Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The electric discharge of the wormhole dissipated behind them.

As Teal’c and Sam (and Edward) fanned out behind him, Jack allowed himself a moment to take in the scene in front of him: they were in a long, dark chamber, the MALP a couple of feet away, still where they had parked it yesterday during their reconnaissance attempt. The walls were sandstone, inscribed with ancient texts, and with a dusting of sand covering the ground and a couple of destroyed columns littering the floor it felt like just another Stargate on just another planet somewhere in the galaxy. The only thing disturbing that oh, so familiar image was the caution tape covering the exit on the other end of the chamber.

“Looks as if we’ve stepped onto an active crime scene.” Jack joked, with a half-smile.

Nobody laughed.

Tough crowd.

“The military police probably investigated our disappearance. Not that we left them many leads to follow.” Alphonse stopped next to him, his cane carelessly resting in his hand, eyes following Daniel as he pestered Edward with questions about the inscriptions on the wall. In the almost four months since the Elric brothers had stranded on earth, the boy had grown four inches and gained at least twenty pounds. He was still slim, and if Janet was to be believed, prone to bouts of muscle weakness, but when you looked at him now, there was nothing frail about him. 

“And they’re gone now?”

“They have better things to do than wait in an empty cave for four months.” 

It was Edward who answered, the frown on his face filled with both contempt and anticipation. He’d slipped back into his ludicrous leather pants for the trip back, his hands stuffed into the pockets of the military jacket he’d stolen from Sam like a sulking teenager. Catlike eyes searched every corner for clues or hidden traps, only to find none. “Ready to get the fuck out of here?”

“Don’t we want to study some of the engravings–”

“Daniel, not now.” Sam raised her hand, her eyes darting from Alphonse to Edward to the exit, as if to say ‘can’t you see that those two are desperate to get back?’. 

“Anything we should know about before we leave?” 

Jack had asked the same question yesterday during the test run, and twenty minutes ago before they activated the Gate to travel to a previously unexplored world. He wasn’t stupid enough not to ask it again. 

“Nothing’s changed since the last time you asked.” Edward ground out. “There should be a military outpost roughly two miles from the excavation site, from which we’ll be able to radio Mustang and organize enough horses to make the trip back to Amestris. Other than that, there’s a group of Ishvalan refugees living in the ruins, so try not to bother them. They won’t attack us, but–”

“But?”

“But, you, Colonel, Captain Carter and Dr Jackson all look remarkably Amestrian and Ishvalan encampments don’t usually like…” Alphonse’s words dried up before they could reach their logical conclusion.

“Because of the war.” Teal’c offered, no inflection in his voice.

“Pretty much, yeah.”

The Elrics had been pretty vague when it came to the war they’d just survived. Over the past four months – especially with the brothers staying at the base – the SG-1 team had learned a lot about them and their world. But every now and then, someone would ask a question or Daniel would interrupt one of their private talks and their faces would turn hard, their answers short. 

There was a lot they didn’t know yet.

If Jack didn’t believe the brothers, if Sam and Daniel hadn’t verified everything there was to verify, if Teal’c hadn’t given his okay, they would never have made this trip. Too many unknowns. Too many hidden traps that could potentially kill them. And yet here they were.

Because they owed it to two teenagers to get them back home. 

“And you’re sure nobody is going to shoot us when we enter the military outpost?”

Jack had to make sure.

“Of course not! I’m the fucking Fullmetal Alchemist. If they shoot me, they’d be court-martialled and hanged.” Edward threw his hands up in exasperation. “Now can we leave, or do we have to continue playing twenty questions?”

At least half of Edward’s mannerisms were needless teenage posturing, but Jack wanted to uphold at least some level of military efficiency, so he swallowed the urge to annoy Ed further. They filtered out of the chamber in a single line, Jack and Edward at the front, Teal’c and Sam taking up the rear. While Alphonse had asked them not to carry their assault rifles at the ready, Teal’c staff and Sam’s gun had passed inspection. 

The chamber led to a narrow staircase, the walls eroded by centuries of history. The air was stuffy, the scent not unlike that of an abandoned attic in an old house. Jack needed to sneeze. He pushed the urge down.

“Have you guys noticed something?” Daniel’s question cut through the silence like an annoying mosquito just as you tried to take a nap.

“Danger?” Teal’c raised his staff weapon.

“No. No, nothing like that. It’s just that… we’re communicating with a lot more precision. There has been no linguistic confusion since our arrival, no word one of us hasn’t understood.”

“You’re right. You don’t sound like complete idiots anymore, every time you open your mouths.”

“Brother.”

“What? I’m just speaking my truth.” Ed’s grin was devilish, his brother’s dramatic sigh nothing if not fond. 

Teenagers.

“And why do you think that is, Daniel?” Jack climbed over a fallen wall fragment, the room they had just discovered smaller and more affected by the erosion after centuries of weather and change. They must be getting close to the surface. Jack watched as both Edward and Alphonse struggled over the hurdles, Ed’s right leg stiff, Al’s body still in recovery, not once complaining or asking for help.

Jack knew better than to offer.

“The Gate. We have now been outfitted with a similar base vocabulary as Edward and Alphonse. But since it is building on what is already present, we can now access a much larger subset of the vocabulary. There are probably still a few words that simply won’t translate, but–”

“I think the way out was behind that pillar.” Ed pointed at the far off corner of the room, his ability to cut off Daniel almost Jack-sian in its precision. 

“Then let’s go.”

Jack led the charge, purposefully ignorant to Edward’s complaints and Teal’c’s wish for more reinforcements. The air got easier to breathe with each step Jack took up the destroyed staircase, the artificial light of their flashlights replaced by bright blue sky and the cold autumn sun. 

They were surrounded by ruins. As far as the eye could see, buildings reached towards the sky with broken walls and caved in roofs. A few trees and grasses had reclaimed the architecture in the centuries since this city had fallen, but it was still a desert, and not even the beginning of autumn stopped the air from being warm and heavy. It smelled like dust, sandstone, and a distinct lack of pollution. The only signs of civilization were the caution tape wrapped around the entrance they had just come out of, and a few colorful rugs moving in the wind by a house a couple of streets down. 

“So, this is Xerxes?” Sam asked, the first to break the almost referent silence that had fallen over them once they left the darkness behind. “The fallen city?”

“Destroyed in a single night.” Alphonse confirmed. “Almost five-hundred years ago.”

“And you really don’t know why…?”

Jack glanced at Daniel and as expected the anthropologist was glowing from excitement. His eyes danced from tree to wall mural to arched doorway as if each of these things could reveal the secrets of this place. They probably could – Jack should stop underestimating Daniel. 

“No, we don’t.” Alphonse shrugged. “There’s folk tales about this. And both Amestris and Xing have legends about survivors coming to their respective countries as saints. But… well, nobody was here to see what actually happened, so.”

“Nothing to be done about that now. So, hop hop, and get moving! I want to make it back home at some point this century!” 

There was an almost manic energy to Edward’s movements, but Jack found himself in agreement. He was growing sick of all this standing around and talking - the best way to explore a new planet was by moving through it.

“You know where you’re going, shrimp?”

Edward glared at him. “Of course, I do. And I will let you know that I’ve grown two inches in the time we’ve stayed on your stupid planet. Two inches! That means I am 5’5” – which is basically average height. It’s not my fault you people are all giants. I mean, who needs to be this tall, really?”

They moved through the city, even as Edward continued his increasingly funny rant about his height. Judging by the slight twist of Ed’s lips, the boy was well aware that Jack was only making fun of him – and he was playing into it on purpose. 

From what the brothers had told them, there were a lot of people who had missed them. It must be nerve wracking to come home like this. A bit of overzealous posturing was to be expected. Even if it was annoying as hell.

Almost subconsciously, Ed and Al led them around the few signs of human life. The encampments were usually marked by red or purple rugs, carpets and blankets covering empty windows or destroyed roofs, even a handful of rebuilt doors and a potted plant or two. 

They were seen only once, by a boy with white hair and dark skin, a long scar running down his shoulder. He looked at Ed and yelled something Jack couldn’t understand, only for Edward to grin and yell “Fuck you and tell Shan we’re back!”. The boy was gone before Teal’c could even raise his weapon.

“Who’s that?” Sam asked.

“Shan’s little helper, Mekat.”

“And who’s Shan?”

“One of the elders here in the community. She saved my life once. Or, well, she saved me and her people a lot of pain.”

“I thought you said to avoid the local population?” 

Daniel looked at Ed with curiosity in his eyes. Jack was inclined to agree.

“No, I said you should avoid the Ishvalan people.” Edward’s smile showed too many teeth. “Al and I, we’re fine. Our ancestors spilled blood here, after all, and the Ishvalan people know something about spilled blood and how to honor it.”

It was obvious that both Sam and Daniel wanted to ask more questions, just as it was obvious that neither of the brothers would answer them. Jack intervened before it could grow into a tense stalemate.

“Is it far yet? To the military outpost? I want to sit down and get a lay of the land. Especially since I don’t know how long you can keep up with that leg of yours.”

It was part genuine worry and part deliberate needling.

“My leg’s fine, thank you.”

Edward was still using a prosthetic he had made himself, using his weird definitely-magic-but-we’re-calling-it-science-so-the-Elrics-don’t-blow-up-on-us alchemy to create it. None of their experimental scientists back at the base had been able to figure out why his original prosthetic had stopped working, so now Teal’c was carrying it in a briefcase like some morbid pile of foreclosure documents.  

Slowly they left the center of the ruins behind, and as such the center of destruction as well. Out here, it was sand that swallowed up lone buildings, trees having made many a fence obsolete. Jack was grateful for his hat, the sun fierce even this late in the year. 

