Today is the year marker. McGee looks at the calendar, at today's being circled; today marks a year that Edward returned to his own world. Never to be heard from again.

At first, McGee had gone back to where Edward and Roy arrived, every other day. Then, once a week. It finally slowed to once a month, and still, not a shred of evidence that either were going to return, or reopen communication of any kind. Not for research, or even to keep in touch. Today, he hopes, on the anniversary of the alchemists' departure; maybe they'll make some sort of show of life.

McGee opens his alchemy journal. He'd written everything that Edward had taught him inside; added photos of progressive projects that he'd done, practiced. Inside is the pure-gold bookmark he'd created; a rectangle with an alchemic circle at the top, and Edward's wise prose of equivalent exchange at the bottom. This was his finest item to-date. Of course; Edward had never taught him to transmute gold.. he'd delved into chemistry a bit, once learning that alchemy can be used to reconfigure molecules. Needless to say, he didn't have to worry about money too often anymore.. not that he flaunted it at all. His alchemy research and endeavors, he'd kept from his friends. His last mention of alchemy had been about eight months ago, when he asked Gibbs if he'd tried it lately.. and got a response that it was interesting, but not much to be done with what they were taught.

Oh, was he wrong.

But, that aside. He flips to the spot where the return-portal transmutation paper is; the same paper he'd found in the field a year ago. He'd long, long ago memorized it; he'd even copied it and toyed with the symbols, playing with it as if it were a sort of stargate. He had never tested any portals, of course; common sense won out against curiosity. Though, he had experimented with the basic transmutation circles.. he had activated those, and had mostly harmless failures, up until creating an explosion. It wasn't extensive; but it nearly knocked him out with its force. What he couldn't figure out, was that it was an explosion of air and sound.. not heat or fire or any sort of combustion. He hadn't tried to replicate it since, though the circle for it is in his journal.

He checks the clock; 9 am. Saturday. He sets his journal back on his shelf, glances at his first alchemical creation--the crude knife--before grinning and heading for the park to wait.

And wait, and wait, and wait. Good thing he brought his notebook with him; his best alchemy ideas come from just waiting. Which is what he ends up doing; waiting the entire day, sitting right near the area from before. The sun slowly sets on the horizon, leaving McGee disheartened. {They're not coming back,} he realizes, standing after checking the time; 9:14. {Damn, they're not coming back.}

His Saturday wasted, he grabs something quick from the local fast-food place, then heads home. On his mind is something he'd been considering all day, but as the daylight had dissipated, the thought had turned into a decision.

He was going to Ed's world.

Sunday; day of preparation. He gathers essentials for a trip to a strange place. Gadgets with GPS and cellular capabilities, walkie-talkies.. of course, a first-aid kit. A change of clothes. Toiletries. Some high-energy food. The list goes on; soon, being the occasional hiker he is, he'd made a pile, stripped it down to what was necessary; added to it some more and stripped it yet again. When finished, he had a stuffed backpack complete with enough water to last him three days. He nods, satisfied, and sets the pack aside until the test.

Clearing a space in his apartment, he begins part two of his task: creating the portal. He'll need a big-enough space to open a portal and jump through. After much moving of items and furniture, several hours' worth; he finally has a five-foot clear space in which to recreate the portal. Butterflies form in his stomach; he uses simple alchemy to eke out the portal circle in his floor. [Carpet, tile, forgive me, for I forget. Hence the 'eke' and not etch or burn.] Part two is done.

Now, for part three. The last step before his journey. He sits at his computer and types everything out. His plan. A list of what he'd packed. A scanned copy of the circle of the portal, with instructions to follow if he doesn't return in a week. When finished, McGee leans back in his chair; everything looks set. He encodes the typed-up file with medium-level encryption; attaches it to an email to Abby with a word-coded clue on encryption method that she'll understand plain as day; then hits send. She'll receive it Monday morning.

By then, he'll be gone.

Damn, 6pm. Too late to travel to a new world. McGee sets his backpack back on the floor, after realizing it's too late to go. He grabs dinner, spends an hour or so playing World of Warcraft, because what gaming geek doesn't play that game; then heads to bed. Early start tomorrow.. better rest up good.

---

Monday morning, 6am. Plenty of rest; McGee's good to go. A quick shower, a nutritious breakfast, a quick once-over of his apartment to be sure he's not missing anything; he grabs his backpack, slipping it on. He slips on his alchemy gloves, just to be prepared for Edward's world. Oh, did I forget to mention those? Black leather with navy blue stitching, creating simple alchemy circles on the palms. He'd tested them, and with them, he could clap and use alchemy just as Ed can. These may come in very handy where he's heading.

He leans down, taking a deep breath; work begins soon. He'll be in a completely different world. "Sorry Boss; don't have your six today." He presses his fingers to the edge of the circle, activating it; within moments, the light from the circle illuminates the room, darkening it eerily at the same time. The center of the circle melts away into a downward spiral, seeming to melt the floor and everything with it down into the earth, to an endless, swirling violet abyss. With heart pouding in his chest, McGee clutches the straps of his backpack; mustering every last bit of nerve he has, he runs forward and leaps in, letting out an echoing yell as he falls down, down.

---

Ow. Ow, ow, ow, OW. Effin' OWW. This is what McGee's mind first registers. The trip.. short, surreal trip through the portal.. had been more of a strange realistic dream than a memory. He could see his memories. He could see his world, flashes of it, in different places, different times. He could also see a strange place, which he could only assume to be Amestris; flashes of that world, of its present and its history. There wasn't enough, not at all, to gather any information; not that he could focus on them, for the pain. Burning from the inside out. Feeling as though he was being stretched from all directions, as though something was playing with him like a piece of paper. Crumpling him up. Tossing him into a hoop on a door. Unfolding him, before deciding he was to be disposed of, so lit on fire.

