After reading through the letter again and again no other feeling came to them. It was just shock.

"Maybe your dad had a daughter no one knew about?" Winry asked. That was the only reasonable explanation.

"Wouldn't he tell us though?"

"I don't know…"

Ed couldn't sit still anymore so he got up and started pacing. What does this mean and why does he feel really unsettled by all of this?

"Do you think Al knows anything?"

"What like we have a sister we've never known about Winry?" Ed said questioningly. "No Al would never keep something like this from us. He probably has no idea either."

"Why don't we continue reading through the letters?" His wife asked. "Maybe we'll find out more clues…"

"Sure." Ed sighed as he joined his wife at the table.

"Let's start with the first one."

As they tore through the pile they came across what seems to be the first package. This one was slightly different than the others as it had numerous letters in the envelope not just one.

"Look it is marked from summer of '08 to winter of '09." Winry said as she looked at the envelope.

"That was when Ed and I were training with teacher."

"Yeah. But it's the same handwriting so it can't be from the two of you."

"Well let's see what it says."

Dear Pinako and Winry,

We can't thank you enough for the amazing care package. I swear when Ed and Al saw the apple pie I thought their eyes would fall out of their sockets. Let's just say it didn't last longer than one night. Don't worry though I made sure that we shared it with Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. They send their thanks. I apologize for not responding quickly things have been busy. Ed and Al went to Yock island for training but I didn't go. I decided I didn't want to train in alchemy and the Curtis's were nice enough to respect my decision, instead Mrs. Izumi is training me in combat and hunting and has given me the painful training her teacher gave her, thankfully I didn't have to spend time up in the mountain but still she taught me all the same. I still feel sore. Ed and Al are back and are currently inhaling food as we speak. I promise it won't be too long before we are back home. We are all homesick and although Ed doesn't want to admit it I know he does. Give my love to Den and I will see you both soon.

All my love,

A.E

.

.

.

"What…" Ed and Winry said in unison.

"Urgh my head hurts." Winry said as she scrunched her eyes closed and leaned back in her seat.

"Go to sleep Winry." Ed said plainly. His head hurt too with all of this but he wasn't almost eight months pregnant.

"No. We need to talk about this Ed." She told him.

"Nothing is going to change overnight. Get some sleep and we will continue this tomorrow."

"Then come with me. I don't want you to overload yourself. We need to have a fresh head tomorrow if we continue this." She said. "Please Ed."

"Alright." He agreed as he walked Winry to their bedroom. Let's just say that restful sleep they hoped for evaded them entirely.

Ed's dream.

"Ed…" A voice called out.

"Ed."

"Edward Elric. I swear if you don't get your ass up and out of bed right this second so help me I am going to pour a bucket of water on your head!"

"Now sis, come on you don't know what it was like on that island we are exhausted!"

"Don't care Al. I don't want to hear it from you. I might not be studying to be an alchemist but that doesn't mean that I didn't go through difficult training when you were gone so shut it."

Ed groaned as he got up. All the noise his siblings were making were driving him crazy. Why can't that girl let him rest.

"Shut up Lex, your voice is so annoying!" Ed yelled at her as he came down the stairs of their teacher's home.

"Not half as annoying as your snoring Ed." She smirked. Alexandria Hohenheim didn't look much like Ed and his younger brother. She had long brown hair that was usually tied up in a high bun and her eyes looked exactly like their mothers. Completely opposite of their father's it's ironic that she had his last name. I guess their parents wanted to give their first born their father's last name, but apart from physical characteristics she was exactly the same as her brothers down to their hatred for their absentee father.

"I swear just because you are only five minutes older than me it doesn't mean you can boss me around!" He yelled.

"Well someone has to when teacher is sick!" She argued.

"Pfft. Whatever."

"Stop you two if you yell any louder then teacher will wake up and punish you!" Al told them quietly, pleading. Although little did that help.

As the argument between the elder siblings continued they were getting louder and louder and before long a very angry and tired woman came out of the back room.

"Cha!" She screamed as she hit both kids on the head. "You're both fools. Go outside and train if you have so much pent up energy!"

"But-" they both started.

"Out!" Izumi yelled as she pointed at the front door and all but threw them outside.

"You too Alphonse." She said as she looked behind her at the youngest one.

