Chapter Fourteen

We all sat inside the house, my arm around Winry as she sat next to me on the couch. May and Al had been sent to bed, as an order from the doctor. Hawkeye and Havoc still stood guard outside of out house. Everyone had tried to tell them that we were fine and that we didn't need to be protected anymore. Hawkeye had given us a skeptical look and scoffed, leading the way as Havoc followed her.

And now we waited. There had been no sign of Mustang and his crew, not even a little peep. Envy hadn't reappeared and there was certainly no appearance of God. Time seemed to be at a stand still. If Hawkeye would have let me go, maybe I could have Envy by now. There was certainly a better chance of catching him with me there. I was the one he wanted, wasn't I?

"Ed, don't think so hard, you'll hurt yourself." Winry joked beside me, or at least I thought it was a joke.

"Huh? Yeah sure." I looked away, my thoughts going back to Envy and the fight. Winry pulled my braid, yanking my head back in her direction. I sighed, giving her an annoyed look.

"What are you thinking Ed?" Her bright blue eyes glared up to me. I sighed again, rolling my eyes.

"Nothing Winry, forget it." She yanked again, getting a startled yelp from me. I glared to her this time as I turned. She gave me a sly smile, then glaring right back.

Great, she was going to make me tell her wasn't she? I mean, really" Can't I have thoughts to myself? I sighed, looking to her eyes and away again. I groaned, leaning my head back against the wall.

"I was thinking of you, of Al, and May. I was thinking of Envy and Mustang." I glared towards the door, raising my voice for the next part. "And the fact that I could help if I was allowed to go!" I could hear Havoc give a little chuckle.

"Ed, I know that wasn't all you were thinking about." Winry's voice was soft as she reached for my hand. I swiped it away, standing up and pacing.

"Maybe it isn't, but can't I have thoughts of my own Win?" I paced the small room, my hands behind my back. My leg didn't feel right, but I was in no mood to let her fix it. I would just have to walk with a limp for a while.

She stopped glaring, her sigh barely audible as she stood too. She looked to my leg, noticing the limp in seconds.

"Let me fix your leg, and then we can talk. I think I know what you're issue is." Before I could object, she grabbed me by the arm and hauled me off to the workroom. I mumbled stuff under my breath as she hauled me in there and threw me onto the bed. I lifted up my pant leg, exposing my metal leg. She groaned when she saw it.

"Only you." She grabbed a few things and began work.

The pain didn't help me be sidetracked as I had hoped, and as she picked away at my leg, my thoughts were dragged back to Envy.

If my daughter could defeat him with a simple transmutation, then why couldn't we? We had the same, if not greater, power that she had had. Maybe if I transmuted myself... Maybe then he would be gone for good. Envy was a nuisance to man and needed to be stopped. He knew how to create more homunculi as well, so that only made him more powerful. Maybe if we really tried, we could cut him up and burn him. Although, Mustang's flames hadn't exactly worked before...

We could always use May's alchemy again. I didn't want to endanger her, but it seemed to be the only thing that remotely worked. If she was willing to help some more, maybe we could use that. I wouldn't force her in though; I wasn't going to use people like that.

"Done. Ready to connect the nerves?" Winry looked to me was a soft stare. I nodded, not moving to brace myself. I was used to this. "3...2...1..." And she snapped them together.

I lurched from my back, a gasp escaping my lips. That was worse than normal. Great, what did she change this time? I flopped back onto the bed, gasping as the pain stopped.

"What did you do Win? That was way worse than normal!" I sat up rubbing my leg in a feeble attempt to help the pain. She looked to the floor, putting some of her tools away.

"I didn't do a thing." Her voice came out a whisper as she shuffled things around in her toolbox. I sighed, standing and wrapping my arms around her from behind.

"What's wrong Win?" I laid my chin on her shoulder, a small worried look on my face.

"You know when Envy said something about me deserving to die because I was a horrible liar?" She whispered this again, her voice heavy with tears. I nodded, stroking back a strand of her hair reassuringly.

"I don't want to know what he meant, but I... I'm scared to live without knowing, ya know?" She looked over her shoulder, a small tear rolling down her cheek.

"Win, just forget about anything that loon said. He's crazy, and you don't ever deserve to die."

"That's what you say, but you're... you." She blushed. I had a hard time not laughing at her issues using the word "boyfriend."

"Yes, and Al is Al. He would tell you the same thing Win. And May, Havoc, Mustang, Hawkeye, any of the others in the military. I mean seriously, you are probably the most loved person there Win."

"Really?" She looked to me with a look of love, some more tears rolling down her cheeks. I nodded, leaning in to kiss the corner of each eye, kissing away the tears. She blushed, looking to the ground as I held her in my arms.

"Win, you and Al are the only reason I keep doing what I do. If it weren't for you and him, I would have stopped with just my arm and leg missing and never have tried for anything more." I crushed her closer, a small smile playing on my lips.

I finally realized the truth of my words. Before I had thought it was Mom... But now I knew. I knew who I really had to fight for, who I had to protect.

Win was going to be my fuel for this fight. She would be the reason I never stopped fighting. I would never let harm come her way, not even over my dead body.

"Thanks Ed, but... Are you sure you-"

I looked to her with a worried expression on my face, an odd tone to my voice when I spoke. "Win, I am positive. If it means protecting you and Al, then so be it, I'll do it."

She smiled a beaming smile that seemed to have captured the sun. I kissed her then, pulling her back into my arms.

A perfect ending to the crappy day. A perfect beginning to my true fight.