Fullmetal Rock chap.4
Dinner was served at six thirty Riza always liked to have dinner at that time so the kids would have time enough to digest their food and usually they were back in the studio after dinner sweating out calories. After dinner Edward asked Winry to follow him as he led her back into the studio and he grabbed his guitar and began to play as she was enchanted by his playing. He messed around and sang 'Stay awhile' by Journey to her then he sang a few other short little Journey songs as she sat next to him on the bench. Then he stopped and looked at her "Winry I don't mean to pry but who hurt you so badly?" Her head shot up "What do you mean?" He sighed and went back to playing a sweet melody as he talked "Well it's obvious that someone hurt you really badly." She got a little upset he was getting so personal "I really don't think that's any of your business Edward." He knew it wasn't so he smiled and continued playing "Fair enough like I said I don't mean to pry. It's just you're a beautiful girl and I don't understand why your so stand offish." She wanted to run. She wanted to tell him to mind his own business. Well that's what her head wanted to do but her heart told her something else as she began to tell him things she would have never told anyone else.
"I had a boyfriend last year and well let's just say he liked things the way he liked them. I was a happy child when my parents and I lived in Resembool." Edwards head snapped sideways as he stared at her and his voice cracked when he spoke "Resembool? You're from Resembool? So am I." she turned to him and studied his face again his golden hair and golden eyes were a giveaway because he and his brother were the only ones in Resembool that had them at the time. "Rockbell?" He thought for a minute then he got a shocked look on his face "Pinako Rockbell!"
She stared at him in amazement "How do you know my granny?" He knew now why her name sounded familiar "My brother and I used to live down the road from her. I remember you now you're the girl Al and I used to play with." It was all coming back to both of them now. How they used to walk to school together. Even after their mother died they would come for dinner because her granny would feed them. Her face lifted slowly "Edward is it truly you? We thought you guys burnt up in the house fire."
"Yeah Winry it's me" He turned to her and smiled "It's been a long time. After our mother died I just couldn't stay in that house waiting for that bastard father of ours to return. So I burnt the house down and brought Al to Central thinking I could take better care of him here. But instead we ended up on the streets and that's when Riza found us and brought us home. Roy married her so the military wouldn't take us away. Then they legally adopted us and raised us."
She lowered her head "I can't believe it's really you." He leaned over next to her ear "Now tell me Winry who hurt you?" She had found her childhood friend the one she had a crush on back then and he was alive. It was an amazing twist of fate that they were sitting here together after all this time. She hadn't answered him as he let it all soak into her brain and his. This was the obnoxious loud mouthed girl he used to know? She was nothing like he remembered, that girl was full of spunk and fire. What had happened to make her this way? It had to be something terrible.
She bit her lower lip and continued her story "Like I said I had a boyfriend who liked things his way. " She was ashamed to tell him as he sat there playing his guitar "He…He…" She didn't want the words to cross her lips as tears flowed down her face and he stopped playing and saw her pain and she didn't even have to finish her sentence because he already knew what the guy had done to her. A feeling of hatred filled his body all the way to his soul for this guy breaking her spirit like that. He put his arm around her shoulder and told her it was okay as she laid her head on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Winry that he did that to you. A man is not supposed to do that to a woman it's just not right." He felt compassion and hatred all at the same time. He wanted to know who this guy was and beat the crap out of him. But right now he wanted to make her feel better so he took his arm from around her neck and began playing a melody on his guitar and then he started singing 'Stupid boy' by Keith Urban ( AN: a beautiful song that you must listen to. The words complete this part in the story. If you haven't heard it go youtube it now!"
When he finished she looked up and smiled slightly at him "Thank you Edward. You sing so beautifully and you made me feel better." He sat his guitar down and turned to her "No one should ever take anything from another person unless it's given freely." He knew now the thing he wanted to know and in some strange way he wished he hadn't asked but he was glad he did because now he truly understood what had happened to her and he knew there was nothing he could do to change it. But he could help her realize that it wasn't her fault and that she was worth more than what she thought she was.
