It's the end!

(Or is it?)

Thank you for your continued support of this fic! It's been so much fun (and time consuming) to write!

Stay tuned as I will be posting another chapter shortly afterwards with some important announcements :)

Chapter Ten:

Roy sat behind Ed, braiding his golden locks. For a young boy, he certainly had some beautiful hair. He relished the fact that it was so clean, unlike a couple weeks ago when it was matted and stained with blood. Thank goodness all that was behind them now, because he could really get use to this. Having Ed here gave him this sense of purpose. It gave him someone to cook for, a reason to keep things clean, and just someone to talk to. His house was way too big for one person anyway. Maybe he could persuade Ed to stay forever? Unlikely as that was, it was still a nice thought.

"Are you gonna get that?" Ed peered behind his shoulder at the daydreaming Colonel.

Roy's hands paused as he realized his phone was ringing downstairs. He contemplated it for a second, but shook his head instead. "I'm almost done."

"I can finish the braid if you need to answer it."

"It's probably not important."

It wasn't just because his fingers were tangled in Ed's hair that he didn't get the phone. He honestly didn't want to know who was on the other line.

"Okay, whatever you say."

Ed turned his gaze forward again and continued to sit still, which impressed Roy enough to momentarily forget about the sinking feeling in his gut. That is, until Hawkeye entered the room with the same stoic expression she always bore. Ed couldn't tell the difference, but Roy knew exactly what that face meant.

"Colonel, there's a call for you."

"Yes, I heard. Can't you just tell them that I'm busy?"

"I cant, sir. It's the Fuhrer."

Roy closed his eyes for a second and gulped. He knew Bradley would find out about him disobeying his orders soon enough. He quickly finished the braid and stood up.

"Don't let him out of your sight, Lieutenant." He commanded as he walked out of the room.

"I'm not two you know!" Ed yelled out after him. When he didn't received a snarky comeback, he turned to Riza. "What was that all about?"

"Just some military business the colonel needs to take care of."

"Then why did he seem reluctant to answer the phone himself?" He crossed his arms with a skeptical impression.

"You know how he his. He would just rather not leave you alone right now."

"Don't do that."

"Do what, Edward?"

"Keep me in the dark because you think you're protecting me. I've had enough surprises lately."

Riza finally sighed and sat down on the bed. "Fuhrer Bradley gave Roy specific orders to not go after you and Kimblee. He was very adamant that we focus our attention to the problems in Ayyrosut."

"He went after me anyway, didn't he?"

"When Hughes figured out there was a connection between Kimblee and Ayyrosut, Roy knew he had to find you before it was too late. So he commanded us to stay behind while he snuck off to search for you."

Ed frowned, feeling guilty for his superior's predicament. "What's going to happen to him?"

"He disobeyed a direct order from the King. He could be court martialed, physically punished, or thrown out of the military altogether."

"This is my fault…" He looked down, but Riza touched his shoulder gently.

"I assure you he doesn't regret his decision to go after you. He's just nervous is all. The military means a lot to him, but you mean a lot more. I'm confident he would do it all over again to save you."

"Well he shouldn't have done that! Idiot." Ed didn't know why it made him so upset. Nobody risks something that important on a kid, especially not him.

They both sat in silence until Roy returned with that usual stoic expression, giving away nothing.

"Well?" Ed crossed his arms.

"Just the usual military business." He stated cooly. "I'm afraid the specifics are above your pay grade."

"Cut the crap." Ed snapped. "Hawkeye already told me."

Roy shot a quick glance of disapproval at his lieutenant, before sitting back down on the bed next to the blond.

"My actions are being reviewed and I will be notified when the council has agreed on a fitting punishment."

"But that's—"

"Please Ed, just let this go." He spoke with such sadness that the boy closed his mouth and listened for once.

The awkward silence that followed was almost unbearable as the two sat there. Neither of them even noticed the lieutenant had stepped out.

"So…" Roy finally started, but the younger alchemist didn't let him finished.

"This is so stupid!" He turned to face his superior with fiery golden eyes. "First you hide the fact that you're in trouble with the military because of me, and nobody wants to tell me where my brother is!"

"Ed, we're not trying to leave you out."

