Gerard's pov

I turned over and looked at Steph. Her eyes were shut and her body moved up and down every time she took a breath. She turned around, in her sleep, facing me and muttered something.

"Angel. Don't go there." She muttered. I shook her, but she didn't wake. I guessed she was dreaming. I studied her face which had an expression I recognized to be irritated and frustrated. Then she looked scared. Instantly, her expression changed. Then I remembered.

Angel. The one my former secretary killed. The gravestone she was curled up against at her brother's funeral.

Then she woke up, breathless.

"Steph, what happened?" I asked. She turned towards me.

"Oh, don't worry, it's nothing." She said. I looked at her, curiously, hoping I could find an answer in her beautiful eyes. But she had an unreadable expression on her face. I clutched her shoulder, making her turn around to face me.

"That wasn't 'nothing'. That was certainly something." I said. She placed her arm on my bicep and stroked it gently.

"Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal." Steph stated. I sighed.

"Steph, you were talking in your sleep. You were talking to Angel, you best friend. I think that's pretty significant, if you ask me?" I said, almost redundantly.

"You heard that?" She gasped. I nodded. She blushed, as if she knew she talked in her sleep. I smiled.

"Don't be embarrassed. It's a pretty common thing. Frank does it." I stated, looking at her bashful face. She smiled, and got out of bed.

"Where are you going?" I asked. She turned around, while making her way towards the washroom.

"To take a shower. We have to go do the studio soon." She said. I groaned and got up. I fell back onto the bed, and clutched my head in pain. Steph seemed to notice, and rushed towards me.

"What happened?" She said. I grinned, evilly.

"I think I got up a little too fast. Don't worry, it's 'nothing'." I repeated. She shook her head and turned around, as I sat up and laughed to myself for a moment or two. When she finally got out of the shower, a beautiful smell came out with her. She smelled of orchids and I got up, for it was my turn to shower. I jumped in and out and put on my clothes that awaited me on the bathroom floor. I then walked out of Steph's room, into the kitchen, where I had Lucky Charms. We both ate the cereal part of lucky charms first, and we then threw the marshmallows at each other. After picking all the marshmallows from our clothes and hair, we walked over to the dance studio. Chelsea got there a minute after us, and we started to arrange the furniture, and such. But first I finished painting the music notes and ballet shoes on the tops and bottoms off all the walls in the studio, except for the ballet room, performance room, viewing room and the change room. I didn't border the change room, because it didn't need it. The performance room was dark, and didn't need too much décor and same with the viewing room. The jazz and ballet rooms had their own unique designs. The ballet room had ballet dancers along the walls with violins here and there. In the jazz room, they had jazz dancers with top hats and canes, and a saxophone here and their. Steph started setting up the office, and Chelsea started to stalk up the rooms with dancing stuff. Then, I helped Steph put the brass beams and the peek mirrors in the frames. We got the chairs out of Chels' Dad's truck and set them up in the viewing room. We put all the chairs in the viewing room, and would get some good chairs for the performance room, once we got some cash. After we were done, it looked amazing. Chelsea and Steph jumped around, because they couldn't wait for the place to open next on Monday, which was two days away. The sun was starting to fade, and I invited Chelsea to come over to my house for dinner with my family, Steph and I. My parents wanted to meet Steph, and they said we could have another guest if we wanted. She said yes, and we headed towards my house.

"The studio looks amazing, eh?" Steph said to me. I nodded, and tried to concentrate on the road as Steph turned around to face Chelsea in the backseat for a moment of squealing.

Girls…

Steph's pov

We finally arrived at Gerard's house and we got into the house. A woman, that reminded me a little bit of Gerard, walked towards the front door, and embraced Gerard.

"Gerard, you're home, finally." The woman, I was guessing was his mother said. Gerard kissed her once on each cheek.

"Alright, Ma. Ma! This is Steph, the one Mikey kept telling you about. Well, she's my girlfriend now." Gerard explained. I shook her hand.

"Well, I guess Mikey was right about you two after all." She said. I turned red and she changed the subject.

"I'm Donna, Gerard's mother. I'm so happy to finally meet you." The woman said. I smiled.

"I'm happy to be here." Steph said. Gerard smiled and then brought Chelsea forward.

"Ma, is it alright that I invited one of Steph's colleague over for dinner." Gerard asked, referring to Chelsea, standing beside him.

"No, not at all. I said you can invited someone else, Gee, baby." His mother cooed. He blushed when she said that, making me laugh. We then sat down at the family's kitchen table, when a man that reminded me of Mikey walked into the room. I was guessing he was Gerard's father. Mikey followed his father into the room, and sat down beside him, when Jenny walked in.

"Oh, hey Jenny! What a pleasant surprise!" I said. She nodded and sat on the other side of Mikey. Donna sat at the head of the table, facing her husband directly. I sat beside Gerard, who sat on the left side of his father, and Chelsea, who sat beside Donna, across from an empty chair.

"So Steph, Chelsea. Gerard said you guys worked together. What do you do?" Donna asked.

"We used to work at Gary's, but we decided to lease a store to make into a dance studio, so we are dance teachers." Chelsea said. I nodded.

"So you guys have been dancing a long time?" Donna guessed.

