Something wicked this way comes.

—W. S.

Edward looked out through the space where the clear glass once was and down onto the street. His mouth twisted into a scowl, thinking of all the ways he'd love to beat the person responsible and hoping that the camera on the nearby traffic light might've caught the incident. The impact of the brick on the glass was loud, and the frightened shriek from Sheska even louder. Loud enough to carry from the front of the studio over the music and the buzzing tattoo machines and through the closed office door to disrupt the beautiful moment he had finally captured with Winry.

It had been like breathing fresh air after suffocating. Like eating after starving for so long. Like plunging into warm waters after walking naked in a snow storm. The ecstasy of it was a greater high than any drug, numbed his mind better than any drink, tightened his heart and quickened his breathing as though he'd ran for miles. Edward didn't know how much time had passed from the moment he kissed her to when he pulled her body against his and smoothed his hands across her back. She whimpered into his mouth and he knew she'd lied; her back was still healing and she was still in pain, but it became clear that her mind was far away from focusing on physical pain when she gripped a fistful of his loose hair and pulled him deeper into her mouth, touching his tongue with hers. His reaction was enthusiastic to say the least; his grip around her tightening, his natural hand reaching down to grab a handful of her beautiful backside. Another whimper, but not a pained one. A breathless one. One swift sweep of his arm sent the stacks of papers and tall wax candles flying off his desk before he'd deposited Winry on top of it, stopping only briefly as her knees parted to bring him closer, and his hands dove into her hair to cradle her head as he kissed her heatedly. Winry's mouth was everything Edward had dreamt of and more. Sweet and warm and satisfying; she bit his bottom lip with a playful giggle and he lost himself, pressing his hand to her back carefully and pulling her flush to his hard body again. His mouth found her neck, his hand dipped under her shirt to skim the lace of her bra, and a loud crash and scream shocked them back to reality.

Envy had already set to work sweeping up the glass and Winry grabbed another broom to help her while Sheska called Roy Mustang. Edward hadn't shown the envelope to anyone after he'd pulled it off the brick, and he motioned for Winry to follow him back to his office again. His grave expression pushed her heart into double time as she walked after him, slowing to stop near the door to office. He unfolded the letter that he'd read earlier and seeing it sent ice over Winry's veins the same as Edwards. It stated a simple message:

SHE IS MINE. I WILL BURN YOU.

Winry's hands wouldn't stop shaking. She sat in the corner club chair in Edward's loft with a cup of tea while she waited for him to finish talking to Mustang downstairs and ran the words through her mind over and over.

She is mine, I will burn you. She is mine, I will burn you.

I will burn you.

I WILL BURN YOU.

Her heart deflated as she set down the empty cup and wiped away her tears, for she knew that despite her best efforts, she would never escape Archer. Her life would be an endless game of cat and mouse.

She couldn't bring Edward into it.

Archer's black eyes flooded her mind again. Which would be worse, she wondered. To spend her life alone, running from him an always looking over her shoulder? Or to stay and risk Ed's safety? The question was too easy for her to answer, but explaining it to Edward would be impossible. He was too brave and too stubborn to let her walk away with this burden on her own. Winry stood and pulled on her jacket, her mind made up. She would have to run, and it wouldn't be until she was long gone that she could contact Edward to tell him the real reason why. Winry could only pray that he would someday forgive her, for she would have to do something terrible to ensure he wouldn't want to come after her.

She crossed the room and grasped the bottom handles on the single window firmly before yanking the old, rotted window open. Years of paint chips splintered off the aging wood and she wiped her hands on her jeans as she leaned partially out the window to test her weight on iron fire escape. Satisfied that it would hold her despite its obvious age, Winry angled back into the attic space and put her ear to the closed door, listening to Edward's voice carry from the studio as he spoke to the authoroties. Her time dwindling, Winry crossed to the desk on the opposite wall and started pulling open drawers and rifling through stacks of drawings until she found a blank page and a pen.

