Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Fullmetal Alchemist universe. I only own the rights on my lovely OC's.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

"Eternal Snow"

Edward x OC

Still December, 1924

Saturnalia was all about family and happiness. At least it was in Amestris.

As Aria sat there, surrounded by her brother and friends that became family, she decided she couldn't have been any happier.

The Rockbells' house had been decorated with red ribbons and colorful lights. There was a little pine tree in the corner of the living room with beautiful golden and silver ornaments and a star on top. Granny Pinako had set a table full of wonderful food, and as people arrived it got even fuller. The room was filled with merry music and lots of laughter and barking.

Her brother Markus was standing by the window, talking to a very good looking girl, she noticed with a smirk. Kara was trying to beat Pinako in a drinking game but it wasn't looking all that great on her side as her cheeks were getting more and more flushed. Alphonse was playing with a few little kids, entertaining them with small tricks of alchemy and Winry was arguing a fellow automail mechanic, getting a little heated too but she looked like she was having fun. There were a few others too, people she had known since she was born and had colored her life with memories she would forever cherish.

She felt an arm snake around her waist and a warm chest press against her back as he scooted a little closer to her.

"I have something for you," Edward breathed into her ear, making her shiver. They were sitting on the floor by the fireplace, he had one leg on each side of her, one of them bent at the knee.

Aria wasn't particularly pleased with his sudden easiness in touching her and grabbing her in public. They hadn't kissed since that time at the cemetery and she wanted to keep it that way, at least for a while. She still wasn't sure about what she should do. A part of her wanted nothing more than to let herself go with him but the more rational side of her mind kept reminding her that she still had no idea of what his true feelings were and that he made her feel terrifyingly vulnerable.

He put something in her hands. She looked down at the little golden wrap, her insides turning nervously. Gulping, Aria carefully ripped the paper, gasping when she saw the picture inside a beautiful frame, her fingers grazing it gingerly.

It was the two of them when they were about nine years old. Well she was nine, he must've been ten. Edward was kneeling down on one knee in front of her and he had a crooked silver ring in his hands, extending it to her. She had her eyes wide with surprise and one hand covering her mouth while the other was reaching for the ring.

Aria remembered that day but she had no idea her father had taken a picture.

"Edward... my God, I don't even have words for..." She felt her throat closing with emotion. "How did you get this?"

He grinned knowingly. "I might've called your dad asking him to send it to me a couple weeks ago," he confessed sheepishly.

Aria turned to him wide eyed. "What? You called Da and he actually talked to you? But he's been furious with you since you left Reseembol. He refused to talk to you even on my birthdays!"

"Yeah well... we managed to reach an understanding." He chuckled to himself as if thinking about an inside joke. "Do you like it?"

"I love it! I didn't even know he'd taken a picture..."

"Do you remember that day?" Edward asked quietly, meeting her gaze. "I asked you to marry me when we got older. I said-"

"You said you would give me half of your heart in exchange for half of mine," she interrupted. "I remember..."

"Yes, and you said that if I wanted half of your heart I would have to give you a better ring," he laughed. Aria deadpanned, feeling only a little guilty about that. "But then I told you I had made that ring with my bare hands, without using alchemy... you immediately stole it from my hands and put it on. It was a little small but you didn't care, you still wore it every day - like the necklace."

She brought a hand to the pendant around her neck instinctively. Then she frowned. "I don't remember where it is..." she mumbled sadly.

Edward rummaged through his pocket again. He took out his hand and opened it in front of her. She saw the little crooked silver ring, it was a bit scratched but all and all it looked the same. "You gave it back to me the day I left. You said I wasn't allowed to have half of your heart anymore," he said painfully.

Everyone around them had gone deadly silent. The only sounds heard were the rustling of the train and the rain pouring hard against the rooftop. The little girl was clenching her hands into fists by her sides, her auburn bangs shielding her face. The little golden haired boy in front of her was in a similar stance.

Edward had been about to embark when she suddenly burst through the station, yelling out his name.

"Are you really leaving?" She asked in a strangled voice.

He nodded rigidly. "Yes."

"Will you come back soon?"

He shook his head. "No."

Aria bit her lip hard. "If you return, will you come see me?"

He shook his head again. "No, Aria. I won't."

There was tense pause. Then she met his gaze and his heart shattered into pieces because her sea green eyes had gone colder than ice. She reached a quivering hand out. When he did the same, she dropped something cool in his palm. The ring, he thought struggling not to cry.

