August 19th, 1955

It was early morning when Edward and Aldon started on the huge play area that Aldon had designed, while the weather was still reasonably cool. Ed was glad he had brought a couple of sleeveless tank tops with him. It had been a while since he'd been in the southern heat.

Aldon gave him a startled look when Ed first came out of the house. "Wow."

"What?" Ed looked back at him evenly, confused. "Did I forget something?" He couldn't look that different. He had been wearing the same clothes for years when it came to grubby work. His son was wearing similar clothing. Ed's hair was finally long enough to pull back into a short tail, though it was too short to make a proper braid out of yet. Maybe it was that? The last time he and Aldon had seen each other Ed's hair had been too short to pull back.

But Aldon shook his head and gestured toward Ed's arm. "I mean that."

Ed glanced down at his shoulder and then snorted. "That? You know about it," he scoffed when he realized Aldon meant the tattoo.

Aldon shrugged and smiled. "Yeah, you told me. I just hadn't seen it since you asked Cassie to do that drawing. It was hard to actually picture it on you or Uncle Al you know? But it fits."

Ed smirked. "You sound surprised."

"If Sara or I had ever asked for something like that you'd have skinned us alive," Aldon pointed out, though he was obviously teasing his father.

Ed grinned back. "How do you know? You never asked."

"We wanted to live to eighteen," Aldon countered. "And if you hadn't killed us, Mom would have."

"Now that's probably true," Ed conceded. He had been surprised enough when Elicia and Winry agreed to the brothers' request. He picked up a hammer as he waited for instruction. Aldon had already marked the place out and, in truth, had already sunk the major beams that were the support structure, and put the largest of the platforms into place so that there was a sturdy structure to build on. That was good; Ed wouldn't have been much help with that.

"Does it help?" Aldon asked as he sorted out the wood they would need and gestured to where they ought to begin. "I mean, remind you?"

"Every time I see it," Ed replied, moving into position and picking up nails and pieces according to the plans Aldon had shown him. As if he could forget his guilt now. "And every time I look at your mother."

"I'm glad you're here, you know, together," Aldon smiled. "We were glad to have Mom here for a while but it was hard to help and not, well, meddle. Everything seemed okay when we came to visit for Sara's wedding of course, but sometimes it's hard to tell."

"You're our son. You of all people have the right to meddle as much as necessary," Ed replied. "It's nice to come for a visit that doesn't involve crawling up here with my tail between my legs."

Aldon chuckled. "So you're really okay now."

Ed nodded. "Things were pretty rough there for a while, but yeah, we're okay. I've told you this on the phone."

"Yeah, but it's good to hear it in person and see you smile when you say it." Aldon replied then smirked a little. "And the way you look at each other."

"Too much?" Ed asked curiously. He normally didn't pay any attention to what other people thought of his actions when he was just going about his daily life.

Aldon shook his head. "Reassuring; it's like when I was a kid."

Ed felt mildly embarrassed. "We should get to work on this thing or we'll never get it finished."

Aldon nodded, smiling as they did just that.

September 5th, 1955

College was, for the most part, what Ethan had been expecting. He went to classes, did the work, ate when he was hungry, slept when he wasn't wrapped up in something interesting, and occasionally hung out with his friends in the house. He just did his thing and set his own routine outside of scheduled classes, much like he had at home.

It wasn't exactly the same of course. His mother wasn't there to nag him about the state of his room, but she also wasn't there to make sure his laundry got folded and put away if he worked late and barely got it cleaned, and there wasn't a refrigerator of leftovers if he accidentally worked through a meal. Ethan missed his folks. He had called Resembool a couple of times with general news, and the exciting fact that Lia was there, and just because he missed his family and wanted to hear their voices.

It was also difficult finding a workout partner. Ethan sparred with Will pretty regularly, though his cousin seemed nearly as wrapped up in his own projects as Ethan was, if not more so with the stress of being only a couple of semesters from finishing weighing down on him. Will was likely to beg off and hole up in his room given the opportunity. Other than Will, he had found that there was a wrestling team – and a combative arts club – on the campus and while none of the guys in either group could really match Ethan, they made a decent work out. The wrestling coach had looked like he was going to laugh when Ethan had first asked to do a session with them. Given how short and lean Ethan was even compared to the lightweights he understood why, but by the end the man had been begging him to join the team. Ethan had declined politely.

