A/N: Redo. I needed to revise this chapter. I added some more dialogue and a new ending.

Actually, the "new" ending is the original ending. When I first wrote the chapter I decided to leave that part out, because it was pushing the T rating, but I had to put it back in. I'll explain why later.

A. Leaf

Remember Me

Automail was the last thing Winry wanted to work on. All she wanted to do was go comfort Edward and make him feel welcomed in her home. Alphonse had forbid her from going anywhere near him, because he is too dangerous. Her only argument was Pride never touched the armor. Al countered that very quickly by saying that Pride trusts the armor. It's the truth, but it hurts to hear it. She knows the truth hurts Al too.

To try to keep her mind at ease, Winry routinely checked the maintenance on her automail equipment. Alphonse was in the basement with her, but his mind was somewhere else. He was only there to protect her just in case Pride goes on a rampage from being contained for so long. He sits there with his eyes closed trying to concentrate on the homunculus.

Automail is the only distraction she has right now.

Pride was dazed for a moment. He was trying to figure out all of the questions he had for his armor brother. A name popped up from his memory. Questions like these usually go unanswered, but armor brother was different from his other brother.

He turned to the armor and asked, "Brother, who's Winry?"

The armor tensed up in response. His tone of voice became a lot more serious and curious, "How do you know that name?"

Pride shrugged off the change in tone, "You said that name once in a memory. It's okay if you don't remember."

The armor shook his head, "No, I know who that is."

Al saw the homunculus perked up, intrigued, and ready for the answer. Al had to take this cautiously, "Promise me you will not over react."

Pride did not know why he had to promise that, but if it was all he had to do, he promptly agreed to it.

"Winry," Al's voice grabbed her attention. "He knows about you."

A chill ran down Winry's body and became nauseous. Lots of questions and scenarios were running in her head, but she couldn't ask Al at that moment. He was still probably talking to Pride about this very subject at that very second and he needed his concentration. "He remembered the armor saying your name once and I told him who you are. Now, he's asking questions about us."

Winry glanced up at the ceiling as if she could see the homunculus interrogating the suit of armor. What on Earth could he be thinking right now? "I just told them that you were a longtime friend and asked him if he could remember you."

Sometimes, Winry would eavesdrop on the friendly conversations between the homunculus and the armor. It was comforting to hear them getting along so well. Right now, she is paralyzed with fear, because going in anywhere near the homunculus now maybe a life or death situation.

Alphonse gasped as his eyes widened with anxiety. Winry guessed what could was going to say next; it was written all over his face. Al's face was held a shock expression when he said, "He wants to talk to you."

Winry started shivering; Edward is still not himself and he doesn't know her. Pride could be furious at her for letting Al abduct him. She found a seat at the table to keep herself from collapsing to the ground. Winry gripped the edge of the table; thinking about everything that could go wrong and whispered, "Why?"

"He wants to know what is going on. He thought it was strange that you were treating so nicely and how I spared him earlier. He's finally realizing that our actions are not random and there is a reason behind them. But, he can't figure out why." Al did not want to have that conversation with Pride.

Winry wasn't excited about explaining themselves either, "Can't the armor tell him?"

Al shook his head, "Pride's convinced that the armor doesn't know us. He wants to hear the truth from us."

Al abruptly rose from his seat so fast that it made Winry jump. "He's getting mad. I have to get up there." He darted up the basement stairs.

Winry followed close behind him. While they were rushing to top floor, they could hear Pride's rants becoming louder. He was calling for them and banging on the floors and walls trying to summon them. The armor was not enough to calm him down this time.

Al told Winry to stay back as he broke the alchemical seal on the bedroom. He did not waste any time; he swung the door open, clapped, and trapped the homunculus to the floor in a wooden cannon. The homunculus struggled violently knowing that he couldn't escape that easily. This time, he had could fight with words. Pride shouted, "I'm NOT Edward Elric! My NAME is PRIDE!"

Winry stumbled to the room and watched the unfolding scene. Alphonse was trying to reason with the homunculus, but it was not working. Winry crept forward to look at him. Despite Pride's words, his ranting sounded just like Edward. She finally got close enough to see his hair, his eyes and his facial expressions. Winry didn't see a homunculus; she saw her friend.

Winry dropped to her knees by Pride's head, startling him and Al. She wasn't thinking, she was acting on instinct when she cupped his face and kissed him. The homunculus jerked his head away from her, but he was still bound to the floor. Winry cupped his head with her forearms and secured it by grabbing two handfuls of his hair. Then, she leaned in to deepen her kiss.

