Paon: To answer your question, Akilah is actually a name I borrowed from one of the dogs in an original work I did, her name means wise/intelligent/etc. I'm not good with dog names so I borrowed among myself XD.

As I'm sure many of you have guessed, this story is coming to an end. This chapter is short-er than all the others. As far as tomorrows chapter, I'm still not entirely happy, the vows are giving me trouble. I keep going back and altering bits and pieces. It'll be posted regardless, and it will be the final chapter. Set many months ahead, and it will be about their wedding.

Thanks to everyone who's kept reading this. It's surpassed RtA in everything but reviews. Which is definitely NOT a bad thing. Unfortunately this sort of theme is something that I cannot drag out for endless chapters, else you'll want to shoot me. You say 'no, never' now, but trust me, you would. After tomorrow Believe In Me will begin to be updated, so check in for that. Favorite this, and tune in tomorrow for the wedding.

Chapter Ten

Roy groaned and rolled over, bringing a pillow with him to cover his head. "Five more minutes."

Edward snickered mercilessly and poked at his fiancé again without hesitation. "Roy, that's what you said five minutes ago." He reminded him with a smile.

"And the same holds true now." Came the muffled voice from under the pillow.

With a roll of his eyes Edward looked around, and spotted what he was looking for. Clucking, he held out a beckoning hand, and Akilah bounded over to him gleefully. She had been napping, but if this man wanted her, she was his. "Good girl." He murmured, picking her up and setting her on the sheets. "Go wake him up."

She seemed to understand, for soon enough she'd abandoned washing Edward's hand to leap onto Roy. Nuzzling with a cold nose and licking him, she managed to rouse Roy.

Roy glared over at Ed, who grinned back at him. "That's unfair."

"Is so." He retorted and got out of bed with a languid stretch. In the process giving Roy a fantastic view, and a clear reminder of why he enjoyed coming home to Ed each night. Edward, noticing the lustful looks Roy was giving as he stared, winked at the man and sauntered into the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower now."

Roy glared as he heard the lock click in the door. "I could still get in!"

"And who's to say that that's not what I want you to do?" Ed called back teasingly through the door as he turned on the knobs to the shower.

Roy growled and set his puppy down on the floor with an affectionate rub to her head before going to join Ed. After all, he'd overslept and was now running late. With only one shower in his bathroom, it only made sense to share. Did it not?

Showers that, in total, would have taken both of them ten minutes to complete, took both of them together nearly half an hour.

And both of them walked out of the bathroom glowing from much more than a good scrub.

Edward joined Daphne first down in the dining room, knowing it was the last morning he'd wake up and come down to an already made breakfast that was guaranteed to be wonderful. "I'm going to miss you." He admitted, taking his normal seat at the table.

Daphne smiled over at him. "Yeah, me too, Ed." She said as she passed him a serving spoon. "Where's Roy at?"

"Figuring out how to put a collar on a dog." He smiled, "you'd think he'd already have a clue since he calls us all his 'Dogs of the Military,' or 'Military Dog,' or whatever other clever statement he ends up with for the day."

"Well now he has a real one." Daphne said as she took a sip from her orange juice. She'd learned quickly that Ed hated milk, and ever since then it had been absent from the breakfast table.

"Talking about me?"

They both looked over as Roy entered, Akilah dancing on the end of her leash.

"There you are."

"Yes, sweetcakes, everything's about you." Edward snorted as he turned back to his toast.

"It better be." Roy joked and took his seat, looping the leash down around his elbow so he could eat.

Daphne passed over a bowl of tidbits for the puppy to eat, and Roy gave it to the enthusiastic puppy with a smile.

Ed watched with a grin, shook his head, and turned back to his meal. He couldn't help but see Roy as a doting parent, feeding his puppy with a tender gaze. A gaze that might have made Ed jealous, had he not known that the look of affection he gave Akilah, was not the same as the one he gave Ed.

Once breakfast was finished Edward grabbed Daphne's bags, while Roy kept the energetic puppy on the leash, and together they began the walk to the train station to see Daphne off.

Edward admittedly was somewhat sad to see Daphne go, he'd grown fond of the woman. But he knew it would be good to get her out of the house. He and Roy needed time to themselves, completely. As they walked they made plans for Edward and Roy to come visit by the end of the month so Edward could see what this vineyard was all about.

"Now you two don't go getting into any more silly fights again." Daphne grinned as Edward finished loading her last suitcase for her.

"I think we've learned." Edward told her with a reassuring smile.

"I'm not about to say anything stupid again." Roy smiled over at Ed, who returned the smile.

"Good." Daphne said and turned to hug both of them in turn. "Take care of yourselves." She said and turned to Ed, "keep in touch dear."

"I will." Edward promised and he took hold of Akilah's leash for a minute so Roy could see his mother onto the train safely. "She's going to make a great mother." Ed told the puppy, who yipped at him happily.

Roy walked back over after some time and shook his head when Ed offered the leash back to him. "Hold onto her for a while, it's fine. I'm not possessive of anything but you."

