I hope I didn't lose too many of you in the long stretch of time that I didn't update.

So sorry. But, I think you guys will like this chapter. :)

Episode 37 - Planning

Winry was fuming! Not only did Clause fail to come clean about her 'not rape' she was using it as a ploy to guilt Alphonse into dating her. Needless to say, Clause's position on the team was on it's final thread. "I have to confront her!" She said, sitting cross legged at the foot of Edward's bed.

"You should...but be delicate." He rubbed her shoulders. At pratice that afternoon, she had to fill in for Clause on the bottom and was so use to being a top, she had pulled a muscle. "Tell her you're going to talk to Vato or your sister, corner her and make her confess basically."

"I'm considering that...deeply considering it." She roller her shoulders and gave Ed a tap on the hand to signify she was satasfied. "I just don't want her to do anything stupid. She'll try to kill herself, I just know it. She's tried it before."

"Really? How?" He manuvered so he and Winry sat side by side on his bed, backs against the wall.

"Pills; what else?" She cracked her knuckles again.

Edward was at a loss for words, he usually had great advice to give others, but now, even he was stumped. He then had an idea. "Why not get her on a suicide watch?"

Winry made eye contact. "Something like that exists?"

"Yeah." He nodded. "Had a family member back in my old town who was on it. Stopped him over four of his attempts. He was depressed. Finally got the help he needed when he realized that people cared. Maybe that's what she needs. She wasn't really violated, so that makes things a little easier, doesn't it?"

She sighed and played with her bangs. "It really does...but..." Winry leaned on his shoulder. "She's been my friend for so long, I'm just afraid she's going to hate me if I expose her. Sure she get's on my nerves a lot, but we've got a lot of history. I don't want to lose that."

"It's better than letting her hurt others, it's only going to come back and bite her in the ass later." He held her close. "You've got to tell her parents though. She's suppose to be taking medication right? Maybe she stopped."

"She did too." Winry had a revelation.

"What? How do you know?"

"It slipped my mind, but I was having pain, so I went into her drawer to look for some ibprofeen and the bottle was filled with her medicine. I thought she just may have changed the bottle to carry it with her so no one would know, but I bet she put the over the counter pills in her prescription bottle. I just didn't want to think that, so I ignored it." She lowered her head. "So stupid."

"You wanted to think the best of your friend, that's not stupid. You've got to talk to her folks. Mrs. Curtis has a lot to do, and dealing with a suicidal teen is stressful."

After a deep discussion with Izumi, Winry finally came out and told her about the incident at the club Clause went to, the tape and even about the pills. The conversation was just to much for Winry and she broke down into tears. "I'm sorry Izumi, but I just didn't know what else to do. She's going to hate me, I just know it." She sobbed into her tissue.

"Unless she thinks you have nothing to do with it. She hasn't mention a thing to me. But, I suppose if nothing bad actually happened, that would explain what she hasn't been acting any differently." From years of tending to her daughter's difficulties, she was quick to note when something was wrong. "Now, you're sure you've watched the tape?"

"Yes." Winry quivered. "She just used a beer bottle to make the bruises inside herself. I'm positive..."

Izumi laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'll go in her room and I'll be looking for some pain killers, I'll find the pills and go to take one, but realize that they don't look right." She knelt down in front of Winry on the couch. "I'll be mad that she switched them, because I'm going to check her pills on the top of the fridge." Izumi had been watching Clause take her medicine each morning from the top of the fridge, so she checked the bottle and sure enough, they were over the counter medication. "Because of that, I'm going to look around her room for other things she's been hiding. That's when I'll find the tape."

"Won't she be mad, if you do that it's like you don't trust her."

Izumi nodded. "Then I'll ask for some proof as to why I should trust her. The burden of trust is up to her at that point." She took Winry gently by her wrists and stood her up. "You should leave now, she's going to be back from her dentist appointment soon, so there's no blame on you."

"THank you IZumi." Her voice cracked as she gave her a hug.

"Hurry now, before Ed's parents know you're missing." Winry had a great deal of trust for Izumi, so she told her where she was going to say she was staying at that afternoon, rather than being over at Izumi and Sig's house. The look on her face when she told her that Ed was in on it said more than enough. Of course, Izumi was aware of Winry's parents, promised to keep their relationship a secret till Winry was ready to confront them.

Finally, sneaking her way back into the backyard, she waved to Ed in the window. There was a tree close enough to Al's window for her to climb up and into the house. She didn't want his folks to know that she had left, had Clause come to question them, they wouldn't have to lie, and no nenighbours saw her either, the meeting with Izumi went perfectly.

Ed opened the window as far as it could go and stretched out his arms. "Careful, Al's in the spare room working out, he might hear us."

