"Get away from my brother!" Edward snapped his hands together and slammed them into the ground. Blue light flashed and the street contorted as if made of liquid, spitting out cement spikes at the man who was assaulting Alex's limp form.

The scarred man tensed and jumped back, deftly dodging the projectiles. He landed a good distance away and Ed rushed forward to stand over Alex protectively.

"Alex," Ed shouted, not daring to take his eyes off his opponent. "Alex, answer me, damnit!" There was no response, and Ed risked a glance at his fallen companion. He grit his teeth at what he saw.

Alex's clothes were drenched in blood and freezing water, and his face was pale as death. He lay limply on the ground, his wet blond hair falling over his closed eyes. There was no telling how much blood he had lost. Ed lifted his eyes back to his opponent swiftly. He needed this guy gone now!

The man stood to his imposing height on the street. Ed held his hands up threateningly, ready to clap at a moments notice. "That creature," he said in a deep voice, "did you make it?"

"He's not a creature!" Ed shouted, enraged, "He's my little brother! You stay away from him!"

Ed's heart pounded in his chest, almost physically painful, as he waited for the man to either attack or leave. The man stared impassively before slowly turning around and beginning to walk away. "My quarrel is not with you. I'm only interested in State Alchemists. But I must warn you: if we meet again, we will be enemies. That creature is an abomination against God, and you will be punished." With that, the man left, his figure disappearing into the rain.

Ed did not waste time pondering the man's words. As soon as he was out of sight, the boy spun around and hastily checked Alex's pulse, hands shaking on Alex's neck. He huffed and gave a small laugh of relief. He was still alive. Ed checked over his body with his trembling hands, trying to find the source of all the blood. It was concentrated at his chest and back, but when he took off Alex's shirt there was no wound. After a minute of frantic searching, Ed spotted Alex's injured hand. He grimaced at the hole that was leaking blood. Taking off his jacket and discarding it on the ground, Edward transmuted his undershirt into bandages and immediately wrapped the wound. It wasn't life threatening, but if he didn't get Alex out of this rain, the cold and lack of blood would kill him.

"Ed…" a weak voice caused Edward to snap his head up. Alex was looking up at him with half open eyes, the usual emerald green a murky shadow.

"Alex! Can you hear me? I'm going to get you out of this rain! Can you stand?" Ed's said urgently.

"Ed…" Alex whispered.

"Don't try to speak," Edward said, pulling Alex into a sitting position. "I'm going to get you out of here." He tried to lift Alex, but the boy suddenly grabbed him with his good hand and clutched onto Ed desperately, pressing his face into Ed's bare chest.

"Ed…I was so scared…so…" Alex broke down into sobs. Eyes softening, Ed gently put his red coat around Alex's shoulder and pulled him close. The boy shivered and heaved as he let out the terror and pain he had experienced now that he finally felt safe. They sat still for several moments as the rain calmed down to a drizzle, and Ed tried to do his best to comfort the distraught boy, and allowed his own heartbeat to slow. He had found Alex, and his life wasn't in immediate danger, and he let just a little bit of tension go. This reminded him strongly of times when he had comforted Al in the same manner when they were younger.

"I know, it's ok now. You're safe." Ed said after a while. "I'm here now. I'll protect you."

"Idiot…" Alex sniffed, pulling back a little, and looking up into Edward's eyes, just a little clearer. "What could a runt like you do…" he said with a sad imitation of his usual smile.

"Wha-" Ed spluttered in mock anger, although he was smiling, "I come all this way to rescue your ass and that's all you have to say."

Alex snorted softly and leaned back into him. "Ed…thanks…"

Ed sighed and ruffled the shivering boy's hair. "Geze, what am I going to do with you." He stood, lifting Alex with him.

A man abruptly rounded the corner and slid to a halt.

"Ed, Alex!" It was Havoc. The blond man quickly turned and shouted over his shoulder. "Hey, they're over here!" He turned back around and rushed forward to help Ed hold Alex up, suspending him between them.

"Ed…I'm tired..." Alex whispered. Ed smiled. "It's ok. You can sleep now." Alex nodded and closed his eyes, going completely limp between the two supporting him.

–

Ed hunched over under the blanket he had been given and stared idly at his arm. It gave a dull throb, long past the state of waterlogged, but he ignored it in favor of his thoughts.

After Havoc had shown up, Alex had passed out in exhaustion. They were quickly swarmed with blue uniforms as the rest of the help Alphonse had contacted arrived at the scene. Alex was taken from Ed's arms and rushed to the hospital. Edward made to follow, but he was stopped by Havoc.

