I'm back!

I honestly thought I would never get around to starting the sequel, yet here it is. On one fateful night, I started rereading A Little Less Ordinary and all of the reviews. I was hit with motivation and ideas so I jumped right into writing this. I already have seven chapters written (some need to get edited though) and I'll be starting on the eighth tonight. I just want to say thank you to all of the people who have read and reviewed A Little Less Ordinary. You guys helped get the sequel out with your kind words, so thank you. You guys are all awesome.

Whoever hasn't read A Little Less Ordinary, I recommend that you read that first before this one. It will offer more insight to what is happening in this story. I know the first few chapters are completely cringe worthy since I was young when I started writing it but it does get better. I have thought about rewriting those chapters as well, I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Let's get this started, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of it's characters.


Chapter One

It's Not Over

"Good morning sunshine!"

Groaning, I squeezed my eyes shut, trying hard to ignore the voice coming from in front of me and the pestering hand shaking my shoulder. The sunlight streaming in through the window and hitting my eyelids only made my headache worse, causing me to release another moan from my lips.

In front of me, the voice chuckled, "I know that we had quite a few drinks last night, but you gotta get up now. It's already twelve and I know that you wanted to do some running around today."

Flashbacks came to me when his words entered my ears. Conversations, drinks, the chorus of shots coming from around the table. Stumbling, falling into bed, and a voice chuckling as he tucked my drunk self in.

Well, now I knew why my brain hated me.

I reluctantly forced my eyes open and they took a moment to focus on the figure before me. The young mans tan face split into a grin at the sight of me giving in to the waking world and I simply stared blankly back at him. He looked completely unharmed from the night of festivities we had last night with some coworkers; completely rested and already his fun-loving self. I, on the other hand, just wanted the sun to shut off and to curl back up to go back to sleep.

"I still don't understand how you don't get hungover. You must be a mutant or something," I grumbled, pushing myself into a sitting position.

He laughed, "You're the one that kept wanting to drink. Don't get mad at me because you feel like crap."

I sighed. He did have a point there.

"Okay, okay. Just let me shower so I can feel like a normal human being before I get as smiley as you. Seriously Jake, you may be my boyfriend, but you're happy go lucky attitude right now just makes me want to punch you," I said, pushing the blankets off me to get up.

He merely chuckled again, standing from the spot on the floor where he was kneeling in front of me. As I made my way to the bathroom, he plopped down onto the bed I had just vacated and pulled out his phone. Most likely to scroll through Facebook.

I closed the bathroom door and winced when my head gave another painful throb. I really overdid it the night before, but hey, it was a fun time. I didn't exactly have too many nights like that since I usually just spent my free time at home.

While I waited for the water in the shower to heat up, I downed some Tylenol to at least try to help the splitting in my skull. Damn Jake. I wished I had his mutant abilities of not getting a hangover. It would have really saved me from many unpleasant mornings.

Once undressed, I hopped into the now warm water of the shower and a sigh escaped my lips as all my tense muscles began to relax. Although Jakes always overly cheerful personality could be off putting at times, I was thankful that miraculously we had found each other. Strangely, or maybe as fate would have it, we met not long after I burned that letter. Perhaps a sign from the universe that I truly was on the track of moving on? Honestly, who knows. It didn't change the fact that, for the first time in a long time, I was having feelings for a boy. And I wasn't fighting it.

I smiled at the memories resurfacing in my mind. Jake had started working at the same place that I worked at and, though we were in different departments, he always found a way to talk to me. At first, I was reserved. I tried to stay polite but I wasn't really an open person anymore. My walls stayed up. However, as time went on with him continuing to be determined to talk to me they slowly started to crumble down. He made me laugh with his goofy jokes and slowly I started to find myself looking forward to our talks. And then, suddenly, I realized that I was starting to really like this brown haired, hazel eyed young man.

