Well. We did it. Nearly two years together and Maes and I decided to get a house. I say get a house. In reality, we ended up building one just down the road from Mom and Dad. A lot can happen in a year. We moved to Resembool. We told our parents about us. We accepted our positions in the reserves. Everything was coming up us.

Maes and I even took jobs at the shop. And with our combined grant money, we did some renovations while Mom spent a weekend with Garfiel in Rush Valley. We called it her birthday present. Now, the building was bigger. Our patient care was much better. We almost got her a new welder, too. But the shop would be too quiet without Mom screaming obscenities at the old one. Not to mention, Maes would be out of a job.

All in all, everything was great. I loved our little house. I didn't have reoccurring thoughts about killing Maes in his sleep. Sure, he was still a complete bonehead. That wasn't going to change. And I still had to babysit him despite the fact that he's two years older than me. But at the end of the day? I still loved him. I needed him. He needed me. That's always been the way we work.

But today wasn't a day for Maes and me. It was for the wobbly little girl that took our family by storm and her first birthday. I had the honor and the pleasure of getting Miri out of her bassinet after her morning nap. For the sake of traveling, Aunt Mei and Uncle Alphonse came back to Resembool instead of all of us going to Xing. But all of the family from Xing came along with them. Along with Ling and Lan Fan's own bundle of joy. The new prince of Xing had been born a couple months after Aunt Mei had Miri.

I pulled the little sweetheart out of her bassinet and held her against my chest, "Wake up, Miri. You have everybody waiting. Mommy wants to feed you real food before you tear your cake apart."

Mirielle let out a sweet, tiny yawn and flopped over in my arms. I couldn't be mad at her. She was too damn cute. More and more, Miri started to look like her daddy. According to my own, her daddy looked like his mommy. So, I guess Grandma Tricia wasn't completely lost. I wish I would've gotten some of those genetics, but I ended up looking like my father who looked more like Grandpa Hohenheim according to Mom.

"Tricia?" Maes stuck his head in the guest room, "Oh, hello..."

"Hi," I smiled, "Did you need something?"

"Just looking for you," he kissed my cheek and took the little hand off my arm, "Someone doesn't want to wake up, huh?"

"No," I bounced her a little, "She's still out cold. She sleeps like her uncle."

"Ed's a heavy sleeper?" Maes figured.

"Big time," I nodded, "Come on, Mirielle. I will pay you money to wake up, kid."

Sure enough, nothing was waking this little girl. A train could be coming through the house hauling freight while the apocalypse raged on during a tornado and she would still be sound asleep. Maes took her from me, "Let me try."

"No way," I squeaked, "I know how your dad wakes you up. You are not waking her up like that."

"I wouldn't dare burn her up," he cradled her against his chest, making mine swell to the size of a house, "No, I wouldn't. Not you, princess. Tricia, maybe, but not you."

"What the hell, Maes?" I chuckled, "Sleep with one eye open, Phoenix. I just may return the favor."

"I love you," he put Miri on the bed and unsnapped the bottom of her onesie.

"I love you, too," I gave him a look, "What are you doing...?"

"You'll see," Maes blew on the baby's belly, making her giggle up a storm, "She's up now. Good morning, Miss Mirielle."

Of course, Miri had the same reaction I did when I saw Maes in the morning; a big smile on her face and glitter pouring out of her eyes. For whatever reason, Mirielle seemed to absolutely, without a doubt adore Maes. I couldn't blame her, but it was completely unwavering. No matter what he did. She shared the same unconditional love for him that I did.

Maes carried Mirielle down the stairs and brought her outside. Now, the festivities could begin. Everyone was already here. Dad and Uncle Roy were in the midst of an argument while Mom and Aunt Riza stood by, shaking their heads at their husbands' combined stupidity. Aunt Mei played with Ling and Lan Fan's son, teasing Uncle Alphonse that she held Miri's future husband in her arms. Sig and Armstrong had their usual arm wrestling match. Everything was right where it should be and the party appeared to be in full swing.

"Hey, Halfmetal," Maes whispered to me, "Come here."

"Sure," I obliged, "What is it?"

"You up for taking a little walk?" he suggeseted.

"Yeah," I nodded, "Why not? We should probably tell someone we're leaving."

"Don't worry about it," Maes took my hand, "We're fine. Let's go."

Without another word between us, Maes took me away from everything and everyone. I loved going on long walks with Maes through Resembool. Sure, the village itself wasn't very much and occasionally, I did get kind of homesick for the fast paced life in Central, but I really liked the quiet. And to have all of this with Maes? Nothing could beat it.

Although, when we stopped in front of the train station, he had me thoroughly confused, "Maes, what the hell are we doing here? We're not supposed to leave for Rush Valley until tomorrow. You know how Paninya gets when we show up early."

