Here we go, another chapter, and look, it didn't take to f...ing months thistime.

Please read the athor's not at the end of this chapter. I need your help. Thankies :)

Episode 36 - First of Many

Winry sat on the floor at the foot of her bed and grimaced. She had watched it, she couldn't un-watch it. Trying her best to figure out the reasoning, she could only come up with Clause wanting sympathy from everyone. If she got the tape, still couldn't figure out who it was, the pain, that everyone else would perceive her to be going through, looked more brutal. 'He's still out there.' She could hear those words rattle in her head with a look of sorrow and Clause's face attached to it.

"Bitch." She clenched the longer strands of her mauve shag carpet.

"Alphonse! Please." She begged him to stop walking away and to talk to her.

"Listen." He turned to face her. "I've had enough of your antics, and I don't feel like listening to what you have to say. We're on rocky ground as is, don't push it." He laid down his warning.

"Please." She began to cry.

Al rolled his eyes and tried to look for one of her friends in the hall so she could talk to them instead; it was the hall to the alternate bathrooms that were farther away, the main ones were too crowded. Of course, Clause followed him. "Jeez." He was becoming frustrated.

"Why do you think I did it?" She said through her tears.

He whipped around and looked her straight in the eyes. "Because you're a nut!" He said, half yelling.

"NO!" She full out yelled back. "It's because...I love you."

"What?" He said, very confused.

"After I saw you chasing Winry, then you said you only like blonds, I felt so helpless, like I didn't have a chance. Al, you're so talented at basketball and you're so attractive and charming, I just, fell for you. I was so scared that I'd lose my chance that I got desperate. And after that party...I thought we might have had something...I just got my hopes up. I'm sorry Al. I know I've said it to you before, but I really am. I want a chance to prove myself to you." She clasped her hands together. "It doesn't have to be written in stone, I just need to feel like someone cares. And I want it to be you." She sobbed harder. "After Friday, I feel like I'm at the end of my rope. I need something to go right. Please?"

"I don't know..." He became somewhat calmer. Her words did seem sincere, and she was upset. "Friday? What happened?"

She bit her lip. "Well...I was really bummed and needed something to keep my mind of it. So I snuck into a bar. I think someone slipped me something, because I faded out. All I remember was being up against the brick wall...there was some guy, he was have his way...with..." She broke down.

"Shh." He said, pulling her into a hug, he didn't want to hear that word get uttered. Al hated that word. Figuring the situation was a little more serious he bounced some consideration around in his head. Also, he couldn't help but feel partially responsible for how she felt, he did kind of lead her on. But this. This was something serious. "Did you contact an adult?"

"Yes." She cried into his chest. "I got the security tape, but his face didn't appear on screen, I can't even get the bastard."

Alphonse did his best to comfort her. "We really can't change what happened...but alright. You can have your chance." He squeezed tighter.

"Really?" She clenched her fist behind his back and mouthed the word 'yes' without him knowing, widely grinning. She looked at him with her sad expression again. "You're not just saying that?"

He did his best to smile. "No harm in trying. I mean, I suppose I did make you feel like there was something. I should follow through." He kissed her softly. "But no funny stuff, ok?" He hugged her again.

"I Promise..." She squeezed back. Finally, she got what she wanted. "Now..." She rubbed all the sadness from her face. "I'm going to splash some cold water on my face. Then let's go dance." She said. "Can't change the past. So let's press on to our future." She loosened her grip and headed off into the bathroom.

"Right." He stared blankly at the door for a solid minute. "Our? ...what did I just do?" He questioned his own actions.

"Then why did you say it?" Breda gave him a playful smack in the back of the head. "Dumbass." Monday had made it's way back and the friends from the basketball team were eating lunch in their usual spot in the lunchroom.

Al rested his head down on the table. "It seemed like a good idea when it was all happening. Now I regret it. But I can't help but feel responsible somehow." He ruffled his own hair. "I'm torn."

"You could work this to your advantage." Breda nudged him. "You can have a little play time with her, but still actively look for someone else. When you find someone, do something to make her break it off with you and then you can move on to the better choice. Why not Clara? She likes you."

