A/N: I don't own MCR. Sucks to be me.
Gerard is asleep in seconds. I glance down at him; he's smiling in his sleep. I pull my iPod out of my purse and put my earbuds in. I lean back and get comfortable, listening to "Look After You" by The Fray. After that, "Cemetery Drive" comes on by none other than the person asleep in my lap, and I'm out like a light.
--
"Anna...Aaaannnnnaaaaa..." someone is cooing in my ear.
"Mmffwhut?" I mumble. I open one eye, like a cat, and see Gerard in my face.
"We landed and we have to get off now," he says, laughing.
"Oh!" I pop out of my seat. My now dead iPod clatters to the floor and Gerard grabs it for me. We exit the plane into the bright, late afternoon sunshine. "Thank you, Hawkins," I say as we leave.
"Of course, Miss," he returns, inclining his head towards me in a respectful way. I wish he wouldn't do that.
"Your carriage, Madame Gilmore?" Gerard asks, holding open the door of a big, stretch black limousine. Ooh. Classy punk band.
"Why, thank you, Monsieur Way," I reply in a snobby French accent. I slide into the back seat with Gerard close behind.
"I just want you to know: you're going to be living with five guys who don't like to shower regularly. Make that five crazy, hyper motherfuckers. You have been warned." I throw my head back and laugh.
--
Twenty minutes later, we pull into an empty parking lot in what I suppose is the venue that My Chemical Romance is performing in. We get out and go in the back door, followed closely by a huge body guard. What's the big guy for? Crowd control? We enter a room with four guys sprawled all over the place. I already know all of them – hypothetically, of course. Frankie and Ray are battling it out on Guitar Hero, Mikey is observing and looking quite amused, and Bob is eating a burrito and texting. The burrito reminds me of how hungry I am, but I'm suddenly struck by a wave of my miraculous nervousness and I no longer have the ability to speak.
"Hey, guys. This is Anna, my...fiancee...that I told you about...before I left. Yeah. So this is her, and she's going to be touring with us. Try not to give her a fucking aneurism, 'kay?" Gerard says. He goes and sits next to Mikey on the couch. Frankie immediately drops his guitar and rushes over to me.
"Hi!! I'm Frankie!" he exclaims, hugging me. Damn, he has a grip...
"I'm Anna," I reply, rather awkwardly.
"Oh, you're British! That's good..." he says.
"Erm...I guess so..." Aaaawkward...
"Well, we thought you were going to be one of those weird, made-to-order Russian brides or something creepy like that because those are the only people who would marry Gerard because he's a vampire-"
"Frankie!" Gerard exclaims, running a weary hand over his face.
"Okay, okay, fine, Gerard is not a vampire. Jeez...You can't have fun with these people, I'm tellin' ya," he says, making me laugh.
"Ha! Yes! I beat you Iero, I bet you at your own fucking game!!!" Ray shouts.
"You fucker! I was talking to Anna, I told you to pause it!!" Frankie yells back, tackling Ray. I hurry over to the couch and sit between Mikey and Gerard to avoid any Frankie/Ray carnage. Mikey and Gerard really don't look alike at all...
"I'm Mikey, otherwise known as normal," Mikey introduces himself. He has a soothing way of speaking that instantly melts away my nerves.
"Anna, otherwise known as...Well I don't have another name..." I laugh.
"Don't let Ray and Frank scare you," Mikey says. "Or Gee, for that matter. Frankie wasn't lying, he is actually a vampire. He likes to scare people." Mikey giggles manically.
"Mikes...You and Frankie better watch yourselves, that's all I'm gonna say," Gerard, or now Gee, growls.
"So, Anna, what do you like to do?" Frankie asks, pouncing on Mikey, who lets out an appreciative "oof."
"For a tiny man, he weighs a lot," Mikey says. Frank makes a face, but doesn't say anything. He's still watching me, waiting for my answer.
"Um, well, I was a dancer in the Russian School of Ballet in St. Petersburg. I like erm...Music. And books." Way to be a conversationalist.
"Oooh, ballet? Like this?" Frankie asks, jumping up and doing some sort of imitation of ballet. I think.
I giggle, "Something like that."
"Ten minutes, guys," a person with a headset says from the door.
"Thanks, Ed," Gerard says. "We better get ready guys. Will you be ok backstage, Anna?" he asks me.
"Yeah, sure," I reply with a smile. He nods and they all scatter, going to get ready, I guess. If it was a ballet, they'd have been in costume and make up for hours already.
My muscles are aching from my lack of exercise today. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to practice just a little...No one will see... I turn on my iPod, praying for a scrap of battery to be left. Score! I turn on my classical playlist. My favorite, "Transformation" from Beauty and the Beast, comes on. I close my eyes and begin to dance. I'm flying around the room, going through all the steps I've seen a thousand times perfectly. The scene would be perfect, except I'm lacking one Beast to transform into Prince Charming.
The song is over and I suddenly feel watched. I turn and see Gerard staring at me, his mouth literally hanging open. "Wow...That was absolutely amazing. I'd love to see you do that with music I can actually hear," he says. I blush and smile shyly. I'm weird about people watching me.
"Thank you," I say quietly. He comes over and gives me a hug. I feel really...safe...with his arms around me. Protected.
