Beginning of chapter 4

Al woke up several hours later and he couldn't believe what had just happened. He slept, not only that, but he had a dream as well. He sat laid there, just going over what had just happened in his head. STEPHANIE! She was in the dream, it was her! She gave him the dream! Al sat up silently in bed and wondered how she gave him that dream.

Al got up slowly out of bed and started towards the stairs.

"I wonder how she gave me that dream." Al thought to himself in the quiet morning.

Al started to tip-toe silently up the stairs as he kept wondering that thought. When he got to the top, he stepped over the red beam of light that would set off the alarm if Stephanie got too close to the stairs. As he walked up to her bed, he found she was still sleeping, her breathing coming in a slow, steady rhythm. He looked at her and wished he could show some sort of affection, that his face wasn't a plate of armor, that she could feel his body warmth…but she couldn't, and wishing had never helped him before, and it wasn't helping him now.

Al looked at her body lying there underneath the soft blankets upon her. He then noticed her hand sticking out from the blanket. Al grabbed it and held it for a long time. Later on, when Stephanie woke up, Al was still holding her hand as his head was laid on the bed next to her body. She felt something grabbing her hand; it was warm metal, probably meaning someone was holding it for a long time. Stephanie toke her other arm and held it out in the air, trying to feel who was there, and after grazing something with her arm she realized what it was. It was Al, she felt around his body, from his head, to his shoulders, down his arm, to his hand, which was still holding hers. She smiled and lay back down. Al looked at her and was glad she knew it was him. He was even happier she didn't tell him to let go. She didn't mind at all.

Al smiled on the inside as her grasped her hand greater, so glad she didn't want him to let go. Several minutes later, Stephanie's breathing pace was again of which from when she was asleep.

"She's fallen asleep with me holding her hand," Al thought to himself.

After she fell back asleep Al let go of her hand, walked over to the stairs, stepped over the red beam and walked down the stairs. "I won't let anything happen to her, I promise," he thought to himself. Al finished walking down the stairs and climbed back into his bed. He couldn't stop thinking to himself; he wondered how she gave him that dream, if it was even her at all. "Yes," he finally said to himself, "it must've been her. It seems like we like each other, so…maybe it was love that made the connection…" He kept pondering that thought until he heard someone come through the door at the front of the room. He quickly sat up and wondered who it was.

He saw the shadow in the doorway head for the light switch. Slowly, as the light came on, the figure came into focus. It was Lt. Mustang. Mustang smiled as he saw Al sitting up.

"I'm glad you're up, Al. Wake your brother up, you both and Stephanie have some business to do this morning." Mustang said. Al scowled to himself. Waking up Ed had never been easy, and from seeing how tired he was last night, this is going to be a pain getting him up. Al got out of the bed and walked over to Ed's bed, where, of course, Ed was still asleep. Al groaned again and started to shake Ed a little.

"Ed," Al whispered, "you have to get up. Mustang said so…"

Al shook him a little more and wondered why he had to be such a heavy sleeper.

"Come on," said Al, "Wake Up!"

Ed groaned and rolled over.

"Man, I should get paid to look after you," grumbled Al.

"Oh come on," called Mustang from the doorway, "he isn't that bad."

"Yeah, Al. I'm not that bad," said Ed who was still half asleep.

"Yes, I know. But I got you up, didn't I?" Al said as he pulled the blankets off Ed's body. Ed started to shiver and he gave Al a stern look.

"Yeah, yeah. I know… so what are we doing today that's so important to wake me up?" asked Ed.

"Well, get dressed and you'll find out. Al, can you go wake Stephanie up?" asked Mustang who was still waiting at the doorway.

"I will," said Al as he started up the stairs.

"Watch out for the alarm!" cried Mustang right as Al stepped over it.

end of chapter 4