He shook his head. "One girl with mental problems is enough, I don't need someone who's got two percent body fat and still thinks they're a blimp." He lifted his head and looked around the lunch room, she was nowhere in sight. "Besides, like I'd want to 'play' with her. Last time that happened I ended up with something that burned whole lot."

That particular statement caught Kain off guard and he laughed.

"Shutyourface!It'snotfunny." Al bellowed comedically.

"Sorry Al." He said through yet another snicker. "But you gotta admit, this wasn't one of your better moves."

"Mmmm, yeah. I know...and now I'm royally fucked." He looked at the milk in his hand. "Nothing is going right is it?" He took a swig of his white milk, the chocolate milk was sold out by the time he got to the lunchroom because he had to take the long way around to avoid running into 'her'. "My reputation was almost ruined by her, I can't imagine what this is going to do to me."

"Probably not a whole lot." Kain coaxed.

"Oh really? How so?" Al was skeptical.

Kain shrugged. "I don't know why she did it. But after you two had that falling out, then the court case, she started spreading more rumors around the school."

"I fail to see how this is good."

"They were good rumors." He stated. "She debunked all the other rumors that were flying around and chalked it up to misunderstandings and miscommunications, that way, anyone else, besides the close knit friends, don't know the truth. So she essentially, cleaned her own slate."

"More like covered her own ass." He rolled his eyes.

"So she could try again." Breda finished off the thought.

The three of them exchanged glances. "You should talk to her." Kain said.

"I don't know...maybe I should give it about a week...see how things are." He swirled his straw in his milk. "I mean, could she have changed?" He asked. His questions was met with a couple 'are your serious' glares. "..."

"Clause." Winry began. "I really can't help but think that something about this isn't right." She said, picking the frosting off her pastry and eating it first, it was an 'ah caramel'.

"I don't want to say anything. I don't even know why he did it." She was referring to the tape that she got from the bank. "Vato was really out of his mind, I don't want to say anything, what if he comes after me? Or his friends." She knew that Winry was well aware that he was good buddies with Roy, who was now, so far, still out of the picture. She continued writing out last class's writing assignment.

Earlier that morning, Winry had stopped over at Clause's for breakfast, quickly replacing the tape in it's hiding spot, she again requested to watch it. This time, it worked. However, Clause only showed her up to the part where she was pushed against the wall. She said that there was still a great deal of shame attached to the video and just didn't want it played, which is why she initially refused when her friend requested to see it. "We should go to your parents. We have the proof." She was planning on catching her in the act of lying. If she admitted it, then Winry would drop the whole thing. If not, her position was going to be replaced on the team, Winry had a few names in mind.

"Winry, listen." She stopped writing in her notebook for a second. "This has never happened to me before, I'm incredably embarassed. I do not want anyone else to know beyond who knows right now, ok?"

She could tell that Clause was really playing it up. "Whatever." Winry cracked her knuckles, she seldom did so, beneath the table, away from Clause's ears. 'Give her time...she'll come around.' Deciding to wait and see if anything changes, she gave Clause till the end of the week, if she didn't fes-up, then Winry would put her plan in motion.

"Alright. Let's see those pictures." Leo said as they finished up watching the tape during their lunchtime. The basement was always a safe place for them to talk about things of the sort without drawing any attention.

"They're still in at the photo place." Paninya said.

"Do we have time to go get them?" Sylvia asked. "I really want to see the walk in fridge." The church they went to, after closer investigation, also functioned as a hall for the church gatherings, so there was a full kitchen, and dining room. Nothing massive, maybe for a small dinner party.

"Dude, I'm working on the cheap right now, I put them in for the week. I couldn't afford the 24 hour one anyway." She rested back on her hands. "Sorry."

"Damn!" Leo shook his bottle of juice up. "Well, looks like we got a wait in front of us."

Yes, it was done on purpose. I already have the next arc planned out, so there's not going to be a 'wait forever' deal again.

This time, it's a horror arc. Still, the finer points of the arc are being tweaked...main one I'm having trouble is what caracter I'm putting in next. Needs to be male.

Any suggestions? (Not Wrath though, from the first series, I hate that kid.)
Who would you like to see?