Thank you all so much for reviewing!

Well, stuff happened, so I just wasn't able to finish this chapter in time. Sorry about that. I figured splitting it up would be nicer to you guys then putting the whole thing off, so I'm posting part one today, and part two on Friday. Sorry!

Ed woke up to a surprisingly empty room.

He blinked. Then he narrowed his eyes, and blinked again.

Still, empty.

It felt later than it ought to, like he'd just slept for five hours instead of the intended five minutes- but, he supposed he should've seen this coming. He'd been exhausted after the meeting yesterday, and Roy's military friends had seemed to have other things to talk about, but Maes had taken one long look at them and told them to rest, that they'd take care of everything.

It wasn't that Ed had particularly liked knowing he was being discussed behind his back, but he felt safer away from them all anyway and had been tired enough not to care.

Roy had helped him back to his old room, staying with him while Ed had just put his head down and dozed. Roy had looked just as tired as him, grateful to be alone and away from such a crowded room and tense discussion, and Ed was pretty sure they'd been left mostly alone after that- he'd slept straight through whenever they'd been checked on, at least.

Ed had gone straight to sleep the moment they'd ended up back in there, curling on his side and trying to ignore the pain on his back, while Roy had sat beside him and promised to keep watch. There was nothing to keep watch for, probably, anymore, but it left him feeling safe all the same…

And now, he wasn't there.

Ed frowned a little, starting to push himself up as he blinked his eyes open wider, staring around the empty room. Roy wasn't in his line of sight, he knew that straight away, but he could still hear him, just enough to forestall the panic- quiet mutters in his low, familiar voice, and what sounded like… splashes of water?

Ed frowned again, tilting his head, one hand resting in Roy's now empty spot.

"Shit… shit…" Roy was grumbling now, just barely audible- then another, slightly louder splash. "Shit…"

Well, he couldn't just ignore that. And he sure as hell wasn't going back to sleep now.

Slowly, uncomfortably, Ed worked himself upright, moving as carefully as he could to avoid aggravating the burns- or making noise to attract Roy. He was feeling better and better the more time that passed, and was sure it had a lot more to do with just being safe and knowing Roy was safe rather than any actual healing on his back. His head felt clearer finally, too, no more of those damn drugs- but no matter how much safer he felt, he couldn't just be content to lie there while Roy was off doing god knew what. Grimacing to himself, Ed finally worked himself to the very edge of the bed, blanket pulled along with him, and set off after Roy's grumbling.

Roy's old room was small, befitting a young child, even if it hadn't been really used in some time. Ed hadn't gotten a great look around earlier, with so much happening at once, but now he was actually looking. There was a smaller room off to the side, probably a bathroom or something, where light and Roy's grumbles were both coming from. Ed blinked at it, rubbing his eyes, then carefully limped forward.

Sure enough, it was a bathroom. And sure enough, there was Roy.

Ed just didn't have a fucking clue what was going on beyond that.

Roy was sitting on the edge of a partly filled bathtub, brow furrowed in concentration and that one hand with the glove raised. His shirt was off- not that it mattered, with his torso still wrapped in bandages, all over- and his pants were splattered with darkening water stains, not leaving Ed to wonder about why his shirt had been removed.

He still sat there grumbling, too, muttering something under his breath- and grimacing at the array on the back of the glove like it held all the answers to the world in it.

Then, decisively, he raised his hand and snapped.

Nothing happened.

Unless Ed counted Roy cursing as something that happened, in which case- well, yeah.

Ed rolled his eyes, letting himself crumple gently to the floor in a huge, warm knot of blanket. "Having fun?"

Roy, predictably, jumped a mile. Ed couldn't stop himself from snickering under his breath.

"Full- Fullmetal," he stammered, leaning back to blink dumbly at him, gloved hand falling slack. The annoyance on his tired face became concern and he started to rise, reaching his hand out. "What are you-"

"I'm fine, bastard. Fine enough to hop a few feet, anyway." He scowled a bit, settling himself more comfortably against the door; the blankets were so much bigger than him it felt almost as nice as the bed had. "You're the one who doesn't look fine."

