December 1st, 1959

"Come to Daddy, beautiful," Will grinned as he took his newly washed and bundled daughter in his arms. "Let's let Mommy have a little break shall we?"

"That will last until she's hungry," Ren chuckled, kissing first Minxia, then Will on the cheek. They had just bathed the tiny girl in the kitchen sink. Ren turned to put up the soap and baby lotion. Minxia smelled like lavender. Just over two weeks old, she might not seem to do much, but to the entire household currently living in Al and Elicia's home, she might as well be a star performer!

"But then she'll fall asleep," Elicia cooed, ever the optimist as she peered around Will's shoulder. "And they're always angels when they're asleep."

Will glanced over at Al, who was standing to one side, enjoying watching his family. "Was she like this with us?"

"Perhaps it's better you don't remember," Al laughed. He and Elicia had both been enamored with their children. The jokes about how much he was like Maes Hughes had not been exaggerated. Though that protectiveness and adoration had lasted longer with Alyse than Will.

Dinner was over, dishes done, and the baby bathed. This was starting to become the usual evening routine. Al rather liked it. There would be some quiet conversation, then Minxia would insist on being fed, then after Elicia or Gracia had taken their insisted turn at walking and burping the baby, she would be tucked up for sleep in the room Will and Ren shared.

"Now it's my turn," Ren smiled as she slipped upstairs to take a long, relaxing bath of her own.

"How about a game of chess?" Al asked his son.

Will grinned at him over the gurgling infant in his arm. "Sure."

"Good, something to keep you both entertained," Gracia chuckled. "I have a quilt I want to finish."

"And I've got a book I've been enjoying," Elicia smiled at them both. All the women vanished on them.

"I think I got left holding the baby," Will laughed as they sat down on couches across from each other and Al set up the chess set.

"At least you don't have that job all night," Al pointed out, grinning. Will and Ren, to their credit, did most of the work with their own daughter, but it was hard to say no when Elicia and Gracia – though Elicia especially – offered to take a midnight hall-walk with the baby.

"Not right now," Will agreed, "Though I'm sure we'll manage when we get our own place."

It was the first time Will had brought up the subject of him and Ren getting a house. Not that it had not come up in conversation previously, but always in an in the future kind of way. The agreement had been that they would spend some time living here after Minxia was born since it was much less stressful than trying to buy and furnish a home with an impending birth, or a newborn child. "Does this mean you've been thinking about it?" Al asked.

"Yeah, Ren and I have talked about it," Will replied, looking down at his chess pieces. "I mean, we love being here," he added hastily, glancing back up. "But it's pretty crowded isn't it? Ren wants to get settled into a place by the time she's ready to start up medical practice here."

Al wondered if that was hesitation he was hearing. "And you don't," he hazarded a guess.

"It's not that," Will looked abashed. "It's just that I… okay this is going to sound stupid at this point… but I'm not ready to, well, settle down that way."

He was right; it did sound a little absurd when he was already married with a wife and daughter. "Why not?" Al asked, not passing judgment.

"It's not that I don't like the idea," Will admitted with a sigh. "It's just that my research isn't anywhere close to finished. I have dozens of sites to check out and people I haven't had the chance to speak to. Ren and I had planned to do more of that first and now..." he shrugged helplessly. "I feel bad that I'm itching to be on the road again getting it all done. I don't want to leave Ren and Minxia behind, but she's too young for that kind of travel. Does any of this make sense?"

Al understood completely. "Wanderlust runs in the family," he chuckled, thinking of his and Ed's years of travel and research, always hunting down something, working on a mission. Their father had been no different. "So does the need to find answers and figure things out. Of course it makes sense. Does Ren want you to stay?" He moved a rook.

Will nodded, countering with a knight. "Ren said she doesn't mind if I go on trips sometimes. She wants to see what I find out as much as I do. Right now I still have more questions than answers on the soul and soul attachments. My research could have so many applications… but it'll be a while before I get back to it outside of Central I think."

"You'll make it," Al reassured him. "Your mother and I have managed. So have Ed and Winry. It's just a matter of working together and remembering to compromise sometimes." He took Will's knight.

