Zilo: GUYS GUYS so I'm leaving to go to my native home of Florida for a week! In, well, very shortly actually, so here's a lightning-speed update! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I read every one and they encouraged me so! Thanks to my awesome beta for getting this out lightning quick! And thanks to the airline for flying me home! Now, without further ado, START READING!

26: Home Sweet Home

Astrid's announcement stunned the room into silence. Ed was the first one to finally speak. "You mean…now, now?"

"Yeah," Astrid said, nodding. "There's not nearly as much time as we thought, so we're not taking any chances." She hitched Risty's skirt up higher around her waist, trying to get it out from under her toes.

Ed glanced at Risty, who had a panicked look on her face. "We can't at least talk about this a little?" Al asked.

"Talk? About what? The facts are actually pretty clear, guys. I've got two weeks to get Risty back where she belongs before she becomes unable to change dimensions. It doesn't get much clearer than that."

"But I can't go!" Risty burst out.

Astrid turned to her, surprised. "Miss—I mean, Astrid, I can't—just…" Risty bit her lip.

"Risty, I can't just leave you here, obviously. I've gotta get you home to your family before it's too late. And really, I don't want to cut it any closer than it is already," Astrid said.

Slowly, Risty started to shake her head. "I'm sorry, I just…I don't think I can, not just right away. Can't I think about it?"

Astrid's face had a look of disbelief. "But I've already said like seventy times how close we're cutting it! Risty, we really, really can't wait any longer than the end of the day at the most. I mean, don't you…don't you want to see your family?"

Risty looked away guiltily. "I do, I guess, I just don't…remember any of them."

"Well, we know. We all know. And we all want to be there for you until you do. You should be with your family at a time like this."

Silence for the second time. Risty looked down at the ground, twisting her skirt with her good hand. Astrid had adopted a similar pose, absently fanning the hem of her borrowed skirt. Noa glanced at Al, who glanced at Ed, who looked pretty conflicted. With a heavy sigh, Al nudged Ed's arm. "Brother, can I talk to you for a second?"

"You know we should be encouraging Risty to go," Al said in the front room.

"I know that," Ed grumbled, looking at a very fascinating section of the wall.

"You can tell she's torn. She needs our support right now."

"I know, I know! But Sakura's still out there, being an annoying thorn in everyone's side," Ed said.

"That's true, and in another instance I'd probably think we should keep Risty safe here, but it's not right or fair for us to keep her when she'll be unable to go back home after she turns 19," Al said, crossing his arms loosely.

"But it's still not safe! What about the Gate, huh? And whatever it is that's going on with you two," Ed protested.

"Well, I don't really know, but in any case, you heard Astrid, brother. Risty should be with her family," Al said.

Ed heaved a sigh not unlike Al's earlier. "I guess. I mean, I know, but everything's so complicated right now. This pretty much makes everything a hell of a lot worse. I mean, seriously, 19 years old's the cutoff? What kind of moron came up with that?"

Al shrugged. They both heard a door open and looked over at the hall. Risty appeared, anxiously tugging on one of the buttons on her shirt. Noa was behind her, glancing back into the hall.

"She's changing clothes," Risty supplied, still looking distressed.

Ed dropped his arms and went over to her as Noa found herself a seat on the couch. "How are you feeling?" Ed asked.

"Pretty upset, I guess. I mean, I know going with Astrid's probably the right thing to do, but it's just so sudden and there's still so much going on and I just—" She broke off abruptly and sighed a little. Ed put his hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay. We're used to being in the middle of a lot. We'll be all right," Al told her with an encouraging smile. "And no doubt your family really misses you, and really wants to be with you right now."

"But what about what I want?" Risty burst out suddenly.

Al looked startled. "What do you want?" Ed asked, his stare questioning.

"I want—I want to stay here! With the people I remember! But—that's horrible and selfish and mean, and it's probably wrong, but I just—it's not fair that I have to decide so fast!" Risty looked on the verge of tears.

"It's not, but that's how life is. We use the hand we're dealt, and that's all we can do," Ed said.

Risty actually glared at him, and then Al, and even Noa, who seemed to be trying to make herself invisible. "And—so what, you guys won't even miss me? You don't even want me to stay, not a little?"

"Risty—" Al began in protest.

