March 13th, 1986
With a wedding in only two days, everything around his house was chaos, and Edward was enjoying every moment of it. Family poured in from all over Amestris, and his house was full of them, as well as Raina's parents. Alphonse and Elicia, Gracia, James and Krista, Ethan and Lia, Aeddan, Lily and Randy, Will and Ren, Cal and Alyse, Charlie, and Gloria were all crammed into his house. Even Franz was taking a brief leave to come down, though he would only be there for the day of the wedding, arriving in the morning, and leaving the following day.
The overflow were staying at Aldon and Cassie's, which was also full with Coran's family of four, Ian, Bonnie, Callie, and Ted.
In fact, the only family members not making it were those who lived too far away to make it by train: Minxia and Thrakos, and Eamon, since he was also in Pylos for school, and Michio and Kamika, who were in Xing.
While everyone was pouring into town, Ed was unsurprised when Urey asked to borrow his car to move his last couple of boxes of personal belongings out of the house, and over to the one that would now be Raina's and his.
"We'll miss having you underfoot." Ed grinned as he handed Urey the keys. "You be sure to bring the whole family by for dinner often."
"I'm sure I can still manage to bug you." Urey took the keys. "You've still got the best alchemy library outside of Central."
"Given what's in it, some might argue mine's better." Ed's had all the stuff no one was supposed to know about.
"Which is why I'll be by often." Urey hefted a box into his arms and headed towards the door.
"You just keep coming up with reasons for us to visit, don't you?" Alphonse asked as he joined Ed.
"Don't look at me. Urey's the one getting married," Ed chuckled. "Though I keep telling you, you could just move in."
"If we weren't needed in Central, we probably would." Al shrugged. "Though I no longer think you were half-crazy to build a house this big. You've finally managed to fill it to capacity."
"Darn, you've stumbled upon my real master plan of opening a bed and breakfast."
Al fake-punched him in the arm. "I'm not paying you to stay here."
Ed shrugged. "Hey, you could have moved in, remember?"
"Will you two stop it?" Winry stepped up between them, placing one arm around each of their shoulders. "I hate to interrupt brotherly bonding, but there are beds to be made, a garden to decorate, and lunch to be prepared!"
"Feels like I've moved in already," Al snickered.
"All right, Winry, we're on it," Ed promised, turning to kiss his wife on the cheek. "Let's start in the yard, Al."
"Sure thing." Al followed him outside.
Thankfully, it was a bit early in the year for weeds, but that didn't mean Ed didn't have yardwork to do. He had started on it over a month ago, but there wasn't much to do before things started growing.
Thankfully the forecasted weather for the next few days was warm, with rain developing later in the week well after the wedding, because Ed intended to cheat a little on the garden. With Al's help, they could urge the spring flowers into blooming just a little earlier, and more numerously, than they would otherwise. "This is what we've got to work with," he said, gesturing to a box of seeds and bulbs.
Al crouched down and started looking through the box with interest. "White and yellow daffodils, blue crocuses, scilla, small blue irises," he smiled. "This is lovely."
"Raina's favorite color is blue. They went with a light-blue-and-yellow color scheme." Ed shrugged, grinning. "The forsythia bushes are already starting to bloom, so I don't think it will take much to turn this place into a colorful haven in two days."
"Does Winry know you're using alchemy for this?"
"She practically ordered me to," Ed admitted. "She told me to make this yard perfect no matter what."
"That does sound like a ringing endorsement," Al agreed as he rolled up his shirtsleeves. "Where should we start?"
"By the trellis," Ed suggested, gesturing to the arch that led between the general flower gardens, with the open lawns and room for chairs, into Ed's smaller Xingese style meditation garden. "They'll be getting married there, so the color needs to start there and frame everything."
"I couldn't have said it better myself."
Ed turned, and could not help smiling wider as his niece joined them. "It's nice to have the approval of an expert," he said to Alyse. He had been especially glad that she had recovered enough to make the journey. He held out the rough sketch he had made of the yard and where they were planning to put the flowers. "Would you mind taking a look at this before we start?"
Alyse's face lit up with pleasure as she almost snatched the diagram out of his hands. "I'd love to!" As she looked his plan over with the intense concentration of someone used to such things, Ed couldn't help admiring how much better she looked than when he had visited Central earlier that winter. With just family around, she had forgone the wig, letting her own slowly-returning hair show. It was barely an inch long, but it was cute on her; the way everything had always been cute on Alyse, in a pixyish kind of way. The long knit rose-colored sweater she was wearing fell just right, and had enough bulk, that it wasn't even obvious that she'd had to have surgery. This was, he suspected, entirely the idea. "This looks great, Uncle Ed," she finally looked up from the page. "It's very nicely balanced, and it will draw the eye right to the center."
Ed took the sheet back. "That was the idea. Glad to know it works."
"Can I help?" Alyse asked hopefully.
"Are you up for it?" Al asked, not hiding his concern.
"I'm not planning to use alchemy, I'd just like to be useful," Alyse assured them. "It doesn't take that much energy to put seeds and bulbs in little holes in the soil."
"Of course you can help." Ed handed her a trowel. He understood how she felt. Alyse didn't like to sit still and do nothing any more than the rest of the family, and she'd been no better than an invalid for months. "The garden's prettier already."
