(FEW CHANGES WERE MADE in this chapter)

Thank you memorykey3 for beta reading :D

AN: I'm sorry about the title of my work. I know it's sappy but I can't think of a better title for this story. XD

This chapter was inspired by paju13's fanfic: Why Winry?

Anyway, sentences or words in italics are Edward's thoughts.

I don't own FMA. Edward and Winry are Arakawa's babies.

CHAPTER ONE: A BREWING STORM

Four...

Edward calmed his nerves and breathed a sigh of relief as he placed back the receiver onto the telephone hook.

"Calling your girlfriend?" asked the young man in a blue military uniform.

"What girlfriend?!" he yelled as blood spluttered from his open wound.

Edward collapsed, then was placed on a wheelchair. Sergeant Brosh, while he helped him get back to his hospital room, engaged him in a conversation that put a scowl on his face and made his cheeks turn pink.

"She's just my automail mechanic!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, is that it? That's no fun."

"I'm fine with it being like that!"

Three...

The door suddenly burst open.

"Hey, Ed! You getting it on with a woman in your hospital room?" asked the black-haired man with enthusiasm.

"She's only my automail mechanic!" he cried out.

Two…

"Protect her," said the blonde woman with brown eyes as she cleaned the blood stained gun in her hands.

"Eh?"

"You love Winry, don't you?"

He spluttered the tea he was drinking to the poor dog sitting beside him. He was sweating bullets and his face was bright red.

"H-h-h-h-how no th-th-th-that she's just a childhood frie… like family! I mean of course I'd protect her or whatever!" he stammered.

One…

"Hey, who is this pretty girl?" asked the huge macho man with a unique Mohawk-and-braid hairstyle.

"She's my automail mechanic."

Knock! Knock! Edward Elric stood in front of his childhood friend and mechanic's bedroom door. He was anxious but at the same time, his heart was filled with joy and pleasant anticipation. He always felt a mixture of the said emotions whenever he saw her or whenever they were together. It was long ago when he'd come to terms with his feelings for her. He liked her –No, he loved her. That was also one reason why he'd recited the periodic table of elements, like an idiot, when they were at Briggs and when her face was so close to his.

Knock! Knock!

"Winry?" he asked but there was no answer.

Winry had been pulling all-nighters for almost a week because recently there had been a considerable demand for her and Granny's automail services. Sometimes, when she was so lost in her work, she would forget to eat and Edward would bring a meal to her room. He was worried about her health. That was the reason he was there, standing in front of her bedroom and calling her to breakfast. He knocked again, but still there was no answer.

"Winry? I'm coming in."

Edward slowly opened the door. He was met by the rattling sounds of the slightly open window and by the chilling summer wind that came from it. Outside, he could see the large thick greyish clouds that formed in the sky. It blocked the rays of sunlight and made Winry's room which was cluttered with automail bolts and pieces, a bit darker. When he looked around, he saw an unfinished automail arm that rested on top of her working table but there was… no Winry.

"She left earlier this morning. She said she will go to her grandfather's shop for some automail parts," an old voice said.

"Oh, I-" he was cut off by a blinding flash of lightning. A few seconds later he heard the angry roar of thunder.

"It looks like we have another storm," Granny Pinako commented.

"Yeah."

"Anyway, breakfast is ready. Let's go downstairs and eat. Winry will be back home later," she said as she closed the window in Winry's bedroom.

As they were on their way to the kitchen, Edward heard the loud downpour of rain. Soon, strong winds rattled the Rockbell windows. Occasional flashes of lightning lit the yellow house and the sounds of reoccurring thunder echoed throughout Risembool. He looked out of the window but he was not able to see a thing; everything was a blur.

"Granny, is Win-"

"She's staying with her grandfather right now, waiting for the completion of her customized automail parts. It's a long process; they pound the metal, heat it, cool it back down, wash, rinse, then repeat everything. She'll also probably wait in there for the storm to pass. You go ahead and eat. I'll call her grandfather's shop to know how she's doing," Granny Pinako said.

As Granny left his side to call the shop, Edward heard another angry roar, but this time it came from his stomach. He decided to go to the kitchen and there he was greeted by his younger brother who was sitting at the table.

"Good morning big brother! It seems that you had a good sleep last night," said the younger Elric.

"Yep. The weather was good yesterday but now this storm is making my leg ache," he whined as he sat across the golden-haired boy who has a body still recovering from the effects of their childhood mistake.

It had been almost two months since they returned to Risembool with their bodies back. As Edward gave a genuine smile to his brother who was busily stuffing his mouth with food he clearly recalled the day when he and Alphonse were finally able to walk back home to the yellow house uphill.

"So many things happened," said the younger Elric as he slowly walked up the dirt road with his thin, frail body.

"Yeah… By the way Alphonse…" Edward started.

"Huh?"

"It seems like the princess of Xing, May Chang, really took a liking to you," Edward teased.

