Al'S P.O.V.

"Good job boys!" exclaimed mom. She had been so happy today, from waking us up with a cheerful "Good morning!" to letting us help her make stew. We had just thrown in the last of the veggies in ans she was acting so proud. She ruffled brother's hair and shot a warm smile my way.

"Al, let's go outside!" Brother said with a smile full of innocents. I was sunny, plus the weather was great, so I nodded in reply. He grabbed my shoulder and we rushed out the door, leaving mother with a grin.

We were playing in the grass, and I laid on my back to look at the blue sky.

"Look at the sky, it's so pretty. . . but, it makes you feel so sma-" Brother quickly smacked me on the forehead. "Don't say small!"

"Sorry brother, it's just so pretty." The wind swiped through our hair and I closed my eyes.

"Nah, it's okay, I shouldn't of hurt you." he said.

"hey!" I snapped back with a smirk. "I'm not that weak!" I laughed a bit. "but still mean. . ." Of course brother pouted with a small frown on his face.

I sighed at the wind again and let it swirl around me more.

"hey! The mail man is here!" Brother shouted, leaping top his feet and grabbing my hand to pull me up out of the grass.

"Let's tell mom." I said since lately the mail seemed very amusing to her.

We came inside to see mom staring off into space, looking out the opposite window. He face was very pale and wore a frown. She stroked her ponytail and her eyes were saddened.

"Mom?" Brother croaked out.

She jolted with surprise and turned to us with a fake smile painted on her face. "Yes, sweat heart?"

"Mail's here!' he happily announced. She froze with shock as she thought, then her face lit up. "Boys! Stay here!" She said, running out the door.

I looked over at brother, who had an angry face. "brother?" I asked worriedly.

"Mom. . ." he managed to get out. "She wrote a letter to dad a month ago and she's been waiting ever since."

My face went blank. "how did I not know?" I barely cried out.

"It's not your fault, you were sleeping, like a normal kid would be doing." A smile escaped my mouth through the sadness. Brother ruffled my hair.

Mom ran in, her face full of tears and disappointment. It startled us. She fell to her knees in the doorway in front of us. She held her hands to her face, but stray tears still splattered on the floor as dozens of envelopes fell out of her arms.

Brother picked up one and read the words on it, but quickly threw it on the floor as anger exploded on his face-he managed to growl something out, but it wasn't something I could understand and it only seamed to make mom cry harder.

Brother stormed out of the room. I picked up one of the letters in horror when the first word I saw was 'Hoenheim' just after the 'to' on the front, and in big black letters read 'SENDBACK.' I threw the letter back on the ground and ran out to the back of the house with brother, leaving our mother weeping and alone.

"Brother?" I said through my tears and sobs, making it sound more like 'brathwa' than an actual word. He was in our room, sitting on his bed with an ugly pout spread across his face.

"Brother?" I said again, sounding more weepy than I intended. He put his hand on my tank-topped shoulder, but it was cold-really cold, like metal. It startled me.

I put my opposite hand on his opposite shoulder. "Brother." I called to him weeping again.

"Al!" He screamed at me. I looked at my arm, which now appeared metal, too. I screamed.

"Al!" He screamed at my face.

"Al!" Again.

"What Brother?"

"WAKE UP!"

My armor clanked as I jolted awake. "Al!" Brother yelled, and suddenly he noticed my eyes were glowing again. "You okay?"

I nodded sheepishly and brother sighed in relief.

"Wait! Suits of armor can't sleep let alone dream. . ." Brother said thoughtfully.

"Brother," I started, but then realized I was still weeping, and quickly toned my voice. "I can't sleep, but I can daydream. If I think hard enough and remember past memories I can relive them. . ." I trailed off my explanation.

Brother's face was sad, but he smirked them frowned thoughtfully. "you were reliving memories?" He asked, his voice a little horse from screaming my name.

"Yah. . .why?"

"Wait, Al. . .can you choose to get out of your memory-day-dream if you want?"

"Yes, I can but normally I don't because. . .usually I have my body when in my daydreams." I confessed. Brother's face grew blank and his eyes went a little more wet than usual. But then he spoke. "You were screaming the word 'brother' and it sounded like you were crying."

If I had a face, it would have gone blank.

All was silent. I looked out the window to decide what to say. "I was dreaming about when mom found out dad was rejecting some of her letters." Brother thought about what I had said then replied. "I remember. . .we made stew, and I slapped you on the forehead."

I smiled inside because brother's memory was 100% correct. Neither of us said anything.

"Good morning." Winry said sleepily as she stood in her nightgown in the doorway. Her hair was brushed slightly, but was still tousled and she held her wrench in her hand. She waved the wrench at brother and he flinched. The, she turned to me and softened her 'I'm gonna get ya!" face. "Al, were you dreaming this morning?" She asked. I nodded.

"Are you sure you're all right? I f you want to talk, I'm always here." She said sweetly.

"It's nothing Winry, Al's fine." Brother told her. She nodded, then there was silence.

"W-winry," I started. "I'll help you make breakfast."

She smiled and nodded. 'Hurry up and get in the kitchen, then." She said as she left.

"Brother, you should get dressed." I told him. "Wearing just your boxers isn't healthy-you could get sick!" That was the last thing I wanted.

He nodded and grabbed his clothes of the floor, then straightened to look at me. He put his hand to my forehead. "Sorry I hit you that day."