WOOHOOOO! It's snowing here in Maryland! SNOWING!! It hasn't snowed all winter here, and now all of a sudden we have a good inch already! Y'all don't know how happy I am--not only is it snowing, but today's a teacher workday! I get to spend all day with FF .net, my cat, anime episodes found on the Internet, and, most importantly, HOUSE, M.D, THE BEST SHOW IN EXISTENCE, COURTESY OF TiVo!

Sorry, I'm acting like an overexcited thirteen-year-old, aren't I? Well, to act more maturely, like a two-weeks-from-sixteen-year-old would act: Since it's snowing today, and since I weaseled out of getting booted to my dad's house, I'm celebrating by posting a chapter one day early. And, what's more, this means the scheduled chapter for tomorrow is now the superlong one, which I thought I was going to have to wait until Friday to post, and which I can now post on Wednesday. So, tomorrow, look forward to a nice and long chapter, like twice as long as the average: I think, without an AN (and without being proofread by me, so this ain't the final count) it's about 670 words. Sorry, but when you read it, you'll understand why it didnt make sense to chop it in half.

I don't own FMA, and au revoir!


"Well, regardless of what happened, what are you guys going to do with yourselves now? I mean, now that you've achieved your goals…your house is, well, you know. Are you going to remain a state alchemist, Edward?" Winry had finished with Ed's leg and was back at a worktable, working on plans for a replacement for Ed's arm.

Ed leaned back in his chair and watched his brother eat a third bowl of rice without any indication that he was getting tired of food or feeling sick from overeating. Ed was wearing pants again now that Winry was done with his leg. "I don't really know," he said honestly.

"Well, I think Brother should remain a state alchemist," said Al. "After all, even though I got my body back… Because Brother had to choose between himself and me, he didn't get his body back. I think Brother should remain a state alchemist, and we can go out together and keep searching for another way to get him his body back."

Suddenly Ed slapped his hand down on the table, hard. "We've been over this already, Al! I don't like it, messing with people's lives! Even if we manage to recreate what we did this time, in a way where we don't have to hurt anyone—it'll be dangerous, and I'm not going to let you get hurt—ever! So just drop it, okay?" Ed was so passionate in this speech that he found himself standing. Al and Winry were both staring in shock at him, and now Granny was poking her head in from the doorway of the other room. Not wanting to have all the eyes on him, Ed grabbed his red cloak and draped it over his shoulders, then stormed outside, into the yard, and disappeared down the road.

Al stood up, setting his bowl down, and leaned out the door to watch his brother walk away, then he looked back at Winry.

"Should I…?" she asked. "Or will you?"

"I'll go," said Al after a moment's thought, and got up, supporting himself on the table's edge. To his embarrassment, just before he got out the door, Pinako handed him a spare cane (of course a place that specialized in artificial limbs would have plenty of these sorts of things lying around). "Like an old man?" he said, looking at it dubiously.

"Like a weakened little boy who needs some help standing upright," she responded and firmly pressed the handle into his palm.

Al swallowed his pride and walked (more like hobbled) out the door and down the porch steps after his older brother, half-wishing he was a suit of armor again.