"Flattery will get you nowhere." Alyse was clearly pleased though. She took several bulbs and a kneeling pad, and went over to one corner of the garden near the trellis arch. She knelt down and got right to work.
"You maybe. It usually works for me," Cal commented as he came down the porch stairs and stopped between Ed and Al, watching his wife. Ed had noticed, ever since their arrival the night before, that anywhere Alyse went, Cal was sure to follow within a few minutes.
"It had better, or you have other problems." Ed chuckled. "She's all right out here you know." The weather was nice and warm for a late morning in March. The sun was out, and there was only a hint of a breeze.
"I know. That doesn't mean I can keep myself from checking," Cal admitted.
"I know how you feel." Ed said, even as Al nodded in understanding as well. They had all experienced the agony of almost losing their wives, and more than once. Being overprotective came from experience. "So, how's the lovesick teenager?"
Cal's soft expression darkened a little, before it turned to resignation. "He's upstairs, trying to pretend he's not bored out of his mind." He looked at Ed. "He finishes being grounded when we get home. I just wish I knew if this mess was going to blow over, or if there's something else we should be doing."
Ed knew that look. It read you dealt with Tore as a teenager, how did you do it without going nuts? "If he's gotten the message, than he won't do anything else imminently stupid until he's old enough to do it legally," he suggested. "There are worse things that he could have done, or that could have happened to him, but often the best teacher is the mistake itself. Tore came back from his trip a lot more mature than he left. He still wasn't ready for a lot of what he had to deal with in the war with Drachma, or afterwards, but he would never have made it that far if he hadn't learned. Though this particular problem was not one of those things we had to deal with."
Cal nodded. "I've suggested he find an after school job, something he can do this summer too. I figured it might give him something productive to do; keep him busy."
"Not a bad idea." Al agreed before going over to join Alyse, but on the other side of the arch.
"A little responsibility may be just what he needs," Ed agreed. "Got any particular jobs in mind?"
"He's been working on cars with his best friend for a few years now. He's got some decent mechanic skills, so I thought he might be able to get a job at a local garage doing the basics." Cal shrugged. "Oil changes, minor repairs, that kind of thing. It would also give him a chance to learn from the pros."
Ed like that idea. It was also good hard physical activity, and he'd be earning money. "Sounds like something he'd enjoy, and a good way to keep out of trouble."
"That's my biggest concern." Cal sighed audibly. "He's a little too much like me sometimes. Anything that keeps him away from women for a while can only be a good thing."
Ed couldn't help but laugh. "You know, when you first joined the alchemy program, I remember thinking the same thing about you."
"Oh really?" Cal looked at him curiously.
"You were eighteen, and you couldn't even get through an alchemy discussion without a quip or clever remark, and flirting with your female classmates." It was a long time ago now, but Ed would never forget that class of students. Sara had been one of them. "Your superiors refused to assign you to any mission or team under any of our female alchemists, because they were afraid you'd flirt with the wrong one and get your face caved in."
Cal chuckled. "Well, I might have," he admitted.
"Half the others were afraid you'd sleep with anyone assigned to work with you."
"I didn't do that." But Cal looked a little uncomfortable. Ed knew full well that a lot of eligible women had slept with the young, brash, handsome Whitewater Alchemist in his youth. He wasn't the only soldier with that reputation. "They can't have been too worried about me."
"Nah, but I did get a few requests to have you transferred up to Briggs."
"Why Briggs?"
"They were hoping you'd be foolish enough to flirt with General Armstrong." Alex's sister would have flattened him, chopped him up, and fed the pieces to a bear.
Cal snickered. "I prefer not to flirt with danger. If you'll excuse me, I've got a better idea." He joined Alyse, and Ed watched as she handed him a couple of flower bulbs and he started helping her with the planting.
Winry loved seeing her house full of family, and while she regretted that so much of Al's side of the family was too far flung to come, having her house overflowing with life and happiness was too enjoyable for her to waste time on regrets.
Aldon and Cassie sat on the couches with Raina's parents, chatting socially. Callie, Gloria, and Lily were talking excitedly at the table over the plate of vegetables Winry had put out for people to nibble while lunch preparations were underway in the kitchen in the experienced hands of Gracia, Elicia, Lia, and Ren. Lily, already over half way through her pregnancy, looked radiant and happy. Winry was sure the discussion was about the twins. No matter what was being talked about, someone brought it up within a few minutes.
Thankfully Lily didn't seem to mind that almost all anyone seemed to want to talk about the past couple of days with her was her pregnancy, the babies, and the joys of impending parenthood. Upstairs and downstairs and even meeting on the stairs or in the hallways, there were little conversations and people stopping to socialize. While much of the family was staying at Aldon and Cassie's everyone had converged, almost by default, on her house.
The children were all playing outside in the yard on the side opposite the gardens, under the watchful eyes of Deanna and Gale. Ian was somewhere with Bonnie, and Winry had given up trying to keep track of every one of her family members.
Finally, an elaborate spread of make-it-yourself salad and sandwich fixings that could have been its own three-course meal was laid out on the counter, along with a huge pot of cheddar-and-broccoli soup, and lunch was on. As people had time, they filed up, grabbed food, and vanished. Even Ed, Al, Cal, and Alyse came in from the yard to eat, before the boys vanished back outside, and Alyse went upstairs for a nap.
