Chapter 10

"It's beautiful," Winry exclaimed in delight as she gazed at the automail that was on display in the store window. "This automail. I never thought I'd see one like this."

Rory chuckled, ushering her along, "Come on, Win. Edward and Alphonse are waiting."

Winry laughed sheepishly, "Sorry, I'm just so excited. This is Rush Valley, the holy land of automail."

"Really?" Rory inquired. He smiled at her nod, "Well, I'm glad you finally got to be here, Winry."

"Me too," Winry sighed happily.

Their attention was broken by shouting from a crowd close by. "What are they doing over there?" Al questioned.

They all walked through the crowd. When they got to the front, they noticed a small table and two men on each side. They both had automail and were arm wrestling. The stronger built one smashed it down to the table, ripping it apart.

"Wow," Rory whistled. "I'm glad my automail isn't that weak." He grinned when Winry smiled at him.

The man with the broken automail cried, asking someone to fix it. Luckily, he was in a land filled with automail mechanics that were biting their finger nails in anticipation just to touch it.

"Next up," The referee called. "How about that big guy right there?" He pointed to Al who shook his head frantically. "No, how about the one with the automail arm?" He pointed at Ed and Rory.

"Oh no," Rory shook his head nervously. Ed shook his head as well with an annoyed frown.

"Oh sorry," The man said mockingly, addressing Ed. "A short bean like you couldn't possibly win."

The next thing they knew, Ed was slamming his hands on the small table with a dark look in his eyes. "Oh, kid's actually gonna do it." The crowd jeered.

"You better win this, Ed," Winry cheered him on. Rory grinned, shaking his head when he noticed what Ed was doing under the table.

"Ready, steady," The ref said. "Go!"

Ed proceeded to smash the other man's automail without a second thought. The stronger man stared in shock, as did most of the mechanics. The crowd then cheered loudly while Ed sat back, boasting silently.

Winry furrowed her brow, "What happened?"

Rory chuckled while Al explained, "He used alchemy to break his arm."

"You probably couldn't have beaten him," Winry huffed, crossing her arms.

Ed only shook his head, ignoring her while Al sighed.

"Hey," One of the mechanics came up, "I've never seen this kind of automail," He stated.

Rory was surprised when some mechanics grabbed his arm and gazed at it with raw hunger. He laughed nervously, not wanting to disrupt their observing. Winry simply smiled happily, talking to the other mechanics.

Rory jumped away from the prying hands the tried to grab his pants, "Woah, there buddy. Only my left arm is automail not my legs. Wa-" He yelped when the pulled forcefully, "Wait!"

Moments later, he and Ed stood in the middle of Rush Valley in only their boxers. "I feel like they ignored me," Rory mumbled, shaking his head. He smiled in thanks when Winry handed him his pants. Luckily, he knew nothing was stolen since he had his belongings in his back pack which resided in one of Al's legs.

Ed seemed to have a different problem as he frantically searched his pants and pockets. "What is it?" Winry asked.

Ed swallowed nervously, "The state alchemist watch." He wheezed in distress, "It's gone." That got the rest of them to life.

"I think you're being played, buddy," A mechanic said. "Must be the handiwork of Paninya."

"Who is that?" Ed demanded.

"She's a thief that targets tourist."

"Do you know where I can find her?" Ed asked, looking very distraught. "The item she has is very important."

The mechanic rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "No harm in telling you." He responded before smiling, "But let us have a look at your automail."

Ed threatened them with his sharpened automail. The man put his hands up in surrender, "She's on the west side main at a collector's shop called Glatz."

They quickly ran to the location. They made it just in time to see the young, dark skinned girl trying to open the watch. "Don't move," Ed shouted, bursting through the door and storming towards here. "Don't open that watch."

Paninya scoffed, strategically getting a vase on her foot and kicking it to Ed. Rory moved quickly in front of Ed and caught it. Ed used his back as momentum as he jumped over him and ran after the fast girl, "Move those legs, Al!" He shouted as he ran after her. Al ran ahead of Winry and Rory.

