Disclaimer - I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist

. . .

London, England

1923

For two weeks the Elric brothers were bedridden. In that time they had each lost a considerable amount of weight due to loss of appetite and lots of vomiting.

Noah (who had been lucky enough to not have been hungry when Ed and Al got their undercooked sea food) and Lisa has been taking care of them.

Finally, after lying in bed for 16 days (aside from using the bathroom), Edward got out of his bed all on his own. A few minutes later, so did Alphonse.

"We should call Gracia," was Al's first thought. "It's been over two weeks since she last heard from us, she's probably worried."

Ed nodded and tossed Al his clothes.

While pulling up their pants, the Elrics realized that they had both grown at least a few inches while they were ill because their trousers were now high waters.

"Perfect," Ed mumbled negatively. "Now I've gotta go buy new pants . . ."

"Hey, at least we know there's still a chance of you turning into a normal sized person!" Al teased.

"You're sure feeling better," Edward grumbled. He took a step forward and stumbled a little. "Aw, crap! Winry just replaced my automail and I've already out grown it!"

Al was hit with a stroke of brilliance. He reached into his backpack-he, Ed, and Noah had all brought their own from Munich-and pulled out a chunk of wood. He tossed it to his brother. "Put that in your boot."

"Al, why were you carrying a block of wood this whole time?"

Al's face turning bright red. He scratched the back of his head and spoke in an innocent voice, "well, I kind of broke it off the bed at that last inn we staying at in Calais and thought I'd better hide the evidence . . ."

Ed slapped his palm against his forehead. "Ugh, let's just go call Gracia and get some food . . . Maybe Lisa will take us to the other Edward's family's house. I over heard Roy and Lisa talking about how his aunt still has all his stuff; including his research notes."

Al nodded. "Okay."

. . .

"After Ed had eaten his fill of Lisa's amazing waffles, he grudgingly walked over to the desk in the Stanley's sitting room. As it would turn out, there was no telephone for miles from the Stanley home, so Ed decided to write instead. He was hesitant because he knew Gracia would reply immediately; freaking out at them.

Ed took a deep breath and began to write.

Dear Gracia and Officer Hughes,

Ed felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up it was Noah.

"I'll write that for you, Ed," she told him. "You and Al go do what you need to do."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Go on!"

Ed smiled-a sweet rarity. "Thanks, Noah."

. . .

"Well, here we are," Lisa told them when the cab stopped outside the big old house. "I'll be back to pick you up in a few hours, okay?"

The two brothers nodded and thanked her one more time.

Ed and Al approached the front door and knocked on it once.

A tall woman who appeared to be in her mid thirties or forties answered the door. She had grey-streaked, orange hair, blue eyes, and lots of freckles. "Good morning, how may I help you?"

"We're here regarding Edward Matthews," Al told her. "My name is Alphonse Elric and this is my brother, Ed. Our father, Hohenheim, was working with him, we believe."

The woman nodded grimly and stepped back to let them into the house. "My name is Patricia Matthews. After my brother was put in jail and his wife died, I took care of Edward. A few months before his death, he started renting a small flat. He eventually befriended a man by the name of Hohenheim who did research with him. After Edward's funeral we never saw him again . . . Your dad, you say?"

Ed and Al followed Patricia into the sitting room of her home.

"Yes ma'am," Ed replied. "He died a few weeks ago, and we're just trying to tie up all the loose ends."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Patricia said sadly. "Your father was always very kind to us . . . You've come at a lovely time though; Wendy's still here."

"Wendy?" Al asked.

Patricia nodded. "Yes, she's a very sweet girl. She's studying to be a doctor, if you'd believe it. A female doctor! Aren't many of those now are there . . . She and my nephew were to be married . . . But then he died . . ."

"Where is she?" Al asked, trying to hide the laughter from his voice. "We had no idea that Edward was engaged."

Ed slapped the back of his brother's head.

"Oh she's just making some tea," Patricia told them. "She and Edward were soul mates, though . . . I'm telling you . . ."

"Soul mates, huh?" Al asked smugly, grinning at his brother.

Ed would have hit his brother again if the familiar voice that came from the doorway hadn't startled him so much.

"Did I hear voices, Aunt Patricia?"

When she stepped into the room, Alphonse Elric could no longer contain his laughter.

"W-Winry?" Ed stuttered.

"Who's Winry?" the girl asked sweetly. "I'm Wendy . . . And you are?"

Ed snapped himself out of it. "Edward Elric. And the hysterical one behind me is my baby brother, Al."

The two shook hands. Wendy cocked an eyebrow as she looked at his face . . . As if he looked familiar; she just couldn't place from where.

Al continued to laugh to the point where he was actually doubled over.