After lunch, the table became decoration central. Raina's decoration plans had been very simple, but she had been quite happy to have additional help when other members of the family suggested hand-made bows, floral arrangements, and other little decorations that would make the day beautiful and accentuate how special it was. Just because it wasn't Urey's first marriage didn't mean they were going to let this wedding be anything less than spectacular.
Raina and Urey arrived back from moving the last of Urey's things to their house about the time the craft supplies were carefully arranged on the table for the most efficient making. "This looks amazing," Raina grinned as she took a seat at one end of the table and reached for a length of ribbon and some glue.
"How's the house?" Winry asked Urey, who was watching with amusement.
"It's looking great." Urey smiled. "We've got Yurian's room all set up. I can't wait to show it to him."
"Are you letting him see it before the wedding?"
"Nope. He gets to move in the same time I do. Then we can start life as a family, together."
Winry put her arm around him for a quick grandmotherly squeeze. "I'm so happy for you. All of you. I know you'll be happy."
"How do you know that, Granny?"
"Experience. I've watched an awful lot of relationship over the years, and I'm pretty good at telling which are the good ones." She chuckled fondly as she let go of him again.
"You're right together. It's a natural fit, not just for you two as a couple, but for Yurian too, and that's what's important."
Urey nodded in agreement. "Raina and I have talked a lot lately about house rules, and how we're going to do things as parents. It helps that she knows a lot about kids, and we agree on most things so far. Not that it's that hard when we're dealing Yurian. He's a great kid."
"You'll probably have more to talk about if you have more," Winry suggested gently, trying not to pry, but her curiosity was getting the better of her.
"Raina wants more…at least one." Urey didn't sound surprised, or particularly bothered by this.
"Do you?" Winry asked. One of the biggest strains the last months of his relationship with Cayla, before her death, was Urey's own doubts about fatherhood. He hadn't been ready then, and it had caused a lot of emotional pressure not just for him, but for the whole family, when he had refused to try and be a father to his newborn son.
Urey looked like he knew what was going through her head as he smiled. "Yeah, I do."
Charlie was bored out of his mind. He had finished every assignment due by the end of Spring break, and read both of the novels he had brought with him on the trip already. Now here he was, lying on the bed in the guest room he occupied for the visit, staring at the ceiling, which, he had already noted, had a subtle swirl in the plaster that looked sort of like a seagull… if seagulls crashed into waves instead of flying over them.
So he lay there, eyes closed and the window open, listening to the breeze outside. It almost sounded like Shelby's breathing…
"Hey, you awake?"
Charlie opened his eyes to find Aeddan standing in the doorway. "Yeah."
"You wanna do something?"
"I'm still grounded."
"Yeah well, there's plenty to do around here that won't break the rules." Aeddan grinned. "Grandpa Ed said we could use the pool table upstairs. You know the one in the room off the library."
Pool table? "I didn't even know this place had a pool table," Charlie admitted, sitting up. That certainly sounded like more fun than lying around all afternoon avoiding conversations he didn't want to have. Aeddan was the only guy in the family nearly the same age.
"Grandpa keeps it in his game room." Aeddan shrugged, grinning. "Kids aren't allowed in there. He said we were men enough to use it."
Charlie couldn't help wondering what else Edward Elric would keep in a private room that was off limits to kids, besides his alchemy workshop, which he knew was also off-limits. Charlie didn't really know any alchemy, but he wasn't dumb enough to go messing around with anything in a lab that might explode. "Let's go check it out," he agreed.
The two boys went downstairs first, where lunch was still laid out, and Charlie piled a plate with two thick-stacked sandwiches stuffed with toppings, and grabbed a cola, before they went up to library, and through it into the room beyond, that clearly belonged entirely to Edward Elric as his own, personal space in his house.
While there were the same large windows along the wall that lit the rest of the house, they had thick red curtains that could be pulled to block out the light, and the walls were off-white at the top, but dark wood paneling below. Even in here, there was a bookshelf full of reading material, but other than that, it was part museum, part game room. Old newspaper clippings, photographs, and various souvenirs and artifacts from a very adventurous life lined the walls and another set of shelves. Charlie couldn't help but wonder what the collection would cost to a museum. He didn't even know what all of the things were, though he was fascinated by a small collection of mechanical parts that he couldn't identify. The part numbers on them weren't in a language he had ever seen before. They didn't look like car or train parts. Many of the photos on the walls were in places he didn't recognize either, though most were taken in Amestris, or other places around the world that were easily identified.
There was a large pool table dominating the main space in the room, though thick old comfortable leather chairs around a round wooden table made it clear the room was intended for other games as well. Charlie thought he knew now where his father and the others usually retreated at night when they came to visit. There was a large old radio in one corner, and a record player.
"This place is pretty cool," Charlie admitted as he put his food down on the table, making sure the cola went on one of the stone coasters. He didn't want his Great-Uncle mad at him. Despite being clearly a "man space," it was clean, and the old table looked like it was probably very expensive. "I wonder if he keeps anything to drink up here."
That got him a suspicious look from Aeddan, and he wished he hadn't said anything. Aeddan wasn't that much younger than him, he'd be fifteen next month, and he was only a year behind him at school.
