AN: I cannot stress the fact enough you have to listen to the songs because they play a crucial part in the story. This story was written around the songs so take the time to YouTube them if you don't know them. There is a song in this chapter that needs to be listened to it's the one Edward plays at Mr. McKenzie's Funeral. Please listen!

Fullmetal Rock chap.15

After getting up Winry and Edward headed downstairs for breakfast. Everyone noticed their little smiles towards each other and there slight touching of the hands that was going on. Edward would take her index finger in between his thumb and index finger and gently caress the end of her finger and then he'd look up at her out of the corner of his eye and she would shyly smile at him. This went on for hours that day until Riza walked in and told him "Edward Mr. McKenzie called. His nurse didn't show up today so he wanted to know if you kids could come by to help him out." Mr. McKenzie was an elderly black gentleman in the church they had played the function for. Edward stood up and smiled and looked at his band mates "Sure thing." He was also an old rhythm and blues guitarist that had taught Edward how to play and everything he knew about music. He wasn't doing very well these days and he was confined to a wheelchair but his hands still worked as good as ever. Edward always liked going to visit him. Mr. McKenzie had always told him "Boy you got to wait for love but when you find that special girl all your waiting will be worth it." Edward wanted Winry to meet this special man that he respected for his talents and wisdom.

He packed his guitar up and everyone jumped in the van and drove over to Mr. McKenzie's house. As they entered Winry noticed they all said hi and gave him their hugs and went to work doing things for him. Rhea washed his dishes while Al and Envy cleaned the living room and Ling took the trash out. But what she noticed most of all was Edward went to work on him. He rolled the man into the room and picked him up out of his chair and began to clean the man up. Mr. McKenzie coughed a lot as Edward tended to his needs and she watched as they joked around while he was doing so. He had such an open free sense of humor especially when the subject came around to the conversation of did size matter to a woman or was it just the way you used it? As they joked back and forth on the subject Mr. McKenzie had a few coughing spells and Edward was right there to help him. After getting the man cleaned up he lifted him back into his chair and he rolled him into the living room and when he caught sight of Winry he turned and smiled at Edward "Well, Well boy who's this pretty young thing you've got with you?" Edward walked over and took Winry's hand and Mr. McKenzie could tell by the way the boy stared at her she was special "This is Winry my girlfriend." Winry smiled at the word girlfriend leaving his lips as she looked at Mr. McKenzie "Hello nice to meet you." He rolled over to her "Nice to meet you too darling'" He looked at Edward and smiled "Good to see you got rid of that other one. This one here is much prettier and better for you. I can tell just the way you're acting around her." He looked back to Winry "Now listen here girl this boy is much too uptight half the time so you have to make him relax." He pointed to the door "Come outside and sit with me. Don't get very many pretty girls to talk to besides Rhea around here." Winry could tell he was a gentle old man so she followed him outside after he grabbed his guitar while Edward went to work cleaning up his room.

He stopped under a tree where there was a bench for her to sit on and as she sat down the old man began strumming his guitar and talking. Now she knew where Edward got it from. He would do the same thing just sit and strum the guitar or play the piano while he talked. "Sooo how'd you and my boy meet?" She began to tell him about how she and Edward became science partners and how Vickey hadn't liked that. He smiled at her "That's because that girl was no good for him. He was always stressed and frustrated. But today I see a huge change in him he's actually smiling something I haven't seen him do in years." He strummed along on the guitar then stopped and looked at her "That's because of you my lovely girl." He was a sweet talking old man and Winry figured he had a lot of ladies back in is day.

Edward walked out with his guitar and sat next to Winry as Mr. McKenzie looked at him "Let's play this girl a song and I want you to sing from your heart to her boy. Tell her everything in just one song." This was a game they used to play because of Edward's trust issues Mr. McKenzie would get him to tell him how he felt in a song. Edward put his hand to his chin and thought for a moment then a wide grin crossed his face as he began to strum his guitar and as he turned to her he began to sing 'Making memories of us' by Keith Urban (A beautiful song you have to hear to make this part of the story make sense if you don't know it) as Mr. McKenzie smiled and joined in on his guitar. As Winry listened to the words she realized that this song said everything to her that Edward wanted to and she blushed deeply and her heart skipped a beat as he continued to sing. She figured it was time to find a song she could sing to him and tell him how she felt. He had sung so many beautiful songs to her she wanted to tell him how she felt from her very soul through a song.

So she enlisted the help of his band members and told them she wanted to find this song before tonight so she could sing it to him and they all jumped on the band wagon to help her search.

