Note: Magic in this fic is like a mix of alchemy and the magic from Harry Potter. They still have to use the key elements, but instead of runes, they use spells, unless it's advanced magic, in which they use both.

Part One: Adjusting

The twelve year old boy lay in his bed, wide awake and bored out of his mind.

"Brother?" came a whisper in the dark room. The boy turned to look at the source.

"Yeah Al?" he replied.

"I miss home," the husky admitted, resting his head on the edge of the bed.

"Me too," the boy sighed. "What are we gonna tell Roy?"

"I don't know, Brother. I guess we should just tell him the truth," Al answered.

"I'll tell him in the morning," the boy decided. "Come on up. You don't have to stay on the floor." Wagging his tail, Al hopped up and curled up next to his brother.

When Roy woke up the next morning, it took him a second to remember that his brother was in the next room over. All he could hope for was that his brother was as deep a sleeper as Hughes, because his music was playing pretty loud.

Opening the door to check on his brother, he found the boy to be asleep still, with the dog poking him.

"Come on, Ed, wake up!" the dog said, oblivious to Roy at the open door.

"Did you just talk?" Roy stuttered out with wide eyes. The dog jumped and whirled to face Roy.

The girl watched in horror as the bits of magic snaked out and stole the leg of one of her neighbors, then moved to the second boy, taking all of him. He disappeared in a flash.

"Al!" the older boy's cry shocked her to the core; she would never forget the anguish in his voice. "I-I h-have to get him b-back..." he mumbled, using his own blood to draw symbol needed for advanced magic.

The room brightened with the evil magic as the boy began the ritual to retrieve his brother. As the magic paralyzed him, he cried out in fear.

"Winry!" Look out!" he cried. The girl turned to see the creature that they had made just as it attacked.

"Ahhh!" Winry bolted upright in terror. "Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," she mumbled, rocking back and forth.

"What's wrong?" her cousin and roommate, Liza, stood in the doorway looking slightly alarmed.

"Just a nightmare," Winry tried to assure the older girl.

"You want to talk about it? I've herd that talking helps," Liza offered. Winry hesitated a bit before agreeing.

"Magic?" a seven year old Winry laughed. "Do you expect me to believe that? That's the worst cover up you've used yet!" For years, Edward and Alphonse had been hiding what it was that they did in their basement; ever since their mother died. She figured she could ask Granny, but Granny would probably avoid it like she did with the truth behind her parents' death the year before Trisha's. "Why won't you tell me?"

"We just did! It's not our fault you don't believe us!" Ed retorted indignantly.

"We can show you," Al added kindly. Swiftly, he took a pile of elements, which he later explained were the basic components of what he made, muttered a few words in Latin, placed his hands on the pile and formed a rag doll. "Here," he smiled, handing the doll to her.

"See?" Ed muttered. "Believe us now?" Speechless, Winry could only nod dumbly.

Four years later, the three children stood in that same basement, getting ready for the most anticipated day of their lives.

"Why do you have to be here Winry? You said that you didn't want to get involved," Ed complained.

"I said that I don't want you to bring my parents back with your mom because you said it would take too much energy and that I could wait a year. I never said I didn't want to be here," Winry retorted.

"It's fine, Winry. And Brother, we're ready to start," Al piped in, trying to prevent an argument.

"Finally!" Ed grinned. He stepped over to the symbol for advanced magic with Al. The two boys recited the Latin spell simultaneously.

Winry watched in horror as the bits of magic snaked out and stole Ed's left leg, then moved to Al, taking all of him. He disappeared in a flash. In return, in the center of the circular symbol appeared a mutilated pile of blood and bones, a monster in the place of what the three expected to be Trisha Elric. Edward was unconscious for thirty seconds, but to Winry, it seemed like an eternity.

"Al!" his cry shocked her to the core; she would never forget the anguish in his voice. "I-I h-have to get him b-back..." he mumbled, using his own blood to draw the symbol needed for advanced magic.

The room brightened with the evil magic as Ed began the ritual to retrieve his brother. As the magic paralyzed him, he cried out in fear.

"Winry!" Look out!" he cried. She turned to see the creature that they had made just as it attacked.

"Ma'am, you let those two boys burn down their house. One of them was killed, and we still don't know how the other lost an arm and a leg. We cannot allow you to raise children in an unstable environment," the child services officer stated calmly. It had been a week since the incident.

"I run a prosthetic shop, at least let me make him new limbs," Pinako bargained.

"You have a year to get him new limbs," the officer replied.

"But installation and rehabilitation takes at least three years minimum!" she protested.

"A year. No longer," the officer stated curtly, then walked out.

Exactly one year later, Edward Elric, with new, metal limbs, went to live with his brother.