Frank's POV

Wow. Just fucking wow. Gerard was just- I couldn't fucking handle it. I was lying there in his arms just thinking about how much he has been through and how strong he is for getting through that. I respected him more. I respected fucking Mikey more, fuck even Pete.

"What are you thinking?"Gerard whispered into my hair. I looked up at him and smiled.
"That you are really amazing. You literally astound me."I smiled. There was a tiny hint of a blush on his cheeks but otherwise he just smiled and kissed me lightly on the cheek.

I was so blissfully happy right now, despite the sob fest Gerard and I had just shared. I suddenly had a burning passion to tell Lily all about it.

"Fuck whats the time!"I yelled as Lily actually entered my mind properly.
"Uhh its almost 8 o'clock."Gerard said, glancing down at his watch.
"Shit shit shit! I was supposed to be back from court at fucking 4!"I jumped up off the bed and looked around for my bag.

"Where's my bag?"I yelled when I couldnt find it.
"Dude relax you didnt eve bring one come on, I'll give you a lift to the house."Gerard laughed at me.

"Its not fucking funny. Lily is gonna be upset."I grumbled as I shucked my shoes on.
"You are completely over reacting though! Unless she was your girlfriend then you have nothing to worry about. You dont have to do everything she says or whatever."

I gave him a look.
"Like hell she is my girlfriend. She is my best friend and given everything that happened a month ago she has every right to be worried if I still haven't turned up 4 hours after I was supposed to."

"Shit. You're right."He groaned as he got up off the bed.
"Thank you."I smiled slightly as we walked out of the bedroom.

"Hey have you guys seen Mikeys pick?"Pete shocked us as we walked into the lounge.
"Yeah its usually with his bass why?"Gerard said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the front door.

Pete had pretty much pulled the place apart looking for Mikey's pick. The cushions were off the couch, jars of keys and shit had been over turned and a basket of washing had been emptied, all the pockets pulled out.

"Well its not there. I can't find ot anywhere and the crowd is expecting you to be up there in about-"he checked his watch and his eyes bulged,"five minutes. Fuck it he will have to use mine."Pete sighed.

"Come on, I'll give you a lift."Gerard said and continued tugging me to the front door.
"Uh -'m not going. I need to get back ho- to the house."I don't know why I didn't call it home. I usually did but being with Gerard changed me in some ways. I just couldn't figure out if they were good or bad changes.

"Yeah I will just be dropping Pete there then taking you."Gerard smiled as we all got in the car.
"No Gerard they need you. Fucking Eyeball Records' owner or whatever is going to be there. The guys fucking need you.

"No! I don't know how many times I fucking told you guys, I don't wanna play anymore. I'll sing but I can't fucking play. I'm shit and you know it. If I go I will just make it fucking worse."

"Gerard youy're going."I said firmly as we drove.
"What?"Gerard glanced at me.
"I don't care what you say you are going okay?"I stared at the side of his frustrated face.

"Fine."He said suddenly, slamming the breaks on for emphasis.
"Thank fuck for that."Pete sighed from the backseat.
"Come on then. Let's go sing a song."Gerard grinned at me nervously as we got out of the car.

We walked inside The Magic Bean and were immediately assaulted with the smell of sweat, adrenaline and coffee. My eyes went straight to the stage to see Ray and Bob setting up looking extremely nervous.

"Shit I don't even have fucking Daisy!"Gerard smacked his hand on his head.
"Who the fucks Daisy?"I stared at him.
"My guitar."Gerard sighed.

"Guys come on!"Mikey yelled from next to the stage.
"Mikey I don't have Daisy."Gerard said as we reached him.
"No I brought her earlier. I bring her every night in the off chance that you turn up. Like tonight!"Mikey pointed to a white guitar leaning against the stage.

"Fuck you have an epiphone special ii!"I gasped and rushed over to it.
"Yeahp that's Daisy."Gerard smiled and joined my side.
"Wait how did I not notice you taking her Mikey?"Gerard looked at Mikey who was taking a pick from Pete.