"Don't be an idiot!" Ed jumped in. He grabbed Risty's shoulders and met her eyes, startling her glare away. "Of course we'll miss you. We haven't been through all we have without getting attached, obviously! But you should never choose friends over family. Fair or not, easy or not, whether it hurts us—me—or not, you've only got one choice. You have to go, Risty, and that's all there is."

Risty let her head drop. Al looked away.

"You've got people waiting for you. Don't give them up that easily," Ed said, his voice softer.

Risty nodded at the floor.

"Besides, we can still do that mind thing, right? Maybe we can talk a little sometimes," Ed added, managing a smile.

"…Yeah."

"Yeah," Ed echoed, letting go of her shoulders.

They were getting restless. Things on the live side were going as usual. There was still a good number of fools summoning the Gate for their own stupid reasons. All of them resisted, however, so no more test subjects were coming in, which was a disappointment.

On the dead side, very little was happening. Energy was still being shuttled in from the many humans who died each day, but it was never enough for what they wanted. There needed to be more, much more. Their attempts to find subjects on the dead side had been almost nil, save for the one. Once he got out of imprisonment, they would work on influencing him again.

They needed a lot more death than they were getting.

Those two subjects they had retrieved - the one from the live side and the one who had seen both sides - they were resisting now. Resistance was annoying. As long as they kept trying, though, they would get through. They could try forever, until one or the other broke down. If they were lucky, they'd get both.

If only it wasn't for that boy, none of this would even be necessary. Somehow he'd interfered in a way they hadn't anticipated. He'd created some sort of link with the girl before they received her. That link was the only thing that prevented them from destroying him now. They couldn't lose a test subject; they only had three.

That link was all they had to work on now. It was difficult to access, unless they could get back into her mind, and take a closer look at it. She was weak enough that they could, if only she would get into the proper state. Something needed to happen to her, and soon, so they could formulate a new plan to sever that link.

And so they all planned and planned and giggled.

The phone rang. Luludja waltzed over and picked it up, leaning on the wall. "House of Toffee."

"Hi, Luludja, it's Risty."

"Hello there, Risty, it's been a while since we've spoken. How are you?" Luludja asked. At the kitchen table, Simon Manne twisted around, his face lighting up.

"Well, I'm all right, I suppose. How are you?"

"Faring as usual, I believe," Luludja said.

"That's, um, good. I was wondering if I could speak to Envy."

"I'd love to hand him the phone, but I'm being pinned to the wall. Perhaps you could talk Simon into letting me go?" Luludja said, trying to slide out of Simon's grip.

"O-Oh, Simon's there? Sure, I could talk to him."

Luludja let the receiver drop from her hand, dangling it by the cord. Simon needed no further prodding and grabbed it, putting it to his ear. "Risty! Hi! How are you? How's your arm? Is your memory back yet?"

Risty laughed on the other end. "Well I'm okay. My arm's still in a sling, and no on the memory. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, I guess, except for all the schoolwork I have to do. I really wish my brother had let me go with him, I don't know why he's on about this education idea now…" Simon sighed.

"Well, an education's a good thing, you know, it keeps you smart," Risty said with a giggle.

"I guess. But it's so boring!"

"It'll pay off later."

Simon grumbled something.

"It was nice to hear from you again. Um…I guess you should know…I'm going home pretty soon. My, um, cousin found me and she's taking me home."

"Whaaat? So you're leaving?" Simon exclaimed, catching Luludja's attention.

"Yeah. She says my family really misses me, so I'm going back."

"Will you ever be able to come visit?" Simon asked.

The other line was silent for a moment. Then, "Well, they live, um, pretty far away, so I don't know…"

"Please? Please say you'll try? I'll miss you!" Simon said.

"I'll miss you too. I'll, um…I'll try." Risty's voice sounded wavery.

"Okay. Well, good luck on your trip, and I hope I get to see you again!" Simon managed to get out before Luludja took the receiver from him. "Risty? You're leaving?" she asked.

"Yeah. Like I told Simon, my cousin showed up and she's taking me home. I would have told you sooner but it was kind of short notice…"

"You don't have to answer to me, Risty. I'm glad you'll see your family again," Luludja said warmly. "Now, I suppose you want to tell Envy?"

"Y-Yes ma'am."

"All right, just a moment."

Risty was sitting in her chair, sort of curled around the phone, leaning her head and shoulder against the wall. She listened, but didn't hear much in the background. Simon groaned rather loudly, though, and she smiled at the thought that he was probably being sent back to his lessons.

