THE END IS HERE OH NOES!

Uhm, yeah, this might seem a little rushed, but there wasn't really anything else I wanted to add to this, so yeah…

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Ed barely said anything when it was time for him to leave. There was no need. He'd already said everything he'd needed to say, and now all he could do was quietly follow Blake out to a car.

Before they left the building, Blake looked down at Ed. "Need to use the bathroom before we leave?"

Ed blinked. Here was his chance… "Ah, yeah."

Blake nodded to his coworkers and led Ed through the building to the restrooms. He stood just outside the door, giving Ed even more of a chance to carry out his plan. Once Ed was sure he was alone, he transmuted part of his automail leg into a separate blade. He paused and waited for a few minutes.

"Okay, here goes," Ed muttered to himself before taking a deep breath.

First thing's first, look as sad and pathetic as you can, Ed thought to himself. He looked at the sink for a minute, considering splashing water on his face to fake tears. No, it would be better if they're real tears. I just need to get myself to cry… Ed thought about the past week and sighed. Well, this isn't going to be hard…

He looked back at the door and slumped to the floor. He picked up the blade in his right hand, but it slipped and fell to the floor. Ed swore and picked it up with his left hand. He looked at it for a while, concentrating on making himself cry. It was beginning to work.

Maybe I should try something else, Ed thought. He looked at the door again and looked back down at the blade. No, nothing else will work.

He stared at the blade for a while longer before bringing it up to his neck. He wondered if he should actually cut through the skin. It would probably give him even more time, but then he'd be watched more carefully.

He heard voices on the other side of the door and felt a pit of dread in his stomach. If someone didn't come in soon he might lose his nerve…

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Don paused when he saw Blake standing outside the bathroom door. When Blake saw him, he pointed to the door. "Just waiting for someone."

"I'm surprised you trust him on his own," Don replied.

"Would you?"

Don gave a rueful smile. "Nope."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Really? He didn't seem that impulsive to me."

"Oh, he is. Didn't I mention that?"

Blake sighed. "It's been five minutes already. I'm thinking you're right." He opened the door to the bathroom and stopped dead in his tracks. Don's reaction was about the same.

Ed was sitting on the floor against the far wall, holding some sort of knife in his left hand. He was holding it up to his neck, and Don could tell it had pierced the skin.

"What are you doing?" Blake asked, anger and fear evident in his voice. Don noted that fear was predominant.

Ed didn't move. He seemed so ready to take his own life that Don thought frantically about a way to get him to stop as Ed spoke. "Isn't it obvious?"

"Ed, why are you doing this?" Don asked from the doorway. He wanted to get help, but he had the feeling Ed wouldn't give him a chance, so he stayed. Ed hadn't done anything sudden since being caught in the middle of his suicide attempt, so he was probably having doubts…

Ed lowered his gaze, but kept the knife in his hand. Don heard footsteps in the hallway, but they stopped just before the bathroom door. Don glanced back and saw another agent from Blake's group standing in the hall. The agent pulled out something that Don recognized as a tranquilizer gun (or whatever they're called) and carefully took aim.

Don looked back at Ed. The alchemist was still holding the knife in position, but his eyes were closed. He began lowering the knife. Don was about to approach him when Ed suddenly raised the weapon up again, aiming it for his throat.

Just before it hit its target, however, the knife fell from Ed's hand. Ed looked up at Don in confusion for a moment before collapsing on the ground. Don could see a tranquilizer dart sticking out of Ed's leg.

Don kneeled down next to Ed and checked the cut on his neck. It wasn't deep, and Don stepped back to let someone else bandage it. Blake stood next to Don and watched Ed carefully for a moment.

"So much for him being mentally stable," Blake muttered as Ed was removed from the room.

"What are you going to do about it?" Don asked.

"He needs help. I'm putting him in a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation." Blake sighed. "I guess I'll have to wait to bring him back home."

Don mentally breathed a sigh of relief. Now that they had more time, there was a better chance of Ed making it back to his own world. As they left the bathroom, Don couldn't help but think that it was staged. He allowed himself to smile a little. Ed was definitely smarter than he appeared.

