Another depressing and super long AU from none other than your local (for like, one reader who is one of my personal friends at school) ClosetFMAFan! Whohooo.

I've had the climax for this AU idea written for a long time, but I never really did anything. Yesterday I was thinking that it was about time I did another AU and went looking through my files and found this. Thought "Hey, I remember this! It was super cool idea! I'll write that!" And it's probably one of the easiest one-shots I've written. Ever. Which kinda scares me. You'll understand when you're done.

The why it's scary that I write it so well/fast/easily.

Oh, and 150 REVIEWS BABY! Thank you all so much, everyone's who reviewed! I love you all!

Nothing was supposed to go wrong. It was supposed to be a simple journey from the Chang Providence back to the Capital. Mei's favorite cousin was turning eighteen and she had begged Al to come with her as she attended the celebratory event.

Ever since Al and Mei's wedding ten months ago, the entire clan had been enjoying one of its most prosperous times since the dawn of the Xing Empire. Other clans and the Amestrian government were now compelled to trade and do business with the clan, in the hopes of strengthening alliances and trading partners.

With the news of Mei's recent pregnancy, the entire country was overjoyed. The child, though not the first Amestrian/Xingese mix, would be the first one among the higher statuses of both Xing and Amestris. Everyone was excited to see both what the child would be like and what it would do for both country's futures.

So really, nothing was supposed to go wrong. It was supposed to be great.

Until their carriage got stopped in the middle of the road. Al looked at Mei in confusion. The sudden stop had interrupted their discussion about the difference between education in different places ("I learned alchemy in the middle of a city, Mei and, in all honesty, I'm one of the best alchemist is Amestris, the world capital of alchemy. Just because you learned in a cottage in the middle of no-where—"), which they had both been enjoying. Verbally sparring, or debating, was one of their favorite things to do together.

"What's going on?" Al asked. Mei just shook her head, and Al saw a flash of sliver as Mei grabbed one of the knives kept in her sleeve. He grinned.

"I love you."

"I love you too," she answered, before standing up. This wasn't entirely as easy as it sounds what with the sizeable baby bump and the low ceiling of the carriage, but she managed it. Al moved in front of her and opened the carriage door, ready to either stick his head out and ask the driver to continue, or fight, he wasn't sure. There didn't seem to be anything against the ordinary. Then Mei shrieked and he turned around as fast as he could.

Someone was holding a rag to over her face. Al moved towards them but then there was a sharp pain on the back of his neck and he lost consciousness.

Mei slumped to the ground a handful of seconds later.

When he woke up, it was dark. He was still dressed in the same clothes he had been before, simple Xingese men's clothing. There was a dull pounding behind his eyes which simply did not want to open. He could only tell it was dark because of the absence of light filtering through his eyelids.

"Mei?" he croaked.

"Al?" he heard her answer immediately. "Thank goodness you're awake. I was afraid you weren't going to."

"Course I will," he muttered thickly. Finally he did manage to open his eyes and he smiled at her. She was bent over him, worry and relief a mix on her face. "I'm not going to leave you, Mei."

"You'd better not," she answered, effectively stopping him from replied with a kiss on the lips.

When she pulled away, Al was more able to take stock of the situation. The room was dark, with only a little light being provided by a single light bulb too high for them to reach. His wrists were not bound or held apart so he could easily push himself up. At first he felt a ray of hope (it wouldn't be hard to get out of the situation with alchemy), but then he noticed the array scratched deep into the floor.

"What the…" he muttered, completely and utterly shocked by it. "How on earth did they…"

"They came in a few moments before you woke up, bragging. They paid a man who worked with Mr. Scar during the Promised Day to give them a copy of the array he used to counteract Father's ability to counter alchemy. Then they hired an alchemist to invert the array and turn it into this… does it work?"

Al hesitantly clapped his hands together and touched them to the ground. Nothing happened.

"Never thought that'd happen again," he muttered unhappily. "And they took all of your knives, too?"

Mei nodded.

"What else did they say? Did they say why they captured us? Please tell me that this isn't another one of those groups that is trying to take Ling off the throne."

"Nope," Mei said, sighing and rubbing her hand over her belly. It had become an absentminded habit of hers. It had the helpful effects of calming both her and the baby down, which decreased the frequencies of its kicking. "All they want is money."

