A/N: Hi!

With this chapter, we start a streak of 3 chapters which will be longer than the previous chapters have been on average. I wonder what the reason is...

After a pleasant meal at a small cafe near Central Command, Riza assured Winry that, at the end of that day's shift, she and Roy would stop by Rose's house to talk to Al. Although Winry trusted her completely, she didn't want to risk Ed's name getting around the military until the two of them went to see him so she had opted to use a little lie by telling him that Al was back and that he wanted to share some of his research with Roy. Something in Riza's gaze made her realize that the woman wasn't entirely convinced of her lie but for some reason Riza didn't make the slightest comment to her that made her see that she knew there was more to her request.

Certain that Roy and Riza would see Ed later that day, Winry headed to a local market to purchase some ingredients. Since they had met, Rose had always been a kind woman and now she had helped greatly in Ed's recovery so she wanted to thank her by cooking at least for that day since Rose had also invited her to lunch continuously these days. It was the least she could do to thank her for her attentions since, if Ed didn't present any complications during the night, she would most likely be buying her ticket back to East City tomorrow.

Winry sighed and looked up at the sky for a few seconds before continuing her walk. She was extremely happy that Ed was back and that he was recovering wonderfully considering the state she had seen him in but, as much as she wanted to, she couldn't stop her life for him. Her clientele in East City was growing and she was finally getting the Rockbell name known outside of Resembool and Rush Valley which was why she couldn't continue to walk away from her work as she had been doing lately. Ed was a treasured friend but this time she couldn't be with him all the time as she had been when the Elrics allowed her to be, for a few moments, a part of their lives. Besides... she feared that continuing his continual presence would end up unearthing the feelings she had harbored for him for several years and had struggled to let go of.

Once she had done her shopping, Winry retraced her steps to Rose's house and as soon as she was there she gave Ed the news as she checked how his body was reacting to his new automail. When she was satisfied with the results of the checkup, she headed to the kitchen to begin preparing the meal before Rose and Eddie returned from school. To her surprise, Ed offered to help her. After some banter between them in which Ed's skill in the kitchen was questioned, Winry agreed to his offer and they spent a pleasant and fun time cooking and recalling some anecdotes from their childhood as they began to share, almost without realizing it, some of the experiences they had lived through in the years they had been apart. They were not such significant experiences in their lives but it was certainly an important step between them to begin to talk in a little more detail about that time in their lives compared to the fragments they had shared previously.

As they were finishing cooking, without realizing it, Winry remained watching Ed as the young man concentrated on carrying the bowl of soup to the table without spilling a drop. Even though she had been seeing him for several days now, Winry couldn't help but still feel amazed to have the blond back in her life. Not to mention that the change between the first day and now was pleasantly surprising given that Ed had regained his natural skin color and his body had begun to regain a few pounds hiding the marked lines of some of his bones that she had come to notice the first time around. Also his hair had regained its lost luster and the look of concentration on his face at the moment reminded her of Ed in his teenage years, while making her realize how much the young man had grown and matured. Although she had to admit that for her Ed had always been an attractive boy, now that maturity was more palpable in his person which highlighted his attractiveness, which was even more accentuated with the almost imperceptible extra gravity that his voice had acquired, the brightness that had returned to his gaze and the way he currently carried himself on a day to day basis.

As if sensing her gaze, when Ed deposited the bowl on the table, he lifted his gaze quickly meeting directly with the curious blue eyes that were watching him intently. As soon as his gaze connected with Winry's, Ed could perceive a subtle flinch on the blonde's part so he couldn't help a smile. This gesture caused a slight blush on Winry's cheeks which the young man was able to catch a glimpse of before the blonde turned away to hide her blush, pretending to count the plates she was going to use to serve all the food.

Emboldened by the blonde's attitude, Ed said. "Hey, Win?"

"Yeah?" Winry asked without turning to look at him.

"Why were you looking at me?"

"I wasn't looking at you."

"Oh yeah?" Winry didn't answer and tried to hide by moving further into the kitchen, an occasion Ed took advantage of to approach as quietly as possible. Having her back in his field of vision, he spoke again. "Win?"

"I told you I wasn't watching you. I was just keeping an eye out that you weren't going to spill the soup."

Noticing that the tips of Winry's ears were beginning to redden, Ed walked over and stood next to her, in turn placing his left arm on the counter in front of them. "Really?" He said in a soft voice.

Winry turned to look at him mostly because of how close they had ended up. "S-seriously." She stammered as she tried to take a step back but being stopped almost immediately by the automail hand Ed placed on her waist.

"It looked like something else to me." Ed said no longer able to contain the blush that was appearing on his own cheeks at the boldness with which he was unraveling and at the closeness he was currently in with Winry.

