When the hand struck 12

-LisaMarieX3

On a cold, December night, he stood alone, looking out into the distance. He was deep in thought when suddenly, a crack of a twig had him glancing over his shoulder. There stood a young girl with a flower in her hand. Winry. Her eyes were glazed and distant, and it appeared that she was struggling to stay focused.

"W-Winry," Edward whispered, concerned for the fragile girl in front of him. "What.. I mean, why- you're supposed to be inside! You're sick, remember?! It's almost midnight, and it's freezing!"

"I-I just came to say goodbye to your mother one last time." She said softly as she managed a weak smile. Edward stiffened.

"Winry..."

"I picked this flower especially for her, I thi... think... she'll..." her words suddenly stopped as her body fell towards the snow beneath her.

"Winry!" Edward caught her in his arms. He positioned her so she was lying on her back. The flower she picked lay next to her. "Hey, Winry... are you there?" He cupped her face in his gloved hands, "look at me! Please, just open your eyes-"

Her eyes cracked open a little, and he sighed in relief.

"...Ed-Edward, everything is okay, don't-"

"Okay?" He glared at her, "everything is not okay! You aren't well, and here you are on this damned Christmas night, in the snow... damnit, Winry! You're... you're..."

"Dying?" She smiled sadly, "I know that..."

"No, don't say that. Don't say that..." He whispered, closing his eyes.

His body went tense as something cold touched his face. It was her hand. He then relaxed as he gazed down into her eyes, all the memories of his past returning, and soon he covered her hand with his, holding it in place. He remembered the first time they went to the park, the first time they went to school, the first time they ate at each others houses... and by the look in her eyes, he knew she remembered, too.

She suddenly smiled, which caught him off guard. "After all this time, after everything that has happened... I can't believe this is the end."

A tear began to fall down her pale face, and her teeth began to chatter. "...Ed. Edward," she sobbed weakly, "my bones ache, my skin feels cold... my head, it feels dizzy..." Her tears worsened as her voice got frantic, "Edward, I don't want to die! I-I can't... I have so many things to do in the future, I can't, I just can't!" She screamed as she latched onto his jacket. He grabbed hold of her wrists to restrain her. He dared not say anything. What was there to say? She was dying, and that was it. Nothing he could say would help her situation.

After a few moments of crying, her breathing grew steady in her lungs. "Hold me..." She whispered, and he did. He held her in his tight embrace as she buried her face into his neck. He could feel her breath getting slower and slower, and it pained him to think what was about to happen next. After all these years, he was about to lose her. The girl he was going to spend the rest of his life with, the girl who made him who he was today... the girl in his arms, would be that girl no longer. Panic surged through his veins and he found himself holding her tighter, his face masked with worry. She mumbled something into his neck that he couldn't hear past the howling winds.

"What did you say?"

She pulled away from his neck and slowly put her lips to his ear. "I said," her voice wavered, "Winry loves you, Edward." She cried pitifully, causing his heart to jump painfully in his chest. He closed his eyes tight and buried his face into her hair, next to her ear.

"Yeah," he whispered as a tear rolled down his cheek, "Edward loves you, too... Winry." She heard him cry, for the first time in years... he was crying for her, something she never thought she'd witness. She smiled, and as his words sunk deep into her heart, her eyes closed over and her arms went limp. She died in his arms, on December 25th...

... when the hand struck 12.

Hey guys, AmvAlchemist speaking. I changed my pen name to Lisa Marie because, well, that's my name xD
I prefer AmvAlchemist only for my youtube, because that's were I actually post Amv's xD

Anyway. I know I haven't written in a while, but I've just been really busy. When I got home from school, I sat down on the couch with my laptop and said, "I feel like writing today!" And tada. Look what I made. xD If you don't get it, Winry is dying from an illness. *Tear*

Please review, they mean alot. I don't think I'll get very many, though, because I've noticed that one-shots don't get reviews much. :P

Thanks for reading! LISA LOVES YOU ALL! :D