There was a knock on the door. Roy looked up from what he was doing and said, "Come in," and Riza entered the room, closing the door behind her.

"General Hakuro wants you to know that there's a meeting with ambassadors from Drachma next week. Friday at noon, in meeting room five."

"Right, thanks," Roy said, handing Riza a folder. "Would you mind giving these to him?"

"Not at all." Riza took the folder and headed for the door, but before she left, she turned and looked back at Mustang with a smile. "Oh, and you have a visitor."

Roy sighed. "Is it important?"

"It's someone you need to see."

"Very well, send whoever it is in."

Nearly four years had passed since Roy had received the phone call from Ed and gotten promoted to Major General, one rank above Hughes' rank after death. Ever since then, he, along with the newly appointed General Armstrong and Generals Hakuro and Grumman, as well as any other high-ranking officers, had been working on disbanding all terrorist groups and getting rid of corrupt officials.

Thankfully, the job hadn't been as hard as Roy had thought it would be, and they were now ready to make peace with the surrounding countries. However, nobody had heard from either of the Elric brothers since. Roy had faith that they were alive, but he'd given up on ever seeing either of them again.

He looked down at the stack of paperwork on his desk and pushed it aside for the moment. If he was going to have to talk with someone, he might as well pretend he was interested…

There was a knock on the door, and Roy said the usual, "Come in." The door slowly opened, and Roy stared in shock at the face that poked through the opening.

"Um… is this a bad time?"

Roy stared for a moment before Ed sighed and walked into the office, shutting the door behind him. "You don't have to act so surprised…"

"Where the hell were you?" Roy practically shouted, a grin spreading over his face.

"Um, all over the place, really. I had to go north for a while and get the message to Winry that it was safe for her to come back, and then we went back east to drop Pinako and Den off and pick up Al before heading to Xing to see off our friends. Then Winry and I went to Rush Valley for a while so that she could wrap some things up there and maybe get her job back. We're still waiting to hear about that."

"And all of this took four years to occur?"

Ed shook his head. "No, we did some other things, but that's the main idea."

"And you didn't think to contact me during that time."

"I did, but I didn't think it would be safe to get involved with the military for a while."

Roy sighed and stood up. "Well, if you're wondering, your files are now confidential and only a few select members of the military have access to them."

Ed paused, as if he wasn't expecting this. "Well… that's good, I guess…"

"And any rumors about you have been dispelled thanks to a few well-placed articles in different newspapers around the country."

"Um, okay…"

Roy paused. "But why are you choosing now to come back? Is there something wrong?"

Ed blinked. "What? No, nothing's wrong… I just came to give you something."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "You, giving me something? If that isn't a sign of the apocalypse, I don't know what is."

"Gee, Mustang, I didn't know you were religious," Ed replied sarcastically before handing Roy an envelope. Roy took it and looked at it curiously.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say this was some sort of invitation. Should I open it now?"

"If you want to, I guess…" Ed mumbled. He seemed slightly embarrassed.

Roy smirked and quickly opened the envelope. Inside was a card that said "You're Invited…" on the front. Roy opened it and quickly read it before smirking at Ed.

"Aw, how sweet. The childhood friends are getting married."

Ed blushed. "I'm glad you figured that much out," he muttered darkly, shifting his weight as he stood in front of the desk.

"Two and a half months from now? Are you in a rush, or are you just late in delivering this?"

"I'm not late! We made the decision about a month ago and we had to figure everything out and stuff."

"Why the rush, then?"

Ed was now a brilliant shade of red, and Roy wondered if any of the blood in his face would leak out of his pores. He quickly discarded that mental image, however, when Ed spoke again. "Well, Winry's sort of… pregnant."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I never thought you had it in you."

"Oh, yeah? Like you could do better!" Ed snapped, somehow managing to be redder than before.

"As a matter of fact, Edward…" Roy trailed off as he heard a knocking on the door. He smirked at Ed once again before saying, "Come in."