"We're pretty good at that already," Will admitted, chuckling and taking one of Al's pawns.

"Funny, from where I sit it looks like you do pretty much everything Ren wants," Al pointed out gently.

Will smirked, bouncing Minxia lightly with one arm as he took Al's rook. "She's pretty much always right and I'm happy to do it," he replied. "That's pretty fair, wouldn't you say?"

Al looked at the grin on his son's face, and though of his own many 'compromises' with Elicia, especially early on in their marriage. "Yes…I'd say so."

December 3rd, 1959

"That was an incredible finish!" Breda clapped his hand down on his son's shoulder as the family walked home after the last elementary school track meet of the winter season. Niam, now eleven years old, had trounced the fastest kids in any school in Central, winning his last race by a solid two seconds. Breda couldn't have been prouder. His son was becoming quite the athlete. He was starting to grow and so far it all seemed to be upward. Niam was getting taller, lean, and he loved activity. Breda didn't make a big deal about it, but he was glad that neither of the kids were inclined toward the issues he'd had as a kid, and still did. "How does it feel?"

"Great! Thanks Dad," Niam grinned. He was holding the trophy he'd won and still looked pretty hyper.

"So what do you want to do?" Breda asked. "A victory like that deserves a celebration!" He glanced at Nancy, realizing he might be offering too much. It was getting relatively late in the evening.

She smiled. "I agree. We should do something. Why don't you choose where we go to dinner?"

"That sounds fair," Charisa agreed with a grin. She had been cheering louder than even her parents when Niam crossed that line. Charisa was proud of her little brother, and she had a competitive spirit that came out in her own sports; softball and swimming.

"Can we go to a movie?" Niam asked hopefully. "There's an adventure playing at the cinema right now that looks great."
"Dinner and a movie, that seems fair," Breda chuckled.

Okay, so there might be one thing Breda wanted to complain about when it came to his children. They ate like rabbits! He was all for healthy eating – really – but they were both much more likely to choose a salad or fish or something than anything hearty.

They went to Niam's favorite restaurant and then afterwards to the movie. Breda enjoyed it immensely. The movie was exciting but, as always, his favorite part was just being out with his family.

When they got home, Niam and Charisa went to bed without argument. That was normal though. They were both responsible and reasonable kids who rarely complained. Charisa, in her first year at the high school, seemed to relish the challenges and opportunities that came her way.

Breda and Nancy got ready for bed. They both had a tendency to read before going to sleep, so they shared nearly an hour of companionable silence before Nancy turned off the light and rolled over to sleep.

Breda lay in the darkness, eyes wide open, as Nancy slept on peacefully beside him. It was a recent problem, but lately he had trouble sleeping some nights. At least, in dropping off. Once he was out he slept like a rock and still woke up feeling rested. Falling asleep, however, was another issue. He had actually found it concerning enough that he had willingly made an appointment with Doctor Gray, who told him that some people as they got older simply needed less sleep. As long as he wasn't feeling tired and clearly getting plenty of rest he shouldn't worry about it.

It was no use. There was no way he was going to get to sleep like this. Quietly, so as not to disturb his wife, Breda got out of bed and headed downstairs. There was some leftover chocolate cake from a dinner party in the refrigerator. If one thing hadn't changed as he got older, something on his stomach was still an almost fail-safe insomnia cure. He felt mildly guilty making a refrigerator raid, but he didn't do it often. He had the cake out of the fridge, a plate out, and a piece sliced when a "Ahem," from the kitchen doorway made Breda turn around.

Charisa was standing there in her pale green and white pajama set – loose pants and a tank top – her deep auburn hair pulled back in a braid for sleeping, her arms crossed under her chest as she smirked. "What are you doing up?" she asked.

"I could ask the same of you," Breda replied. "I couldn't sleep."

"Me either," Charisa admitted.

"Insomnia?" Since she wasn't going to chide apparently, Breda put the cake away.

