A/N: Alright, I finally started this thing! So this is going to be a series of one shots, each chapter focusing on how two (sometimes more than two) characters meet that aren't explained in the story of the manga.

Chapter One: Ed and Al

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Fullmetal Alchemist; all belong to Hiromu Arakawa.

Ed crossed his arms stubbornly, kicking his legs back and forth from his high chair. His small face was scrunched together, his mouth forming an unpleasant upside down "V".

"No," Ed pouted, his gold eyes boring right into the green eyes staring back at him. His mother sighed, resting her chin on her hand.

"Ed," she said, frowning.

"No!" Ed repeated, slamming his fists onto the top of his little table. His sippy cup wobbled over and spilled against the stone floor.

"Edward!" Trisha exclaimed. She tried to bend over, cringed, and stood up straight again, gasping. She held her round stomach as she grasped the top of the high chair to maintain her balance. Her legs trembled slightly under the weight. She would have Van clean it later.

Ed glanced away, glaring. "No…"

Trisha pulled a chair away from the table and slowly set herself down, sighing contently as she let her legs float from the ground. She could feel her feet throbbing.

"Ed," she started, gesturing to her stomach, "in here is your baby brother."

"No!" Ed yelled, kicking the air violently.

Trisha frowned. This wasn't going the way she had hoped.

"Listen to me, Ed. Being a big brother is a good thing." She offered him a small smile. His face stayed the same, but he was still now. "A brother looks up to you. You get to teach him everything you know, show him right from wrong, and protect him in a way that only you can."

Ed said nothing and glared down at the juice splattered on the floor. Trisha's smile slowly disappeared as she watched him for a few moments.

"Fine," she said finally, struggling to get up from her chair. She stood straight and looked down at Ed, who hadn't moved or spoken. "You don't have to like your little brother. You can just look at him the way you're looking at the ground right now."

Trisha sighed, walking from the room. Ed looked up when she had left, and began looking around, upset. He wiggled around, and began making small audible noises as he tried harder to move. His mother hadn't taken him out from his chair, and he was forced to sit there thrashing his weight around and thinking about a brother he didn't want.

Ed didn't know what was going on. He buried his face in the back of his father's head as he sat upon his shoulders, his little fingers digging into his father's hair. His body trembled with every scream that echoed throughout the room.

Hoenheim glanced up at his son and stared for a moment. He raised his arm and gently placed his hand on the top of Ed's head reassuringly.

"Hey," he said softly. "It's alright."

How could it be alright? His mother was crying and yelling and there was nothing he could do for her. Was she dying? She couldn't be dying – what would he do then? What would he do if his mother disappeared? How could he live without her?

Trisha cried out in pain, grasping Hoenheim's hand tightly. Hoenheim stood there in silence, watching her chest rise and fall rapidly as sweat rolled down her forehead. He frowned and took his free hand off of Ed and lightly traced the side of Trisha's face.

Ed couldn't remember how long it stayed like that. How long his mother's screams filled the room, how long his eyes stayed shut against his father. He couldn't remember how long he felt so much fear.

But then suddenly the screaming stopped, and a new sound Ed didn't know broke the silence. Ed looked up slowly, shaking hard, as a woman held something that hadn't been here before.

A baby, stained dark red, cried out into its unseen world. The woman handed the baby carefully to Trisha, who cradled him within her arms. She looked down at the new life and her eyes began to swell with tears.

Ed stared in wonder as Hoenheim lifted him gently from his shoulders and set him down on the bed. He blinked as he felt something drip lightly on top of his head and glanced up to see his father's face stained with tears.

"Ed," Trisha said softly. Ed turned to his mother. "Meet Al."

Ed said nothing as he stared in awe at his mother, then down to Al. His mother had just made this baby appear while Ed's eyes were closed, like some sort of magic trick. She had made this baby that was crying right in front of him. A baby that had made his mother and father cry. Ed paused as Trisha smiled softly, reaching her hand out as she pressed it against his cheek, something wet smudging over his face. Without even realizing it, this baby had made him cry as well.

Ed took a small, slow step towards his brother. Trisha watched him, smiling. He reached his tiny hand out and placed it over his brother's face. He slid his hand down his cheek and up over his nose.

This was Ed's brother; his and only his. This was his brother that only he could protect. This was his brother that he knew right then and there would always be by his side.

Trisha took Ed in her arms beside Al, looking down at both of them gently. Hoenheim smiled down at Trisha when she looked up at him. Al had fallen asleep, small steady breaths escaping from his mouth.

"Al," Ed spoke, wrapping an arm over his brother's chest. He closed his eyes and curled up against his brother, smiling as he slowly drifted to sleep.

I hope you enjoyed it :)