It's nice to see everybody cheering Winry on. Let's see what happens next..

OoO


OoO

Winry held the knife tightly and twisted the knob. After a moment to ready herself, she took one final breath then pushed the door open.

It opened to reveal a very small room and another damn door.

Winry stood there confused for a moment and looked around the new room that she was in. It was four feet in width by five feet in length. The only entrances were the door she had just come through and another one standing directly across from it. The two walls on both sides of her had broken picture frames on them. The pictures themselves were missing, leaving only wood and broken glass.

Hesitantly, Winry stepped forward, closing the door she had just come through. Feeling curious, she glanced behind her to look at it. The door to her prison said 'Women's' in big bold letters.

'A bathroom?' She thought bewildered. 'He's been keeping me in a fucking bathroom!'

Deciding to reflect on that later, she reached out for the knob of the other door. Winry wrapped her fingers around the cold metal and turned.

It didn't budge.

"Come on." Winry muttered desperately as she began shake the knob uselessly. "Please!"

She stood back to look the door up and down. It was sturdy and in good condition; no chance of it being knocked down. Winry's eyes then zeroed in on the door's lock. During her time in Rush Valley, Paninya had showed her how to pick locks. At the time Winry had thought she'd never have to use said skill.

Boy was she wrong.

'I need something to pick the lock.' Winry thought before glancing down at the knife in her hand. 'No, that won't work.' She then looked around the space she was in and at the room behind her.

"There has to be something…"

Her thoughts trailed off when she looked at one of the broken picture frames. She could practically feel the lightbulb popping overhead as she looked at it. Grabbing the old wooden rectangle, she spun it around to look at the back. A smile formed in her face when she saw there were wires holding it up. Using the knife, Winry carefully cut it away from the frame. Once it was separated, Winry split it in half so that she had two pieces of wire. A small smile still on her face, she began working on the lock. After what felt like hours of poking away inside of the knob, she heard the click of it unlocking. She dropped the wires and gave the door an experimental turn. Winry almost shouted with glee when it was unlocked.

'Well that was just annoying.' She grinned to herself. So far so good.

Her excitement died down however, as she stared at the door in front of her. Behind it lurked a monster. As soon she stepped out there, every decision that she'll make will matter. A misstep, a sneeze, or just tripping over a piece of trash could be her undoing. She gave herself five seconds of feeling safe behind the door before opening it.

This one revealed a empty and windowless hallway.

Winry fought to control the volume of her breathing as she inched the door open. He could be anywhere. The hallway was a complete mess, the walls were decomposing and the floor was covered in various debris. Like her cell, the only lights were flickering lightbulbs on the ceiling. The walls looked like they could be knocked down easily. But doing so would create noise and immediately alert the Chopper. Dust floated through the air, stinging Winry's eyes. She blinked the forming tears away and cautiously took a step into the hallway.

Unfortunately, Winry didn't look at the ground in front of her and and her bare foot landed on a thin piece of wood.

Snap!

'Shit!'

Winry froze as the snap echoed throughout the hallway. Her blood ran cold and her breath caught in her throat. Did he hear that?

The next few moments seemed to last hours as Winry waited with bated breath. Her grip on the knife tightened as she prepared to run. But as the agonizing minutes ticked by, nothing happened. Winry let out a nervous chuckle and wiped the sweat forming on her forehead. A part of Winry was screaming at her to just run. To throw all caution to the wind and get out as fast as she could. The rest of her was telling Winry to be careful. She decided to go with the latter.

Glancing down at the floor, Winry saw it was filthy and rather dangerous. Trash, various woods and metal, as well as broken glass littered the floor. 'Because why not?' Winry sighed to herself.

This time she carefully stepped forward over the broken wood and shattered glass. The ground was cold and sent goosebumps up her legs. Still moving cautiously, Winry stepped completely into the hallway. She turned around and carefully closed the door.

'Now how the hell do I get out of here?'

Looking down the hallway Winey saw there were several more doors lining the walls. Any one of them could be a way out. Any one of them could also lead to a trap. Winry looked away from the doors and to where the hallway led. One end of the hallway was a wall while the other curved into a corner. 'That's got to lead to the way out.'

Winry started to quickly and carefully make her way down the hallway. She moved fast but not fast enough to make enough noise to draw the Chopper. The slow movements caused her aching limbs to protest, but she fought through the pain.

