Authors Note: Hi! Enjoy and I would appreciate reviews! And I would (inter spacial) hug you if you followed me! :)

Nobody breathed, for no one wanted to break the uncomfortable tenseness that hung like a plague in the air.

"Don't you know it's rude to hit woman?" A snide remark escaped the stranger's mouth. Winifred gave a little gasp at the unfamiliar voice, not what she was expecting at all. Because for some insane reason she thought that the person in front of her was Edmund. But that would be crazy, because fairy tales don't exist. The princess doesn't end up with her prince, and the dead can never come back to life.

Stupid, you should know better, she silently admonished herself just as the stranger turned around to face her. Odd, golden eyes stared into hers, and she once again screamed internally at herself. She had expected those blue eyes that she had known so well. "Are you-"

"I'm fine," she snarled, her eyes growing cold. She got up and dusted her dress off. "Thank you," she told him in a way that screamed ungrateful. She would have to sincerely apologize later, but at the moment all she could think about was how much her world had truly shattered.

His eyes shifted and she knew he must have thought poorly of her, but he didn't say anything, just got up and watched her warily, his own eyes reflecting her doubt. But why, she wondered. She ignored the questions spinning around in her head and turned around to the Jewish woman.

Her brown eyes were big as she stared at Winifred in wide-eyed astonishment. It was almost sad how longing that gaze was, as though nobody had stuck up for her in such a long time that she had forgotten what it was like. "Ma'am, you didn't have to…" Her voice broke off.

Winifred buried her feelings of self-pity and smiled at her sincerely. "Sure I did. Now, do you need anything else? My grandmother owns an inn, and you would be welcome there. It doesn't cost that much!"

The woman looked down at her children before looking back up at her. "I can't possibly ask for more."

Winifred was about to argue that it really wouldn't be that much of a chore, and it could actually help their business, when she remembered that there was more than just her in the inn. Unfortunately, not everyone was as accepting towards Jews as her and her grandmother, so as a rule they only took Jews in when they really needed a place to stay to stop the controversy between guests.

"I know it doesn't seem like much, but you standing up for me and my children means the world to me." She looked around Winifred's skinny frame to view the stranger that Winifred swore she wasn't going to look at. "And thank you too."

Despite her promise Winifred sneaked a peek and almost melted at his soft, embarrassed smile and his nervous wave. "It's not a big deal, really."

Winifred forced her eyes away from him and back at the Jewish woman and her children. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

The woman nodded and grinned forcefully at Winifred. "We'll be fine. Thank you both again." She looked lovingly at her children. "Well, it's best that we get going."

Winifred nodded, although she couldn't swallow the big lump in her throat. "Alright."

One of the children, a boy, glanced nervously up at Winifred and then his mother. Before he could talk himself out of it, he clung to Winifred's jeans and wrapped his arms around her legs. "Thank you, big sister," he muttered quietly.

Winifred stared at him for a moment before bending down on her knees and hugging the child back. "Hey, it's not a problem," she told him quietly. The lump in her throat was back as she stared into adoring brown eyes. "You better get going with your mom."

The child clung onto her for a second more before prying his fingers away from her and walking back towards his mother who had proud tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she said again before wandering off. Winifred waved at them for a moment more before her blue eyes narrowed in determination.

First was first, she needed to examine the stranger's arm and make sure that it was all right.

Of course, first that would mean mustering up the courage to face him.

She turned around to him and once again noticed all the similarities between him and Edmund. Their eyes were shaped the same, the same golden hair color, the same stocky build, not to mention the same square chin. She gulped and shoved down her feelings and blindly reached out to grab his right arm.

When he saw what she was trying to do, he pulled back with a surprised grunt, but not before Winifred felt the tough mechanical parts underneath her hands, and the inhuman gears and plating instead of soft, warm skin. It sent her mind spinning and her mouth blurted out without much thought, "Prosthetic limb?" And then she recalled the clang that sounded when the store owner brought his hand down upon his arm. And she was sure she had heard other clanks, although her busied mind had completely ignored the obvious clues. "I guess you had a rough time with the war too."

The stranger stared at her strangely but clenched his fake arm into a fist. "Yeah, I guess," he muttered.

Winifred turned around to the shop keeper, who was glaring at her angrily despite him holding his limp hand. It was her final priority to work on him. The injuries would be worse, considering he had expected soft, weak, human flesh and instead got an arm constructed of metal. "What's your name?" she wondered.

