"Winry!"

Edward woke with a start.

What an idiot I am! There is no way that she would be here. I don't remember whaat happened though. Oh right, I was trying to escape.

"Where am I?", muttered Edward.

Still complaining of his pains and aches, Edward stumbled around trying to catch his bearings. The room was small with two beds and a single chair. It was dimly lit with a single candle.

Where am I? This doesn't look like the facility from before.

The door opened. What followed was an unbelievable sight. She was standing there in a white nightgown, his first love - Winry.

Then he saw blood.

"Winry! There is blood on your arm! Did those bastards hurt you?!"

"Calm down Ed. It's nothing."

However, Edward noticed that she had averted her eyes.

She never averts her eyes. Also, we are conversing normally. That too never happens. Something happened before. I'll find what it is.

"Forget about me. What about you, Ed? Did they do something to you?"

Edward sighed.

"It seems like the life I am living is a lie. Everything that I have done might have been a lie. I nearly lost my mind when I heard it. It's pathetic, really."

SMACK!

"Ow! Why did you hit me? What did I do wrong? I repaired my automail and all. I have been oiling it and tightening out the screws. I….."

Edward was silenced by a kiss.

It was hesitant at first but slowly grew in passion. A minute later they separated, catching their breath.

"That was…."

Now Edward was silenced with a finger on his lips.

"How can you say that, Ed? I am real. What we have in between us is real and so are you and all that you have done. Don't doubt yourself."

Edward sighed in relief. All the worry that he had after the confession about how things would change after the confession melted away, almost as if the worry never existed in the first place.

"Winry, I…."

"You don't need to apologise, Ed. I too was at a loss as to what to do after your confession. But this is my commitment and my answer."

Edward was speechless. He was beginning to understand the meaning of the word, 'woman'. At that moment, Winry was the most fascinating woman he had ever seen. He almost felt guilty for lusting even a bit after the woman who called herself 'The Monk'.

Shaking his idle thoughts, Edward asked Winry, "You are the one to talk, Win. Something's been bothering you since we met now. What is it?"

Winry broke out sobbing and fell onto her knees. Edward got out of his bed and immediately embraced her.

"What is it Winry? Whatever it is, I will protect you."

"I…. I…."

"Tell me Winry."

"I killed a man."

Edward remembered the image from the war,

Winry held a gun to Scar and was about to shoot. Edward rushed in between and stopped her.

He could not believe it. Composing himself, Edward asked, "Tell me what happened".

Winry told him all. The rape attempt. Her resistance. His blood. Her terror. Everything flowed out like water through a dam.

No wonder, she was like that. I wonder if she'll be alright. Such things leave a scar.

"It's okay Winry. It's not your fault. Why did you hide such a thing from me in the first place?"

"Because I thought you would hate me after it!", she broke out.

Her sobs were met with a kiss. Light but lingering yet sensuous. Winry calmed down gradually after that.

"I would never hate you for that. You are not a killer, Winry. You are a daughter of the Rockbells who helped people during the war. You are Winry Rockbell who has helped countless people who needed limbs to walk around."

Winry remembered all the people in Rush Valley and the automail that she had provided. Her eyes shone with contentment. Her heart was calm. She finally saw a 'man' within Edward.

A man whom she loved with all her heart.