March 15th, 1976

"So that's it." Winry looked down at the finished paperwork, all signed, naming Coran and Gale Elric as the primary business owners of Rockbell Auto-mail, alongside her name. There were also the forms that gave them access to the company financial accounts and everything else they would need to run the business in Amestris and internationally. She smiled and held out her hand. "Congratulations."

Coran took her hand, smiling a little abashedly. "Thanks, Grandma. I promise, we'll do things right."

"What he means is if he's not sure what to do, he's going to be calling you at two in the morning to ask about business matters," Gale grinned, taking Winry's hand after Coran finished shaking it. "Thank you, Winry, for trusting us to do this."

"Well there's not much else I can teach you," Winry admitted, feeling a little better now that the deed was done. There was no turning back now without another mess of paperwork to remove them from the business as partners. "You're as ready as you can be."

"And you're still here in case of emergencies. I get it," Coran assured her. "Think of it this way, all it means is that you don't have to mess with boring office work anymore."

"That's what I keep telling her!" Ed grinned, one hand resting on Winry's shoulder. "Somehow she thinks she'll miss it."
"Some of us had more interesting paperwork," Winry quipped, though she was grateful for her husband's humor at the moment. "So why don't we go celebrate?"

"Dinner's on me." Ed stood up, and offered Winry his hand. "Assuming you have time," he looked up at Coran and Gale.

Their grandson smiled. "Gracia assured us she'd be fine with Gavin for a few hours. I think she was expecting us to be out late. She said something about knowing just what to feed our son tonight."

"Good enough for me," Ed laughed. "Let's go enjoy ourselves."

Winry smiled, though she felt her mood wavering as they left the bank office and strolled down the street. They were only a couple of blocks off the downtown shopping district, which was still packed with restaurants.

"You doing all right?" Ed asked, so softly in her ear Winry doubted anyone could hear over the people going by on the street.

Winry squeezed his arm. "Yeah, so far. It's almost as hard as letting the kids grow up."

"Well you've put as much of your heart into Granny's company, haven't you?"

He'd hit the matter dead center. Winry nodded, and felt a tear wavering in her eye. "Do you think she'd be okay with this?" she asked.

Ed squeezed back. "I think she'd be proud to see the company in the hands of another generation of the family, and she'd be proud of you for having the foresight to make sure everything's on solid ground while we're here as a safety net."

Sometimes, Ed really did know just what to say. While Coran and Gale walked a little ahead, looking at restaurant options, Winry leaned in to kiss her husband's cheek. "I love you."

"And cut!"

Ian quit gazing intensely up at the sky with a conflicted expression and blinked to get the brilliant light out of his vision that had been shining whitely into his face to fake moonlight. He waited for further instruction.

"That's it for tonight," the director barked out a moment later, and the set burst into low chatter.

Relieved that the performance was acceptable –and that his final scene of the night had been managed in only five takes- Ian made his way over to the rest of the cast, picked up a cup of water, and drained it. "How'd it look?" He asked Reggie, Carmen, and Tina, his three primary co-stars, who hadn't been in the final introspective moment he had just filmed, but had played heavy scenes in the rest of the episode, two of which had been filmed earlier.

Reggie grinned at him. "Deep… really deep."

Ian snorted and resisted the urge to dump a cup of water over his friend's head. "I mean it."

"It was fine, Ian," Carmen assured him with a smile. "I'm pretty sure half the girls in Amestris will be dying to offer Logan a hug when that scene cuts to commercial."

"Or more than a hug," Tina chuckled.

"That's the idea," Ian winked at them both and reached for an apple off the table. "Let's get out of wardrobe and call it a day." At only ten at night. "Hey, what do you say we grab drinks on the way back to the Nest? We can hang out at my place."

The Nest was what the actors called the apartment complex where so many of them rented. The real name was Woody View –for being next to a large park- but there was such a variety of mismatched, and not horribly quiet, neighbors, that it was like a flock of unrelated birds all perching in the same apartment building.

