Despite all of his ambitions and self-centered tendencies, Roy Mustang had his virtues. He didn't hesitate in the slightest when Ed and Winry asked to meet with him privately. He sat quietly and listened to their story; keeping a neutral expression throughout every part- even that which included broadcasting a government coup on live television.

When they had told him all there was to tell, he sat in silence for a few moments. Ed felt a clenching in his chest. He trusted Roy, but at this point it wouldn't be too far of a stretch that the man would report them to police.

"Ed… do you know for a fact that what you say is true?"

"I've told you everything I know." He responded. "I can't promise you that it's all completely true, but I trust these people. They wouldn't lie to me."

Roy nodded, and then glanced at Winry. "And you believe him?"

"Yes."

The director was quiet for a while, his hands laced together as he closed his eyes, apparently in thought. Ed and Winry shared a side-long glance. He felt as if his heart had crawled up into his throat.

After what felt like an eternity, Roy opened his eyes. "I won't be giving either of you overtime for this." He said.

It took a few moments to register in his mind, but when it did Ed couldn't help but grin.

"I'm going to have to agree with you." The director went on. "This entire war always seemed strange to me. Nothing really lined up. We've been at peace for ten years, why would Ishvalans suddenly attack us? And why were the attacks so horrific and constant? Why were the police so cooperative, yet the military wouldn't even pick up the phone? I didn't say too much because I was still riding off of the high that came with our station staying open."

He looked pointedly at Winry. "The day you came back after reporting on those kids that were killed, it all kind of hit me. I enjoy success, for sure, but I began to realize that that wasn't the most important thing to me. The real reason I was so eager to take advantage of our increased viewership was because it meant the crew would have jobs. It meant that we could stay the big happy family that we'd always been."

He took a breath, grinning wryly. "But that's not as important as your wellbeing. I've seen how this war has messed you up, Ed, and everyone else in the crew too. Al's had his fair share of mental breakdowns when writing the shows. Maes and Rose aren't nearly as happy here as they used to be, and I'm sure reporting on these terrible crimes for this long has done more than enough damage to you, Winry."

The girl next to him nodded faintly.

Roy sat back. "That being said I won't risk anyone getting jailed for treason. If I heard correctly, you two have a plan?"

"Yes." Winry said, and Ed allowed her to take the reins. She had stayed up the entire night before preparing for this.

"We can prerecord the shows, maybe a couple of days in advance, maybe a week if we're dedicated. I can anchor for those, as I'm sure Maes and Rose would rather stay out of this. The resistance can issue body guards for them, or they can simply move. You can tell the station that our views have taken a downturn, and that they need to have another job lined up. Nobody has to know anything, nobody has to be involved, although I think Ed said Lan Fan and Ling would be up for it."

He nodded. "I can speak with them myself. Ling may be questionable, but I'm sure that Lan Fan will stay back to help us record."

"Ed and I will gather as much evidence against Fuhrer Bradley as we can until then. There are people in the resistance willing to interview with us, and some would be willing to set up amateur recordings in meetings and such. We'll try to keep all of this as legal as possible, as to avoid being arrested. Someone can stay behind to make sure that our shows get on the air, and the day that we reveal what we've learned they'll send the briefs to the papers and the radio stations. People in the resistance could escort that person to safety soon after."

"We'll leave as soon as we can, and move somewhere discreet for a time. We'll wait for the signal that things are alright before we come back into the public."

Roy was nodding intently at all that they said. "In the best of circumstances, I still doubt that we'd be able to open up the station again. But if we take all of the necessary precautions, we might just pull this off. And save thousands of lives in the process."

He glanced back and forth between them. "I want you to check with the military HQ to see if you can film there, just for beauty shots and fillers. You can disguise it as a special on their programs, and even slap something together and air it the week before, as to keep away suspicion."

He then looked at Ed. "I want you to get with Al so you can plan this out. In the meantime I'll talk to Riza. There will be a meeting tomorrow afternoon about our stations 'downturn', and you better act as surprised and pissed off as the rest of them will be."

They both nodded vigorously.

"Then you're excused for now." He said, but as they stood up, he spoke. "Also, I'm glad you brought this up. I think for once, I'll be taking a step in what I know is the right direction."

