Thank you for reading! I really want to thank Golden Flame, Charisma, and Jess for commenting. It inspires me to keep working on this story. Happy reading! And this is a more lighthearted chapter, which I think we all needed after that last one.

A week later, it was Edward's birthday. His friends had urged him to come to the local pub to celebrate being a year older. Alphonse even decided to take a break from his studies and join them. It was also his night off from the hospital, so he was happy to wind down with some friends. Alphonse went to pick up his friend, while Edward and Winry went to the pub ahead of him to get a good table.

Edward walked in with Winry at his side. Kain Fuery and Falman, who also worked with Edward, were seated at a large table with Russel, and Fletcher, who was Russel's younger brother. Fletcher and Alphonse had met on previous occasions at the pub when Edward and Alphonse used to frequent it more often. But recently, Edward had stopped visiting the pub due to him and Noah breaking up. He didn't want to see people. Now that Edward had healed some partially thanks to a blonde woman interfering, he felt like he could be social once more.

Edward sat next to Winry, and they were across from Kain and Falman. Kain was surprised. "Edward, it's good to see you back at the pub. We haven't seen you here since you and Noah-"

SMACK! Falman hit Kain on the arm. "Can it! He's finally feeling better. No need to bring her up. And look he's got a new girl with him."

Russel rolled his eyes. These two adored Edward, and he wasn't sure why. However, Winry was here, and he became slightly more interested in this party.

Edward introduced Winry as a childhood friend. Winry said hello to everyone. She recognized the doubles of Mustang's previous subordinates and was glad to see some familiar faces.

Jean was a bartender at this pub and brought a beer to Edward. It was in the tallest glass Edward had ever seen that had a dark beer in it with foam on top.

"Jean, I haven't eaten yet! I'm going to get drunk too fast," Edward said as he was handed the beer.

"It's your birthday. Isn't that the point? Who's the new lady friend?" Jean asked with his interest increasing.

"I'm Winry. Nice to meet you. Edward and I are childhood friends," Winry introduced herself.

"You're just friends, huh?" Jean asked.

Edward's eyebrows lowered. "Remember you have a wife, Jean."

Jean raised his hands in surrender. "I get it. Rebecca might kill me but it is nice to have a lovely lady here."

Edward ordered a shepherd's pie to help curb the effects of alcohol that he knew he would be feeling soon. Winry also ordered a beer to go with her shepherd's pie also.

Russel then slid into a seat next to Winry. She took a drink of the dark liquid, and that's when Russel slid into the seat next to her. "I like a woman that can handle a beer."

"Oh really. There seems to be plenty of them here," Winry looked around but really there were only a few other women. She was trying to get him to back off.

"Well, none of them are as pretty as you," Russel said.

Winry about choked on her beer. Edward's ears tuned in as he heard Russel's words. Steam started to come out of his ears. And the beer was not helping his self-control.

"Winry, what do you say? Do you want to go out for dinner sometime soon? I know a wonderful place just down the street," Russel asked while giving her the most amorous gaze.

Edward's eyes bulged, and his anger swelled. A jolt of jealousy went through his chest.

Winry took another drink of her beer, trying to get the courage to say no. She turned to face him and sternly said "Russel, that's really nice of you but I'm not interested."

"Seriously? Fine then. You'll regret this decision," Russel slammed his empty glass on the table. He abruptly stood up and walked off to the bar. Fletcher apologized on his brother's behalf and went to console him.

Winry turned to Edward, whose cheeks had gone from an angry red to a blushing pink as he calmed down. "See Ed? I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

Winry finished her beer while Edward was still working on his giant glass. Edward stared into the foam and was wondering what his body was saying to him. He had been practicing on paying more attention to the symptoms of anxiety. But this feeling of jealousy, he knew, was not part of anxiety. He didn't want Winry to be with Russel because Russel was a womanizer. But did Edward really want Winry to be with anyone else?