He stood up and turned to her and extending his hand as he shoved the other one in his pants pocket and smiled "Come on" She reluctantly took his hand as he gently pulled her up and hugged her with his free arm. It had been a long time since she had let a boy this close to her and she tensed up some and as he felt that he loosened his grip on her some. But for some reason she felt safe with him but this was impossible she had just met him. Why? Why did she feel this way around him? He wasn't the obnoxious, arrogant, smart ass little boy she used to know. He was gentle and kind. But she knew form her experience those were the most dangerous boys. Her boyfriend had been this way before…..before she found herself pushing away from him and feeling her uneasiness he let her go.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to invade your space like that. I'm sure it's hard for you to trust guy's right now." As she glanced up she stared into his eyes and they were the most caring, beautiful amber eyes she had ever seen. "Listen Winry I just want to be your friend. I don't want anything from you and maybe in time you can learn to trust me."
With her head lowered she slowly raised it and realized it would be nice to have a friend right now. She had been having a hard time dealing with this all on her own the past year and she needed someone to confide in. He seemed genuinely sincere in his request and she fidgeted with her fingers then looked at him and softly nodded.
As they walked into the living room Al and Envy were having a discussion on what keys to play White Zombies 'More Human than a Human' in and when they saw Edward he was drug into the conversation as Winry walked over and sat on the couch. Rhea noticed her solemn look as she walked over and sat next to her and they both stared at the three guys arguing "Don't worry they do this all the time. It usually goes on for hours till they get in the studio and figure it out."
Winry slightly laughed as she turned to Rhea "How long have you known Edward and Al?" smiling Rhea turned to her "Oh about five years. Al and I have been dating for four of those. I was trying to hook up with Edward when I met Al and fell head over heels for him. He's just the sweetest guy and anyway Edward was a little too rambunctious for me. Besides that bitch Vickey had her eyes on him long before I did. She changed her total appearance just to get him to notice her. She used to be a nobody till she filled out one summer and then used that to her advantage the next year to get him to notice her. I don't know why all she did was treat him like a trophy in front of her friends. She knew all the girls were in love with him. After she got her claws in him she changed for the worst, possessive and more stuck up. Yep. Full-fledged bitch."
Winry looked over at Edward and wondered why he hadn't quite seeing this girl as Rhea smiled "I know what you're thinking. How come he never dumped her?" She sat up "Ed has a knack for seeing the good in people even if it's not there."
Edward turned and seeing both girls staring at him he knew the conversation was about him as he walked over to them "Don't listen to a word she says." He smiled then sat down next to Winry "Hey were playing a gig tomorrow and I want you to come." Rhea sat forward "Yeah I'll be fun." Not really sure about it Winry started to make excuses "I don't know" Edward placed his hand over hers softly "Come on you need to get out and I promise nothing will happen to you as long as I'm around." She knew he meant what he said by the look in his eyes "Besides it's a church function." She stared at him for a minute and he knew her questioning look "Yes we do Christian music too." And he had a song he wanted her to take home and listen to tonight as he got up and walked over to the piano in the living room and picked a CD up. Turning around he walked over and handed it to her "Here I want you to listen to the song called 'Unbreakable'." She looked at the name of the band "Fireflight? I've never heard of them." Edward smiled and bent down next to her "I'm here to broaden your musical horizons." He then stood up "Just listen to it and learn the words. Actually you know what? I want you to own that song as your own." Giving him a puzzling look she smiled slightly "Ooookay" not knowing what he meant.
That night he drove her home and dropped her off and as she said goodbye to him he told her to listen to the words to the song 'Unbreakable' because she was just that. It wasn't people that could control her it was her invincibility to come back from something like that and use it to her advantage and become stronger.
Walking into her house she took his words to heart and went to her room. Putting the CD in the player she listened intensely to the words and she realized it was a song for her and that's what she wanted to be was unbreakable. She didn't want this one incident to define her life but it seemed like it had taken control and Edward was now telling her to take control back and use it to make herself stronger. She sat there and learned every word to the song and sang it from her heart till she could no longer keep her eyes open and she fell asleep.