Title: Short-Lived Happiness

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist...yet...

A/N: This is from Envy's point of view...And it takes place two years after the series ends.

I stared out the window. Wrath and Gluttony were playing cards on the grass. Wrath was explaining something to Gluttony, but he didn't seem to be listening, and just shoved the playing cards in his mouth. Wrath screamed something at him and threw his cards down.

"Entertaining, no?" Lust came up behind me. Pulling out a chair, she sat down next to me.

"I guess." I wasn't to interested in talking with her. "Where's Pride?"

"He went with Sloth to the store. We're running out of cereal."

"And Greed?"

"He went out somewhere."

"Oh." The rest of the Homunculi and I are living together in a decent-sized house. It can get annoying, spending every day with them, but I have nowhere else to stay.

Looking out the window again, I could see Wrath climbing a tree. Gluttony was circling the tree, looking for Wrath. The boy jumped on Gluttony's back, screaming something about not knowing how to play cards right. They were still fighting about that?

Lust sighed. "Here we go again. Next thing you know, Gluttony will toss Wrath across the yard..."

"Not this time." I opened the window and shouted,"Hey, you two, cut it out!"

Gluttony had Wrath by the leg, ready to throw him. "Let me go!" Wrath screeched. Gluttony was looking at me and let the boy go. They walked towards the same place where they were playing there game.

"Here, I'll show you how to play..." Wrath was saying.

"Okay," Gluttony replied.

"Well," I said, sitting down again. "That was easy."

"Hmph. You always know how to stop them from getting into too much trouble." Lust smirked. She knew it was my job to keep them from fighting, or Sloth would give me an hour-long lecture on how I should "learn to be more responsible."

"Right, I just love keeping the peace," I said sarcastically.

"Oh, look. Greed's back. Who's that with him?"

"Huh?" Coming up the walkway was Greed and a lady I couldn't quite identify. "Probably one of his new 'girlfriends.' You know how he wants to make that Marta-girl jealous."

Lust gasped. "Hey, look who it is!" They were coming closer, and I could see clearly who it was. She giggled when she saw Wrath and Gluttony sitting peacefully on the grass. Greed didn't look too happy, though.

"Should we greet them?" Lust asked me. Truthfully, I wasn't that happy to see her, either. Shrugging, I walked towards the door. Lust followed. "Is that a 'yes'?"

"Sure, if you want to." I opened the door. Wasn't I the one who didn't want to go outside? Why am I so nervous, then?

She noticed us when we stepped outside. She seemed to freeze. Then she smiled and hurried over to where we were. "Nice to see you again, Envy," she said, throwing her arms around me.

"Nice to see you, too, Dante." I pulled away. Momentarily, she seemed hurt, but she smiled again and told me how grown-up I look. Huh?

"Well, Dante," Lust said, smirking. "Did you come to try to make another Philosopher's Stone?"

"Huh? What?" Dante looked genuinely confused. "What are you talking about?" How could she not know?

"Then what are you here for?"

"I came here to spend some time with my son." She gestured to me.

"What?" I asked. "Since when do you want to spend time with me? And since when an I your son?" That seemed to hurt her feelings.

"You were always my son, Envy," she said quietly. "As for your other question, I feel like I want to be a better mother to you. We never got to spend quality time together, so..." She looked like she meant it. It was then I started to feel like I wanted her to be a mother to me, too.

"But I thought Homunculi didn't have mothers," Wrath called out.

"Did I say that?" Again, she looked confused.

"Okay, then," I said. "Let's spend some 'quality time' together, Mommy." That last part seemed to make her happy, and I was happy, too, for reasons I didn't quite know.

Taking me by the hand, Dante, or Mother, led me into town. To the normal people, we we looked like an odd pair, but it didn't matter. The happy feeling was still there.

The two of us went to some restaurant that serves weird food. Pride told me about it once. When we were seated, Mother just stared at me, smiling. I can't imagine what she could be thinking about.

"What," I asked, breaking the silence.