The military outpost was easily recognizable, even from a distance, a tarp tent standing proud and beige next to a relatively intact farm house, a group of horses and one lone soldier out front.

Daniel, many months ago, had speculated that the Gate was simply mistranslating all the military jargon the boys were using into something comparable the SG-1 team could understand. Looking at the young man in his military blues with a rifle slung over his shoulder, Jack wasn’t quite as sure.

Yeah, the color was different, the blue nothing like the green-brown military fatigues Jack was used to, but he recognized the cut of a standardized uniform anywhere. And the posture of a trained soldier growing bored after five hours of standing watch. It didn’t help that his weapon looked worryingly earth-like, and his features almost American. 

The soldier had spotted them, his eyes growing wide as they made their way closer to his base, his entire body jumping into action, weapon raised. 

“Stop! This is a mi-military outpost of the Amestrian government. No trespassers allowed!”

Young, inexperienced, and green-behind the ears. Jack had met a lot of young soldiers just like this one in his time with the military. He made sure to give Teal’c and Sam the sign to stand down. There was no need to escalate this situation further. 

And since Jack was a lot cleverer than people gave him credit for, he didn’t even try to talk. Instead, he made sure Edward and Alphonse had the stage.

“Corporal, lower your weapon. We’re here on official business.” Edward pulled a pocket watch out of his pants. 

(Jack had no idea how Ed managed to get the watch out so easily, not with the pants he was wearing)

That did the trick.

The corporal paled to an alarmingly off-white color, before dropping his weapon in an effort to salute as quickly as possible. Jack had to cringe at the amateurishly bad adherence to protocol. 

(Then again, this was a small outpost far away from any action – Jack knew this kind of assignment. It was often a punishment and rarely a reward.)

“Sir, Mr. Uh. State Alchemist, sir. I haven’t- I didn’t- please come inside.”

The only thing that made this poor soldier’s embarrassment even better, was Edward’s obvious unease. The boy was delightfully disturbed by this show of subordination, the blush creeping up his neck, something Jack would use to further embarrass him down the line. It eased the discomfort at Edward’s military past becoming a tangible thing somewhat. 

“Please, you can stop saluting now.”

It was also becoming more and more apparent that Edward himself had never actually had any subordinates underneath him. Not with how ill-equipped he was at handling this entire situation. But, hey, a ticket in was a ticket in.

The soldier dropped the salute, bent to pick up his weapon and hurried inside the tent to warn his colleagues of the esteemed visitor. Jack waited until the tarp had settled once again behind the retreating back before he chuckled. 

Edward sent him a death glare.

It didn’t help that Sam and Alphonse were laughing, too. Hell, even Teal’c’s mouth quivered in amusement.

“I hate all of you.” Edward grumbled, before stepping into the tent.

The rest followed.

Six soldiers were waiting for them, all of them standing to attention. It was a relatively small tent, one side being consumed by two desks with large, retro-looking machines on them, and the other end housing a big table with a couple of maps and coffee cups spread out over it. More maps decorated the walls of the tent, a couple of reports placed between them. 

It looked eerily mundane. 

Back at Stargate Command, the best they’d been able to come up with was that the Elrics’ homeworld had been first colonized by a group of Ancients some thirty to fifty thousand years ago. That, at least, seemed to be the point where the genetic similarities between the SG teams and Elrics diverged. They were human in origin, but just as the Ancients had been evolved beings, the same was seemingly true for Edward and Alphonse. Which at least explained their weird definitely-magic science a little bit – Sam suspected that the Ancients had crossed their DNA with that of proto-homo sapiens when they came to this planet.

It didn’t explain why their world had evolved to resemble earth so intrinsically.

But back to the present. 

For a moment both groups were silent, until one of the soldiers – smaller build, dark hair, glasses – gasped.

“Ed? Al!?"

“Fuery?”

“Oh by Leto, you’re alive!” The soldier – Fuery, if Jack had heard correctly – broke formation to pull Edward into a fierce hug. Surprisingly enough, the boy reciprocated, before pushing the soldier off on Alphonse. That second hug was even longer. 

Tension eased from the tent as both the Amestrian soldiers let go of their formal rigidity, as did the SG-1 team. No hostiles, Jack was sure of that. The Elrics had kept their promise.

“Oh, you’ve been promoted to Second Lieutenant? Congratulations! And yet you’re stuck out here – missed the heat after so much time in Central, huh?” Alphonse couldn’t stop grinning.

“I have to say, after my last posting I am just happy for a bit of peace and quiet. The general wanted someone out here at any point to keep an eye… well, to keep an eye on the both of you. In case you reappeared. And you did. Damn. You did it!”

Jack was pretty sure there were tears in Fuery’s eyes. He coughed politely.

“Not to disturb this lovely little reunion, but I do think some introductions are in order.”

It became immediately obvious that in the shock of seeing the Elric brothers again, everyone had forgotten about the four foreign soldiers they had come with. And Jack was pretty sure that everyone recognized them as soldiers. If he had been able to recognize this laughable blue uniform – it had a butt cape! – as military, he had no doubt that the same could be said for the locals. Especially since they were all carrying weapons, even if most of them were sheathed and out of grasp.

“Absolutely.” Alphonse had a slightly nervous edge to his smile. “Second Lieutenant Kain Fuery, we’d like you to meet the people who saved our life: Jack O’Neill, with two ls, Samantha Carter, Dr Daniel Jackson, and Teal’c. They are the reason we came back.”

Jack knew his eyebrow wasn’t the only one being raised in disbelief. The absence of any military rank was starkly obvious, not just his own team aware that something was being hidden away.

“The reason–?” Fuery asked, fishing for information.

“It’s a long and complicated story. Since we’ll have to tell it to the bastard anyway, I don’t want to repeat myself constantly.” Edward’s tone left no room for argument. His eyes were surprisingly cold.

It wasn’t military authority being exuded, but something else: iron will and years of experience. It was then that Jack realized something else: if what Alphonse had said back at Command was true and not a translation error, and if their friend was the highest ranking soldier at the outpost, then Ed was currently the highest ranking officer in the tent. 

(Unfortunately, Jack knew better than to assume that US military ranks applied universally.)

He wanted to throw up.

The shrimp was still half a head smaller than him, seventeen at most even if they were apparently closing in on his birthday, and right now, he held the highest authority in the room. 

Sometimes life fucking sucked.

“Edward–” Fuery tried again.

“No. And now I would like to contact the bastard and then my family, because I’m sure you idiots have declared me dead again. This is gonna be a clusterfuck to sort out.”

And back was that devilish grin. Jack knew he wasn’t the only one who experienced whiplash. 

Only Alphonse didn’t seem disturbed at all – then again, Jack was convinced that between the two of them Alphonse was the one you had to look out for.

Fuery stared at them, his gaze intense and assessing, his face young. He couldn’t be more than twenty-five, but his eyes told Jack that he’d already experienced active battle. That war Ed and Al mentioned sometimes… Jack wouldn’t be surprised if Fuery had played a role in it too. 

Before the silence could stretch on for too long, Fuery shrugged. “You heard Ed- you heard the Major – set up communications with Central.” Then quieter, as an aside Jack was pretty sure only Edward was supposed to hear, “I hope you know what you are doing.”

“Do I ever?”

“That’s why I worry.”

The tent exploded in a fury of productivity – it didn’t take long for his team to be drawn in as well. Sam had taken one look at the only female soldier, a communications officer by the looks of it, and started asking her about the machines in the room, just as Daniel wandered aimlessly in the direction of the maps hanging on the walls. Jack had taken a deliberate step back, happy to just watch and observe as the chaos reigned around him.

There’d be enough time to ask questions later. 

Teal’c was locked in an uncomfortable staring match with the tallest soldier in the room, a frighteningly thin guy with red hair who was sweating profusely but refused to look away. Guy’s got balls, Jack had to give him that much.

Ed and Al were helping Fuery set up, joking between the three of them, even if Jack could see that the tension hadn’t yet left their little group. Secrets would do that to you, even if you were honest about having them.

Soon enough everything quieted down again, as Fuery took a seat in front of what Jack now understood to be a radio station, bulky military-grade headphones covering his ears.

“Outpost 1773 calling Central Command, Office of Brigadier General Roy Mustang. Outpost 1773 calling Central Command, Office of Brigadier General Roy Mustang.”

They couldn’t hear the answer on the other end of the radio, which meant Edward’s mumbled “the bastard finally got that damned promotion then” echoed loud and clear through the small space. 

Alphonse shook his head in exasperation.

Jack had to agree.

“This is Second Lieutenant Kain Fuery speaking. Military ID KF009TEC. I repeat: Military ID KF009TEC.”

There was another pause and then the speakers on the radio crackled, just as Fuery switched a flip on the motherboard, and suddenly a new voice filled the room.

“Lieutenant Fuery, you aren’t scheduled to call in until the end of the week.”

“General Mustang, if you let me explain you’ll understand that these are special circumstances.”

“A code green? If that’s the case why-”

“No, none of the traditional codes apply. I promise. It’s a lot more complicated than that.”

So this was ‘the bastard’ as Edward often called him fondly. Jack didn’t know a lot about him, but enough to despise the man on principle. Apparently he had been the one to first introduce Edward into the military – at just twelve-years-old if a mumbled confession from Alphonse was anything to go by. 

His voice was smooth, even over the static of a shitty, analog radio, his inflection that of a man used to power.

Jack’s fists burned with the urge to hit something. He wouldn’t, of course, he had better self-control than that, but that didn’t mean the urge wasn’t there.

