It was obvious winter was taking its leave. The wind was much milder than usual, the sky had lost its gray overtone, and the snow on the ground had melted to nothing but small mounds of dirty white fluff. The blades of grass poking out of the juicy mud almost looked exhausted. Instead of green, they were tinted some God-awful yellow-brown colour. Overall, the weather seemed nice enough, but the ground was no seating option for Edward. So this is what its come down to, he thought to himself quietly. I'm pondering about the weather with myself. Pathetic.

Edward sat on one of the cold and rough boulders out in the courtyards of the institution. A few doctors had taken their patients out for some fresh air and tea, an insistence most likely made by the patients themselves. A few of the doctors recognized him from the cafeteria and said hello, but others had been there when Winry had started her panic attack and chose (quite wisely, might he add) to keep their distance. Behind the gates, he could see the bustling street in clear view, the bakery, the cafe, and the printing shop all neatly lined up, one next to another. He'd remember how Winry loved to bake. She and Sheska would argue about whether it was an art or a science, Winry taking her vote on science. It brought back beautiful memories of the times he'd actually smiled back in Amestris.

But now, for the time being, all he could do was sit and wait, maybe get over the fact that Bunny had yelled at him, and it had slightly shattered his ego, but if there was one thing he was relieved of, it was that the girl was definitely Winry. It was just her reaction he wasn't expecting. Was it too much for her memory to handle? Nah, she probably loathed him for what he had done to her. He wouldn't blame her, he hated himself as well. Even Alphonse had begun blaming himself for what had happened. He'd keep repeating "If I hadn't followed you, and I'd stayed behind with her, none of this would have happened". And then there was Noah, who would say "If I hadn't distracted you, maybe you could've warned her". And lastly, there was himself. That was it. It was just a whole fiasco of people blaming themselves for the apparent death of Winry Rockbell, who he'd seen just moments ago in flesh and blood. That was most likely where they had gone wrong. Instead of helping each other cope with such a traumatic experience, they'd sat around in their own little pity corners with their pitiful selves, throwing their own little pity parties. The night that he, Bunny and Alphonse had spoken about the possibility of Winry being alive, Al had brought up the fact that she may be merely a doppelganger. But now, Edward was certain it wasn't.

The fire among the bleakness of her eyes reminded him too much of saw sparks among a murky mechanics store.

It had taken almost 3 hours for Bunny to settle the blonde down. Her shaking hadn't stopped for a while, and once it did, she spent the remainder of the time staring out her window at absolutely nothing. She sat still as Bunny dabbed her face with a clean handkerchief, occasionally swallowing back a forming lump within the pit of her throat. As for Bunny, she'd run out of things to do and say. She began mentally scolding herself, reminding again and again that it was her job to do this, and she'd been doing it for years now. But this matter had gone beyond simply occupational reasons. She was dealing with a parallel, one that is supposed to be dead, but isn't. Things had gotten far more personal and serious that they should have. There was a pain in her heart caused by guilt, for a number of reasons. She could have stopped the two of them from seeing each other, but her fragile heart couldn't stand to see that look on Edward's face any longer. And that scream... it had startled many doctors out of their rooms, not to mention a couple had notified Jacob, and he'd come running down the minute he'd heard. It took a great deal of persuading to convince everyone that nothing serious had happened. She'd eventually gotten slightly frustrated and annoyed with everyone's nosiness, ultimately having to narrow her options down to yelling at them that she knew what she was doing, and they had no business telling her how to deal with her patients, especially since she was their superior as far as experience went. Jacob had told her to shove a sock in it, and then proceeded to clear the hallway of the suspicious doctors. He'd then turned back and given her a look she'd never seen on his face before. It seemed as if he'd lost an ounce of trust within her. There was a number of experiences worth pulling her hair out over.

Her next issue was with Edward. Once Winry had begun her screaming, clutching her head and backing away from the door in agony, she'd yelled at him to leave in panic. He'd looked confused, upset, angry, and extremely hurt. It tore her heart so cleanly in two that she almost stopped to apologize, but he'd already spun around on his heels, dashing away franticly. She'd certainly gotten herself into one thick pickle. An extremely sour one, at that. She promised herself she'd go and look for him as soon as she could. But what frightened her the most was the fact that Edward recognized her, Blondie recognized him, and she went through a moment of trauma because of it. Edward, oh, Edward...

She looked over to where Winry was seated at the window. Her head was turned away from the doctor, still staring out to the open streets on London. She was still and silent, her face extremely difficult to read for a change. It was almost as if she'd become a completely different person.

"H-hey, sweets. You gonna be okay?"

There was a few moments of silence in which the air grew thick around them. Nervousness crept over Bunny like a stinkbug, until the blonde finally nodded her head slowly. "Do you still need me here? I have to go find Mr. Gold Eyes, try and talk some sense into him."

"I'd like to see him."

