FicWad

I found it really strange that my aunt's name is Linda and apparently, that's Frank's mom's name, too....weird. Anyway, on with the ending.

Waking up in a hospital room, completely disoriented and with horrible pain in your upper back is never a good thing.

And Dani Santos was no exception to that rule. She opened her eyes slowly, not sure who she would see or if she would see anyone at all.

Frank was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, dozing off. Next to him was someone she barely recognized, it had been that long. "Aunt Linda?" she whispered.

Linda turned her head at the noise and blinked a few times. "Oh, thank God. Dani..."

Sentimental reunions were nice and all, but not what Dani needed. "How'd I get in here?"

Her aunt gulped. "Well...you...you and your dad were f-fighting last night, and one of your neighbors heard all the screaming...they called 9-1-1."

"Oh." Dani smiled slightly at Frank hunched over in the uncomfortable plastic chair. "So...wait...is...Issac's dead, right? I-I watched him..."

Linda bit her lip nervously. "Yes...I would say I'm sorry, but...Frank told me everything."

Dani looked away. "I don't really want to talk about it."

Linda nodded and shook Frank from his sleep. He mumbled something and tried to move away. "Franklin!"

"What? Mom, I promise I'll keep the cookie jar closed!" he yelled. And then realized his mistake. "Sorry," he whispered, trying to keep quiet because they were in a hospital. "Oh my God, Dani, you're awake!" he said, his voice raising again as he stood up and ran to hug her.

"Ow, ow, gently..." she said as Frank hugged the stuffing out of her.

"Sorry!" he apologized.

"It's okay..." she muttered.

"I've got to call those darn Ways!" he exclaimed, running out of her room.

Linda looked utterly confused. "You know those Way boys? Mickey...and...what's his name? The quiet one? Jared?"

Dani snickered. "Er...really, really good friends of ours. Mikey and Gerard."

"I can't believe he lied to me..." Linda mumbled. "All this time, you were right under our noses...and we didn't do a damn thing about it." She paused. "I mean...I always knew something wasn't right after your mom left, but I never knew...never once thought that..."

"Aunt Lin! It's not your fault. If it's anybody's, it's mine for letting it go on this long. Obviously, this isn't one of those 'do-it-yourself' jobs..."

"I'm so, so sorry..." Linda whispered, trying to keep her tears in.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. "Can you get the nurse or something? This hurts like a bad mother fucker."

"Oh, right!" Of course Frank's mom didn't even bat an eyelash at the colorful vocabulary that Dani exhibited. Just left the room in search of some help.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I don't care if I'm sick, Ma! Feel my forehead! Feel it! Not even warm!" Gerard grabbed Donna's hand and forced it on his forehead.

"Hmm..." She smoothed her palm over his skin. "How long'd you keep the ice pack on it?"

"See! I'm..." he started. "Oh...just a few minutes..." he mumbled.

"Look...I'll let you come with me and Mikey for just a few minutes, but I don't want you getting her sick, not after everything she's been through."

"Who says I'm still contagious?!?" he snorted. "Look...I need to see her. You don't get it...I need to be there with her."

Mikey spoke up suddenly from the kitchen table. "Let him go, Ma."

Donna chewed the inside of her cheek, thinking it over. "Well...I guess since you haven't thrown up since last night..."

"Let's go, in the car, off to Dani!" he yelled, walking out the door before they had a chance to react.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Ah...that's...so much better! Don't you think so, Frankie?" Dani giggled and looked up at the ceiling.

"Dear God, she's higher hippie in the early seventies!" Frank said, shaking his head. "Dani and Vicodin do not mix."

"Where's Gee?" she mumbled quietly, still clinging to that prospect through the drugs.

"He's coming, so are Mikey and their mom, okay?"

"Make them hurry! I feel sleepy again...I wanna see them." She turned her face into the pillow. "It smells bad in here. I want Gerard scented pillows..."

Frank laughed so hard his sides hurt. "Oh...God, I should videotape this."

"I luff (Amy Revenge xD)him!" she insisted loudly. "He's pretty."