"Not just yet Ed. Mustang is on his way and he needs to talk to you. Don't worry, they'll take care of him." Edward was handed a blue military jacket and a blanket, which he slipped over his bare shoulders. He sat on the wet concrete sidewalk and waited for Mustang to arrive.

It didn't take long. A black car pulled around the corner and stopped in the area the military had quarantined off on the street. Mustang, Hughes and Alphonse all piled out and strode over to the sitting boy. Ed jumped to his feet, turning his attention immediately to his younger brother.

"Al, are you ok? Where's Nina?"

Before Alphonse could respond, Mustang interjected. "Nina is in military custody at the moment." Ed's eyes swung into the dark haired man's direction, but he continued before the boy could say anything. "Now that I have you both here, tell me. What the hell happened back there?"

The two brothers glanced at each other. "When we arrived around late afternoon," Al started, "we discovered the hallway covered in blood. We followed it into Tucker's lab and found Nina. Tucker was already dead."

"Yeah, we saw the lab," Hughes spoke up. "I have my investigations team working on it right now. We should have a clearer picture of what happened tomorrow."

"And then," Mustang pressed.

"Nina told us…" Ed started haltingly, "Nina told us that Tucker 'hurt' Alex. I left Al to take care of Nina and call for backup and went to search for him. When I found him, he was unconscious and a man with a huge scar on his face was kneeling over him. I scared him off and wrapped Alex's wounds. That's when Havoc arrived."

"A man with a huge scar on his face?" Mustang and Hughes exchanged serious glances. Mustang put a heavy hand on Ed's shoulder. "We'll take it from here boys." He began to walk away.

"Mustang," Ed said suddenly. Mustang halted and looked back over his shoulder. "That circle on the floor. It looked like Tucker was trying perform human transmutation."

Mustang regarded Ed over his shoulder with his black eyes before turning around and getting into his car.

Hughes watched Mustang leave with a frown before turning back to the boys and patting both on the shoulder. "Don't worry guys, I have Gracia taking care of Nina at the moment. I'll do my best to help her."

"What's going to happen to her?"

Hughes looked away, expression serious. "I don't know just yet. As of right now, she is a ward of the State until we can find a close relative to take her in."

Ed and Al looked down, accepting this for now. "Can we see her?" Al asked.

"…I don't think that's a good idea just yet. She needs to calm down a bit before she can handle company. She just witnessed something traumatic. Give her some time. I promise to let you know when you can see her."

"Oh…"

"I don't get it," Ed spoke up, brow furrowed. "Why would Tucker try to perform human transmutation? I thought he was trying to make –" Ed's eyes widened and he stopped, his mouth falling open in shock.

"Brother?"

"A talking chimera…" Ed whispered. "Hughes," Ed said urgently. "When did Tucker's wife leave?" Al made a small noise of alarm.

Hughes frowned deeply. "Shit." Without another word he spun on his heel and strode to a car, barking orders to Havoc and the surrounding officers. "Havoc, get the Elric brothers back to base. You three, come with me." The soldiers snapped a solute and the three indicated followed Hughes into the black car and it peeled out, leaving Havoc and the two boys alone.

"Well boys, let's get you back to base." Havoc said, turning. He paused. Edward and Alphonse were staring deeply into each other's eyes, communicating silently. Edward's expression ranged from fear, worry, relief, and back to worry again. Alphonse was impassive, but Havoc could almost imagine he could see the same expressions. Ed slowly placed his hand on Alphonse's armor over the bloodstains still visible on the smooth metal and Al clutched it. Both nodded and as one turned to the last remaining car.

As Havoc drove through the sodden streets, he glanced back at the boys a couple of times, but they silently stared out the windows of the car, the only connection between them Ed's hand, which rested lightly on Alphonse's shoulder plate.

–

Alphonse sat beside Edward impassively in the sterile white room. Havoc, at their insistence, had taken them straight to the hospital to see Alex. He left after extracting a promise that the boys would be ready to leave in the morning. Edward had agreed, but neither brother had any intention to leave until their companion finally opened his eyes.

The boy lay silently on the hospital bed, almost as pale as the sheets that surrounded him. The only sound that could be heard was the heart moniter and his shallow breathing that ghosted in the oxygen mask attached to his face. He had not moved since they arrived, but he doctor said he was only resting. They had given him a blood transfusion shortly after he was rushed there, and an IV dripped softly beside his bed, the needle disappearing under a white bandage on Alex's arm.

