Chapter 2

{-Edward-}

"DAMMIT!" Ed slammed the phone onto the hook so hard he thought he broke it. The loud ring it produce seemed to echo throughout the house. Everyone was quiet. Waiting for any news on Mei and Al. Edward grabbed his coat and packed his briefcase. He was going to the train station and heading straight to central. He didn't care if he had to walk. He was going to go be with his brother. Edward's mind swam with the memories from what seemed like just yesterday:

Ed and Al had gone to the market that day. Winry needed a few more things for dinner, and the brothers needed to take a trip to see everyone at the cemetery. The flowers they had placed by their mother, father, and granny Pinako's graves were starting to wilt and get ugly. When the two of them were almost back to the house they heard Den's usual barking followed by an agonizing scream from Winry.

"Was that Winry?" Al had asked his brother.

Ed didn't hear it though. He was already sprinting toward the house, a million thoughts running through his mind. When he got to the house, he saw Winry lying on the floor just as his mother had been years ago. Fear froze him.

"Ed?" Winry looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

Even after he knew that Winry was still alive Ed couldn't bring himself to move. Fear had a hold on him and try as he might it wouldn't let go.

"Edward what are you doing?!" Alphonse was at the door now behind him.

His brother's panicked voice snapped Edward out of his trance-like state and finally he was able to move toward his wife. He picked Winry up and cradled her in his arms. She was laying in a pool of water.

She isn't due for weeks.

"Edward? Is that you?" Winry was pale as a ghost.

She looks like she's dead.

No! He wouldn't think about that! Winry was still alive and she was going to make it through this. She was too strong. He couldn't lose her.

"Do you want me to phone the doctor?" Ed looked into Winry's eyes and saw something new that he had never seen there before. Fear.

"Please."

Ed got up and headed for the workshop where they kept the phone. Alphonse was just ending his conversation with the doctor.

"Thanks we appreciate it. Goodbye."

Al turned to look at his brother and Edward could see that Al was scared, but clearly a lot more calm than he was.

"Thanks for phoning the doctor for me." Ed said in a nearly inaudible voice.

"Brother what are you doing here?" Al asked.

Ed continued on as if Al never said anything, "Look, Al, I know that this reminds you of mom..."

"Ed." Al tried to cut him off.

But Ed continued on, as if he hadn't even heard his brother, "It reminds me of then too, and I know you're scared. But we're going to get through this. Winry's not gonna die. I won't let that happen. I'll stop it-"

"Edward!" Al seemed to have finally gotten through to his brother. "Winry needs you. Go be with her."

Ed shook himself. "You're right."

Ed picked Winry up off the floor and carried her to their bedroom. He propped her up on some pillows, held her close, and looked into her eyes. "Winry. I made you a promise, that I would always be here for you, and I intend on keeping it."

Winry smiled up at him.

Ed shook himself back to the present. He didn't need to be thinking about that when he went to meet Al and Mei. That's the last thing they needed was to see Ed shaken up.

Ed left his study, set his briefcase down in the kitchen, and walked into the workshop where he knew Winry would be still standing by the phone.

"I'm going to central." Ed said.

"I'm coming with you." Winry replied.

"No. You need to stay here with the kids."

"They might need me-"

"Winry. Our family needs you. I need to be with my brother and his wife. If we took the kids with us it would just be more stress on everyone." Winry gave him a doubting glance. "You know I'm right."

"I guess."

"I won't be gone long. And when I come back it will be with Mei, Al, Nina and the newest member to the Elric family." Ed bent down to kiss his wife and whispered in her ear, "Be sure to drink you're milk while I'm gone." He smiled and walked back out into the kitchen where his children were still at the table. He picked up his briefcase and went to say goodbye to each of them.

"Why are you leaving Daddy?" Trisha asked.

"I have to go be with Uncle Al and Aunt Mei. They need me." Trisha started to cry like she always did when her daddy had to leave. "Don't cry honey. I'll be back soon."

"Can't we go with you Dad?" Maes asked.

"Not this time, Maes. Next time I go to central I promise I'll take you with me."

"Can we go into the library?"

Ed chuckled, his son reminded him so much of himself it was almost ridiculous. "Of course."

"I'll miss you Dad." Sara was the most reserved, and probably the most mature out of the three children. "Be safe and come back soon ok?"

"Don't worry Sarah. I will." Then Ed hugged each of his children and told them all he loved them.

Winry emerged from the workshop and he gave her one last hug and kiss before he headed to the station.

It wasn't a long walk from the Elric-Rockbell home to the Resembool station. Edward approached the ticket window and hoped that luck was on his side. The train, that was near leaving, at the station was heading back west and he hoped that it would be going to central.

"One ticket for the next train to central please."

"You're in luck Ed. This train is getting ready to leave for central and there was only one ticket left."

"It's about time the world didn't have it out for me." Ed paid for his ticket.

"The train's about to leave. You'd better hurry."

"Thanks. You'd think I'd get tired of jumping trains as much as I've done it." Ed said as he was running toward the, now moving, train.

