Sense Marauder inspired this one. It's the alternate towel scene from TBA. Hope you guys like it!

Ed was reading a book while lounging on his bed. The book belonged to Taylor and had probably come from her side of the gate. Ed had certainly never read anything so strange. The story centered around a misfit band of bird kids running away from a school. Odd when you explained it but fascinating when you read it. Ed had been hooked from the first page.

From the bathroom, Ed heard the shower cut off. Taylor must have finished showering. Al had already left for the library and Ed stayed behind at the dorms to wait for Taylor to get ready. They would leave to meet up with Al soon.

Ed had become so engrossed in the story he read that he didn't notice the bathroom door open. He only looked up when he heard Taylor let out a "Phew!" When Ed caught sight of her he literally dropped the book.

There Taylor stood in the bathroom doorway, steam billowing into the room from her shower. Ed had expected her to be dressed and ready to go when she came out. Nope. She had nothing more than a towel wrapped tightly around her body. Much of her pale skin remained visible, water droplets clinging to her shoulders, arms, and legs. Her cheeks were flushed slightly from the heat of the hot water she had been in. Her long, damp reddish-brown hair had been pulled back in a clip with her bangs framing her face. The light in the room danced off of her eyes, making them shine a bright green. Ed had never seen a more tempting sight.

"Hey, Ed," Taylor said casually, "We've still got time before we have to go meet up with Al, right?"

"Uh, y-yeah." Ed barely managed to stutter. The shock of seeing Taylor had practically scrambled his brain.

She glowed with a smile, "Good."

"W-why do you ask?"

Her smile turned mischievous, "Oh, I just wanted to do something first." She meandered closer to the bed where Ed sat frozen in place.

"And wh-what would th-that be?" Ed asked, hating that he was so nervous that he couldn't even talk straight. A heavy blush colored his face and his eyes stayed wide and trained on Taylor. He knew he should look away but he couldn't in his stunned state.

"Why don't I show you." she smiled seductively. She stepped around the corner of the bed and inched closer. Then she propped a knee onto the mattress, the towel sliding up her thigh.

Ed gulped. It took all his willpower for him to ask, "T-Taylor? You didn't hit your head on the bathroom sink, did you?"

She giggled cutely, "Why do you ask?"

Ed's sarcasm showed through, "Gee, I don't know. Maybe because you're walking around in a towel."

She fluttered her eyelashes, "I can lose the towel if you prefer."

Ed's heart just about stopped. Did she really just say that? Is she serious? Does she really…

"Or would you like to take it off yourself?" she suggested as she put her other knee on the mattress and climbed up to him.

Any answer Ed had to that question lodged in his throat. His heart beat frantically and his breathing had become erratic. In all the time he had known Taylor she had never acted…like this. Her actions had thrown Ed completely off guard. And why was she affecting him so much? Sure, Ed liked girls and Taylor was very pretty. Adorable really. But Ed had never reacted to her like this. And now all of these thoughts were racing through his mind, thoughts he had never thought of before.

"Edward." she said in a soothing whisper. Hearing her say his name like that sent shivers through his body. "You look so tense. You should learn to relax more." She reached up and unclipped his black jacket and slipped it down his shoulders. Ed didn't fight against her. He was held in a state of awe.

"Now then." Taylor's lips curved up. She tossed his jacket to the floor carelessly, her eyes staying focused on him. He now wore only his black tank top and of course his pants. Ed couldn't help but wonder, Will she want to take anymore off of me? Do I want her to? Oh gate, what do I do?

Taylor slid her fingers under the strap of his shirt and caressed the sensitive tissue around his port with her fingertips. White, hot electricity came from her touch. She trailed her hand upwards, the electricity following her movements. Up his neck she went until she stroked the flushed skin of his cheeks.

"T-Taylor?" Ed stammered breathlessly.

"Yes?" she responded with heavy lidded eyes.

"Uh, why…why are you…doing this?"

She continued to stroked his cheek affectionately and Ed found himself leaning into her hand. Her expression became thoughtful. She leaned in and Ed's body locked stiffly. She put her lips up to his ear and whispered, "I thought it was kinda obvious."

She pulled back. Seeing his questioning stare, she rolled her eyes, "Honestly Ed. For a genius you can be such a dingbat sometimes."

Ed frowned, still confused, "What do you mean by that?"

She retracted the hand caressing his cheek to where her hands lay pressed against his chest. She must have been able to feel how wild his hear was beating, but she showed no indication. Instead, her smile left her face as her eyes turned sad, "You really can't tell?"

Ed grimaced. Taylor looked ready to cry at any moment. Somehow, he had said the wrong thing. Damn it. He had to fix this. "Uh, you know me! This early in the morning always makes me brain dead! For me to understand anything you have to just about beat it into me…which I sincerely hope you don't take too literally."

A soft smile graced her lips, "No, I'm not going to beat you. There's another way I can get my point across." Completely surprising Ed, she closed the inches between them and pressed her lips against his.

Ed could not believe it. Taylor was kissing him. Taylor was kissing him! Ed had never had time for relationships or things like that so this was his first kiss. The emotions the contact spurred twirled inside of him. He felt vulnerable, yet safe. Empowered, but weak at the same time. And many more conflicted feelings. But one feeling among the others stood out. It was a warmth spreading through his system in a gentle haze, almost like how he felt when he performed alchemy but this was so much more. This feeling filled him with a calming intensity that urged him to simply stay for a while and relish this moment.

Taylor eased back and stared up at Ed from under her eyelashes. "Now do you see?" she asked quietly.

Ed nodded slowly, reeling from the intoxicating feelings Taylor had aroused within him. Through his befuddled mind, Ed realized what she meant. Taylor liked him. And she wanted her feelings to be, at the very least, acknowledged by him. She hoped fiercely that he actually returned the sentiment. He could see this in her eyes and the way she held her breath in waiting.

Ed considered these thoughts. This was an entirely new experience for him. If he was smart then he would go back to the way things were and forget this ever happened. It would be more rational for him to do this. He had a job to do and he didn't need any distractions. But Ed didn't care. He couldn't think of anything more important to do than to reignite that electricity they had created between them. That warm sensation that flooded his senses and made him feel like he was flying.

Taylor took his long pause as a sign of rejection. She shifted to get off of the bed. Without thinking about it, Ed grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him. He saw the surprise in her bright eyes a moment before he placed his mouth back over hers. Taylor responded after another moment, settling into the kiss with ease. Her hands clutched at the fabric of his shirt as she tried to get as close as possible to him. The blood pumped through Ed's veins hot and fast as his lips moved in rhythm with hers. This all felt so new to him, yet natural at the same time. He wondered how he had went his whole life without this. Without her. This was something Ed never wanted to go without ever. If he could, Ed would stay here like this with Taylor until the end of time. He wanted this to last as long as possible because it had been so long since he had felt anything similar to this. For most of his life, Ed had lived in pain and sorrow and agonizing loss. With Taylor he felt none of those things. For the first time in a long time, Edward felt whole.

"Edward!"

"Wha-!" Ed sat up in alarm, breathing harshly.

"Get up! We've got to go meet Al at the library." Taylor told him from where she stood in the bathroom brushing her hair.

Ed looked around confused. He was still in bed but somehow Taylor had gotten across the room and was fully dressed. How could…

"Oh." Ed said, understanding dawning on him.

"What is it?" Taylor asked.

Ed's face reddened as he averted his eyes, "Nothing. I just had the strangest dream is all…"

Hee, hee. I feel so evil.