'Where is he? He'd want to keep an eye on me so he's got to be close. Maybe he's in one of these rooms?'

Winry moved forward slowly. There were several doors in the hallway that she was in. The Chopper could be in any of them. She glanced at them as she passed, not willing to risk opening them. She made her way to the the corner and peered around it. There was another identical hallway that led to another corner. Winry did a quick survey of the hallway before stepping out into it. Her bare feet scraping against the rough ground with every step. Everytime she moved past an open door she'd glance in it. Most of the rooms were empty or boarded up, except for one. One of them had some light coming out of it. Clutching the knife close to her chest Winry cautiously peered into the room.

She froze at the sight in front of her. There was blood all over the room. There was blood on the floor; on tables; and on the walls. There were also large hooks with chunks of bloody meat and gore hanging from the ceiling. Against the wall she saw a table with an array of cleavers, and butcher knives on it. Winry felt tempted to go in and grab one of those weapons. Any of those would be a better means of defending herself than a small broken knife.

What stopped her was the shadow.

There was a shadow in the room. A shadow of a tall, lanky man. Winry froze, not daring to make any noises or movement. It was him.

He seemed to be hunched over another table. The flickering light made him appear then disappear. She could faintly hear him muttering something. It was something unintelligible, like he was speaking some other language under his breath.

Winry could feel her heart pounding loudly in her chest. For a moment, when his shadow stood up, she was afraid he could hear it. But he merely reached over to his left and picked up a cleaver. He then turned his attention back to whatever was on the table.

Winry slowly backed away, moving as quietly as possible. If he heard her now, she was done for. There was no way she could beat him, she was too injured and sore to even put up a fight.

'Why can't Ed be here?' She cried in her head. She was terrified and frustrated at the same time.

The sound of the cleaver slicing through meat and hitting the table came from the room. He was chopping something up, something large.

'Ed isn't here.' She thought, with a shake of her head. 'I've come this far, I can do the rest.'

Winry started moving as slowly as possible away from the Chopper's room. She was scared of turning her back towards it but she had to. Mustering up all of her courage Winry crept down the hallway towards the corner. She resisted every urge to just breakout running. Winry was now five feet away from the corner, her feet making only the slightest noise. She had a hand on the wall as she led her way along. She was only one foot now. Two more steps and…

...it was a dead end.

Winry stared at the wall hopelessly. There was no door or window of any kind. It was nothing, there was nothing!

No way out.

"Wha..?" She murmured, her arms hanging limply at her side. "I don't…"

Shaking out of it, Winry turned around and headed back to the corner. If this wasn't the way out, then it had to be elsewhere. As she moved to go around the corner, she froze. Winry had turned the corner just in time to see the Chopper exiting his butcher room. His eyes were focused on the wall in front of him and he was still muttering nonsense. With a gasp, she jumped back away from from view and quickly backed up. Winry pressed herself against the dead end; almost tripping on an old metal pole lying on the ground. Winry wasn't a very religious person but at the moment she prayed to God that he hadn't seen or heard her.

A bone chilling chuckle sounded through the hallway causing Winry's blood to freeze. Several moments passed and nothing happened: feeling risky, Winry glanced around to see him walking away from her.

'Thank God." She thought. 'He didn't see me.'

Her relief was short lived; for she realized where he was going. Her cell!

'Shit!' Winry panicked in her head. 'He's going to see I'm out. He's going to..'

Winry felt pure terror envelop her. Her uninjured hand moved to her bandaged one. What was he going to do when he found her? Remove another finger? Her whole hand? Or would he stop playing games and finally kill her. She backed up towards the dead end, unsure of what to do. Any second now he was going to realize that she had escaped. She glanced at the metal pole laying a few feet away. With it, she could defend herself but for how long. Her back hit the wall. Her arms were loose at her sides. She slid down onto the ground, her knees coming up to her chest. She felt a sob working its way up. She was going to die in here.

She felt a breeze on her hands.

Winry's head snapped to the side. Her hands were on the ground in front of the wall. 'What?'

Again, she felt a soft wind hitting her fingers, it was coming from the wall. Winry got on her hands and knees then lowered herself to examine the bottom of the wall. When her face was an inch above the ground she felt the breeze hitting her skin.

'Where the hell is that coming from?' She thought before her eyes widened.

The wall was not touching the floor, in fact it was a quarter inch above it. The breeze was coming through the gap and so was a very faint light! Winry quickly straightened up and stared at the 'wall' in front of her. Winry held back a gasp when she saw it.

