Under the willow tree...(edited)

Cold...pain...so fuckin' cold...he's coming...no...no...cold...help...please help me...pain...oh fuckin' Hell it's so cold...

"FRANKIE!!"

Gerard screamed out as he awoke. Eyes wide and thin body shaking violently, Gerard gasped in air as he tried to get his mind to work right, and let him in on what exactly was happening.

"Gee?...oh my God, baby? It's ok, it's ok, shhh..."

Frankie attempted to calm the panicked boy in his arms.

"It's ok GeeBaby, I'm here sweetie..."

But it wasn't working. Gerard couldn't hear the soft words as his distressed mind began playing images of his old life, his life before Frankie rescued him.

"Gee?...can you hear me?"

**Six months ago**

Gerard woke up with a hand clamped hard over his mouth. His 'room', if you could call it that, was in near darkness, just the streetlight outside the tiny filthy window at the top of the wall gave any light at all...and that was flickering.

"Make a sound and I'll (hiccup) gut ya..."

Fuck, dad was drunk again.

"On ya knees..."

Sobbing quietly, Gerard crawled off his bed onto the cold concrete floor to kneel in front of his tormentor.

"Now suck"...

"Gee?...come on baby...come back to me..."

Frankie whimpered slightly as he tried to rouse the catatonic boy.

"I don't know what to do..."

He said shakily, turning to look at first Sniper then Syn, before returning his wet eyes to Gerard's open, staring ones. None of them knew what to do.

**Five months ago**

Gerard was walking down the hallway toward math. As usual he kept his head down, eyes to the floor and hood up, trying to disappear. As usual it didn't work. Hands grabbed him from behind and dragged him back toward the boys toilets. Eyes wide with fear, he struggled and screamed until the blade of a pocket knife appeared an inch from his face, and he froze in terror.

"Shut the fuck up, ya little fag."

Zacky hissed in his ear as they continued to drag him away...

"Perhaps we should call 911?..."

Sniper murmured, not knowing what else to suggest.

"He needs a doctor."

"No!..."

Frankie almost yelled at her, feeling Gerard's fragile body jolt at the sudden noise.

"No doctors, they'd call his dad..."

He turned back to the younger boy.

"Come on Gee."

**Four months ago**

Gerard had been locked in the cupboard under the stairs for the last five days. The space was small, dark and smelled of damp. It was normally used to store the sadly under used vacuum cleaner and boxes of old board games, which meant there was very little room for the teen, and no room for him to lay down to sleep. In those five days he'd had no food, but that was nothing new, no water, again no surprise there, and no access to the bathroom. This, he found the hardest to bare, because despite the fact that he had next to nothing in his belly, he still felt the urge to pee.

Day six, and he'd had no choice but to relieve himself in a small vase he'd found on the shelf above his head.

Day seven, his vision was becoming blurry and his head started to spin.

Day eight, he passed out.

Day ten, Terry opened the cupboard door...

"He needs to sleep..."

Syn stated quietly.

"I got some pills might help?"

"No pills Syn..."

Frankie said as calmly as he could manage.

"He's only 15."

**Three months ago**

Gerard had a cold. It wasn't surprising really, as there was no heat in his basement, and his dad had taken away his only blanket about a week ago. Curled up with his knees to his chest, his teeth chattering and his cheeks wet, Gerard tried to sleep. He'd been laying there for several hours as the temperature dropped further into the night, when he was drawn away from the edge of his dreams by the door to his room opening with a creak, and footsteps coming down the stairs. Turning toward the sound, he saw it was his brother.

"M-Mikey?"

He was carrying a bucket.

"Shut up fag."

And then he was tipping the contents of the bucket all over Gerard's shivering form. It was ice water...

Frankie wrapped the blanket Syn had given him tighter around Gerard's body, rocking him gently and begging silently for him to wake up.

**Two months ago**

"DON'T...(punch)...TALK...(kick)...BACK...(kick)...TO...(punch)...ME...(kick, kick,kick)"

Terry walked away, and Gerard lost his fight with consciousness...

"I'm gonna make coffee..."

Syn muttered.

"Want one Frankie...Sniper?"

"You got hot chocolate?"

Frankie asked softly. Syn nodded, then vanished into the kitchen.

**One month ago**

Gerard scrabbled around in the garage. Terry and Mikey were both out, they'd gone on some 'father/son' outing, figures that Gerard wasn't invited. But it gives him time. Time to find a length of rope. Time to tie a noose. Time to loop it over the ceiling joist in the attic. Time to climb on a chair. Time to place the noose around his neck...Time to jump.