All of this intensity, all of these flashes and images.. It's near-instantaneous, happening in the frame of three seconds before he finds himself, body still burning, in cold, pitch-black darkness. Unable to move quite yet, he stares into the darkness from his sprawled position on this cold, hard surface, wherever he may be. He wonders if he's died; that the suffering was a quick death, because he'd dared to try the alchemy. Then, he wonders; why is his body still tingling with remnants of pain? Why is everything so dark? Cold? Death was supposed to be lacking of feeling, right? Maybe he's in the final throes of death.. maybe he has to fight to retain his life. Fight!

It's several minutes before McGee can begin to move, a groan escaping his aching body. {Is this how Ed felt when he came to our world?} he thinks to himself, feeling as though he'd been hit by a truck. After being electrocuted on a telephone pole and falling into the street below, in the path of said truck. His knees hurt. His shoulders are heavy. Every muscle in his body aches as though he'd been doing hard labor for 24 hours. Luckily, his mind is okay; he slowly looks around in the darkness, eyes now adjusted a bit.. and sees he's in a dark, damp room with a stone floor. "So.." His voice trails off as he realizes how weak it is. {..I'm not dead,} he finishes mentally, spotting the outline of his backpack. Grabbing it, he spots the stairs and slowly, sorely makes his way to and up them, exiting through the door to a dimly-lit house.

The first thing he spots is the books. Not so much quantity, as presentation. Books are sprawled on tables, loose papers littering the floor. The light from outside is filtered through curtains and dirty windows; but it's enough to show McGee what the books and papers are about.. all sorts of alchemy. His eyes light up at the wealth of knowledge he'd found. But, more importantly.. he wants to find Ed, since Ed and Mustang are the only two people, in this world, that he knows. But first.. He spots a couch and plops down on it, relaxing with an audible groan. A few minutes of rest will do him wonders. Just a.. few.. minutes....

---

"Anybody seen McGee?" Gibbs asks, glaring at McGee's empty desk.

"No, Boss," Tony replies, checking his cell phone. "But I'm gonna call." He speed-dials McGee's cell, then his home.. neither are answered. "I'll trace his cell," he announces, and begins this process; but a call from Abby to Gibbs stops him.

"Yeah, Abbs." Pause. "Email? ... He's doing WHAT?!"

McGee awakens with a start, looking around. The light is unchanged, but he feels a bit more relaxed, and much more rested. He realizes he'd fallen asleep; though for how long, he's not sure. Checking his watch wouldn't help, as he didn't check it when he got to this world.

With a light grunt, he stands his faintly-aching body up; much more manageable than earlier. He browses the house; bedroom. Bathroom. Kitchen. In the cupboards, he finds nothing edible.. some moldy bread, stale crackers, and a long trail of crumbs that leads to a mouse-hole. He'll have to eat his own food. He grabs an energy bar from his bag, munching on that while he skims through the alchemy notes. Portals, all of them. He looks around; he finds a bookshelf containing books on more basic types of alchemy. To these he is drawn; he pulls out all of them he can find, setting the stack on the floor at the top of the stairwell. On the way home, these are what he'll take with him. He nods, satisfied, before taking a drink of water and heading for the front door. He'll have to leave the house sometime.. after all, it's not like he knows the transmutation circle to get home.

---

"DiNozzo! David! We're going to McGee's, NOW!" Gibbs barks, the others still unaware as to what Gibbs' outcry was for earlier. He grabs his things with lightning-fast speed, holding onto the keys and rushing for the elevator.

Tony, hot on Gibbs' heels with Ziva just behind him, speaks up. "Boss, is McGee okay?"

"He'd better be, or I'll kill him myself," Gibbs growls, slamming his hand on the down-button on the elevator.

Tony and Ziva exchange glances. "Email.. was it a hostage note?"

"No, DiNozzo. McGee is practicing alchemy. He plans on going to Edward Elric's world," Gibbs replies, stressing the words in a very, very annoyed fashion.

Tony's eyes widen. No forgetting that kid. "He--" he looks at the elevator wall, at a loss for words.

"He did not even tell us," Ziva says for him. "He never said anything about alchemy since Edward left. Why did he-"

"Leave us without even saying anything," Tony finishes for her, hurt evident in his voice.

Gibbs keeps silent, but he shuts the others up with his driving. Swimming in his head are the questions Ziva and Tony both have on their mind. He knew one answer, though.. they would have tried to stop McGee, make him see sense and stay in their world. He knew McGee was curious, he just didn't know the man would risk his life to satisfy curiosity.

---

Midday. McGee looks up into the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun. It looks the same as his sky back home; this eases his concern a bit. He focuses on the buildings and the streets. Looks similar to home, but.. older. The buildings are a bit older in style. He tries to remember where Edward said he was from. He spots a woman on the sidewalk, headed past the home he'd arrived in. Backpack on, he makes his way to the sidewalk, meeting her.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Could you tell me how to get to Central?"

She looks up at him in surprise, giving him a funny look as she inspects his clothing, his backpack, him. "Is this a prank?"

"..I'm sorry?"

"You ARE in Central." She shakes her head and turns to leave.

He turns to face her. "Wait, I-I'm sorry, I'm lost. I'm looking for a friend."

She pauses, turning around again. "I know some people in the city. Who is it you're looking for?"

"Ah, his-his name's Edward Elric. Do you know him?"

She smiles. "Who doesn't? Everyone knows the Fullmetal Alchemist. You're a friend of his, huh?"

"Yeah. Do you know where he is?"

"Last I heard, he left Central, but I don't follow what goes on in the military." She smiles. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help."

"It's no problem," he says, hiding the dismay in his voice. After she moves on, he turns toward the right, heading toward what he hopes is the military area.

