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Family
(Day 7: Family)

A soft wind was blowing, making the hanging edges of the white table cloths flutter. The longer grass on either side of the clearing fluttered as well. It was a shame they had to shorten the ones where the tables were set.

It was a good thing they had married in the season when it was neither too hot nor too cold. Edward would have thrown a tantrum otherwise, saying it was absolutely not okay for her to sit in the sun in the heat or that the baby would be born with pneumonia if she sat out in the cold for too long. He was turning into Hughes.

Winry shook her head in fond exasperation as she watched the party from where she sat on the front steps of Granny's house, leaning against the railing for comfort. She did get tired very easily these days.

By the outer edge of the gathering, General Mustang and his gang loitered. He and Captain Hawkeye had barely managed to make it in time from Ishval to be able to change into comfortable clothing. Winry could tell they were both relieved from finding a way out of the desert. It showed in their relaxed postures. What made her smile, though, was the way he looked at Hawkeye. While Havoc made a joke about who-knows-what and the entire team laughed, Mustang quietly watched Hawkeye as if that was all the view he needed in the world.

Well, Winry couldn't blame him. She hadn't seen Miss Riza laugh so openly before either, and she had to say, she looked breathtaking.

The next moment, Rebecca soon-to-be-Havoc Catalina had caught whiff of her best friend's charm, and even from ten yards away, Winry could hear the indignant cry Ed's former superior let loose. More laughing ensued.

Ed was being hugged to death by a shirtless and very teary Colonel Armstrong. Granny flanked them, smiling nostalgically those at two, while Den and Black Hayate chased each other around her feet. Mr and Mrs Curtis were there too, looking on in earnest pride at the man her pupil had become. They'd been the first to arrive, even at their wedding, and the first to congratulate them on Winry's pregnancy. Somewhere behind them, Major General Armstrong sat at a chair with her legs crossed, in civilian clothing and very much bored. After Briggs, she thought, everything must look boring, at least in her strategy infested mind. Winry did catch her taking a deep breath of the fresh warm air looking content, however.

At the opposite side, where the food was set, Ling and Lan fan stood, piling up their plates for the umpteenth time. They were dressed in standard Amestrian clothing, in an attempt to stay incognito. They'd apparently sneaked away from their duties in Xing. Winry marveled at what friendship could do. Ling and Ed didn't seem to get along very well at first sight, but it was the bond they shared that had pulled Ling away from his imperial duties even during their wedding.

"Hey!" Ed screamed, drawing the attention of almost the entire party in his attempt to catch Ling's. "We didn't cook all that food for only you! We have other guests, too!"

The subject of Ed's outburst was completely absorbed in his food, however, and didn't hear a word. Lan Fan promptly went a deep shade of red and tried to signal her Emperor with her eyes. That, too, failed.

"Oi! Don'tcha dare ignore me at my own party, dumbass!" Ed screeched again, but this time, Alphonse and May, who'd been sitting at a table with Gracia and Elicia, burst out laughing. Elicia was the first to join in, and soon everyone was laughing, all while Ed groaned in defeat.

Only when Paninya grabbed a piece of meat literally out of Ling's mouth did he pay any heed to anything anyone said about his appetite. Grumbling, he agreed to not eat any more till everyone else had eaten.

There were people who couldn't come. Garfiel had gotten caught up in an emergency and had to cancel his ticket. Rose had been exceptionally busy ever since the rebuilding of Liore started. Neither Dr Marcoh nor Dr Knox could make it, and neither could Scar or Miles, because not everyone could leave Ishval at the same time. But it was still a very merry company. All these people that had helped Ed and Al and her grow. She couldn't think of anyone else she wanted to be here, to witness Ed and Winry building a family together slowly but surely. She wished her parents were here, and also Ed's parents. They would have been so proud.

The breeze was making her drowsy, and she stroked her steadily rounding womb out of habit. Everyone was having fun. The happiness in and around the little house on top of the hill made her feel content.

That was when she felt it. It was small at first, and just one tiny bump. At once, all tiredness left her system. But the movement wasn't there anymore. She wondered if she'd imagined it, a wave of disappointment hitting her. And that was when she felt it again; stronger this time.

Winry sat up straight, both hands now on her swollen belly. This was definitely it, because she felt another kick. She looked up, ready to call out to Ed, only to find he was already at her side, worry in his furrowed eyebrows.

He'd probably noticed her going from tired to alert in an instant.

"What's wrong, Win?" he asked.

She looked around to find that the festive mood had transformed to concern. Even Ling had looked up from his food wide-eyed. Xiao May looked on from May's lap, frozen in the middle of maneuvering a weird dance move. Elicia and Gracia joined Edward on the bottom step.

Too awed to put it in words, Winry grabbed Ed's hand, his right hand, and placed it on her swollen stomach. A minute passed in silent suspense. Everyone watched with their breath held, even Ed.

The moment it happened, the entire hill erupted in joy. Even Olivier stared with her eyes wide in amazement. Pinako, Izumi and Gracia watched with tears in their eyes. May, Al, Rebecca, and even Mustang swooned. Elicia was right there beside Winry, both hands on her belly, waiting to feel the next kick that came. Colonel Armstrong was once again shirtless and in tears. Ed, however, kept alternating between looking her in the eyes and looking at his hands.

She knew what must be going on in his mind. It kicked. The baby kicked. Their baby!

Ever since she'd found out three months ago, he'd been nothing but endearing. Over-protective. Sometimes even paranoid. But she could understand. He was tired of losing things and people he cared about.

This time, when he looked up, his eyes were brimming with tears. Happy tears, but tears nonetheless.

She drew him into a hug, and he proceeded to soak her dress. Winry looked around her. All these people who cared about them, even though some were worse at showing it than others, they were here now, to watch as they celebrated finding happiness after all those years of uncertainty and tragedy. That was when she knew that there couldn't possibly be a better family for her child to be born into.