That is, if Ed really was faking it…

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Al sat quietly next to his brother's bed, waiting for the sedatives to wear off. At the moment, Ed's limbs were restrained, and there was only a small bandage on his throat. Al wished his brother would wake up. There were so many questions he had, the most important of which was why? Why did Ed want to end his life? Al gently placed a hand on his brother's arm.

After a while, Ed opened his eyes and looked around the room before closing them again. There were a couple of people in the room to see how things were going, but Al was the only one to notice. He waited until the others left the room to talk to Ed.

"Brother…"

Ed looked over at Al and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry if I scared you, Al."

"Why did you do this?"

Ed sighed. "I don't know." He looked up at Al again and gave him a meaningful look.

Al understood immediately. "I guess it'll be a while before we go with Blake now, huh?"

"I hope so," Ed muttered.

"But… brother, your neck…"

Ed glanced around the room before whispering, "That was an accident, Al. Blake startled me when he opened the door and I moved a little too suddenly."

"Everyone's worried about you, brother. Couldn't you have-" Al heard the door open and cut himself off. He turned to look at whoever opened it. A doctor was standing in the doorway, accompanied by a nurse. They walked up to the bed.

"Excuse me, Alphonse, but I need to be alone with your brother for a moment."

Al nodded and stood up. "I'll see you later, brother."

He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him, leaving his brother alone with the ones who would determine just how long they could avoid being in Blake's clutches.

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Ed fidgeted as the nurse adjusted his bed into an upright position. He wanted his hands free, but he had the feeling they wouldn't let that happen. He sighed and looked expectantly at the doctor.

"How are you feeling today, Edward?" the doctor asked.

"Okay, I guess…"

"Do you know why I'm here?"

Ed nodded but didn't speak.

"Then I suppose we should get down to business. Why did you try to kill yourself?"

Ed averted his gaze and looked down. "I don't know."

"Is it because of what happened to you?"

Ed was quiet for a minute before speaking. "No. Well, maybe, but that's not really why…"

"Then what's your reason?"

Ed leaned his head back against the pillow. "I want to go home."

"You don't want to go with Blake?"

Ed shook his head. "I don't trust him."

"So you thought that suicide would be a better alternative?"

"I…" Ed shook his head. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"That's understandable. You've had a rough time."

Ed looked at his hand. He hated not being able to move…

"Edward?"

Ed looked up when he heard his name. "What?"

"I'm just going to ask you a few more questions and then I'll let your brother back in when it's time for dinner, okay?"

Ed nodded. All he had to do now was fake his way through this…

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When Al was finally let back into the room, Ed did not look happy. He was staring pointedly out the window, and he looked as if he'd kill someone if he weren't restrained.

"Um, brother…?"

"What is it, Al?"

"What happened?"

Ed turned his head and scowled at Al. "That bastard said I was depressed. They're putting me on drugs, Al!"

"They have a drug that can make you not feel depressed?" Al asked curiously.

"Apparently," Ed replied. "And I get to take it. Lucky me."

"Come on, brother, it might not be so bad…"

"Really, Al? I'm not even depressed! What if it messes with my body?"

"Brother…"

Ed narrowed his eyes. "What, do you think I need it?"

"Actually, I think it's a good idea. Ever since…"

"I get it, Al." Ed sighed. "Oh well, at least…" Ed paused and looked at Al. "Well, you know."

Al nodded. "Yeah."

Just then, a nurse entered the room with Ed's dinner. Once she was gone, Al began feeding his brother.

"This sucks," Ed muttered.

"At least they're letting me do this," Al replied. "I'm used to having to do this anyway."

"Shut up, Al," Ed snapped, just as the door opened and Blake entered the room. Blake walked up to Ed's bed and sat on a stool next to him.

"Hey, I'm sorry about this," Blake said, in a tone that didn't quite convince Ed he was telling the truth. "I didn't mean to push you over the edge like that."

Ed simply glared at Blake in response. Blake sighed and stood up.

"Okay, I get it. Listen, you're going to be here for a couple more days, just until they make sure you'll be okay. Then we're going."

