Best Man

After spending Independence Day at Disney World, it was eventually time for Mike, Caroline and Estelle to return to their real lives.

Packing their bags, they flew across the country, first class, until they reached the San Francisco International Airport, where they took a shuttle to where they'd left Mike's BMW prior to their vacation.

Then, just when they got home and were dropping their bags and carry-ons down to the ground, Caroline went over to the answering machine, quite casually, and pushed the 'play' button to hear who had called while they were gone.

Three were from her mother about the wedding yet again, one from Billie Joe about Mike calling him when they got in, a few others from random people, then the last was from My Chemical Romance's manager.

"Hey, Caroline. Just giving you a heads up that this weekend the guys will be filming the video for their new single in LA, and it's the song you lent your vocals to. Gerard asked if I could get a hold of you because him and the boys want you in the video as well. I got wind that you'll be on vacation until the 9th, so give me a call back by Friday, the 11th. We'll make arrangements to fly you down here and get you a trailer set up. Thanks. Talk to you soon. Bye.

Biting her bottom lip, Caroline's eyes sparkled.

The MCR guys were fun to hang around with.

Late last year Gerard had approached her at the label's Christmas party to see if she'd be on the album they were recording and she said yes before he could finish the question. Three weeks later she was in a studio in the City of Angels, recording her vocals on what she felt was the most bittersweet song on their entire album.

It was haunting, depressing, yet beautiful all at the same time. And the way they had her sing with Gerard was like as if she was a ghost.

"Gonna rack up your frequent flyer miles this week, huh?" Mike questioned with a smirk as he walked over to Caroline and dropped his keys onto the tabletop beside her.

"Looks like." Turning to look at him fully, she cocked her head to the side a little. "Do you mind that I go?"

Mike shook his head, looking down at the answering machine. "I'm not your father."

Letting out a small laugh, Caroline raised her right hand to the side of his face and flicked her thumb over his earlobe which caused him to look up into her eyes and hold her gaze. Studying each other's eyes and expressions in general, Caroline was the one who furrowed her brow in concern as she tilted her head upward toward him.

"What's the matter, baby?" she questioned.

Instead of responding, Mike stepped closer to close the gap between them and scooped her up in his arms, wrapping them tightly around her back and holding her up against him for dear life as he buried his face into the crook of her neck, just inhaling her scent in slow, steady breaths.

Caroline closed her eyes and snaked her arms around his shoulders, pressing her cheek to his as best as she could.

His skin seemed to feel as warm as if he were feeling embarrassed. Or maybe her skin was just really cold.

"Mike..." she muttered. "What's wrong?"

His breath shuddering a bit, the five foot eleven bassist shrugged, causing Caroline to move with his gesture. "I dunno," he finally responded. "I just...I dunno." Lifting his head and pulling it back to look at her, Mike licked his lips and held her gaze once again. "I don't know how to explain it, but I just have this funny feeling in my stomach."

"What kind of feeling?"

Mike shrugged again. "I dunno. But I don't know if I like it."

"Like, something foreboding?"

"Maybe."

Offering him a sympathetic smile, Caroline stood on tip toe and leaned forward as she held onto his face with both hands and placed her lips to his forehead.

"Try not to think about it," she insisted. "You'll just let it eat at you, and you don't even know what it is."

The corners of his lips pulled upward as if to smile but his expression was still that of uncertainty. So, he returned to pulling Caroline close against him, practically wrapping himself around her like a boa constrictor.

"Don't ever leave me, okay?" he whispered almost out of the blue.

Furrowing her brow again, Caroline frowned, placing one hand to the side of his face while turning her head to kiss the opposite side of his, then moving her lips to the corner of his.

"I won't," she whispered back, into his mouth as she kissed him.

Returning the gesture, Mike closed his eyes, letting her dominate him for the moment. That, in itself, was a rare thing, because Caroline always liked to be the submissive one whenever they were intimate. She wanted him to be the man, in all aspects.

She said it made her feel safe and secure.

However, that didn't stop her from climbing on top of him when they were going at it and riding him like a cowgirl.

Shit.

He just had to recall that kind of memory. And he knew what thinking such a thing would do to his body and he also knew Caroline would take notice.

"Mike," she murmured with a smile in her voice.

Yep. She noticed.

"Why don't we make the best of Estelle being back at Ana's, okay?" she continued.

Mike just nodded, failing to break their kiss, as he swiveled her around and pressed her against the wall and hitched her upward so that she wrapped her legs around his waist.

As she looked down at him, he looked up.

And for the first time in being with him, she saw lust in his eyes.

Usually it was love or love mixed with lust, but never just lust on its own.

And it weirded her out a little because she'd never seen this side of him before and wasn't sure how to take it.

But, she loved him, and hell...she loved making love to him. So, how his eyes might look shouldn't make a difference.

As the couple started going at it, with Caroline pressed hard between his body and the wall behind her, she noticed another thing that was a little off about that moment.

They weren't really making love.

It was rougher; more desperate.

It was fucking.

And not that Caroline minded, because Mike was a great sexual match for her. The best partner she'd ever had, but it didn't feel the same.

Dipping his chin to his chest and pressing his forehead against her collarbone, Mike grunted and groaned, closing his eyes tightly to the point of seeing spots behind his eyelids.

And the only thing on Mike's mind was how being home made all his insecurities over what happened with Tre come back and hang in front of his face, pounding in his chest, gnawing at his mind.

He just wanted it to go away, but the way Tre had been acting lately...it made Mike wary. Not to mention a little nervous.

So he fucked it all away; unaware of how Caroline was feeling about it all.

I love you, Caroline. Never leave me, never leave me... he repeated over and over in his mind. Stay with me...



