"Angel!" he breathed, and I gasped. I felt my knees begin to buckle, and Frank put a steadying arm around my waist, leading me to a table, and helping me to sit. He leaned over me, a concerned expression on his face. "Are you ok?"

In answer, I jumped to my feet, throwing my arms around his neck, and hugging him as tightly as I could. I could feel the tears running down my face, ruining Tori's careful make up. After a few minutes, I released him, sinking weakly into the chair. He disappeared, and a moment later, returned, carrying a stack of napkins and Charlotte's and my cappuccino, and Tori's water, in a carrying box. He placed them on the table in front of me, before handing me a napkin to wipe my eyes, and sitting down across from me, gently taking my hand.

"What are you doing here, in New York? Gerard's been up in Maine all week looking for you, he just got back today. He'll be thrilled to see you, he's been missing you like crazy," Frank said gently.

"I've been missing him like crazy too," I whispered. "I came to see you tonight, to try to get up front so he'd see me." Frank shook his head.

"Amazing," he whispered. "Like something out of a movie! Wait, do you have your phone?"

"Yeah," I sniffed, pulling my phone out of my tight pants pocket, and handing it to him. He took it, and dialed, and in a moment, I heard his own phone ringing in his pocket.

"There, that's out of the way. Now I have your number, and you have mine, and we won't lose you again! Which reminds me. Um, have you, um, heard from Charlotte at all since we've been back?"

"Why?" I asked, laughing and sniffling at the same time. "Do you miss her?" I laughed as I watched him turn bright red.

"Yeah, actually, I do," he said, turning even redder. "And Tori, of course. I mean, there's not exactly a support group for people who survived a desert island AND a homicidal maniac out there. I checked." I winked at him, and his feeble attempt to hide his desire to be with Charlotte.

"Well, then you’re in luck, cause this is Tori's water, and Charlotte's cappuccino. They're holding my spot in line, and they're gonna kill me when they see that I cried AGAIN and messed up their make up," I said casually, and watched again as Frank turned red in embarrassment.

"She's here?" he whispered.

"Yeah," I said. "The three of us live together now, in the East Village." He stared at me in shock, and shook his head.

"I can't believe it," he said. "I can't believe I found you in a fucking Starbucks in New York! Seriously, Gerard's gonna shit! He won't believe me when I tell him!"

"How is he?" I asked nervously. Frank shook his head.

"Not great, honestly, but he'll be fine as soon as he sees you," he replied, more softly than I had ever heard Frank speak. He checked his watch, and shook his head. "Shit, I've gotta be back for sound check. Listen," he said, leaning into me and whispering conspiratorially, "you wanna surprise him?" I smiled, and nodded. "Ok, we'll get the coffees I was supposed to get, and walk back together, and get you some backstage passes at the back door, then you go back to Charlotte and Tori, and don't mention that you saw me, and I won't mention I saw you. Then you can just show up backstage afterwards and surprise them all, ok?" I nodded, and wiped my eyes again, looking with shock at the black eyeliner on the napkin.

"Shit," I said. "They're gonna know I was crying." Frank smirked.

"They'll never know, here, hold still," he said. He reached into his pocket, and inexplicably drew out a stick of black eyeliner. Frank carefully wiped away the ruined eyeliner on my face, then reapplied it. "Perfect!" he said when he finished.

"How is it that out of all the guys in New York, I run into the one who has eyeliner? Care to tell me why you carry eyeliner, anyway?" I asked, laughing.

"Well, you never know when you're gonna run into a crying girl," he answered, laughing as well.

Eventually, balancing eight coffees between the two of us, we reached the back door of Madison Square Garden. Frank stepped inside with his five black coffees, and I waited by the door. A moment later, he reappeared, free of coffee, and accompanied by a tall man who sported at least as many tattoos as Frank himself.

"Hey, this is Brian, our manager," Frank said. "Brian, THIS is Angel." Brian smiled, coming towards me and shaking my free hand.

"Hi.It's nice to meet-" he said, before rounding on Frank, still holding my hand. "Wait, did you say Angel? As in, THE Angel?" Frank smirked, and nodded happily. I couldn't help but smile. "Oh my God, it is so great to meet you! I've heard so much about you! Only you, Frank! Only you would just happen to run into the one girl we've been looking for in one of the ten thousand Starbucks in the city!" Frank and I both laughed.

"You better get back to the girls, before they worry," Frank said. "Brian, give her the passes, I'll explain everything inside." Brian handed me three laminated passes hung on black cords. With Frank's help, I looped all three around my neck, before stuffing them down my black tee shirt.

"Thanks," I said. "See you later?" Frank wrapped his arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"You'd better!" he replied. When he released me, we both turned, and walked in opposite directions. My heart was singing.

The line had doubled, perhaps tripled, in size while I had been gone. It took me quite a while to find Tori and Charlotte, but eventually, I did.

"Did you fall in?" Charlotte asked immediately. "You were gone for ages!"

"There was a line," I fibbed, hoping neither could tell I was lying.

"Well, we know she wasn't crying, her make up is still perfect," Tori said to Charlotte, and I thanked Frank and his eyeliner with all my heart. I passed out the drinks, and leaned against the wall with them. Tori was still looking at me.

"What?" I demanded.

"What's that?" she asked, leaning over and tugging lightly on the cords of the passes. Shit.

"Oh, nothing," I said quickly, trying to stuff it back down my shirt. "My bra strap."

"You're wearing a red bra. I remember," Tori said, trying to pull at the cord again. I sighed in exasperation, though I couldn't help smiling widely at the same time.

"Stop it, Tori! You're ruining the surprise!" I cried.

"What surprise?" Charlotte asked, interested now. I sighed.

"I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to hide it from you guys, but I did promise. Shit, I suck at secrets!" I cried. They were both staring at me, with raised eyebrows.

"Spill it," Tori demanded.

"Spill it, or we kill you and sell your ID to the first teenage girl who asks," Charlotte added. I sighed.

"Fine! I ran into someone at Starbucks. It was supposed to be a surprise for you guys, but since your so friggin bossy! Jees!" I cried, as I pulled two of the passes from my shirt, handing one to each of them. Charlotte gasped.

"Who did you meet?" Tori breathed.

"Frank," I said, looking Charlotte dead in the eye. "He asked about you. Said he misses you. I have his number, and he has mine. We're gonna surprise Gerard after the show." Charlotte squealed, and threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly. Tori simply stood there, staring at the pass in her hand. I noticed the two girls behind her staring, and pointing at the pass. "For fucks sake, guys, put those on and hide them, before we get mugged!" The girls did as instructed, still looking slightly shell shocked. At that moment, my phone began ringing. I dug it out of my pocket, and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Hey," came Frank's voice. "Just wanted to make sure you hadn't disappeared again." I laughed.

"No, we're still out front. And you'll have to have words with the girls. They beat it out of me, I'm all black and blue. Sorry, Frank," I said, laughing.

"How did I know that it wouldn't stay secret?" he asked, laughing as well.

"Give me the phone, I wanna talk," Charlotte began, reaching for my phone.

"Charlotte wants to talk," I told him.

"Wait! Alicia, she's Mikey's wife? I told her you were waiting in line. Go back and wait outside of the Starbucks, she says you can wait with her and Christa. Ray's fiancée. Ok?"Frank asked.

"Perfect," I replied.

"Ok, now you can put Charlotte on," he said, sounding slightly nervous. I handed the phone to Charlotte, and, motioning her to follow us, linked arms with Tori, pulling her out of the line and heading back to the coffee shop, both of us trying our best not to hear Charlotte's side of the conversation.