A/N: Plot bunnies all around. Feedback is always appreciated. Crossposted on ao3.

cross that bridge when we get there

...

Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars. — Serbian Proverb.

It's a Tuesday morning when life decides to throw a curveball at his face.

"Al," Ed whispers, staring at the alien figure bundled up in sheets. "What the heck is that?"

Al blinks. "It's a girl."

"I know. But what is it doing here. Why is it here."

"I don't know," Al says, because of course he doesn't. It's a Tuesday morning, too early for anything, and there's an unknown stranger sleeping on the bed where Trisha Elric should be.

They run downstairs to find their mom. Eventually they find her nestled in the kitchen, stirring something in the pot while humming quietly to herself. She turns around when she hears them approaching and flashes a smile.

"Boys. Take a seat. I'm making breakfast, Al's favorite."

Unfortunately, Ed comes with bad news. "Mom. There's a stranger inside the house."

Trisha stops stirring the porridge. "What do you mean?"

"There was someone sleeping inside your room," Al adds unhelpfully.

A strange expression crosses her face. "Oh. That. I found her in the garden, poor thing. She might be a runaway. In the meantime, I've decided to let her stay with us. Al, go get the milk, please."

"You're so kind, Mom," Al says in awe just as Ed mutters, "Mom, I hate milk…"

"Ed, we talked about this. You should drink it, it's good for a growing boy like you."

"But it's cow pee, and…ugh, whatever. So that girl's going to be living here from now on? Huh."

Their mom nods as she transfers the porridge into a big bowl. "Be nice to her when she wakes up," says their mom, giving them a knowing look.

"Wonder what she's like," Ed mumbles next to Al as he takes a seat beside him. "Probably like Winry."

"Maybe. Here's your glass of milk, brother."

"Al…"

"Stop whining. It's just milk."

"You should listen to your younger brother, Ed."

"You're all ganging up on me!"

She doesn't wake up for the entire day.

Their mother takes care of the unconscious girl, borrowing Ed's pajamas and changing her clothes, even wiping her body free of dirt. Eventually the town doctor gets called to see what's wrong with her. Ed hears the words traumatic brain injury and possible seizure, and he doesn't have extensive medical knowledge but it sounds bad.

The doctor tells their mother that the girl should be kept in a hospital for the time being. She nods, a contemplative frown on her face.

He asks Winry about it after school. "She's in a coma. Someone must have hit her in the head, or maybe she got into an accident," Winry explains. "Some patients don't wake up."

A frail-looking girl like her…it sets a bad taste in his mouth. It's not a good picture. He frowns all the way home as Winry and Al talk beside him.

It's been two days.

Two days since the girl started living with them, and she still hasn't woken up.

Other than school, he spends his time mostly playing outside, or flipping through the numerous alchemy books found in their Dad's study room. In-between these activities, he checks up on the girl to observe the rise-and-fall of her chest, making sure that she doesn't die in her sleep or something.

She's pale, with black hair like ink, and she's tiny. Young like him. There's something entrancing about a stranger that's there but not really there, and he spends minutes just staring at her.

It's weird, but it's a little fascinating, the way she breathes while she sleeps. It's like studying a butterfly and trying not to startle it as it shifts its wings. He wonders about the color of her eyes.

Al sometimes watches her with him. "Maybe if you kiss her on the lips, she'll wake up," he teases. Ed punches him on the shoulder, hard.

He waits.

On the third day, she opens her eyes.

Ed's not there when she does, but he finds himself staring at her when he goes inside their parents' bedroom. She's awake, actually sitting up straight instead of lying down on her back all the time.

"Uh. Hello," he stutters.

She turns her head at his direction. Blue, green, brown. All his guesses were wrong. She had strange, milky-white eyes.

She coughs, and points toward her throat in the universal sign language of asking for water. Ed crosses over the bed to get the cup and jug of water situated on the bedside table. He cautiously walks up to her, holding the water to her lips in an attempt to help her drink it.

"Thanks," she says, voice croaky and high, like a girl. Ed blinks, a bit surprised for some reason.

She's pretty, in a strange way, with a complexion that was also decidedly strange. Foreign, delicate features, and he gets the feeling that she doesn't come from Resembool soil. He's close enough to her to see that there's a bit of green in her eyes, hidden under the white. Odd.

