"Brother, why are you stressing?" I heard my younger brother's voice come from behind me. I had been pacing across the room for a while.
"I'm not stressing Al." I responded to the metal body that my brother's soul is bonded to. I saw the concern in his eyes and I smiled at him. "Don't worry about me Al. Can you go get some bread for me?" I just wanted him out of the room. He nodded and left to go get the bread that I wanted. The truth is that I was extremely nervous. Winry was coming to visit us for no reason. Well there was a reason. I called her and asked her to come and visit us.
Winry sounded very excited on the phone. I mean I never call and to call just to ask her to come and visit me. She said that she would hop the next train to come and see us. I was very excited about it but, it's not like anything would be different, well one thing is.
You love her Ed. Don't you? Those words had been stuck in my head since the lieutenant had said them to me. I had never really believed her until I saw Winry shortly after that. I had noticed how beautiful she was and how her body curved and AH! She was my best friend and now I thought her as more than one.
I was planning on telling her as soon as she made it here. I thought I should just get off my chest, but then I saw her get off her train and I froze up. I just couldn't, not there in a train station. It didn't feel right. Winry spotted us shortly after I saw her. She came over and hugged us. Then she shoved her bags in my hands. I personally didn't mind. It's not like I was carrying a suitcase full of automail.
Winry walked by the stores and would get all excited when she saw something she liked and I just ignored it and either kept walking or she pulled me into the store and tried to convince me to buy it for her. It was normal Winry and I was happy to see her this way.
"Ed? EARTH TO SHORTY!" She knocked on my forehead. I then looked at her. Her eyes seemed bluer than normal and her face much paler. I saw this confused looked on her face then I shook my head.
"Who the hell are you calling short that I need a stool just to look up at you?" I said. She then smiled.
"Good you're back to normal." She smiled as we walked down the road. Suddenly, Winry stopped and I turned to face her. She had stopped because she noticed that Alphonse had stopped. We both walked over to him and he was petting a cat.
"Really Al? Come on this happens all the time." I said. Winry was on the ground next to Al. She started to play with the little kitten. I just rolled my eyes. Alphonse then picked up the cat and turned to face me.
"Please brother. You never let me keep them. This one is hurt too. We can nurse it back to health and…"
"NO ALPHONSE!" I said. Al then ran off with the kitten. "ALPHONSE!" I started after him but I felt someone hold me back.
"He needs to clear his head. Once he's calm down, he'll come back."
"I can't let him run off. He's my little brother." I said as I pulled my hand from hers and ran after him. She just stood there probably watching me run off.
When I found Alphonse, he was sitting with the cat under the tree. I was so relieved that I sat next to him and looked at the cat. The little kitten was sleeping in my brother's arms. He looked so peaceful, so undisturbed by anyone or anything. I decided to let Al keep it as long as we stayed here in Central. His face was full of excitement. It made me happy.
When we went back to the hotel, Winry wasn't there. I assumed she was still shopping but it scared me. I know she didn't follow me but I just assumed she would have come here. We sat in the hotel room waiting for one phone call. After an hour of waiting, I got up and left. I needed to walk around and find her. I couldn't think about anything bad happening to her.
As I walked out of the lobby the manager stopped me. "Sir you have a phone call." I went to the receiver and picked it up.
"Hello?" That's all I had to say before I heard screaming in the background. The voice was so shrill and it scared me to the bone because I knew that scream. It was Winry's.
"Winry? Winry are you alright?" I said into the phone. Her shrieks ended and I could hear another voice. It was a man's voice.
"How the little runt feeling after your girl just got attacked?" I didn't know the voice. I was extremely pissed at the situation. I had left Winry to find my brother. I left a girl alone in Central. I should have realized this wasn't the best idea but I didn't.
"Don't you dare hurt her." I said I was trying to seem pissed but look calm.
"Little boy pissed huh. Well here's the deal, you come outside and hop in the car that's there. They are waiting across from your hotel. Hop in it and it will bring you to me. And come alone. Bring no one." I heard the dial tone after he said those words. Winry was missing and was now with some random creep who has probably hurt her.
I did as the man told me. I hoped in this car that was parked across the street from the hotel. I paid attention to all of the roads and buildings. I wanted to pay attention to find the fastest way out of where ever I was about to get tossed into. Finally, The car stopped and the man turned around.
"You go into that building, you will be able to find her easily she's been bleeding a lot." At this I decked the man with my metal arm. I didn't hit him hard enough to kill him, but he passed out and was bleeding. I am sure I broke his nose.
I got out of the car and walked straight into the building. He was right. I could smell blood. I hoped that it wasn't just Winry's. As I traveled down the hall, I heard her scream and he laugh or chuckle. It made me run faster. I couldn't just let Winry die, I couldn't. I then broke into a dead sprint. I heard the man laugh louder.
"Looks like the little runt has found us sweetie." I could hear him say through the door. I felt my blood boil. I wanted to kill this man. I kicked the door down and used alchemy on my metal arm. I was planning on coming in and attacking the man but those plans failed.
