Disclaimer: The usual, need I write it?

Huazzah! I have continued it! Apparently there are people out there who don't mind the fulloophy style! I know my English teacher hates it, but it's good to know not all do! Even Mr. Fulloophy has been complemented, and I must agree, fulloophy is a damn good word!

Coming home

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Winry sat on her bed, her arms pulled against her in her own hug. She stared out over the countryside that was visible form her bedroom window. For a moment she closed her eyes, trying to maintain the warm and utter heart wrenching feeling that still lingered after the dream.

Winry bowed her head, eyes screwing up in emotional pain. The dream had felt so nice. Winry remembered how she held the tortured man in her arms, and how his arms had felt around her shoulders and in her hair. The only sound she heard was his deep breathing and the sound of water hitting them and the ground all around them. No thunder plagued her dream, just soft rain, comfortingly soft rain.

Though the afternoon was cold there was no wind, and Ed's arms kept all warmth inside her. Winry buried her head in the wet fabric that covered Ed's shoulder. The tears that came as a result of her overwhelming emotion mingled with the rain on his red coat. She felt as though her heart was quickly being filled up with a warm, heavy liquid, like molten silver. All she wanted to do was keep her hold on this man until the day she died. She never wanted to let go.

He did not seem to want to let go either. His arms tightened around her shoulders, gripping her so tightly she felt as though her already heavy and full heart would explode in her chest.

It always amazed Winry how capable Edward was of love. She would have thought that as so much of his life had been taken up with pain he would block people out completely, separate himself from others so as to try and remove anything that could cause him more pain. It seemed Ed was much more mature than people thought, and very much too wise for his age. He cared so much for those that he loved, that he would do anything to stop them from feeling pain too. Therefore he would always end up carrying everything on his shoulders.

Ed would not distance himself from others, as he knew that would cause them more pain than them dying, or being hurt would. He disregarded his own needs to take care of those he cared for, spending day after day trying his hardest to find the philosopher's stone and get Al his body back. He never made promises he did not keep, and berated himself if something did happen to those he had sworn himself to protect. He was always punishing himself, always caring, and always doing what he had to do.

In this way, Ed was the bravest person Winry knew. He was such an amazing person, dedicated, loving, understanding, and so much else that Winry could not even describe.

The dream started to leave her. The more she thought it over, recalling the feelings, the faster it left. Winry hugged herself even harder, trying desperately to cling on to the love and warmth she had felt in the dream, but it was no use. She felt the last drops of the dream leave her, and dropped her hands to the windowsill, grasping the edge tightly.

It was hopeless, Winry thought, the dream would not come back to her, no matter how much she tried to bring it back.

Winry turned form the window, opening her eyes, and catching a pair of pliers before it hit and made a dent in the wooden floor. She smiled to herself, her love of mechanics still held strong.

Winry strode over to her closet. She was surprisingly steady on her feet this morning. Usually she would stumble a bit when she first woke and stood up, but then again, she had been awake for over an hour, thinking and watching the sunrise, and that was long enough to wake up fully and not stumble.

Winry pulled out her clothes, and she started to dress herself. She glanced over to a pile near the closet where her much loved overalls lay and pulled them on too.

Winry tugged her hair into a ponytail, still in a contemplative mood, then set her brush back on the bedside table amongst the tools, grabbed her wrench, and left the room.

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Winry was in the workroom when she heard Den barking. 'More customers' She thought. Winry set down the automail hand she was modifying, and left the room. The front door was already open, so Winry stepped onto the porch.

The sight that greeted her was very welcome. Pinako stood looking upwards talking to a noticeably taller Edward. He was smiling, and Al at his side laughed.

'Hey! You're back! And with no fore-warning too, how like you.' Winry had long since come to terms with the fact that the Elrics would probably never send regular letters, or alert her to their coming, she would just have to wait, taking it day by day, until they, hopefully, came home.

Winry walked to the brothers' sides, smiling up at Al and patting his arm. She then looked over at Ed. She noticed that she no longer had to look down to gaze into his eyes. This was by far an improvement, sure, she could no longer laugh at him for being short, but it was kind of disturbing to look down at him.

'But wait, they never come home unless they have a problem' Winry thought. 'Hummmm, wonder what it is this time'. Winry looked Ed over. She could not see his automail arm from where she stood, but he seemed quite lopsided, the automail must be getting to small. The rest of Ed looked fine, so she reached over to grab at his right arm, and see what was wrong with it. 'It must be his arm. He would not come back for his leg until it really got to be a problem'.

