What causes night in our souls

may leave stars.

-Victor Hugo

A couple weeks passed and found Winry walking home alone at night after work with anxiety, her earbuds left in her jumpsuit pocket so she could tune her ears to everything around her. Every couple of blocks she passed would have her looking over her shoulder as she sped walked her way across town to the E train. It was the weekend, and the F train she usually took home wasn't running due to construction underground. As she walked down Houston street she breathed steady, telling herself to stop being paranoid. But her heart sank to her feet like an anchor in the ocean when she thought of the phone call she'd gotten several days prior. She'd been sitting on one of the leather couches at Alchemy, waiting for Ed. Her back had healed quickly and he called her telling of a cancellation in his schedule and that she could come in to finish the piece if she wanted, but when Edward emerged from his office and made his way to the storefront to greet her his expression fell upon seeing her on her phone, her eyes wide and fearful.

"I'm so sorry." She said to Edward as she rose and put her phone back in her pocket. "I have to cancel, I have an emergency."

Edward noted her shaking hands, her trembling mouth, the way she tried to hold herself together.

"Are you okay?" He asked, suppressing the urge to reach for her hand. She nodded in response and turned to leave, only pausing for a moment before continuing out the door and down the stairs as she bit her lip in worry. She felt exposed and unprotected, and leaving the building where Edward was only made her even more fearful, but she couldn't stay for her session. Not when she could barely hold back the furious tears.

Gravel crunched under her boots as Winry walked quickly, taking note of every face that passed her, being sure they weren't the once face she feared the most. She owed Edward an apology for leaving the way she did, and probably a kill fee along with it. She also had to reschedule his appointment to fix his arm due to her raging anxiety attacks. Edward had become something she hadn't expected. She was both fascinated yet frightened of him, of what she believed he could do to her, of what he'd already done to her without his knowledge. She liked being around him. He was the first man she was comfortable being alone with in years, and she suspected his willingness to cater to her didn't come solely from exemplary customer service. There was an energy when they were together. Something nervous and yearning. Something careful but curious. She loved every moment of the consultation on his arm, and secretly took more time than usual to drag out an extra few minutes with him as long as he wasn't in pain. His pretty eyes, sweet demeanor, and calmness made her want to be close to him, and his beautiful face and even more beautiful body activated something within her she'd all but forgotten about.

For the first time in years, she wanted to be touched.

The screech of metal against metal behind her stopped her thoughts and she turned, finding no one behind her on the quiet street except for a homeless person sleeping on a nearby bench. Winry turned and kept walking when the screeching continued, following by the familiar whir of mechanics in motion. These were sounds found in automail garages, not out on a public street. Her eyes scanned the area, seeing nothing out of the ordinary until a gleam of metal caught her eye from the shadows of the church cemetery on the corner of Houston and Wooster. Metal cried against metal again, this time earning a few sparks before a dark figure moved in the night. Winry kept walking, and few moments later heard the same scraping metal from before. Her heartrate sped, and she frantically thought of what to do. There were no cabs in sight, the street was uncommonly quiet and the subway was still several blocks away. She needed to get somewhere safe, somewhere familiar. Suddenly her phone chimed with a text message from a number she didn't recognize.

*You better be wearing that tight jumpsuit for me. I'm watching you.*

Winry's heart leapt into her throat and she fought to remain calm. She turned down Wooster and kept walking a steady pace, and called the only person she thought might be awake.

Edward was roused from sleep by the buzzing of his phone vibrating across wooden floors. He would've silenced it had been any other caller, but sat up groggy and rubbed his eyes as his brow furrowed.

" 'Lo?" He mumbled, but was shot awake by the urgency in her voice.

*Please stay on the phone with me. I'm being followed.* Winry said. Ed's mind fought to catch up to the present and he finally forced words out.

"Followed? Where are you?"

*I'm on Wooster. I need to keep walking until I find a cab.* She said with a shaky voice. Ed launched out of bed and started pulling pants on.

"Get off the street. I'm at the shop right now, I'll wait for you downstairs."