A noise was heard from the entrance of the house followed almost immediately by the slight creaking sound of the front door being opened.

Winry averted her gaze from Ed's eyes to his lips then back to making contact with the golden orbs. "Rose and Eddie are here." She licked her lips unconsciously. "We'd better serve the food." She said though she didn't move an inch from her position.

"Yeah." Ed replied but instead of pulling away he began to lean towards her until he could feel the brush of the blonde's breath on his face.

"Ed!" Before Ed could pull away from Winry at Eddie's voice, the boy clung to his waist. "Now can we go to the library together?"

Stunned at the unexpected interruption, Ed stood in his same spot while Winry busied herself, with some work due to the short distance between them, separating herself from him to approach the countertop on which the dishes stood.

"Ed?" insisted Eddie at the lack of response.

Although Ed wanted to sigh at the thwarted kiss attempt, he restrained himself and smiled at Eddie. "Patience, Eddie. The library isn't going anywhere."

"But you already have your other leg."

Ed laughed lightly forcing himself to forget what almost happened between him and Winry. "Al's going to be surprised when he finds out there's someone more impatient than me."

"But I want to go with you." Eddie said with a slight tone of temper tantrum.

"Eddie, remember that automail patients need some time to adjust to their new limbs." Interjected Winry in a gentle voice. "Besides, what manners are those, mister? Aren't you going to greet me?" She added with a tone of mock annoyance as she put her hands on her hips.

"Oops." Eddie broke away from the blond and ran to hug Winry. "Hi, Aunt Winry. I'm home." He said with a huge smile.

Winry laughed and bent down to hug him fully. "That's better. Now, young man, go wash your hands so we can eat. I hope you still like my cooking." She said then tapped him on the nose with a finger.

"Will there be apple pie like when I turned 5?" Eddie asked excitedly looking sideways in search of the dessert.

"Sorry, I didn't have time on this occasion but I'll bring you one on my next visit okay?"

"2."

"Maybe." Winry said with a smile. "Now go." She said as she stood up to send the boy scurrying out of the room.

As he sat up he met Ed's intense and attentive gaze. No doubt he wanted to comment on what had happened and even continue it but Rose's presence again interrupted his intentions.

"Hi." Rose greeted them both politely. "Good to see you back on two legs, Ed." She told the blond with a smile, which the blond reciprocated. "But, Winry, you must be exhausted. You shouldn't have bothered with the food."

Winry waved a hand dismissively in front of her. "None of that. I've abused your hospitality too much already, Rose. It's the least I could do." She said with a smile.

"Oh, Winry, but you know you're more than welcome here. You shouldn't have bothered."

"Don't worry, besides I had some help." She said, nodding her head at Ed.

"Ed, you shouldn't have exerted yourself either. You're still in recovery."

Ed shrugged and smiled. "Now that I have my automail back it won't be so easy for you to keep me in bed." He said with a slight chuckle.

"Geez. With you guys I can't win. " Rose laughed.

"Well..." Ed scratched his cheek. "Though I must apologize that I took certain liberties. I'll have visitors here later, is that all right?"

"Of course. This is your home." Blushing a little at the implication her words might have, she turned to Winry and added. "And yours too, Winry. I know we haven't seen each other that often since Eddie and I lived in Resembool but you know I'm more than grateful to you and your grandmother, may she rest in peace."

"You have nothing to be thankful for, Rose. Granny and I enjoyed your company very much and I'm sure my grandmother wanted to cry when she had to say goodbye to Eddie even if she said it was the smoke from her pipe." She said with a nostalgic smile.

"It may have only been a few months but I certainly had a great time with you. And I'm sure it was the same for Eddie."

"Eddie is a lovely boy." Winry said with a smile. "I've hardly been able to visit you since you left Resembool and yet he still sees me as his aunt."

"I'm sure he always will. Eddie took a real liking to you and Al and he's always so happy when you visit. Well, although now that I think about it, I guess I should have given myself some time for us to come and see you too." Rose said with a slightly embarrassed expression at not having thought of going to see her sooner.

"You can go whenever you like." Winry told her with a reassuring smile. "I should also visit more often but sometimes I feel like I don't have enough time." She sighed. "That's why I couldn't even come to Eddie's last few birthdays."

Rose smiled at him, "I understand. Sometimes work doesn't allow time for much. Besides, don't worry about birthdays, Eddie gets very happy with your calls and the gifts you send him." She said as she walked over to Winry to help her with the food. "But anyway, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Don't worry, Rose. This is practically finished now. Why don't you and Ed take care of finishing bringing the other things to the table?" Winry said as she stirred the soup in the pot with a wooden spoon before going to check that the chicken in the pan was fully cooked.

