Pretty much kept this chapter the same, just corrected some grammatical errors and changed a few conversations (mainly between Roy and Hughes). I'm going with a different mental angle for Mustang, but no worries, I promise it's not going to drastically alter his character.

Thanks for still reading and being supportive!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my fics and love for writing

Chapter 1: A New Start

A relieved sigh escaped the mouth of the blonde that had just finished moving her final set of boxes into the, small, one bedroom apartment. She wiped some swear from her brow and looked around the empty living quarters, her blues eyes taking in what she could finally say was hers. This moment felt like it had taken forever to get here, but it finally was and it felt as worth the work as she thought it would.

When Winry had decided to leave Risembool on that fateful day, Ed and Al had decided that she would stay in their dorm. They were never there most of the time anyway and the place was going to waste. So, for the past 2 years, Winry had been living on the military base. She had to be careful walking around because technically, not too many people were allowed to know that she was even there.

"Where do you want the furniture?"

Coming from her thought, she turned to see Hughes and Havok struggling with her couch. The two of them, along with Breda and Armstrong had decided to help her move. She had only asked Hughes who brought the other too. Armstrong found out and simply insisted that they needed his muscles and went on to explain how moving furniture was has been passed down in his family for generations.

"You can just set it in here. I'll arrange everything how I want to later." she instructed them.

They set the piece of furniture down and moved out of the way as Armstrong entered carrying almost the rest of the moving truck. Less work for us, Havok thought. Hughes whistled as he took this time to look around.

"This place is pretty nice. Heard you got a great deal on it," he complimented.

"Sure did."

Winry had been working at a bakery ever since she moved into Central. One of Ed's friends, a girl named Amaya, family owned it and was more than willing to help out. The bakery was pretty popular and she made a descent amount of money there. After saving and saving, she was lucky to find a building with a shop attached to the bottom. It was vacant and the owner was dying to get it off his hands. He was willing to set up a rent-to-own contract with her and eventually, she would be the owner of the building and shop. This was perfect, meaning that she would finally be able to open her automail shop.

"I can't wait until everything is set and ready. I hope I get a lot of customers."

Hughes smiled, noticing the look of pure determination and optimism in the girl's eyes. That hadn't been what he seen when the Elric brothers first arrived with her. She had been broken and defeated. Her eyes were lifeless to a degree. Seeing her like that, he had first been skeptical when she talked of a new start and moving on. But now, her strength even amazed him.

Winry had come to central and been next to no trouble at all. She knew that they were looking out for her, so she made things simple, stayed out of danger, and never asked for much. She got a job and mostly supported herself with little help from Ed so that Mustang would have nothing to say about their financial situation. She had worked so hard for all of this.

"Is there anything else you need help with Ms. Winry?" Armstrong asked.

"Oh no, I can take everything from here. Thank you all." She didn't want to impose.

"Well, we only had so much time anyway. We have to get back to work." Havok said and waved as he left out the door.

"Yea. See ya later girlie," Breda added and followed.

Hughes looked her over. "Are you sure you're ok?"

Winry smiled. She knew that he was not asking about the move. Hughes had always been keener to people's true feeling other than what they chose to show at the moment.

"Yes. I'm better than fine actually. This is what I've worked and came here for. Things are finally coming full circle you know."

"Yea…Don't be afraid to call if you need anything."

"I won't. Amaya is coming over to help."

Winry watched as the last of her guest exited the apartment and closed the door behind them. She was left, alone in the empty building and wondering what would be her next move. Here she was, after everything that happened, she was finally working towards her own happiness and not worrying about anyone else.

A smile touched her lips and picked up the box closest to her and started unpacking. These things weren't going to organize themselves. The box read fragile. Inside were glass plates and cups that Gracia had gotten for her as a present. She took them out and put them in the cabinet.

Grabbing another box, she opened it and found it full of books. They were novels and other readings, some mechanical books and others not. Deciding to put it in her room, she carried the box and placed it on the inside, by the door, promising to separate things properly later.

Winry left her room, but not without admiring it first. Hughes had taken it upon himself to help out there. He made sure that she had a full-sized bed and black furniture, all of which looked very expensive. Her walls were tan and her carpet another dark color that complimented the curtains that hung in long black silk. Winry wasn't sure how Hughes managed to afford to do all of this, but she appreciated it. She even appreciated the framed picture of Elysia he had made sure to leave.

