Winry frowned as she moved about the house, idly cleaning up rooms that didn't need cleaning to begin with. It seemed that the snow would take much longer to clear up than she had originally thought, and in result that meant that the long awaited doctor's appointment to determine the baby's gender, was cancelled.
And that brings her back to the present, dusting the dust free shelves and cleaning her already shining with cleanliness tools. After a few minutes she put everything away, and she decided that her workshop held no further work for her, not that it did in the first place. So, she slipped her wrench back onto her person and restlessly made her way out of the basement.
Al and Mei had left the house in an attempt to reach the grocers, "attempting" because of the snow. They were hoping to get some food for tonight's dinner, since Winry had practically scarfed down their entire pantry while she was alone the other night, so trying to pass the time with them wasn't an option at the moment.
Her mood was deteriorating rather quickly, and for some reason she felt like picking a fight with Ed. She knew she had no reason to do so, but in her mind it would at least give her something to do.
Knowing that he would most likely be in the living room reading a book, she swiftly made her way there, her feet chilling at the touch of the cold wooden floor.
"Edward." She spoke his name with an audible annoyance as she appeared in the door way.
"Yeah, what's up Winry?" He poked his head out from behind the book, giving it one last glance before turning his attention to Winry.
She stared at him for a moment, trying to find some button to push, anything to set him off even a little bit, but it was no use. His entire being was just exuding relaxation and calmness.
"Damn it." She muttered and stalked out of the room, leaving Ed with a look of confusion claiming his face.
Why'd he have to be calm today? I would've gladly taken it any other day, but noo, the one day I'm itching for an argument, he has to be like that… She sighed as she made her way into their room, opening a window when she did.
The chilled air wafted into the room, surrounding her ankles and giving her a slight shiver. The cold wasn't exactly a bad thing for her at the moment, she need to cool down some.
Liking the way the curtains flowed with the air coming in, she wandered off to their bed and fell backwards onto it, closing her eyes and listening to the flap sounds the curtain was making.
After laying there for some time, she scolded herself for trying to pick a fight in the first place.
"But there really is nothing to do!" She tried to defend the part of her driven by emotion, against the more logical side.
Sighing, she decides to pick up where she left of earlier, and pushes herself off of the bed, beginning to clean what's already clean.
She walks over to the side of the bed and begins dusting the fairly large night table next to it. Placed on the table is a photo from their wedding day, and she can't help but giggle a little when she sees it.
A smile warms her face as she recalls those events. Man, that sure was one crazy day.
Now with the thoughts of their wedding day running through her mind, she tosses the duster in her hand into the corner of the room and bends down, peeking underneath the bed.
"Ah! There it is." She reaches under, which is no easy task for her pregnant self, and pulls out their wedding album.
The soft yellow album was decorated with thin white lace around the border, and a photo of Ed and her right in the middle, the album being a handmade gift from granny. Surrounding their picture though, are the signed words from all of their friends. Some sincere, some teasing, but words they cherished all the same.
Taking the album in hand, she stands back up and places herself in the middle of their bed, positioning multiple pillows behind her to support her back.
She flips open the album, and the first photo she sees is herself in her room back at granny's house, her face lit up at having just put on her wedding dress.
As she turns the page, she begins to recall that day from the very beginning, the sequence of the day flooding back into her mind.
9 months previous-
"Granny!" Was the first word Winry said on the day her wedding would take place.
As soon as she had woken up her nerves were all over the place, excitement and nervousness being her strongest feelings that morning; in short, she was on edge.
"G-granny!" She ran down the stairs in her wrench printed pajamas, making her hair fly wildly behind her face.
She skidded to a stop in the kitchen, the place where granny usually was in the mornings, and looked to her Pinako who was nonchalantly pouring coffee into her cup.
"How can you be so calm?!" Winry exploded at Pinako's relaxedness.
"I'm calm because I'm not the one getting married today." Her retort was short and to the point, nonetheless making Winry's face go redder than a strawberry.
Embarrassment would've been and understatement.
Winry's lips formed into a tight line, trying to keep her squeal stuffed inside her throat. Her eyes were wide with the sudden full realization that within a few hours, she would be a married woman. Married to Edward.
She almost fainted on the spot. The only thing that kept her upright was her grip on the table top. Alright, okay. Clam down Winry, breathe.She thought to herself as her airways filled and emptied with air, the dryness of her throat receding and going back to its normal state.
Pinako watched her granddaughter, waiting until she calmed herself down to speak again.
"Well, now that you're not wheezing, I've got something to give you."