Apparently Edward had enough of this conversation as well, as he pushed Fuery off his seat and pulled a headset on himself.

“Hey, Bastard. Stop asking stupid questions.”

A long, fragile moment of silence and then–

“Fu- Fullmetal? Edward? Elric?”

“Missed me?”

“Is Alphonse with you?” The warring disbelief and excitement in his voice did little to enamour Mustang to Jack.

“Yeah. He’s right here besides me.” 

Alphonse took the invitation, offering a cheery “I’m here, General. And congrats on the promotion!” to the microphone before giving the reins back to Ed. It was a complicated game those two played and Jack wasn’t quite sure if he’d figured it out yet – Ed usually took the lead, but Al was seemingly used to being the heavy hitter. Al apologized for his brother and yet never condemned him, Ed was protective but never stepped in front of Al.

Their relationship told a story, one Jack wasn’t privy to. At least not yet. 

“You’re alive. Holy shit, you’re alive.”

“So it seems.”

“Do you have any idea what the last few months have been like?” Mustang’s relief was quick to turn into anger – anger that even Jack had to admit sounded a lot like worry. “There was unrest on the streets! We organized a taskforce just to find you again, as the public called for Grumman to step down. They thought this was retaliation for the Eclipse. Both of the Curtis’ and Winry have been out of their mind – hell, Hawkeye’s been grieving you!”

Edward’s smile slipped from his face slowly, a frown taking its place. He didn’t answer immediately, every soldier in the room waiting with baited breath for what would happen next. 

“I’m sorry. We’re sorry. We tried everything we could to come back home sooner.”

“Where’ve you been?” 

“That’s a long story.”

“Elric–”

“No, Mustang, this isn’t something we should talk about on the radio.” It was as unsubtle as one could be, while trying to convey a ‘secret’ message.

“I see.” And Mustang’s voice was stone again.

“We’re heading to Resembool tomorrow. On horseback, so it should take us a few days. But let’s meet at Granny’s.”

“Should I–?”

“Tell Winry that we’re coming home. I’d rather avoid a wrench to the head, if humanly possible.”

Laughter rippled through the soldiers in the tent. Jack could tell that the conversation would quickly turn to the practical, no new information to be gained for him and his team. At least not right now. Both Edward and Mustang had ordered their men from asking any further questions, if in fewer words than that. 

Careful, as not to attract any further attention, Jack slipped from the tent back outside. Teal’c and Daniel followed him quickly and quietly – Sam stayed as their man on the inside. 

A few feet away from the tent, next to the horses, Jack sat down underneath one of the lone trees, thankful for the dustling of shadow. It looked like an olive tree with the leaves of a fir, the differences to earth flora scant. Then again, on most worlds the horses always looked like horses. 

A more academic mind than his might have toyed with the implications on determinism and evolution this observation brought with – but Jack was paid to lead his team on quests of discovery in a war against the Gual’oud, not to philosophize. So, he tried not to do that.

(He didn’t always succeed).

Teal’c and Daniel were quick to follow him to his tree.

“So, what do we think?” Jack pulled his cap down, to create the illusion of sleep – and deepen the shadow on his face.

“Elric was not lying when he talked about his time with the military. He is a respected member of the Amestrian forces, even if he is embarrassed by the respect he generates.” Teal’c’s assessment fit Jack’s perfectly. “It seems State Alchemists – a rank I do not yet fully understand – operate mostly on their own, as Elric has no experience with leadership. His brother is the more interesting one, I suspect.”

“How so?”

Jack glanced up, only to see that Daniel had taken a seat next to him, writing furiously in his notebook. Teal’c had wandered in the direction of the horses, carefully allowing the beasts to smell his hands as he watched them. 

“As soon as Lieutenant Fuery recognized Edward Elric, recognition sparked in the rest of his men – and while Lieutenant Fuery clearly recognized Alphonse Elric as well, his name gathered less of a reaction than his brother did.”

“Well, Ed’s the one who joined the military and gained that special title… and we know Alphonse was indisposed for at least some time before they stumbled upon the Gate.” Daniel looked up from his writings only for a moment, blue eyes piercing when they glanced at Jack.

“That is true.” Teal’c said. “But Lieutenant Fuery clearly holds the same respect for Alphonse as he does for Edward.”

“You think while Edward worked with the military publically, Alphonse did things behind the scenes?”

“Indeed, O’Neill. That would explain why certain members of the military, who are in the know, so to speak, are aware of Alphonse Elric’s involvement, while others have only ever heard the name in passing.”

Teal’c’s observation made a scary amount of sense. Jack nodded. All three of them watched as a large bird circled the tree they were sitting under, only to return to the city of ruins when none of them moved. 

“And Daniel? You have anything important to say?”

“This world is like nothing we’ve ever encountered before in its scope.”

“Is that bad or good?”

Sometimes it was easier to break it down into simple words.

“Uh… as long as the brothers really don’t turn out to be hostiles” – yeah, and how likely was that with SG-1’s luck? – “this could be a breakthrough in our understanding of the migratory habits of the Ancients. We need to come back and thoroughly study the ruins the Gate was found in.”

“I need the small words, Daniel.” It really wasn’t for Jack’s benefit (okay, maybe a little) since he was no fool, but rather to get Daniel out of his head and back on track.

“Sure. It’s- the maps in there, they don’t show us the entire globe, most of them seem to be focused on Amestris itself – a strangely symmetric country if I may say so – and the Eastern Area, including this desert, the ruins, and a huge country to the east of us, which I think is called Xing .”

Jack couldn’t read the native language of this planet, but Daniel had spent countless hours over the past four months sitting with Alphonse as the boy taught him the Amestrian alphabet and correlating phonetics. 

The small smile on Daniel’s face was proof enough of how proud the archeologist was of himself. 

“And?”

“And what, Jack?”

“There’s more. I know there is.”

“Besides the fact that Amestris seems weirdly man-made in its shape and naming conventions, the pure scope of what we’ve found… it wouldn’t surprise me if the entire planet was populated. Or at least, large parts of it. Not to speak of the ethnic and linguistic variety – have you noticed that only Ed and Al have golden eyes and hair? Everyone else seems to have blue or brown eyes. The boy we met in Xerxes had white hair, which is seemingly a normal variation on the human phenotype. And their language – the boy spoke a different language, one Edward could at least understand the basics off, and he and Alphonse speak a different dialect than the Corporal–”

Jack was just about ready to cut this onslaught of information short, when Teal’c did it for him.

“What do you mean about Amestris looking man-made?”

“It’s a circle. Well, almost.”

“Is that… a bad sign?”

Daniel looked at the military outpost behind them as he thought, the sun slowly dipping below the horizon while they watched. Cold was slowly seeping into his extremities, now that the sun was no longer burning everything.

“I don’t know. They said it’s a very war-torn country. And it does remind me of the artificial borders drawn on earth, in Africa and the likes, during the colonial period. But it could mean nothing, I simply don’t have enough data to say.”

Before Jack could answer, the flap covering the opening of the tent was thrown open, Edward stepping out with determination. There was a limp to his gait, one Jack wasn’t sure Edward himself even noticed. He turned around once before he spotted them, coming over just as Jack pulled himself back up, dust and sand sticking to his pants. 

“Done gossiping?” Edward had his arms crossed, annoyance starkly visible on his face even from a few paces away. The boy – teenager, young adult – was too clever not to know what Jack had been doing. Jack respected him enough not to pretend otherwise.

“Pretty much. Only one question.”

“Yes?”

“Why not tell them we’re military?”

Theoretically, it had been Alphonse who had lied, but Ed obviously supported his brother’s choice.

“Oh, that’s easy.” Edward shrugged. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this is a pretty militarized place. Most of our neighbors aren’t exactly Amestris’ number one fan. If we admit to your being military, everyone’s gonna assume you’re a spy out to get us killed. It’s safer that way.”

“Then how do you intend to explain your disappearance?”

“Simple: on a need to know basis. And none of the guys out here need to know that other planets and universes exist.”

Edward’s smile wasn’t friendly, but Jack understood it for what it was. A peace offering of sorts. Ed wouldn’t tell them any more, at least not for now. For now, though, didn’t mean forever. 

Jack nodded his agreement, both of them happy with this silent understanding. Well, as happy as one could be, really, while caught up in politics and lies.

But it made sense – war-torn countries were rarely welcoming to strangers, and so far everyone they’d met had been touched by the horrors the Elrics refused to talk about. This was a world with countries, politics, and power mechanics that went far beyond the standard Gua’lud colony, which meant they had to tread a lot more carefully if they wanted this mission to be a success.

They made their way back towards the tent, when Daniel spoke up. “Before we can head out towards Resembool, we’ll have to contact SG Command again.”

“Carter already informed us.”

“Good.”

“And now let’s please all just shut up and enjoy some shitty army rations before getting some sleep.” Edward held the flaps of the tent open for them to step through. “We’ll head out as soon as possible tomorrow and I don’t know about you, but I find traveling a lot easier with a full stomach.”

“Sounds about right.” 

Jack followed him inside.

It was the evening of their third day out from Xerxes, the world an endless sea of bright blue and waves of golden yellow. Jack was sick of the desert, his eyes tired not just from the relentless travel, but also the strange monotony of riding through sand followed by more sand followed by more sand.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t cope with this kind of territory, no, he’d served in the Middle East and fought on over a dozen desert planets before, but not even experience could dull the boredom and exhaustion of traversing rough terrain. On horseback, no less. 

By now the endless blue had given place to a foreign night sky filled with constellations Jack had never seen before, a small fire protecting their little group from the nightly chill. 

