August 4th, 1979

"Look at you," Winry cooed, smiling at her great-grandson as Yurian sat on a blanket in her garden, holding himself completely upright and blinking and smiling as he looked at the flours. "Yes, aren't you a big boy? Sitting up all by yourself. At this rate you'll be crawling by five months."

"And into everything by six," Deanna chuckled, sitting cross-legged on the blanket beside them.

"Where they stay for a long time," Winry smiled and waved the little teething toy Yurian was reaching for in front of him before handing it over. He was just starting to teethe. Soon, they could start him on baby cereal. Such a sweet baby, Winry thought. He looked a lot like Urey, but he had Cayla's pale blue eyes.

"Decades," Deanna replied, looking up from her book.

In the pool, Edward and Reichart were playing around with the kids, ostensibly giving swimming lessons, though Winry thought it looked more like a game of water tag. It probably was. The laughter and splashing were happy sounds on a hot august afternoon.

"Man, that water looks good!"

Winry looked up to see Ted, lean and strong, in nothing but his swim trunks, standing behind her, his hands resting easily on his hip bones. He really did look a lot like Ed had at that age. Almost as much as Ethan had. "So I see you finally decided to put down the books and enjoy summer." She knew he was planning to take the State Alchemy exam in the spring right around his eighteenth birthday, and Ted was taking it very seriously.

Ted shrugged and grinned at her. "Well I can't study every minute of the day. And it's really hard to focus when everyone else is out here splashing around." Then he turned to the pool, bellowed "Look out below!" and took off, cannon-balling into the deep end.

Yurian giggled.

"Hey, watch it!" Reichart laughed, blocking the wave with his arms, so it lessened before it lifted the littler kids too much. Cailean, who was floating with his arms on an inner tube, laughed.

"You're in for it now, squirt!" Ed bellowed, vanishing under water. Several seconds later, water erupted from the pool under Ted, half launching him across the length of it.

"No alchemy!" Ted sputtered as he regained footing.

"Who used alchemy?" Ed grinned smugly as he surfaced. "Better keep alert."

Ted pushed his bangs out of his face, though with his shorter hair that didn't take much. "Then you'd better look out yourself," he grinned, and dove under.

"Art!" Deanna called out.

"Don't worry, I've got them." Reichart had already pulled Cailean and the other two to the far side of the shallow end. He grinned at his wife. "Relax."

"That's what I'm doing," Deanna pointed out, holding up her book.

"Ed! Keep it to a dull roar, okay?" Winry shouted.

A miniature tidal wave died mid formation. "Yes, dear."

"The military's lucky they won't have both of those two at once," Deanna smiled.

"One Edward Elric at a time is more than enough," Winry agreed, though she didn't think they would have as much trouble with Ted as the original. "At least Ted is more even tempered."

"They should be more worried about the girls in Central," Deanna nodded. "He doesn't look like a kid anymore."

"No, he doesn't." Winry could just imagine what the girls would do with a boy who looked that good, and knew how to flirt. "I hope he keeps out of trouble outside of work. I don't expect him to stay out of trouble working for the State."

"It'll be his job to get in to trouble." Aldon's voice came from behind them.

Winry turned around and smiled at her son. "You're done with work early! Come to join us?"

Aldon nodded. "Yeah, I finished my meetings and calls." Something about his tone caught her attention.

"Any news?" she asked softly.

Aldon shook his head as he came down the stairs. "No. Still nothing."

Ed had called the investigations department nearly a month before and set them to helping find Urey, when it became clear that he wasn't returning home in a few days, and he hadn't called. But Urey had been gone for two months now without a word, and without any leads aside from verifying he hadn't gone anywhere they could talk to someone who knew him, and he hadn't even left Resembool by train. The stationmaster hadn't seen him.

"They'll find something," Winry said, hoping she sounded positive. Given time, she was sure that they would find Urey. She just wished it would be sooner rather than later. A tug on her sleeve made her look back down at her great-grandson. Cassie was working her shift at the hospital, and Winry had been more than happy to take care of him. Yurian was such a sweet little boy. If Urey would just spend time with him, she was sure he would want to be with his son.

Aldon dropped down on the ground next to them with a heavy sigh, the strain of the past two months evident in his face. "If they even had some idea of which direction he went, it would be something. Or if he'd just call us."

