Winry forced a shopping list into her husband's hand, Ed looked down. He was always surprised at how strong she was. "Make sure you follow this list." She said.
"I will." Ed said.
Winry gave him and knowing look and kissed his lips. "I'll see you soon." She said.
Ed nodded. "I won't be long, don't worry." He said.
Ed put on his coat and felt a hand tug on the brown sleeve. Nina looked up at her dad with her golden eyes. "Can I go to?" she asked him.
"To the market?" he asked.
Nina, now five, nodded with determination.
"Won't that be boring?" Ed asked his youngest.
"Not if I'm with daddy it won't!" she beamed with a brilliant smile.
"Ok, go tell your mummy that you're coming along as well." Ed said. Nina ran off and ran back as quickly as she left. "Ready?"
Nina got her breath back. "Mummy said that you have to follow the list." She said.
Ed laughed and held his hand which Nina took. "Let's go!"
They walked down the road, Nina chatting away about how exciting it was going shopping with daddy! Suddenly Nina stopped at the top of the village.
Edward looked down and saw the busy market, he looked down to his daughter, she looked scared. He knelt beside her. "What's wrong?"
Suddenly Nina started crying. "I don't want to go, I'm scared." She cried. Ed gave her a hug, he didn't to turn back now that he was nearly there. "I want to go home!" she yelled.
Ed forced a smile. "Tell you what? Why don't I give you a piggyback through the market and I'll let you pick out some sweets."
Nina's eyes lit up, she wiped her tears. "Really?" she asked.
Ed nodded, he stood up and adjusted his bag. "I promise." He said.
"I can really have sweets?" she asked. Ed nodded. "Yay! Piggyback and sweets!"
Ed let Nina jump onto his back and picky backed her down the hill while she chanted a little song.
"Sweets, sweets I love sweets . . ."
The market was packed as Ed and his daughter made their way through the crowds of people. Nina pointed at a sweet stall. "I want them!" she insisted.
"We'll get sweet after we've got everything on the list." Ed said. "You know what your mum is like."
Nina pouted but nodded. Winry Elric was not someone to mess with.
Edward walked over to the fruit and veg stall and was looking at the veg.
"Can I help you with anything?" A woman in a green apron asked him.
"I think I'm alright, but thank you." Ed said, smiling at the woman.
"Hi! I'm shopping with my dad." Nina told her.
"You must be a very helpful young lady." The woman said.
"Oh I am!" Nina said.
Ed put his daughter down. "Nina do you want to help me?" Nina nodded. "Okay, can you grab me six apples. You can pick them." He said.
Nina ran and returned carefully carrying six apples in a pyramid, she nearly tripped but Ed managed to catch her and the apples as well.
"Be careful Nina!"
"I AM!"
Nina put the fruit in the back and Ed sent her for the next item. This continued till they had everything they need, Ed paid and thanked the lady.
"SWEEEEETS!" Nina yelled as they walked away from the stall.
"Not yet we still need a few more things." Ed said.
After getting flour, sugar, milk and bread and other raw ingredients they went to the butchers. Ed looked down on the list, it didn't specify which meat.
"Nina, what meat should we get?" Ed asked.
"Hugh likes chicken, I like cows and so does mummy, you like chickens too." She said slowly, thinking through each person carefully.
Ed nodded. "Your very clever for remembering all of that." he said. Nina beamed at her dad as he ruffled her hair. He paid for the meat and checked the list.
"Look Nina." Ed said showing the crossed off list.
"Does that mean?"
"Yes, you can some sweets now." Ed said.
"YAAASSS!" Nina raised her arms in triumph.
They went to sweet shop and Nina's eyes grew three sizes as she walked through the door. She wandered around the shop several times, inspecting every sweet with care before coming back with three bags of sweets.
Ed looked at his daughter confused. "Nina I said you could have one, three is too many. Put two of them back."
Nina huffed. "Daddy you're an idiot. The others are for Hugh and Mummy, they like sweets too." She reasoned.
Ed smiled and took the bags from her. "Ok then. Why don't you pick something for me? I know you'll make the right decision."
Nina took on the challenge and she waked around several times before turning up with two more bags. "I couldn't decide between these two." She said.
Edward looked at the sweets; one was a bag of milk bottles, the other toffee bon bons. Ed loved milk bottles as much as he loved milk. He looked from one bag to the other and then to his daughters cheeky face. He pointed to the bon bons and she sighed relieved.
"I thought it would be those." She said.
"Then why pick up the milk bottles?" he asked.
Nina looked away. "Mummy said you used to have hissy fits when you didn't want to drink your milk."
Ed smiled. "When I was a kid yeah, but I'm a grown up now. I may not like them but other people do." he said.
They walked from the shop after paying for the sweets.
"Dad?"
"Yes Nina?"
"Are you short because you didn't drink your milk?" she asked. Ed stopped walking "I'm not short anymore." He said and picked up his daughter, tickling her. "D dad, stop. Stop it!" she laughed. "STOP!" she said.
Ed put her down. "Come on let's get home and show mum and Hugh our surprise."
"Just don't ruin it! And drink more milk! You'll grow even taller then!" Nina said holding onto her dad's hand.
"I won't" he said.
When they arrived home, Ed put away the shopping with Nina's help.
Winry came out of her workshop and Nina ran and wrapped her arms around her mum's legs. "Dad and me got a present for everyone!" she announced.
"Okay, go and get your brother and you can give them to everyone."
Nina ran off and Winry came into the kitchen and hugged her husband from behind. "Did Nina convince you to buy sweets?" she asked.
Ed gulped and Winry leaned next to him on the kitchen counter. She looked up at Ed "Maybe . . ." he said. She rolled her eyes and sighed, she was unsurprised.
"What did I do to deserve you?" he asked. He leaned down and kissed her.
"You came home alive." Winry said. The couple smiled at each other, Winry pulled away "They're not allowed any till after dinner." She said as she went to sit in the living room.
"I'll bring us some tea." Ed yelled a great big smile on his face.
Ed bought through tea as Nina stood in front of her family and handed out the bags of sweets.
Winry took the sweets of everyone. "You can have three now and the rest after dinner."
Everyone ate their ration and eagerly waited for dinner, so that they could have the rest. Nina kept moaning about it but stopped when Ed reminded her that she could still have them just "not yet", a concept she was struggling to understand.
After dinner she ate them like she'd never eaten anything in her life.
"Thank you for your help today Nina," Ed said as he tucked his daughter into bed.
"It was fun." She said.
"Good to hear." He said. "Goodnight Nina, sleep well."
"Goodnight dad." She said.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead before leaving the room and turning the light off.
"Wait, leave it on. I'll turn it off when I've finished reading my alchemy book."
"Okay, don't stay up too late." Ed said as he shut the door with the promised he would check on her, he knew what he was like when he was younger.
Winry checked on Nina an hour later, she had fallen asleep, the book in her hands. She tucked her daughter up close and carefully put the book on the bedside table. Winry smiled, she was glad that Ed was such a good and patient father. She shut the door quietly and went to bed herself.