"Sure. Thank you very much, Winry."

Rose grabbed a couple of glasses and left the kitchen to take them into the dining room. Ed did the same with the little box that held the silverware but paused in place to stare at Winry. She made contact with his gaze but quickly turned in the direction of the stove determined to ignore any attempt at conversation coming from the young man. Ed continued to stare at her for a couple of seconds but decided not to force the situation any further and left the room to follow Rose much to Winry's relief.

When Winry heard Ed and Rose starting to talk in the dining room, she let out a sigh, turned off the stove, and put a fist to her forehead. Idiot, what are you doing? She closed her eyes for a moment as she concentrated on completely regulating her breathing, which had started to become agitated with the blond's proximity. I definitely have to leave now.

With that new resolution in her mind, Winry made an effort to push away the thoughts regarding the previous moments with Ed and decided to enjoy Rose and Eddie's company during lunch before going to buy her ticket for the next day.

During the meal Ed could tell that Winry had become slightly distant with him again, focusing all of her attention on Rose and Eddie. This situation made him feel guilty for the boldness with which he had been carrying on with her which in turn kept him somewhat silent at the time. At the conclusion of the meal, he reacted and thought about offering an apology to Winry but before he could even ask her for a moment to speak, the blonde excused herself to everyone saying that she had a matter to attend to so she would be out for a couple of hours.

Between the uncertainty at the apparent rejection his approach had caused in Winry and the excited chatter Eddie wanted to have with him, Ed didn't feel the time and without realizing it soon he had a couple more familiar faces in the Rose household.

"Fullmetal."

Ed looked up from the sheet he was writing some concepts on for Eddie so he could study them later. "Oh, what's up?" He greeted casually as he noticed Roy's surprised expression and the somewhat more reserved but curious expression on Riza's part.

"What's up?" Roy asked puzzled. He sighed heavily before continuing. "Are you serious? Is that the best you have to say after all these years of believing you wouldn't come back?"

Ed rolled his eyes. "What do you expect me to say? I missed you so much, you bastard? Ha! You wish."

Roy couldn't help but smile. "Well, at least there's no doubt left that it's really you."

"That sounds like you missed me." Ed said teasingly with a slight smile. He would never tell him but he would be lying if he said he didn't on at least one occasion come to miss his fastidious commanding officer and unit members.

"I'd rather say that I'm extremely interested to know how you managed to come back being the one who ended up delegating Alphonse and I the task of destroying the portal." Roy concluded with a slightly reproachful tone at the end.

Ed sighed. "It was for the best." Trying to buy a couple of minutes before he had to answer Roy's questions, Ed leaned slightly back on the couch to get a better look at Riza. "Hawkeye, good to see you." He said with a smile.

Riza reciprocated the smile. "Edward, welcome back. You don't know how happy we are to know you were able to return safely."

Roy raised an eyebrow at his inclusion in the blonde's comment.

"Don't be fooled by this man's quirks. Roy and I have been investigating for some time now for any clues that might help Al get to you." Riza continued.

"Riza! You didn't have to say that."

Ed laughed. "I appreciate it." He said sincerely. "I can't believe it though, Hawkeye how could you fall into the clutches of a guy like him?"

Roy brought his hand to Riza's shoulders and pulled her to him. "I can tell you don't know what true love is."

Ed couldn't help a small grimace as he felt a twinge at Roy's words as he was reminded of his mistakes in that department.

Using her good observation and perceptiveness, Riza realized that Roy's words had had some impact on Ed so she stepped in to speak up. "Sometimes I wonder how this happened too." She joked as she pointed with her head to the ring resting on her ring finger.

"Hey." Roy complained.

Before they could resume their conversation, Rose entered the room bringing a tray with cups of steaming tea almost at the same time that Eddie returned from a visit to the bathroom.

After a few moments of chatting together, Rose took Eddie by the hand and led him to his room with the excuse of going over their homework for the day together but with the clear intention of giving them a chance to talk quietly without interruptions from her energetic son.

When the three of them were alone again, Ed tensed up as he wasn't exactly eager to share details of his life over the last few years but, fortunately, Roy and Riza didn't force him to talk but kept up a pleasant pace of conversation in which they practically handed the baton to him so that Ed himself could decide what he wanted to tell them, so the blond only mentioned to them that he had been researching and traveling (without giving details of the elements of his research) and mentioning to them that Gluttony had been unexpectedly involved in his return assuring them that the homunculus had finally been destroyed.

Realizing that they probably wouldn't get any more details from the blond, Roy asked. "I am to assume that your memories of the other side made it back to Amestris fully intact, right?"

Ed was quiet for a few seconds before answering. "Yes."