The one person he probably spent the most time with – when he wasn't up to his ears in textbooks – was Lia. As much as they had written back and forth over the years, it felt as if a lifetime had passed and yet no time at all. He quickly got over the shock of how different she looked. He wasn't exactly a little kid anymore either. They picked up where they left off, and it was as natural as it ever had been. She was someone he could still talk to about just about anything. Ethan never asked about the guy she went to prom with. Whatever that had been, she never mentioned him so it obviously hadn't lasted or been particularly serious.

Lia wanted to be a teacher and Ethan thought that was great; he had always respected and liked most of his teachers. He also thought that, given how patient, personable and good she was with people she would be great at it. What had surprised Ethan most though, was when Lia asked if she could join him for his morning workouts. He got up every morning at five – no matter how late he went to bed – and worked out for two hours. Usually this was something he did on his own and it usually involved general fitness training and a long run. Given the amount of time he spent sitting still and studying, he had to get out sometime or he would have gone crazy. The occasional practices with the wrestling team and sparring sessions with Will just didn't cover it. It was nice to have company, particularly when company was Lia in a tank top and shorts. Ethan did his best not to stare, especially the first time she showed up, but it was a challenge!

Even from a distance, Lia had been supportive, caring, someone he could talk to. When his parents had split for a while, she had been the only one to whom he poured out his whole heart. As much as he could talk to his family there were many fears and doubts that only Lia had ever been told.

She hadn't brought any of that up since they had run into each other again. He had kept writing her even after he found out she had gone to the Prom with some guy. They were friends, and nothing interfered with that. Or at least, that was what he kept telling himself.

Not that Ethan spent a lot of time contemplating these things. It was easy to get caught up in his studies, and it was just safer to stay that way.

Ethan's new friends thought he was pretty cool, but really, Colt thought, they just did not understand the guy sometimes! What was the point of going off to college if all he was going to do was study? Sure, they all worked hard in their classes, but he and Lance both found Ethan's study habits a little excessive.

What frustrated them both most was the fact that Ethan rarely wanted to go out to parties and even when he did he usually ended up doing something totally unhelpful like doodling alchemy circles on napkins, but when he came along, the girls seemed to flock to their group! Both he and Lance scored more dates when Ethan turned girls down than any other luck they had on their own.

Then there was that whole thing with Lia. At least to Colt it was blatantly obvious that the girl was interested in Ethan and that any sane guy would be nuts not to notice her. He was convinced that Ethan was into her even if the guy refused to admit it. It was so obvious that it was painful to listen to Ethan insist that Lia was just a friend, given his reactions to any suggestion of someone else asking her out were met with what – in Colt's opinion – were definitely over-reactionary responses (and not at all friendly or brotherly).

The two guys were hanging out in the floor lounge that evening after dinner when the now familiar blonde head poked into the room. "Hey guys," Lia smiled casually. She was always nice to them. "Where's Ethan?"

"The walking brain?" Lance chuckled. "In his room lost in a book. Where else would he be?"

"Well you never know," Lia shrugged. "He missed dinner again, so I thought he might be hungry." As she stepped further into the room Colt realized the girl had actually brought up Ethan's meal. This wasn't the first time either. Just friends indeed.

"Good luck getting in," Lance replied. "He's got the thing locked; something about a test in Medical Sciences tomorrow."

"Oh I think I can handle it," Lia winked at them and vanished.

"You think she'll get in?" Lance asked.

Colt shrugged. "If anyone can, it's her. I couldn't even get him to acknowledge my existence." He had knocked and yelled through the door earlier to remind Ethan that it was dinner time before they had gone on without him.

Curious, they both got up and went to the entrance, peering down the hall as Lia knocked on the door. "It's me."

Colt figured he should not have been surprised when the door opened just a few seconds later and Lia vanished inside.

"It's always a girl."

Colt glanced over at Lance and nodded his agreement before they both went back to their seats and their drinks. Ethan was definitely a hopeless case and it was unreal how devoted Lia was to a guy who refused to admit his interest. It was just sad to lose such a great babe magnet with so many opportunities to a girl so early in his college career!