Gerard woke up on the floor, his neck bruised and burned, and Terry standing over him.

"You're not getting away from me that easy"

Kick, kick, kick...blackout.

Frankie accepted the steaming mug he was offered with an awkward half smile and took his first sip, the hot, chocolatey goodness coating his throat and warming him from the inside. If only he could get Gerard to drink some, cause he was still just so cold. Despite the fire, crackling happily in the grate, the three thick blankets wrapped close and tight around him, and Frankie holding him in his strong embrace, the boy still felt like a block of ice.

"Err, Sniper?"

"Yes Frankie?"

She peered at him over her own mug.

"Can you help me?"

He indicated what he wanted to do. Grinning, Sniper put down her drink and moved to his side, taking his mug from his hand and raising it carefully to Gerard's dry, chapped lips.

From across the room, Syn watched in fascination as they worked together to feed a tiny mouthful to the unresponsive boy...and they were all amazed when it worked, so much better than they had hoped for...

"F-Frankie?"

Oh, thank God for that!

Syn retreated to the kitchen as his friend and his stepsister tended to the shivering boy. After all the times he, Zacky and Mikey had beaten the crap out of the kid, he wasn't sure he'd really be welcome right now. Pouring himself a coffee and lighting a cigarette using his almost empty zippo lighter, Syn tried to remember why he'd gone along with all Mikey's bullshit in the first place.

Syn didn't hate that boy in there...shit, he barely even knew him. He may act like a big man, but he was a follower not a leader, and Mikey had just seemed like he was so sure about everything, that what they were doing was right. But now, it had all changed.

Puffing on the little white stick, Syn jumped as his phone vibrated against his arse and promptly dropped the cigarette in the sink, where it hissed and went out.

"Fuck."

He muttered. That was his last one. Dragging his cell from his back pocket, he unlocked it and checked his new message.

~To Syn-From ZackyV...You home dude? Need to talk about you know what.~

Syn sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on.

~To ZackyV-From Syn...I'm home. Come over. Frankie + the kid r here. Come in the back.~

Syn locked the phone and placed it on the counter. He and Zacky hadn't spoken since it all went down at Mikey's, and they had things to discuss.

A few minutes and another cup of coffee later, there was a knock on the kitchen door. Opening it, Syn ushered the shorter man inside and explained that they needed to keep their voices down, then...

"Zacky, man, you don't have any smokes do ya? I'm all out..."

Zacky grinned and retrieved a new pack from his jacket pocket, handing them over with a chuckle.

"Thanks dude. I been smokin' like a chimney since..."

He trailed off, taking one out and waving it around before lighting up and puffing furiously. Zacky smiled and shook his head.

"Thought you would."

He poured them both a coffee. The two friends sat down at the table in the corner and smoked in silence for a while. They'd been friends for a long time and this would normally be comfortable, but right now they just felt awkward.

"I been thinkin'..."

Syn murmured quietly, lifting his eyes towards the other man. Zacky twitched his eyebrows up in a signal for him to continue.

"That kid, he ain't done nothin' wrong...and he's been through a lot of shit..."

"If you're saying we leave him alone..."

Zacky queried. Syn nodded in reply.

"Then I think you're right."

Syn let out a breath he wasn't even aware of holding.

"Good. And I think we need to go one step further and keep Mikey away from him too."

"You mean, protect him?..."

Syn nodded again.

"Ok. We can do that."

Silence fell between the pair once more, until the door to the living room opened and Sniper stuck her head through the gap.

"Hey Syn, would you..."

She paused as she saw her stepbrother's companion.

"Oh, err...hi..."

Zacky nodded at her as he took a sip of his cooling drink.

"Syn..."

She returned her attention to him.

"Would you do us some more hot chocolates...three please?"

Syn grinned at her. He could handle that. Sniper slipped back into the other room with a small smile. They could make this work. They could all be friends. Just as long as Mikey stayed away...but then, what were the chances of that?

Gerard was back, and Frankie just couldn't stop smiling, and holding him, and kissing his hair.

"Gee, baby...you ok now?"

The small boy snuggled into Frankie's warm arms, burying his head against his neck.

"Yeah Frankie..."

He whispered.

"I...I think so."

Gerard yawned.

"Tired sweetie?..."

Frankie asked softly. Gerard nodded against his shoulder.

"Then rest. I've got you. You're safe with me."

