Peace at Last…or is it?
Disclaimer: I do not own FMAB
So sorry for it being so late, but I was at work and then went shopping with my mother for thee day, then took and nap, and woke up just a lil bit ago. Any who, hope you enjoy the chapter.
2 weeks later, July 13th
Winry woke that morning to find her still sleeping husband next to her, his arms wrapped around her slender stomach, and his breathing light with sleep. Thankfully it was Saturday so Ed didn't have to be to work until later unless he was called in.
"Wake up Ed." Winry giggled as she rolled over and kissed him lightly. Ed groaned awake as his eyes blinked open.
"Why?" Ed said with a stretch.
"Because you have to be to work at noon." Winry said, rubbing noses with her sleepy husband before getting out of bed. She went down to the kitchen to prepare breakfast before the phone rang.
"Elric residence." Winry chirped into the phone.
"Hello, I'm Natalie and I saw your ad in the paper for an automail apprentice. I am greatly interested in automail, so could I stop by in an hour or two?" Natalie asked over the phone. This was the third call she had gotten about the ad.
"Sure." Winry said kindly.
"Could I have your address please?" she asked. Ed walked into the kitchen to see Winry on the phone, rattling off their address.
"Ok, see you then Natalie." Winry said before hanging up.
"Who's that?" Ed asked confused.
"Someone who wants to be my apprentice, she'll be here in an hour." Winry said as she cracked the eggs into a bowl.
"Ok." Ed said as he helped her in the kitchen by taking out the garbage. Once breakfast was made and eaten Ed went upstairs to change, Winry following. Just after they changed the doorbell rang and Winry left the room, buttoning up her shirt as she went.
"Hello, you must be Natalie." Winry greeted. The girl before her was probably no more than thirteen with mousy brown hair kept back in a ponytail with olive color skin. She walked in hesitantly and smiled shyly to Winry before they made their way to the living room.
"Your home is huge and I saw the shop." Natalie said in a small shy voice, though Winry could tell, she wasn't usually this shy.
"Thank you, but really, it's my husband's home." Winry laughed lightly.
"What work does your husband do to get you this large a home?" Natalie asked.
"He's a state alchemist and a Colonel." Winry said with a smile.
"Wow." Natalie said before Ed practically flew down the stairs.
"Mustang called?" Winry asked.
"Yeah. Sorry, gotta go, damn radicals." Ed growled before crossing the room, kissing Winry and then bolting out the door without even seeing Natalie there.
"Ah the life of a military man." Winry laughed.
"What's his name?" Natalie asked.
"Edward Elric, also known as the Fullmetal Alchemist." Winry said, watching her eyes grow.
"I knew I recognized him." Natalie said with a smile. The two talked for a little bit before Winry finally got to business about Natalie's qualifications and reasons.
"I know the basics and have read books about it. I really want to help people, every day I see people who need the automail for their work or livelihood and feel like I just want to help them." Natalie said. Winry glanced at the clock and smiled.
"Good, you start today. Come on, I have a patient who needs a new arm from the elbow down." Winry said with a smile.
"Does anyone else work with you?" Natalie asked as they walked through the house to the shop.
"Yes, my sister-in-law May." Winry said with a smile.
"Is she a sister by marriage?" Natalie asked.
"Yes, she married Ed's brother Al." Winry said.
"Ok. After the operation, I need to call my parents to let them know. They live here in Central, so I should let them know." Natalie said.
"How far away do you live?" Winry asked as they entered the shop and started to get the room ready.
"About five blocks." Natalie said.
"You don't have to move in Natalie. Just be here every morning till ending hours." Winry chuckled, knowing what she was getting at.
"Ok. Thanks, my mother was really worried about that." Natalie said with a relieved sigh. May entered and smiled kindly to the new face.
"So you finally found you apprentice." May chuckled.
"Yes, she answered the questions right." Winry laughed.
That night
Ed walked into his home, the smell of dinner wafting through the air. He was glad that the day hadn't been too eventful; otherwise he would've simply collapsed on the couch until Winry had to wake him. Walking into the kitchen he saw a young girl there with Winry.
"Who's this?" Ed asked, making both Winry and the girl jump.
"Jesus Ed! Knock on the doorframe or something before you enter the room." Winry said her hand over her heart.
"Sorry. Anyway, introductions?" Ed asked.
