Understatement of the Century

III.

Ed shot Winry an angry glare. He stood up, excited about meeting this person. The figure stepped into the doorway, leaving Ed dumb-struck. Al looked almost captivated and Winry merely shook her head in amusement, a soft grin playing on her lips.

"Oh, who's your guests, Winry?"

"A…girl?" Ed murmured beneath his breath.

Yes, a female it was. A woman that seemed to describe all women in their real form, the one that just walked in the door radiated purity. Her bronze-chestnut hair was so far down her back, it seemed she had been growing it for quite some time. Her emerald green eyes sparkled with curiosity, though they looked almost naturally sad. She wore a simple blue house dress that came down to her shins. The size of it actually made her seem even smaller at her short height of about five foot three.

"You look familiar," she stated to Ed, her voice soft and angelic, the corners of her lips only lifting a tiny bit.

"This is—," Winry began before being cut off.

"Edward! You must be the famous Edward Elric, the Full Metal Alchemist, right?" the woman asked, clasping her hands together in front of her shyly. She saw the look of surprise on his face and laughed shortly, "Winry talks about you all the time."

Winry's eyes grew larger, embarrassed that she said such a thing in front of him. Looking at the girl, she nudged her head toward Ed, silently telling her to not say too much in front of him.

The woman got the hint, lightly pressing two fingers to her lips, "I'm sorry. It's just that Winry has this picture of you and…your brother, Al was it? Winry never explained the picture to me of why he was in a suit of armor, but…I don't ask anything that's not my business."

"I'm Al…actually," Al spoke up quickly, a light blush creeping onto his cheeks from his sudden outburst. The red deepened when the girl turned to him, flashing what seemed to be her small, trademark smile.

"Al. Wow, you're taller than what I thought you would be."

As Al scratched the back of his head nervously, Winry slapped her hand over Ed's mouth to keep him from saying anything stupid.

"Heh, yeah. A lot of people tell me that," Al said, looking down at Xendra playing with the teddy bear.

The woman looked down also, her smile actually widening, "I see you've met my daughter, Al. I'm surprised she isn't crying right now. Usually when strange people come near her she starts wailing up a storm." She kneeled down to touch some of the baby's hair, "Don't you Xenny? You just don't like new people."

She reached out and picked up the infant, poking her gently on the nose, "But you like Al, don't you?"

"Ah, so you're the mother," Ed spoke up, pushing Winry away from him. He put his fists on his hips and glanced arrogantly at his childhood friend, "Thought you could trick me, huh?"

Winry rolled her eyes, "I did trick you."

Choosing to ignore that, Ed turned to the new woman, "So Winry makes some extra cash on the side by baby-sitting. Interesting. How many have you baby-sat at once, Winry? Ever make it to twenty?"

"What are you talking about, Ed?" Winry clenched her fist and punched him in the back of his head, "Xendra's the only one I baby-sit. That is, on the few occasions Vanna does leave her here with me."

"I can see why she would choose not to," Ed insulted, showing her his smug face.

"What are you saying?" Winry got in his face, her eyebrows narrowed into a scowl, "That I'm irresponsible?"

Not being intimidated, he mimicked her glare, "You took the words right out of my mouth!"

As they began their useless argument, Vanna turned away and gave Al a questioning look.

"They always do that…" Al revealed with some shame, embarrassed for his brother and Winry.

Instead of looking shocked, Vanna appeared amused. Though her eyes kept their sad hint, something flashed across her face that could almost be called joyous. She turned back to Winry and Ed, seeming to enjoy their bickering, "You know, they say that fitful love is the best kind there is. There will always be something exciting to keep the relationship going."

Al laughed and stepped up beside her. Winry had just smacked Ed to the floor and Ed pulled her down with him, "I guess for them that's true. I don't think they'd be able to survive a day together without fighting, as strange as that sounds."

Vanna didn't answer, but instead bounced Xendra softly on her hip.

Not wanting to feel awkward, Al continued, "I don't know if their kind of relationship would be right for me, however."

On this, Vanna turned toward him, almost surprised that he wanted to have a conversation with her. Al saw this look and cocked his head to the side. He wondered why she seemed so withdrawn. He regretted thinking that quickly. He just met the girl and already he was judging her. But there was just something about her…Al couldn't exactly put his finger on it, but he wanted to get to know her more.

"Why do you say that?" Vanna finally asked, her voice becoming much softer. It appeared like she was sinking into a shell, her eyes becoming less welcoming and her words becoming unsure.