Winry found it curious that he'd still be at work so late and walked faster. Her fear escalated as the scrape of metal continued behind her, and she heard the whir of moving electronics once again, happening in repeated intervals alternating with a footstep. She wasn't about to turn around and see what it was. Edward threw open the attic door and flew down the steps before running down the stretch of his studio and out the door. Looking down the building's staircase and out the glass panes on the doors, he stood waiting to see her.

"You still there?" He asked. He could hear her heavy breathing.

*He's gaining on me.*

"Run, Winry." Ed thundered down the carpeted stairs and opened the foyer door before pushing out the building's graffitied front. His eyes scanned the street towards Houston and that's when he saw her, running down the cobblestoned street with the evening summer wind in her long hair. He would've been lost in her breathless beauty had it not been for the dark figure walking steadily only a half-block behind her. Ed's eyes widened, for the figure wasn't of a normal man, and the sounds it emitted were almost other worldly. Winry neared the building and her heart hammered as she sprinted, her eyes finally finding Edward standing in the building's doorway as he slid his phone in his pocket and reached for her. She raced up the stoop as her hand found his and he pulled her through the foyer and closed the door behind her before looking out through the glass. The dark figure stood in the street, not moving, but watching. Edward's skin crawled as his grip tightened on Winry's hand.

"Come on." He said, pulling her behind him as he climbed the stairs back to the studio. After closing Alchemy's door behind them and locking it Winry leaned back against it and panted, trying to catch her breath and blinking back moisture. The studio was dark, the only illumination came in via the large front window from the street lights outside. Edward moved to the window and looked down, but the dark figure was gone. Whatever it was, it wasn't human.

"What the hell was that?" He asked. When he got no reply he turned back to her. "Winry?"

Her face was ashen, eyes wide and watery, and he stepped to her as she felt her knees give out and she sagged forward. Strong arms supported her and helped her to the sofa before Edward kneeled in front of her.

"I have to start over." She sighed, heartbroken. "He found me. I have to leave the city. I have to start over." Edward took her hands in his.

"What's going on?" His golden gaze searched glassy blue, and something sharp pulled in his chest. He'd seen her fragile, but not like this. Like the tiniest touch would shatter her in an instant. "Tell me what you need."

Winry felt her words bubbling beneath the surface. She knew what she wanted, what she needed, but what would he say? The onslaught overwhelmed her.

"I… I don't know…" She choked on the heavy lump in her throat and waves of anxiety crashed over her. "I'm so… God I'm so scared, Edward."

Her fear was palpable, and yet she held herself together so well and Edward felt a pulling in his chest -an unwavering need to comfort her, to be strong for her. He released her hands and held her face carefully, a thumb softly stroking her cheekbone.

"Hey, everything's alright." He told her. "He's gone, you're okay."

"You don't understand, he's coming back!" Winry insisted. Her heart slammed wildly in her chest and she felt the first mists of tears springing to the surface. Edward tried helplessly to grasp what was happening to her as he witnessed her unraveling. "He'll find me. He'll do it again. He'll hurt me again!"

Making a move he hoped wouldn't be overstepping, Edward pulled her forward to slide off the couch and onto her knees so she would collapse into his arms. The feeling flooding his chest was odd. He was desperately worried for her, but the feel of her body in his arms, her chest pressed against his own, her face buried in his neck as she breathed hard and tried to remain calm …he would have been elated if he weren't so worried for her. He didn't realize how badly he wanted this; not to see her suffering, but to be the one she came to for comfort.

Ed pulled back to look into her watery eyes, wanting to drown himself in the blue depths and he wiped away the tear that threatened to fall as he held her face in his hands again.

"I won't let ANYONE hurt you, got it? Someone wants you, they have to get through me."

His eyes were blazing. Winry knew he was concerned and being strong for her, and although she found it so insane for her to be running to her tattoo artist for help, there was no one else she felt safer with. She'd seen his body, she knew he was strong. She'd seen the dog tags hanging around his neck and the pictures in his booth of him in desert camouflage, she knew he'd served in the military and had combat training. He made her calm. His hands on her back when he tattooed her were solid but gentle, the way they were in that moment as he held her face only inches from his own. She felt he could protect her. The yellow light from the window poured into the dark studio illuminating one side of his face, and what an incredibly handsome face it was. So symmetrical. So striking. So beautifully sculpted.