Al raised an eyebrow. "Money? That's it? We're just bargaining chips?"

"Apparently."

"… that's just offensive." Mei snorted. "You're a Princess of Xing, the most favored of all the Princesses, and I am a very important Ambassador as well as close friends with the Fuhrer of Amestris. All they want from us is ransom money? Seriously, I am very offended." Mei giggled a little and Al put his arm around her.

"So are they asking for it from Ling or Fuhrer Mustang?"

"Ling. They told me that they only attacked because they thought I was going alone. I don't think that Fuhrer Mustang would have paid a very high ransom on a foreign Princess, even if she is married to one of his Ambassadors."

"Well it's probably a good thing that they got me as well." Mei raised an eyebrow. "If they had only gotten you I would have hunted them down until I knew not a single hair on your head was hurt."

Mei smiled and snuggled closer to her husband.

Three days later and they hadn't had any contact outside the small room. The array did its job of keeping Al contained and it was etched into the floor which meant he couldn't wear the markings away. There was nothing of use in the room to change it in any way either.

Then the door slammed opened.

"Okay, lady and gentleman," a man said in accented Xingese. "Our situation goes like this. We have two hostages and one man who refuses to pay ransom."

Al and Mei glanced at each other. Ling was refusing to pay?

"So we sent said man a message saying that there would be severe consequences. Now, I don't fancy myself a violent man, but I do fancy myself an honest man. Therefore, there have to be consequences."

The man pulled back his hand and hit Mei in the face. She wasn't expecting it and flew backwards. Thanks to the weight of her pregnancy, she didn't get up as quickly as normal. Al, however, instantly moved to her side.

"Mei!"

"I'm fine, Al," she said, gingerly touching her jaw. She shifted to a sitting position and Al stood up, fully intending to take the man down when he raised his gun and pointed it at Mei. Al froze. If he had had access to alchemy, this would have been no problem. Even if Mei had been in her normal shape, it also would have been no problem. But as it was he would be able to move without the man shooting Mei.

"So, what consequence should it be? I think I know…" he angled the gun downwards, so it was pointing directly at the bump on Mei's stomach. "Bye bye baby,"

"No!" Al yelled, jumping in front of the gun, blocking the line of sight with his own body. The man raised an eyebrow then smirked.

"Oh, he thinks he'll sacrifice himself for his witty baby and his wife. How cute."

"Don't harm them," Al said fiercely.

"Are you volunteering? I honestly don't care who dies, it could be either one of you or the precious little baby. I just need to send a message."

"Take me, then," Al said firmly.

"No!" Mei protested immedietaly. "Al you can't!"

"Mei, please be quiet. You have to get out of here alive. If I can sacrifice myself for anything, I want it to be for someone I love. You can kill me," he said, this time addressing the man, chin held high.

The man smiled cruelly and slammed his gun back into his holster.

"I'm not unreasonable. You get a few minutes to say your goodbyes. Don't do anything you won't regret because I will kill two."

Then he opened the door where two other men with guns stood. Al considered attacking again, but then the man opened the door behind him and two other men with guns walked in, one aiming directly at Al and the other at Mei.

So Al ignored them, turning around to wrap his arms around Mei.

"Al, no you can't… you can't do this. You can't…" she said, shuddering. The hormones had made her a lot more emotional than usual lately, and Al had the feeling that even if there were no hormones involved she would be crying at this point. Any normal woman would have dissolved by now.

"Mei I love you so much. I want you to remember that forever," he said, talking right over her. Mei nodded, tears starting to leak on her face. He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Ling will pay. If he won't, Brother will make Fuhrer Mustang pay. You are going to get out of here, I promise. When you do, name the baby something special for me, okay?" he whispered before gripping her tighter. Things were moving so fast, what was going on? He didn't want to leave her, but she couldn't.

"I'll name him after the most special man in my life," she muttered into his shirt. He laughed and stroked her hair.

"Please no. Don't curse any child of mine with the name Alphonse. You could name him Edward…"

"No!" Mei protested immediately, pulling away and glaring at him pathetically. "Then he might end up as short as his uncle!"

"Okay, you can decide then." He was smiling but it was strained and quickly faded away. "Tell him that I loved him. Please." Mei nodded franticly.