There was a rustling and a small clatter, and her heart jumped at that familiar voice. "Well isn't this a lovely surprise. What, I didn't deserve a phone call until now?"

"Hi, Envy," she said, a little subdued.

"So what do you want?"

"I…I wanted to tell you I'm leaving."

"And? Why should I care?"

"Well, not just leaving, leaving, I mean. My cousin finally found me and I'm going home," she said softly.

Dead silence. Risty gripped the phone a little tighter in her hand. "Envy?" she whispered, wondering if they'd been cut off.

"What?" he spat. "You expecting me to be happy for you? You, who gets to prance off into the sunset with your wonderful little family, while I'm stuck in this crappy world as a cripple, when it's YOUR fault I'm like this?"

Risty swallowed. "What do you want me to do? I can't send you back to the other side of the Gate, I don't have that kind of power," she said.

"Like hell you don't. The children are right in your head, you could have them do whatever you want. You just don't care. See, I knew this all along. You acted like you wanted to be my buddy, but as soon as it's inconvenient, you drop me into the worst situations you can. I should have killed you a long time ago, you little—"

"Envy, I'm sorry! I really am, I swear! But I can't risk the children taking me over just for a favor, not when I could kill people. I don't want to just leave you here, but there's nothing I can do…"

"Is that why you called? To give me your list of excuses? You could have just left me in the dark. A nice clean betrayal would have been more my style. But no, you have to go calling me and rub it in."

"Envy, I—"

"Whatever. Go home. See how much I care. And don't call back either." Click.

Risty didn't move, except to hang up the phone. "I probably should have seen that coming," she whispered.

In the kitchen, Ed, Al, Noa, and Astrid sat around the table, trying very hard not to eavesdrop on her phone conversation, and all failing miserably. They could tell when it was over, and all exchanged glances.

"I don't think it went too well," Astrid said, biting her lip.

"No, really?" Ed bit out sarcastically.

"Maybe she shouldn't have called him," Noa commented quietly.

Al just sighed through his nose.

They all sat up straight when Risty returned to the kitchen. She took her seat on Ed's side of the table again, eyes fixed on the table. No one said anything. Ed looked down at the table as well, then laid his left hand on the surface, palm up. After a few moments, Risty lifted her right hand and put it on his, not grabbing or holding, but just resting there.

"…So what were we talking about?" Risty finally said without looking up.

"The plan about Sakura," Astrid supplied carefully.

Risty nodded, then finally lifted her head. She looked sad, but no tears appeared. "Okay. Let's go back to that."

Rose Fernandez finally decided that lying in bed was terrible for her skirt suit and would fill it with wrinkles. She rolled over and sat up, wincing as the action caused a tiny run to pop into her sheer pantyhose. Wonderful. She really didn't feel like going to the store to buy some more.

She had just changed into a shirt and sweatpants when there was a knock on her bedroom door. "Mrs. F?" Zoe's voice said from the other side.

"Come on in, Zoe," Rose said, dropping her discarded clothes into the hamper.

The door opened, and Zoe appeared with a steaming mug. "Hey, so I'm going home to check on my ma. I'll probably be back tomorrow, that cool?"

"You know you're always welcome, Zoe. I just keep forgetting to get you a key," Rose said with a smile.

"Oh yeah, how was the interview?" Zoe asked.

"Mmm," Rose said noncommittally.

"Is that a 'Mmm, I kicked ass in there' or a 'Mmm, they threw me out on my ass'?" Zoe asked, walking over to the bed and settling down on it.

Rose laughed. "It was an 'Mmm, I don't know, it seemed good, but we'll see' kind of sound," she clarified.

"Oh, okay. Well, they'd be stupid not to hire you at that place. What's it called? Sunny Faces Hospital or something?"

"Try Southwest Hospital."

Zoe shrugged and handed the mug to Rose, who looked down in it. "Tea?"

"Well it's not steaming crap. It's just the green stuff with all the antioxidants and life-saving powers or whatever. Three lumps of sugar, just like your coffee."

Rose took a sip. "Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. Stay perky." Zoe gave her a brief one-armed hug and then left.

The tea was pretty good. Rose drank it slowly, perched on her bed. "Stay perky" Zoe had said. Well, she tried. In any case, the pain was still there and still intense, but at times it was bearable. It had gotten better when Zoe had unceremoniously appeared—literally—in her living room a couple of weeks ago, beaming, with news about Risty May.

