December 4th, 1965

"I'm not sure I can do this," Lia commented warily.

"Of course you can," Alyse replied encouragingly.

Lia was grateful that Alyse had the good grace not to look too amused. All Lia could see from her seat on the couch was whatever wasn't blocked by the swell of her belly. "Tell that to these guys," she sighed as she braced with her arms and hefted herself up off the couch in her living room and stood, steadying herself until she was sure of her balance, which seemed to shift daily.

"See," Alyse smiled sympathetically.

Lia refrained from sticking her tongue out at her as she waded towards the restroom. "I still can't believe you talked me into being a bride's maid like this."

"You won't still be pregnant when I get married," Alyse pointed out.

"I better not be!" Lia half laughed as she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. She was less than two weeks from her due date and still pregnant. The twins, she was assured, were just fine and growing like weeds. As if she couldn't have told that by how much inconceivably bigger her stomach had grown in the past couple of months. Every time Lia was sure she was out of room, the twins found a way to stretch and distend things just a bit further.

When she finally finished her business and went back into the living room Alyse was back at the coffee table going through the thick portfolio that was her wedding book. Everything that had to do with organizing, planning, and putting on her and Cal's wedding was in there.

"You know, it would be tough to believe there's anything not left already to be decided," Lia chuckled.

Alyse looked up at her and smiled sheepishly. "It's funny, but this is the first time in years I've been nervous about an event not going off almost perfectly."

"Even though you have a wedding coordinator?" Lia asked. Alyse had gotten someone else she knew to actually run the event while she was busy being the bride.

"I've never been the bride," Alyse chuckled. "Being a bride's maid is difficult enough sometimes, when there's someone else arranging a wedding I'm in."

"So are you just nervous about the ceremony planning?" Lia had noticed that, the closer the date came, the more Alyse slowly wound – not unlike herself and her impending birth. Though it didn't always seem to be related to the details of whatever planning or preparation were under way.

Alyse set down her pencil, and shrugged. "No. Really I… promise not to tell anyone?"

"Of course I promise," Lia lowered herself back onto the couch and put her feet up on the footstool. Stupid swollen ankles.

"I'm more nervous about after," Alyse admitted. "I'm sure the ceremony will be fine. It's really not complicated. Neither is the reception. But…"

"You're worried about your first time with Cal."

"You make it sound like I'm fourteen," Alyse chuckled, though she looked slightly annoyed. "Yes, I am. Even though Cal tells me I shouldn't be. I just can't help but wonder how I'll measure up, you know?"

Lia had always been kind of glad that Ethan had been as out-of the dating scene as he had been when they were teenagers. They had both gone to their wedding night virgins; equally inexperienced and there had been no worry of being compared to anyone else. "Cal knows you're worried."

"I mentioned it to him," Alyse confirmed. "I don't really mind that he's been with other women in the past. I just didn't realize until recently that I'm one of the least experienced on that list."

"Do you think Cal cares?" Lia smiled sympathetically, but she hoped she could tell her friend what she needed to hear that might actually help. "This will be different for him too, won't it? For once, there's real love involved, and this time, there's a lot more invested in it. I'm positive he's not going to be thinking about any other women while he's with you."

"I just don't want to embarrass myself."

"Then you're in for a long marriage," Lia chuckled. "Sometimes that's half the fun. Guys aren't perfect either, no matter how experienced they are."

"And you'd know this how?" Alyse asked with arched eyebrows.

Lia's grin widened. "The girls in my birth-coaching classes like to talk… a lot." Pregnant women were, she had discovered, often much less shy about discussing personal things. It was sort of like, since there was no way to deny their own experiences with sexual intimacy – which were increasingly evident – there was no problem with the impropriety in talking about the acts – and the men – that led to it.

Alyse looked mildly scandalized, and Lia remembered how Sara liked to tease her cousin about how proper she was sometimes. "I'm not sure I want to know what gets said in those conversations."

"Then I'll let you find out for yourself in a few years," Lia eased up. "But really, with Cal's experience, do you think he'll let you embarrass yourself?"

Clearly, Alyse hadn't thought of that. Some of the tension seemed to go out of her. "You have a point. It's not like anyone but him and I would ever know anyway."

