Letters to Hohenheim

by Sagacious Strix

While cleaning the Rockbell's family attic, Ed discovers something he never expected: a collection of letters written by his mother for his absent father. What will these letters hold and how will they effect Ed and Al, who discovered these letters by chance? Plenty of fluff and angst to come.

4. May 29, 1904

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist

May 29, 1904

My dearest Hohenheim,

I'm sorry it's been over a week since I last wrote to you. Ed came down with a cold. I was worried that it was the plague everyone's been talking about but he seems much better now. Al came down with it shortly after though he got over it much faster. You know how hard it is to keep Ed confined to one space and how much he hates medicine. I think he got this attitude from you.

Speaking of Ed and Al, I measured them recently. Al is growing rapidly catching up to Ed, which seems to be a sore spot for him. Al tried to convince him that drinking milk would help but he wouldn't hear it. I found an easy solution to this. I secretly add some milk to my stew. He'll find out eventually but for now it's the best I could come up with.

It's funny, Al comes home with strays every so often. It's so hard to deny him but I make sure we find good homes for them. He came home with a large black dog one day and poor Ed ended up squashed under him. I felt bad for laughing but he had the most incredulous look on his face. From then on he's been rather wary of them. He helps me persuade Al that we can't keep any pets, perhaps a bit too enthusiastically.

Their alchemy skills continue to improve. When I see their work my mind often goes back to memories of you. Do you remember how you made my engagement ring? My father didn't approve of you but my mother secretly supported us. Eventually he came around, after much effort on your part. He thought you were just another clumsy city boy but I think he saw how much you cared for me. When you asked for my hand I was told that he gave you my grandmother's wedding band. You tried to "fix it" through normal methods by using a welder but ended up making it an unrecognizable lump of metal. I'm told that you came to my mother for advice on how to fix it and that she told you to make it unique. She later told me that you used alchemy to repair it right in front of her, nearly giving her a heart attack. You did beautifully and the fit was perfect. To this day it still shines as bright as the day you gave it to me.

I better go, I think I'm coming down with what Ed and Al had. It can't be helped really. A family that shares is the best kind, though there are some things that I wish they would keep to themselves.

Farewell for now my love,

Trisha