I saw the man holding a gun to Winry. She was bleeding and her clothes were very much ripped up. She was breathing but barely. Her eyes were slightly open. I wanted to run right to her, but if I did the man would shoot her.
"Ed…" I could her Winry's faint voice. I just wanted to run to her but I couldn't. I saw her tears running down her face. The man just laughed which made me clench my fists.
"Let he go." I said through my teeth. He turned and smiled.
"Oh no you see I can't do that. You see, I kill people. It gives me this thrill, and to kill her in front of her love and in front of someone who loves her. Now that is the ultimate thrill." He said as he turned to face her. I fell to the ground. My hands landed on the ground and I used alchemy to push her bed upward so he couldn't get her. He then turned to me.
"Oh very smart Alchemist. But this just means I will kill you first." I dodged his shot and then knocke the gun out of his hands. But I heard another gun shot. I turned and Lt. Hawkeye was behind me. He gun was up and I saw smoke coming from the barrel. I turned and the man was laying there. He wasn't dead and tried to reach for his gun but Lt. Hawkeye walked over to him and stepped on his arm.
"You probably should get Winry down now Ed." She said as she cuffed the man. I nodded and clapped my hands together. Her bed came down to the ground. I ran over to the bed and picked her up carefully. Her eyes were closed and she was barely breathing.
"Winry please don't be dead. Just open your eyes. Please." I said as I stroked her face with my flesh hand. I heard her moan and could see her eyes flutter, but they didn't open. "Lt. we need to get here to a hospital."
"Alright Edward. There are two cars outside. Take her to the hospital and I will be there soon, once I deal with him." She said as she stood with the bastard who tried to kill Winry. I nodded and picked her up. I felt her hand grip my shirt. I ran out of the warehouse and to the van where he immediately took me to the hospital.
When I made it to the hospital they immediately took her and placed her on a stretcher. I had to wait in that damn blasted waiting room. I now know how she felt whenever she waited for me. Alphonse had joined me about an hour into waiting as well as Major Armstrong and Lt. Hawkeye.
"Lt. how did you know where I was. I mean I didn't tell anyone." I asked her.
"Well you see Ed. The Colonel has wanted people to watch over you without being with you. So I saw you leave the hotel and I followed you to that warehouse." She said. I thought that's what happened. I heard Alphonse's voice start but I didn't register anything he said. I saw a doctor walk towards me.
"She's wants to see an Ed?" He said. I stood immediately and followed him to her room. She was laying there so peacefully. She was just looking upwards at the ceiling. I walked over and sat in the chair next to her bed. She had cuts on her face and I could see the tears forming in her eyes.
"Winry?" I asked as she blinked her eyes. I saw tears roll down her cheeks.
"Thanks." She said a I looked at her. She turned her face towards me. I could see a blank expression.
"Winry, what happened?" I stood up and sat down on her bed. She slowly propped herself up and leaned against the wall. Her eyes looked as if she was dead, no life was from them.
"I watched you walk off and some man came and grabbed me and pulled me down the alley. When I woke up I was in a warehouse. My mouth had been taped and I was chained to that bed." She started. I notice more tears falling from her eyes so I pulled her into a hug. I felt her start to sob.
"I fell tainted." She said when her cried slowed. I pushed her away and moved a strand of hair out of her face.
"Winry, your perfect." I said as she cried harder. I wiped a tear from her face and she stopped crying.
"Please Ed. Don't. I don't deserve…" she started but I wouldn't let her finish. I kissed her softly. She was stiff but as I continued the kiss she relaxed. I pulled away and smiled at her. I looked at her eyes. They now looked as if they were coming back to life.
"Win, I should have told you sooner. I asked you out her because I wanted to tell you something. I love you. It took me a while to realize it but…" Her fingers found my lips.
"Edward how do you do it?" She said as she fell into my arms. I was extremely confused.
"do what?"
"You can turn any horrible situation or horrible feeling I have and change them to an amazing feeling."
"I don't know. I'm just amazing!" I smirked; she punched me.
"Alchemy geek, I just had someone try to take my life, and you come in and tell me you love me. Do you not realize that is such a predictable time to admit your feelings. Not to mention that your smile just cheers me up anyway. I knew that I just needed to be with you. I mean you are like the sun. you're always shining." She said as she nuzzled her head into my chest.
"Well Well Mechanic Junkie, if you don't want to know my feelings, then I'll just leave." I said as she gripped my shirt.
"Edward, I don't want you to go. Just by you being here, I am already happier. Promise me you won't leave me." She said as I looked down at her.
I then lifted her head and softly kissed her. "I can't promise that because I know I can't keep that but I will promise you this. Every time I leave, I promise to always come back to you as long as you want me." I whispered in her ear.
"That's fine. I guess. Now kiss me you dumb Shorty." She said. I did as she asked and kissed her. I didn't want to leave her but I knew I would have too. That's why I am promising I will always come back. I want to be with her and no one else.