Well. It's been literal years, but I'm back! I was formally Silverleaf2157, but now I'm under Simple Silver Lining. This story will also be cross posted on AO3, if anyone prefers reading there, under the same author name! And for those who are here from Beyond Fullmetal, Saki-chan is here too, helping with editing and ideas!

Here we go~ Enjoy the ride!

Ed sighed, scooting back his chair and stretching with a groan. He looked down at the large stack of paperwork he had completed, and couldn't help but understand why Mustang had always pushed off his work all those years ago.

Luckily, he was able to say that he was done for the day, and could leave.

"Heading out, sir?" Sheska asked, as he stood and walked across the room towards the coat rack towards where his uniform jacket hung, which he had pulled off hours ago.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to leave, before Mustang finds anymore paperwork for me," Ed grinned at her, as he pulled on his uniform. Once it was in place, he grabbed the dark trench coat the man had gifted him when he had been promoted and draped it over his arm. The chill in the morning had been chased away into a warm afternoon and evening.

"Well, tell Winry that I said hi, and that I am planning on meeting her for lunch on Saturday," Ed nodded and waved a lazy salute at her call of, "Good night Sir!"

Ed yawned again, making his way out of Eastern command, nodding to various soldiers who greeted him. As he made his way out into the streets, he pulled out his silver pocket watch, 'Just in time for dinner.'

"Hey, Ed!" He turned, pushing back irritation at being delayed from his meal once again, only to smile in joy.

"Garcia! Elicia!" Ed smiled and faced the pair. They were clad in light, summer clothing. "How are you?"

"We just finished at the park!" Elicia exclaimed, as she jumped forward to tackle him in a hug. Ed laughed as he used the momentum to swing her in a circle. Pulling back, he grinned down at the bright-eyed girl, who had her hair pulled into pig tails and wore a pink skirt and white leggings.

"I don't know where she gets all of her energy," Gracia shook her head with a fond smile. She was holding a basket with the corner of a blanket poking out of the corner. "Are you on the way home?"

Ed nodded, smiling bright, "Winry should have dinner done soon."

"Well, we won't be keeping you any longer then!"

"Bye, Bye Uncle Ed!" Elicia hugged him one more time, falling into her habit of calling him 'Uncle'. Gracia had moved the two of them out to East City a few years back, not long after Mustang had been transferred back to their old headquarters. Naturally he dragged his team back with him when he had come back.

With a final wave, Ed quickened his pace and was able to get to the apartment without any other interruptions. As he climbed the stairs leading up to the apartment, Ed found himself smiling as he pulled out his keys.

Quickly unlocking the door, Ed opened it and stepped inside, "I'm home!"

"Papa! Papa!"

Ed barely had the chance to close the door before he turned to catch the golden blur streaking toward him. "Yuri!" Ed laughed, lifting the small four-year-old into the air, causing him to squeal in laughter. "How's my little man?"

"Momma's makin' stew!" The little boy smiled happily, his large golden eyes sparkling. Yuri's small face split into a large smile, looking so much like he did when he was young.

"Alright!" Ed hugged his boy close for a moment, before setting him down and hanging his outer coat.

"Welcome home!" Ed glanced up to see Winry shuffling around the corner.

Ed quickly removed and hung his uniform coat and slipped out of his boots, before leaning to give Winry a quick kiss over Yuri's head. "How was your day?"

"Good, Al stopped by for tea and to play with Yuri for a bit, before he left for Central," Winry smiled as said boy tugged at his fathers' hand.

"Uncle gaved me another fan!" Ed dodged Yuri's excited gestures as he stooped down to scoop his son onto his hip. "From Xing!"

"That's awesome!" Ed congratulated him with a bounce. "How many fans do you have now?"

"Nine!" Yuri's smile was huge, as he held up the correct number of fingers.

"So many!" Ed tossed Yuri slightly in the air, before catching and setting him down on his feet. "Alright, little man, we're gonna have dinner soon, so go wash up, alright?"

"Okay, Papa!" Yuri squealed, before running down the hall to the bathroom.

"It's always nice, when Al stops by," Winry grinned warily, as Ed pulled her to him for another kiss. "I finally have time to sit and rest my feet a bit. I don't know how he gets that much energy."

