Exhibition

Summary: In this alternate universe, Ed has managed to return to his hometown through an exchange with another alchemist that had a loved one on the other side of the gate he wanted to have. However, shortly after returning, Ed lost a leg in an accident when he stepped on a landmine. Winry refitted him with an artificial leg again. Al has just graduated from learning, and has decided to be a state alchemist. He has come to Central to take the next test. Ed is there to encourage his brother.
Winry has also come to Central, but for a different reason. There's going to be a major exhibition of automail makers, and she's going to show her stuff off. Sheska is there as well, now as a Captain in the army for her role in the Fuhrer Bradley affair. (In fact, everyone involved in the affair was promoted.) Her life is one of paperwork and drudgery, but she's in charge of the all the forms for the alchemy test.
The universe diverges between the end of the series and the movie. It is set four years after the series ends. AU, Oral, M/F

A/N: I've seen the librarian's name spelled Sheska, Shezka, Shizka, and Shizaka. Your guess is as good as mine as to which is correct; they seem to appear equally in various sites. Since none of the official sites mentions her, I'm opting for the first spelling.

Ed greeted his brother at the railroad platform in Central.

"So, you think you can pass the test now?" Ed asked Al. "What did sensei say?"

"She was super pissed off." Al replied. Ed smiled. "But she eventually calmed down."

"Same old Al." Ed said.

"Still, I think as long as we're together, it will be fine." Al said. They went to the luggage claim place to find a very angry Winry Rockbell arguing with a conductor.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT CRATE WAS ACCIDENTALLY NOT UNLOADED!? THAT HAD ALL MY SAMPLES IN IT! NOW I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SHOW AT THE EXHIBITON TOMORROW!" Winry shouted at the baggage worker.

"We do apologize for this, ma'am. However, we've already sent word to the train's next stop and they'll put it on the next train to Central. It will arrive here tonight at eight p.m." The worker said.

"Hmph. I wanted to have a night of fun before tomorrow. Looks like that's been shot to hell." Winry said.

"We are very sorry, ma'am. It's been total chaos here because of the exhibition and the alchemist tests. We are trying our best here." The worker replied. Ed and Al came up to Winry.

"Hey Winry, what's up?" Ed asked.

"These morons lost my sample crate! They say they'll have it in later tonight though." Winry said.

"Just have a little patience. I'm sure that with the alchemy test Monday, things are hectic here now." Al said.

"Yea, I know. It's just that I want everything perfect for the exhibition this weekend." Winry said. "I get 80% of my business from this."

"We should get to the hotel." Al said.

"Well, if you get some free time, come on by the exhibit and see the latest in automail!" Winry said.

"Sorry, but I gotta spend all weekend preparing the alchemist's challenge." Ed said. "Let's go, Al."

It turned out that Al and Winry were at the same hotel on the same floor. When they got there, the clerk at the counter announced that he had a message for Winry.

"A message? From who?" Winry asked.

"A Ms. Lisa Tern." The clerk said. Winry took the note and read it. It read:

Winry:
I'm very sorry about this, but my son has gotten very sick and I have to be with him. They say he needs a kidney transplant fast and I'm the only one who is a comparable match. I hope you understand.
Sincerely,
Lisa.

Winry crumpled up the note in frustration and got a look of anger on her face.

"Damnit! If it's not one thing, it's another! Now my model has backed out on me! Where the - Hey, Ed? Ol' buddy, ol pal of mine..." Winry said as she turned to face Ed with an obscenely cheerful smile. Ed was trying to sneak away but he froze dead in his tracks. Winry came up to him and put an arm around his shoulder in a friendly manner. Ed dreaded this; he knew that he'd have to piss off either the military or Winry, and it was hard to tell which was worse.

"C'mon, Winry. I'm supposed to be making the final preparations for the Alchemic exam Monday." Ed said.

"Aw, c'mon, pleeeeeaaaassseeee." Winry pleaded.

"What do I get out of this?" Ed asked. Winry's obscenely cheerful smile turned into a look of intense psychosis.

"How about I not put you at the top of my shitlist." Winry said with extreme anger. Ed remembered the last time he royally pissed off Winry. He never wanted to do that again. She also put him into a headlock.

"Ed, why don't you have Colonel Armstrong finish preparations? I'm sure he could do it." Al said.

"Well... All right, Winry. I guess I don't have any choice." Ed said, straining against Winry's powerful grasp. Winry let go of Ed and smiled.

"That's better. Be at the central convention hall at eight a.m. sharp. If you're late, you may not get in until the doors open." Winry said.

"Uh... Right." Ed said.

"On second thought, meet me here at seven thirty. I'd better show you a few things beforehand." Winry said. "Oh, and thanks for picking up my crate at the station. Now I can go shopping with Sheska like I promised." Winry then walked away smiling.