Teal’c rested a few paces away, keeping look-out even though no one had asked him to do that. The Elric brothers were asleep, Edward capable of resting on a folded up jacket and nothing else, Alphonse a little more picky when it came to sleeping out in the wild. Daniel had laid down on the other side of the teenagers, his bucket hat covering his face, only to rise slightly with each deep breath. 

Only Fuery, Sam and Jack were still awake, sitting around the fire as the last of their evening rations cooled uneaten. Military food sucked ass across the universe, it seemed. 

Their silence spoke of long days and short nights, the neighing of their horses a few feet away the only sound accompanying Jack’s thoughts.

That was until Fuery broke the unspoken rule of nights by the fire. He spoke.

“I know you can’t tell me what happened, but thank you. Thank you for bringing them back.” 

Barely out of his teens himself, Fuery looked as if he meant it. The fire reflected in his glasses, the shadows underneath his eyes so much deeper in the low light.

“You really care for them.” Sam took one of the few sticks they’d collected on their travels for evenings like this and poked the fire. 

“I do.”

“Why. I mean… how do you know them?”

“I was a member of General Mustang’s staff when Edward joined up. We were never particularly close, but it’s hard not to like them – they just pull you in, until suddenly you're willing to die for them and their cause. Mustang’s much the same.”

“What’s the general like?” Jack interrupted Fuery’s musings, even as he filed the information away for later. “Edward just calls him the bastard, and Alphonse gets coy when I ask about him.”

“Ah.” Fuery laughed. “Edward would say that.”

“You disagree?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that. The General is… he’s ambitious, and intelligent, and, well, a schemer. He and Edward always had a rather explosive relationship, simply because Edward’s the most straightforward person you’re ever going to meet and Mustang is pretty much the exact opposite.”

“And you?” Sam’s eyes shone with intelligence when she asked her question. “What do you think about him?”

“Mustang’s a dreamer. But a dreamer with a plan.” Fuery shrugged. “When I joined the military everyone told me to watch out for the schemers and manipulators, but I have found those to be much easier to work for. I know what I signed up for when I joined Mustang’s staff. When he sacrifices something, it’s at least for a good cause.”

They were silent for a bit, the crackle of the fire comforting, the stars overhead foreign. 

“The war you fought in, is that the same one Edward lost his leg in?”

Fuery startled when Jack asked his question, his eyes quick to jump from Jack to Ed and back to Jack. 

“Uh…”

“I know it’s none of my business, but I recognize a veteran when I see one, and Edward told us about his hometown being bombed when he was a child…”

Jack trailed off, well aware that the silence would soon be filled by the young Second Lieutenant.

“Um, no. Resembool was attacked during the Ishvalan war. That ended in ‘08. I only enlisted in ‘09 – but two years ago I was transferred to the Aerugoan border. We saw action over there.” 

“Why’d you join up?”

“What else was there to do? The mines in my hometown had dried up, neither the smith nor the baker needed an apprentice, and the military at least appreciated my knack for electronics.”

The it’s what boys my age did was left unsaid, even if they all heard it loud and clear.

It was obvious Fuery didn’t want to talk about this anymore. Jack understood; he backed off. It was more than enough information as is, even if Jack suddenly realized that they had no idea which year it was currently. Local time, as Daniel called it.

“Thank you for telling us.” Sam offered, her smile kind even as her eyes begged Jack to develop something akin to tact. “But I think it’s time for me to head to bed. We’ll be reaching Resembool tomorrow?”

“If everything goes well, yeah.”

Feury returned her smile, his soft “good night” echoing through the night long after Sam had huddled down in one of the sleeping bags provided to them by the Xerxes outpost. 

Jack decided to keep company with the fire for a bit longer.

Throughout the entire day the landscape around them shifted. Jack could no longer call their adventure monotone, not with how the day had started with a mountain range appearing in the distance, only for the desert to slowly give way to grasslands as the morning turned to midday. 

By late afternoon, the mountains turned out to be soft green hills, and the harsh desert sun eased into something softer and more akin to autumn. Trees grew sturdier and covered in soft greens and golden reds, and for the first time in days, Jack had seen other humans travel between homesteads using horse-drawn carriages on dirt roads. 

Most of the strangers on the road ignored them, some even flinched away when they saw the military insignia on Fuery’s coat, but for the most part their travels were smooth now that Jack was no longer sweating buckets.

The greener and more idyllic their surroundings grew, the more anxious Edward and Alphonse were. It was obvious in the way Alphonse stopped speaking, gnawing on his lip as if to center himself, and the way Edward started glaring at every sheep, horse, or person they passed. 

“I thought you’d be more excited about this part.” Jack couldn’t help himself but tease.

“You don’t know Winry. She’s gonna cry when she sees us. I hate it when I make her cry.” 

It was such a teenage boy answer, it was hard for Jack to see this boy as the same one who had ordered a group of soldiers into silence. A glance at Daniel and Sam told him that their thoughts weren’t that far off -- only Teal’c seemed to think differently. Jack would have to ask him later what that was about.

Not because he wanted his entire team to agree with him, but because a different viewpoint might just shine a bit more light on the enigma that was the Elric brothers. 

“Winry? Is she your girlfriend?” Sam might sound innocent, but Jack recognized deliberate teasing when he heard it.

Edward’s sputtered gawking was answer enough. The deep blush creeping up his neck was just a bonus. Jack hadn’t known people could get that red.

“What?! No! Of course- that’s disgusting! We grew up together, she’s like- I mean. That’s- Al, stop laughing!”

Edward’s embarrassment had successfully drawn Alphonse out of his shell, his amusement a comforting sight after hours of increasing silence. In the end, he answered for his brother, who had signaled his horse to run faster in order to gain some distance from this conversation.

“Winry’s our childhood friend. We grew up together, went to school together, and after our mother died, her Granny basically took us in and raised us herself. She’s family. Both of them are family.”

“And there’s really nothing going on between–?” Sam poked.

“Well, not if you ask Brother. Or Winry. But I think they both know about their feelings, they’re just too emotionally constipated to talk it out.” 

Alphonse spoke with the wisdom of a long suffering younger sibling. 

“And Winry’s family? You mentioned a granny, but is there someone else we should know?” Daniel guided his horse next to Alphonse’s.

“No, it’s just them.” The amusement on Alphonse’s face faded away. “Winry’s parents died in the war. They were doctors. It’s just the two of them now – well, the four of us, now that we’re finally back.”

Every family was touched by this war, that much was obvious. 

Just as the sun was about to set, they rounded another hill. More and more sheep farmers greeted them, and it wasn’t long before Jack saw the small town nestled between two sloping hills, maybe a hundred houses with smoking chimneys appearing silhouetted by the evening sun. 

“Most farmers live outside of Resembool proper, but that’s it. We’re here.” Fuery came to a stop, their entire group drinking in the sight of the place in front of them. 

Home.

This was Edward and Alphonse’s home. 

It looked surprisingly quaint, nothing like the brothers themselves.

“Where to next?” Jack finally asked, after a hopefully appropriate moment of silence.

“That way.” 

It was Edward who took the lead, guiding them away from the town center towards one of the hills. There was tension in his shoulders, and yet the excitement pushed him forward. Alphonse rode next to him, the resolve on his face admirable.

Stone walls framed the dirt road, wooden fences doing their best to herd in the dozens of sheep where stone gave away. It smelled like manure, freshly mowed grass, and rain – the difference to the desert just a few hours away by horse was like night and day. 

A big house appeared on top of the hill, with white lime-washed walls, a wooden balcony and roof. A wooden sign sat in front of the porch, the writing on it illegible to Jack.

“It looks almost European.” Daniel mumbled under his breath. “Central or Eastern European, even. Regions near the alps.”

Jack chose to ignore him.

“That sign… ‘Rockbell Prosthetic and Automail Outfitters’. That has to be–”

They were still at least a hundred yards away when a dog started barking, a whirlwind of black and white fur barreling down the path. Jack’s horse startled, not enough to throw him off, but enough to get the adrenaline pumping.

“Good girl, hey.” Jack tried to soothe the animal. Thankfully, it was enough, military horses quick to calm.

In front of him, Ed and Al dismounted, their tension easing into big grins. The reason why became obvious rather quickly: the dog stopped barking in order to jump on them, tail wagging fast enough to break the soundbarrier. Only the grip Alphonse had on Ed’s shoulder kept them from toppling over – it was a huge dog, and now that Jack was close enough, he could see that one of its front legs was made out of metal.

A prosthetic just as Ed had one.

“Hey, Den. Yeah, it’s us. We’re home.” 

Ed’s voice had grown low and friendly, his hands careful where they scratched the dog behind its ears. Alphonse sat down, part exhaustion after four days on horseback, and part joy, now that he could whisper sweet nothings into the thick fur on Den’s neck. 

The rest of them dismounted as well, Fuery quick to gather up the reigns of Ed and Al’s horses. The door up at the house banged open, the sound of the door hitting the brick wall loud enough to make their entire group look up.

A young woman stood on the front porch, her long blond hair tied back with a bandana, her coveralls stained with dirt and oil. Hands on her hips, she made for a fierce figure, if it weren’t for the tears streaming down her face, visible even from far away. 

“Edward and Alphonse Elric. I hate you both, you damn idiots.” 

Her declaration echoed down the hill, and then she was running, towards them – no, towards the boys. 

Ed and Al were quick to stand up and greet her, the SG-1 team (and Fuery) staying back as the three teenagers joined in a tight hug. It looked painful, the way they clung to each other, but it reminded Jack of countless reunions with his own team. 

