Safe?.... Hardly! (Re-edited for easier reading)

"911, what's your emergency?... Hello?..."

"My....."

Gasping for breath!

"Sir?... "

"My boy..boyfriend..."

Voice broken by heavy sobs!

"Sir, which service do you need?...Sir?..."

"Police!... My...my... Boyfr..friend... Kid... Kidnapped.... Please... Please help me."

Desperation, pain!

"Sir? Did you say kidnapped?"

Whimpering, crying, the sound of someone completely coming apart at the seams!

"Sir?"

"Kidnapped!... Bert..."

Almost incoherent now!

"Bert? Is that your boyfriend?"

"NO!... That's who took him!"

Full on weeping now!

"What's the address sir?... Where are you?"

"62 Magnolia D..Drive, Manhattan! ... Please... Please make them ... hurry!"

"Police officers are on their way sir! They should be with you shortly!"

Frank could feel the darkness begin to close in again, as the faint sound of police sirens reached his ears.

"I... I hear...hear them...oh God..."

Frank passed out, the phone slipping from numb fingers as he collapsed onto Gerard's bedroom floor.

"Sir?... Sir?..."

The operator turned to her supervisor.

"I think he fainted... He's not answering!"

"Keep trying Rose."

"Ok!... Sir?... Sir? Can you hear me?... Sir?"

Suddenly she heard the phone being picked up, and a male voice she didn't recognise spoke to her.

"Hello? This is officer Blackwell! Who am I speaking to?"

"Oh, hello officer. I'm Rose Howard, I'm the 911 operator! How are things looking there?"

She enquired.

"It's a mess!"

He stated, glancing around the trashed bedroom.

"Well, I gotta go! Thank you for staying on the line!"

"No problem! Good night!"

"Goodnight"

Officer Blackwell hung up the phone and turned his attention to the unconscious man at his feet.

"Sir? Come on sir, wake up."

He urged, gently shaking Franks shoulder.

"Mhffpf"

Frank mumbled.

"Sir!"

Frank slowly fluttered his eyes open, at first unsure of his surroundings, groggy and confused. Then it came back...
In a flash, Frank was wide awake and scrambling to sit upright, though the sudden movement caused what felt like white hot needles to be shoved through his temples, and into his brain. Frank groaned, clutching at his head.

"Take it easy, sir, looks like you hit your head when you fainted! Think you're gonna have a bump!"

The officer chuckled.

Frank turned angry eyes towards him.

"You think this is funny?"

He all but growled.

The officer shook his head.

"I'm sorry sir, that was insensitive of me... So let's start again, shall we?"

Frank nodded slightly, not wanting to make his now pounding head any worse.

"I'm officer Blackwell, but you can call me Nic! What's your name?"

"Frank...Frank Iero!"

Frank replied, swallowing hard. He knew he had to try to hold himself together, because that was the only way he was going to be of any help in finding his missing boyfriend, his Gee!

"Ok Frank, can you tell me what happened here? From the beginning?"

The officer, Nic, pulled out a notebook and pen, preparing to take notes.
Frank took a deep breath in, held it for a second, then slowly let it out again.

"Just over a year ago, Gee.. I mean G..Gerard, was living with a man called Bert! Turns out Bert was a bit of a psycho! He... he got mad one day, and he dra..dragged Gerard into their b..basement! He tortured and r..raped him, for hours, the doctors said! Still don't know how he survived it!..."

Frank shook his head, trying to clear the memories.

"Take your time, Frank!"

Nic said, placing a comforting hand on the younger mans shoulder, watching him try not to fall apart.
Frank sniffed loudly, then continued.

"Gerard and I got together a couple of months later. Because Bert was never caught, Gerard changed his name, and moved out here, closer to my place..."

Franks mind seemed to drift, and he fell silent.

"You said he changed his name?..."

Nic urged.
Frank shook his head again, snapping out of a memory.

"Yes! He was Gerard Lee, he's now Gerard Way!"

The officer made a note, then nodded for Frank to continue.

"We thought he was gone, it's been a year after all! ..."

Frank sobbed loudly, tears finally getting the better of him and sliding like a waterfall from his reddened eyes. He buried his face in his hands and started to shake, uncontrollably!

"WHY'D HE HAVE TO COME BACK??"

He howled.

"Why couldn't he leave us alone?"

His voice shrunk, and he appeared to do the same, folding in on himself like an origami crane.

"I don't know Frank!"

Nic spoke quietly, so as not to scare the, quite obviously, already frightened man in front of him. Frank remained silent, except for the soft sobs and gasps. Nic let him have a moment, before asking him to continue.
Hiccuping as he fought to control his tears, Frank began again, in little more than a whisper, causing Nic to have to lean in closer to hear him.

"I was asleep! ...I was woken up by my phone!...at first I thought it was a prank call, all I heard was br.breathing... I was about to hang up, then he said~ 'he found me'..... I knew who he meant, straight away I knew!... Gee sounded so scared!"

Frank said through gritted teeth, fresh tears starting to fall. He didn't make any attempt to stop them or to wipe them away! A few heavy sobs later, he continued.

"I told him I'd come get him... Then he said~ 'he's in the house!'...I I told him to hold on... He said he loved me... I said it b.back... Oh God!"