Gerard yawned again and buried himself further into Frankie and the blankets, his eyes slipping closed. Frankie knew that he shouldn't let Gerard sleep right now, not after the whole 'nearly dying from exposure' thing, but the boy was exhausted, and clearly needed to rest. Frankie would just have to make sure he stayed awake for a while.

Sat in front of the fire, gently carding his hand through Gerard's soft black hair, Frankie's mind started to wander. Was his mum ok? Had that monster hurt her? He really wanted to know what happened after they'd left, and he considered phoning home, but realised that it might be risky. If Gerard's 'dad' was still there, a phone call may spook him into violence...that's if it hadn't already happened. Damn. He needed to know.

Sniper coughed into her hand, breaking him out of his thoughts and offered him his drink.

"It's a little cold now."

She sighed, sadly. Frank looked over to where Syn had been standing. He hadn't even realised that he'd left.

"Did he go in the kitchen?..."

Sniper nodded.

"Can you ask him to make some more?..."

He looked down into Gerard's tired but thankfully still awake eyes.

"Hot chocolate baby?..."

Gerard smiled sleepily, his eyes lighting up a bit. Frankie turned back to Sniper.

"Make that three."

Sniper stood and walked over to the kitchen door, sticking her head through. Frankie could hear mumbled voices, but not what was said. A few moments later Sniper returned.

"He's gonna make them..."

She turned to stare at the fire.

"Zacky's in there."

Frankie felt Gerard tense at the mention of his bully.

"It's ok sweetie..."

He murmured, kissing the frightened boy's forehead.

"He won't hurt you...I won't let him..."

Gerard whimpered quietly, but slowly relaxed under Frankie's gently stroking hands.

When the kitchen door opened and Syn walked in, three steaming mugs of chocolate on a tray in his hands, Gerard's eyes grew like saucers and his body started to shake uncontrollably. Frankie felt the younger boy's fingers digging into wherever they were holding.

"Gee, baby? It's ok...he won't hurt you either..."

He turned cold eyes toward Syn.

"Will you."

Syn placed the tray onto the coffee table and approached the small, terrified boy, a sad smile on his lips. Gerard shrunk away in Frankie's arms.

"No. I'm not gonna hurt you Gerard..."

Syn kept his voice quiet and calm.

"Never again. I'm so sorry for what we did to you. I hope you can forgive me one day?"

He did sound sorry.

Gerard sniffed as tears slid down his cheeks, but slowly he raised his eyes to look at the older boy. He didn't trust him, not yet at least, but he did trust Frankie...and Frankie said that Syn wouldn't harm him.

"You m-made hot ch-chocolate?"

Syn chuckled softly.

"Yeah, I did. You want some?"

Gerard nodded shyly, turning his eyes up to Frankie for reassurance. Frankie smiled and kissed the tip of his nose. Gerard giggled and the tension was broken...for now at least.

Syn passed a mug toward Gerard, but the boy wouldn't take it...he just looked from it to Frankie and back again. Frankie sighed and accepted the mug. Syn went back to the kitchen, returning a moment later with his own mug, this one filled with strong black coffee.

Sniper already had her own mug clutched between her hands, and she smiled as she watched Frankie offer the drink to Gerard's lips. Gerard sipped, and relaxed.

When the mug was nearly empty, Frankie and Gerard having shared the delicious sweetness, Frankie turned toward Syn.

"Is Zacky still here?..."

Syn nodded.

"Can you ask him to come through? I need to speak to you both."

Syn nodded again and disappeared through the kitchen door. A minute later, he walked back in with Zacky in tow. The shorter man looked nervous.

"Hey Frankie..."

Zacky muttered.

"You ok?"

Frankie rubbed Gerard's back as he stiffened again, but kept his eyes on the older boys.

"Yeah, I'm ok..."

He took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Guys...I need your help."

Zacky and Syn looked at each other, then looked back at their short friend.

"Whatever we can do to help, we will."

Frankie proceeded to tell them what had happened back at his house, why they'd had to run out into the snow with no shoes and no coats. Then he told them how worried he was about his mother.

"So I was hoping that you'd go over there for me...check she's ok, and beat the shit outta that guy if he's still there?"

He chuckled as he said the last bit, making it sound like he was joking...though the look on his face spoke to how serious he was.

"We'd be happy to..."

Zacky grinned.

"You said you got a key?"

Sniper dug the little silver key from her pocket and handed it over.

"That's for the back door..."

She explained, then gave them directions on how to get there.

"Syn?..."

She murmured as he and Zacky turned to go. He looked back at her, eyebrows raised.

