Chapter 15: Your Problems and Troubles

Al quietly opened the door, and looked around to be careful so no one would wake up. "Edward, Alphonse?" A faint voice said, it sounded tired and weak.

"Winry, have you been up this whole time?" Al asked. She just shook her head.

"Al, is Edward with you?" She said in her faint voice. Ed came out from behind the door, and then smiled.

"Hi there," He waved hello to Winry.

"Hi Edward, how are you?" Ed scratched his head, Al's eyes were wide. Then Winry collapsed to the ground. Ed walked over to her, and picked her up. "Edward…

"Don't say anything Winry, you can yell at me in the morning, rest now." She kissed his cheek.

"I won't yell, but if you want me to I will. But I don't think you want that." She fell asleep right in his arms.

"You got off easy brother; she's too tired from creating the bubble around you. You'll be in for it tomorrow." Ed nodded and laid her in her bed.

"Good-night Winry, I'm sorry I left but I had to." He kissed the crown of her head, and walked to his room.

In the morning Winry awoke and smiled remembering what happened last night, she walked down stairs and happily made breakfast. She heard two boys yelling coming from upstairs.

"Brother, it's your fault; you have to!" Al yelled.

"Just bring me my food." Ed yelled at Al.

"Alphonse step out of the way." She said she broke the door down; alchemy would have done more damage so she just broke the hinges.

"Winry, what?" Ed asked.

"Why are you yelling at this time of day, and Al come back here? Now what is going on?" Winry asked yelling.

"Brother doesn't want to leave his room." Winry sighed.

She sighed, "Maybe he's sick or something Al. Are you?"

"No." Ed replied.

"Then why don't you want to come down to breakfast Ed?"

"I just don't, got it." She sighed, and gestured for Al to go downstairs and she followed.

Al took a seat at the table and Winry continued to make breakfast. After a few minutes Pinako arrived for dinner at sat down. "I thought I heard Edward this morning." Al looked at Winry, who seemed bothered once again by Ed's absence.

"Brother isn't hungry, but he's here, upstairs." She nodded and she too looked at Winry.

"I can sense you two are staring at me so stop it. I'm fine, really." She said, quieting down at the end of her sentence.

Winry later finished eating, did all the dishes, then took her jacket and walked down into the pastures behind their house, and went to talk to Eliza. Eliza was the person who she always talked to when she felt down and had no one to talk to. Eliza didn't have many friends, and Eliza was more dependant on herself, as was Winry in the years they had talked.

"Winry, what's wrong now?" She said cheerfully.

"Edward, he's been acting weird all a sudden, thanks for letting me take your identity for a while back there, it helped me." She nodded.

Flashback

"Eliza, I am an alchemist, but if I want Edward to respect me, I have to be a state alchemist but my alchemy is only good for defending things. What should I do?"

"Then join, if you want to. Go on the Honor Guard Alchemists that way you can defend those who need it, it's a service and you still can show up Edward on the exams he takes next summer."

"He won't give me a good fight if he sees me as me Eliza. I need to be someone else. Someone he doesn't know and he'll but his best foot forward on, and take seriously."

"Which is his best foot, his human foot, or his automail one?" Eliza asked.

"What, I don't know. It would be… I don't know. I guess in fighting it would be his automail one but in normal stuff it's his human foot but what sort of question is that?"

"It isn't, I was just wondering." Winry sighed. "I was trying to lighten the mood, you're too tense Winry."

"I know but if I'm me then he won't respect me, and if I'm someone else, he will. But it's going to be hard to find someone I can be who's like me."

"What about me, I'm like you. Independent, strong, smart, and talent; not an alchemist but no one knows me. Die your hair brown like mine, and then become me, Eliza."

"That's brilliant Eliza; thanks."

"You're welcome; your problems are so easy. You just over think them, making them hard."

"I'll try not to next time."

Flashback Ended

A/N: I didn't intend on Eliza to be one of Winry's friends but like many authors will tell you, these stories write themselves, and I enjoy this part.

"It's my job, and a gift. So what is the real problem?" She asked.

"Ed is just acting really weird. Usually he never stops eating; now he won't eat. I thought he was sick, but he's not."

"How else has he been weird lately?"

"Well we were just relaxing at home, and then he just jumps up and runs off. Then in the middle of the night a few days later he runs off again. It's driving me insane. I'm just tired of it."

"Once again me and my simple answers to your questions save the day. Winry, talk to Ed, see what's bothering him. If he loves you like he and you know he does then he'll want to know how you feel, and you don't want his upset do you?"

"I should try that; I'll come back if that doesn't work."

"But they always do but I'll be here if it fails, but it won't."

Winry walked back to her house, and walked up the stairs. And she saw Ed; he was just lying in his bed, looking at the ceiling. Winry contemplated how to start the conversation. She decided no words were needed to start, actions speak louder than words. She walked over to the bed and laid down beside her, he sat up and looked at her. "You okay, you seem a bit disturbed today."

"I'm fairly okay, but something is bothering you. I would like to know what it is because I can't stand you like this, it upsets me."

"I'm sorry I upset you Winry. I'm just in deep thought now, about everything. I'm like this a lot, you should know that. But I always have time for you. So why are you fairly okay?"

