Memories

"Winry, what's wrong?" the tiny blonde asked.

"My parents…" she sobbed, turning away from the worried Elrics.

"You can tell us, Winry," Alphonse's soft voice came from behind his brother.

The young girl shook her head stubbornly.

"Leave her alone boys," the old woman said from behind them, making Edward jump.

Ed glared at her. "We want to know what's wrong with Winry!"

Old Lady Pinacco sighed. "Very Well. Come with me boys."

They reached the garden in the back yard. The roses were in full bloom, giving off a smell so wonderful that the three lost themselves in it. The blood red petals swayed with the wind.

A dove flew by, but something strange happened. It just dropped out of thin air.

Had the boys brushed up on their Greek mythology, than they might have been prepared for what came next and for the things that were going to happen in the near future.

"Old Lady Pinacco…are you going to tell us about Winry's parents?" Al asked quietly, turning red as the old lady looked at him sadly.

"Listen boys, and listen closely. There is a rebellion happening in Ishbal…" Ed cut her off shortly.

"We know, Grandma! Just tell us what happened!"

"Do not interrupt me again, Shrimp, or I won't tell you!" Old Lady Pinacco threatened, her eyes flashing with sorrowful malice.

Edward quietly stood there, simmering down.

"That's more like it. The Rockbells, as you know, were working for the military as doctors. They helped both sides. The Ishbalans and the military. They were found out and were persecuted as traitors. They were …shot to death by one of the colonels," she finished gravely.

The two brothers cast there eyes down. They left the old woman where she was standing, proceeding to where their friend was still sobbing.

"Winry, look. Our father left us before we even knew him. At least you got to know both of your parents," Ed said, feeling more mature.

Winry looked up. Her face was red from the tears she had shed. "That's easy for you to say, isn't it? For all you know your father could still come home. As for my parents, they won't ever come back! How would you feel if your mom never came home?"

Edward, taken aback, had flashes of his mother's face go through his head.

He walked out of the Rockbells' home and didn't look up until he got to his house, with Al trailing right behind him

Their mother was sweeping the front porch when she saw her eldest son walking up the driveway.

Ed looked up and stared at his mother.

"Edward, what's the …" she was cut off as Ed flung himself onto her, sobbing into her skirt.

"Edward, what's wrong?" she asked, stroking his blonde hair.

Trisha's youngest son soon joined his older brother.

"Alphonse? You too?" Trisha startled, just held onto her two boys.

"Ed? Ed? Are you okay, sweetie?" Roy Mustang asked, pushing away a strand of hair that had freed itself from the blonde's braid.

Edward, now 21, pulled himself out of the daydream he had been having.

He looked at the raven-haired man next to him. He had been the cause of the flashback. He was the one who had killed Winry's parents.

"I'm fine, Roy. Just an old memory," Ed answered, laying his head on the older man's shoulder.

"Make sure you don't slip off into LaLa land again. We have an assignment, remember?" the Fuhrer asked, glancing down as his boyfriend smiled at him.

"Sure I remember. We have to check in on Hughes' wife, though I don't see why the Lieutenant Colonel couldn't do it himself…" Ed trailed off muttering about how the officer was a lazy bum who couldn't do anything for himself unless it was for his daughter.

Roy cast him a wary glance. It had been 6 years since the Brigadier General had passed away and nobody had the courage to tell Full Metal about it.

"Listen, Edward. Hughes can't go see his wife because…" The car that they were in came to a screeching halt.

Edward was thrown to the floor.

"Damn car! How was I supposed to know that the seatbelt was broken?" Ed yelled furiously.

Roy cleared his throat and pointed. There was a sign on the back of the seat that read: CAUTION! SEATBELT IS UNSTABLE! BE CAREFUL, THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE TOO STUPID TO READ A SIGN.*COUGH, COUGH* FULL METAL.*COUGH, COUGH*

"ROOOOOOOOYYYYYYY!" Came from inside the car and then a blue light flashed.

Edward came out whistling as a certain charred Flame Alchemist followed.

As they entered the hospital where Mrs. Hughes was being held, the two State Alchemists stopped.

Alphonse Elric was holding the hand of a young blonde woman, who kept throwing hostile looks in the Fuhrer's direction.

"Al! Winry! How's the married life going?" Edward called, leaving Roy to stand alone.

