For Edward and Alphonse, the week seemed to zip by. There wasn't much time to pack their belongings and enjoy their home before they had to move into a strange school. Trisha went over the rules with them both. Al seemed somewhat okay with it, while Ed was dreading the move in. It was Thursday night, 9:00 PM. Alphonse was sitting in his room, going through pictures that he kept stashed away in an old shoe box. He picked out a few pictures that he felt were necessary to hang up near his bed. He pretty much had everything packed, except his new school supplies which his mother bought for them both. He was about to pack everything into his messenger bag when Ed walked through the door. He walked straight over to Al's bed and threw himself down upon it.

"This is stupid. I don't want to leave home." Ed stared up at the ceiling and began to pop his knuckles

"Well, there's nothing we can do to turn back. Besides, you might really enjoy yourself, who knows?"

"The only thing that will make me somewhat happy is being able to see Winry every day. The thought of her being alone with a bunch of horny high school guys gives me the creeps."

"Well then, maybe you should ask her out." Al closed the shoebox back up and turned to face towards his older brother. Ed took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"I was planning on it. I'm going to sneak out around midnight, Winry's going to do the same thing. I got her this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a slender rectangle box and opened it up to reveal a gold necklace with a heart shaped pendant at the end, equipped with 10 small diamonds around the base. Al snatched the box from him and stared at it closely.

"Brother, this is beautiful! But how could you afford this?" He closed the box and handed it back to Edward.

"I've been saving up my allowance for quite some time. I had a feeling that there would be a time I would have to ask her to be mine. So, why not do it in style?" He slid the box back into his pocket and stood up. Al stared down at the ground. It must be nice to afford nice things and have someone you really care about.

"Anyway, I still don't know how I'm going to break it to her. I'm kind of nervous, you know?"

"Wow, you? I never thought I would hear that coming from your mouth." Al began to laugh and stood up to face his older brother. In a way, Edward was jealous of Al, but mostly because of his height.

"Yes, me. People won't believe that I'm your older brother. You're getting so tall." Ed threw a playful punch towards Al's right shoulder, and saw him jerk back before he could touch him. He turned around and walked out the door. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow's the first day of a very miserable two years for you." He left the room without hesitation. Al took a deep breath, and looked out the window. "I really hope it's not going to be miserable."

"Relax Al. It's going to be okay. I'm going to pack so I guess I'll catch you later." Ed walked out of Al's room and straight to his own, beginning on his short pack job.

Later that night, Edward snuck downstairs and out the front door. To his knowledge, his mother and younger brother were asleep. He still felt the need to be extra quiet. If his mother knew he was up this late, she'd have a fit. He walked towards the river, his hand in his pocket while gripping onto the box tightly. He noticed that Winry was already sitting by the river, her feet in the water. Ed snuck up behind her, and embraced her with a tight hug, causing Winry to jump.

"Edward Elric! Don't ever do that again, you know how scared I get!" Winry shoved him lightly and watched as his face lit up.

"Oh come on, Win. You know I like to tease you every now and again." He took a seat next to her and looked up at the sky. "It's clear tonight."

"Yeah, It's almost like it was meant to be this way. Ed, I'm really scared about moving away."

"Don't be. You'll have me and Al there with you."

"I know that. But what if no one likes me. What if I don't make any friends while I'm there?"

"Win, you're such a beautiful person. People would be crazy not to like you! You're very smart and caring. Besides, we're only going to be there for a year. After that, we'll be free until college!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right." She sighed and laid back to stare up at the sky. Edward felt his stomach flipping, and knew that now was a better time than ever. He took a deep breath and took Winry's hand.

"Hey, can I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, what is it Ed?" She sat up and stared her friend in the eyes.

"Look, it's no secret that.. well, that I like you. Winry, I've been head over heels for you since we were children. So with that, will you be my girlfriend?" He pulled out the slender box and opened it up. He saw her face light up as she snatched the box from his hand. She began to cry and gave him a slight nod. She threw her arms around him and nearly tackled him to the ground.

"Edward, of course I will! I've had the same feelings for you for awhile.. and grandma told me that I should wait to see if you felt the same. There were many times where I felt you would never ask, and that I would be alone for a very long time. To be honest, I didn't want to be with anyone else!"

"I'm glad you feel the same way. Here, let me put your necklace on you." He took the box from her hands and carefully unhooked the necklace and removed it from the box. He laced it behind her hair and around her neck, snapping it securely. She grasped the pendant in her soft hands and stared down at it.

"It's beautiful Ed."

"Not as beautiful as you."

"Oh stop it. I've never seen this side of you before, it's strange."

Ed laughed and pulled her close to him. "Yeah, well.. I'm still the same Ed. I promise." He cupped her chin in his hand and pulled her close for their first kiss. He laid her back and continued the kiss until they both pulled away.