Ed wasn't surprised that Al was excited at his news. The younger Elric brother went just as quickly into a rant of ideas as Winry did. Ed explained all that he could to him, and soon enough his brother shut himself in his office to begin writing the show.

By the time two months had passed, the majority of the station had moved on to other jobs. Many of them were frustrated, and even a little suspicious, but Roy was a good actor. Ed did his best to act distressed at the news of the station shutting down, but at that point, losing his job was the last of his worries.

Winry had called Pinako and explained to her that the next month would be incredibly busy, keeping it as vague as she could. She told her grandmother that she wouldn't be able to contact her for a while, and delicately hinted at some trouble, though she promised that she'd explain everything in full soon enough. Luckily, Pinako left it at that.

Ling and Lan Fan were both willing to stay behind to shoot, though they left as quickly as they could afterwards. They had something set up with some relatives in Xing, they had told him. Ed had no idea when he'd see either of them again, but offered them his best wishes. Winry even allowed Lan Fan to take her out to dinner the night before she caught the train.

Al was in a frenzy to get the show done. As the producer, he was just as likely, if not more likely to be convicted than Ed. The older brother could tell he was nervous, as he hardly slept or ate. Al was gone two weeks before the show aired, leaving to stay at their childhood home in Resembool. They figured that it was the most remote location they'd be willing to stay at, and it would leave Pinako out of it for the most part. If they ran low on the aggressive amounts of canned food Al had packed, then Winry could head over and explain things to her grandmother, as well as get supplies in the process.

His younger brother left Mae with a simple note that he would call her as soon as he could. He didn't bother to explain anything to her, as she could easily be a target if they went after him.

The week before the show aired, Ed and Winry were practically spending every day and night at the station, simply putting together shows and editing the stories. They lived off of energy drinks and sugar, and Winry had to be extra heavy with her make up when she recorded shows, since the bags under her eyes had notably grown and darkened.

When Ed hit the export button for the last time, he pushed his chair into the desk of his editing bay and went to find Winry. She was in the downstairs hall speaking with Riza and Roy. The two of them had decided to stay back and make sure that the shows aired, they had never told Ed what they planned to do next.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs he noticed that Roy had a camera bag in one hand. When the director saw him, he held it out for Ed to take.

"I doubt we'll need this for a while, so why don't you take it with you?"

Ed grinned as he took his prized instrument from the director. He didn't say it, but working with a camera would be the thing he missed the most about news, and he was relieved that Roy had offered it to him.

Winry met his eyes. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Ed said, and him and Roy followed as Riza and Winry led the way to the parking lot.

"You take good care of my reporter, you hear me Elric?" Roy said in a low voice so that the women in front of him wouldn't hear.

"As long as you watch over my editor." He responded.

The director snorted. "We both know she'll be the one watching over me."

Ed had booked a private car on the train to Resembool, hoping that no one would get too suspicious of them. Thankfully, it wasn't travel season, and there were very few others on the train.

Winry quickly set her bag down beside Ed's, then joined him on the seat. She yawned, stretching her arms above her head. "Ten hours to Resembool." She said. "How much do you want to bet I can sleep the whole way?"

Ed smiled. "I'm broke enough as it is, but thanks."

She leaned her head on his shoulder, her eyes half open. "Ed?"

"Hm?"

"We should get married when this whole thing is over."

He sighed heavily, it wasn't the first time they had had this conversation. "Winry… that could take years. For all we know we could be dead next week."

She smiled. "Yeah, I know. Maybe in heaven then?"

"Probably not." Ed responded, "I'm a wicked, grumpy atheist remember?"

"Well shit." She said. "Looks like the weddings off."

"You're not getting out of this that easily, seeing as I'll be dragging you down to hell with me."

"You already did, babe."

He nudged her. "Go to sleep, you twat."

They had been at the house for two weeks, and there were yet to be imminent signs of danger. They had heard from the kitchen radio that there were allegations of fraud within the government, basically repeating the information that they had published. There was no mention of Winry or any station employees, however, which was a relief for Ed.

They were to wait for a letter from "Elizabeth"-who was really Riza- before they could reveal themselves to the public. Luckliy they had at least a month's worth of food.

