Disclaimer - I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist

ALSO - I kind of morphed the ending of the movie to fit the theme of this fanfic, in case you didn't notice. So instead of going after the Uranium bomb themselves, they're going to London to try to get home and blah, blah, blah. In my head that's how the story always ended so I just figured what the hell . . .

. . .

Note from me to readers - Because I'm just super OCD like that, I kind of feel the need to make sure this story is mostly historical fact, so it takes me a little longer to write every chapter. For example in this one, I had to figure out the average traveling speed of a car in 1923, than figure out the number of KM between the destinations I needed, then convert KM to miles and divide that by the average MPH in 1923 . . . All in all it took me about an hour to right one freaking paragraph of this chapter . . . So don't think I quit just because it's been a little while, I just need to check my facts sometimes.

. . .

Resembool, Amestris

1917

(Earth Year: 1923)

Granddaughter - 18

"So what happened in Central?" the little old lady asked as her granddaughter walked through the front door of their small home. "Where's Alphonse? And didn't you say Sheska was with you?"

The girl looked down, trying to hold back her tears. She was tall and thin, with pale skin. Shad had very long blonde hair that she wore in a sloppy bun, and big blue eyes.

"Winry?" her grandmother asked, waving her short little arms in the air.

"He's gone, Granny," Winry told her with a shaky voice. "He and Ed went back to the place where Edward's been all this time. I don't even know if they're alive . . ."

The old woman laughed.

"What's so funny?" Winry snapped.

"It's just that after all this time, you still haven't learned you lesson . . . Don't you know by now that those brothers always come back?"

Winry didn't say anything; she didn't want to break the old woman's heart. Despite the way she made it look, Pinako Rockbell cared for those boys just as much as she did for Winry.

"We'll just do what we always do . . . We'll wait," Pinako said. "And eventually . . . They will come."

Den-their big black dog that Winry had had since childhood-whimpered softly and rubbed against Winry's legs. He could tell what was happening, Winry knew it.

. . .

Munich, Germany

1923

"Are you sure you can't stay?" Gracia asked, tears welling up in her eyes. "I just lost Alfons a week ago and now you too, Edward?"

Ed shook his head. "I'm sorry, Gracia, but I just can't stay here. I made a promise to Alfons that I'd remember him when I got home, and he died trying to make that possible. I'm going to make sure his death wasn't in vain."

"What about you, Noah?" Gracia asked.

"The Nazis will be in greater power before you know it, I can tell. It's better for me to leave Germany freely while I still can," Noah replied.

Gracia looked at Alphonse. "And I assume you'll be sticking by your brother, then?"

Al nodded. "'Brothers should stick together,' right?"

Gracia nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. She sniffled once, then reached out and straightened Edward's collar. "Be safe."

"Always," Ed replied.

"Be careful."

"Of course."

"Stay out of trouble?"

"Never."

They both smiled at each other. Gracia had acted as a motherly figure for Edward and Alfons for nearly two years. Leaving was hard for him too.

"I've gotta say, Ed, I think I actually might miss those goofy stories of yours . . ." Hughes admitted.

"Ah!" Al gasped. "Brother, we almost forgot!"

"Oh yeah . . ." Ed grinned and handed on of his many research journals to Gracia. "That thing's filled with all of my stories. Some day when you guys have kids, so me a favor and pass them on, okay?"

Gracia nodded, then hugged the three of them. "Thank you, Edward. That's very sweet. You too, Al."

Hughes shook hands with Ed and Al, and after a pause with Noah as well. He handed Ed some paper. "This is the address of a friend of mine who lives in London. After you get off the ship to England, stop by his place. He and his wife are anxious to meet you, and they're offered to let you guys stay there while you gather your research."

"Okay, thanks Officer Hughes," Ed said.

He, Al, and Noah began to walk away then. Noah turned around to wave one last time, but Edward and Alphonse knew better.

You never look back.

. . .

Noah found them a ride with some other gypsies who were heading the same way as they were. When Ed and Al caught sight of their escorts, they almost turned around.

The one driving was strong, well built. He had black hair and brown skin, and a no-nonsense look in his eyes. The woman next to him also had black hair and brown skin, but her build was small, fragile, and her eyes were almost . . . Kind.

