Six months have passed. Six months without an attack from Homunculi. Although everyone was relaxed a bit, they were still on high alert. Either the Homunculi gave up, or they are planning something big. Everyone went with the second choice…
In the meantime…
"That's the Big Dipper, that one over there."
"Okay, then what's that one that looks like a human?"
"Huh? Oh, that's Orion. See those three stars lined up like that? That's Orion's belt."
"Orion's belt? Why is it called Orion's belt? Who chose the name Orion? Why couldn't it be called… Edward's Belt?"
Winry laughed. "Okay, go ahead and be cocky. In this world, you can call it Edward's Belt." They both laughed in unison.
The two had decided to enjoy the evening outside. They sat on a hammock, and Winry taught Edward about the constellations. She was surprised he didn't know their names, considering this world seems to be all about science. Winry was simply enjoying herself, listening to the soft sound of the water moving in the pool and getting some alone time with Edward.
"Simply amazing. That must've been a sight to see. I still can't believe you came from up there," Edward said.
Winry stood up, frowning, "Yeah, me neither."
Edward blinked and tried to lean over to look at her face. 'Me neither? Why does she sound so unsure of herself? She said she came from space, yet… oh no…' When Edward stood up as well, Winry walked away. "Winry?" Edward asked, somewhat sternly.
Winry turned around, wondering why he sounded so strict. "Yeah? What's wrong?"
He started to slowly walk closer to her. "I think you should be telling me what's wrong. You said you couldn't believe that you came from the sky… like you really couldn't believe it. Are you sure that's where you came from?"
Winry nodded and began walking around, contemplating. 'Why is he making such a big deal out of nothing? I don't want to talk about what I went through to get here.'
Edward walked up behind her, grabbed both her arms, and turned her around to face him. "Don't lie. Now I really know that's not how you got here." He looked down, almost becoming angry.
Winry put both of her hands on his chest and tried to push him away. "Edward, I'm so confused. What do you want me to tell you?"
"I want you to tell me," he raised his head, "how you got here."
"I already told you!" Winry yelled at him.
Ed didn't realize his grip on her forearms was tightening every time he talked. "You didn't see a black sky with white balls of gas. You saw yellow. Everything around you was yellow, rushing past. You saw images. Winry, you saw black creatures around your little invention. You went through a gate!"
"Ed, you're hurting my arms," Winry cried. Ed let go, not realizing what he had done. He tried to apologize, but she backed away. Her fears got the best of her, and she fell to the ground. She looked down and began to cry. "I… I was so scared. When I took off… I saw the blue sky, but suddenly… everything turned yellow. I didn't know what was going on."
Ed felt hurt, irate, and yet sad all at once. "This just makes no sense. You can't do alchemy in your world, which means you can't open the Gate. That can only mean someone here opened it, but… oh… DAMMIT! The Homunculi," Ed cursed. 'She saw the truth. That means she…could perform alchemy if she wanted. No, I can't tell her. I don't want her to make mistakes like I did… like we did…'
"What's the Gate? What did I do?"
"You didn't do anything. The Gate is… well it's hard to explain. It's the link between this world and whichever world is on the other side, which I guess is yours. There are only a couple ways the Gate can be accessed. You just had bad timing and got sucked in when the Homunculi opened it," Edward explained. He looked down at Winry. "Why did you lie? Why didn't you just tell us how you really got here?"
Winry didn't say anything for a moment. She was trying to shake away the images Edward had made her reminisce. "I was scared. How would you have felt if you had just landed somewhere foreign to you, and people started questioning you? Whatever I flew through scared me. The images, this Gate, or whatever. I've never been more frightened in my life," Winry said quietly.
Ed knew he crossed the line. 'I'm such an idiot. I took out my anger on her when it isn't even her fault.' Ed kneeled down in front of Winry and caught her off guard as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He knew sorry wouldn't work, so he didn't speak. He just remained there in a light hug. Winry didn't move. She definitely didn't expect this kind gesture from him. After a few moments, Edward let go and stood up. He offered his hand to Winry and helped her up. They both walked back over to the hammock, and Edward let her lay on it. He just sat on the edge.
"So… do you know how to dance?" Edward asked.
Winry looked at Ed curiously. "I don't dance often, but yes I know how. That was random." Winry laughed a little.
"Well, I asked for a reason. Once every year my father and certain aristocrats in Amestris have a little dinner and dance to discuss the going-ons and a lot of other things. It's in a week. I have to go, of course, even though I hate it. I don't want you to have to spend the evening alone… so… wanna go with me?" Edward asked, shakily.
Winry immediately nodded. "It would be my pleasure, Prince Edward."
Edward rolled his eyes. "It really pisses me off when you call me that."
Winry grinned, "Really? What are you going to do about it?"
For a second Edward thought she really meant it, but then realized she was egging him on. "Oh, so that's how it's going to be?" He then leaned over and began tickling her.
