Inner Demons

Mikey stared at his brother with contempt as he scrambled down the steps, furiously pulling a shirt over his torso. Mikey crossed his arms and glared coldly at his brother at he sat down in the dark, quiet library. "What the fuck are you thinking?"

Gerard raised an eyebrow and scratched his wrist, "What do you mean?"

"She's 16 Gerard! You are almost 30!" Mikey roared.

"Well I'm sorry! Let me just fix my age so everyone wins!" he yelled, clenching his fist.

"That doesn't fucking matter Gerard! You are taking advantage of her and you know it!"

Gerard narrowed his eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about Mikey..."

"Kat? Hello! You broke up with her, what? A month ago?" he seethed.

"Keep Kat out of this Mikey." Gerard threatened.

"Nadine is a rebound and you know it... and secretly, she knows it too. But she's 16, she's too naive to notice, and you took advantage of that." Mikey spat.

Gerard shot upright, somewhat reluctantly, he was a lot shorter than Mikey, "I am not taking advantage of anyone."

"You took advantage of Kat." Mikey replied curtly, curling his lip.

Gerard let out a long breath from his nose, his face turning bright red, "Take that back."

Mikey allowed his arms to drop to his sides, "You wanted her for sex... to keep you as intoxicated as humanly possible 24/7."

Gerard bit his tongue, every nerve in his body screaming out from the tension in his fists. Mikey continued, "You used her to get around, she was your little pawn. She got us all the best shows, the best video directors. You forced her to sleep around so you get to the top."

Gerard could feel his fingernails digging into his skin, the blood running between his fingers. "Kat wasn't your girlfriend, Gerard. She was your little toy, but she loved you so much. She stayed by you for 6 years, loving you and helping when you needed it. And then you break up with her... for a 16-year-old girl? You sick mother fucker..."

At that Gerard let out a brutal yell and lunged for his brother. Mikey yelped and covered his face, feeling as Gerard crashed into him, the both of them falling to the floor. "Fuck you!" Gerard screamed, hitting Mikey with the little strength he had.

Each punch made his wrists throb, each ragged breath he took more painful than the last, but it was worth it. He was defending his honor, after all. Mikey squirmed beneath him, flailing his arms around. Finally, with one good push, he made Gerard topple over. Mikey quickly pulled himself upright and watched as Gerard did the same. "You just can't handle the fact you were a shitty boyfriend. After all that Kat did for you..." Mikey sighed, spitting blood out of his mouth.

Gerard glared daggers at Mikey, his breathing erratic, sounding like his was torn between rage and sorrow. "Kat... I never did any of that..."

Mikey rolled his eyes, "Yeah right... Kat saved your ass so many times... she saved you from Bert."

Gerard felt tears leak out of his eyes, "I never did anything to her!"

"Yeah, you only made her the music industry's top whore!" Mikey roared.

Gerard tensed up and charged at Mikey, "She was not a whore!"

Mikey was frozen for a second, watching as his brother came barrling down on him. He quickly stepped away, leaving Gerard no time to correct himself. He charged headfirst into the wall. He stood wobbly for a second, mumbling incoherently, before collapsing on the floor. Mikey walked over to him, and made sure he was still breathing. He then hoisted him up by his armpits and dragged him to the couch. "Fuck Gerard... "

Mikey thought for a minute, then went into the kitchen. They was still a semi-frozen ice pack in the freezer, so we wrapped it up and threw it on Gerard's head. He stared down at him and sighed impatiently, "You got what you deserved," he said finally.
******************
Nadine hummed nonsensically as she sipped on her coffee, earning angry glares from Delia, "Would you SHUT UP! My head is killing me!"

Nadine smiled and began swinging her feet, kicking at leg of the bed. Delia groaned and buried her head into a pillow, cursing loudly. Nadine smiled softly and brought her knees up to her chest, taking another sip of her coffee, "I've missed you Del."

Delia grinned, then blushed madly, "Anything happen while I've been gone?"

"Mikey found a cat... or a kitten, really." Nadine explained with a giggle.

Delia squealed, "A Kitty! Really?"

Nadine nodded and Delia trilled happily, Ray laughed softly from the other side of the room, a french fry still hanging out of his mouth, Delia smiled, "You, uhh, have something on your face."

Nadine smirked, "No, Delia. He was always that funny looking.

Ray sneered and took a bite of his burger, "Look Delia! I'm eating dead baby animals!" he then stuck out his tongue, the partially chewed burger resting on it.

"EWWW!" Nadine screamed, making a few choice gagging noises.

Ray smiled and swallowed, "I can do worse."

Nadine covered her eyes, "I don't wanna see 'worse'."

He grinned and laid down, putting his hands behind his head. Delia, however, sat upright and pulled the paper plate of her night stand, taking a bite of her veggie burger. She licked some ketchup from her lips, before turning to Nadine, "When exactly are our brother's coming back anyways?"

Nadine shrugged, "I don't know, they said it was important though."

Delia chewed on her cheek and looked out the window as a few feeble snow flakes fell from the sky. The cars in the parking lot wore a thin white coat, and the ground was peppered with the virginic white snow. Delia sighed softly, "Even the snow is prettier in California."

