Saturn Stars – Ah, yes. Please do forgive my slowness. School and life come first, sadly. Thanks for the review, though:) Yes, poor Winry… and Ed's just being his normal clueless self when it comes to girls. Hehehe. But he is indeed adorable. How can one not simple LOVE Ed? Anyway, so sorry this chapter made you sad and that I made it worse by taking so long! I'll try to get chapter 7 up sooner!
Hellokitty-4-ever – No problem. I understand bout the schoolwork and stuff, trust me. Glad you're loving the story so much! Thanks for the R&R!
Mag – Thanks, I will certainly continue! Ah, so you don't understand how Ed got there, huh? Sorry, it's just a pain to explain… see the end of FMA and you'll understand. ;)
D – Dohohoho! 'When' indeed. But honestly I think the REAL question is 'if'. Thanks for reviewing!
Hiei44 - Laughs Halirious and oh so true! Glad you enjoyed the fluff on the rooftop! Thanks for the R&R!
Nyago – Bwhahaha! Yes, that's Envy dancing around as Winry's stepfather. And indeed, Ed is in a real jam with his feelings. Here's hoping he works them out! Thanks for the R&R!
Sorrow'sRaven – Yay! You agree. :) Thanks for reading!
Marie – That he is. Hope he makes up his mind soon, else angry fans will mob him. Thanks for reading!
Kistune no Youaki – I assure you, you will. ;) Thanks for the review!
Aoshi – Yes, again I understand with school. Ugh, you wouldn't believe how busy I've been. Anyway, glad you think this is a good story! Hehehe… yes, seems a lot of people are cheering for the Winry waiting for Ed at home. Thanks for the R&R!
lollipop01 - Laughs As do I, my dear. As do I. Thanks for the lovely comments and please don't commit suicide! Look, new chapter!
Kristina Chang – Yup, Germany the setting shall be. Thanks for the compliments and I will indeed have fun:)
Xaki – For your first point: Indeed, this Winry is much more straightforward and open about her feelings than the Winry at home. But that was my image of her from the start, a Winry who is very much the same and yet extremely different. So I decided to not only tweak her looks, but her personality as well. Sorry you don't like her! For your second point: Thanks! That's what I was aiming for. A angsty drama romance with a twist… or something. Did I pull it off? sweatdrop For your third point: Hmm… yes, I suppose it would seem cheap, but not entirely. Ed is very lonely and left with only a fading memory of his old life. And now he has a chance to love the girl in his memory, no matter how different they really are. To Ed's lonely heart and mind, it makes sense. Please, don't worry. You didn't offend me at ALL. :) I must admit, I enjoy the honest feedback. While you don't agree with everything I'm doing, you aren't one of those idiots to flame me with bad grammer for it. You just calmly discussed it and I respect you for that. But this seems to be a good debate, so I hope you don't mind that another reviewer wanted to share his/her thoughts on your thoughts and asked me to post it on my next chapter. Here ya go:
Hey I'm not some desperate idiot, but I may aswell ask, can you please update? Anyway this is not what I came to talk about. Since I am a natrual debater by birth I would like to reply to the person who rekons it would be 'cheap' if Ed fell in love with your created Winry.
Number one: I love Ed and Winry THE REAL but! That does not mean Ed should not fall in love with this Winry (Come on be realistic) because she is awesome and obviously cares about him
Number Two: Yes this Winry is staight foward, but the story wouldn't move anywhere if she wasn't, I mean Ed and the Real Winry hadn't progressed at all from 'Two people hiding their feelings' at all in the series, and they had 16 freaking years, i think that this should be a little faster than that. Number Three: It was nothing too straightforward anyway, she did kiss him But she had a logical explanation... well sorta and she asked him to a party, so what? Who else would she take? Even if she only loved Ed as a friend she would ask him! Number Four: If you like the oringal couple go read boring fics such as mine that all consist of the same thing (Ed returning to Winry) This story is original with a different plot and if you read it then just accept it. Number five: You expect Ed to not fall in love with this Winry when he is all alone and may never return to his world? thats selfish! Of course Ed is going to fall in love sooner or later he can't mourn over Winry forever Number Six: Personally i don't care if he falls in love with Tiger's created Winry or returns to the oringal, because either way it's realistic. It's realistic for him to fall in love with this Winry, and Realistic to wait to return home, but only for so long. What is not realistic is Ed being alone his whole life in germany. So whatever Tiger decides is fine, and I don't think readers should pressure authors into doing something "we" want them to do, it's tiger's story, not ours Number 7: I realise you were just expressing your oppinion, and so am I. Lets all get along and praise the Ed Winry, no matter what Ed decides he is a grown man he can decide what he wants to do. WE CANT! Thankyou for your time peoples
Saturn Stars
Tiger can I just ask you a favour and ask you to post this review in your next chapter? Tell the people that your were forced to, but I jsut want people to read this before they read your next chapter, because readers need to realise it's your story, and we should trust you more with your descisions. Please let my oppinion be heard, and the only way is for you to post this in your next chapter. Thankyou very much, I hope you understand. (I'm not forcing, if you dont want to then don't)
heart of flame – Yes, poor miserable Edward. How I love to torture that bishie! Hehehe… thanks for reading!
