Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist I never will, and even if I did I'd be rent limb from limb by people for control. As a note to the reader, if you haven't seen all of Full Metal Alchemist you probably don't want to read this.

Beyond and Back

by: Epyon Zero

Part I: In Dreams

Sleep is one of the most basic commodities in life. All people require it regardless of age, sex, religion, or social standing. However, if a person is worried about something they can find sleep to be one of the hardest things to come by.

Winry Rockbell was unlucky enough to find herself in that position. While she was bone tired and knew that she should be asleep, the blond mechanic found that all she could do was toss and turn in bed and stare off into the night. She even knew why she was worried. It was fear, fear for her two closest friends in the entire world, the Elric brothers. Both had left not a day ago, headed for Central to deal with the remaining Homunculi and whatever they were planning, and no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding.

Slipping out of bed Winry padded around her room, looking at the various pictures and mementos she had. Picking up a small doll she remembered with a smile how scared she had been the day that Ed and Al had made it for her, as a birthday present. Both of the brothers, even as children had been exceptionally good at alchemy. "That was what got them into so much trouble" she thought morosely "Both of them were so good at alchemy that when their mother died they thought that they could bring her back."

As long as she lived Winry doubted she would ever forget that night, the night everything changed. When a six and a half foot tall suit of armor had barged into her grandmother's house, an armless and legless Ed in its arms and had spoken in Al's voice, pleading to fix his brother. Even now nearly four years after the fact she could remember how she'd felt when the story of their foray into proscribed alchemy had tumbled out. On the one hand Winry had wanted to beat both of them senseless for trying something that dangerous, but at the same time there had been the wave of relief, and not a bit of awe at the fact that both were still alive.

"If they managed to survive that, they can survive anything." However much she tried to reassure herself though there was this nagging little corner of her heart that was sure that this time neither of them would come home again.

It probably didn't help much that since she was Ed's auto mail mechanic Winry had seen some of the damage that had been caused to and by both brothers in their journeys. It also didn't help that she had seen at least two of the things that Ed and Al would have to face. The hate-filled child, Wrath who somehow had Ed's arm and leg was disturbing enough by himself, but the other filled her with cold dread. The thing that she had seen in Central, the one made from water that had the face of Ed's mother, it was what scared her the most, for how could a person kill what looked like their own mother, let alone Ed and Al who had tried to resurrect their mother and been punished for it.

The thought of a monster having the face of her mother made Winry's skin crawl and she didn't envy either one of the brothers having to deal with that. Rubbing her arms to get rid of the goose bumps left by the previous thought Winry resumed her pacing, trying desperately to think of something to reassure herself that her friends would be alright. It was little consolation that all she could come up with was Ed's promise that he would come back. Then again perhaps that was all she really needed. In all the time she had known Edward Elric, Winry had never known him to break a promise, and as much as she harped on him for it, she was aware that his promises to not break her newest auto mail didn't really count. The boy was stubborn to a fault, both of them were, and as long as there was breath in their bodies Ed and Al would try and come home.

Stifling a yawn with the back of her hand the girl crawled into bed, her wrench tucked under one arm, fears allayed, albeit for the moment, and she was whisked off into the peaceful oblivion of sleep.

"Winry, Winry, come on open your eyes I don't have that much time here!"

Winry's eyes slowly flickered open and the first thing they focused on was a very familiar face. "Ed? What are you doing in my room!" This being said the girl swung the arm that normally held a socket wrench, however it now contained nothing.

Edward Elric sighed as he dodged the hand. "Are you going to lie there or are you going to get up and talk to me. Your eventually going to wake up you know."

"I'm dreaming?" The blond girl got up. "What are you doing in my dream?"

The alchemist in front of her looked down at his feet "Umm…….." he scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly "Would you believe that I don't really know myself."

While Winry was willing to admit that she had had a few dreams concerning Ed, none of them had been this strange. For one thing they were both standing, if it could be called standing, on a vast plain of white. Not snow, not ground, just an ethereal white that seemed to have neither beginning nor end. For another, upon closer inspection she saw that Ed's arm and leg were flesh and blood, not the steel and wire auto mail Winry had grown so accustomed to seeing.

"Ed… your arm and your leg…"
The Full Metal Alchemist waved it off. "Not really sure about that either." There was something in his tone that Winry didn't like; it was that same tone Ed had when he was glossing over something particularly bad.

"What's going on?" she finally demanded

"I…" Ed hung his head and looked up at her an odd, sad little smile on his face. "When you see Al tell him it's not his fault."

"What do you mean not his fault," the mechanic balled her hands "What's going on? Why can't you ever give me a straight answer?"

Then something totally unexpected happened. Ed walked over and wrapped his arms around Winry and pulled her into a fierce hug. After a moment of awkwardness the girl returned the hug, though it felt slightly off, due to Ed's possession of two arms. There were no words, no gestures, merely an embrace. They stayed like that for what seemed like an age, and then Ed started to pull away.

Winry tightened her arms, not wanting to let go, not when the simple feeling of a hug made everything seem alright. Ed however pulled back, and Winry gasped. Where Ed's coat had been black now there was a huge red stain, emanating from a gaping hole in his chest.

"Ed, what…" the girl stammered.

Elric smiled again, that same sad little smile. "Even an alchemist can't create more time." Looking at his oldest friend Ed opened his mouth then stopped.

Winry grabbed onto Ed again, aware of the blood seeping onto her. "Don't go."

Ed leaned down "Winry…I…" Words again didn't come, so in their place came something different. The alchemist pursed his lips and kissed the girl once, chastely, on the forehead and said "Don't forget me."

Then he was gone.
Winry sat bolt upright in bed, sheets tangled about her in a sweat soaked mess, hair obscuring her vision. Getting her hair out of the way she expected to see a blood drenched corpse on her floor. All there was were a few motes of dust and scattered moonbeams. Sleep which had seemed like an oasis from her worries had turned into the worst thing possible.

Why had Ed been in her dream? Why did he want her to tell Al it wasn't his fault? What wasn't Al's fault? Why was Ed covered in blood? Most importantly why had he said "Don't forget me."? Winry's hand flew to her forehead, resting where the dream Ed had kissed her, the place still felt warm.

To be continued…

Notes: FMA isn't normally my style but, shrug, when the muse hits you following is a good idea. AS for where this is going well... you're going to have to read and find out. Criticism is always welcome; more so cause this is my first attempt at FMA fiction.