Chapter Twenty-One

East City

Hopefully 1910

Despite objections, Ling Gray had been dropped off in Rush Valley.

The teenagers were left in the TARDIS to do what teenagers did— curse and kiss, mostly. The Doctor, Roy, and Riza set to making the timeline work.

"The papers would be in here," Riza said, hoping the diguises they'd found in the TARDIS would work. She doubted anyone would expect to see her as a brunette with horned glasses in a short skirt, or Roy Mustang as a blond.

"So, what did happen, after you... fixed the timeline?" the Doctor asked, watching to make sure they didn't meet themselves.

"Ended up in the restaurant." She opened a file cabinet and rummaged through it.

"Oh, that makes sense... A reset button."

"Only it's not like that at all?" Roy rolled his eyes.

"Well, no..."

"Stop explaining things," he said, attempting to eye his bleached hair disdainfully.

"Well, stop looking at your hair like that. You'll go cross-eyed."

"Elric," Riza said, ignoring them and pulling out a paper. Roy pulled it from her hand and examined it.

"It's got the right age."

"Maybe it's a time loop... We always went back to make it wrong, and we'd only be able to go back if... Now I'm going cross-eyed."

"You're catching on," the Doctor commented, "Now, we'd better fix this... If making something wrong can be 'fixing' it..."

"I assume you have a fancy TARDIS thing that can do it?" Roy raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yes!"

"You do that then. I... have something I need to do." Roy stared off into the distance. Riza bit her lip.

"Well, no breaking the timeline, all right?"

"I won't," he promised.

"Look at my baby!" Maes Hughes shoved pictures in the face of every passer-by, grinning like an idiot. "Isn't she adorable? She's so cute! I love her so much!"

"What a pain in the ass," Roy Mustang muttered, watching from a doorway. Riza silently put a hand on his arm. "Man never shut up. But now... Why do I miss something that pissed me off so much?"

"Because that's what best friends do."

"This is the last time I'll ever have to listen to him go on about his daughter..."

"I know."

"Bastard." She quietly patted his arm.

"Yo, Roy! What did you bleach your hair for?" Hughes made his way toward the time-traveler pair.

"I... uh..."

"Time travel," said Riza.

"What?"

"It's very complicated."

"Oh. I see..." Hughes nodded, stroking his beard. "You OK, Roy?"

"Yes?" He stood there awkwardly, staring at Hughes.

"Want to see pictures of Elicia!?"

Roy paused. "Yeah."

Hughes clapped a hand to Roy's shoulder. "Here she is taking a nap... and here she is in my lap, and here she is with her mommy..."

"She's adorable, Maes."

"I know!"

Riza watched with a sad smile.

The TARDIS

Hopefully Also 1910

"Shut up!" Ed glared at Kestrel and Winry, who were almost coming to blows. They paused, wrench and knife still raised. "What is it with you two!?"

"She's a bitch," they both said. Ed clenched his fists.

"You two... would you at least try to get along?"

"No," said Kestrel.

"Why not!?"

"I don't like her."

"Kessy."

"I don't like you either," Winry added.

"Winry!"

"Just because you don't like each other doesn't mean you have to kill each other..." Al pointed out, snuggling Aravis.

"Yes, it does," Kestrel said.

"No killing Winry," Ed ordered her.

"Why not?"

"She's my friend." Winry gripped her wrench tighter, glaring at Kestrel.

With an arrogant air, Kestrel returned her knife to her belt and gripped Ed's arm. He glared at her a little, quite fed up with all the arguing.

"No more insulting each other!"

"Fine," Kestrel said smugly.

Winry sighed. "All right..."

"Good!" He noticed Kestrel's arm around his shoulders. When had she moved it? He awkwardly patted it, Winry glaring. "I, uh..." He pulled away nervously, staring at the floor.

Ed sat and hugged his knees, wishing for a hood to pull up. Winry sat next to him, gently putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Go away, Win," he mumbled.

"What's wrong?"

He thought for a moment. "Everything."

Kestrel gave a hint of a bitter smile, leaning against the TARDIS.

"It can't be that bad," Winry said.

"You don't get it, Winry!" He turned away from her, staring at the floor.

"How can I, if you never talk about it!?"

"You couldn't get it!"

"Try me!" She forced him to face her.

"I'm broken!"

"So let me fix you!"

"It doesn't work like that!" He stared at her, tangled in all the thoughts and emotions he'd hidden for the last year. "You're better off without me! You're all better off without me!"

"How can you say that!?"

"Because it's true!"

He stood up, looking from the anger of Winry to the shock of Al to the sadness of Kestrel.

Winry was outraged. She couldn't comprehend his feelings. She couldn't believe this wasn't a happily-ever-after. She didn't know that scars existed— and that was how Winry should be. Normal. Happy.

And Al had ended up OK somehow. That was good. He was happy, he was fine. Of course he had his scars, but Al was, ultimately, fine.

Ed was broken. He knew it too well— that he'd been so busy protecting Al that Ed himself just... fell apart. He had nothing left to focus on, to protect, to give him purpose...

He could recognize something of himself in Kestrel. Pain. And he didn't ever want to see that pain in Winry's eyes.

"You're an idiot," Kestrel said quietly.

"I know."

"Brother, I—"

"Don't." Ed looked at his brother holding Aravis' hand, and he smiled a little. "You... Be happy, ok?"

"You be should be happy too..."

"He will be." Kestrel's interjection was quiet but forceful.

Winry's anger had faded, and she was staring at the floor, hating herself for not being able to fix Ed. "Yes he will," she quietly agreed.

Overwhelmed, Ed bolted for the hallway. He rammed himself into the wall and slumped to the floor, closing his eyes.

He couldn't be happy. He didn't deserve to be. A hand gripped his wrist. "Go away," he mumbled.

"No," said Kestrel, hand moving to brush his bangs.

He opened his eyes. "I can't be happy."

"Shut up."

And he was wrong— because when she kissed him, he actually was a bit happy.