Two days had passed, and Edward had become accustom to the goings ons in the Rockbell manor. It was a quiet house, which seemed to always require more and more cleaning, and the family was often absent. Ed had officially been given the oh-so-pleasant job of butler. Normally, this would mean he stood there while others served meals, answered the door, and entertained guests when the family was too busy. But he was also the unofficial kitchen boy, carriage driver, and personal escort. This meant that he, more often than not, did not end up being the one to answer the door.

The doctor along with his wife were away at the local hospital center, tending to patients likely. The daughter was not feeling well and had elected to cancel her appointments today. She was apparently bedridden.

A constant, unending sound of shick, shick, shick, was filling his ears; a sound that originated from his toiling over the sink, scrubbing a pot with a brush. Edward was elbow deep in soapy, foamy bubbles as he scrubbed vigorously. Next he had to run errands for the chef, the grouchiest of the staff, to pick up groceries. He straightened his new black tailcoat, brushed off his vest, and yanked the cuffs on his sleeves so they looked crisp. The fabric was rich and dull at the same time, boring yet extravagant, and by far the most refined thing he had ever worn in his life.

He felt ridiculous.

He recalled receiving the uniform from Yoki, the squinty-eyed man sneering at him habitually, telling him that he better keep his hair pulled back or someone may find some of his "slimy, disgusting ratty hair in their food". Edward had twitched a little before suppressing the old urge he thought he had outgrown to kill him and accepted the clothes.

Now Edward opened the front door with the intention of getting a carriage to take into town, but finally that dull roar he had heard all morning made sense.

It was pouring rain.

Edward stared blankly at the offensive rain. If he had been in any sort of good mood (which hadn't existed for him for years now), it would have been trod on, kicked in the teeth, and ultimately ruined by this awful rain. But now it only ruined his clothes.

The water was freezing, a foreboding reminder that winter was just around the corner. It chilled Edward to the bone, despite his cloak that did little to warm him, even with the hood drawn up. He stomped through the mud to the stables, his mood foul and expression dark and bordering on angry. The stable boy, a young Indian boy by the name of Rick, looked up in startlement at Edward's unannounced entry. The mare Rick had been grooming nickered and snorted in protest as he dropped the brush on her hoof.

"I need to get into town." Edward said in a deadpan voice.

He watched the boy's blue eyes drift over his head, staring at the thundering rain. "Now?" the boy squeaked.

"Now."

There must have been something in Edward's voice that refused further argument, because Rick sprung into action. After what felt like mere seconds, Edward was clicking the reins and heading down the drive in the frigid rain.

The girl of our story was seated in a bay window with a blanket cocooning her, as if the thin cotton could repel all her frets. Her forehead rested against the cold glass, her eyes glazed with boredom as she watched the rain. Her head was throbbing with pain, pounding against her temples to such an extent she feared she would collapse or go insane from the pain.

If she hadn't become accustom to such agony so long ago.

Winry fidgeted with the blanket. It had ridden up and had left her toes bare to the chilled air. She disliked these days. The days when she felt like this. But even more she loathed the ones where the weather was nice. It was just a harsh reminder that she was not permitted by higher beings to enjoy life, and she felt its sting like a slap to the face. It was all she could do to not break and cry from the pain every day. Despite all her efforts, she felt a warm wetness slide down her cheek. Brushing the tear away irritably, she thought of rain.

The rain pounded against the earth beneath it obstinately as if it wished to drown it into nonexistence. To bury it beneath its water, snuff out all the life there and claim the earth as its own. As if water could own the world. Each individual raindrop was nothing, just an infinitesimal speck that would become one with a whole. Its life, as if it had one, was painfully brief. Much like her own, only sped up one hundred times. The rain that pelted from the heavens had no color, not a hue to it at all. It appeared to be nothing but a sheet of grey. Staring out the window was like staring out into a monochromatic world. What a dreary thought. But it really was dreary. Lightning flickered across the sky, dazzling Winry's eyes as it jerked and sliced through the relentless grey. Like a rebellious child, Winry thought bemusedly. Trying to shine with such a brief tantrum; it really wasn't worth the energy to begin with.

As the thunder rumbled something drew Winry's eyes magnetically, away from the clouds and their onslaught of stubborn rain. It was the carriage, curiously making its way down the drive. She tilted her head, a section of her blond hair falling over her shoulder. Her mother and father were out, were they not? She was sure her mother had kissed her goodbye this morning. Was a servant running errands? In this weather?