"Every night. I tell him how his big brave papa sacrificed himself to save us." Al nodded gratefully then pulled her into an embrace again. They stayed that way for what simultaneously felt like years and seconds. Then the door opened again and the first man nodded at the men with the guns. Al looked fearfully at them and Mei clung onto Al even tighter.

"Mei, I just realized something," he whispered. "When I left for the East I wanted to prove one theory. Now I've done it. I'm giving my whole ten, putting some of myself on top," he placed his hands on her bulging belly, "and I'm returning eleven." He kissed her forehead.

The men reached them and grabbed Al by the arms, ripping him from Mei.

"No! Al!"

"I'm returning eleven Mei!" he shouted. "Take it all!"

There were tears on her face again, hadn't she run out?

"I will! I love you Alphonse Elric!" He smiled blissfully.

"I love you too!"

Then the door slammed shut and Mei broke down into more sobs.

"Do you think they'll live up to their end of the deal?" Ling asked as he paced in circles. Lan Fan stood completely solitary, but the same look of worry was plastered on her face. They had sent representatives to deal with the criminals with the requested money. The majority of the group would accompany Al and Mei back to the palace. However, one of the men, a guard to parallel Lan Fan, was sent with the group to follow the kidnappers back to their base where all of the men would be quickly controlled and brought back to the Capital for swift judgment.

"These men are nothing more than simple scoundrels; all they want is their money. I can't see them doing much damage as long as they get it," she replied calmly, even though she was inwardly worrying herself.

That was when they caught sight of the dust cloud making its way towards them from the distance. As soon as they both caught both were scrambling for any form of sight-enhancing instruments. Ling was the first to get his hands on a pair of binoculars and Lan Fan was left to squint into the distance.

"I see Mei!" he called out happily. "She's riding right in the front; only one person would wear such a pink color. I can't see any blond hair, though."

The Empress smiled softly in response. Good, the Princess was safe. As long as the captors hadn't done anything that might harm the baby, everything would be alright. The group, riding on horses, came closer and closer, but Ling still couldn't see a blond head among them.

When they finally entered the camp, Ling was instantly as the side of the horse with his sister.

"Mei, are you alright?" he asked franticly, trying to help her down. He couldn't see any physical wounds and there was still a healthy swell on her abdomen which mean the baby was safe. She was just staring though…

"Princess," Lan Fan said softly and slowly, the first to notice that there was no Alphonse among the group. "… where is Alphonse?"

Then Mei started sobbing and she threw herself into Ling's arms. Ling held his sister in confusion as the truth slowly dawned on him. His grip tightened and he himself had to hold back tears.

"They didn't give us a body," one of the men said softly to Lan Fan. She nodded, trying to keep her emotions under control. When she looked over and saw the woman she had come to love and respect as a sister crying uncontrollably into her husband's arms… a single tear escaped the corner of her eye.

"Don't go too far ahead!" Mei called out loud. The five year old boy in front of her grinned and continued to run, soon disappearing over the hill. Winry smiled and held out a hand for Mei who was struggling to work her way up the hill.

"Sorry about the wind. It gets pretty fierce out here around the fall."

"It's fine, I'm just not used to it yet," Mei answered, moving the flowers in her hands to they were shielded from the wind by her body.

"It gets better once we make it over the hill," Winry continued. "The wind almost never disturbs the cemetery, it's one of the greatest things about the position."

The two women continued to trudge up the hill, fighting against the intense wind blowing their way. Mei, who was wearing an outfit similar to her original outfit worn in Amestris, was very annoyed by the constant flapping of the fabric around her. Thankfully, her hair was carefully controlled in her normal style of braids which kept it nicely contained.

"Thank you, Winry," Mei said eventually. "For all that you've done for us. Things in Xing were just… too much. You took us into your home. We love it here so much."

"That's really no need to say thank you," Winry answered, smiling at her close friend and sister-in-law. "We're family, Mei. It's been so much fun having you around. The children love it, especially having their cousin around all the time. He's so innocent and Sara dotes on him. And, despite what you might think, Ed really is on his best behavior when you're around."

Mei laughed but it quickly died when they reached the top of the hill looking down into the cemetery.

Alin was already running into the gate and sprinting around between the gravestones. His blond hair was shining in the sun. Even though it was already apparent that he would inherit Mei's build and face shape, he had his father's eyes, hair, and temperament.

"He's so much like Al," Winry said, sighing. "Every time I look at him I can't help but think of the years we all spent together before alchemy and the State. I know Ed does too."