There were times in life where nothing was more important than the beating heart of your comrades, and the weight of their arms around your shoulder.

Even with their respectful distance, Jack was close enough to hear the whispered apologies shared by Edward, and to see the tears unabashedly running down Alphonse’s face. 

“I’m just as happy to see you as my granddaughter.” A new voice startled Jack. His attention snapped away from Ed and Al towards the stranger who had joined them. An old woman, tiny with age, was looking at them with a smile on her face. “But why don’t we take care of the horses and handle the introductions inside – with some good stew and a bottle of rum.”

Her words left no room for argument – not that Jack’s aching butt had any intention of doing just that. 

Jack wasn’t the only one fascinated by the interior of the house. Sam had abandoned all pretense of politeness to stare at the mechanical schematics decorating the wall, meanwhile Daniel had left the kitchen to wander into the adjourned living room area with its huge bookcases, anatomical drawings, and prosthetics. 

Only Teal’c and Fuery had taken a seat at the table alongside the Elric brothers, Jack’s eyes locked on the photo wall next to the kitchen. He wasn’t daring enough to look through them just yet, but his interest was definitely piqued. 

Maybe he would come back down late at night, just to see what kind of secrets the Elrics (and Rockbells) openly displayed. 

“- and then Mustang called to say that they’d take the next train out to Resembool.” Pinako finished telling her version of the last few days as she filled bowl after bowl with heavenly smelling stew. “They should get here tomorrow afternoon. Apparently the train station in East City was swarmed with political protests.” 

Winry was helping her, probably because she was too jittery to sit down and eat some food as if nothing had happened. Jack felt much the same, even if his anxious energy didn’t show itself the way it did for a teenage girl. 

They’d reached the first mission imperative: bring the Elrics back home safely.

Now they had ten more days before they needed to be back in Xerxes to check-in with SG Command. In that time, they had to establish communications with the local government, find out as much as possible about the possible threat levels posed by this corner of the galaxy, and maybe find access to the strange definitely-some-sort-of-magic science that the Elrics practiced.

“The protests still haven’t calmed down?” Edward asked between two bites of stew. It was a bit disgusting watching him eat. “It’s been seventeen months since the Eclipse.”

“Well, you disappearing certainly didn’t help.” Winry’s answer was biting.

Surprisingly, neither of the Elrics flinched. Jack would have thought them to be the kind of people who developed guilt complexes over things outside of their control for sure.

“We didn’t do it on purpose.”, was all Alphonse offered, before asking for another bowl of food. 

“How’s their disappearance linked to the protests?” Jack asked, finally taking a seat at the table. Pinako placed a glass full of a dark liquid in front of him, some stew following shortly. “I thought you vanished on an archeological dig?”

“They did.” Winry huffed. 

“But the Hero of the People can’t just vanish in the middle of a political unrest, without it having some repercussions. The people of Amestris have grown rather good at sniffing out bullshit, and everything about Ed and Al disappearing in Xerxes smelled like a cover up. Speaking off–”

Pinako’s piercing gaze didn’t pin just the brothers in place, Jack could feel it rest heavily on his skin as well. Fuery was the only one quick enough to vanish in the shadows, his meak exterior enough to help him blend in with the wall he was sitting next to. Teal’c, Jack and the Elrics had no such luck.

“We’ll have to explain everything to Mustang, can’t you just wait until then, you impatient hag?”

“Ed!” Winry exclaimed.

“What? It’s the truth!”

“As your- your family, I think we deserve the truth before you and the general come up with some sort of cover-up.” Winry crossed her arms and fell onto the chair next to Jack, pulling the glass full of liquor in her direction. Judging by the face she pulled, she wasn’t used to rum – or whatever came closest on this planet. 

“Tell us.” Pinako’s voice didn’t allow for disagreement. “Especially since you’ve brought a bunch of military into our home, even if you refuse to call them that.”

Sam glanced up from her study of the wall-decor, once again stricken by the observance displayed by the inhabitants of this world. These people weren’t slaves, weren’t used to looking away, and their history had shaped them into abrasive peoples with sharp eyes. 

Especially the older generation. 

(Pinako’s distaste for the military was interesting, Jack noted, not just because Ed was a high ranking member.)

“We’re not–”

“Brother and I found out that we are not as alone in the galaxy as we previously thought.” Alphonse interrupted Edward.

“You don’t mean–?”

“No, that’s exactly what they mean.” Daniel stepped out of the living room and into the conversation. “The entire galaxy is filled with inhabited planets, sentient life forms and ways of intergalactic travel. Edward and Alphonse found one such way to travel – and they met us. It took us a while to work out how to send them back.”

“You’re aliens?” It wasn’t Winry who made the shocked statement, but Fuery. The Lieutenant was chalk white, his hands trembling as he fixed his glasses. 

“Well, in a- in your understanding? Yes.”

“Oh, by Leto.” A glass of liquor appeared in Fuery’s hand, Pinako only slightly unsteady as she made sure everyone at the table had something to wash the shock down with. 

Jack had never seen Ed drink back on base, but judging by the ease with which he slammed the drink back, it wasn’t the first time a bit of rum was needed to ease the nerves. 

“That does explain your reluctance to explain rather well.” 

Pinako’s words carried truth.

They drank in silence for a moment, Teal’c humming in appreciation when he tried the alcohol.  

“Aliens…” Winry finally whispered. “What’s your world like? You’re military right? How’s that like, and… what’s your mechanical advancement? Is that the reason Ed’s not wearing my leg? Do you even have automail?”

“Speaking off–” Ed interrupted her before they could drown under the avalanche of questions pouring out of Winry. “My leg maybe, kinda broke while traveling through the universe?”

“WHAT.”

“Nothing bad!” Ed raised his hands in an attempt to calm Winry down, Alphonse’s smile enough of a spoiler to let Jack know that it wouldn’t work. “But it just stopped working! And I grew! So, you know, I’d like my automail back. Teal’c-”

As if on cue, Teal’c picked the briefcase up from the floor and placed it in the middle of the table, only to reveal Edward’s prosthetic. 

It was just as intricate and stunning as it had been the first time Jack had laid eyes on it.

Winry didn’t seem to share his wonder. “I swear to god, this was a new titanium alloy, and if you’ve somehow managed to-” She picked the metal leg up with ease, the muscles in her lean arms barely tensing. She was strong, had to be, to do things like this. 

“I know. But it’s really not my fault this time.”

Winry glared at Ed before her expression eased, a few tears glistening in the corner of her blue eyes. If Jack had to guess, she’d just realized how much she missed nagging Edward about his leg. 

Ah, young love.

She sat back down, producing a screwdriver from somewhere within her coveralls, opening up one of the internal panels. “Whatever. And now tell me about that alien world. I want to know everything.”

And Edward complied.

Silence had long settled onto the old house, when Jack and Daniel sneaked down the hallway to the guest room Teal’c and Sam were staying in. Dinner had stretched long into the night, Pinako topping off their glasses every time they ran empty, Winry asking endless questions as the night progressed and Fuery slowly warmed to the idea of alien planets. 

By now the Elrics had gone back to their room, Pinako long asleep. Fuery was staying in one of the patient rooms on the first floor, the SG-1 team split into two when it came to picking a guest room. 

The only light came from down the hall, the door to Winry’s workroom not thick enough to hide her secret tinkering away. Too much anxious energy running through her body to go to bed.

Jack couldn’t sleep either when they got back from an off-world mission that left him wired and tense. 

Sam opened the door, when Jack knocked, ushering them inside as if they were a group of teenagers sneaking out on a school trip. Teal’c was sitting on one of the two twin beds, his staff leaning against the wall. At Pinako’s request (it hadn’t really been a question) the team had left most of their weapons downstairs, only Teal’c allowed to carry his with him. A lone bedside lamp bathed everything in a soft glow, Sam’s features softer and younger thanks to it – the slightly too small pajamas given to them by their hosts certainly didn’t help with that assessment.

Once the door was closed, Jack took a seat on one of the chairs cluttered throughout the room. It was pretty barren otherwise, only a faded print of a smiling couple in black and white holding a toddler framed on the wall. Probably Winry and her parents. 

“So?” Jack asked, an expectant look directed at his subordinates – his team.

“It’s fascinating, isn’t it?” 

“Carter?”

“Did you see Winry’s face when Edward told her about aircrafts and helicopters? They have no concept of mechanical flight in this world.”

“It wouldn’t be the first world we visited without advanced technology.” Jack played the devil’s advocate.

“But their technology is advanced! I looked over the blueprints for the prosthetics they’re building – they connect human tissue to electronic wiring in a way that doesn’t kill the patient and grants them complete control over the- the automail. This is centuries away from what we can do back on earth.”

“I looked through some of the medical encyclopedias in the living room.” Daniel built on what Sam was saying. “And their information seems to be incredibly accurate. But it does not reflect the same advancements as Sam noticed when it comes to prosthetics. I’m not that kind of doctor, but their immunology research seems to be in its infancy. I found barely anything on genetic research or anything similar.”

“Teal’c, you want to add something as well?”

“It is more a question I have for you, O’Neill.” 

“Ask away.” 

Jack leaned back in the chair, his entire backside aching after the last few days on horseback. Teal’c’s gaze rested heavily on him, intensity the only setting his friend had. That, and a surprisingly broad sense of humor. 

“You acted surprised when Edward Elric behaved as a typical teenager would, and yet you are always the first to advocate for him to be viewed as a child. Why?”

