Disclaimer: for all chapters after this one, too I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

A/N: Sorry for the cliffhanger in the last chappy. I'm just... evil like that. XP And the whole fake Gate in Gluttony's stomach is sort of a small spoiler in the FMA manga, but that's it. "Miel? Nous sommes prêts," means "Honey? We are ready," in English, just so you know. And the actual fight happened somewhere in between noon and one o'clock...

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The road was becoming clearer by the second. It wasn't dirt, like the one on the other side of the forest, but it had two wider lanes, and it was cement. Alphonse spotted a medium-sized car driving on down towards them, and he waved to the person inside of it.

It slowed down when the person saw the injured man—Edward—and stopped before Al and the girls. A man lowered the driver's window and stared for a moment, but then asked, "Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé?" When Al glanced over at Isabelle, she shook her head and spoke to him in French. Once learning that Noah and Al knew no French, he drew back and asked his wife in French if she knew English (or at least that's what Al thought he had probably asked). It turned out she fortunately did.

She stepped out of the car, and said, "I'm terribly sorry. My husband speaks no English. But, what he meant to say was... what happened?" The woman looked down at Edward with caring eyes. She reminded Alphonse of Riza Hawkeye from Amestris, except she looked nothing like what you might call a 'military woman'.

Al heaved his brother back onto his shoulders more steadily, and managed to sputter out a good explanation for what had happened. He had so desperately wanted to tell this woman the truth, but that wouldn't work at the moment. I'll save that for another time, he thought.

"I'm so sorry, but I just can't risk this car getting blood all over it," she explained while getting a blanket out of the small trunk. "But this blanket is old. It won't matter if it get's bloody. Miel? Nous sommes prêts." Her husband nodded and started up the car. Once Isabelle was seated, he started off.

The ride to the hospital—which was ten miles away—was almost deathly quiet. Only a few coughs and clearing of throats broke the silence. Near the end of the ride, the husband and wife chatted hurriedly in French, but that was it. Al couldn't have even opened up his mouth to speak if he had wanted to. The truth was that he was in harsh denial of what had happened to his brother.

Once the emergency room section came into view, Alphonse and his two female companions heaved a sigh. Maybe we're not too late. Please, don't let us be too late. Immediately after the car stopped, Al and the others got out of the car and helped to carry Edward inside. The nurse at the sign-in station gasped as she saw the blonde being carried in, but was able to call for a stretcher and some doctors.

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

"So, Edward Elric. He's still breathing—slightly—and his heartbeat is as normal as it can be right now. He should be fine, but he'll have to rest here for the night so we can keep a close eye on him. I can give you a recommendation for a hotel around here. I'm sure you all don't want to stay here after—"

"No. I want to stay here, doctor. I need to stay by my brother's side," Alphonse said quietly from his chair.

The doctor nodded in understanding and then busied himself with the two girls. Alphonse was lost in his thoughts. I feel so stupid for thinking you were dead back there, brother. How could I have given up that easily? I-I guess that just shows how much I need you, Ed.

"Al?" Noah tenderly asked. Al, noticing she meant him, looked up at her and smiled as best as he could. A few stray tear stains were on his face, but that was it. She continued on, telling him that she and Isabelle were going to spend the night at a hotel on Elkwedge Avenue.

"—you can't miss it. Well, we had better be off now. Oh, Al. I'm so sorry about this..." She pulled him into an awkward embrace that Al graciously clung to for a few seconds before letting go.

"Thank you, Noah. If you need me, just call here."

After saying their goodbyes, Alphonse was left with his brother. Without even an ounce of restraint, the brown-haired boy found himself talking to his brother, even though he was in a sedated sleep.

"I'm sorry, brother. It shouldn't have been you. It should have been me. Dorchet should have attacked me instead. I mean, you've already experienced more than enough pain in your lifetime. I was stuck in that metal armor for four years, never experiencing pain... I'm sorry, Ed."

Just then, Alphonse heard a gasp from the doorway. He jolted up from surprise and noticed that it was that lady, the one who had helped them get here. Why is she still here? Oh no, she heard me speak of... oh, great!

"Sorry, Miss. You weren't supposed to hear that. Do you want me to explain it to you...?!" he was stopped when he felt, again, warm arms embracing him. Well, did I not get the memo that today was National Embracing Day or what? He thought amused. When she let go, he looked up at her with confused eyes. She sat down in the chair beside him and sighed.

