Epilogue

One year later…

"Pssst, wake up!" A voice whispered in Elmina's ear. The dark haired girl kept her eyes firmly shut, refusing to budge from her warm place beneath the bed sheets. "Oh come on. Don't be like this. I know you're awake," The voice's tone was pouty. Elmina turned her head and buried her face further into the pillow. After a moment it became quite clear she didn't intend to move again. "Don't make me do this the hard way. It might wake people up." The voice warned. Elmina ignored it. She'd been dealing with this for long enough to know when she could call the creature's bluff. He'd never risk waking up her parents. There was silence for a moment. Finally she heard a heavy sigh. "Come on Mouse, we made a bargain. It's past time you paid up." There was the faintest note of irritation in the creature's tone.

Elmina heaved a very audible sigh into the pillow, but finally rolled over and sat up. The bedroom was dark, with only moonlight filtering through the blinds.

"Why is it always the middle of the night when you wake me up?" She demanded flatly.

"This is when I'm the most bored," Mania stood at the foot of her bed, arms crossed and his face hidden in shadow. His outline was rather imposing in the dark with the window at his back. Elmina shivered.

"Well, you have been awfully patient," she muttered, rubbing the sides of her arms while she tried to crush the unease fluttering in her stomach. "Just don't get me killed, alright?" She could see a grin spread across his face despite the darkness.

"Don't worry so much. You'll be fine," he retorted, though his tone was less than reassuring. Elmina let out a resigned sigh. She would most certainly regret this in the morning.

Wrath slipped out of his apartment. The air was already sharp with a chill that would only get worse as the season progressed. He could see his breath faintly as he made his way down the street. It was early in the morning and few people were out and about. The sun was still hanging just below the edge of the horizon. A block from his apartment he stopped by a coffee shop. The place had only been open for a few minutes so he was the first customer. The lady behind the counter greeted him cheerfully. The two drinks he usually requested were already waiting for him. Not one for small talk, at least not at this early hour, he paid for the drinks quickly and left. The warmth they radiated into his hands as he continued down the street was pleasant.

Not long afterwards he arrived at another apartment complex. A familiar figure was waiting for him out front. At his approach she turned and her light hair, which spilled loosely over her shoulders, fluttered in the soft breeze. He approached her and wordlessly offered her one of the cups. She accepted it, a thoughtful look in her green eyes.

"Something's on your mind," she observed, sipping her drink without taking her eyes off of him. A slight smile tugged at Wrath's lips. He had done nothing different from their usual morning routine, but after a year together nothing seemed to escape Elycia's notice when it came to his mood.

"Walk with me," he replied, offering her his free arm. She took it without hesitation and the two of them continued down the sidewalk together. As they walked he was keenly aware of the slight weight in his left pocket. Her arm through his, usually a reassuring thing, was fuelling the nervous butterflies flitting about inside him. Sensing his underlying unease, Elycia kept quiet, glancing at him occasionally from the corner of her eye. He guided their steps along a familiar rout, keeping at a leisurely pace. They would arrive at their destination shortly. He'd timed it just right.

Sure enough, they reached the bridge overlooking the city a few minutes later. They came to a stop in the middle, facing east towards the rising sun. From here one had a beautiful view of the city laid out around them. The sky glowed with a fiery splendour as the sun began to rise, casting its colors across the sea of streets and buildings like a beautiful painting.

"How lovely," Elycia breathed, taking in the scene before her. Wrath watched her, the sparkle of life in her eyes as the gazed out across the city making his heart skip a beat.

"Yes," he replied softly, not taking his eyes off her. She glanced at him, her cheeks coloring slightly at his tone. As he stared at her he saw curiosity enter her expression. He wasn't typically chatty, but he was sure she was getting some puzzling signals from him. Taking a breath to steady himself, he set his drink on the railing. "Elycia," he began. She cocked her head questioningly, which at the moment struck him as distractingly cute. He cleared his throat, trying to order his thoughts. "I'm not very good with words…which I'm sure you know…" His hand slipped into his pocked, resting over the little box within as he tried to remember what he'd been intending to say next. She watched him with an expectant expression, but the words had vanished from the tip of his tongue. "I just…I love you, and…" he trailed off, feeling his cheeks warm with embarrassment. He wavered a moment, and, realizing he wasn't going to be able to recover the words he had planned on saying, he took the plunge. He dropped to one knee, sliding the little box from his pocket, but before he could say a word a grin of delight spread across the young woman's face. He was very nearly knocked to the ground as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

"I thought you were never going to ask," she said, pulling back with an impish grin. Wrath blinked.

