Christmas Eve, 1923

By Claudius

I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. BTW, if you think this is one of those Shamballa sequels where the Brothers try to return to the FMA world…forget it. Ed and Al are staying!

Alphonse Elric sat on his chair, thinking about the outside cold. The weather could still be felt inside here. So much for swimming in the river, he lamented. On the table were papers of formulas and notes. For twenty minutes, no new drawing was made. Tapping was the pencil's present use. Al had suddenly been struck uninterested. He didn't know why. Writing intelligent scribbling had been a necessary habit for him. So much to learn about (and the small apartment was made the worst for his search)! But today he felt a restlessness that diverted all attention from the cerebral.

Alphonse fell back upon his chair. He let out a sigh. His eyes looked around the abode he shared with his reunited brother Edward. Books and papers layered the room. So they were a little messy! He had a full mess of information to discover about this new world. The desk nearby was stuffed with correspondence between major thinkers and their late father Hohenheim. The recent letters had been written by Edward, in their father's name. A bit unfair, but Brother wanted to continue arguing theories with these men. Al found little to protest about, instead adding some of his own ideas to the letters. And what big thinkers this world had! Churchill, Einstein, Freud (whose theory about sons and mothers was really…interesting, in lack of a better word). Dad sure knew a lot of people in this world. Al wished he belonged in that list too.

Not all the correspondence was on thought, as personal ones mixed in as well. Isolated and kept was a stack of notes by another Alphonse…Alphonse Heidrich. Brother couldn't bear to throw these away. Al heard much about this identical counterpart. He must have been Brother's best friend. But he was killed shortly before Al entered this world. And yet, Al considered, it seemed that other Al still existed in spirit. Al didn't resent this counterpart, although sometimes he felt rivaled by a ghost. Brother regretted not opening up more to this young man, treating him as some substitute for himself. Al wondered if Ed was doing the exact thing to him.

Next came the letters by Heidrich's old circle of friends. They all resembled Greed's gang of Chimeras. So many people here were mirror images of people from his world! This included Gracia, the kind landlady from Bavaria who was the alternate counterpart of Mrs. Hughes. The similarity increased with the news of the latest letter: She had married this world's Maes Hughes. The brothers were sad they missed the wedding. But they can be there to witness the birth of their first child again. Al hoped for a happier ending for this Hughes. The one he knew was murdered, by his…brother. Calling Envy by that familial title always stuck in Al. He had good reason to do so. That Homunculus had no right to be called family. Brothers do not kill their siblings or their father. Now Al was a kind child rarely bearing malice. But Envy stirred up such apathy in him that it was scary he could stomach such emotions. For his sake, Al shunned such thoughts. He had enough blood on his hands.

The room also had a small fireplace. On the mantle were a series of photographs. Two of them were of colored photography, a rarity in this world. Al carried them with him in his journey. One showed the brothers as kids. The other showed Winry. That picture was looked at a lot. Al missed his friend, even though Ed was the greater priority.

The other, black-and-white photographs showed this world's Maes Hughes and Gracia. Of greater attention was the photograph of Ed and their father. Superimposed upon the photo was Al's first image taken in this world. But such connections gave Al a bittersweet effect for the father he barely knew. Edward, the second-most-resentful-son of Hohenheim, had spent the most time with him. Al couldn't hate Edward for that. That was Envy's path. The final picture showed Ed with Al Heidrich.

The mess gave evidence of this month. Much had happened since that day the Brothers Elric reunited. Al rejoined his brother to discover his father and…Envy dead, the corpse of a doppelganger, a living Maes Hughes, and all his old memories restored to him. What does one do for an encore? They attempted to look for the Uranium Bomb brought here years ago. So far, there was no progress. The search bore some problems. The Bomb's location was still a mystery and their means to solve it limited. They weren't State Alchemists here, able to travel and explore with financial and political authority. They weren't Alchemists period. This world somehow neutralized its use. This left them with their wits, skills, and fists. Alchemy was lacked, but not regretted. Al was disturbed by his father's explanation of where Alchemaic energy came from. As a result, the good of Alchemy was forever corrupted in Al's view. Harnessing dead souls was a ghoulish technique good to be rid of.

