The morning birdsong ended up waking Ed up, which made him stretch his arm until he felt a tug that made him desist from continuing his stretch.

"We still have work to do, eh." He said to himself as he eyed his arm.

After a quick inspection of his surroundings, he carefully and slowly picked up the glass Rose had left on the nightstand and began to use it as a makeshift weight. Worse is nothing. He thought as he began to exercise his arm, his limb was still wobbly but, compared to the day before, this time Ed felt better overall. Maybe it was the joy of knowing he was in Amestris or the great motivation he now had to recover to be able to see his loved ones but that morning the blond felt in a great mood he hadn't felt in years.

As he started with his exercises, a smell of bacon reached his nose which made him salivate and then let out a sigh. I doubt I'll have such good luck that Rose will let me eat some bacon today.

Just as that thought was going through his mind, the door began to open which made him turn his gaze to it and he was surprised to realize that his visitor was someone different. It was a boy who, by the height, the boyish roundness of his cheeks and the brown hair must have been Rose's son.

"Uh... Hello...?" What the hell is Rose's son's name?!

The boy startled slightly but quickly composed himself and entered the room, closing the door behind him. As he did so, Ed returned the glass to the nightstand coming almost face to face with the boy as he settled back into bed.

"Mom told me you woke up." Said the boy cheerfully leaving his initial shyness behind.

"Yeah, your mom is Rose right?"

The boy nodded as he put a finger to his chin. "Where's your arm?"

Ed lowered his gaze to his right shoulder for a moment before looking back at the boy. "I lost it."

"How?"

Ed shrugged, trying to deflect attention. "I just lost it."

The boy smiled. "Well it's okay, don't worry. Aunt Winry can make you a new one."

Ed couldn't help but reciprocate the smile at the blonde's mention. "There's no better automail than Winry's, right?"

The boy nodded. "Wait, you know my aunt?"

"Yes, I am... an old friend."

The boy's eyes filled with even more curiosity. "Wow, what's your name?"

"Edward."

The boy's eyes sparkled with intensity and his cheeks flushed slightly with excitement as, from one moment to the next, the boy jumped up on the bed to stand beside Ed's hip, almost climbing on top of him.

"Really?" the boy asked as he leaned his knees and hands on the bed to get as close to Ed as possible.

Ed could only manage a nod as the bedroom door was opened to make way for Rose.

"Eddie!"

Ed raised an eyebrow. No one had called him that since... well, he wasn't sure. Probably when he was still an infant at Resembool.

Confused, Ed asked. "Eddie?"

Rose blushed at the question but before she could answer, her son interjected. "Mom, it's Dad! Why didn't you tell me Dad was the one here?"

Rose's blush only intensified. "Eddie, come here."

"No!" The boy clung to Ed's arm. "I want to stay with Dad."

Apologetic, Rose reached over and placed her hand on her son's head. "Honey, I'm so sorry, but he's not your father. Edward is just a good friend."

The boy pouted. "But he has the same name as me."

"Eddie, there are lots of people named 'Edward.' It's just a coincidence." Rose said with a slightly sad smile as she realized the disappointment that was flashing in her son's eyes.

With glittering eyes, Eddie looked at the blond. "So you're not my dad?"

Ed swallowed hard before answering as he felt somewhat uncomfortable with the very personal situation he had become involved in. "No, I'm really sorry. Eddie, right?"

The boy nodded sadly as he let go of Ed's arm.

"Well, I may not be your father but that doesn't mean we can't be friends, right? After all, you're the first person I've met who shares my name." Ed said with a smile.

Eddie stared at him for a few moments until he wiped a hand across his eyes to wipe away the slight moisture that had begun to form in his eyes. "If you're going to be my friend, are you going to tell me how you lost your arm?" He asked curiously.

Ed's smile faltered a bit at the memory of the human transmutation but he quickly covered it up with a brief chuckle. "You're not going to let me off easy on that one, huh."

"So are you going to tell me?" Eddie asked with a new smile lighting up his face.

"We'll see."

The boy crossed his arms. "That's not fair. Mom always tells me that when she wants to tell me no."

A little more recovered from her blush, Rose grabbed her son by the armpits to force him off the bed. "Eddie, that's enough. Edward is still recovering. Besides..." She crouched down to be at her son's height. "I clearly told you that you didn't have to come into the room, mister." She added in a reprimanding tone.

"But I wanted to see him." Eddie defended himself.

"There's a time for everything, Eddie." She continued to scold him.

"Don't be hard on him, Rose." Ed interjected. "The truth is, Eddie is pleasant company."

"You see, Mom?"

Rose sighed and smiled. "You still shouldn't have done it, Eddie. But anyway, for this occasion you'd better go to eat breakfast. Unless you'd rather stay home than go play with the Robbins."

