October 1st, 1991

Franz was beginning to wonder if he should have followed the wise actions of his predecessors and retired when he resigned his position as President of the Military. Not that pride would let him even appear to have given in to his detractors or show any weakness. Still, the halls of Central no longer felt nearly so welcoming as they had. He wondered if this was how Ted had felt ever since returning from Drachma for the second time.

While the lower ranking soldiers still saluted as appropriate in the halls, everyone did exactly what was required and no more. It was as if they didn't want to be seen to be associating in any friendly way with the General who was currently not in favor with many of the other brass.

His immediate subordinates were much happier to see him than most of the faces that made a point of not making eye contact in the halls. Arriving in the Investigations Office was a relief. Several of his staff from his time as President had followed him into this office, while others had remained to support Anastas and help train those who had followed him into the office in the specifics of being aides to the President specifically. It had been a planned move, to ease both transitions.

Franz' time in and out of HQ had also been planned, and approved with Anastas. Being gone for a bit had made it clear he was giving the new President space, while taking hard earned breaks, and not being behind the scenes and continuing to try and control things.

Being in and out in a manner that was not consistent also made it difficult for him to be predicted. Showing apparently lack of concern for events while demonstrating trust of his replacement. Still, Franz hoped that it helped take him from people's immediate minds quickly, even if he suspected it would be years before his reputation ever returned to what it had been even a year ago. Or it might never.

Franz managed not to cringe outwardly at the pile of reports sitting on his desk. In truth, they represented all of the work the Investigations office had continued to do in his absence, while his new second in command, Lieutenant General Marjorie Volkhart, who had promoted up through Investigations for most of her career. Young—it felt weird to call someone in her mid-forties young—and skilled at her work she had kept everything firmly in hand while he was out. So, while there were plenty of ongoing investigations, his primary task of being apprised of them could be summed up by reading the stack of documents on his desk designated case files. More critical current information was a shorter stack he would read first.

That stack was also subdivided into categories with the largest being current intelligence gathering on the ever-evolving situation in Drachma, and related information gathering within Amestris' borders that might have bearing on that situation.

Franz had just settled down behind the desk, which still didn't quite feel like his, when Volkhart entered the room. "Welcome back, Sir. I take it you've found everything to be in acceptable order."

"I'm sure everything is exemplary, Lieutenant General," Franz replied with a nod. "Is there anything that needs my immediate attention?"

"The report summarizing the most recent intelligence out of Drachma, and the one President Anastas has requested on… illicit military activities… are on the top of your pile, General. You should begin there."

Illicit military activities. Anastas had Investigations looking into the political inter-workings of the current grumblings and factions forming within the military itself. Not that this surprised Franz. They had discussed this very thing in the days leading up to Franz's resignation. One reason Volkhart had remained in Investigations was that Anastas trusted her completely. She had served him loyally for years and, also, had shown an uncorruptible nature and drive to focus on the truth of situations. She preferred reality to what ifs, and facts to emotionally decisions. She knew everything Anastas had known during Franz' time as President, and had agreed to serve him directly in this capacity.

If the possibilities of a coup lasted beyond Franz stepping out of its way, they would find it. Amestris could not afford to start ripping itself apart from the inside.

"What do we have in the break room this morning?"

"Coffee and tea, Sir. Caffeinated and Decaf. Also, fresh pastries and sliced peaches."

Franz was put in mind of the years when one could guarantee a large box of fresh donuts in Breda's office every morning. That felt like a lifetime ago. "Thank you, Volkhart."

"Did you want something, Sir?"

"I can get it myself. No need to waste anyone else's time."

"Understood, Sir." Volkhart looked mildly surprised, but not displeased. "President Anastas wishes to discuss both reports with you at Thirteen-hundred hours."

"Then I'll see him then."

When she left, Franz got up again long enough to fetch a cup of black, decaffeinated coffee from the break room. He resisted the urge to take a snack. Breakfast hadn't been that long ago, and as Sara had reminded him pointedly that morning, vacation was over.