Oh, that's right, it was just Risty now. Her daughter had changed her nickname in her maturity. Zoe had eagerly told Rose everything she knew about the days she'd spent with Risty, from how much she'd changed personality-wise to her surprise age-up. Rose couldn't believe her daughter was 18 now, two years older than she actually should be. And from what she'd heard, Risty had been through a whole lot too.

Time was running out, though, and faster than they'd all anticipated. And sometimes, Rose got the feeling that Zoe and Astrid—who hadn't checked in since a month ago, by the way—were hiding something from her. Maybe something about this strange organization that invested in these chain letters.

Speaking of which, she'd taken to talking regularly to EdwardsWife77 via AM a couple of times each week. Very often, her questions were left unanswered, but Rose still gleaned a few things on her own. For one, EdwardsWife was a lot smarter than she let on. When Rose mentioned this, EdwardsWife responded with a simple "lol" and logged out, but the next time they IMed, all the spelling errors, word shortcuts, and lack of capitalization had magically vanished. Another thing, EdwardsWife was probably a boy. And whatever this organization was, he was most likely a senior member. Oh, one more thing: it sounded like he wore glasses too.

Rose smiled into her mug. Sometimes she felt like she was playing detective. But since it seemed so many people were determined to keep her in the dark, she didn't have much choice.

There was a slight change in the air. Rose recognized it. It happened whenever someone used a chainletter to pop in or out of the house. She lifted her head in time to hear Astrid's "AUNT ROSE!"

Finally back, Rose thought as she got off her bed and headed for her bedroom door. Maybe there would be more news this time.

"Got everything?"

"I think so. I'm pretty sure."

Astrid, back in her own clothes, patted the suitcase at her feet. "All your stuff fits in just this one?"

Risty nodded. "I…uh, did a lot of traveling, so, you know, light."

"Oh. That makes sense." Astrid scratched her nose.

Risty looked down at her lone suitcase, then back up at Ed, Al, and Noa, who stood nearby. The one light on in the front room did very little against the darkness of late night. It added pretty well to the rather solemn atmosphere.

"So!" Astrid said, abruptly turning to face the others. "I guess this is it, everyone! It's been…well, pretty snarking weird actually, but what can you do. Oh, right, Risty, did you want to say bye real quick and everything?"

"Yeah, I guess…yeah." Risty walked over, her head in a weird position, like she was trying to keep it from sinking and only half succeeding. She looked at Al and Noa each, then gave them both a hug. Al hugged back, and Noa patted her shoulder blades. "I'll miss you guys," Risty said.

"We'll miss you as well," Noa replied.

"Take care of yourself," Al added, sounding sad.

Risty stepped back and mustered a smile for them. Noa looked away, but Al replied with an equally sad smile. Then Risty turned to Ed, and everybody looked discreetly away, even Astrid.

"So…" Risty said.

"Yeah…" Ed said in the same tone.

Both of them were having a hard time meeting each others eyes. Ed stretched out his hand, and Risty took it, gripping it tightly.

"At least…this time you know I'm okay mostly," she said.

"Yeah," Ed replied, sounding unconvinced.

Risty's shoulders hunched. "Well, I…good luck with everything."

"Yeah."

They both looked down at their clasped hands for a moment. Ed took a deep breath, then another one, as if steeling himself, before letting go and awkwardly holding out his arm. Risty's face lit up, and she stepped in and hugged him one-armed.

I'm really gonna miss you.

I'll miss you too.

After a few moments they stepped away from each other, with Ed looking at the most interesting sections of the wall, floor, and even the ceiling, and Risty rubbing at her eyes. They both squared their shoulders at almost the same time, and Risty turned and went back to Astrid, who was holding her head at the weirdest angle possible to avoid looking. "Astrid, you can, um…stop trying to break your neck."

Astrid's head swiveled back around. "Oh, okay. All done?"

"I guess," Risty said.

Astrid smiled at her. "Don't worry, it'll be okay, promise." Together they turned to face the others. Ed had crossed his arms, but it looked more defensive than aggressive. Al's sad smile was still there, and if anything it was sadder. Noa looked suspiciously like she might be fighting a tear or two.

"Okay, guys, this is it," Astrid said. She reached into her pocket with one hand and hooked her other arm around Risty's elbow, so Risty could hold her suitcase. "Again, thanks for looking out for Risty. If the rest of the fam was here, they'd definitely thank you too, but I'll do it on their behalf."