Scar and Lust but . . . Different.

Naturally, the Elric brothers were afraid at first. But this was to be expected, considering everything that had happened in the world the Elrics were from, with people who shared the same faces.

They would have turned down the ride and waited. Hatred as deep as that of Scar and Lust couldn't only be one-dimensional, right? But then the last thing they ever expected to happen occurred; Lust smiled and motioned for them to hurry.

"So where are you going?" Al asked them when they were in the back of the car.

Not-Lust turned around in her seat so she could see them. "To our family's home, in France. We'll take you as far as Freiburg, but then we've got to go south."

"Thank you very much for the ride," Al said politely.

Not-Lust smiled again. Edward flinched a little, for the Lust that he had known only smiled at someone else's misfortune. Even though they had become friends in the end, the feeling of unease was still there.

"What are your names, children?" she asked.

"I'm Alphonse Elric, and this is my older brother Edward. And out friend, Noah," Al replied.

"I've heard of you," Not-Scar said to Noah. "They say you can tell people's secrets just by touching them, right?"

Noah nodded. "Yes."

Al, who had not yet heard this, looked at his brother with wide eyes. Ed nodded, and Al squirmed a little away from Noah, just in case. There were just some things you keep to yourself.

"Well I hope you're not just a con-artist. It's people like that who ruin the name of our people."

Not-Lust pushed Not-Scar's shoulder. "Dear me, Brother you sound almost hostile!"

He cracked a small smile. "Sorry, sister."

"Well, you know our names. What should we call you?" Edward asked.

"You may call us 'friend' or 'brother' and 'sister' or even 'gypsy' if you'd like," Not-Lust said. "It truly doesn't matter. My brother and I are going to France to join our family. When we get their I'll find my partner, Dmitri, and we'll be married. Until then, until we have family by our sides, we don't have names of significance."

"You're getting married?" Al asked. There was something in his voice that Edward picked up on . . . Almost, happiness.

"Uh-huh. Dmitri is the love of my life . . . He's meeting us at our family's home where we'll all live until we see every last Nazi imprisoned."

"High hopes . . ." Ed muttered bitterly.

Not-Lust shrugged. "Maybe so, but what's the point in living without high hope?"

Ed thought of everything he and his brother had lived for these past 8 years. Resurrecting the dead, returning a soul to it's lost body, sending man into space in order to find a way home, looking for a "dead" brother, and now traveling to London to figure a way to pass between dimensions.

He said nothing.

"So how long until we reach Freiburg?" Noah asked.

"Eight and a half hours, at least," Not-Scar replied.

"What?" Ed exclaimed, waving his arms in frustration. "You've got a car, why the hell will it take that long?"

"Freiburg is farther than you think," Not-Lust replied in a kind voice. "And we'd like to get their without any accidents."

Ed grumbled in frustration and slumped back against the edge of the truck.

"Brother!" Al hissed in his ear. "I just realized something . . . The gypsies here in Germany, and the Jewish people too . . . It's kind of like the Ishballan war back home!"

Ed nodded grimly. "Yeah . . . I guess you're right, Al."

"Well isn't there something we can do? Before a war starts!" Al exclaimed.

Ed bent his head lower so his brother wouldn't be able to see his eyes. For any fool knows; eyes can give away our deepest buried emotions. "No, Al . . . we can't. If we truly want to get home than we can't let the affairs of this world concern us, it's just not our place."

"Refrain from helping people?" Al asked. "But brother, we've never done that!"

"So I take it you're not from Germany?" Not-Scar asked.

Both the brothers jumped. They hadn't noticed they were being listened to.

Alphonse shook his head. "Ah, no, we're not."

"Well then where are you from and why are you here?" Not-Lust asked curiously.

"They're like us," Noah answered. "they have no more homeland."

Not-Lust shrugged. "Well, alright then. So what are you boys doing in Germany, then?"

"Brother was studying rocketry!" Al replied proudly.

"Well that's very interesting. So I guess you know better than anyone what's really out there then?" Not-Lust asked Ed.

Ed nodded. "Yeah, I guess so . . ."