"Not unless you decide to tell someday," Lia agreed.

Alyse's cheeks turned slightly pink. "Not in my lifetime!"

December 6th, 1965

"Wow, this is quite a place," Tore grinned as he looked around the now-almost-completely-furnished town house that would soon be the home of Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Fischer. All the floors were warm, dark wood or creamy tile, save for the carpeting in the bedrooms. The matching furniture, the kitchen and other rooms slowly being populated by wedding gifts.

Cal chuckled as he showed him around. "I can't take credit for most of it. Alyse is the one who's good at coordinating things. It's like she sees the world in patterns I don't."

"Some people might call it matching," Tore teased.

"Something most guys in the military can't do," Cal countered as he finished showing Tore the home-office and the game room in what was essentially the basement of the three-story town house and they returned to the main sitting area.

"I noticed you've got two empty rooms upstairs," Tore noted.

Cal paused and looked momentarily embarrassed. "Yeah… Alyse isn't going to decorate those just yet."

"Oh really," Tore grinned. He didn't have to ask. Alyse was saving them for when they had kids.

"Yeah," was all Cal said on the subject. "So, that's the whole house."

"It's comfortable," Tore let the subject slide for once. The man was getting married in less than a month. He didn't need any more stress! Tore's hand was halfway to his pocket before he realized something… no ashtrays. Alyse didn't like smoke. "Hey, where should I…" he pulled out his pack of cigarettes and held them up.

"Back balcony," Cal replied with a semi-apologetic smile as they headed through the open dining area to the sliding doors that opened onto the balcony above the little back yard. "House rule."

"Alyse's rule," Tore commented, though he just shrugged as he popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "You want one?" he asked as he leaned against the railing.

Cal shook his head. "No thanks."

Tore exhaled and relaxed. "She's already got you trained, huh?"

Cal gave him a half-joking shove in the shoulder. "It's her place too, and it's not like it's a big deal."

"Sorry," Tore apologized. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Yeah, well, watch it." Cal didn't sound particularly insulted though.

"Nervous already?" Tore asked with a smile. "You've got weeks left."

Cal looked sideways at him, and a slow smile crossed his face. "Yeah… and I wish it was over already; the whole deal. All I want out of this is Alyse. As long as she's happy I'll do whatever she wants me to do to have her."

Which meant, in this case, keeping everyone else happy by having a nice wedding and not just going down to the judge and getting papers signed. Though, from what Tore had seen of the wedding plans, it was a very simple, elegant wedding. He'd been to enough of them now to know the difference. "I bet she appreciates it."

"She does," Cal chuckled. "She told me as much. And really, I don't mind the whole wedding so much. She deserves a day to feel special and celebrate, and I can get away with my dress uniform."

Better than a suit anyway. Tore nodded. "It's a pretty small thing to go through to have a girl who wants you for the rest of her life, isn't it?"

The look on Cal's face was quietly goofy enough Tore could have teased him for the rest of his life, but he didn't. "It sure is," his friend replied.

Tore couldn't help laughing. "I'm happy for you two, really. Actually, I'm kinda jealous."

"Your turn will come eventually," Cal snickered. "Cecilia seems pretty attached to you."

Tore took a long, slow drag. "Yeah," he breathed. "I don't know. She's a nice girl, and she's a great girlfriend."

"But?" Cal looked askance.

Tore shrugged. "I don't know. Mostly we have sex and fool around. Drink a bit, play cards, or hang out with her friends."

"Great relationships have been based on less," Cal replied encouragingly. "Besides, you're young enough there's no rush."

"Thank goodness for that," Tore replied. He envied Cal and Alyse their happiness and their bond. He wanted it, he just wasn't sure he was ready for it yet. Could he and Cecilia have something like that? Well, maybe. They got along well, and really never quarreled. She was already turning into his longest-lasting girlfriend. "Anyway, we can't both give up being bachelors yet," he grinned.

"Of course not," Cal agreed. "The ladies of Central would die of heartbreak."

December 9th, 1965

"I'm done with my homework, Dad!" Ian chimed in eagerly from the kitchen table.