Al smiled, hoping to not scare her away, "I'm not as loud mouthed as my brother. I would rather sit and have a nice long conversation about anything and everything." He stopped before deciding to continue, "I like to sit by slow moving water in the spring and summer. You can never get that hot beside a spring or river, no matter how high the temperature is. In the winter, I like to sit in front of a fire and look outside at the falling snow."

Vanna blinked twice at his confession, having to wonder why he was telling her all this. However, she couldn't deny that she was enjoying his shared words.

Her smile returned, "What about in the autumn?"

Al grinned and held his hands behind his back as he rocked on the balls of his feet, "In the fall, I like to play in the leaves."

Upon hearing this, Vanna laughed. It sounded so light and pure that Al couldn't help but be hypnotized. He wasn't positive, but he thought that this was the first time she actually laughed in a long, long time. The noise sounded as though it had been trapped within her for some time and was finally able to make an escape.

Winry and Ed also heard her and stopped arguing, not that they really knew what they were arguing about anymore. They had been starting to crack with their own smiles and chuckles, but their attention was turned to Al and Vanna.

Stepping forward, Winry grinned, "So that's what your laugh sounds like, Vanna." She turned to Al and shook her head in mock exaggeration, "Amazing, Al. Getting her to laugh is like trying to get a mime to speak. You have a gift there."

Al blushed again and looked away, "I was unaware that I was doing anything."

"Suuure, Al, whatever you say," Ed said, coming up beside him and nudging him in the ribs, "You know you wanted to get on her good side."

Al's eyebrows narrowed, "I certainly didn't want to get on her bad side."

Vanna let out a final giggle, but her eyes still held their amusement, "No Al, you're a very sweet guy. You're girlfriend must be very lucky."

"I don't have a girlfriend," Al said, almost a little too quickly. Ed and Winry shot him a strange glance, having to wonder why it mattered that much. Al seemed just a little too anxious and eager for his own good and they both noticed.

"Oh…" Vanna started, worry and fear taking over her emerald orbs. All four—also including Xendra—became silent before Vanna began walking out of the room, "I think this little one needs changing and then something to eat."

"I just fed her not too long ago," Winry called after her.

Vanna stopped, not turning around, "Then she's probably getting sleepy. I'll lay her down for a nap," and with that, she walked up the stairs.

After she disappeared from sight, Ed turned back to Winry, an eyebrow raised, "What was that about?"

Winry's eyes saddened and she shook her head, "Vanna's been through some tough times in the last three years that I've known her. She has that psychological disease where she thinks everyone she gets close to dies."

"How sad…" Ed commented, feeling bad instantly. Truthfully, he knew how she felt. He went though that stage in his life also. He couldn't deny that that was one of the reasons he never got as close to Winry as he wanted to. Looking over at Al, Ed was surprised to see that Al was still staring in the direction that Vanna left. He could tell that his younger brother felt bad for her also, but there was something more apparent in his expression: determination.

The next couple days went by basically uneventfully. Ed and Al began getting settled in again, as more and more of them were added to the home. They were able to meet a few people around the area when they came for Winry's automail business. Ed sometimes liked to hang around and watch her work, always hiding a smile as she talked on and on about her obsession. Al tried to get closer to Vanna, even after being told by Winry to not come on so strongly.

That's not how he viewed it, though. Al knew he wanted to get to know her better, but he also knew how much space to give her. He couldn't help but feel like he was learning how to be a psychiatrist with Vanna. He had to expect more disappointments than achievements. He was skating on thin ice around her, scared that if he said one little thing wrong, it would scare her away and he would have to start all over again.

"Would you like to talk?" Al asked. This was the question he would always ask her when he saw her sitting by herself or with Xendra, staring off into space.

She snapped out of her daydream like she always did and turned to him. She was sitting down by the river, her daughter asleep on a little blanket beside her. Smiling softly, she averted her eyes back to the water. It was hard for her to look at him too long, in fear that she would one day agree to talk and say too much.

"Actually…" she began, gazing at him out of the corner of her eye. He had each of his four fingers in his pants pockets, the wind blowing his short bangs to and fro. She looked away, "I was just getting ready to go to the store to pick up some things for dinner."

It didn't take Al and Ed long to figure out that Vanna was living with Winry in a guest bedroom. All they knew about the situation, however, is that Vanna was unable to afford living in her own home and had to look elsewhere for a place to live. Luckily for her, she met Winry who allowed her to live with her for free; that is, as long as she pulled her own weight around the house every now and then.

"I'll go with you," Al responded, walking forward when she stood up. She kneeled down to pick up the sleeping baby, but Al beat her to it. He smiled when Xendra made a light cooing sound in her sleep, but didn't wake up. Vanna picked up the pink blanket, grasping it tightly against her bosom.

