Well, here's chapter 2. Please enjoy! ( 3

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA. That belongs to Arakawa-sama.

Winry Rockbell, walking home from the market, sighed worriedly. Her grandmother, Pinako, had been sick for some time now. Winry had no worries about the old woman's resolve. She sometimes felt that her grandmother was too stubborn for her own good. That was it, though, Pinako was an old woman, and her immune system wasn't what it used to be. Winry deeply wished her grandmother's health for several reasons. One, Pinako was the only one Winry had left in the world, besides her dog. Also, she thought to herself with a chuckle, Winry was getting pretty tired of making soup, though because it was for her grandmother, she supposed she could put up with it a little longer.

Reaching her home, Winry opened the door and stepped inside. A loud clanking announced Den's arrival, as he barreled into the room so quickly he almost crashed into Winry before he stopped completely. Laughing, Winry pat him on the head, then went into the kitchen, deciding that she could make soup for Pinako, then something else for herself. Now twenty years old, Winry no longer had the stocky build of a young child. She had thinned out in some places, and filled out in others, though she hadn't lost any of her strength to these changes. Still the automail prodigy, Winry could pretty much beat up anyone that tried to mess with her. Even Major Armstrong, though she couldn't possibly hurt him in any way, was on occasion slightly intimidated by her ferocity in fighting.

Sighing to herself, Winry tasted the soup and, seeing that it was ready, took some upstairs. When she got to her grandmother's room, however, she found her asleep, and because Pinako's illness rarely let her rest, she decided to leave her be. Not being particularly hungry just yet, Winry decided to take Den out for a walk, not that he actually did any walking. She always walked while Den ran off in all directions, chasing pretty much anything that moved.

Time passed, and before Winry knew it, the sun was starting to get low in the sky. Calling Den, she started to make her way back home. She hadn't gotten far, however, before a particular sunlit trail through the woods caught her attention. Deciding to take a little detour, she started down the path, admiring all the summer blossoms in the trees and bushes. Out of all the flowers she saw though, Winry was most astounded by what she saw when she reached the river.

A cherry tree, in full bloom, and far larger than any she had ever seen. Cherry blossoms had always been her favorite. They signified peace and happiness to her, though now they made her a little bit sad as well, for they reminded her of two friends to whom she had been unable to bring peace. She hoped that, wherever they were, they were safe and happy. She sighed, sitting down under the tree.

"I miss you guys." Winry mumbled out loud, making Den look up at her. "Why did you have to leave?" She didn't say anymore, though, leaning against the trunk of the tree, she began to hum to herself. The tune seemed sort of lonely and spoke of things long gone. She hadn't gone very far in the song, however, before she was interrupted by the ground below her beginning to tremble violently. Then she heard a sort of electrical sound, followed by a small explosion. It seemed to come from around a bend in the forest.

Starting towards the source of the sound cautiously, Winry tried to remember where she'd heard that sound before. About a foot away from the bend, she realized that was a transmutation she'd heard. When the realization hit her, a spark of hope fluttered somewhere in her heart, but she quickly dispelled it. It couldn't possibly be them, those who were friends and, at the same time, more than friends. It had been too long.

Den, faithfully following his human companion, almost ran into her when she stopped suddenly. Looking up, he saw what man describes as fear and doubt, but he did not understand. Not being a very brave sort of dog, Den stood just to the side and slightly behind Winry, waiting for her to make a move. When she did not, he did not. So they stood there, just behind the bend, not moving, not making a sound. Shortly, they heard voices. Even though Winry was the only one of the two who could understand them, both girl and dog recognized them. Den would have run towards the owners of the voices immediately, but Winry still didn't move, so he stayed put.

Around the bend, Ed and Al stood up, looking around disbelievingly at what they saw. Al, being the first to shake off the shock of both the explosion and of suddenly finding himself home, said, "Brother, this is-".

"Yeah.", Ed interrupted. "I know, Al."

"But how did we get back? Were we thrown through the gate again?" Al asked as they turned around, looking at the space in the air that only seconds before had held the glowing transmutation circle that they had come through. He was thoroughly perplexed by the situation.

Thinking for a minute, Ed said, "I don't think so. Remember, we're not originally from that world to begin with. I think the enormous force of the bomb exploding simply catapulted us back to our own world. And, because Envy never got the chance to make more bombs, we don't have to search for it anymore. And, because we never went through the gate, we also don't need to reseal it."

Al, realizing what his brother was hinting at, looked at him, and saw a small smile on his brother's face, confirming the hope that had hidden in his heart for more than two years. "You mean…." He began.

"Yeah, Al." Ed said, interrupting again, but Al did not care in the slightest. "We're home. And this time, it's for good."

Winry, who had been listening with bated breath the entire time, suddenly felt tears sliding down her face at these words. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out from behind the tree she had been standing by, looking at her dearest friends for the first time in almost three years. Seeing that they were turned facing the other way, she tentatively walked forward a few steps. Stopping a few feet away, she paused, and then said, almost in a whisper, "Guys?"

