighed and looked at her superior.

"Sir, you've been doing your work." Roy hummed in answer. "And you've also been distracted." There was no sign that he'd heard her aside from his pen having stopped moving. "Why?"

Roy grinned up at Riza. "Well if I didn't know any better I'd say me actually doing my work worries you, Hawkeye."

Jean looked up from his desk. "She's got a point, Boss. You normally don't do work so well unless something's bugging you."

The stares he was receiving from his team made Roy sigh. He was going to tell them anyway. It was nice to know they knew him well enough to predict his reasons behind his actions.

Roy frowned and placed his elbows on the desk, chin resting on his hands. "A few nights ago I was either attacked and I retaliated or I attacked someone else. I don't know how it happened. All I know is that I was asleep one moment and then above someone the next." He ignored the gasps and reached into his pocket. A pair of glasses and a rubber band was set on his desk. "These were left behind and if I'm correct then they don't belong to any of you." There was silence. "Whoever it was needed glasses and wore hair ties, meaning that they are female, or a male with hair only just long enough to use one. That's the one detail I can remember."

Riza glared at the objects as though they personally offended her. "Whoever it was must have been acting on malicious intent. They haven't come back as of yet."

"Not necessarily." Falman was staring at the objects as well. "The Colonel may have just scared them off and they're too afraid of him to come forward."

Kain nodded in agreement, as did Jean. "I know I'd be scared," Kain admitted.

"Yeah no offense Colonel, but you can be really scary sometimes," Breda added.

Roy hummed in thought. "For now we're looking for a possible military individual, the uniform may have been stolen. They may have bruising around the neck, they'll be missing their glasses so pay attention when someone asks if anyone has seen ones that look like these. And finally they have hair reaching about here," Roy held a hand at the height of his jaw.

Riza nodded. "I see. And what will you do when we find them?"

What would he do? Sure he'd ask them why they were in his office and why they didn't just stick around when he wasn't dazed and confused. Of course if they were a felon he could answer that by himself.

"I have a few questions for them," Roy answered.

**********

What? You didn't think it'd all be sunshine and rainbows did you? Tell me your reaction to that scene! Did I surprise you?