HELLO! :D And now its time to do one of my fav chapters. LET'S GO SHOPPING! I know this might sound a little silly, but I think its about time Ed got some girly stuff. AND NOW...on with the show ;).

Chapter 5

Edward watched Elisia from across the table. She hadn't seen her in a few years and the little girl had grown into a vibrant five year old. Now that she was getting older Ed could see more and more of Maes in Elisia's features. She had her mother's hair and face, but her eyes and smile were definitely her father's. Elisia was currently working on her homework, writing the letter 'E.' She finished and pushed the paper at Ed. "Can you check it for me?" she asked.

Ed smiled and turned the paper so she could read it. "Mmm…this one and this one are backwards…that one needs to be bigger because it's a capital…and the rest look good. Nice job." Ed slid the paper back to her and she furiously erased her mistakes and fixed them.

"Ed."

She stood up when Gracia came into the room, followed by Hawkeye. The lieutenant had been explaining the situation in the other room while Ed kept Elisia company.

"Yeah." Edward stood up and Gracia came over and really seriously looked at her before smiling.

"It's wonderful to see you," she said and reached out to squeeze her shoulders affectionately. "And look at you! You're arms back and Riza said Al's back." She wiped her eye as she started to tear up. "I never knew about what happened with your mother or Al's body. You two went through so much. I'm so glad you're alright."

Edward smiled back sheepishly. "I'm sorry we never told you. Maes knew but the less people aware the safer they'd be. We couldn't put you and Elisia at risk."

"Oh I know," Gracia said and waved her hand at him. "But it seems you need our help now. You helped us so much and I'm happy to return the favor."

Elisia had been watching all of this with interest. "Mommy?" she wondered aloud. She had been a bit too young to remember Ed or Al clearly. She remembered the Big Metal Man and his brother who were her friends.

"Honey is your homework done?" Gracia asked and Elisia held up the paper. "Wonderful job sweety. Do you think you could give the grown-ups some time to talk? Why don't you go work on your painting?" The little girl nodded and skipped out of the kitchen.

"Painting?" Ed asked as she, Riza, and Gracia took a seat at the table.

"Elisia has quite a talent. She's been drawing since she could hold a crayon so I bought her a child's easel. She made that one." Gracia nodded to the picture on the fridge showing her and her mother. It was very well done for a five year old. The older woman steered the conversation back towards Edward. "So what is it we can help you with Ed?"

"I guess," Edward floundered a bit in her chair. "I need to learn how to be a woman. I've lived my whole life as a man after all. There's the obvious physical differences, but I guess there's a lot of other things too."

"I think I understand what you're talking about," Gracia said. "But I don't think we can just explain it to you. I think you need to experience how to be a woman. So how about instead we do something?"

"We could go dress shopping," Riza suggested. "You don't have many clothes do you Ed."

Edward was not one for that idea. The last couple times she'd been shopping with Winry, she'd been left carrying the bags and being decidedly bored. "I don't know," she whined. But Riza and Gracia were already grabbing their purses. "I'll go and get Elisia," Gracia said as she slipped from the room.

"I don't get how shopping is going to teach me how to be a woman," Edward huffed. "It just seems silly."

"Trust us Ed," Riza encouraged.

The shopping plaza in Central was packed with a multitude of people. There were some men and couples, but, Ed noted, the majority of the shoppers were women. Especially women in groups. While the solitary men got what they needed got the hell out, women perused and traveled in packs.

"Before you do anything, we need to get you a purse," Riza explained as they headed for a shoe and purse shop.

"Why?" Ed scoffed as she looked at the bags that Riza and Gracia carried. Even Elisia was toting a tiny pink purse that held a few coins and a hairbrush. The women looked at her with blank expressions for a moment.

"Well for one," Riza finally started to explain. "Women carry a lot more things than men." She opened her own purse for Ed to see. She had a brush, pen, pad of paper, tissues, lipstick, wallet, feminine products, and a whole host of other things tucked away in various pockets. "Men bring the bare necessities. Women are prepared for anything. Not to mention when a man does need something, he'll usually turn to a woman to see if she has it."

"Uh…right. So I need a purse with everything in it," Ed said already floundering in this new world she'd somehow found herself. "And I can't use my pockets because."

"Ed have you seen women's fashion?" Gracia asked. "We wear dresses, skirts, and tight pants with tiny little pockets that can barely hold a few coins. Women's clothing isn't designed to carry anything."

"Well that's stupid," Ed commented, but resignedly went into the shop and purchased a bag. It was a simple red leather one that reminded her of her coat. And next were shoes because "You can't possibly only have one pair. And boots at that." Apparently women needed to have a whole host of footwear for different occasions. So to stock up she got a pair of sandals, some green flats, and a simple pair of pumps. The pumps were about the only thing she did like because they added a good four inches to her height. The only issue had been finding shoes that fit her left automail leg.

Despite her reservations, Ed was starting to have a little bit of fun. It seemed the stores knew their audience and there were far more choices for women to choose from. Not only that but buying some new things made her feel good for a reason she couldn't quite explain.

