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Alicia wasn't sure what to do. Surprise was the first thing running through her mind, closely followed by relief. She finally felt like someone was being honest with her. She felt loved.

A crash outside grabbed her attention. She broke away from Bob and glanced out the window, wildly looking around for the cause. He looked outside as well. It had sounded like several tree branches splintering and breaking.

"I'll go see what it was," he said. "Stay here." He flew down the stairs and out the front door. Alicia continued looking out the open window, somewhat fearfully. She regretted ever having left their underground world. She felt like she would never be safe again.

She suddenly found herself staring into a pair of golden eyes. And not two seconds later she was wrapped in a tight embrace.

"Thank God you're safe," Mikey whispered, holding her as tightly as was possible without crushing her. She suddenly felt uncomfortable, and guilty. She wasn't sure exactly what for. Mikey loosened his hold just a little, and she wrenched herself away from him.

"Leave me alone," she said bitterly, dark eyes burning with hatred. Mikey could almost hear his heart cracking and crumbling at her words.

The door burst open, revealing a very surprised Bob and Ray.

"What are you doing here?" Ray asked venomously. Mikey gave a low growl and embraced Alicia again, this time with her facing away from him. He bared his teeth, and they lengthened almost instantly. They were so sharp the ends disappeared and left thin trails of space in the air whenever he moved.

"We saw her first," Bob practically growled.

"That's a lie," Mikey shot back. Alicia quickly grew terrified at their words, but her voice had left her. She couldn't scream. "And you can't have her if I kill her first," Mikey continued, sending even more fear into her heart. "The venom would kill you, wouldn't it?"

Ray and Bob were silent, both fuming because they knew he was right. He slowly backed towards the window, still holding Alicia, who knew it was futile to protest. Mikey made his way to the roof, then turned and disappeared.

Ray nearly punched a hole in the wall after he left.

"We have to get her back!" he nearly shouted. Bob agreed.
-
Mikey ran until he was sure the wolves wouldn't find him, taking several turns and doubling back over his path to confuse them if they followed. The rain was helping destroy his scent, something he quickly grew thankful for. He realized it was growing dark outside; it wasn't as early in the day as he had thought. Something else to be thankful for.

He finally slowed to a walk and set Alicia on the ground very carefully. She tried to run away, but her legs gave up after only a few steps and she fell to the ground. Mikey offered to help her stand, but she pulled herself to her feet and leaned against a tree for support.

"Alicia, you have to understand-"

"You tried to kill me. There's nothing to understand," she replied sadly, shaking her head.

"I didn't mean it!" said Mikey in exasperation. "They would have killed you."

"They were protecting me!" Alicia shot back.

"No they weren't. It was all a lie," he said in a calmer tone, trying to reason with her.

"Oh, and I'm supposed to think you were really protecting me," she said flatly, heart breaking with every word. She couldn't stand the lies anymore.

"Yes!" Mikey shouted, growing more frustrated by the second. She just shook her head.

"No more lies, Mikey. I never want to see you again." She turned and ran into the dark forest. And this time he let her go.
-
Mikey returned home reluctantly, still sickened at what his brother and Frank had done. He could smell faint human scents all over the house's front room, and they were especially potent near the stairs leading to the basement. He shuddered at the thought of what might lie inside and avoided the room entirely.

He entered the kitchen and found Gerard walking towards him. A quick flash of light passed through his eyes, and Mikey knew it was useless to resist it. He noticed Gerard's eyes were a striking green-gold, as always. They never changed. It was one of the few things Mikey found frightening about his brother.

"I'm going hunting," he murmured. Mikey was almost too stunned to speak, but quickly overcame it.

"But I thought you...and Frank-"

"I don't drink human blood, Mikey," he said simply, thinking it was obvious. He walked past his brother and left without another word.

'It was Frank, then,' Mikey thought grimly.

"What was me then?" Frank asked, stumbling into the kitchen. He collapsed on one of the barstools pushed against the counter and nearly fell asleep right there.

"You drank all that human blood, didn't you?" Mikey asked. Frank nodded.

"So did G-"

"No he didn't," said the younger Way brother. "He's out hunting right now." Frank just shrugged, folding his arms and laying his head on top of them like a makeshift pillow.

"More for me," he slurred just before losing consciousness. Mikey just rolled his eyes.