Three days later, Caroline could be found, donning a Gothic-esque Victorian wedding dress with make-up done to have her appear ghostly, or rather just very corpselike, while her dark hair was disheveled with pieces of moss stuck in it.

And let's not forget how she was hanging about fifteen feet above the ground by a harness that was hidden under her dress and the wires holding her up were the only thing keeping her from falling to a very painful death.

Not to mention the harness was giving her a major wedgie.

But, alas, no one seemed to care. She might as well continue dangling like a frickin' mistletoe. Which is just what MCR's Frank Iero and Mikey Way were joking about her being.

"Hell-o...anybody down there?" she called out lightheartedly.

Gerard walked underneath her at that moment and looked up with an impish grin.

"I see why Mike can't keep his hands off you," he commented. Then tilting his head, he pointed. "I can totally see your underwear."

Caroline gathered some saliva in her mouth and spit down at him, but missed, unfortunately.

Laughing, he just continued. "I'd offer you some of my milkshake, but I'm not tall enough to reach you."

"Just tell the fucking director to get this over with, okay?" she bemoaned.

Offering her a light smile, My Chemical Romance's lead singer nodded. "Sure thing, sugar."

And off he disappeared while techies moved about near the rigging, and Caroline just prayed they knew what the fuck they were doing.



The last shot of the video shoot was the following evening, wherein Gerard was sitting in a room that was painted black. There were no windows so it looked like he was sitting in a very big box instead.

And instead of sitting on a chair, he was sitting Indian-style on a frumpy looking mattress whose single white bed sheet was half on the floor as if it were trying to escape.

As the camera zoomed in on him, Caroline suddenly sat up behind him, her face perpendicular to the back of his head but still in view of the camera as they lip-synched to their own voices.

Then, slowly, she turned to peer over his shoulder and she no longer was made up to look like death. Turning her whole body, she got up on her knees and lifted her hands to wrap them around his shoulders and press her cheek against his.

Closing his eyes as she sang her line, alone, he let a distant smile play upon his lips and he turned his head so that they were about to kiss, but then the director called, "Cut and print!" Then, "Gerard, hold that pose."

They then had Caroline stand up and walk off set so that they could film Gerard opening his eyes to find Caroline wasn't there after all, and he'd been simply dreaming it.

When that was said and done, the director shouted, "That's a wrap for Caroline!"

Both lead singers smiled at each other and Gerard got to his feet and gave Caroline a hug.

"Thanks for being a part of this."

"Thanks for having me," she replied.

All in all it was a nice escape from home for a while. It gave her time to not focus on Mike or the wedding and just on herself and work.

But the next day she'd be flying home, and once again faced with what she'd left behind for a few days.



Mike had greeted Caroline at the airport the next day and she about ran into his arms and tackled him to the ground because, despite the weirdness she'd been feeling lately about him, she was so fucking glad to see him again.

She supposed there'd be weird moments but, in the end, he was all that mattered in her life.

As soon as they got home, they shagged like bunnies and had they been two wooden sticks, they would've caught fire and burned a hole through the mattress.

And the floor.

And the kitchen table.

And the couch.

And the bathtub.

And the...pool?

Anyway, after spending the next couple of days in bed or out shopping and the like, she was completely unaware about what was going on in Mike's head.

Okay, she knew he was planning something by the look in his eyes every time he smiled at her, but she just couldn't figure it out. And it was driving her nuts.

And then after a day spent at Pier 39 in the city, they drove home, but before they reached their street, Mike pulled the BMW over and blindfolded Caroline.

When she felt the car come to a halt for good, Mike hopped out and helped her out of the car, leading her to the front door and then inside, then all the way through to the backyard.

"Mike...what are you doing?"

"Just a little bit further," he assured as she picked up the sound of other feet, beside theirs, shuffling nearby.

"Who's here?" she questioned, reaching out for Mike's face. "You're not gonna put me up to some kinky three-way sex in the pool with some lesbian friend of yours, are you?"

At that moment, Mike pulled the blindfold down off of Caroline's eyes.

"Surprise!" came the voices of about 30 people standing in front of her.

And Caroline's face went red from embarrassment over what she'd just said when she spotted a certain couple amidst the crowd.

"Oh," she muttered, shyly. "Hi mom and dad."

As everyone began to approach her, they wished her a happy birthday, even though it wasn't quite her birthday yet. She still had a couple of days.

"Surprised?" Mike whispered in her ear.

Caroline nodded. "Uh, yeah."

"I figured this was the only to throw you a surprise birthday party."

"It worked." Turning, she smiled up at him and kissed him, just as her parents approached and hugged both her and Mike and then they parted.

"What about me?"

Caroline's hazel eyes settled on the form of her sister Giselle approaching the four of them with a grin.

"How did you all get here? I mean...yay." Caroline hugged her sister and sighed. "Well, whatever. I'm so glad you're here. I've been really needing you lately."

Giselle smirked. "As always."

"Hey."

"Well, c'mon. You're the big sister and yet I'm the one always giving you advice, like, I'm your muse or something." Throwing an arm around Caroline, the younger sister pulled her away from Mike and their parents to lead her off in another direction. "We all got here this afternoon and Mike's putting us up right here too, so try not to have sex too loud. You might burn mom's virgin ears."

Caroline laughed. "Oh, god. I know."

"So, tell me. What's eating you?" Giselle inquired, then added with a grin, "Besides Mike?"

Throwing her sister a knowing glare that was lighthearted at best, Caroline sighed yet again and shrugged. "I don't feel like delving into it right now. Later, though. Okay?"

Giselle nodded. "Deal."

As the Woods sisters walked around the edge of the pool, Tre stood on the opposite side with a beer in his hand, his eyes locking on Caroline, but, for a moment, they lingered on Giselle...