October 10th, 1952

A year and a week ago they had been boarding a train heading for South City. Today, they were doing the same only the destination lay in the opposite direction. The trains from Central arrived late the night before and unloaded all through the night. Loading began before dawn, and true morning saw the trains packed once more with soldiers and rolling out of the station.

"Anybody going to miss this place?" Brewster asked the assembled Generals with an ironic twist on his smile as he looked out the window of the observation car as they pulled out of Bueáire's main station and headed north.

"Hell no," Edward snorted. "I don't care what they do to this place, I don't think even the most convincing tourism brochure could ever get me back here."

"Oh I don't know," Alphonse commented from the other side of him. "There were some really nice places and people, you know? Maybe in a few years I wouldn't mind coming back."

"Maybe in a few years the place will have imploded and we won't have to worry about it," Ed grumbled.

"Edward!"

Ed winced. "Sorry, Al." It was just easier to apologize for his grouchiness lately than get defensive or argumentative.

"I'd like to propose a toast," Kane cut in then, stepping up to them all, his hands full of bottles.

"What is this?" Brewster asked as they all took what Kane offered, even Armstrong.

Kane smirked. "Cheap Amestrian beer. What else would you toast with, gentlemen?"

Even Ed barked a laugh at that, he popped the bottle open and waited. "So, what's this toast?"

Kane held his open bottle aloft. "To peace and home!"

Ed ignored the twinge in his heart as he knocked his bottle against the others.

"To peace and home," they chorused.

October 14th, 1952

The days passed as they usually did on a train: slowly. Ed soon bored of playing cards with Alphonse and chatting with the same people he had been talking to for months. Almost inevitably conversation turned to talk about what everyone was going to do when they got home, and they all seemed to have utterly forgotten that Ed was going home to a mostly-empty house. Well, Ethan was there, and Ed looked forward to seeing his youngest son, but it wasn't going to be the same. Winry wouldn't be there, and Ed didn't even want to contemplate that, even if she lived, there was a chance she wasn't coming home.

So he did his best to keep distracted. Ed spent a little time in the observation car chatting with Pitt. He hadn't seen his old friend in a long time, and he was fortunate that Pitt – unlike almost every doctor Ed had talked to in the past year or more – seemed to be content to let Ed be and just talk. There were no questions about his health, none about his injuries – beyond the usual impressed friend conversations – and a few laughs and stories of good times that were long gone. Pitt seemed to need distraction from the things he had witnessed too, and a few drinks and stories worked well for both of them. In some ways, Ed was glad to see they hadn't changed.

He spent a little time with Sara too, since a lot of the alchemists had ended up on the same train. Sara, Maes, and Elena were just a couple of cars down. Not that Ed sought her out. He still felt guilty about how he had greeted her in Aerugo, even though he felt it had been appropriate to keep distance. It was easier that way; especially now. He knew Sara had talked to Al, and knew about his fight with Winry. There was always an unasked question in her eyes when they talked at all, and Ed wasn't ready to answer. He hugged his daughter, told her how proud he was of her, and left it at that. There would be time for real reunions as a family when they were all home.

Ed and Al claimed a berth for themselves. They had that option, and Ed was glad for it. Even when he wanted to be entirely by himself, he was used to sharing space with Al, and Al had stopped pestering him about things he didn't want to talk about. Most of the time they sat in companionable silence, or discussed topics that wouldn't lead to argument; the weather, philosophy, history, unsolved questions of alchemy. Usually the conversations didn't last long. They both slept a lot too.

Ed watched his brother, and he still felt the guilt he had ever since the night he ordered Al to bring down the tunnels on innocent captives. Ever since, his brother had changed, and there was no getting around the harsh realities of war. Al knew now the things Ed had learned young and hoped his brother would never experience. He had killed deliberately, even when he didn't want to. Necessity was not always right. The lessons had been learned the hard way, and Ed knew that Al would pay for it just like the rest of them.

His brother no longer slept peacefully. He fidgeted, and often cried out, or came awake the same way Ed did from nightmares. He drank more. Perhaps not drastically so; but more at all was noticeable in Alphonse, who still preferred tea, juice, or plain water over almost anything else. Often Al would get quietly contemplative – not unusual in and of itself – but there was a heavy sadness; regret, guilt.

