Really super short, but hey it is an epilogue.

Takes place a year after the last chapter

Mei hugged her step-sister warmly. The new Empress smiled and hugged her back.

"You look wonderful, Mei!"

"So do you, Empress. How far along are you?" Mei asked, pulling away and staring pointedly at the bump that was slowly becoming visible beneath Lan Fan's robes.

"About four months. The midwives predict that he will be born in September."

"I'm so happy for you," Mei said honestly. The past year and half had done wonders for her and Lan Fan's relationship.

"And how are you an Alphonse? How have things been going?"

"Well the wedding planning didn't kill us. That was something we were both worried about. You would not believe how much coordinating had to be done to pull something like this together."

It hadn't even taken the full year for Mei to realize that she loved the Amestrian Prince just as, if not more, fully as he loved her. She had begged him to marry her in the ninth month of their time together and he had responded by kissing her like she had never been kissed before. The announcements were made that day and the wedding planning had begun. Now, three months of brutal planning later, they were getting married.

"I think I have an idea. It's not easy to arrange an Imperial Wedding after all."

"Yes, but at least you had a set location at the palace and only one country to invite."

"I would have thought that Amestris would have gotten priority in the wedding. He is their Prince."

"Yes, but I'm a Princess now, remember?" Lan Fan blinked once before nodded.

"Right. I had forgotten."

During the preparations for the wedding, Ling noticed a particular name on Mei's birth certificate. Her father, who she had always known to be a bastard son of a fifth generation posterity of an Emperor, was actually none other than the Emperor's brother, who had run from the palace life after his wife was killed in an assassination attempt, leaving him with only his daughter. Mei was sure that Daiyu had never known that, or she would have most certainly used it to her advantage.

Mei was hailed as a long lost niece of the Emperor and was everything they needed to permanently seal ties between the two countries of Xing and Amestris.

"It's hard for me to get used to, too," Mei said, sheepish. "Especially considering the way Step-mother used to treat me. She would haven't have dared done that if she had known."

"She would have used that to her best advantage if she had known."

"She would have. Have you… have you heard anything from her since?"

Lan Fan shook her head. "No. I haven't heard anything about her since that day. Ling did order that she'd be punished by death if she were to ever try to contact us again."

"You're right. I had forgotten that… Al was so mad when he found out the full extent of what she had done to me." He had been almost terrifying at first. She loves Al for his sweet temper and kindness, but when she had described her near servitude at the hands of her step-mother there had been a fire behind his gold eyes that almost made Mei shudder. He had also been mad at Lan Fan, but Mei had made him calm down after explaining the situation. While she couldn't say her step-sister had pure intentions, in fact far from, she had forgiven her. Not doing so would only be a burden later on in life. Especially since she was her cousin-in-law now.

"Yes… He is a wonderful man, Mei."

"He is. I love him. I really do."

"That's wonderful. You deserve him." Mei smiled at her step-sister.

"Thank you, Lan Fan… I would say you deserve Ling but that seems like more of an insult than a compliment." The Empress smiled and Mei laughed.

"Speaking of my cousin, do you know where Ling went? I still need to say hello to him."

"I do no—"

Then a blond came hurtling around the corner. His eyes locked onto Mei and he strode directly over to her, almost running.

"Would you like to dance?"

"What? Al—"

"Wonderful!" Then he grabbed her hand and waist and began to lead her in a spirited and lively dance away from the approaching Xingese Emperor who stared angrily at his friend before wrapping an arm around his wife's waist.

"Close call?" Mei asked, with a raised eyebrow as he twirled her under his arm down the hallway.

"Very close. I was half afraid he was going to start shoving photographs under my nose and make me eat them." Mei laughed and he did too.

"I'm serious!" he protested as they disappeared around a corner and stopped dancing, though he kept his hands around her waist. "I could have choked on them and would have missed my own wedding."

"We wouldn't that, now would we?"

He grinned. "No, no we wouldn't. I would want to deprive my fiancé of the chance to become Mrs. Elric."

"Your fiancé wouldn't want to be deprived of the chance."

"Good," he answered, bending down to kiss her. Mei smiled against his lips before kissing him back.

"Are you ready for tomorrow?" he asked, his face when he pulled away serious. Mei cocked her head to the side. "Are you read to get married?"

"Am I ready to live happily ever after?"

He smiled at her.

"Yes. Are you ready to live happily ever after with me, Mei Chang?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

"Happily Ever After it is, then."

Happy cute OTP fanfic day! Refuge From Darkness to go up on Sunday! I am also trying to get a LingFan fic up for Valentine's day if anyone's interested