"Sorry. I never told you my name. It's Riza. Strange name around France, I know. I come from Russia, actually. So, I know three languages in total. My husband, Roy, only knows Russian and French. Did you mean what you just said? You were... stuck in a suit of armor for four years without the sense of pain?" she asked.

Riza...and...Roy. Oh lord, does that mean what I think it means? Are the lieutenant and general meant to be together on our side as well? It would make sense, though. Al nodded and looked toward Edward. How can I explain this to her, brother?

"I couldn't sleep or eat either, Riza," he said, grimacing at the memory, "I-The story's long. Maybe we should just wait until my brother wakes up. He'd probably know how to explain Amestris better than I could. He was a state alchemist, after all. I'm sorry. I still sometimes forget that alchemy doesn't work in this world," he concluded after seeing her eyes widen in amazement.

"No, no. It's not; well, it partly is that... but Edward's heartbeat is picking up," she remarked, making him cast his eyes onto his older brother.

Alphonse then turned in his seat and leaned over his brother, so he could see the heart rate monitor. It is picking up! But, the doctor said it probably wouldn't until the morning. I knew he was a fighter!

"Ed?" he asked, putting his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Brother, you awake?"

ooooooooooooooooooooooo

Opening his eyes, Edward looked around the room as best as he could. W-What? How'd I get here all of a... sudden? It was almost pitch white, like an insane asylum. But somehow the blonde knew it wasn't. Although, he did feel something strange on the lower section of his left arm. Before he could see what it was, though, he heard a soft voice calling out for him.

'Brother? You awake?'

"Al?" he asked, turning to his right. He then saw a pair of grayish looking eyes widen in excitement. Al...

"Brother!! You are awake! The doctor said you wouldn't until morning, but... here you are at seven o'clock at night, awake! That's wonderful!"

Edward sat up the instant he heard the word doctor. I'm in a hospital? Oh, right. Dorchet. Damn it. This is hindering our progress back towards home! Ed surveyed the white cast that had been placed on his left arm and sputtered out some curse words.

"Dammit! I can't stay here any longer. We have to get on going or we'll never get back to Munich!" he exclaimed hotly. He turned around and faced Al, and then he saw that lady.

"Sorry, you're brother here already started explaining about your, uh, Amestris world. I overheard him. Oh! I'm Riza, by the way," the lady said, blushing from embarrassment.

"Oh, well, uh... That's okay. Are you going to turn us in as insane men?" Edward said, his temper rising. He wasn't exactly in the mood to wait here any longer. "Because no matter what you say, I know Amestris is real! I'm not going to let anyone say different!"

Riza shook her head and explained that she was one of the few that did believe in a parallel world. She also said that she had gotten this theory from that American's book. Looks like that guy is saving us a lot of time. I should... thank him sometime, the alchemist thought fondly to himself.

"Well, I don't have the time to explain it all to you now, but... maybe later? You have a phone number I assume? Since well, while you're at it, I could use someone to thank that American guy who wrote that book. He's saved us a lot of time getting back home," he said, grinning. The woman agreed to his asking. She wrote down her phones number and gave it to him, but did mention that if her husband were to pick up... he'd have to know some French.

He laughed for the first time since he'd been in the room and said, "Don't worry. We have Isabelle for that."

Even though he wasn't supposed to be dismissed until the morning, they managed to get out with Isabelle and Noah after saying their quick goodbyes to the couple who looked strangely like Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye. On the road that led to Paris (guessing that the road sign was right), Ed and Al reminisced of home.

"Strange how there's so many people here who remind us of those back home, eh, brother? And those two had the same names as the general and the lieutenant! Isn't that strange?" Al said as they continued down the road towards the gleaming amber sunset.

"Yeah..." Ed replied, taking in the moment for once in his life. But soon, the tranquil moment was intercepted by the two girls.

"C'mon you two! We have to hurry up, or that car rental place down the street will close soon!!" Isabelle and Noah said, pulling the two boys behind them by their arms.

"Don't pull on the cast, Isabelle!!" Edward screamed, switching her hand to his right automail arm. When Isabelle felt the metallic surface where Ed's flesh-and-blood hand should have been, she turned to him in curiosity.

"What's with your arm?" she asked.

"Oh, have I got a lot of explaining to do... damn..." he said, smiling at the dark-haired alternate Winry.