“Oh.” This wasn’t quite what Jack had expected. “It just surprised me how quickly he can switch from an intimidating little shit to caring older brother to embarrassed teenager. It’s hard for me to reconcile that feral stranger who first dropped out of the Gate a few months ago with the boy who blushed this afternoon because Carter teased him about his crush.”

“But why? Does it not remind you of something, no, someone else?”

Now everyone was looking at Teal’c, his expression giving away nothing. Per usual.

“What do you mean?”

“He behaves as we do. The same goes for his brother Alphonse.”

“I’m not sure I–”

“As a team, the SG-1 has survived many strange adventures, yes? We have fought together, bled together, died together. And yet we joke and laugh before going into battle, we honor each other, and command respect. Is it not the same for boys like the Elrics, who grew up as warriors just the same?”

Was it really the same?

Jack’s doubt must have been visible, because it was Sam who answered: “I think Teal’c is right, sir. It is easy to see them as kids, and their childishness as proof of their youth, but from all we can tell, the Elrics have fought and bled just as we did. And if we can cope with humor, why can’t they?”

“They’re teenagers.”

“Anthropologically speaking, teenage-dom is something incredibly recent. Our parents were the first teenagers to ever exist, and we were the first ones to grow up within an established concept of teen years. Based on the technological advancement of this world, and its constant state of war, I wouldn’t be surprised if they do not have a concept of teenagers at all. By all accounts, Edward and Alphonse – and even Winry – might just be considered young adults.” 

Daniel’s words did nothing to sooth Jack’s distaste for this world and its child soldiers. But his team was right – he couldn’t just apply his own standards onto Edward and Alphonse. Especially since they were still alive, unlike his own—

No.

Not going there.

“Young adults? Have you seen how everyone reacts to Edward? He’s young even for their standards.” At least Jack could say that much with certainty. 

“Young does not equal a child.” Teal’c intoned.

“And I think they like to tease him about it. We’re surely not the first ones to notice how sensitive he is about his height.”

Sam was right. Of course, she was. She usually was. 

“So, what’s the plan?” Daniel looked at him.

“Tomorrow, we’ll talk to that mysterious CO of theirs. Maybe he can get us access to a larger city. I’m pretty sure Alphonse mentioned libraries in the population centers. We’ll see how far we’ll get in the time we have. And I want to take a look at that photo wall – I think there’s a few secrets hidden there that I would love to get to the bottom of.”

No one protested his plans – while civilians might have objected to this blatant order to snoop around, his team understood the importance of information gathering. And they would do their job and follow his orders to the best of their abilities.

“And now… well, I think there’s a bed waiting for all of us.”

The hallway was dark when they stepped back outside, the light underneath Winry’s door long since dead.

“For the love of everything you hold dear, crazy woman, stop trying to stab me!” 

Edward’s outrage was deeply amusing, even if the sight of his mostly undressed body was almost enough to spoil Jack’s appetite for breakfast. Edward was currently leaning against the doorframe leading into the kitchen, only dressed in a tank top and boxers, his braided hair in disarray, while Winry tried to take his height. 

“If you could stop moving around for just a second, I wouldn’t have to stab you, you lunatic.” 

Jack tried his best not to stare, the countless scars up and down Edward’s body not something he would grow used to anytime soon. His top had ridden up enough for the edges of an ugly stomach scar to peek through, and the end of his leg connecting to the temporary prosthetic was a gruesome mess of scar tissue in purple, red and white. 

It didn’t help that absolutely no one else seemed to care.

Pinako was busy frying eggs and bacon with the help of Teal’c – who had upon waking up formed a deeply frightening bond to the old woman – while Fuery asked a dozen questions about the rifle Sam had handed him earlier. Daniel had once again vanished into the living room, which left Alphonse as Jack’s only ally. 

And they both knew Alphonse would never side with Jack over Ed.

But apparently he would side with Winry over his brother.

“Brother, do what she says. She won’t take your two extra inches away from you, I promise.”

“Traitor!”

But Edward finally stilled long enough for Winry to jot down his height. Jack wasn’t the only one who noticed the genuine surprise on her face.

“What?” Edward barked.

“I think you might even have grown three inches, Ed. You’re 5’6”ft. That’s… that’s almost man sized. Congrats.”

“I know you want me to freak out, but I will take the high road on this. I am growing. One day I might even catch up to Al.”

“Dream on.” Alphonse laughed, Edward and Winry sharing a secret smile at the sound. 

“I’m with Al on this one.” Winry said, pulling Edward towards the table now that she’d finished her business. “But you’ll need a good meal if you want to try. And if you want me to reconnect your automail later today. The leg should be finished by noon.”

“That soon?”

It was Sam who interrupted the domesticity of the Rockbell-Elrics, the look on her face one of open curiosity. Back at Stargate Command, she’d been one of the scientists trying to figure out how Ed’s leg worked - with little to no success. 

“Oh, yeah. Now that I’ve got Ed’s height, I just have to recalibrate the shin plates and lengthen the diameter of the LaCoulte axis to widen the back rods…”

Everyone in the room besides Pinako looked at her in confusion. Winry blushed.

“I already fixed the issue with the internal wiring last night. That Gate thing you talked about… it must have fried one of the titanium alloy plates on the inside of the port connection. Once I took the leg apart and cleaned everything it was easy enough to fix.” 

“You’re really good at this.” praised Sam.

“Of course, she is.” Edward shrugged. “A gearhead like her better be good at the thing she was born to do.”

Now Winry blushed for other reasons, not that Edward was aware of the effect his words had on the poor girl. Alphonse sighed in his seat next to Jack. 

Teenagers. 

“So, what’s the plan for today?” Jack asked the room.

“I’ll head out to visit mom’s grave while Winry’s busy finishing up here. It’s been a while since my last visit. Al, you coming with me?” 

Edward looked at his brother, the plate in front of him growing empty quickly. Alphonse nodded his agreement.

“Maybe we can get some flowers from the shops in town. Say Hi to Maribel and some of the others, while we’re at it. Does Max still do wreaths? I would like to put one on Dad’s grave.”

“Oh, Max has expanded his business. He’s really into floral arrangements now.” Winry said. “Take some daffodils for my parents, too. Oh, and Ed? Use a cane today.”

“Why?”

“Because I want your stump to be less irritated for the reattachment. You’ve been abusing that poor leg for months now.” 

Edward rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out, suddenly years younger – and at least twice as annoying. Winry retaliated by hitting him on the arm.

Jack wasn’t quite sure how to deal with this domesticity. This was nothing like how the Elrics had behaved back on base. Sure, the SG-1 team hadn’t been there for all of it, other off-world missions pulling their focus off the new temporary guests back at base, but Jack remembered the furrows permanently etched between Edward’s brows and the calculating looks from Alphonse that followed them everywhere. 

The brothers had spent their time on base studying the Gate, doing physical training/therapy with Teal’c and bugging Sam and Daniel about Earth culture and science experiments. They had laughed, every now and then, and they had fought every other week, but not once had Jack seen them this open. This vulnerable.

“Well, I could use someone to take care of the fire wood before winter makes its way down here.” Pinako pulled focus, her words registering only after Teal’c had already volunteered. Something told Jack that this wasn’t the first time Pinako had used one of Edward’s acquaintances to get some work done around the house.

“When will the train get here?” 

It was a good question from Sam, especially since the General was the person Jack was really looking forward to meeting.

Well, maybe ‘looking forward’ was too positive a word. 

“Around 16 o’clock?” Winry said. “If we’re lucky. There’s been trouble along some railroad tracks the past few months.”

“If you think about it, people should be happy Resembool has a train connection at all.”

It was the first thing Fuery had said all morning, besides a mumbled “I hope you slept well” earlier in the day – and now everyone was looking at him. The young officer blushed furiously under the attention.

“What does that mean?” Daniel asked.

“Oh, it’s just- Resembool is a small border town in the East. Most places this size that far away from one of the larger cities have no connection to the railroad system.”

“What a few sheep can’t do.” Pinako nodded.

“Sheep?” Daniel repeated.

“Yes. Sheep.” Another cup of coffee – Jack was pretty sure it wasn’t actual coffee from the coffee plant as he knew it, but it seemingly filled the same cultural niche as coffee did back home – was placed on the table as Pinako sat down. “Resembool is the number one wool manufacturer for the Amestrian military. They built that railroad here thirty years ago, long before even places like Rush Valley or Dublith were connected to the system. The only time it didn’t run was during the last year of the war – the bombs did quite a lot of damage to the tracks and it took us a while to get down there and repair everything.” 

This wasn’t the first war-torn world they’d ever traveled to, if anything most planets and colonies seemed to have suffered great battles and large scale destruction in the centuries before the Stargate Command made contact with them, if because of the Gua’lud or human depravity or desolate abandonment, but rarely did it hold such a level of mundanity as it did here. 

These conflicts were reminiscent of Earth, and Jack wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

“Not that it matters now.” Edward was uncomfortable with the topic at hand, and judging by the looks on the faces of the other indigenous people, he wasn’t the only one. Not that Jack could blame them. “Mustang should be here late afternoon. Until then, the four of you should lose the alien look. If you want to wander around, the less attention you pull, the better.” 

“We should still have some of Yurey’s clothes up in the attic. For the gentlemen. And maybe Alphonse can alter one of Winry’s dresses to fit Miss Carter?” 

Pinako looked at them expectantly. It didn’t take long for his team to agree, even if Jack could see the resignation on Sam’s face at having to wear a dress. Not that he was looking forward to dress pants himself – or, worse, whatever the hell Edward wore when he first showed up at SGC. 

“I’m not going to have to wear leather pants, right?” Jack asked.

