Disclaimer - I am now the proud owner of a gigantic stuffed teddy bear. Unfortunately, I still don't own FMA.
A/N - I noticed that nobody did a review for this chapter, so I completely redid the whole thing. Let me know if it is now review worthy.
It was late in the evening when the train pulled into Resembool's train station. Both Edward and Alphonse were extremely nervous with their impending reunion with Winry and Granny Pinako. Though the boys hid their fears rather well. One with sheer force of will and practice, the other by his immobile metal features.
Alphonse sneaked a sideways glance over at his brother and tried hard not to giggle at the picture he made. Edward looked like a mess. His hair had come halfway out of its braid and was sticking up at odd angles due to his tossing and turning in restless sleep on the train. As a result of poor sleep, there were dark circles under his eyes making him somewhat resemble a raccoon. His automail arm was in a sling to prevent any further damage.
The elder of the two was dragging his feet as if he fully expected to executed when they reached their destination. Alphonse sighed quietly to himself. For once, he shared his brother's reluctance to see Winry. He really did hate it when the two of them fought.
At last after walking for what seemed both a long time, and not long enough an all too familiar door loomed up in front of the boys. Both of the teens were equally hesitant to actually knock on said door.
"Well Brother, we're here." Alphonse stated unnecessarily. When he only received a dejected grunt and a nodding head in response, the younger boy gave the elder one a slight nudge towards the door. "Go on and knock so that we can go inside. It is getting cold out here; I can see your breath."
Golden eyes widened in panic and Edward was quick to refuse. "Oh that's okay, Al. why don't you knock? You know how happy Granny gets whenever she sees you. Just imagine how that wrinkly old face will light up when she catches sight of you after being away for so long."
"I insist, Brother. If Winry is the one to answer the door, don't you think that she will be happy to find out that you have grown at least a half an inch since we saw her last? You know how much she loves to find out that the automail is actually starting to get too small for you." Alphonse replied as he waved his hands in front of himself and backing up a little.
The bickering was cut short when the door decided to take matters into its own hands (er…knobs?) and opened itself, reveling a tiny figure on the other side. The little old woman did not seem overly surprised to see the boys arguing outside her front door.
"So you boys finally decided to visit us have you?" Granny Pinako stated as she lit her pipe. Said boys were speechless at the woman's casual demeanor. "Are you two going to come in, or are you going to stand out here like a couple of hooligans?"
"Oh! Of course Granny. Sorry, we did not mean to be rude." Alphonse apologized, ignoring the snort behind him.
The boys then scrambled into the house, where they were promptly attacked by an overexcited Den. Alphonse soughed at her antics and patted her head. Edward on the other hand, was less than amused to receive a face full of slobbery doggy tongue.
"Ugh! That is so gross Den!" Edward scolded as he wiped his face on his sleeve. However, the rebuke was pointless when he smiled a little and gave the dog a generous belly rub. The boy's face froze when he heard someone coming down the stairs. Edward scrambled to his feet and hid halfway behind his brother.
Winry stopped and blinked when she came to the doorway. "Ed? Al? I thought that you guys were still in Central. What are you doing all the way out here?"
"We were in Central until about two weeks ago. The Colonel sent Al and me over to East City to follow some rumors." Edward answered, still halfway behind Alphonse.
Winry looked at him with rising suspicion. "So, you decided to stop and visit me and Grandma before you went back?"
Alphonse was forced to answer when it became clear that Edward wasn't going to. "Well, we had already decided to stop by after the mission was over because Brother needs his automail adjusted." He stopped for a moment to allow Edward to brace himself for the blond girl's temper. "However, when we were searching for clues, Brother slipped and fell down a riverbank."
Edward cringed back a bit when Alphonse pushed him out of his hiding spot and in front of the mechanic.
It took all of two seconds for Winry to process which of Edward's arms was in a sling before she lost control of her temper. "Edward Elric! What have you done to my automail? Do you even know how hard I worked to make that arm?" She shouted. She then proceeded to drag him by the ear into the kitchen for better lighting.
"Ow! Winry let go, that hurts! Honestly it wasn't my fault this time, I swear!" Was the pitiful whining response.
