Alrighty Chapter 3! I thought it would be fun to tell you what I listened to while writing this chapter. Michael Buble "Nobody but me" (^-^) Review kindly please and enjoy!
Thank you!

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WINRY'S POV

I slowly walked up and down the lanes of food, not really focusing on the task at hand. My heart was still racing and my skin tingled at the very thought of Edward. Up until the moment at the train station, I had never seen him look at me with such determination. I had seen him determined his whole life, but never had I seen him focus that sort of purpose at me. It excited something in me that made me feel anticipated with what else was to come...which confused me as to why I was acting the way I did. I've been wanting to throw myself at him since my own discovered feelings of love, yet here I was, standing in the middle of the market while he waited for me to come home. I continued to dwell on the reason for my nervous tactics while picking out groceries for dinner. Was I nervous about sex? I squeaked at the thought. My thoughts had been far from innocent about him, and if initiated I would give myself to him if he asked me to. We weren't children anymore, we were adults. And I knew right away from the way his eyes traced my body earlier that he didn't have such innocent thoughts either, but neither of us would admit our obvious attractions. I started feeling light-headed from my contemplations that I didn't realize someone approaching me.

"Hey Winry! You need help getting groceries?"

I turned towards the voice and relaxed at the happy face that warmly smiled at me. He was my age, and his bright green eyes always held a sincere smile of their own. His light blonde hair bounced around from the slight breeze as he approached me.

"Hi Eric! How's your mother doing?" I asked, smiling in return to his kind face. Honestly, I was more than happy to have any distraction right now.

"She's doing better! Her surgery went well and they were able to remove her appendix with no problem. My father will be ecstatic to have her back home, he's kind of hopeless without her there." He laughed.

"I'm so happy to hear that! I will have to tell Granny once I get home. She's been meaning to make a visit with some spare parts for your family cat. I heard the last time she worked on his leg he bit her on her ankle!" I chuckled, picturing my tiny grandmother throwing a fit at the tiny orange kitty.

"Yeah...I don't know why my mother insisted on naming him Happy. It contradicts his evil nature. Hahaha!" Eric remarked with laughter. "Speaking of parts, I actually am due for some maintenance on my arm again, would you mind me scheduling an appointment with you right now? When are you free?"

"I can actually take a look at your arm tonight really quick! Granny would love to see you too, why don't you join us for dinner? That way you can take leftovers to your dad so he doesn't starve." I grinned. The poor man couldn't cook an egg if his life depended on it.

Eric blushed slightly at the offer. "If I'm not intruding I would love to! You're so kind Winry!"

I smiled at him and tossed a large bag of rice over his shoulder. "Hey you're working for this! You get to carry the heavier stuff home!"

We laughed in unison and he nodded in agreement, adjusting the bag of rice on his shoulder. I continued to pick out groceries and catch up with Eric. Little did he know how much of a blessing he currently was to my mind. I could finally start to feel at ease from what was waiting for me at home. Eric had come to be a good friend of our family, although he had never met Edward and Alphonse, our families had become close due to our automail business.

After finding everything I needed for dinner, we started on our path home, laughing about his cat when it first was arranged with automail.

"I remember that! He just rolled around everywhere instead of walking on his prosthetic!" I laughed, gripping the paper bag of food.

"My mother and your grandmother chased him around trying to get him to walk, but all you could see was this orange ball of fur tumbling around everywhere!" Eric exclaimed.

I held the groceries close to my stomach as my abdomen muscles pulled from my laughter. With my free hand I wiped away the tears that gathered around my eyes and let out one last chuckle.

"So how has your two friends been? Alphonse...and Edward, right?"

I stopped in my tracks, the color in my face draining away. Holy crap. I completely forgot he hasn't met them yet. Was I worried about him meeting Alphonse? of course not! Alphonse was the sweetest gentleman - he loved meeting new people! They would probably form a friendship as soon as they shook hands since they both resembled a pleasant nature. But...Edward?

"Winry, what's wrong?" Eric asked, as he sensed the change in atmosphere.