Aldon turned away from the counter where he was chopping up beef and vegetables for a roast for dinner. Cassie was working late that evening. "You're sure?" Ian had a tendency to skate by so he could get out and do things faster.

"Positive," Ian nodded, holding up the sheet of paper. "See? I finished all my sums."

Aldon took the assignment and looked over the math. For once, they were all correct. "Looks good. So what's the plan this afternoon, sports or rehearsal?" Ian played outside with his friends a lot, but he had also started trying out for every little production the Resembool school or community decided to put on. He was a pretty good actor too.

"Rehearsal," Ian grinned as he bounded out of his chair and grabbed an apple off the table. "The Solstice play is in two weeks! We can't slack off now."

"No, I guess you can't," Aldon agreed. "All right, you can go. But make sure you come home as soon as it's over." If there was one thing he loved about Resembool, it was how safe it was. He couldn't have imagined letting his kids walk home alone in Central at night; not at the age of eight or nine.

"I will," Ian promised as he vanished back out the door.

Today, that left Coran and Reichart at the table, bent over much larger piles of work. Urey was already off somewhere – almost certainly with a book in hand – and little Edward was playing with his stuffed dog on the couch. Coran was no longer grounded, but it didn't seem to make much difference. Ever since Maggie had broken up with him while Aldon and Cassie were on vacation, he hadn't seemed interested in going out much after school anyway.

"What about you two?" Aldon asked.

"I'm gonna be at this for a while," Reichart sighed. "Teacher assigned a lot of math. We've got a big test on Friday."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Aldon smiled reassuringly. He waited a moment, but got no response from Coran, who was staring down at the paper in front of him. "Coran?"

His oldest son didn't respond for a moment, then seemed to realize he was being spoken to. "What?"

"I was asking if you had afternoon plans," Aldon asked again patiently. He took extra pains lately not to butt heads with his son over anything unnecessary.

"This," Coran gestured at the sheet again. It had maybe five sentences on it. "It's a paper on Amestrian history."

"Any particular topic?"

"We got assigned topics," Coran replied, looking utterly unenthusiastic. "Mine's on the 1737 Border War with Creta."

Amestris had been a much smaller state then, Aldon remembered vaguely. "I take it the paper's not coming quickly." Given that Coran's book was closed, he couldn't imagine his son's mind was actually on his work.

Coran scowled. "If it was I'd be done already, all right?"

"Hey, it was an observation," Aldon replied. "You've got everything else done it looks like. When's this due?"

Eyes refused to meet his. "Tomorrow."

Of course. "Well if you can't focus, you might take a quick break," Aldon suggested. It wouldn't do Coran any good to sit there and stare at the paper until his mind was focused on work, and even he knew sometimes that just didn't happen when you wanted it to. "Have a snack, go for a walk, go tinker with something in the shop for half an hour. You've been working pretty hard." All of the other homework was finished.

Coran nodded and set down his pencil. "Yeah, okay. Can I go for a run?"

"Sure," Aldon agreed. He had laughed when his Dad told him about that suggestion. After all, he'd given Aldon the same advice and it had worked… mostly. "Maybe it'll help clear your head."

"I hope so," Coran replied as he stood and stretched, then headed for his room.

Aldon watched his son leave to change, then shook his head. "Was I ever that bad?"

"You could ask Grandpa," Reichart chuckled, and Aldon realized he had spoken aloud.

Aldon gave his second son a playful ruffle of his hair, and grinned. "You don't ask questions that you don't really want the answers to," he quipped.

On the wall, the phone rang.

"Hello?" Aldon picked up.

"Don, it's me," Cassie said on the other end. She sounded tired.

"What's up?"

"Can you come down here?"

"To the clinic?" Why would she need him there?

"Yes," she replied simply. "I… it'll just be easier if you come here. I can't explain on the phone."

Aldon couldn't remember the last time he'd heard his wife sound so drained and yet fighting to stifle emotions at the same time. She was keeping in control, but barely. What could have happened? "Sure, I'll be right there."

"Thank you, honey." Cassie hung up.

Aldon turned around and looked at the last two boys. "Reichart, keep an eye on Edward for me will you? I need to run into town."

