August 22nd, 1960

Ethan Elric stared blearily into the bottom of his hot mug of chai as he sat at the linoleum covered table in the Hospital dining hall in the town of Yama-kodachi, in Eastern Xing. For over a year now he and Lia had been stationed in the mountainous area; Ethan finishing up his education under the alchemical doctor who ran the small regional hospital and Lia teaching Amestrian language and history to middle school and high school students.

Working with Doctor Saito had proven to be everything of an experience Ethan had hoped. As a regional hospital, the Yama Hospital provided medical care not only to the people in the town, but also to the smaller villages and farms in the region surrounding it, where narrow roads – often dirt – and long travel and poor conditions made it hard for people to easily seek medical care.

In some ways, while bigger, the area reminded Ethan of Resembool. People were people, and country folk were country folk. He and Doctor (name) had just spent three days up the mountain doing a regular needed village run. In that three days Ethan had personally treated ten colds, five fevers, thirteen breaks and sprains, two black eyes, three stomach bugs, one split skull, and delivered three babies. They had gotten back only an hour ago and it was late afternoon. Not wanting to throw off his sleep schedule, Ethan had come down for a drink and – possibly – a cat nap.

"Nice to see you're still alive," a welcome voice chuckled as Lia sat down next to him and kissed his cheek. "Though shouldn't you be asleep? You look exhausted."

"You think I drink this stuff for my health?" Ethan chuckled, gesturing toward the highly caffeinated spiced tea beverage so popular in the area.

"Well you are a doctor," Lia smiled, though there was a look of mild concern on her face. "You really look beat, Ethan. Did you sleep at all on the trip?"

"Some," Ethan replied. That much, at least, was true. He didn't feel like getting scolded though. He leaned in and gave her a more thorough kiss. "How were your darling students today?" he teased. Going into the second year, the Xingese students – and indeed the entire population – had gotten used to having Ethan and Lia around. Amestrians were a very rare sight this far into Xing's interior, and in such a traditional and conservative part of the country, they had done their best to fit in and not offend anyone. Lia's students seemed to find it interesting to no end that Miss Swanson and Doctor Elric were romantically involved!

"Nosy as usual," Lia replied. "Bing figured out how to say 'are you available tonight, baby?' in Amestrian over the summer. It seems to have made him very popular with the girls, and unpopular with the parents. I've had to assure three that I certainly did not teach him that in class!" She didn't seem too upset though.

"How did you find this out?" Ethan asked with a smirk and a stifled yawn.

"He asked me if I was available," Lia replied. Bing Shuei was one of her high school seniors. A cheeky young man who seemed fascinated with Western cultures.

"What did you say back?" Ethan privately thought it a good thing Bing didn't know Ethan was the jealous type.

"I told him his pronunciation needed work," Lia winked. "Then we continued with the class. So, when do you get off shift?"

"Now," Ethan replied. He was trying manfully not to fall asleep right there in the table, despite Lia's sitting beside him in a very professional – but very attractive in his mind – dress suit. She wore her Amestrian fashions to class as part of the cultural demonstration, though she usually kept to local dress otherwise when out in public. That, too, made people seem more comfortable with them. It also helped, Ethan supposed, that he was living in a barracks that actually had been set up for the doctors working the region who weren't married, and Lia shared an apartment with two other young unmarried Xingese women who taught at the school. The two complexes were only five minutes' walk apart, though Ethan found it amusing that there were actually lease rules on both forbidding visits by members of the opposite gender other than blood relatives or during very specific visiting hours.

"Good," Lia stood up and put a hand on his arm. "Then you should have some real dinner and get some sleep. Oh," she pulled a small sheaf of envelopes out of her pocket. "You got mail while you were away." Ethan reached up for it but Lia snatched it back with a playful smile. "Oh no. After you wash up and eat you can have them."

Ethan shook his head and stood, draining his cup of chai and then returning it to the dish line. "All right," he smiled. "Let's go." Visiting hours lasted for another two, so that meant Lia would certainly follow him back to his place and make sure he did as she said before giving him the mail!

