Elysia ran through the brush ignoring the sharp branches that scratched her skin and pulled at her hair. She was going full speed ahead, adrenaline pumping through her; the only thing keeping her going. But the more they ran uphill exhaustion set in and her legs began to ache. They were nearly to the crest when she remembered something.

"Al! Jean!" She cried out turning around to face Lin as she stopped. "Where are they?"

Richard stopped too, looking at Elysia and Lin then back down the hill towards the Drachman base they had just escaped. He seemed anxious to keep going but said nothing.

"They'll catch up," Lin reassured pushing uphill effortlessly.

"No," Elysia said shaking her head. "We can't just leave them..."

"Trust me," Lin urged, taking her by the arm to get Elysia moving again. "They're fine they can take care..."

Suddenly he stopped and spun around listening intently. He thought he heard something behind him. He held up his hand to signal Elysia and Richard to remain still and silent. Then he heard the sounds of breaking twigs behind him. He scanned the brush but he couldn't see through it. It didn't sound like an army of men running after them... more like...

Al and Havoc literally came bursting through the brush, panting and in a big hurry. It didn't take them long to catch up and Lin wondered how they caught up so fast. He figured it would have taken Al a while to destroy the homunculi army. Elysia and Richard were exhausted and no matter how much he urged them to go faster they could only do so much in their condition but still... He looked closely at Al. He didn't look too well. He was pale and upset and Lin realized why.

"You weren't able to destroy them," Lin breathed feeling the weight of their troubles doubling and settling on his shoulders hard.

Al just shook his head like he was ashamed with himself for his failure though it couldn't be helped. He looked away but was suddenly tackled by Elysia.

"Al," she said holding him tight. "I'm so glad you came. Thank you," she said pulling away and looking up at him gratefully, tears in her eyes. Then her cheeks reddened and she looked slightly embarrassed. "I hate to ask this but where is..." then she stopped and looked at Al worriedly. "You're bleeding. Are you alright?" She said standing on her toes to get a good look at him to see where he was bleeding from.

"It's just a scratch," Al said smiling to reassure her as he reached up and touched the side of his head and winced. When he wasn't paying attention to the wound it didn't hurt so much. Adrenaline was always a natural pain reliever. But when it ran its course it left him with a throbbing headache and the wound stung when he touched it.

"Let me see," Havoc said walking around him to get a good look.

Al shrugged him off. "No, don't bother. We need to get out of Drachma as soon as possible..." He trailed off a faraway look in his eyes.

"Agreed," Lin said not noticing Al's sudden change in mood. He turned back around and stopped nearly running into Richard who was staring at Al who in turn was looking back at Richard. Lin silently stepped out of their way marveling for the first time how much Richard looked like Edward.

"You look like him but you're not him," Richard said quietly. His voice was rough and scratchy. A dark, nasty bruise had formed across his throat.

"No," Al said wishing the circumstances were more conducive for such a family reunion… and that Edward was here for it as well. "I'm you're uncle, Alphonse."

Richard nodded a smile tugging at his lips. Al noticed tears welling up in his nephew's eyes and he couldn't stop himself; it was just the father in him. He went over and enveloped Richard in a hug. Richard hesitated at first but relaxed and hugged Al back.

"I really hate to break up this touching moment," Havoc said getting an elbow in the stomach from Elysia and grunted. He ignored her silent scolding that he shouldn't have interrupted. "But we really need to head out."

"Yes," Lin said hating to interrupt as well. "But what about the homunculi?"

"I don't know," Al said guiltily letting Richard go and stepping back, studying his nephew carefully. "If I'd been able to get in..." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I have to think this through. I'm going to need Ed's help." He had hoped to keep Edward out of the whole mess but he knew two alchemists would be better than one to destroy an army of homunculi.

"Then he's alright?" Elysia asked earnestly.

"Yeah," Al said turning to look at her.

"But where is he? Why didn't he come?" She wondered what could possibly have kept Edward back. He wasn't the type to sit around and wait; to let others do what he would surely feel he could do better and on his own.

"I wouldn't let him."

Elysia looked at him, confused.

"You know how he is, Elysia," Al explained. "He'd do anything for you and Richard."