As he began reading the file, he realized it was over in more ways than one.


It wasn't the first time Sara had gone into battle, but it was the first time she had gone into battle in cream slacks and a fitted plum-colored knit sweater, sitting at a table full of other women similarly dressed, taking tea and eating sandwiches.

The white gazebo under which they sat, surrounded by luxurious gardens, belonged to the country club just outside the city, to which many of the city's business elites, generally well-off, and others besides just military officers, belonged. Sara and Franz had never felt the need to apply for membership, so she had anticipated that the only reason she was here was because those who had invited her had extended their invitation through Charisa. It was only when she arrived that she had been politely informed that it was a policy that all Presidents of Amestris—current and retired—were granted automatic membership for life at no cost. A fact that Franz must have known, but had never thought to mention. Not that she expected he had ever come here alone, if at all.

The collection of women in front of her all had one thing in common relevant to this lunch gathering; they were all voting members of the Assembly. As Charisa had explained when she approached Sara about it a few days before when they were having dinner, they were all eager to speak with her personally. Sara could imagine why. Even though the book Gloria had helped write wouldn't be hitting shelves for another month, advertising had come out, and even her very few public interviews had stirred up a lot of questions and interest about many subjects she had touched on.

"They admire you," Charisa had expressed with a shrug and a smile. "Very few people have accomplished as much as you have in their careers, or survived. They have legitimate concerns about upcoming legislation about which they would also like your thoughts."

They were also, Sara had noted, all notably younger than she was. Perhaps that was not surprising, given how recently—if one took the long view—the number of women in the Assembly itself had started to represent the population of Amestris. There still weren't quite as many as she felt there should be.

If they had not approached her through Charisa, and she had not vouched for their sincerity and the reasons for this luncheon, Sara would probably have politely turned them down. As it was, she was actually curious about what they had to say. Also, if she wanted to start pushing her own agendas without the benefit of the stars and watch, she needed to get used to playing politics the more subtle way. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen many skilled men and women at work this way over the years. She had just always, much like her father, preferred more direct methods.

"Thank you so much for coming." Regina Rothschild smiled from across the round table. Dark haired, dark eyed, and only in her early thirties, Sara knew that she was one of the most ambitious and outspoken women in the Assembly. If not for Charisa's presence here, Regina would have been the undeniable head of this little gathering, even though she was not the most senior Assemblywoman at the table, or the eldest. "How would you prefer to be addressed? General? Twilight?"

They notably did not offer Mrs. Heimler. Sara smiled over her tea cup. "Honestly, Sara is fine. We're in private, and I am your guest."

"Excellent. Sara then. We very much appreciate your being willing to meet with us today. I imagine you've had requests coming out your ears."

"And other places," Sara chuckled. "But Charisa assured me you were all trustworthy, circumspect, and that this was for a good cause." All true for the most part, at least as far as she could likely trust them not to repeat what she said here anywhere that would cause her or Franz problems later. Sara wasn't about to say anything she wouldn't willingly have repeated in any case. "So, where would you like to start?" she asked with a friendly smile, even as she casually took charge of the conversation.

Charisa looked amused, while the other five women shared the briefest glances. It was Susanne Huber, a curly-haired blonde who had been in the Assembly only a couple of years less than Charisa, who spoke up. "There are several items of discussion coming up in the Session starting next week about which we were hoping to get your thoughts and input. There has been a lot of discussion about what to do in regards to Drachma once the borders reopen, and at what time that should happen. Likewise, the other big topic for which we are putting together legislation is prison reform. While I am aware that's certainly an… unpleasant topic… and your experiences were in Drachma, given your longstanding work with the military as an alchemist, you're still far more knowledgeable about such things. While it is clear that some changes need to be made, it would do us little good to put together something to put before the Assembly that would not fix actual problems, instead of what we perceive as problems. We are happy to start with discussion of whichever you'd prefer to talk about first."

