Gracia closed the door behind them and locked it with a decisive snick. Ed sniffed the air and grinned.
"Al made stew!" he exclaimed with delight and dashed into the kitchen.
"Brother," Al began, "before we eat Winry wants to ask you something."
Ed's brow furrowed. "I'll just call her then…"
"She's here. She came by train this morning."
Edward paused and cocked his head to the side. "Hrrm. Well I don't see why not."
Al pointed to the living room. "She's in there. Be nice."
"I'm always nice!" Ed growled.
Alphonse shook his head and sighed wearily.
Ed found Winry in the living room sitting next to Elysia who had moved on to putting a puzzle together.
"Al said you had something to ask me."
Winry looked up. "Is your leg okay? Do you need any adjustments done?"
"Nah. I think it's okay. You know I'd call if there was something wrong with it. I'm not that bad about it anymore."
Winry sighed. "I suppose that's true. You've been good about keeping it together this past year or so."
"I can't believe that's all you wanted to know! Couldn't you have called?"
The young woman's temper flared. "Do you have to be so rude? Why does it sound like you don't want me here?"
"When did I say that? When did I ever say that?"
"Your attitude, Ed! 'couldn't you have called?' makes it sound like I shouldn't have come!"
"I didn't mean it like that! You should know that!"
"I should know that? How should I? As of late you've been acting like you hate me – you do hate me, don't you Ed? Don't try and deny it!"
"Hate you? Where the fucking hell did you get that from?"
"Attitude, Ed, attitude. I think you're mad that I'm taking your baby brother away from you!"
"I'm not mad, I just think that you're not right for him!"
"Not right, how the hell am I not right for him? What did I do to deserve that label?"
"I just think that you two aren't compatible."
"Compatible? Compatible? That coming from someone who can barely form his own relationship. My god, how conceited are you?"
"Conceited? I don't even think you used that word right!"
"Who gives a fuck about words! You're mad that I chose Al and not you!"
"HAH. As if, maybe I did like you at one point but I grew out of that fairly quickly. You're paranoid, I'm sure Al told you that you were being paranoid!"
"He did not!"
"Liar! I bet he made you talk to me! Are you so afraid of yourself that you made yourself believe that you hate me?"
Winry glared. "I would never!"
"Besides your story keeps changing, first it's about Al then it's about me, make up your mind!"
"It's a combination of both!"
Ed didn't reply for a moment, then he nodded. "Okay. Maybe I've been rude, I'll admit, I wasn't wild about you dating Al. I'm still not. You're immensely insecure. But you also don't really love my brother do you? You're clinging to him because you think it's what everybody wants you to do. Just because people say, 'oh, they'd be so good together' and 'you should marry him' doesn't mean you should. Start taking ahold of your own life. Al tells me you're going to medical school. Good for you. Maybe some time away from Al will make you see that you're just using him."
"I swear to god! I'm not using him!" Winry cried out. She was still furious, but Ed had admitted he was partly at fault, but still!
"If you say so. But if you do hurt my brother you'll gain no sympathy from me."
Even though he'd said it in a quiet voice the malice was there. Winry knew that he was out to get her. She knew he was going to try and sabotage her relationship with Al, she knew.
His back was to her and for a moment she wished they were little kids again where their fights never lasted longer than a day, where innocence still reigned supreme.
She watched as his hand touched the drawing Elysia had done today. She could tell by his posture that he was hurting. He was probably remembering Hughes. Bringing up that subject always made his face twist in pain and caused him to clam up for hours. It made her think that despite all Ed's faults he was still human.
Winry stared at her hands in her lap. Now after all that yelling she did feel a little bit bad about her accusations. Not totally though, she knew they were founded in truth. And perhaps some of Ed's accusations had truth as well.
Elysia smiled brightly at her and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Why are you fighting with Big brother Ed?"
"Because we don't agree on something."
"But can't you agree to disagree? That's what Daddy always said."
"Elysia, sometimes that's just not possible. This is one of those times – especially when it means you could be hurting someone else very deeply."
The little girl pouted. "Can't you try though – please? I don't want you to fight!" and she started to cry. Gracia came into the room at a brisk walk and looked at her sobbing daughter.
Elysia turned to her mother and cried, "I don't want my big sister and big brothers to fight! They're family and family shouldn't fight!"
Gracia knelt by her daughter and brushed her fingers across Elysia's forehead. "Darling, sometimes grown-up things are complicated. Eventually things will get better, won't they Winry?"
Just as Al had threatened her earlier, Gracia's promise towards Elysia was as much a threat towards Winry – 'fix the problems that you caused'.
She could hear Ed and Al arguing quietly in the kitchen but knowing them she didn't have to worry. They could never stay mad at each other for very long. She let out a long sigh again and pushed herself to her feet to go join them for dinner.