Hi! So the other day I came up with this idea for a Fullmetal Alchemist story and I had to write it down. Originally I was going to wait until after I finished the 4 other stories that I'm currently working on to publish but my younger brother bugged me until I published it. And this is it.

I just want to put a quick disclaimer here before I get started. I have only watched the original FMA in it's entirety. I've watched some of Brotherhood and the parts i've missed I am currently watching on JustDub and Funimation depending on what my computer feels like letting me watch it on. This actually takes place after FMA: Brotherhood instead of the original FMA/ Conqueror of Shamballa because I like the end of Brotherhood better. Any discrepancies you may see in the story I will do my best to fix as I go through the season again and if they're big ones please feel free to let me know. Thank you!

Oh! And I do not own FMA at all even though I kinda wish I did :D Anyhow...on with the story!

"Will! Get back here! I'm telling Mom if you don't!"

"Not a chance sis!" Will laughed his blond hair flying out behind him.

Ella Elric glared at her brother who was running some feet ahead of her. They were supposed to be collecting firewood but once again her older brother had skipped out leaving her with the work. She didn't know just why she expected him to help out but she had hoped that this time maybe he'd actually do what their mother told them.

With a growl she walked over to the wood pile and grabbed the axe that leaned against the pile of wood and a log before settling them on the chopping block. The axe was heavy but Ella knew she could manage. She'd managed before.

Ella was halfway through splitting her 3rd log when she heard a voice behind her.

"Ella why are you chopping wood? Where's Will?"

Ella sighed as she turned to look at her mother.

"He ran off. Again."

Winry shook her head, "What on earth are we going to do with that boy? He's just like your father! Honestly…is it really that hard to cut some wood?"

"It's okay Mom. I've got it." Ella replied and picked up the axe again.

"No way. I need you to go to the market. We're out of eggs, milk and bread. If you want you can get some fruit. There is money on the table. I will take care of your brother." Winry said and set off in the direction that Will had ran off in. As she did she saw that her mother had a wrench sticking out of her back pocket.

Smiling at the fact her brother was about to get what was coming to him she dusted off her hands and went to get the grocery basket from inside.

When she walked inside she saw her father playing cards with the twins. It looked like he was losing to both Alice and Arthur judging by the few candies he was left to bet with.

"Having fun?" Ella asked looking over her Dad's shoulder.

"Yeah…even if they are cheating." he replied and both of the twins stuck their tongues out at him.

Ella laughed, "Don't worry Daddy. We'll love you even if you do lose to a couple of little kids."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE?!" The twins yelled in sync making Ella smile.

"Well I'm going to the store and Mom is chasing down Will because he skipped out on chopping wood again." she said as she grabbed the basket.

"You just went yesterday. What do we need now?" he asked.

"Mom said bread, eggs and milk." Ella replied.

Ed turned his nose up at the word 'milk', "Don't bother with the milk."

"Just because you don't like it Dad doesn't mean that we don't." she smiled and headed out.

As she walked Ella took pleasure in the scent and scenes of the countryside. Both of her parents had been raised in Resembool and she enjoyed living there. She had been to Central a few times with her parents to visit friends there, a woman named Gracia and her daughter Elicia, and it was an amazing city but there was nothing like home.

After a while she reached the market and found it as busy as ever. Several people waved and said hello as she gathered everything she needed. Ella waved back and smiled as well.

She was pouring over some strawberries she thought looked good when something caught her eye. Standing at the edge of the crowd that filled the market was a man in a blue military uniform. Soldiers didn't often come to Resembool since it was relatively quiet. The ones who came only came to visit her father and she knew all of them. This one was new.

He stood a little taller than her with shaggy black hair and brown eyes. In fact something struck her as familiar about the guy. However the harder she tried to put her finger on it the more it slipped away.

Ella didn't even realize that she was staring until the brown eyes turned on her. Feeling her face heat up she quickly looked back to the strawberries before choosing a package and heading to pay for her groceries. Once they were paid for she headed home.

As she left the market though she felt as if she could still feel those eyes pressing into her back. Shaking it off she concentrated on the way home and eventually the feeling disappeared.

"I'm home!" she called as she walked into the house she shared with her parents, Older and younger brothers and younger sister.

"Did you get everything I asked you to get?" Winry asked as her daughter walked into the kitchen with a full basket.

"Yep." Ella smiled putting the basket onto the table where her mother was cutting potatoes for their supper.

"Good girl." her mother smiled.

"Where's Dad and the others?" Ella asked realizing the house was oddly quiet.