"No! I do want to go!" Eddie replied before bolting out of the room heading for the dining room.

Without meeting his gaze with Ed's, Rose said. "I'll be right back. I'll go get your breakfast."

Ed could only nod his head before Rose left the room.

A few minutes later, Rose returned with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice and a bowl of oatmeal with fruit.

As soon as Rose placed the breakfast on the small table she had set on Ed's middle, he thanked her and she nodded her head before turning away with the clear intention of leaving the room.

"Rose, wait."

Without turning to look at him, Rose replied. "Yes, Ed?"

"What's wrong?"

Rose sighed and turned to look at him with a new blush beginning to creep into her cheeks. "I'm sorry."

Ed raised an eyebrow. "For what? About Eddie?" She nodded and before she could formulate words, the blond continued. "I don't see a problem with it." He said with a shrug. "Well, surely there are much better names but there's nothing that can be done now, is there?" He concluded with a smile.

"But your name is wonderful. I wanted my son to be named after one of the best people I've ever known in my life."

Ed blushed slightly at the compliment. "Uh... thank you. But it's no big deal."

She smiled at him before sitting down in the chair that was next to the bed Ed was in. "It is to me." She fiddled with her fingers a bit before focusing her gaze back on Ed's to continue the conversation. "But I do offer you an apology for making my son believe that his father's name is Edward. I never showed him any pictures of you or anything like that." She hastened to add. "But I wanted my son to have a positive image of a father figure, that he could imagine having a father like everyone else. He's still very young, and I really don't know if I'll ever be able to tell him precisely how he came into my life." She shook her head slightly, as she ducked her gaze into her lap. "No, I rather think I won't. My son doesn't need to know about it."

Ed gulped as he watched Rose remembering what she had experienced a few years ago during the riots that had happened in Lior. With the loving look and the way she addressed her son it was easy to forget that Eddie had been the result of an abuse.

When Ed found his voice, he spoke. "Rose, really, you have nothing to apologize for. I understand why you did it. In fact, I'm sure you did the best thing. Eddie deserves a happy childhood and you don't have to torture yourself thinking about the past. You're a strong person so don't let the memory of what happened haunt you."

"Ed..."

"I told you once, didn't I? That you had to walk forward on your own two legs." He said with a smile. "And that's what you're doing and in an amazing way. It's obvious Eddie loves you and that speaks a lot about what an excellent job you've done as his mother."

A tear escaped Rose's eye. "Ed... you're so kind."

Ed laughed lightly. "Nothing of the sort. I'm just a visitor hogging your room and your food." He said before taking a spoonful of the oatmeal and spooning it into his mouth with a slight tremor but controllable enough to keep the contents from falling off the spoon.

Realizing that Rose was still a bit lost in thought, Ed joked. "You know, I could use some of that bacon you were cooking."

Rose laughed. "I don't think that's a good idea at the moment but what do you say we wait for the doctor's okay? I called him earlier and he's coming to see you after noon."

Ed sighed exaggeratedly. "Well, I guess I have no choice. In the meantime we can start with some exercises, right?"

Rose smiled. "Finish eating and once we see that your stomach isn't rejecting food we can get started."

Ed nodded and set about eating while Rose left the room to attend to some business before returning to the bedroom to help guide Ed through some exercises to unwind and restore vitality to his limbs.

Before Rose returned, Ed ate his breakfast sinking into his thoughts. Years ago she was being a little strange to me and now this. She can't be in love with me, can she?

A week later Ed was showing obvious signs of improvement. The doctor had been checking on him every other day to make sure his immune system was recovering properly after so many days of struggling with some infections and fevers from the wounds sustained during his encounter with Gluttony. By this point, the wounds had healed and the leftovers (scrapes, cuts and bruises) had almost completely disappeared leaving as the only pending issue, besides the automail, the healing of the 3 broken ribs that still required a few more weeks but at least they no longer caused him the same pain as before.

Ed's mood had improved a lot compared to the first time he woke up in Rose's guest room. Even though he still didn't have the doctor's permission to go outside, knowing he was in Amestris brought him a joy and calm he hadn't felt in many years. Besides, he could not complain about his hostess and her son. Rose had kindly provided him with as much care as possible and, frankly, she was very pleasant company. She was very easy to talk to and within a few days Ed was updated on what had happened since he first traveled to Earth. The talks were almost always led by Rose since Ed wasn't really motivated to talk about what his life on Earth had been like and, fortunately, Rose seemed to realize this since she never insisted that he give her details when he came to mention anything about his past.

