AN: I don't own FMA or any related characters - and I don't own the pink lunchbox as well. I just own the idea.

Attention! Time skip! Some ages are given in the chapter but for more information...
Riza & Serena: 32 & 31
Jade, Phil: 32
Roy, Maes, Nerissa: 33
Nick, Victoria: 13
Laila and Cai: 14
Owen: 17

mangagirl135 (chapter 146): YOU THOUGHT I WOULD ABANDON YOU? I WOULD NEVER DO SO HORRID A THING! That would be akin to blasphemy! I WILL NEVER ABANDON THIS STORY. NEVER EVER.
Ava: Aww ... thanks for this wonderful support!
Thanks for the books, Nessa! VICK! I GOT THE DESTRUCTION BOOKS!
Victoria: I am not surprised that Aunty Nessa has stuff on that kind of alchemy...
Yes Kay, I noticed his... ahem. Unwanted advances toward you. They disturbed me a little bit. CREEPER, HE IS.
Kay: I am still disturbed ... and technically, I am dead!
Ed, you want to know how I talk to Nessa? We're friends. Right Nessa? And you gave me permission to kick Ed's butt and make fun of him, right? Or maybe I'm just delusional... OH WELL!
Nerissa: Yes; that sounds like something I would do
Edward: Traitor
Rena's next for the bio? Exciting. I can't wait.
Serena: Me too
I hope you don't fall off of the face of the earth, Ava. That'd be sad. I'd have to live without the ending to this awesome story! That would be torture!
Ava: Thanks for the kind words ... and I'll try to stay alive
Oh, and I'll take you up on your character description challenge. I just have a few questions. Does it have to be a character from this story? How long does it have to be? I shall present you tomorrow with a long flowery description when tomorrow you present me with the answers to my questions and another wonderful chapter that is sure to be even better than this one. (Though that would certainly be a difficult feat - this one was wonderful.) :)
Lyra out.
Ava: Regarding your question ... it would be probably the best if you would choose a character from this story and it should fit into the review ... and I hope that like this chapter^^

Victoria was going to the hospital really early to avoid her sister's question. Laila had always been far too curious for her own good and the blonde always ignored her sister's warnings. 'Curiosity can kill you if you aren't careful enough,' she often said while she tried to remember her biological parents who had paid the price for their curiosity. It wasn't like Victoria wasn't curious as well but she had another style to get the information she wanted. While Laila spied on people and tried to avoid being caught, the younger girl read the body language like an open book.

She walked down a street and smiled softly as she welcomed the sunlight on her face. She liked the summer because everyone seemed to be friendlier and more open in summer. She still thought about it when she heard someone yelling her name behind her. And seeing that she had her hair under a cap and wore red clothes instead of purple and black, just a really close friend of her could recognise her.

"Hey, wait a second, Vicky!" the boy yelled before he grabbed her shoulder and turned her around.

"Cai," she sighed before she looked down and smiled friendly. "Good morning, Fu," she added.

"Good morning, Victoria-sama," the little boy said cheerfully. "I hope you can enjoy this … magnificent day as well as I can!"

"I hope so as well," she said before she ruffled his hair. "Say, Cai, is there a reason that you yelled my name through half Central? I am on my way to work right now and I'd like to be on time."

"I need to ask you for a favour, Vicky," the older boy said calmly. "Alright, Ling asked me to take care of Fu and Ai today but well, I have a date with Laila and so I wanted to ask you if you can take care of Fu for me. Nick keeps an eye on Ai and he suggested that I should ask you … so please…"

"Alright," she said. "But you owe me big time, Cai. This won't be done with a kilogram of lemons this time. You will have to be prepared for something really important, alright?"

"Sure thing, Vicky," Cai grinned. "Well, Fu, be a good boy for Vicky, alright? We know that you aren't as hyperactive as your sister, so don't freak out when someone isn't respectful towards Victoria."

"I will make sure that nothing happens," she said seriously before she held out her hand. "Let's go, Fu," she said softly. "We need to get going."

