Nick's Question: If quizzes are quizzical, then what are tests? (Once again, not an original question, but it's still funny. Lol.)

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA and I only own a half box of Cheez-its. (I ate the rest. LOL.)

Chapter 12

Winry and Al sat across from each other by Ed's bed. Everyone else was outside in the waiting room, because only family was allowed to see Ed. The only reason that the nurses had let Winry in the room was because Roy had lied and told them that she was Ed's girlfriend. Being that Winry wanted to see Ed more then anything, she confirmed what Roy had said when the doctors asked her if it was true.

Ed, for the most part, had lost a lot of blood, but he was going to be fine. Still, Winry and Al couldn't help but worry, as Ed still hadn't woken up.

Winry had silently placed her hand on Ed's left hand and refused to look down at his stump of a leg. Instead she looked at Ed's hand memorizing it and distracting herself from the current predicament. As Winry listened to the machine beep with Ed's heartbeat, she couldn't help but think that the sound was the most depressing thing she had ever heard.

Al, on the other hand, was griping his brother's automail hand as hard as he could as he looked at his brother's face. It was calm and non-expressive. Of course it would be as he was sleeping.

Suddenly Edward stirred slightly as a painful grimace contorted his face. Both Alphonse and Winry jumped slightly and then stared at Ed's face hoping that he would awake. Relief filled Winry's heart as Ed's eyes cracked open and he saw his two closest people in the world hovering just over him.

"Brother" Al gasped slightly as he drew a sharp intake of breath.

"Edward" Winry whispered involuntarily under her breath as her eyes couldn't help but water slightly.

"Hey you guys, did Al get on the team?" Ed asked beginning to wake up a little more.

Winry and Al were dumbfounded. Edward had just gotten his leg exploded and had been close to death and the first thing he said when he woke up is if Al made the Alchemy team. Typical Ed.

"Brother!" Al almost shouted as he tackled his brother who was still lying down. "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry…" Al repeated as tears streamed down his cheeks and he hugged his big brother tightly around the neck.

Ed had startled at the sudden hug, but had smiled, a real smile, the kind that Winry didn't see as much anymore. Then he lifted up his hand and patted Al on the head. "Al, it wasn't your fault, if anything it was my own fault, I should have been a little more aware and not distracted you from fighting Kimblee, well at least not have distracted you when you were that close to him. What happened to that Son of a …" Ed stopped mid sentence feeling Winry's gaze on him.

He looked at her and gaped at what he saw. Winry was looking straight at Edward straight in the eyes, blue stared at amber. Hers were filled with tears and yet a smile was across her face and her hand was holding his. It was so warm. At least know he knew that she definitely cared for him.

Al sensed a change in the room and pulled away from his brother already knowing that he had forgiven him, if there had been anything to forgive, although he hadn't really forgiven himself. Seeing his brother looking at Winry strangely, Al knew that something was on his big brother's mind.

"Al, I've got to talk to Winry alone, would you mind?" Ed asked looking away from Winry and straight at Al, showing that he wasn't trying to be mean.

Al nodded understanding completely. "I should go tell everyone that you're awake anyways, plus I really should get a doctor to check up on you." Ed frowned at the idea that he needed to be checked on with a doctor. Al then walked out the door and headed towards the waiting room to inform everyone that Ed was awake.

A silence passed over the room as Winry and Ed just looked into each other's eyes. Finally Winry was the one to break it. "Ed, it wasn't your fault either."

"Yes it was Winry." He retorted back. "I should have been more aware, Al could have really gotten hurt. If Kimblee had been closer to Al, then my little brother could have had this happen to him." Ed looked down at how there was nothing where his left leg had previously been.

"Edward," Winry whispered quietly squeezed Ed's hand. "No one is to blame here except Kimblee, so stop putting all the blame on your own shoulders. You Elrics are all alike. Trying to take all the blame all the time. Stop being so noble." Winry stood up next to Ed and wrapped her arms around him as well as she could, "Just remember I'm always here for you Ed."

Edward stiffened at the last thing that Winry said and Winry felt it. She immediately pulled away and asked, "What is it Ed?"

Ed sighed, he knew that he had to ask her, after all it was the reason that he had sent Al out of the room. He knew that Al would object to it, and he was pretty sure that convincing Winry alone was going to be hard enough. "It's actually the reason that I sent Al out of the room." Ed started explaining. "You know how you said the other day that you would always be there to help me no matter what." Winry smiled at Ed knowing exactly what he was talking about. "Well," Ed continued "I want to take you up on that offer."

"Ed, what exactly is it that you want?" Winry asked carefully a little afraid of the answer that she might receive.

"I want an automail leg." Ed said staring at how the blanket on top of him only had one hump of a leg under it.

Winry let out a sigh of relief. "Of course you can have automail Ed. When Aunt Pinako comes back in town she'll hook it right up."