"Gah… stop… tickles," Winry tried to say but couldn't stop laughing. She began to poke him back in ticklish spots. The hammock began to rock back and forth from their weight. Winry screamed when it almost flipped over completely. Edward grabbed her side so she wouldn't fall, and when the hammock ceased movement both their faces turned red. They were laying side by side, the ends of their noses slightly touching.
Suddenly, the two began laughing slightly from their tickle fight. Winry scooted down a bit so she could comfortably cuddle with Edward. His face turned redder when he felt her face press against his neck. "I'm… sorry… that I lied to you. I'm sorry when I first came here and called you a jerk. You're not a jerk. I'm sorry for anything mean I've said or anything I've done to screw up everyone's lives," Winry randomly blurted.
Edward was still trying to calm down the redness in his face. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I am a jerk." 'I'm glad you came here. You screwed up my life even more, in a good way.'
Winry entwined her fingers in the hammock netting and pushed herself up so she was kneeling next to Edward, without causing them both to fall off. "No Edward," Winry began, "you're not a jerk."
Right at that moment, as Edward looked up at her, he totally lost himself. No one had ever had this effect on him. He couldn't even think. "You're so beautiful," Edward said softly, without even blushing. He just kept looking up at her.
Winry's cheeks were slightly tinted pink, and all she did was smile. 'How do I even respond?! No one has ever told me that.' She looked into his golden eyes and remembered the first day she met him. There was something about his eyes that she just really liked.
"There's something I want to show you tomorrow morning," Edward said.
"Okay…"
Tomorrow eventually came. Winry heard birds so clearly, and felt the sun radiating on her face. She also heard someone yelling. When she opened her eyes it only took her a few seconds to grasp that she had fallen asleep on the hammock. However, she wasn't the only one who did.
Roy Mustang had been looking for both of them. He spotted bodies on the hammock and ran. When he reached the hammock, a huge grin spread across his face as he looked down. "What the hell did you do to him?" He was referring to Edward, sleeping soundly next to Winry with his arm securely around her waist.
"We both fell asleep, I guess. We were just talking. We didn't do anything bad, honestly," Winry said quickly.
"Well, good luck getting up. Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you two were okay. I couldn't find either of you all night, and with there being two Homunculi still around…" Roy said.
Winry nodded and said sorry. She slowly tried to push herself up, but Edward's arm pulled her back down. Ed began mumbling something, but Winry couldn't quite understand. Roy simply laughed. He waved his hand as he left.
Winry barely had any breathing room. Edward's arm was gripped around her so securely. She reached an arm up to lightly push on his shoulders. "Edward, wake up," she said softly. He didn't make a sound. "Ed?" He didn't move. "Edward, it's morning," she said a little louder. His body began to shift around. "Wait. Stop, Ed-," Winry began to say, but it was too late. He flipped over onto Winry. 'How the heck is he not waking up?!' This position isn't the best idea on a hammock, since Winry is partially get crushed; however, although she wouldn't admit it, the intimacy was nice. His warm body against hers, the feeling of his chest move up and down against hers as he breathed, the feeling of his breath next to her neck. 'I don't even need three guesses here. He's going to freak out as soon as he wakes up.'
"Wake up," Winry said right into his ear.
Edward moaned, and his eyes began to open. He felt soft skin against his face, and he bolted up. When he looked down, he saw Winry under him, slightly smiling. "Whoa, Winry!" Ed yelled. He began to scramble to get off the hammock, but his body felt stuck and intertwined with the netting and Winry.
"Wait, Ed. We are both going to-." Fall. Edward's movement had flipped the hammock over, knocking them both off; however, their positions changed this time. "Ow," Winry moaned. When she lifted her head, she saw Ed looking up at her, his faced totally painted red. She giggled and rolled off him.
Ed rolled his body so that he was on his stomach. He tried to hide his red face… and something else…
When Ed hadn't said anything and rolled onto his belly, Winry worried for a second. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?" She asked kindly.
Ed's shoulder tensed up from her touch. "Yeah, I'm fine. Get dressed and whatever, and meet me behind the castle when you're down," he said awfully quick.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks," Edward said. He turned his face around towards her and gave her a little smile. She smiled back and got up. When she went inside the castle, Edward let out a huge sigh of relief, although his mind was still screaming 'AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!'
Winry spent some time taking a shower and cleaning herself up. She dressed herself in a long, pale purple dress. She was rather quite excited. Edward said he had something to show her. If it was something for her or rather something else, it didn't matter. After she finished, she thanked Rose for helping her and rushed outside. She walked around the castle until she finally found Edward sitting against the wall. She didn't normally come back here. Edward mostly hung out by himself back here in the room connected to the castle. For a while, she thought only he could enter it.
She walked over towards him. She didn't know what to say, not wanting to make the atmosphere uncomfortable. He got up and walked towards the doors. Winry followed.
As he unlocked the doors, Edward slightly grinned. "You know, I don't even remember falling asleep," he said.