Cai watched for a long time how they walked down the street, hand in hand, and for a moment, he had to agree with Ling. His older brother could be really annoying but Ling had a sharp eye for the potential other people had. Cai remembered what Ling had whispered in Lan Fan's direction when the red-haired girl had come to Xing for the first time. Back then, Victoria had been a broken doll, hardly strong enough to go on with the cards fate had dealt her a long time ago. But she had surely grown and now, the xingese prince could see why Ling had seen a potential leader in the young girl. The older boy ran a hand through his thick black hair while he watched how the red and the black disappeared from his sight. 'Very well,' he thought with a faint smirk. 'At least, Fu doesn't have to worry that Xing could get in trouble with Amestris once he's emperor. It looks like he has already a good connection to a future amestrian leader as well … and brother was never wrong about who can reach the top after all.'

Max Knox had been making coffee for himself and tea for his blond patient who was still hanging around him despite being released since some weeks by now when the door to his office opened and a certain redhead entered while a little black-haired boy was walking right behind her.

"Good morning, Vicky," Serena said while she raised her gaze from the papers on her lap for a second.

"Morning, Aunt Serena," the girl replied politely before she smiled widely. "I am responsible for Fu today and I just wanted to ask if I can take him with me to the children ward…"

"I thought that Cai should keep an eye on Fu and Ai today…" Serena said with a slight frown.

"He has a date with Laila and believed that it would be better if I would keep an eye on him today."

"It's so typical for him," the blonde said with a smirk before she got up. "Well, I need to meet your little brother for the last details of scene 12 today. And, Max, I see you at lunch, alright? Dad would be really upset if no one would check on me every five hours to make sure that I am still alive."

"Of course," he said while he got up from his chair. "And yes, Vicky, you can take him with you … as long as you avoid the contagious cases. I don't want to see you as my patient again, understood?"

She nodded while she smiled brightly. "Sure thing," she said. "I know the risk after all."

Serena nodded slightly distracted while she downed her cup of bitter green tea. "I am on my way now," she said softly before she rested her hand on Max' shoulder for a second. "Phil will kill me when I'm too late again," she added with a slight smirk.

"You know that you're too fast for him," Victoria said drily. "Well, see you this evening, right?"

"Huh? What is this evening?" the blonde asked in confusion.

"Owen's official 'Welcome in the family'-party!" the redhead clapped her hands. "Phil finally got mom to sign the adoption application and now Owen really belongs to us."

"I hate to ruin your glee, Vicky, but he seemed to be a part of the crew from the first day I met him," her aunt said before she smiled and left. It was common knowledge that she hated to say goodbye.

"Well, let's go, Fu," Victoria said while she grabbed her white coat and waved at the doctor. "And thanks again for allowing me to do the internship here," she said seriously before she left.

Jade wanted to scream as she woke up and looked at her rarely used alarm clock. For the first time in twenty years, she had overslept. It was already nine o'clock and Claudio had already left for work while she was still at home instead of jogging in the park what she was supposed to do right now. She quickly got up and brushed her annoying long hair while she thought about cutting it again because it just got in her way before she surrendered and took a cold shower to wake up properly. Once she wore her sport clothes, she hurried downstairs.

"Mama!" Allen yelled as he spotted her. "Where are you going?"

She froze and turned around. "Well, I hoped that you were both still asleep so that I could go jogging now but it seems like my day really starts to be one of the days when nothing is like I expected it to be," she said calmly. "But well, since my whole plan for today is ruined now, I can enjoy the day with the two of you and we can get some ice cream after breakfast."

"Why are you so disappointed that you woke up so late?" Mia asked while she tilted her head.

"It's silly … but I like to have a certain routine in the morning," her mother replied as she sat down and smiled. "I always get up at four o'clock and I always take a cold shower before I get my clothes from my closet. It has been that way since I was thirteen and I'd like to keep it that way," she shrugged.

"Uncle Phil is so right," Allen muttered under his breath. "You are really obsessed with rules and patterns, obsessed enough to allow them to rein your life and everything about you!"

She rolled her eyes. "Please," she said. "I just happen to like clear structures in my life. I had more than enough unpleasant surprises in my life, so I like to stay on the safe side for now," she added with a slight pout. "And frankly, Phil is the one to talk. He was the one who is really obsessed!"

