Chapter one

Ed lay in bed, Winry lying on his chest, softly twirling his fringe with her fingers. She used to do that when she couldn't sleep. Apparently she found it soothing or something. Ed didn't really mind and just lay there, holding his left arm around her, letting it rest on the back of her silk nightie.

"You know, Ed, we've been married for six years, yet I still don't see how your hair is softer than mine."

"It's to make me more attractive to you," Ed joked. "Simple biology: females want a man they like, you like soft hair, AKA: you like me."

"That's probably the most unscientific answer you have ever given me," Winry laughed. "It's a nice change."

Well, the alternative is to go into detail about it probably being a genetic thing passed down from the Xerxsian bloodline of my father, dear.

"But at least the last part is true, though. You like my hair and you like me."

"Ed, I like your hair and I love you, get your facts right," she said as sternly as she could while still smiling.

Ed just kissed the top of her head. "And I love you too."

They in amiable silence for a few minutes until Ed voiced the thing that was keeping him awake. "Are you sure that it's all right that me and Dexter go with Dad tomorrow? It's not gonna be too much for you with April all on your own?"

"Edward, we've discussed this already. Your father promised Dexter that you three would go camping as soon as he was old enough. You've both worked your butts off to get some days off right now and you don't know when it will fit for both of you next time. Besides, Dexter is over the moon about this. And you know that I can take care of April on my own."

"I'm just afraid that something will happen to you two while we're away."

Winry shifted her hand so that it rested on his cheek instead. "We'll be fine, Ed. Besides, Riza's staying with us for security, remember?" Winry always called her by her first name ever since she met her in Resembool thirteen years ago. After they moved to Central, the two women had become rather good friends actually, and so Hawkeye decided that she'd help Winry out now that she didn't have to make sure that Dad did his paperwork for a whole week.

"Yeah, I remember," Ed said with a sigh. "I'm still gonna worry about you two, though."

Winry sat up slightly and gave him a kiss before propping herself up on her right elbow while gently stroking his cheek with her left thumb. "I know you will, just as you know that I'll worry about you three. So just have fun and before you know it, you'll be back here with boring old me." She smirked playfully at him at that last comment.

Ed knew what she was after and turned around, leaning over her, grinning. "You're not old and you're never boring. Not unless you're talking about automail at least."

"Hey, watch it, Elric!" she laughed.

Ed bent down and kissed her. "Oh, come on, you know you love me," he teased.

"And you know you love me too, so how about you give me a proper goodbye that's going to last for a week?" she teased back.

Ed bent down for another kiss just as a cry broke the silence. He paused and sighed slightly where he stood on all fours in only his boxers. "I'll get it." And so he jumped out of their bed and went out into the hallway, his left leg clanking slightly as he moved towards the bedroom. He went inside to find Dexter crying where he sat in his bed. April was thankfully still sleeping, she really slept like a rock at night, regardless of her surroundings. Dad could probably decide to blow away the wall with his flame alchemy and she'd sleep just as soundly as ever. Ed went over to Dexter and picked him up, holding him to his chest while stroking his back. "Hey, Dexter, what's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

"Dinosaur," was all he said. Ed knew immediately what it was about, though. It was really just stupid, starting last week with a surprise visit by Colonel Armstrong. He'd been working a case in a town famous for its fossils. He had ended up buying Dexter a book on dinosaurs while getting a pink plush Diplodocus for April. Dexter had started looking through the book when Armstrong was gone and before Ed knew it, he was crying loudly, a large picture of a T-rex on the page in front of him.

Thankfully it was only T-rexes that caused that reaction, because April absolutely loved her Diplodocus and had named him Lou.

"T'was gonna eat me!" Dexter cried.

And so Ed spent the next half hour calming Dexter down until he was back to sleeping calmly in his bed. Ed pulled the covers over him and kissed his forehead softly before checking on April too. She was holding Lou in a stranglehold, the half-a-metre long plush dinosaur pressed against her like her life depended on it.

Ed smiled at his daughter and bent down, stroking her curls out of her face before gently placing a kiss on her cheek. He tucked her in a bit more before he exited the room and went back to Winry, kind of hoping that she wasn't asleep, purely for selfish reasons.

It turned out she wasn't.

Ed closed the door behind him with a little grin. "How about we finish what we started?"

Roy knocked on the door three times and was met by Winry opening the door, wearing a light pink dressing gown and fluffy white slippers. She was just finishing up stifling a yawn and looked at him sleepily. Then her eyes widened as she took him in. "Oh, shit. EDWARD!"

"He forgot the time, didn't he?" Roy said with a sigh.