Edward stood and took Winry's hands, pulling her to her feet and without a word he gently pulled her to follow him to the studio's rear and down a short hallway. She stopped when she saw the stairs.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked, nervous again. He turned to her.

"It's late and we both need sleep. You can trust me Rockbell, I promise." She eyed him speculatively.

"After you." He said, gesturing to the flight of stairs, and she ascended the steps and opened a door, finding herself in his living quarters. He followed her and turned on a small lamp that perched on the floor next to his mattress, casting low-wattage incandescence over the small room. Winry took in the rustic, bare bones environment before looking back at him.

"You live here." She said, less of a question and more of an observation. He nodded in return.

"It's not much, but it's mine. You're welcome to stay the night if you'd like. I'll sleep on a couch in the studio if you're more comfortable."

She looked at the full mattress on the floor with its messy sheets and quilt, and didn't want to force him from his own bed. Edward noticed her deep contemplation and offered another option.

"I could take you home." He said, mentally hoping she'd opt to stay. Winry declined, the last thing she wanted was to be home alone.

"I'd like to stay please." She said, adding softly. "You can stay too."

She wanted him around, and he wanted to be there for her. He offered her to sit in the club chair in the corner and he leaned back against his drawing table.

"I don't suppose this has anything to do with your emergency last week?" He speculated. She admired how astute he was and she nodded, eyes fixed on the beat up floor boards as her hands twisted nervously in her lap. She took a deep breath.

"I received a phone call from my lawyer the other day. My ex-boyfriend made parole." Her fingers gripped the leather armrest angrily and she took another breath. "I know it was him following me tonight. He sent me a text, though I don't know how he got my number."

"How do you know it was him?" Asked Edward. He leaned casually with arms folded across his strong, naked chest and Winry only allowed herself the quickest glance at sculptured lean muscles and beautiful tattoos before looking away.

"The text… he said something he always said to me when we were together. He always watched me like a hawk, so convinced I would betray him… " She shook her head in disgust. "Anyway he wound up going to prison but because he plead insanity during the trial his high connections got him a reduced sentence."

"Have you spoken to the cops?"

"They've never been much of a help to me." Winry said bitterly. "They never listened. All the times I reached out quietly for help so he wouldn't know, nothing got done. All they did was separate us for a night. They didn't help me until there it was so blatantly obvious that they couldn't look away. I don't wanna deal with the cops trying to tell me i'm 'overreacting'."

Edward desperately wanted to know more and wished he could ask her to be less vague, but he wouldn't push the issue and instead made a mental note to contact the NYPD Commissioner and see if he knew anything. Winry's gaze fixed itself firmly on her rigid hands, fisted tightly in her lap as she fought the burning anger in her gut and blinked back her furious tears. Exhaustion weighed heavy on her eyelids, but she feared she wouldn't sleep that night at all and she sighed loudly, looking up at Edward. He decided to lighten the mood a little.

"I think its time for a drink."

A finger's worth of scotch sat in the glass on the sideboard, warm from spending it's night in the midsummer air that filled the attic. Winry had only taken a few sips to calm her shaken nerves before sleep claimed her in the chair where she sat, and when Edward entered the room from returning the bottle to the kitchen downstairs he saw her and sighed. He wanted to know more and had hoped tonight would give him the answers. But at least she was there. His only relief from worry was knowing that he was who she turned to for help, so now that a crack in her amour had been made, he would do what he could to gently widen it without scaring her off.