"He would," Elysia said quietly fully understanding Al's intentions. Just as Edward would do anything for her she would do anything for him. If someone demanded her soul in exchange for Edward she would give it without even thinking. She knew Al had kept Edward from giving his life for them so they could be reunited. "Though I wish it hadn't been you either, Al. You're alright but you didn't come away completely unharmed. You should have just sent Jean," she joked with a sly grin. "Nobody would miss him if he didn't come back." She smirked looking at Havoc for his reaction.

"I rest my case," Havoc grumbled as he walked by scowling. "You've been with Ed way too long. Let's keep moving. Then Elysia will be too tired to insult me anymore."

"So how did you stop Ed?" Elysia asked starting back up the hill trying to keep pace with Al and his long strides.

"I kind of had to imprison him," he said sheepishly.

Elysia looked at him, her face a mixture of awe and pity. "I don't know how you managed it but you realize he's going to kick your ass when he sees you again," she laughed.

"I know," Al said resigned to his fate.

They hurried through the rough terrain. Once over the hill Al created a pathway for them to get through more easily. They made it back to the hidden truck that had been left on the side of the road without incident. Al then covered the path they had used to make it harder for anyone to follow them. Elysia and Richard squeezed into the cab between Al and Havoc, who took the wheel, Lin jumping in the bed of the truck to watch their back.

It was a long drive back and Al felt himself nodding off despite his best efforts. His use of alchemy to clear out the collapsed tunnel, the long journey into Drachma, losing quite a bit of blood from the bullet graze... it was all finally catching up to him. Richard had already fallen asleep, his head resting on Elysia's shoulder. Al was amazed his sister-in-law wasn't asleep. She certainly looked tired. She was pale and tense. But she was wide awake and lost in her thoughts.

"Al."

"Hmmm," he said. He was drifting off. It barely registered that someone was trying to get his attention. That was until his head drooped to the side, hitting the window. The stinging pain shot through him and he was more than wide awake now.

"What it is?" He asked grimacing as he gingerly put his hand over the wound that was still bleeding. Before leaving Havoc had given him a few bandages to help with the bleeding but he had dropped the first when he was nodding off.

"Is there a way to bring someone back?"

"What do you mean?" Al didn't like that question. He busied himself with a new bandage wondering who Elysia could be talking about. He had no idea. Bad memories made him retreat back into old habits and he braced himself to be defensive and vague about the subject of human transmutation. He didn't think there was anyone she wanted brought back. Her mother was fine along with her daughter and Edward. Her father… but surely she must know it was impossible. Al stopped himself. Perhaps he was just jumping to conclusions and she had asked out of curiosity. But there had to be a reason.

"Russell," she finally explained looking straight ahead, her green eyes blazing with anger. Al thought she'd burn a whole through the windshield. "He used his brother, Fletcher, as a sacrifice to bring Kimbley back."

Al gasped, dropping the clean bandage he was pressing to his head. Havoc nearly drove off the road but righted the truck quickly.

"Shit! Stay on the road!" They heard muffled from the back of the truck.

"Sorry, Lin," Havoc said called back then refocused his attention back on the road. His face was a stone mask but his hands expressed enough to understand his feelings on the subject. They gripped the steering wheel, the skin stretched over his knuckles so tight it looked like it'd rip.

"You saw it happen?" He asked thinking it was a dumb question to ask. How else would she know?

Elysia gave a stiff nod. "Richard too. Then Envy took over Kimbley's body."

"Oh, Elysia," Al said sadly. "I'm so sor..."

"Don't apologize, Al," Elysia said heatedly turning on him with her angry eyes. "You didn't do it. But is there a way to undo what they did?"

Al turned away feeling Elysia's anger become his own. He couldn't believe Russell was evil enough to use his own brother as a sacrifice… and to be demented enough to bring a crazy alchemist like Kimbley back in exchange for Fletcher... Al felt sick to his stomach just thinking about it. He felt worse when he imagined Elysia and Richard having to witness such a thing. Then for Elysia to be faced with her father's murderer… he knew it had to be painful for her and he was proud of how well she seemed to be holding herself together. He didn't answer right away as he turned to watch the Drachman landscape rush by in a blur of brown and gray hating the country and what it represented; the trouble they had just caused by aligning themselves with someone like Russell. Finally he gave her an answer.

"Yes."

"Good." Elysia said looking back out in front of her, satisfied. Then she glanced to her left at Richard. He was awake and alert now having listened intently to her and Al's conversation. He looked just as satisfied with Al's answer as Elysia was.