Note: I would just like to thank everyone reading my fics! I really appreciate the feedback and I will do my best to look at some of your work if you review mine . However… if you have nothing to say about my fic other than the fact that you think I spell the cute little blonde mechanic's name wrong, please don't review at all. I have taken three years worth of college level Japanese language classes, and many words that are translated from English into Japanese replace the 'L' with an 'R' because the 'L' sound does not occur in the Japanese language. For example, the word 'love story' is translated as 'rabusutorii,' and even Alphonse's name is translated as 'Aru' or 'Arufonsu.' So to me, the name 'Winri' as it would be pronounced in Japanese could either be translated as Winly or Winry in English. I think Winly sounds more 'English' and less awkward so I prefer that spelling and that is the one I will use. I don't disapprove of the fact that other people have a different opinion, and I don't give other FMA fan fiction writers a hard time for their choices. However, I'm tired of hearing it, and I am not changing every instance of her name in all of my fics to appease those who cannot get over the spelling. We all know who I'm talking about here. Anyway, I do really appreciate the readership and the other comments; its all very encouraging and makes me want to write better and more often! Thanks again!

Confession, Part 2

It took a few minutes for Ed and Winly to get settled comfortably on the bed, but, after a some semi-awkward moments, Ed found himself settled on her bed on his back with one arm wrapped around Winly's shoulders and her head resting on his chest. It felt so natural, holding her like this. And when she finally asked what he'd been up to the past two years, it all came pouring out in a rush. He confessed everything, from all the dangerous situations that he'd hidden from her when he and Al had been searching for the Philosopher's Stone, to his experiences in the other plane

Winly alternately brushed stray strands of hair out of Ed's face, touched his cheeks, and rubbed his chest lightly in encouragement when he seemed to be having a hard time getting through a particular story. He had never uttered many of his experiences aloud and had merely turned them over and over again in his mind: like what had happened to Nina, and how he killed Greed. Ed also had had very few people in the other plane whom he talked to about anything outside of their studies, and, when he came to descriptions of machines and things he'd seen, Winly's hand dropped to his stomach and stopped moving as she concentrated hard on understanding and picturing these strange creations.

He began telling her about his studies, trying to skirt around the issue of alchemy for the moment. He'd studied everything related to science, from physics to chemistry, biology to mathematics, and, at her request, promised some day to teach her what he'd learned, though he wasn't sure that all of the same laws applied in their universe. "See, over there, they believe alchemy is a primitive form of science, some mystical, religious nonsense, not a real ability."

Winly rose up a little and placed her arm over Ed's, leaning her weight on her elbow and her head on her hand, considering the possibility. "But you showed them didn't you?"

Ed hesitated, now, knowing he could no longer put off the issue of alchemy and the guilt he still had buried inside him. His voice roughened with emotion, he answered, "Win… over there… alchemy doesn't work. I- It isn't possible."

"What?" Her hand stopped moving again as she leaned back to look at his face, shocked. He felt the sting of tears in his eyes, and a lump rose in his throat, stopping his speech completely for the first time since he began. He thought he would feel embarrassed, but grief and guilt overcame him as all the old thoughts kept coming back, and he began to cry shamelessly, not even bothering to wipe away the tears streaming down the sides of his face into his still-damp hair. Winly brushed them away with her fingertips for a moment, but after seeing the distressed look in Ed's eyes pulled him onto his side and into her arms, where he sobbed quietly, releasing a little of the guilt and fear he'd bottled up inside.

"Win, th-the o-only re-reason th-that alchemy w-works h-here is – " he stammered through the sobs, finding himself unable to continue. Winly rubbed his back to soothe him a little; she had never seen him this upset, even when his mother died. He finally found his voice again. "It's because the energy for alchemy is s-stolen from the o-other plane. Human lives – "

Winly's sudden gasp told him she understood, but she didn't release and repudiate him as he feared she would. Instead, she held him in her arms, tried to quiet his tears, and let him keep choking out his guilt in half-formed sentences. "I- I can't even imagine - how many people - I've – killed - like that - " He cried harder after that admission, by far the hardest of them all for him to say. It felt like the words only made it more true, and he again felt that fear that Winly would hate him because of his sins harden in his chest.

As his sobs grew more forceful, Winly only held him closer, stroking his hair whispering words of encouragement. "You couldn't know that, Ed, you could never have known that," she assured quietly. After a long pause punctuated only by Ed's sniffles, she continued, "We can never know what effects our actions cause, even here. We do things everyday that may in turn effect someone's life across the country, but we never expect it, and if we knew what would have come of that action, we would never have done it. But you can't know that… no one can…"

Ed clung to her, wanting so badly to accept her reasoning as his own, but knowing he couldn't; not yet, anyway. His sobs continued and turned into coughs, becoming more and more forceful until he had sit up to get his breath again. Winly never moved from his side, but rubbed his chest and ran her hands through his hair. "Shh…" she quieted, trying to calm him, "You're only going to make yourself sick again."

At that reminder, he forced himself to settle down, and pulled his sobs under control until only the occasional cough and a few slow tears remained. "Do you see," he continued, able to keep his voice level again, "why I need to talk to Al? He's - "

Ed paused again to fight back the fresh tears stinging his eyes, and glanced up at Winly's sympathetic expression. "I know, and I do understand, but I'm not going to let you hurt yourself to find him. If I know Al and Izumi-sensei, they are already on their way. I wouldn't be surprised to see them first thing in the morning."

Suddenly, a muffled yell penetrated Winly's bedroom door; her grandmother must have called from downstairs. After slowly untangling herself from Ed, she stretched her arms over her head and realized how late it had gotten. The sun had already sank across the other side of the house, and dusk had begun to settle into her room as she went to the door to call back a quick "I'm coming!" before turning to Ed, who remained lying on her bed.

"I've probably got to go help with dinner…" She stopped, all of a sudden uncertain what to suggest or say. His wide yawn finally answered her question. "Get some rest. Want me to wake you for dinner?"

Ed nodded, and curled up on his side, away from her. As she closed the door behind her, she thought she heard Ed mutter her name and peered through the crack to see him looking back at her. "Thanks… for listening," he said quietly before rolling back over to sleep. His voice sounded weary and his features still looked slightly drawn, but Winly knew, as she closed the door and headed down the stairs, that those were things that only time could heal.