AN: Hey guys! Thank you so much for all of your great reviews! This week has been crazy so thank you for being patient about the lack of updates...I'm excited for this chapter because Ed and Al are in it! And even though I'm writing mostly about Envy my heart of course lies with the Elrics : ) Thanks to Le Confidant, Sofipitch, Mikigotagun, kittygirlthing97 and Kashagal and Natures Ruler for the reviews it is so so appreciated and keeps me going when I feel like sitting in my PJs with a gallon jar of pickles and some cheese and reading for days to take the time to get an update out to you guys! Disclaimer: No rights to FMA.
"Brother you look worried about seeing Winry." Al's metal armor clinked loudly as they walked. Ed couldn't wait until the day when he could see Al freed from his metal prison. Everyday was a constant reminder to his failure in bringing back their mother and worse almost losing Alphonse forever.
"Well yeah, of course I am. She is going to freak out when she sees my arm and worse she will hit me with that damn wrench. Be glad that that is one of the things that you can't feel." His head hurt just thinking about the retribution that awaited him. However it wasn't just that thought that made his heart beat faster, recently whenever Winry came to mind his body kept reacting that way. Thinking about those bright blue eyes and her brilliant smile made his stomach muscles clench.
"Maybe she will be so happy to see us that she will forget about your arm for now. Or maybe if you tried apologizing and being nice instead of picking fights with her your head would come away unscathed." Al was just trying to be optimistic, but that was one of his favorite things about his little brother.
"I AM NICE!" Possibly yelling this at Al wasn't the best way to prove his point. "I mean she is probably only excited because of how much money she makes from me with rush fees." Uh oh, Al had stopped walking he was in trouble.
"That is not true brother and you know it! Winry and Granny love us just like family! I think you are just nervous about seeing Winry because you like her!" Hearing this statement his face flushed at having anyone say that out loud, especially since that was something he couldn't admit even to himself right now. They were too busy trying to get their bodies back to make connections and promises that he couldn't possibly back up right now. If he did in fact have feelings for Winry he just wasn't in the place to face the music yet. He started walking not even falling for the bait and answering but then when Alphonse didn't move he decided to respond.
"I know they love us like family, just like we do." Al seemed to let it go and they continued walking. Finally when they got to the door they walked in and called for Winry bracing for the impact they were sure to follow. Instead of Winry running right up Granny came out of the kitchen to greet them.
"Hey Alphonse, where's your brother?" She was looking right at him why was she asking where he was?
"Granny he's right here next to me!"
"Oh he was just so small I couldn't see him behind you towering over him." She cackled at her quickness of wit.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL YOU COULDN'T FIND WITH A MICROSCOPE!?" Flailing his fist in the air to enunciate every word.
"Good to see you boys, but Winry isn't here she left for Rush Valley about a week ago." Setting herself into a chair she packed her pipe with tobacco.
"WHAT!? She's not here! Ehhh that means we will have to put up with all of those people touching my automail again." For once he was irritated that he hadn't done what Winry was always telling him to do and just called ahead to make sure she would be around. "I guess we should probably call Garfiel's and make an appointment. She will be so proud."
"You do that Ed and I'll get you some food, I think I have some leftover stew I can heat up for you." Puffing on her pipe she headed to the kitchen. Alphonse sat on the couch while Ed picked up the phone muttering about hating talking on the phone. Dialing the number to the shop he waited to get an answer.
"Garfiel's Automail how can I help you?" Guessing it was Garfiel from the flowery tone in his voice he pictured him just twirling the phone cord, pursing his lips.
"Hey, it's Edward Elric can I speak to Winry?"
"Oh hello Edward! I would love to but she isn't here, I thought she was going to be here a week ago actually." There was no way that she wouldn't be there by now, he was sure of it. Maybe she had needed to stop somewhere before Rush Valley, but that didn't seem likely. "Have you gone to Resembool to see if she is there first?"
"I am here now, I've got to go I need to see if she made a detour for some reason. Thanks and if she shows up call as soon as she gets there." Turning to Alphonse he explained that she hadn't arrived in Rush Valley and was expected around a week ago. Picking the phone back up, he made a call that he didn't want to but that had to be made. Being patched right through he inwardly cringed at having to ask that bastard for anything.
"Mustang." Answering with coldness, he was probably being prodded by Hawkeye to do his paperwork he was forever behind on.
"It's Fullmetal, I need to you to check and see if Winry boarded a train to Rush Valley last week."
"Well hello to you too, don't you think you are taking stalking Ms. Rockbell a bit far?" Hearing the laughter in his voice, Ed lost it.
"No you asshole! I'm not trying to pick up your best practices. You damn creeper! Winry left Resembool last week for Rush Valley and hasn't shown up. I am trying to find out if she ever got on the train at all." He was trying to hold his voice steady, somehow it just hit him that something bad could've happened to her and it would be his fault for not checking on her.
"Okay, let me look into it and I'll call you back." The line went dead then. He went out and told Granny what was going on. Granny and Al sat while Ed paced continuously, thoughts racing through his mind. What could have happened? Why couldn't he have come back a week earlier? If anything has happened to her he would never forgive himself. He should have told her how important she was to him. Why had he been putting it off, it had seemed justifiable just a little bit ago but now it seemed petty. Finally the phone rang and Ed jumped to grab it.
"Hello? Mustang?" Worry seeped through his voice and his grip tightened on the phone.
"Fullmetal, Ms. Rockbell never boarded a train for Rush Valley. However I did some more checking around and one of the train attendants remembers a girl fitting her description heading to Central on a train with a man." A man? Who would she trust enough to ride with? And what would make her detour from her trip to Garfiel's?
"Was there a description for the man?" He could feel his whole body thrumming with anxious energy.
"That's the weird thing, the description that we received matches you down to the heaviness of step caused by your automail leg. However when I asked if there was a giant suit of armor with them I was told it was just the two of them, which we both know you would never travel without Alphonse. Not just that but we know for a fact what you were doing during that time. Now the question is who either looks enough like you to be mistaken for you or what the hell else is going on here?" Not knowing what to think, he wondered if someone did in fact look just like him and were traveling with Winry, what were they trying to accomplish? He needed to get back to Central and fast. "I will continue to see what else I can find out and let you know if I hear anything."
"We will be there soon, and when we get there we are going to find whoever tricked Winry and take him down!" Hanging up the receiver Granny told them to be careful and bring her granddaughter home safely. Nodding in acceptance, Al and him headed back out of the door and left for Central. Regretting not being more open with her, he walked with determination. He would find her, and he would keep her safe no matter what.