Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or Gravity Falls. They belong to Hiromu Arakawa and Alex Hirsch respectively. I only own the OC characters.

-------

Kneeling on the tiled floor of the bathroom, leaning against Michael for support, Katelyn had never felt more vulnerable, not since Bill had trapped her in her mind. Just as he had done before, Michael was there, a solid foundation to keep her from drowning completely in her own guilt and remorse. She was grateful for that, that Michael was willing to put up with her being weak. Not that it bothered her that much. It might later, though.

It took a long time for Katelyn to compose herself. She sniffed as she pulled away, wiping away the last of her tears. Michael still had his hands on her shoulders. She looked up at him with a pained smile on her face, silently conveying her thanks. Michael returned it warmly. No words needed to be said between them.

Katelyn would have been ashamed to admit that she needed Michael's help to stand up and exit the bathroom. However, she was able to regain strength in her legs before they reached Ed's room, putting up the strong front she had before. It was hard to tell if Ed saw through the facade or not.

Rosalin and Alphonse did not arrive the next day. A call from the older Johnston told them that they would arrive at around midmorning the day after. It was clear that Ed was disappointed at the news, but he quickly built up his excitement again to the point where he could hardly contain it. The time that he had spent in the hospital was making him grow restless and antsy. It was a welcome return to some sense of normalcy from the teen. He was starting to open himself up to the staff. The blond nurse from before came by to apologize to him. Ed waved it off, feeling guiltier about the incident than she did. However, they both made up, and all transgressions were set aside.

Ed was glad that Katelyn and Michael insisted to stay by his side while he recovered. Their constant presence kept him feeling safe and content. Eventually, he started to push the horrible memories of his imprisonment to the back of his mind. The only thing he really had to complain about now was the horrible hospital food.

On the day that Rosalin said she would arrive, Ed was finishing his morning meal when Katelyn felt her phone buzz in her back pocket. She stood up to pull it out, lighting up the screen with the push of a button. It displayed the message: We're here.

Katelyn swallowed and unlocked her cell phone. She quickly typed her message and hit send. We're in room 103. She closed her phone, replacing it in her pocket. As she sat down, she shot a look at Michael, making sure Ed didn't see it. He understood as soon as he saw it. Katelyn's heart clinched in her chest. She wasn't ashamed to admit that she was afraid to face the younger of the two Elric brothers. She wouldn't be surprised if he pinned the blame on her for Ed's condition. She blamed herself anyways.

Several minutes went by. Katelyn worried that the front desk wasn't allowing them past the waiting room. But just as she decided to get up to clear any confusion, the door opened. Katelyn immediately stood up and took a few steps towards the open portal, meeting the eyes of the person who stood there.

Rosalin Johnston saw Katelyn first. As soon as her blue eyes caught sight of her sister's, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around her. Her pale blond hair hung down in waves, like Katelyn's, and ended right at her shoulders. She wore a light green tanktop, jean shorts, and designer sandals. Despite only being ten months older than her sister, they were about the same height.

Rosalin pulled away, unshed tears pooling in her eyes. "Sorry we couldn't come any sooner. We tried to get here as fast as possible."

Katelyn patted her on the shoulder. "It's alright, it's no big deal." The younger Johnston turned her head to look behind her sister, at the 'we' that she had been referring to.

Alphonse Elric ducked his head to enter the room fully. His soul-filled gaze was fixed on his older brother sitting in the hospital bed. The older Elric just stared back, not sure what to say. For Al, though, his non-existent mind was only occupied with what he saw. His soul swelled with relief and joy. It had been so long since he had seen his brother that he looked past the elder's haggard and broken appearance. He was just glad to see that he was still alive.

Alphonse rushed forward, his hollow body clanking with his movements. Michael, who had stayed by Ed's side, stood back to give the brothers some room. As soon as Al reached his brother's bedside, he reached out to him for a hug. Ed returned it, encircling his little brother to the best of his ability in his arms. They held each other as Ed began to sob again, the younger Elric rubbing his brother's back gently.

Rosalin finally released her tears of joy, laughing as she did so. Her heart was warmed by the spectacle. Katelyn joined in, appreciating the reunion with her sister, as well as Ed and Al's. Michael moved to stand next to the two sisters, taking part in the tearful merrymaking.

The Elric brothers were back together again.

-------

When night had fallen, and Edward was finally asleep, Katelyn, Rosalin, Alphonse, and Michael huddled around a circular table in the hospital's cafeteria. Personally, Katelyn was grateful that the staff put up with them for staying there. Allowing them to breach protocol was certainly disgruntling some other patients. She reminded herself that she needed to give the place a generous tip. Maybe she could somehow convince Stanley to dredge up some of his savings.

Normally, Katelyn was loathing to leave the young alchemist alone by himself. They all were, in fact. But they needed somewhere private to discuss what had happened. Katelyn had dreaded this, especially with what happened earlier.

