In which the biggest question is asked...

Somehow I'll make you see

How happy you make me, love

Ed ran his fingers through his hair and rocked back on his heels. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead and his eyes darted quickly from side to side. Surrounded by the bustling of the crowded Central train station, Edward fidgeted nervously. Winry sat on his suitcase, her face in her palm, her eyes watching him lazily.

"Are you ok?"

Edward glanced at her quickly, his face darkening, and looked away. "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine." His voice was cracking.

Winry raised an eyebrow. "Are you not feeling well? There's a restroom over there." She pointed across the station.

"I'm fine, Win," he said quickly, his fingers twitching.

She sighed and looked away. Something was obviously bothering him, but she knew by now to just leave him alone. He always came around eventually. She turned her focus toward the crowd of people surrounding them.

There was so much bustle and chaos around them that it almost made her laugh. Young women doted on their children and worriedly glanced around, searching for their husbands. Said husbands threw a fit over luggage claim and seating. Groups of young people frantically searched for their stations, sweat dripping from their red foreheads.

It was all so comical. The people around them felt their lives were coming to an end if they missed their train. After everything she and the Elric brothers had been through, catching a train was as easy as cake.

If she knew how to make a decent cake, that is.

That thought bothered her.

"Hey Ed…"

"What?"

Winry clasped her hands together and sighed. "I don't know…." The rest trailed off into mumbling.

Edward sighed. "I can't understand you if your mumbling."

"I said I don't know how to bake a cake," she grumbled out.

Ed pursed his lips. "But you can make pie."

"Well of course! Pie is easy! But I've never once made a decent cake."

"So what?"

Winry frowned. "Doesn't that bother you?"

"Not particularly."

"Well, it bothers me!" She crossed her arms irritably.

Edward glanced her way and sighed. Stepping over the luggage, he knelt beside her. "What's up with the cake? Is something bothering you?"

She sniffed. "Not really… I just want to learn how to bake a cake."

Edward chuckled softly and squeezed her shoulder. "You can learn when we get back home, ok?"

She nodded her head, her heart clearly not in it. "Sure."

The whistle blew overhead, signaling the next train. Passengers jumped up and reached for their shiny red tickets, waving them in the air for the entire world to see.

Winry stood up shakily, fighting the vertigo that usually set in as her body shifted vertically. A soft shove on her shoulder knocked her off balance, but she caught herself quick enough to see a rather large shape moving away from her. She continued staring until the figure turned slightly and gave an apologetic smile. A distinct yellow curl stood at the ready on his bald forehead, and his smile almost… sparkled.

Before she could say anything, Edward was reaching for her hand, their tickets at the ready.

"Atrocity! Horrible!"

"Major Armstrong-"

"A tale of woe! How can this be?!"

"Major-"

"After such an adventure of passion and horror, a horrible ending-"

"MAJOR, WOULD YOU PLEASE PUT YOUR SHIRT BACK ON?!"

"THE ART OF CLOTHING REMOVAL HAS BEEN PASSED-"

"I DON'T CARE! WOULD YOU JUST LISTEN TO ME!"

Lieutenant Maria Ross ground her teeth together and tried not to lash out to hard. "You nearly gave away our position back there, Major."

Major Armstrong frowned and wiped a tear away. "I apologize deeply, Lieutenant. This mission is of the utmost importance. Thank you for knocking some sense into me."

"Yeah, I'm gonna knock something into you…" she grumbled.

As the afternoon wore on, Edward became more and more antsy. His knee bobbed up and down in his seat and his fingers tapped an invisible tune along the windowsill. He refused to make eye contact with Winry.

After two hours of the same behavior, she sighed heavily and leaned forward. Her hand grazed his and he jumped back quickly.

In an attempt to hide her hurt, she quickly asked him if he was ok.

He grumbled out that he was fine.

"Are you sure? Did Major Mustang say something that bothered you?"

Edward's face colored. "Not… exactly…"

"Then why-"

"Listen, can we not talk about this now? I'm thinking." He turned his face towards the window and said no more.

Winry slowly sat back in her seat and pursed her lips. Staring at her hands, she tried to ignore the tightening in her throat and the hot tears prickling at the corners of her eyes.

'He… doesn't want to be with me anymore,' she thought irrationally. She was always one to jump to conclusions. 'That has to be it. Maybe he's finally realized that I'm a lost cause. It's better this way, though. He'll leave and it will be ok. It'll be better that way anyway.'

The logical side of her mind butted in calmly. 'Now that can't be it. Edward isn't that type of person. He just needs his space. By now you should know that…'

She was being stupid, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that he was mad at her.

Rolling her shoulders, she tried to find a more comfortable position in her seat. Her back had been aching on and off for the past few days, and it made sitting a challenge. Finally, after a moment of shifting, she settled into a position that felt relatively ok. She gazed out of the window in silence, musing on what seemed to be the longest train ride of her life.

