It was the Monday after Edward's birthday party. Edward had gone to work, and Alphonse was getting some sleep as he was still on the nightshift. Winry would spend the day reading a book, cleaning, and petting Daisy, Alphonse's cat. But she also ran errands for the brothers, including getting groceries or picking up general necessities.

Today she needed to pick up a few household items. The brothers needed more shaving cream, and they also needed some more vinegar for cleaning. Winry emerged from the apartment wearing a pink dress with stockings on. It was still cool outside, so she also had her coat on.

Winry was walking downstairs and heard a man swearing in the Baxter apartment. Winry's face scrunched up in anger at the thought of that woman hurting Edward and Alphonse. The door swung open, and out came an older gentleman swearing and rubbing his hands.

Winry could see that the man was in pain. She asked "Are you okay sir?"

"Yes, just hurt my hand trying to fix this bloody radiator. This damn arthritis makes the task almost impossible. I have to get this fixed by tonight. The wife will be mad if she must sleep in a cold room tonight."

"I can help you. Here let me see," Winry offered.

"Miss, you don't need to trouble yourself," he said.

But Winry was already going inside the apartment. She was drawn to working with tools on anything that was composed of metal.

"It's no trouble," Winry said as she took off her coat and kneeled down in front of the radiator. She peered inside. She started grabbing tools and tinkering with them. They eventually heard it roar to life and the heat began to flow out of it.

"Miss, you did it! Where did you learn how to do this?" the man asked astonished that a woman knew how to fix a radiator.

"Oh, my grandparents were very efficient with tools. Umm… well, I'll be on my way," Winry said as she started putting on her coat. She wanted to leave before Mrs. Baxter returned.

"Ummm.. miss. Do you have a moment?" he asked as she had just put her hand on the front doorknob.

"Sure," she said uncertainly.

"Well, first let me introduce myself. Mr. Fred Baxter at your service. Though that's the trouble nowadays. I oversee taking care of this building. Well, my wife and I both own it. I haven't been able to take care of it as well as I should due to the arthritis in my hands," Mr. Baxter explained.

Winry nodded. She could see his hands were stiff and the joints were red and swollen.

"Well, I need someone to help do the fixing up if the tenant needs it done. I like to take care of them. Most of them have been good tenants, and pay their rent on time," Mr. Baxter explained.

Winry thought about it. This was her chance to earn an income, however she felt uncomfortable.

"Well, there's a slight problem. Let's call it a conflict of interest," Winry said sternly, hoping to bait him. This situation may work to her advantage.

"Miss, I'm going to pay you. It wouldn't be a problem at all," Mr. Baxter said hoping that a monetary incentive would convince her. He was desperate for good help.

Winry shook her head. "Money isn't the issue. It's just your wife, Mrs. Baxter, I assume."

Fred's face fell. "Oh, I see. She has been rather angry lately. I'm sorry if she offended you."

"Well, if I am to help you, I want her to stay out of my business. You see, I live with the Elric brothers, and it's not how it seems," she said as she saw the presumptuous look in his eyes.

"We are childhood friends, and they have helped me when I have nowhere else to go. They're both good men but she hurt them. She drove a wedge between Edward and his previous girlfriend. She assumed that she was a prostitute, but it wasn't like that. They loved each other, and your wife poisoned that!"

Fred was completely astounded. "Listen miss, I'm sorry that she offended your friends. I'll tell her to stop, and to leave you three alone. I've let her carry on getting into other people's business when she has no need to."

Fred looked at her with a soft gaze. "But I really need some help around here, and it hasn't been easy to find any."

Winry felt sorry for him. That pitiful gaze was hard to turn down. And she wanted that income badly so she wouldn't have to rely on Edward as much. One step closer to the independence that she once had.

"Alright, I'll be glad to help you as long as your wife behaves. I don't want to hear anymore nasty comments from her. Especially towards Edward. I'll make sure he tells me if she's said anything that isn't polite," Winry said with narrowed eyes and a determined look on her face.

"I'll deal with her. And I should know your name if I'm about to hire you," Fred said with a relieved smile on his face. He held out his hand to shake hers.

"Winry Rockbell at your service," Winry extended her hand, and they shook hands. Fred made Winry tea, and they agreed upon a price for Winry's services. She would stop by tomorrow to see what needed to be done.

Just before she left, Winry noticed a picture of a young man in a soldier's uniform on the wall. "Who is this?"

Fred set his cup down slowly. "That's our son, Jimmy. He used to help me with this building, but he was conscripted by the war effort. He never made it home."