Unhappy about this, she hoped it wasn't young Leo or crippled Paninya going out. Fretting, Winry cast her blanket aside and made to stand, only to wobble on her weak legs like a newborn colt. Cursing in her head, she sought out stockings and slippers, scrambling over the floor in search of the elusive things. But before she quit the room, her snatched up the boots she kept hidden in the bottom of her armoire. They were old and worn, scuffed and usually dirty. Thick soled, leather, industrial brown, and so broken in they were practically a size too big. They were her favorites.

Dangling the shoes from two fingers, she artfully covered them by draping her cloak over her arm. With soft steps she slipped down the stairs, her hand gripping the banister for much needed support. Her slippered feet ghosted down the hallways with barely a whisper, her dark green bed gown dancing about her ankles. It was much more drab than her usual gowns, boring and dull, but she didn't care if anyone saw her in her state of near-undress. As she reached a back door that the servants used, she swept a wary glance left and right, then dropped the boots to the floor with a clunk. She stepped into them, slippers and all, and cinched them tight as quickly as she could. Then she threw her dark black cloak over her shoulders haphazardly, tying the ribbon in something that mildly resembled a bow.

Her hand closed around the knob, victorious adrenaline pounding through her veins, and she threw it open and stomped over the threshold into the pouring cold rain. Grinning from ear to ear over her victory, she closed the door quietly and slowly. Just before the door closed, through the crack she saw a figure emerge from a doorway and turn their face toward the door. But she shut it quickly before they could get a good look at her.

Good thing too, considering it was probably Rose, her personal hand-slapping maid.

The rain pelted her cloak and she shivered as the cold slipped through the threads, permeating layers of fabric and chilling her skin. She thought curiously of Adam and Eve, how they knew nothing of being naked until they tasted Knowledge. Were they not cold? Or was Eden so warm they hadn't an idea what cold was? She wished she could live there, in Eden, were it must never have gotten cold.

As it was, she hurried through the rain, making a beeline for the stables. The small brown structure was in sight, the musty smell reaching her nose and tickling it with its old sweetness. Under the roof, she sighed as she entered the small bubble of warmth given off by the animals kept here. The young stable boy was attending to the feed and saw Winry immediately upon her entry.

"Miss Winry!" The boy said, smiling a gap-toothed smile. "You escaped!"

Winry grinned at the boy who knew her so well. "Don't you go about telling my mama about it, Rick!" She ruffled the little boy's hair and smiled sweetly. In a second however her expression turned concerned. "Where is your brother, dear? He didn't just leave with the carriage, did he?" She fretted. The last time Leo had caught a chill she'd feared they would lose him from the height of his fever.

Rick smiled confusedly and shook his head. "No, it was some blond chap. The new hand you got in there, right miss?"

Winry's brow wrinkled thoughtfully, blinking her blue eyes as she recalled the boy she had seen on the staircase that day. He'd had the prettiest gold hair she'd ever seen, a shade so unique she'd never seen it in London before. He was disheveled to the point he looked like he'd survived a beating. But the lost look in his strange eyes was what she recalled most endearingly about him. He'd looked so helpless, like a lost puppy or a confused bird.

Shaking her head she smiled at Rick, then cast her gaze down the row of stalls, spying a familiar face. "Rick, how is my Abie doing?"

Rick smiled at her. "She's doing good, I just cleaned her shoes!" The little boy took Winry's pale hand in his and lead her down the row of stalls as she smiled.

It was easy to forget he was an orphan.

AN: Yay! I'm so relieved to have this up. I know...it's a filler chapter. You know all stories start out slow! I'm thinking Ed and Winry will run into each other again... how I end up doing this is a mystery (even to me). I also have decided on Winry's illnesses! (yes, plural. I'm cruel)

Also...Someone brought up the formidable issue of "lemon." I had intended to skirt around it, but if I just couldn't resist, I was going to up the rating... BUT, I wanna ask you guys first! Um, I'll put up a poll on my profile? Yeah, I'll do that. I'll count votes in the review section too, because I know people are lazy (me) sometimes and all that.

Let's hear it for EdxWin! :D ...no? Well, that's okay since RoyxEd is so popular with the fanbase it's practically a canon pairing...

Thanks for reading, reviewing, faving and following~ lol ^^ I appreciate it!

And for a hint, I thought I'd tell you I have some research on Scotland Yard to do! :D

-Rain