"Be careful."

He smiled crookedly at her, and then they were gone. The three remaining teenagers sat in silence for a few minutes, then Gerard spoke quietly.

"Frankie?"

Frankie jumped slightly, then grinned down at the boy in his arms.

"Yes baby?"

"Frankie, I'm...I'm hungry."

Gerard dropped his eyes to the floor out of habit, exhaustion and years of being hit if he ever asked for anything making him shy away. Frankie lifted Gerard's chin with two fingers, so their eyes met and softly kissed his lips.

"Never be afraid to ask me for anything, ok?..."

Gerard nodded softly, a tiny smile playing on his lips.

Besides, we never did get that pizza, did we?"

Frankie grinned.

"I'll go make us some sandwiches..."

Sniper said, pulling herself to her feet.

"Any requests?"

"Anything veggie for me..."

Frankie said, then looked down at Gerard.

"What about you baby...anything particular you'd like?"

Gerard shook his head.

"I'll eat anything."

He whispered looking away...after all, he'd spent the last 8 years having to basically scavenge for food, so he'd never had the chance to pick and choose what he ate. Frank frowned, guessing the problem more or less accurately.

"But if you had to pick something?"

Gerard turned back, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Um...err...I like...ham?..."

It sounded more like a question than an answer. Frankie raised an eyebrow at him and Gerard's face turned more confident.

Yes, ham...please?"

The please was quiet, almost nervous again but at least he'd said what he wanted. Frankie smiled at him then nodded at Sniper, giving her a little wink as she headed off to get their food. Turning back to the younger boy, Frankie hugged him in tighter, pressing a kiss to Gerard's hair as he rested his head against his protector's chest.

"Gee?..."

Gerard hummed to signify that he'd heard, but didn't lift his head.

"I'm gonna take care of you..."

He did raise his head now.

"I know I haven't known you that long...but I..."

He swallowed deep, looking at the floor for a moment before turning back.

"I think I'm falling in love with you..."

His voice dropping to a whisper.

You don't have to say it ba..."

"I love you too..."

Gerard interrupted, a soft smile spreading over his face.

"How could I n-not?..."

He blushed pink but carried on.

"You saved my life, you sh-showed me that not everyone is a nasty bastard like T-Terry, and you m-made me s-smile for the first time in a long time..."

Gerard looked down then, his shyness apparently getting the better of him again.

"You're also really...hot."

His eyes stayed trained on the carpet but his lips twisted into a wide grin.

Frankie was somewhat taken aback by this, but recovered quickly and leant down, sealing his lips softly to Gerard's. After a few sweet moments, they pulled apart for air.

"You're the most beautiful creature I've ever seen in my life..."

Frankie whispered, looking into Gerard's soft hazel eyes.

"I know everything's kinda, up in the air right now...but I was wondering..."

Gerard tilted his head quizzically.

"Would you be my...my boyfriend?"

Frankie held his breath, praying to any Gods that may, or may not be listening, that the sweet cute adorable boy, currently curled up against his chest, would say 'yes'. Gerard's eyes shone with happiness as his head started to nod.

"Yes Frankie...of course I will."

Both boys grinned as their lips pressed together again. Sniper refrained from "Awwww"ing, as she slipped quietly back into the kitchen. She could give them their sandwiches later. It looked like they didn't really want them at the moment anyway.

Sitting at the kitchen table, eating her ham and cheese sandwich, Sniper wondered how Syn and Zacky were doing right now.

Pulling his hood down over his face and grimacing against the icy nighttime wind, Syn muttered quietly to his friend as they tried to figure out the best way to do this.

"If we just let ourselves in the back, we could get that cunt off guard...but if he's gone already, we could end up scaring Linda."

Zacky shook his head, blowing cigarette smoke into the cold air.

"She knows us...and she'll wanna know where Frankie went..."

He took another drag and dropped the butt into the snow at his feet.

"I think we should just go in."

Syn nodded, and pushed open the gate into Frankie's backyard. Silently, the two men crept up to the back door and stopped, listening to the noises coming from within. They could hear Linda's voice, but it wasn't the only one.

The voices were distorted by doors and walls, but the fact that they could still hear them, meant that the voices were raised. Syn looked at Zacky.

"Let's do this."

The shorter man grinned up at him and cracked his knuckles. Taking the little silver key from his pocket, Zacky quietly unlocked the kitchen door and the two of them slipped inside. The voices were coming from the living room as far as they could tell, and with only one door separating them, they could now make out Terry's voice as well as Linda's.

