Hello everyone. ^_^ So, chapter 7 is now up! Oh my gosh, you can't imagine how much fun it was to write this. I've been so excited about posting this chapter, so I hope you like it. Also, it's my longest chapter so far! Holler at my girls, ms. cheerful and Echo Elric, for just being just plain awesome reviewers and readers. Look forward to some Edward adorableness in this chapter~! :D Reviews are appreciated. Thanks!


"Damn it. I need to stop crying so much. It's going to age me before my time." Wendy said aloud.

She couldn't eat anymore of her sandwich, for obvious reasons of her being so upset. So she grabbed the paper bag and set it on her nightstand. She decided she was going to head to the Colonel's office, and ask him if he needed any missions done today.

Then Wendy looked down at her attire.

She was still wearing her bathrobe.

What am I supposed to wear? My clothes are super dirty. I don't have anything else.

She pulled on her shoes, tightened her robe, and headed out the door, down the hall.

When she was in front of Edward's door, she walked closer and sheepishly knocked on the door.

No answer.

She knocked again.

No answer.

She cursed under her breath and as she was about to walk away, she heard loud footsteps inside of their room.

"Coming! Just a second!" a friendly voice called.

Wendy froze and then started walking back to the door.

The door swung open and Alphonse poked his head out.

"Oh, hey Wendy! Brother and I were looking for you earlier. Are you alright? Where have you been?" Al chirped.

"Sorry about that. I heard you guys come into my room earlier, but I was in the bath. And, yeah, I'm alright. Is Ed here? I need to ask him for a favor." she replied.

Al opened the door wider, and gestured for her to come in. "Ed went to check out some books from the library. He'll be back soon."

"Library? I didn't know that they had a library here. Is it big? Does it have a lot of books?" Wendy asked while stepping in.

"Sort of. Well, it's not just one library. Central has many libraries that are separated into different branches. The first branch was burned down recently, as you may know. Ed and I needed some things from there, but since everything was destroyed, we had to ask someone for help. We ended up with the material needed, but it's in a very hard code that we've been trying to crack," Al then lowered his voice, "It's notes on the Philosopher's Stone, written by a man named Dr. Marcoh. Brother and I think that the answer on how to make a stone is written somewhere in there. If it is, it would be a GREAT help for us on our goal to get our bodies back."

Her eyes widened.

"I've heard of that! It's a mythical stone that can magnify an alchemist's abilities greatly. I have alchemy gloves that do something similar to that that I use. However, they aren't even close to the power the stone is rumored to have. That would get your guys' original bodies back for sure. If you need any help trying to decode those notes, I would be happy to. I'm pretty smart, even if it doesn't look like it." She said with a smile.

Al laughed. "We need all of the help we can get, so I will ask Ed when he gets back. Wait, what was the favor you wanted to ask him?"

Wendy's face burned red slightly. She smiled and looked down at her feet, her hair covering her eyes.

"Well, this might sound sort of weird, but I need clothes. Everything I have is extremely dirty, and I need something to wear. Could I borrow something from Ed?"

Al stood in silence before answering.

"Umm, well, he doesn't really have any extra clothes besides what he is wearing right now. So, you might have to ask someone else. Sorry."

"No, it's fine. I can probably ask Jean if he has anything small enough for me. Thank you anyways."

"Wait! Maybe I can find something in his suitcase. There's possibly something you can wear in there." With that, Alphonse scanned the room for Ed's suitcase and then picked it up and dug through it.

"Yup. Here you go. It might be a little big, but I think it's good enough until yours get cleaned. You can change in the bathroom." He said while handing her the clothes.

"Thanks, Alphonse." She smiled and gazed at him happily before turning around to head toward the bathroom.

"Wendy!" Al called, and she stopped.

"Yes?"

"If Brother and I ever get a Philosopher's Stone, we will try get your arm back, too. We want you to be happy. Ed may seem like he hates you, but really, even though he's only known you for a little over a day now, I can still tell he really cares about you."

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." She said, and she smiled sincerely.

When she was in the bathroom, she examined the clothes Al gave her. It was a black tank top and black formal pants. She untied her robe and started thinking about what Al had just said.

'If Brother and I ever get a Philosopher's Stone, we will try get your arm back, too.'

Those words played in her mind over and over again.

What did Al really mean by that? Was he basically saying that after all the stuff they have been through so far, and everything they will have to go through, that they would be fighting not only for themselves… but for me too?

Wendy ran her hand through her bangs, and tried to ignore these thoughts.

Then those other words came to her again, too.

'Ed may seem like he hates you, but really, even though he has only know you for a little over a day now, I can still tell that he really likes you.'

While slipping on the clothes, her mind was doing somersaults trying to comprehend his words, like it was a secret code or something.

Just thinking about Ed 'really liking her' sent warm tingles throughout her body.

What the heck? That was weird. Is it hot in here or something? Why does my mind keep jumping back to Edward randomly? Why does my body shake, and feel weird whenever I think about him? These things have never happened to me before…

Have I lost my mind? Have I finally gone insane?