In the meantime, to gain funds, Ed took a job as an assistant teacher in this town. Al juggled menial jobs with education. This world had progressed in science with moving pictures and aerial crafts (examples of which Al engrossed himself in). His interests were not entirely on intellectual matters, however. A bookcase also showed non-scientific books. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Frankenstein, Treasure Island, Ivanhoe, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Ben-Hur. Al enjoyed the literature here (and other things), giving him the brunt of Ed's ridicule. Brother didn't forbid him to read the material though. Al needed some diversion from his own problems. One was the jumbled confusion in his mind. Two years of one experience was now mixed with the restored memories of his armor years. It didn't quite fit. Like missing pieces being restored to a puzzle. Except these pieces were drenched or faded, looking very different from the rest. It felt like having a split personality, as if Al's new memories came from a different person altogether, one older than his years. On the whole, Al was glad for his restored life, even with the bad ones. It made a recent action better to endure.

But Al was worried about other things too. He noted his brother being strangely distant. Not in the friendly and rational conversations. Brother wasn't distant in the meaning of being cold and uncaring. There was something bothering Edward. So far Al didn't pressure for answers. He remembered too well the last time he reacted to such secrecy. Besides, Brother was absent for most of today. There was no class due to this Christmas celebration. Al read about this holiday, purporting to celebrate the birth of the founder of the Christian religion. He didn't understand what trees or Santa Claus had to do with the New Testament. Despite his distance to the religion, it was rather interesting. The holiday called to Al like the cry of a Siren on Odysseus (Al had read his Homer too). The only wall against embracing it was his brother. He could hear Ed decrying religion and the fools who believed them.

Al heard footsteps from the hall. "Hey, Al!" Edward calmly walked in. He brushed the snow off his long brown overcoat, putting it on the rack. The resemblance to their father's wardrobe, not to mention the style of his ponytail, never ceased to get Al's attention.

"And where have you been?"

"Don't ask." The sudden frown on his face showed Ed's experience was not easy. Al decided to let sleeping dogs lie. Must have been something humiliating, Al concluded with some interest. "So what are we studying now?" Al picked up a book.

A gloved hand shut the book. Ed leaned the pressure of himself to prove his case. "Enough studies, Al. Let's go out!"

"Brother?" Al was astounded.

The Brothers walked along the snow-swept streets of this Austrian town. Al shivered. "Oh, it's cold!" He chuckled, shaking himself for warmth.

Ed paused with fascinated eyes. Seeing Al acting according to his flesh-and-blood ability was always a scene for him. Both good and bad. Once upon a time, the only threat to his brother was an attack on the blood seal of his armor. Tear his metal arm off or blow him up, Al still survived as long as the seal was untouched. Now his returned body rendered his vulnerabilities too clearly. Did that mean Edward regretted a human Al? Never. It just made him more protective to his younger sibling. Increasing this concern was where such shivers could lead. Alphonse Heidrich's terminal health wasn't far from his thoughts. "You sure you're warm enough?" Edward asked, concerned.

"I'm okay." Al shrugged the weather confidently. "It's you I'm worried about."

Edward suddenly remembered his own limitations. The air stabbed into his automail arm and leg. But experience made him handle it. He hoped Al accepted that. His brother wished more than anything to restore his missing limbs. His eventual success was short-lived, however, with Ed's own sacrifice to restore Al body and soul. But Edward did not regret the loss. Rather, he'd regret losing the replacements more. These automails were Winry's creation, the memento of her skill and kindness. Winry. Such a memory hurt him with sadness. At least a part of her will always be with him.

Alphonse spoke up on some knowledge. "Did you know that in the war, there was one day in which both sides stopped fighting and joined together? That was Christmas."

"That's nice," Edward nodded, not really interested.

"Ben-Hur's prologue is about today. Did you know they're actually making it into a motion picture? I wonder how they'll recreate the chariot race?"

Ed smirked. He knew Al enjoyed motion pictures. It wasn't just the technology that allowed photography to flicker to the point of resembling motion. Al found the content entertaining. Despite some teasing, Edward did nothing to wean his brother from such trivial entertainments. Anything that helped Al adjust to this world was all right to him.