They could not have handed her a better stage if she had asked for one.


For someone who insisted she preferred the straight forward approach, Sara's masterful and natural control of the conversation was something that still impressed Charisa. Not that it wasn't almost precisely what the others wanted to hear, but because it was exactly what Sara wanted to get out there. Not that her opinions were subtle at face value. She talked at length not only about the abuses she had dealt with in the Drachman prisons—a point that would likely be discussed when diplomatic talks reopened between the new Drachman states and their neighbors—but about abuses within the Amestrian prison system over the years—such as the use of death row inmates as fuel for attempted philosophers' stones. Not that all of the offenses were so egregious, but Sara could cite a dozen examples from even the past thirty years, and offer insight into what kinds of questions to ask and what to look for in the systems themselves as they considered how to approach reform.

Considerations regarding future negotiations with Drachma included Sara's very excellent—and expert—thoughts on how to approach dealing with what would be a very new Drachma, or Drachmas. She offered legitimate insight into their old political structure, what little she knew of what had been planned and was currently moving into place, and what mattered in the evolving milieu of Drachman society. She also discussed which trade goods would be the best place to start economic discussions, offering up selections beyond the limited and obvious.

By the time they were done, Sara had managed to easily cover each of her personal agenda points through what looked like a natural conversation. By the time lunch ended, Charisa had a feeling she would have little issue convincing anyone else here to support legislation that would improve the situation the way Sara wanted it.

The way Charisa agreed certain things needed to go as well. "That was brilliant," she complimented Sara afterwards, once they were in Charisa's car, taking Sara back to her house. "I couldn't have done better myself."

"They were far too eager to hear what I had to say." Sara shrugged. "If I had spun it right, I could have talked them into just about anything that didn't qualify as a war crime."

"They're not quite that easily swayed." Though Charisa chuckled. "They honestly have the right intentions, and when they spoke to me, I couldn't believe our good fortune. If we're going to salvage the situation and do some lasting good, this is the best way to make that happen."

"What does Tore think of this direction?" Sara asked cautiously. It wasn't something she had yet had the opportunity to discuss at length with her foster-brother. Given tensions within the military ranks at the moment, she wasn't about to presume he wanted any part of it, though she was sure he would have his own strong opinion on the matter.

"He's on board with the ideas, though there's not much he can do personally this quickly." His recent promotion and his perceived loyalties and interactions with other Generals leading up to Franz's strategic decision to end his Presidency at that time, meant he needed to keep his head down for a bit, do his job, and be seen to be entirely on-board with whatever Anastas had in mind—which he was—while also keeping an eye on anyone who might not want him in office either, Assembly approval or no. The rising coup was not necessarily gone just because the original target had been smart enough to move out of the cross-hairs. "He's having to be patient and play it cool."

"Two words I would not have used to describe Tore before this conversation." Sara smiled. "I'm sure he can handle it. He knows a good number of the men who wanted Franz removed. He'll keep an eye on them."

"It's helpful when people forget that you're not actually a wet-behind-the-ears youngster sometimes." Charisa repeated words Tore had said himself that morning. "Because he's new to the promotion, the upper brass sees him almost the way the State Alchemists did when he'd only been in a couple of years. But he's not a kid now."

Sara had been his superior, so she would know. She nodded agreeably. "He's definitely not inexperienced now, not with as many commands as he had getting there. Though lately I just feel that time is strange. When I was Tore's age, he had only outmatched wet-behind-the-ears by one war with Drachma. We'd just lost Flame, and almost Franz. James and Tricia were still just kids…. And Dad was just a few years younger than that age when he was captured and tortured by Ling Yao's Xingese alkahestrists." Her father had been forty-two. "That far back, I was just barely fourteen. And I'd just met Franz."

