A/N: Hey, this is my first fanfic but I would love it if you guys, just read it and stuffs. Now lemme shut up and let you read. Enjoy~

I set the heavy wooden chalk-holder down, careful as to not smudge the previous lines of the transmutation circle drawn. I breathed out and grinned at my brother nervously.

"Is it ready, Al?" I asked, showing no sign of fear.

Alphonse nodded readily, mimicking my nervous grin.

I surveyed the room thoroughly. There were vials of colored liquids, tabbed textbooks, beakers and pieces of detailed paper taped to the walls. It had been a long time in the making, but I think our efforts were gonna pay off.

I knew we could bring back mom...And be happy again...

And if not...

I pushed the foreboding thought aside. My little brother couldn't see me back down now. We were pretty much all each other had at this point. I wanted to show him I could do this..

I turned back towards the chalky circle. This is what we studied, hoped, prayed, dreamed about. We can do this. We were gonna do this.

"Right..", I said slowly. "This is perfect.."

I sat forward on my knees, pushing the palms of my hands down against the ground, Al following suit. A sudden burst of light dissolved the chalk off of the ground, replacing it with an eerie golden glow. I couldn't help but smile. It was working. It was really working...

Thunder crackled outside and the entire house shook. I blinked quickly and my smile faded. This felt wrong...

The color of the transmutation circle was turning a bright red. And then everything went black.

All I could hear was a familiar voice, calling my name. "Edward...Edward...Edward..."

x~X~x

"Edward, wake up...Ed..." There was an insistent tapping on my shoulder that I was choosing to ignore. I was hoping it would just go away...

Then there was a punch to my gut, causing my eyes to shoot open in surprise and pain. And only one person would dare do that to me.

"Winry...you bitch..." I gasped and clutched my chest with my left hand. "I was...sleeping..."

She smiled a perfect smile and tilted her blonde head towards me, brandishing a disarming smile, almost cute enough for me to ignore the pain in my chest. "Well, the polite approach didn't seem to be working, so I thought maybe the direct approach would be...effective." She smiled brightly and pulled her long hair into a ponytail. "Now get up, Ed. Breakfast time."

"Winry, do you even know what time it is...?" I complained weakly.

"Early in the morning, I dunno, six-ish? Maybe five..." She snapped out of her reverie and turned to me, smiling again. "Doesn't matter, I'm cooking, so come and help me or I'll rust your automail."

"Winry, c'moooooooon..." I groaned. "That's not even a reasonable time..."

"Ed!" She brandished a large spoon (that I hadn't even realized she had in her hand 'till it was inches away from my face.) "I'm making food. You're helping." She poked the end of the spoon against my nose, bending the thin plastic against my nose slightly as I stared at her disinterestedly. "Or you won't get any, and it all goes to the cat." she said. And with that, she turned on her heel and stalked through the door, leaving me staring after her in pained dismay.

I sat up, rubbing my chest, feeling the intensive pain that was there recede slowly. And all I could think about was what my mind had been on before she entered the room to wake me up...

Sleep.

I mentally cursed Winry for waking me up at this ungodly time. I couldn't even see the sun begin to filter through the window, and yet she wanted me to come and make food with her. Most likely, for her.

Women...

Then again, she does put up with me and my stupidity, for the most part. Well, me and-

"Al!" Winry screamed from far downstairs. "Get your stupid brother to come and help me cook this damn food or I'll dent his automail SO BAD, he won't be able to walk anymore!" Even though she was downstairs, I could've sworn she was 5 feet away.

There was a clank of metal and a large shadow passed in front of the door, as a huge suit of armor leaned into the doorway. Red eyes stared at me from behind the hollow metal and sighed.

"Ed-"

"Yeah, yeah Al, I'm coming, jeez..." I interjected sleepily.

He loomed in the doorway for a moment longer, and chuckled, moving aside as I walked through the door, punching his armor lazily. "C'mon, help me out here, Al..."

"She did say you, Brother."

"Ugh, whatever." I jumped down the stairs two at a time, listening to Winry screaming at me and inhaling the smell of breakfast.

Rounding the last corner and turning towards the sound of clattering utensils, I saw her arms flailing in a million directions, switching from forks to spoons to knives in a blur, all the while maintaining a steady stream of threats and a frown on her face.

I stopped a few feet in front of her and leaned on the counter, swatting eggshells into the garbage next to me.

"...frigging lousy ass, Ed, come and HELP-" She looked in my direction and grinned wickedly. Something told me that this was a terrible sign. A smile? From Winry? This couldn't be good. "Oh, you're up!"

I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. Already, I could feel the stress woman was going to add to my life this morning. "No Winry, I'm down. Of course I'm up, there's no way in hell I could sleep through all of that-"

I felt a searing, white-hot flash of metal on my face and was sent flying backwards.