She carefully edged her way to the window frame and grabbed on, Ed held her wrists tightly, but not too hard, then winry gained her footing on the lattace adronind the back wall and attempted to pull herself up, but slipped and let out a frightened yelp. Luckily for her Ed's grip held true and she regained her footing and hopped into the bedroom. "Thanks Ed, it went really well."

"What went well?"Al said from his doorway.

As if on cue, Ed and Winry turned at the same time to see Al standing there arms folded, looking rather pissed off. "Hey Al." Ed said with surprise. "When did you get there?"

"I got 'there' after I heard someone scream in my room. What the fuck are you doing?" He extended a hand, palm up, toward his window.

Ed had no words, he shifted his eyes from the window to Winry and back again. "Ya see..."

"Let's just tell him, he's dating Clause anyway."

"'Dating' is such a strong word. Bu-but explain what?" Al motioned for them to spill everything, a circular motion of the hand said it.

Again, Winry went over the story in detail.

Al stood in awe at the amount of information he had received, he stood in silence for a solid thirty seconds before reaching for his phone. "Bitch'is getting a text break up."

They both jumped. "No!"

Winry continued. "I know you're mad, but understand, she's sick, she not thinking rationally. If you're going to break up with her, fine, just do it face to face."

"Yeah, Al, be a man about it." Ed chimed in.

Al closed his phone. "Fine."

"Actually Al, now that I think about it, could you stick with her for a little while longer?" She folded her hands. "After her mom confronts her, she's going to need a shoulder to cry on, and if you dump her right now, she's going go over the deep end. I'm asking this as a favor, just till she's back on her medication."

"What's in it for me? I'm dating a psychopath."

"She's sick Al." Ed said monotone.

"Psychopath's are sick Ed. She needs help...bah, I guess. But I want something in return." He pointed a finger at Winry. "I want a date."

Ed did his best to hide any emotion, but Winry was shocked. "But I can't, my parents won't let me date."

Al turned his back. "Then I don't know how far I'm willing to go for this Clause girl."

Winry looked at Ed and shrugged she had a look on her face as if to say 'what now'? To which Ed mouthed to her 'do what you need to' and smiled with a nod. "Well, I'll leave you to to discuss that. Winry, I'll be waiting to finish up the English homework with you." That being said, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and trotted off back to his room.

She was sure he meant what he said, Ed was a good guy, and it was nice to see him beinding the rules of their relationship to help her friend; she smiled warmly and put a hand on Alphonse's shoulder. "Alright, one date."

He whipped around, shocked to shit. "For real?"

"One date! My parents will kill me if they find out." She swung her arms behind her back. "Don't think too much of this."

He shook his head. "No problem. But hey, if I win you over with unfailing kindness, might you consider something more?"

Winry shrugged. "I don't know how I'm going to feel Al, just expect a date."

"Good enough for me." He smiled and went back off to the weight room triumphantly.

Winry headed back into Ed's room to finish their homework, she looked at the clock. "Wow, ten to seven already."

"I know." He smirked. "We should actually start the work this time."

"Alright, we have the results right here!" Aria waved a few folders up in the air. "These are the ones from the attic." She handed them to Leo. "The main hall." Went to Sylvia. "And finally, the bacement." She said in a creepy tone and opened up the folder, the others followed suit and they all began flipping through the photographs.

"LOOK!" Paninya showed off one of the first pictures in her pile. "This looks like a person." She showed the group, all but who Ed was absent helping Winry again, he said to go on without him. The picture was of a wall with some torn up wallpaper coming off it, there was an image of person on the remaining wallpaper, but the outline had been burned, as if a burning body was laid against the wall and was left to burn out and then was peeled away.

"And here." Russell took a picture that leo was looking at, it was from upstairs, and it looked like a table with restraining devices for each wrist and each foot.

"This is messed up." Sylvia shook her head and caught a glimpse of what Aria was wide eyed over. "What the hell?"

"I think we might have stepped in something guys." She held out the photo, it was the one she and Ed took of a darkend hole in the bacement. The was a skeleton thrown into the hole, towards the back, and it had a large gash going across it's eyes. "We might have stepped into a murder."

Russell held up another. "I always said sitting still in church was always torture, but did not know of what I spoke." There were weapons scattered about, whips, a gun, a large knife, proped or hung in the corner.

Now, I know I said there wasn't going to be a long wait...but I broke my computer (Jordan's Computer) and couldn't update. I'm sorry for not updating as quickly as I'd like, but whenever I'd manage to get a loan of someone't computer, I was never in the mood to wirte.

I don't know when I'll update next, but I'm going to do my best. Jordan's father is home from away and has given him a loan of his computer, but I only get it when he's over my place.

I'll try to get things posted as quickly as possible, but I can't make any promises.

Sorry again, but let me know what you think.