Alphonse was in shock. Winry was putting herself in a lot of danger. He tried yelling and shaking her off of Pride, but she was not budging. It's been over a minute now and he was getting desperate. He had to pull Winry's arms to release Pride's head, and then he had to drag her out of the room. Al secured the bedroom again and gawked at Winry.

Winry was in shock too. She could still feel his lips on hers; it was surprising warm and she could feel his face heating up under her embrace. If only she could have seen his flushed face before Al pulled her away from Ed. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Al snapped her out of the daydream.

Winry focused on Al's petrified face, "WHY DID YOU KISS HIM?!"

Suddenly, he turned to the bedroom door and back to her. He gestured to move to the end of the hall. "We can't stay here," he warned her.

Winry started to go to the stairs but she could not help asking why. Al had his eyes closed; he was still talking to the homunculus as the suit of armor. Alphonse and Winry found themselves in the living room. Winry watched Al pace back and forth around the room with his eyes still closed. His face showed that he was getting frustrated with the homunculus.

"He won't stop talking about you, Winry. This isn't good. He wants to talk to you and he's scheming to find a way to." Al was trembling when he said that.

Winry was scared too. When a homunculus wants something, they will not stop until it gets it. Alphonse knows this firsthand. It's a good thing that he has the armor, because Pride will ask him if a new scheme is a good idea. But, after two hours of rejecting every scheme, Pride eventually decided that he could see Winry by himself and won't need his brother's help.

Alphonse wouldn't let Winry go upstairs anymore. All she could do was listen Al tell her all of the different ways Pride is trying to lure her into the bedroom again. Some of them were asking for her assistance, lying about being hurt, or asking for another piece of her pie. It was sweet in a sadistic way, all of the different things Pride would come up with. When that information stopped, it made both of them uneasy. All they could do is sit and wait.

Winry tried her best to have Al calm down, but she was just as nervous as he was. She showed her best poker face every time she asked him to relax or to sit down. If Al paid any attention to her, he would notice that her hands were trembling in her lap and she will not move from her spot on the couch without his supervision.

Nevertheless, it was dawn again and the soul transfer will not last very long now. Winry knew the time had come when Al shot up terrified. He started shaking his head rapidly and frantically repeating the word, no. Al hated not being able to see Pride and the events of today only intensified his anxiety. He was glancing at the stairs and Winry trying to make a hard conscious decision.

Winry couldn't see him like that. She answered his question for him when she told him to go. Al teared up and said, "I'll be right back."

Winry watched her only protection dart up the stairs. She took a deep breath to calming her racing heart and started counting to pass the time. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…

"Shit! SHIT!" Winry jumped in her seat.

Alphonse was shaking so much that he tripped down the stairs. He stumbled over to Winry, sunk his head in her lap and start sobbing. "He's out. Pride is not in the room. I'm so sorry that I brought him here. He wants you. I swear he won't touch you. I can't lose you too. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Patted Al's head and expected his apology. He doesn't know that she blames herself for this. If she hadn't forced Pride to kiss her, she would not be his new person of interest and he wouldn't have left the armor's side. Hot tears started rolling down her cheeks. She didn't feel safe anymore and she was looking for Pride to pop out nowhere.

"It's okay, Al" She did her best to comfort the teenager, "It's going to be okay."

Al snapped his head up and said, "No, this can't get any worse. He's after you."

"We don't know that."

Al pointed to the bedroom, "He won't leave the armor; it's tucked into a bed. He's smarter than I thought and taking us for suckers. Pride was able to escape so easily and efficiently and it only took him few seconds." Al started to pace back and forth again.

He was going to drive himself insane. The stress was already eating her alive. Al shook his head again and said, "You need to get out of here! Now!"

WInry stared at him in disbelief, "Where will we go, Al? If Pride is really after me, he would follow me wherever I go."

Alphonse stared at her hard. He was not in the right mind to argue with her; all he was thinking about surviving anyway they can. Winry had to approach this from another angle, "Al, he is in the house. We can find him, Al, this house is not big"

Her encouraging words were empty, but it got through to Al. Winry knew all he wants is to keep an eye on Edward. Al's eyes started to dart around the room. "Fine, we'll look for Edward."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was past midnight. Al checked every corner of the house at least three times; Pride vanished into thin air. They were both exhausted from looking and worrying, but Al did not want to sleep. The two compromised by having them sleep in the same bed together. One of them could stay up to watch out for the missing homunculus.

That system didn't last an hour. Winry couldn't fight the slumber anymore. She couldn't help thinking that this was all of her fault. If she had stayed away from Pride, none of this would have happened. The last thing she said before she fell asleep was "Please don't hurt me, Edward."

