Tonight

A/N: As of right now there is not many reviews, but I have only had this up since Friday, so I am not too upset, haha. But thank you to Anana553 and Gisel0202.

(.2011)

.Sin.

x. The Beginning .x

For the life of him, Edward never remembered being on a train for that long. He didn't get any sleep and the trip already took about a day to make it to its destination. Edward didn't make it to his home town until around six at night the next day. His bottom was numb as it could be; it felt like it wasn't even there anymore. He sighed as he stepped off the train after everyone else scrambled out. His eyes were dark from his lack of sleep and his body was heavy. But, tonight was going to be a good night. He would take his love out for the night of her life no matter how tired he was. He could take a nice nap when he got to the house.

"Edward? Edward Elric, is that you? What luck!" Ed was stopped right at the door of a station. He turned to see an older man, a man he knew well from his childhood. The old man was Franklin Gates, the local mail man. Really, Edward didn't understand how the man got around to delivering all of the mail, he had to be around eighty at that moment.

"Well, old man Gates. What are you doing around here? Isn't it a little too late to be giving out mail?" He asked, pointing to the bag the man carried that was pretty empty looking.

The man just laughed and dug around in his bag, "Well, you know me. I have to get it all done, no matter how long it takes this old man. Here, there is a letter for Winry in here and I am sure that you will be on your way over there," he said, bringing out a letter and holding it up to the young man.

"You must know me well, Gates. Thanks for the letter; I'll get it to her. Tell your wife I said hi and I'll be over soon for some of her famous cookies," he grinned, stuffing the letter in his jacket pocket. Edward remembered the woman that was pretty old even when he was a child. She was an old alchemist herself, only using it for house hold things. She was a great woman and she always made cookies for him and Al when they helped Mr. Gates pass out the mail of the day. They were the best cookies Edward could remember having. It had been too long.

"Oh, I'll let Linda know. She would love to have you," the old man grinned and put his hand up to wave. "Be on your way know, I can tell that you have been riding for a good while," he said as he walked away, probably going to the people who boarded in the train station. Very cheap housing really and it would be hell for Edward, hearing the trains come and go at night.

He watched the man leave, disappearing through the crowd, and took it upon himself to leave at the same moment. He went outside in the nippy cold. It wasn't too bad, but enough to make the male keep his jacket on. That being a fact, it was still very nice outside. Edward just couldn't wait for that night. He was going to take Winry out to East City, only a short train ride away, and take her to the most expensive restaurant. Then they would have a night out, going wherever she would like and stay out as long as she pleased. That night, they would room in the military Inn and the next day he would take her shopping.

Overly romantic?

Yes.

Out of character for the man?

Absolutely.

Ed knew this wasn't like him, but he had to do this. He would even enjoy taking her out that way, treating her like she was a lady. Edward wanted to see that shimmer of joy in her eyes. He wanted to see her love him and the way he was treating her. He swore on his own grave that he would treat Winry like gold for the rest of their lives if she would have him. The thought of her, which was all he thought of on the walk home, put a goofy smile on his face. He knew the people he passed just have thought that he had finally lost it.

Really, the scene was a strange one. Edward Elric, dressed in his military uniform, walking around just grinning. Like he was spaced out and didn't even know where he was. It looked like he was heavily medicated. People may have been thinking that, but no one stopped him. Not once. He was thankful for that; he wanted to get there as soon as possible. But, when he did make it, he didn't expect what he saw.

There were men; they were out of the porch. Three of them to be exact. All of them were strangers to the older Elric brother. They looked worried, talking and smoking, not even looking at Edward as he approached the porch himself. His eyes scanned them carefully and he came to the quick conclusion that they must be new to town. But, why were they so worried? Was Winry okay? Was she hurt or sick? Ed needed to know.

"Hey, what's going on?" He asked, storming up the stairs and reaching for the door. He was blocked by one of the men, who looked at him with a glare.

"What does scum like you need with the Rockbells?" he asked, giving Edward a look that told him he was dirt. He must have been referring to the uniform Edward wore, almost proudly when he was being offended about it. He was comfortably up there in the military as a major. This man needed to understand the power that comes with his stars. But, at that moment he needed to know that Ed would to anything to get into that house at that moment.