"Witnesses on the street said he was an ordinary man. Kinda scrawny but nothing distinguishing, definitely not matching the description of this Archer guy." Mustang said. Edward breathed out angrily, knowing in his heart that it had to be Winry's ex behind the latest commotion but without proof he would just sound crazy.

"Are you absolutely certain about the description you gave me? Of what you saw following Winry the night she called you for help?" Roy pressed, alluding to the beastly, mechanical thing Edward claimed to be after Winry.

"I'm positive. I've never seen anything like it. He's gotta be connected to this, he's obsessed with her and he's still out there."

Roy pulled his long black trench on with a dejected shake of his head. "I wish there was more I could do Ed, but with no proof or probable cause I can't just order officers to scour the city for something inhuman. Even if he is a monster like you say, he's checking into his PO and we've got no evidence of him leaving the state. There's no evidence of him violating his parole."

"But what about the flowers? He sent dozens of roses to her apartment with notes saying 'Im watching you'."

"No evidence Ed. We spoke to the florist and they said the order came from online and the email address has since been deactivated. We couldn't trace it back to a computer so it must've come from a phone, but that's where the lead ends. If it was him, he probably threw the phone in the river. That's what any ex-cop would do."

"Seriously? That's all you can give me?" Edward balked at his former commander.

"I can't put out arrest warrants on mere hunches Ed. I pulled Archer's file months ago, he looked like a normal guy. Are you sure he looks like what you wrote in your statement from before, because now you're starting to sound like the crazy one here." Mustang said, his dark eyes sharpening.

Edward stepped back and breathed. He wasn't crazy, he knew what he saw that night.

"Something is missing here. I can't explain how but I know he's involved with this. He's still coming after her, and I won't hesitate to fight if I need to." Edward warned, his steel hand gripping into a fist. Mustang was the last of his officers to exit Alchemy, and Ed called after him as he descended the stairs.

"Pull the file again." Edward said. "He's gonna slip up sooner or later. Somehow he's gonna give himself away, and if he comes near Winry I won't hold back."

Roy eyed him carefully.

"Don't do anything stupid, Fullmetal."

A final nod and he was gone, leaving Edward to reenter Alchemy and sign papers allowing the glass repair men to get to work.

His mind drifted to the woman in his room and how shaken she had been upon seeing the note.

"I need to run upstairs for a few minutes, yell if you need anything." Edward said to the workers as he ascended the stairs and opened the door to his loft.

"Hey Win, sorry that took so long…"

Edward's word's slowed to a stop as he entered the loft and found it empty. He looked around, and then back down the steps behind him, knowing that he hadn't seen Winry leave. It was the chilled air sweeping into the attic that caught his attention and pulled him into the room as papers fluttered off his desk and onto the wooden floors. A folded page with his name was scotch taped to the wall, and he reached for it.

Edward,

I'm sorry I left without saying goodbye, but I had my chance and needed to take it. I won't deny how strongly I feel about you, nor do I regret coming back. But I do regret letting you kiss me, it will make it harder for me to forget you.

I lied when I said I didn't fear you —In truth I am terrified of you. You used your arm as a weapon and nearly killed someone today, and I have a history of letting my heart make poor decisions. I can't fall for another violent man, I'm already spending my life running from one, so please don't come after me.

I need to be with someone simple. Someone predictable. I can't be with someone who has a short temper and the stress of a deceased daughter on top of it.

Its just too complicated.

Farewell,

-Winry

Winry sat alone in her sublet with a cup of tea and red-rimmed eyes. Every time her phone vibrated with a call or text from Edward she spiraled into another crying jag, and it wasn't until he left her a voicemail that she swiped her nose on her sleeve and decided to torture herself. Anxiety ate away at her insides but she had to know for sure if her letter had done it's job.

*If you need me for anything, call me.*

Left stunned and somewhat underwhelmed, Winry disconnected and promptly opened the two texts he had sent her.

