Arrangements

No one uttered a word as we sat. I was close to Gerard, he handed Danny to me, and I let Danny fuss with my locket.

"So, did you tell her?" Frank asked Astrid.

"Yeah."

"Stormy," Frank looked over at me, "I'm still gonna be in my son's life. My family, too." He said to me.

"That's good." I muttered, "You want me to take care of him?"

"Yes...if it isn't too much trouble. I...I just can't do it with--"

I cut him off, "I can do it."

"What about you?" Gerard spoke to Astrid suddenly, "What the hell is this shit you're pulling?"

Astrid's jaw slacked, "This isn't shit." she spat.

"It is shit!" He snapped; Danny looked over at Gee and began to whimper, "You have a son--"

"I know! I don't need you to point out the goddamn obvious."

"You're a terrible person." Gerard stood up and walked away.

"You aren't a fucking saint!" Astrid stood and yelled at him, "Just because you get sober, you think you're fucking Jesus!"

Gerard turned back, Frank stood too, I held Danny closer and went straight to his room. I was going to let Gerard yell at her; I wanted her to get some sense knocked into her head. I placed Danny in his crib, he stood a bit, holding onto the sides and I began to pack some things to take to my house.

I could hear them yelling at each other, but I didn't understand or make out what they were saying. I knew Gerard could handle himself; I wanted him to vent so he wouldn't yell at home.

I grabbed Danny's car seat, diaper bag, and another bag full of his clothes and set it by his door. I picked him up, the yelling had stopped, and when I went back to the living room, Astrid was gone, Frank was sitting on the couch and Gerard was by the door.

"Let me hold him for a few minutes." Frank said to me.

"Sure. I'm gonna go put some of his things in the car."

I returned to his room, Astrid was in there now, surprisingly, crying silently. She coursed her hair and looked over at me; "This is what I want."

I nodded, "I know."

"I love my son, Stormy."

"I know you do. You love your freedom just a little more. So," I grabbed his things, "go see him. I know you're probably wanting to get to LA or whatever, and I know Frank is gonna go to his mom's for a while. I might as well save time and take everything now." She didn't say anything as she walked past me and towards the living room.

It all happened so fast.


Gerard didn't say much when we had gotten home. He was silent, and I had a feeling he was feeling upset. He kissed me, but he didn't really linger. He left a few hours after we had got home and came back with Danny's crib.

I watched in a amazement as he and Mikey brought it in, "How did--?"

"My dad's truck," Gerard said quickly, "mind if we put it in your studio?"

"Go ahead." I pecked his cheek.

He and Mikey moved the crib into my studio, and then came back out. I thanked them, hugging Mikey, and waved as he left. I turned to Gerard, he went over to the couch and sat down, sighing softly. I walked over and sat beside him, wrapping my arm around his back, and resting my head against his shoulder. He leaned over and kissed the top of my head, moving his arm to wrap around my middle.

"Are you mad, Gee?" I asked softly.

"A little, but not at you." He answered me shortly.

"Why are you mad? Because of Astrid and Frank?"

"Yes and no." He turned to me, causing me to look up at him, "It's going to be hard for you and me to have our own kid while raising Danny. I mean, I love him, he's great, but when I'm on the road and recording, and you do get pregnant, how will this work?"

"I can handle it." I told him simply, "I use to work at a day care in high school, and I helped take care of Astrid when she was born. It's all pretty easy."

"You would be able to do all that? What about your own career, your art?"

I shrugged, "I could use a break. Art will be there forever, you can only be a mother for as long as you live. I rather enjoy motherhood than not at all."

He smiled, "You're incredible."

"I believe you already told me that." I smiled back.

"So, we can still try for a baby?"

"Most definitely."

He pecked my lips, "You still want that second wedding?"

I tweaked my lips, "Can we hold off on that for another year?" I felt a slight tug at my heart.

"How come?" He asked.

I exhaled lowly, "I want my sister to be there...even if she's disappointed me, she's still my sister and I would like her there."

He nodded, "Yeah, anything, Sugar."


Danny had officially moved in with us by the end of May, and Frank got an apartment of his own. Astrid was living in LA, doing God knows what, and slowly things were returning to normal. I took care of Danny on my own, and he was such a happy baby; I barely noticed how calm and cheery he was until I was with him day by day.

He is such a sweetie pie. He has Gerard wrapped around his little finger too. There are days that Gerard just sits with him and they play with blocks, and Danny will pull at Gee's nose and Gee would fall in love. I know Gerard will make a great daddy.

Frank came around every other week, to see him, but he was very distant. I think he felt awkward, but I never said he couldn't see his own son; I even encouraged it. I called Frank every other night, after he and Gerard got together for something, so he could come by and see him, but he rarely ever did. It hurt, y'know, that Astrid and Frank didn't put in much effort. I wished they could see it the way Gerard and I did; that they had a great little person.

I had begun to take pictures of him, almost every day, at everything he did. He could stand on his own, but only for a little while, and he was always trying to talk. He didn't fuss at night, and he was a heavy sleeper; he was the total opposite of how Astrid was as a baby.

"What kind of baby do you think ours will be?" Gerard asked me while I put Danny in his crib.

"I dunno...I was a quiet one, what about you?"

He chuckled, "My mom says I wouldn't shut up. She had to turn my baby monitor down because I use to ramble in baby talk, in my sleep."

I smiled at him, "Astrid was loud...Danny is polar opposite. Maybe ours will be loud."

Gerard rolled his eyes playfully, "Lord help us."

"I don't care, I'll be happy with a loud kid. I don't mind."

"We already got a quiet one, so we might have a screamer."

I laughed, "Let's hope, yeah?"

"Fingers crossed."