Kat here. I have decided at long last to try my hand at a chaptered FMA fic. This whole story is going to revolve around "Those Nights" by Skillet and all coming chapters will not only stem from that song, but another Skillet song that will be the chatper title. I'm horribly worried about my character Jessi. I'm scared she's going to be to clingy...I'm trying to keep Edward in charcter too, and feel as if I'm failing that also. So please let me know. I don't want a "Yoor stooOpid U need 2 quit riting!11!" type review. If you have a sugestion/complaint/comment tell me in normal English and it will be duly noted. thatnks so much! Please enjoy!

Pairings: EdXOC

Warnings: Abuse, attempted rape, drunkenness, violence, blood.

Comments: I'm going ahead and rating this fic "M" even if it's more of a "T" right now. I don't know one-hundred percent what all I'm going to do yet, but there just might be some M stuff in here later...~_^

*Edit* Wall 'O Text ish gone! Bwahahahahaha

*Edit II* I went back and re-wrote some over the top hyperbole that made no sense, and added the Lyrics for "Those Nights" By Skillet- the title song for this story.

Giggling a young girl of about five ran across the grass, red hair streaming behind her.

"Jessi get back here!" A boy about her age ran behind her his blond hair glinting in the sun.

"Nuh uh! You're going to have to catch me first Ed!" Another girl walked up and spoke to another blond boy, this one sitting giggling under a tree as he watched the two run.

"What happened this time, Al?" The blond girl questioned. Al sighed.

"Jessie called brother short again." About that time a loud

"Gottcha!" was heard followed by an

"Eep!" Turning from their conversation the two children look to their friends to see the boy had indeed "caught" the girl. When he ran to grab her shirt he had tripped causing him to fall, taking the girl down with him. Blushing the two got up off the ground. From two houses parents called

"Ed, Al!" and "Winry!" Jessi's house was silent.

"Bye Jessi! See you tomorrow!" Ed and Al yelled as they ran to their house. Winry waved over her shoulder

"See you tomorrow!"

"Bye guys!" Jessi called after her friends. Watching the sun set she dreaded going home. She didn't understand why her parents hated her. Sighing she stood and walked home in the fading light. When she walked in the door she was greeted with

"Jessica! Where have you been?" Whimpering she replied

"O-outside playing…" The man she called father came crashing into the room.

"With who?" Flinching at being yelled at she timidly answered,

"Ed and Al." Bending down he grabbed Jessi's arm.

"Stay away from them you hear me?" Crying the little girl asked

"But, they're my friends, why?" With that he backhanded her

"Just like your mother, may she rot in Hell." With that he stumbled to get another drink and stumbled to the living room. Jessi sat with her back to the door, crying, waiting to hear the snores of her dad. That gave her the signal it was safe to leave. Once he was asleep she opened the door as quietly as she could and ran to Ed and Al's house. Timidly she knocked on the door.

"Yes, who, Oh! Jessi, it's you." Ms. Trisha answered the door. Seeing the tear-stained face of the child she scooped her up.

"What's wrong dear?" Looking up the girls red hair no longer hid her face, revealing the bruise on her face.

"Daddy got mad." Ms. Trisha was strangely quiet before kissing the bruised cheek.

"The boys are getting ready for bed, why don't you go say hi?" Nodding Jessi went up the stairs to the brothers' room. The boys were shocked, but happy, to see their friend.

"Jessi! What are you doing here?" Al asked. Once again her bruise was revealed.

"Daddy got angry; I was scared so I came here." Al traced the bruise lightly with a finger.

"Did your daddy do this?" Tears falling Jessi nodded.

"He's a bastard." Al gasp at his brother's language.

"Brother! That's not nice!"

"Well it's true Al! Who else would hit his kid? Not that ours is much better, leaving mom like he did." Ed crossed his arms. It was about that time that Ed and Al's usually soft-spoken mother started yelling. Whimpering Jessi covered her ears and fell to her knees. Ed knelt beside her and wrapped an arm around her.

