FicWad

The venue was packed. Gerard peered out at the crowd feeling the usual nervousness he always did before taking the stage. He took a deep breath and tried to focus. A movement to his right caught his attention and he glanced over to see Alicia, Jamia, Christa, and Willow taking seats. Suddenly just seeing Willow, knowing she was there, caused a calm feeling to envelop him. She looked up and their eyes met. For a brief moment it felt as if the world stopped.
“Hey, dude. It’s time.” Ray said tapping him on the shoulder and breaking the spell.
“Yeah, yeah.” Gerard said shaking his head.
“She’s really something.” Ray said softly. He’d seen Gerard staring at Willow.
Gerard sighed, “Yeah, she is. She’s too good for me.”
Ray frowned, “Nope. I don’t believe that. Maybe for the man you let yourself become but not for the man we all still believe is inside you.”
Anger coursed through Gerard. Truthfully the anger was caused by fear but he wouldn’t allow himself to admit it. “You’re wrong.” He said before heading out for the center stage.

Willow was having a wonderful time. The concert was fast paced and exciting. Gerard was interacting with the crowd and it was obvious everyone was having a great time. In between songs Christa leaned over and spoke into Willow’s ear.
“I meant to tell you earlier, I got time off work so I’m gonna get to go to California too.”
Willow smiled. “That’s great.” She had met Christa only a few minutes before the start of the show but had liked her immediately.
Christa nodded, “Yeah, I have to admit I’ve wanted to see the Paramour since the guys recorded there.”
“It should be interesting.” Willow answered. She wondered if Ray had explained to her why they were going.
“I’m really looking forward to talking to you about your abilities.” Christa admitted. “Ray told me what happened earlier.”
Willow nodded but before she could say anything the music started again. She saw Gerard looking over her and smiled. However her smile slipped when he frowned then glanced away.

Gerard came off the stage feeling exhausted. They had done an extra long set wanting to make it a ‘thank you’ for the people who had made this event an incredible success. The contributions had exceeded their expectations.
“You and Willow want to have dinner with us?’ Mikey asked as they walked into the backstage area.
“Nope. I promised her I’d make her dinner.” Of course he hadn’t really promised but since she’d told Jessica that he was, he found himself looking forward to the idea. He felt desire race through him when he remembered what Willow had said about dessert. He could think of so many things he’d like to do involving Willow and whip cream.
Mikey was staring at his brother. “Dude, are you okay?”
Gerard pulled his thoughts away from Willow. “Yeah, for sure. Why?”
“I dunno. You had a weird look on your face.”
Gerard ignored him. “Shit, they really need showers here.”
“Yeah,’ Mikey agreed, “We reek.”
Grabbing a towel, Gerard wiped off his face and neck. He hated that he wouldn’t be able to shower before getting into the car with Willow. “Shit.” He muttered.
“What?” Mikey asked looking over at him.
“I’m gonna have to go into a grocery store like this.” He lifted his arm, took a sniff, then made a face.
Mikey laughed, “Dude”
Gerard glared at him. “Hey, Willow has never smelled me after a concert. I’ve always had a chance to shower before talking to her.”
“Pretty sure your smell won’t chase her off.” Mikey kidded.
It suddenly occurred to Gerard that he was talking about Willow like she was his girlfriend. He had to stop that kind of thinking. He didn’t want to but he had to.
Mikey grabbed his jacket and headed toward the door. “So we’ll meet you at the airport in the morning?”
“Yeah, in the morning.” Gerard said distractedly. His mind was back on Willow.