September 11th, 1955

"So what should we do this weekend?" Ethan asked Lia as they walked across campus between classes. It was a lovely early fall Thursday. The leaves had started changing colors and he could wear a jacket comfortably without feeling overly warm.

"You mean assuming I can pry you away from your books?" Lia teased, walking beside him in dark green pants and a pale green sweater, her books clutched in her arms. "It might be fun to go hunt through that old antique mall in town, or take a hike or something."

Ethan knew the antique mall. Old things intrigued him, even if he wasn't as into browsing through them for hours as so many women seemed to be. There were several used bookstores there though, so that could be interesting. A hike in the woods, outside the city, would be nice too. "We have a couple of days," he smiled, "We could do both." He preferred those kinds of activities to Cole and Lance's usual bar-trolling ideas. That was something they only did on the weekends thank goodness. He was sometimes surprised that both of them managed to be passing their classes with better-than-average marks.

"Then we should," Lia agreed, "While the weather is still good and classes aren't too demanding. I'm still amazed I got an A on that last Composition paper."

"Well I'm not," Ethan replied. Lia was an excellent student, especially in classes like Amestrian and History, which were the areas she primarily wanted to teach.

Lia smiled warmly at him. "Thanks, Ethan."

The look in her eyes was more than just happy. Ethan tried not to be too obvious as he looked away for a moment, embarrassed. It only took a moment before he was actually distracted by something though. A familiar form walking not far away that he hadn't expected. "Renxiang?" he blurted out without thinking. There was no reason to assume that the definitely Xingese girl walking away to his left was the one he actually knew. Besides, he had only seen Ren in Xingese attire, and this girl was wearing slacks and a silk blouse, both in shades of reddish-purple.

But the figure paused and turned, and the lovely young woman who looked back was definitely Renxiang Xian, and she clearly recognized him. Her eyes lit up and she immediately changed direction. "Ethan! It's a pleasant surprise to find you here," she chuckled as she joined them. "I take it this is your first semester?"
"Yep," Ethan nodded, grinning broadly. "How long have you been in Amestris?" He felt bad that they hadn't written nearly as often as he would have liked, but postal services between the two countries were still not extremely fast, despite the vast improvements.

"I transferred here last spring," Ren admitted. "I didn't realize you would be attending here as well."

Ethan shrugged, chuckling. "And I didn't know you would be. It's great to see you. We should definitely meet up and do alchemy sometime. I've got so many questions now that I have some idea of what I'm doing!" He had gotten so far under Mei's tutelage, and he missed that access to first-hand knowledge of medical alchemy.

Ren's quiet smile never faded. "That would be wonderful. I look forward to seeing what you have learned. You are in the medical program too then."

Ethan nodded. "First semester, though if you go by credit hours I'm a sophomore. I took a lot of classes back home."

"Excuse me."

Ethan paused with his mouth open to continue when he remembered Lia standing beside him. Embarrassed, he stepped over a little to include her in the conversation. "Ren, I'd like you to meet Lia Swanson. Lia, this is Renxiang Xian."

The brief flash of irritation on Lia's face changed to recognition. Ethan knew he had mentioned Ren in his letters from and about Xing. "Oh! It's nice to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine," Ren replied, having apparently missed the glance. "Ethan spoke highly of you when we met last."

"Did he?" Lia looked at Ethan for a moment, and he had to wonder what was behind that unreadable expression. What was the big deal?

Ethan shrugged it off. "Anyway, we definitely ought to talk. What are you doing this weekend? You want to hang out Friday night maybe? We were going to the Pub."

"I would like that," Ren replied. The clock tower began to chime the hour. "I'm afraid I must go. I have a meeting. See you then!"

Ethan watched Ren head off at a pace that was quick, yet managed to look unhurried. He wondered if that was a trait of being raised and trained in the Imperial family. Ren looked even more like her mother than she had at sixteen. He turned back to Lia and found her frowning at him. "What?" he asked puzzled.

"Were you going to ask me before inviting her to join us?" Lia asked simply.

Oh. Ethan felt his face flush. "I didn't think about it," he admitted.

"Obviously."

"What's wrong?" Ethan asked, worried he had somehow insulted Lia. "I mean, it's not like we were planning anything she couldn't join us for Friday evening. She's an old friend and I just wanted to catch up and talk alchemy with someone who actually understands what I'm talking about." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"This is about alchemy?" Lia asked after a long moment.