He held her hand lightly in his as they walked back to his little barracks-style apartment. Even in August it was cool up here in the mountains. He loved life here. It was surprisingly uncomplicated. He had his work and Lia. Their friends primarily consisted of the teachers and other doctors in town. Ethan missed home, but he wasn't homesick. Not yet. He got letters from his family fairly regularly, and he wrote back as often. There was a lot he was looking forward to hearing back about.

But first he had to satisfy Lia that he was taking care of himself. He waved at the building supervisor through the window into his office as they walked through the small lobby of the three story apartment building. The man – Hinuto Amata – watched them go then went back to his paperwork. It had taken Ethan months to establish enough of a good reputation that Amata didn't peek into his apartment ever ten minutes when Lia had first come to visit. Doors were left open when guests of the opposite gender were present; something Ethan had needed a while to get used to. That was conservative by any standards! Still, it was the best living arrangement, not dissimilar to college dorms at ECU.

They went upstairs and Ethan waited indulgently as Lia prepared him a meal in the tiny kitchenette, and watched him eat every bite.

"Satisfied?" Ethan asked after clearing his plate of second helpings of everything. It hadn't been hard. He was hungry!

"Good enough," Lia giggled, passing over the parcel of letters.

Ethan ripped into the thickest envelope first; it was from Sara and contained the news Ethan had been expecting. "Look at this," he grinned, holding up the first photo that came out with a small stack and a three page letter. "Another nephew." The picture was of a baby who didn't look more than a day old in it. Given the postage date on the letter, it must have been mailed when Sara and Franz's new son was only a day or two old! He read the letter eagerly. "His name is James."

"He's adorable," Lia smiled, taking the picture to get a better look. It wasn't the only one. There was another of Trisha and her new baby brother, and then one of the whole family. Sara looked exhausted, but happy. Franz looked just as tired and as though he might burst with pride.

Ethan read through the news. "Yep. He's a day old in the pictures. Sara says he was a lot easier on her than Trisha was. No complications at all." After how many minor complications they had dealt with during Sara's first delivery, it was a relief to know his sister was fine. The long letter mostly detailed a bit of the birth itself, and how everyone was adjusting to having James around. Trisha loved him as was, apparently, already a big help around the house. The dog and cat were less than thrilled with the crying.

The next letter, almost as thick, was Aldon's usual catalog of everything going on in Resembool which, with four boys, was always a good length letter even if he just covered the highlights! It was hard to believe Coran was ten years old now. Ethan remembered watching his first nephew born like it was yesterday. Coran was, by all accounts, both mechanically inclined but also fascinated with alchemy. Aldon was almost expecting his son to ask to study under his grandfather sometime in the near future.

Reichart, almost eight, was more artistically inclined, like Cassie, and also interested in her work at the local hospital as a nurse. Urey, about four and a half, was getting fairly good at reading and would spend hours poring over books in his room. Little Ian had just turned three last month.

Included with the letter was a snapshot of Ian at his party, as well as a recent portrait of the entire family. Aldon and Cassie surrounded by their four boys. "They look happy," he grinned before passing the pictures over to Lia, who was always as eager to hear about his family as he was.

"Cassie looks great," Lia commented. "You'd hardly know she'd had four kids."

Ethan chuckled. "Aldon says that's because when Cassie decides to eat healthy everyone gets to join in as a group effort." Not that it was a problem for the boys; they were growing bundles of energy.

"As it should be," Lia teased. "What does your Dad have to say?"

The letter from Ethan's father was shorter, with no pictures, but Ethan was always happy to get anything from his father at all. His mother had lamented over the years about how Edward was a lousy correspondent. Getting letters from him meant a lot to Ethan, who had always been a prolific letter writer. "More of the usual," he replied as he read. "Apparently Tore's being a pain in the ass even more than usual lately. Mom's making noises about how nice to find a full-time partner in the company so she could have more real time off and she and Dad could do more things together."

"That would be nice for them," Lia smiled as she cleaned up the dishes to put them away. "Their lives are always so busy."

"To put it mildly," Ethan nodded.

The last letter was from his cousin Will. "Well now this one's got plenty of news," Ethan grinned when he finished scanning the pages. "Will and Ren finally closed a deal on a house. It's a townhouse over in the Riverside district." It was a nice part of town, and only a couple of miles from Al and Elicia's, though on the opposite side from his Dad's place. "They're moving in next month."