"Doubt it," Aeddan replied. "Grandpa almost never drinks." He pulled two cues off the rack and handed one to Charlie.
"I don't either," Charlie admitted, hoping he hadn't given Aeddan the wrong idea. Not that he hadn't been tempted as crappy as his life had been lately, but he was in enough trouble as it was.
Aeddan looked slightly embarrassed. "Sorry…I didn't mean…"
"It's okay." Charlie sighed as he moved around the table, motioning for Aeddan to break. "I've heard the rumors at school." Most of them were bogus, but given what he and Shelby had been suspended for, the majority of the rumors had to do with their sex lives, and the basic facts regarding their parents forbidding them to see each other were the primary topic of those rumors. When anyone bothered. The only reason it hadn't died yet, he was sure, was because Shelby played such a prominent role in student government, chairing several committees and running clubs. She was like Gloria had been at school-and his mom, so he'd been told; the responsible, straight A student who wasn't the President, but who they couldn't get along without.
"Are any of them true?" Aeddan asked as he chalked his cue and lined up a shot.
"Just the most boring ones," Charlie replied as he watched the pool balls scatter across the table. "Yeah, we did it. Yeah, her parents hate my guts. Yeah, it's impossible to talk to each other…and yeah, I hate it."
Aeddan winced. "Sorry. I've been telling some of the guys to shut their yaps at school. Some of the rumors are really nuts."
He'd been standing up for him? Charlie hadn't realized he had that much of a friend in his second cousin. "I appreciate that," he said, honestly touched.
Aeddan smiled as he lined up another shot, and sank two balls. "Hey, no problem. Anything in particular you'd like squashed…or spread? They tend to take my word for truth since we're related."
Now there was a useful offer. "Anything that plays up public sympathy?" Charlie suggested as Aeddan circled and lined up another shot. "You know, we're both suffering because we can't be together and we haven't broken the ban on seeing each other. Just anything that will make people go easier on Shelby. Me, I don't care. I've been in and out of trouble at school for years, no one thinks anything about it, but she doesn't deserve to get a bum rap over this."
Aeddan missed and stepped back so Charlie could take a turn. "I spread that, and half the freshman girls are going to want to date you for the sentiment alone."
Charlie lined up on the six ball and sank it. "Tempting as that might be, I'm not giving up yet. Shelby and I will find a way to be together, even if we have to outwait her parents."
"You're starting to sound like those sappy old romantic plays they make us read in Literature."
"Maybe a little," Charlie admitted. He hoped not too much. Many of those plays had tragic endings.
March 14th, 1986
"You sure you'll have fun tonight?" Ian asked Bonnie. He was looking forward to going out with his brothers, but he didn't want to leave Bonnie with nothing to do, or to an evening of awkward conversation.
"Of course I will," Bonnie assured him, smiling. "Deanna promised to tell me all about what you were like as a kid."
"Well, I was pretty fascinating," Ian wagged his eyebrows and kissed her. "I'll miss you."
"It's one evening." Bonnie shook her head ruefully. "You go have fun with your brothers."
"Well, we probably won't have too much fun," Ian teased as he let go of her. "We're leaving all you beautiful ladies behind after all." And coming back to them as well. He doubted there would be much drinking either. Urey had been more interested in spending the evening with his brothers than any real bachelor party. He'd already had one of those before.
Bonnie's expression softened. "I'm sure it'll be fine." She paused, as if she wanted to say more but was considering her words. "I mean it. Have fun and…"
She was trying to say something. "Bonnie, what is it?"
His girlfriend looked away, embarrassed. "I just… I trust you."
"Well, I know that," he replied, trying to meet her eyes. She was confusing him. "I mean, I'm grateful. Is that what you wanted to tell me?"
She nodded, then looked up at him again. "I guess I just don't want you to change who you are just to please me."
Well, that was out of nowhere. "I haven't. I mean, I know I'm not the same guy I was a few years ago, but that's my choice. Did I do something wrong?"
"No!" Bonnie shook her head vigorously. "I just meant… I've blown this out of proportion haven't I?" She sighed. "Ian… all I was trying to say is that I appreciate that you're so careful about my feelings, and making me uncomfortable… but I'm not going to freak out if you have a drink every so often. I mean, if you feel like it."
Had she just… wow. A few months ago, he might have shouted for joy. Not because he'd ever really cared that much about drinking, but because he liked being in charge of himself. Now, he melted a little inside, because he knew what it meant for her to say it, and the courage it was probably taking. Her father had suffered from drinking problems in the past. That, and her ex-jerks… He kissed her again. "That means a lot to me… the trust, not the beer," he clarified, chuckling. "I'm proud of you."
Bonnie's face flushed under her freckles. "Thanks. Now go…" she shooed him off.
Coran couldn't remember the last time he and his brothers had hung out, just the five of them. They all had their own lives, and while they saw each other fairly often, it was usually no more than two or three of them together, with him, Ian, and Ted living in Central, and Urey and Reichart living in Resembool. Ted's missions kept him bouncing all over the place. Ian's shooting schedule did much the same. It was a rare occasion when they were all in the same place at all, usually for weddings, like this one, though it had been a few years since the celebration had been for one of them.
