Warm sunlight coaxed Edward into wakefulness; he stirred lazily, until a tug on his shoulder halted his progress. Oh…yeah…

Much like when he first got his automail, the wires and connections to his nerves were hooked up to a machine to avoid the worst of the pain. Keeping them semi-taut also made it a lot simpler to separate the base plate from his biological shoulder, which was still heavily bandaged. The last thing he remembered was the doctor prepping him for that very surgery…

"Ed?" Alphonse called quietly before slipping all the way into the room. "Winry should be able to make it in a couple of days. She had to finish a customization first. How are you feeling?"

"Only a little groggy from all the meds that guy forced down my throat," joked Edward, chuckling. Then he winced, having tweaked his shoulder the wrong way. "Did you tell her that the automail itself isn't damaged?"

"Yes. If course, she said, 'we'll see about that,' but it sounded like she believed me."

"The last thing I need is her chucking wrenches at my head while I'm in this state."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation.

"Come in," Edward called tentatively. He was surprised how scratchy his voice sounded. Angel crept into the room, still disheveled, scraped up, and covered in blood from…however long ago that night was. He realized he had no idea how long he'd been unconscious. At least the stubborn girl had allowed herself to be treated—the gash on her forehead was masked by a white bandage. Evidence of crying still showed on her dirty face.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"Still alive, that's all I can really ask for. It'll be a couple of days before my mechanic arrives to put me back together, though," replied Edward. He tried to shift his position, but only got a jolt that racked his whole body. Alphonse pressed his good shoulder.

"The doctor says you're not supposed to get up."

"I know," Edward groaned through the pain. Then he got serious again. "What about you, Angel?"

"As well as can be expected, I guess. When some of the details reached Colonel Mustang, he offered to pay for Dad's burial, which is a blessing. I don't have that kind of money. I won't deny though that it's been hard to have been alone for so long, and be reunited with my only remaining family only to have it taken away."

"You're not alone!" Alphonse protested. "Look at all the people you've seen, that you've helped! Many of them are local residents, and they love you. You bring something special to them. I know they'd support you in a heartbeat. Or if you chose to stay with the carnival you were traveling on. That's a kind of family too. You not alone at all. And with your alchemy, you can still see your parents, even if they're not physically here."

"Speaking of which," said Angel, "I've been thinking about something since I met you. You said you ended up this way because of losing your mom. Well…" She peeked out into the hallway to make sure it was clear before removing a small razor blade. Both boys flinched, knowing what she meant to do. Removing the fabric from both wrists, she touched Edward's hand for a few moments, made a small cut in her left wrist, and pressed it against her transmutation circle.

The room darkened somewhat as the air in front of her shimmered, coalesced into a human head and torso. A human with long hair and a kind face. Their mother, Trisha Elric.

"M-M-Mom?" the boys gasped. The glittering figure of light smiled at them.

"My boys, my strong, growing boys," she said. "You've made some awful mistakes in your short lives, but I'm so proud of you for what you've made of yourselves. You follow your hearts and beliefs even as you work for the military. You've both gotten bigger, too."

Edward smiled satisfactorily at Alphonse and Angel. "See? Someone recognizes it."

"I wanted you to know that I love you, and never truly left you. I will always remain in your hearts and the hearts of those in the world who care about you. Never forget that. I know that you'll do great things for this country. I will always treasure this chance to speak with you once more. Always be true to yourselves, Ed, Al. I love you so much, and I always will…" Her image slowly faded away.

"Mom…" Edward's eyes stung despite his resolve never to cry. After all this time, all the desperate measures they'd taken, the pain, the guilt, and regret they'd suffered, they had gotten to see their mother again. It was as if a great weight had dissipated with the light.

"Thank you…this means so…" Alphonse's hollow voice shook.

"I know," smiled Angel, who was replacing the bandage on her bleeding wrist. "I felt maybe you deserved a little comfort after so much hardship. And thank you for what you've done for me, for this area. You are doing great things."

"It's nice to know someone thinks so—well, two people, since Mom said so too," Edward said.

"What are you going to do now, Angel?" asked Alphonse.

"This place is still my home, so I want to stay. A couple of the people we freed know of an old alchemist who lives here. I'd also like some formal training in the practical uses of alchemy. Some of the stuff you guys did was amazing."

"That's great!"

"We wish you the best of luck," added Edward, beginning to feel the strain of so much emotion and activity. "Maybe we'll see you in the big cities someday."

Angel blushed shyly, one thing she'd never done before. "I don't know about that. But maybe we will cross paths again—maybe you'll have your bodies back when that happens. Either way, you're pretty hard to miss. Two young but talented alchemists?"

The doctor bustled in with cleaning and bandaging supplies. "Excuse me, I have some business to attend to. You're welcome to stay as long as you keep clear."

"That's okay," replied Angel. "I was just making a short visit. There are still some matters to wrap up concerning the, uh…events of the past few days. I hope you find what you're looking for, Elric brothers. In the meantime, come back for Spectaclefest in October. It's the biggest collection of sights and shows in the country, even if I'm not around. Bye!"

"Bye," echoed the boys. Alphonse sighed.

"It's kind of cool and sad at the same time, all the people we meet as we travel. Makes me want to stay in one place sometimes."

"If only we could do that, Al," Edward sighed with him. "Right now, there are more pressing matters for us."

"You mean when we're not held up by you busting yourself to pieces, Brother," chuckled Alphonse.

"Hey, you little—ow!"

"Hold still please," said the doctor, though he was smiling to himself.