Charisa shook her head. "Cramps." It was all the explanation she gave, but it was really all Breda needed. For the past couple of years he had been adjusting to the fact that his baby girl was growing up. Smart, athletic, and with a developing figure that Breda – knowing the minds of young guys that age far too well from his own memory – knew turned the heads of the guys at school. Fortunately Charisa had so far addressed the concept of boys and dating with the same level head she did everything else. Breda continued to hope it would remain that way! "I came down for a snack," Charisa admitted with a chuckle. "Mom picked up strawberries and cottage cheese yesterday and that sounded really good."

Even her cravings were healthier. Breda just rolled his eyes. "I won't tell on you if you don't tell on me," he teased.

"Go ahead and tell," Charisa grinned impishly. "Who do you think will get in trouble with Mom?"

"I should have you court-martialed for your cheek," Breda chuckled. "Sit down and join me. How often does an old man get to have a secret midnight rendezvous with a pretty girl?"

Charisa opened the refrigerator and pulled out strawberries and cottage cheese and joined him. "Hopefully almost never," she replied lightly, though she smiled, showing she understood what she really meant. Breda loved spending time with his little girl. He didn't get to as much now as he had when she was little, and he wanted to make the most of the time they had. "I don't see any old men, do you?"

"Flattery will get you nothing," Breda chortled, though he appreciated the comment. The fact that he was old enough to be their grandfather instead of adopted father never bothered Charisa and Niam. "It can't be anything you don't hear at school anyway."

"The boys at school are about as sophisticated and witty as a pond full of toads," Charisa smirked, dipping a strawberry into the small dollop of cottage cheese on her plate. She looked up at him contemplatively as she took a bite. "Digging for information, Dad?"

"I can't be concerned about my daughter's well being?" Breda asked, feigning an indignant air. "And it doesn't seem to stop you from going out with them."

Charisa blushed briefly even as she shrugged. "It doesn't mean there aren't nice guys," she pointed out. "Were you sophisticated and witty in high school?"

Breda smirked. "I was a brain who looked like a thug, what do you think?"

"You don't look like a thug," Charisa smiled.

"Well most people thought so then," Breda replied. It hadn't really bothered him. It wasn't his fault that he had a short, stocky build to begin with. Everyone expected him to be an idiot, and a lot of kids seemed to be bothered by the fact he could outsmart them or beat them up. "The ones who matter know better by now."

"Of course we do," Charisa leaned over in her chair and hugged him. Breda put down his fork full of cake and hugged her back. "Tell you what," she chuckled as she sat back. "I'll take half your cake, you can have a few strawberries, and I won't rat you out to Mom."

Breda rolled his eyes. Girls. He complied. Strawberries with chocolate did sound really good. He smirked as he shifted part of the cake to her place. "I always knew you got my brains."

December 8th, 1959

It was a chilly evening but Alyse didn't mind too much. She was wearing a warm enough jacket. It was well past dark, but she had worked late coordinating the food and décor for a business luncheon she had agreed to help organize for a steel company distributor in town. They had met at the offices and the meeting had run long. Now, as she headed out of downtown, she was looking forward to a meal at home and a nice hot bath!

She took a left at one of her usual short-cuts home. Alyse knew the city inside and out, so she didn't need to pay too much attention to where she was going as she ran over last minute details in her head. The luncheon was tomorrow.

"Hey there, pretty thing."

Alyse looked up, startled out of a list of chairs and tables by an unfamiliar – and not particularly pleasant – male voice. There were three men in their twenties standing along the building in front of her. One of them had stepped out and was blocking her path. They didn't look particularly sober, and Alyse noticed immediately that two of them were wearing military issue pants despite not being in full uniform. "Excuse me," she said firmly, meeting the eyes of the man in front of her with annoyance. "You're blocking my way."

"What's yer hurry," the man smirked, and a waft of alcohol on his breath brushed Alyse's face. "Why don't you join my buddies and I here for a drink? 'S on me."

"That's very nice of you," Alyse replied, sarcasm at a minimum, but impossible to hide completely. "But I really need to be going." Her internal warnings were going off full volume as the other guys stepped away from the wall. They all looked more than a little intoxicated.

