I Know How You Feel
I Know How You Feel
Disclaimer: No Fma is not mine and neither are it's lovely characters, but everybody else is MINE! XD
Chapter One The Meeting
"Please, I must speak with Colonel Roy Mustang!"
"I'm sorry, Miss, but you aren't a part of the military and the Colonel is a busy man so...."
"Please, sir, tell him Lexi wants to speak with him."
"If you insist Miss, but I'm sure he'll decline...."
I sighed impatiently. No way Roy was going to deny this. And actually I was sort of looking forward to going to Central. I hadn't been to a city in a long time and I was anxious to see Roy and perhaps Riza again. Undoubtedly she would still be right beside Roy, it hardly seemed to be possible to think of them as separated.
"Hello, Colonel Roy Mustang speaking."
"Well hi there."
"Lexi? Really?"
I nodded and then felt foolish.
"This better be important because-"
"I want to be a state alchemist."
A pause.
"This wouldn't happen to have anything to do with your recent experience and current obsession with the philosopher's stone, now would it?"
Damn that man was perceptive.
"Of course not Royroy."
I replied sweetly, using my petname for him. I knew he couldn't say no to that. I could almost see him running his hand through his hair in frustration.
"You know I can't say no to that."
I grinned.
"Then why exactly-?"
"I'll see you soon okay? I'm gonna buy tickets on the first train available, I should get there by nightfall."
I hurriedly hung up, feeling only slightly guilty for deceiving him. Although, I wasn't truly deceiving him, since it was obvious he knew exactly what I was up to. No matter, I doubt he will try too hard to stop me. He took everything almost as hard as I did and he was very close with Nickel as well.
I shook my head to clear my unwanted thoughts and put my mind to finish packing.
***********
"Brother are you sure we can do this?"
Edward Elric was busy cracking his knuckles and only spared a glance at his younger brother.
"Listen Al,"
He said through gritted teeth
"Right now I have no idea what I can do about this stupid assessment thing and I can't exactly sit back and wait to be kicked out of the military."
"Yes, but do we have to sneak under the receptionist's desk to get to Colonel Mustang?"
Ed made a face and continued crouching as they snuck by. They straightened as they reached the main hallway and finally, Ed paused in front of a door and knocked briskly. It was opened by Riza Hawkeye who let a hint of a smile cross her face.
"Colonel, you have more visitors, the Elric brothers."
She stepped back to allow them entrance and as soon as they had stepped in, she closed the door behind them before striding quickly across the room to resume her post standing on Roy's left side. Ed took a step forward and encountered something that almost made him stumble.
"Meoooooow."
A very large black cat arched its back and rubbed against Ed's leg. Al nearly swooned. He immediately picked up the cat gently and cradled it against himself, tickling its belly as it batted his hand playfully. Ed raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't know you were into cats."
Roy regarded him with a slight smile.
"Ah Fullmetal. Just the man I wanted to see. How good of you to stop by, but I wonder why the receptionist did not announce your arrival..."
He left the question hanging and Ed blushed slightly and looked away. As he did so, he was alerted to the fact that there was another person with them. A young looking girl, with wild dark red hair and feline green eyes with bits of gold embedded in them. She couldn't be too young, mused Ed, as his glance slipped from her face and saw her....endowments. Ed blushed and stared at the ground. She was very pretty, prettier than Winry even. He clasped his hands he stared at the ground, she raised an eyebrow at him and turned to Roy questioningly. Al had observed the entire exchange and was laughing inwardly at his brother's failure to hide attraction. Roy found the whole situation very funny and a good opportunity to poke fun at Ed.
"So, are you going to be rude and stare at the ground all day or are you going to perhaps introduce yourselves to the pretty girl?"
He asked dryly. Hawkeye covered her mouth to hide the grin that threatened to creep out. Ed looked up quickly, blushing as red as his coat and the girl rolled her eyes in Roy's direction.
"You can ignore this one, he's just out to prove that he wins in the cool category. And he finds it great fun to tease."
She glared at him and he shrugged casually. Ed's mouth almost dropped open. He considered himself and Al pretty close with the Colonel, not by their own doing of course he thought angrily, but even they would never dare to speak to him in such a manner. What was more, he seemed to be perfectly used to it. Looking directly at Al and Ed, Roy stated.
"This is Alexa Mustang. My young cousin."
