Bad chapter is baaad. :( Sorry it's so short too!

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It took a lot to get Winry on the train to Central. He knew it would be hard for her to get on, but they had to leave soon, and he was pretty tempted to just throw her over his shoulder and carry her on. Sighing, Ed firmly told himself he needed to be patient. He'd been this enduring before; he could keep doing it now.

He offered his hand to her while standing on the first step, and she looked at it with a hurt expression. 'Just do it,' she told herself while biting her bottom lip. 'It'll be fine.' Hesitantly, she extended her hand and put it in his. It felt so warm and a flood of reassurance went through her as he intertwined their fingers together. Giving her a small, but warm smile, Edward guided her up the train stairs and to their seat, where he sat by the window and her right next to him.

"You're doing great," he told her quietly, giving her hand a small squeeze. Winry nodded and swallowed thickly. Maybe outwardly she appeared okay, but she felt like a mess on the inside. Lying her head on his shoulder, Winry let her eyes flutter closed for a bit, hoping she could catch some more sleep on the way there. She hadn't slept very well in between yesterday and today.

Edward let his shoulder slack a bit, allowing her to rest better. A nagging ache ate at his insides at what he wanted her to do. To go to Central, of all places, so he could keep an eye on her. Grinding his teeth together, he knew there was no other option.

Sighing again, he looked out the window as she rested, mentally and emotionally preparing himself for the journey to come.

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"Central!" The man called out from the platform. "Central station!" The loud voice snapped Edward out of his sleep, causing him to be confused and look around frantically. 'I fell asleep too?' He looked out the window and noticed they were already here – Central. Hesitantly, he shook Winry awake to tell her the news, but she was already up as well.

"… I know Edward…" she mumbled, rising her head from his shoulder. Cracking her neck to the side, she stood up quickly, but never let go of his hand. "Let's go meet up with Al," she commented, looking at the boy with an unreadable expression. Numbly, he nodded and the two took down their luggage together, before putting them in opposite hands so they could still link the others together.

Getting off the train, Winry couldn't help but shudder heavily as memories from the last time she was here flooded through her mind. She began to remember all the pain from that day; the scratches, the bites. They all felt just as fresh as that day. He squeezed her hand tighter, breaking her from her reminiscing. She noticed his act of kindness and gave him a weak, tired smile. Thank god he was here…

"I know it's hard," he started, a very serious look on his face. "But if you don't think about what happened, it'll be easier for you." Her facial expression remained frozen and she couldn't think of how to respond.

'But how do you know, Ed?' Winry bitterly thought, bringing her ashamed gaze to the floor. She nudged a pebble with her foot before taking another step towards the exit of the train station. He followed in pursuit, only once losing her hand while separated from a crowd. His heart rate shot up and he immediately found her again and took her hand.

'Does she want to get separated??' Edward inwardly growled, feeling unusually hostile. A large metal, animated suit snapped him out of his awkward anger and the boy brought his hand to the back of his neck while the girl let go and ran to meet up with his brother. Kneading the muscles with a stressful sigh, he wondered why the heck he was acting the way he was. It was very unusual, even for him.

"Winry, are you okay??" Alphonse worried over the girl, wanting to give her a hug, but refrained in fear of hurting her with his large body. She gave him a small smile and waved her hands side to side in assurance.

"I'm fine Alphonse. I've always been fine."

The younger brother glanced to his elder, whom shrugged casually in return. "Well, your hair looks nice," he complimented her. Truth be told, he had always liked her longer hair. However, if she wanted to get it shorter, he'd respect that decision.

"Thank you," she beamed, picking up her suitcases while she spoke. "So where are we staying?" Ed scratched his head again.

"Uh, we were thinking of that hotel we stayed at last time, if that's alright with you. Although, the military barracks would be closer to us while we're working," Ed responded with a slightly huffy tone. 'Seriously… What is wrong with me?' Ever since he stepped off that train, his negative feelings heightened in great extremities and he felt like snapping at something or someone. "What do you think, Win?"

"Oh, uh… It doesn't matter to me," she hesitantly replied, shrugging.

"It should. You're the one calling the shots here."

'He sounds angry… Did I do something wrong?' She wondered as she bit her lip. 'Scratch that. I've been nothing by trouble.'

"Is the other hotel okay then?" she finally spoke her decision. The two nodded and proceeded to pick up their bags. Winry held her purse close and followed behind the two boys whom were leading the way. It had been a while since she'd been here, and she didn't exactly remember the city. It was like everything had reversed or something.

Winry suddenly stopped frozen, eyes wide.

She definitely remembered that alleyway.

Visions of the beatings and the screaming protests overtook her mind, and tears burned at her eyes. His god-awful greedy hands and his promises to destroy the blonde alchemist whom she loved sent chills up her spine. But she couldn't stop walking towards that street! It was like she was being drawn to that horrible spot with her body on auto-pilot.

And then, all of a sudden, a hand grabbed at her waist and another over her eyes. She wanted to scream, but her body shook so hard she found it hard to say anything.

"Winry, don't wander off like that!" The voice hissed, his tone laced with familiarity. Tears began seeping out of her eyes and her heart took a weight off. 'I-It's just… Ed…' He held her close, the chilliness from his automail causing her to shiver further. "It's… This is the place?" He asked cautiously. Winry could only nod, biting her bottom lip to hold back any escaped sobs.

Carefully and slowly, he turned her around so he could hug her properly. With her face buried in his shoulder, she began to let more hot tears flow out, but desperately made an attempt to keep quiet.

"I'm sorry Win…" was all he could say in this situation. He wished he could say more, but he didn't know any good, reassuring words! Holding her close like this and promising to protect her was about the only thing he could do, and it still didn't feel like much. The mechanic snaked her arms around his midsection, inciting a tighter hug. Ed felt his face go red at this small action, but further reminded himself now was not the time to be thinking such crude things.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw his brother pointing towards the alleyway, the air about him clearly asking the same question Ed had asked her moments ago. He nodded briefly, a hard look on his face. He had been down these alleyways before, trying to capture criminals. He had also heard about other dangerous things happening in these parts, such as rape or murder. But to finally see the two together, something so personal all in one spot… It hurt him bad.

His mechanic, his best friend, and the girl he promised to protect and love… Everything was taken away from her in an instant, and the horrifying spot was just feet away from him.

He turned the two around, silently telling all of them they were going to go to the hotel. It was enough "excitement" for one day, he decided. She needed more rest, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let her be there alone.

"Let's go…" He spoke in a low voice, before taking her hand once again. With a tight squeeze between their palms and digits and stumbling steps on her part, they made their way to their resting spot for their first day back in Central.

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