-------------

Ed watched as the door opened, and Gracia and Elysia Hughes came into the room. Even though he realized that Elysia was at least nine years old now, he couldn't help but marvel at how much she had grown, and when she smiled shyly at Ed from behind her mother, he could tell she was Maes's daughter. That smile wasn't easily forgotten.

"Oh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Gracia said, smiling at the two men.

"Not at all," Roy replied. "We're just catching up on old times."

Gracia looked Ed over and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Edward."

Ed gave a small smile in return. "It's good to see you too."

Gracia turned to Elysia. "Do you remember Edward? I don't think you met him more than once or twice…"

Elysia smiled at Ed again. "You're Winry's friend, right? I remember meeting you." She walked up to him and looked up. "You're actually tall now, too. Not as tall as Daddy was, but I bet you're almost as tall as Mr. Mustang."

Ed felt his face go red again, and he smiled uncertainly at Elysia. "You think so?"

Elysia nodded. "Yep."

"So, what brings you here, Mrs. Hughes?" Roy asked.

"Oh, right." Gracia reached into her purse and held out an envelope. "The photographs finally got developed. Kyle and Liz look wonderful."

Ed blinked and looked at Roy. Who were Kyle and Liz?

Roy smiled. "Thank you very much. We really should get together more often."

"Yes, we should. We had a great time, didn't we, Elysia?"

Elysia nodded. "Yep."

"Well, we should go now and let you two continue your chat," Gracia said. "We'll see you later."

"Bye!" Elysia said, waving as she followed her mother out of the room. Ed waved back, and Roy did as well. When the door closed behind them, Roy sat down with a sigh, and gestured for Ed to sit down as well.

"Well, now, I suppose I'll just have to show you what I was about to say before," Roy said as he opened the envelopes and extracted a few photos. He looked each one over carefully before handing one over to Ed. Ed took it and gave Mustang a questioning look before turning his gaze to the photo in his hand.

There on the paper were four smiling faces. Two were ones he recognized; that of Mustang and Hawkeye, but two were new. He looked more closely at the two toddlers that sat on each of the adults' laps before realizing who they were.

"No way, you and Hawkeye…?"

Roy nodded smugly. "Yep. Kyle and Elizabeth. They're twins, and they'll be two and a half in a few days."

Ed smirked. "Wow, Mustang, I never thought you had it in you."

This time it was Roy's turn to blush, and Ed laughed. "Hey, you said it first. So, do you think you can make it to the wedding?"

Roy looked at the date on the invitation again. "I don't know, this is pretty short notice…"

"It's two and a half months! Not even you would have planned everything out that far ahead!"

Roy rolled his eyes. "Does the fact that I'm a Major General mean nothing to you, Edward?"

Ed stuck his tongue out. "Nope."

"Oh, by the way, I'll be needing your watch back. Since you haven't done an assessment in four years, you're no longer working for the state. Not to mention we're working on getting rid of the State Alchemist division…"

Ed blinked before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the silver watch. "If you're getting rid of that division, then why do you need this back?"

"Do you really want to keep it?" Roy asked.

Ed sighed and placed it on Roy's desk. "Nope. Oh, I also have an invitation for… um…"

"She still goes by Hawkeye, Ed. She's also not a soldier anymore. She simply works as a secretary when our full-time secretary calls in sick."

"So…"

"You can just call her Riza now."

Ed frowned. "But that seems weird…"

"I tell you what, why don't you come over for dinner tonight? That way you can give her the invitation yourself and discuss any problems that have arisen from this conversation with her."

Ed paused. "Well… is it okay if I bring Winry, too?"

Roy smiled. "Of course it is."

"Okay, then. Except I don't know where you live…"

"You know how to get to the Hughes residence, don't you?"

"Yeah…"

"Our house is two blocks away. Same street, to the left if you're looking straight at the Hughes' home, and it's on the far corner. You cross two streets to get there, and… Just give me your hand."

"Why?"

"Do it."