That explained the familiarity. Ed was at a loss trying to imagine the Colonel having a family. Al put down the cat who roamed off somewhere.
"And we are the Elric brothers. I'm Al and this is my brother, Ed."
Alexa rose in one fluid motion and Ed noticed that she was very very pretty as she walked over. He felt the blood rising in his cheeks again and struggled to maintain a straight face and not gaze below her face. He was glad to finally see a girl with curves because Winry had always looked...like a guy. He almost cringed, thinking of her in that way, but managed to hold himself steady. Alexa looked at his face curiously, trying to discern the strange emotions flitting through his eyes. She mentally shrugged. She held out her hand to him.
"It is nice to meet you, Fullmetal Alchemist."
Ed blinked before taking her hand to shake.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm not used to people recognizing me as the Fullmetal Alchemist."
He jerked a thumb in Al's direction.
"They think it's him usually."
"Well, Roy had mentioned you were, ah, not fully grown yet...."
Ed glared fervently at Roy who just smiled evilly.
"Those were not the words I used, Alexa."
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE LOOKS LIKE A BEANSPROUT?!!?!?!"
Alexa raised her eyebrows and stepped to the side, looking at Al.
"Is he always this sensitive about it?"
"Yeah, Brother takes it pretty hard."
"Well, it's okay, I'm sure you'll grow or something."
Ed glared at Alexa.
"Yeah, you're on the smaller side, but thats only for now. What are you like 15, 16? You've got a lot of years left to grow."
"Yeah! And hey!"
Ed suddenly noticed. He and Alexa were exactly the same height.
"You're no taller than I am!"
"Good observational skills Fullmetal. Have you been observing her closely?"
Ed immediately shut up and blushed, staring at the ground again. Roy couldn't help it. He chuckled. Ed glared daggers at the Colonel.
"Isn't there a reason you came all the way here?"
Ed straightened and regained his composure.
"Yeah actually. I wanted to ask about my assessment because-"
"Well it was good of you to come because that is tomorrow. And for your assessment you shall have a battle. With Alexa."
Both Alexa and Ed stared incredulously at Roy. Simultaneously, they turned, looked each other up and down, turned back, and said in one voice,
"You're kidding me right?"
Roy laughed again.
"I'd advise both of you to neither underestimate the other, nor overestimate yourselves, as I know you both commonly do."
He flat out grinned at Ed.
"She's a lot like you Fullmetal. You should get along great."
Ed very nearly ran over to the desk to punch the colonel in the face. Just as he was contemplating entertaining ways for the colonel to die, the very large cat jumped onto Roy's lap.
"Woah! Hey!"
The cat was purring loud enough for the entire room to hear. The cat then proceeded to knead Roy's legs, which obviously made him very uncomfortable. Alexa giggled and walked over. Roy looked up at her and remarked
"I am going to kill your cat if he moves one inch to the right."
Alexa bent down and hoisted the cat.
"I'll take him away, don't you worry."
The cat scrambled ungainfully until he was draped around her shoulders. She walked a few steps away.
"Why don't you go off with the Elrics? I need to get some work done, I do have real work to attend to you know, and that way you can get to know each other."
Alexa turned around with both eyebrows raised.
"Roy...."
He just stared back at her. After blinking at each other for several long seconds, Alexa turned to Hawkeye.
"If he doesn't actually have work, Riza, I'll have his head."
Riza gazed back solemnly.
"I assure you, he will get all of the papers looked at that he's been letting pile up."
She glanced down at him and he grimaced. Satisfied, Alexa walked to the door and grabbed the Elric's hands and towed them out. Ed hesitated a moment too long, then pulled his hand away.
"What's the deal? You're not going to argue with it?"
Alexa turned to him.
"He is my guardian currently, so my arguing can only do so much."
"Like he's your dad?"
Al was astonished. Alexa nodded.
"Plus, I am asking him for a favor, if Riza says he has work he definitely does, and I think fighting you would be fun."
She addressed the last bit staring intently at Ed. He blushed slightly and looked away.
"If you think I'm going easy on you because you're a little girl, you're mistaken."
Alexa bristled.
"Who's calling who little?"
Ed glared at her again.
"Not like I have anything to worry about against a girl like you."
"Oh really? I think here, I have the advantage."
"How so?"