Nadine laughed quietly, "I kinda want live here. Move out here, go to college, buy a big house on the beach."

Delia shook her head, "I wanna move to Greece, or maybe Italy. The sea is beautiful in the summer time."

Nadine sighed softly, lost in her own day dream, "I love The Paramour. Sure it's evil and scary as shit, but it's so pretty... and the view," she breathed softly.

Delia nodded and rubbed her left arm, "Fuck this hurts."

Nadine blinked, "What's wrong?"

"My IV is sore... like, it almost hurts to move it." Delia whined.

Nadine blinked rapidly, "Want me to go get a doctor?"

"If it hurts later, then yes."

Nadine nodded slowly and settled into the uncomfortable metal chair, resting her head on the bed. Delia whimpered as she laid her arm down on the bed, and Nadine shot her a worried look, "Are you sure you don't need a doctor?"

Delia bit her lip, "Yeah... but find a nice looking one."

Nadine smiled and nodded, standing up. She stretched out, her joints crack and pop. Delia made a slightly disgusted face and watched as Nadine wandered out of the room. She roamed the halls, looking for someone who might be of some discernible help. Finally, she spotted a young looking nurse dressed in navy scrubs, his red hair hanging over his eyes, "Umm, sir?" Nadine asked timidly.

He looked up, "Can I help you?"

Nadine chewed on her bottom lip, "My friend, Delia... something is wrong with her IV thingy."

The nurse nodded slightly, "I see... which room is hers?"

"624," she answered sheepishly.

The nurse blinked, and followed Nadine back to the room. Delia was sitting up in bed, tears rolling down her red cheeks. The nurse rushed over to the bed and Delia held out her arm. The area around the needle was purple and swollen, with strange red marks around it, "Please, it hurts!" she cried.

The nurse inspected it, 'It's just infected."

He gingerly pulled the needle out and cleaned it with some alcohol. He then taped a piece of gauze over the wound, "Let me get a fresh needle, and then I'll put this back in for you."

Delia grimaced slightly, "Do I really need one?"

The nurse sighed, then nodded slowly, "You were dehydrated when they brought you in, sorry."

Delia groaned and gave a whimper when she felt the sharp pinch in her hand. The nurse applied some tape to keep it stable then wiped his hands on his scrubs, "If you have anymore problems, just come find me. My name is Craig."

Delia thanked him and scooted over, "Come lay with me Deeny."

Nadine nodded and smiled climbing into the bed and curling up to her best friend. They laid in silence for a few minutes, then the door opened and Frank and Bib stepped through. Frank shook his head, causing little snowflakes to sprinkle to the floor, "You miss us?"

Nadine shook her head, "I like it better when you're not around, I can cuss more."

Frank rolled his eyes, "Don't be smart Nadine."

She stuck out her tongue and Frank sat down in the chair she occupied. Bob sat opposite him, and took a hold of Delia's hand, "Mikey called... the house still has no power."

Delia sighed, "Of course it doesn't."

Bob laughed quietly, "Well, you can go home first thing in the morning. And its... 5 pm... only 13 more hours here."

Delia rolled her eyes, "How optimistic."

Bob rubbed her wrist softly, "Try not to think about it... sleep it all off."

"What about you guys?"

Frank smirked, "We can find ways of entertaining ourselves."

Nadine giggled, and Delia gave them all serious looks, "Just don't get thrown out, okay?"

Frank nodded and Delia yawned loudly. she laid her head on Nadine's "squishy" breasts and quickly fell asleep.

"Del... wake up, sweetie."

She could faintly hear her brother's voice and and curled into the sheets, clutching them desperately, "No, Bob, five more minutes." she groaned.

Bob laughed softly and rubbed her back, "Delia, it's time to go... Nadine brought you some clothes."

Delia curled up tighter, "But I wanna sleeeeeeep." she whined, hiding her face with her arm.

Bob sighed softly, "Come on, you need to get up. They want you out in an hour, people need these rooms." he explained.

Delia opened one eye, "What clothes did she bring me?"

Bob smiled, "Your boy jeans... and some shirt."

Delia grinned softly and sat up in bed. She yawned and stretched, glancing across the room, "Wh-where's Ray?" she asked, panicking.

"Bathroom," Bob said simply.

Delia nodded and Bob handed her a plastic bag, "Umm, I'll leave so you can change, or..."

"Just close the curtain."

Bob nodded and pulled a purple curtain around the bed, and she heard the distinct sound of a door closing. She shrugged her shoulders and set the clothes out on the bed. She then puled herself out carefully, thankful there were no longer any wires or tubes connected to her body. She untied the thin hospital gown and watched in a strange fascination as it floated to the floor, landing like a drape around her feet. She quickly pulled on a bra, on the off chance someone was watching her. Next come the pants. They were her brother's from when was her age, they fit her perfectly, extra long and very baggy. She then pulled on a tight black shirt and her ballet flats. She hopped back onto the bed, "Umm, you can come back in now,"

The door opened and Bob and Ray walked in, both of them looking sick and drained. Delia bit her lip, "Bob, you okay?"