"Bye guys," Risty said, her eyes starting to fill.

Ed uncrossed his arms and started to raise a hand, maybe to wave. But in a brief, indescribable shimmer, Astrid and Risty were gone, and all that was left was empty space and a weird feeling in the air.

They all stood there for a moment. Noa looked the most startled to see two people just vanish, even though she'd known that's what they were going to do.

"She's really gone," Al said softly.

Ed let out a breath. "Yeah."

"At least she'll be back with her family," Noa noted.

"Yeah."

Al turned to his brother. "It was the right thing to do," he said.

"I know that," Ed snipped, though with less attitude than usual.

"Perhaps…I should make us something to eat," Noa said, seeming to talk to herself, as she drifted towards the kitchen.

It was like going down the stairs, and thinking you're at the bottom, and expecting to walk over flat land, except there's one more step: that feeling of your stomach leaping into your throat, the sensation of falling, and then the second-later relief and return to normal when you land safely. Risty thought for about half a second that she was going to be sick, and she was going to puke all over Astrid. But the feeling vanished as fast as it appeared and left her standing there like an idiot with her eyes squeezed shut and her teeth clenched.

"Ah! That went surprisingly well! No hiccups or anything!" Astrid said cheerfully. Risty felt her unhook her arm, and realized that the air felt different. Colder, less full maybe. She finally risked opening her eyes.

And stared.

"See? We made it!" Astrid said excitedly, starting to bounce around. "Oh man, Risty, you're home! You're finally home! I'm gonna go get Aunt Rose! I bet she's here!"

Astrid took off out the door, leaving it swaying behind her.

Risty slowly set her suitcase down and looked around. This place was so…strange. It was like an unfinished painting of sorts. Looking at certain things, she could remember them, but whole huge spots in the room seemed completely alien. Like, for instance, the desk, including the chair and the piece of technology on top of it. Risty actually had to think for a second to come up with desktop computer, because it was so thoroughly unfamiliar.

I guess…I've had lots of important memories there, she thought. She went over to the desk chair, pulled it out, and sat in it. For a brief second, she had the feeling that she was sitting wrong in the chair. The back came up too low on her back. Her feet were completely flat on the floor. Then she realized that she was taller since the last time she'd sat in this chair. And then she forgot the whole thing, and sat there wondering why she was sitting in this unfamiliar chair.

Risty got up, and left the room. She wandered down a short hall, and found herself in the kitchen. Most of this room felt unfamiliar to her. She slowly walked through, touching random appliances. Someone had left a glass of some red drink out, and the ice in it was half-melted.

She opened the fridge. Half full of food. She started opening cupboards, not sure what she was looking for, but looking anyway.

Rose was pulled into the room by an excited Astrid, and she thought for a moment that her heart had stopped. Zoe had told her plenty, but not nearly enough. She wasn't prepared for this young woman, dressed in a lavender shirt and dark brown heels under a long purple skirt and matching jacket, who was peeking into her cupboards. Her hair had gotten longer, and was pulled back into a plain ponytail tied with a red ribbon. Her blue eyes were scanning the shelves, as if looking for something.

Astrid nodded eagerly, as if encouraging Rose to say something. Rose was actually pretty dumbstruck and couldn't think of what to say. Risty shut the cupboards and seemed to sense eyes on her, and she turned. It was then that Rose saw that her left arm was held in a sling, and her stomach clenched. Right, Zoe had mentioned Risty getting injured.

Risty looked at the woman, who was looking back at her with wide, stunned brown eyes. Her face was vaguely familiar, and Risty realized it resembled her own. But the woman herself was a complete puzzle. Only her stare, and Astrid's eager face, clued Risty in.

"You're…my mom?" Risty asked.

Rose's hand went to her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears. It was true. Her baby really had amnesia. She resisted the urge to grab Risty in a hug and never let go, knowing it would probably spook her. Instead, she nodded and started to approach. "That's right. My name's Rose Fernandez."

Risty swallowed, subconsciously cradling her bad arm. The name slipped and was lost for a moment, but somehow she pulled it back, maybe because she kept her eyes firmly on this Rose.

"I'm sorry, I…I don't remember you," Risty said hesitantly.

