End of Nightmares
Hello! This is my first FMA/ EdWin story so please go easy on me. I had the idea for this story and it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down. I'm sorry if the title doesn't exactly fit, titles aren't really my strong suit. This is set post promised day and before Ed "proposes" I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: Cause of Anguish
Winry was holding a gun in her hands. She had it pointed at the man, no, the monster, that had murdered her parents. She didn't know when she had ended up on the ground, but she could feel the cool concrete pushing into her skin painfully. Winry wished she could stand. She wished she could at least stand to face her parent's killer, but she could not control her actions.
"Winry, put down the gun." Ed's voice was calm, but Winry could sense the true desperation and fear he was feeling. Fear for her safety. She felt a minor twinge of disgust at herself for making Ed and Al worry about her, but she could not make her hands lower the gun. She couldn't make herself rise to her feet and leave. She continued to aim the gun at Scar with shaking hands. Scar spoke.
"You may kill me, if that is your wish." Ed glared at him. "I took your parents. You have earned the right to take my life."
"You shut your damn mouth Scar!" Ed yelled at the Ishvalan, hatred clear in his words. "Don't you dare speak to Winry! You don't even deserve to look at her!" Ed declared with thinly concealed anger. Almost shaking with rage, Ed turned his attention to Winry. At the sight of her tears, His face softened.
"Winry, please, put down the gun and get away from here. I can't fight Scar unless I know for a fact that you're safe." The concern and sincerity in his voice snapped Winry back to her senses. Slowly, almost against her will, she began to lower her hands. Scar frowned.
"Girl, if you do not have the resolve to kill me, then leave. You're getting in my way!" With those words, Scar launched himself towards Winry. Out of instinct, Winry once again raised the gun.
Ed's eyes widened. He felt as if his heart had stopped, and then restarted. In those few seconds, he also rushed to Winry.
"Winry! Don't shoot!" Winry could not be responsible for this man's death. No matter how deserved it was. Ed would not let Winry become a killer. He knew that it would tear her apart from the inside out if she shot Scar. He would not allow her to suffer such pain.
Ed jumped in front of Winry. His back was to her, but she could sense the determination he emitted from his very being. He was determined to protect her.
The threat was now in front of them. Scar had raised his "arm of destruction" and was prepared to use it on Winry. When Ed had jumped in front of her, Scar hesitated. Then his eyes hardened. He brought his hand down and placed it on the top of Edward's head. Ed and Winry froze. Winry heard what sounded like a slightly metallic gasp of horror. Scar looked Winry in the eyes.
"This is what happens when you get in my way." Scar spoke grimly. He turned his attention back to Ed, who was still frozen. Scar activated his alchemy.
Suddenly, Ed was collapsed against Winry. His blood pouring over her. Winry caught him and laid his head in her lap. She immediately started searching for a pulse. She found nothing. She looked at Al, trying to convey the message with her eyes, as she was unable to speak. When he looked into her eyes he knew. Edward Eric was dead.
Al yelled in anger as best he could for being a hollow suit of armor. He ran forward and confronted Scar.
"How could you!" Al shouted and threw a punch at Scar, which he dodged. "All brother wanted to do was protect Winry! He didn't deserve this!" Al tried to kick Scar, but he jumped. Then, to Winry's horror, he landed behind Al. Scar used his strength to rip off Al's helmet, exposing the symbol that tied his soul to the armor. Once again, Scar looked Winry in the eyes.
"Girl. I want you to know that this your fault." After Scar said this, he put his hand over Al's blood seal. Scar activated his alchemy for the second time. Al's armor crumbled into dust. Winry could only stare in horror.
"Always know that you caused this. This wouldn't have happened if you'd shot me when you had the chance. If you had the resolve, your friends would still be here. They died because of your weakness. Never forget that." With those final words, Scar left Winry alone with the bodies of her best friends. Winry was still in shock. She turned her head towards Al's remains.
"Al?" She asked softly, getting no response. She turned her attention towards Ed.
"Ed?" She asked again. The result was the same. Suddenly the reality of the situation hit her. Ed and Al were dead. They were dead and they weren't coming back.
Poor, sweet, hopeful Al, who had only wanted to get his original body back. He was the little brother Winry had never gotten, and now he was gone.
And Ed, strong, determined, stubborn Ed was gone as well. Ed, who wanted nothing more than to fix his mistake and save his brother. Ed, who had time and time again sacrificed so much for the people he cared about. Ed, who had died protecting Winry. Ed, the man she loved with all of her heart. They had both left her and it was all her fault. She did the only thing that she could do.
Winry screamed.
Winry sat bolt upright in her bed, gasping for breath, sweat and tears dripping down her face. 'A dream.' She thought, trying to reassure herself. 'It was only a dream.' Still, recalling her nightmare sent her running for the toilet. After she had successfully emptied everything from her stomach, she wearily crawled back into her bed.
