Coming Home

Garfiel had all but thrown Winry out for the week, claiming she had been in Rush Valley too long and needed to spend some quality time with her husband. Her argument was valid: He was in Xing studying Alkahestry with his brother.

"Trust me babe, you really need it. Nothing like some alone time with your man," he said, grinning mischievously while flashing a wink. With a defeated sigh, she gave in and prepared herself to head back to Resembool. It had been a little while since she had seen her grandmother.

The train ride home was a long one, but a beautiful one nonetheless. The red clay of mountains slowly faded into the rolling grassy plains. The trails' path would often weave through a cluster of trees, scaring off any nearby wildlife.

Winry had to admit it was nice to be back home. The smell of grass, dirt, and animals was a familiar aroma for her, one she always welcomed. Her favorite smells apart from oil.

She stepped off the train, her bags in hand. "Good to see you're back, Miss Winry," Heath, one of the younger train workers who helped unload luggage, said as hauled freight off the car behind her.

"Good to be back," she said smiling at him.

He blushed and returned to unpacking luggage. She started walking the familiar path home, which seemed to get shorter and shorter every time she made her way through it. Farmers would wave and greet her as she walked by, and she would smile and wave back without giving them a second glance, wanting to hurry home.

The sun was setting behind one of the many hills in Resembool, transforming the sky into brilliant shades of reds, pinks and oranges. Birds were chirping the last few songs of the day, before fluttering back to their nests.

For some reason she had an odd feeling. The closer she got to her home, the stronger the feeling became. Her house was soon in view, and the anxious feeling in her gut increased. Her palms became clammy, and a feeling of nostalgia and nausea washed over her. Her anxious feelings grew still, slowly turning into one of excitement, as she recognized the blonde currently sprawled across the porch.

Garfield must have known Ed was home. Ed probably phoned while she was out. How she loved Edward's timing.

Now only a few steps from her house she dropped her luggage and dashed up the steps, only to find Ed dozing in a chair, his feet crossed at the ankles and propped up on the railing. One of his arms was behind his head, serving as some sort of a cushion, his other thrown over his stomach.

A small smile graced Winry's lips as she watched her husband sleep. He could fall asleep anywhere, sometimes in the oddest positions that looked nowhere near comfortable. She bent down and planted a kiss on his cheek, not wanting to disturb him.

She walked back to where she dropped her luggage and strolled inside. "Granny?" she called.

The short woman waddled into the room, her pipe in mouth, with a steady little stream of smoke escaping from the opening, "You're home early," she commented, smiling. She walked up to Winry and embraced her.

"How long has Ed been home?" Winry asked as she she set her bags down near the stairs.

"Not very long. He got here sometime early this morning. Then he wondered outside, waiting for you, I guess, soon after he got home," she stated smiling.

Winry returned the smile, "Yeah, he's asleep right now though."

Soon after, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, and there was an awkward kiss placed on her neck, "No I'm not," Edward muttered as he gave her another affectionate kiss, now on her cheek. He released her and backed away.

Pinako shook her head, and deserted the room, leaving the young couple to catch up with each other. "So how was Xing?" Winry asked as she picked her bags up and wandered up the stairs.

The alchemist followed, "It's amazing. You would love it down there. Mei kept griping about how you should have come with me. They're expecting, you know?" Ed rambled stealing Winry's bags from her hand.

"Really? I guess I should go see them. With Mei expecting and all. How far along is she?" the mechanic asked, skipping the last step. She proceeded towards her door, opened it, and practically leapt from the door to her bed.

"She looks like she's about ready to pop. Oh, how that woman nagged when she came along with us!" Ed complained, slumping his shoulders. He dropped the bags and pulled off his shoes.

"Ed!"

"What?" he asked, a scowl across his tanned face.

"Is that how you're going to act when we have kids?" she snapped, her cobalt eyes boring into his widened golden ones.

He was a bit taken back by this question, "Er, well, no? I was just saying that was all she did," he muttered under his breath, settling into a chair at her desk.

Her eyebrows furrowed. She sighed and released her hard gaze on him and dropped the issue. "How's your leg?"

He sighed and propped his left leg out in front of him, his heel making a metallic cling. "It's doing fine. I think a few screws are loose. It locked up on me a few times. Probably because of the heat," he said, rolling up his pants leg as he proceeded to prod at random areas of the metal limb.

"Quit it, before you really screw it up," Winry said, getting up from the bed.

They stood and Winry grabbed one of her larger bags, before they wandered over to her workshop, rambling on about the weather or what happened here or there. Winry opened the workshop door, the smell of oil filling her nose. Ed automatically lifted himself onto the cold, metal worktable.

