Disclaimer- none. this is a bit AU.

The Family

"That's a good girl, my angel." The woman said as she drove the long metal rod inside the drugged girl's thigh, enough to bleed but nothing too deep. The girl whimpered but the narcotic wouldn't allow her to scream. The woman swept the girl's blonde hair away from her face, playing with it's length as she drove the rod in the other side. "Mummy loves you so much, now you may sleep." She took the chain from the girl's handcuffs and unhooked it from the grapple. The girl's legs gave out and fell upon the mattress beneath her. The woman simply tucked the girl in with a dirty blanket and kissed her cheek.

"Goodnight pumpkin, Daddy will come and wake you in the morning." And she left the cell chamber after killing the light…

Elsewhere

"It's been exactly three weeks since the disappearance of Winry Rockbell. The young sixteen year old girl left work at 9:10 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19 when she failed to return home…no new evidence has led the authorities to any leads…."

Pinaco shut off the radio, not bearing to hear the inevitable any longer. Ed and Al went back to Central a week prior to the events, and news of small town issues didn't travel so far. Many neighbors were whispering that she had just runaway, taking after the Elric boys example. Those who knew her better were as panic stricken as Pinaco. Winry was the town's sweetheart, in a wrench throwing way. She was the girl everyone knew, the girl who always helped those in need, and the girl who had a temper as quick as her repairing skills. So the night she didn't return home, the small town partook in a midnight man hunt. But nothing came out of it.

Pinaco sat back in her chair and smoked her pipe, sadness and despair overtaking her age old face. She had lost her son and daughter-in-law, and now she may have well lost her granddaughter. Life was a cruel mistress.

She felt a wet sensation on her hand, looking down to see Den nudging her in melancholy. He too knew the situation, as dogs normally do. Pinaco would sit on the porch every morning with Den to hope to see her granddaughter's form walking down the street back home. Den would even go out and wander on his own to find his missing companion, but would return with his tail dragging.

Thinking back to the last time she had seen her granddaughter, Pinaco could only feel guilt. They had an argument before Winry left for her work at the hospital nearby. Winry wanted to study mechanics abroad, somewhere far, but Pinaco couldn't let her go alone and was against it. Winry stormed out of the house in a huff and Pinaco figured they would talk more about it when she came home.

But she never did.

Pinaco couldn't deny that she had though Winry ran away at first, but dismissed this notion when no call, news, or letter was left in her wake. Winry may have been hardheaded and stubborn, but she wasn't negligent.

Still sitting in her chair, Pinaco's eyes began to become heavy. She tried calling the boys, but they were not in Central at the times she called…perhaps a chance sign will let them know something was terribly wrong…

TRAIN

"I hate trains…..I really do." Edward Elric said as he slumped lower into his seat. Al simply laughed, it was good to be back to their old selves again, albeit Edward was sans arm and leg. But Al felt alive again in his flesh body. They had been gone so long that it seemed forever since they had been back in their world. Edward and Al had figured out the secret to getting back, who would have known that some crazy guy's theory of an atom bomb would help them open the way up again. But here they were, a year had passed since they arrived back and Al was sad they had to say goodbye to Noa- she was a good friend to them. They went back to Central and got right back to work. Life seemed far simpler now. But they hadn't quite settled all the way down, seeing granny and Winry again was the final stop in their journey home. Even though Ed didn't show it, Al knew he was looking forward to seeing them again-especially Winry.

"It beats a wagon, brother." Al replied. Ed just laughed and looked out the window. Things did feel right, but there was something that nagged at the inner workings of their minds..

"So, are we going home this time?" Al asked as he too looked out the window. Ed just shrugged in response. This made his younger brother a bit suspicious, "What are you afraid of, Brother?"

Of course this caught Edward off guard and caused him to comically fall out of his seat. He sweatdropped before replying, "What do you mean?"

' who are you fooling?' thought Al as he observed his brother deny this question. Ed still shaking his head frantically. He then composed himself seriously, "It's just we haven't been back to Resembool since…" He gave a more acceptable answer this time, " I feel that we don't have the audacity to go home to welcome arms."

Al contemplated along with him, "I don't think Granny Pinaco will hold it against us, brother." Edward laughed and said, "But Winry will."

They were don't with their business at the moment, Central had told them to take time off from all the working they'd been piling up. Roy Mustang in particular had chewed their heads off when he found them still wandering around when they were suppose to head back home. It seemed that way these days, now that they had achieved what they set out to do, no one would employ them much these days. Edward had figured it was because they lost their determination after their goal had been achieved. But still, Al missed the moments they had with their fellow comrades, lt. Hawkeye, Fuery, and so on.

Life does go on when you are away- that is the bottom line they had learned.

The train gave a loud call, signaling the upcoming stop.

"Well, are you ready Al?" Ed asked as he gathered his bag, his younger brother mimicking his action.

"As ready as we'll ever be." The smiled and both walked onto the platform. Resembool seemed to have gotten smaller to them, but it had the same feeling as before. The feeling of home.

Elsewhere

The girl had awoken several hours later, by the door hinge being swung open. Another teenage girl walked in, nearly the same age as her. She was a brunette, and rather tiny in size, but a shrewish look in her eye. She was carrying a tray of food, and seemed to chuck it out to her--spilling some of its contents on the floor.

"Here you go, eat up now." the brunette said with a cheery voice, "Mum will have a fit if you ain't eating properly. But Dad will beat you silly if you leave leftovers- he's already angry that we have another mouth to feed." The brunette looked at the girl before her, and seemed to show no pity.

"Well, since we are sisters now I expect you think I'm gonna take you under my wing---" But the girl was cut off by another older feminine voice.

"Lottie! Don't be pestering your sister now, come and help Dad and your brother get rid of the Mason boy." Mum had yelled from elsewhere in the house. The girl named Lottie only yelled back with her shrill of a voice, "Dad and Trevor could do just fine, you know I hate getting my hands dirty with dead things.." The girl skipped out of the cell chamber, locking the door on her way out.

The blonde girl was again left alone. She tried to struggle against her bonds again, her wrists were raw from earlier attempts- but to no avail. Her face was lacerated with cuts, her legs held puncture wounds the size of dimes, and her health was also in no happy mood.

She steadied herself and looked at the contents that 'Lottie' had brought. You couldn't call it food, not even rats would touch the slump that piled on the tray. It looked like out cottage cheese and molded bread. But she knew if she were to survive she had to take what she could get… perhaps she could give in, for the time being.

The night air lurked around her as she strode home. Her work at the hospital had really paid off, and while she liked the medical field-for it was her parents occupations, she loved mechanics more. Her grandmother didn't understand that the town of Resembool didn't hold a future for her since the Elric boys had left. She would make it up to her grandmother, for all the harsh words she had said in their argument.

She continued walking down the path when she saw a figure coming toward her, from what she could make out- it was a girl.

"Excuse me!" a feminine voice called to her, confirming her thoughts. "I seem to be lost, can you show me where the train station is?" the girl asked. In response she pointed the general direction, "It's over that way." her finger pointed east- the opposite way she was going.

The girl seemed to shift her weight from foot to foot, "Can you come with me, I don't like being by myself at night." She asked smoothly, as if rehearsed. "Oh, I didn't catch your name?" the girl asked again.

"I'm Winry," she had replied as she held out her hand, It was taken by a slender hand. "I'm Lottie, I live a ways from here. I told my Dad I'd meet him at the train station." Winry looked from the direction of her house to the train station's. She figured she couldn't let the poor girl go off on her own, and she nodded her in response, "I'll show you, it wouldn't be problem."….

End of Chapter One.