SxStrngSamurai13 – Gotta love the plot twists, ne? ;) Thanks for the lovely comments and wait no longer for that answer!
All of my life I was in hiding.
Wishing there was someone just like you.
Now that you're here, now that I've found you,
I know that you're the one to pull me through.
Deliver me,
Oh deliver me.
Won't you deliver me.
"Deliver Me" By: Sarah Brightman
Winter in Germany
waltz for the moon
Al leaned against the door frame of Edward's room, arms crossed over his chest and lips twisted into an amused smirk as he watched Ed examine himself in a body-length mirror. Both were dressed in fine, expensive suits. It was a rare treat to have clothing that was considered only for the rich men.
"I look like a goddamn butler," Ed said in true horror, giving his reflection a blank stare.
Al laughed. "Nah, you just look like Ed in a suit. You didn't even change your hairstyle. If you really wanna look like a butler, you'd cut it. Maybe shave the top to give you the 'old man' look."
"Oh, you're hilarious," Ed growled dryly, glaring at Al through the mirror.
Al grinned innocent and held up his hands. "You're the one stressing out about your looks like a fifteen year old girl. Relax, would ya?"
"I am relaxed!" Ed insisted, turning away from the mirror to face Al. "I just... don't like parties of this magnitude."
"Too many people?"
"Too many rich people."
"Ah," Al chuckled, straightening from his lean against the door frame and dropping his hands to his pockets. "They're not as bad as you think. Winry's rich, after all."
"Yeah..."
Al frowned as Ed glanced toward the window, watching the sun sink. It had only been three nights ago that Winry had stormed from the house in a fit. Al didn't have a chance to stop her and when he went to Ed to find out what had happened, he was blatantly shrugged off and locked from the room. Apparently things had worked themselves out, considering Ed was now Winry's escort to the party. Then again, knowing Ed, he might just be doing this to be a nice guy.
"Everything's all right now... right?" Al asked slowly, careful not to wander into a touchy subject.
Ed blinked and turned to Al, confused. "Huh?"
"With you and Winry, I mean."
"Oh... yeah, sure. We're on good terms now. I think."
Al sighed. "You think?"
"Well, you know... women." Ed shrugged helplessly and grinned at him.
Al shook his head and threw his hands in the air. "I give up. You're either the smartest guy when it comes to women... or the stupidest."
Ed laughed and gave his partner a thumbs up.
"Anyway, I'm leaving now with Hohenheim. Winry will be here soon," Al said, placing his hands back in his pockets. "I still don't think you should have made her come here."
"I didn't," Ed protested, turning back to the mirror to fix his tie. "She insisted. And I'll be damned if I don't let her have her way. The girl can hit."
Al chuckled and waved. "Good luck." And with that, Al was out the door.
Ed paused and listened as Al and Hohenheim left. The door squeaked before falling softly shut. He then let a heavy sigh escape his lips and ran a gloved hand through his bangs. He paused before bringing the said hand in front of him. He stared at the white glove, as if contemplating something. He then shook his head.
Crazy thoughts. She'd never understand. It's bad enough that Al found out.
Now there was a long period of nothing, during which the sun went down, the lamps were lit and the night sky became a velvet dress with twinkling diamonds sewn on it. Ed paced his room. He found that he was unable to concentrate on anything long enough to keep himself entertained. He tried reading, working and even staring at the wall. Whether he was nervous about having to be crammed into a small place with a lot of people or nervous about taking Winry, he wasn't sure.
Just when he thought he'd have to break something and then attempt to fix it to amuse himself, a knock came to the door. Ed nearly fell down the stairs in his mad rush to the door. When he reached it he swung it open as if he planned to bolt.