To think that it had already been about 6 months since he first asked me out. Although when I agreed I was still a bit hesitant about the whole thing, I was happy I did agree in the end. He had helped me far more than I could have ever imagined. He helped to pull me out of my shell more and I found myself agreeing to go out with friends or coworkers much more quickly. I didn't feel so lonely anymore.

I stepped out of the shower feeling much more refreshed and a lot more like a normal human being again. After wrapping myself in a towel, I stepped over to the mirror to take a moment to stare at myself. My green eyes scanned over the pale face reflected at me and I began to find it strange that the girl that I had become accustomed to looking at in the mirror was starting to look more and more like a woman with each day that passed. It was so strange to think that I was already twenty years old. I had my own place, a job, and, unfortunately, my own bills to pay. Adulthood was harder than I expected and by no means did I feel like an adult.

I shook my head to try and rid myself of those thoughts. I needed to start getting ready for the day. Even if I didn't want to, I needed to adult today and do some running around.


My front door gave a creak as I pulled it closed after me and I turned to lock it. While I was fighting with the old lock, Jake continued heading toward the car parked in front of my apartment with a box held in his hands. After I managed to get the deadbolt locked, I followed him, taking a deep breath of the refreshing cool air. I couldn't help but feel relieved that it was now Spring. I was starting to get really pissed off with the snow everywhere and the cold. Oh, how I hated the cold.

When I reached Jake next to the car, I realized that he was having some issues with trying to juggle the cardboard in his hands and retrieve his keys from his pocket. I chuckled slightly, pulling the deceivingly heavy box from his hands so that he could have a much easier time with unlocking his car.

"What's in there anyways?" He asked as he pulled the backdoor open for me.

"Just some old stuff from when I was in school. I'm tired of it taking up space in my closet so I decided to finally get rid of it," I lied, placing the box onto the backseat.

Although I was ready for this box to stop taking up much needed storage space, it wasn't exactly notes from school. It was all the alchemy books and notes from all those years ago. I had finally found the strength to completely rid myself of all traces that were left behind by those two brothers. Maybe one day I would have told Jake the truth, though I would have left out the bit about them being from another world. Saying that would most likely land me with an appointment with a psychologist.

"You went to school?! My god, I would have never guessed..." He jokingly exclaimed, that grin returning onto his face.

"Oh, shut up, you ass. Like you're one to talk," I retorted, slapping his arm playfully.

He fake pouted at me as we both moved to get into the car and I stuck my tongue out at him in return.

Our relationship was usually full of little teasing comments such as that. We could be sweet to each other, and, my god, was he ever such a sweetheart when we first started seeing each other. Opening doors for me, taking me out to dinner, compliments, the whole nine yards. At the beginning, I loved it, but as time went on I started noticing that that wasn't quite the young man that I had all those goofy conversations with at work. When I brought it up to him, asking why he had changed when we first started dating, he merely blinked at me. Then he laughed.

"But I thought girls liked that kind of guy?"

I smiled at the memory, remembering that after he said that I had whacked his shoulder and called him an idiot. But he was my idiot.

After that night, everything just kind of fell into place. We were much more comfortable around each other when he wasn't going out of his way to be someone he wasn't and do everything within his power to impress me. We learned more and more about the other person and connected better than I could have ever imagined.

However, no matter how comfortable I was with him, I doubted I would be ready to tell him about those two brothers and the impact they had on my life for a while. All he really knew was that I had a rough time when I was in school and he just nodded in understanding. I didn't even have to say that I wasn't ready to talk about it, he just knew.

The starting of the engine broke me out of my thoughts and I looked over as Jake reached over to turn on the radio as well. Some hit single started playing and, though I didn't know the name, I recognized it immediately. How could I not? The damn song was overplayed everywhere I went.

That didn't seem to bother Jake.

I stared out the window as Jake drove through town, tapping his hands against the steering wheel in rhythm with the music playing on the radio. Occasionally, he would start singing along as well, completely out of tune and over the top. I merely smiled at his antics.

