Chapter Three

"Frank?" Gerard whispered, shocked. He could barely believe it, Frank was standing there, right I'm front of him. He was covered in blood, cuts and bruises scattered across his body. His clothes were muddy and tattered, he looked like he had been through hell.

"Yeah." Frank croaked. His voice was raspy, like he's been yelling for hours. Gerard could only stand there, staring at him.

"But," he finally choked out, "you're dead...you were gone for three months you had to have died, you-"

"Gee…" Frank cut him off, "I know I'm so sorry, I'll explain later but right now I'm really hurt," he looked up at Gerard, his eyes glassy with tears. "Please." He said. Gerard looked down at him, speechless. Frank was standing right in front of him, wounded, bleeding, and he couldn't think of a single thing to say.

After a minute he grabbed Frank, pulling him into his arms. Gerard buried his face into Frank's neck as he sobbed.

"God, I thought you were dead!" He cried into him. Gerard had missed him so much. He took in Frank's smell, the way he felt pressed against his own body. He'd missed this so much, he still couldn't believe that Frank was okay, that Frank was alive and he was holding him again.

"I am dead." Frank said flatly.

"What?" Gerard sniffed, pulling away slightly so that their faces were inched apart. He looked into Frank's eyes, feeling stupid that he didn't recognize him that night. It was no doubt Frank, he just didn't want to believe it.

"Gee…" He said cautiously, "something happened to me out there, I-please just let me in." Gerard looked at him, remembering the blood soaking his clothes.

"Oh! Yes, oh my god are you hurt?" He grabbed Frank's hands to pull him inside, his hands were so cold…

"I'll be okay." Frank said weakly, limping over the couch. He carefully placed his body on the old cushions and rested his head on the arm, laying down. Putting the back of his hand on his forehead he looked over at Gerard. "I'm so sorry." It almost seemed like he was going to cry.

"Frank what happened?" Gerard sat on the coffee table by his couch, his arms resting on his knees with his hands clasped together. "You were gone for three months." His voice cracked at the end of the sentence, tears welling up in his eyes. "I thought…I thought you're dead, I cried over you." The tears were spilling out now, hot against his cheeks.

"Gerard," Frank started, wincing as he sat up. "please just let me explain." There was something different about about him, Gerard couldn't place it just yet but there definitely something wrong. Frank seemed so much paler, if that was even possible, and he didn't open his mouth all the way when he spoke, almost as if he was hiding something.

"You were gone for so long…" Gerard said quietly, looking down at his hands. He realized that he was actually angry Frank for this, even though it probably wasn't his fault. He was still mad that Frank had been gone for so long, leaving to believe that he was dead. He jumped a little when Frank placed a cool hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. His heart was pounding against his chest now, tears streaming down his face. "I thought-"

"That I was dead." Frank finished. He placed a hand on Gerard's face, wiping the tears away. Gerard leaned into the touch, not caring about the chill and looking into his friend's eyes. Still beautiful. "I would have come back sooner, really, but I just…I didn't want you to get hurt." Frank sighed sadly before continuing. "Gerard there are things in this world that you've only known as stories before. These things are scary and dangerous, like end of the world dangerous." Gerard furrowed his brow. Frank was confusing him, what did he mean by this? It was starting to sound like the ramblings of a crazy person but Gerard listened, he trusted Frank. "When I was taken, the chained me up in some basement for what seemed like forever. I know it could have only been a few days because they hadn't fed me or anything and I was still alive. When someone did come down, I was sure that they were going to kill me and dump my body in a river or something but what they did do was so much worse. I would take dead, pruny fingers over this any day." Frank was crying now, tears spilling out over his porcelain face. It almost looked like he would crack if you so much as touched him. "They turned me into one of them."

Gerard hated seeing Frank cry. It broke his heart to see him so upset, he wished that he could just take all of the pain away, forgetting his recent anger.

"Frank-"

"They turned me into a vampire." Gerard would have thought this was a joke, but his eyes were dead serious. Maybe whatever they did to Frank in that basement messed him up, maybe he wouldn't ever be like his old self and just live the rest of his life thinking he was some mythical creature.

"Frank," ,he started cautiously, "this sounds really crazy, do you hear yourself?" He looked up at Frank worriedly.

"I know, I know it sounds crazy, but Gee you have to believe me." He pleaded. "There are so many of them and they want to do bad things. We have to stop them before they hurt you." Frank had his hands on the sides of Gerard's face to hold him in place as he looked deep into his eyes. "Please." ,He whispered, "I can prove it." Frank let go of Gerard and backed up a little to smile, wide and sad. Gerard looked at his teeth, shocked. Frank had four of them, all sharp. Two were on the top row, much longer than the bottom ones. Frank had fangs.

"Are those real?" Gerard asked, reaching out to touch them. Frank nodded and pushed his hand away.

"You know I wouldn't lie to you Gee." He said quietly and leaned closer to him. "I wanted to come home so badly, I was just so afraid that they'd hurt you. Earlier, out in the woods," he gestured to the back door, "one of them found Mikey, I'm so fucking sorry Gee, I…I did what I could but he still got hurt. That guy, he's so much bigger than I am he fucking beat me." Frank looked down at his wounds. "I'm afraid to go back out there I don't know what to do." He looked so lost right now. Gerard grabbed his hands, squeezing them to try and show support.

