Of Alchemists and Wizards

Colonel Elric

Heeeeeeeey. Long time no see, eh?

I'm so sorry for the extensive wait for this chapter; last semester and this summer got real crazy real fast. I had the two most difficult classes I've ever taken last semester and this summer was jam-packed. I had two week-long vacations, work, volunteering, a relationship to balance, and I was driving an hour both ways to be at the barn.

Thank you all for forever being patient with me and my wacky posting schedule. I sincerely hope you enjoy this new chapter.

Ed's POV

A puff of air left my lips as my tired eyes cracked open against the bright light streaming through the window and into the bedroom. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my right hand before letting it flop back on my chest to rest. There was a gentle mumbling, and a joyous smile grew upon my lips.

Gently, I rolled over to face the middle of the bed and subsequently Winry. The blonde, blue-eyed beauty had that look on her face I had come to recognize over the past couple of mornings waking up beside her; she was in the process of waking up herself. Her eyebrows were scrunched up, and her lips were almost pouting, one corner of her lips pulled up in a grimace.

"Good morning, Winry," I whispered as I stroked blonde hair out of her face. She scrunched her face up once more, her expression even more dramatic than before, before she finally opened her eyes. "There ya are," I said in the same quiet voice as I placed a gentle arm over her waist.

"Morning, Ed," she greeted as she scooted closer to me under the blankets. The nights here were cold, and I cursed the draft the window let in. It didn't help having a metal leg in the middle of the winter when you were sharing a bed with someone. Winry had nearly resorted to wrapping my left leg in a spare blanket just so the freezing metal wouldn't rub against her own legs during the night.

She tucked her hand up by her face and let out a deep breath. My smile faded for a moment, and I said, "Is everything alright, WIn?" The girl in my arms nodded, and she moved her hand to look up at me.

"Yeah," she assured me. "I'm just tired." I nodded and pulled her closer to my chest. My smile returned when she sighed contently and snuggled in further. She was quiet for several long moments before she spoke again. "I could stay here forever," she whispered.

"At Hogwarts?" I asked, quite surprised by her admission.

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "Right here in your arms, I mean," she explained, causing my face to heat up with a blush.

"I would love that," I reassured her as her own blush rose to her face. I took her left hand and pressed a kiss to the silver ring on her finger. "And I love that this ring is on your finger."

"Me too," she whispered as she placed a hand on my face and brought me in for a good morning kiss despite the fact that we both had morning breath. It honestly didn't bother either of us as we were finally together. One could say we were making up for the lost time, and I would have to agree with them.

"I don't want you to leave," I admitted in a whisper. I couldn't believe it was Winry's last morning with me at Hogwarts. I understood that she had a job back home and had work to do, but I didn't want to let her go. I would never regret sharing my feelings with her, but I also knew that it would only make the separation that much more difficult.

"Me neither, Ed," she whispered back.

"I know you have work to do at home, but I don't want to let you out of my sight," I confessed. "I'll miss you so very much." I placed a kiss on her lips which she eagerly responded to. The kiss wasn't heated or needed, but it was filled with passion and love nonetheless.