I HAVE UPDATED AND COLLEGE HASN'T KILLED ME YET! HOORAY!

Once again, sorry for the long wait. Like I've said, I'm in a really intense college program and only really get the opportunity to really write during breaks, so updates will most likely be a few months apart. Still, I managed to get this out just a spring break is ending, so yay!

Al, Mei, and Nina pay a visit to Xing - the first since the young girl was born. Just a little thing so we could get some more Al and Mei stuff, as requested (that, and I also love writing them), and so we could get a little more insight into some stuff. I know that description is super bad and vague, but, either way, I hope you enjoy!

Al had seen so much in his life, some of which was beautiful, and some not as much. One thing he was sure of, though, was that he hadn't seen a more heartwarming sight than his five-year-old daughter turning to him with wide, wonder-filled eyes as they rode on their donkeys, the Imperial castle and Xingese capitol having just appeared over the horizon. "Daddy, look at the pretty building!"

"I see it," he assured her with a smile. Even he felt his heart swelling with nostalgia at the sight of the castle, where he'd lived for over a year and made so many memories. His mastery of alkahestry, late night talks with Zampano and Jerzo, the occasional spar with Ling, his lessons with Mei, their first kiss…

It'd been nine years since he or Mei had been to the East, the last time being for their wedding. They'd meant to visit every couple of years, but it seemed that whenever they started considering the idea, something would come up – finding out they had a baby on the way, for example. Al had always felt guilty for not being able to come back for so long. They lived in Amestris, where he was able to be with his brother and Winry, watch his niece and nephew grow up, and keep up with childhood friends, while all Mei had been able to do was exchange monthly letters with friends and family. She had admitted that she did miss seeing them at times, but that she had no regrets about being in Amestris. Still, it just felt so unfair. Even if they did decide to move to Xing, the change would be extremely hard for Nina, so it was pretty much out of the question now.

His wife pulled her donkey alongside theirs, smiling brightly at the familiar sight of her home with excitement in her eyes. Looking at their daughter, she informed her, "That's where Uncle Ling lives."

"Really!?" The tiny girl grew even more wide-eyed at this information. She turned to the castle again, examining it once more, before saying matter-of-factly, "He's gotta have a lot of money."

"Nina!" Al exclaimed in surprise, though he couldn't suppress his laughter at her innocent comment, and neither could Mei. They had yet to inform Nina of her mother's regal status, mostly because the Imperialist royalty of Xing was rather unlike the princesses and knights she read about in fairy tales. They figured that once she actually saw what it was like, then it would be a little easier to explain.

"Well, it's good thing we finally made it," Al said, looking at his wife and daughter. "I think we're just about out of water."

"And it's really hot," Nina added.

"Let's not waste our time then," Mei told them, the childlike anticipation apparent in her eyes. "We don't want to keep my impatient brother waiting."

"I hope you will find your room most comfortable," their escort said as they stepped into the guest bedroom. Al felt the nostalgia really hitting him now. It looked almost exactly like his old bedroom way back when – cool, white marble floors, decorative red wallpaper, one giant window where one could sit and see for miles, various art hanging from the walls. The only difference was that, instead of one large bed, there were two – one for him and Mei and one for Nina.

The five-year-old gaped at the ginormous bed, which was easily twice as big as her more-to-scale bed back in Risembool. Looking at her father with big eyes, she asked, "Is that my bed?"

Chuckling, he replied, "I think so."

She smiled widely, running over to it. "Yay! I get a grown-up bed!"

Mei giggled at her daughter's excitement before turning to the servant, who'd been standing in silence. "Thank you for showing us the way. You're free to go."

"Of course, my lady. His Majesty should be with you shortly."

The man then left them, softly closing the door behind him. Alphonse turned back to Nina, only to laugh at her struggling to pull herself up onto her grown-up bed. Walking over, he went to pick her up and help her, but she quickly said, "No, Daddy! I can do it!"

"Okay," he said, proceeding to stand by and watch her. It took a couple more seconds, but she was able to manage. Once sitting on the covers, she was quiet for a moment, panting a bit from the exertion, before turning to her father and smiling cheekily.

With a smirk, he told her, "Maybe we should get you a step stool."

"I'm sure I can have that arranged."

The three Elrics turned in surprise to see the Emperor of Xing leaning against the doorway, smirking. Sometimes, Al wondered if Ling had somehow used the Philosopher's Stone on himself after bringing it back to his country, because the man looked no older than he had when they'd last seen each over about five years ago. His black hair was up in a bun, and he wore some blue and golden robes, showing that he'd recently been attending his kingly duties.