"Stay with me then, we can figure this out." Frank was about to object but Gerard cut him off. "I don't care if you're a vampire or some other crazy supernatural shit, I care about you Frank." He looked sadly into Gerard's eyes before speaking.

"Would you still care about me if you knew what I've done?" Frank pulled his hands out of Gerard's as he looked down at the floor shamefully. "I've killed people Gerard. I…I had to, to eat. I didn't want to but I did, I could have just let myself starve but I killed them!" He was crying again, rocking back and forth on the sofa. "I so selfish!" He spat looking back up at Gerard, venom in his eyes.

"Frankie," Gerard shifted closer. "you only did what you had to. That doesn't matter to me, it's okay." He placed a hand on Frank's cold knee, watching the fire drain from his face.

"I don't want to hurt you." Frank chocked out, burying his face in his hands.

"You won't," He got up and sat next to Frank, pulling him into his arms, Frank's hair brushing his cheek. "you aren't going to hurt me. I promise"

"You can't promise that!" Frank sobbed into his palms. "You don't know what I'm capable of! I could kill you!" He looked back up at Gerard with a pained expression. "I don't wanna hurt you." He said again, this time calmer, barely a whisper."

"Frank please…" he said, pulling Frank closer to him. "I can't loose you again." He ran his free hand through Frank's hair, trying to soothe him. He wasn't going to let Frank leave again. This time, he would protect him with his life, even if it cost his own. Frank's hair was greasy, like it hadn't been washed for a while. He liked to dye it black but Gerard could see his brown roots showing, it was longer too. Probably didn't have time for a haircut with the whole vampire thing going on. "I'll take care of you." He finally said after Frank stopped shaking.

"How?" His voice was hoarse from the crying, but Gerard still loved to listen to it. He didn't realize how much he missed Frank's hair and his voice, the little things about him.

"Don't know yet, but I will." He spoke quietly, humming a little. And he would, he would take care of Frank until the end of of the world, though by what Frank said, might not by far off from now.

Frank had fallen asleep not long after that. He had always been small so it was no trouble for Gerard to pick him up and carry him to his bed. He decided that Frank deserved the bed and that he'd sleep on the couch. Guessing that Frank wouldn't want to stay in his current clothing, which was torn and bloody, Gerard set out some of his own clothes next to Frank on the bed. They would probably be a little big on him but it was all he had.

He shut all of the curtains in his house to try and block out the sunlight tomorrow, he wasn't sure how the whole being a vampire thing worked but he didn't want Frank to burn or anything. After that he plopped himself on the couch, pulling a blanket down with him. It was a long night of tossing and turning but he finally found sleep, his dreams filled with Frank and vampires.

Gerard woke around noon, hearing the shower above running. He ran his hands up his face and through his hair, sitting up and yawning. He needed coffee. His house was dark from all the curtains being drawn, but he could still that it was day from the soft glow of light surrounding each of his windows. His blanket fell to floor as he stood up, scratching the back of his neck. He blew his long, black hair out of his face as he ventured into the kitchen. He always liked having his hair long, no matter how annoying it got at times. He heard Frank turn off the shower as the coffee started brewing. He came down a minute later, ruffling his damp hair.

"Hey." He said weakly, looking up at Gerard. "Didn't think you'd ever wake up." He let out a light laugh as he walked closer.

"You know I sleep late." Gerard smiled down at his cup while he poured coffee into it, watching the dark liquid fill the empty space.

"Hey," Frank leaned against the counter across from Gerard. "thank you, for the clothes and the bed but you really didn't have to sleep on the couch, I'm used to sleeping on your couch." Gerard looked back at Frank, coffee in hand.

"No, you…you were hurt and you've been through a lot." He looked down before continuing. "I blame myself you know? For you getting taken." He saw Frank stiffen out of the corner of his eye. "I can't help but think that you'd still be…alive if I tried harder to fight back, to fight for you." Frank suddenly closed the little space between them with a hug, wrapping his arms around Gerard waist, his hands resting on his back.

"Gerard, listen to me," he mumbled into Gerard's shirt, "this is not your fault okay? You tried, I saw you try."

"I could have tried harder." Gerard felt like crying again, feeling so small and defenseless.

"No." Frank shook his head against Gerard's chest. "There wasn't anything else you could do, you were bleeding, you were hurt." He sighed into Frank's hair, still slightly wet from the shower. He had used Gerard's shampoo so he smelled faintly of flowers, Gerard had never bothered with the 'manly' shampoos. He liked flowers and he liked that Frank smelled like flowers.

"You smell nice." He said after a long time of just standing there, holding each other. Frank let out a breathy laugh.

"Thanks." He pulled away, smiling up at Gerard. "I still have a lot of shit to tell you."

"I figured."

"It might weird."

"Weird is my middle name."

"It's very supernatural." Frank flashed a toothy grin, showing off his fangs.

"I'm in."