"Well yeah," Ethan smiled. "Her mother was my Teacher in Xing. Ren studies the same kind of alchemy I do, and medicine. Besides," he added as the thought came to him. "I thought I ought to introduce her to Will."

"Will?" Now Lia looked confused.

Oh definitely Will. "Yeah, somehow I think they'd really hit it off," Ethan smirked. He remembered when he got back from the Xing trip and got his photos developed; Will had taken quite an interest in the pretty Xingese girl in the pictures. Ethan was definitely curious to see what Will's reaction would be to her in person!

For some reason, Lia seemed to relax immediately. "Well then, by all means, in the name of social experimentation we should definitely see what happens."

Ethan was glad she wasn't still mad, but he couldn't help wonder exactly what had irritated Lia so much in the first place. She was usually so easy going.

September 12th, 1955

Ethan got his chance to talk to Will the next morning. "Hey Will!" Ethan knocked at his cousin's door at six a.m. when Will hadn't shown up at five-thirty. They were scheduled to spar today, but he got no response. He tried the door; it wasn't locked so he opened it and went inside.

The room was dark, lit only by the cracks coming in around drawn curtains. It was enough to see Will crashed out on his bed, still half clothed, but half-wrapped in his blankets. Ethan shook his head. "Come on, cousin! You said we were going to work out this morning."

Will groaned in acknowledgement. "Take a rain check."

"It's a beautiful morning." Ethan smirked unsympathetically.

"I was up until four working on that paper," Will countered.

"You wouldn't have been if you hadn't been at the party until eleven."

"Shut up, smart-ass. My head is killing me."

"Don't tell me you're hung-over." Ethan had to admit he hadn't considered the possibility. Will wasn't exactly the party animal type, but last night's all-Arc-House party had been pretty raucous and after a lot of hard tests in subjects most of his house mates were currently suffering through. It had been a co-ed party with Sylvan. Ethan had chatted with Lia for a bit then vacated for homework and had been in bed by eleven.

"I'm not," Will sighed, his face still buried in his pillow, "Barely; just dead tired. You're never going to let me live this down if I don't spar with you are you?"

"It'd make great blackmail sometime," Ethan teased.

Will finally rolled over. "Please don't tell my folks…. Or yours."

Ethan stopped teasing. "I wouldn't do that, Will. Besides, what would be the point? Everyone needs a break sometimes."

Will snorted. "Well that's irony coming from you, the study freak."

Ethan's cousin was sometimes too hard on himself when it came to his studies. As much as folks teased Ethan for always having his nose in the books, that was because Ethan didn't find a lot of his classes particularly challenging. As smart as Will was, they both approached learning and dealt with the stresses of school differently. Will spent a lot of his time curled up around books and snacked.

"Come out with me and Lia tonight. I've got a friend I ran into the other day I'd like to introduce you to," Ethan said instead of countering the statement.

"And if I don't?"

"Well you're gonna owe me for not dragging you out of bed this morning," Ethan replied. "Besides, trust me, I'm doing you a huge favor."

"A favor?" Will looked skeptical. "All right, I'll come, but this friend of yours had better be the hottest girl on the Continent."

Judging by the look on Will's face when he came in the door of the Pub that evening, Ethan felt fully justified. He hadn't seen his cousin look that stunned in, well, ever actually. While he would not have called Renxiang the hottest girl on the Continent, he would have had to have been blind not to notice that she was a beautiful woman.

What he had not counted on was Ren's reaction to Will who recovered himself enough as he came over that he smiled at them all, his eyes never leaving Ren's. "Good evening," he smiled, looking slightly abashed. "I'm William Elric."

"Renxiang Xian," Ren replied, apparently almost as fixated as they shook hands. Or rather, took hands. Shaking did not seem to happen, and for a moment Ethan thought his cousin might do something gallantly silly like kiss her hand.

"I know," Will replied quietly then blushed behind the goatee. "I mean, I recognize you from Ethan's pictures."

For the rest of the evening, Lia and Ethan might as well have come alone; Will and Ren were absorbed in conversation, and each other.

"So do we call this a successful experiment?" Lia asked Ethan with a giggle about two hours later.

