It took forever for me to shake the guys and send them on their separate ways. They had dragged me to a very late lunch, Frankie looped on my arm as him and I skipped down the sidewalks, and then to an even later dinner. And after we had finished eating our late dinner we had gone to a movie, and then after that they had insisted on renting movies and coming back to my place. It at that point was almost midnight and I was pooped, it had been well over a month since I had had to deal with them all as a group, had to spend an entire day doing wild and crazy things. And I was still getting over my attack, so I was drained by that point and had to call it quits. Especially since I had took work the first half of tomorrow since I had been forced to take the last half of the day off this day. Which I silently thanked Reta for forcing me to do, I had really needed it and I guess she had seen it.

I promised the guys that I was fine to walk up to my own apartment but after Frankie had wrapped himself around my waist I had to allow them all to walk me to my door. You know how hard it is to have a group of six young adults walk up that narrow old stair well? Like really hard. Especially when one said supposed young adult is draped awkwardly around another, hanging off their waist like an errant pouty child. But I didn't mind, I had needed my Frankie batteries recharged anyway. I needed all of my batteries for the guys recharged, and today had been just what the doctor ordered as a cure.

"Guys, really. My door is RIGHT here, I think I'm good to go now," I said as I tried peeling Frankie off my mid section.

"All right. But we missed you so, we just wanted extra time with you," Bob offered, giving me a sad face.

I loved his weird side, the side more like the rest of the guys. He acted so grown up most of the time that I from time to time forgot he could be just like the rest of us.

"Hmm, me too. And totally understandable, but I think the quick time we spent trying to clunk our way up my stairs was not really hanging out," I teased as I finally got Frankie off.

"Well remember, you're awfully hot now, you could have been whisked away by some dashing prince on a white steed or a knight in shining armor," Mikey pouted.

I smiled. He really was cute. Especially with the damn glasses.

"Mikey, sweetie, hun. I'm pretty sure a white steed couldn't fit up here, nor a full suit of eye blinding, million pound weighing armor. We barely can. Besides, I'm not looking for either of those, who wants a guy with better hair and uses more hair care products than you? Or someone who hides behind clunking sheets of hardened metal? Not I," I said dramatically before using my finger to push Mikey's glasses farther up his nose for him.

"So no Prince Charming's in your future?" Gerard asked teasingly as Mikey smiled at me.

"Nope. I much prefer the silent stable boys that tend to lean towards being artistic. I like a weird combo of attributes," I said, making a play off the whole idea of a royal court of love, as I dug for my keys.

"Well you're in luck! You've got an ENTIRE group of guys who fit the bill who are all madly in love with you and cannot see existing without you. Regardless if one has a girlfriend who also thinks the same way about you," Frankie said excitedly as he pointed to himself and the other guys enthusiastically.

"Frankie, you need to get laid," Ray said as he laid a overly dramatic sympathetic hand on Frankie's shoulder while shaking his head and sighing.

It caused all of us to burst out laughing while Frankie glared and pouted, arms crossed tightly across his chest.

"Frankie you know I love you the most anyway, so no pouting," I said as I stopped laughing finally and got my door open.

"Shh, not so loud, we don't want to hurt the other guys' feelings. They don't know they run second fiddle to me," Frankie said in a fake hushed whisper as he leaned closer to me.

"Frankie love, firstly they can hear you, and secondly it's PLAY second fiddle to you and run second TRACK to you," I said in the same fake hushed whispered.

"Same difference," Frankie said as he shrugged his shoulders and stood straight.

"Riiight. Okay, the lot of you need to skiddattle so I can go to bed and get sleep. You've warn me out," I said as I played at shooing them off my doorstep.

"Night Jay bird," Ray said as he hugged me before starting his way down the stairs.

"Night Ray," I said as he stepped farther down.

"Pleasant dreams Jay," Bob said as he took his turn at hugging me goodnight.

"You too Mr. Occasionally Not So Serious," I teased as I hugged him back.

"It's good to be home with you. Let's not separate again okay?" Mikey asked as he took me into a tight hug, holding me close.

"Promise," I replied into his chest as he was a tad taller than me, before letting him go.

"And to think they all think you're sleeping alone tonight," Frankie said all sly like as he made a dramatic show of draping his arm around my shoulders and making to turn and walk us into my apartment.

"You're a goose," I said as I redirected him and turned our position into a hug.

"And you're a chicken. So we've established our fowl-selves, what's next? Fish? Mammals?" Frankie asked as I let go of him.

"Go HOME Frankie. We really do need to get you laid," I teased as I ruffled his hair before pushing him away from me and down the stairs.

He stuck his tongue out at me and then proceeded to skip the rest of the way down the stairs. He was so odd.

That left Gerard. As always, last in line.

"Come here," he said as he opened his arms.

I walked into them and let myself sigh as he hugged me tight to his chest. He smelled like cigarettes and the outdoors combined into one. It was a comfortable smell.

"I missed you so much," he said as he continued to hug me.

"And I you," I said as I lifted my face from his chest and rested my chin on it, staring off over his shoulder.

We stood in silence for a moment or so, just hugging in my doorway, the rest of the guys gone outside and to the cars by that point.

"You wouldn't really have stopped taking pictures if I had come back would you of?" Gerard asked randomly.

I smiled.

"I sure would have, indeed indeed. I would have thrown away my camera right in front of you, without saying a word as I would have stopped talking to you as well," I said, looking him in the eyes.

I was dead serious about it too. I believed in their dream more so than my own almost.

"I believe you," Gerard said before pulling me back in for one more tight hug.

"Goodnight Fiery Princess," he said before stepping back to smile at me and ruffle my fire-esque locks all over the place.

"Thanks," I sighed as I frantically tried running my fingers through it to tame it, even if I was just going to go to bed.

He simply just stood there and smiled at me as I tried to fix the bird's nest he had created. I finally sighed, shrugged my shoulders in a defeated manner and quit while I was ahead, returning the same smile he was giving me.

"G'Night Sir Broody Knight," I said, bowing dramatically, playing along with the game that had been started earlier.

Gerard bowed back just as dramatically before starting down the stairs, two at a time.

"I rather think of myself as the artistically inclined silent stable boy," Gerard called out as he hit the last step on the landing before the door, bowing once more and then going out.

I smiled at him and went into my apartment, shutting the door behind me and locking it.

Changed into my favorite black pajama pants that had lightening bolts all over them and were worn thin in places, and a dark army green husband beater I slipped between my covers. Once tucked in I reached to my drawer and pulled out my journal, careful of the pieces stuck inside, not yet aheared with a piece of tape. Opening to my last entry, marked with a piece of thin red satin ribbon that was glued on one end to the spine of the book I picked up my pen and wrote.

"Pow wow's on the park green get interrupted by jumping Jersey fish. Gerard's eyes hold the emotion he doesn't show outwardly and Bob wove an invisible tapestry of laughter for strangers to enjoy. I got my laughter back, long since been on the road stuck in a van far from me. I have seen the good, beautiful, the bad and the ugly of Jersey and it finally doesn't feel like a fairy tale anymore. It's real. I am a princess of fire looking for a silent stable boy."

I smiled at my written imagery and then closed my book. It was good that they were back. Even if they tired me out like running a marathon. Sticking my journal and pen back in their respective places I turned off my light and scooted down into my comforter. I fell asleep to images of dancing fish in Renaissance clothing, bowing and curtseying to one another like royalty.

Notes

I do so love writing her journal entries.
It really is my highlight to writing.

Hope you all enjoyed!
Even if it was short!