"You don't have to, Al," she told him, avoiding his eyes as she reached out for Xendra.

Al backed away so she couldn't grab her, "Who said anything about having to? I want to…that way, carrying Xenny won't be a hassle."

Her eyes narrowed slightly, "She's no hassle at all. I like showing her off." She couldn't help but think of that as a lame excuse, but she really wanted to get her shopping done, although she wasn't planning on doing it until Al came along.

"Well…I want to show her off, also," Al shot back with a grin, switching Xendra to his other arm before his muscles went numb.

Vanna's eyes finally shot up to his, surprise quite apparent in her features. She hated how he always had something to counter her excuses. She also hated the way he talked to her and Xendra. It was too…adoring. She didn't know why Al wanted to be around them so much and she didn't know why she didn't allow him even though she really did enjoy his company.

"No thanks, Al, but I can go by myself," she stated bluntly, though softly, trying not to sound cruel. She closed the gap between them as she pulled her daughter from his grasp, accidentally waking her up. Vanna cringed when Xendra began crying, quickly wrapping the blanket around her while trying to shush her.

"Vanna…" he tried to reason with her, but stopped when she turned her back toward him.

"Go see what Winry and Ed's up to," she told him, beginning to walk up the small hill, "I'm sure they'll do something with you."

Al didn't try to stop her this time, but instead stuck his hands back in his pockets and watched her walk away, looking as though she were fleeing from him. His eyes brightened when she turned around to look back at him, but sighed when she continued walking and disappeared over the hill.

He turned around himself to stare at the small stream she had been looking at. What's it going to take to get through to her? He wondered, crossing his legs when he sat down on the grass.

Back at the Rockbell residence, Winry and Ed were in her workroom. She was at her work table, inspecting a piece of metal closely as she tightened a screw. Ed was sitting on a chair not too far from her, looking through one of his many alchemy books. They were both silent, but it was a comfortable silence. They were both involved in something they each enjoyed without getting in each other's way.

After a few moments, Winry looked up, wiping the back of her hand across her forehead. It left an oil stain, but of course, she didn't notice. She moved her eyes over to Ed, smiling when she saw how intense he looked.

"Learning anything new?" she asked, setting down her wrench and picking up a towel to clean her hands.

Ed's eyes wandered up to her, his finger getting ready to turn to the next page, "No, not really. I've read this book about ten times before."

"And yet you're still getting into it," Winry remarked, pulling up a chair and sitting backwards, her legs straddling the back of it.

Chuckling, Ed snapped the book shut, "You've been making and fixing the same things for how long and you're still getting into it."

"Uh-uh-uh," she shook her pointer finger back and forth as though she were reprimanding a child who didn't know any better, "Making and fixing is much different from reading. Every mechanical thing has variation, but words in a book never change."

Ed leaned forward, acting like he had a secret, "Or maybe…they do."

Winry raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to crack a smile or laugh teasingly. However, he looked so serious that she couldn't help but look curious, "Is that even possible?"

"Anything's possible," Ed said, sounding wise beyond his years.

Before she could respond, Al walked in, his eyes saying much more than words ever could. He stood in the doorway, looking like a little kid that was forbidden to eat candy.

"What happened now, Al?" Ed asked, setting his book down on a table.

"Nothing really…" was all he would say, leaning against the doorway, "I was wondering if you would like to spar for awhile."

"Spar?" Ed asked, surprised that Al would come up with the suggestion. They hadn't played around with their strength for sometime; not ever since Al got his body back. Ed couldn't help but smirk just thinking about it. He stood up quickly and clenched his fists, becoming excited, "That's a great idea, Al. Let's see if you're as strong out of that armor."

Winry sighed and backed away from the chair, holding her head in her hand, "You guys still going at that?"

"Hey, this should be a great match!" Ed defended, his eyes sparkling with exhilaration.

Ed ran out of the room, followed by Al. Winry stood there shaking her head, but ended up following after them anyway. Their friendly fights were sometimes amusing to witness, especially when Al was beating Ed pretty badly. It was one of the few times Winry could see Ed get beat up without him getting overly upset.

Once outside in the front yard, Ed slipped off his jacket, spinning his real arm around to loosen it up, "Are you ready, Al? 'Cause you know, I might have a bigger advantage over you now. You're all skin and bones but me…" he laughed with mock evil, holding up his metal arm.

Al chuckled with him, not bothering to show off his muscles. When he got into his fighting position, with both fists in front of him, Ed mimicked him.

"I'll be the beautiful girl that marks the beginning of the event," Winry said, smiling as she stepped up between them. She shot Ed a glare when she saw him roll his eyes. Clearing her throat, she raised her right arm high above her. "Ready…" she watched the guys lower their stances, "set…" they got ready to pounce, "GO!" She lowered her arm and jumped back when the brother's went at each other instantly.

