...I lied. I said I didn't know what I was going to write. That seems to have been a lie. Because I convently forgot that I had to tie up the Henry Arc.

..and i really wanted to write the edxallie scene...

Thanks for all the lovely reviews!

So here's chapter 18! So close to 20!

Disclaimer: The usual

*Still unbetaed, I apologize for any mistakes*

Away we go!

Chapter 18: Stay By My Side

"I love you."

Edward froze, his eyes widening. He refused to look down at Alice's hair, instead staring at the wall as he tried to comprehend what the girl had said. Had she really just told him she loved him?

"I'm sorry." Alice said suddenly, releasing her death grip on his coat and beginning to pull away. "I probably shouldn't have...um, well...said that. Sorry, Ed. You- you can go if you'd like..."

"Wait," Ed said, grabbing her arm and pulling her back before he knew what he was doing. Alice looked at him with surprise.

"I...I'm glad you said it actually..." Ed continued, blushing a bright red. "Because..."

"...Because what?" Alice asked softly when Ed didn't continue.

"Um. Because..."

Alice raised an eyebrow, trying not to smile as Edward's blush continued to deepen.

"Yes?"

"Because I think I love you too." Ed finally said, looking away. Alice's eyes widened again, her blush returning.

"You...think?" She asked, sitting up. Ed followed suit, grabbing her hands.

"I...know. I love you, Allie. I was terrified you wouldn't wake up. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't. If you had...left me. " Ed looked Alice in the eye for a moment, his golden eyes glinting with something Alice couldn't quite place. Then the blonde alchemist seemed to realize exactly what he had said and blushed a deep red again.

"I mean, well, I'm supposed to protect you and I, um, I just..." Ed took a deep breath, "I just need you, Alice. I didn't realize it before. I was always wary of you because there was no way to really prove your story. But then Emily...well. I was sad about that, I really was, but I was just really glad that it wasn't you and I couldn't figure out why and I felt really bad and then Henry showed up and-"

"'re rambling." Alice interrupted, a silly smile on her face. Ed glanced at her, starting to smile as well.

"Sorry." He said, giving a soft laugh. "I guess I'm just nervous. I've never really...felt like this before."

"Me neither." Alice replied softly, glancing down at their entwined hands. She gave a sigh, her smile fading a bit as she rubbed her thumb against the cool metal of Edward's automail.

"I'm sorry." She said, keeping her gaze on her lap. "I shouldn't have left like that. And I really shouldn't have just gone off with Henry like that. I should've known better, I don't know what on Earth made me think that was a good choice. I'm really sorry."

"Allie, you have nothing to apologize for. You were frustrated, that's why you left, right?"

Alice gave a nod, biting her lip.

"The Henry thing isn't your fault, Allie. He was using alchemy." Ed explained, giving her hands a squeeze. Alice looked up at him again, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Wait, what? Alchemy? How could he be using alchemy?" She asked.

"He was using some sort of neurological alchemy to control your thoughts and feelings. Roy's probably going to ask you about that once he finds out you're awake. But that's why you went with him. He made you go."

"Are..are you sure?"

"Yes. I'm positive."

"Ahh." Alice let out a sigh of relief, glad that she hadn't been as stupid as she had originally thought.

Ed looked like he want to say something else but didn't get the chance because the door suddenly opened, revealing Alphonse.

"Brother? I think it's time we...Alice? Alice! You're awake!"

"Yep!" Alice replied, smiling at the armor.

"I...probably should have told someone." Ed said nervously.

"Yes, you should have!" Al replied, giving Ed his version of a glare. "I'm going to go tell the nurses Alice is awake."

With that, Al turned and left the room, the door falling shut behind him.

"We probably have a few minutes until we get swarmed." Ed said, staring at the door.

Alice started to laugh, cutting off halfway through to wince, one of her hands pulling away from Ed's to touch her stomach.

"Oh yeah..." She muttered, frowning a bit. "He stabbed me, didn't he?"

"Yeah.." Ed answered, his smile disappearing as his eyes fell on her hand.

"I should kill that bastard." Ed muttered darkly. Alice's head snapped up to look at him.

"Isn't that a bit...harsh, Ed?" She asked slowly.

"How? He almost killed you!"

"But he didn't."

"That doesn't change the fact that he tried too!"

