Lullaby And Goodnight

*ONE WEEK LATER*

My feet up on the dusty plastic green table, a cigerette in my hand, and a coffee in the other, I lent back and relaxed during my break. You know the band? It's all set up. We've been playing in Matt's garage now for seven years. Mikey came to sit beside me with a coffee of his own while he flicked through a pile of hard back books. I brushed my long black hair from my eyes and watched him.

"Hey Mikes, how's college been?" Mikey was a in college everyday before coming to work an hour after finishing there.

"Okay, I guess. Not much to enjoy. Except...Alica goes to the same college." Yep, his little crush on Alica never died. He'd asked her out countless times now and she still refused him everytime. Me and Frankie were still going pretty strong. You know the boys we met at the park eight years ago? Billy, Tre and Mike? Well, their band, now known as Green Day, made it [b[HUGE. I sat back again and looked at my life. I'd done nothing to make a difference.

"Mikey, I want us to do something. I wanna save kids lives." I blurted out of the blue. Mikey swallowed a mouthful of the hot, rich coffee and looked at me in confusion.

"What do you mean? How you supposed to save kids lives?" I shrugged.

"I dunno. Maybe get a recording deal and make the band bigger. What do you say lil bro?" He seemed to think for a moment. He was twenty one, pretty much no life ahead of him, same with me, except I was twenty four, we both still lived with our parents too. Rachael also still lived with hers. Which also ment, she was still trapped in Jake's grasp. Getting weaker and weaker each day. I had also managed to grab her a job here just so I could keep an eye on her.

"Go for it Gerard. Bro, don't get your hopes up though, but it's worth a shot." He said without looking up, he was flicking through a few Irvine Welsh Novels. I nodded and checked out for the day, another shift over. I smiled as Rachael came over, her shift over too. She took off her ID card and slid it into her locker in the Staff Room before folowing me out. We always went for a drink for an hour or so before Mikey's shift ended and we could bring him home.

"Hey Rach, I'm gonna try and find a record company to make a CD with." I whispered over the small round table of Starbucks across the street from Barnes and Nobel. I pulled out a piece of paper and added more writing to the already long song I had been writing for the past week. I blew my hair from my face and tapped my pen until I was hit with inspiration and managed to write a little more. I sighed and sat back, watching while Rachael turned the paper and read the lyrics I'd writted. The further she got, the more her eyebrows lifted until she'd finished.

"Wow. They're really good Gerard. And I heard what you went through last week." I nodded quickly and changed the subject, she caught on that it was touchy and didn't press matters. Once the hour was up, I took my song and Rachael's hand in mine and made our way back to the store. Mikey was still clearing up so I took her into the bathroom. Don't get any ideas, I just wanted to check my eyeliner. Yes, I still wore eyeliner. She lent on the counter beside me and I couldn't help checking her out, also imagining the numberous cuts and bruises on her skinny waist under that tight yellow shirt. I wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. She sighed in contentment and burried her head in my shoulder.

"How bad was he?" I whispered in her ear. She looked up at me with tear filled eyes and shrugged.

"Not too bad. He pulled the knife again though." She lifted her shirt just revealing a little above her belly button. There were now six scars there from where he had put an end to previous pregnancies, all of which he was responsible for. I shook my head in discust at the newest cut and kissed her lips quickly and innocently.

"You gotta say something Rach. He can't keep getting away with shit like this. He's technically killed six babies and is behind domestic violence." Rachael smiled weakly up at me and shook her head.

"If people don't believe me and ask him, he's gonna get me bad." I nodded in understanding and held her tight. Mikey finally stepped in and splashed his red and hot face with cold water before drying off and heading out, with us two sharing another kiss before following him out. I draped my arm around her shoulder and led us out to my car. Rachael was about to clamber into the back, but Mikey beat her to it and spread out on the back seat. Rachael laughed and climbed into the passenger seat with me instead.

"Hey Mikey, have you seen the song Gerard wrote?" Rachael turned and grinned at my brother. He shook his head and sat up, looking at me expectantly.

"Nope. Lemme see Gerard?" I shooked my head, a small smile playing on my lips.

"I'll sing it tonight at practise, then we'll see about getting that recording deal." He sat back, pouting playfully, but he always gives in after a while. I dropped Rachael off at her gate, watching her go straight to the stables before driving off home. I grinned when I noticed Frankie's car pulled up outside. The man I was deeply in-love with was sat in the drivers seat, tapping the edges of the wheel and singing loudly along with the Black Flag song that was blarring out of the cars speakers. I pulled up beside him and blasted my horn three times getting his attention. He flushed scarlet and turned the music off, winding the window down to talk to me.