Roy's tone of voice reminded Ed of all the times Roy just had to have Ed follow an order, and he decided it would be a good idea to comply. Roy wrote a number down on the back of Ed's right hand and let go.

"That's the number on our house. If you still can't find it, then ask someone for directions. Most people know where we are."

Ed nodded. "Okay, what time?"

"Oh, around six. Maybe six-thirty, so that at least one of us is at home before you arrive."

"Okay, we'll be there around six-thirty."

"Great. Now get out. I have work to do."

Ed nodded and stood up. "Yeah, I'd better get out before you decide that I'm still your little slave and you make me do your work for you."

To Ed's surprise, Roy laughed. "No, I think those days are over. See you tonight."

"Yeah…" And with that, Ed made his way out of the office and began walking down the hall.

---------------

Ed turned the corner, feeling fairly pleased with himself. He had run into the two Armstrong siblings, and not only had he given Olivier an invitation, which Winry would be proud of him for, but he had also avoided getting hugged by her younger brother. He still hadn't lost his speed.

He was almost out of the building when he ran into someone else he recognized. Ed groaned inwardly as General Hakuro approached him, followed by an escort of two or three men. The General stopped right in front of Ed, blocking his path.

"Well now, this is a pleasant surprise."

Ed blinked. Pleasant? Since when was his presence one that Hakuro enjoyed? Ed stood there, trying to think of something to say, when Hakuro waved off his escort.

"I'd like to talk to you for a moment. Do you have time?"

Ed nodded, not wanting to make the older man angry. Most of his memories of Hakuro weren't exactly pleasant ones. Hakuro began walking down the hall again, and Ed walked with him until Hakuro led him into an office.

"Please, sit down," Hakuro said, gesturing to a chair in front of a small coffee table. Ed sat, and Hakuro sat across from him. It was quiet for a while.

"So…" Ed began. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

"I wanted to apologize. I realize that I've done a lot to hurt you and your brother, and I know there's nothing I can do to change that now, but… I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to be treated so roughly."

"Um… okay…"

"Although, now that I think about it, your brother was treated worse by the higher-ups back then. You were dealt with directly by the homunculi."

Ed shuddered at the memories this conversation was causing him to recall. Even now, he had nightmares about Pride doing atrocious things to him with those shadows…

"Either way, I hope that none of the damage was permanent."

Ed shook his head. "Most of it wasn't, anyway…"

"Well, if it's any help at all, your actions helped me realize that an immortal army is a fool's dream. This country, and the people in it, deserve better than what they were going to get, and hopefully, thanks to what you did, they'll get it. I know I'd rather have my children grow up in a peaceful country."

Ed nodded. "That's what I want for…" he trailed off and felt embarrassed for a moment, but he continued. He was in his twenties now, after all… "That's what I want for my child, as well, when he or she comes into this world."

"Well, that may very well be a reality by the end of next year. Anyway, I've said what I want to say, so I won't keep you any longer." Hakuro gestured to the door. "It was good to see you."

Ed nodded and headed for the door. Once he was back in the hallway, he sighed. Too many memories…

---------------

"Ah, I'm so nervous about this…"

"Don't worry, Winry, it'll be fine. They're expecting us," Ed said for about the tenth time since leaving their hotel room.

"But what if they forgot?"

Ed sighed. Winry was really getting into a weird mood. Then again, it had been like that for at least a month or two now…

"Don't worry, they'll remember."

"But what if they don't?"

"Winry, even if they don't remember, how could they be upset at getting such a pleasant surprise as getting to see you again?" Ed said sweetly, wrapping an arm around Winry's waist as they walked up to the house.

"You mean it?" Winry asked, smiling hopefully at Ed as they walked up the front steps.

"Of course I do," Ed replied with a smile as he knocked on the door.

There was a loud noise from the other side, followed by a scolding voice that could only belong to Riza, and the door opened, revealing Kyle, Elizabeth, and a very frazzled Riza Hawkeye.

