A/N: I'll be busy tomorrow, so have an early chapter while I make some more chicken soup. This one's firmly Brotherhood universe.


76. Telephone

Winry hung up the phone, still in shock that the military outside of Mustang's group even knew who she was, and also that Ed was dumb enough to head North without even considering his automail. He was a scientist, he should be able to remember things like heat conduction, and the effects thermal expansion (and the reverse) might have on his stumps. What if he and Al had gotten blown off course and he'd died of frostbite?

Then there was that call a few weeks ago- Ed and Al never called to check up on her. Granted, they'd never put her on a train before, but they'd sounded so frantic, as though they'd expected something to happen to her. She hadn't considered it at the time, but perhaps some of Ed's enemies were watching her, too. Maybe the man who killed her par-

No, she wasn't going there. Not now.

This time, she wondered why Ed hadn't called himself. He'd reached the base, but the call had come from Central. Why add middle-men? Why give more people information about Ed's whereabouts, if he was trying to stay under the radar?

As she packed that night, Winry considered all the options and came to a conclusion (about the situation, not whether or not she was going; she knew better than to get on the military's bad side). Clearly, something fishy was going on, and Ed was probably going to be in trouble if he wasn't already.

How she fit into everything, Winry wasn't sure. Perhaps her role really was just to re-outfit his limbs, but she doubted it. She did know, however, that whatever happened, she was safest with Ed there to protect her. They hadn't talked about it since that day, but she would always remember vividly what he'd done, diving between Scar and his target. It hadn't been Al, who couldn't end up with his brain splattered on the cobblestones, who had taken that flying leap. Of course, it was still possibly the second most suicidal and stupid thing he had ever done, and that was still slightly inexcusable, but after that day, she'd seen a side of Ed she hadn't known existed.

She had a strong feeling that when he'd shouted out his promise about her tears, he hadn't originally intended the meaning the qualifier ("Al and I will get our bodies back") gave it, and she was suddenly incredibly anxious about seeing him again, especially when he might not be expecting her.

Clearly she wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.