"Sounds like a great idea," Reggie agreed. "We can hit a store on the way."

The banter was lighter than usual, if jovial as always. Ian knew that, like him, everyone was having slightly bitter-sweet feelings about the episodes they were filming now. The show's run was coming to an end with the graduation of their characters from Amestris High. The characters were all at a crossroads that had been built to since season one.

Logan and his nemesis, Dennis –Reggie's character- had gone from rivals and competitors to a tentative friendship, to come-to-blows enemies, to romantic rivals, to a deep, if occasionally still fragile friendship that was, at the end of it all, once again threatening to blow up in their faces. So many questions in this episode, and Ian was enjoying the on-screen drama, mostly because the cast had grown close, like family, and none of the bad feelings on screen existed between them off it.
Carmen and Tina played best friends Malaya and Violet, who had been inseparable for the whole show, with a common dream of traveling abroad together and seeing the world. But many things hung in the balance at this critical juncture, because Dennis and Malaya had been dating in the show for over two years, and Dennis was about to propose marriage, which was going to throw a wrench in the girls' plans. To complicate matters, Violet, who had been tentatively dating Logan since they had gotten together at the very beginning of the season, had been harboring feelings for Dennis ever since season one. Logan found out about this the same day he got a letter offering him a prestigious position as a sports coach at a University in Aerugo, which would destroy the plan Dennis and Logan had hatched to both go professional and start their own team in their hometown, which didn't yet have one.

Thankfully, there hadn't been any conflicting romances between co-stars off camera to complicate matters.

Ian finished changing back into his street clothes and hung up his uniform carefully on the rack. The new costuming assistant would wring his neck if he didn't! She already had a reputation for being picky about wardrobe care.

He found Reggie and the girls waiting outside. Most of the crew was already gone by the time he came out of his dressing room. "Let's go."

"Oh, look, there's Bonnie," Tina commented as they headed for the gates.

Ian turned his head and spotted the new wardrobe assistant whose wrath he was avoiding. She was pretty cute!

"Bonnie!" Tina waved.

The other girl stopped and glanced in their direction.

"You want to join us?" Tina asked.

Bonnie shook her head. "Can't. Class in the morning. Thanks though!"

"All right. See you tomorrow!" Tina called back.

"You know her?" Carmen asked curiously as the four of them kept walking.

"Just from talking during wardrobe changes," Tina replied. "She's from out West somewhere, but she's studying apparel design here on top of work. I guess she's pretty busy."

College and work, Ian had to admit he was impressed.

The all-hours convenience store between the studio and the Nest was the best place for this kind of run, Ian thought, as they piled out of Carmen's car a few minutes later and went inside.

"What about an ice cream cake?" Ian suggested to Reggie as they wandered past the grocery aisles toward beverages. He had happened to spot one, with chocolate crème cookies in it, and it sounded really good tonight.

Reggie grimaced. "I'm not sure I dare, with all the shirtless scenes they've got us doing this season."

"Carrot cake then?" Ian teased, though he gave Reggie a sympathetic look. He was right, of course; they both had a lot more scenes in the locker room this season, or other situations where shirts just weren't always on. Ian knew they got away with that more just because their actors were all over eighteen now, but for the most part, so were the characters. The much more heated romantic dynamics definitely played a part. "Or maybe a veggie tray."

"You can eat the cake, I'll take the veggies," Reggie suggested. "Or we could just live off the beer."

"Maybe you can." They came to the drinks and Ian considered the selection. "But I need a little more than that to keep me going." He made his choice, and pulled it out of the cooler.

"You're a human furnace, Ian." Reggie picked his own beer. "You could probably live off cake and look good on screen."

"Until my teeth rotted and my intestines gave up on me." Ian nodded and they rejoined the girls up front.

Carmen eyed Ian's selection with a startled, but appreciative, expression. "You don't have cheap taste do you?"
Ian shrugged. "I prefer the stuff I drink not to taste like dog piss. And I don't drink a lot of it, so I just figure I might as well pay for stuff that doesn't insult my taste buds."