"You're finally..." He trailed off.
Winry stood before him, dressed up more than he had ever seen her before. She had let her hair down (it was the first he had seen her with her hair down) The darker blonde locks reached her waist and strands had been braided into a crown around her head. Two longer strands fell past her face, hiding her ears. Yet her diamond earrings hanging from the lobs were still clearly visible and they reflected even the tiniest bit of light. Her lips were painted cherry red and the rest of her face was touched up with more make-up that Ed couldn't specifically point out. She wore a white dress with ruffled sleeves that draped over her shoulders. The dress hugged her curves nicely and flowed out into several layers until it fluttered out on the ground, longer in the back. A diamond necklace decorated her neck and a shaw was draped delicately over her bare shoulders.
And all Ed could do was stare stupidly. Winry blushed at his intense gaze and a nervous smile came to her lips.
"Are you going to just stare or are we going?" She chuckled, shifting a bit on her feet.
"Wait... hold on, a few more seconds and my brain will form an intelligent sentence," Ed replied.
Winry laughed and grabbed his arm, tugging him out the door. "Oh, cut it out and come on."
Ed half tripped from the door way, using his other hand to shut the door behind him. Apparently things were all right between them after all. Well, that lifted a huge weight from his shoulders. After making sure it was locked, he turned back to Winry with a smile and held his arm out better for her to grip. She returned the smile and arranged her hold better before the two headed down the sidewalk toward her house. He could only assume her house was actually a giant mansion of some sort.
"You think walking around with such expensive jewelry is such a good idea?" Ed asked suddenly.
"No, but it's okay. Your house isn't that far," She chuckled, still smiling.
Actually, she couldn't stop smiling. She was just so happy, especially being with Ed like this. Suddenly their conflict from three nights ago had been scattered to the wind. They continued in silence until they reached her house. Ed's assumption was correct. Her house was actually a huge mansion of several floors and beautiful white washed walls. Several steps lead to the front doors and a fountain sat in silence in front, covered in thick snow. Several people were getting out of fancy cars here, slowly descending the stairs. Only a few walked alone.
"I would show you the garden," Winry said as the duo walked up the stairs with the crowd of people. "but it's such a depressing place during the winter."
"There's always another time, right?" Ed chuckled, already feeling the dread of being here rise in him.
People were looking at him in surprise, obviously recognizing him. Although none looked appalled, Ed could almost hear their disgusted thoughts. Which annoyed him, because he usually wasn't one to care about what others thought of him.
The couple entered the mansion and Ed was momentarily blinded by the bright light inside, which stood in stark contrast to the dim lighting outside. A beautiful chandler with several layers of crystal hung from the ceiling. From where they stood at the door, upon a platform where stairs lead down into the main ballroom, Ed could see a stage of some sort set up against the left wall. A piano and drum set, a similar set up to what he had seen in Das Tier Tavern. He suddenly felt excited when he realized he might get to hear Winry sing again. However the excitement sunk and dissipated into his nervousness when he realized just how many people were milling about. Winry's gentle tug on his arm snapped him back to reality and he turned his attention to her.
"Al told me you aren't a fan of fancy parties or a place with a lot of people," Winry told him, smiling apologetically.
Ed rubbed the back of his head with his free hand, grinning sheepishly. "Yeah, but don't concern yourself with it. I'm here for you."
That thought made Winry's heart jump. She blushed and shyly looked away, smiling.
"Thanks..."
Ed grinned and the two descended the staircase. Thus began their evening. In Ed's honest opinion, it was boring as all hell. But he had expected that. Boring, but listening to the rich men and women talk about their money and competing to see who had bought the most useless items kept him entertained. He got cornered by a lot of people interested in funding his and Al's research, which surprised him. He honestly never thought their work was that famous. He quickly directed these people to Al. He knew Al would make him pay for that later, but hey, Al handed the money, right? Although he looked, he never found Al or his father in the crowd. He knew they were here somewhere. Then Winry asked him shyly for a dance. And, being Ed, he told her he wouldn't unless she sang.
Winry was mortified. He wanted her to sing in front of all these people? The largest crowd she had ever sung to was a full house at the Das Tier Tavern. (And that was only about thirty people) The crowd here had reached well over a hundred. She had tried to get him to reconsider the bargain, but he only smiled at her with that distant look in his eyes and refused. Winry didn't realize she had agreed until she was on the stage listening to the lively clapping of the crowd. Since when had everything and anything involving Ed become her top priority? Regardless, she was now on stage and she had to sing, butterflies or not. And she did.