"So is there really anything spectacular out there?" she asked, sounding 100% interested.

Ed raised his eyebrows.

"Tell them about the asteroid belt, Brother!" Alphonse suggested. "That's pretty spectacular."

Ed nodded. "Alright . . . Well, in between the planets Mars and Jupiter, there's this thing called the asteroid belt. It's a million chucks of rock just shooting around. Some scientists believe that it was once a planet, too. But before it was fully formed, it crashed into something and broke into a bunch of tiny asteroids."

"To think that something as big as a planet could just break like that . . ." Al wondered aloud.

"That is pretty amazing," Not-Lust agreed. "So what sparked your interest in rocketry, Edward?"

Ed was caught off guard by her question. How could he possibly answer without giving away too much of the truth?

"I guess I was just looking for a way home," he replied.

Not-Lust-who of course assumed he was speaking metaphorically-smiled. "Well said."

There was silent for a few moments.

Alphonse gasped, realizing something. "Wait! We don't have very much money, I don't know if we'll be able to pay you for driving us."

Not-Lust shook her head. "We're all going the same way, right? What's the difference?"

"There must be something we can offer," Ed agreed with his brother. "We Elrics live by the rule of equivalent exchange. You can't gain without giving."

"Why don't you give them your stories?" Noah suggested. "I'd say those are worth and 9-hour car trip."

"You have stories?" Not-Lust asked, a sparkle forming in her eye. "My brother and I love stories! Please tell us some!"

Edward looked at his younger brother, who shrugged.

"Alright," Ed said. "We'll tell you stories . . ."

And for the next eight and a half hours, that's what they did. Not-Lust and Not-Scar ate every word they said right up. They loved the idea of multi-detentions, and sometimes appeared to believe them.

When the car finally pulled to a stop, Not-Lust looked sad.

"This is where we part ways," Not-Scar said. "It was very nice to meet you, and thank you for sharing those wonderful stories. They'll be something to talk about at my sister's wedding."

"No problem, and thank you for the ride," Ed replied.

Before they drove away, Not-Lust grabbed Noah's hand. "Our people must stay together. You have family with us if you ever need it, Sister Nomad."

\When they had turned down a different road and were out of sight, Noah opened her hand, revealing a small piece of paper with an address written on it. Before either of the Elric brothers could see it, she tucked it into the pocket of her dress.

"Where to now, Brother?" Alphonse asked.

"Well, we should probably find an inn," Ed suggested. "And tomorrow I'll find a way to get us a car to Calais. We'll have to drive all day, it's 14 hours away from here . . . We'll stay over night there before boarding a ship to England, which will probably take about 8 hours. From their we'll just find a way to London, I guess. It should only be about 3 and a half hours by car . . ."

Al sighed. "We left Munich at 11am and now it's 7 o'clock at night! I haven't eaten since breakfast and I'm exhausted. Couldn't we just take a train?"

"I agree with Alphonse," Noah said with a yawn. "Fourteen hours in a car with you two sounds like murder . . ."

Ed tried to ignore her attempt at teasing them and shook his head. "In this economy, even in France trains are expensive. If we want to sleep with a roof over our heads we'll have to deal with hitch hiking."

. . .

Later that night, after the brothers and their companion had eaten dinner and gone up to their rooms, Ed and Al sat on their beds, talking.

Noah was in a room across the hall from theirs, so Al figured it was safe to talk now.

"Brother, does Noah know about us?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah . . . That stuff Scar-or . . . Not-Scar rather-was saying about her is all true. She knows everything."

"She looks like Rose," Al muttered. "But she acts differently. Rose is much happier now a days."

"Really?" Ed asked with a grin. "Well that's good to hear. How's that kid of hers?"

"Good," Al replied. "He's really clingy and annoying though . . . But I guess all little kids are."

They were silent.

"Okay . . . I can't take it anymore, Al I've gotta admit it . . . This is weird," Ed said, shaking his head. "I can't get used to you not being an 8-foot tall suit of armor."

Al laughed. "You think it's weird? I just got a bunch of memories back of being a disembodied soul! That's weird!"

The two boys laughed and laid back on their beds. It was almost like old times.