---

Arriving at McGee's apartment, the three find a half-dissipated transmutation circle on McGee's floor. Other than that, it's the same as McGee left it. Gibbs orders Tony to search for McGee, and Ziva to search for evidence. He himself takes a good look at the circle before spotting a thick journal on McGee's computer chair. Picking it up, he opens it to find notes on alchemy. Skimming through it, he finds various transmutation circles, notes on their effects or failures; experimenting and trial and error; he's suprised that McGee's been practicing and studying this whole time. He glances up from the journal as Tony calls out that there's no sign of McGee. "Help Ziva." He turns back to the journal, reading some of his agent's notes.

Ed left yesterday. He seemed pretty eager to go, not sure if I'll see him again, but I hope so. I want to learn more about alchemy, and more about his world. This is probably the closest to aliens we'll ever get. Until I see him again, I'll just keep practicing what I know.

{Damn McGee,} Gibbs thinks to himself, looking up at the expectant faces of Tony and Ziva. "Well?"

"Some of his things are missing. His badge, gun, ID, phone-"

"-His wallet, iPod, netbook-"

"-basically everything for identification and notes," Tony finishes, ending the ping-pong match of answers with Ziva.

Gibbs frowns. "He thought this through," he notes, "he didn't go into this unprepared." He flips open the journal and comes to the last page McGee had written on; dated yesterday.

I've made up my mind. I'm going to use the portal and go to Edward's world. I want to discover what exactly is on his side, learn some more alchemy, maybe bring back something helpful to our world, something useful for the good of mankind. Since I'm the only one crossing over, I'm the only one who can bring it back.

Gibbs, if you're reading this, which I have no doubt you will find hours after I've left, then please listen to me. Don't follow me, at least not right away. I've taken food and water for three days, and given the health Edward was in, they must have food and water on their side of the portals. I plan to return within a week; if I fail to, then follow me through if you think you must.

I'm sorry for not sharing all of this with you.

~Tim McGee

After an hour of wandering and quite a few strange looks for a new traveler; McGee decides he's lost. It's such a large city, he hasn't managed to find his way yet.

Spotting a bakery, McGee turns and heads inside, hoping to get a map, directions from someone; anything.

"Hey there, how can I help ya?" asks the friendly baker, an older man. He's got a big smile on his face, but it gives way to a curious expression.

"Uh, hello.. I was hoping I could get directions. To, uh, the military district."

The baker squints his eyes at McGee. "Where ya from, traveler?"

McGee hadn't thought about that one, but he comes up with a quick half-assed lie. "Out in the countryside. I was hoping to enlist."

"Oh you were, huh?" The baker's face changes to a cheerful grin once again. "Good to hear! I do, actually, have a few maps here, to sell to tourists." He reaches behind the counter and holds one up. "And for only 200 cenz!"

McGee groans as he realizes; he forgot to factor in a different type of currency. "I.. I'm broke. Please, could you just give me directions..?"

"Broke, hm? How did you get here? Surely you didn't walk."

"I did," he answers truthfully; he walked from that house, anyway.

"Goodness! Well. You must've been walking for a while! Have you eaten?"

"Ah, I have, I packed some food with me," McGee replies, looking at the map in the man's hand.

"Of course, a wise traveler." The baker holds out the map for McGee. "I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for."

"Thank you, sir," McGee says, taking it from him. "Thank you very much." After both have said their goodbyes, McGee heads out onto the sidewalk again, opening the map. His first glance; "Ha! This city is just a big octagon." He grins, finds the name of the street he's on now, and heads toward the center of the city.

---

"He wants us to wait a week?"

"That's what he wrote, DiNozzo," Gibbs replies, sitting in McGee's computer chair as he reads more of McGee's alchemy notes.

"But.. Boss, we're not.. really gonna wait that long, are we?"

"No, no we're not. Tony and Ziva, each of you are going to gather up a survival pack like McGee did. I'll do the same. Ziva, bring as many concealed weapons as you like." He notes Ziva's grin out of the corner of his eye. "We're going in after him."

---

"Finally," McGee exhales, exhausted from trekking the city most of the day. In front of him is Central Command, the military headquarters. It's.. big. First he has to climb a mountain of stairs, then somehow, find Roy Mustang. That's the only other person he knows from this world.

With a sigh, he begins his climb. Half an hour later, as he's already tired and is going considerably slow; McGee makes his way to the top, only to be halted by guards.

"You need to show ID to enter here, sir," one guard announces, holding a hand up in a halting motion.

"Oh, uh, of course.." McGee reaches into his pocket, pulling out his wallet. He pulls out his driver's license and hands it to the guard, hoping this will be enough.

The guard looks at it, tilts the card to see the holographics; then gives McGee a curious look. "What in the world is this? I've never seen ID like this."

"It's.. what everyone uses where I'm from."

"It says you were born in 1977." He raises an eyebrow at McGee, who looks confused.

"..Well I was born in.."

"Sir, it's 1916." He hands the ID to McGee, pointing to the stairs. "Please leave."

"Please, I just need to talk to Roy Mustang," McGee explains; "he knows me."

"Oh, he does? I'm sure." The guard eyes McGee, then glances at the other guard, who looks amused. "Ted?"

"Oh, I'm sure he does. Let's call the Colonel and have him come out." The second guard, 'Ted', looks rather amused. He's actually up for this.

"You know he'll torch us if we make him go through some bull," the first guard says nervously.

"Or demote us," Ted says nervously. He looks at McGee, straightening up. "What's your name, then?"

"..It was on my license." McGee groans. "Timothy McGee."

"All right, hold on." Ted steps inside the wall for a minute; he exits after a few minutes. "I called and gave him your name. He says he's never heard of you."

McGee's eyes widen. "Wh--he did too! I met him and Edward Elric at NCIS! Call him back and explain. Remind him it was a year ago!"

Ted sighs. "He's pretty irritated already. No way I'm gonna get my ass chewed out to satisfy your-"

"Just call the man!" McGee yells out, looking incredibly pissed. "Please!"

Ted looks over at guard number one, and they nod.

"Please sir, leave now, or we'll have you removed from the premises."