'Shit,' he thought. Edward knew this feeling of wanting to be with someone. He knew Winry. He loved her kindness, and how fierce she could be when someone she loved was hurt. She had put herself aside and began to help him with his mental health issues. She said though that helping him was really helping her feel useful again, and she enjoyed having a goal with him. Their sunset walks were so comforting that he hated it when the rain would sometimes delay their walk or cause them to cancel it.

He stared at her. She was beautiful in that navy blue dress that he had bought her. It really made her eyes shine.

'Damn it! Now I'm attracted to her!' he thought. He knew where this road would lead but it was still terrifying.

Thankfully, Alphonse arrived with his friend, Julia. He introduced her to the group as a nurse from the hospital that he was doing his residency at. She had red hair in a bob cut that fell on her shoulders. They took their seats next to Edward.

Winry was working on her second beer while Edward finished his tall glass. He was already feeling the effects of the alcohol. His body and mind relaxed some. The music started playing, and it became quite lively. Edward and his friends sang along with the songs while Winry clapped along. She laughed at the lyrics but also took notice of Edward smiling and singing. He looked more carefree than she could ever remember seeing him.

She finished her second beer and had been watching Alphonse and his date dance but now she couldn't find them. The pub was getting busier, so it was harder to find people.

Winry didn't look for long because someone sat next to her. She was delighted to see her new friend, Sheska. They greeted each other and talked about the book they had been reading.

Kain looked over and his cheeks blushed. "Hi Sheska! I'm glad you could make it."

"Sorry I'm late. I had to make sure my mum had dinner before I left," Sheska explained. She went back to speaking to Winry but Winry noticed that Kain was still looking at her.

Could there be a romantic development on Kain's end?' Winry thought. Sheska seemed clueless, only in love with her books. Winry noticed that this Sheska was the same as her world's Sheska. They both loved books so much that they didn't notice the opposite sex that much. But Winry wondered if she could help this world's Sheska.

Kain then got up and sat next to Sheska and started talking to her about other books since he was a reader also.

A gleam shined in Winry's eyes, and a plan was forming in her mind about how to get these two together. Potential romance in the air made her start to think of Edward and she realized that she hadn't given him his birthday present yet.

Edward stopped singing and relaxed. Winry decided that this was a good time. She took the small white box from her purse and handed it to Edward.

"Here, I got this for you," Winry said.

Edward looked down and saw the box. "Oh. Thanks. You didn't have to."

"Well, if it makes you feel better, it was with your money. I feel kind of bad that I don't exactly have any funds right now," Winry said and giggled. She looked up and smiled at him as she awaited his reaction.

"Oh, it's a pocket watch."

Winry quickly explained "You said yours wasn't working well. So, I thought you might need a new one."

"It's awesome Winry. Thanks!" Edward hugged her.

"You're welcome. And I'll be right back. I need to go to the ladies' room," Winry said. She walked to the back of the pub and turned the corner to a hallway. She saw a couple making out. The woman was hidden from her view, but she recognized the man, even from his back facing her.

"Alphonse?!" Winry gasped.

Alphonse spun around and tried to hide Julia, whose face was almost as red as her hair. And Alphonse stammered "Wi- Winry!"

"You two enjoy! Don't worry about me!" Winry yelled and dashed into the ladies' room. She felt so awkward interrupting them. 'I should've kept my mouth shut.'

Then she chuckled some. She was proud of Alphonse for kissing a girl. And it looked like it was just heating up. She felt a little guilty for interrupting them but oh well. She used the toilet and went back to find her seat next to Edward.

Winry was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. She felt more relaxed and swayed a little but was mostly steady. Her body felt warm as did her cheeks. She saw Edward and sighed. He was so handsome. Those golden eyes had a fresh spark of life in them. He was having fun for the first time in a long time. His smile and laugh were full of joy. His confidence returning as he was coming back to a social life with his friends.

She almost fell into her seat next to him. His eyes were glazed over due to his consumption of beer. He had matured over these years that they spent apart. They both had grown up into adults now, and Edward had aged well. Winry felt her attraction for him rise. It had been a while since she had been held by a man, and she missed that feeling of being loved and protected.