"I'm not sure if it's chemistry or alchemy," Ethan laughed but he couldn't argue. He knew Will had seen a few girls in college but never anything serious. He'd never seen his cousin fixated on anything non-academic before. Somehow, even with the scruffier look he had adopted since starting college, he had Ren's undivided attention. Of course, it might well be the subject matter. The two discussed everything from alchemy to philosophy over cups of hot spiced tea, and eventually the conversation got into more personal discussion; likes, dislikes, interests, their lives…

"Maybe we should leave them alone," Lia suggested quietly.

"Not like they're alone here," Ethan looked around the Pub. It was rarely empty on Fridays and this evening was no exception. "But we could give them some space for a bit." He headed for the bar and ordered a soda. "You want something?" he offered as Lia joined him.

"A soda please," Lia smiled. "This has been a fun evening."

"I thought you were opposed to Ren coming along," Ethan pointed out. He knew Lia had gotten over it, but she seemed to be a little too pleased with how the evening was going. Of course, Ethan's plan to set up his cousin with a surprise had gone a little further than he had intended already!

Lia shrugged. "I'm glad she's having a good time and she and Will certainly seem to be enjoying themselves."

It didn't answer his question, but Ethan didn't push. Lia was Lia, but apparently Lia as an adult was definitely more complicated than when they were kids. Of course, that seemed to be the case with most people, but especially the girls he knew. Alyse had often confused him, but he knew his cousin meant well. Someday, Ethan figured he would just get used to the changes.

Eventually, after another hour or so, Ren thanked them for their hospitality and headed back to her House. When she was gone, Ethan dropped down next to Will on the vacated couch, smirking. "So, what do you think?" As if the still slightly glazed look wasn't clear enough!

"She's incredible," Will replied, looking shell-shocked but not at all unhappy about it.

"So does this mean you'll meet me for sparring tomorrow on time?" Ethan chuckled.

"Huh, what for?" Will turned to look at him with a puzzled expression.

Ethan elbowed Will in the side. "I know for a fact that the ladies of the Imperial House of Xing like their guys athletic," he smirked. "And you've been slacking, Cousin." Not too badly, but Will definitely gained weight when he was at school; he focused on his studies and stressed out.

Will glared at him a moment. "I guess I owe you. Yeah, I'll be there." He rubbed his side with one hand even as he chuckled, a little bemused. "Just don't bruise the face okay; I've got a date tomorrow night with an Emperor's sister."

September 13th, 1955

A cool breeze interrupted the sun-warm air that hung around Edward as he lay in the hammock Aldon had strung between two trees behind the house. It was mid-afternoon, and the best part about it was the fact that he could nap, undisturbed, with two sleeping boys curled up beside him after a long morning of exhaustive play.

Or at least, it had been exhaustive for him. It had been a trick to make it more tiring for them without pushing too hard, but Ed had managed to find games that did not involve him running after Coran and Reichart for hours on end. Still, Ed hated that he couldn't keep up with them now. He wasn't that old, but he felt like it.

He had managed to work around the worst of it in finding ways to spend time with the boys. They read a lot of stories, or he told stories of his and Al's adventures. They loved those! Though Ed had to make sure they were carefully selected and edited for appropriate to a younger audience. The last thing he needed was both Winry and Cassie mad at him.

That morning he and Aldon had worked on building until Ed had to take a break, then after a cat nap he had entertained the boys with stories and a scavenger hunt that involved them trekking all over Resembool. At least it had been at a walking pace, and Ed could manage that. In town he had chatted with various folk while the boys were distracted playing with some of Coran's friends from school.

Now, it was almost embarrassing how good a nap felt, lying in a hammock with his eye closed and his grandsons unconscious on either side of him, both happily unaware of the challenges and dangers of the world beyond the quiet rural bliss of Resembool. Ed remembered that feeling. Watching them, he could recapture pieces of it, and it made him long for days that were becoming a little fuzzy for him now; a fact that made him melancholy at times. At least when he slept here though, those memories seemed to surface in his dreams and for a little while he remembered as clearly as if it were yesterday.

Winry turned away from the window and went back into the front area of the house where Aldon was finishing up the dishes after lunch while Cassie took a much needed nap herself during this rare occasion when both of the boys were asleep at the same time. Winry knew the feeling. "Need any help?" she asked.