"It was a long night." She didn't seem to have the regret of lost sleep so Roy had a faint idea about just what had taken up their time. He settled on nodding understandingly. "I'll go get him for you," Winry said as they didn't hear any sign of him waking up. Ed had an amazing ability to be a heavy sleeper and not realise that he was.

"Please, let me. I guess you have more than enough with getting the kids started."

She sighed gratefully. "Thank you, Roy."

And so Roy followed her upstairs and he headed for the main bedroom, finding Ed lying face down in the tangled up sheets, only wearing his boxers.

And he was snoring loudly.

Roy sighed as he went over and just picked Edward up. The boy may be a grown man, but right now he just curled up in Roy's arms and grunted contentedly like he was three. Roy couldn't stop himself from smiling, even if he was heavy and his automail leg didn't help in that aspect. He was planning on carrying him into the bathroom and see just what happened if Roy placed a wet washcloth on his face. Then Roy heard a few shuffling sounds from the neighbouring room and soon met Dexter standing in the doorway, grinning.

"Grampsa!" he exclaimed and ran forwards and hugged Roy's right leg. Roy still found it pretty adorable how Dexter hadn't managed to decide between calling him "Gramps" or "Grampa", so he had made up his own version that made Roy feel very special indeed.

"Hello, Dexter!" Roy said, smiling broadly. "What do you say we wake Daddy up together?"

"Yes!"

And so Roy gently placed Ed on the floor instead where he grunted at the lack of warmth. Dexter immediately crawled on top of Ed's chest where he sat down, waiting for further orders.

"Okay, Dexter, what I'd like you to do is to tickle Daddy's sides."

Roy knew how cruel he was being to Ed, but it was his own fault for not waking up when he should, and today of all days as well. Besides, Roy still hadn't got back at Ed for the morning after the stag party. Ed had been the only one not to drink and so Ed had got himself and Roy back to Roy's house at two in the morning. Roy, on the other hand, had probably drunk enough for the both of them and practically passed out when Ed finally got him into bed and tucked him in. When Roy refused to wake up the next day, Ed had figured that tickling him awake was sufficient punishment for having a hangover on his wedding day. Of course, in retrospect, Roy was thoroughly embarrassed about it all and thought that Ed had every right to do what he did. Roy had just been so damn happy about his boy getting married and Havoc and Breda didn't help much. Alphonse wasn't even allowed to join because he was a minor at the time, but they had had cake and fun in the afternoon together before heading off to a bar.

So now it was Ed's turn to learn what happened when you overslept on an important day.

Dexter was grinning with a glint in his eye similar to that of his father's when he beat up bad guys in his teenage years. Now too, for that part. But Dexter also had the childish giggle of a kid having fun and Roy couldn't help but smile happily at the scene in front of him as Dexter began tickling Ed's stomach, making him snort before breaking out in hysterical giggles.

"Morning, Daddy!" Dexter laughed, hugging his father tightly.

Ed looked confused and slightly scared, yet he instinctively hugged his son back as he took in his surroundings. "Dexter? Why am I on the floor?" Then his eyes fell on Roy and his confusion tripled. "Dad?"

"Good morning, Ed. You forgot to set the alarm."

Then his eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, shit! Sorry!" He looked about him, Dexter still happily hugging his neck, and realised that he was basically trapped.

"Hey, Dexter, why don't we go help Mommy find some breakfast while Daddy takes a shower?" Roy suggested.

"Yay!" And so Dexter sat up on Ed's chest and lifted his arms in the air so that Roy could lift him up. Roy was a bit thankful that Dexter was in his "sweet and lovable" phase of age three instead of the "wreck everything that doesn't go my way" phase of five months ago. He was of course still stubborn, but he adored his family at least, and he was mostly just interested in figuring out just how the world works.

And so Roy carried the boy downstairs where Winry was busy feeding April with a spoon. April looked up at Roy as he came into the kitchen and threw her hands in the air. "Gramsa!"

"So I guess you got him to wake up then?" Winry asked with a smile as Roy shifted Dexter over on one arm and came over to ruffle April's hair.

"Yes. He's taking a shower now."

April held up her Diplodocus and looked at him sternly. "Lou, too!"

And so Roy did his best to ruffle the plush dinosaur's head without making it look like he was breaking its long neck. Once April was happy, she looked back at her mother and opened her mouth to receive another spoonful of porridge.

"I'm sorry we forgot the time, Roy, I know you wanted to get going before eight," Winry said as Roy retrieved breakfast ingredients from the fridge with his one free arm.

At that, Dexter began chanting happily. "We're gonna ca-amp! We're gonna ca-amp!"

"Yes we are!" Roy said back to him, making the child giggle happily.

Yes, Roy was going to enjoy this week.