Ed grabbed onto the bar by the stairs, hopped onto the train, and found his seat for the ride to central. Ed forgot how much he secretly hated trains. But after a while and all the traveling he did, he got used to it. Ed slouched down into his seat and drifted off to sleep.

{-Roy-}

Mustang was shaken awake by Riza who had tears in her eyes. Dr. Knox went into the kitchen and washed the remaining blood off of his hands and arms. He was shaking his head the whole time.

"What's the status?" Mustang asked.

"What we feared. He was stillborn. I left them alone to grieve. Told them to give the baby a name to ease the pain."

"How would that make it any better?"

"It's easier to lose an infant than it is to lose an unborn child. So we tell them to give stillborn babies names so that they can feel like they had a chance in this world."

"I see."

"The baby was due in only 6 weeks. I can't imagine what Mei is going through. She was almost-"

"He's alive?!" Alphonse's sob seemed to echo off of every surface in the Hughes' residence. "HE'S ALIVE!"

"How can that be?" Dr. Knox asked himself more than Mustang. They ran back into the room where Al and Mei were. Alphonse was holding the tiny baby in his hands. He seemed to be examining the child.

"He's breathing but there's something wrong with his organs. His soul is being called to the gate..." Alphonse hastily drew an extremely complex transmutation circle.

"Alphonse, what are you-" Mei tried to object, but was too weak to finish.

"He can take part of me back if he wants it. But I won't let this baby die!"

Mustang looked down onto the circle that Al had drawn and instantly recognized it. The last transmutation circle he had seen before he was sucked into the gate. That circle had been forever etched into his mind since the Truth took his sight. And now, after his sight had been restored by Dr. Marcoh, he was standing face to face with the very thing that had taken it away again.

A human transmutation circle.

"Alphonse what are you doing?" Mustang asked in a quiet voice, still reeling.

"He isn't dead yet, but he's near death. I'll use my life energy combined with Alchemy and Alkahestry to bring his soul back and fix his organs. The Truth might take something from me in the process, but I don't care. I won't let my son die."

Before anyone could say anything else Alphonse performed the transmutation. That single, horrifying eye glared upon them all, and then they were gone in a whirl of bright blue light.

"Alphonse..." Mei tried to sit up.

"Stay down Mei! You'll need your strength for when they come back."

"You're right Dr. Knox. I just only hope they both come back in one piece. Alphonse is my life. Without him I don't know if I can go on."

Mustang looked over at Mei. She looked like she had aged thirty years in merely hours. She was so frail looking that Roy wouldn't be surprised if she did indeed pass out of existence if Al and their new baby didn't return.

{-Alphonse-}

Alphonse stood in between two gates with his newborn son in his arms. Al knew the one to his right was his own. As many times as he had seen his body there he remembered every detail. The gate to his left, which used to be where his brother's gate stood, was a gate he had never seen before. He presumed it was his child's. Suddenly the Truth appeared.

"So, you foolish Alchemist, you've returned yet again."

"Yes." Al replied with defiance.

"Well, your goals have clearly changed. You've reclaimed your body. What more could you possibly want?"

Al leered at the Truth. He was toying with him.

"Oh but, of course, I know what it is you desire. You want me to release your son's soul from my grasp. You want him to live with you."

"Yes."

"Well, let's see." Truth seemed to be pondering what to take from Al.

"You can have anything you want."

"Even if that means you will never be able to have children?"

Al reeled. He wanted children more than anything. But he had two already. Was it really so selfish of him to want more?

"You're taking an awful long time to decide Alphonse."

Tears came to Al's eyes. How would he tell Mei? How would he explain?

"You've taken so much from my family already. Why does there have to be an exchange?"

"You would rather me just give him to you? You know the laws Alchemist!"

"But you took Roy's sight from him without justification! Shouldn't there be a law against that too? He was forced to open the portal! It would have been different if he had done it out of his own volition like we had! What do you have to say about that?"

"Roy Mustang sought truth. Though he was forced to open the portal, he was curious just as any other alchemist is. So I showed him Truth, and in exchange I took his sight."

"What?"

"Would you rather I just give Truth away for free? What would be the point then? I could just expose all of the world's secrets at no cost! Would you have me give your brother his alchemy back at no expense at all? Would you-"

"You can restore Ed's Alchemy!?" Alphonse was mesmerized by the thought. "But that's impossible."

"Fool! After everything you've been through you still think there are impossibilities in this world? You haven't learned anything have you?! You come here seeking a solution to a problem, and the longer you take to decide, the closer your son gets to joining me!"

"You bastard."

"So Alphonse, what's it gonna be?"

"You can't take that from me. That isn't an equivalent exchange."

"You're right. But perhaps this is."

Just then, Alphonse felt as if his insides had been ripped to shreds. He coughed blood and at the same time fell to his knees. Or rather, knee as the truth had taken his right leg from him as well.

"Yes. I think that will suffice. You'll still be able to have children, but you will never be as strong or as agile as you are now." As Al was being unraveled and pulled back into his portal, and his son was being pulled through his, the Truth gave him a final warning, "Do not seek Truth, foolish Alchemist, unless you are prepared to pay the price."

The doors to the portal closed and Al was being hurtled back to his own world.

I really messed up this time. How will I ever explain this to Brother?