"It's ok Jess, Al and I will protect you. Won't we Al?"

"Yea!" an enthusiastic Alphonse answered. Clutching Ed's shirt Jessi managed a weak "Thanks." The room was silent except for Jessi's quieting crying.

"I hear mom coming." Al said breaking the silence. Ed just nodded. The door opened to reveal Trisha.

"Jessi, dear, you're spending the night tonight. Doesn't that sound fun?" A small tear-stained face looked up from the safety of her protector's chest.

"Really?"

"Yep." All three kids looked excited. Kissing all three children on the forehead she said "Now, go to bed ok?" Nodding all three children scrambled to get into bed. Trisha laughed as she heard her son's argue over who she was going share a bed with. Ah the innocence of children. After ensuring the house was locked up, she returned upstairs to go to bed herself, and check on the children one last time. Opening the door a crack she smiled at the sight. It appeared that Edward had won; Jessi lay next to him in his small bed. They really were cute together. Her heart marginally lighter Trisha closed the door and went to bed.

Jessi, now fifteen, stood looking out the window. Unfortunatly that was not the last time she had to take refuge in the Elric home. Edward would always stay up with her when she couldn't sleep though. It was sweet. He was her best friend. She hadn't seen him since he left to go find an alchemy teacher shortly after his and Al's mom had died. True to his promise he did write her letters though. Jessi was still confused as to why she rated a letter and Winry didn't but she didn't question it. She missed that innocence, that naivety, of childhood. Shortly before Trisha died Jessi found out why her dad hated her. She wasn't his. Her green eyes came from her mom, but her mom was blond, and her dad was black haired and blue eyed. She was the product of an affair her mom had. Shortly after Jessi was born her mom ran away with her lover. As she grew older the insults that had always been directed to her mom, bitch, whore, slut, began to be directed at her, the beatings were worse too. Glancing at the desk where she kept her letters from Ed she realized just how much she missed her "protector" and best friend. She even missed the soft-spoken Al.

"Bitch! You better have left for the store! I won't accept for dinner to be late again!" Apathetic to the yelling she walked out the door, and to the town. Sighing she stopped at the general store to get the food needed and the mail. Smiling at the letter on top of the stack she folded it and stuck it in her back pocket so her dad wouldn't find it, as he had long ago banned her from speaking with the blond brothers, Winry too for that matter. Picking up the groceries she hurried home, just because she was now apathetic to the yelling and beatings didn't mean they hurt any less. Jessi made it home in record time and soon had dinner on the table. When it was safe she ran to her room and locked the door. Pulling her treasure out of her back pocket she opened it, waiting to hear of the adventures of her friends

Jess,

What do you mean? Your last letter confused me. That bastard is still beating you isn't he? Some protector I am, I can't even protect you from some old guy. See I do remember that night. I don't know why you were so desperate for me to remember, how could I forget? I got to go, Colonel Bastard is yelling for me. Stay safe ok? Don't do anything to piss your old man off ok? I'll get you out, somehow…

Edward

Jessi smiled, he remembered. She was tracing the words of Ed's letter when her door hit the wall, whatever her father had intended to yell was halted when he saw the letter.

"What is that?" he bellowed.

"A letter." Jessi knew smarting off wasn't the wisest choice, but she had enough.

"From!" She stood looking her old man in the eye.

"Edward."

"Lying Bitch! You're a whore, just like your mother!" He backhanded her, like he had so many times before, causing Jessi to land on the floor. She watched as he tore the letter into tiny pieces. That did it, she was sick of it. He beat her, he treated her like trash. She was going to leave, tonight. However it appeared her father wasn't done.

"You're a whore, just like your mother. You know what whores do don't you?" Jessi froze, he was kidding right? Obviously he wasn't as he began to drunkenly fumble with his belt. Jessi looked around for something, anything that could save her. She was pressed to the wall between her desk and bookshelf. As he began to fumble with her pants she began to panic.