Roy blinked dumbly at him for several moments, clearly taken aback by his sudden appearance and still unsure if he should be worried about him or not. Ed kept his strongest smirk on, because as much as he'd missed Roy being coddled was starting to get old- and, finally, was rewarded when Roy just slumped back, turning back towards the water with the sulkiest look on his face, and sighed.

"I'm trying to relearn my alchemy. Operative word being trying." He wiggled his gloved fingers again, scowling at them. "It's not working very well."

Ed winced a little, glancing away. "I knew you weren't telling the truth when you said you could use it."

"I can, though. I can use it!" Roy snapped, obviously frustrated. "Just- not well. Or… reliably." He grimaced again, leaning against the wall a little more and refusing to look at him. "I didn't say anything to Maes because he wouldn't have given me the gloves at all, but I need to get better at this. I have to, if I want to be able to protect us."

Ed didn't bother pointing out that they shouldn't need protection anymore, and that Roy especially wasn't supposed to have to protect him. He'd feel a hell of a lot better if he had some way to protect himself and Roy, too.

"I used it in that hospital, more than once, I don't know how. And it's working now, I think, something's happening, I just-" Roy abruptly raised his hand again, snapping his fingers hard; the array on the glove sparked, the water he was snapping at wavered a bit- but even Ed could tell, it hadn't been what Roy had wanted to happen.

Ed bit his lip, glancing away uncomfortably when Roy's face fell angrily again.

"I just can't do it," the bastard muttered, leaning back against the wall with a miserable, defeated sigh.

After a crushing silence, Roy exerted a visible effort, turning back to look at Ed with a stubbornly sort of hopeful expression on his face- like he didn't believe anything would come of it but couldn't help but hope. "Don't suppose you have any advice for me? As long as you're refusing to stay in bed and rest, after all…"

Ed made a face at him, annoyance rising again. He'd been resting for hours now, had been in bed for practically four days straight; he'd move around if he damn well wanted to. The annoyance was short-lived, however, as he saw the uncertain hope on Roy's face and his still gloved hand again, the array that lay dormant no matter how hard Roy had to be trying to work it.

It reminded Ed of how he'd felt earlier that day, when he found out he'd had automail- but he just couldn't have it now.

That he still couldn't protect himself.

"I don't know," Ed sighed, looking away himself. "I can't tell you to do anything more than you're already doing. I might be a good alchemist but I can't just magically remember how any of it works. I- why are you even doing this in here, anyway? Like that?" He gestured at the tub full of water, unable to help shying away a little at his own memories of the fucking ice baths. God, that felt so long ago…

Roy, however, seemed to have no such aversion, or if he did he just wasn't showing it. "I know I'm a flame specialist. I… remember that much." He shrugged coldly, shutting his eyes. "Figured if I was going to practice learning how to set things on fire, I might as well do it in the water." Roy hesitated a moment, pale face shifting. "…You should be safe over there, but I'd stay that far back, just in case."

Ed nodded. Roy was right. If his gut instinct was for him to stay back, then Ed was just going to trust it; from what little he'd seen, this alchemy was not something to mess around with.

"Actually-" Roy said suddenly, opening his eyes again to frown down at him, "you should go back and sleep some more. I'm not tired, I'll probably be doing this for a while- I'll be back in there before morning, but you're hurt, so-"

"Oh, shut up, will you." Rolling his eyes, Ed curled himself even more firmly in the huge blanket, so wrapped up in it he couldn't even feel the cold floor. "You're hurt, too, and I don't see you laying down and resting. Maybe I can't give you much advice, but if you're going to stay up and practice, I'm staying here, too." He shot Roy another glare, just daring him to protest this time- and it took a couple seconds, but the bastard had known him long enough to know he was serious, and Ed was finally pleased to see him sit back with yet another long, suffering, and defeated groan.