"Well, that was fast," Mei chuckled as she rushed over to him, throwing her arms around him in a hug, which he gladly returned. Pulling away, she told him, "We thought you'd be in a meeting or something."

"Oh, I was," Ling confirmed, his smirk even more prominent. "You guys came just in time. My advisors were very close to talking me to death. I was in much need of a break." He chuckled, and after a few seconds of silence. his smirk melted into a warm smile. "Regardless, it's good to see you, sister."

"You're looking well, Ling," Al said loudly, smirking himself.

"Ah, yes!" the man smiled widely, spreading his arms. "My favorite Elric brother!"

The three adults laughed as the two men embraced, clapping each other on the back. Ling pulled away, still keeping a friendly hand on Al's shoulder. With a playful smile, he added, "Don't tell Ed."

The younger man chuckled. "We wouldn't want a boot in your face, now, would we?"

"Hey, I can arrest him for that now, and he knows it." The king's attention then turned to the second bed in front of them, where Nina had been watching their exchange with hesitant curiosity, looking up at her parents and the stranger with her big golden eyes. Smiling at his niece, Ling addressed her, "You must be Nina. Your mother has told me a lot about you in her letters."

The girl folded her arms into her crossed legs – her protective stance. "Hi…"

"Nina, this is your Uncle Ling," Mei informed her daughter, smiling gently. "He's the one who lives here."

"That's right. The last time I saw you was when you'd just come out of your mommy's belly, but I'm sure you don't remember that much, do you?"

Nina shook her head, but her demeanor relaxed a bit when she realized Ling was family. Sitting up a bit more, she hesitantly asked, "So…this is your house?"

"It sure is, though house is quite a modest way of putting it," the king answered, laughing a bit.

Nina giggled somewhat as well, though Al was sure she hadn't quite understood what he had said. Still, she smiled up at him. "It's very pretty."

"Why, thank you. If you want, I'd be glad to take you around and show you everything." The royal turned to the girl's parents, giving them something between a well-meaning smile and a smirk, if that was even possible. "Maybe we can give your mom and dad a little break after that long trek across the desert. I'm sure they're pretty tired."

"Yeah, it was really hot!" Nina felt to inform him.

"I'm sure. What do you say, you two? Is it alright if we leave you two alone for a while?" Wink.

"I don't see why not," Mei smiled, though she still landed a solid punch to her brother's shoulder for his insinuation, making the man wince. Turning to the young girl, she said, "Make sure Uncle Ling shows you everything, okay?"

"Mm-hm!" Nina nodded furiously, smiling from ear to ear.

"I'll return her to you at dinner, how does that sound?"

Suddenly, a yawn escaped Alphonse's mouth. Stretching a bit, he commented, "The perfect amount of time for a nap."

The king laughed. "A well-deserved one, I'm sure. We'll see you later." Turning to his niece, he held out his hand, smiling amiably, "Shall we get started, Nina?"

She smiled widely, not even hesitating to grab his hand or start using a familiar nickname. "Okay, Uncle!" As the two of them walked out the door, the young girl turned back and yelled, "Sleep tight, Daddy!"

This got a hearty laugh out of her parents. "Thanks, Sweetie. I will."

And with that, the two left them. Mei chuckled, turning to her husband with a loving playful smile. She put her hands on his shoulders, and his found her waist. Planting a brief kiss on his lips, she pondered aloud, her voice slightly suggestive, "Now, what to do…"

"Hey, I was serious about the nap thing," he admitted, chuckling and kissing her forehead at her disappointed, pouty look. As he broke away from her and walked toward the bed, he heard her mumble, "You're no fun."

Al laughed once more, only to have it cut off by something soft and fluffy hit the back of his head rather hard. Spinning around, he caught his wife smirking childishly at him, a small pillow in her hand. He couldn't help but smirk back, but just to spite her, he promptly took off his shoes and lay down on their bed, closing his eyes. After a few moments, he heard Mei's soft footsteps head over to him, and the bed sunk a bit as she sat next to him. When he opened his eyes, her face was leaned over his, a loving smile on her face. Reaching forward and running her fingers through his hair, she mused, "You've gotten old, my love."

Grinning cheekily, he responded, "If being only thirty-one means I'm old, then I'm in trouble."