It was strange to be back in the place where Ed and Al spent their childhood. If Ed remembered correctly the room where their mother died was locked, though neither of the brothers bothered to try it.

They spent the first few days searching through old memories. Ed found several chemistry books that he used to read religiously, as well as old toys and puzzles that he had had. The brothers spent several hours simply sitting in their old room discussing memories.

The trio spent the next week catching up on some well-deserved rest. Winry and Ed kept their affection at a low level for Al's sake, but didn't pass up the chance to kiss when he wasn't in the room.

One morning, Ed went downstairs to find Winry standing in the kitchen, staring at the bulletin board above the sink. It was only when he came to stand beside her that he realized what it was she was looking at.

"Why is he crying?" she asked, moving the surrounding papers to get a better look of his family picture, the only one they had ever taken all together.

"I don't know," Ed said honestly, staring at the picture. He had begun to forget the details of his mother's face. It was a relief to be reminded again.

"Do you want to get into contact with him?" Winry asked.

Ed's eyes moved from his mother's face to his father's. He thought it ironic that he had inherited the majority of his features from a man he barely knew.

"I'd rather fall out of a four story building."

"I'm sorry," she said quickly, glancing back at him. "I know this is a sensitive subject for you, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, it's fine." Ed assured her. "I'm just still angry with him I guess."

"Me too." Winry said. "When he left it really messed you guys up, and then Trisha died and he didn't even bother to call." She let out a low sigh. "I hated watching you go through that."

"I wish I knew why he left." Ed admitted. "Even if it was for a wrong reason, at least I would know."

"Do you miss him?" She asked.

He thought about it for a moment or so; no one had ever asked him that.

"I know I should, but I don't."

There was a long pause as they simply stared at the photo.

"Do you miss your parents Winry?"

"Every damn day."

He put his arm around her. "We've made it pretty far. I mean, we're a little screwed up, but we're doing okay. I'm sure we'll make it to the finish line."

"That could be tomorrow." She said.

Ed hummed for a moment. "I don't think so."

She turned around to face him. "Why the change of heart?"

"I may not believe in a higher power, but I do believe in mysterious forces. You know- karma and that shit. We've racked up an awful lot of good guy points. We should be okay."

She smiled. "Edward Elric-"

"What?"

"I should kiss you."

He smirked. "I dare you."

Winry was never one to back down from a challenge.

On the first day of the third week, there was a knock at the door.

At that time they were sitting in the front room, Al reading a book in the armchair, while Winry was taking a nap next to Ed, the later was also starting to doze off. The first tap on the door nearly went past them, but the second was much louder. The three of them jumped; their eyes wide.

"Edward Elric-" A unfamiliar voice called. "I know you're there. Open this door."

None of them dared to speak, though Ed made a motion for them to head into the kitchen. They tiptoed back behind the counter, hardly daring to breath. The entire time the pounding on the door was constant.

"Maybe if we just ignore him," Winry suggested.

"He called me by name." Ed said. "He's got to know somethings up."

"I swear to God, you little punk, I will break down this door!" the voice hollered, interrupting them.

He cursed. "Al, do you know where I keep my pistol?"

"Under your bedside table." He responded, but quickly followed with, "Ed, I have no idea how to use a gun!"

"I'm giving you ten seconds!" the voice shouted.

"You'll figure it out." He assured, "No go, I'll see what's going on."

Winry glared at him. "Don't fuck it up." She said, before following Al down the hall to his bedroom.

Ed took a breath before stiffly heading to the door. He could hear his heart beat in his ears as he turned the knob with shaking hands. He half expected a soldier on the other side, with a loaded firearm ready to execute.

To his dismay, that was exactly what he found.

The man that stood on his porch was in full military uniform. He had spiky black hair and eyes that hinted at mischief. He had a loaded pistol aimed at the lock on the door; he was just about to break in.

Ed stood there, waiting for something to happen. He braced himself to be shot, or handcuffed, or beaten, but none of those things happened. The man in front of him simply put his gun away and heaved a loud sigh. "What took you so long? I was pretty close to breaking my hand on that door."

He stared up at him for a long moment, not knowing what to say. This man wasn't intent on blowing his head off after all.