"Hey, wait a minute! We never agreed to that!" Ed said in vain. Before he could get all the words out, Winry was gone.

"Damn bitch. Well, I'd better call the military and tell them what happened." Ed said.

"Yea. Life sometimes throws a curve ball at you like that." Al said.

"A stepfamily emergency? What happened?" Colonel Armstrong asked.

"Erm, well, it's difficult to explain..." Ed replied.

"I see. Winry's forcing you to be with her this weekend, isn't she? Well, I should be able to handle the rest of it myself." Colonel Armstrong said.

"Thanks for understanding." Ed replied.

"I know how women can be. Just be careful and you'll be rewarded." Armstrong said.

That evening, Ed and Al showed up at the rail platform as Winry forced them to do. When they got there, the crate was there, but they wouldn't let Al and Ed take it.

"We need some kind of proof that Ms. Rockbell sent you." The clerk there said. This was not something they had.

"Uh-oh. What do we do now?" Al asked.

"Well, there's only one place that Winry could have gone. Al, you stay here and call the hotel. Leave a message for Winry. I'm going to track her down." Ed said.

"Oh, come on, Sheska! Autumn brown is definitely your color!" Winry said as she held up a one-piece dress that was Sheska's size. Sheska was a bit apprehensive about wearing it though. It was low-cut in the front and had a slit up the side that almost ran to the top of the hip.

"It's - it's not the color that I don't like." Sheska said.

"Oh, come on. You aren't going to get the cute guys to notice you I'd you cover up all the time! Cut loose once in a while!" Winry asserted.

"Well... All right..." Sheska said. She then took the dress and headed into the dressing room. Once she had finished, Sheska came out of the dressing room. She looked very nervous.

"I don't know about this, Winry." Sheska said. Even though the dress flattered Sheska's athletic figure perfectly, it didn't seem to make her feel comfortable.

"Oh, come on. You wear this at the next military social and the guys will be all over you like a cheap suit." Winry replied.

"Maybe, but... I don't know if I want that." Sheska said. "I don't know if I can juggle my work load and a relationship. I really didn't have the time to do this."

"Hey, all work and no play make for a dull girl. You've got to cut loose every so often." Winry said.

"Well, I'll try..." Sheska said. She walked around the dress shop for a bit and then fell flat on her face when she stepped on hem of a skirt in a low rack.

"Ow!" Sheska said with much pain.

"Sheska! Are you okay!?" Winry asked.

"Ow... I think I want my turtleneck sweater and pants back." Sheska said.

"Now don't talk like that. I think you look great in that. Just try another dress." Winry said. Mercifully, for Sheska, Ed found Winry and came up to her. Winry became quite annoyed at Ed's presence.

"What is it, Elric!? Can't you see I'm busy here!?" Winry asked. The angry symbol was on her head.

"The station guys won't release the crate of your samples without you." Ed said.

"Damn. Fine, we'll finish with Sheska later." Winry said.

"Well, you look really good in that dress." Ed said to Sheska.

"Uh... Thanks..." Sheska said nervously. She hadn't really received a compliment from a guy before, and she wasn't quite sure how to react to it.

"Come on, Elric." Winry said with a lot of disgust in her voice.

"There will be plenty of time to give Sheska a makeover after the testing, Winry." Ed said. Those words didn't reassure Winry in the least.

At the station, Winry came in, showed her ID and got the crate. Ed and Al had to push to back to the hotel though. Once there, it was late, and so they all called it a night.

The next morning, Winry met Ed at the hotel and she took charge of things.

"Say as little as possible and let me do the talking. Whatever you do, DON'T BLOW A SALE FOR ME!" Winry said.

"Believe me; I would NOT want to hurt your business." Ed replied.

"I have several models and prices. Leave the pricing to me." Winry said. They then went to the convention center and started the process of setting up for the day. Surprisingly, it went very well for them; Ed was able to help her without any problems. Winry hung the banner that read "World famous Rockbell prosthetics" up earlier than she thought she would. They had finished and Winry decided t check out the competition. The tables she saw initially made her think she would clean up.

"Jeez, is this all we have? Nobody else is anywhere as near as good as I am so far." Winry boasted.

"Rockbell!? Your stuff is just total shit!" A voice out of nowhere said. Winry spun around to face a young pink hared, evil-looking woman. She was about Winry's height and weight, but lacked Winry's development in the chest.

"Marietta? Well, like I said, nobody else is ANYWHERE near as good as I am." Winry said.

"Yea, because we're all infinitely better!" Marietta retorted.

"Like you would know quality if it came and hit you in the head." Winry retorted.

"Ha! By the time this day is done, I'll have so many orders that I'll be backed up until next year! Meanwhile, you'll be lucky to get one!" Marietta said.