She giggled again, leaning down and kissing him, her lips lingering for a moment. After pulling away, she promptly lay down beside him, laying her head in the crook of his arm and resting a hand on his chest. "I guess a nap wouldn't be too bad." A few seconds of silence passed before she sighed, adding, "Perhaps we are getting old."

"No," Al assured her, smiling as he closed his eyes. "We're just parents."

"And…And then Uncle Ling let me jump in the fountain and splash around!" Nina told her parents excitedly, flinging some of her rice onto the floor as she's flailed her arms dramatically.

Mei sighed exasperatingly, though she smiled lovingly at her daughter, "Make sure you actually eat your food now, sweetheart."

Alphonse set his chopsticks down his plate, having finished his own food. Smiling across at his daughter, he said, "Sounds like you had a pretty good time."

Ling chuckled, popping some chicken in his mouth. Upon swallowing he said, "With how hot it's been lately and everything that's been going on, I almost felt like diving in myself."

Al raised a somewhat concerned eyebrow at his brother-in-law. "What exactly has been going on?"

Before the king could answer, Nina turned to him and innocently asked, "Could we play again tomorrow, Uncle Ling?"

The Xingese man smiled, reaching over and patting her head. "As much as I'd like to, I'm afraid I have a lot of work to do. You have many young cousins on the palace grounds though that I'm sure would be happy to play with you." Turning back to Al, he answered, "Nothing to worry about, I assure you. I've just been feeling a little overwhelmed by my duties. It happens from time to time."

"Is there anything we can help you with?" Mei suggested, genuine concern in her eyes.

"Thanks for the offer, but I believe I can handle it. I'm a big king, now." He winked and smirked, but Al could see the tired, calculating look in his eyes. Clearly, his burdens were more than he was letting on. Still, the Elric figured it was best to keep quiet, at least for now.

His wife looked like she was opening her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by the door to the dining hall opening and a familiar voice calling out. "Pardon the intrusion, your Majesty."

Al turned his head toward the voice, but not before catching a glimpse of Mei's face lighting up, her eyes sparkling and her mouth spread into a bright smile. "Mother!"

Indeed, the head of the Chang family stood in the doorway, smiling playfully at her daughter. She was in her mid-50s, though she could've easily passed for twenty years younger. Her raven black hair was twisted back into a low bun, and there was little to no makeup on her short, round face. She wore a gorgeous, but not flashy, blue kimono with some orchids designed on it. Despite that, she looked beautiful in a simple way – much like Alphonse's wife. Out of her three daughters, Al thought Mei resembled her mother the most and that, when they got older, she would look nearly identical to her.

Speaking of Mei, she immediately jumped up from the table and ran to her mother, who quickly walked to meet her. The two clashed together in a tight embrace, staying that way for a while, taking in the other. Al smiled lovingly at the bright smile on his wife's face, though his heart grew a bit heavy at the tears in her eyes, despite them being happy ones. It served as a reminder of how long it'd been since they had seen each other, and the thought made him feel slightly guilty. He tried to push it aside though, getting up from the table as well and walking over as they broke apart from their hug.

"Lady Kaili," Ling also smiled from the end of the table. "I was expecting you would come by at some point."

"Why, of course. I came as soon as I heard you'd arrived." Mei's mother briefly smiled at the Emperor before turning back to her daughter, taking her face in her hands as she remarked, "Oh, my darling, you're certainly no girl anymore. Look how you've grown!"

"Somehow, she grows more beautiful by the day," Al felt the need to add, throwing said woman a tender glance, before smirking at her mother. "I think so, anyway."

Lady Kaili turned to her son-in-law with another bright smile, wrapping her arms around him in a warm hug. He'd always loved her hugs, though they didn't embrace often. They reminded him of the ones he used to receive from his own mother so long ago. "And you grow more handsome every time I see you, Alphonse, dear."

Pulling away, Al rubbed his neck, a slight blush on his cheeks. "Please, my lady, you embarrass me."

The older woman giggled. "I try, and please, I've told you, you can call me Mother if you'd like."

He felt a slight pang in his heart, like he did whenever she suggested that. It's not that he didn't greatly admire the woman – far from it - and she actually resembled his mother, Trisha, in many ways – being kind beyond measure while also having a playful side, having a warm voice that could lull any child to sleep in seconds, loving her children unconditionally. Still, something just felt wrong about calling her "Mother." He knew it was rather silly, but he almost felt like he'd be betraying his own mom if he were to do that, so he always tried to avoid it, constantly acting like he forgot or something like that.