[Are you okay?]

[I never meant to scare you.]

It seemed her plan had worked for the time being, and it turned a knife in her heart for while she knew it was best that they not see each other again, she desperately wanted him to be stubborn and hard-headed and come after her. She wanted to hear his voice on her intercom insisting she buzz him in. She wanted to see him standing in her doorway with his confident smirk and glowing eyes. She wanted his protection.

But that would never happen, because now he didn't know where she lived.

Winry stopped herself from sending her address. It would've been smart for her well-being, but she reminded herself that this was no longer about her. Archer would kill Edward if he came near her again, and she knew that somehow she was still being watched. All she could do was lock her doors and keep a knife under her pillow.

Three days passed during which Edward spent most of his time sketching and manning the front desk. Sheska was clearly shaken by the week's events so Edward pushed some money for a train ticket into her hand and told her to visit her sister in DC for a week or two. It was with a hug and a smile that Sheska gratefully took the opportunity, and it was good for Edward —he was far too distracted to tattoo any clients, so he was glad for the busy work of managing his store. He napped for an hour or two in his office when it was slow during the day; Envy, Greed, and Havoc all knowing that sleep was likely more difficult for him those nights. Getting Winry back only for her to slip through his fingers again so quickly was torturous, and his body wouldn't allow him to sleep at night for fear of what his nightmares could become. He also worried that she would try to contact him and that he would sleep through it.

He was sipping coffee at the front desk when Jean ambled over to him.

"You look like absolute hell."

"I'm aware." Ed muttered, unconcerned with his dark circles and blood-shot eyes.

"This is just getting ridiculous." Jean said. "Have you not heard from her at all? Just go get her for God's sake."

"She moved out because her roommate was making her nuts, she's got a sublet but I have no idea where." Edward said as he scrawled on a sketchpad.

"So go to Garfiel's. She still works there right?"

"Yeah, but she left on her own. Wrote me a note and everything. She doesn't want me to follow her, but I know it's because she's worried about me. She thinks this guy is gonna kill me for being around her."

Jean arched an eyebrow and his eyes connected with Ed's.

"Well we both know how that'll end for him if he tries." He said gravely, eluding to Edward's combat days and how it had taken a roadside bomb to finally bring Edward down. It only resulted in Edward coming back to war with steel limbs and a thirst for the blood of his enemies.

"So why not just set the record straight?"

"Because I don't wanna scare her. I don't want her knowing how dangerous I am. Her ex nearly killed her so I need to be careful and behave rationally."

"Yea well rational thinking is gonna escape you if you don't get some decent sleep." Havoc said as he pulled up a barstool. "My appointment canceled, I'll do this for the rest of the day."

Ed clapped his army buddy on the shoulder appreciatively as he rose and shuffled back through the studio and up the stairs to his loft. As he closed the door behind him, his phone vibrated in his pocket. His heart sank when it wasn't Winry, and his breath left his lungs when he read the text from Roy.

[Archer's file is missing. So is Winry's.]

"Keep it oiled, and call if there's any problems." Winry said to another happy client as he exited the shop, leaving her alone as she watched the setting sun disappear behind the buildings. She missed Ed horribly and being alone only made it worse, especially at night. She had been taking cabs to and from work each day, but her money was quickly draining and it was with a heavy heart that she realized she would have to walk home tonight alone. Garfiel was out sick and Paninya had opened the store and gone home earlier. Garfiel had been more than understanding of Winry's nervousness and had told her repeatedly to sleep in the shop if she was too afraid to go home, but Archer knew where she worked so her safest option was to go back to her sublet.

Winry zipped up her jumpsuit and closed up shop before stepping out onto the city street. Cars and people whizzed past her as she made her way home, and yet she still felt completely alone. In the interest of being smart, she pulled out her phone and dialed Ed.

*Please tell me you're okay.* He promptly answered.

"I'm fine," Winry said as her eyes scanned her surroundings. "I'm walking home, I just wanted to be on the phone with someone."