"Come on Kat! Sing with me!" Jake exclaimed, taking a hand off the wheel to turn the volume up on the radio.

I laughed, "Hell no. You don't want to hear me sing."

"Please?" He adopted the fake pout again, turning to look at me when he came to stop at a red light.

"I don't even know the words," I shrugged, laughing still. Actually, I did, considering how overplayed it was.

"So? Make up your own words. Make it your own!"

At that, he began to put his own twist to the song and I couldn't help but burst out laughing at the ridiculous words he was spewing. He tried to continue with his version but ended up joining in with my laughing. As the light turned green, his laughing slowed a bit, and he pulled further into the intersection as he waited for a chance to turn left.

"You're an idiot," I chuckled.

"Well if that's your way of saying you like me, then I think you're an idiot too," He responded.

I smiled again. This boy created such a warmth within me. I could never thank him enough for everything that he had done and continued to do for me.

Suddenly, a loud bang erupted from the left side of the vehicle and the car jolted violently. Before I could even let out a scream, everything began spinning. My vision went black as my body seemed to become a rag doll, thrown this way and that within the constraints of my seat belt. The sound of crunching metal and shattering glass were the only noises that my ears could pick up. The noises were sickening but there was nothing that I could do. I could hardly even think within that unending spinning turmoil.

Finally, after what felt like years, the car rolled to a stop. Then there was just silence.

My whole body felt numb. I couldn't breathe. My head swam as I tried to regroup myself from whatever the hell just happened. Was I okay? Did a car hit us? Is that it? This was a car accident?

Oh god, is Jake okay?!

My eyes shot open at that thought and it took all my willpower not to slam them back shut at the sudden painful throbbing in my head. I winced, starting to realize just how much my body ached, especially my chest and head. My lungs still struggled with the process of breathing and all I could really do was gasp, trying my best to get oxygen into them. I began to panic, further hindering the possibility of breathing properly.

The car was no longer upright and I found myself suspended upside down, my seat belt being the only thing still holding me in my seat. There was broken glass and papers strewn everywhere, as well as specks of red. Was that…blood? Was it mine? Or…?

With bleary eyes, I turned my head to the left. There Jake hung upside down next to me, but his eyes weren't open. He was covered in gashes and there was blood splattered across his face. Even though his wounds looked painful, there was no sign of pain on his face. He looked serene hanging there upside down, almost as if he was just sleeping. The image before me only made my panic more intense.

"Jake…" I rasped out, still gasping. "Jake…!"

Ignoring the pain in my limbs, I started to fumble around in search of the button to release my seat belt. It took a few minutes since I still couldn't think too clearly and my movements were controlled by my panic. Finally, I found it, and clicked myself free. In doing so, I fell to the roof of the car, causing another surge of pain through me.

Trying to ignore the pain, I rolled over onto my hands and knees. The broken glass littering the roof of the car dug into my skin but I struggled forward. I had to make sure he was okay. I had to!

"Jake!"

Hot tears poured down my face when I still didn't receive a response. I shuffled forward a bit more, reaching out to him with one hand. My other hand landed on some papers that had flown from the box during the crash, causing them to crumple under my weight. I paid no mind and placed my hand on the unconscious boy's arm, praying that he would wake up.

Then there was a light.

I wasn't sure where it was coming from at first nor did I particularly care. But as the light grew more intense, I was forced to look away from the brunette in front of me. When I realized just what it was I could feel my stomach churn.

The paper beneath my hand had an extremely intricate circle drawn onto it, though the circle was partially hidden behind splatters of blood. It was also the source of the burning light. Sparks began to fly up around my bloodied hand and the light only continued to grow stronger with each passing second. My heart thumped inside my chest. I knew what this was.

Alchemy.

But how…?

I jerked my head back up toward Jake. I couldn't even get to call out his name one last time before the light swallowed me into oblivion.