He chuckled awkwardly, not knowing how exactly to respond. Mei, seeing this and knowing all about his dilemma, turned to the table and smiled at their daughter. "Nina, come here."

The girl, who'd been watching the exchange curiously from a distance, hesitantly did as she was told, walking slowly over to them. She stood in between her parents, shyly holding onto her father's pantleg.

"Oh, my…" Kaili smiled joyfully at her granddaughter with tears in her eyes., this being the very first time seeing her in person. She gingerly knelt down onto the floor in front of the girl, holding out her hand and inviting her to come closer. Surprisingly, Nina walked closer without any coaxing from either of her parents. Her grandmother took one of her hands, caressing the cheek with the other and surveying her face. "Goodness, what a pretty flower you are. You look exactly like your mother did when she was your age." She noticed something and, glancing at Alphonse with a tender smile, noted, "And yet she has her father's eyes."

"Yeah…" Al smiled softly down at his daughter. He remembered the first time she opened her eyes after she was born, after nearly half of day of Mei being in labor and him being filled with crippling anxiety, after months and months of waiting to be a father. As he was holding her, she'd slowly opened her eyes and looked at him and…he just froze. Here was this beautiful, precious new life just brought into the world, and she was staring back at him with his own eyes. Yes, Aaron and Trisha had golden eyes too, but this was different. This was his child, who he'd helped give life to – the result of the love he and his wife shared. It was true, she looked exactly like her mother – her hair, her round nose, her mouth that parted ever so slightly when she was thinking – but, out of all that, she inherited his eyes, and, for whatever reason, that made him so unbelievably happy.

Mei smiled lovingly as well between her daughter and husband. She always told him that his eyes were his most attractive feature, even sometimes joking it was the only reason she'd fallen in love with him. Also kneeling beside Nina, she told her, "Nina, dear, this is your grandma."

Nina turned to her mom, looking slightly confused. "Grandma?"

"That's right. She's my mommy, which makes her your grandma."

"Oh," was all the girl said in response, turning back to Lady Kaili and studying her face for a minute. For whatever reason, she didn't look all too convinced, which Al found slightly odd. She'd accepted Ling as family earlier with no problem. Surely gaining a grandparent in addition to uncle didn't seem that weird to her.

The woman chuckled a bit, not offended at all. "I understand your skepticism, my darling. It's not every day you have a strange lady you've never met come up and say she's family."

"It's gotta be a little jarring," Ling agreed, standing from the table. The servant who'd escorted Mei's mother in was now beside him, having just relayed a message. The king smiled, but Al once again noticed the tired look in his eye. "I've just been informed that I'm to return to my meeting with my advisors. They're not too pleased with me leaving earlier."

Mei frowned, slightly guilty. "This late? I hope we didn't get you in too much trouble."

"Nonsense. I'm the emperor. I can't get in trouble." After thinking for a second, he added jokingly, "Well, I guess I can be reprimanded and lectured, but don't worry. I'll be fine. I'll leave you three to catch up." Turning to his niece, he said, "Goodnight, Nina. I hope you sleep well."

Nina's smile returned, and she nodded. After saying goodnight to the rest of them, Ling took his leave. The door to the dining hall hadn't even closed before the young girl began yawning widely. Chuckling, Al picked his daughter up. "Someone's tired."

"No, I'm not," she argued, though she contradicted herself by rubbing her eyes.

"Look's like it's time for bed," Kaili gave her granddaughter a motherly smile before turning to her parents. "It is pretty late. Maybe we can get together for lunch tomorrow."

"It's too bad. You just got here," Mei remarked, some sadness in her eyes.

"Hey, how about I go put Nina to bed and you two could stay and talk awhile?" Al suggested. "I'm getting a little tired anyway."

"You sure, Al?"

He nodded, smiling at his wife. "You two haven't seen each other in years. It's clear that there's some catching up to do."

Mei smiled tenderly at him. "Alright, then." She walked over and kissed Nina on the cheek. "Goodnight, my love. You be good for Daddy, okay?"

Their daughter nodded tiredly. "Night, Mommy."

The Elric woman then turned and kissed her husband. "Thank you."

"No problem." He kissed her back, quietly adding, "I love you."

She blushed somewhat, kissing him one more time. "Goodnight. I shouldn't be long."

"Take all the time you need."

