Author's note: I was rewatching the last episode of the anime for the several hundredth time today, and suddenly got inspiration for this fic. I'm not really an Ed/Winry fan, so lets see how this goes xD.

Title: Interconnection
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Characters: Winry, Sheska.
Summary: Postanime. In which Winry visits Sheska in central, crazed shopping ensues and Winry finally admits her feelings for Ed over a triple scoop double chocolate chip icecream with extra whipped cream.
Genre: General
Word Count: 1600.
Rating: K.
Warnings: Sort of Ed/Winry (that's a warning!) but not really.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Winry! It's so great to see you!"

"You too, Sheska!"

The two girls raced to hug the other, laughing. The train conductor standing just behind Winry on the train stared with a blank, almost frightened expression on his face. Other people smiled fondly from their compartment windows, and more surrounding Sheska and Winry were more or less doing the same. Luckily, being a teenage girl made both of them oblivious to all of the attention they were receiving.

They left the train station and made their way towards the centre of Central.

"Are you ok with not being at work today?" Winry asked, genuinely concerned now that the post reunion euphoria had died away.

"Oh, yeah, it's fine. I've been copying up old military files all week, so I've been given some time off," Sheska replied, her eyes glinting at the mere suggestion of reading. "I need to get out and visit the bookstores in Central, though."

Winry raised an eyebrow. "I thought the Military libraries were more or less the most comprehensive libraries in existence."

"You'd be surprised," blabbered Sheska, "it's only really got books that may in some way be beneficial to the military, but I've read every book in there now, and I think there are a lot missing."

Her voice was so full of passion it made Winry laugh again.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

They both walked past Central's most rated clothing store as though the thought of going in hadn't crossed either of the girls' minds. They also managed to get past several shoe shops with nothing more than a "those boots would be entirely unpractical for working with mechanics" from the blonde.

Finally, Winry's feet stopped at the hardware warehouse that had been recently converted into the most extensive mechanical supply shop in the whole of Amestris. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened in utter fascination. She took a wobbly step away from Sheska before darting in through the large glass doors, leaving her friend both amused and slightly afraid.

Sheska followed her in, wondering if the store stocked books. She was delighted to find large instruction manuals towards the right of the entrance and quickly absorbed herself, forgetting entirely what she was there for.

Somewhere in the north east section of the store, Winry wasn't holding back. She told herself she needed (not only wanted) everything she'd seen and picked up, and only hoped she had enough money to cover it all. So far, she'd managed to pick up so many items that two security guards were required to carry the large crates behind her. In all fairness, Winry told herself, she'd come to Central to pick up supplies so surely her behaviour was justifiable.

It was several hours later when both Winry and Sheska had finished buying all that they had came for and plenty more. Sheska used the excuse that she was using her military budget to buy any books she knew were lacking, and that really she was only doing her job. Winry insisted that the things she'd brought were absolutely essential for her quest to become the best mechanic she possibly could, and maintained that she hadn't bought anything just because it was on sale, or shone nicely in the light.

Either way, Winry missed her train home for the day to Risembool.

"Well, I suppose that was expected," the girl mechanic said as she walked with no real destination alongside her friend, "you did spend a lot of time in that book shop..."

"There was an author group signing!" said Sheska defensively, "and you're the one who spent five hours looking at automail parts, and then upon asking the shop owner got special permission to look in storage for even more."

"I need them!"

"Well, I need those exclusive author signed copies for the library, too."

They walked in silence for a moment before bursting into giggles.

"...ice cream..." gasped Sheska inbetween the giggles, and she gave a wobbly point towards an all night ice cafe towards the left side of them.

Winry nodded, still laughing. She went to order whilst her friend took a seat, immediately discovered an information leaflet on the history of the parlour's ice cream and absorbed herself.

"Are you sure this was all you wanted?" asked a voice, taking Sheska's attention away from the leaflet momentarily.