"When I say you can go, you can go," the man in front of her replied, reaching out to finger her hair.

Alyse's hand shot up and batted his hand away with a smack. "Don't touch me." She quashed the quiver of fear in her stomach and did her best to focus on her anger. Just because she hadn't trained in combat as extensively as her brother or Ethan or most of the rest of her family didn't mean she had no self-defense experience. She would have been happier if she wasn't wearing a knee-length skirt, hose, and two inch heels! She let her hand slip into her pocket, fingering a piece of chalk she always kept there with a pen, pencil, and small note pad. "Get out of my way."

"Or what?" The tallest of the guys stepped around behind her, smirking. "You're awfully pretty to be out alone at night. That makes you available I think."

"Well isn't your logic flawless," Alyse quipped, glowering. She was quivering inside. She just needed a moment to drop and draw. But she was quickly running out of options. She couldn't fight off three at once. "I'm warning you."

"Warning us?" The third guy – shorter and heavier than the others – snorted. "Come on, babe, quit foolin'." His hand grabbed her rear end!

Alyse spun, bringing her hand up and smacking him as best she could, but the one behind her grabbed her shoulders. "Let go, cretin!" she shouted, bringing her foot up back and hard, her heel smacking into something soft. The first guy went down with a groan clutching his inner thigh near the groin. She staggered backwards and tried to run, only to pitch forward – the heel of her shoe was broken. Damn it! This was bad! She scrambled to her feet, kicked off her shoes, and tried to make a break for it; but the fatter guy fell on her legs.

"Woo! This one's feisty boys! Come on, baby. We just want to have a little fun. Why fight?"

Alyse squirmed, her hand going reflexively for her pocket. She could get out of this. She cursed herself silently for being caught so utterly off guard. She felt tears in her eyes when her hands met powder…the chalk had been completely crushed when she fell. She went for the pencil. Not as good, but maybe….

"What are you doin?" The remaining standing guy sauntered over and crouched down, grabbing her hand. "What's this for, sweetheart?"

"Don't call me that!" Alyse spat at him, still trying to wriggle her legs free. "Get off me you tub of lard," she shouted at the guy on top of her.

"Hey, no need to get offensive," the fat one scowled.

"GET OFF ME!" Alyse shouted as loud as she could. There had to be someone around. She wasn't far from the main drag.

"I want her first, Rav," the tall guy grimaced, standing once more, no longer clutching his privates. "Show her what she's messing with."

Rav was apparently the ringleader; the guy who had stepped in her way. "Sure, Trey." He put his hand under Alyse's chin. "Fighter like this. I like them a little more… acquiescent."

Shit shit shit…. Oh help! This couldn't be happening! Thiscouldn'tbehappening. The thought came to Alyse; was this how her mother had felt? "SOMEBODY HELP ME!" she shrieked in his face.

Rav smacked her hard across the cheek. "Shut up. You'll like this."

"As if you know anything about classy girls."

Alyse's eyes went wide. She knew that voice! She looked up through blurry vision and saw a vaguely familiar shape standing in the shadows of the street about fifteen feet away having just come around a corner.

Rav, Trey, and the fat guy didn't seem particularly worried. "You muscling in our fun, punk?" Rav snorted.

"I'm telling you to get off the girl before I put all your asses up for court-martial." Hands pulled gloves out of a pocket and snapped them on meaningfully.

"You talk awfully tough," Trey smirked. "There's three of us."

"Three nobodies. This is your last chance. Leave the girl alone or you'll be in pieces when I hand you over to the police."

Trey and Rav stepped forward in front of Alyse, blocking the view. Rav cracked his knuckles "Try me."

It was the last mistake they were likely to make in their careers. Alyse knew what the gloves meant and her guess was correct. A sharp clap and a burst of water hurtling out of a nearby fire hydrant sent both of the guys hard against the brick wall and knocked the fat guy off her legs even though it soaked Alyse and left her choking on water. She scrambled to her feet, staggering away from them as Calvin Fischer moved in and finished the job!