After they said their goodbyes to Mr. McKenzie they left. Mr. McKenzie had Edward take his favorite guitar and he had haggled with him telling the man he didn't want to take it but the elderly gentleman insisted he told Edward "You take it now cause I gotta go" it now cause i . So Edward took it knowing that this would probably be the last time he would see the old man. Mr. McKenzie was in bad shape his lungs were giving out and only 20% of his heart worked right and with the cold he had it wouldn't be long before he went to play with the angels. Edward stopped at the van and turned around and took one last look at the old man before he got in the van and left. His heart was heavy due to the fact his band members didn't know how sick the old man truly was but he was a special person in Edward's life who had taught him everything he knew about music and he respected the old man for it.

That afternoon at five o'clock Winry's parents showed up and they all sat down for dinner. Mrs. Rockbell was amazed at the boy's playing. Edward knew after dinner he would show them what Winry could do but Winry had a surprise for Edward. She had found a song that truly said what she wanted to tell him and when she heard it she fell in love with it. So after dinner they all gathered in the living room where the band played a little show for them. Pretty soon the Rockbell's loosened up and they had them dancing. Edward broke into a couple of Matchbox 20 songs he sang 'If you're Gone' and 'Bent'. Envy goofed off with a three dog night song called 'Mama told me not to Come' Then after they finished with their Fleetwood Mac song 'The Chain' which was Rhea's favorite Winry walked over to Edward and took his hand and walked him to the couch and sat him down "I have a surprise for you Edward. You have sung me so many beautiful songs that express your feelings for me. I have also found a song that expresses my true feelings for you." Surprised at this touching gesture Edward sat down and told the Rockbell's to sit and listen to what their daughter could do.

As the music started she lovingly smiled at him she sang LeeAnn Rimes 'How do I Live?' to him and it brought tears to his eyes and as he listened her voice gave him goose bumps. The sheer emotion in her voice made him feel truly loved and he was truly entranced by her you could of set a bomb off next to him and he wouldn't have noticed while she sang. The Rockbell's were amazed at their daughter's voice and how much she truly loved this boy. When she was finished he walked up to her and smiled "I will never leave Winry. You have my heart and soul in the palm of your hand." Then he kissed her gently on the lips. Feeling as if he had just had her heart handed to him he knew he would have to handle it carefully and gently.

She went home with her parents that night to talk things through with them. But Edward truly knew now he couldn't live without her. Ashe walked to his bedroom that night he sat on the edge of the bed and taking the pillow she had slept on he hugged it and he could still smell her lingering perfume on it. How? How could he make her truly his? He could stand to be away from her and his heart ached every moment they were apart until he saw her again. His life was truly fulfilled with her in it. As he lay on his bed only one truly sensible thought crossed his mind, He wanted to spend the rest of his life with this woman who had so innocently captured his heart.

The next morning Edward's world would come to a crashing halt as he got a phone call from the pastor of the church telling him Mr. McKenzie had passed away the night before. He was crushed and he spent the day in the studio just playing on his guitar and as he did he noticed that sometimes he was in control of the guitar and sometimes he wasn't it was like the guitar was possessed or something. So sitting it down he tried to focus on songs for their next gig but it was like the guitar was calling to him to play. So he went over and picked up Mr. McKenzie's guitar and began to play like he never had before. He made his mind up that he was going to play at the old man's funeral. So making arrangements he found a song that truly described their relationship.

The day of the funeral Winry came to accompany Edward to the funeral. He was solemn and not much for conversation so she just gave him space and was there for moral support. But what she didn't know was if she hadn't been there he would have fallen apart, she was his rock. The other band members joined Edward up on the stage at the funeral and as he looked out at Mr. McKenzie's family he began to speak "There's no words I have to describe the kind of man he was but he taught me everything I know and I want to share this song with you it's a story of what our relationship was like." He smiled slightly as he began to play 'Ghost in this guitar' by Keith Urban. The song described their relationship to a tee and he wanted the family to now that Mr. McKenzie had made a difference in his life.

After he finished Mr. McKenzie's daughter walked up to him "Edward my father always said you were like the son he never had. So thank you for sharing that song with us. You play beautifully and my father was proud of you." She reached in her purse and brought out some tapes "These are tapes he saved of your lessons." She smiled "It seems by the way you two are on these tapes you had a special relationship with him and it shows how much time he took with you by the way you play."

Edward took the tapes with shaking hands as he stared at them. He couldn't believe the old man had saved them. But he was glad he did and he looked up at her and smiled "Thank you these mean a lot to me and I will never forget your father and I will make him proud every time I play."