Mei smiled sadly, calling for her son as they went.

"Alin!" The boy came running towards her, just as eager and energetic as he was as if nothing could sap his energy.

"Yes, Mommy?"

"You need to stay with me for a bit, then you can run as long as you want," Mei said, handing the flowers to Winry and bending down to pick her son up. He was getting much bigger, harder and heavier to pick up. Soon she would have to abandon the practice, but for now she would continue.

Alin nodded happily, wrapping his arms around his mother's neck. With a stubbornness and intelligence worthy of his uncle, Alin already understood the situation surrounding his mother and father. As such he always made sure to do anything and everything he could to comfort his mother.

"Are we going to say 'Hi' to Daddy?" he asked curiously.

"Yes we are," Mei answered. "And we might even stop to say 'Hi' to Grandma and Grandpa too." Alin smiled widely and began talking enthusiastically about the bug he had found sitting on a gravestone before he ran over here.

"And had red and black and there were dots and… and…" he frowned, struggling to find the word. His face scrunched up in annoyance and deep thought. Mei laughed and ruffled the hair on the top of his head before setting him down on the ground at the gate to the graveyard.

"Can you show Mommy where Daddy is?"

The boy nodded and dragged him mother into the cemetery, weaving between grave markers. Winry, following, laughed and smiled at his antics.

"Here we are!" he announced eventually, pointing proudly at a single stone. "There he is, Mommy!"

"Very good," Mei said, kneeling down in front of the stone. The inscription was short, not long winded. It didn't say anything about the wonderful man who had once existed not could is express the love he spread and created. Simply "Alphonse Elric, 1900-1923".

"Hello, Al," she said softly. Alin's voice chirped after hers, harmonizing with Winry's.

"Hi Daddy!"

"Hi, Al."

"We just came by to say that," Mei said, grabbing her son by the waist, "your son is a genius!" Alin giggled and pushed his mother away. "He's only five and he was able to recite the Law of Equivalent Exchange, the Elric Theory of Equivalent Exchange, and then give me the base components of block of wood. And he can already add triple digits."

"Mommy!"

"Now, Alin," she said slightly more seriously. "Your Daddy sacrificed himself for us. You know why, right? Because he—"

"He loves me very very very much!" Alin cried out happily. Mei's lips twitched and she began to tickle his stomach, enticing peals of laughter from the boy.

"Yes he did. And so do I." She kissed him on the top of the head before patting him lightly on the bottom. "Now go ahead and run around."

Alin squealed and ran away, dodging between the gravestones and laughing out loud.

"You're so good with him," Winry said, a smile of her own on her face. "I was not able to deal with Benny that well. I still can't deal with Benny that well."

"Well, Benny is also Edward's son. Not Al's." Winry laughed and agreed.

"He is very much Al's son. Even without ever knowing him, Alin is going to be every inch his father when he grows up." The smile on Mei's face faded slightly and she gazed at the tombstone with sadness.

"I miss him. So much. He would have loved Alin so much. He would have been his pride and joy. Entertaining him with alchemy, bringing home small toys and presents, carrying him around everywhere… Al would have been such an amazing father."

"I know," Winry replied softly. "Of him and Ed, everyone always expected him to be the one to settle down and raise a huge family. And to not be able to do that…" Winry was holding back her own tears now. Mei didn't even have to. The tears had dried up a long time ago.

"Winry… I was wondering if you would mind us staying here a bit longer. I've been thinking about what I want to do for a long time now and I've decided I want Alin to be raised in Amestris. Here in Resembool if we can, Central if we can't. I'm still planning on teaching him how to speak Xingese and understand his mother's culture, but… I really want this. You and Ed wouldn't mind us staying with you for a few more months while I try to find us a home, would you?"

Winry used her finger to wipe away the tear gathering in the corner of her eye.

"Not at all. You stay as long as you need." Winry smiled, smiling. Then she moved back to give Mei a moment alone and went to drop flowers on her parent's grave.

Mei looked out over the graveyard. Al's marker was right next to his parents. A few rows away was where the Rockbells had been laid to rest. Alin had stopped running and was now crouched down, staring at something in the grass. Even though the wind was still blowing fairly hard, it was mostly silent in the area.

Mei sighed, then smiled.

"Thanks for the eleven."