"He's out there somewhere," Deanna said with hopeful patience. "He came to the dairy every day for almost two months before he vanished. He has to be working somewhere, if he's eating."

"We just need a real lead." Winry nodded. If nothing else, they could count on Urey not being willing to starve. "Now why don't you tell me what the Ladies' Rotary Club wanted with you?"

Aldon groaned. "They wanted my opinion on what food they should offer for the bake sale they want to hold to raise money to fix up the front of the town hall… and they brought samples."

"I take it you're not hungry then?" Winry suggested with a soft smile at Aldon's look of dismay.

Her son waved her off. "No. But I'm beginning to understand why most mayors seem to be bald and fat if they've been in office long."

"Maybe you should get in your shorts and go for a swim." Winry gestured to where Reichart, kids safely out of the way, had joined in the tussle with Ted and Edward.

Aldon watched them for a moment. "Yeah, I think I will."

September 10th, 1979

Ian tried not to hurry out of his costume too fast at the end of filming, but he was in a little bit of a rush. Ethan had made sure to invite him to Eamon and Lily's first High School orchestra concert. He hadn't been hugely interested in them when he had been a student at Central High, but he was honestly looking forward to seeing his younger cousins perform. They had both continued with music lessons even after their other grandmother had moved back to South City, and branched out from just piano. Eamon was now playing saxophone, and Lily the clarinet.

"Careful, you'll drop that," one of the wardrobe staff cautioned as she darted in, catching the jacket before it slid off the hanger.

"Sorry," Ian apologized, honestly abashed. "I didn't mean to. It's a really fabulous jacket."

"Thanks," she smiled at him as Ian turned, and he recognized Bonnie. He'd seen her on a few of his films, and she had worked on Amestris High.

"You designed it?" he realized.

"Yeah, I did."

Ian smiled. "Well it's the best fit I think I've ever had. So, thanks. Sorry, I'm going to be late for my cousins' concert."

"Then go," Bonnie shooed him, turning around to hang up the coat.

Ian left wardrobe, and hurried across the back lot to the gates, where his Aunt Sara had promised to pick him up on her way to the concert.

The car was waiting at the curb, and Ian hopped in the back since his aunt and uncle took up the front seat. "James isn't coming?" he asked, noting his cousin's absence.

"He's going there straight from HQ," Sara explained as Franz pulled the car out into traffic. "He had to finish up some paperwork before they'd let him go."

"Sounds like riveting work," Ian commented dryly.

Franz chuckled. "Paperwork usually is. I'm just grateful Rehnquist actually does his in a timely fashion."

"And Breda didn't?" Sara asked.

"Well he was far better than Mustang," Franz conceded. "James is diligent enough, he'll get it done. They always make the new guy in the office do a lot of the work right off; teaches them how to keep up when things get busy. They'll ease off on him in a few months, or when they get someone newer than he is."

The conversation went from types of paperwork in investigations and James' work and eventually made its way back around to music and that evening's concert.

"I hope the rest of the orchestra is as good as Eamon and Lily are," Sara commented as they parked and got out. "Or we're in for a painful evening."

"Hey, at least we won't be the embarrassed family in the room," Ian pointed out with a grin. "We can be the ones who hoot and holler at the end and be proud of their talent."

"That's the way to think," Ethan grinned as they converged on the door at the same time. "Eamon and Lily are already in there warming up."

"So let's get seats!" Lia beamed, not-quite dragging Ethan through the door with Aeddan on their heels.

The eight-year-old did not look thrilled. "Do I have to listen?" he asked, in a voice that just managed to be short of a whine.

"That's part of being a brother," Ian grinned at his younger cousin. "Tell you what; you can sit next to me, okay?"

"Really?" Aeddan's face lit up. "Okay!"

Ian slipped into the middle of the family swarm as they moved inside, keeping his head slightly down. It didn't help that he was taller than everyone except Franz. The last thing he really wanted was for too many people to recognize him. There were plenty who wouldn't bother the family out in public, but he wasn't so sure about half the girls currently attending the school, or their older sisters. Tonight was about Eamon and Lily, not a signing opportunity.

He slipped into a seat next to Aeddan, as promised, and between his sets of aunts and uncles, which would minimize any potential insanity, even when he was recognized. It was doomed to happen. His whole family was rather high profile, he was just stuck being the celebrity.