Frank was full on breaking down now, but somehow he managed to carry on.

"Th.then h.he shouted~ 'no, get away from me' then he scr.screamed!"

Frank collapsed forward onto the floor, shaking, curling into a foetal position and sobbing hysterically. After a few, long minutes, during which officer Blackwell started to think that Frank would probably never talk again, he took in a long, shaky breath, and said.

"Then the line went dead! ... I...I got here... F.five min...minutes l.later..... The fr.front d.door was open!... I c.came ins.side, and searched f.for Gee!..... That's..."

He could barely speak between sobs and sniffs.

"That's w.when I f.found this!"

He said, gesturing around the destroyed bedroom with his right hand, the left, wrapped tight around his knees.

Frank fell silent again, not sure what else to tell.
Nic placed his hand on franks arm, and looked down at him with sympathy clear in his pale grey eyes.

"Frank? Did you touch anything in the room? Or move anything?"

Frank shook his head, no. He was done, spent, unable to form words, or even much in the way of coherent thoughts right now. He just wanted to sleep! But, despite how truly exhausted he felt, there was something he wanted far more than his bed! He wanted Gerard! More than anything in the world, he just wanted Gerard to be safe, and back in his arms!

"Ok Frank, I'm going to call in the detectives who are going to handle this now. They will want to talk to you, but for now, you can go home, get some rest!"

Though Nic knew he wouldn't!

"I just need your contact details, then I'll get my colleague to drive you home!"

Frank hadn't even realised there was anyone else there, but as he carefully pushed himself, with a little help, into a sitting position, then up off the floor, to stand on shaky legs, he finally noticed the other officer.
A somewhat average looking man, someone who probably wouldn't stand out in a lineup, was leaning against the wall in the hallway, just outside the bedroom. As Frank met his eye, the officer gave him a small smile, one that said "I'm sorry for your loss" and conveyed a real sense of sympathy. Frank tried to smile back, though it ended up as more of a grimace, but, under the circumstances, who could blame him?

Frank told the officers his address and cell number, then quietly followed the second officer, who had introduced himself as Steven, down through the house, and outside to a waiting squad car.
After climbing into the passenger seat and clipping in his seatbelt, Frank began to feel his eyes getting heavy, and as Steven started the car and put it in drive, pulling away from the curb and heading towards Franks place, his head flopped forward, his chin falling onto his chest.

Frank was woken by Steven gently shaking his arm.

"You're home dude!"

He said, softly.

"You gonna be ok?... You got someone you can call to be with you?"

"I'll be ok on my own!"

Frank muttered, stifling a yawn.
Steven shook his head.

"I don't think you should be alone right now! I can stay for a while, if you like?"

He offered.
Frank sighed.

"No! It's ok, I'll call Mikey!"

"Mikey?"

Steven asked, his eyebrows disappearing into his hairline.

"Yeah! Gerard's brother!"

Frank really didn't relish the idea of making that phone call, but it had to be done, and better the news come from him, than from some cop that didn't even know the brothers.
Steven nodded in understanding.

"Ok then. Look, call him, get him to come round, tell him face to face... then try to get some rest. I know it'll be hard, but you need to stay strong... for Gerard!"

Steven took in a deep breath, letting it out loudly from his mouth.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stay till he gets here?"

Frank shook his head.

"No! I'll be ok, thanks though."

"Ok. The detectives will probably be round to speak to you about tenish, maybe half past, ok?"

Frank nodded, unclipping his seatbelt and climbing out of the car. Leaning down to look inside, Frank thanked Steven one more time, before closing the car door and trudging up to his home.
Once inside, Frank broke down again. Deep, painful sobs wracked his body as his knees gave way beneath him and he landed in a pile on the floor, just a few feet away from the door.

"Gee! ... Please be ok?"

He whispered, his heart shattering more with each shaky breath he took.
Sometime later, he finally found the strength to move, and dragged himself over to his beat up couch, before pulling out his cellphone, and dialling the familiar number.
A mere two rings later, and the call was answered.

"This better be good Frank! Do you know what time it is?"

Mikey grumbled into Franks ear.
Where to begin?...

"Mikey?..."

"Frank?..."

"... He's back! He got Gee!"

Frank heard the moment that Mikey realised what he was saying! He heard the sharp intake of breath! Then he heard the phone as it hit the floor with a soft thud.
A few moments later, Mikey had collected himself somewhat, and picked up the phone.

"I'm coming to you!"

He said.

"You at yours?"

"Yes!"

Frank replied, not trusting his own voice right now.

"I'll get the others, we'll be there in 30 minutes!"

Then Mikey hung up.
Frank just sat, waiting, not knowing what else to do.

After what felt like seconds, Frank having totally zoned out, there was a knock. Frank snapped out of his daze and hauled himself up and over to the door. Opening it, and seeing his three best friends in the world, besides Gerard of course, he collapsed into a sobbing mess again, only this time, he had Mikey, Ray and Bob to catch him.
But really, they all needed catching right then, as each one sobbed and cried, waiting... scared... No!... Terrified of what would happen!... Knowing that they may never see Gerard again, but not one of them willing to say it.

Notes