Willow glanced over at Gerard wondering why he had gone so quiet again. She hadn’t been able to really talk to him since she’s found him with Jessica. However at that time he’d seemed truly happy she’d decided to stay. Had he changed his mind?
Gerard pulled into the parking lot of the 24 hour grocery store and cut the engine. He looked over at Willow. “Uh, sorry I didn’t get to shower. I know I smell pretty bad.”
Willow shrugged, “It’s okay. I grew up on a farm.” She threw her hand over her mouth when she realized how what she had just said sounded. “Oh sorry.” She said mortified.
Gerard burst out laughing. “Oh my God. Tell me it wasn’t a pig farm.”
Willow was still feeling terrible about her comment. “Oh, I am sorry. I just meant that growing up on a farm you get used to certain earthy smells.” She groaned thinking she was making a mess of this.
Gerard continued to laugh. “I do smell like dirt, actually shit, so I understand.”
Willow lowered her head in her hands. “Crap.” She muttered.
He couldn’t remember laughing this hard in a long time. The look on her face when she realized what she’d said was adorable. “Crap? Well yeah, that’s what I smell like.”
Willow looked up. “Oh, stop.” She knew he was kidding her.
He threw up his hands. “Okay. I quit. I’ll be back in a few. Just got to grab what I need for dinner.”
“You’re really gonna make dinner?’ Willow asked.
“Well, for sure. You said I was.”
Willow shook her head. “Sorry about that.”
Gerard grew serious, “Don’t be sorry. I’m not.”
Their eyes locked. “So does this mean I get dessert too?” Willow whispered.
It was hard for him not to take her into his arms. But he really had to shower first. “Yeah, Sugar. I’m gonna get two cans of whipped cream.”
Willow felt her pulse begin to race. The thoughts she had in her mind made her blush.
Gerard smiled, “So do you have a special request for dinner?” He truly had no idea that to make.
She shrugged, “Anything is fine.”
He decided to level with her. “Uh, actually I can’t cook so it’s gonna have to be something frozen or already precooked and ready to heat.”
Willow smiled, “You really can’t cook?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“Mr. Way, you are 32 years old. Don’t you think it’s about time you learned?” She teased.
“Well I’ve never had to.” He tried to defend his lack of culinary skills. “I mean someone else always did it.”
“Your mom or a girlfriend?”
He suddenly looked sad. “Yeah, or my wife.” He said softly.
Willow realized she’s touched on a sore spot. “Sorry” she whispered.
Gerard didn’t want her pity. “Hey, it’s no big deal.” He looked away.
She didn’t want to lose the good rapport they had been sharing. “Okay then. It’s decided. It is time you learned to cook. Come on.” She started to reach for the door handle.
“You’re going in with me?”
Willow wasn’t sure how to take the question. “Oh, you want me to stay in the car?” Perhaps he was afraid of being seen with her. People might get the wrong idea and think she was someone important in his life.
“Well, it’s just that I know I reek and I didn’t think you’d want to be around me in public.” He admitted.
Willow was relieved. “Don’t be silly. I don’t care. You’re still gorgeous even if you do reek.”
“Gorgeous?” He laughed when he saw the embarrassed look on her face.
Willow couldn’t believe she’d said that. It just slipped out.
Gerard wouldn’t let it go. “Gorgeous?”
Willow knew he was teasing her. “Yeah, you’re gorgeous. Now come on. I’m hungry and you’ve got to make me dinner.”
As he got out of the car to follow her into the store Gerard was feeling better than he had in a long time. While the thought bothered him on some level he tried to push it from his mind. Right now he felt good and he was going to enjoy the feeling.
Willow pulled out a shopping cart. “Okay, we’ll start with something easy. How about spaghetti and garlic bread?’
“I can do that.” Gerard said sounding quite proud.
Willow rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. You buy a jar of spaghetti sauce, warm it up and throw it over the spaghetti?”
He frowned, “Well, yeah.”
“Come on.” Willow said heading towards the produce section of the store. “You’re gonna make homemade spaghetti sauce and your own garlic spread.”
Gerard rushed to keep up with her. “Why?”
Willow stopped pushing the basket and turned to him. “Because you are gonna learn to cook.”
“Isn’t heating up sauce cooking?”
She rolled her eyes. “No, it’s not.” She was feeling so good she couldn’t help but flirt just a little. “Besides you’re trying to impress someone.”
Gerard wanted to flirt too. “Yeah, I am. I’m hoping she’ll be so impressed I will be able to have my way with her.”
Willow reached over and pushed a strand of hair from his eyes. When her fingertips touched his face she let them linger on his cheek. Both of their eyes filled with desire.
“Shit.” Gerard muttered. “Let’s grab what we need and get out of here.”
Willow quickly removed her hand not understanding.
Gerard saw the confused look on her face. “Sugar, I just want to hurry because if you keep touching me that sensation that passes through us is gonna make me throw you down on this floor and well…”
Her breath caught. “Oh my.” She whispered. Her whole body felt like it was on fire.
He smirked. “Tell me you don’t feel the same way.”
“Nope.” She locked eyes with him.
Gerard was confused and hurt. “You don’t?”
Willow unconsciously licked her lips. “Nope I can’t say I don’t feel the same way because I do.” She grabbed the cart and moved away from the produce section.
“What are you doing?” he jogged to keep up with her.
“Heading for the jars of spaghetti sauce. Making it from scratch will take too long.”
Gerard laughed. “And we have more important things to do, right?” He hoped he was following her thought process.
Willow nodded, “Oh, yes we do. I’ll get the sauce. You grab the whip cream.”
He felt his jeans becoming tighter by the minute. “As you wish, Sugar.” He said heading off in the other direction.