Watching her asleep in his chair brought a new issue to light. He'd fallen asleep in that chair many times only to wake to an aching back the next day, and he looked back and forth between the mattress on the floor and his damsel in distress. Silently hoping he wouldn't live to regret it, he carefully scooped her into his arms and crossed the room. She was curiously heavier than he expected she'd be, but not too heavy to lift comfortably as he kneeled to softly deposit her on the bed. Releasing her was a disappointment, for the feel of her breath puffing softly over his bare skin was strangely addictive, but Ed was thankful for her unconscious state for it gave him better opportunity to drink in her appearance. She wore that jumpsuit again, the one with the long and tantalizing zipper and his sharp eyes were given a treat in the way the fabric hugged her frame. How had he not noticed the curves before? Yes, he'd noticed when her zipper fell lower than it should've during his consultation, and for brief moments he'd appreciated her impressive posterior as she straddled his chair while doing her outline, but watching her sleep was the first time he'd noticed her beauty beyond her giving nature and pretty face.

Fabric hugged and contoured over the voluptuous hills and deep valleys of her body, and Edward knew it likely had nothing to do with attention seeking and was more closely related to the prohibition of baggy, loose fabric in garages. Getting clothes caught in machinery was no laughing matter, and the resulting snugness of her jumpsuit was a blessing in his eyes. He loved it, but also hated it because it meant other people saw her in it. Other men. The man following her. The man she was afraid of.

A lightbulb blinked to life as Ed suddenly recalled Winry mentioning a text, and he decided to be risky and only invade her privacy a teeny tiny bit. Fabric stretching across her hip showed him exactly where her phone was hiding, and he slid it out carefully and pressed her thumb to the home button, opening to her home screen. Once in her texts, he found the most recent one from an out of state area code and fought against his anger upon reading it. His mood only lifted when he opened another thread from someone named Rebecca and scanned a few lines, finding himself grinning wickedly at the conversation about the "cute" tattoo artist turned client who "had amazing eyes and was very distracting".

Winry breathed in and shifted in her sleep, freezing Ed on the spot as he watched and waited for her to settle again. He quickly put her phone down on the floor next to her in case she opened her eyes, and was again rendered motionless as he watched her stretch in bed. Her back arching, his mouth fell slack as her full chest rose in the air and her small midsection contorted deliciously, twisting the knife as his head lilted to the side and his mouth watered.

'Snap out of it, asshole.' Ed thought, shaking out of his stupor. He stood and paced the room, trying to fidget away from how creepy he'd just been. Pulling up his long hair into a messy bun didn't do much to comfort the heat washing over the back of his neck, and the hot summer air wasn't helping much. The window unit was currently broken, and he felt a bead of sweat roll down his neck as he stood contemplating his situation. Ed typically slept naked or damn near, and he currently wore jeans and nothing else. He didn't want to leave Winry alone in the attic and sleep on the leather couches downstairs because as much as he liked her, he still didn't know her well enough to trust her near the safe. He pondered how comfortable she might be sharing a bed with him after the night's events, and didn't want to make her feel even more vulnerable.

As he turned out the light and shrouded them in darkness, he sank into the chair in the corner, knowing his back would pay for it the next day, but took solace in the way the moonlight glowed in the window and illuminated her peaceful face. Winry rolled over in her sleep and pulled Ed's pillow against her, burying her face in it as she sighed.

He watched over her until sleep claimed him.

Winry blinked her eyes open to far away chatter and the buzzing of tattoo machines. It was morning, and she was still in Edward's loft. She stretched her limbs and breathed deep, loving the smell that clung to the sheets. They smelled like a man, and her stomach flipped involuntarily. The air was warm and calm as she sat up on the mattress, finding herself alone in the room, and she got to her feet to go find Edward when she became sidetracked by the dogtags hanging from a nail in the wall. Curiosity was always a fault of hers and she crept out of bed and -noting the door was closed- she returned to the opposing wall and picked up the metal tags. They were scuffed, but legible as she smoothed a thumb over the tiny embossed letters

ELRIC

EDWARD V.H.

503-10-1910

A NEG

AGNOSTIC

'FULLMETAL'

Winry's blonde brows creased as she wondered what 'Fullmetal' meant, and she released the dog tags as she looked around at pictures thumb-tacked to the wall above his drawing table. Pictures of some familiar faces she'd seen working downstairs with Ed in a dusty, rocky mountain terrain under a bright sky all wearing desert camouflage. Winry's heart sped up a little at the sight of him, skin tanned from the sun and dark stubble shadowing his jaw. Her eyes moved down to the drawing table littered with pencils and half drawings of flowers and it was only then that she noticed the wall the table rested against was covered with similar sketches of flowers. Roses, lilies, geraniums, irises, cherry blossoms, every flower you could think of. Wondering what the flowers were for, she reached up to touch a sketch of daisies when the door opened behind her.