McGee stares at them incredulously. "Look, I'll give you.." he frowns, fumbling in his pocket, coming out with his iPod. Something he would have used if he had to trek large, empty country. "This iPod. It plays music. Please, just call him back and explain to him that I need to talk to him!"

Ted eyes the 'eye pod' that this man holds out; then looks at the other guard, who is speaking again.

"Please sir, I'd rather not have you forced-"

"Will you deliver a letter at least?" McGee tries one last attempt.

"Yes, I suppose there would be no harm in that," Ted replies for his friend, who's getting very upset.

McGee nods and sets down his backpack, opening it up to get out pen and paper. He writes down a note quickly, stuffing as much information that won't reveal his world as he can, before handing it to Ted. "Thank you, sir," McGee says, before walking over to sit against the wall to await Mustang's arrival.

Ted looks at McGee quizzically, then to the first guard. "Will, you gonna be okay while I deliver this?"

"Of course. I've managed alone before, haven't I?"

"Right." Ted nods to Will, heading off for the main building.

---

"Do you have everything?"

"Yeah, Boss." Tony hefts his pack onto his back; it's pretty damn heavy.

Ziva looks at Tony's pack; it's positively bulging. "Tony.. what all do you have in there?"

"Just the necessities," Tony replies, grinning nervously.

"DiNozzo?"

"..Okay, I packed a portable DVD player and some of my DVDs. Who knows if they have movies there? And who knows how long we'll be there? I have to be prepared!"

"Take them out, we have to travel with the bare necessities."

"But Boss, I.." he falters at the glare from his boss. "Gotcha Boss." He takes out the DVD player and DVDs, lightening his load considerably.

"Good." He looks at his agents and nods. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Tony comments nervously, shifting his weight.

"Agreed," Ziva confirms, fingering the outline of the knife on her thigh absentmindedly.

"Good, let's go." Gibbs leans down, activating the transmutation circle. They all watch it as it melts into the swirling abyss, filling the room with darkness and flashes of light. Gibbs looks at the others as everyone's hair blows in the alchemical breeze. "Let's go!" Gibbs leaps in first, followed by Ziva. Tony hesitates, then sighs.

"I know I'm going to regret this!" he yells as he leaps in, disappearing with the others.

Mustang was just about to head home for the night. Screw. The. Paperwork. MOUNTAIN. He groans and stands, stretching his back from the stiffness of sitting all day. That phone call was the only interesting thing that happened all day. According to the guard, some stranger asking to see him. What was his name? Jim Mickey? Oh well.

"Colonel," Hawkeye addresses him as he turns out the lights. "Good night."

Mustang returns the farewell for the night, thanking her before closing the door. He heads down the hallway, but stops short when his name is called.

"Colonel Mustang! Colonel Mustang, I have a letter for you!"

Mustang looks back to spot a young officer running towards him. He pauses in curiosity and waits patiently, an expectant look on his face. When the man arrives, he speaks. "This couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"I don't think so. The man who wrote this wishes to speak with you; he's waiting at the gate, and I don't think he'll leave until you see him."

Mustang frowns and takes the letter, opening it up and reading it silently to himself.

Colonel Mustang,
My name is Tim McGee. You might not remember me, but you met myself and my team a year ago. Edward arrived first, back at NCIS in America. I've come to Central to speak with Edward, but I've heard he isn't here. I need to speak with you if I'm to find my way. Please.

~McGee

Mustang stares at the letter, memories a year old resurfacing in his mind. He looks up at the guard, disbelief on his face. "You said he's right outside?"

"Outside the main gate, sir. You know him?"

"We've met, yes. Let's go." Mustang starts heading for the door, speed-walking.

"Y-yes sir."

---

"Never.. again..!" Tony squeaks out breathlessly, trying futilely to move. "Hurt.."

"Shut..up, Tony," Ziva groans, finding enough energy to push Tony off her. She then focuses on moving off of Gibbs and checking on him. "Gih..Gibbs?"

Gibbs doesn't respond, breathing ragged. He's unconscious, and doesn't look too healthy, either.

"Tony.. Tony, muster your.. strength. Gibbs is.. injured. He needs us."

Tony moans pathetically before spotting the condition Gibbs is in. With renewed strength, he pushes himself off the floor, standing in moments, nodding to Ziva. "Okay. Come on, we have to find help." He yells out, hoping their friend is nearby. "MCGEE!"

Ziva focuses on standing as well, then helping Tony inspect Gibbs. "Nothing seems broken. Perhaps he hit his head when he landed."

"Yeah, and then we landed on him." Tony nudges Gibbs, trying to awaken him. When that doesn't work, Tony starts poking Gibbs in various places, frowning. "Come on Boss, wake up.."

Suddenly, Gibbs' eyes snap open, revealing a deathly glare aimed at Tony. "Do it one more time, DiNozzo," he warns.

Tony whips his hand back, color draining from his face. "Boss.. Boss, y-you're okay.. thank goodness!"

"Fine, DiNozzo." Gibbs sits himself up, before groaning. "I can't get up."

Tony stares at Gibbs with wide eyes. "..Oh, no, Boss.. no, you didn't.. Please don't tell me you're paralyzed! Did we do it when we fell on you? Was it our fault? I'm so sorry, I-"

"I'm not paralyzed, I just don't have the energy." His legs move weakly, but he shakes his head. "Ziva, scout ahead. Tony, stay on the lookout. Go."

Ziva nods and heads up the stairs, looking around, gun in hand, clearing it. "We are alone in this house. Gibbs, will you be able to make it up the stairs?"

"Not yet." Gibbs sighs, feeling as though life has left him. It's a struggle to move at all, and he doesn't like it one bit.

"I can't carry you, Boss. There's just no way, after that.. trip." He looks around the basement, then calls up to Ziva. "Ziva! See if you can find something for Gibbs to rest on!"

"Yes, Tony!" she calls back, finding a bedroom and grabbing pillows and blankets, making a makeshift bed for Gibbs on the cold basement floor. "There."