Bunny froze for an instant upon hearing her foreign voice. It was different from when she would speak before. It was the voice of a young, mature woman rather than a frightened young girl.

"Please. Let me see him." Her voice spoke once again, this time, as her head turn towards the doctor with pleading and sincere eyes.

The sky was beginning to grow dim, and the courtyard was now empty. Edward began wondering why he was still there himself. His shifts had finished long ago, and he doubted Bunny wanted to see him at all after today's mess. Edward grunted an annoyed sigh, realizing he'd have to confront her about this later and apologize. That was something Edward wasn't good at doing. He somehow found the energy to lift himself off of the ground, with a few nasty cracking sounds erupting from here and there. He sighed one last time with a look at the busy rushing streets.

I should've left sooner... Now how am I gonna make it to Al by the time his shift ends?

Definitely not by wasting any more time. Edward gathered his coat up from the ground, and caught another quick glimpse at Winry in his mind.

Man, why do I do this to myself?

Edward slowly closed his eyes with a sigh, hoping that the image of the blonde would quickly depart from his mind. It finally dawned on him how comforting it was to not see anything for a change. He felt himself surrounded by darkness, but it was oddly consoling. He was taken back to the days where he'd be able to go to sleep, knowing his brother and mother were just a room or two away. The days he'd visit Winry without seeing her troubled expression. The days he'd run for hours and hours, and not have to worry about oiling his limbs in fear that they might lock in place and force him to waddle down to the nearest automail shop like a penguin. The memories spiraled through his mind like a paintbrush on canvas, fleshing out the odorless roses of his youth, ones whose thorns had completely torn their own petals.

And her scream would echo through one ear and out the other, but would also wreck havoc in the meantime. It was almost like a wakeup call to both of them; she had finally discovered what a monster he was, and wanted nothing to do with him. The hands brushing his cheeks felt so close to home, yet so far away. It took Edward a few moments to realize they weren't his own. And as his golden eyes were revealed once again from under his eyelids, the face of his childhood friend appeared once again, holding his face in her hands.

Edward gasped and staggered backwards, bumping into a small shrub and almost flipping over. He could see Bunny standing a few feet behind her, trying to suppress a chuckle from his sudden reaction. What the hell was she laughing at?

But she was the least of his worries. All he could see at that moment was Winry, standing in front of him, probably with a look he'd never seen on her face before. He felt nervous all of a sudden, afraid of what he might see by looking. All he could do was muster up all his courage, and glance sheepishly at her aquatic blue orbs.

They were unreadable. Blank. He didn't know what to think or expect from her any longer, so he waited. He waited and gave her a chance for a change. And Winry took advantage of it.

"I don't know who you are..."

Well, that was a huge disappointment.

"...But I dream of you every night."

Bunny gasped behind her, and Edward felt his heart seize as his mouth slightly opened. Winry noted how his tongue poked out ever so slightly and how beautifully defined his jaw line was.

"You always look so upset. There's emptiness about you, I can tell you've struggled a lot in the past. Every time I try reaching out to you, you just close your eyes, turn around and leave. I try calling out to you, I try running towards you, but I become paralyzed."

Winry's voice turned more and more desperate and pleading with every word. The former alchemist felt his heart nearly burst out of his chest from the shame and guilt.

"Please. Let me help you." She whispered softly, walking closer. "I want to help you. That's all I've ever wanted to do for you."

Edward's eyes widened and a knot began forming in the pit of his throat. Bunny had a hand covering her mouth, glaring at the pair with awe. The blonde girl now stood inches away from Edward, staring at his paralyzed face with a look of pure sincerity nestled on her own. Her hand made its way towards his dry cheeks once again, her thumb gently rubbing the area right underneath his eyes. Edward's stare almost pierced right through her, he couldn't believe his ears any longer.

She wanted to help him. This crazy, stupid girl still wanted to help him, after everything he'd done. It was just like Winry to do so. Stupid. So stupid.

"Winry..." Edward muttered between clenched teeth.

"...YOU CRAZY MACHINE GEEK!"

Winry inhaled sharply as Edward threw his arms around her neck, pulling her close and squeezing her tightly in his arms. His shoulders began shaking violently, and an eruption of sobs broke out from his throat. He noticed his knees had practically turned to jelly just before he brought them both to the ground. Confusion took over the young girl's body, but soon, her own eyes began to grow irritated. Hot tears prickled at them, threatening to overflow, and her heart beat faster and faster with every squeeze Edward gave her. She pressed her face against his warm neck, and inhaled his familiar scent.

Waltz on home, little rolling child.

A.N: Oh my god, WHAT?! Fenton actually updated without waiting a whole lifetime! Ehe, yeah, I couldn't make you guys wait too long after my last update... It would be too cruel. So this should satisfy SOME of your curiosity xD

AGAIN, I'd like more reviews, everyone! I wont stop updating if I don't get any, cause that's just mean, but the feedback could help both me AND you! I'll be able to write more effectively for you all! I TAKE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!

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