The dark haired teen glanced at Winry, "Should I? I feel like I should."

Winry shrugged, "I don't know. You might hurt Ed's pride but I think he'll be grateful you got the watch back."

Rory grinned, taking a chance and pecking her cheek before super speeding away. She was quick, he'd give her that, but a bit predictable. He stopped on a rooftop, hearing Ed shout obscenities. He smirked when he saw Paninya stare at him in surprise. He chuckled, carefully walking over to her on the roof, "I gotta give it to you, you got some skill. You give a good chase."

"This is my turf," She responded with pride. "No one can beat me." She tossed the watch nonchalantly.

Rory showed mock consideration before smiling, "I guess there's a first for everything."

Paninya was startled when she didn't feel the weight of the watch in her hands and instead in the other teen's hand, "Wha-? How?"

"Elementary," Rory rolled the watch between his fingers before stowing it away in his pocket. "I suggest you don't steal anymore, but I don't know you and you're a free woman, so I can't tell you what to do."

"Exactly," Paninya said. "You're smart."

Rory shrugged, "I take pride in my brain." He caught her leg when she tried to kick him, "And my quick reflexes."

He let go of her leg quickly when he felt a blade slice through his skin. He clutched his hand and glanced at her leg. He smirked, "Automail, huh? That shouldn't have been a surprise, considering where we are."

Paninya chuckled, putting her leg down, "You still didn't catch it." She blinked in disbelief when he held up his healed hand.

He shrugged again, lowering his hand, "Didn't have to. Now." He got into a fighting stance, "Do we have to settle this the old fashioned way?"

Paninya got into a fighting stance as well, "I don't get why you care so much. It's not like I took anything from you."

"You took something from my friends," He clenched his jaw, glaring at her. "And it's something precious to him, so I don't take this lightly."

He dodged her kick, sweeping her other leg out from under her. He countered her punch and threw her to the floor. He blocked her kick and ducked under her punch before he uppercut her. He grabbed her shirt before she fell to the floor and held her in the air, "Give up now?"

She twisted out of his loose grip and tried kick him in the chest. He dodged her, causing her to run off the roof. He reacted quickly and used the air to stop her on the way down. She stared up at him in shock as he flipped off the roof as well.

He walked up to her and crossed his arms, "I'd like to call this..." He clapped his hands and put them on the floor. A cage appeared, trapping her. He smirked, "My win."

Paninya smirked back, lifting her leg up again and shooting a small bomb off. Rory dodged it quickly, cursing when she got out of the cage. "Better luck next time," She winked as she continued to walk.

He clenched his jaw angrily but calmed himself when he realized he still had Ed's watch. He smiled when Winry caught the girl's arm, "Good job, Win."

Winry smirked at the girl. "I'm not letting you escape," She said before stars went into her eyes. "Until you let me take a look at your automail."

Rory facepalmed as did Ed and Al who finally appeared. Moments later, they were on a heated path up a mountain after Winry spoke to the girl and inspected her automail much to her happiness. Ed panted, wiping the sweat off his brow. Rory grimaced when he felt sweat bead down his neck. He wanted to use his super speed, but, though he was friends with the Elric brothers, he didn't trust them and they didn't trust him.

"Oh," Rory said, going into his pocket. "I forgot to give you this." He handed Ed his watch back. "I got it back, but I wanted to see if I could trap the girl before she ran away again."

Ed smiled gratefully, pocketing the watch, "Thanks, man."

"No problem," Rory shrugged. "It's what friends do."

They soon made it to the place Paninya mentioned. She opened the door with a grin, "Good afternoon," She waved to the mechanic in there.

The man blinked in surprise, "Paninya, why are you up here?"

"I brought some guests," She gestured to the others. "This is the mechanic Winry. She's interested in Mr. Dominic's work."