Ed hoped that his brother would forgive him. Ed hoped Elicia would forgive him for the changes following Ed into war had wrought in her husband. Either way, he knew he would probably never entirely forgive himself.

Sara leaned against the wall of the train by the window and watched Maes and Elena, who were on the bench across from her. Maes sat by the window as well as the dark night passed them by. Elena had fallen asleep a little while ago, her head pillowed on Maes' shoulder, a blanket around them both. Since then her old friend hadn't moved a muscle, though his gaze shifted occasionally from the barely-visible passing countryside outside to look at his fiancée. Sara couldn't remember the last time she had seen Maes looking so calm and happy.

"Do you believe in angels?" Sara asked him with a tired chuckle. "Cause you keep looking at her like you expect her to fly right out the window."

Maes grinned. "I think I might," he replied. "Whether there are more, I don't know, but she's definitely mine."

"I'm glad for you." Sara felt the familiar tug of longing and loneliness that had accompanied her for the past year. She missed Franz terribly, and while she had all of his letters carefully folded and tucked away in her pack above the seat – including the well-worn picture she had carried with her through battle after battle and night after night – all she wanted was to feel his arms around her, smell his after-shave and taste the kisses she missed. Even in the short few months they had been together before she shipped out for Aerugo, she had gotten used to having him there. She saw him at work, and more often than not he had slept in her apartment, especially before she left. Sara was suspicious from the tone in Franz's letters that he wanted something more permanent, and she wasn't opposed. She just hoped it wasn't her own hopes reading things into the words that weren't really there.

Maes shot her a sympathetic glance, as if he had read her thoughts. "I'll bet Franz is going crazy waiting for us to get back."

"I hope so," Sara laughed. "So how long are you going to wait after we get back before the wedding?" she teased.

"A month, maybe," Maes replied, and he wasn't joking. "Why wait? We both know what we want, and the people who matter most will be in Central."

Except Mom, Sara thought, though she pushed it away immediately. She knew her mother would be home eventually, though it sucked that her orders would keep her in Aerugo longer.

All of her emotions must be out on her face lately, because Maes blanched slightly. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, I wish your Mom could be there too."

"Maes, it's okay," Sara cut off his babbling with another tired smile. "I know, and I don't want you to feel guilty for being happy." She must be exhausted if she was this easy to read. Of course, this was Maes. He knew her that well. "I'm glad for you. After everything that's happened, it's about time you found a little happiness."

"Thanks," Maes blushed slightly. "For a bit there, I really thought Kane might have me court-martialed. Or at least arrested just to make a point."

"Maybe the latter," Sara agreed. Threatening to leave the military hadn't been Maes' smartest move, but she was sure it had convinced the higher-ups of his sincerity in the matter. "Are your parents happy?"

"Well I haven't actually talked to them since Dad called," Maes admitted. "But I really think they'll like Elena. I'm pretty sure they remember her family. And it can't hurt that she's completely self-sufficient," he added with a very Mustang grin that Sara knew meant he was teasing. "It looks like her father actually paid off the house in Central, and it's more than big enough, so we don't have to find a place. I can just move out of the barracks."

"I remember that house," Sara said. "It's about the same size as my folks' place isn't it?"

Maes nodded. "It is. Different layout, but lots of big rooms."

"Planning on filling them?" Sara asked with a knowing smirk. Maes had already admitted that Elena wanted a large family, and that he wasn't opposed to the idea though the two of them apparently had slightly different definitions of large.

Maes laughed. "I figure we can start with one and go from there."

"That might be the wisest choice you've made in a while." Sara readjusted her pillow which was pinned between her head and the wall.

"Wisest perhaps," Maes agreed, squeezing his sleeping bride-to-be gently with the arm around her shoulders, "but this was the best."

"Yeah," Sara agreed as she closed her eyes and let herself drift. "I think you're right."

October 17th, 1952

Alphonse was more than ready to be home. Nightmares not withstanding, most of his dreams were filled with images of Elicia and the kids; their home and the daily activities that went on there. He even missed Headquarters and seeing all of their friends who had remained safely behind.

A year; it was hard to imagine what they had missed in a year. The letters he had received in Bueáire only scratched the surface, he knew, and it was different to hear about something than to experience it first hand day to day.