"Hey there." Came Edward's smooth voice. Winry turned to find him freshly showered with wet hair and wearing black pants and a sleeveless black shirt. He shook a towel over his head as he walked in. "How'd you sleep?"

"Much better than I would've at home alone. Thank you for letting me stay." Winry twirled a piece of blonde hair around her finger nervously as he grinned at her and tossed the towel in a nearby laundry bin. His hair was darker blonde from being wet, and hung in jagged pieces around his pretty eyes. Only then did she realize how long it was, it fell over his shoulders and touched his ribs.

"How did I not notice how long your hair is?" She said with a small smile. Ed shrugged, looking down at the long ends before raking a hand through it.

"I usually pull it up while I'm working."

"It's pretty." She said without thinking, and almost blushed as he reached out and trapped a small lock of her hair between two fingers and slid down to the ends, bringing attention to her own length.

"Back at you, Rockbell." He winked. "You hungry? Lets get food."

Winry grabbed her phone and moved to follow him but stopped, biting her lip nervously as she listened to the buzzing downstairs. Ed looked back at her questioningly.

"Sorry, just… everyone's gonna see me leave…"

It took Edward a moment to catch up, and when he did his dark eyebrows raised. "Oh. Shit, right." On one hand he understood not wanting her to look like a one night stand, but on the other hand he didn't want to wave it off and say 'don't worry, they see girls come out of here all the time' because he didn't want her to think of him as a pig.

"Everyone's busy right now," He said. "They probably won't even notice you leaving." He extended a hand for her and when she reached for it he pulled her close. The morning light that beamed through a singular small window cast a glow over the loft, and Edward found his guest to be even more captivating in the yellowy glow of summers morning.

"I'm glad you called me last night." He murmured, suspending her thoughts with an intense look. Winry was at a loss for words when he pulled her after him, down the stairs and out onto the shop floor where he released her hand. As they strode to the front desk Winry glanced around, noticing the steadiness of the store and how everyone was absorbed in their task at hand. They neared the desk and Ed glanced at the open book on the tabletop.

"Sheska what's on deck today?" He asked as he poured his eyes over the pages. Sheska leaned over the book with him after smiling at Winry and giving her a wink in greeting.

"You've got someone in an hour, and another later tonight." She said, looking up at her boss. Ed scratched his head in thought and glanced at Winry before asking his receptionist if his first appointment was a request.

"Nope." She chirped. "Its just a consult, and he didn't request you. Said he's happy with anyone who can do traditional Japanese."

Ed nodded in understanding. "Put him on Jean's book, I need to take a personal day but I'll be back for my client tonight." His eyes connected with Winry's and something in her chest fluttered as he nodded toward the door.

"Walk with me, Rockbell."

"Let's get coffee," he said to her once out on the cobblestone street. "I wanna talk to you."

The sun was hot in the sky and the summer air blew softly. It was a beautiful day. Winry didn't need to be at work until that evening, and walked along with Ed quietly until they reached a coffee shop on the corner. Her heart hummed in her chest, both excited and nervous being around him. She found herself at a loss, wanting to pour her aqua eyes over his handsome face all day, yet afraid to meet his gaze for the way it immobilized her. Edward held the door for her, and as she entered the crowded coffee shop she could feel his body behind her, radiating warmth. Every muscle in her body tightened against the urge to let herself sink back against his chest, and she couldn't shake the feeling that just might be exactly what he wanted. The temperature was in the nineties outside, and the small shop was stifling.

"What do you want?" He asked, turning to her. "I'm buying." Winry's attempts to pay for herself were declined with a cunning look and a smile that could charm a shark onto dry land. Suddenly, her mouth watered and prickling heat surged over her chest and face. Winry blinked and looked around the cramped, bustling shop and she swayed on her feet. A hand curled around her elbow, shocking her back to reality with its cold touch.