"Yes teacher."

Dream end.

As the dream Edward was having ended suddenly he woke up with a gasp, panting.

"Honey?" Winry asked as she touched him on the shoulder. Apparently his tossing and turning woke her up.

"I- I had a weird dream." He said as he clutched his arm where the automail limb was long ago. For some reason, it started aching.

"What was it about?" She asked worriedly.

"I don't know something about the war." He said. "Go back to sleep I'm fine."

It took him a while to persuade his wife to back to sleep but eventually she gave in and fell asleep. It was hard for her knowing that her husband was lying but she trusted him that he would tell her in the morning.

When he was sure his wife was asleep Ed quietly exited the bedroom, and made his way into the kitchen to boil some water.

'That dream…' Ed thought. 'It felt so real.'

Ed lied to Winry when he said the dream was about the war. It wasn't. It was a memory. Or at least he thought it was a memory. He couldn't tell because when he woke up it was gone. He tried thinking back but there wasn't anything there. No older sister called Alexandria no nothing.

"What the hell…" Ed thought out loud as he put his hand up to his head. Seriously this whole thing was giving him a bad headache.

Just as he was about to tend to the boiling water he got a surprise phone call.

'Who would call at three in the morning?'

"Hello?" Ed answered.

"Brother?" It was Alphonse.

"Hey Al."

"Brother, you won't believe the dream I just had…" Could it be that he dreamt the same thing?

"Was it about a memory of a woman named Alexandria?" He asked

"Holy crap! Yes. What the hell Ed?" He could hear his younger brother start to panic on the other line.

"We found letters to Pinako from a woman by the name of Alexandria Hohenheim."

"But we don't have an older sister Ed… Or at least I don't think we do…"

"No, I know when I woke up the memory was gone but in my head it felt so real." Ed told him.

"Maybe teacher remembers…"

"She remembers and doesn't tell us?" Ed asked knowing the answer.

No, their teacher doesn't remember anything more than they do. That he was sure of.

"Listen I am going to come back." Al said over the phone. He voice was steady and certain.

"No Al you've worked so hard to get to where you are don't waste it." Ed pleaded.

When Ed heard of the offer Al had gotten from Ling he was over joyed. Al would finally be recognized for what he could do and not what he was at one time which was a living armor. No, he wouldn't let his brother waste his potential. Already so much was taken from him.

"Brother this is my decision and it won't be permanent. I'll just take a leave of absence, a sabbatical if you will. You need help with this and Winry isn't going to be able to help much with the baby and all. Please Ed this is what I decided."

"Fine…" Ed said after a lengthy pause. "Meet me in Dublith. We are going to see teacher."

"Okay. I'll be on the first train out." His younger brother said. "I should be in Dublith the day after tomorrow."

"See you then." Ed said as he hung up.

After Ed got his cup of herbal tea ready he sat back down and looked through the letters.

'Why don't we remember you Alex?' Ed thought as he read through the letters and rubbed the ache in his shoulder.

.

.

.

Else where.

It was still dark and the city almost looked like it was abandoned when a woman stepped out of the car and into the rain. It always rained here in late August. That's the part she liked most of all about living in Central.

As she got to the porch of her destination she knocked once and then twice.

When the door opened to a tall man who was elderly in appearance she bowed and was let in.

"It's been a while Hohenheim. I thought you forgot about me in these times of piece." The man laughed.

"Of course not, no matter how much I try to, your face is always there." She mocked.

Alexandria Hohenheim was glad to finally see her old friend after so long. What he said was true the two of them had very little to no communication since the war ended but that was fine. What bothered her most was that he called her up out of the blue. Which can only mean one thing. There was trouble with the homunculus.

When she found out that her brother spared the homunculus known as pride she was furious. Just because it took the appearance of an infant doesn't mean that the threat wasn't there. And the fact that Grumman didn't dismiss the idea had her even more angry. He knew better and he got an earful from the brown-haired alchemist.

As Alexandria sat down she began to recall how she came to be acquainted with the man beside her.

When Alexandria was younger it was true that she didn't want to have anything to do with the practice of alchemy but when her teacher asked her to be on guard and watch her brothers carefully she did just that and watched their every move.