But the theatre was closed for the holiday. They needed other distractions. So the Brothers Elric just wandered the streets, no real direction needed. They passed carolers singing about Angels, glory, and Christ. Al smiled to the sounds. Ed felt the same way, but they would never catch him singing.

More singing came from a church. Ed passed it.

"Brother!" Al darted up the church steps with curiosity.

Ed sighed. He followed his brother into the church. With an excited face, brother convinced brother to stay for a while. Al spied the statues, the candles, the crowd, all centered to a small dollhouse in the middle. A nativity they called it. The mass itself was a series of songs, with literature readings and lectures in between. A brilliant mixture of shadows and light was cast upon the mass, with the singing more operatic than the carolers outside. Very atmospheric, the boys thought.

That finished, the two brothers left the church. While his younger brother was rather impressed, Ed hid his liking.

"Nice show," Al thought.

Edward agreed, though he had little respect for the religious aspects. Reminded him too much of Cornello. He read a lot about this world's religious history; for such beliefs of mercy and compassion, there were a hell-of-a-amount of persecution and hatred stemming from it. They victimized people like Noa's Romani and Gracia's Jewry solely for believing differently. Religion can be a dangerous weapon. Then again, the same can be said for Alchemy. Thanks to an evil bitch, Alchemy did far worse to his world's civilization than what religion did here. At least this world got no Homunculus here to cause trouble. Only humans.

The Brothers' return to outdoors was welcomed with a snowfall. The dimensions of flakes sparkled from the lights. It made the night rather beautiful. The snow reminded them of Nina playing with her 'big brothers.' It snowed at the Hughes' house, when one birthday suddenly became two. Those innocent times were tinged with future tragedy. But the connection was not there in those events. Ed and Al had no idea that baby Elysia Hughes would lose a great father. The horrible future awaiting Nina Tucker was also beyond their ability to predict. That was life, ready to change drastically without a sign. The best they can do is weather any coming storm.

They heard cries from the tavern. Before Al jumped with a No, Ed ran into the place. The empty silence outside really differed with what happened inside. People were celebrating the holiday by drinking, shouting, and singing. The chance of a hostile environment was not ignored. Ed and Al had been to enough village taverns to expect anything. And they certainly knew how to handle things getting violent. That fear didn't seem possible in this merry, if not fully alert and conscious, atmosphere. Customers laughed, tumbled around, and most of all drank. There was also some singing; it was not known if the songs were accurate renditions or butchered performances.

"Hey Edward!"

Ed stopped. Al cringed. It was familiar customer who Ed had an interesting experience with; the quality of that time was a major argument for the two brothers.

"Wanna join us?"

Ed turned to the invitation.

"Brother!" Al emphasized the word.

Ed crushed his lips. "It's okay, Al!"

"That's what you said last time!" Al cried with memory. "Don't get any ideas, Brother!"

Ed sneered. How dare Al accuse him of such impropriety! Okay, so he drank a little too much that other time! But he handled himself, to his best memory…

Alphonse rolled his eyes. He found he didn't like this new trait of Brother's. He didn't see the need for alcohol (And being seventeen, this wasn't a childish perspective). Fortunately, Edward didn't make it a habit, as long as Al was around.

"Baby-sitting?" cried the customer.

"I'm seventeen-years-old!" Cried a loud voice from a Brother Elric. Not Edward. Al was in wrath. The elder held him back. "Come on, sit down!"

Al's burning face lowered with smoldering resentment. Just because his body spent four years in stasis didn't give anyone the right to ignore his maturity!

Ed laughed, deflating the situation to the point of change. "Since everyone else is toasting, we should get into the act ourselves." Ed asked for a bottle of wine. Al was hesitant.

"Oh c'mon! Take a little sip." The elder poured the opposite amount on the cup.

"That's a little?" Al was skeptical. Then again, small was an anathema to Brother.

Edward lifted the glass. "A toast to our friends."

"To Alphonse!" Al cried.

Edward paused, then agreed. "To Winry!" They both sipped their glasses.

"To our father," said Al for the second toast.

Ed added another. "And to our big brother."