"Then tell me! Is Al okay or not?"

"Just wait a little longer and you can see for yourself."

Ed was pretty fed up with everyone keeping stuff from him. Infuriated, He grabbed Roy by the front of his shirt. "Ive waited long enough! Just tell me if he's—"

"Brother."

Ed's eyes snapped in the direction of the voice. He slowly released Roy's shirt at the sight before him. He had been expecting to see a giant suit of armor, but instead it was a person standing there.

Wait, a person?

He was a young boy who looked around his age. His hair was almost the same color as Ed's, with the same golden eyes. The face was a little thin, matching the small frame that stood before him, but over all he looked physically intact.

"A-Alphonse?" He was much older and taller than that night, when Ed last saw him, but it was definitely him. He swallowed hard, rubbing his eyes. "I swear, if this is just another nightmare…"

"It's not, brother. I'm here."

He heard it again. That voice. The one that could only belong to his little brother. It was real. He was really here. How was this possible? He was almost shaking now.

"B-But how did you…I was supposed to—" Al cut him of by wrapping his arms around his older brother in an embrace.

"You don't have to worry about me anymore, brother. I'm back, and everything's okay now."

Ed just sat there, dumbfounded. He couldn't even return the hug. So many thoughts were going through his mind.

I wasn't able to get his body back after all. He never even needed me…

Confused, he pushed Al away. "I've been searching for a way to get your body back for three years! Three years I've put everything into finding the stone, just to learn it takes human sacrifices to use! Three years of getting our hopes up, just to be let down every time. Yet here you are, back to normal, and I did nothing, absolutely nothing to help…"

He buried his face with his hands, feeling completely helpless. Al sat beside him, but kept his distance.

"Ed. That's not true and you know it. It's only because of you that I still had my soul at all. You encouraged me to keep going when I thought all hope was lost. You promised me that I would have my body again, and you were right. In the end, I was able to use everything you taught me. I would have never been able to do all of that without you."

"But it's my fault you lost your body in the first place…"

"No! That was a decision we made together. It was our mistake. And only half of it has been fixed."

"What do you mean?" He looked up at his younger brother's face.

"You gave up your freedom and joined the military for me. You've spent so much of your time focussed on helping me without concern to your own body. Auto-mail isn't easy on anyone, especially someone who is still growing. Now you can finally worry about yourself. Now it's my turn to help you. I'm gonna get your arm and leg back."

"Al…you don't have to—"

"Ed!" The sudden outburst from his little brother made the boy turn to look at him. "Do you realize what you put me through? What you put all of us through?" He gestured to himself and then Mustang. "I-I was so scared for you…I thought I might never see you again! My brother. My hero…"

Al began to cry, and Ed couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with compassion for him. This time he reached for his brother and held on tightly to his frail little body. It was the first time he had been able to in three years. Feeling his younger brother's warm flesh instead of cold metal instantly took away his thoughts of failure. In this moment, he didn't care how it had happened. He was just happy to see his brother's smiling face. The only family he had left. A few tears of his own escaped as his brother happily returned the hug.

"I always knew you would figure it out. I'm sorry I got upset." He squeezed just a little tighter. "I'm so happy your back, Alphonse. I've missed you."

As he watched the beautiful reunion, Roy decided this was a moment he would never forget- and not in a bad way. To see the two brothers together, and the huge smile on Ed's face was priceless. Maybe all he had needed was his brother after all. As the two sat there, catching up on all that had happened, Ed was finally able to tell his side without getting choked up. It seemed he wasn't beyond repair as they had thought. Ed was particularly interested in hearing about Al's transmutation to get his body back. He listened intently to every word he spoke, soaking in the events like a child hearing a bedtime story. His face showed evidence that he was truly proud of the alchemist his little brother had become.

"…And then I told him he had to bring me back, because I still needed to help you get your body back."

"That was a pretty reckless move there, Al. If I didn't know any better, I'd say we were related." He playfully nudged his brother.

"Well I didn't have a choice, really. I couldn't just sit there and become their puppet. I asked myself, what would Ed do? And I decided you would do something completely crazy. So that's what I did, and somehow it actually worked!"

