In Times of Peace

Chapter Thirteen

Fading Summer

They were nearly done packing to return home. The had one last night together before their vacation came to an end and they went their separate ways. For most of the family, that meant returning to Central and running the country, but for Al and Mei they would be heading back to Xerxes.

Edward and Alphonse had decided to take a short hike in the woods. It wasn't often it was just the two of them anymore, and sometimes they both missed it. They found themselves on the bank of the stream soon enough, and wordlessly they decided to stop there.

The silence loomed around them for several minutes before Edward finally sighed. "I hate that you and Mei are so far from family now. With the new baby on the way. It's not as easy as I make it seem."

"Well, considering I never thought it looked easy…" Al said with a smile. "I know. I wish we were closer too. I want this baby to grow up close to their cousins. We can't just walk away from the school though."

"I understand." Ed says with a sigh. "We are just going to have to arrange more visits."

"That would be nice. We do intend to have the baby in Reseembool." Al said with a smile. "Mei's due in February."

"Ah. Winry's due in February. We are likely to overlap our stays then." Edward said happily.

Both feeling a bit better about the separation, the brothers sat in silence for a while. Eventually, Al sighed again. "I'm missing everything with Tad you know. Your kids too, but Tad is my brother. I'm more like a distant uncle to him."

"We all know you love him Al. As you said yourself, you can't just leave the school." Ed said to comfort him.

"We are missing Ling and Naoko's kids growing up too."

"Well, so is Chen."

"I know that was supposed to make me feel better, but it didn't. We're keeping Chen from them too with this project"

"Al. It's not just a project. It is the way you are uniting people. It's your way of helping the world."

"I know. I just miss home."

Roy and Riza had offered to watch all of the children for the afternoon so that Winry could finish some last-minute work she had, and Mei could lie down for a while. They had the children all in the playroom and were playing a card game together.

"Yu, are you excited to start at the Academy?" Roy asked the boy.

"Yeah. It's going to be fun! Elicia and Ana like it there." Yuery said happily.

"Why does Ana get to go, but I don't?" Will asked with a pout.

"You have another year with the tutor then you will go." Roy said.

"Me too." Maes said happily.

"No Maes, you're little still, you have a bit longer yet to wait." Riza said.

"Go, go." Trishy said happily while throwing down a fistful of cards.

"Me go." Tad added, as he did the same.

"I think they are having a different conversation." Roy said drily before picking up a new card and turning back to Yuery. "I know Dad already told you this, but if you find you are uncomfortable with the change, we can always put you back with the tutor."

"I want to go." Yuery said. "You said one day people will want me to be their leader, so I need to go and learn to be friends with bucha people."

"Okay. I am very proud of you; you are very brave." Roy said.

"Enough talking about school. What do you kids want to do with the rest of your summer break?" Riza said.

"Play outside." Yuery said with a frown.

"Not without a bodyguard or relative." Winry replied as she and Ed walked into the room. "You are still in trouble."

"Aww, Mommy!" Yuery said.

"Don't 'Aww, Mommy' me young man. You decided to go into the woods without permission, and you were the one who took your little brother along with you. You face the consequences."

"Can we visit the library?" William asked.

"That can be arranged yes." Edward said with a smile.

"Yes, I will take you." Riza added.

"But Ji Mu- "Ed said trying not to whine.

"No, you have paperwork, and when you visit a library, you disappear." Riza said.

"I do NOT dis- okay, you can take them." Ed responded.

"Thank you, Edward."

Winry and Edward sat at the table, and were dealt cards in the next round before Maes said, "Can I go to work with Daddy?"

"Yes, but how is that special for summer?" Roy asked. Maes shrugged before dumping a bunch of cards into the center of the table.

"Because its Daddy's work." Maes said. No one could argue with that, though it didn't completely make sense Maes is a young child.

"Well, I think we should do something altogether before school starts, like a trip to the zoo or something." Winry said. All five children cheered at this idea, as the other adults agreed.

"I like animals." Yuery said seriously.

"I like animals too." William added.

It was decided they would visit the zoo the day after tomorrow, giving them the whole day to get home and settle in. Maes was declared the winner of the game by Yuery. Then the boys asked if they could have a snack. Winry wandered off to double check the luggage, suddenly convinced she had forgotten some of her tools. Ed took the kids to the kitchen where Al had already made them sandwiches and apple slices. Riza and Roy went to the study to finalize some of the paperwork for a trade treaty with Drachma.

Ed and Al were sitting at the table with the kids surrounding them. Al picked up Trisha and set her in his lap the third time she yawned. "Remember when you couldn't even hold Yuery long enough for me to change my pee shirt? You have grown up a lot since then. You'll be a great dad." Ed said with a smile.

"Brother. Stop bringing that up. It was years ago. I was a kid, and I was worried I would accidentally hurt him." Al said with a sigh.

"Plus, you were worried he'd pee on you too." Ed said.

"No, I never said that and- "

"When did I pee on you Daddy?" Yuery asked.

"When you were a little baby," Ed said, "Don't worry, both of your brothers and your sister all peed on me at least five times as well. I got used to it."

"That's gross." William said. "Why would the baby pee on you?"

"Because babies don't know how to use the bathroom." Ed said. "They don't know how to control their bladder yet."

"Why not?" William asked.

"The muscles aren't strong enough yet and we have to teach them how to wait." Ed said.

"Does Trisha still pee on you?" William asked, wide-eyed.

"Trisha is potty training, but she still has lots of accidents. We just started teaching her. No, she hasn't peed on me in a long time." Ed said.

"Now she's going to because you said that." Al said with a laugh.

"Shut up Al." Ed muttered.

"Please, you know it's going to happen." Al replied as he cleared the table.

"Hey Al. I think you should change all of Trisha's pants until its time to leave tomorrow. For practice." Ed replied.

"No thanks."

"Your uncle is silly." Ed told the kids. Al laughed as he rinsed the dishes and left cleaning hands and faces to Ed.