Al wasn't about to be left out of the conversation.
"Well, I have heard many a story about the famous Fullmetal, and not only from Roy, so I know a bit about your alchemy and fighting strategy. On the same token, you know close to nothing about me."
She paused and continued in a calmer voice.
"Although that does seem unfair so I'll tell you some things. Let's walk."
They walked out of the hallway.
"For one thing, the favor I am asking is to become a state alchemist."
Ed stared at her.
"You don't want to be a military dog, trust me."
She sighed and looked far into the distance.
"It's purely for researching purposes and I wouldn't do it if it wasn't a last resort."
"What are you researching?"
She glanced at Al.
"My sister is very ill and I want to find a way to heal her and make everything right."
Ed and Al looked at each other. They both looked back at her.
"Anyway, the main thing is that, even though I am more than competent at alchemy, I don't use it to fight. I can perform fire alchemy like my cousin, but I don't."
Ed raised his eyebrows at that.
"I don't really either. But you probably already knew that."
"Yes, I use knives and sometimes very short swords in general. Very rarely do I use alchemy and if I do, it's to weaken a point I'll then hit with a knife."
Ed nodded. This was valuable information and he was grateful she was such a fair competitor.
Alexa added with a grin.
"Also, I don't mind being called short."
Ed punched her gently in the shoulder. Alexa caught his fist and turned it over in her hand. Ed blushed and pulled his hand away.
"What? Never seen automail?"
Alexa shook her head.
"On the contrary. I am very interested in automail. Would you mind if I had a look at yours?"
"Nah, but we should find somewhere quiet where no one will stare."
They found themselves quickly in a small room. Ed opened the curtains and Al shut the door. Ed shed his coat and shirt and sat down heavily on a chair, holding out his arm for her inspection. He had to look away to not be embarassed that she was so closely peering at him.
"This is incredible....very well made."
"You sound like my mechanic."
"She must be very proud of her work."
"how did you know it is a she?"
Al was very curious. Alexa pointed to the bicep.
"My sister and older brother were both mechanics and fanatical about automail. Also, my other sister is an artist and so she's studied a lot of biology to properly represent humans. I've absorbed some information from them by osmosis.
See the way this is designed? It's a slimmer model, not only to keep it light and not strain the user, but also because Ed is smaller than most guys. Sorry,"
she added quickly at his glare.
"So it's not as noticeable, but the way the muscles, ah, the wires are laid and the structure is distinctly feminine. Only to someone who has studied complex anatomy of course, but it is obvious that while your mechanic-"
"Winry"
Al cut in. Alexa nodded and continued.
"While Winry did use your measurements, she actually modeled the arm after her own and then just filled it out to look more like a male's. Clever, she's made it strong, flexible, and quick. There's certainly nothing wrong with it, she just doesn't know much anatomy is all."
Ed whined.
"I have a girl's arm?!?!?"
Al chuckled and Alexa smiled. In revenge, Ed pointed to Alexa's arm.
"What about you? Your arm isn't particularly slender!"
Alexa's face fell and Ed instantly regretted his words.
"Hey I didn't mean-"
"No it's fine. I'm stocky and for some reason my muscles tend to form and grow like a guy's. I supposed I'm not the most feminine."
She gave him a tiny smile and he looked down at her, kneeling next to him, still holding his arm. His gaze slipped a little farther down. Oh you're pretty feminine all right, he thought with a blush. She followed his gaze down and looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. She let go of his arm and rapped him on the head.
"Watch your eyes please."
Ed was very very humiliated and Al was rolling in laughter on the floor with metaphorical tears in his eyes. Alexa stood up and Al rolled over to look at her.
"Hey! You have automail too."
Ed finally looked back at her.
"Really?"
She sighed and sat again. She rolled up a pant leg and showed automail going up above the knee.
"Did you have the whole leg replaced?"
"Yeah. I know you only have it from the knee down but mine goes up to my upper thigh."
"How did it happen?"
Ed's voice had gotten very soft. He saw the pained look on her face and opened his mouth to tell her she didn't need to talk about it if she didn't want to, but she waved him off.
"It was a family accident. I lost my older brother, one of my sisters, my leg, and my remaining sister lost her health."
Ed nodded gravely. Alexa flexed her foot a bit and marveled at her own toes.