Winry held a somber look on her face. "I'm sorry for your loss. War stole so much from us."

She could see how hard he was trying to hold his grief in. He eventually collected himself and stood up to see her out. "Thank you, Ms. Rockbell. I look forward to working with you."

"Me too. See you tomorrow!" Winry said with a large smile. She went out the front door to run her errands for the day.

That evening she made stew for dinner, and even bought pastries from the bakery. Winry wanted to celebrate obtaining her first job in this world, and as a result she may have helped Edward stop being tormented by Mrs. Baxter.

Winry announced that dinner was ready, and they sat down at the table together to eat dinner. This was her favorite time of the day when they were altogether. They would converse and laugh together just like in Amestris when they were younger.

Winry figured it was a good time for her announcement "Well something good happened to me today."

Edward smiled "Oh? What was that?"

"I got a job!" Winry clapped her hands together in joy. Edward stopped moving his spoon halfway to his mouth. He gaped at her, stunned by her revelation.

Alphonse recovered from his surprise. "Oh, that's great Winry. Where are you going to be working?"

Winry replied, "I'll be doing maintenance around this building with Mr. Baxter."

Edward shook his head and dropped his spoon. It landed on the table with a loud clang. "You can't work for him! He's married to that nutcase!"

"It's fine! I talked with him, and he's going tell her to leave us alone. He really needs my help!" Winry said eyeing Edward.

Edward stood up and shouted "Do you really think she's going to listen to him?! She's psychotic!"

Winry stood up and spat back "Well if he wants my help, she's going to have to cooperate. And he's desperate! Besides, I'm tired of living off your earnings! I want my own income!"

Edward growled back at her, and she returned his growl with her own.

Alphonse put his hands behind his head and relaxed back into the chair. "Well, this feels more like home."

Edward and Winry glared at Alphonse, and then glared back at each other. Neither of them wanting to relent.

Winry's confidence had returned, and damn, she loved arguing with Edward. It felt so natural.

She turned her nose away from him. "I'm going to start tomorrow, and I promise that if Mrs. Baxter causes any trouble, that I will quit. I made that quite clear today with Mr. Baxter."

Edward turned his nose away from her too, copying her motion. "Fine. I'm going to hold you up to that."

Winry smiled in triumph. "And you let me know if she says anything awful to you."

Edward nodded. Winry sat down and then added "You know, I don't need your permission to take this job."

"I know! I just don't want you to get hurt," Edward added as he sat down.

Winry tiled her head and smiled softly. She felt a warmth in her chest that was in response to his sincerity. "Thank you, Ed. That means a lot."

Edward's cheeks flushed. They still hadn't talked about what happened at the bar on his birthday. He even contemplated if she even remembered what had occurred. When she tenderly rubbed his thigh with her hand, and that seductive gaze that she gave him. He cherished that memory. Somehow, he would ask her on a date this week.

'I'm not too chickenshit to ask her,' Edward thought trying to convince himself that he could do it.

"Hey Ed, I have a small favor to ask of you," Winry said nervously. She started playing with her fingers and looked away from him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well, I told Mr. Baxter that I could start tomorrow but I don't exactly have clothes that are appropriate for working. And the stores are about to close. Can I borrow some of yours until I can get my own?"

Edward crossed his arms and sighed "Fine. After dinner, I'll loan you some."

Winry clapped her hands together. "Thank you so much! I can't wait to see what I'll be working on tomorrow."

After dinner, Winry tried on a casual set of pants and white shirt that belonged to Edward. She placed the suspenders over the shirt and pulled her hair back. She surveyed her appearance in the mirror. She almost jumped up and down because of her excitement. She looked ready to take on any task.

Winry stepped out of their bedroom, and Edward glanced up from his book. He stared at her. The casual work attire that was his fit her frame very well. Seeing her like this was almost arousing. And Winry's confidence was refreshing.

'She looks fantastic,' he thought.

"These fit very well. Thanks for letting me borrow them. I promise after I'm done with work tomorrow, I'll go to the store and get something for myself," Winry said.

"There's no rush. You can keep these," Edward offered.

Winry moved to her side so she could see how the pants fit. And Edward noticed how her curves were becoming more defined since she's a healthy weight now. And his pants really showed off the curve of her ass. Edward realized it was becoming more difficult to hide his attraction to her.

Every day that week, Edward would talk himself up to ask Winry out on a date but whenever he arrived home, he couldn't get the right words out. He would try to say something but then the butterflies would flutter around in his stomach, and he would start to sweat. Winry noticed him sweating and checked his head for a fever.