He was as good as his word. When it was done all three of them were battered, bruised, and bound together. "Nice little present for the cops," Calvin commented without his usual smile as he stepped back. The tussle and her screams had started to draw a small crowd. Alyse could hear sirens now.

Standing next to Calvin, still in shock that the attack had happened at all…that Calvin had been there to save her…. Alyse felt herself begin to shake and knew she was going into a mild state of shock. Emotion overwhelmed her. Tears began to flow. "I…oh god!" She fell against Calvin's chest, sobbing. "I thought they were going to…"

Awkward arms encircled her. A hand patted her back. "It's all right," Calvin commented quietly. "You're safe. Pull yourself together all right? The police will want a statement."

It wasn't the comfort she wanted, but it would do. He was right. Alyse stood up, sniffed, breathed deeply, and reached into her other coat pocket for a handkerchief and wiped her eyes, dabbing off smudged mascara. "Right."

Calvin looked as nervous as he seemed now that it was over. He couldn't be nervous about the fight? Maybe he thought he'd get in trouble for taking the guys on? Alyse wasn't sure what to think, but a minute later police arrived and asked for an account of what happened. Alyse made herself recount the details and Calvin gave them his account from arrival through dealing with them. Given that Lieutenant Colonel Fischer, Whitewater Alchemist, was completely sober and had handled three obviously drunken disorderlies – who were all soldiers out on the town – the matter was quickly dealt with. Alyse was fairly sure there were going to be three very quick dismissals when that got to their superiors.

When it was done, Calvin turned to Alyse again and spent a moment looking as if he was deciding something. "Are you all right?"

Alyse nodded. "Yeah. They didn't actually do anything." Though she was soaked to the bone and starting to shiver.

Calvin took off his coat and, before she could object and draped it over her shoulders. "I'm going to walk you home." It wasn't an offer or a question.

Alyse nodded. "Could we… my parents' place is closer." After what had just happened she didn't feel like spending the evening alone.

Calvin went briefly pale, but nodded, recovering quickly. "Sure."

They started off in the direction of her parents' house. The night seemed darker than it had before, but as the worst of her fear started to wear off, Alyse felt like an idiot for not going for alchemy first, thinking she could get past them otherwise. She wasn't incapable of fighting, but her tactical choice this evening had been lousy.

It was several minutes before Calvin broke the silence. "So…where's your boyfriend tonight?"

He wanted to talk about Vince? "At home tonight," Alyse replied. "He had an early drill tomorrow and I had a long-running meeting."

Calvin snorted, and Alyse got the feeling he felt that Vince should have been with her. She bristled slightly. "Talk about lousy timing."

"I don't need protection." Alyse pointed out.

Calvin actually smiled as he looked down at her. "Don't you, kid? What about tonight."

Kid? Her nerves grated again, but Alyse figured that was because of how shaken she was. He was irritating her tonight. "Don't call me that, Calvin."

"Then stop calling me Calvin."

"All right. That's fair. But please tell me something. Why can't we at least be friends?" It was a question she had wanted an answer to for a long time. Ever since she had broken it off with him she had tried to stay friendly, but Calvin had been out right avoiding her. She knew it wasn't coincidence. Sara had confirmed as much. Her cousin and Calvin seemed on better terms these days; ever since Calvin had helped get Maes Mustang off a couple of years back. But Calvin avoided her like the plague. He was almost always out of town on assignments. She never knew when he was in town or not.

Calvin seemed to consider his answer. "Because girls like you are bad for my health."

What was that supposed to mean? "I don't understand," Alyse admitted. "We got along fine."

"It wasn't you," Calvin replied softly, fishing in his pocket.

"Oh don't use that old line," Alyse pursed her lips. It's not you, it's me. "I'm the one who broke up with you."

"You did." Calvin pulled a pack of cigarettes out and removed one, quickly followed by a box of matches as the cigarettes went back in his jacket. He paused on a street corner to light the thing.

"I apologized too," Alyse replied, though she had the feeling that didn't mean as much as she had hoped it would at the time. Heck, she knew it hadn't. If they didn't talk now, she might never be able to catch him alone for a private conversation again.

