Winry sighed, wishing that she'd gotten at least a bit of sleep. Oh well… it wasn't the first all-nighter she'd pulled, and certainly wouldn't be the last. Usually it was due to a work project though. She shuffled over to the small mirror hanging on the wall.

"At least I'm actually using it for once," she mused. She only kept the mirror because Granny had given it to her as a birthday present. Usually she ignored it, but for some reason this morning she felt the urge to check her appearance before beginning what was sure to be an exhausting day. She frowned at the bluish shadows beneath her eyes. "Oh well…" She took a deep breath, but it only served to make her suddenly more nervous.

Who could blame her? Ed and Al had finally come home, she was finally sorting through her feelings and trying to gauge Ed's, when all of the sudden Ed isn't Ed anymore. The worst part was, this "Edward" was a lot like Ed. Aside from the obvious identical appearance, as it was still Ed's body, they were both Edward Elric. Sure, they had somewhat different personalities, but their essence seemed so very similar. Needless to say, Winry felt confused and horribly embarrassed. How could she have gotten so carried away? How could she have not even been able to recognize that it wasn't Ed? That something was off about their interactions the previous day?

"Stop it!" she scolded herself. "Yes, you should have been able to tell, there's no excusing that. But right now is not the time for something selfish like embarrassment. Save that for when Ed is back and you have to… explain yourself…" She felt dread stirring in the pit of her stomach. Recognizing that thinking about the future was only making her mindset worse, she shook her head and attempted to pull herself together.

"Ok, I have to go downstairs now," her thoughts squeaked as she made no movement towards the door. "It's morning and it would be worse to avoid everything." She wanted to at least help keep up morale, even if she didn't know enough about alchemy to really help with solving this 'problem.' "But who am I kidding, I don't know what to do! How can I encourage them when I don't even have a positive outlook on the situation!" Ed's face flashed in her mind, accompanied by a throbbing of sorts in her chest. She bit down on her lip. Worrying wasn't going to help, and she knew that. She needed to stay strong, like Ed had helped teach her. She smacked her cheeks a few times to regain her nerve, then turned to leave.

The doorknob was icy on her fingers as she swiftly turned it, not wanting to lose her newfound motivation. She glided down the steps, absently wondering if she should go back to retrieve her wrench, which she'd once again accidentally left on her dresser. But retreat wasn't an option. It was time to face the current situation head-on. Even if that situation was horribly confusing. Even if it risked becoming flustered by him again. She swallowed noisily at the thought, but wasn't dissuaded. This time she was fully informed and mentally prepared. Well, somewhat mentally prepared. She wasn't going to get caught up in the moment again, or so she told herself.

Softly treading the last of the stairs, she noticed that it was oddly quiet. She didn't hear their loud voices, or even murmured discussion, anymore despite the fact that they'd been audible all night. Her resolve began to weaken. "What if they discovered something horrible?! What if something is so wrong that they don't even know how to begin fixing it!" Considering the situation, these outcomes were very possible. But Winry took a deep breath again, and this time it actually helped slightly. "No… they've never given up before, no matter how bad things got. I've got to have faith in them!"

She continued on towards the living room, turned the corner, and then stopped dead in her tracks. She stepped backwards with surprise, and then clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.

There they were, sprawled out on the couch together. Al's head was on Edward's shoulder, and Edward's head in turn rested on top of his. Meanwhile, their arms and legs slumped in what looked like uncomfortable positions as they fought unconsciously for what little space the couch had. Their faces were unguarded in sleep, and for a moment Winry forgot that their world was in acute danger of falling apart. She couldn't keep the small smile off her lips as she thought of how nostalgic this scene felt. Despite the fact that Edward wasn't their "Ed," on some level he and Al really were brothers nonetheless.

After a while spent standing there, lost in her own thoughts, Winry realized that she should continue to be productive. She tiptoed past the living room and into the kitchen, flinching each time the floor creaked beneath her feet. The boys would undoubtedly need some tea and breakfast when they woke up, since they probably didn't succumb to sleep until it was already morning. She knelt down, unlatched the wooden cabinet by the stove, and delicately retrieved the tea kettle, taking care not to bump it against anything. She didn't want to wake them just yet – they needed their rest for the ordeal that lay ahead. After filling the kettle with water, next were the tea leaves. She took a pinch and sprinkled them into the kettle before gently setting it onto the stove and twisting a knob to turn on the heat.

She sighed, already feeling the familiar clumsy and almost numb sensation in her limbs, typical of all-nighters. She shook her head from side to side to wake herself up, blond strands of hair tickling her eyelashes. This was no excuse to lose pace. She had to do her part and at least make the boys breakfast before giving in to exhaustion.

Tiptoeing over to the cabinet, she began to gather some basic ingredients. "Let's see. Oats, bran, and the milk has to be here somewhere… Wait… No milk." She rolled her eyes. "I'll just use extra water when cooking them. Then there's something else I'm forgetting… wait, no there isn't." Winry's brow wrinkled. How many times had she made this simple breakfast, it should be easy. Was she really that tired?