"Afterwards, I had to spend awhile taking care of Izzy, my remaining sister, and using old parts and notebooks to reconstruct myself a leg."
Ed looked startled, but it was Al who spoke.
"You made that yourself?"
"Not exactly."
Alexa smiled sadly.
"Nickel, my other sister, we were triplets you see, and I were planning on making me a leg anyway because we were always joking about how reckless I am. So, when we were bored, we'd work on this imaginary leg for me. Lucky me, I just had to follow instructions and do a little improvising."
Ed watched her sadly, but at the same time he had the vague feeling that some of this was not true. The part about deaths and the sadness were obviously genuine, but making a leg for fun? He didn't quite buy that, but he decided it wouldn't be tactful to ask.
Alexa stroked her leg and Nyko came over and sat on her lap, purring loudly and headbutting the leg. Alexa smiled and wrapped her arms around the cat, burying her face in his fur. To lighten the mood, Ed joked.
"How old are you anyway?"
Alexa looked up.
"Seventeen."
Ed's eyebrows shot up.
"She's older than you Brother!"
"Thanks Al..."
Alexa giggled a little and squeezed Nyko again. At her questioning look, Ed responded
"Yeah, I'm sixteen so..."
Alexa grinned widely at him. Ed unconciously smiled back.
"Im hungry!"
Ed announced.
"Let's go get dinner okay?"
Alexa nodded and stood up, handing Nyko off to Al who was completely stoked to be carrying around a cat his brother wasn't trying to take away from him.
"I've always wanted a cat! But Brother never let me keep one."
"We'd only get the cat killed! I don't know how you manage one."
"I have a very special cat."
Alexa commented smugly, but refused to say anything else on the matter. Suddenly, Alexa looked at Al, completely content with playing with Nyko and her face fell slightly. They arrived at a nice restaurant and both she and Ed ordered food, she got extra for Nyko who ate like he hadn't for days and Ed ordered extra....for himself.
As Nyko and Ed were gorging themselves, Alexa sat back and stared guiltily at her plate. Ed looked up.
"Mmumf roosdn?"
"What?"
Al answered for him.
"He asked what was wrong? How come you're not eating your dinner?"
She looked at Al for a long moment.
"You can't eat anything. I feel bad."
Al raised his hands and shook his head.
"Oh no! It's fine really. I've had to deal for six years watching him eat like a pig."
"Hey!"
Ed said, spraying some food onto Al who sighed and wiped it off.
"It's really ok. I keep a list of all the things I'm going to eat as soon as I can."
Al seemed all right, so Alexa dug in because she was truly very hungry. When they had all finished and Al was cradling Nyko, they were walking out the door when Alexa asked
"What's first on your list?"
"Apple pie."
Al said, longingly.
"Here, I have an idea."
She led them through the streets until they arrived at a small bakery. The sun was finishing setting as they walked in. Alexa ordered a slice of apple pie, even though she had eaten a lot at the restaurant and couldn't possibly be hungry anymore. By the time they walked out, it was quite dark. Alexa looked around, then yanked Al into a dark alley lit by one far away street lamp. She gently removed his helmet.
"Forgive me, this will only take a moment."
Nyko twined himself between Ed's legs. He absentmindedly knelt down to pet him. Nyko purred. Alexa pulled a knife out from her belt and cut her hand. She grimaced and bit her lip as she carefully carved the exact drawing of Al's bloodseal into her left palm. Al tried to stop her.
"Hey! What're you-!"
She leaned forward, closed her eyes, and pressed her palm over his bloodseal. Al gasped as a light flashed from her hand and then faded until it glowed a light purple.
"What's going on? Al!"
"Brother! I can feel! Somehow I'm in her! I can touch and smell and feel the air around me!"
Ed stared in amazement. Alexa opened her eyes and carefully reached for the apple pie. She ate the slice very slowly and by the noises he made, Ed could tell Al was thoroughly enjoying himself.
"But how is this possible?"
"I don't know...Brother! Quick! Give me your hand!
Ed stretched out his flesh and blood hand and Alexa grasped it firmly, then released and ran the pads of her fingers over it until it tickled and he pulled away.
"Brother...oh Brother! I can't wait until it is always like this!"
Ed was happy Al was so ecstatic, but he couldn't help also thinking he really liked how it felt to have Alexa's fingers running so gently over his wrist. He pushed the thoughts away quickly and grinned at Al.