When Winry's fingers did not come into contact with the arm in question, she peered around Ed to see if it was there at all. Winry hissed. It sounded quite feline, and Ed was suddenly not hopeful anymore.

What was left of Ed's automail was just the top half. Air filled the space where the rest of the arm should have been.

'You said you would come back in one piece!'

'I am in one piece, I'm just, uhh, less full than I was before…' Ed prepared himself for the wrench and said, 'Anyway, don't look at me! Al's worse off than I am!'

Winry snapped around to look at Al. Al cringed. She looked him over and saw that Ed was indeed correct; she wondered how she had not noticed before. Al's arm was gone, and so was the whole side of his torso, as well as most of his head. Winry growled, and tightened her hold on the wrench, bringing it up to connect with Al first, then Ed.

'Now, now Winry, lets get them inside, I'd like to look them over.' Pinako said. She seemed to have noticed something Winry hadn't. Winry quirked an eyebrow and looked at the brothers. She saw nothing new, not even the sight of them rubbing their heads was new.

With Ed seated on the couch, and Al on a chair pulled up from the dining table on the other side of the coffee table, Winry beside him, Pinako was able to observe Ed better. She puffed on her pipe as she regarded him, her head cocked to the side. Ed looked rather scared at being scrutinized in this way, and started to fidget.

'Ed, take off your shirt.' It was a clam request, but Ed visibly gulped.

'Uhh,' He sighed, he had been caught out. 'Alright fine.' His left hand grasped his red cloak and pulled it off his shoulders as he continued to sit on it. Next his jacket followed, and Winry started to see where Pinako was getting at. Bandages wound themselves up Ed's left arm, and peeked out form under his black sleeveless shirt.

With another sigh Ed pulled the shirt clumsily off his head, and revealed copious bandages surrounding his midriff and chest.

'Brother, I told you it would not work.' Al seemed contented to take the upper side in this, practicing the age old "I told you so" routine.

'It was worth a try.' Ed muttered. He was looking down again, not wanting to make eye contact.

Pinako clucked, 'As I thought, I knew you looked too bulgy for your general physique.' Pinako turned and went into the kitchen. No doubt making both food for them, and preparing water and a bowl.

'Ed, if you weren't covered in bandages, I'd hit you again.' Winry stood up, and crossed the room. She kneeled down beside Ed and reached around him until her fingers found the loose end.

'Can I?' Ed grunted his consent, his head turned to the side away from her. She pulled at the loose bandage and started to unwrap it. She did this with the rest of them as Ed sat there mutely, still glaring to the side.

Sitting back on her heels, Winry looked him over. It was a wonder that he could stand and walk with these many cuts! But now she looked again, Winry could see that he looked tired and haggard, a look that had been concealed with his usual wicked smile, and then the look of disgruntled pain from the wrench earlier. He also looked paler than usual.

The cuts did not have the look of being near healing, instead they still looked fresh. These were fairly recent, maybe a day at most.

'ED! How the hell could you have expected to keep this hidden! This is… ARGH! What did you DO?'

He did not answer, ignoring the question as always.

'Okay, fine, don't tell me, it's not like I care anyway.' This seemed to hurt Ed, and she felt a small prick of malicious happiness at making him hurt just a little. She instantly hated herself for being like this. Like had did not have his fare share of hardship.

Pinako came back into the room, a bowl of warm water in one hand, a sponge in the other, and a small jar of something. Her presence instantly eased the tense mood.

Pinako set the bowl and jar onto the table, and set the sponge in the water. She pointed to the jar with her pipe, 'Your mother left me this Ed.' That got Ed's attention. 'She said your father used to use it. Apparently it clears up skin abrasions and the like quickly and leaves no scar.' She turned and walked off again, back into the kitchen.

Winry picked up the jar and inspected it. 'Leaves no scar?' She opened the lid and tipped some of the contents into the bowl of water, stirring it in with the sponge.

Winry dressed and then re-bandaged Ed's wounds in silence. The room was completely silent. The only noise was the quiet stroking noises coming form the sponge on Ed's chest. Al was just watching the two, Winry was concentrating, and Ed had gone back to glaring to the side.

Winry straightened up from her kneeling stance beside Ed after having tucked the new bandages securely around him. She searched around in her pocket for a moment, then pulled out a complete set of allan keys and a screw diver. She set to work on removing Ed's arm.