"Status update?"

"The targets are approaching the Risembool train station as we speak, and are scheduled to arrive at six this evening."

"Good. Is everything in position?"

"Yes sir. Locals have been cleared from the area and if everything goes according to schedule, there will be no interference."

"Excellent. You've done well."

"Thank you, sir."

"Last stop, Risembool!"

Winry blinked wearily toward the sky, already pinking in the absence of the sun. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she sat up and yawned. Judging from the view outside, she'd been asleep for close to four hours.

Edward was fidgeting more than ever. His pads of his fingers rolled and tapped his knees in a drumroll. A thick sheen of sweat built up over his brow, and he was pretty sure his heart was in his throat.

There was no way he was coming out of this one alive.

Winry stood slowly and pulled at her carry on. "Ready to go?" she asked, her voice rough from sleep.

Ed simply nodded and walked out, his face coloring violently.

Winry huffed and followed him out of the room, wondering how long he was going to mope around with an attitude.

Even though his hands shook the entire time, he gingerly helped Winry off the train and onto the platform. The evening air was cool on their backs and slightly lifted the air from their shoulders. However, instead of calming Ed down, it only served to terrify him beyond relief.

After a few moments of silence, he felt a small pull at his sleeve. Winry looked up at him, her eyes weary and guarded.

"Hey Ed, are you mad at me or something?"

Ed frowned. "No, why would you think that?"

"You've been in a weird mood all day. I can't help but think there's something wrong…" she trailed off.

"Actually-"

"I knew it!" she practically screamed. "It's because I can't bake a cake, isn't it?!"

Ed reeled back, his hands shooting out in a slightly defensive position. This was clearly not going as he had anticipated. "What? No, Winry, what are you-"

"I can't bake a cake, and I'll probably never learn how!" She broke into sobs.

"Winry, no, what I was trying to say was-"

"Which is understandable, I guess. When you have a life to live-"

"Winry-"

"Who would want to be with a girl who can't even bake a cake?"

"DAMMIT, WINRY, LISTEN TO ME!"

Winry quickly clamped her mouth shut as Edward faced her head on. "You never quit, do you? Always making assumptions, running your mouth until you get your way, making a big deal out of nothing… It's always the same! You are the most frustrating person I've ever met!"

Winry's nose flared. "Then-"

"And always interrupting me!" Edward shouted. "Now if you will be quite for a second, you will let me propose to you properly, god dammit!"

"And what makes you think-" Winry stopped short as her mind processed his words. "P-propose?"

His face fell and he ran his hand through his hair. "I pictured this a lot differently."

Winry wiped her face and stepped closer to him. "I'm sorry," she murmured, as she ran her fingers over his knuckles.

"Can we start over?" she asked.

Ed met her gaze and smiled faintly. Slowly, he lowered onto his automail leg and withdrew a small silver band from his jacket pocket.

"You are the most annoying girl I have ever met, but you're also the bravest. You're headstrong and sometimes downright insane, but you… shine. You shine, Winry Rockbell, and I love you more than life itself. Now, without interrupting, I would like to ask you to stay by my side as my wife, if you'll have me."

"Half my life for yours?" she asked, a smile on her face.

"All my life for yours," he corrected, and slid the ring onto her finger.

In a burst of emotion, Winry fell into his chest and pulled his face to hers, giggling as their lips met.

"WHAT A MAREVELOUS PERFORMANCE!" a burly voice announced. Winry and Edward broke apart, not at all surprised to see a weeping Major Armstrong barreling toward them.

Maria quickly stepped in the way and blocked Armstrong's over- enthusiastic attempt at a bear hug.

"Dammit, Major, you completely ruined to surprise!" she shouted, crossing her arms.

Winry tilted her head. "What surprise?"

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

Riza, Havoc, Sheska, Al, and Pinako came forward, each with tears in their eyes.

"Beautiful, just beautiful!" Sheska bawled.

"Now, now, babe, calm down," Havoc murmured, and wrapped an arm around his girlfriend's waist.

"No way!" Winry gasped. "You two?"

Havoc chuckled and Sheska turned a bright red. "T-this isn't about us, Winry!" she stuttered. "We're so proud of you two!"

Riza pulled Winry into a warm hug. "I told you," she whispered.

Winry shook with unshed tears. "Thank you."

"Hey, Winry," Al called over the small group. "What was up with the cake meltdown?"

The group melted into laughter. Silently, Pinako watched the young people. Seeing her granddaughter light up with pure happiness was more than Pinako could ever hope for. She thought it would be a cold day in hell before she thanked Edward Elric for anything, but she knew he deserved a thousand thanks for this small act. For making her granddaughter happy, for allowing love to enter her dying heart.

Overhead, a star shot over the sky, forever marking this perfect moment in time.