FicWad

At the first faint sounds stumbling footsteps on the sidewalk, I let the letter slip out of my shaking fingers and flutter to the floor. Someone was fumbling with the handle, and breathing heavily on the other side of the locked door - someone I sincerely hoped was Gerard.

"-Frankie?" came his strangled plea to be let inside.

I was across the small room in an instant - working myself into a panic in the mere two seconds it took me - and before I had even fully opened the door to him, Gerard fell into my arms. I did my best to steady him, but he still clung to my shoulders with both of his icy cold, damp hands. He was utterly freezing, soaked through by the torrential rain, still poaring from the black sky, and his black shirt was unmistakably stained with blood. Oh Gerard...

"-Frankie, you got back s-safely? You're not hurt?" His eyes were begging me not to be hurt. Begging me to put his worried mind to rest.

"Im fine, Gee." His eyes lit up slightly at my good news, but now it was my turn to be the one begging, praying that Gerard wasn't too seriously hurt. "What happened to you?"

"Just a few bumps and scratches."

Oh, you liar.

"Tell me the truth Gee."

As soon as I met Gerard's calm, sad eyes I realised that my words had come out much crueler than I had intended - in an attempt to soften them I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. At least - I only meant it to be a kiss on the cheek, but once I'd kissed him, I don't think either of us wanted to stop. I let my lips work a trail of kisses from his cheek to his soft lips. One kiss became two, two became three, until at exactly the same moment, both Gerard and I slipped our tongues out to meet eachother. It was heaven to feel Gerard's warmth, taste his sweetness again, after what was only a couple of hours but felt like an eternity appart.

But the bliss of reunion was short lived. Suddenly Gerard pulled away and keeled over - gasping for breath.

Pure panic raced through my veins, consuming me. Oh God, oh God. What was happening?

Gerard raised his head and sweapt some loose strands of sweat drenched black hair out of his face. Our eyes met again, and I felt my heart melt away in his hazelly-brown gaze. Half dying and he can still sweap me off my feet with one halfhearted glance!

"Don't worry - I'm just - a little - out of - breath" he panted into my shoulder as I clutched him tightly to my chest.
"Will you tell me what happened out there?" I softly pushed him for much needed answers.
"You don't need to know, I don't want you to know - all the details. But theres some things I have to explain to you Frank..."

I waited with bated breath as Gerard prepared himself to fill me in. It frustrated me that he couldn't trust me with the whole story, but I forced myself not to pressure him too much just now. His selective version of the story would suffice for now at least.

"Kathleen and I used to be - it kills me to tell you this - we used to be lovers. Well, I loved her at least, but I don't think Kathleen could ever be capable of love - real love. I think she's removed herself and distanced herself too far from mankind. She's got very little human left in her, I think. As a vampire it's very important to keep a hold of who you are. Otherewise you become incapable of feeling for other people, you think only for yourself. She used me. She kept me locked up: convinced me that I was worthless, and she was doing me a favor, and I just swallowed all of her mindless lies. I loved her. I believed her, for too long.

One day she was taking me out for a bit of fresh air. We went to the coffee shop downtown, and you were there Frankie. I saw you, and I remembered. Thats when I finally realised that what Kathleen and I had wasn't love. And I escaped, that night. I ran away to my Grandma's house, and I hid out with her, until Kathleen came looking for me there. Grandma died trying to protect me, and I hate myself for it - because it was my fault, I put her in danger to save myself. I hate myself."

A tear slid down Gerard's snow white cheek and into the corner of his perfect lips. I wiped it away with my finger, his lips warmth spreading through my skin. I looked to him with an expression that I hoped told him that I didn't hate him, and ushered him to carry on.

"And after that was when I had to start protecting you. Because she knew that it was because of you that I stopped believing her lies. I didn't let you out of my sight for almost a year. And I didn't let her get her hands on you, because after Grandma, I wasn't going to let her destroy anything else that I loved.

So eventually she gave up on you, and she disappeared for two years, and I've been in hiding ever since. But I just found out tonight -"

Gerard's voice wavered, threatening to break.

" - she has Mikey."

That was the last thing I was expecting.