Terry was shouting, demanding the return of, as he called him, "that little shit", but it sounded like Linda was holding her own, yelling that it wasn't happening.

Nudging the door open a crack, they peered into the brightly lit room and knew without a shadow of a doubt that it was time to intervene.

In that moment, Terry was crowding Linda's smaller frame against the far wall and screaming in her face. She was trying to not look scared, but in all honesty, she was starting to crack.

"WHERE IS HE?...YOU'RE HIDING HIM...I WANT HIM BACK..."

Syn and Zacky looked at each other and nodded grimly, then pushed the door fully open and advanced inside.

Terry hadn't heard them as they entered, but Linda's frightened eyes grew wide as they locked onto the boys over this mad man's shoulder. The older man, in his 40's maybe, was a good 6 inches taller than either of the 19 year olds, and had quite a few kgs on them too. If he decided to give them trouble, they weren't entirely sure they could take him...but they had to try. Using hand signals and eye movements, they skirted around to either side of the thug, silently moving forward as Terry towered threateningly over Linda.

"GIVE ME THE BOY...NOW!!"

Linda was whimpering in fear right up until the second that Syn brought the wooden stool crashing down onto the back of Terry's skull. As the man crumpled to the floor, Linda let out a sigh of relief and smiled shakily.

"Thank you boys..."

She murmured, stepping away from the unconscious man at her feet.

"He wasn't going to take no for an answer."

Syn smiled gently at her, as Zacky checked for Terry's pulse.

"It's ok Lin..."

The taller boy assured her.

"He's not coming near you again."

Linda chuckled, looking up at him as Zacky straightened up behind her.

"So, I take it you know where my son is?"

"He's at mine..."

Syn grinned.

"Sniper and Gerard too..."

He looked at Zacky.

"We need to get that outta here..."

He glanced toward Terry, before looking back.

"Any ideas?"

Linda cleared her throat, gaining both boys attention.

"I have one..."

She smirked.

"I got rope in the trunk of the car..."

She fished her keys from her pocket and handed them to Zacky.

"We can tie his hands then drive him home. Dump him on his doorstep then go to yours..."

She looked to Syn with a grin.

"Sound good?"

The two men nodded with glee.

"You're our kinda lady, Lin."

Zacky winked as he headed out the front door to collect the rope.

Within a few minutes, the boys had Terry's hands tied behind his back, and were hefting him into the backseat of Linda's car. Zacky returned her keys, and Linda slid in behind the wheel, Syn calling shotgun, and Zacky grumbling as he climbed in next to the motionless monster.

It only took 5 minutes to reach Gerard's former home, then the boys dragged Terry from the vehicle and over to his door. The lights were on so Zacky rung the doorbell. A few moments later, the door creaked open. Peering through the small gap, Mikey's eyes grew wide with shock as he looked between his ex friends.

"W-what do you w-want?"

He whimpered, his black eye shining against his pale skin.

"Just dropping off some garbage..."

Syn smirked, indicating Terry's form, slumped awkwardly against the wall.

"Asshole attacked Linda."

Mikey visibly paled as he took in this information, then watched as Syn and Zacky walked away. Back in the car, Syn smiled at Linda kindly.

"Let's go find Frankie, shall we?"

Linda put the car in gear and drove away.

Gerard was sat in Frankie's lap, taking tiny delicate bites of his sandwich, and sips of hot chocolate as Frankie held the mug, tipping it carefully so as not to spill it.

"They're back."

Sniper said quietly from her spot at the front window...she'd been more worried about her stepbrother than she would admit. Frankie looked at her worriedly.

"Is my mum with them?"

He couldn't help the tremor in his voice. Gerard swallowed his mouthful of ham and white bread, then nuzzled his face against Frankie's neck. He could hear that the older boy was scared, but he didn't know what to do to help. Sniper grinned at Frankie as he gently squeezed Gerard to him, appreciating the younger boy's comfort. Sniper nodded.

"Yeah, she is."

Frank relaxed slightly, though he wouldn't be totally calm until his mother was safe and in front of him.

Sniper moved from the window seat over to the front door and opened it a tiny bit, peering out into the cold, dark driveway. After a moment or two she swung the door wide, a gust of frigid air causing goosebumps up her arms, and ushered the three shivering figures inside before quickly closing and locking the door behind them.

All four made their way from the hallway into the living room, the warmth of the fire drawing them in. The second Linda and Frankie laid eyes on each other, huge grins spread across their faces and relief flooded their eyes.