Alphonse and Pinako merely glanced at each other for a moment before following the two blonds into the other room.
Winry heartlessly ignored Edward's pleas for mercy and furiously shoved him into one of the chairs. "Take your that sling and your shirt off so that I can see the extent of the damage this time." She all but snarled. "Be careful not to damage it any more than it already is."
Edward quickly complied without a word because he could see her reaching for one of the many maintenance kits that she had stashed all over the house. He knew how fast one of those wrenches could be pulled from the kit and planted in his skull.
When Edward's torso was bared, Winry carefully inspected the arm, noting the easily fixed elbow jam. Her gaze froze at the wrist, and her left eyebrow developed a twitch. She turned her angry blue eyes to meet his wary gold ones. "Tell me Ed, just how did you manage to break this joint in half?"
Edward gulped "It's like Al said. I fell down a riverbank and I landed rather hard."
"Come on Ed. Do you really expect me to believe that? You guys never tell me when you get into trouble or when you get hurt. Tell me what really happened. Did you get into another fight with that man with the horrible scar on his face again?" Winry demanded as she undid the clasps on Edward's port and removed the damaged arm.
"What? No! Winry I promise that I just fell. We haven't seen Scar since that day." Edward replied, the heat leaving his voice with each word. Every time he thought of Scar, all Edward could see in his mind was Nina and what he and Tucker had done to her.
Winry stared hard at the other's eyes for a moment. When she saw the honesty and slightly haunted expression, she sighed and relented. "I'm sorry Ed. You have to admit that the two of you tend to not tell me how you got hurt on the rare occasions that you come to me for help."
Edward rubbed the back of his head with his remaining hand in discomfort. "We don't like to worry you. You have done so much for us already, and you have your automail business to run. I guess that we figured that you have enough to deal with already." He had to swallow a good chunk of his pride to admit that.
Winry rolled her eyes when she saw his expression and turned to the two forgotten figures hovering in the doorway. "Grandma, will you please get the measuring tape and the spare leg from my shop? Might as well do an overhaul on both limbs while they are still here."
Pinako nodded and left without a word. Alphonse shifted nervously and asked in a small voice, "How long do you think it will take to fix Brother's arm?"
Winry looked at the damaged limb with a calculating expression for a minute or two before she answered. "I would have to say about two days at most, and that is including the leg's adjustment as well."
Only a moment later, Pinako walked into the room with the requested items. Edward was then forced to strip down to his boxers so that his flesh limbs could be properly measured. Edward mused that he would have been profoundly embarrassed right now if it were not for the fact that he considered Winry his sister and Pinako his own grandmother.
After the spare leg had been attached, Pinako sent the two boys upstairs to bed. Edward scowled at that and grumbled something under his breath about "Old bitties sending me to bed like a naughty little child." That earned him a smack upside the head from his brother.
The next morning saw Alphonse cheerfully helping Pinako make breakfast. Winry was in her shop, leaning over an automail arm, muttering about certain alchemy freaks that have absolutely no respect for all her hard work. Edward was stumbling around the house, trying to get his body used to the temporary leg so that he would not fall on his face after every other step. After about twenty minutes or so had passed, the two blonds were called to breakfast.
When the meal was nearly over, Pinako looked over to the brothers and asked. "What are you boys planning on doing during your stay?"
Alphonse answered for the both of them. "We thought that we could go and visit Mom today. We haven't really thought about what we would do tomorrow yet."
Pinako nodded as Winry went back upstairs. "Take Den with you. She hasn't had a proper walk in a while." She collected the dishes and set about cleaning the kitchen.
"Right." Alphonse agreed as he went to the door and held it open for his brother and the excited dog. "We should be back before dinner." He informed her solemnly before waving and following Edward down the road.
The walk to the graveyard was a quiet, tense affair. Even the normally hyperactive Den was walking instead of running and jumping around the boys. Her typically wind milling tail was hanging limp behind her as they walked.
Winry finished unjaming the elbow joint in Edward's arm and checked it over carefully for any damaged wires before moving on to the wrist. She was growling darkly under her breath the whole time.
