Just a little one off story. It started off with me thinking what if Alfons Heiderich and Alphonse Elric had met, but it turned more into what would happen if Alfons wasn't shot. Set during and after CoS.
Just to make it clear (hopefully it should be obvious enough in the story) if I say Al I mean Al Elric, Alfons Heiderich is always called Alfons.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, (though I'm pretty sure you'd figured that one out already.
Please Read and Review and most impotantly please enjoy the story.
"Just don't forget me." Alfons Heiderich placed his hand on Edward Elric's for a brief moment before closing the cockpit of the one man rocket. Jumping down to the controls he ignored Edward's cries of protest and launched the rocket towards the glowing yellow gate. Find your brother Edward. He watched the rocket shoot up, and then heard the sound of a gun being fired after it. Too late, he thought. Hearing a click behind him, he turned round and saw Hess glaring at the gun aimed at him. It had no more bullets left. Alfons sighed in relief then leapt at the surprised man, knocking the gun flying and the man to the ground. Alfons disappeared into the work shop to hide.
The last of the ships went through the portal. Alfons ventured out from his hiding place. Noah had made her way down to factory floor. She looked distraught.
"Noah? Are you ok?" Alfons asked. She nodded then burst into tears dropping to the floor. Alarmed Alfons ran forward and put an arm around the weeping girl.
He didn't know how long they sat there, although later he knew enough time for a battle to take place in Ed's world. Noah was no longer crying but she rested her head on Alfons' shoulder, Alfons himself was sitting on the floor with his arms wrapped round her, he had a rising feeling of dread as to what his rockets were doing in Ed's world. There were an assortment of men standing around on the factory floor; no one was quite sure what to do now. At least no one was trying to kill him anymore Alfons noted with relief.
The quiet was broken when Officer Hughes entered with a group of men. He declared that the uprising had failed. A few moments after that entry, a rocket ship returned through the portal, smashing into the ground. Alfons ducked his head and used his body to protect Noah from the blast of air and small bits of debris that rushed over them.
A grotesque figure appeared from the wreckage of the ship. It looked around for a second then catching site of Noah and Alfons sitting on the floor closest to it, it moved towards them.
"Open it again." The voice said and Noah shrank away from it, Alfons could only stare at in shock. A gun fired and the creature wobbled then crashed to the ground. The black casing seemed to burst and Eckhart revealed, dead.
Alfons breath exploded in a sigh of relief as he and Noah looked up at Officer Hughes.
"Thanks." He said then froze as more noise came from the interior of the crashed rocket ship. Edward Elric appeared, looking battered and worn out.
"Edward?" Noah said
"Noah. That's right after all that trouble, I'm still here. Surprise" He answered
"But why? Why would you come back to our world Ed."
"It's hard to explain."
"He came to destroy the gate." A new voice drew everyone's attention, towards one of the suits of armour.
"So you transferred your soul again, huh Al. How long 'till you fade out this time." Ed asked the armour crouching down beside it.
The armoured helmet fell off, bouncing across the ground. Alfons watched it then looked back up as a head appeared from inside the armour. He no longer heard the discussion between Ed and his brother but just stared at the boy who looked just like him, apart from his darker hair and eyes.
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The explosion tore the factory down and wrecked the last of Alfons' work but still he smiled as the portal was torn apart and destroyed. Ed was grinning to himself as he walked away from the building his real hand placed on his little brothers shoulder guiding him back to their house. Alfons smiled at the sight and looked at Noah who stood next to him, she was smiling too.
As they passed Gracia's flower shop she came out to greet them.
"Are you all alright, I heard what happened."
"We're fine Miss Gracia." Ed answered.
"I'm glad, who's this." She indicated Al.
"This is my brother Al." Ed grinned, "Al this is Miss Gracia." Al smiled politely at her, trying to get used to seeing the familiar faces, although he wasn't sure he was ever going to get used to seeing himself in Alfons Heiderich.
"Well nice to meet you Al." She said to him, then to Ed "He looks just like Alfons, and they have the same name, are you sure he's you brother?" Ed laughed.
"Yep, I'm sure, it's a just a weird coincidence, maybe it's why I became such good friends with Alfons."
"Hey!" said Alfons who had walked up in time to hear the last part of the conversation.
"Brother!" said Al at the same time. Ed just laughed.
"Sorry." He said.
"Well why don't you all get cleaned up and then come back for some dinner."
"That's be great Miss Gracia thank you." Alfons answered with a grin.
The four of them returned to the house and proceeded to get cleaned up, a slow task due to the presence of only one bathroom, which Noah got to use first. Meanwhile, Ed chatted happily to the two Al's while they sat rather uncomfortably in each other's presence. Ed finally picked up on the mood.
"Well I should get some clothes for Al, come on." He dragged his little brother from the room, up the stairs into the bedroom.
"You ok." He asked the younger boy.
"Yes, it's just weird, he looks like me."
"Yeah, took me a while to get used to it. But he's a totally different person, I'm sure you'll become friends, before... before..." Ed couldn't finish his sentence. He sat on the bed and sighed sadly, the sound of coughing reached them below.
Al gasped suddenly, causing Ed to look up in panic."
"Al?"
"I'm ok, it's just I suddenly remembered my dreams, it was of this world. I lived with you, we built rockets and I coughed, like teacher used to, like he does. I was this worlds Alfons in my dreams, how is that possible."