"Really soon Al. I promise."
As he was saying that, the light faded from Alexa's hand and she swooned, swaying. Al steadied her and she stood, only to immediately fall into Ed's waiting arms. She threw an arm around his shoulders and rested her head in the crook of his neck as he shifted her weight onto him.
"I'm sorry,"
She mumbled.
"I'm just a little woozy."
"You shouldn't exert yourself like that you know."
Ed reprimanded her gently. He turned his back to her and bent his knees, holding his arms out to her.
"Here get on."
"Are you sure?"
He nodded and she jumped onto his back. He settled her and they began walking.
"I'm really sorry, are you sure I'm not too heavy?"
"Brother just likes to show off how strong he is."
Ed stuck his tongue out at Al and Nyko.
"I've carried around another girl who's much taller than you are. You're not much compared to her."
Alexa sighed and rested her chin softly in Ed's hair.
"So what happened with Al?"
Alexa paused in thought.
"Well, it's a little embarassing, but Roy had told me I was going to get to know you two...so I did a bit of research on Al's...condition. To see if there was any way I could make it up to you guys for having to deal with me."
"We like you Alexa!"
"Aww Al. Thank you. I like you a lot too."
"Where did you do research on soul bonding?"
"Central Library."
Ed tried to look back at her.
"We've searched almost all the relevant sections. Where did you look?"
"The Restricted Section, of course."
Ed nearly stopped in his tracks.
"Restricted?!!?! Why didn't anyone tell us about that? What the hell?"
"Brother!"
"It's restricted to anyone below a Colonel's rank..."
Ed swore profusely.
"Roy let you in?"
"No. I snuck in."
Al stared at her and Ed tried to.
"You snuck in? Into a restricted military library?"
"Yeah....I'm good at that sort of thing."
Huh. Ed thought. We've got ourselves a sneak.
"What else is in there? And what did it tell you? And again, what did you actually do?"
"Okay, for starters, he is bonded with your blood, the best blood for binding purposes because it is very similar to his once was. Now, that seal is very sensitive to blood and while it is your blood only, he is also physically bonded to you, but only very sightly. Because my blood was fresh and my palm was also pressing against it, he was so closely bonded to me that it probably felt like he was inside my skin."
Al nodded in agreement.
"What about equivalent exchange?"
"Well, while you were feeling everything, I could feel nothing. Also, I am now highly exhausted. Not only that, but blood, depending on the amount given, is one of the most powerful things you can exchange because it is essentially your life force. As for what else I was told, it was all things you already know. As for everything else, well, it's restricted for a reason. In my curiousity, I found many books on very frightening things, telling me things I never wanted to know."
Ed and Al both got shivers as she said that.
"The only thing of immediate value that I learned is something very interesting about the Philosopher's Stone."
"Tell me!!!"
Ed had stopped this time.
"Ed, I'll make you a deal."
"What?"
"If you beat me in our fight, I'll tell you."
Ed sighed in frustration. He really would have rather known now, but it was a fair deal to make. He dropped the subject.
"So where're you staying?"
Alexa was startled. She blushed and buried her face in Ed's hair more. He jumped a little as the cold tip of her nose brushed the soft skin at the nape of his neck. He had gooseflesh and was frantically trying to calm his racing heart. He hadn't even ever felt this way for Winry and he'd been determined for years that he would marry her, and now here he was, getting these feelings and having weird thoughts about a girl he just met. A girl related to Mustang even.
"You mean to tell me you have no where to stay?"
Alexa shook her head meekly.
"Well I suppose we'll have to find you a place."
Ed said roughly and Alexa was startled and hurt by his gruff tone. She liked him and his brother, him a little differently than Al, and she didn't understand how in a minute's time he stopped being flirty and playful and went to harsh. She lowered her head, but made sure not to touch him any more than necessary. Al was just as plainly confused by both of their actions, but was sure Alexa's were a reaction to his brother. Ed felt her move away and inwardly sighed. She was very perceptive.
"Brother, can't she stay with us?"
"Oh no! I mean, it's okay Al. I'm sure I can stay somewhere else...ah, I don't think I should. Don't think I'm wanted."
The last bit was said so softly only Ed's ears caught it. He felt really badly and shifted her gently so that she had to lean forward and more on him. Alexa was surprised, but went along with it.
