As the sun rose over the rather large yellow house just outside of the town of Risembol, its light gently woke the young woman sleeping within. As she recalled the events of the previous day, she leaped out of bed in excitement, though she was still mindful of her sleeping companions in the neighboring bedrooms. Quietly going downstairs, she made a luxurious breakfast in what seemed like no time at all.

Winry, thinking about how the boys hadn't been around for a couple years, wanted very much to show off her culinary skills. She had become an excellent cook in a very short time, and was quite proud of herself s she looked at the spread she had prepared. Thinking quickly, Winry knew that the smell of food would bring the boys running downstairs, so she decided to put her plan in motion before they were fully awake. Walking to her phone, she dialed a few numbers of some friends she knew and, telling them that she was throwing a party in a couple days, convinced them all to come over the day after next.

Going upstairs, Winry tried to think of a way to get her friends to help with the party, without telling them the full extent of it. She decided to simply say it was to celebrate their return home. Deciding to attend to her grandmother first, Winry gently woke her and, after taking her temperature, deemed she was well enough to eat breakfast with the rest of them. While Pinako headed slowly downstairs, Winry thought she'd have some fun with waking the boys.

Creeping into their room, she was surprised to find Al already awake and getting dressed. Grinning, he pointed to Ed, and Winry giggled when she saw his position. He had yet again stretched his arm out over his head, pulling his nightshirt up to where his stomach was exposed to any breeze that might come through. Winry's eyes bulged a little when she saw Ed's abs, but she quickly covered it up with a smile and, putting a finger to her lips, whispered to Al, "Watch this."

Sneaking up to his bed, Winry quietly leaned over so that her face was only a few centimeters from Ed's. Talking quietly, Winry said, "Ed. It's time to get up now." Al, moving to where he could see better, watched attentively. Ed slowly opened his eyes, then closed them again, until his brain fully registered what he saw. His eyes flying open again, he fell out of bed, yelling like something had bit him. When he stood up, a furious expression on his face, he only found not only Winry, but also Al laughing their heads off at his reaction. Ed stubbornly tried to retain the scowl on his face, but his brother and his friend's laughter were too contagious. Pretty soon, he found himself chuckling with the both of them.

Winry, wiping tears of mirth form her eyes, said, "Alright you guys, finish getting dressed, then come downstairs and eat breakfast." At the word 'breakfast', Ed and Al practically raced into their clothes and down the stairs as fast as they possibly could without falling down. Winry, having already eaten, watched as her friends fought her grandmother and each other for different plates of food. They were just messing around, she knew, but it made her feel good seeing how much they liked her cooking

Winry now realized that she had underestimated both the boy's appetites, for when they were done, there was absolutely no food left on the table. Making everyone pitch in to help, the dishes were swiftly cleaned and put away. Then, after telling Pinako what she had in store for the boys in a few days, her grandmother shuffled back upstairs, saying she was going to sleep some more. Calling Ed to her workshop, Winry swiftly attached his temporary arm. Watching him stretch and admire her handiwork, she said, "Remember, Ed, it's not real automail, so try not to kill anyone."

"Alright, Winry." Ed said, grinning.

"Okay, now you and Al go put some shoes on." Winry said, slipping her feet into some shoes as well.

"How come?" Ed asked.

"We gotta go get you guys some new clothes." Winry replied. "You didn't exactly pack for the trip when you came back. Also, those clothes you're wearing look kinda weird in our world." She finished, getting some money for the trip. She had been standing by the door for only a few minutes before her friends came down the stairs.

Heading out the door, Winry made sure to keep Den in the house. Otherwise, he would follow them into town. She didn't mind, of course, but she had reason to believe the shop owners would mind having a dog in their stores. They hadn't walked very far when Al spoke up next to her.

"So, how come the sudden shopping trip, Winry? It can't only be for new clothes." He said shrewdly. Winry, deciding to tell them part of her scheme, said, "Well, to tell the truth, I was hoping to throw a little party for us. Nothing big, I just wanted to celebrate you're coming home."

Al, a grin spreading across his face, said, "Really? That sounds like fun, right brother?" he said, looking at Ed.