"Thank you." Gibbs gets onto the bed, needing help from Tony and Ziva to move onto it. The two younger agents exchange worried looks, but their attention is drawn to Gibbs once more as he speaks. "I think we all need some rest. You two go get some rest."

"And leave you down here alone?" Tony asks. "I'll make a little spot next to yours."

"I do not think there is enough bedding for three. I will take the couch upstairs," Ziva decides, not having any clue that McGee was on that same couch earlier that day.

"Good," Gibbs confirms, though already drifting off to sleep.

Ziva smiles at him before nodding to Tony. She waits with a sleeping Gibbs while Tony finds bedding, heading up to a very welcoming couch after Tony returns. She plops down on the couch, groaning in audible relief as she relaxes her spent muscles.

---

"Tim McGee."

McGee's head whips to look up at the deep voice. "Colonel Mustang!" He stands, relieved to see someone he knows.

"Why are you here?"

"I came to find Ed. He's not here. God, it's so good to see you, a familiar face, I-"

"Where are your friends?" Mustang interrupts.

"I came alone," McGee replies, then spots Hawkeye, who looks curious, suspicious and confused.

"You know him, sir?"

"Yes, Hawkeye. Remember what I told you a year ago, about Fullmetal and a different world?"

Her eyes slowly widen with realization. "I thought you were making that up!"

"You told other people?" McGee asks, face going pale.

"Only my most trusted friends. Hawkeye, Armstrong. Tim, this is Riza Hawkeye. Hawkeye, this is Tim McGee, one of the agents from NCIS in America."

Hawkeye stares at McGee, but holds her hand out to shake his.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," McGee speaks, as she's silent with awe.

"Y-you too," she finally manages, pulling her hand away after they shake. "You're really from a different world?"

McGee looks around to make sure nobody else is listening. "I am. But you said Colonel Mustang here explained it to you already."

"He told me a story, a year ago, how he had to follow Fullmetal into a strange world and bring him home. He told me a few of the details, but.." she trails off, shaking her head. "This is just so hard to believe."

"You can imagine my surprise, then," McGee says with a grin, "when they appeared in our world."

She smiles and nods, but Mustang is the one who speaks next. "You said you were looking for Edward?"

McGee nods. "Do you know where he is?"

"Halfway across the country. He should be back in a day or two though."

McGee's face falls at the news. "Oh. That long?"

Riza looks at McGee's worried face. "Tim, do you have somewhere to stay?"

McGee looks up at Hawkeye in surprise. "No, I just made it to this world this morning."

"Would you like to stay with me?" she offers, taking Mustang by surprise. It's not that Mustang didn't trust McGee, or fear for Hawkeye's safety; she could take care of herself easily.

With a smile, surprise still showing on his face, McGee nods. "I-I would, thank you."

"It's settled then," Mustang announces, his voice breaking back in. "Let's go." He turns and starts heading down the long flight of stairs, Hawkeye at his side.

McGee's curious about their relationship, but says nothing at the moment, considering Hawkeye's generous offer. He trots after the two, following them down the stairs; very glad that he's going down the stairs and not up again.

"Another world?"

"Yes, Lust, that is what I said. That's what Mustang and his gunman said. This new person was from a different world." Envy pauses, looking up at Lust, whose usual casual expression is replaced by surprise and intrigue. "They spoke of it so casually. As if crossing from one world to the other was simple."

"We have to learn more," Lust muses, stating the obvious. "Envy, talk to this other-world person, find out what you can about his world. Perhaps there may be something of use to us there." A sly smile creeps across her red lips.

Envy grins, showing his sharp teeth. "Don't have to tell me twice." He heads out of the building they're in, heading toward Hawkeye's place. He'll wait for the morn.

---

It's now Tuesday morning. Ziva awakens before Tony or Gibbs, and spends a few minutes in the kitchen, checking for food. She notices recently-disturbed dust and debris; she takes note of it, thinking it may have been McGee. Finding no food, she returns to her backpack to pull out some supplies. Always ready for emergencies, she has brought with her canned food and flatbread. She opens the flatbread and pauses, looking at the cans. Canned meat. Black beans. Two soups; chicken noodle. Then, she remembers that she brought dried fruit in a bag. She smiles and picks up the bag of fruit, emptying some on the flatbread. She carefully rolls each up, taking a bite of her own to test it; tastes almost like toast with jam. Good! Setting all three down, she heads downstairs to awaken her two friends.

Just as Ziva is quietly slipping downstairs, a voice speaks out. "Ziva?" Gibbs.

"Gibbs, you are awake! Are you feeling better today?" Ziva appears at Gibbs' side, leaning down to check on him.

"Mhm." He sits up, stretching and pushing himself to standing.

Satisfied, Ziva smiles. "Breakfast is waiting upstairs. All we need now is to wake Tony." She walks over to Tony, nudging him with her foot. All she gets are a few disagreeable grunts.

Gibbs grins and shakes his head, before barking out something Tony can't ignore. "HEY! DiNozzo!"

Tony jumps and sits up immediately, trying to blink away sleep and look as though he was working. Although, it's rather funny to see him looking for his desk, and right after that, the office. "I was-wasn't sleeping, Boss. I.. uh.. where's my desk?"

Unable to contain herself any longer, Ziva begins laughing. "Tony, you will never change. Gibbs has you like a well-trained puppy." She turns and heads upstairs, Gibbs following with a grin.

"Get up, DiNozzo. We have to eat breakfast and find McGee."

---

McGee awakens to Hayate patiently pawing at his side, standing on his hind legs with one paw on the bed. McGee spots the friendly canine eyes and smiles. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Tim," Riza says, looking down at the agent with a smile, not even reacting to McGee greeting a dog. Regardless, he grins nervously.

"Ah, morning, Riza." McGee is just about to thank Hawkeye again for letting him stay, when a knock is heard at the door. He watches as Riza answers, and greets Mustang.