This wall was different from the rest of the hallway, it's paint job was off and it's condition was better. Winry then pressed her ear against the wall and quietly knocked.

There was an echo; it was hollow.

"A fake wall!" Winry muttered before her eyes began to sweep over its sides. 'There's got to be a knob, a switch, or a button.' She placed the knife into the waistband of her skirt and frantically ran her hands over the wall; trying to find someway to open it. Winry knew that she only had moments before the Chopper would be looking for her.

Those moments passed quickly.

"Winry! Where are you?"

Without a moment's hesitation, Winry dove behind her to grab the old metal pole on the ground. She grabbed it and stood up. With all of her strength, she hit the wall with the metal. It broke through the plaster and left a hole. Some light from the outside came through the cracks and onto her face. As if on pure instinct and adrenaline, Winry started bashing the wall as hard as she could, again and again.

"Is that you making all that racket over there?"

The sound of his voice only caused her to swing harder. Her arms ached from the jolt that went through them every time the metal hit the wood. The aches causing her already sore limbs to throb even harder.

She could hear footsteps approaching quickly.

The hole was getting bigger, she could proudly fit her head though it. The light that had shone on her face was the moon as it shined through a window in some hallway. She was breathing hard from the exertion.

'You can take a nap later!' Winry screamed at herself as she continued to smash the fake wall. 'Just imagine it's Ed after he broke his automail. C'mon you can do this!'

Her head turned when she heard a boot scraping against the floor. She looked behind her to see Barry come whirling around the corner; cleaver in hand. His black eyes locked onto her and his yellow teeth twisted into a demented grin.

Without thinking Winry dove forward at the hole. The remaining wood was hard, but it gave way under the force of her hitting it. She tumbled through it in an avalanche of wood and chippings. Winry landed hard on the concrete floor, her head hitting it as well. She let out a cry of pain and felt the taste the blood in her mouth. The right side of her body was screaming and she could barely move her right arm. It felt like her entire body had gone numb.

"Get up. Get up!" Winry muttered through gritted teeth as she painfully pushed herself up. Her body was aching with pain and she probably had several bone fractures. Winry glanced at herself and saw multiple splinters sticking out of her flesh.

'Just push through it. That's what Ed would do.' Winry though as she started to stand up.

Suddenly a hand gripped the back of her hair and tugged her back violently. Winry cried out as her back hit what was left of the fake wall. Wood and broken plaster dug into her skin. Winry's eyes turned to see Barry leaning through the hole that she had made, his left arm trapping her with a steel grip. His eyes twitched with malicious glee.

"Leaving so soon my Little Lamb? That's too bad, because I wanted to play a game." The Chopper's mouth was practically foaming as he placed his cleaver down so that he could grip her with both hands.

Winry pushed against him desperately in an attempt to escape. Barry only chuckled as he began to pull her back through the hole. Winry tried to struggle but couldn't in her injured state. This only caused the Chopper's cold laughter to get louder.

With adrenaline coursing through her veins, Winry's hand went to her waistband. She gripped the knife tightly and pulled it from her skirt. In the same motion, Winry stabbed blindly at the Chopper.

Something warm and wet hit the side of her face.

The sound that he made was closer to a wounded animal than a human's. His grip on her hair loosened as his mad cry continued. She fell forward away from the fake wall and landed on the ground. She brought her knees under her and launched herself up with the only hand she could use. It was her bandaged one.

She got up on her feet and took off running, the Chopper's scream having chilled her to the bone. She could still hear him as she ran, the sounds were getting quieter as she got more and more far away. But it was different now.

He was laughing.

Winry stumbled down the endless hallways, passed piles of coal dust and rusted crumbling machinery. The only things that she could focus on were what was in front of her and what was behind her. She didn't notice the tears running down her face or the quiet sobs escaping her mouth. She didn't want to be here anymore. She didn't want to be in danger or in pain. She just wanted to find Edward. She wanted to go home.

Winry didn't realize that she was outside until she felt cold wind against her face and pebbles beneath her feet. Even then, she didn't stop running. She couldn't stop.

Winry ran for what seemed like miles. She didn't stop running until it felt like every little bit of energy was drained from her. Even then, she kept on walking.

Her movements were uncoordinated. Every step was a stumble to either the left or the right. Her chest seemed to burn with every haggard breath she took. She could barely keep her eyes open, she was so exhausted. And even when she could, all she saw was a foggy haze. Her arms hung limply at her side, the right side of her body still throbbed with pain.