"Oh, God. Help me." She thought. In a last ditch effort she pushed him away, he just laughed. Her broken bookshelf…she pushed the heavy case over and it with dozens of heavy volumes fell on the man. Shaking she covered her mouth and slid down the wall as blood pooled out from under the books. She had to get out of here. Grabbing a bag she stuffed it full of clothes, and Edward's letters. Jessi then ran to her dad's room and took the stash of money she knew he had hidden. She needed her protector, her friend, she needed Edward. She was going to Central.

Nervously Jessi stood on the platform. What had seemed like a good idea at the time, now was showing some major flaws, such as, she didn't know where Edward was. She could try the military base, but she doubt they would let her in. Sitting on a bench she began crying softly, flinching when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Um, excuse me miss. Are you lost?" She looked up at the owner of the kind voice. He wore round glasses, had black hair, an innocent air about him, and he was in uniform.

"Um, actually, I was wondering, I…" Jessi trailed off.

"I came to see Edward Elric, what did he tell me his title was he was so proud of it, um, FullMetal! That's it. Do you happen to know him? He doesn't know I'm coming, it was kind of unexpected…"

"Edward?" The young military man questioned.

"Yea, he's blond, his brother Al goes everywhere with him, he's really sensitive about his height…" The young man laughed.

"Yea, that's our Edward. Come with me, we're expecting him in the office later today. I'm Fury by the way, Kain Fury."

"Jessi, just Jessi." She responded.

"No last name?" She shook her head.

"No, it's a long story. I rather not speak of it if you don't mind." Nodding he led her to Central HQ. Jessi was amazed at how efficient everything was run. Fury stopped outside a door, causing Jessi to almost run into him. She flinched when she heard yelling until,

"You bastard! You did that on purpose!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She knew that voice, Edward. She looked at Fury,

"May I?" "If you really want to get involved…" Fury looked nervous, she wondered why; Ed was harmless…most of the time… Opening the door she slipped in. Immediately six pairs of eyes looked in her direction, all but the ones she cared about. She ran and tackled her friend

"What the hell! Who are you! Get off…Jessi?" Crying and nodding she clung to her friend.

"Well, it looks like FullMetal got himself a girlfriend."

"Shut it you bastard, you have no idea what the hell you're talking about!" Edward led her to the couch that was nearby.

"Jessi, calm down, look at me." Jessi took a shuttering breath and looked up. She watched as Ed's eyes took in the multitude of cuts and bruises on her face. "That bastard! I'm going to kill him. Why didn't you tell me it was this bad! I would have gotten you out of there; you could have gone to Winry's, something, anything Jessi." Meekly she answered

"I'm out now aren't I?" Ed ruffled her hair.

"Yea, you are." But the look he gave her clearly said "This isn't over."

"Whoa, FullMetal. Who is she, and just who are you planning to kill." Edward glared at the older man.

"Mustang, this is Jessi, my and Al's best friend, and I'm going to kill that drunken bastard that is her poor excuse for a father."

"You don't need too…" she mumbled. Ed looked at her.

"What?"

"Those Nights"

I remember when
We used to laugh
About nothing at all
It was better than going mad
From trying to solve all the problems we're going through
Forget 'em all
Cause on those nights we would stand and never fall
Together we faced it all
Remember when we'd

[Chorus:]
Stay up late and we'd talk all night
In a dark room lit by the TV light
Through all the hard times in my life
Those nights kept me alive

We'd listen to the radio play all night
Didn't want to go home to another fight
Through all the hard times in my life
Those nights kept me alive

I remember when
We used to drive
Anywhere but here
As long as we'd forget our lives
We were so young and confused that we didn't know
To laugh or cry
Those nights were ours
They will live and never die
Together we'd stand forever
Remember when we'd

[Bridge:]
Those nights belong to us
There's nothing wrong with us

I remember when
We used to laugh
And now I wish those nights would last