"I don't think I've ever seen a picture of Franz that far back," Charisa admitted curiously. She had certainly seen plenty of Sara. The Elrics were prolific photographers, but the earliest photos she had seen of Sara and Franz were from about the time Charisa had moved to Central, so they looked the way she expected them too.

Sara's smile turned fond, and slightly amused. "He didn't even really look like a soldier. At least, I thought he looked more like a clerk in a uniform, especially with those thick-rimmed military regulation glasses they used to make the soldiers wear if they needed them. He was almost five years older than me, but he was friendly—not at all flirty though, I mean I was definitely too young for him at the time—and totally cute. If he had shown any interest in me at all then, I might have turned down the boy I ended up dating in high school. Though there were definitely some similarities between him and Mars. Hair, good looks, a bit of family background…a maturity most fifteen-year-old boys don't have. But it all worked out in the end."

"I couldn't imagine either of you with anyone else," Charisa admitted as they turned into Sara's drive and pulled up to the house past the gate. "You've always seemed like such a natural fit for each other."

"We were." Sara's expression became thoughtful as she unbuckled her seatbelt. "And we are again, though getting back in step after Drachma has required some conscious effort. It was like I was living someone else's life for eight years. Then coming home… everything felt so strange. But it all feels like me again."

"I'm glad. Because I really missed you." Her whole conscious life she had known Sara. Sara, who had orchestrated getting her parents to know she and Niam existed, and were in need of parents. Sara, who had been a friend always despite the difference in their ages. Now they were friends on equal terms, and Charisa would always love her for it.

Sara's smile returned. "I missed you too."


Franz was still debating how much of what he had learned today he could tell Sara when he arrived home almost on time for dinner. While none of it had been earth shattering, or entirely unexpected, some of it was definitely classified, which was of course the nature of the job.

Not that the topic of conversation would be discussed over dinner. James and Krista were already home, and the table was set when Franz walked in the door. "Something smells delicious," he complimented as he hung up his uniform jacket. "Am I late?"

"Not at all," Krista assured him with a smile. "Dinner's just coming out of the oven now. You have a few minutes to change."

Franz availed himself of the time, getting out of uniform and into something more casual and comfortable before he joined everyone for dinner. It was nice to have all five of them home at the same time for a proper sit down. Not that Aithne had any say in the issue. The almost-four-year-old attended the nearby pre-school this year, which had what was essentially a pre-preschool that was more like advanced day care for children who were starting the year at three, and potty trained. Krista picked her up each day as soon as she got out of her own classroom.

There was an energy to the room tonight, though Franz couldn't quite put a finger on what it was immediately. Perhaps because it seemed like there was more than one mood in the room, even if they were all positive. Anticipation, maybe? Sara was in a good mood, but also seemed a bit thoughtful, and… curious? Franz knew she had been invited out for a luncheon with several members of the Assembly, but that wasn't something she was likely to discuss at length at the dinner table. James and Krista both seemed a little more upbeat than they usually were at the end of a long day, even if they did not appear any less tired. Aithne was the most normal. She was just happy to be having dinner, and excited to tell anyone who would listen about the dramatic life of a preschooler.

The pre-dinner chatter however, seemed totally normal, as did the conversation as they all sat down to talk; what had happened that day of general interest, family events coming up that needed coordination or planning. Both dogs and both cats had already been fed, so they were content to lay around the living room dozing while the humans ate. Franz appreciated that Sara had, in fact, trained them as well as she had promised she would.

Maybe work was just making him paranoid, Franz decided when they reached the end of the meal without any earth-shattering revelations. He was certainly starting to try and read everyone's motives around him after the way things had been at Headquarters the last few months of his presidency, and every day since. Their time away had been a relief from that. Now, he was diving back in.
"You've been quiet tonight, Dad," James commented as he stood up and started clearing the table. "Everything okay?"

"Just the usual chaos of the first day back," Franz assured him. "I almost died under an avalanche of paperwork if you want to know."