"That's fantastic," Lia beamed, drying the plates.

Ethan could understand why Will and Ren and their folks would all be ready for a little more privacy! Especially now that Minxia was nine months old and crawling. "Yep. They're going to get moved in and Ren's found a great location for opening the practice." That was even better news. Okay, so it was good news for Ethan too, given his and Ren's plans that he would join the practice and they would work together once he finished his contract and training in Xing and they went back to Amestris. "The building's only a block from the hospital."

"Even better news," Lia agreed as she kissed him on the cheek as she sat down next to him again. "Anything on Alyse or your aunt and uncle?"

Ethan nodded."Alyse is still seeing Vince Miller. Apparently she brought him to the family picnic last month, and he's been to a couple of other family get-togethers. Will says the whole family's sure she's serious about him at this point."

"Given Alyse's history, I'd say so," Lia smirked.

Ethan never had gotten more than cursory details on what had happened to Alyse last year, but apparently it hadn't been enough to dampen his cousin's spirit or her personality. "The last letter I got from Alyse definitely backs that up. I think at least half of it was about things she had done recently that all included Vince in them." He went back down to the part about his aunt and uncle. "Uncle Al and Aunt Elicia are doing a lot better. He says Elicia hardly has nightmares at all anymore and the other day he caught them sneaking upstairs in the middle of the afternoon." That was all the letter said, but Ethan could almost read the amusement and innuendo in his cousin's handwriting.

Lia's cheeks tinged with pink. "Good for them," was all she said.

Ethan agreed silently and went on. "Aunt Gracia still watches Trisha a lot of the time, though less right now since Sara's still home with James. She's definitely going to take Minxia sometimes once Ren starts work, though given how much interest there already is apparently in having her for a physician and as a specialist assisting a lot of the other doctors in town, they should make enough for Will to stay home for now and work on his research and take care of the baby."

"I think I like that idea," Lia giggled. "The man stays home and watches the baby; the wife goes out and gets to make money and have a life."

"More like long grueling hours of dealing with uncooperative patients you hope appreciate you later," Ethan quipped. He didn't make the comment that had popped into his head. As long as you don't expect me to be the stay at home type.

He got a familiar, though slightly unsettling, feeling in his stomach as Lia just smiled at him. "There are worse things in life."

"There are." Though he couldn't help but wonder if that statement applied to his response or his private thoughts. Lia had gotten very adept at telling what he was thinking. "Dealing with nosy students?" He teased her back.

"I'd say those are about the same," Lia shook her head. "So is that everything?"

"Well there's at least a page in here about how cute and brilliant Minxia is," Ethan grinned. "And more pictures." There were always pictures of Minxia in Will's letters. Ethan didn't mind though. Even this far from the Imperial City, the name Elric was associated with the man who had married the Emperor's sister. It hadn't been long before everyone knew that Ethan was Will's cousin, and they loved seeing pictures of Minxia. Of course, most of the townsfolk liked seeing pictures of any children! Ethan found it amusing that he had a wallet full of kids and none of them were his. Though it was a little uncomfortable when the housewives on the street started asking when he and Lia would get married and produce a few kids of their own.

"There are always pictures," Lia smiled, then after a moment she sighed. "I should go. You need a shower and some sleep."

Ethan didn't want her to go. "Do I smell that bad?" he asked teasingly.

"Yes!" Lia chuckled before her expression softened. "You've been so busy lately. When do you get another vacation?"

Vacation she called it. Lately Ethan was lucky to get a day off every two weeks. His last multiple day break – which had lasted all of three days – had been four months ago. "Hopefully next month," he replied with an apologetic smile.

Lia shook her head. "I don't know why you put yourself through this much sometimes." But that was all she said on the matter as she stood to go.

Ethan reached out and squeezed her hand. "Because someone has to for everyone else," he replied simply.

They kissed warmly before Lia left, which was all too soon, but she was right. Ethan needed the break. The good news was that he wasn't expected back on duty tomorrow; it was his day off after two weeks of non-stop medical visits. Ethan got used a lot on the out of town runs. He was younger than some of the guys, in better shape than nearly as many, and he never complained. He was also one of the few alchemical doctors in the area.

