Shall Tucker stood looking out a window of his glorious mansion. He brushed aside the feelings of remorse and guilt that crowded his mind of the incident of the last chimera. This one would work. It would be perfect, and it would be younger; much more alive. The DNA would allow it to speak English, just like the last time. Plus, there would be a lot more tolerance for life inside this one.

Standing in the shadows next to the window, Shall watched his daughters play with the dog while they waited for Edward to return. He shook his head and sighed. "Which one?" he muttered to himself. There was Nina, who was young, spunky, but possibly not as ambitious as Maya. Maya was brave, strong, very ambitious, but very serious. She also didn't have a natural bone structure in her back.

"That can be taken out, easily," said Shall. "Maya, it is."

"Check it out!" Ed boasted as he showed off his new watch for becoming a state alchemist. I smiled, seeing it gleam in the sunlight. It was pretty cool.

Just as Al was gushing over it, Alexander leapt up and grabbed the watch in his mouth. He started to run around with it, causing Ed to spring up and chase him. I laughed at the two of them as Ed yelled at Alexander to give it back.

My father walked out of the house. I saw him standing at the doorway out of the corner of my eye. After speaking, briefly, with the lieutenant who escorted Ed back here, he said, "So, to honor Edward's ground-breaking achievement, we're going to have a feast. What do you say?"

Ed and Nina were excited at the fact. I smiled, but on the inside I was bothered with something. I didn't know what it was, yet. However, I had the feeling it had something to do with my father. He glanced at me, and we locked eyes for a moment. I evaded his gaze and turned to Edward, instead.

Then I heard something interesting. The lieutenant gave my father news of his assessment day coming up and that the lieutenant colonel was looking forward to it.

"Yes, I'm sure he is."

My own father's response gave me the chills. His assessment day; what was that all about? What assessment would an old alchemist like my father be taking?

"Oh, no."

I began to put two and two together. Before my mother died, my father was having one of these "assessments". However, he used to brag about his research back then. He used to tell our family all about the things he was working on. He's never said anything about it now. If he wasn't already working on something…then he was going to start. I closed my eyes to keep the tears from flowing as I realized that soon I would have to take Nina and Alexander and run.

At dinner, the topic of my father's assessment came up. I tuned out of the discussion, having barely touched my food already. I was too nervous to eat. I'd gone upstairs and grabbed some of Nina's things, and mine earlier today. It now sat on my bed, ready for me to grab it and go.

"Why don't you make another talking chimera?"

I gasped very quietly. Ed's suggestion had startled me. I pushed the plate in front of me away. Suddenly, I felt sick, and it only got worse when my father had promised us all that we would get to see the ending result.

"Maya, you haven't touched your food at all," said my father. "What's the matter?"

I looked up at him for a moment, not knowing what to say. A glare was so close to sneaking onto my face that I had to look away. "I'm not hungry," I mumbled. "Excuse me."

I pushed my chair back and noisily ran from the table.

I ran into my room and stayed there. The few hours that passed while I sat on my bed only felt like minutes. I wished it didn't have to come to this. I wished I could stay and that my father was a good, stable man. However, it wasn't a possibility anymore.

I heard Ed and Al go into their room with Nina, and a while later, my father passed my bedroom door as well. Finally, I got up and followed him to the boys' bedroom. I barely listened as he spoke about our old life with my mother. Reluctantly, I let my father carry Nina out of their room into the hall and to bed.

"What was that about, today?" Ed asked, looking up from a letter he seemed to be writing. "You didn't even eat."

I hesitated in answering, "I just wasn't hungry, that's all."

"That's bull, and you know it." Ed stood up from the desk he was sitting at. I couldn't tell if he was angry, worried, or offended.

"Look, I told you what I thought happened, and you brought it up anyway!" I snapped. It was true. I'd told him my suspicions of how my mother died. Had Ed even considered that when he'd spoken at the dinner table? No.

Ed was taken aback by my sudden anger. He hadn't realized what his words had meant until he started to remember everything I'd told him. Nevertheless, I stormed out of the room.

Tonight didn't seem like it was that big of an emergency to leave, but I checked Nina's bedroom to make sure she was still there. She was sound asleep when I peeked in the door. "Good," I thought to myself.

I walked silently to my room and closed the door behind me. A little peg of guilt shot through me for snapping at Edward like that, but I shrugged it off. I was too tired to focus on anything right now. My bed welcomed me with cool, relaxing sheets. A good night's sleep was exactly what I needed.