He was glad it was Urey. His middle-most brother deserved happiness after all he'd been through. As they all sat around a table at the local bar, eating and laughing, Coran enjoyed seeing all four of his younger brothers smiling, and enjoying a girl-and-child free night. Gale and the boys -Gavin and Damian were now eleven and eight years old- were spending the evening with Deanna and their horde at Reichart's place. Yurian was also there, so all the cousins could play. Coran suspected Raina was there as well. Ted wasn't seeing anyone, and he wasn't sure where Ian's girlfriend had chosen to spend the evening.
"Where's Bonnie tonight?" he asked Ian curiously.
"Getting every embarrassing story about my childhood from Deanna," Ian chuckled, though he looked nervous. "She wanted to hang out with the girls. I suppose I should take that as a good sign, but I'm not sure she needs blackmail ammunition."
Coran grinned. "Let her get used to being part of the family. All the better for your chances when you finally convince her to marry you." Watching the two of them together, Coran had no doubt that they could make it as a couple, or that his brother was set on having Bonnie. He just hoped that the girl saw it the same way.
"We'll see how long that takes," Ian commented, sipping from his bottle. He seemed distracted. "I can't rush things."
Coran grinned. "I know how that goes. When I first tried to get Gale to go out with me she was downright hostile. Took me a while to convince her I wasn't like every other guy out there who wanted her body."
"You convinced Gale you didn't want her body?" Ian looked skeptical.
"Nah. I just finally managed to get her to believe the truth: that I liked her mind and personality too. I'd have been lying if I'd tried to pretend she wasn't hot."
"That's good, because no one would have believed you."
"Including me." In Coran's completely biased opinion, Gale was even more beautiful now than when they had first met. She certainly smiled more, and the softer side of her personality, the side reserved for him, and for their two sons, could melt his heart instantly.
Across the table, a burst of laughter caught Coran's attention. He guessed that Reichart and Urey had said something to their baby brother because Ted's face had turned red behind his bottle of beer. "What did I miss?"
Ian snickered. "Our baby brother just admitted, on his twenty-fourth birthday, that he's the only one of us who hasn't gotten laid."
"That wasn't an invitation to find me a girl," Ted commented a little shortly, and Coran had the feeling that was the suggestion that had made his youngest brother blush…and then wondered how much Reichart and Urey-of all people- had drunk tonight to even suggest it.
"Couldn't hurt," Urey chuckled. "Art got Deanna, and he's the one who talked me up to Raina in the first place."
"Yeah, there's still a few pretty single women in town," Reichart nodded his head. "You remember Wendy Liecher don't you? She was in your class in school."
"Yeah, I remember Wendy." Ted looked curious, but also wary. Coran could understand why.
"Well, I have it from a reliable source that she's currently single and looking."
"Who's your reliable source?"
"Deanna."
For a moment, Ted looked like he was considering this news, then he shook his head and took a swig of his drink. "Forget it. I'm going back to Central in two days. No way am I starting anything that could turn into complicated long distance."
Coran saluted Ted with his glass. "My youngest brother speaks with wisdom."
"And my oldest brother speaks like a bad Xingese film dub," Ted grinned back at him.
"Or Grandpa," Ian chimed in. "He's full of old sayings."
"And a lot of them are from Xingese alkahestry texts," Ted retorted.
"This is true," Urey sided with Ted. "I've read them."
As the two of them rapidly devolved into which one could come up with the most obscure yet pompous sounding old saying, Reichart turned to Coran and Ian. "I think we should make sure Urey spends the night at home with you guys."
Coran nodded. He hadn't thought to ask where Urey was spending the night. If his room at Grandpa and Granny's was still open or if he had been planning to spend the night in the new place. It was generally not considered wise to let the new bride see her groom in a post bachelor-evening state, even if they weren't doing anything particularly wild. "No worries. Mom's still got a couple of spare beds open, and set up for guests."
"Should I spend the night instead of going home?" Reichart joked. "You know, just for Mom's nostalgia."
"Somehow, I think Mom would prefer to remember us as her semi-well-behaved young men," Ian snickered.
Semi indeed. Coran shook his head. "You know, we should really do something extra special for Mom as a thank you for letting us all live to adulthood."
"Mom and Dad both," Ian added.
Yeah, there were days Coran was grateful their father hadn't believed in beatings. He probably would have received several for some of his antics as a teenager. What, however, would be a big enough thank you for everything their parents had put up with raising a house full of rowdy boys? "We'll think of something."
"We could start with all just being presentable tomorrow," Ian suggested with an amused grin. "Right now, the big shot movie star is the most sober person at the table."
Reichart eyed Ian suspiciously. "What are you even drinking?"
"This?" Ian held out the bottle and Coran could see the root beer label. "I swapped over two hours ago. At least one of us should be able to walk the others home if it comes to it."
Coran didn't comment about the irony that it was Ian. His brother had been a different person ever since the accident that had killed his friend, and even more so since meeting—and now dating—Bonnie. "Good plan."
"Oh, I've got an even better one," Ian assured him, getting the attention of the whole table. "Now that the snacks have been eaten, and most of the drinks have been drunk… we should do something fun and a little crazy."
Reichart set down his empty drink. "And just what did you have in mind?"
"I dare you to see who can stand the longest under Sellers' Falls."
The waterfall in the mountain foothills wasn't far from town, on a regular walking trail, and even lit at night, but Coran was surprised Ian would even want to attempt it. Not that it wasn't something they hadn't done in their youth.