"It's so strange, but I love it. My best friend, is now my boyfriend."

"I feel the same way. But it's meant to be. My mother always told me that we would end up together, and she's right."

"Really? Because grandma told me the same thing!"

"Ironic, huh?" Ed chuckled and wrapped his arms around her. There was nothing else that mattered but what was going on right then and there. He could care less that he was moving away from home. He felt a lot better knowing that Winry was his. He swore that he would never let anything happen between them. After awhile, Ed walked her home, and soon made his way back inside of his house and straight upstairs. The first thing he thought of was sharing his happiness with Al. He walked in Al's bedroom and walked over to his bed.

"Al, wake up!"

"Huh, what is it?!" Al shot up from his bed and looked around. When he figured that nothing was happening, he laid back down and pulled the covers over his head. "Ed, it's 1 in the morning.. I'm trying to sleep."

"Al, she said yes! Her and I are officially dating now!"

"That's great brother. Now please let me sleep. We can talk more about it tomorrow."

Ed took the hint and walked back to his own room. He laid down in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. He didn't bother to change his clothes or brush his teeth. He couldn't stop thinking about what happened. His whole mindset about moving away didn't even phase him anymore.

~* The next morning… *~

Trisha found it hard to wake up. She couldn't believe that her babies were moving away from home. Finally after the third alarm, she hit the power button and stood up out of her warm bed. She shuffled to Edward's room first. She knocked on the door but didn't bother to walk in his room. "Edward, it's time to get up please." She moved to Al's room next, but to her surprise, he was already up and dressed.

"Morning mom. How did you sleep?"

"Oh, I slept okay. Come downstairs and get some breakfast, okay? We need to leave in 30 minutes."

"Alright mom, I'll see you down there."

Trisha walked out of Al's room and went straight down to the kitchen to fetch herself a cup of coffee. She stared out the window, like she did every morning, but today felt different. She was happy, but depressed at the same time. She knew she had to let them go sometime. Before long, Al made his way downstairs, with Edward trailing behind him.

"Alright boys, get yourself some breakfast."

"I'm not hungry, mom." Edward sat down at the table and let out a big yawn.

"Edward you need to eat. Even if it's something small." Trisha sat down a piece of toast and a glass of milk. Alphonse was already digging into his small meal.

"Alright, fine." Ed picked up the piece of toast and took a small bite. He sat down the slice and smiled up at his mom. "Better?"

"A little. Now finish it up, we need to leave in a few."

"Well, I'm already done. I'll go get my bags." Alphonse ran upstairs to gather his things. Ed soon followed, the piece of toast gripped in between his teeth.

The drive to their new school was surprisingly short, seeing that they weren't even paying attention outside. Trisha was too busy talking to them about school, dorm life and..girls. Al seemed to have paid attention to the conversation, but Ed was clearly daydreaming, only by answering "Yes" and "No" to his mother's answers. As soon as they arrived, Ed and Al saw the school grounds come to life with students spread all over the place. Some were talking, some were sitting and reading, while others were hugging and greeting their fellow students again. As soon as Trisha stopped the car, Alphonse began to grow sick.

"Alright boys, out of the car! It's time to find your dorm and get you settled in!"

"Mom, I'm feeling sick. Maybe I shouldn't move in here." Al gripped his bags tightly and took a deep breath.

"Nonsense, Al. It's already been decided. You both can come home for the weekend every once in awhile, nothing's going to change!"

"Come on Al, remember what we talked about last night? You can do this. I know it sucks leaving home, but you'll get used to it." Al walked ahead of him and lead the three of them into the main building's office. The dean was standing in front of one of the secretary's desk, sparking up a conversation. She turned around as soon as she heard the door shut, and walked up to Trisha and the boys.

"Welcome gentleman! I see we are ready to get settled in!"

"Yeah, you could say that." Ed shook the dean's hand and shot her a fake smile.

"Perfect! Let me get you boys your uniforms and your dorm key. You need to change right away so you don't stick out too much." The dean led them into her office, where she handed Al and Ed each a bag with their uniforms in each. She handed Trisha the key and gestured them out of the office. "There are restrooms around the corner so you can change, and your dorm is in the left building on the second floor. Room 237 is yours! Enjoy yourself boys, and I will see you at orientation! Trisha, we'll take good care of them, don't you worry!"

"Thanks a lot, we really appreciate it! Alright you two, you heard the lady.. go get changed!"

"Alright alright. Come on Al, let's go." Edward walked around the left corner and down to the restrooms. Once inside, they knew that this was not going to be an ordinary school. There was a couch inside of the bathroom lobby, and carpet that sat underneath it. Through the other door was the men's restroom that looked like an ordinary restroom, except it had extravagant wallpaper and fancy light fixtures.

"Jesus, this place is ritzy." He dug through the bag and took out a medium uniform and a small uniform. He sighed and handed the medium uniform off to his younger brother. He noticed that Alphonse snickered a bit, and decided to ignore it for later payback. "Come on, hurry up and get dressed."