When Rose was busy with housework, Ed was often accompanied by Eddie. Despite the boy's initial disappointment, Eddie sought him out a lot so he took every opportunity to sneak into the blond's room. Ed didn't have much experience dealing with children but he quickly discovered that Eddie was a very good boy. He was as curious and energetic as any kid his age but at the same time very respectful and attentive as he always looked for ways to support Ed by bringing him food (which the blond was very grateful for because Eddie tended to bring him desserts and snacks) or by bringing him items that, in his current condition, the blond couldn't reach. In other circumstances, Ed would have been frustrated by the things he couldn't do for himself but Eddie's help and willingness kept him from having time to dwell on that.

Despite the hospitality and pleasant atmosphere at Rose's home, Ed couldn't help but feel somewhat melancholy and anxious at not having seen his brother and Winry yet. He understood Rose's reasoning but that didn't make the wait any easier so the young man devoted as much time as possible to his exercises and taking the medicines prescribed by the doctor despite how much he disliked taking them.

Once the agreed week had passed, Ed was feeling much better and his body looked healthier. He was certainly still thin but that was normal since he could not regain the muscle mass he once had when his current condition stemmed, in part, from the neglect for his person that he had had in recent years. So, the morning after the agreed-upon deadline was met, Ed asked Rose to call Winry, a request to which the young woman agreed.

While Rose made the call, Ed stayed in his room feeling extremely nervous. He had asked Rose not to tell Winry that he was the patient who required her services, and although he knew that Winry would never turn down the chance to help someone, inwardly he feared that she might not be able to go see him or that she might somehow discover the truth and refuse to see him. Perhaps it was silly to think that but Ed couldn't help but feel guilty about the way he "said goodbye" to her the last time he was in Amestris, or perhaps for the lack of a proper goodbye when she had always done her best to support him and his brother.

It was because of all this that Ed couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief when Rose returned to his room telling him that Winry had some orders to finish but would do her best to try to get to Central within three days. It was a relief and at the same time the birth of a new nervousness at the thought of how she would react when she saw him but it was something he had to face sooner or later plus he honestly deeply wanted to see her.

Knowing that he would see Winry also meant that he would soon have a way to contact his brother and, although he already knew about his brother's adventures and current lifestyle thanks to Rose, he longed to see his brother in person so he would have to think about how to act when Winry was in front of him since, although he was sorry to make an extra request to his automail, he would not miss the opportunity to ask Winry to share her means of contact with Al.

Three days later, Winry called to apologize to Rose as she had an extraordinary request that she couldn't refuse but promised to be at Central by noon the next day without fail. Ed was disappointed to have to wait another day to see her but in turn this prolongation made him even more nervous about the impending meeting with his childhood friend.

Eddie, with his childlike insight, realized that something was happening to him but Ed diverted the little boy's attention by starting to talk to him about basic alchemy topics which, surprisingly, held the boy's attention for the rest of the day.

That night Ed didn't sleep very well but he didn't let the tiredness show on his face. He had worked hard to show Winry a relatively healthy and strong image so he didn't want to cause her the slightest additional worry because he was sure she would go crazy when she saw what had happened to her automail.

During the hours leading up to Winry's arrival, Ed couldn't help but glance at the clock in the room every five minutes feeling that time was passing extremely slow that day. He was so anxious at the time that he began to increase the intensity of his daily exercises, which required him to take a bath before the usual time.

When Ed finished bathing (by that point he was able to move slowly with a crutch to the bathtub) he returned to his room and brushed his hair to finally arrange it in the typical ponytail he used nowadays. When he finished he checked his breath and the condition of his clothes.

As Ed checked for the umpteenth time that his shirt hadn't wrinkled, the doorbell rang causing the blond's heart to skip a beat. He froze in his position in front of the mirror until he could hear the relatively distant voices of Rose and Winry.

She's here... Finally Winry is here.

Reacting, Ed slowly made his way to his bed with the help of the crutch trying to make as little noise as possible.

Just as he had just sat down on the bed, he heard Rose's voice from the other side of the bedroom door.

"Yes, Winry. He's here in the guest room. Come in."

Ed gulped as the door was opened.

"Hello, good afternoon. My name is Wi-." Winry began to greet with a smile on her face that was frozen in mid-salute when she discovered who her "new" customer was.

The toolbox Winry carried on her shoulder fell with a thud to the floor. Ed held back a grimace at the clatter and smiled sheepishly as he stared into Winry's blue eyes that had widened enormously in surprise.

"Hello, Winry."

A/N: Hello down here!

As promised in the previous chapter we already had someone else in this story, or rather two hehe Eddie will be making his appearances throughout this story and our long awaited Winry finally came to complete our participants in this love triangle and I must say that this little cliffhanger was too tempting to pass up hehe but well at least we now have Winry around. How will Ed and Winry fare being together after three years?

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you in two weeks.

Thank you very much for reading!

Golden