"I guess so. I'm not really one for parties." Ed said unenthusiastically. "I'm not sure if I'll stick around for very long."

Pouting, Winry said, "Don't even think about it, Ed. I'm going out of my way to do something special for you guys. You are not allowed to hide in your room the entire time."

"Yeah, come on, Ed." Al added. "It'll be fun. It's not like one of those enormous military get togethers back in Central." Winry kept silent at this, hiding it by making puppy-dog eyes at Ed.

Taken aback, Ed found himself far outmatched in this matter and, though he would never admit it, he DID think that a little party between friends would be kind of fun. Sighing, he said in a voice that hinted at defeat, "Alright, I'll hang out with you guys."

"And?" Winry said. Ed, knowing what she was hinting at, added, "And I promise not to go off hiding somewhere." Satisfied, Winry skipped ahead a few steps, excited that her plan was going so well, though she wasn't sure how Ed would react when THEY showed up on the doorstep. Oh well, she thought to herself, I'll worry about that when it happens.

Reaching town, Winry proceeded to drag both boys to almost every shop in Risembol. All along the way, Ed and Al were stopped by almost everyone they knew, hearing time and again exclamations of how tall they had gotten and how much they had changed. They had apparently changed more than even they realized, because they were getting a number of glances from girls on the street. Winry, noticing this, pointed it out to Al, hoping to boost the confidence that had been taken away by his being a suit of armor for so long. That had sort of been her job before he found Ed and followed him to the other world. To her surprise, however, he just shrugged, saying he wasn't really interested in girls yet. Shrugging, they continued on their way.

The clothes shopping didn't take too long. Al said that he was fine with just some decent-looking shirts, shorts, and pants, since it was almost fall. Ed, on the other hand, was almost impossible to shop for or with. He point blank refused to wear anything except his old wardrobe from before. So, while Al walked away with all sorts of clothes, Ed only had his old outfit of a black long-sleeved shirt, black pants, boots, and gloves. He looked rather contented though, Winry couldn't fail to notice, but decided against saying anything, wanting him to enjoy himself.

After the clothes shopping, the three made their way to the market, Winry saying she would need a few supplies for the party. Soon they were done, and headed back down the path towards home, the boys carrying their clothing, Winry carting along the groceries. They hadn't gotten very far from town though, when a voice was heard calling Winry behind them. Turning around first, Ed and Al saw a slightly annoyed expression on her face before she covered it with a smile and, turning around, she waved to what the boys now saw as an out-of-breath young man who looked to be slightly older than Edward.

The man, who was about Ed's height, was of a lean build, nearly all of him looking long and lanky. The rest of him, though, was quite attractive. With jet black hair, dark green eyes, and porcelain-looking skin all giving him an air of sophistication, it was no wonder that he had had an admirably-sized group of girls that would follow him around ever since he came to Risembol. Getting his breath back, the man straightened up, standing just in front of Winry who, despite her hidden annoyance, greeted him politely and asked how he had been.

"Very well, very well, thank you Winry. You really are too kind." The man said, seeming to become a little flustered as he talked to her. Ed was becoming a little annoyed as well. This guy didn't seem to care that he and Al were even there. This was put to rest, however, when the man looked at them and said to Winry, "Are these possibly your friends you told me about?"

Smiling genuinely this time, Winry replied, "Yes. This is Alphonse Elric," She said, pointing first to Al than Ed. "And this is Edward Elric. They're brothers, you see."

"Ah yes, it is very nice to meet you both." The man said, shaking both their hands. "I truly enjoy meeting the friends Winry speaks so fondly of." Turning back to Winry, he addressed her, "So, have you given anymore thought to the offer I posed you?" he said. Ed and Al, having no idea what he was talking about, patiently waited for the conversation to end, thinking Winry would tell them soon enough.

Sighing, Winry said, "I told you, no. You're very kind, and a good friend, but I'm not interested." Looking crestfallen, the guy replied, "Very well, I shall try again another time. I do not give up so easily." He finished with a smile. Turning, he set off back down the path towards town. Turning abruptly, Winry began marching home, the mask gone, and every trace of the previous impatience showing once again.

