Author's Notes: Hey, guys. Here's a little oneshot I wrote a while ago. Well, it's a continuation of TTAvatarfan's two part story, Atonement. I highly recommend that you go read that before you read this. It's an amazing story. I just wanted to elongate the ending (with her permission, of course!).

Roy had kept his promise. At the break of dawn Edward found himself unwillingly waking up as the damn colonel began persistently poking his temple.

"Fullmetal, it's time to wake up," he said gruffly with impatience.

Edward groaned and slapped Mustang's hand.

"I'm up, I'm up," he whined.

His headache still pounded with slightly less ferocity than it had before. He ignored the utter aching in his body as he forced himself to stand. He knew Roy would only take him to his brother if he walked on his own. The colonel blatantly refused to carry him.

With brute force Edward did not even know he even possessed until the previous day, he trudged on wearily—his only consolation being the fact that the long, dreary road he walked led him to his brother. He needed to be sure Al was okay. Mustang's empty words weren't enough… he needed to look at his brother with his own eyes. He needed to see him smiling and laughing and joking to him that he worried too much. Yes, that is what he needed to see.

"Mustang…" Edward began. His mouth was dry and his mind was apprehensive but there was a question that was eating him from the inside and he needed to know the answer.

"Yes, Fullmetal?"

He couldn't believe he was actually scared. Since when was he scared of talking to Mustang? As intimidating as the man tried to seem, he just did not waver Edward. Why, of all times, was he suddenly scared of him now?

"I… well, I wanted to know if… It's just that…"

"Why are you so hesitant, Fullmetal?" Mustang sounded impatient. He wasn't a morning person. "Spit it out!"

"I want to know what happened when you found Al!"

Roy looked confused. "I already told you. I found him on the trail we were following to track you down and he told me what happened. That's when I handed him to Hawkeye and Havoc and saved your ass."

Edward made a face at the colonel but ignored him. "But that's only half the story. I want the whole thing."

Roy sighed. "There's nothing much to the whole thing, Fullmetal. Don't wear yourself out by talking so much. Just keep walking."

Edward didn't looked pleased but in his exhaustion he had no option but to, for once, obey Mustang's orders. The two walked the rest of the trip in silence.

Roy bit his lip. He knew Edward would find out sooner or later but he wanted the boy to remain optimistic during the trip. If he knew the truth, he might not be able to make the whole way to the hospital at the military base they were heading to.

"Colonel, the trail's going cold; we need to make more headway!"

Lieutenant Hawkeye's concerned voice rang from behind him. Her gun was in her hand, finger on the trigger as always.

"Don't you think I'm trying?" Roy clenched his teeth, trying to contain his frustration. "It's getting dark out and cold and it's too windy for me to chance starting a fire to help us see."

The group trudged in silent terror at the fate of two beloved boys. Those brothers meant so much to them and none of them dared to wonder what was happening to them.

"Colonel, what's that?" Havoc shouted, pointing to a dark figure slumped by a riverbed.

Roy squinted his eyes to get a better look. They widened and he audibly gasped; the next second he was sprinting towards the limp figure of Alphonse.

Hawkeye and Havoc were at his heels, Havoc throwing his cigarette to the ground and Hawkeye's gun cocked to her side, ready for any sudden intrusion.

"Alphonse!" Mustang shouted without even realizing it.

He kneeled by the small boy and pressed a hand to his heart. With relief, he realized it was beating.

"He's alive," he announced and he heard two relieved sighs from behind him.

However, the second he drew his hand away, the calmness was gone. His fingers… were coated in blood. He gasped as his eyes adjusted even more to the complete darkness and Alphonse's entire midsection was coated in dry and fresh blood that pooled to the ground beneath him.

"Hawkeye, I need you!" Mustang ordered, "NOW!"

Hawkeye rushed closer to the scene. She gasped upon looking at Alphonse.

"My god, what happened?" she placed her hand on her mouth in disgust.

"Don't put that gun down! The wound is fresh; his attackers might still be around. I need your accurate aim."

Hawkeye became stoic again and, saluting, she raised her pistol and started aiming it all around.

Havoc approached Mustang, "What do you propose we do, sir? We can't just leave him here, he'll die, but we can't bring him with us. Fullmetal is still nowhere to be found."

Roy sighed and rubbed his eyes with his still-clean hand.

"You and Hawkeye take Alphonse to the military base's hospital wing," Roy ordered, removing his bloodied glove. "I'll continue on this trail to find Edward."