Standing, stretching, and carefully putting letters and pictures together on the table, Ethan closed his door and started stripping for a shower. He had to admit Lia was right. Being clean and snuggling up on his bed and sleeping for twelve hours sounded like a very good idea.

Thank goodness he had her around to remind him to do that kind of thing!

September 5th, 1960

Two minutes past midnight. Edward glanced up at the living room clock then went back to his book. He wasn't sure when he had learned to be this patient. Maybe it was the anticipation of the coming discussion. Not that he was looking forward to a row, but he expected one was coming unless his student had a very good excuse for being eight hours late getting home from school this afternoon. Not that it took a genius to figure out where the kid probably was.

He didn't have much longer to wait. There was a jingle of a key in the front door lock, and it opened. Edward wasn't within view of the door. He was sitting in the dark, book readable only by the bright moonlight coming through the windows. After a moment, he heard the bottom stair squeak. "I wouldn't go upstairs just yet if I were you."

The squeak stopped and he thought he heard a sigh. Then footsteps came down the hall and Tore walked into the room, reaching for the switch and turning on the lights. In the sudden glare, Edward's suspicions were solidly confirmed as to where Tore had been for the past several hours. Or at least, who with. Tousled hair and a pinkish smudge on his face near the lips rather gave it away. "You've been sitting up in the dark just waiting to do that haven't you?"

Ed scowled as he put down his book. He kept his tone steely hard, but calm and quiet. Righteous anger wasn't likely to work here. "I've been waiting for an explanation as to why the hell you never came home this afternoon or even had the courtesy to call and tell me why you decided to skip out on dinner and tonight's alchemy session."

Tore eyed him a moment, then shrugged. "Sorry. I couldn't find a phone."

"Bullshit," Ed snorted, standing up. In truth he was furious. "You know the rules."

"Oh yeah I know the rules," Tore had the audacity to roll his eyes. "You only remind me about them at least three times a week. I don't think forgetting to make one phone call deserves the drill-sergeant routine do you?"

Stubborn little…. "You never told us you had a date."

"Didn't know until lunch," Tore countered. The grin on his face made Ed want to punch him. Had he ever been this much of a smug little brat? Yeah…probably.

"So you blew everything else off for a girl. What happened to wanting to learn alchemy?"

"You are so mono-focused, you know that?" Tore countered, frowning. "You think everyone should be like you and do things your way! Well just because you couldn't handle alchemy and girls at the same time doesn't mean everyone's that hopeless."

"What?!" Ed stared at him, moving forward until they were much closer, nearly face to face. It didn't help that they were also now just about eye-to-eye in height. "You shouldn't go talking about things you know nothing about, kid. It's a great way to get yourself in a lot of trouble."

"So what are you going to do?" Tore asked, eyes glinting in the way that Ed knew meant the kid wasn't intimidated, just pissed. He didn't like it when people got openly authoritative.

It would have been nice if Tore had even half the respect –or at least fear- of Ed that Ed and Al had for Izumi when they were her students. Perhaps it was time to start taking a page out of her book. "What I should have done last year," Edward growled. "Consider yourself on restriction. After school from now until I say differently you will come straight home as soon as classes are done. If you don't, Winry or I will start showing up at school again to bring you home. You will do all of your homework immediately upon getting home, then chores, then your lessons."

"And if there's free time?" Tore smirked.

"Then you'll have plenty of time for combat drills," Edward replied.

"What about my friends?" Tore asked, taken aback. While Ed and Winry had always been firm on the rules, they had never been particularly harsh with the kid.

It was time for that to change. Ed smirked back. "You want to hang out, you can do it here at the house."

Tore's cool was slipping quickly. He obviously hadn't expected Ed to start laying down real ultimatums. "For how long?"

"I already told you," Ed pointed out. "Until I say differently. You want the right to come and go as you please then you'd better damned well earn it. Oh, and when I say friends, that doesn't include girls."

Tore was glowering now. Then he seemed to think of something else. "What about Charisa?"