As promised, the boys walked in the front door just as Pinako was ladling out bowls of stew for everyone. Dinner was spent in sullen silence with each brooding over different things. After the meal was over, Winry glared at Edward before stomping back up to her shop. Edward only rolled his eyes as he watched Alphonse and Pinako clean up. Den walked over to him and laid her head in his lap with a long, low whine.
Edward smiled down at her and scratched her behind the ears, making her leg thump against the floor in bliss. "Thanks for coming with us today." Den only pressed her head more firmly into his hand in response. Edward would not have been able to stop the grin spreading across his face if he tried.
When the last dish had been dried and put away, Pinako turned to the boys. "Alright you two. It is getting late and I need my sleep, why don't you go ahead on upstairs?" She headed toward the stairs herself.
Alphonse nodded obediently while Edward made rude faces at the woman's back for once again sending him to bed like a child. He stomped up the stairs and flung himself onto his bed.
Alphonse giggled at the other teen's antics. "You know Brother, you should really be more polite to Granny." He walked over to the dresser and pulled out some pajamas for Edward and coaxed said brother into putting them on. He laughed softly when he saw that Edward had fallen asleep almost as soon as he had flopped back on the bed. He dug out one of his books and settled down on his own bed for another long night.
When the sun was just barely making an appearance the next day, Pinako rapped on the boys' door. "Time to get up. I can't have you boys lazing about all day; I have better things to do."
Edward grumbled something that Alphonse was sure was extremely insulting and burrowed further into his blankets. He put his book away, and then came back to Edward's bed. "Brother come on. It is time to get up." He then peeled the blankets off the bed. The effect was immediate, and loud.
"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing Al? Give those back its freezing in here!" Edward made a desperate lunge for the stolen blankets.
Alphonse laughed and danced away with far more grace that a metal suit of armor should have been able to. "You should go downstairs and eat a nice warm breakfast then shouldn't you?"
Edward scowled darkly at his brother, which had absolutely no effect whatsoever on the other. "You are so lucky Al. If I had my arm back, you would have never won this easily." His harsh tone was undermined by the amused glint in his golden eyes as he stormed past Alphonse.
"If you say so." Alphonse called after his brother's retreating form as he made Edward's bed with his stolen prize. When he was satisfied with his work, he went downstairs to join everyone else for breakfast. He came into the kitchen just as Pinako brought the food to the table.
When everybody was finished eating, Winry looked pointedly at her grandmother, who gave an approving nod. She then cleared her throat and looked at the younger brother a little nervously. "Hey Al, do you think that I could talk you into doing the dishes while I steal Grandma and Edward for a little while?"
Alphonse was slightly crestfallen at being left out, but he knew that Edward did not want to let him see his pain. So he only got up and placed a soothing hand on his brother's shoulder before he replied. "Okay." He watched the other three walk out of the room as he began to gather the breakfast dishes.
Edward looked over his shoulder as he went to the doorway and shot Alphonse what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He turned around and trudged up the stairs after the women. When they reached Winry's workshop, Pinako gently took him by his remaining hand and led him to the examination table. He silently watched as Winry removed the temporary leg, and then she and Pinako lined up his adjusted limbs up with his ports.
Winry paused for a moment and looked at Edward. "Are you ready?"
Edward hid the grimace that tried to take over his features. "As ready as I'm likely to get. Let's just do this."
Winry took a steadying breath and nodded. "Okay. On the count of three. One…"
Edward visibly tensed as he watched the limbs twitch closer to his ports.
"…Two…"
He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw.
"…Three…"
Alphonse nearly dropped the plate that he had been drying when he herd a sharp thump and some muffled cursing emanating through the ceiling. With great effort, Alphonse forced his shaking hands to finish drying the rest of the dishes and sweep the kitchen floor. When he finished, Alphonse could hear voices coming down the stairs. He turned around to see Winry and Pinako discussing an appointment that they had the next day. However, he only had eyes for Edward as he came into the room with a slight limp.
Edward looked up when he felt eyes watching his every move and sighed when he saw his brother's worried posture. "I'm okay Al. it only hurts for a little while when a limb gets reattached. The pain is already fading away." To prove his point, he flexed and rolled his automail arm, and his limp was already nearly gone.