"You'll be lucky to get one order with your lack of quality!" Winry replied. At that moment, Ed entered.

"Hey Winry, who's this?" Ed asked.

"This is the worst automail maker ever." Winry said in a tone of voice that would turn a raging inferno into a block of ice.

"You're one to talk, Rockbell." Marietta replied. "You couldn't make a decent automail to save your life."

"Opening will begin in five minutes! Everyone, take your places!" A voice announced on the loudspeaker.

"Well, we'll see at the end of the day who's got the most orders." Winry said. She grabbed Ed by the wrist and slinked off like a cobra.

Meow, get those two a saucer of milk, Ed thought. He knew better than to voice his opinion on that matter, but instead offered a better observation.

"What a bitch. We'll show her!" Ed said.

"That bimbo apprenticed under the same master as I did. She thinks she's hot stuff, but she's all talk and no substance." Winry said.

When the show opened, the people streamed in on crutches and automail. Winry's first customer was a middle-aged man in a collared shirt and slacks. He was missing his left hand. He came up to Winry and asked to sample her hands.

"Of course sir. We're having a special now; a coupon for 10% off this purchase. Once you get a Rockbell original, you'll find you'll never need another." Winry said.

"So, young man, what automail of hers are you wearing?" The man asked.

"My leg. It works like a charm." Ed said with a smile.

"You know, charms are usually effective 20% of the time. So is dumb luck." The man said. Ed's smile turned uneasy.

"Ed here is but one of many satisfied customers." Winry said, diving in to try to save things. "It comes with a one-year money back guarantee."

"Hmm... Let me examine your leg, kid." He asked Ed. Ed hiked up his pants leg and offered his leg for inspection. The man bent down and examined the automail.

"Hmm... This is... Tolerable." The man said.

"I haven't had any problems with it in the six months I've had it." Ed said.

"All right, I need a new hand. You got yourself a deal." The man said.

"Of course, sir." Winry said with a smile.

After the man left, Winry scowled at Ed.

"Remember what I said about saying as little as possible?" Winry asked with a bit of anger in her voice.

"What? I was just trying to help!" Ed said.

"It doesn't sound sincere when you say it." Winry replied. "Now let me do the talking."

"So this little man is your model? You are sure to fail!" Marietta said as she entered. That comment didn't make friends with Ed.

"Little!? Who are you calling little!? You're shorter than me!" Ed retorted.

"Phft. Pathetic." Marietta said. "At least *my* model gets sales."

"Hey, you haven't even given Ed a chance yet." Winry said.

"Ed? So what happened to Lisa? Did she finally wise up to how crappy your stuff is?" Marietta taunted.

"Lisa is taking care of her sick child! Unlike you, she has compassion." Winry retorted.

"Yea! Why are you wasting time taunting us when you could be making sales?" Ed asked.

"My model can handle the booth on her own. Can you say the same?" Marietta asked.

"Ladies, please cease your catty arguing." A voice nearby said. It was one of the security people. "Marietta, you should go back to your booth now."

"All right, the stench of failure here is getting overpowering anyway." Marietta said as she walked away.

"Stupid bitch. She's trying to hurt your sales." Ed said.

"Well, I sympathize with you, Miss. We have customers doing the same thing where I work." A female voice said. Winry spun around to see a pleasant-looking middle-aged woman with light blue hair and green eyes there. She was missing her foot, and walking using crutches.

"Thank you. May I help you with something?" Winry asked.

"My name is Amy. I was looking for a new foot." She said.

"Well, I can show you our latest in women's foot demo." Winry replied. However, Amy seemed a wee more interested in Ed than in Winry.

"So, can I see your artificial part?" Amy asked.

"Uh... Okay..." Ed said nervously. He hiked up his pants and then Amy started feeling Ed's real leg and blushed.

"Mmm..." Amy moaned. Winry wasn't amused by this.

"Hey, that leg is real!" Ed protested in vain.

"Hey, you want to touch, you gotta buy first." Winry snapped. Amy let go of Ed's leg.

"Oh... Sorry... I didn't know you two were married." Amy said. "Your craftsmanship is good. I'll take a foot."

"Uh... We're not married." Winry replied. "But I'll be happy to take your information and make you a new foot."

Sheesh, first I have to model for Winry then I am treated like a slab of beef by some creepy old hag, Ed thought. He didn't voice his opinion though. After Winry finished with Amy, Amy smiled.

"Well, I'll be back to pick it up as soon as it's done." Amy said. She then gave Ed's ass a caress and walked away. Ed reacted accordingly, going wide-eyed and gasping.

"Jeez, I hope we don't have any more perverts here." Ed said.

"Hey, a pervert's money is as good as anyone's." Winry replied.

-To Be Continued-