"Get out of my way," Edward said, dropping his suitcase. "I would hate to forcefully remove you," he said, giving him a dangerous look. But, of course, the man was a bit bigger than him. The man did not seem like he was scared of Ed, but he needed to be. He was standing in the way of Edward and a possibly hurting Winry. He was in the danger zone.

"You and what army?" He asked, as if he could just play with Edward because he was shorter. Ed's eyes widened for a moment. That man thought he was short… No one had called him short since he was short. The first thing that passed through his mind was that he was going to have to kick his ass. His anger began to spill through, his face turning red and his eyes digging into him.

"What army?" he asked, looking up to him. Looking UP! "The Amestrian Army!" he yelled before socking the man right in the stomach, causing him to bend over in pain. Edward made sure to get closer to him. "These stars say I can kill you and get away, free as any other man. So watch your mouth and DON'T EVER CALL ME SMALL!" he yelled, grabbing him by the back of the shirt and throwing him over his shoulder and into the yard.

"Ron! Hey, ass hole he never said you were small!" one of the thinner men said as he ran down the steps to check on the man that was thrown.

"What the hell is going on out here?" a raspy voice asked from the door. Pinako was standing, as short but confident as ever. She glared out at all of the men that were making such a noise in her yard. "Edward, it is always nice to see you, but you know that Winry will be upset that you didn't call first," she said, looking him up and down. "That uniform is really becoming on you, Elric, now get in here," she said, grabbing his jacket and pulling him in.

"Why are those guys here? What is going on?" Edward asked once they were inside. Once he got a look around he was able to tell what was happening. There was a group of women around something on the floor in the corner. They seemed to be working hard, but from the feeling in the room, everything was hopeless. Winry was on the couch with her face in her hands.

Edward went over to her quickly, but really didn't know what to say. He had just walked into something and he didn't even know what it was. He just stood in front of the woman, unable to even speak. Winry must have noticed someone was staring at her because her head snapped up, looking directly into Ed's eyes. Her eyes were beautiful. They were such a bright blue it didn't even seem real, but at that moment they were red and tired.

"Edward…" she muttered, seeming lost on how to feel that he was there. Edward waited; he knew that she would soon tell him what was going on in the room around them. "Why haven't you been writing?" and with that she broke out into uncontrollable tears. Edward quickly dropped to his knees and out his hands on her's.

"I have a feeling you're not crying over lost letters from me," he muttered, trying to get her to look at him. But, he could tell she did not want him to see her like that. Though, he had seen her sobbing more than once. She had seen a lot, so for her to be crying like that it must have been something horrible. But, really, when Edward thought back she was really a bit of a cry baby compared to him.

"It's Den, Ed," she sobbed, covering her face with her hands. "He's dying," Ed wasn't shocked really. Den was old; he was almost as old as the both of them. Dogs didn't live all that long and he had a full life, but he did feel horrible for Winry and couldn't help from thinking that this could ruin their night.

"I'm sorry, Winry," He muttered, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Is there anything I can do for you?" he asked with a soft, caring voice. He was a bit afraid of what she might want him to do. He had heard of people shooting their animals when they were this sick. Though Edward understood that Den had to go, he couldn't do it himself.

"Would you just go out and dig a hole for him?" she asked in a shaky voice. "Please, Edward," Ed couldn't say no to something so simple. He smiled softly to her. He wanted her to be as comfortable as possible. This girl had been through so much and he knew that losing her pet was going to be hard on her. It was depressing just looking at her. He would make her feel much better later.

"Yeah. Just relax, alright? Everything is going to be okay," Edward promised as he stood and went for the back door. As he stepped over to the hallways he saw the poor dog. The women around it had calmed down quite a bit. They were just petting him, and showing him love in his final minutes. The dying dog looked over to Ed without moving at all. Ed gave a soft smile before disappearing into the hallway.

x. Later .x

Edward buried the dog. His night was shot to hell, but that was alright. He was fine with that. He could just take her out the next night. When it was all finally over it was getting dark outside and he was ready to sleep. He sighed as he walked in and was faced with the three men and the women. They were all in the living room, sitting around and chatting softly. Edward felt so out of place, standing tall in his military uniform, looking like he was there on business.