"Uh-huh, Dani..." Frank let the sentence drop. "They're here."

"Yay..." she said weakly, trying to lift her head and look for them.

Gerard skidded to a stop in front of her room, panting from the effort of running all the way up there. "Dani!" he yelled.

"Don't yell..." she drawled. "Is a hostibal."

Gerard raised an eyebrow at her. "Frank, what is she on?"

"They gave her some heavy painkillers...and she needed 'em, but look at what they did to her."

He shook his head. "Whatever. Can you just give me a sec with her before my annoying family shows up?"

Frank put up his palms in surrender. "Be my guest. Her curfew's in five minutes."

Ignoring him, Gerard walked over to Dani's bed slowly, tears welling up in his eyes. "This shouldn't have happened...none of it should have."

She fluttered her eyelashes sleepily. "Gewawd..."

He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and hesitated at the bed rail. "I'm so fucking glad that you're okay." He leaned over and planted kisses on every inch of her face that he could reach. Forehead, nose, cheek, lips, heck, even her eyelids. "God, I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't made it out of there..."

She smiled against his lips and wound her fingers into his hair. "You feeling better?"

"Fuck, forget-" Kiss. "About me-" Kiss. "I had a bad case of a twenty four hour stomach bug. You got stabbed by that bastard. Who has it worse here?"

"Gewawd...I'm tired..." she mumbled. "This stuff made me loopy..."

He let go of her and pulled a chair over to the edge of her bed. "Here..." he adjusted her pillow and laid his hand on top of hers. "So shut your eyes. And sleep."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Aw, man, she's asleep?" Mikey complained. "That sucks."

"Sh..." Donna hushed him. "Look at the two of them."

Gerard had his head rested on top of his arms, on the hospital bed, right next to her, watching her sleep.

Frank walked up behind the Ways. "My mom's in the cafeteria trying to find some lunch. Want to come eat with us? Did you know they've got Pizza Hut here? That's crazy!"

Donna glanced at Gerard, who was smoothing Dani's hair off her forehead. "Somehow, I don't think he'll be hungry..."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Dani opened her eyes for the second time in that hospital bed, only this time, to see Gerard staring at her. Some would call this creepy. Ordinarily, she would. But for now, it was sweet.

"Happy juice wear off?" he asked.

"Yeah...it's...ah, not so happy now. Shit, this hurts."

She tried to sit up, but he pushed her back down. "Don't even bother," Gerard told her. "Want me to get you some more?"

"No," Dani answered firmly. "I want to be able to have some actual conversations, and you saw what that shit did to me."

Gerard sighed. "Yeah...what is there to talk about?"

She looked up at the ceiling, not wanting to see his face. "I'm sure you've heard."

"Heard...?"

"That he's dead. He killed himself. On the kitchen floor. With the same knife he used to do this," she said, pointing to her shoulder.

Gerard winced at what she said. "And?"

"As stupid as everyone is going to think I am for saying this...as much as he hurt me..." Dani paused, toying with her sheets. "I don't think he deserved to die."

"What?" Gerard asked in disbelief.

"I don't. Maybe I'm just going soft...but I don't think anyone deserves that. No matter how much they've done, how horrible they've been."

"It's funny...because I can remember so many times when I would sit in my room and cry, and wish that he would die, just to get him out of my life...but now that it really happened...I feel...guilty. It's stupid, I know I shouldn't, but..."

"No, I get it." Gerard gently turned her head to make her look at him. "It's something anyone would feel bad about. And...in a weird way, I agree with you. Prison would be great for people like him, but it's not just that they're bad people. It's deeper than that."

"God, I love you," she whispered. "And I'm so sorry I didn't let you help me."

"I love you too." He grabbed her hand. "But...why didn't you let anyone help? Why did you make yourself wait until it had gone too far?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Because...I'm nobody. It's not like anybody was really going to miss me if he ever did end it..."

"I would." Gerard leaned over and kissed her again. "Maybe you think you're nobody, but if that's true, than I'm nobody, too."
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Welcome home chiquita!" Frank yelled, leading Dani to her new room.