"Brother . . . I don't understand," Al said, his voice changing. "Scar said that when Lust was alive, he had loved her, but in this world their siblings. I thought you said-"

"Lust loved someone else, Al," Edward interrupted. "When she was a human she was in love with Scar's brother, and he loved her back. That's what a soul-mate is . . . It can't just be one-sided."

"Well, I think that's pretty messed up," Al said. "Having two people love you and having to choose which one you're going to love back . . . I mean, I guess you'd understand though, huh Ed?"

Edward's torso shot up and he looked at his brother. "What do you mean?"

"Well, Rose and Winry are both in love with you, but you chose to love Winry back, right?" Al teased.

"I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH WINRY!" Ed shouted.

Al raised his hands in surrender and spoke with a mocking tone, "whatever you say, Brother . . ."

Ed decided to change the subject. "So . . . Uh, 26 hours to England then, if you don't count the down time. You ready, Al?"

He nodded. "Mhmm. Tomorrow morning we should call Ms. Gracia and Officer Hughes, don't you think?"

"Sure," Ed agreed. "I'm sure they've got a phone here. Until then, we should get some sleep, we've got a long day of driving tomorrow."

Al groaned and smashed his pillow over his face. "Great . . ."

. . .

"Hello?" a groggy voice answered.

"Gracia? It's Edward."

"Edward?" she exclaimed, sounding fully awake now. "Where are you? Are you okay? Are Noah and Alphonse with you? Are you lost? Do you need to come home? Why are you calling so early? Did something-"

"Gracia!" Ed interrupted. "Calm down! We're in Freiburg, we're fine, Noah and Al are still with me, we don't need to go home w know exactly where we are and we're calling this early because we probably won't have access to a phone until tomorrow or later tonight and we knew you'd worry!"

Back in Munich, Gracia's face sunk in embarrassment.

"Oh well . . . it was kind of you to think of me but I wasn't worrying at all!" she lied. In truth, she had gone through 22 handkerchiefs and bitten her nails down to stubs.

"Uh-huh, sure." Ed shook his head, even though she couldn't see. "Well, just checking in. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Alright. Now you kids need to stay out of trouble, alright?" Gracia asked.

"Mhmm, whatever," Ed mumbled. "Bye!"

He hung the phone back on it's receiver and thanked the inn keeper.

As the three of them walked away from the inn, Al leaned in closer to his brother and whispered in his ear, "do you think if we tried to call Winry and Aunt Pinako . . .?"

Ed shook his head. "Sorry, Al."

. . .

Central, Amestris

1917

(Earth Year: 1923)

The normally obnoxiously loud sounds Central seemed dulled in light of the mood. Twelve people were standing in a three-walled room that had probably been an office before the opening of the gate.

"Do you realize how important this is to science?" one the men was shouting. He had messy, gray, hair and pale, wrinkled skin. He was wearing a lab coat with a Military seal no the pocket. "Not to document it would be a crime against humanity!"

"We've already told you, Dr. Rue, you must forget everything you've seen here today!" one of the other men said. "It's an old secret that must be kept."

"But, with this information, alchemy could advance so much!" the doctor continued.

A few feet away, in the corner of the room, the only woman present sighed. She had blonde hair, pulled back with only her bangs falling over her red-brown eyes. She wore a blue military uniform, and had a gun-loaded and ready-holstered on her belt.

She knew where this argument was going-no where. The doctor simply could not have his way, it was in the government's best interest.

"Doctor Rue you are dismissed!" the second man shouted.

The woman sighed again. If the doctor didn't stop arguing soon, he'd end up with a bullet in his head.

While the first two men continued arguing, a third leaned over and whispered to the woman, "how much longer?"

He was tall, with straight black hair that fell in his face, hanging in his dark, dark, eyes. Or-rather, his eye. Where there had once been a left eye on the man's face was now a large eye patch that covered any trace of memory. He, too, was wearing a military uniform.

"1,000 cens says less than a minute before he gets kicked out," the woman replied.

He smiled. "Deal."

"You won't stop me!" the doctor exclaimed. "This information will be documented with or without the government's permission! I have rights!-"

"Have the doctor escorted to a federal prison," the second man said to three of his guards. "Where he'll serve life for treason."