She walked back into the main room and was about to dig into another box when there was a knock at the door. Already knowing who it was, she opened to the smiling girl that was standing on the other side.

"About time you got here. You're late." Winry said as Amaya entered her home.

This girl giggled. "Oh I'm not late. I got here just in time for the actual moving part to be over."

Winry rolled her eyes at her friend. . Amaya was a pretty girl; small frame with auburn hair that was kept in a messy ponytail with strands framing her face. She had large brown eyes that sparkled with innocence, something Winry knew she had been lacking for a long time. They had gotten closer when she started working at the bakery with her and had since then become like sisters.

"This is place is so awesome. I'm so happy for you." she said excitement clear on her face. "I now have a place where I can come and hang and not worry about my mom in my business."

Winry scoffed. She meant more that she now had a place to come and bring all of her guys and not worry about her mom stopping her. Amaya was very popular with men and they came by to take her out often. Though, her mother would often ward them off if she could. While Winry was now 18, Amaya was only 16 and her mom never let her forget that. There were a few that would come and attempt to ask Winry out, but she would turn them down, ignoring Amaya's constant rant about how she needed a man or at least some sex.

"You're not bringing your boyfriends here." Winry said.

"Oh come on!" the girl whined.

They soon fell into a steady rhythm of talking, laughing, and unpacking. Having the extra help seemed to make things go much faster than Winry thought. It was still only a little after noon when it seemed like they would be finishing up with arranging the furniture, which was all there was left to do.

"You are the only person who has the military at your disposal and doesn't use them."

Amaya complained as she lifted the other side of the chair to put in into place. She thought she had waited long enough to avoid any of the heavy lifting.

"Just keep moving." Winry ordered until they were finally in the spot where she wanted it and set the furniture down.

There! Now everything was finally finished. Looking around, it looked like a home, not an empty space like earlier. This was it. This was her new home, her new beginning, and her new life. Everything would officially start after this moment.

"This is it Amaya. This is the beginning of the new me." she announced, hands on her hips.

Amaya slumped on the couch. "Does the new you involve sex?"

"Is that all you think about?"

"No…I think about dating and stuff. The sex is just the best way to end it."

Winry rolled her eyes and sat down in the chair they had just been moving. "Why is my sex life so interesting to you?"

Amaya sat with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, hunched over. "It IS interesting. You're a VIRGIN!"

Winry's cheeks flamed. "What does that have to do with anything?"

It wasn't uncommon for a girl her age to still be a virgin, well, not where she was from. There was just more modesty and a lot of the girls waited until marriage. Besides, sex was not some magical event that was going to kick start her new life. It was just sex.

"You talk about change and starting new…Some people welcome a new chapter by cutting hair and I think that you should by giving up the V-card."

Winry could not believe that she was talking about this with someone younger than she was. It was inappropriate, but mostly just sad on her part. When had sex become so open to people? Maybe it always had been and she was just sheltered from it growing up in her small town. She had always been taught that your virginity was special, but it seemed like here, it didn't matter who you laid with.

"I can even understand you not wanting a boyfriend." Amaya continued. "They can be so annoying…You could just have a friend with benefits."

Winry looked up. That was the first time she had heard a term like that used. She had friends, so what was the benefit part?

"What does that mean?"

Amaya smirked, glad that something she said seemed to at least catch the girls' interest.

"So glad you asked."

*****^w^*****

Havok and Breda were just arriving back at headquarters and making their way to Mustang's office to inform him of their return.

"I can't believe we got swindled into moving today. Breda said. When Hughes had asked for their assistance, he had said that it was for something important.

"Yea...But it wasn't that bad. I didn't mind helping Winry." Havok added with a smirk.

Breda sighed. He knew that look and Havok had set his eyes on yet another female. And this was the worst choice he could have ever thought of.

"Back off. That's Fullmetal's."

"Oh come on. We don't know that for sure."

They had never seen Ed talk or interact over fondly with Winry since she's been here. He didn't come back to visit more or anything. They got her here, stuck around, and then went back to their own mission. Sure, she asked about them a lot, but any friend would be worried about their friends knowing what they after and how dangerous. Her worry didn't have to mean there was more to it.

