It's been awhile, hasn't it? I was surprised to come back to here and discover the hits for this story are over 2000…I was like "Seriously?" And figured I should probably start writing again. I mean, 2000 probably means close to nothing to you readers but it means so much to me!

Please, I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Enjoy!


Beautiful World

Chapter 7: I'm Looking At You

If one of my wishes were to come true…

"First one to crack obviously loses, and that will be you my dear friend." Winry's eyes narrowed evilly and quietly laughed a matching laugh.

"Tch. Yeah, right." This was Edward's reply before grabbing Winry's hand. "You better be a hell of a good actress." He smirked and then laughed loudly, nudging Winry to do the same.

She did so.

"That was a great ni…" Winry slapped him upside the head before he could finish that sentence.

"I was going to say joke." He lied through a hiss.

"Winry? Ed? Is that you guys up there?" Alphonse called, the amusement in his voice more then detectable.

"Yeah, we're coming…oh what is this?" Winry asked innocently as she reached the bottom step. Clark rose to greet her immediately while Prudence sat patiently on the couch and waited for her proper greeting from Edward.

"Miss Winry, do you remember me?" he forcefully took her hand and kissed it, an unconscious flare rose in Edward but he turned away, trying to be careful what to say around these strangers.

He couldn't break his cover.

"Clark Snow right? Did you come to visit?" Winry smile was plastered and fake, of course only Edward and Alphonse were the only one who could detect her deceit. She was oh-so good at it.

"Visit? You mean you don't know?" He asked her, his tone surprised. He held her hand tighter and pulled her closer. "Winry, you and I have been matched. As have Edward and Prudence."

Edward said nothing as he stood patiently behind Winry, waiting for their act to truly begin.

"Matched?" Winry repeated, acting as if she was unsure what that meant.

"Yes, isn't it wonderful?" Pinako asked her, her tone of voice mocking.

"Oh yes it would be…but…" She put her finger to her chin innocently as if she were thinking. She pouted her lips and shook her head in decline. "Oh no, that won't do." She told him, her voice light and phony.

"Excuse me?" Clark asked, ignoring Prudence's giggles of his rejection from the other side of the room.

"Well, I just don't think it's possible." Winry shook her head no once again, her façade not failing one bit. Edward just stood behind her, still as stone.

Oh, he was so going to win this game.

"W-why not?" Clark demanded to know. His tall figure towering over her, it was such a difference from Edward. Although now was not the time to tell him that.

"Well that's easy! I'm all ready engaged." She answered, clasping her hands together. Her eyes brightened like stars as she started to push herself into the act.

Now everyone other then the two actors themselves were shocked.

"TO WHO?" Clark seemed to be the only one able to speak. He was curious as to why Bell would send him to a girl already taken.

"Edward." She replied, motioning herself towards him. He smirked as he grabbed her hand and pulled her roughly towards him. Winry's eyes widened as she slammed roughly into Edward's hard chest. She could feel her heart speed up rapidly in her chest. His smile seemed to be shining.

"I've tried to behave as gentlemanly as I could," His voice almost sounded apologetic as he said this, he shook his head letting the man know that this could go on no further. "But I can no longer let you think that you can have my woman."

"Your-!" But before Winry could even finish her thought Edward had his lips to her neck, shocking the room with his public display of affection.

He pulled away and placed his chin atop of her head, his voice soft as he held her in his arms.

Oh now he was going to go in for the kill.

"Yes, you're my woman. You're the only person for me Winry. You know that. I've told you it many, many times before." He kissed the top of her head. "I love you."

The saucer size eyes of Edward's younger brother and Winry's grandmother were so priceless that if Edward had not looked away at the perfect moment he would have begun to laugh and ruin the joke for all of them.

"I understand." Said the silent Prudence from the back of the room. She bowed politely and grabbed on to the dumbfounded Clark. "Come on you buffoon, we aren't needed here." She tugged him gently out of stupor before bowing again one last time. "We sincerely apologize, we won't bother you again like this. But please considering inviting us to the wedding."

"Yes, yes of course." Edward replied, his smile genuine.

Why was he into alchemy when he was so obviously meant for the stage?

Prudence rose and smiled kindly. "Let's go, dumb ass." She scolded Clark and pulled him out of the house.

Edward let Winry go promptly, followed them to the door, and then shut it behind him.

One…two…three…

And then Edward, and ONLY Edward erupted into a fit of laughter. Winry, Pinako, and Alphonse all stood flabbergasted with Edward's almost too believable performance.

"That was too perfect!" He shouted from his hunched over position. Winry still had not moved, Edward's words repeating over and over again in her head. Yes, you're my woman. You're the only person for me Winry. You know that. I've told you it many, many times before. I love you.

I love you.

I love you…

I love you…

"What?" Alphonse snapped, his confusion breaking. "What was all that Ed?" He asked, walking over to his brother, hoping to get a proper answer out of him.

"Did you honestly think we would let you guys get away with setting us up like that?" Edward asked, fixing his posture.

"Ah, so you two knew?" Pinako asked, taking a puff from her pipe. "I should have known better then to play with you kids for kicks." She shook her head as she walked up to Edward. "So you two ain't getting married?" She asked, hiding the hope in her voice very well.

"Nah, it was just a joke. Right Winry?" He laughed as he turned towards the girl. She stared at him blankly.

"Winry?" He repeated. "Ah, you're so shocked by my performance you can hardly move! I guess that means I win!"

It's just a joke. Winry tried to break into her own daydreams. She could never imagine how much a simple prank could kill her heart. She finally shook her head, her eyes filling with some dark light.