She studied the texts in her father's study and so on. She knew her brothers were up to something but by the time she realized what that something was she was too late. Well almost too late. When she got to her father's study that night after spending time reading at Pinako's she saw something that has always haunted her and probably always will. She saw the bloody body of her younger twin and the missing body of her baby brother. After a quick glimpse of the transmutation circle she knew for sure that her fears were true. Her brothers did the unthinkable. They tried to bring their mother back.

After checking Ed's body for a pulse, she could not find one. Knowing that he probably died from lack of blood loss she knew that with his body still warm there was a chance to call his soul back. Not wasting time, she used what she learned in her texts to open a gate and try to bring Ed's soul back and tether it to his body.

When she got there, she saw three different gates. One was her own, one was Ed's and the other's Al's. When she saw the gate keeper she told him what she wanted to do which was bring Ed's soul back. When the apparition laughed at her she got mad. No one laughed at her. Even this thing. When he told her that she couldn't do it and if she did the price would be her soul.

Not wanting to leave her brothers alone she denied that offer. She thought for a moment and said that she would give him something greater than her soul. She would give him her existence. He could wipe her existence from everyone's memory, he could make it appear that she was never born with the exception of one person. Pinako Rockbell. She wanted something to connect her to her past.

After she said that the shadow looked at her as if she grew a third head. Then he laughed and he said that with this there was a promise of entertainment so he accepted her deal. She gave him her known existence in order to bring back her brother's soul.

After granting her wish he bid her a farewell and allowed her to fetch Ed's soul.

Once she tethered it to Ed's body she realized that there was nothing else for her to do. She couldn't help Al, Ed was the only one who could so as she looked around and something caught her eye. A suit of armor, that would be the perfect vessel for Al's soul so she brought it closer so that hopefully Ed would get the same idea. When she noticed that Ed was waking up she quickly left and headed to the house next door.

Just as Winry was getting ready for supper someone started banging on the door, when she opened it she saw a young girl, probably not much older than herself soaking wet she called for her grandmother and brought the poor girl inside. As she was pulling the girl inside she felt like she knew her from somewhere before but couldn't quite place it. She knew her grandmother so she thought that she knew her as well when she asked if she's met her before the girl sadly said no. When her grandmother came out she was surprised by who their guest was.

"Alexandra what brings you here?" The old woman asked, not quite sure why the girl was here when she told them not even fifteen minutes ago that she was having super at home.

"Can I talk to you privately?" Alex asked.

"Sure." Pinako said as she asked Winry to go wash up in the next room. "What's this about."

"They did it…" She said.

"Who did what?" Pinako asked.

"They tried to bring mom back." Alexa said as she started to cry. She then promised that this would be the last time she cried.

When she told her unofficial guardian her suspicions about what her brothers were up to she told the young girl not to worry, that they aren't that stupid. But guess she was wrong. She told Pinako what happened and told her she needed her to go back home and help them, that Ed was seriously injured and needed medical attention and lastly she told her what her price was to save her brother.

"What are you going to do…" She asked the girl who was more of a second granddaughter than a neighbor.

"I don't know. I can't stay here. I know what my presence here will do. I don't want to take any chances." Alexandria said as she started for the door but as she looked beside her she noticed that the pictures of her when she was younger were different. The ones she took of her and her brothers and best friend no longer had her in them. The ones with just her disappeared altogether.

"I will find someplace to go. But please just watch out for them." She pleaded.

"Of course. You know regardless of what you want to hear you are so much like your father it's

eerie." Pinako told her as she handed her an umbrella and raincoat. The ones that the girl kept there no longer existed.

"Why because I run?" She asked

"No- wait do you know what happened?"

"I know that father is not what he said he was. He's more of a living philosophers stone than a man." She said as she hit the nail on the head.

"Listen Alex." She started but was cut off by a raised hand.

"No. I don't care about excuses. I'm going. Just promise me that you'll look after the boys." She asked.

"I will. But write to me when you are settled. I promised Trisha I would look after all of you. And here take this, it should last you long enough." Pinako said as she stuffed an envelope of cash into the girl's hand.

"I will. Goodbye gran." Alex said as she hugged the woman and left the house and into the storm.