Reichart nodded, looking worried. "Yeah. Was that Mom?"

"It was," Aldon went over to the rack and grabbed his coat, grateful it hadn't snowed yet this winter. "Don't worry," he smiled as he headed out the door. "I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about."

December 10th 1965

"Ethan Elric wake up!"

Ethan jerked, blinked groggily, and felt the mist of sleep lift from the pleasant image of a fresh hot blackberry pie steaming on the table. No…that wasn't right. The sheets once more became reality, along with the hand on his shoulder, shoving insistently. He opened his eyes. "Lia…what…?" He sat up sharply. Her face said everything. "Now?"

Lia straightened up, pulling back her hand from his arm. The other rested on her distended belly as she nodded and managed a bemused shake of her head. "Well yes. No, I just woke you for your health. My water broke."

Days of on and off contractions, another false start, and now they were finally getting somewhere! Ethan came instantly awake, the way he always did when it came to medical situations. "All right," he smiled as he swung his legs around to his side of the bed and stood up. "Contractions?"

"Steady," Lia winced. "About…oooooh four minutes apart!"

"Easy," Ethan hurried around the bed to her, mentally focusing. Labor…delivery. He knew these things. "Everything's fine. That's good. Any pain?"

"More like pressure," Lia assured him, "In my lower back."

Okay. They had been expecting that, given the positioning of the two babies. "Is standing or lying down more comfortable?"

"Definitely standing," Lia nodded, clearly calming as they talked. He knew what to do, and he knew she did too. Not that classes and discussions really prepared anyone for the immediacy of the real thing. "I've been… walking around for a bit," she admitted. "I got up for a glass of water and to go to the bathroom and well…"

"At least the bed is clean," Ethan chuckled as he rested his forehead against hers and gathered her hands in his. "Will you be all right if I go downstairs and give Ren a call?" Ethan was more than capable of delivering a baby in most circumstances, even dealing with a lot of complications on his own with alchemy, but they had all agreed that it would be for the best if there was at least one other doctor on hand who was not the over-eager father to be.

Lia nodded. "Oh yes, we'll be fine; just pacing the floor."

"Good practice for when they get here," Ethan teased gently. His heart fluttered. This was it! Focus, focus Ethan. "I'll be right back, promise."

"More coffee?" Edward asked Winry with a bleary smile when she came down into the kitchen.

Winry, dressed now, smiled back. "Yes please. Is that breakfast I smell?"

"It will be soon," Ed promised. It had been impossible to sleep through Ethan pounding up and down the stairs, not that he had wanted to. He and Winry had both gotten up before Ren arrived, and spent the rest of the night doing what they could to keep busy and be helpful. For Ed, that meant keeping busy. "How's Lia?"

"Tired, uncomfortable," Winry replied as she took the offered cup of coffee. "But making good progress. It shouldn't be more than a few hours at most now."

"You know, for most things that would seem like a long time," Ed shook his head, turning back to the eggs he was scrambling on the stove. "I bet it does to Lia."

"Of course it does," Winry said. "There's nothing longer in the world than labor."

"I'm not arguing." Ed knew better than to do that! "Is Ethan's idea working?" His son had proposed an idea that, with alchemy, ought to help take some of the exhaustive work of labor off of his wife. Ed could feel the energy of alchemy being performed upstairs, ever so subtly.

"It seems to be," Winry nodded. "At least, Ethan and Ren are happy, and Lia's doing well."

"Good." That was really what mattered. Ed hoped that there were no complications with this one. Ethan a father…. It had kept Ed's mind wandering back ever since he woke up – as it had a lot recently – to the drama and anxiety and pain surrounding Ethan's own birth. "I hope it stays that way."

"It will." Winry's hand settled gently on his shoulder. "Everything will be just fine."

It all became a blur; a crystalline clear blur – if such things were possible - of joy and anxiety, sweat and exhaustion, a blurred line of energy between Ethan and his wife and their children; a working team as he gently gave of his own energy to help boost Lia as she labored. Ethan felt he would remember every moment as it happened, and yet was sure minutes later he couldn't recall a bit. It was all the here, now, as his beautiful, talented, brave, amazing wife performed one of the finest miracles of nature.