He looked around, as though he couldn't quite believe she asked him that. When he saw no one else in the vicinity (the customers scattered as quickly as they could) his eyes narrowed and he answered warily, "Peter."

Winifred couldn't help but think of her favorite book character, Peter Pan. The boy who could never grow up. She forced a calculated smile on her face. "My name is Winifred. Now, you're hand struck his metal arm pretty hard. If you have some bandages, I can wrap it up, or I can run home and grab some if you please. I'm not a doctor yet," she stressed the word yet. "But wrapping your hand up could save some damage later on, and it would be in your best interest."

Peter's eyes flashed before he answered reluctantly, "I think I have a first aid kit over there." He pointed his good hand over on top of a cabinet. "I'm not sure if there are bandages though."

Winifred nodded and turned around to the stranger. "What's your name?"

He blushed and his eyes flitted over to the first aid kit. "Ed."

The breath escaped Winifred's lips in a gasp, and she had to reevaluate the stranger. There were too many differences for him to be Edmund though. "As in Edmund?"

Ed tilted his head, his eyebrows furrowed as though he was working through some complicated problem. "No, as in Edward."

"Alright Edward, I'm going to need that first aid kit. Would you mind getting it for me?" She hated how cold her voice sounded, but if she allowed it to be warm, than who knew what that could ensue. She would probably end up crying in front of Peter, who she needed to look strong in front of. Meanwhile, she could drown in her feelings later, and alone.

Ed grumbled something about not calling him Edward, but found the first-aid kit easily. He handed it to Winifred, and she wrapped up Peter's hand, where it had apparently fractured in multiple places. When she finished she swiped her forehead. "Okay, that looks alright," she sighed, looking down at her handiwork. Peter's hand was wrapped up expertly, completely covered in clean, linen wraps.

Peter twitched a few of his fingers. "That didn't even hurt," he mumbled in amazement. "Thank you."

Winifred's voice grew cold. "It wasn't that big of a deal." It was bad of her, but she hoped she never had to meet Peter again. She couldn't like somebody who had such a harsh, useless judgment on Jews. "I would suggest going to the doctor." Well, now that was done. All that was left was for her to thank Edward, which would be a lot harder than it sounded. Because the only thing she could think of to repay him was to…

She spun around, and she saw a younger boy close to Edward gaping at her. Strange, but she shook it off. Perhaps he was surprised that she had actually stuck up for a Jew. "Who's this?"

Edward smirked and elbowed the younger boy. "This is my brother, Al. For Alphonse," he stressed sarcastically.

Winifred could already feel her emotions slipping, particularly her temper rising. "Well, thanks," she retorted. She took a closer look at Al and saw he faintly resembled Alfons Heiderich. Again, strange. Both boys looked like someone she knew. She shrugged it off and decided they were going to have a long talk. "Thank you, Edward. I have to insist that you stay with me and my grandmother at our inn as a show of my gratitude."

Edward automatically answered, "No."

Alphonse answered at the same time, "Sure!"

The brothers glared at each other as soon as the answer escaped their mouths. They both turned back around. "What my brother meant to say was-" Ed started.

"-We would love to stay. We don't have anywhere else to go," Al interrupted. He shot a bossy glare at his brother, as though he were the older one.

Winifred was going to go with Al's answer. "That's great. You can even spend the night free, although if you want to stay longer you'll have to pay."

Edward's face was twisted up in an irritated scowl. "Great," he drawled in a way that made her hair stand up on end.

"Well, you don't have to stay. You can stay somewhere else if you want to." She wanted to blurt out: 'who would be stupid enough to skip a free night at an inn, especially if it was the only place you had to stay at?' With a true show of determination she bit back her angry retort.

Ed waved her off with his hand, flustering her up even more. "We might as well stay at your hotel."

Make up your mind already! "Fine!" She stomped up in front of Ed and Al. "Follow me."

Ed and Al followed behind her obediently all the way to the hotel, and their walk was silent.

Authors Note: Another one? Yes. I didn't mean for it to end up kind of funny, I had been going for a more serious tone at the beginning, and then Al came in. Anyways, I'm sorry if the characters don't quite act the same as they do in the anime, manga. It's difficult making characters exactly the way they were in the anime, especially when tossing them into situations they never went through before. If you have any helpful hints I would love to hear them!

Have fun, and I'll see you...probably not next week. (Staying over at grandma's and grandpa's) Maybe...sometime this month... :D I'll try to update as quickly as possible!