"Colonel, you're up early." Riza looks a bit surprised, but isn't suspicious, since Roy's eyes look a bit tired yet.

"I came to speak with Tim. You don't mind if I steal him away before work this morning, do you?"

"Not at all Sir," she replies, smiling a bit. "I trust you'll tell me all of the details later."

He just smiles at her and looks over at McGee, who's peering over at them curiously. "Tim, come with me."

McGee jumps a bit and nods, following Mustang obediently. Before leaving completely, he turns to Riza to thank her. "Thank you again, for letting me stay here."

Riza nods. "Anything for a friend."

McGee turns and hurries after Mustang, who'd kept walking. When catching up, he speaks. "Where are we going?"

"Jog my memory, for me. Did Edward teach you alchemy?"

"Uh.. yeah, only the basics."

"But you were the one to use alchemy to come to our world."

"He left the design behind for the portal. The one you brought, it didn't make it back through with you."

Mustang pauses before speaking again. "It's been a while, I don't even remember the design. Could you redraw it?"

"Easily. I've memorized it and drawn it a few times."

Mustang's back still to McGee, he grins. A sharp-toothed grin, with a rather pleased look on his face. {Yes, this will do nicely..}

---

"I haven't seen him anywhere," Ziva states, meeting back up with Gibbs in front of their arrival point.

Tony, just returning, looks a little smug. "I didn't find him. But I did find this woman.. ye-oww!" He grins. "I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect body."

Gibbs glares at Tony, shutting him up instantly. "I'm sure McGee would be happy to know you're looking hard to find him."

"Ah, Boss, c'mon, you know I was looking.."

"Question, Gibbs. These two, they are from the military, yes?"

"Uh-huh."

"Should we not look for the military sector, then? Perhaps we would find them there."

"Tony, Ziva, find out where the military is." Gibbs sits back down on the steps leading up to the house. Though he's well enough to travel, he doesn't have a whole lot of energy to do so.

"Yeah Boss," Tony replies, running off, Ziva trotting behind him.

Once the two are out of earshot, Gibbs looks around with a sigh. "We're gonna find ya, McGee."

'Mustang', who we better know as Envy in disguise, leads McGee to an alley-entrance into a building. They go down several flights of stairs, finally arriving in a dimly-lit room. "Apologies for the lighting. I wanted to find the most secure room I could so your story didn't reach untrustworthy ears."

"No problem," McGee replies, looking around. "But you already know the story. What else did you want to know?"

"It's been a year since it happened. I don't remember everything too clearly. Jog my memory; redraw the circle for me and tell me just what happened." Envy pushes pencil and paper toward McGee at a lone table.

Though he's a bit confused, McGee complies, sitting at one of the two chairs. He begins drawing the circle in great detail for Mustang. "It started before you arrived. Edward appeared in the middle of our crime scene, like he fell out of the sky. Our team found him almost unconscious, and we brought him back to NCIS, where he told us about his world while he tried to figure out where he was, and we tried to figure out what was wrong with him." McGee grins as he recalls the events. "We were just starting to believe him.. or believe he was crazy, I can't remember how it went.. and then you showed up."

Envy watches McGee's hands glide over the paper, effortlessly recreating the circle from memory. "The same way Edward did, right?"

"Yeah, at the same spot, too. We were checking for more information. How Edward had arrived. Then, out of the blue, you were there. After you arrived, everything happened pretty fast. You had the transmutation circle to return here, Edward was ready to go right away; after you and Edward demonstrated your alchemy in a football field, you left straight from there." McGee frowns as he finishes drawing the little symbols in the circle. "Since then, I haven't heard from either of you. Why?" Finished, McGee looks up--but instead of Mustang, he sees a scantily-clad man with long, green hair and a michievous look in his violet eyes.

"Maybe they didn't want the bad things in this world to find its way into yours," Envy answers, grinning as he swipes the sheet of paper from the desk. "Thank you, McGee, for this."

"Wh--who are you?" McGee stands up quickly, hand going to his hip for his gun--which is still back at Riza's.

"So quick to revert to hostility. You're just like the naive little kids on this side of the gate."

"Gate?" McGee frowns, watching Envy study the circle intently. "Who are you??"

"Name's Envy. Now, you're going to create this portal for us, and we're going to take a visit to your world."

"Us?" McGee asks questioningly, eyes widening as he spots two newcomers entering through the stairwell.

"Envy, has he drawn the circle already?" The taller one asks in a seductive voice, trailed by a short, fat, bald one who sets his eyes on McGee, staring at him with an expression that, plainly, creeps him the hell out.

"And he's done a good job at it. He's better at it than the Fullmetal pipsqueak." Envy hands the paper to Lust, who looks at it with mild interest.

"Who are you people?" McGee asks angrily. "Where is Mustang? What do you want with my world?"

"What anyone wants with opportunity," Envy replies. "To take advantage of it. Now, tell me exactly what happens when you activate this circle."

"I'm not telling you anything until you take me to Mustang. And Edward."

"I think you are. Lust? When has Gluttony eaten last?"

Lust looks down at Gluttony, whose mouth is watering at Envy's question. "It's been a few days. I think he'd like to eat today."

"I can eat him?" Gluttony says hopefully, looking at McGee, whose color drains from his face.

"...Eat?"

---

"You sure you know where you're going, DiNozzo?"

"Yeah, Boss. Ziva can vouch for me there. Right, Ziva?"

"Yes, Gibbs, it's only another block this way. Can you keep going?"

"Don't have a choice, do I?" Gibbs replies, hefting his backpack up, summoning more energy for them to keep walking.

"Almost.. there.. Ah! See Boss, there's the military area! Right up those.. stairs."

Gibbs turns the corner right after Ziva, and when he spots those stairs, feels like passing out right then and there. "Damn."

---

With threats from the three strange people in black--consisting of Envy and a few well-placed punches, Lust's famous claws, and Gluttony nearly taking a bite out of his hand; McGee finds himself shakily drawing the transmutation circle on the floor in chalk. "Why don't you just do the transmutation yourself?"

