Author's Note: We're down to the final chapter... oh the angst! Please review. Good or bad, I love to hear your comments!

CHAPTER 13

It took a depressingly short amount of time for her to pack up her life into her small suitcase. She folded her clothes neatly, leaving the drawers empty and open. She left her doctor's jacket and stethoscope on the back of the door; she would have no need for them now. When she was fully packed she sat on the side of the bed, wrapped in her coat and scarf. She had written her letter of resignation and had it sent down to General Wilson, effective immediately. Then she had retreated back to her room to hide, like the coward she was. There had been a number of visitors but Winry had politely turned them all away. Samson had been the first to appear at her door, as Winry had expected. The woman had become a good friend and she felt a tinge of regret at leaving her; she would miss the First Lieutenant terribly. But she had turned her away, quickly and politely, not giving Samson a chance to protest.

Al had arrived a short time later but she had pretended not to be in and waited until he got fed up of knocking and left. Even Phillips and Bulger had come knocking, news of her resignation apparently spreading through the ranks, quickly.

Winry sighed, and stood up. Trying to prolong the time until she would have to leave her shelter, Winry checked the drawers one last time, running her hand along the base of the drawer, right to back. Her fingers brushed something metal and she frowned. Gripping the small object she pulled it from the drawer and felt her breath leave her in a rush.

It was her small photo frame. The one with the picture of her, Ed and Al, laughing and gallivanting on that hot Summer's day, a lifetime ago. She traced her fingers over the shiny surface of the frame, smiling softly to herself. She remembered wishing that every day could have been like that; so carefree and so happy with her adopted family. She exhaled, placing the frame on the side of the drawer unit. Those days were gone.

She picked up her case and left the room, quickly without looking back, her boots squeaking softly on the shiny floor of the ward. She moved quickly, her eyes downcast and her heart hammering as she passed bay 3. She was relieved to see that the curtain was drawn around the bed and voices could be heard murmuring softly inside. Stepping lightly as she could Winry walked away, leaving the hospital unit with a murmured goodbye to Hannah, as she left. The girl looked like she was going to cry, but Winry was not looking for long drawn out goodbyes.

She made her way through the fortress quickly and easily, her feet carrying her without much effort until she was at the gate to the outside world. She handed in her ID badge to the guard in the little kiosk and signed the required paperwork to clarify that, yes she had left all military property at the base and, no she would not sell military secrets. Finally when complete, she walked through the gate to wait in the snow for the transport truck that would be taking her to the train station. From there she would get the train back to Central until she could sort out what she was going to do with her life.

Winry sat down on the small bench against the large concrete wall while she waited. She found she was oddly impatient and her foot tapped restlessly against the snowy ground. It would be a long wait, they had told her, as the transport was running a little behind schedule due to the weather. Typical.

Twenty minutes later and there was little sign of the transport, but Winry's toes were starting to go a little numb and she considered getting up and going back inside to wait.

"Why are you running away?" A voice called from behind her and Winry froze, her body tense. It was exactly the voice that she had been desperate to hear every day for the last eighteen months but also the last voice that she wanted to hear at this precise moment. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before turning around.

Edward was sat in a wheelchair, a jacket slung across his shoulder and slippers on his feet. Al was pushing the wheelchair and he glanced at Winry, worriedly. She frowned.

"You're such an idiot," she growled at him. "What the hell are you doing out of the hospital?" He shouldn't even have been sitting up, after major abdominal surgery, let alone out and about and she resisted the urge to whack Alphonse in the side of the head for bringing him outside.

"You really think I was going to let you go without saying goodbye?" Ed said softly as Al pushed him closer. They came to a stop just in front of her. "Al, give us a minute," Ed said quietly, not taking his eyes off Winry's.

"I'll just be inside," Al mumbled and backed slowly into the building.

Winry shivered, breaking eye contact with Ed's golden eyes; they were too intense, too painful. She raised her eyes to the night's sky, stars shimmering above her, jovially, as though taunting her.

"Winry…" Ed breathed and she shut her eyes. "Look at me."

She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak and he sighed.

"I've messed this up so badly," Ed said sadly and Winry couldn't help but agree. "All I ever wanted was to keep you safe Win…" he trailed off.

"You wanted me safe but you didn't trust me," Winry muttered.

"No, of course I trust you-"

Winry scoffed, feeling herself get angry. "No Ed," she whirled to look at him. "You didn't trust me. You lied to me. For eighteen months! Eighteen months in which you've done nothing but lie!" She wailed the last word, flinging it at him harshly.

He dropped his gaze, his shoulders slumping and sighed.

"Yeah, I guess I did, huh," he looked up at her through his dark bangs and smiled a soft sad smile. "I said to myself, though, that I'd rather have you alive and hating my guts than dead. And I stand by that," he said searching her face.

She turned away, conflicted, as headlights approached. She pushed herself to her feet.

"I don't hate you," she surprised herself. Ed was silent for a minute and she imagined he was digesting this information.

"You- you don't?" He said, startled, after a second.

She turned to look at him with a sad smile and shook her head. "No," she breathed as the truck pulled up in front of them and a small group of soldiers exited, glancing at them curiously as they piled into the fortress.

"You getting in, love?" The driver asked, leaning out of his window.

She turned away from Ed, "Yeah, just give me a second," she called and turned back to face him.

"So, if you don't hate me, why are you running," he asked and she noticed that he had wheeled himself right in front of her, so close that his knees were almost touching hers.

She shook her head. "Ed, I don't hate you. But… I just don't feel anything about you anymore." She watched his face falls the lie spilt from her lips, easily. "I'm sorry," she said truthfully. "I don't want to hurt you, but I've been your fall back for so long and I've built my life around waiting for you. Waiting for you to come home, waiting for you to tell me what was going on and I need to figure out what my life means when I'm not waiting for you."

She took a step towards the transport and Ed looked panicked.

"When can I see you again?" He asked, breathlessly.

"You can't, Ed." She said sadly. "You need to let me go." And she turned her back on him, biting back on her tears and stepped up onto the transport.