Al threw a punch, but Ed ducked and swept his leg around to trip Al. Thinking fast, Al jumped to avoid falling, spinning around to kick his leg at Ed's neck. He cocked his head to the side, raising his automail arm to block it. Having his leg practically slammed against metal, Al winced and back flipped away. He knelt down to rub his ankle.

"Heh, I never realized how much that stung," Al commented, standing back up to hop on his foot to get the feeling back.

Ed smirked and ran at him before Al could fully recover. He saw that Al was ready for him and pulled his arm back, acting like he was ready to punch. He changed positions at the last second, however, and flipped forward, catching himself on his hands. He was facing away from Al, but was able to wrap his ankles around his neck. Al was so surprised by his older brother's actions, that he didn't counteract.

After getting his bearings, Ed tensed his leg muscles and pulled forward, sending Al head over heels to land on his back. Ed had no choice but to go with him, his legs on either side of Al's body.

Laughing, Ed stared down at him victoriously, "Ha! Not to easy to beat me now that you're whole body can't cover me."

Al let out a breath and grinned, popping his eyes open, "Who says my whole body still can't cover you?"

Ed got the underlying meaning, his eyes flaring up, "Who are you calling a blanket that can't even cover a pebble!"

Choosing not to laugh but instead take advantage of the situation, Al wrapped his large hands around Ed's ankles and pulled forward. It sent Ed flying backward, landing roughly in between Al's legs before Al stood himself up, backing up to make distance.

Groaning lowly, Ed raised his arms and pressed his palms flat against the ground. He pushed himself to get back on his feet, rubbing the back of his head, "Damn Al…I think you just gave me a concussion."

"I know what you mean," Al said, rubbing the back of his own head.

"Wow…you guys are pretty good," Winry admitted, placing a hand on her hip, "So it's a tie?"

"No way!" Ed yelled, taking off his skin tight shirt and throwing it to the side, "We're just getting started, right Al?"

Instead of responding, Al took off his own tee shirt and got into his fighting stance again.

"What do you say we use alchemy now?" Ed asked, stepping closer, "Let's see how good you got in that area of battle."

Al nodded, unclenching his fists, "Sure!"

"Uh, guys…?" Winry spoke up again, holding her elbow, "I don't know if you should do that here and now."

They both turned toward her, "Why?"

"Just don't do it, okay? Use your brute strength," she joked, grinning. She was hoping to get them to continue their fighting the way they were. She smiled more when she saw that they were considering it. Her smile faded quickly, however, when Ed turned away from her and clapped his hands together. He then pointed his open palms toward Al's feet. A spark emitted from the action, scorching a small patch of grass.

Al jumped back out of instinct, "Hey Ed, that wasn't fair. Winry told us not to use alchemy."

"Listen to him, Edo! If you want to use it, go somewhere else," Winry screamed, walking quickly toward them to put an end to Ed's childish ways.

"Aw, come on. It's not like we're going to destroy everything in sight," Ed defended. Winry stopped and put on a warning glare. To show her that he was just as stubborn and determined to do what he wanted, Ed positioned his arms as though he was getting ready to clap his hands again.

"Ed, stop it!" Winry advised, shaking her head.

Al saw how serious she looked. He wasn't sure why she looked so set on stopping them from using their magic, but that something was obviously important, "Brother, it's okay. We can use alchemy some other time."

"What's the big deal? Are you scared of alchemy again, Winry?" Ed chuckled and clapped his hands to make another small electric spark to point it at the ground near Al, "It's harmle—."

"Oh my god."

All three of them heard the exclamation, making them turn around. Vanna was there, holding Xendra closely against her chest, hiding the young girl's face. The bag that held the things she purchased at the store was dangling from her arm. Her now dark green eyes were wide with fear, her body seeming like it was stiff as stone.

"Vanna," Al murmured, almost too scared to move toward her. Before anyone could do anything else, Vanna rushed into the house, the door slamming behind her. Al became speechless.

"What…happened?" Ed asked, though guilt was already written in his eyes.

Winry glared at him for a long moment before shaking her head and walking toward the house herself, "You're an idiot sometimes, Ed."

Sorry for taking so long to update. Thanks for all your reviews though!

I decided to do something different with this story than I originally planned. I usually don't make lead characters that are my own, but I thought I'd make an exception for this story. I like Al a lot and didn't want to leave him out. Thus, Vanna. So, I hope you guys like her, because there might be just as much Al and Vanna as Ed and Winry. Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you!