“Mikey, are you nervous about tomorrow?” Alicia asked as she snuggled up next to her husband in their huge king-size bed.
He sighed and stared at the ceiling. “I wasn’t until today. I really screwed up at the venue.”
“No you didn’t. Willow told me she thought you did just fine. She understood that seeing that man, the way he looked, would have been hard.”
“Ray told me you were trying to find a photo of him. Did you?”
Alicia ran her fingers over his bare chest. “No luck. But we did find out a lot of information about the fire.”
“I just freaked out, you know? And now I feel really bad about it. The guy was just lonely.”
“Hun, you didn’t know. This is all so new to you.”
Mikey nodded, “Yeah, but what I keep wondering is why this new ability suddenly appeared. It just makes no sense.”
Alicia had been wondering the same thing. “Maybe it’s connected to the Paramour. Maybe you always had the ability but something there awakened it?”
He hugged her tightly. “That scares me. I know Willow is trying to make me be okay with it but I’m not. I just want to be like I was. I don’t want to see dead people.”
“But you did get to see your grandma.” Alicia reminded him.
“Just once and I feel like shit that it was when I was fuckin’ wasted.”
Alicia understood how he felt. “Maybe you’ll see her again.”
“I hope so.”
They both were silent a few minutes lost in thought. Mikey finally spoke baring his true thoughts. “Does all of this bother you? Are you freaked being married to me now?”
She moved quickly and rolled over on him. “Michael James how can you ask me that? I love you. This changes nothing. I will always love you.”
Mikey loved the feel of her body covering his. “And I love you. I just want to be strong for you, you know? I don’t want to be some fuckin’ wuss about all of this.”
“You’re not.” Alicia said leaning down to kiss his lips.

Bob took a seat across from Frank at the kitchen table. He was spending the night with Frank and Jamia since they were leaving in the morning. Jamia had already gone up to bed.
“Great show, wasn’t it?” Frank asked as he set a drink down in front of Bob.
“Yeah, it was.” Bob nodded. “A great show.”
Frank could tell that Bob’s mind was on something else. “What’s up, man?”
Bob took a sip then spoke. “I’m wondering if Mikey got a chance to talk to Gerard about Willow.”
“What about her?”
“Well I went to his house this morning and told him I knew that Gerard was…” He trailed off not knowing exactly what to say.
“Gerard was what?” Frank asked.
Bob figured the best way to explain was to tell Frank what happened. “I went by Gee’s before that and Willow was coming out of Gerard’s bedroom.”
Frank nodded, “Yeah, I pretty much knew that was going on.”
“And it doesn’t bother you?” Bob asked sounding shocked.
“Well they both are adults.” Frank said softly.
Bob snorted. “Well yeah but you know what I mean. Since his divorce we’ve both watched how Gee has treated woman. How many times has he said he’ll never get emotionally involved again?”
“And you think Willow isn’t the kind of woman who can handle that.”
“Well, do you?” Bob asked.
Frank took a drink then sighed, “No, I don’t. But I’m starting to think Gerard has strong feelings for her.”
Bob thought a moment. “Yeah, I do too. But what’s he gonna do? Will he be able to accept those feeling and admit he cares about her?”
“Don’t know.” Frank answered honestly. “We both know how Gee can be. He was so fuckin’ hurt I’m not sure he’ll ever be able to get over it.”
Bob nodded, “Yeah, that’s what worries me. If he can’t then Willow will be hurt. It’s obvious to me that she cares a lot for him.”
“I don’t know, man. The whole California idea is sorta freakin’ me out. I truly never wanted to step foot in the Paramour again.”
“Me either.” Bob agreed, “But if it helps Mikey, I’m in.”
“That’s what’s important.” Frank said taking another drink. “We just have to hope this all works out for everyone involved.”

Gerard carried the bag of groceries into the kitchen and set them on the counter. If he didn’t need a shower so badly he knew he would have taken Willow in his arms as soon as they’d got in the apartment. He hurt with need. He tried to get the desire under control. He would take a shower, make her dinner and then….
He walked back into the living room and came to a dead stop. Willow was standing in the middle of the room. He saw her shirt hit the ground. As he watched she undid her jeans and pushed them down. She was stripping in front of him.
“Uh…. I need to shower first.” He was trying so hard to resist.
Willow smiled as she unhooked her bra. “Yeah, we need to shower.”
“Oh fuck.” Gerard crossed the distance between them and took her hand. “Yeah, Sugar. Come on.”