"Are you okay?" Ed asked. Winry didn't answer as she grabbed his metal arm and pressed his hand to her chest. The sigh of relief from the cool steel against her fiery skin slid her eyes closed.

"I'm sorry," she panted breathlessly as she held his palm to her. "I thought I was gonna faint. It's so hot in here."

Edward beamed internally knowing that yet again, he was the one to comfort her. Soothing the souls of others was what he lived for, and the feelings of protectiveness and urgency to make her happy were something he hadn't felt for anyone in years. He also loved the fact that his hand was pressed to her dewy flesh under her jumpsuit and wished it could be his real hand. His eyes washed over her flushed cheeks and the long fluttery lashes that lay against high cheekbones as she shifted his hand to rest on the hollow of her throat. He slid his long metal fingers to spread out along her slender neck in effort to bring her more relief, and mentally patted himself on the back for being smart and opting for a steel alloy that retained cold temperatures for the summer rather than warm ones for the winter.

Gold eyes fell victim to a singular bead of sweat that rolled down her neck, and it pulled his attention with it as it traveled lower, disappearing between her breasts and under her jumpsuit zipper which she had lowered in efforts to cool herself. Discipline was something the Army had taught him, and he drew on every bit of those lessons in that moment to stop himself from pulling her forward and pressing his mouth to her neck, among other places. He pushed aside the thoughts before his tightening pants gave him away.

A shift in movement in front of them meant the line was moving, and Edward stepped to the counter with his heat-flushed companion at his side, slinging his metal arm over her shoulders for her to hold onto and secretly loving how it pulled her close to him, as he turned to the cashier. His words went unnoticed as the clerk, a balding man in his forties, sent Edward a look that could send a desert cobra slithering away.

"Get out of my shop, freak."

Winry's eyes snapped open, the overwhelming heat suddenly forgotten as the room fell quiet. She looked up at Ed who stood slightly stunned.

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me, I said out. We don't serve your kind here." The cashier said, gesturing to Ed's automail. Ed removed his arm from Winry's shoulders to fall to his side.

"I'm not armed." He insisted calmly. "My automail is just that. No weapons."

"I don't believe you. I'm the owner and I can refuse service to anyone for any reason. It's my right as an American! Now leave or I'll call the cops!"

Winry glanced around at the faces of the people softly murmuring, a couple shaking their heads dejectedly, but many with angry eyes and nods of approval. Edward felt rooted to were he stood, and his usually bright eyes became sharp and dangerous as he glared at the shop owner.

"Fine." He glowered before turning to Winry. "Let's go."

"-No." She contested. Winry cast her angry gaze on the shop owner.

"He's a veteran, you know. He lost his arm at war. The war he fought in to protect your freedoms as an American. Many soldiers carry automail still serve and you should be proud to have a military member in your store. You can be prejudiced if you really want because you have the right to your beliefs, but you don't have the right to turn him away." Winry scolded. She felt cold steel fingers slip into her hand. "You can't expect service and then degrade the ones who serve."

Ed's hand tightened its hold on Winry's as he wondered how she'd known about his arm and fought to contain his anger, infuriated and embarrassed that Winry had a front row seat to one of the uglier sides of his life.

"Break it up, people." A voice shouted from behind them. The crowd began to dissipate as two uniformed officers weaved through the shop and approached Edward and Winry. "There a problem here?"

Ed remained calm as he pulled Winry to turn away.

"No officer, we were just leaving."

Winry shot a final glare at the shop owner as she strode out along with Edward, and it wasn't until they'd walked a few blocks to blow off steam that she'd realized they'd held each other's hand the entire time.

A/N: Thanks to everyone for all the love, I'm so pleasantly surprised at how much everyone is enjoying this fic because I've been pretty nervous about it. I'm so proud of Perfect Blood and all its companion pieces, I was worried about sophomore slump. It seems like I've been doing okay so far. Thanks for reading and reviewing, can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts, more soon!