"Isn't he adorable Ed?" Winry asked, glancing up at her husband.
"Yeah, he sure is," Ed answered softly.
Edward Elric gazed fondly at the little bundle Winry held in her arms. He smiled as a pair of small golden eyes stared right back at him under a mop of blond hair. He and his wife were in a room at Central Hospital, following the birth of their son.
"What should we name him?" Ed wondered. "I can't think of anything."
"Well, he looks just like you, so how about Edward Jr.?"
"Edward Elric Jr. Well why not? I'm gonna go get Al. Be right back."
Ed walked down the hall towards the hospital waiting room, arms crossed behind his head. As he walked, he thought about his own parents. His father had abandoned him and his brother Alphonse when they were very young. Their mother had wasted away waiting for him, and had died when Edward was 9.
"It's not gonna be that way with my son," Ed thought fiercely. "I'll always be there for him. No matter what."
Ed reached the lobby and glanced around, quickly spotting the large suit of armor that was Alphonse Elric. After their mother died, the 2 had studied alchemy in order to try to bring her back to life. But the attempt at human alchemy had gone horribly wrong, and the brothers had paid a high price. Edward lost his left leg, and Al lost his entire body. Ed had to give up his right arm in order to save his younger brother, attaching Al's soul to a suit of armor.
"Hey Al," Ed said as his brother looked up.
"Hey. How's Winry?"
"She's fine. The baby's fine too. A little boy."
"Really? That's great!" Al exclaimed happily. "How big is he? What's he look like? Can I see him? Have you picked a name yet? What is it? Is he-"
"Whoa, slow down Al! Take it easy," Edward said laughing. "One question at a time! His name is Ed Jr., and he's about 8 pounds. As for what he looks like, come see for yourself."
"Look-it him! He's so tiny! Hi little fellow! I'm your uncle Al. We've all been waiting to meet you. He's so cute! He looks just like you brother! Look-it his little hand!"
Ed laughed happily, watching the 7-foot suit of armor gushing over the newborn baby. He and Winry locked eyes and grinned, both feeling an enormous sense of pride at the miracle they had created.
Ed's attention was diverted as the baby yawned. He looked down at his son as a pair of golden eyes slowly closed, little Edward Jr. yawning again as he fell asleep.
"Good night sweetie," Winry whispered. "We love you so much."
5 Years Later
"Dada? Dada, what's this word?"
The 28-year-old Edward Elric looked down at the 5-year-old toddler holding up an alchemy book 3 inches thick. Little Ed Jr. hated it when he came across something he couldn't figure out on his own. The boy was a genius, but was still only 5 years old, with the fiery temper all toddlers have.
Ed smiled, bending over to look at the page his son was pointing to. But his smile faded and his eyes darkened as he read, the words sparking bad memories. "It says humunculus son," he said softly.
"What's a humumclese?" the toddler asked, stumbling over the unfamiliar word.
"It's..." Ed hesitated, unsure if he should tell the child the truth. But he knew Ed Jr. wouldn't stop asking until he received an answer.
"It's an artificial person son," he stated finally. "A human that's not a human, like a living doll."
"Oh, OK thanks." The 5-year-old grinned, happy that he had learned something new. But his grin disappeared when he noticed how dark his father's eyes had become. "Dada? Is something wrong? You look sad."
"W-what" Edward said, startled. "No. No, I'm fine. Really."