"Your Dad is out taking a walk, the twins are off playing somewhere and Will is moping in the shop." Winry replied.

"Oh okay. You want help with dinner?"

Winry smiled, "No sweetheart, you can go do whatever you like."

"Thanks Mom." Ella smiled and headed back outside towards the shop to find out what her brother was up to.

Both her mother and Will made Automail. They had a small shop that they had set up after the twins were born and they had needed the room for them. Most people in and around Resembool thought that Rockbell Automail was the best, especially when they found out that it was the company that made the Automail leg for the Fullmetal Alchemist.

A smile crossed Ella's lips as she thought about her Dad being a State Alchemist. He was still quite well known, thought he didn't have any alchemic powers to speak of after his last trip through the Gate. However that wasn't well known information and there were still some people who asked him to perform everything from simple to complex alchemy.

If it was simple sometimes he'd defer the person to either herself or Will who both were gifted with a talent for Alchemy. Along with their father, their Uncle Al had taught them everything they knew and both were pretty advanced. Despite being a year younger than her brother, at 16 Ella was actually better than him.

Will was more involved in working with Automail than he was in Alchemy. Neither of the twins had ever shown a real interest in either of the family trades and at 10 it seemed they never would.

Opening the door Ella poked her head in, "Brother? Are you in here?"

"Yeah. I'm here." he replied from somewhere in the back.

Ella walked into the shop and headed into the back where she sure enough found her brother. He was the exact image of their father; golden hued eyes, dark blond hair that was tied into a braid down his back, and a cheesy grin. However right now there was no grin on his face but there was a white bandage on his head.

"How's work?" Ella asked sitting down in a chair next to the table.

"Fine." Will replied shortly.

"Are you really mad at me for earlier?" Ella asked.

"No. Why would I be mad at you for telling Mom and her wrench that I skipped out on wood chopping duty?" Will said scowling at her.

"I didn't tell her! She came out and saw that you weren't there! What did you want me to do? Lie and say that I had no clue? I was chopping the wood you were supposed to be. If anyone is to blame here it's you and you know it." Ella sighed.

"Whatever. Hand me that screwdriver." Will replied and Ella handed him the tool.

"So I saw this guy today at the Market." Ella said after a few moments of silence.

"Really? Huh…imagine that." Will smirked and Ella kicked him under the table.

"He was from Central. How many solders do you see around here that aren't here to visit us?" Ella asked.

Will shrugged, "You know we are still part of Amestris. They're more than welcome to come here whenever."

Ella rolled her eyes, "You're impossible."

"What did the guy look like?" Will asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Ella shot back.

"He must have stood out for more reasons than the fact he was wearing a military uniform or you wouldn't have mentioned him. Right?" Will asked.

Ella sighed and looked at her brother. She hated that he could seemingly read her mind sometimes.

"He had brown eyes and dark hair that was messy. He looked really familiar. I couldn't figure out who he reminded me of though. Sound familiar to you?"

Will shook his head, "Not really."

A moment later a light flashed through the window making both siblings look up.

"Dinner time." Will said and stood, walking out of the shop with Ella following.

When they got inside Alice and Arthur were already setting the table while Edward helped Winry put out dinner.

"Mmm…it smells good Mom." Will smiled as he sat down at the table.

"Thank you sweetheart." Winry replied as they all began to fill their plates.

"Your Mom hit you with her wrench again didn't she?" Ed asked pointing at the bandage around Will's head with his fork.

"It was his fault. I told him to cut wood and he decided that it was time to play instead." Winry replied glaring at her son.

Ed opened his mouth to reply when suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Alice said and jumped up out of the chair and hurried to the front door.

A few moments later she walked back into the room, "Daddy?"

"Yes sweetie?" Ed asked.

"There's a man here for you." She replied and a moment later Ella looked up from her plate to see the dark headed soldier from the market standing behind Alice. His brown eyes turned and rested on her blue ones.

A second later there was a loud clatter as Ed dropped his fork on his plate. Ella's head shot in the direction of the noise and saw her father standing up and her mother looking surprised.

"Roy?" Ed asked.

The soldier shook his head, "No sir. My name is James Mustang, Roy is my father."

Ed's look of confusion changed into a smirk, "So you're Mustang and Hawkeye's kid I take it?"

"I am. I came to talk to you. It's urgent." James Mustang replied.

"Urgent? What could be so urgent that you had to come all the way out here and Mustang couldn't?" Winry asked.

James Mustang looked down at his boots, "Because he couldn't and neither could my mother. They were kidnapped."