"Yeah. She's such a nice girl," Alphonse chuckled, then he continued. "Moving right along, what about things between you and Winry?"

Winry.

Ever since the day of their return, his relationship with Winry had progressed to… nothing. He knew he was in love with her but he couldn't find himself to act on his feelings for her. There were so many times when he had the opportunity to make his move and to take things further. However, awkwardness and embarrassment would always win him over, leaving him teasing his mechanic and masking his true feelings for her.

There were times when he'd steal glances at her and sometimes he'd find himself staring too long at her. Whenever Winry would notice, he'd ask her questions like "Did you just get out of bed?" or "Have you taken a bath? It seems like you haven't."

There were also times when he'd find himself in a little romantic situation with her. Whenever he'd be aware of their situation or his actions, he'd blow it off and in the end, would experience pain because of his actions.

He recalled one instance; when they were left in the kitchen, washing dishes.

"Mr. Miller's expression was priceless when his sheep gave him a head butt!" Winry chuckled.

"Oh no, nothing beats his panic-stricken face when Al's cat chased his chickens!" Edward said and they both laughed at the memory.

Edward always loved the way how Winry's eyes would light up when she laughed and how the smile on her lips would make her face prettier. It always made his heart flutter and again, he was lost in the mesmerizing sight. He tried to fish out the remaining utensils in the bubble filled sink and he caught hold of something… soft. Their laughter stopped. He raised it. It was Winry's hand. He absently stroked the delicate flesh with his thumb and when realization hit him…

"I didn't know that your fingers look like deformed ginger."

That earned him a strong punch in the face.

Another memory entered his mind. It was the 'staircase incident' which in his opinion, was the worst.

Clang. Thud. Clang. Thud. Edward's feet sounded against the wooden steps of the Rockbell Staircase. He was on his way going up to his room as he met Winry descending the staircase. She misstepped and he caught hold of her; in an instant, his arm was tightly wrapped around her back. His left hand had managed to grasp the handrail. Winry's hands were on his shoulders and he could feel her soft breasts pressed against his firm chest. He could feel her warmth radiating throughout his body. Her face was merely inches away from his; their noses were almost touching. A pair of deep blue eyes stared back at his golden ones as he supported her weight with his right arm…

"Winry… have you been competing with Mr. Miller's pigs?"

Winry had brained him with her wrench.

Edward grimaced at that memory. He knew he loved Winry but he didn't know why he couldn't express what he truly felt for her. He wondered if it was because of his lack of interaction with the opposite gender but considering other military men and Alphonse's attitude towards the opposite gender, that couldn't be. Moreover, he could openly compliment Lieutenant Hawkeye whenever he wanted to. He asked himself why he couldn't do it to his mechanic and if he really wanted to become 'more than friends' with her.

Before, his world revolved around the Philosopher Stone; he didn't have any plan for the future because he was so absorbed in his search for a way to get their bodies back. He had a goal to reach which gave him a direction of what to do, but now he didn't. He hadn't thought about 'him and her.' What he knew for sure was the fact that he loved her and he was always happy being with her but to act on his feelings for her was something new to him. He just didn't know what to do; it was confusing. 'Maybe… I…'

"I couldn't call the shop… It seems like the phone lines were down," the voice of Granny Pinako cut his train of thought and a hint of worry could be seen on the face of the old woman. "We can do nothing but to wait for this terrible storm to pass and to wait for Winry's return," she said as she looked out of the kitchen window.

Edward also stared at the chaos of wind and water under the raging dark sky.

The clock struck one.

Edward was seated across from his brother in the living room, each of them with an open alchemy book in their hands. From alchemy texts, his thoughts drifted back to his mechanic. It had been three hours since the sky cleared up but Winry didn't even show up for lunch. The travel from Gramp's shop back to the Rockbell house wouldn't even take an hour. He wondered why she wasn't home yet. 'Do customized automail parts take that long to make?' Edward thought. He began to worry but he convinced himself that there's no need to worry. 'Winry is old enough; she can take care of herself. Heck, the woman can even throw that fucking wrench in a way that can be lethal to humans!' He winced at the thought. 'She's strong, smart, and… stupid. Yeah, she's stupid.' He recalled the day when Winry had suddenly appeared at the place where they had confronted Scar. 'She knew it was dangerous but she still went there!' Edward frowned at the thought. He also recalled the time when Winry had pierced her ears so she can wear all the earrings they had given her. Again, he winced at the memory but this time a trace of a smile played across his lips.

"Brother?" he heard Al say.

"Huh?"

"You're smiling like an idiot."

"I'm not!"

Edward huffed and leaned back on the couch. 'She's also an automail freak. Maybe she's engrossed in all the automail work at Gramp's. Yep, that's her.' He snorted.

Suddenly, he heard Den bark; signaling the arrival of the person at the porch.