Ed smiled and gently placed a hand on her swollen stomach, "If you really need a break you could always drop by Garcia or Rebecca's."

"Oh, I know," Winry laughed slightly as she put her hand over Ed's. "I just don't want to bother them too much. He can be such a handful sometimes. And I need to keep an eye on the shop."

Ed rolled his eyes, as the two of them moved into the small kitchen, "They both adore him, and you know it. And I know for a fact that we agreed that you'll be officially taking a step back from the shop now."

"Oh, I know, but I can't help myself!" Winry defended, as she finished stirring the pot of stew and moved to cut up some bread. "I trust Penne, but I can't help but worry."

Ed smiled fondly, as he went to set the table, "Always worrying."

"It's my life," Winry smiled softly, as she glanced over at the picture of her, Ed, Al and Granny Pinako. It had been taken not long after the brothers had made it home after the Promised day.

"She would have been so proud," Ed wrapped her arms around Winry, kissing her lightly on the cheek. Winry let out a soft sniffle before leaning into him and let out a content hum. Ed continued to place gentle kisses on her lips and down to her neck, causing her to giggle softly.

"Ewwww!" the sudden squeal from Yuri broke the tender moment between the two 24-year olds. They both laughed, as Ed turned to attack the boy with tickles, causing him to squeal loudly in laughter.

"You want me to do WHAT?" Ed yelled, crashing through the large doors leading to Lieutenant General Roy Mustang's office and throwing a thick file on the man's desk.

Mustang, who had been working on paperwork, merely cocked an eyebrow at the fuming man, "Colonel Elric."

"Don't you 'Colonel Elric' me, sir!" Ed snarled. "You know damn well what I'm talking about! You Bastard!"

"Do I?" Mustang passively watched Ed furiously pace in front of his desk, his mismatched eyes giving away some of the mirth he had at seeing the younger man clearly fuming.

"Nine months! You want me to go to a foreign country for nine months? And TEACH?" Ed stopped and faced the older man with a glare. For a split second he felt something twist in his stomach at the sight of the General's blind eye.

After Marcoh had healed Havoc's spine, the doctor realized the stone had been greatly diminished. He had feared that it wouldn't be enough to fully repair Mustang's eyes. After talking it through Roy agreed to have the doctor first heal the delicate parts that had been damage in his hands, which couldn't be fixed fully even with plans for multiple surgeries first. Then he was to focus on one eye entirely, then the other.

That plan had be for the best because when they followed through with the surgery, the stone only lasted through repairing Roy's right eye. After the fact Marcoh had told them that with the extent that the Truth had taken, Roy would have been left still mostly blind if they had tried to fix both eyes at the same time. After a few weeks of recovery and months of rehabilitation and training for his hands and learning to compensate for only having one working eye, Mustang was at a new 100% and fully capable.

Even after these years the blank gray gaze coming from Mustang's left eye sent a stark reminder of the struggles they had faced during the Promised Day.

"Yes, Fullmetal, I need you to go out to Scotland to teach Alchemy for nine months," Mustang glared at the young Colonel, pulling him out of his thoughts. "Although it's primarily for a bodyguard mission."

"Why me! Is that really necessary!?" Ed exclaimed, throwing out an arm. "Couldn't you send some other major, someone without a family? Or someone who actually teaches! You know that teaching is Al's thing!"

"The employer specifically asked for a State Alchemist, and Fuhrur Grumman and I only trust, and can spare you, to go out there. And I've seen your lectures at the academy," Mustang sighed, running a scarred hand over his face, and pinching at the space between his eyes. "You can speak English well enough right?" Ed let out a frustrated grunt, that Mustang took as a yes, "and you remember Wizards, yes?"

"Of course," Ed growled. Wizards were few and far between, but he had come across one or two of them during his time traveling. That, and he and Al had taken a few months to track down and study with one after a tip from Mustang himself.

"So, you know that if someone can perform one, they can perform the other, given the right aid," Mustang reached into his desk, and pulled out a sleek wooden box. "Magic with the assistance of a wand, and alchemy with the assistance of a transmutation circle."

"Yeah. I know," Ed stepped forward curiously as Mustang opened the sleek box and pulled out a handsome yew wood wand. "Yew? How…appropriate."