"You should get some sleep, brother," Al said quietly over the beeping of the monitor. Ed grunted in denial, his eyes never leaving Alex's still form. Al sighed and looked out the window into the dark night. The brothers had filled in the gaps of what happened for each other. Alphonse told Ed what had happened after he left. He had called for help the moment he had shut the door behind him and waited anxiously. Nina had cried herself to sleep in his arms, and he held her until a soldier took her, promising to take her to the hospital. Al had reluctantly let go, but his common sense had overridden his worry. She would be fine, at least physically. Emotionally…that was another story. If she felt anything like what Alphonse and Edward had felt…and she was so much younger than even they had been. Al could only hope that some day, Nina would forgive them for leaving her alone. It hadn't been their fault, but Al could not help but feel guilt. They should have seen it coming. He knew that that was impossible, he knew that, but guilt was hardly ever rational. He knew Ed felt the same.

Alex as well…they hadn't been there when he needed them the most. He was always so strong and confident in himself that Alphonse sometimes forgot that he needed support just as much as he and his brother did. He looked so weak and small on the hospital bed, and it hurt Al to see him that way.

He knew his brother, and he liked to think that he was getting to know Alex just as well. Despite coming in under horrific circumstances, Al was at least a little glad that Alex had been a result. Alphonse shook his head at himself, the armor of his helmet clanking slightly. Selfish.

"Al," Ed asked, looking over to his brother.

"…When did Alex become so important to us," Al asked quietly. "We almost lost him today, and I felt as if my heart was going to stop." It was true. Even as he clutched little Nina to his chest, he had felt a phantom pain where his heart should have been because Alex was still missing, and he had no idea whether he was still alive. He had been sharing his emotions and experiences with the boy ever since that day, and while sometimes it could be detrimental, it had made the two boys irrevocably close. It wasn't just the fact that Al would have lost his body forever if Alex had died, or even the guilt about pulling Alex into this world in the first place. He would have been devastated if Alex himself had disappeared forever.

"I don't know," Ed said, looking back at their still companion, "but I feel the same. Somehow, when we weren't paying attention, he wormed his way into our regard."

"Even though he's growing taller than you," Al joked, slight humor in his voice.

"Hey!" Ed exclaimed with a petulant frown. "Why even is that anyway? He's supposed to be younger than me!" Al chuckled, and the two boys sat together in companionable silence. Alex would be ok, and so would they. Edward and Alphonse would pull through together, just as they always had, and Alex would be right along with them.

Ed suddenly let out a huge yawn and rubbed his eyes. "Brother, you should get some sleep. I'll watch over him."

Ed stuck out his lower lip in a pout, something he only indulged in around Alphonse. "…Fine. But tell me as soon as he wakes up!"

If Al could roll his eyes, he would have. As it was, he turned his face to the ceiling in exasperation. "Come on, Brother, you know I will."

Ed glared suspiciously before shrugging. He pulled his chair up against Al's and leaned back onto him, folding his arms over his chest and closing his eyes. In that moment, Al felt as if he could almost feel what Ed was feeling, and he felt comforted by his closeness. Alphonse turned back to Alex's bed and sat in a silent vigil until morning as his brother snored softly beside him.

There, now everyone is on the same page, both in what happened (Ed figured it out, the little genius), and how they feel towards each other. Feels. I hope you are all covered in fluff right now. Also, I hope it's somewhat realistic. Is chapter 15 too early for them to start to care about each other? And I hope it's not too OOC, since from what I watched in the episodes, both brothers are jaded, but they care easily and deeply about those that actually matter to them.

Man, I am so frustrated! My site has been down for, like, four days and it finally came back yesterday. My counter is working again now, though I know I've probably missed at least five hundred views in the past week. Now I'm back to checking it obsessively. Maybe it's not such a good thing…But it still gives me warm fuzzies every time someone checks out my story, so thank you all for reading and supporting me!

Not much from Alex this chapter, but I thought it was about time I gave Ed and Al a little love, since they are just as important to the story as Alex is. I'll only write Alex in the first person though, since I don't want this story to get too confusing. Next Chapter: Alex wakes, and the boys head off on their first mission.

Please review and let me know what you think. If you find any inconsistencies in my story, let me know so I can fix it. I really should get a beta at some point… Send me your love! It keeps me going in this cruel hard world!