*This is giving me deja vu and I don't like it. Duck into a store or something and I'll come take you home.*

His selflessness stopped her words. He took no stock in the very obvious threat Archer had made against him, and her heart broke.

"Ed… I can't put you in danger…" She whispered.

*Stop being so stupid!* Edward barked, halting Winry in her tracks. *I haven't slept in three days because I'm so worried about you! Where do you live Winry?!*

Words stammered out as she resumed her journey, her heart fluttering at his impassioned request.

"…Varick street… I-I live on Varick street…"

*WHERE on Varick? I need a number Winry. I can't keep you safe otherwise.* Ed pressed. Her phone call had roused him from his nap and the initial jarring of his heart was only intensified when he saw who was calling. He was still fighting to slow his speeding heart.

"You can't come over. You can't be seen with me okay? You have to promise me that you won't show up, no matter what."

*Don't ask me to make promises I can't keep.*

Winry approached the door to her building and let herself in, locking it behind her before ascending the stairs.

"I'm home now, thanks for staying on the line with me."

*Please give me your address Winry, just to be safe. Please.* His quiet request squeezed her heart horribly, and she pushed down the urge to beg him to come see her.

"Ok, I'll send it to you. But please don't come here unless you have to. I don't want you at risk."

Ed let out an exasperated sigh; the woman was so damn altruistic and it made him wanna kiss her senseless just to shut her up.

*Winry, you should know something. Your case file is missing from precinct 503. Roy tried to reexamine it but it's gone, along with Archer's.*

Winry opened the door to her sublet and locked it behind her, looking around the emptiness of her tiny living space. The barren walls seemed somehow emptier, the wooden floors harder, the stuffy air more stagnant. Anywhere that Ed wasn't was a place she didn't want to be, but she knew she would have to get over that.

"What if this is my life forever?" She whispered, her voice tightening. Edward sat on his mattress in his loft and bit his clenched fist, shoving down the mist springing to his eyes and the ice pick piercing his heart. "What if I'm never safe? What if I can never see you again?" She hiccuped through the soft cries.

*I won't let that happen, understand? It's only a matter of time before he fucks up and that's when Roy's people will strike.*

"Roy's people?" Winry sneered. "Those people of his did nothing to help me the first time Frank Archer was ruining my life. They helped him get the minimum sentence even though he nearly killed me."

*Roy wasn't at the 503 when this happened, he'd only heard about the case from afar. He was promoted and sent to that precinct to help Internal Affairs irradicate coruption. You can trust Mustang, he was my commander in the army and he's one of my closest friends. He'll have our backs.*

"Well I'll believe it when I see it. So far I can guess Archer probably still has friends on the inside who are helping him, and if they hid the most incriminating piece of evidence before, what would stop them from doing it now?"

*What evidence from before? What was missing?* Ed asked. Winry double checked the locks on her door and said,

"The knife he used when he cut me open."

Shaking hands presented the messenger bag and laid it on the concrete. Cold midnight air blew off the water, sending shocks up a shivering spine.

"I did what you asked for Frank. I cleaned 'em out, theres nothing left. I can't be a part of this anymore, Mustang is sniffing around and I'm gonna be fucked if I keep it up."

The stern silence of indifference left Barry uneasy, wondering wether or not it was okay for him to leave. Mechanics whirred and advanced on him, and suddenly his feet left the ground to dangle in the air helplessly. His body twitched wildly as he fought to pry away the vice grip around his throat, but to no avail. A few garbled chokes, and his body slackened.

Barry Bostic was pitched into the icy waters, and the last piece of Frank's plan had fallen into place.

It was time to strike.

A/N: Thank you all for your reads and reviews, and thanks for sticking with me! I hate that it takes me so long to update, but I promise I'll never leave a story without an ending. I'm working on the ending for this as we speak. Also, shits about to hit the fan in multiple ways. More soon.