"That's all right. I heard about the amnesia. Even if you don't remember, it's so good to see you're all right…" Rose paused to wipe her tears. "And so grown up, too! I heard that you're 18 now. Astrid says you'll be 19 in two weeks."

"Yes ma'am. I didn't remember when my birthday was, but I am 18," Risty says.

"Don't start with the ma'am, I'll feel old. If you're not comfortable calling me Mom, we can stick with Rose for now," Rose said.

"Oh. Okay."

Rose smiled. "Do you want to see your old room?"

"Oh. Could I? Yes, please."

Rose turned and motioned for Risty to follow her back into the hall.

The room had a lot of lavender in it. Risty moved around it slowly, touching keepsakes and photos, books and cosmetics. It was definitely a girl's room. There was so much stuff in it. She couldn't imagine trying to pack any of this up and travel anywhere.

"It's very…girly," she said.

Rose tried to smother a laugh behind her hand and failed. "Well, you were very girly when you decorated," she said.

Risty opened the closet door and eyed the clothes inside. Lots of cute stuff. None of it seemed particularly durable.

"Oh, that's right. Your clothes won't fit," Astrid said, watching from the doorway with Rose.

"It's no problem, I have some things too small for me, you can wear those," Rose replied.

"Okay," Risty said. She ran her finger over a CD player set up on the small vanity, then experimentally pushed a few buttons.

"OHHHHHHHHHH, YOU ROCK MY WORLD, OHHHHHHHHHH, WANNA BE YOUR GIRL—"

Startled, Risty panicked and smashed the button she'd just pushed. The crazy pop song stopped abruptly. Warily moving away from the CD player, she started to pick up some of the hair implements set on the vanity.

"Does any of it seem familiar?" Astrid pressed.

"Um…" Risty looked around the room. "A few things. Like…this hairbrush. Some of the clothes. That rug on the floor." She shrugged helplessly.

Astrid looked disappointed, but recovered. "Well, okay. That's much better than nothing at all, right? We can totally build on that, definitely." She sounded like she was giving herself a pep talk.

Rose watched her daughter move around the room as if it wasn't hers, and felt her heart tighten. Somehow, she'd hoped that all of this would turn out all right, with no problems at all, but that obviously wasn't the case. They definitely had their work cut out for them cleaning up the aftermath of this mess.

"Um…Rose?"

Rose pulled herself from her thoughts, hearing Risty's voice. "Yes?"

Risty had the brush, a doll, and a shirt tucked into her sling, and was absently running her hand over the bedspread. "Um…do I still have a dad?"

"Oh, yes. Yes you do. His name is Julio. He's just…not around as much," Rose explained. In fact, she and her husband were on the verge of separation due to the stress. Maybe Risty's return would change that.

"Any brothers or sisters?"

"No, you were the only one."

"Oh." Risty looked down for a moment. "I…I'm sorry I don't remember you then. I mean, I was always sorry, but since I'm your only daughter…"

"It's not like it's your fault," Rose said gently.

Risty nodded, then looked up. "Listen, I—well almost everything's going to be strange and weird to me, but—but I'm still your daughter. So-so if you want to cry, or hug me or something, I want you to, don't not do it because you're worried about upsetting me."

Rose blinked in surprise. Risty looked almost fierce as she said that, or fiercer than usual at least.

"But Risty, if you need space—" Astrid began.

"I can have space later. This is supposed to be a family reunion, right? Then there should be hugging!" Risty stood firm on this, eyes flashing. She definitely looked fiercer now.

Rose smiled. Then she started to laugh. She laughed so hard that tears started to squeeze out of her eyes. Eventually the laughter gave way to real crying, and Rose tightly hugged her confused but accepting daughter.

The dinner table was full for once that night. Risty and a sufficiently recovered Rose, along with a joyful Julio, an excited Astrid, and Zoe party-crashing early, all gathered together for a delicious meal of frozen dinners. Rose would have done something with the steak if it wasn't freezer-burned.

"Wait till Mom finds out I was successful! She'll be psyched!" Astrid cheered at one point.

"Yeah, that's what it's all about," Zoe said, rolling her eyes.

Julio was having a hard time carrying conversations or eating, considering how much he was beaming at Risty. He'd reach over every few minutes just to squeeze her hand, as if ensuring she wasn't an illusion. Rose watched her husband's joy with a growing happiness of her own. Lately he'd been so distant, and seemed liked he aged a year each day. Now the old Julio looked to be making a comeback.