'He always used to be like this when he was drunk, too,' he thought as he left the room. He slowly climbed the stairs to his bedroom, and once he arrived collapsed on the bed. He folded his arms behind his head and used them as a pillow, much like Frank had done, and closed his eyes in deep thought. He could hear that the rain had returned, and he wanted to try and find Alicia, but knew it would be impossible.

He reached over and pressed play on the stereo system, somewhat surprised at the song that began to sound through the speakers. He never really listened to their music anymore, but now he felt like he needed it.

'Just like our fans,' he thought as he began to drift off to sleep. 'Just like them.'
-
Gerard winced as the dead mountain lion fell from his grasp. He hated hunting. He hated killing. It made him feel inhuman.

'Though I guess I'm not really human anymore,' he thought. A scent drifted into his nose, and his eyes widened. 'But that is.'

He heard footsteps approaching, and could see a girl running towards him. It was her...Alicia, was it? The one Mikey had found.

She ran right into him, unable to see anything in the darkness. He was too stunned to respond at first, but knelt down to see if she was alright.

Alicia looked up to see a pair of eyes glinting in the darkness, seeming to possess their own light. She nearly froze, but lowered her gaze to the ground before that happened. She knew who it was.

"Please," she begged in a tone that broke his heart, "just kill me now." He wrapped a hand around her wrist and pulled her to her feet, still unsure of what to say.

"Didn't you hear me?" she asked, tilting her head to one side in confusion. "I know you want to kill me. All of you do. So please, just do it. I'm tired of running."

"I don't drink human blood," he said, realizing he had repeated the same sentence to his brother just an hour earlier. "Are you hurt?"

"Yes!" she practically screamed at him. "I've been hurt. And I want you to kill me. Or I'll do it myself."

Gerard felt shocked. He hadn't dealt with people like her in so many years, but now it was all rushing back to him. Everything he used to say flooded his mind and made him dizzy.

"No...you can't do that. That won't solve anything."

"Oh, it won't?" she asked, sounding like she was about to cry. "I'm the one causing all the problems. If I had never come here in the first place, everyone wouldn't want to kill me right now."

"...Mikey doesn't want to kill you," he murmured as he remembered what he had seen in his brother's mind. "He was trying to protect you."

"It's all a lie!" Alicia screamed, collapsing to the ground and holding her hands over her ears. "Why am the only one who can see that?!"

Gerard knelt to the ground as well and slowly lifted her chin with one finger.

"Don't move." He looked directly into her eyes, studying every thought and memory in her mind. She tried to break out of it, but he commanded her to remain still, and she had no choice. Several seconds passed before he blinked and broke eye contact with her.

"What...what did you just do?" she whispered in shock.

"I searched your mind," he replied, closing his eyes as the new thoughts sorted themselves out in his own mind. One particular memory caught his attention, and he held up one hand for her to remain silent when she began to speak.

She had looked directly into Bob's eyes for several seconds. He could see a few of the werewolf's thoughts as well, though they were cloudy and difficult to read.

Not yet. You can't kill her yet. You need to wait for Ray.

He opened his eyes.

"They were trying to kill you," he said grimly.

"How-"

"I can see people's thoughts," he interrupted, already knowing her question. "And memories. I can control people with my eyes."

"That's strange," Alicia said, frowning and trying to keep herself calm. She no longer felt like crying, but she was definitely angry. Gerard looked at her apologetically.

"It's because of what I am," he said simply. "My brother has excellent hearing, and my friend Frank can hear people's thoughts."

"Like you?" Alicia asked, now interested in what he was saying.

"Not exactly," he responded, shaking his head. "He can only hear what goes through a person's mind as they're thinking it. But he doesn't need to be looking in their eyes to do it. It's so much more /convenient/..."

Alicia let out a sudden laugh in spite of herself. Gerard managed a smile.

"Will you come home with me?" he asked. "It's not safe out here. In fact, I hear someone nearby. I can't tell what it is, though...the scent is too hard to find..."

"Alicia?" asked a familiar voice. "Are you out here?"

"Jamia!" Alicia cried, jumping to her feet and glancing around wildly, trying to find her friend. Jamia ran up to her.

"I can't believe you're alive," she said in shock, going silent when she realized someone else was nearby.

"Neither of you will be alive much longer if you stay out here," said Gerard, now standing. "You can come with me if you want. I don't think you have anywhere else to go." Alicia nodded, as did Jamia. Gerard began to walk, and they followed closely.