The two of them stopped in front of Mustang's door and knocked, waiting for the permission to enter. Roy was, as usual working his way through a pile of paperwork and looked up from it when they entered, annoyed.

"What took you two so long? What was so important?"

"Well," Havok started, a little sheepish. "We were helping the Rockbell girl move furniture into her new apartment."

Roy stared, the vain in his head very noticeable. He would not have loaned his men out to Hughes if he had known it was for this. They were not professional movers or butlers to Fullmetal's girl and would not be treated as such. Sure, she had stayed pretty much under the radar since she got there, which he preferred, but that did not mean her presence was unnoticed. And he did not want his men feeding into this.

"Next time Hughes wants something stupid, just come back." he ordered, deciding against making a big deal out of the situation to them. It wasn't their fault.

"Yes sir!" both men said and saluted and then left the room.

Mustang went back to his work, mentally fuming over the situation. He didn't like the fact that he had to be so close, basically in the same city, as Winry Rockbell, the daughter of the doctors he shot and killed. Seeing her was a reminder of his sins; she looking so much like her mother. He had nothing personally against the girl, but he did not want interact with her either.

"Is something bothering you sir?" Riza had noticed the change in his demeanor. He was working slower than usual and seemed to get a little lost in thought at points.

Roy sighed and leaned back in his chair. He couldn't even act like he wasn't bothered. Why did just hearing her name bother him so much? He felt anxious, like he was hiding from something and every time she was brought up, it would get closer. He just really did not want to hear anything about this girl for as long as he could.

"HEY THERE ROY HOW ARE YOU!"

And then hell decided he needed more. "What do you want?" was his annoyed reply, trying to appear busy again.

"Just stopping through to check on you and see how things were." Hughes said.

"I'm fine…And while you're here, never ask for my men again…ever."

"Weren't you the one who said your men were at my disposal," Hughes reminded him.

Roy groaned. He remembered that night at the bar. "That was two years ago. Things change," was his reply.

"…Fine."

Hughes went to sit on the couch and leaned back. "So they told? What did you expect? Would you have lent them if you knew what I needed them for?"

He didn't need to answer. He understood the apprehension his friend had to the girl and why he preferred to stay away from her. He didn't blame him for it either. Ever since Winry arrived he had been trying his best to make sure that any of her problems went through him and stopped at him, not wanting to bother Roy with the girl. This was probably the 5th time in 2 years that anything dealing with her had come to his knowledge.

Roy put his pen down again. "Leave us." was his order to Riza who exited the room, closing the door behind her.

"We're dogs of the military Maes; not of Fullmetal's little girlfriend." He didn't want to add in the fact that he personally preferred to not have too much interaction with her.

Hughes thought for a second. "You have to get past this. You two live in the same city for god's sake. You're bound to run into her on the street at one point." He really hoped that Mustang didn't seriously think that he could out run a person in such close proximity.

"Roy scoffed."I am well aware of that! I'm not running. I just don't see the need to instigate the inevitable sooner than necessary." He'd made it this far without running into her after all.

Roy had never spoken with the girl to see how she felt regarding him and her parent's death. Was she mad at him? Of course, she had to be. Who wouldn't? Did she hate him or was he just over thinking everything? He hated himself for it, so why wouldn't she?

"I guess that makes as much sense as anything," Hughes said, not wanting to linger on this conversation. He personally couldn't imagine how any prolonged interaction between the two of them would go.

Roy put his things away and stood from his desk. He needed some fresh air now. This was more thinking than he was willing to do on this particular subject and it needed to end. "I'm leaving for the night. Inform Hawkeye for me." was his simple request as he walked from his office.

Maes watched the man, his best friend, leave and sighed. He knew that one of the main things that had been haunting him for years, was the murder of the two doctors. To have their daughter in such close proximity had to be unnerving for him.

No one had ever asked Winry how she felt about Mustang either. They were all aware that she knew what had transpired, but no one had ever brought it up with her to confirm. Also, she never asked about Roy or what he was up to. When all of them were together, she never questioned his absence; not once. Maybe there was some rocky water under the surface there and maybe Roy was right to keep his distance. Maes just wasn't sure.

All done with the update! This chapter wasn't too off course, so I only altered a few conversations to give meaning to the other changes I'm going to make in later chapters. Again, thank you all for standing by me and keep reading and reviewing please!

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