Hey guys! I've had this idea sitting on my computer, and this is just the test chapter, really. I do wanna continue this, but here's kind of a preview of how the story would go. Tell me what you guys think!

Sunlight filtered into the room, hitting the blond teenager that was sprawled across the bed, face down. Edward's gold eyes fluttered open and he let out a contented sigh as he sat up, squinting against the light hitting his face, which he rubbed with both hands, and then froze.

He could feel his right hand. He dug the nails of his right hand into his palm, wincing at the sharp pain. Ed brought his hands away from his face and stared at them; they were his, all right. But how could they be?

A knock on the door startled him so badly that he almost fell off the bed, but then something worse poked its head into the room.

"Brother, are you up yet? We're gonna be late."

Al . . . Alphonse Elric stood before his older brother in all his blond haired glory, looking exactly the same as he did all those years ago just before the transmutation. He was starting to look more like Trisha in as his face changed with the transition into adulthood, but the voice, the eyes, and even the way he raised an eyebrow at his brother were all the same.

"Are you okay, Ed? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Just . . ." Ed stammered to come up with an excuse, but Al made one up for him.

"Nightmare?" He asked.

Ed nodded, untangling himself from the sheets, shocked by the fact that his leg was no longer automail, but he did have a nasty scar around his thigh.

"Hurry and get dressed; Mom's got breakfast ready." Al said, turning away, and Ed saw the uniform he was wearing for the first time: a navy blue blazer, black slacks, a white button down shirt, and a striped tie, completed by the shiny shoes on his feet. Ed found a similar uniform laying out for him on the door to the wardrobe.

Ed took a minute to explore the room as he got dressed. His bed was huge, perfectly positioned to catch the rising sun in the spring and summer. Red and black bedclothes covered the mattress, which had to be at least two feet thick. The walls were sparsely decorated: one or two posters on each wall, one painting of a ship in a storm, and a couple of sconces on either sides of the headboard. There was the wardrobe on the same side of the room as the window, filled with a lot of clothes that Ed would have never worn willingly: fancy dress suits, a tux, and a white military dress uniform, each with its own pair of shoes. The dresser sat on the adjacent side, with clothes that Ed was more comfortable with: jeans, regular shirts, even his black leather ensemble. Several photographs were lined up on the surface, one of him and Al and Winry, all smiling at the camera, Winry with her arms around the boys; another of Ed, Al, and their mother, proudly showing off their first displays of alchemy; one of Ed and EJ, the redhead being carried bridal style by Ed with her arms around his neck, smiling, and one leg kicked high into the air.

Why would EJ be in these pictures? Ed thought about this as he tied his hair into its usual braid and made his way downstairs.

Al looked up from his waffles as his older brother entered the kitchen, tie slung around the collar of his shirt. He rolled his eyes.

"Did you forget how to tie it again?" He stood and came over to his older brother's side, fixing the tie for him while he protested heartily. "And straighten yourself up, Ed." He sat and went back to his breakfast. Ed sat in the seat next to him, fixing the collar of his shirt and making a face.

"You keep making that face it'll stick."

Ed almost choked as his eyes found the smiling face of his mother setting a plate of steaming waffles in front of him. On impulse, he stood up and wrapped his arms around her neck. Ed was surprised to find that he was taller than his mother by at least a half inch.

"Well, good morning to you too, sweetheart." Trisha laughed as she returned her sons unexpected hug. Ed found he couldn't say anything is response to that; all he wanted to do was start apologizing to her for all the mistakes he'd made and for dragging Al into it.

"Breakfast is getting cold, dear." Mom pulled away and ran her fingers through Ed's bangs, her smile a little wistful.

"You look more and more like your father every day." She kissed his cheek and walked back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up breakfast.

Ed sat down and ate, trying not to feel too stung by Mom's words; Ed wanted nothing to do with the b****d who'd walked out on them when he was a kid, and the fact that he kept seeing Hoenheim every time he looked in the mirror made that ache a little worse.

"Morning, boys!" said a voice behind them and Ed froze, whirling in his seat to see none other than Van Hoenheim strolling up from what Ed assumed was the basement.

"Did the door get stuck again Dad?" Al joked as Hoenheim wrapped him in a one armed chokehold.

"I figured it was good time to take a work break."

"Oh, there you are dear; I was getting worried." Mom came around the counter and set a pitcher of juice on the table before leaning down to give her husband a modest peck on the cheek. Hoenheim actually looked affronted.

"Dad . . . we talked about you and Mom being all lovey at the table." Al said, waving his fork around. Ed snorted into his juice, trying hard to keep the grin off his face.

"All right boys, stop laughing at your father and get to school; you'll be late!" Trisha scolded, though her cheeks were pink. Al glanced at the clock and jabbed Ed in the arm, swallowing his last bit of breakfast.

Ed followed his example and caught up to his little brother just as Al tossed a messenger bag at him from the hook by the door.

"Ed, you forgot something!" Trisha called after her eldest son. Ed turned back as Mom handed him a small box wrapped in shiny blue paper and tied with a silver ribbon.

