You guys know how I said that the story wasn't going to be exciting again until Chapter 15?

I lied.

I've decided- fuck that. This chapter and the next one will stay as they are, but from then on out, we're cutting straight to the action, because I've built up enough background that everyone should be able to tell what's going on now.

BUT - that means, since I'm scrapping a few of the chapters I already have written, my stockpile is disintegrating. From here on out, I'm probably changing to a "you get it when it's ready" style of writing. So it might take longer for updates. But it'll be more exciting. What do you think?

CHAPTER 11

"Aunt Mei, are you pregnant?"

When his sister spoke, Vince startled and coughed, sending specks of the food he was eating all over his plate.

Alphonse and Mei had only intended to visit for a week, but when Vince had fallen into a coma, they had decided to stay in Resembool a little longer and help in any way they could. Now that he was awake, though, the two needed to leave for Xing soon. They had been gone for too long – both had missed far too much work, and, while Vince wasn't exactly sure what they did for a living, he knew it was political and important.

So, since this was the last dinner the family would enjoy together before Al and Mei left again, their mother had worked hard to make it extra special. Lamb chops in a creamy milk-based gravy, beans seasoned over a smoky grill, and creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes, with a fresh apple pie for dessert. And so far, it had all been delicious- a perfect evening.

But no, Mia had to go and ruin the mood. Vince groaned under his breath.

Mei herself had dropped her fork, her eyes wide with shock.

"Amelia!" Winry cried in shock. "That's an incredibly rude thing to ask!"

As if she hadn't realized that she'd spoken out-loud, Mia's face suddenly flared bright red, and she stood abruptly, sending her chair skidding backwards. "I'm sorry…" she managed to squeak out, and then the girl darted off to her room.

The rest of the table watched her in awe.

Vince groaned again, louder this time, and his family now turned to look at him. He shook his head tiredly. "I'll get her," he said, rubbing his eyes as he headed upstairs.

Both Mei and Al still looked shocked. Trying to disperse the awkwardness, Winry laughed and assured her sister-in-law, "Mei, I don't know what she's talking about. You're as petite as you've always been."

"I'm not offended," Mei said, blinking as she slowly faded out of her shock. "I'm really surprised." She looked up and grinned embarrassedly. "It's just that, well, she's right."

Silence followed.

As time ticked on, Ed started to slowly chuckle. Then, with a grin stretching across his face, he asked, "Seriously?"

Mei nodded dully, starting to laugh herself, and Al began to grin.

"We wanted to tell you when we got into town," the father-to-be explained, "but with everything that's been happening, it never seemed like the right time."

Playfully slugging his brother on the shoulder, Ed replied, "Good for you, Al. You're gonna be a great dad."

Downstairs, all four adults were grinning in joy.

Upstairs, Amelia was sitting dazedly on her bed, her head resting on her knees.

Vincent poked his head in the door. "You're an idiot."

Mia didn't look up. "I didn't mean to say it out loud." Her voice was soft. Vince raised an eyebrow. With a sigh, the girl explained, "Aunt Mei felt weird lately. I told you that yesterday, when we finished sparring, remember?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "And then, today I realized, it's because she feels like she has extra energy."

"Well, I guess she is pretty energetic?"

Her lips twitched towards a smile, but Amelia's voice remained distant. "It's not that kind of energy. It's hard to explain, Vince. It's like I can feel her life force, you know?" When her brother didn't answer, Mia sighed and continued her explanation, "Anyways, it feels like she has a lot of life in her. Not like she's lively or peppy, but like she had a lot of soul. I dunno. Like I said, it's hard to explain. But whatever it is, it made me think that, well, maybe she has extra life in her because she's going to have a baby?" A soft chuckle escaped her. "I just didn't mean to say it out-loud."

Vince sat on the bed next to his sister. When he spoke, his voice managed to make her look up. "How confident do you feel about this, Mia? Like, do you really believe that you can…uhh….feel peoples' souls?" He straightened his lips. "Like, is this really legit?"

Shifting her gaze back down to her hands, Amelia shrugged. "I'm pretty sure it is, Vince. I've been able to feel where people are in the house, and be able to tell who is who. Whenever I go to check, I've found that I'm never wrong."

"You can tell people apart?"

"Yeah," she muttered, shrugging again. "Everyone has a different feeling to them. It's pretty easy to figure out which feeling goes to which person."

"What else can you do?" Vince asked, propping his head on his knees.

"I think that's it, besides transmuting without a circle" she said, shaking her head slowly. "Which I haven't been able to do again. I've tried, but I can't make it work. Maybe it was just a one time thing?"

It was her brother's turn to shrug. "I bet you just need more practice." When Amelia didn't reply, he pushed her playfully and retorted, "Why are you acting so solemn about this, Mia? Don't you think it's awesome?"

"It's wrong, Vince." Her voice was tight. "I mean, it doesn't feel wrong- I feel perfectly healthy and whole and whatever- but…. it shouldn't be happening. It goes against nature- against science. It goes against everything I know about alchemy."

Vince laughed, startling Mia enough to make her jump. "You think you're not normal?" The boy grinned arrogantly. "I don't feel pain, Mia! And who knows what else is weird about me! I've only been awake for four days! I bet I'm some sort of monster!" He growled fiercely, before ruffling his sister's hair again. "And you don't see me worrying about being a freak."

Mia stuck out her tongue. "That's because you've always been a freak. Plus, I've never seen you worry about anything."

Shrugging, Vince replied, "It's called relaxing, Mia. You should try it sometime. It's the best way to live."

Somehow, Vince always knew exactly what to say to make her feel better. Amelia hugged her brother tightly, and put on a happy face.

Maybe everything really would be okay.

Alright, talk to me here, folks. I've got some questions that I would really appreciate an answer for, if you have the time, of course.

1) Can you tell Amelia and Vince's personalities? I don't want to just write out, "Amelia is this way and Vince it this way." I want it to be apparent from their actions and thoughts. If so, what do you think their personalities are like? Just so I can see if I'm doing a good job of portraying them as I would like.

2) Are there any other characters you would like to see involved in this story? I already have quite a few planned, but we're not to it quite yet.

3) Anything you guys wanna see happen?

EDIT: 4) What do you think of this writing style? Do I spend too much time describing character's reactions? Too much time on dialog? Would you rather see more action?

If you could answer these questions for me, guys, I would really appreciate it, because then I would be able to tell how I want to shape this story in the future, and what I need to change about the plot and about my writing style.

THANKS IN ADVANCE.