"Yeah," Calvin stuck the matches back in his pocket, took a long drag, exhaled, and started walking again. "You did."

"Is that why you've been avoiding me?" Alyse asked. She'd had plenty of boyfriends over the years, but none of her previous breakups had been traumatic – her father interrupting not withstanding - and she was still on at least casual speaking terms with all of the guys who still lived in Central. "Or is it because of Vince?" It was possible, she supposed, that Calvin still had feelings. That made sense.

"Two for two," Calvin smirked.

A waft of smoke blew into her face as the wind gusted and Alyse coughed, covering her mouth at the acrid smell. Her nose wrinkled. "There's nothing I can say that will mend this, is there?" Alyse asked with a sigh when she could breathe again. They were nearing her folks' place; just another block.

Once again, Calvin took his time answering. He finished half the cigarette before he spoke again. "No."

They were only a couple of houses away now. It was barely eight o'clock. The lights in the house sparkled across the frosty lawn. Alyse stopped, sighed, and turned to face him. "I'm sorry. I don't even have the right to be asking you this. Not now. Thank you, for tonight."

The handsome face above her looked oddly uncomfortable. "You d—you're welcome," he replied gruffly, changing his answer mid sentence. He looked up at the house. "I… I didn't even recognize your voice when you screamed," he added. "I just ran to help."

Of course. If he had known, would he have come running? Probably, but Alyse wished she knew for sure. She wasn't used to this lack of closure, this awkward ending to things. "Would you like to come in and at least have a cup of coffee or something?" she asked. "I'm sure my parents won't mind."

"No," Calvin shook his head. "I'm late to meet up with someone."

Alyse caught a note in his voice. "Girlfriend?"

"You could call her that," Calvin replied vaguely.

One night stand more probably. Alyse managed not to frown. She owed Calvin a lot for tonight, even if she didn't approve of his behavior with other girls any more than Sara ever had. Calvin hadn't changed. "Well, thank you again." She stepped back and took off his jacket.

Calvin took the jacket back without complaint. "You're welcome. Be careful. Next time, avoid dark corners without Miller around." He turned around and started to walk away.

So that was it. No goodbye. No see you later. Alyse turned and headed up the walk to her parents house, pausing to ring the bell. As she waited for someone to open the door, she glanced back. Calvin was standing at the end of the street in the lamplight, finishing his cigarette. It was beginning to snow. When he saw her looking he turned and started walking quickly back the way they had come, vanishing in the dark.

"Who was that?" her father asked as the door opened and he glanced in the direction she was looking. Then he looked back at her, eyes wide. "And what happened to you? You're soaked!"

Alyse turned back to Alphonse as he let her inside. The warmth of the house engulfed her and reality seemed to settle in again. She turned around and hugged her father tightly. His response, always reassuring, was to her hug back just as tightly. "Calvin Fischer," she replied. "He…helped me out of a tight spot tonight." She wasn't sure how to proceed from there. Her father was going to freak out when he found out she had been jumped in an alley. Her mother didn't need more reasons to be paranoid.

But her father's suspicions were already lit. "What kind of a tight spot, Alyse?" He stepped back and looked into her face, clearly waiting for an explanation. He spoke softly. Alyse slowly told her father what had happened, playing it down as much as possible while sticking to the facts. He looked panicked anyway, hugging her again when she finished. "Thank goodness you're all right."

"I could have handled it if I'd been thinking," Alyse pointed out, mildly irritated, but just as grateful to be safe with her family. "I'm not helpless."

"No, you're not," her father admitted, smiling. "Still, I'm grateful Whitewater showed up when he did. Do you want a ride home?"

"Actually, can I stay the night?" Alyse asked. "I'd like to visit for a while."

"Of course, "Alphonse nodded. "You can ride in to Headquarters with me in the morning. Now, let's get you into something dry and figure out how to explain this to the rest of the family."

Alyse nodded. Her father's surprisingly calm recovery and matter-of-factness set her at ease. It was over. She had come out all right, and she was never going to make the same mistake again. "Thanks, Daddy. And tomorrow…can you show me how to do some of those take-downs again?"