Ian relaxed as the lights went down, the audience quieted, and the curtain opened. From the opening notes, he knew this was going to be more enjoyable than the Middle School version he had attended at the end of the previous school year. Eamon and Lily, both being in the top set of chairs in their sections, were visible in the front rows. This, he had learned from them both, was the audition-only orchestra. The school had an open-to-anyone orchestra and a marching band as well.

They performed several numbers of varying levels of difficulty and Ian found himself enjoying it as he recognized several classic pieces, as well as one jazz piece he knew Cal was particularly fond of –and he heard it often if he was over at Cal and Alyse's house- and then one that was the theme from a movie he liked. Musical scores were something he actually enjoyed, since he never got to hear the ones in his own films until they were put together. It was fun to see what the composers did with them.

He grinned as Aeddan sat through it, paying more attention than Ian would have expected given his earlier fidgeting. "Pretty cool, huh?" he asked between numbers, while the audience was applauding.

"Yeah, it is," Aeddan agreed.

"Here we go," Lia breathed as things got quiet again, and Ian made sure to pay particular attention. In the final number, Lily had a Clarinet solo.

It had struck Ian recently that both his cousin and his little sister, being the same age, were turning into women instead of girls. Watching Lily, looking particularly mature and composed in the black skirt and hose and white blouse of the orchestra uniform, he was far more aware of it. Lily was not a little girl. She was a very good looking high school freshman. I hope Uncle Ethan is ready with the offensive alchemy.

She was very good musically too. It was not at all difficult to come to his feet at the end of the piece, as the audience gave the orchestra a standing ovation.

"Let's go around backstage and meet them," Ethan said softly as they all filed out.

"I'm not going to cause a scene am I?" Ian asked, aware of a few eyes on him as the crowd pressed towards the exits except for parents.

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Lia smiled knowingly. "No one messes with the teachers."

Ian grinned. "No one would believe you're the mean teacher Aunt Lia."

"Not mean," Ethan corrected. "Just intimidating."

They made it backstage without any incidents, and it only took a minute to find Eamon and Lily, who had both finished putting away their instruments. Lily, he noticed, was chatting with several other band members, three of whom happened to be older boys.

Ethan started toward her, but Ian stepped up. "Can I handle this one?" he asked, almost eagerly.

Ethan gave him a startled look, but nodded. "Go for it."

Ian strode right up to the group. "Lily, that was incredible, cuz!" he beamed, speaking loudly enough to interrupt the general conversation.

Lily looked up immediately, and smiled. "Ian! You came!"

"Of course I did," he stepped right through the slightly stunned group of kids to give her a big hug. "That solo was great. Sounded just like the original score. Good work, everyone," with the last he turned to include the rest of the band, one arm still protectively around Lily, but just for a second. "I really enjoyed it."

The girls looked like they might faint with joy. The boys looked like their tongues were glued to their mouths.

Good. "Well, I hate to steal my cousin and run," he said, "But I think Uncle Ethan was saying something about a celebratory dessert. Are you ready, Lily?"

"Oh, yeah." Lily picked up her clarinet case. "I think Eamon's already over there."

"Great. Well, nice to meet you," Ian smiled at the crowd and herded Lily off because they could regain their voices.

"What were you doing?" Lily whispered as they walked towards the door.

So she was smart enough to realize he was doing it on purpose. Ian was impressed. "Giving your female friends a treat, and making the boys think twice."

"They're not bad guys, Ian," she commented, sounding slightly annoyed.

"And this will help keep them that way. Trust me. You're too good for most of the guys here. It just gives them a little extra something to think about if they think they might piss me off too. They're probably more afraid of angering a movie star than your Dad."

Lily's expression turned thoughtful. "You're right, and that's not a bad thing."

Ian grinned. "Glad you see things my way."

October 20th, 1979

The uncaring gray sky pressed down from above, threatening rain. It began to spatter against the windshield of the vehicle, and on top of his hat. Not that he cared. His mind was not on his work, now that shift was ending. It was back in the empty apartment. The sky growled louder than the pit of his stomach. Both would soon be quenched, when he was done. He was nearly done, he was sure of that.

"Hey, see you tomorrow," his co-worker said as he hopped into the truck.

Urey nodded, but said nothing.