"I haven't even said anything yet," he stated in bewilderment.

"No, but you were going to," she replied, eyes dancing. He stared at her, feeling taken off guard in a way that he hadn't felt in quite some time.

"How did you…?" He began, and then stopped, realizing the question 'how did you know?' was a rather foolish one, given the position he was in and the box in his hand. "Well, then what's your answer?" He asked finally. In response she held out her hand to him, a knowing smile on her face. Taking this as all the answer he needed, he opened the box, pulling out the ring inside. The diamond sparkled brilliantly in the sun's rays. He slipped it onto the ring finger of her left hand, and rose to his feet. Then, taking her in his arms he kissed her. Her arms went about his neck and they stayed that way for a moment. Then he pulled back slightly as a thought occurred to him. "You never did say yes," he pointed out. She let out a soft peal of laughter.

"Oh, Wrath," she giggled, "Yes I did," then she kissed him again swiftly to prove her point.

"A kiss doesn't necessarily mean yes. Especially when the question hasn't been asked yet," he replied gravely, though there was a glint of amusement in his eyes.

"Well then. If you need it to be more official, then yes. I, Elycia Hughes, take you, Wrath Curtis, to be my lawfully wedded husband," she declared loftily. Wrath's eyebrows shot up.

"I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself. We need a priest to make that vow official," he grinned slightly.

"Yes, well, you get my point," she replied with a smile. "So did you ask Roy's permission to marry me?" Wrath blinked.

"I didn't realize I needed anyone's permission," he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you don't. But I suspect he'll be miffed you didn't ask him first," she smirked.

"I'm sure he'll get over it," his tone was dry. "We can stop by his place on the way back and inform him if you'd like," he suggested.

"We should. But maybe we should get breakfast first. He usually tries to sleep in a bit on his day off," she replied.

"Whatever you prefer," Wrath said, kissing her forehead affectionately. She stepped back, slipping a hand into his.

"Let's go back to the café where you grabbed these," she said, grabbing her drink from the railing, "They make wonderful muffins."

"Muffins it is then," he smiled, taking his own drink from the railing. Turning back in the direction they'd come from, they began walking once more, hand in hand. Wrath glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. Her hair shone in the morning light. The new ring on her left hand twinkled as she raised her drink to her lips. After a moment she turned and met his gaze, an amused smile spreading across her face which he couldn't help but return. The pain and darkness mingled with the memories of his past dimmed in comparison with the warmth now filling his heart. He was hers, and she was his, and neither of them would have to be alone again.

Morning sunlight streamed in the kitchen window. Coffee had just finished brewing in a pot on the counter. Eggs and bacon were sizzling in a pan on the stove top. Elsie stood with a cup of coffee cradled in her hands as she stared at out at the front yard. It was early enough that the sun had yet to evaporate the dew glittering on the grass. Setting her warm mug on the counter she turned to flip the eggs and bacon. Down the hall she heard the sound of footsteps approaching, easily recognizable by the fact that one foot made a much harder sound than the other. She glanced over as her husband appeared in the doorway.

"Good morning," she greeted him, a smile pulling at her lips at his groggy appearance. He blinked sleepily, glanced at the breakfast she was making, and then slowly crossed the kitchen to take a seat in one of the chairs. There was still an ever so slight limp to his step. Elsie turned and pulled another mug from the cupboard, pouring the green haired man a much needed cup of coffee. She brought it over to him and he accepted it gratefully. He took a sip and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Why do you always get up so early?" He demanded finally. Elsie rolled her eyes, turning back to the pan on the stove.

"You're as bad as Elmina," she said, ignoring the question.

"Well, she is my daughter," he pointed out.

"Yes, she is indeed. Speaking of sleepyheads, your son hasn't stirred yet either. Although, I haven't noticed Mania around anywhere, so perhaps that has something to do with it," she said, turning to pull plates out of the cupboard and utensils from the drawer.

"You really think Theo's sleeping habits are because of Mania? Maybe he just takes after you," Envy suggested. "He's too young for Mania to have any effect on him."

"Supposedly," Elsie murmured, although her expression was unconvinced. As she reached for her coffee mug something out the window caught her attention. A gasp escaped her lips. "What on earth…?" her tone was dismayed.