'So, the automail freak finally decided to return home,' he thought. Edward put on a bored look and walked to open the front door.

"Hey Win-"

"Oh… Hi! Is Granny Pinako here?" smiled the black-haired, middle-aged man with glasses.

The man was one of Granny's clients and he asked her for an automail modification. Granny set an appointment with the man, within the week with regard to his request. She needed tools for the modification and Edward volunteered to buy the tools for her and so she gave him a list. He thought that maybe he would run into Winry on his way to Gramp's shop or he would know what was keeping her there.

"Winry didn't stay here?" Edward asked. He was surprised at the statements of the tan-skinned and buff, grey-haired old man.

"No. Why? Winry isn't home yet?" Gramps asked.

"No."

"Ya know kid, Winry didn't ask for customized automail parts. She just bought some bolts and ready-made automail plates; she left right after she paid for her purchases."

"What? Wh-when did she leave?"

"I think it was around… seven-fifteen."

'Something… Something… doesn't feel right,' Edward thought. He was worried. After he paid for his purchases, he thanked the old man and went on his way back to the Rockbell house. He was lost in thought as he strolled down the town's street. 'Maybe, she had stayed somewhere else and waited in there for the storm to pass but… three hours had already passed since the sky cleared up! It was weird. If Winry was trying to meet a deadline, then she surely won't waste any time working on her precious automail.' He abruptly stopped in his tracks.

Edward decided to stay in town and ask around. There were very few people who had seen her. They told him where they had last seen her and to where she was going. He pieced all the information together and it appeared that each statement was consistent with one another. Everything pointed to the fact that Winry was headed to one place; to the Rockbell house.

Edward was again, lost in thought as he walked across the bridge that rested high above the river which also connected the town and the dirt road that lead to the Rockbell house. He was confused. 'If Winry had left the shop at seven-fifteen in the morning, why didn't she come back? Her absence doesn't make sense. Maybe, I'll just ask her at home… but what if she's not yet home?' He stopped. His brow furrowed at the thought. He gritted his teeth, stamped his foot in frustration, and let out an ear-splitting yell, "Stupid automail freak!"

Suddenly, a flock of birds came out flying from near the edge of the bridge. 'Birds?' Out of curiosity, he walked to the place where the birds had came out. He looked down at the shrubs on the stone-filled steep slope and his eyes rested on a familiar cloth stuck in one of the shrubs. 'Could it be?' His heart started to beat faster. He wanted to be sure, so he slowly and very carefully went down the slippery slope to the shrub that has the cloth in it. He had to be very careful; one wrong step could lead to a fatal fall. He reached for the cloth and looked closely at it, then his face paled. It was Winry's bandana. He tried to calm his nerves and examined the shrub where the cloth had stuck. In the other parts of the shrub, very few mushy irregularly shaped objects were also stuck. He took one and pressed it in between his fingers until he felt something hard. It was… 'sesame seeds?' Slowly and very carefully, he went farther down to the riverbank.

The traces of the terrible storm were evident at the riverbanks; the banks narrowed, some trees were uprooted, different objects were scattered, the ground was muddy, and the currents of the murky water was strong. Edward was about to go back when something glistening caught his eye. It was… an automail plate stuck in between the large river rocks at the near center of the raging river. He felt a sudden pain in his chest. 'No, no, no, it can't be…' he thought. He was a boy who had lost a lot; his mother, his father, his childhood, and he had even almost lost his only brother. 'I can't lose her too… No, no, no… Not now, not after all we've been through...'

"Winry!" he shouted but he could only hear the echoes of his voice. He tried again, "Winry, where are you?!"

He moved from one place to another. He looked for her as he shouted her name over and over. He never stopped; hours had passed. His feet hurt and his throat became sore. He continued to walk and to search with no direction, like a lost dog looking for its way back home.

He was desperate.

His eyebrows knitted together and his jaw clenched, then he shouted at the top of his voice, "Dammit! Automail freak, this isn't funny!"

He continued to walk and to search until finally, his knees gave out. Edward sat on the cold ground. The cool breeze brushed against his skin which added to the feeling of coldness in his body. Exhaustion was apparent in his features.

"Where are you?" he whispered. A few moments later, he heard a voice.

"Big brother! Big brother!" the voice said. He heard the voice repeat the words over and over as it became louder and louder. He looked to where the voice was coming from.

"Peter?" Edward said as he looked at the ten-year-old kid who was running towards him. The blond boy with blue eyes tried to catch his breath, then he spoke.

"I heard you scream big sister's name"-he panted-"I saw a man carrying someone who looks like big sister." The boy tried to control his breathing. "I wasn't sure because it was raining hard at that time and I couldn't see the woman's face."

"Where did they go?"

AN: It was my first time to write a story, so I'm really sorry because there were lots of errors when I first published this chapter.

Please let me know what you think about this story. XD

Thanks for reading :)