She noticed it was still very early, and cursed her luck for being so rudely awoken. She shuddered as she remembered her dream, and considered just staying awake and finding some automail to work on, but as she unsuccessfully attempted to stifle a huge yawn, she realized that staying up was not a good idea. Winry decided she would try to go back to sleep.
As she laid still, trying to fall back asleep her mind drifted to Ed and Al. She subconsciously grinned at the thought of them being in the next room. Al with his body back, and Ed having regained his right arm. Both of them home with her, safe and sound, with no plans to leave anytime soon.
It was a better feeling than she could have ever imagined, no longer having to worry about her two best friends running headfirst into danger without a second thought. Sometimes she felt like she was dreaming, and that any moment now, she would wake up and the boys would be gone.
When she felt like this, most of the time she shrugged it off. She knew it was too good to last, so she was going to enjoy the almost unfamiliar feeling of security for as long as she possibly could. She reveled in the peace and tranquility that came from being on the countryside. She listened to the complete and utter silence, and was about let sleep overtake her when she realized something.
'Wait a minute, its quiet.' Winry suddenly thought, only half-awake. Anyone even slightly familiar with Edward Elric's sleeping patterns knew one very important thing:
Edward Elric snored louder than Roy Mustang complained about paperwork.
'It's too quiet' Winry though suspiciously. She suddenly had a flashback to her nightmare, and briefly wondered if she would be sick again. Fear and adrenaline flooded her system. No longer tired, Winry got out of her bed and began walking towards the hall.
"I'll just make sure they're okay. Nothing weird about that, just a friend checking up on them." She tried to convince herself. She opened the door, and slowly made her way to the boy's door.
'I'm sure they're fine, but since I'm here I might as well check just to be sure.' Winry thought to herself, unwilling to admit her concern about two of the most important people in her life. Slowly, she opened the door. She peeked inside.
"Ed, Al?" She called softly, stepping further into the room. "I'm sorry if I'm waking you up, I just-" She didn't finish her sentence. Winry's blood ran cold. She stood there for a moment, unable to process the sight in front of her. Once she realized that her mind was not playing tricks on her, she started running. She ran faster than she ever had in her life. She only knew only one thing.
The beds had been empty.
Winry's blood was pounding in her ears. When her vision became blurry, she dully registered that she was crying, but she kept going. She didn't have time for tears right now. She ran blindly down the hall, stumbling into the wall occasionally. She couldn't see or hear over her overwhelming sense of panic. One question kept flashing through her mind, over and over again until it was all she could think.
'Where are they?'
Winry finally reached the stairs after what felt like an impossible amount of time. Barely stopping in time, she only remembered at the last second to grab onto the handrail before racing down the steps. Her dread increased every step she took. She was worrying herself sick.
'Are they okay? Did something happen to them? Did they leave again without saying anything?'
These are the questions Winry continuously asked herself, like a broken record until she reached the living room. She had been secretly hoping they were in the living room, but upon seeing it empty, her heart sunk. Until she heard a loud crash from the kitchen. This was followed by a loud curse.
"Brother! Are you okay?" Winry heard Al shout in alarm. Winry gasped.
'Was Ed hurt? Was there an intruder in the house?' The thought of Ed being hurt pushed Winry into action. She immediately started planning a way to force the intruder from their home. She remembered that Ed no longer had his alchemy to protect himself in a fight. Sure Al had his, but if he had to face a powerful opponent, he couldn't be worrying about protecting his brother. Winry realized that it was up to her to protect Ed, if the situation came to that.
Winry remembered her nightmare. She shivered, and vowed to herself that she would never allow it to come true. Looking around the room for anything she could use as a weapon, her eyes almost instantly noticed her trusty wrench lying on the living room table. Almost before she even realized what she was doing, she had crossed the room and picked up her favorite tool. With her wrench in her hand, she suddenly felt braver than before. She straightened up, squared her shoulders, and remembered her promise. She wouldn't let anything happen to her boys. She ran towards the kitchen door and flung it open. Her eyes widened. The sight that greeted her was certainly not the one she had expected.
The kitchen looked like a battlefield, only not the kind Winry had been imagining. Pots and pans were everywhere, and the cabinets had all been flung open. Broken dishes littered the floor, and there was some type of stain on the ceiling. Two pairs of golden eyes turned towards the disturbance, seeing their near hysterical childhood friend.
"Winry? Are you okay?" Al asked, slightly confused and more than a little worried at the girls behavior.
"Yeah Winry what's the deal? Are you alright?" Ed asked, equally, if not more, concerned about the blonde. He then took in her appearance. Hair disheveled, still in her pajamas, holding her wrench almost defensively. Then he noticed her eyes. They were wide, seeming to not comprehend the sight in front of her. Ed could see the remaining panic in her eyes, which were red and puffy. With a jolt, and not the pleasant one he usually got whenever he saw his beautiful mechanic, Ed realized that Winry had been crying.