"Yes," Mustang twirled the want between his fingers, letting loose a shower of blue sparks. He then flicked it with a muttered 'repario' to fix the dent in the office doors, "I assume you have a wand?"

Ed nodded, he had one made during the time he and Al had spent studying magic, "I rarely use it though."

Mustang nodded, replacing his wand into the case, "Hardly surprising. But what I'm sure you don't know, is that outside of Amestris, magic is much more common, despite being hidden."

"Hidden?" Ed cocked his head to the side, interest peaking.

"Yes, these wizards have decided to keep their existence from the mundane, which they call 'muggles'." Mustang shook his head, both at the concept and term. "And while wizards are much more common…alchemists, on the other hand, proper Alchemists are pretty much nonexistent. As you've most likely already read in the reports, there is a mass murderer on the loose, and the Headmaster of one of the major school there has requested aid. Specifically, in the form of a state alchemist posing as a professor."

Mustang handed Ed a newer article he had gotten earlier that day and allowed him a few minutes to skim over it. Their supposedly inescapable prison had one of the top prisoner's escape.

Ironic.

"Roy," Ed spoke in a suddenly quiet voice after a moment, causing said man to blink in surprise. "Winry's almost five months. And what about Yuri? I have a family."

"I'm fully aware, Ed," Mustang's eyes softened. "I have already warned the Headmaster and we have set up a way for you to get home quickly when the baby does come. You will be allowed to spend three weeks at home, if the circumstances allow. And you will be allowed to keep letter correspondence with your family via Valkyrie." Mustang gestured to the red-shouldered hawk perched over by the window, his personal messenger bird.

"It's just… Scotland is so far away," Ed's eyes dropped, tracing his military issued boots.

"I understand, Ed, I really do," Mustang waited until Ed looked up to meet his eye before continuing. "And I will make sure that Winry and Yuri are safe and taken care of." Another long silence rang through the air, as the two alchemists stared at each other, unspoken promises passing between the two.

Breaking eye contact, Ed huffed out a sigh, "Fine…"

"Thank you, Ed."

Ed sighed again, before moving to attention and saluting, "General Mustang."

Mustang nodded and straightened his posture, "I expect you here next week at 0-800 for debrief and consultation with the client. You leave in two weeks."

Ed relaxed at his dismissal and turned to leave, pausing momentarily to look back at the dark-haired man, "Winry is expecting you and Riza to be in for dinner on Sunday. Garcia's been complaining that she hasn't been able to see you in so long."

"Wouldn't miss it," Roy smiled, his face softening as Ed nodded again and shut the door to the office.

The 35-year-old man had definitely gotten openly closer to Ed in the past few years, succumbing to the fatherly protectiveness that he had felt for the brothers from the beginning. He had tried his best to keep the brothers at an arm's length, choosing instead to keep up the cocky mask he had for the rest of the world. Despite his efforts he had known he had taken on a fatherly position for the boys that only solidified during their collective time spent in the hospital after the Promised Day.

He had a feeling that both brothers had become more aware of the feeling after he had killed Lust in the Third Laboratory, judging by Ed's violent worry he had shown when bursting into Mustang's hospital room. During the few weeks following the Promised day that Roy had spent fully blind, Ed had visited him and Riza multiple times, choosing to spend time with them while Al was undergoing the multitude of tests and start of his treatments.

Now, years after the promised day, Roy couldn't have been happier with his relationship with the boys.

"G'night, Papa."

"Good night, Yuri," Ed gently closed the door to Yuri's room, the little boy finally starting to fall asleep, trying hard to push away the gnawing guilt he was feeling. He had yet to tell Yuri about his upcoming deployment but knew that his boy would not be happy in the slightest.

Quietly, Ed padded down the hall to his and Winry's room, stopping momentarily to flick off the hall light and grab the small plate of peanut butter pickles Winry had requested.

"Here you go, darling," Ed kissed his wife's forehead as he handed her the plate.

"Thanks," Winry smiled and picked up the strange treat, letting out a blissful sigh as Ed settled at her feet for a welcomed massage. The two lapsed into a comfortable silence as Ed worked his way from Winry's feet to her calves and legs.

"How am I going to tell him?" Ed sighed, breaking the silence and moving to cuddle his wife to his chest. He was meeting with the client the next morning, and was leaving next week.