It was nighttime, pitch black out. She didn't know where she was going or even if she was on a road. The surrounding area looked rocky and barren, with a few dead trees. Small pebbles dug into her feet as she trudged forward. Adrenaline being the only thing keeping her going.

Winry vaguely felt her left hand moving to wipe at the blood dripping down her forehead. Her tumble through the wall had opened up a gash on her head. As well as giving her a possible concussion. She felt lightheaded as she walked, but she didn't know whether to contribute it to the possible concussion or the blood loss. She sucked in a breath as her tongue moved to wet her dry and cracked lips. She was thirsty; so very, very thirsty.

'When's the last time I had something to drink?' She thought. 'How long was I in there? Hours? Days?' The cold wind sent almost violent shivers through her body. Her lack of clothing leaving her exposed to the harsh elements.

Suddenly she realized that she wasn't holding the knife any more. 'Did I just drop it or did I drop a while ago?' That was her last thought before her foot caught on a rock and she tumbled forward. Winry hit the ground hard, causing her to groan from the impact. She tries to push herself back up but her body simply wouldn't move. Her head was throbbing, her muscles were cramped and aching, she could barely move her right arm. She hadn't eaten or drunk anything in who knows how long. The adrenaline was starting to wear off as the last bit of energy escaped her.

'I gotta keep moving. I have to...have to…Edward.'

Winry's vision blurred past the point of visibly before turning to darkness completely.

OoO


OoO

"Careful, CAREFUL!" Ed shouted as Paninya just barely missed crashing into an extremely old tree.

"Do you want to drive?" Paninya snapped at him.

"At this point yes!" Ed gripped the seat tightly. "How close are we to this factory?"

"Almost there." Paninya said as she took a wild turn to the left down a very bumpy road. "Just a few minutes down this road and we should be there."

"Stop the car." Ed said quickly.

"What?"

"Just stop driving."

Paninya put her foot on the break and the vehicle came to a jolting stop. Ed let out a sigh and unbuckled his seatbelt. "The Chopper will see the headlights if we get too close." He said as he exited the car and moved toward's the front. Paninya began to get out as well, but was stopped by Ed.

"You're not coming with me." He said in stern tone. Paninya stared at him like he had two heads.

Ed began to explain. "I'm going to continue on and check this place out. While you head back to Rush Valley then-."

"I'm going to what? Are you crazy Edward, I'm not leaving you!" Paninya cut him off.

"Then you'll tell Al and Pence about this place. Have them bring the cavalry." Ed finished. "I'll find Winry, and make sure she's safe by the time they get here."

Paninya was silent for a moment before speaking. "What about the Chopper?"

Ed's fists clenched. "I'll deal with him."

"But-" She began to protest but was cut off by Ed.

"It's my fault that Winry's in danger." Ed spoke solemnly. "It's my fault that the Chopper killed that man in Rush Valley. He's after me, it's always been about me. He only took Winry to lure me in and then fuck with my head." He paused for a moment before continuing. "This is my responsibility. My fight. No one else needs to get involved."

"Ed…" Paninya said softly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to fight that psycho on your own. I can help you. I know that I haven't known Winry as long as you, but she is my friend too."

"Right now, the best thing you could do for Winry is to get the military here as fast as possible. It'll...probably be over by then." Ed said the last part in a quiet voice. "Don't worry, I've beaten this psycho before and I've gotten a lot better since then." He finished with a somewhat cocky grin.

Paninya gave a sigh before looking Ed in the eye. "You know...Winry once told me that you were either the bravest or the dumbest person that she had ever known." She said with a small grin.

Ed raised an eyebrow. "And what do you think?"

Paninya shrugged. "A bit of both." Her face then turned serious. "Please bring Winry back safely."

"I will." Ed said determinedly.

Paninya nodded and started to get back into the driver's seat. "Oh if you're going for a walk, you might want this." She said before tossing Ed a water bottle which he caught. Paninya turned on the engine before glancing back at Ed. "Kick that bastard's ass."

"With pleasure." Ed muttered darkly as he turned towards the direction of the factory. As he heard Paninya turn the car around, his thoughts turned to Al.

'He's probably trying to find me by now. He must be worried sick.' Ed frowned as his thoughts turned negative. 'If I'm killed here; what will happen to Al? Will he be able to restore his body without me?'