"Heh, maybe you should be more like me from now on." Ed gloated.

"I'm not that stupid." Al teased.

"Hey!"

"Anyway, I thought for sure Truth was going to take those Alchemists lives, but in the end he settled for the just the Philosopher stone. I don't know, brother. It doesn't sound like equivalent exchange to me."

"Who knows, maybe there's a God after all." Ed shot a glance at Roy, who merely smirked in response.

"Yeah, maybe." Alphonse continued. "All I remember was waking up in a hospital. Major Hughes was the one who filled me in on the rest."

This time Roy chimed in. "You can thank Hughes for all of it, really. He's the one who figured out Kimblee's plan and went to Aryyosut to find you. Also, he said it was because of Alphonse here that they were able to stop the other terrorists. Without their stones, Major Armstrong and the others were able to take them down. I heard they even rescued those kids you were so worried about, Ed."

The boy smiled. "I guess everything worked out, didn't it? Sorry I never made it back to help you, Al."

"Don't you dare apologize. I can't even imagine what it must have been like for you. I'm the one who should be sorry for not protecting you."

Ed rolled his eyes. "You're not gong to quit with that, are you?"

"Nope. Not until you have your original body back, too."

"Well I guess I can deal with it, just as long as your safe. I love you, Al."

"Love you too, brother."

Morning came around again, and everything was finally starting to feel right. Different for sure, with Al being back to normal and Ed sleeping at his commanding officer's house, but still right. Perfect almost.

At least that's how Roy saw it.

He smiled as he walked into the room to check on his subordinate. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fine, I guess." Ed noticed the breakfast Roy was carrying. "I can get out of bed to eat breakfast you know."

"I do know. I just thought it might be easier."

"I don't need easy. I need normal. All I want is for everything to go back to normal, so I can get out of here and get back to my research."

He suddenly remembered the sleeping boy lying next to him. "Oh…"

He still wasn't used to the fact that his brother was actually back. After talking most of the night, the young boy practically passed out next to him, and Ed didn't have the heart to make him leave. Having him there was also a constant reminder that this wasn't just another bad dream.

Unfortunately for Roy, hearing Ed's words were a reminder that the kid would never want to be around him that much. Though he didn't expect the boy would be dying to get away from him that soon.

"Do you really want to try and make the walk downstairs? Push yourself like you always do before your body's ready? I'm just trying to help you. Sorry if you would have rather me let you stay at the hospital. You're not a prisoner here. You can leave if you want." He didn't mean for it to sound so snippy, but he couldn't deny that his feelings were a little hurt.

"Roy, that's...not what I meant. I just, don't like feeling useless..."

Realizing what Ed was trying to convey, Roy set the tray down and pulled up a chair. "This is about Al isn't it?"

"Is this why you didn't think I was ready?"

"Yes. I know you better than you think."

"What's that mean?"

"Come on, what was your first reaction when you saw him."

"I don't know. I was confused I guess."

"You immediately felt like a failure that he had gotten his body back without you. You felt like you hadn't gave enough."

"It's just that...well I'm the one who screwed up and I wanted to be the one to fix it."

"But that's not what happened. You were simply two young boys without a mother and father to guide you in life. And maybe it was wrong. But you did the only thing your brilliant mind could think of. And to be honest, it was an incredible display of just how genius you really are."

"I feel like if I was as smart as you say, I wouldn't have tried it in the first place."

"You live and you learn. You make mistakes. Don't forget that your brother feels just as guilty about your physical condition as you did his."

"I know, but my situation was different."

"Not to him. Maybe you couldn't see the sadness in his face when he was just a suit of armor, but it was there."

When Ed didn't say anything, Roy continued. "You had enough sanity as a 9 year old boy, having just witnessed his brothers body ripped away, to bring his soul back, so he at least wouldn't be lost forever. Somehow, even in that moment, you knew if you could just get a piece of him back, you'd figure out a way to make the rest of him whole. Who cares which one of you activated the circle. It was all of your hard work and determination that got his body back."

Ed looked away, his face a little red. "You're being unusually nice."

"So?"

"So I mean, can I count on this from now on, or are you just going to go back to being a jerk when I'm all better?"

