A/N: So one day, I was wondering why Al had said what he did at the near-end of CoS when he was trying to convince Ed to stay. That got me wondering into the semi-fanon that Al is a ton of perceptiveness when it comes to Ed/Winry. The thought started sticking in me brain and I ended up experimenting with this little thing. This is a mindless drabble-type writing, so be warned. And enjoy!

Spoilers: concerning the end of the anime and the movie

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. That would be Hiromu Arakawa, who better not mess up the EdxWinry ship. XD

Meant To Know

Al never meant for it to turn out this way.

Of course, it wasn't by accident he decided to trade souls with Ed- after all, it was equivalent exchange: a life for a life.

He had purposely traded his soul for Ed's when Envy had stabbed him to death.

Al didn't mean for Ed to return the younger Elric in exchange for Ed's own body, soul, and mind. No, although he was beyond grateful, he never meant for it to happen.

He had traded his soul for a reason. Above all, Al's own human body included, he had wanted to see Ed restored. For the reason of giving Ed back the part of his soul that died every time he saw Al in that wretched suit of armor.

For the reason of moving on- teaching him all things have a destiny. (And oh, how Al knew he had been wrong on that one!)

For the reason of Ed going back to the only family he had left. To the one who had always loved him and always would for the rest of eternity.

Winry Rockbell.

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Al never meant for Ed to go back to that other place... Munich something when he finally returned in that thing called a "rocket".

Al knew, always knew, how much Ed had loved Winry, even when they were kids fighting over who would marry her. Al also knew how guilty Ed felt about leaving her, time and time again- time and time again for Al's sake. He could see it in his eyes, the way he clenched his jaw, pretended to grin- a huge, overbearing grin to hide the fact he was not really smiling or in any way- happy.

When Ed tried to go back to that other place, Al thought his argument would work.

"Think about Winry!"

That was his final trump card, something that could convince him to stay, the one thing he knew would work.

Ed had hesitated when he heard that. And Al seized the chance to speak again.

"She misses you too."

Al never meant for it to come out that way. But in the intensity and pressure of the moment... he was desperate, groping for words to say, grabbing the ones that came to his mind first.

He saw the expression on Ed's face, almost disappointment, before the familiar determined visage returned.

'She loves you too.'

That's what Al meant to say.

He had seen it on Winry's face so many times. He had seen it when someone would talk about Ed. Or when she would fiddle with mysterious pieces of automail when she thought no one was around. He had seen it that very afternoon, not an hour ago. The unspoken love in her eyes as she welcomed him home. Peace in the fact that Ed was finally home again. But then, he got his automail and left.

Stupid Brother.

Al wouldn't have made that dumb mistake if Ed had decided to stay. But as stupid as Ed was sometimes, Al took the blame this time as his own fault.

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Al never meant to follow Ed into that other universe. He never meant to, but he knew he had to.

He knew his brother wouldn't survive without him if he went back alone this time. The resignation on his face...

And Al had given too much to just watch his brother fly away in that flying machine and never see him again.

So he followed. What else could he really do? Ask Roy to shoot flames at the machine so Ed couldn't get away?

And when Ed discovered Al had stowed away, and his memory had returned, Al saw in Edward's face that nothing would have made him happier.

Except one thing. There was something in Ed's eyes, something distant, something mourning the loss of something held very, very dear. Mourning the loss of finality, the knowledge that there is no turning back. That two paths that will never cross again in this life because the bridge has been forever broken.

It was hazy, almost unnoticeable because it had been there for years, but to Al, who had known his brother for his entire life, and had been with him through thick and thin, he could see something was missing.

Al knew what it was but he didn't condone it, nor did he mention it. He didn't need to.

It was Winry.

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One day, when the time was right, Al meant to tell Ed what he knew.

He meant to tell Ed that Winry loves him.

Even though... the thought would perhaps cause Ed to feel regret and bitterness, Al meant to tell him. Because Al had seen too much and hadn't been able to do anything about it.

He would ask Edward about Winry. Ask if he missed her…

Then Al would smile and pull his trump card once again, except this time he would do it right.

He would tell Ed that Winry knew he loves her.

Edward had been denied too many things in this life, things most everyone else would consider necessities of life. He had deserved many things better than what he had been given.

Ed at least deserved the knowledge that Winry loves him.

And that was what Al meant to tell Edward.

A/N: So… what do you think? Too OOC for Al? I tried putting in an actual conversation between Ed and Al about Winry at the end, but it seemed to awkward to go with the rest of the piece. I was trying to figure out the tenses for "loves" as opposed to "loved". I got the feeling "loved" seemed to imply she did in the past. I didn't get too much editing time; I like the idea, but I did a crappy editing job, so I'll try and go back and work on it. But please let me know what you thought-as reviews are much loved!

Oh- and just in case anyone seems to get the impression, I never intended to make this sound like it was Al's fault or anything (which it definitely was not XD).