The man smiled, "Didn't think a girl this young would be interested in mechanics."

"Hey, Paninya," A kind looking woman appeared at the window. "You brought friends over?"

"Satella," Paninya greeted. "Afternoon."

"Just in time, too," Satella said. "I just made some tea and snacks. Come on in."

Rory rubbed his growling stomach, "I would really like some snacks."

"I'm Ridel LeCoulte," The mechanic said. "This is my wife, Satella. The man over there is my father Dominic LeCoulte."

"Why are you here?" Dominic demanded gruffly.

Paninya laughed sheepishly, "I brought you a guest."

While Winry spoke with Dominic and Paninya, Ed, Al and Rory spent their time with Satella and Ridel. "Wow," Ed breathed as he stared at Satella's round stomach. "You're pregnant."

"She's due in a month and a half," Ridel grinned widely.

"Do you know what it is yet?" Rory asked politely.

"Yes," Satella nodded. "It's going to be a boy."

"Can we touch it?" Ed held out his hand hesitantly.

Satella smiled, "Go ahead."

Ed and Rory put their hands on her stomach. Rory could feel the baby moving beneath his hand. He smiled, "That sure is something. I remember a woman from my village was pregnant. It was really something to see in such a small village."

"It really is," Satella smiled back, resting her hands on her stomach. "It's unbelievable just thinking about it. He's so tiny inside of my stomach, but he's alive."

Ed was soon called over to Winry who showed Dominic her automail. It erupted into an argument when Winry asked Dominic to take her as his apprentice to which he quickly denied. Then a storm hit, stopping them from going back to Rush Valley. Winry and Ridel were in another room talking to Paninya while Al was with Satella. Rory just happened to be in the same room with Ed.

He cleared his throat slowly, "So tell me." Ed glanced at him. "The watch. I know it's special, but it's not special because of the military, right?"

Ed stared at him for a moment before looking away and shaking his head, "Nah, never. I just have something in it that means something to me."

Rory smiled slightly, "That's all I needed to hear."

They both stood abruptly when they heard a thump in another room. They ran to the source of the sound and found everyone surrounding Satella. "It's time," The pregnant woman whispered.

"Now?" Ridel screeched nervously. "It's a little early, don't you think?"

The door burst open to reveal a very frantic Dominic, "What did you say?"

"My grandson! My grandson is being born!" Dominic and Ridel did a victory dance much to Satella's annoyance.

"We need to get a doctor," Dominic said as he put on his coat. "I'll see if get him in this weather."

"Be careful, Dad," Ridel waved to him as his father used his horse to leave. He turned to his wife, "Just wait until the doctor comes."

"I don't think I have that long," Satella deadpanned from her spot in the bed.

"It's okay," Ridel tried to reassure her. "Dad's coming back with the doctor."

Minutes later, Dominic came back with a grave expression. "The bridge," He shook his head solemnly as he stood in the rain.

Rory ran out in the rain with Dominic, staring at the bridge in disbelief. Ed growled, "I'll just use alchemy to rebuild it."

Rory put his arm out, stopping him before he could walk over to the destroyed bridge, "Edward, you have to keep a strong mind in times of distress. If you try to rebuild the bridge, it will be too heavy and break before it makes it to the other side. We can't fix it now."

Ed clenched his fists, shaking his head as they all went back inside. Paninya came out, waving her arms frantically, "Satella's bleeding water! What do we do? We need a doctor!"

"Her water broke," Rory deduced. He contemplated what they could do before he sighed, "I'll help."

They all stared at him in surprise. "What?" Paninya questioned disbelievingly. "You know how to do something like this?"

He laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "Well, uh…I saw Leo do it once. I'm sure I can help." He gazed at the door determinedly, cracking his knuckles, "Let's do this."

Winry nodded with him, "Yeah, let's bring this baby to earth."

"Glad you're so enthusiastic, Winry," Rory grinned, taking her arm. "Because you're going to help me."