"Ed, you feel hot. Maybe you're getting sick," she said to him.

Edward blurted out "I'm fine! I just need to … I wanted to ask you…"

Winry stared quizzically and crossed her arms. "What is it? Just come out and say it."

Edward struggled and spat out "I wanted to ask you if you could look at my automail!"

Winry raised an eyebrow. "Did you break it?"

"No, just need some maintenance. That's all!" Edward raised his hands in surrender.

"Ok. After dinner."

'I'm such a coward!' he admitted to himself. Edward wanted to punch himself.

Friday came and at breakfast, Alphonse told them not to worry about him for dinner because he was going to the pub with his classmates. Edward figured this was the perfect opportunity.

Alphonse went to bed since he had worked all night, and Edward waited for his brother to close his bedroom door. He heard the click and cleared his throat. He finally told her "Winry, let's go out for dinner tonight. You know, since Alphonse will be out, and it can be just the two of us."

"Sure. That'll be nice," Winry said nonchalantly.

"Maybe we can go see a movie, too," Edward offered.

"Can we get popcorn?!" Winry asked more enthusiastically.

Edward agreed. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. He had finally asked her out. He said his goodbyes and went to work. He reflected on how successful he was that morning and relief flooded over him until he realized that he didn't really ask her on a date. But more like he was gliding into the friend zone with her.

"Shit!" he cried out. He slapped his forehead because he felt so idiotic.

After work, Edward went home, and he took Winry to the movie theater. They chose a mystery movie. Edward had a plan and made sure that Winry sat on his left side next to his flesh arm. They ate the popcorn and when it was done, Edward put the container on the floor. With the popcorn out of the way, he moved forward with his next plan. He took a breath and placed his hand in hers. He moved his fingers in between hers so that they were intertwined together.

This simple act of intimacy caused his heart to pound. He kept looking forward to the movie afraid to look at her reaction. He was beginning to worry if his palm was too sweaty, however Winry squeezed his hand and kept hers locked onto his.

Winry was also fearful to look at him. She felt her pulse race when he took her hand in his. She had been curious all week long if he remembered that evening at the pub, and how she had acted toward him. Scenes of that evening flooded her head and her heart thumped so loudly that she was sure he could hear it.

But Edward didn't act like he could hear her heart beating. Instead, they both kept watching the movie though neither of them were really attentive to the plot. They were more focused on thinking what the other person was feeling.

When the movie ended, Edward squeezed her hand before letting go of it. He put his hand in his coat pocket to wipe the sweat off. Clearly, he was nervous, but she seemed like she was having the same issue too. She gracefully wiped her hand on her handkerchief that was in her purse.

They went outside and began walking to the restaurant. It had rained while they were in the movie theater. The street was busy with people, and Winry walked ahead of Edward. However, it was dark out and she slipped, falling backwards. Edward caught her by the arms.

"You okay?" he asked. She turned her head to him, and they realized how close their faces were. And how close their lips were to each other.

They both jolted and Winry shouted. "Yes! I'm fine!"

Edward walked beside her. Winry felt embarrassed for shouting. She didn't want him to think that she wasn't fond of him. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Winry made her own move, and linked her arm into his.

Edward was surprised and became more comfortable with this potential return of affection from her. He was beginning to see that she was reciprocating his feelings.

They arrived at the restaurant, and Edward held the seat out for her to sit. However, Winry started walking to the other seat. Edward cleared his throat. "I want you to sit here."

Winry stared at the chair he had pulled out. She realized that he was being a gentleman. Winry sat in the chair he had offered. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not used to this."

Edward took his seat, and they talked about the movie, as much as they could recall. Edward ordered them wine. He was hoping it would help him relax. He had never felt this nervous with her, but he had also never tried to court her before.

Once they each had taken a few sips of wine, Edward felt the courage rise in him. He had been wanting to ask her this for a while. "Winry, back in Amestris, did you have any relationships? Like romantic ones."

"Oh, I've had a few boyfriends. Two to be exact."

Edward knew he shouldn't have been surprised. His heart did feel a ping of jealousy when she revealed that.

She continued "Do you remember William Jones? His dad owed a sheep farm in Risembool."

"Yeah. Wait! You dated him?" Edward asked.

"Yes. He grew up just like us, and he was quite handsome. We broke up when he joined the military. I just didn't want to be with anyone that was involved with it," Winry explained.

"Right. That's understandable," Edward said. The waiter came and they ordered their food. Edward ordered a steak, and Winry ordered the same. When he left, Edward asked "There was another one, right?"

