Author's Note: And, we're back! Thanks to everyone for their patience in waiting for this story! After a little time off, getting several crazy life changes taken care of (my husband is cancer free, and I have a full-time outside-the-house job!), and a very productive November of writing, I have another completed story to share! And enough of a buffer that I hope to be able to get back into a regular posting schedule again.

December 22nd, 1973

There was nothing Edward Elric would rather do, he thought, than watch his family interact and spend time with them. That was why holidays where the entire ever-growing clan could get together were his favorites, and this afternoon was no exception. Once again everyone had gathered in Resembool for the winter holiday, and from his vantage point in the kitchen, where he was helping with dinner preparation by chopping huge piles of vegetables that were going in various dishes for the next several days, he could see and overhear several conversations going on at once; which was good, because the family was so big now that having just one group and one conversation was nigh on impossible.

And there were several conversations Ed was enjoying listening in on. The nearest, and most interesting to him, was listening to Minxia talk about her first term at the Chalas School in Creta, the private high school that specialized in archaeology, anthropology that worked in conjunction with the University at Pylos.

Naturally, Minxia had also taken tons of photographs and was happily showing them off as she talked about the stories and people involved with each of them. "And these are the Emulan Ruins, where we went on our last field trip. It's said that the ancient Cretans built them as a temple to one of their gods; the god of wealth, and that it used to be full of riches, but that after a war five centuries ago, all of it was looted and scattered, not only around Creta, but much of it was taken across the seas to foreign lands. It certainly looks like there was a war though, and there's no gold or anything left there now. They've been digging scouring the place ever since."

"What's this one?" Urey asked his second cousin curiously, pointing at a photo Ed couldn't see because of the crowd around Minxia at the long dining table.

"Oh, that one's call the throne of Varalax. He was the last king of Emulan, back when Creta was nothing but city-states."

"It looks big enough to seat five or ten people," Ted commented. "Don't tell me he was a giant."

"Only his ego," Minxia giggled. "I think it was more meant to be a tribute, given its carved of stone, and Professor Filian from the University said that they think there used to be a separate statue of Varalax that was carved and then seated on the statue, but that it was taken. That's based on some scrape marks you can see on the seat of the chair if you climb up on it."

"Is that why this dark haired boy is hanging from the seat by his knees?" Gracia asked with a knowing smile.

"Sort of," Minxia chuckled. "That's my friend Thrakos. He's a goofball like that."

"Wait, Thrakos Argyros?" Al asked, and he looked up and caught Ed's eye.

"Yeah, he's President Argyros' son," Minxia confirmed. "But you wouldn't know it. He's really easy going and well, as you can see he's not really into formal stuff."

"I'm not surprised," Winry chuckled, poking her head out of the kitchen door next to Ed. "His uncle isn't either."

"That's for sure," Sara smiled, coming over to join them. "Sounds like it was a fascinating term, Minxia."

"And she brought home straight As," Will beamed proudly.

"You sound like you're surprised," Ren teased.

"Of course not," Will snorted. "I'm just proud. The curriculum's a lot stricter at Chalas than it was at Central Middle School."

"That's the truth," Minxia grinned. "My classes were so busy! On top of Introduction to Archaeology, and Basic Anthropology, and the required advanced Cretan course for non-Cretan students, I had to take Literature, and Mathematics, and Continental History."

"And she joined the gymnastics club, and the alchemy club!" Michio chimed in, having clearly heard more about his big sister's school experience than the extended family.

"They have an alchemy club?" Ed asked curiously. He'd never heard of a school having an alchemy club.

"Yeah," Minxia looked up at him. "One of our teachers, Mr. Rallos, is an alchemist. He doesn't do big, flashy stuff, but he knows a lot, and most of the club is about theory and the history of alchemy and types of alchemy more than actually doing anything. So you don't actually have to be an alchemist to be in the club."

"That's neat," Al smiled at his grand-daughter. "So what have you been talking about in that?"

As the conversation shifted to discussion of the clubs and school life, Ed's attention turned back to his vegetables and the rest of the room. There was another large group hanging out in the couches and squashy recliners by the fireplace and the television, though the television was off, and the fireplace had a roaring blaze.
Reichart and Deanna were curled up on one couch, with little Rhiana asleep on her father's shoulder, making use of her favorite napping spot, especially now that Deanna's lap was slowly vanishing again as she was five months pregnant.

Coran and Gale were sitting with them, as were Trisha and Roy. Ed was glad Trisha and Roy had decided to spend their first holiday married in Resembool. While Roy had always been welcome at Sara's house and at family parties with friends, he hadn't gotten to take part in the full Elric experience. So far he seemed to be enjoying himself, drinking a root beer and lounging and talking.