"We can't," Envy says, annoyance clear in his voice. "Only humans can."

"Right, which you're.. not. What exactly are you?"

"Most call us homonculi. That's all you're getting; just finish that circle."

"What do you want with my world? What are you going to take advantage of there?"

"Well, what's your world got that ours doesn't? I've heard you don't have alchemy; if we have something you don't, surely you have something we don't."

"It depends on what you want." He pauses in the drawing. "What is it you want most?"

Envy and Lust both look at each other, then down at McGee, who is looking back at them. "What do we want?" Envy's voice wavers; he stares hard into McGee's eyes before deciding against the truth. "For you to finish that circle! Hurry up!"

McGee stares at Envy for another few moments, before turning back to the circle to finish it up. After a little while, before he's fully done; he speaks again. "I don't know what homonculi are, but you said you're not human. Is that what you want? To become human?" He turns to look at Envy, whose eyes widen in shock at the statement. In those eyes, McGee's thoughts are confirmed. "I don't think you'll find the answer in my world, but if you explain more to me, I'll do my best to help."

"Alchemy created us, only alchemy can fix it," Envy replies, narrowing his eyes at McGee. "You said alchemy isn't known in your world."

"It's.. not, really. But it's not a lost art, completely. Edward taught me a little bit.. and I experimented with it, I was able to do something he didn't teach me. It almost knocked me out, but it was different."

Envy nods, glancing over at Lust; who just smiles. The thought is on both their minds; their plans for this new world. Many new souls.. ripe for turning into a new stone.

---

"We have to go up all these stairs? I mean, it's easy for us, but Gibbs.." Tony looks behind him, where Gibbs is standing, glaring at the steps with contempt clear on his face.

"I could just send you up, DiNozzo," Gibbs says, clearly enjoying his new idea, torturous for Tony. "And have you report back to me if you find anything."

"Wh--no Boss!" Tony whines, gaining a chuckle from Ziva.

"You! Hey!"

A deep voice off to their side attracts their attention; they turn to see Mustang and Hawkeye running toward them. "Have you seen Tim?" Mustang asks, coming to a stop in front of them, breathing heavily.

Gibbs looks at Hawkeye, then back at Mustang. "You know he's here. Do you know where he is?"

"No," Mustang plainly answers, but Hawkeye backs him up.

"He was staying the night with me. Earlier this morning, Colonel Mustang came and took him for a walk."

"Whoever it was, it was not me," Mustang answers, looking incredibly confused. "I arrived at Hawkeye's house only half an hour ago, to hear this strange story. Someone is masquerading as me," he growls.

All three agents look incredibly confused; Ziva points at Hawkeye questioningly, looking at Roy.

"Lt. Hawkeye, these are the other three NCIS agents. Agents.. ah.."

Gibbs gains a slightly amused look. "Gibbs, DiNozzo, David." He nods to Hawkeye. "How similar did this imposter look to Mustang here?"

"There was no difference," Hawkeye replies.

"Are you sure? I mean, you let McGee stay with you last night; maybe your visual reception is impaired--nngh." Tony shuts up immediately, not from a head-slap, but from an elbow in the ribs from Ziva.

"Tony, can you trace him using his phone?"

"Not a chance, Boss." Tony pulls out his cell, showing it to Gibbs. "No signal, no nothing. I don't think they have satellites here. Did you see how old this place looks?"

"What year is it here?" Ziva asks, since she had been wondering the same since they arrived. Maybe it was just their style?

"1916," Hawkeye replies, looking rather confused. She jumps a little as Tony's phone falls to the ground.

"Nineteen-WHAT?"

"What is it like?"

"What's what like?

"The trip. To your world."

"I don't know. The trip to yours is really.. Well.. the return-trip is probably the same. But it's.. trust me, if you don't have to go through it, you don't want to. It hurts. It really, really hurts," McGee explains, conviction in his voice.

Envy, though, looks doubtful. "I've felt pain before. I've died before, more than once." He pauses. "Activate it; we're going through."

McGee looks at the finished circle, then stands and looks at Envy. "No we're not."

Envy starts walking to McGee. "I think we are."

"It won't work," McGee replies, stopping Envy with that statement. "I used this portal to get here. But what Edward said before.. these portals are one-way. This portal will only get us back here.. it won't get us home. To my world."

Envy stares at McGee, before yelling out. "You couldn't have told us this BEFORE?!"

"You just told me to finish it! I finished it!" McGee replies defensively. "I don't know the circle to get home! That's why I had to find Edward!"

With a yell of frustration, Envy shifts into McGee's form. "Lust, watch him. I'm going to work on getting that other circle."

McGee stares at this clone of himself. "You're me!" Wow, the intelligence is astounding. "Don't you think my friends are going to know I'm not.. I mean.. you're not me?"

"I think I can manage," Envy replies snidely, walking out of the room, still looking incredibly agitated.

---

"No way to track him. No way to trace his steps. No way to search him out at all, especially with this mediocre technolo--McGee!" Tony grins as he sees McGee wandering around aimlessly.

Envy, spotting Mustang and Hawkeye, picks the idiot card. He just keeps walking in a dazed fashion, pretending to not notice as the others run toward him. He finally has to look up when Gibbs appears in front of his face.

"McGee. What the hell happened?"

Envy looks at Gibbs blankly. "Who're you?"

Ziva's eyes widen; she immediately appears next to Gibbs. "Tim? Do you not remember us?"

"No.. no, I don't. Who are you people?"

"Ah, crap; don't tell me he has amnesia," Tony groans. Here, honestly, he was hoping to watch McGee get his ass chewed out.

"Dammit, McGee," Gibbs mutters. "Colonel, do you have the circle that will get us home? I need to get my agent home before anything else happens here."

Envy cheers inside his mind at the mention of the circle; but that's squelched at Mustang's next statement.