He nodded, "Hospital air... kinda makes me sick." he said softly, lowering his gaze.

Delia nodded slowly and swung her feet, "So, when do we leave?"

Bob cupped his hands, "They said 6..."

Ray yawned and sat down on the bed next to Delia, "It's only 5:45."

Delia blinked, "You wake me up at 5:30 am? You asshole!"

Bob smirked, "I just wanted you ready to go when they discharged you."

Delia nodded slowly, and all of a sudden, Bob's cell phone started ringing. He hit speaker phone, "Hello?"

"Bob?"

He blinked, "What's wrong Frank?"

There was a heavy sigh on the other line "You guys are gonna hafta take a taxi or something. We can't get a new car until tomorrow, and the other is frozen shut. Mikey and I have tried everything."

Bob rolled his eyes, 'Are you serious? Fuck... did you try hot water?"

"It froze over again... Gerard tried to chip it off but, it's just too thick.

"Allright Frank... we'll be there soon." Bob sighed, hanging up his phone.

Ray gave a deep sigh as well, "This record is going to kill us."

Delia pulled her legs up onto the bed and crossed them, "It's not so bad... how many songs have you written?"

Bob put his hand to his chin, "15, maybe... but a lot of them need serious work."

Delia smiled, "You'll have plenty of time for that. What songs do you have so far?"

"Just stuff really... I'm not really sure where Gerard is going with all of this..." he answered sheepishly.

Delia raised an eyebrow and there was a gentle knock at the door, "Come in," Ray called softly.

A nurse popped her head in the door, "Umm, I have the discharge papers..."

Bob smiled, "It's alright, we don't bite."

"Hard..." Delia giggled under her breath.

The nurse smiled nervously, "Well, uhh, Mr. Toro, Mr. Bryar, just sign here and you're allowed to leave."

They nodded and signed quickly, handing the paper's back to the nurse. She smiled again, this time more warmly and left. "You ready to go?" Bob asked.

Delia nodded and pulled a purple and black scarf around her neck, one she had stolen from Gerard ages ago. They wandered downstairs and out the door, being meet by a blast of icy wind. Bob hailed a taxi and allowed sat down in the back with his sister. "Uhh, the Paramour," Ray directed softly, pointing.

The driver nodded and they pulled out, feeling the ice crunching beneath the worn car tires.

*****************
"FUCK!" Mikey screamed.

"What is it?" Gerard asked nervously, whipping his head to see his brother practically stabbing the car door with an ice scraper.

"The door won't budge!" he whined, kicking it.

Gerard laughed, "Mikey, calm down... I have an idea."

"We can't use a blow dryer Gerard, we have no power." Mikey said bluntly.

Gerard face and spirits sunk, "Oh.. yeah..."

"What if we used a lighter?" Frank offered, standing up from the porch.

"That would take hours!" Mikey yelled.

"It could be a big lighter..." Frank mumbled.

Mikey narrowed his gaze, "You two are clueless."

"Pretty much, yeah." Gerard giggled.

Mikey rolled his eyes and squatted down, staring at the edge of the door, "If I just get the ice off here... I think I could open it..."

Gerard hummed softly, "I could get that towel hanging on the fire screen, it could be hot enough to melt the ice."

Mikey smiled, "Great, go get that."

Gerard turned to Frank, "Go get the white towel hanging on the fire screen."

Frank nodded and ran inside, while Gerard walked over to his brother. He picked up the ice scraper again and started the chisel away at the thick ice at the base of the door. Frank then joined them with the hot towel. Mikey stopped Gerard, "Okay, Frank, you melt as much ice as you can. Then Gerard, break off as much ice as you can, then we'll all pull to free the door."

They two men nodded and Frank set the towel to the door, felling the cold water against his fingers. Very quickly though, the towel lost all its warmth and was longer useful. He cast it aside and Gerard began to whack at the door. Once a good portion of the ice was removed, they each took a place at the door and pulled as hard as they could. Almost instantly, it opened, sending the three men flying backwards onto the icy pavement. After the initial swearing and groans of pain, Mikey shot upright and yelled, "I DID IT!"

Frank scoffed, "I did the towel thing."

Gerard rolled his eyes and pulled the keys from his pocket, "How about we go get some coffee... my treat." he coaxed.

"I'm down with that... bring me back something laden with sugar." Frank demanded, before turning to go inside.

"You wanna come with me?" Gerard asked, starting the car to allow it to warm.

Mikey nodded and the two of them sat inside the freezing car, allowing the ice to melt off the exterior. Mikey turned to Gerard, "I'm, uhhh, sorry I got so mad at you last night."

Gerard smiled, "Eh, I deserved it."

Mikey smiled and hugged his brother, "I love you, Gee... even though your kinda big headed sometimes."

Gerard cracked a smile, "Nah, it's just swollen from last night."

Mikey laughed softly, the slapped his hands against the dash board, "Are we gonna get that coffee or not?"

Gerard grinned, "Let's go!"

He turned on the radio, cranking up the volume as AFI started playing, driving slowly down the icy road. "Oh and Mikey..." he said suddenly.

Mikey looked up, confusion on his face, "What Gee?"

"I love you too, kid,"