The two saluted him in agreement and leaned down to pick up the young boy. Once they touched him, he flinched and groaned. Everyone looked on incredulously as he struggled to open his eyes.

"N-nii-san?" he asked the dark figure of Roy looming above him.

Roy shook his head, "This is Colonel Mustang, and we're looking for your brother right now."

Alphonse's eyes opened all the way and started to tremble. "Nii-san… Nii-san was taken away."

"What do you mean?" Roy asked.

Alphonse shivered and Mustang draped his military coat over him.

"I… I fell in the river w-when I was s-shot. N-Nii-san saved me. He kept me alive. T-then… t-they found him and… and took him away!"

The terrified boy finally reached his limit and passed out once again. Roy handed him to Hawkeye and Havoc.

"Take good care of him," he ordered and they nodded.

Edward and Alphonse, although he would never admit it, were like sons to him.
Mustang sighed and continued on the path towards finding Edward. One boy was safe but there was still another. He just hoped he could find the older Elric before something terrible happened.

Edward whistled happily. He was becoming optimistic towards the idea of his brother being okay. Roy just hoped he really was. He didn't want to see Edward down. Alphonse seemed to be the only person who could make him happy.

"We're almost there," Mustang grunted, never looking away from the road ahead of him, "Just about one more mile."

Edward nodded eagerly. "Can we walk a bit faster? I'm the injured one here and I'm slowing down for you."

Roy growled and picked up the pace. In fact, he started walking so fast that now Edward had a tough time keeping up with him. The boy fell a few steps behind, panting at the effort to keep up with a bad leg.

"What's wrong, Fullmetal?" Roy asked nonchalantly. "Legs too short to keep up?"

Edward flared. The next five minutes were like a race to see who could get to the military base the fastest. For a short boy with an injured leg, Edward sure made a good competitor.

Both males were panting by the time they reached the outer half of the base. Edward hadn't even realized where they were until he glanced up.

"We're here!" he shouted. "Colonel, where is he? Where's Al?"

Mustang suddenly became serious.

"He should be right around this corner," he instructed, leading the young alchemist towards a small building. "Right in there."

He pointed to a door with a red cross above it. Ed swallowed.

"You're sure he's okay?" he asked, sounding timid, scared, nervous, so unlike the Fullmetal Alchemist.

Roy nodded but didn't say anything. He couldn't bring himself to. There was something about those brothers that was incomprehensible to the outsiders who watched them.

Mustering up all his courage, Ed took a deep breath and marched into the small building. Roy followed a few steps behind.

"Hello, sir, how may I help you?" a man at the front desk asked.

Edward leaned over the counter; he was a little over a head taller than it.

"My brother came here the other day, Alphonse Elric, where is he?" Edward asked eagerly and not in the least bit politely.

"Oh yes, the small brunette boy, two officers brought him in. He was bleeding to death and in terrible shape."

Edward panicked. His eyes widened and he let out a choked gasp.

"I-is he going to be alright?" he asked, staring at Mustang for a moment before turning back to the man in the white robe.

"From what I understand," the man lifted a clipboard, drawing a pair of glasses to his eyes. "He was suffering from a bullet wound to the chest. It just missed his heart. One inch closer and he would have died instantly."

Edward's knees wobbled for a moment but he forced himself to stand firm.

"He had to undergo immediate surgery and he almost didn't make it… but he was tough and he miraculously survived. He is currently recovering in Room 129 in the East Wing."

"I don't know if he's…no, he's still alive. Al wouldn't let himself die like that."

"No, he wouldn't," Rose murmured gently, but firmly at the same time, "Not if he's half as stubborn as you are."

Edward couldn't help but smirk to himself. Al truly was his brother.

"Thanks," he said quickly to the doctor before rushing towards Room 129. He heard Mustang's clunking footsteps from behind him but he didn't slow down. Not until he reached the closed door.

The shades were drawn; the number 129 was painted elegantly onto the wood and underneath in plain capital letters was SURGERY RECOVERY. A plain piece of paper was pinned to the door which read, "Occupied by Alphonse Elric".

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at Roy's strangely sympathetic face.

"You ready?"

Edward smirked, "Hell yeah."

Roy smirked too. That was the Fullmetal he knew.