A shift in the temperature was pulling Winry out of her deep sleep. She tried to warm herself by blindly searching for the covers. She realized that her movement was very limited because of two warm supports that were cradling her body and a heated wall.

With her conscious slowly returning to her, Winry was starting to realize that she wasn't in a bed. It dawned on her what was happening; her heart sank to her stomach, she was quivering and gasping for air. It took all of her strength to peak through her eyelids, thus only confirmed her worst fear. She saw the colors; black, red, and gold. It was Pride and he was holding her in his arms.

Winry tried squirm out of the embrace, but he's too strong. He simply tightened his grip of her. She tried to find her voice to call for Alphonse, but her voice was too soft and shaky. A gloved hand covered her mouth before she could pronounce a word. Knowing she's in the homunculus's mercy, tears welded in her eyes.

The homunculus checked over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. They were nearly halfway down the hall when Winry woke up. With her secured in his grasp, he casually made his way to the stairs. He paused to check behind his shoulder one last time before he flew down the stairs. Then, he easily carried Winry through the front door onto the porch. Being a homunculus did benefit him in some ways.

Winry's mind and heart was beating against her ribcage. She knows that Pride could feel her trembling. Despite all of the questions that were running through her head, all she wanted to know is what he is thinking right now.

The homunculus slowly dropped to his knees. He carefully released the bottom half to the cement floor. He could feel her tears damping his glove. Pride kept his voice low and tried to console her, "Don't cry."

Winry held her breathe as she stared wide eyed at the homunculus. The only movement from entire body came from rapidly beating heart. To her relief, there was sympathy in Pride's eyes. He continued, "You're safe now. You can leave before he wakes up."

Winry finally realized what Pride was trying to do. The thought only intensified her sobbing and trembling. She pulled herself into his chest and sobbed uncontrollably; she was so relieved. Pride did not push Winry away; he wrapped his arms around her torso and pulled her closer to him.

Deep inside the house, Winry heard a hysterical voice calling her name repetitively. Alphonse was already up and was desperately trying to find her. Pride gave her one last chance for her to escape, but she didn't move. As soon as Al heard her sobbing, he rushed to the source.

Winry saw Al's face and waved her hands to get his attention. "Al, A-Al, Pride was trying to help me."

Alphonse had a cast iron skillet raised and ready to strike the homunculus. The skillet started to twitch and he slowly lowered it. He was still agitated since Winry first kissed the homunculus that very morning. Winry had to restore his mind. She held her hands up and said, "Al, everything's fine. I'm not in danger."

But, Winry couldn't influence the homunculus so easily. Al and Pride stared each other down. Winry glanced back and forth between two. She tried to wiggle away from the homunculus's grip and said, "You can let me go now."

Winry was only able to move a few inches away before she hit a snag, Pride's arms. Al narrowed his eyes at the homunculus and demanded, "Let her go."

The homunculus tightened his grip in response; completely ignoring Al's command. Winry had no choice but to lay her head on the homunculus's chest. The next event was inevitable. Al could not control his rage anymore and the homunculus was unconscious in mere seconds.

"AL!" Winry snapped him back to reality.

Alphonse stared at her until his breathing evened out. "Why did you kiss him?"

Winry couldn't produce an answer to that question all day, but now she finally had one, "Because he's Edward."

"You didn't have to hit him. We could have talked that through." Winry really did not like Al's temper lately.

Pride was only trying to help. He didn't know any better. Al, on the other hand, was completely insulted by the accusation. Did Pride think that he kidnaps random people and holds them hostage for his own twisted needs? Al sighed at the thought.

Pride is lucky that he is placing him back in his bedroom instead of locking him in a concrete cell.

Alphonse and WInry had a long day searching for the homunculus. Al is happy and relieved that where he belongs, in a bed next to the armor, in an alchemical sealed room. A huge weight was lifted off both of their shoulders and they feel relaxed now.

Al could finally smile for the first time in hours. Winry could see the pleased feeling on his face, but she knew that they can't keep the charade up now. Pride knows too much, "Al, we have to talk to him."

Al nodded without looking at her. The stunt Pride pulled today cannot happen again. "We'll talk to him tomorrow morning, but right now, I'm exhausted."

With the adrenaline fading away, Winry instantly felt drained too. Knowing that this finally day is over is a wonderful feeling, "Okay."

Al and Winry went to separate beds this time. With Pride locked in his room, there was no need to worry. Winry looked over to Al as he settled in the bed and said, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Al simply repeated her greeting.

The blonde engineer felt a presence in her deep sleep. Her dream abruptly ended and she found herself in an empty void. She had a strange sensation that something was crawling beside her. That pulled her from the deep slumber faster. The crawling stopped as her upper body and she felt an overwhelming stare. Winry realized what was happening and snapped her eyes open wide.