"No, it's late. You should stay with us, I mean, if you want to..."
Ed stared at the ground, feeling very cruel. Her arms had been wrapped around his neck for support and one came up to brush his bangs carefully from his face.
"I'd be very grateful to impose on you two."
He could hear the smile in her voice and he smiled too. Al was relieved and decided to speak to his brother later about how not to treat a nice girl. Ed pushed away all thoughts of romance and focused on getting back. The rest of the trip was completed in silence.
Upon arriving at their room in the military base, Al sat down in a corner with Nyko, stroking his fur very softly. Alexa yawned and Ed plopped her down on the only bed in the room. He opened a closet and removed an extra couple of blankets and folded one into a pillow. He laid them carefully on the ground next to the bed and laid down himself. Alexa immediately protested
"You are the ones letting me spend the night here! At least let me be the one to sleep on the ground!"
Ed shook his head resolutely and after a few minutes, Alexa laid down too, realizing she was not going to win that argument. In less than ten minutes, Alexa was out cold. She had obviously been very tired. Nyko got up and jumped onto the bed where he curled up tightly in the space Alexa's knees left. It was silly to see because Alexa was just as tightly curled as a cat. Al spoke softly.
"Brother."
"Yes Al?"
"Why were you...I mean earlier. When you got...angry? With Alexa...what happened?"
Ed sighed. He'd been wondering the same thing.
"I don't know Al. I guess I thought about...other things and got uncomfortable. Like there is something wrong. I guess I'm just paranoid when things go so nicely."
Ed forced a laugh. He hoped Al would leave it alone. Al caught on to the problem and did so. He knew Ed had been thinking about Winry and everything, but even though it was obvious Winry was in love with Ed, he'd only shown that he had a crush on her. Al knew that from childhood, even though he himself had won the fight to marry Winry, when he'd been rejected, Ed made a vow to someday marry her himself. Al knew Ed was remembering that. Al got confused as he thought more about it. Was it better for Brother to remember his promise and fufill it or to go after the girl he liked more? Al was suddenly glad he was not his brother.
Meanwhile, Ed was following the same train of thought in his head, although he did not remember the vow, but he knew that he'd always planned on it. He knew how much Winry liked him and he did like her a lot, but more and more now he was realizing that he really cared about her as a sister and had just convinced himself to like her as more because he would have felt bad, seeing her so in love with him otherwise. He had just wanted to make her happy.
He wasn't sure what he would do now. In theory, he only saw her when he broke himself, but perhaps Alexa could fix him instead...Or maybe it would hurt Winry more to never see him. He wasn't sure and there was no way of really asking her. Either he'd never see her and she could just dream of him and remember him or she could see him and see him with somebody else. Perhaps he'd ask Alexa, as a hypothetical question tomorrow. Ed drifted off to sleep, slightly more at ease with that plan. Al continued pondering.
Later on in the night, Alexa began having a nightmare. She was remembering:
"No!!!! Oh God no! Nickel! Nickel!! NICKEL!!!! Oh no! IZZY!!! Oh fuck it all!"
She tried to get up and move, but to her horror she had barely a stump where her right leg once was. She managed to crawl over to Nyko. She yanked the yowling cat into another circle she drew with her dripping blood. After spattering some blood on the cat, she clapped and pressed her hands to him.
"GIVE ME HER BACK GODDAMNIT! SHE'S MY SISTER!"
Izzy moaned nearby.
"Hold on Izz, just hold on!"
A bright light flashed and Alexa saw the Gate and the Guardian for the second time.
She rolled over and hit the edge of the bed. Her hand flopped over the side and came down to rest very close to Ed's face on the floor. He rolled over at the same time and instinctively reached out and grabbed her hand, jerking it a little and yanking her from her nightmare. She was sweating and went to wipe her face, only to find that a strong grip was holding her hand. She smiled vaguely and looked up at Al who had watched it with interest. Alexa could imagine the smile on his face. He looked very peaceful for a suit of armor.
"Do you ever get lonely?"
Alexa whispered. Her voice was husky with sleep. Without moving, he replied
"Yes. But it also gives me time to think, something I don't get too much during the day."
"I'm sorry."
Al watched as Alexa's eyelids fluttered closed and she rested her head on the pillow again, dozing off and entwining her fingers through Ed's. She fell asleep smiling.