Edward was the complete opposite of his brother. And with how strange we were already acting around each other, how was he going to feel about Eric being there? I knew I had no romantic feelings for Eric. He was handsome, bright and charming, but I always looked at him as a brother, and he had never displayed any feelings of affection towards me in that way. We were simply friends and nothing beyond that.

"Um...you'll actually be meeting them both tonight! You'll get along with Alphonse right away. He's just like you! Extremely kind and very sociable with others." I beamed.

"And Edward, what's he like? He's our age isn't he?"

I continued walking but paused as I tried to think of how to describe Edward. Easily angered, snarky, loud, overly confident, handsome beyond words...

"He's...he's...unique." I said, forcing a smile in hopes that it didn't create a nervous tension for the poor guy.

"Ahhhh, so you like him?" He elbowed me gently and winked.

I honestly didn't know how to respond to that. I knew my face was enough evidence and I knew the answer too. I loved that jerk more than anything. My head shot up at the sound of barking. Den was bounding up towards us with his tongue hitting the side of his face. He loved it when Eric visited. Little did I know that Den's barking was a wake up call for a hungry and cranky blonde haired man.

Eventually getting past my happy dog, I opened the door, praying that Edward was not waiting for me in the living room still. I let out a sigh of relief when we were greeted by Granny.

"Ah, Eric! It's so nice to see you. I've been meaning to visit your mother at the hospital. Your father called the other day and said her surgery went well. That's good to hear." Granny took a whiff of her pipe and smiled warmly.

"Thank you Auntie Pinako!" Eric exclaimed.

"Oh Eric...please don't say that in front of Edward..." I thought to myself, my nerves beginning to rise once again.

"Winry! You're back!"

I turned to see Alphonse with his usual sincere grin planted on his face.

"Alphonse, I'd like you to meet Eric. He's going to be staying for dinner with us!" I smiled at the friendly atmosphere that was already portrayed between the two. Alphonse truly was a kind soul. He shook Eric's hand with familiarity, his smile spreading across his face.

"It's nice to meet you Eric!" He exclaimed.

"Eric, would you like to help me take these groceries into the kitchen?" Granny asked as she took the bag from me. Eric nodded and began to head off first - that's when both Granny and Alphonse looked at me like I had just invited him to his death. I tilted my head at them and mouthed 'What?' Alphonse gently grabbed my arm and pulled me to the side once we were alone.

"Winry! You know how brother is! Even Granny knows this isn't going to go well!"

"What are you talking about Alphonse?" I acted dumb, but I knew what he meant, and I honestly wasn't very sure about the situation myself...

"Have you watched National Geographic? It's a clear description of what kind of male Ed is when other males are around!" He whispered urgently. I couldn't help but laugh at this statement. It was absolutely ridiculous.

"Al, you're panicking. Everything will be fine. Ed's never been THAT bothered by meeting people before. And after dinner I said I would check on his automail really quick and he will be off on his way. " I said calmly. But Alphonse knew better. I was definitely being eaten away inside by my nerves, and the last feeling I felt was a sense of calm nature.

"Winry, you know why Ed's here!" Alphonse said, his whispers growing into a normal tone. A tone that was way too loud for the choice of topic.

I again played off with a dumbfounded expression, to which Alphonse called it quits and realized that Edward and I were going to make this hard for ourselves. He heaved a heavy sigh. "Good luck with that." He said, patting my shoulder for comfort as he walked into the kitchen. I could hear him beginning a conversation with Eric in order not to appear rude.

I soon followed into the kitchen to begin to prepare dinner.

"Go ahead and relax, I got this Granny." I stated, gesturing my grandmother to go sit. She gladly took the opportunity to go sit outside on the porch, taking Den along with her. I guess she knew what was coming too once Edward was made aware of our guest. I knew he would show up as soon as I started cooking. The smell of food wafting through the air always brought him front and center.

"You'll have to excuse my brother. He can be-"

"Obnoxious?" I cut in. Alphonse shook his head at me.

