Gerard scanned the mass of bodies, he could feel their energy coursing through him and it made his skin tingle. He jumped to the beat of the song and made his way toward the end of the stage, his eyes still searching for the face he was looking for. She had to be there. He needed her to be there.

Hands shot toward him as he approached the very edge of the stage and he reached out, letting them grab at him for a moment before pulling back. A scarf flew past his head and he scooped it up before Frank could slip on it and slung it around his neck. It smelled like sweat and roses. He waved his hand in front of him, encouraging his audience to jump up and down when he saw her. Just out of the corner of his eye he saw her brilliant gray eyes. He could pick those eyes out anywhere. The familiar sparkle of her smile that always made his heart flop. She winked at him and he pointed at her before continuing the song, drifting toward the opposite side of the stage to get the quieter side riled up.

“Let me see your fuckin’ hands!” He waved his fingers, and a sea of hands greeted him. The microphone shook in his grip and he moved back to center stage, clipping it on the stand. Mikey drifted toward him and leaned over as Gerard danced toward the drums to take a drink of water.

“Did you find her?” he hissed.

“Stage left, second row,” Gerard informed him, seeing the love and hope in his brother’s eyes. The warm brown orbs drifted for a moment and a smile stretched across his face. Gee patted his brother’s shoulder and made his way back to the mike to transition to the next song without missing a second.

She was waiting for them when their set ended, her hands tucked in the pockets of her skinny jeans. Her hair hid half her face and Gee noticed she’d added blue streaks to the mass of black. Her cheeks were flushed and a few droplets of sweat clung to her hairline but she looked beautiful. A crooked smile crossed her face when Mikey ran up to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. He wished he could openly hug her like that. Kiss her hard and show everyone how much she made him whole. But he couldn’t so he kept his distance, sipping from his water while Frank hugged her and planted a kiss on her cheek and Ray lifted her off the ground.

He sighed wiping his new scarf over his forehead to remove the excess sweat. He took a few steps toward them but didn’t move too quickly. He didn’t want to come off as awkward and have Frank or Mikey notice. They always did. When her pale eyes found him her smile lit up the room and she jogged to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

Closing his eyes, Gerard hugged her back, breathing in her familiar scent. It felt so good to be back, both in New York and in her arms. Her lips pressed against the side of his neck and he had to fight a moan at the feel of her lips discreetly pressing against his skin. He turned his head in toward her, squeezing her against him, relishing the brief moment before she pulled away.

“It’s so great to see you guys again,” she said, her voice breathy. He’d felt her tremble and wanted to ease her nerves. Behind her excitement she looked terrified and all he wanted to do was help her relax.

Mikey draped his arm around her and grinned. He hadn’t looked so happy in weeks. The guilt gnawed at the pit of his stomach. He was taking that happiness away and his kid brother had no idea. Not even an inkling. Gee’s smile faded and he pushed his hair from his face, making his way toward the stairs to their dressing room. Frank and Ray followed but Mikey stayed behind, his attention still wrapped up in her.

“Dom seems to be doing well,” Frank noted, cracking open a can of Coke and sitting down.

“Yeah, she looks great,” he muttered.

He watched Ray slide his headphones over his ears, something they all usually did to work off the last of the concert high. He pulled the scarf from his neck and draped it over a chair, steeling himself for the VIPs who usually rushed in to meet them after shows.

Gerard loved his fans, they all did, but he couldn’t focus on them like he wanted to. His mind kept wandering, his eyes searching for Mikey and Dominica but he couldn’t find them through the mass of people waiting to get a picture or an autograph from him. Slowly he made his way down the line, smiling, signing and accepting artwork for his massive collection at home. He accepted gifts, offered hugs, even allowed a kiss on the cheek or two, but it was all mechanical. He tried to keep his smile genuine. He smiled so hard his cheeks hurt, but little helped.

When he finally reached the end he let out a sigh of relief. Sitting back on the worn leather couch along the dressing room wall he paged through a few of the drawings. Most of them were of Mikey, which made him smile. He loved how much the fans took care in creating works of art for is collection. Someone cleared their throat, a shadow interrupting his light and he looked up to see her standing her standing over him, her hands behind her back.

“Mr. Way, I was wondering if you’d accept this,” she said, her lips twitching to hide a smile.

“Of course,” he replied and she held out a quick pencil sketch of him that she’d drawn on a napkin. Taking it he ran his hand over the details and grinned. “Thanks.”

“Anytime,” she winked and signaled for him to flip the napkin over. He followed her directions and smiled at the address scrawled on the back. It was her studio. The one she rented to store her artwork so it didn’t clog up her apartment. Folding the napkin, he tucked it in his pocket and nodded, watching her bounce away toward Ray and sit down beside him.

His knew his night was only going to get better and he couldn’t wait. His hands trembled with the anticipation but he had to wait for Mikey before he could leave. He knew their parents wanted to spend time with him too and he couldn’t deny them the little time they had with him before he left again. Stretching his legs out he rested his head back against the couch cushion and closed his eyes. He just needed to be patient. He just needed to get through a few more hours.