"What is it?" Envy demanded. Rather than answer him Elsie made her way swiftly out of the kitchen to the front door, pulling it open just as her daughter reached the front step. The dark haired girl started in surprise to see Elsie standing there.

"Oh…Hi mom…" Elmina greeted her reluctantly.

"What did you do?!" Elsie cried in alarm. Elmina grimaced. Her hair was a mess, and her pyjama pants and tank top were dirty and torn in places. Her feet were bare, meaning they were swollen and covered in grime from running around who knows where. Her knuckles were raw and crusted with blood. She was sporting an impressive black eye, a split lip, and a decidedly swollen cheek, along with a number of other minor cuts and bruises.

"You should see the other guys," Elmina answered her finally, her tone frank.

"Oh, Mina," her mother's tone was despairing. A sheepish grin crept onto the dark haired girl's face, causing her split lip to start bleeding again, adding to the overall effect. Envy appeared at the door behind his wife. He took one look at his daughter and a resigned sigh escaped his lips.

"You just had to get in a fight two days before school," he muttered. Elmina reached up to wipe the trickle of blood away from her mouth.

"What's so bad about that? I'll look tough," she retorted.

"You'll look like a trouble maker. I was hoping you could leave that reputation behind after skipping school for a year," he replied flatly. Elmina rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. It wasn't my idea to pick a fight with a group of drunkards," she defended herself.

"Actually, it was," A voice spoke up from above them. The three of them glanced up to see a red haired figure perched on the edge of the roof.

"Was not!" Elmina snapped childishly.

"Was too," Mania smirked. "They called you names and you took offense."

"Yeah, well, it was your idea to take me through the sketchiest area of town," she grumbled, glowering at him.

"You had fun. Don't be such a spoil sport," he retorted.

"Mania…" There was a dangerous note to Elsie's voice. At her tone, Mania's expression grew miffed.

"Oh dear. Well I know when I'm not wanted," he commented. Then he promptly vanished. Elsie made a sound of annoyance.

"Well, I did promise him free reign for a few hours in exchange for leaving me alone for two weeks," Elmina pointed out. "He hasn't gotten that much freedom with me for a while, so you can't really blame him for getting carried away." Despite her waspishness towards the creature, she wasn't particularly upset with him. She'd grown resigned to his presence a while ago. The irritation she directed at him was little more than a habit at this point. Her mother, on the other hand, was another story.

"I can most certainly blame him," there was an edge to her voice that promised some sharp words for the creature in the near future. "But enough of that," she turned back towards her daughter. "Come inside and we'll get you cleaned up," she said, the concern returning to her tone. Elmina nodded and the three of them made their way back into the house.

Not long afterwards, Elmina's scrapes were cleaned and rubbed with ointment, her various bumps and bruises had been iced, and she was bundled back into bed by her mother for a few hours more rest. Elsie shut the door to her daughter's room quietly, and made her way down the hallway to the room of her son, whom she could hear fussing. Theodoric Curtis was a month shy of his first birthday. With his curly dark hair and large, green eyes, he clearly took after his mother. He was, however, exceptionally energetic and adventurous for his age; suggesting his personality would very likely lean towards that of his father and sister. He'd mastered the art of walking on his own at around nine months, and had recently discovered the joy of running, which he had taken quite a liking to. That combined with his insatiable curiosity had been keeping the family on their toes.

Theo was standing up, gripping the bars of his crib when she entered. At the sight of his mother he began to bounce, greeting her with a babble of excitement. Elsie crossed the room and scooped him up into her arms.

"How's my little man?" She cooed.

"Bababa!" was the eager reply.

"Alright, let's get you some breakfast," she said, turning back towards the door.

"I've never understood how you manage to translate gibberish into 'I'm hungry.'" At the voice in the doorway Elsie came to a halt. Mania was standing there, leaning casually on the doorframe. Her expression hardened, but Theo let out a squeal of delight, wriggling in his mother's arms as he reached eagerly towards the creature. Mania smirked. "Well it's nice that someone is happy to see me," he remarked. The creature was a definite favourite with the child; his vibrant, fluttering hair being a source of endless amusement.

"Move," Elsie ordered flatly.

"I know you want to yell at me, so let's just get it over with," Mania said.

"I don't want to yell at you," she retorted crisply.

