I might as well state this right now: This contains many spoilers for those who haven't seen the Fullmetal Alchemist Movie. Which by the way, is an incredible movie worth watching. Those who haven't seen it need to go buy it right now.

Full Summary: After a severe and somewhat traumatizing accident, Winry ends up losing a few essential limbs and replacing them with automail, though she sees herself as a hypocrite for becoming her own client. As Winry lives each day as it comes in her new state, she continually ponders about Ed and Al, who now live on the other side of the gate (Yes, it's a bad summary. Hell, even I'm thinking of what exactly I'm doing with this story).

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. It is sad to me, but true. Though really, my story will be terrible compared to both the wonderful anime and manga, so perhaps it's for the best.

Chapter 1: A Shocking Loss

She hadn't been ready for what had happened. Her, of all people, she wasn't ready for it. She was an automail genius, not one of her own clients! No, no, this couldn't be right, what the hell had she done to deserve it? She closed her eyes, resting on the edge of the bed as she thought back on the accident. It had occurred not even the day before, perhaps several or more hours ago.
There had been a storm, and she had been running down the side of the road, Den held tightly in her arms, since he wouldn't have been able to keep up on his own. Though quiet in the town of Resembool, perhaps the storm had brought about a change. For as Winry Rockbell ran to her home, attempting to escape the rain; a car had driven into the usually isolated town. Due to the unexpected storm, the driver had poor visibility, and the automobile was hard to control. Not being able to see Winry, the man driving had swerved violently, and the last thing Winry remembered was seeing the car's headlights approaching her at a breakneck speed, then excruciating pain as her body slammed into the low wall on the side of the road…and then everything went black.
By the time the eighteen year old girl had come to, her grandma Pinako was standing over her, holding her pipe like she always did. Her usual indifferent expression had been replaced by worry, and Winry could only blink sluggishly, trying to comprehend what had taken place since the accident.

She attempted to sit up, but to her shock nothing happened. She began wiggling her toes and flexing her arms, yet to her great confusion she could feel them moving, but nothing was happening. "Hey, grandma…" She managed to whisper out, her voice raspy. "Quiet, Winry, don't talk." Pinako's stern but soft voice came forth quickly, relief showing that her granddaughter was awake. "But…what happened…?" Winry couldn't help but ask, though began coughing violently.

With a sigh, Pinako placed her pipe in her mouth and leaned over Winry, shaking her head. "You were in an accident. I don't know how much you remember, but the result was very serious. You barely survived." The younger woman gasped in shock and once more struggled to sit up, but to no avail. "What happened to me grandma?" Her voice was slow but every word was deliberate, the fear clear in her tone. "Winry…" Before the tough woman could answer, Winry began pleading with her grandma. "Please…help me up. I can't seem to move. This is important…I need to know what happened." With a sigh, Pinako took Winry's shoulders and began lifting her up gently.

The instant Winry was in a sitting position; she looked down at her legs and let out a cry, though began coughing once more. "Calm down Winry!" Pinako tried her hardest to take the shock away from her granddaughter, but it wasn't working. Winry just stared at her legs, which…weren't there.

Her left leg was gone up to where her knee was, and her right leg was only a stump up to her thigh. "What happened to me?" Winry screamed. She reached out to feel the only parts left of her legs, but in another revelation she saw that her right hand wasn't there. Bandages surrounded every wound, blood on the edges.

The young woman could barely breathe, and she turned to look at Pinako, who abruptly saw the danger Winry was in. "You have to calm down!" Her grandma shouted loudly, and Winry broke down crying, but seized breathing so quickly. Breathing a sigh of relief, Pinako stroked Winry's cheek lovingly. "You poor girl…You weren't ready for this. To make matters worse, Den didn't survive the crash. He died upon impact." At that, Winry clenched her one good hand within the sheets, closing her eyes tightly as tears continued streaming down her cheeks.

Den hadn't made it. The thought crushed the girl; Den had been her sixth birthday present, and he had been with her for the past twelve years. Now he was gone, and Winry knew she would mourn his death for a long time to come. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you Den…" She whispered, while Pinako took her pipe out of her mouth and set it down on the dresser.

"Winry, I know this is all new to you, but I think the best thing to do is get automail replacements. It's a better idea then having such limited movement." Swallowing her tears, Winry looked at her grandma and managed a faint smile. "You're probably right. It just feels so wrong, having to get automail…I make it for others; I don't use it. I'll think about it though…I can tell you my answer tomorrow. But for now…I think I'd like to be alone. Is that ok?" She asked in a quiet voice.

Nodding, Pinako picked up her pipe and exited the room, shutting the door behind her. Winry stared at the wall, her eyes blank. Her spirit had been broken in some; such a traumatic experience had changed her immensely. "Edward…Alphonse…Den…You all left me. Now I've lost my legs and my right hand. What am I supposed to do?" She asked. The pain her body was in made her even more sympathetic to Ed's cause—now she knew exactly how he felt with a missing arm and leg.

Her case was even worse though, and she knew having so much automail would put an immense strain on her body. At that moment, she wanted to be in her childhood friends' arms…She wanted to see Ed and Al more then anything. They had gone through the gate though, leaving her behind. It had been surprising when she realized Alphonse had vanished too, but then again the brothers' bond was so strong the girl knew she should have expected it.

Her thoughts drifted to Sciezka, who had only recently moved out of Winry's house. The reason being she'd finally found a boyfriend: Jean Havoc. When the two had announced their relationship, it had shocked everyone…the military's famous bachelor and the bookworm. Roy Mustang had laughed so hard tears came to his eyes, or so Riza had reported to Winry. The young girl still kept in contact with Sciezka, who was extremely happy with Havoc, and the Lieutenant himself was surprised that the "bookworm girl" was actually perfect for him.

Roy had finally realized he had feelings deeper then friendship for Riza, but was taking his sweet time in asking her out, though the woman's feelings for him were rather obvious. So was everyone happy now but Winry? She had a promising future, or at least she had until the accident. Were her dreams going to be wiped away now? Would she be able to continue with her work as passionately as before?

Using her good arm, she wiped a few more tears away as her thoughts once more migrated back to Ed and Al. It had hurt her deeply—that Edward had finally come home after two years, then left again before she could truly talk to him. She couldn't help but smile at memories of the new Ed though; Winry was pleased to see he had gotten taller and even more handsome in her eyes.

It was a bit strange to think that Edward was now eighteen, while Al, since coming back as a young child, was only thirteen after the two years. The brothers were technically a year apart, but now that age gap had increased by four years. It didn't matter, but the fact that their ages were so different now was difficult to grasp for Winry.

Shaking it off, she wondered how everyone was doing at the same time, as she herself sat up in bed, her body mutilated. Since realizing she wouldn't be able to get by in life with her limbs like they were and how different everything would be, her thoughts were all over the place, confusing but comforting at the same time. She managed to use her good arm to twist her body around, looking out at the window up at the clear blue sky.

Winry breathed in deeply, wishing the accident hadn't occurred, but she knew she could do nothing about it. The young girl closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them, letting a smile trace her features. When Pinako came back to check on her, Winry would have her answer ready: The next day she would be fitted for automail.

Note: Pitifully short, I know. I'm still thinking. I'm considering bringing Ed and Al into it at points too—I'd get bored just writing about Winry. This story probably won't interest anyone…if it does, wow, I'm happy. However, I won't update unless I get 5-10 reviews, so if you like it, please review. I myself won't be able to keep interest in the story if no one else does.