Roy put a hand to his chin, thoughtfully. "The knowledge you bring with you is extremely dangerous."

The young blond became defensive. "What are you getting at?"

Roy brought his hands in front of himself in a reassuring gesture. "Calm down, I'm not threatening you. On the contrary, I'm perfectly fine with you keeping most of the information to yourself. The less information that is known about the other world the better."

Riza continued with Roy's idea. "After the invasion there were people who began to wonder what means those people had used to get to Amestris bringing advanced technology with them." She sighed. "Some people forgot about it as time went on but even to this day we've had to investigate and arrest a couple of people for suspicious research related to the Portal."

Ed grimaced. "Geez..." He ran a hand over his face. "I was really hoping that the ruckus I caused would have been brought under control by now." He said with a guilty tone.

Roy patted his leg. "Hey, at least you and Al helped stop the invaders and the portals on both sides have been destroyed. As long as you don't tell me you were friends with that crazy woman we can run the party in peace." He said in a reassuring tone but with a slight joking tone at the end.

Ed inhaled a couple of times trying to push the guilt out of his mind. "I could never be friends with people like her." His gaze shadowed for a few moments.

Noticing the subtle change in Ed's attitude, Riza gave him a smile trying to close the subject. "Well, we believe in you, Edward. We were sure you couldn't have related on friendly terms with a person like her." She paused before standing up. "As Roy told you, we won't force you to talk about things you don't want to share. You can count on us to go to great lengths to keep the true cause of your disappearance and return from being divulged."

"Thanks, Hawkeye." Ed said with a smile of gratitude.

Roy coughed a couple of times to get the blond's attention. "I let it go earlier but I have to step in. Remember it's Mustang now."

"Shit." Ed said in a somewhat embarrassed tone since he had been calling her by her maiden name all that time.

"Don't worry, Edward, how about if to avoid confusion you'd better call me Riza?"

Ed scratched his neck. "It'll be a little weird to call you that but I think I can do it. Thanks, Riza."

"You're welcome. I'll go make a couple of calls and be back in a few minutes." Riza said before leaving the room to go find Rose to ask her permission to use her phone.

When Riza walked away, Ed picked up the conversation. "Why am I not surprised that Riza is the one who has to take charge of this whole thing?"

"Maybe because she's now the one in charge of our unit. The title of Lieutenant Colonel is not held by her for nothing." Roy replied nonchalantly.

Ed rolled his eyes. "Of course I know that, I've already been told she's your superior now, Major Mustang." He said with a slight mocking tone to tease the black-haired man. "It's about time for some justice."

Roy looked at him with a slight frown. "What do you mean?"

"Please be honest with yourself for once. All of us who have worked with you are more than aware that the one who has always done all the work in the unit is Hawkeye."

"Riza Mustang." Roy said through his teeth wanting to remind Ed that Riza was his wife.

Ed waved his left hand dimly. "Yeah, yeah, Riza Mustang whatever. The point is you're refusing to accept reality."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "If you're getting at what I'm imagining-"

Ed interrupted him. "Oh, come on, you've always been quite the slacker and it looks like the military is finally doing Riza justice by letting her call the shots both at work and at home." Concluded Ed unable to contain his laughter at the end.

"Lies! You don't get to be a Colonel being so young just for the heck of it. It takes a lot of dedication and effort to make it." Roy said puffing out his chest with pride.

"Let's just say I believe you about legally becoming a Colonel, Major Mustang." Ed said with a mischievous grin. "The point is that for as long as I've known you you've always been a full-fledged slacker."

"And you've always gone out of your way to be a pain in the ass every time we're in the same room." Roy grumbled.

Ed laughed. "And I'm not done yet..." His grin widened. "Why don't you tell me about how the great Flame Alchemist had to go begging to get married?"

Roy couldn't help but blush as he snorted. "How could you even think that?"

"It's not that I think it. I know from a good source that it's true, that's not to mention that your expression is more than enough confirmation." Ed replied with a laugh.

Roy's blush intensified. "More like you don't know how to interpret what you were told. You're confusing an elegant and tender courtship with something as simple as begging someone."

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say." Ed replied with a chuckle.

"What would you know, brat." Roy grumbled.

"I remind you that I'm already 23." Ed said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"And? Just because you're being attended to by two beautiful ladies doesn't mean you know anything about love matters. Knowing you your little brain hasn't even realized they're women." Roy said with a smug smile as his face began to regain its natural color.

Ed frowned and averted his gaze to the opposite side of where Roy stood.

The blond's reaction did not go unnoticed by Roy. "Ed, don't tell me you have your eyes on your hostess."

Ed kept his gaze averted.

"Or is this about your mechanic?"

Ed kept quiet.