"Oh I'm not arguing," Carmen assured him, smiling as she held up her own choice, which looked to be a mid-quality rather fruity wine Ian was only passingly familiar with. "I appreciate good taste."

"I can't wait to see the next episode script," Carmen admitted later, as they were all sprawled across the two comfortable if slightly worn couches Ian had scored at a garage sale just the morning before. "I want to know if I'm going to turn Dennis down and follow my dreams, or decide to settle for the redeemed bully and ruin my friendship."

"Maybe we'll all come to a wonderful compromise," Tina suggested with heavy irony and skepticism. "And everyone will decide to take a year to follow their dreams, then all go to the University in Central together… and we'll get a sequel series following our wacky college adventures."

"Where Dennis rises to stardom, while Logan finds himself back to being stuffed into lockers because he fits?" Ian suggested, snickering as he sipped from his bottle. "Or the girls take over the school, discover that intellectual men are far superior, and nix the sports program, leaving our boys out in the cold!"

"I'm not sure I like that plot after the part where I rise to stardom," Reggie snorted. "That's the only really good part."

"I like the part where the girls take over the school," Carmen teased him. "But that's not really fair to the boys," she agreed before getting a little more serious. "But really, Tanner hinted at the possibility things might get really steamy next week. Like… pushing the rating steamy."

"Well I doubt that's going to be Violet," Tina commented with a shake of her curly blonde head. "I mean, I just admitted I'm not in love with Logan after all. We're more likely to break up next week than have sex. Then I'd be the one who pushes him to accept that offer elsewhere as a way to get out of town, which would only make Dennis hate me, which isn't what I'd want of course."

"I just hope there's a happy ending in here somewhere," Carmen sighed. "If the entire thing just ends on a downer, I'm going to give the writers a piece of my mind, and the fans will hate it."

"I don't know," Reggie looked thoughtful. "They like the strangest things sometimes. The more angst the more they want more. And even if the series is over, there's always the possibility they'll pull us in for a movie to resolve anything left hanging in the series."

"I think we'd be fabulous on the big screen," Tina beamed, then giggled, and tipped sideways a little, still hugging a throw pillow, where she sat cross-legged on the couch next to Ian.

"And I think maybe we should get some sleep and keep our jobs on the small one by showing up on time tomorrow," Reggie suggested, blinking at the clock on the wall.

Ian looked up. It was after one. "As always, the soul of sensibility."

"Want me to walk you downstairs?" Reggie offered Tina, who nodded and got to her feet a little over-steady.

When they left, Ian looked across at Carmen, who had been sharing the other couch with Reggie. "What about you?" She didn't live that far away, though she didn't live in the Nest. Still, he wasn't sure if she was safe to drive.

Carmen stood up and came around the beat-up coffee table. "I'm not too bad," she assured him with a shrug. "And I doubt you're in any better condition to drive."

"No, I'm not," Ian admitted. "But I could still walk you home."

"I appreciate that," she smiled, sitting down next to him. "And I might take you up on that, but if you don't mind, I think I'd rather stay here tonight."

Ian eyed her curiously. "My couch is your couch," he quipped, even as he wondered if that was what she meant. He'd known Carmen for three years. They got along famously. She'd never made a move on him before, but it sure looked like she might be now. "Unless that's not what you're after," he added lightly, hoping he hadn't misread the situation. He didn't want to insult a friend.

Carmen chuckled. "Ever the perceptive one, aren't you? No, you're right. I was hoping you might be up for more personal company." Her dark, wavy hair framed her equally dark brown eyes, making them seem bigger, somehow, in the dim light.

It didn't take much to be attracted to Carmen. She was a beautiful woman, more beautiful, Ian happened to think, off-camera than her character was on camera. He liked her personality, her sense of humor. "I like you, Car. You're great. But I have to admit this seems a little out of the blue."