"Edward! Winry! You made it!" Riza smiled and grabbed the two wide-eyed children, one under each arm. The two squealed and giggled as they tried to get out of their mother's grasp. "Come on in!"

Ed let Winry go in first before following, and they followed Riza into the kitchen. Ed helped Winry sit down before watching as Riza let go of the twins. They stood and stared at Ed in awe.

"You two go play now, all right? And don't break anything."

The two nodded semi-fearfully in response to their mother's command and quietly walked out of the room. Riza sighed and sat down.

"I don't know what to do with those two. Honestly, their father would probably let them get away with murder."

Ed laughed. "So, which one's which?"

"The dark-haired one is Elizabeth. She got some gum stuck in her hair, so we had to do a haircut, and she refuses to wear any of the clothing that makes her look even slightly feminine. The light-haired one is Kyle."

Ed smiled. "You won't be able to use Elizabeth as a codename anymore."

Riza smiled as well. "Nope, but somehow I get the feeling I won't need to have a codename anymore."

"It's funny, though," Winry remarked. "I always thought that Mr. Mustang would name any son he had after Mr. Hughes."

Riza smiled sadly at that. "He wanted to, but I managed to convince him that 'Maes Mustang' didn't sound very good. I don't know where he came up with Kyle, but I think it fits."

"It does," Winry agreed before adding, "But what about middle names?"

Riza laughed. "Sorry, but their father has banned me from telling you their middle names until he gets home. I get the feeling he wants to tell you himself. But what about you?" Riza asked, nodding at Winry.

Winry blushed. "Well, if it's a boy, we're naming him Alphonse. If it's a girl…"

"Sarah," Ed finished. Winry nodded.

"I see," Riza said with a smile. "So, how is Alphonse?"

"He's fine," Ed said. "He's helping Mei Chan work things out in the Chan clan. I think in a few years they'll probably get together or something."

Winry groaned. "If she's going to be your sister-in-law, Al had better warn me when she comes to visit. That way I can avoid the two of you."

Everyone except for Ed laughed, but they were interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and closing. Ed looked over and saw Roy walk up to them.

"So, I guess you beat me here," Roy remarked as he sat down next to Riza. "Did you give it to her yet?"

Ed frowned for a moment before realizing what Roy was talking about. "Oh! Yeah, not yet…" Ed pulled the invitation out of his pocket and handed it to Riza. "We didn't know you two were together, so we had two…"

Riza read the card and smiled. "I'm sure we'll be there," she said, looking over at Roy with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

"Ah, yes… most likely…"

------------------

They chatted for a while longer about the plans for the wedding before Roy gave Riza a meaningful glance. Riza caught his meaning immediately, and she stood up and looked over at Winry. "Care to help me get the twins ready for dinner, Winry?"

Winry nodded. "Sure," she replied, and the two women left, leaving Ed alone with Roy. Roy sighed and walked over to the kitchen counter.

"You want coffee? I think I need it after today…"

Ed shrugged. "Sure."

Roy started the coffee-making process before sitting back down, across the table from Ed. "You never said what happened."

Ed sighed. He knew this would come eventually, so he unbuttoned his black shirt and pulled the fabric aside, revealing the red and black marks that still covered much of his left side.

"That bastard did another experiment on me and injected more of the stone that was in my father into my body. It's different from the first time, but I probably used up half the lives from that when we were fighting against Father. Then I was knocked out, and when I woke up…" Ed sighed again and turned his gaze to the table. "Al had a deep gash running from his elbow to the bottom of his ear, and our father was nowhere to be seen. Al said that something had happened… and so neither Father nor our own father survived."

Roy nodded. "What then?" he asked as he poured coffee for the two and gave one cup to Ed. Ed drank some before putting the cup down.

"We ran into Mei Chan when we got to the surface, and she healed Al, but he has a scar now, so he decided to grow his hair out a bit and wear collared shirts from now on. I called you after Al was okay, mostly because I didn't want to have to tell you he was hurt. And then I would have said more on the phone, but someone else needed to use it, and I didn't think it would be safe to stay in Central…"

"I see. What will you do now?"