"Nice on Frank, we'll think about you becoming a singer." I grinned at his giddy expression. The one that read 'oh my fucking god guess what' face. I pulled up in the drive and got out, leaving Mikey to get himself out. Frankie jumped out of his rolled down window and ran to me, jumping his jeaned legs around my waist and his bare arms around my neck. I kissed his lips in greeting and laughed at his adorable enthusiasm.

"Geeeeeeee! Guess what!" He yelled excitedly, sliding down my body and standing around four or five inches smaller than me.

"I give up babe. What?" I smiled and he grinned again.

"Pencey Prep have an album!" He held out a CD and ran to Mikey to yell it all to him as well. I stared at the black CD cover in shock. This was...This was...This was...AMAZING! I screamed and turned back to Frankie, wrapping him in a tight hug and spinning around.

"I'm so proud of you Frankie babe! I told you you had an amazing voice and guitar skills." He grinned and bounced into our house with us. My mom greeted us all with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and Frankie proceded to tell her all about his new album. She immediatly insisted on playing it and put it on the stereo by the fire place. Frankie's voice blarred out and we all sang along. We knew the words since Frankie spent most of his time singing them. Helena then emerged from the kitchen. I squeeled and bounded over, wrapping my arms around her and letting her hug me tightly and rock me from side to side.

*TIME ELAPSE/ BAND PRACTISE*

"Hey Guys! Gerard has a new song." Mikey smiled at Ray and Matt. I dropped our bags and took our positions. I handed the boys their music that I had written up and listened to the intro before my voice joined in.

"You're not in this alone
Let me break this awkward silence
Let me go
Go on record
Be the first to say I'm sorry
And hear me out
And if you take me down
Would you lay me out?
And if the world needs something better
Let's give them one more reason now

We walk in single file
We light our rails and punch our time
Ride escalators colder than a cell

This broken city sky
Like butane on my skin
And stolen from my eyes
Hello, Angel
Tell me, where are you?
Tell me where we go from here
This broken city sky
Like butane on my skin
And stolen from my eyes
Hello, Angel
Tell me, where are you?
Tell me where we go from here
Tell me we go from..

And in this moment we can't close the lids
On burning eyes
Our memories blanket us with friends we know
Like fallout vapor
Steel corpses stretch out towards an ending sun
Scorched and black
It reaches in and tears your flesh apart
As ice cold hands
Rip into your heart
That's if you've still got one that's left
Inside that cave you call a chest
And after seeing what we saw
Can we still reclaim our innocence?
And if the world needs something better
Let's give them one more reason now

This broken city sky
Like butane on my skin
And stolen from my eyes
Hello, Angel
Tell me, where are you?
Tell me where we go from here
This broken city sky
Like butane on my skin
And stolen from my eyes
Hello, Angel
Tell me, where are you?
Tell me where we go from here
Tell me we go from here."

We finished the song with the giys behind me, clapping and cheering the new lyrics.

"I wanna find a record company. I'm sick of this garage and I'm ready for a stage."

"Well I know someone in Eyeball records, maybe they could get us started." Matt suggested while biting his thumb nail. Everyone looked at him agressively.

"Why didn't you say that before!" Everyone yelled at him at the same time. He just smiled and pushed his hands into his pockets.

"I didn't think you wanted this as a real signed band. I thought it was just a past time."

"You mean this means nothing to you? All this, us? Means nothing?" I asked him, clipping the mic back onto it's stand.

"Of course it does. Look, I'll get in touch with the guys and we'll sort something out kay?" We all nodded and packed away again. Our practises now usually only consisted of about five minutes since we all had jobs to run off to. In my case, a friend and a boyfriend. We'd left Frankie at home and I needed him. Mikey clung to the seats at my intense and insane driving. He was surely used to this by now. Once home, I dropped off Mikey and headed over to Frank's apartment where he was expecting me anyway.

"Hey babe, I've been waiting." Frankie purred with a wink as the door creaked open. His tight jeans clung to his skin, showing off every muscle. The skin tight navy blue shirt just as tight, I needed to touch him. If I could have my way, I would have had him right here in this hallway, but I knew the neighbours would object, so he dragged me into his apartment and hungrily attacked my neck jaw and lips, kicking the door shut behind us...