Winry wasn't sure if she could trust Edward with her heart but the alcohol was relaxing her decision making process, and it was also making her desire rise for him. She had forgotten how being inebriated caused her an increase in her arousal. She scooted closer to him. Edward was surprised but didn't move. He liked her being close to him.

'Maybe she's cold,' he thought but hoped it wasn't the only reason she had moved closer to him. Maybe she wanted him just the same as he wanted her.

Russel and Fletcher returned. Russel sat diagonal from Winry because he was still sore from her refusal. Edward saw Russel return and put his mechanical arm around her shoulder, almost as if he was claiming her. Edward pulled her in closer and she smiled warmly. She knew Edward was being protective, but she found it comforting.

Winry started drinking a fourth beer, and she felt her inhibitions were slowly disappearing. She placed her hand on Edward's chest and raised her chin so she could see his expression. Edward looked down at her. His inhibitions were also drifting away. The music and sounds of his friends singing were fading into the background. He touched her face with his flesh hand. They both stared at each other, an unspoken conversation.

Winry spoke first "Happy birthday Edward. I hope you're having a good time."
Edward replied "I am. You're being here has made it great."

Kain asked Falman loudly over the music "Are you sure they're just friends?"

Falman laughed. "That's what Edward insists but I'm starting to think otherwise."

Then Edward and Winry noticed that they had become the source of entertainment for his friends. Edward's hand fell from her face, and he straightened his posture. Winry's hand dropped to her side, and she swiftly took another drink as did Edward. Their cheeks red from embarrassment.

Edward hoped that Winry was showing signs of interest in him. He knew he wasn't good at this game of flirting. Maybe she was just being overly friendly due to their drinks and lively atmosphere.

Then he felt her hand on his thigh. His antennae went straight up, and his head turned quickly to see her face. She was grinning mischievously and slid her hand in between his thighs and rubbed closer to his groin. He knew it! This was her coming onto him! He felt his dick twitch in response to her hand rubbing up and down his thigh.

Edward gulped as her hand rubbed closer to his groin. Then her hand made its way to his mid-thigh and rested there. His heart began to race. His mechanical hand rubbed her shoulder.

'This is the best damn birthday I've ever had,' he thought.

Then Winry leaned up to his ear. He could feel her hot breath on his neck and ear. She cupped her hand over her face to cover her words from his friends. She then offered "You know we can celebrate more at home if you want to."

Edward about came undone. His eyes widened at her suggestion and his antennae perked up at her suggestion. He wasn't dreaming. This beautiful woman was hitting on him. He then felt nervous and cupped his hand over her ear.

"Winry, you sure? I mean we've drank a lot of beer tonight. I don't want you to regret anything."

Winry nodded and then told him in his ear "I've wanted you for a long time."

That was all he needed to hear. "Let's finish our drinks. Then we'll head out. Don't want to leave the party too early. My friends did come here to celebrate with me."

Winry nodded and rubbed his thigh just shy of his groin this time. He finished his beer quickly and paid for their tab. Alphonse wanted to walk Julia home. He and all their friends saw Edward stumble when he got up along with Winry. They laughed as they stumbled toward the door trying to hold each other up but had to take a seat. They couldn't even walk home at this point. Jean ended up calling them a cab.

Kain and Falman had to help Edward and Winry get into the cab. Once the doors were shut and the cab started moving, Winry snuggled closer to Edward and rested her head on his shoulder. Edward couldn't deny that this felt so right. He put his arm around her and she laid her head on his chest. He laid his head on hers. Edward couldn't deny that this felt so right. Once the cab pulled up to their building, Winry was asleep. Edward nudged her awake and they walked upstairs to the apartment, giggling as they swayed. Edward and Winry walked side by side though neither of them was steady. Edward fumbled with the key and Winry leaned against the wall as he failed to get the key in the slot.