"I'm not proposing matrimony, Ian," she replied easily, resting her head on her elbow, which was settled on the back of the couch. "I like you too. You're a great friend. I'm just…." Her smile slipped a little. "This is going to sound pathetic, but I'm lonely. My last boyfriend was a loser, and I just want to spend some time with someone I can trust to be honest with me… who appreciates me."

"I can understand that." Ian remembered that guy. It had been a fairly short relationship several months ago, and Carmen had pretty much sworn off dating after that. "Everyone deserves a little appreciation." He reached out and pushed a lock of hair out of her eyes, and leaned in and gently brushed his lips against hers, just testing the waters.

Carmen leaned into him unhesitatingly, and wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened.

Ian had no problem returning the enthusiasm and growing passion, but… "You're sure about this?" he gasped quietly, breaking the kiss as they fell sideways on the couch.

"Yes, I am," she replied. "Are you? Rep aside… I know you're not exactly hesitant with girls."

"Most of them don't qualify on the list of best friends," Ian pointed out, feeling a little disgruntled. No, he wasn't exactly a virgin, but that didn't mean he went around sleeping with his co-workers and friends on a regular basis.

"We'll still be friends in the morning," Carmen promised. "Please… Ian…"

March 16th, 1976

"Ian's place."

Ian stirred from deep, groggy sleep at the sound of Carmen's voice, muffled by his pillow, on the other side of the apartment. He hadn't registered the phone ringing, so it took a moment to guess that she had answered it.

"Oh, hello Mr. Elric! This is Carmen."

What? Ian sat bolt upright on the bed, wrenching himself around enough to see Carmen clearly, standing at the edge of his kitchenette in nothing but her lacy rose-colored bra and underwear, casually chatting with his father!

"Yes, that's right," she smiled, "I'm on the show. But you called for Ian. Let me get him for you." She turned fully towards him and nodded sideways at the phone in her hand. "It's your dad."

"I know it's my dad!" He spoke in a half-strangled tone as he leaped from the bed, sheets dragging as he made it the phone in three strides. "Thanks," he murmured absently as he picked up the receiver. "Hi, Dad."

"Good morning." His father's voice had that tone in it; the one Ian knew meant his father wanted to ask about the girl in his apartment at –he glanced at the clock- nine in the morning, but at the same time probably didn't really want to have the answer confirmed. "I was just calling to chat," his father went on. "See how moving in is going."

"Oh… it's great," Ian replied, smoothing his internal feathers enough to respond normally. It rankled whenever his father sounded like he disapproved of Ian's lifestyle lately. "Found the most comfortable couches yard sail…ing," the last word was split by a large yawn.

"Late night?"

"Yeah," Ian ignored the too-casual tone. "Night filming for the rest of the week, and next week. With rehearsals and auditions there's not much time for anything else."

"I see."

Ian bit his tongue. Why couldn't his father have called later in the day? He knew Ian wasn't a morning person by choice; only when necessity required it. "Yep. Look, I need to go. I've got two auditions this afternoon to prep for. Thanks for calling, Dad. I'll call you when I get some free time. Love to Mom. Bye!" And he hung up without waiting for a response.

Carmen was looking at him curiously as she poured two bowls of cereal with milk. "Well… that was… is something wrong?"

"No, not really." Ian shrugged. "My dad's just kind of… conservative." And a hypocrite, Ian thought, though he didn't feel the need to say that aloud. He'd figured out years ago that Coran's birthday and his parents' wedding anniversary didn't line up along a proper timeline. His father wasn't a saint either.

"Oh." Carmen looked immediately sorry. "I shouldn't have answered your phone, should I? I just thought it might be Tanner or someone."

"It's not your fault," Ian assured her as he pulled on clean boxers from the laundry basket. "It certainly could have been him, or a call back." He joined her at the counter, settling onto the bar stool on one side –also a great thrift shopping find. "And I'm not sure I care at this point how much he approves or disapproves of what I do with my personal life. It's not like I'd give him the whole truth if he really pushed for it." Detailing out exactly what girls he had actually slept with, or not, was not on his list of things he wanted to discuss with his father, ever. "He wouldn't like it any better than going off the theories and rumors in all the gossip rags."