"Tell EJ happy birthday from us, all right? And bring her over after school; I'll make something special just for her."

"Sure thing." Ed nodded, trying to keep the confusion off his face. Mom gave him one last hug and a kiss on the cheek before sending him out the door.

"I can't believe EJ's gonna be sixteen! Time really does fly, huh Brother?" Al wondered as the two of them wandered down the cobbled streets towards the school.

"It sure does." Ed kept glancing around; everything was where it should be, but at the same time Ed couldn't help but wonder if this is what Risembool would've looked like if the bombings during the Ishvalan War hadn't happened.

"And you know Winry is gonna have some new gadget or upgrade up her sleeve. Rockbell's Prosthetic Limb Outfitters is gonna make a name for itself in Central one of these days." Al said, side stepping to avoid some kids on bikes headed in the same direction.

Ed smiled at the thought that Winry was still just as much of a gearhead here as she was back . . . wherever Ed had come from.

The two boys entered the school yard and Al immediately ran towards a group of kids his age, hopping onto one of the tables clustered underneath free standing patio.

"Hey Edward!" said a girls voice, and Ed turned to see Winry waving at him by the doors to the school, surrounded by a few familiar faces that almost made Ed freeze up suspiciously.

"Hey guys; how's it going?" Ed sat down and placed the little box in his lap protectively.

"This morning has just been full of surprises;" Winry started to tick off on her fingers. "You're actually on time, Ling showed up, and Bradley hasn't been giving us any grief!"

"I wasn't gonna miss EJ's sweet sixteen; I'm a better friend than that!" Ling protested.

"You mean you weren't gonna miss the free cupcakes she's giving out to the second year class." Lan Fan said from behind her book. Her black hair was tied into a side bun instead of the top knot Ed usually saw her wearing, and her uniform was complimented by black tights instead of the knee highs Ed had seen on the other girls; Winry kept a small wrench tucked into hers.

"Hey, those are simply an added bonus!" The Xingese prince protested as footsteps came up behind them.

"And I made an extra batch just for you Ling."

"EJ, you're amazing." Ling fell back into the grass with a contented sigh as a warm body pressed up against Ed's side and wrapped arms around his own.

"Good morning, gorgeous." EJ playfully tapped Ed on the nose before kissing him full on the mouth. Ed froze, feeling the heat rush into his face and down his neck while his friends looked on yelling, "Gross!" "Not in front of everyone!" "Geez, EJ!"

EJ broke the kiss with a laugh and then looked at Ed in confusion; he'd only had that short circuited brain look once before: when they'd kissed the first time on a dare from Ling.

"Are you okay? You seem a little out of it this morning." EJ ran her thumb along Ed's cheek.

"Don't tell me you were up all night studying alchemy again." Winry scolded, reaching slowly for her wrench.

"No, no; it's just . . ." Ed wracked his brain for an excuse and came up with the perfect one. "You're the birthday girl; shouldn't I be doing that to you?" He moved the little present out of his lap in preparation for his next move.

"If you want—" EJ started, but Ed swung her around into his lap and kissed her before he lost his nerve.

"Oh come on!" Ling threw his hands in the air. "Once a day is bad enough with you two!"

"But . . . but it's my birthday." EJ suddenly curled into Ed's chest and put on a hurt face. The innocent image worked surprisingly well; with EJ's hair pulled into a high ponytail with ringlets bouncing around every which way and tied off with navy blue bow, eyes glistening like she was about to cry.

"You . . . you don't want me to have a happy birthday?" she sniffed. Ling immediately began to panic, waving his hands around.

"I – I didn't mean it like that!"

"Gotcha, Yao!" EJ taunted, causing the group to burst into laughter. "You really need to stop falling for that; I don't like to pull that card unless it's on Ed."

The bell for the start of school rang, causing groans to erupt from many of the students, but they still got to their feet.

"Is that for me?" EJ pointed to the box in Ed's hand.

"Yeah; Mom and Dad wish you a happy birthday." Ed was surprised at the ease in which "Dad" passed over his tongue; how was he so comfortable calling Hoenheim such a familial term? It wasn't like the guy was a family man himself; who walks out on his family without saying goodbye, disappears for ten years, and then shows up only to explain behind closed doors that the thing you transmuted as a stupid, prideful kid wasn't even your mother in the first place?

"Ed, it's gorgeous!" EJ's voice broke through Ed's thought process. She was dangling a gold "E" necklace set with blue stones in the air, cheeks pink with excitement. She turned and presented the back of her neck to Ed.

"Put it on me?"

Ed fumbled with the clasp for a second before looping it around EJ's neck and clicking it in place.

"Ed, I love it." EJ slipped her hand into Ed's and intertwined their fingers. "But we better go, otherwise the principal is gonna have our butts." She pulled Ed along behind her into the school.

Mom was alive, Al wasn't a suit of armor, Risembool was flourishing, and everything was just perfect.

And everything was absolutely wrong at the same time.

And there you have it! I'm working on more chapters for my other stories as we speak, so be on the lookout for those! Thanks again for all of my followers and reviewers!