She started laughing at him "You dumbass! You can't even get it into the hole."

Edward got the key in and turned it. "See! I can get it into the hole!"

Winry started giggling. Then he realized that she had been making a dirty joke. "Winry, you're such a pervert."

"Well, a dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste," Winry countered even though she was half asleep.

Edward shook his head. "I can't argue with that."

Winry plopped face down on their bed, eyes closed. "I think I'm going to sleep."

Edward was a little disappointed. He was hoping to 'celebrate' more when they got home but he wasn't going to force it. But maybe, he thought, this was for the better. Drunken sex was fun but they hadn't even crossed that line yet or any line yet. But she had shown interest in him, and that meant something. Maybe they could act on this soon when they were more sober.

Edward told her "Yeah, me too. You want to change in here."

She turned her head to face him "Actually, I need to show you something, but I've been too scared to do it."

Edward questioned her, his curiosity peaked, "What is it?"

Winry lifted her dress, and her panties were showing.

"Winry! Wait! I thought you were too tired for this!" Edward yelped.

"No, you pervert, it's this!" she shouted as she pointed to the tattoo on her hip above her panties.

"It's a tattoo. What does it mean?" Edward asked her.

"Well, I don't know. I don't remember getting it. I wasn't sure how to bring it up. I just don't want to leave you and Al!" And then Winry started sniffling.

Edward tried to console her. "It's okay. We're all together, and nothing is going to change that. I'm going to look more closely. Is that alright?"

Winry nodded and Edward inspected the tattoo. He touched a light scar that was faded in the middle of the square and circle combination. "It looks like a transmutation circle for alchemy, but it doesn't look complete. You mind if Alphonse looks at it tomorrow? This might be something that was developed in alchemy after I left but while he was there."

"That's fine," Winry said.

"Did you notice this scar in the middle of it?" he asked.

"No," Winry said with more concern in her voice as this was new to her.

"It's very faint but it looks just like a small incision," Edward touched it lightly.

Winry sighed in frustration. "It'd be so much easier if I could remember."

"We'll ask Alphonse tomorrow. For now, let's get some rest," said Edward trying to give her some kind of hope. He could sense her frustration with the situation.

Winry lifted her head from the pillow "You know, Ed, I have something to tell you. I was really sad when you left again. And for a while, I was angry. I wondered for a long time why you would want to leave Amestris. And Mr. Mustang contacted me. "

"Colonel Mustang?" Edward looked confused.

Winry sat up on the bed. "Yes. He would call me every now and then. I know he felt bad about my parents. But it was hard to forgive him. I'm not really sure I ever did fully forgive him. Anyways, he told me that you had to return to close the gate. There was no way to do that from here."

Edward sat down next to her and held his head down until he heard a sniffle from her. He glanced back up and saw the tears streaming down her face.

Winry spoke quietly "He also told me how he threw Alphonse onto the aircraft that you were on. He couldn't stand seeing you two apart. After he told me that, I wished-"

Winry couldn't help it. She started sobbing "I wished that I had been up there, and he could have thrown me!"

Edward pulled her into him, and he let her sob in his arms. He felt her shake and she hit his chest angry at him for leaving her. The old feelings had come up due to her drunkenness. He kept holding onto her and her sobs eventually turned into sniffles. Edward then told her "I'm sorry. I thought I was protecting you by keeping you away but all I really did was hurt you. I'm sorry. I really am. I wanted more than anything to have you by my side."

Winry calmed down. Now she felt her heart healing. There was something about crying that made her feel so much lighter. And now it felt like she could move forward with Edward and Alphonse by her side.

The next day, Edward woke up. It was bright outside. Too bright. His head felt heavy and when he shifted, his head began to ache. He smelled the faint whiff of alcohol in the air, and he realized it was coming from him. "I'm never drinking again."