"Jade, there is nothing wrong with an obsession towards oranges," her brother said calmly as he stepped out of the kitchen. They shared a house because it was easier for them this way. "Claudio asked me to stay at home today while he and Bea are at work because he wanted to let you sleep properly. You always get up so early … it can't be healthy."

"Traitor," she muttered darkly before she took the glass orange juice he was handing her. "Alright, the party is today, right? That means that we need to start the decoration now … where is Owen?"

"He left earlier today and said something about buying a present for Victoria since they are together since two months by now," her brother replied. "Well, you should eat something before we hit the town and prepare the party. I already called Riza and our dear cousin-in-law is in as well."

"So, Liv will be the babysitter today, right?" the Breeze Soul Alchemist asked.

"We don't have many alternatives, considering that everyone else is busy or on dates today," Phil said before he kissed her forehead. "Oh, and Jade … please try to avoid the colour black today."

She mentioned towards her long hair. "And how exactly should I avoid black?"

"I meant that I don't want to see you in black clothes today."

Nerissa was enjoying her summer break so far. She had travelled to Ishbal for the last few days to catch up with Miles before she had gone to Resembool to check on Edward and to make sure that he wasn't freaking out that much and currently she was enjoying the sunlight while she was picking flowers with Mei and Alphonse who were both happy that they had a more experienced and especially calmer woman than Winry there. Nerissa was a fighter who worked with knives and she could catch them without even looking, so she had been spending a lot of time with protecting the habitants of the yellow house from flying wrenches. It had gotten worse – according to Edward at least – when Pinako had left for a mechanic congress in RushValley.

"Your flowers are really pretty," Mei said as she sat down next to the older woman. "They look so … real. I would like to be able to draw like that."

"I always liked to draw," Nerissa said while she added some shadows. "It helps me to concentrate."

"Can you draw people as well?" Alphonse inquired.

She nodded slowly. "Yes … but I am not so fond of this motive," she said with a hint of hesitation. "I seem to prefer the silence of the nature and people tend to move too much. They are okay for some fast sketches but I attempt to make perfect pictures. If they move too much, I fail to … capture them." She huffed in annoyance. "I really don't like to fail," she admitted.

"Did you ever really fail at something?" Alphonse asked.

"Half my life is a single failure," she said drily.

Three weeks after the decision to return, the cretan woman looked into the mirror again. Her hair had regained the former shine and the eyes didn't seem as lifeless as they used to. She carefully smoothed her white top as she exhaled. 'I am going to reclaim my place,' she thought. 'I have the life-long right to be the head of security – and no matter what, I am still the right one for that job.' She closed the golden buttons of her dark green, nearly black uniform jacket. 'I am not down yet,' she added darkly as she added the clips to hold back her unruly red hair. 'And frankly, I don't intend to go down ever again. Those twenty years, hell, it was more than enough. I was careless and ruined everything I ever worked for. The CSS … without me, this organisation was like the mafia we used to fight. But now, a new era will begin. The world may have continued to turn without me … but this country still needs me.'

She smiled at her reflection before she turned around and walked out the door with firm steps. She had been weak before, too weak to understand what she had been wasting away without a second thought but … she had caught herself before she could destroy even the last spark of hope in herself. She walked away like she had never been injured and as she turned around to look at the mansion she was leaving behind, she nodded at herself. "In a way, all the heirs of this family are birds in golden cages," she whispered. "We have everything we need, so we never feel the need to be truly free. My father never wanted me to be like a caged bird, right? He gave me the chance to make something out of me. And there I went, destroying myself … I should be ashamed … but then again, I got up, didn't I? I bet that they counted me out by now … but they are in for a huge surprise. Because one thing never changed about the members of my family … it's damned hard to kick us out of the game. As long as I am still alive, I am fighting for my honour and my dream." She smiled as she looked down at her hands which were completely covered in arrays and purple ink. "It has been a while, true, but I don't think that I could ever forget the reason why I got so far." She stepped forwards into her future. "Here I go," she announced proudly. "The diamond fist is about to strike again."