Winry looked down. "Yes, I met him when I moved to Central. His name is Loid. I had just sold Grandma's house and wasn't doing too great. I met him at a bar, and he knew Sheska from primary school. We went out for a while. He would bring me flowers and gifts. And I fell in love with him. He gave me comfort when I was feeling my worst."

Edward was curious. "So, what happened?"

"He broke up with me when he found someone else with a big inheritance. He was more interested in money. I had some from selling the house but not really an inheritance. I was planning on using that money for my automail business."

"Are you serious? What an ass!" Edward commented. He can't believe that someone would leave this wonderful hard-working woman, who was also gorgeous.

Winry felt some sadness over those memories. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Of course. I'm sorry. It's just you haven't talked much about Amestris since you've been here."

"Well, it hurts to talk about him. But I did meet an engineer, and she hired me to work on a project. I still can't remember the details of it, but it produced a great amount of energy. She believed in me, and we had a good working relationship. We would have dinner and drinks together."

Edward was glad Winry had diverted from speaking about her previous relationships. It was awkward but he had been curious. He decided that he could move past it. He had the information he wanted.

"Good. I'm glad that you had some good times. Speaking of energy, our rockets require that. I can't wait for you to see it. The demonstration will be at the university's spring carnival. Make sure you're not working that day," Edward insisted.

"Definitely! I wouldn't miss it for the world. And there's a carnival too! What else will they have there?" Winry inquired.

"Just the usual games we had back in Risembool but there might be a Ferris wheel," Edward added.

"Oh! Can we go on it?" Winry's eyes gleamed.

"Yeah, I was planning on it," Edward said with confidence.

"Do you think Kain Fuery will be there?" Winry asked with a sly look.

"He should be but why do you ask?" Edward asked with concern.

Winry had a devious smile. "Well, I was thinking that we could spend some time together with him and Sheska."

Edward was confused "We go to the pub together. What's the big deal?"

Winry sighed in exasperation. "Do I have to spell it out for you? He likes Sheska, and I want to – I mean, we need to get them together."

"WE?!" Edward almost choked. "Winry, I don't do that matchmaking business."

"Oh, come on! I'll be doing most of the work because Sheska is blind to love! She's so absorbed in her books. I was thinking we could have them over for dinner. But maybe we could set them up at the carnival, too," Winry pondered.

Edward grumbled. Here he was trying to court Winry but she's got her mind set on someone else's love life.

Winry pouted and put on her best puppy dog eyes. "Please, Ed?"

Edward crossed his arms. "Fine. But you've got your work cut out for you!"

"Trust me. I know. I'm going to have to plant some ideas in her head. And drag her away from her personal library at home," Winry said.

Dessert arrived and Edward was angry with himself. He still hadn't come out and asked her if she wanted to be something more than just friends. He hadn't even hinted at it. They finished their meal and headed out of the restaurant.

Winry put her arm through his as they walked home together. She looked up at him cheerily only to see a gloomy look on his face.

Edward was downcast, feet almost dragging on the ground. He felt like a complete coward. In his life, he had faced so many challenges, yet he couldn't even ask his childhood friend on a date.

They got to the apartment building and walked upstairs. However just as they approached the door to their home, Winry stopped in place and Edward paused, their arms still together.

Winry inquired him "Edward, was this a date?"

Edward's face flushed, and he turned his face from her. He was embarrassed that she had discovered his plan and yet, he still wasn't brave enough to ask directly as she had. Without so much as a glance in her direction, he asked with a quiver "Do you want it to be?"

Then, Edward felt her hand on his face pulling him closer to her. She kissed his cheek. "I do."

Edward looked at her radiant face that had just a tinge of pink on her cheeks that almost matched her light pink dress. She had reciprocated her feelings for him. He felt his shoulders relax as a heavy weight lifted from them.

Edward felt a burst of confidence go through him. He moved his hand to her waist and pulled her closer to him.

Edward put his other hand to her face and moved it to under her hair. He leaned in closer while pulling her face towards his. She leaned forward and they tilted their faces when their noses were about to touch. His warm lips touched hers and they both pressed gently.

They stood there still as statues until Winry opened her mouth and he followed suit. Their tongues met and were dancing lightly with each other. Winry reminded herself to breathe when she became lightheaded.

Winry then slowly pulled away and looked down at her feet. Edward's heart thumped in his chest. The thrill of kissing her, and the acknowledgement of their feelings sent a shiver through his spine. But it started to come crashing down when he noticed the frown on her face.

