When Pinako Rockbell returned home early the next morning and saw a pile of three sets of clothes on the front porch, a thousand things ran through her head. She had returned as fast as possible so she could keep Winry company. She strongly suspected the girl was losing it, and it was understandable of course. After all, she had lost her parents and her childhood best friends at a young age. The boys continual dance with danger had put a strain on Winry and there was an ever growing emptiness in her eyes that scared the wits out of the elderly Rockbell, and the woman was anything but easily frightened. The strain of thoughts flashed by in quick succession.
Was there company?
Did something happen?
Was it to the boys?
Are they ok?
But they used to do this years ago when they got dirty, could it be them?
But why are there three sets?
Could the boys be back?
Really be back, to normal?
Is this some sort of joke?
Has Winry finally lost it?
The list continued on to higher levels of paranoia as Pinako opened the door bracing herself for anything but what she saw. When she swung the door open and got a full view of the kitchen table, she laid eyes on the most beautiful thing she could have ever seen. A fully human Alphonse who was laughing and smiling despite looking rather frail and Edward who was also laughing, with one flesh and bone arm around Winry's waist and another flesh and bone arm brushing a strand of hair out of her face. The thought flashed in Pinako's mind briefly that she could die in peace now. Not that that was a real concern, the woman was strong as an ox still. Winry was happy, and looking at Edward with such a gleam in her eyes that Pinako knew that their childhood love for one another had finally spilled over and there was no going back. She would have two grandsons returned home this day and a grandson-in-law eventually out of one of them, she just knew it. And that was for the best, really, she couldn't have asked for more.
As the days went by the boys spent most of their time training their bodies. Al made slow but steady progress while Edward pushed himself as hard as he could. Winry spent most of the days sitting in the grass watching them, and smiling. Always smiling. Pinako cooked and cleaned and did her business without a word of complaint. They could help with the chores later, let them be for now, she thought. When about a week had passed without a word about the military or alchemy from the boys Pinako and Winry both assumed that they just weren't ready to talk about it. Winry really couldn't hope for more than for them to never talk about it. The nightmare was over and she would prefer to leave it that way. But when a knock came at the door and she saw a familiar blue-clad figure standing there she thought that her wish would never come true.
"Mustang, what brings you here, I'll go get the boys..." She said hestitantly.
"Don't" He replied furtively.
"This is shaping up to be a nightmare already. Come in..."
"Could you send the boys on some errand? I need to talk to you and Pinako in private"
Winry sighed and after she led Roy to the table she went out back to send the boys on an uneeded supply run. She baited them on going without her by suggesting to them that they weren't strong enough yet to go without her as a sitter. That had them running, well limping at high speed really, towards town. Winry sat down opposite Mustang while Pinako busied herself with tea, and potentially the kitchen knives aimed at Mustang's head. You just never knew.
"I assume you can tell this is not a social call, but there is something you need to know and I took too long in getting here. I hope it is not too late."
"What..." Winry started and was immediately cut off by an obviously hurried and bothered Roy.
"I don't have the time to be here telling you this, so right now is the time for every question and answer you will ever get. After this, we never mention again certain details, understand me?"
"Go for it." Winry said, bracing herself.
"I am hoping you haven't asked the boys any questions regarding the military or their lack of use of alchemy lately."
"We haven't" They said in unison. Winry hadn't noticed the lack of alchemic phrases, words or comments let alone the lack of its use. She was just too happy to have the boys back.
"You understand at least the basics of alchemy from growing up with these two I assume..."
"Define basics Colonel" Pinako said, on par with Mustang's impatience now.
"It's Führer now."
The Rockbell's raised eyebrows in unison but, in their impatience to learn whatever news they needed to, they ignored this development.
"Equivalent exchange." Mustang said.
"What?" Winry said.
"Do you know what it is?" Roy's impatience was astounding.
"Yes." Winry said between gritted teeth.
"Have you not wondered then, Ms. Rockbell, what price the boys paid for their bodies?"
Winry sat bolt upright in shock. She had wondered, at least a part of her had. But she also, really did not want to know. Pinako had wondered but figured it wasn't important now. Not that they were home alive and in one piece.
"We have, Führer." Pinako said, making the title sound a bit too much like an expletive.
"We don't know the whole story. When we found the boys staggering back towards the front line, they were whole. We suspect that they skirted around the equivalent part somehow, but then again we also do not know the extent of the damage."
"What damage?" WInry squeaked an octave higher than normal.
"The boys have lost all knowledge of Alchemy and, we believe, the ability to use it."
There was silence. On the one hand, Winry was relieved, what with this the boys would be normal boys and free of the military. But on the other hand, this was their entire lives, how would they make money? They had no other training. Pinako did not react, internally or externally beyond the single thought, It could be worse.
"There seems to be some loss of memory surrounding people involved with Alchemy and their journey so far. They remember why they set out on the quest and most people who they met along the way are familiar to them. They can identify, for example, that they both trust and do not trust me. They know that Brigadier General Armstrong is insane and they know that he is a friend. But they do not know why Armstrong is a friend, or why they both like and dislike me. The exact details are missing."
Again, silence.
"They know that Miss Izumi taught them, they just don't know what."
"What do the boys think about their fuzzy memories?" Pinako asked.
"Surprisingly they don't really care. Edward said in a daze after he returned to us, that they "avoided enough of the price to understand why they paid it" if that makes sense to you."
Two nods were slow in coming. How much did they forget? How did they avoid the full price? Will there be repercussions later?
"So, why are you here Mustang?" Pinako questioned.
Mustang gave her a look that edged on exasperation.
"It is because of those two idiots, that I have the opportunity to restore this country. It is because of all of their insane and dangerous actions that this country and the lives of the people inhabiting it are saved. I owe them, this country owes them."
"Ok…" Winry didn't quite understand where this was going.
"I came for two reasons. Firstly to explain to you why the boys will not remember a lot of things and why you must tread carefully around these things that they have forgotten. They forgot for a reason and we must honor that."
Winry was surprised that Mustang had used the word honor, she agreed with him too. Strange.
"Secondly, because of the debt this country owes them, they will be supplied with a continual paycheck, for the rest of their lives."
This was not the nightmare Winry had been expecting.
"The boys have been told that they protected their country with their lives and will never need again. This way, with the loss of their abilities, they can provide themselves and their family without difficulty."
"That is very generous of you Führer" Pinako said with a hint of disbelief.
"It isn't nearly as much as they deserve. For all they went through for themselves and the lives of thousands of people they never met, they deserve much more. But it was Edward's last request before he started the final transmutation, that should he succeed, he wanted to live a peaceful life away from the Military. And that should he fail, that Miss Winry would never want again."
Winry began to cry. In what Ed thought might be his last living moment he thought of protecting her. Pinako's eyes shimmered in the light, but no tears would fall.
"I must return now, or Hawkeye will have my head. I or someone else will return to set up the details…and to visit them once they have had a little more peace."
Mustang immediately stood and did the last thing Winry or Pinako would have expected. He saluted them both and said "Thank you for helping this country." And without a second to spare, without allowing the Rockbell women to respond, he shot out the door. They heard an angry feminine voice and assumed that Hawkeye had been guarding the door and impatiently waiting to be on the road.
They sat in contemplative silence both wondering exactly why the boys couldn't have heard that.
"…avoided enough of the price to understand why they paid it". Winry repeated quietly to herself. What did that mean? Did the boys use some loophole that could return and bite them? The Col…no the Führer didn't seem to think so.
'They forgot for a reason and we must honor that' Winry said quietly to herself but Pinako nodded at her anyway.