"Uh duh. Too busy screwing Jade."Mikey laughed and left to sling his bass over his shoulder.
"Fuck..."Gerard breathed. I couldn't breathe though. Could barely see through the hurt and anger crashing over me in giant waves, soaking me to the bone.

"Frank wait!"Gerard yelled behind me as I stalked off.
"Gerard come on!"Mikey yelled in the distance.
"Fuck!"I heard Gerard scream over the hum of the crowd.

They were all cheering suddenly. I reached the wall farthest from the stage and turned around. Gerard was taking his place reluctantly on the stage. Mikey got up after him and touched him on the shoulder and said something that looked a lot like 'are you okay?'

Gerard suddenly turned on Mikey, shoving him slightly and yelling at him. I found an empty seat and sat down. I watched as Ray pulled Mikey and Gerard apart. The crowd had gone silent so I could hear very clearly what they were suddenly.

"... To know! Fuck off Ray!"Gerard shook him off and shoved his guitar to the ground.
"Gerard how the fuck was I supposed to know that?! Its not my fucking fault! Besides, if that's the case you shouldn't have been fucking screwing her in the first fucking place!"Mikey screamed back as Gerard stalked off stage and started searching for me.

"Hey Di?"I ran over to the counter quickly.
"Hey Frank what can I get for you?"She smiled at me, hiding the worry over the scuffle easily.

"A hiding spot?"I raised an eyebrow at her hopefully. She glanced at Gerard fighting his way through the angry crowd and nodded.
"Come on. You can sit out back til it cools down."She smiled as I rushed around to her side of the counter.

"Its just through here."She opened an invisible door and I stepped through. She shut the door just as I heard Gerard call for me. I put my ear up against the wall and listened.

"... here right now."Diane said.
"Fuck off Di I just saw him go out back."Gerard said.
"He doesn't want to see you okay! Look I don't know what's happened but from the sound of it you were sleeping with some chick even though there is something between you and Frank. You are the one who messed it up okay?"

"Fuck! No one knows not even fucking Mikey! I just- Frank please! Come out so I can explain to you!"Gerard shouted. I ignored him and looked around.

It was a small but long and narrow room. There were boxes of coffee beans or something. Empty crates and a giant fridge down the end. I grabbed a crate and sat down on it.

"He's gone."Diane popped her head in the door. She came in and sat down on a crate next to me.
"Where has he gone? He is my ride home."I sighed.
"Just sitting with the others looking completely depressed and angry... What the hell happened?"She asked.

"Well..."I really needed Lily for this. Not someone I had only met twice,"I um- we... Uh fuck."I had no idea how to put it.
"Don't worry. If you were supposed to tell me it would have been easier."She smiled at me and got up. What?

"Uh okay. I don't know if I should go back out there..."I mumbled and stood up again as some music kicked in. Some other band were playing.

"You can't hide forever Frank."Diane gave me a look before leaving me standing behind the door wondering what the fuck I should do. I took a quick at the small storage room and left.

I spotted Gerard aand the others sitting around a table looking grumpy as hell.
"Diane what time does this place close?"I asked her, watching her make coffees expertly.

"Uhh usually around 3 or 4 in the morning. Why?"She smiled at a customer and handed them a coffee. I really wanted one.
"I don't want a ride with Gerard."I sighed and leaned against a wall.

"Dude I don't even drive. I'm working til midnight then my boyfriends coming to get me. If you wanna wait til then for a ride then by all means be my guerst but I don't think you want to wait another 3 hours. The guys are going up soon because people here love them. Do you want to be here for that?"She raised an eyebrow at me.

"No... I don't want to wait. I can't wait really."I sighed again and looked over at the guys.
"Dont worry. I will ask Bob."I smiled at her.
"Hey Frank!"She called after me as I started walking away. I stopped and looked at her.