"Then you are not allowed to have half of my heart anymore. Goodbye, Edward."

Edward hung his head down in defeat. As he stepped inside the train, he finally let himself cry.

"Goodbye, my soul."

"I remember, Edward..." Aria whispered, her own chest filling with pain.

He took a breath in, regaining his composure and breaking into a smile to ease the sudden tension in the air. "Well, here - it's yours. I'm not holding on to it anymore," he told her.

"And why not?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Because I'm taking back my half of your heart." He broke into a giant grin. Aria tried to hold it back but he could tell she wanted to laugh.

She took the ring and took her necklace off, sliding it through the chain where it fell against the moon pendant. Then she put it back on. She rested her back against his chest, loving how he immediately nuzzled her hair.

"You can't really take back something that you've always had, y'know?"

Edward chuckled, his warm breath making her head tingle.

Later that night, Edward snuck off to the back porch. He needed air. Being close to Aria all night and not being able to kiss her was killing him.

He grinned as he sat down on the steps of the stairs, thinking about her reaction to his gift. She had looked so cute surprised, and she had smiled so big. Edward could feel his heart swelling with pride for making her so happy.

It was too early to celebrate, though. He could tell Aria was still keeping one foot back, ready to bolt at any time. And he was absolutely terrified that she would. When he had left her, twelve years ago, the only thing making him move forward was the love he had for his brother and the desperation of getting his body back. If it hadn't been for that, he would've probably lost his mind. At such young age he had no way of knowing he was ripping apart both of their souls by separating himself from her.

Soulmates - the word had been taunting him since he discovered what they were. His teacher had known before he did. She sat him down and told him everything she knew about one of the most ancient myths in the world of alchemy. Obviously he had laughed at first. He thought it was only a ridiculous story, but the pain he felt only grew worse each day. It grew until he somehow became numb from it. Then when he met her again four years later and his soul seemed to become whole again, Edward decided his teacher might not have been all that wrong.

As he researched more and more about it, Edward finally understood what Aria meant for him. If only he could explain that to her... The door opened, startling him from his musings. He looked over his shoulder to see Winry join him. She leaned against the bannister beside him.

"I was wondering where you might've run off," she said playfully.

Edward chuckled. "I just needed a bit of fresh air that's all," he replied. "What about you? Aren't you having a good time?"

"Of course I am!" She argued, pouting as if offended. "Everyone is so happy and it's so fun to have them all together! I love it!"

"I know you do. You have always loved having people around you." He smiled.

Winry paused, staring at the sky, looking nervous. "I love having you around more, Ed..."

Her words were so quiet for a moment he wondered if he had imagined them. He closed his hands into fists, dreading a conversation that would end in his best friend washed in tears.

"I... like being around you too, Winry..." He said carefully.

"No, Ed." She stomped her foot angrily, making him flinch. "You always do this, you always sidestep everything I tell you that remotely shows my feelings for you."

Edward sighed annoyed and stood up. "We've had this conversation before. We've had it a lot of times, Winry. Just let things stay the way they are, alright?"

"I'm sorry but I can't do that anymore. I love you, Ed, I love you more than anything in this world. Everything I have done, I did for you. I've always been by your side, supporting you, helping you achieve your goals."

"I know and I'm grateful for that-"

"Grateful is not enough!" She half shouted, cutting him off. "It's not enough. I want you to be with me, I want you to love me like you're supposed too. It makes sense for us to be together!"

He shook his head vehemently. "I can't do that. I can't love you like that."

"Why not? What is wrong with me?"

"There's nothing wrong with you, stop saying stupid stuff like that!" He argued.

"Then why? Why can't you give me your heart, Ed?" Winry's blue eyes filled with tears as she stared at him pleadingly. It made him feel horrible. He hated hurting her and making her cry.

"I can't give you something that it's not mine to give..." Edward uttered. She casted her gaze down, chewing hard on her lip to stop it from trembling. "Someday you'll find someone who deserves you, someone who can love you like I can't and who will look at you like you're the only woman in the world. And I promise he will make you very very happy, Winry. But I can't be that someone, I'm sorry."

They fell into a long dreadful silence and Edward moved to go back inside when she spoke again. "It's Aria, right?" He froze with one hand on the doorknob. "The woman who has your heart is Aria, isn't that right?"

He hesitated but there was no point in lying. "Yes... it has always been hers."

"I guess..." Her voice failed so she cleared her throat before continuing, "I guess I already knew that... even when we were little, you and her always gravitated towards each other... I wonder if Al knows about you two... he likes her too, you know..."