James chuckled. "I don't believe it. Volkhart would never have let it get that bad."

"She did do an excellent job while I was gone," Franz acknowledged. "Though I'd have been worried about how much I'm needed if she hadn't left me something to do on my return."

"It would be such a shame if you had to retire to a life of luxury," Sara teased.

"It would be if it meant a lack of my income, and connections," Franz pointed out. With Sara's disappearance there wasn't as much saved up as they had originally planned, not that he couldn't afford to retire comfortably. But as long as they still had things that needed doing, his best place with sitting right in that chair in Investigations.

"Both of which are appreciated, Dad," James assured him. "That said, Krista and I did have something to discuss with the entire household this evening that impacts everyone. I guess now is as good a time as any to bring it up."

"Oh?" Sara's attention turned to her son and daughter-in-law.

"Thinking of retiring early to that life of luxury?" Franz asked wryly.

James chuckled. "Not if I value my life, but since we all live together, it's important that you know that we're planning to add to the number of living members of this household."

Well now that was definitely news! James immediately had Franz' full attention. "Is this getting another pet or adopting another child news?" he asked.

Krista smiled nervously. "Actually it's… neither. I'm pregnant!"

Franz barely had a moment to register the stunning revelation. Sara was already squealing and looked like she might jump across the table and hug them both. Franz could not remember the last time he had heard Sara squeal, but if any news was worthy, it was that. James and Krista had tried, unsuccessfully, for years to conceive before acknowledging that their very low likelihood of having a baby that way was perhaps lower than they were willing to bet on. They had adopted Aithne, and been perfectly happy with their daughter ever since.

Franz knew better than to ask if this was planned. They could not have planned if they tried, but perhaps they had never given up on the very slim possibility. In any case, that didn't matter. "That's wonderful news," he smiled, not even sure he could be heard over Sara. "When are you due?"

"April," Krista beamed, looking relieved at the positive response to the news.

"We've known for a little while," James admitted. "We didn't want to say anything right away, just in case something went wrong. And you two were traveling so much, we didn't want to give you something else to worry about."

"Completely understandable and very considerate," Sara assured them. "So, everything is going well."

"So far," Krista nodded. "The first trimester was everything I had been told it would be. It's a little better now."

"I'm sorry it met your expectations." Sara chuckled knowingly. Franz remembered how sick and miserable Sara had been for her early months both times. "Well, you promise me that if you need rest, you'll take it. There's plenty I can do around here and I have more time than you do."

"Thank you, Sara. I really appreciate it."


"Isn't it wonderful?" Sara asked him later as they retired to their bedroom at the end of the evening. She was smiling with a pure, simple happiness. An expression he had always loved on her, as rarely as he got to see it.

"Yes, it's great news," Franz agreed. "It's a good thing we still have room left in the house."

"I'm sure Gracia would be glad to know it's still being put to full use." Sara startled him by kissing his cheek. "You remember when we found out we were expecting?"

"Which time?" Franz asked. "The second time, when we were actually trying and looking forward to it? Or the first time, when you were so upset that you wouldn't talk to me for several days?" There was no bitterness in his tone. He had long forgiven her the reaction to their unplanned daughter's conception during their delayed engagement.

"Definitely the second." Sara crossed the room to her dresser. "Though I was reminded of something else today while I was out."

"Just what did being grilled by members of the Assembly over tea remind you of that has to do with our relationship?" Franz could only imagine, but it made him nervous on principle. He sat down on the edge of the bed, watching her.

Sara chuckled. "Oh, it wasn't them, though that was a very productive meeting. Riza was right. There's a lot of government business that happens outside the halls of HQ and off the Assembly floor, some that may be more productive than what happens on it." She turned around, but now her hands were behind her back. "It was a conversation I had with Charisa. But I found something this afternoon." She brought her hands around, and Franz saw that what she held were letters. Very old letters, yellowed with time, though still folded in fairly pristine condition.

