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"Where could he be?" Gerard asked, sniffling a few times. Frank shook his head.

"I don't know, Gee. Wherever he is, I'm sure Alicia's with him."

"I hope she's alright," Jamia said miserably, snuggling closer to Frank. He kissed the top of her head.

"She'll be fine. Mikey won't let anything happen to her," he assured her. She didn't seem convinced.

The door opened, and Mikey stumbled inside. He fell to the floor, holding one knee in agony. Gerard forgot his own pain and rushed to his brother's side, ignoring the figure standing in the doorway. Frank turned his attention to that.

"Don't hurt him," Mikey said through gritted teeth, anticipating what Frank would do. The other vampire stared at Bob with his teeth bared, but remained where he was.

"What happened, Mikey?" asked Gerard. Frank and Jamia stood from the couch as Gerard helped his brother over to it. Mikey lay down immediately. Ignoring his own injury, he looked at Bob, who was patiently waiting in the doorway.

"Where should I put her?" he asked softly. Mikey weakly motioned for Bob to come towards him.

"H- here," he managed to say. Bob approached him and set Alicia on the couch as well, understanding when Mikey wrapped an arm around her waist and drifted off to sleep. Gerard smiled in spite of the situation.

"Well, I'd better get back to Ray," said Bob, suddenly growing uncomfortable in the silence and walking towards the door. Gerard placed a hand on his shoulder, and he turned around.

"Please, at least tell us what happened," he said quietly. Bob sighed.

"I wasn't chasing them, I swear," he said. Frank glared at him coldly, not seeming to believe him. "I was just trying to think. I had no idea why Ray was so intent on going after her, and it was bothering me."

Gerard stared straight into his eyes, studying the events currently occupying his thoughts. Frank could see the recent memories fly through his friend's mind, and the look on his face softened. Bob was telling the truth after all.

"Thanks for helping him, Bob," said Gerard. Bob just gave an understanding smile and walked out the door, shutting it behind himself.

"I miss that smile," Gerard said thoughtfully, a sad look filling his eyes. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he walked over to the couch, where Mikey and Alicia were sleeping peacefully.

Jamia suddenly gasped in pain, both hands flying to her head. Frank helped support her weight.

"What is it?" he asked with worry flashing through his eyes.

"It...it's Alicia," she gasped. "She's in pain."

"That must be it, then," Frank murmured. Gerard gingerly lifted one of Alicia's eyelids and stared into her eye. It was already a shade of brown deeper than he had seen before. Almost black. His eyes flickered as he searched her mind again, shoving aside her earlier memories and focusing on her current thoughts.

He found feelings. She was growing colder by the second, though her heart rate was skyrocketing and becoming irregular. He only saw one memory occupying her mind at the moment.

"I won't ask you again," Mikey said coldly, taking a fighting stance. "Let. Her. Go."

"Ooh, one-word sentences," said Ray, jerking Alicia back towards him as she tried to escape again. "Should I be scared? Because I-"

Mikey leapt towards him with his teeth bared. Alicia could see a wild, terrifying look in his amber eyes as he practically flew towards his target. He knocked both her and Ray to the ground. She cried out in pain as their combined weight crushed her shoulder. Something sharp slit her skin, closely followed by several sharp pains. She scrambled away from them, holding one hand to her new injury and wincing. It felt like it was on fire, and liquid was seeping through her fingers. It was too dark for her to see what it was.

He released her eyelid, allowing it to close over her darkening eye. Frank heard his thoughts as they passed through his mind, but he was too focused on Jamia. He led her down the hallway until she was able to calm down.

"You're sensitive to people's emotions," he said as she took several deep breaths. He knew it wouldn't help, but said nothing.

"Apparently," she replied with her eyes closed. He wrapped her in an embrace.

"It's okay. Things will get easier. You'll get used to it," he whispered. She muttered an affirmative response.

"I'm tired," she said sleepily. Frank nodded and led her further down the hallway to his room. She curled up on the bed and was asleep within seconds. He smiled and closed the door, returning to the living room to see how Gerard was doing. The older Way brother was sitting cross-legged on the floor with his elbows resting on his knees. He was staring into the distance with his hands folded, covering the lower half of his face. Frank could hear no thoughts going through his mind; it was completely blank.

"Is there something on your mind you're just not telling me?" he asked, sitting next to his friend and taking the same position.

"If you must know, I'm learning to block your ability," Gerard said with a laugh. "Trying to help you have fewer headaches."

"You're hilarious," Frank said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "That sounds like something from Harry Potter."

"I always knew you were obsessed with that," said Gerard. Both of them laughed for several seconds before a small sound hit their ears.

"Shut up."

They looked towards Mikey. His eyes were still closed, but his mouth moved just enough that they knew it couldn't just be something in his sleep.

"Okay, Mikey, we'll leave you alone," said Frank as they stood and walked into the kitchen. As they took their usual places - Gerard leaning against the fridge and Frank sitting on the nearest barstool - Frank's face suddenly turned serious.

"Please, Gerard. Tell me what's got you so worried," said Frank, meeting his friend's eyes as if he had suddenly gained the same ability Gerard had. The black-haired man lifted his gaze from the floor very slowly, as if its weight was too much for him. His hazel eyes were filled with sparks of worry. The marble-white skin of his eyelids was lined with the stains of faded black ink left over from his tears, similar to the eyeliner he used to wear so many years ago.

"She's becoming one of us, Frank," he said solemnly. "She's turning into a vampire."

"Is that it?" Frank asked in disbelief. He placed one elbow on the counter and leaned on his hand. "I hardly see how this is a bad thing."

"Because it's like killing her. Stopping her heart and turning her into a monster is not a good thing."

"I did the same to Jamia, and you didn't have any problem with that!" Frank shouted suddenly, jumping to his feet. Gerard sighed.

"Jamia had a choice," he said quietly, reminding Frank that Mikey was trying to sleep. "Alicia was caught in the fray. It was an accident."

"It may look that way to you," Frank said darkly, "but I saw what happened almost the same time you did. I also saw what preceded it." He stepped closer to Gerard, staring directly into his friend's eyes. He could still hear no thoughts but his own - and a few fleeting dreams belonging to Mikey and Jamia - but he could easily see Gerard's feelings.

"They love each other, Gerard. Just like I love Jamia, and just like you loved Eliza-"

"I still love her!" Gerard shot back as more tears sprung to his eyes. He furiously blinked them away, and the faint gray lines circling his eyes darkened.

"Then you know what I mean," Frank murmured, allowing his words to sink in. The tears finally spilled over, painting Gerard's cheeks with two thin lines of black. The scene was familiar; Frank remembered seeing almost the same thing from one of their videos.

'I Don't Love You,' he thought with a faint feeling of shock. Gerard could see the thought, could hear it echoing around his own empty mind. And he deeply wished it were true.

"I'm sorry," Frank said apologetically, embracing his friend. Gerard slowly returned it, crying freely now.

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," he said tearfully. "It's obvious how they feel about each other, and I'm happy for them. I really am. But..."

"It doesn't make it hurt any less," Frank finished, matching his earlier statement. He pulled away from Gerard, who gave a sad smile.

"Sometimes things don't work out."