Ed turned his head so that he didn't have to face Blake. "Whatever."

Once Blake left, Ed closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, I think a couple of days should be enough time, right, Al?"

Al nodded and went back to feeding his brother.

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Sadly, the next few days passed more quickly than Ed would have liked, and he found himself saying goodbye to Don once again before getting into the van. He stared straight ahead as the car started, thinking about Don's last words.

"Everything's going to work out, okay?"

They had decided earlier that those would be the code for 'everything's all set so you won't be stuck with Blake anymore and you can get back to your own world,' so Ed was somewhat hopeful as they drove off, Blake sitting in the seat across from him.

"How far is it?" Ed asked.

"A few hours. I have some questions for you, though, so that should help pass the time."

Ed sighed and slumped in his seat. "Whatever."

"First off, I'd like to know more about that incident with the terrorist."

Ed tensed momentarily before realizing Blake was probably expecting that reaction. He tried to relax as he replied. "What about it?"

"I think you know what I want you to tell me."

Ed shook his head. "Nope. You have to be specific."

"Fine, have it your way. How did you blow a hole in the floor with absolutely no weapons on hand?"

Ed was quiet for a while, trying to think of a plausible answer. When he could come up with none, he simply remained silent.

"I'm waiting for an answer."

Yeah, well you can just keep on waiting, jackass, Ed thought. He wished Al was in the car with him, but Al was in another vehicle, leaving Ed alone with Blake.

"Okay, then how about I answer the question for you?"

Ed cringed inwardly. Here it was…

"You can do something the rest of us can't, isn't that right?"

Ed was quiet. So this would end up being the way Ed thought it would be…

"No need to hide it anymore. I figured it out a long time ago."

"Then why bother asking?" Ed muttered.

"Because you're going to help me with something. Something important."

"Like what?"

"There's a war going on. We need as much help as we can to end it."

Ed scowled. "You want me to fight."

"No. You're too valuable for that. You'll just teach us what you know. It shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Ed glared at Blake. "Hell no. There's no way I'll let you use it like that."

Blake frowned. "We're trying to end the war, not make it worse."

"I don't care. I've seen what having that kind of power does to people. Besides, don't you people have enough weapons as it is?"

Blake stood up and grabbed Ed by the shirt, pulling Ed off his seat a little as his eyes flashed dangerously.

"Listen, I've been nicer than I have to be with you, and we're very desperate at the moment. If you don't help us out then we won't help you out. You'll just have to sit and wait for your life to go by in a very secluded area. If you help us, at least you'll have some freedom."

"No. I'm not going to help you."

"Do you want to see your brother again?"

Ed blinked. This was a new development…

"Do you?"

"You're using him against me?" Ed growled. "Do you think that's the best idea?"

Blake slammed Ed against the back of the seat. "Don't try me, kid. Right now, we have control over your very existence. We have the original copies of any records you have, and it's obvious you aren't going to see your friends back in LA again."

Ed felt himself fill with rage. Blake was now on the same level as everyone else who had tried to take advantage of him, and that pissed him off. He tried to punch Blake with his right hand, but Blake caught his fist and grabbed Ed's other arm as well before pushing him down to the seat.

"Like I said, don't try me." Blake pulled a syringe from his pocket, holding Ed's left arm down with a knee as he pulled off the protective cap with his teeth. "I'll put you to sleep if I have to."

Ed continued to struggle, but his painkillers were wearing off and his body was aching. Blake stuck the syringe in his arm and pushed Ed's chin up with his hand.

"You're going to regret ever messing with me, kid."

Ed was about to reply when the van screeched and rolled. Luckily, the sedative had relaxed Ed's body enough that he wasn't injured. Blake was similarly lucky, and the last thing Ed saw before he lost consciousness was the man forcing the back doors open, just before something exploded.

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"And that's it, huh?" Terry asked as she gave the report back to Don.

"Yep."

"You going to miss them?"

"Probably. They were definitely different from anyone else I've met."

"I think just about everyone here can say that."

Don nodded. "Anyway, there's nothing else we can do about it. Blake's got it all under control."