Ed shrugged. "We'll probably live in Resembool, maybe build a house where my old one was and live there, or stay at Winry's home. Either way, Winry's going to continue with the automail business, and I'll probably help people out with alchemy. I can also use rentanjutsu, so I'll probably end up helping Winry with patients. We might end up opening a clinic as well as the normal automail business."

"Wow, you've got it all planned out, don't you?"

Ed shrugged. "Not really… so what are their middle names?"

Roy looked up at the staircase, from the top of which could be heard the noises of two toddlers getting ready for dinner with some special guests. "Elizabeth Jane, and… Kyle's middle name comes from a friend that I lost a few years ago."

Ed nodded in understanding. Hughes… "Elysia's definitely gotten bigger."

"So have you."

"Gee, thanks," Ed remarked sarcastically.

"It's true. I never thought you'd be close to my eye level, and yet here you are."

Ed sighed and leaned back in the chair. "Well, at least Winry won't have to deal with a husband who's shorter than her."

Roy laughed. "And you're even optimistic now! That's a good change."

Ed rolled his eyes. "You're starting to act like Hughes."

"You think so?"

"All that's missing is the stack of photos."

Roy sighed. "You know, we never really planned for this to happen. I never thought that we'd get the chance to live a peaceful life, get our own home, have children… After all we've done, we don't deserve to be this happy."

"But you're accomplishing your goals."

"So that the next generation doesn't have to live with the consequences of our mistakes."

Ed sat up in his chair and rested his arms on the table. "Well, I think it's good that you have kids. They're a part of the next generation, and they'll always remind you of your goals."

Roy smiled. "That's what I thought as well, and that's why I'm accepting our new life. What about you, though? You're obviously bad at keeping in touch with old friends, so are you going to name your child after someone around here so you don't forget to call every once in a while?"

Ed shook his head and laughed. "Oh, hell no. We want a name that sounds good, you know."

"What's wrong with Roy?"

"Roy Elric? No, it just wouldn't work. Besides, I don't think Roy would fit with a blonde, and I get the feeling that the baby's going to have light hair."

"Since when do you care about names fitting someone's looks or sounding good?"

"Since Winry told me to."

"See? You're not even married and you're submitting. I thought you were stronger than that."

Ed was about to retort when Winry and Riza came back downstairs, each with one of the twins in hand. "I thought we could eat outside tonight," Riza said. "It's nice enough."

"Sure, that sounds good," Ed replied.

They went outside, and Ed smiled when he saw the sun setting over the houses. It was good to be back.

----------------

Winry and Riza were enjoying the moments they spent together in the kitchen, discussing the finer details for the wedding. To Riza's surprise, Ed had made some very good plans. It sounded like it was going to be a wonderful day.

After a while, they went into the living room. The men and the kids were being conspicuously quiet. Riza and Winry stood in the doorway and both let out a resigned sigh when they saw what was in the living room.

Ed and Roy were sprawled out on the ground, each with one of the twins sleeping on them. Elizabeth was lying on her father's chest, and Kyle was draped over Ed's chest, his limbs spread in all directions and his hand in Ed's face.

"For some reason, I get the feeling Kyle's going to be a lot like his pillow," Riza said with a sigh.

Winry laughed. "Well, maybe that won't be so bad…"

Riza grabbed a couple of blankets from the couch and gently draped them over each pair. "Well, if they want to sleep on the floor, then they can sleep on the floor. Just don't expect me to give them sympathy when they wake up sore."

"Now why would I do that?" Winry asked, a smirk on her face. "Oh, and do you have a marker?"

---------------

Ed woke up early the next morning to the sound of giggling. He groaned and looked up to see Kyle and Liz standing right above him and staring at his face. Ed sat up and rubbed his head.

"What are you guys looking at?" Ed asked sleepily.