The entire time, her eyes never left Ed. He had placed himself at the very back of the room, against the huge winding staircase that lead into the upper levels of the mansion. Her green eyes locked with his serene golden ones and she sang. She ignored everyone else in the room and sang only to him. And the entire time, Ed merely stared back, hands in his pockets and a half smile on his face. His eyes did not leave hers and Winry thought for sure her face would burn off from the prolonged stare. She hoped the other people would take her red face as mere nervousness. Once she had finished, the room exploded into applause. The women and men nodded to each other in approval of her heavenly voice, whispering things to each other with large smiles. Winry's first thought was Ed. She pretty much leapt from the stage, determined for him to hold up his part of the deal. However she was instantly swamped by the crowd. They asked her questions and several of the men requested a dance. Then the crowd was split by a deep voice and Winry froze.
"A splendid performance, my dear," Jake Conte said, smiling at her proudly as the crowd moved away from them.
Winry straightened, eyes on the face of her stepfather. "T-Thank you, sir."
"I'm very proud of you for singing in front of such a large crowd. I didn't expect it," He continued, waving briefly at someone who had called his name.
"I'm glad I made you proud, sir," She said, trying to show as much respect she could muster in the face of a man she loathed. "Please excuse me now, I"
"I want you to go upstairs and get some more wine for the guests," Jake said, cutting her off casually.
"B-But"
"Don't argue with me. You're the hostess of this party, start acting like it."
Winry stiffened at his strict tone and bit her lower lip. "Y-Yes, sir." She then quickly hurried away.
Jake watched her disappear into the crowd before he snuck to the back. The doors to the balcony were near the winding staircase. Jake could see Ed through the glass, standing at the end of the balcony, arms folded on the railing and leaned forward. He smirked and stepped behind the stairs, hiding himself from the crowd. A ring of light rose from his feet to his head and now the perfect replica of Winry stood behind the stairs, still smirking. Smoothing out the dress, the smirk was dropped and she stepped to the doors, pushing them open as quietly as she could. Ed didn't seem to notice as the doors opened, nor when they closed. She had almost reached him when he suddenly straightened and turned to face her. Winry froze and then smiled sweetly.
"Sorry, I got caught in the crowd," She apologized.
"No worries. Time for me to hold up my end of the deal, right?" Ed said, his face oddly blank of any emotion.
"You'd better," Winry chuckled an stepped back, offering for Ed to pass by her.
Ed moved as if he planned to, but stopped in front of her. He bowed his head, voice low.
"Got your Winry's mixed up, eh?"
Winry's eyes widen and Ed whirled around, grabbing a hand full of blonde hair and yanking it, bringing her into a choke hold.
"Didn't screw my life up enough in Amestris, huh? Coming to mess this up for me too?" Ed growled in her ear. "A pity you didn't do your homework. Winry here has green eyes, not blue!"
Winry, whose face had been twisted in pain, smirked. "Oh dear, how careless of me."
Ed tightened his grip on both her hair and her neck. "You bastard! You honestly didn't think I'd notice!"
"Probably not, if I had done it right," Winry sighed, holding up her arms in a helpless shrug. "A pity I got so careless."
"Yeah, a real pity," Ed sneered. "Care to show me your face now?"
"Hmm... wouldn't it look bad if someone caught you like this?" Winry chuckled, smirk still on her lips.
"Don't mess with me, Envy!" Ed snapped and shoved her forward, releasing his hold.
Winry tripped on her heels and fell forward, bashing her head hard against the stone railing. Ed flinched badly at the sight and had to quickly remind himself this was not Winry as the broken body fell heavily to the ground. Blood pooled around her head and her red lips twisted into a smirk. Her eyes were hidden by the shadow of her bangs.
"It would look even worse if someone found this. Still as rational as ever, I see," Envy said.
Ed's fists clenched angrily at his side. "You think that face is going to stop me from beating you to a bloody pulp?"
A ring of light suddenly transformed "Winry" into a familiar man with long greenish hair and a skimpy outfit that made Ed sick. Envy stood and grinned.
"But no, I won't do that. I want a more... satisfying blow. Now be a good boy and tell me where your father is."
"Not on your life," Ed growled, two seconds away from shoving the bastard off the balcony.