Concerned slightly, Ed and Al followed after, Al asking who that guy was. Sighing heavily, Winry sat down on a log lying along the side of the path. When she didn't say anything for a few minutes, they thought she wasn't going to answer their question at all. Then, almost out of nowhere, she spoke up.

"His name is John Woodworth. He moved to Risembol about a year and a half ago, and because of his looks, almost every girl in town dotes on him. Apparently, because I wasn't interested in him, he found that remarkable, and spends nearly all his time trying to get my attention. I find it extremely annoying." She finished on an exasperated note.

Thinking for a moment, Ed realized that something didn't make sense. Turning to Winry, he asked her, "Hold on. You said he came about a year and a half ago. That's kind of a long time for anyone to focus so much on one person."

Bowing her head slightly, Winry replied quietly, "Well, to tell the truth, I hadn't actually been in town for a long time, including after he showed up."

"How come?" Al asked.

"I was…" Winry paused, hesitating for a moment, before continuing. "I was sort of shut up in the house for a while after you guys left. I was kinda depressed." She finished, her head still bent. Looking around her hair, which was obscuring her face, the boys saw that she had a sad sort of smile on her face. Looking over the top of her head at each other, they nodded simultaneously and, at the same time, hugged her from both sides, while Ed said comfortingly, "Well, what matters is that we're home now. And we're not going anywhere."

Smiling genuinely this time, Winry threw her arms around both her friend's shoulders, saying happily, "Thanks you guys! You're the best!" Jumping up, Winry turned around to look at the boys. "Now let's get home. I want to check on Grandma." Smiling at the girl's restored cheerfulness, Ed and Al stood up and walked on either side of her as they made their way home.

Walking in through the door, the three were surprised to see Pinako, wrapped up in a blanket and with a steaming mug, sitting on the couch. Before Winry could say anything, the old woman said, "I know. I'm supposed to stay in bed, but it's really boring to just lay there and not do anything. By the way, I really wish you'd let me help you with making this boy's automail." She added, pointing to Ed as she did so. "You'll have to start from scratch, so I know it's going to take you practically all night and some of tomorrow."

"I know." Winry replied. "But I don't mind. And besides, if you try to help me with it, you won't get well in time for the party." Defeated for now, Pinako sighed. Winry did, however, allow her to remain in their company, as long as she agreed to stay warm and not leave the couch too often. Winry, after she and the boys put everything away, went into her workshop with a new determination to finished Ed's automail in time to help prepare for the party. She already had her schedule for the next day up to the party. She would finish the job then, after giving the new limbs to Ed, would go to bed and sleep for most of the day as well as the next night. By getting up early the next morning, she would insure that she had enough time to prepare the food she would need before anyone showed up, hoping that, since all but one were in Central, they would arrive together.

Sitting down at her desk, Winry got right to work, stooping only to go to the bathroom, get a drink, and eat dinner that night. She was slightly surprised by how well-prepared the meal was. She had never pinned either of the boys as people who could cook, which she realized later was ridiculous. Someone had to make them meals all those years they had been on the road. Saying goodnight after she had helped with the dishes, she went right back to her work, hardly ever stopping all throughout the night. It was this perseverance that allowed her to be finished by midmorning the next day. After she attached the new arm and leg, ignoring his flinch as the nerves reconnected, she paused for a little bit to watch Ed admire her handiwork yet again. Ed, thanking her sincerely, asked if there was anything he could do while she rested. After asking him and Al to take care of a few things around the house, as well as caring for Pinako and Den, Winry went upstairs to her room, changed into her pajamas, crawled into bed, and was asleep in a matter of minutes.

When Winry woke up a few hours later, she looked outside to see the sun setting. Feeling completely rejuvenated, she made her way downstairs to find Granny Pinako sitting once again on the couch, while a clamorous noise told her that Ed and Al were having another sparring match outside. Going into the kitchen, she proceeded to make dinner for them all. When the boys came in, they were surprised to see Winry at the stove, but greeted her cheerfully none the less. A little while after dinner, they all went to bed and, despite the fact that she had been asleep almost all day, Winry slept soundly all that night so that it seemed like no time at all before her alarm clock went off to get her up early the next morning. Jumping out of bed in excitement, she quickly got dressed and, being extra quiet, headed downstairs.

