February 1925

Ben just turned 6

Lucy 3

Winry came out of the bathroom early one morning. It had been cold out and she got back into the warmth of her and her husband's bed. She put her arms around her husband and buried her face in the back of his shoulder. She started sniffling and tears started trickling down her cheeks. Edward woke up a little when his wife got back in bed but was now on alert. He turned towards her.

"Winry, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

Winry sniffled and slowly spoke "I started my period."

Edward sighed and put his hand on the back of his wife's head as she cried.

Edward and Winry hadn't left Xing with the souvenir that they had wanted. In fact, they had been actively trying to get pregnant for 6 months but had been unsuccessful. In the beginning, they were excited and when Winry's period began, they just shrugged their shoulders and waited for the next round. But now Winry would get upset when she saw the telltale sign that she wasn't pregnant.

"Ed, what if something's wrong with me?"

Edward raised one eyebrow. "Are you kidding me? We've got two kids already. I think that's proof that nothing's wrong. Just don't worry about it. It'll happen when it happens."

Winry didn't seem satisfied by his answer. She pulled away from him and laid on her back. She crossed her arms and huffed. "Then why hasn't it happened? It was so easy with Ben and Lucy."

"I don't know! Okay?!" Edward turned on his back.

They stared up at the ceiling frustrated with the situation. Edward decided that he needed to change the subject since he was leaving in three weeks for a two month long research trip. "Listen, I've been thinking maybe we need a few days to ourselves. Why don't we go to Central for a few days before I head out west? Al and Mei can watch the kids here."

Winry had been working very hard lately. She thought about it. "That sounds nice."

"Awesome. I'll let Al know that it's a go."

"Wait, you already asked him?"

"Of course. I was going to make you go anyways if you said no. You've been working really hard lately. And you're a mom on top of all that."

Then the alarm rang on Winry's bedside table. She shut it off. It was time to get Ben ready for school and get her day started. Edward and Winry took turns getting up with the kids, and today was hers. Winry sat on the bedside and sighed. She really did need a break. But she smiled knowing that it was coming soon.

Three months later….

Edward's train pulled into the Risembool train station. He smiled when he saw Winry and his two kids waiting for him. He got his suitcase and stepped off. He was met with two children yelling for him and his wife smiling behind them watching them both run and tackle him. He kneeled down and patted their heads. "It's okay. I'm back. I missed you both so much." Edward told them. He hugged them tight and looked up at Winry.

Winry looked down adoring the scene. "Welcome home."

"It's good to be home. Alright, let daddy up so I can hug mommy," Edward told his children.

Edward and Winry hugged each other and began the trek home. Lucy and Ben told Edward how life had been since he'd been gone. Ben was doing great in school. Lucy had helped Winry bake a pie for him. When their home came into view, the children raced ahead. Edward sighed watching them. He was so grateful to have his children and wife.

"Winry, those two kids are the best."

Winry put her hand in his. "You mean three."

Edward looked at her confused. Then the realization dawned on him. His cheeks flushed. "Three? You mean you're…..?

"Yes, I'm pregnant. I guess we just needed that weekend to relax."

Edward smirked. "I told you nothing was wrong."

Winry cocked an eyebrow and then relaxed. "Fine, I'll give you that one. You were right."

The next day. Edward and Winry decided to take the kids for picnic and swimming in the river. During their meal, they would tell the children about their new sibling. Ben was 5 and Lucy was 3. Ben was almost swimming on his own but still needed to watch over. Edward stayed in the shallow end with Lucy while Winry helped Ben practice his swimming. When lunch approached, Edward cracked the watermelon, and they all sat down to enjoy it.

Winry figured this would be the best time while everyone was happy. "Listen Ben and Lucy, your father and I wanted to tell you something." They looked up at her and she lost all her resolve. "Well, your father's going to tell you. Go ahead Edward."

"Me? Why do I have to do it?"

"Because I told Ben last time. It's your turn!" Winry pointed at Edward.

"Grr… Fine. You're getting a new sibling."

Lucy asked "What's a sibling?"

Edward told Lucy "Well Ben is your sibling. So you're going to have a little brother or sister. Right now, it's inside your mother's abdomen growing until it's ready to emerge."

Ben piped in. "Is mommy going to get fat again?"

Winry's face grew red with anger and embarrassment.

"Hey! He remembers!" Edward said impressed with Ben's memory.

"I WASN'T FAT! I HAD BABY IN ME!" They all shied away from her, and there were tears in Ben's eyes. Winry felt terrible. "I'm sorry. Come here." And she extended her arms out to him for a hug. "I shouldn't have gotten that upset but don't call people fat. It hurts their feelings, okay?"

Edward tried to save the moment. "The point is our family will have a new member in December. It's going to be great!"

"I want a brother!" Ben said.

"But I want it to be a girl!" Lucy chimed in.

Ed and Winry looked at each other, and then she looked at them. "We don't get to choose if it's a boy or a girl. It just happens on its own. We'll find out in December. Also, lets keep it a family secret for a little while, okay?"

Ben asked "Why is that?"

Winry sighed "Well we just want to be sure everything goes okay with it. Once I reach the three month mark, then we can tell people. Right now, we still have a few weeks to go before we reach that point."

Ben and Lucy were still confused but were told not to worry about it but just to keep it a secret.

Later that evening, Alphonse and Mei had invited them over for dinner. Al and Mei had been living in Winry's childhood home since her and Edward had their own house. It worked out since Mei and Al helped with patients of Winry's.

Alphonse greeted his brother and they talked about Edward's trip. They started getting notes together. Winry and Mei eventually got the brothers to sit down for dinner with the children.

Edward still talked to Alphonse. "The west is incredible. You should've come with me this time. I don't know why you decided to stay home."
Al put his hand behind his head. "Well, there was a reason…."

Mei urged Alphonse tell them. "Go ahead and tell them."

Winry's face perked up from wiping Ben's face.

Alphonse smiled. "Well you see, Mei is expecting, and I didn't want to leave her alone."

Winry got up and rushed over to give Mei a hug. "Congratulations! I can't believe it! How far along are you?"

"Three months. We waited to make sure it was safe to tell people," Mei said.

Edward sat there with his mouth open. He couldn't believe his younger brother was going to be a father. Even though Edward had children himself, it was different because it was his younger brother.

Winry called Edward back to reality. "Ed, isn't it great?"

"Oh! Yeah, it's great." Edward got up and shook his brother's hand. "It's awesome news."

Lucy was playing with her doll and was confused by the adults' excitement. "What's going on?"

Winry turned to Lucy. "Aunt Mei has a baby growing in her tummy. It'll come out once it's ready to be born."

Ben heard Winry. "I thought mom had the baby growing in her."

Al and Mei heard Ben. They looked at Edward and Winry to see if Ben was right. Winry sighed. "Yes, I'm pregnant. I'm two months along. We were waiting to tell you but the cat's out of the bag now."

Al and Mei congratulated them, and Mei brought out dessert. After dessert, Edward and Alphonse were in the office trying to look over notes but were only thinking about their shared news. Alphonse remarked on the fact that both of their wives were pregnant.

Edward's smile faded. "Damn it. This is terrible! Both of those women are pregnant at the same time."

"Well we've established that."

"No, I mean. Their moods are both going to be horrible at the same time! We should have timed this better."

Al could now see it. Winry being more violent and temperamental than usual along with Mei being more feisty. "Oh my god. What have we done? What if they team up against us?" Alphonse asked his brother.

"Well we're going to have to stay strong together. Don't worry. We'll get through this together. The couch is always available at my place." Edward told him.

"Same here." Alphonse told Edward, and they shook on their promise.