"What's so funny, Alphonse?" Patricia asked.

"Just an old joke I thought of," Al chocked out.

"Bastard . . ." Ed hissed. Then he turned to Patricia and spoke a little louder. "If we could just see the research notes . . ."

Patricia nodded. "Okay . . . They're in the study, I'll show you."

"Oh, no, Patricia," Wendy said, gesturing for the woman to sit. "I'll show them up there. You just relax for once, alright?"

Patricia smiled a little. "Honestly, Wendy, you treat me like a little old lady!"

Ed and Al followed Wendy into the hallway and up a flight of stairs. When they reached the top, she turned to face them.

"Okay, spill it," she commanded, the sweet voice gone.

"What?" Ed asked, a little surprised.

"You say your Hohenheim's kids, so you must know how to read his notes!" Wendy exclaimed. "I've looked through them a million times, but I can't make any sense out of them! I once asked Edward what it was they were studying and he said it was some new form of alchemy from a totally different universe! You're his sons . . . You have to tell me what it means!"

"I don't have to tell you any-"

"Brother," Al interrupted, his voice sad. "You know who this is-we never told her anything in Amestris, the least we can do is explain ourselves and be truthful now."

"B-" Ed stopped himself this time. "No, you're right, Al. Wendy, when we're in the study, Al and I will tell you everything, though I doubt you'll believe us . . ."

. . .

"I don't believe you!" Wendy cried when their story was done.

"Told you so," Ed grumbled to his little brother.

"Wendy, I know it sounds a little weird, but it's the truth!" Al told her.

Wendy looked down and muttered something to herself. "Het klinkt een beetje raar, toch weet ik wat ik zeg . . ."

"What?" Ed asked. He was starting to get a bit of a headache . . .

Wendy blushed a little. "Oh it's just something Edward used to say to me when I didn't believe him about something . . . His mother was Dutch."

"What does it mean?" Alphonse asked.

"Something like 'it sounds strange, but I know what I'm talking about,'" Wendy told him. After a pause of long thought she added, "and . . . Edward believed what you guys said, so I guess I do too . . ."

"Really?" Al asked, excited.

Wendy nodded. "Why not? Anything's possible, right?"

Ed and Al smiled at each other.

Suddenly, Ed heard a sharp ringing in his ears, and a stab of pain shot through his skull.

"Argh!" Ed gripped his head in his hands. He lost his balance and stumbled forward.

Al and Wendy rushed forward to catch him.

"Ed!"

"Brother!"

"Who are you?" These words bounced around in Edward Elric's head. The voice that said them was familiar . . . But he couldn't place from where.

"Brother, what's wrong?" Al asked, panicking a little.

The pain in Edward's head dulled a little. He stood up on his own and looked at his little brother.

"Nothing," Ed lied. "I guess I'm still just a little sick. Maybe we should just come back tomorrow, Al."

His brother nodded. "Okay, but Lisa's not going to be here for a few hours."

"It's okay," Ed said. "I need some air, let's just walk."

"You can barely stand!" Wendy exclaimed. "As a doctor I couldn't possibly allow you to-"

"Argh!" Ed doubled over again.

"What's wrong with him?" Al exclaimed.

"Where do you live? I'll drive you!" Wendy told them.

"We're staying with Roy and Lisa Stanley," Al replied.

"NO!" Edward screamed.

"Ed, what the hell-"

"Wendy!" he cut Al off. The voice he spoke with wasn't his own. "Wendy, don't! Please . . ."

Wendy sucked in a breath, horrified. She knew that voice . . .

Ed grabbed his head again and ran out of the room.

"Edward!" Al yelled, and followed after him.

Wendy stayed in the study, though. She sat down in the desk chair, covered her face with her arms, and cried.

. . .

Alphonse finally caught sight of his brother.

After running as fast as he could for a good mile and a half, the recently-ill Elric had to stop to catch his breath.

"I'd say I'm a little our of shape, Al," the older brother said. "Maybe we should spar a little later."

"Brother!" Al said in a no-nonsense tone. "What the hell was that?"

Ed sighed. He turned around and started walking beside his younger brother. "Remember I told you everything about me being in the other Edward's body was a little fuzzy?"

Al nodded.

"Well, I just remembered something . . . When I passed through the gate, my mind and soul were separated from my own body and pulled into this Edward's. The scary thing is that while I was controlling his body, he was still there. He tried to regain control, and even spoke to me . . . He asked me who I was. And then I led his body right to the spot where that zeppelin crashed-"

"Crashed?" Al asked. "I thought it dropped a bomb near him!"