"Fucking owww, Winry!" I sat up, spitting blood out of my mouth and rubbed my cheek. She was staring at me with a satisfactory smirk, her eyes blazing as she put her wrench back on her waist. I had made her mad. Again. I didn't even do anything though, yet, of course, it was always my fault. Stupid me.

"Like I was saying...", she went on slowly, slowing her arms to a pause on her hips. "I want you to come make...hmmm..." She surveyed the kitchen, looking around for the most embarrassing and womanly thing she could find for me to do. Honestly, if I didn't die trying to get Al's and my bodies back, the death of me would be this blonde right here.

I preferred dying with a bit more purpose.

"Aha!" she said triumphantly, most definitely finding the lamest item of all for me to cook. She walked over to the counter and picked up a loaf of bread along with a bowl of bright white eggs. Then she turned to me and smiled. "You can make french toast!"

I spat out another mouthful of blood and got up quickly, nearly stumbling over my own feet just to get up. She set everything in her hands down and looked at me for a moment and I looked back. She was a good three or four inches taller than me, I noticed sadly. She was wearing a plain camisole over her bra, having the straps show separately, and tiny pink trousers, with her tool belt over it, (which somehow always fit on everything.) She caught me staring at her and turned around quickly. I could've sworn that she turned red, but with the few lanterns lit, it was hard to tell. Besides, it's nothing I hadn't seen before.

She turned back around and handed me a bowl filled with uncracked eggs and pointed to the loaf of bread beside the stove and smiled again. I turned around and screwed up my face, wondering what was so funny that she had to giggle about. "The Fullmetal Alchemist is my bitch this morning! Muwahaha!" Somehow, it didn't seem that far-fetched.

I set my mind on making the stupid french toast, but other thoughts did pervade my mind. Why was it that I, the fucking Fullmetal Alchemist (despite my attempts to change it multiple times) couldn't even stand up to a girl? I mean, not massacre or something overly demonic or even painful, but just enough to the point where I wasn't seen as a runt...even though I was...when I found the idiot responsible for retarded genetics, I swear, they are dead for 18 years of misery they've caused me.

I was so wrapped in my thoughts and breaking the eggs, that I didn't feel Winry tapping on my shoulder insistently. I turned around to look at her with a slight frown with her eyebrows knit, wondering what she could be bothering me about now, until I saw the scared expression on her face. I put the bowl down and raised an eyebrow at her. "Something wrong...?" I asked slowly. She shook her head and pointed to the door. I traced my eyes over to her gaze and was dark but I knew who it was instantly. Leaning against the door frame in an all black military uniform was none other than the Flame Alchemist himself.

Colonel Mustang.

"Ed..." He nodded in my direction casually and waved slightly. "You look like a train hit you. Again." He always had an air of hilarity, even if expressed in solemn silence most of the times.

"You see, uhh, there was this wrench and...nevermind that." I could trace the ghost of a smile upon his lips.

I changed tact and frowned. There were apparently more pressing matters at hand, seeing how he was here in the first place. "What brings you all the way out here to Resembol, at like...six in the morning? Thought you were in Central." I asked, shelling out a small, slightly bloody smile, trying to hide the kitchen work I was doing for Winry. I was the Fullmetal Alchemist after all, not some kitchen maid.

His grin faded quickly as he cleared his throat taking a few steps toward me. His face was cloaked in a small 5 o' clock shadow, which wasn't normal for the clean shaven guy. He also had bags under his eyes, as if from working entirely too much. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he leaned against the wall and sighed, closing his eyes.

"I came to tell you..." he started slowly. "There's been a murder over at Central, and you're to come back with me. Today."

Winry stifled a gasp and gripped my shoulder tightly, but I barely noticed.

I was still in shock."What...?" A murder in Central could only mean one of two things: One, that there was something fast and dangerous on the loose. Or two, with that type of power, they could have the most powerful tool of them all.

A Philosopher's Stone.

He cleared his throat and raised his head, swiping the bangs from in front of his eyes. "You heard me Fullmetal. I said it was a murder, and of a fellow state alchemist at that." He averted his gaze back to the floor. "Just thought I'd be the one to bring the news..." I knew that was a lie. They just wanted someone strong enough to detain me in case I went on an emotional rampage. Which is exactly what I had planned on doing had they sent anyone else. I closed my eyes and sighed. A murder of a state alchemist. And once again, Central wanted me to find the trail of the problem and snuff it out, just like a dog of the military. I bit my lip and looked down, barely reigning in my anger. Everyone else had official work and steady jobs as state alchemists, but I had nothing but a beck and call job. Which was fine by me, but eventually it all got me screwed into some deep shit that I didn't wanna deal with, like the Philosopher's Stone. And now I was going to have to do it all over again. I was still looking for it, but Fuhrer had demanded I rest. And not even a week later, I had to do this...