Winry was glad he broke the tension first. She simply laughed. He began to laugh as well. Edward finished fiddling with the lock and opened both doors. He allowed Winry to step inside first. The room looked larger on the inside. There were tools, books, and other trinkets just scattered and lying around everywhere. Near the back, something large was covered with an even larger white cloth. Edward walked towards the back, towards the large object.
Winry followed him. "What is that?" She asked curiously.
Edward placed both his hands on the white spread. He carefully pulled it off, revealing a lot of metal. When the object was completely exposed, Winry gasped.
'No. It can't be…' She walked towards it, towards her magnum opus that had been blown to pieces. "Edward, how did you? How is this possible?"
Ed stood in the same spot and smiled. "I gathered any pieces I could find lying around a couple of days after you crashed. I used all the metal I had, plus your parts. Part I built with alchemy, the rest by hand," Edward explained.
"Why?" Winry asked, almost in tears.
"I built it… so if you wanted to…," Edward began, almost unable to finish the sentence, "You could go home."
Winry began to go around each side of her fixed spacecraft and feel everywhere. She was overwhelmed with happiness and excitement. She couldn't hold in her excitement anymore, so she ran over to Edward and nearly jumped onto him. He stumbled back a few steps from the collision. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug.
"I can't believe you did this… for me," Winry cried.
Edward got caught up in the moment and wrapped his arms around her as well. They stood for a moment, happy in each other's embrace. After a while, Edward pulled away slightly so he could look at her. He lightly placed a hand on her cheek. "This is what you wanted, right? A chance to go home?"
Before Winry could reply, she thought for a moment. 'I can't believe I can actually go home now! I can see my home, and Granny, and…but wait. If I go home, I may never get to come here again.'
"Winry?"
'I really like it here. I like this place. Everyone is so nice. And Edward…' "I don't know if this is what I really wanted," Winry replied.
Edward shot her a confused look. "You're not sure? You now have a way to get home, and you don't know if you want to go back? Why would you want to stay here?"
"I just… I don't know. What if something goes wrong when I try to use this thing again? I mean… I like it here, and all of you are so kind," Winry said fast, panicking.
"You don't want to go back to your grandma and friends?"
"Edward, do you want me to leave?" Winry asked seriously.
Edward was really taken aback with this question. The serious look on her face really intimidated him. He tried to avoid the question, not wanting to say the true answer. "This isn't about me, Winry. This is about you. Do you actually want to stay?"
Winry pushed his hand away. She pushed herself away from him. "What do you think, Edward?" She backed away a little more. "You already know the answer. Isn't it obvious?" Sure, a little part of Winry wanted to go home, but her feelings got in the way. The new feelings she had for someone. Immediately, she bolted towards the door.
"Winry, wait!" Edward yelled, but it was too late.
Winry slammed into Colonel Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye on her way out. She apologized quickly to both of them and fled. Edward had begun pulling the long fabric back over the machine as Hawkeye and Mustang entered.
"How long were you standing there?" Edward demanded, his back facing them.
"Long than I had hoped," Riza sighed, "But Mustang insisted on listening."
"So this is what you have been up to?" Roy grinned.
Edward turned around, somehow feeling Mustang's grin against his turned back. "Wipe that pompous smirk off your face. Why would you even care anyway?"
"You really don't know how to handle women, do you?" Roy smiled.
"What the hell do you want?" Edward irritably asked.
"Did you ask her to accompany you to the dinner?" Riza Hawkeye questioned.
"Yeah, and she accepted; however, if she's mad at me then it won't be fun for either of us," Edward frowned.
"Actually, when a man and a woman are angry with each other, dancing together is actually stimulating and quite interesting," Roy said, somewhat sure of himself.
Edward rolled his eyes, "Shut up. Who says I was even planning on dancing?" He was going to walk away, but Roy striked him hard on the back of the head. "Ow, dammit! What the hell was that for?!"
"You really are an idiot. You may be able to keep your feelings all caught up inside, but we can see them. You better watch yourself before you lose everything you want and love," Roy yelled. Then, he left.
Riza began making her way towards the door after Roy. Right before she walked out, she said, "It is a week away, the dinner. Maybe you two could make amends." Hawkeye left after Roy.
Ed stood there, dumbfounded. Thoughts about what Noah told him began to seep into his mind. He picked up a wrench lying on the ground and threw it as hard as he could against the wall, causing a metal sound to echo against the walls. 'No, Winry. I don't want you to leave.'
I am so so so sorry that I haven't update forever! So many things came up at the same time. Spring Break college visits, AP exams, the ACT, plus prom, work, and stupid school in general. I also bought my tickets to go see Pirates 3 May 24, so that's all I can think about. POTC is my fav. Movie Anyway, the next chapter will be great, I promise. I hope you all enjoy this one as well. I hope to update soon… Oh, also, thanks for the great comments. Some of the comments I received made me so happy. Thanks guys, I love you all! hugs for everyone Please review!