Edward's mechanical hand gripped the doorknob and slowly eased it open. The room was white and there was a big window letting sunlight in. It was a beautiful view and Edward appreciated the courtesy. A small white bed lay in the middle of the room surrounded by vacant chairs and tables with supplies on them. Alphonse was lying on top of the bed, halfway under the covers and bandages covering his midsection. All he wore was bluish-whitish shorts that the hospital had obviously provided to him. Some blood was seeping through his bandages. His hair was out of its usual ponytail and it was spread across the pillow. His eyes were shut and even though he had been shot and gone through major surgery in the last couple of hours, his face looked serene.

Edward smiled and sat right next to his brother. Tears prickled at his eyes to see him okay but he would not let them fall; Roy was standing right next to him.

"Thank God," Edward breathed, rubbing his brother's forehead with a gloved hand. "Even if I don't believe in God, thank Him anyways!"

He couldn't help it, his throat constricted and stray tears leaked from his eyes.

"I was so sure he had died," Edward's voice was thick with tears. "I was so sure I was never going to see him again."

Roy only nodded. He didn't know what to say. He thought he should leave but at the same time didn't know if he should stay. He just stood rooted to the spot.

Edward looked up at him with relief painted all over his face.

"I'm only going to say this once in my life so appreciate it," he demanded, and then he softened. "Thank you."

He sounded so earnest. Roy nodded.

"I'll leave you alone with your brother," he finally decided.

Edward didn't watch as the Flame Alchemist left, he was too busy admiring his brother's steady breathing.

"I love you, little brother," Edward whispered to the small boy who wasn't listening.

He leaned forward and hugged him tightly. He felt the body twitch underneath him and a small sigh in his ear. He pulled away to see Alphonse's eyes fluttering open. He looked toward Edward and squinted.

"N-nii-san?" he asked, unsure.

Ed nodded, "Yeah, Al."

Alphonse's eyes lit up. "Nii-san! I thought I was never going to see you again!"

The young boy attempted to sit up but he winced at the pain in his chest. His hand reflexively hovered over the wound.

Edward looked concerned. "Don't strain yourself," he warned the younger boy. "You've gone through a lot recently."

Al looked skeptical. "What about you? Nii-san, you're covered in dirt and ash and you're bleeding! What did they do to you?"

"Nothing that was worse than the scare they caused when they shot you."

"I don't want to hear about that. I tried so hard to get up and save you… but I was too weak!" Alphonse cried. "I just passed out! I'm so sorry, Nii-san! I didn't mean to!"

Edward wrapped an arm around his mourning brother.

"It's okay," he soothed. "Really, it is. I'm still here, you're still here… everything's okay."

Alphonse calmed down a bit.

For quite some time, the only sound in the room was the sound of Alphonse's slightly labored breathing.

"I'm sorry," Edward finally whispered.

Alphonse tried to shift in his bed and exhaled in pain.

"Sorry for what?"

"For leaving you… for letting you get shot."

"Nii-san, that wasn't your fault!" Alphonse promised. "I saw it coming at the last minute… and I didn't do anything. If anyone's to blame… it's me."

"No!" Edward yelled. "It's not your fault… ever. I'm the older brother. Mom wanted me to protect you."

"I may be your little brother… but I'm not your baby brother. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!"

"Aw, you'll always be a baby brother to me!" Edward teased and tousled Al's hair.

Alphonse laughed—which hurt his chest and he gripped it tightly.

"Oops…" Edward laughed awkwardly.

Alphonse smiled and yawned. Edward noticed this.

"You've been through a lot," Ed reminded him. "It's probably better for you to go back to sleep… I shouldn't have woken you up."

"It's okay, really!" Alphonse insisted. "I wanted to see you… I was worried sick!"

Pain was evident in Edward's eyes but he blinked it away. "I'm sorry. Go to bed."

Al was hesitant but he complied.

"C-can you… stay with me until I fall asleep?"

Edward smiled. "Al, I'll stay with you until they drag me out by force."

Alphonse smiled into his pillow and somehow knew Edward wasn't kidding. He hummed to himself and enjoyed the feel of Edward's hand rubbing his shoulder. Soon enough, he had fallen asleep once again. Instead of a serene face, he wore a light smile.

Once Edward realized Alphonse had fallen asleep, he stopped rubbing his arm.

"Good night, little brother," he said happily and tousled his hair again. "Sweet dreams."

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading. To all my readers-I put up a new poll! I want you to answer it AS SERIOUSLY AND HONESTLY AS YOU CAN please! Thanks!

P.S. My first time swearing in one of my stories! (I'm going to be a sophomore next year and I STILL don't swear... I'm so cool.) But, yeah, I don't like using swears unless it fits the criteria. And, well... Ed and Roy would just say that.