"I'll put her to bed, father," I said as my father picked up a sleeping Nina and was going to put her to bed. He stopped and turned to face me. His eyes lingered on me for a moment, and he handed her to me. He helped me get a good grip on her and let me take her to bed. As my father walked downstairs, I ran to my room, instead of Nina's.

"Nina; Nina, wake up." I shook her a little until she was conscious in my arms.

"What is it, Sissy?" she asked, rubbing her little eyes.

My body began to shake as I spoke. "We're going to play a game, Nina." She tilted her head and almost refused because it was bedtime, but I convinced her.

"You're going to go hide somewhere in the courtyard and wait for me to find you. Okay? I'll have Alexander, too, and then we're going to go on a little…vacation," I explained in terms that a four year old could understand.

"Isn't Daddy coming?" She asked, knowing something was suspicious about my behavior.

"Daddy has a lot of work to do; he's going to stay here. It'll be just you, Alexander, and me," I said, smiling as best I could. "Won't that be fun?"

Edward and Alfonse left today. Guards of the Brigadier General escorted them out. Apparently, they had been snooping around; trying to find files on the old chimera my father had once created.

"You can't go," I'd said as I gave Edward a farewell hug. I whispered desperately to him.

"I'm sorry," he'd whispered back. I could tell he really meant it. After finding some evidence out about the chimera, Ed had finally started believing me. He knew it was a bad idea to leave at a crucial time like this, but he really didn't have a choice.

"Come back for us," I'd begged. A tear had slid down my cheek.

Ed had begun to think fast. He'd hugged me a little tighter and said. "I will; we'll be back real soon." It was meant to sound like a pleasant visit would be made soon. However, both he and I'd known that it was a rescue mission in progress. I'd decided that tonight was the night. As soon as the boys left, there was no one to hear the chaos that could happen any night at our house. There was no one there to protect Nina and me anymore.

Nina smiled and stood up from my arms. "Yeah! Where should I go?"

I laughed a fake laugh. "I can't tell you where to go, silly," I said. "I have to find you."

After Nina agreed, I stood up and took her hand. Together, we snuck downstairs and into the courtyard. It was a calm night, and I figured Nina would be fine. All I had to do was go back inside and grab the dog and the bag, anyway. Once Nina was hidden, I went back into the house, closing the door behind me.

The kitchen and hallways were dark downstairs. I made my way, slowly, to my father's study. My body shook with anticipation. I knew he wouldn't be in there, as he wouldn't be working on something this late. However, I still got the feeling I was being watched.

Quickly, I ran up the stairs and grabbed the bag from my room. Calling Alexander from his dog bed in the living room, I clipped a leash onto his collar and led him to the back door. As I opened it, I peered behind me to see if anyone was going to show up. No one. "Good."

"Nina!" I called out into the yard. "We have to leave, or we're going to be late!"

I saw Nina's figure come sprinting toward me. "I thought you were supposed to find me," she said, disappointed.

"I know, Nina, but we have to go now."

Just then, a thought struck me. I had to let Ed know where I was going. He still had made that promise about getting help for my auto mail-ed spine. Maybe I could get to the phone quickly and tell Major Hughes? He's trustworthy, and he could get the news to Ed in no time.

"On second thought, Nina, can you take Alexander and go hide again? I have to go do something, and then I'll come find you. We have a little more time than I thought," I explained, quickly. I was way too good of a liar. Then again, it's easy to fool a four year old.

Nina, becoming crabbier by the minute, took Alexander's leash and ran behind some trees in the courtyard.

Suddenly, the lights flashed on, down the hall. "No," I thought.

Then, I ran. Slamming the back door, I bolted down the stairs and down the hall, past my father's study. I didn't care if he heard me, anymore. Now I just had to get away before he caught me. I couldn't get out the front door, go around the house to get Nina, and out of the front gates in time. He would spot us by then. Instead, I hid.

Behind the counter, in the dark, I sat not even daring to breathe as I heard footsteps near. So close they were to me. Right on the other side of the counter, my father stood. I saw his shadow from a light that shined from another room.

I sat, frozen, for what seemed like forever. I closed my eyes and prayed that he would go back to bed.

I heard footsteps. They were leading away from the counter. "Thank God," I thought. As soon as the lights shut off, I crawled out from behind the counter and stood up, listening for any sign of anyone that could be there. Silence.

I ran to the back door and opened it. Peering out into the dark, I called, "Nina!"

A scream, now muffled by a strong hand holding a piece of cloth, exited my lips as I was grabbed from behind.