"Ed..." Winry tugged at my sleeve, bringing me back to reality. I looked over at her and felt my heart twang. She looked so adorable in that way, clinging close to me, my arm held against her chest. It sometimes slipped my mind how attractive Winry was. Maybe it was because most of the time, she just...was there.

"Alright, I'll be there. I'll go tell Al-"

"No, Al isn't needed." Roy added quickly. "You were requested specifically alone."

I frowned. "But Al's my brother, and knows damn near everything I..." Then I faltered. I looked at Roy and squinted. It was hard to see in the night light and the few lamps on by the door, but I noticed something that made me tense. "Okay, just let me go get my stuff..."

Winry gripped my arm tighter. "But Ed-"

"C'mon Winry, help me pack my things real quick." She tried to protest but I walked quickly toward the steps, pulling her along with me. Roy stood there watching us, smiling slightly, as Winry stumbled up the steps behind me.

As soon as we reached the top of the steps, she pinned me against the wall, staring at me furiously. I was about to yell at her when I realized she was on the verge of tears. My voice failed as a watched her hit me over and over silently, shutting her eyes as if she was determined not to let a single tear fall from her face. It wasn't really a physical hurt, but more of an emotional hurt, every hit pounding deeper and deeper into my heart. And, for some reason, I couldn't tell what was wrong.

"Winry, are...are you crying?" I asked dumbly. Of course she was crying, but why?

"Ed, you are so..." She lifted her head and stared at me, eyes brimming with tears that she wouldn't let fall. "Are you that stupid..?"

"Me? What did I do?!"

She stared at me for a moment, and I could've sworn she was going to smack me again. Instead, she did almost the polar opposite: she kissed me.

And I remembered something in that moment.

Love.

I remember someone telling me that loving someone is like a button. And every time you press that button, a bird dumps on you. And each time, it gets worse and worse. And then, on the 100th time, you get a cookie. And it is the best cookie you've ever had. But it goes quicker than you thought it would. And then you go back to pressing that button, waiting for it to come.

And this was that cookie. And it was perfect.

All too soon she pulled away and gazed at me thoughtfully, eyes puffy from crying. I stared back at her in shock. She hugged me tightly and sniffed. All this time, I had seen Winry as nuisance, always getting in the way of things when they mattered, not helping when I needed it, and generally not knowing how to shut up. But she was there for the things I did appreciate: making food, fixing automail, and talking me out of killing everybody who had called me a chump. She was there and right now that's all that I needed. Since mom had gone, that's all I had ever wanted...

"Don't go, Ed..." she said in a voice so low, I had to strain to listen. And I didn't want to.

I was about to respond when I heard something downstairs explode.

My gaze hardened as I turned to Winry. She was now standing straight up, looking at me for some sort of guidance apparently, which, at the moment, was the wrong thing to ask from me. But I had to help her. It was the least I could do for the woman who made me feel like somebody.

"Winry, get dressed, get Al, and get away from here. Now. AL!"

He appeared in the doorway right next to the stairs where Winry and I were moments before. Had he been listening to the whole thing? I pushed the thought aside. It could wait. It had to wait.

"Brother-" he started, but I cut him off.

"Get Winry outta here as soon as she's ready" He nodded, and I could've sworn he was about to talk again, but I started off towards my room when another explosion shook the house. I stabled myself against the wall and ran towards the door, grabbing my jacket from off of the floor.

And then I heard him.

"ED, GET DOWN HERE!" It was Mustang

I gritted my teeth and transmuted a hole through the floor, landing in the middle of the living room, billowing smoke from underneath me. I coughed for a second, grabbing some fresh air into my lungs, but all I could smell was the sausage that Winry had left on the stove to burn. Then I leapt off of the wood, turning in a circle until spotting where the explosion came from. It was from the front door, and standing there was Mustang. I couldn't see his face due to all the lights being out, and the stars were still out. I could tell he was in pain though.

"Mustang," I said stepping toward him, looking around. There was a hole in the kitchen wall, everything charred and covered in black. Everything from the morning's breakfast was scattered everywhere, spreading the smell everywhere, upsetting my stomach. It was making me kinda hungry."What the hell happened-?"

"Ed, back up. Now." It was Mustang's voice, but it didn't come from his direction. It came directly from behind me.

I backed up slowly and turned my head. It was Mustang. But that wasn't possible. Mustang was right in front of me. I turned my head back toward the Mustang leaning against the wall. That was Roy right there. But how was that even possible...?

The Mustang behind me gripped my shoulder and pulled me back so I could get a good look at him. He was wearing his standard blue Military Uniform, buttons shining even in the barely illuminated living room. And he had his pristine gloves with the transmutation circles on them. Then I remembered what I saw before I went upstairs with Winry.

The Roy from earlier had on alchemic gloves on. But the transmutation circles were upside down. Meaning the person in front of me...

Couldn't be Roy.