"You're doing great," he assured her during the brief break between contractions, not too tired himself but a bit sweaty from the exertion involved in helping her out.

Lia looked grateful, but distracted. "Tell me that…when they're out," she panted, taking in a few long deep breaths; all she had time for anymore between contractions. "Okay!"

Ethan took his cue and once more began to feed her energy to help replenish her own and ease her discomforts.

Ren, down at the business end of their bed, stood visibly between the spread of Lia's knees. She appeared perfectly calm. "Okay, push again, Lia."

Lia nodded and did as she was told. They were close, Ethan could tell. The first babe was lined up, nearly out, with the second ready to come along behind. Positioning was perfect, thank goodness.

Ethan lost count of contractions before Lia let out a huge gasp and for a moment went limp. A small cry split the air, and Ethan was torn between looking at his wife or at the new life that had just come into the world from the other end.

Lia opened her eyes and smiled weakly up at him. "That's…one."

Ethan felt tears stinging his eyes, but no shame in them as he caressed her face with one hand. "It is." He looked up at Ren then, who had already tied and cut the umbilical cord and held the crying baby easily. "What is it?"

Ren gave a knowing smile. "A boy, what else?"

Ethan looked at her a moment, then laughed. Indeed! Exhilaration washed through him. "We have a son… did you hear that Lia?" He smiled down at her.

She nodded. "I bet he's….handsome…" she winced then and gasped.

Ethan felt himself snap back into a working frame of mind. There was still another one in there! How could I forget? Distracted of course… this was why Ren was here.

The tiny boy was handed off to Winry, standing quietly out of the way except as needed, and Ethan did his best to think about the other child still in Lia's womb, fighting to make its way into the world right behind it's brother. Another boy? It wouldn't surprise him, with family history. Yet somehow his Dad and Mom had managed to at least have Sara!

Ten minutes later it was well and truly done. Ethan sat on the edge of the bed next to Lia, his heart so full it might burst with joy and amazement as he held one newly-diapered baby in his hands. His son, washed clean, wrinkled and rosy and protesting loudly the chill of the room! Ethan wrapped the baby back up in the soft green blanket, the critical examination completed for himself. Ten fingers, ten toes, everything in place. His son – unlike him – was born whole and utterly without the need for auto-mail.

"Are you ready for more of a handful?" Winry asked with a gentle smile as held out the other baby.

There really are two of them. Science and knowledge had not really prepared him for the gravity of the truth of seeing, and holding, two babies at once. Ethan nodded, his throat constricting. "Yeah. I want to hold her too." A boy and a girl; the perfect pair.

Lia lay beside him, exhausted, but smiling as she reached out and brushed their son's cheek lightly with one finger. "They're perfect."

"They are," Ethan agreed softly as he shifted his son to fit his daughter in his other arm.

Aside from gender, not currently visible, they looked remarkably similar. Of course, since they had the same parents and were the same age, he supposed it made sense. "So I guess we get to use our top pick for boy and girl names."

"Did you ever narrow those down?" Ren teased as she began to wash up using a basin of hot water Winry had brought up earlier.

Lia, resting her head against Ethan's arm so she could watch her babies, chuckled. "In the last couple of days," she admitted. "Their names are Eamon and Lily."

"Beautiful," Winry beamed. "I know your father will approve."

"Of course he will," Ethan chuckled. His son's name started with an E. "You want to hold them?" He looked down at his wife.

"Do you need to ask?" Lia teased as she propped herself up a little more. Ethan gently transferred first Eamon and then Lily into their mother's arms. He already ached to hold them again, but he knew he had to share them. Her expression softened as she gently kissed each on the head. "Hello sweethearts," she cooed gently. "How does it feel to have space of your own?"

"Swaddled up, probably not much different," Ethan chuckled. "What about you?"

"Deflated," said Lia. "But less tired than I thought I'd be."

"Thank Ethan," Ren smiled. "He looks a little better than you do."

Ethan kissed Lia's cheek. "I love you."

"I noticed," she replied softly as she nodded down at their drowsy newborn children. "You and I made them after all."