"Yes you do," his tone was knowing. The dark haired woman let out an exasperated sigh.

"Even if I do, it's not as if it'll make any difference," she muttered.

"I don't get why you're so angry. I didn't break any rules," Mania said, his expression decidedly pouty. Elsie's eyes flashed with annoyance.

"You got my daughter into a fight and let her get injured," she snapped.

"They're only minor injuries," his tone was innocuous.

"You shouldn't have let her get into a fight in the first place!"

"Okay, okay, I get it," he raised his hands in surrender. "But you're the ones that wanted me to keep my hands off Mouse during Sunshine's wedding celebrations. I went two weeks without feeding. Two weeks! I was starving," his tone was defensive. Elsie stared flatly at him. "And it's not like I take things that far without permission. You should really be grateful I'm that considerate. Not to mention I'm a deterrent for Despair. You'll notice she hasn't been much of an issue lately. If you want to keep her away for your children, you need me around," he pointed out. Elsie rolled her eyes.

"Alright, fine. You win," she muttered. Mania smirked victoriously. "Now would you please move?" She demanded sharply. Without further comment he vanished from the room.

Several hours had passed when Elmina finally awoke. She sat up in bed and tried to rub her face, but let out a yelp when she succeeded in shoving her fingers against her blackened eye.

"Dammit Mania," she cursed him quietly, both eyes watering from the unexpected burst of pain. With an exasperated growl she slid her legs out of bed and stood up, grimacing as her body made her keenly aware of all of the parts of it which she'd overused and abused during her escapade the previous night. She hobbled painfully out of the room and down the hall. She heard voices coming from the living room and directed her steps there.

She was a little surprised to find her friend Adele on the couch with Theo seated upon her lap. The child was busily inspecting a necklace hanging from the young woman's neck. Across from her Mania was draped across a chair, head propped on his elbow as he watched the two of them.

"G'morning Mouse," he drawled, not even bothering to glance at her. Adele glanced up at the dark haired girl and her mouth fell open at the sight of her.

"That bad, huh?" Elmina's tone was dry. She hadn't bothered looking in the mirror since the fight, but she was sure whatever bruises she'd gained had already darkened further while she slept.

"What on earth…?" Adele demanded, clearly taken aback by her friend's black and blue appearance.

"My loyal stalker over there took me for the joy ride I promised him," Elmina gestured at the red haired creature as she crossed the room and sank down next to her friend. Mania snorted.

"Sa-sa!" Theo greeted her. It was the closest thing he could manage to the word 'sister'. He reached for a lock of her dark hair.

"Don't even think about it, you little monster," Elmina retorted, intercepting his hand with a finger which he latched onto quite happily in place of her hair. Despite her words, her tone was affectionate. The boy's wandering attention didn't stay fixed on his sister for long. A moment later he was back to examining the blond girl's pendant.

"I think describing it as a 'joy ride' will give people the wrong impression," Adele sounded nervously amused. Her initial alarm had receded. She'd been expecting a result similar to this when her friend had informed her of her agreement with the creature the previous week. Elmina raised an eyebrow.

"As long as your brain isn't in the gutter it's a perfectly accurate description. Sounds like someone's rubbing off on you," she commented blandly. Adele reddened noticeably.

"I haven't seen Titus in ages. He's away on an assignment," her tone was a tad defensive.

"I wonder what he'd think about Theo chewing on the going away present he gave you," Elmina went on innocently, ignoring her friend's statement. The baby had indeed put the pendant experimentally into his mouth. Adele reached up and pried it out gently. It was an elegant twist of silver around a small, glittering aquamarine.

"You shouldn't tease me about Titus. It's not like we're officially dating," Adele muttered. Elmina snorted.

"But you will be when he comes back," she smirked knowingly. Adele rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, don't keep the poor guy in suspense. He's been bending over backwards to be good enough for you. It's been a nice change actually."

"I'm a little busy to be in a relationship," the blonde pointed out.

"I'm sure you could make time if you wanted to," Elmina retorted. Theo began to fuss slightly, having grown bored with Adele's necklace and wanting a new source of amusement.

"I'm not so sure. Dad's going to have me pretty tied up with teaching this fall," Adele said, lifting Theo up and setting him on the ground carefully. He scrambled to his feet and toddled across the room to where Mania was seated, reaching eagerly for the fluttering hair. The creature eyed him skeptically, his red locks twitching just out of reach each time the child snatched at one.