"All copies were destroyed, to prevent anyone coming to your world with harmful intent."

"So.. we're stuck here?" Tony whines, looking panicked.

"Not necessarily. I think there is one surviving copy, if I know him as well as I think I do." Mustang glances over at Hawkeye, who smiles; she understands.

"Edward Elric."

---

Ed looks up suddenly, looking around. He just had the strangest feeling..

"Brother? What is it?" Alphonse's voice echoes in the armor as he speaks, the familiar clank of metal heard as he shifts to look at Ed.

"..It's nothing. I thought.. it felt like I was being watched. ..Oh, good! Al, the train's pulling in!"

"Back to Central!" Al says cheerfully. "Too bad our last mission was a bust, huh?"

"The only good part was when you saved those puppies."

"And you thought I only like kittens."

Ed laughs. "I know you like all animals, Al." As the two brothers get off the train, they're greeted by six people, all with faces familiar to Edward.

"Colonel!" Al looks surprised to see Mustang and Hawkeye; but he's even more surprised when he sees Ed staring, silent, at Gibbs.

Gibbs, recognizing the look on Ed's face, looks a little amused. [I couldn't have made that much of an impression, have I?] "Edward."

"Gibbs," Ed replies, finally finding his voice. "Tony, Ziva, Tim. Why are you here?" he blurts out; that's not what he wanted to say at all. "I wanted to-" No, that wouldn't work. "I couldn't-" No, not that either. "It's.. good to see you again."

Alphonse looks back and forth between them, looking incredibly confused himself. "Ed? Who are these people?"

Ziva, looking very suspiciously at the man in the large suit of armor, confirms her own confusion. "Who is your friend, Edward?"

"Ziva, this is Alphonse, my little brother."

"Little?!" Tony replies, breaking into the conversation. "No way he's the little brother! He's huge!" Completely oblivious to Ed's annoyed expression, he crosses the line. "Are you sure he's not the big brother? I mean, come on, compared to him, you're tiny!"

"WHO THE HELL YOU CALLIN' SO LITTLE HE--" Ed suddenly freezes and slumps to the ground, letting out a moan. Everyone looks in surprise at trigger-happy Ziva, who had hit a key pressure point on Ed, subduing him--as he was about to attack Tony for the 'tiny' comment.

"What? He was going to attack Tony! I did not harm him!" she says defensively, and Gibbs just shakes his head.

---

With everyone situated in the house that the agents arrived in, down in the basement that Ed and Roy first departed from; Ed is saying he's finally remembering the portal. "The symbols.." He trails off, kneeling down, clapping his hands and putting them to the floor. Before the others' eyes, the circle appears, etched into the cement floor. "This will get you home."

Envy stares at the circle, memorizing it easily. Still playing the dumb card, he has to figure out a way to get out of here before he's transported to a strange world, with no way home. "I.."

All eyes look at him, as he hadn't spoken since he met up with them in front of Central Command.

He pauses before coming up with the next part. "I remember.. and.. I need to get it back.." He turns, running up the stairs and out the front door. He's quite fast too; pays to be well-fit with centuries of always moving.

"Wh-MCGEE!" Gibbs yells after him, he and the others running up and after him. Gibbs can't run after Envy for very long; his lack of energy catches up with him, stopping him quickly. Hawkeye stays with him as Mustang, Tony, Ziva, Ed and Al charge after him; quite a sight to see.

Envy's camouflage abilities serve him well; immediately after turning a corner, he shifts into an older woman, changing his pace to a steady walk. He's heading toward the hideout with Lust and Gluttony and McGee.

He notes with amusement that his disguise works perfectly; the others all turn the corner and stop in their tracks. They bark at each other, so Envy likes to picture it; before everyone splits up to look for their friend. Envy just continues his travel.

---

Back at the hideout, McGee has been stuck, isolated to a table with Gluttony sitting next to a standing Lust; both are watching him, but it's Gluttony's hungry gaze that's freaking him the hell out. He's distracted by a sudden vibration in his pocket; removing his cell, he opens it to check it. 1 missed call; Abby. Strange; he has no bars. Time of call.. an hour ago. Stranger yet. How is it that the call was able to go through at all, when he's in this world?

As he's thinking of strange twisting of physics and fantasizing about other possibilities, Envy enters, disguised as Gibbs. Though not trying to trick anyone just yet, McGee still leaps up from his chair. "Boss! How did you--"

"Oh shut up, you idiot," Envy barks, grabbing pencil and paper to copy down the circle he'd committed to memory.

[Aw, fuck.] McGee sits back down, slumping in his seat. "You got the portal to my world?" He sits up as a thought occurs to him. "You didn't hurt anyone, did y--"

"No. Now shut up and draw this one." Envy shoves the finished paper into McGee's chest, knocking a bit of air from him.

McGee groans and goes to the chalk circle he'd drawn earlier; he makes a few changes with the symbols, and the circle is complete. "Done."

Envy waits for a minute; but when McGee just looks at him, he growls. "Activate it! Before I DO hurt one of your friends!"

"Envy, how do we know passage will be safe?" Lust asks, walking towards him. Gluttony follows, of course.

"They all made it through, didn't they? And Fullmetal and Flame did, twice."

"We don't exactly have the same genetic makeup as them."

Envy frowns. "Lust.. all of those people. We can't pass this chance up." He hints at material for the stone without alerting McGee, who's seriously trying to figure out what they're going on about.

Lust looks down at McGee; watches his inquisitive face. [So intelligent. So promising.] "I suppose you're right. Go on then; activate the circle for us."

"Look, just tell me more before we head over, all right?" McGee tries again; in part to stall, but also because he's still incredibly curious about these strange..people. "How are you different? How were you born? How-"

"HEY! Activate the circle, or I will personally find each of your friends, disguise myself as you, and torture them while wearing your face!"

McGee shuts up, turns around, and presses his trembling fingers to the circle, activating it. "Sorry, Boss.."