XOXOXOXXOXOXXOXOXO

On the other side of the universe a ray of light sliced through the air and spat out one very disgruntled foreigner. The newcomer's particles emerged and rearranged until Stitch was finally whole. The disorienting experience left the little critter dazed and nauseous for a few minutes. Finally getting his bearings, Stitch glanced around horrified to find himself in a different location. He sniffed the air trying to get a sense of direction. The chores he had accomplished along with the fight he had with Pleakley left him ravishing with hunger. The alien caught the draft of what must be food in this country and scampered off in that general direction.

Traveling for a mile or so he stopped to catch his breath and take in the view. Ahead lay a rather primitive city (at least primitive to his tastes) that promised people who could help him. A growling stomach was all he needed to motivate him. In stealth mode experiment 626 crept along the first ally he came to after scaling the city wall. The city limits did little to impress him. It was the busy infrastructure of the urban jungle's heart that caught his attention.

Finding the back of a restaurant, the young alien slid in the side door in search of a refrigerator. Unnoticed, he cracked the door slightly, tummy rumbling, as a shattering scream stopped all production. A chef had spotted him. Frozen and wide-eyed he sought a quick exit. Through the doors to the main dinning room he fled faster then lightening. Stitch finally found the blessed front door and dashed through down the street. Denizens either working or out for leisure time screamed at the sight of him.

"Momma look a doggy!" a young boy cried in delight. His mother scooped him up and ran for cover. Directly behind her on all sides, men in blue uniforms with silver watches or guns emerged closing in on him.

"Stop! You're under arrest!" an officer shouted pointing pistol at him. The old Stitch would have snarled and attacked, but the newer, more gentle version wondered if he could reason with these people. But before he could open his mouth to speak, he was blinded by flares and smoke screens. A dizzying sensation enveloped him and suddenly all he could think of was curling up in a cozy hammock for a nice afternoon nap with Lilo. "It's going down! Get the cage!"

"Yes Sir!" was the last thing the captive could hear before being swallowed by darkness as the fume overtook him.

Waking up to a guard and cell somehow did not surprise Stitch. He'd been in that position before, back when Lilo and Nani had first "purchased" him in that run down shack of a dog shelter. He smiled at the memory and regretted it, the action reminded him he had one hell of a headache. Scaling the wall while the guards attention was elsewhere, he quickly bent a bar of the cell and crawled upside down along the ceiling. Halfway down the corridor he heard voices and paused to listen.

"You've safely detained the foreign chimera?" a lieutenant asked.

"Yes Sir, it caused quite the stir."

"This is all we need. Central's newspapers will enjoy this little slip up."

Not bothering to hear anymore, Stitch fled out of the building and into an open delivery truck. He slipped inside and rode the vehicle to the end of the line, desperate to distance himself from his pursuers. As the truck paused briefly at a local train station, Stitch stole away in the luggage compartment of the rear car on the train. The whistle roared announcing departure as the conductor called out, "Next stop Resembool!"

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A brilliant golden sun governed the clear azure skies as three blonde adolescents splashed in the pristine waters of a shallow river bank. Edward Elric watched in pride and amusement as his girlfriend attempted to drown his younger sibling. It was as if time had been reversed and the trio were children again. Ed shook his head and banished his old demons as he stretched out on the shore, content with life. After being stranded in another world twice and one very successful human transmutation, he had gained a new appreciation for leisure time. The whole affair had left them all drained so it took little coaxing from Al and Winry to get him to relax. He reached out to the sun with his newly restored right hand.

"Not regretting what you gave up are you kid?" Pinako asked as she snuck up behind him armed with a picnic basket full of sandwiches, freshly squeezed lemonade and chocolate cookies straight from the oven.

"Never, I'm just glad to be back home." he replied with his mouthful of a sandwich he had pilfered.

"What a shame, we really did make a small fortune off you boys. At least we can see you now with what little height you've gained since you've lost the automail." she smirked. She never thought she'd live to see the brothers whole and home. They needed a sense of normalcy, and if it required a few blunt remarks on Ed's account then she would be more then willing to make that sacrifice.

"Old hag," falling back into the old routine was easier then he'd ever imagined.

"Pipsqueak"

"Mutant"

"Half-pint"

Their spirited, verbal game of ping-pong lasted until Al and Winry grew tired of listening and surprised Ed with a wave of water. Golden orbs danced with the promise of revenge after the initial shock of being soaked wore off. "You're dead!" he declared throwing his shirt aside as he dove into 'battle'. Pinako chuckled to herself as she watched the fray while enjoying lunch. It really was good to have the kids home again.

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It wasn't till dusk fell upon the rolling hills of Risembool that the group gathered their things to head back home. Winry offered her arm to assist a limping Ed, who was suffering from a severe case of sunburn. His skin felt as if it were on fire from the inside out, so he preferred to be left to his own devices. In any case, he was grateful he no longer had automail to brand himself with during the heat of the summer.

"Honestly, what were you thinking Ed? How could you forget to put sunscreen on? Some prodigy." Winry teased lightly poked the irritated skin. Her finger left a white impression on the raw skin and faded back to it's new rosy shade within seconds. He winced and growled at her.

"Don't forget nearly drowning from stomach cramps. You should wait at least 30 minutes before jumping in Brother."

If Ed could move properly, he'd have chased them both all the way back home. "Shut up already! You're the ones who wanted me to come in." He just wanted nothing more then to crawl into bed.

"You're just too easy to bait kid," Pinako commented. Ed was too sore to explode.

Finally reaching the cool interior of the Rockebell homestead, Ed limped upstairs. After changing into a clean pair of shorts, he flopped onto his nice comfy bed as gently as possible. He had nearly drifted off into sleep until a sharp rapping at his door pulled him from his awaiting dreams. "It's me,"Winry announced and let herself in," I brought you some water and lotion."

The groggy alchemist moaned in protest as he shifted position. "Win...wut timezit?" he mumbled.

"It's only been an hour since we got home. I just wanted to treat your burn before you drifted off." Ed snorted at her timing. His shoulders jerked as a cold substance settled on his skin, and he hissed as Winry gently messaged his upper body. Eventually he grew used to the pressure of her loving caresses and moaned quite content with himself.

"Sorry," she said mistaking the moan for pain.

He smiled as he closed his eyes," No, feels good. Thanks." Winry finished fifteen minutes later after Ed was fast asleep. It was difficult for her to tear her eyes away from him, it was still a shock to see him in one piece again. He almost looked angelic in his sleep. His lean body was muscular as always, and the mechanic couldn't wait until he was healed so she could wrap her arms around him again.

Winry kissed his forehead softly and whispered goodnight. She took a gossamer afghan from the foot of the bed and draped it over him. She turned off the light before closing the door behind her. Winry would join Al downstairs for a little while longer before retiring to bed herself. How long had she dreamed her family would all be home together like this? The young woman smiled to herself feeling a warm glow deep within her heart, a warmth she knew would never fade as long as the brothers were near.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Note: Sorry about the delay. I think I've written about 5 different scenarios before coming up with this one. I'm not as happy with the first part as I am with the Amestrian sections. Anyway, if there were one or two things you noticed that seemed out of place, it was intentional and will be explained later. Did I mention this takes place after the movie? Thanks for your patience and patronage. Criticism's appreciated. Happy Easter and I hope you had a lovely spring break!