Hours later, Ed, yawning and still in his PJ's, came stumbling down the stairs. Winry, who had taken extra care to hide all the dishes she had made, greeted him warmly as he sat down at the table, placing a stack of pancakes before him. As he dug in, Winry went upstairs into his room to wake up Al, went to wake up Pinako and, after checking her over, deemed she was well enough to pick up her daily life again, but warned her to watch what she did for the next couple of days, so as not to invite a return of the disease. Exiting her Grandmother's room so she could get dressed, Winry saw Al come out of his own room, already dressed, and told him there was a plate of pancakes for him in the kitchen.

Following him down the stairs, Winry collected Ed's plate as she walked into the kitchen. After everyone was done and all the dishes were clean, Winry assigned chores to the boys, only giving her Grandmother light work, to keep them out of the kitchen, for she knew that, in the event one of them discovered how much food she had made, they would instantly become suspicious. A little while later, because Winry kept discreetly looking out the windows down the path to their house, she was the only one who saw them coming, and was pleased to see that they had indeed come all at once, barring one person, though Winry supposed it would take a little longer for her to arrive.

Finding Ed and Al in the living room, Winry asked them to go upstairs and check on Pinako, though she knew full well that her grandmother was in her workshop. After they went upstairs, she quickly enlisted Pinako's help with putting all the dishes out on the table. Getting all the dishes out just in time, Winry went out and stood on the porch, not wanting to risk the boys hearing a knock at the door. Greeting all her friend's warmly, she invited them all in as quickly and normally as she could, knowing that the boys would be back down any second. As they all entered, they all took it in turn to say hello to Pinako, who was once again seated on the couch.

Moving to the head of the group, Winry caught everyone's attention by saying, "Thanks for coming you guys. It's really good to see you: Roy, Riza, Mr. Armstrong, Sheizka, officers Havoc and Feury. I know it seemed a little sudden, but I had something I just had to show you." She finished as she heard footsteps on the stairs. Turning so that the stairs could be seen by everyone in the room, Winry beamed as everyone became perplexed as to who else was in the house. Confusion rapidly turned to shock as Ed and Al came down the stairs saying, "Winry, Granny Pinako isn't upstairs…."

The boys froze when they took in all their friends standing in front of them, looking quite as shocked. Ed, always the clever one, turned to Winry, saying, "You planned this, didn't you?" Nodding, she replied, "I sure did." Al was the one who broke the ensuing silence by saying happily, "It's so good to see you all again."

Something about what Al said seemed to break the hold, and before they knew it, both boys were surrounded by everyone, hearing yet again exclamations of how much they had changed. By popular demand, Ed and Al were once again obliged to relate all that had happened to them in their absence. As their story was rather long, it didn't take much time for everyone to be sitting down on the couch or in a chair. Afterwards, the boys insisted on hearing what was new with everyone else. Not very much had changed, they learned, until they got to Riza. Without saying anything, she walked up to the boys and, much to the delight of Winry, flashed something on her finger before their eyes. Something that was small and shiny.

"You're MARRIED?!" they yelped in unison. Laughing, Riza sat down again, saying, "For almost two months now."

"But who—." Ed began, though he was cut off by Roy, who was sitting next to Riza, snaking his arm around her shoulders.

"Roy and Riza Mustang. That sounds pretty nice." Al said, laughing with everyone else at Ed's disbelieving face.

Roy, not being able to resist teasing Ed, said, "I must admit Ed, your new height suits you better than your old one." Ed just smirked, not falling for it one bit. Roy, on a more serious note, asked, "So what are you planning to do now? Will you become a state alchemist again?"

"I'm not really sure." Ed replied thoughtfully. "The only reason I became one in the first place was to find a way to get Al back to normal, so I don't know what I'll do next."

"You might want to consider it." Roy said. "You guys will need some other way to bring the money in besides Winry's automail."

Looking over at Winry, Ed realized he was right. "I'll consider it." He said.