"Do you know how cold that water is this early in the year?" Reichart asked.
"Of course," Ian grinned. "That's what makes it a challenge!"
March 15th, 1986
"I thought you couldn't make it!" Ed exclaimed, grabbing Tore up in a bone-crunching hug as his adoptive son stepped off the train in front of Franz in the early dawn light. They didn't see nearly enough of each other; a regret that had hit home when Tore had said that his family wouldn't be able to make it down. Charisa couldn't get off work, and with Cal and Franz leaving, someone had to take care of the State Alchemists.
"I made Emerald take care of it," Tore chuckled as he returned the hug. "Charisa sends her love, and presents," he added. "I'm just here for the day, on the President's personal detail."
"He's my "bodyguard,"" Franz grinned as he stepped off the train behind him.
Ed pulled his son-in-law into a similarly rough hug, not caring who saw them on the platform. Wedding days were for hugging. "Well it's just not a family reunion if we don't empty Central of all its critical officers."
"That's why we're here too."
Ed looked up, mildly stunned to see Trisha, Roy, and all three of their kids descending onto the platform. "You hauled the kids along on a four day train trip just for a day in Resembool?"
"Not quite," Trisha chuckled, little Sara in her arms as she hugged him. "We're staying for a week and having a little family vacation."
"Please tell me Winry knows about this." Ed couldn't imagine there wasn't a plan. And it wasn't like they were entirely out of space at the house, but it was close.
"Granny promised there was room," Trisha nodded. "Though I'm not sure how!"
"She works magic and defies the laws of nature." Ed shrugged. If Winry said there was room, there was room. "We should get you all back to the house, though I don't think the car will fit everyone." If he had known they were all coming, he'd have brought more than one vehicle.
"Oh it's fine," Franz grinned. "We'll put the luggage in the car, and walk. It's a gorgeous day."
"You can walk," Trisha countered. "I'm not carrying Sara all the way to the house. She and I will ride back with Grandpa."
"Suit yourself," Roy chuckled, kissing his wife. "I'll try and tire out these two."
"No chance, Dad," Rosa grinned.
"I'll beat you there," Gabriel challenged his sister, taking off down the road.
"No you won't!" Rosa ran after him.
"That might be easier than I thought." Roy shrugged, following his older children.
"Well don't you boys look fresh this morning," Cassie commented as she spooned out breakfast food around her very packed dining table. Packed just the way she liked it, with Aldon, all of their children, both of her current daughters-in-law, Ian's girlfriend, and at a second table erected for the occasion, all of her grandchildren. The only reason Raina wasn't there was because she was having breakfast with her parents up at Ed and Winry's. After today, she would also be an Elric.
Cassie was actually a little surprised that her sons looked less bedraggled than she had anticipated when they had gone out the night before. She made the comment with very little sarcasm.
"We just had some good clean fun last night, Mom," Ian grinned as he took the plate she handed him. "I mean really, what else would you expect?"
"Trouble," Gale suggested.
"Hijinx," Deanna nodded.
"Stupid tricks," Callie suggested with a knowing smile at all of her older brothers.
"So nice everyone has faith in us," Reichart quipped as he nudged Deanna with his elbow.
"Yeah, all we did was some brotherly bonding," Ted nodded.
"Who won?" Aldon asked as he added sugar and cream to his coffee.
"Won?" Cassie wondered if her husband knew more about last night than she did. Her sons had come home well after she had sensibly gone to bed.
"I did," Urey grinned as he dug into his waffles. "Ian almost made it, but he started turning blue."
"Blue?" Bonnie asked.
"I'll explain later," Ian replied sideways.
"Do the girls get to know what this is about?" Cassie asked.
"Oh, I know what it is," Deanna assured her. "It's a long standing Resembool male tradition."
"Only men?" Bonnie looked curious.
"Well, it's not restricted, but most of us aren't that crazy." Deanna shrugged. "My brothers did it, sometimes to settle arguments, other times just to prove they weren't wimps. The goal is to stand under Sellers' Falls for as long as possible without getting out. The colder the water, the more the challenge is worth."
Well no wonder Urey had won. Even with all the weight he had lost, he was built the stockiest of any of her sons. Ian's fire-hot metabolism might have been the only thing that gave him any chance against his brother. "That sounds… entertaining to watch," Cassie commented as she finished serving plates and sat down at her end of the table.
"The sounds they usually make are worth it," Deanna agreed. "I'm a little sorry we missed it."
Cassie couldn't entirely hear what Reichart whispered in his wife's ear in response, but her keen motherly hearing thought she heard something about how Deanna hadn't complained last night, and she decided to pretend she hadn't heard anything, particularly given the expression on her daughter-in-law's face.
"Maybe another time," Bonnie nodded, looking at Ian. "I'm very curious about this little local tradition of yours."
"Doesn't your small charming country town have a pile of old traditions?"
"Well of course we do," Bonnie replied. "But ours usually don't involve trying to freeze extremities off."
Ian looked like he wanted to retort, but his glance at the kids table made it clear he couldn't say what he wanted to in present company. Cassie noted it was the kids he was worried about, not her. "You should try it sometime," he replied. "It's actually very refreshing."