"Hey, Daddy," Nina asked quietly through her yawn. He pulled her blanket over her and she tiredly snuggled into it. "Is that lady really my grandma?"

"She sure is," he replied, smiling and kissing her forehead.

The five-year-old furrowed her eyebrows. "And she's Mommy's mommy?"

"Mm hmm."

"But why is she here and your mommy's up in heaven?"

Al looked at his daughter in complete surprise. Sitting on the bed next to her, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"All of Aaron and Trisha's grandma and grandpas are up in heaven, and your mommy and daddy are up in heaven, so why isn't she up in heaven with them?"

So, that's why she'd looked so confused earlier. Though her question was rather sad, the girl's father couldn't help but chuckle at such an innocent question. "Nina, not all grandma and grandpas have to be in heaven."

"I know." She snuggled further down into her covers, slightly embarrassed, but there also a small amount of sadness in her eyes. "Ours are, though."

Al's smile faded, his heart clenching up. He thought about not only his daughter, but his niece and nephew having to go around town and see all of their classmates and friends having dinner and playing with their grandparents, while all they had were tombstones to talk to and not even receive a response. He and Ed never knew their biological grandparents either, but having Granny Pinako there had always filled that void, so he couldn't exactly relate. The thought was enough to make him sad, though.

He gave her a half-hearted smile. "Well, Grandma Kaili's here with us now, and you're gonna get to play with her a lot while we're here. That sound fun?"

The warmth of her blanket was clearly getting to the girl. Eyes drooping, she nodded ever so slightly. "Mm hmm…."

Now he was smiling for real. Kissing his daughter on the cheek, he told her, "Sweet dreams, Nina."

"Love you, Daddy…"

He brushed some of her hair out of her face, smiling lovingly as his child drifted to sleep. Blowing out the candle on her nightstand, he whispered, "I love you too…very much."

Not being very tired, he sat down on his and Mei's bed and began reading his book – a recent memoir of an alchemist from the South who'd discovered a new, more efficient design for transmutation circles. In all honestly, it was absolutely brilliant, so much so that Al was surprised he and Ed hadn't thought of it first, but hey, they couldn't be geniuses all the time. Chuckling to himself, he thought, Our wives know that all too well.

After about forty-five minutes, Mei came through the door. Seeing her husband reading, she made a sour face. "You liar."

He looked at her innocently and somewhat frightened, not quite sure what she meant. "What?"

"You said you were tired!" She whisper-yelled this, as she was aware of Nina sleeping just feet away. Walking over, she sat on the bed beside him, giving him a chastising glance. "Now I feel guilty for making you put Nina to bed."

She reached up and undid her hair tie, shaking her black hair loose so it fell down, reaching nearly the middle of her back. Al adoringly watched her as she did this. He always loved when she had her hair down. It framed her face, bringing out her features and making her even more beautiful than when she had it up, which was most of the time, though she was gorgeous then too. Closing his book and setting it on the nightstand, he said, "You know I don't mind. She went down easy tonight anyway, and besides, I could tell you wanted to talk to your mom."

Mei narrowed her eyes at him for a few seconds, but eventually relaxed, sighing in defeat and smiling. Leaning over, she kissed his cheek and said, "Thank you again."

"Nothing to thank me for. So, she tell you anything juicy about what's been going on around here?"

"Well, we didn't really get to much, but…" His wife's smile slowly dropped in thought, as if she were worried about something.

Sitting up more and looking at her with concern, he inquired, "What?"

She pursed his lips, looking at him seriously. "Did you notice how Ling seemed a little stressed during dinner? You know, when he was talking about all of his duties lately?"

He leaned closer, glad that he wasn't making that up in his head. "Yeah. Your mom tell you something about that?"

His wife nodded, sighing tiredly. "Mother says that there's really nothing going on publicly that should be bothering him. We're not at war with anyone, trade is doing well, and the people are happier than they've ever been, but…there's been a rumor going around all the noble clans lately that his advisors are…pressuring him to pick a bride."

Al's eyes widened somewhat in surprise, but, at the same time, he didn't feel all too shocked, knowing royal politics like he did now. Furrowing his eyebrows, he said, "I guess we should've been expecting that. I mean…your father had multiple wives and dozens of children. Ling's been emperor for over fifteen years now, and he's never shown interest in marrying anybody in all this time."

Mei's lips tightened even more. "Not having a wife means not having any heirs, and apparently, the council isn't too thrilled about that. People are saying that there will be an arranged marriage soon. Some are even placing bets as to who he'll be marrying."

