Thursday, April 28, 2005

You guessed it....fic
It certainly had been a shock to see her turn up on the doorstep with Al. He tried his best to look away when she removed her coat to reveal far more then he thought she would ever dare.
‘Winry, what brings you here?’
She looked at him with a slight scowl, ‘Aren’t I allowed to visit my future husband now and again?’
‘Your father let you out alone?’
‘Humph, I hate him, so what if I upset him?’
He felt it best not to say anything. It would only lead to a smack with a wrench…
No…it wouldn’t.
She proceeded to hum to herself as she looked at the paperwork scattered everywhere. Pushing a sheet away her eyes widened at a box of Belgian chocolates.
He knew better then to ask if she wanted some, ‘Help yourself Winry, we’re all sick of them,’ he said as he went into the kitchen to help Al make some tea.
‘Do you think she’s run away again?’ he asked Al.
‘I don’t think so. She wasn’t rushing anywhere, seemed quite calm in fact. She did agree to the plan didn’t she?’
‘Yea. I don’t know. Something just doesn’t seem right.’
Al laughed, ‘You are suspicious Ed. She may act tough sometimes but that girl is quite delicate.’
They both halted in the doorway to the sitting room. The full box was now empty and Winry chewed on her nail looking guilty.
‘Hey,’ she chuckled anxiously, ‘we can all be a glutton from time to time can’t we?’

It was odd just to wander around their house but it was something she got used to doing. Every other day she would take the walk across Munich to go and see them. Al agreed to meet her half way which was awfully nice of him. He didn’t talk about ‘Winry’ all the time and was rather an amusing conversation. Sometimes he would even take her arm as the most polite gentlemen did.
When she found Ed today he was lost in his thoughts. Usually she would think it rude to interrupt but she was growing tired of all his moping.
‘Nice day today.’
He blinked and looked at her, ‘That was an odd conversation starter for you.’
She shrugged her shoulders, ‘Didn’t know what else to say. No doubt you were thinking about going home again.’
He threw her quite a threatening look. She realised she had put a foot out of place. She hadn’t meant to have been so blunt. She had often thought it but she had never said it.
‘Is that a problem?’ he growled.
She shrugged her shoulders again and walked off. Why did he have to be so snappy about it? She could have accused him of thinking about Winry again. She knew he did every time he looked at her; she was no fool after all.
She walked into what could be called their garden and sighed. Al came up behind her giving her a stern look.
‘What’s that for?’
She did not like the look on his face. It was a mixture between angry and disappointed. His gentle soul still played through and looked at her like a parent would a disobedient child.
‘That was slightly harsh Winry. You cannot blame him for missing his family.’
‘What are we Al? Is he going to miss us when he returns? This by the way seems highly unlikely. Why can’t we be important for a change?’
‘This isn’t like you Winry…’
‘How do you know? Is it because I’m not like his precious Winry back at home? I will never be her so why doesn’t he just face it.’
‘Is that was this is about?’
‘Why should I have to play up to her? She is clearly better then I and nobody could ever replace her in Eds life.’
‘You are jealous aren’t you?’
She turned to face him flushed with anger, ‘Yes I envy her. She isn’t even here but I am always being compared to her…’
‘That isn’t true.’
She whirled round to see Ed standing behind her. She held her ground and would not back down. She didn’t care that he had heard.
‘I cannot help if I think of my family when I look at you but it does not mean you mean nothing to me. I’m not so shallow to hold you in no higher esteem then substitutes.’
The more she kept his gaze the more she wanted to cry. Where her outburst had come from she had no idea. She felt evil but would not admit to making a mistake. She had far too much pride to just give in to her emotions.
‘We shall forget this conversation ever occurred,’ he said in a hushed voice retreating inside.

He did not say goodbye to her but watched Al walk her away. The fiend that had emerged from her was something he did not expect. Her words stung him deep inside. His Winry would never be so cold, but his brother would have kept his cool like Al did. Ed was too confused to do anymore work that day. He lay down on his bed and heard her words echo in his head
‘Yes I envy her. She isn’t even here…’

That night Winry felt very lazy. Once again she let the maids wash and dress her as they were paid to do. She may as well make them work for their money. In her night dress she padded round her room thinking about the events of the day. She felt guilty about making Ed feel so bad, yet she did not feel bad for the comments she made. Perhaps she had been tactless but it needed to be said. Al was blind to that fact he was only there to remind Ed of his brother.
And she, she was just doll. A mirror image of someone he liked more then her. Well what was so special about her? The silly girl worked in mechanics. Didn’t she realise that was a mans job and one for the lower classes. Perhaps she was lower class? No, Edward would not love someone of little creed. After all he only really wanted her for the money her father could provide. Could his Winry do that?
Well she would make it so he wanted her. She would accompany her father to a boutique and find a stunning dress to make him blush. She had begun to love making him blush.
There was a knock at her door. She flared up at being disturbed and grew even angrier when one of her sisters walked in. Of all her sisters it had to be Rose, fathers favourite. Rose was spineless and did anything father or ‘darling’ asked her to. She was the prettiest of all of them, second youngest. She was meant to be in England and had clearly just arrived as she was still in her travel dress.
‘Oh, my baby sister has finally found love.’
‘Like you did Rose dear?’ Winry patronised.
‘You will never feel love like I do Win-Win surely you know that?’
‘Don’t call me that name. You are only a year older than me Rosemary. I thought you were in England…where you belong.’
Rose flicked her brown hair as she seated herself on the bed. She looked toward Winry with her cool lilac eyes, rare and beautiful. Oh how she hated those eyes.
‘I couldn’t miss your wedding. Of course I can’t stay too long after that, Russell needs me after all.’
‘I’m sure he does, so why don’t you go back now?’
‘I’m sure I don’t know what you are so angry about but don’t take it out on me. I have to make an appearance at this wedding, it would be wrong of me not to.’
‘I don’t want you here.’
‘If you are worried that Ed will fall in love with me the instance he sees me you are worrying too much. It’s your paranoid little mind that has created that.’
‘I did not!’
‘You did while we were growing up. You were always worried that all the boys loved me. You knew I only loved one boy but you were still convinced I would have anyone you liked.’
‘You said you were in love with Russell from the age of 6! You can’t have known you would always be together from that age.’
Rose sighed as she got up, ‘I didn’t know Win-Win, I just hoped. In the end we were just meant to be,’ she opened the door and looked back at her fuming sibling.
‘This may be your only chance for love Win-Win. Who would want to face a temper like yours anyway?’
Winry was left standing in her night dress, trembling with humiliation.

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