She laughed and let him take her by the hand to their destination.

"Ta-da!" He stopped at her doorway, making jazz hands. "This is your room!"

She walked to the center and twirled around. They hadn't kept any of the decor from her old room. Instead, Aunt Linda bought her a new purple and white comforter, sheets, curtains, pillows, everything. Sure, there were beige walls that clashed, but Dani could care less. This was someplace she could belong, finally.

Frank was almost knocked to the ground as she leapt on him, giving him a hug that probably hurt her stitches, but she didn't notice. "Thank you so much! Aunt Lin! Get in here!"

"What? Something wrong?" Linda asked from the door.

"No! Hell no! Something's finally right," Dani said, making her come into the group hug.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Your birthday was yesterday," Dani remembered from Gerard's lap.

He laughed. "Yeah, that it was."

"We need to celebrate, don't we?" She looked down at him, putting out her lower lip so that he couldn't refuse.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Fine..."

"Yes! I'll be back!" she said, getting up and skipping away.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Geraaaaard! Happy birthday to you!" they all sang in the dark dining room, lit by seventeen candles.

He laughed and blew out the flames, turning them into birthday wishes. "You guys were totally off key!"

"Oh, shut up and eat your cake," Mikey said, grabbing a fistful of it unexpectedly and shoving it in Gee's face.

The entire room fell silent. Linda flipped on the lights, looking scandalized.

"Michael!" Donna scolded.

Gerard wiped the cake off his face and smirked. "Now that I have..." he started. "It's Mikey's turn." He took a corner and threw it at Mikey, who dodged it by ducking to the floor. And Gerard's weapon of choice hit no one else but Frank Iero. And when Frank Iero gets hit with food, something bad is bound to happen.

He took the cake off his face and flicked some of it at the late birthday boy, and the rest was aimed at Dani.

"What the-" she started, but Gerard had a lump of frosting in his hands and was eyeing her like a tiger stalking it's prey. "Oh, crap."

She ducked to avoid the sugary goodness and it hit Don's shoulder.

By this point, cake was flying all over the room and even the adults could care less.

"Hey!"

"Cool, I didn't know the cake was chocolate!"

"What is this stuff? Frosting or-"

"Okay, okay," Gerard laughed. "I think we're done with the cake." This was true, since none of it was left on the tray.

Dani looked around the room and burst out laughing. Gerard had frosting all over his face and hands. Frank looked like he'd been doing more throwing than getting hit, since he only had some frosting on his hair. Mikey was covered, almost completely with bits of cake, topping, and even some candle wax. Donna had a small piece of cake in her hand still, poised to throw, while Linda was mostly clean, having stayed over by the kitchen. Donald was licking some off the corner of his mouth, laughing as hard as all of them were by now.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

An hour and some clean clothes later, Dani and Gerard were sitting on the Iero's porch steps, laughing and talking and loving that they could finally be happy.

The setting sun made Dani's hair seem reddish and Gerard's eyes seem brighter. "I can't believe that we're this happy," she sighed.

"I can. I think we deserve some good after all the shit we went through, don't you?"

Dani thought it over. Without any doubts, she scooted closer and wrapped her arms around him. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah we do."

And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the official conclusion to I'm Nobody. The product of my day off. Hope it was good for you!

This story's made me sad, pissed off, hopeful, happy, depressed, excited, amazed, gloomy, grateful, pretty much everything. It's crazy. And seriously...all of you guys made it worth it in the end. The support I got from all of you was probably the best part of this.

So special thanks for reviewing all the time is going out to: IeroMyHeroMCR, KrissElEkTRik, doyleangel, lostmyfearoffalling, cutegirl123456, musicismylife101, kelly-khaos, sickly_ill, lyrical_lies, xxMCRMYxx, _Amy_Revenge_, and TomGirl567. Love all of you and sorry if I didn't put some people!

Now, since I don't really want to just disappear off the face of ficwad, I came up with this random idea for a Bandit one-shot(s)...so look out for that, I'll try and write it soon...

Huge ass author's note alert! Ding ding ding ding ding!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo(that's a lot)-Jaime