The End Is The Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, it owns ME.

Warning: More angst, butnow some hope shines through.

Chapter Two: The End, And The Waiting Room

Consciousness came back painfully to Alphonse. He was back in his bed, and even with his limited vision, he could see numerous dark shapes around it. Every so often, a loud sob would break forth from one of them, someone was holding his hand, no, his wrist. Very gingerly, he turned his head, the figure of a woman, closer and therefore more distinct was taking his pulse. Doctor Hodgeson, the village practitioner, ironically, a descendent of the same Doctor Hodgeson who had attended his mother in her final illness. A thought of the more things change was cut off by a fit of coughing. Assorted anxious cries of "Father!", "Grandpa!" "Pappy!" and "Grunpah!" - the last from one of the toddling great greats filled the air.

Another figure came closer, she bent down and got face to face with him so he could clearly see her - Pinako - his eldest daughter. "I need to sit up." Both she and Doctor Hodgeson supported him, while someone else shoved pillows behind his back. That felt better, now it felt like a massive weight had been lifted off his chest, he smiled to show he was all right. Even if he couldn't see them clearly, his family was all around him, surrounding him with their love; it felt like a gigantic group hug. . Now was as good a time as any to die.

"You're right Al, it is a good time" A familiar voice, a beloved voice, a voice he'd longed to hear for decades sounded to his right. He looked at the window, but it was gone, vanished behind a strange white mist; he looked left and saw even his family had been swallowed up. What was going on?

He whipped his head around to the right again - wait, his neck didn't hurt - why didn't it hurt? - and saw a pair of golden eyes looking down at him. They hung, disembodied, for a moment; then he saw the outline of a face around them. Now there was a smile he knew well, and untidy blonde hair, the color of the sun, framing it. A long ponytail appeared, hanging insouciantly over shoulders clad in a brown coat, which covered a white shirt, the collar standing up. BROTHER!

Edward Elric held out his right hand. "C'mon Al, time to go." Al took it without hesitation, itfelt strong - and warm - like Brother's real hand would be. "Brother? Where are we going?"

"To a place I call the waiting room, now c'mon sleepyhead!" Al slid off the bed, surprised to find himself in the clothes he used to wear in his early 20s - black wool pants and long sleeved shirt, boots, and that red coat. He goggled at his reflection in the long mirror next to the bed - he was young again - his caramel colored hair long and worn in the accustomed ponytail.

Now the whole room was gone and they stood surrounded by that mist - Alphonse looked around in confusion, was he dreaming?

"No, Al, you're not dreaming." Could Brother read his thoughts? "You're dead." He paused to let it sink in. "I'm what they call a 'crisis apparition', and I'm here to take you to the waiting room." Edward tugged on his hand, and Al took a hesitant step forwards, unsure of his footing, he couldn't see any ground beneath him.

"It's O.K. little brother, you won't fall." Alphonse's eyes were brimming with tears, he'd waited so long for this reunion - and he'd hoped it would have been while they were still alive. Al felt Edward let go of his hand, then immediately felt both of Ed's arms embrace him - so Al returned the gesture, grabbing the fabric of Ed's coat tightly. Al hiccoughed a few times before he started to cry. "Brother! I've missed you so!"

"Me too, Al, I've missed you too." If they both were spirits, why did they felt so real to each other? Al could smell his brother's hair and skin, feel the rough texture of his brown coat, hear the soft sobs he was attempting to stifle. Now his crying jag was winding down, he snuffled a few times. Like he always had before, he felt better after a good cry.

"Al, I hope you're not wiping snot on my coat." chided his older brother. Alphonse couldn't help it,it sounded so funny, and he burst out laughing. So he continued to hold on to Ed's coat, and Ed to his while they guffawed their heads off. After a few minutes, the fit of hysterics finally passed, and they finally released one another in order to wipe their streaming eyes. Their eyes met, and Al put a hand over his mouth to cut off a snort of laughter. This set Edward off on another surge of merriment, he bent over slapping his leg. Alphonse was laughing so hard, he had to sit down, not worried anymore about the lack of an obvious up or down, left or right.

Edward helped him up again. "O.K., Al, we've got to get serious now, come on." They started wallking again, side by side in companionable silence, just like they used to when on a mission for the military. Al was bursting with questions, but he didn't know which to ask first. He finally blurted out "Brother? What happened to you?" Ed looked like he didn't understand the question. "Where shall I start?" The beginning was good. "When you went through the gate, where did you go?"

"I wound up in Germany again, on the Thule Society's array. That bitch Ekart was screaming at the rest of her army for retreating, and there was so much confusion, I slipped away pretty easily."

Al looked quizically at him. "I went looking for some explosives, but Ekart had already done the work for me, she'd wired the entire place to self destruct. All I had to do was start the sequence, then haul ass outta there."

"Haul WHAT!"

"Machine world slang, Al, never take it up, it coarsens you."

"Anywho, where was I? Oh yeah, I took off running and got out of there just in time before the whole complex went 'kaboom'."

"Annddd?"

"And that's it, Al, that was the most exciting thing that happened to me, the rest was an anti climax." Ed shrugged "Oh, well, there was the second world war - also started by Germany - but I spent it in England, out in the country, away from the bombing of London and other cities."

"Doing what?"

"Hmmm", he shrugged again. "Overtly, helping Britain develop defensive weaponry, covertly, trying to find a homeward bound Gate."

"You found Gates?" Al was amazed. "Oh, yes, I found lots of Gates, but they were all dead ends" he winced "So to speak." "Most of them led into other time streams, but all were machine world, I never could find THE Gate which led to the alchemical world."

Al spoke in a small voice "Oh."

"Yes, 'oh' indeed Al. I take it you tried also?" Al nodded. "For years, I just couldn't find anything which would help. I thought I would go mad if I couldn't get you home again."

"And what happened to change that?"

"Um, Winry had our first child, a boy named Yuki. He took my mind off things, saved my sanity, actually."

"Hmm, yes, Yuki, I've met him. He's a fine young man, and I'm proud to be his uncle. He's waiting to see you again, y'know."

Al looked up in shock, "And Winry?" Ed nodded. Tears began pricking his eyes again. "All of them, brother?"

"No, Al, not all. I'll explain everything when we get there."

A door appeared in the distance, an ordinary brown door with a metal knob and a frosted glass window. Words were written in arching script on the glass. When they got closer, Al saw they read "Waiting Room". "So, it really is a waiting room, Brother?" "Not exactly, Al, I just call it that, so the letters, and even the door just arrange themselves to look that way. This door is all things to all people. If you wanted it to look like the Gate of Alchemy; for example - it would look like that Gate of Alchemy, staring eyes and all."

Now they stood in front of the door, Ed turned the knob and pushed it open. "After you." Al entered uncertainly, the light in the room was very bright, and he couldn't see anything for a moment. Then shapes began showing up, his eyes got used to the light, and the shapes began resolving themselves into people he thought he'd never see again. Much beloved voices called out his name; then a young man in his 20s ran up to him, crying "Father!" and Al's arms were suddenly full of his eldest son, who was weeping with joy.

He hugged Yuki fiercely - Yuki who had been struck and killed by a drunken driver the day before graduating from college - and Al was weeping too. Suddenly, he was tapped on the head with a wrench - Winry wanted his attention. Al let go with his left arm and drew his wife into the loving embrace as well. He sensed, rather than saw Edward walking quietly past and he reached out blindly with his right hand, grabbed his coat, and pulled him back. If not all, at least some of the Elric family was reunited.