"You want a coffee?"She grinned at me, holding up a cup of something.
"Yes please."I rushed back and grabbed the drink. A hazelnut latte.
"If you ever need to talk, I'm always here."She smiled as I nodded and walked away.

I stopped a little away from the table and stared. They were all looking nervous and angry and, excluding Gerard, excited. I was probably going to change all those feelings as soon as I sat down.

Gerards POV

I could see him out of the corner of my eye. He was staring at the table holding a drink. I didnt look as he slowly continued walking towards the table. I didnt know how to react. Everyone was immediately more stiff and careful about what they said. I ignored him as he sat down across from me, in between Mikey and Bob, and stared at my drink. There was no more foam and it was almost gone. I needed another one.

"So when are you guys going back up?"Frank asked.
"After these guys finish this song..."Mikey sighed and gulped the last of his drink down.
"Who are they?"Frank looked over at the stage.
"Not sure... I think their name is something to do with a disco?"Ray rubbed his face and finished his drink.

"Oh... Shouldn't you guys be getting ready to go up?"Frank looked round at us all, his eyes somehow avoiding my face.
"Yeah... Come on guys."Mikey stood up and stretched. Ray and Bob copied him and they all stared down at me.

"Gerard are you coming?"Mikey said. I looked up at him and nodded. I drank the last of my drink and looked down at Frank. He was staring up at the stage. I sighed and walked away, the rest of the guys following me.

I finally realised that Mikey wasn't with us when we reached the stage. I looked back and saw him talking to Frank. Frank looked over at me and we made eye contact. Fuck it hurt. He looked so hurt. Fucking hell. I turned away and grabbed my guitar. The guys started preparing as the band on stage ended their song. It was actually an alright song. They were just missing a few parts to their band. There was only a drummer and a singer with a guitar.

"These guys are really difficult to please."The drummer said and patted me on the shoulder.
"Dont worry. We know how to handle them."I smiled at him.
"Spencer."He held his hand out with a smile.
"Uh Gerard."I smiled back and shook his hand. Very formal.

The singer came down and grinned at Spencer.
"Spence I love it. We need to get signed."The guy grabbed Spencer by the arms and shook him slightly.
"Jon this is Gerard. Gerard, Jon."Spencer smiled at me. Jon held his hand out for me to shake. What was up with these guys? I smiled at shook it before following the rest of the guys up on stage to cheers from the crowd. It was actually larger than before.

I stared at turned away from the crowd and the bright lights and gathered the guys in for a quick chat.
"We have three songs, what are we gonna play?"I looked around at them all.

"Shit. We didnt even think of that uhm fuck lets just do uh..."Ray stuttered. We all stared at each other for a minute before Mikey broke the silence within the circle.
"Lets do American Idiot, um and uh Last Caress?"Mikey shrugged at us all.

"We still have one time slot to fill though."Bob looked around at us.
"If we can get a piano of some sort I can fill it."I said.
"Well where the fuck are we gonna get one of those?"Bob groaned and went to sit down.

I turned around and faced the impatient crowd.
"Hey Di? Can we get like a keyboard or something up here?"I said into the microphone and squinted at the back to see Diane nodding and start moving through the crowd. She parted it like Moses and the red fucking sea.

She went through a door to the side of the stage and came out tugging a keyboard. I jumped down and helped her pull on it. Bob leaned down and took the end of it. He somehow hauled the whole thing up onto the stage while Diane brought out a bunch of cords and started plugging them in.

"Its ready to."She smiled at me. I thanked her and went back to the guys who were all in their places.
"Y'all ready for this?"I grinned, thoughts of Frank completely leaving my mind as we started to play American Idiot.

I fucking loved it. Singing to them and having them sing back was amazing. There was no greater feeling. We finished the song to cheers and cheers. Playing here really was just completely fucking awesome. I grabbed the mic and looked out at them all.