Roy exhaled heavily. "You're insufferable. If you don't want to talk that's fine, I just hope you'll take my advice to heart: get your life together first and give yourself time to see how much things have changed in your absence because you're probably in for a couple of surprises when you start venturing outside." He brought a hand to the young man's shoulder. "You constantly enjoy antagonizing me whenever you can but I want you to know that in me you have a friend. Whether you want to accept it or not." Roy concluded with a smile.

"Sounds like one of the surprises you're referring to is that you've become corny, don't you?" Ed joked though a small sincere smile was present on his face.

"I'd call it maturity, something you apparently still lack."

"Ha ha ha, you're fucking hilarious, you bastard." Ed said sarcastically.

Before the pair could start arguing, Riza came back into the room.

"Well, I guess we now have a clear path to reintroduce you to public life."

Ed sighed. "I guess to do that I'll have to do it under the command of the military, won't I?"

Riza offered him an apologetic smile. "That's right, when you first went missing you were officially a member of the military so as time went on you were declared 'MIA'. It was either that or declare you a deserter and if that had happened you would have been in grave danger since the moment you returned to Amestris."

"Besides..." Roy continued the story. "You had the advantage that the people who saw you during the invasion of Amestris were only Al, Winry, Sheska and myself. There were more witnesses who thought they saw you but since they couldn't confirm it with certainty because they saw you several meters away their testimonies were discarded and your missing status has remained intact since it was granted to you."

"I see... Wait, but then how am I going to justify my return? I highly doubt they'll let me rejoin without asking me where the hell I've been all this time."

"Indeed, but your alibi is being constructed at this very moment." Riza replied eliciting a raised eyebrow from Ed. "Roy and I are still working in the same unit so we are counting on the support of all the guys to reinforce the version we will give to the superiors." She handed a sheet of paper to Ed where some notes written by her, most likely during the calls she had just made, could be seen. "On the 28th day of March 1915 Major Edward Elric was sent on a covert mission to our neighboring country Aerugo. The objective was to gather confidential information about their military tactics in order to prepare us for the war they were rumored to want to wage. The importance of that mission was reinforced when, taking advantage of Amestris' confusion and vulnerable state in the face of the strange invasion received, Aerugo made their move and attacked us only 3 weeks after the incident." Ed's eyes widened at the surprise of this new development that no one had bothered to mention to him. At this, Riza held up a hand asking him to let her finish. "The attack coming from Aerugo was a complete failure thanks to the fact that precautionary measures could be taken and the border was reinforced during the 24 hours prior to the invasion. All thanks to the timely report provided by the Fullmetal Alchemist. Unfortunately, getting that information across took a heavy toll on young Edward Elric, who was seriously wounded causing him to be unable to return to the country to this day."

"Wow wait a minute, there's no way you can give me that alibi. I didn't even know Aerugo had attacked us! How are you going to make everyone believe that I was involved in such an important event? Besides wouldn't I end up stealing someone else's credit?"

Roy took the floor. "As Riza told you, the elements of your alibi are being accommodated at this very moment. Regarding our valuable informant, you don't have to worry, that person has remained anonymous all this time and I'm sure she'll be more than willing to support us as soon as I talk to her."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Easy." He lowered the volume of his voice before speaking again. "It's my mother and she's always willing to support good causes."

Ed wanted to ask more about Mustang's mother but the black-haired man indicated with his gaze not to. If Ed had just barely learned that Mustang's mother was involved in espionage matters that meant it was a secret that few knew about and, although he wouldn't admit it, it was nice to be made privy to such an important secret.

Clearing his throat a couple of times, the blond spoke up. "Ok I won't ask any more about those details but I still don't feel comfortable with the idea of taking credit from others."

"We won't make a big deal about it, we'll just use it as an alibi but I'm sure we can keep that detail as confidential information so only a few soldiers will be aware of it. To the general population they will only be made aware that you returned from a covert mission." He paused slightly. "Do you remember our last talk before you first disappeared?" He didn't give the blond time to answer. "You talked to me about how there were a lot of things going on around us that ended up being more important than our own dreams. Since then and even before that you understood the importance of having to make sacrifices for the benefit of others." He placed a couple of fingers on the patch resting over his eye. "Everyone pays a price for trying to make a difference. I had a hard time fully accepting the price to be paid for my actions." He averted his gaze to Riza and gave her an affectionate smile. "But there were people who made me see that I didn't have to let myself be completely overwhelmed by it and that I didn't have to refuse to give myself a chance to think about me." He returned his gaze to Ed. "That same thing I want you to understand. You paid a very high price by being all these years away from everything you were known for with no certainty of ever being able to return. So now give yourself a chance to really enjoy being back in Amestris."

Ed looked down slightly.