"Ed, this is my apprentice, Natalie. Natalie, this is my husband, Edward Elric." Winry said. Natalie bowed and smiled kindly to him.
"Nice to meet you sir." She said.
"Thanks. Nice to meet you too. Staying for dinner?" Ed asked.
"If you don't mind sir." She said shyly.
"I don't. I'll be upstairs." Ed said before walking out of the room and leaving the women alone.
"He's changing. The uniform can be a hassle at times." Winry said.
"Not to mention warm. It looked like it was made with fleece or wool, something heavy." Natalie said, making sure to choose her words carefully. Once dinner was done, Winry and Ed took Natalie back to her home and then returned to theirs for a well-deserved rest.
3 days later
"Ok, once you gathered up the radicals, they were promptly taken to the Central Prison and are now awaiting trial for their crimes against the state." Mustang said, reading over Ed's report.
"That is correct." Ed said.
"I've been receiving reports from the south and west about how things have become very quiet." Mustang said.
"Maybe they finally decided to back off." Ed said.
"That would be a relief, seeing as how we defeated the Drachman forces with ease." Mustang said.
"You mean the Briggs soldiers defeated the Drachman forces." Ed clarified.
"Briggs is part of Amestris." Mustang added.
"Valid point. I'm still trying to figure out what's with all the riots though." Ed grumbled.
"Some people believe that our nation needs to switch from military to religion, and that means no parliament, just one all-powerful ruler of the state to preach whatever god they believe in and then using that to massacre all the alchemists because we are messing with god's domain." Mustang said.
"They don't even know what that means. I may have, as had Al and my teacher, but you were forced to do it. Plus, what would that show to our enemies, that our nation is opposed to violence but that we will gladly kill our own if they are an alchemist or don't believe in what they do. It's set up for disaster." Ed said.
"Try telling a radical that and they'll say you're a heretic." Mustang said.
"This is why they go in jail, because they're the danger to society. Admittedly, yes, there are those like Kimblee who used alchemy to do the wrong thing, but then there are those like us who have done nothing but use it to serve our people, despite the pretense it was under." Ed said.
"Yes, but in the eyes of a radical, they only see Kimblee in all alchemists." Mustang said.
"Which is stupid." Ed added.
"It is." Roy said. They continued on to his office until Roy dismissed Ed. They days seemed to drag by, but with the little snippets of action, Roy knew he could make it through the days to get home to his wife, who had left early that day, and son.
As Ed walked back to his office, he could feel the fatigue that had settled into his body. Taking down radicals and bringing them in was always a struggle, they seemed to grow more and more cunning with every day. It admittedly scared Ed as to what they would do if they did get the upper hand, but Ed knew that as long as he could go with the flow of energy he and his team would persevere.
5 days later
"Ed, take out the trash please." Winry called. Ed grabbed the garbage and walked outside with the bag in hand before noticing a small group of men in uniform heading his way.
"Colonel Elric sir." The men said.
"Relax men, it's my day off." Ed said.
"Well, we were just in the area and wanted to inform you that the west and south are becoming a hotbed, words of war and rebellion have started up." One of the men said.
"Hmm…that is disturbing. Hopefully it will pass and all the idiotic talk will die down." Ed said.
"We hope so too, but we just want to know sir, are you prepared for if a war breaks out?" the man asked.
"I'll do what I have to keep this nation safe. Do I want to leave my wife with the possibility that I may never see her again, no, but I want to keep her safe." Ed said.
"Same way I'm feeling sir." One of the men said.
"Thank you for letting me know." Ed smiled before walking back inside. A sense of urgency engulfed him, somehow knowing something big was going to make itself known. Ed walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Winry's small waist.
"What's up?" Winry asked.
"Let's go to our room." Ed said, picking her up.
"Ed." Winry giggled, kissing his cheek. Ed smiled at her gesture before they entered their room, following the simplest instincts of passion and love until the late afternoon, when both were sated. Winry lay in her husband's arms, a small smile on her angelic face, her soft naked body pressed against his hard one, listening to the steady beat of his heart as she rested. While she was peaceful and at ease with the world, the sense of impending tragedy and gloom gripped Ed, and he simply held to his wife as if she were his anchor to this earth, but he knew this was the life of a soldier, taking the day moment at a time and savoring it until the bitter end.
I know, it's a naughty cliff hanger, but that just means you'll need to tune in next week. And since I'm only working two days next week, that means more time to type, yay! Anyway, until then, please, R&R.