He took himself to the small bathroom and washed up from his digging. Edward let his over jacket and smaller military slip off and he hung them in the hall closet. This left him in a tight black shirt and his military pants, but it seemed a little more welcoming than the other. But, he still earned strange looks from the others when he walked back into the living room. So, he decided to bypass and go into the kitchen where Winry and Pinako were making dinner.

"Well, how long are you in town for, Edward?" Pinako asked when she noticed that he had came in.

"I'll have to go back to Central Thursday. I have to be back to work next Monday. It was the day I gave them," he said, staring at Winry mindlessly. He watched the way she moved and such. He didn't understand how he didn't pay attention to her when they were teenagers. She had always been so beautiful.

"This should be a nice visit then, shouldn't it?" she asked, giving him a knowing smirk. "Why don't you go and meet our other guests? Take the wine with you," Pinako demanded, grabbing a bottle of wine from the cabinet. Edward took it and sighed. He didn't want to go out there with those people. He felt better in the kitchen. But, he did as he was told and took the wine bottle out to the guest. They all seemed to have glasses already.

"Can I refill your glasses for you?" he asked them, standing in sight of everyone. He hated feeling like he was a waiter. He didn't want to wait on these people. They were below him on the food chain, but he had to be nice. At least for Winry, who he knew was not in the mood to deal with his ass. They all seemed to need to be topped off so he slowly filled up every cup, even the guy that almost got is face knocked off.

"Hey man, sorry about earlier. Just gotta keep these ladies safe, you know?" he asked as Ed filled up his cup. This may have been one of those single men looking to get Winry. Well that wasn't going to happen. This man was not her type at all! But, what was her type? Ed just guessed that he was her time. Just him. No one else. This guy may have been just what she wanted.

"I think I know how to keep my family safe," Ed snapped at him with a glare. He didn't know this guy, and if he was someone wanting Winry for himself. He wasn't going to be nice to him though. Ed didn't like this guy.

"Edward!" the shrillness of her voice sent shivers up Edward's spin. "Do not talk to Ron like that. Get back in this kitchen!" she yelled, storming back into the kitchen, expecting Edward to follow right behind. He did, with one last glare at Ron. He walked slowly into the kitchen and was met with a large spoon to the face.

"What the hell was that?" he exploded, not able to contain his anger from being hit. He knew that he needed to be nice to her. Treat her like a lady… blah, blah, blah. No lady threw spoons at people.

"You are so rude to people, Edward! That mad was just out there to help!" she yelled, glaring at him. Edward noticed that Pinako took that point, in the middle of the yelling, to slip out of the room and entertain the guests. That was a pretty good idea. Ed with a level head wouldn't want to be fighting in front of these people, but at the moment he was fired up and didn't give a damn.

"Who the hell was he helping? He was outside roughing me up! You aren't throwing shit at him for being rude!" Ed stomped his metal foot down hard. Hard enough to too dent the wood floor under him. This did not help the situation.

"Well, look at what you've done now!" Winry yelled, walking over to him and looking at the spot that he messed up. "How are we going to fix that? You can't just smack your hands together and fix things anymore!" she screamed right in his face.

Edward glared at her hard and they were silent for a few moments. Winry was calming down, knowing that she had just said something that crossed the line. She didn't know what to say to him after that, she just expected to be yelled at. She would have deserved it after what she had said to him.

"The casserole is finished," he muttered, stepping away from her and going to the table. He took his seat and sighed. "I'll take my dinner in there. Then I'm going to bed," he said flatly, not in the mood to deal with her if she was that angry. He understood that she was upset, but she had gone too far with him. If she was that angry over that Ron guy she could have him. Ed had, for the time being, lost the will to fight for her.

Winry seemed to accept that. Edward did not look up from the table top as she walked around the kitchen, making plates of food for everyone in the house. She put down a plate of food in front of Edward and a cup of cold water. Ed began to eat right away not talking to her as she walked away and tended to the rest of the people in the house.

What if she really did want that other man? Well he couldn't stop her. If he loved her he would let her be happy. He shouldn't be trying to show her how much he wants her, because when it came down to it the only thing that mattered was if she wanted him. Edward couldn't make her want to be with him. He just thought that she would want to be with him in the first place. Girls loved him! Didn't they? He was a hero. He saved the world! That had to give him something in the eyes of girls. In the eyes of her.