"Ed and Al," Winry commanded. "Get hot water quickly."

"H-how much?" Ed stammered.

"The more the better."

"We're gonna need towels," Rory added. "Anything to disinfect and a pillow." He turned to Winry who was frozen in thought. He rubbed her back, smiling reassuringly, "It's okay, Win. Your parents were doctors, right?" At Winry's slow nod, he continued, "Then that's even better. I have complete faith in you. Now let's get in there." Winry nodded once again, her gaze hard with determination.

They walked into the room where Satella was. It took a few hours. They listened to Satella's screaming and curses to her husband. Rory got blood on his shirt as he held the crying baby in his arms.

He laughed shakily in relief, "You were right. It is a boy." He asked Ridel to cut the umbilical cord. He wrapped the baby in a towel and handed him to his father. "Here you go," He said quietly. "He's beautiful."

"Thank you," Satella responded tiredly. "Thank you for everything."

Rory smiled exhaustedly, "It was nothing." He wiped the sweat from his brow. He lifted the equally tired Winry to her feet, "I had help after all."

Ed, Al and Paninya ran in, anticipation written all over their features. "T-the baby…?" Ed inquired as he gazed at the newborn. The three lifted their arms and cheered, "YEAH!"

Rory laughed with them but stopped when he noticed Winry leaning heavily on him. He held her, "You alright, Winry?"

She blushed slightly, "Would it be too much if I asked you to carry me? My back hurts a bit."

Rory smiled softly, "Not at all." He put his arms under her knees and back and held her to his chest. He didn't dare mention the fact that he was equally tired.

He walked to the other room while the others were entranced with the baby. Winry gazed at him shyly, "Am I too heavy?"

He chuckled, shifting his hold, "Super strength, Winry, but I assure you, you're not."

"That's good," Winry mumbled into his chest.

He set her down in one of the chairs and sat in the other one. He held her hand, "You sure you're okay?"

She nodded, smiling reassuringly, "I'm fine, Rory. It was just a bit overwhelming."

"It was," Rory ran a hand through his hair, feeling his eyes grow heavy against his will.

"You were great in there," Winry commented.

Rory exhaled deeply, closing his eyes, "Thanks. I learned a bit from watching Leo."

"Leo must've been a good man."

"The best," Rory mumbled sleepily. "He was the greatest man I've ever met. Selfless, loyal, kind, funny. Great all around…"

Winry smiled at the boy sleeping on her shoulder. She bit her lip before grabbing his chin, and planting a small kiss on his immobile lips. She felt slightly guilty knowing he was so deep in sleep he wouldn't remember it. She just had to know if what she was feeling was right. If she really was liking him a bit more than Ed.

The next morning, they were out of the LeCoulte's home. Though Winry did not become Dominic's apprentice, he gave her information of another good mechanic. He did say they could come and visit whenever they wanted. Winry was staying a bit longer in Rush Valley. Unfortunately, Ed, Al and now Rory were going away to Dublith. Now they were running to the starting train.

"Come on," Ed demanded. "The train's starting already."

"Bye!" Paninya waved to them.

"Have a safe trip!" Winry yelled as she tried to catch up to them.

"You too!" Ed called back as Rory and Al got on the train. He jumped, catching Rory's outstretched arm and got on the train as well.

"Give Pinako a call, Winry," Rory spoke over the train's engine. "She might be worried."

"I will," Winry shouted back. "You be safe, okay?"

"I will," Rory replied. "I'll be back." Winry nodded as the train pulled too far for them to continue the conversation. He sighed, leaning back on the train railing, "Thanks for bringing me along."

"Just don't bring us down," Ed smirked good naturedly.

Rory chuckled, bumping fists with him, "Don't worry. I can carry my own weight."

In all honesty, he didn't know where he was going. At this point, he didn't care about finding his parents. He only cared about keeping his friends while he could have them. He couldn't forget his mission. That was the one thing he kept repeating.