"I...I just can't believe this. You and me...eating out like this. When was the last time we did this?"

"When I was human and Dad still cared about us." I know I sounded angry, but I couldn't help it. I had no one to love me for the longest time. And now I finally do have somebody, and it feels weird.

"Oh, Envy," she said, reaching for my hand and squeezing it. "I can only imagine what you've been going through, and I'm sorry. It's just that...well. to tell you the truth, I don't really know. I haven't seen you for so many years..."

"But the last time I saw you, it was when we almost made a Philosopher's Stone, and that was almost two years ago."

"Huh? We never made a Philosopher's Stone...The only time there was one was when your father and I created it. But that was a long, long time ago..." When she said that, I figured she had forgotten everything that had happened concerning the Elric brothers and the crimson stone.

The waitress, a young girl, came to our table, Mother ordered for us. I didn't really care if I ate anything at all; I just wanted to be with some one who cared about me.

"So, how have things been with you?"

"Good, I guess."

"And the other Homunculi?"

"They're okay. We all live together..."

"Yes, I noticed that. What have you been doing?"

"Nothing, really. Just enjoying the warm weather."

"I see..." Our food came; it was some sort of pasta. Mother looked at me as I took a big forkfull. "Is it good?"

"Ish awight." My mouth was full and Mom was laughing. I had never seen her this happy.

I swallowed. "How about you? What have been doing?"

"Traveling. Looking for you." She paused and ate some pasta. "I guess I haven't been doing anything, really. I've been thinking about what happened, and I wish we could all be a happy family, you know?"

I was so hungry I couldn't stop eating, and before I knew it my plate was empty. Yeah, how can we be a happy family when there's another woman and two children in the picture. "Yeah, me too."

"You were hungry, Envy."

"Uh-huh."

"Let me finish and then we can leave, okay?"

"Sure." It didn't take her that long to finish. She asked for the check and took out her wallet. I watched her sadly. She seemed so happy. Why couldn't we have done this before?

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go." The two of us walked out of the restaurant. I would have to tell Pride that the food here was pretty good.

We walked to the beach. The spray from the ocean was refreshing. The sun was going down. How romantic.

"Isn't it beautiful, Envy?"

"Yeah...it is."

"I've always wanted to come here with you. To enjoy the sunset..."

"Mm-hmm..." I love having a mother. I had been missing out for too long.

We sat there in silence for a while. It was getting dark. Mom suddenly stood up and grabbed my arm. "Let's go," she said urgently.

"O-okay." She led me acroos town and into the forest. When we got there, she looked around, making sure nobody was here.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Honey," she said looking at me, a sad expression on her face. "I have to go now."

"Um, okay. When will you come back so we can go out together again?"

"No, Envy...I won't...be coming back."

"What?"

"I got another day to live, and I wanted to spend it with you..now my body is rotting...I can't switch with anyone because I don't have a stone. I came here to see you...one last time before I dissapear..."

"B-but...you can't leave! I thought you were going to be a better mother to me!" There was a bad smell, and I was pretty sure it was her rotting body.

"I know, honey, and I'm sorry. But..." She began to cry. She hugged me; the smell got worse. "I love you, Envy. I always will...You know that right?"

"Uh-huh..." Mom's body grew limp and she fell to the ground. I tried to pick her up. She was still sobbing. She lifted her hand to stroke my face.

"My son..." she whispered, tears falling from her weak eyes. "I'll never forget this day..."

"I won't either..." She began to disintegrate. "Mother?"

"Yes?" She sounded really weak.

"I love you..." I started to cry.

"Oh, Envy..." And that was it. She just dissapeared. She was gone. And I was left all by myself in the forest. I cried and cried. I can't remember the last time I had cried so much.

I stood up and wiped the tears from my face. "Just when I had somebody to love me..." I started to walk home, but I turned back to loom at the spot where she had died. I took a purple flower from nearby and placed it there.

I turned and went home, whispering to her again that I loved her.

Hiyonokat33: sniffs How sad! Maybe I should make a more happier sequel...? Please review!