Ed's fists clenched and he began to run down the road. 'I'm not going to die today. I'm gonna go in there, save Winry, and kill that son of a bitch! He's hurt so many people. Ruined so many lives. He's hurt Winry twice. Never again. It ends tonight!'

During his ride to the factory, Ed had thought about all of Barry's victims. The twenty two women that he had brutally slaughtered all those years ago. The two prison guards who he had stabbed and strangled to death. Marcus Ryan, the innocent man butchered in his own house. And then there was Winry.

'I have to save her. I just have to.' Ed thought. 'Winry doesn't deserve to die. She doesn't deserve any of this!' He glanced up at the sky. 'I've never prayed before in my life, but if anyone is listening up there. Please don't let Winry die! I'll never break her automail again. I'll call her every day. I'll...I'll tell that I love her. Whatever it takes, just please!'

Ed tore his eyes away from the sky and back towards the road in front of him. Now was not the time to get distracted. With renewed energy, Ed bolted down the dirt road. Ahead of him, somewhere in the darkness was his destination. A forgotten building where inside was the girl he was searching for.

Winry; his mechanic, childhood friend, and the girl who held his heart.

'Don't worry Winry. I'm coming.' Ed thought, hoping that somehow Winry could hear him.

As Ed jumped over a fallen tree his thoughts turned to the building's other occupant. A twisted man whose soul was blacker than the darkest night; Barry the Chopper.

'I won't let him get close to me.' Ed thought as he broke out in a run. 'I'll keep my distance this time and use alchemy to...take him out. He'll do his best to subdue me.' Ed thought. 'He'll want to drag this out.'

Ed could tell this because the Chopper was apparently keeping Winry alive. The purpose of the letter was to screw with Ed's head. If he was dragging out her torment to fuck with him, he would certainly drag out this. The Chopper's letter had promised more letters to come. Perhaps the Chopper had planned on psychology torturing Ed before finally going after him.

'I just have to be careful.' Ed thought. 'I'll have the element of surprise. He won't expect me to show up so soon. I just need that one moment.'

He continued to trek forward. Stepping over rocks, climbing hills, and running as fast as he could. He was still following the road, but ran off it whenever it twisted and contorted.

"No wonder no one knows this place is here." Ed muttered under his breath. "It's in the middle of nowhere."

He followed the path up another hill and then he froze.

There was someone lying on the road.

He could tell it was a person by the outline, but the light of the moon did not reveal anymore then that. He moved his way down the hill, eyeing the body carefully.

'This could be a trap.' Ed thought as he made his way forward. 'Some ploy to catch me off guard.'

Just to be safe he clapped his hands together and brushed the back of his automail hand. A sharp blade cut through the glove he was wearing, following his hand. Once his automail blade was long enough he began to move forward again, gritting his teeth like he was expecting an attack any second. His golden eyes glared in all directions, yet saw nothing. The only sounds he could hear were a light breeze in the distance. When he was about 20 feet away the light of the moon bounced off of something.

Blond hair.

Ed's eyes widened, his whole body going rigid. His automail arm, unmoving moments prior, was now trembling. His gaze traveled up and down her motionless body. She was lying on her stomach, her face in the dirt. Her limbs were sprawled out like some kind of broken puppet. He couldn't see her face but he knew it was her.

"WINRY!"

All thoughts of the Chopper and whatever traps he could have hatched immediately vanished. None of that mattered now. Ed had never run faster in his life, transmuting his automail blade away as he moved.

It had only taken him seconds to reach her, but to him it had felt like hours. He dropped to his knees the instant he reached her prone form. His hands grasped her by the shoulders and pulled her towards him. But it wasn't until he turned her in his arms and saw her face did it hit him.

He'd found her.

"Winry?" His voice cracked as his hand moved to her throat, checking for a pulse. 'Please be okay. Please be okay!' After a few tense moments he found one. But it was weaker than it should have been.

Ed sat on the ground, moving Winry onto his lap. He handled her as if she made of glass, not wanting to cause her any more injuries. His automail hand gently cradled her head while his flesh one pushed dirty, blood soaked hair out of the way. They revealed a pale face, with bruised lips and several bloody gashes. Ed felt his heart squeeze violently as he took in the state of her injuries.