"Fine," Roy snapped, shaking his head. "We can stay here- for now. But we're going back to bed soon… if you won't go by yourself, then both of us. Soon, Fullmetal, so don't get too comfortable."

Ed smirked again, knowing his point had been made, and shut his eyes, leaning against the door a little more and dozing off to the sound of Roy snapping.

The next morning, of course, he paid for the late night.

Funny, how despite being so worn out he was probably sleeping twelve hours a day, the short, late night disruption still had the power to knock him down flat. He'd been up not even ten minutes before it the exhaustion hit him again, too; at first he'd really thought he'd have more energy today, that getting up with Roy was a great idea- and, well, now, here he was.

Ed rested his hand on his arm, scowling angrily down at the table, and heaved out a great, exhausted sigh.

He wasn't going to fall asleep down here. Was not.

Roy's friend smiled slightly at him from across the table, seemingly a cross between amused and sympathetic. "You know, you wouldn't be so tired if you'd stayed in bed like we'd suggested."

Ed grunted in annoyance. Maybe that was where Roy got his nagging from; his best friend was a professional at it. Not bothering to answer him, or Roy's slightly more sympathetic look, he stubbornly kept his mouth closed and just returned his gaze to the table and his plate of breakfast. Mostly just rice. The others had something else Roy's aunt had brought out, something Xingese that he couldn't identify but was god damn tantalizing as far as he was concerned, but after a few weeks of nothing but air, he had to admit this was probably safer.

He probably would've been able to eat it a little easier if he had the energy to pick his head up, but, that was neither here nor there, by this point.

Roy's one gloved hand, he'd noticed, stayed gloved, and hidden under the table, the entire time. His fingers kept on twitching in something close to a snapping motion.

Ed groaned, tearing his eyes away to glare back at the table, slumping over a little more. The thing was, he knew Maes was right, too. He would've had more strength if he'd stayed upstairs and slept a little more, let Roy go off with his friend, but he- he couldn't. It was one thing to be up there with Roy, but… being up there alone…

Ed shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment and violently fighting back another cold wave of terror.

That was too much like padded cell he'd been locked in in the end.

He didn't care that he was safe here. That things were different now, and the door wasn't locked, and he finally had the freedom to move and if he wanted out all he had to do was throw the door open himself. That difference wasn't enough to matter to him anymore.

If Roy wasn't there, he wasn't staying up there. That simple.

He just couldn't be alone anymore.

"So…" Ed swallowed hard, trying to fight back his own fear and the horrible memory of- of that place. "S-so, is- is this what we're doing, from now on?" Ed asked, forcefully pressing the sleep out of his voice to sound at least halfway alive. "Just staying here with you guys? That's it?"

Maes smiled again, though this time it seemed more of a mask for distress than a genuine expression. "Until you're both feeling much better, yes. We really don't think the military had anything to do with what happened to you now, but it's just safest that you stay away from there until you've recovered. The military… isn't someone you want to meet with in anything but your strongest, let's put it that way." He grimaced slightly, a shadow crossing his face in quiet, muted distress. "Even when you're on their side."

Next to him, Roy frowned slightly, tilting his head to the side. With the dark circles under his eyes, he looked just as tired as Ed- even if he was hiding it a bit better. "And by recovered, you mean our memories."

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"I'll take that as a yes," Ed muttered, sharing an unhappy look with Roy.

Maes leaned back with a sigh, slipping his glasses off to clean them on his sleeve and, Ed suspected, so he'd have the excuse not to meet their eyes. "I know asking you two not to worry is a bit much, but- please just try to be hopeful about this. Al's getting here tonight, Ed, and the only person I know who's a better alchemist than him is you. It'll probably take a little bit of research, but he'll be able to fix both of you. I promise."