Ed shook his head. "No, I remember now . . . If I hadn't been in control of his body at the time, he wouldn't have been there. He could have been far enough away to survive . . . But that's not important now. What I'm saying is that I think the same thing just happened again, but in reverse. The other Edward's mind and soul were starting to take over my body."

"That's not possible!" Al exclaimed. "He's dead!"

Edward shrugged. "I'm not going to claim to know what happens to souls when their bodies die, Al. I also remembered something Dad told me, about why he couldn't return to our world . . . It was because his body was here too, and there would be nothing for his soul to return to back in Amestris."

Al looked down. "So there really is no way for us to get home, then."

"Damn!" Ed exclaimed. "I don't except that! Think about it, Al . . . Maybe I was wrong. What if it's not just soul mates that are the same on this side, what if it's any kind of strong relationship. Think about it; Mustang and Hughes were best friends in Amestris, and they are here, too. I ended up roommates with Alfons Heiderich, and if the other Edward hadn't died he might have too. You said you were in the other Alfons's body; what id that was because I was with him? If the other Edward and Wendy were in love, then wouldn't it make sense that his soul and mind were pulled into my body at that time? My head started to hurt when she spoke in Dutch . . . Maybe that's what triggered it, a specific memory could cause what happened to you to happen to me, right?"

Al stared at him blankly. "Could you . . . Repeat that? But slower?"

"Our souls and minds can be pulled into the doubles of ourselves when the double's body is in close contact with something of significance to us. And vise versa."

Al nodded. "Okay . . . So for example, if the other you was in Amestris, and he went to Winry and Aunt Pinako's house, you could enter his body?"

Ed nodded. "I think so . . . And that plus the fact that they opened a gate on this side, and your soul transmutation worked back when you were still in Amestris proves that alchemy is possible on this side. We just have to figure out how . . . And if you think about the inner gate thing that Dad mentioned; maybe we'll be able to figure out how to get our bodies through with us."

"This is like those puzzles we used to play with as kids; the ones we never finished. There were a bunch of wooden squares that filled up a bigger panel, and one square would be missing. The others would be painted, and the object of the puzzle was to slide the squares around so they formed a picture. But in order to do that, sometimes you had to move pieces out of their proper places."

Ed nodded. "I hated those stupid things . . . They were impossible."

"Mom showed us a trick, remember?" Al asked, smiling.

Ed grinned too. "Ha, yeah. She'd pick out all the little blocks and stick them back in the right order."

"What a cheater . . ."

The two brothers laughed a little more.

After a minute, Al cleared his throat. "So, Brother . . . You and Winry, huh?"

Ed pushed him. "You don't know that! The other Ed died before they were even married and on top of that she could still fall in love with someone else! And same goes for you because Alfons Heiderich died before he ever got married or fell in love but that doesn't mean you will too! For we know you could end up with Winry!"

Ed kept ranting. Alphonse just laughed.

. . .

When they got back to Roy and Lisa's farm, the Elric brothers were ready to fall into long, sleepy, comas.

"You boys walked all the way here?" Lisa asked, shocked. "From Patricia Matthews house?"

They nodded.

"Well, it's a good thing you're back so early," Roy said, handing them each a shovel. "I need some help with the manure."

"What?" Ed asked, slightly enraged. He was pretty used to orders like this from Mustang, but this Roy, too?"

"As long as your living with us, you're going to pull your own weight," Roy told them.

Ed sighed and took the shovel. "Alright, that seems fair. We'll spare later, Al, okay?"

. . .

After dinner-and a long day of shoveling manure-Noah, Lisa, and Roy sat on the grass outside the barn, watching the Elric brothers stretch out.

"I don't see how this is a very fair fight, boys," Roy said. "Ed you're 18 and have two metal limbs while Al is only 13 and is completely flesh and bone."

"Don't worry," Ed told them. "I've never beaten Al before. And besides that, Al's not 13, he's 17."

"Maybe technically!" Al exclaimed. "But physically I really am only 13!"

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that I've still never beaten you," Ed said.

"That's because I was a giant suit of armor before!" Al pointed out, his voice cracking a little.

Ed actually laughed. "Oh yeah, that reminds me, Al. How's puberty treating you?"

The comment had the effect Ed was hopping for.

"Okay, now I'm gonna kick your ass!" Al told his brother.

Ed grinned. The two ran at each other. Al attempted to kick Ed's legs out from under him, but Ed jumped over brother and swung his leg around at Al's chest. Al jumped backwards, bounced off his hands and landed on his feet a few feet away.

Roy, Lisa, and Noah stared at them open-mouthed.

"Where the hell did they learn to fight like that?" Roy asked.

"Noah remembered a face she had seen in Edward's dreams.

"I think they had a teacher . . ."

"I think I'll be staying on their good sides," Lisa murmured. The other two nodded in agreement.