"Edward is a good guy, he's just not very good at...showing it?" Alphonse said. He scratched the back of his head and let out a nervous chuckle.

"I'm sure I won't have a problem with him. Winry and I are good friends so I don't see why Edward and I couldn't be. I was quite taken by her kindness when she began working on my arm. I've never had a mechanic that cared that much for her customers. She is one of a kind! And definitely the most beautiful mechanic I've ever met!" Eric winked at me from his seat, but I barely noticed due to the foreboding figure that leaned against the doorway with his arms crossed, looking rather unamused by what he had just heard. Poor poor Eric...his words were innocent but from the look in those golden eyes that glared daggers at him - he might as well have just shot himself.

Eric turned around and noticed Edward standing there. The room grew quiet as Alphonse and I watched in horrific anticipation of what could happen. It was Alphonse who decided to put his neck on the line.

"This is Eric! A friend of Winry's! He's staying for dinner. He's currently studying Medicine. Isn't that great brother? He wants to be a doctor. He's a very nice guy that means absolutely no harm at all!" Alphonse laughed nervously. His poor attempts to shield Eric from his older brother's fury were not going to subside Edward's obvious jealousy.

Edward still didn't crack a smile. He walked over to Eric and held out his hand to him.

"I'm Edward." He stated without any of the friendly warmth his brother held. Eric stood from his seat and took Edward's hand into his own, he gripped it with confidence.

"It's nice to meet you. Alphonse was just telling me about your travels and research. Your life sounds fascinating. I've never really left Risembool so I'm not aware of the life outside of this little town."

Edward still kept the same grimace, his eyes shooting in my direction. I quickly looked back to the rice and brushed off his charade of Alpha Male.

Attempting to win over Edward, Eric persisted, "You must have noticed how beautiful Winry looks today, right Edward?"

"Eric stop freaking talking!" I screamed eternally. I peered over at Alphonse with a pleading look to help fix the already awkward moment we were trapped in. He pulled at the collar of his shirt and started laughing.

"So do you need help with dinner at all Winry?" Alphonse smiled with the same pleading look in his eyes. Edward's gaze was unflinching, even at the mention of food. Before I could reply, Granny came in from outside with her hands on her hips. She observed the situation from the doorway and with a heaving sigh, she propped up a step stool and reached up into the cupboards. I watched curiously as she pulled a rather large (and not to mention half empty...) bottle of whiskey out from the shelving unit. Within seconds she had slammed the bottle down in front of Edward.

"Ed, I think you should have a drink. Maybe it will bring out a hidden friendlier side to you." She whacked him in the back of the head and he growled in response.

"Why? Does it bring a friendlier side to YOU?" He retorted, smirking at his witty comment. Alphonse gulped and slowly pulled back his chair. Eric stood up from his chair to clear a path for my agitated tiny grandmother and began to walk over to me...From the way Edward's eyes followed his target - I would say it wasn't the safer move.

"Can I help you with anything?" He smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder. I could feel Edward's intense eyes staring towards my direction. If he only had gotten to known Eric, he could have easily discovered that he was simply friendly in nature. He meant no harm in his complimentary and helpful notions. I was starting to grow annoyed by the amount of testosterone in the house and began to miss just having Granny and I working on blue prints for newer models while our dinners became cold and forgotten.

"I'm actually done, if you could just bring the stew over to the table and I'll bring the rice and bread rolls." I gripped the side of his arm softly as a silent thanks as Edward and Granny's voices grew louder, throwing insults back and forth like bouncing acrobats. Poor Alphonse sat in the middle with wide puppy-dog eyes, beads of sweat forming at the base of his hairline from the anxiety they were causing him.

"Look brother! Food!" Alphonse squeaked in hopes that his older brother would calm down. Edward's face melted at the sight of the stew and a cheeky grin grew on his face. Had I just given him something to snack on earlier, maybe the conversation would've taken a lighter turn. I was a bit surprised on how calm Eric acted around all of the chaos. It didn't seem to bother him, not nearly as much as it had crawled under Edward's skin. I was about to take my seat beside Eric, when Alphonse nearly pounced onto my chair. He looked up at me with the same pleading look, silently begging for me to sit next to Edward. I sighed and consented, realizing it was probably the best way to keep the peace. Granny sat at the head of the table beside me, scooting her chair closer to the bread rolls.

