Hey ya'll. This is my brand new fanfic. I really hope you like it. I would like to add that I don't like any straight pairing featuring Ed and a girl from FMA. So that's why my OC is the heroine of the story. And to clear up any confusion in later chapters, when I write "Ed" I am referring to Edward Elric and when I write "Edward" I am referring to Edward Bennett (Violet's son). Yes, that means that Violet's name is Violet Bennett. Isn't that such a pretty name? Anyway, enjoy the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.
"When will we be expecting you to return?"
"A year or so, maybe. I'm not sure."
"Hurry back, you be sure to write now. "
"I will, I promise."
That was the last normal conversation I had before I died. At least that was what I thought. What happened during the time that I entered the room and I awoke was a black blank. Like one minute I was there and the other I wasn't. It's hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it. But we'll get to that later.
Outskirts of Scrantburg, Germany (1926)
"Brother, can we rest in the next town. I'm tired," said Alphonse Elric.
"Al, I don't know how you're tired. You're not the one driving," questioned Edward Elric.
We meet two boys who are riding in the back of an old-fashioned car. The boy on the left is a boy of minimal stature, has blond hair, hazel-gold eyes, and a short temper though you would never know it if he was standing quietly. The other has brown hair and silver-gray eyes; he was taller than the other brother. In fact you would have thought hewas the older brother. Alphonse stood a soaring 5'10. But alas, the blond young man is older.
"Brother, you know what I mean. We've been traveling for two days straight. I think it's time we stop."
"You're right Al. Hey, look there's a town up ahead," Ed said in an enthusiastic tone.
When they reached the town, Ed and Al got off the car, thanked the driver, and headed to the nearest food stop. They sat at the bar stools waiting for the shopkeeper. Ed and Al ordered their drinks. The shopkeeper nodded and was gone for a couple of minutes. A middle-aged woman came by and sat down and started conversing with the shopkeeper. Ed and Al couldn't help but overhear their conversation.
"Did you hear what she has done lately?" The woman sneered on the word "she" as though the person she was talking about was not one of her favorable people.
"She thought it would just be so wonderful if she gave the children a trip to the carnival in town. She thinks just because of the way she came to this town means that she has to act like a saint. I can see right through her act."
The shopkeeper looked offended. "Well if it wasn't for her way with children the whole town would have suffered with all children running all over."
The shopkeeper gave Ed and Al their drinks and started bickering again with the old woman. But the woman looked as though she wasn't going to lose the argument about the woman they were talking about.
"She's just probably just doing it for a husband she can leech on. Someone like her is not supposed care so easily. She made a big fuss when she first came here, walking all depressed like that. She was probably just hoping for people to take care of her."
"Brother, who do you suppose they're talking about. That woman they're talking about sounds like a nice lady, but that other lady sure is insulting her," Al observed.
"Beats me. But it's not our business so let's finish these and see if we can find an inn here," Ed replied.
"Not everyone is like you, Helen. She's good girl and she takes good care of her son despite her limitations," said the shopkeeper.
Ed and Al stopped drinking at the same time. They were surprised. They thought the woman they were talking about was old, but to use the word "girl" she must still be young and to have a son too (A/N: that was something that is not well looked upon in that time period at least I don't think so).The old woman looked over at Ed and Al. She must have noticed them for the first time.
She warned in a harsh tone, "If you see her, stay away. She is an impostor," The woman looked behind the brothers and narrowed her eyes, "Well, I have to go. Take my warning seriously."
The old woman left. Ed and Al both looked at each other. They were both the same thing.
That woman is crazy. If she doesn't like the other woman why doesn't she just leave the town?
The brothers looked back at the shopkeeper and resumed finishing their beverages. The shopkeeper looked at them apologetically and spoke, "Sorry about her. She's just jealous that the Holy Mother gets more attention than her."
Ed questioned, "The Holy Mother?"
"Oh, I forgot you were out-of-towners. You don't know about the Holy Mother. You see that's the nickname we gave the woman who takes care of all the children in this town. You may not know it but, this is a town that takes anyone in such as unwed mothers. A couple of years ago, there was a disease that plagued our town. It usually went after woman who had just gone through pregnancy. When they died, there was no one to take care of the children. Other people took the children in of course but, the children never listened to adults so they would run wild. That's when she came. A mysterious young woman came to the town. At first she would calm down some of the children, but after she gave birth to her son something changed in her and soon all the children listened to her. That's why we call her the Holy Mother. "
Alphonse smiled, "Wow, she must be a very kind woman to take care of all of the children like that."