Riza took the floor. "I know you were never exactly a fan of being part of the military but this is the best option we can offer you. You'll be able to escape retaliation by ruling out the possibility of having deserted only that it will be necessary for you to rejoin the military for a while."

Ed sighed. "How long?"

"Because you are a state alchemist and because of the importance of the mission you were involved in..." Ed snorted but Riza ignored him and kept talking. "You can probably be free in seven years."

Ed stood up abruptly feeling a yank run up the top of his leg where his automail was but ignored it. "Seven years?! No fucking way!"

Riza sighed. "Listen to me, Ed, I know it's not your ideal option but it's the best you have right now. Although it has improved, the military is still very rigid in some respects so it's highly likely that they want you to stay with us in Amestris the 7 years you were gone."

Ed took a couple of deep breaths trying to calm himself down. He didn't want to take his anger out on Hawkeye. "Is that really the only option?"

Riza smiled at him a little sadly. "I'm sorry, but it's the best I can offer you."

Ed dropped heavily onto the couch, frowning and not saying a word.

"And you haven't heard yet that you're going to have to wear a uniform when you rejoin." Roy commented.

Ed glared at him.

Riza ignored the men's staring match and resumed speaking. "Effectively you're going to have to wear a uniform since the best way to get you out of the military as quickly as possible is going to be for you to become an outstanding military asset."

"They're going to send me out to kill "troublesome" subjects for the country, aren't they?"

Riza was rendered speechless for a moment by the contrasting change in Ed's demeanor at the prospect of having to kill. Whereas his childish and adolescent version had refused outright on numerous occasions at the mere thought of the possibility of having to do so, now the young man in front of her seemed reluctant to do so but his body language hinted that he would do it if necessary, not because he wanted to but because he felt tired and resigned. She had certainly sensed a bit of that behavior on Edward's part the last time she had seen him before Roy's confrontation with Bradley (Roy had even told her about it on some occasion as he too could sense that change in the boy) but witnessing that side of Ed in the front row and at the same time observing his body language was something Riza was not fully prepared for especially considering she had met Edward when he was barely a 12 year old boy.

Clearing her throat a little to help herself out of her self-absorption, Riza continued. "None of that." Ed's posture relaxed almost imperceptibly. "You may find it hard to believe but the country is getting better." She smiled at him. "Obviously there are still criminals and unruly factions here and there but nothing that requires drastic measures. To gain the favor of the higher ups, you will need to continue to attend to the missions you are tasked to participate in plus it would be highly recommended that you resume your investigator skills to justify your state alchemist title. These are things you were already doing years ago so what's going to change is that you're going to have to support in cadet supervision duties, soldier reviews and, of course, the paperwork that comes to your designated unit."

Ed allowed himself a smile. "Which is surely the office where you and Mustang are right?"

"Of course."

"We weren't going to let you get away from us that easily." Roy added with a slightly teasing tone.

"For all the responsibilities you'll be given we can't afford to give you preferential treatment where the uniform is concerned. So I'm sorry, Ed, but it is what it is." Riza concluded with an apologetic smile.

Ed put his hands in his pants pockets and slid a couple of inches down on the couch as he sighed. "Well... I guess there's no choice."

"I can't give you any assurances, Ed, but there's a chance that if your performance is excellent we could reduce your time in the military to five years. Even, being extremely optimistic, we could get you out of there in 3 years, but it's too early to give you any assurances."

"Really?"

"I can't say for sure but the possibility is there." Riza concluded.

The possibility encouraged Ed. "Fantastic! Then I'll do whatever it takes to get the assholes in high command to leave me alone."

Roy smirked smugly. "Perfect then you'd better get yourself a dress suit for..." He did a quick mental count. "Nine days from now."

"What?"

Riza nodded approvingly at Roy's idea. "The annual gala will be the perfect opportunity to reintroduce the Fullmetal Alchemist to public life."

"You've got to be kidding me..." At the silence from both of them, Ed sighed. "Great..." He said grumpily.

"Come on, Ed, don't be such a killjoy. Besides you should look on the bright side of an event of that magnitude. You have the perfect opportunity to invite the lovely Miss Thomas as your date."

Ed stammered for a few seconds. "But why?"

"Guests are usually expected to come with a date." Riza said in a serious tone.

"But I'm not even dating someone!"

Roy laughed. "Are you serious, Ed? You were all this time living under the same roof as Miss Thomas and you didn't work up the courage to even flirt with her? Now is when you have to enjoy life. What a waste that you have such an attractive young lady by your side and don't make even the slightest effort to take advantage of the opportunity."

Riza gave him a nudge and a cold stare that made Roy cough a couple of times while Ed blushed although for reasons contrary to what Roy could imagine given that through his mind crossed the thought of what Winry would look like in a ball gown.