"I know." Alice said, grabbing Ed's hand again. "But don't let that affect you. Okay? He's the bad guy here. Don't let him bring you to his level."

Edward finally looked back up at her, his eyes angry and...scared? His hands pulled away from hers quickly and for a moment Alice felt disappointed. Then Ed wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close.

"Don't ever leave me, Allie. I can't take losing you." He whispered, his voice heavy sounding. Alice blinked, blushing again as she stared at the wall in surprised. She let out a small burst of breath, returning the embrace and burying her head in his shoulder.

"Promise you'll stay with me?" Ed asked, his voice so soft that she almost didn't hear it. She didn't waste a moment in responding.

"I promise."

~X~

"Have I ever mentioned how much I hate hospitals?" Alice asked as she tied her shoes. She had woken up three days ago but the doctors hadn't released her until that morning. Now she was preparing to leave, irritated that she spent so much time in such a white, anti-septic filled place.

"On mulitiple occasions." Ed answered with a grin from his post by the door. Alice glared at him as she stood up, brushing non-existant dirt off her pants.

"Al and Mustang are waiting for us downstairs. We'd better get going." Ed said, pushing away from the wall.

"Do I have to talk to Mustang?" Alice questioned, frowning a bit as she followed the alchemist out into the hallway.

"Yeah. It shouldn't take long though. Just tell him what you remember."

Alice gave a slight nod, pulling her sleeves down as they walked. Most of the wounds Henry had given her had healed nicely but the stab wound and a particularly nasty cut on her right arm had left scars. She felt a little better having those completely covered. They were passing a nurses station when Alice suddenly stopped walking, turning to stare down an adjacent hall. Ed stopped as well, looking back at her.

"Allie? Is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Sorry." She replied, turning back and starting to walk again. Ed watched her, waiting for her to walk past to start walking again.

Stupid hospitals. Alice hated them very, very much. And for a moment, just for a moment, Alice could have sworn she had seen Emily standing in that hallway. But when she had looked, it had been empty. Her mind was just playing tricks on her and she didn't like it.

It took far too long to meet up with Alphonse and Mustang in Alice's opinion but she quickly changed her mind when they arrived at Headquarters and Mustang started asking questions.

"Alright, Miss Smith. Please tell me everything you remember." Mustang said, starting up an old-fashioned tape recorder.

"Well...He came up to me a few blocks away from Ed and Al's apartment. He grabbed my shoulder and...told me I looked sad. I remember being really irritated, and that doing something fun sounded like a good idea. He took me to this garden...and-"

"Wait, a garden you say?"

"Yes?"

"We found you in the warehouse district Miss Smith. In a comdemned building."

"What?" Alice exclaimed, leaning forward in surprise. "But, we were in a garden! I'm positive of that!"

"Well," Roy said slowly, scribbling something down on a piece of paper, "Perhaps his alchemy made you think you were in a garden. Please continue."

Alice was silent for a moment, unsure, before giving a slight nod.

"We had tea and talked. Then he said that he wanted to play a game. He said that I had to sit in a chair while he tried to make me laugh. I agreed 'cause I thought it sounded like a good game. But then he put a blindfold over my eyes. He said it was part of the game but then, about halfway through, he started...using a knife."

Roy just nodded, scribbling on his paper again. "And how did you feel during this?"

"How did I...feel? What kind of question is that?"

"Answer it, Miss Smith."

"I...How did I feel? Um..." Alice blushed, suddenly remembering exactly how she had felt during the ordeal.

"I feel sick."

"You felt sick? Sick how?"

"No, I feel sick." With that, Alice leapt up and ran out of the office, barely making it to the restroom before she lost her breakfast.

Gasping slightly, she leaned against the cold metal of the stall, staring at the wall above the toilet. She had thought she remembered everything, but she had been wrong. She hadn't remembered this.

How on Earth could she have believed she loved him? To think that nothing else mattered? To accept her death if it was at his hands? Good god, she felt...pathetic. Stupid. Sick. She felt a lot of things and none of them were good. How could she have forgotten everything and everyone? Surely alchemy couldn't actually do that?

"Miss Smith? The Colonel sent me to see if you were alright." A feminane voice called, floating past the door of the stall she was in. Alice recognized it as Riza Hawkeye's.

The teen sighed, flushing the toilet and exiting out into the main part of the restroom. Riza stood by the door, watching quietly as Alice washed her hands and rinsed her mouth.