"Frankie...thank God..."

Linda breathed, crossing the room and collapsing onto the floor at his side, pulling him and Gerard into a tight embrace. Frankie giggled happily but Gerard, as expected, tensed up and whimpered slightly. Linda released the pair, realising she'd scared the boy.

"Oh Gerard...I'm sorry sweetheart. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Frankie stroked the trembling boy's hair and whispered in his ear. No one else heard what was said, but after a few seconds Gerard's head shot up from it's place in Frankie's neck and he stared at Frankie, wide eyed as a heavy blush spread over his cheeks, and Frankie winked shamelessly at him.

Linda raised her eyebrows as she looked questioningly at her son, but he only had eyes for Gerard, and was already pulling the boy back into him, placing soft kisses on his forehead and relaxing them both back against the sofa.

Syn and Zacky retreated to the kitchen, as they still weren't sure they were welcome...plus, they decided that everyone could do with a hot drink.

Sniper sat herself down, cross legged on the rug in front of the crackling flames and turned her attention to the older woman.

"So, Linda...what happened with..."

She nodded her head toward Gerard, raising her eyebrows in a 'you know what I'm talking about' kind of way. Linda sighed and gazed sadly at the boy who was sitting in her son's lap, his head resting on Frankie's shoulder as he idly drew patterns with his fingertip on her son's chest. She turned back to Sniper.

"He was getting in my face, shouting a lot...then the boys turned up and Syn hit him with a chair."

Sniper laughed at this, gaining a new found respect for her stepbrother.

"Really?..."

Linda nodded.

"Oh wow. Cool."

"We left him at his house with Mikey."

Linda concluded. At the sound of his former friend's name, Frankie became more interested in the conversation.

"Did you see him?"

He asked, trying to sound casual and not frighten Gerard with over enthusiastic volume. Linda nodded, looking up to accept the mug being offered to her by Zacky, then returning to talk to Frankie.

"Yes I did...though I stayed in the car, so I only caught a glimpse."

She decided to not tell him about the boy's black eye, taking a sip of hot chocolate and finally managing to relax properly. Frankie knew his mother was holding something back, but decided it could wait til later. Sipping his own drink, he listened to the quiet snores now coming from the boy in his arms, and allowed himself a moment of peace. He knew this wasn't the end and that there would probably be a lot more dramas before they could finally breathe easy...but at least for tonight, a still calm had settled over them all. He just hoped that things would remain this way for a while. That's not too much to wish for, is it?

It was late, and unanimously decided that everyone would stay at Sniper and Syn's house for the night. Their parents had gone off for the weekend, leaving a note and enough money to see the pair through til Monday. Apparently, this was a regular occurrence, so Sniper simply shrugged when Syn told her they'd gone. As everyone was getting tired now, beds and blankets were arranged so they could all sleep.

Zacky crashed on Syn's bedroom floor, while Linda took, a little unwillingly, the parents room, and Frankie and Gerard curled up together on the sofa in front of the quietly crackling fire. All was peaceful until Frankie was awoken by the trembling, whimpering boy laying snuggled, tight into his chest.

Gerard's eyes were closed, tears sliding down his cheek and soaking Frankie's shoulder, and his knuckles were white where he was gripping so hard to Frankie's shirt, like if he were to let go he'd just float away. Frankie stroked his hand through Gerard's long black hair and cooed softly to him, trying to calm the distressed boy without having to wake him. It was no use though, as Gerard continued to sob and shake against Frankie's side.

"Baby?...come on, wake up..."

Frankie whispered, gently kissing the younger boy's forehead.

"Gee?"

With a tiny jolt, Gerard's eyes flew open and he gasped in air, trying to work out where he was. After a moment his eyes locked with Frankie's and he visibly relaxed.

"F-Frankie."

He murmured, voice hitching from the sobs that still wracked his fragile body. Frankie smiled softly.

"Yeah baby, I'm here..."

He placed a light kiss to the weeping boy's lips.

"You have a nightmare?..."

Gerard nodded, dropping his gaze to Frankie's chest, unable to look in his eyes. Frankie used two fingers to carefully lift Gerard's chin til their eyes met again.

"You want to tell me?"

Gerard shook his head rapidly, then buried his face in Frankie's neck. Frank sighed and held Gerard to him. It wasn't surprising that the small, beaten and abused boy would suffer from nightmares...Frank would be more shocked if he didn't. What did make his eyebrows shoot up into his hairline however, was what Gerard did next...

Notes