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He was gone. Off after his father, chasing after things she didn't understand. She was left wondering who would take care of his auto mail. Left with a business to run, a grandmother whose health was starting to fail (no matter what type of front she put up, Winry knew what was happening,) and his younger brother to take care of. Al might have his human form back, but he had no memory.
She didn't trust Mustang farther than she could throw him. Armstrong, Hawkeye, maybe, but not Mustang. He was the one to take Edward away from her in the first place—she wouldn't let him add Al to the list of people Mustang was responsible for taking from her life.
~*~
When Al decided to follow Mustang, no matter what her wishes, she couldn't stop him. She felt her world shatter once again. Winry dried up her tears. They had never solved any of her other problems, she didn't see how it could help her now. Lost in her work, months passed. Little word came from Al; she expected none as to not be disappointed by what she did get.
When Riza showed up she was surprised to say the least. When the older woman explained that Ed was back, Winry packed up and ran. She was intent on keeping him this time. Disappointment seemed to be her constant companion.
She barely saw him.
And then Al was gone too.
She spat, cursed Central, Mustang, and anyone else she could think of. Then she turned around and never looked back.
~*~
She thought about Ed, about Al, that was inevitable. On her rare trips to Central, mostly for parts too big to be shipped, she might see Riza and give a wave. She never tried to talk to her; it would have reminded her of Ed. She had a feeling that Riza never tried to talk to her for the same reason.
She had even fewer occurrences of running into Mustang and always changed directions if she did see him.
A few years after Ed disappeared she heard that Mustang had been made Fuhrer. Maybe longer, she tried not to keep track of the years since he had gone. She thought Ed would be proud of Mustang, of how Ed had looked up to the man, at least in her memory he did.
Maybe that was why she hated Mustang. She was left with Ed's memory, a ghost in her head always seventeen no matter how old she got. And Mustang never seemed affected by his disappearance. She had no way of knowing exactly how much Ed's leaving really did affect the man, and maybe she was better off for it.