"So you're going ahead with that then?" Elmina asked. Her friend, with the help of Edward and Elior, had been preparing to take on a handful of skilled alchemists as apprentices who were eager to learn her unique, medicinal form of alchemy.

"Yeah, I spoke to a couple of the students yesterday. They can't wait to get started," Adele sounded ever so slightly apprehensive.

"You'll do fine. Don't worry so much. You'll have Elior helping you, right?"

"Yeah, he's been sweet enough to volunteer the free time he has when he isn't working," the blonde replied with a smile.

"Well, you are his sister-in-law now," Elmina pointed out.

"As if that as anything to do with it," Adele retorted, "You know how he is."

"Can I pester one of you lovely young ladies to deliver me from the clutches of this rampant child?" Mania spoke up from across the room. The girls paused in their conversation to glance over at him. The creature was now perched on the back of the chair as the toddler attempted to clamber onto the seat in pursuit of his elusive prey: the lively red locks atop the creature's head. Upon seeing the state Mania was in, Adele raised a hand to smother soft laughter while a mischievous grin crept across Elmina's face. He looked a good deal like a very large cat trapped in a tree by a very small dog.

"Go right ahead and pester us. I can't wait to see how you plan on doing that while trapped over there," Elmina taunted.

"That's really not fair at all, you know," Mania grumbled. The dark haired girl snickered. What made the situation so entertaining was that the creature really was trapped. The agreement that had been settled on quite some time ago was that Mania could stay with them and have regular access to Elmina, so long as he followed some rules. Two of those rules related to the toddler stalking him. The first one forbid him any physical contact whatsoever with Theo until he was older. The second one followed along a similar line and forbid him from teleporting anywhere while in close proximity to the boy. There was no way to know for certain what sort of affect either of those actions would have on the child at such a young age. So with those two rules in mind, there was really nothing the creature could do in his current position, short of fleeing the room; which would be far too damaging for his pride.

"I think it's perfectly fair. I'm going to be sore and bruised for days because of you," Elmina retorted. Seeing that the toddler was close to wriggling itself all the way onto the seat, and realizing he wouldn't be getting any help from his young host, he turned a piteous gaze on Adele. It only took a moment for the blonde to cave under the very convincing puppy-dog eyes. She rose to her feet.

"Aww, don't give in to the jerk," Elmina protested. Adele rolled her eyes, crossing the room to scoop up the child. Theo let out a squeal, babbling in protest at being interrupted mid-hunt. Mania let out a relieved sigh and climbed back down into the chair.

"You shouldn't grab people's hair," Adele chided the child gently.

"You just had to ruin the fun," Elmina grumbled. At her tone, Mania turned an injured gaze on her.

"At least I know Blue Eyes will always save me," he stated mournfully.

"You're just taking advantage of her because she's a softy," the dark haired girl retorted flatly. Mania raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure 'softy' is really the right word. She is the person who, back when I first came to live with you, informed me in no uncertain terms that she would make my life 'an absolute living hell' unless I agreed to abide by your rules," his tone was dry.

"I only said that because you were being an overbearing jerk," Adele muttered, reaching up to pull her pendant out of Theo's mouth again.

"He's always an overbearing jerk," Elmina retorted sharply, although her expression was one of teasing amusement. Mania rolled his eyes. "Say, why are you here, anyway?" The dark haired girl asked, glancing at Adele.

"Mom sent me to check on your dad's leg. It's been a month since his last check-up," She replied, bouncing the toddler on her hip, "Your mom left to go find him a few minutes ago." At this Elmina snorted.

"He's probably hiding in the shop. You know how he feels about being poked and prodded," her tone was dry. Adele let out a sigh of resignation.

"Yes, he's made it quite clear what his feelings about that are over the last year. But I didn't come to poke and prod. The leg is basically healed. I just need to make sure the nerves are holding up alright under the stress of the automail," she said. Then a thought seemed to occur to her. "Speaking of people hiding in shops, you should talk to AJ before you leave for school tomorrow."

"Leave for school? It's not liking I'm going away permanently. I'll just be gone during the day," Elmina's tone was puzzled.

"I know. But I think he's worried you'll find some hot shot jock and take a liking to him," Adele smiled knowingly. The dark haired girl's eyes widened and she made a sound of consternation.