"Yep. I'm just glad nobody was seriously injured."

"Except for those four, you mean."

Terry shrugged. "Right."

Don stood up, and the two of them went to get some lunch, leaving the report on Don's desk:

'Andrew' and 'Jim,' the killers responsible for the murders of thirteen women and the attempted murders of three others broke free from the vehicle that had been detaining them. They intercepted the vehicles carrying two boys who went by the surname of Elric, who happened to be two of the three victims of attempted murder, and an explosion took the lives of the four. Those four were the only casualties in the incident.

Their bodies were not found. It is assumed that their bodies were completely burned by the flames resulting from the explosion.

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"Hey. Hey, are you okay?"

Ed slowly opened his eyes to see a worried face above his. He tried to move, and found that his body was indeed responding the way it should. He sat up and began observing his surroundings.

Everywhere around him were soldiers wearing the Amestrian uniform, including the man who sat next to him. There was a train about fifty yards away from where he sat. Al was talking to someone nearby.

"Ugh… what happened?" Ed asked, more to himself than anyone else.

"Sir, you've been missing for about two months, ever since you were kidnapped…"

The soldier pointed at something nearby, and Ed saw that Jim was sitting in a military vehicle, under a very heavy guard. Only one…

"What about… there were two of them…"

"The other one is dead. We found his body near yours."

Ed rubbed his head. "Then…"

"Sir, what did they do to you?"

Ed lowered his gaze. "They…" Just then, Al came walking up with Colonel Mustang. Ed breathed a sigh of relief as the other soldier saluted and left. Roy held out a hand to Ed and helped him to his feet.

"It's good to see you alive, Fullmetal. Come on, I have a hotel room ready."

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After he had showered and gotten some food, Ed was ready to talk to Roy. Al had tried to explain what had happened without talking about the other world they had been in, but it was impossible, so Roy had gotten to listen to a very interesting story. Thankfully, since Ed still had had the small tracking device in his watch, Roy had believed Al, but now Ed had to go into detail about what had happened to him. He wasn't looking forward to it.

He lay facing the wall on his bed, waiting for Roy to enter the room. Al was sitting on the other bed, his hands in his lap. The room was quiet until the door opened.

"Interesting," Roy said as he stood in the doorway.

"What?" Ed asked, not moving an inch.

"Nothing." Roy sat down on the bed next to Al. "How are you feeling?"

Ed grunted. He felt that was a sufficient answer, and Roy didn't push it. It was quiet in the room for a while, and eventually Ed rolled over and sat up.

"Are you ready to tell me what happened?" Roy asked.

"I guess," Ed replied. He took a deep breath and began explaining the events to Roy. Roy listened quietly, occasionally asking Ed a question to clear up a confusing detail, and when Ed finished, Roy was quiet for a while, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Is something wrong?" Ed asked nervously.

"No, no. I was just thinking that it would be nice if I could thank those people for watching out for you. It wouldn't have been good if you hadn't been around to help us."

Ed sighed. "I just hope I don't have to face Winry for a while…"

"Brother…"

Roy held up a hand. "Alphonse, would you mind letting me talk to your brother alone?"

Al nodded and left the room. Once he was gone, Roy looked straight into Ed's eyes. Ed looked away after a moment and lay back down on the bed, his back to Roy.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to deal with what happened," he muttered. "Even though I know it's not my fault, it still feels like it is."

"That's natural," Roy said. "I still feel the same way about not being able to stop you two back then."

Ed turned to look at Roy. "You do?"

Roy nodded. "I do."

"How do you deal with it?"

"By helping you achieve your goals."

Ed went back to facing the wall. "It's different, though."

"Because innocent people died?"

Ed cringed. "Yeah."

"Do you realize how many innocent lives I've ended?"

"What are you trying to say?" Ed asked, letting his anger come through in his voice.

"I'm saying I can understand how you feel. I know how hard it must be for you right now."

"Oh."

Ed felt a hand on his shoulder. "There's not much you can do about it. You have to live with it."

"But what about Winry?"

