Well I'm happy to see you don't all hate me for adding a little suspence to the last chapter. Now you can find out what happens and find out how cruel (or not) I am. FMA isn't mine.


'Grace, are you okay?'

She had stood up abruptly. Her eyes were wide with fear but she still did not speak a word. Without another hesitation she turned and sped toward her home with her Uncle close at her heel. He tried with all his might to catch her but something inhuman had taken over her small body and she ran like a frightened animal. Calling her name did nothing so he just followed behind.

Bursting through the front door she stormed upstairs and toward her parents' room, ignoring the doctor sitting downstairs. Al however did not fail to notice.

'Is everything all right?'

The doctor sighed and took off his glasses, 'There were complications…'


She stood in the doorway and suddenly felt bad for entering as she had. She looked at the scene before her and understood why she had felt such an impulse to come home. It was all over.

Daddy held out his hand to her and she nervously approached. Mother lay on the bed looking as if she would never be able to get up ever again. Edward gathered her up in his arms and she looked down on her mother.

Sleeping in her arms was the baby, all safe and sound.

'Meet your baby brother Grace,' daddy whispered.

Seeing her mother smile suddenly made all that happened okay. For that moment she didn't hate the baby and even if it didn't last it was important at that time. She carefully touched his head and thought it wonderful how soft he was.

'Will you help me take care of him Grace?' Winry asked her daughter.

Grace nodded as she suddenly realised she was going to be a very important person. She was now a big sister and so she had a duty to fill.

Ed cast his eyes over the family he never thought he could have. His beautiful Winry had bloomed once again. She had fought hard to give birth as the doctor struggled to remove the cord. By some miracle it had come off without choking the baby to death. He had screamed his way into the world in perfect health just had Grace had done. Edward knew how lucky he had been and never a day went by he wasn't grateful.

Al peered his head in round the door. His brother motioned for him to enter and he did with some caution. He felt he was invading on this family unit now. It would soon be time for Al to support himself.

'Right, its time for daddy to give you a bath,' Edward cooed taking the baby away from Winry.

That moment of piece was broken as Grace pouted and mumbled quietly 'I hate the baby.'

For the next few weeks Winry stayed in bed recovering from the shock her body had suffered. Edward claimed full responsibility of caring for both his children and his wife. Grace stomped around the place but never got the attention she wanted. She would tell her mother what daddy was doing with the baby but it was always half hearted. Wiry had been expecting jealousy to take over her daughter for a while so she took it with a pinch of salt. She knew Edward was trying his best to include Grace in everything but it appeared she would only be satisfied if the baby vanished altogether.

Ed carefully clambered into bed next to Winry who was sound asleep. His son was a handful that was to be certain and he was exhausted. He laid an arm over his wife and she snuggled her back into him.

There was a sudden weight at the end of the bed. Looking up he glanced directly into the mirror image of his eyes. She wasn't pouting this time but she looked terribly forlorn. He had seen that look in her eyes before when they had informed her she had her own room. She liked to be with them and it had taken several attempts to move her.

'Everything okay Grace?' he asked in a hushed voice.

'I had a bad dream daddy. I had a dream that you didn't want me anymore because the baby could do alchemy and I couldn't.'

'Oh Grace, come here,' he whispered sitting up and opening his arms. She crawled toward him and buried her face into his chest.

'Can mommy do alchemy?'

'No,' came the muffled answer.

'But do I love mommy lots and lots?'

There was a sniffle, then a very quiet and shy 'yes.'

'So doesn't that mean I will love you lots and lots even if you don't do alchemy.'

She kept quiet that time but nodded her head. Going against the rule that had been set down he let his daughter snuggle in-between he and Winry even if it was just for one night.


While Grace stayed at home with her mother and read well into her teens, James, or Jimmy as he was teased by his sister, followed his father on his adventures. Winry refused to let him go until he was ten at least as she knew the moment he got that freedom she would rarely see him. Although Edward kept his trips as short as he could it still tugged at Winry. Forever she would worry that a goodbye would be the last. Yet she knew better then to try and hold down an alchemist. It was only fair that Edward have his child by his side to share in his passion. He had been overjoyed to be present at the birth of James and doted on the baby. Grace of course had hated Jimmy the moment he had entered the world as he took her father away from her. Edward, who had too been the elder, understood and never ignored his first born. She had even tried her hand at alchemy but failed miserably. All that had passed by the time Jimmy was two. Grace had been an easy child to care for, James was a nightmare. He screamed and ran and kicked like there was no tomorrow. But Edward came into his element as a father and had disciplined James until he learnt that mother couldn't cope with him when he was naughty.

'Dad I'm bored. Is he ever going to come back?'

'Just wait James. He is old after all. We need to see that book.'

Somehow James didn't believe the book was that important at all. The best way to learn alchemy was to do it. He read many books, his father hadn't given him any choice, but once he had found his particular skill he performed alchemy whenever he could. They had spent three days travelling and doing little else. He was impatient to get to some action but knew he wouldn't be able to move his dad. Wherever they went they were stopped while people engaged in long conversations with his father. He was proud to be stood next to him but his feet itched to get moving. Now he had gained some freedom he wanted to abuse it for all it was worth.

He was now twelve and the very age his father started his adventures. He wanted to achieve the fame his father had and knew he had a long way to go. Something inside of him told him to never let alchemy consume him and he knew it was the look in his mother's eye. He tried to avoid it but he saw the pain each time he and his father walked out of the house ready for another adventure. She always smiled but he saw the strain unlike any other his age normally would. What was of some comfort was that he never left her alone. In leaving home he got to escape his sister. She was nothing but an irritation in his eye. He couldn't understand how she could be so boring, just reading day in and day out. His father assured him she was doing something vital but James would never see it. There was no action in her life so was there any point in her getting up in the morning.

'Here it is Mr Elric, and I found something for your daughter.'

Edward heard the quiet grimace from his son but chose to ignore it. Neither of his children understood the other and not a lot would change that. It may have been the age gap or the gender but he believed it to be something different. Grace had not known him as a baby whereas he had been there for James from day one. He loved them for different reasons but not more than the other.

'Can we go now?' James whispered.

Was he like this when he was twelve? He rounded everything up and took the two books from the aging alchemist. One day James would understand why his sister did little but read and write. He didn't care to guess when that may be.


Just in case you wanted to know, my sister was born with the cord around her neck. I won't go into detail about how they know and how they fix it, but these things do happen quite a lot. She's around safe and well, so James had to be too.