Her face, particularly her chin, was covered in dark black bruises. A two inch long gash crossed her forehead, blood seeping out of it and down the side of her face. His eyes traveled from her face to the rest of her body where he gasped loudly. She was wearing very little clothing, only her miniskirt and tube top. Her exposed stomach was covered in cuts, most of them scabs. There were also multiple splinters, bruises, and scrapes. Smears of blood coated her skin, mixing in with dirt and other filth. The right side of her body was heavily bruised and swelling.

Blinking back tears, Ed's eyes then turned to her left hand. Most of the limb was coated in dry or mostly dry blood. Where her pinky finger should have been there was nothing. The hand was wrapped with a white fabric that looked like Winry's tank top. It was stained crimson red.

"Winry." Ed whispered sadly as he cradled her gently in his arms. Never before had he ever seen her in such an awful state. Tears were leaking out of his eyes and falling onto her face. "This is all my fault, I'm sorry Winry. I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe." He sobbed quietly into her hair.

The Chopper was going to have hell to pay.

Suddenly Winry's eyes cracked open.

Ed jumped in surprise, his arms wrapping themselves slightly tighter around her.

"Winry?" Her name came out as more as a beg than a question.

Winry's eyes were half lidded before she gasped and sucked in breath desperately. Her eyes now wide and frightful as they jumped all around. Her hands came up to him as if to push him away. They pressed weakly against his chest, as if she had no strength at all. Her breaths were coming out in pants; almost as if she couldn't breathe.

"Winry, it's me. It's Ed." Ed heard his voice crack again. "Can you hear me? I'm here; it's alright now." Shit, his emotions were treating to overwhelm him. He wanted to hug her and never let go. He wanted to kiss her and confess his feelings, but now was not the time.

Her eyes finally landed on him. Ed felt an electric shock when his golden eyes finally met her beautiful azure. Those eyes; the eyes that has haunted his thoughts for the last few months. The bright, lively eyes that he'd thought he might never see again. He couldn't help a small weak smile that formed on his lips.

"Hey Win." He said softly to her.

Winry's mouth opened as if she were trying to respond to him. Her injured looking lips opening and closing several times. Instead, all that came out was a sob as tears began to fall down her battered face. Her fingers dug into his jacket as her trembling hands gripped him.

Ed felt his heart break at the utter look of anguish on her face and he pulled her to his chest. Winry let out a gasping sound, drawing Ed's attention to her dry and cracked lips.

She needed water, fast.

Unwrapping one arm, he grabbed the water bottle from his jacket pocket. Ed unscrewed the cap before carefully tilting Winry back slightly.

"Here, drink this." Ed said soothingly as he brought the bottle to her mouth.

Winry's eyes dropped towards the bottle and her lips parted as he tilted the water into her mouth. In her current state Winry was unprepared for the incoming liquid. The water went down the wrong pipe causing her to cough and sputter rather violently.

"Sorry." Ed whispered as he poured the water in more slowly.

Winry's tense body relaxed slightly and she sighed as the cold water moved down her throat. After about a minute Winry had drunk half of the bottle. Ed decided it was enough and pulled the bottle back. Winry let out a small groaning sound and licked her now wet lips. Her eyes appeared to be more lucid and coherent, though she was still crying rather heavily.

"I've got you." Ed said to her as he rubbed his hand up and down her bare back. "You're safe, you got away. It's over now."

Winry's soft sobs were muffled by his shirt and she pulled back to look up at him with watery eyes.

"I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, you got it." Ed spoke determinedly. "He won't hurt you anymore."

Winry nodded and hiccuped as the tears streamed down her dirty cheeks. "Edw...E-Edward." Winry's voice croaked out weakly. She sounded tired, scared, confused, yet relieved all at the same time.

Some tremors shook Winry's injured frame as she tried to talk. "Ed...I…so scared…never see you...again." She stuttered incoherently as sobs racked her body. Winry couldn't believe that she had found Ed, that she had escaped. Her emotions were a wreck.

"Shh, I've got you Winry." Ed cooed softly as he ran a hand reassuringly through hair.

"The Ch...the Chopper!" Winry gasped out.

"Is he following you Winry?" Ed asked as he glanced around the area, wrapping his arms protectively around her. "Did he chase you out?"

Winry's head turned from side to side. "Don't know...stabbed."

"Stabbed?" Ed narrowed his eyes. "Did he stab you?" He growled as he began to search her for any such injury.

"N-No." Winry said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Stabbed him."

Ed's eyes widened. "Did you kill him?" He asked after a moment.

