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Edward hadn't had such a vivid, accurate memory of his mother like that in a long while. He sank down to sit with his back against the bookcase and the Alchemy book resting on his knees. A silent tear rolled down his cheek.

He didn't want the memory to end.

So, he let them all flow from the place he'd kept them pent up for so, so long.

"Let them come."

The sun! How brilliantly it shone over the valley! It amazed me completely. I loved the sunset. Mostly, though, because my mom loved the sunset too.

"Okay, boys. No secrets," said my mom in her magical voice. The voice that always made losing okay, that always made a lullaby sweeter, that always made a cut heal faster. The 'Mom' voice. She smiled as she shut the Alchemy book she had in her hand. "When did your dad teach you Alchemy?"

I snickered; a flame of distant anger licking at my heart for a mere second, for it was hard to be mad at anyone with Mom around.

"Keh! How can we learn from somebody who's never here?" I said, folding my arms behind my head and puffing my chest out proudly as we walked down the foot-worn trail through the hills.

"We learned it from this book," replied Al in his gentle voice, his hand clutching Mom's free one.

"You mean you really understand it on your own?" asked Mom in a slightly awed tone, making me smile in satisfaction. At least we'd wowed someone today.

"Yeah, more or less," said Al and I at the same time. I lowered my hands to my sides and looked up at my mother, her brown hair glowing in the orange light of the sunset, her pale face illuminated against the cloud-dotted, purple sky.

"So, are you upset with us?" I asked anxiously, clenching and unclenching my fists.

"You mean for using Alchemy?" said Mom as she looked down at me with a loving smile that made my heart feel warm. Suddenly, my tense muscles relaxed. "No, Ed, I'm proud!" She laughed on the "no" making me feel a bit silly for asking that question, but I smiled in relief nonetheless as she looked back up at the sky. "I think I'll brag to everyone I know."

Al and I gasped a little and turned to look at each other, smiling and then laughing. It might've been silly and childish, but we loved Mom's approval and valued it above anyone else's.

Edward sighed as he put one hand on the page with the transmutation circle to keep his place and then closed the book. He stared at it for a long time and then finally raised a finger to trace the word 'ALCHEMY' on the cover. It was identical to the one from his father's study. Exactly the same in looks, and even condition, but, somehow, it felt different in his hands. It felt like it had gained weight or something.

"Now be sure to put the books back where you found them."

"We will!" A unison answer from Al and I both as Mom opened the door to Dad's empty study. A draft of dusty, musty smelling air caught us as the door creaked open on its unoiled hinges.

"And when your dad gets back make sure you thank him."

"Okay!"

"Alright!"

"And that door is off limits." Mom pointed across the room to a mysterious looking door beside the desk Dad used to sit at, but at the moment I didn't give it more than a passing thought. We could have a real adventure in there some other time, but right now, our main focus was the wall of Alchemy books. So much to learn!

"We hear you!" we yelled as we ran over to the bookcase and started to pull books off the shelves.

"There they are!" squeaked Al in excitement, nearly tripping over his own feet.

"Get that one!" I pointed to a book above our heads and jumped to reach it.

"Wait, you can't pull that one first!"

But Al's warning was too late, because as I pulled the book off the shelf, the whole case shuddered and tilted forward, like it didn't want to let go of that one book and dumped its whole load of reading material on top of me and Al.

The books hurt. A lot. We were completely buried; I head first in the pile and Al halfway out and halfway in. We groaned in unison and Mom gave an exasperated sigh before laughing a little.

"Oh, what am I going to do with my little Alchemy boys?"

Edward pursed his lips. Maybe the weight of the book was just his imagination. He opened the book again to his saved page and gazed at the transmutation circle for awhile. How deceiving it was. How backstabbing. How… How… Edward couldn't think straight. Tears now steadily rolled down his cheeks. He squeezed his eyes shut against the glaring picture and slammed the book shut, his hands shaking as he chucked it at the opposing book case.

"Ed? Ed?" Al's worried voice drifted down the row before he did.

Edward buried his face in his hands and sobbed until his eyes hurt and his gloves were thoroughly soaked. He cried until a memory took over his mind.