Edward smiled to himself and turned to wave as the train began moving, Daphne waving from her own window. When she was gone, Ed lowered his hand and turned to the man beside him. "What's on the schedule for today?"

Roy thought as they began walking out of the crowded station together. "Besides what Hawkeye needs done? We kind of have a wedding to plan."

"Ah yes, the real wedding." Edward grinned and glanced down at the ring. "You sure wasted no time getting around to that topic."

"As far as I'm concerned, and you obviously agree, we're going to stay together. Might as well not waste any time." Roy looked over at him, "and I want us to be truly together sooner rather than later."

"So glad we agree on that." Edward looked down at Akilah. "Your daddy is a smart man again."

Roy rolled his eyes, and lightly whacked Ed across the back of his head. "Stop talking to her like she's a baby."

"Yes'ir."

"And if I'm her daddy, does that mean you're going to be her mommy one day?" Roy asked wickedly.

Ed glared out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly Roy was nursing a rather large bruise to the shoulder nearest Ed's automail fist. "Did you hear him imply I'm a girl?" Edward asked Akilah as they walked ahead of Roy, "the nerve. I think he needs to sleep on the couch tonight. Don't you?"

"Hey!" Roy ran after them, "I was kidding!" He protested, "I know you are very much a man. I wouldn't have you any other way."

Edward looked over at him, his face softening. "I might forgive you if you take me out to lunch today."

"Am I paying?" He asked weakly.

"Of course." Ed declared as if it was obvious. "You wouldn't make your fiancé pay for his lunch, would you?"

Roy groaned, but smiled at the familiar words. "Is that why you think I'm such a beast?"

"Among other reasons which I shall express in a less public place." Edward agreed with an affectionate look towards his love.

The two men reached Roy's office at the military headquarters, ignoring the looks that the puppy Edward was still leading was receiving. They only let her off the leash once she was safely in Roy's office. Throughout the day he'd allow his men, and Hawkeye to come in and marvel over her.

Where Edward had gone, only Roy seemed to know.

"I was thinking," Edward began as he accepted the cup of coffee, "do you think that having the wedding in Risembool would be out of the way enough?"

Al nodded as he thought that over. "It'd be easy enough to keep things quiet. Just send out invitations to select people with the date and time. I doubt anyone from town would let the word out, after all, Winry'd probably attack them."

Edward smiled at that thought, "I thought as much."

"When were you thinking of having it?"

"Next spring, I think." Edward said, "that gives us six months to get everything in order."

''What are you going to do then?" Al asked over his coffee mug.

Ed needn't have asked for clarification. He knew what Al was referring to. The military wouldn't allow him to stay under Roy's command once they were wed. They could try covering it up, but he didn't want Roy to be ousted from his position when the truth came out. As it always did. "I'm going to resign as a State Alchemist." He said quietly, "Roy will have enough money to support us both. Hell, he's been supporting me since I was twelve."

"Are you going to get a job elsewhere?"

"Sort of." Edward grinned. "I have a feeling Daphne would be more than willing to start training me on how to run the business Roy and I will get once she retires. I feel obsolete as a State Alchemist right now anyway. I did what I needed to do, my reason for becoming one is now moot point. I'd rather put my alchemy to better uses elsewhere."

"That'll make Izumi and Pinako happy." Alphonse grinned.

"Ah yes, making my beloved teacher happy. Impossible." Edward laughed and took a drink from his coffee mug. "Won't change the fact I'm going to be married to one the rest of my life."

"So how are you going to get back on top, if you know what I mean. He proposed to you, so what's your next move in the assertiveness wagon?" Al queried.

Edward laughed, "just leave it to me. Besides, while he's working on becoming Fuhrer, I'll be running the very lucrative family wine business. It's all balancing out, and this relationship definitely needs balance."

"Yeah." Al agreed readily, "he's got to be used to always being on top, so to speak. Always the dominant one in all his other relationships."

"He's actually not such a bastard, you know, when you're on even ground with him." Edward said with a fond smile.

"Now back to this wedding business." Al said, and thus began the brotherly discussion on some of the details important to the both of them.

Come afternoon, Edward met Roy outside the gates of the military compound. "Ready?"

"How was your talk?" Roy asked as he nodded.

"We got a lot settled." Edward smiled and looked around. "Where's your little angel?"

"Right in front of me." Roy smiled back honestly.

Edward rolled his eyes, but the smile remained on his face. "Flattering. I meant Akilah."

"She's asleep, I thought it best not to wake her." Roy said as they began walking. "So where did you want to go for lunch?"

The duo ended up at a quaint corner café not far from the military headquarters. They talked quietly over sandwiches and iced teas, before heading back.

The days passed, and when Friday rolled around, Edward saw Roy off before heading out to the back yard with Akilah hot on his heels.

"I'm thinking we'll start with the outer shrubs and flowers first." Edward mused as he walked around the barren seeming landscape. It was open, and not at all fenced in by any means. It wasn't littered, but Ed wanted to put up some sort of a border. He didn't think Akilah would run off, but he didn't want anyone to try taking her.