"The names Greed." He said, flashing him a smirk. "Well, it's not actually Greed, but for the sake of cool codenames and shit, we'll just leave it at that."

Something clicked. "'Greed' as in the one whose leading the resistance?" Ed asked.

"No, Greed as in the one who runs the hot dog stand down town." He could tell that he was trying to be funny, but Ed was still in such a state of shock he couldn't say anything.

"How can I be sure you're the real Greed?" Ed pushed, glancing out of the corner of his eye. He was relieved to see that Winry and Al were nowhere in sight.

The man groaned. "You're really going to make me work for it? Fine." He turned around and waved at someone on the street. Ed hadn't even noticed he was there.

The man started to approach, and as he got closer Ed began to realize that it was Brosh.

The soldier was grinning widely as he waved at him. There were tears in his eyes when he got to the doorway. "You did it, Ed." He said, "You turned the tides."

"Brosh…" he started, "Is it safe now? What happened?"

The man opened his mouth to talk, but Al's voice cut him off. "Ed, you could at least invite them inside."

The camera man turned and shot his brother a glare from where he sat at the table with Winry. They must have heard the conversation and figured it was safe to emerge.

Ed held the door a little wider, and the two of them stepped inside. "We've got coffee," he suggested lamely.

"And I see you've got the sugar to go with it." Greed said, winking at Winry. Ed tried not to look annoyed. He had put his life in the hands of THIS man?

Al poured them all beverages, and then joined them at the table for the long and inevitable explanation of what the last two weeks had entailed.

"At first no one did anything, I think they were all in shock. It was the Ishvalans that led the first protests, and soon enough people began to join them. It was only once a couple of high ranking senators voiced their thoughts that it started to have an impact." Brosh explained.

Ed paused. "Did anyone get hurt?"

Greed let out a low sigh. "Mostly those who didn't protest peacefully. There were a lot of people that simply stormed the capital, and they were shot or arrested soon enough. Even those who civilly defied Bradley were attacked by his supporters. I'd say at least twenty people died. Thankfully, officer Grumman stepped in before there could be too much bloodshed. He led the protests, as well as the court case against Bradley. With the amount of evidence and witnesses, he was convicted rather quickly, and sent to a maximum security prison."

Winry shook her head. "It just weird to me- how did they come to rise up against him so quickly? There were so few that opposed him before."

Greed shot her a grin. "That's because the smart ones were careful about it. There's still the fair share of tradition loving stubborn citizens who refuse to even entertain the idea, but there were many people lost in that war. Innocent Ishvalan men, women and children alike, not to mention the thousands of soldiers we sent over, with only a 65 percent survival rate. Nearly everyone knew at least one person who died in the war. I can only imagine how livid they would be to find out that it was in vain."

"So what's it like now?" Al asked.

"Bradley stepped down, and was soon arrested for fraud and several war crimes. Grumman has taken the presiding seat in the government until we can arrange an election." Ed nodded, though he hadn't heard much of him before, it was steadily becoming apparent that the military officer had perhaps the largest role to play in their success.

"There are still going to be riots for some time." Brosh continued. "I'd stay in Resembool for a few months if you can, just until things die down."

"It's not exactly downhill form here." Greed added. "There's going to be a decent amount of unrest in Amestris, and I doubt the people will ever trust the government as they once did. Still- come this time next year there won't be any soldiers going to war, or any innocent people dying from it. If that's what it takes, then I'm willing to settle."

Ed let that sink in for a few moments. "What will you do now?"

Brosh rested his head on his palm. "Just pick things up from where they left off, but I suppose it's time I move on from the military."

Greed nodded. "I think I'm going to find out more about all of those 'MIA' soldiers that were experimented on. I've seen the result, and it's pretty damn ugly. They're going to need all the help they can get."

"Will you deliver a message for me once you get back to Central City?" Al asked.

"Sure," Brosh said, "Who do you have in mind?"

"I'll just need you to drop off a letter at my old apartment. My girlfriend is probably pretty worried."

Greed snorted. "Kid, you're going to be in the dog house for quite a while."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Al said. "I just thought I'd do my time as quickly as I could."

