It was cold.

That was the only thing that really registered to Mei at the moment. She was currently curled up as tightly as she possibly could underneath some of the blankets they had managed to gather up. All of the men (except Yoki but he had been overruled) had insisted on giving the blankets they could find to her and Winry, but she still couldn't sleep.

She simply wasn't used to the temperature. The Chang providence was always warm, and often very humid. This was the coldest weather she had ever been in, and during the day she could move around and keep walking to keep herself warm. Xiao Mei didn't even come out, staying curled up in her jacket where she could get the most warmth. The panda had somehow managed to accomplish the feat that her owner couldn't.

It was also colder at night than it was during the day, that didn't help.

For the past hour or so she just kept telling herself that if she just managed to stay relaxed for a few more minutes she'd finally be able to slip into unconsciousness. She needed her energy. Trudging through the snow wasn't a very easy job even with Jerso and Zampano going first.

But it had been an hour or longer and she still wasn't feeling the slightest bit sleepy. Tired, plenty tired, but not sleepy. Every time she came even the slightest bit close another gust of wind would rattle through the broken down shack they were taking refuge in for the night, not only making the noise to wake her up but also making her even colder than before.

Eventually the Chang Princess just gave up, sitting up with the blankets clutched tight around her. She had some vague ideas about taking another look at Mr. Scar's brother's journal, but she knew that Mr. Scar slept with it and she would have to get it from him in the first place.

It was then that she noticed she wasn't the only person not asleep.

"Mr. Alphonse?"

The armor head turned around and she saw the red soul fire eyes fixed on her.

"Mei." His voice was soft.

"I can't sleep," she confessed, whispering back.

"Is it the noise?" he asked and she shook her head.

"It's freezing."

His face couldn't make any expressions, but there was a heavy pause before he finally looked away. "Oh."

"Can you not… can you not feel it?" she asked, now picking up the three blankets and dragging them with her and she moved closer to the large armor.

"No. I can't feel temperature at all. I can't really feel anything."

"Nothing?"

"Well, I have a sense for what I'm doing. I can still control my body if I lose my head, which actually happens a lot. I… I don't quite feel lopsided, but I… I function differently if I lose an arm. But I can't feel temperature, and pressure is… difficult to gage."

"I'm sorry, Alphonse," she whispered. He shrugged, and she reached out to touch his shoulder.

"I wouldn't."

Her hand froze.

"What?"

"I wouldn't touch me. If I were you. If you're cold… I'm freezing. Metal gets cold really easily. You would probably freeze. You might even get stuck and tear some skin off." She very carefully and slowly returned her hand to its position under the blankets.

"Can't you sleep?"

"No. I haven't slept in four years."

"So you usually spend all night alone?"

He shrugged. "You get used to it. It's peaceful. I usually research while Ed sleeps. It's really different depending on where we are though. In Central, night time is never quiet. And at Resembool there always some sort of animal up and making noise. East City is pretty similar to Central. I like it best when Ed and I would have to camp on our way to come city or another. I get to watch the wildlife."

"That sounds nice."

"It can be, sometimes."

She smiled at him, but then the wind shook the shack again and Mei shivered. He looked at her, but didn't say anything until she stopped shivering.

"I wish I could help you," he said, sounding near tortured.

"What? Oh, Mr. Alphonse, it's fine. There's nothing you can do."

"I know." He was wringing his gauntlets together. "I wish I could. What if…"

"Alphonse?"

"Do you think I could shield you from the wind?"

Mei frowned. "Would you be willing to do that?"

"If you think it would help, yeah! If you put a blanket between you and the metal you shouldn't be too cold… and my body should warm up fast enough." He shifted position so that he back was to the wind that was still howling through the small shack. Mei scooted across the ground, bringing the blankets with him. The area where he had been sitting was clear of snow despite the fact that some snow had fallen through the holes in ceiling and covered the ground where people were sleeping.

He popped off his chest plate and gingerly slid herself into the cavity, making sure that one of the blankets created a protective layer between her and the metal.

"I wish I could do more…"

"Its fine, Mr. Alphonse. This is actually… this is actually great."

She actually wasn't lying. It wasn't a major temperature change, she wasn't suddenly warm. But the wind was no longer chilling her. And she could still feel the cold of the metal through the metal, but it already seemed warmer than when she first leaned against it.

"Mr. Alphonse?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me more about Resembool."

"Okay. Uh… it's really green. There are hills that just roll into the distance covered in grass and flowers..."

He continued to talk for probably an hour or so before realizing that she had fallen asleep a few moments after he started talking.

"I wish there was more I could do…"

Mei sighed. He was really sweet and she was glad that he was there to fuss over her, but right now what she really just wanted was to sleep.

"Al, it's fine."

"I'm sorry."

She sighed again, shifting and trying to get comfortable. It was almost impossible with the way her stomach was swollen. The baby would not stay still and she couldn't sleep in her favorite position because of the pregnancy… she hadn't slept right in weeks.

Eventually she sat up, thinking about maybe getting something warm to drink, that maybe that would clam the baby down. Sitting up however made her feel nauseous and she had to fight down the urge to throw up.

She almost started crying, so frustrated with this entire experience, when she felt his hands around her waist. His hands were warm and comfortable, especially when they snaked around to rub her stomach. She felt his lips against her shoulder and she sighed.

"I'm sorry I've been so…"

"It's alright," he said at one, firmly. "It's not your fault. You're doing a wonderful and hard thing right now, and I have never admired you more. I wish I could take some of it on for you." Mei let herself relax into his hold, leaning back into his warm chest.

"Just keep holding me."

"That's something I'm happy to do."

She fell asleep in no time.