Summary: "Crap, there's so much blood!" "Someone get a medic over here!" "Fullmetal, don't you DARE-!" "Brother, please, hang on! You can't...you can't be…" "EDWARD!" - Their attack failed. A life was lost. (One-shot) (Death!fic)


"Hi, Mom."

At the quiet sound of the voice she knew all too well, but hadn't heard in so many long years, caught the attention of Trisha Elric so quickly it was surprising. She stared, wide-eyed and disbelieving, at the golden-haired, golden-eyed boy standing just a little ways away from her.

There were tears in his eyes, but he was smiling, albeit waveringly. There were tears in her eyes, too, for more reasons than one.

"Edward," she whispered, and she hurled herself towards her beloved son; Edward, in response, ran to close the gap between them. They met each other with a crushing embrace that would have put Alex Armstrong to shame, and the moment their arms fastened around each other, they knew it would be a long time before either of them had the heart to let go.

"What are you doing here?" Trisha whispered, voice trembling, as she held him even tighter. He was as tall as she was now, much older than he had been when she'd passed away. His hair was longer, his eyes were deeper, more mature. She had missed so much.

But still. At the same time. Why was he here? He wasn't even thirty - no, he wasn't even twenty yet, if she remembered correctly. And she assumed she remembered correctly; how could she forget her son?

"It's too early for you," she told him, tears lacing her voice. "You shouldn't be here, Edward."

"...I know…" Edward said, and he, too, tightened his embrace. "...I didn't mean to…" She heard him laugh, softly and shakily. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Edward."

"Someone get a medic over here!"

"There's no time! They're still coming! We have to get out of here!"

"These things just don't die!"

"Edward! ...Crap, there's so much blood!"

"Brother, please, hang on! You can't...you can't be…!"

"Fullmetal, don't you DARE-!"

"Colonel, please, it's too late-!"

"Edward...EDWARD!"