He stood there in silence, stiff, confused, and terrified.

Maes Hughes, age: 29

Rank: Lieutenant Colonel, found himself in a painfully familiar place, yet it was not where he thought he'd ever be again. He observed his surroundings with critical perception. The room was small with a child's artwork adorning the pink walls. One of these drawings was of a little girl holding hands with a man in uniform. Soft plushies flooded the carpeted floor and the full moon's ray shined down through the open window, illuminating the room in a bright blue hue and magnifying the presence of a small lump lying underneath the covers of the bed. Hughes observed light brown hair tossed about on top of the pillow. He could hear this frail creature breathing. Without a doubt in his mind Hughes knew exactly where he was; he was in his daughter's bedroom.

Still he made no effort to move as he could not escape the undeniable fact that he was dead, he was sure of it. He was lying there bleeding to death inside a phone booth, so how in the hell had he manged to get near his daughter? To be right inside his own home?

He looked down at himself, feeling over his jacket for any signs of blood; nothing. He touched his forehead in search of the bullet hole, fearful that there would be pain he did so delicately; still nothing. Hughes began to wonder if this was Heaven and that this was proof of God's existence. Maybe God had given him a do over in a world where he could not age or die and he could stay with his family forever.

He did not regret the actions he had taken to help the Elrics in their quest to find the truth; his only regret was that he was not able to come back alive. Whether this was Heaven, a dream, or perhaps his only chance to say farewell, he would have to take it.

Hughes approached his daughter's bedside and gazed upon Elicia as she slept. He wanted to cry but whatever form he was in would not permit him to do so, and yet none the less inside his heart was breaking. He walked around the other side of the sleeping child so that she would be facing him.

Hughes didn't want her to awaken as he would surely be yelled at by Gracia for having disturbed his daughter's sleep. He sat on the edge of the bed and said nothing for a long while. He just sat quietly and watched as she dreamed. He took a deep breath and he began to speak hooping that she would be able to hear him…somehow.

"Elicia? Sweetie?" He whispered softly. Gracia was going to get him for sure.

"Daddy?" Elicia replied "Daddy, you're late."

She began rubbing her eyes sweetly and looked up at her father; a sleepy smile grew upon her face. She was awake but she was fading quickly.

"I know, I'm sorry but I had a lot of work to do. I told you I'd be back, didn't I?"

She nodded still lying down. "I know, daddy always keeps his promises." Her expression changed suddenly "Mommy was really worried."

"Worried?" 'Perhaps she sensed something…'

"Why was she so worried? Mommy knows that I'll always come back after all my work is done."

"I know that. I kept telling mommy that but she said that she had a bad feeling. Daddy? Next time come home earlier, ok?"

Hughes frowned uneasily as he was unsure what to say. He had never sat Elicia down and properly explained to her what death is. He had never seen the point in it. She was only three, still too young to be exposed to the morbid aspects of life…but now…now he had to explain it her, didn't he? No….no how could he? Death means that the person who has died can never come back and yet there he was sitting next to her, how was he supposed to explain that? He could not run the risk of frightening his daughter.

He wasn't even sure why or how he was there or where he was even going. All he knew was that he wanted to stay there and be a father to Elicia and a proper husband to Gracia but he felt this odd tugging sensation in his core, like a message from whatever force that was allowing him to stay there, and it told him that he was on a time limit. Where was he going?

"Elicia, listen carefully. I have to go away."

"Why? You just got back!" she wined

Another message was quickly received, it told him that if he wished he could stay with his family in a sort of limbo between life and death but he would be forced to witness his family go on without him. He would have to witness Elicia age and grow, she would become a mother and have a daughter herself one day, but like all of us she too would one day die. That was something that Hughes could never bare to observe. He had to go.

"I'm being transferred to a place where they really need my help."

"You'll come back right?"

"Elicia, I promise you, whenever you really need me I will be here. If you ever get scared or lonely, I'll come back and I'll hold you until you feel better." He sat her up and held her close to his chest.

"You promise?"

"I promise."

She held onto him tightly, not wanting him to slip through her fingers. "You're going to have more work, huh?"

"Tons…"

Elicia yawned slightly "Sounds boring." She could feel herself slipping away but she continued to fight to keep her eyes open. "Daddy? Stay with me until I fall asleep."

"I'll stay for as long as I can."

In less then ten minutes she'd already drifted off to sleep. "Goodnight, Elicia. I love you."

He laid her down in bed and tucked her in. He kissed her cheek before fading away into the blackness of the night.

The next day, Elicia awoke to the feeling of prickly bristles scratching against her cheek. She knew it was her father giving her a kiss.

"Good Moring Daddy!" she unconsciously called out. When she opened her eyes she found herself alone, the suns blinding light etched across her room.

"Daddy?"

Finding no answer, she flung her small frame over the side of the bed and jumped down. She began her march into the living room, when she was abruptly stopped by the sound of whimpers. She stopped out in the hallway and peered inside the living room. She saw her Uncle Roy sitting beside her mother; she was in tears. Roy's face suggested that he was near to tears himself but he was holding up a better front then her mother. Gracia could only mange a sad attempt to stifle her cries.

"This was all we could find on him." Roy handed her a family photo that Maes had been caring around with him. It was at this point that Elicia entered the room.

"What happened mommy? Why are you crying?" she walked cautiously towards her mother, an unknown feeling of apprehension loomed over her. Gracia pulled her daughter tightly near her and said "Elicia, your daddy's been….been killed."

"Killed?" Elicia wasn't sure what that meant but she still knew where he was so she contested "No he isn't. Daddy told me that he had to go to work."

Gracia only held her daughter tighter with more desperation until Elicia was screaming at full force "He told me he had a lot of work to do! I saw him! He came back! He came back!"

AN: I honestly could not come up with a better title, sorry. I am still working on my other FMA story called Between reality and Truth and I am currently working on the third chapter. I hope you enjoyed this and please review