Ed did not seem to like being taken care of at all. He ignored everything Wirny did. When she hit him with her wrench for the second time that day for being a jerk, he just sat there, still glaring. At the moment that Winry was going to make another angry comment, Pinako walked back in. Her pipe sending off more smoke, apparently she had re-stocked it.

Pinako stopped beside Ed, and he glared down at her. 'Now, lets take a look at those legs of yours.' She said. Winry stepped to the side, placing the automail arm on the workbench, then she retook her seat beside Al.

Ed swung his legs onto the table. His boots were already off. He grinned down at his legs. The difference in height between the two was quite noticeable.

'Well Ed, even without your boots we can't call you a pipsqueak any longer.' Pinako seemed rather happy at the prospect.

'Yeah, you pint-sized hag, you can't make fun of me any more!' Ed's tone held no hint of anger or malice, and had started laughing to himself. Pinako chuckled, and tapped the bottom of his foot with her pipe.

'But this will have to come off I'm afraid, we need to make alterations, your lucky that this height difference is not enough to warrant it being rebuilt completely.' Ed's face fell.

'Can't you make the alterations with the leg on? I want to be able to walk around freely, with complete movement of my leg so I'm not totally helpless.' Ed seemed hopeful, the look on Pinako's face seemed to show she might give in. 'I hate relying on others so much.' He added ruefully.

'It will be painful Ed, and harder for us. You know I can set you up with a spare, you can walk around freely with that.'

Ed was not convinced, 'Pain, Ha! I can take pain, and I know you can do it even if it would be harder, you're the best automail mechanics I know!' Then, quieter, though still faintly audible, 'And I said complete movement, the spares always take a while for me to adjust, and their so unreliable.'

'Sure Ed, we can do it with it on, but it will be painful.' Winry spoke form across the table where she sat on one of the chairs pulled out from the table. Bloody egotistical sod! Couldn't even let his family see him somewhat helpless. Well, she couldn't really blame him, he had to grow up early and put on a brave face, it was a pity though that he had to keep that façade with his family. Though, Ed did not really think of them as family did he? He had said so last time he had come back. Winry shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled at Edward's look of surprise at her being on his side for once.

'Winry?'

'Aww, come on, I know how much you hate to look helpless, or like a child, I'm just helping out!' Winry's voice was teasing, glossing over her feelings about the subject with sugary sweetness. 'But what more could I expect from my little Alchemy Freak?'

Winry had crossed the room as she spoke and was ruffling Ed's hair. A vein popped in his forehead. 'Who you calling little you, you, LOOSER MACHINE JUNKIE!' Apparently he was still touchy about his no longer existent height problem, old habits die hard.

'You! Isn't that right though, Weeny-Bean?'

'Weeny-Bean?'

The indignant and teasing shrieks continued for some time. About halfway through Pinako left the room, Al following shortly after, sweat-dropping. Den was the last to go, yowling painfully out into the garden, where he put his paws over his ears, head lowered to the grass.

'ARGH! You're such a jerk!' The sound of metal hitting flesh penetrated the sleepy hills, as did the following yell of:

'GOD, will you stop trying to kill me already!' Followed by a:

'Not until you stop being a jerk!' Which was in turn followed by a: ….

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I hope the ending made sense! I really had not planned for this chapter to end like this, I had it all planned out, buuuut, I forgot it, eheh. But that does not matter, in the end this chapter kind of ended itself, and I like how it did. I felt that I had kinda missed out on a large portion of the original story (the way that Ed and Winry interact most of the time in both the anime and manga) so I thought I should try to stick it in somewhere. Hopefully it in character!

Also, I know that in the anime Ed says that he likes 'something about how the old girl makes it (referring to the spare Pinako gives him in Ep. 17 as his leg is being extended)' or something like that, but in the manga, he is really unsteady on the spare and apparently takes a while to get used to it. I liked that idea better so I used it instead.

Thanks to the two who reviewed! When I saw that I had gotten reviews, I was sure that they would be critiquing something. Or moaning because I had messed up somewhere, but they weren't, Thanks!

Anyhow, I'm EXHAUSTED, do you know how late it is where I am? Well, early, not so much late anymore. Ontop of that I have been getting a total of about 3 hours a sleep for the past week, and comparing that to my usual 4, uhhhhhh, well it seems like a big difference when you tote up the weekly hours, so yeah, I'm sooo, tired, my Chinese teacher would not even let me sleep in class while she showed us another boring movie. Nooor, would my English teacher, ah, oh well, its Saturday as of 3 hours ago now, so ill have time to sleep in!

Next one will be out when I'm done writing it!