"Yeah," she replied, still a little distracted. She finished reading and then peered through her glasses at Winry, who also looked oddly preoccupied with something other than the largest ice cream Sheska had ever seen, complete with extra whipped cream and a cherry sitting deliciously on top.

"Winry, are you ok?"

Winry looked up at her and nodded thoughtfully. Sheska noticed for the first time that day that her usually bright blue eyes seemed a little weary, and she knew this wasn't simply attributed to their long day of senseless shopping. Winry looked tired and slightly withdrawn, her cheeks were slightly hollower and her hair a bit dull, as though she'd been worrying a lot for a very long time and hadn't remembered to eat properly.

"Is it Al? Is he doing ok, now? Have his memories returned?"

Winry shook her head, "he's doing fine. He's left to train with Izumi again, but he still doesn't remember what happened during those four years searching for the philosopher's stone. We've told him as much as we know because he asked, but I can't fill in the blanks the way Ed would."

Her voice quavered slightly at the name and her brow furrowed. Sheska sensed there was more coming, and took a lick of her ice cream.

"You miss Edward a whole lot more than you're admitting, don't you?" she asked softly.

"Of course I miss Edward," Winry said, her eyes looked fond and loving, "but, it's more. I can't help wondering where he is, if he made it through all right..."

her voice began to break down, "...if he's somewhere out there with broken automail and I'm not there to fix it..."

She took a large spoonful of her ice cream and swallowed it uninterestedly, her eyes now brimming with tears. Sheska tried what she hoped was a comforting pat on the back. She'd read so many ficitional books where the same scene had been played out, but really she didn't know the right words to say and felt panic raise its head inside her.

"Ed's ok," but Sheska didn't have any proof that he was, "I think you know that, and we both know he can look after himself."

Winry reached for a tissue and wiped her eyes, but now she was smiling. "You're right. I know that he's alive, and out there somewhere, and Al does too. If we're both wrong, then I know absolutely nothing about automail. I still... miss him, though."

Sheska sat watching her, unsure whether any of the knowledge she'd gained from reading about equivilent exchange in the library would comfort her friend. She knew about the gate, but not where it led... On some level - Sheska finally decided in her mind - Winry already knew where Ed was, and probably what he was doing. They were connected by years of memories and mutual respect and love for one another. Their bond was the tie of two very independent people who relied on one another in those times of turbulence, and so much more. Winry blamed herself for too much already, and Sheska decided she wouldn't burden her with more. She was pretty sure if there was a way back (which she knew for a fact was non documented in the history of alchemy) that Edward Elric would be the one to find it.

"Winry?"

Winry's cheeks were red and puffy, but the tears had dried and she still smiled, "that jerk better find a way back soon... there'll be hell to pay if he hasn't been keeping up when the maintainance of his automail just because I'm not there."

Sheska smiled too, earnestly believing that there was no girl more devoted to Edward than Winry Rockbell. Her friend finished the rest of her ice cream with the same enthusiasm she held for life in general. "Good thing I'm getting all that equipment delivered home," she said brightly, "I'd never be able to carry it all."

"I've got the military to agree to get it to you free of charge, since you're a friend."

"Oh," Winry blinked, "thank you so much... I should be getting back to the station, then. There's an early morning train leaving soon and I better not miss it."

Sheska nodded, "and I've got work tomorrow."

They said their goodbyes and promised to regularly correspond with each other through letters, Winry saying she would definitely update her with any news. They also agreed to meet up again next time Winry was in Central for supplies.

Winry took a seat on the train moments before it left and recalled the day fondly. She looked back on the conversation over the ice cream, suddenly feeling quite at peace with the conflicting feelings she'd kept bottled up ever since Edward had left without a word, returning to them a ten year old Alphonse with no recollection of their travelling days together. She drifted into a much welcomed and awaited sleep, her head bobbing as the train moved away from Central. It was in these sleepy moments where she was not fully conscious of her mind and thoughts that she knew and accepted that she was undeniably in love with Ed.