He was becoming depressed with these thoughts so he just began to eat faster, knowing it wouldn't help anything. When he went up to his room it would be even worse. There was no reason to speed through dinner at all. He just couldn't keep thinking about things like that. Things like that could make, even a man like him, cry. It was difficult for him to think about her not wanting him. For her to want another man, who Edward thought was nothing compared to him.

As he was thinking he heard someone set a plate down on the other side of the table. Ed looked up quickly out of reflex. Winry was sitting right in front of him with her food and cup. She seemed to look pretty sorry for what she had said to him a few minutes before. Edward knew that she wouldn't say it, but it helped a bit that she was sitting with him. It made him feel a lot better.

"So, you're in town for a while," Winry muttered, not looking over to him as she continued to eat. Ed looked over to her and nodded.

"Yea, I'll be here till Thursday," he answered, trying to hide his smile. He felt nice being alone with her, and even though he didn't get to take her out they could make that night just as good. "I was hoping that maybe sometime this week you would want to come with me to East City," Ed said, keeping his eyes on her.

"East City?" she asked, finally looking to him smiling. "What would a girl like me do in East City?" Winry laughed, shaking her head.

"Well, you could be taken out to eat. You can be taken out…" it kinda hurt his pride to say this, but he was being romantic. Be romantic. "Dancing," Just as soon as it left his mouth Winry was laughing so hard that he thought that she was going to fall out of her chair. He turned a bright red and tried to sink back into his seat. This was what happened to Edward when he tried to be romantic.

"Dancing, Edward? Dinner and dancing? Sounds like a date," she laughed, keeping her eyes right on him. What did she want him to say? What was the right answer? Ed needed help; he had never really been in that situation. He had never been on a date. He just knew from Roy's storied what a dates was suppose to be like. Maybe he was moving into this too fast. Maybe that was what was wrong and she didn't want it that quickly. Or maybe she wanted him to sweep her off her feet with romance. Take her on this date and show her the best night of her life. He didn't know the right answer, but he had to guess. He had to do what would make him happy as well.

"It is a date, Winry," he said, it sounded almost painful as it rolled out of his throat. It was scary, almost the most terrify thing in his life. "I want to take you out on a date tomorrow night. We can go to a restaurant I was told about. We can go to some bars and all. And I can have us a room in the military hotel. And the next morning I'll take you out shopping, hopefully girly things but if you want new tools it's whatever you want," When he was done explaining his eyes searched her face for what she was thinking.

A small smile graced the woman's face after a moment. "I think I would like to go on that date, Ed," she said, getting up to take their plates to the sink. "What have you done to the Edward Elric I used to know?" she asked, laughing softly.

Ed smiled as he stood up, "Oh, he's still in here. Don't forget about him just yet,"

x. Later .x

Edward was in bed pretty early that night. Right after everyone left he was seen walking around the house in his boxers, free as ever. He was with his family then, there was no need to wear the stuffy clothes. But, he was in bed soon after shedding his clothes. He was comfortable in his bed under his puffy covers.

Sleep overcame the man quickly. He was dead to the world. There was no way anything could wake him up. On most nights that was the case. This night though, it seemed he was more alert. It was undetermined to him as to why he was able to wake so easily this night, but the simple sound of his bedroom door opening did the trick. He sat right up to see Winry at the door.

She was wearing a long shirt and her baggy night pants. She looked wide awake to his sleepy eyes. "Winry?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

Winry inched over to his bed and sat down. "It's around four in the morning," she muttered, looking down at him. "Edward, I can't sleep," Her eyes looked just as red as before. Edward knew where this was going. She had always slept with that dog at the foot of her bed. Now she wouldn't be able to sleep. Ed could make out that much in his mind and he knew what she wanted from him.

Ed smiled over to her and pushed the blankets beside him down, "Get in, Winry. If Pinako flips out, you're dealing with her," he said, allowing her to crawl over him to get into bed. He let out a sigh and laid back down, feeling nice and warm again but, this time with another body right beside him. He wanted to just take her in his arms, but that would be over stepping, he thought.

This was just as good.