"As if!" She cried, "I've had more than my fill of arrogant jerks. The boys at the school are all just as bad as Titus was, and only half as good looking." Her tone was defensive.

"Then go tell him that." There was a twinkle of amusement in Adele's eyes. Elmina reddened slightly.

"Well….fine, I will!" She turned abruptly to leave, all too aware that she was now visibly flustered. Then she came to an abrupt halt as a thought occurred to her. She whirled around and pointed a finger at Mania. "And you, stay put or I swear I'll skin you alive," the look in her eyes and tone of her voice were decidedly menacing. Mania raised his eyebrows skeptically.

"I'd love to see you try that," his tone was dry.

"I mean it!" Elmina snapped.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Go see your Prince Charming. I won't bug you," he assured her, a decidedly smug look on his face. Elmina growled under her breath, but turned and left the room.

The afternoon sun was hot despite the coolness of the breeze. Summer hadn't completely given way to fall just yet. Elmina strode down the sidewalk, heading in the direction of Rockbell automail. After their home in Resembool was destroyed, the Elrics had made the decision to move to Dublith and reopen their shop there. This decision was met with no small amount of delight by Adele and Elmina. It meant the girls no longer needed to make extended visits to see each other. It also meant Envy was close to his automail mechanic. The idea of his finding someone else to go to was something Winry flat out refused to consider. One year later the family seemed to have finally settled in. Alphonse had, not surprisingly, moved into a house near theirs. He and Edward had opened and alchemy school; the same school which Adele would be teaching at this winter. As for AJ, he was continuing to help his mother with the shop, but he'd started pursuing inventing on the side as well.

Reaching the shop, she ducked down the alley beside it, making for the workshop out back. She could hear the sound of a drill running inside. She smirked slightly as an idea came to her mind. She crept up to the door and opened it just enough to peer inside. AJ was standing at work bench across the room, his back to her. There was silence for a moment as he fiddled with the metal contraption on the counter. Then the drill sounded again. Taking this as her opportunity, she slipped inside, the noise filling the shop effectively covering up the sound of her entrance. She stalked cautiously towards him, pausing whenever the drill ceased. It didn't take long to get right up behind him, but then the drill stopped again. She froze, holding her breath. He wasn't tinkering with his project. Had he noticed her approach? Then without warning he spun. Having taken her off guard he succeeded in pulling her into his arms without any resistance. She let out a startled squeak as she was locked in a snug embrace.

"AJ!" She exclaimed indignantly, voice muffled against his shirt. He chuckled, the sound reverberating through her.

"I'd say someone needs to work on their stealth a little more," the mechanic's tone was dryly amused. He released her, turning back to the workbench to unplug the drill and wipe the metal shavings off the tabletop, into a waiting dustbin.

"How did you know I was there?" Elmina asked, pouting slightly.

"When the shop door opens, the light casts my shadow on the wall in front of me," AJ replied. The dark haired girl wilted.

"Right…Guess I should've thought of that," she muttered.

"Don't look so down in the mouth. You're going to school to study martial arts, not espionage. Somehow I think your teachers would see sneaking up on your opponent as bad etiquette," he pointed out, turning back to her. His expression when from amused to decidedly sober as he took in the sight of her.

"Etiquette only applies in-school. In the real world, the people you have to fight aren't going to play by any rules," she retorted, not noticing his change in mood.

"I take it you're speaking from very recent experience?" He asked grimly, raising an eyebrow. Elmina blinked in surprise. Then it dawned on her that the current state of her face proclaimed to the world that she'd been engaging in less than peaceful activities the night previously. She reddened slightly.

"Oh…um…yeah," she broke eye contact, gaze dropping as she scuffed her foot against the cement floor. "Well, you remember what I said I agreed to with Mania in order to get him to leave me alone for longer than usual?"

"Yes." The tone of his voice made his displeasure quite clear, even without her seeing his facial expression.

"Well…I made good on that promise last night," she explained, taking great interest in the cracks in the concrete at her feet. She heard him sigh. Then a moment later his hand caught her chin and raised her head. Meeting his gaze she found a faint smile of resignation on his face.

"Well you'll certainly make a notable impression at school tomorrow," he replied. She smiled sheepishly.

"That was dad's comment too."

"I bet Mania enjoyed a good conversation with your mother when you got back," his tone was dry.

"Oh probably. But it's not like he broke any rules. She can't really fault him," she pointed out.