After the two Elric brothers had broken their embrace, Alphonse took the time to fully assess the blonde's injuries. He gasped as he took in the sight of the bandages covering the boy from his neck to his torso. If he had a face, his eyes would have widened in horror. "Brother, what happened?" he had asked.

Edward stared up at his younger brother, tears still flowing down his face. After a few seconds of silence, the boy simply turned his gaze to the sheets on his lap, wrapping his arms around himself. He clenched his arms tight, beginning to tremble. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, tears dripping off his chin.

Alphonse was taken aback at the sight of his older brother. He looked scared, completely the opposite of how he knew him. Ed hadn't been this vulnerable since Al had carried his small, bloody body back to the Rockbells, after they had committed the ultimate sin. Al relaxed his armored fist. He hadn't even noticed that he had clenched it. The things that had been done to Ed... they were so horrible that he couldn't even tell his little brother.

Al reached out his armored gauntlet to rest it on his brother's shoulder. "It's okay. You don't have tell me." Ed visibly relaxed and leaned into the suit of armor, grateful that Alphonse understood.

Katelyn, Rosalin, and Michael watched their interaction. Katelyn felt tears prick her eyes again, threatening to spill over. Somehow, she was able to hold in her sobs, but she couldn't contain the pained expression on her face. She was startled by someone taking her hand, and she looked down to see Michael had taken her hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. Katelyn smiled at him, grateful. Rosalin noticed this, and her concern for her sister, and Edward, grew. Katelyn obviously knew something that she wasn't telling, but she decided not to push her. All of them were more worried about Ed anyways.

Edward wanted nothing more than to spend time with his brother. He wanted to forget everything that had happened to him, to forget the feeling of hopelessness of never seeing anyone he cared about ever again, stuck as a toy for a group of sadistic men. When he had first seen Katelyn, he thought he was dreaming. But when he didn't wake up back inside that white room, he finally realized that it was all real. And he was so happy. He was indebted to Katelyn, and he had no idea how to repay her.

Ed took in a deep breath, and let it out, calming himself. "I missed you, Al," he said quietly. The suit of armor squeezed his shoulder. "Me too, Brother."

The rest of the day was spent delightfully keeping away from the subject of Ed's condition. Instead, Ed's complaints of being confined to a hospital bed was directed towards Alphonse, who promptly reminded him that it was necessary for his recovery. Nevertheless, the younger Elric was glad to see that Ed wasn't completely changed. There was still some semblance of his old self.

When the sun set, Katelyn insisted that the blonde have some rest. It wasn't hard for him, despite his weak protests. He had had quite the emotional ride that day. After he was sleeping peacefully, Katelyn suggested that they all go to the café for some food. It sounded like a wonderful idea to Rosalin, who hadn't eaten anything since she and Alphonse had arrived. But she didn't have to voice what the younger Johnston was trying to convey: 'I'll tell you everything once we have some privacy.'

Which is where they all found themselves, each having their own meal set in front of them. Well, except for Al, whose body didn't need food to sustain itself. However, Rosalin couldn't help but notice that Katelyn was absentmindedly picking at her food. It surprised her. Normally, her little sister had a voracious appetite. She once caught her raiding the fridge in the middle of the night in the Mystery Shack, having woken up hungry. Rosalin herself had woken up from a nightmare, only to see Katelyn's bed empty and hear clattering noises coming from the kitchen. But she didn't tell Katelyn that at the time. There was really no need to.

Rosalin pointed at Katelyn's meal with her fork. "You should eat, Kate. You need to keep up your strength." The young woman in question continued to stare off into space, before blinking, as if finally realizing she was being spoken to. She looked at Rosalin, before grinning at her sheepishly. "Sorry," she said. "I guess I haven't been taking care of myself very well lately."

Rosalin sighed and set down her fork. The protective older sibling part of her was prepared to chew Katelyn out, but this neglect for self-care was not anything new for the younger Johnston. She only did it out of guilt, a guilt they both shared. But she was the older sibling. It was her responsibility to protect the both of them. She didn't understand why Katelyn felt like she had to shoulder this burden all by herself. And it certainly didn't make anything better with Edward's condition. Which was another cause for concern that was eating her up inside.

"Katelyn," she began, quite sternly, "Edward's been missing for a month, and you searched for him by yourself for two weeks. I think we all should know what the hell happened."

Katelyn flinched. Rosalin's serious tone revealed a side of her that had developed after their brothers' deaths. She still had her bubbly personality, of course, but it was offset by this other version of her. Her steady, calm collectiveness was useful in a fight, but Katelyn never knew how much she missed the old Rosalin. Pure, sweet, innocent Rosalin. Marred by this world's cruelties. But she was right. They all deserved to know, especially Al. Ed was his brother, after all.