Her father looked startled a moment, then a smile broke out across his face. "That's my girl."

It was nearly midnight before Alphonse made it upstairs to bed. His relaxing evening had turned out anything but. After getting over his initial moment of panic at hearing what had almost happened to his daughter, he had surprised even himself by being relatively calm as Alyse explained the situation in brief to Elicia and everyone else once she was snuggled up in one of Elicia's nightgowns and sipping a cup of hot chocolate.

Gracia had retired for the night first, followed soon after by Ren and Will as soon as Minxia fell asleep after her evening feeding. Al expected they would actually be up again soon. Minxia was regular as a clock when it came to being hungry every three hours.

Alyse was tucked up with spare blankets and a pillow on the couch. It had been a long time since Al tucked his little girl into bed, but tonight she had seemed to find it comforting. She had passed out almost immediately.

"Al," Elicia whispered from the stairs. "Are you coming to bed?"

"Just a minute," Al promised, and heard her footsteps slip back upstairs. He spent another moment watching Alyse, with two of the younger cats curled up at her feet. Then he headed upstairs himself.

The only light on in the bedroom was Elicia's reading lamp. Elektra and Orestes were snuggled up at the foot of the bed and Elicia had taken off her robe and slippers and was pulling her hair back for sleep. Her hands were shaking though, and the short tail she tried to make into a small braid kept falling apart.

Al crossed the room quickly and gathered her hair in his hands. "I'll do it," he offered gently. "Are you all right?" He couldn't imagine that this evening's events hadn't brought back terrible memories for Elicia. They had for him.

"Not really," Elicia admitted, holding still as he quickly braided and tied her hair tight along her head. Then she turned around and buried her face in his chest, arms tight around him. "I don't know how she did it."

What? "Did what?" Alphonse asked, looking down at the top of her head.

Elicia tilted her beautiful face up to look at him. "How Alyse sat there so calmly and explained what happened. After what could have…and what did… she seemed so calm. Even scared, she didn't lose her head. She fought back, and she didn't fall apart. When I….I…."

"Shhh," Alphonse hugged her. "You went through something terrible. Alyse was rescued." Rescued the way Al still felt Elicia should have been. The guilt stung fresh. He also owed the Whitewater Alchemist a great deal of thanks the next time he saw him. "It's not the same."

"But it is…" Elicia replied, still looking him in the eyes. Her face had an expression he couldn't quite read. "It could have happened. She has to know that. It was luck… timing… but she didn't fall apart. I… I'm…." Whatever she was going to say she never finished. Instead she stretched up and kissed Al with the most passionate kiss they had shared in years. It was deep, with a longing Al almost didn't recognize in her; though his body certainly recalled it! Elicia's hands were wrapped across his back, her nails digging in just slightly.

When they broke for air, Al looked down at her in wonderment. "Elicia…."

"Shhh," she replied, tugging him towards the bed. "I'm done with being a rabbit."

Al followed willingly, but cautiously. They had tried before, though not as much recently. In the end, Elicia always backed out. But then, she had never been like this. Not in a long while. He couldn't say no; he couldn't even be cautious. He lay down beside her and for a few minutes they simply kissed and cuddled and enjoyed the feel of each other's hands and warmth.

Al kept waiting for a hesitation, a block that didn't come. It was slow, but sure, and in the end he cradled Elicia in his arms, feeling spent and oddly complete for the first time in a long time. He felt slightly pathetic to have missed the physical intimacy as much as he had, but after twenty-six years of marriage, he supposed that was only natural. A man should be able to expect to sleep with his own wife. "How do you feel?" he asked in little more than a whisper, his words blowing the wisps of hair on top of her head that had come loose from the top of the braid.

Elicia had tears on her cheeks, but she smiled brightly at him. "I feel…like me."

Author's note: Complete! Hope you all enjoyed the added glimpse into Breda's family life and Alyse's little misadventure. I know I have some Cal fans out there, so I hope that pleased some folks. ;) More stories coming!