Chapter 4

Ed couldn't believe their luck when the strange woman posing as their mother asked them to go run an errand for her. They would be able to contact Mustang and gain permission to remain and investigate! Perfect!

"This should be enough," she said, counting out some money into Ed's hand. "And here's the list of what I need."

"Where is the greengrocer?" Al asked. "How do we get there?"

"Go towards the town, and when you reach the end of our street, go two blocks over and four up. It isn't far. The place is called Cesari's. Be careful crossing the streets, all right?"

"We will," Ed promised, sounding for all the world like a dutiful son. "Let's go, Al."

The two boys could feel her watching them as they walked down the street towards town, so they chatted about the weather until they were out of earshot. Once it was safe, they got down to business.

"So are we going to call Colonel Mustang?" Al asked, looking worried.

"Of course, but if we can't, we'll send him a telegram. We should have enough time for that as well as stopping at the greengrocer's. Also, we'll stop at a newsstand and see if there's been any news of our kidnappings. With me being a State Alchemist, I'm pretty sure that Central would not take our disappearances lightly. They've probably alerted the newspapers in an effort to find us, and they're probably really worried since we were kidnapped while I was off-duty. That isn't usual, so they would be pretty worried by now."

Al grinned. "With you being a State Alchemist, they would feel pretty sorry for whoever kidnapped you!"

Ed's smile faded. "Yeah, but the bad thing is, if it were just a normal kidnapper, I could beat him to a pulp, but this person who says she's our mother…"

Al's grin also faded. "Yeah." Then, a moment later, he yawned. "In spite of the nap, I'm still really tired."

"Me, too," Ed agreed. "I don't know why, though. I mean, we're getting plenty of rest."

"Do you think it's stress or something?" Al wanted to know.

Ed shrugged. "I don't know. All I really know is that I'm pretty tired of being tired."

Neither brother said anything more until they reached the greengrocer. Mr. Cesari was a plump, jolly old man, and he greeted the boys as if he had known them a long time. He filled their order, they paid him, and he bid them a good day and told them to come back soon.

"He seems to know us," Al said, surprised. "You don't think she could have been telling the truth, do you?"

Ed shook his head. "I don't think so. It's likely that he's that way with everybody. Keep your eyes open for a phone."

They didn't find a phone, but they did find a post office. Deciding to send a telegram, they went inside and spotted the thing they had given up hope of finding: a telephone. Ed ran straight to it, slipped in a coin, and gave the number to the operator. In moments, Ed heard the voice that he'd been hoping to hear.

"Mustang."

"Colonel!" Ed said, while Al celebrated with a silent cheer.

"Elric!" Mustang blurted in relief. "Where the hell are you! What happened! We've been looking for you for two days!"

"It's a long story, and it doesn't make sense," Ed said in an attempt to calm Mustang down. Ed could also hear noise in the background: several others he knew at Central clamoring for news about the boys. "We're in a town called Celandon, and the person who kidnapped us is a woman who's claiming to be our mother."

Silence.

"Colonel?" Ed said, hoping they hadn't been disconnected.

"I'm here. It's just that…your mother's dead, Edward. How can…?"

"I don't know. It's weird, I'll admit that. The only reason I'm talking to you now is because she asked us to go to the greengrocer's."

Silence again. "The greengrocer's?" Mustang said in shock. "That doesn't sound like a regular kidnapper."

"She's not. She even looks and sounds like our mother. We'd like your permission to remain here a few more days and investigate."

"Absolutely not!" Ed heard Hawkeye snap. "They have to get out of there!"

"Have you been hurt or threatened in any way, Edward?" Mustang wanted to know in an effort to placate Hawkeye. "Locked up?"

"Nope," Ed assured him. "She's been perfectly kind and loving to us. She even fixed us a huge breakfast this morning. The only thing that's wrong is that we're a little creeped out by her, that's all. And we're a little tired."

"Tired? How tired?" Mustang wanted to know. "Are you sick?"

"Well, after we got up this morning, we had to go back to bed and take a nap for a few hours, that's all. Can't really think straight for a long time, either. Too tired."

"That's not right," Mustang said, now sounding worried. "I know you, Ed--you have way too much energy. It's not normal for you to sleep unless you're taking one of your famous naps. And Al really doesn't nap."

"I know, and even though it's wierd, we still want to stay and find out about this lady," Ed insisted.

"All right, but we're going to send someone down in civilian clothes to help you out," Mustang insisted. "I'll feel better if he's there."

Ed muttered something, but agreed to it just the same. Both boys told Mustang goodbye and assured him that they would leave if anything happened or if the situation turned ugly. Leaving the post office, they headed back the way they had come.

