Hello again! Sorry its taken me so long to post this. I just took the ACT and my brain is fried. I wasn't even able to finish the math section; four questions left unanswered! I won't even know my results for another five to eight weeks! Not to mention I've got Forensics coming up and I still have to memorize my monologue. Then I'm auditioning for the spring play at the end of the month, and I've got a booth at the craft show in March - raising money for my German class trip to Germany this summer! (And also to go to No Brand Con with my cousin and her anime club. The voice actor for Envy is going to be there! ^.^)

Anywho, enough of my rambling. On with the fic!

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.

This is our temporary home; it's not where we belong.

-"Temporary Home", by Carrie Underwood

Erika was a fast learner. Once she figured out the basics, she all but steamrolled through everything else. After a few weeks, Erika was speaking in complete sentences and only rarely mixed up words or grammar rules. (When she did, it was nothing short of comical to see her face immediately scrunch up as her mind attempted to work out what had gone wrong and correct it.) Currently she was trying to work out the mechanics of reading and writing. It never ceased to amaze Winry as she watched her daughter copy down the letters with the total concentration and seriousness one would use when diffusing a bomb. Of course, the letters meant nothing to her right now; to Erika, it was just another form of drawing.

The little blonde's talent with drawing was impressive. Just five months shy of two, Erika was working on fine-tuning her motor skills. Whenever her patience with the letters ran out, she would march into the shop and hoist herself up onto any available seat. Then she would devote herself to drawing whatever caught her eye first. Her favorite targets were flowers, followed by people. The customers would coo and giggle at the little girl, who completely ignored them unless she was drawing them. Then she would order them to hold still until she finished, her voice still full of the childish tone that only made anyone on the receiving end dissolve into giggles.

"If only mine were that quiet," a woman would sigh to her husband or a friend.

"Such a focused little runt, isn't she?" a boy would mutter to his friends, trying to disguise any pain he might still be feeling from the auto mail.

Of course, Erika always seemed to hear any comment pertaining to the term 'short', and react to it with all of the subtlety of her father. Needless to say, that boy was mindful of how he phrased his comments from that day forth.

No doubt that seeing her daughter grow made Winry smile like a fool, but she still felt that small yank on her heartstrings whenever Erika did something Ed-like. It was heart-breaking ironic that parent Erika took after most was the father she didn't know.

At night, when the crowd had died down and the world was preparing for a good night's sleep, Erika would set herself down in the living room and either draw or look through the albums. Sometimes Paninya would start up a silly little game with the toddler, which Erika would gladly take part in. Tonight, however, the pair had somehow gotten into a tickle war the likes of which Winry hadn't seen since she herself was knee-high.

"Aunt Paninya! That's no fair! I'm not as tall as you!" Insert childish giggles and shrieks of laughter.

"Come on, say it! Say it! I'll stop if you say 'uncle'!"

"Nuh-unh! No way!" Yet another shriek as Paninya lifted the one-and-a-half year old up off the floor.

"I know you wanna say it!"

"Ahaha—NEVER!"

"Alright then. Winry, is there any milk left?"

"NO! NOT MILK!"

"Say 'Uncle'!"

"NEVER!"

"Oh, Win-ry! Erika wants some milk! Could you get some?"

Winry smiled as yet another shriek of protest escaped from her daughter's mouth ("No Mommy! Don't listen to Aunt Paninya! I don' want milk!"). She entered the living room and almost burst out laughing at the sight. Erika was dangling upside down in Paninya's arms, flailing and laughing and loudly voicing her opinion of milk with as many adjectives as her limited vocabulary would supply. When Erika first noticed Winry, her beautiful golden eyes widened—her savior was here! Then she noticed the clear plastic cup in her mother's hands. Apple juice wasn't supposed to be white…

"NO MILK! UNCLE! UNCLE! UNCLE! NO MILK!"

"I win," Paninya said as she set Erika down.

"You cheated!" Erika threw on her best pouting face, although the effect was ruined by her still frequent giggles.

"All's fair in love and war, kiddo," Paninya replied as she ruffled the pouting blonde's hair. In retort, Erika stuck her tongue out.

"Don't stick your tongue out, Erika," Winry said with a smile as she set the milk down, "or a little birdie will come bite it."

"We're inside!" Erika's use of logic was as sharp as the paradigm-free mind of a child allowed it to be. A yawn quickly followed the comment, and Winry decided it was high time for Erika to hit the hay.

"I'm going to put Erika to bed, Paninya."

"Good night, kiddo."

"'Night, Aunt Paninya," Erika said with a yawn, snuggling into her mother's arms.

Winry made her way to the bedroom and flipped on the lights. The crib was rather plain—unpainted wood that was already chipped and scratched from decades of use by a variety of owners. Mr. Garfiel had been kind enough to let Erika use it. Winry set Erika on her bed and grabbed a pair of footie pajamas—red, Erika's favorite—from the dresser. After getting the toddler ready for bed, Winry gently set her in the crib.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, angel?"

"When are we going to that Central place?"

"Not a for awhile, sweetheart. Maybe not until you can start school."

"I like it here. Mister Garfiel and Aunt Paninya are nice." Erika was starting to dose off.

"Yes, but we can't stay here forever, sweetie. Now go to sleep. Sweet dreams."

"You (yawn) too, Mommy."

Wow, extra-long chapter this time. And we get to see Paninya! I don't know why, but I'm really hyper right now. Maybe it was because of all of that Dr. Pepper I drank. Ah well! Please review!

-SakuraLetters