"Good. It certainly would be interesting to have the Fullmetal back after all this time, though you would have to take the exam again." Roy persisted. Clearly he wanted to be able to see his friend more often than the occasional visit to Risembol.

Just then, a knock was heard at the door. Winry, who already knew who it was, told Ed and Al to quickly go into the kitchen, and asked the others to not say a word. Opening the door, Winry stepped aside to let Rose come in. Giving a quick bow to everyone, she said, "Sorry it took me so long. I'm not too late, am I?"

"Not at all, Rose. You're just in time." Pinako said reassuringly.

"And we have a little surprise for you." Winry added. While Rose stood there looking confused, Winry called out, "Guys, you can come in now." Rose's jaw practically fell on the floor when the boys came walking out of the kitchen back into the living room. Smiling at her, they sat back down in their seats. Rose, also sitting down, wiped her eyes and smiled before she said, "I hope you guys plan on sticking around this time."

"Absolutely." They replied in unison, making her laugh.

As the party continued, about an hour later Winry noticed that the food on the table was dwindling. Going into the kitchen, she hoped that nobody noticed as she prepared more. She wanted everyone to enjoy themselves as much as possible.

"So how long did you plan this?" Said a voice right behind her. Squeaking in surprise, Winry whirled around to find Ed standing right behind her with a smirk all over his face.

"Ed! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she burst out while he chuckled. Seeing this, Winry said, "I'm guessing you're not angry that I invited everyone without telling you." She expected Ed to just chuckle again with a huge grin on his face. Therefore, she was very surprised when he swept her up into a big hug, whispering into her ear, "This is the best party I've ever been to. Thank you so much, Winry."

Shock quickly wearing off, Winry smiled and, hugging him back, said, "You're welcome, Ed."

"Well, well, well. Looks like I will have something to tease you about after all, Elric." Said a voice from the kitchen doorway. Already knowing who the voice belonged to, they separated almost instantly, both blushing slightly as they looked over at Roy Mustang, leaning against the doorframe and chuckling loudly. With blank looks on their faces, Ed and Winry looked over at each other, and their faces turned bright red when they saw that they were both slightly red in the face. Stuttering incoherently, they both tried in vain to say that it wasn't what it looked like. Mustang just laughed and said while walking back out, "I'll just leave you two alone." And laughed again.

Ed scowled, annoyed, but Winry just smiled and started laughing. When Ed asked, "What's so funny?" grumpily, she just replied, "It's just good to see him back to normal." When Ed looked confused, she continued, "After you left, he always seemed kind of out of it. You might not have realized it, but he valued you as a friend the most out of anyone."

As Ed looked slightly stunned, Winry thought it was the perfect time to ask him a question that had been on her mind for the past few days. Turning to face him, she asked, "So Ed, why did you and Al REALLY decide to live in the city, and don't say 'because we felt like it'. I know too well that you never do anything just because you feel like it. There's a reason, and YOU'RE going to tell me what it is."

Ed looked nervous for a bit, before he remembered that he promised they wouldn't keep secrets anymore. Sighing, he answered, "We decided to live in the city because the country reminded us too much of this place."

"And how is that a bad thing?", Winry persisted.

"Because…" Ed paused before starting again. "Because we missed you guys, and the countryside made us miss you more." He finished a little quietly. Winry noticing this, hugged him again, saying, "Well, we're together now. And it's gonna stay that way."

Smiling, Ed hugged her back, not caring if Mustang tortured him about it, and said, "Yeah." Then, looking over at the food she had made, he said, "You need some help with this?" pointing at the dishes. As they walked out of the kitchen and set the food on the table, they noticed that Al was the center of attention at the moment, and he seemed to actually enjoy it.

"It's about time." Ed said.

"Huh?"

"After Al snuck into that other world with me, he remembered those four years he had traveled with me after the accident, but it seemed like his low self-esteem returned along with his memories. It took forever to get his confidence back." Ed explained, a slight bit of annoyance in his voice, though Winry knew he could never stay mad or even irked at his younger brother for any length of time.

Plastering a big grin on her face, Winry grabbed Ed's arm and, dragging him back to the party, said, "Come on Ed. Let's join the party!"