Space

Sloth:

They were gone too long to just have gone to the greengrocer's, I knew that right away. Also, I knew that they would have taken the time to contact Mustang or someone else at Central. It didn't bother me. The military could come, but I wouldn't allow them to take my boys from me.

Ed and Al came back, coming straight into the kitchen with the parcels I had sent them to get. I asked after Mr. Cesari and thanked the boys for being so quick, and then I suggested they get out their books and look them over while I finished my work in the kitchen.

"Our books?" Ed echoed, looking confused.

"Your homework," I told them, pointing to the cabinet where I had everything ready. "I know that you still have an assignment to finish. Go ahead and finish that, and then we can go for a walk before dinner."

Both of them looked a little confused and tired, but they took out the books and began looking at the assignment. I had been very careful in making lots of little projects that could occupy their time, and they were designed to be helpful but complicated enough to keep them occupied. While I bustled about the kitchen, I heard them both discussing the current project and suggesting different ways of solving the problem it presented. I served soup and sandwiches for their lunch an hour later, and they looked up long enough to thank me and then turned their attention back to their work. They were too caught up in what they were doing to do more than vaguely acknowledge me, but that was how I liked it. As long as they didn't start thinking about me and how things weren't as they should be, I wasn't going to complain.

They finished their assignment (which was transmuting several elements together to form steel) and while our supper simmered on the stove, we went out for our promised walk. That was when the questions came. Did they have any friends in the town? Why did they have a tutor? They'd never had one before and they didn't feel they needed one. Weren't they capable enough alchemists to work on their own? Where in town did I work? What was the name of my employer? When did I work exactly?

I answered every question. I told them that they'd kept pretty much to themselves, so no, they didn't have any real friends. They had a tutor because he'd been teaching them for the time that we'd been in the town. Of course, they were very capable, that was why he gave them assignments they could work on their own. I worked at the bank, and was secretary to the director, Mr. Holden. I went to work every morning at nine and came back at five in the evening, just like I always did.

"What's with all the questions?" I asked, leading my way up a hill outside of town. "You two act as if you haven't been here at all!"

Edward gave me a strange look. "Well, who knows?" he said, looking thoughtful. "Maybe we were in the middle of an experiment and managed to transport ourselves into a parallel world where you weren't dead. I mean, I've read of alchemists disappearing and then coming back years later talking about strange worlds they've traveled to. Maybe this is one of them. We feel as if this is our first day here." I saw Al nodding in agreement.

"Still thinking about the nightmare of my death and your being a State alchemist?" I asked, ruffling my boys' hair. "Edward, you have to stop worrying so much about a dream."

"It didn't feel like a dream," Al protested. "It really didn't. I mean, both of us remember the same things and the same people."

"That's right," Edward agreed. "I mean, I can remember everything that happened, and that doesn't happen in dreams. You just see random images and things like that."

"Hmm," I said, trying to look thoughtful. Actually, I was trying to keep panic from overwhelming me. They were asking too many questions and they were thinking too much! Once they started thinking too much, they would come to the conclusion that I couldn't be their mother and they would leave! What could I do to keep them with me?

"Well," I said, giving them a warm smile. "Whether you're from this world or another or if you're dreaming or awake, you're still my boys."

That surprised both of them, and I saw reluctant smiles growing. I chatted with them, giving them no chance to ask further questions or even approach the topic of their previous lies and led them back to the house as the sun began to set. Our supper would be ready, and I could tell that they would be hungry. Once back at the house, I served up stew and fresh, hot bread. Both my boys managed to polish off two plates each of stew, but I encountered a little problem with Edward when I poured some milk for the both of them.

"Um, I don't like milk," he said, eyeing the full mug with distaste.

This was a problem. A big problem, in fact. The sleeping powder was in the milk! He had to drink it or his mind would become much clearer than it was. What to do? Fortunately, Al came to my rescue unknowingly.

"Oh, just drink the dumb milk, brother," he said, wiping off his moustache. "She's already poured it for you."

Ed glared at his brother, but he grabbed the cup and swallowed it down. He made a face and gave a huge sigh of relief. Al gave him a thumbs-up.

"Just don't expect me to drink it every day," Ed told his brother, waggling a finger.

Once we had cleaned up from supper, we all settled in the living room together and listened to the radio until it was dark and the boys had trouble keeping their eyes open. I sent them off to bed, but seeing them having trouble moving up the stairs, I helped them to their room and put them to bed myself, enjoying the fact that they needed my help. My boys were asleep as soon as their heads touched their pillows, and I left them in bed, secure in the knowledge that they would stay another day.