"Like who?"

"A few noble women have been named as likely candidates. Though…there are also rumors that he might marry a royal from one of the nearby countries in order to form an alliance."

Al sighed tiredly, everything finally coming together, though he didn't really like the results. He understood the reasons behind arranged marriages and such from all the time he'd spent not only in Xing but residing with other royal families during their journey further East, but he still found the whole concept unfair and cruel to the two people taken advantage of for the end goal. Maybe it was because he was an idealist and believed that love should be the one reason to marry someone, but the idea of arranged marriages left a bitter taste in his mouth. Needless to say, his heart went out to his brother-in-law. Why did he have to get married anyway? The crown could be passed down to any other family member with no problem. Then again, maybe it was just to keep up appearances…

"A lot of people are hoping he'll marry Princess Parwana."

This caught Al's attention, and he turned to his wife in complete surprise. "Parwana? From Kasur?"

The small country of Kasur had been one of their first stops in their journey to the East all those years ago. King Achyuta had been generous enough to allow them to stay in his palace and use all the resources he had available, something that their group was incredibly grateful for. They had stayed there for almost three months, and in that time, Al and Mei grew close to the king's children, who were all close to their age. Parwana was only twelve at the time, but she was very mature for her age in addition to being smart as a whip, though she was very soft-spoken around most people. She'd looked up to Mei like she was her older sister and, apparently, developed a crush on Al, which was subsequently shattered when she found out the two of them were together. They hadn't seen her since they left Kasur so long ago, so, although she was easily in her mid twenties by now, all Al could think of was that tiny, pretty twelve-year-old girl. It was hard to imagine her marrying Ling.

Mei pulled her knees to her chest, looking down at the bed. "It's a little weird to think about, but…I don't know. If Ling were to marry anybody…It would be nice to be able to call her my sister…"

"Yeah, I guess…" Al flung his legs over the side of the bed, so he was now fully sitting up, facing away from her. "Still, those two don't deserve to have such a thing just thrust on them. They should be able to choose whoever they want."

"I know. I'm not too big a fan of it either, but…" He felt her shift on the bed somewhat before feeling her arms wrap around his waist as she lay her head on his back, "not every princess can be as lucky as me."

He smiled at her touch, putting his hands on hers, but still chuckled humorlessly. "We were barely lucky. The other clans would've never let you marry me if they hadn't made you give up your title."

"Hmm, let's see. Marry the man I love or keep my claim to a throne which I would never get the chance to sit on even if I did keep it? A rather easy decision if I do say so myself."

He softly glanced at her, serious. "I will never be able to thank you enough for that."

"Alphonse Elric, wipe that guilty look off your face." She reached over, gently turning his face and bringing their lips to meet. After lingering a few seconds, she pulled away, this time holding his face in her hands. "I have everything I could ever want, more than any royal title could give me."

He stared into her shining determined eyes for a second before turning more toward her and wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. She smiled, hugging him and resting her head in the crook of his neck. "I dreamed of having this for so long, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, Al. Never."

Al finally felt a smile grow on his face, taking in her warmth as he held her tighter. Lifting her chin, he gave her something between a loving smile and smirk, "You always seem to make me speechless, you know that?"

She giggled, that beautiful sparkle returning to her eyes. Closing the gap between them, she pecked him on the lips again, saying, "If I didn't, then I'd be worried." Eyes softening, she ran her fingers through his hair, "Everything will work out. Somehow, it always does."

"Right. Now, how about we both go to bed?" He meant this genuinely, but it also came out slightly more suggestive than he'd meant it. As he leaned in to kiss her again, she put a finger to his lips, giving him a smirk. "With our daughter right there, you might want to stop yourself, mister. Besides…I'm tired."

And with that, she lay down on her side of the bed and turned away from him, not even saying another word. Al just stared at her for a moment, not quite sure if he felt amused or disappointed, but, nevertheless, he lay down on his side as well, quietly chuckling, "My darling, you're no fun."

And there we go! I know not a whole lot happened in this, but I figured having a slow, simple chapter would do some good. That and, again, I got to write some stuff for Al and Mei.

If you liked this, please follow/favorite this story and/or me, if you haven't already! Also feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think of this chapter or the story over all. I'm always open to feedback! Also, be sure to check out my other FMA story - "The Truth Within The Truth."

That's all for now! I hope you have an amazing day!