Hello Angel

Gerard flicked the butt of his cigarette behind him and got up from the folding chair he was sitting on. Motioning for Madeleine and Mikey to follow him, Gerard headed towards their tour bus. Madeleine made a string of noises, looking back at Frank who was still rummaging through tables behind them. Gerard seemed to not have noticed, so Madeleine followed him to their massive bus.

"Look at this baby! Not too long ago, we were still in a shitty van that smelled like booze and cigarettes."

"Now it's a nice bus that smells like booze and cigarettes," Mikey laughed as Gerard gave the bus a hug. Madeleine smiled as the bus door swung open and Ray and Bob walked out. Ray pointed at Madeleine with his thumb and Gerard nodded, his black hair whipping furiously around his face.

"I told you guys a while ago, that Mikes and I had a baby sister once. Well... here she is!" Gerard put his arm around Madeleine, who sheepishly smiled at the guys and waved shyly. Ray was the first one to come over and give Madeleine a big hug. Over his shoulder, she saw Bob nod his head and give her a small salute. Ray let go of her. "Any family of Gerard and Mikey's is family of ours," he said with a grin.

Gerard piped up again. "I wanted to talk some more with Madeleine in the bus and show her the thing we got her, if you guys wanted to join us?" Ray and Bob shook their heads.

"We've got plans with the Offspring guys, but we'll catch you later! Nice to meet you Madeleine!" Ray and Bob headed to another section of the festival. Madeleine then realized that Gerard implied he had a gift for her, and she beamed at him.

“You got me something? Fuck, if I’d know this was some weird Secret Santa shit I - ”

Gerard shushed her with a wave of his hand and motioned for them to get onto the bus with him. “Well, they seemed nice,” Madeleine said, trying to change the subject and not betray her excitement further. “I guess we’ll meet up later with everyone else.” Mikey shrugged.

“Frank’s been moping around lately, so he’s probably going to end up not coming back to the bus.” Madeleine raised an eyebrow.

“Why, what’s the matter?”

“We’re busy trying to come up with a new album while we’re all pumped up about this whole band thing, and the creative process is just kinda draining him,” Mikey replied, looking down at his feet. He let out a sigh that surely was not meant to have been as loud as it was, and looked back up at Madeleine. “Still can’t get over that you look more like my… our brother than I do. Why did I get the weird skinny tall genes?”

Madeleine slapped Mikey in the shoulder. “If that was a jab at my weight, I’ll have you know that - ” Mikey laughed and shook his head. “Of course not, why would I do that? I’m the one complaining about my genetics!” They giggled together and barely noticed Gerard having a difficult time rifling through the piles of clothing and bags strewn across the bus seats.

Eventually, he yanked out a black tee shirt – a mystery why he couldn’t find it amongst their piles of black tee shirts – and sniffed it before he handed it to Madeleine.

“I can’t tell if this one is mine or the one I packed for you anymore – sorry. But, symbolically, I’d like you to have one of the very first MCR tee-shirts ever made.” Madeleine’s eyes started to well up with tears as she took the shirt with “Thank You for the Venom” emblazoned across the chest and held it close. “Mad? Madeleine, you okay?”

She choked back a sob and flung herself at Gerard again. “I’m sorry I’m such a crybaby but you guys are just so nice and so great and have been thinking about me all this time and - ” She inhaled deeply and cried while laughing.

“If this is a dream, never wake me up.”

Notes