"…your children … what are they like?" Christian asked suddenly while he raised his head.

Roy shrugged before he decided to answer. "They are all … unique," he said with a hint of pride in his voice. "Even the twins are completely different from each other. Laila, the oldest, is a team player and likes to help other people. She is really kind and feels compassion for the people who suffer. Her dream is to become and ambassador and I guess that she'll leave for Xing at one point in her life. Victoria has the qualities of a leader. She can play in a team but she doesn't feel lost without it. She is stubborn – they all are – but she is very rational as well. Her dream is to improve the country and Ling believes that she could become the first female leader in amestrian history. Nick, her twin, is a sincere and serious boy. He supports his sisters wherever he can. He shares a close bond with Vicky but he doesn't forget about his other sisters. He dreams of joining the secret service and considering his intelligence, he could really be a good agent. Rachel is a little tomboy and we all love her that way. She is like Riza's cousin Kay in many ways while Helena is a lot like Lynn, another cousin of my wife."

"I am sorry," his grandfather said quietly while he stared into the distance. "I was never good with my emotions … and when Graziella died, well, it became even worse. The things is that it is hard for me to realise that yes, these children are my great-grandchildren. I hardly saw you or Jade when you were younger, remember? The only one of my grandchildren who I really know is Phil – and he's the only one who doesn't have a child of his own." The old man sighed. "The problem is … I was like a hermit after your grandmother's death. It's not an excuse for the pain I obviously caused you, merely an explication. I don't wish for our family to break apart, Roy. I just have problems to feel like I still belong to this clan. Since your father died and my annoying daughter took control, I feel like I am useless."

"Don't worry, grandfather, that's normal for the men of our family," Roy said light-heartened. "I feel really useless whenever it rains and Phil thinks that he is totally unnecessary since Jade proved more than once that she can take care of herself." He smiled slightly. "And never forget the motto of our family," he added. "'What works once, will work twice as well. And if it works again, you can start all over again. And when you can start all over again, it's just the beginning of something new.'"

"The beginning of something new, huh?" the old man asked. "That's true, I guess."

The party was a full success. Everyone was laughing and talking. Bea leaned against a pillar and smiled slightly as she watched how Jade and Phil danced wild and careless as usual. The dark-haired woman was still smiling as she crossed the room to talk a little to Owen who was watching Victoria who was laughing with Elicia and Laila about a joke Elicia had told them.

"You should join them … son," Bea said calmly as she sat down next to him. "It's your party after all."

"I needed a moment of silence to think," he replied slowly. "I was thinking what will be my next goal seeing that I already have an awesome job and a really great girlfriend, I really wonder what should be my next goal to reach. I don't like wasting time after all…"

Before Bea could reply, Riza returned from Jade's study where she had searched for a file. The blonde stopped the music before she inhaled deeply and looked at her cousin-in-law. "When exactly planned you to tell us that Edward and Winry are getting a child?" the vice-chancellor asked slowly.

Jade grabbed the file out of Riza's hand before she cursed in a way her mother would never approve of. "That sneaky bastard!" she hissed. "He didn't tell me – he just requested this leave because he knew that I would never finish all the files before my own vacation. The nerve of that … that boy!"

Completely unexpected, Serena collapsed laughing on the floor. She was nearly choking because she was laughing so hard and her doctor who was on her side once more raised an eyebrow at her while he seemed to be considering if she needed to be saved or not.

"Well, he surely has style," Izumi who had been in town stated drily. "I would have wanted him to tell me personally since I saw him just three weeks ago but to shock everyone like that…"

"I am more interested in the question who will be the godparents," Maes said with a shrug. "I'd guess that Alphonse will be one since he is Edward's closest friend … and Riza could be the one for Winry. Our two blondes are really smart after all, right?" he looked around.

"Of course," Olivier said sternly while she glared at him. "We are really, really smart. I mean: look at us and what we managed to do! Godmother Charlotte married Leroy Grumman and with her support he managed to become Fuhrer for two years, Laila snatched Cai before someone else could do it and oh well, it's not like I would understand how anyone can voluntarily marry that guy but Riza managed to get the chancellor. I'd say that we know how to choose our men."