"I don't know Al, there are things we can't explain, I thought science held all the answers, it doesn't." Ed looked at his brother; he stood up again placed one hand on Al's head, before pulling him forward into a hug. Al didn't respond, out of surprise, for a second then he tightened his arms around his brother. Stepping back from Al, Ed looked him up and down. Al was grinning.
"My dream for so many years has been to see that smile, I'm reall glad you're here." Ed said.
"By the way, why'd you steal my coat?" he added.
"I did not steal it." Al answered indignantly, "You left it behind. Besides, it's one of the few things of yours that I had."
"I guess that'd be true, I didn't own much."
"You still don't." Al glanced around the room.
A soft knock at the door and Alfons came in, dressed in a clean white shirt and trousers.
"Bathroom's free."
"Go on Al." Ed said dumping a bundle of clothes into his little brothers arms. Al darted out the room. Closing the door Alfons sighed.
"So you're still stuck here. Sorry Ed."
"Why, it was my own decision to come back. I'm sorry if it's weird for you having Al here."
"It's a bit odd, he looks just like me, guess that explains your weird reaction when we first met, I did wonder how you knew my name." They both laughed remembering that meeting.
"He looks so young though, I thought you said he was my age." Alfons stated.
"Well yeah, he's meant to be, you see I tried to...well I did bring him back to life, that's how I ended up here. Human transmutation has a high cost, and it doesn't work, not the first time we tried, that's how I lost my arm and leg and Al lost his whole body. I attached his soul to a suit of armour and he lived like that for years. Then I got killed in a fight and Al brought me back at the cost of his own life, so I bought him back. My Dad thinks I subconsciously sent myself here to save my life. I guess when I brought Al back he was reset back to how he was when he lost his body. He got his memories back when he crossed to this world but his body stayed the same."
"I didn't understand any of that really, but I believe you now, about your world and alchemy. As strange as it all seems to me, I've seen in it action."
"You didn't believe me before." Ed said unhappily. Alfons laughed, which turned into a cough.
"Alfons? You ok?" Ed asked concerned. "Is there nothing that can be done?" he asked when Alfons had stopped coughing and was wiping blood off his hand.
"No." Alfons answered simply. "I plan to make the best out of what time I have left, hasn't gone well so far though."
"You reunited me with my little brother." Ed smiled at the younger boy, Alfons smiled back.
Alphonse entered the room pulling uncomfortably on the stiff collar of his shirt. Ed looked at him then groaned.
"What?" asked Al.
"I was hoping the clothes would be bigger on you." Ed looked unhappy. Al tried to hide his snigger but couldn't.
Once Ed had got cleaned up they all gathered in the front hall to put on coats and shoes before heading over the Miss Gracia's for dinner. Ed reached for his coat and found it missing.
"Where's my coat?"
"You had it in the underground city but not when you were in central." Al answered.
"Damn, yeah that's right I used it as a parachute."
"If I ask how will you give me a load of alchemy jargon?" Alfons asked.
"Probably."
"I won't ask then."
Everyone laughed and talked over dinner, tying to disperse the horrors of the day with merriment. Ed particularly enjoyed watching Al eating apple pie and they shared a knowing look over it.
A couple of days later Al walked into the dining room holding a photograph. Edward and Alfons looked up as he walked in.
"Brother, what's this?" he placed the photo on the table.
"Oh, it's that uranium bomb, you remember, it came through the gate." Ed explained, while Alfons brow furrowed in confusion.
"I wanted to talk to you about that. Al sit down, where's Noah?"
"Here." The girl walked out of the kitchen and sat down too, when Ed indicated.
"This uranium bomb, it's bad. That kind of thing should not exist whatever world it's in." Ed told everyone, Al nodded.
"So I'm going to find it, and destroy it and any research that's been done on it. So we're leaving, Alfons thanks for letting me stay with you."
"I want to come too." Noah spoke up surprising everyone.
"But Noah, I thought you didn't want to travel anymore. Besides who's going to look after Alfons when I'm gone."
"I'm sorry Alfons, it's just I'm not accepted here. I never will be. Seeing you, Al, made me realise and home isn't just a place it's who you're with. You gave up everything you knew to stay with Edward." Noah finished speaking and looked down. Ed opened his mouth to protest but Alfons spoke first.
"Well in that case I'd better come with you too." Ed stared at him.
"Noah, I can understand, but you. You have a life here, what about your work."
"My whole life revolved around my work and you blew it up with the factory Ed."
"Oh right, yeah. Sorry."
"I told, I want to do something before I die, if it's helping you get rid of a dangerous weapon then that's what I'll do."
"Ok, ok, I'll guess we'll all go." Ed laughed,
"I would say we could take my car, but Ed crashed it." Alfons said
"Brother!"
"What! It was his fault he distracted me." Ed pointed an accusing finger at Alfons, who laughed.
"You were telling me some crazy story."
"Crazy! It was true, you didn't believe me, distracting me, making it your fault." Ed finished triumphantly.
"Whatever, it still means we don't have a car."
"We can travel by train, like we used to brother."
"Well this time it's going to be slightly different." Ed said to his brother. It'd had always been just the two of them but now others had entered the brothers world.
I hope you liked, please tell me what you think, I look forward to reading reviews. XD