The shopkeeper smiled, "She really is. Oh, speak of the angel, here she is. Good morning, Holy Mother."
Ed and Al looked over to see a person cloaked in a brown coat. They couldn't see her face or her eyes; they could only see her mouth.
She smiled, "Now now. You know I rather prefer you to call me by real name."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just explaining to these travelers about you and how you saved our town."
"Well, I not a hero or anything." The woman removed her hood and turned to the brothers to introduce herself. That's when Ed's eyes got small.
"Hi, I'm Violet Bennett. It's very nice to meet you," the woman said.
Violet had shoulder length medium brown hair with bangs that reached to the tops of her eyes which happened to be the color of violet. The reason for her name, no doubt. She was, for lack of a better word, short. She was about 2 inches shorter than Ed's 5'4 stature. She waited to discover the names of the two travelers but, Ed just kept staring at her with surprised eyes so Al had to introduce themselves.
He said with a smile and slight bow, "Hello, my name is Alphonse Elric and this is my older brother, Edward."
Violet smiled at them both with a kind smile and spoke again, "So you're travelers? If you need to stay somewhere you can stay at my home."
Ed spoke immediately in a sincere tone, "We wouldn't want to be a burden. We'll just find an inn here. Thank you for the offer though."
"Oh, but I insist besides all the inns here are all booked. And my home has plenty of rooms that I never use."
Al nudged Ed in the ribs, a signal to cool it, and responded, "Well, if you insist. We would be happy to take your offer. Thank you."
Violet waved her hand and told, "It's nothing just helping someone in need." She smiled.
Just then a sobbing girl came running toward Violet and tugged at her dress. The girl looked to be five years of age. Because she was crying, it was hard to make out her words.
Violet spoke in a maternal tone, "What is it, Abigail?"
The young girl tried to speak as best as she could. Her words came out in short breaths.
"H-Holy Mother he did it again," she whimpered.
Violet sighed and kneeled down to get eye level with Abigail. She spoke again, "What did he do this time?"
"He took my doll and he w-won't give it back," Abigail continued to cry.
From the distance you could hear children laughing, but you could hear one laugh that was louder than the others. Violet stood up with a heated look on her face and waited as the louder laugh came closer. Then she spoke in a stern voice, "Edward!"
Ed and Al looked, with a baffled look on their faces, in search of the child named Edward. They just sat there looking at Violet who had just called Ed's name. A young boy who appeared to be four years old, but he was at least 3'1, stood in front of Violet. That position blocked Ed and Al from seeing the boy's face. Violet spoke in a fuming voice, "Why did you take Abigail's doll. You know that I will get after you."
The boy spoke in a cocky tone, "Aww, lighten up Mom. We were just havin' fun that's all but, Miss Crybaby over here always has to ruin it."
"Honestly Edward, I thought I raised you better than that. I want you to get along with other children not pick on them. Now since you've proven to me that you've had so much fun outside I think it's time we go home."
"But Mom…" Edward whined.
"Don't "But Mom" me, young man. Now march," Violet commanded.
Edward started to march, but stopped when he noticed the men behind his mother looking at him weird especially, the taller one. They both looked surprised to see him.
He narrowed his eyes and asked in a rude tone, "What's your problem?"
Violet spun around and remembered the two travelers that she had invited to stay at her house. She instantly blushed at her own forgetfulness. Violet tried to think of a way to explain to Edward about their new guests. Edward was never good with meeting new people especially adults. As much as she tried to teach her son to be polite, it never got through to him.
"Edward dear. This is Alphonse and Edward Elric. They're going to be staying with us for a while. Gentlemen, this is my four year old son, Edward."
Edward narrowed his eyes again he couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about these two men that made him seem uneasy. He would have to watch them and protect his mother from harm. His mother can sometimes be naïve about some things. She was too trusting, but she wasn't stupid. She could tell when someone was up to something.
The brothers stood up and followed Violet when she started to walk away with Edward beside her.
When a couple of minutes passed, Al leaned over to his brother and whispered, "Brother isn't Edward a little short to be a four year old."
But apparently, Al didn't whisper it low enough.