Ed slumped a little more, poking at his rice with the fork again. He knew he had no reason not to believe Roy's friend, but as much as he'd promised that, it was starting to remind him of the hospital- how they'd just promised over and over that he and Roy would feel better soon but had had no reasoning or proof behind it. Just promised it until everything had fallen apart, and they'd given up even trying to pretend what they were doing was for their benefit.

He was glad Roy had found his family, he really, honestly was- but that wasn't enough for him anymore. This was where Roy wanted to be, but the longer it went on, the less content Ed felt here. It wasn't safe for him. It wasn't what Ed wanted.

He really, really wished Al would be here.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside.

Loud clangs of metal, and voices back and forth, voices that sounded almost like they were escalating into an argument. Ed jumped back, swiveling around to stare and felt Roy do the same next to him, instantly tense, almost fearful of what was happening now. It sounded as if the noises were coming from the street, the outside that neither of them had yet seen- and it didn't sound good, either.

Roy moved in front of him just a little, gloved hand tensing.

Maes was suddenly on his feet, moving in front of them both but not withdrawing his weapon, looking confused instead of afraid. "What is he… Roy, put your hand down, it's not- how did he…?"

Then, before Roy's friend had had time to say anything more- or Roy had even tried to lower his gloved hand- the door burst open, and… someone… burst straight inside.

Someone, or something- that was about all that Ed could say for certain.

It was a gigantic something, he could only presume it was a person, standing there in a suit of armor surely ten times Ed's size and eerie red lights for eyes, and- and-

And one of the things Ed remembered seeing in that padded cell.

Just like that horrifying, talking corpse of a woman- that suit of armor had been one of the things those deadweight drug cocktails and weeks on end locked in that tiny room and alone had made him see.

He flinched backwards again, panic lurching in his stomach. Roy moved in front of him just a little more.

Maes, meanwhile, was still up and moving, moving towards that monstrosity like he wasn't even afraid of it, not even with a weapon in hand as he gestured and moved closer, looking more surprised than anything else. "I thought you weren't getting in until tonight! How on earth did you-"

"Where is he?! Where is Ed?!"

Ed flinched a little more away in the same motion as Roy jerking in front of him, and there was no doubt about it now, his hand was raised and ready to snap.

That thing wanted… him?!

Maes stepped a little closer, hand reaching out that suddenly looked incredibly small in the face of the gigantic suit of armor. "He's fine, you just-"

"Where's my brother?!"

…What?

That… that was his brother?

That was Al?

Ed stared blankly.

That was Al?

But-

But that… thing… didn't even look human. It was huge, seven feet tall at least and could probably crush Ed just by stepping on him. Its eyes didn't look human either, red lantern lights that moved like eyes but weren't, and its voice was somehow metallic and like a child's all at once, it- it didn't make sense, because it sounded like the brother he'd talked to on the phone, and Al was his brother, but this-

This was him?

Before he'd had even a second process a single thing, Ed found himself already upright, standing with the chair for support and staring up at the intruder, absolutely, totally lost- but for the first time in days… hopeful.

Al…?

Just the movement alone was enough to attract the suit of armor's attention. Those two red, inhuman eyes immediately went straight to him and Ed froze in place, part of him just wanting to run but the rest of him frozen in place, because if that really was him, if that really was Al- he'd been looking for him for so long, just wanting to find his family, if that was really, actually him-

"Brother!"

The next thing he knew, the suit of armor was on his knees in front of him, settling down with a clang and his two massive hands trembling on his shoulders. He was as cold as Roy was warm and as terrifying as Roy was safe, but he was just kneeling there, staring at him like- like he wasn't just everything Ed had ever been looking for, but that Ed was everything he had ever been looking for.

"Br- Brother," he stammered again, "I… they told me you were hurt, so I won't, but I… I want to hug you. I really, r-really want to hug you," and that was all he had to say, because with that, Ed finally knew it was really, truly him. It was his Al.

A lump formed in his throat.

Then Ed flung himself forward, crashing straight into the cold, hard metal, and wrapped his arm around his brother as far as it would go.