The whole room burst into laughter, only Edward scowling with his arms crossed in front of his body. The ribbing was good natured, not even Edward able to resist the urge to smile for long.

“I will let you know that sturdy pants are necessary when dealing with automail.” 

“Sturdy, maybe, but nobody forced you to make it black leather pants. Most people opt for reinforced linen or maybe even jeans fabric.” Winry was quick to shoot Edward’s objection down.

“I looked cool as hell! It’s a badass look!”

“Don’t worry, Mr O’Neill, my son knew better than to dress like the pipsqueak.” 

“Hey.”

“Shut it, Edward, you know I’m right.”

Pinako and Edward exchanged a fond look full of mock outrage. They were family, alright.

The room burst into a flurry of activity as the morning stretched on. Alphonse helped Pinako pull a few boxes full of clothes from the attic, as Winry vanished back into her workshop. Teal’c and Daniel were busy washing the dishes by hand, Jack virtually useless until Edward pushed a bundle of clothes into his hands and sent him out of the room. 

By the time Jack made it back downstairs, now dressed in brown slacks, a white button down, and arm garters of all things, the chaos had calmed considerably. 

The kitchen was empty when Jack stepped inside. Through a window he could see Daniel and Teal’c – dressed similarly to him, only that Daniel had acquired a waistcoat along the way and Teal’c wore a fedora – being instructed by Pinako on how to cut and stack the fire wood. In the distance, he could see Edward and Alphonse vanish over the crest of the hill, both of them holding canes for once like men four times their age. 

He had no idea where Sam had gone, and Fuery was an enigma as is, but Jack chose that moment to snoop.

The corkboard took up most of the right side of the kitchen wall, the amount of pictures making it near impossible to focus on one face at a time. Older pictures were a soft sepia color, which helped Jack quickly build a timeline based on the vibrancy of the color alone. 

There were pictures of a much younger Pinako proudly standing in front of a much newer looking shop sign, the house in the background the very same one they were currently residing in. Another picture of a younger Pinako with a small boy in her arms followed, her eyes alight with joy. 

Jack watched the boy grow up over the course of a few photos, growing like a weed with medical books in his arms. The older he got, the more often he was accompanied by two women – the blond one from the picture in Sam and Teal’c sleeping quarters and and a younger girl with darker hair and a bright smile. Her face was echoed in Alphonse – that had to be the brothers’ mother. 

The timeline grew fuzzy for a bit after that, until two new babies showed up on the pictures up on the wall. The two women sat next to each other on a bench in front of a different house – this one smaller with a large tree right next to it –, both with a young child in their arms. The only noteworthy thing was the pregnant belly of the younger woman. 

By now color had seeped into the pictures. Jack recognized Edward and Winry in more and more of the photos, Baby Alphonse quick to join the other two. And while Alphonse shared a face with his mother, his coloring was unlike her. That must be from the father’s side–

Jack found the family photo hidden behind a picture of a military parade and a dog covered in puppies. A tall, severe looking man with golden hair and eyes, crying as he held onto toddler Edward, their mother smiling broadly and effortlessly as she held Alphonse up in the air. 

The lack of reaction from Edward to their father’s grave had already clued Jack in on a rather complicated family dynamic, but this picture really drove the point home. 

Less photos decorated the board following that. Jack found some of the Elrics playing with Winry at the Rockbell house, one of the adults – never their father – in the background of some of the shots. But soon enough even that stopped – this must have been the beginning of the end of the war. 

And then… These had to be the pictures taken after the bombing. Edward in a wheelchair, his leg missing, his arm- wait a second. 

Jack carefully took the picture of the corkboard, disbelief making him slow. Edward, aged ten or eleven, was missing two limbs instead of the one Jack knew about. Just this morning, Jack had seen enough of Edward to know that both his arms were flesh and bone. This didn’t make any sense. At no point had the Elrics mentioned technology that would allow one to regrow limbs – and if that technology did exist why would he use it on his arm and not his leg?

It wasn’t the only thing slightly off about the picture, Alphonse nowhere in sight, only a hulking figure dressed in a medieval looking armor keeping a much younger Edward company. 

Jack folded the piece of evidence and stored it in a pocket. Maybe Daniel and Sam could make sense of it. 

Jack scanned the rest of the corkboard for more recent pictures. But all of them agreed with the one currently burning a hole through his pocket: Edward down two limbs, Alphonse missing from every single one. 

That wasn’t quite right. There was one photo of Edward and Alphonse in a hospital that – quite frankly – turned Jack’s stomach. Alphonse, horribly emaciated, with long brittle hair and gaunt cheeks that would haunt Jack forever, was laying in a bed, Edward sitting on the chair next to him, asleep, his head resting against Alphonse’s hip. Edward didn’t look much better than his brother, blood dried in his hair, bandages peeking out from underneath the hospital gown he was wearing.

He had two arms in that one, even if the right one looked about as healthy as Alphonse.

Something was definitely fishy.

Jack was pretty sure it wasn’t the dangerous kind of fishy, some elaborate hallucination or illusion or brainwashing technique. But it was still a mystery, and he didn’t like those to remain undiscovered. 

Noise from outside the house warned him just in time to step back from the picture wall and go sit down in front of the kitchen window.

It was Sam.

The knee-length pencil skirt, and white blouse covered by a soft blue cardigan reminded Jack of the secretarial staff back at base, but he was intelligent enough not to say anything to her face. 

“Looking good.” He offered instead.

“Yeah, we found some of Sara’s clothes – there was no way I was going to wear anything from Winry’s closet.” 

“Oh?”

Sam pulled a chair from the table to where he sat, close enough that they could both look out the window and watch Daniel struggle to carry the ever growing mountain of chopped wood over the stacks leaning against the wall. 

“As conservative and old fashioned as the rest of this world’s clothes are – I have to say, sir, you look downright dapper right now – teenage girls are apparently expected to wear next to nothing.”

Jack raised an eyebrow, Sam didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her blush.

“Her closet is full of work coveralls, mini skirts, and summer dresses. Apparently women wearing pants isn’t unheard of, but usually just in a professional context.”

“So you decided to dress like Betty White?” 

“Sir, if you want your clothes to remain intact, I would stop speaking now.”

Comfortable silence settled over the pair.

Not much later they were joined by Pinako, who started lunch early, and Fuery who had apparently gone into town to contact command and request further orders. 

“And? What’re you doing now?” Jack asked.

“I’ll wait for the brothers to get back and then I’ll head back out towards Xerxes. I’ll leave your horses, but other than that… we need someone at the outpost who can keep this under wraps.” 

It made sense, even if Jack didn’t like it. Usually when they ended up on a new world, they were quick to make contact with the head of state or the military – of course, these entities often chose to keep the public in the dark as well, but usually the shots weren’t called by a teenager and one mysterious general. 

If Daniel were here, he would probably remind Jack that usually the worlds they visited were clustered around the Gate, the government the first to notice if something fishy happened at the ancient artifact. It was unusual to have to travel multiple days to reach the first tendrils of civilization. This world was a lot less centralized, and as such, ten times as messy, politically speaking.

Jack was quick to swallow his unease down – it was probably just the discrepancies in the brothers’ story that had him on edge. Nothing nefarious was going to happen. 

A night in a comfortable bed and a few good meals and suddenly he was growing paranoid. After years of war and adventure, he just wasn’t used to things going his way anymore.

So far no one had shot at them, and Jack simply didn’t know what to do with that. 

Not too long after the Elrics reappeared over the crest of the hill, Jack only noticing now that Edward was dressed rather mundanely. Dark pants, a black shirt and his hair up in a ponytail, he looked a lot older than he had when Jack first met him – he was pretty sure the red coat had made its way back to Amestris, the garish fabric a constant companion during Edward’s first few weeks on base. Now it was nowhere in sight.

The brothers were joking, Alphonse saying something that earned him a gentle shove. 

How they could be in such a good mood after visiting a graveyard, Jack didn’t know. 

“Talking to graves is a hobby in these parts of the country.” Apparently Pinako had noticed his silent contemplation. “If all you ever did was grieve for those you’ve lost, you’d get nothing done. So we talk to the dead, and keep them up to speed, so that way our tears don’t salt the earth.” 

Together with the boys, Teal’c and Daniel returned inside, dusty and sweaty from the hard labor. 

“Thank you, gentlemen.” Pinako greeted them, two plates with cut meat ready for his men to take. 

Lunch was a quick affair, the chatter meaningless and bland – everyone was caught up in their own head, Jack more preoccupied with keeping an eye on Edward and Alphonse than usual.

He couldn’t just ask about the arm, could he?

That would only lead to another lie, and Jack had no way of verifying that they were telling the truth. 

“Ed? I’m ready if you are.”

Winry’s voice cut through the room from down the hall, startling Jack out of his reverie. With a groan, Ed stood up, the distaste on his face palatable. 

“Shouldn’t you be happy about getting your- your automail back?” Sam asked.

“Oh, for sure.” Edward didn’t sound happy. “But it’s gonna hurt like a fucking bitch.”

“Don’t be such a weakling, Brother.”

Alphonse grinned, quick as a fox, as he ducked under Edward’s playful fist. 

“I’ll kick your butt, Al, don’t you worry.”

“Oh, I’m looking forward to it.” Alphonse pointed his brother in the direction of the door. “But first you have to go get your leg back.” 

Caught by curiosity, Jack (and Daniel) followed Edward out of the room, the teenager only commenting on their behavior with a rather unimpressed raised eyebrow. 

“It’s not that interesting.”

“Let us be the judge of that.”

