Hello again, honorable readers! I must say, the inspiration for this story is staying longer than usual. Not that I'm complaining! Anyway, thanks to those who review last chapter. I hope I can keep it up!

EDIT: I changed the city name from Dublith to Rush Valley (Can't believe I mixed those two up...^////.////^;) Thanks Don't Call Me Short for pointing that out! (1/28)

Disclaimer: I, SakuraLetters, own nothing here but the plot and the baby. Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to the brilliant Hiromu Arakawa, not me. Carrie Underwood owns the song "Temporary Home", which provides the inspiration for this fic. Pre-chapter quotes come from the middle of the song.

Now, without further delay, on with the fic!

She's looking for a job, looking for a way out, 'cause a halfway house will never be home.

-"Temporary Home", by Carrie Underwood

Two weeks of being in Rush Valley.

Winry had no idea that balancing work and the full-time job of being a parent could be so difficult. She was extremely grateful that Paninya and Mr. Garfiel were more than willingly to look after the baby girl when Winry was taking care of a particularly nasty repair.

Erika, the name Winry had picked for the child, was an energetic, giggly ball of cuteness that made anyone who met her fall head over heels in love with her. The child just couldn't stay in one position for long; always fidgeting and looking around. Erika had inherited her father's impatience; any idiot could tell how frustrated the infant was with her limited mobility.

Mr. Garfiel had insisted that Winry and Erika were no burden at all, though Winry remained unconvinced. She had toyed with the idea of moving to Central and getting an apartment once she had enough money. She could even set up an auto mail shop there. Of course, she would have to wait until Erika was a little older, about three or so.

If she was being truthful, Winry would say that she was planning of it just to keep herself from hearing the comments made by less-than-understanding people. That was why Rachael was a godsend. A beautiful woman in her early twenties with a rambunctious toddler, Rachel was also a single mother. It was on that link that the women built their friendship.

"I told you, Winry, it's not that we're single, it's that we never married. The older generation can't fathom a woman having a child out of wedlock and then keeping the child. Think about it; most girls back then where married off about the time they could physically start having children. We weren't," Rachael explained as she rolled out the dough.

"I know, but it still makes me mad. People don't treat me the same anymore." Winry threw the lump of dough she was kneading down onto the wooden board. "I don't like how they all judge me or pity me."

"You feel like they're insulting Erika's dad, right?"

"Yes! Ed may not have been the best with emotions, but I just know he would have been happy to be a dad. Once he got over the initial shock and all. Could you hand me that rolling pin?"

Rachael handed the tool over without question. "I went through the same thing when James was killed. No one else knew—I was too distraught to say anything and he had no other family—and the whispers that went around and the looks I got before and after the birth were enough to almost shove me over the edge."

Rachael paused a moment, and grabbed a cookie cutter. "It took me four months to realize that it didn't matter what everyone else thought. They did not give birth to Jacob, nor were they responsible for raising him. It was all up to me. I decided right then and there that I would stop wallowing in self-pity and that I would do something productive with my life." Rachael firmly stamped the last free area of the dough, having been thoroughly stamping the crap out of it during her little speech. Winry was almost certain that there would be indents left in the counter. The smile on her friend's face, however, distracted the mechanic from that thought.

"You're lucky, Winry. Your personality simply refused to let you wallow like I did."

Winry thought back to the couple months she had holed up in her room, wishing Ed was there to help her out. "Remember that Ed isn't dead."

Rachael's smile faltered a bit, barely hiding the sorrow she felt for her friend. She was just too kind hearted to tell Winry that it was probably more likely that her daughter would never know her father like she did.

Rachael is one of those characters that really only exist to give the story a more real feel-not like the main characters are the only ones in the world. We will be hearing more from her, but I think from now on it might only be in the passing. It depends on where this story goes, I suppose.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

-SakuraLetters