The dark-eyed man's mouth fell open. The woman smiled and held out her hand. The man grudgingly slapped a bill into it.

"I'm going easy on you," the second man told Dr. Rue, as three others dragged him away. The doctor screamed in protest, but it didn't make a difference.

After that, left in the room were seven men and only one woman.

The man who had been yelling at the doctor took a deep breath. He had graying brown hair and harsh hazel eyes. His name was Brigadier General Peterson. That name was fresh on everyone's tongue, since he had just earned the title a week and a half before after a higher up had been killed when the gate was opened.

"Roy Mustang," he said.

The man with the dark eye raised his right hand to his forehead and clicked his heals together at the sound of his name.

"The Fuhrer has decided that you will be promoted to your old post as Lieutenant Colonel, and take your old subordinates with you." Peterson looked very stressed and clearly disinterested.

"Yes, sir," Mustang replied.

"Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye and Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc," Peterson said.

The woman and another man with messy blonde hair, small eyes, and a cigarette poking out of his mouth followed suit.

"Keep and eye on him," Peterson told them, eyeing Mustang.

"Yes, sir, as always!" they chorused.

Peterson nodded once, then quickly walked away, taking long strides.

"Furey," Mustang said.

A short man with spiky black hair looked up. "Sir?"

"Go call the Rockbell residence, make sure the girl got home alright."

Furey nodded, and walked away to find a phone.

"Breda," Mustang said.

"Yes?" asked a rather plump man with tan skin and buzzed, red, hair.

"Send someone for my things, would you? I'd like to move back to Central as soon as possible."

Breda sighed and left as well.

"Falman."

This time, a tall man with gray hair and squinty eyes answered. "Yes, sir?"

"File an MIA report for Alphonse Elric . . . Don't give away too much," Mustang commanded. "Maybe plaster his face on some posters so it looks like we're actually searching."

Falman nodded and he, too left.

That only left Mustang, Hawkeye, and Havoc in the three-walled office.

"Havoc," Mustang said, his eyes locked on Hawkeye. "Go . . . Find some paper work to do."

"Ah, ah, ah, sir . . ." Havoc teased. "The General specifically asked me to keep an eye on-"

"THAT'S A LAME JOKE, NOW GET OUT!" Mustang shouted at him.

Havoc raised his arms and slowly backed out of the room. "I get it, I get it . . . Three's a crowd . . ."

"NOW HAVOC!" Mustang and Hawkeye screamed simultaneously.

Havoc laughed as he turned and ran off to find something to do.

When he was gone, Hawkeye looked down, her face falling. When she spoke her voice lacked it's normal ferocity. "Sir, may I speak?"

"As friends or as officers?" Mustang asked.

She sucked in a deep breath. ". . . friends."

Mustang's face showed temporary shock. For usually, when that question was asked, she'd always reply "as officers" and give a lame excuse about how she doesn't mix professional and personal relations. "Shoot then, Riza."

"Sir, I-"

"If this conversation is strictly casual, then don't expect to get away with calling me 'sir,'" he interrupted, grinning playfully in a thin attempt to lighten the mood.

Hawkeye sighed. "Roy, I . . . I've been a little-well . . . A lot worried . . . About the Elrics. Not as soldiers but as friends, how do we know what happened to them?"

Mustang's face hardened and he looked down to avoid her big, sad eyes. "We don't . . . But Ed survived the last time, so we can only assume they're alright this time, too. Otherwise, the gate could still be opened from their end."

"But, S-Roy . . . they're just children! Especially Alphonse . . . there must be some way to contact them!" Hawkeye pressed. She was starting to sound a little hysterical.

Mustang snickered. "Well, Riza, I never thought I'd see the day but-well, it almost seems like you sincerely care for those boys."

Hawkeye looked slightly embarrassed. "So you're telling me that after all these years you don't care for them at all?"

Mustang sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Riza . . . Whether or not we care doesn't change the facts. They may look like kids on the outside, but they're more grown up than half of the adults I know. What we need to worry about is covering up their tracks. For now, that's all we can do for them."

Hawkeye dropped her gaze. "Stupid man . . ."