"What's wrong?" he whispered.

Winry turned her face away awkwardly. She stared down at her feet until she could gather the words in her mind. "When we were younger, I wanted nothing more than to do this with you."

He interrupted her guessing what was causing her hesitation. "I liked you too. I just had so much going on with Al."

Winry shook her head. "It wasn't that. I knew you wanted to get Al's body back before anything else. But when you left, it broke my heart. And I don't know if I can go through that again."

Edward's eyes partially closed, his hand still on her waist and the other had moved to her shoulder. "Winry, I'm sorry."

She tilted her head up to face him. "Just don't break my heart again. Don't leave me."

"I won't. I promise," Edward told her firmly. He lightly pressed his forehead to hers, hoping that she would somehow feel how important she was to him.

Winry found her heart wanting to be comforted by him. She needed to trust him. And time would have to help with that. "Alright. I'm holding you to that promise mister."

Edward smiled. It was a promise he never wanted to break. He wanted her to be happy above all else.

Winry leaned forward and they kissed again. It started gently but then became more energetic.

Then they heard a neighbor's door open, and someone emerged from the apartment down the hall from them. Edward and Winry jumped away from each other. Their neighbor passed by them quickly knowing that he had interrupted them.

Once the neighbor was out of sight, Winry giggled while Edward chuckled. He opened the door, and they went inside the apartment. Alphonse was reading a book on the couch with the radio on. "Hey, how was dinner?"

Winry said enthusiastically "It was great! The food was really good. How was the pub?"

"It was fun," Alphonse replied. "I hope Brother didn't bore you."

"Oh, he didn't. It was anything but boring," Winry said as she went into their bedroom.

Edward looked hurt and glared at Alphonse. "I'm not boring. Besides, you're the one with your nose in books all day."
Alphonse and Edward glared at each other. Edward then turned and proceeded to his bedroom. He closed the door behind him but turned quickly when he noticed Winry was changing. Winry yipped at being caught while pulling her nightgown over her head.

"Sorry! I should have knocked," Edward said.

"It's fine," Winry answered.

"Well, about sleeping arrangements. Would you feel more comfortable if I slept on the couch?" he offered.

Winry was confused. "Why?"

"Well, because things are different now," Edward stated the obvious.

Winry was confused and then became enlightened "Is this because we like each other now?"

Winry sat on the bed and patted it asking him to sit. "We need to talk."

Edward obliged and sat next to her. "What about?"

"About us. And a few other things. But first, it doesn't matter to me that we sleep together." Then she admitted "I actually prefer it."

Edward was relieved. The couch was not comfortable enough to get a decent night's sleep on it. "Good. I like it too."

Winry was worried and played with her hands in her lap. "Well, there's something you should know. I'm not a virgin anymore. I've had two boyfriends, and you know, we had sex."

"Well, you already know I'm not a virgin either."

"I know. But like you said, I haven't spoken about Amestris in detail, and I wanted you to know."

Edward nodded in relief hoping that was all she had to say. "Right."

Then Winry said firmly with a finger raised up "However, that's not an invitation to have sex! I want us to take our time. I don't want to rush that part."

Edward raised his hands in defense and almost shouted his agreement "Of course! No rushing that part. I mean, we just kissed tonight."

Winry laughed at his reaction. "You don't have to be frightened. It wasn't a threat. More like creating boundaries."

Winry took his hand and spoke quietly "So this is real? We're together as a couple, right?"

"Yeah, if you want to be."

"I think I've made that obvious," Winry said while she squeezed Edward's hand.

Edward kissed her cheek. "You have."

They held hands and pressed their shoulders and heads together. Edward stared down at their hands that were interlaced with each other. It was still unbelievable that she was here, and that they were together. He figured Winry must be feeling the same way. They stayed in that position, each of them just replaying the events of tonight in their minds.

Then Edward got ready for bed and met Winry under the covers. She draped his metal arm around herself and cuddled it. She had done it before but now she kissed it. She knew he couldn't feel it, but he could see her doing it and heard her lips pop as she did.

His heart felt so full of life again. He realized how his heart had been wandering lonely in a veil of darkness but now the veil had been lifted by Winry. He had lingered for her and now she was his. He kissed her shoulder lightly.

Edward felt so content until he heard Winry say "You're telling Alphonse."

"Fuck!" Edward hissed, dreading his brother's reaction to him and Winry being together.

Author's notes: They are finally together! Yay! I know it took long enough. I hope you all enjoyed it. And don't worry if you want more drama, it's coming. We'll see how long their initial happiness last.