"Yeah..." He sighed. "I know... but it's different for him."

Deciding it was enough suffering for one night, Edward returned to the party, leaving Winry alone to cry. He just couldn't bear to see her cry.

"I'm going to kill him."

"No, Aria, please, I-I don't want you to get in trouble!"

"Shut up, Kara! Have you looked in the mirror? He fucking gave you a black eye! I'm going to fucking murder him!"

Aria was furious. No; she was beyond furious - murderous was more appropriate. She was about to go to bed when Kara had come banging on her door. She was in a complete state of panic and as she took a closer look at her friend, she immediately understood why, she had a black eye and a busted lip. The bastard Kara had been dating for the last month had decided it was fun to beat up a defenseless woman.

"You can't let him hit you and get away with it, Kara, he'll just do it again, if not to you then to some other poor innocent woman!" Aria growled, clenching her fists. "We need to report this to the police!"

"I can't, Aria! He'll come after me!"

"The fuck he will! If he even tries to come near you I'll cut off his tiny sample of manhood!"

Kara shuddered at her threat. "Geez, Aria, you're terrifying when you're angry..."

"Then don't underestimate me!" She grabbed the other woman's wrist and dragged her out of her apartment. "Now come on, we are going to the police station this instant!"

They spent two hours down at the station. By the time they were through with filling charges and issuing a temporary restriction order until the court would call him, it was nearly 3 am. The chief of the military police had vehemently advised them to avoid walking around alone and not to open their door unless they were absolutely certain of who it was. If anything out of the ordinary happened they were to report to him immediately.

Aria could tell Kara was terrified beyond her mind, she was pale as a ghost and shaking like a leaf. It took her three cups of chamomile tea and a mild sedative to finally fall asleep. Aria hoisted one of her arms over her shoulders and dragged her to her brother's room, where after a lot of struggling she managed to tuck her into bed. She took her boots off but didn't bother with the rest of her clothes.

When she went back to her room she realized she couldn't sleep anymore. She paced back and forth around the living room, feeling too restless to sit down. She was worried about Kara's safety. Her boyfriend, Nicholas was involved with some very bad people. Guided by her instincts, Aria picked up the phone and dialed the only number she knew by her heart by now.

«"Hello?" His voice was raspy and slow. She suddenly felt bad about waking him up at that hour.

"I'm sorry, were you asleep?"

There was a pause and she could hear the rustling of sheets. «"Uh yeah but it's fine, really."

"No, uh... just go back to sleep okay? I can call you tomorrow morning."

«"I said it's fine, Ari," he insisted. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Kara's boyfriend hit her tonight..."

«"What?!"

Aria sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yeah, she showed up at my place with a busted lip and a black eye. She was a mess... I practically had to force her to come with me to the police station and file charges..."

«"God dammit, what kind of man hits a woman like that?" He growled angrily. "Is she alright?"

"Yeah, I gave her something to relax, she's sleeping in Markus' room. That guy is really bad news..." She bit her lip nervously as she was about to do something that went against all of her rules. "I-I'm scared, Edward... for her... for me... I just have a bad feeling about this..."

There was more rustling on the other line. «"Give me fifteen minutes. I just need to get dressed," he said urgently.

"I don't need you to come here, I'm fine, Edward."

«"I said fifteen minutes, Ari." He hung up the phone and she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

Aria found out he truly wasn't joking when he said he would be there in fifteen minutes. In fact, he might've even gotten there a couple minutes earlier. He was bending over panting when she opened the door.

"Really, Edward?" She rolled her eyes, half annoyed yet also half impressed.

"What? I was worried!"

"I said I was fine, you bumbass!"

"Shut up! You never say what you really feel!" Edward wrapped her in his arms, engulfing her in warmth.

She chuckled softly as she brought her arms up to hug him back. He was always taller than her but now her forehead barely even touched the top of his chest, she noticed. It made her feel protected, sheltered.

Edward placed his cheek against the top of her head.

"You know me way too well..." She muttered with a gentle smile. Her hands grabbed fistfuls of the back of his shirt. She frowned; he had ran through the street without a coat. It was freezing outside. "Aren't you cold?"

"The adrenaline kept me warm." He laughed at the face she made. "But you're pretty warm," he said, nuzzling her neck with the cold tip of his nose.

She laughed, standing on her toes so he didn't have to lean so much. "You really didn't have to come, Edward, I only called to hear your voice. It's nearly 4 am and you have to work tomorrow..."