"You got whiskers!"

Ed stopped rubbing his head. "Come again?"

"Whiskers! Whiskers!"

Ed somehow managed to get to his feet and looked at his reflection in the mirror. Somehow, he had whiskers on his face. Drawn with what appeared to be permanent ink.

"Well, damn," came a voice from right behind Ed. Ed saw Roy standing behind him in the mirror and turned around.

"They got you too, huh?"

"No, not the twins. Someone else."

Ed could hear stifled laughter from the kitchen. "I see…" he muttered darkly.

"Eh, we'll let them enjoy their triumph. For now."

Ed raised an eyebrow. "Okay…"

"Besides, I already tried getting this off. I couldn't do it."

Ed sighed. "Oh well…"

Roy gave Ed a pat on the shoulder before walking through the kitchen and going out the back door. Ed rubbed at his face some before following, giving Winry a death glare as he passed by. Winry just smiled innocently as Ed went outside.

The sun was about to rise, and the sky was a rainbow of colors as the light hit the clouds on the horizon. Ed sat down next to Roy and watched as the sun rose above the houses in the area.

"What about the homunculi?" Roy asked.

Ed shook his head. "I wasn't there when it happened, but I've heard that Greed is the only one left."

"Greed? As in the one in Ling's body?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah, somehow the two agreed to work together, and Ling might be the new emperor of Xing."

"Is that so?"

Ed nodded. "You can ask Al about it sometime. He probably knows better than I do, since he's living there and all…"

"Speaking of which, how did you not know Riza and I were together? There was an article about it in just about every newspaper in the country. For some reason, we're now celebrities."

Ed shrugged. "We don't really get much news in Resembool. You know that."

"Al knew."

"Huh?"

Roy handed Ed an envelope, and sure enough, it was addressed to Roy, and Ed couldn't mistake his brother's handwriting. It was definitely a note of congratulations.

"Even people in Xing know about it," Roy said with a smirk.

"Eh, it's not worth reading the news. I figure if there's something important going on, I'll figure it out without having to read the paper."

Roy sighed. "You just don't care, do you?"

"Exactly."

Just then, Kyle ran through the kitchen and outside, laughing hysterically and only in his birthday suit. Seconds later, Riza's voice came from inside. "Kyle Edward Mustang, you get back here RIGHT NOW!"

Ed froze. Not only had Riza's scary voice returned at an unexpected time, but the name she had used… A friend that I lost a few years ago. Ed looked over at Roy, who smiled in embarrassment and ruffled Ed's hair with his right hand.

"I guess you're not lost anymore, right?" Roy asked.

Ed smiled, blinking back tears that seemed to come out of nowhere. "No, I'm not lost anymore. I'm exactly where I want to be."

Kyle paused for a moment and looked over at the two men. Then he smiled and ran off again. Ed looked up to see Winry standing beside him. She placed her hands on her stomach and smiled down at Ed. Ed smiled back and turned back to look at the sunrise. There really wasn't anything better than this moment. For the first time in ten years, Ed finally felt like his life would have a happy ending.

---------------

Yes, it seems rather cheesy to me, but the idea of Ed coming in a few years later and all this happening was what inspired me to keep going at some point in time, so you should be grateful! Without this chapter, I would definitely not have gotten updates and stuff as quickly because I wouldn't have been as inspired to keep going with it.

Also, isn't the last scene just priceless? It's this beautiful moment, and yet Ed and Roy both have cat whiskers and there's a nude child in the backyard. XD

And aw, it's over. D: I'm gonna miss writing this fic… oh well, that's what a possible new story is for, I'm gonna mix up stuff from my different fanfics, stuff that I wanna do but that wouldn't fit into any of the stories I've already put up, and most of it will be Forsaken Memories!Ed and Al visiting places they were at in the crossover fics and such, and possibly I'm Sorry!Ed and Al going through the Forsaken Memories timeline, and other random things like that.

So yeah, keep an eye out for that, it'll be good times. :D