"Spying on everyone as usual, Dad?"

Ed looked over at Sara, who had joined him in the kitchen. "Of course. How else can I keep track of everything that's going on?" He nodded over at Trisha and Roy. "How are they doing?" After the rough period in Drachma that had led to, of all things, their very sudden marriage, Ed hadn't heard as much as he wanted to about them, especially annoying given he'd been their alchemy teacher for years. He had only briefly been back in Central for the party they'd held to celebrate, and that was it.

"They're doing much better," Sara replied. "The apartment's really cute, the one they found, despite the fact it's really close to HQ, and they come over for dinner at least twice a week. A lot of the tension seems to be gone."

"Should we be expecting news of more great-grandkids in the near future?"

"Dad." Sara rolled her eyes. "I don't think so. Trisha said they want to wait a while, and just have fun being married first, and get used to actually living together and working things out before they add kids to the mix."

"That might be one of the most sensible things I've ever heard," Ed quipped, though he smiled at Sara when she half glared at him. "Not that I've ever been accused of sensibility myself. That's good though." They didn't have nearly the world experience, despite their careers, that Sara and Franz had, though they had at least as much as say, Aldon and Cassie had. The fact that they had avoided having children before they wanted them so far boded well in Ed's mind. "Hey, where's Ian?" Sara's arrival had caused Ed to cast about for James, and then Ian, since they had all come in that day on the train together.

Sara rolled her eyes. "Your motion-picture star grandson was mobbed by pretty girls when we got off the train. I expect he's still regaling his friends with stories of Central and filming."

At that, Ed laughed. Of course. "I'm sure he is. Though he did do a very convincing job in that film, didn't he?" The movie Ian had filmed not too long ago had just come out in the theaters, and now that Resembool had a movie house –three whole screens, biggest in the area- Ed had found it very easy to go watch. Naturally Resembool had been one of the first places to play it too, since it had one of their own in a starring role.

"Oh he did," Sara agreed. "Which is why my house now gets press calls wanting to do interviews, and we've unlisted the number to avoid the ever-growing number of rabid fan girls hoping Ian will date them."

"Has he?"

"None of the rabid ones," Sara admitted, though she shook her head. "But he's gotten very popular, even at school. Thankfully he's got some fairly sensible friends, even if most of them are on the cast of Amestris High or other shows at the studio. He's got a couple of them at school too, and he's getting his work done. If he wasn't, I wouldn't let him go out."

"He's lucky he lives with a couple of Generals to keep him in line," Ed grinned. He wasn't too worried about Ian. He was more sensible, and more career conscious, than the troublesome teens Ed had known, and raised in some cases.

He glanced in the direction of Tore, who was over with Ethan and Cal keeping a general eye on the great rumpus of kids playing a complex board game in the corner, while the littler ones played with blocks.

"Yeah. I'll kick his ass if he does anything dumb," Sara grinned.

"Hey, Sara, can you help me with this casserole?" Alyse called from further in the kitchen.

"Right on it!" Sara turned and walked away.

In the corner, Ed saw Coran stand up quickly, and come towards the kitchen with a particularly quick walking step. Watching his grandson curiously, Ed noticed he glanced back at Gale at least twice as he came in, poured a cup of hot chocolate, and turned to go. It was very, suspicious. Coran returned with the cocoa, offered it to Gale, kissed her on the cheek. "Do you need anything else?" Coran asked, though Ed could only read his lips over the gabble in the room.

Apparently Gale said yes, because Coran came back almost immediately to the open front counter, where snacks were laid out for consumption until dinner was ready. He started putting fresh veggies and dip on the plate, and fruit salad, and pasta salad.

"That for Gale or you?" Ed teased, getting an inkling and going with the hunch.

"What? Oh…" Coran shrugged. "It was a long trip," he said a little too casually.

"When's she due?"

Coran almost dropped the spoon. He was staring at him now. "How do you do that?"

Ed laughed, and gave an answer that was no more than gesturing out at the large living room positively crammed with people. "Do you really need to ask that question?"

Coran chuckled. "You have a point."

"So were you going to tell anyone?"

"Tonight," Coran admitted. "We haven't known very long, and she's not due until August, so there's time."

"Planned?" Ed dared to ask, even though he knew that could be a loaded question.

"Enough," Coran grinned. "We figured we were ready, and we didn't really want to wait too late to start."

"You're only twenty-three," Ed pointed out.

"Exactly," Coran retorted. "Gale didn't want to wait to start until we were older. Something about wanting to be able to keep up with them, and keep her figure," he grinned.

Ah, so this was mostly Gale's idea. "I take it you agree with her."

