IX. Heaven and Hell
Ed could hear voices, familiar voices. He cracked his eyes open to see who was talking this late at night during a storm. He was greeted with a flash of flaxen hair pulled into a ponytail, a distance away, dad, a voice murmured in his head. Then another, brunette, mom. Had it all been a fevered dream? Or was he perhaps dead? he didn't know if Hohenheim was dead, but it was highly plausible with how long he'd been gone.
"Mom..."he managed out, his voice hazy with fever and sleep,"am I dead?"his mother blinked before smiling warmly at him.
"No baby, your alive, and your going to keep on living until you can't for Al and I, okay baby?"she reached over hesitantly and pushed back his bangs, he moved into her touch, missing it.
"I had a bad dream..."he murmured to her softly,"you were dead and dad was gone and Al and I failed at a human transmutation to bring you back and then a homunculi kidnapped me and told me I was dying...I was so scared..."Trisha nodded, petting his hair softly, she pulled him to her chest gently as if afraid.
"It's okay baby, it was just a bad dream, it's over now."Ed nodded.
"Where's Al?"he asked.
"He's asleep baby, we're over at the Rockbell's. Winry is such a lovely girl."Ed nodded tiredly against her chest.
"Yeah, she and Al are gonna get married someday."Trisha smiled.
"Who will you marry baby?"
"I dunno...I don't think I can get married..."
"Oh, why not baby?"
"Cause I don't want to leave you by yourself, I'll stay at home with you, Al and Winry can have grandchildren."Trisha smiled at him softly.
"Your the sweetest baby in the world. I love you."Ed clutched her tightly.
"Don't leave me mom, I don't want you...I don't want you to leave, cause then my nightmare will be real."
"Sh, baby, it's okay, mama's here, mama's here..."she cooed, rocking him back into sleep. She settled him onto the bed and settled back onto his mountains of pillows.
"Mama..."he muttered once more, before slipping back into a dreamless bliss of sleep.
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Alphonse staid awake a long time after Winry sent him to bed. His mind going a mile a minute as he thought of all the things that could've happened to his brother, but even that which he prayed for distractions was in fact a distraction from his real stream of thought, Ed was dying, and he was dying slowly and painfully for him. He jumped in surprise as the guest room's door slid open, he stared in open shock at the sight of his mother, soaked to the bone but still intact. She moved forward, smiling at him pleasantly, he simply watched as she sat down beside him.
"How are you Al?"she asked.
"M-mom?"he spluttered in shock, she nodded encouragingly,"Are you here to....to take away brother?" she chuckled and daintily placed her arm around him, he couldn't put a point on it, but it felt somewhat different then when he was younger.
"Your the seond person to ask that, but if I was here to take away your brother, why would I still be here? Granted, it's a short visit, but, I'm still here."Al nodded. Silence passed, and he stared down at the floor.
"Where did you go mom...when you...died?"he asked her quietly.
"I went to..."she paused, before answering him,"to heaven, and when I leave I'll go back,"to hell,"to wait for you both." Al nodded.
"Brother says god hates him, that even if he went, god would send him back."
"That's just how your brother is, but if it bothers you, you should tell him."Al shook his head.
"No, I don't mind it...but I want him to go to heaven to."Trisha nodded.
"Come and pray with me, we'll pray for Ed's soul together."Al shook his head.
"I haven't prayed in a long time mom...I don't want to until Ed prays too."Trisha nodded.
"I understand, when that happens, I want to be there too, to here your bedtime prayers said together again, I miss it." Al nodded.
"I know, I'll tell him for you, maybe we'll pray that your soul is taken care of by god."she wondered vaguely if her soul was actually in heaven while her mind and body remained here, in hell.
"Yes, I'll listen everyday for it."the rain was beginning to let up, slowly.
"Mom...I love you."she nodded in understanding, hugging him to her chest.
"Go to sleep little one, mama will sing you away."Al nodded, suddenly overcome with the urge to close his eyes.
"Love you..."he murmured.
"Bye and bye, bye and bye,
The moon is half a lemon pie,
The mouse that stole the other half,
Scattered star-crumbs across the sky,
Bye and bye, bye and bye,
Now my baby don't you cry,
The moon is still high above the hill."she sang, listening as his breath evened to that of sleep and as she did with her eldest, laid him down. She stood, and hesitated, finally leaning down placing a kiss against his forehead. She begin to head outside, unable to bare staying any longer.
"Trisha?"she turned in shock, easily spotting the tiny woman in her nightdress.
"Pinako?"she asked, to be honest she had thought that she might've been dead, but apparently that assumption was wrong.
"Come and have a cup of coffee with me."Trisha smiled, still the same commanding old woman, shaking her head.
"I can't, I have to leave now."Pinako nodded.
"I'll expect you at the wedding."Trisha's smile deepened.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"And the funeral."Trisha's smile dropped, replaced by hopeless eyes.
"I'll stay by the grave all day for him."Pinako nodded.
"I'll see you then."Pinako waved good bye, and Trisha waved back.
"Take care of my boys."she said, Pinako raised an eyebrow.
"I was under the impression they belonged to Winry."Trisha smiled painfully.
"They do, she's the better woman."Pinako nodded.
"As long as you know."Trisha turned then, exiting into the now clear night. Staring up at the sky she smirked at the irony, a half-moon hanging in the sky with hundreds of stars around it, she turned her head, staring into the only lighted window in the house, before sighing and deciding to head to the underground mansion, Wrath might make her feel better.
AN: Ah, the joys of motherhood...not.
Now to explain about Ed, it's a natural reaction to think bad events are just nightmares when you have no proof they happened, late at night and fevered, a flash of gold-like hair and his mtoher beside him, what proof could he possibly have to say that any of the last few years happened?
Sorry to athiesist, agnostics, and people of non-christian or non-catholic religion, but I can see Trisha leading her two little boys to a tiny country church every sunday, can't you?