He looked over to Winry, whose face was scrunched up. She obviously wasn't sleeping well. The alcohol coming out of their pores mixed in with sweat smelled foul,

Edward sat up and felt a wave of nausea hit him. He hated throwing up. He refused to. He took some deep breaths trying to gain control of his body. He groaned quietly "Fuck…..".

Winry moaned next to him as she woke from her troubled slumber. She opened her eyes and saw Edward slumped over the side of the bed. He turned to her, and she wondered if she looked as bad as he did. She felt sweaty and her hair stuck to her forehead. Winry sat up and the pain and nausea hit her like a hammer.

Edward and Winry were both completely hung over. They were paying the price for having too much fun. Winry got up and slowly made her way to the bathroom and after hearing the toilet flush, she went to the kitchen. She immediately started making toast and coffee. Anything to help her body feel better. She needed carbohydrates and caffeine. She ate some crackers at the table as Edward sat next to her, taking some of the crackers from the box.

Alphonse found them sitting staring into the table supporting their heads in their hands because they didn't have the energy to even hold them up. "Well, I'm glad you two made it home but jeez, you two smell awful as awful as you look."

Winry sneered "Shut it Al."

Edward snickered and stopped suddenly when his headache pounded.

"Well, Ms. Grumpy, I was going to make you two breakfasts since you don't feel well but I don't have to."

"Oh, come on Alphonse. It was my birthday yesterday," Edward whined.

"Okay, I will. I think it'll benefit me once you two are feeling better. Then you can get a shower and get rid of that awful stench."

"Thank you, Al. Sorry I snapped at you," Winry said rubbing her head. "I already made the coffee."

Alphonse poured a cup of coffee for each of them, and made some fried eggs, more toast, and bacon for breakfast. "Happy birthday brother. Sorry I couldn't get you a gift this year, but I figured this would do well enough."

"Thanks, Alphonse. This is a great gift," Edward said. He remembered that Winry had given him a watch for his birthday. Then slowly the events started playing in his mind. Winry gave him a new pocket watch, she touched his chest while talking fondly with him, and then his favorite part, she rubbed his thigh. His antennae perked up when he remembered that part.

Winry was too hungover to really talk to about this situation, and so was he. Edward figured they both needed to nurse their hangovers today before addressing what went occurred in the pub last night.

Edward wanted to take Winry out on a proper date. He wanted to verify that it wasn't just drunkenness but actual affection that was being shown last night. He did like her, and he realized it was more than just friendly feelings. This was romantic, and it had been a while since he felt that rush, but he knew what it was.

After breakfast and a shower, Edward and Winry had awakened from their zombie-like status. Edward then remembered something that she had shown him last night. He whispered in Winry's ear, "Hey, did you want to show Alphonse that tattoo? He may know a little more about it than I do."

Winry's cheeks turned red. "But then he has to see my underwear."

Edward almost laughed. She didn't seem that bashful last night, but she also was inebriated. "No, he doesn't. I have a plan. Put on my pajamas and you can just lower the pants down."

Winry was astonished that she hadn't thought of that. "That's brilliant. I'll go change now. Can you get Al?"

Alphonse was summoned by Edward, and they entered Edward's bedroom when Winry was ready. She laid on her stomach and pulled down the pants. Alphonse examined Winry's tattoo. "Well, it seems Cretean though it doesn't look like a complete transmutation circle. It only looks like a partial one. But there is a small incision here, and I'm not sure what to make of it. Did someone implant something in you?"

"I don't remember. I didn't even know I had the tattoo until the nurse noticed it at the hospital. I just wish I could remember. I hate this!" Winry shouted.

Alphonse continued ignoring her outburst "Well good news is alchemy doesn't work on this side of the gate. You don't have to worry about it activating."

Edward tried to cheer her up "See? You're stuck here with us. I hope you don't mind."

Winry chuckled at that. "No, I don't mind. I like being with you two. I've missed this feeling of being with both of you."

The brothers and Winry shared a smile together. The brothers had missed her too. They were practically a family that had grown up together. Finally, the family was reunited and happily trapped together in a different world.