Am I sick?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the door into the main room creaking open.

"Hey, Al. I found a few things at the library that might help us crack the code. Wait… why is my suitcase open? Did you take out some of my extra clothes?" Ed said.

Just on time, Wendy nudged open the bathroom door and stared at Ed, watching as his face turned red.

He looked the same as before, just his body was limp, and his left arm was supported by a large crutch, his right leg shook unsteadily under his own weight. It made her feel guilty all over again just looking at him.

"W-why is she here?" he said putting an emphasis on she, "AND WHY IS SHE WEARING MY CLOTHES!?"

"Calm down, Brother! She just needed something to borrow until her clothes are clean."

Ed's red face grew darker in embarrassment and anger. "First she steals my arm and leg, and then she steals my clothes! What is she going to take from me next? My dignity?"

"And don't forget, Ed. We are going to have to go back to Resembool so Winry can make you new automail." Al reminded him.

An unreadable look of fear spread across Edward's face. He started shaking and almost fell over.

"I forgot about that. Oh gosh, Winry is going to KILL me when she sees that my automail was completely mutilated."

Al even started shaking too.

"Looks like this is the end, Ed. You and I both will never see the light of day again when she sees what happened to your arm and leg." Al whispered shakily.

Wendy was confused. Why were they getting so scared of some girl?

"Who's Winry?" she asked.

"AHH!" Ed cried out at the mention of her name, then his right leg gave out and he fell to the floor, onto his face.

"Winry is a childhood friend of ours. She is an automail mechanic. She's the one who made Ed's arm and leg. Let's just say that whenever my Brother breaks or damages his automail in any way, she gets a little…furious." Al explained.

"Furious? That's an understatement! She gets CRAZY when I don't take care of my automail." Ed said, weakly lifting his head from the ground.

"She's an automail mechanic, huh? Do you think she could take a look at my arm? I think it needs a bit of a tune up itself." Wendy said, putting her arm in front of her so the brothers could see.

It didn't take a mechanical genius to see that her arm was in desperate need of fixing. Just by looking at it you could tell that it wasn't made by just one person, it was the work of many different automail engineers. Some parts looked like they belonged on a simple, weak piece. Some looked like they belonged on something more complex. Not to mention that it looked like it hadn't been oiled for years, and some parts were rusting.

"That is the worst automail I have ever seen! Who built it?" shouted Alphonse in disbelief.

"Well... I don't really remember who built it. I don't think it was just one person. I believe that one person worked on the upper half and one on the bottom. Over the years I have had it repaired only a couple of times, by different people each time."

"I'm no expert, but I think that you need some major repairs. Maybe even a whole new arm. You should come with us, to Resembool. It's where we grew up. It's where Winry lives." Al said.

"NO WAY! SHE IS NOT COMING WITH US! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF HER HERE ALREADY. Besides, when Winry sees that automail, she'll kill Wendy, too!" Ed spoke, struggling to get back on his feet.

"HEY! Are you insulting my automail? I think its fine just the way it is. It just needs a few repairs, that's all." Wendy argued.

"HA! Just look at that thing! It looks like a piece of scrap of metal you can find in a junk yard!" Ed returned, finally standing back up.

"How dare you! You're automail was the scrap metal! That's why I was able to destroy it easily! My arm was undamaged after the battle!"

"That's only because you had the upper hand! It was raining outside, so you were able to use your water alchemy. Also, you had the element of surprise!"

"Pfft. Yeah right. You'll just never admit that I'm stronger than you, Fullmetal Shortie."

"DON'T CALL ME SHORTIE!"

Al stood back, watching them yell. He couldn't help but notice that their faces were only a few inches away from each other while they were arguing. Al laughed at the two of them. This could be the beginnings of love, couldn't it? He wondered. But Brother is always working so hard all of the time to try to get our bodies back that he would never stop to realize something like that. They may act angry at each other now, but I am almost completely sure that they will develop feelings for each other some day. I just know it. But, for now, they're going to need a little help getting started.

While they were still screaming their heads off about height differences and automail quality, Al "casually" strolled over behind Ed and "accidentally" pushed him forward. Ed landed on the ground painfully, Wendy underneath him.

"What was that for, Pipsqueak? You can't stand losing an argument so much that you tackled me?" Wendy growled.

"It wasn't me, you idiot! Al pushed me forward! AND DON'T CALL ME PIPSQUEAK!"

"I'm sorry, Brother! It was on accident, I swear!" Al insisted.

"Whatever. Just get off of me." Wendy said, looking away, blushing.

Alphonse helped his brother and then Wendy off of the floor and then said, "Ed, I think you should call Winry to tell her we are coming. I'll buy three train tickets."

"Three? I told you, Wendy isn't coming! Buy two tickets!" Ed said.

"Brother. Wendy is coming whether you like it or not. We'll BOTH fight you if you refuse again. Let me remind you that you haven't won a battle against me yet. You lost against Wendy, too."

Edward clenched his teeth and put his hand into a fist. "Fine. She can only come if she keeps that huge mouth of hers shut."