Next they moved to a dress shop. It took quite a bit of convincing to get Ed to wear one dress, but Gracia insisted that all women should have two: one for formal occasions and one for more casual occasions.

"I look like a cupcake," Ed grumbled as the sales lady brought her out in a little summer dress. It was navy blue and ended at her knee with a pretty white rose pattern covering the material.

"No you look precious," the sales lady gushed and spun Ed around to look at herself in the mirror. "I think the blue looks wonderful with your hair. It compliments your natural features." Ed knew it was just a sales pitch but she had to admit the lady knew what she was talking about. She tilted her head to the side. Was that really her?

She was used to seeing her new female body in her typical male clothes, so the transformation wasn't as extreme. But dressed up like this her curves and breasts were amplified. The person in the mirror looked like a pretty mirage that miraculously shifted with her. She couldn't possibly look like that? Right? "I think I want to try another one on now," she said suddenly getting nervous at the sight of her own reflection.

The more formal dress was red. Riza thought that it would look the best on Ed. "A red dress on a woman is sexy. Black is formal. White is pure. Bright patterns are flamboyant," she explained. "People can pick up on this whether or not you want them too."

Gracia chimed in. "Oh yes. And don't forget when you sit with a dress you need to keep your legs together." She gestured to how she was sitting at that moment in her simple purple skirt.

"Don't I do that now?" Ed asked as she tried to remember which color meant which. This was getting complicated.

"No," Riza said. "You sit like a man with your legs open. When a woman does it, it seems vulgar."

"Ooo," Elisia cooed when Ed stepped out of the dressing room with the long formal dress on. It was sleeveless with a v-neck and a mermaid bottom that flared out around her. "You look preeeeetty."

"What am I going to even wear this too?" Ed said a bit exasperated. She felt like she was being squeezed around the middle.

"It's better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it," Gracia quoted as she came around and checked the fit.

They finally left with the dresses. Ed thought that would be it for the day, but Elisia wanted to go look at makeup. She was too young to wear it, but she told Ed that it was still fun to look. She grabbed Ed's hand and pulled her into the shop where she was immediately assaulted by sales assistants. They held out bottles, creams, and powders that seemed to do everything from make her young forever to make any man she desired fall for her.

"Nope!" Ed said and tried to make a break for it. "Shoes, purse, and dresses. Fine. Make-up. Hell No!" Riza caught her collar and dragged her back into the shop. "I almost never wear make-up and I still have lipstick." After a half hour, Ed finally managed to escape, but only after having procured two lipstick. She looked at the metal capsules in her new purse and sighed.

"I still don't understand what this has to do with being a woman," she grumbled.

"It doesn't make a whole lot of sense now, but it will," Gracia said. "What we need is an event you can wear some of this too." She pursed her lips as she thought. "Oh! Riza isn't the Military Ball coming up soon."

"No!" Ed said, holding up her hands. "Absolutely not!"

"I'll be perfect. You can wear the heels and the red dress. We'll just need one of the men to take you since you're no longer enlisted," Riza insisted as they started the walk back to Gracia's home together, Elisia skipped along ahead of them swinging her tiny purse around as she did. "Not Havoc. He'd see it as another date and a c'mon to keep pursuing you."

Ed made a face. "Yeah no thanks. I like Havoc as a friend. The end. And I don't want any other man taking me on a date," she said. "Besides I like women."

Gracia raised an eyebrow at this. "Yes. I would think you would, but have you really considered it since you made the change," she asked.

Ed paused. Her sexuality had never been an issue she had to ponder. She'd never had a relationship or sex or anything like that. The most he'd ever done was kiss Winry on a dare when they were kids. He'd liked it. But as Winry had explained, once she became a girl the feelings towards her friend had become neutral.

She'd always felt rather asexual in general because there had never been time to explore her sexuality. There was always a mission, always a quest, always something to do. Not to mention that any kind of sexual gratification had made her feel guilty with her brother in a body where he couldn't feel anything.

Did she like men or women now?

"I don't know. I guess I'm okay with both if I'm really honest with myself," Ed said finally.

Riza nodded. "Well at any rate, I think the only person who can take you to the ball is Roy. He's the only one that knows who you really are," she said.

"Why can't you take me!?" Ed pleaded. "We can just go as friends. Please." Riza laughed. "No Edward. The Military Ball is far too formal for civilians to go as 'just friends.' Besides Fuery already asked me to accompany him."

"But why does it have to be Mustang?" Edward said and made a face.

"Because he's the only one that won't try anything," Riza explained. "He won't see it as a date if we explain everything to him. Just trust us."

Edward rubbed her eyes and tried to imagine herself in a dress with Roy Mustang looking like a penguin beside her. She just didn't see it. It was too weird. "Do I have to?" Edward moaned in one last fleeting attempt at escape.

"Yes," Riza and Gracia said together with such stern stares that she didn't dare argue again.