Will wouldn't be home. He was off at University, a grown man stepping out into the world. He would be home during the winter break of course, but Al was sorry to have missed his departure. It would be strange not having him there.

If the letters were to be believed, Al would have his hands full worrying about Alyse! She seemed to be the darling of Central High even barely into her second year; sports teams, social committees, clubs, and class president. While Elicia had skimmed the topic, purposefully he was sure; Al knew that his daughter was no doubt getting more than enough attention from the teenage boys she associated with.

Elicia was who he needed the most. As much as Al loved his family, and extended family, he craved his wife in a way he had never realized he could. It wasn't carnal; it wasn't lust, though he missed her touch and embrace so badly that hurt too if he thought about it too much. It was her tenderness, and the way she always soothed his worries, laughed when he over-reacted, and just made the world seem more even. She listened to his fears and offered judgments only as needed.

Al just hoped she wouldn't be disappointed in him; the things he had done and the person he had become. He hadn't told her everything in his letter home. Most of it he wanted to tell her in person. The words were too harsh in print, and he never wanted to put them down as such. Besides, she would see most of it for herself soon enough. He felt like he had abused his duties and abilities as an alchemist, and failed a lot of the men who had died under his and Ed's command. While he knew those feelings were natural, that didn't mean he felt better about having them. Al was really looking forward to having someone to talk to about all of this.

He would have liked to talk to Ed about it, but he knew that bringing it up would only start a fight. Much as Ed tried to pretend he was all right, Al knew better. Sometimes Ed would attempt to act normally, but as they got close to him, he pulled in on himself, preferring to be alone with his thoughts and often a drink. His brother spent a lot of time staring out the window with a forlorn expression that Al had figured out pretty quickly meant that Ed was thinking about Winry.

Al worried about Winry too. Was she all right? He was sure she felt bad about what had happened in Bueáire. She wasn't vindictive or mean-spirited by nature, and war was hard on everyone. She had been in the combat zones too as a medic; seen the wounded, the dying, and the dead. The realities of a full scale war were more horrific than even Al had given them credit for before this. Winry was such a sensitive, caring spirit, easily hurt even though she rarely showed it.

Going home would be good for all of them, he was sure. Now they would have time to heal and get back on solid footing. Then, perhaps, things could return to some semblance of normal. Or at least, get back to the way they should be. Al wanted nothing more than to put the worst elements of the ordeal behind him and get on with life.

October 19th, 1952

The night was misty, and the trees vibrant colors hidden in the dark when Winry's train arrived late in Central. She had been put on the first one out of Aerugo from their location and had spent the several day trip resting in a private berth, her leg propped up on a cushion, with little to do but think. At a stop within Amestris itself she had picked up a book to read to try and keep herself distracted. It had worked occasionally, but a light hearted novel was not enough to keep her mind off of the people she had watched die despite their best efforts, the child she had saved, the fear that had seized her when she had thought she might die in that barn. Worst, her memory kept being haunted by a hurt pair of golden eyes.

However, the golden eyes in the face of her teenage son were not hurt. They were bright with eager excitement and a tinge of worry as Winry hobbled off the train on crutches, a porter helping carry down her back and auto-mail kit. "Mom!" Ethan hugged her tightly, and Winry dropped a crutch to hug him back. It felt so good to have him in her arms.

"I think you've grown again," Winry scolded, even as she smiled through tears. "Have you been behaving?"

Ethan rolled his eyes but never stopped smiling. "Sure I have."

"And I'll vouch for it," Elicia chuckled as she came through the crowd that was disembarking to join them. "Welcome home, Winry."

"Thanks," she hugged Elicia too. "I've never been so glad to be home."

"I'll get your bags, Mom," Ethan said as he thanked the porter and picked them up. "You have great timing!"

"I do?" Winry gave him a curious look as they moved slowly through the crowd towards the car.

Elicia nodded. "Yes. After we got your call yesterday we got a call from Breda. Edward, Alphonse, Sara, all of our crew are coming home on the train tomorrow."

Winry felt a surge of relief followed by a small twitch of worry. "That's great," she smiled anyway. Everyone was safe and coming home. The war might not be over for Amestris and Aerugo, but it was over for her family. There was just one small – all right, large – concern that she had left hanging over her.

Why hadn't Edward answered her letter?