Ed was glad that Winry had said yes to the automail thing, convincing Al might be a little harder, after all Al knew how much it had hurt Ed the first time when he had gotten his automail arm. Now he had just one more thing to ask Winry. "Winry, I don't want Aunt Pinako to hook it up."

Winry looked at Ed with her eyebrows a little furrowed. What does he mean that he doesn't want Aunt Pinako to do it. Who else could do it?

Ed continued "I want you to do it."

Winry just stared at Ed for a moment before her eyes widened and then she started to yell. "What!? You want me to do it! But but but but… I've never done it by myself before Ed!"

"SO!" Ed yelled back. Winry was surprised by Ed's sudden outburst and stayed silent as he talked. "You're always saying how you are always assisting Aunt Pinako with the patients and could probably hook up automail by yourself."

"Saying it and doing it is two different things Ed!" Winry didn't realize how close her face was getting to Ed's. Suddenly the two teens did become aware of their proximity and both flushed bright red before Ed looked away and Winry backed up a little.

"But I want you to do it Winry" Ed said so quietly that Winry almost didn't hear him. Was he really asking her to do this? I mean how can I? What if I mess up? Winry looked at Ed and sighed.

She voiced her question. "What if I mess up? What happens then?"

"You won't mess up." Ed said simply. For a moment they sat in silence neither of them looking at one another.

"Fine." Winry said "I'll do it." She looked up at Ed and blushed at how he was smiling at her. Two real smiles in one day. Winry smiled back although her stomach was doing strange flips that she was blaming on her nerves about connecting automail by herself.

At that moment Al walked back into the room. He couldn't help but notice the slight blush that adorned both Winry and his brother's faces. "The doctor will be here soon, he was a little busy at the moment, everyone says hi by the way."

"Al, we've got something to tell you," Ed said stopping Al from talking anymore. Maybe they finally realized that they both care for each other a lot and maybe even love one another.

"Winry's going to give me an automail leg." Ed said.

Al's hope of them confessing fell and he stared wide eyed at his brother and then at Winry. "brother, didn't it really hurt the first time, with your arm?"

"Yeah, but I want it, and I'm willing to go through the pain again." Ed said trying to explain to his little brother.

"I get it brother, but it's just that…" Al trailed off not sure what exactly it was that he wanted to say.

"What is it Al?" Winry asked, worried about Al.

"It's all my fault. First I make you loose your leg, and now that you're getting an automail one, you're going to have to go through even more pain… because of me." Al said looking down at the ground. Ed looked at Winry who had an expression on her face that clearly said 'See I told you that you Elrics always try to take the blame.'

"Alphonse," Ed said sharply to his brother. Al looked up to meet his brother's eyes. "Never blame yourself." Then Ed grinned at his little brother trying to lighten the mood. "So how many people are out there waiting to see me? I must be pretty popular."

Al couldn't help but smile at his older brother's joke. "I'll go see if some of them can come in and see you now that you're awake. They wouldn't let anyone in but family to see you originally."

"Then how come Winry was allowed to come see me?" Ed asked innocently.

Winry's face flushed red as she remembered what they had done and she looked at Al who chuckled slightly before answering Ed. "Why don't you ask Winry?" he said as he hurried out the door. This almost worked out better than I expected it to.

Ed scrunched his eyebrows in confusion as his little brother walked out on him. Why would you want Winry to tell me? He then turned to the girl in question not noticing her red face and asked "So, how'd you do it?"

"Um, we kind of told the nurses that I was your girlfriend." Winry answered while turning an even brighter shade of red.

Ed also turned red just thinking about it. He had started thinking thoughts of if him and Winry being together, that summer, but he had always brushed it off fairly quickly. Too many people weren't friends anymore after they dated. There was no way that Ed was going to have that happen with his best friend. Besides he just liked her as a sister. Right?

"Why did you tell them I was your… boyfriend." Ed spat the word out not wanting to think about it too much.

"It was the only way for me to see you. And besides, I wasn't even the one who told the nurses that, Mustang was." Winry was refusing to look at Ed, suddenly finding the floor to be very interesting.

Ed fumed, it would be just like Mustang to tell the nurses that him and Winry were dating. All the same, "I'm glad that he did." Ed said surprising both Winry and himself. Ed continued, "It was nice having you and Al here when I woke up."

Yaaaaaa! Another completed chapter. This little arc is almost done I think that maybe two more chapters should do it, and I the next one is going to be more fluffy I think. It isn't the end of the story, it's just the end of an arc. Just letting you know arc 1 was chapters 1-8, Arc 2 is chapters 9-14 unless I say otherwise.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, sorry that they keep being so long. I'll watch myself next chapter. I just start writing, and then all these ideas on what to say and where to say it flood my mind. Tell me if any of the characters are ooc. Keep reading.

Review please. I love seeing feedback, and any constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Keep writing.

FFG- Jo (Yes Jo is the one writing this story if you didn't know, check out my profile that I share with my little sis.)