Edward and Alfonse Elric had finally gained their way back into the Tucker Mansion. Crossing the courtyard, Edward could've sworn he saw the shadow of a big clump of something in the bushes. Approaching it, cautiously, he came across a sleeping Nina. She was on the ground, holding a leash that had obviously been forced off of Alexander. His collar was still clipped to the end of it. Nina was in her clothes from the previous day, a little blue jumper with a purple shirt under it.

"Nina, wake up," said Edward, softly shaking the poor girl.

It took a moment for Nina to wake up, but once she did, she looked near tears. "Sissy never came to find me," she cried, helplessly.

Edward's expression changed from worry to confusion. "What do you mean she 'never came to find you'?"

"Sissy said that we were playing a game and that I had to hide. Then she was going to find me, and we were going to go on vacation," Nina said, tears streaming down her face now. "She…never…came back…for…me," she cried, through the streams of tears that now covered her face.

Edward and Alfonse did their best to calm her down. They promised that they would find Maya and make sure she had a good explanation for forgetting about Nina. Edward began to worry again. He had a hunch that told him they didn't have much time before something very bad was going to happen.

"Nina," Edward said, softly. "Did you see your sister at all tonight? Before you fell asleep?"

Nina rubbed her eyes and nodded her head. "Mm-hm," she mumbled.

"Where is she now, Nina?" Edward asked, his speech quick and slightly frantic.

"Daddy took her."

Alfonse stayed behind to look after Nina. Edward ran off, sprinting toward the mansion. The faster he ran, the better of a chance he would have of saving Amaya. "Please don't be too late," Edward begged in his mind. He should've listened to Amaya's suspicions about her father. He should've been more protective of her and Nina. There were a lot of things that Edward should've done that he regretted not doing for Amaya.

Cages. Edward had reached a room full of cages that housed some sort of creatures. It was almost like a hallway. It was dark and eerie, with transmutation circles drawn all over the place in many different colors. They covered the walls, the ceiling, and the floor.

"You're a little early, Ed," came a voice from a room at the end of the hallway. A bright light shown out of it, as if dozens of candles were lit inside. Edward easily recognized Shall Tucker's voice.

"What do you mean?" Edward replied, suspiciously. He turned to see another room filled with more transmutation circles. Shall was standing in front of something that was in the middle of a newly drawn circle.

"I told you I'd let you see the finished result, but I'm not finished yet," Shall muttered. He didn't move from the spot he stood in.

Edward's hands began to shake. He knew what was sitting in front of Shall, but he didn't want to look.

"Ed," called a very weak voice. "Help."

I was blood-soaked. Alexander stood obediently by my side. I couldn't see well. My eyes were black and almost swollen shut. My lip was bleeding, and my hands had rope burn on them from being tied so tightly behind my back. I felt close to dying. My back was cut open, my auto mail removed. It would've done nothing but complicate the transmutation into a chimera my father had planned for. I imagined that the wounds would've done more to it, but my father just said that they would be healed during the change.

Every once in a while, Alexander would whine and lick my cheek, trying to help me feel better. It was no use. I was nearly dead, and I needed to get away.

"You bastard!" I heard Edward yell. In one movement, he tackled my father, who tried to fight him off. It was no use. Ed had him pinned against the wall. He was very strong when he was furious. It actually kind of scared me. Yet, I was also curious. Was Ed this mad just because my father had used me? Or was it just the idea of using any human being?

I snapped back into the conversation between Ed and my father.

"Don't try to rationalize this, you monster!" Ed yelled. "She's your own daughter, damn it! You're toying with people's lives!"

"Toying with lives?" My father's voice sounded smug. He cackled at Ed's words. "What, like your arm and leg, or your brother's body, or trying to bring your mother back? That's toying, isn't it? You don't really think you're any different from me, do you, Ed?"

I heard a collision of fist-to-face. That had struck a nerve inside Ed. He threw a mind-blowing punch at my father. I cringed as I heard the sound of my father hitting the floor. However, he just laughed again.

As Ed aimed for another punch, Al suddenly appeared and held him back and, asking, "Why, Mr. Tucker? The whole point was to pass the assessment and continue your way of life, but then your family would be gone. What life would be left?"

"That's the funny thing, I don't have a reason," my father replied, making Ed gasp in horror. "I can either do it with science or without, so I choose science, just to see if I can."

"What kind of man-" Edward began, but my father cut him off.

"When you have the power to do something, it's hard not to try. Isn't that what we agreed on, Ed?" My father began to push the limits again. "Aren't we so much alike?"