"Thank you again for inviting me Winry. Your stew has become one of my favorite meals." Eric praised, reaching for the rice. Unfortunately this statement had snapped Edward from his calm state into a dangerous calamity. I moved at the speed of light as soon as I saw his mouth open in protest and shoved food into his lips. He looked at me with irritation lingering in his features but decided to take it out on the piece of food he chewed violently.

"It's no problem at all Eric! We really enjoy having your family here with us for dinner. Especially Granny since your dad has become her drinking partner." We all chuckled lightly, well except for Edward who stabbed at his rice with such force I was worried he would break the plate. He continued to do this as Alphonse made conversation with Eric to help ease his brother's tension that filled the room. I wanted to stab him with my own chopsticks, but decided to squeeze his knee as a warning instead of drawing undesired attention. I shot my hand down and pressed my fingers into his leg without looking down. But the sudden change of Edward's face had shown that I had placed my hand much higher than his knee. I slowly looked to the placement of my hand and saw my fingers caressing his upper thigh, my fingers brushing almost against a particular area...

At that moment, I could feel every cell in my body burst into flames and my skin grew feverishly hot. We both stared down at my hand, frozen in place. Slowly we brought our gazes to meet the other, and once again his golden specked eyes flickered with a passion that made my heart stop. After what seemed like forever, I squeaked and quickly removed my hand. I could still feel the contact on my fingertips and felt my breath catch in the back of my throat. Both of our chests seemed to rise and fall quickly from our heartbeats, and I found myself stuck in a dazed cloudy state. From the corner of my eye I saw Edward quickly snatch the whiskey bottle off the table, catching the attention from the other three who were unaware of our moment.

"Edward, you drink?" Eric asked, almost amazed by the force Ed threw his head back to take in the burning liquid as fast as possible.

"No...he doesn't..." Alphonse replied in response to his new friend's question, face-palming himself at his brother's poor decisions. Eric stared bewildered, and then focused his stare onto my face. He instantly became alarmed.

"Winry, you look ill. Are you feeling alright? Your face is all flushed." With concern, Eric leaned across the table to place his hand on my forehead, but before his fingers made contact Edward had drawn everyone's attention with his chair scraping against the floor boards.

"You're right Eric. Winry does look ill. In fact she looks awful." Edward flatly stated, tucking the bottle under his arm. Had I been in my right mind I would've beat him with whatever object was close. "You look like you could use some air. I'll clean up the dishes when I get back so you can work on Eric's automail, is that okay with you?" Edward said facing Granny. He wasn't really asking for permission, seeing as he pulled out my chair, ready to put me over his shoulder by force if he had to. She nodded in response, barely looking up at us.

"You're both adults, but doing the dishes means washing them Ed, not throwing them away. And you can go pick me up another whiskey tomorrow while you're at it." She huffed, unamused by having no alcohol left. I watched Edward's mouth form a smirk.

"Old lady, I'll buy you the whole store if you want me to." He laughed deviously, throwing his arm around my waist. "Nice to meet ya Eric." Ed mustered out, raising his eyebrows while he beamed his gaze down at the pair of green eyes. Alphonse squinted at his brother completely lost at the sudden and extremely noticeable changes. But before Al could even question what took place, Edward had snagged me off my chair and dragged me outside to the porch, the door slamming behind us. The last thing the porch light reflected was his golden eyes looking at me in a way that made me feel like fire rested in my lower abdomen. I would never admit it to him, but it excited the hell out of me.

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Yay! I've had a lot of fun writing this story so far and hope you all have enjoyed it too! Please be kind in your reviews and don't be shy to express your excitement for what will happen next! See you all in the next chapter! ;)
Thank you!