"Just that you've been all jumpy all the time, and leaving me here. Then it's lonely without you, and I miss you."

"Sorry Winry but my mind is sending me strong signals to do things and sometimes I want to wait and listen to my heart but other times I want to do what my head says to do."

"So explain me what the two want and I'll tell you what I think you should do."

"Well they both involve you, and I just can't get you involved with it. It would bother me; just give me some normal advice."

"Follow you're heart, your mind thinks rationally like if you're nervous run away but your heart was say wait and sees what happens. Listen to your heart."

"Okay, then you have to accept the consequences of me listening to my heart, got it. I'm going to do whatever my hearts says and you'll have to deal with it, okay."

"I don't like the sound of this, but I understand and agree to that." Edward took Winry into the living room by the hand. She was very confused, and Al and Pinako watched him drag her in here.

"Winry promises to accept the consequences of me listening to my heart, remember that. She asked for it." Al and Pinako looked at them, sort of freaked out by this show. Ed took out the ring from his back pocket and opened it. "Winry, will you marry me?" She was speechless, then nodded. Then hugged Ed. She couldn't even feel her voice, but he got the signal.

Winry was very happy; any one who saw her knew that. No one could hear her though. Winry took Ed by the arm and started to pull him. He took a hold of her shoulder and turned her around. "Wait a second Winry; we can go wherever you're going after I put your ring on you." She nodded and smiled as Ed put the ring on her. "Now we can go, where are we going by the way?" Her mouth moved with no noise coming out, he sighed.

She took Ed to the bottom of the hill and Eliza had finished planting the seeds because it was now end of fall and they stayed in the ground all winter. "Hey Winry, you solve everything okay?" She nodded, and then opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. A/N: It's like the little mermaid; she speaks but is upset to find no words come out.

"She can't speak for some reason." Winry pointed to him, and glared. "It isn't my fault, you said to follow my heart. My heard said to propose to you, and my head said run far away again but my heart said that I'd upset you more then you already are." He argued with her.

"Wait, you proposed, she was just mopping and upset like 10 minutes ago."

"She came in my bedroom, and we talked then she said to follow my heart, and then I took her in front of Al, and Pinako and asked her to marry me, she nodded but couldn't talk."

"Here, eat this, it should make your voice better Winry." Eliza said handing Winry some sort of plant, she chewed it.

"Ha, I can speak, what was that?" Winry asked.

"I don't know, a blade of grass I think, I pulled off the ground, corn maybe." Ed and Winry looked at her.

"You were just in shock, so if you believed by eating it you'd be better you would be; such the magic thing called 'grass' was born."

"I ate grass, ewe." Ed laughed.

"So who are you, you seem familiar? Have we met before?" Winry laughed, and Eliza was confused.

"You couldn't have because I've never met you. Winry why are you laughing, oh, duh, forgot again; that's pretty stupid of me."

"Edward, Eliza isn't a made up person. This is Eliza I took her personality as a cover up person for my alchemy. She came up with the idea."

"Oh so you made your alchemic self to become her, so that you'd earn my respect. Thanks for helping us, we owe you a lot."

"Think nothing of it, solving Winry's simple questions is what I live for, that and farming." She said smiling.

"I'm glad that you can help Winry like that." Ed said then she laughed.

"Hey I can't help her more than you can. You're the problem, and the solution. I just help her along the way."

"Well thanks for that." Ed replied.

"You better keep Winry happy, or I'll hurt you." Ed looked at Winry.

"I wouldn't dare upset Winry because if I did I wouldn't forgive myself, and she'd hurt me." Eliza smiled.

"Good to hear, well you two have fun getting ready for the wedding."

"You better be there too, we have a lot of people to invite but you're defiantly coming. Make sure you take the day off for our wedding."

"Sure thing, I'll be happy to come."

"Then we'll make sure you're the third person we tell." Winry looked at Ed.

"Al and Pinako live with us, they'd know first."

"Ah, then I'm glad to know right after them."

"Well see you later Eliza, Ed and I have to make plans and stuff." She nodded and Winry led Ed back to the house.

They walked in the house and Al and Pinako were waiting for them on the couch. "Hey, look I can talk again." Winry said.

"Brother, Winry congratulations on your engagement." Al said.

"Thanks Al," Winry said.

"Yeah Al, I'm glad Winry advised me to engage to her. I'm just glad you got to be there to see it." Ed said to Al.

"I'm glad that you two will finally be together, it's just like his plan."

"More like my plot."

"What are you two talking about?" Ed demanded to know.

"Nothing brother, absolutely nothing,"

"Al, tell us." Winry demanded to know.

"After the wedding, I promise to tell you."

"I don't have a good feeling about this Ed." Winry realized.

"Al, you have to tell us now, if it has something to do with us." Ed commanded his brother.

"Winry, Edward, for your own good, you must leave it at that." Pinako advised them.

"Fine, fine, we'll leave it be but we demand to know right after the wedding, right Ed?"

"I don't think we should even settle with just after the wedding. But okay if it's for the best."

"I guess," Ed took Winry by the hand and walked outside to talk with her.

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