She started gasping for air and shivering. The mattress she was sleeping on shifted as if other than someone else was in her bed. With wide eyes, she carefully turned around to investigate. She found Pride's grinning face hovering over her head. Pride's grin grew ear to ear when he saw Winry looking at him.

Winry had trouble breathing. She used all of her strength to call for Alphonse. As soon as the desperate yelp escaped her, a gloved hand covered her mouth for the second time that night.

Winry was panicking now. She tried to remove Pride's hand and spring up from the bed, but the homunculus would not let her. She started to whimper into his hand when she felt Pride pulling her closer to him. Fighting him was pointless, but she couldn't help herself. Both of them froze in place when a figure appeared in front of the bed.

Alphonse glared past Winry and straight to the homunculus. Pride remained silent. Alphonse kept his piercing glare when he made his threat, "One scratch and I will torture you for hours. Do you understand that?"

A blank face was his answer. After a minute of glaring at Pride, a loud yawn seeped out of Alphonse and he turned around to stumble back to his bed. Winry stared at Al's back in disbelief. She was finally able to leap from her bed to chase after him, but her pajamas were snagged by a something. Maybe a hook? Another option popped into her head. She gulped because she was too afraid to check. Please let it be a hook.

Al checked over his shoulder to find Winry scared to move or speak. Since he calmed down and had a chance to think, he figure out what was really going on. He walked over to Winry and whispered to the confused girl, "He has a crush on you."

Winry could feel her insides scrambling around in circles, "What?"

"You shouldn't have kissed him."

The hook started to pull her back towards the bed. She did her best to keep her composure. "Al," the plea was enough for a serious answer.

"If I knock him unconscious and lock him up again, he'll only wake up, break out, and come looking for you again. I can't guard you all night. I'm sorry, Winry. There's nothing I can do."

"But, he's…" She couldn't finish that sentence, because she lost her balance.

Al tried to reason with her, "He only wants to keep an eye on you, Winry."

Winry couldn't help thinking that he wanted more from her. Al continued, "Scream if you need anything."

"Al!" she needed help now.

Al sat on his bed which was on the other side of the room. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'll be right here. Don't worry."

"You're going to let…." WInry jumped when she felt two hands grip her waist. This can't be happening. This can't be happening.

The hands snaked around her waist and bolstered up to Pride's lap. Winry sucked in her breathe and stiffened her whole body to contain herself. She could feel Edward's chest pressed against her back. His strong arms held her in place as his chin rested on her shoulder. Her blood filled her face turning it several shades of red.

Her mind checked out of her body for nearly ten seconds. It crashed into her head again when she felt a kiss on the side of her neck. Winry turned as much as she could to press a finger on the homunculus's lips. She tried to find her voice again, "P-Pr-Pride. I-I can't right now. I'm…"

She thought of the simplest excuse, "Too tired. I-I have to go to sleep, because I'm-I'm human."

Pride's eyes remained expressionless as he stared at her. He was nearly impossible to read; that was one trait that he did not get that from Edward. Winry started to wonder if Pride knew what she was talking about. Pride slightly parted his lips to swiftly lick Winry's index finger.

Winry widened in shock as all of air escaped her body. Her finger started to burn as if it was on fire. She frantically blew cool air on her finger and rubbing it on fabric to stop the burning feeling. Her healing techniques were interrupted when she felt an arm tilt her backwards.

Winry forgot about her numbed finger to reason with Edward. "H-Hey, P-Pride, I-I can tuck myself in."

Scrambling in his grasp has been proven to be meaningless. Winry was snugged underneath her bed covers in mere seconds. Pride crawled next to her, but on top of the sheets. He was facing Alphonse's bed who she guessed was only pretending to be asleep. She couldn't wait beat up Al with her wrench the tomorrow. This is mostly his fault.

Thinking about Al made Winry groan in anger which attracted Pride's attention. He turned around to see what was wrong. Winry closed her eyes and did her best to stop shaking. She never going to go asleep like this.

A/N: So this chapter wasn't a tear jerker. My original intention for this chapter was for Pride to warm up to Al and Winry. Last time, I did not do that and I left it in character limbo without realizing it.

I hope you don't mind a little PDA. I admit that I am an EdWin shipper (even in this circumstance) and this is the start of a bizarre relationship. And as long this is a T rated story, the relationship will not go past kissing & cuddling.

I wonder if any have noticed by now that I switch the character's perspective every new chapter in a cycle. Next chapter is Pride's turn again.

A.Leaf