"Do you want me to go back to being a jerk? I've been told I'm pretty good at it." He gave Ed a teasing look.

"Seeing as how that got me here, no thanks." He grinned back.

Two can play.

"Well, why don't you tell me what exactly it is that you want." Roy got up from his chair and sat next to the boy.

Ed sat there for a moment, trying to sort out the many thoughts running through his mind.

"I want to know why you did it."

"Did what?"

"Risked your career for me. Why?"

Roy then smiled, grabbing Ed's arm and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Because you were worth it."

The words seemed to confused the boy as he tried to process what he had just heard.

"Do you know how many times I've screwed up? That makes me worth nothing. I don't deserve rescuing."

"No." The man shook his head. "I'm the one who doesn't deserve rescuing, yet you saved me the moment I met you. I realized I could be more than just a killer. That I could help save lives instead of just taking them. When you told me you'd stop at nothing to get your brother's body back, I knew I'd stop at nothing to help you achieve just that."

"You were willing to do all of that…for me?"

"I'd be willing to give up my life for you, Ed."

The boy gasped, wide eyed at the man's proclamation. But nobody should love him that much, right? He looked away.

"That's something only a father would say…."

"Father or not, I mean every word. And I would never, ever abandon you."

Ed looked back at Roy, surprised once more, as tears filled his eyes. He wiped them away quickly and smiled.

"Thank you. For everything. But you know your still a jerk, right?"

Roy chuckled. "It's too bad you feel that way. I was going to ask if you wanted to just stay here. You know, indefinitely."

"W-What?" Did he just ask me to move in with him?

"Well, since Al is back to normal now, I thought you might want to settle down for a while. I know you don't have a home to go back to, so why not just stay here? I have plenty of space for you and your brother, if you want."

Ed really didn't know what to say. That was the last thing he ever expected from Roy. A few weeks ago he would have busted out laughing and told the man no way in hell. But now...now he liked how safe he felt around him, and how Roy had sat with him all night just so he could sleep without having nightmares. He liked how thoughtful his superior had been when it came to telling him about his little brother.

When did he get so good at being a dad?

Strange as it was to admit, he needed a father figure like him.

"Ed?" He was starting to feel uncomfortable at the boy's shocked silence. "It's fine if you don't want to. I wasn't trying to weird you out or anything."

Coming out of his thoughts, Ed laughed a little. "You just keep surprising me is all. "Besides, I think we're way past weird."

Roy laughed too at how right the boy was. "I guess I can't argue with that. So, what do you say?"

"I say…" Ed smiled as he wiped a couple tears from his eyes. "I guess you're not that much of a jerk after all."

**********One month later**********

Roy sat contently at his desk in his office, filling out the usual paperwork.

Not gonna complain, not gonna complain.

He had promised he wouldn't, and he was determined to stick with it. Ed was alive and safe, and Al had his body back. He would much rather be bored with paperwork than go back a month when he was frantically searching for his subordinate and fighting off a psychopathic killer. Ah yes, things were actually pretty great right now. Ed had agreed to move in with him- shockingly enough- and was recovering quite well. Al spent a lot of time traveling, trying to figure out another way to get Ed's body back to normal. The two stayed in close contact though, and met up rather frequently. Ed's injuries had also healed, so he had been spending a lot of time lately building his strength back up. Yes, things were good indeed. He let out a content sigh as he laid his pen down.

A little nap would be nice…

He propped his face up with his hand and began to drift off when the door barged open.

"Hey there Colonel pops! Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. Ready for duty!" He cheesed at the Colonel, who just shot him a weird look.

"You're in a strangely good mood today."

"Well, yeah. I mean, when were you going to tell me?" Ed held up a newspaper in Roy's face, headlining that the Flame Alchemist had stopped the terrorists in Ayyrosut, saved the lives of his own men and well as the hostages, and taken down the leader of the whole operation.

"I just got the news myself, actually."

Ed tapped his foot impatiently. "Sooo, does this mean you're not being kicked out?"

"That's what it means." Roy stated matter of factly.

"Then why don't you seem happy about it? Don't you realize what this means?"

"It means whoever wrote that is a liar, because you already know that's not what happened."