"…so then I ended up getting sick myself, which was pretty horrible. But believe it or not, Envy got better and started taking care of me himself," Risty was saying as she tried in vain to snag a kernel of corn with her plastic fork.

"Seriously?" Zoe exclaimed.

"Are we thinking of the same Envy?" Astrid added, her mouth gaping.

Risty nodded, looking embarrassed. "He'd probably kill me if he knew I was telling you guys. Really, I mean."

"What kind of messed-up relationship—" Astrid began.

"I just can't believe you were running around like that all by yourself," Julio cut in, going for another hand-squeeze. "You've certainly grown up."

"W-Well, you know, the circumstances and everything. Really guys, I don't think I've changed a whole lot, I just had no other choice most of the time," Risty protested.

"Well yeah, but you could have given up instead of chasing after Ed," Astrid pointed out.

Risty blushed, which Rose didn't miss. "I…I guess…that just never seemed like an option…"

"Really though, I know it was a different time and place, but going to all those lengths just to find some boy…?" Julio said.

"Well he wasn't just 'some boy', Mr. F, he was her best chance to get back here," Zoe said, digging her brownie out of its compartment. Risty nodded vigorously.

"All I can say is, he and his brother and their friend were able to take care of her till we got there. That's all I care about," Astrid said firmly.

"And when did their care slip?" Julio wanted to know, indicating Risty's sling.

Astrid and Zoe exchanged guilty looks. "No, no, that wasn't their fault," Risty protested. Astrid and Zoe looked up in alarm, as if about to stop her, but she didn't notice and plowed on. "They had no idea Sakura would show up. I didn't either, really, but honestly, it could have turned out much, much worse. I mean, she was trying to kill me."

"What?" Rose and Julio said in unison, both of their smiles vanishing.

Zoe winced. Astrid sank down in her seat.

Risty looked around in confusion, but Rose turned to Zoe and Astrid. "So. This is what you've been avoiding telling me," she said flatly.

"W-Well, we didn't want you to worry, Aunt Rose," Astrid mumbled, looking down guiltily at the table.

"Not worry?" Julio repeated, his voice rising. "I think you'd better tell us everything you conveniently left out, and now."

Zoe started to glower. She'd never liked Julio as much as Rose.

"Wait!" Risty exclaimed. "Please, don't be mad at them. I shouldn't have said anything either."

"Risty, this is very important. If your life was in danger, as your parents we have a right to know," Rose said.

"But—" Risty started.

"No, she's right," Zoe cut in. She turned to Rose and Julio. "We were trying to avoid freaking you guys out, but here. Sakura's a psycho-bitch who came to Germany to kill Risty. We don't know why. E-dub said she's got limitations on her dimension-hopping abilities, so we figured we could take her." "E-dub" was Zoe's new nickname for EdwardsWife77. "She's only popped up four times so far. We thought…you know, we could handle her on our own."

Julio looked disapproving. "So not only is someone trying to take my daughter's life, but she could show up here as well, and somehow you thought we shouldn't know about this?" Rose wanted to know.

"Well…I guess." Zoe finally lost her nerve and looked away.

"I can't believe this," Julio growled.

"Please, don't be so upset. Like I said, it could have turned out so much worse," Risty pleaded with her parents.

"Don't try to defend them. They're completely in the wrong here," Julio said firmly.

Risty shot a distressed look at Zoe, who just shrugged back at her in resignation. The happy mood had vanished.

"What else haven't you been telling us?" Rose wanted to know.

Ed's leg shot out, and Al expertly deflected it with both hands. He then twisted his hands, spinning Ed off-balance and into the air. Ed didn't miss a beat, using his new position to kick Al in the shoulder and break his grip. Both brothers landed hard on the ground.

Al got up first, testing the elbow he'd landed on and wincing. Ed got up a little slower, already flexing his automail. "Break something?" Ed asked.

"No, but I was about to ask you that," Al said, indicating Ed's arm.

"It's okay, just not responding like it should," Ed said.

Together they started to walk to the tree that had been unofficially designated as the rest spot after sparring. Noa was off with Ezekiel and Roy Manne. Her abilities were needed to investigate a lead.

"I noticed that during the fight. Sometimes you'd try to block and it looked almost like you changed your mind at the last minute," Al said.

"I didn't change my mind, I had to compensate. I guess it got waterlogged when I jumped in that river," Ed sighed.