After Alexandria left the Rockbell residence she headed down to the train station. Looking at the amount of cash in her hand she realized that it was just enough to get her to the next town of East city. There she ran into an elderly man who took pity on the young girl and invited her into his home. Throughout her time with the man she came to learn that he was in the military and after sometime she opened up to him about the truth. Everything. He became her first ally.

As she grew up she learned more about the secrets of her father and her country. She learned about the atrocity of Xerxes and Ishval and what the government was planning. When she learned of everything she couldn't just sit still and watch as countless thousands of people perish. She was reluctant to tell her guardian anything although he kept her secret and welcomed her into his home. She was afraid he already knew everything and would kill her, but she needed to tell someone, someone she thought she could trust. So, she told him everything. It hit him hard that everything he fought for was a lie but he was grateful to her for opening his eyes. Some might call him foolish for believing a child of such things but from what he knew of the girl he knew she wouldn't spew such nonsense if it was anything but the truth. After leaving him with the information she left on her own journey of trying to find out a way to stop all of this with the promise that she would tell Grumman anything and everything she finds.

When she heard of what happened to her brothers after she left she didn't know how to feel about it all. She was on one hand glad that they decided to try the best at regaining what they lost and that they hadn't fallen into despair but on the other side she was scared, more like terrified because Edward joined the same military she was trying to stop. She was just hoping that he wouldnt delve too deep into the country's secret and get himself killed.

"Alexandria…" A voice called out to her, snapping her out of her day dream.

"Hm?"

"I've been calling you for the past five minutes."

"Oh, sorry Grumman what is it?"

"When will you stop calling me that? We are family, aren't we?" He sighed.

"Sorry. I was preoccupied." She told him.

"I can imagine so. I heard about Pinako." He said sadly.

After hearing what he said it hit her again of how the death of Pinako was destroying her. She was the only one who knew her before everything. Everyone she ever loved forgot about her. Her father, her brothers, her teacher and her husband and all her friends. She was the only remaining home she had and she missed her terribly.

While Grumman took her in and loved her as if she was a second granddaughter it didn't feel like home here. She told herself that she would never love anyone ever again and maybe that's why she was alone now well into her twenties but she accepted this, it was her punishment for abandoning her brothers. Yes, it was necessary and they wouldn't be alive right now if it wasn't for her sacrifice but still it felt all the same to her.

The old man looked at the woman beside him and couldn't help but feel helpless. Here was someone who was always in constant suffering when she didn't deserve it. If it wasn't for her they would have lost the war. He would've played right into Father's hands if he didn't know the truth. He wouldn't have set up the Elrics with Roy Mustang, the only person who could help the boys and watch over them. Everything would've ended badly if it wasn't for her. But still she couldn't see it. So, he wanted to do something for her. He'd leave her in charge of the homunculus known as pride.

Truthfully nothing was urgently wrong except that the guardian he had look over the boy died recently and he didn't know anyone else who could watch him. Alexandria was the only person he trusted and maybe, just maybe it would do her some good to have someone with her, who depended on her.

"I need you to look after the boy." He said finally, getting down to the business of why she was there.

"Excuse me?" She asked. "There is no way in hell I'm taking that devil into my care. Find someone else."

"You are the only one I could ever trust with a job as big as this. You are the only one who can keep him in line. You are the strongest alchemist alive right now. Stronger than Edward ever was. You have to do this." He ordered.

"And if I refuse?"

"Then I will take away your privileges." He threatened.

"What! I deserve access to those archives!" She yelled as she stood up in her seat.

"Doesn't matter. If you want access to the books and records then you will do this."

"But I don't know the first thing of taking care of a bloody homunculus!"

"You know how to take care of a child don't you? You did well enough with yourself and younger brothers."

"Oh yeah they grew up great. Defying the laws of nature and getting wrapped up in centuries worth of conspiracy, what a role model I am." She scoffed.

Alright maybe not the greatest example.

"Please Alex, I need you to do this. The boy and everyone else is safest with him in your care."

"Urgh. Fine but if he grows up to complete Father's plan then don't come crying to me." She said as she stood up and started for the door. "Bring him to my apartment when he's ready. I expect you to pay for his expenses."

"Of course." He said.

"Alright bye." She said as she slammed the door.

'What did you get yourself into Hohenheim.' She thought as she returned to her car.