"Brother! I haven't seen you since we got our bodies back," Al greeted.

"What are you two doing here?" Ed asked stupidly.

"Isn't it obvious? We're here to see Alicia's mom, but they won't let us in until the military is through," Winry answered curtly.

Ever since Ed had started dating Roy, she had become distant. Who could really blame her?

"Er…"

Roy, who was surprisingly clean, rescued Edward from the awkward silence that had followed.

"Come on. We have a job to do."

"Oh. Right. See you later Al!"

When they walked into her room, they saw Alicia by her side.

"Oh, hello. Have you come to make Mommy better?" she asked, raising her head from the bed.

Edward grimaced. He thought about the last time he had seen a woman in a bed, as sick as a person could get.

Trisha Elric was putting the fruit she had gathered into a basket for the kids. Apples for Alphonse and Peaches for Edward.

A sudden wave of nausea came over her and everything went black.

"Mom! Mom! Wake up! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to push Alphonse in the river! I promise I won't ever do it again! Please, just wake up!" a voice came to her from a light far off. It was so familiar. It sounded exactly like…

"Edward?" she asked meekly, opening her eyes. Escaping the dark, if just for a little while.

"Mom, you're okay!" Edward cried, as he and his little brother hugged her.

A doctor smiled unhappily from the corner.

"Kids, why don't you go get your mother some water. I'm sure she's parched," he suggested.

The Elrics, happy to aid their mother in any way, did as they were told.

Trisha looked up at the doctor helplessly.

"It's time, isn't it?" she asked omnisciently.

"I'm afraid so Trisha. Say what you want to them while you can," the doctor answered, inclined his head and left.

The boys rushed back in, splashing water as they went.

Trisha gladly took the glass, but dropped it due to her weak state.

Edward looked at the glass wonderingly, than looked at his mother curiously.

"Give me your hands. I need to tell you something," she said, her throat aching with every word.

The two brothers did exactly what she told them to do.

"Now Edward," she paused to refill her lungs. "I need you to look after your brother for me." *pause, refill* "And Alphonse," *pause, refill* "Don't let Edward push you around."

Edward felt her hand loosing its grip. Alphonse had already let go, crying because he didn't understand why his mother was telling them this. She would always be there to look after them, right?

"Remember, Mr. Elric…" she said almost playfully. "Look after your boys until I…" her voice was fading away. "Get back from…" her voice was barely a whisper. "Town. I love my sweet, little boys." Then she was gone.

Trisha's hand hung limply in Edward's hand. Edward dropped to his knees and cried silently. Alphonse rushed over to his mother and shook her until Edward slapped him across the face.

"Stop it, Al! She'd gone and she's never coming back! Just like Dad!" Ed yelled, storming out of the room.

Alphonse looked hopelessly after his brother before calling the police.

Roy slapped Edward in the face.

Ed glared at him, until he realized what had happened. He had had another flashback.

"I thought we had agreed you wouldn't go off into LaLa land," Roy said, smirking.

"I didn't agree to anything," the blonde growled.

"Are you going to help Mommy or are you going to let her die like Daddy? Alicia asked impatiently.

Edward looked at her as if seeing her for the first time.

"What do you mean 'are you going to let her die like Daddy'?" Ed asked perplexed.

Roy groaned. He hadn't wanted Ed to find out like this.

"Daddy died and he didn't get to finish his work and it's all the military's fault!" she shrieked.

Edward looked at Roy to confirm what Alicia said was true or not and the look that he shot him gave away that Ed hoped it was the latter.

Roy wouldn't look at him.

Edward turned away, looking at the door, but Roy couldn't miss the single tear that rolled down his cheek.

"We'll do whatever we can, Alicia," Edward promised fiercely, then walked out of the room and the hospital and waited for Roy in the car.

An hour passed before Roy ever came out.

He stood outside until he was sure that it was safe for him to get in.

"I thought you had quit," Edward said accusingly, pointing at the cigarette butt still in the Fuhrer's mouth.

Roy shrugged.

Ed sighed. "Take me to his grave, Fuhrer."

Roy glanced at the blonde before demanding the driver to take them to Central's cemetery.

A few minutes later they were standing in front of the Brigadier General's headstone.

"He passed away 6 years ago and nobody told me?" Edward muttered, shielding his eyes from the rain that has started pouring down.