"No thanks, I've got it," Aldon chuckled as he dried the last plate and set it up in the cabinet. "Are they still asleep?"

"Out cold," Winry smiled. "Though the boys will probably wake up before your father does."

"They didn't wear him out too much did they?" Aldon asked with a worried frown. "I mean, I know Dad can take care of himself usually, but as good as they are, they can be a handful and he's well…." He fumbled for the right word.

"More limited," Winry offered. "No, the boys are fine." It had to be hard on Aldon to see Ed so worn down, especially given how dramatic the differences were with the time between visits. "Believe it or not, this is an improvement." If nothing else, Ed had learned how to watch himself more and take things easier, even though it wasn't easy for him to do it. It was hard on Winry too. It hurt to watch, knowing what it was to see that vitality lost each day and how Ed rarely complained even though it was a new challenge. She missed the energy; the vigor and excitement that came with it that had always been such a strong part of what defined Edward. Even so, she would rather have him like this than not have him at all.

She didn't blame Aldon for the look of sad skepticism. "Improvement? I mean, I know Dad's been working up slowly, but he made it sound like this was temporary."

"It may be," Winry replied, "And as you've already noticed he doesn't like to talk about it. But the doctors think this is about as good as it's going to get." It was a harsh truth, and a fact Winry had almost had to drag out of Ed herself after the last appointment. He could still improve but how much was in question and they erred on the side of little. Ed was no longer inclined to argue.

For a moment, Aldon seemed at a loss for words. "He's okay thought right? We… we're not going to lose him are we?"

He was the first of her children to actually voice the question. Sara never asked – perhaps she had already guessed, or just didn't want to know – and Ethan knew too much about medicine at this point to feel the need to question. He already knew the facts as well as Ed and Winry did. Winry shook her head. "Not imminently, as long as he doesn't go and do something else foolishly heroic."

Aldon shook his head. "Why does that sound too likely?"

"Actually, I don't think it is," Winry replied, knowing that wasn't nearly as reassuring as it ought to be. "We haven't been getting out much lately." Not until this trip. Ed had been coming out of his shell, doing things again, until the latest heart attack. Now she felt like they were back at square one. He rarely wanted to go out except for work or just with family; he and Al mostly worked out at their house or Al and Elicia's; and that one use of alchemy to save the boy had been the only time he had transmuted anything. If anything, he seemed afraid that he'd hurt himself again if he tried.

"Are you okay?" Aldon asked then; as always the sensitive offspring.

Winry smiled. "It's frustrating, but yes, I'm holding up all right." Ed was still considerate of her as much as he had been the day she came home. Their relationship was as strong as it ever had been, and she appreciated his thoughtfulness. Physically too, she was doing well; certainly better than Ed. She still had hormonal bad days, but the symptoms were dying down and the end of menopause finally seemed something she could look forward to in the near future! "I just worry."

"We all do that," Aldon replied softly. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just what you have been," Winry said. "Coming here was a good thing. It gives him time away from all the usual reminders, and here he's useful. There are plenty of things he can do and he loves spending time with the boys."

"I noticed that," Aldon smiled lopsidedly. "I remember when he used to play with us like that, but…" he didn't finish. Winry thought he was a little choked up.

But they had been a lot rougher, a lot rowdier, and they had played for hours, Ed and Aldon, Sara, and Ethan. Winry sighed. "I know," she replied. She just hoped that eventually Ed would be able to move on and be happy. He seemed reasonably content most of the time, but there were days where she felt like he wasn't really all here.

September 16th, 1955

Ethan did his best not to sleep through his Medical Sciences class. Most of the time it was fascinating, but they had just hit the unit in which they were discussing the uses of and theories behind auto-mail. The first day's lecture had been so basic that Ethan had made himself stifle groans of boredom, sighs, and yawns for the entire hour. The next two lectures had not been much better. Today they were getting into maintenance, and the professor who taught the course was demonstrating some of the more common problems and how to fix them, as well as a variety of different auto-mail designs and what their strengths and flaws were.

As soon as the explanations were given, the professor pulled out a piece of auto-mail that was malfunctioning and called up various students to try and figure out and fix the problem. Ethan recognized the design. It wasn't one of Rockbell Auto-Mail's, but it was a company from Rush Valley that he had seen plenty of examples of their work come in for maintenance.

