Author's "apology"- (walks in shyly) hello everyone…. I know I've been holding this up for a LONG time; however I should get it over with. This friends, is the final chapter of gender bender. Please enjoy, and read the sequel.

A radiating light stung Edward's sore eyes. Flashing dots swam within his obscured vision.

"Edward!" relieved voices greeted him. Ed grunted in an exhausted response.

He heaved his heavy body out of his sleeping position, straightening his fatigued spine. His entire body felt as if it was being weighed down by a large anchor.

His darted eyes gathered with fierce relief, that Winry was back to herself, and Pinako was as well. He was clothed in a familiar white shirt, and dull shorts, bandaged here and there. He was in the hospital. Again.

He rubbed his head, which carried its own bandage. "Winry…?" He murmured.

"Oh, Ed!" Her voice responded full of relief. "Thank goodness!" Chimed in Al and Pinako, greeting him with sighs and pats on his undamaged hand.

"Hey…. What happened?" questioned the young alchemist.

"You don't remember anything?" Pinako questioned him.

Ed responded in a simple shake of his head, doing his best not to strain any injuries.

"You fought so bravely Ed!" cried Winry in a grateful tone.

"Yeah brother!" added Alphonse.

"Eh…?" Ed's whole mind was tripping over itself in confusion. "Me?" he confirmed, succumbing to a painful flashback of what HE had seen.

"Yes," Continued Winry. "You managed to give those monsters a descent beating, and you got me back into my body! You were so brave…" Admired Winry, clearly more grateful then anyone had expected.

"I don't remember any of it….." pouted Ed.

"Wait a second….." He jerked upright. He felt an absurd surge of pain in his ribcage. "You were! You were…" He exclaimed pointing an accusing finger at Pinako.

"Was what, Ed?" Pinako asked him casually.

"YOU WERE IN A BELLYTOP, AND YOU BEAT ENVY WITH A SCREWDRIVER!" Ed screamed as every wound in his body reopened. "OW, DAMMIT!" he screeched.

Pinako laid a wide slap across Ed's face, as it contorted into twisted expressions of physical anguish. "Don't fantasize about a woman whose old enough to be your grandmother!!" threatened the tiny woman.

"YOU DREAMT ABOUT GRANNY?!" exclaimed Winry in utter and disgusted shock.

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" objected Ed, rubbing the sore on his cheek.

Al's eyes narrowed, teasingly at his brother.

"So you mean to tell me I missed my own heroic victory?!" Ed cried.

The other three nodded in unison.

"DAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNN!!!" Ed's anguished cry reverberated across the white tile halls. "You are so lucky I'm injured!" He threatened.

"Al, we're leaving tomorrow!" Ed added less haughtily.

"But brother…"

"No buts Al! We wasted too much time here!"

"But you're not fully recovered!"

"Shut up! I'll deal with it!"

And with that, Ed was silenced with the flinging of a hard metal wrench. Winry gave a devious little smirk. "That should knock him out long enough to recover,"

So did you like it? I hope you did. This is my first "real" fan fiction, so I will learn from this one. I intend to begin species bender SOON, and this time I mean it. School has frankly just been killer. Well I appreciate all the fans I got, and I hope this was a good farewell to Gender Bender. Thank you to ALL who read it, even if you didn't like it very much.

Trapt-within