"They do like to talk about you in particular, don't they?" Carmen shook her head, though her smile was one of mild amusement paired with sympathy. "I wonder what they'd say about last night."

Ian started eating his cereal. His stomach was near to rioting otherwise. "Some long and sordid tale about a secret series-long romance no doubt," he grunted between bites. "Probably try and claim you and Reggie have a thing and turn this into a threesome or cheating, or something complicated." Instead of what it seemed to be, a pleasant one-night encounter between friends. Those could happen, right? It seemed to be in this case. Though Ian hadn't asked yet if she really only wanted one night with him. Carmen was one of the few girls Ian knew that he wouldn't mind going out with a bit more, though he just didn't see that turning into a long-term romance. Their friendship wasn't really like that.

Carmen nodded, nibbling at her own cereal, though she watched Ian wolf down his entire first bowl before she spoke again. "Thank you."

Ian looked up as he poured a second bowl of cereal. "For last night?"

"That, and for being a friend," she replied with a softer smile. "There's a lot of selfish jerks in our business, but you're not one of them. You've helped me, encouraged me, Reggie, all of us… I… I'm going to hate it when this show is over and I don't get to see you every day."

So that was what this was about. Ian smiled. "I… wow, Car. I'm flattered. You know I don't want this to end either. But it doesn't mean we're going to stop working right? Who knows, we might get another gig together, and if not we'll keep in touch, see each other around set and around town. We're a family of our own, in a way, after working together this long."

Carmen beamed, then leaned over the counter and kissed his cheek. "You really are something else." She smiled, then finished her last few bites and put her bowl in the sink.

"Thanks." Ian chuckled, finished eating, and rinsed the bowls. By the time he was done, Carmen was dressed again. "So what are your plans today?" he asked, a little sorry she was fully clothed now that he had finally seen her full glory; though it did make it much easier to get used to looking her in the face again. While he had always thought she was pretty, as well as smart, this had given him a whole new appreciation for her physical attributes.

"Oh, I need to do some errands, and then Tina and I were going to rehearse tonight's scene."

"Sounds like fun."

"Good thing our work is like play," Carmen chuckled. "See you tonight, Ian!"

"See you." He watched her go then got down to his own daily business; showering and getting dressed. He did have a busy day planned, even more than what he had told his dad on the phone.

The knock on his door was right on schedule. Ian grabbed his gym bag and opened the door, where Reggie was waiting for him. "Ready to go," Ian grinned.

Reggie wasn't smiling.

"Something wrong?"

"Well, maybe," Reggie replied, looking uncomfortable. "I saw Carmen leave here a little bit ago."

"Yeah." Ian saw no reason to deny her being there. "She wasn't in any shape to drive home last night, so she stayed the night."

Reggie's eyes roamed past Ian into the apartment, and Ian realized he hasn't yet put things back together. The bed sheets were still halfway on the floor, the rest rumpled. "Ian…" It was clear that he, like Ian's father, wanted to ask -but didn't want to know- what had happened last night after he left.

The last thing Ian wanted to do was make things awkward between friends. Not when they had just a few short weeks of filming left. "She asked."

Reggie looked startled. "She did?"

"Well you know how rough she's had it," Ian reminded his friend, not sure how he felt by Reggie's surprise. "She just wanted someone she knew she could trust… to be there. I swear, that's it. What do you think I am?"

Reggie gave him a considering look for a minute before he finally shrugged. "Okay. I just don't want her to get hurt. Just because we're not actually involved doesn't mean I don't care."

"And do you really think I'd hurt her?" The idea that Reggie might think that stung.

"Well, no," Reggie admitted, looking abashed. "Not on purpose. I worry."

"No offense taken," Ian replied, just wanted to move past the awkward moment. He hadn't asked Carmen if she was interested in doing this again, and he wasn't about to spend his time hanging with Reggie thinking about it, or discussing it! "Now let's go make sure we don't embarrass ourselves tonight when we have to film all those senior pool party scenes."