Hearing the small, yet unmistakable voice, the two boys whirled around, to see Winry. Standing there, with a huge smile and tear-streaks on her cheeks, the very first person they wanted to see, Winry Rockbell. Ed, not quite believing what he was seeing, stared at the girl before him. So much had seemed to change, in so short a time. Winry no longer had any sort of childlike frame of body about her person. She had clearly become a young woman and, though it almost made Ed blush to even think it, a very pretty woman at that. Al, having no such thoughts about someone so much older than him, immediately started forward, slowly at first, but picking up speed until he was running full pelt towards her. Ed, not wanting to seem awkward, simply copied his brother. Winry just stood where she was, waiting for her friends to reach her. Al, still very childish sometimes, practically knocked her to the ground with his hug. Ed would have hugged Winry too, but for one little hitch. Den, who had followed his companion, got caught up in the excitement and, seeing Ed first, jumped on top of him, actually knocking him over.

Laughing, Ed sat up; the other two joining in as the dog ran circles around them and barking like crazy. Ed, suddenly seeing a hand extend in front of him, looked up to see Winry, offering her hand and smiling at him. Jokingly she said, "Alright, Ed. It's time to stop playing in the dirt."

Chuckling, Ed accepted her offer to help him up off the ground. The first thing Winry noticed as he stood up in front of her was that she had to tilt her head up in order to look into his face. "Ed! You're actually taller than me!" she exclaimed for two reasons. One, she was indeed surprised by his newly found height. And two, she wanted to see how he would react.

Ed, far too happy to be home to notice the jibe, simply replied, "Yeah. I guess it just took a little longer for me to grow. But you'll need to help me out with something."

"Huh? With what?" Winry said, perplexed.

Some distance away, a shadow was hiding in the trees, listening to the sounds of the people talking. Chuckling to itself, the shadow leaned lightly into the light, revealing itself too be Envy. Thinking of a way to mess with his enemy's minds, he began to change shape. His hair, becoming shorter, seemed to braid itself as it turned a golden blond. His eyes also became a golden color, and his right arm and left leg, in a flash of light, changed into what looked like automail, but was only the extent of his abilities. Envy, in his Edward Elric disguise once again, changed his voice and, running out toward the others, started yelling in Ed's voice, "Get away from him! He's really Envy disguised as me!" Stopping just short of the real Ed, he nailed him right in his left cheek. Not bothering with words, Ed returned the favor. Instantly, they picked up right where they left off. Only this time, Envy had no gun.

Looking utterly lost, Al and Winry both just watched, helpless to do anything, until Winry came up with an idea. Pulling out her trusty wrench, she walked towards the two. Al thought this was very brave, since it was fairly obvious that one of them was Envy, who wouldn't hesitate to kill her. Approaching the boys, she readied her wrench.

Ed, seeing the dreaded tool coming, instantly tried to get away. Years of getting pounded to a pulp by that accursed thing had produced almost an inborn fear of it. Envy, not having any experience with this, paid no heed. Therefore, he was the one who got at least three lumps on his head, while Ed got away unscathed.

"Alright," Winry said in an authoritative voice. "I'll be figuring out who 's the real Edward, and you two will sit there and behave, or else!" she finished, raising the wrench threateningly. Ed, still nervous about being clobbered, flinched slightly. Noting this, Winry ordered, "Take off your boots, both of you!"

Ed instantly complied, and his shoes were lying on the ground in record time, while Envy, still posing as Ed, followed at a more leisurely pace. Seeing both of their feet, Winry notice that, though one boy's automail leg was a few inches too short, the other's was exactly the right length. Smiling, Winry pointed to the Ed on her right, and declared "You are the real Elric!"

"Damn you!" the boy on her left yelled. Surging upward, he ran at her, transforming back into Envy as he did so. Grabbing her by her hair, he yelled, "How did you know!? Tell me!"

Though in pain, Winry calmly replied, "Ed's automail is too short, I already know that there is none in the other world, so no one but me would be able remove his automail or refit it. Al!" she yelled suddenly. Envy, still processing what she had said, felt a fist ram into the top of his head, causing him to let go of Winry and drop to the ground, stunned. Al stood over him, glaring, while Winry massaged the spot where her hair had been pulled. Ed, his shoes on his feet once more, ran up to Winry to see if she was alright. As Al joined them, Envy jumped up and, before anyone could react, ran off. Ed, starting after him, felt a hand on his shoulder stop him. Looking around, he saw Winry shake her head, saying, "Don't bother. There's no place left for him in this world. For now, let's just go home."

At the words 'go home', both Al and Ed just felt so happy and content at that they couldn't even argue. Ed, though he sighed heavily, said, "Alright. But can you start fitting me up for some new automail? You have no idea how uncomfortable it is walking around with uneven legs." After Winry agreed, all four of them, three people and a dog, made their way home in the fast fading twilight.