Riza returned to her calm expression as she turned to Ed. "If you wish to come alone that is also an option although in reality they are few people who tend to come unaccompanied. You can even go with Rose as friends, no one forbids you to do so. Think about it." The blonde said with a friendly smile.

Ed snorted to lighten the heat that had become present in his cheeks. "All right. I'll see what I'll do."

The three continued to chat for a while longer with the main topic being the annual gala. After giving Ed all the necessary details, Roy and Riza said goodbye to him, to the blond's surprise, with a hug that the young man hesitantly returned having not previously shared that gesture with them.

Noticing that Ed's slight tension at being unexpectedly embraced by them was still there when Riza hugged him, Roy couldn't help but tease him a bit. "Hey, treat my wife gently, brat."

Ed blushed slightly. "It's what I do!"

Riza rolled her eyes knowing how much that pair enjoyed teasing each other before separating from Ed. "Don't mind him, Edward. He's just a little paranoid."

"I'm not paranoid, love. It's normal for me to worry about you, especially now." Roy said with a smile.

Noticing that Riza reciprocated her husband's smile, Ed raised an eyebrow and asked. "Am I missing something?"

Riza sighed but kept her smile. "We were supposed to wait a few more weeks before announcing it but someone doesn't seem to know discretion."

Roy shrugged. "Come on, Riza, Ed is slow at this stuff. We might as well tell him along with the others."

Ed frowned. "What did you say, Major Pleader?"

Riza interjected before Roy could respond. "Don't listen to his nonsense, Edward." She smiled again. "It just so happens that in a few months we're going to be parents."

Ed's mouth dropped slightly open as he momentarily lowered his gaze to Riza's still flat belly and then asked. "So are you...?"

Riza nodded her head. "That's right. I'll be two months next week."

Ed stood processing the information for a few seconds (seconds that Roy took the opportunity to put his arm around the blonde's shoulders) before answering. "Well, I didn't see that coming. But many congratulations, Riza. I hope the baby looks completely like you and not like its idiot father." He told her with a sincere smile.

Roy frowned and Riza let out a giggle before replying. "Thank you, Edward."

"And you..." Ed focused his gaze on Roy then smiled mischievously and said. "Geez, you kind of came back half-urged from the North didn't you?"

Roy couldn't help his blush "For your information we've been married for two years now." He said.

Ed laughed and returned his gaze to Riza. "That shows you definitely have incredible patience, Riza."

She laughed briefly before replying. "Maybe..." She shot an affectionate glance at Roy before returning it to the young man. "But since I ventured down this path I must say I don't regret it at all."

Roy kissed her head. "Nor do I."

Ed coughed a couple of times before speaking. "Anyway, many congratulations to you both." He said making a point this time to smile at both of them. "I'm glad to hear that life is treating you both well. You deserve it."

"Thanks, Ed." Roy told him with a sincere smile.

"And, even if it's not what you expected, believe us it will be a pleasure to work with you again and we'll do everything we can to make you feel at ease." Riza said.

"Thank you, Riza." Ed told her with a smile.

"Although I have to say that perhaps a beautiful lady could make your days more enjoyable and help you settle into your new life faster." Roy told him in a slightly teasing tone to annoy him.

"Roy..." Riza scolded him lightly.

Roy thought about laughing a little but noticing Ed's thoughtful expression at his words he decided not to comment further on the matter so the couple finished saying their goodbyes and left Rose's home.

Rose and Eddie returned to the living room so they could say goodbye to Roy and Riza so the three of them decided to prepare a light dinner (Eddie was assigned simple chores away from the stove so as not to exclude him from the activity). Rose had barely started frying some vegetables to serve as side dishes when Winry returned to the house asking to do an automail check on Ed to make sure everything was still okay.

Ed was surprised at Winry's sudden insistence on giving him a check-up so quickly but didn't show it and followed her into the guest room since he had decided to invite Winry to the gala and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

After a few minutes of silent review in which Ed lay back on the bed while she sat on a little stool next to it, Ed decided to break the silence. "Thank you for having them come to see me."

Winry flashed him a brief smile before returning her gaze to her work with the automail of his leg. "You're welcome. I hope they found a way to help you."

"That's right..." He paused waiting for Winry to ask him more about it but, at her silence, Ed decided to continue. "I'll have to go back to the military for a while but I think it had been overly optimistic of me to think I'd never have to set foot in the Command again."

Winry looked up to meet Ed's golden orbs directly. "I'm sorry, Ed, I guess that's the last thing you wanted right now." She said sincerely.

Ed shrugged and smiled at her. "Well, there's no other way. After all, when have I ever gotten what I wanted in the expected way?"