Edward stopped, turned around, and yelled with fire in his eyes, fury in his voice, and several veins throbbing, "I'M NOT SHORT!"
The brothers stopped dead in their tracks at Edward's outburst. Violet turned around to face her son. Her face was smoldering red with embarrassment. She bowed down entirely and apologized, "I'm so terribly sorry for his behavior," she whispered the next part, "His sensitive about his height."
Al squeaked, "That's okay."
Edward was still fuming about Al's comment and continued stomping his way home. Everyone else also resumed walking. It was starting to get late. Edward stood by his mother at all times while Ed and Al walked quietly behind them. Al looked over at his brother and found that his brother was still looking at Violet and occasionally Edward. Al knew what was going on, but did Ed?
They made it to Violet's home a few minutes later. It was big enough to be an inn! Violet opened the door and guided Ed and Al to their room that had two beds.
"I'm going to be making dinner. If there's anything you need, please, don't be afraid to ask," She smiled once more before leaving, closing the door behind her.
As soon as the door was shut, the brothers sat down on the bed that would belong to them during their stay. Al would have the bed on the left and Ed, the right. When the footsteps of the mistress of the house faded into silence, Al looked at his brother, who was staring at the floor, and spoke, "That Violet woman sure is nice."
Ed answered, still looking at the wooden floor, with a simple, "Yeah."
"It was nice of her to offer us to stay."
"Yeah."
"That son of hers is a little…rebellious."
"Yeah."
Al was getting frustrated with his brother and his one word answers.
He stood up and said with frustration and pleading in his voice, "Brother, you know what I'm trying to say. I can read it all over your face. She could be…" Al was cut off.
"Drop it Al. We both know what happened. It can't be," Ed said in a sharp voice.
"But she…"
"I said drop it, Al."
Al didn't say anything else. He didn't want to anger his brother more. But he knew he was right and his brother would have to admit it sooner or later.
Violet called down Ed and Al for dinner. It was quiet and to be honest a little awkward. So Violet decided to break the ice.
"So Alphonse, what brings you and your brother out here? Not many people come to a small town like this."
Al responded with a smile, "Well, we were on our way to Berlin to find somewhere to live but, we had been traveling for so long that we had to stop and well…here we are."
"Live? Don't you have a home of your own?" Violet said with a look of uneasiness on her face.
Al answered again, "Well, Brother and I are nomads. We don't stay in the same place for long. And we burnt down our childhood home…"He was cut off.
Violet was horrified and surprised at the same time.
"You…you burnt down your house! Was…was it an accident? Didn't your parents have a problem with that?"
"No, it was on purpose, but the reason we did it was because we didn't have parents. Our dad left us when we were very little and then our mother died. I was 10 years old and Brother was 11 when we burned it down. We didn't have anyone to take care of us, we were still so young. So we left and never went back."
Violet became saddened and comforted, "You poor things. That must have been so hard to get through all by yourselves. I also lost my parents when I was still a child. I had just turned 10 when they died; it was during an attack the war. Fortunately, my sister, who was 18 at the time, was able to support both of us."
Violet frowned at the memory of that fateful day she and her sister got the call saying that their parents had passed away. They had been staying with their uncle for the weekend. When they got the call they immediately went home. While her sister made funeral arrangements, read their will, and worked a few jobs to support themselves, Violet cried non-stop. Looking back at that time, she couldn't stop herself from feeling that she reacted so childish. She could have helped, but she did nothing and now she felt so guilty.
Then Violet heard a faint snoring sound. She looked at her left and found her son resting his head on the table. She looked over at the clock.
What?! It's already 10 o' clock! Where did the time go?! I hadn't realized it was getting so late!
She stood up and picked up everyone's plates and put them in the sink. First, she would have to put her son to bed. As she picked up her sleeping child, she yawned not realizing that she wasn't walking straight due to her sleepiness. She climbed up the stairs, entered her son's room, pulled the sheets down, gently put him in his bed, tucked him in, kissed him on the forehead, and whispered, "Good-night. I love you."
When Violet left, Alphonse stood up and yawned. He advanced towards the stairs and then realized his brother wasn't behind him. Ed was still at the table.
"Brother, aren't you going to bed. It's late."
Ed responded, "I'll be up in a minute. Don't wait up,"
Alphonse nodded and retreated to their room.