Envy gave an over dramatic sigh. "Of course. Guess I'll have to settle this the hard way."
He leapt backwards onto the rail and dropped off. Ed cursed and ran to the railing, peering down. But there was no one there.
"Edward?"
The voice came so suddenly that he nearly fell forward and off the balcony himself. Instead he whirled around and his eyes fell upon Winry, paused in the doorway with a curious expression on her face. He studied her for a bit longer than necessary to find that her eyes were green. He blinked as she walked toward him and quickly stepped in front of the blood left from his small squall with Envy.
"You really don't like crowded places," Winry chuckled softly, stopping beside him. "You ran out of there as soon as you could."
Ed smiled apologetically and rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, sorry... I listened to you sing, though. Beautiful as ever."
Winry blushed terribly and looked away in a frantic attempt to hide it. "T-Thanks."
He dropped his hand and held it out to her, giving her that same half smile he always did. "Well, I have to hold up my end of the bargain. Shall we dance?"
Winry smiled and happily took his hand. "I wouldn't let you leave until you do."
She lead him inside and there was a short wait for a song worth dancing to to be played. But Winry didn't mind waiting. She loved simply being with him. It gave her such a wonderful feeling like she had never known. She longed to feel this way forever. Finally a worthy song began and they danced, Ed's hand on Winry's waist, hers on his shoulder and their other two hands intertwined out beside them. They danced to the soft piano waltz with several other couples, but Winry never noticed them. Her entire focus was on this moment, drinking in every happy second of it. And when it was over, she couldn't help herself. She hugged him tightly, desperately, afraid to let him go for fear he would drift away.
Ed on the other hand wasn't sure what to make of it. He didn't exactly hug her back, but he didn't give her the cold shoulder either. He held her at least and allowed her to hug him as the other couples cleared the floor and more came up to dance. The way she hugged him sent chills down his spine. His Winry had done the same once. She had hugged him in such a way, a desperate and silent plea for him not to leave. But he had left without a care or a second thought.
Then suddenly she pulled away and smiled a bit sheepishly at him, cheeks stained lightly with red.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to"
"No worries," Ed chuckled and lead her off the dance floor.
The rest of the night was a blur (most likely because Ed was offered more drinks than, he discovered, he could handle) Although he didn't drink to the point of being drunk, he did have a enough to make him feel sick and uncoordinated. So he left before the party was over. Despite his best efforts to argue with a mind fuzzy from alcohol, Winry followed him anyway.
"It's not safe to walk home alone," He muttered to her, taking in a deep breath of the cold and crisp winter air in hopes to clear his head.
Winry chuckled, holding his arm partly because she had to and partly because she wanted to.
"I'll manage. I told you it's not far. I'm the one who should be worried. You look sick."
"I am sick," Ed grumbled, feeling a headache coming on. "Damn investors or whatever they were shoving drinks in my face."
"You could've refused," Winry laughed.
"I did!" Ed insisted, waving his free hand around wildly. "They stalked me the entire party!"
"Well, at least you aren't dead on your feet or so drunk you're slurring words."
"If I start yelling 'I swear to drunk I'm not God!', then you worry...and knock me out. Other than that I'm fine. I'll drink a raw egg or something tomorrow..."
Winry laughed again and shook her head, drawing herself closer to him to escape the biting cold. There was silence before Ed suddenly stopped. When she gave him a questioning look he pulled away from her and motioned back to her mansion.
"Half way mark. I don't want you walking the entire distance back to my house because then you'd have to walk back alone. So go back now," He told her.
"But Ed"
He held up a gloved finger to silence her. "I'll do something for you in return."
She blinked at him, then smirked. "I'll hold you up on that. Goodnight, Edward."
He watched her leave with an odd gaze, tucking his hands in his pocket. He had felt a sudden obligation to kiss her goodnight when she had bid farewell. But that was all it had been. An obligation. But the chance had come and gone in the blink of an eye and now it was no longer a concern. He sighed heavily and turned away, heading back to his house. A very unfriendly face greeted him, sitting cross legged in front of the door.
"You didn't want to tell me where he was," Envy said with a grin. "So I had you show me instead."
Winry couldn't help but to have a bounce in her step as she walked back toward the mansion. A smile lit up her pale face and she closed her eyes, tilting her head heavenward as she wrapped her arms around herself, wrapping her mind up in this wonderfully giddy feeling. She sung softly a line from the song she had performed earlier that night.
"And it's always paradise... with you..."