"We knew it'd happen eventually," Winry leaned up to kiss Ed's chin. She had taken Ed's deployment orders much better than he had, having already accepted the fact that he was still military. She had been disappointed at first when he decided against submitting his discharge paperwork, but knew that even the time spent at home with Al during their rehabilitation had driven Ed up the wall.

"I know…just not this soon," Ed nuzzled down into her hair, breathing in the faint sent of oil and apples, a scent uniquely Winry. "It's such a distinct time in his life…he's going to be growing so fast. I don't want to leave and have him grow up without a father."

"Ed, you're not leaving him forever," Winry knew that it was one of Ed's greatest fears, to leave his children alone like Hohenheim did. "And you sure as hell won't be cutting off from him completely."

"That is true," Ed hummed. "Maybe we can invest and get a messenger owl. There are a few breeds that are well built for long distance flights. And Roy offered to let us use Valkyrie. She's used to going long distance."

"Exactly, and I know that Roy already has a plan for when this one decides to join us," Winry rubbed their linked hands over her steadily growing belly. "And you'll hopefully have a couple weeks home after. And we both know that Roy told you about that."

Ed heaved a sigh, still not happy, "I guess that's true."

"And, I already talked with Alphonse, and he's agreed to stay in East City and in the area after he gets home, just so he can be there if we need him to," Winry grinned, before letting out a massive yawn. "I'm also sure that you already have plans to see just how much additional research you can fit into this trip."

Ed smiled, stood and walked to the closet to pull open the small safe they kept hidden from their son, inside was his issued hand gun, personal research journals and a smooth wooden box. "Of course, while it wasn't a priority at the time, but magic is a fascinating topic. I can use this as an opportunity to test some theories."

Inside the wooden box was lined with a soft velvet that nestled around the dark wooden wand. With a dragon heart-string core the ebony wand was almost pitch black, until closer inspection that there was fine striping swirling through the shaft.

With a swish and a thought Ed conjured a small bouquet of flowers that he presented to Winry who giggled and held them close. Summoning a vase, he settled them on the bedside table, before tucking away the wand and locking the safe. With that done he made his way back over to the bed, turning off the light on the way.

Settling into the bed Ed pulled Winry close.

"Am I a bad father, a bad husband, for leaving you guys for so long?" Ed wondered out loud again, the guilt digging at his chest. "I know it's not the same as him but it's still…"

Hohenheim was the whole reason that Ed still had his alchemy, while still able to get Alphonse's body back. The man had entered the gate in a fury after realizing that Ed was planning to sacrifice his gate, where the three of them had argued in front a bemused Truth.

Eventually Hohenheim had convinced the brothers that while yes, they were using a philosopher's stone, he explained it was a sacrifice that he was making for them as a father. At first, they still refused to use the stone making him explain that he had gotten to know the names and souls that inhabited him.

With the promise that the souls had consented to being sacrificed and released from the confines of the stone, Ed and AL allowed Hohenheim to give up his stone to the Truth. Afterwards Ed and Al were released from the gate with Al's body, Ed's arm, and gate still intact, Hohenheim's body rapidly flaking away.

"Oh Ed," Winry sighed, nuzzling into his chest and arm kissing at the thick scarring that marred his shoulder. "You're part of the military, that's a fact of life. We will be fine; he will be fine. You have been nothing short of an amazing father to Yuri, and an amazing husband."

"I just don't want to end up with only a father's sacrifice as his only positive memory of me," Ed groaned, thinking of his own father's last moments.

"Yuri will remember a father that will tuck him into bed with a kiss every night, and spend the time to call and tell him good night if he can't make it home. He'll remember the father who listened to his stories no matter how many times he's told them. He'll remember the father that stayed up for three days straight when he was sick," Winry answered, drawing Ed out of his reminiscing. "and I'm willing to bet he'll be keeping every single one of the letters you'll send us while you're away."

Ed sighed and nodded, letting Winry's words sooth his anxiety, remembering the promise that he had made when Winry had told him she was pregnant with their son. No matter what life threw at him he would be there for his children, no matter what.

There we go! I hope you all enjoyed! We already have the next couple chapters prewritten, so hopefully we will be having a fairly regular update schedule!

Let us know what you think! Thank you for reading!

~Silver 3