Roy didn't say anything.

Ed recalled…how many flashbacks was he going to have in one day?

Ed and Al stood in front of their mother's grave.

"What are we going to do now that she's gone? How are we going to survive?" Alphonse wanted to know, pouting as he waited for his brother to answer.

"We're not Al. We're going to bring her back!" Ed declared, knowing of the danger that they would be putting themselves into.

"But, Brother. Human Transmutation is against the law, isn't it?" Al asked, unsure of himself.

Edward smiled grimly. "No, Al. They made it legal yesterday."

Alphonse smiled for the first time in a week. "You mean we're going to bring her back?"

Ed warmed up to the idea. "Yeah. Sure, Al. And she'll be baking our favorite pies in no time."

Al hugged his older brother around the middle.

"Thank you, brother!"

"Edward! I'm not going to keep pulling you out of your memories!" Roy said irately.

"Then don't, Fuhrer." Edward said calmly, still staring at Hughes' grave.

Walking around to the back of the headstone, Ed clapped his hands together and placed them on the ground.

A statue of Hughes and his family rose out of the grass. Edward smiled.

"What is that for?" Roy asked, smiling, nonetheless, at the life-sized likeness of his friend.

"It's my last present to him and it's to show everybody how obsessed he was with his family," he replied.

"So, how did he die?" Ed asked with a more serious tone.

"He was shot by the Homunculi, Envy. You know, the one with the crazy hair," Roy explained sadly.

Edward shuddered. "And to think I slept with him."

"What did you say?" Roy asked, peering at him from half closed eyes.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Ed said, blushing furiously.

Roy gave him a skeptical look, but didn't question him further.

Later that night, after Roy had gotten what he wanted, Ed dreamed of what he and Al did.

"Are you ready Al?" Ed asked after he had drawn the transmutation circle.

"Whenever you are, Brother," Alphonse replied, anticipating what was to come.

The two Elrics put a drop of blood each into their mother's ashes.

"Ashes to Ashes," Ed started.

"Dust to Dust," Al finished.

Blue light flooded the room and swallowed the boys as the transmutation began.

Alphonse' body seemed to lose all weight since he was floating.

Edward watched horrified as his brother's entire body began to disintegrate.

"Brother! Help me! Brother!" Alphonse screamed.

Edward immediately transferred Al's soul into an empty piece of armor, losing his right arm in doing so. He lost his left leg as well.

When he saved his brother, he caught sight of his mother's body, but it wasn't his mother at all. It was a monster.

Hughes' face swam in and out of his dreams.

"Be careful, Edward. New Homunculi are being formed and I'm one of them. I'm the new Envy. Can you believe it? I became the new version of the one who killed me. Anyway, I came to warn you that you need to be suspicious of anybody close to you, except for Roy and Al. Oh, and tell Roy he needs to get a wife," Hughes added mockingly, knowing perfectly well that he and Roy were a couple.

Ed woke up in a sweat, realizing that all his problems were repeating themselves, with the exception of Scar. Scar had died in battle with Lust, which is now proving that he died in vain. The Homunculi were back and Ed didn't have a metal arm or leg anymore to protect himself.

Wait a minute! If Hughes was the new Envy, then somebody had to do a Human Transmutation.

Edward looked at the sleeping Flame Alchemist. He shook him until he woke up.

"Whaza matter?" Roy asked sleepily.

"Damn it, Roy! Why didn't you tell me you tried to bring Hughes back? What the hell were you thinking?" Edward asked, standing up and pacing the room.

"How did you find out?"

"Hughes just told me, sort of. He said that the Homunculi were reforming and that he's the new Envy. He said that I need to be suspicious of anybody close to me except you and Al. The last thing he said was a message for you. He wants me to tell you that you need to get a wife," Ed finished.

Roy raised an eyebrow and began to laugh.

"He's still at it. When will the guy ever learn? I never wanted a wife to begin with," Roy whispered in some sort of explanation for his sudden outburst.

"This is no time for laughing, Roy. We have to do something right away," Edward said, still pacing the room.

"Like what? We can't do anything. They'll think we're crazy. It wouldn't help if we went to Central and said that the ghost of Hughes warned us," Roy said matter of fact.

Ed smiled mischievously. "That's why you're the Fuhrer."

Trisha's sweet, little boys.

.