"That's good Brother. I really don't like to see you in pain." Alphonse answered, though his voice was full of uncertainty.
Edward gave his little brother's arm a gentle pat. "Stop being such a worry wart Al." He turned to the still distracted women. "Thanks again for the repairs, but we can't stay any longer. I still have to go to Central and give my report to that Bastard Colonel Mustang."
Winry let out a sad sigh. "Alright, but I am going to charge you extra for the damaged arm." She said sternly.
Edward grinned evilly at that. "I will wire you the money to you when we reach Central. I broke it while I was on a mission, so the military will have to pay the bill, so go ahead and charge as much as you want." With that, he marched upstairs to pack.
Winry rolled her eyes and laughed at Edward's typical attitude and her eyes glazed over as she thought of how much she could get away with charging the military.
After ten minutes passed by, Edward came down the stairs, fully dressed and suitcase in hand.
"Come on guys, I'll walk you to the station." Winry stated then called for Den.
"You boys had better come back to visit soon ya hear?" Pinako commanded more than asked in a stern voice that didn't fool anyone.
"Of course we will, Granny!" Alphonse called as he and Edward waved at her when they walked down the driveway.
The three didn't have to wait long for the train to arrive. As they waited for the train to fully stop and open its doors, they reluctantly said their goodbyes.
"Thanks for waiting for us Winry." Alphonse said before giving her a careful hug.
Winry gave him a watery smile and gave him a fierce hug in return with much less care. She then turned her attention to Edward as Alphonse climbed the steps leading into the train.
"You had better take good care of my automail, Edward Elric!" She glared harshly at him and shook his shoulders none too gently. "The next time I see you guys, I don't want to have to fix anymore broken limbs, and I don't want to have together scrap automail parts to help fix Alphonse's armor anymore." At the end of her lecture, some tears had managed to make their way down her cheeks, with more threatening to follow.
"Come on Winry, please don't cry. Look, I can't guarantee anything, but I promise that I will try to be more careful. But you have to remember that I am in the military, and I don't get to choose which missions I get sent on. There is always a chance that any one of those missions could turn very dangerous very quickly."
Just then, the warning whistle sounded and Edward gave the girl one more quick hug before hurrying onto the train. When he found a seat with Alphonse, he stuck his head out the window and waved.
"See you later Winry!" He shouted as the train began to move away.
Winry waved back until the train was too far out of sight. She sighed heavily, then she and Den turned around and made their way back home.
Edward watched Winry become smaller and smaller as the train picked up speed. It was by chance that he glanced in the general direction of where their home used to be as he started to turn away from the window. What he saw sent a cold shiver down his spine. He had only caught a brief flash of a tall man with gold hair before he was lost amongst the trees and buildings. (A/N - I figured that since their house used to be on top of a hill, and the train seats are so far off the ground, you could catch a brief glance of the remains of the Elric house if you knew what you were looking for.)
Alphonse noticed Edward stiffen slightly in the seat across from him. "Are you okay, Brother? Are you in any pain?" He followed Edward's intense line of vision, trying to find out what was upsetting his brother so much. After not finding anything out of the ordinary, he turned back to the other boy. "Brother?"
"I could have sworn that I saw…" Edward's voice trailed away as his brow furrowed. "Naw. We have been under a lot of stress lately, so I could have just imagined…Besides, after all this time…there is just no way that he'd…" He continued to mutter to himself for a while until he convinced himself that he was just imagining things.
Alphonse looked worriedly at Edward every few minutes, wondering if Winry's wrenches were finally doing some serious damage to his brain. After an hour or so, Alphonse was relieved to see that Edward had fallen asleep.
A/N - I am sorry about not posting Chapter Seven today. I am still slowly working on it. My family has had one crisis after another in the past few months. For example, I just found out that my favorite uncle is in the last stages of Mesothelioma. For those of you who don't know, it is one of the most malignant cancers out there, and it is almost always fatal because there is no cure. He was diagnosed less than a week ago, and the doctors have estimated that he has at most a few weeks left. At worst, he could pass away today. Now we are trying to get everybody together for him to say his goodbyes.
I will post Chapter Seven, but I need some more time. Thank you for being patient, and please do not give up on my story.