Serena Hamilton – because even the most innocent looking girls have their dark sides

Serena Ann Hawkeye Hamilton is an autumn child for she was born in September 1892. With her height and her outer appearance, she was often mistaken for a mannequin. Her long blond hair is styled in many different ways but the most common for her is a bun. Her eyes are blue and have the same colour as her oldest sister's eyes. As head of security, Serena established the dress code 'all in black' for the Amestris Fire Lion and even on her days off, she mostly wears black. Despite of this strict dress code, her favourite colours haven't changed since her youth and are still red and gold.

Serena's fighting style is based on her extremely strong defence which is superior every other attempt on defending himself other state alchemists ever did. Her offence is far weaker and the range she covers with her water alchemy is less huge than Nerissa's but through the strong defence, Serena was able to beat Roy Mustang in a fair fight. Furthermore, she possesses knowledge about martial arts and through her high intelligence she is able to develop strategies for every kind of situation.

In her early youth, Serena was extremely shy and hardly talked with anyone unless she was driven to the end of her patience – which was easy, considering how short-tempered she always was. She is also kind-hearted and friendly in most cases but while on duty, she is extremely focused and determinate. She is also the only member of a governmental organisation who works more and longer than the minister of science. While she isn't on duty, Serena enjoys her hobbies which are music, alchemy, cooking with friends, music, training with friends, music, knitting and music. She enjoys aerugian food, especially pizza, and therefore she loves to cook with Claudio and Bea. Furthermore, she is part of the training fanclub along with Jade and Phil Mustang, her sister Nerissa, Jun Li and Lei Yao. She currently works on the music for the musical Olivier Armstrong and Phil Mustang wish for the summer festival of the government. Serena also enjoys calm and peaceful activities like knitting to relax after a hard day at work and possesses a vast knowledge of housekeeping qualities.

She has however no talent for healing alchemy which often frustrates her when her partners on a mission get hurt and she can't help them properly. Serena tends to feel responsible for every failed mission the Amestris Fire Lion has in the books because she says that as a leader, she is the one who is responsible for success and failure of the organisation. She is also often frustrated when a team doesn't work well together and nearly disbanded the Team ME (Jadelina Mustang and Edward Elric) for the constant bickering between the both accomplished agents. Serena herself is restricted in her missions for an injury which ended her reputation as the most agile and flexible state alchemist.

This injury which also led to the assumption that she was dead has been caused by a bear and left a scar on her back. She also wears a tattoo on her back – consisting of the alchemistic symbols for the four elements as well as of the signs for hope, love and forgiveness. Serena has another tattoo around her wrist with the names of her closest friends and the word patience in red and black.

She lacks patience when a mission isn't going like it is supposed to go (see: the Tent Incident in the Outtakes) and demands more from herself than she demands from other people because her motto is: 'If I fall, I get up again … because a winner gets up where a loser continues to lay in the dirt. Never count me out of the game when I am still alive. I came too wide to give up easily. And I will never ever disappoint those who truly believe in me. So … I am not down yet.'

And here goes a little competition. The idea came this afternoon when I joked around with my sister. Whoever can write the cheesiest description of the outer appearance of a character wins. Don't be afraid of using adjectives which scream out 'Mary Sue!' … and passages like this are perfectly okay:

Even though the wrinkles around her eyes and her mouth betrayed her age, he adored her beauty as he looked down at her. She had grown old on his side, true, but he still loved her more than the world. Her emerald green eyes with the perfect onyx circle in the middle still held a youthful glint and whenever she laughed and her golden voice formed pearly giggles, her eyes would be brighter than the sun above them. She had always been his flower and … she had never lost her beauty. She was a strong woman and her formidable success had made her immortal – just what she deserved to be. She was too wonderful to vanish. He couldn't take the idea that she could leave him…

Oh, once we reach 700 reviews, there will be another special chapter aka: a double upload... ########################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################################

AN: Starting today, everyone can ask questions about the characters' background and other things if he/she wants to.
I have a lot of background prepared and I will probably never get to fit it into the story somehow.