Edward gasped. "NO!"

"Sure, part of me did it for respect and this house, just as you did it for your mother," my father kept going, not listening to Ed's protests. His voice rose as he spoke, becoming more and more exhilarated. "But there's more! You're desperate to put your mind to use, Ed, to see what you're capable of, to put the world under your fingers! That's the essence of alchemy! You did it for knowledge; control! Above all, you did it just to prove you can!"

Another mind-blowing punch, Edward threw at my father's face. He screamed at him in protest to his words. He hit my father over and over, and even Al began to protest. I couldn't stand the sorrow in Ed's voice anymore.

"Ed, stop it!" I cried.

Through blurred vision, I saw him look down at me. I began to cry. My eyes were still locked on Ed's when he dropped my father. He approached me and knelt down in front of my crouched body. I couldn't hold on to consciousness any longer. My eyes were wide with fear, despite the fact that they were half closed, and my back was soaked with blood that began to leak onto the floor.

"Assaulting army personal? What the hell's going on!" came the voice of the Brigadier General. Ed almost ignored him as he brushed a loose piece of hair out of my face.

"Spare me, sir. He was going to use his own daughter."

I fainted at his words.

Awake. I was awake during the entire thing. More pain as the auto mail was reattached. No anesthetic; nothing. I screamed, screamed for my mother, for Nina, and for Edward.

"Sissy!"

It was Nina. She was here with me, at the side of my hospital bed with Alexander. She was waiting for me to just open my eyes, even a little bit.

I hugged her so close to me, and tears began to fall down my cheeks as I realized what could've happened if Edward hadn't shown up when he did. "Where's Ed?" I asked.

"I'll get him!" Nina exclaimed and ran out of the room. Alexander forced his head under my hand while she was gone, and I patted his fur softly. He licked my hand, affectionately. I looked around the room that seemed to be covered in white, as if I were already in heaven.

Edward came in, following Nina, who pulled him along with her. I smiled the best I could, but Ed didn't look at me.

"Nina, can you go ask one of the nurses if I could have some water?" I asked, smiling at her. She nodded and quickly left the room.

Ed still didn't look at me. I frowned. "Can you at least meet my eyes, so I can thank you?" I said.

His face perked up, and he glanced at my appearance, which had gotten better over the past week. My face had healed; we were just waiting for me to be able to walk and run, again.

It took three weeks last time.

"You saved my life," I said, taking Ed's hand in mine and holding it tightly. "I owe you…everything."

It took a moment for Ed to speak. "I should've listened to you in the first place, and I should've done something more to protect you."

I chose my words carefully. "You made a mistake. Everyone does, but you made up for it. You saved my sister, my dog, and me." It was my turn to look away. "I'd forgive you for anything, after that."

Ed took a seat in one of the chairs that rested by my bed. He still held my hand in his. I waited for him to say something, as it was clear that he wanted to.

"I've never met a girl like you."

My eyes widened a little, and I smiled to myself. "Is that a good thing?" I asked him, blushing a little.

"Yes and no," he replied.

My frown returned. "Great," I thought sarcastically. I'd never really considered liking Ed like that. However, now it was kind of lingering in my mind. I wondered if he would try to make a move. Normally, it would be considered shallow to hit on a girl in a hospital bed who's probably on so much pain medication, she'd agree to being a purple penguin with demon horns, but I wouldn't have rejected if he just did something.

"I want you to meet the person who replaced your auto mail," said Ed suddenly. I didn't speak but only nodded my head. Ed went to the door and called a person named Winry.

I gasped and froze as a tall, slender, blonde girl walked in. She smiled at me, and I smiled back, though I felt sick on the inside. "So this is why he doesn't have feelings for me," I thought, sadly. "He had someone else back home, and now she's here."

"Thank you," I said, truly grateful for the replacement of the auto mail. I blinked and looked away, though. "I'm kind of tired," I whispered, just so they could hear me. "Would you mind if I rested for a while longer?"

Ed and Winry went into surprise and acted as if they'd offended me by being there. I thanked them while they left, and then I sobbed in the horrible, flat, hospital pillow that lay beneath me.

Edward pretended not to hear Amaya's pained sobs as he stood outside her door. He cursed in his mind for so many different reasons. He knew he'd hurt her by bringing Winry in there, and he knew what she thought.

She thought he loved Winry. She thought that he didn't know how much she cared for him and needed him. She thought that he didn't feel the same way.

Oh, how wrong she was.