"Winry." Ed said a little too calmly, an almost chilling force behind his words. "Were you, crying?" He asked, clenching his fists. Al gasped and took a closer look at his blue eyed friend, noticing her unkempt state.
"Winry, what happened?" Al asked, even more concerned than before. Winry dropped her wrench. She tried to smile brightly.
"What are you guys talking about? I'm fine. What I want to know is what the heck happened in here? It looks like a tornado hit us. And where's Granny?" Winry asked in a casual tone of voice that she hoped gave nothing away. She really did hate when she made her boys worry about her.
"There was a phone call early this morning. One of Granny's customers automail started malfunctioning and they asked for a house call. Since she's gone brother and I thought-" Al's explanation was cut off by Ed.
"We thought we'd make you breakfast, which, obviously didn't turn out so well, but that's not important right now. Winry, tell me why you were crying." Ed demanded.
"Yeah Winry, what's made you so upset?" Al asked, also wanting to know what had made his sister-figure cry.
"I already told you guys, nothing happened. I'm fin-" Winry was cut off by Ed.
"Don't give me that crap Winry!" Ed shouted, angry at himself for not knowing what had caused his best friend to cry. She flinched. He tried to calm himself down, not wanting to upset her anymore than she already was. "You burst in here looking like you were ready to attack something. You looked like you were panicking, and you're eyes are red and puffy. Please, tell me what's wrong. And don't say it's nothing. I know you better than that." Ed said softly.
"I just, it's stupid. It's not even worth mentioning." Winry said, although the effect was ruined due to her chocked up voice.
"Winry." Al said firmly. "If it made you cry, it's not stupid." He finished, not unkindly. With both boys so concerned about her wellbeing, Winry knew she would not get away without telling them what had caused her distress. She took a deep breath.
"I had a nightmare." She said, not meeting their eyes, ashamed of her petty fears. Ed winced, all too familiar with the terrors that nightmares instilled. He would never wish such a thing on Winry. He took a step towards her, placing what he hoped was a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"What was it about?" Ed questioned, curious about what the usually strong mechanic could imagine that reduced her to tears.
"Scar was there." Winry admitted quietly. At these words, Ed's hand tightened its grip on her shoulder. She looked at him, and at the sympathy and sorrow he showed her through his eyes, she could feel the tell-tale prickling sting at the back of her own eyes. She tried to hold the tears back.
"I was holding a gun, it was aimed at him. You and Al kept telling me to leave, but I couldn't make myself move." Winry continued, voice becoming thick. "I couldn't shoot him," Winry confessed. At this, Ed inwardly sighed in relief. "He told me I was getting in his way, and then he- he started running towards me." Winry's legs began shaking, recalling what happened next. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. Ed tensed, and his grip tightened further.
"And then Ed, jumped in front of me." Despite the grim atmosphere, Ed couldn't help but feel a little proud that, even in her dreams, he protected her. However, he sensed more to the story, so he chose not to say anything. Al had also crossed the room, and had placed his hand on Winry's other shoulder in a silent show of support. Winry looked at them both, reminding herself that they were safe.
Winry had been quiet for a while, so Ed gently nudged her, silently urging her to continue. He hated forcing her to relive such an awful memory, but he knew from experience that she would feel better once she had talked about it.
"Scar put his hand on top of Ed's head and he-he, there was so much blood…" Winry trailed off. Winry's legs would no longer support her, so she sunk to the ground, Ed and Al on either side of her. Her eyes were vacant. Ed felt sick. Looking at Winry, he cursed Scar, and even himself, for indirectly causing Winry to cry. Winry's eyes refocused.
"I tried to find a pulse, but there was nothing." Winry said, tears starting to drip down her face. Ed cursed Scar again. "And then, Al," She paused, looking at him. "You tried to attack Scar, but he dodged it. He jumped behind you and ripped your helmet off. He destroyed your blood seal." Ed heard Al gasp. Winry began to sob.
I-I tried to w-wake you guys up but, you w-were both gone!" Winry could barely choke out her words through her tears. "That's when I woke up. I tried t-to go back to s-sleep, but I couldn't, s-so I went to check on you and you were both gone!" Winry sobbed.
Ed's heart clenched painfully at the sound of her cries. He looked at Al over the top of Winry's head. Both seeming to come to the same conclusion, they nodded in unison. Then, the brothers did something they hadn't done since they were young children.
Wrapping their arms around her, Edward and Alphonse Eric hugged Winry Rockbell.
"What are you two-" Winry began, only to once again be cut off, except this time by Al.