Katelyn sighed and leaned her elbows on the table, putting her head in her hands. She rubbed at her temples for a bit before laying her arms on the cool surface. "I don't know exactly how," she started, "but somehow, someone was able to sneak into our room without disturbing any of us."

Rosalin and Alphonse both gasped lightly. It was hard to imagine that someone could so easily and quietly infiltrate the room where they all were sleeping. Even Al, who truly didn't need to sleep. But finding out that someone was able to not disrupt his state of idleness was a scary thought. They could have easily taken everyone else in that room.

Rosalin leaned forward. "Who was it?" Katelyn folded her arms on the surface of the table. "This guy named Léon," she answered. She looked over at Al. "He was an alchemist."

The suit of armor gasped. "What? How is that possible?" Him and Ed were supposedly the only alchemists that existed in this world. How could another alchemist be here?

"I assume he's from your world, but our time," Katelyn answered. "But I have no idea how he could've gotten here."

"Do you think there's another portal somewhere?" Rosalin asked.

Katelyn put her hand to her chin, deep in thought. "It's likely."

"What did he want with Brother?" Alphonse asked. Katelyn grimaced. She didn't want to start this train of the conversation, but Al had to know. "He wanted Ed to join him and his lackeys to work on something. But he didn't say what."

Al racked his non-existent brains to think of anything that Ed might know that others would want to get their hands on him for. He perked up as an idea came to him. "Maybe he wanted to know about the Philosopher's Stone. A lot of people would want to get their hands on it."

Katelyn nodded. "Of course, that makes sense." She dropped her arm back to the table, lowering her head. Her hair obscured her eyes. "And, obviously, he refused." Her voice and shoulders trembling, her blue eyes beginning to water. Rosalin reached across the table to take her sister's shaking hand, rubbing her thumb gently across the back of it. Michael placed a hand on her shoulder. Katelyn was silently grateful for all the support. She looked up at Al again, just as her tears spilled over, running down her cheeks. Al was taken aback by the display of weakness. "I-I'm so sorry, Al," Katelyn sobbed. "B-but they-they..."

Katelyn broke down, unable to contain herself. Al hated to push her, but he was desperate to know, despite any pain that it might cause. But Katelyn continued to sob. She was too distraught to say any more. Michael, who was sitting next to her, glanced remorsefully up at the suit of armor. "They raped him," he muttered. "Every day."

Rosalin used her other hand to forcefully grip the edge of the table. She swayed slightly in her seat, but she didn't fall over. How? How could this have happened? The kid had already been through hell, he didn't deserve this. And every day no less? It wasn't fair. The universe was too cruel to Edward. It took the older blonde a moment to realize that her own tears were sliding down her cheeks.

Al had gasped, trying to take in this new, horrible information. "Why?" His plea was quiet, trembling. "Why would they do something like this?!" Al brought his hands up to cover his face, hiding his unshed tears. His armor rattled as it trembled, sobs escaping the hollow shell. Of course, he knew why someone would do this. Some people were simply cruel, bent on achieving what they want, regardless if they hurt people or not. But why did it have to be Edward? Why did everything bad have to happen to his brother?

Katelyn was able to wipe away her tears and compose herself. "I'm sorry, Alphonse," she said. "This is all my fault. I should've have realized that someone had broken in, I should've tried harder to find him-"

"No," Rosalin said lowly. "It's not your fault. It was that man. Léon." Rosalin rubbed at her own eyes. "Speaking of which," she continued, straightening up, "what happened to him?"

Katelyn met her sister's matching blue gaze with her own. It was really the only trait they had that they shared. "He's not a problem anymore."

Rosalin's eyes widened. "Did you kill him?" Her tone was slightly accusatory.

"No, I didn't." Katelyn's gaze was steady. It was enough for Rosalin to believe her. She sighed. "Alright, so, what do we do now?"

"Well, we wait for Ed to recover," Katelyn answered, "and help him in any way we can. He has to get through this."

"He will," Al chimed in. "Brother's strong. He'll get through this." The confidence in the younger Elric's tone was unwavering. Katelyn looked up at him, slightly surprised, before flashing a wide grin. "Of course, he is, Al," she agreed. For the first time in a while, she felt hopeful.

-------

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Here's another chapter for you guys on this dreary Monday. It's actually super hot where I am in Texas. There actually should only be one more chapter in this story. Don't worry, I have more ideas for this series. And if you guys have ideas you would like to share with me, don't hesitate to comment or message me. Also, I hope you've noticed the new Devil May Cry story I've uploaded. If none of you like Devil May Cry, it's perfectly okay. If you know other people on this site who do like it, let them know. I would greatly appreciate it.

I've also ordered the complete series of Danny Phantom off of Amazon, and I've been rewatching the entire show.

Praise is appreciated and constructive criticism is encouraged.

See you next time!

-The_Mayflower