"You went to far." She said bitterly under her breath as she turned away, running back upstairs.

Edward's eyes widened as he started to make his way after her. "Damn, what did I do wrong this time?" He muttered to himself as he started to climb up the stairs.

"Ed, wait a second!" Alphonse grabbed onto to Edward's arm. "Do you have any idea what you just said to her? You told her you loved her and then took it back as a joke!" Alphonse shook his head cynically, Pinako stayed silent at the bottom of the stair.

"I know but…" It wasn't occurring to him why it would hurt her so much. He didn't realize that she was dying for those feeling to be real. And even though they were, she had no idea they existed, she had no idea Edward wasn't ready to confess his love for he feared all the same things as she.

"I've got to talk to her." Edward said forcefully, pulling his arm away from Alphonse's grasp. He ran towards her room without looking back.

"Damn," Alphonse spat. He closed his eyes tight and rubbed his temple to remove the on-coming headache. "He just doesn't get it at all. I should just tell Winry brother is in love with her so this nonsense can be resolved."

"No, no don't do that." Pinako said softly, sitting herself down into a chair and sighing a tiresome sigh. "I understand how you feel and know for a fact that you think differently from your brother Al, but you have to let them resolve their feelings for each other on their own." She smiled to herself and closed her eyes. "Nothing good ever comes from being set up."

Alphonse said nothing, as he looked away, a small spark of anger filling his heart. He was starting to lose his patience…

Edward, meanwhile, stood outside Winry's shut door. Her reason for her anger still made no sense to him. What could he have possible done wrong? It was their plan to act like that wasn't? It wasn't his fault!

"Winry! Open the damn door!" He commanded, banging loudly on her door. His temper was starting to get the better of him.

"GO AWAY!" She returned, her voice sharp yet weak. She sounded as if she had been crying. Edward slowly stopped his banging. He placed his forehead to the door and sighed.

"Just tell me what I did wrong so I can fix it…" He said softly, hoping she could hear it. He turned slowly and faced his back towards the door, sliding down slowly towards the floor.

She gave no reply.

Edward took this time to speak his mind. "You know, that whole time I was just thinkin' that it was fun to play pretend with you like that, you know? Even though I took it too far…"

She made a funny noise from the opposite side of the door and he took this sound and translated it to: No duh.

"Haha, I kind lost my head somewhere in there. I was like "I gotta beat Winry! That way, I'll beat she'll look at me different. She'll look at me." That was my reasoning…I think." He listened to the quiet shuffling of clothing and smiled to himself as he heard her slide down her door, most likely sitting in the same position as he was.

"I'm looking at you." She told him, almost as if confidence. "I'm always looking at you. I've been watching your back for a real, real long time Ed…I've watched it grow from that little kid's back that I would always play with into this man…that's so incredibly brave…and strong…and…" She was quiet for a moment and Edward waited patiently for her words.

"I felt left behind a couple times. Felt like I could take over the world with you. I've hated you and I've…" She couldn't finish the sentence. "I'm sorry for over-reacting." It was the only thing she could think to settle on.

Edward nodded to himself. "As long as you won't beat me with a wrench."

"Haha, I think you deserve such a thing." She told him with a laugh, a sound Edward was more than happy to hear.

"No way! I won the game didn't I?" He asked now, trying to give her a much more pleasant mood. "So you have to take me anywhere I want!"

She sighed from behind the door. "You sound like a child."

"Because I am…" He responded promptly.

Finally she creaked it open and peeked out from the other side. "Where do you want to go?" She whispered, like she was suddenly embarrassed. Edward made a peculiar face at her awkwardness but quickly over-looked it.

"There's this place outside of the square…I think you might know it." He put his finger to his chin, acting as if he had suddenly caught a horrid case of memory loss. "What is it again…it's old, honestly I don't even know why it's still standing up…" He slowly brought his thoughts to a close as he gazed over at her, taking notice of light in her eyes.

"My secret place? Really?" She questioned, her heart thumping hard in her chest.

"Yep, there's really no other place I'd like to go…" He thought about it for another moment, merely as a joke. "Nope not a one."

"But why?" She asked quietly, trying to still her rapidly beating heart. A blush came over her cheeks.

Edward thought about it a minute, his eyes sincere. "Well, technically it's our secret now, ain't it?"

She nodded deeply and grabbed his hand, like the anger had just slipped away. "Well come on! Let's go!" She pulled him down the steps, pink tinting both of their cheeks. She grinned over at Pinako.

"Do you mind if we go out for a bit?" She asked, catching her breath. Her happiness and excitement bring a grin to everyone in the room.

That small spark Alphonse was feeling softly faded at the sight of two of his most beloved people grasping hands. "Well I'm here to take care of you Granny so…"

Pinako nodded happily. "Of course, of course. Have fun." She turned away, closing her eyes…her mind at peace.

"Thank you all!" She showed her thanks and pulled Edward out the door behind her.

"Didn't I tell you Al? If the love is true it will always work itself out…those two have been fighting since the day they met and will probably be arguing long into their old days!" She laughed a bit.

"If they don't kill each other first…" Alphonse said with an exasperated tone. He wasn't sure how much of the "Edward and Winry" roller coaster he could take!

"This is true!" Pinako's smile increased.

And so did Alphonse's.

"I'm so happy!" Winry grinned back at the slightly flustered Edward who followed behind her faithfully. "I get to spend the day with Ed!" She blushed and turned her head back to the path ahead.

"Aww, Winry that's really embarrassing!" He coughed in mortification. He felt that his cheeks would be forever stained with red.

Winry just laughed…her beautiful day was just beginning!