"Sure she can. She's your mother," he retorted, dropping his hand from her face and leaning back against the workbench. "I'd fault him too, except I know what you're like when you take it into your head that someone needs to be thrashed."

"Hey! It's been close to three years now since I went out and intentionally picked a fight with someone. Give me a little credit. I'm not fourteen anymore," she grumbled, glaring at him half-heartedly. He smiled knowingly.

"No. No you aren't," his tone was colored by an emotion she almost didn't recognise. Finding she was suddenly hyperaware of the weight of his gaze, her cheeks colored slightly. "I'm not the only one who's going to notice that either," he continued, growing more serious. Elmina blew her bangs out of her eyes.

"Good grief. When Adele told me you were worried about that I only half believed her," she muttered. His eyebrows shot up.

"She said that?" He demanded incredulously.

"Well, yeah. Aren't you?" Elmina asked skeptically.

"Sure, but I didn't tell her that," his expression was a little bewildered. The dark haired girl smirked.

"Maybe Mania told her," she suggested.

"Why would he do that?" AJ raised an eyebrow. Elmina shrugged.

"Because he knew she'd tell me."

"Why not just tell you himself?" It was his turn to sound skeptical.

"Because he knows I'd ignore him. He's smarter than he looks, you know," she replied, a knowing smile pulling at her lips. The mechanic let out a sigh.

"Well, so much for secrets," his tone was resigned.

"You shouldn't be keeping secrets anyway. Why would you worry about something like that?" Elmina demanded, a frown creasing her brow. AJ crossed his arms.

"Why do you think?" he retorted.

"If I knew then I wouldn't be asking," her tone was blunt.

"Well, in case you hadn't noticed, you're a beautiful young woman, even when you're black and blue," he informed her, "And you're not exactly a wallflower either." Her cheeks colored noticeably at the compliment, but her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Are you suggesting I'd cheat on you?" She demanded indignantly. His eyes widened.

"What? No! I mean…are you saying we're actually…together?" He asked, startled.

"Well…umm…I kind of figured after this year that… Well, I dunno, I was just assuming…" she stammered, now decidedly flustered. AJ blinked, staring at her a moment. Then amusement washed over his features and he rested his head in his hand.

"Our communication skills are sadly lacking apparently," he chuckled.

"I mean, I know it's not exactly official, but…" Elmina trailed off, embarrassed.

"Do you want it to be official?" he raised his head, cocking an eyebrow questioningly. She stared at him, a little dumbfounded. It wasn't something she'd given much thought to. After the events of the previous year the two of them had fallen into a natural rhythm with each other; more than friends, but not quite in a relationship either.

He was as close a friend to her now as Adele was, but with the obvious difference that he was a young man who had feelings for her. And at this point those feelings were mutual. With her feelings for Titus having vanished, she found herself amazed that she'd never even paused to consider AJ as anything more than her best friend's brother. He was a great deal more pleasant to be around than the dark haired alchemist had ever been. Her relationship with Titus had certainly improved a great deal, but now that the blinders of infatuation had lifted it had become quite clear to her that she had absolutely no desire to be in a relationship with him. She could talk with AJ in a way that she couldn't talk with anyone else, save for Adele. She'd come to love his company. He treated her far better than she felt she deserved.

"AJ, you're more than I could ever ask for," she mumbled, dropping her gaze to the floor again in embarrassment, "I'd never be able to find another guy like you even if I tried."

"Is that your way of saying yes?" At his tone she glanced up at him again. He sounded amused, but there was a hopeful anticipation in his gaze. She bit her lip and nodded sheepishly. A grin spread across his features. A moment later she was caught up in a hug and spun around in a circle. She let out a peal of laughter.

"Man, I didn't realize I'd been keeping you in such suspense," she teased as he set her back on her feet.

"You always keep me in suspense," he replied, smiling down at her. She grinned sheepishly. "Can I kiss you?" He asked abruptly. Her eyes widened in surprise.

"I...umm… well you don't have to ask permission. It's not like I asked the first time…" she trailed off, breaking eye contact in embarrassment. The faint, fragmented memories from her manic episode the year before filled her mind and she was suddenly hyper aware of his arms around her and the short distance between their faces. While the memories themselves were hazy, the intoxicated rush of emotion that they brought with them was still decidedly vivid.