"I made you a new leg. Considering you had that one for, what, two years now?" She said, removing a leg from the bag she toted with her. She placed the automail limb across the table, as Ed braced himself for the agonising pain. As she disconnected the nerves, he blurted out, "I went to Central for a little while, too," to stop him from concentrating on the pain.

"Really?" Winry muttered as she reached for her handiwork, "How's Gracia and Elicia?" She asked as she lined up the leg. "Ready?" she inquired, glancing up towards her husband. He inhaled and nodded his head reluctantly. She turned her wrench and he flinched as she connected the nerves.

"You know, warning me makes it worse," he grumbled.

"You'd get mad at me if I didn't say anything," she muttered, bending over to poke around her work.

His brow knotted together, annoyed by her smart comeback, and he crossed his arms, "They're getting along fine. Elicia is getting big. She asked about you. She wanted to know why you didn't come see her," he said, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "I saw the General and Riza, too. They have a little one of their own now. She's not very old yet. Looks just like the both of them. She has Riza's eyes, but everything else is Roy. Poor kid," He said a smirk on his face now.

"What's the baby's name?" she asked, now turning away from him to dig through her bottomless bag of tools.

"Stormy."

"That's a pretty name," she muttered turning back around to tinker.

There was a beat of silence, and Ed was content for the moment watching Winry fiddle with his automail when something dawned on him. He pursed his lips and cocked his head to the left, mulling over the thought. "You know," he said as Winry leaned back in her chair, pleased with her work, "Everyone has a kid. Al is expecting, the General has a kid, we're the only couple without a kid."

He sat up on the table, and leaned in close to his wife, his breath ghosting over her lips. She inhaled slowly, taking his his musky scent, butterflies slowly filling her stomach. "I guess," she said, unable to think straight with him so close. Edward, out of habit, pulled away, his timidness getting the better of him. She smirked, gaining her bearings, and swiveled around in her chair returning the tool to its proper place.

"I'd bet he'd look just like me!" Ed beamed, shoving his thumb against his chest.

"Who needs a second Ed? The poor kid would be short-" that would strike a nerve, "-and arrogant, and loud, hardheaded, rash, stubborn, ungrateful, unpleasant-"

"Hold on, I'm taller than you if you've forgotten," he stuck his tongue out, "so he would not be short! And good lord woman, if I have that many bad qualities then why did you marry me?" he asked turning her back around, a playful look in his golden eyes.

She smiled sweetly, "'Cause your good ones outweigh your bad ones."

Ed gave her a crooked smile and placed a finger under her chin, pulling her face closer, "So, the kid thing? How 'bout we change that?" he asked his lips a mere breath away.

She pushed forward, her lips covering his. He smirked into the kiss, reaching down to place his arms around her slender waist, and pulling her up into his lap.

"What if Granny finds us?" Ed asks, teasing Winry's neck. She groaned in protest. His lips were doing something magical to her neck and she didn't particularly care at the moment if Pinako found them or not.

She swallowed her heart, which was in her throat, and managed to say, "Bedroom," a moan escaped her lips, "She won't bother us in there."

Edward hoisted up his wife into his arms, and proceeded out of the workshop.

~~

The two were glued together. Ed had his front pressed against Winry's back, his arm thrown over her hip, his other supporting his head. Winry shifted her hips, scooting closer into Ed's warmth.

Ed was stroking Winry's golden locks, and gazing out of their bedroom window, watching the sun slowly rise, turning the once dark sky into a gentle blue.

There was a knock at the door. Ed groaned and rolled over, ignoring the whine of protest that came of the disheveled form that was Winry, and grabbed his boxers and pulled them on. He shuffled over to the door, and opened it.

"I made breakfast. Since you two skipped dinner last night," the short old woman said, a knowing smirk on her face. Ed's eyebrow twitched, annoyed that this old bat would assume something had happened last night, even though she probably heard them.

Ed ran a hand through his messy locks, the awkwardness of the moment digging into him, "I guess I'll see you down there in a minute."

She nodded and waddled away down the stairs, holding a smirk Edward would just love to remove. He closed the door and leaned against it. The room was a mess with their clothes strewn about. He was already awake, no sense in crawling back into bed. He grabbed his pants and his shirt and slipped them on. He walked over to his bed and kissed Winry's cheek and wandered downstairs to the kitchen.

Pinako had made a fairly large breakfast: pancakes, bacon, sausage, toast and all the works. And there in the middle of it all - a bottle of milk. Ed glared at it for a moment before picking through the food.

He walked towards the door munching on a piece of toast with extra bacon in hand. He grabbed the door handle to walk outside, "Hey, Edward," Pinako called from behind.

He turned, toast still in his mouth, "Hmm?"

"Remember there is an old woman in the house. And this old woman does like to sleep without-"she cleared her throat, "-noise," she said, a smile on her wrinkly features. Ed just blushed and walked outside for a bit of morning sun.