"On both counts," Coran chuckled as he finished filling the plate and turned away, heading back to the couch.

"Ed, are those vegetables done?" Winry's voice came from behind him. "I need the potatoes and the onions for this stew."

Ed looked down. Fortunately he had finished both of those. He smiled as he picked up those two bowls and turned away. "They're ready, dear. Do you need anything else?"

Alphonse eventually tore himself away from Minxia's excited and ongoing narrative about her experiences in Creta, and returned to helping in the kitchen, where Elicia was working on making a variety of desserts. Currently she was working on a triple-batch of cheesecake. In theory, that ought to be enough for everyone to have some. "I'm amazed you were able to get so many fresh strawberries," he said, looking at the large bowl of sugared fruit that was going to be the topping for the light, fluffy white cheesecakes.

"Ed cheated for me," Elicia grinned. "He went out into the hot-house and encouraged a few strawberry plants."

"He must have been very convincing," Al grinned. A hot house and a little alchemy and there was no reason you couldn't have fresh fruit out of season.

"He really wanted strawberries," Elicia laughed, and out from seeming nowhere a wooden spoon smacked the back of Al's outstretched hand.
He snapped it back from the strawberries, and grinned abashed. "I can't blame him. They look delicious. Almost as good as you… almost." He kissed her cheek.

"Flatterer." Elicia finished pouring the cheesecake batter into three pans. "So, did you tell Minxia about your surprise?"

Al shook his head, and grinned mischievously. "No, I thought I'd let her be really surprised."

"You're really going to spring this on your granddaughter with no prior warning?" She picked up the first pan.

"Of course," he laughed as he opened the oven for her. "It will be a lot more fun that way."

"We should hurry this up so we can make use of the hot tub," Aldon grinned, speaking quietly to Ed after dinner.

"You think there will be room?" Ed laughed, as much as he was looking forward to spending time in the hot tub out back, especially in the winter, the folks who didn't live in Resembool would probably claim it first. Oh well, maybe they could talk Roy into heating the entire swimming pool enough to make it enjoyable.

Family announcement time had turned out to be after dinner –which Ian had arrived just in time for- and once everyone was full and less inclined to run around. Even the kids were content to sit more quietly and play, or read, or go off by themselves into other parts of the house.

"Good point. Maybe if we hurry." Aldon looked over at Cassie, who smiled, and then knocked on the mantelpiece with his fist. The sound carried well enough in the high-ceilinged room that everyone fell quiet, the excitement still buzzing from Gale and Coran's announcement that they were expecting. "Hey, everyone, I've got something I'd like to say."

"Well at least we know you aren't having another one," Cal quipped from the back.

"Very funny." Ed looked at his son. This was his show.

"After a lot of thought, and discussions, and more thought… and permission from my wife," Aldon went on, smiling. "I've decided to go ahead and run for Mayor of Resembool."

That elicited even more excited buzz, several cheers, a few laughs, and a general round of applause.

"It's about time," Reichart called out.

"I guess that means he can count on your vote?" Ed teased.

"Too bad most of us don't live here," Trisha smiled. "It would be in the bag!"

"Now I don't know how much of a shot I've got," Aldon continued. "But it doesn't look like I'll have a lot of competition. Mayor Turwell is retiring, so it's a whole new race."

Turwell was actually a couple of years older than Ed, and he wasn't at all surprised the man wanted to retire after a nearly twenty-year run of regular re-elections. He was very well liked.

"Who are you running against?" Coran asked curiously.

"So far the only other name I've heard bandied around is Ron Causwith," Aldon replied.

"Who's he?" Sara asked.

"He runs the new electrical plant," Ed informed his daughter. "He and his wife moved into town about two years ago."

"What does this have to do with you?" Tore asked Ed.

Ed shrugged, grinning. He figured that question would come around to him sooner or later. "I'm going to be his campaign manager."

"You?" Sara blurted out, looking surprised.

"Is that so funny?" Ed asked. "Who else knows as much about politics and Resembool in this family, I'd like to know? And lives here and will be here to help?" he added, heading off Alphonse's retort as his brother raised his hand.

Al laughed. "Fair enough."

"So just what kind of issues are discussed in a political race somewhere like Resembool?" Charisa asked, with honest curiosity.

"Oh all sorts of things," Aldon leaned back against wall. "Bridge and road maintenance, new electrical wiring, city ordinances, new buildings, grazing rights…"

"Grazing rights?" Roy looked puzzled.

Ed nodded. "Yep. Well would you like to wake up to find a herd of sheep and their shepherd staring in your bedroom window?"

"Ah, no," Roy admitted, his cheeks going slightly rosy. "I'd rather not."