A/N: This one isn't quite so light-hearted. You've been forewarned. Takes place in some alternate future where Ed still has automail.
68. This time once again
Morning light streamed in the bedroom window, bouncing off of blond hair and automail. Ed moved his arm to shield Winry's still-sleeping eyes; she was in a rather delicate condition, and (to everyone's dismay) Ed could apparently be even more protective and territorial than he'd been during Al's armor confinement. Right now, though, his only concern was Winry getting enough rest. He knew better than to ask her to cut back on her work, but he put his foot down on her all-nighters. She teased him at first for handing out bedtimes before the kid was even born, but she knew he was right and allowed him to sweep her off her feet, out of the workshop, and up to bed.
Ed gazed down at his mechanic-turned-wife as she still slept, all nestled into his chest, and breathing rhythmically. He kissed the top of her head and tried to ease out of bed to make her breakfast. He pulled back the covers and inched out, but his left leg felt strange, as if the knee were clogged with liquid, like-
He froze, then threw the covers off the bed.
"Oh God," he groaned, and hit his face to his hand. His knee was clogged with blood- her blood, that blood. Ever the pragmatist in the face of the dire, he gently shook Winry awake. "Win, Winry wake up. Something's wrong."
"Hurhgh?" She squinted at the scene, probably not fully awake, and then the spasm appeared to hit her. "Ed, my stomach, it- aurghng!" she moaned out, her face scrunched up as she curled into a ball. Ed checked the sheets as she moved- it looked like she had bled mostly on his knee. Thankful that she hadn't lost more blood, he scooped her up and held her to his chest. This was the worst part, was always the worst part.
"What's wrong with me?" she sobbed, her arms clinging around his neck. "This time… just once I thought maybe… not again…" she continued. Much as Ed wanted the world to narrow to just the two of them, so he could hold her, comfort her, and grieve, he knew what had to be done.
"I'll start the bath for you," he whispered in her ear, "And I'll call Al and the doctor." With a long, lingering kiss, he carried her down to the bathroom. One way or another, they were going to find a way to have this work, even if he had to throttle the Truth to get some damned justice.
Winry always dismissed his theory, but this event just added more proof in Ed's eyes. Truth had laughed manically when Ed and Al showed up demanding Al's body. It had agreed that Al's time in the armor was sufficient payment, along with something from Ed. The elder immediately offered his limbs again, which only set Truth laughing like a man possessed. It said something about 'fine, I'll take that, too!' Ed never thought that Truth already had something in mind, and kept the limbs as well. Now, however, when Winry was strong, healthy, well-nourished and (for the first time in her life) well-rested, they had probably lost their third child. Ed was beginning to believe that Truth had a positively sickening sense of equivalency. This time, once again he was considering opening the gate and showing that weird little entity just what a pissed-off Edward Elric was really like. He and Al knew they'd earned their fate, but pulling poor, innocent Winry into the equation was both the deal-breaker and the point-of-no-return
The door opened and Al flew into the house demanding an explanation. Ed broke himself out of planning to strangle the creature who may well be God, and he prepared himself to deal with the day.