"Come on now. We don't have all day." Pinako motioned for Winry to follow her up the stairs. Unsure of what was going on, Winry followed her granny in confusion.
Pinako led them into her room, and Winry went to sit on the bed while her granny rummaged through one of her drawers, obviously hunting for something.
I wonder what this is about…
Just as the thought finished in her mind, it seemed that her granny had found what she had been looking for.
"Here, this is for you." A solemn expression crossed her face as she began speaking.
Winry looked to her granny's hand and saw that it held a small, old looking envelope. After a moment's hesitation, she took the envelope into her own hand, looking up to her granny's eyes before opening it. The question "what is this?" showing through her eyes.
Still wearing that solemn expression, Pinako spoke again, "Your mother left this for you."
Winry's heartbeat sped up at that statement, making the bittersweet tears threaten to overflow.
"I don't know if she had ever intended for you to see it. Though, with the type of work they did, it was no surprise that she had written something like this ahead of time."
Pinako moved from her position of standing in front of Winry and went to sit beside her on the bed, taking hold of her hand, "It was a few days after we had heard of their deaths that I found this. I was sorting through some of her things when I came across it. There were only two letters in that drawer, one addressed to you and one to me."
The tears began to fall silently down Winry's face, leaving two glistening streaks on her cheeks, and disappearing when they came to the corners of her mouth.
"The letter addressed to me explained what your letter was about among other things, but I know that she would want you to read this today."
Without another word, Pinako got up slowly and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her, subtly giving Winry her privacy while she reads the letter.
A letter from my mom, huh?
Carefully, she tore open the envelope, not wanting something that her mom had left her, and unfolded the three-fold letter.
It read the following-
"My dear Winry, if you're reading this, then that means that I'm no longer with you. I'm sorry. I know that it must've been hard for you and your grandmother, but I'm sure that you'll let time heal yourself. You're a tough, willful young girl, I know that you'll be strong and live out every day knowing that we've never left you.
I've actually written a lot of these letters, you know? But, this is the only one I can bring myself to let you read. I ended up throwing all of the others away, knowing that this one would be the most important. Now, onto the matter at hand.
Ahem. Congratulations my darling! You're getting married! You're all grown up and making a life for yourself, your father and I are so very proud of you. If I had to bet, I'd say that little trouble maker Edward is the lucky man. Am, I right? Haha! If I'm wrong, then I'm sure he's a kind and handsome young man. I'd expect nothing less of my daughter!
Now if you're anything like me, you must be fretting. God knows I was a mess the morning of my wedding day! It was so nerve-wracking! Just the thought of everyone staring at me while I walked down the aisle and what if I accidentally tripped?!- oh, sorry, I'm putting more worries into your head aren't I? I apologize!
Anyhow, I'm writing this to tell you that it's perfectly normal to be nervous! The only thing is that you can't let it get in the way of your big day! It's a day where you throw all worries away and just focus on what is going to make you happy. It's the beginning as your life as a wife, and the gateway to your life as a mother. It truly is a wonderful thing.
I'm sorry that we can't be there to see it. I truly am. It must be hard for you, but I know that you have wonderful people surrounding you who can help you through it.
It's such a wondrous, marriage. It was one of the best choices of my life dear. It gave me your father and you. My darling little girl and my dearest husband.
Now, go on and have yourself an amazing day! Be careful, don't get into trouble and have fun!
I love you Winry, be happy.
With a love that could flood the world, your mother."
End of letter.
Her tears stopped, and instead they were replaced by a huge grin. Her eyes wandered over her mother's words, rereading some parts and laughing at her previous worries.
She could practically feel her mother's emotions through the letter. The parts where she would laugh, they parts where she would be serious, and the parts where she might have cried, they were all there. It was like her mother was there on the bed with her, telling her all of this.
"Ahh." Winry felt a single tear roll down her face as she sighed.
Of course it hurt that her mother couldn't be there to comment on her dress and help her with her hair or that her father couldn't walk her down the aisle and give her away. It all hurt, so very much. But she knew that she wasn't alone it this hurt. Ed was experiencing the same pain, and yet he manages to put a huge, sometimes idiotic, grin on his face.
She stood up and gained a determined look on her face, Mom, Dad, I promise that I will be confident and happy on this day. I'll experience it for the three of us, okay?
With a giggle, she smiled to herself and made her way to the door, finally ready to begin the day.
Thank you, mom.
A/N: A letter from mom. A nice idea, huh? I made myself sad while writing it...
Anyway, here's another chapter! Let me know what you think!