They received a letter from "Elizabeth" that same day. They had been granted a personal pardon from Grumman, as well as everyone else involved with the coup. They could head back to central at any point, though she recommended they take their time.

Pinako was less than pleased that Winry, Ed and Al had lied to her. She simply stared in shock when the three arrived at her door, and then went off on a rant, stressing just how worried she was once she heard the news, and how needlessly reckless they were. She also told Winry that she had expected more of her than to act like an Elric boy. The girl only grinned and hugged her grandmother, which seemed to calm her down enough, though she did immediately set them off to do house work as punishment.

The rest of the day consisted of laundry, scrubbing, sweeping, and everything between. The entire time Pinako sat relaxing on her porch, petting Den who napped at her side.

It was tiresome work, but Ed didn't mind too much. He figured it was the least he could do to pay her back. By the end of the day the baseboards shined and the windows were clearer than they'd even been. The three of them showered and took a nap before going downstairs for dinner. It was only when Ed had realized that Pinako had made his favorite stew that he knew she had forgiven them.

When they had finished their dinner, Al and Winry were quick to put away their bowls and head upstairs. Ed was one step behind them, though before he could leave the kitchen Pinako grabbed him by the ear and yanked him down harshly.

"I'm not stupid, Edward Elric." She said. "You take damn good care of my granddaughter or I'll beat the shit out of you."

It was the first threat that he took seriously in a long time.

The brothers had their own rooms in Pinako's house, and Ed stopped in his briefly to change into pajamas and untie his hair. He considered discreetly sneaking into Winry's room, then figured that they'd be found out regardless and went in without a second thought.

She wasn't in her room however, but on the balcony just outside. Ed quietly walked over to her, finding that she was sitting against the railing with her legs hanging over the edge. He did the same.

"You tired?"

"Yeah," she said, "But not as much in the sleepy way, it's a little more mental."

"Me too." Ed said, breathing a heavy sigh. Her hand found his, and they sat like that for a while, enjoying the dewy night air and each other's silent company.

Her knee nudged his. "I don't mean to ruin the moment or anything, but I'm getting stiff. Can we go inside?"

Ed pulled himself back over the balcony and followed her in. Her bed was a simple twin one, so they were a little crowded when they both laid down, but he didn't mind.

Winry laid tucked in at his side, her head resting on his arm. "What next?"

He shrugged. "Back to Central City- I guess. We can check up on Roy and the station. If our pattern of luck continues it might just open again."

"I don't know if I want to work in news anymore, to be honest." She said. "It's thrilling, and definitely kept me busy, but from being away from it this long I've realized that it's never really allowed me to breathe. Not in the past year- at least."

"Radio then?"

She shrugged. "Maybe, or maybe I'll just pick up Granny's automail business. For now though, I just want to catch up on sleep."

Ed agreed, and pulled her comforter up to cover them. He didn't really mind that she wasn't interested in news. He could definitely see where she was coming from. The camera in his room, however, beckoned him. He briefly entertained the idea of becoming an independent filmmaker. He wouldn't make any money, and would probably stay living a quiet life forever, but as he glanced at Winry, he soon realized that even if he did get a 'successful' job, she'd probably still be the real bread winner. He smiled at the irony of it. Things always seemed to be a little out of order for them.

He could tell that she was about to fall asleep, and so offered a quick "Love you," before reaching over to turn off the lamp. Winry mumbled a response that sounded vaguely similar, and was soon dozing off.

Ed sighed. They'd probably wait a month before going back to Central City. He could see Al staying there to pick up where he left off with his career and with Mae. Though the more he thought about it the more Ed came to the conclusion that it would probably just be a pit stop for him and Winry. Go in- grab their things- and head back to Resembool.

They'd probably stop by the jewelry store on the way out, as well.

A/N

Heeyyyyy so this is awkward. I thought I had posted this chapter a month or so ago. It's only when I looked back at my account that I realized it's just been sitting in my documents. My apologies friends.

I've decided to edit this with a little update, this story has in fact ended. :( I enjoyed writing it quite a bit though, as I haven't written anything for FMA before so this was bound to be a challenge. There won't be any more chapters unless I'm inclined to write an epilogue or something of the sort. Thanks for reading friends!

That's all folks, hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!

Quiteokayish