To Ed's surprise, it actually fit him perfectly, and didn't need to be hemmed. Alphonse's uniform was the same, except his was a little loose in the waist. It was a good thing the uniform came with a belt, or Alphonse would have to tie a rope around his waist. As soon as they were done getting dressed, they walked out of the stalls and showed off their new uniform. The uniform was a pair of navy blue dress pants with a matching navy blue blazer jacket, and a white button up undershirt. The blazer had the school's crest on the left side slightly below the collar bone. Their other uniforms for casual days were a pair of khakis and a navy blue sweatshirt.

"Brother, I feel funny in this uniform.." Al tugged at his sleeves and looked over to Edward, who was doing the same thing.

"I know Al. But this is to make mom happy, so let's just deal with it."

Edward walked out of the bathroom lounge with Al trailing along behind him. Instantly, Trisha let out an excited squeal and looked her boys over.

"Oh yes, these uniforms look dashing on you both! "

"Thanks mom. But the sleeves are itchy." Alphonse rolled up his blazer sleeves and unbuttoned the cuffs on his undershirt. His mother laughed and shook her head.

"You boys never really liked wearing long sleeved shirts, but they will feel better after time. Your father would be so proud of you boys.."

"Yeah, well.. we don't want to see him so.." Ed turned his head, feeling rage build up in his chest.

"Brother, don't say that. Anyways, I bet he would be, mom. I just hope he still remembers us.."

"Of course he does. Now, let's head up to your room. I need to leave soon so you both can get acquainted with your new classmates." She led the way, Ed and Alphonse reluctantly followed behind her. They walked up 3 flights of stairs, and stopped at the top.

"Hmm. Room 230 – 240.." Trisha looked to her right and began to slowly walk down the hallway, while looking back and forth at each room number. As soon as she saw their room, she came to a sudden halt, causing Edward to almost run into her. "Aha, found it! Now, let's take a look inside.." She took out two gold keys from her purse and handed one key to Alphonse, while using Edward's key to enter their room. Inside was an average sized room with two desks, one bathroom equipped with a shower/tub, two closets and a bunk bed. Without hesitation, Edward nudged his mother aside and climbed on top of his newly claimed possession.

"Top bunk's mine, Al!"

"Good. You'll be able to sit up in bed with no problem." Alphonse held back a snicker, while Ed shot him an evil look.

"You just wait, I'll get you back for that short comment."

"Come on boys, try to get along, please?" Trisha sighed and opened up one of the closets, noticing plenty of space for hanging their clothes, plus a shelf above to place any belongings. "Promise me that you will keep your room tidy.." She sat Edward's room key on his desk, feeling a slight sting in her heart.

"We will, Mom. I'll force Ed to get into the habit." Al laid down onto his bed, noticing the fragrant smell of fresh linens.

"Easy for you to say, Al." Ed climbed down and walked into the bathroom. He shut the door and locked it behind him. Trisha walked over to the window and gazed out while trying to hold back her emotions. She looked over at Al and shot a weak smile towards him.

"The view is beautiful. Promise me that you boys will study hard.."

"We will, mom. Don't worry we'll stick together."

"I trust you both." She took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of Alphonse's bed. "Oh, and when you two have girls over, please think before you…. You know."

"Jeez mom, we won't! Besides, we will most likely be too busy to have girlfriends."

"Well, Edward has Winry. That leaves you."

"Mom, trust me. Having a girlfriend is not my main priority. It's not even a priority right now."

"Alright, I believe you."

Edward walked out of the bathroom and stretched his arms towards the ceiling. "I'm already comfortable with this place! So far, so good."

Trisha stood up and faced towards her oldest son. "Good, I'm glad you are starting to see things my way. Alright boys, time for goodbyes.." She felt her eyes swell with tears, but managed to fight them back. Alphonse stood up and was the first to hug her. He embraced her tight and felt that her returning embrace was very weak.

"Mom, I love you. Everything will be okay. Besides, we will come home and visit. Just promise that you will come visit and bring your famous stew!"

"I promise." She kissed his forehead and loosened her hug. Edward was next. He could tell that his mother was fighting hard. He sighed and hugged her tight, and gave her a similar reassuring message.

"I love you Mom. Al's right, we will come home and visit. We will make you proud."

"Thank you, boys. You better hurry up and go to your orientation. It starts in 30 minutes."

"We will. Take care, and please be safe driving home.." Alphonse felt his stomach drop as he realized that this was not a dream. They were really leaving their mom behind.

"I will. See you boys later." She walked towards the door, and walked out without turning back. By this time, tears were flowing out of her eyes in thick streams, soaking her neck. She wiped her eyes and walked down the flight of stairs and back to the family car. 'I love you boys.. take care and make me proud.'