"You don't have to tell her unless you think she needs to know. Besides, by the time you see her again, you'll be able to face her without breaking down. I know you will."

Ed closed his eyes. "I hope you're right."

Roy let out a nervous laugh. "Me too." His hand left Ed's arm for a moment before Ed felt a blanket cover his body. "Anyway, get some rest. You deserve at least a small break before going north."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I have some business to take care of involving this case. Normally it's something I'd have you take care of, but I think we can make an exception this time."

"Thank you…" Ed would have said more, but he was asleep. Roy smiled and walked silently out of the room.

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"Charlie? Something wrong?"

Charlie blinked and looked over at his brother. They were walking down a street toward a restaurant, and for the past few minutes, Charlie had been spacing out. He shook his head, trying to get his mind back to what they were doing. "Nah."

"You're thinking about Ed, aren't you?" Don looked pensive for a moment. "He's probably doing something with the military at the moment."

"If he made it back."

"You don't think he did?"

"I can't think of any way he could have made it to another world just like that."

Don shrugged. "Maybe it's something we'll never understand. Could you deal with that?"

"It'll be hard, but I think I can do it." Charlie stopped walking when he saw that Don had stopped to pick something up off the ground. Don straightened, and they continued.

"Either way, I think I learned a few things from him," Don said as they entered the restaurant. They got a table and sat down. Don pulled an envelope from his pocket and opened it.

"What's that?"

"I don't know," Don replied. "I wouldn't have picked it up, but it had my name on it."

"Your name?"

"Yep." Don pulled out the contents of the envelope and placed them on the table. There wasn't much, just a letter and a photograph. Don picked up the photo and looked at it for a moment before smiling.

"What is it?"

Don handed the photo to Charlie before picking up the letter. It showed a small group of people standing in front of a monstrous building. Charlie could see flags that had a design similar to the one he'd seen on Ed's watch. Ed himself was standing at the front of the group. He was the only one who didn't look like he wanted to be there. He was also the only one not wearing a uniform.

There were four others in the picture: a blonde man with a cigarette sticking out of his mouth, a blonde woman with a polite smile on her face, and a black-haired man with serious eyes.

"Where'd this come from?" Charlie asked, not quite believing what he was seeing.

"I don't know. It just appeared out of nowhere." Don shook his head and handed Charlie the letter. "But I think I know who it came from."

Charlie read the letter and laughed. "Man, this is… It's unbelievable. I guess we really can't doubt him anymore, huh?"

"Not necessarily. Ever hear of Photoshop?"

"Oh, come on. Ed can't even turn on a computer, much less make something like this…"

"But what about one of the other guys?"

"You're just in denial. Maybe you should stop trying to think so logically."

Don stared at Charlie. "…You just told me not to use logic."

Charlie sat back in his chair and gave Don a smug look. "Yep. Try to make sense out of that."

The two continued to argue until Charlie noticed that there was writing on the back of the picture. The ink was faded, but he could still make out what it said.

Colonel Roy Mustang, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc, and Major Edward Elric, a.k.a. shrimp.

1913, East City Headquarters.

"Colonel Roy Mustang…" Charlie looked back at the letter and read it again.

To Don Eppes:

I'd like to thank you for looking after my subordinate and believing him even though what he said was probably the most outrageous story you've ever heard. Edward and his brother are fine, and if by some freak chance you or your brother ever end up in Amestris, I'll try to return the favor.

I'd also like to apologize for any trouble he gave you. He tends to be a moron most of the time, but he does have his moments. He also mentioned that he felt bad for his fake attempt at suicide, and if he ever sees you again, I'm sure he'll apologize for it.

Thanks once again,

Col. Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist

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NO I DON'T WANT IT TO BE OVER!!! Oh well, I'll be doing a bunch of random extra chapters in a story thingy I'll post someday, entitled "Random extra chapters that don't really fit into my stories but that I want to write anyway" or something along those lines.

Anyway, hope ya enjoyed it! waves

Oh, and I'm going to be out of the country for the next three weeks, so don't expect updates on any of my stories, with the possible exception of the House/FMA fic that's finally up.