"Winry, we're sorry that you were scared. But were safe and so are you, so that's all that matters. Besides, now that we have our bodies back, we don't want to leave." He said gently. He smirked. "Especially brother." He added in a teasing tone of voice. This earned him a sharp glare from said brother.
"Shut up Alphonse!" Ed said defensively, a noticeable blush on his face. He turned to Winry, his face softening. "He does have a point though. We finally got our bodies back," Ed paused, and looked at his leg. "Well, more or less." Winry let out a sound that sounded like a half sob, half laugh. The corners of Ed's mouth curled. "You know what I mean. We have absolutely no intention of going anywhere anytime soon. Understand?" Ed questioned. Winry sniffled, but nodded. Ed frowned slightly.
'How can I make her stop crying?' He asked himself. Suddenly, he remembered an old trick that had always stopped her tears. The thought of it alone was enough to make his face heat up, but it was the only thing he could think of. Quickly, he pressed his lips to Winry's forehead. Shocked, she stopped crying. 'Glad that still works.' Ed thought, with not a little satisfaction. She looked at him. He looked away.
"Now do you get it gearhead? We're not going to leave you." Ed said firmly, still not meeting her eyes. Winry noticed a suspicious shade of pink on his cheeks, but chose not to comment on it, seeing as she could feel her own face burning. She opened her mouth to say something, but Al beat her to it.
"Aww, brother, that was so sweet." Al said teasingly. He had also noticed the blush his brother was now sporting. He saw that Winry's face was also red, and filed that information away for later use.
"Shut up Al!" Ed yelled at his brother, blush becoming more defined. At the familiar banter between the two blonds, Winry smiled. It was just like old times.
'They're home and they're safe.' She thought to herself firmly. 'That's the most important thing.' She allowed her fears to melt away, at least for the moment. Hearing the brothers still arguing pettily, she laughed, and hugged the boys as tightly as she could. They started at this.
"Winry?" Al asked. He was still slightly concerned, but now he was confused.
"You okay now?" Ed questioned, some hope in his voice. Winry dried her eyes for the last time.
"Yeah. I promise I'm fine now." She said sincerely, beaming brightly. With the return of her smile, Ed smiled as well, glad she was feeling better. Then her stomach rumbled. Loudly. Winry blushed, and cleared her throat.
"Well, seeing how much of a mess you boys made, how about you clean up, and I'll finish cooking breakfast." She suggested. She heard a slight grumble from Ed. "What was that?" She asked sweetly, hand slowly stretching towards her wrench. Seeing this, Ed immediately scrambled to his feet, and jumped into a salute.
"I said ma'am yes ma'am!" He shouted loudly, grabbing the broom to sweep up the broken dishes. Winry and Al smiled at Ed's antics. She looked around the kitchen. "What were you guys trying to make anyway?" She asked, curious.
"Pancakes." Al said simply.
"Alright, I can work with that. Al, can you grab the milk, the batter is way too thick." Winry replied, attempting to salvage breakfast.
"Sure thing Winry." Al replied happily, doing as she asked. They heard a groan of protest from Ed.
"Now brother, don't complain. We know you hate milk, but you won't even be able to taste it." Al promised, grinning at his brother's childish behavior.
"But it's gross." Ed whined.
"If you drink it you'll get taller." Al said. Ed's eye twitched.
"What's wrong with my height! We're the same height, and I'm taller than Winry now." He demanded loudly, with a little pride at that last part.
"Nothing at all. It's not a big deal that you're shorter than average." Al said casually, knowing exactly how annoyed Ed got whenever his height, or lack thereof, was mentioned.
"Who are you calling so small that a flea is taller than them!" Ed yelled. Al snickered as he got the desired reaction. Winry started laughing. She laughed so hard she doubled over. Ed stopped mid-rant, and stared at her with a fond look in his eyes.
He knew that it would take a long time for her to be okay, but he vowed that he would do everything in his power to help her. He caught Winry's eye, and the two shared a smile before returning to their assigned task.
Winry didn't know when she would be able to live without fear of Ed and Al leaving her, but, as she shared a smile with Ed, she felt okay for the first time in a while.
She finally had her family back, but it had been such a long time since they had been with her with the intention of staying. She still felt the seed of fear that one day she would wake up and they would be gone.
But for now, in the morning light, with Al happy and whole, and Ed looking at her every once in a while, a soft, unidentifiable look in his eyes, everything was perfect.
Holy cow, this really got away from me. I meant for this to be a short and sweet one-shot, but I'm still not done yet , so be on the lookout for part two! I'll post it as soon as I finish writing it. In the meantime, please review. Like I said, this is my first FMA fic, so I'm really nervous about it. And I apologize for any spelling/ grammar mistakes. I typed most of this from my phone, and I don't have a beta, so I tried to proofread as I wrote, but I probably missed something. Feedback would be greatly appreciated. I hoped you all enjoyed!
-Chao for now!