"I know," he stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I figured this would do."

"What do you mean?" I gave him a look, "Do for what?"

"Tricia," Maes took my hands, "I love you."

"I love you, too," I squeezed a little tighter, easing his shakes, "What was that all about?"

His hands entangled themselves in my hair as Maes kissed me deeply, gazing right into my very soul, "Tricia Elric, will you marry me?"

That took me by surprise a bit. Maes hadn't proposed to me in so long. I thought he had given up on it altogether, "Is this another random proposal?"

"No."

"Alright," I nodded, "What makes this one different from the others?"

"How about," Maes dug around in his pocket and pulled out a small box, "the fact that I actually have a ring this time?"

"Oh my God..." my heart stopped, "You're serious..."

"Of course I am," he promised, "I do kind of like you, Halfmetal. Why else would I have stuck with you for so long? Why else would I be the one taking care of you as much as what I can? Why else would I have asked you in the first place? Even the first time when we were on the island?"

Automatically, I started blushing. Maes' first proposal caught me off guard, much like this one. The second one made me want to punch him. The third one made me want to wrap my hands around his throat. And he hadn't asked me since. I guess he wanted to make this one special, "You know..."

"What?"

A little smile crept across my face, "I think I was promised a parade..."

"Well..." Maes took my ring out of the box. Silver, by the looks of it. With a brilliant blue stone in the middle, "How about a grand gesture instead? Your ring is a mixture of the same metal used in the State Alchemist pocket watches, so it amplifies your alchemy, and the first piece of automail we ever made together."

"You managed to get a piece of automail past my mother?" I gasped, "You must love me. She would've torn your arm off for that."

"Good thing I know an excellent engineer," he kissed my forehead, "I wasn't done yet."

"Please," I apologized, "Go on."

"That stone in the middle?" Maes continued, "Does it look familiar?"

"Should it?" I studied it closely.

"It's the one from your necklace you wore the night of the induction ball…"

"Our first date," I remembered. A simple necklace I transmuted from a couple pebbles outside the inn in Central and a handful of paper clips from the desk. An easy transmutation.

"So," Maes held me close, "Is this a grand enough gesture? And in front of the Resembool train station? Come on, Tricia. I put a lot of thought into this."

"The same as Mom and Dad," I beamed. He did put a lot of thought into this.

"And…" Maes threw a few compound tablets in the air, snapping his fingers. A bright display of blues and golds scattered against the quickly darkening sky, "I brought fireworks, too…"

"Maes…"

"Yeah, Tricia…"

All I could do is shake my head, "You're an idiot."

"I know," he pulled me down to the ground and into his lap, "So, I'm going to take that as a no?"

"You're an idiot," I reiterated, kissing his cheek, "But you're my idiot…"

"So…" Maes' face lit up almost exactly like those fireworks, "Is that a yes…?"

"Yes, dumbass!" I giggled, "Of course I will!"

"You will?" I could see his life flash before his eyes in the reflection, "Seriously? After asking you all those other times, this is the one you're saying yes to?"

"Don't make me regret it," I rolled my eyes.

"Yay!" Maes squeezed me tight, "Oh, Tricia. You just made me so happy."

"I thought it would," I cuddled into him, "You're my best friend in the entire world, Maes. You've been my subordinate since our certification. We were practically married from the get-go. It's always been you and me."

"So," he cradled me, "Should we go back and make the announcement?"

"No," I sighed out, "Not quite yet. Let's just enjoy the moment. Can we do that?"

"It'd be my pleasure…"

After all the hell that Maes and I have been through together. Whether it be the months of training it took for us to find each other or being kidnapped by Ishvalan human traffickers. Whether it be our first trip to the island or dealing with telling Izumi and Sig about us. Whether it be pulling his splinters while we built the house or taking care of his accidental welding burns. We deserved our moment. We had each other. And that wasn't going to come apart for anything.

A/N: And there we have it. The real ending, ending for this. I liked the epilogue. Other than the Ishval arc, this may have been my favorite part. I can't really think of much to say here that I didn't already say in last week's chapter. You know there's going to be a sequel…You know I'm co-writing it with someone…If someone wants to be a buddy and a pal, a gentleman and a scholar, if you will, and drop this to Funimation to talk about a spin-off, that'd be cool. Um…Aside from all that, I really want to hug and high five everyone that's gotten this story to where it is now. I mean, from the time I'm posting this final chapter (yes, this is the last one. I promise. I don't want this baby to go to bed yet, but alas. It's bedtime.), it has almost ten thousand views on it, so that's a thing. A very wonderful thing! But before I begin to ramble, I'm going to end it here. I'll see you in the sequel, guys. xx