"Miss Smith?"

"I'm...alright. Is Mustang waiting for me?"

"Yes, Miss."

"I'd better get back in there then..." Alice gave another sigh and followed the blonde solider out of the restroom. Roy looked up with slight annoyance when Alice re-entered the office, waiting until she had taken a seat to speak.

"Are you alright, Miss Smith?"

"...Yes."

"Then can you answer my question?"

"I..." Alice took a deep breath, cletching her fists, "I forgot everything. And everyone. I didn't know who Ed and Al were and I didn't know who...Emily was. I barely knew who I was. All I knew was Henry and the garden and that...that I..."

"That you what?"

"That...I loved him. I...thought I loved him. I thought he was the only thing in the world that was important. When he attacked me, I didn't care. I figured he had a good reason. I...was okay with dying if he was the one doing the killing. I was so afraid I had done something wrong, that he hated me or something. God..."

"It seems as though his alchemy really did work." Roy said, leaning back in his chair. Alice gave him a slight glare, her cheeks red again. Had she really just said all that to Roy Mustang?

"I believe that's all I need. Thank you very much, Miss Smith. Fullmetal and Alphonse should be in the cafeteria."

"Alright." Alice replied softly, getting up.

The cafeteria was on the first floor but it didn't take Alice all that long to get there from Roy's fifth floor office. The place was packed and it took her a few minutes to actually find them. They were sitting at an inner table with Havoc and a few others. There was an empty seat between Ed and Fuery and Alice slid into it without a word. Ed didn't jump, he just glanced at her, his face brightening when he realized who she was.

"Allie. You're back. It wasn't too bad, was it?" He asked, shoveling some food in his mouth. Alice tried to avoid looking at it, still feeling a tad queasy.

"Nah, it wasn't too bad."

"You want something to eat?" Havoc asked, offering her a biscuit. Alice shook her head, giving a small smile that she hoped counted as a "thanks anyway." When Ed realized that she wasn't going to eat, he finished up quickly and they, along with Al, finally headed back to the apartment.

~X~

Alice opened her eyes to find herself in an all too familiar white expanse. She took a shaky breath, looking around a certain asexual know-it-all. She found it a few feet away, sitting on the floor and grinning at her.

"Hello, Alice. You didn't think I'd forget you, right?" Truth said in greeting, waving her over, "Have a seat."

Alice didn't really want to sit with him, or it, or whatever the hell Truth was. But she did anyway.

"No. I just assumed you were waiting for it to get interesting." Alice responded.

"You really think you can lie to me, Alice? I am Truth after all."

Alice paled slightly. "One can try, right?"

"That's very true!" Truth replied, laughing. He, or it, leaned forward. "You were right you know. I was just waiting for it to get interesting."

"Oh?"

"Yes. That conversation you had with little Edward this morning proved to be very interesting."

Any blood left in Alice's face drained away. Truth just chuckled.

"I have a very important use for you, Alice. Very important. Because you taught me something today."

"A-and just what did I teach you?" She asked.

"That when it comes to Edward Elric, you may just be the most powerful weapon in my possession."

Alice stiffened. Just what did Truth mean by that?

The Gate behind Truth slowly swung open; long black hands reaching out and wrapping around her. She didn't scream or cry or even react. She just let them take her.

"Good night, Alice. Sleep well."

Bet ya'll forgot about Truth's part in all this. I certainly did. The last time he was in the story was wayyy back in chapter 5. (I checked.)

I desperately hope I didn't make Ed super OOC at the beginning. I also hope it wasn't too mushy. I tried to make it realistic and such. They were in a hospital after all.

So I realize what I said about not knowing what to write next. That's a partial lie. 'Cause I know what I want to happen at the end. I just need to figure out how to get there. Any suggestions? Are there any situations from the manga or Brotherhood that you'd like to see? I'm certainly open to suggestions.

I probably should have been preparing for the ACT instead of writing this but...oh well. It's worth it! (Few more days and the ACT will be overwith! Whoo!)

Anyhoo, please review! Since I seemed to get more responses when I did this, I'm going to try it again.

Questions:

1- What did you think of the Henry Arc?

2- What did you think about Henry's alchemy?

3- Feelings on EdxAllie bomb in this chapter?

4- Any ACT tips?

5-What would you like to see in this story?

Until next time!