Franz thought he recognized the paper. "Are those…"

"The letters we wrote to each other before you moved to Central," Sara nodded, smiling. "From back before we got together." She held them out.

"To be fair, a good chunk of that time I would have been shot for dating you," Franz reminded her. For the first five years he had known her, she had been under age, and even if he had felt immediately attracted to her romantically, only an idiot would have gotten involved with a minor… especially the Fullmetal Alchemist's daughter. Curious, Franz took the stack. It was surprisingly thick. "This is all of them?"

"Sorted in order, alternating to match their responses. I actually did this years ago, when I found yours during one of our many closet sorting and house organizing sprees, but I'd almost forgotten about them. Then Charisa just happened to say something today that reminded me of a certain adorable, dorky private in glasses." She held out one more item, a photograph, in surprisingly good condition given its age.

Franz remembered it the moment he saw it. He remembered that day, though it was a lifetime ago. They had been washing military trucks to get the sand out of the machinery on the lines in the very short little war against Ling Yao's Xingese warriors. The moment was a very short water-fight between them. The girl in the picture could have been Trisha or, very nearly, Rosa. She looked so incredibly young to him now. But then, so did the boy. If he hadn't had the memories of that day, he might barely have recognized himself. It was before he had finished his enlistment period and decided to go for an officer commission. There he was, in those god-awful military issue glasses, and short-shorn haircut, a beanpole who looked nothing like a soldier, even in the stripped-down uniform he wore. "He looks like a nerd," he teased Sara. "You had strange tastes if you'd call that adorable."

Sara sat down next to him. "Lucky for you then, because I already had a huge crush on you way before that ended. It occurred to me today, I'm not sure I ever told you that."

"If you did, I'd forgotten," Franz admitted. "We were friends for so long before I got around to not being stupid and asking you out, that I don't think it ever occurred to me that you thought of me that way before I moved here, and we got to spend more time together."

"If I hadn't, I would never have kept every single one of these letters, folded neatly together, in order, next to my bed," Sara admitted, surprising him with a slight blush. "Or this." She pointed at her head, and for the first time, Franz took a good look at how she had done her hair this evening… and the fabric cleverly braided into it, then tied at the bottom. It was the scarf he had given her for her fifteenth birthday. "For a boy who had trouble keeping a long-term girlfriend, you were remarkably good at winning me over without trying."

"It's probably because I wasn't trying," Franz admitted. "If I had been, I probably would have messed up somewhere."

"Well, you did just fine obviously." Sara wrapped her arms around him, wresting her chin against his arm, blue eyes sparkling with mischief. "Here we are, decades later, and I still love that dork in the glasses who's great at paperwork."

"I'd better be amazing at paperwork to do what Anastas wants me to do." He wished he was certain exactly how much he could tell her. Her retirement meant that they were no longer at liberty to just discuss everything. What had surprised him was that Sara was somehow okay with that. That, or she was just getting better at intuiting it all and getting information from other sources. The second was more believable.

"You'll manage." Sara sounded supremely confident. "You've got me, and as a team we have always managed to figure things out together. Just remember that."

Franz leaned into her embrace, putting one arm around her shoulders. "How did you know I needed to hear that today?"

"You should hear it every day." Sara shrugged simply. "But really, it's something I needed to realize myself. After everything that's happened to both of us separately, and together, at our cores, I'm still me, and you're still you. Some things will never change, no matter how much everything changes around us. We have been each other's support since the day we met and nothing—not even my reported death—has been able to separate us permanently. For whatever time we have left—and I intend to see that that is a long and fruitful amount of time—that is how it's going to be."

Franz pulled her in close, and kissed her with all the passionate and gratitude that he possessed. After everything that had happened lately, even as recently as their trip to Resembool, it was reassuring to know that the foundation of his life was firm, and solid, and right there. "I love you, Belle."

Sara chuckled softly. "I know. I love you, too."