A/N: Sorry it has taken so long to update. My internet was down then I had to go back to school. Gah! Thank goodness for three day weekends. I noticed that the last chapter was rife with errors. My apologies there as well. I'll try my best to edit thoroughly before I post.

Disclaimer: I do not own FMA. This is just for fun.

All was silent. Insects delayed their chirping, birds their twittering as all nature held her breath in anticipation. A heavy swirling fog drifted upward, like a veil, to reveal a scene of magnificent beauty. Winry sighed and inhaled the sweet aroma of dew that blanketed the fields of grass, watching as the sun's rays reached the droplets of water causing the land stretched forever before her to shimmer and twinkle as if innumerable diamonds littered the plains.

This was the best time of day.

She stepped gingerly from the porch, so as not to wake the other occupants of the house, and began her morning walk by strolling lazily about the yard. Admiring the quiet and calm of dawn had kept her sane the last couple of months; the adjustments she was forced to make at home had not been easy. The journey of life would be a difficult if not impossible without coping mechanisms and Winry had discovered that walking and seeking out new scenery was exactly what she needed. She picked up her pace and headed toward the mountains intent on a short hike. Some of the paths were treacherous and filled with small stones that caused Winry to slip and fall most days, but this did not bother her. She felt these frequent encounters with the dirt were a perfect metaphor with her life. She was strong enough to stand up and move forward no matter what obstacle or stumbling block. Strong enough to choose her own path even if it was filled with bramble and lethal rocks protruding sharply from the earth like the one she traversed today for instance. She wacked a large branch out of her way and entered a small grove filled with gnarled pecan trees and what appeared to be the foundations of a long lost house. Winry traced the outer edges with her footsteps and allowed herself a moment to ponder whether a family had once lived here in the seclusion of the mountain. A budding violet caught her eye and she stopped to consider the flower. Several other bulbs were sprouting up in a neat little row and Winry smiled, determining at the very least a woman had once lived here. Her features softened as she recalled a memory of her mothering puttering around the garden.

"Come and help your mommy Winry"

Sarah Rockbell held aloft a large misshapen seed that bore an uncanny resemblance to a head of garlic. Winry took the item and dumped it haphazardly into the hole already dug with a gleeful giggle. Sarah turned the bulb so that it was oriented properly and began sprinkling dirt on it, directing her daughter to help.

"Are we berrying it cuz its dead?" Winry asked smartly, her little fists filled with earth. Sarah smiled and laughed.

"No darling, you bury a seed and new life spouts from it."

Winry swallowed hard and bit her lip to stave off the rush of emotion that had suddenly constricted her throat and filled her chest. She could not cry today for that would break the promise she made with Ed and Al. But too often in the last two months that promise had been tested. Normally her tendency to weep was out of concern or remorse for her two best friends, but they were back in their bodies now and the danger of the homunculi were gone. Today her desire to cry stemmed from bitterness and regret of losing the people most dear to her. It was unfair that her parents were so cruelly taken, unfair that her best friends had abandoned her, unfair that she had been forced into hiding and lost touch with the connections she had made in Rush Valley, unfair that her current situation chained her miserably to the reality that her future could easily be spent alone.

She forced her eyes upward and heaved a heavy sigh. The world was never fair. She had accepted that truth, learning to live with it and making the choice to be happy was the difficult part. She was moving again with a few of the violets in hand as she made her way down the mountain and turned toward town, away from the house. A stop was needed today before she could begin work. The sun blazed brightly on her back as Winry ascended a winding road up a grassy knoll to the place where her parents rested.

"No darling, you bury a seed and new life spouts from it."

Winry wasn't sure what good could ever come from the death of her parents but some part of her had to believe that she could glean some sort of peace from their passing. Granny had said that nothing made her prouder that the two had stuck to their convictions and helped save people to the end, but though Winry couldn't agree more, she found herself also admitting that she would never have been ashamed if her parents had fled and saved themselves.

She halted her trek few meters from the grave stone as her heart jumped to her throat. Two men were standing there offering flowers. Both were tall with smooth dark skin and white hair.

"Mr. Miles and…." Winry's mouth went dry as she stared at Scar.

Wind swept through the three of them blowing out Winry's bandana, but she ignored it as she gathered the strength to speak. Her hands started shaking.

"We were just passing through on the way to Ishval. I'm sorry Miss. We assumed at this hour you would still be sleeping" Miles explained politely. A silence stretched between them and the air was thick with tension.

"Mei Chang told me that your arm belongs to your brother," Winry stammered holding back her tears, "I'm sure you weren't thinking clearly when you woke from coma either. My parents were good people. you would have gotten along if you had given them a chance."

"I am truly sorry," Scar began, "I have come here to thank them and apologize since I am now a freeman and will go back to rebuild my country."

"I wasn't finished," Winry interrupted nonplused by the news that he wasn't going to be punished for all his wrong doing. Mei had informed her of that as well. She continued, her legs like jelly now, "I heard the whole story of how much you helped the country and I don't think Ed and Al would have made it if not for your help and that of your countrymen, so for that I'm….grateful."

She was close to tears now they were brimming at the bottom of her eyelids. The two men stood shocked for a moment by her bowed head. They assumed she was averting their gaze out of respect when Winry was really just trying to dry her eyes. Scar bowed low in response.

"It is I who am grateful. I still have a chance to find my reason to live. Your parents, my brother and you young girl have given that to me. "

Winry said nothing in response but watched as the two men bade her farewell and walked around to leave. Winry grasped the stems of her flowers and spun around to address Scar.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"I no longer have one, call me what you like," he responded causing Miles to roll his eyes discretely below his sunglasses. He was getting really tired of hearing this line. Winry considered this for a moment.

"Goodbye then, Ammar."

To her great surprise and almost delight he smiled as two glassy tears streaked down his face.

"Goodbye Miss Rockbell"

And they were gone, their distant backs disappearing into the horizon. Winry stayed only a few minutes to place the plants upon the graves before she headed home. The unexpected reaction of her former enemy weighed on Winry and she wondered why she could so easily accept and be kind to people no matter their treatment of her. The tears were threatening again, but she did nothing to stop them this time. Ed and Al would have to forgive this moment of weakness. She sniffled and coughed as snot ran down her face and got in her mouth. A man who stood smoking on the porch dropped his pipe quickly upon her approach and rushed to greet her. He was tall and handsome with curly light brown hair, light blue eyes and a gentle demeanor.

"Winry? What's the matter?" he placed a placating hand on her shoulder to steady her and brought her shuddering form into an embrace. He stroked her hair until she calmed and led her to a seat offering a shirt sleeve as a tissue.

"I'm alright," she sighed wiping her eyes and nose on the proffered clothing. Winry leaned back and sighed as the man picked up the pipe attempted to light it again. "Granny will kill you for stealing that Julian" she observed.

"Ha, yeah well I'm out of cigarettes. Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" He raised an eyebrow as he exhaled a puff of smoke and Winry stood up in response.

"We need to get to work. Customers will be here soon."

"Maybe your Elric friends will be here today too, huh?" he called to her back as she reached the door. Winry didn't turn around.

"Maybe. The promised day was two months ago. I don't know if Al is strong enough to travel yet." she slumped her shoulders in silent prayer.

Julian frowned as she disappeared into the house hoping that they would arrive soon and cheer her up.