Al's smile dissolved, but he still held the glass up. He drank it, but only a little. That was progress, Edward thought. It was going to be a very hard one. Personally, he didn't hate Envy anymore. Instead, he pitied him for being Dante's pawn. A victim of their father's negligence, big brother had no Trisha to save him from becoming a hateful monster. Ed came to that understanding. For Al, brotherly forgiveness took a little more work.

Then Al dropped a discomfort of a different sort. "What is it?" He pressed his suspicion.

"What's what?" Ed was confused, but the conviction of his brother's face told of a different sort. His easiness broke.

"Tell me the truth. The last time you kept things to yourself I ended up acting like an idiot."

Ed's attempt to hide anything didn't work.

"Is it about me?" Al sadly realized. "You think I should've stayed home? You regret me following you?"

Edward grew sadder. "Al…"

Al shrugged any guilt. "Brother, you don't have to be the martyr all by yourself anymore! You don't have to carry the burden. It's…too hard to take alone." Al tightened his face, seeing examples. Wrath. His armor memories hated the Homunculus. His human memories liked him. As a human, he killed him. "It's true I miss Winry and the others. But I have my memories back! I'm sad, but I'm happy too! I'm glad to be here to share it with you."

"Law of Equivalency, eh?" Ed joked. Humor turned stale, leading to seriousness. "Al, a lot has happened, and I'm not sure how to handle it myself. I've tried to act indifferent around people, but…"

Al was listening. But Ed moaned over the self-introspection. He spit other words out. "All I'm saying is that I'm glad you're here too."

Al resolved to this truth. Not over the fact of his brother having a secret, but the fact that it wasn't about his decision. That would do for now.

The Brothers walked back into the snow. The moment was interrupted by a cat-and-mouse struggle of who can get the most snow on the other. Ed won. Even in that victory though, Alphonse still noticed Edward's facade. He was up to something.

They returned to the boarding house. At the lobby, Edward halted. "I'll join you," he told his brother. Al obeyed and got to the room first. The cold air shivered him again as he stripped off his coat. He threw some wood into the fireplace.

Then Edward entered, looking somewhat anxious. "It's almost time for Christmas Day."

Alphonse was puzzled. The mixture of his brother's strong atheism and the devoted tone to this holiday was hard to understand. "Do you really celebrate it?"

Ed sadly smirked in surrender. "I was too busy learning about this world and science whenever this date came up. Dad, and Al…Heidrich had to pull me out to enjoy the holiday."

Such information proved impotent to the truth. "Why celebrate it?" Al's question was one way.

"I guess I believe it."

"You, brother?"

Ed tried to explain. "Well, I don't believe in the mumbo jumbo about the wise men, the star, and the virgin. But Christmas, I guess, evolves with new meanings. I once asked dad about the same thing. He said that he didn't believe in Christ even back in his day. But now he saw the holiday had become something to celebrate the togetherness of family. That's a belief I can stomach, don't you think?"

Seeing his brother speak with such soulful conviction, Al nodded with satisfaction.

"Besides, it's also about giving presents, you know." Ed opened the door. In the hall was a small hatbox.

Alphonse was touched. He walked to the gift's position. He picked it up. Something rolled inside it.

Meow

Al's entire body froze for a second, absorbing the content. Was it? It had to be! His hands slaughtered the bow and the box. Out popped a brown kitten. Al's mouth gaped open, curving to a smile. "Oh, Brother!" He lifted the animal gently to his face.

"Yeah, yeah…" Ed defended himself from the sweetness of this gratitude. Only when Al's attention was to the cat did he allow himself to savor the happiness. It was worth the pain of getting one so late. It was a good thing the landlady allowed pets. Then his brother's glee suddenly halted. "But brother, I didn't get you anything."

"Feh," Edward rejected this fact. It was actually a falsehood. He already got his gift a month early; but he'd probably vomit out such corniness instead.

Christmas night was spent awake. The darkness was everywhere, save for the light outside the window. The snow fell gently and beautifully before their eyes. Being safely inside to watch helped in the fascination. On his bed, Al cradled his new pet. Ed gazed at his brother from a chair. They saw Christmas come quietly happily. It was a peaceful moment. If the snow gave a warning to some dark future, no heed was given. They can weather whatever comes, together.

The End