Since the boys were still fast asleep, she decided to wait a bit before starting to cook. She walked out to the living room and sat down on the floor next to the couch, which was obviously occupied. Her head was throbbing slightly, begging for a rest. With a sigh, she pondered what life would have been like if she'd fallen for someone less adventurous… someone ordinary. She closed her eyes, smiling.

"But that would be too boring, wouldn't it?"

Winry had indeed forgotten something in her exhaustion: turning on the stove meant the water in the kettle would soon boil, causing the loud whistling noise that now suddenly pierced the air. She gasped, her eyelids flying open. She bolted up and bumped into a stirring Al, who of course had also heard the noise. She sprinted back to the kitchen, in the back of her mind wondering how she'd managed to fall asleep on the floor like that.

The kettle was spewing steam and had even begun to sputter, splashing drops of boiling water out of its spout. In her hurry, Winry failed to see how dangerous this could be, and grabbed the kettle off the stove. One final, violent sputter ensured that she would regret her negligence.

Winry winced and couldn't help but let out a gasp as the scalding water reached her skin. She noisily put the kettle down onto an unused burner, cradling her injured hand.

"Great, another potential scar."

"Are you alright?"

Winry was startled as Edward appeared in the kitchen door. She quickly let go of her injured hand, trying to regain composure.

"Yeah, everything's fine!" Her voice was a bit too high. "I'm really sorry, I forgot that I'd put the kettle on to make tea," she explained sheepishly.

Edward wasn't convinced. He noticed that beneath Winry's round blue eyes were dark circles, revealing the sleepless night she'd endured. His gaze wandered down her arm, which she seemed to be holding stiffly, until it reached her hand. An angry pink trail where the water had splashed was already visible. He scowled, rushing over to her.

"What are you doing?!" he scolded, carefully grabbing her wrist and pulling her over to the sink.

"Wha-"

"You need to run it under cold water as soon as you can," he said firmly, turning on the faucet and gently guiding Winry's hand under it. He'd had his fair share of burns from tussles with Mustang and remembered how important it was to treat them right away. "Why were you trying to hide…"

Edward trailed off after glancing at Winry's face. It was almost as pink as her burned hand. Was she angry with him? Had he gotten too close? After what he'd done yesterday, he could see why she would want some space. He could see why she'd even hate him. After all, it was probably his fault that Ed had been involved in this in the first place. If not for him and Alphonse's tampering with whatever Gate they'd been in contact with, Ed would still be here, living a normal life back home…

"I'm sorry," Edward said sadly, releasing Winry's hand and taking a step away. "I didn't mean to… I just…"

Winry was confused. Edward had every right to scold her. She was the one who got hurt, lied about it, and worried him. She was the one who could only stand there as he tended to her injury, too embarrassed to speak up and thank him. Too preoccupied with how gently he caressed her hand, and how much she wished that Ed were the one doing this. Why was Edward the one who suddenly seemed remorseful?

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry!" she exclaimed. "Thank you… I didn't want to make you or Al worry, since it's only something small…"
Edward felt relief sweep over him. She didn't seem to hate him, at least. But then the last thing she'd said registered, and he became frustrated.

"It isn't that small," he admonished. "It's a pretty bad burn. If you downplay things like this, it will only make us worry more you know." He saw Winry's brow wrinkle with guilt. "Wait, no, I didn't mean to sound that harsh," he stumbled over his words, not sure what to say to make her feel better.

"No, you're right," she interjected, calming down. "Thank you. I promise I will be more careful so that I don't add to either of your stress."

"That isn't what I mea—" Edward was interrupted as Al came through the door.

"Is everything ok?" He'd taken longer to wake up, something that had become his habit now that he was finally able to sleep again. During the first couple of nights after getting his body back, he'd had trouble getting to sleep. But after that, it was very hard to wake him up before a certain hour.

"Everything's fine," Winry replied, smiling hesitantly. "I just got careless, that's all."

Al saw her hand as she withdrew it from the water and turned the sink off. "That looks pretty bad!" he exclaimed. "Here, I'll make some ice," he said, but then hesitated. He'd meant transmuting water into ice… but perhaps right now even simple transmutations were a bad idea…

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Hello to any of my readers who are still there... I am so very sorry, as usual, but even more so this time. As some of you may know, I started this story before going off to college, and have tried to keep it going. I know where it is going, and have it all outlined out (and am even still excited about some of the things that are going to happen very soon in the plot). The problem is that it takes me a pretty long time to write each chapter, and college has really done a number on my free time and motivation.

I will continue to update this story, more often than this last update (which I think was... maybe over a year? wow... ._.) However, it won't be that often. Maybe once every couple of months? I will try to update more often of course, but I don't want to make promises that I won't keep again...

Also, thank you all so very much for your reviews. They are actually the only reason why I was able to take time and update again, though it was so very late. In an effort to actually get this chapter published, I won't respond to them individually this time, but I really want you all to know that I read each and every one of them and am so glad you all enjoyed my story so far/had things to say/found some of it thought-provoking.

I hope you all are well, and that you don't hate me too much...

~ Night Rain