Edward watched his son scarf down breakfast with a feeling of amusement and pride. Okay, so it was more like brunch by this point, and cold, but Ethan didn't seem to mind. He had never looked happier. "They're good looking kids," Ed commented.

"They look like Lia," Ethan grinned around a mouthful of eggs and toast. "I can still hardly believe they're here."

"Yeah well, don't choke in your rush to get back upstairs," Ed chuckled. He knew Winry and Ren were helping Lia get cleaned up and dealing with the usual mess of birth. The twins were fine. "I expect Lia wouldn't forgive you if you died eating toast."

Ethan chuckled. "Well, that's true." He slowed down a little.

Ed took Winry's plate – the last to be used – into the kitchen to wash. Behind him he heard the phone ring.

"I've got it," Ethan called out. That was fine, given the day it was probably someone calling for an update and congratulations. "Aldon!" he heard Ethan exclaim happily. "You have great timing."

Ed half-listened to the chatter as Ethan eagerly told his older brother all about the two newest members of the family. There was a note of awe in his son's voice that Ed had heard whenever Ethan talked about any birth he had assisted with, but this one was special. "Yep, both blonde so far," Ethan kept going. "Yeah, oh, okay, what's up?... Really? Wow! Oh, yeah, I'll put him on." A moment later, "Dad! Don wants to talk to you."

Ed wiped his hands and went back into the other room. "Done talking his ear off are you?" he teased as he took the receiver. "Hey, what's up?"

"Good morning, Grandpa," Aldon chuckled. "He's pretty wired this morning isn't he?"

"Can you blame him?" Ed laughed.

"No, not a bit," Aldon agreed. He sounded tired himself.

"How're you doing?" Ed asked curiously. "I know we didn't keep you up half the night."

"No," Aldon replied. "Your granddaughter did that."

"Well how… wait what?" Ed took a moment to stare at the phone for lack of a face to look at. Aldon had said they couldn't have anymore! And Cassie sure hadn't been expecting right?

Aldon snickered on the other end of the line. "Relax, Dad. We didn't somehow find a way to make kids in two months. No we… we adopted a baby girl."

Which made a lot more sense, though Ed got the feeling there was more to the story. "Well, congratulations," Ed replied bemusedly. "How did this come about?"

"One of the women in town died in childbirth yesterday," Aldon explained. "Her husband died a few months ago; complications to injuries after the war. Cassie was there to help with the delivery and… well there's no other living family now to take her. We talked it over, and we just couldn't leave her."

"I don't blame you." Ed felt teary eyed just thinking about it. "What do the boys think?"

"They're still getting used to her," Aldon chuckled. "She's quite sure of what she wants and not shy about asking. Fortunately she seems to like the formula recipe Cassie's got."

"Well that's good," said Ed. A hungry baby was not a happy one. At least since she was a newborn, she would probably get used to her new mother quickly. "So, does this new little darling have a name? What does she look like?"

"Callista," Aldon replied. "That's what Cassie's always wanted to name a girl, and I'm not too sure if it'll stay, but right now she's got a thick fluff of red hair."

"A redhead, just what this family needs!" Ed shook his head. "She sounds like a doll. I can't wait to meet her."

"Well we'll be up for Alyse's wedding," Aldon reminded him. "Everyone can meet her then."

"Six kids; your mother is going to question your sanity, you know that right?"

"She has for years," Aldon took the teasing in stride. "At least this time it was all Cassie's idea! Oh owww…."

"She heard you huh?" Ed asked.

"No… Callista's little hand found my chest hair. I'm gonna go Dad. We're doing a little room rearranging today."

"I can see where that might be necessary." Ed couldn't help smiling to himself. "Give everyone a hug from your mother and me all right?"

"I will," Aldon promised. "Oh, and tell Ethan that having them in pairs is cheating!"

Ed almost dropped the phone from laughter. "I will."

Author's Note: Edward and Alphonse named this chapter. L'chai-im means "To Life" in Hebrew. It's a traditional toast. Given the plotlines in this story, it fit. ;) And the boys said that after living in Germany (and Continental Europe as a whole) for several years they were at 'least' passing familiar with Hebrew. ;)