"So that was uh a um a Green Day song. This next one is an older one. By The Misfits. Its called Last Caress. You guys know it?"I grinned as everyone in front of the stage cheered. There were still people sitting down at their tables. Drinking coffee, just hanging out with friends. And then I saw Frank.

He was staring up at me, a small smile on his face. He stopped smiling suddenly and looked down at his drink. I looked away and at Mikey he nodded at me.

We started the song and people went nuts. I could even hear people singing along. It was fucking awesome. I wanted that. To have people sing along to my bands' songs.

The song finished and Ray was at my side.
"Its just you now buddy."He smiled at me. I turned around to see the guys leaving.

"No Bob you stay. This thing hasn't got a beat and I know it needs one. Could you stay and see if you can work something out?"I looked at him hopefully. He nodded and sat back down.

"Okay."I turned back to the expectant crowd,"This song is an original. It isn't fully finished yet but I love you guys and I want to play it for you before I go."I smiled out at them.

I moved away from the mic and pulled the keyboard over. I positioned it so I could play then passed Daisy over to Mikey. After that he went and sat at a table where Pete joined him. Ray was sitting with Frank.

I stared out at the crowd. I could see a few familiar faces. Then I saw her. Jade. She was talking to Diane happily. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
"I'd like to dedicate this to my Nana. This song is about her. Its called Cancer."I opened my eyes and looked down at the keys. I started playing the notes I had once cried over.

Nana had taught me this tune. It never meant anything until I finished it and put lyrics to it. It was just a tune she taught to Mikey and I when we were just starting to learn about music.

"Turn away... If you could get me a drink, of water cause my lips are chapped and faded. Call my aunt Maree. Help her gather all my things... And bury me in all my favourite colours. My sisters and my brothers still I will not kiss you... Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you..."

Bob started playing the drums behind me. Perfectly. They fit in with the lyrics so well.

"Now turn away... Cause I'm awful just to see... Cause all my hairs abandoned all my body. Oh my agony. Know that I will never marry! Baby I'm just soggy from the chemo. But counting down the days to go... It just aint living! And I just hope you know... That if you say... Goodbye tonight... I'd ask you to be true... Cause the hardest part of this... Is leaving you... Cause the hardest part of this is leaving.... You..."

I looked around at the silent crowd as I wiped the three tears that I hadn't noticed fall. Two seconds later everyone screamed and cheered and clapped. Someone slapped me on the back. I looked to see Bob grinning at me.

"Come on."He linked arms with me, weird, and pulled me off stage.
"Gerard that was amazing!"
"You're so great Gerard!"
"That was fucking beautiful Gerard!"

People were screaming at me. Bob shouldered his way through the crowd until we reached Mikey and Pete. Immediately Mikey stood up and hugged me.

"Gerard that was... Fucking perfect."He sighed. I held him tightly and closed my eyes.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you Mikey... You didn't know and I'm sorry."I whispered.

"Its okay... I don't care just- don't shove me around on stage in front of a crowd again. Kay?"He pulled back and raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled and nodded.

Mikeys eyes darted behind me and he cleared his throat. I looked around to see Frank walking up to me with Ray. Ray went straight in for a hug, going on about how good the song with. I barely even noticed.

"Gerard can you please take me home?"He said quietly, not meeting my eyes.
"Okay."I nodded. He turned around immediately and left me. I stared after him sadly.

"Just explain to him. If its really like you say it is then he will understand."Mikey touched me on the arm. I turned around and nodded.

"I love you guys. You're the best friends I could ever have."I smiled and went after Frank.
"Hey Gerard wait!"Diane stopped me. I went over to her. She was standing behind the counter looking slightly worried.

"Jade was here earlier. She wanted to say hi to you but you were on stage and now I don't know where she has got to."She smiled as she peered at the people sitting down.

"Fuck uh okay thanks. I actually saw her today so uh I will just call her later."I smiled back before rushing outside.