Roy stood up from his desk and walked over to the window, recalling his conversation with the Fuhrer that morning.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"You mean I'm not being punished for what I did?"

"On the contrary, Colonel, I'm giving you all the credit for stopping Kimblee and his men. Congratulations."

"But why, sir?"

"By disobeying my orders, you stopped a very dangerous plan. Those men were trying to create homonculi using the children they had kidnapped. If they had succeeded in perfecting the conditions that made Kimblee the way he was, the world could be plunged into chaos."

"But I never even went to Ayyrosut."

"Regardless, you killed a very dangerous man that was supposed to have already been dead. In order to make things less confusing for the public, I decided to name you as the hero for taking care of the whole situation. That's all the people want to know anyway. You just keep the Philosopher Stone part of it between me and you, and I'll let you keep your job. How does that sound?"

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

"...It sounds like they're trying to hide something, if you ask me." Roy turned to face Ed after filling him in on Bradley's deal.

"Well, what did you say?"

"Of course I agreed, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let it go. I need to find out if there are others like Kimblee, and why they're going to such great lengths to create them."

Ed tried to put on a brave face, but the last thing he wanted to do was re-live that nightmare.

"Can we just focus on right now? Be happy you still have your job. Who cares what the paper says? Everyone knows half of what they write is just gossip anyway."

Roy smiled. "You're right…sorry for bringing him up."

"It's okay." Ed waved him off. "Besides, old pops like you tend to forget things easily, so I forgive you." He gave Roy the biggest grin, but his superior was rather unamused.

"I'm not even old enough to be your biological father! And stop calling me pops! It's an old man name!"

"Well, what else am I supposed to call you?"

"I don't know, Roy, Colonel, Sir, Dad."

"Booooring! I like pops better. It's really fitting for your age."

The man growled. "Just let me put my gloves on and then we'll see what's boring to call me."

"Hey, no need to take drastic measures now!" Ed threw his hands up in surrender and smiled.

He sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "Did you need something? You're interrupting my nap."

"You said after a month you'd let me back out on the field. Well, it's been a month and I'm ready for action!"

"Is that what I said?"

"Of course! Hey, you weren't lying to me again, were you?"

"What? No, of course not." Roy laughed nervously. "Things have just been really slow, that's all."

"Come on, there has to be something! I haven't beat up anybody in weeks!"

He face palmed. "Thats what i'm afraid of…"

"You can't keep me cooped up forever." The young alchemist crossed his arms in a pouting fashion. "You promised."

"Fine. I'll see what I can find. Just promise me you wont be reckless. And no getting hurt this time. Also don't push yourself too hard if you're not ready. Oh and remember to—"

"Yeah yeah, whatever. Stop telling me what to do already."

"Well I am your commanding officer, Ed. It's my job."

The boy rolled his eyes in response.

"There's also the fact that you live under my roof, which kinda makes me like your dad now, too." He smirked. "So I guess you have to listen to me."

"No." Ed locked eyes with his superior. "You're nothing like my father."

Roy was a little taken back at first, unsure of how to respond.

That is, until Ed completely took him by surprise, wrapping his arms around the man he knew he could count on for anything.

"You're so much better."

And it was then that Roy knew.

The fullmetal Alchemist would never be the same.

He would be his son.

~*THE END!*~

Just Kidding! This is only the beginning, my friends.

Just a few notes as we come to a close:

Yeah, Al is back and better than ever! I know this was different, but I wanted to do something more original. Also, Al is boss too. Just wanted to make you sweat a little first ;)

Another reason Al got his body back was so Ed could settle down and enjoy life with his 'dad.' Now that their relationship is in a good place, a lot more is going to be at stake, which will make for a juicy sequel! That's right peoples, this story is far from over. It's still going to be full of angst, hurt, comfort, and all that good stuff; but now I'll get to write their characters more as father and son. Yay!

And just what is King Bradley trying to hide? Well, if you're reading this than you probably already know that he is a nasty piece of work himself. Definitely more of that to come in the sequel!

Don't forget to read the epilogue of sorts (I don't really know if that's the correct term to use) that will serve as my acknowledgments and thank you's for this story, as well as an outline of whats to come!