Author's Note: 7/25/2012. The second suggestion in my 'give me some themes and I'll come up with fun little scenes' challenge, was "Wings." And immediately I got a flash back in They-All-Lived-verse (which really needs a shorter name. ;) But really has sort of grown into it's own) back to between stories 7 and 8, to a time when first child Sara was still little, and second child Aldon not yet born; a much earlier time in the adult lives of Edward and Winry.

Edward Elric was seriously considering transmuting the weeds in the garden straight into mulch instead of pulling them 'properly', when he heard the back door open and two sets of foot steps on the deck, one light and scampering, the other even more familiar and deliberate.

"Daddy, let's play horsey!" Sara giggled, leaping onto Ed's back where he knelt hunched over the weeds before he had a moment to disapprove.

Practice held his reflexes in check, and Ed made no move to buck his attacker. Instead, he dropped the weeds and ducked his head, sending Sara toppling over him in a somersault so she landed on the mulch, laughing wildly.

Ed straightened up on his knees and grinned at his (four? year old) daughter. "Is it smart to run up on a horsey from behind?"

"No," Sara replied as she turned around, then stood up and brushed the mulch off her purple shorts. There was, thankfully, no sign on his little girl of the injuries she had sustained not so long ago when she had nearly drowned in the river in Resembool. The cast had come off her arm weeks ago, and she was back to herself. She looked up at Ed. "Sorry. Horsey please?"

"I'm trying to pull weeds, honey," Ed pointed out, holding up the hand that still clutched a handful of dandelions.

"You can take a break, Ed," Winry said from the porch.

Ed looked at Winry. "Are you sure?"

"Oh I'm positive," Winry replied with a tired smile. "You can run the munchkin ragged. I'm going to take a nap."

Ed straightened up and dropped the dandelions into the lawn bag at his feet before crossing the yard. "Tired?" he asked as he kissed her gently, his flesh hand resting gently on her growing stomach. He was rewarded with a flutter and a punch from inside. "Or just tired of being a punching bag?" he asked, teasing.

"Can't it be both?" Winry asked. "He or she's not as bad as Sara was but yes, I've just finished that foot repair for Mr. Jenks, and I'm exhausted."

"Then I think I can keep Sara entertained for a while," Ed promised. "Maybe I can talk her into the yard-weeding game."

At that Winry laughed. "Good luck with that one."

As she went inside, Ed turned back to Sara. "All right kiddo. How about some weeding?"

An hour later less than ten more weeds had been pulled, though Ed thought he might have pulled a muscle playing 'magical flying girl' holding Sara up above his head, and then playing tag and running all around the yard, crawling around playing explorer, and a variety of other creative games. Not that he would ever tell his students at Headquarters that he could whip their asses all day but an hour with his little girl could tire him out. Why was that anyway?

Finally he dropped down on the grass when Sara was distracted watching several large, colorful butterflies who had fluttered into the yard and settled on the large yellow and lavender flowers along the fence. "Wings, Daddy!"

"Yes, they do have very nice wings," Ed agreed.

Sara shook her head and turned around, smiling at him expectantly. "Can I have wings, Daddy?"

The words 'kids don't have wings' died on Ed's lips as he looked at his daughter's hopeful expression, then the flowers all over the garden, and started to get a really interesting idea...

Winry woke from her nap feeling reasonably rested, or as much as she could be lately. She definitely found children easier to deal with on the outside. She listened to the house, but couldn't hear anyone moving around downstairs. Glancing at the clock, she wondered if Ed and Sara were still entertaining themselves in the yard. She doubted much work had gotten done. Ed was just a big kid at heart sometimes after all, and it usually came out where Sara was concerned.

Curiosity took her downstairs. Glancing out past the large windows, she could see Ed and Sara, as he swung her around over his head, Bounce and Oscar leaping around them yapping excitedly. Sara was giggled and waving her arms and flapping her... wings?

Her daughter had a pair of bright purple and gold wings that seemed to be flapping in the breeze!

"What on earth?" she couldn't help exclaiming as she came back outside.

"Look, Mommy!" Sara grinned. "Daddy made me wings!"

"I can see that." Winry looked at Ed, her face conveying a demand for explanation.

Ed grinned sheepishly. "She wanted wings," he replied with a hint of defensiveness in his tone. "So I made some." He nodded towards the flowers as he set Sara back down on the ground. "She wanted to be a butterfly."

Winry looked at the butterflies, and several missing flowers. "You made wings out of wildflowers?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "What would you make wings out of?"