There really wasn't much to work with at first, but Edward was good at improvising. Managing to convert enough organic matter from the grass to create the hedges and flower beds, Ed got to work.

Akilah tried to help, but she was often distracted by a random flower petal, and Edward shook his head in laughter as he kept working.

By the time afternoon rolled around, the back yard was looking more and more like his blueprint which now had smears of mud across it, and a few dog print tracks. Edward sat outside, sipping on raspberry lemonade while Akilah napped in the shade of a leafy oak he'd managed to spring from the earth thanks to some water and dormant seeds of trees from the park nearby.

All he had left were to get the rest of the trees up to a mature height, and grass the area. It was a good days work, and he knew that Akilah was going to enjoy her new back yard. Roy as well might even deign to be impressed with Ed's sudden horticultural skills.

He'd know soon enough.

After he'd finished his lemonade, Edward got back to work while Akilah watched him from her shady resting place.

By the time Ed had finished, dusk was falling on the green and shady back yard. Flowers covered a great deal of the yard, in colorful bunches, green grass took up the rest. There were three large oak trees, and a willow that tossed out plenty of shade for the puppy. Edward had created a small lake that a horseshoe shaped stream connected to after running its course around most of the yard.

"Ed? Here you ar-…" Roy looked around at the entirely transformed back yard. "Damn, my property value just went up."

Edward laughed at that and walked in the wake of Akilah who bounded over to greet Roy first. "Well I hope you don't plan on selling anytime soon. I like this house."

"Definitely not. But now I know I can get a good thousand more." Roy grinned and pulled a willing Edward towards him. "I missed you at work today."

When they finally broke off from their kiss, as it began to get rather too heated to stay outside where they might still be visible, Ed shoved him backwards. "Feed… dog… then bed." He managed to get out in between searing exchanges as they got inside.

The weeks passed in a blur, Daphne came and visited for a weekend, then was gone again.

However Edward and Roy were on their way to visit her at her own home, having left Akilah in the care of Hawkeye while they were gone.

They were met at the station by the beaming woman, and Ed was the first one swept into a hug. "Ed!"

"Daphne, good to see you again." Edward grinned through the crushing of his ribs.

"Of course it is." She smirked and hugged Roy. "Welcome back, it's been what, twenty years at least?"

"At least." Roy groaned. He had come along, but only because Edward was going. He didn't want to let the blonde out of his sight for too long.

"Now don't be such a grouch on a vacation." Daphne told him as they began walking towards where she'd parked her car.

"Don't start being evil to me again."

"Someone's got to." Daphne chortled.

Edward grinned, "don't worry, Daphne. I'll be evil to him for you."

"Good."

"You're the only one I'll accept it from." Roy growled under his breath.

After a short twenty minute ride, the vineyard came into view.

Daphne pulled up the gravel drive and to the main house. "Here we are. Glad to be home, Roy?"

"Ecstatic." Roy said flippantly.

"Roy." Ed chastised gently, and leaned over to give the man an appeasing kiss on the cheek. "Try not to bicker too much, she's egging you on."

Roy gave him a look that clearly told Edward he'd try, but wasn't promising anything. Yes, he and his mother may be getting along better now, but that did not mean he was thrilled to be back at this place. Even if he did buy the wine here.

Over the course of the two days they spent there at the vineyards, Edward and Roy were given tours of everything, and several times had gone into town to look around at all the shops. One in particular Ed was dragged into by Daphne who was insisting he needed something other than the black he commonly wore.

And thus the clothes shopping began.

"Now try this on." Daphne said, shoving a white dress shirt into Ed's hands and shoving him towards the changing room.

Roy rolled his eyes. "White won't look good on him. He'll look like an angel."

"And that's a bad thing?" Daphne asked with a raised eyebrow.

He made a grunt in reply.

"And you would do well to maybe try something in red."

"Don't even think about turning me into one of your fashion guinea pigs." He said, and turned to browse the racks of clothes.

Meanwhile Edward came out, adjusting the sleeves of the shirt fastidiously. "Well?" He asked.

"He's right, an angel." Daphne nodded.

"I have a brown jacket that might suit that." Said one of the male attendants, walking over with the jacket in question.

"That does look nice, Ed." Daphne urged.

The man nodded as Ed looked it over. "You might be hot in it… but I bet you're used to that, right?"

Edward blinked at him in shock. "Umm…"

"No preliminaries, shocking." Daphne frowned and stalked over to seize the jacket and give it to Ed. "Try it on, and you sir, off with you. Quit flirting with my son." She growled at the attendant.

The man scurried, and fast.

Ed looked on with amusement. "Your son, am I?"

"You will be." Daphne winked at him.

Laughing, Ed went to try on the jacket while Roy, fortunately, had missed the entire scene.

And so Edward and Roy explored the town with Daphne as a guide, retiring back to the vineyard each night. When their trip was up, Edward and Roy left with hugs and promises to keep in touch.

After all, there was a wedding to plan.