"So? I'll just crash here."

"Oh is that so? And what makes you think I'm letting you stay over?"

He raised a golden eyebrow. "You're not?"

Aria feigned a thoughtful expression, letting him squirm a bit for her own amusement. "Well I suppose you can borrow my couch for the night," she replied casually.

"To hell with the couch, I'm sleeping with you!" He argued.

Her face flushed and she promptly shoved him off her. "N-no y-you're n-not!"

"Yes I am."

"N-no!"

"Wanna bet?"

Aria tried to convince herself that he had only won the battle because she was too tired to fight back. It was a lie, of course, but it didn't mean she wouldn't try to believe it anyway.

Back in her room, she quickly tossed away the robe she was wearing over her pajama shorts and top, feeling very self-conscious about their lack of thickness. As she turned around she saw Edward taking off his shirt and she felt her eyes almost pop out of their sockets.

"W-What a-are y-you d-doing, y-you j-jerk?!" She yelled, blushing even redder than before.

He shrugged indifferently. "I don't like sleeping with a shirt on."

"I-I... I-I... uh...!"

He laughed at her lack of response. Stepping closer to her, he watched her quivering shoulders and pink cheeks. "You've seen me without a shirt before, Ari..." He pointed out, stopping in front of her.

"That was s-six years a-go!"

"Yeah but I haven't changed all that much since then. I can assure you I haven't grown anything weird," he joked in an attempt to ease her anxiety. "Here-" He took her hand and settled it against his chest. "See? Perfectly normal."

Aria gulped. His heart was racing, she could feel it underneath her hand, and it was so fast she briefly wondered how he was still acting so casual. His heartbeat was racing at the same speed as hers, she noticed.

Perfectly normal... she felt like punching him for saying that. There was absolutely nothing normal about him.

He was so beautiful. Painfully so. He had a well-built frame without being overly big, with a large back and wide shoulders. His arms were hard as rock, veins bulging slightly on his biceps and forearms, ending in large hands with long graceful fingers. Despite his wide torso, he had a slim waist. His abdomen was toned, divinely sculptured, his obliques creating the shadow of a V that disappeared into his trousers.

God, he was so sexy.

Her eyes fell on the purple scar marking the right side of his chest, where the shoulder connected. She trailed it with her fingers. That scar was a painful reminder of a past of hardships, yet at the same time it was also the mark of a boy who grew into a man who became a hero. She exchanged her fingers for her lips, kissing the healed skin. Hearing his breath hitch gave her a new wave of confidence.

Aria gently kissed her way down his body, placing each butterfly kiss at an agonizing pace. Edward was flustered and slightly out of breath by the time she reached his navel.

"A-Aria...! Please s-stop...!" He panted, sinking his fingers in her auburn locks. If he was trying to stop her or edging her on, she wasn't sure. "P-Please, Aria...!"

She placed one more kiss just above the waist of his pants before straightening up. Both of their faces were beet red. Aria wanted to make fun of how shocked and ablaze he looked but she was too embarrassed.

"T-That was r-revenge!" She blurted out nervously.

Edward gulped, his golden eyes widening a little. "W-What for?!"

"F-For six years ago!" She got into bed and under the covers with her back to him.

The room went quiet for a moment, except for their racing breaths. Then there was rustling and she felt Edward slid next to her. The mattress tipped with his weight. There was heat emanating from his body, soaking into her back.

He didn't touch her.

"Aria..." He called. She grunted to signal him she was listening. "Did you have other men during these six years? After y'know... us..."

Aria hesitated. "No, I didn't... before or after."

"Not even that... Derek guy?

"You were the only one, Edward."

"I see..."

She sighed, closing her eyes. "I bet you had plenty of women!"

She gasped in surprise when an arm snaked around her waist, hoisting her up against him.

"Only you, Ari. Always," he whispered into the base of her neck.

Aria couldn't stop the smile that flourished on her lips. She put her hand over the one he had on her stomach, intertwining their fingers.

Such a dumbass..., she chuckled softly as she drifted into a wonderful sleep.

Okay so I know a lot of you probably want to hit me because of Winry, but it had to be done. Now she can move on with her life and maybe find someone who can love her the way she deserves! I really do love Winry, she's one of my favorite characters in the show but I've written Aria as Edward's soulmate and so he couldn't have grown feelings for Winry, especially when they all grew up together and Edward was always in love with Aria.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

Love,

Moon Princess.