"Don't...think so." Winry mumbled.

"Where is he?" Ed growled, his anger towards the Chopper raging inside him.

"Back at the place." Winry lifted a hand towards the direction she had come from.

Ed narrowed his eyes as he gazed in that direction. It looked safe for the moment.

"I'm going to take you back to Rush Valley." Ed said to her. "But first I need to take a look at you."

Her eyes were locked onto his, not leaving his face once. Relief, happiness, confusion, and some lingering fear swan through them. Ed's gaze moved up to the still bleeding wound on her head. As gently as possible he laid Winry on the ground. He then took his coat off and ripped off a strip at the bottom.

"Let me take a look at that head." Ed muttered as he began to tie the red strip around her head. Winry didn't protest while Ed secured the bandage with a knot.

"That good?" Ed asked.

Winry nodded before suddenly giving a gasp of pain when she moved her right arm.

"What is it?" Ed asked worriedly, his eyes full of concern.

"My...arm." She whispered as she clutched her arm. Ed looked it over. Along with several cuts and splinters there was a good amount of swelling and bruising

"Oh shit." He muttered, his voice laced with concern as well. "Is it broken?"

"Don't...know." Winry said. "...maybe fractured."

"Either way." Ed looked around for any nearby trees. He saw a small one a little bit off the road. Scooping a hand under her knees and another on her back, he picked her up. "I've messed up my real arm enough times to know how to help it."

As Ed carried Winry in his arms, he reveled in the fact that she was back and safe. But his thoughts also questioned how she had escaped or where exactly the Chopper was? 'I'll ask her in a moment. First I need to tend to her injuries. She's patched me up so many times, it's about time I return the favor.' He briefly glanced at the surrounding area. 'I need to get her out of here soon. Dammit, why did I send Paninya away with the car!'

He carried Winry over to the small tree and once again sat down. The tree was dead, but the wood still looked strong. He easily pulled it out of the ground with his metal hand and began to break it up.

Winry stared at Ed as he worked. His face was set in a frown. After getting a few sticks he also ripped off more pieces of the bottom of his coat.

"Oh." Winry said out loud when she realized what he was doing.

Before he did that however he handed her his coat.

"You need this more than I do." He said, leaving no room for argument.

Winry was lost in his sharp golden eyes that cut right through the darkness. They were like two guardian angels basking her in the light of their protection. She snapped out of her staring and gave a slight blush as she accepted the coat. It was very cold out. Winry slid her good arm into the sleeve and with help from Ed, got her injured one in as well.

With gentle fingers, Ed took her arm and began to make a makeshift splint. He used the small strips to tie the strong sticks to her arm. Thanks to the sleeve of the coat, the wood did not rub against Winry's already abused skin. Winry moved her arm around slightly before hugging it to her chest. The jacket itself was surprisingly big for her. The sleeves went beyond her hands and the coat pooled around her small frame.

'I guess Ed's really grown since the last time I've last seen him." Winry thought as she tried to pull the red fabric around her. She glanced up at him again, this time taking in certain features of his body. 'Have his shoulder's always been that broad?' She thought to herself, before realizing that this was the least appropriate time to be checking Ed out.

She was shaken from her thoughts by Ed's hand on her shoulder. Winry turned her head to see him looking down at concernedly. "Can you walk?"

Winry shook her head.

"That's okay." Ed once again scooped her up as if she didn't weigh anything. He gave her one more smile before setting off towards the direction that he had come. "Let's get out of here."

Winry weakly smile back, the look in his eyes filling her with warmth. She curled up against his chest. She felt safe.

Because she was with him.

She closed her eyes, finally ready to let sleep take her.

Slick!

Winry's eyes jolted open as Ed cried out. His grip on her loosened and she fell to the ground in a painful heap. Ed himself fell straight to the ground, a searing pain in his back. He pushed himself up with a groan. His flesh hand reached around to his back and touched something metal. This action caused a whole new wave of pain to rip right through him. He could also feel warm blood seeping through his fingers.

A shape blow to Ed's stomach knocked him on his side. As he lay there dazed he could hear metal scraping against metal as a dark shape loomed over him.

"Hello Edward."

OoO


OoO

Aren't cliffhangers the best?

Just to let everybody know I'll try to update as soon as I can, but it might take a while. I'm going to start college in a few weeks so I'm probably going to be busy for a while. I'm sorry, I know this is like the worst chapter to leave it on but I'll do my best.