"Yes, we both have our teaching license." I said. I looked over at Gerard, who was eating his spaghetti like he had never seen food before.

"Steph, Jenn told me you guys stayed at the same orphanage growing up." Donna mentioned. I nodded.

"I stayed until I was around nine or ten, when a family took me in. Ray, Frank and Bob's girlfriends, they all were there too." I said.

"Wow, what a coincidence!" Exclaimed Donald, Gerard and Mikey's father.

"So, Steph, maybe the girls could see the studio sometime." Jenny sugessted. I nodded.

"Of course! Why not. I'd love for you to come. It's finally open tomorrow, and we have so much demand." I said. Dinner was finished a few minutes later, and Gerard drove me and Chelsea home. We dropped off Chelsea at her place, and we headed over to mine. Gerard seemed to be humming something to himself, so I shook him, until he realized we were here. He leaned in and gave me a peck, which I deepened into a real kiss. This took him by surprise, but he went for it. I finally broke away, and got out.

"Go park the car and come inside with me, okay?" I said. Gerard looked at me, in silence for a while, then he finally nodded, and sped towards the parking lot. I got up to my apartment, and unlocked the door to get inside. I took an Advil, for a headache I felt coming on, from all the paint fumes I had breathed in today. Then there was a firm rap on the door. I opened it, and it was Gerard's beautiful face smiling down on me. I took him hand and led him into my apartment toward my very small TV to watch a movie. I grabbed Sound of Music and showed him the cover. He nodded, seeming okay with the selection. We sat in each others arms listening to the beautiful voices of the Von Trappe family, as Gerard ocassionally dragged his lips along my lower cheek bone. I think it was at the part where they come back from the canoe trip, when I finally fell asleep in Gerard's warm arms.

Gerard's pov

It was the part where the father was singing 'Edelweiss' when I looked over at Steph, who was asleep. I should have realized it was a lot quieter without her singing, even though she did have a soothing voice.

I picked her up and brought her into her room. I didn't know if she wanted me to stay or not, but I decided I had better go home. My mom hasn't seen me in a while, and I said I was just dropping Steph off. I pulled the covers up around her collarbone, and kissed her on the forehead.

I closed the light, and then I heard her mutter 'Shon, where are you. Please come back. Not you too, Shon.' After that I knew I had to stay. I wanted to figure out what's wrong.

"I'm sorry Angel. It was all my fault. I should have saved you. Same with you, Shon. We could have saved you too. Why did you have to leave me. I'm all alone. It's just Gerard now. He's going to be next isn't he?" Steph chatted away to herself in her sleep. I sat down pushing the hair out of her face, and got up to close the door. I got into the bed beside her, and listened to her words.

"Shon, no. I want you back here with me. Come out of the light Shon." She mumbled, and I saw a tear drop fall from her face. I shook her awake and she squinted in exhaustion and then smiled when she saw me.

"You stayed! Good." Steph said. I nodded, and she hugged me as tight as possible. Then came the tears, and I tried to settle her, when she looked up.

"Sorry, I…nevermind." She said. I looked into her eyes, that were shining by the moons light from her window.

"I want to know why your upset. Frank does this all the time, about random things. But you're different. You sounded really worried. Are you okay?" I said. Steph shook her head.

"Everytime you leave, I'm anxious something will happen to you. Like a car crash, or a shooting, or something. God has chosen me to play around with; to have some fun. He kills everything important to me. My adopted dad used to love me, but then he turned on me, because his wife, my new mom, was killed. Now he hates me. My best friend Angel, who I could finally confide in, was killed by the popular kids that bullied us everyday at school. But God does them good justice and doesn't let the girls get caught, just their boyfriends, for the murder. Then, my brother does something really nice for me, and the God decides he should send terrorist there to kill him, so he can't make my life better anymore. Gerard, you are the best thing that ever happened to me. And if you are taken away, I wouldn't know how to take it. To never see you again, like all those people I've mentioned, would be a lot harder then loosing Angel and Shon. Especially your smile, and your eyes, and your way with words; if I ever lost that, I would never forgive myself for living. Almost everyone dear to me has been killed off. There are only 9 or 10 of my friends and family left. I'm running out, and I hope as soon as you are taken away from me, God will have the heart to take me too. I love you Gerard. I don't want to loose you, ever. You are the reason I live through everyday." Steph confessed. I sighed, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Don't worry babe, I don't plan on dying soon. I'll always be there, I promise." I said.

"No, you can't promise that. It will come unexpected, and I'm not going to let it happen." Steph said, angrily.

"What are you going to do, handcuff me to your arm? Kidnapp me?" I asked, jokingly. She laughed.

"Well, that's how I have to make sure you are safe. I want you to live with me, now" Steph said.

"Of course I will live with you, but Steph, remember. We are planning on making a band. We have some material already. Eventually we will make a record and go on a small tour. You can't keep me with you forever. Plus, I think the trauma has made you paranoid." I reminded. She smiled.

"I'd come with you, of course!" Steph said. I nodded, hoping that she would get more comfortable with me gone eventually.

"We will talk about this later." I said.

"But you'll move in, right."

"Of course, if it makes you less anxious." I said. I kissed her on the forehead.

"Now, goodnight." I concluded, and I shut my eyes, drifting into a deep sleep.