"Refreshing is good," Cassie cut in. "You'll need it today. Once we eat, there's still plenty to do up at Ed and Winry's, and Urey and Yurian need to get up there and get ready."
"Relax, Mom," Urey smiled as he filled his plate with a second giant waffle. "What are they going to do, start without us?"
"What is this?" Cal asked, stunned, but only a little annoyed, to come downstairs and find a big "Happy Birthday" banner and a plate groaning with his favorite breakfast foods.
"Your sixtieth birthday," Alyse grinned, kissing his cheek. "You really didn't think we'd forget did you?"
"No… though I was sort of hoping."
"No luck, Daddy," Gloria's impish smile made it clear this had been at least partially her doing. She was carrying what looked like a huge stack of pancakes covered with syrup and whipped cream, with a candle on it. One candle.
Better than burning the place down. Cal smiled, resigning himself to the situation.
"Get over here so we can eat this amazing food," Charlie waved at him impatiently.
"All right. All right. Let's get this over with." He sat down at the head of the table, suffered through an almost-on-key rendition of a birthday song by everyone who had made it downstairs so far, which seemed to be almost everyone, and blew out the candle on his pancakes.
"Well I'm glad we didn't miss this party."
Cal looked up to find the rest of Central had shown up. Tore was grinning at him. "Get on over here and help us eat it all," he chuckled waving his friend over. Franz, Roy, Trisha, the kids, it really was another miniature invasion.
"Don't mind if I do," Tore nodded, grabbing a plate. Cal doubted they had eaten much breakfast on the train.
Thankfully he did not have to eat it all himself. While there was enough prepared to feed a small army, the Elric family was a small army.
Cal didn't really want to think about being sixty, other than the fact that it still made him a lot younger than the eighty-and-ninety-somethings in the building, and that he had somehow miraculously lived that long.
He was just glad Alyse was alive to see it. A month and five days out from her surgery, she was improving steadily, regaining some of her energy, and the life in her he had so desperately missed. Her hair, while still very short, was growing back, and while it was lighter than it had been, the shade was still a light brown, not too different from her original color. The difference at the moment was its tendency towards curls. Curls had always been Cal's thing, where Alyse's hair had never had much more than a defined wave. He thought she was brave, choosing not to wear the wig to this wedding, knowing there would be pictures. Alyse had told him she wasn't ashamed of her hair. She had survived… and it drew people's eyes upward.
After they had finished eating, and he just hoped he could fit into the suit he had brought for the occasion, they went back upstairs to get dressed for the wedding.
It took Cal only a few minutes to put on his suit, which gave him time to linger on his favorite pastime, watching Alyse dress. Breasts or no breasts, his wife was a ravishing beauty. Though he had to admit, the surgeons had done their job well. The scars, such as they were, were healing nicely, and would be nearly invisible one day. As much skin as could be salvaged had been, the reconstruction might have removed all the tissue, but they had managed to leave the external pieces mostly intact. He could only assume the alchemists were to thank for that as much as the surgeons. Instead of the flat, scarred front Alyse had expected, while there was no tissue left, the nipples had been left intact, and her chest—aside from the scar lines—looked more flattened, rather than mangled or nonexistent.
The dress Alyse had bought for this occasion hid all of it, without looking like it was hiding anything. It was a one-piece dress with short sleeves, and a fitted straight-line look that hugged her curves below, and ending just below the knee. The neckline, cleverly, draped in an asymmetrical cowl-like series of ripples that gave the illusion that they were covering breasts. A matching sheer scarf completed the illusion. The soft green color of both dress and scarf brought out the vibrant green of her eyes.
"Do I look okay?"
"Of course you do." Cal replied. The question was not unexpected, though her confused expression was.
"Well you were staring."
He smiled as he crossed the room, his own dressing half-forgotten, to pull her into his arms. "How could I not? You're intoxicating."
That brought his favorite look of happiness to her face. "Well," she said coyly, "Then maybe I should make you let go. It wouldn't do for you to be intoxicated at the wedding."
"Oh, I can wait until after," he assured her. "But only because I know better than to mess up your outfit before we go downstairs."
"You finally learned that? I'm impressed."
"Tease." Cal kissed her briefly, then offered his arm. "Let's get downstairs and just hope you don't upstage the bride."
"I saw the dress. That is not going to happen."
Cal didn't contradict her. It wasn't an argument he would win, even if he knew she would always upstage every bride without intending to.
He wasn't entirely sure what good it would do, but when Coran saw Charlie hanging out by himself, staying out of the way in the pre-wedding chaos, he decided it was a good moment to say something. Maybe it was because he was the only person in the family who had ever been in Charlie's current situation.
"Hey there."
Charlie, who looked very uncomfortable in a suit, looked up. "Hey. Did you need something?"
Well, so much for a casual lead-in to the conversation. Coran shrugged. "Just thought I'd see how you were doing. You seem down."
Charlie shrugged uncomfortably. "I guess I'm just not into it. I keep thinking about how much I wish my… Shelby was here. She'd loved to have come to a wedding as my date." His tone was laden with bitterness.
"I think you're handling it pretty well."
Charlie snorted. "How would you know?"
"Because when it happened to me I didn't take it this well."
Charlie looked over at him warily. "What happened?"
