So. There's this girl. Her name's Annie. (EpiffAnnie is the username, if you want to go and stalk her awesome fics.) And today's her birthday. Therefore, the logical thing for a friend to do is write her something. And here's the product of that.

Happy birthday Annie, I hope you won't die from the crappiness, and I love you.

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA.

It's early morning when they come, the sun barely peeking over the horizon. She hears the knocking at the door as she finishes tying up her ponytail. "I'll get it!"

She opens the door, and the first thing she sees is him. The one who killed her parents. A familiar dizzy, numb rush of anger and hatred rushes through her, and she grabs onto the edge of the doorframe to keep herself standing.

She opens her mouth to say something, anything, to this hated man, when she sees who's with him.

Al.

Not armor.

So she asks the only thing that she could think of, the question that begins to run circles through her mind and is pounding to be let out.

"Where's Ed?"

She's afraid of the answer.

Three years go by before she gets another reply. Al grows up again, and leaves--again. She visits Izumi, and Izumi dies. She takes in Wrath. She takes in Rose. She laughes and cries, breaks just a little bit more.

It's a long three years.

And then he's there, in flesh and blood, and emotion overwhelmes her as she just rushes at him, and hugs him. He's warm, real, too real, and she fights to keep from crying.

It's almost back to how it used to be, as all those years never happened. She fixes--attaches--his automail, scolding him, and he chuckles, making excuses, and--

Oh, she has missed this.

Then he's going, like how it used to be, off to fight, leaving her behind again.

And then he's gone.

And she'll wait for him to return.

Again.