At that, Ed chuckled. "Well I suppose she doesn't really count in this case, and you'll need the study help. I saw the grade on your last literature essay." Charisa counted in the friend category, and he trusted her common sense and good judgment. It seemed to be the only thing that kept Tore in check some days. Lately the kid seemed to think he knew everything. "At least she's better than the girls you're wasting your time with lately."

Putting the kid in his place felt good. Despite a momentary guilty twinge, Ed understood exactly why Roy had enjoyed doing the same thing to him when he was a teenager.

Tore's fists were trembling. Good. Ed had finally gotten through to him. "Do you enjoy lording your superiority over people?" Tore shouted.

"Do you enjoy acting like an idiot?" Ed asked, no smirk on his face now, though watching the kid lose it while he stayed calm only added credence to his earlier thought. "I'm your teacher and your guardian. If you want to quit learning alchemy, say so. If you want the State to place you somewhere else because you're unhappy here, why don't you go ask them?"

Tore's eyes went wider, but a little of the red faded from his face. "Is that what you want?" he asked softly.

"Of course not," Ed snorted. "But somehow I don't feel asking for a little common sense and remembering to follow some pretty basic rules is unreasonable given the situation." He shook his head. "Get up to bed. We'll be up early for drills."

Tore looked like he wanted to really go off on Ed, but thought better of it. He nodded gruffly, then turned and headed back upstairs, taking advantage of the dismissal.

Ed watched him go, then picked up his book and followed more slowly. By the time he got upstairs Tore's door was closed, the teenager nowhere in sight. Frustrated, but hoping that this time he might get through to the kid on this, Ed stripped and curled up in his own bed beside Winry, who was sleeping deeply. He couldn't help wrapping his arms around her, enjoying the feel of the soft silk of her hair and skin against his. She barely stirred.

Ed did not regret, for even a moment, taking Tore in and taking care of the kid. He did wonder though, as he drifted off to sleep, if having Tore around was the exchange for Ed having been blessed with three easier to deal with children of his own.

September 10th, 1960

::Everyone put down your pencils please,:: Lia spoke to the class full of high school students of varying grades who were working on their Amestrian history tests. These were more advanced students – all high school aged – who were decent enough at reading and writing in the language to take the class, and were also expected to write the test in Amestrian. Lia was grateful for that, since it made grading much faster.

The class complied, putting down pencils and looking up from their papers with a mix of expressions ranging from relief to anxiety. Lia moved through the room, picking up the tests. ::I want you to read chapter three in your textbooks tonight and be prepared to discussion the questions at the end of the chapter tomorrow.::

There was shuffling and a couple of soft groans, quickly stifled when she glanced in their direction. As soon as she had all the tests, the bell rang and the students shuffled out of the room. Lia was grateful it was her last class of the day. She had quite a pile of grading to do before the end of the week. Every one of her classes had turned in first essays, tests, or homework this week.

::Miss Swanson,:: a voice spoke behind her as she walked down the hall toward her office. Lia turned to see Kimo Akisa, one of the math teachers, coming down the hallway, smiling brightly. Kimo was a nice guy, a couple of years older than her. He was from the easternmost reaches of Xing, and always had a friendly expression and a joke. Friendly as he was with her and Ethan – one of their first friends after arriving – he was always consummately formal at work. That was how things were done here.

Lia paused and smiled. ::Mr. Akisa. Finished today as well?::

::Just so,:: Kimo nodded. ::I have a rather ugly pile of math tests that I'm pretty sure are going to be abysmal. The first tests of the term usually are.::

::I don't always find them quite that bad,:: Lia replied. ::So you'll be grading all evening I take it?::

::Most likely,:: Kimo sighed, then chuckled. ::I was wondering if you'd like to bring your tests and join me? I like to take up a table at the tea shop and work there. Fewer distractions than my apartment complex, and pleasant atmosphere.::

::And a never-ending supply of tea and coffee?:: Lia chuckled.