Al nodded as he sat down. Ed sprawled in the shade beside him and heaved a huge breath. "Maybe I'll try taking some of it apart tonight and see if I can do anything. Wanna help?" he asked.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? What if you can't put it back together?" Al pointed out.

"I'll have to take that risk. I can't let it just deteriorate over time. Besides, Winry's been causing me pain for years. I've picked up a thing or two from her," Ed said.

Al sighed. "I'll help you, Brother, just to make sure you don't destroy your automail beyond repair."

"You never give me any credit," Ed said as his eyes closed.

Al leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. It didn't take long before Ed's breath evened out, indicating that he'd fallen asleep. Al was glad. His brother had been pushing himself too hard in just about everything since Risty left a week ago. He really needed to slow down and just rest sometimes.

Honestly, though, Al knew it was probably so Ed could keep his mind off Risty. He hadn't said a single word about her, and Al was wondering if he was actively trying to forget her, like last time. Taking his lead, Al and Noa had kept their mouths shut about Risty as well. But there was no mistaking that her absence had created a hole. They'd all become used to the four-person dynamic.

For his part, Al missed her, and wished they'd been able to spar more than once. He also hoped that her family would be able to protect her from Sakura, and help her fight the forces of the Gate. He didn't know if their reach stretched everywhere or was, and he hoped so, dulled if she returned to her modern world. But he hoped she would be all right.

If nothing else, the Gate seemed to have retreated to the back of his mind, which he was grateful for. It seemed unlikely, but maybe they would just give up.

"…Ed? Ed! It's you!"

"You're here. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine, just fine! Astrid and I made it here just fine. I met my parents, and I saw my house, and everything!"

"That sounds great." Ed found himself smiling at her enthusiasm. "Do you remember anything else?"

"No, not really. Sometimes things stand out, but I don't know why. And I get the feeling I'm gaining and losing everything. It's like…like my memories are ACTIVELY being wiped as soon as I get them back."

"Don't worry. You'll figure something out. There has to be SOME way you can hold onto things, you just have to find it."

"I hope so."

"So…what's going on? Did something happen?"

"It did. Oh, Ed, my mom Rose, and my dad Julio, apparently Zoe and Astrid didn't tell them about Sakura. So when we had dinner tonight, I accidentally said something. There was so much arguing and I just feel bad."

"Well, don't. Your parents should know about Sakura if they're going to do anything about it. It's dumb to keep them in the dark."

"I guess you're right. It just ruined the mood. Everyone was so happy before, and then it just went to hell."

"It's not your fault. It was probably unavoidable."

"Maybe."

"So, you're asleep now?"

"Yeah, in my old room. It feels weird. I have this nightshirt with your face on it, so that's kind of…odd, I guess. And nothing feels like mine, you know? And now I have to get used to all this technology I've been without for so long. Oh, but my mother said she knows a place where I can get physical therapy for my arm."

"Really! So you might get your arm back."

"Yeah, she looked at it and said it wasn't impossible, but I'd have to work hard and it would hurt. I think I'll be all right with the pain if I can just get my arm working again."

"I'm glad. Just remember to keep an eye out for Sakura and be safe. Try to practice the fighting techniques I taught you. And be alert, okay?"

"I will, I promise. And…well, this might sound weird, but it seems like things are going to be going kind of well, so…"

"So you think you might not be upset enough to reach me after this?"

"Maybe. I think—I think I'll just try to practice contacting you even when I'm not sad. It hasn't worked before, but I don't want to wish for something bad to happen just to talk to you."

"Well of course. But…if this really is it, then…I just want you…to know…"

"…What?"

"That…that…nothing. I'll try on my end to reach you too, and together we'll figure this out. Sound good?" What a terrible recovery.

"Okay! This won't be it!" Her presence was fading as her mood improved.

"Count on it!"

She was gone.

Ed turned over in his sleep and sighed.

Zilo: SO THERE YOU GO! THANKS FOR READINGM, HAVE A NICE DAY!

Zoe: ...What?

Astrid: HANG ON! WHERE'S MY ESTABLISHED PAIRING?

Ed: That better not be the end, there's too many things to wrap up!

Zilo: But...

Ed: DON'T TELL ME THAT'S THE END.

Zilo: ...Well all right. I guess some things need better wrapping up...

Zoe: You think? (sarcasm)

Zilo: Fine, fine! The show's not yet over, see you all next time!