"What are you staring at?"

Ed startles. She's frowning. "Nothing. Do you need more water?"

"Yes."

He puts more water in her cup, feeling strangely out of his element.

"Here," he holds out to her, and she's still frowning.

"It's okay. Just give it to me, I can hold it myself," she says, not even looking at him. Ed suddenly feels annoyed.

"Fine. Here," he nudges the cup towards her hand, strangely embarrassed when their fingers accidentally touch.

She's quiet for a moment, and then smiles, still not looking at him. "Hey, whoever you are. Thanks."

Her voice sounds a bit weird. There was an accent to it.

"No problem."

She clears her throat. "This is…awkward. Where am I? Who are you?"

"I'm Edward Elric," he says, proclaims. She cocks her head, hearing the haughtiness in his tone. "You're in my house."

"Edward," she repeats. It sounds weird on her tongue. "Elric. Edward Elric. Tell me, Edward. What do I look like right now?"

He squints at her. "What do you mean?"

"What I look like. Describe me."

"Uh…black hair, and…uh, you're small. You're in Mom's bed" – wearing my pajamas – "since she was watching over you-"

"Small." She interrupts, then scowls. He doesn't blame her. "Huh. How old do I look?"

What's up with these kinds of questions? "Don't you know your own age?"

"Just answer me. I need to make sure of something."

"You look like you're my age."

"Which is?"

"Five."

"Five?" Her voice cracks, incredulous and high. "You're kidding me. This can't be. Oh, Spirits…"

Brain injury. The doctor mentioned that. Since a part of her brain was injured, she must have damaged her memory as well.

She looks like she's in shock. Ed feels sorry for her.

She scrunches her eyes closed, looking like she's trying hard not to cry. Ed's not sure what to do. Should he pat her? Al usually felt a little better when his brother patted him on the head.

He reluctantly moves his hand-

"You have a weird name."

What? Ed's immediately offended. "My name isn't weird! What are you talking about?"

"Whatever. What's the name of this place? Am I still in Republic City?" she asks, voice small despite her words.

Ed looks at her like she's stupid. "Republic City? I've never heard of that place. You're in Resembool, and it's a town, not a city."

The girl blinks, and for a slow, terrifying moment, she doesn't move. Then she sinks into the bed, looking depressingly devoid of life. "Resembool. Of course. I'm in Resembool. What the heck is Republic City? Oh, damn it all to hell."

Now she's babbling. She sounds crazy. Brain injury. Right.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit…" she mumbles, like a mantra. Her eyes were suspiciously wet.

Crap. Ed was terrible at comforting girls.

"Hey, I'm going to find Mom," he says, genuinely concerned. "She'll help you work things out. I'll just come back, okay? Mom knows what to do."

"What about me, Ed?" Oh, thank God. It's Mom. She's carrying a wide basin of water while trying to balance a sponge and some towels, bless her heart. "What is – oh, you're awake!"

The girl turns her head, eyes still creepily unfocused. "Um. Hi, Miss Elric."

"How are you, dear? I'm so glad you're finally awake. This means I don't have to take you to the hospital after all, thank heavens. Are you feeling alright?"

She sniffles, rubbing her eyes with one hand. "I'm fine. Thank you…um, thank you for your hospitality."

More footsteps, and Al walks inside. "Is she awake? Is she – oh, hello! You're finally awake."

Her odd-blank eyes rakes over them until it settles on Alphonse. Ed wants to smack him over the head. Everything looks like it's too much for her.

"Hi," she says.

"Hi. I'm Alphonse. What's your name?"

She pauses in her words. "Beifong."

"Bey-fong?" Al repeats, testing the name.

"And you say my name is weird," Ed says before he can stop himself.

Their mother sets the basin down on the floor. "Ed, Al," she says in that tone, the tone that said don't bother arguing with me, mister. "Why don't you take a bath first. I'm going to make lunch in a while, but I want you boys to be clean before we eat."

Ed and Al glance at each other, making a mutual silent decision together. Making Mom angry?

"Okay," Ed relents, and Al comes with him as they go out of the room.

He glances over his shoulder. She never looked at him once.