The professor didn't call up Ethan, but he was calling folks randomly from the roster, so Ethan didn't particularly care one way or the other. None of the students figured it out. Finally, the professor – a middle aged man whose hairline seemed to be retreating at about the pace his waist was expanding – shook his head and explained how to fix the problem using a couple of wires and checking for polarization at two points.

"There's a better way." Ethan found the words leaving his mouth before he had the time to realize that he was speaking, and exactly how that would sound.

He suddenly had the undivided attention of everyone in the room, especially Professor Spitz. "Oh really?" He gestured. "By all means then, come on up and demonstrate."

Great. What was he getting himself into? Ethan stood up – he had no choice now – and made his way down to the front of the lecture hall. "With this model it's easier to bypass this circuit wiring here entirely," he reached in and gestured to the one he meant. "It fries easily and it's entirely redundant in a part that fries because the redundant system is drawing power too all the time. If you connect this wire here," he demonstrated, disconnecting three wires completely and connecting two previously unconnected areas to each other, "Then the power problem is fixed and that particular failure only happens about one percent of the time instead of twenty, and then only if something happens to that wire itself, which is much more quickly and affordably repaired." Ethan got entirely wrapped up in the explanation. This was familiar and he almost forgot for a moment that he was in 'hostile territory.'

When he looked up, the professor was scowling. It obviously wasn't the answer he had been looking for. "Does it work?"

Ethan nodded, resisting his inclination to shrug. "Yes, Sir." The demonstration model was hooked up so that electric signals could be sent through it for testing, since they weren't going to be constantly detaching and attaching auto-mail from actual people. He flipped a switch and the arm bent just the way it was supposed to.

Professor Spitz did not look pleased. "You have some experience with auto-mail then."

Ethan held up his right hand, displaying his fingers. They were easily missed really if no one was paying attention. "Personal experience."

"What's your name?" Spitz asked, not bothering to fish for his class roster.

So much for anonymity and sleeping through this section. "Ethan Elric."

That name elicited a scowl. "Elric."

"Yes, Sir," Ethan replied politely, trying to keep this civil. He knew Spitz didn't like being shown up. He'd been warned by several of his fellow medical students.

"Just what I need," the man snorted, muttering. "Some military brass's brat thinking he knows more than me." Not that he couldn't be heard by the entire room. The man wasn't quiet even if he thought he was.

Ethan couldn't take that lying down. "Excuse me, Professor," he said, looking the man in the eye. They were both short enough to be of a height. "But if you're going to complain about my pedigree than maybe you should aim for the other side. Dad just wears the stuff; my mother is one of the top auto-mail engineers and designers on the Continent and I've been working for her since I was nine. I'm sorry if you don't like my methods but I assure you they work, because a lot of them – like this one – have since my great-grandmother started working with auto-mail."

Spitz looked like he might do what his name suggested, or explode. His face went red and then purple as Ethan spoke. Finally though, he resumed a more normal shade. "Of course; the Rockbells. Perhaps you would care to show us a few other repairs?"

Ethan couldn't say no now. Not that he was too worried about what Spitz could throw at him and, for the rest of the lecture period, he found himself identifying and repairing several minor issues, and then a couple of much more complicated problems. Thank goodness his mother had been a thorough instructor! When he had fixed everything Spitz had, the man looked mollified. "Well apparently you're not without at least some of the skill you claim."

"I didn't mean to contradict you earlier," Ethan finally managed to get in an explanation as the other students were all filing out of the room. "I didn't even plan to speak up. It just kind of…happened. I saw something that needed fixing."

"So you fixed it," Spitz actually smirked. "I don't usually get auto-mail mechanics in my class. Or anyone who questions my authority."

"If it will make you feel better sir, I'll hide out in the back and keep my mouth shut," Ethan offered with a small grin.

Spitz shook his head. "Oh no. You'll be helping me out with the rest of this auto-mail unit. But I'll expect the rest of your grades to reflect the same level of study."

"They do so far," Ethan dared to reply. He was acing the class.

"Then I expect them to keep it up."
The man had Ethan's name and knew to keep an eye on him. This was going to be a very good or a very trying rest of the semester. Ethan just hoped the man didn't have it out for him now. From the odd smile on Spitz's face as Ethan left the room, he wasn't entirely sure.