"Hey," he said softly. Lifting her gaze to meet his once more, she suddenly found herself unable to look away. Were his eyes always so intensely blue? "Do you want me to kiss you?" He asked, his meaningful tone making her shiver inexplicably. She could feel her cheeks burning.

"Yes," she whispered, heart beginning to skip along at a much swifter rhythm. His hand slid up to cup her face, raising goose bumps where his fingers trailed across her skin. He leaned in slowly, eyes holding her gaze until they were centimeters apart before slipping shut. When their lips met it was an experience in sharp contrast to the first kiss they'd shared. Where the first one had been wild and aggressive, this one was slow and gentle, and to her surprise, much, much nicer. Caught up in the moment she couldn't help but feel a pang of disappointment when he finally pulled back.

"How as that?" He inquired with a knowing smile.

"Much better than our first kiss," she replied, a little breathless. He chuckled softly. Then he planted a swift kiss on the end of her nose.

"Why don't we go out for the day?" He suggested. "It'll be your last day of freedom before you're loaded up with even more bruises and a pile of homework to boot." At the thought of heading to school the next day in the stiff and sore state she knew she would be in, her expression slipped into a grimace.

"Don't remind me," she muttered, rested her head defeatedly against his chest.

"You'll be fine. Maybe you'll even get through the year without any threats of expulsion," he teased, earning himself a smack as she stepped away from him.

"Yeah, yeah, I make no promises," she retorted airily. "Besides, with my loyal stalker now in the mix, who knows what will happen?"

"I have a feeling Adele will be able to keep him in line if necessary," AJ's tone was dry.

"Maybe," Elmina's tone was a little skeptical. "In any case, he promised to leave us alone for today, so we should take advantage of that," she said, turning to stroll towards the door.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked, following after her.

"I don't know. Let's just go for a walk and see where we wind up," she replied, opening the door. AJ smiled.

"Alright. Lead the way." As he followed her out of the shop into the late afternoon sun, the door slipped shut behind them with a final click.

-Author's Note-

Well, here at long last is the final chapter of this story. Only a month late...*sheepish* I typed up the last of it last night. There may have been some excited dancing around after I typed the final sentence. I can't believe it's been over a year since I started working on this. I can't quite decide if I if I'm relieved that it's finally finished or sad that I'm setting it aside for good. Probably a little of both. I really agonize over endings, and this one was no exception. That's partly why it took so long for me to write. I hope it was satisfying for everyone. Looking back over the story I see things I would change and embellish on if I did it over. For example, I expected Wrath and Elycia would get way more screen time than they actually did. x'D But I definitely learned lots and it was a lot of fun.

I want to say some thank-yous. First off, I want to thank everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed this story. I really appreciate it. And on that note, I want to say a special thank you to nettlesnitch92, Penelope Jadewing and MissiB, who took the time to review practically every chapter of the book. I'm really grateful to you guys. You were a huge source of encouragement and you gave me incentive to actually pursue this to the end. I wish I could hug the three of you. :)

I also have to credit my best friend with being the reason I managed to finish this story as quickly as I did. She has a knack for shattering my writers blocks and helping me work through nitty gritty details. And I've gotta hand it to my parents. They endured my excited rambling, were willing to discuss random things like bullet ricochets and invasion tactics, and patiently pointed out typos and places of wordy descriptiveness that would have made your eyes bleed if they hadn't informed me how horribly tedious they were lol.

Now, I've already had someone ask me to write a sequel to this. XD I'm sad to say the odds of me doing that are pretty small. If I did write one it would be a collection of one-shot scenes from times between the two book, and times afterwards. If I do go ahead with something like that I'll post an update here to let you know. I'm currently planning out an original story idea which I hope to eventually publish, so that's going to take priority over fanfiction. That said, I'm also currently working on an Envy centric fanfiction titled The Beauty in Compassion. It's another eventual EnvyxOC story branching off from the ending of the 2003 anime. It's a decidedly shorter story than this one, but I'm already over halfway finished writing it and I have the ending all planned out so I'll likely start posting it in the not too distant future. I'm also still picking away at the sequel to Uninvited Company and I'll be posting that eventually as well. So I wont be completely dropping off the map on the fanfiction front.

I've gotta run now or I'll be late for class. x'D But thanks again you guys. This was a pretty unconventional story as fanfictions go, so I appreciate that you were willing to give it a chance. I hope it was worth your time. :)