Violet came down the stairs and yawned once again. What she found in the kitchen surprised her. She found Edward Elric standing over her sink, quietly washing the dishes she had put in there earlier. This was the first time she had been alone with him in the same room. She felt uncomfortable because he was doing her household chore without being told to. She wasn't used to people helping her since when she was a child. She coughed slightly to get his attention.
Edward looked at her and explained, "I noticed you were tired. I thought I'd help you out. You're letting my brother and I stay here without asking for anything in return. I figured that washing the dishes was an equivalent exchange."
Violet smiled and offered, "At least let me dry and put them away. I'd consider that an equivalent exchange." She walked over to him and stood beside him, shoulder to shoulder.
She started to dry the plates they used. They stood in awkward silence. Violet had her bangs covering her eyes so Ed looked at her and started to blush slightly. This was the closest he had been to her since they got to her home. Unbeknownst to him, Violet was also blushing. She had never been to close to a man like the way she was. It was weird, she felt a slight déjà vu feeling from all this. If fact she got a headache from feeling it. They finished washing and putting away the dishes. It was very late so retreated to their rooms. As Violet was walking up the stairs with Ed close behind, she couldn't shake the déjà vu feeling away. Violet put one of her hands on her forehead; she had a raging headache that she couldn't walk straight.
Ed noticed this and asked, "Are you okay?"
Violet turned around to answer him, "I'm okay, Edward. I was just thinking about something and I guess I was thinking too hard."
Ed was surprised, that was the first time she had addressed him personally.
They made it to the top of the stairs. They were about to go their separate ways when Violet remembered to tell Ed "Good-night".
"E-Edward. G-good ni…"
She never finished her sentence because when she turned around Ed was standing right in front of her. Violet was blushing intensely. They stared into each others' unusually colored eyes and stood there for who knows how long. He smiled at her while she stood there confused. What he did next caught Violet off guard. He leaned toward her, closing the space between them very fast. Then he hugged her like he never wanted to let go.
"Hell has gotten even better now," he stated.
Ed then kissed the top of her head, released her, and wished her a "Good-night."
He retreated to his temporary bedroom, leaving Violet standing in the middle of the hallway blushing and puzzled. She thought over what he had said.
What could he meant by that? "Hell has gotten even better now." Is he suffering in some way? Why has it gotten better? Me? Did he mean it was better because I'm here? That's impossible. We just met. Silly me. I shouldn't be over thinking things.
Violet didn't understand, but she had to go to sleep. She went to her bedroom and as soon as her head hit the pillow she fell asleep.
Ed on the other hand couldn't go to sleep right away. All he could think about was home, their home world to be precise.
Could Al be right? No, that's impossible. I was there. I saw it. I saw it all. Maybe I haven't been punished enough and now this is my ultimate punishment. But…but what if this is a good thing? Maybe I've been given another chance. But I saw it happened. It was my fault that it happened. I promised and I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed me. I failed Al. I failed…her.
Ed clutched the sheets at that thought. He squeezed his eyes shut trying to push out the horrible memories that had resurfaced because of the conversation he just had with himself. When the memories were gone, Ed released the sheets and opened his eyes slowly, afraid that the memories would come back. When Ed saw the crumpled sheets, his eyes got small and more memories came back, but these memories were different from the first batch. They were good memories, but then those memories went up in smoke only to be replaced with the horrible memories again. Once again, Ed squeezed his eyes shut, but this time tears came down his cheeks. They were hot burning tears that left a wet trail of fire behind when they passed. He laid there for what seemed like eternity. Then the last memory was being shown. Ed actually watched this one play in front of his vision. He looked at the other person that was in the memory and he could feel the tears that he had shed at the time of the memory. He could also see the other person's tears as well. And that shattered his heart...
"I love you," said the person.
"I love you too," he said.
Then the memory was gone and now everything was black. But the tears kept coming.
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I failed you.
He kept apologizing until he couldn't anymore. After that, he drifted into slumber. Thankfully, he slept dreamlessly.
Soon all the residents in the shared household were sleeping soundly. Totally unaware of the journey they were about to embark on.
How was it? Good? Bad? So-so? Please review. I will NEVER give up on this story. I swear on my love for Edward Elric. Also Scantburg (Violet's Town) is not real. It's just a name I made up.
'Til next time,
waitingforEdward