Wendy cheered in her head. I might actually enjoy this.

"Alright, then it's settled. She's going with us to Resembool. I'll go buy the tickets now. Wendy, you go with Ed so he can call Winry." Al spoke.

Edward was about to protest, but his brother gave him a death glare so he closed his mouth.

So, Al was off to buy train tickets, and Ed led Wendy through the Capital building to the nearest phone.

After walking in silence for awhile, she said something.

"Hey, Ed? Can I ask you something?" she asked softly.

"Sure." He grumbled, refusing to look at her.

"I heard you say you wanted to talk to me this morning, when you came into my room. What did you want to say?"

He didn't answer for a long time. Then he finally did.

"What you told me and Al last night…it made us worry. I went through the same thing as you, except I had my younger brother to lean on afterwards. I had someone to support me. But you…don't. You have no one to help you deal with the pain. I can't imagine what that's like. We both made a mistake that we can never take back. So," Ed whispered, his voice becoming fragile, and honest. Before he said anymore, he stopped walking, turned to Wendy, and put his hand gently on her arm.

"If you need someone to lean on, or someone to help you, I-"

"HELLO, EDWARD ELRIC!" Boomed a large man who jumped in front of them. He was an extremely tall, broad man, with a completely bald head, with the exception of a small tuft of platinum blond hair jutting out. He had narrow, small blue eyes, which were sparkling with joy.

"IT'S NICE RUNNING INTO YOU TODAY, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST! AND WHO IS THIS BEAUTIFUL YOUNG LADY YOU HAVE NEXT TO YOU? SHE IS ADORABLE!"

"Hello, Major Armstrong. If you don't mind, I have things I need to do, so…" Ed trailed off. He seemed completely calm and unaffected from the loud shouting of this giant man standing before them.

Wendy, however, was completely shocked and quite scared of him.

"You never answered my question. Who is this?" he asked, bending down and looking at her.

She was still in shock, so she stood there silently, slightly sweating. Ed decided to speak up for her.

Ed introduced Wendy and the Major and him talked for a few minutes longer, before he said good bye and left.

They continued walking and Wendy started talking again.

"Soo…what were you saying before, Ed?"

"Huh?" he asked looking towards her as they walked, then looking forward again. "Oh, uh, never mind. Hey, I think a telephone is right around the corner here."

She sighed and crossed her arms. She really wished that that man hadn't interrupted what he was about to say. It sounded like something important. His tone of voice a minute ago was sweet, smooth, and soft. It didn't sound at all like it was coming from the same guy that was screaming at the top of his lungs at her earlier.

They then rounded the corner and walked to the phone. Ed carefully dialed the numbers.

After about 10 seconds or so, Winry picked up.

"Hello! Rockbell automail service. Winry speaking!" She happily spoke into the phone.

"Uh, hey Winry. It's Ed."

"ED? Wow, why are you calling? Wait, is something wrong? DID YOU BREAK YOUR AUTOMAIL?"

"No. It's not broken. It's just…" Ed started shaking, almost dropping the phone, "It's sort of…gone."

"GONE!? WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR PRECIOUS HAND-CRAFTED AUTOMAIL, YOU MORON!?"

Wendy heard Winry screaming out of the phone and observed Ed apologize and explain things. Their call lasted about five minutes until he finally said his good bye.

The two alchemists headed back to the room, and Wendy helped Ed pack his automail parts that Al collected into his suitcase. She also stopped by her room to grab a few things. She carried the case and they slowly made their way to the train station, when they saw Alphonse, holding tickets in his hands.

"Hey, guys! You made it just in time. Our train is about to leave in a minute. I had someone tell Colonel Mustang where we were going. Are you ready to visit the town we grew up in, Wendy?" Al asked.

She grinned and nodded. "Yup. It'll be fun to visit your old friend from when you were kids. She sounds…interesting."

Al and Wendy chattered and laughed until the train came. The two of them walked towards it still laughing, ready to board. Ed slowly wobbled behind, trying to catch up with them, even though it was almost impossible, considering he was missing two limbs.

They soon boarded the train and made it to their seats. Edward and Wendy sat next to each other, him sitting on the outside and her sitting near the window. Al's armor took up the entire seat in front of them.

It was already late afternoon, and was starting to get dark outside. After the train started to get going, Ed ordered Wendy and himself some food, because neither of them had eaten since this morning.

They quickly ate and then she started getting sleepy because of how early her cousin woke her up. Wendy's body and mind were trained to refuse sleep as best as they could. But, eventually, she gave unwillingly gave in, and dozed off.

It was awkward sleeping in an up-right position, so while she was sleeping, her body shifted and her head landed on Ed's shoulder, and he tensed up.

"Hey get off of m-" Ed started saying, but Alphonse shushed him.

Edward was about to gently push her off of him, but Al shot him another death glare, so he let her be.

As expected, Ed finally fell asleep as well, his head then falling on top of her head, which was still rested on his shoulder.

Alphonse laughed at the two people unknowingly cuddling in their sleep.

Then he sighed happily.

"You really are an idiot, Brother."