::That too,:: Kimo nodded, shamelessly grinning. ::So do you want to come?::

Lia thought about it for a moment. She was only planning to grade tonight. Ethan was out of town on another several-day visit to another remote mountain village and wouldn't be home for a few days. ::Sure. That sounds better than sitting alone in my room with these things,:: she agreed. A sandwich and a cup of tea and a little company would be pleasant while getting work done. ::Meet you there in an hour?::

::See you then,:: Kimo agreed before heading off.

Lia headed to her office, picked up what she would need for the evening, dropped off anything she wouldn't, then headed back to her apartment to change out of her good work clothes. Dressed in something more casually comfortable, she headed down to the tea shop.

There were plenty of tea shops in town, but the one everyone referred to as the Tea Shop, was nearly equidistant between the school, the hospital, and most of the affordable housing for single professional adults in the area. As a hang-out of that nature, there were almost never students in it, and so it was easy to work and have quiet conversations in peace.

Kimo had already claimed a large table that would easily accommodate both teachers, and had a steaming cup of ginseng beside him – something he drank a lot of. ::I'm glad you came!:: he grinned. There was space just across the long narrow table from him.

::Well I said I would,:: Lia pointed out with a chuckle as she sat down and pulled out her work. The waitress came over and Lia ordered jasmine green tea with milk and honey before setting down to work. Her tea came quickly, and they sat in mostly companionable silence as they worked. The quiet broken occasionally by an amusing tale of something a student said or light faculty-lounge gossip.

The place was not particularly crowded. It filled as dinner drew closer, and Lia ordered fish and vegetables for dinner. Kimo ordered teriyaki chicken and rice. They both had more tea and talked, taking a break from the grading for more detailed conversation.

Lia wasn't expecting it. Two seconds later, instead of conversing, Kimo had leaned in and kissed her! Stunned, it took her several moments to react. ::What are you doing?!:: She asked, pulling back sharply.

Kimo looked surprised when she moved, then disappointed. ::I thought that was obvious.::

::You know I'm not available, Kimo,:: Lia replied pointedly. She had come with Ethan and they had made that fact no secret. Kimo had been a friend to them both since they arrived over a year ago. What was going on? ::Why would you do that?::

::Because you deserve someone who's actually around,:: Kimo replied. ::You're a fantastic girl, Lia. I don't see how Elric can spend so much time away. Even when he's here he's at the hospital working odd hours and long shifts. You shouldn't have to be alone so much.::

Perhaps he meant to be sympathetic, and maybe she should be flattered that Kimo found her attractive, but in that moment all Lia felt was anger. ::How dare you!:: She kept her voice down, though there was almost no one in the place at the moment. ::You cannot presume to speak as to what I do or do not deserve; or what I consider enough time. What Ethan is doing is important and I support him as much as he supports me in what I want to do!::

::You're not engaged,:: Kimo replied, looking apologetic but unruffled, and not ashamed either. ::He's made no permanent claim.::

::Our personal life is not your concern, Kimo,:: Lia retorted. She had never felt such anger! ::I love Ethan and I'm not interested in anyone else.::

::It doesn't look like he feels the same from this side,:: Kimo admitted. ::Guys commit or they don't, Lia. I'm not the only one around here who thinks Ethan's not capable of it.::

::That's ridiculous,:: Lia countered. There were people who didn't think Ethan would make that commitment? It had never occurred to her that anyone might think that way. This was Ethan! Of course, they didn't know him as well as she did. The older folks all wondered when they were getting married and starting a family. The younger – those their own age – hadn't said much on the subject actually. But… she wondered then at the asking and the silence. ::Ethan will ask when he's ready.:: She knew Ethan was worried about messing things up. She didn't blame him for that. Not with his family history. She was patient. She could wait.

::Is it?:: Kimo asked sadly, as if he thought she might be deluding herself. ::Some guys, even nice guys, just can't do it, for whatever reason they have, they can't get past the roadblock.::

::Well Ethan isn't one of those people,:: Lia stood up, gathering her papers quickly. ::Good night, Kimo.:: She hurried out of the tea shop as fast as she could move as tears stung in her eyes. Now she desperately missed Ethan, and wanted to talk to him, to be reassured. But he wasn't here, and he wouldn't be back until at least Saturday.

By the time Lia got back to her apartment she could barely see the lamp posts or the building itself for the tears that blurred her vision.