Daniel and Edward had gotten along a lot better than Edward and Jack back on base, which was the only reason Edward didn’t retaliate for the cheeky comment. Instead, he sighed once more, his shoulders slumped as he knocked on the door to Winry’s workshop.

“Come in!”

The room was larger than Jack had expected it to be, the walls lined with shelves and storage units filled with prosthetic prototypes. No matter where you looked, a finger, toe, leg, or arm greeted you. What little space wasn’t filled with shelving, was covered in anatomical schematics, the large work bench covered in wrenches, bolts and wires, and what Jack recognized to be Edward’s leg – plus at least three different lamps to make sure everything was illuminated perfectly. 

Winry didn’t comment on the unexpected audience filling her space, instead she simply motioned for Ed to take a seat on the only free chair in the middle of the room. Without complaint, Edward sat down, rolling up his pants to expose the interim prosthetic. Winry’s chair was outfitted with wheels on the bottom, so she scooted over without having to get up, pulling her heavy duty work gloves off just as she reached Edward. 

“You made this one yourself?” She asked, busy pouring disinfectant onto her bare hands.

“Yeah.”

“It’s a good fit.”

“You don’t have to sound quite as surprised. I might not be up to date about bolts and wires, but I do listen – occasionally – when you explain some shit.”

Winry rolled her eyes at Ed’s petulance, but didn’t comment further.

This seemed to be a well-oiled song and dance between the two of them.

Without meaning to, Jack took a step closer to the action.

“Do you want something to bite down on?” Winry asked, after glancing in their direction.

“Nah, I’m good. Won’t give these creeps the satisfaction of seeing me eat a belt.”

“Sorry, we can leave if you’d rather–” Daniel offered, his nose crunched up in embarrassment. Apparently his friend finally understood that Edward didn’t particularly want them to be here. Jack had noticed earlier – he just didn’t care, unless he was specifically asked to leave.

“It’s fine.” The automail leg was pulled off the workbench by Winry. “You guys said there’s no such thing as automail in your world? Well, then consider this a teaching moment.”

Ed shrugged as if he didn’t care either way. Instead, he leaned forward to unbuckle the fake leg, just as Winry opened the paneling of the automail. Jack took it as an invitation, stepping closer once more. 

“How’s the shoulder?” 

Winry’s question was directed at Edward, the conversation between them obviously that of a patient and their primary caregiver – it was strange to witness that switch in dynamic, considering they both usually behaved like embarrassed teenagers. Loud and annoying embarrassed teenagers.

“Pretty good. I did the PT whenever I could. It feels less stiff – sure, some nerve damage and numbness in my hand but it’s pretty much up to standard again.” 

Winry hummed. “And Al? How’s he doing?”

“I mean, you’ve seen him. Growing like a damn weed, trying to prove once and for all that he’s the taller Elric.” Despite the relative harshness of his words, Edward was grinning. “He’s finally gained enough weight. They have insane protein meals over on Earth, he’s been recovering like crazy while we were there.”

A short look in their direction was the only acknowledgement Jack and Daniel received – which was fine with him. It was fascinating enough to witness Edward with his walls down for once. 

“That’s good to know.” Winry’s smile was just as bright as Edwards. You could almost overlook the severed limb in her arms when she smiled like that.

Almost, being the operative word. 

“Ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Winry aligned the end of the prosthetic with the metal cap encapsulating Edward’s stump, the boy in question bracing himself against the chair. Daniel fumbled with his glasses, as if that would allow him a better view, only for Winry’s hands to obscure most of everything that was happening. There was a click when the automail connected to Edward’s leg and then Winry did something with the wiring visible through the open paneling that made Edward wince. 

None of it meant anything to Jack.

“Three, two, one-”

Winry counted backwards, a pained gasp escaping Edward when she reached zero. His back arched away from the chair, his flesh foot digging into the wooden floor with a hollow thump, and just as quickly as Jack had noticed his distress, it was already over. Ed slumped in the chair, panting, rubbing his neck as if to ease tense muscles.

Not ‘as if’ – that was probably exactly what happened. 

“Uh…” Daniel intelligently interrupted the silence. “What just–?”

“She connected my fucking nerve endings, that’s what she did. The maniac.” 

Edward’s voice was only slightly strained, the sweat on his forehead barely noticeable. It was only because of Jack’s superior observation skills that he noticed it at all – speaking of which, Jack mentally compared the scars on Ed’s leg with the ones he’d seen circling his shoulder this morning, and not for the first time he realized just how similar they were. 

How did Edward Elric get his arm back?

Apparently a new goal had been added to the mission imperative.

“I’ve explained much of this to Miss Carter already, but that’s how automail works: we translate neurological signals in the nerve endings of the residual limb of our patients into electromagnetic signals by fusing them with wiring in the port. It allows the automail user a greater range of movement and control over their limb, but–”

“But it’s fucking painful to get it installed. And now piss off, I need a few minutes until I’m ready to be a people person again.”

Edward interrupted Winry only to make a shooing motion towards the door. 

Winry pushed them towards the door without complaint, obviously aware of just how on edge Edward was right now. Well, she didn’t complain – but she did continue to needle her already stressed patient. “As if you’ve ever been a people person a day in your life. Remember when you took your State Alchemists exam and you–”

“Out!”

“We’re gone!”

Winry closed the door to her workshop once Daniel and Jack had stepped outside, a fond smile slowly turning wobbly playing over her lips. “I know I should be annoyed by his antics. But I thought he was missing – maybe even dead – for the past four months and I just–” 

Daniel put his hand on her shoulder, rubbing soothing circles up and down her arm, but even so, Jack was pretty sure he hadn’t expected Winry to start crying – and to throw herself in his arms. 

Rarely had Jack seen his friend so perplexed, the archeologist caught by surprise. Daniel’s eyes were huge behind his glasses, his arms hovering uselessly over Winry’s back now that she was hugging him.

“It’s okay. We brought him back. And he’s fine as a cucumber.” Jack offered from his position a few paces away. Judging by the glare Daniel sent in his direction, he hadn’t quite succeeded in covering up his Schadenfreude at Daniel’s predicament.

“I don’t know what cucumbers have to do with this…” Winry said, tears still evident in her voice. “But what keeps them from disappearing again? God, I don’t know how often I can do this, waiting for them at home, unable to protect these stupid boys.”

“I take it this isn’t the first time Edward’s done this?” 

It was Daniel’s patented ‘young child or traumatized survivor’ voice, and Jack watched as it worked its wonders once more. 

“Just Ed? Nah, they’re both just as bad as the other. When Ed left for the military, I knew we’d rarely see them, but– he came home every few months, with a dent in Al’s armor or a broken rib and bloody gash down his face. It was never a happy occurrence, but the older they got, the less often they came to visit. Dammit, I’m not even sure why I am telling you this.”

“Because sometimes you need to get it off your chest.”

Daniel’s words were probably true, not that Jack had ever known his friend to actually practice what he was currently preaching. After Sha’uri, Daniel had never once talked to Jack about it – and that even though both men knew that the other understood. Their shared loss was what made them such good friends in the first place. But it was not something ever put into words. 

Not that Jack necessarily wanted to talk about all the shit they’d survived so far – it was just a bit ironic to see Daniel use this particular strategy to make Winry talk.

The teenager in question stepped out of Daniel’s embrace, wiping the tears of her face as she did so. The smile was softer now, but not any less real.

“That’s very sweet. It’s just…” Winry shook her head, her shoulders square. “I carelessly involved myself in their drama almost two years ago and it ended with both of them going missing, and Ed being hunted as a criminal for almost six months. It was almost a relief when the wanted posters showed up because before that, we thought he was dead. So, I’m just not sure if involving myself again is such a good idea. Or telling you all about it.”

With that Winry turned around, walking down the hallway towards the kitchen – probably to get lunch since she had missed it earlier. 

Which left Jack and Daniel on their own.

“Wanted posters?” Daniel asked.

“I have no idea. But take this.” Jack pulled the picture out of his pants pocket and gave it to Daniel. 

Daniel took one look at it and immediately spotted what had unsettled Jack. “Something’s definitely wrong here.”

“Thank you! What do we think? Hallucination? Virtual reality? Ancient artifacts controlling our thoughts and senses?”

“All good theories, but it’s probably something more mundane.”

“I was afraid you might say that. They’re lying to us.” 

“But why?” 

“Now that’s the hundred dollar question.”

Behind them the door to Winry’s workshop banged open, both Daniel and Jack jumping back. Trying to calm his racing heartbeat, Jack glared at an evilly grinning Edward. The little shit was happy about startling Jack – it wouldn’t be the first time Ed specifically pulled something insane just to mess with him. Gone was the exhaustion of just a few minutes earlier, now there was something almost frighteningly self-assured about him.

What a new leg did to a man.

“I think it’s time I showed you how it’s done here.”

“Done what?”

“Sparring. Fighting. I promised Al, I’d kick his butt, and this bad boy” – he motioned towards his left leg – “needs to be worn in.”

“Sure, show us what you’ve got.” Jack agreed.

“Come meet me outside in ten. You don’t want to miss this.”

They waited until Edward had vanished upstairs, the horrible feeling of having been caught cloying the back of Jack’s throat.

“Do you think he heard us?” Daniel asked.

“Well, it would be extremely unsubtle for him to give us a demonstration of his fighting abilities moments after we discussed how they are hiding something from us.” 

“Very Cold War of him, I’d have to agree.”

“So, probably not? I don’t really think that’s Edward’s style. Then again, his style includes leather pants, so who’s to say.”

“We better go outside then.”

“Yeah.”

The uneasy feeling refused to dissipate, dragging Jack down like a bunch of stones resting heavy in his gut.

O