"Are you sure you're all right?" Winry asked with concern.

"Sure, if I could stand being in the military as a brat of 12 now this will be a piece of cake." Ed replied without stopping smiling.

Winry smiled back. "If you need anything don't hesitate to ask me, okay? Also don't forget your maintenance sessions. Remember your ports are new so we have to check them every month to make sure your body has fully accepted them. And no buts, eh. After all you won't have to go all the way to Resembool anymore when you need any repairs."

"I wouldn't mind the distance as long as I could see you." Ed said, staring at her.

Winry's cheeks flushed subtly so she lowered her gaze to the blond's automail to disguise it. After a slight pause she said with a slight hint of bitterness that she couldn't hide. "Who knows. Years ago it seemed like seeing granny and me at Resembool was the last thing you wanted to do."

Ed winced inwardly at Winry's tone, though he couldn't blame her since he hadn't been able to show her and Pinako how much they meant in his life. "I'm sorry."

Winry sighed. "You don't have to apologize. Forget I said anything." Before Ed could speak, Winry looked up again with a slight smile on her face. "I just hope that now that you're back in the army you'll be really careful with your automail and call me as soon as you need some help okay?"

"Sure, I will."

Winry tried to focus back on her work but Ed stopped her hand where she held the wrench with his forcing her to return her attention back to him.

"Actually, there's something I'd like you to help me with now." The blond said without letting go of Winry's hand.

Winry raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?"

"You see... Mustang and Riza already have my 'triumphant' return to public life planned, only that that return involves the stupid annual military gala."

"Ah." Was all Winry could manage to say as she lowered her gaze slightly. As he was holding her hand with his own, Ed could feel a slight shudder pass through the young woman's body at the words he had just said to her.

Ed gulped, feeling suddenly nervous about both what he wanted to say and the hesitation Winry's reactions caused him. "I was told it was advisable for me to take someone with me so..." With slightly trembling hand, he brought his automail hand to the young woman's chin to make her look him in the eye. "Would you go with me?"

Winry's eyes widened slightly and a few seconds later she pulled away from both of Ed's hands, directing her bluish gaze to the floor. "No, Ed. I can't."

Ed felt a pang in his heart at the refusal but tried to salvage the situation with a nervous laugh. "Well... you know, it's not like you have to go as my date, I was thinking of going as friends."

Winry inhaled deeply before looking back at him with a sad smile on her lips. "I'm sorry, Ed, I can't go with you."

"Oh." Was all the young man could say unable to hide the disappointment and sadness her rejection caused him.

"It's just..." Winry clenched her hands into fists on her knees. "I already have someone to go with."

"Oh." Ed repeated as he finished processing her words. "Wait. What? You were actually planning on going to a military event?" He asked in surprise.

Winry shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."

"Then why aren't you going with me?"

"I already told you. I'm going with someone else."

"Someone from the unit? Lieutenant Brosh? Armstrong?" At Winry's negative shake of the head, Ed continued. "I don't understand, so who the hell are you going with?"

Winry's eyes flashed with annoyance. "Is it so hard to believe that someone asked me to a dance?"

"Yes." Ed said without thinking.

Annoyed, Winry stood up and walked over to her purse, starting to rummage through it.

Realizing his mistake, Ed began to stutter. "Wait, no... that's not what I meant... it's just... I thought that... well... that there was a possibility... that you and I..."

The blond was interrupted by the return in front of him of Winry, who sat on the bed next to him placing a necklace at the level of the young man's face.

Ed stared at the necklace absently for a few seconds before speaking. "I don't understand, what does this mean?"

The annoyance seemed to have evaporated from Winry's face leaving her with an expression Ed couldn't decipher. After biting her lower lip for a moment, the blonde replied. "Believe it or not I already have someone to go with and that someone is my fiancé."

Ed felt as if Winry's words took the air out of his body as he finally looked at the unfamiliar necklace closely. Earlier he had not been mistaken in realizing that there were three charms on it. The first was a stylized 'W' with silver and gold accents and with a small pebble here and there, the second was shaped like a wrench in silver and the one in the middle of the two was actually not a charm but was a silver ring with a pink gemstone notoriously protruding from the top forming what was undoubtedly an engagement ring.

A/N2: That's right, I think you could see it coming but here it is completely confirmed. Not only do we have a love triangle but this is actually a square haha. That little 'x' at the beginning of the couples in the summary wasn't out of place. Although the initial idea was to make a love triangle, the truth is that it didn't take long for one more member to join. Now we'll have to see what effects this will have...

Well, that's all for now. See you in the next chapter where we will be able to see more of Ed's reaction and the beginning of the Gala's night ;)

Thank you very much for reading!

Golden