Only one of the most embarrassing days of his life. Coran had long since forgiven his father for his reactions at the time. Of course, it had been 1965. "Dad caught us in a hayloft in the middle of the Harvest Festival. He was furious. Grounded me for a month on the spot." Coran shook his head at the memory. "The worst part was when her parents found out and she broke up with me."
"She broke up with you?"
Coran nodded, giving the kid a few moments to put the scenario together in his head. It had not been Gale. Maggie Spenser had gone on to date one of their other classmates, Vernon Puller. Now they were married, living in a small farming town not too far outside South City, with four kids. "Yeah, she did. Apparently public humiliation made her reconsider our relationship."
"Public humiliation."
"There are no secrets in a small town." Coran nodded.
"I hope this wasn't supposed to be a pep talk," Charlie quipped.
"You want pep?" Coran smiled. "Has she tried to break up with you?"
"Does it matter if we're forbidden to speak?"
"Trust me, if a girl wants to end it with you, she'll find a way. Sometimes they send a friend to do it for them."
Charlie's expression lightened just a little, as if he hadn't considered that.
"Don't give up yet." Coran straightened his tie and moved away from the wall. "I'd better go. If I'm late, Urey will never forgive me."
"Hey," Charlie called after him, "Thanks."
"No problem, kid."
Raina stood in front of the mirror, patiently letting her mother go through unnecessary last minute primping. It was her only daughter's wedding day. Raina was used to her mother wanting all of her special moments to be perfect.
So she stood there, in a dress that was primarily cream, but trimmed across the top of the bodice, and in streaks down the back, in forget-me-not blue. Her sheer pale-blue veil rested on her head under a crown of fresh yellow-and-light blue spring flowers, similar to the ones in the bouquet she clutched in her hands. Her dark-blond curls were artfully styled, but down, falling softly around and past her shoulders.
Her mother stepped back from settling an already perfect curl in place, and finally seemed to give up. She smiled, misty-eyed. "You look perfect."
"Thanks, Mom." Raina refused to tear up. Not yet.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, I am." Was she nervous? A little. More than anything else though, she felt a sense of excitement, and an overwhelming happiness. In a few minutes she would be marrying a man she loved, whose son she adored, and they would be a family, with a long wonderful life together ahead of them.
"That's good," her father's voice came from behind them both as he entered the room, "Because I'd hate to have you back out now. I got a new suit just for the occasion."
Raina turned and smiled at her father. "And you look very dashing in it," she assured him as she kissed his cheek. She was grateful to have him there, and that he was still here to see it. He griped constantly about doctors' orders, but her mother said he was following them. "I love you." She looked between both of her parents. They had always tried to give her everything to have the life she wanted, supported her dreams. She slipped her hand into her father's arm. "Let's go."
Together they walked out of the room and through the house, which was nearly empty since all of the guests were already outside, sitting in rows of chairs, and Urey was out there, waiting.
The music started, and the groomsmen and bride's maids exited. Raina's mother was escorted outside to the front row of seats.
Soon no one was waiting inside the house except for Rachel, her best friend from childhood whom she had asked to be her maid of honor, Rachel's four-year-old daughter Nancy, in a pale blue dress holding a basket of flower petals, and Yurian who was dressed in a light creamy-yellow suit with a light blue tie and vest that Raina suspected matched the suit she would soon see Urey wearing.
Yurian had the rings, and a huge smile on his face. "You look so pretty!"
Raina's heart melted. "Thank you, Yurian. You look very handsome."
"Thank you." He grinned, then hesitated only a moment before hugging her, though he was clearly trying to figure out how to do that without mussing her dress. When he let go, he looked up at her hopefully. "After you marry Daddy, I can call you Mommy, right?"
She resisted the urge to ruffle his hair. "Of course! I can't wait."
"Well you don't have to," her father chuckled deeply, gesturing towards the doors to the porch, where Edward Elric was standing, holding one open giving them a look that said ready when you are.
Raina smiled at her father, then looked at Urey's grandfather and nodded.
She saw him nod to the musicians, and the music shifted, changing into a light, springy air that fit the mood.
"See you on the other side," Rachel grinned at her, before escorting Nancy and Yurian outside and up the aisle.
Raina waited the planned number of measures, then heard the music shift slightly, and stepped out with her father.
The garden was everything she had hoped it would be, in a riot of flowers everywhere that she was fairly certain was not entirely natural, but it was filled with a glorious abundance of brilliant blossoms that gave off a light fragrance that almost seemed to shimmer in the air.
Raina was aware of the seats to either side, filled with people, but her attention was drawn to the front, where Urey stood, looking only a little less nervous than she felt, but smiling broader than she had ever seen, his eyes locked on her. He looked dashing in a suit that did, indeed, match Yurian's. The boy was standing there now, beside his father.
Almost in the blink of an eye, she was there, handing her flowers to Rachel, her hands taking Urey's. It was a little reassuring that his weren't any dryer than hers. He mouthed the word beautiful.
Raina blushed. Dashing she mouthed back before they turned to face the officiant. She didn't want to delay the ceremony even a moment. It made them more than a couple; it made the three of them a family.
Author's note 9/29/2016: Break out the hankies! *sniffle* Another momentarily happy ending. There will be more coming starting after November. Thank you everyone for your patience with updates these past few months. Life has been crazy, but it's sorting itself out.
